Howard College

The rapid evolution of Artificial Intelligence (AI) has significantly transformed the capabilities, performance, and autonomy of modern mechatronic systems. As industries transition toward intelligent and interconnected manufacturing environments, AI has emerged as a powerful enabler of real-time decision-making, adaptive control, predictive maintenance, and autonomous operation. This review provides a comprehensive analysis of AI integration within mechatronic systems, examining its influence on system performance, autonomy, and manufacturing efficiency. Key AI techniques including machine learning, deep learning, reinforcement learning, evolutionary optimization, and computer vision are evaluated in terms of their applications in control, sensing, diagnostics, and robotics. The paper also highlights advancements in AI-driven motion control, autonomous navigation, sensor fusion, and smart factory operations. Critical challenges such as data requirements, computational constraints, system interoperability, and safety concerns are discussed to identify research gaps. Finally, emerging trends and future directions, such as edge AI, digital twins, explainable AI, and fully autonomous mechatronic cells, are explored. This review consolidates current knowledge and provides insights to guide researchers and practitioners in developing next-generation intelligent mechatronic systems capable of supporting the demands of Industry 4.0 and beyond.

This analysis examines the alignment of the Public Health Accreditation Board (PHAB) standards, the Mobilizing for Action through Planning and Partnerships (MAPP) model, and the Pennel evaluation tool. Despite the growing use of Community Health Assessments (CHAs) and Community Health Improvement Plans (CHIPs), variation in quality and evaluation persists. The analysis identifies convergence, divergence, and integration opportunities to inform more cohesive and sustainable public health improvement strategies. An alignment analysis was conducted through a document review of the PHAB Standards (v2022, initial accreditation), the MAPP model, and the 17-item Pennel evaluation tool. A structured matrix categorized alignment as full, partial, or absent, supported by thematic coding and expert validation for consistency and reliability. The present analysis focuses on the approaches used by US local health departments conducting CHA/CHIP development and accreditation activities. The unit of analysis was not individuals but rather the core components of each approach as articulated in public documentation, handbooks, and peer-reviewed sources. Alignment was evaluated across three themes: Community Engagement & Governance, Data and Health Equity, and Strategy Development & Implementation. The analysis revealed strong alignment across the approaches in stakeholder engagement, data-informed decision-making, and goal setting. Divergence was observed in implementation specificity and sustainability planning. PHAB emphasized compliance documentation; MAPP prioritized participatory planning; and the Pennel tool provided guidance on evaluation and accountability. A complementary approach that integrates the evaluative rigor of the Pennel tool, the procedural depth of MAPP, and the accountability of PHAB could foster a more equitable, responsive, and sustainable public health improvement. Findings underscore the need for public health agencies to support this integration by developing implementation guidance, training, and resources for evaluation. This integration has the potential to bridge accreditation compliance and meaningful health outcomes, advancing toward Public Health 3.0.

This article assesses the South African government’s international, constitutional and legislative budgetary obligations with respect to the development of all children in early childhood. The components of early childhood development (ECD) services are examined as an “essential package” of support to children, including not only education and stimulation but also health, nutrition, social services and support for primary caregivers who need this support in the home environment. This holistic approach requires budgetary collaboration between government and provincial departments to ensure that budgets for this group of children are properly assessed and allocated. With the recent assumption of responsibility for South African ECD programmes by the Department of Basic Education (DBE), clarity is needed on how future budgetary allocation will be managed to ensure cooperation with local government, the Department of Health (DOH) and the Department of Social Development (DSD), which was previously in charge of ECD. The expansion of public provisioning of early childhood care and education (ECCE) programmes has cost, capacity and policy implications. It is argued that this expansion necessitates the implementation of a package of services and provisioning from homes and community venues, with the involvement of municipalities in infrastructural development to advance universal access to ECD programmes. However, despite this need for holistic planning and provisioning, the current budgeting for access to inclusive, ECCE is largely inadequate, with little evidence of investigation into new and improved methods of investment and governance. Internationally, concern has been expressed by the United Nations Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities at the ineffective implementation of relevant policies by the South African government, owing inter alia to: acute shortages of staff with expertise on disabilities and insufficient allocation of financial resources; the large number of children with disabilities who are out of school or are studying in specialised schools or classes, in particular children with psychosocial disabilities; and the low quality of education provided and inadequate curriculum content used for children with disabilities, particularly children with psychosocial disabilities, autism spectrum disorders, and sensory disabilities. Urgent attention has still not been paid to this lack of proper implementation. Domestically, the administration, financing and delivery of partial care and ECCE services are assigned to provincial bodies that are accountable for the planning, funding and oversight of these services. A province can allocate a budget from its equitable share and revenues. Alternatively, a conditional grant may be allocated to the province from the national budget. Decisions to allocate specific amounts for ECD are made at the provincial level and there have been allegations of unpaid subsidies and instances where the government has repurposed funds that were already budgeted for specific purposes. Furthermore, the funding does not fully encompass the broader scope of the education-related essential package of services that the State should provide. In this regard, there is potential to expand the private sector’s role in welfare provision to help underfunded NGOs provide essential services. Legislation on ECCE and ECD, in particular where intergovernmental cooperation and monitoring and evaluation of nutritional interventions are emphasised, may remould the current fragmented and disparate policy options into a more coherent legal duty. Such legislation should prioritise nutritional security for children with disabilities who are from poorer families. Furthermore, adequate funding should be directed to ECD programmes, with better coordination and alignment between the national and provincial departments responsible for ECD. This would ensure that resources are effectively used and transparently managed. This may involve revisiting funding models, reviewing subsidy amounts, and establishing mechanisms to hold relevant stakeholders accountable for achieving the desired outcomes. Furthermore, it is crucial to impose stronger legislative duties to enhance accountability by means of an effective financing system, the primary objective of which would be to ensure equitable support for ECD services across South Africa for children with disabilities. For children with disabilities in particular, a coordinated programme is required to address the key components of funding allocation, resource utilisation, accountability and coordination between national and provincial levels and between departmental and ministerial levels.

South Africa's higher education institutions (HEIs) continue to face challenges in implementing inclusive language policies that integrate indigenous African languages into academic settings, even three decades after apartheid. Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) face significant challenges in integrating indigenous African languages into academic settings. Despite progressive reforms, higher education institutions face significant challenges in integrating indigenous African languages into academic settings. This scoping review aims to evaluate the current state of language policy implementation in South African public HEis. Specifically, it seeks to: (1) map the integration of multilingual policies into teaching, research, and administrative practices; (2) identify persistent barriers to effective policy implementation; (3) explore successful strategies for promoting multilingualism (4) assess the extent of African language usage in academic contexts; and (5) identify research gaps to guide future investigations. The review will adhere to the PRISMA-ScR guidelines and follow the framework outlined by Arksey and O'Malley, ensuring a systematic and transparent approach. A comprehensive search will be conducted in databases including Google Scholar, Scopus, Web of Science, ERIC, and African Journals Online (AJOL), covering studies published from 1994 to the present. This will be supplemented by grey literature from government and institutional sources. Three independent reviewers will screen studies using predefined eligibility criteria, managing and screening articles through Rayyan. Data will be extracted using a standardized form, and thematic analysis will synthesize the findings, with stakeholder consultation to validate results. This review will provide a comprehensive assessment of language policy implementation, highlighting successful strategies and persistent challenges across institutions. The findings will inform policy refinement, identify effective practices, and guide future research directions for achieving linguistically inclusive higher education in South Africa, while contributing to a broader understanding of implementing multilingual policies in post-colonial educational contexts. This protocol is preregistered on OSF, available at https://doi.org/10.17605/OSF.IO/AU2SD.

Abstract Background Genetic variation within HIV-1 subtype C (HIV-1C) long terminal repeat (LTR) transmitted/founder viruses influences transcription activation and clinical disease outcomes. The role of specific mutations such as thymine-to-adenine (T5A) mutation at position five of the Specificity protein 1 (Sp1) III motif (Sp1IIIT5A) remains underexplored. This study investigates the impact of Sp1IIIT5A on HIV-1C LTR transcription activity and Sp1 binding affinity. Methods The Sp1IIIT5A mutant and consensus HIV-1C LTR sequences were cloned into the pGL3 Luciferase Basic reporter vector, sequenced, and transfected into SVG and Jurkat cell lines, independently. Transcription activity and Sp1 expression were assessed via luciferase assays and Western blot. Structural models of Sp1IIIT5A, consensus LTRs and Sp1 were generated, and docking scores calculated using HDOCK, HADDOCK, and pyDockDNA. Molecular dynamics simulations analyzed stability and interactions of Sp1IIIT5A LTR-Sp1 complexes. Results and Discussion The Sp1III5A mutant significantly increased basal (SVG: p<0.0001; Jurkat: p=0.0052) and Tat-mediated (SVG and Jurkat: p<0.0001) HIV-1C LTR transcription activity in both cell lines, with stronger effects in SVG cells. Sp1 expression levels remained similar across cell lines (p=0.0814). Sp1III5A exhibited higher binding affinity (-332.7, -174.6, and -279.2 kcal/mol) than the canonical sequence (-311.4, -157.0, and -247.3 kcal/mol). Conclusion The Sp1IIIT5A mutation significantly enhances HIV-1C LTR transcription activity and Sp1 binding affinity, indicating its potential tole in modulating HIV-1C transcription and pathogenesis. Further investigation is needed to elucidate its impact on HIV-1C latency. Importance In this study we show that the thymine-to-adenine (T5A) mutation at position five of the Sp1 III motif (Sp1IIIT5A) within the HIV-1 subtype C (HIV-1C) long terminal repeat (LTR) increases viral transcription. This mutation enhances the interaction between HIV-1C and the cellular transcription factor Sp1, promoting the viral strain’s ability to replicate. Our findings provide insight into why certain HIV-1C strains behave differently, potentially leading to heterogenous rates of disease progression. Understanding the Sp1IIIT5A mutation could lead to improved strategies for controlling HIV-1C and developing cure strategies to clear the infection or result in virus remission.

Abstract Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder characterized by a decline in cognitive abilities, memory loss, and heightened neuroinflammation. The presence of the APOE4 allele is the most significant genetic risk factor for AD, known to accelerate the onset and progression of the disease by interacting with hallmark features such as beta-amyloid plaques and neurofibrillary tau tangles. Additionally, APOE4 directly impairs microglial function in AD leading to neuroinflammation, further contributing to neurodegeneration. While the relationship between AD and dietary habits or comorbid conditions, particularly hypertension, remains unclear, we hypothesize that high dietary salt intake will exacerbate neuroinflammation within the hippocampus of APOE4-expressing mice, providing a potential mechanistic link between diet, hypertension, and Alzheimer’s disease. To test this hypothesis, we utilized mice that exclusively expressed human APOE4 or the control APOE3 in the brain. Young adult male and female mice, aged 5–7 months old (n=18 in each group), were given a 4% NaCl (high salt) or a 0.1% NaCl (low salt) diet for 4 weeks. Using design-based stereology, we evaluated the total count of Iba1 positive microglia in the hippocampus of APOE4 expressing mice and the control APOE3 mice. Preliminary results show APOE4 mice exhibit significant neuroinflammation in the hippocampus when compared to APOE3 mice. However, the APOE4 low-salt diet was seen to be beneficial. Further work is needed, and results will be discussed.

While the phenomenon of student activism is not new in South Africa, it has escalated recently and has taken on new forms. The literature expounds the emergence of a new modality of student activism in the form of protest movements employing social media as mobilisation tools. While such activism traditionally manifested itself in student representation in university governance structures and student demonstrations, protest movements and social media have emerged as its modern manifestation in South Africa. This article systematically analyses extant theories and conceptual frameworks to assess their relevance to these new modalities. After closely analysing key conceptual frameworks including Stakeholder Theory, the Ideal-type Regime of Governance Model and the Activist Leadership Model, it demonstrates their limitations for describing the emerging trends of student activism in South Africa, the paper proposes a new and robust conceptual model called Unbounded Student Activism.

BACKGROUND: Rehabilitation services are recognized as part of an essential service within all levels of care across the health system. The aim of the study was to assess the utilization of rehabilitation services at a public health facility.
 
 METHOD: A cross-sectional design was implemented. Data were collected utilizing a questionnaire. A systematic random sampling strategy was used. Descriptive statistics were summarised using frequencies and binary logistic regression model was used. A p-value less than 0.05 was deemed statistically significant.
 
 RESULTS: Eighty-three (26.3%) participants utilized rehabilitation services. The most common reason for utilizing rehabilitation services at the public health facility was close proximity 23 (28%) whilst 18 (22%) of the participants highlighted that they had been referred to the hospital. Fifteen participants (18%) reported that they utilized the chosen health facility due to personal preference and 12 (14%) indicated that the facility was the only one they knew. Nine (11%) participants utilized the facility due to reduced transport cost incurred and six (7%) of participants chose a facility due to the perceived reduced waiting times in comparison to other facilities. Race was strongly associated with utilization of rehabilitation services. 
 
 CONCLUSION: The utilization of rehabilitation services in the public health facility was low. Convenience and patient referral to the hospital were the main reasons why patients chose a facility. The health professionals involved in rehabilitation services should raise awareness about the services available in the facility.