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Corporate norms and values, characterised by an enterprise ethos, became the new parameters that defined the academic environment. Academics are increasingly becoming concerned about the commodification of higher education and its impact on academic quality and the standards of quality graduates. The voices of South African academics and their experiences within the neoliberal university governance remain underexplored in the current literature. This study aimed to enhance understanding and contribute to knowledge by exploring lecturers' experiences within a corporatised academic work environment. This study took place across public and private higher education institutions in South Africa. A cross-sectional, qualitative, interpretative phenomenological research design was employed. Data was collected by means of semi-structured interviews with a diverse sample of 20 lecturers. The data analysis followed the principles of interpretative phenomenological analysis. The findings of the study identified three key areas that triggered feelings of frustration with management: (1) participants experienced a lack of management's understanding of governing academic work environments, (2) an erosion of their collegial culture, and (3) a lack of transparent communication. Contribution: A key contribution of this study, which set it apart from other studies, was lecturers' perceptions that their professional identity, collegiality, autonomy, and academic freedom were in crisis.

Globalization and the call for global citizenship education have enabled virtual exchange to prepare healthcare students as emerging healthcare professionals for working in an increasingly interconnected and diverse world. Integrating virtual exchange opportunities into undergraduate curricula in higher education equips students with the knowledge, skills, and attributes needed to be responsive to global healthcare challenges. This study reports on the perceptions of undergraduate healthcare students from geographically distant locations on how (if any) participating in an international virtual exchange project fostered their intercultural competence. Anchored in social constructivism and adopting a qualitative methodology, data was collected using an online, open-ended reflective questionnaire. Findings from the thematic analysis highlight that integrating virtual exchange into curriculum design can foster intercultural competence, preparing healthcare students as emerging professionals for the world of work that necessitates an appreciation for diverse ways of knowing, being, and doing to ensure optimal healthcare.

We review how the international modelling community, encompassing integrated assessment models, global and regional Earth system and climate models, and impact models, has worked together over the past few decades to advance understanding of Earth system change and its impacts on society and the environment and thereby support international climate policy. We go on to recommend a number of priority research areas for the coming decade, a timescale that encompasses a number of newly starting international modelling activities, as well as the IPCC Seventh Assessment Report (AR7) and the second UNFCCC Global Stocktake. Progress in these priority areas will significantly advance our understanding of Earth system change and its impacts, increasing the quality and utility of science support to climate policy. We emphasize the need for continued improvement in our understanding of, and ability to simulate, the coupled Earth system and the impacts of Earth system change. There is an urgent need to investigate plausible pathways and emission scenarios that realize the Paris climate targets – for example, pathways that overshoot 1.5 or 2 °C global warming, before returning to these levels at some later date. Earth system models need to be capable of thoroughly assessing such warming overshoots – in particular, the efficacy of mitigation measures, such as negative CO2 emissions, in reducing atmospheric CO2 and driving global cooling. An improved assessment of the long-term consequences of stabilizing climate at 1.5 or 2 °C above pre-industrial temperatures is also required. We recommend Earth system models run overshoot scenarios in CO2-emission mode to more fully represent coupled climate–carbon-cycle feedbacks and, wherever possible, interactively simulate other key Earth system phenomena at risk of rapid change during overshoot. Regional downscaling and impact models should use forcing data from these simulations, so impact and regional climate projections cover a more complete range of potential responses to a warming overshoot. An accurate simulation of the observed, historical record remains a fundamental requirement of models, as does accurate simulation of key metrics, such as the effective climate sensitivity and the transient climate response to cumulative carbon emissions. For adaptation, a key demand is improved guidance on potential changes in climate extremes and the modes of variability these extremes develop within. Such improvements will most likely be realized through a combination of increased model resolution, improvement of key model parameterizations, and enhanced representation of important Earth system processes, combined with targeted use of new artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) techniques. We propose a deeper collaboration across such efforts over the coming decade. With respect to sampling future uncertainty, increased collaboration between approaches that emphasize large model ensembles and those focussed on statistical emulation is required. We recommend an increased focus on high-impact–low-likelihood (HILL) outcomes – in particular, the risk and consequences of exceeding critical tipping points during a warming overshoot and the potential impacts arising from this. For a comprehensive assessment of the impacts of Earth system change, including impacts arising directly as a result of climate mitigation actions, it is important that spatially detailed, disaggregated information used to generate future scenarios in integrated assessment models be available for use in impact models. Conversely, there is a need to develop methods that enable potential societal responses to projected Earth system change to be incorporated into scenario development. The new models, simulations, data, and scientific advances proposed in this article will not be possible without long-term development and maintenance of a robust, globally connected infrastructure ecosystem. This system must be easily accessible and useable by modelling communities across the world, allowing the global research community to be fully engaged in developing and delivering new scientific knowledge to support international climate policy.

The integrated and indivisible nature of the SDGs is facing implementation challenges due to the silo approaches. We present the three interconnected foci (SDG interactions, modeling, and tools) at the science-policy interface to address these challenges. Accounting for them will support accelerated SDG progress, operationalizing the integration and indivisibility principles.

Forestation can contribute to climate change mitigation. However, increasing frequency and intensity of climate extremes are posed to have profound impact on forests and consequently on the mitigation potential of forestation efforts. In this perspective, we critically assess forestation-reliant climate mitigation scenarios from five different integrated assessment models (IAMs) by showcasing the spatially explicit exposure of forests to fire weather and the simulated increase in global annual burned area. We provide a detailed description of the feedback from climate change to forest carbon uptake in IAMs. Few IAMs are currently accounting for feedback mechanisms like loss from fire disturbance. Consequently, many forestation areas proposed by IAM scenarios will be exposed to fire-promoting weather conditions and without costly prevention measures might be object to frequent burning. We conclude that the actual climate mitigation portfolio in IAM scenarios is subject to substantial uncertainty and that the risk of overly optimistic estimates of negative emission potential of forestation should be avoided. As a way forward we propose how to integrate more detailed climate information when modeling climate mitigation pathways heavily relying on forestation.

Abstract Critically endangered Hooded Vultures (Necrosyrtes monachus Temminck, 1823), like many vulture species globally, are experiencing rapid population declines due to anthropogenic factors such as poisonings, human persecution, trading for belief-based use, and habitat loss/degradation. The Hooded Vulture is widespread across sub-Saharan Africa. Although it is considered one of the most abundant vultures in West Africa, this vulture species is less common in East and southern Africa, with the population at the southern-most edge of the distribution (in South Africa and Eswatini) estimated at only 100–200 mature individuals. The distribution of Hooded Vultures has contracted dramatically in southern Africa, with breeding populations largely confined to protected areas such as the Greater Kruger National Park. This study aimed to investigate the genetic diversity of the southern African range-edge population and assess if the recent contraction in the distribution has resulted in the population experiencing a genetic bottleneck. Sixteen microsatellite loci were amplified for samples collected along the Olifants River in the Greater Kruger National Park (n = 30). The genetic diversity in the South African population was compared to samples (n = 30) collected in Ghana, where Hooded Vultures are more abundant. Contrary to expectations, the South African peripheral Hooded Vulture population showed higher levels of heterozygosity (HO = 0.495) than the Ghanaian population (HO = 0.315). Neither population showed signs of recent bottleneck events when tested using demographic modelling and Approximate Bayesian computation (ABC). However, both populations showed high levels of inbreeding and relatedness. Our results suggest that despite being a small peripheral population, the South African Hooded Vulture population showed a similar level of genetic diversity as individuals sampled from a core population within the species distribution (in Ghana). This study supports the need for Hooded Vulture conservation efforts in the southern African region and highlights the evolutionary importance of range-edge populations.

Abstract The pace at which Next Generation Sequence data is being produced continues to accelerate as technology improves. As a result, such data are increasingly becoming accessible to biologists outside of the field of bioinformatics. In contrast, access to training in the methods of genome assembly and annotation are not growing at a similar rate. In this issue, we report on a Genome Assembly Workshop for Mycologists that was held at the Forestry and Agricultural Biotechnology Institute (FABI) at the University of Pretoria, South Africa and make available the 12 draft genome sequences emanating from the event. With the aim of making the process of genome assembly and annotation more accessible to biologists, we provide a step-by-step guide to both genome assembly and annotation, intended to encourage and empower mycologists to use genome data in their research.

The effective training of law students, which demystifies technology, and the creation of cost effective, fit for purpose technology solutions are crucial to democratising legal technology and levelling the playing fields between "Big Law" and the legal services available to the bulk of South African citizens. A public/private partnership between the Nelson Mandela Faculty of Law, the university's Information and Communication Technology department and a consortium of legal practitioners (including Cliffe Dekker Hofmeyr and various industry players) has piloted HiveLaw, a SharePoint-based practice management solution custom designed to fit university law clinics' dual purpose of legal service delivery and practical legal education. This pilot serves as a case study firstly to investigate how legal technology can contribute to transformative teaching and learning and transformative legal practice at university law clinics, as it exposes staff and students to the benefits of digital and online activities. Secondly, the pilot illustrates how proficiency in the use of technology such as HiveLaw aids the staff and students to adapt to digital processes while improving access to justice for indigent communities. In this way staff and students make a difference in the working world by implementing their knowledge in legal practice, which is widely known for slowly adapting to digital processes, while being exposed to experiential learning and getting in touch with the demands of modern legal practice.

By offering clients attractive credit terms on sales, a company may increase its turnover, but granting credit also incurs the cost of money tied up in accounts receivable (AR), increased administration and a heightened probability of incurring bad debt. The management of credit sales, although eminently important to any business, is often performed manually, which may be time-consuming, expensive and inaccurate. Such an administrative workload becomes increasingly cumbersome as the number of credit sales increases. As a result, a new approach towards proactively identifying invoices from AR accounts that are likely to be paid late, or not at all, has recently been proposed in the literature, with the aim of employing intervention strategies more effectively. Several computational techniques from the credit scoring literature and particularly techniques from the realms of survival analysis or machine learning have been embedded in the aforementioned approach. This body of work is, however, lacking due to the limited guidance provided during the data preparation phase of the model development process and because survival analytic and machine learning techniques have not yet been ensembled. In this paper, we propose a generic framework for modelling invoice payment predictions with the aim of facilitating the process of preparing transaction data for analysis, generating relevant features from past customer behaviours, and selecting and ensembling suitable models for predicting the time to payment associated with invoices. We also introduce a new sequential ensembling approach, called the Survival Boost algorithm. The rationale behind this method is that features generated by a survival analytic model can enhance the efficacy of a machine learning classification algorithm.

Empathy is an important competence for communication professionals. This article investigates two aspects of empathy in an educational setting: the validity of self versus other assessments and the manifestation of empathy in communicative behaviors. Communication students were given a mediating role in discussions with two clients and their empathy was measured using self-ratings and client assessments. Videos of highest- and lowest-rated students were analyzed to identify empathy-related behaviors. No correlation was found between self-rated empathy and clients' assessments. Several verbal and nonverbal behaviors corresponded to empathy: body language, an other-orientation in asking questions, paraphrasing, and a solution orientation.

Marizé Cuyler,1 Danielle Twilley,1 Velaphi C Thipe,2 Vusani Mandiwana,3 Michel L Kalombo,3 Suprakas S Ray,4 Rirhandzu Shamaine Rikhotso-Mbungela,4 Arno Janse van Vuuren,5 Will Coetsee,6 Kattesh V Katti,2,&ast; Namrita Lall1,7– 9,&ast; 1Department of Plant and Soil Sciences, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, Gauteng, 0002, South Africa; 2Department of Radiology, Institute of Green Nanotechnology, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO, 65212, USA; 3Chemical Cluster Centre for Nanostructures and Advanced Materials, Council for Scientific and Industrial Research, Pretoria, 0001, South Africa; 4DST/CSIR National Centre for Nanostructured Materials, Council for Scientific and Industrial Research, Pretoria, 0001, South Africa; 5Centre for High Transmission Electron Microscopy, Nelson Mandela University, Port Elizabeth, 6031, South Africa; 6Botanica Natural Products Pty (Ltd), Canterbury Farm MR 254, Alldays, Limpopo, 0909, South Africa; 7School of Natural Resources, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO, 65211, USA; 8College of Pharmacy, JSS Academy of Higher Education and Research, Mysuru, Karnataka, 570015, India; 9Bio-Tech Research and Development Institute, University of the West Indies 770, Kingston, Jamaica&ast;These authors contributed equally to this workCorrespondence: Kattesh V Katti, Department of Radiology, Institute of Green Nanotechnology, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO 65212, USA, Tel +1 (573) 882-5656, Fax +1 (573) 884-5679, Email kattik@health.missouri.edu Namrita Lall, Department of Plant and Soil Sciences, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, Gauteng, South Africa, Tel/Fax +27 (012) 420 2524, Email namrita.lall@up.ac.zaBackground: Atopic dermatitis (eczema) is an inflammatory skin condition with synthetic treatments that induce adverse effects and are ineffective. One of the proposed causes for the development of the condition is the outside-in hypothesis, which states that eczema is caused by a disruption in the skin barrier. These disruptions include developing dry cracked skin, which promotes the production of histamine. Bulbine frutescens (BF) is traditionally used to treat wounds and eczema; however, limited research has been conducted to scientifically validate this. Furthermore, gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) have been used to repair damaged skin; however, no research has been conducted on AuNPs synthesized using BF.Purpose: The study aimed to determine whether BF alleviated skin damage through wound healing, reducing the production of histamine and investigate whether AuNPs synthesized using BF would enhance biological activity.Methods: Four extracts and four synthesized AuNPs were prepared using BF and their antiproliferative and wound healing properties against human keratinocyte cells (HaCaT) were evaluated. Thereafter, the selected samples antiproliferative activity and antihistamine activity against phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate (PMA) stimulated granulocytes were evaluated.Results: Of the eight samples, the freeze-dried leaf juice (BFE; p < 0.01) extract and its AuNPs (BFEAuNPs; p < 0.05) displayed significant wound closure at 100 μg/mL and were further evaluated. The selected samples displayed a fifty percent inhibitory concentration (IC50) of > 200 μg/mL against PMA stimulated granulocytes. Compared to the untreated (media with PMA) control (0.30 ± 0.02 ng/mL), BFEAuNPs significantly inhibited histamine production at a concentration of 100 (p < 0.01) and 50 μg/mL (p < 0.001).Conclusion: BFE and BFEAuNPs stimulated wound closure, while BFEAuNPs significantly inhibited histamine production. Further investigation into BFEAuNPs in vivo wound healing activity and whether it can target histamine-associated receptors on mast cells as a potential mechanism of action should be considered. Keywords: atopic dermatitis, histamine production, outside-in hypothesis, scratch assay

The export of agrochemicals and their transformation products (TPs) following their application in the agricultural fields poses a threat to water quality. Future changes in climatic conditions (e.g. extreme weather events such as heavy rainfall or extended dry periods) could alter the degradation and mobility of agrochemicals. In this research, we use an integrated modelling framework to understand the impact of extreme climate events on the fate and transport of the agrochemical S-Metolachlor and two of its TPs (M-OXA, Metolachlor Oxanilic Acid and M-ESA, Metolachlor Ethyl Sulfonic Acid). This is done by coupling climate model outputs to the Zin-AgriTra agrochemical reactive transport model in four simulation scenarios. 1) Reference (2015–2018), 2) Very dry (2038–2041), 3) Very wet (2054–2057) and 4) High temperature (2096–2099) conditions of a selected RCP8.5 based regional climate scenario. The modelling framework is tested on an agricultural catchment, Wulka, in Burgenland, Austria. The model results indicate that 13–14 % of applied S-Metolachlor is retained in the soil, and around 85 % is degraded into TPs in the different scenarios. In very dry and high-temperature scenarios, degradation is higher, and hence, there is less S-Metolachlor in the soil. However, a large share of formed M-OXA and M-ESA are retained in the soil, which is transported via overland and groundwater flow, leading to a build-up effect in M-OXA and M-ESA river concentrations over the years. Though a small share of S-Metolachlor and TPs are transported to rivers, their river export is affected by the intensity and amount of rainfall. The very wet and high-temperature scenarios show higher S-Metolachlor and TP concentrations at the catchment outlet due to higher river discharge. The reference scenario shows higher river peak concentrations associated with higher overland flow caused by measured hourly rainfall compared to disaggregated daily precipitation data in the other scenarios.

Background: South Africa (SA) has the largest antiretroviral therapy (ART) programme worldwide. Multiple factors contribute to virological failure (VF), including poor adherence and viral resistance mutations. A multidisciplinary team (MDT) clinic dedicated to those with VF may be of benefit; however, very little data from SA exist. Objectives: To assess whether an MDT approach achieved virological suppression (VS) in patients failing second-line-ART (2LART); assess the number of MDT sessions required to achieve VS; assess local resistance mutation patterns and whether the MDT reduced the number of genotypic resistance testing (GRT) required. Method: An observational, retrospective, cross-sectional chart review study was conducted between January 2018 and December 2019 at a Target High Viral Load (VL) MDT clinic in KwaZulu-Natal, SA. Results: Ninety-seven medical records were eligible. Women accounted for 63% of patients, with a mean age of 37 years. A significant reduction in the first VL measurement following the MDT was seen (median reduction 2374 c/mL; P 0.001). This was maintained at the second VL measurement post-MDT (median reduction 2957 c/mL; P 0.001). Patients attended a mean of 2.71 MDT sessions and 73.2% achieved VS, resulting in 61.86% fewer GRTs required. Of the GRTs performed, nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors and non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor-related mutations were noted most frequently. Conclusion: The MDT approach resulted in a significant reduction in VL, with most participants achieving VS. The MDT was successful in reducing the need for GRT. Resistance mutations were similar to those found in other studies conducted across SA.

IntroductionToxicity among staff members of higher education institutions (HEIs) is often under-reported or not reported at all. Experiences of toxic leadership are deemed unmentionable within the consultative and collaborative ideals of HEIs. The underreporting of toxicity among HEI staff may stem from fear of retaliation, inadequate reporting structures, and concerns about alienation or not being taken seriously.MethodThe study explored experiences of leadership behaviours in a South African HEI to identify specific dimensions of toxic leadership behaviours. Using an interpretivist qualitative research design, the study involved analysing 39 interviews of secondary data from two datasets gathered by the research team, comprising 25 and 14 participant responses, respectively.ResultsThe study identified four distinct themes of toxic leadership behaviour – authoritarian leadership behaviour, in-group favoritism/groupthink, destructive criticism and self-centredness – with authoritarianism being the most common behaviour displayed.ConclusionPresence of toxic leadership within the South African University community, emphasising the necessity for a comprehensive approach and strategy to address this behaviour.

Background. Mental health conditions such as depression, anxiety and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) are being increasingly recognised as common adverse outcomes for critical illness survivors. These conditions can have lasting consequences on their wellbeing, ability to return to their pre-illness level of functioning and health-related quality of life. There is a paucity of South African data in terms of the psychological aspects of the post-intensive care unit (ICU) syndrome. Objective. To identify and characterise patients who suffered from significant symptoms of mental health disease and poor mental health- related quality of life after ICU admission and who may benefit from appropriate referral, further investigation and medical intervention. Methods. Critically ill patients in a multidisciplinary tertiary ICU were prospectively enrolled upon ICU discharge. Survivors were screened for anxiety, depression and post-traumatic stress syndrome at 6 weeks and 6 months after hospital discharge. The Hospital Anxiety and Depression Score (HADS) and the Impact Of Events Scale – Revised (IES-R) were used as screening tools. The mental component summary score (MCS) of the RAND short form-36 was used to determine the effect of psychological symptoms on health-related quality of life (HRQOL). Results. The median age of the 107 ICU survivors was 42 years, and half of them were admitted for complications of COVID-19. Six out of every 10 ICU survivors experienced significant symptoms of anxiety, depression and/or PTSD at follow-up. At the 6-month study visit, 4 out of every 10 patients were experiencing significant psychological symptoms. Those affected had a significantly lower mental HRQOL when compared with those who were unaffected. More than half of those affected had co-occurrence of psychological symptoms. Significant symptoms of anxiety were common, with 5 out of every 10 participants experiencing significant symptoms at either, or both, of the study visits. More than 3 out of 10 of affected patients’ symptoms only occurred after the 6-week visit. Associations for significant psychological symptoms comprised female sex, younger age, a diagnosis of trauma and frightening memories of the ICU admission. Conclusion. The burden of mental health disease in ICU survivors is substantial, affecting their HRQOL. Six out of 10 patients experienced symptoms of anxiety, depression and PTSD, and more than half of those affected experienced co-occurrence of the conditions. A third of those affected developed these symptoms only beyond 6 weeks after hospital discharge. A potentially modifiable association with psychological symptoms was frightening memories of the ICU stay.

Background: This article presents the outcomes of research testing, from a consumer perspective, for a relationship between iconic branding (IB) and the entrepreneurial orientation (EO) driving that brand. Reviewed literature on IB and EO posits that internal stakeholders, such as brand owners, managers and employees, do perceive the relationship but the consumer’s view as the external stakeholder is understudied. Aim: This study aimed to discover whether consumers, as external stakeholders, perceive a relationship between IB and EO. Setting: This study investigated the relationship between the IB and EO of an iconic brand food retail chain store in South Africa from the perspective of the brand’s consumers. Methods: The study followed a quantitative case study research design. Data were collected using an online questionnaire randomly administered to probable consumers of the brand of interest. Analysis of variance, Fisher’s exact test and multivariate analysis of variance were some statistical techniques applied to test the hypothesised relationships. Results: The study found that contrary to suggestions in the extant literature, consumers largely perceive a statistically significant difference between the brand of interest’s IB and its EO attributes, and they did not perceive a relationship between the IB construct and EO variables. Furthermore, males and females did not perceive IB or EO in the same way. Conclusion: Brand managers seeking to foster consumer awareness of the relationship between IB and EO must aim to include more entrepreneurial-orientated branding into the IB and adopt differentiated strategies based on gender. Contribution: The findings narrowed the gap in the literature by adding a consumer perspective on the relationship between IB and EO.

Abstract Biodiversity patterns are shaped by the interplay between geodiversity and organismal characteristics. Superimposing genetic structure onto landscape heterogeneity (i.e., landscape genetics) can help to disentangle their interactions and better understand population dynamics. Previous studies on the sub‐Antarctic Prince Edward Islands (located midway between Antarctica and Africa) have highlighted the importance of landscape and climatic barriers in shaping spatial genetic patterns and have drawn attention to the value of these islands as natural laboratories for studying fundamental concepts in biology. Here, we assessed the fine‐scale spatial genetic structure of the springtail, Cryptopygus antarcticus travei, which is endemic to Marion Island, in tandem with high‐resolution geological data. Using a species‐specific suite of microsatellite markers, a fine‐scale sampling design incorporating landscape complexity and generalised linear models (GLMs), we examined genetic patterns overlaid onto high‐resolution digital surface models and surface geology data across two 1‐km sampling transects. The GLMs revealed that genetic patterns across the landscape closely track landscape resistance data in concert with landscape discontinuities and barriers to gene flow identified at a scale of a few metres. These results show that the island's geodiversity plays an important role in shaping biodiversity patterns and intraspecific genetic diversity. This study illustrates that fine‐scale genetic patterns in soil arthropods are markedly more structured than anticipated, given that previous studies have reported high levels of genetic diversity and evidence of genetic structing linked to landscape changes for springtail species and considering the homogeneity of the vegetation complexes characteristic of the island at the scale of tens to hundreds of metres. By incorporating fine‐scale and high‐resolution landscape features into our study, we were able to explain much of the observed spatial genetic patterns. Our study highlights geodiversity as a driver of spatial complexity. More widely, it holds important implications for the conservation and management of the sub‐Antarctic islands.

Fluorescent probes are a powerful tool for imaging amyloid β (Aβ) plaques, the hallmark of Alzheimer’s disease (AD). Herein, we report the synthesis and comprehensive characterization of 21 novel probes as well as their optical properties and binding affinities to Aβ fibrils. One of these dyes, 1Ae, exhibited several improvements over FDDNP, an established biomarker for Aβ- and Tau-aggregates. First, 1Ae had large Stokes shifts (138–213 nm) in various solvents, thereby reducing self-absorption. With a high quantum yield ratio (φ(dichloromethane/methanol) = 104), 1Ae also ensures minimal background emission in aqueous environments and high sensitivity. In addition, compound 1Ae exhibited low micromolar binding affinity to Aβ fibrils in vitro (Kd = 1.603 µM), while increasing fluorescence emission (106-fold) compared to emission in buffer alone. Importantly, the selective binding of 1Ae to Aβ1–42 fibrils was confirmed by an in cellulo assay, supported by ex vivo fluorescence microscopy of 1Ae on postmortem AD brain sections, allowing unequivocal identification of Aβ plaques. The intermolecular interactions of fluorophores with Aβ were elucidated by docking studies and molecular dynamics simulations. Density functional theory calculations revealed the unique photophysics of these rod-shaped fluorophores, with a twisted intramolecular charge transfer (TICT) excited state. These results provide valuable insights into the future application of such probes as potential diagnostic tools for AD in vitro and ex vivo such as determination of Aβ1–42 in cerebrospinal fluid or blood.