Mauritius Research Repository

Optimizing Aquafeed Formulation Using Microalgae Cultivated on Agro-Waste and Fishpond Wastewater in Combination with Black Soldier Fly Larvae

Tue, 31 Mar 2026 06:08:51 +0000

Mauritius faces challenges in managing organic wastes from markets. The country also has to manage waste from aquaculture operations for its growing aquaculture industry; the latter depends heavily on fish feed produced by local companies which also depend heavily on imported ingredients such as maize, wheat, soybean meal and fishmeal. These twin problems-waste accumulation and feed import dependency-present an opportunity for innovation. Microalgae such as Rhexinema paucicellulare, which naturally occur in local freshwater systems, can be cultivated using nutrient-rich waste streams like fermented fruit and vegetable waste liquid or fishpond effluent. These algae are rich in protein, essential fatty acids, micronutrients and antioxidants and are suitable for aquafeed. Simultaneously, Black Soldier Fly Larvae (BSFL) are known for converting organic waste into high-protein biomass, and BSFL meal is a promising alternative to fishmeal in aquafeed. This project proposes to combine these two biological systems: cultivating microalgae on two types of waste, producing BSFL from food waste, and formulating feed with combinations of both. BSFL meal: high in protein and fat. Microalgae: essential fatty acids (e.g., EPA, DHA), antioxidants, vitamins, pigments Together, they form a balanced, functional aquafeed formula. Fish feeding trials will evaluate growth performance and economic viability. The approach offers a low-cost, environmentally sound alternative to conventional feed systems, aligns with circular economy goals, and supports the national agenda of sustainable aquaculture and agro-waste valorisation. It also offers potential replication across sectors, including poultry and piggery feed production.

Modernizing and professionalizing forage production and transformation, An Agro-Ecological Approach

Tue, 31 Mar 2026 06:05:57 +0000

To modernize and professionalize our sheep farming operations, we will establish dedicated fields for high-protein fodder production and mechanize the fodder harvesting and transformation processes. -Predictability, Stability & Resilience: Planned fodder production on dedicated fields allows for a predictable and high-quality feed supply, removing the risks of fluctuating pasture availability in the wild and imported fodder sources. Underpinning this stability is an agro-ecological strategy that prioritizes soil health and biodiversity to sustain our feeding regimen over the long term. -Optimized Nutrition: By carefully selecting and cultivating specific high-protein and nutrient-rich fodder varieties tailored to the animals' needs (Stylosanthes guianensis and Tripsacum andersonii), we will ensure optimized forage quality. This will enable us to have precise control over the nutritional content of the feed, directly leading to improved animal growth and overall health. -Flexibility through Transformation: Some fodder species are more productive during certain periods of the year. Planting varieties suitable for transformation will provide us with enhanced flexibility. These varieties can be pelletized and preserved to respond to changing feed demands (e.g., nursing periods), ensuring optimal feed availability. -Harvest Efficiency: By developing dedicated fodder fields, we are also looking to significantly improve harvest efficiency through mechanized harvesting. Our aim is to reduce labour costs and facilitate simplified field management practices.

Algal Biochar as an innovative source of fertilisers and soil amendment technology for Mauritius

Tue, 31 Mar 2026 06:02:37 +0000

The agricultural sector in Mauritius is highly dependent on synthetic fertilizers for food production. The use of synthetic fertilizers is widely known to be unsustainable, environmentally damaging and costly to farmers. Today, the ability to increase yields without synthetic fertilizers or soil additives is a challenge for modern sustainable agricultural methods.  Alternatives such as biochar, an organic material produced during slow, exothermic, thermal decomposition of biomass under low or zero oxygen conditions, has shown to improve soil properties hence increasing plant productivity.   Macroalgae are known to be comparatively low in carbon and high in nitrogen, phosphorus and other nutrients compared to many terrestrial biomass types (such as plants). Biochar derived from macroalgae are comparatively low in C content and surface area but high in cation exchange capacity, pH, ash, N, P and K, making it very attractive as a soil amelioration product providing direct nutrient benefits to soils and therefore to crop productivity.   The present project proposes to develop an innovative biochar product naturally enriched with nutrients that can be used for soil amendment to increase plant productivity. Our proposed project will harness the knowledge of materials science to transform the world of agriculture.

A Smart Energy Wallet for Solar Energy Monetization and Grid Transformation

Tue, 31 Mar 2026 05:50:39 +0000

Mauritius is facing increasing stress on its national electricity grid, with growing demand now resulting in grid instability. In response, the Central Electricity Board is urgently promoting solar PV adoption, including free installations for NHDC homes and religious institutions. Yet adoption remains far below target due to multiple barriers: high PV installation costs, long return-on-investment periods, a fixed Rs 4.20/kWh feed-in tariff over 20 years, and the inability to monetize energy surplus instantly. VoltPay solves this gap by introducing a Smart Energy Wallet that converts solar surplus into digital VPUs (VoltPay Units), which users can spend instantly within a national merchant and utility ecosystem. VPUs become a usable economic asset rather than an invisible return. The system integrates BillingMecha (real-time recipient eligibility logic), VPU Color Logic (value classification and audit-proof flow), and the Bulletproof System (ensuring payout sustainability without financial imbalance). This Phase II Concept Refinement project will build, test, and pilot the VoltPay platform, finalize policy alignment, and engage key national stakeholders including CEB and UoM. Results will include a scalable, regulation-compliant digital energy marketplace for Mauritius with expansion potential across Africa. Intellectual property may arise from the credit lifecycle tracking architecture, secure VPU value transformation mechanisms, and autonomous payout control systems.

Concept refinement and scaling of an automated 40 feet container farm for sustainable food production in Mauritius

Tue, 31 Mar 2026 05:40:43 +0000

This project proposes the development of a next-generation 40-foot container farm, building on the successful 20-foot proof-of-concept to address food security and pesticide-free production. The objective is to scale up output while introducing innovative control strategies and autonomous functions. Research will focus on optimising the integration of PLCs, sensor arrays, and AI-based image monitoring to automate irrigation, nutrient dosing, lighting, and climate. The innovation lies in modular control routines and adaptive fail-safe responses for tropical CEA. Tray layout and energy efficiency improvements will also increase usable growing area and yield. The system has strong commercial potential as a scalable, year-round farming model for urban areas and island economies. The project will explore novel IP in automation logic and AI routines, with prior art review included to support potential IPR claims. It aims to contribute to sustainable, tech-enabled agriculture in Mauritius and beyond.

Digital Footprints: Preserving Mauritian Heritage through Immersive Media

Mon, 09 Feb 2026 07:16:04 +0000

This project aims to digitally preserve and promote Mauritian cultural and natural heritage by producing a series of immersive 360° stereoscopic videos rendered in 8K, along with high-resolution photographs of key sites. Using advanced equipment including the Insta360 Pro and FUJIFILM GFX 100S II, we will capture detailed visuals and spatial audio to create a multilingual virtual experience accessible via web and mobile platforms. The 360° videos will be uploaded to YouTube for public access and will also be shared with governmental and cultural institutions for educational and promotional use. Interactive tours will be created using 3DVista, with post-production handled in Mistika VR and Adobe Creative Cloud. The final deliverables include 12 immersive videos, a web-based VR platform, outreach kits with headsets, and supporting digital content. The project supports the MRIC Creative Industry & e-Innovation theme by blending multimedia production with digital transformation of heritage, promoting accessibility, education, and long-term cultural innovation.

Professional Development Programme in Extended Reality and Gamification for Education Practitioners

Wed, 10 Dec 2025 09:31:37 +0000

The integration of Extended Reality (XR) and Gamification in education has the potential to transform pedagogical approaches by enhancing engagement, interactivity, and personalized learning experiences. XR use immersive environments to enable education practitioners to simulate real-world scenarios, making learning more experiential and effective. Gamification, on the other hand, incorporates game mechanics such as challenges, rewards, and interactive storytelling to boost motivation and student participation. This project seeks to build capacity among education practitioners by equipping them with the necessary skills, tools, and strategies to effectively integrate XR and gamification into their teaching practices. Through a structured approach, hands-on training, and collaborative initiatives, education practitioners will learn to design innovative learning resources and implement cutting-edge digital learning experiences. The initiative aligns with the broader theme of Creative Industry and E-Innovation, promoting technological advancements in education while contributing to national digital transformation efforts. By fostering expertise in XR and gamification, this project aims to address contemporary educational challenges, support curriculum modernization, and enhance the overall quality of teaching and learning.

Creative Realities Lab

Wed, 10 Dec 2025 09:24:23 +0000

The Creative Realities Lab will be a state-of-the-art facility designed to foster creativity, experimentation, and interdisciplinary collaboration among key stakeholders (academia- industry) of the sector. This lab will provide students, researchers, entrepreneurs and industry actors with access to AI powered cutting-edge tools and resources in extended reality (XR) and gamification. This is a collaborative initiative among academics of the Mauritius Institute of Education (MIE) and the University of Mauritius (UoM) to advance research, experimentation, and innovation in emerging technologies namely (AR/VR/Motion Animation/Immersive Environments). The lab will serve as a hub for innovation, supporting both academic programmes and industry-driven collaborative research. It will enable researchers to prototype new technologies, develop digital solutions, and explore immersive media applications. It will also act as an test bed for startups, allowing young innovators to refine their ideas and bring them to market. The lab's infrastructure will include high-performance computing, AR/VR development kits, and AI-powered software, fostering interdisciplinary projects in industry, education and sustainability. This initiative aligns with national and global priorities, promoting digital transformation and industry collaboration.

Tech-Trails: Bridging History and Technology for Port-Louis' Heritage Landmarks

Wed, 10 Dec 2025 09:20:27 +0000

The project proposes the development of a technology-powered heritage trail in Port-Louis, designed to enhance visitors' experience through innovative digital engagement. Aligned with the goals of the UNESCO Creative City Network, this initiative supports Port-Louis' vision of becoming an inclusive, sustainable, and future-proof creative city. Using a progressive web application, the Tech-Trail offers a dynamic and revolutionary way for visitors to interact with the city's historical heritage. Central to this project is the development of a robust digital infrastructure comprising a secured back-end platform for efficient content management and updates, and a user-friendly front-end interface designed for accessibility and engagement. The system will incorporate GPS coordinates with an accepted 10m civilian accuracy range. A key feature of the Tech-Trail is the deployment of QR code display stands at selected iconic heritage sites. Scanning these codes will grant immediate access to exclusive content, including historical narratives, professional photography, illustrated infographics, and multimedia presentations. This cutting-edge approach redefines heritage exploration, bridging tradition and technology while preserving and promoting the cultural and historical identity of Port-Louis in an innovative digital format.

Enhancing University-Industry Collaboration for Sustainability through Multimedia Creation and Innovative Service Learning

Wed, 10 Dec 2025 09:15:48 +0000

This project aims to foster capacity building in creative and emerging digital technologies to enhance content creation skills. By bridging academia and industry, the initiative will provide hands-on training, interdisciplinary collaboration, and service-learning opportunities to equip participants with the necessary digital competencies for sustainable innovation. Leveraging cutting-edge multimedia tools, artificial intelligence, and immersive technologies, the project will empower students and professionals to develop high-quality digital content that supports sustainable development goals (SDGs). It will also integrate industry-relevant skills such as digital storytelling, interactive media production, and ethical AI applications. Through strategic partnerships, participants will engage in real-world challenges, contributing to community-driven projects while strengthening their employability and entrepreneurial capabilities. The initiative aligns with national and global efforts to advance digital literacy, creative economies, and sustainable practices through innovative learning and knowledge-sharing frameworks.

Cre8 Studio

Wed, 10 Dec 2025 09:08:34 +0000

Cre8 Studio, launched by Meraki Art Tribe Ltd, addresses the growing needs of artists and entrepreneurs in Mauritius' cultural sector. Since 2021, Meraki Art Tribe Ltd has been a pioneer in the industry, offering a digital artist directory that connects artists with clients. The platform includes an online booking system for easy discovery and bookings. Cre8 Studio will focus on the research and digitalization of artistic content, ensuring secure archiving of media, technical sheets, and categorization of works. The studio will be equipped with state-of-the-art facilities tailored to local artists' needs, making data organizations more efficient. It will also serve as a platform for podcasts, where artists and stakeholders can share insights, enriching the digital ecosystem. The studio will support the production of visual and audio content to expand local artists' reach. In 12 months, Cre8 Studio aims to create a database of 150 local artists, enhancing their visibility. The project will expand Meraki Art Tribe Ltd's mission to build an integrated ecosystem that helps artists manage and promote their careers in the digital age.

CinePhare

Wed, 10 Dec 2025 09:03:09 +0000

CinePhare is a digital streaming platform dedicated to promoting independent and festival films, bridging mauritian and international filmmakers. Designed as an extension of the Phare International Film Festival (PIFF), the platform will feature a curated selection of films from past and present editions of the festival, alongside other exclusive content not available on mainstream platforms. PIFF, established in 2020, is an annual film festival that celebrates independent cinema by showcasing diverse storytelling from Mauritius and beyond. Through CinePhare, select films from PIFF may be made available via limited-time screenings and digital premieres, expanding the festival's reach beyond its physical event. The platform will operate on both pay-per-view and subscription-based models, ensuring revenue generation for content creators while providing audiences with access to a diverse range of films. This project aligns with Creative Industry and e-Innovation, promoting digital transformation in the film industry and increasing the global reach of Mauritian cinema.

Reviving the Legacy of Dookhee Gungah: Harnessing Generative AI for Historical Reconstruction in Mauritius (1867-1945)

Wed, 10 Dec 2025 08:52:22 +0000

The Breaking Chains, Building Futures TV Documentary revives the story of Dookhee Gungah, a visionary who rose from indentured poverty to become Mauritius' first Indo-Mauritian philanthropist using Artificial Intelligence and research to bring history back to life. Through AI-powered photo image resurrection, HDR 4K video production, and 3D animation, we breathe new life into forgotten archives and untold Mauritian stories. Importantly, the project combines heritage preservation, historical storytelling, and e-innovation to create a lasting educational tool and national treasure. In collaboration with historians, researchers, and students, we are restoring rare visuals and dramatizing historical turning points from Dookhee's lifetime, 1867 to 1944, to produce a landmark film that reclaims Mauritius' past for an AI driven future. In an era where AI algorithms dictate visibility online, we are ensuring that Mauritius and Mauritians remain in control of their narrative within the AI era. Dookhee was instrumental in shaping modern Mauritius by championing religious teaching, education, female empowerment, and social mobility. His story has remained in the shadows until now. True to his legacy, by training students in AI-enhanced filmmaking and digital restoration techniques, we also build future capacity in the creative sector.

Financial Insight Daily: Your Trusted Source for Key Market News for Mauritians

Wed, 10 Dec 2025 08:46:11 +0000

We intend to develop Financial Insight Daily which is expected to become a financial news platform designed to deliver timely, accurate, and in-depth coverage of key market developments. Our mission is to provide investors, business leaders and citizens with critical insights into global financial trends, stock market movements, banking sector updates, and economic policies. By leveraging expert analysis, data-driven and AI reporting, and exclusive interviews, we aim to bridge the gap between complex financial information and actionable intelligence. Financial Insight Daily will serve as a reliable source for navigating the rapidly evolving financial landscape. This will be a fully online financial news magazine that provides up-to-date information on both local, regional and global markets and fintech trends. It is designed for both professionals and for common citizens. The magazine will feature expert opinions, industry updates, and easy-to-understand analysis, all presented in a digital format that is accessible to anyone, anytime and anywhere. Our content will be based on reliable and trusted sources to ensuring its accuracy and credibility. This magazine is expected to become the go-to platform for staying informed about the fast-changing world of finance.

Debt Exchange: Enhancing Liquidity & Market Efficiency in Private Debt Trading

Wed, 10 Dec 2025 08:41:40 +0000

The P2P Loan Exchange will introduce a secondary market mechanism within the Peer-to-Peer lending ecosystem, allowing investors to sell portions of their investment in active loans before maturity. The exchanged loan portions will be listed under the live loans/projects awaiting funding, enabling other investors to purchase them under the same contractual terms. The remaining loan duration and interest rate will mirror the original contract, with interest applied on a reducing balance basis. This initiative shall enhance liquidity, flexibility, and market efficiency, making P2P lending more attractive to both retail and institutional investors. By adapting an internal digital contract system, the exchange will guarantee secure, transparent, and compliant transactions, fostering a more dynamic and accessible financial ecosystem.

AI-Powered Digital Customer Onboarding Agent (AIDO)

Wed, 10 Dec 2025 08:37:04 +0000

AlgoDynamix proposes to develop an advanced AI-powered digital customer onboarding solution that will revolutionize how financial institutions in Mauritius acquire and integrate new customers. The AIDO solution will utilize an intelligent agent architecture built on n8n workflow automation, ElevenLabs voice synthesis, Telegram messaging interface, and Monday.com (or any other CRM solution) for process management. This project directly addresses the "Digital Customer Onboarding" sub-theme under the Financial Innovation thematic area identified by MRIC. The solution will reduce customer onboarding time by up to 70%, decrease operational costs for financial institutions by 40%, and significantly improve customer satisfaction while ensuring compliance with regulatory requirements. The 12-month project requires MUR 984,708 in funding to deliver a market-ready solution that will strengthen Mauritius' position as a financial technology hub.

Comparative Study of Potato Cultivation: Evaluating Bag-Based vs. Traditional Methods for Sustainable Agriculture in Rodrigues Island

Wed, 10 Dec 2025 08:28:00 +0000

This project investigates innovative approaches to potato cultivation in Rodrigues Island by comparing bag-based farming with traditional soil-based methods. Rodrigues faces significant agricultural challenges, including limited arable land, water scarcity, and vulnerability to climatic extremes. Bag-based cultivation, which utilizes grow bags filled with nutrient-rich soil, offers a promising solution by optimizing space, conserving water, and improving soil management. Over a 12-month period, the study will evaluate both methods in terms of yield, plant health, pest and disease resistance, water usage, soil quality, and economic feasibility. Data will be collected through controlled trials, monitored with soil and water testing equipment, and analyzed using statistical methods. Beyond technical outcomes, the project emphasizes farmer empowerment through training workshops, manuals, and community outreach, ensuring knowledge transfer and adoption of sustainable practices. Expected impacts include increased potato yield per unit area, improved resource efficiency, enhanced soil quality, and reduced reliance on imports, thereby strengthening food security and economic resilience in Rodrigues. The project also explores scalability of bag-based techniques to other root crops, such as turmeric, positioning Rodrigues as a pioneer in eco-friendly agricultural innovation.

Marine Underwater Eco-trail

Thu, 27 Nov 2025 09:42:17 +0000

The Marine Underwater Eco-Trail Project, is designed to integrate marine conservation, eco-tourism, and community engagement within the marine reserve of Rivière Banane of Rodrigues. The project will commence with a rapid assessment of local marine habitats to evaluate biodiversity, ecosystem health, and anthropogenic impacts, thereby establishing a robust scientific foundation for targeted conservation strategies. A comprehensive coral reef restoration program will be implemented using proven coral transplantation techniques to rehabilitate degraded reef areas. Local stakeholders will actively participate in monitoring and maintaining these restoration sites, ensuring community ownership and long-term ecological resilience. A designated eco-trail will be developed along a carefully mapped underwater route that highlights restored coral sites and key marine ecosystems such as seagrass beds and reef zones. Informative signage and underwater markers will be installed to enhance visitor education and awareness. To promote sustainability, the project will transition from motorized to non-motorized transport methods, reducing environmental disturbances. In addition, real-time data loggers will be deployed along the trail to continuously monitor environmental parameters, supporting climate change studies.

BioBox: Growing leafy green in a controlled environment merging hydroponics and aquaponics (Bio Box)

Thu, 27 Nov 2025 09:34:44 +0000

The Biobox project aims to transform a 20ft shipping container into an indoor, climate-controlled hydroponic system powered by a hybrid solar setup. This innovative approach merges hydroponics with nutrient-rich water from an existing aquaponic system, reducing the need for synthetic fertilizers while promoting sustainable, pesticide-free food production. The aquaponic water, naturally enriched by fish waste, provides essential nutrients to the plants, enhancing growth and yield in the hydroponic setup. The hybrid solar system ensures uninterrupted operation, maintaining optimal temperature, humidity, and lighting conditions year-round even during power outages. This closed-loop system maximizes resource efficiency, reduces water consumption by up to 90% compared to traditional farming (Somerville et al., 2014), and lowers energy costs. By combining aquaponics and hydroponics, the Biobox creates a sustainable, resilient food production model, ideal for regions like Rodrigues, where drought, rising temperatures, and reliance on food imports threaten food security. The project represents a scalable, eco-friendly solution to local food production challenges, promoting climate resilience and circular economy principles.

Automated Speech and Language Disorder Assessment for Rodriguan Creole-Speaking Children: A Machine Learning-Based Mobile Application

Thu, 27 Nov 2025 09:29:56 +0000

Children may experience a variety of speech and language disorders that can affect their ability to communicate effectively. If left untreated, these difficulties may impact academic, social and emotional outcomes as well as adjustments in adulthood. Yet, most children have limited access to services on Rodrigues island, due to lack of professionals and ack of culturally relevant assessments and interventions. However, the digitalization and automatization of the assessment and intervention process present a promising avenue to tackling these challenges. The aim of this project is thus to develop a mobile application that makes use of machine learning (ML) and artificial intelligence (AI) to analyze speech and language patterns to automate the identification of targets for future interventions.

Centralising and packaging of Honey at the honey Center Citronelle Rodrigues

Thu, 27 Nov 2025 09:24:33 +0000

The project “Centralising and Packaging of Honey at the Honey Center” led by the Cooperative Polyvalent Le Solitaire Ltd aims to professionalise and strengthen the honey value chain in Rodrigues by centralising the extraction, filtration, ripening, and packaging processes at the Honey Center in Citronelle. The initiative seeks to ensure uniform quality, hygiene, and traceability of honey produced by cooperative members and eventually by non-member beekeepers. Modern equipment, standardized packaging, and a traceability system linking each jar to its originating apiary will be introduced to enhance product consistency and consumer confidence. The project further promotes innovation through the development of value-added products such as lemon-flavoured honey candy and gift packaging, supported by technical collaboration with CIRAD and ICIPE. Expected outcomes include increased income and market access for beekeepers, strengthened cooperative unity, improved product branding under the collective label Le Bon Miel de Rodrigues, and contributions to environmentally sustainable and climate-resilient apiculture practices. Overall, the project supports social, economic, environmental, and technological advancement of the Rodrigues beekeeping sector and positions Rodriguan honey for greater local and international recognition.

An Investigation of Mauritian Endemic Plants- Bottle Palm, and Blue Latan Palm for its antimicrobial and Anticancer activities

Thu, 27 Nov 2025 07:48:15 +0000

The proposed project, titled "An Investigation of Mauritian Endemic Plants- Bottle Palm, and Blue Latan Palm for their antimicrobial and Anticancer activities.", aims to explore the phytochemical composition and biological activities of three endemic Mauritian palm species: the Bottle Palm (Hyophorbe lagenicaulis) and Blue Latan Palm (Latania loddigesii). These species, unique to Mauritius, are under-researched in terms of their potential medicinal and pharmaceutical applications. The project will involve the extraction and identification of secondary metabolites such as flavonoids, alkaloids, terpenoids, and phenolic compounds. Subsequently, the biological activities of these extracts will be evaluated, focusing on antimicrobial, antioxidant, and anti-inflammatory properties. The aim is to uncover novel bioactive compounds that could be developed into therapeutic agents or nutraceuticals. By combining traditional knowledge and modern phytochemical techniques, this research seeks to contribute to the scientific understanding of Mauritian plant species and their potential in the pharmaceutical industry. Ultimately, the project will enhance the value of Mauritius' biodiversity and promote sustainable use of its endemic flora in the development of new bio-based products.

Black Soldier Fly Mass Rearing for Manufacturing Animal Feeds and Bio-Compost Through Organic Waste Recycling

Mon, 24 Nov 2025 05:47:54 +0000

SixLegs Ltd pioneers a circular economy model using Black Soldier Fly (BSF) mass rearing to transform organic waste into high-value products. This initiative addresses Mauritius' biotechnology development needs while solving critical waste management and sustainable protein production challenges. Following a successful pilot project in BSF breeding, we're now enhancing operations to analyze nutrient profiles and develop commercial products. Organic waste from industries, markets, and kitchens is converted into protein-rich insect powder for animal feed and nutrient-dense bio-compost for agricultural use. We breed the insects using optimized breeding techniques, feeding the larvae with preprocessed organic waste. Once ready, the larvae are harvested and post-processed into valuable products, such as animal feed. All residual organic matter is repurposed into high-quality bio-compost. The project's next phase focuses on: 1. Acquiring specialized equipment to establish complete production lines, 2. Rigorous quality testing of all outputs, 3. Operational validation in real-world conditions, and 4. Finalizing market-ready animal feed and organic fertilizer products. This project reduces Mauritius' dependence on imported feed ingredients while creating sustainable solutions for organic waste management.

From discards to bioenergy: Conversion of fish by-products into biodiesel

Thu, 20 Nov 2025 07:32:47 +0000

Capture fisheries and aquaculture represent a substantial segment of Mauritius' ocean economy. As reported by Statistics Mauritius, fish production in 2023 achieved a total output of 26,415 tonnes. The predominant portion of this harvest is allocated for human consumption and undergoes transformation into varied forms, including live, fresh or chilled, frozen, prepared, and preserved. Fish processing operations frequently result in a substantial quantity of by-products that are often unutilized and consequently become waste, such as heads, viscera, and skin. The literature indicates that these fishery wastes can constitute between 20% and 70% of the total fish weight and contain vital components including proteins, lipids, and minerals. The conversion of fish waste into biofuel, specifically biodiesel, presents a sustainable strategy that has the potential to address waste management issues while simultaneously meeting the nation's renewable energy requirements. Biodiesel is regarded as a cleaner alternative to fossil-based diesel due to its carbon neutrality and biodegradability. In comparison to petroleum diesel, biodiesel offers certain beneficial attributes, including a higher flash point and cetane number, enhanced lubricating properties, increased oxygen content, and minimal levels of sulfur and aromatic compounds. Chemically, biodiesel comprises monoalkyl esters of long-chain fatty acids, commonly known as fatty acid methyl esters. Thus, converting fish waste into biodiesel seeks to decrease landfill waste, mitigate environmental pollutants, and provide an environmentally sustainable substitute for conventional fossil fuels.

Enhancing production of seed potato using innovative soilless technology

Thu, 20 Nov 2025 07:24:34 +0000

Potato is one of the most important strategic food crops cultivated in Mauritius. The annual local potato seed production amounts to 570 tonnes while our import amount to 2000 tonnes. In an attempt to increase our local seed production, a new technique of potato seed production of locally adapted varieties using innovative efficient soilless techniques can be implemented to reduce dependency on imported seed. Besides, the availability of certified seed potato is essential for sustainable potato minitubers production that would boost-up the local potato production and increase self-sufficiency in seed potato production. The use of Rooted Apical cutting (RAC) under aeroponic system is a promising alternative technique to produce potato seed. With this innovative technique large quantities of mini-tubers (15 -20/plant) could be produced in a single generation from rooted apical cuttings using aeroponic technology as compared to the conventional field production with yield of around 5-8 tubers / plant. In this context, the existing greenhouse needs to be upgraded to control temperature, relative humidity and light. Controlled environmental condition will boost up the production of seed potato and allowed two to three growing cycles per year. RAC are clean and disease-free which are reliable.

Natural-fibre based bio-composite panels for heat regulation in the built environment

Thu, 20 Nov 2025 06:33:06 +0000

One of the prominent impact of climate change is the progressive increase in ambient temperature, resulting in turn in the impoverishment of the indoor environmental conditions by both the radiative (surface) and convective (air) effects. For the concrete structures in Mauritius, the high thermal capacity of concrete combined with the relatively high thermal conductance (U-value) leads to poor thermal comfort in summer conditions, which is anticipated to worsen as global warming becomes more severe with increase in carbon emissions. The increase in peak power demand, achieving record levels of 567.9 MW, largely due to excessive heat gains into the building interiors and consequently heavy reliance on air-conditioning. The unsustainable use of air-conditioning to adapt to the increased summer temperatures and associated heat gains need to be dealt with using fundamental passive building design principles. Moreover, this approach allows vulnerable communities and low income families to cope with this pressing challenge, typically referred to as heat health. The project aims to develop nature-fibre based composite panels for heat gain regulation as a means to passively control heat gains through the building envelope by improving the thermal properties of concrete fabric using local natural-fibre based composites.

Soft infrastructure in tourism development.

Thu, 26 Jun 2014 20:00:00 +0000

This study aims primarily at investigating the importance of soft infrastructure in tourism development for the case of an island economy namely Mauritius. The study in the first place assesses the level of perceived and actual satisfaction of the present state of the different types of soft tourism infrastructure and the allied services provided by tourism stakeholders in Mauritius and address the identified gaps. In order to address the study objectives, a rigorous survey analysis among 1741 international tourists at the departure lounge of the Sir Seewoosagur International Airport of Mauritius was carried out. The respondents placed significant emphasis on the different elementsof the soft infrastructure dimension, where many of the elements falling under this dimension were rated with a high mean score. In particular the visitors rated communication, both internet and telephone services, and security to be most important. Significant gap has been found in the categories of ‘Health’ and ‘Security’. This indicates that the tourists ascribe high importance to the soft infrastructure dimension. The link between the respondent profile and the key variables which influence the tourist choice of the island as a destination are found to be equally important for most of the international tourists. However, these were deemed to be more critical for tourists travelling with family members. Although the survey instrument attempted to measure any gap between on the one hand, the importance of the infrastructure dimension and on the other hand, the level of satisfaction with the infrastructure dimension, overall the results do not show any statistically significant gap among the different elements of the infrastructural dimension.The study dwells into further analysis by engaging into an econometric framework related to a Probit Model, using the data collected, to gauge the effect of soft infrastructure on tourist intention to repeat or recommend the destination. The results confirm that soft infrastructure is found to be sensible to tourists, although relatively less sensitive as compared to tourism and transport and hotel infrastructure.

EDUCATION AND GROWTH: DOES GENDER MATTER?

Thu, 31 Oct 2013 20:00:00 +0000

This research analyses the relationship between gender separate education and economic growth for the case of Mauritius, one of the fasting nation in Africa. Using a multivariate dynamic estimation technique to account for dynamic and feedback effects in the educationgrowth link for the period 1960-2010, it is established that that both female and male education are important ingredients in explaining growth. They are interestingly shown to have nearly the same productivity level. Further analysis suggests that bi-causality exist between female/male education and economic growth. Indirect effects via capital stock accumulation, a proxy for investment, are also reported.

State–business relations and economic growth: the case of Mauritius

Mon, 06 May 2013 20:00:00 +0000

Effective state–business relations (SBRs) or public–private sector dialogues has been identified as an important ingredient of economic growth at the macro-level (see OECD 2006; te Velde 2006). SBRs are important because there are both market and state failures. Appropriate government capacity and policy is necessary to support the private sector, which can be enabled by good SBRs, for instance by matching and coordinating supply and demand in the market for skills. Moreover, effective SBRs lead to a more optimal allocation of resources in the economy, including an increased effectiveness of government involvement in supporting private sector activities, removing unnecessary obstacles and providing checks and balances on government intervention (te Velde 2006). As such, SBRs can also help in stimulating and sustaining innovation, if government takes the lead and encourages the private sector, research institutions and universities to invest in research and development by providing incentives, venture capital for new initiatives and protection of property rights, and hence create the conditions for innovation which affects the productivity of firms (Schumpeter 1942).

EXCHANGE RATE VOLATILITY AND MACROECONOMIC PERFORMANCE IN SMALL ISLAND DEVELOPING STATES

Wed, 21 Dec 2011 20:00:00 +0000

The purpose of the study is to provide an investigation into the impact of exchange rate volatility on the macroeconomic performance of Small Island Developing States (SIDS). Taking a sample of 15 SIDS, the present study analyses econometrically the impact of exchange rate volatility on major macroeconomic variables, viz economic growth, external trade and foreign direct investment on the SIDS. The paper first constructs the z-score measure, developed by Wolf et al (2003) as a measure of exchange rate volatility and employs data spanning the period 1999 to 2010 to analyse robust estimates in a static framework as well as in a dynamic and longitudinal data framework using the Generalised Method of Moments. It also analyses the impact of exchange rate volatility on macroeconomic performance of the economies. The OLS with robust standard errors results indicate that, exchange rate volatility impacts negatively on current account balance but positively on the growth rate of the economies studied. In a dynamic setting, however, exchange rate volatility does not influence the macroeconomic variables.

MRIC/SISM-HW-23: The Sport and Performance Nutrition Centre Project

Wed, 10 Sep 2025 10:39:49 +0000

The High-Performance Centre of Mauritius (HPC) is a sports organisation, primed to develop elite athletes and high performance sport. The HPC is committed to enhancing all areas of sport science, and elite level coaching. It is also, officially registered at the Association of Sports Performance Centres (ASPC), which guides the excellence in provision of support to the Mauritian athlete. With the upcoming sister institute nestled in the same environment as the HPC, named as the National Institute of Sports Medicine (NISM), came the need and the enthusiasm for research and innovation in sports nutrition. In line with the National Sports & Physical Activity Policy, the “Performance Kitchen” project will be aimed at : educating athletes on budget prioritisation and healthy food selection; adapt the Mauritian cooking skills to meet the nutritional demands of the body to optimise fuelling before, after and during training/competition; educating athletes on using food as a “supplement” to enhance healthy performance, the super food concept; to create nutrient labels in a selected nutrient rich Mauritian raw food The main objective of the HPC is to improve Athletes Performances, especially on the on international platforms. While the HPC is focusing majorly on athlete’s training (Strength and Conditioning), it has been noticed that most of our national high-level athletes are struggling to have a proper sport specific diet The outreach impact of project Performance Kitchen can also be expanded to the families of the athletes and the general population. Out of being role models for youngsters, athletes can showcase that good eating does not equate to expensive eating. The nutrition education undertaken in the present study improved the understanding of the elite athletes on dietary nutrition. Specifically, atheletes improved their nutrition knowledge by 19%, which resulted in positive dietary changes that better aligned dietary intake to daily training. Nevertheless, it should be acknowledged that there is still room for improvement until their overall nutritional knowledge can reach the optimal standards. Data regarding anthropometrics and blood count measures did not show any definitive conclusion. Still, the study represents a first innovative step in identifying the status on nutrition knowledge and attitudes among elite athletes in Mauritius.

MRIC/SISM/HW-18: Health and Wellness 2.0: Assessing the Impact of Exergaming Application for the Promotion of Health Behaviours in Mauritius

Wed, 10 Sep 2025 10:01:32 +0000

This project will assess the impact of an exergaming application for the promotion of physical and mental health in Mauritius. Using a multidisciplinary approach, this project will consist of: a) tailoring the cross-platform application, which is based on the in-house developed, 'BehaviourCoach' framework, for encouraging holistic health in Mauritius, b) evaluating the application using a large representative sample of the population in Mauritius, c) exploring various psychological and social factors that promote healthy behaviours through the use of digital tools. Additionally, the project will explore the potential for the use of emerging and advanced technologies such as Augmented Reality (AR) and Virtual Reality (VR) technologies in health interventions by designing and developing prototypes with the objective of feedback gathering from participants. The ultimate goal is to advance the field of health promotion in Mauritius through the development of more engaging, effective, and sustainable digital behaviour change interventions. The project involved two primary studies: one focused on the BehaviourCoach mobile application and the other exploring the use of Virtual Reality (VR) in exercise. The outcomes of these studies have provided valuable insights into the potential of technology-driven approaches in health promotion. The results from the pilot trials and ongoing evaluations show that the application has effectively engaged participants who reported positive evaluation and usability of the application. The evaluation of BehaviourCoach was related to self-efficacy for mental and physical health, suggesting that digital tools can have an impact in the promotion of health. This demonstrates the effectiveness of gamification—using game elements to motivate and sustain behavioural change. The second study, which examined VR exergaming, provided further insights into how immersive technologies can enhance traditional exercise experiences. By comparing VR-based exercises with conventional methods, the study found that VR can make physical activity more enjoyable and motivating. This is particularly relevant as more people turn to digital solutions for fitness. The findings suggest that VR exergaming could serve as a viable alternative or complement to traditional exercise, offering an innovative way to sustain physical activity. Future work should focus on different mechanisms to better integrate AR and VR in exergames. A limitation of the current project that could be addressed in the future would be to conduct interventions over longer durations to gain better insights into the sustainability of behaviour changes among participants.

MRIC-SISM-02/HW-16: CarbInsulinAssist: Revolutionizing Diabetes Management with Precision Insulin Dosage App

Wed, 12 Jun 2024 11:18:47 +0000

CarbInsulinAssist is an innovative mobile application project developed by T1 Diams to simplify the complex task of calculating insulin dosage for individuals with Type 1 diabetes. By leveraging user-entered information such as insulin sensitivity, carbohydrate ratios, and glucose levels, along with data on Mauritian food from an extensive database, this app empowers users to make informed decisions about insulin administration. CarbInsulinAssist is designed to enhance the management of diabetes by providing a user-friendly and efficient solution. It will incorporate image recognition technology to estimate carb content accurately, revolutionizing the way users manage their diabetes. The app's core functionality includes a simple input system to validate the actual quantity of carbohydrates consumed, allowing users to calculate the precise insulin dose needed for any Mauritian food item. CarbInsulinAssist is set to become an indispensable tool for individuals with Type 1 diabetes, offering them greater control over their daily routines and reducing the risk of complications. T1 Diams is committed to the ongoing development of this application, ensuring it remains at the forefront of diabetes management technology.

Repurposing of shipping containers as a sustainable building system in response to climate resilience

Tue, 06 May 2025 09:39:10 +0000

With the surging container transportation throughout the globe, its end of life is creating both environmental and social concerns. At Velogic, which is a leading logistics and transport company in Mauritius, around 1600-1800 used shipping-containers are at the depot, and less than 50% of these used-containers have been converted into homes or offices. Owing to limited space to store these containers and expensive cost to send to its origin, it is imperative to tackle this used-container issue. Amongst all the reuses, repurposing shipping-containers into green building homes provides an innovative approach to circular design concept. Therefore, the main concept behind this project proposal is to investigate the life cycle of repurposing the shipping-containers into sustainable homes in response to climate change resilience in Mauritius. The environmental impacts and carbon footprint of the current practice at Associated Container Services Ltd will be compared with an improved container house taking into consideration all sustainability aspects. The potential of local biomass material insulation will be explored, followed by green-roof technology and energy-material-water nexus. This will also provide eco-conscious living, which is a beacon of social hopes for the planet to thrive in harmony with the environment.

TIPS Small Grant Scheme Research Paper Series 2011

Thu, 30 Jun 2011 20:00:00 +0000

This research attempts to assess the attitudes of residents towards the perceived tourism impacts on their lives and communities in selected tourism coastal villages in Mauritius. A survey was used to examine residents! attitudes toward tourism development. The survey results show that tourism is a major pillar of the economy. Tourism has been a key contributor to economic growth and has led to increased job and investment opportunities, to the expansion of local amenities and infrastructural improvement. However, tourism is also generating inflationary pressures. The local community views on the social impact of tourism development in the region suggest positive social impact, except in the area of sports/leisure facilities. As such the respondents consider that the development of tourism has some negative impact on society. As far as local communities! views on the tourism development impact on the environment are concerned, residents! perceptions are negative. However, it is noted that the respondents are of the opinion that it is residents, not tourists, who are responsible for the degradation of the environment. Interestingly, the respondents admitted that tourism development has led to greater cleanliness of their localities. In contrast, tourism development is associated with crowded beaches and even, at times, restricted access to the beaches.

Banking Sector Controls and Financial Development

Thu, 22 Apr 2010 20:00:00 +0000

Financial development has received considerable attention in past literature. This study brings to light financial deepening in an all new angle by introducing banking sector controls as its possible determinants and that, to be considered for the Mauritian experience. A VECM is initially formulated to capture the long run effect of the different banking policies used, followed by a dynamic ordinary least squares (DOLS) estimation to cater for unknown small sample properties of a VECM. Causality tests are applied to highlight the appropriateness of the different policies imposed following results of their direction of causality. The outcome of the different techniques used point out towards a positive and significant relationship of the different policies, formulated as an index by way of principal component analysis (PCA). Based on the DOLS estimator, the evidence on interest rate restraints points out to ambiguous long run effects on the different indicators for financial development. Cash reserve requirement proves to deepen the financial system while statutory liquidity requirement and directed credit programmes show a negative interaction with financial development. Mostly one-way short run causality seems to run from the individual controls to financial development but there is some evidence of reciprocity.

Efficiency and Productivity Change of Banks: Evidence from a Small Island Development State

Thu, 25 Aug 2011 20:00:00 +0000

This paper employs a nonparametric approach to estimate the efficiency and productivity of the Mauritian banking sector during 2001-2006. The measurement of efficiency is done using the Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA). Productivity growth is decomposed into technical efficiency and technological change using the Malmquist indices. Using labour, fixed assets and loanable funds as inputs and total loans and fee based income as outputs in the analysis, it is observed that the mean efficiency score of banks in Mauritius when compared to other countries is lower. The Malmquist Total Factor Productivity results obtained indicate that annual productivity growth averaged 4.9% across all commercial banks and was largely attributable to technological progress. The results have important implications for bank managers, policy makers, bank regulators and other stakeholders of the Mauritian economy. It is believed that there is considerable scope for efficiency improvements in this sector, particularly for Mauritian Bank to consolidate and enhance their competiveness in the region.

Embedding knowledge management in higher education institutions (HEIs): a comparison between two countries

Tue, 30 Apr 2019 10:28:43 +0000

Previous research on knowledge management in universities has focused mainly on a single country. This research contributes by exploring the understanding of senior managers and academics involved in research/and research management and comparing the three KM processes in two countries, Mauritius and South Africa, one with a small and developing higher education sector and the other with a relatively well-developed higher education sector. Data were obtained through semi-structured interviews with key informants from thirteen HEIs from Mauritius and South Africa. The three KM processes adopted in the two countries had a lot of similarity with only a few differences. This article builds a profile of the similarities and differences between the two countries, and develops models of KM processes. This comparison acts as a basis for recommendations for improving research practices in HEIs and as a basis for innovation in the less developed country.

Knowledge management in higher education institutions in Mauritius

Mon, 10 Sep 2018 10:17:07 +0000

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to research on knowledge management (KM) in higher education institutions (HEIs) by studying its processes, knowledge creation (KC), knowledge sharing (KS) and knowledge transfer (KT), in Mauritius. Design/methodology/approach Semi-structured interviews were conducted with senior staff in the main public and private HEIs in Mauritius. Questions focussed on KM strategy and processes. Interviews were recorded and transcribed prior to thematic analysis. Findings Although participants could discuss KM processes, none of the participating institutions had a KM strategy. All institutions are involved in KC and acquisition, KS and KT. In addition to research, knowledge was regarded as being created through teaching and learning activities, consultancies, organisational documentation and acquisition from external sources. Knowledge is shared among peers during departmental and curriculum meetings, through annual research seminars and during conferences and publications in journals. KT with industry through consultancies is restricted to a few public HEIs. In the remaining HEIs, KT is limited to their students joining the workforce and to organising tailor-made courses and training programmes for public and private institutions. The study also provides evidence that some processes and activities contribute to more than one of KC, sharing and transfer. Originality/value This study contributes to the very limited body of research into KM processes in countries with developing higher education sectors. In addition, this research disaggregates the processes associated with KC, sharing and transfer, whilst also examining the relationship between them.

Knowledge management in higher education institutions: enablers and barriers in Mauritius

Sun, 09 Jul 2017 20:00:00 +0000

Purpose The purpose of this study is to contribute to research on knowledge management in higher education institutions (HEIs), by studying the enablers and barriers to knowledge management in a country with a developing higher education sector, Mauritius. Design/methodology/approach Semi-structured interviews were conducted with senior staff in the main public and private HEIs in Mauritius. Questions focused on knowledge management, including relevant barriers and enabling factors to knowledge creation, knowledge sharing and knowledge transfer. Findings Although participants were able to discuss knowledge management, none of the universities had a knowledge management strategy. Moreover, more barriers than enablers to knowledge management were identified. Barriers included: a lack of policies and reward mechanisms, resources, data, funding and time for research, coupled with frequent leadership changes, a lack of a knowledge-sharing culture and research repositories and weak industry–academia linkages. Enablers were perceived to be: qualified and experienced academic staff in public HEIs, information technology (IT) infrastructure and library/digital library and some incentives for knowledge creation and transfer. Originality/value Previous research on knowledge management in universities has focused on countries with a relatively well-developed higher education sector. This research contributes by focusing on the perceived barriers and enablers to knowledge management in a country with a small and developing higher education sector.

Passive Vertical Farm Research Facility

Wed, 06 Nov 2024 10:38:47 +0000

The future effect of Climate Change upon small islands is likely to impact food availability ("both "home-grown and imported). The Passive Vertical Farm Research Facility will provide a location where research on existing and new crops can be performed in managed conditions. The main objective of the facility is to help to improve food security by enabling food to grow more effectively and also in "urban" locations. Fertigation, "grow pod" size and design and companion planting will all be investigated as ways to improve yields, reduce pesticide requirements and reduce "manpower" - adapting ideas from permaculture. In addition to existing crops, the facility will also research "novel" or new crops that could be used either for direct human nutrition or to supplement animal feed. It is envisaged that the Facility will also conduct research into the "seeding" of seaweed gametes directly onto growing lines to greatly increase the efficiency and yield of the seaweed farms at Rodrigues and beyond. Whilst the facility will initially be utilised for internal research, it is intended that it will, in future, also be available to other researchers to conduct their own food security research projects because the availability suitable research facilities on Rodrigues is limited.

Mpow.me - Mentoring programme using AI powered mentoring app

Wed, 06 Nov 2024 10:24:19 +0000

Mpow.me is a mentoring programme using an Ai powered app. Its first area of commercial application will serve to connect NGOs and grassroots innovators seeking guidance, advice, and support with experienced mentors who can offer personalised guidance and coaching. The app uses technology to facilitate communication between mentors and mentees, such as matchmaking, messaging and scheduling tools. The app handles the registration, matchmaking, managing, and reporting of a mentoring relationship. The app will offer a user-friendly interface that allows mentees to browse and search for mentors based on their industry, expertise, and availability. Once a mentor has been selected, mentees can schedule meetings and communicate with their mentor through the app. To ensure the quality of mentorship relationships, the app will incorporate a rating and review system, allowing both mentors and mentees to rate and provide feedback on their experience. Mentors will also have the option to accept or decline mentoring requests, ensuring that they can manage their workload and availability. The app will also have a resource section for users to access information, documents or templates. An artificial intelligence component shall be developed for the automatic matchmaking with best mentors for the request. Suggested mentors will be provided to the mentee. The app forms part of a programme. The programme consists of also onboarding mentors.

Kcious Next Generation of Sustainability

Wed, 06 Nov 2024 10:11:24 +0000

Kcious is a pioneering platform designed to revolutionize the aggregation and analysis of Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) data, with a focus on enhancing sustainability practices within businesses. This abstract provides an overview of the technical aspects of Kcious as a proof of concept. Kcious leverages cutting-edge technologies to gather, organize, and interpret a wide range of ESG data from diverse sources, including company reports, regulatory filings, and external databases. Through advanced data structuring algorithms and machine learning models, Kcious ensures the accuracy and reliability of the aggregated data, providing stakeholders with actionable insights into a company's sustainability performance. Key features of the Kcious platform include: • Data Aggregation • Data Structuring • Visualization Tools As a proof of concept, Kcious demonstrates its capability to streamline the aggregation and analysis of ESG data, providing a powerful tool for businesses, investors, regulators, and other stakeholders to advance sustainability initiatives and drive positive social and environmental impact.

Moskit0

Wed, 06 Nov 2024 10:03:57 +0000

Développer une ligne de production de solutions anti-moustiques local à partir de plantes endémiques de Maurice (ou de la zone Océan Indien). Plantes produites à partir d'exploitations agroécologiques de notre île. Le projet répond à une urgence sanitaire qui consiste à se protéger des maladies infectueuses propagées par les moustiques (dengue, zika, ...) et contribuera à renforcer la résilience de l'île Maurice en implantant une ligne de production sur le territoire. Cela permettra d'éviter les ruptures d'approvisionnement des produits traditionnellement importés d'Asie ou d'Europe. Le projet promouvoit la bioéconomie local en s'appuyant sur la pharmacopée de l'île Maurice avec dans un second temps une formulation verte en remplacement de la traditionnelle chimie basée sur des insecticides DEET (N,N-diéthyl-3 méthylbenzamide) qui ont des effets neurologiques prouvés en touchant les synapses et affectant les enzymes. Les solutions déployées par le projet pourront s'adapter sur les modèles traditionnels existants (diffuseur électrique, plaquette) et proposera un système de consigne afin d'éviter de jeter des millers de contenant à Mare-Chicose (ou dans la nature). Enfin, le 3eme objectif est de développer une solution à bas cout afin de s'assurer que toutes les familles mauriciennes puissent se protéger au mieux. Le potentiel commercial est donc important non seulement sur Maurice et Rodrigues mais avec des possibilités d'exportation dans la région Océan Indien.

Interfacing attendance/access control with business software (POS/Mini-ERP)

Wed, 06 Nov 2024 09:59:57 +0000

In the dynamic world of SMEs, business owners navigate through the day with a pragmatic approach, juggling various technological tools to steer their ventures towards success. However, despite their adaptability and resourcefulness, a significant challenge remains: the complexity of managing disparate systems. From POS software to Access Control and Time Attendance systems designed by security experts, these tools are indispensable yet operate in isolation. This fragmented technological landscape complicates the seamless operation of businesses. Recognizing this critical gap, our proposal seeks to pioneer a transformative solution that harmonizes these vital business operations into a single, integrated platform. By integrating business software with the Access Control/Time Attendance terminals from HIKVISION, we envision a unified ecosystem that empowers small business owners with the efficiency and simplicity of managing their operations through a single interface. This innovative integration promises not only to streamline business processes but also to enhance operational visibility and control, enabling owners to focus more on other areas of their business. With the support of the MRIC, this project stands to redefine the technological landscape for SMEs, offering them simplicity and integration in an increasingly complex digital world.

Development of value-added products from fermented milk: from scientific validation to market

Wed, 06 Nov 2024 09:38:36 +0000

Circle of Life Co Ltd specializes in deli shops offering fresh fruits, vegetables, milk, meat, eggs, and poultry sourced locally to support regional producers. Additionally, surplus and unsold items are minimally processed into nutritious foods. Recently, the company is interested to expand its offerings by fermenting excess milk into products such as milk kefir, cultured cheese, yogurt, and cultured butter. Research suggests that kefir, with its unique microbiological profile, can contribute to overall well-being by improving gut health, enhancing immune function, and potentially preventing chronic diseases. Building on this knowledge, Circle of Life Co Ltd aims to commercialize minimally processed kefir. The proposal involves meticulous selection of starter cultures and fermentation parameters. Following fermentation, the kefir will undergo comprehensive analysis to ensure its quality and safety. Microbiological analysis will ascertain the dominance of kefir-specific microorganisms while ensuring the absence of pathogens and shelf-life. Chemical and biological analyses will identify key metabolites such as lactic acid, ethanol, and volatile compounds, crucial for flavor and health benefits. Sensory evaluation by trained panelists will further refine attributes like taste, aroma, texture, and appearance to align with consumer preferences. The project also seeks to make kefir commercially available at Circle of Life Ltd deli shops.

Blockchain Food Traceability

Wed, 06 Nov 2024 07:23:17 +0000

Food traceability of locally produced vegetables and fruits in Mauritius is presently a major challenge. While a variety of food labels exist, there is no tampered-proof system yet in place to boost the trust that consumers have in local production. Hence, this project aims at developing a blockchain technology that ensures food traceability through a collaborative work between the Middlesex University and the members of the Mauritius Chamber of Agriculture and the interested beneficiaries of its Smart Agriculture project. The university will set the development phases of the blockchain technology (for identified blocks: farmers- certification/ auditing bodies - distribution channel - customers) using the help and technical assistance of the Mauritius Chamber of Agriculture (MCA). The latter aims at supporting planters who follow smart agricultural Practices and help them differentiate their products from the ones coming from conventional agriculture and to choose the most appropriate distribution channel for them to gain the best value for their change of production. This project now aims at supporting farmers in their chosen certification or external auditing process(es) and innovating through blockchain technology. Food valorization can be promoted, and transparency ensured from farm to fork for quality and safe products.

Developing the blue biotechnology sector in Mauritius: use of marine phytoplankton as an innovative model

Wed, 06 Nov 2024 07:11:28 +0000

Microalgae are one of the foods of the future, as they are a source of high-quality protein and include an array of bioactive molecules with potential to act against the modern epidemics of obesity and diabetes while decisively contributing to a sustainable world through carbon dioxide fixation and the minimization of agricultural land use. In addition, microalgae form a very important component of live feed production system in aquaculture hatcheries due to their high content in valuable biochemical products and nutrients. Recognising the value of microalgae and their potential commercial application locally, regionally and internationally, Mauricoast Ltd is looking to mass cultivate them at ambient conditions using outdoor culture systems. The company is looking to set up the first photobioreactors for marine microalgal production in Mauritius and as such contribute to the development of the blue biotechnology sector in the country.

Building an innovative low-cost setup brain waves signal capture to study the effects of exercises on mental well-being

Wed, 06 Nov 2024 06:47:34 +0000

This project will assess the effect of doing exercise on the brain wave for the promotion of physical and mental well-being in Mauritius. This is important given the high incidence of diabetes and cardiovascular diseases in the local population. The project is multidisciplinary using cross-cutting expertise in mechatronics, computing and health. First, a non-invasive and low-cost setup will be built using microcontrollers and other equipment. Next, the setup will be used to read the brain waves signal from a diverse sample of the local population who practice exercise. Finally, the collected data will be analyzed computationally to study various aspects of human cognition, performance, and well-being. Additionally, the use of artificial intelligence to correlate the brain waves signals with physical and mental health will be looked into. The goal of the project is to consolidate the fact that exercise has a positive effect on mental health. Studying brain waves can provide objective measures of the psychological benefits of exercise, helping to understand how physical activity contributes to stress reduction, mood improvement, and overall well-being.

CarbInsulinAssist: Revolutionizing Diabetes Management with Precision Insulin Dosage App

Wed, 06 Nov 2024 06:30:58 +0000

CarbInsulinAssist is an innovative mobile application project developed by T1 Diams to simplify the complex task of calculating insulin dosage for individuals with Type 1 diabetes. By leveraging user-entered information such as insulin sensitivity, carbohydrate ratios, and glucose levels, along with data on Mauritian food from an extensive database, this app empowers users to make informed decisions about insulin administration. CarbInsulin Assist is designed to enhance the management of diabetes by providing a user friendly and efficient solution. It will incorporate image recognition technology to estimate carb content accurately, revolutionizing the way users manage their diabetes. The app's core functionality includes a simple input system to validate the actual quantity of carbohydrates consumed, allowing users to calculate the precise insulin dose needed for any Mauritian food item. CarbInsulinAssist is set to become an indispensable tool for individuals with Type 1 diabetes, offering them greater control over their daily routines and reducing the risk of complications. T1 Diams is committed to the ongoing development of this application, ensuring it remains at the forefront of diabetes management technology.

An analysis of mutual fund performance on the Stock Exchange of Mauritius

Thu, 31 Dec 2009 20:00:00 +0000

CarbInsulinAssist is an innovative mobile application project developed by T1 Diams to simplify the complex task of calculating insulin dosage for individuals with Type 1 diabetes. By leveraging user-entered information such as insulin sensitivity, carbohydrate ratios, and glucose levels, along with data on Mauritian food from an extensive database, this app empowers users to make informed decisions about insulin administration. CarbInsulin Assist is designed to enhance the management of diabetes by providing a user friendly and efficient solution. It will incorporate image recognition technology to estimate carb content accurately, revolutionizing the way users manage their diabetes. The app's core functionality includes a simple input system to validate the actual quantity of carbohydrates consumed, allowing users to calculate the precise insulin dose needed for any Mauritian food item. CarbInsulinAssist is set to become an indispensable tool for individuals with Type 1 diabetes, offering them greater control over their daily routines and reducing the risk of complications. T1 Diams is committed to the ongoing development of this application, ensuring it remains at the forefront of diabetes management technology.

Empirical Test Of The Ohlson Model: Evidence From The Mauritian Equity Market

Mon, 05 Jul 2010 20:00:00 +0000

This study investigates the existence of value relevance of accounting information in Mauritius Stock Market using the Ohlson model (1995), which encourages the adoption of the historical price model in value relevance studies, defining value as a function of earnings and book values. Using data for the period 1998-2006, the residual earnings and clean surplus book values of thirty eight (38) companies have been computed and analysed alongside their respective quoted market prices. Results from the analysis showed that earnings and book values have value relevance in the price of shares listed on the stock exchange. The study also reveals that there is a variation with regard to value relevance of financial and non-financial firms.

Nematode-trapping fungi from mangrove habitats

Wed, 10 Dec 2008 20:00:00 +0000

Ten species belonging to, Arthrobotrys, Dactylellina and Dreschlerella were recorded from mangrove habitats in Hong Kong. These nematode-trapping fungi are characterised and illustrated and compared with freshwater and terrestrial stains. Conidial and conidiophore morphology of all the mangrove strains collected in present study fell within the range of their respective species, however, there were also variation in conidiophore and conidial characters.

Unravelling evolutionary relationships between epifoliar Meliolaceae and angiosperms

Sun, 31 May 2020 20:00:00 +0000

Epifoliar fungi are a group of poorly studied fungal symbionts that coinhabit the surface of living plants. Meliolaceae is the largest group of epifoliar fungi and has been considered as obligate parasites. We investigated the taxonomy of Meliolaceae and the coevolutionary events with their host plants using time-calibrated cophylogeny based on large subunit, small subunit, and internal transcribed spacer (ITS) sequence data obtained from 17 different fungal taxa and rbcL, ITS, and trnH-psbA sequence data from their corresponding hosts. Nine new fungal species are introduced in this paper and Appendiculella is synonymized under Asteridiella. The dominant coevolutionary events during the Cretaceous and Cenozoic are cospeciation and host shift, respectively. We hypothesize that the evolutionary history of epifoliar fungi can be divided into three major periods: origins of families, formations of genera, and diversification of species. The rise of angiosperms prompted the evolution of modern epifoliar fungi and the diversification of orders of Angiospermae fostered the formation of epifoliar fungal genera. Phylogenetically, epifoliar fungal genera can be delimited according to their coevolutionary patterns and divergent periods.

Integrating Different Lines of Evidence to Establish a Novel Ascomycete Genus and Family (Anastomitrabeculia, Anastomitrabeculiaceae) in Pleosporales

Wed, 27 Jan 2021 20:00:00 +0000

A novel genus, Anastomitrabeculia, is introduced herein for a distinct species, Anastomitrabeculia didymospora, collected as a saprobe on dead bamboo culms from a freshwater stream in Thailand. Anastomitrabeculia is distinct in its trabeculate pseudoparaphyses and ascospores with longitudinally striate wall ornamentation. A new family, Anastomitrabeculiaceae, is introduced to accommodate Anastomitrabeculia. Anastomitrabeculiaceae forms an independent lineage basal to Halojulellaceae in Pleosporales and it is closely related to Neohendersoniaceae based on phylogenetic analyses of a combined LSU, SSU and TEF1α dataset. In addition, divergence time estimates provide further support for the establishment of Anastomitrabeculiaceae. The family diverged around 84 million years ago (MYA) during the Cretaceous period, which supports the establishment of the new family. The crown and stem age of Anastomitrabeculiaceae was also compared to morphologically similar pleosporalean families.

Where are the basal fungi? Current status on diversity, ecology, evolution, and taxonomy

Mon, 16 Nov 2020 20:00:00 +0000

To date, the majority of mycological studies are focused on Ascomycota and Basidiomycota. Research on basal fungi is rather limited with an obvious scarcity of data. Classification of basal fungi has witnessed ongoing changes in the last few decades. There have been numerous taxonomic revisions, establishment of new phyla and debates on the possibility to exclude some basal lineages from the currently circumscribed fungal groups. Zoosporic phyla such as Rozellomycota, Aphelidiomycota and Chytridiomycota are characterized by zoospores, which are motile spores with a flagellum. The position of the first two within the fungal kingdom is currently being debated. Non zoosporic phyla are collectively called zygomycetous fungi and include Mucoromycota and Zoopagomycota. Basal fungi perform important ecological roles. Some groups of basal fungi control the population density of plankton, Oomycetes, aphids, and small invertebrates, while taking part in recycling of energy and matter in food webs. A few basal fungi are known for uptaking toxic heavy metals from the environment. The earliest basal fungi emerged just after the divergence of the nucleariid line of phagotrophs. Various taxonomic studies question the monophyly of some basal phyla, such as Chytridiomycota. Depending on the life mode of the fungi and whether motile or non-motile spores are produced, the isolation methods differ. For the culture of parasitic zoosporic fungi, co-culturing the fungi with their host is recommended while for saprobes ones, baits can be used. For zygomycetous fungi, common methods include dilution plating and direct inoculation. In this review, we pinpoint research gaps and discuss the current classification schemes along with information on evolution, diversity, current methods and challenges to isolate and culture basal fungi.

Phylogenetic and morphological characterization of Byssosphaeria macarangae sp. nov., and B. taiwanense sp. nov. from Macaranga tanarius.

Mon, 13 Aug 2018 20:00:00 +0000

Byssosphaeria species were collected from Macaranga tanarius (Euphorbiaceae) in Shihnong forest area in Chiayi, Taiwan and subjected to morphological examination and DNA sequence analyses. Two new taxa, Byssosphaeria macarangae sp. nov and B. taiwanense sp. nov are herein described. Both species can be distinguished from other Byssosphaeria species based on distinct size differences in asci, ascospores and DNA sequence data. Detailed descriptions, micrographs and phylogenetic data of the new species are provided.

Multigene phylogeny coupled with morphological characterization reveal two new species of Holmiella and taxonomic insights within Patellariaceae.

Thu, 31 May 2018 20:00:00 +0000

During our investigation of saprobic fungi on Juniper (Cupressaceae) of Uzbekistan, two novel species of Holmiella were collected from the host Juniperus. These new species are introduced based on morphological and molecular evidence, the latter generated to investigate their phylogenetic relationships. Taxonomic notes are also provided for the two previously described species of Holmiella. Phylogenetic reconstruction based on analyses of ribosomal DNA (ITS, LSU and SSU regions) of Holmiella species, strongly supports the three currently recognized taxa (H. junipericola, H. juniperi-semiglobosae and H. sabina) as a monophyletic group. The two novel species are morphologically distinct from H. sabina, the type species, with respect to size of ascomata, asci and ascospores, ascospore globules and peridium structure. Descriptions and illustrations, as well as notes on the taxonomy, and phylogenetic characterization of two new species are provided. An identification key to the four accepted species of Holmiella is also provided.

Ribosomal and protein gene phylogeny reveals novel saprobic fungal species from Juglans regia and Urtica dioica

Mon, 29 Jun 2020 20:00:00 +0000

During an ongoing investigation of Ascomycetes from plant substrates, three saprobic species were found from plant substrates. Two new species, Leptosphaeria regiae and Neomicrosphaeropsis juglandis were isolated from dead branches of Juglans regia from Turkey. Another species is introduced herein as Subplenodomus urticae sp. nov within the family Leptosphaeriaceae found on Urtica dioica in Italy. Multigene phylogenies based on combined LSU, ITS, SSU and β-tubulin DNA sequence data generated from maximum likelihood and MrBayes analyses indicate that Leptosphaeria regiae is closely related to L. slovacica and L. pedicularis and forms an independent lineage within the genus Leptosphaeria. Subplenodomus urticae is basal to S. iridicola and its establishment as a new species is strongly supported. Neomicrosphaeropsis juglandis forms a moderately supported lineage in between N. italica and N. minima in the Didymellaceae. Full morphological details are provided herein and phylogenetic relationships of the three new species are also discussed.

Testing Dutch disease syndrome via foreign direct investment: A case for Mauritius

Sun, 07 Aug 2022 20:00:00 +0000

The primary linkage of Dutch Disease is based on large influx FDI leading to the appreciation of the real effective exchange rate, together affecting a country’s export competitiveness. The existence of a Dutch Disease syndrome is tested in the Mauritian economy by using annual time series data sourced from official foundations from 1980 to 2019. We captured the Dutch Disease syndrome through 2 main effects namely through i) the REER appreciation due to FDI and ii) a decline in export’s competitiveness. After investigation, using a Vector Error Correction Model, it is observed that Mauritius has not experienced such a disease with respect to the arrival of FDI because the government and local firms were successful in implementing right and stable policies.

Morphotaxonomy and phylogeny of Paoayensis lignicola gen. et sp. nov.(ascomycetes) from submerged wood in Paoay Lake, Ilocos Norte, the Philippines

Thu, 27 Dec 2007 20:00:00 +0000

A new genus of freshwater ascomycetes, Paoayensis lignicola collected from Paoay Lake in Ilocos Norte, in the Philippines is described and illustrated and compared with analogous taxa. Paoayensis lignicola is characterized by immersed, slightly erumpent ascomata with openings that fuse into a single ostiole. Asci are unitunicate, clavate and short pedicellate with a discoid refractive apical ring and ascospores are lemoniform, brown to dark brown and with an unusual germ slit. Characters suggest that the genus should be placed in the Sordariales, however, placement at the familial level is not clear. Molecular based phylogenies using 18S rDNA sequence data indicates a close relationship to Xylomelasma sordida and Ceratostomella pyrena whose taxonomic placement is still obscure. 28S rDNA based phylogenies, on the other hand, depicts a close affiliation with members of the Annulatascaceae which are freshwater ascomycetes. An appropriate familial placement for Paoayensis lignicola is still unknown (Sordariomycetes incertae sedis).

Taxonomic studies of some often over-looked Diaporthomycetidae and Sordariomycetidae

Tue, 09 Nov 2021 20:00:00 +0000

Sordariomycetes is an earlier-introduced and one of the widely distributed class of Ascomycota. The class was initially classified based on morphology in having inoperculate and unitunicate asci. With the development of DNA based phylogenetic analysis, several undetermined or polyphyletic members of Sordariomycetes were reclassified. However, not all species belonging to this class have been sequenced and analyzed. There are a number of species, especially those old and poorly studied ones which have never been sequenced before and not even recollected again for further taxonomic verification. One of the main objective in this study is to revise and update the taxonomy of several well-known early and poorly studied species whose classification are still obscure. Herein, we re-examined the type materials and/or authentic specimens together to explore 74 relatively poorly-studied genera, which mainly belong to Boliniales, Calosphaeriales, Chaetosphaeriales, Jobellisiales, and Sordariales classified under Diaporthomycetidae and Sordariomycetidae. We provide descriptions, notes, figures and/or drawings and discussed their phylogenetic relationships. As a result, the monotypic Jobellisiales is transferred from Hypocreomycetidae to Diaporthomycetidae. Based on phylogenetic analysis, the polyphyletic Lasiosphaeriaceae is divided into five families, Bombardiaceae (Apodospora, Bombardia, Bombardioidea, Fimetariella and Ramophialophora), Lasiosphaeriaceae (Anopodium, Bellojisia, Corylomyces, Lasiosphaeria, Mammaria and Zopfiella), Lasiosphaeridaceae (Lasiosphaeris), Strattoniaceae (Strattonia) and Zygospermellaceae (Episternus and Zygospermella). In addition, a new family Neoschizotheciaceae is established based on Neoschizothecium. Analysis of the type species of Boothiella, Stellatospora, Sulcatistroma and Tengiomyces placed them in Sordariaceae, Chaetomiaceae, Hypocreales and Coronophorales, respectively. We classify the genera lacking molecular data based on their morphology and expect them to be recollected; that is, Kacosphaeria in Calosphaeriales; Arnium, Biconiosporella, Camptosphaeria, Diffractella, Emblemospora, Eosphaeria, Periamphispora, Synaptospora and Tripterosporella in Sordariales; Conidiotheca in Sordariomycetes; Copromyces, Effetia, Endophragmiella and Tulipispora are accommodated in Ascomycota. Besides, we establish a new genus Neoschizothecium based on phylogenetic analysis. New combinations proposed: Camaropella amorpha, Cam. microspora, Cam. plana, Cladorrhinum grandiusculum, Cla. leucotrichum, Cla. terricola, Cla. olerum, Helminthosphaeria plumbea, Immersiella hirta, Jugulospora minor, Lasiosphaeris arenicola, Neoschizothecium aloides, Neo. carpinicola, Neo. conicum, Neo. curvisporum, Neo. fimbriatum, Neo. glutinans, Neo. inaequale, Neo. minicaudum, Neo. selenosporum, Neo. tetrasporum, Neurospora autosteira, Podospora brunnescens, P. flexuosa, P. jamaicensis, P. hamata, P. macrospora, P. spinosa, Strattonia petrogale and Triangularia microsclerotigena, T. nannopodalis, T. praecox, T. samala, T. tarvisina, T. unicaudata, T. yaeyamensis. New epithets are proposed for Apiorhynchostoma apiosporum and Podospora dacryoidea.

Species concepts of Dothideomycetes: classification, phylogenetic inconsistencies and taxonomic standardization

Tue, 24 Aug 2021 20:00:00 +0000

The species is one of the basic units of biological classification. Both species concepts and recognition are essential topics in taxonomic studies and other biological research. In the first part of this review, we briefly discuss the taxonomic history of the class Dothideomycetes. In the second part of the paper, we review four commonly used species concepts, focusing on morphological, ecological, biological and phylogenetic criteria and their applicability in the taxonomy of Dothideomycetes. The application and utility of the four criteria is discussed with examples in the genera Ascochyta, Cercospora and Neofusicoccum. Some problems and challenges of studying Dothideomycetes are analyzed and basic guidelines for classifying species under the above criteria are provided.

Life in leaf litter: Fungal community succession during decomposition

Thu, 01 Apr 2021 20:00:00 +0000

The authors would like to thank Prof. Gareth Jones, Dr. T. K Goh, Dr. Derek Peršoh and Dr. Eric McKenzie for their comments, suggestions and help in correcting the manuscript. K.D. Hyde thanks Chiang Mai University for the award of Visiting Professorship. Thanks are also extended to Dr. Samantha Karunarathna, N.I de Silva, Anuruddha Karunarathna and Milan Samarakoon for their valuable suggestions and help. Dr. R. Jeewon thanks Mae Fah Luang University for the award of a Visiting Scholar and University of Mauritius for research support. The author would like to thank Mushroom Research Foundation (MRF), Chiang Rai Province, Thailand for providing research financial support and Postgraduate Scholarship.

Trade in Services and Poverty Alleviation in Mauritius

Thu, 01 Jan 1970 00:00:00 +0000

Although there exists a large strand of the empirical literature which focused on the impact of tourism development on the economic growth of countries (and assuming that growth will trickle down to assist in poverty alleviation), however, empirical work on the direct relationship between tourism development and poverty have been very relatively rare. This research investigates the link between tourism and poverty levels for the case of a tourist dependent economy, namely Mauritius. It employs dynamic time series analysis, namely a Vector Autoregressive framework, over the period 1987 to 2017 to account for dynamism and endogeneity issued in the tourism-poverty modelling. The findings suggest that tourism development is negatively associated with the level of poverty in Mauritius (pro-poor), although it exhibits a relatively lower impact as compared to other classical factors in the aggregate poverty model. Interestingly, tourism development is observed to be growth conducive, confirming the Tourism Led Growth hypothesis (TLG), thus providing an indirect path to poverty reduction. Finally a bi-causal relationship between tourism and poverty is reported, suggesting that tourist are sensible to some extent to the poverty level of the country in their choice destination.

Oxydothis bambusicola, a new ascomycete with a huge subapical ascal ring found on bamboo in Hong Kong

Sat, 30 Apr 2005 20:00:00 +0000

With 12 figures and 1 table Shenoy, BD, R. Jeewon & KD Hyde (2005): Oxydothis bambusicola, a new ascomycete with a huge subapical ascal ring found on bamboo in Hong Kong.-Nova Hedwigia 80: 511-518. Abstract: Oxydothis bambusicola sp. nov. is reported from senescent bamboo (Indocalamus sp.) culms collected from Shing Mun Country Park, Hong Kong SAR, PR China. This fungus differs from other Oxydothis species in having a relatively massive subapical ascal ring and ascospores with rounded apices with a small amount of mucilage at the apices. The species is compared with previously reported Oxydothis species.

Taxonomy and molecular phylogeny of Thyrostroma ephedricola sp. nov.(Dothidotthiaceae) and proposal for Thyrostroma jaczewskii comb. nov.

Tue, 17 Sep 2019 20:00:00 +0000

Thyrostroma ephedricola, isolated from Ephedra equisetina from Uzbekistan is introduced as a new species and a new combination, Thyrostroma jaczewskii (B. Sutton) is proposed. Both species are characterised by sporodochial, punctiform conidiomata, and brown cylindrical to subcylindrical, 1–3-septate conidiophores, cylindrical, clavate, or ellipsoid to pyriform brown conidia. Phylogenetic reconstruction based on analyses of ribosomal DNA (ITS, LSU and SSU regions) of Thyrostroma species, strongly supports the recognized taxa as a monophyletic group. The introduction of the new species is supported by both morphological and molecular data.

Reappraisal of Immotthia in Dictyosporiaceae, Pleosporales: introducing Immotthia bambusae sp. nov. and Pseudocyclothyriella clematidis comb. et gen. nov. based on morphology …

Thu, 06 May 2021 20:00:00 +0000

Immotthia is a poorly known genus and currently no DNA sequence data available to ascertain its proper phylogenetic placement and evolutionary relationships with other bitunicate fungi. To date, there are only two species accepted in the genus. During our ongoing research study of bambusicolous fungi in southwest China and Thailand, a fungus associated with stromata of Hypoxylon sp. was found on dead bamboo culms in Loei Province, Thailand. Preliminary morphological identification revealed that the fungal collection belongs to Immotthia. A novel species, Immotthia bambusae, is introduced herein based on a comparison of morphological characteristics with the type specimen of I. hypoxylon (≡ Amphisphaeria hypoxylon Ellis & Everh.), a synonym of I. atrograna (Cooke & Ellis) M.E. Barr. Phylogenetic analyses of a concatenated ITS, LSU, SSU and TEF1-α DNA sequence matrix showed that Immotthia belongs to Dictyosporiaceae, Pleosporales. Despite Immotthia bambusae strains constitute a supported subclade, they are nested with the genus Pseudocoleophoma. Pseudocoleophoma clematidis is morphologically different from all other Pseudocoleophoma species while its conidial characteristics are similar to Cyclothyrium. Multi-gene phylogenetic analyses showed that Pseudocoleophoma clematidis formed a clade basal to Immotthia, separated from Pseudocoleophoma with strong statistical support. Therefore, we introduce a monotypic genus, Pseudocyclothyriella Phukhams. & Phookamsak, gen. nov. to accommodate the single species, Pseudocyclothyriella clematidis (Phukhams. & K.D. Hyde) Phukhams. & Phookamsak, comb …

A dynamic portal for a community-driven, continuously updated classification of Fungi and fungus-like organisms: outlineoffungi. org

Thu, 09 Jan 2020 20:00:00 +0000

The website http://outlineoffungi.org, is launched to provide a continuous up-to-date classification of the kingdom Fungi (including fossil fungi) and fungus-like taxa. This is based on recent publications and on the outline of fungi and fungus-like taxa published recently (Mycosphere 11, 1060–1456, doi 10.5943/mycosphere/11/1/8). The website is continuously updated according to latest classification schemes, and will present an important platform for researchers, industries, government officials and other users. Users can provide input about missing genera, new genera, and new data. They will also have the opportunity to express their opinions on classifications with notes published in the ‘Notes’ section of the webpage following review and editing by the curators and independent experts. The website will provide a system to stay abreast of the continuous changes in fungal classification and provide a general consensus on the systematics of fungi.

Multigene phylogeny and taxonomy of Dendryphion hydei and Torula hydei spp. nov. from herbaceous litter in northern Thailand

Tue, 04 Feb 2020 20:00:00 +0000

During our studies on asexual fungi colonizing herbaceous litter in northern Thailand, we discovered two new fungal species, viz. Dendryphion hydei and Torula hydei spp. nov. The latter are examined, and their morphological characters are described as well as their DNA sequences from ribosomal and protein coding genes are analysed to infer their phylogenetic relationships with extant fungi. Torula hydei is different from other similar Torula species in having tiny and catenate conidia. Dendryphion hydei can be distinguished from other similar Dendryphion species in having large conidiophores and subhyaline to pale olivaceous brown, 2–4(–5)-septate conidia. Multigene phylogenetic analyses of a combined LSU, SSU, TEF1-α, RPB2 and ITS DNA sequence dataset generated from maximum likelihood and Bayesian inference analyses indicate that T. hydei forms a distinct lineage and basal to T. fici. Dendryphion hydei forms a distinct lineage and basal to D. europaeum, D. comosum, D. aquaticum and D. fluminicola within Torulaceae (Pleosporales, Dothideomycetes).

Neoastrosphaeriella aquatica sp. nov. (Aigialaceae), a new species from freshwater habitat in southern Thailand.

Sun, 03 Feb 2019 20:00:00 +0000

Neoastrosphaeriella aquatica (Aigialaceae, Dothideomycetes) is a new species isolated from submerged wood in freshwater habitats in southern Thailand. The species is characterized by black, carbonaceous, semi-immersed ascomata, bitunicate, fissitunicate, cylindric-clavate or obclavate, short pedicellate asci and fusiform, hyaline to grayish brown, ascospores tapering to pointed apices, and surrounded by thin, distinct sheaths. Neoastrosphaeriella aquatica can be distinguished from other species of Neoastrosphaeriella by its large, hyaline to grayish brown, guttulate ascospores. Phylogenetic analysis of a combined sequence dataset of the ITS, LSU, SSU and TEF1-α indicates that it is closely related to N. krabiensis and N. sribooniensis, but N. aquatica has sufficient nucleotide differences to be recognized as a new species.

Beta-tubulin and Actin gene phylogeny supports Phaeoacremonium ovale as a new species from freshwater habitats in China.

Wed, 10 Oct 2018 20:00:00 +0000

A new species of Phaeoacremonium, P. ovale (Togniniaceae), was isolated during a diversity study of freshwater fungi from Yunnan Province in China. Morphological and cultural studies of the fungus were carried out and its sexual and asexual morphs (holomorph) are introduced herein. This species is characterised by peculiar long-necked, semi-immersed ascomata with oval to ellipsoid ascospores and ellipsoid to ovoid conidia. Phylogenetic analyses of a combined TUB and ACT gene dataset revealed that strains of P. ovale constitute a strongly supported independent lineage and are related to P. griseo-olivaceum and P. africanum. The number of nucleotide differences, across the genes analysed, also supports establishment of P. ovale as a new species.

Morph-molecular characterization of Meira nicotianae sp. nov., a novel basidiomycetous, anamorphic yeast-like fungus associated with growth improvement in tobacco plant.

Mon, 20 Aug 2018 20:00:00 +0000

A novel yeast-like species was isolated from the rhizosphere of tobacco root collected in Guizhou province, China. Sequence analysis of the large subunit (LSU) rDNA gene indicates that the isolate represents a novel species and most closely related to Meira siamensis. The phylogenetic analysis based on the Internal Transcribed Spacer (ITS) rDNA gene also confirmed the placement of the novel species within Meira. However, the novel species differs from M. siamensis by 9.1% bp difference in the LSU rDNA sequence region and also in terms of physiological characteristics as compared to other species. This species is proposed as M. nicotianae sp. nov. Co-incubation of M. nicotianae strain CY-1 and tobacco plantlets demonstrates that this fungal strain can promote growth of tobacco plant. Scanning electron micrographs and other morphological illustrations along with phylogenies are presented in this paper.

Saprobic Lophiostomataceae (Dothideomycetes): Pseudolophiostoma mangiferae sp. nov. and Neovaginatispora fuckelii, a new record from Mangifera indica.

Wed, 08 Aug 2018 20:00:00 +0000

Pseudolophiostoma mangiferae, isolated from a dead stem of Mangifera indica, collected in Fanlu Township area, Dahu village in Chiayi, Taiwan (Elevation 634 m) and is introduced as a new species based on morphological data and DNA sequence analyses. Maximum parsimony, Maximum likelihood and Bayesian analyses of combined ITS, LSU, SSU and tef1-α sequence data were performed to clarify the phylogenetic affinities of the species. Pseudolophiostoma mangiferae is distinguished from the other Pseudolophiostoma species based on distinct size differences in ascomata, asci, ascospores and DNA sequence data. In addition, Neovaginatispora fuckelii is described as a new record from Taiwan. Both species are compared with other similar species and comprehensive descriptions and micrographs are provided.

Diversity, Seasonal Variation and Antibacterial Activity of Endophytic Fungi Associated With the Genus Jatropha in Mauritius

Sun, 31 Dec 2017 20:00:00 +0000

Background: Endophytic fungi are important components of the forest community and are significantly diverse from one plant to another as well as from one ecosystem to another.Objective: The current study aimed to characterise, at the molecular level, the diversity and seasonal variation of endophytic fungi from Jatropha plants found in Mauritius and to compare the phytochemicals and the antimicrobial potential of the fungal isolates with the leaves extracts.Materials and methods: Endophytic and saprophytic fungi were isolated from the leaves of Jatropha plants during summer and winter. The isolated fungi were further classified through molecular characterisation. The isolates were grouped into 76 distinct operational taxonomic units based on the sequence of the internal transcribed spacer regions in the rRNA gene. The colonization frequency and the dominant fungi percentage of these endophytic fungi were calculated. The antimicrobial properties of the extracts from the endophytes were compared to that of the extracts obtained from the leaves of the Jatropha plants.Results: The overall colonisation rate for the two seasons was 67.42%. Maximum colonisation (27%) was observed in both J. curcas and J. multifida. There was a diverse array of fungi which included 21 common genera. Colonisation frequency of the other genera recovered during this study varied according to the plant from which the isolation was carried out. J. multifida was richer in the genus Phoma, J. curcas were colonised mainly by Neofusicoccum as compared to J. integerrima and J. podagrica, which were colonised by the Corenespora. Climate was also a primary driver …

Taxonomic Position of Melomastia italica sp. nov. and Phylogenetic Reappraisal of Dyfrolomycetales.

Thu, 30 Nov 2017 20:00:00 +0000

Melomastia is a genus of saprobic fungal species found on wood, with 29 species epithets listed in Index Fungorum. The classification of species in the genus has been a challenge due to a high degree of morphological overlap and a lack of DNA based phylogenies. The present study clarifies the phylogenetic placement of the genus and with an additional new species based on a fresh collection from Italy. The new species, Melomastia italica, is described based on morphological and relationships inferred from phylogenetic analyses of SSU and LSU sequence data. Melomastia is accommodated within the family Pleurotremaceae in the class Dothideomycetes. The phylogenetic relationships and intergeneric taxonomy within the family Pleurotremaceae are revisited, while Dyfrolomyces maolanensis is transferred to the genus Melomastia.

Establishment of Zygosporiaceae fam. nov. (Xylariales, Sordariomycetes) based on rDNA sequence data

Sat, 31 Dec 2016 20:00:00 +0000

Biodiversity of Lignicolous Freshwater Hyphomycetes from China and Thailand and Description of Sixteen Species.

Tue, 17 Aug 2021 20:00:00 +0000

Freshwater hyphomycetes are a highly diverse group of fungi with a worldwide distribution and have been mostly reported from tropical and subtropical regions. During investigations of freshwater fungi from the Greater Mekong subregion in China and Thailand, sixteen freshwater hyphomycetes (three of them belong to the class Dothideomycetes while thirteen belong to the class Sordariomycetes) were collected. Based on morphology and multi-gene phylogenetic analyses, Neospadicoides thailandica, Pseudodactylaria aquatica, Sporidesmium nujiangense, Tetraploa thailandica, Vamsapriya aquatica and Wongia fusiformis are described as new species; Aquapteridospora bambusinum is proposed as a new combination; Acrodictys liputii, Chloridium gonytrichii, Pseudoberkleasmium chiangmaiense, Pleomonodictys capensis, Sporidesmium aturbinatum and Vamsapriya indica are reported as new country records; and Sporidesmium tropicale, Sporoschisma chiangraiense and Sporoschisma longicatenatum are introduced as three new collections. In addition, a checklist of freshwater fungi from China over the last five years is also provided.

Antimicrobial properties of marine fungi from sponges and brown algae of Mauritius

Sun, 11 Apr 2021 20:00:00 +0000

Purpose of the study: Marine fungi of Mauritius have been poorly studied. There are numerous reports on the bioactive secondary metabolites that are produced by fungi around the world. Yet, research on the molecular characterisation and the pharmaceutical potential of marine fungi in Mauritius is rather scanty. Method: The samples, which consisted of three sponges Haliclona sp., Iotrochota sp. and Biemna sp. and two brown algae Turbinaria conoides and Sargassum portierianum, were collected in the North of Mauritius during winter. No sporulating structures were observed from the fungal cultures making morphological analysis impossible. The molecular characterisation of the selected isolates was carried out by the amplification of the ITS regions and phylogenetic analysis. The antimicrobial properties were then determined using the disc diffusion and the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) assay. Results: Genus level identification was made from molecular data and for some isolates, species-level identification was even possible. Twelve fungi that showed the best antimicrobial properties were identified as Peniophora sp., Aspergillus cristatus, Acremonium sp., Cordyceps memorabilis, Aspergillus ochraceus, Biscogniauxia sp., Aspergillus keratitidis, Exserohilum rostratum, Chromocleista sp., Nigrospora oryzae, Aspergillus flavipes and Mycosphaerella. The lowest MIC result of 0.0098 mg/mL was obtained with Chromocleista sp. mycelium extract against Staphylococcus aureus. The MIC of the mycelium extracts was lower than the broth extracts for most isolates indicating that the antimicrobial compounds are not secreted. Conclusion: Marine fungi from the Mauritian waters have immense potential in the search for natural products against antibiotic-resistant bacteria.

New geographical records of Neopestalotiopsis and Pestalotiopsis species in Guangdong Province, China

Mon, 07 Dec 2020 20:00:00 +0000

A study of monocotyledon inhabiting fungi in Guangdong Province, China resulted in the collection of several pestaloid taxa. Evidence from multi-locus phylogenies using ITS, BT and tef 1–α, together with morphology revealed Neopestalotiopsis alpapicalis, Pestalotiopsis diploclisiae and P. parva from living leaves of Phoenix roebelenii. Pestalotiopsis parva was also found on a dead petiole of Phoenix sp. and P. diploclisiae on dead leaves of Butia sp. Pestalotiopsis foedans, P. lawsoniae, P. macadamia and P. virgatula have been reported in Guangdong Province, and Pestalotiopsis parva and P. diploclisiae reported for the first time. This Neopestalotiopsis alpapicalis collection is the first species of the genus collected from this province. We provide descriptions and illustrations for these three isolates. Additionally, we provide a list of Pestalotiopsis and Neopestalotiopsis species recorded from China.

An Analysis of Contributors to Energy Intake Among Middle Aged and Elderly Adults

Wed, 24 Aug 2016 20:00:00 +0000

Adulthood and middle age is widely recognized as the time of life when unhealthy eating habits may develop. Data from various studies have demonstrated that changes in eating habits may also occur during old age. It is essential to acknowledge that a high consumption of certain food groups such as sweetened beverages, meat and eggs may contribute to an increased energy intake. This obviously results in high body mass index (BMI) and consequently an increased risk of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) and obesity. Energy intake among middle aged and elderly individuals may be influenced by socio demographic factors (for example: age, gender, socio economic status), social factors (for example: marital status), environmental factors like access to food commodities as well as nutrition knowledge and physical activity level. The present review highlights eating habits, contribution of specific food groups to energy intake and the influence of several factors on energy intake among the middle aged and elderly population.

A survey of nail infection and awareness among non-diabetic patients in mauritius

Sun, 30 Jun 2013 20:00:00 +0000

Introduction: Nail infection like onychomycosis is mainly caused by dermatophytes and account for almost half of all nail disorders. Prevalence of nail infection has been attributed to several factors such as age, gender, socioeconomic status and predisposition to diabetes amongst others. This study aims at determining the prevalence and level of awareness of non-diabetics towards nail infections in Mauritius. Material and Methods: A survey was carried out among 471 participants of the non-diabetic population of Mauritius. Data on socio demographic factors, awareness, level of hygiene, family history and quality of life were obtained via questionnaire based studies. Data was analysed using the SPSS software.Results: Results show almost the same ratio of female to male was affected with nail infection but varies gender wise. Participants within the age group 20-60 with less than US 500 monthly income had a higher incidence of nail infection. No significant relation was obtained between nail infection and education level. A significant relationship was obtained between nail infection and occupation as well as quality of life. More than half of participants did not know about the routes of nail infections or the precautions needed to avoid spreading. However, good level of hygiene was observed among the participants.Conclusion: Factors like age, gender and socio economic status had a significant relationship on nail infection. Nail infection affects the Quality of Life (QoL) and manual workers or even professionals are prone to nail infections.

Taxonomy and phylogeny of Leptosillia cordylinea sp. nov. from China

Tue, 10 Mar 2020 20:00:00 +0000

A survey of monocotyledon plant-inhabiting fungi in Guangdong Province, China, revealed a leptosillia-like taxon from living leaves of Cordyline fruticosa in the Shenzhen University garden. Phylogenetic relationships were investigated based on morphology and combined analysis of the ITS, LSU, RPB2, β-tubulin and tef 1–α gene sequence data. Based on ecological, morphological and phylogenetic data, we introduce Leptosillia cordylinea sp. nov. with a description and illustrations. The morphology of other Leptosillia species is reviewed and a taxonomic key is provided.

Antioxidant and Cytotoxic Activities of Exopolysaccharides from Alcaligenes faecalis Species Isolated from the Marine Environment of Mauritius

Fri, 17 Sep 2021 20:00:00 +0000

Extracellular polysaccharides (EPS) of microbial origin are polymers with great potential for research and industrial applications. In this study, a sulphated EPS from Alcaligenes faecalis, previously isolated from Mauritius seawater, was investigated for its antioxidant potential using DPPH (1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl) and ferric reducing capacity assays. The EPS was then further tested for cytotoxicity against five different cell lines namely HepG2, A549, CaSki, HeLa and C33A by incubating them with different concentrations of EPS before assessing cell viability using the MTT assay. In the absence of significant cytotoxic activity, light microscopic observations as well as immunoflurorescent staining were also used to observe any EPS-induced effects on the cells. Finally, the average molecular weight of the polysaccharide was determined by Size-Exclusion Chromatography. The results indicated that the EPS, a 55 KDa polymer, had low ferric reducing capacity but showed up to 70.5% DPPH scavenging activity at the highest EPS concentration (1 mg/ml). In terms of cytotoxicity, HepG2 was the most susceptible among the cell lines, followed by A549, with IC50 values of 128.2 µg/ml and 654.4 µg/ml respectively. Although CaSki, HeLa and C33A were more resistant, microscopic observations showed that the EPS did exert some inhibitory effects on their growth, with C33A showing higher inhibition probably due to the absence of viral proteins as was the case for CaSki and HeLa. These results not only suggest that EPS from A. faecalis have the potential to be considered as antioxidant and cytotoxic compounds but also that they can be further studied for their biotechnological value.

Five Novel Taxa from Freshwater Habitats and New Taxonomic Insights of Pleurotheciales and Savoryellomycetidae

Sun, 29 Aug 2021 20:00:00 +0000

Pleurotheciales is the largest order in Savoryellomycetidae with a large proportion of species known from freshwater habitats. In order to investigate the phylogenetic relationships of taxa within Pleurotheciales and contribute to their diversity, submerged wood was collected from freshwater habitats in China (Yunnan Province) and Thailand. Two dematiaceous, sporodochial hyphomycetes and one annulatascales-like ascomycete with unusual morphology as compared to extant ones were discovered. They were subjected to DNA-based phylogenetic analyses and the results revealed three distinct lineages in Savoryellomycetidae. This morpho-phylo taxonomic study supports the establishment of five novel taxa including two novel genera, Obliquifusoideum and Saprodesmium, and three novel species, Coleodictyospora muriformis, Obliquifusoideum guttulatum and Saprodesmium dematiosporum. Coleodictyospora muriformis and S. dematiosporum are placed in Pleurotheciales, while O. guttulatum is referred to Savoryellomycetidae genera incertae sedis. The phylogenetic relationships are also presented for Coleodictyospora and Pseudocoleodictyospora, which raises an intriguing taxonomic issue. These two genera are positioned in two different classes, viz Sordariomycetes and Dothideomycetes, although they are quite similar except for the presence of a conidial sheath. This study expands our knowledge of the fungal diversity of freshwater fungi, and also indicates that Pleurotheciales species are mostly found in freshwater habitats.

Morphological and phylogenetic characterization of fungi within Bambusicolaceae: introducing two new species from the Greater Mekong Subregion

Wed, 05 May 2021 20:00:00 +0000

Taxonomic studies of saprobic ascomycetes in Thailand and China revealed two new taxa belonging to the family Bambusicolaceae. Bambusicola fusispora sp. nov. isolated from dead branches of Gigantochloa albociliata in Thailand and Palmiascoma qujingense sp. nov. isolated from dead twigs of Fagaceae sp. in Yunnan, China, are described and illustrated in this study. Maximum parsimony, maximum likelihood, and Bayesian inference analyses of a concatenated LSU–SSU–ITS–RPB2 sequence matrix support their phylogenetic placement within the Bambusicolaceae. Bambusicola fusispora fits in well within the generic concept of Bambusicola and shares close phylogenetic affinities with B. sichuanensis. Palmiascoma qujingense is introduced as the second species in the genus Palmiascoma and is sister to P. gregariascomum, the generic type. Palmiascoma qujingense exhibits a similar morphology to P. gregariascomum, but differs in having larger ascomata, wider ascospores as well as occurs on different hosts. An updated phylogeny of taxa within Bambusicolaceae is provided and discussed for better resolution of species delineation.

Indian Pucciniales: taxonomic outline with important descriptive notes.

Mon, 11 Oct 2021 20:00:00 +0000

The Boletaceae is the largest family of fleshy fungi in the Boletales. Despite the extensive history of work in the Boletaceae in North America, novel species and genera are continually being described. Multigene molecular phylogenetic analyses of five loci were combined with thorough morphological studies to investigate the taxonomy of several boletes from the southeastern USA. Based on our results, we describe four new species: Aureoboletus pseudoauriporus, Cyanoboletus bessettei, Hemileccinum floridanum, and Xerocomellus bolinii. We also propose three combinations to reflect the results of our molecular analyses: Cyanoboletus cyaneitinctus comb. nov., a bolete that is widespread across the eastern USA, C. cyaneitinctus f. reticulatus, and Lanmaoa sublurida, a rarely-documented bolete that is so far known only from Florida.

A Novel Species of Penicillium With Inhibitory Effects Against Pyricularia oryzae and Fungal Pathogens Inducing Citrus Diseases

Tue, 09 Feb 2021 20:00:00 +0000

A novel species of Penicillium was isolated from soil collected in Linzhi Town, Linzhi County, Tibet Autonomous Region, China. DNA sequence analyses from 8 different gene regions indicate that the isolate represent a novel species and most closely related to P. janczewskii. The phylogenetic analysis based on a concatenated dataset of three genes, ITS, CaM and BenA also confirmed the placement of the novel species within the Canescentia section of the genus Penicillium. Differences in morphology among similar species are detailed and a multi-loci gene based phylogeny is presented. This new species is proposed as Penicillium linzhium sp. nov. Cultural studies were performed to study inhibitory activities on plant pathogens. The results reveal a notable antifungal activity against Pyricularia oryae causing rice blast with an inhibition rate up to 77%, while for other three citrus pathogens, Diaporthe citri, Phyllosticta citrichinaensis and Colletotrichum gloeosporioides, inhibition rate was 40%, 50%, and 55% respectively. No noticeable effects were observed for Fusarium graminearum, Botryosphaeria kuwatsukai and Rhizoctonia solani. Interestingly, unlike other reported members of Canescentia, P. linzhium showed no antagonistic effect on root rotting fungi. The new taxon isolated here has the potential to be used as a biocontrol agent especially for economically important phytopathogens or emerging pathogens on diseases occurring on citrus or rice.

Biscogniauxia dendrobii sp. nov. and B. petrensis from Dendrobium orchids and the first report of cytotoxicity (towards A549 and K562) of B. petrensis (MFLUCC 14-0151) in vitro

Fri, 10 Jul 2020 20:00:00 +0000

Biscogniauxia belongs to the family Graphostromataceae, and species have been found mainly as pathogens in dicotyledonous plants worldwide. Two endophytic strains, Biscogniauxia dendrobii sp. nov. and B. petrensis were isolated from Dendrobium aphyllum and D. harveyanum sampled from southwestern China and northern Thailand respectively. The conidiophores and conidia were used for morphological examination. The maximum likelihood and Bayesian analysis with ITS, TUB2, RPB2 and LSU sequence data were combined for phylogenetic analyses and species identification. Biscogniauxia dendrobii sp. nov. is introduced based on the large DNA base pair differences (5.2%) and size of conidia. Another known species B. petrensis is also illustrated and described in this study to facilitate species identification on D. harveyanum. The ethyl acetate crude extracts of the isolate B. petrensis showed moderate and strong cytotoxic activity against A549 and K562 using the CCK8 assay (IC50 of it 13.5 and 3.5 ug/ml respectively). This is the first report of endophytic Biscogniauxia in Dendrobium species and of their cytotoxicity to A549 and K562, all of which enhances the current knowledge on the genus Biscogniauxia.

Morpho-molecular diversity of Linocarpaceae (Chaetosphaeriales): Claviformispora gen. nov. from decaying branches of Phyllostachys heteroclada.

Wed, 15 Jul 2020 20:00:00 +0000

In this paper, Claviformisporagen. nov. in Linocarpaceae is introduced from Phyllostachys heteroclada in Sichuan Province, China. The new genus is characterised by its distinct morphological characters, such as ostiole with periphyses, asci with a thick doughnut-shaped, J-apical ring and clavate ascospore without septum-like band and appendage. Maximum Likelihood and Bayesian Inference phylogenetic analyses, based on DNA sequence data from ITS, LSU, SSU and TEF-1α regions, provide further evidence that the fungus is a distinct genus within this family. The new genus is compared with similar genera, such as Linocarpon and Neolinocarpon. Descriptions, illustrations and notes are provided for the new taxon.

Additions to Chaetothyriaceae (Chaetothyriales): Longihyalospora gen. nov. and Ceramothyrium longivolcaniforme, a new host record from decaying leaves of Ficus ampelas

Sun, 15 Dec 2019 20:00:00 +0000

A novel ascomycete genus, Longihyalospora, occurring on leaf litter of Ficus ampelas in Dahu Forest Area in Chiayi, Taiwan is described and illustrated. Longihyalospora is characterized by dark mycelium covering the upper leaf surface, elongate mycelial pellicle with ring of setae, pale brown to brown peridium, broadly obovoid, short pedicellate asci and hyaline, fusiform, elongated (tapering ends) and multi-septate ascospores with a thin mucilaginous sheath. Phylogenetic analyses of combined ITS, LSU and SSU sequence data revealed Longihyalospora as a distinct genus within the Chaetothyriaceae with high bootstrap support. Moreover, based on morphological similarities, Chaetothyrium vermisporum transferred to the new genus. In addition, Ceramothyrium longivolcaniforme is reported for the first time on Ficus ampelas. Newly added species are compared with other similar species and comprehensive descriptions and micrographs are provided.

An Investigation Into How Far Do Residents Adopt Measures to Reduce Microbial Hazards During Food Handling

Mon, 10 Apr 2017 20:00:00 +0000

Foodborne diseases have always been linked to numerous food manufacturing elements and home practices of purchasers and the latter does play a critical role in disease prevention. Consumers have the ultimate responsibility for handling and storing food safely and take adequate safety precautions when preparing and consuming food at home to avoid health related problems associated with microbial hazards. The objectives of this survey were to evaluate current knowledge of consumers pertaining to food hygiene and food safety concepts as well as to assess food handling practices that residents adopt to reduce microbial hazards in the domestic environment. A sample of 300 Mauritian residents were selected to participate in a questionnaire based survey. Questions in the questionnaire were based on hygienic practices with respect to food handling, food safety and personal hygiene. SPSS (Statistical Package for Social Sciences) was used to analyze the results and Microsoft excel was used to generate pie charts, and bar charts. The results obtained demonstrated that the level of knowledge pertaining to food safety and food hygiene and how to reduce microbial hazards were above average. Majority of the residents were knowledgeable about major aspects related to proper food handling behaviors but need more education pertaining to the use of thermometers to check for food temperature. The nature of the risk, personal and environmental factors (psychological, demographic and socio-economic factors, cultural and economic) were found to be the factors affecting food safety behaviors among consumers. Consumers can become more motivated to improve their behaviors if they are made aware of the impact of risky practices. Although, most consumers had basic knowledge pertaining to food safety, food hygiene and food handling practices, it is important to continually inform consumers about safe food handling practices through various channels.

The contextual parameters influence on the eco-block building purchase decision in Mauritius

Wed, 10 Apr 2024 07:06:27 +0000

Concern for unsustainable buildings has obliged the global construction industry to embrace energy-efficient building envelope. In Mauritius, building insulation like the eco-block technology was initiated to reduce energy consumption from air-conditioning, ensure energy cost savings and improve thermal comfort. An investigation of the factors which motivate society’s acceptance of the new building is important to enable its wider-scale implementation. Normally, the adoption decision-making process is a generic model to understand the different stages leading to the purchase decision of a specific innovation. However, the model is restricted in terms of obtaining an in-depth contextual understanding towards the selection process. The contribution of this research is, therefore, to develop a new adoption decision-making framework that aims to explore the contextual factors and examine Mauritians’ purchase decision of the eco-block building, filling the literature gaps. A survey questionnaire was designed and distributed to Mauritians based on the researcher’s judgment, where 257 responses were useful to undergo structural equation modelling. The findings revealed that dissatisfaction with the thermal comfort of existing buildings during hot season, importance to reduce energy, household size, internal product features, economic incentives and public education have significant influence on the building acceptance. Contrastingly, building age, awareness of building insulation alternatives, external product features and past experience have no effect on adoption decision. Accordingly, the predictor variables within the contextual model could satisfactorily explain 21.1% of the eco-block building purchase behaviour. The contextual framework can eventually assist building developers to use the research outcomes and formulate successful implementation strategies.

Revisiting the taxonomy of Daruvedia bacillata

Thu, 30 Sep 2010 20:00:00 +0000

Daruvedia bacillata, the type species of the monotypic genus Daruvedia, has rarely been collected or reported, but has been placed in many unrelated genera. This paper gives a description of the fungus based on studies of the type specimen, a collection by RWG Dennis, and freshly collected material. The taxon is epitypified and a discussion on its systematic placement is provided.

Biphasic taxonomic approaches for generic relatedness and phylogenetic relationships of Teichosporaceae

Mon, 18 Oct 2021 20:00:00 +0000

The placement of the dothideomycetous family Teichosporaceae has been controversial. Recent phylogenetic investigations have used a taxonomic lumping approach with the Floricolaceae and its genera have been synonymized under the earlier family name, Teichosporaceae. Intergeneric relationships were therefore obscure and proper generic delimitation was needed in upcoming studies. We here taxonomically revised the family Teichosporaceae based on both morphological and phylogenetic evidence. Teichosporaceae species have immersed or semi-immersed, erumpent to superficial, ostiolate ascomata, cellular or trabeculate pseudoparaphyses, cylindrical to oblong or sub-clavate asci and ellipsoid to oblong or fusiform, cylindric-fusiform or oblong to elliptical, ovoid to clavate, symmetric or asymmetric, initially hyaline or pale brown to dark brown or yellowish brown, 1–3-septate or muriform ascospores. Asexual morphs are coelomycetous. Type or representative specimens of Teichosporaceae were loaned and fresh specimens were collected from China and Thailand. Maximum likelihood and Bayesian analyses of a combined ITS, LSU, SSU, tef1-α and rpb2 dataset were performed to clarify the phylogenetic affinities of taxa and examine monophyly of newly proposed genera. One new species (Floricola festucae), one new host record (Ramusculicola thailandica) and four new combinations (Aurantiascoma nephelii, A. quercus, Magnibotryascoma acaciae, M. melanommoides) are introduced. The broad genus concept of Teichospora is dismissed based on morphological dissimilarities and the monophyletic status of the proposed genera. We accept Asymmetrispora, Aurantiascoma, Floricola, Magnibotryascoma, Misturatosphaeria, Pseudoaurantiascoma, Pseudomisturatosphaeria, Ramusculicola and Teichospora as distinct genera in the Teichosporaceae. All recognized genera are phenotypically characterized and phylogenetically well-supported. The phylogenetic placements of three genera (Chaetomastia, Loculohypoxylon and Sinodidymella), which do not have molecular data cannot be conclusively clarified at present, but are still placed in Teichosporaceae for future studies.

Molecular characterization of marine fungi associated with Haliclona sp.(sponge) and Turbinaria conoides and Sargassum portierianum (brown algae)

Wed, 12 May 2021 20:00:00 +0000

The Mauritian waters harbour micro-organisms that have successfully adapted to their environment; however, the mycobiota associated with algae and sponges have been poorly studied and are awaiting to be identified and exploited. This study focusses on the fungi associated with the sponge Haliclona sp. and two brown algae Turbinaria conoides and Sargassum portierianum from Mauritius. Samples of Haliclona sp., Turbinaria conoides and Sargassum portierianum were collected in the North of Mauritius, and associated fungi were isolated after surface sterilization and plating on artificial media supplemented with seawater. A total of 17 morphologically different isolates were recovered from Haliclona sp., 20 isolates were obtained from Turbinaria conoides, and 16 isolates were from Sargassum portierianum. The selected sponge-associated fungi have been identified as Acremonium sp., Periconia byssoides, Pestalotiopsis sp. Endophytes from Turbinaria conoides were identified as Aspergillus penicilloides, Acremonium sp. and Cordyceps memorabilis, whereas those from Sargassum portierianum were identified as Pseudopithomyces maydicus, Acremonium sclerotigenum and Curvularia lunata. The ITS regions were suitable for identifying fungi up to the genus level. However, species level identification was problematic and should be used with caution.

Morpho-molecular characterization of Discosia ravennica sp. nov. and a new host record for Sporocadus rosigena

Mon, 26 Apr 2021 20:00:00 +0000

Collections of fungal samples from two dead leaf specimens from Italy were subjected to morphological examination and phylogenetic analyses. Two coelomycetous taxa belonging to two different genera in Xylariomycetidae, Sordariomycetes, namely Discosia and Sporocadus, were identified. The Discosia taxon is revealed as a new species and is herein introduced as Discosia ravennicasp. nov. while the Sporocadus taxon is identified as Sporocadus rosigena. Multi-locus phylogeny based on DNA sequence data of the large subunit (LSU) and internal transcribed spacer (ITS) of nuclear ribosomal genes, β-tubulin (β-tub) and RNA polymerase II second largest subunit (rpb2) showed that D. ravennica is related to D. neofraxinea but it forms an independent lineage that supports its new species status. The new taxon also differs from other Discosia species by its unilocular to bilocular, superficial and applanate conidiomata with basal stroma composed of cells of textura angularis, elongate-ampulliform conidiogenous cells and conidia smaller in size. Sporocadus rosigena is here reported as a new host record from Quercus ilex from Italy. Descriptions, illustrations and molecular data for both species are provided in this paper.

New host and geographic records of five pleosporalean hyphomycetes associated with Musa spp. (Banana).

Mon, 22 Feb 2021 20:00:00 +0000

A study was undertaken to collect and identify saprobic fungi associated with Musa spp.(banana) from Taiwan, China, and Thailand. Samples were collected during the dry season and their morpho–molecular relationships were investigated. Five brown pleosporalean hyphomycetous taxa in Periconiaceae and Torulaceae viz. Periconia cortaderiae, P. delonicis, Torula chromolaenae, T. fici, and T. masonii were identified for the first time from Musa spp.(Musaceae). Phylogenetic analyses of a combined SSU, LSU, ITS, RPB2 and TEF DNA sequence dataset further justified the taxonomic placements of these five taxa in the above mentioned families. Periconia delonicis is reported for the first time on a monocotyledonous host and T. masonii is the first geographical record from Taiwan.

Heterosporicola beijingense sp. nov.(Leptosphaeriaceae, Pleosporales) associated with Chenopodium quinoa leaf spots

Thu, 16 Jul 2020 20:00:00 +0000

A coelomycetous fungus with hyaline, aseptate, oblong to ellipsoidal conidia was isolated from living Chenopodium quinoa leaves with leaf spots, in Beijing, China. Maximum likelihood and Bayesian analyses of a combined LSU, SSU, ITS and TEF sequence dataset confirmed its placement in Heterosporicola in Leptosphaeriaceae. The new taxon resembles other Heterosporicola species, but is phylogenetically distinct, and is introduced as a new species. Heterosporicola beijingense sp. nov. is compared with other Heterosporicola species, and comprehensive descriptions and micrographs are provided.

Notes on the Medicinal Mushroom Chanhua (Cordyceps cicadae (Miq.) Massee)

Thu, 31 Oct 2019 20:00:00 +0000

Chanhua fungus is an important Traditional Chinese Medicine and has a history of use for about 1,500 years. Chanhua has commonly been referred to Cordyceps cicadae SZ Shing, Isaria cicadae, I. sinclairii, Ophiocordyceps sobolifera and by other names. This has resulted in taxonomic confusion and nomenclatural problems. The biology, ecology and host affiliation of Chanhua are also poorly understood, and these restrict further development and application in various areas, especially in traditional medicine. In this paper, we reviewed the medicinal history and distribution of Chanhua and reinvestigated its phylogenetic relationships with allied species. Based on results obtained we clarified its taxonomy and reviewed its host and its biological and ecological aspects. The phylogeny based on ITS sequence data indicates that Chanhua is an independent species of the genus Cordyceps. Although Chanhua, I. cicadae and I. sinclairii have generally been accepted as the same species, the latter two lack DNA sequence data from their type localities. C. cicadae SZ Shing (syn. C. zhejiangensis), which has been treated as the sexual morph of Chanhua for over 40 years, has been reported to be Tolypocladium paradoxum, and the sexual morph of Chanhua is considered to be C. kobayasii (syn. C. cicadae-sm). We propose to use the scientific name C. cicadae (Miq.) Massee, together with the Chinese common name Chanhua, to describe or record this important medicinal mushroom.

MaurimapsXperience: Embarking on a Digital Journey to Discover Island Heritage and Treasures

Wed, 17 Apr 2024 10:00:54 +0000

The project intends to change the way visitors and locals experience and enjoy Mauritius cultural and natural beauties. This project will build an interactive and immersive digital mapping platform that exhibits the country's rich past. It will combine cutting-edge Geographic Information System (GIS) technology, 3D scanning, and drone images. Tourists and locals alike will have access to precise maps packed with multimedia material such as images, videos, and historical information, allowing them to gain a thorough understanding of the highlighted attractions. Users will be transported to these sites via virtual tours and augmented reality experiences, allowing them to see Mauritius like never before. Our proposal is consistent with the government's aim of a high-income economy powered by technology and innovation. The project additionally seeks to keep Mauritius as a top destination for travelers seeking both natural beauty and cultural history by supporting cultural preservation, improving tourist experiences, and stimulating economic growth in the travel and tourism sector. The project is also in line with MIRC Road map in the tourism sector as it will encourage tourist policies that safeguard and benefit natural, scenic, and cultural resources. It will seek to keep and improve Mauritius as a unique destination.

Agribot

Wed, 17 Apr 2024 09:41:45 +0000

Agribot is an innovative, autonomous system designed for precision farming. With cutting-edge technologies like AI, computer vision, sensor fusion, and machine learning, a 4-wheeled robot and drone aims to revolutionize agriculture by addressing labor shortages and improving crop management. Agribot operates in fruit and vegetable cultivation, offering real-time solutions for farmers. These versatile robots are equipped with an array of sensors, including those for crop health monitoring, weed and pest detection, and environmental conditions. They can autonomously perform tasks such as precision spraying of herbicides and fertilizers, weed removal, and crop health assessment. Agribot's AI-driven decision-making ensures efficient resource utilization, increased yields, and reduced environmental impact. Through data collection, analysis, and machine learning, Agribot provides valuable insights to farmers and adapts its actions to optimize crop care. Its ability to work around the clock, scalability, and potential for customization make it a valuable asset in modern agriculture, particularly in regions facing labor challenges. Agribot is poised to transform the future of farming by enhancing productivity and sustainability.

Manufacturing low-carbon eco-mortars from locally sourced recycled materials and regional resources

Wed, 17 Apr 2024 06:57:52 +0000

In the year 2020, about 509,094 tons of solid waste was generated in Mauritius, among which 15,000 tons waste glass and over 4,000 tons bottom ash. The island's only landfill site The Mare Chicose Landfill is almost saturated. Up-recycling of such waste is of great importance. The manufacturing of Ordinary Portland Cement (OPC) is an energy intensive process that contributes to 5% to 8% of total global carbon emissions. The development of eco-cement incorporating regional Ca-Si-Al-rich materials contributes to the sustainable development. This project aims to develop an up-recycling scheme to incorporate locally generated waste materials into eco-mortars' manufacturing, aiming for carbon emissions reduction, solid waste issue mitigation and products' durability properties enhancement. The main objectives of this project include: To develop a low carbon eco-cement incorporating regional waste & resources; To investigate the feasibility of producing eco-mortars based on low-carbon cement and alternative aggregates for regional applications; To promote local standard updating with MSB thus to facilitate the locally generated waste materials' up recycling; and To develop a manufacturing scheme that is suitable for accommodating existing and future solid waste materials' recycling in Mauritius. The research activities will be conducted both in laboratory scale and manufacturing scale.

Upcycling of wastepaper combined with 3D printing technology

Wed, 17 Apr 2024 06:48:09 +0000

Mauritius exported $ 9 million worth of waste paper products in 2019. This project seeks to develop the process of collection and upcycling of paper to on-demand products with higher demand value at a competitive pricing. Moulds are designed and 3D printed to create unique designs and shapes. Depending on the intended use, ratioed eco-friendly fixing additives are added in a propriety process. Additional materials like fabric, wood and metals are mixed to improve durability, aesthetics and functionality. Processed paper pulp are loaded into 3D moulds. Resulting objects can be assembled and mixed with other collected materials to produce innovative objects. We're focusing on luxury eco-furniture with a carbon neutral process. Products are QR labelled where customers can view production details (ingredients source, special instructions, carbon removal factor) via an APP gauging their impact transparently. The APP includes a marketplace. A sustainable zero-inventory model is adopted where objects/furniture is made on order only. The goal is to enhance the paper lifecycle in Mauritius by creating a circular economy involving public and private stakeholders. An upcycling business model ensures profitability from above-described processes and competitiveness from internal developments with IP potential in the form of utility patent and industrial registration.

Developing an expanded Cajon set with digital integration to alternate acoustic traditional Drums kit

Wed, 17 Apr 2024 06:35:55 +0000

The Cajon is a percussion instrument that originated in Peru in the 18th and was created by African slaves. The idea of redeveloping this instrument is its potential to satisfy the music industry and to match with the modern trend toward digitalization. We have a creative plan to expand Cajon by adding a separate snare, two toms, and a side drum, all made of wood, mounted on the Cajon itself. This setup allows you to have a comprehensive percussion ensemble with a range of drum sounds. The Cajon will provide the bass drum sound, while the added snare, toms, and side drum offer versatility and tonal options. One of the convenient aspects of our design is the ability to dismount the additional drum components and pack them inside the Cajon's bass itself. This practical solution makes it easy to transport and store the instrument. We are hence developing a well tested prototype to lay our contribution to the music industry by putting forward into the commercialization of the product since lately the industry is moving toward digitalization and promoting new method of producing sound.

Employees and Customers' Acceptance of Service Robots in the Hotel Sector

Wed, 17 Apr 2024 06:33:06 +0000

Artificially intelligent (AI) service robots include various types of robotic devices that serve humans. Development and utilization of service robots has been gaining momentum during the last few years. Organizations in the service sector, such as hotels have also started utilizing AI technologies such as service robots in their service production and delivery processes. For example, Hilton Worldwide employs a robotic concierge named "Connie", who is responsible for personalizing guests' experience, providing information, and addressing guests' general comments. Some hotels in Shanghai use AI robot servers that speak different languages to provide in-room services (Holley, 2019). As Mauritius embark on a pathway to become an AI hub, research on this topic becomes important especially in the context of services sectors such as hospitality. According to a recent report by PwC, AI is like to contribute to around 10% of the Mauritian economy. This research investigates the hotel consumers and employees acceptance of service robots in the Mauritian hotel sector and the factors influencing such acceptance. It will use survey data collected from hotel customers and employees in Mauritius hotels, supplemented by in-depth interviews with the tourism and hospitality stakeholders to achieve its objectives.

Digital Odyssey: Navigating Mauritius Virtually

Wed, 17 Apr 2024 06:29:20 +0000

“Exploring Mauritius: A Comprehensive Google Street View and Virtual Tour Experience" is an ambitious project that aims to showcase the beauty and heritage of Mauritius to the world. This initiative comprises two key components: 1. Google Street View of Towns and Coastal Areas: Cutting-edge technology will capture high-resolution 360-degree images of all towns and coastal regions in Mauritius, allowing users to explore the island's vibrant streets and breathtaking coastlines from anywhere. 2. Virtual Tours of Natural Heritage Sites: In-depth virtual tours will be created for Mauritius's ten most significant natural heritage sites, providing users with immersive experiences enriched with historical, ecological, and cultural insights. This project seeks to promote tourism, education, and conservation efforts in Mauritius. It will boost tourism by offering a captivating preview of the island, serve as an educational resource for students and researchers, contribute to the preservation of natural heritage, and have a positive economic impact. "Exploring Mauritius" is set to be completed within 18 months, with a dedicated team ensuring high-quality content and user accessibility.

AgriSanté

Wed, 17 Apr 2024 06:25:58 +0000

'AgriSanté' stands as an innovative and transformative capacity-building endeavor spearheaded by the Movement Progrès Roche Bois with the technical & operational support of ViaTerra Ltd. Its central mission revolves around elevating the well-being of the youth in Roche Bois by augmenting their nutritional health and ecological proficiency. The project is an innovative empowerment programme which addresses the negative impacts of poverty on youth by supporting youth-led actions geared towards sustainable nutrition access and "agripreneurship" through the implementation of ecological knowledge and skills. Within the project's framework lies a profound exploration of the socioeconomic realities faced by the youth in Roche Bois, as well as a meticulous examination of their nutritional status. This endeavor seeks to attain a comprehensive understanding of how poverty and nutrition intersect and influence overall well-being. The project employs a meticulously designed programmatic approach, combining essential elements such as research, knowledge and skills capacity building workshops, and hands-on agricultural activities. Ultimately, this initiative strives to empower the youth of Roche Bois by, fostering holistic growth and nurturing agri-business opportunities and innovation. AgriSanté' pursues a triple-fold ambition: • Enhance the nutritional well-being and knowledge of Roche Bois' youth by facilitating improved access to nutritious foods and fostering a deeper understanding of nutrition for healthier lifestyles. • Assess and establish a median ratio of household consumption to generated surplus in aim to assess business development potential and feasibility processes that shall facilitate the implementation of a standard distribution and revenue system mechanism to support the long-term impact sustainability of the project. • Enrich the youth of Roche Bois with a comprehensive comprehension of nature and its services and its profound impact on human well-being.

Sprint4Change: Cross sectoral capacity building to boost social innovation

Wed, 10 Apr 2024 06:21:45 +0000

The project addresses the need for capacity building in Social and Grassroot Innovation. Drawing from international expertise and the Innovation Sprint methodology, it proposes to run two cross-sectoral workshops where 100 participants will learn hands-on to generate innovative tech-oriented solutions that tackle social and environmental challenges. Each Innovation Sprint will focus on a critical social and environmental challenge, notably Poverty and Waste and will leverage the power of collective intelligence to develop innovative solutions. The project is expected to have tangible and impactful results: 100 people will learn and experience first-hand internationally recognized innovation methodology and best practices Cross-sectoral stakeholders will meet and initiate collaboration during the activity 20 social and grassroot innovation projects will emerge These direct results, in turn, have a promising impact potential during and beyond the project itself. The participants will be able to use the skills developed to continue to drive social & grassroot innovation in the future; the cross-sectoral collaboration will continue with the implementation of the emerging solutions; and the emerging solutions themselves will have a triple bottom line positively impacting the local economy, the environment and society.

Innovative Mobile Corn Shelling Machine for Small Planters

Wed, 17 Apr 2024 06:17:34 +0000

Phase One: Innovative Mobile/Foldable Shelling Machine for Small Corn Processors. Phase Two: Ginning Sieving Rodrigues, small-scale maize planters often face significant challenges when it comes to shelling maize efficiently. Still, it's a tradition to remove by hands the grains from the central stalk of the ear to have kernels. It's time-consuming, labor-intensive, and yield inconsistent results as we see to-day that this process is declining among the young generation. I quote "geyn ledo fermal ek ledwa geyn kor". For this present call and in a first phase to address this issue and to solve this problem, I propose to set up a mobile/foldable corn hulling electric machine designed specifically for small planters. It consists of a stainless-steel chamber covered with a pvc tube, inox chain beaters attached to an inox shaft and driven by an electric motor. All kernels will pass through an inox sieve and will be collected through a basket. The new prototype will be mounted on a foldable framing table where it can be operated at home, under veranda and can be carried anywhere in the yard, under a tree. This innovative approach of using inox surface, which is a non-reactive nature with food and additionally it's easy to clean and has a sleek appearance.

Seawater Passive Desalination and Enhanced Rainwater Collection

Wed, 17 Apr 2024 06:09:12 +0000

Rodrigues, like many small islands, suffers from a limited supply of fresh water. To supplement the limited public supply, many households collect rainwater from roofs and store it local tanks. Due to the (often) limited supply, water availability for the irrigation of crops is also very limited - which during periods of low rainfall can lead to reduced harvest or even crop failure. This R&D project has two themes to increase water availability for domestic and agricultural use: 1) Micro-Seawater Passive Desalination 2) Enhanced Rainwater Collection For both themes, the emphasis will be to use simple, low-cost materials and techniques to improve local availability of water for general domestic and irrigation purposes in order to reduce the burden on the public water supply. It should be noted that it is not intended that the water produced by this R&D project will be potable and therefore should NOT be used for drinking purposes. Increased water security using these passive methods could lead to increased food security since the water could be used to grow crops at home or be used for agriculture. For the Seawater Passive Desalination, fishermen could possibly supplement their income from fishing by operating larger versions of the equipment.

A food classification & recommendation system based on artificial intelligence to promote healthy dieting in Mauritius

Tue, 16 Apr 2024 20:00:00 +0000

Nutrition plays a key role in avoiding different health problems such as diseases, and it also linked with mental and physical wellbeing. Nutrition monitoring consists firstly of identifying food types and secondly, recommending the appropriate food for better nutrition. This project addresses the aspect of automatically identifying and classifying local dishes, from an image, using Artificial Intelligence (AI). Automatically defining the structure and composition of a dish, from an image, is very complex from a traditional image processing perspective. However, Deep Learning (DL) techniques are effective in identifying complex structures from images. Our approach is based on identifying and assessing the most appropriate Deep Learning models for Mauritian food classification, which entails the creation of a dataset for local food images. Once built, trained and tested for an accurate prediction, the model will be accessible through a mobile application with basic recommendation capabilities. This project couples the accessibility of mobile phone cameras with the innovative possibilities of AI, to automate the screening and assessment of different nutritional elements. This system will contribute to maintain a healthy diet while avoiding or controlling the spread of noncommunicable diseases (NCD).

Marine nutraceutical salt production in climate-controlled greenhouse

Wed, 17 Apr 2024 05:20:31 +0000

The aim is to promote our Nutraceutical industry by providing the society with assorted pure salt and seaweeds products with lesser sodium content but rich in minerals and nutrients that naturally contains antioxidant, antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, anticancer, antidiabetic, anti-ageing, wound healing, cardioprotective and other healthy compounds to prevent diseases, as well to help reduce the risk of hypertension, obesity, cancer, diabetes and other health concerns. To achieve this goal, an innovative and ecological climate-controlled greenhouse with significant amenities needs to be setup for producing higher-grade nutraceutical salt products that will be 100% natural, clean, healthy, affordable and gourmet.

Sustainable Biotechnology for Economic Development: Materials from Local Resources

Wed, 17 Apr 2024 05:11:55 +0000

The project aims to establish a commercial biotechnology venture, dedicated to fostering economic development through the sustainable exploitation of local resources. The primary focus is on harnessing the bountiful marine resources and waste materials abundant in Mauritius, transforming them into high-value products tailored for the nutraceutical, cosmetic, and pharmaceutical industries. This initiative aligns with the concept of local product valorization, offering economic resilience while reducing our heavy reliance on imports.

KasEnnPoz - a first of its kind money supermarket, revolutionising the way Mauritius interacts with financial services

Wed, 17 Apr 2024 05:07:38 +0000

The proposed project is the creation, development and launch of a progressive web app (PWA) for a financial marketplace aggregator (kasennpoz.mu) tailored to the Mauritian audience. The Ripple Association and OuiMoney are collaborating to create KasEnnPoz.mu, a financial services platform which, not only compares financial products but also empowers users with financial literacy content. KasEnnPoz marketplace will be a human-centered design solution, such that it is inclusive, relevant, meaningful, and effective in addressing the specific needs of the underserved and underbanked Mauritian communities. The proposed build will be experimental, innovative and iterative with the kaizen approach towards incremental improvement.

Kcious Next generation of sustainability

Wed, 17 Apr 2024 05:03:33 +0000

Kcious, an innovative labeling platform, merges technology with EESG (Economy, Environment, Social, Governance) concerns. It assists companies in embracing EESG by integrating these essential components. The inclusion of SMEs is pivotal for a transition towards a sustainable economy, offering them support and technological expertise. our story began with a powerful realization. We noticed a big gap between small and medium businesses and big corporations when it comes to sustainability and responsible practices (ESG). This got us thinking and inspired us to create something to help in decreasing this gap- a platform that acts like a bridge between these two different but complementary worlds. Our goal? To help small and medium businesses benefit from ESG, making our economy fairer and more sustainable.

Risk Management and Reporting System

Wed, 17 Apr 2024 04:57:58 +0000

Our innovative project aims to revolutionize the financial landscape in Mauritius by introducing a state-of-the-art integrated system that caters to risk management, entity management, automated reporting, and document verification for financial institutions. This dynamic solution combines cutting-edge technologies, including artificial intelligence, blockchain, and biometric verification, to address the complex challenges faced by the financial sector in Mauritius. The primary objectives of this project are to enhance risk assessment, streamline entity management, automate reporting processes, and expedite document verification, all while ensuring compliance with the rigorous regulatory standards set by the Financial Services Commission (FSC) and the Financial Intelligence Unit (FIU) in Mauritius. This project not only fosters a more efficient and secure financial environment but also empowers financial institutions to provide superior services to their clients. By automating critical processes and reducing the burden of manual tasks, our solution paves the way for increased competitiveness and innovation within the financial sector while adhering to global best practices and regulatory guidelines.

Developing craft products using Ravenala Madagascariensis and Textile fabric Waste

Wed, 10 Apr 2024 04:52:43 +0000

This project explores the collaborative utilisation of Ravenala Madagascariensis (Ravenala) and industrial textile waste as an innovative alternative raw material for crafting various products. Aligned with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals and the Academy of Design and Innovation's commitment to fostering a circular economy, this eco-friendly initiative makes a modest contribution to environmental preservation while also generating employment opportunities. Ravenala fiber, known for its remarkable tensile strength, has widespread applications in Mauritius, including natural fencing, construction materials, indoor blinds, and crafting various items. Recycling waste fabric from the textile industry, regardless of the scale, addresses a substantial source of pollution, giving it a renewed purpose. Ravenala, an invasive species in Mauritius, and the substantial amount of textile waste leading to landfill pollution necessitate a proactive approach to conform to zero carbon emissions. An iterative design process will be implemented, continuously exploring the potential of this novel raw material for craft products. By combining traditional craftsmanship with modern design principles, this research seeks to create a unique and sustainable niche in the local and global craft markets.

Development of a climate-smart innovative local biopesticide

Tue, 16 Apr 2024 10:35:26 +0000

A new climate-smart innovative biopesticide is being investigated for commercial production. It will be the first locally made biopesticide in Mauritius. Current pesticides contain harsh chemicals. Bio-liquid soap is a biodegradable natural product which is made from plant- based oils like canola, coconut, neem and with additional herbs extract like ferns, rosemary, gingko as well as seaweed extract. Seaweed extract has very good biopesticidal properties. Seaweed and plant-based products are renewable, readily bio-degradable, sustainable, and safe for the environment. A new local product in the form of a new liquid bio-product (used as a wetting agent) will be produced. Collaboration with external Institutions is sought. Both South Africa and Mauritius will exploit export avenues. Namibia University and Agricultural Research Council, South Africa will collaborate on the project. Mr Clifford Dove, Managing Director, Roger Fayd'Herbe Co. Ltd has expressed interest to support our team given that it is very promising and innovative and will be roped in after the project and will be involved only in the sales and marketing of the product.

Compressed Stabilised Raw Earth Blocks (CSREB)

Mon, 15 Apr 2024 20:00:00 +0000

This project aims at the fabrication of building earth blocks from available raw earth over the island. Over millions of years, the volcanic basaltic deposits have weathered to yield an end product known as residual basalt, which is currently known as 'raw soil'. Local soil, when compressed and dried in ambient conditions, have the tendency to develop strength as a result of the induced compaction energy. But for residual soils, the strength achieved as result of simple compaction is not sufficient to allow its use as a building material, in replacement to traditional cement concrete blocks. However, the strength properties can be improved by the use of additives in the soil mix, known as 'stabiliser'. A stabiliser can be a combination of rock dust, lime, fly ash and lignin in the soil mix to enhance the strength properties. The proposed investigation will look into various possibilities of achieving adequately strong Compressed Stabilised Raw Earth Blocks (CSREB) satisfying the requirements for local buildings. CSREB can be manufactured from earth available on the building site, at Gamma Materials quarries or from an identified nearby borrow site. Literature review & research carried out at the Université des Mascareignes provides sufficient key elements to achieve our objectives with adequate resources to conduct the research.

Xuefeng Cordyceps: insights into species diversity, life cycle and host association

Mon, 09 Sep 2019 20:00:00 +0000

Cordyceps (= Cordyceps sensu lato) fungi are rather well known as entomopathogens and also for their medicinal importance in curing many diseases. Many cordyceps species with widespread distribution throughout China have been recorded earlier. However, their taxonomy, hosts, life cycles and the plants on which the host insects reside in are poorly understood, and have sometimes led to confusion in the proper identification of the species. In this study, Xuefeng Cordyceps collected from Xuefeng Mountain, Hunan, China are identified and an assessment of their life cycles, proper hosts and plants they are associated with is made through morphological and DNA sequence-based analyses. Morphological characterization reveals that Ophiocordyceps xuefengensis from this region as commonly accepted by mycologists and local people. Species collected also include Beauveria bassiana (sexual and asexual), Metacordyceps taii (syn. of Metarhizium guizhouense), Ophiocordyceps macroacicularis and Ophiocordyceps ramosissimum. Our result challenges previous taxonomic arrangement with regard to host identity. The hosts, previously mistaken for larvae of Endoclita nodus, are corrected herein as larvae of Endoclita davidi (Lepidoptera: Hepialidae). Ribosomal DNA sequence analyses based on the ITS regions also confirm that Clerodendrum cyrtophyllum (Lamiaceae) is the plant on which the host insects reside. Morphological illustrations, where appropriate, are given for the cordyceps species, hosts and plants. The infection mechanism and life cycle of the cordyceps are also outlined.

ATMT transformation efficiencies with native promoters in Botryosphaeria kuwatsukai causing ring rot disease in pear

Sun, 18 Nov 2018 20:00:00 +0000

Botryosphaeria kuwatsukai is an important fungal pathogen affecting pear fruits. However, infection processes of this fungus are still unclear. This study seeks to develop the fungal transformation of B. kuwatsukai by Agrobacterium tumefaciens-mediated transformation (ATMT), assess the reliability of appropriate vectors and examine the infection processes in vitro using a GFP labeled strain of B. kuwatsukai. To establish a highly effective transformation system in B. kuwatsukai, binary vectors containing various lengths of H3 promoters and TEF promoters fused with GFP and hygromycin B resistance gene cassettes were constructed. These cassettes were integrated into the genomic DNA of B. kuwatsukai with high transformation frequency by the ATMT method. Transformants showed strong expression of GFP and hygromycin B resistance genes in cells. Furthermore, we investigated if native promoters are more suitable to govern marker genes than other general promoters used in other filamentous fungi. The results obtained herein demonstrate that the vectors constructed in this study can be utilized with high transformation rate. Microscopic examinations also reveal that fungal hyphae undergo morphological changes during the infection process resulting in biotrophic stage of infected host cells. Our results provide genetic insights to further explore the infection processes of B. kuwatsukai

Physiological studies and molecular diversity of freshwater lignicolous fungi

Tue, 31 Dec 2002 20:00:00 +0000

Freshwater mycology

Animal models for SARS-CoV-2 and SARS-CoV-1 pathogenesis, transmission and therapeutic evaluation

Fri, 31 Dec 2021 20:00:00 +0000

There is a critical need to develop animal models to alleviate vaccine and drug development difficulties against zoonotic viral infections. The coronavirus family, which includes severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 1 and severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2, crossed the species barrier and infected humans, causing a global outbreak in the 21st century. Because humans do not have pre-existing immunity against these viral infections and with ethics governing clinical trials, animal models are therefore being used in clinical studies to facilitate drug discovery and testing efficacy of vaccines. The ideal animal models should reflect the viral replication, clinical signs, and pathological responses observed in humans. Different animal species should be tested to establish an appropriate animal model to study the disease pathology, transmission and evaluation of novel vaccine and drug candidates to treat coronavirus disease 2019. In this context, the present review summarizes the recent progress in developing animal models for these two pathogenic viruses and highlights the utility of these models in studying SARS-associated coronavirus diseases.

Insight into the Systematics of Novel Entomopathogenic Fungi Associated with Armored Scale Insect, Kuwanaspis howardi (Hemiptera: Diaspididae) in China

Sun, 01 Aug 2021 20:00:00 +0000

This study led to the discovery of three entomopathogenic fungi associated with Kuwanaspis howardi, a scale insect on Phyllostachys heteroclada (fishscale bamboo) and Pleioblastus amarus (bitter bamboo) in China. Two of these species belong to Podonectria: P. kuwanaspidis X.L. Xu & C.L. Yang sp. nov. and P. novae-zelandiae Dingley. The new species P. kuwanaspidis has wider and thicker setae, longer and wider asci, longer ascospores, and more septa as compared with similar Podonectria species. The morphs of extant species P. novae-zelandiae is confirmed based on sexual and asexual morphologies. Maximum likelihood and Bayesian inference analyses of ITS, LSU, SSU, tef1-α, and rpb2 sequence data provide further evidence for the validity of the two species and their placement in Podonectriaceae (Pleosporales). The second new species, Microcera kuwanaspidis X.L. Xu & C.L. Yang sp. nov., is established based on DNA sequence data from ITS, LSU, SSU, tef1-α, rpb1, rpb2, acl1, act, cmdA, and his3 gene regions, and it is characterized by morphological differences in septum numbers and single conidial mass.

New host and distributional records for Camarosporidiella in Italy, Russia, and Ukraine

Thu, 22 Jul 2021 20:00:00 +0000

Camarosporidiella specimens collected from woody plants in central Italy, eastern Ukraine, and southeastern Russia were identified based on morphology and multi-gene (LSU, SSU, ITS, and TEF) sequence analyses. Camarosporidiella caraganicola on Amorpha fruticosa, C. celtidis on Ulmus pumila, C. elaeagnicola on Cytisus ruthenicus are described with new host records and as new fungal records for Ukraine. Camarosporidiella moricola on Morus nigra is newly reported for Italy, and C. robiniicola on Robinia pseudoacacia is new for Ukraine. Camarosporidiella elaeagnicola on Elaeagnus angustifolia is re-described to facilitate identification. Notes on host distribution of Camarosporidiellaceae are also provided.

Development of a novel psychological model to predict the eco-block building adoption in Mauritius

Mon, 08 Jan 2024 07:56:21 +0000

As a consequence of energy issues and societal dilemmas, building insulation like the eco-block technology has proven its usefulness to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, improve energy security and enhance the living conditions of building occupants. In Mauritius, the eco-block building material was introduced to improve the energy efficiency of conventional buildings. As observed, limited people’s knowledge, poor communication with developers and lack of support from policymakers slow the adoption of the building technology. Mauritian residents are the important stakeholders as they are the final decision-makers of the building insulation. Given recent studies reported that green building adoption is rather psychological than technical, the research makes an original contribution to the literature by extending two consistent psychological frameworks (technology of acceptance model and theory of planned behaviour) and proposing a new framework for assessing the unexplored predictors on eco-block building adoption. A survey questionnaire was forwarded to Mauritian residents through the purposive sampling method to collect data, where 283 responses were useful to undergo structural equation modelling. The results disclosed that attitudes, perceived usefulness, social norm, perceived behavioural control, personal innovativeness, energy concern and price sensitivity have an impact on the acceptance of the eco-block building. Contrarily, subjective knowledge and organisational trust have no influence on the adoption intention. Instead, organisational trust affects behavioural intention indirectly through perceived usefulness. The outcome of this research can serve as a roadmap for relevant stakeholders to promote eco-block building usage in Mauritius.

Acremonium arthrinii sp. nov., a mycopathogenic fungus on Arthrinium yunnanum

Mon, 14 Oct 2019 20:00:00 +0000

Acremonium arthrinii sp. nov. was collected from Phyllostachys heteroclada in the forest of Sichuan Province, China. This mycopathogenic fungus was frequently found on the top of the ascomata of Arthrinium yunnanum, and presumably causes its death. In this study, the new species was examined morphologically and maximum likelihood and Bayesian analyses of a combined LSU, SSU, ITS and TEF 1-α were performed to clarify the taxonomic affinity of the species. Acremonium arthrinii can be distinguished from other Acremonium species based on conidiogenesis, size differences in conidiophores, conidiogenous cells and conidia, and its DNA sequence differences and phylogeny. Detailed descriptions, micrographs and phylogenetic relationships of the new taxon were provided.

Marine Fungal Ecology in the Molecular Era

Sat, 12 Oct 2019 20:00:00 +0000

The marine environment is an intriguing one and provides a range of wonderful ecological niches to explore the ecology and biodiversity of marine microorganisms. Fungi are possibly by far the most abundant “lifeforms” in the marine environments but largely unexplored. Most studies on marine fungi were from coastal habitats, and they are mainly surveys employing traditional techniques such as microscopy and/or culture-dependent methods which suggest poor diversity of marine fungi (less than 1%) predominated by Dikarya. In fact, open oceans were largely considered as “fungal desert” given their inaccessibility and lack of appropriate methods to recover these organisms from these harsh environments. With recent technological advances and developments in molecular techniques involving advanced DNA sequencing technologies, marine mycologists have started to unravel unseen microbial species and better understand the structural and functional diversity of environmental fungal communities. These molecular genomic tools provided insights into genetic diversity especially pertaining to recovery of uncultured fungal organisms, discovery of novel fungal lineages, as well as the metabolic diversity of these complex fungal communities. Particularly, the culture-independent techniques involving environmental cloning, next-generation sequencing are revealing a higher fungal diversity from environmental DNA samples collected from surface waters in open seas, sediments in coastal, benthic and deep sea environments, hydrothermal vents and oxygen-deficient environments. In addition to the diversity, whole genome sequencing, RNA-Seq and microarray technologies in transcriptome profiling have provided a better understanding of potentially active fungal communities. With the use of these culture-independent methods, several undescribed fungal taxa termed as “dark matter fungi” belonging mainly to zoosporic fungi such as Blastocladiomycota, Chytridiomycota, Cryptomycota, and Neocallimastigomycota and Zygomycota including Entomophthoromycota, Kickxellomycotina, Mortierellomycotina, Mucoromycotina, and Zoopagomycotina lineages have been retrieved from marine habitats. Many of these nameless and faceless taxa of the early diverging clusters are microscopic in nature with special nutritional requirements and are difficult to isolate in vitro. Cryptomycota, the recently described phylum, established using phylotypes based exclusively on environmental sampling, has been shown to be highly diverse, abundant and ubiquitous in distribution. The marine fungal ecology has changed paradigms in the molecular era. The diversity and ecology of marine fungi recovered from the use of molecular tools are discussed in this book chapter.

Novel taxa and species diversity of Cordyceps sensu lato (Hypocreales, Ascomycota) developing on wireworms (Elateroidea and Tenebrionoidea, Coleoptera).

Sun, 28 Mar 2021 20:00:00 +0000

Species of Cordyceps sensu lato (Hypocreales, Sordariomycetes) have always attracted much scientific attention for their abundant species diversity, important medicinal values and biological control applications. The insect superfamilies Elateroidea and Tenebrionoidea are two large groups of Coleoptera and their larvae are generally called wireworms. Most wireworms inhabit humid soil or fallen wood and are often infected with Cordyceps s.l. However, the species diversity of Cordyceps s.l. on Elateroidea and Tenebrionoidea is poorly known. In the present work, we summarise taxonomic information of 63 Cordyceps s.l. species that have been reported as pathogens of wireworms. We review their hosts and geographic distributions and provide taxonomic notes for species. Of those, 60 fungal species are accepted as natural pathogens of wireworms and three species (Cordyceps militaris, Ophiocordyceps ferruginosa and O. variabilis) are excluded. Two new species, O. borealis from Russia (Primorsky Krai) and O. spicatus from China (Guizhou), are described and compared with their closest allies. Polycephalomyces formosus is also described because it is reported as a pathogen of wireworms for the first time. Phylogeny was reconstructed from a combined dataset, comprising SSU, LSU and TEF1-α gene sequences. The results, presented in this study, support the establishment of the new species and confirm the identification of P. formosus.

A new record of Lasiodiplodia pseudotheobromae causing leaf spot of Cynometra malaccensis in Thailand.

Tue, 31 Dec 2019 20:00:00 +0000

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A morpho-molecular re-appraisal of Polystigma fulvum and P. rubrum (Polystigma, Polystigmataceae)

Tue, 29 Oct 2019 20:00:00 +0000

Collections of eleven Prunus specimens infected with Polystigma species from Belarus and Russia yielded two existing taxa: Polystigma fulvum (sexual morph) and Polystigma rubrum (asexual morph). DNA based phylogenies of large subunit nuclear rDNA (LSU) and nuclear ribosomal internal transcribed spacer (ITS) are provided for the first time for Polystigma fulvum and its placement is confirmed within Polystigmataceae. The concatenated LSU and ITS DNA sequence data for P. rubrum, analyzed to infer its potential relationship to other Polystigma species, also show that strains of P. rubrum are segregated into two subclades with sufficient genetic differences. No significant differences in morphology or morphometry among the strains of P. rubrum between the two subclades, especially vis-à-vis the conidiogenous cell and conidium sizes are observed (P> 0.05). Subspecies concept of P. rubrum complex is discussed.

Towards the Pharmacological Validation and Phytochemical Profiling of the Decoction and Maceration of Bruguiera gymnorhiza (L.) Lam.—A Traditionally Used Medicinal Halophyte

Sat, 19 Mar 2022 20:00:00 +0000

Decoctions (leaves and roots) of Bruguiera gymnorhiza (L.) Lam. are traditionally used against diabetes in many countries, including Mauritius. This study endeavoured to evaluate the inhibitory potential of leaves, roots, twigs and fruits extracts (decoction and maceration) of B. gymnorhiza against key enzymes relevant to diabetes. Considering complications related to diabetes, other clinical enzymes, namely, acetylcholinesterase (AChE), butyrylcholinesterase (BChE), tyrosinase, elastase and pancreatic lipase, were used. Identification of compounds was carried out using ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography/electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry (UHPLC-ESI-MS/MS). Antioxidant capacities were assessed using DPPH, ABTS, FRAP, CUPRAC, phosphomolybdenum, metal chelating. The relationship between mode of extraction, plant parts and biological activities was determined using multivariate analysis. Macerated fruits, rich in phytochemicals (phenolic, flavanol, tannin, and triterpenoid), exhibited substantially high antioxidant capacities related to radical scavenging (DPPH: 547.75 ± 10.99 and ABTS: 439.59 ± 19.13 mg TE/g, respectively) and reducing potential (CUPRAC: 956.04 ± 11.90 and FRAP: 577.26 ± 4.55 mg TE/g, respectively). Additionally, the same extract significantly depressed AChE and BChE (3.75 ± 0.03 and 2.19 ± 0.13 mg GALAE/g, respectively), tyrosinase (147.01 ± 0.78 mg KAE/g), elastase (3.14 ± 0.08 mg OE/g) and amylase (1.22 ± 0.01 mmol ACAE/g) enzymatic activities. Phytochemical results confirmed the presence of 119 compounds in all maceration and 163 compounds in all decoction samples. The screening also revealed important compounds in the extracts, namely, quinic acid, brugierol, bruguierol A, epigallocatechin, chlorogenic acid, to name a few. Multivariate analysis reported that the plant parts of B. gymnorhiza greatly influenced the observed biological activities in contrast to the types of extraction methods employed. Docking calculations have supported the findings of the experimental part through the high binding affinity and strong interactions of some compounds against tyrosinase, AChE, BChE and elastase enzymes. The decocted root and leaf of B. gymnorhiza showed low to moderate antidiabetic activity, thereby partially supporting its traditional uses in the management of diabetes. However, the fruit, the most active organ, can be used as a diet supplement to reduce the risk of diabetes complications after evaluating its cytotoxic effects.

An Analysis of the Contributors and Factors Influencing Dietary Patterns among the Elderly Population

Wed, 14 Sep 2022 20:00:00 +0000

The normal process of aging consists of numerous behavioral, social, physical, psychological, and socioeconomic factors which may negatively affect the nutritional status of a senior. Old people are susceptible to poor nutritional status as they are mostly affected by nutritional deficiencies compared to individuals that belong to other age groups. The poor dietary pattern among the elderly leads to chronic diseases such as coronary heart disease, atherosclerosis, type 2 diabetes, hypertension, or malnutrition. Factors such as socioeconomic indicators, price of food items, marital status, psychological factors, changes in sensory functioning, access to food commodities, nutrition knowledge and cooking skills, gastrointestinal problems, oral health, and medication factors may influence the dietary pattern of an elderly individual. This review focuses on the factors affecting the eating habits of the elderly.

Is Soft Drink Consumption Linked to Higher Body Mass Index and Energy Intake Among Adults in Mauritius?

Sun, 27 Oct 2019 20:00:00 +0000

The World Health Organisation recommends people to keep their calorie intake from soft drink (SD) less than 10% of their daily calorie intake. Even though, calorie intake from soft drink consumption is low, there is an increase in the frequency of consumption. Also, besides, it is well understood that change in weight is not only dependent on soft drink consumption but also factors such as calorie intake and physical activity. The objective of this study is to investigate SD consumption and its association with BMI, physical activity and calorie intake among adults. 511 adults aged 20-60 years (208 male and 303 female) were recruited. The questionnaire used to elicit information included 3-day 24-hour dietary recall, physical activity habits and soft drink consumption. Anthropometric measurements (height, weight and waist circumference) were also taken. The data was analysed using SPSS version 2.0. Chi-square tests, Person coefficient test, and Spearman’s correlation tests were used to infer any relationships between variables. The mean daily calorie intake among the population is 2501 ± 86.46 Kcal/day. Energy intake by both genders is within the range recommended by USDA (males: 2182 ± 33.48 Kcal/day and female: 1925 ± 28.55 Kcal/day). BMI is slightly higher among female 25.00 ± kg/m^2 as compared to male 24.73 kg/m^2. Mean Energy intake from SD is found to be 88.57 ± 3.37 Kcal/day that accounts for 3.54% of the daily calorie intake and hence in line with the WHO recommendation. A significant association is seen between SD consumption and BMI (P= 0.02), however obesity and overweight is seen to be independent of SD consumption. Furthermore, a positive correlation wasfound between SD consumption and physical activity (P=0.01) and it is observed that 26.3 % of the population who had a sedentary lifestyle are overweight. No association was found between calorie intake and SD consumption (P= 0.731) since the percentage calorie from SD does not exceed the recommendation of WHO. A significant relationship is found between SD consumption and BMI. However, it is observed that physical activity has a higher influence on BMI independent of calorie intake and soft drink consumption. Even though soft drink is reported herein not influence on the prevalence of obesity and overweight, long-term soft drink consumption can result in health problems related to obesity.

Simplified DNA extraction protocol coupled with PCR and DNA sequence analyses successfully reveal novel Meliolaceae species

Thu, 30 Nov 2017 20:00:00 +0000

Meliolaceae is an obligate biotrophic fungal family which cannot be cultured in artificial media. This has resulted in a lack of DNA sequence data in public databases to better resolve species taxonomy. The main criterion for specific classification, therefore, relied heavily on host association. Fresh collections from living leaves of Croton persimilis and Tamarindus indica with black colonies in Mae Fah Luang University, Thailand yielded a new species, Irenopsis crotonicola sp. nov., and a new record of Meliola tamarindi. These taxa are described and phenotypic comparisons are made with known species. To better classify the putative novel species that cannot be cultivated, we outline the protocol to extract DNA from fruiting bodies and generate new phylogenetic data. The results indicate that this direct DNA extraction method is suitable to yield quality DNA sufficient for polymerase chain reaction (PCR) amplifications of several commonly used DNA regions in fungal systematics. The 28S rDNA phylogram generated confirms the position of our taxa within Meliolaceae and indicate a close relationship of I. crotonicola sp. nov. to I. walsurae. Sequences of tef, β-tubulin, and GPDH regions of Meliolaceae are provided as well.

Skin infections among infants and parental awareness: Is there any relationship?

Tue, 30 Sep 2014 20:00:00 +0000

Introduction: In Mauritius, studies on skin problem are limited to adults only and no reports are available on skin health of infants and toddlers. The aim of this study is to determine the prevalence of skin problem among infants and toddlers and to investigate whether there is an association between socioeconomic status and education level of parents on skin problem of infants and toddlers. Material and Methods: Survey data was collected from 500 parents that have children between the age of 1 month till 5 years. A questionnaire was distributed to elicit information on family history, socioeconomic and education details of parents, hygiene level and level of awareness of parents on skin problems and data was analysed using SPSS.Results: Skin problems were mostly nappy rashes, eczema and skin rashes. Itching has been noted to be the most prevalent among infants and toddlers with a prevalence of 22%. Socioeconomic status and education level of parents have an effect on prevalence of skin problem. A high percentage of parents possess good knowledge on hygiene, risks factors and concern towards the skin health of the child. Conclusions: There is a high prevalence of skin problem noted among infants and toddlers. Children having parents with low socioeconomic status and low education level have a higher incidence of skin problem. The majority of parents show high concern on skin health of their children.

Multigene Phylogenetic Support for Novel Rhytidhysteron Speg. Species (Hysteriaceae) from Sichuan Province, China

Sat, 30 Apr 2022 20:00:00 +0000

We have been studying Rhytidhysteron Speg. species on different native trees of economic or landscape importance from different geographical regions in China. In this study, we describe three new species, Rhytidhysteron ligustrum X.-L. Xu & C.-L. Yang, sp. nov., R. sichuanensis X.-L. Xu & C.-L. Yang, sp. nov., R. subrufulum X.-L. Xu & C.-L. Yang, sp. nov. and a new host record for R. hongheense Wanas based on combined ITS, LSU, SSU and tef-1α phylogenetic analysis and morphological characters. The new species are distinct from the closely related species in tef-1α and ITS sequence data, and distinguished from other species of the genus by exciple, ascus and ascospore characters. Descriptions, photographs and notes are provided for the new taxa.

Cife: Testing for Digital Transformation in the Creative & Cultural Industries

Thu, 30 Nov 2023 07:12:30 +0000

This project is to test the concept for a web platform: a digital discovery system and community-building tool for artists and art organizations in Mauritius. The goal is to increase visibility and economic opportunities for artists and art organizations, by creating a one-stop-shop for related products and services. While it serves all artists, the platform’s focus is on underserved artists from socio-economic backgrounds, who will benefit from special discounts, a storytelling platform and support with content creation. Our solution is equity- and impact-driven. So far, we have completed interviews and surveys with artists, where we identified common challenges and how to address them and designed a prototype. Our objectives with this grant are to conduct user research and usability testing: 1. To understand the experience of organisations serving artists; their challenges; how they are meeting their audience's, and their own needs. 2. To develop our prototype, to test with artists and organisations, to understand how usable, desirable, marketable the product is, and improve with user feedback. 3. To develop a framework that serves underprivileged (low income, low tech, low literacy) artists through storytelling and support for content creation 4. To gauge the size of the market and make financial projections

The Sport and Performance Nutrition Centre Project

Thu, 30 Nov 2023 06:55:47 +0000

The High-Performance Centre of Mauritius (HPC) is a sports organisation, primed to develop elite athletes and high-performance sport. The HPC is committed to enhancing all areas of sport science, and elite level coaching. It is also, officially registered at the Association of Sports Performance Centres (ASPC), which guides the excellence in provision of support to the Mauritian athlete. With the upcoming sister institute nestled in the same environment as the HPC, named as the National Institute of Sports Medicine (NISM), came the need and the enthusiasm for research and innovation in sports nutrition. In line with the National Sports & Physical Activity Policy, the “Performance Kitchen” project will aim at the below: 1) Educating athletes on budget prioritisation and healthy food selection 2) Adapt the Mauritian cooking skills to meet the nutritional demands of the body to optimise fuelling before, after and during training/competition 3) Educating athletes on using food as a “supplement” to enhance healthy performance, the super food concept. 4) To create nutrient labels in a selected nutrient rich Mauritian raw food The main objective of the HPC is to improve Athletes Performances, especially on the on international platforms. While the HPC is focusing majorly on athlete’s training (Strength and Conditioning), it has been noticed that most of our national high-level athletes are struggling to have a proper sport specific diet. The reasons postulated by athletes are often a lack of budget, or accessibility of nutrient rich food, tedious cooking methods and not enough time to prepare nutritious food. On the other hand, the HPC team has also noticed a lack of basic understanding of food & its relationship with sports in these very athletes, thus highlighting the need for education on optimisation of budget towards a healthy & performance-oriented diet. One can also stipulate that healthy performance oriented diet can be one of the strong variables of the gold medal. The outreach impact of project Performance Kitchen can also be expanded to the families of the athletes and the general population. Out of being role models for youngsters, athletes can showcase that good eating does not equate to expensive eating. The literature shows enough evidence that healthy and performance-oriented diet has a great impact on sports performance, but the same corelation has not been made yet when it comes to local Mauritian food and the Mauritian athlete. The Mauritian culture has a very close relationship with food, and it can be reflected by the diversity of our plate. The need to effectively measure the impact of the Mauritian plate on sports performance is indeed crucial for the future of our elite sports sector.

Immersive Technologies to improve health and wellness

Wed, 22 Nov 2023 20:00:00 +0000

Immersive technologies, such as virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR), have shown great potential in improving health and wellness by creating engaging and interactive experiences that can motivate people to exercise and make healthy lifestyle choices. VR fitness programs offer a new way to exercise that is both immersive and fun. AR can be used to create interactive health education experiences that are more engaging and memorable than traditional methods. VR therapy can help patients overcome fears and phobias. Immersive Wellness Experiences can be used to promote relaxation, mindfulness and stress relief. Immersive technologies have the potential to revolutionise the way we approach health and wellness by creating engaging, interactive and personalized experiences that promote healthy behaviors and improve overall well-being.

Topical oil formulation containing plant extracts with inflammatory and antibacterial properties

Thu, 30 Nov 2023 06:43:26 +0000

The underexplored rich biodiversity in Mauritius has immense potential in health and wellness, partly due to the reported presence of secondary metabolites and pluripharmacological properties (Ramjane et al, 2021). Publications on plant extracts derived from the local endemic and indigenous flora have indicated their ability to modulate physiological and physiochemical processes. The latter prompts the use of these plants into value-added products, which can be transformed into highly commercial outputs. The use of herbal products has successfully maintained healthy skin primarily due to their antibacterial and anti-inflammatory properties (Bedi et al., 2002). Nevertheless, their efficacy can be limited by poor solubility, inadequate molecular size, resulting in failure of absorption and poor bioavailability (Hafner et al, 2014). Nanosystems, such as nanoemulsions, have been reported as dermatological carriers that can readily improve the bioactive release profile, occlusion and dermal permeation while reducing the toxic and irritant effects compared to other types of emulsions. In view of the diversity of molecules in the locally available resources and their multifunctional nature (Ramjane et al., 2021), this project intends to develop stable nanoemulsion of five locally available food/medicinal plants, exhibiting anti-inflammatory and antibacterial properties for subsequent incorporation in oil for topical use.

Health and Wellness 2.0: Assessing the impact of an exergaming application for the promotion of healthy behaviours in Mauritius

Thu, 30 Nov 2023 06:34:30 +0000

Assessing technology readiness among older adults: for the future development of health and well-being programmes

Thu, 30 Nov 2023 06:31:01 +0000

The proposed project aims to assess technology readiness among older adults (65 years old and above) in Mauritius for the future development of health and well-being programmes. Although studies have found that the number of older adults using digital technologies have increased exponentially in recent years, these adults still face unique age-related challenges. With the help of project assistants, the target population will be administered an online questionnaire to determine the extent to which older adults use digital technologies and communication devices in their daily lives. Data collected will be analysed to determine technology literacy levels among older adults in Mauritius. The results of this research will provide a baseline for the development of large-scale digital health programmes which may include online resources and support networks to help seniors manage health conditions specifically designed for them. They will also have access to telemedicine services and digital training programs to enhance their technology literacy. Consequently, this research has the potential to improve the quality of life for older adults in Mauritius by providing them with the tools and resources they need to stay healthy and socially connected.

Valorisation of indigenous medicinal plants in Mauritius for their potential application in Ayurvedic formulations

Thu, 30 Nov 2023 06:06:56 +0000

Medicinal plants in Mauritius need be valorised from the Ayurveda & Phytochemical perspective, revisited in light of latest clinical & pharmacology studies, and the existing Ayurveda Pharmacopeia standards. There are 691 native flowering plant species in Mauritius, out of which 39.5% are endemic to Mauritius, and 61.2% are endemic to the Mascarene Archipelago. The rich molecular diversity prevailing in Mauritius remains, however, an under-explored resource in terms of its application to health and wellness mainly because its identity and pharmacological properties are poorly disseminated. The richness in terms of primary and secondary bioactive metabolites and associated pharmacological effects encourage this exploratory research into their potential application in Ayurveda. This study proposes to conduct an ethnobotanical survey of the commonest 80 medicinal plant species in Mauritius, with detailed phytochemical studies of 30 herbs from this list. The study will promote research and innovation in Ayurveda as preventive tool against non-communicable diseases, and enhanced technology exchange in this field.

Bruguiera gymnorhiza

Tue, 31 Dec 2019 20:00:00 +0000

Bruguiera gymnorhiza (L.) Lam is a black mangrove originating from the Rhizophoraceae family and is scarcely distributed along the Southern and East coasts of Africa. It plays a key role in the coastal ecosystem but has not received due attention in terms of its pharmacological properties and phytochemical screening. Among the few biological activities tested, the most common one was antioxidant, which showed rather promising antioxidant effects. B. gymnorhiza holds much importance in folk medicine, mainly used in India for its ability to manage diabetes, fever, and diarrhea among others, but no report has mentioned its traditional usage in Africa. Consequently, the plant requires a reintroduction among researchers to extensively validate its pharmacological activities and isolate the set of phytoconstituents present. The botanical description, distribution, ethnobotanical, and traditional usage as well as the known pharmacological activity have been reported in this chapter.

Phylogenetic utility of protein (RPB2,[beta]-tubulin) and ribosomal (LSU, SSU) gene sequences in the systematics of Sordariomycetes (Ascomycota, Fungi)

Fri, 27 Oct 2006 20:00:00 +0000

The Sordariomycetes is an important group of fungi whose taxonomic relationships and classification is obscure. There is presently no multi-gene molecular phylogeny that addresses evolutionary relationships among different classes and orders. In this study, phylogenetic analyses with a broad taxon sampling of the Sordariomycetes were conducted to evaluate the utility of four gene regions (LSU rDNA, SSU rDNA, β-tubulin and RPB2) for inferring evolutionary relationships at different taxonomic ranks. Single and multi-gene genealogies inferred from Bayesian and Maximum Parsimony analyses were compared in individual and combined datasets. At the subclass level, SSU rDNA phylogenies demonstrate their utility as a marker to infer phylogenetic relationships at higher levels. All analyses with SSU rDNA alone, combined LSU rDNA and SSU rDNA, and the combined 28 S rDNA, SSU rDNA and RPB2 datasets resulted in three subclasses: Hypocreomycetidae, Sordariomycetidae and Xylariomycetidae, which correspond well to established morphological classification schemes. At the ordinal level, the best resolved phylogeny was obtained from the combined LSU rDNA and SSU rDNA datasets. Individually, the RPB2 gene dataset resulted in significantly higher number of parsimony informative characters. Our results supported the recent separation of Boliniaceae, Chaetosphaeriaceae and Coniochaetaceae from Sordariales and placement of Coronophorales in Hypocreomycetidae. Microascales was found to be paraphyletic and Ceratocystis is phylogenetically associated to Faurelina, while Microascus and Petriella formed another clade and basal to other members of Halosphaeriales. In addition, the order Lulworthiales does not appear to fit in any of the three subclasses. Congruence between morphological and molecular classification schemes is discussed.

Metabarcoding assessment of fungal diversity in brown algae and sponges of Mauritius

Thu, 27 Oct 2022 20:00:00 +0000

Marine fungi are largely associated with second most inhabitants of the marine ecosystem such as sponges and algae. They are important colonizers and play vital ecological roles, such as nutrient cycling, organic matter decomposition, and symbiosis with other organisms. High throughput sequencing methods have been used successfully to reveal unknown fungal communities associated with a number of hosts particularly in the marine environment. However, the diversity of marine fungi associated with sponges and brown algae in Mauritius remains largely unknown. Traditional methods based on culturing do not provide reliable estimate of fungal diversity as only those that are able to grow under laboratory conditions are dominant; in addition, a large proportion of fungi, cultured in vitro remain most of the time unidentifiable, given that there are no sporulating structures to be examined morphologically. To overcome these limitations, we employed Illumina sequencing to unravel fungi species present in the sponges, Iotrochota sp. and Biemna sp. and the brown algae Turbinaria conoides, Sargassum pfeifferae, and Sargassum obovatum, collected from the north of Mauritius. Diversity analyses revealed that Biemna sp. had the highest diversity from the sampled sponges with fungi from 24 orders being recovered while from brown algae; Turbinaria conoides had the highest diversity with recovery of fungal taxa of the orders Botryosphaeriales, Chaetothyriales, Eurotiales, Hypocreales, and Mucorales with the latter four orders being common in both sampled algae and sponges. Beta diversity analyses revealed clustering only in the algae, Turbinaria conoides, and Sargassum pfeifferae and not in the co-occurring sponges, indicating that sampling location did not have much influence on fungal diversity. Our findings provide the first amplicon sequencing based insights of the fungal communities associated with macro-algae and sponges in Mauritius and supplements research on the fungal community existing in the oceans around the world.

Fungal Species from Rhododendron sp.: Discosia rhododendricola sp. nov, Neopestalotiopsis rhododendricola sp. nov and Diaporthe nobilis as a New Host Record.

Thu, 25 Aug 2022 20:00:00 +0000

In the present study, we report two new asexual fungal species (i.e., Discosia rhododendricola, Neopestalotiopsis rhododendricola (Sporocadaceae) and a new host for a previously described species (i.e., Diaporthe nobilis; Diaporthaceae). All species were isolated from Rhododendron spp. in Kunming, Yunnan Province, China. All taxa are described based on morphology, and phylogenetic relationships were inferred using a multigenic approach (LSU, ITS, RPB2, TEF1 and TUB2). The phylogenetic analyses indicated that D. rhododendronicola sp. nov. is phylogenetically related to D. muscicola, and N. rhododendricola sp. nov is related to N. sonnaratae. Diaporthe nobilis is reported herein as a new host record from Rhododendron sp. for China, and its phylogeny is depicted based on ITS, TEF1 and TUB2 sequence data.

Potential benefits and harms: a review of poisonous mushrooms in the world

Wed, 30 Nov 2022 20:00:00 +0000

Mushrooms have long been considered as delicacies as well as used as important dietary supplements and food. However, there are major concerns with poisonous mushrooms as these pose threats to public health and safety. In this paper, we provide a review focusing on poisonous mushrooms, their toxins, symptoms and utilizations. In addition, this paper establishes a poisonous mushroom list which includes 643 species from two phyla, 16 orders, 51 families and 148 genera. The toxicity of all these species was verified and 332 species were ranked as P1 signifying that these species have toxic studies and or clinical poisoning case records and 311 species were P2 meaning they had previously been recorded as poisonous in other studies. Furthermore, we discuss advances in technology including how genomic studies could be used as a breakthrough tool in the field of toxic mushrooms. With this …

Mobile-based Carbon footprint calculation: insights from a usability study

Wed, 18 Sep 2019 20:00:00 +0000

Human activities have been referred as key contributors to climate change since most of the warming of the climate is the result of increased anthropogenic emission of greenhouse gases from such activities. Through their daily activities, human beings contribute to the emissions of greenhouse gases that principally consist of CO 2 . For individuals to effectively reduce CO 2 emissions from their personal activities and to improve their behaviour towards the environment, it is essential to quantify such emissions. Recently, there has been the emergence of carbon footprint calculators that provide an estimate of the carbon dioxide emissions that an individual is directly responsible for over a given period of time. During the past few years, there has been a decreasing trend of such tools among Internet users and a recognised way to promote adoption of systems is through improved usability. This paper investigates the usability of a proposed carbon footprint calculator called Mau Carbon Footprint and provides recommendations on improving this quality attribute of such tools. In order to achieve the purpose of this paper, a usability study was conducted based on Nielsen’s usability principles. As results, an overall mean score of 3.98 was obtained for the usability of the proposed calculator.

Plant Growth-Promoting Potentials of Endophytic Fungi for the Management of Agricultural Crops and Grasses

Fri, 28 Aug 2020 20:00:00 +0000

This chapter features the impetus to study endophytic fungi (EF) in order to invigorate the economic feasibility in agriculture production. EF occupy a dominant place in the habitat adaptation of plants leveraging better yields and protection from biotic as well as abiotic stresses. They secrete several secondary metabolites of organic nature, which, besides safeguarding plants from pathogens and pests, also valorize agricultural plants like rice and corn, and offer better postharvest management. It is emphasized that the methods currently employed in plant breeding, seed preparation, and agricultural practices are hindering the diversity of fungal endophytes due to the inadequate knowledge about them. Besides, they also make some endophytes to perform ineffectively in mitigating stresses. The objective of this chapter is to suggest how to overcome such impediments for the advancement of future agriculture practices.

Fungicolous fungi: terminology, diversity, distribution, evolution, and species checklist (vol 95, pg 337, 2019)

Tue, 02 Apr 2019 20:00:00 +0000

Fungicolous fungi are a very large, diverse, ecological and trophic group of organisms that are associated with other fungi. This association occurs with species of different lineages across the fungal kingdom. They are recognized as symbionts, mycoparasites, saprotrophs, and even neutrals. Wherever fungi have been found, fungicolous taxa have also been found. Homogeneous environments favour the development of highly adapted and coevolved fungicolous species, which could have led to host-specificity aspects. As a primary consumer, fungicolous fungi decrease the turnaround time of certain nutrients in food webs, due to their special often-rapid life cycles. They may also significantly affect population dynamics and population sizes of their hosts in aquatic or terrestrial ecosystems. As mycoparasites of pathogenic fungi, some fungicolous fungi have been explored as biocontrol agents. They may also cause serious diseases of cultivated edible and medicinal mushrooms, decreasing both yield and quality. Fungicolous fungi could be used as model organisms that may help determine better understanding of species interactions, fungal evolution and divergence, and fungicolous mechanisms. This review summarizes our current understanding of fungicolous fungi, with a particular focus on the terminology, diversity, global distribution, and interaction with their hosts. We also provide a checklist including 1552 fungicolous fungal taxa so far recorded following the updated classification schemes. There is a need for further investigations on this ecologically important group of fungi to better understand their biology, ecological aspects, origin and divergence, host-specificity and application in biocontrol. Accurate identification of these fungi as pathogens and their significance in quarantine purposes on the mushroom industry need further evaluations so that efficient control measures can be developed for better disease management purposes.

The plant pathogenic genus Neocordana

Mon, 31 Dec 2018 20:00:00 +0000

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Morphological and molecular taxonomy of novel species Pleurotheciaceae from freshwater habitats

Tue, 06 Feb 2018 20:00:00 +0000

The diversity of lignicolous freshwater fungi of the Greater Mekong Subregion are currently being studied. In this paper, 18 fresh collections of Pleurotheciaceae from submerged wood in freshwater are characterized based on morphological characters and analyses of ITS, LSU, SSU and RPB2 sequence data. Six new species of Pleurotheciella (P. aquatica, P. fusiformis, P. guttulata, P. lunata, P. saprophytica, P. submersa), one new Phaeoisaria species (Ph. aquatica) and one new Pleurothecium species (Pl. aquaticum) are introduced based on their distinct morphology and evidence from molecular phylogeny. Pleurotheciella uniseptata, Phaeoisaria clematidis and Pleurothecium pulneyense are also redescribed and phylogenetic relationships assessed herein, these species are the first records for China.

DIETARY ASPECTS, WEIGHT ISSUES AND BONE HEALTH AT AND POST-MENOPAUSE

Tue, 30 Sep 2014 20:00:00 +0000

Menopause is an inevitable physiological situation. A decline in oestrogen levels marks the characterisation of menopause. As such, menopausal women are subjected to an increased risk of adverse conditions related to the bone, heart and they experience weight issues as well. Osteoporosis not only impacts on the quality of life of menopausal women as it is also associated with increased morbidity and mortality. Judicious food choices go hand in hand with adequate regular physical activity since during the menopausal period, muscle mass is reduced and this can lead to weight gain over time. Nutrition holds a central role in health promotion among menopausal women. For instance, there has been a special emphasis on the therapeutic effects of phytoestrogens, calcium, low-caloric diets and adequate intake of fruit and vegetable nutrients during and after menopause. It is vital that menopausal women are made aware of the need of these nutrients and that they are able to give equal importance to a beneficial lifestyle approach to reduce menopausal symptoms. This chapter reviews scientific publications that deal with the risks of overweight/obesity, associations between changes in eating behaviours, physical activity and provides evidence on how appropriate lifestyle interventions can reduce the impact of long term health problems mainly obesity and osteoporosis associated with menopause.

Research Article DNA Based Identification and Phylogenetic Characterisation of Endophytic and Saprobic Fungi from Antidesma madagascariense, a Medicinal Plant in Mauritius

Thu, 02 May 2013 20:00:00 +0000

Endophytes are fungi associated with plants without causing symptoms, and they are quite diverse and have enormous potential for production of important secondary metabolites for the pharmaceutical industry. In this study, we report for the first time fungi (both endophytes and saprobes) from Antidesma madagascariense, a medicinal plant in Mauritius, in view of identifying potential candidates for screening of fungi for pharmaceutical importance. In addition the phylogenetic placement of fungi recovered from leaves samples was investigated based on rDNA sequence analysis. Most commonly isolated fungi were related to Aspergillus, Guignardia, Fusarium, Penicillium, Pestalotiopsis, and Trichoderma. Phylogenetic analyses revealed that fungi recovered belong to 5 different fungal lineages (Hypocreaceae, Trichocomaceae, Nectriaceae, Xylariaceae, and Botryosphaeriaceae). DNA data from the ITS regions were reliable in classification of all recovered isolates up to genus level, but identification to an exact species name was not possible at this stage. Despite criticisms pertaining to the use of ITS sequence data in molecular systematics, our approach here provides an opportunity to justify the reliability of ITS sequence data for possible identification and discovering of evolutionary scenarios among isolates that do not sporulate under cultural conditions.

World Scientists’ Warning to Humanity: A Second Notice

Sun, 12 Nov 2017 20:00:00 +0000

Twenty-five years ago, the Union of Concerned Scientists and more than 1700 independent scientists, including the majority of living Nobel laureates in the sciences, penned the 1992 “World Scientists’ Warning to Humanity” (see supplemental file S1). These concerned professionals called on humankind to curtail environmental destruction and cautioned that “a great change in our stewardship of the Earth and the life on it is required, if vast human misery is to be avoided.” In their manifesto, they showed that humans were on a collision course with the natural world. They expressed concern about current, impending, or potential damage on planet Earth involving ozone depletion, freshwater availability, marine life depletion, ocean dead zones, forest loss, biodiversity destruction, climate change, and continued human population growth. They proclaimed that fundamental changes were urgently needed to avoid the consequences our present course would bring.

World scientists’ warning of a climate emergency

Mon, 04 Nov 2019 20:00:00 +0000

Scientists have a moral obligation to clearly warn humanity of any catastrophic threat and to “tell it like it is.” On the basis of this obligation and the graphical indicators presented below, we declare, with more than 11,000 scientist signatories from around the world, clearly and unequivocally that planet Earth is facing a climate emergency. Exactly 40 years ago, scientists from 50 nations met at the First World Climate Conference (in Geneva 1979) and agreed that alarming trends for climate change made it urgently necessary to act. Since then, similar alarms have been made through the 1992 Rio Summit, the 1997 Kyoto Protocol, and the 2015 Paris Agreement, as well as scores of other global assemblies and scientists’ explicit warnings of insufficient progress (Ripple et al. 2017). Yet greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions are still rapidly rising, with increasingly damaging effects on the Earth’s climate. An immense increase of scale in endeavors to conserve our biosphere is needed to avoid untold suffering due to the climate crisis (IPCC 2018). Most public discussions on climate change are based on global surface temperature only, an inadequate measure to capture the breadth of human activities and the real dangers stemming from a warming planet (Briggs et al. 2015). Policymakers and the public now urgently need access to a set of indicators that convey the effects of human activities on GHG emissions and the consequent impacts on climate, our environment, and society. Building on prior work (see supplemental file S2), we present a suite of graphical vital signs of climate change over the last 40 years for human activities that can affect GHG …

Conservation of oceanic island floras: present and future global challenges

Mon, 19 Apr 2010 20:00:00 +0000

Control of invasive alien weeds averts imminent plant extinction

Sat, 12 Mar 2011 20:00:00 +0000

Invasive alien species constitute a major threat to biodiversity and cases of extinction caused by invasive alien animals are abundant. However, while invasive alien plants also harm native biota there exists a lack of cases demonstrating their ability to cause extinction of native plant species. Different alien species (vertebrates, invertebrates, pathogens etc.) commonly deliver different simultaneous impacts like predation, disease or competition. In such situations, assessing the contribution of plant invasion in causing decline of a given plant population in its natural habitat can be difficult, yet is desirable to avoid or minimize wastage of managers’ resources. Using native angiosperms in lowland wet forests of Mauritius, we first compared native seedling diversity in forest areas that have been weeded of invasive alien plants about a decade previously, with adjacent similar but non-weeded areas. Then, using the weeded area, we compared results of native plant surveys carried out around the time that invasive alien plants were controlled, with the same community about a decade latter. Species richness and abundance of seedlings were higher in the weeded areas compared to the adjacent non weeded forest. We also found that several species that were presumed extinct or critically threatened with extinction had recovered dramatically as a consequence of the sole removal of invasive alien plants. This shows that the threat posed by invasive alien plants can be overwhelmingly important in driving native plant population declines in tropical forests and that imminent plant extinctions can be averted by timely control of alien plants.

Conservation in Mauritius and Rodrigues: Challenges and achievements from two ecologically devastated oceanic islands

Thu, 11 Jul 2013 20:00:00 +0000

Mauritius and Rodrigues are among the last places on earth to have been reached by humans and yet are also among the most ecologically devastated, thus illustrating our great propensity to destroy the environment. Today, conservation approaches and techniques continue to be innovated, developed, and tested on the two islands, which consequently represent a kind of “conservation laboratory” for the tropics. Despite some notable successes, conservation problems on the islands persist and are being exacerbated by a low and declining commitment of the government to the conservation of biodiversity. In spite of the commitment of many government officers and bodies to addressing conservation challenges, their efforts are often curtailed by interference intense enough to make the officers yield to the whims of politicians and end up backing decisions that are detrimental to conservation.

Recovery of indigenous butterfly community following control of invasive alien plants in a tropical island’s wet forests

Mon, 03 Nov 2014 20:00:00 +0000

Invasive alien species pose one of the highest threats to biodiversity, especially in isolated oceanic islands where high rates of both endemism and extinction risk also usually prevail. Few studies have investigated the impact of invasive alien plants on butterflies in insular ecosystems, despite butterflies representing a key indicator group for terrestrial arthropod diversity. Using the Pollard Technique, we quantified butterfly species richness and abundance in eight wet lowland forest areas invaded by alien plants, principally the strawberry guava (Psidium cattleianum Sabine) on the tropical volcanic island of Mauritius, and compared the results with paired adjacent forest plots that had been weeded of alien plants between 2 and 12 years previously. Butterfly assemblages in weed-infested and weeded forests were distinctly different with higher species richness and much higher butterfly abundance in the latter. At least some of these differences seemed attributable to weed removal effects on forest structure, but understanding the precise mechanisms involved will require further study. The results suggest that alien plant invasion may have contributed to the extinction of certain endemic taxa and can increase the likelihood of butterfly species extinction by reducing population sizes through reduced habitat quality. Such a shift in a forest’s butterfly assemblage is likely to have negative effects on both their indigenous predators and the plants they pollinate. It is argued that in order to maintain butterfly and other arthropod diversity and function in these forests, alien plant control must be maintained and extended beyond the current 1% of surviving forest remnants.

Surviving 370 years of human impact: what remains of tree diversity and structure of the lowland wet forests of oceanic island Mauritius?

Tue, 05 Jun 2012 20:00:00 +0000

Mauritius, a 1,865 km2 oceanic island within the Madagascar and Indian Ocean islands biodiversity hotspot may be regarded as reflecting what awaits many tropical oceanic islands owing to the extreme levels of transformation resulting from over 370 years of human presence. The island has an urgent need to conserve its surviving remnants of native terrestrial habitats. There, however, exists little published quantitative information like species diversity, stem density and basal area in these habitats and other essential parameters for informing their conservation. We surveyed woody native plants in five of the best preserved lowland wet forests using 75 random plots of 100 m2 (totalling 0.75 ha). Density, dominance and frequency values were calculated along with species and family importance values for each site. For plants ≥1 cm diameter at breast height, 108 species in 66 genera and 39 families were represented by 6,000 individual plants. This gives a density of 8,000 plants per ha which is very high for a lowland wet tropical forest. Species endemism within the plots was 63 % to Mauritius and 87 % to the Mascarenes. Some 56 % of all woody native species ever recorded from the lowland wet forest of Mauritius was sampled. Extrapolated basal area varied from 31 to 49.1 m2 per ha. The mean similarity in species between pairs of sites was about 60 %. Mauritian wet forests retain the highest tree diversity in the Mascarenes, and probably among all isolated oceanic islands around the world despite massive habitat destruction, extraction and invasion by alien species. Substantial conservation importance and restoration potential still exist.

Can we protect island flying foxes?

Wed, 29 Mar 2017 20:00:00 +0000

Flying foxes provide critical ecosystem services by pollinating and disseminating diverse plant species. Yet, they face intensifying threats, particularly on islands. The situation is epitomized by the Indian Ocean island of Mauritius. In December 2016, the Mauritian government implemented the second mass cull of a threatened, endemic flying fox species, Pteropus niger (see the left photo), in 2 years. Government figures suggest that at least 45% of the overall P. niger population of just over 90,000 individuals were culled during the two campaigns; illegal killing and incidental mortality of pups during the culls raise likely losses to over 50%. The dire situation of island flying foxes worldwide calls for effective, science-based conservation strategies to prevent further loss of biodiversity and function.

Status of plant conservation in oceanic islands of the Western Indian Ocean

Mon, 31 May 2010 20:00:00 +0000

We review plant conservation in the Mascarenes (Réunion, Mauritius, Rodrigues) and the granitic Seychelles islands. Sizes of angiosperm floras are: Seychelles (200 species, c. 70 endemics of which c. 70% are threatened), Mauritius (691 species of which 273 are single island endemics [SIE] and another 150 are Mascarene endemics [ME]), Rodrigues (150 species, 47 SIE, 72 ME), Réunion (550 species, c. 165 SIE, c. 140 ME). The main threats affecting plant diversity are small population sizes and fragmentation, and invasive alien species. While in Mauritius, Rodrigues and Seychelles< 5% of intact habitat is left, this proportion is still 30% in Réunion. Consequently habitat restoration is a priority in Mauritius, Rodrigues and Seychelles. All islands have recently greatly advanced some aspects of plant conservation, while gaps are also apparent. Advances include conservation strategies (all), ex situ conservation (all), extent of protected areas (Réunion, Seychelles), new NGOs (Réunion, Seychelles) and outreach (Réunion, Seychelles). Weaknesses include lack of government support (Mauritius, Rodrigues), local scientific expertise (Mauritius, Rodrigues, Seychelles). Given the similarity in biogeography and past and current anthropogenic disturbances a regional plant conservation network and strategy needs to be strengthened.

Mid-Holocene vertebrate bone Concentration-Lagerstätte on oceanic island Mauritius provides a window into the ecosystem of the dodo (Raphus cucullatus)

Fri, 30 Jan 2009 20:00:00 +0000

Although the recent history of human colonisation and impact on Mauritius is well documented, virtually no records of the pre-human native ecosystem exist, making it difficult to assess the magnitude of the changes brought about by human settlement. Here, we describe a 4000-year-old fossil bed at Mare aux Songes (MAS) in south-eastern Mauritius that contains both macrofossils (vertebrate fauna, gastropods, insects and flora) and microfossils (diatoms, pollen, spores and phytoliths). With >250 bone fragments/m2 and comprising 50% of all known extinct and extant vertebrate species (ns = 44) of Mauritius, MAS may constitute the first Holocene vertebrate bone Concentration-Lagerstätte identified on an oceanic volcanic island. Fossil remains are dominated by extinct giant tortoises Cylindraspis spp. (63%), passerines (∼10%), small bats (7.8%) and dodo Raphus cucullatus (7.1%). Twelve radiocarbon ages [four of them duplicates] from bones and other material suggest that accumulation of fossils took place within several centuries. An exceptional combination of abiotic conditions led to preservation of bones, bone collagen, plant tissue and microfossils. Although bone collagen is well preserved, DNA from dodo and other Mauritian vertebrates has proved difficult. Our analysis suggests that from ca 4000 years ago (4 ka), rising sea levels created a freshwater lake at MAS, generating an oasis in an otherwise dry environment which attracted a diverse vertebrate fauna. Subsequent aridification in the south-west Indian Ocean region may have increased carcass accumulation during droughts, contributing to the exceptionally high fossil concentration. The abundance of floral and faunal remains in this Lagerstätte offers a unique opportunity to reconstruct a pre-human ecosystem on an oceanic island, providing a key foundation for assessing the vulnerability of island ecosystems to human impact.

Climate variability in the SW Indian Ocean from an 8000-yr long multi-proxy record in the Mauritian lowlands shows a middle to late Holocene shift from negative IOD-state to …

Fri, 14 Feb 2014 20:00:00 +0000

A multi-proxy reconstruction of a sediment core from the Tatos basin in the Mauritian lowlands reveals a dynamic environmental history during the last 8000 years. Under influence of sea level rise, the basin progressed from a wetland to a shallow lake between 8000 and 2500 cal yr BP and it slowly changed back into a wetland after sea level reached its highest position at around 2500 cal yr BP. The groundwater level in the basin was strongly affected by sea level rise and precipitation-forced runoff through the porous volcanic bedrock. Millennial-scale precipitation changes in the Mauritian lowlands were derived from the pollen records of semi-dry forest and palm woodland. Salinity and environmental reconstructions based on diatoms, ostracods, stable isotopes and sediment composition showed numerous decadal and centennial droughts and wet events. Mauritius experienced wet conditions between ∼8000 and ∼6800 cal yr BP, followed by decreasing humidity from 6800 to 6000 cal yr BP. Dry conditions persisted until ∼1200 cal yr BP, after which wetter conditions have prevailed as recorded from Mauritian lowland and upland records. Climate dynamics reflects northern hemisphere monsoon activity and suggest that Mauritian rainfall and the Indian and Asian summer monsoons are linked, as both receive moisture from the southern equatorial Indian Ocean. The anti-phased relationship of climate dynamics between the Mauritian lowlands and western tropical Australia during the middle Holocene is interpreted as a prolonged configuration of a negative mode of the Indian Ocean Dipole (IOD). A negative IOD-like state is supported by decreased Asian summer monsoon rainfall, higher Austral-Indonesian summer monsoon rainfall and lower temperatures in the Kilimanjaro record. Conversely, repeated decadal-scale wet events in the Mauritian lowlands occurring every ∼350 years reflect short positive IOD-like events. The onset of ENSO climate variability followed an anomalously strong negative IOD-like event and shifted teleconnections from the tropical Indian Ocean to the Pacific Ocean. A shift in ENSO activity around ∼2600 cal yr BP signifies the decoupling of ENSO from the Atlantic ITCZ. Subsequently, the influence of ENSO on climate in the western Indian Ocean is indicated by increased storm frequency and drought events after 2660 cal yr BP in Mauritius and reduced monsoon activity in the western and eastern Indian Ocean.

Beyond the Last Glacial Maximum: Island endemism is best explained by long-lasting archipelago configurations

Tue, 20 Nov 2018 20:00:00 +0000

Aim To quantify the influence of past archipelago configuration on present-day insular biodiversity patterns, and to compare the role of long-lasting archipelago configurations over the Pleistocene to configurations of short duration such as at the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM) and the present-day. Location 53 volcanic oceanic islands from 12 archipelagos worldwide—Azores, Canary Islands, Cook Islands, Galápagos, Gulf of Guinea, Hawaii, Madeira, Mascarenes, Pitcairn, Revillagigedo, Samoan Islands and Tristan da Cunha. Time period The last 800 kyr, representing the nine most recent glacial–interglacial cycles. Major taxa studied Land snails and angiosperms. Methods Species richness data for land snails and angiosperms were compiled from existing literature and species checklists. We reconstructed archipelago configurations at the following sea levels: the present-day high interglacial sea level, the intermediate sea levels that are representative of the Pleistocene and the low sea levels of the LGM. We fitted two alternative linear mixed models for each archipelago configuration using the number of single-island endemic, multiple-island endemic and (non-endemic) native species as a response. Model performance was assessed based on the goodness-of-fit of the full model, the variance explained by archipelago configuration and model parsimony. Results Single-island endemic richness in both taxonomic groups was best explained by intermediate palaeo-configuration (positively by area change, and negatively by palaeo-connectedness), whereas non-endemic native species richness was poorly explained by palaeo-configuration. Single-island endemic richness was better explained by intermediate archipelago configurations than by the archipelago configurations of the LGM or present-day. Main conclusions Archipelago configurations at intermediate sea levels—which are representative of the Pleistocene—have left a stronger imprint on single-island endemic richness patterns on volcanic oceanic islands than extreme archipelago configurations that persisted for only a few thousand years (such as the LGM). In understanding ecological and evolutionary dynamics of insular biota it is essential to consider longer-lasting environmental conditions, rather than extreme situations alone.

Invasive alien plants progress to dominate protected and best-preserved wet forests of an oceanic island

Wed, 30 Nov 2016 20:00:00 +0000

Invasive alien plants pose a threat to biodiversity in particular on oceanic islands, where endemism tends to be high. In this context, it matters to characterise invasions in-situ and in particular to document how far invasive plants may invade protected areas devoid of major human disturbances. We explore this question on the tropical island of Mauritius, which provides an interesting case study because it possesses several attributes of human impacts, which are increasingly being encountered by most tropical oceanic islands worldwide. Mauritius today may thus serve as a “window” into the future of many other islands. We assess woody invasive alien plant abundance in the island’s wet native forests by sampling five of the currently best-preserved sites. We chose only protected areas that have benefitted from long-term legal protection. All woody alien plants reaching at least 1 cm of diameter at breast height (dbh) were identified and their dbh measured in a series of fifteen 100 m2 quadrats randomly placed in each forest. All sites are today dominated by woody invasive alien plants, which comprised 78.5% of the 27 868 sampled plants ≥1 cm dbh. Density-wise, the alien shade tolerant strawberry guava (Psidium cattleianum) dominates all forests sampled. In terms of Importance Value (as percent relative dominance and percent relative density), P. cattleianum dominates four sites and another alien, Cinnamomum verum, dominates one site. Our study shows that even though relatively diverse, the native plant communities of an oceanic island cannot resist the encroachment of understory invasive alien plants, even in better preserved, least disturbed forests that have been receiving long-term formal legal protection.

Identifying human emotions from facial expressions with deep learning

Mon, 25 May 2020 20:00:00 +0000

The identification of facial expressions that reveal human emotions can help computers to better assess the human state of mind, so as to provide a more customized interaction. We explore the recognition of human facial expressions through a deep learning approach using a Convolutional Neural Network (CNN) algorithm. The system uses a labelled data set containing around 32,298 images with multiple facial expressions for training and testing. The pre-training phase involves a face detection subsystem with noise removal, including feature extraction. The generated classification model used for prediction can identify seven emotions of the Facial Action Coding System (FACS). Results of our work in progress demonstrate an accuracy of 79.8% for the recognition of all basic seven human emotions, without the application of optimization techniques.

Privacy of energy consumption data of a household in a smart grid

Mon, 31 Dec 2018 20:00:00 +0000

The traditional electricity grid is characterized by one-way communication between the customer and the utility provider, which results in poor load management and wastage of energy. Smart grids support two-way communication between the utility supplier and its customers which allows real-time monitoring and near-instantaneous balance of supply and demand of energy. However, smart grids are vulnerable to security attacks (e.g., distributed denial of service (DDoS), fraud, and privacy) which can have severe consequences. In this chapter, the different security vulnerabilities in smart grids are identified. The impact of consumer data privacy and confidentiality breach is discussed and existing techniques as proposed in literature to protect the privacy of customer information in a smart grid are presented.

Big data analytics and deep learning in bioinformatics with hadoop

Mon, 31 Dec 2018 20:00:00 +0000

Bioinformatics research is regarded as an area which encompasses voluminous, expanding and complex datasets. Nowadays, with the use of high-throughput next-generation sequencing technologies, there is significant expansion of biological big data, which presents storage and processing challenges. Performing data analytics to harvest the wealth of data from biological and biomedical data, such as genetic mapping on the DNA sequence, will only help to advance our understanding of the human condition, health and disease; which will consequently allow curing diseases and improving human health and lives by supporting the development of precision methods for healthcare. In this chapter, big data analytics with regards to the Hadoop big data framework for storing and processing big data is described in the context of bioinformatics. Moreover, machine learning is an important approach for performing predictive and prescriptive analytics. Thus, machine learning and deep learning approaches currently being used in the context of big data analytics in the Hadoop framework are also presented, as well as the current uses of such techniques and tools in bioinformatics.

Recyclable Waste Classification Using Computer Vision And Deep Learning

Tue, 25 May 2021 20:00:00 +0000

Recycling solid waste is an important step to reduce harmful impact such as sanitary and health problems resulting from the over use of landfills. Yet, recycling requires the sorting of solid waste, which is complex and expensive. In an attempt to ease this process, our work proposes a Deep Learning approach using computer vision to automatically identify the type of waste and classify it into five main categories: plastic, metal, paper, cardboard and glass. Our conceptual system consists of an automated recycling bin which automatically opens the lid corresponding to the type of waste identified. This work focuses mainly on the Machine Learning algorithms which can be trained for efficient identification. Pre-existing images have been used to train a minimum of 12 variants of the Convolutional Neural Network (CNN) algorithm over three classifiers: Support Vector Machine (SVM), Sigmoid and SoftMax. Our results show that VGG19 with SoftMax classifier has an accuracy of around 88%.

Healthcare data storage options using cloud

Wed, 11 Aug 2021 20:00:00 +0000

Modern healthcare systems are more and more complex today as they involve EHR applications, mobile applications, and IoT system integration. They typically generate a large volume of data on a daily basis, whereby the storage of the healthcare big data becomes challenging especially data from IoT connected devices. Traditional on-premise storage is not scalable enough. Cloud computing is a good option for storing healthcare big data as it is scalable, secure, reliable, provides ubiquitous access, and is highly available. In this chapter, the different storage media used to store data are described and the different storage mechanisms such as file storage, block storage, and object storage are discussed. Object storage is being increasingly adopted for storing healthcare Big data as it is more scalable, cost-effective, secure and reliable, and more suitable for data analytics. Blockchain technology is also …

A practical approach for secure biometric template storage for authentication

Tue, 02 Aug 2016 20:00:00 +0000

Efficiency of using mobile agents to trace multiple sources of attack

Mon, 27 Jul 2009 20:00:00 +0000

Mobile Agents and Packet Marking for Real-Time IP Traceback

Sat, 31 Jan 2009 20:00:00 +0000

Internet and computer technology are increasingly being used as vehicles for an escalating variety of infringements. The most popular attack on the Internet being the Denial of Service (DoS) attack, there is growing need to be able to track the sources of the attacks. IP trace back schemes can be used for tracing the source of attacks. We propose a mechanism for IP trace back which is based on packet marking and mobile agents whereby routers mark the packets in flight with only 37 bits of data and mobile agents use this information to trace back the source of attack.

Establishing a secure connection between an IoT module for Smart Agriculture via the Amazon Cloud

Tue, 25 May 2021 20:00:00 +0000

The Internet of Things (IoT) has made its place very quickly in different sectors including agriculture due to its versatility. Years back, farmers used to base themselves on their own experience to detect any issues or diseases in The Internet of Things (IoT) has made its place very quickly in different sectors including agriculture due to its versatility. Years back, farmers used to base themselves on their own experience to detect any issues or diseases in their farm and as such take corrective actions. Farmers having many tasks besides monitoring each and every crop can greatly benefit from IoT. Nevertheless, a shift from traditional farming to smart farming requires the use of devices such as sensors, global positioning system, internet and so on, in order to collect, process, monitor and store data. Such IoT devices being connected to the Internet is susceptible to be hacked by attackers. Thus, securing the access to the IoT module used in greenhouses is important. The data transferred between the greenhouse and the cloud server should also be secured. It is proposed to use the Amazon IoT platform for connecting to the IoT module and securing the access to the IoT module by means of an authentication mechanism.

Citizen empowerment in newly born smart cities in Mauritius

Tue, 01 Oct 2019 20:00:00 +0000

Advances in technology are quickly paving the way for smart cities. The Government of Mauritius has set up the Smart City Scheme to provide an enabling framework and a package of attractive fiscal and non-fiscal incentives to investors for the development of smart cities across the island. However, prior to the design and implementation of such technologies, it is important to predict the behavioural intention to use such technology so that smart city technologies effectively empower citizens and improve the quality of life of citizens. In this research work, it is proposed to use the TAM to effectively assess the perception and readiness and the perceived usefulness of certain smart city technologies such as for transportation as well as identifying key smart city applications for Mauritius. The aim of this research project is to evaluate and assess the different factors and condition that can have an impact on the perceived …

Using the MapReduce Approach for the Spatio-Temporal Data Analytics in Road Traffic Crowdsensing Application

Sun, 10 Dec 2017 20:00:00 +0000

Crowdsensing applications are becoming more popular with time. In this work, we present a crowdsensing application for capturing road traffic information to help citizens to get real-time traffic condition. Such real-time information can be beneficial for citizens to plan their journeys. However, crowdsensing in this specific case, generates spatio-temporal data collected from numerous users; storing and processing such data in real-time can be quite challenging. The MapReduce programming approach has been proposed for processing data in this context. The MapReduce jobs used to process and analyze the data captured from the crowdsensing application are presented as well as the design of the crowdsensing application. Implementation of the MapReduce jobs proposed shows that data can be effectively processed and analyzed to present near real-time information about the road traffic flow while at the same time discarding used data which is no longer required.

Mobile agent based real time IP traceback

Wed, 12 Nov 2008 20:00:00 +0000

Network forensics technology with active and real time response characteristics is a new approach that can be used for investigation of network attack such as denial of service (DoS) attack. Once a system is compromised, the forensics and investigation is often always done after the attacks whereby some useful instant evidence is lost. The adaptive capture without loss of potential sensitive traffic and real time investigation is required. IP traceback schemes can be used for tracing the source of attacks. We propose the use of mobile agents to perform real time IP Traceback.

Smart City Mobile Apps Exploratory Data Analysis: Mauritius Case

Fri, 31 Jan 2020 20:00:00 +0000

Advances in technology are quickly paving the way for smart cities. According to Economic Development Board Mauritius, the Government of Mauritius has set up the Smart City Scheme to provide an enabling framework and a package of attractive fiscal and non-fiscal incentives to investors for the development of smart cities across the island. However, prior to the design and implementation of such technologies, it is important to predict the behavioural intention to use such technology so that smart city technologies effectively empower citizens and improve the quality of life of citizens. In this research work, it is proposed to use the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) to effectively assess the perception and readiness and the perceived usefulness of certain smart city technologies such as for transportation as well as identifying key smart city applications for Mauritius. The aim of this research project is to evaluate …

2020 Zooming Innovation in Consumer Technologies Conference (ZINC)

Mon, 25 May 2020 20:00:00 +0000

Presents an index of the authors whose articles are published in the conference proceedings record.

A Smart Virtual Tutor with Facial Emotion Recognition for Online Learning

Tue, 24 May 2022 20:00:00 +0000

The main aim of our work is to determine whether a virtual tutor can effectively deal with student queries in online distance learning environments. We adopted a Machine Learning (ML) approach to devise a prototype of a smart autonomous tutor which can understand queries and provide responses. Furthermore, with the use of the Web Camera, the virtual tutor can identify the emotion of the The main aim of our work is to determine whether a virtual tutor can effectively deal with student queries in online distance learning environments. We adopted a Machine Learning (ML) approach to devise a prototype of a smart autonomous tutor which can understand queries and provide responses. Furthermore, with the use of the Web Camera, the virtual tutor can identify the emotion of the student when reading the provided response. This helps the virtual tutor to assess the appropriateness of the provided response. Students can type or use voice commands to ask a question and the response is also provided in both text and voice. The approach is mainly based on the application of the Recurrent Neural Network (RNN) with the Long Short Term Memory Algorithm (LSTM) to determine the query of the user. Emotion detection is based on the Convolutional Neural Network (CNN) approach. Our experiments demonstrate testing accuracy of around 87% for query detection and around 62% for emotion detection.

On the Implementation of Contact Tracing via GPS

Tue, 24 May 2022 20:00:00 +0000

Detecting Malicious IoT Traffic using Supervised Machine Learning Algorithms

Tue, 24 May 2022 20:00:00 +0000

IoT comprises of devices connected to each other through the internet. Such IoT networks are now becoming easy prey for attackers. The attacks conducted can however be detected through the use of machine learning techniques. In this paper, Random Forest, Logistic Regression, Naive Bayes and Decision Tree machine learning algorithms are investigated in order to detect malicious traffic in an IoT network. The IoT-23 dataset is used. Best results were obtained using Decision tree

Ensuring Secure Communication from an IoT Edge Device to a Server Through IoT Communication Protocols

Thu, 15 Apr 2021 20:00:00 +0000

The Internet of things (IoT) is seen as one of the next Internet revolutions. More and more IoT devices are connecting to the Internet. These devices sense the physical world and perform some tasks in response to events occurring. Such devices are identified through unique IP addresses and often have to send data which might be sensitive and confidential over the network. Thus, the security of the data packets sent by IoT devices over the Internet has to be considered. The Constrained Application Protocol (CoAP) supports the RESTful HTTP functionalities and has been proposed specifically for IoT devices which are characterized by low processing power and energy. However, CoAP uses UDP protocol and must rely on the Datagram Transport Layer Security (DTLS) and sometimes on IPSec for security. In this paper, the focus has been on the practical evaluation of the different mechanisms that can be used to secure data packets being sent by IoT devices, to ensure that communication from the IoT node to the cloud/server is not compromised; and data is encrypted ensuring full end-to-end security. The IoT technologies communication protocols considered are transport layer and application layer protocols HTTP, CoAP, and FTP. A testbed was implemented which allow connectivity between a resource-constrained device, namely a Raspberry Pi, and a cloud server. Using this test bed, the different communication protocols for IoT secure connectivity have been assessed.

The Impact of Fluoxetine Treatment on BDNF Signaling and Cellular Plasticity in the Brain

Wed, 31 Dec 2014 20:00:00 +0000

The neurotrophin hypothesis of depression, which states that the pathophysiology of depression is caused by a lack of neurotrophic support, has gained much interest over the past years. Chronic exposure to stress, a major determinant of depression decreases neurotrophin production in the brain. These neurotrophins, like brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), are critically involved in the proliferation, survival and differentiation of new neurons in the subgranular zone of the hippocampus. Besides their role in neurogenesis, neurotrophins play a pivotal role in synaptogenesis, synaptic plasticity, dendritic arborization and long-term potentiation. As such, neurotrophins are a crucial factor regulating plasticity in the brain. The functional effects of neurotrophins are evident from their important role in memory formation, cognitive function, and resilience to stress and depression. Not only do neurotrophins like BDNF have intrinsic antidepressant properties, studies show that antidepressants, including selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRI‘s) such as fluoxetine, critically depend on functional BDNF signaling. The neurotrophin hypothesis of depression helps explaining why antidepressants require a few weeks of administration before they become therapeutically effective, although they acutely increase neurotransmitter levels in the brain. Antidepressants increase the expression of BDNF, and as a consequence of its

Behavioral and neurochemical characterization of TrkB-dependent mechanisms of agomelatine in glucocorticoid receptor-impaired mice

Thu, 31 Dec 2015 20:00:00 +0000

Growing evidence indicates that impairment of the stress response, in particular the negative feedback regulation mechanism exerted by the hypothalamo–pituitary–adrenal (HPA) axis, might be responsible for the hippocampal atrophy observed in depressed patients. Antidepressants, possibly through the activation of BDNF signaling, may enhance neuroplasticity and restore normal hippocampal functions. In this context, glucocorticoid receptor-impaired (GR-i) mice-a transgenic mouse model of reduced GR-induced negative feedback regulation of the HPA axis-were used to investigate the role of BDNF/TrkB signaling in the behavioral and neurochemical effects of the new generation antidepressant drug, agomelatine. GR-i mice exhibited marked alterations in depressive-like and anxiety-like behaviors, together with a decreased cell proliferation and altered levels of neuroplastic and epigenetic markers in the hippocampus. GR-i mice and their wild-type littermates were treated for 21 days with vehicle, agomelatine (50 mg/kg/day; i.p) or the TrkB inhibitor Ana-12 (0.5 mg/kg/day, i.p) alone, or in combination with agomelatine. Chronic treatment with agomelatine resulted in antidepressant-like effects in GR-i mice and reversed the deficit in hippocampal cell proliferation and some of the alterations of mRNA plasticity markers in GR-i mice. Ana-12 blocked the effect of agomelatine on motor activity as well as its ability to restore a normal hippocampal cell proliferation and expression of neurotrophic factors. Altogether, our findings indicate that agomelatine requires TrkB signaling to reverse some of the molecular and behavioral alterations caused by HPA axis impairment.

5-HTT independent effects of fluoxetine on neuroplasticity

Thu, 18 Apr 2019 20:00:00 +0000

Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors are among the most prescribed antidepressants. Fluoxetine is the lead molecule which exerts its therapeutic effects, at least in part, by promoting neuroplasticity through increased brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF)/tropomyosin-related receptor kinase B (TrkB) signalling. It is unclear however, to which extent the neuroplastic effects of fluoxetine are solely mediated by the inhibition of the serotonin transporter (5-HTT). To answer this question, the effects of fluoxetine on neuroplasticity were analysed in both wild type (WT) and 5-Htt knock-out (KO) mice. Using Western blotting and RT-qPCR approaches, we showed that fluoxetine 10 µM activated BDNF/TrkB signalling pathways in both CD1 and C57BL/6J mouse primary cortical neurons. Interestingly, effects on BDNF signalling were observed in primary cortical neurons from both 5-Htt WT and KO mice. In addition, a 3-week in vivo fluoxetine treatment (15 mg/kg/d; i.p.) increased the expression of plasticity genes in brains of both 5-Htt WT and KO mice, and tended to equally enhance hippocampal cell proliferation in both genotypes, without reaching significance. Our results further suggest that fluoxetine-induced neuroplasticity does not solely depend on 5-HTT blockade, but might rely, at least in part, on 5-HTT-independent direct activation of TrkB.

Applying System Dynamics to Software Quality Management

Tue, 31 Jan 2017 20:00:00 +0000

espite the significant evolution within the software industry, software quality remains a pertinent problem to many organisations today. This is because interactions between software project parameters in software development environment are complex and dynamic. Both management and developers have problems monitoring the fluctuations in quality that occur within the development process. This paper provides an insight on quality fluctuations that occur in a software project, using a quality index. The research focuses not only on changes on software project parameters that occur at the end but also throughout the software development process through dynamic modelling. The findings proved the ratio of 75-25 experienced to inexperienced staffs percentage to be the most practical combination. Likewise, the right balance of schedule pressure is determined and recommended so that it contributes to increasing the productivity during software development.

SOCIAL MEDIA ANALYTICS–MEASUREMENT OF SOCIAL MEDIA EFFECTIVENESS BASED ON THE EXAMPLE OF ‘FACEBOOK KPIs’

Thu, 30 Apr 2015 20:00:00 +0000

Today’s business environment requires not only traditional marketing activities. Furthermore, companies are more enforced to implement social media activities in their business strategy in order to stay competitive and gain valuable insights of their customers. Within today’s business environment, social media is seen as an efficient service that has to be used in order to get insights on customer needs and changing requirements and therefore be able to quickly react on them. Social media contains several channels that companies can use to get in contact with their customers easily but all social media channels that a company uses have to be monitored and measured in order to evaluate their effectiveness. Without implementing an effective monitoring and measuring process, social media activities will fail and will not result in the expected outcomes. This is not only a theoretical assumption since this is an approach that many companies already follow to avoid spending money in activities that are not bringing any added value to the company itself. Therefore the topic of “Social Media Analytics” that is highly discussed in literature also has a huge practical implication for companies using social media services actively on today’s market place. This paper provides the service of using a social media monitoring and measurement strategy following a four step approach that is often used in today’s business practice. In order to get a better understanding how this process is practically applied in today’s business environment,‘facebook’will be used as a practical service example since this is a common social media channel of which most of the …

Long-term consequences of chronic fluoxetine exposure on the expression of myelination-related genes in the rat hippocampus

Mon, 21 Sep 2015 20:00:00 +0000

The selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) fluoxetine is widely prescribed for the treatment of symptoms related to a variety of psychiatric disorders. After chronic SSRI treatment, some symptoms remediate on the long term, but the underlying mechanisms are not yet well understood. Here we studied the long-term consequences (40 days after treatment) of chronic fluoxetine exposure on genome-wide gene expression. During the treatment period, we measured body weight; and 1 week after treatment, cessation behavior in an SSRI-sensitive anxiety test was assessed. Gene expression was assessed in hippocampal tissue of adult rats using transcriptome analysis and several differentially expressed genes were validated in independent samples. Gene ontology analysis showed that upregulated genes induced by chronic fluoxetine exposure were significantly enriched for genes involved in myelination. We also investigated the expression of myelination-related genes in adult rats exposed to fluoxetine at early life and found two myelination-related genes (Transferrin (Tf) and Ciliary neurotrophic factor (Cntf)) that were downregulated by chronic fluoxetine exposure. Cntf, a neurotrophic factor involved in myelination, showed regulation in opposite direction in the adult versus neonatally fluoxetine-exposed groups. Expression of myelination-related genes correlated negatively with anxiety-like behavior in both adult and neonatally fluoxetine-exposed rats. In conclusion, our data reveal that chronic fluoxetine exposure causes on the long-term changes in expression of genes involved in myelination, a process that shapes brain connectivity and contributes to symptoms of psychiatric disorders.

Localised Approach to Solid Waste Management: System Dynamics, Life-cycle Assessment, Institutional and Legislative Frameworks

Thu, 02 Apr 2015 20:00:00 +0000

Integrated solid waste management (ISWM) is a comprehensive waste-prevention, recycling, composting and disposal programme. 1 It can be defined as the selection and application of suitable techniques, technologies and management programmes to achieve specific waste management (WM) objectives and goals. 2 A hierarchy in WM can be used to rank actions to implement programmes within the community. 3 The ISWM hierarchy, which was adopted by the United States Environmental Protection Agency (US EPA), is made up of the following elements, in order of priority: source reduction; recycling; waste transformation and disposal. As a concept or principle, the hierarchy makes sense in a way that is difficult to oppose, as it echoes approaches that are widespread in human health and medicine, ie the adage that prevention is better than cure. Most would agree that it is more effective to avoid problems from the outset, than to invest in reactive solutions once the problem has been presented. The parallels in human health and environmental protection are similar, and are supported by considerable scientific evidence and knowledge. 4 Waste streams, collection, treatment and disposal into a practical WM system are combined in an ISWM system, which aims at providing environmental sustainability, economic affordability and social acceptance for any specific region. 5 An effective ISWM system takes into consideration how to prevent, recycle, and manage solid waste in ways that most effectively protect human health and the environment. 6 This objective is achieved using a combination of a range of treatment options, including waste …

Solid Waste Collection and Transportation

Wed, 31 Dec 2014 20:00:00 +0000

Efficient waste management systems are essential in order to sustain economic and social development. However, most countries around the world are unable to maintain an adequate management system capable of handling the continuously growing mountain of waste that is is generated. This is mainly due to inefficient collection systems. Waste collection and transportation represents the ‘bottleneck’in integrated solid waste management (ISWM) operations and, for that matter, any other waste management strategies. Without collection, waste cannot be disposed of, treated or re-used. On the other hand, failing to collect waste leads to environmental and socio-economic repercussions.Waste collection and transportation began in the early days of urbanisation. It has become a regular practice since then, and subsequently a key player in waste management. Nowadays, waste has to be collected on a regular basis (at least once per week). In most countries, the issue ranks among national priorities. The types of waste collected include domestic, commercial, bulk, construction, hazardous and industrial waste. Separation at source is very popular in developed countries; this consists of segregating plastic, paper, metal, glass, kitchen and green waste into respective bins. Authorities schedule specific collection days for such categories of waste. Waste collection and transportation are regarded as the most costly activities in waste management. Local authorities earmark a significant portion (around 85 per cent) of their annual budget to waste collection, as opposed to other waste-management activities. 1 This is attributable to the various expenses …

Ethanol-induced epigenetic regulations at the Bdnf gene in C57BL/6J mice

Mon, 28 Apr 2014 20:00:00 +0000

High ethanol intake is well known to induce both anxiolytic and anxiogenic effects, in correlation with chromatin remodeling in the amygdaloid brain region and deficits in cell proliferation and survival in the hippocampus of rodents. Whether only moderate but chronic ethanol intake in C57BL/6J mice could also have an impact on chromatin remodeling and neuroplasticity was addressed here. Chronic ethanol consumption in a free choice paradigm was found to induce marked changes in the expression of genes implicated in neural development and histone post-translational modifications in the mouse hippocampus. Transcripts encoding neural bHLH activators and those from Bdnf exons II, III and VI were upregulated, whereas those from Bdnf exon VIII and Hdacs were downregulated by ethanol compared with water consumption. These ethanol-induced changes were associated with enrichment in both acetylated H3 at Bdnf promoter PVI and trimethylated H3 at PII and PIII. Conversely, acetylated H3 at PIII and PVIII and trimethylated H3 at PVIII were decreased in ethanol-exposed mice. In parallel, hippocampal brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) levels and TrkB-mediated neurogenesis in the dentate gyrus were significantly enhanced by ethanol consumption. These results suggest that, in C57BL/6J mice, chronic and moderate ethanol intake produces marked epigenetic changes underlying BDNF overexpression and downstream hippocampal neurogenesis.

The study of the complexity of software quality to promote sustainable growth in business through the delivery of quality software

Sat, 31 Dec 2011 20:00:00 +0000

Software quality remains a crucial aspect due to its strong correlation with client’s satisfaction and/or expectation, the organisation’s image, profitability and competitiveness on the market. Through the added-value that quality products bring, more clients are attracted to the business, thereby promoting sustainable growth that is the realistically attainable growth that a company could maintain without running into problems.The development of a software project always goes through a software development life cycle (SDLC) and irrespective of the model exercised, human factors are always involved in almost all the cycles thus increasing the degree of complexity in software quality. Moreover, there are many interrelated parameters involved through the SDLC whereby changes done to one parameter for example a change in the Software Requirement Specification (SRS) will cause a cascading effect to other parameters such as the design, implementation and testing. The objective of this research is to study the complexity of software quality through the relationships between parameters, their respective and overall impact on software quality.

TrkB inhibition as a therapeutic target for CNS-related disorders

Tue, 31 Jul 2012 20:00:00 +0000

The interaction of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) with its tropomyosin-related kinase receptor B (TrkB) is involved in fundamental cellular processes including neuronal proliferation, differentiation and survival as well as neurotransmitter release and synaptic plasticity. TrkB signaling has been widely associated with beneficial, trophic effects and many commonly used psychotropic drugs aim to increase BDNF levels in the brain. However, it is likely that a prolonged increased TrkB activation is observed in many pathological conditions, which may underlie the development and course of clinical symptoms. Interestingly, genetic and pharmacological studies aiming at decreasing TrkB activation in rodent models mimicking human pathology have demonstrated a promising therapeutic landscape for TrkB inhibitors in the treatment of various diseases, e.g. central nervous system (CNS) disorders and several types of cancer. Up to date, only a few selective and potent TrkB inhibitors have been developed. As such, the use of crystallography and in silico approaches to model BDNF–TrkB interaction and to generate relevant pharmacophores represent powerful tools to develop novel compounds targeting the TrkB receptor.

Prenatal stress and early-life exposure to fluoxetine have enduring effects on anxiety and hippocampal BDNF gene expression in adult male offspring

Wed, 25 Nov 2015 20:00:00 +0000

With the growing use of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor medications (SSRIs) for the treatment of depression during the perinatal period, questions have been raised about the longterm impact of these medications on development. We aimed to investigate how developmental SSRI exposure may alter affect-related behaviors and associated molecular processes in offspring using a rodent model of maternal stress and depression. For this purpose, prenatally stressed or non-stressed male offspring were exposed to fluoxetine (5 mg/kg/day) or vehicle, via lactation, until weaning. Primary results show that postnatal fluoxetine exposure differentially altered anxiety-like behavior by increasing anxiety in non-stressed offspring and decreasing anxiety in prenatally stressed offspring. In the hippocampus, developmental fluoxetine exposure decreased BDNF IV and TrkB mRNA expression. Prenatal stress alone also decreased escape behaviors and decreased hippocampal BDNF IV mRNA expression. These data provide important evidence for the long-term programming effects of early-life exposure to SSRIs on brain and behavior.

An Evaluation of Possible Causes of Rising CO 2 Emissions for Curbside Solid Waste Collection Vehicles in Mauritius.

Sat, 30 Jun 2012 20:00:00 +0000

The need for a suitable and efficient solid waste collection and transportation system is essential in order to minimise environmental impacts. Collection vehicles consume significant amount of diesel, engendering high CO2 emissions as well as elevated costs. This paper focuses on the evaluation of possible causes for the rising CO2 emissions for curbside waste collection vehicles, through the causal analysis of 6 different collection areas in Mauritius. As disclosed by the survey carried out in this research, a collection vehicle in Mauritius is likely to emit about 7 metric tons of CO2 per annum. Hence, determining the factors influencing such a high level of emission is fundamental. The causal analysis is an effective means to identify and understand the relationships and impacts of various parameters affecting emissions for these types of vehicle.

Developmental fluoxetine exposure increases behavioral despair and alters epigenetic regulation of the hippocampal BDNF gene in adult female offspring

Thu, 31 Mar 2016 20:00:00 +0000

A growing number of infants are exposed to selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) medications during the perinatal period. Perinatal exposure to SSRI medications alter neuroplasticity and increase depressive- and anxiety-related behaviors, particularly in male offspring as little work has been done in female offspring to date. The long-term effects of SSRI on development can also differ with previous exposure to prenatal stress, a model of maternal depression. Because of the limited work done on the role of developmental SSRI exposure on neurobehavioral outcomes in female offspring, the aim of the present study was to investigate how developmental fluoxetine exposure affects anxiety and depression-like behavior, as well as the regulation of hippocampal brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) signaling in the hippocampus of adult female offspring. To do this female Sprague–Dawley rat offspring were exposed to prenatal stress and fluoxetine via the dam, for a total of four groups of female offspring: 1) No Stress + Vehicle, 2) No Stress + Fluoxetine, 3) Prenatal Stress + Vehicle, and 4) Prenatal Stress + Fluoxetine. Primary results show that, in adult female offspring, developmental SSRI exposure significantly increases behavioral despair measures on the forced swim test, decreases hippocampal BDNF exon IV mRNA levels, and increases levels of the repressive histone 3 lysine 27 tri-methylated mark at the corresponding promoter. There was also a significant negative correlation between hippocampal BDNF exon IV mRNA levels and immobility in the forced swim test. No effects of prenatal stress or developmental fluoxetine exposure were seen on tests of anxiety-like behavior. This research provides important evidence for the long-term programming effects of early-life exposure to SSRIs on female offspring, particularily with regard to affect–related behaviors and their underlying molecular mechanisms.

Techniques for the reduction of CO2 emissions for solid waste collection vehicles.

Thu, 31 Dec 2009 20:00:00 +0000

Carbon management is becoming an important element of integrated waste management waste management Subject Category: Miscellaneous

Hippocampal and behavioral dysfunctions in a mouse model of environmental stress: normalization by agomelatine

Mon, 24 Nov 2014 20:00:00 +0000

Stress-induced alterations in neuronal plasticity and in hippocampal functions have been suggested to be involved in the development of mood disorders. In this context, we investigated in the hippocampus the activation of intracellular signaling cascades, the expression of epigenetic markers and plasticity-related genes in a mouse model of stress-induced hyperactivity and of mixed affective disorders. We also determined whether the antidepressant drug agomelatine, a MT1/MT2 melatonergic receptor agonist/5-HT2C receptor antagonist, could prevent some neurobiological and behavioral alterations produced by stress. C57BL/6J mice, exposed for 3 weeks to daily unpredictable socio-environmental stressors of mild intensity, were treated during the whole procedure with agomelatine (50 mg kg−1 per day, intraperitoneal). Stressed mice displayed robust increases in emotional arousal, vigilance and motor activity, together with a reward deficit and a reduction in anxiety-like behavior. Neurobiological investigations showed an increased phosphorylation of intracellular signaling proteins, including Atf1, Creb and p38, in the hippocampus of stressed mice. Decreased hippocampal level of the repressive epigenetic marks HDAC2 and H3K9me2, as well as increased level of the permissive mark H3K9/14ac suggested that chronic mild stress was associated with increased gene transcription, and clear-cut evidence was further indicated by changes in neuroplasticity-related genes, including Arc, Bcl2, Bdnf, Gdnf, Igf1 and Neurod1. Together with other findings, the present data suggest that chronic ultra-mild stress can model the hyperactivity or psychomotor agitation, as well as the mixed affective behaviors often observed during the manic state of bipolar disorder patients. Interestingly, agomelatine could normalize both the behavioral and the molecular alterations induced by stress, providing further insights into the mechanism of action of this new generation antidepressant drug.

Web-Based Medical Diagnosis System Using a Fuzzy Approach.

Thu, 01 Jan 1970 00:00:00 +0000

Adaptive Ant Agents for Waste Collection Route Optimisation.

Thu, 01 Jan 1970 00:00:00 +0000

The constant growth in consumption has resulted in a significant rise in waste generation. This has urged local authorities to develop improved waste management solutions to tackle the waste conundrum. Amongst these solutions, the most likely one remains the optimisation of the waste collection process. Waste collection is a major element for any waste management system. It has a high economical impact together with eminent environmental and social consequences. Authorities and research bodies have worked on various ways to optimise the collection process. This has led to significant improvements in waste collection. Nevertheless the best means for optimising the process is yet to be achieved.Minimising transportation costs are the prime objectives when optimising waste collection. To meet such objectives, collection vehicles need to have the least travelling distance and time in a particular collection …

Neurotrophic factors and neuroplasticity pathways in the pathophysiology and treatment of depression

Fri, 29 Jun 2018 20:00:00 +0000

Depression is a major health problem with a high prevalence and a heavy socioeconomic burden in western societies. It is associated with atrophy and impaired functioning of cortico-limbic regions involved in mood and emotion regulation. It has been suggested that alterations in neurotrophins underlie impaired neuroplasticity, which may be causally related to the development and course of depression. Accordingly, mounting evidence suggests that antidepressant treatment may exert its beneficial effects by enhancing trophic signaling on neuronal and synaptic plasticity. However, current antidepressants still show a delayed onset of action, as well as lack of efficacy. Hence, a deeper understanding of the molecular and cellular mechanisms involved in the pathophysiology of depression, as well as in the action of antidepressants, might provide further insight to drive the development of novel fast-acting and more effective therapies. Here, we summarize the current literature on the involvement of neurotrophic factors in the pathophysiology and treatment of depression. Further, we advocate that future development of antidepressants should be based on the neurotrophin theory.

Green computing: an awareness survey among university of technology, mauritius students

Fri, 31 Aug 2012 20:00:00 +0000

Given the emphasis of saving the Earth against the effect of global warming, green technology has become mandatory in every aspect of life today. Green computing is the study and practice of using computing resources efficiently so as to reduce CO2 emission. This paper is an attempt to comprehend the awareness of green computing among the students of University of Technology, Mauritius. The results suggest that students have a moderate knowledge about green computing but their everyday green computing practices are not satisfactory. It is quite promising however, that the students surveyed intend to adopt green computing for the benefit of the environment and their future.

Epigenetic regulation of the BDNF gene: implications for psychiatric disorders

Mon, 05 Sep 2011 20:00:00 +0000

Abnormal brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) signaling seems to have a central role in the course and development of various neurological and psychiatric disorders. In addition, positive effects of psychotropic drugs are known to activate BDNF-mediated signaling. Although the BDNF gene has been associated with several diseases, molecular mechanisms other than functional genetic variations can impact on the regulation of BDNF gene expression and lead to disturbed BDNF signaling and associated pathology. Thus, epigenetic modifications, representing key mechanisms by which environmental factors induce enduring changes in gene expression, are suspected to participate in the onset of various psychiatric disorders. More specifically, various environmental factors, particularly when occurring during development, have been claimed to produce long-lasting epigenetic changes at the BDNF gene, thereby affecting availability and function of the BDNF protein. Such stabile imprints on the BDNF gene might explain, at least in part, the delayed efficacy of treatments as well as the high degree of relapses observed in psychiatric disorders. Moreover, BDNF gene has a complex structure displaying differential exon regulation and usage, suggesting a subcellular- and brain region-specific distribution. As such, developing drugs that modify epigenetic regulation at specific BDNF exons represents a promising strategy for the treatment of psychiatric disorders. Here, we present an overview of the current literature on epigenetic modifications at the BDNF locus in psychiatric disorders and related animal models.

Fully fuzzy Sylvester matrix equation

Wed, 31 Dec 2014 20:00:00 +0000

The Sylvester equation arises in many application areas, for instance process and system control, and in the fuzzy setting, solution of this equation has been considered only in the case when the right-hand side matrix is a fuzzy matrix. This paper introduces the fully fuzzy Sylvester matrix equation A˜X˜-X˜B˜=C˜, where the fuzzy matrices A˜, B˜ and C˜ are of order n, m and n × m, respectively. The fuzzy matrix X˜ is the sought after solution. A two-step scheme is developed for the solution of this system. The first step solves the 1-cut of the problem and the second step assigns unknown symmetric spreads to each row of the 1-cut expansions. The symmetric spreads are obtained by solving 2mn linear equations, depending on whether the coefficient matrices are both positive, or both negative, or a mixture of positive and negative. We show that the spreads are equivalent to zero when the membership function is one for both the coefficient matrices and the right-hand side matrix. Examples are given to illustrate the merit of the proposed procedure for determining a bounded solution to the fully fuzzy linear Sylvester equation.

A new method for accelerating Arnoldi algorithms for large scale eigenproblems

Wed, 30 Sep 2009 20:00:00 +0000

We propose a new method for accelerating the convergence of the implicitly restarted Arnoldi (IRA) algorithm for the solution of large sparse nonsymmetric eigenvalue problems. A new relationship between the residual of the current step and the residual in the previous step is derived and we use this relationship to develop a technique for dynamically switching the Krylov subspace dimension at successive cycles. We give numerical results for various difficult nonsymmetric eigenvalue problems that demonstrate the capability of the dynamic switching strategy for significantly accelerating the convergence of Arnoldi algorithms. For some large scale difficult eigenvalue problems that arise in the fields of computational fluid dynamics, electrical engineering and materials science, our strategy leads to significant reductions in the number of matrix–vector products, orthogonalization costs and computational time.

A self green ICT maturity assessment tool for SMEs

Tue, 06 May 2014 20:00:00 +0000

In an attempt to reduce the effect of global warming, tremendous research works are now focusing on greening ICT and greening by ICT. As such several maturity models have been designed to track the progress of an organisation. However, these models are not easily accessible by Small Medium Enterprises due to the high cost involves in consulting. Thus, based upon existing maturity framework, this paper presents a self green ICT maturity assessment tool which has the properties of being simple, efficient and accessible. Some business benefits with respects to the proposed green ICT maturity self-assessment tool are also illustrated.

Application of interval valued fuzzy matrices in medical diagnosis via a new approach

Mon, 25 Jul 2011 20:00:00 +0000

The concept of interval valued fuzzy matrices (IVFM), which is a generalization of fuzzy matrix and still in its infant stage, plays a crucial role in networks, document retrieval system, medical diagnosis, database management system, decision-making theory, control theory and dynamical systems. In this paper, we propose a new approach, denoted as ;, for the multiplication of IVFM, and we use this technique for predicting the stages (mild, moderate or severe) of diarrhea. This technique is more suitable than the composition (max. min.) to diagnose a disease and enable the physicians to have a better analytic understanding of present diagnostic process of diarrhea.

A Preconditioning algorithm for the positive solution of fully fuzzy linear system

Sat, 31 Dec 2011 20:00:00 +0000

A linear system of equations is called a fully fuzzy linear system (FFLS) if all the quantities of this system are fuzzy numbers. We consider the positive solution of FFLS, where the modal value (center) matrix is positive definite and we develop a new approximate procedure based on preconditioning. We observe from the numerical results that our method is more accurate than the iterative Jacobi, Gauss-Seidel and Successive Over-Relaxation (SOR) methods when finding approximate solutions of FFLS.

Fast approximations of bond option prices under CKLS models

Wed, 30 Nov 2011 20:00:00 +0000

A new computational method for approximating prices of zero-coupon bonds and bond option prices under general Chan–Karolyi–Longstaff–Schwartz models is proposed. The pricing partial differential equations are discretized using second-order finite difference approximations and an exponential time integration scheme combined with best rational approximations based on the Carathéodory–Fejér procedure is employed for solving the resulting semi-discrete equations. The algorithm has a linear computational complexity and provides accurate bond and European bond option prices. We give several numerical results which illustrate the computational efficiency of the algorithm and uniform second-order convergence rates for the computed bond and bond option prices.

Krylov subspace method for fuzzy eigenvalue problem

Tue, 31 Dec 2013 20:00:00 +0000

The eigenvalue problem arises in many application areas and in the fuzzy setting, focus has always been geared towards the finding of solution for the whole set of eigenvalues and corresponding eigenvectors. This paper introduces the computation of a few eigenpairs of a matrix with triangular fuzzy numbers as elements, where the modal matrix is assumed to be sparse and real symmetric. A two-step procedure is developed for the solution of this type of fuzzy eigenvalue problem. The first step solves the 1-cut of the problem, where the well-known Krylov subspace method, implicitly restarted Lanczos algorithm, is employed to approximate part of the spectrum with respect to either smallest or largest eigenvalues. The second step assigns unknown symmetric linear spreads to the approximate eigenpairs. Numerical experiments are provided to illustrate the efficiency of the proposed scheme for determining fuzzy symmetric eigenpairs of a fuzzy matrix.

Modified fuzzy relation and its applications

Mon, 31 Dec 2012 20:00:00 +0000

In this paper we used difference operator to obtain diagnostic conclusion about Diabetes by giving membership grades to symptoms of a disease from 0 to 1 with the help of fuzzy relations which depend upon Ro (an occurrence relation obtained by a sufficient number of patients), Rc (a conformability relation confirmed by doctors) and Rs (a matrix which contains degree of symptoms seen by doctor or given by himself).

Cooperative coevolutionary algorithms for optimal PSS tuning based on Monte-Carlo probabilistic small-signal stability assessment

Mon, 21 Sep 2020 20:00:00 +0000

This article presents a robust and optimal PSS tuning with the Monte-Carlo approach for probabilistic small-signal stability analysis in electric power systems under uncertainties. The uncertainties are mainly related to renewable energy and include production and demand in power systems. Additionally, lines and transformers contingencies have also been added. Probabilistic models of these uncertainties are constructed considering their characteristics. Subsequently, probabilistic small-signal stability assessment of the power system is carried out based on modal analysis via Monte-Carlo simulation. The proposed method is tested by analyzing the eigenvalues of New England New York benchmark system, where stable, unstable, and oscillatory modes are first identified in the deterministic framework and extended to a probabilistic context as the deterministic one is limited for particular operating states. Additionally, local and inter-area modes of electromechanical oscillation are classified, and PSS optimal placement and tuning are performed to ensure sufficient damping under uncertainties. Relevant discussion of stability enhancement using the proposed approach has been illustrated.

Green ICT maturity models Towards a general approach

Thu, 03 Dec 2015 20:00:00 +0000

A lot of effort is still required in greening ICT and the use of ICT to green organisations. However, Green ICT initiatives are hard to sustain. In this context, Green ICT maturity models help by providing a benchmarking tool and a roadmap. However, several Green ICT maturity models have been proposed by different researchers over the years with no clear justification. This makes it difficult for companies to choose which Green ICT maturity model to adopt. This research aims at comparing the different Green ICT maturity models. This could help companies manage their Green ICT initiatives in a more sustainable way. It will analyse the evolution of Green ICT maturity models and provide cues for further research in this area.

Similarity between max min and riv technique with reference to two diseases diarrhea and diabetes

Sat, 31 Dec 2011 20:00:00 +0000

In this paper we try to prove using two case studies (based on application of fuzzy matrices) that Max Min operator on matrices almost produces same results as< R| V> technique on interval valued matrices. As max min operator fails in interval valued matrices where< R| V> technique can work effectively.

A-posteriori residual bounds for Arnoldi’s methods for nonsymmetric eigenvalue problems

Fri, 25 Jun 2010 20:00:00 +0000

Convergence of the implicitly restarted Arnoldi (IRA) method for nonsymmetric eigenvalue problems has often been studied by deriving bounds for the angle between a desired eigenvector and the Krylov projection subspace. Bounds for residual norms of approximate eigenvectors have been less studied and this paper derives a new a-posteriori residual bound for nonsymmetric matrices with simple eigenvalues. The residual vector is shown to be a linear combination of exact eigenvectors and a residual bound is obtained as the sum of the magnitudes of the coefficients of the eigenvectors. We numerically illustrate that the convergence of the residual norm to zero is governed by a scalar term, namely the last element of the wanted eigenvector of the projected matrix. Both cases of convergence and non-convergence are illustrated and this validates our theoretical results. We derive an analogous result for implicitly restarted refined Arnoldi (IRRA) and for this algorithm, we numerically illustrate that convergence is governed by two scalar terms appearing in the linear combination which drives the residual norm to zero. We provide a set of numerical results that validate the residual bounds for both variants of Arnoldi methods.

Analysis of an implicitly restarted simpler GMRES variant of augmented GMRES

Mon, 22 Mar 2010 20:00:00 +0000

We analyze a Simpler GMRES variant of augmented GMRES with implicit restarting for solving nonsymmetric linear systems with small eigenvalues. The use of a shifted Arnoldi process in the Simpler GMRES variant for computing Arnoldi basis vectors has the advantage of not requiring an upper Hessenberg factorization and this often leads to cheaper implementations. However the use of a non-orthogonal basis has been identified as a potential weakness of the Simpler GMRES algorithm. Augmented variants of GMRES also employ non-orthogonal basis vectors since approximate eigenvectors are added to the Arnoldi basis vectors at the end of a cycle and in case the approximate eigenvectors are ill-conditioned, this may have an adverse effect on the accuracy of the computed solution. This problem is the focus of our paper where we analyze the shifted Arnoldi implementation of augmented GMRES with implicit restarting and compare its performance and accuracy with that based on the Arnoldi process. We show that augmented Simpler GMRES with implicit restarting involves a transformation matrix which leads to an efficient implementation and we theoretically show that our implementation generates the same subspace as the corresponding GMRES variant. We describe various numerical tests that indicate that in cases where both variants are successful, our method based on Simpler GMRES keeps comparable accuracy as the augmented GMRES variant. Also, the Simpler GMRES variants perform better in terms of computational time required.

Enhancing Deep Learning Capabilities with Genetic Algorithm for Detecting Software Defects

Thu, 15 Apr 2021 20:00:00 +0000

Regardless of existing and well-defined processes, some defects are inevitable, resulting in software performance degradation. The use of traditional machine learning techniques can automate the prediction of software defects. This automated approach significantly improves the quality of the finished product and reduces the cost incurred during development and maintenance stages. The accuracy of artificial neural networks for the automatic prediction of software bugs, can be further enhanced with the use of metaheuristics algorithms. We propose a hybrid approach which combines Genetic Algorithm (GA) and Deep Neural Network (DNN) to better classify software defects. GA is used as a pre-learning phase to automatically optimize the input features for the DNN, as irrelevant variables have a substantial negative impact on the prediction accuracy. Results from experiments using the PROMISE dataset, demonstrates that a DNN consuming optimized features yields better results.

A decentralized model of Wind turbine optimization

Wed, 22 May 2019 20:00:00 +0000

The decoupling of energy prices from fossil fuel is slowly making its way as investment is poured into renewable energy sources. Small Island Developing States are gaining in both stability and cost from this momentum but face threat from the same unsustainable centralization practices. A decentralized framework is proposed for Small Island Developing States aimed at achieving grid stability and in attracting independent financing mechanisms. This framework is applied from a Wind perspective and to ensure replicability on all types of terrains, and the model is analysed through three case studies: high-rise buildings, flat terrains and Gaussian terrains. This study provides a novel framework and a general solution for Wind farming over different terrain layouts including forbidden regions and complex topography.

A Ludo Cellular Automata model for microscopic traffic flow

Wed, 31 Aug 2016 20:00:00 +0000

The Ludo Cellular Automata (LCA) concept proposed in this paper, harnesses a stochastic approach for vehicle acceleration at microscopic level. Inspired by the traditional Ludo board game, a die roll in LCA coupled with a set of Ludo rules and biases have the potential to improve the stochasticity of traffic flow speed. Hence, LCA increases vehicle acceleration and deceleration accuracy. Furthermore, the model defines spaces with multiple-state, which can accommodate multiple constraints. Each space in a lane contains a speed value, which allows vehicles to react accordingly. The LCA model aims at providing a robust and flexible algorithm that enhances traffic flow accuracy and computation efficiency.

An implicit partial pivoting Gauss elimination algorithm for linear system of equations with fuzzy parameters

Sat, 31 Dec 2011 20:00:00 +0000

This paper considers the solution of fully fuzzy linear system (FFLS) by first reducing the system to crisp linear system. The novelty of this article lies in the application of Gauss elimination procedure with implicit partial pivoting to FFLS. The method is presented in detail and we use the Matlab® software for implementing the algorithm. Numerical examples are illustrated to demonstrate the efficiency of the variant of Gauss elimination method for solving FFLS.

Dimensions of energy security in small island developing states

Tue, 31 Jul 2018 20:00:00 +0000

For Small Island Developing States (SIDS) that import oil, energy security is very important and dealt with seriously. This paper attempts to fill a gap in the literature by identifying the dimensions that shape a secure and sustainable supply of energy in SIDS. Seven dimensions were identified and incorporated into a framework for conceptualising and assessing SIDS energy security which are: import dependency; energy prices; climate change and resilience; governance; infrastructure; equity; and energy efficiency. This study also recommends selected strategies and actions to improve energy security in SIDS.

A perspective on galactose-based fermentative hydrogen production from macroalgal biomass: trends and opportunities

Tue, 30 Apr 2019 20:00:00 +0000

This review analyses the relevant studies which focused on hydrogen synthesis by dark fermentation of galactose from macroalgal biomass by discussing the inoculum-related pretreatments, batch fermentation and inhibition, continuous fermentation systems, bioreactor designs for continuous operation and ionic liquid-assisted catalysis. The potential for process development is also revisited and the challenges towards suppressing glucose dominance over a galactose-based hydrogen production system are presented. The key challenges in the pretreatment process aiming to achieve a maximum recovery of upgradable (fermentable) sugars from the hydrolysates and promoting the concomitant detoxification of the hydrolysates have also been highlighted. The research avenues for bioprocess intensification connected to enhance selective sugar recovery and effective detoxification constitute the critical steps to develop future red macroalgae-derived galactose-based robust biohydrogen production system.

Production of cardboard from waste rice husk

Sat, 28 Feb 2015 20:00:00 +0000

Rice husk does not have substantial commercial value and generally present an environmental problem concerning its disposal. This investigation determines the suitability of producing cardboard from rice husk, thus, reducing the amount of pulping material required from virgin wood. Maceration process was used to produce cardboards from their pulps. For comparative evaluation, along with rice husk, bagasse and waste paper were used. The latter were blended in different ratios and their mechanical strength determined. Rice husk contained 15.2% lignin, 20.56% ash with kappa number of 99.48 while bagasse had 13.70% lignin and 2.23% ash with kappa number of 88.39. The maceration period of rice husk and bagasse was between 6 and 15 days and 5–10 days with the corresponding pulp yield of 40.44–46.55% and 46.01–36.76%, respectively. The average lignin content of rice husk pulp and bagasse …

Constructivist-based framework for teaching computer science

Sun, 31 Jul 2011 20:00:00 +0000

Open source ICT framework for developing countries

Wed, 25 Sep 2013 20:00:00 +0000

Open Source (OS) [1], [2] refers to a new software development paradigm where volunteers collaboratively create software. The promise of OS is better quality, higher reliability, more flexibility, lower cost, and an end to vendor lock-in. At the Intellect 2012 conference in London [3], Liam Maxwell, Cabinet Office Director of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) futures, championed that OS is the future model for delivering IT.

Context aware lightweight energy efficient framework

Thu, 23 Apr 2009 20:00:00 +0000

Context awareness is a capability whereby mobile computing devices can sense their physical environment and adapt their behavior accordingly. The term context-awareness, in ubiquitous computing, was introduced by Schilit in 1994 and has become one of the most exciting concepts in early 21st-century computing, fueled by recent developments in pervasive computing (ie mobile and ubiquitous computing). These include computing devices worn by users, embedded devices, smart appliances, sensors surrounding users and a variety of wireless networking technologies. Context-aware applications use context information to adapt interfaces, tailor the set of application-relevant data, increase the precision of information retrieval, discover services, make the user interaction implicit, or build smart environments. For example: A context aware mobile phone will know that the user is currently in a meeting room, and reject any unimportant calls. One of the major challenges in providing users with context-aware services lies in continuously monitoring their contexts based on numerous sensors connected to the context aware system through wireless communication. A number of context aware frameworks based on sensors have been proposed, but many of them have neglected the fact that monitoring with sensors imposes heavy workloads on ubiquitous devices with limited computing power and battery. In this paper, we present CALEEF, a lightweight and energy efficient context aware framework for resource limited ubiquitous devices.

SmartSense: A novel smart and intelligent context-aware framework

Thu, 01 Jan 1970 00:00:00 +0000

eExam Framework for Programming Classes

Wed, 05 Oct 2022 20:00:00 +0000

MediCloud: A Novel Cloud-Based Framework for Healthcare Applications

Fri, 31 Dec 2010 20:00:00 +0000

Saisense: A Novel Scalable, Adaptive and Intelligent Context-Aware Architecture

Fri, 31 Dec 2010 20:00:00 +0000

It is of utmost importance for the new generation of applications to be context-aware. Yet, context is poorly utilized. Building context-aware applications is currently complex and time consuming mainly due to a lack of architectural support. This paper presents SAIsense, a novel Scalable, Adaptive and Intelligent context-aware architecture that supports the development and evolution of context-aware applications. It enables applications to obtain the required context information without having to worry about how the context was sensed, performs context interpretation, storage and dissemination, and handles decision-making when new context is acquired. SAIsense is generic and has been able to support two completely different context-aware applications, namely a child tracking service and a parking service for a context-aware hotel. In addition to fully supporting all the requirements of a context-aware architecture …

C-Arc: A Novel Architecture for Next Generation Context-Aware Systems

Thu, 01 Jan 1970 00:00:00 +0000

Computing is becoming increasingly mobile and ubiquitous. This implies that applications and services must be aware and adapt to highly dynamic environments. However, building contextaware mobile services is currently a complex and time consuming task. The emergence of truly ubiquitous computing, enabled by the availability of mobile and heterogeneous devices and an increasing number of commercial off-the-shelf sensing technologies, is hampered by the lack of standard architectural support for the development of context-aware systems. In this paper, the common architecture principles of context-aware systems are presented and the crucial contextaware architecture issues to support the next generation context-aware systems which will enable seamless service provisioning in heterogeneous, dynamically varying computing and communication environments are identified and discussed. Furthermore, a novel architecture, CArc,

Donor Tracker: An Innovative Real-Time Tracking System for Blood Donors in Mauritius

Thu, 31 Dec 2009 20:00:00 +0000

In Mauritius, caravans are sent around the island to collect blood from volunteers. This ensures that storage of pints of blood does not get depleted. However, in cases of urgent requirement of fresh blood, for instance an open heart surgery, it is very hard to quickly find a blood donor. The problem is even worse if the blood group is rare. In this paper, we explore the possibility of using location-aware computing to track blood donors in Mauritius and locate the nearest donor in cases of emergencies and whenever fresh blood is required. A number of blood donor management systems exist but none of them tracks the real-time location of blood donors. DonorTracker, the proposed innovative system, provides an easy and fast way to find a blood donor, thus saving time and saving lives.

Context-Aware Hotels

Thu, 01 Jan 1970 00:00:00 +0000

Indriya2: A Heterogeneous Wireless Sensor Network (WSN) Testbed

Thu, 01 Jan 1970 00:00:00 +0000

Wireless sensor network testbeds are important elements of sensor network/IoT research. The Indriya testbed has been serving the sensor network community for the last 8 years. Researchers from more than a hundred institutions around the world have been actively using the testbed in their work. However, given that Indriya has been deployed for over 8 years, it has a number of limitations. For example, it lacks support for heterogeneous devices and the ability to handle data generated by the testbed with no loss, even at a relatively low sampling rate. In this paper, we present the design and implementation of an upgraded version of Indriya, Indriya2, with the following improvements, namely (1) support for heterogeneous sensor devices, (2) support for higher data rate through the infrastructure, (3) support for multiple users to schedule jobs over non-overlapping set of heterogeneous nodes at the same …

SENCAST: A Scalable Protocol for Unicasting and Multicasting in a Large Ad hoc Emergency Network

Thu, 01 Jan 1970 00:00:00 +0000

This paper presents a novel protocol, SENCAST, a scalable protocol for large ad hoc emergency network for unicasting and multicasting. SENCAST is scalable to a very large ad hoc network and adheres to emerging communication scenarios in emergency systems where mobile nodes typically work as a group and are involved in a collaborative manner. SENCAST not only distributes real-time information efficiently in such an environment, but the paths are discovered with low overheads by limiting the scope of route discovery packets to a region of potential paths creation. SENCAST uses context information like bandwidth available and location. Route reconfigurations are localised and thus limiting the sending of control packets to a specific region. The resiliency of the SENCAST is improved with multiple routes. Moreover, based on the movement of the source or the destination, routes may be extended in a localised manner or new routes being discovered in other areas while stale ones are dropped using a soft state approach. Furthermore, despite sending to groups of receivers, SENCAST has no overhead associated with group management.

Efficient and privacy-preserving access to sensor data for Internet of Things (IoT) based services

Mon, 04 Jan 2016 20:00:00 +0000

As a major driver of the Internet of Things (IoT), sensors are harvesting data, from their environments, that service providers make use to trigger the appropriate services. These service providers require access to a wide range of personal data, which are often sensitive. In this paper, we propose a lightweight privacy-preserving trust model based on the observation that a large class of applications can be provisioned based on simple threshold detection. The key issue we address in this work is how to minimize privacy loss in the presence of untrusted service providers so that providers are prevented from disclosing information to third parties for secondary uses. Our work can be considered as a lightweight approach to functional encryption (FE) for privacy-preservation. The main algorithm in the proposed model is a uniformization scheme that uses a combination of sensor aliases to hide the identity of the sensing source and per-function initialization vector to reveal information only to relevant service providers. We have implemented a prototype of the proposed scheme on TelsoB, thereby demonstrating the feasibility of the proposed scheme on resource-constrained devices.

OSSpolicy-An information and communications technology framework based on open source software for developing countries

Fri, 26 Oct 2012 20:00:00 +0000

Open source is the future model for delivering IT and even companies like Microsoft are moving towards open source community. Open source software contributes in meaningful ways to the economic development of a country. However, while many countries worldwide have already embraced open source solutions, the trend has remained to a large extent, a phenomenon for the developed economies. This paper proposes an Information and Communications Technology (ICT) framework with concrete policy measures, for individual users, companies and developers, that can help boost the use of open source software in developing countries and hence leverage the benefits inherent in such software to create sustainable development and support local technology innovation. The proposal is supported by results from a survey that was carried out in 2011 in Mauritius, a developing country, where responses were …

In hospite Symbiodinium photophysiology and antioxidant responses in Acropora muricata on a coast-reef scale: implications for variable bleaching patterns

Thu, 14 Jan 2016 20:00:00 +0000

Development of smart agroecology practices in tropical rooftop geodesic greenhouses

Tue, 04 Jul 2023 20:00:00 +0000

The project draws on a previous project funded by the MRIC which enabled the design, construction of geodesic rooftop greenhouses and subsequent testing of vegetable cultivation in a 4m diameter greenhouse. For the present project, 10 greenhouses will be produced with an efficient optimized design to implement agroecology principles applied to the 4 semi-edaphic zones prevailing in Mauritius (Insolation, humidity and temperature). Of the limited series of 10 greenhouses, 8 will be installed at referent users rooftops in the identified climatic zones and 2 will be operated by OTA on a demonstration site. The effectiveness of the control and embedded automation devices, as well as the organic gardening protocols with regard to specific climatic parameters will be monitored throughout an 8-month follow-up period. All the greenhouses will be equipped with atmospheric (insolation, humidity) and soil (redox) sensors, resulting in the production of data which will be supplemented by chemical analyzes (NPK). This monitoring protocol will require the full commitment of referent users for the crop cultivation as well as for the rigorous agronomic and key parameters observations. The scientific analysis of results will enable the establishment of accurate climatic control as well as phytosanitary needs within the greenhouses environment.

Building capacity to determine optimal post-harvest and processing practices for the production of quality cocoa beans and fine flavoured cocoa derived products in Mauritius

Wed, 05 Jul 2023 05:48:40 +0000

This project intends to support cocoa production, its post-harvest practices and processing in Mauritius in order to promote the production of high quality fine flavoured cocoa products for a premium market similar to the Mauritian rhum which has gained an international recognized “Made in Moris” product. In this context, the FAREI intends to determine the optimum post-harvest practices which include the fermentation and drying processes of different local accessions, using quality monitoring tools. Hence, a study will be carried out to assess the effect of different fermentation and sun drying durations on cocoa beans of these accessions. The best post-harvest practices for achieving superior bean quality will be thus identified. The project will be carried out with the collaboration of local cocoa producers. Furthermore, the processing of fermented and dried cocoa beans into cocoa products will be carried out using the “Cocoatown lab-scale Line kit”which includes a roaster, cocoa cracker, winnower, mini-grinder, and melanger. These lab-scale processing equipment will also be used for training of producers in cocoa processing and serve as a model to small scale agro-processors who want to venture in the business of cocoa processing. The processed cocoa derived product will be also assessed for their flavours.

Employment in the tourism and hospitality sector in Mauritius is in crisis: A study to close the skills gap

Tue, 04 Jul 2023 11:38:43 +0000

This project aims at identifying and assessing the skills gap that exists in the tourism/hospitality industry. Mauritius depends heavily on the tourism and hospitality sector which is an important pillar of the economy with strong employment generation and enterprise creation potential. As such it is essential to understand the needs and requirements of the sector to remain competitive and to overcome the post COVID-19 challenges. The overall GDP contribution of the tourism and hospitality sector to the economy of Mauritius for the year 2022 was estimated at around 8.0% (Statistics Mauritius, 2023). As for any service industry, labour is a key asset. The expectations of stakeholders (employers, employees, government bodies, industry partners and customers) are evolving very fast. Therefore, employees are required to have specific skills to cater for the growth of the sector. The labour force employed in the tourism sector has so far contributed significantly to enhance the uniqueness of the hospitality industry of Mauritius. The kindness, genuine element of care and unique warmth of the employees of the sector has left the vacationers. wanting to come back to the same destination multiple times.

Development and Application of a Model for the Assessment of Skills Gap in the Tourism and Hospitality Industry

Mon, 03 Jul 2023 20:00:00 +0000

The tourism and hospitality industry contributes substantially to the Mauritian economy and remains one of the key economic pillar of the country. The success of the industry undeniably depends to a large extent on the quality of its human resources. During the recent past the number of educational opportunities in the tourism and hospitality industry has been on the rise. Full-fledged undergraduate degrees are provided by several higher education institutions including both the public and private institutions. Certificate and diploma courses are also provided by vocationally geared institutions such as Polytechnics Mauritius and Ecole Hoteliere. Every year there is thefore an increasing pool of qualified youths seeking employment in the tourism and hospitality industry. However, issues of vertical and horizontal skills mismatch do exist in the industry and there is a need for empirical evidence regarding the precise nature of the skills mismatch so as to better inform relevant policies and strategies. Accordingly this study aims at developing and applying a customised skills gap model for Mauritian tourism and hospitality sector. The study adopts a sequential mixed methods approach (Phase 1 qualitative and Phase 2, quantitative). The empirical evidence gained will be used to devise relevant policies and strategies.

Developing the Smart Agrivoltaic Rooftop Greenhouse

Tue, 04 Jul 2023 10:47:59 +0000

Developing the Smart Agrivoltaic Greenhouse that is ideal for Mauritius and tropical conditions in the same region is vital for horticulture. We will develop permanent tempered glass roofs/walls that will endure cyclone-prone vulnerabilities by equipping sturdy construction for these greenhouses with new nanotechnology translucent photovoltaic panels/ bifacial solar photovoltaic encapsulated in glass-to-glass structure. Both the Nano Light Energy Panels (NLEP) and the glass-glass bifacial PV panels are lightweight, highly transparent, and generate energy even on cloudy days or when visible light (fluorescent light source) is available. This allows more sunlight for the horticulture enterprise where plants benefit more than where conventional opaque photovoltaic panels are used. Furthermore, Mycorrhizal fungi are beneficial for plant growth and productivity, as they form a mutualistic association with the roots of plants, providing them with essential nutrients and water. However, these fungi require optimal sunlight for their growth and activity. In greenhouses, where sunlight can be limited, it is important to provide the right conditions for mycorrhizal inoculated plants to thrive.

Understanding the needs and preferences of tourists for regional inland tourism: Case study of the region of Chamarel, Plaine Champagne and Petrin

Tue, 04 Jul 2023 10:44:04 +0000

Island destinations face unique challenges in promoting inland tourism and, like many island destinations, Mauritius faces challenges in promoting inland tourism development, including over-reliance on coastal and marine tourism resulting in pressure on the environment and social inequalities. After the pandemic, there has been growing interest in developing inland tourism as a way to diversify the tourism product and enhance the customer experience. This project examines the potential of inland tourism as a driver of tourism development in an island destination, using the inland region of Chamarel, Plaine Champagne and Petrin as a case study. This region consists of a combination of cultural tourism and nature-based tourism. Mauritius has recognised the potential of inland tourism to enhance the customer experience and has launched initiatives to promote inland tourism. These include the creation of nature reserves, cultural villages such as Chamarel, and eco-lodges, as well as the development of hiking and mountain biking trails (Mauritius Tourism Promotion Authority, 2021). However, tourists' customer perceptions of these regions in the context of inland tourism development have not been examined and there is still potential to improve customer experiences to develop a consolidated inland tourism product offering.

Development of a digital app (MauNature) for tourist nature-based activities

Tue, 04 Jul 2023 10:38:42 +0000

The objective of the project is to create a mobile application - MauNature that encourages nature-based activities and destinations, in order to increase their visibility and promote conservation efforts. It will provide both domestic and international travelers with useful information to plan their trips more effectively to Mauritius. Since nature lovers are generally drawn to less explored or unspoiled natural areas, as they seek to fully experience and engage with the natural world. MauNature will provide information and educate its users on how to preserve natural resources and protect the environment. The research will employ a focus group to gauge comprehension of nature-based tourism, while the development of the interactive mobile app will utilise the latest innovative technologies and follow the agile methodology.

This is Mauritius

Tue, 04 Jul 2023 10:32:35 +0000

The project aims at creating a specific digital application focusing on and targetting Travel, Tourism and Entertainment industries for tourist nature-based activities and general outdoor experience. This digital application shall be built to combine eco-tourism and mainstream tourism nature-based activities to generate outdoor entertainment general awareness. As a software built around hospitality & resorts activities, outdoor-restauration activities, nature walks and paths activities, eco-heritage activities, green and sustainable industry activities, sea-activities and entertainment, the reach would be value-added by tourist and stake holders experience and proposals on a rating method similar to that which is activated by the "Michelin Guide" or "Guide du Routard" in regards to and specifically oriented to Tourism Nature Based activities in Mauritius. This application software will be available for download on the global apps portal : Google and Apple. The SEO and audience reach marketing for the app would be performed as per tag words : #Mauritius #Discover #Nature #Activities #Portal #Expeditions Hence using a smartphone, a tablet or a Laptop, any individual enquiring about the outdoor and nature based activities in Mauritius would be able to find all info needed and requested on a unique and specific platform.

Immersive Discovery: 3D Virtual Visit of a National Heritage Site

Tue, 04 Jul 2023 10:25:08 +0000

The proposed project aims to create a bespoke interactive and immersive 3D virtual tour of Apravasi Ghat, a significant National Heritage Site. The virtual tour will be accessible through a dedicated app for the Metaverse, as well as Android and Apple apps for viewing on mobile devices and iPads. The virtual tour will provide a detailed exploration of Apravasi Ghat, offering visitors an engaging and informative experience. The tour will include a wealth of integrated information, such as the history of Apravasi Ghat and a detailed explanation of its significance. Visitors will be able to delve into the rich history of Apravasi Ghat, learn about its cultural importance, and understand its significance in the context of indentured laborers.

Mauritian Treasures App

Tue, 04 Jul 2023 10:19:43 +0000

Mauritian Treasures will be an app that will be mainly geared for tourists that are visiting Mauritius on their own as well as Mauritians that are willing to further explore the cultural facets of the country. The app will have the following categories: Religious heritage: A geolocation, images and explanations of the various religious sites that are scattered around the island. There will be an explanations about architecture, history, religious significance, beliefs and practices. This section will also speak about the various festivals in Mauritius and what is to be Sightseeing spots: This will be supplemented with historical facts as well as images of what to look out for: historical artefacts, names of fauna and flora, mountains, outer islands or rivers than can be seen from there. Foodie: Description of the various types of food that someone should try and discover. This will be supplemented with images, testimonials, and spots that have a good rating using Trip Advisor ratings at first. Local activities: Description of inland and nature based activities, as well as other outdoor and indoor activities that can be done as well as some practical tips and bookings. Road trips: Some road trips that can be combines to have a best of all of the above.

Postharvest processing of shellfish from local sources: an automated facility for oyster depuration and storage

Mon, 03 Jul 2023 20:00:00 +0000

Shellfish has been a reliable source of aquatic protein for Mauritian consumers. They are harvested by local fisherfolks and also farmed by few local aquaculture companies. Shellfish are filter feeders; they filter water and accumulate all the solid particulate matters in their guts while expelling out the seawater. Most of our shellfish such as oysters are harvested either in barachois, lagoons or coastal waters that are very often subjected to organic and inorganic pollution coming from the land. These contaminants accumulate into the oyster guts and can pose a real health hazard to consumers. The Food Act 1999 provides the baseline for maximum allowable metal contaminants and also microbiological standards for shellfish in Mauritius. However, to date, most of our shellfish harvested locally (with few exceptions from medium sized oyster farms) do not go through a proper process of depuration where these contaminants are eliminated prior to consumption. The present project proposes to set up an innovative depuration and storage facility for shellfish at the Grand Barachois of Poudre d'Or. Mauricoast Ltd, intends to set up the first state-of-the-art shellfish depuration facility in Mauritius and to develop a prototype of a small scale depuration kit that can be easily accessible to local shellfish fisherfolks and farmers.

Impactors.io - A platform for social and grassroots innovation ecosystem of the Indian Ocean

Tue, 04 Jul 2023 10:11:11 +0000

Impactors.io is a technological platform for the social and grassroots innovation ecosystem. Impactors unites innovators, social enterprises, research institutions, angel investors, venture capitalists, academia, impact investors, corporates, government institutions, civil society organisations on one platform. Impactors.io's primary function is to be a social network for the social and grassroots innovation ecosystems. It provides a central repository of social and grassroots innovation projects. A social or grassroots Innovator can post information on their project. They can choose what to disclose on their project. Other actors in the ecosystem can view the project and have relevant information, allowing any actor to act upon it. The platform equally has useful information and links for the ecosystem. It is the go-to platform for anything related to social and grassroots innovation in Mauritius (as a first phase and in the Indian Ocean as a second phase).

Social Innovation Lab - Empowering Women-Led Innovation through Design Thinking Skills Labs

Tue, 04 Jul 2023 10:03:59 +0000

Design Thinking is a versatile tool for innovation. From problem solving to discovering new opportunities in any area, this proven method uses a "human-centered" or people-oriented approach. It is rooted in the belief that innovative solutions emerge from the understanding of people's needs. By encouraging creativity, empathy, and experimentation, it becomes a valuable tool for grassroots women-led initiatives and businesses. It allows them to develop innovative solutions to complex challenges that are tailored to the unique needs and experiences of their target users. The proposed project is the setting up of a Social Innovation Lab for women-led grassroot initiatives that will conduct a series of interactive skills labs designed to provide participants with the skills and knowledge necessary to implement design thinking methodologies within their organizations. The Social Innovation Lab will help to ensure that the solutions developed are relevant, meaningful, and effective in addressing the specific needs of their communities. Additionally, design thinking emphasizes experimentation and iteration, allowing women-led initiatives to test and refine their solutions in a low-risk environment. This approach can help to build confidence and skills, as well as promote a culture of innovation and collaboration. Despite the significant contributions of women-led initiatives to social, economic, and environmental development, women remain underrepresented in innovation. Women-led initiatives often face systemic barriers to accessing resources and opportunities. These unique challenges and barriers hinder their ability to innovate, grow, and sustain their work. It includes a lack of innovation and providing services and products that meet a saturated market. This disparity is particularly pronounced for grassroots women-led initiatives which also lack the resources and support necessary to scale their impact. By prioritizing user-centeredness and empathy, design thinking can help women-led initiatives identify and address the root causes of complex challenges, resulting in more effective and impactful solutions. Additionally, the workshops will provide networking and collaboration opportunities for women-led initiatives, fostering a sense of community and support that is often lacking in the social impact space. Overall, this project is a critical step toward creating a more equitable and inclusive economy, where women-led initiatives have the resources and support necessary to drive creative and impactful solutions. The project will help to build stronger, more resilient communities by empowering women-led initiatives to develop solutions that are relevant and meaningful to their communities. By using a human-centered approach, the solutions developed will be more likely to be sustainable and effective in the long term. Supporting women-led initiatives will help to build a more inclusive and equitable society where women have an equal voice and opportunities. The Social Innovation Skills Lab will be providing a structured framework and a supportive community to promote the success and sustainability of women-led grassroots initiatives.

Upping Cloud

Tue, 04 Jul 2023 09:55:25 +0000

Upping.cloud is an innovation management platform that serves as a social innovation lab, enabling organizations to collaborate with individuals outside their organization to co-create and develop innovative solutions to societal and environmental challenges. Its features include a user-friendly interface that connects individuals and organizations, providing a platform for idea exchange, expertise sharing, and collaboration. The platform allows users to identify key challenges and explore potential solutions, supporting experimentation and learning. Additionally, upping.cloud leverages advanced technologies and data analytics to facilitate ideation, idea evaluation, and project management. By promoting collaboration, experimentation, and innovation, upping.cloud offers a powerful solution for organizations (public and private) seeking to drive positive social impact and create a sustainable future.

APEIM Art Academy

Tue, 04 Jul 2023 09:46:09 +0000

Our project, the A.P.E.I.M Art Academy is a school using Art Therapy which utilises visual arts to enrich the lives of individuals with disabilities. By exploring different creative activities, beneficiaries with disabilities learn how to uniquely express themselves and build technical skills along the way. This integrative and creative therapy has numerous benefits that include building self-esteem, enhancing communication, growing social skills, and more. With art therapy, individuals with disabilities have an outlet to explore their creativity, discover new passions, and boost their self-confidence. They can further develop understanding about themselves/their health or behaviour/and what they can do to enhance their well-being. The project will involve the teaching of Art through Art Therapy to beneficiaires and eventually opening the school to members of the public on weekends and during school holidays to enable inclusion and promote awareness on living with disabilities as well as raise funds for operating costs of the A.P.E.I.M Art Academy. The art produced by beneficiaries will be commercialised to further boost their self-esteem and validation and in order to raise funds for the project to be sustainable. The commercialization will be done through a website where funders and members of the public can place orders.

Investigating the factors leading to teenage pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections among teenagers in Rodrigues island to develop a community-based intervention

Tue, 04 Jul 2023 09:29:23 +0000

Adolescence is a period between 10 to 19years where several physical and emotional changes occur (WHO, 2014). As they do not always understand these changes, they are particularly vulnerable to peer pressure and to exposure to several reproductive health issues such as sexually transmitted diseases (STD) including HIV, unwanted pregnancies and unsafe abortions. Furthermore, the Sustainable Developmental goal (SDG 3) ensure the universal access to sexual and reproductive health care services by 2030, so adolescents need and have the right to a comprehensive sexual education and to have better access to contraceptive information and services. This will reduce the number of teenage pregnancy. The right to have access to quality antenatal care to pregnant teenagers or safe termination of pregnancy if permitted was highlighted. The legislations regarding the legal age of marriage at 18year is implemented in the republic of Mauritius and in Rodrigues island. In Rodrigues, despite the availability of several prevention programs on sexually transmitted infections and teenage pregnancy in schools and in the community by Commission for Health namely AIDS Secretariat, Commission for Youth and NGOs such as Action Familiale, both are on the rise. This study is a participatory action research which will be conducted by the community for the community to explore the predisposing factors and impact of teenage pregnancy on the teenager, the partner and their parents in Rodrigues island. The aims of this research is to find the gaps between what is actually being done to reduce the number of teenage pregnancy and what are the actual needs. A pilot community-based intervention will be implemented by setting-up of a center for capacity building of pregnant teenager and teen mothers. In Rodrigues, often after delivery, the teenage mother come for one post-natal visit and afterward there is not follow up till they come again for another pregnancy. By empowering teenage mothers, the expected outcomes are the reduction of child neglect and incidence of recurrent teenage pregnancy and STIs. By providing a holistic support on social and psychological aspect, the teenage have better life skills to cope with motherhood and their future life.

Developing a Container Farm for Enhancing Food Security

Tue, 04 Jul 2023 08:40:34 +0000

This project aims to develop an automated container farm that leverages IoT to enhance food security in Mauritius. The container farm will be designed to produce a variety of crops in a sustainable and efficient manner. By utilizing vertical farming techniques, the automated container farm can produce high yields of crops using minimal space, water, and energy. The IoT systems will be used to monitor and control environmental factors such as temperature, humidity, and light to optimize crop growth. The project team will work with local farmers to identify the most suitable crops to grow and to provide training on the use of the automated container farm. The automated container farm project has the potential to revolutionize the way food is produced in Mauritius. By utilizing advanced technologies and sustainable farming methods, the automated container farm can help to enhance food security, reduce the environmental impact of food production, and create new economic opportunities.

S.M.A.R.T. H.E.R.D. - Synchronized Monitoring and Adaptive Response Technology for Holistic, Efficient, Robust, and Dynamic Livestock Management

Mon, 03 Jul 2023 20:00:00 +0000

This project proposes a low-cost, IoT-enabled livestock monitoring system using a Raspberry Pi, accelerometers, and various sensors for real-time tracking of animal behaviors, location, temperature, and heart rate. The system comprises a Raspberry Pi 4 Model B, MPU-9250 motion tracking sensor, DHT22 temperature and humidity sensor, NEO-6M GPS module, MAX30102 optical heart rate sensor, power supply, waterproof enclosure, and necessary accessories. Data collected from the sensors will be stored in a cloud storage system for easy access and analysis. Machine learning techniques, such as support vector machines or random forest classifiers, will be utilized for behavior classification, using preprocessed and feature-extracted data. The total budget for the system is approximately 7000 MUR, offering a cost-effective solution for livestock management and welfare. Augmented reality can be integrated to visually display the livestock's status and real-time data. This monitoring system provides valuable insights into livestock behavior (walking, feeding, rumination, etc), enabling informed decision-making and efficient management of resources, ultimately improving overall livestock health and productivity.

Rod Blue Way Forward

Tue, 04 Jul 2023 07:18:49 +0000

The aim of the Rod Blue Way forward project is to introduce the concept of the blue economy to students and promote awareness of sustainable practices in coastal areas. This project recognises the potential for innovation and sustainability that the blue economy offers, as long as it is managed and invested in with respect for the marine environment and quality of life. The multi-sectorial approach of this project is focused on improving children's understanding of the connections between water, waste, food, and the environment. It goes beyond mere resource preservation and instead emphasises practical ways to create a healthy learning environment and promote environmentally-friendly technologies and practices that can be replicated in the community. Through this project, students are encouraged to become agents of change in their communities and to become champions for the environment. The Rod Blue Way forward project is flexible and can be tailored to meet the unique needs and priorities of different schools and communities.

Intelligent platform for online learning

Mon, 03 Jul 2023 20:00:00 +0000

The project will offer a new version of the MYSCORE Academic Solution online platform for the public to access online courses and tutorials. The MYSCORE INTELLIGENT LEARNING FRAMEWORK has been designed and developed since 2019 by people with strong expertise in the education sector. By empowering teachers with the best technology and the training to make the most of it, and supporting students through individualized learning and rich, digital content, the outcome has exceeded our expectations; in some colleges where the solution is implemented, the success rate for School Certificate exams has moved from 60% to 95% over the course of a single year. With this project, we have the ambition to provide accessibility to the general public to serve teaching, learning and continuous training at national level. Accounts will be made available to each and everybody as the need to provide equal opportunities to all students whether in private institutions or public schools. Users will have access to unlimited courses, apply scientific principles in virtual labs or attempt quizzes for self evaluation, and hence create one' own individual pathway customized to the needs of the us.

Application of IOT, AI and Robotics in Agriculture (An Extension of current project)

Mon, 03 Jul 2023 20:00:00 +0000

The purpose of the project is to adopt emerging technologies such as IOT, AI and Robotics in the field of Agriculture in order to adapt to climate change and better utilization of natural resources like water for irrigation. The field of agriculture provides fertile ground for IOT, AI and Robotics applications. Faced with the acute challenge of feeding a world population expected to grow by two billion by 2050, investment in IOT agriculture solutions could prove vital. IOT applications have the potential to increase both the operational efficiency of farmers and the yield of the land. In addition, the application of IOT, AI and Robotics in Agriculture will create new types of jobs for the current and future generation and upgrade the perception of the youth to be involved in a modern agriculture.

Application of IoT in Telematics Insurance

Tue, 27 Jun 2023 06:49:33 +0000

Our project aims to leverage telematics technology to implement insurance solutions for warehouse facilities (Cold, Chilled and Dry rooms). With the use of IoT devices and analytics, data will be collected and analyzed to assess risk, optimize operations and ultimately, provide tailor made Insurance coverage. End nodes will be installed in a warehouse, to gather statistics for Energy monitoring, temperature, humidity, gas/smoke detection and water leak. An analysis will be done downstream to assess risk associated with goods conservation process, damage, spoilage and safety/security factors. We will develop predictive analytics models to identify potential risks and provide real-time alerts to warehouse managers, enabling proactive risk mitigation measures. The project will involve collaboration with warehouse stakeholders, Insurance provider (SWAN Insurance) and Inovanet LTD. The project duration is 6 months, with a focus on proof of concept. The proof of concept will be done in 2 phases, locally in office and secondly in a contextual space. Upon successful implementation, there shall be a great potential to improve risk management practices and provide tailored insurance coverage, which will lead to reduce cost and enhance risk mitigation in this market segment.

Improving access to financial products through an AI-powered multilingual virtual assistant

Mon, 03 Jul 2023 20:00:00 +0000

To improve access to our financial products & services, we propose the creation and implementation of an AI-powered multilingual chatbot for our peer to peer lending platform, FinClub.mu. The chatbot, based on Large Language Models and also utilizing natural language processing (NLP), will serve as an assistant to help users of the platform navigate the platform, understand our processes and related financial procedures in Mauritius as well as answer any queries related to FinTech in Kreol Morisien, French and English languages. The chatbot, designed to respond quickly and accurately to customer inquiries in the users preferred language, shall allow FinClub to provide personalised service, handle multiple customer queries simultaneously and thus provide faster responses 24/7 whenever customers need it. This will be useful for customers who need urgent help outside regular business hours and on the other hand, help FinClub drive lower costs for financial inclusion. The project, spanning over 8 months, will entail a total estimated cost of MUR 1,304,600 comprising of research & development, testing. Implementation and maintenance. Besides, to improve access across the industry, FinClub envisages to provide the chatbot on a SaaS model.

Finconnect: A Next-generation API for Seamless Access Bank Account Transaction Feeds

Mon, 03 Jul 2023 20:00:00 +0000

FinConnect is a pioneering project designed to revolutionize financial management in Mauritius by consolidating bank account transaction data from the top 5 banks into a single, secure, and unified API. This innovative solution will enable seamless integration with various accounting ERPs, dramatically reducing manual data entry and enhancing efficiency in financial management processes. Developed with strict adherence to security and compliance standards, FinConnect ensures the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of sensitive financial data being exchanged between the banks and ERPs. By leveraging the power of FinConnect, businesses, banks, and ERP providers will benefit from streamlined workflows, reduced errors, and significant cost savings. This groundbreaking initiative is poised to transform the financial landscape in Mauritius and set a new benchmark for innovation in the banking and accounting sectors.

Travel Pulse Data Warehouse

Mon, 03 Jul 2023 11:21:12 +0000

Hospitality Plus designed an 'Intelligence' platform branded "Travel Pulse" that adds value to the whole chain of stakeholders involved in the Travel, Tourism, and Hospitality industry. In a volatile, uncertain, complex, ambiguous, and competitive global travel market, actors need to navigate with clear objectives whilst being driven by actionable insights. In that regards, contractual partnerships were deployed with global leaders of the industry to acquire the very best available data to create a Centralized Data Warehouse. We anticipate having the most versatile warehouse with a 360 view of the Travel, Tourism and Hospitality industry, accompanied with tangible Dashboards, and applied use cases to optimises decision-making process and define appropriate tactics to achieve strategic goals. The wealth of Data captured would be of interest to all stakeholders of the industry but might be of use beyond, to the Banking, Insurance, and financial sector. The above would be accessible via an easy-to-use SaaS (software as a service) web application where users might be able to download their own report or datasets. Ultimately our efforts to collect, normalise and merge Data across the entire travellers' journey today; will empower the creation of the automations and artificial intelligences of tomorrow.

Transitioning Bel Ombre towards an Innovative Energy Model

Mon, 03 Jul 2023 10:53:37 +0000

Mauritius has recently updated its Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) and has committed to reduce its Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions by 40% by 2030. One of the main challenges the island faces is the reliance on imported fuels (energy sector) that represents 70% of our emissions. As at today, less than 15% of energy is produced through renewable sources, a proportion that needs to be increased to 60% by 2030. As part of Rogers’ Master Plan to make Bel Ombre UNESCO Man and Biosphere a globally recognized eco-destination, we intend to implement an innovative energy model (solar, hydro, biofuel and smart grid). The synchronized production and transmission of this renewable energy mix is an innovation for Mauritius and could be replicated in other smart cities as well as in East Africa. Moreover, the implementation of this project will also generate revenues through the sale of emission avoidance carbon credits.

Assistance & Medical Emergency Services (AMES)

Sun, 02 Jul 2023 20:00:00 +0000

Medical & Emergency Assistance is a huge cost to public health care. Help is often prioritized at the expense of other cases, which may be as critical. Around 350* people suffer from Cardiac Arrest yearly with a survival rate of 5%. This can be improved by medical assistance within first few critical minutes. Many other situations may require immediate help which can save lives if only medical assistance is provided on time. More than 1000 people die of cardiac related problems per year. At the end of 2020, there were 3540 doctors registered with the Medical Council of the Republic of Mauritius, 4400 nurses registered. What if any person living in Mauritius can obtain timely medical & emergency assistance services from qualified health professionals on a click of a button on their smart phone? Health Care professionals can provide their services and help their community when they are available. AMES is a system that works in collaboration with the local authorities to register authorised health care professionals as Community First Responder (CFR). Using the AMES mobile App every user register on the App from their smart phone with their personal details including location. Users can request for immediate medical assistance on a single click on a button on the mobile app. The system determines the location of the user and finds the nearest available CFR. A CFR attends to the user and provides medical assistance. A CFR may also call upon SAMU, Police or Fire Services as needed. AMES is an Innovative emergency assistance system that can save lives and improve the quality of health services in Mauritius.

Dodobird.ai - Proving the market readiness of an AI-powered product recommendation engine for retailers in Mauritius

Mon, 03 Jul 2023 09:50:39 +0000

Dodobird.ai is a product recommendation engine which enables retailers to send personalized AI-powered product recommendations to their customers. Our AI objective is to show the right product, with the right format, to the right customer, every time! To achieve this, our unique data processing pipeline allows retailer to seamlessly load all of their data; not only the data generated on their website but also the wealth of data accumulated over the years on their ERP, which properly leveraged makes it possible to bypass the "cold-start problem", provide multi-faceted analytics, and ultimately deliver personalized product recommendations to each and every customer with the help of machine learning algorithms. With Dodobird.ai, retailers can benefit from an increase in conversion rate, boost in sales, and better understanding of customers. While a prototype for our Dodobird.ai solution has been developed with test data, the current project aims to prove and assess the market readiness of Dodobird.ai by performing prototype demonstrations with customers "in the wild". In the context of Mauritius, in-person retail shopping is still the predominant medium, and we believe that the early adoption of an AI-powered system can not only smoothen the transition to e-commerce but ignite scalable innovations for the entire African market.

Investigating the traceability of organic produce using a decentralised application (dApp) built on the Ethereum blockchain platform

Sun, 02 Jul 2023 20:00:00 +0000

Due to the increasing demand for organic produce in Mauritius and the risks of fraud in this currently small market, it has become paramount to develop a relaible system to trace and authenticate organic produce from the producer to the consumers. This feasibility study aims at investigating the potential of a decentralised application (dApp) built on the Ethereum blockchain platform to increase transparency and efficiency of two types of supply chains: organic and sustainable. To build trust and transparency in these supply chains, a dApp allows the creation of a digital record of the production process to the consumers through the distributors and retailers using blockchain technology. This record will include information such as the origin of the produce, production practices used, certifications obtained, transportation and storage conditions, quantity and price sold to consumers. Consumers can access the record by scanning a QR code on the product label and see the entire journey of the produce. This solution aims to ensure secure and transparent record keeping while providing consumers with information about the produce they purchase.

A New Method for Biostatistical miRNA Pattern Recognition with Topological Properties of Visibility Graphs in 3D Space

Mon, 10 Jun 2019 20:00:00 +0000

Visibility is a very important topic in computer graphics and especially in calculations of global illumination. Visibility determination, the process of deciding which surface can be seen from a certain point, has also problematic applications in biomedical engineering. The problem of visibility computation with mathematical tools can be presented as a visibility network. Instead of utilizing a 2D visibility network or graphs whose construction is well known, in this paper, a new method for the construction of 3D visibility graphs will be proposed. Drawing graphs as nodes connected by links in a 3D space is visually compelling but computationally difficult. Thus, the construction of 3D visibility graphs is highly complex and requires professional computers or supercomputers. A new method for optimizing the algorithm visibility network in a 3D space and a new method for quantifying the complexity of a network in DNA pattern recognition in biomedical engineering have been developed. Statistical methods have been used to calculate the topological properties of a visibility graph in pattern recognition. A new n-hyper hybrid method is also used for combining an intelligent neural network system for DNA pattern recognition with the topological properties of visibility networks of a 3D space and for evaluating its prospective use in the prediction of cancer.

Numerical simulations of microwave heating of liquids: enhancements using Krylov subspace methods

Mon, 22 Apr 2013 20:00:00 +0000

In this paper, we compare the performances of three iterative solvers for large sparse linear systems arising in the numerical computations of incompressible Navier-Stokes (NS) equations. These equations are employed mainly in the simulation of microwave heating of liquids. The emphasis of this work is on the application of Krylov projection techniques such as Generalized Minimal Residual (GMRES) to solve the Pressure Poisson Equations that result from discretisation of the NS equations. The performance of the GMRES method is compared with the traditional Gauss-Seidel (GS) and point successive over relaxation (PSOR) techniques through their application to simulate the dynamics of water housed inside a vertical cylindrical vessel which is subjected to microwave radiation. It is found that as the mesh size increases, GMRES gives the fastest convergence rate in terms of computational times and number of …

Biodegradability of biodegradable/degradable plastic materials under aerobic and anaerobic conditions

Mon, 31 Dec 2007 20:00:00 +0000

A study was conducted on two types of plastic materials, Mater-Bi Novamont (MB) and Environmental Product Inc. (EPI), to assess their biodegradability under aerobic and anaerobic conditions. For aerobic conditions, organic fractions of municipal solid wastes were composted. For the anaerobic process, anaerobic inoculum from a wastewater treatment plant was used. Cellulose filter papers (CFP) were used as a positive control for both mediums. The composting process was monitored in terms of temperature, moisture and volatile solids and the biodegradation of the samples were monitored in terms of mass loss. Monitoring results showed a biodegradation of 27.1% on a dry basis for MB plastic within a period of 72 days of composting. Biodegradability under an anaerobic environment was monitored in terms of biogas production. A cumulative methane gas production of 245 ml was obtained for MB, which …

Production of wrapping paper from banana fibres

Sat, 30 Sep 2017 20:00:00 +0000

The widespread availability of banana pseudo stems which do not have considerable commercial value in the country presents a potential source of non-wood raw material for paper production. This investigation determined the suitability of using banana fiber for wrapping paper production. Banana fiber was used with sugarcane bagasse and wastepaper to produce paper in 20:80, 40:60, 60:40 and 80:20 ratios. Banana and sugarcane bagasse were chemically pulped using 12% NaOH and 4% Na2S for 1.5 h. The mean thickness of the papers were 0.263 ± 0.04 mm. 100% banana paper and 100% bagasse paper showed nearly similar water absorbency (2.15 s and 2.17 s) and were 2.25 times more than paper from 100% wastepaper. Highest tensile index was evidenced by banana paper with 20% wastepaper (29.4 Nm/g). For banana-bagasse mix-ratios, 20% bagasse demonstrated highest tensile index (16.04 …

Production of paper from pineapple leaves

Thu, 30 Nov 2017 20:00:00 +0000

Wood is used as the major raw material in paper production around the world and this has resulted in severe deforestations having direct negative impact on our environment. This has led to the need of finding alternative raw materials for paper production. Mauritius has around 300 ha of land under pineapple cultivation resulting in agro-waste materials of the leaves. This paper aims at determining the feasibility of using pineapple leaf fibres for paper production. Samples of pineapple leaf fibre were mixed with cane-bagasse in different ratios namely, 20:80, 40:60, 60:40, 80:20,100:0. Pineapple leaf fibres were also mixed with wastepaper in the same ratios. Pulping of pineapple leaf was achieved through soda pulping at a concentration of 15%w/v for 90 min at 90 °C. The papers obtained were tested for their physical and mechanical properties. The average thickness of all the papers produced, ranged from 0.232 …

Energy access in Small Island Developing States: Status, barriers and policy measures

Fri, 31 Aug 2018 20:00:00 +0000

The lack of access to modern energy services, sometimes also referred to as energy poverty, is a significant global development challenge. This paper provides an analysis of energy access in Small Island Developing States (SIDS), sheds light on current challenges and provides insights on opportunities to improve access to modern energy services in these countries. It provides an overview of energy access levels within the African, Caribbean and Pacific SIDS regions to refocus attention on their frail economies and dependence on imported fossil fuels. The focus here is on three specific factors that are still not well investigated: issues which relate to grid-extension, the lack of trained personnel for decentralised electrification and a high reliance on imported energy which drains Gross Domestic Product (GDP). A selection of SIDS case studies highlighting endeavours to expand energy access provide a basis on …

Energy recovery from municipal solid waste in Mauritius: Opportunities and challenges

Sat, 29 Feb 2020 20:00:00 +0000

Feasibility of producing biodegradable disposable paper cup from pineapple peels, orange peels and Mauritian hemp leaves with beeswax coating

Thu, 01 Jan 1970 00:00:00 +0000

While past studies have been carried out to form eco-friendly disposable tableware using non-wood biomass, there is no present groundwork so far where fruit peels waste composited with Mauritian hemp (Furcraea foetida) has been used for such purpose, which is novel to this research work. This study therefore assesses whether the production of 100% biodegradable disposable paper cups with acceptable strength properties using pineapple (Ananas comosus) peels, orange (Citrus sinensis) peels and Mauritian hemp as feedstock is feasible. Soda pulping followed by vacuum molding was done to produce hemp:pineapple peels and hemp:orange peels composite paper cups in different ratios. The cups were tested using relevant standards in terms of appearance and structure, burst strength, tensile strength, weight load, water leakage and biodegradability to find the optimum cup composition by …

A Glance at the World

Thu, 30 Jun 2016 20:00:00 +0000

Its aim is to open a window onto the solid waste management situation in any given country, major city or significant geographic area that may be of interest to the scientific and technical community.

Paper production from Mauritian hemp fibres

Thu, 01 Jan 1970 00:00:00 +0000

Purpose The study examines the potential of Mauritian hemp (Furcraea foetida L.), a lignocellulosic non-wood biomass, as a more environmental friendly substitute to virgin wood for printing paper production. Methods The best pulping method for Mauritian hemp was first investigated. A4 sized papers were then produced using 100% Mauritian hemp fibres and mixtures of Mauritian hemp fibres with Elephant grass fibres and wastepaper. Using Standard tests, the physical (thickness, grammage, apparent density, water absorbency) and mechanical (tensile strength, burst strength, crease recovery, abrasion resistance) properties of the papers produced were evaluated and compared with those of an 80 gsm A4 commercial printing paper used as control. Lastly, internal sizing was done by adding different proportions of starch to the paper whose properties …

Production of low cost paper from Pandanus utilis fibres as a substitution to wood

Sat, 30 Nov 2019 20:00:00 +0000

Indigenous plants are widely abundant in Mauritius and if made proper use of, these renewable plants can contribute largely to the local economic sector. This paper assesses the suitability of producing eco-friendly and biodegradable papers using low-cost raw materials by means of fibre from Pandanus utilis’ leaves commonly known as ‘Vacoas’. The leaves were used along with Arundo donax or wastepaper to manufacture composite paper samples in the ratios of 20:80, 40:60, 60:40, 80:20 and 100:0. Chemical pulping was done through Kraft process for a period of 1.5 h at a concentration of 14 wt% NaOH and 4 wt% Na2S at 90 ± 2.5 °C. The mean thickness of the papers was determined to be 0.261 ± 0.027 mm. It was found that the 100% Vacoas fibres had the highest absorbency rate of 1.8 ± 0.5 s followed by the composite A. donax and Vacoas fibre (1.8 ± 0.3 s). The most abrasion resistant …

Bio-ethanol Production from Readily Available Lignocellulosic Biomass in Mauritius Through Enzymatic Hydrolysis

Thu, 01 Jan 1970 00:00:00 +0000

Bio-ethanol production from biomass is attracting attention all over the world in view of its use as an alternative source to petrol in the transportation sector. With the aim of having a clean environment, the Government of Mauritius has set out the goal of using ethanol blends, in all vehicles in Mauritius by end of 2012. Thus, the purpose of this study was to find out the potential of obtaining bio-ethanol under the most favorable processing conditions from other types of locally available lignocellulosic biomass to meet the demand for 2012. For that reason, five most readily available feedstock in Mauritius, namely peels of cane stalk (PCS), cane tops and leaves (CTL), elephant grass (EG), coconut husk (CH) and Acacia leaves were used to produce bio-ethanol via the enzymatic hydrolysis technology using the ACCELERASE TM 1,000 enzyme. The hydrolysis was carried out at a temperature of 50 °C and a pH of …

A review on enzymes and pathways for manufacturing polyhydroxybutyrate from lignocellulosic materials

Sun, 31 Oct 2021 20:00:00 +0000

Currently, major focus in the biopolymer field is being drawn on the exploitation of plant-based resources grounded on holistic sustainability trends to produce novel, affordable, biocompatible and environmentally safe polyhydroxyalkanoate biopolymers. The global PHA market, estimated at USD 62 Million in 2020, is predicted to grow by 11.2 and 14.2% between 2020–2024 and 2020–2025 correspondingly based on market research reports. The market is primarily driven by the growing demand for PHA products by the food packaging, biomedical, pharmaceutical, biofuel and agricultural sectors. One of the key limitations in the growth of the PHA market is the significantly higher production costs associated with pure carbon raw materials as compared to traditional polymers. Nonetheless, considerations such as consumer awareness on the toxicity of petroleum-based plastics and strict government …

Assessing Energy Potential from Waste Tyres in Mauritius by Direct Combustion, Pyrolysis and Gasification

Sun, 31 Dec 2017 20:00:00 +0000

Stock piling of used tyres in the landfill is a problematic issue all around the world. The bridging of ecology and energy can be done through the waste tyres. Direct combustion, pyrolysis and gasification are technologies available to reduce the rubber waste disposed at Mare Chicose and at the same time, relieve the energy crisis. The government wants to implement a gasification plant at La Chaumiere and a foreign investor wants to invest in a pyrolysis plant near Mare Chicose. This will benefit the country by a large extent. Our importation of fossil fuel will decrease and the country will save in terms of currency. To tackle this problem in Mauritius, three methods are chosen: Direct combustion, pyrolysis and gasification. It was observed that direct combustion will increase the CO2 emission by 26% if shredded waste tyres as a replacement for coal. Pyrolysis gave 35% of char 33% of heavy pyrolytic oil, 17% of …

A Scalable Multimedia Multicast Protocol for Emergency Systems

Fri, 28 Jul 2006 20:00:00 +0000

Emergency system and public safety have been of major concern to authorities of all countries in the world for the last decade. It is usually the case that multi- disciplinary rescuers may need to join hands in achieving a common goal; which implies a large number of people to be coordinated. However, the deployment of a multi-disciplinary emergency system and/or the deployment of a public safety system might involve a large number of nodes in ad hoc networks. On one side, scalability of ad hoc networks has always been a challenge mainly because of limited bandwidth and limited resources of the participating nodes. While on the other side, ensuring public safety and the solicitation of quick emergency responses are always desirable but remain challenging. This paper presents a scalable multimedia multicast protocol for emergency system (SCAMMES), based on the affinity of nodes' movement in a group and the localisation of emergency operations, to distribute multimedia efficiently in Large Ad hoc Networks for Emergency System (LANES).

A methodology for design and appraisal of surgical robotic systems

Sun, 06 Dec 2009 20:00:00 +0000

Surgical robotics is a growing discipline, continuously expanding with an influx of new ideas and research. However, it is important that the development of new devices take account of past mistakes and successes. A structured approach is necessary, as with proliferation of such research, there is a danger that these lessons will be obscured, resulting in the repetition of mistakes and wasted effort and energy. There are several research paths for surgical robotics, each with different risks and opportunities and different methodologies to reach a profitable outcome. The main emphasis of this paper is on a methodology for ‘applied research’ in surgical robotics. The methodology sets out a hierarchy of criteria consisting of three tiers, with the most important being the bottom tier and the least being the top tier. It is argued that a robotic system must adhere to these criteria in order to achieve acceptability. Recent commercial systems are reviewed against these criteria, and are found to conform up to at least the bottom and intermediate tiers, the most important first two tiers, and thus gain some acceptability. However, the lack of conformity to the criteria in the top tier, and the inability to conclusively prove increased clinical benefit, is shown to be hampering their potential in gaining wide establishment.

Organizing and running bioinformatics hackathons within Africa: The H3ABioNet cloud computing experience

Tue, 06 Aug 2019 20:00:00 +0000

The need for portable and reproducible genomics analysis pipelines is growing globally as well as in Africa, especially with the growth of collaborative projects like the Human Health and Heredity in Africa Consortium (H3Africa). The Pan-African H3Africa Bioinformatics Network (H3ABioNet) recognized the need for portable, reproducible pipelines adapted to heterogeneous computing environments, and for the nurturing of technical expertise in workflow languages and containerization technologies. Building on the network’s Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for common genomic analyses, H3ABioNet arranged its first Cloud Computing and Reproducible Workflows Hackathon in 2016, with the purpose of translating those SOPs into analysis pipelines able to run on heterogeneous computing environments and meeting the needs of H3Africa research projects. This paper describes the preparations for this hackathon and reflects upon the lessons learned about its impact on building the technical and scientific expertise of African researchers. The workflows developed were made publicly available in GitHub repositories and deposited as container images on Quay.io.

Analyzing the factors that influence the adoption of internet banking in Mauritius

Sun, 31 Dec 2006 20:00:00 +0000

This paper analyses the factors that influence the adoption of internet banking for the case of the emerging African economy of Mauritius. Results based on the analysis of data relating to 200 respondents indicate that the mostly used services are inter account transfer, payment to other personal account, transfer to credit card account, recharge mobile phones among others. Comparing demographic variables of the internet banking users to the non-internet banking users, the analysis also reveals that there is no significant difference between the two groups of users with respect to age group and the education level of the respondents. This is however not the case for the mean monthly income. Using factor analysis to identify the factors affecting the adoption of internet banking in Mauritius, it was found that the most significant factor is ease of use and that other important elements featured reluctance to change, trust and relationship in banker, cost of computers, internet accessibility, convenience of use, and security concerns. Further analysis using cross tabulations suggest important statistical relationship between awareness, access to Internet facility, length of banking relationship, people working in the Internet banking/finance sector, education level in the category ‘post graduate’and also income group with the usage of internet banking.

Antibacterial & Catalytic Activities of 2, 2'-Dithio (2-Hydroxyphenyl) Benzamide (Dnbh) and its Ruthenium Metal Complexes.

Wed, 01 Dec 2004 20:00:00 +0000

This paper describes the in vitro evaluation of antibacterial activity of DNBH and its ruthenium complexes. All the synthesized compounds exhibited antibacterial activity against the Gram-positive bacteria namely Staphylococcus aureus at a conc of 100-25 mg/ml and Gram-negative bacteria such as Escherichia coli, Salmonella typhi and Pseudomonas aeruginosa at a conc of 1µg/ml. All the metal complexes display catalytic activities towards oxidation of primary alcohols in the presence of N-methylmorpholine-N-Oxide (NMO) as co-oxidant.

ParkSmart

Thu, 16 Mar 2023 11:10:02 +0000

The number of vehicles on our roads is growing year after year. Finding parking is a major problem in urban areas in our country. Time, energy and fuel are wasted causing traffic congestions due to visitors in search for a parking place and it also causes more pollution. It is a hassle to find free parking slot around Port-Louis and Ebene. By making parking so much easier for our users, ParkSmart aims to improve the convenience and efficiency of their everyday lives. Real time availability of parking spaces is displayed on the ParkSmart App. With the use of Artificial Intelligence and computer vision, ParkSmart can suggest the nearest available free parking to an app user based on location. Consumers have their shopping needs covered online growing e-commerce year-after year. Compared to online retailers, traditional businesses typically have very limited customer insights and limits the opportunities to be sufficiently relevant in the communication with customers. This is why traditional marketing channels are losing impact and the covid pandemic is making it worse. Using parking as an excuse, and since ParkSmart is basically an app which uses geolocation, thus valuable customer insights can be used to geotarget relevant ads to users. Hence promoting traditional businesses surrounding a parking lot.

Development of an NLP model for Mauritian Creole (KreMoN) and a methodology for building NLP model for similar (low resourced) languages

Thu, 16 Mar 2023 11:05:33 +0000

Large tech companies have developed English based products such as Alexa by Amazon and Siri by Apple geared by Natural Language Processing (NLP) Engines. However, digitally underserved languages like French based Creoles similar to Mauritian Creole are left out. The proof-of-concept of KreMoN (Kreol Morisien NLP) will be a language model developed as a pathfinder to make way for the technologies which will enable the creation of chatbots, virtual assistants and sentiment analysers in Low Resourced Languages. These will be achieved based on the development of two main NLP engines for Speech-to-text and Named Entity Recognition for the Mauritian Creole. Furthermore, the core engines will serve in the advent of a local radio stream media monitoring system.

An ecommerce chatbot in Kreol Morisien

Thu, 16 Mar 2023 11:00:59 +0000

Following the outbreak of Covid-19 in Mauritius last year, many businesses were forced to go online and clients resorted to online sales to continue their shopping experience. Thus many more businesses created a FB page to market their products and services. While this marketing approach is good, many businesses do not possess the required skills to leverage on FB’s developer tools and this task is further complicated with the unavailability of Mauritian Creole in FB’s database to exploit the existing tools and resources. This situation thus leads us to the following problem statement: “Can a centralised database with key business terms and slangs in Mauritian Creole be developed that will allow buyers to communicate with sellers more easily and realise sales more quickly?” We, at LeFinTech Ltd, are using chatbots to help businesses take orders directly from facebook without the need to invest to maintain an ecommerce website. The order is then sent to the business owner via chat or SMS. Alternatively, the chatbot can be integrated to the existing ERP/CRM of the business if theyhave it already. Using the same process, it is thus proposed to innovate our service by offering a Mauritian Creole chatbot that will touch a greater segment of the population who may not necessarily be English conversant. This project will also contribute towards research on the types of Mauritian words and slangs used in sales and provide a unique database for potential researchers, be it from public bodies or private bodies, to further develop A.I based related services and products.

Breaking barriers: Dynamic employment for persons with sensory impairment

Thu, 16 Mar 2023 06:30:59 +0000

Global Rainbow Foundation (GRF) is developing employment models for persons with sensory impairment (hearing impairment or vision impairment). Using our expertise in training persons with disability, combined with collaboration from international partners, we are developing two unique models to radically reshape the employment for persons with hearing impairment or vision impairment in Mauritius. 1) A Deaf run cafe/coffee shop - a "for profit" model that not only provides employment for hearing impaired, but also provides much-needed training and work experience. A launchpad into the hospitality sector. We are also developing an online sign language tool, enabling employers to learn sign-language - currently one of the biggest barriers to deaf employment. 2) We will disseminate the "EYE Tool" (Educate Yourself Easily – software developed by our partners at Enable India) across Mauritius. This software has over 500 exercises that train visually impaired how to use screen reader technology, enabling visually impaired to effectively use computers. After training, we will connect candidates to prospective employers for interviews, using our already existing network of employers. Both of these projects represent a large ecosystem change for employment of persons with sensory impairment in Mauritius.

ProxiPass - Platform & Ecosystem /span>

Thu, 16 Mar 2023 06:26:06 +0000

An ecosystem that will address 2 targets audiences: the Merchants & the ''Consommateurs''. For Merchants, we are offering Solis ERP Solution to manage their businesses (their Point of Sales). We will encourage them to become a ''ProxiPass Merchant'' in adhering to the ProxiPass Platform for the management of their reward program and the loyalty of their customers. They will have tools to push marketing campaigns to the ProxiPass Members. They will boost their sales and increase their portfolio of customers. For the Consommateurs (ProxiPass Members), we are offering an App that will be a single ''Fidelity Card'' for all the merchants adhering to the Platform. They will get rewards for each of their purchases within the ProxiPass Merchants network. These rewards will be cumulated in their Wallets of Points that can be used for their future purchases within the ProxiPass Merchants network. They will have a detailed access to their purchases history and will be able to filter the Push Marketing Notification from Merchant an area of interests. The ProxiPass platform will consist of: . ProximaCloud (Our Cloud based solution) will host the data . ProxiPass App for the ProxiPass Members . ProxiPass Merchant Management system . ProxiPass Admin . Solis POS Solution will be amended to integrate with the ProxiPass Platform.

Using swarm intelligence to optimize caching techniques for ad hoc network

Wed, 31 Aug 2011 20:00:00 +0000

Caching has been used to improve the performance of network-dependent computer system. A number of cache replacement schemes along with invalidation reports schemes have been devised for MANETs. Apart from improving the response time of request in MANET, caching also increases the network lifetime. In this paper, it is shown how the ant colony optimization is applied to caching system so as to further improve the performance and lifetime of the ad hoc network.

MagB: Repurposing the Magnetometer for Fine-Grained Localization of IoT Devices

Sun, 05 Jul 2020 20:00:00 +0000

Interest in fine-grained indoor localization remains high and various approaches including those based on Radio Frequency (RF), ultrasound, acoustic, magnetic field and light have been proposed. However, while the achieved accuracy may be high, many of these approaches do not work well in environments with lots of obstructions. In this paper, we present MagB, a decimeter-level localization scheme that uses the magnetometer available on many IoT devices. MagB estimates the bearing of magnetic beacons by detecting changes in the magnetic field strength. Localization is then performed based on Angle-of-Arrival (AoA) information. We have built a prototype of MagB using low cost, off-the-shelf components. Our evaluation shows that MagB is able to achieve a median accuracy of about 13cm and can localize devices even when they are placed in steel filing cabinet or inside the casing of a running PC.

SAMPCAN: ANovel CACHING TECHNIQUE FOR CLIENT-SERVER INTERACTION MODEL IN LARGE AD HOC NETWORKS USING RESAMPLING METHODS

Fri, 31 Dec 2010 20:00:00 +0000

The scalability of routing protocols has been a prominent topic to increasing the lifetime of a mobile ad hoc network. One of the underlying features behind scalable protocols is the localised nature of path maintenance. However, nodes’ data communications are excluded, despite being the main purpose of the routing protocols. SAMPCAN is a novel caching technique that can be applied to numerous applications of the client-server interaction model for an optimised storage and transmission of data. SAMPCAN uses a subsampling method that can be applied to two data types, mainly (1) XML document, and (2) Image. This novel method promotes the locality of nodes cooperation and interactions to fulfil requests of neighbouring nodes. In this paper, the application of SAMPCAN is discussed for the scalability and increased lifetime of mobile ad hoc networks.

eExam Framework for Programming Classes

Sun, 30 Oct 2022 20:00:00 +0000

Conducting practical tests or exams, and grading assignments related to programming modules for a large group of students are tedious, error-prone, and time consuming. Furthermore, given the global deadly pandemic, there is a need to prepare for prolonged online education and online assessments. The risks of cheating and plagiarism is higher for online assessments. A solution would be to set different questions for every student. But, unfortunately, this is infeasible for classes with a high number of students. Setting common questions permits students to collaborate and cheat. They can easily copy from each other’s answers, make minor changes to make their code look different, and submit it as their own.In this paper, an online platform for automated grading of programming assignments is considered. Students can work on their assignments and submit their code on Codeboard.io for automated grading and instant feedback. However, it does not perform any check for code similarity across submissions. Standard plagiarism detectors, such as Turnitin, fail to detect source code plagiarism. Therefore, the output from Codeboard.io is processed and fed to an online code similarity detector, namely MOSS (Measure of Software Similarity), hosted by Stanford University. Such tools are put together under a framework that allows for automated grading of programming assignments, and the identification of suspected cases of plagiarism, which can then be dealt with accordingly. Using the mentioned tools, an implementation of the proposed framework was successfully tested and evaluated with two classes of 20 students and one class of 100 students.

BFound: Sensor Enhanced Localization for Internet of Things

Sun, 04 Nov 2018 20:00:00 +0000

Beacons, the backbone of the physical web and location-based services, are widely used to tag objects and places. However, as a beacon's wireless transmission is limited to a ranging technology, the localization information is only available when the beacon is nearby. In this work, we propose BFound, a navigation and room level localization system that enable users to locate beacons within a building to the room level. The scheme is based on expanding the beacons' capability in two ways. First, the system builds upon crowdsourcing using data from smartphones carried by mobile users and infrastructure beacons to search for facilities within an area and navigate to the target region. Next, we utilize sensors on the beacons to further localize beacons to the room level. In order to enable room level localization, the beacon's sensors are leveraged to generate a signature unique to the room it belongs. This is achieved using wavelet transform. Evaluations show that BFound provides sufficient accuracy both for navigation as well as room level localization.

EvaLoc: Evaluating Performance Degradation in Wireless Fingerprint-based Indoor Localization

Sun, 04 Nov 2018 20:00:00 +0000

Many WiFi fingerprint-based indoor localization approaches have been proposed to ease deployment and minimize infrastructure requirement. While researchers have devoted extensive efforts to improving the accuracy of these approaches, the user experience of such deployments in practice is typically far below expectation. One reason that contributes to such discrepancy is that while researchers often evaluate their systems in stable and "benign" environments, the actual environments can be much more dynamic and noisy. In this paper, we address this issue in the following manner. First, we identify factors that can result in significant degradation of localization performance and explore how these factors can be modeled in the localization process. Next, we design a system, EvaLoc, that takes fingerprinting data collected as input and provides accuracy prediction on the localization performance under different conditions. Our evaluation in 15 different locations covering around 25000 m2 shows that EvaLoc is able to produce localization result that better matches the user experience.

OSSpolicy-An information and communications technology framework based on open source software for developing countries

Fri, 26 Oct 2012 20:00:00 +0000

Rendering Wormhole Attacks Trivial using the Scalability Features of a Geocasting Protocol

Thu, 31 Mar 2011 20:00:00 +0000

A number of attacks exist at the network layer, ie against routing protocols. One of the most severe attacks is the wormhole attack, which consists of at least two colluding attackers, located at multi-hops distance, that are connected via some unusual means. The attackers replay messages heard at one side to the other side of the network. When this type of attack remains undetected, nodes have the only ability of communicating with at most two-hops neighbor nodes. The detection mechanisms included cryptographic methods and at times the role of specialized nodes which imply either resource-hungry computations or the battery depletion of certain nodes respectively. In this paper, the study of a scalable geocasting routing protocol reveals the required properties, without any costly attack detection mechanism, that render wormhole attacks trivial in a large ad hoc network.

Impacts of ICT on the natural ecosystem: A grassroot analysis for promoting socio-environmental sustainability

Sat, 30 Apr 2016 20:00:00 +0000

As human beings are becoming increasingly dependent on technology, the relationship of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) with the natural environment is continuously degrading. In the past, ICT was often regarded as a low-carbon enabler but its widespread adoption has adversely turned it into a power drainer. The negative consequence is climate change, which is a complex social problem with rebound effects on human beings. Taking cognizance of this problem, it is becoming vital for each and every computer user to contribute and reduce the growing carbon footprint of ICT. This work identifies and analyses the key contributors in diminishing the carbon footprint of ICT before investigating into the adoption process by end users via a proposed Knowledge-Implementation-Effect Cycle. The relationship between the key contributors and the adoption process by end users is studied via nine research questions to identify key limitations and finally recommend potential solutions to further help in reducing the ICT carbon footprint.

Power consumption of the Raspberry Pi: A comparative analysis

Tue, 02 Aug 2016 20:00:00 +0000

Over the past few decades, human beings have increasingly adopted different types of personal computers including desktop computers, laptops, tablets and smart phones. More recently, there has been the emergence of the Raspberry Pi and since its release in 2012, this new type of computer has undergone rapid growth in adoption to even become the fastest selling British computer. The Raspberry Pi has often been referred as a computer designed to change the world since it is capable to do most things that a desktop computer can do. The growing concern is that all these computers utilize power in order to operate thereby turning ICT into a power drainer. The diverse functionalities present in modern computers including communication and Web browsing, among others, were found to be important components that affect the power consumption of such devices. As such, this paper investigates how power consumption of the Raspberry Pi is affected by the key functionalities that could be performed by end-users on the platform. Moreover, this relationship is compared against other types of common personal computers before recommending on techniques and practices that could reduce the power consumption of this emerging type of computer.

Sustaining anti-littering behavior within coastal and marine environments: Through the macro-micro level lenses

Thu, 29 Jun 2017 20:00:00 +0000

Being regarded as a problem of global dimensions, marine litter has been a growing concern that affects human beings, wildlife and the economic health of coastal communities to varying degrees. Due to its involvement with human behavior, marine littering has been regarded as a cultural matter encompassing macro and micro level aspects. At the micro or individual level, behavior and behavioral motivation of an individual are driven by perception of that person while at the macro or societal level, aspects including policies and legislations influence behavior. This paper investigates marine littering through the macro-micro level lenses in order to analyze and recommend how anti-littering behavior can be improved and sustained. Using Coleman's model of micro-macro relations, research questions are formulated and investigated through a social survey. Results showed important differences in perceptions among participating groups and to address key issues, potential actions are proposed along with a framework to sustain anti-littering behavior.

Using tangible user interfaces for teaching concepts of internet of things: Usability and learning effectiveness

Thu, 20 Feb 2020 20:00:00 +0000

Purpose This paper aims to explore the use of tangible user interfaces for teaching concepts related to internet of things by focusing on two aspects, notably, usability and learning effectiveness. Design/methodology/approach To assess the usability of IoTTT, Nielsen’s principles were used due to its relevance and popularity for usability assessment. In the usability questionnaire, four attributes were evaluated, notably, learnability, efficiency, errors and satisfaction. As for evaluating learning effectiveness, learning assessment was conducted through pre-tests and post-tests. Two groups of 20 students participated where the first group attended conventional lectures on IoT, whereas the second group used IoTTT for learning same concepts. In the process, data was collected through the usability questionnaire and tests for usability and learning effectiveness assessment. Findings Results revealed a positive score for the usability of the TUI solution with an average rating of 3.9. Although this score demonstrated an acceptable solution, different issues were identified, based on which a set of recommendations have been made in this paper. On the other hand, in the common pre-tests, an average score of 6.40 was obtained as compared to a mean score of 7.33 in the post-tests for all participants. Knowledge gains were significantly higher for students who learnt IoT concepts through the TUI-based system where performance improved by 18 per cent. Originality/value The results revealed in this study are expected to help the research community, course designers and tutors comprehend the prospects of using tangible user interfaces to foster teaching and learning of IoT concepts. In addition, educational solution providers could consider commercialisation prospects of this technology to innovate in teaching and learning, while also building-up on limitations identified within this study.

Investigating personal carbon emissions of employees of higher education institutions: Insights from Mauritius

Thu, 31 Jan 2019 20:00:00 +0000

Whilst higher education institutions are often being referred as sustainability change agents, employees of such organizations have an essential role towards promoting low-carbon practices amongst students, who are also influenced by the attitudes and behaviours of teachers. For this, employees of higher education institutions need to properly understand their personal carbon emissions along with reduction mechanisms, in order to instil such knowledge and skills to students. However, previous studies focused principally on estimating carbon emissions of higher education institutions to set reduction targets, rather than emphasizing on the human factor related to reduction of greenhouse gases. Furthermore, limited studies have been undertaken to estimate the carbon footprint of employees of higher education institutions. Taking cognizance of these gaps, this paper investigates the perceptions and behaviour pertaining to personal carbon emissions of employees of higher education institutions through answering different research questions, in order to conceptualize a carbon management framework. To achieve this purpose, a survey was conducted in different higher education institutions in Mauritius and involved 440 employees. Results revealed that carbon emissions of this target group are influenced by demographic factors and nature of activities. In addition, the average carbon footprint of participating employees was found to be approximately two times higher than the per-capita carbon footprint of the inhabitants of the island. These findings also mean that more efforts are needed at different levels in order to better engage employees of higher education institutions to reduce their personal carbon footprints. For this, a carbon management framework has been proposed in this study.

Enhancing awareness on green consumption of electronic devices: The application of Augmented Reality

Fri, 30 Nov 2018 20:00:00 +0000

During the past few decades, the adoption of electronic devices (e.g. television sets, computers, etc.) in both households and businesses has brought immense benefits to human beings. However, their increasing utilization adversely contribute to a rise in energy consumption, electronic waste and is even detrimental to human health and to the environment. As such, it is essential that human beings undertake actions to reduce the risks and damages caused by these devices to the environment. Concurrently, studies have revealed that a lack of knowledge is considered amongst the important barriers to the adoption of environmentally sustainable actions. One emerging technology that has shown to foster engagement, improve understanding and provide a unique learning experience is Augmented Reality (AR). However, this technology has not been exploited to improve awareness on environmentally sustainable use of electronic devices. As such, this paper investigates the application of AR to improve awareness on green consumption of electronic devices by delving into key research questions pertaining to technology acceptance, knowledge gains and associated barriers to adoption. In this endeavor, an AR-based mobile application was implemented to enable individuals learn energy consumption of electronic devices being used at home and offices. The research questions were answered following application of the Technology Acceptance Model and by conducting multiple-choice based tests. Results principally indicated a positive correlation between AR and learning enhancement on green consumption of electronic devices.

Power Measurement of Computers: Analysis of the Effectiveness of the Software Based Approach

Tue, 31 Dec 2013 20:00:00 +0000

The increasing dependence of human beings on technology has not only made ICT a growing power consumer, but also a rising contributor to the adverse effects of global climate change. In light of the growing power consumption by ICT, accurate measurement techniques are required since leaders cannot manage what cannot be measured. One of the emerging power measurement techniques is via the use of software power meters, which offer visibility of power consumption of computers without the need for external hardware, as was often the case in the past. Although different software power meters have begun to emerge on the market, studies have rarely compared their effectiveness as well as the accuracy of their readings. This work critically compares key software power meters presently available and contrasts their effectiveness with hardware power meters, before making recommendations on their future, based on identified limitations.

Towards Green IT Organisations: A Framework for Energy Consumption and Reduction

Sat, 31 Dec 2011 20:00:00 +0000

Though the IT industry has been one of the fastest growing industries in many countries over the past years, its relationship with the natural environment has not been given much consideration. This growing industry has as main negative impact on the environment, climate change in the form of global warming, caused by the emissions of carbon in the air. Green IT relates Information Technology and the environment by promoting studies, development of techniques for improving energy efficiency and reducing waste in the full life cycle of computing in the IT. This paper discusses the effects of the growing IT industry on the environment along with a review of existing work in Green IT. A conceptual framework for energy consumption and reduction using system dynamics modelling is also proposed which links the different locations within an IT organisation where most of the energy consumption takes place and a case-study is given that illustrates the application of the conceptual framework in a small in-house software development company consisting of ten employees.

Cam-Wallet: Fingerprint-Based Authentication in M-Wallets Using Embedded Cameras

Wed, 12 Jul 2017 20:00:00 +0000

With the financial technology revolution, the days of bringing out cash from well-crafted leather wallets to make payments have begun to phase out and plastic payment cards are no longer being considered as the future of financial services. An important part of this revolution is mobile wallet, which is an application of m-payment that has features similar to a conventional wallet. As mobile wallets or digital wallets have been transforming the execution of customer to merchant transactions, security remains an important concern. Authentication mechanisms in the form of PINs, passwords and pattern codes have not been sufficient to curb the threats. Most recent attempts to rectify this issue involved the application of capacitance-based biometric. Although these efforts have brought about relatively more secure authentication, not all mobile devices are equipped with capacitance sensors and the high cost of the ones equipped presents a problem. The paper proposes an approach where a camera captured fingerprint sample is employed for customer electronic wallet authentication.

IPv4 and IPv6 protocols: A Comparative performance study

Thu, 01 Aug 2019 20:00:00 +0000

The advancement in wireless technologies has allowed devices to access the internet from virtually anywhere around the globe. However, the demand for reliable communication through voice and video streaming is significantly high. Internet protocol version 4 (IPv4) is a widely used internet protocol version in the world today, but due to the shortage of IPv4 addresses in the information technology (IT) world, a new internet protocol was introduced coined Internet protocol version 6 (IPv6) to address this issue. This paper aims to perform a comparative study on the performance of IPv4 and IPv6 on voice and video network traffic flow using performance metrics such as jitter, throughput, and packet loss. Accordingly, a testbed experimental environment is set-up with two hosts in client-server mode. Therefore, two scenarios (voice/video) were set-up to analyze the performance of the protocols. The result of this study shows that IPv6 has performed better than IPv4 in both experimental scenarios (voice/video).

Fruitify: Nutritionally augmenting fruits through markerless-based augmented reality

Wed, 22 Nov 2017 20:00:00 +0000

In the past few decades, a significant decrease in fruit consumption around the world has resulted in a hiking rate of cardiovascular diseases and obesity among youngsters. In order to address this issue, healthy eating is being recommended. However, awareness on nutritional information on fruits remain an important challenge that still needs to be addressed even though various sources in the form of books, websites and mobile applications are already available. This is also potentially due to the limited interaction and engagement with such sources. One technology that has shown to improve engagement, enhance understanding and provide a unique learning experience is Augmented Reality. However, limited work has been undertaken to provide nutritional information on fruits via this technology. As such, this paper investigates the application of AR to nutritionally augment fruits through a proposed prototype called Fruitify, before discussing the usability tests performed on the application and involving end users. As key findings, a system usability scale score of 82.1% was obtained where participants expressed strong intention to utilize the tool again in the future.

Improving wireless charging energy efficiency of mobile phones: Analysis of key practices

Tue, 02 Aug 2016 20:00:00 +0000

As human beings became dependent on mobile phones, the relationship of these devices with the natural environment became more significant to study. Mobile phones require energy to operate and this is stored within connected batteries. Recently, there has been a shift in the way batteries of mobile phones are charged, namely, from wired to wireless charging. Being regarded as a transformational technology in the mobile world, many smartphone manufacturers have been investing in this technology. However, current wireless charging mechanisms meant for mobile phones are recognized to be slow and energy inefficient as compared to wired charging. Such inefficiency can in turn worsen the adverse impacts that mobile phones already have on the environment. This paper addresses the energy inefficiency issue during wireless charging of mobile phones by comparing different charging practices in order to identify opportunities for energy savings.

Perspectives of leisure operators and tourists on the environmental impacts of coastal tourism activities: a case study of Mauritius

Wed, 11 Nov 2020 20:00:00 +0000

Mauritius is a popular destination for tourists who visit the island for the sun, sea and sand in addition to tourism activities. Although the consumption of tourism activities brings various benefits to the island, there have been concerns over the adverse impacts of such activities on the marine and coastal environment, such as loss of biodiversity and disturbances caused to marine plants and animals. In order to reduce the impacts of these activities on the environment, actions from both the providers and consumers of such activities, notably leisure operators and tourists, are necessary. This paper investigates and presents findings on the perspectives of leisure operators and tourists on the environmental impacts of coastal recreational tourism activities, through answering four research questions. Following a survey conducted within the island, findings revealed a significant negative overall linear relationship between tourism activities and the negative impacts on the environment. The survey provided a means to rank the tourism activities in terms of the harms caused to the environment along with the significance of their adverse impacts. In addition, for engaging leisure operators and tourists towards sustainably minimizing the environmental impacts of tourism-related activities, a framework has been proposed within this paper.

Towards improving the security of low-interaction honeypots: Insights from a comparative analysis

Fri, 20 Jan 2017 20:00:00 +0000

The recent increase in the number of security attacks by cyber-criminals on small businesses meant that security remained a concern for such organizations. In many such cases, detecting the attackers remained a challenge. A common tool to augment existing attack detection mechanisms within networks involves the use of honeypot systems. A fundamental feature of low-interaction honeypots is to be able to lure intruders, but the effectiveness of such systems has nevertheless been affected by various constraints. To be able to secure honeypots systems, it is important to firstly determine its requirements, before taking appropriate actions to ensure that the identified requirements have been achieved. This paper critically examines how existing low-interaction honeypot systems abide to major requirements before recommending how their security could be improved.

Building and evaluating cloud robotic systems: A systematic review

Mon, 31 Jan 2022 20:00:00 +0000

Accelerated advancements in artificial intelligence and robotics have recently boosted the proliferation and adoption of robotic systems within various industries. In order to improve the capabilities of such systems that range from enabling remote processing to enhanced access to data, there has been integration of the cloud, and this gave rise to cloud robotics. Nevertheless, minimal published literature is available on a generic cloud robotic architecture that computer scientists or software developers can utilise and adapt to a particular use case scenario, as most existing cloud robotic architectures are scenario specific. To address this gap, a systematic review is conducted in this paper to illustrate the key components of cloud robotic systems through an architectural representation, in addition to enlighten how such systems are built and evaluated. For this, 44 recently published papers were systematically reviewed and analysed. Following the review, a generic architecture for cloud robotic system was realised, and it was found that there is no agreed consensus on the tools and technologies used in the build-up of such systems. Similarly, various approaches are used to evaluate such systems and the most common one is through case studies. However, there is a lack of frameworks that guide the evaluation process. This paper presents fascinating research concerns and potential for future study based on the data reported.

Mobile-based Carbon footprint calculation: insights from a usability study

Wed, 18 Sep 2019 20:00:00 +0000

Application of augmented reality in aviation: Improving engagement of cabin crew during emergency procedures training

Wed, 23 Sep 2020 20:00:00 +0000

The main duty of the cabin crew is to ensure the safety of all passengers onboard and are crucial during emergency situations. It is mandatory for cabin crew to attend the annual Emergency Procedures Training (EPT) to be able to operate as cabin crew regardless of the seniority. Despite the high importance, this training can be long and bulky leading to boredom and lack of engagement, hence jeopardizing the importance of in-flight safety procedures. Although Augmented Reality (AR) can potentially address this issue while enhancing engagement and learning retention, limited work has been undertaken to apply this technology to EPT. As such, this paper investigates whether augmented reality can effectively improve user engagement during emergency procedures training in the context of aviation. In this endeavor, an AR-based application was developed and is presented in this paper. The Positive Engagement Evaluation Method (PEEM) was then used to assess engagement among the 45 cabin-crew of the national carrier. From the PEEM matrix, the positive engagement score obtained was 10.58 and mean scores from the questionnaire ranged from 3 to 4.7. This highlights that Augmented Reality has the potential to enhance the motivation and engagement of users during the emergency procedures training, although a few limitations were identified.

Low cost air quality monitoring: comparing the energy consumption of an arduino against a raspberry Pi based system

Wed, 23 Sep 2020 20:00:00 +0000

Air pollution is one of the great challenges facing modern cities. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), 80% of people living in cities with air quality monitoring facilities are living in conditions where the quality of the air is well beyond the limits set out in the air quality guidelines. As more and more people are projected to move into urban areas by 2050, this problem is going to keep on increasing. A possible solution could be the advent of Smart Cities. One of the objectives of Smart Cities is to provide a better living environment to its inhabitants. With the Internet of Things providing easily deployable, low power, low cost air quality monitoring sensors and the resources to process the huge amount of data collected, this objective could be reached. In this paper, we propose an evaluation of the power consumption of two low cost air quality monitoring systems - one based on an Arduino and the other on a Raspberry Pi system. The air quality systems proposed are based on off-the shelf hardware and are easy to assemble and maintain. The proposed systems use Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) to transmit data while being collected through a mobile app on a smartphone. The data was collected for five days and it was found by performing an ANOVA on the power consumption that there was a significant difference in the mean energy consumption of the two systems.

TangiNet: a tangible user interface system for teaching the properties of network cables

Wed, 18 Sep 2019 20:00:00 +0000

Within many computer science related courses, networking is often included as a core module due to industry needs. An important topic within networking involves teaching students the properties of network cables and many students however find it challenging to learn networking-related topics thus reducing interest and motivation for learning. Through the use of Tangible User Interfaces (TUI), such challenges could be potentially addressed although limited work has been undertaken to create systems that teach networking related topics. In order to address this gap, this paper investigates the application of tangible user interface for teaching the properties of network cables through a proposed system called TangiNet. The proposed system was evaluated to assess four key aspects, namely, learnability, interaction, tangibility and enjoyment. For all the constructs investigated, positive overall results were obtained thus implying that such tool could be adopted in networking related courses for the addressed concepts.

A hybrid three-phased approach in requirement elicitation

Fri, 20 Jan 2017 20:00:00 +0000

Requirement elicitation is one of the most important activities in requirement engineering and allocating limited amount of time in this activity is considered to significantly contribute towards failure of software projects. Having quality requirements is also greatly influenced by the techniques utilized during requirement elicitation process. The adoption of a single requirement elicitation technique within software development projects has various drawbacks. As solution, hybrid techniques are being considered as the way towards comprehensive requirements engineering. This paper investigates the hybrid requirement elicitation technique to tackle the challenges developers are facing in the process of software development. In this paper, the combination of 3 requirement elicitation techniques, namely use of questionnaire, interview and prototyping in a unified framework is investigated during the implementation of an online educational system.

Chemical and near-infrared determination of moisture, fat and protein in tuna fishes

Sun, 31 Dec 2006 20:00:00 +0000

Moisture, protein, free fat and total fat were determined in Tuna Fishes (38) skipjack (Katsuwonus pelamis) (20) and yellow fin (Thunnus albacares) (18) by chemical methods. Moisture was determined by freeze-drying or lyophilization, oven-dry methods and by using electronic moisture analyzer. Protein content was determined using Gerhardt semi-micro Kjeldahl and combustion methods. Total fat was determined using acid-hydrolysis method and free fat was determined by Soxhlet method. Near-infrared spectra of the fishes (28) and partial least square regression with the reference methods namely lyophilization method for moisture, combustion method for proteins, acid-hydrolysis method for total fat and Soxhlet method for free fat were used to set a calibration model. This regression model was then used for quantifying the named components of the fishes (5), considered as unknowns, from their near-infrared spectra. There is a good comparison between the results from the different chemical methods and the components quantified using the near-infrared spectroscopy method. An outcome of this work is that near-infrared spectroscopy can serve as an accurate and fast method for quantifying the components of fishes.

Evaluation of soybean oil quality during conventional frying by FTIR and some chemical indexes

Sun, 31 Dec 2000 20:00:00 +0000

Conventional deep fat frying is a common food preparation technique in Mauritius. The deterioration of soybean oil, commonly used in conventional frying, has been studied during frying of potato chips. The oil was subjected to continuous frying at 180°C for a total of 600 min. The quality changes in soybean oil were evaluated at 90 min interval by Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy and some routine chemical parameters, namely peroxide value, iodine value and free fatty acid. An increase in hydroperoxide and free fatty acid concentration has been observed during the frying process by FTIR technique and the chemical parameters, peroxide value and free fatty acid respectively. A significant decrease in tryglyceride ester linkage was observed by FTIR. The linear decrease noted for iodine value (P < 0.01) indicated a general loss of unsaturation. Furthermore, FTIR studies showed a loss of cis double bonds along with an increase in trans unsaturation. The formation of unsaturated aldehyde has also been observed during the frying process by FTIR technique.

SRR-SB3, a disulfide-containing macrolide that inhibits a late stage of the replicative cycle of human immunodeficiency virus

Fri, 31 Jan 1997 20:00:00 +0000

From a series of macrocyclic diamides possessing the disulfide linkage, only SRR-SB3, a compound that complexes with zinc, was found to inhibit human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1; strain IIIB) replication at a concentration of 1.8 to 6.5 micrograms/ml in MT-4, CEM, and peripheral blood mononuclear cells. SRR-SB3 was toxic to MT-4 cells at a concentration of 15.9 micrograms/ml, resulting in a selectivity index of 9 in these cells. This macrolide was also effective against various other HIV-1 strains, including clinical isolates and HIV-1 strains resistant to protease inhibitors and nucleoside and nonnucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors. It was also active against various HIV-2 strains, simian immunodeficiency virus (strain MAC251), and Moloney murine sarcoma virus, but not against viruses other than retroviruses. In addition, the compound was found to inhibit chronic HIV-1 infections in vitro. The compound in combination with other antiviral agents, such as zidovudine, zalcitabine, and stavudine, showed an effect that was between additive and synergistic. Time-of-addition experiments indicated that SRR-SB3 acts at a late stage of the HIV-1 replicative cycle.

A study of the antibacterial activity of l-Phenylalanine and l-Tyrosine esters in relation to their CMCs and their interactions with 1,2-dipalmitoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine, DPPC as model membrane

Sun, 31 Aug 2014 20:00:00 +0000

Cationic amino acid-based surfactants are known to interact with the lipid bilayer of cell membranes resulting in depolarization, lysis and cell death through a disruption of the membrane topology. A range of cationic surfactant analogues derived from l-Phenylalanine (C1–C20) and l-Tyrosine (C8–C14) esters have been synthesized and screened for their antibacterial activity. The esters were more active against gram positive than gram negative bacteria. The activity increased with increasing chain length, exhibiting a cut-off effect at C12 for gram positive and C8/C10 for gram negative bacteria. The cut-off effect for gram negative bacteria was observed at a lower alkyl chain length. The CMC was correlated with the MIC, inferring that micellar activity contribute to the cut-off effect in antibacterial activity. The interaction of the cationic surfactants with the phospholipid vesicles (1,2-dipalmitoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine, DPPC) in the presence of 1-anilino-8-naphthalene sulfonate (ANS) and 1,6-diphenyl-1,3,5-hexatriene (DPH) as fluorescence probes showed that an increase in ionic interaction causes an increase in antibacterial activity. Increase in hydrophobic interaction increases the antibacterial activity only to a certain chain length, attributing to the cut-off effect. Therefore, both electrostatic and hydrophobic interactions, involving the polar and nonpolar moieties are of paramount importance for the bactericidal properties.

New lobane and cembrane diterpenes from two Comorian soft corals

Mon, 22 Feb 2010 20:00:00 +0000

Preliminary biological investigation of a collection of Comorian soft corals resulted in the selection of two specimens, one of Sarcophyton and the other of Lobophytum, on the basis of their toxicity on larvae of the brine shrimp (Artemia salina) and inhibition of acetylcholinesterase, respectively. Bioassay-guided fractionations provided a known antitumor promoter cembrane diterpenoid, (+)-sarcophytol-A (1), along with a new lobane diterpenoid, carbomethoxyfuscol (2), from Sarcophyton sp., and a new cembranoid, crassumolide E (3), from Lobophytum sp. The structures of compounds 1–3 were determined by spectroscopic analysis and by comparison of the spectral data with previously reported values. The cembranoid 3 was found to exhibit a moderate inhibitory effect on acetylcholinesterase.

Nutritional and biological evaluation of leaves of Mangifera indica from Mauritius

Tue, 31 Jul 2018 20:00:00 +0000

Mango trees are evergreen plants that are present all around Mauritius. In this study, mango leaves, Mangifera indica grown in Mauritius were investigated for their nutritional values involving proximate composition, total flavonoid (TFC), total phenolic (TPC), and mineral content, and phytochemicals as well as its antioxidant and antibacterial properties. The ash, crude fat, neutral detergent fiber (NDF), acid detergent fiber (ADF), and acid detergent lignin (ADL) of the mango leaves were found to be 12.61, 3.92, 35.32, 34.98, and 12.86%, respectively. The calcium content (2.15%) was above the normal required range, while the phosphorus content (0.12%) and crude protein content (13.60%) were within the normal required range of common fodders. The phytochemical results showed the presence of saponins, alkaloids, phenols, tannins, and flavonoids in the crude, EtOAC, and MeOH extracts. The values of TPC and TFC were higher for the EtOAC extract compared to the MeOH extract. Several secondary metabolites were identified from the leaves of the Mangifera indica which include 11 phenols, 4 xanthones, 9 flavanols, 10 benzophenones, 7 terpenoids, and 4 derivatives of gallotannins using UPLC-MS/MS. The presence of these metabolites is responsible for good antioxidant and antibacterial properties. Hence, mango leaves can be exploited for its potential use as a supplementary fodder for ruminants.

Solventless synthesis of imines derived from diphenyldisulphide diamine or p-Vanillin

Sat, 31 Oct 2009 20:00:00 +0000

A solventless synthesis can reduce environmental contamination and can be more convenient than solvent-based synthesis. A series of Schiff bases were synthesized in high yield > 90% under solvent free conditions with negligible waste. All the synthesized products were characterized on the basis of spectral, elemental analysis and melting points and were compared with the data of the prouducts obtained from classical method.

Synthesis, micellisation and interaction of novel quaternary ammonium compounds derived from l-Phenylalanine with 1,2-dipalmitoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine as model membrane in relation to their antibacterial activity, and their selectivity over human red blood cells

Sat, 31 Jan 2015 20:00:00 +0000

A series of quaternary ammonium compounds (QUATS) derived from l-Phenylalanine have been synthesized and their antibacterial efficiencies were determined against various strains of Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria. The antibacterial activity increased with increasing chain length, exhibiting a cut-off effect at C14 for Gram-positive and C12 for Gram-negative bacteria. The l-Phenylalanine QUATS displayed enhanced antibacterial properties with a higher cut-off point compared to their corresponding l-Phenylalanine ester hydrochlorides. The CMC was correlated with the MIC, inferring that micellar activity contributes to the cut-off effect in antibacterial activity. The hemolytic activities (HC50) of the QUATS against human red blood cells were also determined to illustrate the selectivity of these QUATS for bacterial over mammalian cells. In general, the MIC was lower than the HC50, and assessment of the micellar contribution to the antibacterial and hemolytic evaluation in TBS as a common medium confirmed that these QUATS can act as antibacterial, yet non-toxic molecules at their monomer concentrations. The interaction of the QUATS with the phospholipid vesicles (1,2-dipalmitoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine, DPPC) in the presence of 1-anilino-8-naphthalene sulfonate (ANS) and 1,6-diphenyl-1,3,5-hexatriene (DPH) as fluorescence probes showed that the presence of the quaternary ammonium moiety causes an increase in hydrophobic interactions, thus causing an increase in antibacterial activity.

Quantification of sugars in soft drinks and fruit juices by density, refractometry, infrared spectroscopy and statistical methods

Wed, 31 Dec 2003 20:00:00 +0000

The amount of sugar in soft drinks and fruit juices has been quantified by density, refractometric and infrared spectroscopic methods. Density and refractometric methods can be used to obtain only the total amount of sugar. However, infrared spectroscopy distinguishes itself as a fast and reliable method for quantitative analysis. Fourier-transformedspectroscopy in combination with a mathematical treatment of the spectra of samples allows the amount of different sugars such as glucose, fructose and sucrose to be determined.

Synthesis, physicochemical, and biological activities of novel N-acyl tyrosine monomeric and gemini surfactants in single and SDS/CTAB–mixed micellar system

Thu, 15 Dec 2016 20:00:00 +0000

A series of single-chained N-acyl tyrosine surfactants with varying chain lengths (C10-C18) and degree of unsaturation, as well as an N-acyl Gemini tyrosine surfactant with chain length C12, were synthesized, and the structures were confirmed using spectral analysis. The effect of chain length and level of unsaturation on the physicochemical and antibacterial properties of the N-acyl tyrosine surfactants was evaluated. The C12 derivative displayed the optimum antibacterial activity among the single chain surfactants, and the presence of double bond in the oleoyl derivative enhanced the antibacterial activity over its saturated analogue. The N-acyl Gemini surfactant displayed the highest antibacterial activity among the series and also showed greater micelle forming ability than its single chain analogue. Mixed micellar behavior of the N-acyl Gemini surfactant with conventional cationic (CTAB) and anionic (SDS) surfactants in aqueous solution was studied. The negative value of the interaction parameter β12 observed for the N-acyl Gemini in binary mixture with CTAB surfactant indicated a synergistic interaction within the mixed micellar system. However, the binary mixture with SDS displayed antagonistic behavior. The binary mixture of N-acyl Gemini surfactant with CTAB displayed better antibacterial activity and foaming properties than with SDS mixtures. Optimum antibacterial activity was observed for N-acyl Gemini surfactant with mole ratio 0.4 to 0.6 in the CTAB binary mixture, at which the lowest ocular irritation index was observed. Overall, the study showed that the Gemini surfactant in combination with the conventional surfactant CTAB can be used as potential ingredients in detergent and pharmaceutical formulations.

Biological and chemical study of some soft corals and sponges collected in Mauritian waters

Mon, 08 Oct 2007 20:00:00 +0000

Thirty-seven samples of soft corals and sponges collected in July 2004 between the north and west coasts of Mauritius at depths varying from 6-26 metres have been biologically screened against inhibition of urchin egg cell division, brine shrimp lethality test, antiacetylcholinesterase test and against two bacteria Escherichia coli and Micrococcus luteus. The sponges Rhabdastrella sp. aff. providentiae (Dendy)(M03 SP3 FF) and Pericharax heterorhaphis (M03 SP4 FF) were found to be active against Escherichia coli and Micrococcus luteus respectively at a concentration of 1 μg/mL and the sponge Liosina paradoxa (M03 SP3 BC) exhibited anti-acetylcholinesterase activity. Fractionation and purification of the crude extract of the soft coral M03 SC1 GB using flash, open column and high performance liquid chromatography resulted in the isolation of one secondary metabolite (Guaianediol). Seventeen sponges have also been taxonomically identified.

Antibacterial properties of ruthenium (II) benzamide complexes

Thu, 31 May 2001 20:00:00 +0000

Reactions of the new acyclic ligand DNBH with RuCl3 · 3H2O, followed by addition of a secondary ligand L (L = PPh3, 1,10-phenanthroline, 2,2′-bipyridine, pyridine and 2,4-diaminotoluene), yield six binuclear metal complexes, TR1–TR6. Two different methods were employed: template and a two-step synthesis, both yielding the same complexes. DNBH and its metal complexes were characterised by a combination of spectroscopic, elemental and magnetic susceptibility data. Coordination was found to be through the carbonyl oxygen of amide and phenolic oxygen in the octahedral environment of the metal. DNBH and some of the metal complexes display antibacterial properties.

Synthesis, catalytic and antibacterial activity of 2-aminophenyldisulphide

Thu, 14 Jun 2007 20:00:00 +0000

Metal complexes 1a–1c have been synthesized using 2-aminophenyldisulphide, 1, while 2d and 2e were synthesized from 2-hydroxybenzaldehyde phenyldisulphide diimine, 2. All complexes were characterized by elemental analysis, spectroscopic data and magnetic moments. At room temperature complexes 1a, 2a–2c and 3b catalyse the oxidation of primary alcohols and cyclohexene using NMO or H2O2 as co oxidant. The compounds 1–6 and some metal complexes were evaluated for their antibacterial activities against gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria.

Synthesis and characterization of bis (2-aminophenyl) disulphide diimine derivatives and their ruthenium complexes

Mon, 31 Jan 2005 20:00:00 +0000

Condensation of bis(2-aminophenyl)disulphide with aromatic aldehydes yielded the corresponding dithiophenyldiimines. Dinuclear ruthenium complexes were obtained by reacting the diimines (3) [bis(3-nitrobenzaldehyde)-phenyldisulphide diimine], (5) [bis(2-chlorobenzaldehyde)-phenyldisulphide diimine], (8) [bis(2-methoxybenzaldehyde)-phenyldisulphide diimine] and (9) [bis(2-hydroxybenzaldehyde)-phenyldisulphide diimine], with RuCl3 in the presence of L (L=2,2′-bipyridine, 1,10-phenanthroline, 3,4-diaminotoluene, pyridine and PPh3) in EtOH. The two metal centres, connected through bridging chlorides, are in octahedral environments with one metal centre coordinated to sulphur and water while the other is coordinated to L.

Amino acids: Building blocks for the synthesis of greener amphiphiles

Thu, 01 Nov 2018 20:00:00 +0000

Amino acid-based amphiphiles have attracted much attention as environmentally friendly surfactants because of their biodegradability, low toxicity and the use of renewable sources of raw materials for their syntheses. With respect to molecular design, the amino acid-based architecture allows the possibilities of multiple structures of amphiphiles with varying head groups and chain lengths. This review focuses on the synthetic strategies for the development of various types of surfactants derived from amino acids. Their properties in terms of surface, biological and catalytic activities are illustrated.

The genus Psiadia: Review of traditional uses, phytochemistry and pharmacology

Tue, 09 Jan 2018 20:00:00 +0000

Ethnopharmacological relevance The genus Psiadia Jacq. ex. Willd. belongs to the Asteraceae family and includes more than 60 species. This genus grows in tropical and subtropical regions, being especially well represented in Madagascar and the Mascarene Islands (La Réunion, Mauritius and Rodrigues). Several Psiadia species have been used traditionally for their medicinal properties in Africa and the Mascarene Islands. Based on traditional knowledge, various phytochemical and pharmacological studies have been conducted. However there are no recent papers that provide an overview of the medicinal potential of Psiadia species. Therefore, the aim of this review is to provide a comprehensive summary of the botany, phytochemistry and pharmacology of Psiadia and to highlight the gaps in our knowledge for future research opportunities. Materials and methods The available information on traditional uses, phytochemistry and biological activities of the genus Psiadia was collected from scientific databases through a search using the keyword ‘Psiadia’ in ‘Google Scholar’, ‘Pubmed’, ‘Sciencedirect’, ‘SpringerLink’, ‘Web of Science’, ‘Wiley’ and ‘Scifinder’. Additionally, published books and unpublished Ph.D. and MSc. dissertations were consulted for botanical information and chemical composition. Results Historically, species of the genus Psiadia have been used to treat a wide range of ailments including abdominal pains, colds, fevers, bronchitis, asthma, rheumatoid arthritis, skin infections and liver disorders among others. Phytochemical works led to the isolation of flavonoids, phenylpropanoids, coumarins and terpenoids. Furthermore, phytochemical compositions of the essential oils of some species have been evaluated. Crude extracts, essential oils and isolated molecules showed in vitro pharmacological activities, such as antimicrobial, anti-viral, anti-inflammatory, antiplasmodial and antileishmanial activities. Crude extracts of Psiadia dentata and Psiadia arguta have specifically been found to be potentially useful for inhibition of growth of Plasmodium falciparum. However, pharmacological data on this particular genus is quite limited. Further research is necessary to determine the active compounds and the underlying mechanisms.

Synthesis, physicochemical properties and membrane interaction of novel quaternary ammonium surfactants derived from l-Tyrosine and l-DOPA in relation to their antimicrobial, hemolytic activities and in vitro cytotoxicity

Mon, 19 Dec 2016 20:00:00 +0000

Novel quaternary ammonium compounds (QUATS) derived from l-Tyrosine and L-3,4-dihydroxyphenylalanine (l-DOPA) with chain lengths varying from C10 to C16 were synthesised and their physicochemical properties were determined. The CMCs of the QUATS were higher than their corresponding ester hydrochloride derivatives due to the increase in bulkiness of the head group in the micellar structure as confirmed by 1H NMR spectroscopic investigations of the QUATS in DMSO d6-D2O system. The antibacterial effectiveness of the QUATS was evaluated against gram positive and gram negative bacteria and was found to possess good to excellent antibacterial properties. The QUAT tyrosine derivatives showed an optimum activity at C14 and C12 with respect to gram positive and negative strains respectively, while the C12 QUAT DOPA derivative displayed optimal activity against both strains. The elucidation of their mode of action was studied by their interaction with 1,2-dipalmitoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine (DPPC) vesicles and the QUATS were found to interact with DPPC via both electrostatic and hydrophobic interactions. The toxicity of these compounds was assessed by their hemolytic activities and in vitro cytotoxicity against epidermoid carcinoma (KB) and lung fibroplast cells (MRC-5). Correlation of the MIC and HC50 with the CMC showed that the monomeric form of the QUATS displayed better antibacterial and lower hemolytic activities over their micellar form, showing that these compounds can act as antibacterial agents at monomeric concentrations, yet being non-hemolytic at these concentrations. Cytotoxicity evaluation showed an increase in activity with chain length of the tyrosine QUATS, with an increasing selectivity towards the cancer cells over normal cells.

The 1, 3-dipolar cycloaddition of 1H-pyridinium-3-olate and 1-methylpyridinium-3-olate with methyl acrylate: a density functional theory study

Fri, 19 Nov 2010 20:00:00 +0000

The 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition reaction of 1-substituted pyridinium 3-olates with methyl acrylate is studied using density functional theory (DFT) method at the B3LYP/6-31G(d) level. The molecular mechanisms of the possible stereo- and regio-chemical pathways are characterized and explored. Solvent effects are also evaluated by the polarizable continuum model (PCM). Analysis of the results shows that there are relevant differences in the reaction pathways between the gas phase and with solvent. Only results in solvent phase are in accord with literature experimental results where 6-substituted 8-azabicyclo[3.2.1]oct-3-en-2-ones are formed preferentially. These polar cycloaddition reactions take place through highly asynchronous transition states in which nucleophilic attack by C2/C6 of the pyridinium-3-olates on the more electrophilic centre of the methyl acrylate initiates the process. Analysis of global and local indexes of the reactants is evaluated in order to explain the observed regioselectivity. Rate constants are calculated at room temperature using conventional transition state theory.

Synthesis, biological and catalytic properties of Ru(II) benzamide Schiff base complexes

Tue, 30 Sep 2003 20:00:00 +0000

A few Schiff bases (p-chlorobenzaldehyde)-benzylimine 1, (salicylaldehyde)-p-toluidiimine 2, bis(p-anisaldehyde)ethylenediimine 3, bis(1-naphthaldehyde)-p-phenylenediimine 4, bis(m-nitrobenzaldehyde)-p-phenylenediimine 5, and bis(salicylaldehyde)-o-phenylenediimine 6 have been synthesized and reacted with RU2Cl2(DNBH)(H2O)4 (TR1) to yield six binuclear ruthenium complexes 1a-6a. All the complexes are characterized by spectroscopic, elemental and magnetic susceptibility data. The coordination is found to be through carbonyl oxygen of amide, phenolic oxygen and azomethine nitrogen of the Schiff bases in the octahedral environment of the metal. All the metal complexes show antibacterial and catalytic activity.

Chemistry education in the ICT age

Wed, 31 Dec 2008 20:00:00 +0000

Book covering topics ranging from fundamental to applied chemistry.

A numerical and experimental investigation of the effectiveness of green roofs in tropical environments: The case study of Mauritius in mid and late winter

Tue, 30 Jun 2020 20:00:00 +0000

The present work is a preliminary assessment of the performance of green roof at Reduit in Mauritius, located at latitude and longitude (Indian Ocean), which is influenced by a tropical humid climate. The efficiency of the green roof is gauged by evaluating its effect on indoor temperature fluctuations, conductive heat fluxes and the daily peak indoor temperature. On site measurements of weather data and indoor temperature are collected round the clock from July 11, 2017 to October 08, 2017. It is found that green roof increases the thermal mass of the experimental cells thereby reducing the fluctuations in indoor temperature. The conductive heat flux variation is significantly low in the case of the green roof. The green roof reduces the daily peak indoor temperature, which is attenuated significantly as compared to a conventional roof. A one dimensional mathematical model is also proposed in order to simulate the evolution of the heat and moisture transfer in a porous multilayer material. The model is validated using the measured data.

Facial recognition techniques applied to the automated registration of patients in the emergency treatment of head injuries

Mon, 31 Jan 2011 20:00:00 +0000

This paper describes the development of a registration framework for image-guided solutions to the automation of certain routine neurosurgical procedures. The registration process aligns the pose of the patient in the preoperative space to that of the intraoperative space. Computerized tomography images are used in the preoperative (planning) stage, whilst white light (TV camera) images are used to capture the intraoperative pose. Craniofacial landmarks, rather than artificial markers, are used as the registration basis for the alignment. To create further synergy between the user and the image-guided system, automated methods for extraction of these landmarks have been developed. The results obtained from the application of a polynomial neural network classifier based on Gabor features for the detection and localization of the selected craniofacial landmarks, namely the ear tragus and eye corners in the white light modality are presented. The robustness of the classifier to variations in intensity and noise is analysed. The results show that such a classifier gives good performance for the extraction of craniofacial landmarks.

A registration framework for preoperative CT to intraoperative white light images

Mon, 13 Jul 2009 20:00:00 +0000

A registration framework for image-guided robotic surgery is proposed for three major neurosurgical procedures. The registration uses preoperative CT images and intraoperative white light camera images as modalities. A point-based rigid body registration based on the manual identification of homologous anatomical features in CT and white light images is used. A clinical accuracy of 5 mm is considered sufficient for the three procedures. Tests with CT data and projection views from a surface rendered CT model gave a maximum RMS registration error of 0.68 mm when tested over fifteen datasets. This paper discusses the proposed framework and the results obtained from preliminary tests on simulated data.

A Framework for AI-Based Building Controls to Adapt Passive Measures for Optimum Thermal Comfort and Energy Efficiency in Tropical Climates

Sat, 27 Nov 2021 20:00:00 +0000

The potential for the contribution of the built environment towards sustainable development is recognized around the world. The need to achieve thermal comfort has proven to be the prime source of energy consumption in buildings, with mechanical ventilation and air-conditioning known to represent more than half of the energy bill. The effect of climate change has exacerbated the problem, leading to a vicious cycle of emitting more greenhouse gases in bringing comfortable indoor environments, while contributing further to climate change with warmer summers and colder winters. A very effective way to decouple economic growth and urbanization with increasing carbon footprint of our building stock is through the integration of passive measures, which hold huge potential for climate zones characterized as hot and warm. Moreover, the variability of climate means that permanent passive measures do not represent the optimum configuration for harnessing the natural resources in the form of daylight, natural ventilation and solar radiation, calling for building controls to regulate these passive elements. Furthermore, the need to set suitable control strategies for modulating these passive measures require a knowledge base to understand their influence on the indoor environment with respect to the external climatic conditions. The complexity of the interaction between the external and internal environments through the building envelope has led to renewed interest in adopting an AI approach to the problem. This paper presents a methodology developed to assess and quantify the efficacy of passive measures with associated controls for regulating specific parameters pertaining to the indoor environment, and presents simulation results for the automation of window shading with respect to indoor temperature and illumination level as an example of the proposed framework.

Assessing the efficacy of passive measures for the tropical context of Mauritius through parametric simulations and in-situ measurement

Mon, 12 Jul 2021 20:00:00 +0000

The transition from the traditional creole typology to the modern concrete vernacular structures has taken place progressively over the past few decades in Mauritius, motivated by the need for cyclone resistant buildings. However, the lack of consideration for thermal properties of the wall, glazing and roof construction has resulted in interior space conditions generally uncomfortable during summer conditions, evidenced by the increasing installation and use of air conditioning systems. With summers projected to become warmer due to climate change, passive design measures should be re-incorporated into existing and new constructions to decouple active cooling and urbanisation. This paper describes the parametric analyses carried out to generate cooling load (peak and coincident) for wall, glazing and roof components and temperature (operative, radiative and air) variations for a test building model made up of nine rooms, of which eight were peripheral and one central (with no external walls). The simulations were undertaken in Designbuilder® for a base case with no passive measures and for various low cost passive measures – overhang of various depths, external vertical shading and curtains, roof shading and planting tall trees around the building, incrementally rotated. The results allowed to assess the efficacy of each passive measure, validated against experimental data collected in actual buildings. The study also provided much needed quantitative data on surface and air temperatures prevailing inside buildings, which are key to bringing about the needed shift in mindset and the construction market.

Circular homes–An energy-water-materials nexus for community climate engagement and action at grassroots level in the built environment

Wed, 31 Aug 2022 20:00:00 +0000

The crucial element of community engagement has been recognised as a success factor in the conception and dispensing of climate solutions, but consists in itself of complex factors to obtain the level of interest and commitment from stakeholders. The complexity of the content and language used to interact with the community is yet another factor needing close attention. The built environment is known for its adverse environmental impact, which can be broadly classified under energy, water and material categories. This paper presents a community-oriented project concept termed as circular homes based on this energy-water-materials nexus, developed using the circular economy principles. The proposed concept was developed over the course of a research-to-action project undertaken in the build-up to COP26. The project aimed at gathering youth perspectives on climate change through an online survey. In light of survey responses as well as literature findings on community engagement and climate action in the built environment, the energy, water and materials components of the circular homes were established and adapted to Mauritius. The outcomes of the workshop are presented, showing the ability of each participant, irrespective of background, to engage with the needed level of understanding of his or her home and propose bespoke climate mitigation and adaptation action. Although applied in the tropical context of Mauritius, the circular home methodology presented can be adapted to incorporate research outcomes and national or regional priorities pertaining to the energy, water and materials dimensions.

Maximization of Solar Hot Water Production Using a Secondary Storage Tank

Mon, 31 Dec 2018 20:00:00 +0000

The use of passive thermosiphon solar water heating (SWH) is a cost-effective renewable source of energy for hot water production in Mauritius, given the relatively high solar yield year round. However, unavailability of sufficiently hot water for early morning use has been reported in households, confirmed by a survey undertaken, which may be due to improperly sized tank and/or collectors. Backup gas or electric heating is normally installed to cater for this problem. This paper presents the research work performed to analyze the dynamics of hot water production, consisting mainly of monitoring the temperature of the water inside the tank of an actual SWH in operation with the objective of characterizing the factors affecting hot water production. The temperature of the hot water inside the storage tank was found to fluctuate during the day and with consumption of hot water, and the mixing of mains cold water with the hot water was deemed to be a major factor leading to the shortage of hot water the next morning. Based on the analysis, a passive thermosiphon SWH in use in a household was modified by adding a second hot water tank with associated solenoid-actuated valves modulated by a microcontroller to regulate flow between the two tanks and to the end use point according to an appropriate rule set. The results show that hot water production can be optimized in currently installed SWH systems with the proposed design without back-up heating systems, thus providing an effective retrofit solution to systems in use.

Preoperative to intraoperative space registration for management of head injuries

Sun, 27 Sep 2009 20:00:00 +0000

A registration framework for image-guided robotic surgery is proposed for three emergency neurosurgical procedures, namely Intracranial Pressure (ICP) Monitoring, External Ventricular Drainage (EVD) and evacuation of a Chronic Subdural Haematoma (CSDH). The registration paradigm uses CT and white light as modalities. This paper presents two simulation studies for a preliminary evaluation of the registration protocol:(1) The loci of the Target Registration Error (TRE) in the patient’s axial, coronal and sagittal views were simulated based on a Fiducial Localisation Error (FLE) of 5 mm and (2) Simulation of the actual framework using projected views from a surface rendered CT model to represent white light images of the patient. Craniofacial features were employed as the registration basis to map the CT space onto the simulated intraoperative space. Photogrammetry experiments on an artificial skull were also performed to benchmark the results obtained from the second simulation. The results of both simulations show that the proposed protocol can provide a 5mm accuracy for these neurosurgical procedures.

Extraction of craniofacial landmarks for preoperative to intraoperative registration

Wed, 23 Sep 2009 20:00:00 +0000

This paper presents the automated methods employed for extracting craniofacial landmarks in white light images as part of a registration framework designed to support three neurosurgical procedures. The intraoperative space is characterised by white light stereo imaging while the preoperative plan is performed on CT scans. The registration aims at aligning these two modalities to provide a calibrated environment to enable image-guided solutions. The neurosurgical procedures can then be carried out by mapping the entry and target points from CT space onto the patient’s space. The registration basis adopted consists of natural landmarks (eye corner and ear tragus). A 5mm accuracy is deemed sufficient for these three procedures and the validity of the selected registration basis in achieving this accuracy has been assessed by simulation studies. The registration protocol is briefly described, followed by a presentation of the automated techniques developed for the extraction of the craniofacial features and results obtained from tests on the AR and FERET databases. Since the three targeted neurosurgical procedures are routinely used for head injury management, the effect of bruised/swollen faces on the automated algorithms is assessed. A user-interactive method is proposed to deal with such unpredictable circumstances.

Multi-Disciplinary Experience-A Key Learning Experience in Effective Education for Sustainable Development

Sun, 06 Jun 2021 20:00:00 +0000

The key role of education for achieving sustainable development has been well recognized around the world and used as a powerful lever for transforming economies based on sound principles. Indeed universities are prime institutions which have the essential role to impart requisite knowledge and skills to learners so that they can stand to the challenges in their respective professions, which means universities have had to bring radical changes to their curricula over the past decade to integrate sustainability principles as well as come up with new programmes centered on sustainability. However, the multi-disciplinary nature of sustainability projects as they occur in real-life has meant that the education curricula cannot be developed in isolation for a given programme of studies, but need to have linkages and crossover with other disciplines to provide a platform for learners to nurture this all-important skill. The University of Mauritius has aligned this key ingredient of education for sustainable development (ESD) with the accreditation framework for engineers provided by the Washington Accord through its graduate attributes, specifically Graduate Attribute 8 which includes multidisciplinary work within the range statement. This paper describes the methods adopted to implement this cross-linking between programmes from different disciplines effectively.

Enhancing energy performance and comfort of built environment in tropical climates

Thu, 08 Apr 2021 20:00:00 +0000

A lack of scientific basis for the conception and development of urban environments has been evidenced in tropical climates. The lack of urban morphology and climate data needed for carrying out the analyses has been a major barrier for researching into context-specific urban and building elements, including building energy systems, for achieving adequate indoor environmental conditions at low energy consumption. The result has been air-conditioned buildings with poor energy performance, unconditioned spaces unsuitable for human comfort and an increasing trend for installation of active cooling systems in offices and homes, all expected to escalate with climate change. Therefore, there is pressing need to come up with scientific findings to address the urban climate issues in tropical countries. This chapter presents the main research findings reported in literature related to (a) understanding the factors influencing energy performance and thermal comfort in tropical climates, and (b) practical realisation of measures in the built environment, with reported outcomes. These findings are used to devise a road map for bettering energy performance and comfort in buildings in tropical contexts while identifying research gaps.

A machine learning approach to tracking and characterizing planar or near planar fluid flow

Tue, 30 Jun 2020 20:00:00 +0000

This paper presents a framework to segment planar or near-planar fluid flow and uses artificial neural networks to characterize fluid flow by determining the rate of flow and source of the fluid, which can be applied in various areas (e.g., characterizing fluid flow in surface irrigation from aerial pictures, in leakage detection, and in surgical robotics for characterizing blood flow over an operative site). For the latter, the outcome enables to assess bleeding severity and find the source of the bleeding. Based on its importance in assessing injuries and from a medical perspective in directing the course of surgery, fluid flow assessment is deemed to be a desirable addition to a surgical robot's capabilities. The results from tests on fluid flows generated from a test rig show that the proposed methods can contribute to an automated characterization of fluid flow, which in the presence of several fluid flow sources can be achieved by tracking the flows, determining the locations of the sources and their relative severities, with execution times suitable for real-time operation.

Challenges and opportunities in the present era of marine algal applications

Tue, 28 Jun 2016 20:00:00 +0000

Marine algae are of high importance in their natural habitats and even more now in the world of green technology. The sprouting interest of the scientific community and industries in these organisms is driven by the fast-growing world of modern biotechnology. Genomics, transcriptomics, proteomics, metabolomics and their integration collectively termed here as ‘marine algal-omics’ have broadened the research horizon in view of enhancing human’s life by addressing environmental problems and encouraging novelty in the field of pharmaceuticals among so many more. Their use in the human society dates back to 500 BC in China and later across the globe; they are still being used for similar purposes and more today. There is a hiking interest in marine algae and their derivatives—from phycoremediation, food supplements, pharmaceuticals to dyes. Marine algae are currently considered as an emerging panacea for the society. They are being studied in a multitude of arenas. The multi-use of marine algae is enticing and promises to be a boon for industrial applications. Yet, most marine algae face challenges that might variably constrain their commercialisation. This chapter gives an overview of marine algae including all the ‘omics’ technologies involved in studying marine algae and it explores their multitude applications. It also draws the various successful industries budded around them and presents some of the challenges and opportunities along with future directions.

Seas of Mauritius

Mon, 31 Dec 2018 20:00:00 +0000

The seas of Mauritius encompasses an exclusive economic zone of 1.9 M km2 with an additional sea territory of 396,000 km2 jointly managed with Seychelles. The Republic of Mauritius includes several tropical islands, the three inhabited ones being Mauritius, Rodrigues, and Agalega. Mauritius is of volcanic origin and dates back to about 8 mya (million years ago). Being the fourth and sixth most densely populated tropical country and globally, respectively, Mauritius has undergone extensive terrestrial and coastal development, including rapid vegetation clearance. Rapid changes in land-use patterns have led to reduction of native forest cover to almost < 2% since colonization back in 1638. The coastal and marine ecosystems have been subjected to both anthropogenic and climate change-driven impacts, which are difficult to separate. In some of the coastal areas, < 5% of live coral cover remains. While the terrestrial and coastal ecosystems of the Republic of Mauritius are quite well studied, the marine ecosystems need further scientific studies and exploration, and also need sustainable and adaptive management strategies in an ever-changing global environmental climate.

Increased density of the corallivore Drupella cornus on Acropora muricata colonies overgrown by Padina boryana

Sat, 31 Dec 2016 20:00:00 +0000

This study investigated the percentage of shallow, lagoonal Acropora muricata colonies overgrown by the macroalga Padina boryana and the density of Drupella cornus, a corallivorous gastropod on those colonies, during summer (March) and winter (August) of 1998 and from 2010 to 2014 at Flic-en-Flac, Mauritius. In 1998, the percentage of A. muricata colonies covered by P. boryana were 11.11 ± 2.22% (mean ± SE) and 8.89 ± 2.22% for summer and winter, respectively, and D. cornus density was low for both summer (0.60 ± 0.55 individuals m-2 ; mean ± SE) and winter (0.80 ± 0.84 individuals m-2 ). However, from 2010 to 2014, a high percentage of coral colonies were observed to be covered by P. boryana with peak in summer 2012 (93.33 ± 3.85%). Increased macroalgal coverage in summer coincided with high D. cornus densities of to 30.60 ± 1.21 individuals m-2 in summer 2012. During winters of 2010 to 2014, the percentage of macroalga-covered A. muricata colonies and D. cornus density on the macroalga-covered colonies were lower as compared to summer. Significant positive correlation was obtained between the percentage of P. boryanacovered A. muricata and the density of D. cornus (r = +0.967, p

Chlorophyll fluorescence–A tool to assess photosynthetic performance and stress photophysiology in symbiotic marine invertebrates and seaplants

Wed, 31 Mar 2021 20:00:00 +0000

Chlorophyll a fluorescence is increasingly being used as a rapid, non-invasive, sensitive and convenient indicator of photosynthetic performance in marine autotrophs. This review presents the methodology, applications and limitations of chlorophyll fluorescence in marine studies. The various chlorophyll fluorescence tools such as Pulse-Amplitude-Modulated (PAM) and Fast Repetition Rate (FRR) fluorometry used in marine scientific studies are discussed. Various commonly employed chlorophyll fluorescence parameters are elaborated. The application of chlorophyll fluorescence in measuring natural variations, stress, stress tolerance and acclimation/adaptation to changing environment in primary producers such as microalgae, macroalgae, seagrasses and mangroves, and marine symbiotic invertebrates, namely symbiotic sponges, hard corals and sea anemones, kleptoplastic sea slugs and giant clams is critically assessed. Stressors include environmental, biological, physical and chemical ones. The strengths, limitations and future perspectives of the use of chlorophyll fluorescence technique as an assessment tool in symbiotic marine organisms and seaplants are discussed.

New records of Epixanthus frontalis and Heteropanope glabra (Decapoda: Brachyura: Oziidae, Pilumnidae) for Goa, India, with identification keys of their respective genera

Fri, 31 Jul 2015 20:00:00 +0000

Two rock crabs, Epixanthus frontalis and Heteropanope glabra, are reported for the first time from Goa, west coast of India. Detailed scanning electron microscopy (SEM) photographs of the male first gonopods of both these species are provided for the first time. Identification of these species using available published literature is difficult. Hence, identification keys to all the species of the two genera, Epixanthus and Heteropanope, based on extensive comparisons of their respective congeneric species, are prepared for the first time.

A first field report of various coral-eating gastropods and associated infestations around Mauritius Island, Western Indian Ocean

Sun, 13 Aug 2017 20:00:00 +0000

Not applicable

Variations in the density of two ectoparasitic gastropods (Coralliophila spp.) on scleractinian corals on a coast-reef scale

Tue, 26 Feb 2019 20:00:00 +0000

Ectoparasitic gastropods living and feeding on coral hosts are now being reported as ubiquitous elements of coral reef environments. While there have been several reports of the damage being caused by these gastropods in the Asia-Pacific region, detailed information on ectoparasitic gastropods from the Western Indian Ocean region is scarce. Small islands such as Mauritius are largely dependent on coral reefs for tourism and protection of the coastal zone against natural disasters and high wave action, thereby highlighting the need to conserve and manage coral reefs sustainably. This requires an assessment of potential threats, including ectoparasitic gastropods, to coral reefs. In an effort to enhance our knowledge on ectoparasitic gastropods from the Western Indian Ocean region, the present study investigates variations in the density of ectoparasitic gastropod species feeding on coral hosts at three zones, namely the coast, lagoon and reef flat during summer and winter in 2016 and 2017 at Flic en Flac, west coast of Mauritius. Fifteen random quadrats were surveyed at each zone and ectoparasitic gastropod density was expressed as the number of individuals m−2. Three line intercept transects of 30 m each were surveyed at each zone to determine the percentage coral cover in October 2016. Two ectoparasitic gastropod species, Coralliophila erosa and C. radula, identified both morphologically and genetically, were found to be associated only with Acropora muricata and Porites lutea, respectively. Distribution of the coral host along the coast-reef scale seemed to affect the densities of the gastropods. No C. erosa was recorded on the reef flat where the percentage cover of branching coral was lowest (54.67 ± 2.40%). Similarly, no C. radula was observed at the coast where the percentage cover of massive coral was as low as 5.00 ± 2.08%. The density of both ectoparasitic gastropods differed significantly among the zones and between the years (Kruskal-Wallis, p 0.05). This study constitutes the first report on the variations in the density of ectoparasitic gastropods on a coast-reef scale at a tropical site in Mauritius and may have implications for coral reefs conservation and management.

Field observation of five Stylophora pistillata-like morphotypes near Mauritius Island

Sun, 13 Aug 2017 20:00:00 +0000

Not applicable

Multiple substrates chosen in mass in situ egg deposition by Drupella in Mauritius, a first record for the western Indian Ocean

Thu, 19 Nov 2020 20:00:00 +0000

Not applicable

Outplanting of branching Acropora enhances recolonization of a fish species and protects massive corals from predation

Wed, 30 Jun 2021 20:00:00 +0000

Damselfish of the genus Stegastes inhabit territories and cultivate algal gardens on branching corals of the genus Acropora, aggressively protecting their territories from other fish and preventing predation upon corals within the territory. This behaviour has important ecological impacts and could also be useful in reducing predation on outplanted corals during reef restoration efforts. However, the degree of protection from predators may depend on the ability of Stegastes spp. to recolonise outplanted or newly established coral colonies. Protection of bleaching-resilient massive corals within territories may be of particular importance due to the role of these corals in maintaining coral cover following bleaching events. This study examined whether the presence of Stegastes spp. reduces predation on the massive bleaching-resilient coral Porites lutea in the Mauritian lagoon, and whether Stegastes spp. readily colonise outplanted branching coral fragments and provide adjacent massive corals with indirect protection from predation. Predation levels on wild-occurring and outplanted P. lutea within and outside Stegastes spp. territories were measured. In addition, Acropora muricata branches were outplanted adjacent to wild P. lutea colonies outside Stegastes spp. territories, and recolonisation of these outplants by Stegastes spp. and the impacts of recolonisation on predation were monitored. Both wild and outplanted P. lutea colonies within Stegastes spp. territories sustained less predation damage compared to colonies outside territories. Stegastes spp. recolonized outplanted A. muricata colonies within six months of outplanting, and in doing so returned predation protection to adjacent P. lutea colonies. The ability of Stegastes spp. to colonise outplanted corals and provide indirect protection to adjacent massive bleaching-resilient corals may inform coral outplanting efforts in systems where Stegastes spp. are common. Encouraging Stegastes spp. recolonisation may help to reduce predation damage to corals within territories and potentially improve the success of rehabilitation efforts.

Variations in abundance, diversity, photo-physiology and estimated productivity of micro-phytoplankton with depth at the Saya de Malha Bank, Mascarene Plateau

Tue, 19 Jul 2022 20:00:00 +0000

The variations in micro-phytoplankton abundance, diversity, photo-physiology, chlorophyll a (Chla) concentration and estimated productivity were assessed at depth ranges of 0-4, 5-10, and 11-29 m with 100, 28 and 11% of irradiance, respectively, in Saya de Malha waters. The total micro-phytoplankton abundance (TMPA) differed significantly (P< 0.001) with depth ranges, and between day and night samples. Out of the 34 genera identified, 27 showed a decrease in abundance of over 40% with depth. Chaetoceros, Coscinodiscus, Navicula, Nitzschia and Ceratium were most dominant. The Shannon-Wiener (H’) diversity index did not differ among depth ranges and between samples collected during day and night, but diatoms were more diverse than dinoflagellates. The effective quantum yield (Φ PSII) and the light-use efficiency factor (α) tended to decrease, while the maximum relative electron transport rate (rETR max), the photo-inhibitory factor (β) and the maximum non-photochemical quenching (NPQ max) varied insignificantly from morning to afternoon sampling points at all depth ranges studied. The estimated productivity, rETR max and Chla concentration decreased with depth ranges. The higher diversity of diatoms, better photosynthetic performance in the morning hours and higher near-surface estimated productivity provide new insights into micro-phytoplankton dynamics and productivity in Saya de Malha waters.

Spatial distribution of surface chlorophyll a and micro-phytoplankton density and diversity around two islands and at two banks of the Mascarene region

Tue, 19 Jul 2022 20:00:00 +0000

The present study validated the use of AquaMODIS sea surface chlorophyll a (Chla) concentrations and investigated the spatial variation in density and diversity of micro-phytoplankton around two islands and two fishing banks of the Mascarene region. The study included areas around Mauritius (MRU) and Rodrigues (ROD) Islands, at Nazareth (NZ) Bank, and in the Joint Management Area (JMA) between the Republic of Mauritius and the Republic of Seychelles, more specifically at the Saya de Malha (SM) Bank. The AquaMODIS data were based on 67 match-up data points of in-situ against satellite Chla concentrations. The micro-phytoplankton community structure was investigated by determining the density variation and using the Shannon Wiener (H’) and Evenness (Evar) diversity indices. The satellite and in-situ Chla data were significantly and positively correlated when pooled for the four sites studied (R2 = 0.441; r = 0.642, P < 0.01), and when analysed separately for islands (R2 = 0.480; r = 0.694), and banks (R2 = 0.233; r = 0.483). However, the Chla satellite values tended to be lower than the in-situ Chla data. The highest densities of micro-phytoplankton were observed in the eastern and northern regions for MRU and ROD, respectively. The most dominant genera of micro-phytoplankton were Coscinodiscus, Navicula, Chaetoceros and Ceratium. The Shannon-Wiener diversity index values for diatoms were all above 2.5 with waters around the islands having higher diversity compared to the banks. Overall, the different micro-phytoplankton around the islands, except for the group of cyanobacteria at ROD Island, were more evenly distributed (Evar > 0.6) compared to the banks. This study indicated that AquaMODIS Chla satellite data is valid and may be potentially used as a proxy for in-situ Chla concentration on the Mascarene Plateau. The results of this study also provide detailed insight into the spatial variation in micro-phytoplankton density and diversity on the Mascarene Plateau in the Western Indian Ocean. Further long-term studies are warranted to thoroughly understand the temporal (including seasonal and inter-annual) variations in Chla and micro-phytoplankton distribution for adequate and appropriate management of these ocean territories.

A first field report of coral diseases around Mauritius Island, Western Indian Ocean

Sun, 13 Aug 2017 20:00:00 +0000

Not applicable

Photophysiology of in hospite zooxanthellae in diseased and non-diseased scleractinian corals from Belle Mare, Mauritius

Sun, 13 Aug 2017 20:00:00 +0000

This study investigated the occurrence of white band disease (WBD, tissue sloughing) and white plague (WP, com-plete whitening) among six scleractinian corals at Belle Mare, Mauritius. Photosynthetic responses of in hospite zoox-anthellae in diseased and non-diseased/healthy corals were characterised via e ective quantum yield (Ð¤PSII or ΔF/Fm, light-adapted), relative maximum electron transport rate (rETRmax), and non-photochemical quenching (NPQ), using a Diving Pulse-Amplitude Modulated (D-PAM) uorometer. Coral disease occurrence survey (n= 20 colonies) and sampling for diseased and non-diseased/healthy corals were carried out at 9 stations along 3 transects across the lagoon from coast to reef, for the November 2013 to February 2014 summer non-bleaching months. A higher percentage (90%) of disease occurrence was observed in Acropora muricata (WBD 45%; WP 55%) than in Pocillopora damicornis (WBD only 10%). Pocillopora eydouxi, Galaxea fascicularis, Acropora cytherea, and Fungia repanda exhibited no diseases. Ð¤PSII was normal (0.60±0.01) in all non-diseased/healthy corals, but was signi cantly low (< 0.20) in diseased corals in healthy-looking tissues adjacent to disease lesions. Low Ð¤PSII was accompanied by low rETRmax and NPQ, indicating damage to photosynthetic apparatus in WBD-a ected A. muricata. The ndings indicated a higher suscep-tibility of A. muricata to the two diseases and may have implications for coral reef management and conservation.

A comparison of the density and diversity of intertidal benthic molluscs at a sheltered and an exposed tropical coast around Mauritius Island

Sun, 13 Aug 2017 20:00:00 +0000

This study compared spatial variations in the density and diversity of marine benthic molluscs along Belle Mare and Gris Gris, a sheltered and an exposed intertidal zone, respectively, in Mauritius. Species density was assessed using the random quadrat method (1 mx 1 m). Grain size distribution was measured by sieve analysis. Shannon-Wiener (H’), evenness (E) and Simpson’s (D) indices were used to assess diversity. Coarser sediment was found at Gris Gris indicating the prevalence of relatively harsher wave conditions as compared to Belle Mare. Sixteen mollusc species were identi ed at Belle Mare (12 on rocky and 4 on sandy substrata) and seven species at Gris Gris (6 species on rocky and 1 on sandy substrata), with the families Planaxidae, Cerithiidae and Neritidae being common to both sites. Shannon-Wiener and evenness indices were higher at Gris Gris. Simpson’s index indicated higher dominance at Belle Mare, evident from the high density of Planaxis sulcatus (514.42±221.63 individuals m-2)(mean±SE). Turbo setosus was found in highest density (1.20±0.20 individuals m-2) at Gris Gris. Though Belle Mare has higher intertidal mollusc abundance, the diversity was lower due to high dominance of species. This observation possibly signi es suitable physical conditions for species growth and survival at Belle Mare.

Rainfall-driven nutrient loading affects coastal phytoplankton in the southwestern Indian Ocean: a lagoon at Mauritius Island

Sat, 02 Apr 2022 20:00:00 +0000

This study aimed to test the effects of rainfall-driven nutrient loading on the microphytoplankton dynamics in the shallow water at Trou aux Biches lagoon on the northwest coast of Mauritius. Changes in density, diversity and estimated productivity of microphytoplankton were monitored in three zones—coast, lagoon and reef—during two rainfall periods of 4 and 3 days’ duration, respectively, in March–April 2017. The average nutrient loading from terrestrial runoff was 15.5% and the salinity decreased by 2.5%. Following the two rainfall events, a 3-fold increase in total microphytoplankton density (TMPD), with a dominance of diatoms, was noted within a week at the coast and lagoon, while it remained relatively unchanged at the reef. These changes in microphytoplankton densities were concomitant with adequate levels of silicate (>2 µM) and high nitrate:silicate ratios (2.84–6.93). During this study, the numbers of genera of diatoms, dinoflagellates and cyanobacteria observed were 28, 12 and 3, respectively. The Shannon–Wiener, equitability and evenness indices showed high diversity values for diatoms and cyanobacteria prior to the rainfall events and for dinoflagellates after the events. The chlorophyll a content, relative electron transport rate, and estimated productivity of microphytoplankton increased during and after the rainy periods. TMPD and chlorophyll a were correlated significantly and positively with nutrients, salinity and temperature. Toxic algal species such as the dinoflagellates Alexandrium, Dinophysis and Tripos were recorded, although not in bloom densities. These findings indicate that rainfall-driven nutrient loading led to an increase in microphytoplankton density and estimated productivity, and a change in its diversity.

Marine Tourism and the Blue Economy: Perspectives from the Mascarene and Pacific Islands

Wed, 19 Oct 2022 20:00:00 +0000

The blue economy is built on the principle that socio-economic progress can occur in tandem with environmental protection and sustainable resource extraction. Nations with coastal and ocean-based economies have struggled to realize the promise of the blue economy without taking conciliatory measures. Island nations are especially affected due to their overwhelming reliance on marine tourism and related activities and disproportionate susceptibility to climate change and fluctuating touristic demands. Not all island nations are the same and national ocean economies can be vastly different, dictated by complex geopolitics, cultural models, and social value systems. We explore these facets further through two contrasting case studies from two remarkably different corners of the world—the island of Mauritius in the western Indian Ocean and Pacific Island Countries and Territories. We recommend that marine tourism, the largest component of the Islands’ blue economy, must be handled as an anthropogenic stressor subject to environmental assessments, regulatory enforcement, and adaptive mitigation measures. Further, tourism fees levied by different island nations should proportionally allocate funds towards periodic monitoring and restoration evaluation studies. Findings from such studies could facilitate participatory decision-making processes and build marine environment and tourism resilience against global disruptions, climate change, and severe habitat loss.

Variable photo-physiological performance of macroalgae and seagrasses from Saya de Malha and Nazareth Banks, Mascarene Plateau

Tue, 19 Jul 2022 20:00:00 +0000

The photosynthetic performance of macroalgae and seagrasses related to their body parts, depth and colours from the poorly-studied Saya de Malha and Nazareth Banks on the Mascarene Plateau was investigated in this study. Two seagrass (Thalassodendron ciliatum and Halophila decipiens) and seven macroalgae species (Caulerpa cupressoides, Acrosorium ciliolatum, Dictyosphaeria cavernosa, Halimeda opuntia, Ulva sp., Udotea orientalis and Udotea palmetta) were collected using the five Van Veen grabs attached to the Video-Assisted Multi-Sampler (VAMS) from 29-79 m depths in May during the FAO EAF-Nansen Research Programme 2018. The photosynthetic performance was measured using a Diving-Pulse-Amplitude-Modulated (D-PAM) fluorometer and the parameters included effective quantum yield at photosystem II (PSII) (ΦPSII), relative maximum electron transport rate (rETRm), photosynthetic efficiency (α), photoinhibition (β), saturating light level (Ek), and maximum non-photochemical quenching (NPQmax). All photo-physiological parameters varied significantly in T. ciliatum and C. cupressoides across their body parts. However, variation with seawater depths was not significant for NPQmax and β in the seagrass, and ΦPSII, rETRm and β in the macroalgae. Photo-physiological functioning of the leaf of T. ciliatum was optimal at 40 m. The photosynthetic performance of the frond and stolon of C. cupressoides decreased and remained unchanged, respectively, at 79 m when compared to that at 29 m. The whitish lobes of H. opuntia at 31 m exhibited significantly lower photosynthetic performance, in terms of ΦPSII, rETRm,α and Ek, than the greenish lobes. These findings provide a first insight of seaplant body parts-, depth- and colour-related photo-physiological performance from the Mascarene Plateau.

Sightings of sea stars (Echinodermata, Asteroidea) and a first record of crown-of-thorns starfish Acanthaster at Saya de Malha Bank, Mascarene Plateau

Tue, 19 Jul 2022 20:00:00 +0000

Not applicable

Oxidative stress could precede endothelial dysfunction and insulin resistance in Indian Mauritians with impaired glucose metabolism

Mon, 30 Apr 2001 20:00:00 +0000

Aims/hypothesis. To measure oxidative stress, endothelial dysfunction and insulin resistance in Indian Mauritians at different stages of development of Type II (non-insulin-dependent) diabetes mellitus. Methods. Plasma total 8-epi-PGF2α, an indicator of oxidative stress, was determined in age-matched subjects with normal glucose metabolism (n = 39), impaired glucose tolerance (n = 14), newly diagnosed diabetes (n = 8) and established diabetes (n = 14). Plasma glucose and insulin were measured at baseline and 2 h following an oral glucose tolerance test. Endothelial function was assessed by non-invasive digital pulse wave photoplethysmography. Results. Plasma 8-epi-PGF2α increased in subjects with impaired glucose tolerance (p < 0.05) compared with control subjects, and was even higher in newly diagnosed diabetic patients (p < 0.01) and established (p < 0.01) diabetic patients. A tendency towards reduced endothelial function in subjects with impaired glucose tolerance became significant in patients with newly diagnosed and established diabetes (p < 0.01), and was correlated with 8-epi-PGF2α (r = 0.36, p < 0.01). Insulin resistance (homeostasis model assessment) did not change in subjects with impaired glucose tolerance compared with control subjects, but increased in newly diagnosed (p < 0.01) and established (p < 0.001) diabetic subjects. The 8-epi-PGF2α was correlated with fasting glucose (r = 0.50, p < 0.001), triglycerides (r = 0.40, p < 0.001) and insulin resistance (r = 0.35, p < 0.001). Conclusion/interpretation. Oxidant stress is an early event in the evolution of Type II diabetes and could precede the development of endothelial dysfunction and insulin resistance.

Mutation screening of the PPARalpha, gene in type 2 diabetes associated with coronary heart disease

Tue, 31 Oct 2000 20:00:00 +0000

The peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor alpha (PPARalpha) is a ligand-activated transcription factor belonging to the nuclear hormone receptor superfamily. PPARalpha plays a key role in lipid and glucose metabolism, inflammatory response and energy homeostasis. The aim of our study was to screen the PPARalpha gene for mutations, and to test the genetic contribution of PPARalpha in diabetes and its vascular complications. The first two non coding exons and the coding region of the PPARalpha gene were screened by single strand conformation polymorphism (SSCP) and sequencing in 74 unrelated Type 2 diabetic patients with history of coronary heart disease (CHD) (18 Caucasian and 56 Indian subjects). A total of 7 nucleotide variants were detected: two single amino acid substitutions, a silent mutation, four intron base changes. Association studies were undertaken in two populations of Type 2 diabetic patients from Pondichery and from France, to test the distribution of allelic frequencies for L162V (exon 5) and A268V (exon 7) polymorphisms. No association was found between these PPARalpha variants and diabetes or CHD. However, in the Caucasian diabetic male population with CHD, the Val162 allele carriers showed higher concentrations of total cholesterol and Apo B when compared to non-carriers (p =0.01 and p =0.005, respectively). A trend toward elevated concentrations of total cholesterol and Apo B was also observed in the Caucasian diabetic male patients without CHD carrying Val162 allele. In conclusion, it is likely that PPARalpha gene does not have a major role in diabetes and CHD in our populations, although we can not exclude a minor contribution of the PPARalpha gene to the risk of CHD associated with Type 2 diabetes through a modulation of atherogenic plasma lipids.

Genetic and environmental nature of the insulin resistance syndrome in Indo-Mauritian subjects with premature coronary heart disease: contribution of β3-adrenoreceptor gene polymorphism and beta blockers on triglyceride and HDL concentrations

Sun, 31 Dec 2000 20:00:00 +0000

Aims/hypothesis. Insulin resistance syndrome is an important risk factor for developing premature coronary heart disease. It is a complex syndrome which could arise from the interaction of several genes modulated by environmental factors. The Trp64Arg polymorphism in the β3-adrenoreceptor gene has been found to be associated with insulin resistance, obesity or with earlier onset of Type II (non-insulin-dependent) diabetes mellitus in different populations. We aimed to study whether features of the insulin resistance syndrome are associated with this polymorphism in Indo-Mauritian patients with premature coronary heart disease.¶Methods. We carried out a case control study using PCR-RFLP techniques, of consecutive Indo-Mauritian patients (n = 338) with premature coronary heart disease (onset below age of 60 years) and unrelated control subjects (n = 148) of the same ethnicity.¶Results. In Indo-Mauritian patients with premature coronary heart disease who were not treated by beta blockers, triglyceride concentrations were lower (median: 1.44 vs 1.93 mmol/l, p < 0.008) and HDL cholesterol concentrations higher (mean: 0.98 vs 0.85 mmol/l, p < 0.015) in those carrying the wild type of the β3-adrenoreceptor gene than in those carrying the Trp64Arg variant. The latter genotype specific effect on HDL was inverse in patients treated with beta blockers.¶Conclusion/interpretation. The β3-adrenoreceptor gene variant seems to modulate the effects of beta blockers on triglyceride and HDL cholesterol concentrations in this group of Indo-Mauritian population. Dyslipidaemia, a key component of the metabolic syndrome has a heterogeneous nature in Indo-Mauritian subjects. This potent risk factor for early-onset coronary heart disease is influenced by the interaction between genetic and environmental effects.

A new visual analogue scale for assessment of dyspnoea in congestive heart failure.

Sat, 30 Apr 1994 20:00:00 +0000

A new (quality of life) visual analogue scale of dyspnoea has been designed to evaluate the severity of dyspnoea in patients with congestive heart failure (CHF). The index has 10 numerical values, rated on a scale from 0-10, each value corresponding to an intensity of breathlessness. Since dyspnoea is a primary symptom that restricts the quality of life in patients with congestive heart failure, the new scale provided a simple, easily comprehensible and inexpensive instrument to assess the severity of breathlessness. We also report the sensitivity of the visual scale of dyspnoea before and after the administration of intravenous injection of a diuretic (frusemide) in CHF patients.

Lack of association of angiotensin I-converting enzyme gene polymorphism and premature myocardial infarction in Mauritian Indians

Sat, 30 Nov 1996 20:00:00 +0000

Eighty-five young Mauritian Indians, male survivors of premature myocardial infarction (MI) and thus belonging to a high risk group, were compared with 108 stringently selected controls for a possible association between premature MI and an insertion/deletion (I/D) polymorphism in the gene encoding angiotensin I-converting enzyme (ACE). The frequency of the D allele was 0.42 in the MI group and 0.43 in the control group, and thus no association between I/D polymorphism of ACE with susceptibility to early-onset MI was found in this population group. Other gene components of the renin-angiotensin system and lipid metabolism need to be explored to understand the genetic factors involved in causing MI at an early age.

Asthma mortality in Mauritius: 1982-1991

Fri, 31 Oct 1997 20:00:00 +0000

Background Bronchial asthma is a common problem in the island of Mauritius and its prevalence seems to be increasing. Objective In order to appreciate the magnitude of the problem, patterns of asthma mortality were studied during a period of 10 years. Method All death certificates issued in the island from 1982 to 1991 were reviewed and all cases of asthma deaths were selected. Results The global asthma mortality rate was found to be 20/100,000 in 1982, and it decreased to 12/100,000 in 1991. Similarly, the asthma death rate for the 1 to 4 year age group decreased from 20/100,000 in 1982 to 5/100,000 in 1991. For the 5 to 34 year age group, it decreased form 2.6/100,000 in 1982 to 1.02/100,000 in 1991. There was no statistically significant difference between the various ethnic groups. Conclusion Our study showed that in a developing country such as Mauritius, asthma death rates may be high but may show decreasing trends. Nevertheless, it is generally perceived that the prevalence of the disease is increasing.

Trends in cancer incidence in the Republic of Mauritius, 1991–2015

Sat, 30 Nov 2019 20:00:00 +0000

Introduction Mauritius, a small state, is among the few African countries where cancer registration is population based and nationwide. We reported trends in cancer incidence for twenty five years as well as the mortality to incidence ratio (MIR) as main quality indicator of the Mauritius National Cancer Registry (MNCR). Materials and methods We calculated age standardised incidence rates (ASRs) of cancers by sex and by 5 year age group for five successive year periods from 1991 to 2015. The average annual percentage change (AAPC) were determined by sex and cancer sites. MIRs were compared for the period 2001–2004 and 2012–2015. Results In males, the most common cancer sites (in terms of ASRs per 100,000) were those of the colon-rectum (17.0), prostate (16.5), trachea-bronchus-lung (13.0), stomach (8.4) and lip-oral cavity-pharynx (7.7). The AAPC were +3.9%, +4.2%, +0.5%, -0.1% and -1.3% respectively. In females, the most frequent sites were breast (53.7), colon-rectum (13.2), cervix uteri (11.2), corpus uteri (7.7) and ovary (5.7). The AAPC were +3.4%, +4.4%, -2%, +5.2% and -0.1% respectively. The most significant decrease in MIRs among males were liver (1.9 to 1.0), stomach (1.3 to 0.8) and lung (1.7 to 1.2) cancers while among females, they were pancreas (3.4 to 1.3), liver (1.8 to 1.2) and stomach (1.5 to 0.8) cancers. Conclusion The most common cancers were those associated with 'westernisation' of lifestyle. Our figures contrast with other Sub-Saharan Africa countries where infection related cancers are most predominant. The MNCR has also improved its data quality over time.

Correlation of expressions of ER/PR/HER-2 receptor status with clinicopathological parameters in Mauritian breast cancer patients.

Tue, 19 May 2015 20:00:00 +0000

Background: Breast cancer is by far the commonest site of cancer registered in Mauritius with an ASR of 56.0/105 in females. This study intends to correlate the expressions of HER-2, estrogen receptor (ER) and progesterone receptor (PR) with clinicopathological parameters in breast carcinoma. It is in fact the ever first study of its kind to be carried out in the Mauritian context. Methods: A prospective study was conducted during a period of two years (2013-2014) at the Central Health Laboratory, Victoria Hospital; whereby 78 paraffin blocks of consecutive breast cancer cases diagnosed were subjected to ER/ PR testing by immunohistochemistry (IHC). As regards to HER-2 testing, they were sent to Lancet laboratories, South Africa for IHC. Chi-Square test was used to evaluate IHC results with prognostic parameters for breast cancer. Results: In the present study, 77 were females and 1 was male; the mean age of patients was 52.7 years ranging from 26 to 80 years, 33 patients (42.3%) were below 50 years of age. 52 cases had defined menopausal status, 67.3% were post-menopausal and 32.7% were pre-menopausal. Infiltrating ductal carcinoma (NOS) was the commonest 48/78 (61.5%) and the other variants 30/78 (38.5%). The overall immunoexpression of ER/PR/HER-2 were 73.6%, 61.8%, 35.9% respectively; HER-2 was overexpressed (3+) in 23.3% of cases and triple negative cases accounted for 17.9%. In terms of laterality, we found that right breast was slightly more involved (53.9%) than left breast (46.2%). ER/PR positivity was associated with Lymph node involvement with marginal significance (p = 0.074). No significant association was found between ER/PR/HER2 as well as with age, tumor size and grade. Conclusions: There are high rates of positive expressions of ER/PR/HER-2/neu among the Mauritian population with breast carcinoma. This year the Central Health Laboratory is planning to set up a comprehensive IHC service with on-site testing for HER-2; hence further studies are to be anticipated on the topic.

Selective screening of breast cancer in women at increased risk: A pilot study.

Thu, 19 May 2016 20:00:00 +0000

Background: Female Breast Cancer (FBC) ranks first as regards to incidence and mortality worldwide. In Mauritius, this is also the case with an ASR(W) of 58.2/105 for 2014. Early detection through early diagnosis and/or screening are two ways of combatting the disease. In Mauritius, no systematic screening program is currently available, though Clinical Breast Examination (CBE) activities are encouraged as part of Non-Communicable Disease (NCD) programmes. A pilot study for high risk FBC screening by mammography has been conducted in 2015. Methods: Women recently diagnosed with breast cancer below the age of 40 throughout the island were identified and their eligible first degree relatives were invited to participate in our program. The women underwent clinical breast examination as well as imaging tests in a Breast Risk Assessment Clinic to evaluate their breast cancer status. Results: Our 5 month study allowed invitation of 109 first degree relatives out of whom 52 attended the program. This response rate of 48% was due to different reasons including fear, lack of motivation and/or misconceptions regarding breast cancer screening. No sign of malignancy was detected among the 52 participants although signs of benign breast conditions were present in one out of ten women. Most of the participants felt reassured about breast cancer after their participation although some degree of anxiety was experienced during the course of the program. Conclusions: A selective screening program appears preferable to a population based screening program in the Mauritian set up. Promotion of early diagnosis of breast cancer through clinical breast examination and teaching of breast self-examination is also necessary. We hope that the setting up of a selective screening program increases awareness regarding breast cancer and its early signs. Future investigations like BRCA1/2 are to be forecasted for familial hereditary breast cancer, as Mauritius is a small island. Moreover, a gradual destigmatisation of cancer has been noticed in Mauritius, with at least 50% of patients discussing their disease with their families, which breaks the taboo.

A first genome wide scan showing Coronary Heart Disease susceptibility loci in a mauritian population with the Metabolic Syndrome

Sat, 10 Nov 2001 20:00:00 +0000

Prevalence of coronary heart disease (CHD), of type 2 diabetes (T2DM) and of the metabolic syndrome are in Mauritius amongst the highest in the world. As T2DM and CHD are closely associated and have both a polygenic basis, we conducted a 10 cM genome scan with 403 microsatellite markers in 99 independent families of North-Eastern Indian origin including 535 individuals. Families were ascertained through a proband with CHD before 52 years of age and additional sibs with myocardial infarction (MI) or T2DM. Model-free two-point and multipoint linkage analysis were performed using the Mapmarker-Sibs (MLS) and maximum-likelihood-binomial (MLB) programs for autosomal markers and the Aspex program for chromosome X markers. In a second step, additional markers were studied to increase the genetic map density in three regions on chromosomes 3, 8 and 16 where initial indication for linkage was found. Our data show suggestive linkage with CHD on chromosome 16p13-pter with the MLS statistics at 8.69 cM (LOD = 3.06, P = 0.00017) which partially overlaps with a high pressure (HBP) peak. At the same locus, a nominal indication for linkage with T2DM was found in 35 large T2DM Pondicherian families also having Indian origin. With respect to region 8q23, we found suggestive linkage with T2DM (LOD = 2.55, P = 0.00058) as well as with HBP. On 3q27, we replicated previous indication for linkage found in Caucasians (for the metabolic syndrome and for diabetes) according to the categorized trait for CHD and MIwith the MLB statistics (LOD = 2.13, P = 0.0009). The genome scan also revealed nominal evidence of linkage with CHD on 10q23 (LOD = 2.06, P = 0.00188). Interestingly, we detected in the same region overlapping linkages with three QTLs: age of onset of CHD (LOD = 2.03), HDL cholesterol (LOD = 1.48) and LDL/HDL ratio (LOD = 1.34). Ordered-subset analysis based on family body mass index ranking replicated finding on 2q37 for T2DM (at Calpain 10 locus). These results show the first evidence for susceptibility loci that predispose to CHD, T2DM and HBP in the context of the metabolic syndrome.

Genome-Wide Search for Myocardial Infarction Susceptibility Genes in Mauritius

Fri, 30 Apr 1999 20:00:00 +0000

Not available

What determines success of an e-government service? Validation of an integrative model of e-filing continuance usage

Sat, 31 Mar 2018 20:00:00 +0000

The purpose of this study is to validate an integrated model of e-filing continuance usage. The model has its theoretical basis in the expectancy confirmation theory and the DeLone and McLean's IS Success model. The model is extended to include two additional constructs relevant to e-filing continuance usage: perceived risks and habit. The model is tested using data collected from a sample of 645 e-filing users in Mauritius. Structural equation modeling was used to test the hypotheses. Findings suggest that citizens' continuance usage intention of e-filing is influenced by system quality, user satisfaction and habit. User satisfaction had the strongest impact on e-filing continuance usage intention. This study makes a valuable contribution to knowledge through the extension and validation of the ECM and IS Success model to explore salient factors affecting e-filing continuance usage intention. The practical implications of the findings for tax collection agencies are discussed.

Public trust in tourism institutions

Sat, 30 Jun 2012 20:00:00 +0000

Political trust is important for good governance. However, there is a paucity of research on this topic in the tourism literature. This paper tests a model of public trust in tourism institutions developed on the premise of the institutional and cultural theories of political trust. Results from the structural equation modeling analysis suggest that perceived economic and political performance of institutions, residents’ power in tourism, and interpersonal trust are good determinants of political trust in tourism institutions. A significant relationship is also noted between public trust and political support for tourism. The theoretical and practical implications, of the findings, the study’s limitations, and some directions for future research are discussed.

Political economy of tourism: Trust in government actors, political support, and their determinants

Fri, 31 May 2013 20:00:00 +0000

This study developed a comprehensive model of residents' trust in government actors and political support for tourism based on social exchange theory, institutional theory of political trust, and cultural theory of political trust. The model was tested on a sample of 391 residents of Niagara Region, Ontario, Canada, using confirmatory factor analysis and structural equation modelling. Findings suggested that residents' perceptions of the benefits and costs of tourism and their trust in government actors were significant determinants of political support. Their perceptions of the political and economic performance of government actors significantly predicted trust in government actors. Interpersonal trust, perceived costs of tourism, and perceived power in tourism decision-making were insignificant determinants of trust. The study found partial support for social exchange theory. Cultural theory of political trust was not found to be relevant, while strong support was found for institutional theory of political trust.

Tourism development and trust in local government

Sat, 31 Jan 2015 20:00:00 +0000

The relationship between tourism development and citizens' trust in government is an under-researched area. This study developed a model that established theoretical relationships between important variables of tourism development and two types of political trust: political trust in the specific context of tourism and general level of political trust. Findings suggest a significant relationship between the two constructs. Results indicate that communities should feel empowered in tourism, should be knowledgeable of the sector, and should derive benefits from development for them to trust local government. The most important lesson of the study is that if the tourism sector is properly managed and developed, it can have beneficial political effects for governments such as increasing their legitimacy vis-à-vis citizens. The paper argues that like defense and social policies, tourism development have a determining impact on political trust and the industry therefore deserves more respect among political scientists.

Service quality and customer satisfaction: The moderating effects of hotel star rating

Wed, 30 Sep 2020 20:00:00 +0000

This research contributes to customer satisfaction knowledge with regard to accommodation in South Africa whose star grading differs. A multi-group analysis and an importance-performance map analysis by means of PLS-SEM allow us to differentiate between service quality performance scores and their influences on customer satisfaction across accommodation with a different star grading. The two most important predictors of satisfaction with one-star and two-star category accommodation are the accommodation infrastructure and the employee expertise. Both predictors were found to have relatively low levels of performance. Safety and security and room quality are two significant determinants of satisfaction with three-star establishments, although they under-perform with regard to safety and security. In respect of four-star and five-star accommodation, waiting time and customer interaction, both of which have above average performance scores, influence customer satisfaction. We provide specific guidelines for managerial interventions to improve service quality and guests’ satisfaction for each grading category.

Structural equation modelling and regression analysis in tourism research

Wed, 31 Oct 2012 20:00:00 +0000

This paper explores the concept of structural equation modelling (SEM) and discusses the steps which researchers should follow when using this technique. This involves the development of a theoretical model, testing of a confirmatory measurement model, and evaluating the structural model with hypothesised path relations. For the benefit of readers, the discussion is supported by an illustration of a theoretical model predicting residents’ support for tourism, developed on the premise of the social exchange theory. The paper emphasises that the proper application of SEM depends largely on theory, where every step in the analysis is based on theoretical reasoning. The advantages of SEM over regression analysis are discussed and these are grouped in four categories: (1) modelling of measurement errors and unexplained variances, (2) simultaneous testing of relationships, (3) ability to link micro- and macro-perspectives, and (4) best-fitting model and theory development. The limitations of SEM over regression analysis are: (1) difficulty in choosing and using SEM software packages; (2) complexity and ambiguity; (3) limited use in exploratory research; and (4) inability to model ‘truly’ categorical variables. The paper concludes that although SEM has considerable advantages over regression analysis, it does not replace it.

Modeling community support for a proposed integrated resort project

Mon, 08 Mar 2010 20:00:00 +0000

In recent years Mauritius has experienced a rapid increase in integrated resort developments, which have been intended to secure income from new tourism segments and to boost the local economy. Using data on the responses of residents of Le Morne, Mauritius, to a proposal to construct an integrated resort, this study develops and tests a model of community support for the proposed development. The structural model indicates that residents’ satisfaction with their own community, their utilization of the resource base, their perceptions of the state of the local economy and their environmental attitudes are antecedents of their views about the costs and benefits of the project. Opinions about the benefits and costs of the project were also found to determine the level of community support. All factors in the model were found to be determinants of the perceived costs and benefits of the project, except for residents’ perceptions of the impact of the development on their utilization of the resource base. The theoretical and managerial implications of the study are discussed. The most notable contribution of the study is its findings on the influence of residents’ satisfaction with community services on their attitudes and support for tourism development.

Residents’ impact perceptions of and attitudes towards tourism development: A meta-analysis

Tue, 02 Apr 2019 20:00:00 +0000

Applying a meta-analysis approach, this study examines the applicability of SET on explaining residents’ impact perceptions of and attitudes toward tourism development. Findings confirm the applicability of SET in tourism impact studies when assessing the impacts of perceived benefits (positive impacts) on support. Findings reveal that perceived benefits produce substantial effects on support while perceived costs (negative impacts) have trivial effects, which suggest that measures and indicators used to assess residents perceptions of perceived costs (negative impacts) may have validity problems. Moreover, a closer examination of the mean effects of five exogenous determinants of impact perceptions reveal that none of those variables have significant effects on the perceptions of negative impacts further suggesting possible problems with the operationalization of negative impact perceptions. Findings clearly suggest that a closer examination of the measurement items used to assess the negative impact perceptions of tourism impacts is needed.

Toward a more comprehensive use of social exchange theory to study residents’ attitudes to tourism

Thu, 31 Dec 2015 20:00:00 +0000

Early studies on residents’ attitudes to tourism were criticized for being atheoretical. As a result, it was not clear to researchers how, why, and in what conditions residents of a destination react to the impacts of tourism. To address these shortcomings, researchers started making use of a number of theories, among which, the Social Exchange Theory (SET) is considered to have made the most important theoretical contribution to studies on residents’ perceptions of tourism. This paper critically analyzes the different elements involved in the social exchange process between residents of a destination and the tourism industry. It analyzes the core constructs of the SET and in particular, focuses on power and trust between the actors in the exchange process. The arguments suggest that researchers have failed to integrate these core concepts in a single study to investigate their influence on residents’ perceptions of tourism and their support for development. The paper suggests that the power and trust concepts have significant potential in explaining community acceptance of tourism and if this field of study is to be advanced theoretically, then researchers should empirically test these concepts in an integrative framework.

Investigating atmospheric corrosion behavior of carbon steel in coastal regions of Mauritius using Raman Spectroscopy

Mon, 29 Feb 2016 20:00:00 +0000

Low carbon steel was exposed at two sites in Mauritius, namely Port Louis and Belle Mare. The site at Port Louis is basically an industrial marine one whereas the one at Belle Mare is a purely marine site. Though the corrosion loss trend at both sites follow the power law, the corrosion loss at Port Louis was found to be higher than that at Belle Mare. This study has been performed to investigate the surface characteristics of the rust layers of the samples exposed at the two sites, through Raman spectroscopy and SEM, so as to get a better insight into the mechanism of the atmospheric corrosion process. For Port Louis, it was observed that there was not much change in the corrosion products in the rust layer over the 3 years period. The structure was less compact than that at Belle Mare with the presence of lepidocrocite and akaganeite as commonly observed corrosion products. The corrosion rate at Port Louis is, therefore, expected to follow the same trend over the long term. For Belle Mare, the corrosion products changed significantly after 3 years of exposure. Though lepidocrocite and akaganeite were observed on the surface after 0.2 years of exposure, magnetite was the most probable corrosion product in the more compact rust layer after 3 years of exposure. This compactness of the rust layer is expected to have reduced the corrosion rate as compared to that of Port Louis. Significant changes in the corrosion rate at Belle Mare are, therefore, expected over the medium and the long term.

Atmospheric corrosion in Mauritius

Fri, 31 Aug 2012 20:00:00 +0000

Carbon steel is commonly used in Mauritius, and information related to its atmospheric corrosion behaviour in the Mauritian atmosphere is not readily available. Hence, the present study was performed to obtain relevant data and to develop a model for predicting the atmospheric corrosion degradation of carbon steel in Mauritius. Carbon steel samples were exposed outdoors at several sites, according to BS EN ISO 8565. They were removed after specific time periods, and their mass loss was determined. At the same time, the sites’ environmental parameters were monitored. From the mass loss measurements and the environmental parameters considered, it was found that the corrosivity of the Mauritian atmosphere falls in category C3 to C4, according to ISO 9223. A model was developed using the SPSS software, and it was found that the atmospheric corrosion in Mauritius depends mainly on the time of exposure and the carbon content of carbon steel.

Prevention and cost of atmospheric corrosion in Mauritius

Thu, 14 Mar 2013 20:00:00 +0000

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to obtain a better insight into the impact of atmospheric corrosion in Mauritius by investigating the corrosion prevention strategies used in the country and determining the related costs. Design/methodology/approach Companies and organizations, in various industrial sectors, affected by atmospheric corrosion were selected. They were inspected and surveys were performed in order to fulfill the aim of the study. Findings It has been observed that extensive atmospheric corrosion problems have been encountered in the capital city, leading to the use of a range of corrosion prevention methods. However, carbon steel, which corrodes easily, is very commonly used in the country. This leads to the wide use of alkyd‐based barrier coatings. The cost of atmospheric corrosion has been found to be equal to 0.38 per cent of the GDP. Social implications This study is expected to raise concern on the problem of atmospheric corrosion in Mauritius and the related waste in materials. Originality/value This study is expected to help in adopting corrosion prevention policies and strategies in Mauritius.

Long term atmospheric corrosion in Mauritius

Tue, 31 Mar 2015 20:00:00 +0000

Carbon steel is a commonly used metal in Mauritius. Short term exposure of the metal at several sites has shown that the corrosivity of the Mauritian atmosphere lies in the C3 category according to ISO 9223. Long term atmospheric corrosion behaviour of carbon steel in the Mauritian atmosphere has never been studied, though this can be considered as essential information in the design and maintenance of steel structures. Hence, this study investigates the atmospheric corrosion of carbon steel over an 18-year period through outdoor exposures of the metal. It was observed that the atmospheric corrosion of low carbon steel in Mauritius can be divided into two time periods. An initial time period extending over 4 years involves a high corrosion rate which would probably result due to the formation of porous rust layer on the surface. In the second time period, the corrosion degradation decreases to much lower levels over time. This can be due to a change in the corrosion mechanism and the formation of a more compact rust layer. Moreover, scanning electron microscope (SEM) tests have shown that goethite has formed in the rust layer after 18 years of exposure, which is more stable, as a corrosion product.

Atmospheric corrosion of welded mild steel

Sun, 31 Dec 2017 20:00:00 +0000

Mild steel is commonly used for structural purposes in Mauritius. Arc welding is one of the main joining methods used, with Manual Metal Arc (MMA), Metal Inert Gas (MIG) and Tungsten Inert Gas (TIG) welding techniques being the preferred ones. This paper compares the corrosion resistance of mild steel, joined using these welding techniques. Mild steel samples, welded using MMA, MIG and TIG welding techniques, were exposed outdoors for a very short duration of 9 days, according to ASTM G50, and subjected to alternative immersion tests, according to ASTM G44, for 130 cycles. For the atmospheric exposure tests, digital image processing techniques were used to determine the amount of corrosion in the samples. For the alternate immersion tests, the weight loss method was used. The results of the three welding techniques were then compared. The microstructure of the weld area was also analysed to this end. For the atmospheric exposures, it was observed that the MIG welded specimens suffered from preferential weld corrosion, whereas for the TIG welded specimens, the welded area corroded the least. For the alternative immersion tests, it was again observed that the MIG welded samples were less corrosion-resistant compared to the other samples. Also, the TIG welded specimens were found to be the most corrosion resistant.

Pitting corrosion of aluminium in the tropical climate of Mauritius

Thu, 17 Aug 2017 20:00:00 +0000

Aluminium is a commonly used metal in Mauritius. However, the tropical Mauritian atmosphere is quite corrosive with the highest measured corrosivity, according to ISO 9223, falling in the category C4. Hence, this study was performed to investigate the atmospheric corrosion behaviour of aluminium AA1050 in the island. The aluminium samples were exposed outdoors at three sites, according to ISO 8565. Upon removal after specific time intervals over a 1½ years period, pit depth, pit diameter and pit density of the samples were determined. The maximum pit depth varied with the time of exposure, according to the power law function. Pit diameter increased linearly with the time of exposure. Chart rating, according to ISO 11463, was also performed. It was found that the corrosivity of the Mauritian atmosphere falls in categories A4-B1-C1 and A5-B1-C1. Application of extreme value statistics showed that Gumbel type 1 distribution fits maximum pit depth data at the three sites.

Three years outdoor exposure of low carbon steel in Mauritius

Sun, 31 May 2015 20:00:00 +0000

Purpose This paper aims to investigate the corrosion behaviour of carbon steel in the Mauritian atmosphere over a three-year period. Atmospheric corrosion is a serious problem in Mauritius. Design/methodology/approach Carbon steel samples were exposed outdoors at various sites. Mass loss analysis was performed to determine the corrosion behaviour of the metal over the exposure period. Scanning electron microscopy and Raman tests were performed to investigate the formation of the corrosion products on the carbon steel surface. Findings It was found that the corrosion loss at two of the sites considered did not vary clearly according to the bilogarithmic law. Time of wetness was found to be a main factor affecting atmospheric corrosion in Mauritius. The corrosivity of the atmosphere was found to lie between categories C3 and C4, according to ISO 9223. Originality/value The results can be of essential help to the construction industry, especially as steel buildings are becoming very common in Mauritius. Moreover, as Mauritius is a tropical island, the results obtained can be useful in other tropical islands.

Corrosion Problems in Sugar Factories in Mauritius

Sat, 31 Dec 2011 20:00:00 +0000

In Mauritius, corrosion costs forms a large part of the expenses of sugar cane mills and presently there has not been any study on this issue. The present study was therefore performed at one of the sugar cane mills in Mauritius so as to identify the different modes of corrosion degradation and the corrosivity of commonly used metals with respect to the corrosive fluids (mainly juices) encountered in the juice extraction process. The cost associated with the corrosion degradation was eventually calculated. Electrochemical tests were performed to measure and compare the corrosion rate for the metals in the corrosive fluids. It was observed that the highest and the lowest corrosion rates were recorded for pre-extractor mill juice and syrup respectively. Low carbon steel generally had the fastest corrosion rate while stainless steel 316L corroded the least. Finally, from gathered data, the cost of corrosion was found to be 6.6% of the turnover of the factory.

Marine atmospheric corrosion of carbon steel in the tropical microclimate of Port Louis

Sun, 20 Mar 2022 20:00:00 +0000

The atmospheric corrosion performance of S235 carbon steel is assessed when exposed to the tropical/marine aerosol pollutants of Port Louis, Mauritius. Port Louis is situated on the northwest coast and has a distinct microclimate, leading to major atmospheric corrosion concerns. In addition, sulphur dioxide emissions from three heavy oil‐fired power stations complicate corrosion prediction within the region. Mass‐loss analysis shows distinctive corrosion progression behaviours linked to the environmental and geographical variables. The formation of porous surface layers leads to a continuous increase in metal dissolution during the electrochemical process. The surface analysis reveals lepidocrocite (γ‐FeOOH) and goethite (α‐FeOOH) as the predominant rust phases, with low percentages of magnetite (Fe O3 4 ), akageneite (β‐FeOOH) and jarosite (KFe (OH) (SO ) ) 3 6 42 . A key insight in the S235 atmospheric corrosion involves two stages: the early rapid corrosion stage followed by a slow stage of linear or power‐law corrosion kinetics due to the formation of stable rust phases.

Modelling of the Surface Degradation of Carbon Steel in Atmospheric Exposures

Sun, 31 Dec 2017 20:00:00 +0000

While performing atmospheric corrosion tests of carbon steel outdoors in Mauritius, it was observed that the surface of the corroded base metal was uneven, consisting of shallow pits which became larger with increase in corrosion loss. The present study was therefore performed to investigate the changes in the surface roughness of the base metal with corrosion loss. The aim was to develop a model for the prediction of corrosion loss from surface roughness data. Six different sites were considered and samples were collected over a 1 ½ year period. Amplitude, spacing and hybrid 2D surface roughness parameters were measured on the skyward surfaces of the samples. The model for the surface degradation was determined through statistical analysis using the multiple linear regression technique and statistical tests were performed to validate it. From the model developed, it was found that corrosion loss was dependent on the time of exposure, the carbon content of the carbon steel and the Roughness Volume Oil Retention parameter.

Corrosion of Aircrafts—A Case Study in Mauritius

Mon, 20 Apr 2015 20:00:00 +0000

Corrosion is actually one of the main problems in aircrafts. In Mauritius, the international airport at Plaisance is situated at 250m from the shoreline and has a relative humidity level frequently above 85%. These factors would inevitably increase the amount of corrosion in aircrafts. This study was therefore performed to investigate the types of corrosion encountered and the cost of corrosion in one of the aircrafts of the Mauritian national fleet. The aircraft chosen was delivered in 1994. The required data were collected from three complete maintenance checks performed after 11393, 39465 and 63282 flying hours. Aluminium alloy 7075, which is used on the aircraft fuselage, was immersed in sea water to investigate its effect on the metal.Various types of corrosion attacks were observed in various parts of the aircraft during the maintenance checks considered. During immersion in sea water, the aluminium 7075 sample suffered from serious pitting corrosion. Finally, the cost of corrosion peaked up to $217900 in the maintenance task performed after 39465 flying hours, indicating that better corrosion control is an important factor in decreasing maintenance costs.

Use of titanium and tungsten as an alternative to gold in jewellery manufacturing

Sat, 09 Sep 2017 20:00:00 +0000

In this study the use titanium and tungsten as alternatives to the noble metals in the jewellery industry was investigated. The degradation of titanium and tungsten were compared to that of gold, used as reference, Alternate immersion tests were performed in 3.5% sodium chloride and artificial perspiration. The metals" abrasion resistance with respect to textile fabrics was determinedIn general, there is around 30% difference in pit density for titanium and tungsten as compared to that of gold. Pit depth and pit diameter showed a similar trend. From the abrasive test performed, it was observed that titanium and tungsten had insignificant changes in the surface reflectivity with time, Hence, it was deduced that titanium and tungsten products would have longer maintenance intervals than that of gold, New tools and techniques, however; would be required by jewellers to work with titanium and tungsten.

Atmospheric corrosion of Nylon 6, 6 in Mauritius

Wed, 30 Nov 2016 20:00:00 +0000

Plastics are being more and more commonly used for outdoor applications in Mauritius. In this context, the atmospheric corrosion degradation behaviour of nylon 6,6 was observed in the Mauritian atmosphere, having a corrosivity category of C3, according to ISO 9223. The crack width, depth and extent of the cracks formed on the surface were investigated using micrometry and image analysis. The changes in the chemical composition of the nylon 6,6 were investigated using the Fourier Transform Infrared spectroscopy technique. It was observed that the nylon 6,6 surface showed a progressive discolouration and a sudden increase in the size of the cracks after around 2 years of exposure. The degree of crack formation in terms of crack width, the depth of degradation and the microhardness of the surface were evaluated and all showed significant degradation only after about 2 years of exposure. Degradation has penetrated the test material within 750 µm from the surface in 4.5 years of exposure. Using the FTIR technique, evidence of chain scission occurring among the polymer chains was observed.

Determining the corrosivity of atmospheres, through the weight loss method, according to ISO 9223

Sat, 31 Dec 2011 20:00:00 +0000

ISO 9223 can be used to categorize the corrosivity of atmospheres through either corrosion loss measurements or the use of environmental data. Although both methods are expected to give the same result, discrepancies have been found to occur. The present paper analyses this aspect of ISO 9223, focusing on the effects of metal composition, when using carbon steel, in corrosivity categorisation. Low and medium carbon steel were, therefore, exposed outdoors at one site in Mauritius to determine its atmospheric corrosivity. It was found that for medium carbon steel, the corrosivity obtained from corrosion loss results, through the weight loss method, was not in conformance with that obtained through the environmental data. This was not the case with low carbon steel. Taking into consideration the various factors affecting atmospheric corrosion, it was concluded that the carbon content of carbon steel is an important parameter that should be considered in ISO 9223 for more reliable determination of the corrosivity of atmospheres.

Investigation on corrosion protection systems and wear problems for a ship unloader

Fri, 31 Dec 2021 20:00:00 +0000

In the harbour of Port Louis, a wheat ship unloader was facing serious corrosion problems due to the severe marine environment. Therefore, the aim of this study is to propose an effective corrosion protection system for the wheat ship unloader. In addition, wear was observed in its conveyor system. Solutions were proposed to reduce this. Different coating systems were selected, based on ISO 12944-5, including the coating presently being used on the equipment. Outdoor atmospheric exposures and lab tests were performed. The latter consisted of immersion test, water vapour transmission rate of coatings, wet scrub abrasion test, scratch test, pull-out test and flexibility test. For investigating the wear in the conveyor system, flow simulations were performed on Soildworks using different materials. From the investigation performed, it was found that the combination of modified vinyl epoxy primer and acryline polyurethane acrylic top coat was the most suitable for the ship unloader. For the wear problem, aluminium 6061was found to be a more wear resistant material.

Use of Materials in Green and Sustainable Buildings in Mauritius

Tue, 31 Dec 2013 20:00:00 +0000

With the launching of the Mauritius Sustainable Island project in Mauritius for sustainable development, Green and Sustainable Buildings are being constructed in Mauritius. The use of materials has an impact on the design of these buildings. A survey was consequently performed to find the materials presently used in the country, materials that are being used in GSBs and the prospects of GSBs in Mauritius. Apart from the use of concrete and steel, other novel materials are being used, especially those that can be used in sustainable buildings. As for GSBs, there are presently only two in Mauritius. However, all the stakeholders in the construction sector are very optimistic of an average to rapid movement towards GSBs in the next 10 years.

H3ABioNet, a sustainable pan-African bioinformatics network for human heredity and health in Africa

Sun, 31 Jan 2016 20:00:00 +0000

The application of genomics technologies to medicine and biomedical research is increasing in popularity, made possible by new high-throughput genotyping and sequencing technologies and improved data analysis capabilities. Some of the greatest genetic diversity among humans, animals, plants, and microbiota occurs in Africa, yet genomic research outputs from the continent are limited. The Human Heredity and Health in Africa (H3Africa) initiative was established to drive the development of genomic research for human health in Africa, and through recognition of the critical role of bioinformatics in this process, spurred the establishment of H3ABioNet, a pan-African bioinformatics network for H3Africa. The limitations in bioinformatics capacity on the continent have been a major contributory factor to the lack of notable outputs in high-throughput biology research. Although pockets of high-quality bioinformatics teams have existed previously, the majority of research institutions lack experienced faculty who can train and supervise bioinformatics students. H3ABioNet aims to address this dire need, specifically in the area of human genetics and genomics, but knock-on effects are ensuring this extends to other areas of bioinformatics. Here, we describe the emergence of genomics research and the development of bioinformatics in Africa through H3ABioNet.

An expanding pipeline: Gender in Mauritius

Fri, 10 Jan 2003 20:00:00 +0000

The gender imbalance in computer science in the U.S. and other countries has attracted much attention. This paper presents - for comparison - the computing-related gender ratios in Mauritius, a developing country in the Indian Ocean. These ratios suggest that far from being a universal phenomenon, the gender imbalance in the U.S. is a cultural problem.

Development of bioinformatics infrastructure for genomics research

Wed, 31 May 2017 20:00:00 +0000

Background and objectives Although pockets of bioinformatics excellence have developed in Africa, generally, large-scale genomic data analysis has been limited by the availability of expertise and infrastructure. H3ABioNet, a Pan African bioinformatics network, was established to build capacity specifically to enable H3Africa researchers to analyse their data in Africa. Since the inception of the H3Africa initiative, H3ABioNet’s role has evolved in response to changing needs from the consortium and the African bioinformatics community. The network set out to develop core bioinformatics infrastructure and capacity for genomics research in various aspects of data collection, transfer, storage and analysis. Methods and results Various resources have been developed to address genomic data management and analysis needs of H3Africa researchers and other scientific communities on the continent. NetMap was developed and used to build an accurate picture of network performance within Africa and between Africa and the rest of the world, and Globus Online has been rolled out to facilitate data transfer. A participant recruitment database was developed to monitor participant enrolment, and data is being harmonized through the use of ontologies and controlled vocabularies. The standardized metadata will be integrated to provide a search facility for H3Africa data and biospecimens. Since H3Africa projects are generating large-scale genomic data, facilities for analysis and interpretation are critical. H3ABioNet is implementing several data analysis platforms that provide a large range of bioinformatics tools or workflows, such as Galaxy, the Job Management System and eBiokits. A set of reproducible, portable and cloud scalable pipelines to support the multiple H3Africa data types are also being developed and dockerized to enable execution on multiple computing infrastructures. In addition, new tools have been developed for analysis of the uniquely divergent African data and for downstream interpretation of prioritized variants. To provide support for these and other bioinformatics queries, an online bioinformatics helpdesk backed by broad consortium expertise has been established. Further support is provided by means of various modes of bioinformatics training. Conclusion For the past 4 years, the development of infrastructure support and human capacity through H3ABioNet, have significantly contributed to the establishment of African scientific networks, data analysis facilities and training programmes. Here, we describe the infrastructure and how it has impacted genomics and bioinformatics research in Africa.

Toward unrestricted use of public genomic data

Thu, 24 Jan 2019 20:00:00 +0000

Publication interests should not limit access to public data

Computational complexity of algorithms for sequence comparison, short-read assembly and genome alignment

Wed, 31 May 2017 20:00:00 +0000

A multitude of algorithms for sequence comparison, short-read assembly and whole-genome alignment have been developed in the general context of molecular biology, to support technology development for high-throughput sequencing, numerous applications in genome biology and fundamental research on comparative genomics. The computational complexity of these algorithms has been previously reported in original research papers, yet this often neglected property has not been reviewed previously in a systematic manner and for a wider audience. We provide a review of space and time complexity of key sequence analysis algorithms and highlight their properties in a comprehensive manner, in order to identify potential opportunities for further research in algorithm or data structure optimization. The complexity aspect is poised to become pivotal as we will be facing challenges related to the continuous increase of genomic data on unprecedented scales and complexity in the foreseeable future, when robust biological simulation at the cell level and above becomes a reality.

Current affairs of microbial genome-wide association studies: approaches, bottlenecks and analytical pitfalls

Wed, 29 Jan 2020 20:00:00 +0000

Microbial genome-wide association study (mGWAS) is a new and exciting research field that is adapting human GWAS methods to understand how variations in microbial genomes affect host or pathogen phenotypes, such as drug resistance, virulence, host specificity, clinical presentation and prognosis. Several computational tools and methods have been developed or adapted from human GWAS to facilitate the discovery of novel mutations and structural variations that are associated with the phenotypes of interest. However, no comprehensive, end-to-end, user-friendly tool is currently available. The development of a broadly applicable pipeline presents a real opportunity among computational biologists. Here, (i) we review the prominent and promising tools, (ii) discuss analytical pitfalls and bottlenecks in mGWAS, (iii) provide insights into the selection of appropriate tools, (ii) highlight the gaps that still need to be filled and how users and developers can work together to overcome these bottlenecks.

Implementing the CORBA GIOP in a high-performance object request broker environment

Sat, 31 Mar 2001 20:00:00 +0000

The success of the Object Management Group’s General Inter-ORB Protocol (GIOP) is leading to the desire to deploy GIOP in an ever-wider range of application areas, many of which are significantly more demanding than traditional areas in terms of performance. The well-known performance limitations of present day GIOP-based object request brokers (ORBs) are therefore increasingly being seen as a problem. To help address this problem, this paper discusses a GIOP implementation which has high performance andquality of service support as explicit goals. The implementation, which is embedded in a research ORB called GOPI, is modular and extensible in nature andincludes novel optimization techniques which shouldbe separately portable to other ORB environments. This paper focuses on the message protocol aspects of GOPI’s GIOP implementation; higher layer issues such as marshalling andoperation demultiplexing are not coveredin detail. Figures are provided which position GOPI’s GIOP performance against comparable ORBs. The paper also discusses some of the design decisions that have been made in the development of the GIOP protocol in the light of our implementation experience.

Developing reproducible bioinformatics analysis workflows for heterogeneous computing environments to support African genomics

Wed, 28 Nov 2018 20:00:00 +0000

The Pan-African bioinformatics network, H3ABioNet, comprises 27 research institutions in 17 African countries. H3ABioNet is part of the Human Health and Heredity in Africa program (H3Africa), an African-led research consortium funded by the US National Institutes of Health and the UK Wellcome Trust, aimed at using genomics to study and improve the health of Africans. A key role of H3ABioNet is to support H3Africa projects by building bioinformatics infrastructure such as portable and reproducible bioinformatics workflows for use on heterogeneous African computing environments. Processing and analysis of genomic data is an example of a big data application requiring complex interdependent data analysis workflows. Such bioinformatics workflows take the primary and secondary input data through several computationally-intensive processing steps using different software packages, where some of the outputs form inputs for other steps. Implementing scalable, reproducible, portable and easy-to-use workflows is particularly challenging.

Genomic research data generation, analysis and sharing–challenges in the African setting

Thu, 02 Nov 2017 20:00:00 +0000

Genomics is the study of the genetic material that constitutes the genomes of organisms. This genetic material can be sequenced and it provides a powerful tool for the study of human, plant and animal evolutionary history and diseases. Genomics research is becoming increasingly commonplace due to significant advances in and reducing costs of technologies such as sequencing. This has led to new challenges including increasing cost and complexity of data. There is, therefore, an increasing need for computing infrastructure and skills to manage, store, analyze and interpret the data. In addition, there is a significant cost associated with recruitment of participants and collection and processing of biological samples, particularly for large human genetics studies on specific diseases. As a result, researchers are often reluctant to share the data due to the effort and associated cost. In Africa, where researchers are most commonly at the study recruitment, determination of phenotypes and collection of biological samples end of the genomic research spectrum, rather than the generation of genomic data, data sharing without adequate safeguards for the interests of the primary data generators is a concern. There are substantial ethical considerations in the sharing of human genomics data. The broad consent for data sharing preferred by genomics researchers and funders does not necessarily align with the expectations of researchers, research participants, legal authorities and bioethicists. In Africa, this is complicated by concerns about comprehension of genomics research studies, quality of research ethics reviews and understanding of the implications of broad consent, secondary analyses of shared data, return of results and incidental findings. Additional challenges with genomics research in Africa include the inability to transfer, store, process and analyze large-scale genomics data on the continent, because this requires highly specialized skills and expensive computing infrastructure which are often unavailable. Recently initiatives such as H3Africa and H3ABioNet which aim to build capacity for large-scale genomics projects in Africa have emerged. Here we describe such initiatives, including the challenges faced in the generation, analysis and sharing of genomic data and how these challenges are being overcome.

A Retrospective on the Design of the GOPI Middleware Platform

Sat, 30 Nov 2002 20:00:00 +0000

This paper offers a high-level retrospective overview of the GOPI middleware platform which is the outcome of a three-year project aimed at the development of generic, configurable and extensible middleware. GOPI has a clearly defined modular structure, is widely extensible with plug-ins at all levels of the architecture, and natively supports stream interactions as well as standard operation invocation. It offers a generic framework for quality of service (QoS) specification and management, and supports a high-level, multimedia-oriented programming environment that is backwardly compatible with the OMG’s CORBA. At its lower levels it supports QoS-driven resource management and features an optimised IIOP stack. Despite its enhanced functionality, GOPI’s IIOP performance equals or exceeds that of state-of-the-art CORBA platforms.

A custom genotyping array reveals population-level heterogeneity for the genetic risks of prostate cancer and other cancers in Africa

Tue, 30 Jun 2020 20:00:00 +0000

Although prostate cancer is the leading cause of cancer mortality for African men, the vast majority of known disease associations have been detected in European study cohorts. Furthermore, most genome-wide association studies have used genotyping arrays that are hindered by SNP ascertainment bias. To overcome these disparities in genomic medicine, the Men of African Descent and Carcinoma of the Prostate (MADCaP) Network has developed a genotyping array that is optimized for African populations. The MADCaP Array contains more than 1.5 million markers and an imputation backbone that successfully tags over 94% of common genetic variants in African populations. This array also has a high density of markers in genomic regions associated with cancer susceptibility, including 8q24. We assessed the effectiveness of the MADCaP Array by genotyping 399 prostate cancer cases and 403 controls from seven urban study sites in sub-Saharan Africa. Samples from Ghana and Nigeria clustered together, while samples from Senegal and South Africa yielded distinct ancestry clusters. Using the MADCaP array, we identified cancer-associated loci that have large allele frequency differences across African populations. Polygenic risk scores for prostate cancer were higher in Nigeria than in Senegal. In summary, individual and population-level differences in prostate cancer risk were revealed using a novel genotyping array.

Women embrace computing in Mauritius

Sat, 31 Dec 2005 20:00:00 +0000

Studies like (Camp, 1997), (Gurer & Camp, 2002), (Sigurdardóttir, 2000), and (Vegso, 2005) have documented the declining percentage of women in computer science (CS) in the U.S. and other countries. While women are under-represented in the U.S. overall, there are cultural pockets within the U.S. that are exceptions to the rule. For example, (Lopez & Shultze, 2002) note that African-American women earned the majority of CS bachelors degrees each year from 1989 through 1997 at U.S. historically black colleges and universities. (Fisher & Margolis, 2002) and (Frieze & Blum, 2002) report some success in increasing the percentage of women studying computing at Carnegie-Mellon. (Camp, et al., 2001) points out that the problem is significantly worse for CS departments housed in a school of engineering compared to those housed in a school of arts and sciences – a phenomenon dubbed “the school of engineering effect.” So while women are on average under-represented in CS in the U.S., such national averages can hide significant variance within a country’s subcultures. Outside the U.S., (Schinzel, 1999) notes that the situation in “Anglo-Saxon, Scandinavian, and German-speaking countries” (ASGs) is similar to that in the U.S., but female representation in CS is comparatively constant and high (45-50%) in Greece, Turkey, and the “Romanic” countries (e.g., France, Italy). Schinzel’s data is fragmentary, but it offers intriguing hints that culture plays an important role in encouraging or discouraging women from studying CS. These and reports like (Galpin, 2002) indicate that there are non-ASG countries where women are equally represented in CS. This in turn suggests that the problem is one of culture: ASG cultures apparently in some way discourage women from choosing IT-related careers, while the cultures of these other countries apparently encourage women to do so. If the root of the problem is the culture in the ASG countries, then that is where we should focus our efforts. What is it about the culture of the U.S. and other ASG countries that discourages women from studying CS? Trying to analyze the negative cultural factors from within an ASG country is rather like a fish trying to analyze the water in which it is swimming. A preferable approach is to become a “fish out of water” and visit a non-ASG country where women are studying CS. By identifying those cultural differences in non-ASG countries that are leading women to study CS, we can identify those aspects of ASG culture that are problematic. In this article, we examine the country of Mauritius, a 25x40 mile island roughly 500 miles east of Madagascar that is home to 1.2 million people. Ethnically, its population is 68% Indo-Mauritian, 27% Creole-African, 3% SinoMauritian, and 2% Franco-Mauritian. Religiously, its people are 52% Hindu, 28% Christian, 17% Muslim, and 3% other. With this dynamic mix of people, Mauritius is one of the world’s most culturally diverse countries.

A distributed object platform for multimedia applications

Sun, 06 Jun 1999 20:00:00 +0000

Two current trends in distributed computing are the emergence of standardised distributed object platforms such as CORBA, and the increasing use of continuous media data types. This paper describes and evaluates a platform which supports both standard CORBA interactions and continuous media interactions in a fully integrated environment. The platform is implemented as a self-contained support infrastructure (GOPI core) and a separate "personality" that sits on top of the infrastructure and provides a CORBA API. The platform user can create both request/reply oriented and stream oriented bindings with quality of service specifications that are honoured (as far as possible) by the infrastructure. The level of performance attained by the platform provides evidence of the feasibility of natively supporting continuous media in a distributed object platform environment.

Correlating in vitro performance with physico-chemical characteristics of nanofibrous scaffolds for skin tissue engineering using supervised machine learning algorithms

Tue, 22 Dec 2020 20:00:00 +0000

The engineering of polymeric scaffolds for tissue regeneration has known a phenomenal growth during the past decades as materials scientists seek to understand cell biology and cell–material behaviour. Statistical methods are being applied to physico-chemical properties of polymeric scaffolds for tissue engineering (TE) to guide through the complexity of experimental conditions. We have attempted using experimental in vitro data and physico-chemical data of electrospun polymeric scaffolds, tested for skin TE, to model scaffold performance using machine learning (ML) approach. Fibre diameter, pore diameter, water contact angle and Young’s modulus were used to find a correlation with 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay of L929 fibroblasts cells on the scaffolds after 7 days. Six supervised learning algorithms were trained on the data using Seaborn/Scikit-learn Python libraries. After hyperparameter tuning, random forest regression yielded the highest accuracy of 62.74%. The predictive model was also correlated with in vivo data. This is a first preliminary study on ML methods for the prediction of cell–material interactions on nanofibrous scaffolds

Recent advances in computational tools and resources for the self-management of type 2 diabetes

Wed, 01 Jan 2020 20:00:00 +0000

Background: While healthcare systems are investing resources on type 2 diabetes patients, self-management is becoming the new trend for these patients. Due to the pervasiveness of computing devices, a number of computerized systems are emerging to support the self-management of patients. Objective: The primary objective of this review is to identify and categorize the computational tools that exist for the self-management of type 2 diabetes, and to identify challenges that need to be addressed. Results: The tools have been categorized into web applications, mobile applications, games and ubiquitous diabetes management systems. We provide a detailed description of the salient features of each category along with a comparison of the various tools, listing their challenges and practical implications. A list of platforms that can be used to develop new tools for the self-management of type 2 diabetes, namely mobile applications development, sensor development, cloud computing, social media, and machine learning and predictive analysis platforms, are also provided. Discussions: This paper identifies a number of challenges in the existing categories of computational tools and consequently presents possible avenues for future research. Failure to address these issues will negatively impact on the adoption rate of the self-management tools and applications.

Experiences in implementing a distributed object platform for multimedia applications

Sun, 09 Apr 2000 20:00:00 +0000

Two current trends in distributed computing are the emergence of standardized distributed object platforms such as CORBA, and the increasing use of continuous media data types. This paper describes and evaluates a platform which supports both standard CORBA interactions and continuous media interactions in a fully integrated environment. The platform is implemented as a self-contained support infrastructure (GOPI core) and a separate ‘personality’ that sits on top of the infrastructure and provides a CORBA API. The platform user can create both request/reply oriented and stream oriented bindings with quality of service specifications that are honoured (as far as possible) by the infrastructure. A framework for quality of service management which involves the monitoring and adaptation of quality levels is also supported. The level of performance attained by the platform provides evidence of the feasibility of natively supporting continuous media in a distributed object platform environment.

Comparison of genomic islands in cyanobacteria: Evidence of bacteriophage-mediated horizontal gene transfer from eukaryotes

Thu, 31 May 2018 20:00:00 +0000

A number of examples of putative eukaryote-to-prokaryote horizontal gene transfer (HGT) have been proposed in the past using phylogenetic analysis in support of these claims but none have attempted to map these gene transfers to the presence of genomic islands (GIs) in the host. Two of these cases have been examined in detail, including an ATP sulfurylase (ATPS) gene and a class I fructose bisphosphate aldolase (FBA I) gene that were putatively transferred to cyanobacteria of the genus Prochlorococcus from either green or red algae, respectively. Unlike previous investigations of HGT, parametric methods were initially used to detect genomic islands, then more traditional phylogenomic and phylogenetic methods were used to confirm or deny the HGT status of these genes. The combination of these three methods of analysis- detection of GIs, the determination of genomic neighborhoods, as well as traditional phylogeny, lends strong support to the claim that trans-domain HGT has occurred in only one of these cases and further suggests a new insight into the method of transmission of FBA I, namely that cyanophage-mediated transfer may have been responsible for the HGT event in question. The described methods were then applied to a range of prochlorococcal genomes in order to characterize a candidate for eukaryote-to-prokaryote HGT that had not been previously studied by others. Application of the same methodology used to confirm or deny HGT for ATPS and FBA I identified a ⊗12 fatty acid desaturase (FAD) gene that was likely transferred to Prochlorococcus from either green or red algae.

BioPAXViz: a cytoscape application for the visual exploration of metabolic pathway evolution

Sun, 30 Apr 2017 20:00:00 +0000

BioPAXViz is a Cytoscape (version 3) application, providing a comprehensive framework for metabolic pathway visualization. Beyond the basic parsing, viewing and browsing roles, the main novel function that BioPAXViz provides is a visual comparative analysis of metabolic pathway topologies across pre-computed pathway phylogenomic profiles given a species phylogeny. Furthermore, BioPAXViz supports the display of hierarchical trees that allow efficient navigation through sets of variants of a single reference pathway. Thus, BioPAXViz can significantly facilitate, and contribute to, the study of metabolic pathway evolution and engineering.

H3ABioNet computational metagenomics workshop in Mauritius: training to analyse microbial diversity for Africa

Mon, 30 Nov 2015 20:00:00 +0000

In the context of recent international initiatives to bolster genomics research for Africa, and more specifically to develop bioinformatics expertise and networks across the continent, a workshop on computational metagenomics was organized during the end of 2014 at the University of Mauritius. The workshop offered background on various aspects of computational biology, including databases and algorithms, sequence analysis fundamentals, metagenomics concepts and tools, practical exercises, journal club activities and research seminars. We have discovered a strong interest in metagenomics research across Africa, to advance practical applications both for human health and the environment. We have also realized the great potential to develop genomics and bioinformatics through collaborative efforts across the continent, and the need for further reinforcing the untapped human potential and exploring the natural resources for stronger engagement of local scientific communities, with a view to contributing towards the improvement of human health and well-being for the citizens of Africa.

Trends in working capital management and its impact on firms’ performance: an analysis of Mauritian small manufacturing firms

Sun, 01 Oct 2006 20:00:00 +0000

A firm is required to maintain a balance between liquidity and profitability while conducting its day to day operations. Liquidity is a precondition to ensure that firms are able to meet its short-term obligations and its continued flow can be guaranteed from a profitable venture. The importance of cash as an indicator of continuing financial health should not be surprising in view of its crucial role within the business. This requires that business must be run both efficiently and profitably. In the process, an asset-liability mismatch may occur which may increase firm’s profitability in the short run but at a risk of its insolvency. On the other hand, too much focus on liquidity will be at the expense of profitability and it is common to find finance textbooks (for eg see Gitman, 1984 and Bhattacharya, 2001) begin their working capital sections with a discussion of the risk and return tradeoffs inherent in alternative working capital policies. Thus, the manager of a business entity is in a dilemma of achieving desired tradeoff between liquidity and profitability in order to maximize the value of a firm.

Working capital level influence on SME profitability

Sun, 14 Feb 2016 20:00:00 +0000

This paper aims to report the results of an investigation of the relationship between working capital level, measured by the cash conversion cycle and profitability of Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs). The paper employs panel data regression analysis on a sample of 160 Alternative Investment Market (AIM) listed SMEs for the period from 2005 to 2010. The empirical results show that there is a concave relationship between working capital level and firm profitability and that there is an optimal working capital level at which firms’ profitability is maximised. Furthermore, an examination as to whether or not deviations from the optimal working capital level reduce firm profitability indicate that deviations above or below the optimum decrease profitability. The sample is limited to AIM listed SMEs, and therefore the findings cannot be generalised to all firms. Overall, the evidence suggests that firms should strive and attain the optimal working capital level in order to maximise their profitability. The results are of importance to both SMEs and policy makers providing insight into the nature of cash conversion cycle and its relationship to SMEs profitability

Working capital financing preferences: the case of Mauritian manufacturing small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs)

Sat, 31 Dec 2011 20:00:00 +0000

This paper investigates the approach of small-to medium-sized Mauritian manufacturing firms to working capital finance using a survey-based approach and case studies. Financing has been cited as one of the most common problems faced by SMEs and is often viewed as one of their main barriers to growth. Using parametric and non-parametric techniques, the important variables that affect the demand for financing are examined. Interestingly, it is observed that the sample firms adopted more informal sources of financing and networking to meet their financing requirements. The financing preferences of the firms were predominantly short-term and there was conclusive evidence that they were reluctant to move down the pecking order for fear of losing control of their businesses. The findings confirmed that internal resources, non-bank sources and short-term debt represent the main sources of financing. The research findings provided some new evidence in support of the different approaches to financing working capital. These SMEs used more informal sources such as shareholder loans and bootstrap finance. These results indirectly suggest that firms experience significant information costs that prevent them from gaining access to the traditional sources of financing. The findings of the study will be useful to the financial institutions that fund SMEs and to policy makers.

Factors affecting the adoption of formal accounting systems by SMEs

Sat, 31 Dec 2011 20:00:00 +0000

Small to medium-sized enterprises’ (SMEs) poor performance is often ascribed to external factors such as burdensome character of the legal framework, limited scope to penetrate the export market and access to finance. However, internal factors such as marketing, operation and in particular accounting services may be equally responsible to such state of affairs. This study therefore attempts to analyse the importance attached to formal accounting systems among the small to medium-sized Mauritian manufacturing firms operating in six main industry groups. The research findings are based on a comprehensive survey of the financial and working capital management practices of 141 SMEs. Additional rigour to the research findings was possible through the use of 12 mini case studies.

Entrepreneurial orientation, market orientation and networking: impact on innovation and firm performance

Thu, 31 Dec 2015 20:00:00 +0000

The study examines the relationships among entrepreneurial orientation, market orientation and networking on firm performance with radical and incremental innovation as the mediator. The present study draws on the resource-based view theory to provide insights about intangible resources and capabilities among SMEs. The study adopts a subjectivist approach and is based on multiple case study method by conducting interviews with 7 SMEs purposively operating in different sectors. The research findings seem to support both proactive and responsive market orientation (PMO, RMO), entrepreneurial orientation (EO) and networking have positive relationships on firm performance with radical and incremental innovation as the mediator. It appears firms initiating radical innovation take longer for new product performance because of lack of information about customer needs in the market but networking assists in providing market information that enables commercialization of new products. Further, networking among firms drives performance while strong ties are practiced to a lesser extent.

An analysis of working capital structure and financing pattern of Mauritian small manufacturing firms

Mon, 30 Jun 2008 20:00:00 +0000

The competitive nature of the business environment requires firms to adjust their strategies and adopt good financial policies to survive and sustain growth. Managing working capital is problematic for the small business firms as they hardly adopt best practices unlike their larger counterparts. This paper, therefore, examines the structural differences in working capital and the financing pattern of 58 small manufacturing firms, operating in five industry groups for the period 1998-2003. An analysis of working capital components and funding pattern shows significant structural changes. While the stocks level and trade debtors have not experienced any major variations, yet they account for 80% of the short-term resources tied up in working capital. Thus, the working capital position of the sample firms reveals disproportionate increase in current asset investment in relation to sales resulting in a sharp decline in the working capital turnover. The mean value is three times, indicating a lower operational efficiency. The study also shows an increasing trend in the short-term component of working capital financing. While the short-term funds, in particular trade credit and other payables, have financed the major part of the working capital, the percentage of long-term funds used to finance the working capital has declined consistently during the same period. This over-concentration on short-term funds is a reality of the SMEs as they often faced difficulties in raising finance to support their business activities.

Barriers to employee training in small and medium sized enterprises: Insights and evidences from Mauritius

Mon, 02 May 2016 20:00:00 +0000

Purpose Training is an important component of successful business concerns. However, although there is growing acceptance amongst scholars that small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) are engines that drive economies across nations, through their contribution in terms of job creation and poverty reduction; extant research portray that these organisations often lack the resources required to undertake training. Mauritius, as a small island developing state, is not an exception. Similar to other economies, the Mauritian business landscape is characterised by a larger number of SMEs, representing 97 per cent of the business stock and accounting for nearly 47 per cent of the national workforce. To ensure a smooth transition along the business life cycle and fulfil their objectives, it becomes important to gauge into the training practices of these SMEs. This paper therefore aims to investigate into the barriers which SMEs face in the provision of training to their employees in the Republic of Mauritius. Design/methodology/approach Through a survey questionnaire, the study attempted, inter alia, to mainly identify the importance and perception that owner managers of SMEs attach to the concept of training and, consequently, identifies the various barriers faced by the SMEs to impart training. Findings Data obtained were analysed using SPSS 20.0 through descriptive statistics and inferential statistics. The analysis of the findings showed that training practices among SMEs in Mauritius rhymes with extant general literature. Originality/value Research pertaining to SMEs is still in a state of infancy in the Republic of Mauritius, without mentioning that it is practically non-existent as far as the training function is concerned. This paper thus attempts to provide both policymakers and researchers’ scientific data regarding the barriers which SMEs face when indulging in training.

Investigating into the factors that influence the adoption of internet banking in Mauritius.

Thu, 31 Jul 2008 20:00:00 +0000

This paper analyses the factors that influence the adoption of internet banking for the case of Mauritius, the future IT-hub of Africa. Results based on the analysis of data relating to 200 respondents indicate that the mostly used services are inter account transfer, payment to other personal account, transfer to credit card account, recharge mobile phones among others. Comparing demographic variables of the internet banking users to the non-internet banking users, the analysis also reveals that there is no significant difference between the two groups of users with respect to age group and the education level of the respondents. This is, however, not the case for the mean monthly income. Using factor analysis to identify the factors affecting the adoption of internet banking in Mauritius, it was found that the most significant factor is ease of use and that other important elements featured reluctance to change, trust and relationship in banker, cost of computers, internet accessibility, convenience of use and security concerns. Further analysis using cross tabulations suggest important statistical relationship between awareness, access to Internet facility, length of banking relationship, people working in the banking/finance sector, education level in the category ‘post graduate’ and also income group with the usage of internet banking.

Why some small businesses ignore austere working capital management routines

Mon, 02 May 2016 20:00:00 +0000

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to investigate factors explaining take-up rate of working capital management routines in small-scale businesses. Design/methodology/approach – A cross-sectional survey research was employed using a sample of 450 small-scale businesses in the central business district of Kampala, Uganda. Common working capital management routines and activity rates were analyzed using descriptive statistics. While binary logistic regression analysis was conducted to discriminate between businesses that engage in working capital management frequently and those that do so less frequently. Findings – The results show that on average, the most frequently performed routines relate to safeguarding cash and inventory, and credit risk assessment. Payment management routines are least performed. Second, business size, perceived usefulness and attitude explain high take-up rate of working capital management routines in small-scale businesses. Business age, level of education and financial management training are inconsequential in determining the likelihood to undertake working capital management frequently. Research limitations/implications – Paucity of studies world over on the input perspective of working capital management limited comparison of the findings with previous research. Future studies should be conducted to confirm the results. Practical implications – The study findings imply that policy makers should develop work-based training programs that take into account the business size effect. Originality/value – This study contributes to existing working capital management literature by explaining activity rate in a developing country perspective.

Capital structure and firm performance: evidence from an emerging economy

Fri, 28 Feb 2014 20:00:00 +0000

This paper seeks to empirically assess the impact of capital structure on performance of Mauritian firms listed on the Official Market of the Stock Exchange of Mauritius (SEM) for the period 2005-2011. The study employs both static and dynamic panel data techniques to identify the determinants of firm performance. Robust static panel data techniques are employed to account for the effect of heteroskedasticity and to improve the accuracy of the regression coefficients. Dynamic panel analysis is adopted to capture any effect of endogeneity and to check the robustness of the results obtained using the static panel models. The results indicate that the main determinants of firm performance are capital structure, firm size, business risk, MUR/EUR exchange rate and MUR/USD exchange rate. Growth opportunities, free cash flow, age of the firm and price of oil are found to have insignificant influence on firm performance. Firm performance is observed to be negatively related to capital structure indicating that firms with lower leverage have better performance thereby supporting the pecking order theory.

Focus on working capital management practices among Mauritian SMEs: Survey evidence and empirical analysis

Wed, 30 Apr 2014 20:00:00 +0000

This study investigated into working capital management (WCM) practices of small to medium sized manufacturing firms operating in diverse industry groups of the Mauritian economy. Previous studies have revealed that SMEs tend to neglect this area and are often credited as the main reason for their poor performance. Therefore the purpose of this paper is to investigate into the SMEs’ approach to WCM routines. The research objectives were met using a survey based approach. The findings consistently highlighted that Mauritian SMEs are not a homogenous group with regard to WCM routines. Exploratory factor analysis identified three underlying dimensions in the take up of WCM routines, namely stock review, debtor review and finance review of Mauritian SMEs. The education level and the field of study consistently showed that financial knowledge gained in accounting related field make a difference. The results also showed that firms which claimed a more severely late payment focused more on credit management and pay more attention to working capital financing. Interestingly, the smaller firms may not be adopting formal analysis of WCM, not only because of resource constraint, but due to a lack of need. Financial institutions and policy makers need to focus on educating such owner-managers with necessary WCM knowledge.

Tourism and economic growth: African evidence from panel vector autoregressive framework

Mon, 23 Mar 2015 20:00:00 +0000

This chapter presents the employment of women who own agricultural land is immune to the business cycle. This suggests that agricultural landownership by women may play a role in mitigating the effects of income volatility and, in this way, it supports the case for improving women's land ownership in Africa. Future work might conduct more experimental studies of specific cases and analyse more carefully the role of institutions. A fine extension of the analysis would be to model fertility timing jointly with the timing of women's employment. Further research is also needed on the impact of exogenous changes in the employment of mothers on current and later life outcomes of young children. The literature on household insurance mechanisms in developing countries has considered child labour as an insurance mechanism, but it contains relatively limited investigation of the role of changes in women's labour supply.

Determinants of financial development: The case of Mauritius

Sun, 11 Dec 2011 20:00:00 +0000

An overwhelming amount of research has shown that financial development fosters economic growth and thus this paper aims to identify the major determinants of financial development. This study investigates the determinants of financial development using a time series analysis for the period 1970-2008 for Mauritius, by means of the ARDL approach and using two different proxies for financial development. The results show that trade openness and financial liberalisation are important determinants of financial development. In addition, investment rate, per capita and literacy rates are also deemed to be important factors in stimulating financial development while inflation adversely influence financial development both in the short and long run. The research findings were supplemented by a questionnaire survey and the results validate the above and further reveal that the level of institutional quality is very important as well. It also shows that cultural or religious forces play an insignificant role in determining financial development in a multi-cultural and relatively educated society like Mauritius.

An econometric analysis regarding the path of non performing loans-a panel data analysis from Mauritian banks and implications for the banking industry

Wed, 31 Dec 2014 20:00:00 +0000

The present study pertains to unravelling the internal (bank specific) and external (macroeconomic) determinants of nonperforming loans in Mauritius using annual report data from a panel of 10 existing banks and macroeconomic data for the period 2000 to 2012. The model used in the present instance comprises of a vector of bank specific and macro economic variables which include the inflation rate, lending interest rates, growth of the construction sector and tourism sector as well as global variables such as the Euro zone’s GDP growth. The model is tested both in a static and dynamic framework. Four estimation techniques are considered, viz Fixed Effects, differenced GMM, System GMM and Random coefficient estimation. The results indicate that, notwithstanding there are many significant factors influencing NPL, the most critical elements nevertheless remain declines in the construction sector and the rise in cross border loans. Interestingly, the study provides important policy insights which centres on the improvement of credit concentration guidelines as well as the modification of the MCIB reporting.

Disproportionately large ecological role of a recently mass-culled flying fox in native forests of an oceanic island

Thu, 30 Nov 2017 20:00:00 +0000

Human-wildlife conflicts pose a growing threat to many species worldwide and require increasingly innovative and multi-disciplinary resolutions. Because of their apparent simplicity and political appeal, lethal approaches like culling are often favoured, decisions to cull are typically poorly supported by scientific evidence and the limitations and drawbacks of culls minimised. As natural habitats decline and fruit crop production expands, fruit-eating bats in the Old World (family Pteropodidae) are increasingly in conflict with fruit farmers. This conflict is exemplified on Mauritius where the government has implemented two mass culls of a threatened flying fox (Pteropus niger) since 2015 in response to fruit-grower concerns. The culls and illegal hunting reduced the bat population by >50%. In this context, we sought to investigate the ecological role and service provided by the targeted flying fox through seed dissemination to gauge what may be lost as the species becomes rarer or extinct. We randomly sampled the woody native community in six of the best-preserved moist-to-wet native forests of Mauritius using 90 plots of 100 m2 each and identified and measured the stem size of all woody plants ≥1 cm in diameter. Species were classified by whether their fruits occur in the diet of the flying fox in an exclusive, confirmed or likely manner and we assumed that fruit consumption is equivalent to potential seed dissemination. The relative importance of these three categories to the total woody plant community was then quantified as the proportion of species richness, stem density and basal area (as a surrogate of biomass) that they represent. We also investigated whether the main traits of species (seed size, fruit size, and maximum stem diameter) vary among bat-dispersal categories and differ from those of species whose fruits are not currently known to be eaten by the flying fox. On average, although about a quarter of the native woody species (24.6%) have fruits confirmed as eaten and seeds dispersed by the flying fox, these species comprise about half (53.1%) of the stems sampled and the majority (63.1%) of the basal area of native woody plant in the island’s native forests. About half of that latter biomass figure comprises species for which the flying fox is the exclusive native vertebrate frugivore and seed disperser. Plants disseminated by the flying fox are typically large trees with large fruit and seeds. These trees are often key components of the canopy, therefore fulfilling structural engineer roles that provide resources and conditions for the survival of many forest species. The flying fox plays a disproportionally large ecological role in maintaining forest structure and biodiversity in the long-term. Consequently, lethal approaches to the conflict with fruit-farmers threaten not only an endangered species, but ecological processes central to the viability of native forests. Our findings highlight the importance of including the ecological costs of culling in decision-making processes intended to resolve human-wildlife conflicts.

Molecular characterization of trophic ecology within an island radiation of insect herbivores (Curculionidae: Entiminae: Cratopus)

Thu, 31 Oct 2013 20:00:00 +0000

The phytophagous beetle family Curculionidae is the most species-rich insect family known, with much of this diversity having been attributed to both co-evolution with food plants and host shifts at key points within the early evolutionary history of the group. Less well understood is the extent to which patterns of host use vary within or among related species, largely because of the technical difficulties associated with quantifying this. Here we develop a recently characterized molecular approach to quantify diet within and between two closely related species of weevil occurring primarily within dry forests on the island of Mauritius. Our aim is to quantify dietary variation across populations and assess adaptive and nonadaptive explanations for this and to characterize the nature of a trophic shift within an ecologically distinct population within one of the species. We find that our study species are polyphagous, consuming a much wider range of plants than would be suggested by the literature. Our data suggest that local diet variation is largely explained by food availability, and locally specialist populations consume food plants that are not phylogenetically novel, but do appear to represent a novel preference. Our results demonstrate the power of molecular methods to unambiguously quantify dietary variation across populations of insect herbivores, providing a valuable approach to understanding trophic interactions within and among local plant and insect herbivore communities.

Going to bat for an endangered species.

Thu, 31 May 2012 20:00:00 +0000

Not applicable

Mauritius since the last glacial: environmental and climatic reconstruction of the last 38000 years from Kanaka Crater

Sun, 21 Aug 2011 20:00:00 +0000

A 10 m long peat core from the Kanaka Crater (20° 25′ S, 57° 31′ E), located at 560 m elevation in Mauritius, was analyzed for microfossils. Eight radiocarbon ages show the pollen record reflects environmental and climatic change of the last ca. 38 cal ka BP. The record shows that the island was continuously covered by forest with Erica heath (Philippia) in the uplands. Cyperaceous reedswamp with Pandanus trees was abundant in the coastal lowlands as well as locally in the waterlogged crater. The record shows changes in climatic humidity (wet from 38.0 to 22.7 cal ka BP, drier from 22.7 to 10.6 cal ka BP, and wetter again from 10.6 cal ka BP to recent) as the main response to climate change. A high turnover in montane forest species is evidenced at 22.7 cal ka BP and at the start of the Holocene. The limited altitudinal ranges in the mountains of Mauritius (maximum altitude 828 m), and changing humidity being more important than changing temperature, suggests that in response to climate change a reassortment in taxonomic composition of montane forests might be equally important as displacement of forest types to new altitudinal intervals. We found weak impact of the latitudinal migration of the Intertropical Convergence Zone and data suggest that the Indian Ocean Dipole is a more important driver for climatic change in the southwest Indian Ocean.

Ecological Restoration in a Developing Island Nation: How Useful is the Science?

Wed, 26 Sep 2012 20:00:00 +0000

Restoration science is a relatively young branch of ecology that is growing in importance owing to the sheer scale and trend of habitat degradation worldwide and the range of strong benefits that it is seen to potentially carry. Although spearheaded mainly by developed countries, its usefulness at least for the conservation of biodiversity may be greatest in the developing world. Here we examine how Mauritius, a developing island nation that may be regarded as well equipped among developing countries in terms of access to restoration science, is using science to inform the ecological restoration of its degraded native habitats for biodiversity conservation. While Mauritius is known for a number of proactive and at times innovative approaches that may even be setting the pace worldwide, we found that the restoration activities which are impacting the largest areas and an overwhelming proportion of native biodiversity of the country sometimes remain averse to even basic ecological principles. This includes the removal from restoration areas of fast growing native pioneer species with proven nurse-tree potential to be replaced by a multitude of nursery grown and much slower growing plants that would have naturally grown anyway. Besides representing setbacks to areas undergoing restoration, this elevates restoration costs in the face of scarcity of conservation resources and urgency to restore more than the tiny and isolated areas currently targeted. Research worldwide continues to improve restoration science but blockages to knowledge transfer can seriously undermine its impact where it is most needed.

Biodiversity law: Mauritius culls threatened fruit bats

Wed, 03 Feb 2016 20:00:00 +0000

Mauritius has culled at least 20,000 flying foxes (Pteropus niger), the island’s last surviving native species of fruit bat, in an attempt to reduce damage to lychee and mango crops. Ironically, this cull was justified on the basis of a law enacted in late 2015 to improve protection of the country’s rich biodiversity.

Negative impacts of invasive predators used as biological control agents against the pest snail Lissachatina fulica: the snail Euglandina ‘rosea’ and the flatworm Platydemus …

Fri, 18 Dec 2020 20:00:00 +0000

Since 1955 snails of the Euglandina rosea species complex and Platydemus manokwari flatworms were widely introduced in attempted biological control of giant African snails (Lissachatina fulica) but have been implicated in the mass extinction of Pacific island snails. We review the histories of the 60 introductions and their impacts on L. fulica and native snails. Since 1993 there have been unofficial releases of Euglandina within island groups. Only three official P. manokwari releases took place, but new populations are being recorded at an increasing rate, probably because of accidental introduction. Claims that these predators controlled L. fulica cannot be substantiated; in some cases pest snail declines coincided with predator arrival but concomitant declines occurred elsewhere in the absence of the predator and the declines in some cases were only temporary. In the Hawaiian Islands, although there had been some earlier declines of native snails, the Euglandina impacts on native snails are clear with rapid decline of many endemic Hawaiian Achatinellinae following predator arrival. In the Society Islands, Partulidae tree snail populations remained stable until Euglandina introduction, when declines were extremely rapid with an exact correspondence between predator arrival and tree snail decline. Platydemus manokwari invasion coincides with native snail declines on some islands, notably the Ogasawara Islands of Japan, and its invasion of Florida has led to mass mortality of Liguus spp. tree snails. We conclude that Euglandina and P. manokwari are not effective biocontrol agents, but do have major negative effects on native snail faunas. These predatory snails and flatworms are generalist predators and as such are not suitable for biological control.

A review of the dodo and its ecosystem: insights from a vertebrate concentration Lagerstätte in Mauritius

Sun, 20 Mar 2016 20:00:00 +0000

Multi-proxy reconstruction of environmental dynamics and colonization impacts in the Mauritian uplands

Wed, 31 Jul 2013 20:00:00 +0000

A 115 cm long sediment core retrieved from the exposed uplands of Mauritius, a small oceanic island in the Indian Ocean, shows environmental change from the uninhabited era into post-colonization times. Well-preserved fossil pollen and diatoms in the uppermost 30 cm of the core reflect environmental conditions during the last 1000 years. Granulometric analysis along the core shows that the sediments below 30 cm consist of weathered material and that the record may contain hiatuses. This is also illustrated by a 14C date at 96 cm depth of 35,000 calibrated years before AD 1950 (35.0 cal ka). The pollen record shows that pristine vegetation at 650 m elevation consisted of ericaceous heathland and Pandanus marsh. Around 0.9 cal ka wet montane forest and fern-rich marsh replaced heathland vegetation, indicating higher moisture availability. Natural changes in upland vegetation associations are mainly driven by changes in sediment accumulation causing changes in soil properties and drainage conditions. The historically well-dated start of colonization (AD 1638) is reflected by the sudden arrival of exotic plant taxa Camellia sinensis (tea), Pinus spp. (pine), Casuarina equisetifolia (coastal she-oak), Psidium cattleianum (strawberry guava), Homalanthus (Queensland poplar) and Saccharum officinarum (sugar cane), as well as an increase in charcoal, indicating deforestation.

Drivers of wetland disturbance and biodiversity impacts on a tropical oceanic island

Sun, 27 May 2012 20:00:00 +0000

Wetlands are biologically important elements of landscapes and among the most threatened ecosystems on Earth. On the island of Mauritius, many remaining wetlands are being rapidly converted and fragmented by intense land-use demands. We surveyed 209 coastal wetlands on Mauritius to assess their biophysical attributes, land-use activities, and patterns of disturbance, to help identify factors that threaten wetland biodiversity. Most wetlands exhibited severe edge-related disturbances and more than half were fragmented. Plant species richness was highest in larger, unfragmented wetlands and lower in wetlands with degraded margins. Urban wetlands were smaller and more likely to be fragmented than those adjoining other land uses such as grazing and agriculture. Flooding of urban homes and infrastructure was more likely to occur near fragmented than natural wetlands. Ongoing wetland decline in Mauritius not only contributes to the loss of local biodiversity but reduces the larger ecosystem role these habitats play in regulating surface water and protecting adjacent marine habitats.

Invasive alien plant control improves foraging habitat quality of a threatened island flying fox

Mon, 27 Apr 2020 20:00:00 +0000

Flying foxes play keystone ecological roles in plant reproduction. Yet, they face numerous threats, including persecution for eating commercial fruits. This human-wildlife conflict has recently escalated to culling campaigns of a threatened flying fox on Mauritius. Finding non-lethal solutions to this human-wildlife conflict on the island is therefore extremely important. We hypothesized that invasive alien plants may reduce native fruit availability through competition and that weeding alien plants could improve the native foraging habitat quality of flying foxes – in turn, reducing their consumption of commercially important fruits. We compared native fruit production and foraging intensity of the Mauritian flying fox (Pteropus niger) in forests weeded of alien plants a decade previously and adjacent non-weeded forests. Fruits and ejecta were collected weekly during five months under 144 randomly chosen native trees of two canopy species whose fruits are eaten by flying foxes. Intraspecific variations in tree and fruit traits were used to examine flying fox foraging preference. Native fruit production was significantly higher in weeded forests for both tree species, and this was matched by higher flying fox foraging intensity. Flying foxes preferred large trees and fed predominantly on large and ripe fruits. The predominant consumption of ripe fruits emphasizes the importance of flying foxes as seed dispersers. Our results indicate that alien plant invasion substantially reduces native fruit production and that weeded forests provide a much better habitat for flying foxes. Our findings lend support to invasive alien plant control as a management strategy in mitigating such human-wildlife conflicts.

Rapid population decline of an endemic oceanic island plant despite resilience to extensive habitat destruction and occurrence within protected areas

Thu, 16 Nov 2017 20:00:00 +0000

Background: Over 10,000 island endemic angiosperms are highly threatened by extinction. Yet, few of these species have the temporal change in their range documented and quantified, particularly within a potentially informative context of a long period of botanical study. Aim: Here, we used Roussea simplex a mono-specific genus endemic to Mauritius, itself an island with long botanical history and advanced habitat destruction extent, to investigate how the distribution and population of this model oceanic island plant changed through time. Methods: All known localities and population size estimates were compiled from published literature, herbarium specimens, surveys and personal communications to estimate changes in population size, extent of occurrence and area of occupancy and investigate main distribution patterns. Results: Roussea simplex survives in nine high elevation sites. Since the 1930s, its range halved relative to its maximum known distribution and its population size decreased much faster than direct habitat loss would predict. It now qualifies as Endangered according to the IUCN Red List categories. Conclusions: Even in an extremely deforested island, endemic plant population decline may be driven more by diminishing habitat quality than diminishing habitat extent. This renders habitat protection alone insufficient, therefore addressing ecological interactions is vital to stem population decline.

National parks: Mauritius is putting conservation at risk

Tue, 03 Jan 2012 20:00:00 +0000

At last month’s COP17 climatechange negotiations in Durban, South Africa, Brazilian president Dilma Rousseff called for renewal of the Kyoto Protocol’s binding targets for reducing greenhousegas emissions. We look to her to reaffirm Brazil’s commitment to sustainable development by vetoing the proposed changes to the country’s Forest Code when it comes before the Brazilian National Assembly for ratification in March.

Palaeoproteomics of bird bones for taxonomic classification

Mon, 15 Apr 2019 20:00:00 +0000

We used proteomic profiling to taxonomically classify extinct, alongside extant bird species using mass spectrometry on ancient bone-derived collagen chains COL1A1 and COL1A2. Proteins of Holocene and Late Pleistocene-aged bones from dodo (Raphus cucullatus) and great auk (Pinguinus impennis), as well as bones from chicken (Gallus gallus), rock dove (Columba livia), zebra finch (Taeniopygia guttata) and peregrine falcon (Falco peregrinus), of various ages ranging from the present to 1455 years old were analysed. HCl and guandine-HCL-based protein extractions from fresh bone materials yielded up to 60% coverage of collagens COL1A1 and COL1A2, and extractions from ancient materials yielded up to 46% coverage of collagens COL1A1 and COL1A2. Data were retrieved from multiple peptide sequences obtained from different specimens and multiple extractions. Upon alignment, and in line with the latest evolutionary insights, protein data obtained from great auk grouped with data from a recently sequenced razorbill (Alca torda) genome. Similarly, protein data obtained from bones of dodo and modern rock dove grouped in a single clade. Lastly, protein data obtained from chicken bones, both from ancient and fresh materials, grouped as a separate, basal clade. Our proteomic analyses enabled taxonomic classification of all ancient bones, thereby complementing phylogenetics based on DNA.

Differing severity of frugivore loss contrasts the fate of native forests on the land of the Dodo (Mascarene archipelago)

Fri, 30 Apr 2021 20:00:00 +0000

Frugivore loss has the potential to alter the regeneration of tropical hyperdiverse forests. However, no study has investigated tree diversity maintenance within old-growth protected forests on tropical oceanic islands where conservation stakes are considerable. In the Mascarenes, the largest frugivores including the Dodo went extinct after human colonization in the 17th century. Mauritius, today devoid of almost all its native habitats, retains an important population of flying foxes, while Réunion, largely covered by native habitats, has lost all but one of its native frugivores, a bulbul. Using census data of 130 woody species from 3-ha permanent plots from Mauritius (MAU-BF) and Réunion (REU-ML), we show that most fleshy-fruited species regenerate well at MAU-BF, in contrast to REU-ML, although large-seeded fleshy-fruited species regenerate poorly at both sites. The difference in recruitment is all the more striking because local woody plant diversity at MAU-BF is double that at REU-ML. Changes observed in the understory will probably lead to a strongly impoverished canopy at REU-ML, and to canopy shift composition at MAU-BF. Hence, the protected but highly fragmented forests on Mauritius are likely more resilient than those on Réunion usually considered best preserved within the ecoregion. Although processes other than seed dispersal might also be at work, flying foxes probably ensure effective dispersal of numerous native fleshy-fruited plants on Mauritius, contrary to only bulbuls on Réunion. To efficiently protect tropical rainforests on islands and continents alike, there is an urgent need to protect extant frugivores populations and reinstate seed dispersal function wherever necessary.

Toad-kill: Prey diversity and preference of invasive guttural toads ( Sclerophrys gutturalis ) in Mauritius

Sun, 28 Feb 2021 20:00:00 +0000

Nocturnal foraging and activity by diurnal lizards: Six species of Day Geckos (Phelsuma spp.) using the night-light niche

Thu, 18 Feb 2021 20:00:00 +0000

Altered environments in urban areas are known to impact and change animal behaviour. In particular, artificial light at night (ALAN) affects behaviour across taxonomic groups, including reptiles. Geckos in the genus Phelsuma are predominantly diurnal, but some have been documented to alter their foraging behaviour from a diurnal to nocturnal activity period when they have access to artificial light sources. Herein, we report new observations of six Phelsuma spp. (Andaman day geckos, P. andamanensis; blue-tailed day geckos, P. cepediana; Madagascar giant day geckos, P. grandis; Réunion ornate day geckos, P. inexpectata; gold dust day geckos, P. laticauda; Mahé day geckos, P. sundbergi longinsulae) using artificial lights to engage in nocturnal activity that includes foraging, courtship, and agonistic behaviour. Artificial light at night augments the amount of time predators, especially visual predators, can spend foraging. This can increase their overall daily activity period (i.e. the amount of time spent active within 24 h), and research is yet to fully understand the cost–benefit trade-offs this altered behaviour has on individual fitness. Overall, our novel accounts of six Phelsuma spp. contribute to knowledge regarding the diversity of animals that have altered their behaviour in response to ALAN and highlight the behavioural flexibility of this group of geckos.

On the discovery of a new endemic Cynanchum (Apocynaceae) on Gunner’s Quoin, Mauritius

Tue, 31 Dec 2013 20:00:00 +0000

Cynanchum scopulosum Bosser (Apocynaceae), a new Mauritius endemic species was discovered in 2003 on Gunner’s Quoin Nature Reserve, a highly degraded offshore islet north of Mauritius. The plant’s basic ecology is described and threats to its persistence are discussed. The species is Critically Endangered. Recommendations to secure its future are given. The discovery adds further conservation value to Gunner’s Quoin.

An Adaptive Security Architecture for Detecting Ransomware Attack Using Open Source Software

Wed, 04 Mar 2020 20:00:00 +0000

Ransomware is a serious security threat faced by organizations and individuals today, and ransomware attacks are on the increase. There is no infallible solution for protecting against ransomware as the malware code uses metamorphic and polymorphic algorithms to generate different versions thus evading signature detection. Ransomware also uses domain generator algorithms (DGA) to generate new domains for the command and control server (C&C), they constantly exploit new vulnerabilities, and they use various infection vectors. Thus, for an organization to protect itself, an adaptive security architecture is required to constantly monitor the network so as to detect new ransomware infection at an early stage such that it can be blocked before encryption of files occur. This approach is a defence in depth approach which supplements the network defences such as patch management, anti-virus software, intrusion detection, firewalls, and content filtering. A framework for the implementation of the adaptive security architecture model using open source software is presented and the proposed framework is tested against the WannaCry and Petya ransomware. The proposed framework was successfully able to alert of the ransomware attack and by the use of the AppLocker feature on Windows, it was even possible to prevent the Petya ransomware from executing on the victim host.

Consumers Team Detection Model Based on Trust for Multi-Level

Sat, 02 Feb 2019 20:00:00 +0000

Due to rapid advances in technology, social networks have become important platforms for daily communication, product marketing, and information dissemination. Targeted delivery of social network advertisement can considerably improve the efficacy of the advertisement and maximize the profits from it. In this context, managing the specific audience of a social network advertisement and achieving targeted advertisement delivery have been the ultimate goals of the social network advertising sector. Identifying user groups with similar properties is critical to increasing targeted sales. When both the scale of mobile social network and the coplexity of social network user behaviors grow, similar groups are hidden in user behaviors. In order to analyze community structure with user trust relationship more appropriately in the large-scale multilevel social network environment, a novel local community detection model E-MLCD is proposed in this paper. It is jointly based on the multilevel properties and the strength of similarity of multilevel social interaction among communities. By studying three real-world multilevel social networks and specific QQ Zone marketing data, the model defines a new metric of community trust based on similarity. Comparison between other state-of-the-art detection methods demonstrate E-MLCD’s ability to detect communities more effectively.

A Secure Messaging and File Transfer Application

Sat, 12 Nov 2016 20:00:00 +0000

Instant Messaging (IM) is becoming more and more popular and ubiquitous as it is accessible via mobile devices. However, many existing IM applications do not provide much security. This is a serious limitations of IM systems especially when IM is being used in the workplace as a communications tool. In this paper, we present the different security vulnerabilities associated with communication using IM, as well as the security provided in some IM applications. Finally, we describe the design and implementation of a simple secure lightweight application for secure messaging and file transfer.

Mobile Agent Security using Reference Monitor-based Security Framework

Wed, 31 Dec 2014 20:00:00 +0000

USING HONEY-AGENTS FOR ESTABLISHING TRUST IN MOBILE-AGENTS E-COMMERCE APPLICATIONS

Mon, 31 Dec 2007 20:00:00 +0000

Agent technology has an immense potential in e-commerce. Personalised mobile-agents could be despatched by users to find and recommend products and services, negotiate the terms of transactions, and even make payments. However, among the reasons for the technology’s unmet potential are security concerns. In this paper, we propose the use of decoy honey-agents to conduct transactions to monitor the actions of the agent servers towards the mobile-agent. Such information can give an indication of the trustworthiness of agent servers.

Convergence of Arnoldi’s method for generalized eigenvalue problems

Sat, 21 Dec 2013 20:00:00 +0000

By constructing a-posteriori residual bounds, this paper consider the convergence of implicitly restarted Arnoldi’s methods for generalized eigenvalue problems. Such bounds have been less studied in comparison to bounds on the angle between an eigenvector and the Krylov subspace. Numerical validations of the bounds are given and both cases of convergence and non-convergence are illustrated for the shift-and-invert Arnoldi method and its refined variant. Alternative stopping criteria are also proposed for the Arnoldi methods.

Skew-Hermitian based iterations for nine-point approximations of convection–diffusion problems

Mon, 14 Jan 2013 20:00:00 +0000

We study skew-Hermitian based splitting methods for the iterative solution of nonsymmetric linear systems arising from high-order compact (HOC) approximations of two-dimensional convection–diffusion problems. Such discretisations lead to nine-point system matrices with block-tridiagonal structures. The nonsymmetric discretisation matrix for a constant-coefficient grid-aligned flow problem is shown to be positive definite and thus Hermitian and skew-Hermitian splitting (HSS) methods can be considered for the solution of the corresponding linear system. For the solution of this linear system using the HSS iteration, we derive an analytical expression for the optimal value for the upper bound of the contraction factor. Comparison of the HSS iteration with triangular and skew-Hermitian splitting (TSS) methods and their corresponding block variants (BTSS) are carried out for various test problems. Cpu timings for the different splitting methods using experimentally determined optimal acceleration parameters are also given. Our results show that the combination of high-order compact discretisations and skew-Hermitian based iterative methods for solving the corresponding linear systems provide efficient procedures for approximating the solutions of two-dimensional convection–diffusion equations.

On the Solution of Incompressible Fluid Flow Equations: a Comparative Study

Sat, 31 Dec 2011 20:00:00 +0000

This paper studies and contrasts the performances of three iterative methods for computing the solution of large sparse linear systems arising in the numerical computations of incompressible Navier-Stokes equations. The emphasis is on the traditional Gauss-Seidel (GS) and Point Successive Over-relaxation (PSOR) algorithms as well as Krylov projection techniques such as Generalized Minimal Residual (GMRES). The performances of these three solvers for the second-order finite difference algebraic equations are comparatively studied by their application to solve a benchmark problem in Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD). It is found that as the mesh size increases, GMRES gives the fastest convergence rate in terms of cpu time and number of iterations.

The Influence of the Angle of Inclination on Laminar Natural Convection in a Square Enclosure

Sat, 31 Dec 2011 20:00:00 +0000

This paper discusses the results obtained by the numerical modeling of natural convection in a water-filled two-dimensional square enclosure inclined to the horizontal. Here, the top and bottom walls of the cavity are considered adiabatic, left vertical wall is maintained at a constant low temperature and the right vertical wall is maintained at a constant high temperature. The aim is to investigate the effects of angle of inclination on the flow patterns. We use the Krylov subspace method, GMRES, to solve the discretized formulation of the governing equations. At the validation stage, our results are in good agreement with those reported in the literature. Results are presented in the form of velocity vector and isotherm plots as well as the variation of the average Nusselt number for different angles of inclination.

A hybrid deep learning approach with genetic and coral reefs metaheuristics for enhanced defect detection in software

Mon, 31 Oct 2022 20:00:00 +0000

Early detection and correction of software defects is essential in the software development process. In the production stage, software with defects negatively impacts on operational costs and ultimately affects customer satisfaction. Although different approaches exist to predict software defects, two essential factors are timely and accurate detection. This paper presents a hybrid Deep Neural Network model for enhanced prediction of software bugs . Different Nature-Inspired Algorithms have been applied to improve the exploration of the hyperparameter solution space to optimize the Deep Neural Network architecture. Experimental investigations have been conducted using NASA dataset to predict software defects and evaluation measures like accuracy, computational time and F1 score have been used for performance comparison. The approach based on the combination of Genetic and Coral Reef metaheuristics outperformed all other models, achieving highest accuracy of around 96% and average F1-score of 0.92.

Mauritius: Unlocking the Hidden Value of Educational Sustainability

Wed, 13 Dec 2017 20:00:00 +0000

Strategies developed by DIREKT for the small island developing states to enhance renewable energy utilisation

Mon, 31 Dec 2012 20:00:00 +0000

Given the current global situation of scarce energy resources, rapidly rising fossil-fuel prices and drastic climate changes, it is recognised that the promotion and application of Renewable Energy (RE) and Energy Efficient (EE) technologies is of vital importance for sustainable socioeconomic development in the Small Island Developing States (SIDS). The DIREKT network (Small Developing Island Renewable Energy Knowledge and Technology Transfer) is a teamwork scheme that involves the participation and collaboration of various universities from Germany, Fiji, Mauritius, Barbados and Trinidad and Tobago. The aim of the DIREKT project is to reinforce science and technology competency in the domain of renewable energy through technology transfer, information exchange and networking, targeting ACP (Africa, Caribbean, Pacific) SIDS as they are more vulnerable to problems associated with climate change. The overall objectives of the DIREKT project consist, basically, of enhancing sustainable collaboration between the participant countries and the EU, and transferring research results on the key topic of renewable energies, by putting into operation “technology transfer centres” in the participant countries. To help in achieving these aims, the partners of the DIREKT project have set up short-term, medium-term and long-term strategies to be applied to SIDS.

Production of packaging and value added material from Bamboo

Thu, 11 Nov 2021 20:00:00 +0000

The bamboo biomass is widely available in tropical countries and is actually being used for papermaking on a commercial scale in other countries. Its comparable cellulosic content to wood resources in the pulp and paper industry corresponds to its suitability as a substitute in view to reduce our dependency on wood and in line with sustainability. Accordingly, the study investigated the production of paper from the non-wood fibre for subsequent uses hinged on its physical and mechanical characteristics. It also targets paper waste since the latter was employed in different mixing ratios (20:80, 40:60, 60:40 and 80:20). Value added materials, namely envelopes, paper bags and holders were produced in order to open new arenas for the Mauritian fibre industry. Soda process was employed as the chemical pulping process. The optimum cooking conditions, giving rise to the highest pulp yield were found to be 16% w/v NaOH and a cooking time of 2 h at 90 °C. The thickness of the formed sheets was between 0.376 mm and 0.593 mm. Paper made from 100% bamboo was found to be most resistant to soil degradation. The highest bursting index was obtained from 80% bamboo sheet, amounting to 1.86kPam2/g. Sheets constituting of 20% and 40% bamboo showed favourable results to be used as printing materials and were observed to be most resistant to abrasion, requiring 40 and 26 turns, respectively. The minimum water absorbency rate of sheets derived from 80 and 100% bamboo connotes to their use as absorbents. The crease recovery angles were found to be within 27.5° to 63.8°, implying the application of 100%, 80% and 60% bamboo mix in the manufacture of envelopes and paper bags.

Feasibility of using Solar Energy as a source of renewable Energy in Mauritius

Mon, 31 Dec 2012 20:00:00 +0000

With limited indigenous conventional energy resources, Mauritius imports over 80 % of its energy supply from foreign countries, mostly from the Middle East. Developing independent renewable energy resources is thus of priority concern for the Mauritian government. Mauritius, being a tropical island surrounded by the Indian Ocean has enormous potential to develop various renewable energies, such as solar, biomass, wind power and geothermal energy. In order to reduce external dependency of fuel the Mauritian Government introduced attractive policies and invited investors of the homeland and abroad to invest in renewable energy technologies. Thus, the aim of this study was to determine the feasibility of implementing solar photovoltaic panels at institutional and organizational level and determine its economical feasibility. The study also consisted of determining the extent to which Mauritians are ready to accept such technologies. A research was thus carried out in collaboration with DIREKT and was found that Mauritians are eager to accept and invest in the solar photovoltaic technology provided that they are given sufficient information on how the system works. Moreover, the economic evaluation for the implementation of the photovoltaic technology revealed that the payback period for such technologies will be around 4.3 years which is very much acceptable.

Exploring the Use of Tangible User Interfaces for Teaching Basic Java Programming Concepts: A Usability Study

Wed, 18 Sep 2019 20:00:00 +0000

Computer programming has become an essential technical proficiency needed by companies especially within the Information Technology industry. To prepare graduates with the required skills and knowledge, many university courses have integrated modules that teach students such concepts. However, learning programming languages was found to be challenging to students as concepts are abstract, making it difficult for students to understand. In order to address such challenges and to innovate from traditional learning techniques, tangible user interfaces (TUI) could potentially be used to enhance learning experience. However, limited work has been done to investigate the use of TUI for students to learn the programming languages. Due to this limitation, the usability of such systems has not been well studied even though this quality attribute is important to investigate so as to improve adoption of systems by end users. This study delves into the usability of a TUI system for teaching basic java programming concepts. To achieve this purpose, a prototype was developed using Processing and ReacTI Vision. The usability of the proposed prototype was evaluated through application of the System Usability Scale. Results revealed that the system is acceptable on the scale used although different limitations were identified.

Analyzing the prospects and acceptance of mobile-based marine debris tracking

Wed, 08 May 2019 20:00:00 +0000

Marine litter has been considered as a growing concern within different coastal areas around the world and to address this issue, there have been apprehensions from various stakeholders including international regulatory bodies and governmental institutions, among others. Amongst the different technologies being promoted by key stakeholders, mobile-based marine debris tracking is being promoted due to the widespread utilization of mobile devices. However, although a few mobile based marine debris reporting, and tracking tools have emerged, limited research has been undertaken about the acceptance of such solution by end users. Assessment of acceptance of this technology is important in order to understand aspects that impact future adoption. To address this gap, this paper investigates and analyses the acceptance of mobile-based marine debris tracking. In order to achieve the purpose of this paper, an application called “Mau Marine-Litter Watch” was developed and assessed through application of the Technology Acceptance Model.

Exploring the application and usability of NFC for promoting self-learning on energy consumption of household electronic appliances

Wed, 22 Nov 2017 20:00:00 +0000

During the past decade, the significant increase in the adoption of consumer electronics has caused a rise in energy demand within the residential and household sectors globally. Since these electronics are dependent on electricity, the impact of these sectors on the environment is also deteriorating and it becomes important to take remedial action. For this, various websites and mobile applications have emerged that provide information to household users on energy consumption of devices and as well as reduction mechanisms. However, since these platforms are limited in various ways in their endeavor to promote self-learning on energy consumption reduction, awareness still remains an important barrier thus giving rise to the need for further investigation on innovative technologies and platforms. Even though Near Field Communication (NFC) could potentially be used, limited work has been conducted in relation to energy consumption of consumer electronics. As such, this paper delves into the application and usability of NFC for promoting self-learning on energy consumption of household electronic appliances through an Android based application called NFC Energy Tracker (NET).

Calculating carbon emissions from personal travelling: insights from a top-down analysis of key calculators

Sun, 18 Oct 2020 20:00:00 +0000

Personal travelling unfavourably contributes to the emissions of greenhouse gases, which adversely causes long-term damage to the climate. In order to reduce the associated negative impacts of such activities on the environment, there is a wide consensus that enhancements and innovations in the efficiency of vehicles will not be enough, but behavioural changes are needed. For this, individuals should be able to measure their travel-related carbon emissions, and such emissions could be determined by using personal carbon footprint calculators, which proliferated during the previous decade. However, various research questions related to such calculators are yet to be answered in published literature. As such, this paper investigates how key transport-based calculators account for emissions from personal transport-related activities following a top-down analysis. In this endeavour, ten such calculators are investigated through a set of formulated research questions to analyse their scope, calculation approach used, transparency, consistency of results, communication methods utilized and platform differences. Results revealed that the calculators have varying granularity, have limited transparency, provide significantly inconsistent results in some cases and are not fully engaging end users. Based on limitations identified, recommendations have been proposed through a taxonomy to guide policy-makers towards improving such tools.

Investigating the acceptance of Augmented Reality for raising awareness on potentially harmful ingredients present in consumable products

Tue, 24 Nov 2020 20:00:00 +0000

5G Smart and Innovative Healthcare Services: Opportunities, Challenges, and Prospective Solutions

Mon, 26 Oct 2020 20:00:00 +0000

Due to its abilities to boost productivity, reduce costs and enhance user experiences, smart healthcare is widely recognized as a potential solution to reduce pressures on existing health systems. Since the new era of 5G will unite enhanced connectivity, improved cloud-based storage and interconnection of an array of devices and services, a massive boost in the digital transformation of healthcare is expected. In this transformation process, healthcare services such as medical diagnosis, treatment and remote surgery will be facilitated by a range of technologies such as Internet of things, robotics and artificial intelligence, among others, that will advance further under 5G. Moreover, real-time health services will become a reality and will offer people with quality care and improved experiences. On the other hand, different challenges can hinder the proliferation of 5G smart and innovative healthcare solutions, including …

An Evolutionary MultiLayer Perceptron Algorithm for Real Time River Flood Prediction

Mon, 25 May 2020 20:00:00 +0000

Severe flash flood events give very little opportunity for issuing warnings. In this paper, we approach the automated and real time prediction of river flooding by proposing and evaluating different variations of the conventional Multilayer Perceptron (MLP) machine learning algorithm. Our first approach follows a trial and error attempt to optimize the MLP architecture. The second and third approaches are based on the application of nature inspired evolutionary techniques, namely the Genetic Algorithm (MLP-GA) and the Bat Algorithm (MLP-BA) respectively. The MLP-GA generates an improved MLP configuration and MLP-BA enhances the training method. Our fourth, novel approach (MLP-BA-GA) is based on the application of GA to further optimize both the BA and MLP architecture. When compared with previous work, experiments show improvement in the accuracy of river flood prediction, with significant results for the MLP-BA-GA.

Cloud robotics platforms: review and comparative analysis

Wed, 05 Dec 2018 20:00:00 +0000

Due to the various advantages that the cloud can offer to robots, there has been the recent emergence of the cloud robotics paradigm. Cloud robotics permits robots to unload computing and storage related tasks into the cloud, and as such, robots can be built with smaller on-board computers. The use of cloud-robotics also allows robots to share knowledge within the community over a dedicated cloud space. In order to build-up robots that benefit from the cloud-robotics paradigm, different cloud-robotics platforms have been released during recent years. This paper critically reviews and compares existing cloud robotic platforms in order to provide recommendations on future use and gaps that still need to be addressed. To achieve this, 8 cloud robotic platforms were investigated. Key findings reveal varying underlying architectures and models adopted by these platforms, in addition to different features offered to end-users.

AIML and sequence-to-sequence models to build artificial intelligence chatbots: insights from a comparative analysis

Wed, 08 May 2019 20:00:00 +0000

A chatbot is a software that is able to autonomously communicate with a human being through text and due to its usefulness, an increasing number of businesses are implementing such tools in order to provide timely communication to their clients. In the past, whilst literature has focused on implementing innovative chatbots and the evaluation of such tools, limited studies have been done to critically comparing such conversational systems. In order to address this gap, this study critically compares the Artificial Intelligence Mark-up Language (AIML), and Sequence-to-Sequence models for building chatbots. In this endeavor, two chatbots were developed to implement each model and were evaluated using a mixture of glass box and black box evaluation, based on 3 metrics, namely, user’s satisfaction, the information retrieval rate, and the task completion rate of each chatbot. Results showed that the AIML chatbot ensured better user satisfaction, and task completion rate, while the Sequence-to-Sequence model had better information retrieval rate.

Promoting Events within Communities in Mauritius: Exploring the Use and Acceptance of NuLendroit Mobile Application

Tue, 24 Nov 2020 20:00:00 +0000

Events are essential constituents of communities whereby providing a number of benefits including connecting people and improving well-being. Event organizers as well as advertising agencies use all kinds of methods to promote events within the society and techniques used range from print media to social media. However, these methods do not always reach the maximum targeted audiences. Also, events are spatio-temporally distributed making searching difficult. Recently, with the widespread proliferation of mobile devices and applications, event management solutions have become common. However, in the context of Mauritius, no such mobile application is available and as such, use and acceptance of mobile-based event promotion application has not been well investigated. As such, this paper investigates this gap by analyzing the use and acceptance of an innovative mobile application called NuLendroit aimed at promoting events within communities in Mauritius. In order to evaluate the use and acceptance of the mobile application, a combination of an extended version of the User Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT) and Computer System Usability Questionnaire (CSUQ) was used. 63 participants were involved in the study and results revealed insightful information on the most and least positive constructs that are part of the framework.

Security in IoT-based Smart Homes: A Taxonomy Study of Detection Methods of Mirai Malware and Countermeasures

Wed, 06 Oct 2021 20:00:00 +0000

During recent years, there has been widespread adoption of the Internet and swift digitization within various sectors, including smart homes. These also led to the rapid growth of the Internet of Things (IoT), which is expected to proliferate further, where 50 billion IoT devices are estimated to be connected to the Internet by 2030. However, the growth in connected IoT devices to the Internet has not been without challenges. IoT devices are known to have various vulnerabilities that could be exploited by attackers, thus hindering security of devices and users. Recently, the use of Mirai malware by attackers gained significant attention as it has the capability to transform IoT connected devices into remotely controlled bots, which can be utilized as part of a botnet in large-scale network attacks. Taking cognizance of the importance to secure against this type of malware, this study presents a taxonomy review on the techniques that can potentially be used to detect Mirai malware along with countermeasures for securing against such malware.

Optimizing Recruitment Process within Businesses: Predicting Interview Attendance Using C4. 5 Algorithm

Thu, 15 Apr 2021 20:00:00 +0000

An essential component of the job recruitment process involves conducting interviews, during which decision is made on the appropriateness of a candidate for a particular job. An important challenge faced by interviewers during the recruitment process relates to determining whether or not selected candidates will attend the job interview. Candidates failing to attend interviews because of various reasons lead to time wasting and as such, effective prediction is needed by human resource managers about whether or not a candidate will attend an interview. In other words, if the human resource department knows exactly whether or not the job seeker is attending the interview, a more efficient interview invitation strategy could be worked upon. However, even though different machine learning techniques are available for prediction, limited work has been undertaken to address this recruitment process related issue. Taking cognizance of this problem, this paper investigates, analyzes, and predicts candidate attendance during interviews in order to optimize recruitment process within businesses. For this, C4.5 algorithm was applied on an open dataset related to job interview attendance. Following generation of a classification tree, results showed some insightful patterns on when candidates do not attend job interviews.

A smart fish feeding system for internet of things based aquariums

Wed, 23 Sep 2020 20:00:00 +0000

Effective fish feeding within aquarium environments is essential for proper health and growth of fishes. However, due to busy lifestyles, maintaining proper feeding cycles is a key challenge for aquarium owners. With the emergence of technologies including Internet of Things, various smart aquarium solutions have emerged. However, within existing solutions and published literature, limited work has been done to automate fish feeding for smart aquariums. As such, this paper extends literature on automated fish feeding within IoT-based aquariums through the implementation and evaluation of such a fish-feeding algorithm and system. In this study, a fish feeding algorithm that computes various aspects related to fish feeding (e.g. feeding time and number of pellets) is presented, based on aquarium environmental parameters (e.g. temperature and pH) along with aquarium characteristics (e.g. fish species and density). Based upon the proposed algorithm, a smart fish feeding solution was designed and implemented. For evaluation, the algorithm and system were tested within five aquariums to determine their effectiveness in feeding fish within different aquarium settings. Results showed that precision and recall reduce with increased number of fish species. Based on these limitations, recommendations have been made to enhance the implementation of such systems.

Air Quality Monitoring in Mauritius

Wed, 05 Dec 2018 20:00:00 +0000

Cloud robotic architectures: directions for future research from a comparative analysis

Wed, 05 Dec 2018 20:00:00 +0000

Advances in robotics and cloud computing have led to the emergence of cloud robotics where robots can benefit from remote processing, greater memory and computational power, and massive data storage. The integration of robotics and cloud computing has often been regarded as a complex aspect due to the various components involved in such systems. In order to address this issue, different studies have attempted to create cloud robotic architectures to simplify representation into different blocks or components. However, limited study has been undertaken to critically review and compare these architectures. As such, this paper investigates and performs a comparative analysis of existing cloud robotic architectures in order to identify key limitations and recommend on the future of cloud robotic architectures. As part of this study, 7 such architectures have been reviewed and compared and results showed limited evaluation of existing architectures in favour of security weaknesses.

Improving effectiveness of honeypots: predicting targeted destination port numbers during attacks using J48 algorithm

Wed, 08 May 2019 20:00:00 +0000

Home Smart and Sustainable Engineering for Next Generation Applications Conference paper Improving Effectiveness of Honeypots: Predicting Targeted Destination Port Numbers During Attacks Using J48 Algorithm Tanveer Gangabissoon, Amaan Nathoo, Rakshay Ramhith, Bhooneshwar Gopee & Girish Bekaroo Conference paper First Online: 09 May 2019 534 Accesses 1 Citations Part of the Lecture Notes in Electrical Engineering book series (LNEE,volume 561) Abstract During recent years, there has been an increase in cyber-crime and cybercriminal activities around the world and as countermeasures, effective attack prevention and detection mechanisms are needed. A popular tool to augment existing attack detection mechanisms is the Honeypot. It serves as a decoy for luring attackers, with the purpose to accumulate essential details about the intruder and techniques used to compromise systems. In this endeavor, such tools need to effectively listen and keep track of ports on hosts such as servers and computers within networks. This paper investigates, analyzes and predicts destination port numbers targeted by attackers in order to improve the effectiveness of honeypots. To achieve the purpose of this paper, the J48 decision tree classifier was applied on a database containing information on cyber-attacks. Results revealed insightful information on key destination port numbers targeted by attackers, in addition to how these targeted ports vary within different regions around the world.

Personal Carbon Footprint Reduction: ICT as a Key Enabler

Wed, 25 Nov 2015 20:00:00 +0000

During the past decade, one of the key concerns being faced around the world is climate change, primarily caused by global warming. This warming of the Earth has been attributed to the ‘enhanced greenhouse effect’, which is in turn caused by human induced release of greenhouse gases (GHG) into the atmosphere . Human beings contribute to this enhanced greenhouse effect in their daily activities through different main sources, including household energy use and travel . Since it is easier to manage what can be measured, it is important to effectively measure and quantify carbon emissions. One popular quantitative expression of GHG emissions from an activity is ‘carbon footprint’ and is helpful in carbon emissions management as well as assessment of mitigation measures. However, manually determining the carbon footprint of an individual involves formula-based calculation and has been found to be complex due to the involved parameters in the calculation process. As a solution to this problem, several online carbon footprint calculators have emerged that do not only help human beings to measure their carbon emissions, but also help to track and advise on mitigation practices. This paper discusses how ICT is a key enabler of personal carbon footprint reduction after a study conducted within a tertiary education institution so as to understand whether employees are effectively using this emerging tool to mitigate the problem of growing carbon emissions around the world.

Detecting Vulnerabilities in Smart Contract within Blockchain: A Review and Comparative Analysis of Key Approaches

Wed, 05 Oct 2022 20:00:00 +0000

Blockchain technology was created with security in mind. However, in recent years, there has been various confirmed cases of breach, worth billions of dollars loss in Blockchain associated to smart contracts. In order to address this growing concern, it is crucial to investigate detection and mitigation of vulnerabilities in smart contract, and this paper critically reviews and analyses key approaches for detecting vulnerabilities in smart contract within Blockchain. In order to achieve the purpose of this paper, five key approaches, notably the application of OWASP Top 10, SCSVS, vulnerability detection tools, fuzz testing and the AI-driven approaches are critically reviewed and compared. As part of the comparison performed, a penetration testing quality model was applied to study six quality metrics, notably extensibility, maintainability, domain coverage, usability, availability and reliability. Results revealed limitations of the studied vulnerability detection approaches and findings are expected to help in decision making especially when selecting approaches to be used during security analysis and pen-testing.

RaspiMonitor: A Raspberry Pi Based Smart Home Monitoring System

Wed, 05 Oct 2022 20:00:00 +0000

Novel technological infrastructure such as smart homes have undergone major developments during recent years. Owing to the numerous benefits brought about by smart homes, research on the topic has been increasing at an exponential rate, bringing quality properties such as security, usability, reliability, and others. Despite their various advantages, smart homes have not been in a positive spotlight regarding security and reliability. The main reason that people are hesitant towards adopting an implemented intelligent system at their domicile is due to the lack of trust they allocate to the electronics. As such, this paper provides insights on an innovative and low-cost smart home monitoring system named RaspiMonitor. While the central aim of the system is to offer a robust smart home architecture which discreetly caters for the safety and security of its environment, it also helps in reducing energy wastage. The RaspiMonitor was carefully designed using dynamic web-based services in addition to an evaluation which quantified its usability and acceptance through the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) with 6 constructs. Results in principle portray acceptance of the system with a mean score of 4.47. This indicates that a robust hardware and software architecture such as the RaspiMonitor is useful, convenient, and easy to use.

A Review and Comparative Analysis of Vulnerability Scanning Tools for Wireless LANs

Wed, 05 Oct 2022 20:00:00 +0000

The 21st century has been characterized by the widespread proliferation and use of wireless networks, notably, Wireless LANs, that enhanced access to information and resources to businesses and the society at large. However, WLANs are vulnerable to a range of security issues such as replay and KRACK attacks. In addition, the underlying security protocols used within WLANs, including Wired-Equivalent Privacy and the different versions of the Wi-Fi Protected Access have had security vulnerabilities that led to deprecation of few previous versions. As such, in the process of hardening security of such networks, vulnerability assessment is important and for this, various vulnerability scanners are available on the market. This paper critically reviews and analyses key vulnerability scanners for the context of WLANs. As part of the investigation, four tools, notably Nessus Vulnerability Scanner, OpenVAS, Nexpose and GFI LanGuard are reviewed, and insights are provided following practical utilization. As key findings, different vulnerability scanners were found to address different kinds and number of vulnerabilities, where some of them can be more granular than others, even in terms of output provided to the user. Moreover, the scan duration was not consistent across tools and does not corelate with the number of vulnerabilities detected.

Impacts of sea-level rise on coastal zones of Mauritius: insights following calculation of a coastal vulnerability index

Wed, 13 Jul 2022 20:00:00 +0000

Whilst climate change has been regarded as a growing concern in recent years due the disruptive and detrimental effects experienced across the globe, one of its most compelling and threatening evidence is Sea Level Rise (SLR). This phenomenon is more prominent in Small Island Developing States (SIDS) and such islands are already facing escalating associated environmental threats, causing social and economic disruptions as well as insecurities. Amongst the SIDS, the coastal areas of Mauritius are considered among the most vulnerable to SLR, where statistics showed that between the years 1987 and 2007, an annual increase of 2.1 mm in the sea level has been observed around Mauritius. Although SLR has various associated impacts, limited work has been undertaken to assess the coastal vulnerability of the impacts of SLR for Mauritius and to compute the Coastal Vulnerability Index (CVI) of the island. Taking cognizance of this limitation, the purpose of this paper is to quantify, prioritize and critically assess the vulnerability of key impacts of sea level rise on the coastal areas of Mauritius following computation of a CVI. In this process, five key research questions are answered towards calculating the CVI of the island to eventually conceptualize a framework with the aim to reduce the adverse impacts of SLR on coastal zones of Mauritius. Findings of this study aim at the advancement of resilience and increased sustainability of coastal areas to the impacts of SLR.

Enhancing Student Support via the Application of a Voice User Interface System: Insights on User Experience

Wed, 08 Dec 2021 20:00:00 +0000

Within higher education, student support is essential to enhance student learning experiences in order to improve academic success. Key struggles that Computer Science students face during their studies at university include academic writing and programming. As such, many students find these topics challenging whereby even reducing interest in the subject. With the significant growth of technology during recent years to bridge the gap of human computer interaction with the real world, Voice User Interfaces (VUI) can potentially be used as solution within student support systems. This paper investigates the application of a VUI system aimed at providing student support and derives insights on user experience. As part of this study, a VUI prototype was designed and implemented to help Computer Science students in their studies by providing academic guides notably on academic writing, referencing, and programming. Evaluation involved the application of the User Experience Questionnaire (UEQ) to assess three constructs notably, response behavior, response quality and compensability.

An Analysis of Farm-based Carbon Footprint Calculators: Insights for Farmers

Sun, 09 May 2021 20:00:00 +0000

Through farming activities, a significant amount of greenhouse gases is emitted, which unfavourably contributes to climate change. In order to reduce the adverse impacts of farming activities on the environment, farmers need to get accurate insights on emissions from their activities so that they can take appropriate corrective actions to reduce their emissions. Insights on carbon emissions can be obtained by using carbon footprint calculators, which proliferated during the past few years. However, even though these tools are freely available online, limited work has been undertaken to analyse and compare their applications. Taking cognizance of this gap, this paper analyses key aspects of existing farming-based carbon calculators, notably their scope, calculation method employed, and consistency of results provided. Following application and analysis of three calculators, results showed varied categorisation of calculation parameters, granularity of inputs, lack of transparency and some inconsistent results. The limitations identified in this study provide avenues for further enhancement of these tools by the research community and regulatory bodies.

Teaching and Learning Concepts of Audio Modulation Using Tangible User Interfaces

Thu, 15 Apr 2021 20:00:00 +0000

Digital technologies form an integral part of sound production. To meet industry requirements, audio processing and modulation are taught in computer science-related courses within modules such as multimedia, data communications and science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). However, due to the complexity of the subject, teaching and learning audio modulation within traditional settings involves challenges, thereby adversely impacting student engagement. The use of tangible user interfaces (TUI) can potentially improve student experience during teaching and learning, although this type of user interface has not been much explored in the area of sound processing and modulation. As such, this paper investigates the application of a novel TUI-based system to assist in teaching and learning concepts of audio modulation. Using an TUI evaluation framework, the proposed solution was evaluated in order to assess five key constructs, notably learnability, interaction, tangibility, enjoyment, and intention for future use. During the evaluation process, 29 students practically utilized the solution and provided feedback on the constructs assessed. Results revealed an inclination towards agreement for the different constructs investigated, although some limitations were identified. Based on these limitations, recommendations are provided towards improving design of such systems.

Green Cryptography: Energy Performance Optimization of 3DES

Wed, 25 Nov 2015 20:00:00 +0000

OEEM Taxonomy-A Novel Layered-Based Energy Efficiency Taxonomy for ICT Organizations

Mon, 31 Dec 2012 20:00:00 +0000

The global climate change effects being faced around the world plus the effects of global recession and rising energy costs is compelling organizations to save costs. One of the effective ways which is beneficial to both organizations and the natural environment is towards going green. In the process of going green, it is important to be able to effectively manage energy use within ICT organizations. However, due to the complex nature of an organization, managing energy efficiency can only be simplified by categorizing energy efficiency via the adoption of an appropriate taxonomy. This paper formulates a taxonomy for energy efficiency management within ICT organizations, referred to as OEEM Taxonomy, using the layered approach, and is based on the main areas of energy consumption within such organizations. This paper also elaborates on the method and preliminary experimentation conducted within one ICT organization and also discusses on the results and feedback obtained on the proposed sixlayer energy efficiency taxonomy.

Antioxidant and DNA binding studies of Cu (II) complexes of N, N′-(1, 1′-dithio-bis (phenylene))-bis (salicylideneimine): synthesis and characterization

Wed, 01 Apr 2015 20:00:00 +0000

Four Cu(II) complexes [Cu(HL–LH)Cl2].H2O (1), [Cu2(L–L)Cl2] n (2), [Cu(LH)2]0.5H2O (3) and [CuL] n (4) derived from a disulfide Schiff base ligand N,N′-(1,1′-dithio-bis(phenylene))-bis(salicylideneimine) (HL–LH) were synthesized under different reaction conditions in the absence and presence of N-donor ligands and characterized by spectral, elemental, magnetic and thermal studies. A single-crystal X-ray analysis of 4 revealed that the Cu atom is in a square planar geometry, coordinated to phenolic oxygen, azomethine nitrogen and two sulfur atoms with cleavage of the S–S bond in HL–LH. Complexes 1–4 were found to be better antioxidants than HL–LH. Complexes 1 and 3, possessing free OH groups, showed higher antioxidant potentials. The interactions of the Schiff base Cu(II) complexes with DNA were investigated by UV–visible and fluorescence spectroscopies and agarose gel electrophoresis. The binding constants were in the order 103–105 M−1 suggesting moderate binding affinity of the complexes toward CT-DNA, with complex 1 showing the maximum binding affinity. In competitive binding experiments with ethidium bromide, complex 1 displayed the highest quenching constant, consistent with the UV binding results. Complexes 1–4 were found to cleave DNA efficiently in its nicked or linear forms.

Characterisation of background and pyrolysis products that may interfere with forensic analysis of fire debris in Mauritius

Mon, 31 Dec 2012 20:00:00 +0000

Petrol is one of the most commonly used liquid accelerants in arson cases. It is identified by the presence of an abundance of aromatic compounds whose peaks cluster in specific patterns. The positive identification of these target compounds suggests the presence of the petrol in the debris. This information can assist a fire investigator in determining the cause of the fire, including whether or not arson is suspected. The current research aims at studying the legitimate background products in fire debris, including their identification and characterisation. A range of substrates commonly encountered at fire scenes in Mauritius were analysed in the presence and absence of petrol using the passive headspace absorption method. In unburnt samples, a number of interfering products were identified and some of the hydrocarbons liberated were those commonly found in petrol. When comparing the results of the burnt with the unburnt samples, it was found that only a small proportion of the volatiles detected in the burnt items were due to pyrolytic products and the rest were attributed to residues originally present in the unburnt items. Samples analysed in the presence of petrol, revealed that the concentration of these interfering products were below the detection limit for the accelerant and thus did not cause misinterpretation of the data.

Structure-activity relationship of Schiff base derivatives of bis (aminophenyl) disulfide and p-vanillin as antimicrobial agents

Sun, 31 Jan 2010 20:00:00 +0000

Investigation of the physicochemical and biological properties of proline-based surfactants in single and mixed surfactant systems

Sun, 06 Nov 2016 20:00:00 +0000

A series of surfactants derived from L-Proline, the free amine esters, the ester hydrochlorides and the quaternary ammonium compounds with varying chain lengths (C8–C14) were synthesised. The physicochemical and biological properties were determined in both single and sodium dodecyl sulphate (SDS) mixed systems with a view of enhancing the properties of the individual surfactants as potential ingredients in detergent formulations. The mode of action of the proline surfactants were investigated by their ability to form mixed micelles with the phospholipid 1,2-dimyristoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphatidylcholine (DMPC). The presence of a quaternary ammonium moiety and an increase in alkyl chain length were found to enhance the antibacterial activity of the proline QUAT derivatives. The SDS-C14 QUAT mixed system displayed good antibacterial activity with optimum activity at mole fractions αQUAT: 0.4 and 0.6. The antibacterial activity of the mixed system was found to be governed by the monomers rather than the micelles. The SDS-C14 QUAT mixed system also showed moderate irritancy which makes them potential candidates as detergents.

Synthesis, crystal structure and applications of palladium thiosalicylate complexes

Sun, 30 Apr 2017 20:00:00 +0000

Three palladium thiosalicylate complexes [Pd(tb)(bipy)]·3H2O (1), [Pd2(tb)2(bipy)2]·(dtdb)2 (2) and [Pd2(tb)2(phen)2]·dtdb·H2O (3) (bipy = bipyridine; phen = phenanthroline) were prepared from the reaction of PdCl2(CH3CN)2 with dithiosalicylic acid (dtdb) which underwent cleavage to form thiobenzoate anion (tb) in DMF/MeOH. Square planar geometries of the complexes with a N2SO coordination type were proposed on the basis of single crystal X-ray structural study. The presence of trapped and uncoordinated dtdb was observed in complexes 2 and 3. Complexes 1–3 were evaluated as catalysts for Heck coupling reactions of methyl acrylate with iodobenzene, and showed moderate activities at a very low catalyst loading. Complex 1 was found to inhibit the growth of bacteria and scavenge free radicals efficiently.

Forensic analysis of black, blue, red, and green ballpoint pen inks

Thu, 31 Dec 2015 20:00:00 +0000

Ballpoint pen inks (24 black, 18 blue, 21 red and 15 green) purchased in Mauritius were analyzed by 5 different methods, namely thin layer chromatography (TLC), Fourier transform infrared (FTIR), visible spectroscopy (VIS), filtered light examination (FLE) and Raman spectroscopy (Raman). The results of the different colored ballpoint pen inks obtained by the above techniques were compared in terms of their discriminating power (D.P.). The results showed that the non-destructive technique FLE was found to be the one with the highest D.P. (0.94–0.99) for the black, red and green ballpoint pen inks whereas for the blue ballpoint pen inks, highest D.P. was achieved using TLC. Higher D.P. were obtained for red, green, black and blue ballpoint inks by FLE and TLC compared to the other methods such as VIS, FTIR and Raman, showing the lower effectiveness of the latter for ink analysis. Improvement in discrimination could be obtained by combining different methods of analysis. Hence, by applying FLE, TLC and FTIR spectroscopy, all the 24 black ballpoint pen inks were successfully discriminated, whilst for the blue ballpoint pen inks, the combination of two methods (FLE and TLC) resulted in a discriminating power of 0.99. Only one pair of pens from the same brand/manufacturer Cello could not be discriminated. On the other hand, the study has also shown that by combining FLE with TLC, all the 21 red and 15 green ballpoint pen inks were successfully discriminated, except for two pairs of red pens and one pair of green pens.

1, 3-Dipolar cycloaddition of 1H-pyrazinium-3-olate and N1-and C-methyl substituted pyrazinium-3-olates with methyl acrylate: a density functional theory study

Thu, 27 Oct 2011 20:00:00 +0000

A DFT study of the 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition of methyl acrylate to 1H-pyrazinium-3-olate and N1- and C-methyl substituted pyrazinium-3-olates, in the gas phase and in THF, has been carried out at the B3LYP/6-31G(d) level. Two stereoisomeric pathways, endo and exo, and two regioisomeric channels, 2-oxo-3,8-diazabicyclo[3.2.1]octane-6-ester and 7-ester products, have been considered. Thermodynamic and kinetic parameters calculated at room temperature have been analyzed. The regioselectivity has been interpreted using reactivity indices. It is generally found that the exo pathway is preferred and the formation of the 6-esters is dominant. The theoretical data obtained for the cycloaddition reaction of 1,5-dimethylpyrazinium-3-olate with methyl acrylate are consistent with the literature where the 6-exo regioisomer is formed as the major cycloadduct.

Crystal structures, antibacterial, antioxidant and nucleic acid interactions of mononuclear, and tetranuclear palladium (II) complexes containing Schiff base ligands

Thu, 15 Sep 2016 20:00:00 +0000

Two new palladium complexes, [Pd(dpbs)Cl] (1) and [Pd4(dbbs)4] (2) (where (dpbs)2 = o,o′-(N,N′-dipicolinyldene)diazadiphenyl disulfide and (dbbs)2 = N,N′-(1,1′-dithio-bis(phenylene))-bis(salicylideneimine)), have been synthesized and characterized by analytical and spectral (electronic, IR, 1H, 13C spectroscopy) techniques. The structures of 1 and 2 have been solved by single-crystal X-ray diffraction experiments, which indicate distorted square planar coordination geometries around palladium(II) by O, N, and S donors. The metal chelates have been screened for their antibacterial and antioxidant activities, and compared with their respective ligands. The binding properties of the complexes have been studied by electronic absorption, emission spectroscopy, and viscosity measurements. The competitive fluorescence study with ethidium bromide and the effect of iodide concentration on ﬂuorescence of the complex-DNA system have been investigated. All these experimental results suggest that palladium complexes strongly bind to DNA, presumably via groove binding. The thermodynamic parameters, enthalpy change (ΔH°), and entropy change (ΔS°) were calculated by the Van’t Hoff equation, suggesting hydrogen bonds play a predominant role in the binding of complexes to DNA.

Effect of Chain Length on the Micellization, Antibacterial, DPPC Interaction and Antioxidant Activities of L-3, 4-Dihydroxyphenylalanine (L-DOPA) Esters

Thu, 13 Aug 2015 20:00:00 +0000

L-DOPA (L-3,4-dihydroxyphenylalanine) has been widely used as a drug in the clinical treatment of Parkinson’s disease. In this report, the systematic study of the effect of chain length on the critical micelle concentration (CMC), antibacterial and antioxidant activity of esters derived from the aromatic amino acid L-3,4-dihydroxyphenylalanine as surfactants are accounted for the first time. The antibacterial activity displayed a cut-off effect at C12 with respect to both gram positive and gram negative bacteria (except for Pseudomonas aeruginosa where the cut-off was displayed at C10). Correlation of the CMC with the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) shows that the DOPA esters exist in micellar form at the MIC. An increase in chain length of the DOPA esters induces greater binding with phospholipid vesicles 1,2-dipalmitoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine. The C12 ester possessed highest radical scavenging ability among the esters tested against both 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl and 2,2′-azino-bis(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulphonic acid) showing that antioxidant activity of the DOPA esters is also affected by chain length. This study showed that DOPA esters are promising candidates as antibacterial agents as well as good antioxidants.

Novel Copper (II) Thiodibenzoic Acid Coordination Polymers by in situ Extrusion of Sulfur from 2, 2′-Dithiodibenzoic Acid and the Unique Oxidation of Disulfide to Sulfate

Thu, 05 Mar 2015 20:00:00 +0000

Slow diffusion reaction of 2,2′-dithiodibenzoic acid (dtdb) with CuCl2 in the presence of N-donor ligands results in the formation of different coordination polymers where both S–S and C–S scission and oxidation of S is observed. X-ray diffraction analysis of [Cu(tdb)(phen)(H2O)]2·2H2O.2DMF] (1), [Cu(tdb)(py)2(H2O)]2 (3), and [Cu(tdb)(bipy)(H2O)]2·0.5H2O (4) (tdb = thiodibenzoic acid, phen = phenanthroline, py = pyridine, bipy = 2,2′-bipyridine) show that the metal ions are coordinated to the carboxylate oxygen atoms of the in situ generated tdb ligand in a monodenate fashion. In [Cu(phen)(SO4)2(H2O)2]n (2) and [Cu(bipy)(SO4)2(H2O)2]n (5), the sulfur is oxidized to sulfate ions prior to coordination with the metal. Complex 1 has a dimeric structure with π–π interactions between the phen ligands, whereas 3 and 4 form 1D polymeric chains.

Synthesis and anti-HIV activity of novel macrocyclic benzamides with a disulphide bridge

Mon, 30 Apr 2001 20:00:00 +0000

Phytochemical screening and antioxidant properties of Phyllanthus emblica from Mauritius

Wed, 14 Feb 2018 20:00:00 +0000

The phytochemical screening showed the presence of phenols, flavonoids, non-flavonoid, tannins, alkaloids, saponins, and phytosterols in the different extracts (diethyl ether, ethyl acetate, butanol, and aqueous extracts) of dried fruits of Phyllanthus emblica (Amla). Low-molecular-weight aliphatic acids, phenolic acids, methyl/ethyl gallate, phytosterols, and tannins were identified in the fruits using UPLC-MS/MS. The scavenging activity of Amla was assessed using 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) and 2,2′-azinobis-3-ethylbenzothiazoline)-6-sulfonic acid (ABTS) assays. The ethyl acetate extract showed the highest total phenolic and flavonoid contents, which was also found to have the highest antioxidant potential with SC50, 1.33 ± 0.77 and 4.13 ± 0.99 μg/mL for the DPPH and ABTS assays, respectively. The high phenolic, flavonoid, and the antioxidant activity of the extracts indicated that the local Amla could be exploited as an antioxidant supplement.

Antibacterial, Antioxidant and Binding Studies of Some Novel Diaryl Sulphide Derivatives

Sun, 05 Aug 2012 20:00:00 +0000

A series of novel acyclic and cyclic diaryl sulphides was synthesized from 2,2′-dithiobenzoic acid. The various diaryl sulphides were characterized by use of spectral (IR, 1H and 13C NMR, ESI/MS) and elemental analyses. The antimicrobial activities of the compounds were evaluated in terms of their minimum inhibition concentration (MIC) against a panel of clinical isolates bacteria and were found to possess only moderate antimicrobial activities. N,N′-Bis(2-hydroxyphenyl)-2,2′-thiodibenzamide (13), exhibiting a hydroxy group at the phenyl ring, was the most active antimicrobial agent within the series, with MIC values of 0.05 mg mL–1 and 10 mg mL–1 against Staphylococcus aureus and Bacillus cereus, respectively. The antioxidant efficiency of the diaryl sulphides was determined by 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) scavenging activity with 13 being the most active compound. The interaction of 2,2′-thiodibenzanilide, N,N′-bis(2-methylphenyl)-2,2′-thiodibenzamide, and N,N′-bis(2-hydroxyphenyl)-2,2′-thiobenzamide with guanine, glutamic acid, and urea were studied quantitatively with binding constants ranging from 1 × 103 M−1 to 2.7 × 104 M−1.

Regio-and stereoselectivity of the 1, 3-dipolar cycloaddition of pyridinium-3-olates and pyrazinium-3-olates with methyl methacrylate: a density functional theory exploration

Tue, 13 Nov 2012 20:00:00 +0000

Theoretical computations were performed on the 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition reactions of pyridinium-3-olates and pyrazinium-3- olates with methyl methacrylate employing density functional theory at the B3LYP/6-31G(d) level in the gas phase and in THF. The two possible regioisomeric pathways, forming 6-esters and 7-esters, along with the two stereoisomeric channels, endo and exo, have been considered. Thermodynamic and kinetic parameters calculated at room temperature have been analyzed while the regioselectivity has been interpreted using reactivity indices. The presence of the methyl group on the dipolarophile compared to methyl acrylate, increases the activation energy but decreases the reaction enthalpy in THF. The rate constants of these reactions have been determined using conventional transition state theory. The thermodynamic and kinetic preferences for the reactions of these pyridinium-3-olates and pyrazinium- 3-olates with methyl methacrylate, in the gas phase and THF, decrease in the order 6-exo > 7-exo > 6-endo > 7-endo. On comparing the reactions of pyridinium-3-olates and pyrazinium-3-olates with methyl acrylate, a different order is observed although the 6-exo cycloadduct remains the major product.

In vitro anti-glycation and anti-oxidant properties of synthesized schiff bases

Mon, 30 Apr 2012 20:00:00 +0000

A series of mono, bis and mixed Schiff bases (1-7) were synthesised and evaluated for potential anti-glycation and anti-oxidant activities using the bovine serum albumin - glucose assay and 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) free radical assay respectively. All compounds showed significant (p < 0.05) antiglycating activities with IC50 values (4.02 x10-24 ± 0.1 – 2.88 x 10-1 ± 1.35 mM) which were lower than the standard positive control aminoguanidine (IC50 : 1.51 x 10-3 ± 2.11 mM). Moreover, compounds 1-7 were found to possess significant (p < 0.05) DPPH radical scavenging properties with SC50 values (1.31 x 10-19 ± 0.05 to 2.25 x 10-1 ± 1.24 mM) lower than the standard ascorbic acid (SC50 : 5.50 x 10-3 ± 2.11 mM). Compound 6 was found to be the most potent anti-glycating molecule (IC50 value: 4.02 x10-24 ± 0.1 mM) while compound 5 was the most potent anti-oxidant molecule (SC50: 1.31 x 10-19 ± 0.05 mM); both being significantly lower (p < 0.05) than the respective positive controls used. The present data showed that the number of phenolic OH together with structural changes influence both the anti-glycation and anti-oxidant observed herein. This study provides for the first time a series of potential template molecules for possible pharmaceutical applications that warrant further investigation as potential anti-glycation and anti-oxidant agents which could be of importance in metabolic diseases including diabetes mellitus.

Quantification of alcohol in beverages by density and infrared spectroscopy methods

Sat, 30 Apr 2005 20:00:00 +0000

The amount of ethanol in beverages has been quantified by density and infrared spectroscopy methods. The density method allows only the amount of ethanol to be quantified, while the infrared spectroscopy method allows the quantification of ethanol and, if any, the presence of contaminants such as methanol. The amount of ethanol quantified agrees to bottle declaration particularly for the infrared spectroscopy method. The infrared spectroscopy method coupled with a mathematical treatment (PCA and PLS-2) thus distinguishes itself as a fast and reliable technique for determining the amount of ethanol in beverages.

Use of Di-tert-butyl-dicarbonate Both as a Protecting and Activating Group in the Synthesis of Dipeptides

Fri, 30 Nov 2007 20:00:00 +0000

Amide formation from amino acids was achieved in an easy and convenient one-pot procedure using di-tert-butyl dicarbonate both as a protecting and an activating agent. A number of dipeptides have been synthesized in good yields.

Synthesis, catalytic and antibacterial activity of ruthenium complexes of 2, 2â ²-dithiobis [N-(2-hydroxy-naphth-3-yl) benzamides]

Wed, 31 Dec 2003 20:00:00 +0000

Reaction of 2, 2â ²-dithiobis [N-(2-hydroxy-naphth-3-yl) benzamides](1) with RuCl3. 3H2O, followed by addition of secondary ligands (L= triphenylphosphine (PPh3), 1, 10-phenanthroline (Phen), pyridine (Py), 2, 4-diaminotoluene (Diam)), yielded five binuclear metal complexes (1a-e). All the compounds were characterised through elemental analyses, magnetic measurements and spectroscopy. Coordination was found to be through the carbonyl oxygen of amide and hydroxyl oxygen of naphthol in an octahedral environment. 1a-e were found to be effective catalysts for the oxidation of benzyl alcohol and cyclohexanol to benzaldehyde and cyclohexanone in the presence of cooxidant NMO. All the synthesized complexes showed antibacterial properties.

Synthesis and characterization of benzamide metal complexes

Sat, 30 Sep 2000 20:00:00 +0000

A few metal complexes of 2, 2â ²-dithiobisbenzamide (DTBA) were synthesized and characterised by analytical and spectroscopic techniques. The IR data suggest coordination through nitrogen rather than oxygen of the amide group. All these complexes were found to be more effective catalysts in the oxidation of benzyl alcohol to benzaldehyde compared to free ligands.

Microwave-assisted synthesis of triazole derivatives conjugated with piperidine as new anti-enzymatic agents

Sat, 28 Dec 2019 20:00:00 +0000

The current study was aimed for the study of piperidine-based triazole compounds for their biological potential against various enzymes. A novel library of compounds, 9a-r, having piperidine, 1,2,4-triazole, and propanamides was synthesized through consecutive steps including the formation of sulfonamide, hydrazide, 1,2,4-triazole, and thio-ether. Initially, 4-methoxybenzenesulfonyl chloride (1) and ethyl isonipecotate (2) were utilized to develop ethyl 1-(4-methoxyphenylsulfonyl)-4-piperidinecarboxylate (3). The product 3 was converted into respective hydrazide (4) which was further cyclized into 1,2,4-triazole (5) nucleus. A series of propanamides, 8a-r, were synthesized from different amines, 6a-r. These electrophiles, 8a-r, were reacted with compound 5 under conventional and microwave-assisted protocols to acquire the library of hybrids, 9a-r. The structural confirmations were availed by 1H-NMR, 13C-NMR, and IR techniques. The whole series was evaluated for biological potential against acetylcholinesterase (AChE) and α-glucosidase enzymes. The biological evaluation ranges low to high in potential for different compounds based on the structural variations of synthesized compounds. Almost all the compounds remained active against both the enzymes except a few ones. The bovine serum albumin (BSA) binding study demonstrated the flow of drug in the body, and the docking study explained the interactions responsible for active behavior of synthesized compounds.

Effect of chain length on the interactions of sodium N-alkyl prolinates with bovine serum albumin: a spectroscopic investigation and molecular docking simulations

Mon, 08 Jan 2018 20:00:00 +0000

The interaction of anionic surfactants with serum albumin has emerged as an important area of research and is considered as a model for gaining fundamental insight into surfactant-protein binding, which is useful in both chemical and biological applications. This study involves the interactions of three synthesized proline-based anionic surfactants of varying chain lengths (C8, C10, and C12) with bovine serum albumin (BSA) using different techniques, including fluorescence, 1H NMR, and FT-IR spectroscopy. The study indicated that the binding of the proline surfactants with BSA followed a static quenching process, with an increase in binding ability upon increasing chain length. FT-IR studies revealed a change in the secondary structure of BSA upon binding with the proline surfactant, while 1H NMR investigations indicated the proximity of the long alkyl chain of the surfactant with tryptophan residues of BSA. Molecular docking studies performed on the three proline surfactants with BSA revealed that the surfactants were able to bind in the vicinity of both tryptophan residues (Trp-213 and Trp-134) with an increase in the free energy of binding while increasing the chain length from C8 to C12. Therefore, this study provided a whole view about the interaction of BSA with anionic proline derived surfactants, which can be used as potential ingredients in pharmaceutical products.

Compounds with 1, 3, 4-oxadiazole and azinane appendages to evaluate enzymes inhibition applications supported by docking and BSA binding

Sun, 31 Dec 2017 20:00:00 +0000

The current research was designed for selective green synthesis of N- (substituted)-2-(5-(1-(4-nitrophenylsulfonyl)piperidin-4-yl)-1,3,4-oxadiazol-2-ylthio) acetamide hybrids and their pharmacological applications to overcome the enzymatic diseases. Environment friendly sodium hydride as an activator was employed to catalyze the reaction for the synthesis of target compounds. Structural characterization was performed using spectroscopic techniques (1 H-NMR, 13C-NMR, IR, and EI-MS). All of the synthesized compounds were screened for acetylcholinesterase (AChE) and urease inhibition potential. Three compounds, 6a, 6k, and 6p, were found to be the best inhibitors of AChE enzyme and the whole array of compounds showed urease inhibition potential even better than the reference. Eserine was the reference standard for AChE inhibition and thiourea for urease inhibition. The computational and BSA binding studies were performed to explore the binding modes and interaction between synthesized compounds and respective enzymes. Molecular docking studies explained the presence of some hydrophobic interactions and have good correlation with calculated free energy of binding (DG binding). The finding of these new unique compounds having high potential to inhibit the activity of urease enzyme as compared to standard showing the prospective to replace the existing drugs and surprisingly effective addition of highly active drug discovery in the field of pharmacology against described enzyme.

Formation and structural characterization of metal complexes derived from thiosalicylic acid

Tue, 03 Oct 2017 20:00:00 +0000

The formation and structural aspects of some metal complexes of thiosalicylic acid (TSA) were studied. The μ-bridging tetra-coordinated Ru complex, [Ru(C6H4(CO2)(μ-S)(H2O)]2 (1) was formed by hydrothermal reaction of TSA with RuCl3. The complexes [M(dtdb)(phen)(H2O)]n (2–4) (M = ZnII, CoII, NiII, dtdb = 2,2′-dithiodibenzoate anion, phen = 1,10-phenanthroline) were obtained by the slow diffusion technique and the in situ S–S bond formation was confirmed by elemental, spectral and X-ray analysis. Reaction of TSA with CuCl2 and 2,2′-bipyridine (bipy) under the slow diffusion technique yielded the dimer [Cu(tdb)(bipy)] (5) (tdb = thiodibenzoic acid), where the in situ generation of 2,2′-thiodibenzoic acid was observed.

Slow diffusion in situ ruthenium/ligand reaction: Crystal structures, fluorescence and biological properties

Mon, 30 Nov 2015 20:00:00 +0000

Promoted by RuCl3.3H2O coordination in the mixed solvent DMF/H2O, diverse in situ S-S bond reactions such as S-S bond scission and S-oxidation occurred in the disulfide ligand of 2,2’-dithiodibenzoic acid acid (dtdb) to yield the new sulfinato-benzoate ligand (sb). The X-ray analysis of complexes of [Ru(phen)2(sb)] (1) and [Ru(bipy)2(sb).H2O] (2) revealed that in both complexes, the ruthenium ion was found to be in an octahedral geometry, coordinating to the sulfur atom, rather than the oxygen of sulfinate. The complexes were found to be active against the bacterial strains tested with MIC ranging from 14.3-261 µM. In addition, the metal complexes present strong DNA binding affinities constants in the major or minor grooves at the order of magnitude 103 –105 M −1. The antioxidant activities of the ligand and its metal complexes were investigated through scavenging effects for DPPH in vitro, indicating that the compounds show stronger antioxidant activities than some standard antioxidants, such as ascorbic and vitamin C.

Chemistry: The Key to Our Sustainable Future

Tue, 31 Dec 2013 20:00:00 +0000

The second International Conference on Pure and Applied Chemistry (ICPAC 2012) was held from 2 to 6 July 2012 at Hilton Mauritius Resort and Spa, Wolmar, Flic en Flac, in Mauritius. The theme of the conference was “Chemistry: The Key for our Future”. ICPAC 2012 was attended by 150 participants from 25 countries. The conference featured 80 oral and 80 poster presentations. The keynote address was given by Prof. Robert Huber, the 1988 Chemistry Nobel Prize winner. The participants of ICPAC 2012 were invited to submit full papers. This book is a collection of the papers selected during a subsequent peer review. The book consists of 25 chapters covering a wide range of topics from fundamental to applied chemistry.

Synthesis and coordination modes of metals with diaryl sulfides and its derivatives. Mini review

Wed, 04 Dec 2013 20:00:00 +0000

Metal–organic coordination compounds containing sulfur functionality have attracted much attention because of their intriguing architectures and applications. In this review, the synthesis of different coordination modes, structural features and applications of complexes derived from diaryl sulfide have been discussed in the absence or presence of other donor groups.

BSA Binding, molecular docking and in vitro biological screening of some new 1, 2, 4-triazole heterocycles bearing azinane nucleus

Tue, 31 Dec 2019 20:00:00 +0000

A series of new compounds (5a-q), derived from 5-(1-(4-nitrophenylsulfonyl) piperidin-4-yl)-4-phenyl-4H1,2,4-triazole-3-thiol (3) were proficiently synthesized to evaluate their biological activities. 1-(4-Nitrophenylsulfonyl) piperidine-4-carbohydrazide (2) was refluxed with phenylisothiocyanate to yield an adduct which was cyclized to compound 3 by reflux reaction with 10 % potassium hydroxide. The targeted compounds 5a-q, were synthesized by stirring alkyl/aralkyl halides (4a-q) and compound 3 in a polar aprotic solvent. 1H-NMR, 13C-NMR, EI-MS and IR spectral techniques were employed to confirm the structures of all the synthesized compounds. The compounds were biologically evaluated for BSA binding studies followed by anti-bacterial, anti-inflammatory and acetylcholinesterase (AChE) activities. The active sites responsible for the best AChE inhibition were identified through molecular docking studies. Compound 5e bearing 4-chlorobenzyl moiety found most active antibacterial and anti-inflammatory agent among the synthesized compounds. The whole library of synthesized compounds except compounds 5d and 5f was found highly active for AChE inhibition and recommended for in vivo studies so that their therapeutic applications may come in utilization.

Antiplasmodial Diterpenoids from Psiadia arguta

Tue, 02 Apr 2019 20:00:00 +0000

An ethyl acetate extract of Psiadia arguta leaves showed in vitro antiplasmodial activity against Plasmodium falciparum with IC50 values of 12.3 ± 2.4 μg/mL (3D7 strain) and 13.5 ± 3.4 μg/mL (W2 strain). Phytochemical investigation led to the isolation and characterization of 16 compounds including four new diterpenoids: labdan-8α-ol-15-yl-(formate) (1), labdan-8α-ol-15-yl-(2-methylbutanoate) (2), labdan-8α-ol-15-yl-(3-methylpentanoate) (3), and labdan-8α-ol-15-yl-(labdanolate) (4). The latter compounds were characterized by spectroscopic methods (1D and 2D NMR, HRMS, and IR). The in vitro antiplasmodial activities of all compounds were evaluated. The known compounds labdan-13(E)-en-8α-ol-15-yl acetate (5), labdan-8α-ol-15-yl acetate (6), 13-epi-sclareol (7), labdan-13(E)-ene-8α,15-diol (8), and (8R,13S)-labdane-8α,15-diol (9) exhibited antiplasmodial effects, with IC50 values of 29.1, 33.2, 35.0, 36.6, and 22.2 μM, respectively.

Synthesis, spectroscopic, biological and DFT studies of new t-butyl substituted salicylaldimines having disulfide moiety

Fri, 04 Jan 2019 20:00:00 +0000

In this study, two new t-butyl substituted salicyladimines, N,N′-bis(5-t-butylsalicylidene) diphenyl disulphide-2,2′-diamine and N,N′-bis(3-t-butylsalicylidene) diphenyl disulphide-2,2′-diamine were synthesized and characterized by spectroscopy and X-ray diffractometry. The effect of the t-butyl group on the keto-enol tautomerism in solution and solid state was investigated. According to X-ray and spectroscopic data (UV–Vis), both salicyladimines were found to be mainly in the enol-tautomeric form. Density functional theory (DFT) method was used to complement this research work. The theoretical results are in good agreement with those obtained experimentally. The anti-oxidant and anti-bacterial activities of the substituted salicyladimines were compared to the parent Schiff base, N,N′-bis(salicylidene) diphenyl disulphide-2,2′-diamine. The t-butyl derivatives show enhanced activity which can be related to the enol form of the Schiff bases and possibly due to the increase in dipole and quadrupole moments in addition to increase in hydrophobicity and decrease solubility in water.

Emerging Trends in Chemical Sciences

Sat, 21 Jul 2018 20:00:00 +0000

Synthesis of Diketopiperazines Containing Prolinyl Unit—Cyclo (L-prolinyl-L-leucine), Cyclo (L-prolinyl-L-isoleucine) and Cyclo (L-tryptophyl-L-proline).

Mon, 13 Sep 2004 20:00:00 +0000

Diketopiperazines cyclo(L-prolinyl-L-isoleucine) 4a, cyclo(L-prolinyl-L-leucine) 4b and cyclo(L-tryptophyl-L-proline) 6 were prepared from their respective suitably protected amino acid derivatives by standard peptide chemistry. Cyclo(L-(4-hydroxyprolinyl)-L-phenylalanine) 3, 4a and cycle(L-prolinyl-L-tyrosine) 5 were tested for their antibacterial activity.

Detergent properties of coconut oil derived N-acyl prolinate surfactant and the in silico studies on its effectiveness against SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19)

Tue, 15 Sep 2020 20:00:00 +0000

In this work, we report the application of coconut oil derived Nacyl prolinate surfactant as a potential ingredient in laundry detergent formulation using biological, physicochemical and molecular docking approach. The properties of the sodium cocyl prolinate surfactant 2 were compared with those of sodium cocoate surfactant 1, a sodium salt of fatty acids from coconut oil, as well as the conventional surfactant sodium dodecyl sulphate (SDS) which is commonly used in the detergent industry. Sodium cocyl prolinate surfactant 2 showed a lower foaming ability compared to SDS and was found to exert a better detergency at a much lower temperature (258C) compared to surfactant 1 and SDS. The coconut oil based surfactants 1 and 2 displayed a better antibacterial activity against gram positive strains compared to SDS. In view of studying the effectiveness of the surfactants against the severe acute respiratory syndrome corona virus 2, SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) which might remain on the surface of contaminated clothes, molecular docking of surfactants 1 and 2 with the spike protein of SARS-CoV-2 was carried out. Surfactant 2 showed an optimum interaction with the amino acid residues of the spike protein which is responsible for the binding of the virus with the host receptors. Molecular docking with savinase, an enzyme used in laundry formulation showed that sodium cocyl prolinate surfactant 2 and SDS displayed comparable interactions with the enzyme. Overall, this study has shown that sodium cocyl prolinate surfactant 2 can be a potential candidate in laundry detergent formulation for machine washing due to its relatively low foaming ability and good detergency properties at a much lower temperature (258C), making it more energy-efficient. Surfactant 2 was also found to be a promising antimicrobial agent in laundry detergent due to its moderate antibacterial activity and its interaction with the spike protein of SARS-CoV-2, which can help to reduce the spread of any epidemic or pandemic diseases.

A 1H NMR-based metabolomic approach to study the production of antimalarial compounds from Psiadia arguta leaves (pers.) voigt

Fri, 31 Jul 2020 20:00:00 +0000

Psiadia arguta (Asteraceae) is endemic to the island of Mauritius in the Indian Ocean. The species is traditionally used to treat various ailments, such as its use as an expectorant or for the treatment of bronchitis and asthma. Preliminary biological screenings have displayed the antimalarial (Plasmodium falciparum) and anticancer (HeLa human cell line) potential of P. arguta leaves. The phytochemical investigation of this plant has led to the isolation and characterization of sixteen compounds including five antiplasmodial molecules. The accumulation of the antiplasmodial compounds during the growth of the plant was studied by a 1H NMR-based metabolomic approach. In order to identify factors influencing the production of bioactive compounds, young plants of P. arguta were multiplied using in vitro culture techniques, and micro-propagated plants at different stages of development were acclimatized and followed …

Antioxidant, antidiabetic and anticancer activities of L-Phenylalanine and L-Tyrosine ester surfactants: in vitro and in silico studies of their interactions with …

Sat, 30 Nov 2019 20:00:00 +0000

Background: Aromatic amino acid-based surfactants have been found to have interesting biological properties such as antibacterial and hemolytic activities. Recently, we have reported the antibacterial activity of a range of ester hydrochloride surfactants derived from L-Phenylalanine and LTyrosine. This study aims at assessing the antioxidant, α-glycosidase inhibitory and cytotoxic activities of a series of L-Phenylalanine and L-Tyrosine ester hydrochlorides. Molecular docking and BSA binding studies were also carried out in order to investigate their potential therapeutic targets. Methods: L-Phenylalanine and L-Tyrosine surfactants were tested as potential lipophilic antioxidants using the DPPH and ABTS assays. These surfactants were also tested for their α-glycosidase inhibitory activity using 4-nitrophenyl α -D-glucopyranoside (pNPG) as substrate. Their cytotoxicity effects were screened using HeLa and KB cell lines. Glide version 5.7 as implemented in Schrödinger suite 2013-1, was used for performing docking studies of L-Phenylalanine and L-Tyrosine dodecyl esters. The interaction of the ester hydrochlorides of L-Phenylalanine and L-Tyrosine with bovine serum albumin (BSA) was investigated using fluorometric titration. Results: The presence of the phenolic moiety in L-Tyrosine-based surfactants was found to enhance the antioxidant and α-glucosidase inhibitory activities compared to the L-Phenylalanine derivatives. The α- glucosidase and anticancer activities of the phenylalanine surfactants were found to increase with chain length up to C12 above which the activities exhibited a downward trend. In the case of the tyrosine series, an increase in chain length from C8 to C14 was found to decrease the α-glucosidase inhibitory activity and increase the anticancer activity of the surfactants. Binding studies with bovine serum albumin showed that the tyrosine surfactants displayed greater affinity for the serum albumin, owing to the presence of the phenolic group which altered the orientation of the surfactant molecule within the hydrophobic core of BSA. Conclusion: L-Tyrosine esters having a phenolic moiety were found to possess enhanced biological activity in terms of both the antioxidant and antidiabetic activities as well as also bind more strongly to Bovine serum albumin. Molecular docking studies of the phenylalanine and tyrosine surfactants of similar chain length with target proteins showed direct correlation with their anticancer and antidiabetic activity. Therefore, the findings show that these aromatic based surfactants derived from L-Tyrosine can act as promising antioxidant, antidiabetic and anticancer agents, and they can also be efficiently transported and eliminated in the body, making them useful candidates for drug designs.

Effect of Blade Root Dimensions on Physical and Mechanical Characteristics of a Small Wind Turbine Blade

Fri, 23 Sep 2022 20:00:00 +0000

Small wind turbines have the potential to act as a complementary clean energy source to solar PV, especially during nighttime. However, the generally less attractive payback of small scale wind turbines has restrained its widespread application, and one way to improve their cost effectiveness is by improving the efficiency, for which blade design is a crucial factor. The blade design is a complex but interesting process and still demands continuous research at various stages. This research paper presents the effect of flat rectangular root dimensions on blade mass, stresses, strain and deformation for a fixed pitch, horizontal axis small wind turbine blade of 2.5 m length. For the three considered variables root length, width and thickness, four levels of dimensions are selected for each which yields 64 blade models. A total of 16 blade models with different root dimensions are finalized through the Taguchi method and investigated using finite element analysis. The effects of these variables on five characteristics, namely: blade mass, stresses in the blade main body, stresses in the blade root and connecting portion, deformation and strain are studied. Analysis of variance is carried out for all these independent and dependent variables. The results indicate that the thickness, length and width are the most, intermediate and least influencing variables respectively, and cause significant changes in these five characteristics of the blade.

Field Investigations, Simulation and Numerical Analysis of the Suitability of Aluminium Opening Design in the Residential Sector Inmauritius

Thu, 18 Aug 2022 20:00:00 +0000

The use of aluminium as material of choice in the manufacture of window and door openings in Mauritius has escalated significantly in recent years. This has given rise to a considerable number of small-and medium-sized companies operating in the aluminium fabrication sector. The main aim of this study was to identify and investigate the common problems reported with aluminium openings and to assess the structural resistance, water-tightness and safety of the openings. A survey was carried out among local aluminium importers and fabrication companies to gather information about the different profiles and grades of aluminium commonly used for exterior window and door applications in the residential sector. A questionnaire was designed and circulated to clients of aluminium fenestration products. This helped to identify the most common problems encountered with aluminium openings. Site visits were also conducted which enabled the investigation of some common problems identified such as water ingress and rigidity of moving parts. The structural loading of openings was assessed using finite element analysis using SolidWorks. Models of openings of different sizes and corresponding to typical opening designs used locally were created and a uniform pressure was applied on the frames. This uniform pressure was derived from a wind speed of 280 km/h – the maximum wind speed used for design calculations for buildings in Mauritius. The resulting deflections were analysed and compared to the maximum permissible deflections – which were calculated using the guidelines of North American Fenestration Standard (NAFS-11). Results showed that the maximum deflections for frames sizes exceeding a span of 1.5 m, exceeded the maximum allowable values, and necessitated the use of more rigid profiles. Deflections observed in the triple frame design were also higher than those in the double frame. These observations point out to the need of selecting the right profiles for different sized applications to ensure that openings do not incur significant deflections when subjected to wind loads, which would be encountered during severe cyclonic conditions in the island.

Automated passive measures: the next step in reducing the carbon footprint of our buildings

Tue, 07 Dec 2021 20:00:00 +0000

Passive design is well acclaimed to be a key cornerstone for the design of green buildings, especially when relating to their energy performance and carbon footprint. However, due to the vagaries in the prevailing climate at a project site, passive measures are limited in their ability to ascertain an optimal use of natural resources available at the project site, while also working under certain circumstances against the provision of adequate indoor environmental conditions. The purpose of this project is to showcase the automation of passive measures by an automated daylighting and shading device for vertical glazed surfaces, which has the main objective of increasing daylight in a space while preventing direct sunlight from penetrating the space. During the year and throughout the day the solar azimuth and elevation is constantly changing which makes it of utmost importance for the device to be able to modulate and adapt to the changing solar azimuth and elevation angles. As the position of the sun changes throughout the day and over the course of the whole year; the blinds and shading equipment often have to be adjusted manually by the user at different times of the day. If this is not done, direct sunlight may enter the building and heat the space which results in a higher cooling load. Moreover, direct sunlight can cause glare problems. The proposed mechatronics system orients itself automatically based on the solar azimuth and elevation angles with respect to the particular orientation of the façade it is installed on. It also monitors the ambient light levels in the room and controls the artificial light accordingly. The system can be used in two modes; the overhang and the louver position, hence providing an all-in-one external shading device for glazed surfaces to deal with low, medium and high angle sun, and hence brings the much-needed flexibility to control heat gains through glazing. Research findings show that modulating the heat gains admitted through the glazing can have a significant influence on influencing the indoor thermal conditions, hence lending credit to the proposed system. It is also equipped with a WIFI module and a user interface to allow the user to control the system manually. The implementation and testing of the prototype provided conclusive results for the daylight monitoring, manual control and automatic control.

A Further Milestone to the Use of Natural Fibres in Concrete–Past Findings, Barriers and Novel Research Avenues

Sun, 31 Oct 2021 20:00:00 +0000

Concrete as a building material is much appraised for its good compressive strength; however, its low tensile strength makes it a quasi-brittle material. Experiments have proven that fibres such as steel and some polymeric fibres can reinforce and enhance the mechanical strength of concrete. The relatively high production cost of these fibres coupled with environmental issues for their end of life disposal and decline in mechanical strength beyond a certain fibre fraction have encouraged the use of natural fibres; particularly due to their renewability, low cost and good tensile strength. This paper reviews published literature in the field of natural fibres, their extraction methods as well as their effect on the mechanical properties of concrete. Alkaline fibre treatment to improve strength, wettability and subsequently, fibre-concrete matrix interfacial adhesion has also been discussed. As part of the research, the current authors have found that by just using untreated (raw) fibres as reinforcement in fact leads to a decline between 75 % and 90% in compressive strength tested at 8 days for 2 different fibre lengths and volume fractions, respectively. This decline in strength could be co-related with the phenomenon of fibre agglomeration as seen from microscopic analysis. As such, fibre treatment, to remove different impurities from its surface, constitutes an important step towards the manufacture of natural fibre-reinforced concrete. Furthermore, water adjustment in relation to the total water requirement of the cement, aggregates and water needed to saturate the plant fibres is an important property that requires proper control since water content has a direct impact on the workability of the concrete and can turn into a major constraint. The main challenge of the use of natural fibres in concrete is its degradation with time within the highly alkaline concrete environment. Accelerated ageing experiments for natural fibres in concrete as described in literature have confirmed this deleterious occurrence. Thus, as per findings from the current experimental works and literature, the following recommendations are proposed: natural fibre pre-processing to inhibit agglomeration, adequate water addition to cater for all the constituents of the reinforced concrete and the potential implementation of biomimicry to solve the fibre degradation problem.

A CRITICAL EVALUATION OF A TEACHER PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT MODEL–A CASE STUDY OF A PHYSICS PRE-SERVICE TEACHER

Mon, 31 Dec 2007 20:00:00 +0000

Teaching and learning physics is a challenging endeavour, especially for trainee teachers embark on the Post Graduate Certificate in Education (PGCE) programme at the local pedagogical training institute. Trainee teachers are required to reflect on and review their existing physics content knowledge during the process of acquisition of pedagogical content knowledge. As a result of the firmly held teaching belief and misconceptions about certain physics concepts, the physics content knowledge of the trainees are problematic. This paper makes an attempt, through the case study of a pre-service physics trainee, to evaluate a teacher professional development (TPD) model whilst critically examining the learning and teaching journeys of that trainee. The data constitute illustrative insights on some physics concepts from her continuous assessments and final examination. The TPD model shows potential in improving content and pedagogical content knowledge of the trainee which nevertheless need to be nurtured for effective teaching and learning.

Applying the means-end chain theory and the laddering technique to the study of host attitudes to tourism

Mon, 18 May 2009 20:00:00 +0000

Scholars investigating local residents’ attitudes toward tourism have often used different types of measurement procedures based on positivistic paradigms, while very few researchers have based their studies on purely qualitative approaches. This paper introduces and discusses a qualitative method known as the means-end theory and its associated laddering technique, which can be used to investigate host attitudes to tourism. The laddering technique, based on the means-end approach is recommended to understand values, which influence attitudes, since from a social psychology discourse, values are considered as antecedents of attitudes and opinions. It is argued that through an understanding of the personal values of the respondents, it is possible to have a different perspective on their attitudes and opinions toward tourism. The authors are not claiming that such an approach is superior to other measurement procedures and research paradigms, but argue that the means-end theory and the laddering technique have considerable potential to shed light on issues surrounding this research area. Despite the limitations associated with such methods, it is argued that laddering based on means-end theory deserves further investigation and empirical testing by scholars investigating local residents’ attitudes to development.

Governance and sustainable tourism: What is the role of trust, power and social capital?

Thu, 30 Nov 2017 20:00:00 +0000

This editorial introduction to the special issue posits that governance and sustainable tourism research will benefit from a joint treatise of trust and other key governance concepts such as power and social capital. It introduces the concept of governance in the context of sustainable tourism development. The discussion then delves into the theoretical perspectives on trust, power, and social capital and exemplifies their contributions to tourism governance and sustainable tourism. A typology of social capital potentially useful in sustainable tourism research is developed. The typology emphasizes on the positive aspects of social capital and the challenges the concept presents for governance and sustainability. Good governance and sustainable tourism research arguably has privileged the concept of power to the detriment of trust in social relationships. The collection of papers of this special issue is situated within these debates. An agenda for further research in this area is presented by way of conclusion.

Rural residents’ attitudes to tourism and the moderating effects of social capital

Tue, 14 Oct 2014 20:00:00 +0000

Scholars have rarely considered the role of social capital in shaping residents’ reactions to tourism development. A theoretical model integrating research on residents’ attitudes, community development, and social capital was developed and tested on a sample of 556 Korean rural residents using structural equation modeling. Multi-group analysis was used to test the moderating effects of social capital on each path relationships proposed in the model. Results indicated that perceived environmental impacts of tourism influenced community satisfaction, which in turn predicted support for tourism. Residents’ perceptions of the socioeconomic impacts of tourism influenced their support for rural tourism. Social capital shaped the ways in which residents responded to tourism development. Interestingly, our results suggest that a high level of social capital among community members is not always desirable as it does not foster pro-tourism attitudes. The lesson to be drawn is that only if the negative consequences of social capital are recognized and managed can communities be built in ways that contribute to sustainable rural tourism development.

City image and perceived tourism impact: Evidence from Port Louis, Mauritius

Wed, 27 Apr 2011 20:00:00 +0000

Residents’ attitudes to tourism: A review

Tue, 23 Apr 2019 20:00:00 +0000

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to explore recent trends in the theories and methods applied to studies on residents’ attitudes. Design/methodology/approach To achieve the objective of this research, this paper provides a review of 90 journal articles on residents’ attitudes towards tourism published between 2011 and 2017. The relevant articles were then analysed using content analysis. Findings Key findings revealed that although social exchange theory is still dominant in exploring residents’ attitudes towards tourism, new frameworks are beginning to emerge such as institutional theory and bottom-up spillover theory. Nonetheless, alternative theoretical perspective has only been applied once or twice and requires further engagement. Quantitative methods still dominate the field, with the geographic dispersal of studies spanning 33 countries. Research limitations/implications A potential limitation of this review is that articles published only in four leading tourism journals, namely, ATR, JTR, TM and JOST, were analysed. Originality/value This review contributes to the literature in tourism by assessing the shift in the application of theory and methodological approaches in residents’ attitudes studies from previous systematic reviews. This study adds to the body of knowledge by providing an overview of the existing status of research on residents’ attitudes towards tourism, providing direction for future scholarly inquiry. A further contribution of this review is an indication of not only the data collection methods but also data analysis techniques which have not been done in previous review articles on residents’ attitudes towards tourism. As opposed to other systematic reviews, this paper assessed the geographical setting of studies on residents’ attitudes towards tourism.

Stakeholders’ views of enclave tourism: A grounded theory approach

Sun, 29 Sep 2013 20:00:00 +0000

Using a grounded theory approach, this study investigates stakeholders’ views of enclave tourism in the island of Mauritius. In-depth interviews with tourism stakeholders were conducted and data were analyzed using the principles of grounded theory. Seven subthemes emerged from the analysis and these were categorized into two main themes: enclave tourism as an agent of empowerment/improvement and enclave tourism as a force of sociocultural destruction/denial of freedom. The themes suggest that stakeholders’ views are nuanced and often contradictory. In line with the principles of grounded theory, a conceptual framework explaining stakeholders’ views of enclave tourism is developed. The findings are discussed with existing literature and similarities and contradictions are noted. Unlike what is usually claimed by researchers and scholars, enclave tourism development results in some environmental and socioeconomic benefits, particularly with respect to sustainable hotel operations, empowerment of local community and women, and entrepreneurial opportunities.

Tourism and economic growth: A meta-regression analysis

Tue, 28 May 2019 20:00:00 +0000

Numerous studies have focused on delineating the relationship between tourism and economic growth. In this article, we present the results of a rigorous meta-regression analysis based on 545 estimates drawn from 113 studies that empirically tested the tourism-led growth hypothesis (TLGH). The results suggest the presence of publication bias in the literature on this topic, where the majority of studies report positive and statistically significant estimates. Findings provide support for the TLGH, but they also suggest that the estimates are sensitive to a number of factors that are related to country data, specification, and estimation characteristics, and time span. Such sensitivities suggest that greater emphasis should be placed on reporting estimates of the relationship between tourism and economic growth across a variety of methodological characteristics and specification and estimation choices. The implications of the results for theory development are also discussed.

Political trust and residents’ support for alternative and mass tourism: an improved structural model

Wed, 22 Jun 2016 20:00:00 +0000

Political trust is a key requirement for tourism policies to flourish and sustain. The purpose of the research was to investigate the determinants of political trust and analyze whether the latter influences residents’ support for mass and alternative tourism. To this end, we develop a structural model based on the social exchange theory, institutional theory of political trust, and cultural theory of political trust. The model proposes six determinants of political trust which in turn is considered to influence residents’ support for mass and alternative tourism. Data were collected from residents’ of Mauritius selected using a stratified random sampling approach. We used a survey method based on a structured questionnaire. Using AMOS, the data were subjected to a confirmatory factor analysis to determine the fit of the measurement model. Structural equation modeling was used to test the hypothesized model. Results indicated that such variables as the political and economic performance of government in tourism, interpersonal trust, and tourism benefits significantly predicted political trust. In turn, the latter was found to influence residents’ support for mass tourism only, lending support to Hetherington sacrificed-based concept borrowed from political science. The theoretical contribution of the study relates to the inclusion of the political trust variable to analyze its relationship with residents’ support for two opposing types of tourism development in a single theoretical model. We found that such relationship is contextual, depending on the object of exchange, conceptualized in here as the types of tourism residents are asked to support. Political trust figures more prominently for mass tourism than for alternative tourism given the considerable amount of sacrifices residents have to make to accommodate mass development. Our findings suggest that it is important for government to foster political trust among local people for tourism development to sustain.

Integrating service quality as a second-order factor in a customer satisfaction and loyalty model

Sun, 10 Dec 2017 20:00:00 +0000

Purpose – The study conceptualizes service quality as a second-order factor and analyzes its influence on customer satisfaction, perceived value, image, consumption emotions and customer loyalty by testing a structural equation model. Design/methodology/approach – The model is tested using data collected from 672 guests staying in accommodation establishments located in South Africa. The study follows a hierarchical approach using confirmatory factor analysis to test the second-order factor model and structural equation modeling to test the overall model. Findings – The results indicate that the second-order factor model is acceptable both empirically as well as conceptually and performs better than other competing models of service quality. The findings provide support for all hypotheses and evidence of a structural model with a high explanatory power. Research limitations/implications – The second-order factor model is less useful when fine-grained analyses are needed, such as when a detailed assessment of the level of quality of service offered by a hospitality organization is required. Practical implications – The second-order factor model allows for an analysis of service quality at different levels of abstraction. Accommodation managers interested in customers’ evaluation of service on a cumulative basis can make use of the global measure to determine service quality evaluations. Practitioners can also use the findings to manage the different dimensions of service quality. Originality/value – The study demonstrates that service quality is best represented as a second-order factor, and in doing so, it provides an improved measurement of the construct. More so, by integrating the variable in a nomological network, the research develops a more parsimonious model than the existing ones.

Rethinking the role of power and trust in tourism planning

Thu, 02 Apr 2015 20:00:00 +0000

Power and trust are two fundamental components of a sustainable and democratic tourism planning process. Yet, tourism research integrating these concepts together has remained virtually silent in the literature. This article adopts Foucault’s theoretical perspectives on power to explain power relationships in tourism at the community level. The discussion suggests that Foucault’s conceptualizations of power, that is, “the omnipresence of power” and “power in (tourism) networks,” are vital for an understanding of the politics of tourism. The article further borrows from the political science literature and emphasizes on trust as another important ingredient of sustainable tourism development. More specifically, the arguments are based on the concept of political trust, conceptualized as citizens’ trust in tourism institutions. The article argues that citizens’ trust in tourism institutions is vital for a democratic tourism planning process. The discussion further suggests that citizens’ power in tourism decision-making and their trust in tourism institutions are vital for gaining their political support for development.

Developments in hospitality marketing and management: Social network analysis and research themes

Tue, 19 Feb 2013 20:00:00 +0000

Academic journals, with their rigorous peer-review process, play a central role in the scientification of knowledge. However, researchers and scholars often fail to appreciate and understand the black box of such agents of knowledge production. Using content analysis of articles published in the two most recent volumes of Journal of Hospitality Marketing and Management, this article attempts to shed some lights on the nature of knowledge in hospitality studies. The results indicated that research is highly concentrated in the developed world, while the voices of developing nations are marginalized. This pattern provides some indication of underlying power dimensions in the production of hospitality knowledge. A social network analysis of contributors indicated that hospitality research is largely the product of collaborative efforts among members of the scientific community. Collaboration among researchers from the same country was the most common form of networking. In terms of research areas, the behaviors of travelers and consumers of hospitality and tourism services were well-studied among scholars.

Destination satisfaction and revisit intention of tourists: does the quality of airport services matter?

Thu, 06 Sep 2018 20:00:00 +0000

This study focuses on the link between tourists’ satisfaction with the quality of airport services at a destination and their intention to revisit. The influence of tourists’ overall satisfaction with a destination on their behavioral intentions has been well established both at theoretical and empirical levels; however, the particular role of satisfaction with airport services has been so far largely neglected. Researchers have recognized the vital importance of tourists’ experience with airport services because of the fact that the airport is the first and last encounter that they experience when visiting a country. As such, the focus of the present study pertains to evaluating the satisfaction level of tourists visiting Mauritius and examining its resulting effect on their behavioral intentions. The study uses the survey methodology for data collection and involved the distribution of self-administered questionnaires to a sample of 1,721 tourists at the SSR airport in Mauritius. Exploratory factor analysis is used to extract meaningful dimensions of airport services and a multinomial probit analysis is conducted to test for the impact of satisfaction with airport services on revisit intention while taking into account other control variables. Interestingly, airport services are seen to significantly influence the probability of repeat tourism.

Higher education service quality, student satisfaction and loyalty: Validating the HESQUAL scale and testing an improved structural model

Sun, 01 Sep 2019 20:00:00 +0000

Purpose The purpose of this study is to validate the higher education service quality (HESQUAL) scale using a confirmatory approach and test an improved structural model that predicts student loyalty from image, perceived value, satisfaction and service quality. In addition to validating the HESQUAL scale using a confirmatory approach, two other main limitations in the extant literature are addressed. Design/methodology/approach The model is tested using data collected from 501 students enrolled in different higher education institutions in Mauritius. A two-stage approach to structural equation modeling is used whereby the measurement model is first tested using confirmatory factor analysis and followed by the assessment of the structural model. Findings Importantly, results indicate that student satisfaction is influenced by technical service quality, image and perceived value, but not by functional service quality. Both dimensions of service quality however are significant predictors of image and perceived value. The study uses a comprehensive measure of service quality and demonstrates that it is worthwhile to consider functional service quality as higher-order model and clearly distinguish between functional and technical quality, as both the technical and functional aspects play an important role in shaping students’ perceptions and behaviors. Originality/value First, in the existing literature, service quality has not been considered as a second-order factor model in structural models of student satisfaction and loyalty, thus lacking either precision or parsimony. Second, the transformative quality aspect of higher education has been largely neglected in previous research testing such predictive models. The model delineates service quality into the functional and transformative (technical) aspects and treats functional service quality as a second-order factor comprising nine sub-dimensions.

A systematic review of consumer satisfaction studies in hospitality journals: Conceptual development, research approaches and future prospects

Wed, 05 Sep 2018 20:00:00 +0000

This review paper has the aim of systematically analysing studies published in five hospitality journals over the period 2000 to 2016. The review was organized around four broad themes (conceptual developments, measurement of consumer satisfaction, methods used to research consumer satisfaction, and antecedents and outcomes of consumer satisfaction). The findings show that more than half (110 studies) of studies published across all five journals do not provide a specific definition of consumer satisfaction. Research on this topic is biased toward quantitative methods at the expense of qualitative and mixed methods in all five journals. Researchers have investigated various determinants of customer satisfaction such as equity and fairness perceptions, emotions, corporate social responsibility, and employee satisfaction. The positive consequences of satisfaction on loyalty, behavioural intentions and switching costs are well established. However, several gaps in the current literature are evident and these are highlighted in this review.

Public trust in mega event planning institutions: The role of knowledge, transparency and corruption

Thu, 31 May 2018 20:00:00 +0000

More than just biological sex differences: Examining the structural relationship between gender identity and information search behavior

Thu, 18 Nov 2010 20:00:00 +0000

The influence of gender on travelers’ information search behavior continues to attract the attention of researchers. However, most scholars have studied gender differences from a biological perspective, treating gender as a unitary theoretical concept. This article challenges such an approach and argues for a more differentiated perspective to the study of gender differences in information search behavior. It approaches gender differences from a psychological perspective and proposes that the travelers’ gender identity (masculinity and femininity) is a determinant of their search behavior. The gender schema theory and the selectivity theory inform the model of the study. Five hypotheses are developed and are tested using responses collected from 568 tourists. Results from the structural equation modeling analysis indicate support for all hypotheses, confirming that gender identity is a good determinant of travelers’ search behavior. Travelers displaying high femininity traits were found to engage in more internal as well as external information search. Respondents with high masculinity traits relied less on both internal and external search for information. The theoretical and managerial implications, as well as the limitations of the study are discussed. The study also provides some directions for future research.

Developing a theory of surprise from travelers’ extraordinary food experiences

Sat, 11 Feb 2017 20:00:00 +0000

The purpose of this research is to explore the extraordinary experiences of food tourists and to develop a theory of surprise in relation to a typology of food cultural capital. We draw on phenomenological interviews with 16 food tourists. We found that food tourists experienced surprise in different ways, depending on their food cultural capital. Food tourists who possessed a high level of cultural capital were surprised by the simplicity or complexity of the experience while those possessing a low level of cultural capital were surprised by the genuinity of the experience. Thus, we make an important theoretical contribution here as we learn that the resources food tourists possessed in the form of cultural capital conditioned the ways in which they conceived an extraordinary experience. More so, using the cultural capital perspective, we have also demonstrated the role of social context in contributing to creating an extraordinary experience.

Denying bogus skepticism in climate change and tourism research

Tue, 31 Mar 2015 20:00:00 +0000

This final response to the two climate change denial papers by Shani and Arad further highlights the inaccuracies, misinformation and errors in their commentaries. The obfuscation of scientific research and the consensus on anthropogenic climate change may have significant long-term negative consequences for better understanding the implications of climate change and climate policy for tourism and create confusion and delay in developing and implementing tourism sector responses.

How consumption values affect destination image formation

Thu, 03 Dec 2009 20:00:00 +0000

Understanding students’ commitment to employment in the tourism and hospitality industry

Sat, 31 Jul 2010 20:00:00 +0000

No time for smokescreen skepticism: A rejoinder to Shani and Arad

Tue, 31 Mar 2015 20:00:00 +0000

Shani and Arad (2014) claimed that tourism scholars tend to endorse the most pessimistic assessments regarding climate change, and that anthropogenic climate change was a “fashionable” and “highly controversial scientific topic”. This brief rejoinder provides the balance that is missing from such climate change denial and skepticism studies on climate change and tourism. Recent research provides substantial evidence that reports on anthropogenic climate change are accurate, and that human-induced greenhouse gas emissions, including from the tourism industry, play a significant role in climate change. Some positive net effects may be experienced by some destinations in the short-term, but in the long-term all elements of the tourism system will be impacted. The expansion of tourism emissions at a rate greater than efficiency gains means that it is increasingly urgent that the tourism sector acknowledge, accept and respond to climate change. Debate on tourism-related adaptation and mitigation measures is to be encouraged and welcomed. Climate change denial is not.

Residents’ support for the Olympic games: Single host-city versus multiple host-city bid arrangements

Tue, 05 Dec 2017 20:00:00 +0000

This study explored the efficacy of an extant resident support model developed by Gursoy and Kendall (2006) in a hypothetical Olympic Single Host-City (SHC) and Multiple Host-City (MHC) bid arrangements. Participants were undergraduate students enrolled in two Ontario universities and randomly assigned into one of two hypothetical 2028 Summer Olympic Games bid arrangements: (1) SHC – Toronto, and (2) MHC – Toronto and Montreal. Results revealed the extant model did not perform well in the MHC bid arrangement. Findings suggest the relative importance of perceived benefits (PB) and perceived costs (PC) in garnering support from residents may differ between SHC and MHC bid arrangements. Implications for the design and exploration of MHC resident support models for the Olympic Games are discussed. This is the first study to explore resident support in a MHC bid context. The study sets the scene for research following this new International Olympic Committee (IOC) development and informs future studies on this important topic.

Sociocultural sustainability and the formation of social capital from community-based tourism

Thu, 09 Jul 2020 20:00:00 +0000

Favorable resident perceptions of the development of social capital resulting from hosting community-based tourism is an important issue for the Chinese authorities. This study aimed to develop and test a multidimensional scale to evaluate the perceived social impacts from tourism on social capital from sustainable community-based tourism in China. A questionnaire was distributed to host community residents (430) in Fanhe village, Guangdong Province. Analysis from this survey resulted in the development of a six-factor model incorporating 20 items in the six groups. This allowed the researchers to assess perceived social impacts on social capital: covering collective efficacy, community belonging, traditional social regulations, community cohesion, social networking, and community competence. The study reveals the multidimensional nature of perceived tourism social impacts on social capital in the Chinese tourism community and contributes to a better understanding of how residents view the social capital associated with community-based tourism as part of sustainable development.

Citation practices in tourism research: Toward a gender conscientious engagement

Thu, 31 Oct 2019 20:00:00 +0000

This study explores gender gaps and differences in citation practices of scholars in the top-cited articles in tourism research. The results suggest that male researchers dominate the authorship of those articles and are more likely to engage in self-citation than females. The study also finds a disparity in citation counts between male- and female-authored articles. Controlling for other factors, author gender is an important determinant of citation counts. The study advocates for a more gender conscious citation practices and provides potential gender-based interventions to reduce the citation gap. The research raises awareness about the dangers of the perfunctory use of citations and paves the way for further debates on the politics and embedded inequalities of citations in tourism research.

Indian travellers’ adoption of Airbnb platform

Mon, 07 Sep 2020 20:00:00 +0000

Much of the existing scholarly debate on sharing economy to date has focused on the use of technology in developed countries. However, the recent upsurge of mobile technology adoption in developing countries has provided suitable breeding ground for sharing economy. The lack of native theories in tourism and hospitality sector with scare utilization of unified theory of acceptance and use of technology (UTAUT) provide necessity for this research. This study adapted meta-UTAUT model as theoretical lens and extended the model with hedonic motivation, trust, and self-efficacy. Based on data from 301 potential Indian consumers, the results underscored the central role of attitude that significantly mediated the effects of effort expectancy, social influence, and facilitating conditions on consumer intention to use Airbnb. Meanwhile, performance expectancy emerged as significant direct determinant of intention alongside attitude, trust, and self-efficacy. The proposed model explained as much as 65% variance on Indian consumer’s intention to use Airbnb.

The determinants of hotel financial performance: an intellectual capital perspective

Mon, 20 Jan 2020 20:00:00 +0000

This research analyzes the impact of Intellectual Capital (IC) on the financial performance (FP) of hotels in Mauritius using a sample 43 hotels for the period 2007 to 2017. This study departs from the related literature methodologically as it uses a dynamic panel data framework that takes into account the dynamic nature of the hypothesized link, while simultaneously catering for possible indirect and endogenous effects. The results show that IC enhances corporate FP, with a reported lower effect in the short run as compared to the long run. Asset turnover and size are the other important determinants of FP. Leverage, on the other hand, is observed to impact on FP adversely. Our findings also confirm that FP of the hotels is also a significant determinant of intellectual capital, suggesting the existence of reverse causal effects. Finally, there is also evidence that size positively influences intellectual capital.

Air access liberalization, marketing promotion and tourism development

Mon, 19 Nov 2018 20:00:00 +0000

This paper in the first place attempts to assess the impact of air access liberalization on tourism development for Mauritius and secondly goes on to analyse the dual impact of the interplay between air access liberalization and marketing promotion efforts as well. Using dynamic time series analysis, namely an Autoregressive Distributed Lag (ARDL) framework over the period 1970 to 2015, the results reveal that air access liberalization is an important element for tourism development. The findings also interestingly point to the positive and significant impact of the interplay between air access liberalization and marketing promotion efforts in attracting tourist.

Corrosion risk assessment in a ship unloader

Mon, 14 Nov 2022 20:00:00 +0000

The wheat ship unloader in the harbour of Port Louis, in Mauritius, is facing corrosion problems. The atmospheric corrosion rate in Port Louis was found to fall in the category C4 according to ISO 9223. The main corrosion issue of the ship unloader relates to the high maintenance cost resulting from painting problems. Hence, this study was performed to determine the parts of the ship unloader most prone to corrosion through a corrosion risk assessment. The steps involved in the corrosion risk assessment include undertaking a criticality appraisal and determining the associated risk. Hence, the criteria for the Severity, Occurrence and Criticality of corrosion were defined. The risk rating for all the operating units, equipment and systems was determined. The components and subcomponents of the wheat ship unloader were studied thoroughly to categorise the corroded parts in order of priority. Solutions were proposed to decrease the cost of maintenance and the corrosion cost of the ship unloader as well as other similar structures.

Mechanistic modelling of atmospheric corrosion of carbon steel in Port-Louis by electrochemical characterisation of rust layers

Mon, 14 Nov 2022 20:00:00 +0000

S235 structural steel was exposed for 14 months at six locations in the marine/urban atmosphere of Port-Louis, distinguished by the surrounding bay and mountains. An unusual geospatial variability in terms of chloride deposition rate (7.8–54.3 mg m−2 d−1), SO2 level (1.2–2.4 mg m−2 d−1) and corrosion rate (77.6–189.2 g m−2 y−1) was observed. Electrochemical techniques, supported by mass loss and surface analysis, provide insights into environment-specific corrosion mechanisms, with the occurrence of anomalous diffusion at the aggressive exposure sites. Rust layer corrosion resistances ranged between 4 and 113 Ω cm2.

Investigation of the performance of ground-coupled heat exchanger technology for tempering air

Fri, 31 Dec 2021 20:00:00 +0000

A horizontal ground heat exchanger has been applied as a simpler sustainability measure in buildings compared to its vertical counterpart, making it more suitable for residential application. A lack of contextual scientific findings within the specific construction culture has precluded its widespread application in the developing world. In this study, an experimental and simulation investigation was carried out on the thermal performance of an air-based horizontal ground-coupled heat exchanger buried 3 m below the ground. The study was performed in the tropical climate of Mauritius with a focus on space cooling. The ground temperature and air temperature inside the pipeline at several locations of the installation was measured. A CFD simulation model was developed and calibrated against the experimental data, which allowed further analyses on the influence of system parameters on performance. The study allowed to confirm the performance of the technology for application as a sustainability measure in the local construction industry and to identify practical challenge that need to be addressed. A drop in temperature of up to 5ï‚°C was achieved at 2.3 m/s and 8ï‚°C at 4 m/s. The latter result holds promise to achieve thermal comfort by achieving indoor air temperature of 27 ï‚°C or lower when ambient air is at 33-34ï‚°C during typical summer periods.

Corrosion In Dyehouses Of Textile Mills

Sat, 10 Mar 2012 20:00:00 +0000

The Mauritian textile industry is, nowadays, facing serious competition on the international market. With the aim of improving its productivity, corrosion has been identified as a major cost for the industry due to the huge amount of chemicals used in the dyehouses. The present study was therefore performed at one of the major dyehouses in Mauritius so as to identify the different types of corrosion occurring, the effect of the chemicals employed on the common metals used in the dyehouse and the cost of corrosion in the plant. The different types of corrosion occurring were assessed through visual inspection on the pipes, accessories and machines in the dyehouse. The effect of the chemicals on the common types of metals used was investigated through electrochemical tests using the Tafel technique. Three different types of metal and seven different types of chemicals were tested. It was found that low carbon steel had the highest corrosion rate among the metals tested and stainless steel UNS 31603 was the more corrosion resistant. Hydrochloric acid was the most corrosive fluid. The cost of corrosion over a yearly period was estimated to be $450,000 and this was 75% of the maintenance cost.

Short Term Atmospheric Corrosion of Low Carbon Steel

Sat, 10 Mar 2012 20:00:00 +0000

Atmospheric corrosion tests have previously been performed in Mauritius through the outdoor exposure of low carbon steel. Results have shown that the corrosion degradation of the metal follows the bilogarithmic law except for the first three months of the atmospheric exposure. Further atmospheric corrosion tests were therefore performed for this very short term to analyze this period of atmospheric exposure. Low carbon steel was, therefore, exposed outdoors according to ISO 8565. They were removed after 1, 2 and 3 months of exposure in sets of three. The Weight Loss Method was used to determine the corrosion loss. The Point Counting Method was also used to determine the extent of the atmospheric corrosion attack in the first months of exposure. The Weight Loss Method showed that for the first three months the corrosion loss is linearly related to the time of exposure. The Point Counting Method, which is not commonly used in corrosion testing, showed that the surface degradation of the metal varies linearly with time of exposure, thus confirming the results of the Weight Loss Method. This type of behavior occurs, most probably, because the atmosphere attacks the metal directly at the start of the exposure period and this leads to a high rate of corrosion.

Corrosion In Vehicles In Mauritius

Sat, 10 Mar 2012 20:00:00 +0000

With the increasing number of vehicles in Mauritius and the severe environmental conditions on the island, under deposit corrosion and other types of corrosion problems in vehicles are commonly observed. This study was therefore performed to get a better insight into the factors affecting corrosion in vehicles, the parts of the vehicles prone to corrosion attacks, the types of corrosion attack observed, the reparation of the corroded parts and the way that Mauritians in general keep their vehicles in good running condition. The study was performed through surveys carried out among vehicle owners and major garages in Mauritius. The surveys consisted of questionnaires which were supplemented by field inspection.

Corrosion Behaviour of Mild Steel in Atmospheric Exposure and Immersion tests

Tue, 31 Jan 2017 20:00:00 +0000

Corrosion testing is an essential tool in the development of corrosion protection strategies. Its prominence cannot be overlooked in this world of limited resources. Accelerated tests including the alternate immersion test and the simple immersion test, were performed according to ISO 11130 and ASTM G31 to study the corrosion behaviour of mild steel. A time correlation has been established between these tests and the corrosion categories of ISO 9223 to get an idea about the testing period for a particular amount of expected corrosion loss in a specific atmosphere. They were also compared with atmospheric exposures at a marine site in Mauritius. Test specimens were visually inspected to understand the corrosion behaviour in these accelerated tests. The study concluded that a concentration other than 3.5% NaCl should be envisaged for the alternate immersion test to at least follow a trend similar to that of atmospheric corrosion.

C., Bauer Vimala, and Shakuntala Baichoo, An Expanding Pipeline: Gender in Mauritius

Tue, 31 Dec 2002 20:00:00 +0000

Discovering novel driver mutations from pan-cancer analysis of mutational and gene expression profiles

Mon, 23 Nov 2020 20:00:00 +0000

As the genomic profile across cancers varies from person to person, patient prognosis and treatment may differ based on the mutational signature of each tumour. Thus, it is critical to understand genomic drivers of cancer and identify potential mutational commonalities across tumors originating at diverse anatomical sites. Large-scale cancer genomics initiatives, such as TCGA, ICGC and GENIE have enabled the analysis of thousands of tumour genomes. Our goal was to identify new cancer-causing mutations that may be common across tumour sites using mutational and gene expression profiles. Genomic and transcriptomic data from breast, ovarian, and prostate cancers were aggregated and analysed using differential gene expression methods to identify the effect of specific mutations on the expression of multiple genes. Mutated genes associated with the most differentially expressed genes were considered to be novel candidates for driver mutations, and were validated through literature mining, pathway analysis and clinical data investigation. Our driver selection method successfully identified 116 probable novel cancer-causing genes, with 4 discovered in patients having no alterations in any known driver genes: MXRA5, OBSCN, RYR1, and TG. The candidate genes previously not officially classified as cancer-causing showed enrichment in cancer pathways and in cancer diseases. They also matched expectations pertaining to properties of cancer genes, for instance, showing larger gene and protein lengths, and having mutation patterns suggesting oncogenic or tumor suppressor properties. Our approach allows for the identification of novel putative driver genes that are common across cancer sites using an unbiased approach without any a priori knowledge on pathways or gene interactions and is therefore an agnostic approach to the identification of putative common driver genes acting at multiple cancer sites.

A secure data access model for the Mauritian healthcare service

Tue, 06 May 2014 20:00:00 +0000

The volume of the data involved in healthcare systems and the sensitivity of the data call for strict, non-obtrusive and efficient access control. This paper presents the design and implementation of a software prototype to demonstrate how Role-Based Access Control (RBAC), supported by context-awareness, can be applied in the Mauritian healthcare service for providing efficient and effective access control to patient’s data. The work has consisted of studying different models of Role-Based and Context-Based access control used elsewhere and applying it to the Mauritian healthcare sector. The software prototype is based on information flow in a collaborator healthcare institution. The prototype has been implemented as a distributed system based on the client-server model, with the location of users and time of access being forms of context considered. The prototype has been successfully implemented and tested under different scenarios of data access.

GIDT—A tool for the identification and visualization of genomic islands in prokaryotic organisms

Sat, 10 Nov 2012 20:00:00 +0000

For decades, it has been a challenge for biologists to identify genomic islands (GIs) within a bacterial genome as they usually rapidly evolve. The purpose of this research is to develop an application which will analyse DNA sequences, enabling researchers to be up-to-date with bacterial evolution. A Java-based GI detection tool, “Genomic Islands Detection Tool (GIDT)" is introduced to detect GI regions by using a number of nucleotide-based statistical methods and genic methods (including GC-content variation, codon usage bias, dinucleotide frequency bias, tetranucleotide frequency bias, and k-mer signature analysis) and identification of mobility genes. It takes as input genome files in embl/genbank — file formats and returns probable GI regions in a tree-view display along with a circular-view display. GIDT is a simple tool which uses six GI identification algorithms and visually displays probable GI regions in a given genome. It runs on Microsoft windows, MacOS and Linux.

Empowering Women Entrepreneurs for the adoption of e-banking tools through digital education

Mon, 31 Dec 2018 20:00:00 +0000

Assessing the success of female hydroponic entrepreneurs in Mauritius

Mon, 31 Dec 2018 20:00:00 +0000

Applying the Support Vector Machine for Testing Pricing Inefficiency on the Stock Exchange of Mauritius

Sat, 31 Aug 2019 20:00:00 +0000

A popular Machine Learning Technique called the Support Vector Machine (SVM) is adopted on the Stock Exchange of Mauritius (SEM) to determine if stock market returns are predictable based on information from past prices, allowing arbitrage opportunities for abnormal profit generation. The serial correlation test, used as benchmark, and the SVM technique show evidence that previous information on share prices as well as the indicators constructed are useful in predicting share price movements. The implications of the study are that investors have the prospect of adopting speculative strategies and profits from trading based on information and advanced techniques and models are possible.

Global Financial market tribulations-upshots on major Banks costs and profits-A Mauritian perspective

Mon, 31 Dec 2012 20:00:00 +0000

Making Outcomes Matter: Programme-Based Budgeting for a Better Public Sector in Mauritius

Tue, 01 Jan 2013 20:00:00 +0000

Mauritius has implemented Programme-Based Budgeting [PBB] at all ministries and departments, as a key public sector reform. This chapter assesses the adoption and implementation of PBB. Using a survey that covers 22 ministries and departments, this study finds set-backs in the training of staff involved in the new system, with some progress in large ministries where there is now greater public accountability, better monitoring of projects and a rise in efficiency. PBB may not have met all expectations and there is certainly room for improvement, but it constitutes a major step forward in comparison with oldfashioned input budgeting.

Non-intrusive systematic study reveals mutualistic interactions between threatened island endemic species and points to more impactful conservation

Fri, 31 May 2019 20:00:00 +0000

Oceanic islands harbour a disproportionately large share of extinct and endangered birds worldwide and up to about 6,800 highly threatened plants, stressing the urgency for conservation efforts there. However, effective conservation action can only be as sound as the ecological understanding on which it is based. Knowledge about the ecology of threatened birds and plants can be relatively sketchy even in well-studied oceanic islands and this can potentially misdirect or erode conservation actions’ effectiveness. We used camera traps to document vertebrate flower visitors of a threatened, mono-specific endemic oceanic island plant (Roussea simplex) that produces much nectar and which was abundant until the 1930s before declining severely despite its presence mostly within protected areas. We determined proportions of native and alien flower visitors in four populations and characterised their ecological role (e.g. florivore, nectar robber, pollinator) through observations and exclusion experiments alongside experiments to determine seed sets by agamospermy, autogamy, geitonogamy and xenogamy. Five native and three alien vertebrate species visited flowers (N = 5,085 camera trap-hours), 96.6% of visits being from birds. Among endemics, 74–96% of visits were by the Mauritius Bulbul (Hypsipetes olivaceus), a threatened bird able to effect pollination contrary to the other endemic birds. Roussea simplex is primarily xenogamous, producing 2,657 ± 480 seeds, and seed set dropped markedly when the bird was excluded (861.8 ± 91.0 SE, Kruskal-Wallis χ2 = 14.2, p

Infestation by pollination-disrupting alien ants varies temporally and spatially and is worsened by alien plant invasion

Mon, 04 May 2020 20:00:00 +0000

Plant-pollinator mutualisms may be disrupted by alien ants. Such threats are likely to vary spatio-temporally and with other biological invasions, but these aspects are rarely studied. We examined a threatened island endemic scrambler (Roussea simplex, Rousseaceae) about a decade after its pollination by an endemic reptile was found to be disrupted by an invasive alien ant and we investigated whether progressive invasion by plants has an influence on alien ant distribution. We quantified ant-infestations of the scrambler’s flowers and the vertical distribution of alien ants in the habitats through baiting experiment over 2 years and characterised the height of plants within habitat patches that face contrasting levels of alien plant invasion. Two alien and one native ant species were found visiting the flowers, namely Technomyrmex albipes, Anoplolepis gracilipes and Plagiolepis madecassa respectively. Few flowers (6.1%) had alien ants and ant-infested flowers occurred mostly nearer the ground. Mean alien ant abundance varied annually for A. gracilipes but not for T. albipes which however is much rarer than a decade previously. Alien ant-occupied baits showed higher probability of occurring predominantly nearer the ground. Roussea plants were much shorter where alien plant invasion is high, compared to where habitats are well-preserved. The severity of alien ant-infestation that leads to mutualism-disruption varies spatially and at different time scales. As alien plant invasion progresses, the resulting higher native plants’ mortality causes Roussea to lose its supporting host plants and collapse closer to the ground where it faces greater infestation of the alien ants that are documented to disrupt its pollination. Incorporating spatio-temporal variation of threats and unravelling possible interactions between sympatric invasive alien species should be important considerations for conservation managers.

Revision of Angraecum sect. Perrierangraecum (Orchidaceae; Epidendroideae; Vandeae) for the Mascarenes, with a description of a new endemic species for Mauritius

Mon, 11 May 2020 20:00:00 +0000

While revising the genus Angraecum (Orchidaceae) for the Mascarenes, a new taxon endemic to Mauritius was identified and it is here described as Angraecum baiderae. More than 300 Angraecum specimens, including types, collected in the Mascarenes and Madagascar, and available at DBEV, G, K, KM, L, MARS, MAU, MO, P, REU, SEY, TEF, and TAN were studied to confirm the taxonomic status of this new taxon. Its conservation status was assessed as Endangered. Furthermore, this paper presents detailed descriptions, conservation status, and a key to all species of Angraecum sect. Perrierangraecum occurring in the Mascarenes.

Tree Age, Leaf Maturity and Exposure to Sunlight Influence Tensile Strength of Fibres in Pandanus Utilis

Wed, 26 Dec 2018 20:00:00 +0000

Fibers from Pandanus utilis leaves were investigated to determine how fibre strength varies with tree and leaf maturity, exposure to sunlight, leaf degradation state, and fibre position along the leaf. Such information is necessary to optimise leaf harvest to obtain strongest fibres. It has been shown that the strongest fibre comes from a young leaf from a younger tree exposed to the sunlight. Tests and SEM revealed two types of fibres, thin and thick; with the former being stronger. A new method to precisely measure the shape and area of the fibre cross-section, the pre-extraction method that generates optimum-fibre-yield are presented.

Insular environmental change; climate-forced and system-driven

Tue, 31 Dec 2013 20:00:00 +0000

Vegetation dynamics since the last glacial maximum in small oceanic islands and in continental settings are compared. We selected the islands of Minorca (Western Mediterranean), Tenerife (Eastern Atlantic), the Azores (Central Atlantic) and Mauritius (Indian Ocean) and compared pollen-based dynamics with selected continental areas of southern Italy, the Atlas mountains, northwest Africa, and the East African mountains. We identified potential areas where plant diversity is conserved during unfavourable periods serving as refugial areas. Most pollen records from small oceanic islands with a low topography show, as far as the pollen records reach, stable forest compositions suggesting floral diversity is lodged within a mosaic-like structure. In mountainous islands data point to an altitudinal distribution of plant diversity and to altitudinal migration of plants as a response to climate change. In Mauritius we registered at 11.4 cal. ka a climate-forced change in forest composition which triggered a cascade of species turnover events considered as system-driven. In the small islands discussed we identified areas with a high potential to provide on a long-term shelter to insular floral diversity, thus serving as a refugium: 1) gallery forest located along the drainage system (topography constrained), 2) cloud forest located at the elevation where atmospheric moisture condensates and cloud formation takes place (sea surface temperature and atmospheric lapse rate constrained), 3) and deeply incised valleys, connecting diversity between all available elevations, where relatively humid conditions prevail such as the barrancos in Tenerife and the deeply incised valleys in Mauritius (geomorphology and sea-level constrained).

Research safeguards protected areas: the important role of governments.

Sat, 31 Aug 2013 20:00:00 +0000

Jumellea recurva (Orchidaceae): not a rediscovery in Mauritius

Wed, 30 Sep 2015 20:00:00 +0000

Taxonomic revision of Jumellea (Orchidaceae, Angraecinae) in the Mascarenes

Mon, 21 Dec 2020 20:00:00 +0000

We present a taxonomic revision of the genus Jumellea (Angraecinae; Orchidaceae) in the Mascarenes based on morphological study and field observations. We examined 328 specimens mostly from the MAU, P and REU, and recognise nine species. We provide a key, morphological descriptions, distributions, habitats, phenologies and conservation assessments following the Red List categories and criteria (IUCN). All nine species are present on Réunion with two being endemic there, and five have been confirmed on Mauritius, none of them endemic. The single species recorded for Rodrigues is also the only one found on all three islands of the Mascarenes and Madagascar. Five species are endemic to the Mascarene Archipelago, whereas the other four also occur in Madagascar. All nine species qualify as threatened with extinction on at least one of the islands of the Mascarenes. Two species are probably extinct on one island, and only two species on Réunion are not threatened.

Ten new species of Mascarene land snails (Mollusca: Gastropoda) and their conservation status

Mon, 06 Dec 2004 20:00:00 +0000

Ten new species of Mascarene land snails are described from surveys carried out between 1990 and 2000 in the three islands of the Mascarenes. Eight of the species are endemic to Mauritius, one to Réunion and one to Rodrigues. While most of these species are assignable to genera already present in the archipelago, three of them belong to new genera. Apart from the Réunion species and one from Mauritius, which are critically endangered, all are known only as old shells from subfossil deposits and are presumed extinct. Some differences in diversity and extinction rates between the three islands are discussed.

Hydroxyethylcellulose use simplifies mat manufacture and improves interfacial cohesion of alkaline-treated Pandanus utilis fibres in polyester composite

Fri, 26 Jun 2020 20:00:00 +0000

A simple method of bonding mutually perpendicular layers of alkaline-treated fibres, through the use of Hydroxyethylcellulose, has been studied as an alternative to woven fibre-mat. Following alkaline process optimisation by using the Taguchi DoE methodology, fibres treatment with 0.5% wt NaOH for 14 hours improved the tensile strength by 36% compared to the untreated fibres. Interfacial-Shear-Stress (measured by pull-out tests) was improved by 32% after the optimal alkaline-treatment. Furthermore, an improvement of 5% in Interfacial-Shear-Stress was achieved after a coating with 2 wt. % Hydroxyethylcellulose. Thus, Hydroxyethylcellulose increases the shear stress, and decreases friction without adverse impact on fibre strength.

Using infrared spectrum analyses to predict tensile strength of fibres in a group of closely related plant species: case of Mascarenes Pandanus spp.

Wed, 28 Oct 2020 20:00:00 +0000

Replacing synthetic fibres with natural ones is key for clean and sustainable manufacturing. Natural fibres require characterization to investigate their usefulness. However, current testing methodologies require a large sample size due to the strong variation of tensile strength (TS) among the fibre of the same plant species. The development of a simpler test method to predict fibre TS would help in the selection of the most appropriate plant species with desirable TS values while performing fewer tests; thus saving on time and cost. FT-IR results that determine fibre crystallinity through specific IR absorbance peak ratios may serve to predict the fibre TS. In this study, we tested the relationship between fibre TS and cellulose crystallinity for seven different species of Pandanus spp. Thus, empirical mathematical relationships between the fibre TS value and indices obtained by three specific IR absorbance peaks ratios, namely the total crystallinity index, lateral order index, and hydrogen bond index have been established with a good correlation coefficient (96, 98, and 95%, respectively).

Computer Power Management Awareness- An Insight from Youngsters in Mauritius

Sat, 31 Dec 2011 20:00:00 +0000

Down the past years, the number of computer and Internet users has been constantly increasing in several countries and today, more and more youngsters are starting to use computers at an earlier age be it at home or in educational institutions. In many countries around the world, computer literacy among youngsters is being promoted since a very young age where computer studies are being taught in schools. However, this increase in the computer usage has led to an increase in power consumption which adversely affects the environment mainly due to the non-renewable power production techniques currently being employed. Computer Power Management (CPM) interacts with every part of the computer system including the operating system, software, Central Processing Unit, peripheral devices, etc, and is present in most modern operating systems. Different techniques are available today to save power while using computers. Since computers are now being used at an earlier age and are intensively being used by youngsters, an understanding on how the different power saving techniques being employed isvery important. This paper attempts to provide an insight on CPM from youngsters, following a survey carried out where 300 youngsters aged between 19 and 24 were interviewed. The study aimed to find out whether youngsters today are aware of the different CPM strategies, the motivation behind using these strategies and the application of these strategies by youngsters today. This paper also discusses on the method and results of the study conducted, to give an insight on CPM from youngsters and also make recommendations on how CPM techniques can be better promoted to be adopted by youngsters of tomorrow.

Influence of chemical refining processes on the total phenolics and antioxidant activity of sunflower oil

Tue, 19 May 2015 20:00:00 +0000

The raw sunflower oil (SFO) has an undesirable flavour and odour. Therefore, to make it suitable for human consumption, the oil has to undergo a number of refining processes such as degumming, neutralization, bleaching and deodorization. During these refining processes, some of the phytochemicals present in SFO is lost. The aim of this study is to evaluate the loss in total phenolic, flavonoid and non-flavonoid contents and the antioxidant properties of the oil at the different chemical refining stages. The crude SFO oil has the highest total phenolic, flavonoid and non-flavonoid contents. The amount of phenolic compounds decreases as the oil undergoes different chemical refining processes. Results of this study indicated that the highest percentage loss of the phenolic compounds occurred during the deodorizing step. The statistical loss of the deodorized oil was 41.7, 63.9 and 27.6% for total phenolic, flavonoid and non-flavonoid contents respectively. The free scavenging activity of sunflower oil was determined using DPPH and ABTS assays. The percentage scavenging activity ranged from 55.64 to 35.87% for the DPPH assay while for ABTS assay the activity ranged from 59.46 to 31.43% in a 50 mg/ml of SFO sample. This showed a decrease in antioxidant activity from crude to DNW to bleached and deodorized oil. The crude oil having the highest phenolic contents showed the highest antioxidant activity in both DPPH and ABTS assays.

Metal complexes of diaryl and 2, 2′-dipyridyl disulfides

Fri, 30 Nov 2012 20:00:00 +0000

The variable transformations of the Sâ€’S bond in the presence of metal complexes generally depend upon the different reaction conditions used. In this review, the synthesis and coordination versatility of complexes derived from diaryl and 2,2′ -dipyridyl disulfide have been discussed in the absence or presence of other donor groups.

Three anilides of 2, 2′-thiodibenzoic acid

Sun, 14 Oct 2012 20:00:00 +0000

The structures of N,N0-bis(2-methylphenyl)-2,20-thiodibenzamide, C28H24N2O2S, (Ia), N,N0-bis(2-ethylphenyl)-2,20-thiodibenzamide, C30H28N2O2S, (Ib), and N,N0-bis(2-bromophenyl)-2,20-thiodibenzamide, C26H18Br2N2O2S, (Ic), are compared with each other. For the 19 atoms of the consistent thiodibenzamide core, the r.m.s. deviations of the molecules in pairs are 0.29, 0.90 and 0.80 A˚ for (Ia)/(Ib), (Ia)/(Ic) and (Ib)/ (Ic), respectively. The conformations of the central parts of molecules (Ia) and (Ib) are similar due to an intramolecular N—HO hydrogen-bonding interaction. The molecules of (Ia) are further linked into infinite chains along the c axis by intermolecular N—HO interactions, whereas the molecules of (Ib) are linked into chains along b by an intermolecular N—H contact. The conformation of (Ic) is quite different from those of (Ia) and (Ib), since there is no intramolecular N—HO hydrogen bond, but instead there is a possible intramolecular N—HBr hydrogen bond. The molecules are linked into chains along c by intermolecular N—HO hydrogen bonds.

N, N′-Bis (3-phenylprop-2-en-1-ylidene)-2, 2′-disulfanediyldianiline

Tue, 30 Nov 2010 20:00:00 +0000

In the title compound, C30H24N2S2, the two phenyl rings attached to the S atoms are oriented nearly perpendicularly, making a dihedral angle of 86.14â€…(8)°. Each of the two ArCH=CHCH=N units is almost planar, having maximum deviations from the least-squares planes of 0.125 and 0.149â€…Å, and rotated around the C—N bonds relative to the adjacent phenyl ring by 110.26 and 30.30°.

N, N′-(2, 2′-Dithiodi-o-phenylene) bis (furan-2-carboxamide)

Wed, 31 Dec 2008 20:00:00 +0000

The reaction of 2,2′-dithiobis(benzenamine) with furan-2-carbonyl chloride produced the bis-amide title compound, C22H16N2O4S2, which, in the crystal, formed a helix; the structure consists of two planar furanoylbenzenamines related by an improper rotation of 96.3° about the S—S bond. The N-furanoylbenzenamine units are planar (maximum deviations = 0.316 and 0.132â€…Å). Each electron-deficient acylfuran stacks (centroid–centroid separations of the two pairs of π–π stacked aromatic rings are 3.918 and 3.953â€…Å) with the electron-rich benzenamine of the other N-furanoylbenzenamine unit, leading to a spiral structure. The conformation is stabilized by two bifurcated intramolecular N—Hâ‹¯(O,S) interactions.

Palladium (II) complexes of (t-butyl salicylidene) diphenyl disulfide diamine: synthesis, structure, spectral characterization and catalytic properties

Fri, 30 Jul 2021 20:00:00 +0000

The hexadentate N2S2O2 donor ligand N,N’-bis(3,5-tert-butylsalicylidene) diphenyl disulfide-2,2’-diamine was synthesised by the condensation of 2-aminophenyl disulfide and 3,5-di-tert-butyl-2-hydroxybenzaldehyde and its molecular structure was confirmed by X-ray studies. One of the tert-butyl groups in the Schiff base has rotational disorder around the C–C bond with ratio 0.56:0.44. The palladium complexes were prepared by the direct reaction of PdCl2(CH3CN)2 and Schiff base ligands N,N’-bis (5-tert-butylsalicylidene) diphenyl disulfide-2,2’-diamine and N,N’-bis(3,5-tert-butylsalicylidene) diphenyl disulfide-2,2’-diamine, respectively. The structure of the metal complexes was characterized by physico-chemical and spectroscopic methods. Palladium is in square-planar geometry bonded to imine nitrogen and phenolic O in both the complexes. The catalytic efficiency of the palladium complexes was evaluated in the cross-coupling reactions; Heck-Mizoroki reaction of iodobenzene and methyl acrylate and the Suzuki-Miyaura reaction of phenylboronic acid and iodobenzene, which gave low to moderate yields. Higher conversions were obtained for 2a as catalyst due to the increase in the number of bulky tertiary butyl groups in the structure.

Novel quaternary ammonium compounds derived from aromatic and cyclic amino acids: Synthesis, physicochemical studies and biological evaluation

Sun, 28 Feb 2021 20:00:00 +0000

Novel quaternary ammonium surfactants (QUATs) derived from phenylalaninyl-proline dipeptide with chain length C12 and C14 were synthesised as potential active ingredients to be used in body cleansing formulations. The physicochemical properties and biological activities of the QUATs were determined in both single and in mixed surfactant system with either the conventional anionic surfactant sodium dodecyl sulphate (SDS) or sodium N-dodecyl prolinate. The C12 QUAT derivative showed antagonistic behaviour in both SDS and sodium N-dodecyl prolinate mixed surfactant system. Comparing the mixed system of the C12 QUAT with SDS and sodium N-dodecyl prolinate, it was found that the latter displayed better antibacterial activity together with the lower ocular irritation. The C12 QUAT-sodium N-dodecyl prolinate mixture were non cytotoxic at a concentration corresponding to its MIC value, showing that the mixture was selective towards bacterial cells rather than mammalian cell lines. Diffusion measurements showed that the sodium N-dodecyl prolinate surfactant consisted of 26 molecules per micelle in water but only 3 molecules per micelle in DMSO/water (1:1). On the other hand, C12 QUAT did not form a micelle in DMSO/Water. Membrane permeability studies of the C12 QUAT and sodium N-dodecyl prolinate showed that these surfactants are capable to penetrate into deeper skin layers to exert their antibacterial and cleansing action and hence can be used as a promising candidate as active ingredients in body wash formulations.

Synthesis and biological properties of a series of aryl alkyl disulfide derivatives

Sat, 31 Oct 2020 20:00:00 +0000

Disulfide containing compounds are recognized for their wide range of biological properties and are known for their important applications in the pharmaceutical field. In this study, a series of diaryl disulfides with varying alkyl chain length (C8-C16) was synthesized and assessed for their physicochemical and biological properties. The interactions of compounds with bovine serum albumin (BSA) was investigated in order to study their ability to bind with blood serum protein. An increase in the binding constants (Ka) was observed with increasing chain length C8-C12, while a decrease in value was obtained with compounds of chain length C14 and C16 showing a cut off effect at C12. The thermodynamic parameters of binding indicated that the compounds bound to BSA mostly by van der Waals forces and hydrogen bonding. Molecular docking studies showed that the diaryl disulfides displayed greater binding affinity to Trp 213 rather than the Trp 134 residue on the BSA molecule. The trend observed in molecular docking is in line with the fluorescence binding studies whereby the C12 derivative was found to show optimum affinity with BSA. The disulfide with chain length C10 showed moderate antibacterial activity the highest inhibitory activity against Bacillus cereus. The cytotoxicity of the disulfides towards HaCaT cells decreased from C8 to C14. The overall results obtained show that these disulfides have potent antibacterial properties against Gram-positive bacteria Bacillus cereus at concentrations which are relatively non-toxic to normal cells.

Versatile coordinating capabilities of thiodibenzoic acid copper complexes bearing N-donor ligands

Mon, 24 Nov 2014 20:00:00 +0000

Cu(II) coordination polymers [Cu(tda)(phen)]1.5H2O (1a), [Cu(tda)(py)] (2a) and [Cu(tda)(bipy)(H2O)]0.5H2O (3a) (tda = thiodibenzoic acid, phen = phenanthroline, py = pyridine, bipy = bipyridine) have been synthesized by slow diffusion. Under solvothermal conditions, [Cu(tda)(phen)]2H2O (1b), [Cu(tda)(H2O)] (2b) and [Cu(tda)(bipy)] (3b) were isolated. The structures of the complexes 1a–3a have been determined by single X-ray diffraction. The experimental X-ray powder diffraction patterns of 1b–3b were compared with the calculated patterns of 1a–3a. The polymers were found to exhibit structural and dimensional diversity due to the effect of the co-ligands. In complexes 1a and 1b, tda is found to coordinate with the metal atom in a monodentate mode, while in 2a and 2b, the carboxylate oxygens are coordinated with the two metal centers in a μ-bridged bidentate fashion. The structural analysis of 3a shows that the copper atom is in a square pyramidal environment, whereby the metal atom is coordinated with the carboxylate oxygens of two different tda ligands in a monodentate fashion and two nitrogens of the bipyridine ligand and one coordinated water. The IR spectrum of 3b implies a bidentate mode of coordination.

Antibacterial activity of schiff base ligands containing pyridine and disulphide moieties against human bacterial pathogens

Mon, 12 Jul 2010 20:00:00 +0000

To evaluate the antibacterial activities of N, N’[1, 1’-dithiobis (phenylene)] bis (benzyldeneimine), referred to as L1, and o, o’-(N, N-dipicolinyldene) diazadiphenyldisulfide, referred to as L2, containing disulfide moieties against some ophthalmic pathogens (Klebsiella sp., Escherichia coli, Streptococcus sp., Proteus morganii, Pseudomonas sp., Streptococcus pneumoniae, Acinetobacter sp., Streptococcus pyogenes and Streptococcus viridins,) urinary tract infectious pathogens (Proteus morganii, Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas sp. Enterobacter sp. Klebsiella sp) and antibiotic resistant pathogens (Staphylococcus sp., Streptococcus, Pseudomonas sp. Klebsiella sp.) for minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) and minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC). The minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) for the ophthalmic pathogens and antibiotic resistant pathogens were found to be 400-500 µg/ml while for the urinary tract infectious pathogens a lower MIC value (200 µg/ml) was obtained. The minimum bactericidal concentration for the compounds against all the pathogens tested was 400-500 µg/ml. The synthesized schiff L1 and L2 were showed the MIC values for all the tested ophthalmic and antibiotic resistant bacterial pathogens more or less similar. Further studies are needed to prove the safe and efficacy of needed for these compounds to develop as a drug after completing successful preclinical and clinical tests.

Biological activity of synthesized 5-{1-[(4-chlorophenyl) sulfonyl] piperidin-4-yl}-2-mercapto-1, 3, 4-oxadiazole derivatives demonstrated by in silico and BSA binding studies

Sun, 06 Dec 2020 20:00:00 +0000

We synthesized a series of compounds bearing pharmacologically important 1,3,4-oxadiazole and piperidine moieties. Spectral data analysis by 1H-NMR, 13C-NMR, IR and EI-MS was used to elucidate the structures of the synthesized molecules. Docking studies explained the different types of interaction of the compounds with amino acids, while bovine serum albumin (BSA) binding interactions showed their pharmacological effectiveness. Antibacterial screening of these compounds demonstrated moderate to strong activity against Salmonella typhi and Bacillus subtilis but only weak to moderate activity against the other three bacterial strains tested. Seven compounds were the most active members as acetyl cholinesterase inhibitors. All the compounds presented displayed strong inhibitory activity against urease. Compounds 7l, 7m, 7n, 7o, 7p, 7r, 7u, 7v, 7x and 7v were highly active, with respective IC50 values of 2.14±0.003, 0.63±0.001, 2.17±0.006, 1.13±0.003, 1.21±0.005, 6.28±0.003, 2.39±0.005, 2.15±0.002, 2.26±0.003 and 2.14±0.002 µM, compared to thiourea, used as the reference standard (IC50 = 21.25±0.15 µM). These new urease inhibitors could replace existing drugs after their evaluation in comprehensive in vivo studies.

Biological screening and docking studies of unique hybrids synthesized by conventional versus microwave assisted techniques

Tue, 25 May 2021 20:00:00 +0000

Purpose: To carry out the synthesis of various hybrids of 1,2,4-triazole in search of potential therapeutic enzyme inhibitory agents, and carry out docking and bovine serum albumin (BSA) binding studies on docking and bovine serum albumin (BSA) binding studies on the hybrids. Methods: The target compounds were synthesized by following a multistep protocol. Compound 1 was synthesized from 4-methoxybenzenesulfonyl chloride (a) and ethyl isonipecotate (b). Compound 1 was refluxed with hydrazine to synthesize compound 2, which was converted to compound 3 through two consecutive steps. Compound 4 and different amines (5a-5i), were utilized to synthesize an array of electrophiles (6a-6i). A series of 1,2,4-triazole hybrids (7a-7i) were synthesized at room temperature by stirring together 3 and 6a-6i. The final structures of 7a-7i were elucidated through 1H-NMR, 13C-NMR and EI-MS spectroscopy. The BSA binding studies were performed by fluorometric titration. Furthermore, antioxidant and enzyme inhibition activities were determined colorimetrically. Results: Compound 7d was the most active antioxidant agent, compared to butylated hydroxyanisole (BHA), while compounds 7d, 7e, 7f, 7g and 7i proved to be potent urease inhibitors with half-maximal inhibitory concentration (IC50) values of 19.5 ± 0.12, 21.1 ± 0.68, 18.2 ± 0.78, 19.9 ± 0.77 and 17.9 ± 0.10 µM, respectively, compared to thiourea with an IC50 of 24.3 ± 0.24 µM. Compounds 7a, 7b, 7d, and 7e exhibited high butyrylcholinesterase inhibition potential, compared to eserine. Conclusion: The synthesized compounds require studies further as potential therapeutic enzyme inhibitory agents in view of their urease inhibition as well as antioxidant activity.

Synthesis, antibacterial activities and phospholipid membrane interactions of novel dialkyl 2, 2’-disulfanediyldibenzoates

Thu, 30 Mar 2017 20:00:00 +0000

A series of dialkyl 2,2’-disulfanediyldibenzoates with alkyl chain length C 8 to C 12 were synthesized and characterized by spectral studies. The structure of compound 3 was also confirmed by X-ray crystallography. The compounds were found to possess good antibacterial activity, especially with respect to Gram positive bacteria, and the activity was found to increase with concomitant increase in chain length. Binding studies of compound 3 with the synthetic phospholipid 1,2-dipalmitoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine (DPPC) showed that the compound interacts with biological membrane mainly via hydrophobic interactions.

Antibacterial activity of Schiff base ligands containing pyridine and disulphide moieties against some chosen human bacterial pathogens

Fri, 31 May 2013 20:00:00 +0000

The objective of the study was to evaluate the antibacterial activities of N, N’[1, 1’-dithiobis (phenylene)] bis (benzyldeneimine), referred to as L1 and o, o’-(N, N-dipicolinyldene) diazadiphenyldisulfide, referred to as L2, containing disulfide moieties against some ophthalmic pathogens (Klebsiella species, Escherichia coli, Streptococcus species, Proteus morganii, Pseudomonas species, Streptococcus pneumoniae, Acinetobacter species, Streptococcus pyogenes and Streptococcus viridans), urinary tract infectious pathogens (P. morganii, E. coli, Pseudomonas spp., Enterobacter species, and Klebsiella spp.) and antibiotic resistant pathogens (Staphylococcus species, Streptococcus, Pseudomonas spp., and Klebsiella spp.) for minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) and minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC). The MIC for the ophthalmic pathogens and antibiotic resistant pathogens were found to be 400 to 500 µg/ml, while for the urinary tract infectious pathogens a lower MIC value (200 µg/ml) was obtained. The MBC for the compounds against all the pathogens tested was 400 to 500 µg/ml. The synthesized Schiff L1 and L2 showed the MIC values for all the tested ophthalmic and antibiotic resistant bacterial pathogens more or less similar. Further studies are needed to prove the safe and efficacy needed for these compounds to develop as a drug after completing successful preclinical and clinical tests.

Morphology, biological and chemical profiling of three Polyscias species, endemic to Mauritius

Tue, 02 Aug 2022 20:00:00 +0000

The aim of the study is to screen the morphological, anatomical, biological, and chemical profiles of the leave extracts of endemic Polyscias species namely P. dichroostachya (PD), P. gracilis (PG), and P. mauritiana (PM) from Mauritius. The morphology and anatomy of the leaves were studied using a microscope. Phytochemical screening of extracts using LC-MS/MS was carried out by ionization in both positive and negative modes. The leaves are pinnately compound, hypostomatic, dorsiventral, with a prominent mid vein with secretion cavities, and they can be distinguished by their midrib shape and anatomy. From the molecular mass and fragmentation data, 31 terpenoid saponins, 19 flavonoids, 17 acids, 7 terpenes, and 10 miscellaneous compounds including pyrrolidines and acetylenes in different extracts (hexane, ethanol, and aqueous) were identified. Extracts from the three species using DPPH radical scavenging activity exhibited good to moderate antioxidant activities with IC50 values in the range of 2.1-70.8 mg/ml and the ethanolic extract of PD showing the highest activity. Aqueous extracts of PG and PM potently inhibited alpha-glucosidase with IC50 values of 0.50 and 2.62 mg/ml. The different leaf extracts exhibited moderate activity against a panel of gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria. This is probably the first report on the extensive chemical profiling and morphology of these endemic Polysias spp. from Mauritius and the results indicate that these leaf extracts have beneficial health properties and are thus worth exploiting further.

Literature review: anti-diabetic potential of some selected edible vegetables in tropical region

Tue, 30 Nov 2021 20:00:00 +0000

Objective: This review aims to discuss the potential of commonly consumed vegetables by the Asian and African communities of tropical and subtropical regions to lower blood glucose level. Background: Diabetes mellitus (DM) is a global concern with 463 million adult cases in 2019, which is increasing exponentially and is expected to reach 700 million by 2045. DM is mainly caused by the abnormality of carbohydrate metabolism giving rise to low blood insulin level or insensitivity of target organs to insulin. α-Amylase and α-glucosidase enzymes digest the carbohydrates and increase the postprandial glucose level in diabetic patients. Inhibiting the activity of these two enzymes can control postprandial hyperglycemia and reduce the risk of developing diabetes. The different hypoglycemic drugs such as α-glucosidase, α-amylase inhibitors, ATP-K+ channel inhibitors (sulfonylureas), DPP-4 inhibitors and PPAR-γ activators (thiazolidinediones) are commonly used to manage diabetes. These synthetic drugs often show undesirable side effects, insulin resistance and are expensive. A number of phytochemicals such as cucurbitacins responsible for hypoglycemia are present in the common vegetables. Methods: Overview of the literature synthesizing the findings of literature retrieved from searches of recognised databases of selected vegetables known to decrease blood glucose level. Conclusions: Compounds with α-glucosidase and α-amylase inhibitory activities can be obtained from several natural resources. Plants of the Cucurbitaceae family were rich in high number of cucurbitanes having α-glucosidase inhibitory potential and can be clinically developed for treating DM.

A Study of the Antibacterial Activities and the Mode of Action of L-Methionine and L-Cystine Based Surfactants and their Interaction with Bovine Serum Albumin Using …

Tue, 23 Nov 2021 20:00:00 +0000

Ruthenium Aryl Sulfides Complexes

Tue, 16 Jan 2018 20:00:00 +0000

This chapter presents an overview of the coordination chemistry of diaryl sulfide ligands with ruthenium. Ruthenium metal complexes involving organic sulfur donor ligands are of considerable interest in coordination chemistry and can serve as potential models to the biological systems. Diarylsulfides are prone to rearrangement and sulfur redistribution in the presence of ruthenium due to lability of S-S bond. Aryl sulfides are fundamental building blocks, which have the capacity to coordinate with metal atoms to form different structural frameworks, exhibiting interesting functional properties, including biological and catalytic activities. There are many reports of ruthenium Schiff base complexes derived from aminothiophenol which gives mononuclear or binuclear complexes. In these complexes, the ruthenium binds via S and N donor atoms of the Schiff base together with other ligands. The ruthenium disulfide complexes possess interesting catalytic and biological properties. Ruthenium disulfide diamine complexes are found to catalyze the oxidation of primary alcohols into corresponding aldehyde and cyclohexene into cyclohexene-oxide, cyclohexenone and cyclohexenol derivatives.

Synthesis of acetamide derivatives of 1, 2, 4-triazole bearing azinane and their binding interactions with bovine serum albumin using spectroscopic techniques

Sun, 31 Dec 2017 20:00:00 +0000

A new series of acetamide derivatives containing 1, 2, 4-triazole and azinane moieties has been synthesized and characterized using H NMR, C NMR, IR, and EI-MS spectroscopic analysis. The intermediate triazole was synthesized through a sequential synthesis of carboxylate and carbohydrazide. The bovine serum albumin (BSA) binding of the newly synthesized 1, 2, 4-triazole derivatives was evaluated along with thermodynamics, site-selective binding, and synchronous study. The results obtained by BSA binding as well as thermodynamic studies justify that all the compounds show spontaneous interaction with BSA and could be effectively distributed and eliminated from the body. Therefore, the triazole-based analogs might be a useful strategy for designing new drug systems.

Synthesis and biological properties of alkyl diaryl disulfides derivatives

Mon, 20 Nov 2017 20:00:00 +0000

Diaryl disulfides compounds are valuable intermediates as they have multifaceted applications in pharmaceutical industry as well as in the field of material science. They are used as novel stabilizer for the tumor suppressor Pdcd4 [1] and by virtue of the reversibility of disulfide bond, plays an integral role in the synthesis of bioactive compounds. Numerous examples of drugs use for diabetes, Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s diseases, inflammatory and immune diseases have aryl sulfide moieties in their structures [2]. Lipophilicity is also known to influence the biological activity of various compounds [3]. Increasing the lipophilic character of the diaryl disulfide system enhances the anti-bacterial properties [4,5]. Therefore, in continuation of our efforts in the synthesis of biologically active organo sulfur compounds, we herein report the synthesis of disulfanediyldibenzamides of enhanced lipophilic character by introducing long alkyl chain C8-C12 at amino end in order to deliver electrophilic sulphur species more effectively into the bacterial cell wall. These dialkyl diaryl disulphides compounds were characterised by spectral and analytical data. They were also found to have interesting anti-bacterial properties over a panel of gram positive and gram negative bacteria.

Synthesis and physicochemical properties of non-ionic and cationic surfactants derived from methionine

Thu, 02 Nov 2017 20:00:00 +0000

Amino acid based surfactants have been widely used as alternative to classical surfactants due to their interesting physicochemical properties, biological activities, biodegradability and low toxicity. The study of the physicochemical properties of surfactants such as critical micelle concentration (CMC) and Krafft temperature is an important aspect in determining their use in detergents or pharmaceutical compositions. In this study, a series of non-ionic and cationic surfactants with varying chain lengths (C8-C12), namely the O-alkyl esters of methionine and their hydrochloride derivatives respectively were synthesized and characterized by spectral data. In view of systematically studying the effect of the head group and chain length on the physicochemical properties, the critical micelle concentrations of both series were evaluated using conductivity measurements and pyrene fluorescence spectroscopy. The Krafft temperatures of selected synthesized methionine-based surfactants were also evaluated. The methionine surfactants were synthesized in good to moderate yield (54 – 81%). For both ester and the hydrochloride series, the CMC of the surfactants were found to decrease with chain length, as commonly observed for all surfactants. The non-ionic O-alkyl esters of methionine displayed relatively lower CMC values compared to their ester hydrochloride derivatives for all the chain length studied. The ester hydrochloride derivatives showed an increase in the Krafft temperature with increasing chain length showing that the surfactants with longer chain length has a tendency to micellise at a much higher temperature.

The use of optically active O-alkyl ester hydrochlorides of L-phenylalanine and L-tyrosine as chiral micellar media for the catalysis of diels-alder reactions

Sat, 31 Dec 2016 20:00:00 +0000

The effect of a range of O-alkyl ester hydrochloride surfactants derived from L-phenylalanine and L-tyrosine as catalysts on the Diels-Alder reaction between cyclopentadiene and methyl acrylate was studied. Both chain lengths (C8-C14) and head groups of the surfactants were found to influence the yield and selectivity of the Diels-Alder product. The C10 derivatives of both phenylalanine and tyrosine surfactants gave the highest yields and selectivity. Phenylalanine ester hydrochlorides showed better catalytic activity than the tyrosine derivatives. Adduct optimum yield was obtained at a concentration relating to their critical micelle concentration (CMC) values. The Diels-Alder reaction was also found to be favored in acidic condition (pH 3) as well as in the presence of lithium chloride (LiCl) as salting out agent.

Catalytic Activity of Iron and Ruthenium Complexes of Bis (2, 3-dihydroxy benzaldehyde) pyridine diimine towards Oxidation of Cyclohexene, Cyclohexane, THF and Alcohols Using O …

Fri, 28 Oct 2016 20:00:00 +0000

The oxidation of primary alcohols, cyclohexene, cyclohexane and tetrahydrofuran (THF) was studied using the catalysts [Fe (L) ClH2O](1) and [Ru (LH2) PPh3Cl2H2O](2) where L= bis (2, 3-dihydroxy benzaldehyde) pyridine diimine in various solvents and co-oxidants. Primary aromatic alcohols gave better yields compared to aliphatic alcohols. Both catalysts oxidized cyclohexene into cyclohexene-1-ol and cyclohexene-1-one in almost 1: 1 ratio with negligible epoxide formation. The conversion of cyclohexane into cyclohexanol and cyclohexanone was most effective with t-BuOOH as co-oxidant. For THF, iron complex 1 gave better results than ruthenium complex 2.

Palladium Schiff Base Complexes: Potential catalysts for CC bond reactions

Mon, 31 Oct 2016 20:00:00 +0000

Biological Screening of some Chinese and Herbal drugs that are commercially available in Mauritius

Sun, 11 May 2014 20:00:00 +0000

Introduction: In the past few years traditional medicines have become hot topics for life science researchers as there is a worldwide emergence of herbal drugs for treating various diseases affecting mankind. These herbal drugs are being increasingly used as drugs or dietary supplement for fighting or prevent common diseases such as colds, diarrhea, diabetic and so on. Objective: The phytochemmical screening, antioxidant, antiglycation and antibacterial properties of four Ayurvedic drugs (Diabecon, Pilex, Septilin and Rumalaya) and seven Chinese herbal drugs (Leung PuiKee, Jin Quian Chao, Po Chai, Cheng Sie Lung, EngAun Tong, Tin Hee, Bi Yan Pian) commercially available in Mauritius were evaluated. Powdered drugs or methanolic extracts of the drugs were analyzed for the phytochemical constituents. Antibacterial activity was evaluated by Disc diffusion assay with two gram positive and two gram negative bacteria. The free radical scavenging activity of the herbal drugs were assessed using 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl radical (DPPH) assay and antiglycation activity of the drugs was also evaluated. Results: Most of the drugs showed the presence of alkaloids, saponins, tannins and polyphenols. The drugs showed higher activity for gram positive bacteria compared to gram negative bacteria. The Ayurvedic drugs showed higher activity as compare to the Chinese drugs against the different stains tested. Septilin showed highest activity with an MIC value of 1 mg/mL and 5 mg/mL against Staphylococcus aureus and Bacillus cereus respectively. The drugs were found to possess significant scavenging activity with SC50 values in the range of (1.3 × 10-4 – 200× 10-4) μg/ml and inhibit the AGE formation with IC50 values ranging 2.0-7.2 μg/ml. Among the drugs tested, Diabecon was found to be the most potent anti-oxidant and anti-glycation drug with SC50 and IC50 values of 1.3 × 10-4 and 4.2 μg/ml. Pearson analysis showed a good correlation between phenolic content and radical scavenging or antiglycation activities while the tannin content was found to influence the anti-bacterial activity. Conclusions: The present study conclusively demonstrates that the presence of phenolic compounds influence positively the radical scavenging and antiglycation activities. In addition the results also indicated that tannin was the main metabolite responsible for the antibacterial activity.

N, N, N-triethyl ammonium L-Phenylalanine esters as potential antimicrobial agents.

Wed, 06 Nov 2013 20:00:00 +0000

Quaternary ammonium compounds are an important class of molecules with wide variety of applications, mainly in the antimicrobial field. Quaternary ammonium compounds have the ability to bind with the anionic moiety of phospholipids of the bacterial membrane, disrupting the cell membrane of the microorganisms. However, classical quaternary ammonium salts can have adverse effects on the environment. Therefore, the use of amino acid analogues are preferred as raw materials for their synthesis. In this study, quaternary ammonium salts, namely N, N, N-triethyl ammonium L-Phenylalanine esters were synthesised by tethering the amino end with ethyl groups. The ease of quaternisation with increasing ester chain length of the amino acid was studied. The yields of the quaternary ammonium compounds were found to decrease with increasing alkyl chain of the phenylalanine esters (35%-6%). The antibacterial activity of the quaternary ammonium compounds were compared to that of the unquaternised phenylalanine ester using the Kirby-Bauer disk diffusion method against gram positive (B. cereus ATTC 11778, S. aureus ATCC 29213) and gram negative bacteria (S. typhimurium ATCC 14028, P. aeroginosa ATTC 27853). The quaternised ammonium esters were found to be better potential antibacterial agents as compared to the unquaternised esters.

Synthesis and Biological Activity of Derivatives of 2, 2′-Dithiobisbenzamides

Sat, 31 Dec 2011 20:00:00 +0000

The dithiobisbenzamides 1–4 were synthesized using 2,2′-dithiosalicylic acid with ammonia/ethylamine/benzylamine and 1,2-diaminopropane under different reaction conditions such as grinding, microwave irradiation and conventional heating which yielded the same products but in different yields. The synthesized compounds were subjected to antibacterial screening against both Gram-Positive (S. aureus, B. cereus, E. faecalis) and Gram-Negative (E.coli, S.typhi, P.aeruginosa, Klebshiella pneumoniae, Shigella) bacteria. The acyclic amides 1–3 showed activity against gram-positive bacteria while no activity was observed for Gram-negative bacteria. On the other hand cyclic amide, 4 was completely inactive against both types of bacteria. The synthesised benzamides were also screened for their anti-HIV activity.

1, 3-Dipolar Cycloaddition of Nitrile Oxides to [C60] fullerene: A Density Functional Theory Study

Tue, 29 Nov 2011 20:00:00 +0000

The extraordinary structures and properties of fullerenes have had an important impact on nanotechnology as these compounds exhibit outstanding mechanical and electronic properties. 1,3- Dipolar cycloadditions (1,3-DCs) have proved to be a powerful way to functionalize these conjugated π systems and have offered wide opportunities for the creation of new nanocarbon structures with potential application in biological, biotechnology, material science and medicinal chemistry. The 1,3-DCs of fullerene (C60) with nitrile oxides, RCNO, have been studied in the gas phase using density functional theory (DFT) at the B3LYP/6-31G(d) level. Energetic and kinetic parameters have been determined at room temperature so as to investigate the effect of electron-withdrawing (R = F, Cl, Br, NC, CN and NO2) and electron-releasing (R = Me and Et) substituents attached to the nitrile oxides on the 1,3-DCs. These parameters have been interpreted in terms of group electronegativity and DFT reactivity indices. An unexpected behaviour was observed for the 1,3-DC involving FCNO as these reactions have some pseudodiradical character. Inspired by the results of the 1,3-DCs of nitrile oxides to C60, we have extended this theoretical gas phase research to the addition of a second HCNO to the cycloadduct of the addition of HCNO on C60. The various possibilities for the second addition are being explored with the aim of determining the thermodynamic and kinetic products. The findings of our research should be helpful to experimentalists in their quests for functionalized fullerenes.

Cycloaddition of Methyl Acrylate with Substituted Pyridinium-3-olates and Pyrazinium-3-olates: 1, 3-Dipolar Cycloaddition versus Diels-Alder

Sun, 31 Oct 2010 20:00:00 +0000

The 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition (1,3-DC) and Diels-Alder (DA) reactions of substituted pyridinium-3-olates and pyrazinium-3-olates with methyl acrylate are studied using DFT method at the B3LYP/6-31G(d) level of theory. The molecular mechanism of the possible stereo- and regiochemical pathways is characterized both in the condensed and solvent phases. It is found that 1,3-DC is the favourable pathway for the reaction of pyridinium-3-olates with methyl acrylate and the thermodynamically more stable 6-substituted 8-azabicyclo[3.2.1]oct-3-en-2-ones are formed preferentially. This research is further extended to substituted pyrazinium-3-olates. Reactions of unsubstituted pyrazinium-3-olate and 1-methyl pyrazinium-3-olate with both ethene and methyl acrylate show a preference for the DA cycloaddition reaction. However, the addition of methyl acrylate to substituted pyrazinium-3-olates results in competitive mechanistic pathways and the preferred cycloaddition pathway is dependent on the location of the methyl group on the pyrazinium ring. The presence of a methyl substituent on C5 of the pyrazinium-3-olate favours the 1,3-DC over the DA reaction as the 2,6 positions are not sterically crowded. However, when methyl groups are present at the C2 and C6 positions, cycloaddition occurs via a Diels-Alder route which is free from encumbrance and hence bond formation at the C5 position is more enhanced.

1, 3-Dipolar Cycloaddition of 3-Oxidopyrazinium to Methyl Acrylate: An Experimental and Computational Investigation

Tue, 25 Nov 2008 20:00:00 +0000

1,3-Dipolar cycloaddition reaction between 3-oxidopyrazinium and methyl acrylate has been studied both experimentally and theoretically. Structures of the obtained cycloadducts, exo and endo isomers, were characterised based on spectral data namely IR, 1H and 13C NMR. These reactions can be interpreted in terms of the classical 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition reaction of 3-oxidopyridinium. Moreover the observed cycloaddition reaction has been investigated theoretically by means of the Hartree-Fock method using 6-31G as the basis sets in the gas phase in order to have more insight into their reaction profiles. All the geometries on the reaction paths have been optimised and the transition state structures have been ascertained by frequency analysis. Since the synthesis has been carried out in acetonitrile, the optimised structures have been used for single point computation in this solvent using the density functional method with B3LYP as the functional. The computations have allowed the determination of the activation energies and enthalpy changes of the reactions. These have been used for the interpretation of kinetic and thermodynamic stabilities. It is generally found that the addition reactions have lower activation energy and enthalpy changes in acetonitrile compared to the gas phase.

The state of research methods in tourism and hospitality

Thu, 26 Jul 2018 20:00:00 +0000

Gender and choice of methodology in tourism social science research.

Sat, 31 Dec 2016 20:00:00 +0000

This study investigates authorship patterns and the relationship between gender of authors and methodological approaches used in Annals of Tourism Research (ATR). Although there is a clear dominance of male authorship in the articles published in ATR in the time period examined (1990-2015), a growth in female authorship over time is observed. The results also demonstrate that the increasing presence of female authors is positively associated with the number of published articles based on qualitative methodologies.

Sampling design in tourism and hospitality research

Thu, 26 Jul 2018 20:00:00 +0000

Sampling is an essential component of the data collection process, which is in turn a vital stage of the research process as a whole. Undeniably, the quality of the sampling design has a strong impact on the overall quality of the research since it contributes to a large extent to the methodological rigour of the study and to the generalisability of the results. In this chapter, we have reviewed the various considerations in a sampling design. These include: defining the target population; selecting the sampling frame; determining the sampling technique; determining the sample size; and executing the sampling plan.

Digitalization and sustainability: virtual reality tourism in a post pandemic world

Thu, 10 Feb 2022 20:00:00 +0000

The government-imposed COVID-19 pandemic control measures brought the tourism sector to a complete halt. However, virtual reality (VR) tourism offered people a way to escape the isolation. Media reports and research have noted heightened activity in VR tourism, which has been touted as “alternative tourism” and “eco-tourism”. However, scholars have yet to determine whether this shift is temporary or will persist after the pandemic is over. Questions also remain regarding the factors driving this behaviour. The present study uses stimulus-organism-response theory (SOR) to propose a sequential mechanism of the interplay of antecedents and outcomes, theorising VR tourism as a sustainable tourism solution long into the future. The model, tested by analysing 359 responses collected from VR users through Prolific Academic, confirmed the positive association of the environmental impact of touristic travel and pandemic travel anxiety with eco-guilt; pandemic travel anxiety, moreover, was also associated with attitude towards VR tourism. Furthermore, attitude towards VR tourism was positively associated with willingness to forgo the pleasure of in-situ tourism and post-pandemic VR tourism continuance intentions, with willingness also mediating the association between the other two. Finally, willingness partially mediated the association of attitude and fully mediated the association of eco-guilt with intentions.

Foreign direct investment and tourism development: A theoretical and empirical review

Tue, 25 Sep 2018 20:00:00 +0000

Paid accommodation use of international VFR multi-destination travellers

Sun, 19 Jun 2016 20:00:00 +0000

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to explore the use of paid accommodation by international visitors who also stay with a friend or relative in another destination. Design/methodology/approach This paper conducts analysis of secondary data to look at the proportion of person nights in paid accommodation attributable to visitors who also stay with a friend or relative in another destination, and comparison of different visitor groups and their likelihood to use paid accommodation. Findings Results show that 14.5 per cent of all person nights spent by international visitors to Canada in paid accommodations were attributable to people who also stayed with a friend or relative in another destination. This proportion is higher for destinations outside of the largest cities and varies by source market. Research limitations/implications This paper is limited the structure of the secondary data set, which does not separate visiting friends from visiting relatives, and does not capture host behaviour. Practical implications This paper has implications for destination marketers and tourism businesses as a source for reflection on drivers of their local and international business. Social implications This paper helps position residents in a more central role regarding tourism in their regions and should encourage marketers and service providers to appreciate and engage residents as hosts. Originality/value This paper offers an original position by combining concepts from visiting friends and relatives and multi-destination travel that provides a foundation for further research in this area.

Effects of social media on residents’ attitudes to tourism: Conceptual framework and research propositions

Sun, 29 Nov 2020 20:00:00 +0000

The pervasive influence of social media on our lives provides new opportunities to study residents’ attitudes to tourism. Even though it is now common for residents to express their opinions and read about tourism development on social media, the consequences of this for their attitudes remain to be understood. This article uses the analytical perspectives of the information society and draws from the elaboration likelihood model, the influence of presumed influence model, and the social exchange theory to develop a causal-chain framework that considers the influence of social media on residents’ attitudes to tourism. Twenty-five research propositions emanate from the conceptual framework. The framework examines the direct as well as indirect influence of social media tourism messages on residents’ attitudes. It also recognizes users as the receivers and expressers of pro- as well as anti-tourism messages on social media. Our framework is theoretically inclusive, providing a reference to scholars and stimulating new ideas for future research on social media and residents’ attitudes. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study that provides the necessary theoretical foundations and a conceptual framework to study residents’ attitudes to tourism in an information era intensified by the growth of social media.

Consumers’ usage of food delivery app: A theory of consumption values

Mon, 24 Jan 2022 20:00:00 +0000

Food delivery applications (FDAs) represent a category of mobile applications that are used by consumers to order food online. The popularity of these FDAs has been growing exponentially recently, yet not much research has been carried out the topic. This study investigates consumers’ acceptance of FDAs using the theory of consumption values as its theoretical basis. The model explores the association between consumption values (functional, social, emotional, conditional, and epistemic), visibility, and usage intention of FDAs. Data were collected from 440 Indian consumers and the model was tested using structural equation modeling. Except for emotional value, the results indicated a significant association between functional, social, conditional, and epistemic values and usage intention. Furthermore, visibility mediated the relationship between consumption values and usage intention. This study’s theoretical and practical contributions are relevant to researchers and practitioners working in areas related to FDAs.

My home is your castle: forecasting the future of accommodation sharing

Sun, 17 Jan 2021 20:00:00 +0000

Purpose – This paper aims to formulate the most probable future scenario for the accommodation sharing sector within the next five to ten years. It addresses the following six thematic aspects: relevance, different forms of accommodation sharing, users, hosts, platforms, and finally, industry regulation. Design/methodology/approach – This study identifies the most likely holistic future scenario by conducting a two-stage Delphi study involving 59 expert panelists. It addresses 33 projections for six thematic sections of the accommodation sharing industry: relevance, different forms of accommodation sharing, users, hosts, platforms, and finally, industry regulation. Findings – The results indicate that the number of shared accommodations and users of home-sharing will increase. Moreover, the cost advantage is the predominant driver for users to engage in the accommodation sharing segment, and for the hosts, the generation of an extra income is the primary incentive. Finally, the regulation within this industry is expected to be more effective in the foreseeable future. Practical implications – The results are critical, not only to advance our theoretical understanding and stimulate critical discussions on the long-term development of accommodation sharing but also to assist governments and policymakers who have an interest in developing and regulating this sector and developers seeking business opportunities. Originality/value – While there is ample knowledge about the past and current development of accommodation sharing in tourism, little is understood about its potential future development and implications for consumers, the economy, and society. To date, no scientific research is available that develops scenarios about the future of accommodation sharing.

Understanding television viewership of a mega event: The case of the 2010 Winter Olympics

Wed, 26 Mar 2014 20:00:00 +0000

Media coverage and related viewership can be critical to the financial success of many sport and tourism events. It is not surprising, then, that many event organizers seek to improve the appeal and television viewership ratings associated with their respective properties. Moreover, insights into the nature of people’s decisions to watch the Olympics on television might be relevant to marketers hoping to simulate postevent tourism. This study focuses on understanding viewership decisions surrounding the Olympic Games using the theory of planned behavior as a conceptual framework. Consistent with the theory, it was hypothesized that attitude toward the behavior, subjective norm, and perceived behavioral control would explain respondents’ intention to watch the Vancouver 2010 Winter Games on television. Results suggest that watching the Games on television was associated with: (a) a belief that important others would perform the behavior (i.e., descriptive norms); (b) previous viewing of the Games’ televised coverage (i.e., past behavior); (c) a favorable evaluation of performing the behavior (i.e., attitude toward the behavior); and (d) a perceived ease of performing the behavior (i.e., perceived behavioral control). Respondents did not appear to perceive their viewership in ways that might be desirable to hospitality or tourism organizations. Implications for event stakeholders and hospitality/destination marketers are discussed.

Innovation in sustainable tourism.

Mon, 31 Dec 2018 20:00:00 +0000

Economic policy uncertainty, consumer confidence in major economies and outbound tourism to African countries

Sun, 17 Jan 2021 20:00:00 +0000

Uncertainty, which is the only certain thing about the future, influences economic agents, their behaviours and economic activity. Debates and concerns about policy uncertainty have intensified following events such as the financial crisis, Brexit and more recently, the Covid-19 pandemic. The purpose of this study is to investigate the impact of changes in economic policy uncertainty and consumer confidence in a set of major economies on tourism flows to African countries. Using data over the period of 2005–2019 and applying panel difference generalized method of moments method, our results show that a positive change in consumer confidence in Canada, China, France, Japan, Russia and the United Kingdom (UK) has favorable impact on tourism departures from these countries to 25 African countries. We also find that a positive change in uncertainty in Canada, Russia, Spain and the UK has negative effect on tourist departures from these countries to African countries. The implications of the results for tourism development in African countries are discussed.

Validating a theoretical model of citizens’ trust in tourism development

Sun, 31 Jan 2021 20:00:00 +0000

This research establishes the theoretical link between the development of tourism and citizens’ trust. The research is grounded in political economy of state intervention in tourism and draws from social exchange theory to build the theoretical model. The latter incorporates variables such as trust, power, knowledge, and benefits and costs of tourism, which are central to any exchange process between social actors. The model distinguishes and proposes a theoretical relationship between domain specific political trust and generic political trust. The former refers to citizens’ trust in local government in the specific context of tourism development while the latter refers to citizens’ general level of trust in local government. The model is tested using data collected from residents of the metropolitan area of Naples, Italy. Results suggest that residents’ trust in local government in the specific context of tourism strongly influences their general level of trust, suggesting a spill-over effect of political trust. We demonstrated empirically that political trust in the context of tourism and the general trust in an institution are theoretically distinct concepts. The constructs we used to conceptualize tourism development has distinct influence on the two dimensions of political trust.

Household food waste: attitudes, barriers and motivations

Sun, 10 Jan 2021 20:00:00 +0000

Purpose – Food waste at the household level represents a major component of all food waste. Therefore, minimizing food waste at the household level remains an important component of the food chain responsibility. This study explores the problem of food waste in Mauritius through an understanding of households’ attitudes toward food waste and their motivations and barriers to food waste recycling. Design/methodology/approach – The study uses a grounded theory approach to identify thematic categories that represent participants’ attitudes toward food waste and the barriers they face to food waste reduction. We used a purposive sampling technique to guide the selection of participants. Interviews were conducted with 14 participants: three experts in food waste and 11 households. The data were analyzed using the tools of grounded theory. Findings – Participants’ expressed views on food waste included (1) guilt toward wasting food; (2) (lack of) environmental awareness; (3) financial considerations and (4) exemption from responsibility. The findings also led to the development of four themes that defined the barriers participants face to recycling food waste: (1) lack of awareness; (2) space limitations on recycling methods; (3) inadequate policy and (4) lack of time/priority. Practical implications – Addressing the problem of food waste requires a holistic approach that takes into account households’ attitudes to food waste, their motivation and barriers to food waste recycling as well as the regulatory and institutional framework governing food waste management in Mauritius. Policymakers should try to improve households’ knowledge about food waste through educational campaigns. The authorities can provide different types of bins to households freely to facilitate the sorting out of waste and impose a fee for food waste generated beyond a certain limit or provide subsidies to them for handling food waste properly. Originality/value – The management of food waste is particularly challenging for small islands developing states because of their unique characteristics of smallness, limited resources and environmental vulnerability. Appropriate interventions to reduce household food waste require place-based and geographically sensitive analyses that take into account the specificities of local food and waste management systems and cultural norms with respect to food. However, there is not only a paucity of research on household food waste, but most studies have been carried out in nonisland economies. The study contributes to the limited research on household food waste in small islands. Keywords Motivation, Food waste, Households Paper type Research paper

Does domestic tourism influence COVID-19 cases and deaths?

Mon, 31 Jan 2022 20:00:00 +0000

Motivated by the current local travel restrictions imposed by most countries around the world, we examine the relationship between domestic travels and the COVID-19 cases and deaths. We use data from more than 90 countries and apply multivariate regressions for two different periods (January–June 2020 and July–December 2020). We control for a number of variables, including the Covid-19 Government Response Stringency Index, which is very comprehensive in its conceptualization. Using 2SLS estimators, we provide evidence that countries with higher levels of domestic travels experienced higher levels of COVID-19 cases and deaths over the first six months of pandemic. However, domestic tourism decorrelated with the pandemic spread from July to December 2020. Theoretically, we demonstrate that during the early stages of Covid-19, domestic tourism is potentially a vector of the virus spread, but once a country is hit by the pandemic, other local factors take precedence. Practically, these findings provide empirical support to governments policies to restrict residents’ nonessential domestic travels to reduce spreading the virus during the first few months of the pandemic.

Advancing sustainable development goals through interdisciplinarity in sustainable tourism research

Mon, 08 Nov 2021 20:00:00 +0000

The sustainable development goals (SDGs) address multifaceted problems that lie at the intersection between natural and socio-economic systems. While scholars agree that interdisciplinary research is needed to advance the SDGs, the concept of interdisciplinarity itself has been given limited attention. This article explores the interdisciplinarity of research published in the Journal of Sustainable Tourism using references cited by the journal’s articles. We use structural topic modeling to analyze research trends. The findings suggest that the research has become more interdisciplinary, however, knowledge is defined primarily by tourism studies and the business management discipline. To advance the SDGs, researchers should engage with disciplines such as anthropology and the humanities that can bring critical issues such as power relations and socio-cultural values to the forefront of sustainability discourses. Research should also conceptualize the SDGs as a network of targets to facilitate the integration of sustainable tourism outcomes with broader development goals.

Interactivity in online chat: Conversational cues and visual cues in the service recovery process

Thu, 30 Sep 2021 20:00:00 +0000

Use of both verbal and nonverbal cues in computer-mediated communication can influence customers’ perceptions and their behavioral intentions. Drawing on the compensation effect theory, this study investigates how verbal and nonverbal cues used by customer service agents during online service recovery processes affect customers’ perceptions of service chat agents’ warmth and competence and their willingness to cooperate with a service agent to complete the service recovery process. A 2 (message interactivity cues: high vs. low) × 2 (visual cues: high vs. low) between-subjects experimental design is utilized to identify the main and interaction effects of verbal and visual nonverbal cues used in online communications on customers attitudes and behaviors. Results show that use of verbal cues leads to higher perception of a chat agent’s competence, but lower perception of a chat agent’s warmth while use of visual nonverbal cues results in higher warmth perceptions but lower competence perceptions. The interaction effect of verbal and visual nonverbal cues indicates that visual nonverbal cues have a compensatory effect on message interactivity and vice versa, such that customer-perceived warmth and competence are prone to trade-offs between verbal cues and visual nonverbal cues. Furthermore, perceived warmth and competence mediate the indirect effects of verbal and nonverbal cues on customers’ cooperation intentions. Theoretical and practical implications of use of verbal and nonverbal cues during online communications in service recovery processes are discussed.

Influence of organisational factors on the effectiveness of performance management systems in the public sector

Sun, 12 May 2019 20:00:00 +0000

Purpose – This study analyses the determinants of an effective performance management system (PMS) in the public sector of Mauritius. It develops a theoretical model that has its roots in the resource-based theory and the institutional theory. Design/methodology/approach – The study uses a quantitative approach, making use of a structured questionnaire to collect data from 158 public sector organisations. Both email and postal methods were used for data collection. A hierarchical regression analysis is used to assess the effect of the organisational factors on PMS effectiveness, while controlling for a number of organisational profile variables. Findings – Results indicate that PMS is only moderately effective. Managers’ involvement, senior management involvement and performance feedback are significant predictors of PMSs effectiveness. Research limitations/implications – Findings of the study may have limited applicability to developed and industrialised countries and even developing countries that have a different public sector culture to that of Mauritius. Practical implications – The findings demonstrate that the effectiveness of PMSs is strongly reliant on the involvement of senior management. Accordingly, public sector managers should ensure that they are fully committed and engaged in performance management tasks. Originality/value – The study contributes to the limited research on the effectiveness of PMSs in developing countries that have a different bureaucratic and performance culture to that of developed nations. Keywords Human resource management, Effectiveness, Performance management, Public sector, Management involvement, Organizational factors Paper type Research paper

Tourism and hospitality development in African economies: Perspectives and challenges

Sun, 03 May 2015 20:00:00 +0000

Introduction to tourism impacts

Sun, 28 Apr 2019 20:00:00 +0000

As an introduction to the handbook this chapter provides an overview of studies that examine tourism impacts. The majority of studies on the impacts of tourism are grounded in the principles of sustainable tourism that emanate from the concept of sustainable development; the concept generally focuses on the meaning of development and the conditions necessary for sustainability, where development implies a process which raises the standard of living of people, and the future impacts of the development. This introduction also provides an overview of the theoretical frameworks that are used to provide a better theoretical explanation of the impacts of tourism, such as social exchange theory, tourist area life cycle, irridex model, intrinsic/extrinsic framework, identity theory, social representation theory, growth machine theory, and theory of planned behavior/theory of reasoned action. This introduction also provides an overview of the chapters and topics included in this handbook.

COVID-19 and the hospitality and tourism industry: A research companion

Mon, 13 Sep 2021 20:00:00 +0000

Offering a comprehensive understanding of the implications of the COVID-19 pandemic for the tourism and hospitality industry, this book discusses the topic from economic, sociological and psychological perspectives. Critical case studies are used to explore both micro impacts on individuals involved in the industry and governmental and international responses to issues posed by the pandemic more broadly.

Developing and testing a model predicting behavioral intentions of travelers

Sun, 09 Jun 2013 20:00:00 +0000

The purpose of this research is to investigate the relationship between information search behavior, destination image and future behavioral intentions of tourists. A questionnaire was designed, pretested and administered to a sample of 150 tourists visiting Mauritius. Results indicated that online information search significantly impacted on offline information search which was also found to be a significant predictor of destination image. Destination image attributes and offline information search significantly predicted future behavioral intentions of tourists. The research retained four hypotheses out of six. The findings can support the development and formulation of tourism and travel strategies to enhance and improve communication and marketing efforts with the aim to diversify the tourism industry of Mauritius.

Residents’ trust in government, tourism impacts, and quality of life: Testing a structural model

Tue, 14 Sep 2021 20:00:00 +0000

There is a paucity of research on political trust in local government institutions involved in tourism development in Sub-Saharan Africa. This study investigates the drivers of public trust and its influence on residents’ well-being by developing a theoretical model grounded in the social exchange theory. The model is tested using data collected on 1409 residents of four major cities in Cameroon. Results from the Partial-Least-Squares structural equation model (PLS-SEM) suggest that residents perceived positive and negative impacts of tourism, knowledge of tourism, perceived power in tourism, and satisfaction with tourism significantly predicted their trust in government actors. Residents perceived positive and negative impacts of tourism were also significantly associated with their quality of life. The theoretical and practical relevance of these results are discussed.

Festival and Event Tourism Impacts

Wed, 16 Sep 2020 20:00:00 +0000

Festival and Event Tourism Impacts provides a comprehensive review and analysis of the multi-faceted impacts that festival and events have on a host community, whether positive or negative, and offers recommendations for communities for the successful management of this kind of tourism. Opening chapters define festival and event tourism impact concepts utilized in the field and their evolution throughout the years, followed by an exploration of the current issues facing communities. The second part discusses sustainability and environmental issues that affect destinations and communities as a result of festival and event impacts. Subsequent chapters outline further impacts and finally address cutting-edge event tourism development and impact management strategies and considerations such as innovative management approaches, sustainability, and social responsibility, for example, and identify future trends and issues within a multidisciplinary global perspective. A variety of geographical locations are exemplified throughout as well as a range of diverse event types including the Formula One Grand Prix in Monaco, Pope Francis’ visit to Mauritius in 2019, and the 29th Summer Universiade in Taiwan, among many others. Drawing on the knowledge and expertise of highly regarded academics from around the world, this will be of great interest to all upper-level students and researchers in Tourism, Hospitality, Events, and related fields.

The need for and crisis of trust in tourism planning and development

Wed, 06 Aug 2014 20:00:00 +0000

Sustainable tourism development is a long-term approach that cultivates economically viable tourism without harming residents’ environment or society while simultaneously ensuring fair distribution of costs and benefits (Assante et al. 2012). Strategic tourism planning – a process aimed to optimize the benefits of tourism so that the result is a balance of the appropriate quality and quantity of supply with the proper level of demand, without compromising either the locale’s socio-economic and environmental developments or its sustainability – lies at the very heart of sustainable development (Edgell et al. 2008). For a tourism-related strategy to sustain itself, residents must be willing partners in the process (Ko and Stewart 2002). Communities must be involved in the planning, and their attitudes toward tourism and perceptions of its impact on community life must be continually assessed (Allen et al. 1988).

Corporate social responsibility and hotel financial performance

Wed, 16 Feb 2022 20:00:00 +0000

This paper assesses the causal relationship between corporate social responsibility (CSR) activities and corporate financial performance using a sample of 43 hotels for the period 2007–2018. The research employs a dynamic panel vector autoregressive model (PVAR) which brings more analytical insights in the CSR- Financial Performance modeling. The results show that CSR has a positive and significant impact on corporate financial performance and lend support to the theoretical underpinnings with respect to the CSR and financial performance nexus. The results suggest that growth opportunities mediate the relationship between CSR and performance. High-growth hotels will have better opportunities to engage in CSR activities which in turn positively impact on their performance. Practically, our findings suggest that CSR is an important mechanism to improve the efficiency of organizations.

Social media attachment: Conceptualization and formative index construction

Mon, 31 Jan 2022 20:00:00 +0000

There is little consensus on the dimensions of social media attachment, conceptualized as a unidimensional construct by some scholars and multidimensional by others. The conceptual labels given to those dimensions also differ across studies, posing challenges to researchers. This study addresses some of those conceptual issues by developing a formative index of social media attachment. It employs a two-staged methodology involving interviews that are used to develop the items and elicit the dimensions of attachment and a survey to test the index empirically. The results provide support for an eight-item parsimonious index that captures the multifaceted nature of social media attachment: connecting/socializing; keeping up to date; dependence; dysfunctional use; expressing feelings; self-presentation; seeking self-esteem; and seeking knowledge. The index displays sound psychometric properties and is nomologically valid. Theoretically, it reflects the various conceptualizations of social media attachment in a single short measure. The index is also practically useful to researchers.

Reconceptualizing tourists’ extraordinary experiences

Tue, 28 Dec 2021 20:00:00 +0000

Research that conceptualizes tourist extraordinary experiences both from the structural and anti-structural perspective is limited in the tourism literature. The purpose of this research is to develop a new theoretical perspective that re-conceptualizes our understanding of tourists’ extraordinary experience by taking into consideration both the structural and anti-structural elements of an experience. It draws on phenomenological interviews with 26 food tourists. The study finds that extraordinary experience consists of elements such as profaneness, collaborative interactions and conflict-easing, which represent both the structural and anti-structural elements. The findings of this study allow us to question whether extraordinary experience is purely structural or anti-structural as suggested by previous research. Rather, based on the findings, we argue that extraordinary experience is the positive co-existence of both the ordinary and the non-ordinary. As a result, we use the term “synstructure” to conceptualize the tourist extraordinary experience.

On the intellectual structure and influence of tourism social science research

Sun, 31 Oct 2021 20:00:00 +0000

Studies towards Use of Di-tert-butyl-dicarbonate Both as a Protecting and Activating Group in the Synthesis of Dipeptides

Mon, 31 Oct 2005 20:00:00 +0000

Amide formation from amino acids was achieved in an easy and convenient one-pot procedure in chloroform or tetrahydrofuran as solvent using di-tert-butyl dicarbonate both as a protecting and an activating agent in the absence of a catalyst or coupling reagent. A number of dipeptide has been thus synthesized in good yields. The structures of the dipeptides were confirmed by IR, NMR and mass spectral data.

PHYSICO-CHEMICAL AND MICROBIOLOGICAL STUDIES OF DRINKING WATER FROM MAURITIUS _

Sat, 31 Dec 2016 20:00:00 +0000

Access to safe drinking water is a fundamental requirement for good health and is also a human right. The monitoring of water supplies for the detection of faecal pollution is an important aspect for the detection of pathogenic bacteria, responsible for diseases such as gastroenteritis, cholera and bacillary dysentery thus representing serious health hazards. Most drinking water suppliers rely on faecal indicators, such as the well-established Escherichia coli (E. coli) or the total coliform enumeration. In the present study, the physicochemical parameters (pH, turbidity and conductivity) and the enumeration of the micro-organisms, E. coli, total coliform and clostridium perfringens were carried out in raw, filtered and treated water samples over a period of five months (August–December 2014) at three different stations. Filtration of water caused a considerable decrease on turbidity (about 55%) except at Station 3, where the treated water was mixed with raw water coming from a borehole. After filtration and chlorination the water samples tested were found to be free from the indicator organisms (coliform organisms and presumptive E. coli). However, the presence of clostridium perfringens were detected and enumerated in chlorinated water samples (0–3 CFU) for the samples collected during drought season. Therefore, treatment of water samples with chlorine can eliminate the coliform bacteria, but the more resistant pathogens are not eliminated completely Hence, clostridium perfringens could be used as an additional bio-indicator to assess faecal pollution and to monitor the treatment of drinking water more efficiently.

A meta-analysis of the tourism and economic growth Nexus

Tue, 13 Jun 2017 20:00:00 +0000

The existing literature is fraught with empirical studies delineating the impact of the tourism sector on economic growth. However, the results are at best inconclusive. In this regard, the aim of the present study is to investigate the underlying elements influencing the tourismeconomic growth nexus within a meta-analysis framework. Such types of study are very scanty in nature and the only existing meta study focuses solely on panel data studies. In the present instance, our study is extended to include time series and cross sectional types of studies also. The results indicate that the relationship between tourism and economic growth is systematically influenced by data characteristics, estimation characteristics and specification characteristics.

The impact of food culture on patronage intention of visitors: the mediating role of satisfaction

Sun, 15 Jan 2023 20:00:00 +0000

Handbook of research methods for marketing management

Thu, 21 Oct 2021 20:00:00 +0000

Taking a multidisciplinary approach, this comprehensive Handbook comprises contributions from international researchers of diverse educational and research backgrounds. Chapters present methodological issues within marketing research, sharing the researchers’ experiences of what does and does not work, as well as discussing challenges and avenues for innovation.

Examining ‘toxic tourism’as a new form of alternative urban tourism and environmental justice: The case of the South Durban Industrial Basin, South Africa

Sat, 26 Dec 2020 20:00:00 +0000

The concept of tourism and tourism destinations has evolved over the decades, expanding from more natural environments in rural areas to include additional ‘manufactured’ attributes to attract tourists. The classical tourism destination needed to meet certain criteria, such as having (natural) tourist attractions and accommodations with a degree of market attractiveness. This chapter examines toxic tours as a tool to address environmental injustices created by capitalist political economies in the South Durban Industrial Basin, South Africa, and their potential to serve as a platform to address urban risks. It explores the potential for toxic tourism to serve as an alternative form of tourism not only to highlight urban industrial risk issues, but also to serve as a new tourism product offering for other tourism sites experiencing environmental degradation, such as township tourism environments. Toxic tourism, thus, represents an interpretive lens for analysis, linking environmental justice with tourism.

Travellers’ loyalty toward Airbnb: the moderating effect of relative attractiveness of the reward program

Wed, 16 Nov 2022 20:00:00 +0000

This study investigates the drivers of Airbnb users’ loyalty. Data were collected from 343 individuals and were analysed using the partial least squares technique. The results showed that accommodation price reasonableness, accommodation variety, website efficiency quality, and online review information quantity have effect on loyalty. Furthermore, the attractiveness of the reward program negatively moderates the impact of website efficiency quality on loyalty. The study contributes to the literature theoretically by developing and testing a model that goes beyond destination- and host-related factors by considering the influence of attributes specific to Airbnb on travellers’ loyalty and the moderating role of attractiveness of the reward program. The findings of this study also provide valuable implications for managers of peer-to-peer accommodation platforms and website developers.

A comprehensive review on the adoption of insulated block/eco-block as a green building technology from a resident perspective

Mon, 11 Apr 2022 20:00:00 +0000

Partial Least Square Structural Equation Modelling (PLS-SEM) in marketing research

Thu, 21 Oct 2021 20:00:00 +0000

This paper investigates the several features that PLS-SEM offers to scholars and researchers, especially in the marketing management area. Studies in the marketing management field has been observed to be using mostly the Structural Equation Modelling and a lack of the variance-based approach has been observed. Thus, the several steps have been enumerated and discussed when the use of PLS-SEM is adopted so as to further encourage researchers to exploit the several dimensions of the PLS-SEM. The differences between covariance-based and variance-based methodology has been elaborated. The paper demonstrates the various benefits of using PLS-SEM, especially when dealing with small sample size, formative constructs and complex frameworks. PLS-SEM also contributes towards theory development and allows the researchers a degree of freedom to better explicate relationships amongst variables. The handling of first and second-order factors, testing the framework through the measurement and structural model has also been discussed. The use of the mediation analysis and the Importance-Performance Map Analysis has also been explained.

Assessing Employee Satisfaction in Higher Education: the case of Academics of the University of Mauritus

Mon, 23 Aug 2010 20:00:00 +0000

Operations Management in the Travel Industry

Thu, 31 Dec 2009 20:00:00 +0000

Airbnb Experiences: Travelers’ Purchase Behavior and Word-of-Mouth

Wed, 26 Oct 2022 20:00:00 +0000

This research examines travelers purchase behavior of “Airbnb experiences” by developing a model based on the stimulus organism response theory. Motivation, conceptualized as hedonic and utilitarian, is proposed to influence attitudes toward “Airbnb experiences.” The model is tested using data collected from two separate empirical studies on Indian domestic travelers. Empirical findings from both studies demonstrate a significant influence of perceived authenticity, perceived enjoyment, and service quality on travelers’ attitudes toward “Airbnb experiences.” The results from the two studies also converge with respect to the influence of attitudes on purchase intention and word-of-mouth. Both studies suggest a moderating effect of trend affinity on the relationship between attitudes and word-of-mouth. The research presents scholars with a theoretically robust model with the motivational attributes that positively impacts on travelers’ attitudes toward “Airbnb experiences” and the latter’s influence on purchase intention and word-of-mouth. We discuss the practical implications and limitations of the research.

Tourism and political economy

Mon, 12 Sep 2022 20:00:00 +0000

Tourism development and economic growth: theoretical underpinnings and agenda for future research

Mon, 12 Sep 2022 20:00:00 +0000

Tourism development has been more recently added to these growth inductive factors and the idea of tourism development as a boost of economic growth (coined as the Tourism Led-Growth Hypothesis) has emerged as an extension of the Export Led-Growth Hypothesis with tourism considered as an alternative form of export. A number of theoretical avenues has since been put forward. This book chapter aims to provide the various theoretical arguments that explain the impact of tourism development on economic growth and discusses the different strands of the empirical literature including the conditional, reverse and bi-causal relationship in the tourism-growth nexus.

A Success versus Failure Prediction Model for Small Firms

Sun, 04 Sep 2022 20:00:00 +0000

Understanding the reasons behind the success and failure of SMEs is an important research endeavor. This study develops a success versus prediction model for small and medium enterprises (SMEs). Data were collected from SMEs in Mauritius. Both models were found to be valid and reliable and had good prediction accuracies. The full model, however, was found to have a slight advantage over the reduced model. Capital, financial record keeping and control, management experience, business planning and use of professional advisors were significant predictors SMEs’ success. The theoretical implications of the findings are discussed. The study also provides practical implications for stakeholders.

Rethinking Lockdown Policies in the Pre-Vaccine Era of COVID-19: A Configurational Perspective

Thu, 09 Jun 2022 20:00:00 +0000

The significance of lockdown policies for controlling the COVID-19 pandemic is widely recognized. However, most studies have focused on individual lockdown measures. The effectiveness of lockdown policy combinations has not been examined from a configurational perspective. This research applies fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis (fsQCA) to examine different lockdown policy combinations associated with high-epidemic situations in 84 countries. A high-epidemic situation can occur through three different “weak-confined” patterns of lockdown policy combinations. The findings demonstrate that a combination of lockdown policies is more successful than any single lockdown policy, whereas the absence of several key measures in policy combinations can lead to a high-epidemic situation. The importance of international travel controls can become obscured when they are the only measures adopted, and a high-epidemic situation can still arise where restrictions are placed on international travel but not on public transport or when workplaces are closed but schools remain open.

Introduction: advances in marketing research methods

Thu, 21 Oct 2021 20:00:00 +0000

Examining the evolution of citations and team composition in Industrial Marketing Management

Sun, 28 Feb 2021 20:00:00 +0000

Consumer empowerment in the hospitality industry

Thu, 26 Apr 2018 20:00:00 +0000

Power plays a significant role in Web interactivity. Traditionally, marketers had control over their communication channels as they created and distributed messages to consumers through offline platforms. As a consequence to a shift in adoption in technology, marketers now create content online and engage their audience on social media platforms. This study outlines the rationale behind tourist motivation to increased usage of social media followed by an overview of shifts in technology adoption. In addition, implications for hospitality marketers are highlighted in view of reshaped practices following the social media revolution.

Innovative approach to destination marketing: The smoke-free support hotel concept

Thu, 26 Apr 2018 20:00:00 +0000

This chapter aims at sensitizing hospitality and tourism stakeholders on the need for a paradigm shift from partial smoke-free to comprehensive smoke-free hotels in light of the latest evidence on the dangers of smoking and the harms of tobacco smoke to non-smokers. This chapter will highlight the innovative approach to adopt to become real smoke-free hotels, discuss the means to become smoke-free support hotels and identify the criteria to be fulfilled by destinations wishing to implement the Smoke-Free Support Hotel Concept as an innovative approach to destination marketing.

Developing a consumer loyalty model

Thu, 06 Apr 2017 20:00:00 +0000

Loyalty in the tourism literature is borrowed from the consumer behaviour literature, but adapted to the specific characteristics of the tourism and hospitality industry. This chapter identifies key constructs that relate to loyalty behaviours in the tourism industry. Whilst research in the tourism literature focuses on antecedents of tourist loyalty such as satisfaction, value, motivation and service quality, there is a dearth of research on the impacts of new-fangled technologies such as social media and their impacts on the loyalty model. The chapter considers a new loyalty integrated model with antecedents of tourist loyalty such as trust in social media, destination image, consumption emotion and satisfaction. It reviews precursors of tourist loyalty such as the relationship between trust in social media and destination image. The chapter depicts new constructs that revamp a new loyalty integrated model. Since loyalty is beneficial to both tourists and service providers, monitoring its evolution is important.

Special section on trust, power, social capital, governance and sustainable tourism.

Sat, 31 Dec 2016 20:00:00 +0000

Special Issue of the European Journal of Tourism Research:" Mega Events and Tourism Policies"

Sat, 31 Dec 2011 20:00:00 +0000

Satisfaction with Community Services as Antecedents of Residents Support for Tourism.

Wed, 08 Jul 2009 20:00:00 +0000

AN ANALYSIS OF ECOTOURISM AND ITS POTENTIAL IN MAURITIUS

Wed, 16 Nov 2016 20:00:00 +0000

The contribution of the tourism sector towards the development of host nations is undeniable in that it provides several benefits such as creation of employment, generation of added value and tax revenue, and boosting of inward foreign direct investment. Yet, tourism does also have negative environmental, economic and socio-cultural effects and it is also true that tourism can have a negative impact on the physical environment, economic, and socio-cultural landscape of host nations. This is particularly true for the case of SIDS. Due to their distinct characteristics and vulnerabilities, SIDS are most affected by the change in climatic conditions. And in this regard, Mauritius is no different. Fortunately, the island’s successive governments have embarked on a series of policy measures aimed at fostering green initiatives with the ultimate objective of greater sector sustainability, one of which the promulgation of an eco-tourism sub-sector. However, despite their best efforts, there is the wide-held belief that the eco-tourism sector is yet to take off with a number of supply side factors being viewed as major constraints to the promulgation of same. As such, the aim of the present study is two-fold. Firstly, through a review of the existing regulations and legal frameworks and through discussions with various sector stakeholders, delineate the various supply side factors hindering the expansion of an eco-tourism sub-sector and propose remedial measures accordingly. Secondly, through the use of the survey method, our research attempts to delineate the various demand driven factors fostering the behavioural intention of tourists towards eco-tourism. Using data from the survey, this study engages in deeper statistical analysis through the use of a structured equation modeling in an attempt to identify and quantify the various factors influencing the adoption of eco tourism practices. The results show that consumers’ ecotourism attitude positively influence ecotourism intention, ecotourism interest, and willingness to pay a premium to participate in ecotourism activities. The results also indicate that consumers’ ecotourism interest would positively predict their intention towards ecotourism. Furthermore, consumers’ environmental attitudes did not positively predict ecotourism intention. As regards the supply side impediments, discussions with stakeholders reveal that the main constraints to promoting an eco-tourism sub-sector include firstly, lack of finance with respect to the fostering and conservation of eco-sites; lack of a holistic approach for the strategic orientation of the sector; lack of educational and sensitization programmes and the prioritization of return on investment when making investment decisions in the sector; the island’s topography is not conducive to fostering eco-tourism; and finally a lack of interinstitutional communication, collaboration and coordination amongst the various tourism stakeholders. To that end, several measures are proposed including a more holistic approach to the sector, the promulgation of a branding exercise, fostering greater private public partnership to increase funding opportunities, promoting greater interplay between the different tourism stakeholders, incentivizing tourism businesses to seek certification and finally providing training programmes to stakeholders and embarking on sensitization campaigns to foster the integration of the local community.

Mega events and tourism policies.

Sat, 31 Dec 2011 20:00:00 +0000

The purpose of this special issue is to provide event and tourism researchers, scholars, and policy-makers with a point of reference for research on mega events and their implications for tourism policies and planning. The volume consists of four peer-reviewed research papers on this topic.

Special issue of e-review of tourism research on" tourism and hospitality development in indian ocean island economies"

Tue, 07 Dec 2010 20:00:00 +0000

Isolation and Characterization of Microsatellite Markers for Mimusops balata (Sapotaceae) and Cross-Amplification in Other Mimusops Species

Sun, 16 Dec 2012 20:00:00 +0000

Mimusops balata (Sapotaceae) is an endemic tree species from La Réunion and Mauritius. Like many species growing in lowland forests in La Réunion, it has suffered from human disturbances. We developed twelve microsatellite markers for M. balata and tested cross-amplification in five other Mimusops species to have powerful tools for genetic diversity studies. Genotyping peaks were of very low quality for two loci and were consequently abandoned for the genetic diversity analyses. Ten microsatellite loci were tested on 34 individuals of M. balata from two natural populations. The number of alleles per locus ranged from one to seven. The observed and expected heterozygosity levels varied from 0.000 to 0.823, and from 0.000 to 0.812 respectively. Two loci deviated from the Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium. The presence of null alleles was detected for one of these two loci. Nine to ten loci cross-amplified reliably in Mauritian species, for the other three species, four to six loci show successful amplifications. These polymorphic microsatellite markers are now available for population genetic investigations in Mimusops species aiming to establish accurate guidelines for conservation managers.

Flavonoid profiles: A source of supporting evidence for the identification of the rediscovered T. Parviflora species of mauritius

Sun, 31 Dec 2000 20:00:00 +0000

Présence du Gecko sans griffe Ebenavia inunguis à Vacoas (île Maurice)

Sun, 31 Dec 1989 20:00:00 +0000

Le 5 août 1989, à 19h40, à Vacoas (altitude 500m), nous avons tous deux observés pour la première fois un petit gecko nocturne apparemment peu connu à l’île Maurice. Si cette espèce est de temps à autres signalée dans cette île (Tirvengadum & Bour, 1985; Cheke, 1987), elle semble uniquement connue de Moka (Vinson & Vinson, 1969). Seuls, 9 spécimens ont été capturés auparavant dans un même habitat à Moka:«sous une écorce lâche» de longani, Euphoria longan: 4 spécimens en 1948-Moka (Jean Vinson); 2 autres spécimens, toujours en 1948-Moka (Jean Vinson); 1 spécimen, en 1967-Moka (Jean-Michel Vinson); 2 spécimens, en 1968-Moka (Jean-Michel Vinson). Celui que nous avons observé, était situé dans une habitation, à l’embrasure supérieure d’une porte et semblait peu farouche. Sa couleur brun-clair, sa tête allongée et triangulaire et surtout l’extrémité de sa queue bariolée de bandes blanches ne correspondaient à aucun pattern des geckos communs distribués sur l’île Maurice. Sans doute engourdi par le froid, nous l’avons facilement capturé à la main.

Synthesis of Cyclo (L-Trans-(4-Hydroxyprolinyl)-L-Phenylalanine)

Sun, 21 Feb 2016 20:00:00 +0000

The diketopiperazine Cyclo (L-trans-(4-Hydroxyprolinyl)-L-phenylalanine) 1 has been synthesized by coupling a suitably protected form of L-trans-hydroxy proline with L-phenylalanine ethyl ester, deprotection of the amino group followed by an deacetimisation and finally desilylation. This final product has spectral data that agree with the already reported data in literature.

Palm Leaves as Potential Natural-fibre Source for a Tropical Island Developing State

Fri, 02 Apr 2021 20:00:00 +0000

The mechanical and chemical properties of fibers, extracted from four Mascarene endemic palm species, were determined in the untreated and mercerized states. Tensile strength of the fibers increased by 26% for the Hurricane fibers and to 92% for Bottle palm. Fibers from the Blue Latan gave the highest strength of 208 MPa. TCI index suggests that increase in strength is due to the transformation of cellulose I to II. FTIR and DSC tests confirm that hemicellulose was not completely removed during mercerization; its complete removal will yield stronger fiber, making the Blue Latan fiber a potential candidate for composites manufacture.

Checking back two centuries: a key criterion to identify the wolfsnake, Lycodon aulicus (Linnaeus, 1758), in the Mascarene Islands

Mon, 08 Feb 2021 20:00:00 +0000

The wolfsnake of the genus Lycodon present in the Mascarene Islands has recently been referred to as L. capucinus in the literature, but this identification has never been formally confirmed by any morphological study. The taxonomy of the genus Lycodon is poorly resolved, and recent photographs suggest that this identification may be erroneous. Using a comparative table of the distinguishing characteristics of L. aulicus and L. capucinus, we clarify the identity of 19 historical specimens collected in the Mascarenes during the 19 th and 20 th centuries based on colouration patterns. We show that the species present in Réunion and Mauritius should be referred to as L. aulicus. We highlight the importance of specimens from natural history collections in resolving taxonomic questions, especially regarding the identity of introduced species.

La perturbation de la pollinisation par une fourmi introduite chez une plante endémique insulaire en déclin varie temporellement et s’aggrave suite à l’invasion de plantes …

Wed, 31 Jul 2019 20:00:00 +0000

Determinants of tourism small and medium enterprises financial performance

Tue, 01 Sep 2020 20:00:00 +0000

This study develops and tests a structural model that incorporates the determinants of SME financial performance in Mauritius. Data were collected from 384 tourism SME owners using a structured questionnaire. The results indicate that managerial capability has a significant positive effect on SME performance and is in turn influenced by managers’ autonomy and competence. The study does find a significant relationship between innovation capability and SME performance. Given the socio-economic importance of SMEs to the Mauritian economy, the results provide crucial information to government and policy-makers that can used to develop macro-economic policies that increase their contribution to the socio-economic development of the country. For entrepreneurs, the study provides insights on areas of interventions that can lead to an improvement in the financial performance of their organisations. Despite the study limitations, it contributes to a theoretical understanding of the determinants of financial performance in African economies.

Investigating the impact of climate change on the tourism sector of SIDS

Mon, 31 Dec 2018 20:00:00 +0000

The tourism sector is vital for the development of small island developing states. However, climate change can negatively impact on tourism demand and affect these economies both on the economic and social level. The purpose of this study is to investigate the relationship between climate change and tourism demand in 20 small island developing states (SIDS) from 1995 to 2015. Using panel autoregressive distributed lag model based on two alternative estimators such as mean group estimator (MG) and pooled mean group (PMG), it was found that there is a significant relationship between climate change and tourism demand in the long-run for the selected SIDS. Further analysis of the results shows a bi directional causality between tourism demand and real GDP.

Island hopping through urban filters: Anthropogenic habitats and colonized landscapes alter morphological and performance traits of an invasive amphibian

Thu, 22 Sep 2022 20:00:00 +0000

A prominent feature of the modern era is the increasing spread of invasive species, particularly within island and urban ecosystems, and these occurrences provide valuable natural experiments by which evolutionary and invasion hypotheses can be tested. In this study, we used the invasion route of guttural toads (Sclerophrys gutturalis) from natural-native and urban-native populations (Durban, South Africa) to their urban-invasive and natural-invasive populations (Mauritius and Réunion) to determine whether phenotypic changes that arose once the toads became urbanized in their native range have increased their invasive potential before they were transported (i.e., prior adaptation) or whether the observed changes are unique to the invasive populations. This urban/natural by native/invasive gradient allowed us to examine differences in guttural toad morphology (i.e., body size, hindlimb, and hindfoot length) and performance capacity (i.e., escape speed, endurance, and climbing ability) along their invasion route. Our findings indicate that invasive island populations have reduced body sizes, shorter limbs in relation to snout-vent length, decreased escape speeds, and decreased endurance capacities that are distinct from the native mainland populations (i.e., invasion-derived change). Thus, these characteristics did not likely arise directly from a pre-transport anthropogenic “filter” (i.e., urban-derived change). Climbing ability, however, did appear to originate within the urban-native range and was maintained within the invasive populations, thereby suggesting it may have been a prior adaptation that provided this species with an advantage during its establishment in urban areas and spread into natural forests. We discuss how this shift in climbing performance may be ecologically related to the success of urban and invasive guttural toad populations, as well as how it may have impacted other island-derived morphological and performance phenotypes.

Foraging and roosting patterns of a repeatedly mass-culled island flying fox reveals opportunities to mitigate human–wildlife conflict

Tue, 23 Aug 2022 20:00:00 +0000

Human–wildlife conflicts (HWC) arising from fruit bats eating commercial fruits is a worsening problem worldwide and is epitomized by the Mauritian flying fox (Pteropus niger), a species threatened with extinction yet repeatedly mass-culled since 2015. Non-lethal solutions for dealing with this HWC are needed, which are rooted in the evidence available. In this study, we tracked the movements of 12 flying fox individuals over two years in order to document the animal’s movement ecology, with a view to deriving recommendations to alleviate the ensuing HWC. We found that flying foxes prefer to forage and roost in forested areas located at elevations < 250 m. However, during the fruiting season of commercial trees, the animals tended to roost closer to and forage more often on commercial fruits during the early hours of the night. These findings have several implications for the improvement of commercial fruit protection, which should in turn alleviate HWC, notably through informing management to take into consideration the spatio-temporal expression of flying fox foraging.

Colonization during colonialism: developing a framework to assess the rapid ecological transformation of Mauritius’s pristine ecosystem

Mon, 11 Apr 2022 20:00:00 +0000

The colonization of Mauritius exemplifies the role played by humans in altering the ecosystems of remote oceanic islands. This paper focuses on how we study those islands first colonized under the global mantle of colonialism. Here we aim to provide a framework for historical ecological investigations to disentangle the processes, impacts, and outcomes of colonization during colonialism, considering local, regional, and global drivers. The paper provides a review of existing literature, outlines a proposed research program encompassing paleoecology, paleoclimatology, archeology, and history, and offers details of potential research sites. We present “historical ecology” as a framework to aid future work, and argue that a refined understanding of the impact of human colonization can help create a nuanced chronology of environmental degradation that typifies Mauritius. Such detailed assessment is necessary to inform contemporary ecological conservation efforts. Finally, we argue that narratives of changing ecosystems and practice can help construct “usable pasts,” often missing from historical records, for the multicultural populace of the island.

Diversity, ecology and conservation of Mauritius orchids

Sun, 23 Jan 2022 20:00:00 +0000

Mauritius was one of the last places on Earth to be colonized by humans offering one of the most complete history of what native species occurred originally and what was lost, when, and why. This situation can therefore serve as a laboratory to study human impacts in the current age of human-driven species extinction. Mauritius is also one of the most human-impacted places, thereby reflecting what awaits much of the tropics as human impacts intensify. We used available literature, herbarium samples, and personal observations and studies on the Orchidaceae to characterize its diversity, distribution and ecology, and the human-induced threats they face, to better inform their conservation in Mauritius. There are 91 native orchid species from 30 genera recorded on the island. Twenty species (22%) appear extinct, although some may survive undetected. New species and records continue to be added. Only 10% of the species are endemic to Mauritius, and 80% are unique to the south-west Indian Ocean islands. Most species are epiphytic, and the highest diversity occurs in native forests of the wet uplands. Mauritian orchids, particularly the larger ones, face many threats, some inexorably worsening. There exists much room to improve knowledge about Mauritian orchids that would better inform their conservation which is today still very neglected. This includes taxonomic research, detection of ecological patterns and trends, ecology of the species, as well as quantification and hierarchization of threats to prioritize conservation management. Studying Mauritius native orchids helps understand how devastating, sustained, and accelerating the many threats that human activities pose to orchid biodiversity can be and which await other countries currently less human-impacted than Mauritius.

Testing the generalizability of ancestry-specific polygenic risk scores to predict prostate cancer in sub-Saharan Africa

Fri, 31 Dec 2021 20:00:00 +0000

Background Genome-wide association studies do not always replicate well across populations, limiting the generalizability of polygenic risk scores (PRS). Despite higher incidence and mortality rates of prostate cancer in men of African descent, much of what is known about cancer genetics comes from populations of European descent. To understand how well genetic predictions perform in different populations, we evaluated test characteristics of PRS from three previous studies using data from the UK Biobank and a novel dataset of 1298 prostate cancer cases and 1333 controls from Ghana, Nigeria, Senegal, and South Africa. Results Allele frequency differences cause predicted risks of prostate cancer to vary across populations. However, natural selection is not the primary driver of these differences. Comparing continental datasets, we find that polygenic predictions of case vs. control status are more effective for European individuals (AUC 0.608–0.707, OR 2.37–5.71) than for African individuals (AUC 0.502–0.585, OR 0.95–2.01). Furthermore, PRS that leverage information from African Americans yield modest AUC and odds ratio improvements for sub-Saharan African individuals. These improvements were larger for West Africans than for South Africans. Finally, we find that existing PRS are largely unable to predict whether African individuals develop aggressive forms of prostate cancer, as specified by higher tumor stages or Gleason scores. Conclusions Genetic predictions of prostate cancer perform poorly if the study sample does not match the ancestry of the original GWAS. PRS built from European GWAS may be inadequate for application in non-European populations and perpetuate existing health disparities.

Assessing corporate governance practices of Mauritian companies

Thu, 31 Dec 2015 20:00:00 +0000

The aim of this study is to assess the CG practices of companies listed on the Stock Exchange of Mauritius (SEM) and non-listed banks. The Mauritius Code of Corporate Governance (MCCG) is used as a basis to collect both primary and secondary data. Survey questionnaires have been used to detect and analyse the extent to which the different sectors comply to CG as well as the assessment of the CG practices. The factors affecting CG practices as well as the importance of good CG have been identified. The data collected have been analysed using SPSS. Accordingly, the results have showed that there is a sectorial difference in the level of compliance and it has also been noted that varying results have been obtained with respect to variables including board of directors, committees, disclosure, social responsibilities, stakeholders as well as the importance of CG. However, the three main factors that affect CG practices include the governance framework, reporting and conduct and rewards.

Stock market development and financing choices of firms: Case Study of a SIDS

Thu, 31 May 2007 20:00:00 +0000

This paper attempts to empirically investigate the link between stock market development and firms’ capital structure, an often overlooked relationship in finance theory, for the case of 38 firms listed on the stock exchange of Mauritius (SEM) for the period 1994-2005. Results from the panel estimates suggest that further development of the market has been associated with debt financing for non financial firms while this is not the case for financial firms which have been substituting equity for debts. An overall positive relationship between the size of the banking sector and leverage exists as well. The other major determinants of capital structure in Mauritius are reported to be profitability, size, tangibility and liquidity and other factors such as business risk, growth opportunities while Non Debt Tax Shield do not seem to have any significant impact on capital structure.

Environmental reporting in Mauritian listed companies

Thu, 01 Jan 1970 00:00:00 +0000

Purpose: The paper investigates the motives for and obstacles faced by firms in environmental reporting and further examines whether firms are in favour of mandatory environmental reporting.Methodology: A survey of firms listed on the official market of the Stock Exchange of Mauritius was carried out.Findings: Results show that the annual report is the main reporting medium. The cost of reporting in terms of time, money and other resources used and problems in measuring the environmental performance are among the major obstacles in reporting environmental information. The majority of companies are opposed to mandatory reporting of environmental information and respondents believe that reporting on environmental aspects can contribute towards sustainable development of the country.Research limitation: The study was conducted on companies listed on the official market of the stock exchange of Mauritius and owing to the small size of the sample, results are not necessarily representative of all companies operating in Mauritius.Originality/value: The paper adds to the scarce literature on environmental reporting in Mauritius.

Determinants of Capital Structure: Evidence from a Small Island Developing State

Tue, 28 Feb 2017 20:00:00 +0000

The existing empirical research on capital structure is largely confined to the US and other developed countries, with very few studies on developing economies. This paper attempts to supplement the existing literature by bringing in new evidence on the determinants of capital structure for companies listed on the Stock Exchange of the Small Island Developing State (SIDS) of Mauritius. Results from the study reveal that certain firm-specific factors which explain capital structure in developed countries are also relevant to a small island economy like Mauritius. The estimates presented in the paper for 38 firms of the Stock Exchange of Mauritius, for the period 1994-2004, show that the most important firm-specific factors that influence the capital structure choice are profitability, size, tangibility and liquidity. Other factors like business risk, non-debt tax shield effects and growth opportunities do not seem to affect the capital structure. Industry disaggregated investigation indicates that there is not much difference in the determinants of capital structure across industries. The Trade-off Model and Pecking Order Hypothesis—derived from the western setting—thus provide only a partial explanation to the capital structure choices of Mauritian firms. Capital structure is one of the most important issues in corporate finance. It has been the focus of many empirical studies ever since the seminal work by Modigliani and Miller (1958). However the majority of these studies have been confined to the United States and other developed countries, with little work done for developing countries cases ; and until now, none for the Small Island Developing States (SIDS) cases. Empirical evidences from the latter are expected to supplement the existing literature, given the fact that such economies have different institutional structures and have specificities of their own as far as the financial markets and the economy in general are concerned. Moreover, these economies have undergone a substantial transformation during the previous decade as witnessed by the move towards privatization/free market, coupled with the widening and deepening of various financial markets, including the capital market.

A study on the use of Internet banking among SMES in Mauritius

Mon, 23 Aug 2010 20:00:00 +0000

This paper analyses the factors affecting the adoption of Internet Banking among SMEs in Mauritius, especially at a time when the country is being promoted as a cyber island and the empowerment of SMEs has been at the forefront of the economic programme of the Government. The purpose of this study are to identify the push factors and barriers affecting the adoption of internet banking among SMEs. The paper also examines sectoral differences in the adoption and use of internet banking, identifies the internet banking services mostly used by the Mauritian SMEs and determines the prospects of use of Internet Banking in the future among current non-users. For this purpose, a questionnaire was administered to owner managers of SMEs operating in diverse sectors of the economy. A probit model is used to identify the correlation between the use of Internet Banking and some related factors. The results reveal that female SME owner/managers are more inclined to use Internet Banking. Furthermore firms’ profiles and owner managers’ characteristics, such as age group, good relationship with banks, high level of education, higher annual turnover, subscription to an internet package, presence of a computerized accounting system and operations in sophisticated sectors, were positive determinants that contributed towards Internet Banking usage. The other factors that determine the adoption of Internet Banking among SMEs are related to trust and security, awareness, convenience and accessibility. On the other hand, the internet services that are most widely used are inter-account funds transfer, payments by office cheque, receiving payments from customers, foreign transfer, request for the issue of current account statement and transactions related to savings/current or fixed deposit accounts. Among the current non-users, owner managers of the younger generation are the ones who are more likely to use Internet Banking in the future.

Impact of the tourism sector on economic growth in Mauritius

Sun, 10 Nov 2019 20:00:00 +0000

The aim of this chapter is two-fold. First, it presents the historical facts and figures relative to the development of tourism in Mauritius and second, using past empirical evidence, it examines the impact that tourism has had on the Mauritian economy. It also identifies and briefly discusses the challenges confronting the tourism industry.

Mauritius as a regional hub for higher education in Africa: Opportunities and challenges

Sun, 31 May 2015 20:00:00 +0000

The internationalization of tertiary education under the GATS has allowed the expansion of different forms of cross border tertiary education worldwide, including in Africa although with a lagged effect. However, due to some difficulties of commercial providers to settle in the African continent associated with the lack of resources, the outbound mobility of African students is the most common form of cross border education. Combined with the efforts of the African communities to promote intra regional mobility, this represents a considerable opportunity for Mauritius to emerge as a regional hub. The aim of this conceptual paper is to assess the potential and the challenges of the Mauritian government to achieve this objective. Data and information gathered has allowed to show the remarkable and sustainable growth of Mauritian tertiary Education sector in terms of enrollment of local as well as foreign students in a relatively short span of time. The exponential expansion has been possible through aggressive campaigns to attract international tertiary education providers (TEIs) and students from the region and at the same time through the establishment of an effective regulatory framework. While, this study has given insights of the potential of the Mauritian tertiary education and its rapid expansion, it has also highlighted the major hurdles in achieving the objective of positioning as a hub for the African continent. These are principally linked with the implementation of the recommendations of the regional communities in terms of harmonization and alignment of fees. Furthermore, the government will have to maintain the quality of education through consolidation of the quality assurance and through constant upgrading of competencies of academics. This study has shown that challenges can only be overcome by devising a strong long term funding strategy with the involvement of the private sector as well as regional and international donors.

FINANCIAL LITERACY OF YOUNG PROFESSIONALS IN THE CONTEXT OF FINANCIAL TECHNOLOGY DEVELOPMENTS IN MAURITIUS

Sun, 07 Nov 2021 20:00:00 +0000

The emergence of financial technology (Fintech) has led to an increased need to promote efforts to boost the financial literacy of young professionals, as the financial decision-making process has become more challenging. The specific objectives of this study are to gauge the financial knowledge of young professionals and analyze their attitudes and behavior in regards to the use of Fintech for basic money management, financial planning and investment decisions. The study also aims to analyze the extent to which Fintech is used and its impact on financial literacy levels. The research methodology employs a dual approach. A quantitative study using a survey targets young professionals in the different occupational groups that constitute the Mauritian professional workforce. A regression model is developed to investigate the impact of Fintech usage and demographic factors on financial literacy. The findings reveal significant differences in financial knowledge, attitudes and behaviors attributable to various demographic factors. Furthermore, Fintech usage is limited to the traditional offerings while more innovative Fintech has relatively lower adoption rates. The study has uncovered the positive impact of Fintech usage on financial literacy, opening avenues for rethinking the content and scope of traditional financial education programs.

Prototyping an innovative e-platform of financial assistance for small medium enterprises in Mauritius

Fri, 13 Jul 2018 20:00:00 +0000

The SMEs form a vibrant pillar of the Mauritian economy through their important contribution to Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth and socio-economic development. SMEs are recognized for their significance and their resilience in responding to fast changing conditions, even in times of the economic downturn. This paper aims to address financial illiteracy among Mauritian SMEs by proposing an integrated financial assistance strategy for small firms in view of enhancing the financial sustainability, growth and development of their business entities. The study adopts a dual methodology to address the study objectives. Two focus groups were held as part of the qualitative approach to quantify the level of financial literacy and to ultimately assess the extent of the problem. The paper also highlights the specific gaps and needs in terms of financial education and contributes to designing the most adapted solutions in terms of training and IT to respond to these needs. The research findings confirm the lack of financial knowledge among the Mauritian SMEs and the extent of their IT readiness. The survey has also revealed that although there is some degree of awareness about the most common sources of finance, the cost implications are not always fully understood. This lack of awareness on the mode of finance and the conditions apply thereto point to the existing financial education gap in the Mauritian SME sector. This further reinforces the need to implement an integrated financial platform.

H3AGWAS: a portable workflow for genome wide association studies

Fri, 18 Nov 2022 20:00:00 +0000

Background Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) are a powerful method to detect associations between variants and phenotypes. A GWAS requires several complex computations with large data sets, and many steps may need to be repeated with varying parameters. Manual running of these analyses can be tedious, error-prone and hard to reproduce. Results The H3Agwas workflow from the Pan-African Bioinformatics Network for H3Africa is a powerful, scalable and portable workflow implementing pre-association analysis, implementation of various association testing methods and post-association analysis of results. Conclusions The workflow is scalable—laptop to cluster to cloud (eg, SLURM, AWS Batch, Azure). All required software is containerised and can run under Docker or Singularity.

The tumor mutational landscape of BRCA2-deficient primary and metastatic prostate cancer

Thu, 16 Jun 2022 20:00:00 +0000

Carriers of germline BRCA2 pathogenic sequence variants have elevated aggressive prostate cancer risk and are candidates for precision oncology treatments. We examined whether BRCA2-deficient (BRCA2d) prostate tumors have distinct genomic alterations compared with BRCA2-intact (BRCA2i) tumors. Among 2536 primary and 899 metastatic prostate tumors from the ICGC, GENIE, and TCGA databases, we identified 138 primary and 85 metastatic BRCA2d tumors. Total tumor mutation burden (TMB) was higher among primary BRCA2d tumors, although pathogenic TMB did not differ by tumor BRCA2 status. Pathogenic and total single nucleotide variant (SNV) frequencies at KMT2D were higher in BRCA2d primary tumors, as was the total SNV frequency at KMT2D in BRCA2d metastatic tumors. Homozygous deletions at NEK3, RB1, and APC were enriched in BRCA2d primary tumors, and RB1 deletions in metastatic BRCA2d tumors as well. TMPRSS2-ETV1 fusions were more common in BRCA2d tumors. These results identify somatic alterations that hallmark etiological and prognostic differences between BRCA2d and BRCA2i prostate tumors.

DOT: a crowdsourcing Mobile application for disease outbreak detection and surveillance in Mauritius

Thu, 02 Jul 2020 20:00:00 +0000

Early detection of disease outbreaks is crucial and even small improvements in detection can significantly impact on a country’s public health. In this work, we investigate the use of a crowdsourcing application and a real-time disease outbreak surveillance system for five diseases; Influenza, Gastroenteritis, Upper Respiratory Tract Infection (URTI), Scabies and Conjunctivitis, that are closely monitored in Mauritius. We also analyze and correlate the collected data with past statistics. A crowdsourcing mobile application known as Disease Outbreak Tracker (DOT) was implemented and made public. A real-time disease surveillance system using the Early Aberration Reporting System algorithm (EARS) for analysis of the collected data was also implemented. The collected data were correlated to historical data for 2017. Data were successfully collected and plotted on a daily basis. The results show that a few cases of Flu and Scabies were reported in some districts. The EARS methods C1, C2 and C3 also depicted spikes above the set threshold on some days. The study covers data collected over a period of one month. Once symptoms data were collected using DOT, probabilistic methods were used to find the disease or diseases that the user was suffering from. The data were further processed to find the extent of the disease outbreak district-wise, per disease. These data were represented graphically for a rapid understanding of the situation in each district. Our findings concur with existing data for the same period for previous years showing that the crowdsourcing application can aid in the detection of disease outbreaks.

Health Data Analytics: Current Perspectives, Challenges, and Future Directions

Wed, 12 Aug 2020 20:00:00 +0000

Over the last decade, there has been a tremendous growth in the amount and diversity of electronic health-related data, such as patient records, drug information, drug–disease associations, medical resource allocations, and clinical experiments’ results, altogether referred to as medical big data. Health data analytics refers to the proper exploitation of medical big data in view of getting better understandings that can drive health research, which may ultimately accelerate advancements in biomedicine, enhance patient outcomes, and reduce overall healthcare costs. This chapter provides an extensive review of the application areas that can benefit from health data analytics, namely drug–disease association, disease outbreak detection and surveillance, pharmacovigilance, healthcare management, clinical research, and clinical practice. A variety of tools and platforms have been developed to support health data analytics, each dealing with different application areas and diverse data types. These tools are analyzed. The challenges and future directions of health data analytics are also discussed.

Proposed minimum information guideline for kidney disease—research and clinical data reporting: a cross-sectional study

Thu, 31 Oct 2019 20:00:00 +0000

Objective This project aimed to develop and propose a standardised reporting guideline for kidney disease research and clinical data reporting, in order to improve kidney disease data quality and integrity, and combat challenges associated with the management and challenges of ‘Big Data’. Methods A list of recommendations was proposed for the reporting guideline based on the systematic review and consolidation of previously published data collection and reporting standards, including PhenX measures and Minimal Information about a Proteomics Experiment (MIAPE). Thereafter, these recommendations were reviewed by domainspecialists using an online survey, developed in Research Electronic Data Capture (REDCap). Following interpretation and consolidation of the survey results, the recommendations were mapped to existing ontologies using Zooma, Ontology Lookup Service and the Bioportal search engine. Additionally, an associated eXtensible Markup Language schema was created for the REDCap implementation to increase user friendliness and adoption. Results The online survey was completed by 53 respondents; the majority of respondents were dual clinicianresearchers (57%), based in Australia (35%), Africa (33%) and North America (22%). Data elements within the reporting standard were identified as participant-level, study-level and experiment-level information, further subdivided into essential or optional information. Conclusion The reporting guideline is readily employable for kidney disease research projects, and also adaptable for clinical utility. The adoption of the reporting guideline in kidney disease research can increase data quality and the value for long-term preservation, ensuring researchers gain the maximum benefit from their collected and generated data.

Detection of Genome Sequence Outliers Across Pan-Genomes

Wed, 18 Sep 2019 20:00:00 +0000

Thousands of genomic sequences of multiple microbial species have already been deciphered, providing us with extensive vistas of variation at the micro- and macro-evolutionary levels. Pan-genomes denote sets of all unique gene families found in multiple related genomes in a given taxon - for instance related strains of a bacterial species, thus representing the entire gene pool of the taxon. We demonstrate here that characterizing a pan-genome of a given taxon using sequences generated from different genome projects can misguide subsequent genome comparison studies when a set of incorrect strains is selected as input. Deploying genomic resources and tools, we report that seven bacterial species datasets, representing a total of 249 strains, contained "contaminating" data and 11 genomic sequences were identified as outliers. The example of Streptococcus sanguinis used in this study revealed that the outlier strain ATCC 49296, detected among a dataset of 23 Streptococcus sanguinis genome sequences, showed a much closer relationship with Streptococcus oralis 35037T than with other Streptococcus sanguinis strains, thus confirming the outlier status of the strain ATCC 49296. Results provided in this study are supported by pan-genome trees and gene sequence- based phylogeny. This approach provides a better quality control for pan-genome analysis in a rapid, efficient and scalable manner including application to other taxa.

Infect-DB—A Data Warehouse Approach for Integrating Genomic Data of Infectious Diseases

Fri, 04 Jan 2019 20:00:00 +0000

With the expansion of biological data sources available online, integration is a major challenge facing researchers wishing to explore this information. Users often need to integrate data derived from multiple, diverse and heterogeneous sources for investigation. This paper presents the features of Infect-DB, a data warehouse that can localize and integrate genomes of pathogenic species, retrieved from NCBI, based on information from the American Biological Safety Association (ABSA). The list of bacteria and their corresponding host specificity were programmatically accessed from ABSA and integrated into Infect-DB. The list of organisms obtained from ABSA was used to target the automated download of corresponding genomes from the NCBI FTP site. Infect-DB provides a set of analysis tools, including a comparison of genomes using local-BLAST, dN/dS analysis, multiple sequence alignment, phylogenetic analysis and visualization tools. To date, Infect-DB has integrated 854 bacterial genomes from 207 genera considered as important pathogens causing infectious diseases.

GCVT—A Genome Comparison and Viewing Tool

Sat, 10 Nov 2012 20:00:00 +0000

This paper highlights the features of a simple Genome Comparison and Viewing Tool (GCVT) for comparing bacterial genomes based on their genes, products, GC counts and genome sizes. For selected features from the results of comparison, a facility to perform alignment using the Needleman-Wunsch, Smith - Waterman and ClustalW algorithms is also provided. The software can take as input, genome files in a number of formats namely the Embl, Genbank and Fasta formats. GCVT also provides the facility for visualizing the relationship between chosen features using a guide tree. A number of additional features like the DNA to protein converter amongst many others contribute to ease the tasks of researchers. For the convenience of the users, the software can also take a protein file in the PDB format and display its three-dimensional structure. Compared to existing software like Artemis Comparison Tool (ACT), DNAVis and inGeno, GCVT is much simpler and user-friendly.

Texture Analysis of the Microscopic Structure of Wound Tissues

Mon, 25 Apr 2016 20:00:00 +0000

Deep cut or heavy blows can wound living tissues. The wounds heal but often leave a permanent scar. One aim of medical science is to find efficient treatments for wounds to reduce scarring to a minimum. However, it is not possible to judge which treatment gives a better performance unless there is an objective method for comparing tissue samples. The aim of this paper is to develop computer-based methods for making quantitative comparisons between microscopic images of wound and normal tissues. Methods have been developed, using mathematical morphology, to measure the distribution of lengths, widths and orientations of collagen fibres in the tissue images, even though they cannot be resolved as individual objects.

A Multimedia Capable Distributed Object Platform

Wed, 27 Apr 2016 20:00:00 +0000

Though distributed object computing has developed very rapidly over the past few years, the area is still lacking in terms of support for distributed multimedia applications which are fast becoming a very important part of the computing environment. This paper discusses the design and implementation of a multimediacapable distributed object platform, using a low-level platform GOPI (General Object Platform Infrastructure). It involves the design of a minimal Interface Definition Language (IDL) compiler for the support of simple operations, using the specifications of the Object Management Group’s (OMG) IDL. Based on the computational model of the Reference Model for Open Distributed Processing (RM-ODP), the IDL is then extended to support stream interfaces along with quality of service (QoS).

Community perceptions of tourism in small island states: A conceptual framework

Mon, 22 Mar 2010 20:00:00 +0000

Sustainable tourism development is a major challenge for small island economies. Yet, little research has been conducted on the social implications of tourism development and their role in the sustainable development of such economies. This research discusses the importance of understanding community perceptions of tourism development in small island states by proposing a theoretical framework based on social exchange theory. The framework defines attitudes to tourism as the residents’ perceptions toward the positive and negative impacts of tourism, which in turn influence support for the industry. The model also proposes that the independent variables influencing attitudes to tourism are economic dependence on the industry, occupational identity, community attachment, and level of power. The state of the local economy is given as a moderating variable between dependence on the industry and the perceived positive and negative impacts. The relationship between level of power and perceived positive and negative impacts is considered to be moderated by the gender of the residents. The policy implications of adopting such a model are discussed.

Applying the extended technology acceptance model to understand online purchase behavior of travelers

Fri, 10 Jun 2011 20:00:00 +0000

This paper seeks to establish the relationships between travelers’ attitude, perceived ease of use, perceived usefulness, trust, perceived risk and online purchase intention of tourism and travel related products by using an extended technology acceptance model. Primary data were collected using a self- structured questionnaire from 150 travelers visiting Mauritius in 2012. Seven out of eight hypotheses tested were supported. Perceived ease of use was not a significant predictor of attitude towards online purchasing. The model can assist destination marketing practitioners to better understand the online purchasing behavior of travelers.

Fifty years of information management research: A conceptual structure analysis using structural topic modeling

Mon, 31 May 2021 20:00:00 +0000

Information management is the management of organizational processes, technologies, and people which collectively create, acquire, integrate, organize, process, store, disseminate, access, and dispose of the information. Information management is a vast, multi-disciplinary domain that syndicates various subdomains and perfectly intermingles with other domains. This study aims to provide a comprehensive overview of the information management domain from 1970 to 2019. Drawing upon the methodology from statistical text analysis research, this study summarizes the evolution of knowledge in this domain by examining the publication trends as per authors, institutions, countries, etc. Further, this study proposes a probabilistic generative model based on structural topic modeling to understand and extract the latent themes from the research articles related to information management. Furthermore, this study graphically visualizes the variations in the topic prevalences over the period of 1970 to 2019. The results highlight that the most common themes are data management, knowledge management, environmental management, project management, service management, and mobile and web management. The findings also identify themes such as knowledge management, environmental management, project management, and social communication as academic hotspots for future research.

Handbook of research methods for tourism and hospitality management

Thu, 26 Jul 2018 20:00:00 +0000

Information search behavior of European tourists visiting Mauritius

Mon, 31 Dec 2007 20:00:00 +0000

Trust, tourism development, and planning

Wed, 06 Aug 2014 20:00:00 +0000

Theory in hospitality, tourism, and leisure studies

Thu, 31 Oct 2013 20:00:00 +0000

The term theory is used with diverse meanings, resulting in miscommunication and misunderstanding. This article examines how theory, as a word, is used in three leading journals in each of hospitality, tourism, and leisure studies fields over a 20-year period. Utilizing an iterative and comparative hierarchical coding, seven different forms of theory and trends in their usage by scholars over the 20 years are identified. Among the notable trends are: (a) a marked increase in the appearance of “theory” (as a word) and its variants over the years; (b) the virtual disappearance of natural science-type theory in the three fields; and (c) a dramatic rise in the use of theory as an analogy rather than as a substantive term. Implications and limitations of the study are also discussed.

Three decades of tourism scholarship: Gender, collaboration and research methods

Sun, 31 May 2020 20:00:00 +0000

Despite ongoing problems with gender inequalities in tourism, little is known about gender differences in first and solo authorships, collaboration, and choice of research approaches. This study analyzes these academic practices using 4973 articles (11,033 authors) in three major tourism journals from 1990 to 2017. The results show evidence of gender homophilic collaboration behaviors. Gender heterogeneous co-authorships are becoming pervasive and seem to be driven by female first authors. Solo female researchers strongly associate with qualitative research. While male-only teams have the lowest likelihood of using qualitative research, the situation is more complex for gender heterogeneous teams. Practical suggestions derived from the findings for the gender equality agenda in tourism are discussed to promote more gender-diverse collaborations and female-led research.

Roof-Level Solar Chimneys as a Passive Design Measure in Tropical Climates

Tue, 31 Jul 2018 20:00:00 +0000

Solar chimneys have been the source of many studies and research but have not yet been fully implemented as a passive design measure in tropical climates. Solar chimney provides a way to bring natural ventilation in a room by forced convection leading to cross ventilation. A solar chimney can be the solution to replace air conditioning systems in buildings and hence lead to significant energy savings. Tropical climates are especially high consumers of air-conditioning as year-round cooling load requirements crop up in certain regions. In this paper, the advantages and disadvantages of solar chimneys are presented and the practicability to use a solar chimney in a tropical climate is assessed using Mauritius as a case study. The design parameters of the solar chimney to achieve adequate air movement will be presented such as the height, length and other building parameters. In addition to providing cooling in the warmer coastal areas, the flexibility to use solar chimneys to provide heating for the cooler central region of the island will also be discussed.

A Polynomial Neural Network Classifier based on Gabor Features for the Extraction of Ear Tragus and Eye Corners

Thu, 30 Jun 2016 20:00:00 +0000

This paper presents the results obtained with the application of a Polynomial Neural Network (PNN) classifier for the detection and localisation of craniofacial landmarks, namely the ear tragus and eye corners. The input feature vector of the classifier is derived by Gabor filtering, using masks over two scales and four orientations. With the use of a PNN as classifier, the feature input experiences a dimensional expansion so that a small neighbourhood for the landmarks is preferable. This in turn influences the size of the Gabor masks that can be used, namely the coverage of the Gaussian envelope at the smallest frequency. This paper analyses the trade-off between coverage of filter envelope and the dimensionality of the feature vector. Detection rates obtained from tests on images from three face databases are given. The robustness of the classifier to variations in intensity, noise, scale and rotation is analysed. The results show that a PNN based on Gabor features, gives good performance for the extraction of the ear and eye features.

HORIZONTAL GROUND-COUPLED HEAT EXCHANGER AS A PASSIVE DESIGN TECHNIQUE FOR TROPICAL CLIMATES

Fri, 06 Jul 2018 20:00:00 +0000

The HorizontalGround-Coupled Heat Exchanger (GCHE) systems have been used successfully applied in many countries as a passive design technique, but due to lack of scientific findings and design specifications on its implementation in Mauritius, it is not counted as a passive design option in sustainability guidelines. Architects are skeptical about its efficacy, and to address this lack of knowledge, this paper describes the preliminary results obtained from experimental and simulation works for a horizontal ground-coupled heat exchanger prototype constructed at the university campus. A 3-D thermal model of the GCHE was developed as per the geometry of the prototype. Soil classification tests was carried to determine the thermal properties of the soil located at the test site. The Kasuda&Achembach model was used to determine the underground temperature profile at various depths. Parametric analysis on the performance of the GCHE was carried out. The pipe length was found to be the most sensitive parameter, while the pipe diameter was found to be the least sensitive one. A 50m to 60 m pipe length was found to be optimum for the surface area typically covered by houses in Mauritius, and for the pipe material, PVC was preferred over steel. Furthermore, the cooling capacity and CoP was determined for different air flow rates, and it was found that an air flow rate of 60 L/s yielded the optimum CoP.

Image Processing of Planar Digital Curves Using a Chain Code-based Technique for Edge Characterisation

Thu, 30 Jun 2016 20:00:00 +0000

Much effort has been expended for devising solutions to analyse edges as a basis for image understanding. This paper presents image processing and analysis tools to ensure a robust operation of such edgebased algorithms. Specifically, a systematic paradigm to branching analysis and a curve segmentation technique based on chain codes are proposed. Several curve segmentation approaches are available in the literature to break edges into primitives for edge analysis. The particular solution devised is simple and very computationally efficient. The efficacy of the set of tools (branching analysis and curve segmentation) in the applications presented show that they can be effectively incorporated in low-level and intermediate level edge processing.

Design of a Data Analyser for Ethernet Packets Using VHDL

Fri, 29 Jan 2016 20:00:00 +0000

This book presents an in-depth analysis of the steps involved in communicating using the Ethernet protocol with the aim to design a data analyser to receive and send Ethernet packets. The various steps are represented using Finite State Machines, which are subsequently coded using VHDL programming language, and simulated. The use of VHDL programming language is a very efficient way to model digital circuit operations, and subsequently to generate hardware implementation of the desired digital processes, typically using FGPAs. It is for this reason that VHDL has become a core development tool for the digital electronics industry. The approach adopted in this work is modelling using Finite State Machines, VHDL coding and simulation, followed by testing the various structural constructs using a suitable testbench data. Being data intensive, a testbench simulation provides a useful basis to ascertain the correctness of the various elements developed when they are inter-connected. A similar approach can be used to model digital processes in a systematic and structured manner, especially for data intensive ones.

Rhodolith beds (Corallinaceae, Rhodophyta): An important marine ecosystem of the Saya de Malha and Nazareth Banks

Thu, 31 Dec 2020 20:00:00 +0000

Marine mollusc (Mollusca: Gastropoda and Bivalvia) diversity of the Saya de Malha and Nazareth Banks, Mascarene Plateau

Sun, 31 Jan 2021 20:00:00 +0000

Marine molluscs are among the largest assemblages of the animal kingdom and inhabit the marine environment from the intertidal zone to the deep sea. This study reports the diversity of marine molluscs (Gastropoda and Bivalvia) collected from sediments at 19 stations (SS) at the Saya de Malha and Nazareth Banks during the EAFNansen expedition in May 2018. Sampling was carried out using the five hydraulic Van Veen grabs mounted on a Video-Assisted Multi-Sampler (VAMS). The mollusc shells were morphologically identified using established procedures and published guides. Shannon-Wiener diversity (H’) and Pielou’s evenness (J) indices were used to assess the diversity of the molluscs at each station. A total of 56 genera of marine gastropods belonging to 34 families, and 40 genera of bivalves from 16 families were recorded. The SS8 station at the Saya de Malha Bank had the highest diversity at a depth of 79 m for Gastropoda and Bivalvia, while SS1 harbored the highest overall molluscan diversity. At the Nazareth Bank, highest gastropod diversity was recorded at SS44, while SS43 had the highest bivalve and overall molluscan diversity. This study provides new information on the molluscan diversity at the Saya de Malha and Nazareth Banks.

Photo-physiology of healthy and bleached corals from the Mascarene Plateau

Wed, 06 Jul 2022 20:00:00 +0000

This study presents the first report of variable photo-physiology of healthy-looking and bleached corals from the upper mesophotic waters of the Mascarene Plateau. In May 2018, during the FAO EAF-Nansen research expedition cruise, coral bleaching was visually observed. Five coral species from Saya de Malha Bank, namely Heliopora coerulea, Favites sp. and Porites sp. from 27 m and Acropora sp. and Lithophyllon repanda from 30 m, and three coral species from the Nazareth Bank, namely Acropora sp. and Galaxea fascicularis from 36 m and Stylophora-like species from 58 m were studied using the Video-Assisted Multi-Sampler (VAMS) and collected using a Van Veen grab. Chlorophyll a fluorescence parameters such as effective quantum yield at photosystem II (ΦPSII), relative maximum electron transport rate (rETRm), photosynthetic efficiency (α), photoinhibition (β), saturating light level (Ek), and maximum non-photochemical quenching (NPQm) were measured using a Diving-Pulse-Amplitude-Modulated (D-PAM) fluorometer to study variable photo-physiology in bleached and non-bleached corals. All photo-physiological parameters varied significantly among coral species tested and between coral conditions, except for β. The interaction between species and coral conditions was only significant in the case of β, but generally not significant. A two-way ANOVA indicated significant effects of depth and coral conditions in Acropora sp. on almost all photo-physiological parameters, except for β, and the effect of depth on rETRmax and α, and the effect of depth along with its interaction with coral conditions on Ek. ΦPSII did not differ in bleached and healthy-looking coral parts of Porites and Lithophyllon from 27 m, Galaxea and Acropora from 36 m while it decreased significantly in Heliopora and Favites at 27 m, Acropora from 30 m, and Stylophora-like at 58 m. NPQm did not change for Porites, Acropora (30 m) and Galaxea but it tended to increase for Heliopora, Acropora (36 m), Lithophyllon, Galaxea, and decrease for Favities, Acropora (30 m) and Stylophora-like. The thermally tolerant coral Porites exhibited normal photo-physiology even in bleached conditions while the bleached parts of Favites, Acropora (30 m) and Stylophora-like corals exhibited photo-physiological dysfunctioning. This study revealed that the seven studied corals from the upper mesophotic waters of the Mascarene Plateau are not spared from the bleaching phenomenon and exhibit variable photo-physiology in bleached and non-bleached conditions. Further studies are warranted to thoroughly understand the coral bleaching patterns and severity during summer periods at the Saya de Malha and Nazareth Banks.

First field observations of Halimeda beds at depths of 37-62 m at Saya de Malha and Nazareth banks, Mascarene Plateau

Thu, 31 Dec 2020 20:00:00 +0000

First report of White Syndrome Disease on branching Acropora at Saya de Malha, Mascarene Plateau

Sun, 31 Jan 2021 20:00:00 +0000

First in-situ observation of the endemic giant clam Tridacna rosewateri from the Nazareth Bank, Mascarene Plateau

Sun, 31 Jan 2021 20:00:00 +0000

Hazard perception training and assessment of young drivers in Mauritius: investigating the acceptance of the MauHazard tool

Wed, 18 Sep 2019 20:00:00 +0000

During the past few years, there has been a growing concern over the number of road accidents taking place in Mauritius. A significant number of accidents involve young drivers and although various measures are being implemented by different stakeholders to address this issue, one factor that has not been well investigated is the hazard perception skills of these road users. This is also due to the unavailability of hazard perception training and test tool for drivers within Mauritius to use. In addition, from a research perspective, technology acceptance of such tools is important to study since it helps to comprehend issues that impact future adoptions. However, limited studies have been conducted to assess technology acceptance of hazard perception test tools. In order to address this limitation, this paper investigates and analyses the acceptance of a hazard perception training and test tool called MauHazard by young drivers in Mauritius. To investigate technology acceptance of such tool, the Technology Acceptance Model was applied in a study involving 40 participants to utilize the proposed tool. Results revealed positive acceptance of MauHazard by the young drivers although different issues were highlighted.

JarPi: A low-cost raspberry pi based personal assistant for small-scale fishermen

Wed, 22 Nov 2017 20:00:00 +0000

Small-scale fishermen face various occupational safety hazards due to unavailability of real-time weather information during fishing activities at sea. Whilst provision of such information could greatly reduce these risks, limited personal assistants exist that could support small scale fishermen in their activities at sea with real-time details on wind speed and direction, rainfall, humidity, geographical location and distance from shore, among others. Furthermore, large scale solutions are too expensive for this category of fishermen to afford. Even though the recent emergence of the Raspberry Pi showed to significantly decrease costs of computational systems, the application of this technology to build solutions for small-scale fishermen is yet to be investigated. As such, this paper investigates the implementation and deployment of a low-cost Raspberry Pi based personal assistant for small-scale fishermen, through a proposed device named JarPi.

Self-Tuning Flowcharts: A priority-based approach to optimize Diagnostic Flowcharts

Tue, 02 Aug 2016 20:00:00 +0000

Flowcharts have been used in problem diagnosis for a long time because of their effectiveness during process representation. However, with time, diagnostic flowcharts can become unmanageably complex and incomprehensible, thus leading to longer decision paths. A lengthy decision path also implies a time consuming diagnosis process while at the same time being boring to end users utilizing systems containing diagnostic flowcharts. This study investigates the extent to which diagnostic flowcharts can be made dynamic so as to optimize the decision making process without reducing the number of nodes. In this endeavor, the Dynamic Flowchart Parser Algorithm has been proposed using a priority-based approach to optimize diagnostic flowcharts within a diagnostic tool named Self Tuning Flowcharts.

Towards Emerging Green Information and Communication Technologies: A Review

Fri, 31 Dec 2010 20:00:00 +0000

Though the ICT industry has been one of the fastest growing industries in many countries over the past years, its relationship with the natural environment has not been given much consideration. This growing industry has as main negative impact on the environment, climate change in the form of global warming, caused by the emissions of carbon in the air. In order to minimize the harms caused by the growing IT industry on the environment, Green ICT is an emerging solution which is increasingly being adopted by businesses and computer users. Green ICT refers to environmentally sustainable computing and is a discipline that studies, develops and promotes environmentally friendly and resource-efficient ICT products over their entire life cycle. This paper discusses the effects of the growing IT industry on the environment along with a review ofemerging green information and communications technologies and …

Intelligent Online Budget Tracker

Sun, 31 Dec 2006 20:00:00 +0000

We present an intelligent online budget tracker (GeniusIOBT. com) to efficiently manage household budget. Our system will help to plan and track household-budget related issues where members of the system can securely access it anytime from anywhere via the Internet. The Intelligent Online Budget Tracker not only keeps track of the budget but also provides means to analyze data via charts and graphs as well as intelligently predicting future budgets and issues like bankruptcy.

An automated personal carbon footprint calculator for estimating carbon emissions from transportation use

Wed, 08 Dec 2021 20:00:00 +0000

Transportation is one of the biggest menaces to the planet, releasing several million tons of gases into the atmosphere on an annual basis. The growing use of transportation has expanded the concentration and release of these gases, which affect the environment in a number of ways such as depletion of the ozone layer, air pollution and more seriously, global warming and climate change. Among the different modes, road transportation is a significant contributor of greenhouse gas as it ejects dangerous gases directly into the atmosphere, and these emissions are predicted to increase drastically over the years. As such, it is essential to track and monitor emissions from transportation activities in an attempt to reduce the global emissions of greenhouse gases, through carbon footprint calculators. However, most of these calculators do not solely focus on transportation and the ones that do, require a substantial amount of effort and manual input. this paper investigates acceptance of an automated personal transportation-based carbon footprint calculator and its accuracy in monitoring and reducing carbon emissions. As part of this study, a mobile application called TCTracker was implemented using Global Positioning System (GPS) functionality and built-in artificial intelligence (AI) features. The acceptance of the tool was evaluated using the Technology Acceptance Model whereby involving forty users to evaluate four constructs notably, perceived ease of use, perceived usefulness, perceived enjoyment, and intention to use. Among these constructs, perceived ease of use and perceived usefulness had the highest scores, to also depict the acceptance of the tool, while also sustaining interest in carbon footprint tracking.

Assessing the efficacy of solar chimneys in Mauritius through dynamic simulations and in-situ measurements

Thu, 17 Jun 2021 20:00:00 +0000

Buildings are known to contribute significantly to the global carbon footprint. The project studied the benefit a solar chimney can bring to promote ventilation across the interior spaces of a building, especially during periods of low wind pressure. The flow of air across a building is known to yield a cooling effect to the occupants as well as flush interior spaces with fresh, oxygen-rich air while dissipating CO2. The approach taken in this research work has been twofold: (1) CFD analyses to investigate the performance of the system and expected temperatures and flow of air under the buoyancy effect, and (2) in-situ measurement on an actual prototype built of aluminium frame and glass panes on three sides and a black cladding as the fourth side. The project results show the possibility of achieving between 2 and 4 air changes per hour with the solar chimney system. The proposed system can be installed either fixed to facades or roof mounted. In general, the research findings has provided scientific data to support the use of solar chimneys in the local context, with good potential to improve thermal comfort and air quality inside our buildings passively for cold and warm regions.

Adsorption efficiency of activated carbon produced from waste rubber tyres

Tue, 02 Nov 2021 20:00:00 +0000

Activated carbons were prepared through the chemical activation method using waste rubber tyres. Ground tyres of particle size of 0.27 inches were impregnated with potassium hydroxide (KOH) at an impregnation ratio of 4. The KOH/tyre slurry was then carbonised in an inert atmosphere at 500-800°C for 0-2 hours. The effect of different chemical activation parameters like pyrolysis temperature and residence time on the surface area, carbon yield and ash content were investigated along with the methylene blue adsorption at a pH of 8 onto the activated carbon produced. The activation method could produce activated carbon with a surface area of 1,787 m2/g and adsorption efficiency of 83% with an ash content of 3.26% at 700°C and a residence time of 1 hour. Additionally, the carbon yield decreases while the ash content and the surface area increases with an increase in carbonisation temperature. The results also show that methylene blue adsorption onto the activated carbon produced best fitted the Langmuir isotherm.

Bioethanol production from algae

Wed, 04 May 2016 20:00:00 +0000

Biofuel from algae, being a third generation biofuel is considered as one of the options since it satisfies the criteria of sustainability by far as compared to second and first generation biofuel. Ulva recticulata and Sargassum cristaefolium are two common algae found along the coast of Mauritius and common in the Indian Ocean too. Concentrated acid hydrolysis has been found to be more effective than dilute acid hydrolysis in terms of reducing sugar yield in this study. Maximum concentration of reducing sugar obtained for U. recticulata and S. cristaefolium was 1982 and 1976 mg/100 ml of hydrolysate, respectively when a biomass loading of 20% (w/w) was used. Ethanol yield of 1.6% (v/v) of ethanol was obtained from U. recticulata and 1.4% (v/v) from S. cristaefolium. Detoxification of hydrolysate with calcium hydroxide and activated carbon increases the yield by 23% for U. recticulata and by 16.7% for S. cristaefolium.

Biogas production potential from cow dung to be used in the Vedic farm

Wed, 04 May 2016 20:00:00 +0000

The aim of this paper is to assess the potential of biogas production from cattle waste and residues of cattle feed. The ratios of cow dung to feed residues were: 25:75, 50:50, 75:25 and 100:0, respectively. It was observed that the 100% cow dung set-up generated the maximum volume of biogas, amounting to 12,785 ml, while the 50% cow dung set-up produced only 7300 ml of biogas which was the least amount generated from any of the four digesters, at the end of the 30 days of evaluation. The biogas produced can be expressed as volume of gas produced per unit weight of volatile solids added or destroyed. The Volatile Solid (VS) is the organic matter present in the total solid, thus the total solid was measured. The maximum Total Solid (TS) recorded was 8.37% for the 100% cow dung feedstock and the minimum value was 1.25% for the 50% cow dung feedstock. The maximum volatile solid calculated was 49.2% for the 75% cow dung feedstock and the least value was 16.7% for the 100% cow dung feedstock.

Efficiency of Moringa Oleifera and Polyaluminium chloride for sludge thickening

Sun, 13 Sep 2015 20:00:00 +0000

The viability of using Moringa oleifera seed extract as a plant based coagulant in comparison to Polyaluminium Chloride a commonly used chemical coagulant for the thickening of activated sludge was investigated. Moringa oleifera also known as the drumstick tree or horseradish is widely found throughout Mauritius. This tree is considered as a miracle tree by many researchers due to its numerous benefits ranging from purification of water to the manufacture of oil and biodiesels. To investigate the coagulant properties of the Moringa oleifera and Polyaluminium Chloride, the zone settling test and the jar test were conducted. The zone settling tests and the jar tests showed a difference ranging from 2.1%-4.8% for the first 30 minutes for Moringa oleifera and Polyaluminium Chloride which showed similar coagulant relationship. Thus Moringa oleifera was found to be as efficient as Polyaluminium chloride and can thus be easily used as a natural coagulant.

Energy Optimization in Dyehouse

Thu, 01 Jan 1970 00:00:00 +0000

Energy crisis has compelled dyehouse to review its energy usage as well as the production process. The aim of this study was to assess energy optimization in dyehouse. A dyehouse was studied where it was required to assess the effectiveness of applying one coating of an insulating paint on a dyeing machine to reduce energy losses. An energy balance based on data compiled was derived where the theoretical steam consumption was found for unpainted and painted dyeing machine. The consequent reduction in total energy and steam usage were then analysed. An economical analysis was then undertaken to assess the feasibility of the project. The usage of the paint decreased losses by at least 15% and total energy by 6.9%. The average consumption of steam dropped from 1.06 to 0.98 Kg/Kg fabric with a coating of thickness 200 μm. Both the simple and discounted payback periods indicated that the initial investment on the paint, whose shell life is 2 years, would be recuperated by the 11 th month. The positive net present value (2411 MUR) and high internal rate of return (80%) obtained suggested that the project should go ahead.

A new critically endangered species of Turraea (Meliaceae) from Mauritius, Mascarenes

Mon, 22 Feb 2016 20:00:00 +0000

Turraea dargentiana (Meliaceae), a new endemic species from Mauritius, is described, its ecology and conservation are discussed, and a revised key to the Mascarenes species of Turraea is provided. Turraea dargentiana is the smallest and the only species of the genus known to display cryptic dioecy in the Mascarenes, and also the only one possessing adult leaves that are often irregularly lobed in their distal half. The species appears restricted to the understory of relatively well-preserved native vegetation remnants in a few wet mountain tops and ridges. Given this restricted distribution, a small total population size and the encroachment of invasive alien plants, which are causing continued degradation of the species’ habitat, the species should be considered as Critically Threatened according to the Red List Categories and Criteria of the International Union for the Conservation of Nature.

Conservation: Mauritius threatens its own biodiversity

Tue, 29 Jan 2013 20:00:00 +0000

Viewing the revival of extinct species as a laboratory exercise overlooks key behavioural and ecological factors that cannot easily be reproduced (S. Kumar Nature 492, 9; 2012). Hence a recreated dodo might look and feel like one—but it wouldn’t quite be a dodo. Also, re-establishing an extinct species would mean following procedures that are normally used to introduce captive-bred animals to the wild. However, these repopulation attempts have contributed only marginally to biodiversity conservation, largely because the animals do not know how to interact with other members of their species or with their new environment. Extant species can be trained on the basis of what we have learned from wild individuals, but such information is sparse or non-existent for extinct species. In the absence of their proper ecological niche,‘revived’species reintroduced into the wild would be unlikely to survive.

On the Mauritian origin of Badula ovalifolia (Myrsinaceae), hitherto believed extinct, with complementary description

Fri, 19 Dec 2008 20:00:00 +0000

The origin of Badula ovalifolia A. DC. (Myrsinaceae) is discussed and, on the evidence of recently collected specimens, we conclude that it is endemic to Mauritius and not to Reunion as previously recorded. The first description of the whole tree, fruit and seed and habitat and ecology are given. Conservation status is assessed using the IUCN Red List Criteria with suggestions for a species recovery programme.

Cibdela janthina (Klug 1834) (Hymenoptera: Tenthredinidae), Reunion`s biocontrol agent of Rubus alceifolius, Poir., recorded on Mauritius

Tue, 28 Feb 2017 20:00:00 +0000

Cibdela janthina (Klug 1834) (Hymenoptera: Tenthredinidae) is a folivorous sawfly, native to Sumatra, that was introduced in the French island of La Réunion in the Mascarenes as a biocontrol agent of the giant bramble Rubus alceifolius Poir. (Rosaceae). It was released in 2008 and successfully controlled the weed over much of the island. We report herein the first record of C. janthina on Mauritius, the closest landfall to La Réunion located some 145 km to its east-northeast.

Tropical cyclones and island area shape species abundance distributions of local tree communities

Wed, 19 Aug 2020 20:00:00 +0000

Species abundance distributions (SADs) characterise the distribution of individuals among species. SADs have rarely been explored on islands and the ecological processes shaping SADs are still not fully understood. Notably, the relative importance of disturbance regime in shaping plant SADs remains poorly known. We investigate the relative importance of disturbance regime and island geography on the shape of SADs. We computed SADs for local tree communities in 1-ha forest plots on 20 tropical islands in the Indo-Pacific region. We used generalized linear models to analyse how the shape parameter of the gambin SAD model was related to the number of trees and the number of species. Regression analyses were also used to investigate how the shape of SADs, the number of trees and the number of species were related to cyclone disturbance (power dissipation index) and geography (island area and isolation), with direct and indirect (i.e. through the number of trees and species) effects assessed using variance partitioning. Cyclone disturbance was the best predictor of the shape of SADs, with higher power dissipation index producing more lognormal-like distributions. This effect was mostly due to cyclones increasing the number of trees and decreasing the number of species. Island area affected the shape of SADs through its effect on the number of species, and larger islands were associated with higher species richness and more logseries-like distributions. The effect of cyclones was stronger on smaller islands. Our results illustrate that disturbances can affect SADs in complex ways; directly and indirectly by impacting the number of species and individuals in communities, and these effects may be moderated by island-specific characteristics, such as island area or isolation. Our results therefore suggest that multiple, interacting processes shape SADs and that studying SADs has the potential to contribute important new insights to the field of island biogeography.

Two new records of Jumellea (Orchidaceae) for Mauritius (Mascarene Islands) and their conservation status

Thu, 26 Apr 2012 20:00:00 +0000

Two new records of Jumellea for the island of Mauritius (Indian Ocean), J. exilis and J. rossii are reported from incorrectly attributed past collections. Sampling over the last four decades on Mauritius recorded only a few localities for J. exilis, while J. rossii is known from only a single collection. Recent surveys confirm that J. exilis is very rare, qualifying as Critically Endangered on Mauritius according to the IUCN Red List Criteria, and J. rossii should be considered as probably Extinct. An updated key to the Jumellea of Mauritius is provided. Threats besetting the species and other orchids in general in Mauritius are discussed and conservation measures suggested.

Mass-culling of a threatened island flying fox species failed to increase fruit growers’ profits and revealed gaps to be addressed for effective conservation

Thu, 31 Jan 2019 20:00:00 +0000

Human-wildlife conflicts (HWC) pose a growing threat to biodiversity worldwide and solutions can be as sound as the understanding of the HWC itself. Conservation biologists therefore must carefully examine their local situations to inform on which approach and strategies may be best. In this context, Mauritius implemented what may be the first mass-culls of an already threatened native species when it culled the flying fox (Pteropus niger) in 2015 and 2016 to try increase fruit producers’ profits. Although the Red List category of the species consequently worsened to ‘Endangered’ and fruit production dropped substantially, a third mass-cull was decided in 2018. A critical analysis is important to draw lessons that may help to prevent recurrences particularly that HWC involving Pteropus spp. are common and set to worsen. We synthesized the best literature available locally and also elsewhere in relevant situations, to critically appraise the setting, nature, timeline of events and outcome of both completed mass-culling campaigns to explore why and how they happened so as to help towards devising better approaches to such conflicts. The idea to cull P. niger originated around 2002 and a small cull was done in 2006. The first mass-cull started immediately after Mauritius’ biodiversity protection law was weakened in 2015 primarily to legalize culls of threatened native species, but still breached the law in place then. The 2016 mass-cull was recommended in line with the law, but was not evidence-based and consequently did not result in improved profits of fruit producers. Appeals supported by best scientific evidence from local and international organizations and conservationists to the effect that culls will not increase fruit production, but instead further endanger the species, were ignored. To forestall recurrences here and elsewhere, it matters to recognize their precursor signs and the conditions that favoured them including why the mass-culls were not stopped. The events provide a rare opportunity to explore the strategy that was used by conservationists and open the way to propose impactful alternatives or additional actions instead. The situation also exemplifies an eroding commitment towards biodiversity conservation, eased by withdrawal from evidence-based policy that suit short term goals of election cycles at the expense of longer term environmental interests.

Syzygium pyneei (Myrtaceae), a new critically endangered endemic species from Mauritius.

Wed, 04 Feb 2015 20:00:00 +0000

A new species of Syzygium Gaertn.(Myrtaceae), Syzygium pyneei Byng, V. Florens & Baider, is described from Mondrain Reserve on the island of Mauritius. This species is endemic to the island and differs from any other species by its combination of cauliflory, relatively large flowers, light green to cream hypanthium, light pink stamens, short thick petioles, coriaceous leaves and round, cuneate or sub-cordate to cordate leaf bases. Syzygium pyneei Byng, V. Florens & Baider is known from only two individuals from the type locality and merits the conservation status of Critically Endangered (CR C2a (i, ii); D).

Eugenia alletiana (Myrtaceae), a new critically endangered species endemic to the island of Mauritius

Mon, 15 Apr 2013 20:00:00 +0000

Eugenia alletiana, a new endemic species from Mauritius, is described and its ecology and conservation is discussed. The morphological diagnostic features for Eugenia alletiana are chartaceous, discoloured leaves, very thin terminal branchlets, flowers solitary or in fascicles of 2–3 flowers, totally fused hypanthium without apical pore or calyptra, that encloses the numerous stamens (> 500) and petals before anthesis; seed enclosed in a woody endocarp with a lamellated outer surface. The species should be considered as Critically Endangered (CR) according to the Red List Criteria of the International Union for the Conservation of Nature. This assessment is based on the plant’s restricted distribution, very small population size, a habitat sustaining degradation by invasive alien plants and animals and predation of immature fruits and seeds by invasive alien monkeys and rats respectively leading to a weak regeneration.

Relocation of Omphalotropis plicosa (Pfeiffer, 1852), a Mauritian endemic landsnail believed extinct

Mon, 30 Apr 2007 20:00:00 +0000

Using three-dimensional surface roughness parameters in analysis of atmospheric corrosion degradation of carbon steel

Thu, 21 Nov 2013 20:00:00 +0000

When carbon steel is subjected to atmospheric corrosion, the surface texture of the base metal becomes rougher due to corrosion attack. In this study, three-dimensional surface roughness analysis of the base metal of carbon steel samples exposed outdoors was performed to investigate this aspect of atmospheric corrosion. Corrosion loss was found to depend mainly on the number of days of exposure, the carbon content of the base metal and the core void volume. A high correlation coefficient was obtained, which suggests that analysis of surface texture can also be used as a means for determining atmospheric corrosion degradation.

Use of structural equation modeling in tourism research: Past, present, and future

Sun, 03 Mar 2013 20:00:00 +0000

This study reviewed use of covariance-based structural equation modeling (SEM) in 209 articles published in nine tourism journals between 2000 and 2011. Time-series analysis suggested that the number of SEM publications is explained by linear and quadratic time effects. Results indicated that although SEM practices have improved in some areas, tourism researchers do not always engage in the recommended best practices. Problematic areas were related to testing of alternative a priori models, reporting of multivariate normality, estimating effect size, and assessing reliability and validity. Some of the recommended fit indices were also underutilized. The review also found few differences in SEM practices between top-tier journals and other publications in the tourism field. On the basis of these results, suggestions to improve use of SEM in tourism studies are discussed in the light of recent developments in this technique.

Creativity and innovation in science and technology - bridging the gap between secondary and tertiary levels of education

Sun, 11 Jan 2015 20:00:00 +0000

Purpose This paper stems from a study which was conducted as a means to first, find out whether there is a gap between the secondary and tertiary education levels, second identify any existing gap in Science and Technology education, and third, examine the impact of the above upon students’ creativity and innovativeness at university level. The paper aims to discuss these issues. Design/methodology/approach As such, a group of teachers and students at both secondary and tertiary levels were selected as the sample of the study. Questionnaires were administered to trained secondary school teachers and to university students. Interviews were also conducted to triangulate data. These enabled an analysis of the current situation in terms of students’ engagement/creativity/innovativeness in Science and Technology at secondary and tertiary levels. Findings The findings reveal a problematic situation arising with respect to beliefs and what truly prevails in the education sector at secondary and tertiary levels. This study has revealed a number of salient issues related to the gap existing between the secondary and tertiary levels of education in Mauritius, with special bearing on creativity and innovation in Science and Technology. Research limitations/implications Only three institutions were involved, with a small sample of students, so that the findings cannot be generalised. Moreover, gender is a variable that has not been taken into consideration. Practical implications The study has proposed a number of recommendations to enable Mauritian students (at secondary and tertiary levels) to develop creativity and hopefully become innovators. This leads us to believe that the recommendations emerging from this study will be beneficial to various stakeholders who wish to understand the gap existing between secondary and tertiary education in Science and Technology education. Originality/value This study takes a case study approach adopting a mixture of interviews, surveys and observations to understand the research problems with regards to the younger generations need to be equipped with scientific and technological advances in acquiring knowledge, new sets of skills and values. Therefore, this study endeavours to document the perceptions of learners and faculty staff.

Teaching and learning physics using technology: Making a case for the affective domain

Wed, 28 Jun 2017 20:00:00 +0000

Even though its importance is underscored in many research pursuits, attention to the affective domain in learning is often neglected at the expense of the cognitive development of students studying science, in particular physics. In this paper we propose a framework, the pedagogical technological integrated medium (PTIM) founded on the TPACK model, that builds on the existing premises of pedagogy, content and technology to make space for the affective domain where these three premises intersect with each other. We operationalize the PTIM framework through a multi-loop model that explores the affective dimension as an overarching space for interaction among learners, teachers and parents through a series of stages encompassing home tasks, as well as classroom and out-of-school activities. Within the qualitative paradigm, we substantiate from two case studies, an exploratory and an evaluative one in two different schools, that a succinct synchronisation of these various interactive elements promotes knowledge construction springing from the affective domain in terms of motivation, interest and values and also from their inter-relationships.

Pre-and in-service physics teachers’ content and pedagogical content knowledge: Implications and Challenges

Fri, 31 Oct 2014 20:00:00 +0000

The principal aim of this study is to examine pre-service and in-service Mauritian physics teachers’ competencies in solving a particular physics concept:‘Charge’–a concept taught to students (aged 17-18) at the Higher School Certificate level. The data from this study, subjected to Rasch analysis and non-parametric statistical tests, show that the sample teachers displayed difficulties in demonstrating both their content knowledge and pedagogical content knowledge. Further test provided little evidence that teaching experience can adequately differentiate the teachers. Implications for physics teacher education programmes demand that physics and physics methods courses be re-invigorated to address the problem.

Developing a community support model for tourism

Thu, 30 Jun 2011 20:00:00 +0000

This study developed a model of community support based on the social exchange theory. The model contained fourteen hypothesized relationships and was tested using the LISREL package from responses collected from residents of Grand-Baie, Mauritius. Results indicated that support was influenced by perceived benefits, perceived costs, and community satisfaction. Perceived benefits were affected by community satisfaction, institutional trust, power to influence tourism, and neighborhood conditions. Community satisfaction and neighborhood conditions did not exert a significant influence on perceived costs. Power to influence tourism was also not found to affect community satisfaction. Policy implications and limitations of the study are discussed.

Power, trust, social exchange and community support

Sat, 31 Mar 2012 20:00:00 +0000

Trust and power between actors are two central concepts in social exchanges. Yet, studies investigating residents’ support for tourism using the social exchange theory have failed to consider these constructs simultaneously. This study tests a model of community support with the social exchange theory as its theoretical basis. Results indicate that support is determined by residents’ trust in government actors and perceived benefits. Trust is in turn predicted by residents’ perceived benefits and costs and their level of power. The theoretical contributions of the study emanate from the inclusion of the trust and power variables in the model. The practical implications of the findings and the limitations of the study are discussed. Some suggestions for future research are also made.

Residents’ attitudes to tourism: A longitudinal study of 140 articles from 1984 to 2010

Mon, 02 Apr 2012 20:00:00 +0000

Consumers acceptance of artificially intelligent (AI) device use in service delivery

Sat, 30 Nov 2019 20:00:00 +0000

This study develops and empirically tests a theoretical model of artificially intelligent (AI) device use acceptance (AIDUA) that aims to explain customers’ willingness to accept AI device use in service encounters. The proposed model incorporates three acceptance generation stages (primary appraisal, secondary appraisal, and outcome stage) and six antecedents (social influence, hedonic motivation, anthropomorphism, performance expectancy, effort expectancy, and emotion). Utilizing data collected from potential customers, the proposed AIDUA model is tested. Findings suggest that customers go through a three-step acceptance generation process in determining whether to accept the use of AI devices during their service interactions. Findings indicate that social influence and hedonic motivation are positively related to performance expectancy while anthropomorphism is positively related to effort expectancy. Both performance and effort expectancy are significant antecedents of customer emotions, which determines customers’ acceptance of AI device use in service encounters. This study provides a conceptual AI device acceptance framework that can be used by other researchers to better investigate AI related topics in the service context.

International tourism and outbreak of coronavirus (COVID-19): A cross-country analysis

Thu, 02 Jul 2020 20:00:00 +0000

This study examines the relationship between international tourism and COVID-19 cases and associated deaths in more than 90 nations. We use a cross-country regression analysis and find a positive correlation between international tourism and the cumulated level of COVID-19 confirmed cases and death by April 30, 2020. Our regression analyses show that countries exposed to high flows of international tourism are more prone to cases and deaths caused by the COVID-19 outbreak. This association is robust even after controlling for other socioeconomic determinants of COVID-19 outbreak and regional dummies. Based on our estimations, a 1% higher level of inbound and outbound tourism is associated with 1.2% and 1.4% higher levels of confirmed COVID-19 cases and death, respectively, controlling for other factors. When we normalize the number of cases and death by size of population, the statistical significance remains robust, especially for the COVID-19 deaths, while the effect size reduces.

Residents’ support for tourism: Testing alternative structural models

Thu, 04 Aug 2016 20:00:00 +0000

Social exchange theory (SET) has made significant contributions to research on residents’ support for tourism. Nevertheless, studies are based on an incomplete set of variables and are characterized by alternative, yet contradictory, and theoretically sound research propositions. Using key constructs of SET, this study develops a baseline model of residents’ support and compares it with four competing models. Each model contains the terms of the baseline model and additional relationships reflecting alternative theoretical possibilities. The models were tested using data collected from residents of Niagara Region, Canada. Results indicated that in the best fitted model, residents’ support for tourism was influenced by their perceptions of positive impacts. Residents’ power and their trust in government significantly predicted their life satisfaction and their perceptions of positive impacts. Personal benefits from tourism significantly influenced residents’ perceptions of the positive and negative impacts of tourism. The study provides valuable and clearer insights on relationships among SET variables.

Residents’ satisfaction with community attributes and support for tourism

Wed, 17 Nov 2010 20:00:00 +0000

This study develops and tests a structural model of residents’ support tourism development, with the social exchange theory as its theoretical base. The model incorporates three exogenous latent variables, namely, community satisfaction with neighborhood conditions, community commitment, and satisfaction with community services. Perceived positive and negative impacts of tourism are proposed as the mediating variables between the exogenous latent variables and the ultimate dependent variable, given as support for tourism. Eight path hypotheses are proposed and tested using a sample of 363 residents. Perceptions of tourism impacts were found to influence support for tourism development. Findings also suggest that residents’ satisfaction with neighborhood conditions and community services are important determinants of perceived positive and negative impacts of tourism. Community commitment was found not to be an antecedent of attitudes to tourism. The practical implications of the study are discussed, together with its limitations and scope for future research.

A Novel Design Architecture to Address the Current Limitations of Fixed and Mobile Phone Data Logging System

Fri, 04 Jan 2019 20:00:00 +0000

Data loggers are devices used to gather data in various environment. However, if they undergo any malfunction or breakdown, data cannot be recovered. Most phone data loggers have a small LCD to display the caller ID only, though a few can also display date and time. Others may not have a display at all and the call information has to be viewed on an external PC. Most of them have limited internal memory of 20 calls only and then are overwritten by the new ones. Some telephone requires an external call recording device since no data logger provides this functionality yet. The EEPROM of the Arduino has limited storage capacity, issues with nature and format of data for executing high load programs. So the present paper attempts to propose a novel design architecture to address these issues. Preliminary output shows that the DTMF decoder could only detect key pressed on a fixed telephone. By using a micro SD card, it is possible to store more data and variables in the Arduino sketch. Unfortunately, for some unknown reasons, the circuit could not detect incoming calls even when the DTMF decoder was replaced with an FSK one. In parallel, an Android app has been being developed that can log the caller ID and indicate the date, time, day, duration, and the type of call such as incoming or outgoing call on an Android mobile phone.

Curriculum implications of the integration of mathematics into science

Sat, 31 Dec 2016 20:00:00 +0000

This section examines the curricular aspects of integrating mathematics into science.

Research perspectives and skills for Science Education

Sat, 31 Dec 2016 20:00:00 +0000

Distributed leadership in the context of Nine Year Schooling of Mauritius

Mon, 30 Apr 2018 20:00:00 +0000

This paper outlines the rationale for using Distributed Leadership (DL) as a lens through which to view Learners’ Voice in the current curriculum reform. We argue that this is a time of significant personal adversity, academic resistance and we suggest that for some, it may result in overhaul (s) of reference or perspective in the Curriculum Reform of Mauritius. Within the context of the Mauritian Nine-Year Schooling, at the secondary level, the landscape of the educational sector is changing, and this is giving rise to new forms of educational activities, such as learners’ active participation in the learning process and e-education. Perceptions of Rectors, Heads of Departments (HoDs) and Educators on Distributed Leadership were captured through interviews as Learners’ Voice. We argue that although DL may be supported in the Mauritian Secondary Schools landscape, situating DL (if, at all) within the Learners’ Voices in the Curriculum Reform Process, is worthy of investigation.

Residents’ support for tourism: An identity perspective

Sat, 31 Dec 2011 20:00:00 +0000

Studies on residents’ support for tourism have primarily been conducted in the developed world. This study analyzes community support in the island economy of Mauritius by testing a model based on the social exchange theory and the identity theory. The model proposes that the resource-based occupational identity, environmental identity, and gender identity of the residents influence attitudes to tourism impacts and support (behavior). Results indicate that one’s identity has a direct bearing on support, but may not always influence attitudes. Findings confirm the relevance of the social exchange theory and the identity theory in explaining community support for tourism in island economies. The study’s practical implications and limitations are discussed.

Insight into the recovery of nutrients from organic solid waste through biochemical conversion processes for fertilizer production: A review

Wed, 18 Sep 2019 06:15:20 +0000

The safe disposal of organic solid waste (OSW) has been regarded as utmost concern in this period of green economy and the concept of producing high quality fertilizers with an enriched nutrient content is at present identified prospectively in many countries. When OSW are improperly disposed, considerable amounts of nutrients which are locked in the OSW are reduced or lost. These valuable nutrients which are lost might be recuperated through suitable biochemical technologies and employed as nutrient-rich fertilizers in agricultural fields for maintaining soil fertility. This work aimed to review macro-nutrients (N, P, K) and micro-nutrients (Ca, Mg, Na, Fe, Cu, Mn, Zn, B, Mo, S) recycling during biochemical conversion technologies e.g. composting and vermicomposting of OSW for the production of fertilizer. This work also elucidates the possible ways of enriching the nutrient content in vermicompost, the effects of possible mechanisms on earthworms linking to nutrients enrichment and the quality assessment of composts and vermicomposts in terms of nutrient content. Generally, it would appear that vermicomposts can have ‘‘added-value’’ characteristics since vermicomposting of OSW could efficiently amplify the nutrients content and vermicomposts could be inferred as a superior organic fertilizer with high nutritional content of agronomic importance in contrast to composts. The high nutrient content in vermicompost could be explicated by earthworm gut-borne microorganisms which mixed with organic matter (OM) during their passage in the intestine and those microorganisms consecutively have a vital role in the biochemical alterations of nutritive elements. This review recommends the importance of obtaining a comprehensive insight on the earthworm activity entailed in vermitechnology, especially the mechanisms they accomplish for the nutrients enrichment. Conclusively, the need for further scientific research aimed at outlining Mg and Na metabolisms by earthworm mechanism and also other trace elements (Fe, Cu, Mn, Zn, B, Mo, S) in vermicomposting processes is greatly recommended which will thus provide a meaningful direction for future study.

Adsorption of synthetic dyed wastewater using activated carbon from rice husk

Mon, 07 Dec 2020 20:00:00 +0000

The purpose of this study was to remove dyes from synthetic dyed wastewater using activated carbon derived from rice husk. The initial dye concentration was 45 mg/L. The batch adsorption worked best in an acidic medium of pH 2, adsorbent dosage of 13 g/L and agitation speed of 100 rpm with maximum dye removal of 80% after 10 min. The maximum adsorption capacity of the absorbent was found to be 2.0 mg/g with a final dye concentration of 10.8 mg/L. The adsorption was found to be a non-spontaneous, endothermic chemisorption process with less disorder which best fitted the Temkin model and followed pseudo-second order. For column adsorption, the highest qo corresponds to 12.8 mg/g and the maximum dye removal was above 99.5%. Some of the experimental deductions were confirmed by gas-phase computations [B3LYP/6-31G(d)].

Lifelong learning (LLL) for energy practitioners in small island developing states (SIDS): the pivotal role of education in energy efficiency and demand side management

Tue, 07 Feb 2017 20:00:00 +0000

Climate change issue in SIDS is real and alarming. While shifting to more sustainable energy resources is a feasible option to curb down climate change impacts, there are still some barriers to overcome to do so. Energy efficiency is another option to mitigate climate change impacts. Past studies showed that energy efficiency is more effective through education and awareness. In the context of SIDS, their energy sector is characterised by poor electrification rates, high dependence on oil and less ability to cope with volatile oil prices and ironically, past studies showed that energy practitioners in SIDS, some if not most, have a lack of knowledge on energy issues in small island communities. Therefore, there is a need to train energy practitioners in SIDS who can hopefully contribute to transform SIDS energy sector into a sustainable and dynamic one. The aim of this study is to highlight the importance and barriers of educating energy practitioners on energy efficiency. In this study, in the foremost energy issues in SIDS are highlighted. The study is focussed on the need to achieve an energy efficient culture in a workplace and how it can be achieved through education. A proposed content on an energy efficiency programme is outlined. Issues and challenges for energy efficiency education is included and an opportunity to address these issues through global corporation is included. This study can help to refocus attention on energy efficiency in SIDS, and motivate energy practitioners to come up with energy efficiency practices at their workplaces.

Effectiveness of alkaline pretreatment on fruit wastes for bioethanol production

Thu, 21 Apr 2016 20:00:00 +0000

Coconut husk, a lignocellulosic biomass, as a promising engineering material for non-wood paper production

Tue, 09 Mar 2021 20:00:00 +0000

Plant fiber classified as environmentally friendly material is a promising renewable engineering material rich in lignocellulose that can be employed in the pulp and paper industry as a substitution to wood which has been entailing negative environmental impacts due to acute deforestation. This paper assesses the feasibility of manufacturing biodegradable, writable and eco-friendly papers from waste coconut husk which is a low-cost and locally available biomass. The biomass was used along with wastepaper in different ratios. Papers of 60 gm −2were produced with and without binder. Starch was added as binder to strengthen the paper and increase its resistance to bursting and abrasion. The properties of the paper were assessed through physical and mechanical tests. The mean thickness of the unreinforced and starch reinforced papers 67re 0.2 ± 0.012 mm and 0.282 ± 0.016 mm respectively. The reinforced 100% coconut husk paper species demonstrated greatest tensile and burst index of 19.25 Nmg −1 and 2.266 kPam 2 g −1 respectively requiring the highest inc ed for numberns of 6 % coconut fibers showed lowest absorbency rate implying that it is 35 times more absorbent than 60 g/m 2normal paper. The paper specimens having highest mean recovery angle suitable for writing materials were the reinforced 60% Cocos Nucifera and 40% wastepaper (77.6°).

Feasibility of using solar energy as a source of renewable energy in Mauritius under collaboration of DIREKT

Mon, 31 Dec 2012 20:00:00 +0000

Invasive alien plants elicit reduced production of flowers and fruits in various native forest species on the tropical island of Mauritius (Mascarenes, Indian Ocean).

Thu, 28 Feb 2013 20:00:00 +0000

Biological invasions constitute a major threat to biodiversity. However, while the impact of invasive alien animals on native biota is often unambiguous, the impacts of invasive alien plants (IAP) appear to be considerably less severe and, at times, more debatable. Invasion by alien plants co-occur with other drivers of habitat change such that assessing impacts of IAP independently of these other factors may be difficult. Generalisations can be misleading, because studies reveal different responses of native plants to the presence of IAP. Therefore, there is a need to understand general trends and exceptions within a particular habitat. In the island of Mauritius, mechanical control of invasive alien plants has been implemented for decades in lowland wet forests. Weeded and non-weeded areas are very similar in all aspects, except for the control of IAP, providing an opportunity to study how IAP are affecting native plants. We monitored the reproductive output of 20-40 individuals each, of nine selected native species from different forest strata, in both weeded and adjacent non-weeded areas in a lowlan d wet forest, through direct count/estimation of the number of flower buds, flowers and fruits. Flower bud, flower and fruit production were greater in the weeded area. These results are consistent with previous findings that noted greater regeneration of native trees in these areas. This study also provides clues to reported decline of shade tolerant understory vegetation in alien invaded forest and further stresses the importance of removing alien plants to restore biodiversity and function and achieve conservation success.

Mid-Holocene (4200 kyr BP) mass mortalities in Mauritius (Mascarenes): Insular vertebrates resilient to climatic extremes but vulnerable to human impact

Sun, 17 Jul 2011 20:00:00 +0000

In the light of the currently increasing drought frequency and water scarcity on oceanic islands, it is crucial for the conservation of threatened insular vertebrates to assess how they will be affected. A 4000 yr old fossil assemblage in the Mare Aux Songes (MAS), southwest Mauritius, Mascarene Islands, contains bones of 100 000+ individual vertebrates, dominated by two species of giant tortoises Cylindraspis triserrata and C. inepta, the dodo Raphus cucullatus, and 20 other vertebrate species (Rijsdijk, Hume, Bunnik, Florens, Baider, Shapiro et al. (2009) Mid-Holocene vertebrate bone Concentration-Lagerstätte on oceanic island Mauritius provides a window into the ecosystem of the dodo (Raphus cucullatus). Quaternary Science Reviews 28: 14–24). Nine radiocarbon dates of bones statistically overlap and suggest mass mortality occurred between 4235 and 4100 cal. yr BP. The mortality period coincides with a widely recognized megadrought event. Our multidisciplinary investigations combining geological, paleontological and hydrological evidence suggests the lake was located in a dry coastal setting and had desiccated during this period. Oxygen isotope data from a Uranium-series dated stalagmite from Rodrigues, an island 560 km east of Mauritius, supports this scenario by showing frequently alternating dry and wet periods lasting for decades between 4122 and 2260 cal. yr BP. An extreme drought resulted in falling water-tables at MAS and elsewhere on the island, perhaps deprived these insular vertebrates of fresh water, which led to natural mass mortalities and possibly to extirpations. In spite of these events, all insular species survived until at least the seventeenth century, confirming their resistance to climatic extremes. Despite this, the generally exponential increase of combined human impacts on islands including loss of geodiversity, habitats, and stocks of fresh water, there will be less environmental safe-haven options for insular endemic and native vertebrates during future megadrought conditions; and therefore will be more prone to extinction.

Long-term declines of native trees in an oceanic island’s tropical forests invaded by alien plants

Wed, 19 Oct 2016 20:00:00 +0000

Question How did the native and alien woody plant communities of protected lowland wet forests of a tropical oceanic island change in the presence of understorey invasive alien plants over the medium (21–27 yrs) and longer term (68 yrs)? Location Bel Ombre, Brise Fer and Macchabé forests in the Black River Gorges National Park (BRGNP), Mauritius (20°22′10″–20°28′17″ S, 57°24′45″–57°27′12″ E). Methods Random and replicated vegetation plots were sampled in two protected forest areas whose communities of woody plants were surveyed 21 and 27 yrs previously, and in another protected and similar forest that was surveyed 68 yrs earlier, to identify species and measure stem diameters so as to permit comparisons at the three sites over these time periods. Results Invasion by woody alien plants has progressed through time at all three sites, comprised mostly of the understorey and shade-tolerant Strawberry guava (Psidium cattleianum). Concomitantly, although reductions in native woody plant species richness of large trees (≥10 cm DBH) were not statistically significant at the community level, their densities and basal area had roughly halved in 68 yrs. Comparisons with the studies 21–27 yrs previously confirmed the tendency towards a reduction in density of larger trees, besides indicating a trend towards decline in species richness of smaller understorey trees. Conclusion An unabated replacement of native by alien trees over the longer term is occurring in protected areas of the lowland wet forests of the BRGNP and presumably in other similarly invaded areas. Our work stresses the importance of long-term monitoring in elucidating impacts of invasive alien plants at the community level, particularly when dealing with slow-growing and long-lived species. Plausible mechanisms bringing about the observed changes and that have been found at the same or similar sites, include reduced regeneration, growth, production of flowers and fruits and increased mortality of native trees when these grow among invasive alien plants. The control of invasive alien plants, where they invade tropical forests, should be a central conservation objective even in better preserved and well protected areas.

Threats to environmentally sensitive areas from peri-urban expansion in Mauritius

Sun, 08 Feb 2015 20:00:00 +0000

Rapid succession of plant associations on the small ocean island of Mauritius at the onset of the Holocene

Tue, 14 May 2013 20:00:00 +0000

The island of Mauritius offers the opportunity to study the poorly understood vegetation response to climate change on a small tropical oceanic island. A high-resolution pollen record from a 10 m long peat core from Kanaka Crater (560 m elevation, Mauritius, Indian Ocean) shows that vegetation shifted from a stable open wet forest Last Glacial state to a stable closed-stratified-tall-forest Holocene state. An ecological threshold was crossed at ∼11.5 cal ka BP, propelling the forest ecosystem into an unstable period lasting ∼4000 years. The shift between the two steady states involves a cascade of four abrupt (

A pilot study to investigate energy intake and food frequency among middle aged and elderly people in Mauritius

Thu, 11 May 2017 20:00:00 +0000

Middle age is an important period of life whereby unhealthy eating habits may develop. In addition, during old age, certain transitions such as retirement may impact on eating habits and health. This study was undertaken to identify and characterize dietary patterns in the middle aged and elderly people and to assess different factors influencing energy intake. A total of 500 participants aged between 35–65 years old completed a self-reported questionnaire investigating the eating habits, Physical Activity Level (PAL), Nutrition Knowledge (NK) and BMI. A three 24-hour dietary recalls over three weeks were used to estimate energy intake (EI) of the participants. Statistical tests performed revealed that the mean energy intake was 1919.8 kcal which was lower than the recommended daily allowance. The mean BMI was 24.6 Kg/m2. Factors such as gender, snacking frequency and nutrition knowledge were found to influence the EI of the participants (p

Pseudohalonectria miscanthicola sp. nov. and three interesting fungi from tropics

Tue, 31 May 2005 20:00:00 +0000

Pseudohalonectria miscanthicola sp. nov. is reported from senescent culms of Miscanthus floridulus (Gramineae) from Lung Fu Shan, Hong Kong. This fungus differs from other Pseudohalonectria species in having smaller ascospores which are 0-1-septate. It is described, illustrated and compared with other species in the genus. Saccardoella aquatica, first described on submerged wood in Hong Kong and South Africa, is reported here for the first time from dead terrestrial wood at Mount Nicholson, Hong Kong. We also report Massariothea themedae from senescent culms of an unidentified grass from Kudremukh National Park, Karnataka, India. This species is described and illustrated. Important morphological characters of 8 known species of Massariothea are tabulated and a key to all the species is provided. Oxydothis oraniopsis is reported on senescent fronds of Calamus sp. collected from Chorle Ghat, Goa, India. This is the first record of ascomycetous genus Oxydothis from India.

Mucoralean fungi in Thailand: novel species of Absidia from tropical forest soil.

Thu, 01 Apr 2021 20:00:00 +0000

Species of AbsidiaTiegh. (Mucorales) are commonly isolated from soil, dead plant materials and dung. The genus is of interest in industrial and medical fields due to the presence of active compounds and secondary metabolites. Absidia species are typically characterized by an arcuate stolon with rhizoids, zygospores with appendaged suspensors and columella with apical projections. Characterization and description of novel Absidia species are unprecedented in Thailand. During our field visits to explore soil fungi in northern Thailand, topsoil samples from a tropical mixed forest in Chiang Mai were collected. Four strains of Absidia were isolated from the soil samples. Initial morphological characteristics revealed that four strains represent two new species. Phylogenetic analysis of combined ITS, SSU, LSU, and ACT-1 sequence data revealed that the two new species are phylogenetically distinct. Microscopic investigations indicated that the new species, Absidia soli V.GHurdeal., E.Gentekaki., H.B.Lee & K.D.Hyde, sp. nov. produces larger sporangia (16-51 × 15-45.5 µm) and columella (7.5-12.5 × 9-24 µm) than Absidia edaphica V.GHurdeal., E.Gentekaki., H.B.Lee & K.D.Hyde, sp. nov. (30.5-35.5 × 24-27 µm and 5-9.5 × 6.5-20 µm respectively). Both species have short cylindrical to cylindrical and hyaline sporangiospores. The sizes of the spores for A. edaphica sp. nov. and A. soli sp. nov. are 3.5-5.5 × 2-3.5 µm and 3-4.5 × 1.5-2.5 µm respectively. Mycelial growth in four media, namely malt extract agar (MEA), potato dextrose agar (PDA), corn meal agar (CMA) and yeast malt agar (YMA) were measured. Both species grow in the range of 4 to 30°C, but not at >37°C. DNA sequence analyses based on wider taxon sampling and LSU dataset revealed that there is a high phylogenetic diversity of species of Absidia.

https://sordariomycetes.org/, a platform for the identification, ranking and classification of taxa within Sordariomycetes

Thu, 02 Apr 2020 20:00:00 +0000

The class Sordariomycetes has, over the years, been subjected to numerous taxonomic and phylogenetic changes, resulting in rapid updates in classification. This has resulted in a vast amount of taxonomic information available as publications and in databases. With the aim of compiling all these scattered data and presenting them comprehensively in a single platform, a new website (Sordariomycetes. org), accessible at https://sordariomycetes. org/is established. This database conveys coherent and up-to-date information on the ranking and classification of taxa within Sordariomycetes. Notes, descriptions and photographic plates of the type or reference materials, phylogenetic trees, the current number of morphologically accepted species and those with molecular data along with their ecological and/or economic importance in each genus are provided. This is a user-friendly platform, which provides easy access to relevant information.

Morphology and phylogeny of Atrocalyx acervatus sp. nov. (Lophiotremataceae) from Acer species.

Mon, 08 Jan 2018 20:00:00 +0000

A new species of Atrocalyx (Lophiotremataceae) was collected from dead branches of Acer species in Yunnan Province, China. This is the first record of Atrocalyx on Acer. Lophiotrema bambusae and Lophiotrema guttulata is transferred to Atrocalyx based on combined SSU, ITS, LSU and tef1 sequences analyses. A detailed description and illustration of the new species is provided, and two new combinations are proposed.

Multigene phylogenetics of Polycephalomyces (Ophiocordycipitaceae, Hypocreales), with two new species from Thailand.

Sun, 31 Dec 2017 20:00:00 +0000

Polycephalomyces (Ophiocordycipitaceae) species are found in subtropical regions and are parasitic or hyperparasitic on insects. Two new species, P. aurantiacus and P. marginaliradians, parasitic on Ophiocordyceps barnesii and larva of Cossidae respectively, are introduced in this paper. Morphological comparison with extant species and DNA based phylogenies from analyses of a multigene dataset support the establishment of the new taxa. Polycephalomyces aurantiacus, exhibiting a hyperparasitic lifestyle on Ophiocordyceps barnesii, differs from other species in producing orange conidia in mass and have longer β-phialides in culture. Polycephalomyces marginaliradians differs from other Ophiocordyceps species by producing single stromata with a stipe, smaller perithecia and branched α-phialides and catenate α-conidia and is parasitic on Cossidae. A combined nrSSU, nrLSU, ITS, tef-1a, rpb1 and rpb2 sequence data was analysed phylogenetically including Ophiocordyceps and Polycephalomyces taxa. The new species described herein are clearly distinct from other species in Polycephalomyces. We provide a key to the species of Polycephalomyces and discuss relevant interspecies relationships.

Marinophialophora garethjonesii gen. et sp. nov. : a new hyphomycete associated with Halocyphina from marine habitats in Thailand .

Mon, 19 Mar 2018 20:00:00 +0000

Marinophialophora garethjonesii sp. nov., representing a novel genus Marinophialophora gen. nov., associated with the basidiomycete fungus, Halocyphina on mangrove wood from Phetchaburi, Thailand, is described and illustrated. Marinophialophora morphologically resembles Phialophora and Junctospora (Herpotrichiellaceae, Chaetothyriales) in having macronematous, unbranched or branched conidiophores, globose to subglobose, solitary, acrogenous, pale to subhyaline, aseptate, conidia in chains and phialidic conidiogenous cells. Marinophialophora mainly differs from other related genera due to its conidia borne in basipetally developing branched chains and septate conidiophores. Phylogenetic analyses of a combined ITS, LSU and SSU sequence data show that Marinophialophora garethjonesii constitutes an independent lineage with high statistical support basal to the genus Exophiala within the family Herpotrichiellaceae (Chaetothyriales). The new marine taxon is described herein with illustrations and relationships inferred from DNA sequence data.

Oral dysbacteriosis in type 2 diabetes and its role in the progression to cardiovascular disease.

Thu, 04 Jan 2018 20:00:00 +0000

Background: Salivary changes and proliferation of specific bacterial communities are known to result in oral disease which may adversely impact on systemic conditions like diabetes and cardiovascular diseases.Objectives: This study reports on the changes in oral ecology of healthy and diseased adults and the possible role in disease causation.Methods: The study comprised 150 participants divided into control (healthy), diabetic and cardiac groups. After dental examination for (Decayed Missing Filled Teeth (DMFT) and Oral Rating Index (ORI), stimulated saliva was sampled to determine flow rate and buffering capacity. Salivary microbial load of Streptococcus mutans and Lactobacilli were subsequently quantified.Results: DMFT, ORI, buffering capacity and flow rate were inferior for both diabetic and cardiac patients, who had higher bacterial counts (p< 0.05). Long standing diabetics harboured a higher load of treptococcus mutans. The microbial load of Streptococcus mutans in cardiac patients was double that of diabetics.Conclusion: Disruption in the salivary environment and changes in microbial ecology with increased load of cariogenic bacteria were found in diabetic and cardiac patients. This study brings forward new evidence of a markedly higher load of Streptococcus mutans in cardiac patients which may underlie the progression of diabetes to cardiovascular disease in this population.

What factors contribute to a higher frequency of skin infections among adults in Mauritius?

Sun, 30 Jun 2013 20:00:00 +0000

Introduction: Given the rise in the prevalence of skin infections in many countries and the lack of published data pertaining to the prevalence and awareness of skin infection in Mauritius, this survey is the first of its kind to provide data on this issue. The aim of this study is to describe the association of skin infection with various predisposing factors such as socioeconomic status, personal hygiene and level of awareness and to assess the impact of skin infections on quality of life.Material and Methods: A stratified sample of 500 adults was randomly selected for this study. Subjects were administered a questionnaire to elicit information on sociodemographic factors, awareness, family history and prevalence of skin infections. Quality of life was investigated by a validated questionnaire (DLQI). SPSS Software and Microsoft Excel were used to analyse data. Results: Among 500 participants, 166 (33%) cases of skin infections were obtained. Acne was found to be more prevalent (n= 59). It was found that skin infection varies with gender and higher prevalence was observed during summer as compared to winter (p= 0.017). It was noted that family history and income level were associated with an increase incidence of skin infection (p= 0.000). With respect to quality of life, psychological distress was mostly affected.Conclusion: Acne was found to be more prevalent. Respondents with middle income status were mostly affected with skin infection. Those with a family history were more prone to skin infection. The Quality of Life index was found to be an efficient method in assessing the impact of skin infection on the respondents’ lives.

Neolinocarpon penniseti sp. nov. on the grass Pennisetum purpureum (Poaceae)

Thu, 30 Nov 2006 20:00:00 +0000

Neolinocarpon penniset sp. nov. is described from the grass Pennisetum purpureu collected in Hong Kong. This is the only Neolinocarpon species found on a non-Arecaceous host. The species has shorter ascospores than the other species in the genus. A key to specie of Neolinocarpon is provided.

The African Herbal Pharmacopoeia.

Thu, 31 Dec 2009 20:00:00 +0000

Not applicable

Towards a better understanding of Trees and Shrubs of Mauritius and the Indian Ocean Islands

Wed, 31 Dec 2008 20:00:00 +0000

Mauritius and the Islands of the Indian Ocean are known to be a biodiversity hotspot. Many of the plants making up the local flora are endemic and exist there and nowhere else in the world. This rich flora, comprising both exotic and endemic species, has amongst others been used as ornamental and medicinal. However, in spite of these applications, they remain unknown to the public at large. It is also a fact that the flora of island states, in general, is threatened. Conservation efforts will only be successful if the public at large is made aware of the potential of these plants and learn to appreciate their values as well as their vulnerability. This book has been designed to help the amateur identify the plants of Mauritius and Indian Ocean Islands and appreciate their value. Each plant monograph gives the common name, a short botanical description, the origin and habitat of the plant as well as the etymology of the plant name. Icons have been inserted in the text so as to further facilitate the reader in appreciating the potential values of these plants. Over 700 photos illustrate some 400 plants used for many diverse applications.

Traditional Medicine and its Impact on Livelihoods

Wed, 31 Dec 2008 20:00:00 +0000

Interest in nature as a source of potential chemotherapeutic agents continues. Natural products and their derivatives represent more than 50% of all the drugs in clinical use in the world. Higher plants contribute no less than 25% of the total. Since the late 1960s, at least a dozen potent drugs have been derived from flowering plants.With approximately half (125,000) of the world’s plant species living in the tropical rainforests, it is understandable that the tropical rainforests support a vast reservoir of potential drug species. They will continue to provide natural-product chemists with invaluable compounds as starting materials for the development of new drugs. The potential for finding more compounds is enormous, as only about 1% of tropical species have been studied for their pharmaceutical potential. This proportion is even lower for species confined to the tropical rainforests. About 50 drugs have come from tropical plants. The existence of undiscovered pharmaceuticals for modern medicine has often been cited as one of the most important reasons for protecting rainforests, whose extinction rate is a matter of concern (McNeely et al., 1990).

Biodiversity Towards Drug Development

Fri, 31 Dec 2004 20:00:00 +0000

It is a well-established fact that traditional medicine has been at the basis of modern medicine and has contributed to the development of several important drugs currently used in medicine. Among them are the anti-cancer drugs Vincristine, Vinblastine and recently Taxol as well as the anti-malarial drug Artemisinine.Medicinal plants have not only contributed to significant lead molecules to the pharmaceutical industry but are being tested against priority diseases such as HIV/AIDS, diabetes and sickle cell anaemia amongst others. It is also judicious to note the increasing popularity of botanical medicines among consumers in the west. Current market estimates show that the figures are approaching billions of dollars in sales of these products.

Traditional Medicinal Herbs and Food Plants Have the Potential to Inhibit Key Carbohydrate Hydrolyzing Enzymes In Vitro and Reduce Postprandial Blood Glucose Peaks in vivo

Tue, 10 Jan 2012 20:00:00 +0000

Ocimum tenuiflorum (OT) were evaluated for α-amylase and α-glucosidase inhibitory effects based on starch-iodine colour changes and PNP-G as substrate, respectively. Only FF and AM extracts/fractions were found to inhibit α-amylase activity significantly (P< 0. 05) and coparable to the drug acarbose. Amylase bioassay on isolated mouse plasma confirmed the inhibitory potential of AM and FF extracts with the ethyl acetate fraction of FF being more potent (P< 0. 05) than acarbose. Extracts/fractions of AM and MC were found to inhibit significantly (P< 0. 05) α-glucosidase activity, with IC50 comparable to the drug 1-deoxynojirimycin. In vivo studies on glycogen-loaded mice showed significant (P< 0. 05) depressive effect on elevation of postprandial blood glucose following ingestion of AM and MC extracts. Our findings tend to provide a possible explanation for the hypoglycemic action of MC fruits and AM leaf extracts as alternative nutritional therapy in the management of diabetes.

Small island developing states of the Indian Ocean: towards an action plan for medicinal plants

Mon, 31 Oct 2011 20:00:00 +0000

Not applicable

Smart Agricultural Nutrients - Bio-Innovative Co-Composting of Seaweed and Fish waste

Thu, 27 Oct 2022 11:25:34 +0000

The total amount of solid waste landfilled at Mare Chicose in 2019 was 537,147 tonnes1. Government spends around Rs1.5 billion annually on waste management, including waste collection (on some housing estates, coastal villages, traffic centres and public beaches), operation and maintenance of transfer stations and transportation of wastes to landfill, and, operation and maintenance of the landfill site. Local Authorities spend around Rs 990 million annually on waste collection services2. 60 to 75 % of the types of waste generated in Mauritius is organic. Seaweed is a highly valuable product which is currently being used around the world in the production of numerous products from food, animal feed, cosmetics, bioplastics, and organic fertilisers. 435 species are present in the ocean around Mauritius3. Around 20 tonnes of seaweed wash on our shores each year. They are scrapped from beaches, carted away, and dumped at Mare Chicose, thus losing valuable raw material, and increasing GHG emissions. Seaweed composting has been researched in Mauritius. Similarly, fish waste, a by-product from Ferme Marine De Mahebourg is carted away and dumped. An enhanced seaweed-fish waste compost for agricultural crop production has not been commercially established. The proposed research project aims to investigate the potential use of shore-washed seaweed into production of enhanced high-nutrient seaweed compost for commercial applications. The research will investigate addition of fish waste to seaweed as bio-inputs (bio-bulking agents and bio-enhancers) and different production protocols. Fish waste contains large amounts of nutrients, such as N, P and Ca (Illera et al., 2010). Commercial growers as well as backyard gardeners who are more and more interested in producing and consuming chemicals-free produce will be target users. Limited imported seaweed-based fertilisers are available at high cost on the market. Through this innovative endeavour, Nature Technics Ltd is committed to bring to growers locally made, chemical-free fertilisers and safe plant nutrients. Nature Technics Ltd plans to set up the composting facility at the CIEL Agrihub at Ferney Valley. Partnerships are established with Association of Women Engineers and FORENA to collaborate on the pilot research work. Competent authorities will be contacted to deliver permits to collect the seaweed on a large scale. For the proof of concept, Ferme Marine de Mahebourg has already agreed to provide seaweed, which populates its nets, and fish waste, 4 tons of which is produced per week.

Vermicompost and Associated Derivatives

Thu, 27 Oct 2022 10:28:07 +0000

Organic waste is a highly valuable product which is currently being used around the world in the production of numerous products from food, animal feed, cosmetics, bio-plastics and organic fertilisers. As far as we have been able to ascertain, horse manure is a readily available waste which is left to decompose without any treatment around Mauritius, thus losing valuable raw material and increasing GHG emissions. A sustainable way to decrease organic waste, ensure quality food supply and mitigate climate change resides in vermicomposting. Vermicompost is known to be extremely beneficial to soil and plants Ref: (PDF) Vermicompost, the story of organic gold: A review (researchgate.net). This product brings back the ecological services in depleted soil and at the same time reduces the need for chemical fertilisers and pesticides. The climate in Mauritius makes vermicomposting possible all year round compared to other countries where winters are harsh. Composting worms thrive in temperature range from 18 to 30 degrees Celsius (Ref: Temperatures for Vermicomposting (gardenguides.com). Vermicomposting end-product is versatile, it can be applied as is, in soil, or in soilless systems in the form of vermicompost tea (Ref: Liquid plant biostimulant from vermicompost tea | burnabyredwigglers (wordpress.com) Vermicompost is a key input worldwide in the production of organic farms which supply quality healthy food (Ref:https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s40093-018-0225-7) This product does not exist on a commercial basis in Mauritius and is known to be in very high demand in other countries where it is available. At Nature Technics Ltd, with the help of qualified academics, we would like to start an innovative worm farm in the Valley de Ferney AgriHub where the conditions are ideal for such a set up.

Constituents of the essential oils from Piper sylvestre growing in Mauritius

Sun, 31 Jul 1994 20:00:00 +0000

Piper sylvestre Lam.(Piperaceae) is one of the four species of pepper that commonly grows in Mauritius. the other three are P. betel L.(2), P. borbonense DC (1, 3), and P. subpeltatum Wild.(3). P. sylvestre is commonly known in Mauritius as" betel marron" or" Liane de poivrier sauvage". It has been used in folk medicine for many years especially against asthma and haematuric fever (1). P. sylvestre is a trailing and climbing shrub with thickened joints and adventitious roots. Leaves are alternate, ovate, acute at the tip, cuneate at the base and with prominent nerves from the base. The pale yellow coloured essential oil with a very sharp peppery odour hydrodistilled from P. sylvestre has not been studied up to now. This oil has now been examined by GLC, GLC/MS, and GLC/FTIR methods.

Mauritius through its medicinal plants: towards a better understanding of medicinal plants of the Indian Ocean Islands

Mon, 31 Dec 2001 20:00:00 +0000

Not applicable

Constituents of the essential oil of the leaves of Pittosporum balfourii growing in Rodrigues

Fri, 31 Dec 1993 20:00:00 +0000

Not applicable

Pharmacological properties of seven medicinal plants of the Rubiaceae from Mauritius

Thu, 31 Dec 1998 20:00:00 +0000

In vitro antibacterial, antifungal, pharmacological tests as well as chemical screenings have been carried out on 27 plant extracts from 7 plants [Antirhea borbonica Gmel., Chassalia coriaceae Verdc., Danais fragrans (Lam.) Pers., Gaertnera psychotrioides Baker, Mussaenda arcuata Poiret in Lam., Mussaenda landia Poiret in Lam., Paederia foetida L.] of the Rubiaceae. Eleven of the 27 extracts showed antibacterial properties, five showed antifungal properties while two showed potent smooth muscle relaxation and contractile properties.

Medicinal Plants of Mauritius and of the World

Fri, 31 Dec 2010 20:00:00 +0000

Not applicable

Application of a GIS based approach to assess the environmental impacts of the MV Wakashio oil spill in the south-east of Mauritius

Sat, 31 Jul 2021 20:00:00 +0000

Marine oil spills are regarded as one of the most threatening environmental disasters that can have serious environmental and socio-economic impacts. For islands like Mauritius, such oil spills can have severe repercussions as island communities depend almost entirely on their coastal and marine resources. The MV Wakashio grounded on the coral reef on the south east coast of Mauritius on July 25th 2020, spilling 1000 tons of oil into its clear waters on August 06th 2020. It was the first time the island was faced with such a disaster and in this respect, this study aimed to use a GIS based approach to assess the environmental impacts of the Wakashio oil spill and demonstrate its usefulness in monitoring marine oil spills. SAR imagery was acquired from the Copernicus Platform and ArcGIS was used to process the images. An oil spill map was created using a SAR image dated August 10th 2020. GPS coordinates of the affected sites were recorded and overlaid on a terrain/road network map of Mauritius generated from layers of vector data obtained through the DIVA-GIS portal. The oil spill was mapped on the satellite image using ArcGIS and a vector map of the affected regions was created. From these maps, the short and long term impacts on the environments (marine waters, mangroves, coasts, biodiversity) were examined. This study concludes that GIS is an effective, inexpensive tool that coastal nations around the world, including Mauritius, can use to support management and decision making regarding oil spill preparedness and monitoring as well as disaster management.

The effectiveness of destination marketing in small island developing states: A case study of the Seychelles Archipelago

Fri, 29 Apr 2011 20:00:00 +0000

Destination marketing plays an essential role for developing and preserving a location’s popularity, and consequently it enhances sustained destination competitiveness. Overall, destinations use a combination of marketing communication tools to support their strategies in order to alter themselves from others. Such marketing strategies has been an effective mean in trying to attract and increase visitor numbers, and maintain stays within destinations. This paper is set in the context of small island destinations, focusing on the Seychelles Archipelago. Innovation in communication channels has improved marketing efficiency of small island developing states. However, these destinations face particular challenges when seeking to compete in the global market. Destination marketers have to proactively shape, adapt to, and inertly struggle through changes in customer preferences, fierce competitions, and technological progress. More recently, the prevailing global economic crisis has worsened these challenges when competing on the international market. This descriptive research attempts to provide an analytical insight into destination marketing activities in the Seychelles. The biggest challenge for such economies lies in the pooling of resources especially as they face pressure on already limited funds. Consequently, the study focuses on reviewing destination marketing activities and tools utilized in the Seychelles and measuring their effectiveness from both destination marketers’ and visitors’ perspectives. Primary data used were gathered using a survey based approach through self-administered questionnaires. The findings of the study revealed that although the marketing campaigns in Seychelles have proven to be relatively effective, marketers cannot neglect the minority of visitors who did not share the same opinion. Recommendation is thus made to continuously conduct market research so as to keep pace with the different needs and changing expectations of the targeted markets, and to adopt and implement strategic solutions to sustain positive arrival growth and customer satisfaction.

Stillingia lineata subsp. lineata

Tue, 31 Dec 2019 20:00:00 +0000

Stillingia lineata (Lam.) Müll. Arg. subsp. lineata (Euphorbiaceae) is a heterophyllous shrub to tree. The species is widespread in the Pacific and the Indian Ocean. This subspecies is endemic to Mauritius and Réunion islands. Plant parts are recommended for the treatment of dermatological conditions and viral infections. Despite the plant's widespread ethnomedicinal application, there is limited evidence of its therapeutic efficacy in animal or human subjects. Reported bioactivities of the S. lineata subsp. lineata mainly emphasize the in vitro activity of the leaf and bark extracts against the chikungunya virus. The antiviral activity of the subspecies has been primarily ascribed to its terpenoid content including tonantzitlolone derivatives. This chapter includes a brief botanical description and distribution of S. lineata subsp. lineata, its ethnobotanical uses, and the reported in vitro antimicrobial and antidiabetic effect of the plant extracts.

Prophylactic propensity of citrus phytochemicals: Action and Mechanisms

Tue, 31 Dec 2013 20:00:00 +0000

The role played by dietary factors on health status has long been recognized but it has been only recently that epidemiological, clinical and cell-culture studies have provided a clearer insight on the chemical and physiological mechanisms of the effects of bioactive food constituents on human health. Citrus fruits are rich in phytochemicals which have been reported to contribute to optimal health and may protect against degenerative diseases such as cancer, cardiovascular diseases and diabetes. A number of mechanisms of action have been proposed for the protective effects of citrus fruits including antioxidant activity, regulation of gap-junction communication between cells, inhibition of tumor growth and nitrosation, inhibition of the enzyme topoisomerase II in cancer cells and reduction of advanced glycation end-products in diabetes models. With the background of comprehensive studies conducted on Mauritian citrus fruits, this chapter reviews some of the literature data on the modes of action of citrus phytochemicals in disease prevention and management with a focus on diabetes, cancer and neurodegenerative diseases.

Natural Products Research in Mauritius : An Overview.

Thu, 31 Dec 1998 20:00:00 +0000

Chemotaxonomic significance of polyphenolics in the endemic genus Trochetia (Sterculiaceae) of Mauritius

Fri, 31 Dec 1999 20:00:00 +0000

Flavonoid profiles : A source of supporting evidence for the identification of the rediscovered Trochetia parviflora species of Mauritius

Sun, 31 Dec 2000 20:00:00 +0000

Not available

Cassia fistula L.: A potential source for antioxidant polyphenolic rich extracts

Mon, 31 Dec 2001 20:00:00 +0000

Plant extracts: an undoubted ally in cancer chemoprevention

Mon, 31 Dec 2007 20:00:00 +0000

Not applicable

Therapeutic relevance of dietary polyphenols as natural antioxidants and modulators of cell signal transduction pathways in cancer and other degenerative diseases

Wed, 31 Dec 2008 20:00:00 +0000

Not applicable

Herbal prophylactics in Mauritius: Status of Traditional Use and Research

Wed, 31 Dec 2008 20:00:00 +0000

Not available

Biomarker Research: the way forward to modern medicine

Fri, 31 Dec 2010 20:00:00 +0000

Not applicable

Rethinking conventional approaches to the detection, management and amelioration of disease

Tue, 31 Dec 2013 20:00:00 +0000

Not applicable

Metabolic Homeostasis, Biomarkers and Medical Education Assessment

Tue, 28 Oct 2014 20:00:00 +0000

Not applicable

Metabolic Disorders: From Principles to Practice

Wed, 12 Nov 2014 20:00:00 +0000

Not applicable

Phytochemical analysis and in vivo bioactivity of Aloe species endemic to South West Indian Ocean Islands

Sun, 26 Jul 2015 20:00:00 +0000

Not available

Hepatoprotective effects of mushroom extracts in N-methyl-N-nitrosourea treated Balb/c mice

Wed, 26 Oct 2016 20:00:00 +0000

The hepatoprotective potential of edible mushrooms from Mauritius, namely Pleurotus sajor-caju and Agaricus bisporus was evaluated using an N-methyl-N-nitrosourea (MNU)-induced hepatocarcinogenesis Balb/c mice model. Mushroom extracts restored normal weight in MNU treated mice over a 3 month supplementation period. Blood parameter analyses indicated a clear modulation of hemoglobin concentration, leukocyte, platelet, lymphocyte, neutrophil, monocyte and eosinophil counts in MNU-induced mice (p < 0.05). Mushroom extract supplementation effectively reduced oxidative damage in MNU-primed mice, which was marked by a significant decrease in the extent of lipid peroxidation (p < 0.05) and a concomitant increase in the enzymatic antioxidant levels, primarily catalase, superoxide dismutase, glutathione reductase and peroxidase, and FRAP values (p < 0.05). DNA protective effects of the extracts were confirmed by Raman spectroscopy, where, the MNU-DNA interaction, as evidenced by an intense peak at 1254 cm(-1), was normalized. The findings demonstrate hepatoprotective, immunomodulatory and anti-carcinogenic effects and suggest the use of mushrooms as potential dietary prophylactics in cancer chemoprevention.

Acalypha integrifolia Willd

Tue, 31 Dec 2019 20:00:00 +0000

Acalypha integrifolia Willd (Euphorbiaceae) is a monoecious shrub. The species is endemic to the Mascarenes, and this subspecies is endemic to the Mascarenes islands of Réunion and Mauritius. The leaves are used as part of alternative medicine on both islands. Herbalists recommend a decoction of the leaf for their anthelmintic and depurative properties but also for various dermatological pathologies. However, although the leaf is commonly administered orally, scientific evaluation of its efficacy, phytochemical, and safety profile for human consumption is scarce. The reported biological activity has focused on the in vitro antibacterial and antifungal properties. This chapter presents a general view of the botanical description, ethnomedicinal uses, and antimicrobial properties of the Indian Ocean A. integrifolia subspecies.

Terminalia bentzoe subsp. bentzoe

Tue, 31 Dec 2019 20:00:00 +0000

Terminalia bentzoe (L.) L.f. subsp. bentzoe (Combretaceae) is a threatened canopy tree of the drier forest of the Mascarenes. The species is endemic to the Mascarene archipelago, with this subspecies found in both Réunion and Mauritius and a different subspecies being endemic to the island of Rodrigues. The species is highly used locally for several ailments. The documented ethnomedicinal usage of this subspecies varies on both islands. Herbalists prescribed different plant parts as single herb decoction or as part of polyherbal formulations against communicable and infectious diseases. However, scientific literature reporting the phytochemical constituents—biological efficacy and toxicity profile in human subjects—is scarce. Majority of the reported bioactivities are limited to in vitro assays, and only a few activities have been validated in in vivo rodent models. This chapter summarizes the botanical description, distribution, ethnopharmacological usage, and reported phytoconstituents and bioactivities of T. bentzoe.

Eugenia tinifolia

Tue, 31 Dec 2019 20:00:00 +0000

Eugenia tinifolia Lam. (Myrtaceae), commonly known as bois de nèfles, is a bushy shrub found in Mauritius. The species is endemic to the island. The leaf of the plant is used as depurative and to treat skin ailments. The therapeutic benefits of the plant remain underexplored. Only a few reports on the leaf bioactivities are available which are restricted to in vitro assay models only. The detail phytochemical profile of the plant is limited to the leaf polyphenolic compounds. The leaf extracts exerted broad-spectrum inhibitory activity against both gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria. This chapter gives a brief breakdown of the antimicrobial, anticancer, and antioxidant activities, as well as the composition of catechin derivatives in E. tinifolia leaf extract.

Vascular and bone marrow explant models to assess in vitro hematotoxicity of herbal extracts

Tue, 31 Dec 2019 20:00:00 +0000

The evaluation of herbal extracts’ toxicity profiles are crucial when validating their therapeutic potential. Hence, an in vitro model using embryonic dorsal aorta region from day 11 mice embryo and cKit+ cells from B6 mice bone marrow was used to evaluate the hematotoxicity of three Mauritian endemic medicinal plants. At high concentration, all three extracts exhibited a significant (P=.001) drop in the adult’s hematopoietic stem cell number. At the highest dose tested both Acalypha integrifolia (P=.001) and Labourdonaisia glauca Bojer (P=.002) decreased the total cell number of adult progenitors, while no significant change was observed following treatment with Eugenia tinifolia. Only A. integrifolia caused a significant (P=.001) decline in embryonic total cell number. Moreover, A. integrifolia reduced the progenitor/stem cell number in both models. At a low dose, A. integrifolia induced development of lymphoid cell lineages while E. tinifolia upregulated the production of both erythroid and myeloid cells.

Influence of imposed magnetic fields on the ripening and decay of tomatoes

Tue, 31 Dec 2002 20:00:00 +0000

The effect of an imposed fixed magnetic field, with an average field strength of 40 milli tesla, was studied on both the ripening and decaying processes of green mature tomatoes (Lycopersicum esculentum Mill. Var Bibbas). Tomatoes subject to a South magnetic field ripened faster and decayed slower than those exposed to a North magnetic field and control. Longer exposure period to the South magnetic field increased the ripening rate and slowed down the decaying process of tomatoes.

Exploration of the Potential of Terrestrial and Marine Biodiversity for the Development of Local Nutraceutical Products: A Case for Mauritius

Sun, 07 Nov 2021 20:00:00 +0000

Nutraceuticals and natural health products globally represent one of the fastest growing sectors of research and development leading to novel products intended for disease risk reduction and human health promotion. The global nutraceutical market is expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate of 8.3% from 2020 to 2027 to reach USD 722.5 billion by 2027. There is a need to respond to this sector by exploring the local resources to target the production of innovative products from plant/marine biofactors with high prospects for commercial ventures. This paper explores the nutraceutical potentials enshrined in biodiversity values in a small island state in view to promote sustainable agricultural development to facilitate available resources for the development of regimen for the management of health and disease and in essence, pharmacotherapy. The reported phytochemical composition and pharmacological activities, of the terrestrial flora and marine organisms with high propensity for development and production of nutraceutical products will be discussed. Bioactive phytochemicals encompassing the immensely diverse groups of phenolic acids, flavonoids, terpenoids, alkaloids, possess therapeutic virtues including anti-diabetic, antihypertensive, anticancer, anti-inflammatory, and immunomodulatory attributes, all of which are highly relevant to the budding nutraceutical industry.

Comparison of accessions conserved in different litchi germplasm collections using microsatellite markers

Sat, 01 Dec 2012 20:00:00 +0000

One of the main limitations for breeding purposes and optimum germplasm management in litchi is the confusion in cultivar denomination among different litchi-producing countries and germplasm collections worldwide that results in a high number of homonymies and synonymies. In this work, we have characterized 88 litchi accessions conserved in three different germplasm collections (Mauritius, Réunion and Spain) using microsatellite markers. A total of 11 simple sequence repeat (SSR) loci were used that yielded 67 amplification fragments, with an average of 6.1 amplification bands/SSR. Eight primer pairs amplified single loci in the accessions examined. The mean expected and observed heterozygosities over those 8 single locus SSRs averaged 0.53 and 0.61, respectively, with a value for the probability of identity of 9.78×10-4. A total of 42 different genetic profiles were found among the 88 samples analyzed and several synonymies and homonymies both within and among the germplasm collections were found. No clear geographical trends could be observed among the groups obtained in the UPGMA dendrogram. The results demonstrate the usefulness of these kinds of molecular markers for the optimization of litchi germplasm management and they will be discussed in terms of their implications for the standardization of litchi cultivar nomenclature over the studied germplasm collections and in other litchi-producing countries in order to have a clear picture of current litchi germplasm conservation worldwide.

Antioxidant status of Mauritian subjects with type II diabetes mellitus

Sat, 13 Jul 2013 20:00:00 +0000

A pilot study involving 30 Type II diabetic subjects with no macrovascular and microvascular complications and 30 healthy subjects from the Republic of Mauritius was conducted to assess the erythrocyte catalase level and the plasma antioxidant activity in diabetic condition. The total antioxidant capacity was determined using the ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP) assay and erythrocyte catalase activity by a catalase kit. The mean catalase activity in the diabetic group was significantly lower (8720.3 ± 290.7 nmol/min/ml) than the non-diabetic group (13341.5 ± 302.4 nmol/min/ml) (P

Interplay between dietary sugars and fats and insulin resistance

Tue, 31 Dec 2019 20:00:00 +0000

Diet composition has been speculated to play a marked role on insulin resistance and hence on increasing the risk to the development of several chronic diseases including cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and Alzheimer’s disease. Cardiovascular diseases and diabetes are among the top leading causes of death worldwide, and there is a dire need to understand the exact roles of the dietary components. Dietary fats and sugars have been linked to insulin resistance via several mechanisms primarily via inflammation and oxidative stress. This chapter thus highlights the mechanisms of action through which dietary sugars and fats (saturated and unsaturated) culminate to insulin resistance. Evidences regarding the nonconclusive findings to link high dietary sugars and fats to insulin resistance in clinical trials are also discussed.

COVID-19 Pandemic: Emerging Issues and Future Challenges

Tue, 31 Dec 2019 20:00:00 +0000

Not applicable

Plant bioactive components as prophylactic agents

Tue, 31 Dec 2002 20:00:00 +0000

Not applicable

Modulatory effects of green tea on HEK-293 cell energy metabolism: Implications in diabetic nephropathy

Mon, 12 Jan 2015 20:00:00 +0000

The consumption of green tea is epidemiologically associated with a reduction in diabetic nephropathy; however its prophylactic effect remains unclear in an oxidative stress--associated diabetic milieu. The energy metabolism of HEK--293 cell, pretreated with variable concentrations of green tea, was evaluated under different hydrogen peroxide (H 2 O 2) concentrations using the MTT assay. Green tea modulated the energy metabolism in renal cell line under different hydrogen peroxide challenge. In the absence of hydrogen peroxide, green tea at concentrations of 0.25 mg/mL and 0.50 mg/mL significantly increased the energy metabolism of HEK--293 cell by 81.5%(P< 0.01) and 56.1%(P< 0.05), respectively. Green tea at a concentration of 3 mg/mL significantly reduced (P< 0.05) the energy metabolism in HEK--293 cell by 36.6% and 20.7% when incubated in the presence of 200 μM and 500 μM H 2 O 2, respectively. At high concentration, H 2 O 2 and green tea have shown the ability in reducing the energy metabolism of HEK--293 cell. Conclusively, moderate consumption of green tea could form part of a healthy lifestyle that might ameliorate features of metabolic syndrome and subsequent risks for diabetic nephropathy, an outcome that can be determined by further clinical studies.

Prophylactic phenolic antioxidants in functional foods of tropical island states of the Mascarene Archipelago (Indian Ocean)

Sun, 31 Dec 2006 20:00:00 +0000

Not applicable

Phytomedicines, Functional foods, Nutraceuticals and their regulation in Africa.

Tue, 31 Dec 2013 20:00:00 +0000

The untapped wealth of the plant kingdom is a prospective target for drug and food multinationals and research institutes for novel drugs, lead compounds, potential nutraceuticals and functional foods. Its use for achieving nutritional and therapeutic effects is strongly anchored in the African culture. Although the belief that risks associated with botanical drugs and functional foods are relatively low, pharmacological and toxicological studies complemented with adequate standardization, chemical consistency at all stages of manufacturing processes, stability, and quality control procedures are mandatory. With spurt of interest and the emerging market for botanical drugs, nutraceuticals and functional foods in Africa, it is imperative that related guidelines and regulations be extended and harmonized across the whole African continent. This chapter provides an update on the status of these products on the African continent and highlights some of the difficulties still impeding their development into a potential major economic pillar for Africa.

Modulation of hepatocarcinogenesis in N-methyl-N-nitrosourea treated Balb/c mice by mushroom extracts

Mon, 02 Nov 2015 20:00:00 +0000

The hepatoprotective potential of edible mushrooms from Mauritius, namely Pleurotus sajor-caju and Agaricus bisporus was evaluated using an N-methyl-N-nitrosourea (MNU)-induced hepatocarcinogenesis Balb/c mice model. Mushroom extracts restored normal weight in MNU treated mice over a 3 month supplementation period. Blood parameter analyses indicated a clear modulation of hemoglobin concentration, leukocyte, platelet, lymphocyte, neutrophil, monocyte and eosinophil counts in MNU-induced mice (p < 0.05). Mushroom extract supplementation effectively reduced oxidative damage in MNU-primed mice, which was marked by a significant decrease in the extent of lipid peroxidation (p < 0.05) and a concomitant increase in the enzymatic antioxidant levels, primarily catalase, superoxide dismutase, glutathione reductase and peroxidase, and FRAP values (p < 0.05). DNA protective effects of the extracts were confirmed by Raman spectroscopy, where, the MNU–DNA interaction, as evidenced by an intense peak at 1254 cm−1, was normalized. The findings demonstrate hepatoprotective, immunomodulatory and anti-carcinogenic effects and suggest the use of mushrooms as potential dietary prophylactics in cancer chemoprevention.

Bioactive Phytophenolics and Antioxidant Functions of Aqueous and Organic Tea Extracts

Mon, 31 Dec 2012 20:00:00 +0000

Tea has long been considered a palatable drink before the scientific community emphasized its therapeutic potential, making it suitable for pharmaceutical and industrial applications. Tea is

Discovering the health promoting potential of fermented papaya preparation—its future perspectives for the dietary management of oxidative stress during diabetes

Thu, 27 Sep 2018 20:00:00 +0000

The simplistic morphological characteristics of Carica papaya fruit or “pawpaw” should not be the cause for underestimating its potential as a nutraceutical. The market for papaya has been expanding at a staggering rate, partly due to its applicability as a biofortified product, but also due to its phytochemical properties and traditional health benefits. Papaya or formulations of fermented papaya promotion (FPP) display effective free radical scavenging abilities thought to be influenced by its phenolic, carotenoid, flavonoid, or amino acid profile. The antioxidant properties of FPP have been extensively reported in literature to potently target a broad spectrum of free radical-induced diseases ranging from neurological impairments, such as senile dementia, to systemic diseases, to its interference at the cellular level and the support of normal biological ageing processes. FPP has thus been extensively investigated for its ability to exert cellular protective effects and reduce oxidative stress via the mitigation of genetic damage, reduction of lipid peroxidation, and enzymatic inactivation in specific diseases. The focus of this review is to appraise the potential of oxidative stress reduction strategies of FPP and discuss its holistic approach in disease prevention and management, with a particular focus on diabetes and cancer. However, with the current lack of information surrounding its mechanism of action, this review wishes to set the stage and aspire researchers to more profoundly investigate molecular pathways related to how FPP can unequivocally contribute to wellness in an aging population.

Multi-targeted effects of untapped resources from the Mauritian endemic flora

Wed, 28 Feb 2018 20:00:00 +0000

The Mauritian endemic plants represent untapped resources, which must be probed into to establish therapeutic activities. This study aimed at determining a broad spectrum of in vitro bioactivities of twelve endemic plants. Total phenolics, flavonoids and proanthocyanidins were determined spectrophotometrically and by High Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC). Broth microdilution assay investigated the antibacterial effects of the extracts while their inhibitory effects on xanthine oxidase and acetylcholinesterase were evaluated. Cytotoxicity was studied against the human breast cancer cell line, Hs578T using 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyl tetrazolium bromide. The highest level of total phenolics was measured in Badula multiflora while maximum total flavonoid and proanthocyanidin content were found in Eugenia orbiculata and Diospyros tesselleria respectively. A complex HPLC chromatogram indicating the presence of epigallocatechin gallate, kaempferol and quercetin in these extracts further emphasized the phenolic richness. Diospyros and Eugenia species had minimum inhibitory concentration values lower than 100 μg/ml against six Gram-negative and one Gram-positive bacteria. Eight extracts had better antimicrobial activity than at least one of the antibiotics used. Badula multiflora showed xanthine oxidase inhibition (IC50 0.08 ± 0.020 mg/ml) comparable to allopurinol (0.04 ± 0.001 mg/ml) (p < 0.05). Diospyros tessellaria, Diopyros neraudii and Erythroxylum macrocarpum were significantly better inhibitors of acetylcholinesterase than galantamine hydrobromide (p < 0.05). Badula multiflora, Croton vaughanii, Diospyros neraudi, Eugenia elliptica and Psidia terebinthina extracts exerted pronounced cytotoxicity against Hs578T cells in a dose-dependent manner. This study brings into the limelight the potential of these selected endemic plants and calls for further investigation of the bioactive components in relation to the activities.

Methyl gallate–Rich fraction of Syzygium coriaceum leaf extract induced cancer cell cytotoxicity via oxidative stress

Sun, 28 Feb 2021 20:00:00 +0000

Whilst the pharmacological potential of Syzygium species is well reported in the literature, data on the Mauritian endemic Syzygium species is limited. Thus, the in vitro antioxidant and anti-proliferative properties of three endangered Syzygium species, endemic to Mauritius, were investigated. Leaves samples of the three species were exhaustively extracted with a hydro-methanolic solvent and the antioxidant activities of the derived extracts were evaluated using a battery of six in vitro models. The antiproliferative effect of S. coriaceum was evaluated against lung carcinoma (A549), liposarcoma (SW872) and hepatocellular carcinoma (HepG2) cell lines. Further, the effect of S. coriaceum on intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation, intrinsic antioxidant enzymes activities and DNA damage in HepG2 cells were studied. MTT guided-fractionation coupled with mass spectrometry, column chromatography and NMR spectroscopy analysis was employed to characterise the bioactive entities in S.coriaceum. S.coriaceum showed the most potent antioxidant activities in all six assay models and also induced a dose-dependent decrease in the cell viability. S. coriaceum treatment in HepG2 cells resulted in a dose-dependent increase in the level of ROS with a 4.4 fold increment at 100 µg/mL (p ≤ 0.0001). The surge in ROS level was corroborated by a parallel dose-dependent decrease in antioxidant enzyme activities. A significant 80.5% drop in glutathione peroxidase activity was observed at 40 µg/mL (p ≤ 0.0001). Spectroscopic analysis revealed gallic acid (1) and methyl gallate (2) as major bioactive components in S. coriaceum leaf extract along with quercitrin (3), quercetin 3-O-β-d-xylopyranosyl-(1→2)-α-l-rhamnopyranoside (4), tellimagrandin I (5), and 3,4,6-tri-O-galloyl-d-glucose (6). Analysis of HepG2 cells treated with commercially available gallic acid and methyl gallate showed a similar trend in activities as S. coriaceum leaf extract. Collectively, these results demonstrated that S. coriaceum and its major bioactive phenolics: gallic acid and methyl gallate, may effectively induce cell death in HepG2 cells via upregulation of ROS.

Antimicrobial properties of marine fungi from sponges and brown algae of Mauritius

Fri, 01 Oct 2021 20:00:00 +0000

Purpose of the study: Marine fungi of Mauritius have been poorly studied. There are numerous reports on the bioactive secondary metabolites that are produced by fungi around the world. Yet, research on the molecular characterisation and the pharmaceutical potential of marine fungi in Mauritius is rather scanty. Method: The samples, which consisted of three sponges Haliclona sp., Iotrochota sp. and Biemna sp. and two brown algae Turbinaria conoides and Sargassum portierianum, were collected in the North of Mauritius during winter. No sporulating structures were observed from the fungal cultures making morphological analysis impossible. The molecular characterisation of the selected isolates was carried out by the amplification of the ITS regions and phylogenetic analysis. The antimicrobial properties were then determined using the disc diffusion and the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) assay. Results: Genus level identification was made from molecular data and for some isolates, specieslevel identification was even possible. Twelve fungi that showed the best antimicrobial properties were identified as Peniophora sp., Aspergillus cristatus, Acremonium sp., Cordyceps memorabilis, Aspergillus ochraceus, Biscogniauxia sp., Aspergillus keratitidis, Exserohilum rostratum, Chromocleista sp., Nigrospora oryzae, Aspergillus flavipes and Mycosphaerella. The lowest MIC result of 0.0098 mg/mL was obtained with Chromocleista sp. mycelium extract against Staphylococcus aureus. The MIC of the mycelium extracts was lower than the broth extracts for most isolates indicating that the antimicrobial compounds are not secreted. Conclusion: Marine fungi from the Mauritian waters have immense potential in the search for natural products against antibiotic-resistant bacteria.

Terminalia bentzoë, a Mascarene Endemic Plant, Inhibits Human Hepatocellular Carcinoma Cells Growth In Vitro via G0/G1 Phase Cell Cycle Arrest

Sun, 11 Oct 2020 20:00:00 +0000

Tropical forests constitute a prolific sanctuary of unique floral diversity and potential medicinal sources, however, many of them remain unexplored. The scarcity of rigorous scientific data on the surviving Mascarene endemic taxa renders bioprospecting of this untapped resource of utmost importance. Thus, in view of valorizing the native resource, this study has as its objective to investigate the bioactivities of endemic leaf extracts. Herein, seven Mascarene endemic plants leaves were extracted and evaluated for their in vitro antioxidant properties and antiproliferative effects on a panel of cancer cell lines, using methyl thiazolyl diphenyl-tetrazolium bromide (MTT) and clonogenic cell survival assays. Flow cytometry and comet assay were used to investigate the cell cycle and DNA damaging effects, respectively. Bioassay guided-fractionation coupled with liquid chromatography mass spectrometry (MS), gas chromatography-MS, and nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopic analysis were used to identify the bioactive compounds. Among the seven plants tested, Terminaliabentzoë was comparatively the most potent antioxidant extract, with significantly (p < 0.05) higher cytotoxic activities. T. bentzoë extract further selectively suppressed the growth of human hepatocellular carcinoma cells and significantly halted the cell cycle progression in the G0/G1 phase, decreased the cells’ replicative potential and induced significant DNA damage. In total, 10 phenolic compounds, including punicalagin and ellagic acid, were identified and likely contributed to the extract’s potent antioxidant and cytotoxic activities. These results established a promising basis for further in-depth investigations into the potential use of T. bentzoë as a supportive therapy in cancer management.

Regulation of cancer cell signaling pathways as key events for therapeutic relevance of edible and medicinal mushrooms

Fri, 06 Mar 2020 20:00:00 +0000

Mushrooms, both edible and medicinal have received considerable attention against cancer due to their polysaccharides, polysaccharides-protein complexes and low molecular weight secondary metabolites content. Every year, millions of people die because of this disease. Existing cancer therapies are poised with questions of efficacy, toxicity and adverse effects, hence justifying the search for finding new, alternative and efficient means to fend off the disease. Mushrooms and their derived active molecules can prevent oncogenesis and tumour metastasis via directly inhibiting tumour cells growth or indirectly improving immunity functions and by acting as chemotherapy adjuvants. While the mechanisms of such effects are not fully known, the roles of the bioactive compounds on cell signaling pathways involved in the promotion and progression of the disease appear to be key, particularly in view of their role(s) in multiple cellular processes, including cell survival, proliferation, and differentiation. This review discusses the aberrant cell signaling pathways involved in inhibition of tumour cell growth as target for mushrooms and their bioactive compounds as well as the associated challenges for the molecules therein to be successfully considered as preventive/therapeutic agents against cancer.

Phenolic constituents and antioxidant efficacies of some Mauritian traditional preparations commonly used against cardiovascular disease

Thu, 31 Dec 2009 20:00:00 +0000

The surge of interest in traditional medicine has prompted research into the phenolic composition and antioxidant activity of Adansonia digitata, Catharanthus roseus, Eugenia uniflora, Phyllantus emblica and Terminalia arjuna which are commonly used as traditional remedies against cardiovascular diseases in Mauritius. The polyphenolic profiles of these 5 herbal preparations (prepared according to traditional medicine sellers’ recipe) were screened. HPLC analyses showed that the plant extracts had complex flavonoid profiles with interesting amounts of quercetin, myricetin and kaempferol conjugates. Flavan-3-ol derivatives such as (+) catechin, (-) epicatechin, catechin gallates, procyanidins B1 and B2 were identified in most preparations. The highest total phenolic (34.9 ± 0.92 mg/g FW) and proanthocyanidin (15.0 ± 0.416 mg/g FW) contents were measured in T.arjuna whilst E.uniflora had the highest flavonoid composition (7.8 ± 0.04 mg/g FW). The antioxidant and free radical scavenging potential were evaluated using trolox equivalent antioxidant assay (TEAC), ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP), scavenging of hypochlorous acid, deoxyribose assay and inhibition of microsomal lipid peroxidation. T.arjuna extract exhibited the most powerful antioxidant capacity in the systems studied with a TEAC value of 306.92 ± 2.37 µmol/g FW and calculated IC50s of 1.5 ± 0.09 mg/ml and 0.2 ± 0.01mg/ml in scavenging hypochlorous acid and in inhibiting microsomal lipid peroxidation respectively. The antioxidant activities correlated strongly with the total phenolic content of the plant extracts.

Phenotypic and molecular diversity of litchi cultivars in Mauritius

Tue, 15 Jun 2010 20:00:00 +0000

Introduction. Litchi has gained considerable economic importance in Mauritius as it is highly prized on the local and export markets for its size, colour and flavour, although no characterisation work has been performed so far. Materials and methods. In order to optimise litchi germplasm management in Mauritius, we evaluated 34 litchi accessions from three different agroclimatic regions. Phenotypic and morphological characters, and microsatellite markers were studied. Results and discussion. Phenological observations conducted over four consecutive fruiting cycles (2003/2004 to 2006/2007) showed that accessions could be grouped into early- and late-flowering cultivars, which initiated floral panicles from June to July and July to August, respectively. The harvesting season of litchi lasted from mid-November to mid-January with early-maturing cultivars being ready for harvest in the first month of the season. Phenological characters and fruit characterisation showed that the newly-introduced cultivar ‘Yook Ho Pow’ had a high commercial potential. Molecular studies using twelve pairs of SSR primers showed that, despite phenotypic variations among ‘Tai So’ genotypes in different locations (such as percentage of chicken-tongued seeds and leaflet size), the SSR profiles of leaf samples from all the studied ‘Tai So’ accessions were identical, suggesting that phenotypic differences could probably be attributed to environmental conditions rather than to genetic variations. Molecular characterisation revealed different cases of synonymies and homonymies in the genotypes studied.

N-methyl N-nitroso Urea induced altered DNA structure initiate hepatocarcinogenesis

Mon, 30 Apr 2012 20:00:00 +0000

The status of inflammatory cytokines IL-1β, IL-6, the anti-apoptotic gene Bcl2 and key transcription factor NFκB in hepatic milieu of N-methyl N-nitroso Urea (MNU) primed Balb/c mice was assessed using RT-PCR and Western blot. Haematoxyline & Eosin (H&E) based histology was performed to evaluate the morphological changes in the cancerous liver cells in respect to control. Laser spectroscopy was used to study the alteration in DNA structure. 40 week MNU treatment induced increased expressions of inflammatory cytokines (IL-1β, IL-6) of Bcl-2 at mRNA level and NFκB and IL-1β at protein level. Alteration in hepatocytes was clearly demonstrated in H&E stained liver sections compared to control. MNU primed liver DNA samples revealed an interference of MNU in nucleic acid bases and structure, reflected by a peak shift at 1456 cm− 1 and shoulder formation at 1357 cm− 1 compared to control DNA samples. This study emphasizes that MNU, a harmful industrial and environmental pollutant, potentially activates inflammatory cytokines (IL-1β, IL-6) in hepatic cells with increased expression of NFκB which might be responsible for hepatocarcinogenesis in Balb/c mice. The outcome sets the basis for further studies on the mitigating effects of dietary biofactors on MNU. Highlights ► MNU activates inflammatory cytokines in hepatic cells with increased expression of NFκB. ► Molecular and Biophysical analyses confirm the carcinogenic potential of MNU. ► This is the first report of vivo DNA and MNU intercalations important in mutagenesis.

Assessment of the DNA damaging potency and chemopreventive effects towards BaP-induced genotoxicity in human derived cells by Monimiastrum globosum, an endemic Mauritian plant

Thu, 30 Nov 2006 20:00:00 +0000

Naturally occurring compounds have protective effects towards mutagens and carcinogens. The leaf extract of Monimiastrum globosum (Bois de Clous), a Mauritian endemic plant from the Myrtaceae family, was studied for its potency to induce DNA damage in human HepG2 hepatoma cells using DNA migration as a biological endpoint in the alkaline single cell gel electrophoresis (SCGE) assay. This was contrasted with the ability to modulate the benzo[a]pyrene (BaP)-dependent DNA damage in human hepatoma cells. M. globosum caused genotoxicity in HepG2 cells at concentrations exceeding 3 mg fresh weight (FW) per ml cell culture in the absence of cytotoxicity. Pre-treatment of the cells with 12.2 μg FW/ml to 1.56 mg FW/ml led to a pronounced antigenotoxic effect towards BaP-induced DNA damage. DNA migration (OTM) was reduced by 66%, 81.5% and 74% for 49, 98 and 195 μg FW/ml, respectively. A U-shaped dose-response curve was derived for M. globosum indicating genotoxic effects in high doses and antigenotoxic effects in low doses. M. globosum extract had total phenolics (15 mg/g FW) with flavonoids (aglycones and conjugates: 8 mg/g FW) and proanthocyanidins (3 mg/g FW) as major phenolic subclasses. The hydrolysis of conjugated flavonoids yielded the aglycones quercetin (606 μg/g FW) and kaempferol (117.8 μg/g FW) while HPLC-MS/MS analysis of the total extract revealed free flavonoids such as quercetin (19.2 μg/g FW) and myricetin (2.5 μg/g FW). The antioxidant activity of the extract of M. globosum, assessed by the FRAP and TEAC assays yielded values of 275 ± 3.82 μmol/g FW and 346 ± 4.2 μmol/g FW, respectively.

Cytoglobin as a biomarker in cancer: potential perspective for diagnosis and management

Sun, 02 Aug 2015 20:00:00 +0000

The search for biomarkers to detect the earliest glimpse of cancer has been one of the primary objectives of cancer research initiatives. These endeavours, in spite of constant clinical challenges, are now more focused as early cancer detection provides increased opportunities for different interventions and therapies, with higher potential for improving patient survival and quality of life. With the progress of the omics technologies, proteomics and metabolomics are currently being used for identification of biomarkers. In this line, cytoglobin (Cygb), a ubiquitously found protein, has been actively reviewed for its functional role. Cytoglobin is dynamically responsive to a number of insults, namely, fibrosis, oxidative stress, and hypoxia. Recently, it has been reported that Cygb is downregulated in a number of malignancies and that an induced overexpression reduces the proliferative characteristics of cancer cells. Thus, the upregulation of cytoglobin can be indicative of a tumour suppressor ability. Nevertheless, without a comprehensive outlook of the molecular and functional role of the globin, it will be most unlikely to consider cytoglobin as a biomarker for early detection of cancer or as a therapeutic option. This review provides an overview of the proposed role of cytoglobin and explores its potential functional role as a biomarker for cancer and other diseases.

Polyphenol production in Crataegus Tissue cultures (Hawthorn)

Mon, 31 Dec 2001 20:00:00 +0000

The genus Crataegus originates from northern temperate regions and comprises about 280 species depending upon botanical sources (Grisvard et al. 1964; Mabberley 1987). It is widespread in western Asia, North America and in Europe, where 21 species have been indexed (Tutin et al. 1968). Hybridization is frequent in this genus (Mabberley 1987), causing many identification difficulties. Among the best-known species are Crataegus monogyna Jacq. and Crataegus laevigata (Poiret) DC (= C. oxyacantha auct.= C. oxyacanthoides Thuill.) belonging to the Eurasian subgenus Crataegus which are most common and are of growing pharmaceutical use. They have lobed or divided leaves, while the northern American subgenus americanae is characterized by entire or weakly lobed leaves (Mabberley 1987).

Prophylactic antioxidants and phenolics of seagrass and seaweed species: A seasonal variation study in a Southern Indian Ocean Island, Mauritius

Thu, 20 Feb 2014 20:00:00 +0000

The seasonal variations in the polyphenolic contents and potential antioxidant activities of seven seaweed species (Padina gymnospora, Gracilaria salicornia, Palisada papillosa, Galaxaura rugosa, Enteromorpha intestinalis, Codium arabicum and Dictyosphaeria cavernosa) and five seagrass species (Syringodium isoetifolium, Halodule uninervis, Thalassodendron ciliatum, Halophila ovalis and Halophila stipulacea) were assessed. In summer, the highest total phenolic content was recorded in the seaweed P. gymnospora and the lowest in G. rugosa. The total phenolic contents in the seagrass species were significantly higher than those observed in the seaweed species during both seasons. The highest flavonoid concentrations (FC) were observed in the seaweed species E. intestinalis in winter and in the seaweed P. gymnospora in summer. All tested species had higher FC in winter. The highest antioxidant activity (assessed using the Ferric ion reducing antioxidant power) was in the seaweed P. gymnospora during summer (FRAP: 9.7±0.3 X10³ Fe²+ mM/g DW). However, the seaweed P. gymnospora extract and the extracts from all 5 seagrass species had significantly different (p< 0.01) antioxidant activities (assessed using the Trolox equivalent antioxidant capacity assay) in winter compared to the summer season. The collective data are indicative of the potential of Mauritian seaweeds and seagrasses as possible sources of secondary metabolites for pharmaceuticals. Further analysis using bio-efficacy models are warranted to justify the phytoceutical capacity of the seaweeds and seagrasses.

The role of endemic plants in Mauritian traditional medicine–Potential therapeutic benefits or placebo effect?

Wed, 28 Feb 2018 20:00:00 +0000

Ethnopharmacological relevance The Mauritian endemic flora has been recorded to be used as medicines for nearly 300 years. Despite acceptance of these endemic plants among the local population, proper documentation of their therapeutic uses is scarce. This review aims at summarising documented traditional uses of Mauritian endemic species with existing scientific data of their alleged bioactivities, in a view to appeal for more stringent validations for their ethnomedicinal uses. Material and methods A comprehensive bibliographic investigation was carried out by analysing published books on ethnopharmacology and international peer-reviewed papers via scientific databases namely ScienceDirect and PubMed. The keywords “Mauritius endemic plants” and “Mauritius endemic medicinal plants” were used and articles published from 1980 to 2016 were considered. 675 works of which 12 articles were filtered which documented the ethnomedicinal uses and 22 articles reported the biological activities of Mauritian endemic plants. Only materials published in English or French language were included in the review. Available data on the usage of Mauritian endemic plants in traditional medicine and scientific investigation were related. Results and discussion We documented 87 taxa of Mauritian endemic plants for their medicinal value. Endemic plants are either used as part of complex herbal formulations or singly, and are prescribed by herbalists to mitigate a myriad of diseases from metabolic disorders, dermatological pathologies, arthritis to sexually transmissible diseases. However, these species have undergone a limited consistent evaluation to validate their purported ethnomedicinal claims. As the World Health Organization Traditional Medicine Strategy 2014–2023 emphasises on moving traditional medicine into mainstream medicine on an equally trusted footage, the re-evaluation and modernization of Mauritius cultural heritage become necessary. Conclusions With a consumer-driven ‘return to nature’, scientific validation and valorization of the herbal remedies, including efficacy and safety are, therefore, important. This review reports the scarcity of research on validating the efficacy and safety of medicinal endemic plants. This calls for the use of optimised methodologies to investigate the claims of therapeutic effects resulting from the use of these traditional medicines.

Traditional and Alternative Medicine: Research and Policy Perspectives

Wed, 31 Dec 2008 20:00:00 +0000

Not applicable

In hospite Symbiodinium photophysiology and antioxidant responses in Acropora muricata on a coast-reef scale: implications for variable bleaching patterns

Thu, 14 Jan 2016 20:00:00 +0000

Understanding susceptibility to bleaching may indicate how corals cope with increasing seawater temperatures resulting from climate change. In Belle Mare lagoon, Mauritius, Acropora muricata colonies at reef sites but not near the coast exhibited bleaching. We compared seawater temperatures and light intensity both on a summer day and a winter day at a reef station and a near-coast station. The total phenolic contents, non-enzymatic antioxidant activities of the coral holobiont, in situ photophysiological parameters of in hospite Symbiodinium as well as their cladal diversity were assessed. Both sites had comparable maximum temperatures but fluctuations were higher in the near-coast station (2–3 °C) compared to the reef station (1–1.5 °C) on both days. Light intensity was higher on the summer day than the winter day at both stations. Higher total phenolic contents and ferrous reducing antioxidant potential were observed in near-coast colonies than in reef colonies on the summer day. Only Clade A-like Symbiodinium sp. variants were detected at both locations, but higher maximum relative electron transport rates and maximum non-photochemical quenching were measured in near-coast colonies. Our data show that the near-coast colonies exhibited enhanced photophysiological responses, antioxidant activities and increased total phenolic contents in response to higher thermal and light fluctuations. This acclimatization may explain the variability in bleaching along a coast-reef scale.

Fermented papaya preparation modulates the progression of N-methyl-N-nitrosourea induced hepatocellular carcinoma in Balb/c mice

Thu, 14 Apr 2016 20:00:00 +0000

Aim and main method: The medicinal properties of fermented papaya preparation (FPP) derived from Carica papaya fruit was investigated in order to determine its ability to modulate the progression of N-methyl-Nnitrosourea induced hepatocellular carcinoma in Balb/c mice. Key findings: As well as reducing the physical symptoms associated with N-methyl-N-nitrosourea (MNU)-induced hepatocellular carcinoma, supplementation of Balb/c mice with 500 mg FPP/kg BW for 92 days normalized the blood cell count, led to an increased activity of several key antioxidant enzymes (SOD: +20%, CAT: +81%, GPx: +66.1%, GR: +54.4%; P b 0.001 vs. MNU control), increased the ferrous reducing antioxidant potential (+36.7%, P b 0.001 vs. MNU control) and reduced the extent of lipid peroxidation in the liver by 44.3% (P b 0.001 vs. MNU control). Significance: Results demonstrated the ability of FPP to preserve the integrity of liver against oxidative damage and protect hepatocytes against irreversible DNA structural modifications induced by MNU, highlighting its potential role as an immune-defense modulator during hepatocarcinoma.

Inflammation, Cellular and Redox Signaling Mechanisms in Cancer and Degenerative diseases

Mon, 31 Oct 2005 20:00:00 +0000

Not applicable

Extracts of Mauritian Carica papaya (var. solo) protect SW872 and HepG2 cells against hydrogen peroxide induced oxidative stress

Wed, 31 May 2017 20:00:00 +0000

In line with literature documenting the pluripotent activities of tropical fruits, this study evaluated the antioxidant effects of Carica papaya fruit extracts at cellular level. Investigations using cellular models of oxidative stress provided complementary evidence of the antioxidant activities of papaya fruit. At 2 mg dry weight ml−1, extracts of seed from ripe and unripe fruit significantly reduced oxidative stress levels within human pre-adipocytes (SW872) and hepatocellular carcinoma cells (HepG2) exposed to hydrogen peroxide (H2O2). Maintenance of mitochondrial viability, reduction of intracellular reactive oxygen species levels and mediation of pro-inflammatory cytokine secretory levels (tumour necrosis factor-α, interleukin-6, monocyte chemoattractant protein-1) were all indicative of its cytoprotective effects against oxidative-inflammation. This work demonstrates that the Mauritian Solo papaya is an important source of natural antioxidants that could be used for the dietary modulation of oxidative stress and inflammation.

Effect of Aegle marmelos leaf extract on N-methyl N-nitrosourea-induced hepatocarcinogensis in Balb/c mice

Mon, 15 Jul 2013 20:00:00 +0000

Context and objective: Tobacco smoke and nitrostable foods containing N-methyl N-nitrosourea (MNU) are among the primary causes of liver cancer. To substantiate the beneficial claims ascribed to Aegle marmelos (L.) Correˆa (Rutaceae), the hepatoprotective potential of its leaf extract was studied using an MNU-induced hepatocarcinogenesis model in Balb/c mice. Materials and methods: After dose selection, 40 mice were randomly assigned to 4 groups: I (control), II (intraperitoneally (i.p.) primed with 50 mg/kg MNU), III (100 mg/kg A. marmelos hydroalcoholic extract (HEAM) i.p.) and IV (MNU þ HEAM, i.p.). Inflammatory (IL-1b, IL-6), antiinflammatory (IL-4) cytokine expression, apoptosis (Bcl-2) and tumor-related (p53, c-jun) genes were assessed at mRNA level. HEAM effects on hematological parameters were examined. Results and discussion: HEAM treatment decreased IL-1b, IL-6, Bcl-2 and c-jun respectively expressions by 90, 25, 53 and 30%, respectively. p53 and IL-4 expression was up-regulated by 1.5- and 2-fold. MNU decreased hemoglobin concentration (25%), lymphocyte count (42%) and increased leukocyte (100%), platelet (4-fold), neutrophil (43%), monocyte (10-fold) and eosinophil (10-fold) counts in Group II mice while HEAM modulated the same parameters by 7%, 21%, þ24%, þ3-fold, þ12%, þ3-fold and þ4-fold, respectively, in MNU-induced mice compared to control. HEAM protective effect was confirmed by Raman spectroscopy where the MNU-induced peak at 1252 cm1 was normalized. DNA fragmentation data suggest apoptosis as one of the protective mechanisms of HEAM. Conclusion: The hepatoprotective, anti-carcinogenic and immunomodulatory effects of A. marmelos extract indicate potential beneficial effects in cancer therapy.

Comparative suppressing effects of black and green teas on the formation of advanced glycation end products (AGEs) and AGE-induced oxidative stress

Thu, 21 Sep 2017 20:00:00 +0000

This study aimed at investigating and comparing the anti-diabetic potential of black and green teas. Biochemical analyses indicate higher antioxidant potency, significantly correlated with the phytochemicals present, in green teas compared to black teas. Both extracts afforded a similar level of protection to erythrocytes against peroxyl radical-induced lysis. Non-cytotoxic concentration of green and black tea extracts significantly reduced the reactive oxygen species (ROS) production (P < 0.01), lowered the oxidation of proteins (P < 0.05) and decreased the IL-6 secretion (P < 0.01) induced by AGEs or H2O2 in 3T3-L1 preadipocytes. Both teas also inhibited the decline in the enzymatic activities of superoxide dismutase, catalase and glutathione peroxidase induced by the pro-oxidants. The teas further suppressed the glycation of BSA mediated by glucose, ribose and MGO by reducing fluorescent AGE, fructosamine, protein carbonyl and AOPP levels. Black and green teas also inhibited the activities of α-amylase (AA50: 589.86 ± 39.51 and 947.80 ± 18.20 μg mL−1, respectively) and α-glucosidase (AA50: 72.31 ± 4.23 and 100.23 ± 8.10 μg mL−1, respectively). The teas afforded a comparable level of protection at the cellular level and against glycation while black tea exerted the highest carbohydrate hydrolysing enzymes inhibitory activity. Our results clearly show that black and green teas represent an important source of antioxidants with anti-diabetic potential.

Morinda citrifolia L. fruit extracts modulates H2O2-induced oxidative stress in human liposarcoma SW872 cells

Thu, 30 Jun 2016 20:00:00 +0000

Morinda citrifolia L. commonly known as noni is used by the pharmaceutical and cosmetic industries due to the plethora of pharmacological activities of its metabolites. In Mauritius, the fruits of M. citrifolia are used in folk medicine against a number of indications. The present study aimed at evaluating the antioxidant activity of ripe and unripe noni fruit at both biochemical and cellular levels. Using an array of established assay systems, the fruit antioxidant propensity was assessed in terms of its radical scavenging, iron reducing and metal chelating potentials. Ascorbic acid, total phenolic and total flavonoid contents of the fruits were also determined. The ascorbic acid content of ripe noni was 76.24 ± 1.13 mg/100 g while total phenolics of ripe and unripe fruit extracts were 748.40 ± 8.85 μg and 770.34 ± 2.27 μg GAE g−1 FW respectively. Both the ripe and unripe extracts of M. citrifolia were potent scavengers of nitric oxide, superoxide and hydroxyl radicals. The ferric reducing capacity ranged from 11.26 ± 0.33 to 11.90 ± 0.20 mM Fe2+ g−1 FW while the IC50 values for the iron (II) chelating power were 0.50 ± 0.01 and 1.74 ± 0.01 g FW/mL for the ripe and unripe fruit extracts respectively. Cellular studies additionally demonstrated that noni were able to dose-dependently counteract accumulation of reactive oxygen species (ROS)-induced oxidative stress, a potential obesogenic factor within human liposarcoma SW872 cells as well as significantly restore cell death within the concentration range of 0.106–0.813 g/mL. Results reported herein suggest noni as an interesting source of prophylactic antioxidants modulated by its polyphenol composition.

Bioefficacy of mauritian endemic medicinal plants: Assessment of their phenolic contents and antioxidant potential

Mon, 06 Oct 2008 20:00:00 +0000

The role of free radicals in the etiology and development of a wide range of clinical disorders has continued to fuel the suggestion that phenolic antioxidants can offer a realistic promise to reduce the incidence of a number of pathologies involving oxidative stress. In this study, the total phenol, flavonoid, and proanthocyanidin contents of the Mauritian medicinal plants Crinum mauritianum. Lodd. (Asteraceae), Gaertnera psychotroides. DC (Rubiaceae), Psidia terebinthina. A.J. Scott (Asteraceae), and Tylophora coriacea. Marais. (Monimiaceae) were assessed and contrasted with their antioxidant potential. The antioxidant propensity was evaluated by the ability of the extracts to scavenge hypochlorous acid and hydroxyl radical and the ABTS⋅ + radical including their abilities to inhibit microsomal lipid peroxidation. The endemic plants Badula multiflora. A. DC. (Myrsinaceae), Croton vaughanii. L. (Euphorbiaceae), Erythroxylum macrocarpum. Lam. (Erythroxylaceae), Ochna mauritiana. Lam. (Ochnaceae), Tambourissa cordifolia. Lorence. (Monimiaceae), and Turraea rigida. Vent. (Meliaceae) were similarly investigated. Badula multiflora. and Erythoxylum macrocarpum. showed highest antioxidant activity in the TEAC and FRAP assay. Badula multiflora., Ochna mauritiana., and Gaertnera psychotroides. were very potent scavengers of hypochlorous acid and inhibited microsomal lipid peroxidation induced by 2,2′-azobis.(2-amidinopropane) hydrochloride (AAPH), suggesting that the inhibition was intrinsically linked to peroxyl radical scavenging. The antioxidant activity of Gaertnera psychotroides., Tylophora coriacea., Psidia terebinthina., and Crinum mauritianum. may account for the therapeutic effects of these extracts, in particular, in conditions characterized by inflammation and oxidative mechanisms. While these polyphenolic-rich endemics are good sources of natural prophylactic antioxidants, there is an urgent need for sustainable conservation programs for their protection.

Comparative polyphenolic productions in Crataegus monogyna callus cultures

Mon, 31 Oct 1994 20:00:00 +0000

The production of polyphenols by two-year-old callus cultures from floral buds of Crataegus monogyna has been studied in relation to growth variation within a subculture period. Calli produce mainly proanthocyanidins (1074–2959 mg 100 g−1dry wt), B2 dimer (86–321 mg 100 g-−1dry wt), (−)-epicatechin 468–807 mg 100 g−1 dry wt), chlorogenic acid (213–769 mg 100 g−1 dry wt), and a major flavonoid hyperoside (61–143 mg 100 g−1 dry wt). Optimum production of polyphenols seems to be generally attained when maximal growth is reached.

Relationship between fermented papaya preparation supplementation, erythrocyte integrity and antioxidant status in pre-diabetics

Wed, 04 Dec 2013 20:00:00 +0000

Erythrocytes and their membranes are favorable models to study the relationship between diabetes and susceptibility of erythrocytes to oxidative stress damage. The recommendation for the use of fermented papaya preparation (FPP) as a functional food for dietary management of type 2 diabetes was evaluated by assessing its effect on the human antioxidant status and erythrocyte integrity on a multi-ethnical pre-diabetic population. The in vivo effect of FPP was compared with its in vitro free radical scavenging potentials. FPP exhibited potent in vitro free radical scavenging activities thought to be attributed to residual phenolic or flavonoid compounds. Low doses of FPP significantly reduced the susceptibility of human erythrocytes to undergo free radical-induced hemolysis. The intake of 6 g FPP/day for a period of 14 weeks was observed to significantly reduce the rate of hemolysis and accumulation of protein carbonyls in the blood plasma of pre-diabetics. That FPP consumption on a daily basis can strengthen the antioxidant defense system in vivo was clearly demonstrated by the marked increase of total antioxidant status in the FPP-supplemented pre-diabetics. That FPP maintains the integrity of erythrocytes could benefit the strategies to improve the quality of future blood products.

Antibacterial and antibiotic potentiating activities of tropical marine sponge extracts

Wed, 31 May 2017 20:00:00 +0000

Increasing prevalence of antibiotic resistance has led research to focus on discovering new antimicrobial agents derived from the marine biome. Although ample studies have investigated sponges for their bioactive metabolites with promising prospects in drug discovery, the potentiating effects of sponge extracts on antibiotics still remains to be expounded. The present study aimed to investigate the antibacterial capacity of seven tropical sponges collected from Mauritian waters and their modulatory effect in association with three conventional antibiotics namely chloramphenicol, ampicillin and tetracycline. Disc diffusion assay was used to determine the inhibition zone diameter (IZD) of the sponge total crude extracts (CE), hexane (HF), ethyl acetate (EAF) and aqueous (AF) fractions against nine standard bacterial isolates whereas broth microdilution method was used to determine their minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs), minimum bactericidal concentrations (MBCs) and antibiotic potentiating activity of the most active sponge extract. MIC values of the sponge extracts ranged from 0.039 to 1.25 mg/mL. Extracts from Neopetrosia exigua rich in beta-sitosterol and cholesterol displayed the widest activity spectrum against the 9 tested bacterial isolates whilst the best antibacterial profile was observed by its EAF particularly against Staphylococcus aureus and Bacillus cereus with MIC and MBC values of 0.039 mg/mL and 0.078 mg/mL, respectively. The greatest antibiotic potentiating effect was obtained with the EAF of N. exigua (MIC/2) and ampicillin combination against S. aureus. These findings suggest that the antibacterial properties of the tested marine sponge extracts may provide an alternative and complementary strategy to manage bacterial infections.

Assessment of the polyphenolic composition of the organic extracts of Mauritian black teas: a potential contributor to their antioxidant functions

Thu, 23 Feb 2006 20:00:00 +0000

There is increasing interest in the emerging view that tea improves the antioxidant status in vivo and thereby helps to lower risk of certain types of cancer, coronary heart disease and stroke and its component biofactors could provide prophylactic potential for these diseases. The polyphenolic composition and the antioxidant properties of organic extracts (acetone/methanol) of Mauritian commercial black teas were evaluated. HPLC data of the individual compounds revealed remarkably high levels (+)-Catechin ((+)-C), (−)-epicatechin ((−)-EC), (−)-epicatechin 3-gallate ((−)-ECG), (−)-epigallocatechin ((−)-EGC), (−)- epigallocatechin 3-gallate ((−)-EGCG) and gallic acid. Analysis of hydrolysed extracts indicated that quercetin was the dominant flavonol aglycone with traces of myricetin and kaempferol. Based on the Ferric Reducing Antioxidant Power (FRAP) and the Trolox Equivalent Antioxidant Capacity (TEAC) assays Extra tea from Bois Cheri exhibited the highest antioxidant ´ potential. Linear regression analyses showed that the antioxidant capacities of the organic extracts are strongly influenced by total phenols (TEAC: r = 0.95 and FRAP: r = 0.96) and to a lesser extent by total proanthocyanidin and total flavonoid contents. Catechins and gallic acid seem to add up to the overall antioxidant capacity of black tea extracts. The fresh tea leaves had high levels of total phenols, total flavonoids, total proanthocyanidin and exhibited greater antioxidant potential when compared with black teas. Organic extracts of endemic teas represent useful source of phenolic antioxidants supplements for prophylactic use.

Diabetes as a risk factor to cancer: Functional role of fermented papaya preparation as phytonutraceutical adjunct in the treatment of diabetes and cancer

Tue, 30 Sep 2014 20:00:00 +0000

Oncologists and diabetologists quote scientific data from epidemiological and in vitro studies to show that high levels ofinsulin and glucose, in combination with oxidative stress and chronic inflammation, can heighten the risk of developing cancer amongst patients with diabetes. Although the cancers that have been consistently associated with type 2 diabetes include pancreatic, colorectal, breast and liver cancer, the preponderance of the disease risk factors such as obesity, inflammation, hyperglycemia, hyperinsulinaemia (as a result of insulin resistance and oxidative -cell damage) and the indirect influence of anti-diabetic medications are increasingly being defined. Fermented papaya preparation (FPP) has defined antioxidant and immune-modulating potentials. The ability of FPP influence signaling cascades associated with cell growth and survival presents a rational for chemopreventive adjunct that can be used in combination with traditional redox based therapies that target oxidative stress in the cancer micro environment. It is further suggested that the demonstrated efficacy FPP to control blood glucose, excessive inflammation and modulate free radical-induced oxidative damage which are triggers of liver, bladder, breast and prostate cancers in type 2 diabetics, may favorably mitigate the side effects of ensuing diabetes and cancer therapy. What remains paramount is early cancer detection and early determination of propensity risks for diabetes. The education of patients, proper dietary management and compliance with therapeutic regime directed at cancer and diabetes encapsulate challenges of global magnitude.

Effects of a short term supplementation of a fermented papaya preparation on biomarkers of diabetes mellitus in a randomized Mauritian population

Mon, 30 Apr 2012 20:00:00 +0000

Objective Clinical evidence and cellular models have shown an inverse relationship between the intakes of plant and fruit based diets and oxidative stress, suggesting the suitability of natural antioxidants in the management of diabetes mellitus and its complications. Method A randomized controlled clinical trial was conducted at the Cardiac Centre, SSRN Hospital, Pamplemousses, (Mauritius) to determine the effect of a short term supplementation of a fermented papaya preparation (FPP®) on biomarkers of diabetes and antioxidant status in a multi-ethnical neo-diabetic population from November 2010 to March 2011. Result Supplementation of 6 g FPP®/day for a period of 14 weeks could improve the general health status of several organs targeted by oxidative stress during diabetes. When comparing experimental to control groups with independent samples t-test, C-reactive protein levels significantly decreased (P = 0.018), LDL/HDL ratio was considerably changed (P = 0.042), and uric acid levels were significantly improved (P = 0.001). ANOVA results also validated the same findings with significant differences in C-reactive protein, LDL/HDL ratio, uric acid and in serum ferritin levels. Conclusion FPP® may present a novel, economically feasible nutraceutical supplement for the management of diabetes and for those at risk for cardiovascular disease, neurological disease and other conditions worsened by overt inflammation and oxidative stress.

The antioxidant drink effective microorganism-X (EM-X) pre-treatment attenuates the loss of nigrostriatal dopaminergic neurons in 6-hydroxydopamine-lesion rat model of Parkinson's disease

Fri, 30 Apr 2004 20:00:00 +0000

There is continued interest in the assessment and potential use of antioxidants as neuroprotective agents in diseases associated with increased oxidative stress, such as Parkinson’s disease. The neuroprotective effect of a natural antioxidant drink, EM-X (a ferment derivative of unpolished rice, papaya and seaweeds with effective microorganisms), was investigated using the 6-hydroxydopamine (6-OHDA)-lesion rat model of Parkinson’s disease. The nigrostriatal dopaminergic neurons were unilaterally lesioned with 6-OHDA (8 g) in rats that were treated with a 10-times diluted EM-X drink (dilEM-X), standard EM-X drink (stdEM-X) or tap water for 4 days. Seven days post lesion, the integrity (no. of tyrosine hydroxylase positive cells (TH+ cells) in the substantia nigra pars compacta (SNpc)) and functionality (dopamine and its metabolites DOPAC and HVA content in the striata) of nigrostriatal dopaminergic neurons were assessed. In the vehicle-treated rats, infusion of 8 g of 6-OHDA significantly reduced the number of THþ cells in the SNpc as well as the levels of dopamine, DOPAC and HVA in the striata on the lesion side. The loss of TH+ cells, dopamine and HVA, but not the DOPAC levels, was significantly attenuated by stdEM-X pretreatment, but not by the dilEM-X pretreatment. There were no significant changes in the TH+ cells, or in the monoamine levels with the EM-X pretreatment per se, except for a small but significant fall in the levels of dopamine with the stdEM-X. The evidence presented supports the potential neuroprotective effects of stdEM-X drink, although its effect on dopamine levels needs further investigation.

Fingerprinting and analysis of genetic diversity of litchi (Litchi chinensis Sonn.) accessions from different germplasm collections using microsatellite markers

Fri, 21 Sep 2012 20:00:00 +0000

Litchi (Litchi chinensis Sonn.) is a fruit crop with a clear niche for expansion in countries with subtropical climates. One of the main limitations for breeding purposes and optimum germplasm management in this species is the confusion in cultivar denomination among different producing countries and germplasm collections worldwide. Litchi cultivar identification is still mainly based on morphological characters, and homonymies and synonymies are very frequent. To address this gap, a molecular study was conducted to characterize litchi accessions from two of the main litchi-producing regions for the export market, Mauritius and Réunion, and to compare them to those obtained from litchi cultivars from different origins conserved in a germplasm collection in Spain. Eleven simple sequence repeat (SSR) loci were used to characterize molecular polymorphisms among 88 litchi accessions conserved in Mauritius …

Evaluation of genetic diversity between 27 banana cultivars (Musa spp.) in Mauritius using RAPD markers

Wed, 31 Dec 2008 20:00:00 +0000

Cultivated bananas (Musa spp.) are mostly diploid or triploid cultivars with various combinations of the A and B genomes inherited from their diploid ancestors Musa acuminata Colla. and Musa balbisiana Colla. respectively. Random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) markers were used to establish the relatedness of 27 accessions in the Mauritian Musa germplasm. 15 decamer primers produced a total of 115 reproducible amplification products, of which 96 were polymorphic. Computation of the genetic distances shows that similarities ranged from 0.3 to 1.0 with an average of 0.51. With a few exceptions, cluster analysis differentiated pure A containing cultivars from those containing at least one B genome. This paper answers long standing questions on the taxonomic placement of the cultivar ‘Banane Rouge’ by providing the basis for its classification within the homogenomic A cultivars. The results presented here also contribute to narrowing the gaps in our current understanding of the migration path of bananas and the emergence of secondary centers of diversity.

Free radicals, antioxidants and diabetes: embryopathy, retinopathy, neuropathy, nephropathy and cardiovascular complications

Fri, 30 Jun 2006 20:00:00 +0000

The metabolic disturbances in the insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus or type 1 and noninsulin-dependent diabetes mellitus or type 2 are associated with a number of complications including cardiovascular diseases, nephropathy, neuropathy, retinopathy leading to blindness and embryopathy or congenital malformations. Maternal diabetes is associated with a high incidence of congenital malformations and fetal abortions. Heart and kidney anomalies, along with central nervous system defects are frequent manifestations of a maternal diabetic environment. Glycation products from excess glucose can chemically modify DNA causing mutations and complex DNA rearrangements. Therefore, DNA damage in fetal tissues as a result of maternal diabetes may reflect a level of genomic injury sufficient to affect embryonic development. The formation of advanced glycation end products can accelerate vascular occlusion by quenching the vasodilating agent nitric oxide. Interaction with high-affinity receptors located on monocytes and macrophages can enhance the production of free radicals and reactive oxygen/nitrogen species, the secretion of tumor necrosis factor-α, interleukin-1 and insulin-like growth factor 1 which can proliferate endothelial, mesangial and smooth muscle cells and hence contribute significantly to the pathogenesis of cardiovascular complications. Retinopathy is characterized by increased vascular permeability, by vascular closure, together with the growth of new blood vessels on the retina and posterior surface of the vitreous. Reactive oxygen species are involved in decreased retinal blood flow, increased vascular permeability and disruption of blood-retinal barrier. The involvement of oxidative stress in the pathology of diabetes from its associated cardiovascular dysfunctions, nephropathy, neuropathy, retinopathy (leading to blindness) and embryopathy or congenital malformations, suggests that potential management of diabetes could benefit from use of dietary biofactors in medicinal and food plants. There is therefore a requirement for research to focus on the molecular mechanisms of action of extracts and/or the biofactors flavonoids, proanthocyanidins, alkaloids, etc. derived from these plants.

Bioactivity of nonedible parts of Punica granatum L.: a potential source of functional ingredients

Sun, 07 Jul 2013 20:00:00 +0000

Punica granatum L. has a long standing culinary and medicinal traditional use in Mauritius. This prompted a comparative study to determine the bioefficacy of the flower, peel, leaf, stem, and seed extracts of the Mauritian P. granatum. The flower and peel extracts resulting from organic solvent extraction exhibited strong antioxidant activities which correlated with the high levels of total phenolics, flavonoids, and proanthocyanidins. The peel extract had the most potent scavenging capacity reflected by high Trolox equivalent antioxidant capacity value ( μmol/g air dry weight), very low IC50 values for hypochlorous acid ( mg air dry weight/mL), and hydroxyl radicals scavenging ( mg air dry weight/mL). Peel extracts also significantly inhibited S. mutans ( ), S. mitis ( ), and L. acidophilus ( ) growth compared to ciprofloxacin. The flower extract exhibited high ferric reducing, nitric oxide scavenging, and iron (II) ions chelation and significantly inhibited microsomal lipid peroxidation. Furthermore, it showed a dose-dependent inhibition of xanthine oxidase with an IC50 value of mg air dry weight/mL. This study showed that nonedible parts of cultivated pomegranates, that are generally discarded, are bioactive in multiassay systems thereby suggesting their potential use as natural prophylactics and in food applications.

Assessing genetic diversity of some Anthurium andraeanum Hort. cut-flower cultivars using RAPD Markers

Fri, 31 Dec 2004 20:00:00 +0000

Randomly amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) markers fingerprinting were used to assess the level of genetic variations among 24 cut-flower Anthurium andraeanum Hort. cultivars. Eight decamer primers produced a total of 98 reproducible PCR bands that were used to calculate the Nei and Li’s genetic distance (GDNL) coefficients amongst the cultivars. GDNL values ranged from 0.018 to 0.163 with an average of 0.09 (representing an average genetic similarity of 91.34%). This significantly low average genetic distance among the various cultivars indicated that genetic variation among the cultivars was low. A dendrogram, produced using unweighted pair group method using arithmetic averages (UPGMA), grouped the cultivars into four main clusters. Cultivar ‘Antartica’ was genetically distinct from all the others. ‘Midori’ and ‘Bourgogne’ together formed a cluster whereas the remaining 21 cultivars grouped into two clusters and were closely related to each other. Clusters did not relate to cultivar provenance or origin and were independent of floral colour and spathe category. Finding correlations between these morphological traits to RAPD markers would necessitate extensive primer screening. Nevertheless, RAPD markers fingerprinting allowed a rapid assessment of the level of genetic variation that would otherwise be difficult to evaluate using the limited number of morphological markers present among these closely related anthurium cultivars.

Polyphenolic content and antioxidant activity of Eugenia pollicina leaf extract in vitro and in model emulsion systems

Wed, 29 Jun 2011 20:00:00 +0000

The polyphenolic profile of a leaf extract of the Mauritian endemic plant, Eugenia pollicina, was assessed as a source of natural antioxidants. The amounts of flavan-3-ol derivatives determined by HPLC, were in the order of (−)-epicatechin (EC) > (−)-epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG) > (+)-catechin (C) > (−)-epicatechin gallate (ECG) with the levels of Procyanidin B2 and B1 dimers ranging from 1 to 3 mg g−1 FW. The trolox equivalent antioxidant capacity and ferric reducing antioxidant power values were 796 μmol g−1 FW and 302 μmol g−1 FW respectively. E. pollicina extracts also strongly inhibited the FeCl3 and ascorbate-dependent microsome lipid peroxidation, a function that is linked to their flavonoid contents. The extent of DNA damage induced by the extract under study in the copper-phenanthroline assay was lower than the effect of a reference of 240 μM ascorbate. E. pollicina extracts also inhibited lipid autoxidation in the 30% (v/v) olive oil and soybean oil oil-in-water (O/W) emulsions and was effective in slowing down the formation of hydroperoxides in the emulsions during 13 days storage at 40 °C as determined by the peroxide, conjugated diene and para-anisidine values. The high levels of total phenolics, flavonoids and procyanidins measured indicate that E. pollicina is a potential source of antioxidants relevant to the maintenance of oxidative stability of the food matrix, cosmetics and/or pharmaceutical preparations.

Lactic fermentation as an efficient tool to enhance the antioxidant activity of tropical fruit juices and teas

Tue, 09 May 2017 20:00:00 +0000

Tropical fruits like pineapple, papaya, mango, and beverages such as green or black teas, represent an underestimated source of antioxidants that could exert health-promoting properties. Most food processing technologies applied to fruit beverages or teas result in an impairment of inherent nutritional properties. Conversely, we hypothesise that lactic acid fermentation may constitute a promising route to maintain and even improve the nutritional qualities of processed fruits. Using specific growth media, lactic acid bacteria were selected from the fruit phyllosphere diversity and fruit juice, with the latter undergoing acidification kinetics analyses and characterised for exopolysaccharide production. Strains able to ferment tropical fruit juices or teas into pleasant beverages, within a short time, were of particular interest. Strains Weissella cibaria 64 and Leuconostoc mesenteroides 12b, able to increase antioxidant activity, were specifically studied as potential starters for lactic fermented pineapple juice.

Assessment of the content of phenolics and antioxidant actions of the Rubiaceae, Ebenaceae, Celastraceae, Erythroxylaceae and Sterculaceae families of Mauritian endemic plants

Thu, 31 Jan 2008 20:00:00 +0000

There is continued interest in the assessment of the bioefficacy of the active principles in extracts from a variety of traditional medicine and food plants in order to determine their impact on the management of a variety of clinical conditions and maintenance of health. The polyphenolic composition and antioxidant potential of Mauritian endemic plants of the Rubiaceae, Ebenaceae, Celastraceae, Erythroxylaceae and Sterculaceae family were determined. The phenolics level of the plant extracts varied from 1 to 75 mg/g FW, the maximum level measured in Diospyros neraudii (Ebenaceae). Coffea macrocarpa showed the highest flavonoids content with 18 ± 0.7 mg/g FW. The antioxidant capacity based on the TEAC and FRAP values were strongly related to total phenolics and proanthocyanidins content, while a weaker correlation was observed with (–) gallic acid. Erythroxylum sideroxyloides showed the highest protective effect in the lipid peroxidation systems with IC50 of 0.0435 ± 0.001 mg FW/ml in the Fe3+/ascorbate system and 0.05 ± 0.002 mg FW/ml in the AAPH system. Cassine orientalis, E. sideroxyloides, Diospyros mellanida and Chassalia coriancea var. johnstonii were weakly prooxidant only at higher concentration greater of 10 g FW/L indicating potential safety. Mauritian endemic plants, particularly the genus Diospyros, are good sources of phenolic antioxidants and potential candidates for the development of prophylactic agents.

Citrus fruit extracts reduce advanced glycation end products (AGEs)-and H2O2-induced oxidative stress in human adipocytes

Wed, 29 Sep 2010 20:00:00 +0000

Diabetes is a reactive oxygen species (ROS)-mediated pathology, with a worldwide prevalence estimated to double by 2030. A major effort has been launched to find therapeutic means to improve health conditions of diabetic patients. Recent data show that supplemental natural antioxidants represent a potential strategy as adjunct therapy. Despite the major role of adipocytes in the etiology of diabetes, little is known about the effect of natural antioxidants on adipocyte response to oxidative stress. Using a diabetes-like oxidative stress model, the potential protective effect of antioxidative flavedo, albedo, and pulp extracts of (1) tangor Elendale (Citrus reticulata × Citrus sinensis) and (2) tangelo Minneola (C. reticulata × Citrus paradisis) was investigated on human adipocytes. Besides the retardation of free-radical-induced hemolysis of human erythrocytes, non-cytotoxic concentrations of tangelo and tangor flavedo extracts significantly reduced the levels of protein carbonyls in response to advanced glycation end products (AGEs) generated by albumin glycation in SW872 cells. Flavedo extracts lowered carbonyl accumulation in H2O2-treated adipocytes, while tangelo and tangor flavedo, albedo, and pulp extracts suppressed ROS production in SW872 cells with or without the addition of H2O2. Our results clearly show that Mauritian Citrus fruit extracts represent an important source of antioxidants, with a novel antioxidative role at the adipose tissue level.

Effects of the phenolic contents of Mauritian endemic plant extracts on promoter activities of antioxidant enzymes

Tue, 31 Dec 2002 20:00:00 +0000

Oxidative stress has been associated with a variety of pathologic conditions in humans. Increasing the transcriptional activities of antioxidant enzymes might be a strategy to prevent oxidative stress-associated diseases such as atherosclerosis and cancer. In the present paper, we studied the effects of extracts from 12 Mauritian endemic plants on the promoter activities of antioxidant enzymes; Cu, Zn-superoxide dismutase (Cu,Zn-SOD), Mn-superoxide dismutase (Mn-SOD), catalase, and glutathione dismutase (GPx). The levels of total phenolic compounds, total flavonoids, and proanthocyanidins were measured. Four luciferase expression vectors (pGL3-Basic) with promoter region of each enzyme were constructed, transfected to COS7 cells followed by an exposure to each extract (25 μg/ml, 24 h, non-toxic dose). Thereafter, luciferase activities were evaluated in comparison with a control luciferase vector with a herpes simplex virus thymidine kinase promoter. Mauritian endemic plants contained high amounts of total phenols, flavonoids and proanthocyanidins. Total phenols and flavonoids were proportionally associated with Cu,Zn-SOD promoter activity, whereas they were inversely correlated with catalase promoter activity. These results suggest that the chemopreventive potentials of the extracts might reside in their abilities to modulate the expression of the antioxidant enzyme genes.

The effect of black tea on risk factors of cardiovascular disease in a normal population

Mon, 30 Apr 2012 20:00:00 +0000

Objectives A prospective randomized controlled clinical trial determined the effect of Mauritian black tea consumption on fasting blood plasma levels of glucose, lipid profiles and antioxidant status in a normal population. Methods The study group (71%) consumed 3 x 200 ml of black tea infusate/day for 12 weeks without additives followed by a 3 week wash-out. The control group (29%) consumed equivalent volume of hot water for same intervention period. Results The tea used had high levels of gallic acid derivatives (50 ± 0.4 mg/L), flavan-3-ols (42 ± 2 mg/L), flavonols (32 ± 1 mg/L) and theaflavins (90 ± 1 mg/L). Daily 9 g supplementation of black tea infusate induced, in a normal population, a highly significant decrease of fasting serum glucose (18.4%; p < 0.001) and triglyceride levels (35.8%; p < 0.01), a significant decrease in LDL/HDL plasma cholesterol ratio (16.6%; p < 0.05) and a non significant increase in HDL plasma cholesterol levels (20.3%), while a highly significant rise in plasma antioxidant propensity (FRAP: 418%; p < 0.001) was noted . Conclusion Black tea consumed within a normal diet contributes to a decrease of independent cardiovascular risk factors and improves the overall antioxidant status in humans.

Effectiveness of green tea in a randomized human cohort: Relevance to diabetesand its complications.

Wed, 11 Sep 2013 20:00:00 +0000

Epidemiological studies have argued that green tea could mitigate diabetes and its complications. This study investigated the phytophenolic profile of Mauritian green tea and its antioxidant propensity. The effect of green tea on the risk factors: waist-hip ratio, glucose level, arterial pressure, antioxidant status, and alanine aminotransferase (ALT) in prediabetics was assessed. The experimental group consumed 3 cups of green tea daily for 14 weeks followed by a 2-week washout period. The control group followed a water regimen. Green tea contained high level of phenolics related to its antioxidant power. Green tea suppressed waist-hip ratio of women from a significant increase and suppressed mean arterial pressure of men and women from a significant decrease after week 14. It reduced ALT level in women by 13.0% () while increasing the antioxidant potential of men and women sera by 2.7% () and 5.1% (). The study timescale may have been too short to enable demonstration of effects on fasting plasma glucose and HbA1c outcomes. Green tea regimen could form part of a healthy lifestyle that might ameliorate features of metabolic syndrome and subsequent risks for diabetes and its complications. This trial is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov NCT01248143.

Black tea reduces uric acid and C-reactive protein levels in humans susceptible to cardiovascular diseases

Sat, 27 Nov 2010 20:00:00 +0000

The effect of black tea on the level of uric acid (UA) and C-reactive proteins (CRP) in humans susceptible to ischemic heart diseases was assessed in a prospective randomized controlled study. The study group consumed 9 g of black tea (equivalent to three cups of tea) daily for 12 weeks without additives followed by a 3-week wash-out (with control group consuming equivalent volume of hot water). Black tea consumption induced a highly significant decrease in the high uric acid baseline groups >6 mg/dL by 8.5%; p < 0.05. For men and women in the base line group >7 mg/dL, the decrease was 9.4% and 7.1%, respectively. In the low baseline serum uric acid levels there was a non-significant increase of 3.7% and 15% in men and women, respectively. C-reactive protein in the high risk group >3 mg/L was significantly decreased by 53.4% and 41.1% in men and women, respectively. For the non-supplemented group in this range the changes were 3.7% decrease for men and 2.9% increase for women. Tea supplementationassociated decrease in plasma uric acid and C-reactive protein levels may benefit humans at high risk of cardiovascular events and may augment drug therapy.

Apoptosis inducing lead compounds isolated from marine organisms of potential relevance in cancer treatment

Tue, 30 Sep 2014 20:00:00 +0000

Apoptosis is a critical defense mechanism against the formation and progression of cancer and exhibits distinct morphological and biochemicaltraits. Targeting apoptotic pathways becomes an intriguing strategy for the development of chemotherapeutic agents particularly ifthe process is selective to cancer cells. Marine natural products have become important sources in the discovery of antitumour drugs, especially when recent technological and methodological advances have increased the scope of investigations of marine organisms. A high number of individual compounds from diverse organisms have induced apoptosis in several tumour cell lines via a number of mechanisms. Here, we review the effects of selected marine natural products and their synthetic derivatives on apoptosis signalling pathways in association with their pharmacological properties. Providing an outlook into the future, we also examine the factors that contribute to new discoveries and the difficulties associated with translating marine-derived compounds into clinical trials.

Energy Optimised ICT usage in the Tourism Industry

Fri, 31 Dec 2010 20:00:00 +0000

The Information and Communication Technology (ICT) is considered as one of the key factors of competitiveness as far as tourism markets and strategic tourism management are considered. Its widespread adoption is due to the various advantages being provided where ICT can help to reduce operational and communication costs. Computer technologies are increasingly being used in the airlines and travel industry, hotel reservation and by tour operators. Further, studies have shown that around 50% of population in developed countries is using the information available from the Internet to choose holidays. By using the Internet, mobile technology and wireless computing facilities, tourists are provided with immediate access to relevant information on travel guides, destination locations and transport details. However, the increase in ICT usage in the tourism industry also relates to the equivalent increase in energy being consumed by this sector. Studies have estimated that ICT in general accounts for two per cent of worldwide carbon emissions which is the same level of CO2 emissions as the airline industry. Since the tourism sector mainly focuses on its core business activities, energy consumed from the usage of these electronic and computational devices often remain un-optimised, and this adversely affects the environment. To address this issue, this paper analyses the different contributing factors for ICT energy consumption within the tourism industry and then inter-relates the different factors to propose a conceptual model for ICT energy consumption for the industry.

Functional benefits of citrus fruits in the management of diabetes

Mon, 30 Apr 2012 20:00:00 +0000

Not applicable

Cancer chemoprevention : alternative strategies

Thu, 14 Jun 2007 20:00:00 +0000

Not applicable

Antioxidant and Neuroprotective Potentials

Mon, 23 May 2005 20:00:00 +0000

Free radicals are formed from molecules by bond breaking such that each fragment keeps one electron (free radicals may also be formed by collision of the nonradical species by a reaction between a radical and a molecule, which must then result in a radical, as the total number of electrons is odd), by cleavage of a radical to give another radical and by oxidation or reduction reactions. Aerobic organisms, including man, animals, and plants, are constantly challenged by reactive nitrogen species (RNS) and reactive oxygen species (ROS). These are either synthesized endogenously, e.g., in energy metabolism and by the immune defense system of the body, or produced as reactions to exogenous exposures such as cigarette smoking, imbalanced diet, exhaustive exercise, environmental pollutants, and food contaminants (1-3). Reactive nitrogen species is a collective term that includes nitric oxide (NO) and nitrogen dioxide (NO2) radicals, as well as nonradicals such as peroxynitrite (OONO), nitrous acid (HNO2), and dinitrogen trioxide (N2O3). Reactive oxygen species is also a collective term that includes both oxygen radicals, e.g., peroxyl (ROO), superoxide (O2–), and hydroxyl (OH) radicals and the nonradicals, e.g., singlet oxygen (1O2), hypochlorous acid (HOCl), and hydrogen peroxide (H2O2). Intricate and diverse defense systems exist in vivo (2-5). For example, antioxidant protection is afforded by the antioxidant enzymes such as superoxide dismutases, catalase, and glutathione peroxidase, as well as by low molecular weight antioxidants such as glutathione, NADH, carnosine, uric acid, melatonin, a-lipoic acid, bilirubin, some of them are endogenously produced and some are provided through dietary intake (ascorbic acid, tocopherols, ergothioneine, carotenoids, quinones, phenolics). Links continue to be made between oxidative stress and increased risk of chronic diseases such as cancer, cardiovascular diseases, eye diseases such as cataract, and agerelated macular degeneration, immune and neurodegenerative disorders, as well as for the general ageing process (2,6,7).

An innovative digital platform to enable the transformation of industry for a circular economy through synergy and materials data sharing

Fri, 30 Sep 2022 05:20:55 +0000

The transformation from a linear economy to a circular one hinges heavily on the creation of linkages and synergy between different actors of the industry, which allow materials and services to be utilised as a localised as possible, without the need to procure these materials/services from outside or to export materials due to lack of utilisation possibilities locally. However, what if those services and products were available locally, or if not currently available, could they be developed locally if the need for such materials and services exists? By answering these questions and getting the discussion around, the basis for a circular economy with optimum inland linkages is created, and therewith resilience to exterior influences and all the other benefits a circular economy brings along. The current operation of our economy is largely linear, evidenced by the negligible reuse, remanufacture, refurbishment or recycling of our resources, which means materials are not kept in the loop as long as possible. Based on the circular design principles developed by the Ellen McArthur Foundation, recycling should be the last resort to keeping materials in the technical cycle, as other more resource efficient possibilities such as maintenance, reuse and refurbishment should be considered first. The proposed project aims at developing a digital platform to enable linkages and synergy in the local industry to find existing and potential collaborations to improve our overall materiality index.

Tea, the “Ambrosia” Beverage: Biochemical, Cellular, Molecular, and Clinical Evidences

Mon, 31 Dec 2018 20:00:00 +0000

Besides water, tea (Camellia sinensis) is the most commonly consumed beverage in the world with a steadily increasing production load every year (5.3 billion kg for the year 2015). While it is an integral part of many people’s routine diet, it is also highly valued as a functional food due to its potential to mitigate chronic human diseases. Depending on the oxidation and fermentation techniques applied during processing, tea is commercially produced as six main varieties, namely black, green, white, yellow, oolong, and pu-erh. The polyphenolic richness of tea is accountable for its prophylactic effects, mainly in terms of antioxidant and antiinflammatory potentials both in vitro and in vivo. The underlying pathophysiology of a number of chronic diseases is attributed to oxidative stress and inflammation and attenuation of same constitutes an important target in managing diseased conditions. Polyphenols in green and black teas, mainly catechins, theaflavins, and thearubigins, have been shown to exert antioxidant, antiinflammatory, anticarcinogenic, antidiabetic, antiatherogenic, antimicrobial, and antineurodegenerative potential among others. The consumption of tea is gaining popularity preferentially as a medicinal beverage by virtue of its health-protective aspects, which are increasingly being evaluated scientifically. This chapter will comprehensively review the recent findings on the bioactivity of specific tea components in different diseased conditions. Particular emphasis will be laid on their prophylactic effects at biochemical, cellular, molecular, and clinical levels accompanied by a description of the molecular mechanisms underlying the claimed health benefits.

Deconstructing the Mechanisms of Bioactives from Food Plants in the Management of Alzheimer’s Disease

Tue, 26 Sep 2017 20:00:00 +0000

It is well established that vaccination of humans and transgenic animals against fibrillar Aβ prevents amyloid accumulation in plaques and preserves cognitive function in transgenic mouse models. However, autoimmune side effects have halted the development of vaccines based on full length human Aβ. Further development of an effective vaccine depends on overcoming these side effects while maintaining an effective immune response. Vaccination with a random sequence antigen forming oligomers was just as effective as vaccination with the other antigens in improving cognitive function and reducing total plaque load (Aβ burden) in the Tg2576 mouse brains. The present study showed that the amyloid Aβ sequence is not necessary to produce a protective immune response that specifically targets generic amyloid oligomers. Using a nonhuman, random sequence antigen may facilitate the development of a vaccine that avoids autoimmune side effects.

A context of diabetes, exercise physiology, ethnobiology of traditional medicine, surveillance of viral infections and academic rendering of histopharmacology

Wed, 29 Mar 2017 20:00:00 +0000

Not applicable

Detecting membrane progestin receptor (mPR)-interacting compounds from coral seawater in Mauritius

Sun, 13 Aug 2017 20:00:00 +0000

Public Health Issues–Promise and Peril

Wed, 30 Mar 2016 20:00:00 +0000

Not applicable

Antioxidant and Cytotoxic Activities of Exopolysaccharides from Alcaligenes faecalis Species Isolated from the Marine Environment of Mauritius

Fri, 17 Sep 2021 20:00:00 +0000

Phytophenolic nutrients in citrus: biochemical and molecular evidence

Sat, 31 Dec 2011 20:00:00 +0000

Natural products as disease remedies have a history of near 5,000 years (India, China and Greece), and even today, in this advanced technological age, a revival of interest is being witnessed in the use of natural or plant-based therapeutic agents for the treatment of several pathological conditions. Citrus fruits have been utilised as a traditional medicine in India, China, Korea and Japan, and many studies have highlighted the various biological properties of their phytophenolics which are suggested to be responsible for the prevention of degenerative diseases such as diabetes and cancer. With the background of comprehensive studies conducted on Mauritian citrus fruits, this chapter reviews some of the literature data on the phytophenolic contents, vitamin C composition and antioxidant functions of citrus extracts and emphasises on their potential applications in nutrition management programmes for …

Anticancer activities of marine macroalgae: Status and future perspectives

Tue, 31 Dec 2019 20:00:00 +0000

Marine macroalgae have attracted unprecedented interest as health food and additives, predominantly because of the plethora of biological activities, including anticancer activities. This review presents an updated and comprehensive status of macroalgal anticancer activities based on in vitro and in vivo experimental studies. The interplay between the various molecular targets contributing to the proapoptotic, antiangiogenic, antiinvasive, and antimetastatic activities of the macroalgae and their derived compounds are reviewed here. In addition, this contribution highlights the ability of macroalgal extracts and compounds to act as cancer chemopreventive agents, by virtue of their antioxidant, antiinflammatory, antihypoxic, and antimutagenic propensities within the context of the various taxa. Intraspecific variations of anticancer activities in different geographic locations are highlighted. With less than 3% of world’s marine macroalgal species assessed for anticancer activities, it is imperative that prospecting on a more comprehensive marine species population be continually fostered.

Alterations in the antioxidant status of patients suffering from diabetes mellitus and associated cardiovascular complications

Wed, 12 Nov 2014 20:00:00 +0000

In view of the high prevalence of type 2 diabetes mellitus, this study aimed at determining the total plasma antioxidant capacity of type 2 diabetic patients with and without macrovascular complications. The erythrocyte catalase level was also evaluated because of the implication of catalase as a risk factor in diabetes. 90 age--, gender--and body mass index--matched subjects were used for this study and divided into healthy subjects (Group I, n= 30), diabetic patients (Group II, n= 30) and diabetic patients with cardiovascular complications (Group III, n= 30). Blood samples collected from 90 eligible subjects were analyzed for glucose, HbA1c, urea, creatinine, total cholesterol, triglyceride, HDL and LDL cholesterol levels. Blood antioxidant activity and erythrocyte catalase levels were assessed. The mean antioxidant status values of Groups II and III were found to be significantly lower than that of Group I (p< 0.05). A significant decrease was also observed in the mean catalase level of Groups II and III as compared to Group I (p< 0.05) while a significant increase in fasting blood glucose level, glycated hemoglobin, triglycerides and urea was observed in Groups II and III compared to Group I. These data suggest that the in vivo antioxidant defense was highly compromised in patients with diabetes and associated cardiovascular complications although they were on medication, thereby suggesting the potential contributory beneficial effects of exogenous antioxidants. Furthermore, a reduction in catalase level may suggest the role of increasing hydrogen peroxide concentration in the disease progression.

Botanical Drugs, Nutraceuticals and Functional Foods: The context of Africa

Thu, 17 Jul 2008 20:00:00 +0000

The involvement of developing countries in international food trade has transcended ideology from the traditional production of cash crops and raw materials to producing processed or semiprocessed food products. The African continent is endowed with a great variety of plant species and their use for achieving nutritional and therapeutic effects is strongly anchored in African culture. There is need for pharmacological, toxicological studies which complement the strict regulatory framework governing the sale, manufacture, packaging, labeling, importation, distribution, and storage of natural health products. For the products (botanical drugs, nutraceuticals and functional foods) emanating from the endemic plants, these important determinants anchor the supply chain and regulation of botanical drugs, nutraceuticals, and functional foods. The various factors that determine the supply of botanical drugs and functional nutraceuticals include bioprospecting for new products, low cost sources of existing products, standards that govern the introduction of new products, and enhancement of the acceptance of existing products, differentiating products based on the physicochemical properties of the products, product innovation (e.g. new additives to foods, drinks, and/or cosmetics). Functional foods have generally been defined to include products that influence specific functions in the body (thereby offering benefits for health, well-being or performance). Functional foods result from technological innovation (e.g. cholesterol lowering products, sweeteners in chewing gums, fermentation products, and genetically modified products).

Molecular characterization of marine fungi associated with Haliclona sp.(sponge) and Turbinaria conoides and Sargassum portierianum (brown algae)

Wed, 12 May 2021 20:00:00 +0000

Antiproliferative activity of Syzygium coriaceum, an endemic plant of Mauritius, with its UPLC-MS metabolite fingerprint: A mechanistic study

Mon, 31 May 2021 20:00:00 +0000

Flowering plants from the Syzygium genus have long been used in different ethnomedicinal systems worldwide and have been under scrutiny for their biological activities. Syzygium coriaceum, an endemic plant of Mauritius has been poorly studied for its potential application against cancer. Herein, Syzygium coriaceum leaf extract has been investigated for its anticancer effect against hepatocellular carcinoma (HepG2) cells. The anticancer activity was assessed using cell proliferation assays, flow cytometry, JC-1 mitochondrial membrane potential assay, and the COMET assay. Un-targeted metabolite profiling via ultra-performance liquid chromatography coupled to high-resolution qTOF-MS (UPLC-MS) and aided by molecular networking was employed to identify the crude extract metabolites. S. coriaceum treatment induced a dose-dependent increase in lactate dehydrogenase leakage into the culture media, peaking up to 47% (p ≤ 0.0001), compared to untreated control. Moreover, at 40 μg/mL, S. coriaceum led to 88.1% (p ≤ 0.0001) drop in mitochondrial membrane potential and 5.7% (p ≤ 0.001) increased in the number of the cell population in G0/G1 phase as well as increased (p < 0.05) the proportion of cells undergoing apoptotic/necrotic cell death. More so, at 10 μg/mL, S. coriaceum induced DNA damage which was 19 folds (p < 0.001) higher than that of untreated control cells. Metabolite profiling indicated the presence of 65 metabolites, out of which 59 were identified. Tannins, flavonoids, nitrogenous compounds, and organic acids were the most predominant classes of compounds detected. Our findings showed that the presence of …

Phytomedicines, nutraceuticals, and functional foods regulatory framework: The African context

Mon, 31 Dec 2018 20:00:00 +0000

Africa, one of the continents endowed with the richest biodiversity in the world, is estimated to contain approximately 40,000–45,000 different plant species, of which about 5000 species are used medicinally in the management of diverse diseases. Its medicinal plant-based industry is a promising sector that needs to be continuously developed on all fronts to be a source of significant economic growth potential. In this quest for sustainable progress, stringent regulations regarding extract standardization, quality, and composition for reproducible results in pharmacological, toxicological, and clinical studies are warranted. It is additionally noted that in the context of consistent research and development, progress made in the field of nanotechnology food applications and phytochemical oral delivery systems like micelles, emulsions, solid lipid nanoparticles, liposomes, and biopolymer microgels are becoming …

Cognitive impairment in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus: Perspectives and challenges

Thu, 27 Nov 2014 20:00:00 +0000

Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus is associated with elevated blood glucose level, abnormal abdominal fat deposition, insulin resistance and a number of complications including embryopathy, cardiovascular diseases, nephropathy, neuropathy, microangiopathy and retinopathy. Complications extending to the central nervous system may have a deteriorating effect on mental health including a decline in cognitive functioning. This could be a reason for depression, lack of compliance towards medication/treatment, and the inability of patients to meet the day--to--day management demands of the disease. Due to the high metabolic demand for energy in the brain, perturbations in glucose metabolism can noticeably impact cognitive performance. This review discusses and enlightens on the factors contributing to cognitive impairment in Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus. An understanding of the mechanisms of diabetes--related cognitive impairment and the resulting behaviors of patients can help healthcare professionals implement treatments to significantly improve health status and quality of life of patients with diabetes.

Oxidative damage and chronic inflammation induced by smoking: Potential antioxidant and peripheral biomarker considerations

Thu, 29 Sep 2005 20:00:00 +0000

Several studies indicate that oxidative stress and inflammation are features of smoking related disorders. Active smoking can cause respiratory disorders culminating in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), cardiovascular hazards, and cancer. Lung cancer results from man-made and natural environmental exposures acting in concert with both genetic and acquired characteristics. Genetic polymorphisms that affect xenobiotic metabolism or cellular response to DNA damage can modulate individual sensitivity to genotoxins. Endogenous antioxidant defences are often inadequate to scavenge free radicals (contained in cigarette smoke), reactive oxygen (ROS) and reactive nitrogen species (RNS) completely and ongoing oxidative damage to DNA, lipids, proteins, and other biomolecules is suggested to contribute to the pathology of many human degenerative diseases. The phenolic compounds in plant extracts are mostly derivatives, and/or isomers of flavones, isoflavones, flavonols, catechins, tocopherols, and phenolic acids. These are accessible to consumers through diet, their multifunctional nature (in particular flavonoids) makes them ideal candidates as prophylactic agents. There is a need to define if the presence of oxidative stress induced by smoking could be attenuated by the administration of antioxidant compounds and if this relationship could be linked to the presence of a particular genetic polymorphism and modulation of the complex cell signalling cascades involving gene transcription.

Dietary Biofactors in the Management of Cancer: Myth or Reality?

Sat, 31 Dec 2011 20:00:00 +0000

In 400 B.C. Hippocrates said, “Let thy food be thy medicine and thy medicine be thy food.” Despite technological and cultural advances, the essence of these words has seen contemporary resurgence through renewed interest in food and their ability to reduce the incidence of chronic diseases. Thus, the search for novel and effective cancer chemopreventive agents has led to the identification of various naturally occurring compounds from the diet. Over the last decade, there has been extensive preclinical and clinical research to validate the role of dietary factors in the management of cancer. Ideally, the biofactor is expected to restore normal growth control to preneoplastic or cancerous cells by targeting multiple biochemical and physiological pathways involved in tumor development, while minimizing toxicity in normal tissues. A number of the dietary biofactors has the capacity to interact with multiple molecular targets and appears to be relatively nontoxic, at least at the doses tested. Since cancer has a long latency period, the role of diet and diet-derived components has gained considerable attention. Nevertheless, a number of factors in particular low systemic availability of the parent compound due to insolubility and rapid metabolism limit the therapeutic value of these components. However, much work is in the pipeline to improve the bioavailability of these dietary biofactors via nanoparticle delivery system thereby increasing therapeutic application and pharmacologic properties in the different target tissues, and to better understand the mechanisms of action in order to predict their respective efficacy. This chapter aims at examining the current state of knowledge of the effects of dietary biofactors in the management of cancer.

Polyphenolic rich traditional plants and teas improve lipid stability in food test systems

Wed, 26 Jun 2013 20:00:00 +0000

The deleterious effects of lipid autoxidation are of major concern to the food industry and can be prevented by food antioxidants. In this vein, the phenolic contents and antioxidant potential of traditional plants of Mauritius such as P. betle L. (Piperaceae), M. koenigii L. Sprengel. (Rutaceae), O. gratissimum L. (Lamiaceae), O. tenuiflorum L. (Lamiaceae), and commercially available Mauritian green and black teas were evaluated. Their ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP) were compared to that of butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT) with the following order of potency: BHT > “Natural” commercial green tea > “Black Label” commercial black tea > O. gratissimum > P. betle > O. tenuiflorum > M. koenigii. The trolox equivalent antioxidant capacity (TEAC) assay reflected a similar antioxidative order for BHT and “Natural” commercial green tea, with however P. betle, O. tenuiflorum and O. gratissimum exhibiting higher activities than “Black Label” commercial black tea and M. koenigii. Based on their potent antioxidant capacity, P. betle (0.2 % m/m) and O. tenuiflorum (0.2 % m/m) extracts, and green tea (0.1 % m/m) infusate were compared with BHT (0.02 % m/m) on their ability to retard lipid oxidation in unstripped sunflower oil and mayonnaise during storage at 40 °C. P. betle and green tea were more effective than BHT in both food systems. Moreover, odour evaluation by a sensory panel showed that the plant extracts and green tea infusate effectively delayed the development of rancid odours in unstripped sunflower oil and mayonnaise (p

Cancer: global health perspective

Mon, 10 Nov 2014 20:00:00 +0000

Chemotherapy to patients with cancer remains an effective mode of treatment of the disease, but it is associated with many side effects including mild or dose--limiting toxicities such as alopecia, myelosuppression, gastrointestinal dysfunctions, neurologic toxicities, and immune suppression which results in infections and cancer cell proliferation. Although economic analysis of treatment in health care systems may be applied to the full range of interventions that make up a cancer service, the economic impact of cancer in health care systems remains one where much attention, in the context of complementary medicine, needs to be directed. Predicting the cost--effectiveness of developing prevention, screening and treatment strategies continue to be the focus strategies to optimize cancer care.

The inhibitory effect of a fermented papaya preparation on growth, hydrophobicity, and acid production of Streptococcus mutans, Streptococcus mitis, and Lactobacillus acidophilus: its implications in oral health improvement of diabetics

Sun, 29 Sep 2013 20:00:00 +0000

Fermented papaya preparation (FPP) is a “natural health product.” The high incidence of dental caries, gingivitis, periodontitis, and oral microbial infection cases among patients with diabetes mellitus continues to prevail. The potential role of FPP against common oral microbiota (Streptococcus mutans, Streptococcus mitis, and Lactobacillus acidophilus) isolated from the human oral cavity was investigated using in vitro simulation models of dental plaque and caries. FPP showed an inhibitory effect against the growth (at 0.05 mg/mL: S. mutans: −6.9%; S. mitis: −4.47%, P < 0.05), acid production (at 0.05 mg/mL: S. mutans: +6.38%; L. acidophilus: +2.25%), and hydrophobicity (at 50 mg/mL: S. mutans: 1.01%, P < 0.01; S. mitis: 7.66%, P < 0.05) of tested microbiota. The results of this study suggest that low doses of FPP may be a suitable complement to good oral hygiene practice for the effective prevention of dental caries, plaque, and gingivitis. The functional application of FPP as a constituent of a balanced diet and active lifestyle can make a positive contribution to the oral health status and well-being of patients with diabetes.

Punica granatum L. mesocarp suppresses advanced glycation end products (AGEs)-and H2O2-induced oxidative stress and pro-inflammatory biomarkers

Tue, 31 Jan 2017 20:00:00 +0000

The protective potential of pomegranate (Punica granatum L.) mesocarp extract (PME) on a cell model mimicking diabetes-like oxidative stress exposed to advanced glycation end products (AGEs) and hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) was investigated. The polyphenolic antioxidant rich PME afforded protection to erythrocytes from AAPH radical-induced lysis and significantly reduced (P < 0.001) ROS production in 3T3-L1 preadipocytes by preventing AGEs-modulated decrease in intrinsic antioxidant enzymatic activities and by reducing NOX1 expression. PME significantly inhibited protein carbonyl and AOPP levels following their increase in the presence of AGEs and H2O2 (P < 0.05). It exerted an anti-inflammatory effect on preadipocytes by suppressing IL-6 secretion. PME down-regulated the over-expression of pro-inflammatory mediators NFκB, iNOS and IL-6 post-AGEs treatment and concomitantly down-regulated the expression of AGEs receptor CD36 in the presence of AGEs. PME decreases oxidative stress and inflammation at adipose tissue level with the propensity to mitigate obesity-related disorders such as insulin resistance and type II diabetes.

The double trouble: COVID-19 associated mucormycosis a focused review and future perspectives

Fri, 02 Jul 2021 20:00:00 +0000

Mucormycosis, a deadly fungal infection, has affected thousands of COVID-19 patients in India. Mucormycosis, formerly known as zygomycosis, is caused by the many fungi that belong to the family “Mucorales.” These molds are commonly found in soil, air, and damp walls and frequently colonize oral mucosa, nose, paranasal sinuses, and throat. The pathophysiological consequences of diabetes combined with the acute inflammatory surge in COVID-19 and steroid treatment weakens person’s immunity and renders susceptibility to fungal infections. Patients treated for severe COVID-19 have damaged lungs and suppressed immune system, an environment that supports fungal infection. Fungal spores can grow in airways or sinuses, and invade bodies’ tissues, explaining why the nasal cavity and paranasal sinuses are the most common site of mucormycosis infection, the consequential spread to the eyes can cause blindness, or causing headaches or seizures if the infection spreads to the brain. Poorly controlled diabetes often results in acidosis in tissues a suitable environment for Mucorales fungi to grow, exacerbating the risk for mucormycosis. This becomes clinically important, especially in India that has an increased prevalence of undiagnosed and uncontrolled diabetes. Given that a significant increase in the cases of mucormycosis in the diabetic patients treated for COVID-19 is strongly associated with corticosteroid administration, there is a need to evaluate use of dietary nutraceuticals with immune boosting potentials that modulate metabolic abnormalities in the management of COVID-19 associated mucormycosis.

Cancer risks and perspectives: Molecular mechanisms

Tue, 31 Dec 2013 20:00:00 +0000

Not applicable

Free radicals in biology and medicine: from inflammation to biotechnology

Sun, 02 Jul 2006 20:00:00 +0000

The phenolic constituents of Mauritian endemic plants from the Rubiaceae and Myrtaceae family were assessed and correlated with their potential antioxidant activities in vitro. The antioxidant activities of the plant extracts ranged from 0.27 to 1.49 mmol Trolox equivalent/g FW and from 0.20 to 1.39 mmol Fe(II) equivalent/g FW in the TEAC and FAP assays, respectively, with Syzygium commersonii showing the highest activity in these two systems. Eugenia orbiculata and all the Syzygium species were effective scavengers of hypochlorous acid while Monimiastrum acutisepalum was the most potent inhibitor of deoxyribose degradation. The plant extracts inhibited microsomal lipid peroxidation with low IC50 s ranging from 0.02 to 1.75 mg FW/mL when reaction was initiated with Fe3+/ascorbate and from 0.093 to 1.55 mg FW/mL in the AAPH-dependent lipid peroxidation. The potential prooxidant nature of the plant extracts was compared with ascorbate (250 μM) using copper–phenanthroline assay. The plant extracts at concentrations up to 5 g FW/L were not prooxidant. However, Myonima nitens, Syzygium commersonii, Syzygium glomeratum and Syzygium mauritianum at concentrations of 10 g FW/L had potency approaching 50% of the prooxidant activity of ascorbic acid in vitro, suggesting relative safeties. The total phenolics influenced the antioxidant activities in the TEAC, FRAP and HOCl scavenging assays whereas a negative correlation was observed with the deoxyribose assay. The high levels of polyphenolic compounds and the significant antioxidant activities of these Rubiaceae and Myrtaceae plant family make them suitable candidates as prophylactic agent.

Characterization of the phenolic constituents in Mauritian endemic plants as determinants of their antioxidant activities in vitro

Sun, 02 Jul 2006 20:00:00 +0000

Low molecular proanthocyanidin dietary biofactor Oligonol: Its modulation of oxidative stress, bioefficacy, neuroprotection, food application and chemoprevention potentials

Tue, 21 Mar 2006 20:00:00 +0000

Interdisciplinary research endeavors are directed at understanding the molecular mechanisms of neurodegenerative and chronic diseases that affect human lifestyle. Hence the potential for developing medicinal herb-derived and food plant-derived prophylactic agents directed at neurological, metabolic, cardiovascular and psychiatric disorders abounds. Oligonol is a novel technology product emanating from the oligomerization of polyphenols, typically proanthocyanidin from a variety of fruits (grapes, apples, persimmons etc.) that has optimized bioavailability. It is an optimized phenolic product containing catechin-type monomers and oligomeric proanthocyanidins, the easily absorbed forms. Typically the constituents of Oligonol are 15–20% monomers, 8–12% dimers and 5–10% trimers. Supplementation of mice with Oligonol prior to the administration of ferric-nitrilotriacetic complex (a Fenton chemistry model) significantly reduced the extent of lipid peroxidation in the kidney, brain and liver. Oligonol triggers apoptosis in the MCF-7 and MDA-MB-231 breast cancer cells through modulation of the pro-apoptotic Bcl-2 family of proteins and the MEK/ERK signaling pathway, an observation suggesting its important chemopreventive effects. The senescence-accelerated strain of mice (SAM) are models of senescence acceleration and geriatric disorders which exhibit learning and memory deficits and enhanced production or defective control of oxidative stress leading to neuronal damage. Oligonol has been suggested to modulate behavioral deficits, decrease the extent of inflamma-tion scores in the SAMP8 mice as well as prolonging their life-span. Oligonol modulates the Aβ induced oxidative insult and dysfunction in mitochondrial membrane integrity in PC12 cells indicating potential neuroprotection functions. Safety studies indicate no adverse effects in mice with an LD50 of 5 g/kg which equates to a dose of approximately 300 g for an average human with a 60 kg body weight. The application of Oligonol in pharmaceutical preparations, cosmetics, dairy, processed meat and food products, supplements and in functional beverages can be envisaged.

Phenolics as potential antioxidant therapeutic agents: Mechanism and actions

Thu, 10 Nov 2005 20:00:00 +0000

Accumulating chemical, biochemical, clinical and epidemiological evidence supports the chemoprotective effects of phenolic antioxidants against oxidative stress-mediated disorders. The pharmacological actions of phenolic antioxidants stem mainly from their free radical scavenging and metal chelating properties as well as their effects on cell signaling pathways and on gene expression. The antioxidant capacities of phenolic compounds that are widely distributed in plant-based diets were assessed by the Trolox equivalent antioxidant capacity (TEAC), the ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP), the hypochlorite scavenging capacity, the deoxyribose method and the copper-phenanthroline-dependent DNA oxidation assays. Based on the TEAC, FRAP and hypochlorite scavenging data, the observed activity order was: procyanidin dimer > flavanol > flavonol > hydroxycinnamic acids > simple phenolic acids. Among the flavonol aglycones, the antioxidant propensities decrease in the order quercetin, myricetin and kaempferol. Gallic acid and rosmarinic acid were the most potent antioxidants among the simple phenolic and hydroxycinnamic acids, respectively. Ferulic acid displayed the highest inhibitory activity against deoxyribose degradation but no structure–activity relationship could be established for the activities of the phenolic compounds in the deoxyribose assay. The efficacies of the phenolic compounds differ depending on the mechanism of antioxidant action in the respective assay used, with procyanidin dimers and flavan-3-ols showing very potent activities in most of the systems tested. Compared to the physiologically active (glutathione, α-tocopherol, ergothioneine) and synthetic (Trolox, BHA, BHT) antioxidants, these compounds exhibited much higher efficacy. Plant-derived phenolics represents good sources of natural antioxidants, however, further investigation on the molecular mechanism of action of these phytochemicals is crucial to the evaluation of their potential as prophylactic agents.

Oxygen species scavenging activity of phenolic extracts from hawthorn fresh plant organs and pharmaceutical preparations.

Thu, 31 Oct 1996 20:00:00 +0000

Different extracts of fresh vegetative and reproductive organs from Crataegus monogyna harvested during a whole season and from some pharmaceutical hawthorn preparations exhibit in vitro antioxidant activities using three different models of oxygen reactive species generation (superoxide anion, hydrogen peroxide and hypochlorous acid). All the tested samples show low IC50 values, the most efficient being fresh young leaves, fresh floral buds and pharmaceutical dried flowers. The activities seem to be especially bound to the total phenolic proanthocyanidin and flavonoid contents.

Total phenol, flavonoid, proanthocyanidin and vitamin C levels and antioxidant activities of Mauritian vegetables

Mon, 02 Aug 2004 20:00:00 +0000

Ten Mauritian vegetables, broccoli, cauliflower, white cabbage, lettuce, Chinese cabbage, mugwort, carrot, onion, tomato and chilli pepper, were analysed for their total phenol, flavonoid, proanthocyanidin and vitamin C contents and antioxidant capacity. Antioxidant activities of the vegetables ranged from 0.43 to 3.68 µmol g−1 fresh weight Trolox equivalent antioxidant capacity (TEAC) and from 0.60 to 8.47 µmol g−1 fresh weight ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP). Levels of total phenols in the vegetables varied between 132 and 1189 µg g−1 fresh weight and those of total flavonoids between 45 and 944 µg g−1 fresh weight, while proanthocyanidins were detected at very low levels in only a few vegetables. Vitamin C contents varied between 25 and 748 µg g−1 fresh weight. Quercetin was the dominant flavonoid aglycone in the hydrolysed vegetable extracts, with values in the range of 15–390 µg g−1 fresh weight. There were strong correlations between antioxidant capacity and total phenols (TEAC, r = 0.91; FRAP, r = 0.83) and total flavonoids (TEAC, r = 0.89; FRAP, r = 0.82). Vitamin C contents showed poor correlation with TEAC values (r = 0.33), while no correlation was observed with FRAP values. Highest antioxidant capacities were observed in Chinese cabbage (Brassica chinensis L), onion (Allium cepa L), mugwort (Artemisia vulgaris Cantley) and broccoli (Brassica oleracea L var botrytis L subvar cymosa). Mauritian vegetables therefore represent a significant source of phenolic antioxidants, with quercetin derivatives being most abundant, and this may contribute to their potential health benefits.

Antioxidant actions and phenolic and vitamin C contents of common Mauritian exotic fruits

Wed, 12 Mar 2003 20:00:00 +0000

Seventeen commonly consumed exotic fruits from Mauritius were analysed for their antioxidant capacity, total phenolics, proanthocyanidins, flavonoids and vitamin C content. Two independent methods were used to evaluate the antioxidant potential of total fruit extracts. The antioxidant activities of the fruits ranged from 1 to 47 µmol Trolox equivalent antioxidant capacity (TEAC) g−1 fresh weight and from 0.3 to 34 micro/mol g fresh weight (FRAP) g−1 fresh weight. Total phenolics in the fruits ranged from 118 to 5638 µg g−1 fresh weight, proanthocyanidins from 7 to 2561 µg g−1 fresh weight, flavonoids from 21 to 712 µg g−1 fresh weight and vitamin C content from 8 to 1426 µg g−1 fresh weight. There were strong correlations between antioxidant activity (assessed by both TEAC and FRAP) and total phenolics and proanthocyanidins. Flavonoids seemed to contribute less to the antioxidant potential of the fruits, while very poor correlations were observed between ascorbate content and antioxidant activity. The highest antioxidant capacities were observed in red and yellow Psidium cattleianum Sabine ‘Chinese guava’, sweet and acid Averrhoa carambola L ‘starfruit’, Syzygium cumini L Skeels ‘jamblon’ and white Psidium guajava L ‘guava’. These fruits were also characterised by high levels of total phenolics. Mauritian exotic fruits are thus a significant source of phenolic antioxidants, which may have potential beneficial effects on health.

Free Radicals and Antioxidants in Cardiovascular Health and Disease

Thu, 08 Jun 2006 20:00:00 +0000

Current hypotheses favour the concept that lowering oxidative stress can have a health benefit. Free radicals can be overproduced or the natural antioxidant system defenses weakened, first resulting in oxidative stress, and then leading to oxidative injury and disease. Cardiovascular disease is one example of this process. This disorder continues to be the major cause of premature death worldwide. Oxidation of human low-density lipoproteins is considered an early step in the progression and eventual development of atherosclerosis, one of the leading causes to cardiovascular dysfunction. Compelling support for the involvement of free radicals in disease development originates from epidemiological studies showing that an enhanced antioxidant status is associated with reduced risk of several diseases. Dietary nutraceuticals such as vitamins C, E and polyphenolics and reduction of cardiovascular disease incidence are a notable example. This paper reviews the biology of ROS/RNS, their pathways through which they relate to the pathology of cardiovascular disease and discusses the putative roles that antioxidants, including phenolics, may play in controlling oxidative stress and reduce the incidence of cardiovascular disease.

Antioxidant activities of Crataegus monogyna extracts

Fri, 31 Dec 1993 20:00:00 +0000

Interesting antioxidant activities of extracts from different vegetative and reproductive organs of Crataegus monogyna harvested at different stages of growth have been determined by the malondialdehyde-thiobarbituric acid (MDA) test on hepatic microsomal preparations and compared to the contents in total phenolics, proanthocyanidins, catechins, flavonoids, and phenolic acids. The best correlations were established with total phenols while activities in leaves seem to be influenced by flavonoids and in flowers and fruits by proanthocyanidins and catechins.

Characterization of the antioxidant functions of flavonoids and proanthocyanidins in Mauritian black teas

Sat, 30 Apr 2005 20:00:00 +0000

Tea drinking is associated with an improved antioxidant status in vivo which may contribute to the lowering of the risk of certain types of cancer, coronary heart disease and stroke. The polyphenolic bioactive composition and the antioxidant properties of Mauritian commercial black and fresh tea leaves were evaluated. Hot water infusates contained high levels of total phenols, total proanthocyanidins and total flavonoids. The concentrations of individual compounds, (+)-catechin, (−)-epicatechin, (−)-epicatechin 3-gallate, epigallocatechin, (−)-epigallocatechin 3-gallate, gallic acid, and procyanidin dimers B1 and B2 were high. The ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP) and Trolox equivalent antioxidant capacity (TEAC) assays were used to assess the antioxidant potential of tea infusates with the following order of potency: Ouvagalia tea > Buccaneer’s choice > Black Label > Red Label > Extra > Corson > Chartreuse > La Flora > 3-Pavillons. Linear regression analyses indicated high correlation coefficient with total proanthocyanidin (TEAC r = 0.96 and FRAP r = 0.95) and total phenol contents (TEAC r = 0.90 and FRAP r = 0.92) in infusates. Catechins and gallic acid significantly contributed to the overall antioxidant capacity of black tea extracts. In general, the fresh tea leaves had high levels of total phenols, total flavonoids, total proanthocyanidin and exhibited greater antioxidant potentials when compared with black teas. Thus Mauritian black teas and fresh tea leaves can be rich sources of polyphenolic compounds and antioxidants, which may be highly relevant to the maintenance of normal health and disease management, an observation that has led to the commencement of a clinical trial study to assess cardiovascular health in Mauritius.

Phenolic constituents and antioxidant capacities of Crataegus monogyna (Hawthorn) callus extracts

Tue, 03 Jun 2003 20:00:00 +0000

Crataegus (Hawthorn) has long been used as a folk medicine and is widely utilized in pharmaceutical preparations mainly because of its neuro- and cardiosedative actions and its low toxicity. The pharmacological effects of Crataegus have mainly been attributed to the polyphenolic contents. In this study, the production of polyphenols by ten-year-old Crataegus monogyna calli was studied in relation to growth variation and antioxidant capacity within a subculture period. Assays based on the Trolox equivalent antioxidant capacity (TEAC( ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP) and stability in oil-in-water emulsion were used to characterize the antioxidant actions of the callus cultures. High TEAC (3.66 μmol/g dry weight) and FRAP (208.19 μmol Fe2+/g dry weight) values were observed when maximal growth was reached (days 30–35( and this seemed to be influenced by optimum total phenol (47.40 mg/g dry weight( proanthocyanidin (20.81 mg/g dry weight( flavonoid (7.01 mg/g dry weight( anthocyanin (6.18 mg/g dry weight( (–)-epicatechin (1.77 mg/g dry weight( procyanidin B2 (3.97 mg/g dry weight( and chlorogenic acid (1.11 mg/g dry weight) production during that period. The TEAC values were strongly associated with total flavonoids and to a lesser extent with total phenols, anthocyanins and total proanthocyanidins. The FRAP antioxidant values correlated to total phenols, proanthocyanidins and flavonoids, respectively. The polyphenolic rich calli were as effective as butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT) in preventing hydroperoxide and conjugated diene formation in a 30% oil-in-water emulsion prepared with stripped sunflower oil, during 7 days storage at 30°C. Crataegus monogyna cell culture represents an important alternative source for natural antioxidants.

Substances Naturelles Actives : La flore Mauricienne, une source d’approvisionnement potentielle

Sat, 28 Feb 1998 20:00:00 +0000

Les métabolites secondaires font l’objet de nombreuses recherches basées sur les cultures in vivo et in vitro de tissus végétaux Ceci est notamment le cas des polyphénols végétaux qui sont largement utilisés en thérapeutique comme vasculoprotecteurs, anti-inflammatoires, inhibiteurs enzymatiques, antioxydants et antiradicaires, en particulier les flavonoï des et les proanthocyanidines. En se basant sur la méthodologie mise en place pour l’obtention, l’analyse et l’optimisation des composés polyphénoliques dans des cultures de Crataegus monogyna Jacq.(Aubépine), plante inscrite à la Pharmacopée Française et couramment utilisée comme cardio et neuro sédative, nous présentons ici les résultats préliminaires obtenus à partir d’analyses effectuées sur des espèces traditionnelles locales, en particulier Psidium cattleianum Sabine, dont les extraits peuvent potentiellement être utilisés en tant qu’antioxydants naturels.

Polyphenol composition, vitamin C content and antioxidant capacity of Mauritian citrus fruit pulps

Sun, 31 Jul 2011 20:00:00 +0000

The pulp extracts of twenty-one varieties of citrus fruits (oranges, satsumah, clementine, mandarins, tangor, bergamot, lemon, tangelos, kumquat, calamondin and pamplemousses), commonly grown in Mauritius, were characterised in terms of their total soluble solids (TSS), titratable acidity (TA), polyphenol composition and vitamin C contents. Total phenolics ranged from 406.3 ± 14 to 1694 ± 19 μg g− 1 fresh weight (FW). Total flavonoids varied between 133 ± 6 and 965 ± 7 μg g− 1 FW and vitamin C contents were from 166 ± 19 μg/mL to 677 ± 22 μg/mL. The pulp of a pamplemousse variety had the highest TSS/TA ratio whereas lemon pulps had lowest TSS/TA ratios. The antioxidant activities of the pulp extracts were assessed and total phenolics correlated strongly with the trolox equivalent antioxidant capacity (TEAC), ferric reducing antioxidant capacity (FRAP) and hypochlorous acid (HOCl) scavenging activity assays. Based on their antioxidant activities, nine citrus fruits namely, one orange, tangor, kumquat, calamondin and pamplemousse variety and two mandarin and tangelo varieties were further characterised for their flavanone, flavonol and flavone levels by HPLC. Hesperidin (6.89 ± 0.06 to 26.98 ± 0.07 mg/g FW) and narirutin (0.27 ± 0.01 and 20.91 ± 0.10 mg/g FW) were present at high concentrations compared to the other flavonoid glycosides in the pulp extracts. Naringin was detected only in pulp extracts of pamplemousses. In the light of the data obtained, citrus fruit pulps represent an important source of phytochemicals with potent antioxidant capacity.

Chemopreventive actions of polyphenolic compounds in cancer

Tue, 21 Mar 2006 20:00:00 +0000

Oxidative stress and associated mechanisms involving inflammation, aberrant signaling pathways and gap junction intercellular communication is increasingly associated with the pathogenesis of various chronic degenerative disorders such as atherosclerosis, neurodegeneration and cancer. Consumption of fruits, vegetables and beverages like teas continue to be suggested to have the capacity to reduce the incidence of cancer. The bioactive compounds including phenolics may be responsible for the chemopreventive effects. While the free radical scavenging and antioxidant properties of phenolics are well established, emerging literature reports suggest that their chemopreventive effects may also be ascribed to their ability to modulate components of cell signaling pathways. This paper reviews the potential chemoprevention role of phenolics with a focus on cellular signal transduction mechanisms and prevention of gap junction intercellular communication relevant to cancer.

Antioxidant Activities of Phenolic, Proanthocyanidin, and Flavonoid Components in Extracts of Cassia fistula

Tue, 27 Aug 2002 20:00:00 +0000

Cassia fistula L., a semi-wild Indian Labernum, is widely cultivated in Mauritius as an ornamental tree for its beautiful bunches of yellow flowers and also used in traditional medicine for several indications. The total phenolic, proanthocyanidin, and flavonoid contents, and the antioxidant activities, of fresh vegetative and reproductive organs of Cassia fistula harvested at different stages of growth were determined using the Trolox equivalent antioxidant capacity (TEAC) and ferric-reducing antioxidant power (FRAP) assays. The antioxidant activities were strongly correlated with total phenols (TEAC r = 0.989; FRAP r = 0.951) in all organs studied, and with proanthocyanidins (TEAC r = 0.980; FRAP r = 0.899) in reproductive organs including fruits. The antioxidant activities of reproductive parts were higher than those of the vegetative organs, with the pods having highest total phenolic, proanthocyanidin, and flavonoid contents and antioxidant potentials (TEAC = 992 ± 0.4 μmol/g dry weight; FRAP = 811 ± 23 μmol/g dry weight).

Phytochemical constituents of Cassia fistula

Sat, 10 Sep 2011 20:00:00 +0000

Since the advent of modern drug treatments, traditional medicine has greatly receded in occidental societies. Moreover, only a limited number of medicinal plants have received detailed scientific scrutiny thereby prompting the World Health Organisation to recommend that this area be comprehensively investigated. Cassia fistula Linn is used extensively in various parts of the world against a wide range of ailments, the synergistic action of its metabolite production being most probably responsible for the plant’s beneficial effects. This paper reviews the primary and secondary metabolite composition of vegetative and reproductive plant parts and cell cultures thereby derived, with emphasis on potent phenolic antioxidants such as anthraquinones, flavonoids and flavan-3-ol derivatives. This paper also appraises the antioxidant and free radical propensities of plant parts and cell culture extracts. The data so far generated clearly sets the basis for a clearer understanding of the phytochemistry of the plant and derived cultures and opens the possibility of the potential utilization of the phenolic rich extracts from medicinal plants in food system or as prophylactics in nutritional/food supplement programs. Thus traditional medicinal plant- derived antioxidants may protect against a number of diseases and reduce oxidation processes in food systems. In order to establish this, it is imperative to measure the markers of baseline oxidative stress particularly in human health and disease and examine how they are affected by supplementation with pure compounds or complex plant extracts from the traditional medicinal plants.

Functional foods and lifestyle approaches for diabetes prevention and management

Thu, 30 Nov 2017 20:00:00 +0000

Functional foods contain biologically active ingredients associated with physiological health benefits for preventing and managing chronic diseases, such as type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). A regular consumption of functional foods may be associated with enhanced anti-oxidant, anti-inflammatory, insulin sensitivity, and anti-cholesterol functions, which are considered integral to prevent and manage T2DM. Components of the Mediterranean diet (MD)—such as fruits, vegetables, oily fish, olive oil, and tree nuts—serve as a model for functional foods based on their natural contents of nutraceuticals, including polyphenols, terpenoids, flavonoids, alkaloids, sterols, pigments, and unsaturated fatty acids. Polyphenols within MD and polyphenol-rich herbs—such as coffee, green tea, black tea, and yerba maté—have shown clinically-meaningful benefits on metabolic and microvascular activities, cholesterol and fasting glucose lowering, and anti-inflammation and anti-oxidation in high-risk and T2DM patients. However, combining exercise with functional food consumption can trigger and augment several metabolic and cardiovascular protective benefits, but it is under-investigated in people with T2DM and bariatric surgery patients. Detecting functional food benefits can now rely on an “omics” biological profiling of individuals’ molecular, genetics, transcriptomics, proteomics, and metabolomics, but is under-investigated in multi-component interventions. A personalized approach for preventing and managing T2DM should consider biological and behavioral models, and embed nutrition education as part of lifestyle diabetes prevention studies. Functional foods may provide additional benefits in such an approach.

Bioactive phenolics and antioxidant propensity of flavedo extracts of Mauritian citrus fruits: Potential prophylactic ingredients for functional foods application

Sat, 27 Nov 2010 20:00:00 +0000

The flavedo extracts of twenty-one varieties of citrus fruits (oranges, satsumah, clementine, mandarins, tangor, bergamot, lemon, tangelos, kumquat, calamondin and pamplemousses) grown in Mauritius were examined for their total phenolic, flavonoid and vitamin C contents and antioxidant activities. Total phenolics correlated strongly with the trolox equivalent antioxidant capacity (TEAC), ferric reducing antioxidant capacity (FRAP) and hypochlorous acid (HOCl) scavenging activity assays (r > 0.85). Based on their antioxidant activities in these three assays nine citrus fruits namely, one orange, clementine, tangor and pamplemousse variety, two tangelo varieties and three mandarin varieties, were further characterized for their flavanone, flavonol and flavone levels by HPLC and their antioxidant activities were assessed by the copper-phenanthroline and iron chelation assays. The flavanone, hesperidin, was present at the highest concentrations in all flavedo extracts except for pamplemousses where it was not detected. Contents in hesperidin ranged from 83 ± 0.06 to 234 ± 1.73 mg/g FW. Poncirin, didymin, diosmin, isorhoifolin and narirutin were also present in all extracts whereas naringin was present only in one mandarin variety. The nine flavedo extracts exhibited good DNA protecting ability in the cuphen assay with IC50 values ranging from 6.3 ± 0.46 to 23.0 ± 0.48 mg FW/mL. Essentially the flavedos were able to chelate metal ions however, tangor was most effective with an IC50 value of 9.1 ± 0.08 mg FW/mL. The flavedo extracts of citrus fruits represent a significant source of phenolic antioxidants with potential prophylactic properties for the development of functional foods.

Enablers and barriers to knowledge management in universities: perspectives from South Africa and Mauritius

Fri, 19 Jun 2020 06:44:30 +0000

Purpose Universities need to manage their knowledge assets, and, to work creatively to maximize the enablers and minimize the barriers associated with knowledge management processes. This research offers a comparative perspective on knowledge management in universities in two countries whose university sectors are at different stages of their development, South Africa and Mauritius. Design/methodology/approach Semi-structured interviews were conducted with expert informants from 10 high-ranking universities in Mauritius and South Africa, who held senior roles in research and its management within their respective universities Findings Both enablers and barriers (eandb) were evident in relation to: strategies and policies, organizational structures, rewards and incentives, culture, technology, leadership, human resources, resources and funding, and university-industry linkages, although the significance of these eandbs varied between the three knowledge processes, knowledge creation, knowledge sharing and knowledge transfer. Overall, Mauritius, with a less developed university sector, faced more challenges in respect of knowledge management than did South Africa. Originality/value This study's theoretical contribution is a holistic framework for enabling KM in universities on the basis of a mapping between KM eandb's and KM processes. This comparative country level study, embracing a number of universities, offers insights into national policy, and cultural expectations that influence the extent and nature of barriers and enablers to effective KM. The insights offered by this study will be valuable for Mauritius and South Africa, and also for universities in other countries.

Targeting specific cell signaling transduction pathways by dietary and medicinal phytochemicals in cancer chemoprevention

Sat, 04 Dec 2010 20:00:00 +0000

Natural phytochemicals derived from dietary sources or medicinal plants have gained significant recognition in the potential management of several human clinical conditions. Much research has also been geared towards the evaluation of plant extracts as effective prophylactic agents since they can act on specific and/or multiple molecular and cellular targets. Plants have been an abundant source of highly effective phytochemicals which offer great potential in the fight against cancer by inhibiting the process of carcinogenesis through the upregulation of cytoprotective genes that encode for carcinogen detoxifying enzymes and antioxidant enzymes. The mechanistic insight into chemoprevention further includes induction of cell cycle arrest and apoptosis or inhibition of signal transduction pathways mainly the mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPK), protein kinases C (PKC), phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K), glycogen synthase kinase (GSK) which lead to abnormal cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2), activator protein-1 (AP-1), nuclear factor-kappaB (NF-κB) and c-myc expression. Effectiveness of chemopreventive agents reflects their ability to counteract certain upstream signals that leads to genotoxic damage, redox imbalances and other forms of cellular stress. Targeting malfunctioning molecules along the disrupted signal transduction pathway in cancer represent a rational strategy in chemoprevention. NF-κB and AP-1 provide mechanistic links between inflammation and cancer, and moreover regulate tumor angiogenesis and invasiveness, indicating that signaling pathways that mediate their activation provide attractive targets for new chemotherapeutic approaches. Thus cell signaling cascades and their interacting factors have become important targets of chemoprevention and phenolic phytochemicals and plant extracts seem to be promising in this endeavor.

Neuroprotection by bioactive components in medicinal and food plant extracts

Fri, 31 Oct 2003 20:00:00 +0000

Neurodegenerative diseases of the human brain comprise a variety of disorders that affect an increasing percentage of the population. Some of these are age dependent (e.g. Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s diseases) and some are infection dependent, e.g. human immunodeficiency virus (HIV/AIDS). The vulnerable brain regions in HIV/AIDS individuals include the dentate nucleus in the cerebellum, the red nucleus, substantia nigra (SN) in the mid-brain, the subthalamic nucleus, thalamic fasciculus in the diencephalons, the globus pallidus and striatum (or neostriatum, which consists of caudate and putamen) in the forebrain. Lesion in these regions may lead to progressive dementia, which is similar to what is observed in Alzheimer’s disease and Parkinson’s disease. The entry of calcium into the cytoplasm of cells at concentrations that can activate oxidative enzymes such as phospholipase A2 and xanthine oxidase …

Utilisation of oyster shell waste into new value-added products in Rodrigues to bolster sustainable economic and social growth

Wed, 13 Jul 2022 10:55:56 +0000

Sea Pearl of Rodrigues Multi-purpose Co-operative Society Ltd (SPRMPCS) is a multi-purpose cooperative society that has paved the way for the establishment of the very first oyster farms for half-pearl culture in Rodrigues. At the core of its action is the aim of developing means of alternative livelihood for locals through an environment-friendly business that would decrease fishing stress on the lagoon and preserve local biodiversity. Having launched its project in 2016 with support from the UNDP GEF Small Grants Programme, SPRMPCS has since initiated the cultivation of Pinctada margaritifera, a variety of oysters deemed to produce the highest quality pearls out of all pearl oysters. A valuable economic resource, these bivalves are manually inseminated to produce half-pearls (locally known as “Mabé”) that are then harvested and used to produce local jewellery which are sold to tourists/locals. While the project has had encouraging results, SPRMPCS wishes to research and implement ways to optimize and upscale the culture of pearl oysters and its commercial applications to bring about more sustainable economic growth and innovation to Rodrigues. SPRMPCS believes that oyster farming – which in and of itself is already an innovation for Rodrigues – possesses significant potential for further innovation, growth and green job creation, perfectly aligning with the RRIGS’ aim of promoting research and innovation in Rodrigues. The project would be: 1. Setting up the very first half-pearl jewellery workshop of Rodrigues where the oysters and their half-pearls will be cut and turned into jewellery and other crafts 2. Capacity building for young Rodriguans in local half-pearl jewellery making 3. Research into the possible integration of half-pearl powder (a natural by-product of SPRMPCS’s jewellery-making venture) into pharmaceutical and cosmetic products. Positive results would open the door for manifold potential innovations and commercial applications: for example, development of a Made in Rodrigues organic cosmetic line or sales of said powder to outside parties. These upscaling activities would inevitably lead to job creation in Rodrigues and present high potential for the empowerment of local communities and to stimulate further upscaling/innovation.

Construction and Demolition Waste (C&D Waste) recycled aggregates as an alternative to road base and engineering fill materials

Wed, 15 Jun 2022 20:00:00 +0000

Recycled aggregates made from C&D wastes should offer to the community, both as an opportunity to reduce the impact on the environment and a new cheap material usable for civil works and road works. The expected results of the project will be a comprehensive campaign under the aegis of the University of Mauritius for testing of recycled aggregates. This innovative material will be produced at Gamma Materials Ltd facilities with sorting samples of C&D waste collected from the new La Chaumière Civic Amenity Centre and from other building and public infrastructure works like Metro Express. The trial will verify their technical performances, whether they can meet the specifications for use as a base course at laboratory level and at a full-scale test carried in collaboration with the Road Development Authority. The study will also show the recycled aggregates are inert materials and are not hazardous to health and environment. Recycled aggregates would be an alternative material to the usual natural basalt-crusher-run. The commercial application of this new product will be a good quality base course required for the building and infrastructure public works. The project will be the basis of the sales pitch for the promotion to the main influencers and stakeholders, like major contractors, RDA, MSB, Consulting Engineers etc...

Axonova Pharma Ltd/ Indika Pharma Ltd/ MRIC Pole of Innovation for Nutraceuticals

Sun, 05 Jun 2022 20:00:00 +0000

Nutraceuticals refers to food products that have extra medicinal benefits in addition to their intrinsic nutritional value. Nutraceuticals include vitamins, herbal remedies, dietary supplements, sport drinks and medically formulated foods, and are known to play a pivotal role in preventative healthcare. The global nutraceutical industry has been developing rapidly over the past decade. The global market has grown from a value of USD 140 Billion in 2010 to USD 382 Billion in 2020 and is expected to reach USD 486 Billion by 2025. The rapid expansion of this sector is attributed to the shift in the healthcare habits from treatment to prevention. Therapists and patients are now thinking differently about health and disease and consequently adopt dietary alternative that can target risk factors and physiological pathways to prevent the onset of chronic diseases. In this context, Mauritius and its neighbouring islands of the Indian Ocean constitute a unique biodiversity hotspot offering a large variety of medicinal plants, spices and fruits that hold immense potential to be valorised into nutraceuticals. Furthermore, the tropical climate of the island is favourable for the cultivation of moringa, citronella, rosemary, basilic, lemon and aloe vera amongst others, which are proven sources of nutraceuticals. In line with the government vision to implement a nutraceutical industry in Mauritius, the present project aims at setting-up a state-of-the-art innovation cluster regrouping the key players of the nutraceutical value chain in Mauritius as well as bringing in complementary international expertise to boost the sector. The main collaborators of the Pole, namely the Centre for Biomedical and Biomaterials Research (CBBR) and the Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences (FMHS) from the University of Mauritius and more recently Axonova Pharma Ltd, have been important drivers to the development of nutraceutical research in Mauritius over the past decade. The Pole of Innovation in Nutraceuticals has the objectives to: • Create an innovative cluster fostering all major actors of the nutraceutical research in Mauritius coupled with international expertise; • Develop a local value chain for the nutraceutical industry; • Valorise the regional biodiversity; • Turn research findings on medicinal plants into marketable products for use worldwide; • Be the angular stone for the development of a nascent and sustainable nutraceutical industry.

The application of artificial intelligence (AI) and internet of things (IoT) for the improvement of the construction industry

Sun, 05 Jun 2022 20:00:00 +0000

The Pole’s aim is to allow research and development in technological solutions like AI and IoT for the improvement of the construction industry. The concept of Construction 4.0 (digitisation of construction) is becoming more tangible globally and the significance of the Pole will be to investigate how to implement this concept locally based on the methods of procurement and project processes in place in Mauritius. Concepts like AI and IoT in the field of construction is still novel and for their successful application to the sector locally, extensive research will be required, which will be the main role of the Pole. The expected outcomes of the research activities by the Pole will be the implementation of digital tools and innovative approaches when it comes to construction in Mauritius. These will be several benefits to the property developer/owner and all the stakeholders throughout the whole project lifecycle. The application of these emerging technologies has the potential to significantly improve the construction sector, in the understanding of the infrastructure to be built, cost management, effective use of resources, cost and time savings and a more sustainable built environment. Through research and exchange of know-how with established bodies, the Pole will spur innovation among local players which will positively impact the Mauritian construction industry. The Pole’s aim is to allow research and development to improve the performance of the construction industry by using novel digital tools/technologies, mainly Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Internet of Things (IoT). The main objectives of the Pole shall include: 1. Improving the design of construction projects which will reduce costs, time and improve energy efficiency 2. Reduce construction waste by allowing right first-time installations. 3. Improve construction operations and maintenance by reducing failures and downtime through predictive maintenance practices. The objectives shall be met by developing a digital twin of an existing building. Outcome and insights of the data analytics from the digital twin shall be used to develop and improve new design methods and standards, energy efficiency benchmarks, construction visualisation and implementation methods and O&M best practices to improve the overall performance of the construction industry. The activities and findings of the Pole will benefit the whole construction industry, from architects, project managers, designer, contractors, property developers, building owners and their clients. Digitalisation of the various processes mentioned will impact positively the whole value chain. We also aim to create customised software/platform which can interact with commonly available software through the development of APIs so that we can propose a tool that fits the processes of the local construction sector. We are therefore not only proposing products off the shelf but a solution proper to the local sector and focused on delivering the exact objectives mentioned above.

Click n Find

Tue, 31 May 2022 20:00:00 +0000

Click N Find is an integrated digital platform that connects businesses with customers throughout the customer lifecycle. It enables businesses to boost sales and retain their customers while optimizing their expenses. The following points describe how the integrated infrastructure supports the customer journey from just a simple anonymous web browser to a fully engaged buyer. 1. Awareness - Users can query and search for businesses - Newsfeed/AI powered ads targeted to potential clients 2. Research - Direct access to detail information, geolocation and social media pages - Ability to explore businesses through interactive virtual tours - Easily compare businesses based on criteria such pricing, facilities or ratings. 3. Contact & Purchase - Get in touch via different means (e.g. instant messaging, video call, phone call, email, social media) - Ability to make online purchases/bookings from linked e-commerce platform/online booking system 4. Retention & Loyalty - Ability to follow businesses and receive updates (for e.g. newly arrived products) - Notifying people of promotional offers - Online survey to meet rapidly changing demands of customers - Milestone rewards based on points 5. Advocacy - Recommend products/services via reviews - Invite people within social circle to follow businesses

Sales Management Information System (MIS)

Wed, 01 Jun 2022 05:38:36 +0000

NanoSAIO Ltd, the Fintech arm of the Anglo African Group based in Mauritius, had entered in a collaboration with the State Trading Corporation (STC) and agreed to develop a module under the MRIC PSTS scheme. The system is called a Sales Management Information System (MIS) and will enable the STC to have a Sales Dashboard for analyzing and reporting on Sales trends as well as forecasting. This innovative tool will help STC to better analyse the trend regarding the sales of its products. Hence, the STC will be able to efficiently plan its stock management based on the automated information provided by the Sales Dashboard as well as help in providing on demand statistics. The tool will empower staffs of STC to better analyse the sales patter and ensure that re-stocking is being done at the right time. As such this will ensure continuous supply of supply of STC’s products in the market without any shortages.

A comprehensive review on the adoption of insulated block/eco-block as a green building technology from a resident perspective

Mon, 11 Apr 2022 20:00:00 +0000

Green building technologies (GBTs) have gained significant momentum as a result of the environmental, energy management and societal problems within the building sector. The insulated block/eco-block is a GBT, which consists of an insulation material that prevents hot/cold air to enter inside buildings, conserve energy and improve indoor comfort in comparison to conventional block. However, conventional building techniques are still dominant in developing countries due to a lack of people’s knowledge about GBT, poor interaction with building experts and low support from policymakers. Public acceptance of the eco-block technology is essential for its successful introduction into society. This paper is the first one to systematically review 45 peer-reviewed articles in this field of study with a focus on eco-block. Recent publications have extended theoretical models like (TPB, TAM, DOI, VBN and UTAUT) to study green building consumption. Lack of subjective knowledge about eco-block, lack of trust in the suppliers of eco-block, high price sensitivity, poor education and low-income households are recognised as the major barriers to the technology adoption. The contribution of the paper lies in establishing an original adoption decision framework that groups together a set of (contextual factors, psychological factors and demographic factors) to fill the research gap. The adoption framework could eventually assist the construction experts to analyse the different stages involved in the residents’ decision to adopt the ecoblock building technology. The paper culminates with a discussion on the application of the conceptual framework as a reference in future GBT usage

Seaweed farming in Africa: current status and future potential

Mon, 13 Dec 2021 20:00:00 +0000

Global demand for seaweed and its products has increased exponentially over the last 25 years. Equally, the continent of Africa and its ofshore islands have considerable potential for seaweed production to contribute to world demand. Compared with China and the rest of Asia, Africa lags behind in seaweed production and utilisation. However, for red eucheumatoid seaweeds, Africa is the third-largest producer in the world, producing about 120,000 t (FW) annually. Details are provided for 13 African countries that are currently involved in seaweed farming and harvesting, commercially or experimentally, for export or domestic utilisation. Eucheuma spp. and Kappaphycus spp. in Tanzania represent 92% and in Madagascar 4.7% of continental production, and Ulva spp. and Gracilaria spp. in South Africa represent 1.5%. Over 2000 species of seaweed have been recorded in Africa, some of which are already successfully cultivated in other parts of the world. The environmental conditions across the continent range from warm, tropical waters to the cooler, nutrient-rich waters of the southwest, enabling the cultivation of seaweeds from the tropical, carrageenan-producing eucheumatoids to temperate kelp species. Seaweed aquaculture production in Africa, led predominantly by women, has improved the livelihoods of its coastal people. Challenges through disease and pest outbreaks, as a result of climate change, and the low prices paid to farmers are highlighted as major constraints on the development of this industry. Through scaling up and expanding current eforts in production and utilisation of seaweeds, Africa has the potential to join China and Southeast Asia as a global leader in producing, processing and consuming a wide variety of seaweeds.

The Only AI Powered Trusted Due Diligence Platform with Integrated Dynamic Scoring Engine

Thu, 24 Feb 2022 11:43:28 +0000

Anglo NanoTECH Ltd is a startup of Anglo African group based in Mauritius with the vision to operate the largest machine learning and AI powered platform to fight financial crime locally and regionally. The Solution will be the first AI powered platform using trusted Sources like Worldcheck, Accuity and ComplyAdvantage and media searches with an integrated scoring engine to give a score to each due diligence being performed by the authority. It will help move Due Diligence process from a time-based monitoring refresh based on risk level to a real time surveillance resulting in risk scoring monitoring. The scoring engine will assess the nature of Business, Sector of Activities, Country of Origin of Shareholder and Directors, Country of investment, PEP list, Sanction report, adverse media report, Multilayer organization, Ultimate beneficiary owners amongst others. It allows the compliance team to be able to define the perception of risk based on low, medium, high and extreme. Regulators and institutions around the globe have recognized that innovative technologies and advanced analytics are central to coping with the rapid evolution of financial crime. The configuration engine give full control to the compliance team to define and maintain their entire regulatory framework at service level.

Development of a system to monitor medical equipment at the level of public health institution (under the aegis of the Ministry of Health and Wellness)

Wed, 23 Feb 2022 20:00:00 +0000

The project consists in the development of a system to monitor medical equipment at the level of public health institutions, thanks to the use of Internet of Things (IoT) and innovative software development technologies. The expected deliverable is primarily an efficient computerized inventory/ database system to record all medical equipment assets in hospitals, with built-in tracking of usage thanks to sensors fixed to them and which are transmitting their locations at pre-defined intervals. The pilot site identified for this project at the Ministry of Health & Wellness is Jeetoo Hospital.

Making the Case for Disability Innovation: Opportunity at Concrete Change for the Disabled Community

Mon, 21 Feb 2022 09:21:14 +0000

Despite enormous progress by governments and non-governmental organizations worldwide for action-research projects and awareness of the public, people with disabilities still face much difficulty in their daily lives due to discrimination, non-visibility and ignorance. Using systematic literature review and observational research as research method, this paper will show that despite disability being a driver for innovation, designing for disability has remained an exclusive, niche and expensive market. This is set to change as more normal-abled persons face the possibility of someday developing symptoms associated with disabilities due to life circumstances and a growing elderly population. The need to include more people with disabilities in the workplace, not only as simple employees, but also as integral members of design, testing and decision-making teams will be emphasized. Some of the wide reaching examples of disability innovation are touched upon. Finally, an overview of disability and disability innovation in Mauritius is also given.

Online marketplace using big data and AI analytics to improve procurement process for construction projects

Mon, 14 Feb 2022 20:00:00 +0000

The construction sector plays an undisputed crucial role in the economic health of Mauritius, with nearly 1000 companies operating as service providers (contractors and consultants). In January 2020, according to the Mauritius Central Statistics Office (CSO), the construction sector’s contribution to the GDP of Mauritius was nearly 6 Billion Mauritian Rupees averaging an 8.5% growth over 2019. However, following the recent health crisis and the impending economic crisis, the construction sector is facing a significant crunch. During these testing times, the focus will be on how to seize the moment to steer away from old unsustainable practices and adopt innovative, more efficient, and sustainable ones. An area in the constructor sector that we believe will benefit from such a move is the procurement system or the bidding process for projects. Bidding in the construction sector is still handled in a traditional manner using old tools, making the whole process slow, inefficient and error prone. Our online platform will offer buyers and sellers of construction works a marketplace where they can find each other, facilitate procurement of these works, and offer value added services based on the data collected from the platform. The procurement process is becoming more digital worldwide and there is currently no local digital solution as at now for the private sector. SMEs will also overcome the challenge of lack of access to construction contracts, tenders, and bids through our online marketplace.

Relationship between fermented papaya preparation supplementation, erythrocyte integrity and antioxidant status in pre-diabetics

Fri, 28 Feb 2014 20:00:00 +0000

Alterations in the antioxidant status of patients suffering from diabetes mellitus and associated cardiovascular complications

Wed, 12 Nov 2014 20:00:00 +0000

In view of the high prevalence of type 2 diabetes mellitus, this study aimed at determining the total plasma antioxidant capacity of type 2 diabetic patients with and without macrovascular complications. The erythrocyte catalase level was also evaluated because of the implication of catalase as a risk factor in diabetes. 90 age-‐, gender-‐ and body mass index-‐matched subjects were used for this study and divided into healthy subjects (Group I, n=30), diabetic patients (Group II, n=30) and diabetic patients with cardiovascular complications (Group III, n=30). Blood samples collected from 90 eligible subjects were analyzed for glucose, HbA1c, urea, creatinine, total cholesterol, triglyceride, HDL and LDL cholesterol levels. Blood antioxidant activity and erythrocyte catalase levels were assessed. The mean antioxidant status values of Groups II and III were found to be significantly lower than that of Group I (p < 0.05). A significant decrease was also observed in the mean catalase level of Groups II and III as compared to Group I (p < 0.05) while a significant increase in fasting blood glucose level, glycated hemoglobin, triglycerides and urea was observed in Groups II and III compared to Group I. These data suggest that the in vivo antioxidant defense was highly compromised in patients with diabetes and associated cardiovascular complications although they were on medication, thereby suggesting the potential contributory beneficial effects of exogenous antioxidants. Furthermore, a reduction in catalase level may suggest the role of increasing hydrogen peroxide concentration in the disease progression.

Apoptosis inducing lead compounds isolated from marine organisms of potential relevance in cancer treatment

Tue, 30 Sep 2014 20:00:00 +0000

Apoptosis is a critical defense mechanism against the formation and progression of cancer and exhibits distinct morphological and biochemical traits. Targeting apoptotic pathways becomes an intriguing strategy for the development of chemotherapeutic agents particularly if the process is selective to cancer cells. Marine natural products have become important sources in the discovery of antitumour drugs, especially when recent technological and methodological advances have increased the scope of investigations of marine organisms. A high number of individual compounds from diverse organisms have induced apoptosis in several tumour cell lines via a number of mechanisms. Here, we review the effects of selected marine natural products and their synthetic derivatives on apoptosis signalling pathways in association with their pharmacological properties. Providing an outlook into the future, we also examine the factors that contribute to new discoveries and the difficulties associated with translating marine-derived compounds into clinical trials.

Diabetes as a risk factor to cancer: Functional role of fermented papaya preparation as phytonutraceutical adjunct in the treatment of diabetes and cancer

Tue, 30 Sep 2014 20:00:00 +0000

Oncologists and diabetologists quote scientific data from epidemiological and in vitro studies to show that high levels of insulin and glucose, in combination with oxidative stress and chronic inflammation, can heighten the risk of developing cancer amongst patients with diabetes. Although the cancers that have been consistently associated with type 2 diabetes include pancreatic, colorectal, breast and liver cancer, the preponderance of the disease risk factors such as obesity, inflammation, hyperglycemia, hyperinsulinaemia (as a result of insulin resistance and oxidative β-cell damage) and the indirect influence of anti-diabetic medications are increasingly being defined. Fermented papaya preparation (FPP) has defined antioxidant and immune-modulating potentials. The ability of FPP influence signaling cascades associated with cell growth and survival presents a rational for chemopreventive adjunct that can be used in combination with traditional redox based therapies that target oxidative stress in the cancer micro environment. It is further suggested that the demonstrated efficacy FPP to control blood glucose, excessive inflammation and modulate free radical-induced oxidative damage which are triggers of liver, bladder, breast and prostate cancers in type 2 diabetics, may favorably mitigate the side effects of ensuing diabetes and cancer therapy. What remains paramount is early cancer detection and early determination of propensity risks for diabetes. The education of patients, proper dietary management and compliance with therapeutic regime directed at cancer and diabetes encapsulate challenges of global magnitude.

Modulatory effects of green tea on HEK-293 cell energy metabolism: implications in diabetic nephropathy

Mon, 12 Jan 2015 20:00:00 +0000

The consumption of green tea is epidemiologically associated with a reduction in diabetic nephropathy; however its prophylactic effect remains unclear in an oxidative stress-‐associated diabetic milieu. The energy metabolism of HEK-‐293 cell, pretreated with variable concentrations of green tea, was evaluated under different hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) concentrations using the MTT assay. Green tea modulated the energy metabolism in renal cell line under different hydrogen peroxide challenge. In the absence of hydrogen peroxide, green tea at concentrations of 0.25 mg/mL and 0.50 mg/mL significantly increased the energy metabolism of HEK-‐293 cell by 81.5 % (P < 0.01) and 56.1 % (P < 0.05), respectively. Green tea at a concentration of 3 mg/mL significantly reduced (P < 0.05) the energy metabolism in HEK-‐293 cell by 36.6 % and 20.7 % when incubated in the presence of 200 μM and 500 μM H2O2, respectively. At high concentration, H2O2 and green tea have shown the ability in reducing the energy metabolism of HEK-‐293 cell. Conclusively, moderate consumption of green tea could form part of a healthy lifestyle that might ameliorate features of metabolic syndrome and subsequent risks for diabetic nephropathy, an outcome that can be determined by further clinical studies.

In hospite Symbiodinium photophysiology and antioxidant responses in Acropora muricata on a coast-reef scale: implications for variable bleaching patterns

Thu, 14 Jan 2016 20:00:00 +0000

Detecting membrane progestin receptor (mPR)-interacting compounds from coral seawater in Mauritius

Sun, 13 Aug 2017 20:00:00 +0000

Progestins are key regulators of reproduction. Although the physiological e ects of progesterone are mediated by regulating the expression of genes associated with nuclear progesterone receptors (nPRs), new insights into proges- terone activity was provided when membrane progestin receptors (mPRs) were identi ed. Also, mPRs have been shown to be a novel target for endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs). Natural hormonal compounds or arti cial chemicals that interact with mPRs were sought as possible novel pharmaceuticals or EDCs. Chemicals dissolved in coral reef seawater from Albion, Mauritius that interact with mPRs were screened during this study. The relative binding a nity of these compounds to the mPRα in vitro was evaluated using a steroid binding assay with crushed cell membranes from stably transfected cells containing the mPRα gene. As a result, binding activity in the compounds obtained from coral reef was detected. The highest binding activity was detected in a lagoon area when compared with that in the reef and beach areas. These results suggest that natural hormonal compounds with a nity for mPRα are produced, and under some speci c conditions, accumulated, in seawater of a coral reef area at Albion.

Morinda citrifolia L. fruit extracts modulates H2O2-induced oxidative stress in human liposarcoma SW872 cells

Thu, 30 Jun 2016 20:00:00 +0000

ABC-SWBP/MRIC Pole of Innovation for innovative seaweed-based products

Thu, 30 Dec 2021 20:00:00 +0000

The aim of this pole of innovation is to develop the seaweed industry on a commercial scale in Mauritius. For the Mauritian economy, this will mean the creation of a new sector of business, increased exports and additional revenue. Out of this pole, there will be a raised awareness of the availability, nutritional value and medicinal qualities of seaweeds in the overall Mauritian population and the benefits to the country is the introduction of an untapped local food source that contributes to the country’s food security, the creation of jobs and healthier people, especially the young.

The Callithea Project: Developing Training and Employment Outcomes for Young Adults with Intellectual Disabilities Using the Social Enterprise Framework.

Mon, 27 Dec 2021 06:57:24 +0000

In Mauritius, young adults with intellectual disabilities lack training opportunities, especially those that match their needs and the demands of potential employers. They also experience significant barriers to accessing employment in the open labour market, reflected by a low employment rate. This proposed project, entitled the Callithea Project, will use as basis the Social Enterprise Framework to attempt to address the need for more meaningful and sustainable training and employment opportunities for young adults with intellectual disabilities. The first phase of the training and employment programme will be a 6-month tailor-made foundation course delivered to programme participants on social enterprise development; followed by a one-year novel entrepreneur experience: a socially responsible retail shop employing and run by young adults with intellectual disabilities. Over a period of 1.5 years, it is expected that the project will equip programme participants with the adaptive, behavioural, and technical skills and knowledge to start and/or operate a small-scale social enterprise. Through the empowerment of young adults with intellectual disabilities and the promotion of self-employment and/or entrepreneurship, it is expected that the long-term impact of the Callithea Project will be: improved livelihoods of persons with intellectual disabilities in a more tolerant, equitable and inclusive society.

Investigation of the structural properties and performance of agro waste fibre reinforced concrete

Sun, 19 Dec 2021 20:00:00 +0000

‘Investigation of the structural properties and performance of agro-waste fibre (AWF) reinforced concrete’ is an innovative research initiative that Gamma Materials Ltd (GML) in collaboration with the University of Mauritius (UoM) wishes to bring forward on a commercial level based on current research works being conducted in the field of natural by the UoM. The research aspects will be conducted through UoM’s Pole of Research in Natural Fibres and bio based composites, and will focus on the following key issues in order to produce quality fibres (with good mechanical strength) at the minimum cost whilst minimising the environment impact: selection of appropriate AWF to be used as reinforcing material, determination of appropriate extraction and processing of fibres for effective use in concrete, determination of the fibre characteristics for effective mixing in concrete, determination of mechanical properties and performance of the resulting fibre reinforced concrete in terms of shrinkage and crack inhibition for industrial floor. This proposal aims at achieving the following goals: effective use of local agro wastes through the circular economy concept, providing opportunities to enhance farmers’ resilience to the effect of climate change, provide opportunities to reclaim abandon agricultural lands, develop an engineering solution for the construction industry.

Fermented papaya preparation modulates the progression of N-methyl-N-nitrosourea induced hepatocellular carcinoma in Balb/c mice

Thu, 14 Apr 2016 20:00:00 +0000

Aim and main method The medicinal properties of fermented papaya preparation (FPP) derived from Carica papaya fruit was investigated in order to determine its ability to modulate the progression of N-methyl-N-nitrosourea induced hepatocellular carcinoma in Balb/c mice. Key findings As well as reducing the physical symptoms associated with N-methyl-N-nitrosourea (MNU)-induced hepatocellular carcinoma, supplementation of Balb/c mice with 500 mg FPP/kg BW for 92 days normalized the blood cell count, led to an increased activity of several key antioxidant enzymes (SOD: + 20%, CAT: + 81%, GPx: + 66.1%, GR: + 54.4%; P < 0.001 vs. MNU control), increased the ferrous reducing antioxidant potential (+ 36.7%, P < 0.001 vs. MNU control) and reduced the extent of lipid peroxidation in the liver by 44.3% (P < 0.001 vs. MNU control). Significance Results demonstrated the ability of FPP to preserve the integrity of liver against oxidative damage and protect hepatocytes against irreversible DNA structural modifications induced by MNU, highlighting its potential role as an immune-defense modulator during hepatocarcinoma.

Punica granatum L. mesocarp suppresses advanced glycation end products (AGEs)- and H2O2-induced oxidative stress and pro-inflammatory biomarkers

Mon, 19 Dec 2016 20:00:00 +0000

Extracts of Mauritian Carica papaya (var. solo) protect SW872 and HepG2 cells against hydrogen peroxide induced oxidative stress

Thu, 27 Apr 2017 20:00:00 +0000

Price Monitoring and Control Application

Wed, 27 Oct 2021 20:00:00 +0000

The Ministry of Commerce and Consumer Protection is looking to develop a system which is digital, easy to use and fully integrated, that will allow officers and other concerned stakeholders to monitor prices of goods. This mechanism will not only allow the Ministry to monitor and control prices, but also develop a price database that confers a bird's eye view of the whole supply chain in the country. We propose to develop a cloud-based platform that will possess (1) A web-based product information management system for local produce, (2) A mobile-friendly application for price inspectors to record infractions, (3) An Infraction and Fine module for managing defaulters (4) A ticketing module for complaints logging and follow-up and (5) An analytical platform for authorities to monitor prices, infractions and complaints. Phase 1 development includes prices from all retail stores in the country, centralised into a database for monthly monitoring and inventory oversight. Phase 1 also includes a website which will be linked with the App, for ease of use of both Ministry officers and Retailers.

Lactic Fermentation as an Efficient Tool to Enhance the Antioxidant Activity of Tropical Fruit Juices and Teas

Tue, 09 May 2017 20:00:00 +0000

Antibacterial and antibiotic potentiating activities of tropical marine sponge extracts

Thu, 06 Apr 2017 20:00:00 +0000

Comparative suppressing effects of black and green teas on the formation of advanced glycation end products (AGEs) and AGE-induced oxidative stress

Tue, 14 Nov 2017 20:00:00 +0000

This study aimed at investigating and comparing the anti-diabetic potential of black and green teas. Biochemical analyses indicate higher antioxidant potency, significantly correlated with the phytochemicals present, in green teas compared to black teas. Both extracts afforded a similar level of protection to erythrocytes against peroxyl radical-induced lysis. Non-cytotoxic concentration of green and black tea extracts significantly reduced the reactive oxygen species (ROS) production (P < 0.01), lowered the oxidation of proteins (P < 0.05) and decreased the IL-6 secretion (P < 0.01) induced by AGEs or H2O2 in 3T3-L1 preadipocytes. Both teas also inhibited the decline in the enzymatic activities of superoxide dismutase, catalase and glutathione peroxidase induced by the pro-oxidants. The teas further suppressed the glycation of BSA mediated by glucose, ribose and MGO by reducing fluorescent AGE, fructosamine, protein carbonyl and AOPP levels. Black and green teas also inhibited the activities of α-amylase (AA50: 589.86 ± 39.51 and 947.80 ± 18.20 μg mL-1, respectively) and α-glucosidase (AA50: 72.31 ± 4.23 and 100.23 ± 8.10 μg mL-1, respectively). The teas afforded a comparable level of protection at the cellular level and against glycation while black tea exerted the highest carbohydrate hydrolysing enzymes inhibitory activity. Our results clearly show that black and green teas represent an important source of antioxidants with anti-diabetic potential.

Discovering the Health Promoting Potential of Fermented Papaya Preparation—Its Future Perspectives for the Dietary Management of Oxidative Stress During Diabetes

Thu, 27 Sep 2018 20:00:00 +0000

Mauritian Endemic Medicinal Plant Extracts Induce G2/M Phase Cell Cycle Arrest and Growth Inhibition of Oesophageal Squamous Cell Carcinoma in Vitro

Sun, 24 Feb 2019 20:00:00 +0000

Terrestrial plants have contributed massively to the development of modern oncologic drugs. Despite the wide acceptance of Mauritian endemic flowering plants in traditional medicine, scientific evidence of their chemotherapeutic potential is lacking. This study aimed to evaluate the in vitro tumor cytotoxicity of leaf extracts from five Mauritian endemic medicinal plants, namely Acalypha integrifolia Willd (Euphorbiaceae), Labourdonnaisia glauca Bojer (Sapotaceae), Dombeya acutangula Cav. subsp. rosea Friedmann (Malvaceae), Gaertnera psychotrioides (DC.) Baker (Rubiaceae), and Eugenia tinifolia Lam (Myrtaceae). The cytotoxicities of the extracts were determined against six human cancer cell lines, including cervical adenocarcinoma, colorectal carcinoma, oesophageal adenocarcinoma, and oesophageal squamous cell carcinoma. The potent extracts were further investigated using cell cycle analysis and reverse phase protein array (RPPA) analysis. The antioxidant properties and polyphenolic profile of the potent extracts were also evaluated. Gas chromatography mass spectrometry (GC-MS) analyses revealed the presence of (+)-catechin and gallocatechin in E. tinifolia and L. glauca, while gallic acid was detected in A. integrifolia. L. glauca, A. integrifolia, and E. tinifolia were highly selective towards human oesophageal squamous cell carcinoma (KYSE-30) cells. L. glauca and E. tinifolia arrested KYSE30 cells in the G2/M phase, in a concentration-dependent manner. RPPA analysis indicated that the extracts may partly exert their tumor growth-inhibitory activity by upregulating the intracellular level of 5′AMP-activated kinase (AMPK). The findings highlight the potent antiproliferative activity of three Mauritian endemic leaf extracts against oesophageal squamous cell carcinoma and calls for further investigation into their chemotherapeutic application.

Methyl gallate – Rich fraction of Syzygium coriaceum leaf extract induced cancer cell cytotoxicity via oxidative stress

Wed, 28 Oct 2020 20:00:00 +0000

Terminalia bentzoë, a Mascarene Endemic Plant, Inhibits Human Hepatocellular Carcinoma Cells Growth In Vitro via G0/G1 Phase Cell Cycle Arrest

Sun, 11 Oct 2020 20:00:00 +0000

Tropical forests constitute a prolific sanctuary of unique floral diversity and potential medicinal sources, however, many of them remain unexplored. The scarcity of rigorous scientific data on the surviving Mascarene endemic taxa renders bioprospecting of this untapped resource of utmost importance. Thus, in view of valorizing the native resource, this study has as its objective to investigate the bioactivities of endemic leaf extracts. Herein, seven Mascarene endemic plants leaves were extracted and evaluated for their in vitro antioxidant properties and antiproliferative effects on a panel of cancer cell lines, using methyl thiazolyl diphenyl-tetrazolium bromide (MTT) and clonogenic cell survival assays. Flow cytometry and comet assay were used to investigate the cell cycle and DNA damaging effects, respectively. Bioassay guided-fractionation coupled with liquid chromatography mass spectrometry (MS), gas chromatography-MS, and nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopic analysis were used to identify the bioactive compounds. Among the seven plants tested, Terminalia bentzoë was comparatively the most potent antioxidant extract, with significantly (p < 0.05) higher cytotoxic activities. T. bentzoë extract further selectively suppressed the growth of human hepatocellular carcinoma cells and significantly halted the cell cycle progression in the G0/G1 phase, decreased the cells’ replicative potential and induced significant DNA damage. In total, 10 phenolic compounds, including punicalagin and ellagic acid, were identified and likely contributed to the extract’s potent antioxidant and cytotoxic activities. These results established a promising basis for further in-depth investigations into the potential use of T. bentzoë as a supportive therapy in cancer management.

Regulation of cancer cell signaling pathways as key events for therapeutic relevance of edible and medicinal mushrooms

Fri, 06 Mar 2020 20:00:00 +0000

The Prophylactic Activity of Punica granatum L. mesocarp Protects Preadipocytes against Ribosylated BSA-Induced Toxicity

Thu, 18 Feb 2021 20:00:00 +0000

Objective: It was aimed at comparing the glycating capacities of glucose and ribose in bovine serum albumin (BSA) and anti-glycation activity of pomegranate mesocarp extract (PME). The protective mechanism of PME against ribosylated BSA (BSARIB)-induced toxicity was also investigated. Methods: BSA was incubated with glucose or ribose in the presence or absence of PME for 15 days. In preadipocytes pretreated with PME, cell viability, ROS production, lipid peroxidation and mitochondrial membrane potential were investigated following 1, 6, 12, 18 and 24 h exposure to BSARIB. Nuclear translocation of NFjB was assessed at 1 h and 24 h of BSARIB insult. Accumulation of oxidized proteins, activities of intrinsic antioxidant enzymes and IL-6 secretion were also determined after 24 h exposure to BSARIB. Results: Ribose was a harsher glycating agent as compared to glucose and PME showed strong anti-glycation activity by suppressing (P< 0.05) the increase in levels of fluorescent AGEs, Amadori products, protein carbonyl and advanced oxidation protein products (AOPP). In preadipocytes, BSARIB potentiated pro-apoptotic activity by inhibiting the nuclear translocation of NFjB. BSARIB induced a time dependent decrease in cell viability, which was significantly suppressed (P< 0.05) by PME. The extract also significantly reduced (P< 0.05) the time dependent increase in ROS level and associated lipid peroxidation as well as loss in mitochondrial membrane potential caused by BSARIB. PME also counteracted the BSARIB-induced accumulation of oxidized proteins, decrease in intrinsic antioxidant activity and IL-6 over-secretion. Conclusions: PME showed anti-glycation activity and afforded protection against BSARIB-induced toxicity, oxidative stress and inflammation in preadipocytes.

Metabolite Profiling of Antioxidant Rich Fractions of Punica granatum L. Mesocarp and CD36 Expression Regulation

Thu, 21 Oct 2021 20:00:00 +0000

Objective: It was aimed at determining which polyphenolic compound(s) in pomegranate mesocarp extract (PME) is liable for the antioxidant, anti-glycation and anti-CD36 activities. Methods: The PME was fractionated using liquid-liquid extraction method. The fractions were tested for their polyphenolic content, antioxidant potency, anti-glycation activity and anti-CD36 potential. The metabolite compositions of PME and derived fractions were investigated in an untargeted manner using metabolomics in relation to its antioxidant and anti-glycation activities. Results: The ethyl acetate and n-butanol fractions of the pomegranate mesocarp demonstrated highest antioxidant and anti-glycation potencies. These fractions, represented by gallic and ellagic acids monomers, were enriched in tannins and phenolic acids. Orthogonal partial least squares discriminate analysis (OPLS-DA) modeling of ultra-performance liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (UPLC-MS) metabolite profiles from the different pomegranate mesocarp fractions indicated that gallic and ellagic acids were potential contributors to the antioxidant and anti-glycation effects of the pomegranate mesocarp. At cellular level, the polyphenolic-rich crude extract as well as the ethyl acetate, n-butanol and aqueous residual fractions suppressed the protein expression of CD36. The anti-CD36 activity of these extracts and fractions was attributed to the presence of punicalagin, the ellagitannins that occurred in equal amount in the different fractions. Conclusion: This work demonstrated the protective effect of the non-edible part of the pomegranate fruit and showed that gallic and ellagic acids account for the antioxidant and anti-glycation activities while punicalagin is liable for the anti-CD36 activity of PME.

Smart Agriculture: vers la réduction des pesticides en agriculture vivrière

Sun, 24 Oct 2021 20:00:00 +0000

Une étude menée auprès de 300 agriculteurs de légumes a montré des pratiques phytosanitaires excessives et non adéquates. La MCA souhaite contribuer à la réduction des pesticides en mettant en place deux réseaux d’une dizaine de fermes pilotes. Ces fermes auront différents objectifs de réduction adaptés à leurs besoins et les conditions d’applications qui leur sont propres (culture en jardins permanents ou inter-cultures de canne-à-sucre, tailles de parcelles…). Elles permettront aux agriculteurs d’être mis en réseau de manière à les faire réfléchir sur les traitements phytosanitaires et les alternatives qui peuvent être mises en place. La MCA, en collaboration avec le FAREI et le Cirad de la Réunion, souhaite tester différentes méthodes alternatives (biopesticides, lutte intégrée, renforcement des dynamiques écologiques…) qui permettront une meilleure efficience et durabilité des terres agricoles, mais aussi de faire face aux impasses techniques engendrées par l’interdiction des pesticides ou la résistance croissante des bioagresseurs. Il sera testé plus particulièrement des filets anti-insectes, des méthodes prophylactiques, du push-pull, du paillage… Ainsi les fermes pilotes présenteront l’opportunité de tester ces techniques dans un contexte local en vue de leur diffusion auprès d’autres agriculteurs et sur différents légumes. Ces technologies pourront ensuite être reprises par des commerçants en vue de leur fabrication/revente sur le territoire.

Leveraging Machine Learning for Identity Fraud Reduction and Credit Risk Management on FinClub Peer to Peer Lending Platform.

Sun, 24 Oct 2021 20:00:00 +0000

Half of the Mauritian workforce earn less than Rs 32,000, and significant proportions are self-employed in informal or works MSMEs sectors. As a result, many are becoming underbanked and have no access to credits because: i. Banks do not give short-term loans of less than Rs50,000, ii. Interest rates are high, ranging from 12% (unsecured), 15% (hire purchase) to 24% (credit cards), and iii. Traditional KYC verifications require physical presence with mostly original documents. By contrast, saving interest rates on amounts of less than Rs50,000 yields 0.25%, making the saving-borrowing gap enormous, typically more than 50 times. FinClub is developing a Peer-to-Peer Lending Platform, allowing Investors to lend directly to Borrowers. With no intermediaries, Investors will earn higher interest rates based on their risk appetite and provide Borrowers with affordable credit solutions to improve livelihood or business growth. Customers can digitally upload all documents. The Platform will embed latest technologies such as Web Scraping, Data Mining, Machine Learning algorithms to develop proprietary customer KYC (FinID) and Credit Scoring (FinScore). With increased automation, loan approvals and money disbursal will take less than 3 days. Once fully operational, FinClub will scale out into four growing East African markets.

The Agripreneurs’ Hub by Farmcity

Sun, 24 Oct 2021 20:00:00 +0000

The Agripreneurs’ Hub is an initiative launched by Farmcity, a farm situated in Bois Rouge Pamplemousses, operating under Farmstreet Ltd, to support the local economy by helping young people adopt a social-entrepreneurial approach to agribusiness. (“agripreneurship”). The project supports young Agripreneurs through accompaniment, mentoring and incubation. Beyond a conducive space that allows like-minded individuals to meet, work and develop their ideas together, the Agripreneurs’ Hub will accompany Agripreneurs on their journey to translate innovative ideas into a working prototype that can be tested on the market. A dedicated mentorship program will elevate agri-business ideas into financially viable and socially impactful solutions. Each agripreneur will also be provided with a small plot of land to test their ideas on a small scale. Our hope is for these solutions to scale nationally and globally. Only ideas with a clear benefit to the community and are environmentally sustainable will be supported. This includes ideas that increase access to nutritious food, promotes fair trade, and/or help to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals. We aim to have 30 agripreneurs yearly. The multiplying positive impacts of these potentially game-changing solutions include job creation, export-ready products and services, reduced reliance on imports, and improving local food security.

Bus CONTROLS (Capturing Operationally Needed Trip Data via Remote On-Line Sensors)

Sun, 17 Oct 2021 20:00:00 +0000

Public bus transit systems are essential services to the sustainability and equity of any country. However poor bus service reliability is often reported to be a major reason for travellers choosing to travel by car instead of by bus. This not only directly impacts on the financial and operational viability of bus companies, but also indirectly leads to higher levels of traffic congestion, energy use, carbon emissions and air pollutants across the transport network. This project (named Bus CONTROLS) aims at providing solutions for the unreliability of bus services by making use of Internet of Things (IoT) based approaches, through low-cost state-of-art sensors, actuators, microcontrollers, cameras, cloud storage and an online HPC server. Bus CONTROLS will provide a low-cost solution for Bus tracking, Passenger Information System, as well as Bus Travel Time Estimation. Once the technical feasibility and cost-effectiveness of this project have been demonstrated through the “proof of concept” prototype, there exists substantial scope for commercialisation of the product as a complete customised turnkey solution, consisting of the hardware, software and online HPC server. Besides bus companies and travellers will benefit significantly from the system as they will save on waiting time and may better plan their journeys.

Leveraging cloud computing to build an advanced data analytics platform for sugarcane research and crop monitoring

Sun, 24 Oct 2021 20:00:00 +0000

One of the main objectives of the Mauritius Sugarcane Industry Research Institute (MSIRI) is to develop new and more productive sugarcane varieties through its breeding and selection programme. It relies heavily on its computer systems for its operations and in handling voluminous data generated during its breeding and selection programme. It can take up to fifteen years for a new variety to be released from the time it is produced after crossing two parents and its selection. Annual data related to crosses, selection trials, and variety performance stored at MSIRI goes back to the mid-1960. As climate is a key driver of crop production systems and has a major influence on crop productivity, climate-related data is also stored. However, the current MSIRI computer system is obsolete and incompatible with latest technologies and is not portable. Moreover, the risks of losing critical data are high, especially with no failover alternative. The main purpose of this project is to take advantage of the cloud computing cost effective solutions to safeguard the sugarcane hybridization and selection as well as the climate database. The objective is to build a climate and crop database in order to provide ubiquitous access to information, user-friendly data analytics and reporting tools through the development of innovative business intelligence (BI) dashboards on the cloud. It is proposed that information on climate and crop status would be made available on-line to different categories of cane growers through a web-based application for better crop monitoring. The cloud platform would also help in promoting exchange of genetic information among sugarcane research centres worldwide. In future, local and international institutions could make use of this platform to store and share information against payment of an access fee to ensure and this would allow for sustainability of the cloud system. Eventually this platform could evolve into a fully functional agricultural knowledge-based system with the integration of other components on cane research: 1. Build cloud environment 2. Initial data migration 3. Data cleansing, preparation and validation 4. Incremental data synchronization 5. Implementing data analytics and reporting dashboards

Data Analytics for Real-Time Disease Outbreak Management and Surveillance in Mauritius

Sun, 24 Oct 2021 20:00:00 +0000

A research project is being proposed to investigate and formulate a novel real-time infectious disease detection/surveillance model that will use spatial, temporal, and text mining of crowd-sourced data and Twitter data for Mauritius. The real-time analysis results will be reported visually in terms of disease surveillance maps: distribution and timeliness of the disease will be shown. Such a system can be very useful for early detection and prediction of seasonal disease outbreaks. The resulting insights are expected to reduce the response time in case of a pandemic, as well as help in tracking the spread of an infectious disease in Mauritius. The proposed research work will investigate social media data ETL (Extract-Transform Load) methods, and propose a model for visualizing outbreaks and the spread of an infectious disease in space and time. A prototype will be developed using rich information retrievable in real time from Twitter and a crowd-sourced mobile application. Since the system will be completely automated and the output of analysis will be updated near real time, it is expected to detect disease outbreaks significantly faster than the traditional disease surveillance system that collects public health data from sentinel medical practices. The resulting application has the potential for being developed into a real-time and online application that can be used for tracking infections in Mauritius, and later extended to the neighboring Indian Ocean islands and in the African continent.

A. Business Accounting Cloud+Mobile

Sun, 24 Oct 2021 20:00:00 +0000

The Business Accounting Project has a core accounting database in mysql format. The purpose of this project is to allow: (i) communication between this accounting database and varying and emerging input devices on the market, such as RFID readers (ii) communication between this database and existing standards of accounting systems on the market (iii) expanding the database structure to suit more business models (iv) turning customized programs into re-usable off-the-shelf modules to provide a uniform user interface (v) using the cloud to allow financial queries on this database from pc’s, tablets, and smartphones (vi) set up support teams to allow seamless and uninterrupted flow of information from the input device, on one end, to the auditors on the other end. We hear of “ease of doing business” when Government reduces red tapes, but the techniques proposed in this project will result in effective “ease of doing business” also. The mechanisms to be developed will be cross-platform, cross-browser, cross accounting standards, easily maintained, easily upgraded, strongly supported, and vastly popularized. The financial dashboard available on smartphones will be auto-scaled, intelligently predictive, graphically presented.

Smart Traffic Lights

Sun, 24 Oct 2021 20:00:00 +0000

Traffic is increasingly dense, especially around town centres and traditional traffic lights are not optimal to manage traffic flow, hence the need for policemen to manage traffic. The essence of this project is to develop, test and evaluate an automated traffic light intelligent system. In case of success, the project will be presented to stakeholders in view of a national roll out. The project is split into 3 main phases namely: 1.Analysis of current traffic status 2.Development of intelligent system 3.Test of intelligent system and analysis of results The process is described as follows: -Remote monitoring and control of the traffic lights -Creation of a Machine Learning process for individual traffic lights to adapt their cycles based on observations -Interconnection among traffic lights to enhance traffic flow The collaboration of University of Mauritius (collaborating partner) and Emtel (connectivity and cloud supplier) will be sought to implement this project. Financial scope of this project is viable as: -Materials and software can be produced and commercialised to the local authorities either on a one off or retainer fee model -System as well as hardware can be exported to other countries.

Plant-assisted bacterial bioremediation as an innovative approach for targeting crude oil degradation

Mon, 06 Sep 2021 07:56:51 +0000

Mauritius is currently facing an ecological disaster where a Japanese-registered ship, MV Wakashio, ploughed straight into the lagoon at Pointe D’Esny on 25 July 2020. In early August 2020, crude oil from the ship started to leak into the lagoon affecting the rich and world-renowned biodiversity of marine fauna and flora, people living on the coastline and those earning a living from the sea. To overcome this disastrous situation, we are proposing the use of plant-assisted bacterial bioremediation for clean-up of crude oil spills. Three bacterial species which have been previously reported for their oil-digesting activity will be used individually and as a mixture in-vitro to validate their oil degradation activity over time using biochemical assays. The effect of these oil-digesting bacteria on the normal bacterial flora will also be assessed through 16S RNA sequencing and qPCR. After validation of the highest oil-degrading activity by the bacterial population(s), a plant-assisted bioremediation system will be set up to assess the synergistic action between plants and oil-digesting bacteria on oil degradation rate. This study will not only help in sustaining the marine and coastal environment, but also engenders various social and economic implications.

A local, innovative, indigenous, environmentally friendly, low-cost technology for remediation of oil spill in coastal aquatic systems

Mon, 06 Sep 2021 07:53:19 +0000

The project will investigate and develop an innovative, indigenous, low cost technology to remediate oil spills in coastal aquatic systems, using locally available materials, such as by-products of the sugar industry, textile industry, and from agriculture. All of these organic materials will be subjected to different levels of oxidation and acetylation, which would significantly increase their hydrophobic and lipophilic properties. Such transformed oil sorption-active materials can be used to substitute non-biodegradable materials in oil spill clean-up. Once the lipophilic properties of individual materials are maximised/ optimised by generating their isotherms, the materials will be formulated in different proportions and evaluated in simulated conditions for their absorption and adsorption properties, oil retention capacity, floatability, stability, disintegration thresholds, etc. The kinetics of adsorption and absorption, and the effect of pH, water temperature and salinity will also be investigated and modelled. The optimum formulation will be fashioned into small sized booms, using various organic envelopes, and tested under simulated waves of seawater under laboratory and field conditions. The output would be the development of a technology for developing effective booms for remediation of oil spills through the processes of absorption and adsorption, and also as a mechanical barrier, for the floating oil.

Assessing the impact of Wakashio on the mental health of the shore dependent population and implementation of a strategy to build resilience

Mon, 06 Sep 2021 07:44:14 +0000

The Japanese ship MV Wakashio, running aground on a coral reef in South of Mauritius on 25th July 2020, began spilling its contents—4000 tonnes of fuel oil several days later. An environmental emergency was declared. The health impacts seen from the previous major Oil Spills ranged from stress, anxiety, depression, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and suicide (CDC/SAMHSA, 2013). The Wakashio oil spill may also have detrimental effects on the mental health of those who have lost their livelihoods and witnessed the environmental damage and on those doing the clean ups. Most scientific research on mental health impact on those affected by the oil spill was conducted years after the disaster. The current project will investigate the immediate effects of exposure of hydrocarbon products on the mental health of local shore population and put in place an early intervention plan to improve the mental health outcomes of those affected. A community-based participatory model will be used to assess the psychological distress on residents of fishing communities who were indirectly impacted or directly exposed and a referral to relevant mental health professionals will be made to those with high risk for mental health problems.

Documenting the prevalence of stigma and discrimination across key population and its effect on the quality of life in Mauritius

Thu, 02 Sep 2021 20:00:00 +0000

Discriminatory behaviour and language have long been entrenched in the Mauritian society, yet they constitute violations of human rights. The consequences of unfair treatment and language daily are real, affecting the mental and physical well-being of key populations such as people who inject drugs, sex workers and people from the LGBTIQ+ community, impacting their quality of life. Because they are misperceived, mistreated or simply ignored, many of these people have reported avoiding hospitals or area health centres despite needing care. This project therefore aims to document the stigma and discrimination faced by key populations in Mauritius and its effect on the quality of life to offer research-based evidence for the causes that prevent key populations from breaking from the vicious circle of poverty. The findings which will be analysed through the SPSS software will then be disseminated with key stakeholders as well as the general population through a documentary-style series showing the plight of key populations daily. The project will be led by the organisation but the research will be done by Dr Fiona Grant, lecturer at the university of Mauritius.

Finalization of low carbohydrate product prototypes for the creation of diabetes-friendly food products in Mauritius.

Thu, 02 Sep 2021 20:00:00 +0000

Keto Angels aims to become the leading provider of products and program in the diet and nutrition industry in Mauritius. Consequently, the business has for the past year developed a small range of products (varying from bread, pasta to patisseries), designed to comply with a low carbohydrate diet. The products are unique as they have been created with ingredients that are of low glycemic index and load. Consequently, these products elicit insignificant rise in blood sugar level. For example, none of the patisseries contain wheat flour or sugar. Thus, all the products can be labelled 'Diabetes-friendly'. The ultimate goal is the creation of a commercial diabetes-management and weight loss program that would integrate these locally made diabetes-friendly products. However, at this preliminary stage, the business is currently only seeking funds to equip an artisan production unit that would allow us to challenge our recipes and finalize our prototypes on a larger scale. This will help to simulate commercial setting for a better understanding of effective cost of production for subsequent commercialization. Once finalized, our products can be either sold directly to customers from a retail point, i.e., the FIRST local diabetes-friendly bakery OR as part of a weight-loss or diabetes management program, similar to Jenny Craigs.

Enhancing Contact Tracing using Smartphone Sensors

Thu, 02 Sep 2021 20:00:00 +0000

With the recent resurgence of the COVID 19 infections, numerous efforts are being made to control the spread of this virus. One of the ways to break the chain of transmissions is achieved through contact tracing. When the number of local cases is high, manual contact tracing becomes ineffective. As a result, several countries have introduced a mobile application that supports contact tracers. The widely-adopted underlying method is based on radio frequency, namely Bluetooth. Google and Apple have also collaborated to provide APIs to support this type of contact tracing. However, this method works well when we want to know if people are in close proximity, but that does not tell anything about whether they were in the same room (possibly in contact) or in a different room (not in contact). In this project, mobile phone sensors are leveraged to generate a privacy-preserving room signature. The latter allows the contact tracing system to effectively eliminate the otherwise false positives inherent in RF technology for this purpose.

MoServices - Rapid AI Mobile Process Builder

Thu, 02 Sep 2021 20:00:00 +0000

Government and enterprise often have application forms that go under different levels of approval. Over the years, although many of these have been digitised, they always come with a significant cost, often taking months to implement along with the risk of failure, steering committees and marketing costs every time. There is barely a dozen of services launched on systems that attempted to automate forms processing (e.g. MITCI SMAP mobile apps, EDB E-Licensing). This project aims to change this. The MoServices - Rapid AI Mobile Process Builder (MoServices) will be an artificial intelligence powered single mobile app for an easy to implement, fast deployment and integrated with national services such as MauPass and MoRendezVous. MoServices allows creation of several forms (e.g. application for a permit, license or other) to be created, along with workflows with several level of approvals (managed by authorised users). For new processes, the client/organisation provides a brief, which nVisionIT loads into the builder. Using Artificial Intelligence, the initial forms are created within seconds, without having to update the application. nVisionIT will then optimise the form. This ensures rapid and risk free addition of new processes, forms, certificates and other document to accelerate digital transformation.

KonekTwa Online

Thu, 02 Sep 2021 20:00:00 +0000

KonekTwa Limited is an influencer marketing company that has been present since 2019 and has been disrupting the way digital marketing works in Mauritius. It empowers Mauritian content creators and Mauritian consumers by soliciting local content creators to provide authentic and organic visibility to local businesses. Today, KonekTwa faces a need to automate and improve its platform as more and more advertisers want to deploy local influencer marketing to reach local consumers. This implies the development of a Software as a Service (SaaS) platform that enables a significantly larger volume of advertisers to autonomously create and run influencer marketing campaigns that target their desired consumers in Mauritius. Implementing a Software as a Service (SaaS) platform will enable Konektwa to: (i) Automate bespoke campaigns, (ii) Centralise & generate business intelligence reports representing multiple contributing factors such as market reach and consumer trends.

Value added products from Morinda citrifolia seeds

Thu, 02 Sep 2021 20:00:00 +0000

Morinda citrifolia L., commonly known as noni, has emerged as a commercially successful bioactive ingredient used in pharmaceutical, nutraceutical and cosmetic products owing to the diverse therapeutic properties of its metabolites (Abou Assi et al., 2017). Noni parts including fruits, seeds, barks, leaves, and flowers are used in ethnomedicine and in various commercial products including powders, beverages, infusions, and seed oil (Almeida et al., 2019). Nonico Co. Ltd is a Mauritian company producing noni juice for the local and the international markets. The company is highly motivated to diversify its product range. Importantly, seeds constitute 2.5% of the whole noni fruit and are regarded as a major waste of the company (Pazos et al., 2011). On the other hand, noni seed oil is a highly coveted product due to its safety profile, anti-inflammatory properties, and potential commercial applications (Palu et al., 2012). Therefore, the aim of this project is to primarily add value to the seeds of noni via extraction of its oil and the development of a topical cream using the oil, hence encouraging new product range for the company to market locally as the company is facing some challenges with export due to the Covid 19 pandemic.

Development of an in Aeroponic Indoor Urban vertical farm using advanced micro-controlled environment

Thu, 02 Sep 2021 20:00:00 +0000

The project is for the setting up of a pilot vertical indoor farm using aeroponics and computer controlled internal climate to achieve a much higher yield than traditional farming and higher than hydroponics, per square meter. The pilot farm will be set up inside an industrial building in Valentina Phoenix, belonging to the applicant. Vertical farming is the practice of growing crops in vertically stacked layers. It incorporates controlled-environment agriculture, which aims to optimize plant growth. Current applications of vertical farming coupled with other state-of-the-art technologies, such as specialized LED lights, have resulted in over 10 times the crop yield than would receive through traditional farming methods. The main advantage of utilizing vertical farming technologies is the increased crop yield that comes with a smaller unit area of land requirement. The increased ability to cultivate a larger variety of crops at once because crops do not share the same plots of land while growing is another sought-after advantage. Additionally, crops are resistant to weather disruptions, less crops lost to pest and diseases. Because of its limited land usage, vertical farming is less disruptive to the native plants, fauna and flora. It is also seen as a very sustainable and smart form of agriculture.

Mauritius Repurposed: The Covid Period as an Opportunity for Product Development, Waste Reduction and Restored Dignity

Thu, 02 Sep 2021 20:00:00 +0000

As the cost of imported goods increases due to currency depreciation, the average household income decreases along with employment opportunities due to disruptions caused to business and tourism by COVID-19. The Good Shop (TGS) offers a solution to solve these issues in a way that benefits the people and the environment of Mauritius. TGS has been working successfully on addressing these issues, but also faced difficulties due to trading restrictions during lockdown. This grant will provide the jump start required to get us back on track of achieving our goal of creating a circular solution to post-consumer textile and furniture waste of all types and combating poverty, by providing dignified employment. TGS can boost and improve our turnkey solution for collecting, sorting and connecting post-consumer goods to circular zero-waste solutions, including reuse, repair, upcycle, recycle and composting. This project includes new product design and production processes, such as filling for furniture or alternatives to poly-fill and textile brick products, which can be used as insulation in the construction industry. TGS will transform old clothing and furniture into magnificent new products while using a small fraction of the resources needed to produce new items, while creating sustained employment.

An Investigation of Developing a 3D Printing Industry through the Recycling of Plastic Waste in Mauritius.

Thu, 02 Sep 2021 20:00:00 +0000

A large number of containers used in Mauritius for storing household and industrial products are made out of plastic. When discarded as waste, those plastic containers pose a serious environmental and economic challenge for Mauritius. To address this issue, this research will look at the business case for, and engineering implications of, converting plastic waste into 3D printing filaments so as to reduce the amount of plastic that will end up in the landfill. Primarily, this research will delve into the following critical issues: the types (and volumes) of plastic to recycle, the process involved to convert the plastic into 3D filaments, and the commercialization of 3D printing filaments locally and regionally. For this project, we propose to analyze the 3D printing filament chemical components and identify the most appropriate type of local plastic wastes that can be recycled. A proof of concept, with a business case on the demand projections, will be made. We shall then proceed to identify and use the hardware required to build a prototype machine that can convert identified plastic wastes into 3D printing filament locally. We shall also evaluate the potential of developing 3D printing as a sustainable source of economy for Mauritius through the recommendations of relevant processes and policies to be put in place.

Characterization of Construction & Demolition Waste (C&D waste) for Reuse, Reduce & Recycle (3R's)

Thu, 02 Sep 2021 20:00:00 +0000

Since independence Mauritius has gone through many phases in the construction industry from small housing units to major projects like smart cities, port, airport, flyovers, light rail and motorway. After 50 years we have reached the phase of demolition & deconstruction which generates various types of wastes such as concrete, and building components (wood, metals, glass, plastics). This is particularly visible now for Metro Express Project and Road Decongestion Program which are built in place of previous obsolete infrastructures. Today Mauritian stakeholders like Architects, Government bodies, Project Managers, Bankers and end users prescribe the use of 3 R's: Reduce, Reuse, Recycle. All around the island, C&D waste causes colossal problems of an eyesore, pollution, and illegal dumping which aggravates the phenomena of flood. Its quantum, management, and recycling efforts need to be addressed as it does not exist any conceptual framework, facility for collecting & sorting the C&D waste. This study will thus focus on Characterization of Construction & Demolition Wastes at Gamma Materials Premises, build up a mapping of illegal dumping throughout the island and quantify the C&D wastes and to propose a properly conceived guideline for C&D waste management to all stakeholders to enable recycled products made from C&D waste.

NanoCASH: The Only Licensed Digital Financial Inclusion Platform -Development of Big Data Scoring Engine

Thu, 02 Sep 2021 20:00:00 +0000

NanoSAIO Ltd, the Fintech arm of the Anglo African Group based in Mauritius, has secured an in-principle license from the FSC to offer innovative digital micro-lending loans to Mauritians to address the gap on the Mauritian market, by providing clients at the base of pyramid an alternative financing solution instead of borrowing from traditional unauthorized lenders termed as Loan Sharks & Casseurs. This project being societal in nature, will cater for the niche market in Mauritius who are unable to get finance due to their inability to provide security/collateral. This project will help the vulnerable customers to achieve their objectives and improve their quality of life. The development of a Big Data Scoring Engine is important as part of the project so as to assess the Credit Worthiness of the borrowers prior to giving loans.

Socio-Economic Platform for Blue Collar Skill Jobs

Thu, 02 Sep 2021 20:00:00 +0000

In the current era where Mauritius is aiming to boost entrepreneurship heavily to allow SMEs to become a major pillar of the economy (in line with the Budgets to date and Vision 2030) with the correct application of IT. However, many existing entrepreneurs are being left behind. A major part of our workforce (about 16% of 543000+ based on the Report for 2018 by Statistics Mauritius) is dedicated to elementary jobs (ISCO-9) in fields such as construction, auto repair, electrician and polytechnics and so on – many of whom have always been working individually, managing businesses of their own. This project aims to bring enhance an award-winning platform prototype (MCB INOVAPP 2019 - Artisans) to provide support to blue-collar skilled workers and craftspeople in their businesses as well as facilitate the lives of their clients by providing: • Access to a larger pool of skilled workers • Ease of communication between both parties • Secure online payment for services • Progress tracking and monitoring Furthermore, this provides the opportunity to gather relevant analytical data on blue-collar jobs that can further be used to enhance marketing of various services for providers, as well as to the relevant consumers.

Assessment of the biodiversity on the submarine platform to the south of the South East Marine Protected Area (SEMPA), Rodrigues

Thu, 02 Sep 2021 20:00:00 +0000

The coral reef and extensive shallow lagoon encircling Rodrigues are vital to the island’s economy, providing an essential source of food and income. Sedimentation, coral bleaching, overfishing and destructive fishing techniques have however resulted in the degradation of the lagoon and reef flat and a decline in catches of fish and octopus. Rodrigues is a remote island, and it is likely that the reefs and the organisms supported by these habitats are largely self-seeding, with recruitment being dependent on the transport of larvae from areas in the vicinity of the island. To date, scientific research on the marine habitats around Rodrigues has mainly focussed on the lagoon and the shallow fore-reef slopes, and there have been fewer surveys further offshore on the deeper submarine platform that surrounds the island. Preliminary surveys on this submarine platform to the north and south of the island have revealed a high cover of live coral (>60%), which is above the national and regional average; abundant fish communities; and the presence of endemic species, large predatory fish (trevallies, barracuda, shark), turtles and dolphins. These initial studies were of limited spatial and temporal coverage and the biodiversity associated with the platform remains unknown. The dense coral communities on the platform around Rodrigues are likely to be a critical source of larvae and propagules to replenish coral, fish and invertebrate populations on the degraded reef flat and lagoon. Being situated further offshore, the communities on the platform are likely to be less impacted by land-based run-off and as they are situated in deeper water, they may also be more resilient to climate change. It is also highly likely that the platform provides other ecosystem services, in terms of shoreline protection, dampening oncoming waves and protecting against coastal flooding. The island of Rodrigues is now undergoing a period of rapid change and development which heightens the need to gain a greater understanding of the structure and biodiversity of the communities associated with the deeper platform surrounding the island. The Rodrigues Regional Assembly (RRA) is supporting the redeployment of lagoon fishers into alternative livelihoods including off-lagoon fishing around areas on the submarine platform and other more distant banks. Improved understanding about the sensitivity of the deeper water habitats within the territorial waters around Rodrigues would provide the RRA with a more coherent basis for planning the sustainable development of the off-lagoon fishery and other indirect-uses (e.g. dive tourism, charter boats). Further research is therefore urgently needed to improve knowledge, raise awareness, and guide policy formulation to ensure sustainable development. The aim of the project is to increase knowledge about the biodiversity and habitat types on the submarine platform to the south of Rodrigues to inform policy and provide management recommendations in relation to the South East Marine Protected Area (SEMPA). More specifically, the project will map previously undescribed habitats on the submarine platform south of SEMPA and assess the biodiversity of associated communities. The study was identified as a priority as part of the newly updated management plan for SEMPA prepared in 2020. The biodiversity associated with the platform will be assessed across depth ranges, using a combination of SCUBA diving, drop-down video surveys and baited remote underwater video (BRUV) techniques. The principal outcome of the project will be an improved understanding of the habitats and biodiversity on the submarine platform south of Rodrigues. Policy recommendations will be provided, which may include recommendations to extend the boundary of SEMPA southwards to provide additional protection to high biodiversity offshore areas. The results of the project will be disseminated at a local, national and international level. A scientific paper will be produced and an educational poster to raise awareness of the importance of these deeper off-lagoon habitats amongst marine resources users and the general public in Rodrigues.

Modular vitals monitoring system using earlobe for headsets and fashion accessories

Sun, 29 Aug 2021 20:00:00 +0000

This application is a continuation of my B.Tech capstone project (for a Biomedical Engineering degree from VIT University). This project scored an "A" during final evaluation phase (May 2020). The idea is to create a module that records the user's vital, including heart rate and oxygen saturation using PPG method (photoplethysmogram). A data processing algorithm will be performed after data acquisition. The results are stored for future reference via a deployed APP or SD card in supplied reports. The module is integrated in headsets based for the proposed applications. The advantage of PPG at the earlobe (compared to other body locations) is the high data quality (90% correlation with ECG probes, source: project report). The application will be aimed at national and international consumers, focusing two main immobile applications on (I) Professional e-sports (II) Physiological-based surveys for studios, e.g music, movies. Other applications will be explored at the end of the projects (e.g Employee Productivity consultancy and healthcare). The funding will be used to develop the appropriate technology, on hardware and software level and appropriate IP protection for a headset. Testing and iterative improvement will be conducted in-house until the results are satisfactory including 3D printed samples (SLA).

CBL – Online Product Development and Production Optimization

Sun, 29 Aug 2021 20:00:00 +0000

CBL operates since 25 years in the jewelry manufacturing and international distribution of diversified collections of jewelry products; since the 2010 financial crisis manufacturing companies operating in this sector have experienced increasing difficulties to provide constant update of our product development to b2b and b2c clients and respond timely and efficiently to their requests ; such difficulties have been further increased by the recent covid pandemic situation and our capacity to respond with innovative and technologically advanced solutions is becoming a decisive factor for the survival in a, more than ever competitive, global environment. The project aims to develop and implement simultaneously in the international markets: • An advanced and innovative online program integrating a graphic configurator capable to offer our clients a large number of multi-option variants of the models’ range, detailed analysis of client’s response, click to return (CTR) and return on advertisment (ROA) analysis to optimize the product development’s offer • Implement a high-tech graphic (3D - CAD) and prototyping (3D printing) coordinated with the multi-options variants resulting from the configurator and syncronized with the production management • Optimize time-response and productivity efficiency through the development and coordination of the integrated management informatic system (IMIS) in line with the above applications. The immediate commercial application resulting from the development of the above program would entail: • Expand considerably the target markets • Improve efficiency and response time from/to b2b and b2c clients • Analyze clients’ response to increase offer’s focus • Optimize marketing tools and investments.

Anaerobic co-digestion of vinasse & poultry wastes for production of organic fertilizer and renewable energy

Sun, 29 Aug 2021 20:00:00 +0000

Omnicane’s Industrial Cane Cluster is based on the Circular Economy concept which makes it unique world-wide. All activities of the cluster are inter-connected and work in synergy by using every waste of each process as an input for another process of valorisation. The rationale behind this project is to create an industrial symbiosis between the waste from the distillery (vinasse) with that from wastes from the poultry industry. The application of anaerobic digestion technology is growing worldwide because of economic and environmental benefits. Vinasse mono-digestion however often fails owing to an accumulation of volatile fatty acids, leading to low pH. Addition of poultry manure to vinasse allows for stable digestion performance by improving the buffer capacity. Furthermore, vinasse allows dilution of total ammonia concentration from the poultry waste avoiding ammonia inhibition. When considering anaerobic digestion of different organic materials there is therefore a potential complementarity between the two types of wastes with poultry wastes having a high nitrogen content and vinasse having a high potassium content. Vinasse and poultry manure co-treatment can thus improve the energy recovery and economic feasibility of installing biogas plants as part of the ethanol production chain. The potential outcomes are as follows: 1. Production of bioenergy as firm and stable electricity supply which will help in increasing the renewable energy mix on the local grid 2. Production of an organic fertilizer from the anaerobic digestate that can be marketed to satisfy the whole southern region’s cane planters’ needs and help the transition to organic farming. 3. Potential application of the anaerobic technology developed in this project for other agro-industrial wastes on the island. 4. Reduction of organic wastes disposed at the landfill and extending its lifetime. The aim of this project is to carry out a technical and economic feasibility study on the co-digestion of vinasse and poultry manure as an alternative for agro-waste management in Mauritius. The anaerobic treatability, Biochemical Methane potential (BMP) and nutrient content of the digestates of different mixtures of the two wastes will be determined in laboratory and pilot plant experiments using semi-continuous and continuous anaerobic digesters will be carried out to get insight in design parameters for a full-scale plant. A technical and economic feasibility study will then be carried out for the installation and operation of a full-scale plant at Omnicane.

Web Application Development for booking of sports facilities offered by sports facilities providers in Mauritius.

Sun, 29 Aug 2021 20:00:00 +0000

The availability of broad coverage of data and mobile networks in Mauritius represent a huge opportunity to provide services, based on innovative technologies that would trigger development and improve people’s lives. This project caters most specifically for the needs of athletes and sports clubs which have longed operated on an archaic system. Tailored for both the service providers and the users, this project will set the basis for faster booking process, operational efficiency, enhanced communication and bonding between the facility owners/managers and its users and allow the creation of new avenues for coaches and athletes to make a living out of their sport. Hence, the followings are being proposed: (1) Developing a web application for facility owners/managers and users to access accounts, process online payments and manage bookings; (2) Assuming users engagement fares well in the medium term, then we propose to build the mobile version of the application with enhanced specificities that is easily accessible from any devices (smartphones, tablets and personal computers); and The potential commercial applications will include, but not limited to, licensing and patenting of the software, subscription accounts for different type of users and advertising/communication outlet for sports retailers.

OERQI- An Open Learning Platform for Capacity-Building in Youth Work-Based on the Micro-Credentials Concept.

Sun, 29 Aug 2021 20:00:00 +0000

At the 9th Commonwealth Youth Ministers’ Meeting in Kampala, Uganda, Ministers reiterated their commitment to promote youth work as a profession across sectors that work with young people, and in relation to advancing the Commonwealth Higher Education Consortium for Youth Work (CYMM Communique, 2017, p.3). The University of Mauritius is part of the Consortium and a full-fledged curriculum has been designed as open educational resources (OERs). In this project, it is proposed to repurpose these OERs into stand-alone eLearning modules to be delivered on a state-of-the-art MOOC based platform to address a key gap the social work sector. The project aims to apply the concept of digital micro-credentials in a lifelong learning context to promote professional development in an innovative context. A professional development framework focused competency-based approach will be elaborated using the concept of open badges, as microcredentials and supported by blockchain technology to maintain integrity of the credentials acquired. Such credentials will be institutionally recognised and transferable into university credits which can lead to official qualifications (certificate or diplomas and even degrees) in time and in a flexible manner. This model will help to address the current capacity building needs in line with the pressing issues to be address with the SDG context especially in Youth Work and promote employability potential of its target audience. However, the model to be developed will be scalable to apply in other areas (Human Rights, Climate Change, Health and Safety) to facilitate the development of knowledge societies.

Smart Diabetes Education

Sun, 29 Aug 2021 20:00:00 +0000

Diabetes is a “chronic condition that occurs when there are raised levels of glucose in the blood because the body cannot produce any or enough of the hormone insulin or use insulin effectively” (International Diabetes Federation, 2017). It is being categorised as “not only a health crisis but a global societal catastrophe” (International Diabetes Federation, 2017). Mauritius as well is not spared from this calamity, 22.8% of the Mauritian population suffers from diabetes coupled with a 19.5% who are pre-diabetes. In the most recent survey conducted by the Ministry of Health and Quality of life (Ministry of Health and Quality of Life, 2015), it is reported that 33% of the diabetic patients have a poorly controlled diabetes hence the increased probability of developing diabetic complications. One of the known means to better control diabetes is structured diabetes education which is considered to form an integral part of diabetes care and it had also been proved to be effective in controlling type 2 diabetes (Norris, Engelgau, & Narayan, 2001). In research being carried out in the region (Balcou-Debussche, 2012) whereby therapeutic education in chronic diseases, its complexity, particularities and variations in numerous contexts were questioned, the findings showed that learning situations involving patients with chronic diseases can prove to be promising in countries such as Mauritius. Smart Diabetes Education, a research-innovation project, is an initiative to alleviate the burden of diabetes by educating patients suffering from diabetes type 2. An innovative education programme for diabetic patients consolidated using information technology will be proposed and promoted to create awareness for self-care practices and encourage changing behaviours. This project has as partners, Université Des Mascareignes, APSA Diabetes Care and Experts from Reunion Island, more precisely from CHU (Centre Hospitalier Universitaire) and University of Reunion Island. The objectives of this project are three folds: The first objective is to promote education for diabetes patients which is not limited to information and explanations but structured ones. The diabetes education sessions will empower these patients such that they can self-manage their pathology to better control the risk factors associated with diabetes. The structured process known as the learning nest will be implemented in the diabetes education program proposed in this project. The FMC (Formation des Malades Chroniques) resources will be adapted so that they comply with the cultural context of Mauritian. These 2 methodologies and resources have been developed by Dr. X.Debussche and Prof. M.BalcouDebussche (Debussche & Balcou-Debussche, 2011). The second objective is to measure health literacy of participants and to evaluate the diabetes education program. Two tools which are “psychometrically sound instruments developed by Osborne (2007) will be used: the HLQ (Health Literacy Questionnaire) and the HeIQ (Health Education Impact Questionnaire). The HeIQ will help in a comprehensive evaluation of the patient education program and the HLQ will allow to measure the health literacy strengths and weaknesses of the participants (Osborne, Elsworth, & Whitfield, 2007). The third objective is to integrate technology in the current education processes. Given the numerous benefits and significant progress technology can bring in health care education program, its integration in the current processes can help in consolidating the existing diabetes education program. Some of the gaps identified during evaluation will also be addressed wherever possible through the use of technology.

Development and Implementation of Virtual Tours for Mauritian Museums to promote national heritage

Sun, 29 Aug 2021 20:00:00 +0000

Technology is permeating all spheres of society and is bringing wholesale changes to human activities. In many cases, technology is being conceptualized as a nemesis for many sectors such as printed news and retail consuming. However, technology can be repurposed as a social artefact and bring back people to activities or institutions they have probably lost contact with. The main rationale of this project is to create national and international interest on Mauritian national and natural history through virtual tours. Museums are increasingly making use of digital culture, providing opportunities for Web-based virtual tours to preserve heritage and make it available to the world (Argyriou, Economou & Bouki, 2020). Web-based virtual tour applications constructed by 360° panoramic images provides a more realistic view of the places to visit (Quadri et al. 2019). Virtual Reality (VR) and Augmented Reality (AR) are the most recent technologies that museums used to market their destinations. Such technologies are used to create virtual museums rich multimedia. Virtual tours are socially and culturally innovative solutions to present national heritage as well as opening new arenas for archaeological research. The MIE intends to use these virtual tours in public places with high tourist traffic such as airports and shopping malls. Evidently, these virtual tours will be also used as educational materials for students. The population at large will also benefit from this project as we intend to organise regional exhibitions.

Practical Training in Product Development Methodology to boost innovation in artisanal manufacturing

Mon, 30 Aug 2021 06:54:41 +0000

The project proposes to develop an adapted practical training in Product Development Methodology to boost innovation among vulnerable artisans in Mauritius. As a result of the project, vulnerable artisans are expected to have developed new products and tested them on the market; they will have experienced a boost in their sales and related income; and have acquired the necessary skills to continue to develop new products that are aligned with international trends. The use of Product Development Methodology and Conceptualization in the artisanal manufacture sector has the potential to merge Mauritian traditional skills and international trends and standards, to reinvent authentic local goods and elevate its value. This in turn could have endless benefits from handholding vulnerable artisans out of poverty, making local SMEs profitable, boosting the local economy, opening new recognized profession for the youth, providing equal opportunities for “non-academic” citizens to become successful in business, attracting international recognition of and interests for Mauritian talents, boosting patriotism and valuing the Mauritian know-how, etc.

Greener Paints for a Smarter Mauritius

Thu, 26 Aug 2021 20:00:00 +0000

Some of the most harmful chemicals found in paints are the volatile organic compounds (VOCs). When they enter the air, they react with other elements to produce ozone, which causes air pollution and various health issues including breathing problems, headache, burning, watery eyes and nausea. Some VOCs have also been linked to cancer, kidney and liver damage. It is noteworthy that most decorative and road marking paints currently used on the island are oil-based and hence have particularly high VOC levels. Eurolux Co. Ltd will focus on developing greener paints, containing no or very low VOC levels. The proposed decorative and road marking paints would be water-borne and will be less prone to bad odour and fire hazards. They will also exhibit much lower toxic effect on inhalation or on contact with skin. Non-toxic and non-fire hazards materials will be used as pigment and filler, water-based acrylic emulsion as binder and water as thinner in addition to minor additives for dispersion and preservation. The research work will involve determining the optimum formulation for the paints to be used locally and in other tropical regions and analysis of critical parameters such as hiding power, scrubability, VOC, heavy metal, etc.

2TRAIN2EMPLOY

Thu, 26 Aug 2021 20:00:00 +0000

2Train2Employ is a first of its kind concept for Mauritius and also Africa, providing an Online Skills Matching Platform (www.2train2employ.com) merged with an E-Learning platform for jobseekers and employers. Compared to existing platforms which consider mainly the qualifications requirements, 2Train2Employ performs automatic matching on both qualifications and skills as per the demand and supply on the job market. The innovative E-Learning platform will foster focused training courses at subsidized cost to unemployed people including physically challenged people who are lacking required skills to be able to secure jobs in their career fields. With the rising number of internet and mobile users, the introduction of a Mobile App version will surely complement this innovative concept. It will be a one-stop point for jobseekers and employers to get instant matching employment information and guidance on portable devices. Moreover, an employment intermediary function added to the existing portal will help bridging the communication gap between employers’ training needs and the proposed courses by the training institutions. With this innovative concept of using ICT in the Education/Employment fields, thousands of jobseekers will be empowered with required skills to fulfill the needs of hundreds of employers.

Abating Water Pollution from Oil Refinery Effluents using Reed Beds

Thu, 26 Aug 2021 20:00:00 +0000

MOROIL best believes that business operations should be undertaken sustainably and with the going concern should have minimum on the environment. Energy efficiency programme and pollution abatement are sharing equal motivation weightage at MOROIL. The robust, easy to operate and low maintenance treatment technology of constructed wetland system is an innovativeness, partnered by the University of Mauritius (UOM). It does not only provide a cost-effective solution as compared to traditional methods of pollution abatement but also dwells on a differentiation strategy. The main driver for such project is to reduce, with enough statistical evidence, the Chemical Oxygen Demand of MOROIL’s effluent to the permitted threshold of 150 mg/L. The design, construction and set up of the treatment system have leaned against the expertise of the research unit of UOM and against international research papers. Statistical analyses using regression tests, 1- way ANOVA and non – parametric tests, all at 95 % confidence level will be performed to test the validity of the objectives set. Another research element will consist of the profiling of microorganisms in the wastewater as well as in the sediments and root systems of the bed. The statistical significance (95% C.I) on abatement of pollution will hence be tested. Finally, the potentiality of microbial inoculation and addition of enzymes such as ureases will be investigated. The critical success parameter for this project resides in its potential to abate pollution loads in refinery effluent and this has opened doors for its outbound commercial applications. MOROIL is in talk with SPHB, an oil refinery in Reunion Island, and they have declared interest in this innovative green approach.

Design and evaluation of a small mechanical cane harvester

Thu, 26 Aug 2021 20:00:00 +0000

A small cane harvester bearing a cane grab fixed at the end of the bottom of a small excavator and comprising a second boom mounted on the same excavator on which a cutting device is fixed has been developed. This innovative harvesting machine, contrary to chopper harvesters, does not require extensive and costly field adaption for its use. Preliminary tests have shown some structural weaknesses requiring sharp research and follow-up so as to improve its productivity. This cane harvester is expected, by its productivity after improvement and by its cost when produced in large numbers, to solve the labour cost and shortage problems on about 40,000 hectares of cane lands actually harvested manually. With the development of an adapted loading system, the machine is to be proposed to SME’s actually involved in cane transport in this sector of the Mauritian agriculture as well to sugar companies operating on the African continent.

Sugarcane trash to energy

Thu, 26 Aug 2021 20:00:00 +0000

Sugarcane trash, consisting of the non-millable part of the biomass present in a field at harvest, represents 6 to 12 tonnes of dry fibrous matter per hectare. It is estimated that trash collected from one third of the area under sugarcane may increase the total amount of electricity currently produced from bagasse by some 40%. Furthermore, trash from one hectare may substitute an equivalent of 3-8t of coal by this renewable source of biomass. All this may only be possible if the whole process is technically optimized for a cost-effective conversion of this biomass. The project will study all technical matter pertaining to the mechanical and industrial operations involved with the collection, transport, processing and combustion of trash. Furthermore, the project will assess the impact of partial or total removal of trash from the fields on the agronomic aspects of sugarcane production and on the environment. The project will benefit from a close collaboration between energy professionals (TERRAGEN/ALBIOMA) and sugarcane scientists (MSIRI).

Next Generation Field Service Management Solution

Tue, 24 Aug 2021 20:00:00 +0000

Whilst various companies require employees to travel to different locations on a daily basis for business needs (e.g. for sale of products or to provide services), there is a growing need for field management solutions. However, existing commercial field management solutions are either not scalable to the Mauritian/African context or do not implement innovative technologies to enhance productivity to the fullest. Taking cognizance of these issues, this project aims to develop the next-generation Field Service Management (FSM) solution for Mauritius and the African region, in order to drive maximum productivity from field workers, while providing real-time information and reporting to the back office for all practitioners. The innovative solution implemented as part of this project is also expected to provide a common robust scalable IT platform to stakeholders from multiple sectors, which will be coupled with the Naveo GPS based data analysis, GIS tools, Activity Planning and Artificial Intelligence modules to provide rich insights to customers. This project is expected to be completed in 12 months through seven distinct activities. In the first activity, the project will be kicked off and the project charter as well as project plan document will be established. Then, desk-based literature review will be conducted to critically analyse and compare existing field management solutions available for the local and regional contexts. In this second activity, a survey will also be conducted in order to gather requirements of an innovative service management tool from field workers. Based on the requirements gathered, the next-generation FSM will be designed and implemented. Then, different frameworks such as Technology Acceptance Model will then be applied to evaluate key aspects such as usability and acceptance of the tool before the solution goes live. Finally, outcomes and findings of the project will be disseminated through seminars and publications.

Investigating the use of PET Plastic Chips in Concrete Blocks

Tue, 24 Aug 2021 20:00:00 +0000

The use of concrete blocks in Mauritius has make a strong hold due to its resistance to cyclonic conditions while providing aesthetic designs which the local construction industry has become well versed in. However, concrete blocks and concrete products in general carry a negative environmental index due to the extensive use of imported ingredients, which themselves are produced using non-environmental friendly processes, e.g. energy intensive processes to thermally decompose calcium carbonate into lime and carbon dioxide. Past research work has investigated the impact of replacing sand in the concrete mix, and in our local context, this can be likened to the substitution of either rocksand or 3/8 aggregate which are used in the fabrication of concrete blocks in Mauritius. The production of both rocksand and 3/8 aggregate involves energy intensive processes to break basalt stones. The transportation of the cement to Mauritius adds a further embodied energy component that worsens its environmental index. The potential to use plastic to reinforce concrete has been investigated to achieve different goals, e.g. to improve compressive strength, toughness and crack resistance. The incorporation of plastic into the concrete mix brings another advantage in terms of reduction in the percentage of the raw materials overall, and makes the end product more environmental-friendly provided the reinforcement materials themselves have a good environmental index. For example, use of glass reinforcement in concrete can be shown to be beneficial, but production of glass fibres themselves may not be environmental-friendly. This project aims to build on the findings in literature on the use of chips generated from waste plastic bottles in concrete blocks for the local market. The use of waste PET plastic bottles to produce chips is a low energy process (compared to rocksand and 3/8 aggregate production) and also helps in diverting plastic bottles from landfills. The need to research into the appropriate percentage of plastic chips in the concrete mix stems from the specificity of the concrete block mix for Mauritius as well as the influence of the concrete grade and plastic fibre fabrication method on the mechanical properties of the resulting product. This research aims to use existing test methods such as tensile and compressive strength to systematically devise experiments which will allow setting the parameters for various grades of concrete blocks with accompanying characteristics.

Follow-up of a pilot integrated anaerobic digestion and composting plant to recycle the organic waste produced at a large commercial mall in Mauritius

Tue, 24 Aug 2021 20:00:00 +0000

JUA designs, manufactures and commercializes biotechnologies (Cleantech) and as a first venture has developed patented bio-digestion and composting equipment for the treatment of organic waste. Through an industrial-size pilot installed and operated at a poultry slaughter-house, we have proven that adopting smart on-site waste management is technically and financially feasible within the agro-industrial sector There is however an opportunity to expand the compelling benefits of our holistic approach for the treatment and valorization of organic waste to the domestic, commercial and agricultural spheres. In this context, JUA has entered into a partnership in Mauritius with a major property group specialized in commercial malls. We will implement a pilot plant to showcase a business model where financial viability is sought through the leverage of circular economy approach while demonstrating the associated social and environmental benefits. The pilot plant installed within a prominent commercial center will consist of JUA’s patented Anaerobic Digester unit (bioRgas™), and Composting Station (orga-R™). Its objective is to transform organic waste generated by supermarkets and restaurants into two valuable by-products: biogas (a renewable source of energy) and biofertilisers (compost and liquid boosters). In a circular approach, the biofertilisers will be used for the creation and maintenance of green areas within the commercial center. We are seeking the support of the MRIC Research Innovation Bridge scheme with a view to demonstrate the technical feasibility and the commercial potential of this integrated process for the treatment of food and garden waste through anaerobic digestion and composting. We aim to show how alternative business models using innovative technology can contribute to enhancing the financial and environmental value of waste, and unleashing the potential for sustainable achievements within the commercial sector in Mauritius.

‘BEES WITH STORIES’: Beekeeping for the promotion of biodiversity conservation and in support of vulnerable groups

Wed, 25 Aug 2021 10:11:55 +0000

The project sets out to better understand the apiculture sector in Mauritius with a view to learn how to commercialize beekeeping and make it an economically viable and a worthy investment for vulnerable groups while, at the same time, promoting an activity with direct impact on biodiversity conservation. Unlike other African countries, Mauritius is no longer a predominantly agrarian economy and beekeeping is not a traditional practice for Mauritians. Beneficiaries will receive beekeeping training and be paid a daily wage for their time spent managing our hives. Our beneficiaries will come from marginalized and underserved communities, with a preference given to registered National Empowerment Foundation (NEF) social aid recipients and women. Beekeeping at the scale of this project will be a part-time activity. Beneficiaries will be required to work an average of 4 days a month, resulting in a payment more than the monthly social security allowance given to social aid recipients. Strengthening the apiculture value chain and producing quality bee products in Mauritius will require several interventions, including professional beekeeping training, continuous support with monitoring and evaluation, and quality control among others. The proposed project will consist of 4 different components to tackle bottlenecks at four subsectors, namely production, processing, packaging and distribution, and one crosscutting intervention to set up a traceability system across the value chain.

Tilapia (Sarotherodon sp.) farming in saltwater environments in Mauritius

Sun, 15 Aug 2021 20:00:00 +0000

The Covid-19 pandemic has put Mauritius into a vulnerable position in many sectors including food security. The country is strongly dependent on the import of food commodities and the pandemic induced pressure on international trade is highlighting the country’s need for a more resilient food production system. Soon after the first wave of the pandemic, the government has put many strategies in place to reinvigorate the agricultural sector and promote locally grown food. The present project proposes an innovative solution to boost the seafood sector. It is focused on the aquaculture of the commonly farmed freshwater red tilapia (Sarotherodon sp.) in marine environments. The development of an inland freshwater aquaculture in Mauritius is hindered due to its competition in freshwater use with other agricultural sectors and urban activities. By bringing this species to be grown in seawater environment, it allows for the growth of tilapia farming in the country. The choice of the fish species and the land-based farming model will allow for a fast production of aquatic protein to be available to the local consumers.

Building the Capacity of 5 Local Primary Schools to Use Data-Driven Decision-Making to Improve Educational Outcomes

Wed, 11 Aug 2021 20:00:00 +0000

The goal of project is to improve the existing data systems in 5 RCA schools in Rodrigues, and thus, improve data-driven decision-making (DDDM) in schools, to improve educational outcomes. Currently, data is available in multiple locations, from screening, formative assessment and summative assessment. In this project, we intend to merge all data into one location, estimate technical adequacy of existing assessment tools and improve the adequacy of future assessment practices.

Rodrigues Listing Directory

Wed, 11 Aug 2021 20:00:00 +0000

Ceamine Solutions is a company based in Rodrigues since 2017. Since our instigation, our vision is to help Rodrigues to move in the digital era. Considered as a developing country, Rodrigues still has a lot to do in order to benefit from all the advantages that Information Technology offers to this world. In line with this ideology, Ceamine Solutions is coming with a business model that will, on one side, show to the local population and visitors how Information Technology may help them and, on the other side, show to SMEs and larger businesses how they may benefit from the solution which Ceamine Solutions is proposing. The solution offered by the company is an application that will provide a listing directory of all different businesses, NGOs and services available in Rodrigues. With the possibility of GPS integration, a user may by simple access to the application, know which organisation is nearest to his/her location and also view rating based on what previous users have experienced in these different places. This application will be available on the Internet, Android like IOS platform. The access to the application interface will be free to the public but for those who want to advert their products and services, different pricing plans will be available where features and facilities offered will differ based on the type of plan rented by the client. With this solution, Ceamine Solutions wishes to make all the organisations and services offered in Rodrigues more visible to the local population and to the world potential visitors. At the same time, Ceamine Solutions has as objective to gain the necessary profit to ensure the maintenance and continuous upgrade of the service offered, thus ensuring the growth of the business.

To develop and standardise a Fermented Pitaya Beverage

Wed, 11 Aug 2021 20:00:00 +0000

There is actually a surplus of pitaya fruit (dragon fruit) on the local market. Covid-19 is for something though. This surplus is due to its high price and it is not fully known by locals. It was mostly consumed by foreigners, well-versed with its virtue. The fruit despite its attractive colour does not appeal much when eaten raw. Nevertheless, fermenting the fruit could bring a totally different story. Walali Co. Ltd. (hereafter cited as Walali) experiments it as a fermented beverage and the result was fabulous. Liu (2014) stressed on the fact that fermentation is a direct viable alternative route for flavour synthesis through microbial processes. Fermentation, either natural or controlled, promotes the bioconversion of appropriate precursor-compounds to unlock aromatic compounds like aldehydes and ketones (Azarnia et. al., 2006; Liu, 2014). Nutraceutical foods and beverages gains more and more importance in the market. Consumers are increasingly looking for food and beverages, which, due to their natural characteristics, bring health benefits, both in the prevention of diseases and in their curative power (Pinto and Vilela, 2021). Rich in phenolic compounds Pitaya is definitely a good candidate. Phenolic compounds owing to its antioxidant abilities play an important role in cancer prevention and having anti-inflammatory and anti-aging properties (Pinto and Vilela, 2021). Pinto and vilela (2021) also emphasised that consumers’ decision for a food/beverage is based on attractive colour, texture and sensory attributes. This is a permanent challenge for the food industry. “Being able to make healthy and attractive components in a single food is an even greater challenge”. The fermented beverage walali is pondering upon will be up to the challenge. It will be a mild alcoholic drink. The alcohol and carbon dioxide should contribute to safety as well as taste. Beers comes third among beverages mostly consumed after water and tea. The company expects to give an alternative to local beers consumers and in so doing reduce imports. Economists now recognize the value of import substitution as a possible method for developing regional economies. The “Buy Local” movement is one key embodiment of import substitution, as increasing purchases within one’s own region reduces leakages within an economic value chain, while simultaneously increasing producer surplus (Miller et. al., 2019). Thus, Walali is coming forward with the development of a new fermented beverage to be called pitaya beer. Despite the technology is closer to cider (produced from the fermentation of apple) the drink will be called beer similarly to ginger beer. Literature highlighted that all alcoholic beverages was once called beer and this definition was recently revised. Future research might attempt to include non-barley cereal in the beer. Barley is normally produce in temperate countries and for Africa, sorghum is the one being contemplated. The research will consist to develop an organic farm of pitaya as to master the proper cultural practices. Walali’s strategy is to emphasise a resilient supply chain as it is often the reason for business failure in Rodrigues. Mastering the agricultural technology will facilitate the expansion of pitaya fruit production. A technician will ensure the transfer of technology and a lecturer from University of Mauritius will bring in scientific know-how for more concrete results. The lecturer will also make sure the statistically approach is plausible. The beverages will follow cider production technology so as to keep track with good manufacturing practices. Nevertheless, the team will add its specific approach learnt from past experiences. Other ingredients obtained locally will be used to add specific flavour to the beverage. Experiments will assess wild yeast in contrast to imported commercial yeast that is wine yeast, baker yeast and cider yeast.

Using a Response to Intervention Logic to Meet the Needs of Learners with Speech and Motor Difficulties within an Inclusive Education Setting

Wed, 11 Aug 2021 20:00:00 +0000

Children with and without disabilities with difficulties in speech, language and motor functioning, on the island of Rodrigues, do not have regular or consistent access to services from professionals in these areas. In general, access to these services for the general population on the island of Rodrigues is rare to non-existent. The lack of access to such professionals is a problem faced by individuals in remote areas all over the world, in developed as well as developing countries. In this project, an approach called Response to Intervention (RtI) is being tested as a means to deliver these services to pupils in the RCA schools of Rodrigues. The approach will be set up with the help of foreign professionals, with the end goal of eventually decreasing reliance on foreign professionals to a maximum extent. As part of the study, elements that form part of the Response to Intervention model will be gradually added to an existing response to intervention approach in the RCA schools, in the areas of speech, language and motor functioning. Elements will be added gradually, for practical reasons such as facilitating implementation, as well as because such an approach is likely to facilitate experimental control in a naturalistic setting, and increase the internal validity of findings. After two years of implementation of the study, it is expected that there will be fully functioning RtI models in all 5 RCA schools of Rodrigues, and that findings will serve to inform other schools and educational settings that wish to replicate the project.

UoM/MRC Pole of Innovation: Agriculture-Sustainable Materials for Composite Applications

Thu, 22 Jul 2021 20:00:00 +0000

There is a need to develop research work in order to support farmers principally from the non-sugar sector to achieve economic growth. One main avenue is to promote a value chain approach of the by-products, and particularly of agro-wastes resulting from the current farming practices. One example of such an approach is to extract, treat and process natural fibres from agro-wastes and other local/endemic plants in order to develop a new range of sustainable materials. These materials can be used for a spectrum of applications, ranging from reinforcing materials in bio based composites, as geotextiles and other textile engineering materials, as a base material for packaging, and as raw materials for high value added handicraft and artisanal products. Thus the aim of this Pole is to setup a facility at the University of Mauritius (UoM) for the research and development of a new range of sustainable materials based on the non woven technology by using natural fibres (and/or blend of natural fibres) as raw materials. This UoM facility could potentially become a spin-off organisation, providing new materials (base on specific technical and cost requirements) to the local companies and entrepreneurs as well as for export.

MSIRI/MRC Pole of Innovation for Biotechnology

Thu, 22 Jul 2021 20:00:00 +0000

The Government of Mauritius has recognized that ‘modern agriculture’ is important to sustain the agricultural sector. In the Ministry of Agro-Industry and Food Security Strategic Plan 2016-2020, one of the key strategic orientations is ‘R&D in new technologies to increase land productivity and sustainable production and ensure food and nutrition security; biotechnology and biological inputs in production systems.’ The aims of the Pole of Biotechnology are to promote technical advances to the agricultural sector in Mauritius. The MSIRI, having more than two decades of expertise in Biotechnology application to sugarcane and related crops, will further the adoption and implementation of recent biotechnology tools locally. One such recent technique in implementation is the CRISPR/Cas9 tool to edit genes in the sugarcane genome. The Pole will also play a significant role in the development and application of biotechnology in other sectors in Mauritius. Young graduate scientists, including female scientists, will be trained in specialised fields. This can also be an opportunity for the scientists to register for a postgraduate degree locally or abroad. In the short, medium and long term, the Pole of Biotechnology will acquire a number of modern biotechnology tools and this will allow for significant improvement in the agricultural sector in Mauritius.

Development of mud crab aquaculture

Mon, 12 Jul 2021 20:00:00 +0000

Mud crab Scylla serrata is a crustacean that spends most of its life cycle in the mangrove environment throughout its range. The mud crab Scylla serrata is widely regarded as one of the most promising alternatives. It is a high valued and fast growing species, and its culture is progressing rapidly because of its promising profitability. Additionally, mud crab farming is regarded as less vulnerable to the local effects of climate change and deterioration of water quality. Aquaculture of this crab are significant economic activities in coastal areas in the tropics and sub-tropics because of the meat quality and nutritional value. However, there is a significant shortage of information on the ecology, fishery and aquaculture of these crabs in Mauritius. This impacts the development of a sustainable aquaculture . This species originate have proven biological and economic potential to be converted into value-added products, which will be attractive to markets and consumers. The development of new mud crab products, both for domestic and overseas markets, also creates opportunities. The present study analyses various aspects of mud crab aquaculture.

Go!Safe - Health and Safety digital training platform (pre-sale prototype development)

Mon, 12 Jul 2021 20:00:00 +0000

As experienced professionals and a better understanding of the digital market today, we believe that we are now fully prepared to face new challenges and set for financial success. With new digital media opportunities resulting from the current global post-pandemic context, we have now decided to shift its business model from a general multimedia solution provider to a specialised content producer. Workplace fatalities, injuries, and illnesses cost billions of dollars every year! According to a report by the International Labour Organisation (ILO), the annual cost to the global economy is a staggering 1.25 thousand billion (trillion) of US dollars. The project envisaged aims at developing a working prototype of the GO!SAFE digital health and safety learning platform with a view to generate pre-sale agreements (Try before you buy) with global clients. While the total cost of the completed platform is estimated at US$ 500k, the prototype is the key to pursue further development. The pre sale agreements will be used to secure investors for financing the development of the completed platform. GO!SAFE (provisional name) is an innovative and easy to use digital platform designed to address the acquisition of basic health and safety skills through a library of 3D animated videos and mobile application.

ICONEKT Data Visualisation Platform - Data As A Service

Mon, 12 Jul 2021 20:00:00 +0000

Our project is about the design and setup of a platform which will be delivering DATA AS A SERVICE. We have multiple data points which exists now with IOT as means of collecting data, We have sensors today for nearly everything, But are we using the data efficiently. Are we putting together the right data sets together to take the right decision in time. Iconekt is about the setting up of a Platform as a service solution built around data. Smart data centricity is our core obsession. Simplifying data understanding & analysis through aggregation and interpretation with more than just UX friendly dashboards and interface. We want to predict and provide data for contextualised decision making and data driven action based on facts and figures. We want to create a platform which will connect to multiple IOT devices source, multiple protocol and which be connected to a SMART DASHBOARD. We want to be able to propose to user contextual data analysis with actionable recommendations. For example, a tenant does not need the same data about energy consume as an office owner, the data set is the same the use of it can be very different. We are to provide and intelligent platform which will provide PREDICTIVE and ACTIONABLE notifications to enhance sustainability, reduce cost and increase productivity.

MoWalet - The Plug & Play Digital Wallet Platform

Mon, 12 Jul 2021 20:00:00 +0000

MoWalet, will be digital wallet marketplace and a mobile app based on an open digital platform. This platform will enable any company or organization in Mauritius to create and manage their own branded digital wallet using currency, custom credit, or voucher-based wallets. Customers or users on the other hand, will have multiple wallets inside the single app from different companies, employers, providers, or issuers. Similar to social media platform like Facebook, that enables numerous companies to have their own page and interact with their fans, with our proposed platform, we will enable participating companies to issue their wallet in the app and promote it to their own customers base or even employees. Customers/Employee will register on the wallet using their mobile number. Based on the registered mobile number, the user will automatically be associated or invited to add different wallets from participating companies. Ex Insurance company, Retail shops, or Fast food outlets.

Predictive genomics: A novel approach to Diabetes Management

Mon, 12 Jul 2021 20:00:00 +0000

Axonova proposes to develop a project on Predictive Genomics for Diabetes. Non communicable diseases, including Diabetes, are the leading causes of death in Mauritius. While the Government and relevant institutions are investing massively in the treatment and management of the disease, there is still major improvement to be done in sensitizing and detecting diabetes among the general population. While Type 2 Diabetes (T2D) is a multifactorial disease. There is a high correlation between excess weight, lifestyle and increasingly, evidenced based studies are showing the direct relationship between genetic variations and risk of developing T2D. There is a 70% chance of developing T2D in an individual when both parents have the disease. This is pertinent to Mauritius with the prevalence of T2D and pre-diabetic conditions within the population. Axonova aims to introduce the concept of Predictive Genomics, a novel approach to predicting the development of T2D in an individual by combining physiological data, genetics and lifestyle to provide a customised report to the patient to assess his/her risk factor. By using a validated DIABETESpredict algorithm, a tailor-made report can be generated to help the individual adjust his/her lifestyle to reduce the risk of developing T2D.

Dodo Reef Restoration

Mon, 12 Jul 2021 20:00:00 +0000

Our Reef Restoration Project aims to restore 10,000sqm of degraded reef at Coin De Mire by transplanting cultivated coral colonies. Acropora and Pocillopora spp. will be the main coral genera used in this project, as these species once dominated the lagoons of Mauritius. We aim to transplant approximately 20,000 colonies to restore 10,000 sqm of degraded reef over a four-year period. The project will facilitate the Dodo Divers National and International Internship program. Allowing students and early career conservationists to gain valuable skills in diving, conservation, methodology development, data analysis and reporting. We will add a variety of conservation products to our diving options to improve customer satisfaction and expand our client base. These options will include, amongst others: conservation 'fun dives' to the coral nursery, conservation workshops and demonstrations, and PADI certified Reef Restoration course. Our internship program and conservation products will allow on-going funding and sustainability for the rest of the duration of the project. Our project will develop the knowledge of the existing dive staff on conservation practices and research. We will actively advertise our conservation efforts and ecotourism products through social media promoting Dodo Divers as an environmentally active organization, and Mauritius as an ecotourism destination.

Using Data Analytics With AI To Generate Marketing Actions & Gain Customer Insights

Sun, 11 Jul 2021 20:00:00 +0000

In today’s technology-rich world, where consumer experience is prime, vast amounts of data are generated through personal (social networks, mobile, Web) and technological (geolocation, images, media, wifi, sensors) interactions. Many organizations would like to use the data gathered to uncover valuable information related to customer opinions, habits and preferences. However, due to the volume, velocity and variety of data, these organisations face challenges during the capture and analysis phase. Data analytics is a field which has emerged to enable companies to analyse these information, gain vital insights and hence deliver real-time targeted communication to customers. This project aims at 1. Deploying the technological infrastructure and sensors 2. Implementing the platforms for data capture and storage 3. Analysing and comparing data from multiple sources 4. Developing Dashboards and reports to enhance consumer experience Hence, the potential commercial application to this project concerns the value of the tools and reports which will be developed through the different project stages. This solution can be sold as a service to companies who need to • learn about their customer needs and opinions for business decision making. • identify consumers who offer the most value as brand advocates. • deploy targeted customer retention actions and focused marketing strategies.

UoM Pole of Innovation for Health - MRC funded

Mon, 05 Jul 2021 20:00:00 +0000

The National Research Chair programme Biomaterials and Drug Delivery (2012–2017) under the Mauritius Research Council had the merit of setting-up the base for Applied Nanotechnology research. It allowed building of strong research infrastructure previously inexistent. In line with national priorities, the proposed Pole focuses on the application of technology to the health sector with cross-cutting interests in the ocean economy and agriculture through the use of biomaterials from land and marine resources. The Pole aims at developing medical devices for addressing regenerative medicine using nanotechnology and developing computational models for determining the best solutions in the area. The motivation of this Pole is to contribute towards raising opportunity-driven entrepreneurship in Mauritius and aims to function as a model for the creation of other Poles of Innovation to boost our economic development. Benefits will include: 1. Developing home-grown innovation and techniques through the emergence of possible spin-off companies 2. Contributing towards the emergence of a new high-end economic sector 3. Development of computational models as valuable tools to plan for clinical studies The motivation of this Pole is to contribute towards raising opportunity-driven entrepreneurship in Mauritius and aims to function as a model for the creation of other Poles of Innovation to boost our economic development.

Green Gamification Interactive Website for Ecological Impacts

Sun, 04 Jul 2021 20:00:00 +0000

PW Lab with its experience in Gamification will develop an interactive and informative website which will explain the ecological impact of the oil spill on marine life, the fauna and flora and how hydro-carburants affect the soil and nearby vegetation. A Gamified portal explaining the impact of the oil spill will make it easier for citizens (Adults and Children) to interact with the website and understand the complex scientific terms related to the Oil Spill impact. This web portal will be one of a kind in Mauritius, where visitors will not only be able to scroll up and down to actually see a Gamified visual representation how hydrocarbures sinks in sea water and affect the marine ecosystem but also brings in a innovation where the users will also be able to scroll horizontally (Never been done before in Mauritius) and see the effect of hydro carburants on the fauna and flora on the shorelines of the affected area (Mangroves and other vegetation).

Restoration of Native Oyster Population at Bambous Virieux & Vieux Grand Port

Sun, 04 Jul 2021 20:00:00 +0000

This restoration project is to address the natural resource injuries resulting from the oil spill, and restore the confidence of local communities and artisanal fishers by replenishing the oyster stock in the lagoon. It aims at returning degraded oyster habitats to their prior conditions and the construction of new oyster habitats. As a result, this project will help to provide local communities with safe and reliable oyster sources, indirectly support job preservation in small-scale fisheries sector, improve livelihoods, and mitigate the damage caused to the marine environment. Native oysters would be collected by locally developed spat collectors and would be grown in locally manufactured nursery baskets. The juvenile oysters would be grown to the required size in a closed circulation system at Petit Barachois Poudre d’or before transplantation to the affected area. Construction materials will include unconsolidated clean shell, bagged clean shell, bamboo containment structures filled with loose or bagged oyster shell, or other similar materials. The oyster restoration project will incorporate outreach and hands-on participation of volunteers, who will actively participate in this restoration program. The project will sensitize the local communities about the benefits of healthy oyster population and create awareness about habitat protection and restoration, and preservation of ocean health through community involvement. Thus, local communities will acquire grow-out techniques, develop sustainable practices and gain local knowledge of oyster culture.

Modelling Oil Dispersion and Impacts on the Mauritian Ecosystem

Sun, 04 Jul 2021 20:00:00 +0000

This project aims to quantify the ecosystem-wide impacts of the Wakashio incident by extensively - modelling the dispersion of oil leaked - modelling the ecosystem effects - determine a 'safe distance' - propose restoration efforts and interventions. We make use of two software suites- NOAA’s GNOME for modelling oil dispersion and Ecopath with Ecosim (EwE) to develop an ecosystem model describing the Mauritian marine environment. Using output from GNOME, the EwE model will be utilised to trace the transfer of oil to organisms and accumulation in organisms. We will then develop a integrated platform that can be used to determine a safe distance for oil tankers to pass by Mauritius (as a preventive measure) and propose interventions to restore the marine environment. This is an international collaboration whereby we have four universities participating - University of Florida, University of Strathclyde, Glasgow, University of Mauritius led by Middlesex University Mauritius. NOAA and Ecopath International Initiative are the maintainers of GNOME and Ecopath software respectively and are part of the MODIME consortium.

Facilitation, management and tracking of micro donations to social and/or environmental programmes using a technological application

Tue, 15 Jun 2021 20:00:00 +0000

The project aims to: Allow for small campaigns to be funded. (2) allow for micro donations (3) remove intermediaries and increase efficiency (4) promote transparency in the tracking of donations and its use (5) promote trust, which can lead to an increase in donations (6) promote good governance (7) provide better security. The innovativeness of the project includes: (1) the possibility for a citizen to post easily a project to be funded. It empowers and helps individuals with impactful ideas to succeed in bringing positive change. (2) the use of blockchain technology to track information and provide real time information on a single platform regarding donations. (3) moving from organisation-based funding to campaign/programme-based funding. It brings better traceability, greater transparency, increased efficiency and better security.

Monitoring and modelling of sea water quality in regions affected by the Wakashio oil spill

Tue, 15 Jun 2021 20:00:00 +0000

The project aims at providing new tools and techniques to analyze and predict sea-water quality and other essential parameters in the lagoons of Mauritius, thanks to the use of innovative technologies such as Internet of Things (IoT) and Artificial Intelligence (AI).

Design and development of a multi-functional robotic sea navigation, monitoring and intervention system

Tue, 15 Jun 2021 20:00:00 +0000

Development of a base robotic sea navigator prototype to meet several functions, namely oil separation and removal, seawater quality measurement and mapping, coordinated action to meet certain goals and oil spread restraint by controlled placement of floating barriers. The PV powered robotic system will allow autonomous GPS-based localisation and remote-controlled navigation by a user on-shore preventing human contact with polluted waters in periods of oil spillage.

Does using corn steep liquor (CSL) and Trichoderma harzanium (TsTH) in combination significantly speed up the bioremediation and recovery of mangroves post-Wakashio?

Tue, 15 Jun 2021 20:00:00 +0000

The aim of the project is to demonstrate that the combination of TsTh (fungus) and CSL (biofertilizer) enhances degradation of hydrocarbons from oil polluted soil from the south coast better than each of these bioremediation agents on their own, and apply these findings in laboratory conditions on mangrove seedlings. This experimental technique is novel and has not been described previously. There may be additional applications for the bioremediation agent – in agriculture, restoring chronically oil polluted soil near garages, substituting chemical fertilizers with biodegradable and biological ones at a lower cost.

Assessment of locally available processed lignocellulosic biomass fibres for natural remediation of oil spillage including restoration of coastal/marine environment and reuse of the waste oil-contaminated biomass for energy production

Tue, 15 Jun 2021 20:00:00 +0000

The overriding aim of this project is to assess locally available processed lignocellulosic biomass fibres for natural remediation of oil spillage including restoration of coastal/marine environment and to reuse the waste oil-contaminated biomass for energy/electricity production. It focuses on the use of cheap, eco-friendly, non-toxic and locally available effective bio-based absorbent fibres as a simple and non-destructive cleaning option for oil spill recovery applications.

Protect Whales in Mauritius

Tue, 15 Jun 2021 20:00:00 +0000

Protection and conservation of cetaceans in waters of Mauritius and maintaining of biodiversity and integrity of coastal ecosystems. This is the first such a large-scale annual survey of cetaceans throughout Mauritius, including the eastern coasts, for which there is no scientific data.

Mapping spatial vulnerability levels of the elderly population to COVID-19 and other health and social threats in Mauritius

Sun, 21 Feb 2021 20:00:00 +0000

Geospatial mapping is a useful tool in the mapping of public health problems which extend in space and time. This project will focus on the social vulnerability of elderly with respect to health hazards. The aim of this study is to develop a geospatial map based on identified local risk factors to illustrate the areas where the elderly population in Mauritius is at risk to health and social threats including infectious diseases such as COVID19. The risk factors relevant to this study include age, health status, marital status, financial status, access to public transport, access to recreational facilities, housing conditions and factors related to the physical environment. Data on these risk factors will initially be collected by a door-to-door survey in selected localities and this will be supplemented by a geospatial online survey. The vulnerability risk assessment will be carried out using well proven risk assessment indexing methodologies. The results will be displayed visually in map format. This vulnerability risk map will be used as a working tool by people in the field of elderly care. The initial map can be extended to a national level to provide concerned authorities with the spatial distribution of vulnerabilities of the elderly population in Mauritius.

Survey on Knowledge, Perception, Preventive Behaviour and Impact of COVID-19 in the Island of Mauritius

Sun, 21 Feb 2021 20:00:00 +0000

The overall aim of the study is to inform the COVID-19 outbreak response measures, including policies, interventions and communications so as to help stop the spread of COVID-19. The project ensures better coordinated collaboration between researchers, decision makers, funders and international agencies. The translation of research and innovation into practice is expected to be spontaneous.

AgriTec (Smart Solution for Agriculture)

Sun, 21 Feb 2021 20:00:00 +0000

The confinement resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic is definitely disrupting vegetable supplies all over Mauritius. The main reasons being that supplies in fertilisers and pesticides are disrupted, and most importantly farmers are not able to attend to their fields to continue irrigation and fertilisation. Adding to this, there has been several cases of theft in the fields during the curfew giving into losses for the farmers. The need for greater efficiency presents challenges that farmers can tackle with reliable answers to real-world questions about irrigation, plant production and fertilisation. According to the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation, farmers’ yields will have to increase around 50 percent by 2050 to feed the world. Growers need innovative solutions to protect crops and more advanced agricultural technology to boost efficiency to that level. The aim of this project is to help in soil management and crop production, mitigate risks with data sourced via IoT and enable farmers to optimise their crop production practices and yields. Therefore, farmers to have ‘an eye and a hand’ on their cultivations all while being physically away. This outcome of the project will firstly enable the farmers to have real-time monitoring of essential parameters such as soil water content, soil NPK content and intrusion detection into their fields and secondly, automate irrigation and fertilisation based on real-time parameters captured through an IoT system (including sensors) and weather forecast by integrating a reputable weather forecast solution, and thirdly be able to predict their yield by combining statistical data and collected data.

Ti Boulo - Professional Services App

Sun, 21 Feb 2021 20:00:00 +0000

Ti Boulo Professional Services App is a peer-to-peer (P2P) online marketplace that will quickly connect people in need of a temporary service to those who can offer the service. The mobile app will allow customers (individuals and businesses) to request for a Service (gardeners, plumbers, builders, babysitters, cleaners, etc.) for any type of small jobs. Professional Service Providers (freelance individuals or small businesses) will be able to build for these service requests via the mobile app. Customers will be connected to the best and most cost-effective Professional Service Providers on the platform based on their service rating, availability and the rate that they will charge. The service request is fulfilled with instant, secure and cashless payments performed immediately upon job completion. The PSA platform is a smart, safe and easy to use mobile app which integrates with all major payment options available on the local market. It will ensure that Professional Service Providers are remunerated immediately after a job is completed while inciting them to provide a high-quality service to obtain a five-star rating.

pazblé

Sun, 21 Feb 2021 20:00:00 +0000

pazblé will be a Social Media Application dedicated to blue-collar workers; plumbers, electricians, cleaners, mechanics, carpenters, construction workers, gardeners, and other such independent manual workers, connecting them to the general public in Mauritius. pazblé will be a low data usage Web, Android, and iOS application on which Workers will register simply using a phone number and a chosen password. The Workers will be given the autonomy to manage their own profiles, create brand, showcase skills, and earn ratings and rewards. Also serving as a database, the general public seeking such services may use the platform as a practical register.

Ready to Thrive

Sun, 21 Feb 2021 20:00:00 +0000

Ready to Thrive (RtT) is socially innovative online platform that supports women-led business and women entrepreneurs and unemployed women needing to work flexibly to equip them with knowledge and skills to navigate the post-COVID economic fallout and build strong sustainable businesses that will contribute to the growth, development and recovery of the economy of Mauritius. RtT is will provide Mauritian women entrepreneurs with an online ‘one-stop shop’ that contains access to useful and relevant online resources, such as funding available to help their business in this period, how to file taxes, HR, how to do their accounts, information about regulatory frameworks all in one place. It will also provide online training (via videos and/or podcasts as well as webinars) on a range of topics particularly concentrating on how they can how to digitalise their businesses, pivot their business offerings, apply for finance and much more, it will also have resources to help them and their businesses to thrive while adjusting to the new normal.

Titravo.mu

Sun, 16 Aug 2020 20:00:00 +0000

The aim is to gather under one platform all artisans, technician, handyman, small technical companies, Landscape maintenance companies as well as individual grass cutters/gardeners, etc. Knock down the visibility issue for the above mentioned mostly self-employed or SME’s. Knock down the struggling property holders to find the adequate Solution for urgent repairs, renovation, maintenance or even building extension projects, using technology

Development & testing of a prototype face shield & face mask buckle for the safety & protection of vulnerable essential service workers in Mauritius

Thu, 16 Jul 2020 20:00:00 +0000

This project is proposed in spirit of solidarity towards preserving the health of vulnerable essential service workers of Mauritius. We envision to help strengthen the local PPE supply chain by allowing Mauritius to become self-sufficient and less dependent on foreign import of PPE. This project also provide a window of opportunity for SMEs to locally manufacturing this PPE, allowing them to thrive & contribute actively to economic development of Mauritius during and post COVID-19 era. Innovation: Unlike any of those available on the Mauritian market, this face shield/visor will have a unique neck mount. Providing more comfort, better compatibility and increased protection, from the neck upwards, against infectious airborne particles. Designed using 3D printer technology, the face mask buckles will be extendable, low maintenance and lightweight, helping to reduce painful pressure tight elastic bands may cause on ears. Both prototypes will be ideally designed for long duration wear and customizable to maintain marketability beyond COVID-19 era.

Gigrbit

Sun, 13 Sep 2020 20:00:00 +0000

Gigr Talent offers a credible digital talent verification tools and a human capital marketplace platform for hospitality industry professionals. They will get retrained and paid to work as freelance recruiters and on micro jobs in active industries in need of their transferrable service-oriented skills and experience.

Inline QOMS

Thu, 16 Jul 2020 20:00:00 +0000

Inline QOMS (Queue & Occupancy Management System) is a smart, cloud-based queueing system, which monitors data related to queues in real time, and collect customer feedback. Due to the COVID-19 crisis, many governments around the world are putting restrictions and limits on the number of people that can gather in one place, such as banks, supermarkets, shops, pharmacies or public facilities. These measures are designed to keep everyone safe and ensure people have enough room to distance themselves from other people nearby. Due to space restrictions, maintaining social distancing in queues is sometime very difficult not to forget annoying and time consuming. Inline QOMS is the answer to bringing technology to queueing (and saving time and effort). Inline QOMS solves one of the most irritating daily problems which is standing in line by offering an automated smart mobile queuing app to better manage traffic/flow and save people a lot of time. Real time occupancy data has value beyond ensuring social distancing compliance. Occupancy is the missing retail metric that organisation can utilize to optimize performance but also keep customers, staffs and visitors safe. Inline QOMS can be scaled across locations and connects to our cloud platform for management and reporting. Inline QOMS comes as a free mobile application for the public to ‘get in the queue’ remotely and for businesses to handle their customer queues.

anAngel blockchain powered volunteering platform

Wed, 22 Jul 2020 20:00:00 +0000

With the recent outbreak of the pandemic COVID-19; a disruption has been seen in everyone's everyday life -- and in some more than others. This pandemic is a human tragedy that has a growing impact on the global economy-- with firms in some industries laying off workers, and the rate of technical unemployment rising. Non-governmental organisations are stepping up to provide assistance; but there is often complaint of the lack of good souls to do volunteering. Some services are running at full capacity. For example, supermarkets cannot do deliveries because they lack human resources. Some individuals who want to help, often do not know where to go. Information is dissipated and not readily available. Some individuals or organisations cannot give money but are happy to donate products and services. Many gaps in our society have become visible. Responding to these challenges, a socially innovative digital platform has been designed to allow people to fight COVID-19 together by doing one good deed at a time: anAngel. anAngel will be an interactive web application that uses the foundations of nudge theory to encourage users to perform tasks in return for rewards or points which can be shared, or exchanged for goods and services from anAngel partners or donors. The main aim is also to build an organised efficient community based on solidarity, empowered with real time information on what is needed and happening out there in the real world. In addition, this community will be collaborating to protect and improve public health and support efforts to help make lives better during COVID-19.

Sustainable home farming ecosystem supporting Food Security & democratization of urban aquafarming in Mauritius and the region

Thu, 02 Jul 2020 20:00:00 +0000

Full fledge aquaponic system including: - Sensors to track level of Nitrate, water levels, quality of soil and moisture level - Automated irrigation system based on data - Ponds and planters made of low carbon foot print materials special food grade coating and guaranteed 30 yrs - Connected to a collaborative platform for planters and consumers for reselling extra production Urban aquaponic farming with digital platform Community Platform for planters to share data about crops and conditions for better yield. Business Model based on subscription - farm as a service model to emphasising on favouring accessibility to system and equipment - both system for planting and to monitor data.

Cart Disinfectant for proper hygiene

Mon, 29 Jun 2020 20:00:00 +0000

The aim of this project is to design & manufacture a decontamination chamber for shopping carts. The innovative aspect of the project is that it will provide an automated solution for disinfecting shopping carts, which are inherently gem magnets. The cart will be moved by a conveyor unit, through a diffusing unit which will spray concentrated sanitization liquid for maximum coverage. Afterwards the cart will be moved through a fan array which will speed up evaporation of the chemical on the surface. The design will be modular and will consist of the sanitization tunnel and a storage unit. The latter will make use of UV lights to keep the carts gem free until removed for use.

AideMoris: Assisting Senior Citizens in Mauritius during Home Confinement

Wed, 15 Jul 2020 20:00:00 +0000

The aim of this project is to develop a mobile application system that can assist senior citizens in obtaining food and medical supplies or other basic assistance during a curfew, lock down or confinement while staying safe at home. This project is innovative in 1) its ability to bridge the gap between non-technology senior citizens and online services accessible on smart phones 2) linking NGOs to needy senior citizens in an efficient and secured manner 3) quickly reach out to a maximum number of people facilitating assistance from neighborhood volunteers to adhere to travel restriction during curfew or lock down. This project involves close research collaboration with the University of Mauritius and part funding from the MRIC.

Healthlog

Wed, 15 Jul 2020 20:00:00 +0000

A cloud-based healthcare data management platform designed to maintain a centralised medical diary, giving access to health institutions and medical practitioners to rapidly access and update the medical history of patients so as to formulate better diagnostics and improve the efficiency of the healthcare system. The onset of the COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted how fragile our health can be and the limits to which our healthcare system can be stretched. Keeping track of our health and facilitating the relaying of information to healthcare professionals when required can give us all an edge on healthcare challenges. Healthlog facilitates the communication of crucial medical data in a timely and convenient manner. This is particularly important when seeking treatment. Often, patients have medical conditions or are under certain medications which require special attention. For example, Cardiac patients usually take Warfarin and this should be communicated every time they seek medical attention. In the context of COVID-19, it has been particularly important to identify the vulnerable and high-risk groups; people over the age of 70 and those with chronic illnesses which can weaken one’s immune system. With Healthlog, patients can simply show their mobile health cards to medical practitioners for them to access the relevant medical records. Having access to important health information – such as immunisation records, lab results, screening due dates, allergies, prescribed medication, and other health conditions – in electronic form, makes it easy for patients to better manage their health, for medical professionals to better assist patients, and for the healthcare system to operate more efficiently. The platform can also provide analytics for the healthcare sector and policy-makers.

DISINFECT (Decontamination & Integrated Sensing Intelligent Nodes for Fever Electronically Computed via Temperature)

Sun, 21 Jun 2020 20:00:00 +0000

Aim of Project Though germicidal Ultraviolet (UV) light technology has been around for many years, and widely deployed in hospitals, the pandemic COVID-19 crisis has seen the technology been applied in many other settings such as hotels, schools, offices, etc, to counteract the SARS-CoV-2 virus. We have seen new innovations such as UV robots, which can move autonomously in hospital settings, and smaller UV disinfection chambers for more personal cleaning. We seek to combine exterior and interior cleaning in one device, with our prototype DISINFECT unit which can be used for room disinfection, and with rotating side panels can also transform into a personal UV disinfection chamber. We will be prototyping our concept in various sizes-the enclosure will be built from aluminium, with UV-C lamps fixed to each side, which can rotate to provide maximum exposure externally and internally, whilst the system will be computer controlled, to ensure that no person is present during exterior disinfection modes, as UV-C is a known carcinogen for human skin. The innovative aspect has many applications, and for example we see it particularly useful in hotel settings. The project is a collaboration between the IEEE Mauritius Section and Middlesex University Mauritius. Ultraviolet (UV) Light Disinfection All bacteria and viruses (including various coronaviruses) respond well to Ultraviolet UV-C disinfection. It has been noted that UV-C light sources can inactivate 99% of SARS-CoV-2 virus on a surface with an exposure time of around 5 seconds. What is UV-C technology? UV light is invisible to the human eye and is divided into UV-A, UV-B and UV-C. UV-C is found within 100-280 nm range, and a typical UV-C lamp's germicidal action occurs at 254nm

Organic Agriculture Kit for households

Thu, 11 Jun 2020 20:00:00 +0000

Demonstrating the viability of organic cultivation of vegetables by households enabled by robust greenhouses and user-friendly highly efficient micro-composters ✔ The greenhouses are cyclone resistant, designed to be installed on roof terraces and to be assembled by the users themselves ✔ The patented micro composters are designed to efficiently treat kitchen organic waste and garden waste and to produce home-made compost and humic plant boosters ✔ The kit includes organic native seeds and a pedagogic user manual for the cultivation of vegetables under agroecological protocols. ✔ The equipment proposed aims at making home gardening accessible to non specialists and we have worked on innovative features on both the greenhouse and the micro-composter ✔ We also promote innovation in our integrated approach as we push resilience capacities of households at their best by giving them autonomy in terms of organic waste management and supply of soil enhancers and fertilisers ✔ Food security is hence made possible at domestic scale through family-driven vegetable production with pedagogic and user-friendly equipment aiming at sustainable gardening practices

Discover Mauritius TM Mobile App for health and safety alerts

Wed, 17 Jun 2020 20:00:00 +0000

Panda & Wolf will develop a new section of the Discover MauritiusTM App specially dedicated to the COVID-19 situatio. The Section will inform Mauritians about the on-going health situation of the COVID-19 and wil allow them to get Geolocated messages about the stock availability and the opening hours of shops around them. Thus helping to decrease the amount of people queing at the shops and supermarkets. The new section will also feature a ‘Self-Reporting Form’ of the COVID-19 symptoms where Mauritians can report their Health status and their Geolocated information which can then be submitted to the concerned Health department. This function will help the local Health institutions to have a better control of the virus’s spread and be aware of possible cases instead of the patient spreading the disease while traveling to the hospital.

Design and Development of Isolating Pods to Prevent the Spread of the Coronavirus to be used in Hospitals as well as for Domestic Use.

Wed, 17 Jun 2020 20:00:00 +0000

The designs and development of isolation pods can be used to keep infected people in isolation and avoid the spread of the virus Covid 19. The pod can be used to: ● Prevent the spread of virus and bacteria in Mauritius ● Easily convert the open wards of hospitals in Mauritius into safe zones, therefore maximizing on available resources to accommodate more sick people. ● Provide a safer environment for staff working in hospitals, as well as to other non- affected patients within the same hospital. ● Allow self-isolation to be practiced safely at home to avoid affecting other family members in patients with mild symptoms. ● Provide cheap, easy and quick to produce isolation pods with the use of readily available materials in Mauritius. ● The Isolation Pod will be light-weight and can easily be moved. ● Optimise treatment of mild cases of Covid 19 in elderly care homes and in prisons. ● As quarantine units for individuals with risk of being contamination by the virus

Impact of Covid-19 on Trade, Investment and Employment in Mauritius

Thu, 11 Jun 2020 20:00:00 +0000

The study examines the impact of Covid-19 on trade, foreign direct investment and employment across the main economic sectors of Mauritius. Our methodology rests on both quantitative and qualitative analysis. The quantitative approach involves forecasting and simulation analysis based on disaggregated data by commodities and trading countries available from the UN Comtrade database and the World Integrated Trade Solution (WITS) data. We also forecast the effect of Covid-19 on foreign investment across various sectors using secondary data and survey of investors. The employment impact is analysed via a survey of 250 firms operating in export and non-export oriented sectors. Evidence-based policies are then proposed to mitigate the effects of Covid-19 on the Mauritian economy.

Ensuring quality in online teaching and delivery in higher education institutions in Mauritius in line with SDG4

Sun, 14 Jun 2020 20:00:00 +0000

This research project will build the groundwork for long-term quality assurance processes, frameworks, systems and policies for online learning at an institutional as well as the national level, including innovative quality frameworks for Open Educational Resources (OERs) and Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs). Ensuring quality for Open Educational Resources and Massive Open Online Courses. Online learning requires different QA guidelines and standards compared to its face-to-face counterpart as its different methods of teaching and learning present different challenges and hence require different methods of quality assessment. This innovative project will contribute towards Mauritius’ leading role in pioneering quality assurance in online and distance learning on a national, regional and global level.

In silico identification of new antiviral pharmacophores from the floral biodiversity and approved phytochemicals in the fight against COVID‐19 – (PHYTO‐COVID)

Thu, 11 Jun 2020 20:00:00 +0000

Currently, there is no specialized approved treatments and/or drugs available for the treatment of COVID-19 and several clinical explorations relevant to the therapies of COVID-19 are on-going. The recognition of plant-derived compounds (phytochemicals) as attractive targets to inhibit COVID-19 replication has emerged resulting in an investigation of existing drugs to target the viral protease. Existing approved drugs are being investigated against COVID-19 treatment – via drug repurposing. With the support of bioinformatic tools, commonly used in rational drug design, we aimed to assess African herbal medicine along with existing approved drugs, in an endeavour to contribute to a global solution against COVID-19. The main aims are: (1) to identify potential inhibitors for SARS-CoV-2 through existing approved and plant-derived compounds with viral proteins using in silico molecular docking; (2) to perform advanced quantum and molecular dynamic simulation to elucidate the inhibition affinity of the most active compound(s) and (3) to explore the possibility to develop nutraceuticals/functional foods and register and/or patent potent plant-derived compound against COVID-19.

Reusable nanofiber cellulose face mask for viral protection

Thu, 11 Jun 2020 20:00:00 +0000

The Nano tech mask with same level of performance as a medical mask.

Ensuring Food Security in the era of COVID-19

Tue, 09 Jun 2020 20:00:00 +0000

FoodWise is an organization fighting against food waste and food insecurity in Mauritius for over two years. We help companies redistribute their food surplus to NGOs supporting people in need. Since its creation FoodWise has managed to deliver more than 270 tons of food, the equivalent of 1,000,000 meals. One tenth of which was saved and donated during the lockdown. As the consequences of the COVID-19 outbreak are expected to last, FoodWise takes the proactive position of responding to the upcoming food availability pains by expanding our surplus food redistribution capacities. Our project includes developing a reliable web platform enabling the matching of food supply and demand, building a stronger logistics and transportation network to reach those in need safely and efficiently, and increasing our internal expertise.

Smart Sanitizer

Thu, 11 Jun 2020 20:00:00 +0000

This project aims to provide a safer way to distribute hand sanitizer and detect temperature for a large number of people with our Smart Sanitizer dispenser. Our device holds up to 5 liters of sanitizer gel. This reduces refill time and saves on plastic waste. The electronic infrared thermometer automatically reads temperature and has a light indicator. An alarm sounds when a high temperature is detected. The unit can have customized color and logo branding. Our next aim is to fully automate first stage Covid-19 and health safety procedures to save time, money, and protect health.

A practical home schooling toolkit for carers and parents

Tue, 09 Jun 2020 20:00:00 +0000

The COVID-19 pandemic led to school closures in more than 150 countries around the globe. Locally, we now witness an increasing shift to online home learning as we strive to be better prepared should we face a similar crisis in future. For parents and carers this means having to support their ward’s formal learning in a whole new context. The speed of the current changes has left many parents and carers with very little time to prepare and some feel overwhelmed. The home schooling toolkit project aims at providing practical solutions for parents/carers for more effective home schooling. The project consists of 25 2 minute interactive animated videos, in Creole, French and English. The videos are loaded with tools, tips and practical suggestions to make home learning in any subject more effective. The toolkit comprises 3 series. Series one covers the basics of learning, series two is about learning and technology in the context of home schooling and series three presents some innovative approaches which, when applied during home schooling, can make it more effective and enjoyable.

Experimental Seaweed Farming at Albion

Thu, 28 Feb 2013 05:23:52 +0000

Seaweed and the plethora of commercial products derived from seaweed form the pillars of the economy of many countries, such as Japan, China, Indonesia, Philippines, among others. Seaweed derived products are essential in the food & beverage, pharmaceutical, cosmetics, agricultural and many other industrial sectors. The world market for the seaweed industry has an estimated total annual value of more than US$ 7 billion (FAO, 2010), growing at a rate of about 15% annually. The main importers are the developed countries, US and Europe. Major exporters include China, Japan, Indonesia, Philippines and some Latin American countries such as Chile and Peru. The absence of Africa as a major player in this market is recognized, though seaweed production and commercialization has been reported in Zanzibar and Madagascar to some extent. This is an indication of a potential African niche market. Mauritius is a Small Island Developing State with limited land resources but with an extensive Exclusive Economic Zone of about 2.3 million km2. Despite the reported presence of 435 species of seaweeds in Mauritius and Rodrigues and the potential market for seaweed derived products, no local research has been conducted to investigate the commercial exploitation of these resources. Hence the initiative of the MRC to set-up a research programme to investigate the potential of developing an economically, technically and environmentally viable seaweed industry in Mauritius and Rodrigues. The National relevance of this programme is emphasized by section 195 of the Government Programme 2010-2015 which states that ‘the Cultivation of Seaweed with a view to developing an Industry based on Value-added transformation of seaweed for human consumption, cosmetic application, medical and pharmaceutical research’ will be conducted.

Experimental Seaweed Farming at Vieux Grand Port

Wed, 27 Feb 2013 20:00:00 +0000

Experimental Seaweed Farming at Grand Sable

Wed, 31 Dec 2014 11:04:42 +0000

Seaweeds are a diverse group of large marine macroalgae that are as important to our nearshore coastal marine world as land plants are to our terrestrial world. Today seaweeds are a multi-billion dollar industry worldwide, providing food, fertilizers, nutritional supplementation, and valuable phycocolloid extracts including agar, carrageenan, and alginate. Although wild harvest supports a significant portion of seaweed industry, there is an ever increasing amount of seaweed production from aquaculture, principally in Asia and South America (Chile) (Redmond et al, 2014). Seaweed aquaculture makes up a significant portion of organisms cultured worldwide (~19 million metric tons) with a value of ~US $5.65 billion (FAO, 2012). Hence the initiative of the MRC is to set-up a research programme to investigate the potential of developing an economically, technically and environmentally viable seaweed industry in Mauritius and Rodrigues. The National relevance of this programme is emphasized by section 195 of the Government Programme 2010-2015 which states that ‘the Cultivation of Seaweed with a view to developing an Industry based on Value-added transformation of seaweed for human consumption, cosmetic application, medical and pharmaceutical research’ will be conducted.

Mauritius Wave Energy Resource Assessment

Mon, 31 Jul 2017 07:17:14 +0000

The study was commissioned to determine the wave resource around the island of Mauritius in order to identify priority sites for commercial wave energy device trials. To quantify the wave resource, a 10-year wave hindcast was conducted. The regional hindcast models were driven by output from The Centre for Australian Weather and Climate Research’s global WAVEWATCH IIITM re-analysis, which outputs hourly gridded global wind and wave conditions. Three nested model domains were used to model the wave climate from Indian Ocean basin: (1) Mascarene domain, (2) Mauritius Island domain and (3) South East Coast domain - a high resolution domain that extended from Blue Bay to Souillac. The analysis was conducted using the numerical model Simulating WAves Nearshore (SWAN).

Research on long-term holistic accompaniment of families living in poverty in the Republic of Mauritius

Fri, 28 Jun 2019 06:14:21 +0000

The primary aim of this study is to analyse the long-term holistic accompaniment approach adopted by Lovebridge, and its impact on the empowerment of people living in situations of poverty. Sub-objectives have been set:  To take a deep insight into the accompaniment model developed and implemented by Lovebridge;  To evaluate the role played by Motivation, positive Attitude, Skills and Courage (MASCO) and by other pillars in the move towards empowerment;  To examine the horizontal approach in the empowerment process and its complementarity to vertical interventions;  To critically examine the overall effectiveness of the long-term holistic accompaniment approach as a tool to empower people living in situations of poverty. This study will have a direct impact on the 260 families (1300 individuals) living in 55 localities in Mauritius, and presently being accompanied and supported by Lovebridge. On the innovative aspect, this research project also adopts a participative approach as the feedbacks provided by the beneficiaries will contribute to the advancement of the accompaniment method by highlighting the best practices and other aspects which can be improved. Other families living in situations of poverty will benefit from the replication or upscaling of the project which will be done based on the recommendations of the present study and as such through the beneficiaries’ contributions.

Sustainability and long term environmental conservation through ‘ERA crafts’

Thu, 27 Jun 2019 20:00:00 +0000

Mauritius is one of 21 world hotspots due to its high endemism and biodiversity. However, over the past centuries Mauritius has lost majority of its forest cover and currently only around 2% of the forest is of a good quality while the remaining 16% is degrading due to presence of highly invasive species such as guava (Psidium cattleyanum). Introduced in 18th century, the plant has spread all over Mauritius and is extremely difficult and time demanding to control. On a yearly basis, thousands of guava trees are being cut and left in the forest to decompose, limiting the space for reforestation activities. The project aims to create sellable products made from 100% eco-friendly materials such as invasive wood removed for reforestation purpose and household by-products. The project will target to employ the trainees from the Mauritius Institute of Training and Development (MITD) to provide more training and jobs. With 6.9% of unemployment among Mauritius youth, this project combines both environmental protection and awareness along with improvement of social-economic status of young Mauritians. The products will be put for sale to establish a self-sufficient project which provides money for the young Mauritians and forest conservation.

Consortium for Marine Innovative Therapeutics (COMIT)

Mon, 29 Apr 2019 20:00:00 +0000

Axonova Ltd is pioneering the development of novel therapeutics for the treatment of Neurodegenerative Disorders (ND) in Mauritius. The aim of COMIT is to develop a scalable high throughput marine drug discovery platform to generate commercially viable health products for ND applications. COMIT will explore marine resources from the different oceans for the generation of high value-added natural compounds on an innovative platform combining state-of-the-art technology and multi-parameter data processing. COMIT will undertake a multi-lateral partnership to bridge experts in the fields of marine biology (UoW-IMBM and UoA-MBC) and commercial drug discovery (Axonova Ltd). IMBM have already produced extracts from marine bacteria respectively, and undertaken an initial screen to identify extracts with neuroprotective potential. MBC will provide a 80 compound pure natural library and microbial strains from deep and cold marine environments. Axonova Ltd has prior expertise in implementing innovative approaches to screening compounds for ND treatment and works closely with commercial partners to expedite lead candidates to market phase. Pre-selected extracts from the international collaborators will be further developed under the COMIT project to produce commercially viable products in the form of nutraceuticals. Together, COMIT will fast-track the development and commercialisation of novel marine therapeutic candidates as preventive treatment to ND. Any intellectual property resulting from this project will be shared between all parties involved as per stipulations in forthcoming Memorandum Of Understanding.

Get Famous

Tue, 29 Oct 2019 20:00:00 +0000

Get Famous provides a solution to businesses looking to promote their services or products through an online community platform connecting them to rentable screens. This innovative business solution is unique as it gets rid of all intermediaries in the advertising process and provides a simple self-service pay-as-you-go model. Everything is done online, from the conception of the ad campaign to the section of broadcasters. This way, advertisers benefit from a cheaper pricing with more flexibility and reduced time to market. Get Famous gets a commission on each campaign and broadcasters are renumerated on screen time. Even with conservative assumptions, the financial projections show a profitable income as from year 1 and a consequent ROI as from year 2, given the scalability of the solution that allows for international expansion at minimum cost. GetFamous is a multi-platform solution that makes use of state-of-the-art innovative technologies such as Internet of Things (IoT), cloud and artificial intelligence including machine learning and image recognition. This next-gen community advertising platform is one of a kind in Mauritius and is intended to scale internationally.

Turning sugarcane trash into bioplastics: pilot-scale demonstration

Thu, 28 Jun 2018 20:00:00 +0000

The current revenue base of the sugarcane industry consists of raw and refined sugar, ethanol from molasses, and electricity from bagasse. There is a clear need for the sugarcane industry to diversify its revenue base to remain profitable despite fluctuations in the sugar price. The poly-3-hydroxyalkanoate (PHA) family of polyesters can be converted into bioplastics with diverse material properties. All PHAs are biodegradable and biocompatible, but one PHA, poly-3-hydroxybutyrate (PHB), is particularly suited for high-value medical applications. MSIRI has developed a process to convert sugarcane trash into sugars, transformation of those sugars into PHB using Cupriavidus necator, and recovery of PHB at high purity. This is the first demonstration of PHB production from sugarcane trash. MSIRI is currently optimizing laboratory-scale production to achieve maximum yield of PHB per unit mass of sugarcane trash. Scale-up of the process to pilot-scale is essential to validate the industrial application of the technology and evaluate the economics of commercial-scale production, but pilot-scale facilities for the pretreatment of sugarcane trash and fermentation are not available in Mauritius. Therefore, the proposed project will deliver pilot-scale demonstration of sugarcane trash valorization into PHB at Queensland University of Technology (QUT) Mackay Renewable Biocommodities Pilot Plant (MRBPP).

STEM Education in the Republic of Mauritius; a Gender Perspective

Sat, 09 Nov 2019 05:46:14 +0000

Promoting women’s participation in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) can only be beneficial considering that women are more than 50% of the Mauritian population. This study aimed at analysing the relationship between gender and STEM education in Mauritius over the last six years. Gender gaps in STEM enrolment and in professional aspirations of students were assessed both at secondary and tertiary levels. Factors influencing girls to pursue higher studies were identified. The methodology used consisted of surveys and interviews for quantitative and qualitative assessments respectively. Female enrolment exceeded 50% at both secondary and tertiary level during the study period. However, a strong gendered pattern appeared in the STEM student population in both secondary and tertiary levels. The subject distribution for girls at O and A levels were very low in hard core sciences such as Physics, Computer Studies and Design and Technology. At tertiary level, the field distribution for girls was low for Engineering and Information Technology. A thorough evaluation of gender gaps at doctoral level was also undertaken. The percentage of male enrolment at doctoral level has been higher than female enrolment. The gender gap is more striking in STEM fields of study. Out of 16% of doctoral students opt for STEM, only 5% are accounted for by female students. The importance of family support was also highlighted in the professional career of women interviewed. It is recommended that the gender gap in STEM be addressed using a holistic approach with the following partners: Government, Industry, Society, Family and Teachers.

Proving the viability of a triple-bottom-line revenue model for print newspapers in Mauritius

Thu, 27 Feb 2020 20:00:00 +0000

The current project aims to assess the market-readiness of a new business model for print newspapers. Specifically, Le Mauricien proposes to adopt a triple-bottom line business model for the sale and distribution of its print newspapers. The model involves the creation of a circular economy for print newspapers in the form of 1) home delivery of newspapers; 2) home collection of old newspapers and other recyclable papers; and 3) Resale, Recycling and Reuse of collected papers. This triple-bottom line model will thus optimize the economic, social and environmental impact of Le Mauricien’s activities in the following ways: Economic impact: Increase the revenues of Le Mauricien and other media companies, thereby supporting the maintenance of 150 jobs within Le Mauricien and more than 1,000 jobs in the rest of print media companies around the island and the creation of additional jobs in the media and logistics industries. Indeed, the business model, once proven, will also benefit other media companies and logistics partners. Social impact: Encourage and increase newspaper readership, critical thinking and civil society participation in socio-economic events in Mauritius Environmental impact: Instill the habit of recycling in Mauritians, by 1) encouraging them to separate their trash 2) making it easy for them to recycle by collecting the old papers directly from their home.

Barriers to youth engagement in the fight against corruption

Mon, 30 Dec 2019 20:00:00 +0000

This study highlights the extent to which various socio-economic factors impact on the engagement of young people and proposes a set of recommendations to better address existing barriers or constraints to youth engagement in the national fight against corruption. For this purpose, a qualitative approach was used and data was collected from 11 focus groups targeting 187 young persons in all (including those from Rodrigues). Six interviews were also conducted with key stakeholders actively involved in youth empowerment, to have a more precise understanding of the situation. The collection of data was done from December 2017 to June 2018. In a nutshell, the research findings have revealed that much has been done during the past years not only to enlist the participation of young persons but also to seek their engagement in promoting a culture of integrity. Yet, the study has also shown that much more remains to be done with a view to meet objectives set towards securing sustained youth engagement. For youth to believe in the fight against corruption, it is crucial to overcome, in a first instance, the series of barriers that might exist in their immediate environment such as the actual education system, fear to take a stance/ to voice out, the influence of parents and time constraints - though many of them have demonstrated strong willingness to make the difference and be part of the solution as key ambassadors. A bundle of practical measures has been identified to adequately address the barriers in short, medium and long terms.

Adding Value to Mauritian refined cane sugar

Mon, 29 Jun 2015 20:00:00 +0000

In 2013 diabetes and pre-diabetes in Mauritius had a prevalence of 50% in the population aged 23 to 74. The development of a low glycemic index (GI) sugar could help to control diabetes not only in Mauritius but worldwide. Thus a project was undertaken with the objective to co-crystalize a food grade, low GI material into refined sugar crystal, with the goal to lower its GI. Polyols are well known food grade materials used commercially in nutrition and medicine; many have very low GI’s, a sweet taste and can be prepared from cane sugar. A bench scale pilot crystallizer unit was constructed and tested. The equipment was used to develop a process for co-crystallization of sucrose with polyols and sucrose-polyol co-crystals containing up to 30% of the polyol were successfully produced. The resulting co-crystallized product had definite functional benefits such as lower calorific value and lower glycemic load.

Adding Value to Mauritian Sugars and By-products

Mon, 29 Jun 2015 20:00:00 +0000

Public perception that sugar contributes to obesity, diabetes and other preventable “civilization diseases” has led to introduction of many alternative sweeteners. Although the physiological effects of some are questionable, most of these alternative sweeteners that usually sell at a premium have low calorific value. In this context, it was proposed to investigate whether any of the “specialty” sugars produced in Mauritius could have a low glycemic index (GI) value and whether they possessed any additional nutritional characteristics beneficial to consumers. Additionally, a process was developed for the extraction and isolation of active antioxidant compounds from cane juice and the isolated compounds were used to enhance the physiological and nutritional value of refined sugar. This project characterized some 23 special sugars and other byproducts in terms of the natural components that are usually associated with beneficial nutritional properties of functional foods. The results of this research demonstrated that a number of Mauritian special sugars have high antioxidant properties, that are beneficial to consumers. Blending of the concentrated antioxidant extract from cane juice with white refined sugar decreased the GI status of refined sugar from “medium” to “low” GI.

Establishment of a new diagnostic method for detection of non-solid tumors in Mauritius

Thu, 27 Feb 2020 20:00:00 +0000

Childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) is a malignant disease or cancer of the blood that affects in Mauritius 20-30 new children per year. ALL is the most common type of cancer in children. Immunophenotyping which is essential for the diagnosis of ALL is still lacking in Mauritius and as a consequence all samples are sent abroad for the diagnosis of ALL. CIDP has a powerful flow cytometer which is unique in the island and which allows in vitro diagnosis, is CE compliant and most importantly is capable of immunophenotyping, thus allowing diagnosis of non-solid tumors. This method is rapid, reliable and efficient. In collaboration with the University of Technology and the Ministry of Health of Mauritius, we would like to set up the protocols using the flow cytometer for diagnosis of non-solid tumors in Mauritius.

Investigating the causes of fatal accidents in Mauritius using Discrete time series Model

Wed, 23 Oct 2019 20:00:00 +0000

The alarming increase in the number of road traffic accidents, in particular casualty or injury accidents, in Mauritius affirms our understanding of road traffic injuries as a major national health problem. In order to bring down these numbers effectively, it is pertinent to scientifically model the effects of the factors leading to traffic accidents on the roads of Mauritius. The PF 178 form consists of important information on each accident across Mauritius. However, these information have not been adequately utilised so far to research on the major causes of road accidents. In this study, we first convert these information into a proper data structure and use Generalized Linear Models (GLMs) and Artificial Neural Network (ANN) approaches that can efficiently identify the significant factors underlying road traffic accidents and predict the severity of these accidents. The inferential results illustrate that the types of road structures, the day and time effect, street lighting conditions, vehicle types and conditions and driver profiles are the potential influential factors in the causation of road traffic accidents from 2012-2017. The findings of this research would, thus, be of utmost benefit to the concerned authorities and policymakers. In this way, this would formulate and enforce the appropriate preventive measures while simultaneously strengthening the current traffic system.

MauHazard: An Interactive Tool to Assess Hazard Perception Skills of Drivers in Mauritius

Wed, 04 Sep 2019 20:00:00 +0000

The number of road accidents has been continuously increasing over the past few years in Mauritius although drivers have to go through training and strict testing phases before earning a competent driving license. This research study aims to develop an interactive web based multimedia tool named “MauHazard” to assess the hazard perception skills of drivers specific to the Mauritius context. To being with, identification of key road traffic hazards specific to the Mauritian context was undertaken and a hazard taxonomy was proposed. In addition, there has been also the recording of real road traffic footage based on the identified hazards. After the compilation of traffic hazards was completed, the interactive web-based hazard perception tool was developed and tested against its pre-defined list of functional requirements. Following the development phase, 273 participants were recruited to take part in the hazard perception test and after which the data collated was entered in SPSS for statistical analysis. Since the research study revealed a poor hazard perception level among Mauritian drivers, therefore it is vital to provide appropriate training that will not only improve the hazard perception skills of drivers in Mauritius but will also contribute in significantly reducing accident liabilities.

Towards Low Cost Nowcasting of Flash Floods in Mauritius: Assessing the Effectiveness of a Combined Approach Involving Wireless Sensor Network and Machine Learning

Sun, 01 Dec 2019 20:00:00 +0000

This study aims at assessing the effectiveness of a low-cost prototype to nowcast flash floods in the Mauritian context. A system based on simulation, using Wireless Sensor Network and modern Machine Learning techniques has been designed and implemented for the prediction of flash floods. The Wireless Sensor Network component reads and collects different features from river flow and rainfall monitoring. It has been tested through simulation and is estimated to have a relatively low unit cost. The Machine Learning component of the system is based on a deep learning approach with the implementation of the Recurrent Neural Network (RNN), and has been trained and tested using simulated datasets. The efficiency of the model has been further optimised with the application of Genetic Algorithm, and experiments demonstrate a relatively low error in predictions. The results achieved in this study cannot be generalized for the Mauritian context at large, but serve as an approach for the development of an automated flash flood nowcasting system based on rainfall and water flow monitoring in rivers/canals.

Design considerations for the implementation of green roofs in Mauritius and analysis of improvement in thermal comfort and reduction of air-conditioning energy using in-situ measurement and numerical analysis

Mon, 27 Apr 2020 20:00:00 +0000

The present work is a preliminary assessment of the performance of green roof at Reduit in Mauritius, located at latitude 20:23°S and longitude 57:49°E (Indian Ocean), which is influenced by a tropical humid climate. The efficiency of the green roof is gauged by evaluating its effect on indoor temperature fluctuations, conductive heat fluxes and the daily peak indoor temperature. Onsite measurements of weather data and indoor temperature are collected round the clock from July 11, 2017 to October 08, 2017. It is found that green roof increases the thermal mass of the experimental cells thereby reducing the fluctuations in indoor temperature. The conductive heat flux variation is significantly low in the case of the green roof. The green roof reduces the daily peak indoor temperature, which is attenuated significantly as compared to a conventional roof. A one dimensional mathematical model is also proposed in order to simulate the evolution of the heat and moisture transfer in a porous multilayer material. The model is validated using the measured data.

Product enhancement and product development based on Morinda citrifolia

Wed, 20 Feb 2019 20:00:00 +0000

Morinda citrifolia L. also known as noni has gained much attention in scientific research for its health benefits as well as becoming popular within the Mauritian public. Despite its numerous health benefits, fermented noni juice has a characteristic flavor, which offsets many consumers who prefer pleasant tasting alternatives. Given that consumers are constantly on the lookout for improved high-quality beverage, which delivers authentic health benefits, revisiting the noni beverage and product diversification is important. Nonico Co. Ltd is a Mauritian company operating in the nutraceutical sector since 2006. The company produces Noni juice for the local and international markets. This study is to enrich noni juice with five different exotic fruits, spices and herbs which our previous studies have been shown to be rich in polyphenolics. The bioactive-rich beverages offer the possibility of dietary coadjutants for daily consumption of health-promoting substances, in addition to improving the taste of the noni juice. Two new products will also be developed by processing the noni plant leaves to herbal tea and the juice into capsules, both exhibiting health benefits. Given that the fruits and the leaves are used in traditional medicine in Mauritius, the issue of safety and toxicity is negligible (Suroowan and Mahomoodally, 2016).

Unveiling the commercial potential of the Mauritian produced cocoa butter for local and international markets using a biotechnology based approach

Mon, 03 Dec 2018 20:00:00 +0000

The chocolate tree was introduced in Mauritius in the 16th century and is exploited by a few planters scattered around the island. Cocoa butter is renowned for its several uses in the pharmaceutical, cosmetic and in the food sectors. Since cocoa is cultivated on very small acreages in Mauritius (1-12acres), and is biologically grown, the yield of cocoa beans is not competitive with other world producers on the international market. However, locally produced cocoa butter has the potential to contend with available cocoa butter equivalents as it is directly extracted from biologically grown Mauritian chocolate tree. Cocoa butter is obtained after removing the shell from the bean at an extraction rate of 25-55% fetching a price of up to 500 Euros for 1kg on the international market. The yield of cocoa butter is determined by various factors including post-harvest processes such as fermentation, drying and roasting. These processing treatment parameters vary with genotype and agro-climatic conditions and have not been defined for the Mauritian cocoa. This project aims at producing high quality organic cocoa butter, which will supply the local chocolate and cosmetic industry and contribute to project Mauritius on the world market by optimizing the post-harvest treatments involved in cocoa butter production using a biotechnology based approach.

Arundo Donax a Viable Alternative towards National Clean Energy Development (ADVANCED)

Thu, 12 Oct 2017 20:00:00 +0000

Arundo Donax crop cultivation has been undertaken by Equilibre Bioenergy Production Ltd (EPBL) in several locations in Mauritius since 2012 and in 2016 a new improved variety ‘Arundo Donax K12’ imported from Honduras is grown which is expected to have better agricultural yield amongst many other benefits. EPBL intends to cultivate Arundo Donax biomass on around 2200-2800 hectares of land (~2.5% of total agricultural land in Mauritius) to produce adequate biomass for the construction of a first 30 MW installed capacity dedicated biomass power plant, a pioneer one based on Arundo Donax biomass, to export around 200 GWh of firm/base load electricity annually. Alternative, the biomass produced can be equally co-combusted in existing ‘bagasse cum coal’ or coal power plants as a complementary fuel to bagasse or substitute for imported sub-bituminous coal in Mauritius. The project is comprised of multiple benefits namely, contribution to agricultural development, sustainable energy production and energy security, environmental/climate mitigation through CO2 abatement and coal replacement, support to the dwindling sugarcane industry in particular to the small planters, improvement in land use following the abandonment of around 17,000 hectares of sugarcane lands so far, and many other socio-economic developments such as job creation and reduction in energy budget expenditure.

Evidencing Mauritian Potential of Waste-to-Energy Recovery Systems (EMPOWERS)

Wed, 08 Mar 2017 20:00:00 +0000

Mauritius generates more than 400,000 tonnes of Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) each year. The quasi-totality of these wastes is collected, transferred and ultimately disposed in the Mare-Chicose landfill. With an integrated waste management approach, it is estimated that renewable energy generation from waste could promote 20-30 MW additional capacity in the forthcoming years. This will increase the amount of electricity produced from such sources by around 10-fold based on the existing CDM certified 3.3 MW landfill Gas-to-Energy facility. The matching benefit of such development will be the diversion of waste from the sole existing landfill which is as significant as the renewable energy potential of the resource. The potential of waste-to-energy (WTE) can only be evidenced with a thorough study on the waste management processes including collection, transport, treatment and disposal together with the quantification and characterization of the waste. This study will focus on key commercial applications for waste transformation into energy products such as anaerobic digestion of the organic fractions of waste, the potential of waste pyrolysis-gasification, and bulk and refuse derived fuel combustion in existing or new power plants. The project will conclude on the commercial potential of our waste fractions namely organics and combustibles, level of waste processing required, and optimal processing configuration of WTE facilities including centralised or decentralised production for the Mauritian context.

Abating Water Pollution from Oil Refinery Effluents using Reed Beds

Thu, 27 Apr 2017 20:00:00 +0000

MOROIL best believes that business operations should be undertaken sustainably. Energy efficiency programme and pollution abatement are sharing equal motivation weightage at MOROIL. The robust, easy to operate and low maintenance treatment technology of constructed wetland system is an innovativeness, partnered by the University of Mauritius (UOM). It only provides a cost effective solution as compared to traditional methods of pollution abatement but also dwells on a differentiation strategy. The main driver for such project is to reduce, with enough statistical evidence, the Chemical Oxygen Demand of MOROIL’s effluent to the permitted threshold of 150 mg/L. The design, construction and set up of the treatment system have leaned against the expertise of the research unit of UOM and against international research papers. Statistical analyses using regression tests, 1-way ANOVA and non – parametric tests, all at 95 % confidence level will be performed to test the validity of the objectives set. Another research element will consist of the profiling of microorganisms in the wastewater as well as in the sediments and root systems of the bed. The statistical significance (95% C.I) on abatement of pollution will hence be tested. Finally, the potentiality of microbial inoculation and addition of enzymes such as ureases will be investigated. This project has opened doors for its outbound commercial applications. MOROIL is in talk with SPHB, an oil refinery in Reunion Island, and they have declared interest in this innovative green approach.

Determining the optimum thermal processing conditions for octopus packed in retort pouches

Mon, 27 Jun 2016 20:00:00 +0000

Rodrigues has a good reputation on Mauritian market for its highly valued products, owing to its non-polluted environment, traditional agriculture and tasty food. One of its much appreciated products is the octopus (Octopus cyanea) which is currently marketed either as fresh, frozen or dried. This study purports to explore another avenue for value-addition of Rodriguan octopus through the development of shelf-stable, ready-to-eat convenience products that would satisfy the requirements of the modern consumer. The technique chosen is thermal processing because it not only affects cooking of the octopus but also is an excellent preservation method that allows the products to keep for more than six months at room temperature. Instead of metal can however, retort pouch is to be used, which would help reduce production, storage and transportation costs. Octopus will be prepared in two different ways: (i) salted and cooked and (ii) vindaye. 205-210 grams of so-prepared octopus will then be packed in 18*12 cm3 retort pouches and thermally sterilised. The latter will be effected in a water immersion over-pressure retort. Experiments will be run to define the adequate process lethality F0 to achieve commercial sterility. The process will be validated via microbiological tests and sensory analysis.

Innovative Products from Recycling of Waste Glass including Cathode Ray Tube (CRT) glass

Mon, 29 Jun 2015 20:00:00 +0000

Due to rapid developments in technology, there is a continuous replacement of Cathode Ray Tube (CRT) monitors by LCD screen. However, with little handling alternatives, discarded CRTs derived from computer monitors and televisions are frequently sent to landfills, which pose a threat to human health as the funnel base of the CRT contains lead oxides (PBO), which is considered as a dangerous element. Predictions also indicate that post-consumer glass waste will also increase in the future and same will end up in the landfills. With the help of the University of Mauritius (UoM), BEM Enterprises, which is a specialised company in the E-Waste management, wants to put in place a proper institutional and infrastructural framework with effective innovations for a proper recycling and valorisation of those glasses. This study aims therefore to compare the feasibility of using CRT recycled glass and post-consumer glass as fine aggregates in mortar for the manufacture of glass foams and tiles. Potential lead leaching will thus be investigated and methods developed to reduce the lead content so that the recycled product have a value added and innovative materials for the Mauritian market.

Innovative and environmentally friendly products from recycling of the different components of the refrigerator

Mon, 29 Jun 2015 20:00:00 +0000

With the arrival of more energy efficient refrigerators on the market, old refrigerators, which are “energivore”, are reaching their end-of-life (EOL) and these need to be properly recycled. However, there is no proper recycling facilities actually in Mauritius, which can deal with these refrigerators in an environmentally safe manner; as same is composed of various materials. If not recycled properly, these old refrigerators can represent a major source of harmful pollutants for our environment and eco-system. For example, the refrigerant in the cooling circuit, the CFCs gas and other blowing agents in the foam, which represent a risk to the world global warming. Hence the aim of BEM Enterprises which specializes in the E-Waste management in collaboration with the University of Mauritius (UoM), to implement a proper procedure for the recuperation and disassembly of unused refrigerators. This collaboration is axed on the recycling and valorization of discarded refrigerators where the challenge is to implement an efficient and sustainable recovery systems for the secondary materials to be processed locally. The foam will be mixed up with other municipal solid waste (MSW), such as old mattresses, old wooden pallets, etc. in order to manufacture Refuse-derived fuel (RDF) which can be used as a substitute to fuel. The metal will be turned into zorba for the metallurgy industry, the glass into glass powder for manufacture of glass tiles and the plastics into plastic chips/pellets. Thus, not a single material will end up in landfills or in the nature.

Healthcare Information System

Thu, 09 Apr 2015 20:00:00 +0000

The healthcare system in Mauritius presently lacks a proper information system in order to improve services provided in public hospitals. Electronic health records systems are expensive and fairly complex for the application in the local context due to the present system’s intricacies. The expected outcome of this project is to develop a Healthcare Information System (HIS) for Mauritius and for the region, to improve health services in public and private hospitals, as well as from private practitioners. The aim is to provide a common robust and scalable platform to stakeholders of the medical sector, which will enable global visibility on issues and trends, and contribute to an early health warning system through timely access and secured sharing of medical information. The HIS will consist of a Patient Medical Record and Scheduling System, a Patient Portal, and Health Analytics capabilities.

Basaltic filler for partial cement replacement

Thu, 19 Feb 2015 20:00:00 +0000

Today Mauritius imports 700 Ktons of cement from Asia (70m$) and Gamma is the most important cement consumer consequently the leader in the concrete business. Gamma has the capability to innovate, carry out research, develop and commercialise 2 new types of cements; subject the latter is in accordance with BS EN standards and local applicable standards. Dry and grind Basaltic Filler < 63µm is a locally available material which can be produced from Blue Basalt rocks. Our recent study on Basaltic Filler as partial replacement in cement has given Gamma sufficient keys and constructive possible solutions from a technical point of view as well as from an economical point of view to investigate further in this potential field. The use of Basaltic Filler blend in normal cement has a national interest; it will not only reduce the importation of cement by 15%, it will equally have a direct commercial impact by reducing the cost of concrete and mortars. Our Basaltic Filler project will be carried out by Gamma Technical & Product Development Team in close collaboration with Université des Mascareignes, MSB, MOPI and experts in the field.

Coal Ash for partial cement replacement

Thu, 19 Feb 2015 20:00:00 +0000

Today Mauritius imports 700 Ktons of cement from Asia (70m$) and Gamma is the most important cement consumer consequently the leader in the concrete business. Gamma has the capability to innovate, carry out research, develop and commercialise 2 new types of cements; subject the latter is in accordance with BS EN standards and local applicable standards. Today the Independent Power Producer (IPP) is burning 500 Ktons of coal to produce energy resulting to a waste of 75 Ktons of Coal Ash which is dumped in the open areas. The IPP is constantly facing pressure from the Authorities and NGOs’ to comply with the Environmental regulations. The use of Coal Ash as partial replacement in cement will be the best constructive solutions to be in line with National Policy of “Maurice Ile Durable”. The use of Coal Ash blend in normal cement has a national interest; it will not only reduce the importation of cement by 10%, it will equally have a direct commercial impact by reducing the cost of cement. Our Coal Ash project will be carried out by Gamma Technical & Product Development Team in close collaboration with Université des Mascareignes, MSB, MoPI and experts in the field.

Mobile (tablet) adaptation of the flash-based edutainment website uptoten.com

Sun, 07 Dec 2014 20:00:00 +0000

UpToTen.com is a kids fun learning website with a worldwide visibility deriving its major traffic from France, the Us, Canada and India. The main problem is that in 2014, 80 percent of the new visitors to the site access it via a tablet or a Smartphone. Given that the site is mainly in Flash and not tablet-compatible, such visitors spend only an average of 2 minutes and visit only 2 pages maximum on the site prior to opting out of it, compared to an average of 15 minutes and 15 pages when the site is accessed on a desktop/laptop computer. UPTOTEN is currently struggling to maintain its customer base due to the exponential growth of tablet utilisation among its primary customers. The aim of this project is to develop a rapid methodological process that can be applied on a large scale to re-adapt flash-based games to tablet-based environments. This will eventually help in improving the financial sustainability of the company by retaining its customer base through the development of a redesigned product that is responsive to their needs that is a tablet-compatible environment.

Pharmacological screening to assess neuprotective and therapeutic potential of Mauritian medicinal plants

Mon, 04 Sep 2017 20:00:00 +0000

Neurodegeneration is the result of progressive death of brain cells – a hallmark of illnesses such as Alzheimer’s or Parkinson’s diseases. At present, there are no satisfactory treatments available. Scientific research suggests that various classes of phytochemicals have neuroprotective actions, and many plant-derived drugs are currently under development for major brain disorders, holding the promise to treat or prevent neurodegenerative processes. In this project, Axonova and University of Mauritius join their expertise to evaluate the neuroprotective potential of Mauritian plants. Mauritius is endowed with a unique pharmacopeia, and, prior research at University of Mauritius has identified many plant extracts and phytochemicals that possess interesting medicinal properties. Axonova will aim at valorising the University’s work and translate academic research into commercial assets. Axonova will provide in vitro screening platforms and capabilities in neuroscience, aiming to identify and validate neuroprotective and therapeutic effects of medicinal plants. The drug discovery program shall lead to candidates with strong neuroprotective properties that can be licensed to global pharmaceutical companies. Such assets are of great interest for the pharmaceutical and nutraceutical industries, since more than 100 million patients are suffering from neurodegenerative disorders worldwide and there is an urgent need to find better therapeutic alternatives and preventions.

Fighting Diabetes at the Workplace (FDW) by Omnicane Limited

Sun, 18 Aug 2019 10:58:56 +0000

Above 40% of Mauritians in the age-group 25-74 is either diabetic or pre-diabetic [NCD Survey 2015]. Given the prevalence of type II diabetes in the Mauritius population, it is estimated that a quarter of the company’s workforce may be affected by the disease leading to a consequent loss in productivity and profits within the business. FDW is a socially innovative matching grant scheme accompanied by a pilot programme with the aim to incentivize interested large establishments to provide at workplace level, a comprehensive range of medical, educational and psychosocial support facilities to their employees to ensure systematic detection, follow-up and treatment of diabetic and pre-diabetic employees. In this context, Omnicane Limited is currently implementing the FDW at its La Baraque Cluster with respect to some 500 employees. Omnicane Limited has partnered with two specialized NGOs, namely Positive Approach to Total Health (P.A.T.H) and APSA for the implementation of the project. Some of the activities currently being carried out are Awareness Campaigns, Screening sessions, Follow-up to screening sessions, Counselling sessions, etc.

An Adaptive Short-term Localised Weather Forecasting System for Mauritius

Fri, 11 Oct 2019 10:48:45 +0000

Mauritius has recently experienced drastic weather conditions such as flashfloods that caused major collateral damage and life loss. Predicting such weather conditions with conventional forecasting systems is not possible because these systems provide predictions for large regions over hours. However, there are several weather forecasting systems based on localised sensors connected to cloud computing facilities that can provide short-term forecasts for small regions. These forecasting systems make use of techniques such as neural networks, Fuzzy logic, time series and regression analysis. The main aim of this research is to set up a short-term weather forecasting system for Mauritius that will collect weather data such as temperature, humidity, water level etc. The sensors will relay the data to a cloud that will apply different forecasting algorithms and mobile alerts can even be generated when required. Investigations will be performed in different regions and time periods to compare the performances of different predictions algorithms. Subsequently, an adaptive algorithm that will provide optimum prediction based for a given region and time interval will be developed. This forecasting system will be of relatively low-cost and will have good potential for commercialisation. For example educational and other institutions might consider setting up their own weather stations. Additionally, the system could be used in the tourism sector, especially by hotels for their guests to anticipate weather conditions in regions they want to visit and also in the agriculture sector where chain crop producers can particularly plan their daily schedules so as to increase efficiency and productivity.

Digital Inclusion as one of the Enablers of Active Ageing: Empowering the Elderly to Use WhatsApp as an Innovative Communication Tool in Mauritius

Wed, 25 Sep 2019 20:00:00 +0000

In Mauritius, the population of elderly has been on the increase since 1962 from 5.4% to 12.3% in 2012. With the rapid progression of technology in Mauritius, there is a significant proportion of the population that remains digitally ‘excluded’; and among them are the elderly population. The lack of ICT access and technological skills has been regarded as major challenges for the ageing people who are still very much digitally excluded in many developing countries. One of the main aims of this project was to bridge this gap by developing an interactive learning tool to help elderly people to make use of WhatsApp, a free communication tool through their smartphones. This will contribute towards significantly improving the quality of their life and tackle loneliness through easy interaction. The animated learning tool on ‘how to use WhatsApp’ has been developed using several software to include animations, use of symbols and voice over in Creole Language to cater for those who have a very low literacy level. The final product has been tested in two Community Centres in Mauritius with 44 elderly persons aged 55 to 80 years old. After the training, the animated learning tool has been revised and is now available for everyone to use.

Incorporating Cover Crops (“Plantes de Service” – PdS”) for Organic Sugarcane Production

Mon, 17 Jun 2019 20:00:00 +0000

Organic sugarcane production implies, among others, the non-use of herbicides and inorganic fertilizers. Currently, weed control in sugarcane is mostly achieved by use of pre- & post-emergence herbicides; non-chemical means to minimize weed infestations remains mainly exploitation of cane trash as a mulch. In Réunion Island, with their severe restrictions on herbicides, eRcane and CIRAD are testing the use of some “Plantes de Service – PdS” to manage weed infestations in sugarcane and organic vegetables/pineapple production. In Mauritius, inclusion of leguminous crops as PdS (e.g. Canavalia ensiformis or Lablab purpureus cv. Highworth) in sugarcane interrows is also expected to supply partly the organic N requirements of the crop through atmospheric fixation. The aim of this project is, firstly, to develop and adapt a sowing machine to establish the “PdS’ through cane trash under our local conditions, and then to evaluate their agronomic contributions and limitations. The successful inclusion of PdS in our sugarcane cropping systems will enable us to embark in the production of organic sugar, a commodity with a more lucrative price. In the conventional sugarcane cropping system, PdS may minimize herbicides and fertilizers costs. Similar sowing machines will be required by the various sugarcane producers, including possibility of producing seeds locally.

Forty2

Wed, 16 Jan 2019 20:00:00 +0000

In today’s world, people want everything instantly (just like coffee). It can be services with a fixed address like a restaurant or it can be a service that is provided by a person moving around like in a taxi. Matching their search and geolocation with a mobile application, we have a solution with a high market value: local service search. Forty2 is a mobile application platform that can solve all this: we provide the data by aggregation of information on the internet, which is enhanced by users indicating what they offer. The mobile app provides the location. The platform displays the most relevant results and the user can contact the service provider directly. This platform proposes two major innovations: (1) Functional: searching and contacting fixed as well as moving services/contacts. As audience, every Mauritian can potentially be interested with the solution. CSO statistics of 2016 show that there are 875k mobile internet users in Mauritius with 71.4% using the internet to search for information. (2) Technical: all users of the applications can potentially be targeted by marketers as they can be profiled by what can be interesting to them (what they searched, who they contacted) and using some machine learning techniques, we can identify the most relevant leads for marketers. Based on Mauritius top 100 companies’ revenues and marketing statistics, we can estimate that the online marketing market is worth Rs 150M!

Development of a crowdlending platform in Mauritius

Thu, 17 Jan 2019 20:00:00 +0000

FundKiss Technologies Limited (“FundKiss”) is a domestic company incorporated on 25th August 2016. FundKiss is the first entity to secure the Regulatory Sandbox Licence from the Board of Investment/Economic Development Board to operate in Mauritius. FundKiss shall operate the first licensed crowdlending platform in Mauritius and hence participates in the emergence of the fintech industry in Mauritius. The platform should be attractive to SMEs as they will obtain unsecured loans from lenders at attractive interest rates. After the successful deployment of the platform, FundKiss will test whether (i) Crowdfunding can be a viable business in Mauritius (ii) SMEs find it attractive to use this medium to seek financing for their projects (iii) the potential lenders have an appetite to fund SMEs’ projects.

Monetizing TravelBudds, travelling social network

Tue, 25 Sep 2018 20:00:00 +0000

TravelBudds is a smart-travel start-up which ambitions to create the first smart travel assistant based on artificial intelligence. In order to collect the adapted data to create the perfect match between a traveler and his dream destination for a weekend, a vacation or a year around the world, TravelBudds needs to connect service providers of the tourism sector as well as Tourism Promotion Authorities. The aim of this project was to develop the application infrastructure allowing: (1) our service providers to manage their online visibility directly to potential users through personalisable professional pages thanks to in-line editing on web and mobile, including details about their activities (opening hours, service provided, a short description, directions and visibility on map) and a photo gallery. This should allow them to work on their visibility also by sharing automatically on other social networks. (ii) our service providers to transform visibility into tangible business thanks to qualitative feedback from users (ratings, comments, shares, etc.) and a direct “book button” through the app. This project has a technical impact on the global infrastructure (backend, admin and front-end) and will also include major changes for payment possibilities.

Optimization of the design and operation of a pilot patented biodigester, including the testing of incoming volatile waste with high solid content

Mon, 28 May 2018 20:00:00 +0000

JUA group has set up a pilot Anaerobic Digester (AD) associated with a composting plant (CP) installed on the site of a major chicken slaughterhouse in Mauritius. Both the AD and the CP are fundamentally innovative and hold patents delivered by INPI in France. The pilot station has been operating for more than a year and different mix of highly volatile organic waste have been used to run the biodigester and associated equipment. The results are very encouraging although variations have been observed in the yield of biogas produced, both in terms of quantity and composition. During these months of operation of the pilot and close monitoring of the biodigestion mechanism, adjustments regarding optimization of the design have been carried out to make the most of the testing period observations through a very effective lessons- learned process. Besides the optimization of the flow network, one of the main technical challenge faced by the pilot was to implement a heating system for pretreatment of the waste infeed and to establish the optimum feed composition, to avoid inhibitions due to the high organic fatty acids and ammonium content of slaughter-house waste. Purification of biogas to produce high quality biomethane was also a concern and we successfully demonstrated the feasibility of a calcium hydroxide carbonation process by reaching more than 95% methane content.

Intelligent Bat Deterrent Controller (IBDC)

Sat, 17 Aug 2019 20:00:00 +0000

Mauritius fruit bat (Pteropus niger) is an endemic bat listed as Vulnerable (being currently considered for Critically Endangered) by International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). The bats are perceived as major pests in Mauritius despite their important role in forest ecosystem as the only large frugivore on the island responsible for long distance seed dispersal and pollinator. The Mauritius fruit bat was a subject to national cull in 2015 and 2016 to reduce their impact on fruit farms which resulted in over 40,000 killed bats. However, studies from Australia or Thailand shows that culling does not work as bats will keep coming to feed in orchards. The objective of this project is to develop and test non-lethal audio-visual sound based, bat deterrence which can be applied in orchards. A single board based computer (SBC) will be used to emit varieties of sounds synchronized with light. The totally autonomous device will be placed in litchi and mango orchards. Sounds will include distressed bat sounds, predator call, dog barking, car and motorbike horn, fire crackers, shotgun, high pitch sounds, etc. If successful, it will be economically valuable and easy to use methods to protect both the crop and the bats.

Implementation of a Pilot Health Information Management System (HIMS) using Contactless Cards

Sat, 17 Aug 2019 20:00:00 +0000

The digitization of the healthcare system in Mauritius has somehow failed to provide an integrated system that leverages state-of-the-art technologies to provide a holistic service to the users of the system, namely: patients, doctors and the management personnel. To bridge the gap, this project proposed the implementation of a pilot Health and Information Management System at Medisave clinic. A patient-centred information system will be developed to provide a set of rich services that follows the patient through the process chain (registration, diagnosis, treatment and billing). Doctors will also use the system to access and edit readily-available patients’ record. While patient information moves (securely) across the system, the need for paper-based data is decreased. For example, treatment medication information will be available at the pharmacy even before the patient reaches there. By making use of a contactless card, the patient will access all the services of the Healthcare system. Doctors will also be able to follow patient history efficiently, while the finance department will be able to tract expenses incurred and revenues generated during the course of the healthcare provided. The project proposes thus to serve as a valuable and affordable model for integration in our public health system.

Towards Graduate Work Readiness in Mauritius: A Multi-Stakeholder Approach

Wed, 31 May 2017 20:00:00 +0000

This research aims at exploring graduate employability challenges in Mauritius before proposing recommendations to better prepare Mauritian graduates for the needs of the labour market. The project is part of a wider research initiative from Curtin University, Australia, to study graduate work-readiness in the Asia Pacific region as well as Mauritius. The main objectives of this research are therefore to: 1. Evaluate the extent and nature of work-readiness/employability challenges facing graduates, private sector employers, government, and Higher Education institutions (academic and vocational) within Mauritius. 2. Identify the current strategies and approaches that (a) government, (b) educational institutions, and (c) other key stakeholders have developed to address these challenges. 3. Determine how effective these strategies have been to date from multiple stakeholder lenses. 4. Recommend an effective strategy to address these challenges for key stakeholders in Mauritius.

Networking and Internationalisation of SMEs in SIDS economies: Evidence from Mauritius

Sun, 02 Jun 2019 20:00:00 +0000

This study aimed at identifying the main barriers to SMEs’ internationalisation and assessing the importance, roles and sources of networking to SMEs’ internationalisation. A comprehensive review of the literature revealed that the majority of the studies on networking and SMEs internationalisation have been conducted in developed countries and while in a Small Island Developing State (SIDS) context, no research has been undertaken as at date to investigate the importance, roles and sources of networking to SMEs internationalisation. To achieve the objectives for the study, a questionnaire was administered among 101 owners/managers/directors of SMEs in Mauritius and the data collected were processed using the IBM SPSS Statistics V21.0. According to the findings of the study, informational and political-economic barriers have been identified as the main barriers to SMEs internationalisation in Mauritius. It has also been found that the networking challenges as well as the sources of networking may influence the scope of SMEs’ internationalisation. Based on the findings of the study, recommendations have been proposed to policy makers so that effective policies are formulated to support SMEs’ internationalisation and secondly to entrepreneurs of SMEs who can set in place appropriate strategies and structures to benefit from networking throughout the internationalisation process.

Experimental Evaluation of an Evacuated tube solar-thermal collector model

Tue, 31 Oct 2017 20:00:00 +0000

The main aim of this study is to design an evacuated tube solar water collector model for the correct prediction of its performance under different climate conditions and materials used for its manufacture. The ultimate objective is to develop a model that can be used to support the local SWH industry to optimise the performance of solar water heater. An experimental rig was set up with the installation requirements in accordance with ISO 9806:2013. The results were recorded over a fortnight, from which a selection of 3 hours was considered for validating a numerical thermal model, which can be adapted to the changing climatic conditions of Mauritius. The Boussinesq’s approximation was employed for developing the numerical thermal model. A close agreement was met for the validation, with only a maximum of 2.06% deviation from experimental data. The temperature contours demonstrated that temperature within the water tank is quite uniform, with 5.0°C increase for each hour. An overall thermal efficiency of 40.39% was noted during the 3-hour solar exposure. It was also observed that the thermal efficiency undergoes very low (if not negligible) increases for solar irradiance values above 75 W/m-2. Furthermore, changes in thermal efficiency were found to follow any drastic fluctuations in solar irradiance, before stabilising around 40.05% again.

Citizen empowerment in newly born Smart Cities in Mauritius

Sun, 02 Sep 2018 20:00:00 +0000

In this research work, it is proposed to use the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) to effectively assess the perception and readiness and the perceived usefulness of certain smart city technologies such as for transportation as well as identifying key smart city applications for Mauritius. The aim of this research project is to evaluate and assess the different factors and condition that can have an impact on the perceived ease of use (PEOU), perceived usefulness (PU), attitudes towards using (ATT), behavioural intention (BI) to use and actual use (AU) of smart city technologies. For smart cities to become a reality in Mauritius, smart city applications and services should be citizen-centered and relevant for ordinary citizens in their everyday life. This research work will allow to assess the readiness of Mauritian citizens for Smart city applications as well as identify applications which can empower citizen. This research will look into the Mauritian society’s readiness for acceptance of new solutions and smart city technologies and give an insight into the needs and demand of the society, as well as the harmonization of individual and common demands. It also allows to perform analysis of the social and non-technological aspects of smart city adoption.

Feasibility Study of an Integrated Financial Literacy Assistance Strategy for Small Medium Enterprises in Mauritius

Wed, 31 Jan 2018 20:00:00 +0000

The project goal is to improve the financial literacy of Mauritian SME owners by finding an integrated financial assistance strategy for SMEs in Mauritius in view of enhancing the financial sustainability, growth and development of their business entities. During this study, a micro-level study has been undertaken with SME owners, notably through administering of surveys and focus groups. The perspectives of other stakeholders namely the Small and Medium Enterprises Development Authority (SMEDA), the Ministry of Business Enterprise and Cooperatives, Financial institutions namely the Development Bank of Mauritius (DBM) and other commercial banks, were also gauged to identify the gaps and institutional hurdles in the sustainable financial soundness of SMEs. The project also highlights the specific gaps and needs in terms of financial education and contributes to designing the most adapted solutions in terms of training and IT to respond to these needs. Another important task of this project attempts to make an evaluation of the present IT infrastructure that exists in Mauritius to meet the financial literacy informational needs of SMEs with the aim to provide an electronic assistance strategy. Hence, this study can contribute in transforming not only local SMEs but also contribute to the economy of the country.

Assessing the factors influencing SME innovation in Mauritius

Sun, 30 Sep 2018 20:00:00 +0000

The purpose of the present study is to assess the factors that influence innovations among small and medium enterprises in Mauritius, being given the increasing importance of SME's in the Mauritian economy. The main objectives of the research were to identify and measure factors that promote innovation among SMEs; identify and measure barriers to innovation in SMEs; propose strategies to mitigate effects of barriers to innovation and drive SME innovation. Following a thorough review of extant literature, a mixed methodology was proposed. Data were collected by means of a questionnaire administered to a targeted sample of 200 SMEs from 18 different sectors out of a population estimated at 12,219 operational SMEs registered at the SMEDA in 2016. In addition, using a qualitative approach, a number of face-to-face interviews were conducted with a cross-section of stakeholders, entrepreneurs and policymakers. Findings of the study revealed that two main composite aspects, namely 'Financial Assistance Aspect' and 'Personality Aspect' were the main drivers of innovation. The two main composite aspects acting as barriers to innovation were found to be the 'Business Model Aspect' and the 'Collaboration Aspect'. Therefore to promote SME innovation, the study recommended: that Innovation be demystified; the creation of structures to ensure good return on investment in innovation grants/packages; the recognition of the relevance of an entrepreneurial culture and a national guideline to SME innovation/growth.

A capability assessment for the University of Mauritius eLearning Initiative using the eLearning Maturity Model (EMM)

Wed, 31 Jan 2018 20:00:00 +0000

In this research, a capability audit of the eLearning initiative of the University of Mauritius is conducted using the eLearning Maturity Model (EMM) version 2.3 developed by Stephen Marshall. Assessing the eLearning maturity of an organization is mainly a qualitative exercise that is essentially based on a convergence of different trends or elements (that could also include quantitative data) towards a singular point or tendency, so that the assessor may come up with an appropriate and accurate judgment prior to deciding on a particular rating to be marked. Based on the evaluation it was obvious that the University of Mauritius has key strengths in four of the five process areas namely Learning, Development, Support and Organization while there are gaps to be addressed in a majority of the Evaluation process area. It is safe to say that the institution has reached and completed major requirements to be pitched at Level 2 (Repeatable) of the Capability Maturity Model, and is operating at Level 3 (Defined) where there are still key actions and measures to be put in place.

Conducting a Randomized Controlled Trial to Investigate the Impact of Meditation on Work Stress

Thu, 30 Nov 2017 20:00:00 +0000

The main objective of this research has been to assess the effect of meditation on work stress in full-time workers. The following steps of the research study have been conducted: (i) apply Psychological Testing (standardized tests) to measure stress levels (ii) assess whether regular meditation had an impact on stress levels (iii) distinguish between the effectiveness of meditation and relaxation as a stress coping tool (iv) confirm meditation as a stress management tool This study provides preliminary evidence to support the use of both meditation and relaxation as a stress management tool. However, meditation (creative visualization or mental silence) has better benefits as compared to relaxation.

A Legal Information Retrieval System for Mauritius

Sun, 02 Dec 2018 20:00:00 +0000

Mauritius has a ‘hybrid’ legal system, combining both the civil and common law practices. Its legal system is governed by principles derived both from the French Code Napoléon and the British common law. This legal hybridity does not only make legal research complex and time consuming but also affects the rate at which cases are decided and judgments are delivered. To address both the limited access to large repositories of legal data and the constraints faced by the Mauritius Judiciary in terms of resources, budget, labour and time, we have developed an information retrieval system to assist in the retrieval of legal documents. The database contains around a thousand acts and judgements of the Supreme Court of Mauritius for the years 1968-2017. The information retrieval engine allows queries to be formulated in natural language. It offers a unique bilingual feature where queries can be entered in French and results are displayed from both English and French documents and vice versa. The system is adapted to help users to decide which of the retrieved documents are most likely to convey their retrieval needs, firstly by ranking the documents in descending order of relevance and secondly by displaying relevant sections from relevant statutes. This research project contributed to the benefit of the society considering that the information retrieval system is freely accessible and requires no formal training to use. It would be helpful to laypersons, law students, scholars, legal research assistants and legal professionals such as lawyers, attorneys, notaries who may have different information retrieval needs.

Development of a Sustainability Index Framework for the Mauritian Textile Industry

Sun, 30 Sep 2018 20:00:00 +0000

The textile industry has a key role in the Mauritian economy both as a driver for employment creation and as a pillar of the economy. With the increasing demands for high quality textile products and an ever more open global market, textile production has risen swiftly in recent years, accompanied by a pressing need to improve competitiveness. An increasing component of this competitiveness matrix is the sustainability of the materials and processes involved. By its very nature, the textile industry can lead to serious environmental degradation, and for a Small Island Developing State (SIDS) like Mauritius with a fragile ecosystem, developing a sustainability framework for the textile industry is key to ensuring a sound economic growth of this sector and adjoining ones. This research project presents findings obtained from a survey of major textile companies in Mauritius to understand the current situation in terms of awareness and good practices already in place. In the light of the results, a sustainability index framework has been developed based 174 environmental, 15 economic and 30 social indicators deemed of relevance for the Mauritian context. The framework has been applied on selected textile companies and the results show promise to use the indicators to benchmark practices of companies in this sector and provides a sound starting point to refine and adjust the framework parameters as priorities change over time.

Developing and Testing a Conceptual Model on Plastic Card Adoption for emerging countries: A case of Mauritius

Thu, 03 Jan 2019 10:17:30 +0000

The present project aims to provide insights on plastic card adoption by integrating the views of banking professionals, plastic card executives, customers and merchants and to test a conceptual model on plastic card adoption for Mauritius. Empirical estimates from the quantitative findings have highlighted that the majority of customers (77.1%) are plastic card users in Mauritius. The study has also revealed that factors such as, ‘the convenience of using plastic cards’ ‘the geographic dispersion of ATMs’ and ‘security risks’ as the most important factors for determining the adoption of plastic cards. The current study has also shown that merchants accept plastic card payments to increase frequency sales, to remain competitive and to decrease the risks of theft but there are also many factors which increase their resistance to accept credit cards from customers. The present research work will serve as a roadmap for banking executives, credit card companies, policy makers of banking industry and merchants to better promote the adoption of plastic cards in a cashless. Moreover, plastic cardholders should be encouraged to spread positive referral about digital money to increase the adoption of plastic money in Mauritius. In addition, merchants should provide customers with gifts, loyalty cards and rewards to increase the adoption of plastic cards.

Computational Analysis for Understanding Evolution of Infectious Diseases

Thu, 31 Jan 2019 20:00:00 +0000

Infectious diseases are one of the main causes of death around the world each and every year. Microorganisms present in the air, soil and water affect human, plants and animals in Africa and this impedes the development of the whole continent. Several diseases have emerged due to the cohabitation of animals and human beings. Sometimes, the pathogen evolve, evade the host defenses by varying their antigenic molecules and this renders the host vulnerable. The aim of this project was to develop an Infectious Disease Evolutionary Analysis System (IDEAS), which provides appropriate tools for the researchers in the area of microbial genomics, to perform an intensive computational and evolutionary analysis of existing and newly-sequenced infectious-causing pathogens. A web-based front-end application was developed for interacting with the data warehouse. Several facilities have been provided for interfacing with the sequences. Some of them include: similarity searches using BLAST, calculate the evolutionary rate of genes, text-mining component to search for specific genes, identification of polymorphic genes and highly-conserved genes, geographical visualization of the evolution of infectious diseases on the African continent. This project is a comprehensive and in-depth study in the area of infectious diseases that will have a positive impact on all the researchers in the African continent that are actively involved in bioinformatics.

Identification and assessment of key determinants of public transportation behavioural intention of local citizen and tourists in Mauritius predicting transportation behaviours and its policy implications

Tue, 31 Jul 2018 20:00:00 +0000

The present study proposes to focus on the psychological factors that affect individuals’ behavioural intentions with regards to the use of public transports. An integrated model is developed based an exploratory research and by taking into account existing theories such as the theory of planned behaviour. Determinants such as fares, quality of service and income identified and empirically tested by Paulley et al. (2006) shall also be included. A multi-dimensional approach will be used to conceptualise and operationalise transport service quality. Transport service quality dimensions include safety on board, safety at stations, travel time, number of departures and number of seats (Pedersen et al., 2011). The study furthermore explores the relationships between the various determinants of public transport behavioural intentions and their effect on behavioural intentions of public transport users with the aim of reducing private vehicle use and encouraging the use of public transport.

Tourism Demand for the Length of stay in Mauritius: Socio-economic status and Psychological Development

Sun, 01 Jul 2018 20:00:00 +0000

This report analyses the determinants of the length of stay of international tourists taking vacations in Mauritius, based on a questionnaire distributed in the departure lounge of the Sir Seewoosagur Ramgoolam International Airport. A survival model was adopted to measure the relationship between duration of stay and the different covariates. It was concluded that the length of stay at the destination is related to the various demographic characteristics, rating of trip attributes, sustainability practices and personality traits of the respondents. Thus the need for taking into consideration these factors for marketing purposes and eventually the sustainability of tourism industry in Mauritius is being advocated for.

Identifying Barriers Impeding the Development of the SME Sector and Redefining the Enabling Environment for Growth

Sun, 01 Oct 2017 20:00:00 +0000

This project investigates the factors impeding growth and development of Mauritian SMEs in the current ecosystem. The need for such a project stems from the fact that despite SMEs contributing 40% of the GDP, many of these SMEs are not growing substantially enough to create new jobs. This study employed a questionnaire survey approach to find out which internal factors determine the growth intentions of Mauritian SME owner-managers, and how their motivation to start the business and to continue running it impacts on SME growth and innovation. Our survey findings give the profile of the typical Mauritian SME owner-manager: male aged between 31 to 50 years having amassed previous work experience, armed with a diploma or degree, operating his business from his own home or backyard, earning less than Rs 500,000 annually and employing an average of 2 workers. Other findings in terms of SME growth strategies, innovation, entrepreneurial competencies and attitude will also be discussed.

A mass media communication system using mobile voice technology for information dissemination during crisis situation in Mauritius

Sun, 01 Jul 2018 20:00:00 +0000

The Mass Media Communication system has been developed in collaboration with the NDRMMC and provides a simple and effective technology solution to prepare and warn vulnerable population group well in advance in case of disasters, hence minimizing casualties. Within minutes it can be deployed and mass call a particular vulnerable group. Besides, valuable reports/ statistics can be retrieved showing the percentage of people who received the calls, hence showing the effectiveness of the response. Very conclusive results have been obtained, especially in the acceptance of such new technology medium by the targeted population. It demonstrates that voice calling is an active and immediate factor to warn vulnerable groups as compared to SMS message, which is passive. Surveyed population unanimously agreed of the importance of such system and provided valuable inputs in enhancing the system The research contribution for this project are as follows: 1. Development of a Mass Media Communication software system to quickly disseminate audio warning messages via phone calls 2. Provides useful recommendations on how such system is to be deployed by the authorities during disaster/crisis situations. 3. Survey results on a targeted group of 212 participants with 733 voice messages being sent. 4. Gives an insight of the user behavior over such system.

Effective use of coconut oil, shell and husk

Tue, 01 May 2018 05:31:03 +0000

Coconut is being extensively grown in the Agalega Island (around 800 hectares) and in other islands of the Indian Ocean. Currently, the production of coconut oil in Agalega is 100 drums per year. With the expected increase in the production of coconut products in the future, it has become important to not only aim to develop coconut oil as a fuel but to use the whole coconut as a source of green material for sustainable development. This study looked into novel uses of coconut oil and possible uses of coconut husk and coconut shell in Mauritius. Therefore, the aims of the project were: 1. To investigate the use of coconut oil as a temporary corrosion prevention method. 2. To explore the various avenues for the integration of coconut husk and shell in the manufacture of composite boards. 3. To analyse the possible production and use of high quality charcoal briquettes from coconut husk, as an alternative to petroleum stove. 4. To analyse the possible production and use of activated carbon from coconut shell and husk. To fulfil the aims of the study, some relevant properties of coconut oil and fibers were determined. To develop the composites, an injection moulding equipment was developed.

Characterization of the mechanical and chemical properties of local indigenous fibres with a view to yielding the strongest polymer composite

Thu, 31 Aug 2017 20:00:00 +0000

The main objective of the research work was to characterise the mechanical and chemical properties of fibres from a number of endemic and exotic plant species available in Mauritius in order to identify potential fibres that can be used as reinforcing materials in the bio-composites. The results have revealed good tensile strength for the following fibres: Ravenala Madagascariensis, Dracaena floribunda, Latania loddigesii, Dracaena concinna, and Thysanolaena latifolia. The FTIR results have shown that in most cases, the 5 % NaOH treatment at room temperature for 24 hours significantly removed hemicellulose from the fibres. The DSC and TGA results have confirmed the improved thermal stability of the chemically treated fibres. However, there is a need to determine the optimum chemical treatment which would yield the maximum tensile strength for each of the above-mentioned five fibres. The results of the tensile strength of the bio-composite manufactured with Ravenala Madagascariensis, Dracaena floribunda, Dracaena concinna, and Thysanolaena latifolia, have shown a significantly lower strength as compared to the strength of the resin alone. The SEM image analysis has revealed a poor wettability of the fibres to the resin. This shows that there is a need for further research in order to improve the wettability of the fibres as well as the fibre characteristics in terms of length, density and orientation which can lead to reinforcement in the bio-composites.

Investigating the Outdoor Performance of Three PV Technologies in the Tropical Climate of Mauritius

Thu, 03 Jan 2019 06:52:39 +0000

The aim of the project is to carry out a performance assessment of different solar photovoltaic (PV) technologies in the climatic context of Mauritius. Currently, only two PV technologies are proposed by local PV system installers, namely the crystalline silicon (c-Si) and Copper Indium diselenide (CIS) thin film PV modules, but no performance comparison has been carried out so far to conclude about the best technology suited to the climate of Mauritius in general and to the specific location where the system will be installed. The targeted objectives of the proposed research were to investigate the effect of climatic and environmental parameters such as temperature, relative humidity, soiling, UV level, spectral-, global and diffuse irradiance on power output of three widely used PV technologies (mono-Si, poly-Si and CIS). In order to achieve the objectives, a state of the art outdoor test facility has been developed that can perform simultaneous measurement of electrical, climatic and environmental parameters. An in-depth analysis of high resolution measurement data has been performed. A report based on the results has been produced, which can be readily used by stakeholders of the PV industry as well as decision makers to support their decision on choice of technology, design and appraisal of PV projects.

Assessment of the factors influencing the use of E-Government facilities in Mauritius

Tue, 01 May 2018 10:22:15 +0000

Research undertaken has recently demonstrated that the majority of E-Government services are underutilized by the Mauritian Population. This research has indicated two organizations – the Mauritian Police Force and the Mauritius Revenue Authority – are among the few organizations to run successful E-Government services. This research, through the use of qualitative research methods, undertook to identify the key success factors of these organizations with the view of advising the improvement of other E-Government services. The research was able to identify some of the success factors, but replicating those success factors in the short term will, in the opinion of the research team, prove to be very difficult. Accordingly, the research team undertook, by way of a focus group, to devise and propose an alternative approach to improve E-Government services. (127 words)

Evaluating the Social Protection of Women Entrepreneurs Operating in the Informal Sector in Mauritius

Mon, 02 Jul 2018 05:54:57 +0000

This report is about the essence of social protection and its financing among women entrepreneurs in the informal sector. Many small businesses in Mauritius are run on an informal basis and by women entrepreneurs who have been found to accord less value to social protection. Lack of knowledge, absence of a concrete business plan, financial constraints and inability to be futuristic, all limit these women entrepreneurs in viewing their future more constructively. Owning an informal entity and income undoubtedly disqualifies women from benefiting from all the possible social schemes that are in place for enterprises which operate legally. Such schemes are important in ensuring the sustainability of the entity and assisting in risk taking. This research provides the different avenues that explain the very existence of women entrepreneurs in the informal sector and how knowledgeable they are about social protection and its significance to their business and its sustainability. Moreover, their willingness to contribute to at least one social protection scheme is analysed amongst other policy recommendations.

Genetic epidemiology of breast cancer in Mauritius

Sun, 01 Jun 2003 20:00:00 +0000

This institution-based project was an attempt to revisit the data on breast cancer available at the Radiotherapy Unit at the Victoria General Hospital. This time we focussed on a longer window in time, spanning from 1990 to 2001 in contrast to our previous work which covered the 1994 to 1998 period. Our main objectives were to verify if the cancer trends reported for the 1994 to 1998 period would still hold true or if new trends would become apparent when different time segments were examined. This approach is viewed as a good exercise in epidemiology as it enables one to separate transient observations from more permanent ones. Using simple, well established statistical techniques, we were able to confirm that not only breast cancer is the most prevalent cancer in the Mauritian population but that over the most recent years it has been progressing at an accelerated pace. Examination of the incidence of breast cancer by age groups showed that from age 40 upwards there was a marked increase in the rate of breast cancer incidence. Interestingly there seemed to be a geographical gradient of breast cancer with a higher level recorded in the Western part of the island, diminishing towards the Eastern side. Comparison of the ages of menarche and menopause between a group of breast cancer patients and women not diagnosed with breast cancer revealed no notable difference. Although there were no significant difference of breast cancer among the four main ethnic groups namely ; General population, Chinese, Hindu and Muslim, the breast cancer incidence among the general population seemed to have risen putting it ahead of the Chinese population. The results of this study strongly suggest the need for more in depth population based studies for yet a clearer picture of the breast cancer scene in Mauritius.

Integrated management of sugar cane mill wastewater for environmental protection, bio-energy production and irrigation

Sun, 02 Nov 2008 20:00:00 +0000

High-rate anaerobic treatment systems such as the Upflow Anaerobic Sludge Blanket (UASB) reactor have gained increasing popularity in recent years due to their high capacity and relatively low operating cost. Treatment of high strength industrial wastewater using these systems has substantial benefits in operating costs compared to anaerobic systems. These treatment plants are being used in an increasing number of industries such as food processing breweries, dairy, etc. A research programme on water and environment issues relating to the sugar industry has been undertaken at the University of Mauritius since 1991. Pilot UASBs have been operated in the laboratory and at sugar factories to determine design criteria. Within the context of promoting the use of biotechnology for environmental protection, funding was secured from the Mauritius Research Council (MRC) for a period of three years ( 1995 to 1998). A water and wastewater auditing exercise has shown that, for effective wastewater management it is necessary to separate the wastewater generated into 3 main streams. The segregation of these streams has been done during the 1996 premilling season. Only the most polluting stream containing the mill house wastewaters, floor wash, spillages and miscellaneous condensates and cooling waters will undergo treatment in the UASB. A 50m3 demonstration plant was designed and the plant was constructed by Advance Engineering Co. Ltd. following a tendering procedure. The major aim of this project was to build a demonstration industrial scale plant for wastewater treatment in collaboration with Rose Belle Sugar Factory. The second phase of the project which is also funded by the Council, will consist of the start up of the reactor and its operation to determine optimum operation criteria.

Water quality modelling along rivers in Mauritius

Tue, 31 Mar 1998 20:00:00 +0000

In Mauritius, during heavy rains, there is quite a lot of sediment load which is transported by the rivers. There have been many estimates of the actual load being carried away. In some cases, these sediments have formed deltas at the estuaries, such as at Grand River North West or river St. Louis. A basic understanding of the process of sediment transport is essential to the scientist, engineers, and technologist who may be engaged in geology, hydrology, irrigation and other aspects of civil, marine or environmental engineering. This study was proposed so that an estimate might be made on the values that actually occur in Mauritius, as well as understanding the parameters that are involved in the process. Sediment load in rivers is caused by river flow arising from rainfall. This is why the study started with an investigation of rainfall patterns to channel towards erosion and river flow. Instead of measuring the sizes of sediments carried by the rivers, it was considered more convenient to carry out experimental work in the laboratory, where many factors could be controlled. This can then be compared with actual sediment data collected on various rivers. Data has been collected by the Central Water Authority during floods following heavy rainfalls or just after cyclones. It has been found more sensible to relate sediment load to river flow. River flow suffers a time lag from the rainfall causing it. In this sense, when there is a heavy rainfall, it causes some soil erosion which is carried to the river. Initially even before the flow has reached its time of concentration, the river may be carrying a substantial sediment load. Later on, when the flow reaches its peak value, the sediment load being carried has subsided. This is, of course, one scenario among many. It is possible to describe the relationship between flow and sediment load through a series of minimum and maximum lines. The minimum line shows the minimum sediment load that may be expected in the river as a function of the flow. The maximum line shows a higher bound value for the sediment load. It must be emphasised that these sediment loads occur mainly after heavy rains or cyclones. Once the occurrence of heavy rain is over, after some time (a few hours to a few days), though the river flow is still high, there might be no appreciable sediment load in the river. After rain has stopped, river flow will take place through contribution from groundwater flow via the recession curve. This explains why the flow may still be high without any sediment being carried. During an actual flood, these lines will give an indication of what may be carried in the river. Integrating the values over time, will give an estimate of what load is being carried by the river. Estimates made by the Central Water Authority give values of 20 tons/yr/km' for Grand River North West and 9-23 tons/yr/km' for River La Chaux. Recently, the confluence of the St. Louis river was dredged as a huge soil/mud deposit had been formed and was alleged to be blocking the flow in the river during heavy rains. Some 8000 tons of material have been dredged. This works out to a figure of21.6 tons/yr/km'. The experimental channel work carried out gives results which are comparable to those obtained by other people in other countries. It has been possible to make estimates on Eau Bleue reservoir. These work out to a sediment load of around 60-120 tons/yr/km'. Both the estimates of20 and 60-120 tons/yr/km' from rivers and from Eau Bleue reservoir are lower than figures recorded elsewhere or in the literature. It must be agreed, however, that these are estimates made from actual measurements in Mauritius. These low values of sedimentation, however, are borne out from deposits observed in other reservoirs, namely La Ferme, Mare Longue, Piton du Milieu and Mare aux Vacoas, which are in fact much lower than would have been expected from world figures. There may be very many varied explanations for this low sedimentation rate. Suffice it to retain that the sedimentation rate in Mauritius is of the order of 20-120 tons/yr/km'. This may seem a wide range, but clearly indicates lower bound and higher bound values.

Study of effluent treatment in dye houses in Mauritius

Mon, 31 Jan 2000 20:00:00 +0000

Over the past 25-30 years, the textile industry has evolved into a key component of the Mauritian economy. It is the largest of all the manufacturing industries both in terms of workforce and domestic export value.This project aimed at identifying and quantifying the activities of dyehouses in Mauritius. Cotton fabric dyeing is, by far, the main wet processing activity. Reactive dyes and salts are the main chemicals in use. A survey of all dyehouses in Maui ti us was undertaken to obtain precise data of their operations. The characteristics of a number of the important parameters of effluent were determined. It was found that BOD, COD and heavy metals' content were in general well above the consent limits. A detailed analysis of the treatment practices was also carried out. It has been observed that effluent treatment, in general, though very costly, was not effective in bringing down the level of BOD, COD, heavy metals and other parameters below the consert limits . Finally, taking into consideration, the activities of dyehouses, the characteristics of effluent and treatment practices, a number of measures have been proposed. These measures aim at reducing the impact of dyehouses activities on the environment.

Monitoring of pesticide residue concentration in ground and surface waters of Mauritius

Sat, 01 Jan 2000 20:00:00 +0000

The appearance of residues of nine herbicides, namely atrazine, diuron, hexazinone, 2.4-D.linuron, ioxynil, paraquat, oxyfluorfen and picloram which are often used in weed control in sugarcane and of one insecticide (carbofuran) were monitored at fortnightly intervals during 1995 and 1996 in groundwater from 20 boreholes representing the 10 main groundwater basins of Mauritius and in surface water at 25 locations along the rivers forming part of the Grand River North West catchment area. The data showed that only the residues of the following three herbicides: atrazine, hexazinone and diuron could be detected in freshwater sources in Mauritius. More than 60% of the groundwater analysed (> 50% for river water) in fact did not contain any herbicide residue. Even when present, the levels of the herbicide residue were mostly within the range of 0.05 to 0.5 ppb. More importantly, their highest concentration recorded rarely exceeded the recommended maximum limits of 3 ppb atrazme, 14 ppb diuron and 210 ppb hexazinonc. The frequency or appearance of the herbicide residues is not related to the piezomelric depth of the groundwater and to the lime of herbicide application. High intensity rainfall events had a greater impact than period of application on the appearance of herbicide residue in the ground and surface waters. Nevertheless though the period of herbicide application alone had little bearing on the pollution or freshwater sources by herbicides in Mauritius, the level of the residue in rivers fed by runoff water frorn adjoining fields rose as the time interval between date of herbicide application and the arrival of the high intensity rainfall shortened. The present study therefore showed that although no freshwater source in Mauritius is sheltered from possible contamination by herbicides used in sugarcane, the public fear and mistrust of herbicides used in Mauritius are not justified as the level of herbicide residue in water would not pose a risk to human health.

Potable water quality assessment of micro-organisms in Mauritius using polymerase chain reaction (PCR) technology

Sat, 31 Dec 1994 20:00:00 +0000

Water is essential to life and too often we take it for granted and just open a tap without realising all the hard work required to bring drinking water to our home. It usually takes lots of efforts in terms of manpower, management and monitoring to come up with an effective potable water to consumers. The principal aim of this study was to investigate the application of the Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) technique to detect indicator organisms in the potable water supplied by the Central Water Authority (CWA). Given the excellent tract record of PCR applications in agricultural, environmental and medical fields, it ,was hoped that the current method (Most Probable Number - MPN) utilised by the CIVA which can take from three to four days to identify and confirm the presence of the indicator organisms, could be significantly improved.

Changes in conditions, attitudes and behaviour of the agricultural labour force: Causes and impact

Tue, 14 Apr 1998 20:00:00 +0000

The aim of the study is to assess the impact on the agricultural labour force of the changes which have occurred in the social and economic environment with the rapid rate of economic growth, improvements in the standard of living and the increase in alternative job opportunities. A major concern of the government authorities and the sugar industry which prompted this study is the future availability of agricultural labour in the face of the rapid decline over the last two decades of the agricultural labour force and especially the sugar industry field labour. We have also inquired into workers attitudes and reactions regarding a number of problems which have been at the centre of recent public debate on the working conditions of field labour in the sugar industry. The work provides useful insights into the problems of agricultural workers and their perceptions and aspirations, which could help the authorities in formulating an effective policy with a view to securing higher productivity and better results from this important segment of the island's labour force.

Use of digital and social media marketing among SMEs in Mauritius

Sun, 01 Apr 2018 20:00:00 +0000

This study reveals that SMEs in Mauritius have been coming late in their appropriation of the digital and social media tools for marketing and are still at a low level of engagement for those who have been using the tools. At first sight it would appear that there is a high level of appropriation given that 71.5% affirmed that they use DSMM (Digital and Social media marketing), whereas in reality the appropriation is often only a token, simply the creation of a SM account but not the active and efficient use of it. Actually 65% of those already using DSMM recognised that they are not making optimum use of the tools. The survey reveals that three in 10 SMEs (31%) do not create any post or update on their social media platforms.The survey actually brings out that overall, the top 3 marketing tools that the Mauritian SMEs use the most are: Facebook (58%), word of mouth (56%) and flyers (21%). Out of the 108 SMEs that are currently using DSMM to promote their products and services, 49% have come to it only since a year and only 29% have been using it for more than 3 years.While 91% of the SMEs surveyed in this study say they are convinced that there are benefits to using DSM tools for marketing, 65 per cent of them do not even have a website.64% do not have any DSMM strategy. Only 44% of them say they have created tailored content for their DM(Digital marketing). Out of the 108 SMEs currently using DSMM, 69% of them do not have any DSM (Digital and Social Media) monitoring analytics in place. In fact, more than half of the SMEs concerned (55%) do not use any measurement to evaluate the benefits of their DSMM. Almost half of the respondents (48%) state that they themselves manage their DSMM. Given that in the majority of SMEs, the owner is often the manager and the overall functions persons, this sets serious limitations on the understanding, the focus, and time spent for engagement in DSMM. Only 9% of SMEs have a qualified marketing staff that manages their DSMM.

Use of Weathering Steel as a sustainable material in Mauritius

Thu, 31 Aug 2017 20:00:00 +0000

Carbon steels, though being the most commonly used metal in Mauritius, are prone to atmospheric corrosion attack. One method to curb corrosion is to use corrosion resistant materials such as weathering steel. Weathering steel is, however, not commonly used locally. The aim of the project was, therefore, to investigate the feasibility of using weathering steel instead of carbon steel in Mauritius. This was performed through a Life Cycle Assessment for carbon steel in Mauritius and determining the atmospheric corrosion behaviour of weathering steel in the local atmosphere. The Life Cycle Assessment was performed using openLCA 1.6.3 software. A proper flow of the carbon steel was established where all stages of life of the metal were thoroughly established, including recycled scraps. The atmospheric corrosion behaviour of weathering steel was determined through outdoor exposures at two sites, namely, Port Louis and Reduit. Mild steel samples were also exposed for comparison purposes. The outdoor exposure of the metal samples revealed that the corrosivity of the atmospheres fell in the category C4, according to ISO 9223. Weathering steel corroded lesser than the mild steel samples by more than 30%. The LCA for carbon steel has shown that steel production has the greatest environmental impact in the boundary system. The use of weathering steel provides the alternative to substantially decrease the environmental impact through lesser imports. Financially, the price of weatheringsteel and mild steel is nearly equal. Hence, weathering steel should be proposed as an alternative to carbon steel in Mauritius.

An ocean data management system

Sun, 05 Mar 2017 20:00:00 +0000

The Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) of Mauritius is one of the largest of the world but one of the least exploited. The discovery of the high-priced resources can turn to the Republic of Mauritius into a high-income economy within years. However, there are still some challenges that need to be surmonted. First and foremost, the lack of central database on marine Fauna and Flora is a serious contraints that leads to the failure of my many projects right at the start. The lack of co-ordination and co-operation between the different actors of the marine sector is a hurdle for the progress. An online platform has been created to provide a number of useful services to researchers, policymakers, students, marine-related communities and to the public in general.

A question answer for the Mauritian Judiciary

Mon, 19 Sep 2016 20:00:00 +0000

Law is a research-orientated profession and legal research is an activity that cost time and money. Information Technology is now revolutionising the way in which legal research is being done. In this work, we have implemented a web-based question answer and information retrieval system for the Mauritian Judiciary. On the www.lawanswers.me portal, users can enter their queries freely using natural language. The system processes the query by extracting the relevant keywords and discard those that do not carry much information and then returns the relevant sections of law which contains these keywords or keyphrases. The system also returns a list of relevant Supreme Court cases. The user can decide on the number of results to be displayed. The user can also wish to have only the name of the relevant acts be displayed for certain keywords or keyphrases. The system does not require the user to know how the law is structured or how the knowledge-base is built in order to benefit from it. The portal can also be accessed via mobile devices without compromising any of its facilities or user-friendliness. It is hoped that the availability of information at the click of a button will help the human resources at the Mauritian Judiciary to become more efficient and this will contribute to the reduction of delays in the disposal of cases. As the old adage goes, ''justice delayed is justice denied'. The main objectives of the proposed system were as follows: â¢ To create a database of statutes of the Republic of Mauritius; â¢ To create a database of past cases; â¢ To create a database of other legal materials such as statistical reports; â¢ To develop a software, using an appropriate programming language, to allow a user to ask a question and gets a short and concise answer within a few seconds; â¢ To evaluate the answers produced by the system; â¢ To identify potential weaknesses of the system and to correct them; â¢ To disseminate the appropriate knowledge to relevant stakeholders

Investigating the social marketing culture of NGO's in emerging countries : A case of Mauritius

Sun, 31 Jan 2016 20:00:00 +0000

Social marketing is the application of marketing principles and exchange to social issues. It is best known for its use in campaigns related to public health and the environment. Successful strategies dealing with obesity, tobacco consumption, family planning, safe sex, recycling, waste management and water purity are the more common applications (Kotler et al., 2002; Andreasen, 2002; Hastings, 2003). It is widely accepted that many social problems have underlying behavioral causes. As social marketing is about influencing behavioral exchange outcomes, we have witnessed dramatic growth in its use (Gordon et al., 2006). Both commercial and non-profit organizations alike are undertaking social marketing, especially in areas where educational and legal interventions have failed (Diamond and Oppenheim, 2004). It has been also pointed out that the number of international non-governmental organizations (INGOs) alone rose from 6,000 in 1990 to reach 26,000 in 1996 (The Economist, 1999), and 37,000 in 2002 (UNDP, 2002). Figures for NGOs operating at national level are much higher: Russia, for instance is estimated to have some 277,000 NGOs and India between 1 million and 2 million NGOs (Chicago Tribune, 2007). In 2006, it was estimated that there were some 1.5 million NGOs in the USA alone (McGann and Johnstone, 2006). NGOs have been a positive force in domestic and international affairs, working to alleviate poverty, protect human rights, preserve the environment, and provide relief worldwide. The growth of NGOs has been too a large extent fuelled by the inability of both domestic and international institutions to respond adequately to major economic, social and political changes which have been taking place at a fast pace (Heap, 2000). Moreover, in line with Government Programme 2012-2015, a National NGO Policy has been elaborated by the Ministry of Social Security, National Solidarity & Reform Institutions in collaboration with the Entrepreneurship Development Institute of India and NGO stakeholders in 2012. The aim of the Policy Paper was to create an enabling environment for a strengthened Government, private sector and NGO sector partnership in addressing emerging social challenges. The Policy Paper also addressed the issue of financial sustainability of NGOs through the adoption of the innovative concept of social entrepreneurship and social marketing. In pursuance of the above, the Government programme 2012- 2015 mentioned that a National NGO Policy based on the innovative concept of social entrepreneurship and social marketing would be developed. It has been recommended to: Spearhead social entrepreneurship and social marketing culture as a way of life in the NGO sector' (NGO policy paper, page 16, 2012). Empirical evidence has demonstrated that there exist several difficulties of applying conventional marketing theory and practice in pursuit of more sustainable consumption, hence, the upsurge of an adapted form of social marketing to promote greater sustainability among NGOs is emerging as a new paradigm. In the past, traditional marketing has been the only marketing method used by NGOs in Mauritius. Although social marketing has been a term for over forty years, it has been introduced in developing countries just recently and the concept of social marketing is gaining greater momentum in emerging countries. It should also be noted that the biggest limitation which NGOs face is the limited access to resources; they operate on very small amount of money. However, it is this limitation which has led to the development of a very innovative culture within such organizations and also, NGOs usually enjoy high levels of trust amongst people and therefore, they get trusted to go in and experiment, it is not unusual to find an NGO taking something which it right at the edge of cutting end technology and using it for a purpose. They are very quick to be in the latest place and they operate in an innovative culture within their limited resources. Hence, the future sustainability of NGOs depends on the proper application of social marketing strategies. Therefore, it is highly recommended that NGOs integrate a unique social marketing culture in order to achieve greater sustainability and at the same time, make a positive social contribution in the context of Mauritius. The main Objectives of the Study were: i.To understand NGOsâ views on Social Marketing. ii. To analyze the importance of Social Marketing in NGOs. iii. To identify capacity building activities for NGOs with the right learning and development strategies towards fostering social marketing culture in NGOs iv. To investigate the nature of partnerships between business community and NGOs for human and social capital building

The impact of food trade and commerce on overweight, obesity and nutritional behavior among children and adolescents in small island developing state, Mauritius

Mon, 29 May 2017 20:00:00 +0000

This study was conducted to shed the light on the causes of obesity in children and adolescents. The first objective was to assess the nutritional behaviour and physical activities among of the children and adolescents of Mauritius. The second one was to explore the impact of food trade and commerce in Mauritius and possible relationship with weight issues among children and adolescents in Mauritius.

Assessing the benefits of green roofs in Mauritius

Mon, 21 Sep 2015 20:00:00 +0000

Ancient green roofs were covered with earth and plants for agriculture. The main motivation for having green roof was to provide for cold insulation in winter, heat insulation in summer and shelter against natural elements. Some green roofs were made in this manner due to lack of alternative materials. Traditional green roofs were not waterproof. This became the subject for innovation which led to the green roofs technology we have nowadays, where much emphasis is laid on the water-proofness of the roof and the root-proofness of the waterproofing membrane so that it can safely accommodate plants. Commercialisation of green roof systems looked at the problem of root ingress into the roof structure and the provision of irrigation networks to sustain the plants. The next evolution in green roof was to provide systems which replicated the functioning of soil as the base medium for plants to grow but doing so with a lighter and cheaper solution which could be applied over a larger roof surface without undue changes in the building structure to take up the additional load. This led to the concept of extensive green roofs, which could be applied to roof surfaces to replicate nature (which was displaced due to the built environment) while protecting the roof surface from natural elements and temperature fluctuations. Ecological benefits like reduction in energy consumption for HVAC (Heating, Ventilation and Air-Conditioning), stormwater retention, urban heat island effect mitigation and acoustic attenuation are other benefits that were revealed when the scientific community started studying green roofs closer. These added benefits have led to the widespread appeal for green roofs for its ecological and welfare it brings to humans with reported therapeutic benefits while providing air of better quality.

A Riemann Least squares scheme for inviscid fluid flows problem

Sat, 03 Jan 2015 20:00:00 +0000

A description of new Riemann solver that is incorporated in the Least squares Finite Difference Scheme which is a strong form of meshless method. Three types of Schemes are presented; the first Riemann Least Squares Finite Difference Scheme (RLSFD), the conservative form of the RLSFD sheme and the second order Riemann Least Squares finite difference sheme. It is then proved that the first oder RLSFD is consistent with the linear advection equation and that is conditionally stable. The existence of a weak solution for the first order RLSFD. Finally, we present our numerical results when the RLSFD is applied to the 1-D linear advection equation, 1-D Burgers equation, the shock tube problem and to some the two phase flow problems.

Evaluation of high biomass sugarcane varieties in marginal areas for energy production

Sun, 02 Jul 2017 20:00:00 +0000

Introduced in Mauritius in 1639, sugarcane was identified as the only major crop to resist the cyclonic conditions prevailing in the region. In spite of various attempts to diversify the agricultural sector, sugarcane stood the test of time and became the sole major cash crop and the backbone of the Mauritian economy for decades. Currently, sugarcane is still cultivated in over 80% of agricultural land and sugar represents around 14% of the value of total domestic exports. However, the Mauritius sugar industry is now faced with unprecedented challenges which arise as a result of trade liberalization world-wide, the EU sugar reform, the opening of the EU market to other non-ACP economies and the EU's decision to abolish production quotas by September 2017. The implementation of the new EU regime is having a far-reaching impact on ACP suppliers, with the threat of closure and wiping out of the whole sugar industry in those countries. The objectives of this project were to: a) Assess the performance of selected high biomass varieties in marginal areas, b) Evaluate the stability of high fibre clones across environments and successive harvests, c) Assess the physiological aspects of above-ground biomass accumulation, d) Determine the possibilities of harvesting year-round fast growing high biomass clones

Towards better understanding of the hydrodynamics and morphodynamics around fringing barrier reefs: SEMPA, Rodrigues Island, Mauritius

Sun, 01 Mar 2015 20:00:00 +0000

The rising concern about threats coming from the sea towards Small Island Developing States as laid down in the IPCC report of 2007 has made it very essential to make predictions beforehand in order to consider remedial actions in case of extreme surges. Also, the increasing economic activities along coastal areas, has made it essential to forecast any unforeseen threats so as to lessen any damage to be caused. In that perspective, the Republic of Mauritius which also forms part of the SIDS has taken some steps ahead in order to be up to date on the issue. Among various measures taken, an Integrated Coastal Zone Management (ICZM) office has been established during the last ten years and an ICZM plan has been developed for better coastal management. Furthermore, various studies and coastal adaptation measures have been carried out along the coastlines of the islands forming part of the Republic of Mauritius. This piece of research work has proposed as main idea to better understand the hydrodynamics and morphodynamics around a fringing reef in one of the island of the Republic of Mauritius called Rodrigues Island where the largest Marine Protected Area of the Republic has been set up. A field data collection campaign took place for further analysis using models including DELFT3D-Flow and XBEACH. Further details are provided through this report.

The impact of the media on employer of choice strategy in Mauritius and Rodrigues.

Sun, 02 Nov 2014 20:00:00 +0000

The rationale for the project on the effect of the media on corporate image flows from several phenomena currently running at a pace which soon threatens to be unmanageable: firstly, the growth and spread of media of all types, including social and virtual that creates images, opinions, and perceptions, often in ways that appear uncontrollable; secondly, the increasing accessibility to various forms of media by organisations, in the form of advertising, publicizing events, (such as Corporate Social Responsibility activities), and job fairs; and thirdly, the competition for "talent" which often shops around for the best employer, often but not always justifiably, influenced by the image and brand circulated via the media. The project aimed at assessing the extent to which the media are used by organisations in Mauritius, both in public and private firms, the impact of such media coverage on the minds of individuals and especially of those found in the "young" age bracket, representing the young, much sought-after talent. In methodological terms, surveys and interviews amongst the young tertiary and postâ¢ secondary, vocational education institutions, and with employers were conducted, and data was also collected from media representatives and with Human Resource managers. The outcomes of the project include reliable information to organisations about the way they are perceived by the outside talent pool, and a framework incorporating these factors likely to be the determinants of opinion formation as influenced by the media. Such knowledge may ultimately lead to an adjustment or review of corporate communication/PR/branding strategies, and assist in closing somewhat the opinion and expectation mismatch between the labour market and the employment offerings of employers.

Stormwater Management Guidebook to encourage infiltration

Thu, 10 May 2018 20:00:00 +0000

This Stormwater Management Guidebook presents the different ways to reduce and manage stormwater runoff.This project was conceived with the aim of providing a comprehensive guidebook for Mauritius on stormwater management practices which promote groundwater recharge. Although, all efforts have been made to guide the reader with all the relevant information required for the implementation of stormwater management practices, this guidebook has two major limitations. For stormwater practices encouraging infiltration, landscaping plays a vital role in the design of the Stormwater management system. Hence, particular attention has to be paid to plant selection, their water requirements and their resistance to extreme droughts and excessive rain. Ideally, this guidebook should have contained a list of plants which could be used in stormwater management practices. However, during the literature review, no search information was found in the public domain. Hence, we believe that a study needs to be carried out on the different plants grown locally and their suitability to stormwater management practices be assessed. Secondly, the storm data provided by the Meteorological Services has been averaged for the whole island. However, it is a well known fact that rainfall intensity and durations vary all over the island. Using these averaged data can lead to the over sizing of stormwater management practices in some parts of the island. A more accurate approach will be to obtain storm data for representative regions of the island.

A study to determine the prospects for wave energy development around Mauritius

Tue, 30 Apr 2013 20:00:00 +0000

This is a research project to investigate the wave energy resource to be found around Mauritius. The search for alternatives to fossil fuel generated power production is an issue to be approached with renewed urgency. As the need for power increases, and as the costs escalate, we also seek to reduce our effect on the environment by reducing greenhouse gases and the acidification of the oceans. Mauritius has a proud heritage in wave energy. It was one of the first countries to seriously examine how to implement a realistic wave energy system back in the 1960's through the efforts of an engineer called Bott, who was the General manager of the CEB. His work was scuppered by political considerations in the UK, where nuclear power was in the ascendency, but perhaps the time has now come for wave energy to be seriously examined again. In the last few years there has been a preponderance of new wave energy devices, with an explosion in the number of patents and the development of prototypes. Only a few of these will ever be used in production, but it is hoped that by investigating the wave energy resource around Mauritius here, and by actively promoting itself as a project partner, Mauritius will be one of the first locations to develop power production through wave energy conversion. Numerics Warehouse Ltd. is a small R&D led consultancy based in the west of Ireland and specialising in the simulation of the environment on supercomputers. During its 4 years of operation it has undertaken successful numerical modelling contracts for the Marine Institute of Ireland, for the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (Ocean Energy Development Unit), INFOMAR and the Geological Society of Ireland. The company has worked with some of the leading ocean energy companies, such as Vattenfall and OpenHydro (several projects). We have conducted joint research projects with the University of Porto and INTECMAR in Spain. The range of the numerical modelling work we have been involved in has spanned oil dispersion, shellfish growth, Harmful Algal Bloom development, sediment transport, wave energy climatology, tidal stream resource analysis and mathematical variational data assimilation. We are also a project partner in an EU FP7 project called ASIMUTH. We are technical experts in numerical modelling of the atmosphere, oceans and waves. Our background is in physical oceanography. In this study it was the intention to rigourously describe the wave climate around Mauritius by employing High Performance Computers and statistical tools. The format of the data outputs should be familiar to wave energy developers. The idea is to make it easier for designers and engineers to see how their products could be a part of an ocean renewable energy powered island economy for the future. The results of the computer simulations are used to recommend further actions to be taken and to suggest where future wave energy parks might be situated in the seas around Mauritius.

Diagnostic test for Preeclampsia at SSRNH in Mauritius: Inositol Phosphoglycan - P type (IPG-P)

Sun, 01 Dec 2013 20:00:00 +0000

The objectives of this study were to (1) determine the level of the molecule IPG- P type at clinical diagnosis of preeclampsia. (2) predict the occurrence of preeclampsia 1 week, 2 weeks and 4 weeks before clinical diagnosis of PE. (3) determine sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative likelihood ratios of the IPG-P test in preeclampsia

Using research findings (local and international) to improve the teaching and learning of physics at secondary level using technology. [Conceptual Physics Project]

Sun, 02 Feb 2014 20:00:00 +0000

This research project, the first of its kind in Mauritius, has unveiled a number of issues related to difficulties and misconceptions students have in physics at upper secondary level. In addition, misconceptions have also been detected among physics educators in certain key physics concepts. These misconceptions or alternative conceptions are deeply rooted in learners and limit the development of cognitive structures in learners. Not addressing students' misconceptions may, in the long run, impinge significantly on students' conceptual understanding, not only physics, but of other areas as well. Misconceptions held by physics educators on certain key physics concepts have been identified during a pre-test exercise. After intervention, the post-test demonstrated a significant improvement in educators' content knowledge and pedagogical content knowledge. Statistical analysis of findings from a case study of a purposeful sample of participants (students and one educator} about their misconceptions has provided sufficient evidence of the effect of the teacher's lack of conceptual understanding in selected physics concepts on students' understanding. The research has shown that the adoption of learner-centered strategies, in addition to engaging learners in situations of cognitive dissonance is beneficial for knowledge construction and cognitive development of the learners. Capacity building workshops have been organized for physics educators of Mauritius and Rodrigues, involved in the pilot study. Teaching of selected physics concepts has been undertaken by the Research Team in the pilot schools, where students have been engaged in the learning of physics in an interactive way through technology with the use of data-logging. Feedback obtained during those sessions was used to conceptualise a framework for technology integration in the teaching and learning process. This framework considers technology, not as a tool, but as a medium for effective teaching and learning. This medium incorporates three elements, namely contextual knowledge, pedagogy and technology. As per the research objectives, the development of a website (http://science.mie.mu/physics/) was undertaken, It incorporates a platform for teachers, students and parents. Educators may use it to construct physics lessons while students are required to perform certain tasks at home with a view to acquiring (or reflecting on) prior knowledge before learning the concept at school. Parents, for their part, have the opportunity to interact with schools through the platform as a means to monitor and support the learning of their children. The web-based interactive platform incorporates a number of salient features, such as testing of prior knowledge (home and school), hands-on and minds-on activities, interactive Flash files, interactive Excel files, videos illustrating abstract concepts or guides to perform experiments, data from data-logging experiments, discussion forum, formative and summative assessment tasks, amongst others. It is the educators who have the administrative right to register students and parents on the platform, thus giving them access to the facilities in a timely manner. To support students' meaningful knowledge construction of physics, the three stakeholders should work in collaboration to generate a common synergy. A set of recommendations are provided with a view to bringing a paradigm shift in the teaching and learning of physics. The role that the appropriate stakeholders have to play to facilitate the integration of technology as a medium are listed. The report also identifies the challenges inherent to the conduct of this research project. However, this research project, the first of its kind in Mauritius, very much serves to document hitches, which could account, among other causes, for the failure of some aspects of our education system.

A study of online social networks in Mauritius: Impact on secondary education

Mon, 02 Jan 2012 20:00:00 +0000

During the recent years, Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) have been identified as beneficial tools for the educational system. The Government of Mauritius has been actively promoting ICT since the last decade. Students are embracing ICTs at an unprecedented rate and given that Internet penetration is increasing within the Mauritian households, more and more young people are getting access to it. The most visited online services among Mauritian youths are Online Social Network (OSN) sites. It has been found that OSNs have tremendous potential for enabling collaborations and social interactions. Harnessing this potential for learning can be the spark to ignite educational transformation in Mauritius. However, no study has been carried out yet in Mauritius on the usage pattern of online social networks among young people and the impact on their education and social life. Therefore, this research project has investigated the roles that online social networks play in teaching and learning at secondary school level. The impact that OSNs has on communication and social needs of students has also been examined. Large scale surveys have been carried out on the use of OSNs among the Mauritian students. In addition, experiments have been carried out on the use of OSNs to conduct classes and observations have been reported. Around 4500 responses were collected from the survey and the findings showed that Mauritian students are using OSN sites extensively on a daily basis. It was found that students are already making use of OSNs to discuss school works and teachers also are communicating with students through these online sites. The use of OSNs in secondary education is currently done informally. The main reasons are that these sites are blocked in schools due to the privacy and security concerns for the students. The majority of teachers are also reluctant to adopt this new method of teaching and learning. Results from this study have clearly shown the benefits of using OSNs in learning. Students were eager to make use of this new way of learning and therefore this can act as a motivating factor in the learning process. A few negative issues with respect to the use of OSNs have also been pointed out. Policy makers can thus consider the results of this study in order to take decisions regarding the use of OSNs in secondary education. A number of recommendations based on the study have been made on how OSNs can be integrated in formal education.

Effects of ultrasound irradiation on anaerobic digestion of solid waste

Sun, 02 Sep 2012 20:00:00 +0000

The effect of Ultrasound (UTS) pretreatment have been studied on the anaerobic digestion of vegetable waste using biochemical methane potential (BMPs) assays. The main feature of this research work has been to assess the changes in the cumulative biogas production resulting from AD of pre-treated and untreated samples of VW for the different sonication times (10,40, and 60 minutes) and ultrasonic specific energy applied in the assays. Volatile solids, total solids, volatile fatty acids, chemical oxygen, soluble chemcial oxygen demand and PHD were monitored using standards methods. (APHA,1998).

Framework for the design of sustainable residential buildings in Mauritius

Sun, 02 Sep 2012 20:00:00 +0000

This study started with an evaluation of the current situation regarding the residential buildings in Mauritius and proposes a number of recommendations for the design of sustainable residential buildings.The purpose of the research work was to carry out an analysis of the current status of sustainability in residential buildings in Mauritius, study the existing policies, international standards and codes of practices relevant to sustainable residential building designs worldwide and provides guidelines and key recommendations for sustainable residential building design in Mauritius. The research involved the investigation of the fundamental issues such as site selection, construction and optimisation, energy efficiency, water conservation and preservation, use of environmentally preferable building materials, enhancement of indoor environmental quality operational practices and waste management. A number of all inclusive and wide ranging recommendations that can be utilised as a guide for the design of sustainable residential buildings, taking into consideration all phases of the facility life cycle, have been proposed. The study also highlights the need for the authentic commitment of all stakeholders towards environmental stewardship and conservation. The collaboration of all parties will lead to a favourable balance of cost, environmental and social benefits, and will meet the goals of sustainable development and comfortable functions of the Mauritian residential buildings.

Molecular and clinical effects of functional foods on diabetes and cardiovascular diseases

Thu, 03 Jan 2013 20:00:00 +0000

Phytochemicals as antioxidant prophylactic agents in functional foods displayed a sustainable prevention for various metabolic ailments. Recent studies examining the oral and renoprotective activities of nutraceuticals have emphasized their supporting role in the management of diabetes and its complications. In this context, the current study encompasses the characterization of green tea phytochemicals, its effects on the energy metabolism of HEK-293 cell and on erythrocytes peroxidation. In the same pipeline, the anti-microbial effects of FPPÂ® have been assessed on Streptococcus mutans, Streptococcus mitis and Lactobacil/us acidophilus. A randomized clinical trial has also been conducted at the Cardiac Centre, SSRNH Hospital, to assess how FPP (fermented papaya preparation)could affect carbonyl accumulation in pre-diabetic patients\ Our previous reports have illustrated the bioefficacy (of green tea and FPPÂ® to modulate distinctive markers of diabetes mellitus and cardiovascular diseases in a randomized pre-diabetic Mauritian cohort. Results suggested that 6 g of FPP and 3 cups of green tea day for a period of 14 weeks would improve the health status of pre-diabetic patients. However, prevention and therapeutic strategies required a profound understanding about how dietary antioxidants interact with reactive radical species, which might be a causative agent of metabolic syndrome. Consequently, a free radical-induced hemolysis assay has been designed to understand how FPPÂ® could scavenge peroxyl radicals in vitro.

The profile and motivation of women entrepreneurs in Mauritius

Wed, 29 Jun 2011 20:00:00 +0000

No economically successful country can run using less than half of its business resources. Mauritius is no exception. Women in Mauritius make up over half the business force and their contribution has not been adequately nurtured. This study seeks to highlight the profile, motivations and constraints of women entrepreneurs in Mauritius. In an attempt to address the unavailability of current nationally representative data, the University of Mauritius, under the leadership and guidance of Dr Baguant, commissioned a number of field works fully sponsored and monitored by the Mauritius Research Council. The objective of this research was to assist policy makers in Mauritius, especially institutions who have direct link with women entrepreneurs, in identifying the profile, the motivations and constraints that women entrepreneurs face in the country. The findings of this research can thus be used by decision makers in developing strategies to overcome the respective challenges faced by women entrepreneurs. The report is divided into 3 main sections: a concise literature review on women entrepreneurs, the findings and the recommendations. The study identified a number of factors such as access to capital, inadequate training as well as discrimination as major constraints affecting the establishment as well as the expansion of womenâs entrepreneurial activities. Women normally rely on personal income to provide the initial finance for their enterprises. It was found that most women entrepreneurs were based within a nuclear family (husband, wife and children). All the businesses in the sample are from registered source, that is, they are either member of the National Women Entrepreneur Council or the SMEDA. The Women-owned registered or formal businesses generally dominate over informal businesses. A number of sectors were included so as to get a holistic view of the women entrepreneursâ specificities in each of them, namely, Agriculture, Textile,Food, ICT, Services, Automobile,Wood, Animal Products, Footwear, Textiles, Health & Beauty and Tourism. 65% of the women entrepreneurs who disclosed their turnovers generated revenues between 0 â Rs. 100 000. A significant portion of these businesses have made capital investments between Rs 0 â Rs. 500 000. Mauritius women businesses tended to be businesses that are: â¢ Run by women between 36 and 45 years of age â¢ Most women have done mostly secondary and/or primary education â¢ Spread around the island â¢ Present mostly in Agriculture, Food, Textile & Services sectors. The majority of the women entrepreneurs are in operation for below 10 years. Furthermore, a large proportion of women operate from their homes because there are no places to expose their products. Most Mauritian women entrepreneurs have not reached the stage of operating in a global environment as only 64% of the women have a business bank account. Most Mauritian women entrepreneurs have started their businesses for financial reasons. Furthermore, in the continuum of surviving to maintain the growth of thriving businesses, 54% of our respondents indicated that they were simply maintaining their businesses. Thus women also need training around growth strategies and how to translate this growth strategy to operational tactics to grow their businesses. Related to growth was the issue of needing financial support and marketing support to meet their future expectations. On average, 53% of women are aware of intuitions like SMEDA and National Women Entrepreneur Council but others like Ministry of Commerce and women organizations are not that well known in assisting entrepreneurship in Mauritius. There was low awareness of marketing assistance, tendering advice and research in women entrepreneurship in Mauritius.

Phytoplasma diseases on tomato in Mauritius

Sun, 02 Oct 2011 20:00:00 +0000

Phytoplasmas are cell wall-less bacteria associated with more than 1000 crop diseases worldwide. The major objectives behind this study were to determine the status of phytoplasmas on tomato plantations in Mauritius, identify source(s) of phytoplasmas infections, determine whether phytoplasmas occur singly or in combination with viruses and devise disease management strategies at field level. An islandwide survey across 79 tomato plantations revealed the widespread occurrence of phytoplasma diseases (`maladie pompon' in local jargon) in 74.6% plantations in Mauritius. Moreover although overall mean phytoplasma incidence was low (only 18.1%), the risk from such pathogens cannot be underestimated particularly due to leafhopper detected and the possibility of phytoplasma diseases spreading fast in situations of poor management practices at field. Three phytoplasma groups namely Stolbur group SrXII, Aster yellows group SrI and Elms yellows group SrV were identified from tomato leaf and fruit samples by nested-PCR followed by RFLP techniques. Mixed phytoplasma and virus infections (PVY and TYLCV) were also detected by the ELISA technique. Seedling production under insect-proof conditions together with good sanitation measures were recommended as management techniques for these emerging plant pathogens.

Isolation and characterisation of food-borne bacteria

Sat, 31 Dec 2011 20:00:00 +0000

Meat samples were collected from different suppliers in several districts of Mauritius between 2009 and 2011. They were brought to the laboratory for isolation and characterization. ISO methods were used for the isolation of the bacterial colonies and this was followed by appropriate biochemical tests. About 40 % of the samples had confirmed Salmonella and about 77 % contained Campylobacter jejuni. Presumptive E coli was also widely detected in 55% of the samples. All isolates were tested for their susceptibility to a battery of antibiotics. PCR amplification was done to confirm the species and obtain products for sequencing.

Integrational social mobility in CHA housing estates in Mauritius

Sun, 31 Jan 2010 20:00:00 +0000

StraConsult a comme politique d'entreprendre des etudes non sollicites par un client mais repondant a un interet de la firme pour un sujet qui, d'apres nous, merite un approfondissement Ã partir d'une etude ayant la rigueur scientifique que cela exige. StraConsult en a conduit 2 jusqu'ici, notamment sur (a) la relation entre la motivation de l'entrepreneur, l'utilisation des ressources disponibles et la performance de l'entreprise et (b) sur la dimension reelle du marche de l'habillement Ã Maurice. Toutes ces etudes ont recu le soutien financier de la Mauritius Research Council.

Strategy processes, practices and learning in organisations in Mauritius

Fri, 14 May 2010 20:00:00 +0000

Strategy matters! It is hard to think of an organisation without a strategy, and one without is pointless. Any organisation, whatever its size and shape, needs strategy to survive, compete and prosper successfully in any given context. Strategy, however, is not a given. It requires a process of thought, choice, decisive action and management, and is prone to change whenever applied. Hence the subject matter of strategic management. In theory, strategy (or strategic management) concerns the vision or long-term objectives of the organisation and the general means for realizing them; it is different from shortâ¢ term objectives and routine operations. Strategy is about understanding, shaping and managing a business for its competitive success. In these times of global economic crisis the need for smart strategic thinking is heightened more than ever as companies, the world over, are struggling their way out of troubled economic waters. Success now demands strategic management of high quality. Mauritius is facing an ever growing challenge to meet the demands of international competitiveness at all levels. Are our firms and managers adequately equipped to envision the state of their industry and the kinds of competition they will be facing down the line? This study starts to understand this question by investigating the nature of strategy processes, practices and learning- in organisations based in Mauritius. Using a mixed methodology of survey and in-depth interviews, it infers that organisations in Mauritius are limited in their approaches to-understand, practice and learn the principles and tools of strategic management. Those organisations which do try to practice a strategic approach are either overwhelmed by operational thinking and micro management, or are unclear about several key aspects of the strategy process, and therefore do not seem to benefit. The majority of respondents, however, do- recognise the added value of strategic management in enabling their competitive success. lndepth study of some successful enterprises in Mauritius reveals that the basis of their successes overtime has been the astute application of strategic management principles. This study opens some very important practical and academic avenues for further thinking, application and research on strategic management in Mauritius. It is important to realise that the lasting competitiveness of Mauritian organisations will be a product of the strategic choices they make now; these choices are themselves the outcomes of rigorous analyses and meticulous evaluations of competing options under some very dynamic and uncertain set of assumptions. Nothing therefore can be left to chance. Success depends on applying some smart strategic thinking.

Turning waste into wealth - Vinasse into an organic fertilizer

Tue, 30 Sep 2008 20:00:00 +0000

Vinasse is a waste product of alcohol production from sugarcane juice or molasses, produced in large amounts (13-15 litres of vinasse for every litre of ethanol). It can be a serious environmental liability if not properly disposed of. This project aims at transforming vinasse into a form that is usable by farmers, is safe and easy to store and transport, easy to apply to land, effective, and environmentally-safe. The project aimed to revalorize a waste product into a valuable resource, and also resolve the issue of its disposal in the environment.

A Study of the implementation and impact of corporate governance in Mauritius

Wed, 31 Dec 2008 20:00:00 +0000

The term 'corporate governance' has gradually broadened to encompass many different aspects, notably a redefining of a board's leadership and role within organisations, increased accountability for executive and non-executives vis-a -vis owners and debt-holders, greater transparency and disclosure enabling market participants to assess value and risk, increased use of ethical standards, and a formal engagement with the corporate social responsibility agenda. Overall, this can be seen as a significant change in attitudes and practices for organisational actors, particularly for the people situated at the apex of the hierarchy. However, the extent to which such attitudes and practices have really change worldwide and locally is put into question, as is highlighted by our literature review. Throughout the course of this study, this question has continually emerged as a central one and has informed its specific objectives, analysis, findings and recommendations. The World Bank Report on the Observance of Standards and Codes (ROSC, 2002) - relating to the assessment of corporate governance in Mauritius - made several policy recommendations aimed at unlocking shareholder value and increasing investor confidence via the strengthening of regulatory mechanisms, the professionalising of directors in Mauritius and greater disclosure/transparency to the market/public. One of the main planks underpinning these developments was the adoption of a Code of Corporate Governance. The latter was enacted since the financial year ending 2005 after nearly two years of government-sanctioned discussion, debate and consultation. Further to the publication of the corporate governance code, we sought to 1) investigate the progress and the state of corporate governance implementation in Mauritius, by focusing on listed, non-listed large companies and State Owned Entities (SOEs), 2) examine the impact of corporate governance on the immediate actors and 'wealth maximising' stakeholders of the company, and 3) assess the extent and progress of âintegrated sustainability reporting' performed by local organisations. A scoring system based on a content analysis of annual reports has been devised to measure comparative positions and trends in reporting on a number of aspects disclosed in annual reports over a four year period (2004 to 2007). In addition a series of semi-structured interviews were also performed since one commonly reported weakness of corporate governance studies is that they solely depend on annual report disclosures. The use of interviews is believed to be more suitable in unearthing the different meanings and perceptions. We found that the level of implementation of the code amongst listed companies has shown a marked improvement which may due to the fact that adherence to the code is a listing requirement. However, this state of things needs to be contrasted to a picture of low implementation in Large Public and Private (LPP) companies and an even poorer adoption level among statutory bodies. Furthermore, an increasing number of listed (and a few LPP) companies appear to review their traditional attitude towards an ad hoc behaviour of charitable (and political) donations, and are moving towards sustainability reporting - with the aim of developing a structured approach to Corporate Social Reporting (commonly referred to as strategic CSR). However, directors' perceptions of these developments remain overwhelmingly focused on charitable endeavours (albeit in a better thought out way) and so far pay considerably less attention to integrating other key societal aspects of integrated sustainability reporting (such as environment, health and safety, promoting diversity/social harmony, human resource practices, ethics). Informed by the above findings, we formulate recommendations which would be of interest to relevant government agencies, professional associations and directors in ensuring that the positive aspects of a corporate governance code can be appropriately implemented and on a more comprehensive and targeted basis in Mauritius.

Mapping the supply chain of broiler chicken in Mauritius to assess the impact of external threats

Thu, 28 Feb 2013 20:00:00 +0000

The development of the poultry sector has been a major success story in Mauritius. Initially, the Government spearheaded the development of the sector and with the setting up of larger farms by the private sector; the poultry sector has undergone a major shift in structure and operations. The technical and managerial capacity in all aspects of poultry production has increased over the years and this core expertise is recognised. Today Mauritius is self sufficient in poultry and poultry products and the local production stood at 47,200 tonnes of chicken meat with an average consumption of 36 kg/head, in 2012.The main objective of the study was to characterise the broiler chicken supply chain and assess the structure and governance to better review the likely of potential external threats. Moreover, the study aims at reducing the information gap that exists in the broiler chicken supply chain. Below are the specific objectives, research questions and respective methodologies.

Tracking octopus and fishes to aid the development of marine resource management strategies

Sun, 01 Jun 2008 20:00:00 +0000

The project aimed to improve our understanding of the daily and seasonal movements of commercial finfish and octopus in Rodrigues and to assist policy makers in the development of strategies that will protect vulnerable species and improve fishery sustainability. Over 300 commercially important fish, caught within the Anse aux Anglais and Grand Bassin marine reserves were tagged using T-bar tags and their release position was marked; fishers were then encouraged to return any captured tagged fish. Field trials were undertaken to assess the possibility of acoustically tagging octopus to track their movement patterns around the lagoon. Seven bluespine unicornfish were also tagged with acoustic tags and their movement patterns tracked over a 2 month period using a directional hydrophone. Unfortunately, none of the fish tagged with T-bars were recovered, therefore future studies will need to tag a larger number of fish. Tagging of octopus was successful but more field trials are needed to determine to what extent tags influence the behaviour of animals released back into the natural environment. The study of unicornfish indicated that the fish do not move large distances and all 7 individuals remained within the Grand Bassin marine reserve throughout the study, occupying

Trade unionism in Mauritius

Mon, 31 Dec 2007 20:00:00 +0000

In Mauritius, trade union have had to increasingly militate against irresponsible plant closure, overnight layoffs, price increases and even cases of union intimidation. The initial objectives of this project were to explore the current legal, social, economic and political aspects of trade unionism, to make critical examination of industrial relations in mauritius from a specifically gender perspective and to conduct a review of trade unionism in public and private sectors in Mauritius.

An evaluation of the degree of consumer ethnocentrism in Mauritius

Sun, 02 Sep 2007 20:00:00 +0000

Global trade has changed significantly and has created substantial market opportunities for firms operating in different part of the globe. Most of these firms are providing variety of products at competitive price. This study will not only help local and international producers to understand the Mauritian market but will also generate policy measures to achieve a better consumer market in Mauritius. Hence, the objectives of this project was to evaluate the degree of consumer Ethnocentrism in Mauritius, to examine the perceptions of Mauritian consumers towards imported products versus domestic products and to identify homogeneous market segments sharing similar lifestyle.

Composition of Solid organic waste in Sub tropical regions

Sat, 30 Sep 2000 20:00:00 +0000

A research study, funded by the Mauritius Research Council was initiated in 1995 at the University of Mauritius in collaboration with Rose Belle Sugar Estate to assess the composting potential of sugar cane byproducts. Composting is generally defined as an exothermic process of biological oxidation in which organic matter is decomposed by a mixed population of microorganisms in a warm, moist aerobic environment. The microorganisms require oxygen, moisture, a source of carbon and macro nutrients such as N, P, K usually found in the waste material. In the process, the organisms reproduce themselves and eventually die. Composting to biologically stabilize these wastes into a humus material similar to soil organic matter could prove to be a viable process. The final composted product is less bulky than that of raw waste and because of the reduced volume, it will cost less to haul and apply. Also the heat produced by the compost process destroys pathogens. Numerous options exist for organic materials management, ranging from simple on site composting to capital intensive mixed waste compost facilities. The objectives of the project were to: I. Characterise the sugarcane by products, bagasse and filtercake 2. Develop and use a laboratory composter so as to a. Determine mixing ratio of bagasse/filtercake b. Monitor composting parameters c. Determine maturity of composts

Financial literacy: Evidence from Mauritius

Thu, 31 May 2007 20:00:00 +0000

Education is playing an increasingly important role in rapidly changing modern society. High investment in human capital has gradually resulted in a shift from a manufacturing based economy to a services based one. Hence, the aims of this study are: to determine the level of financial literacy in Mauritius; to analyse the score of themes such as savings, borrowings, etc and finally; to depict any relationship between the level of financial literacy and age, gender, education, income level and region and to formulate policies to curb any deficiency in the financial education of Mauritius at large.

The impact of the tax reform for the individual Income tax system in Mauritius

Thu, 31 Jul 2008 20:00:00 +0000

Since the Government has moved from a progressive tax to a Single Rate of tax, the research will be based on the comparison of the Flat tax regime, already present in Worldwide Economies, and the Progressive Tax system. The present research is based on the following objectives: - To ascertain the existing income tax system and income structure for Mauritius. - To identify through a computation of the Gini-Coefficient the progressivity pattern of the income tax system in Mauritius. - Contrast between a Progressive tax (previous tax system) and a Flat tax regime. (Proposed changed) - To calculate the effective tax rate for typical categories of emoluments earners (single/married/married with two kids). - Trace the perceptions of individuals regarding the new tax regime - To provide recommendation to policy makers to make the tax system fair and socially acceptable.

Contribution of the positional candidate gene OXR1 to premature coronary heart disease and to type 2 diabetes in the Mauritian population

Thu, 20 May 2010 20:00:00 +0000

The burden of disease due to coronary heart disease (CHD) and type 2 diabetes (T2D) is important in Mauritius and is likely to increase in the future. Like most common chronic diseases, CHD and T2D are multifactorial, having both environmental and hereditary components contributing to their pathophysiology. A previous genome scan carried out in Mauritian families of North-Indian origin affected by CHD and/or T2D unveiled several chromosomal regions harbouring positional candidate genes for these complex traits. Chromosomal 8q23 region was an interesting region where microsatellite markers showed simultaneous co-segregation with premature CHD, T2D and HBP in the families studied. The strongest candidate gene within that region appeared to be the Oxidation Resistance 1 (OXR1) gene, given the increasing role attributed to oxidative stress in the patho-physiology of T2D or CHD and the putative role of the mitochondrial OXR1 protein in protection against oxidative stress. The present study was carried out to evaluate the contribution of known variants in the positional candidate gene OXR1 to increase susceptibility to premature CHD and/or to T2D in a Mauritian population of North Indian origin.

Youth health risk behaviour in Mauritius/Rodrigues: Prevalence and determinants

Sun, 02 Jul 2006 20:00:00 +0000

Worldwide many youths aged 15 to 24 years indulge into violence, substance use, precocious sexual intercoarse and multiple sex partners which ruin their health. The aim of this project was to identify the practise of sexual behaviour and its consequences, to determine the types of drugs, alcohol and cigarette they use and to identify the determinants of health risk behaviour.

Implementation and practice of quality management in the tourism sector of Mauritius

Wed, 30 Nov 2016 20:00:00 +0000

Most stakeholders within the tourism sector have long claimed that their motto in business has always been quality and cutomer satisfaction. But what about the real situation within their business operation regarding quality management practises? This project aims at providing the answers through the investigation of the existing quality management practises and their implementation in the tourism sector.

A Study on working time in Mauritius

Mon, 31 Oct 2005 20:00:00 +0000

Many workers in Mauritius work long working weeks, particularly in the manufacturing and distributive trade sectors. These particular sectors tend to employ large numbers of women. Many of these women form part of young families where often both husband and wife are wage earners.The main aim of this study was to investigate current aspects of working time and the perceived viability of proposed methods of reorganization, the results of which investigation might contribute to a rationale for a systematic reorganization of working time in Mauritius.

Advanced micro simulation of road traffic in congested areas of Mauritius

Mon, 31 Dec 2007 20:00:00 +0000

The following report provides an overview of work carried out as part of the MRC project. The report briefly describes two main modules that have been developed; the Road Traffic Data Acquisition System and the Road Network Capture System. The aims and outputs of the different modules have also been specified and some screen shots to support the Road Network Capture System have been provided.

Prevalence of substance abuse in Rodrigues 2005

Wed, 11 Jan 2006 20:00:00 +0000

The scourge of drugs is not a recent phenomenon. Throughout human history drugs, and by drugs it is meant the use of any substance that alters perception or performance, have been a part of the daily lives of people all around the world. It is important to understand that drug use can be both licit and illicit and that the same drugs can be used for both purposes. For example prescribed drugs can be used by someone for pain or symptom alleviation but abused by someone for whom the drugs have not been prescribed but who wishes to utilize them to exploit a secondary effect. Drugs, whether legal or not, are a part of, and an influence on, human existence at the individual level, the community level and the societal level. There is no straightforward definition of the term drugs since its conceptualization implies having an holistic view of the phenomenon. In ancient Greek, the term Pharmakon, from which the words pharmacy, pharmaceuticals and pharmacopoeia originate, meant both medicine and poison. The World Health Organization (WHO) (1993) defined drugs as any substance that provides an alteration to the proper functioning of a living organism. Alcohol, tobacco, solvents and psychoactive substances are included within this definition. In defining abuse of these substances, WHO explained it as the persistent or sporadic excessive use inconsistent with or unrelated to acceptable medical practice.1 In 2006, a document published in Texas USA defined substance abuse as any use of a product that causes physical,mental or emotional damage on either a temporary or permanent basis. However, one should be aware that this can be viewed as an overly simplistic overview of the phenomenon. Generally speaking, alcoholism and any other drug related behaviour could be based on, or exacerbated by, compulsive, obsessive and dependent behaviours that tend to be given priority over other human needs and relationships.

Entrepreneurship and marketing strategy: The Mauritian SME under globalization.

Wed, 28 Feb 2007 20:00:00 +0000

Out of 75 million enterprises across the world, 90% are small and medium enterprises particularly in developing countries. Smes embody special advantages that proffer unique contributions to the economy. Objectives of the study; to analyse the stategic orientation of Smes in Mauritius, analyze the general marketing orientation and competencies of Smes in Mauritius, determine the importance of networking for Smes and analyze the extent of internalisation of Mauritian Smes.

How do Mauritian managers manage?

Thu, 30 Nov 2006 20:00:00 +0000

Mauritius is evolving in a global context, which is competitive and knowledge driven. The objectives of the project were: to establish the profile of Mauritian managers in relation to age, experience, education, training and gender; to understand how Mauritian managers set objectives and determine current management practises and analyse how managers are adjusting in a global context.

Assessment of the use of english in international business in Mauritius

Wed, 31 May 2006 20:00:00 +0000

Mauritius prides itself on its multilingualism, the situation with respect to the proficiency in english in the conduct of international business activities on the island is far from satisfactory. Although english is the official administrative language and the official medium of instruction for the education system in Mauritius, it is not the preferred language for most Mauritians, irrespective of their educational level or professional activity. The overall activities of the research project were to assess the proficiency in the use of english in international business and export activities in Mauritius, measure the gap between the level of proficiency in english shown by Mauritian employees and that required for success in international markets and make recommendations to improve the level of proficiency in the use of fuctional english for business purposes.

Effects of black tea consumption on ischemic heart diseases among the Mauritian population

Mon, 31 Dec 2007 20:00:00 +0000

Data from the Central Statistics Office indicated that diseases of the circulatory system accounted for 40.2 % of the deaths in 2002. Epidemiologic studies report a reduced risk of ischaemic heart disease in subjects with a high phenolic intake through tea and other dietary sources, but findings are still conflicting. The potential protective effects of tea polyphenols have been attributed to its antioxidant, free radical scavenging, antithrombogenic, antimutagenic, anticarcinogenic and anti-inflammatory properties, lowering of plasma cholesterol and triglyceride levels, and reduction of blood pressure and platelet aggregation capacities. Recent animal experiments suggest that polyphenolics may also improve vascular function. Polyphenols remain the most abundant group of compounds in fresh tea leaves and are found in green and black tea beverages at 30-42% and 3-10% of the total dry matter respectively. In a previous systematic analysis of 9 commercially available black tea, we observed that Mauritian black tea infusates represent excellent sources of polyphenolic compounds including (+)-Catechin, (-)-Epicatechin, (-)-Epicatechin-3-gallate, Epigallocatechin, (-)-Epigallocatechin-3-gallate, gallic acid, procyanidin dimers B1 and B2, quercetin, myricetin and kaempferol derivatives. The infusates exhibited remarkably high in vitro antioxidant activities as evaluated by four independent assays. The antioxidant activities correlated strongly with levels of total phenols and proanthocyanidins. In line with certain studies on the phytochemistry and antioxidant capacities of the Mauritian diet and parallel to some previous non-communicable diseases intervention programme conducted by the Ministry of Health and Quality of Life, we propose to investigate the association between consumption of black tea and various selective fasting blood serum and urine biomarkers in a Mauritian population with ischaemic heart diseases. The clinical examination and analysis will be performed at the Cardiac Centre, Pamplemousses, in collaboration with Dr TK Guness and Dr OI Aruoma from The London South Bank University, UK. This study, the first of its kind, will provide clinical data on the potential prophylactic propensities of Mauritian black tea against cardiovascular disease, which remains one of the major health threats to the Mauritian population.

Benchmarking for Continuous Improvement

Sun, 02 Mar 2008 20:00:00 +0000

This study was carried out from the author's interests in establishing the reasons why TQM and Benchmarking are not so successful in the Education Sector as compared to Industries in Mauritius. Industries in Mauritius are very successful in adopting their on self assessment activities and identifying potential benchmarks or performance indices that can be compared to peers or international organizations with a view to continuously improving their performance and to be on the competitive edge. The author has had several years of experience working with a team of assessors for assessing industries for the Mauritian Quality Award competition. The framework used for the assessment was the Malcolm Balridge Framework for excellence, which consists of seven criteria namely Leadership, Information analysis, Planning, People Satisfaction, Processes, Performance Results, and Customer Satisfaction. Assessments carried out were very interesting given that companies were able to self assess themselves against an International Framework and results obtained could enable participants to benchmark themselves against Best-in-Class companies. However several queries crop up every year on the low participation rate of the education sector as compared to participation from the manufacturing and service industries. It is the purpose of this study to find out why was the MBNQA framework was not of major interest to the education sector as an approach to improving performance and also to find out if the criteria of the assessment framework are applicable to the education sector.

Can the local market sustain the existing locally oriented garment production capacity.

Tue, 31 Oct 2006 20:00:00 +0000

Being one of the oldest sectors in the history of industrial development, the textile and clothing industry is often referred to as 'traditional industry'. The garment production in Mauritius can be categorised into 2 components : one which produces mainly or exclusively for export markets and other which produces mainly or exclusively for the domestic market. The aim of this research was to evaluate the size of the clothing market in Mauritius, determine the characteristics of the garment industry in Mauritius in terms of types of products and quantity produced for the local market and identify the expressed and unexpressed needs of local consumers.

Developing successful entry strategies for BPO operations in Mauritius

Sun, 01 Oct 2006 20:00:00 +0000

Inspite of high publicity around the achievement of the BPO sector, it is visible that the performance is quite below par. The central objective of this study was to lead global offshore providers to select Mauritius as their offshore BPO based simply because it is a natural choice.

Sustainable production of palms on marginal lands: Optimum sucker population density of pejibaye

Wed, 27 Apr 2011 20:00:00 +0000

In 2004, the pejibaye palm (Bactris gasipaes) was recommended for cultivation in the humid and superhumid zones of Mauritius. This palm re-grows from basal suckers: however, the optimum number of suckers to be kept has not yet been established. A research project of 5-year duration was initiated in March 2005. The objective of the project was to establish the optimum sucker population density of pejibaye palm in order to sustain production on marginal lands.

Information systems for optimized data Management to increase the efficacy of Biodiversity Conservation efforts in Mauritius and Rodrigues

Wed, 31 Oct 2007 20:00:00 +0000

The major focus of the project was the creation and management of fauna (endemic birds, seabird and reptiles), flora (rare plants) and support structure (nursery) databases. Several databases have been designed under the present project namely the Round Island Petrel, Nursery and Round Island Boa databases, whilst others were restructured and reinforced e.g. Pink Pigeon, Echo Parakeet, Mauritius Kestrel and Rare Plants. Recognizing the need to promote conservation education and awareness, education workshops and the production of field guides constituted the second axis of the project.

Upgrading the core work skills of the Mauritian labour force to meet the challenges of an economy undergoing rapid technological change.

Sun, 02 Oct 2005 20:00:00 +0000

Throughout the world there is a gradual shift towards knowledge- and skills-based economies and societies. Mauritius too is undergoing this transition. The trend is to move away from traditional low-skilled sectors towards the service, financial and information industries. The aim is to position Mauritius as a knowledge hub for the region. Even the traditional sectors, such as agriculture and textiles, are undergoing rapid changes and are increasing in sophistication and technicality. These traditional sectors are compelled to change their strategic thinking from a narrowly focused emphasis on products and markets to a wider focus on human capital. (Mamet and Maurel, 2002). Education and training play central roles in a country's efforts to meet the challenges of globalization and technological development. Changes in the organization of work are resulting in the demand for higher and different skills (ILO, 1998). The knowledge society and today's world of work call for individuals who are able to acquire, adapt, apply and transfer their knowledge to different contexts and under varying technological conditions, and to respond independently and creatively (ILO, 2000a). Core skills that are fundamental for living and working in today's society, for acquiring advanced skills ("trainability") and for making use of new technologies can be acquired by adults given appropriate opportunities. Foundation skills such as literacy, numeracy, citizenship, social skills, learning to learn skills, and the ability to solve problems together are seen to be the basis for employability. These skills have become increasingly important in determining an individual's ability to secure a job, retain employment and move flexibly in the labour market.

A Study of factors influencing substance abuse among youth (8-18 yrs) in Housing Estates of Mauritius

Mon, 31 Jan 2005 20:00:00 +0000

Substance abuse has become epidemic worldwide. Young people consist of the largest proportion of abusers. The average age of drug users has declined in recent years and multiple drug use is common. The aim of this study is to identify the socio-demographic and family background of substance users, reason for substance abuse and formulate recommendations in order to increase the awareness hazardous substance among youth.

Risk and protective factors associated with suicide in Mauritius. A Case-Control Study

Sun, 02 Oct 2005 20:00:00 +0000

Suicide can be described as the destructive act of voluntarily taking one's own life. Suicide rate is increasing worldwide. Objective of this study is to determine the number of suicide attempts from june 2001 to june 2003 in Mauritius, to identify methods used to attempt suicide, to identify life events and psychological factors influencing suicide and to make recommendations in order to reduce suicide among youth in Mauritius.

An appraisal of the small-scale agro-industrial sector in Rodrigues

Thu, 30 Nov 2006 20:00:00 +0000

Rodrigues has an established reputation for its traditional agro- processed products and it is an important sector for the Rodriguan economy as it contribute to employment. The main objective of the study was to examine the characteristics of Rodriguan small-scale agro- processing sector, to assess the current suport services and facilities provided to this sector, to assess the consumer's awareness and perception of Rodriguan products, to identify the opportunities and threats of this sector and to make recommendations that will facilitate this sector.

Integration of the elderly in the family

Wed, 31 Dec 2003 20:00:00 +0000

People are living longer than ever before. The Mauritian population is steadily ageing. The elderly dependency ratio, 13 in 1997 is expected to rise to 36 by 2037. The family has traditionally been seen as assuming a primary care giving role for the elderly. This burden has, more often than not, fallen on women. However, the trend is for women to marry later and to have children later, usually working in a full time occupation. In addition they often find themselves caring for both their children and their elders at the same time, carefully balancing the concerns of their own immediate families, professional life and their responsibilities for elderly care-giving. At the same time as the proportion of older people in the population at large is increasing, the pool of available caregivers is shrinking. In addition, those adults now entering or approaching retirement were part of the generation that had fewer children, reducing the pool, as it were, of familial caregivers. Caring for the physical and emotional needs of an elderly is a complex task. Many factors have to be taken into account such as the degree of any disability, the economic situation and the living environment of the older person. As the personal abilities of an elderly person decrease there is a progression in the amount of personal care and attention that is needed. Without an immediate and adaptable support system the elderly person can become isolated and feel detached from family, friends and the wider community. A study carried out by DCDM, (June 2001), with funding from MRC made an assessment of the prospective role, contribution and needs of the elderly people of Mauritius by horizon 2010. However, the scope of that particular study was somewhat restrictive. The sample size was too small and the main focus was on people aged between 50 - 74 years old. Nowadays, many older persons may be living independently, or in households with younger members. It is crucial to capture the views and attitudes 14 of all of the players in understanding the desire and scope of the integration of the elderly in the family.

Discipline/indiscipline and violence in secondary schools

Sun, 30 Apr 2006 20:00:00 +0000

Mauritian schools have generally suffered from a deterioration in terms of discipline deserves to be urgently attended to for the following reasons; firstly, because of the need to make our schools secure locations for students, teachers and administrative staff; Secondly addressing the issue of indiscipline and violence is also a means to scrutinize anumber of related problems and reach a coherent solution and thirdly, adopting an approach which is basically premised on the assumption that the educational issues should concentrate on classroom interactions. The ain of this study was to: identify and describe different forms of indiscipline and violence in schools, to explore the mechanism which exist in schools to deal with problem of violence and indiscipline and to explain the disruptive classroom and outside classroom behaviour of secondary school students.

Survey of smoking, drinking and illicit drug use among secondary school students in Mauritius

Thu, 30 Sep 2004 20:00:00 +0000

Smoking, drinking and drug use appear to be more prevalent among boys than girls and it is also interesting to note that the rate of smoking, drinking and drug use among boys increases when they attend a mixed sex school. The main objective of this study was to identify the consumption patterns and trends of alcohol , tobacco and illicit drugs among secondary school students in Mauritius. It also areas that may be useful to policy makers and parents, such as the ways and means used in purchasing the substances under investigation.

History, geography, culture & heritage of Mauritius through multimedia (through ICT at primary level)

Sun, 02 Jan 2005 20:00:00 +0000

This CD is a multimedia- enhanced pedagogical tool for the teaching of History and Geography. The conception and development of this CD is based on the existing History and Geography curriculum for standard 4 and 5. The approach adopted is based on computer mediated pedagogical theories, which enhance traditional teaching methods. The CD promotes 'visual and Practical' History and Geography.

A Study of the buyer characteristics of the green consumers in Mauritius and their implications for marketing strategy

Sun, 01 Aug 2004 20:00:00 +0000

During this present decade, concern for the environment has emerged as a major socio-political issue among developed nations throughout the world and the increase in the number of environmentally friendly or 'green' product has been significant. The purpose of this study was to assess the green purchasing behaviour of Mauritians and to construct a phychographic profile of the green consumer in Mauritius.

Mapping educational achievement in Mauritius

Sun, 02 Sep 2007 20:00:00 +0000

Education in Mauritius is standing at the crossroads of its history. It is construed as a catalyst of change at both the economic and social levels, as ameans of empowering Mauritian people to face the challenges of globalization. For years government has invested massively in this sector. The objective of this study was to focus on one outcome of the educational system in Mauritius, which is, educational achievement at the primary and secondary level.

Low-cost equipment for teaching and learning science and technology in primary schools

Wed, 31 Dec 2003 20:00:00 +0000

A baby who looks at her hand, a baby who brings her toe into her mouth, âtastesâ her first toy or listens to the sound of a rattle is already exploring the world around him/her. He/she is already doing Science. A kitten which runs out in the rain and comes back all wet and cold and which alters its behaviour ânext time it rains I stay indoorsâ is already applying correctly the result of good observation. Children show a natural interest in their own body and self. This is SELF-INTEREST in the best sense of the phrase. Children will explore the world in which they live, always in relation to how these elements of the environment affect them-their life, feelings and sensations. They will look â¢ At rainwater, seawater, rivers and lakes, waves and tide â¢ At air, wind, cyclones, clouds, smoke and rainbows â¢ At animals swimming, running, flying, creeping â¢ At plants, big and small, mushrooms, waterweeds, moulds â¢ At sunlight, heat, sound and noises of all types, lighting and thunder â¢ At the thousand of man-making things from houses to public buildings, shops, bicycles, motorvehicles, planes and boats and the product of technology: radios, TV sets, kettles, locks and keys, plastic and glass things, wooden and metallic things. â¢ At the food they eat, the clothes they wear, the things they utilise in everyday life. The list is inexhaustible. We, adults and educators, must facilitate and guide children's exploration of the world. The way to do this is through SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY EDUCATION. It is generally agreed that in a modern science course at any level, equipment must be available for practical work. Guided discovery and enquiry are essential to learning science. They are necessary in order to interest children to learn the art of enquiry. Equipment and apparatus can be expensive and even very expensive. Low-cost equipment have a lot of advantages over expensive and imported equipment. These advantages are not just financial but as you will see also pedagogical.

Molecular mechanisms of anti-oxidant protection in health and disease: Potential of application and characterization of anti-oxidant actions of endemic Mauritius plant extracts.

Sat, 31 Dec 2005 20:00:00 +0000

The broad objectives of the study were primarily to (1) Determine the antioxidant capacity of polyphenolic rich endemic Mauritian plant extracts (2) Establish prophylactic strategies based on bioactive components of Mauritian endemic plants (3) Study the molecular mechanisms of antioxidant protection in the congenital malformations in diabetic and non-diabetic pregnancies.

Rehabilitation of local banana cultivars

Sun, 31 Dec 2006 20:00:00 +0000

Banana is one of the most appreciated local fruit in both green and ripe form with over 500ha under production. However, yield of the dual purpose banana (Ollier and Dwarf Cavendish) is low (18 â 22t/ha) (DAS, 2000) due to production under marginal conditions while the highly priced dessert-type Gingeli banana is becoming rare due to its susceptibility to Fusarium oxysporum f.sp. cubense race 1. In this new era of agricultural diversification, banana is one of the crop that is replacing sugarcane, however the availability of quality planting material for intensive plantation remains one of the major constraints. On the other hand, to prevent the wiping out of the Gingeli banana, there was a need to rehabilitate this and other local clones. The project was thus initiated to develop a protocol for rapid mass multiplication of selected clones to make larger population available for plantation. The first part of the project consisted of identification and horticultural characterisation of elite germplasm and the second part involved protocol development for in-vitro multiplication of the selected clones. Horticultural characterisation enabled the local dessert-type banana to be classified into two groups (the âGingeliâ and the âMamoulâ type) based on peel coloration and pulp taste and texture. Preliminary observations also indicated that Gingeli banana was highly susceptible to weevil attack. Protocol development for in-vitro multiplication was carried out through a series of trials based on Completely Randomised Designs. All micropropagation (shoot-tip) was carried out in modified Murashige & Skoog medium. A fast and effective cleaning and disinfection protocol of explant was developed and explant browning was successfully controlled. The study also demonstrated that any plant part (bud, peeper, sucker) could be used as explant although suckers represented handling advantages. For culture initiation, excised explants (3 â 6mm with an average of 5mm) also represented handling advantages for routine shoot-tip culture. Although freshly extracted explants are recommended, storage of uprooted suckers or trimmed explants for 2â4 days did not significantly affect multiplication rates. The effect of varying levels of 6-benzylamino purine (BAP) was studied in Petite Naine (Dwarf Cavendish), Gingeli and Mamoul clones to determine the optimum level of cytokinin for culture initiation and for subsequent rapid multiplication. To avoid the occurrence of somaclonal variation, modified MS supplemented with BAP at 5mg/L from initiation to 5th subculture and then using BAP at 2mg/L until 9th subculture was optimum for Petite Naine with 800 shoots produced per explant. For Mamoul clones, BAP at 5mg/L was also optimum while for the Gingeli banana BAP at 8 mg/L from initiation to 5th subculture followed by BAP of 2mg/L for further subcultures produced over 800 shoots from explant after 10 subcultures. For rooting, modified MS medium devoid of any plant growth regulator or containing 1mg/L IAA was significantly superior to other auxin sources. Low cost options for weaning and hardening of plantlets was developed. This consisted of placing plantlets in trays containing appropriate low-cost medium and covering them with transparent plastic cover for 1 week in shadehouse, with manual watering. Appropriate low-cost medium for weaning of plants developed was flyash and scum mixtures (with at least 50% flyash) or sterile soil and manure (1:1) mix, which produced significantly superior plantlets at a faster rate than any other medium. For successful weaning and to avoid transplantation shocks plantlets should be at least 1.5cm tall (although 2.5 cm tall are best) with medium filled in the tray to at least 4cm depth. The regenerated plants are currently being field evaluated and preliminary observations indicate normal plant development.

Benchmarking training best practices

Tue, 30 Sep 2003 20:00:00 +0000

Since its inception in 1974, the MIM (Mauritius Institute of Management) has been very active in fostering professional management and development in Mauritius through the organisation of seminars and courses, the development of professional standards for management and the administration of training awards. During its work over the years, the MIM has noticed that only a small proportion of the private and public organisations have a proper training strategy to enhance the performance level of their employees. Many companies still appear to consider the training and development of their personnel as a cost rather than as an investment. These companies would seem to lack proper strategies to validate training programmes and to demonstrate that training is a value-added activity to ensure the long-term sustainability and profitability of their organisations. In order to encourage both private and public sector organisations to adopt correct training strategies to build up their human resources, the MIM Council decided to undertake this research project for the identification and enhancement of best training practices suitable to Mauritius. The project was aimed to highlight the best approaches to be adopted in identifying, developing and implementing training programmes, which would take into consideration the training logistics and budget available, the constraints and difficulties that may arise, the expected results and follow-up procedures. Four main reasons for the need to lay emphasis on best practices were identified: - maximise training outcomes by linking training evaluation to business objectives - implement training evaluation processes that can demonstrate a positive return on investment - measure the effectiveness of training, and - align strategic planning to training outcomes and training evaluation processes. The detailed objectives were identified as being: - determine the extent to which different private and public stakeholders are involved in training - identify the approaches adopted by private and public sector companies in identifying, developing and implementing training programmes - identify types of training methodologies adopted - identify the logistics, facilities, constraints and advantages available for successful training implementation - identify how their training programmes are monitored and results reviewed - identify how their training programmes contribute to their business strategies and impact on their organisations - identify and develop best practices for adopting correct training strategies, training needs identification, development, implementation, monitoring and review - disseminate to stakeholders the relevant information regarding training best practices suitable to Mauritius.

Improving the post harvest of fresh Rodriguan limes

Thu, 30 Nov 2006 20:00:00 +0000

The Rodriguan lime, limon Rodrigues also known as mexican lime is the most commonly grown fruit in Rodrigues. It has trhe capacity to tolerate drought and marginal growing conditions. The main objective of this project was to look into pre harvest factors and post harvest practises which could improve the post harvest quality of fresh Rodriguan limes in view of increasing its marketability for the domestic as well as export market.

Investigating the common core constructs in student's acquisition of logico-mathematical concept in physics at HSC level

Mon, 31 Oct 2005 20:00:00 +0000

It is a well established fact that students encounter difficulty in learning physics at the secondary level of education. Physics is considered as one of the most difficult subject in our secondary school curriculum this might be the under- representation of the subject at higher school certificate level. The aim of the research was to determine whether the teaching of physics is carried out correctly using appropriate mathematical concept, to find whether students encounter difficulty in logic related to problem solving in physics and whether students encounter difficulty in learning physics.

The development of a molecular diagnostic Tool for the detection of xanthomonas axonopodis pv. dieffenbachiae, the causal agent of Anthurium Bacterial Blight.

Fri, 31 Dec 2004 20:00:00 +0000

Production of Anthurium andreanum, a member of the Araceae family, is an important economic activity in many countries with tropical and sub-tropical climates. The spathe, which is the most attractive part of the plant, is sold as a flower because of its colour, shape and long-vase-life. A number of different varieties exhibit different colours, from dark red to white, green, orange and pink. The industry is worth about US$ 20 m annually and Mauritius is the third world producer. Since early 1990's, the industry had been badly hit with a serious disease of bacterial blight, caused by the pathogen, Xanthomonas axonopodis pv diffenbachiae. Hawaii was amongst those countries, which had most severely suffered from this disease. As the organism can be propagated though latently infected plants, tissue cultured plantlets do not constitute a safeguard. Hence, many countries, including Mauritius, had to impose a ban on the import of Anthurium plants. Although the disease is known to be present in Reunion island, Mauritius has not so far been affected. The main aim of this work was to develop molecular tools for the identification and characterization of the pathogen and to carry out genetic studies on strains of the organism from different geographical origins. In this report, the strategies used to do so are described and the results discussed. Specific DNA probes and primers for PCR were developed. These primers were tested in Turkey, where infected plants were available, and they were shown to positively assay for the presence of the bacterial cells with a good degree of sensitivity. DNA from a number of X axonopodis pv diffenbachiae isolates were obtained from other countries and used for testing the primers as well as for assessing the diversity of the isolates.

Hydroponics and semi-protected environment for the production of vegetables in Rodrigues

Thu, 31 Aug 2006 20:00:00 +0000

Hydroponics or soilless culture is the technology of growing plants without soil. The plants are grown in a nutrient solution with or without the use of soil rooting medium. The aim of the project was to evaluate new production techniques to increase vegetable production as well as producing high quality vegetables in Rodrigues.

Development of a processing package for pickling onion in Rodrigues

Sun, 29 Feb 2004 20:00:00 +0000

The objective of this study was to develop a high- value added onion pickle product, with a reasonable shelf life for marketing and using small scale processing technologies for the informal food sector and women entrepreneurs in Rodrigues.

Genetic Variants of Banana streak virus in Mauritius

Wed, 31 Oct 2007 20:00:00 +0000

Banana Streak Virus (BSV) is a very common viral pathogen of bananas and plantains (Musa spp) and has been reported in most countries where this crop is grown. It was first reported in Ivory Coast in 1974 (Lassoudiere, 1974).

A preliminary training needs for Mauritian managed sugar companies in Africa

Sat, 31 May 2003 20:00:00 +0000

This preliminary study aimed to carry out Training Needs Analyses (TNA) in sugar companies in Africa that are under Mauritian management, namely: TPC Ltd, Tanzania; Mtibwa Sugar Estates Ltd, Tanzania; Companhia de Sena, Mozambique; and Sucrivoire, the Ivory Coast. All the companies involved in this study were newly privatised, were undergoing rehabilitation, and were suffering from lengthy absences from competitive business environments. The major challenges facing the new management teams were to increase efficiency and profitability. All the management teams expressed the need to develop high-class teams to increase the overall productivity of their companies. Each company was embarking upon new working practices that required high-performance work. A sense of loyalty, commitment and responsibility in all employees was thought to be a pre-requisite to success. The project was divided into three distinct phases. Phase I concerned the background data collection period, Phase II was the in-country preliminary study of training needs and Phase III involved the design, production and delivery of a tailor-made Business Awareness Programmes (BAPs) and targeted capacity-building programmes. These BAPs have been shown to play a significant role in the development of High Performance Work Organizations (HPWO). Two of the companies, namely, TPC Ltd, Tanzania and Companhia de Sena, Mozambique were able to implement BAPs and targeted capacity-building programmes. The impact of these programmes has been very positive as measured by evaluation questionnaires and by direct feedback from the management teams. Training initiatives are continuing to receive full support in these companies. Unfortunately civil war in the Ivory Coast has halted all progress in Sucrivoire whilst Mtibwa Sugar Estates Ltd. in Tanzania indicated that capacity building was not their priority at the present time.

The Phylogenetic relationships and pharmacological properties of the endemic ebony tree species of the mascarenes

Wed, 31 Dec 2003 20:00:00 +0000

Studies on the ecology, morphology and molecular phylogeny were undertaken with a view to understand the colonisation patterns and evolution of the Diospyros species in Mauritius. On another front, phytochemical screening and antibacterial properties of plant extracts from the Diospyros species were carried out to investigate the pharmacological properties of these species. The distribution of the Diospyros species and populations were examined with respect to their presence in the different altitudinal ranges, humidity zones, soil and forest types. Analysis of the results obtained showed that except for D. egrettarum which is restricted to the east coast of Mauritius, the other Diospyros species have a relatively broad distribution. However, the abundance of these species indicated that some of them have a marked preference for humid to super humid habitats while others seem to favour sub humid to dry regions. Phenological observations revealed that Diospyros species, which share neighbouring habitats, tend to have staggered flowering periods that act as reproductive barriers among these species. Although the Mascarene Diospyros species are all dioecious, female flowers still retain a number of staminodes suggesting that they have the potential of developing functional stamens while the male flowers have only male reproductive organs. Examination of the flowers of the local Diospyros species indicated the occurrence of leaky dioecy in one species namely, D. egrettarum. Furthermore, these leaky dioecious plants produced fruits with viable seeds. A male-biased sex ratio was noted in the species D. egrettarum, D. leucomelas, D. melanida, D. revaughanii and D. tessellaria. Given that in all Diospyros species, the germination of Diospyros seeds is relatively low and the sex ratio in Diospyros populations is male-biased, germination of the seeds which first landed in Mauritius would have led to more adult male than female plants. Therefore, leaky dioecy could have come to the rescue of a solitary male Diospyros plant whose survival would have depended on its ability to bear fruits with viable seeds. In an attempt to find molecular markers to distinguish between female and male Diospyros plants, the genomic DNA of male and female D. egrettarum plants was assessed by Random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD), using fifty random decamer primers. The RAPD profiles generated were highly monomorphic. Out of the three polymorphic bands for the female samples tested only the one generated by the primer OPC02 consistently appeared in all the female samples and was hence considered as a potential sex-associated RAPD band for Degrettarum Phylogenetic trees based on 35 morphological characters and the Internal Transcribed Spacer (ITS) regions of the ribosomal DNA were reconstructed for the Mascarene Diospyros species. The morphology and molecular trees had limited agreement on the relative positions of the major clades. It would seem that parallel or convergent evolution of some morphological traits obscured the actual phylogenetic relationships of some species and their relative positions could not be determined in the morphology based strict consensus tree. On the other hand, the molecular data generated well resolved phylogenetic trees that have provided additional information on the colonisation patterns of the Diospyros species in Mauritius. The general trend outlined by the phylogenetic analysis showed that closely related species shared neighbouring habitats. Morphological and molecular data sets also suggest that Mauritius could have acted as a centre for the dispersal of Diospyros species in the Mascarenes as both D. borbonica (Reunion) and D. diversifolia (Rodrigues) are nested within the Mauritian Diospyros species. The Mauritian endemic Diospyros species were screened for their phytochemical contents, polyphenolic contents and their antibacterial properties. Preliminary phytochemical screening showed the presence of reducing sugars, tannins, cardiac glycosides and terpenoids in all the eleven species. Steroids, saponins and anthraquinones were present in all species except for D.pterocalyx and D.egrettarum. However, alkaloids were present in D.neraudii and D.revaughanii only. D.eggretarum contained the smallest amount of polyphenolics compounds whereas D.melanida had the highest amount of polyphenols. Bacterial strains B.cereus, B.spizizenii, S.aureus, S.epidermidis, P.mirabilis, K.pneumoniae, A.baumanii, E.coli and P.aeruginosa were sensitive to the Diospyros extracts while S.aureus, P.aeruginosa and A.baumanii were resistant to positive controls but were sensitive to the plant extracts. These properties can be attributed to the high presence of polyphenols, flavonoids, tannins, saponins, anthraquinones and especially terpenoids.

Design and manufacture of a cost-effective trailer for cane haulage from fields with humid soil conditions onto asphalted roads to the mill

Wed, 14 May 2003 20:00:00 +0000

A sugar cane trailer was designed to transport 15 tonnes payload without overfilling, from fields with humid soil conditions, straight to Mon Desert Alma factory. It was a longer trailer than the standard ones operating on the estate and was built with the objective of increasing carrying capacity. The maximum height and width are however determined by the National Transport Authority. A lighter material was used to avoid increase in weight of the trailer. Hitched to a 100 HP tractor, the trailer operated on an industrial scale during the 2001 and 2002 crop seasons. In spite of its lower weight, it transported on average two tonnes cane more per trip than standard trailers. Its light weight and large tyres inflated at very low pressure allowed the trailer to operate alongside a chopper harvester on tracks, in extremely humid field conditions without any deleterious effect on the soil and the sugar cane plants. The combination of light weight and tyres also resulted in better fuel use efficiency and reduced shocks in the tractor cabin during haulage. As the harvester operator is able to see through expanded metal sidewalls, better filling of the trailer bin can be achieved .

The state, society and the condition of the Mauritian child in Mauritius

Tue, 03 Mar 2009 20:00:00 +0000

An in-depth study of the condition of the Mauritian child is an urgent necessity because Mauritius has reached a stage in its development where the family, the traditional guardian of the child's welfare and interests, is slowly undergoing silent transformations in its organisation and values. As the future of a nation, the well-being of its population, the quality of its labour force in a highly competitive world, depends to a large extent upon the quality of the treatment dispensed to its children in terms of health care, education, legal protection, housing facilities, and leisure activities, it is imperative that ways and means of improving the child's condition in Mauritius, be reflected upon and suggested. In our present world of economic uncertainty and insecurity, we cannot afford not to take measures to ensure the welfare and well-being of our children as unhealthy and poorly educated children give birth to an unhealthy nation, a poor labour force, a discontented population and a State where there is constant frustration and instability. The child's rights must therefore be respected and its needs must be provided for in order to give birth to the fully developed human being (educated, well-fed, physically and mentally healthy) who is going to take his/her proper place in society.)

Women, Education and Development: The working women's perception of their real contribution towards personal and national development

Sun, 01 Dec 2002 20:00:00 +0000

The main concern of this research is to "advance knowledge for promoting progress, and for enabling [women) to relate more effectively to [their] environment"(Cohen and Manion, 1985:43). It hopes to achieve this objective by questioning the spaces in which women evolve with a view to find out whether these spaces offer encouragement for their personal development and ultimately how conducive this is to national development. Their perception is an important element since, in my view, self-image is a crucial enabler for personal development. It concentrates on an important component of personal development, that is, psychological empowerment. This project should be seen in the broader context of analysing development, through the Socio-Economic and Gender Analysis Approach (SEGA). This approach sees development as a multifaceted process of increasing not only standards of living but also control over and definition of those standards. Development has social, political and cultural dimensions, as well as economic components. "It is a liberating process by which formerly excluded and subordinate social [and gender] groups not only transform their physical environment, but also gain power over their economic and political environment and over the knowledge, skills and other resources needed to sustain this transformation (Rowan-Campbell 1999:86). This, in my view, is psychological empowerment. In this context, personal development refers to a sense of confidence and the ability to overcome internalised oppression as well as the capacity that they have developed to negotiate and influence the nature of a relationship. (Rowlands, l997a in Townsend et al, 1999). National development refers to the harnessing of all resources including material and psychological for all-round progress of the country . This project looks at middle class married and working women. It therefore considers three domains: class, marriage and occupation. It questions these domains-namely which are seen as spaces which middle class women have access to, to express their personality. A combination of these spaces should give us a dynamic picture of how middle class women evolve as human beings, contextually empowered or disempowered. Empowerment in this case refers also to psychological strength that the system equips the women with to understand their socio-cultural environment. The word empowerment is often used in gender-related literature. However, I define empowerment as the capacity to get things moving. Most of the time financial means enable women to get things moving in their lives. In this case empowerment is of mostly a material nature: it refers to financial independence. There are however, times when reportedly, financial means are diverted to other quarters, e.g. in cases where men take over their wives' income and space for action (see for example, Mirsky and Radlett, 1999). Sometimes, empowerment is seen as "shakti" the energy within women, which generates the power to act (Liddle and Joshi, 1986:2). Gradually with the expansion in the literature regarding women and gender issues, in my opinion, empowerment has locally become an overused word whose meaning tends to become obscure. This is despite the fact that it retains all its loaded meaning as it is used by Rowlands (1997a). This word is very rarely used I this project. Personal development is seem as a more appropriate term since it is gradual, incremental and more general. It is not a flash in the pan item referring to only one aspect of personal development -e.g. financial comfort does not necessarily mean overall personal development. The frequency with which this then is used locally, the fact that it is so much divested of its real meaning account for its very sparse use in this project. This project does seek to develop a research framework to measure degrees of empowerment. Whenever it is used, "empowerment" will mean the capacity to reason out circumstantial barriers and to act accordingly. Thus, this project seeks to analyse: â¢ How married and working middle-class women view education as an enabling factor for their personal development; â¢ The role of husbands in their personal development and the extent to which marriage and family provide a space for this; â¢ The degree to which their occupation helps them in their personal development â¢ The perceptions of the women under study and those of their husbands; â¢ The extent to which women believe their personal development can contribute to national development. If so, how? And â¢ whether the Mauritius College of the Air can play a significant and positive role in enhancing both personal and national development by dispensing appropriate distanceâ¢ learning courses . Thirty working women from a stratified middle-class are studied through face-to-face interviews as well as a pre-determined questionnaire. The perceptions of their husbands are also gathered to give an overall and well-balanced picture. The views of the husbands are very important given the increasing feminist recognition of the key role of men in positing women for personal development. It hopes to determine the degree to which marriage provides a fertile crucible for the optimisation of women's personal development as fostered by education and whether distance education can be a mode of study that can positively enhance personal development as well as the women's contribution to national development. I am deliberately silent on issues related to culture and religion since these will give rise to debates that cannot be discussed in the context of this research.

Motivation to entrepreneurship, resource utilisation and enterprise performance

Sun, 30 Jun 2002 20:00:00 +0000

Entrepreneurs are defined as those agents who know, or believe to know, investment projects with designs for specific uses of specific resources, and who can, in response to suitable incentives, initiate the implementation of such projects by taking appropriate actions â such as founding or expanding firms, creating jobs, and putting to work new technologies. Economic progress is achieved when entrepreneurs are able to use available resources to generate employment and capital accumulation. Entrepreneurs are self-selected, not all of the self-selected entrepreneurs, can be expected to be able to efficiently employ resources. Many of them may definitely be unsuitable, in spite of their believing the opposite. As it is neither possible nor desirable that to have some kind of pre-selection of entrepreneurs, the question to policy makers and supporting institutions is rather about focusing on ways and means on the one hand, to enhance the capacity of entrepreneurs to make the most optimum use of available resources and on the other to ensure that resources available most efficiently meet the needs of entrepreneurs.

Assessment of impact of pollution sources on air quality through monitoring and modelling

Sun, 02 Dec 2007 20:00:00 +0000

Industry is under increasing pressure from the regulatory authority and from the general public to control the air pollution from its boilers and particularly that of sulphur dioxide pollution. The aim of this project was to use an air dispersion model for the selection of air pollution control systems for industrial boilers on the island of Mauritius.

Prospective Study on the role, contribution and needs of the Mauritian elderly people by horizon 2010

Thu, 31 May 2001 20:00:00 +0000

This study has been undertaken following the award by the Mauritius Research Council of an Unsolicited Research Grant Scheme. The study was conducted over a period of 6 months starting in July 2000 and covered both the islands of Mauritius and Rodrigues. The aim of this study is to conduct an assessment of the prospective role, contribution and needs of the elderly people of the Republic of Mauritius by horizon 2010.

Study on the menopause in Mauritius

Thu, 03 Oct 2002 20:00:00 +0000

This study on Knowledge and Attitudes pertaining to the Menopause in the Republic of Mauritius took place between June 2000 and July 2001. It was implemented by the Mauritius Family Planning Association and was funded by the Mauritius Research Council. The study grew from a realisation that there were various elements connected with the Menopause that were impacting on women’s lives but were perhaps not being adequately addressed. The Menopause is a natural stage in a woman’s life that all women will have to eventually confront. At present, many of the symptoms that are normal to this period in a woman’s life may go untreated or, often, be treated as a series of unrelated illnesses. The study set out to uncover what was the current level of knowledge on the subject and what attitudes women in the Republic of Mauritius had towards the Menopause. As with any such subject there are also a number of beliefs, based on fact, hearsay or myth that accompany this type of subject. These beliefs were also under investigation. Finally, current practices were look ed into, to try to ascertain what type of alleviation processes, if any, were used by women either during, after or leading up to the Menopause. The study was conducted in both the Island of Mauritius and the Island of Rodrigues. This was important because of the different demographic factors applying to each island and because of the different lifestyles and life experiences of women in the two locations. The results of the study have been presented combined, as applying to the Republic of Mauritius, and separately for the Island of Mauritius and the Island of Rodrigues.

Fuzzy control of batch dyeing process

Thu, 31 Jul 2003 20:00:00 +0000

The control of dyebath pH in the dyeing of cotton with reactive dyes is critical for batch to batch shade reproducibility, levelness of dyeing and the optimisation of the dyeing process. Conventional controllers have not proved too successful in controlling dyebath pH since it is very difficult to develop a mathematical model for the dyeing process. The relationship between various parameters of dyeing is highly complex, non-linear and exhibits time-varying behaviour. One method to deal with such complex situation is to apply fuzzy control to the dyeing process. Fuzzy control is a modern control method that uses a control algorithm based on human reasoning to take control decisions. In this project work, a fuzzy control system was developed to monitor the pH of the dyebath during the dyeing process. An on-line pH meter and dosing pumps were mounted on a laboratory jet dyeing machine. Various preset pH profiles were used to study the tracking performances of the control system. Simulation and initial experimental results of the system performance proved to be very promising. Further fine-tuning of the system gave very satisfactory tracking performances of the dyebath pH up to pH values of around10.0. Above pH 10.0, the tracking performance degrades. With respect to the dyeing performance, the controller did not significantly improve the colour yield of the dyed fabric. However, results showed a high degree of shade reproducibility between dyed batches when using the proposed controller for the applied preset pH profiles.

Measurement of soil erosion and validation of the Revised Universal Soil Loss Equation (RUSLE) under local conditions

Sun, 01 Jun 2003 20:00:00 +0000

Soil erosion is a dynamic and natural process where soil exists in its natural environment under native vegetation; but man's activities can accelerate the process which will result in severe soil losses. Erosion by water involves the processes of detachment, transport, and deposition of soil particles. The erosion rate for a given site depends on the combination of several physical and management variables and can be predicted using models, e.g. the Revised Universal Soil Loss Equation (RUSLE), which would include factors such as rainfall-runoff erosivity, soil erodibility, slope length, slope steepness, cover-management and support practices. A project was initiated in 2001 to study and measure soil erosion in five major soil groups of Mauritius and to validate the RUSLE under the local conditions. Two erosion plots, one with bare soil and the other planted with sugar cane, were established at five sites, namely Bel Ombre, Sans Souci, Le Val, St FÃ©lix and Etoile with soil groups of L, F, B, S and H respectively. For each plot, collecting devices for the bed-load, i.e. sediment moved along the soil surface, and the suspended load, i.e. sediment moved in suspension within run-off water, were installed as well as a pluviometer. All data were recorded through loggers operating with batteries and a solar panel. The main findings of this project have been: - Soil erosion varied significantly across sites and year. Highest soil loss (bare plots) was recorded at Bel Ombre and was followed by Sans Souci, Le Val, St Felix and Etoile with a mean of 37.6, 14.3, 9.5, 4.1 and 0.5 t ha-1 yr-1 respectively. Irrespective of year, the worst erosion measured from the bare plots was at Bel Ombre where an annual soil loss of 59 t ha-1 was recorded during the period July 2004 and June 2005. The proportion of soil erosion associated to 'cyclonic' events was found, on average, to vary between 45% and 68% depending on sites. - The most important factors influencing erosion in the bare plots were soil erodibility and rainfall erosivity. Soil erodibility factors (K) were calculated for the five sites; a mean K factor of 0.14, 0.05, 0.08, 0.03 and 0.01 was obtained for Bel Ombre, Sans Souci, Le Val, St Felix and Etoile respectively. These values may be used for soil loss prediction for other sites with similar soil groups. - The use of a rainfall simulator to determine the soil erodibility (K) factor was found inappropriate although it showed differences among the soil groups tested. - Rainfall erosivity factor (R) has been found to vary across sites due to different energy values obtained from rainfall intensity and amount; Bel Ombre and Sans Souci have an erosivity factor of approximately 250, Le Val and St Felix of about 150, and Etoile with 41. In absence of good correlations between indices calculated for each site and their rainfall characteristics and altitude, etc., an R-value of 300 may be used to predict soil erosion in other parts of the island. - Sugar cane reduced soil erosion by 80% to 99% depending on cane varieties and their stage of growth. Cane variety of the type R 570 was found to be more effective than varieties such as M 3035/66 because of a better canopy closure and amount of trash cover in ratoons. - The RUSLE (RUSLE1) has been updated to give rise to RUSLE2 during the implementation of this project; the new version, RUSLE2, considers other factors and is based on daily computation compared to monthly data in the previous model. The validation of the RUSLE2, with the data available, may be considered as a future exercise, together with compilation of meteorological data for classifying different zones of the island into areas with varying (high, medium, low) rainfall erosivity indices. - The main factors of the USLE, i.e. soil erodibility (K), rainfall erosivity (R) and crop-management (C) for sugar cane have been determined. The values obtained for these factors may explain the high amount of sediment load in some of our rivers and deposition in certain lagoons after a heavy rainfall event. - With the rapid change in land use pattern, including replacement or abandonment of sugar cane cultivation, the outcome of this study highlights the need for an integrated national project to minimise soil erosion for ecological and environmental reasons, and for the sustainability of our agricultural lands. The benefits of such a project will be of invaluable importance to the national economy, particularly the tourism industry which is developing around some of the high erosion 'risk' areas.

The implications of the informal sector on the Mauritian Economy: Analysis and Evaluation

Tue, 30 Nov 2004 20:00:00 +0000

The research study carried by De Chazal du Mee makes a contribution in this direction by providing important insights into the informal economy on the following: Overall size of the informal industry, nature and composition of the sector, contribution in terms of output and employment of this industry and possible policy measures to reduce the 'informalisation' of this economy.

Polyphenolics, vitamins and antioxidant status of the Mauritian diet

Wed, 31 Dec 2003 20:00:00 +0000

Estuarine algal tissue and sediment trace metal contamination along the western coast of Mauritius

Thu, 31 May 2001 20:00:00 +0000

The objectives of this project was to monitor trace metals (Cr, Pb and Zn) in sediments and in algal tissues -Padina sp., Ulva sp. and Enteromorpha sp, in the estuaries of GRNW, St Louis River, Flic en Flac rivulet, Grande Riviere Noire estuary, Petite Riviere Noire estuary and Tamarin estuary during summer and winter months starting July 2000. Dissolved nutrients (phosphate and nitrate) and master variables (temperature, salinity, dissolved oxygen, pH) were also monitored in the different estuaries.

Incidence of over-indebtedness among domestic households in Mauritius: Analysis and Implications - Phase II

Mon, 30 Apr 2001 20:00:00 +0000

The level of debt contracted by Mauritian household have witnessed a drastic increase over the past few years. Observations carried out point that there is an increasing number of indebted household who are facing difficulties in repaying their debt. No attempt has been made to assess the severity of this problem among Mauritian household. The objective of this study is to: identify why Mauritian household contract debt, to estimate the level of debt contracted by Mauritian household and to make policy recommendation on how to tackle the problem of over- indebtedness.

Research Study on Small and Medium Enterprises

Mon, 30 Nov 1998 20:00:00 +0000

This report sets out recommendations based on the results of the Research Study on Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs). The objective of the assignment was to make an in-depth appraisal of the constraints faced by SMEs with respect to the following: - Macro Level sector policies - Finance - Technical - Marketing (both locally and overseas) - Human Resources â¢ A detailed survey was carried out between 3rd April and 16th April 1998. â¢ The survey was conducted among 55 enterprises, which are as follows: - 40 enterprises registered with the SMIDO. 15 enterprises not registered with the SMIDO. â¢ The definition of an SME has been based on the Industrial Expansion Act 1993, that is: - The enterprise should be engaged in a manufacturing activity. - It should be using production equipment whose aggregate CIF value does not exceed Rs lOm. â¢ The sample has been carefully designed so as to respect the following industry groups: - Food and Beverages - Leather and Textile - Paper and Printing - Chemical and Plastic - Jewellery and Ceramics - Metal products - Others â¢ The sample also considered the following criteria: - Number of employees - Amount of investment â¢ In view of having a complete picture of the SME sector, we have also considered women entrepreneurs in our sample. â¢ As per our proposals, three questionnaires have been sent to registered SMEs in Rodrigues. â¢ The Final Report 1 provides an insight into the present situation of the SMEs coupled with a focus on the constraints to which they are subjected.

Inventaire du Patrimoine bati ancien

Sun, 01 Oct 2000 20:00:00 +0000

Cree en 1997, le « National Heritage Trust Fund « a pour mission d'assurer la preservation des batlrnents et monuments anciens, qui ont une importance historique ou un interet public, aussi bien du point de vue de leur qualite architecturale, de leur etat ou de leur caractere ancien. Cette mission comprend aussi la sensibilisation du public dans ce domaine. Afin de mener a bien cette mission et pouvoir intervenir de facon concrete sur ce patrimoine, qu'il soit public ou prive, le NHTF (National Heritage Trust Fund) a besoin de connaitre avec precision le pare de batiments anciens du Pays, tant sur le plan quantitatif que qualitatif. Port-Louis possedant une grande partie de ce patrimoine, le NHTF a comrnande dans un premier temps la realisation d'un inventaire sur la ville de Port-Louis. L'inventaire se presents sous la forme d'une fiche technique pour chaque batirnent releve, avec une photographie, et de cartes permettant de les reperer. En introduction de l'inventaire, le present rapport presents la methodoloqie appliquee pour le releve des batiments ainsi que pour leur classement ; il contient egalement les caracteristiques generales des batirnents, des recommandations d'ordre reglementaire, financier et institutionnel, et enfin la proposition d'une serie d'actions a mettre en place pour demarrer la mission. Cet inventaire est presente avec un support papier, un support disquette, mais aussi un CD Rom qui regroupera toutes les photos des batiments, espaces et ouvrages. Ce CD Rom complete le document ecrit dans le sens ou ii permettra de voir le batiment plus en detail (en grossissant l'image).Ct inventaire a ete concu pour etre Â« actif Â»etÂ« evolutif Â« . Actif dans le sens ou les informations ant ete choisies dans une optique d'intervention ; evolutif dans le sens ou le National Heritage, qui va le gerer, pourra enrichir le fichier de nouvelles informations. Pour completer, IMPACT offre au NHTF la presentation d'un systems cartographique multimedia sur une partie du centre ville, comme echantillon de ce qui pourrait etre realise sur I' ensemble de la ville.

Study on Work and Family issues

Sun, 01 Sep 2002 20:00:00 +0000

It is increasingly being recognized that the family is the cornerstone of society. The weakening of the family as a unit and the changing roles of its individual members resulting from social and economic development within society and the work place needs constant monitoring. Documenting the evolving situation will help in identifying the costs and benefits of the measures which have been taken to increase and improve working conditions and the impact on the development of a harmonious balance between work and family responsibilities. As stated by the International Labour Organization (ILO), " There is an urgent need to move the focus of attention beyond the impact that family demands have on work, to the impact that work and working conditions have on family and personal life and to gender equality. Family-friendly employment and social policies that are practical and cost-efficient to implement can make an important contribution to social protection and the essential objective of "decent work". Mauritius was chosen to form part of the project because it is a successful developing country, which has completed the structural transformation of its economy.

Mauritian Social Attitudes survey

Mon, 31 Dec 2001 20:00:00 +0000

The Mauritius Social Attitudes Survey 2002 was conducted on a random but representative sample of 1,399 adults over the age of 18 years in the Island of Mauritius. Males made up 49.5 % of the population and Females 50.5%. Because the sample was fully representative the main body of respondents was between 30 and 49 years old, with fewer respondents from the younger age groups and in the older age groups. For this study, a high percentage of the sample population of both sexes combined had an educational level that did not go beyond primary schooling and a small percentage equally represented by both Males and Female respondents had higher levels of education.

The School footprinting initiative Student Introduction pack

Sun, 01 Apr 2007 20:00:00 +0000

The school Footprinting Inititaive (SFI) was set up to give an opportunity to understand the impacts on natural environment through school activities usinh 'hand-on' or experiential learning.

Information & communications technology thematic working group

Sun, 02 Sep 2001 20:00:00 +0000

The ICT sector is undergoing very rapid changes. To keep pace with, and even contribute to the ever-changing paradigm it is of utmost importance to develop a research policy and culture at national level. This Working Group was mandated by the Mauritius Research Council (MRC) to carry out a brainstorming exercise on the research potential in the ICT sector within Mauritius and to make recommendations on strategies and measures necessary to successfully commence and sustain a research programme in the areas identified. The objective of this workgroup was thus to identify priority areas for research in the Information and Communication Technology (ICT) sector that would enable sustainable national development.

Consultative workshop on the collaborative research programme on diabetes (CRPD)

Wed, 06 Mar 2013 20:00:00 +0000

Given the high prevalence of Diabetes Mellitus in Mauritius, numerous initiatives to alleviate its burden have been undertaken by the relevant authorities in particular the Ministry of Health and Quality of Life. It has, however, been noted that there is a need for more involvement of the Research Community of Mauritius to these authorities in addressing the burden of Diabetes in the country. This need is being addressed through the setting-up of a Collaborative Research Programme on Diabetes (CRPD). The CRPD encourages a participatory and research-based approach of local and international stakeholders in the field of Diabetes to form a multi-disciplinary research platform. The main goal of this programme was to address the Diabetes epidemic from a research perspective, while emphasising a participatory approach and soliciting the contribution of all relevant stakeholders working in the field of Diabetes in Mauritius.

Association between cervical cancer and HPV in Mauritius paradigm revisited

Wed, 20 Sep 2006 20:00:00 +0000

Annual cancer associated death rate is 8 in every 1000. The purpose of this study was to determine factors contributing in cervical cancer.

Thematic working group water resources

Tue, 31 Jul 2001 20:00:00 +0000

Each and every country requires an adequate, safe and reliable water supply to meet the water demand of all sectors. Mauritius is not an exception to this rule. However, over and above this fundamental fact, Mauritius is an island state with a topography that results in substantial flows to the sea during heavy rainfall periods.Furthermore, increase in population growth/human activities and industrialisation render necessary more and more water withdrawal from the environment and have brought along severe risks of water pollution. Based on an in-depth analysis of the current status of the water sector, the projected water demand and the research work already carried out in this field, a prioritised list of research proposals was identified with the ultimate aim of enhancing the water sector in Mauritius. Special attention was paid to Rodrigues which currently suffers from a serious water shortage problem.

Thematic working group science & technology education

Sun, 01 Jul 2001 20:00:00 +0000

Education is a basic right. It is essential for development, capacity building and active citizenship. Science and Technology Education (S&TE) is a key element of education. Its direct effect on development and wealth of a country has been well demonstrated.In the context of the Thematic Working Groups established by the MRC in 2001, S&TE is a crosscutting issue, necessary for capacity building in all other fields from land, marine and water resources through energy and biotechnology to manufacturing technology. A basic question was asked: does our school education system, with its syllabuses and method of teaching prepare young people for entry into the world of work, with specific reference to work at middle and higher levels in scientific, industrial and technological fields?

Thematic working group marine resources

Mon, 29 Oct 2018 20:00:00 +0000

The Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) of Mauritius represents a zone, which is around one thousand times larger than its land area. This zone is largely unexploited except for its fishery resources on the shallow sand banks and in the coastal regions. Tuna fishing is also carried out in the open sea. Occasional studies have shown the presence of yet-unexploited fish stocks and of metallic nodules. This report represented the deliberations of the Marine Resources Thematic Working Group.

Thematic Working Group - Manufacturing Technology

Tue, 14 Aug 2001 20:00:00 +0000

The overall goal of the Working Group was to provide policy guidelines to the Council, with regard to research priorities in the form of a list of prioritised topics for research and specific recommendations for action by the Mauritius Research Council. This report took care of the main issues affecting the manufacturing subsectorand attempts to highlight such measures as can expedite technological development with ensuing social and economic benefits to the population.

Thematic Working Group on Land and Land Use

Tue, 31 Jul 2001 20:00:00 +0000

The Land and Land Use Sector are of critical importance to the socio-economic development of Mauritius because land is the basic commodity without which development cannot take place.The Land and Land Use Working Group was given the task of proposing, detailing and prioritising research projects within the land and land use sector in Mauritius and Rodrigues.

Thematic working group energy and energy efficiency

Tue, 31 Jul 2001 20:00:00 +0000

Energy is an essential ingredient used by man in his diverse daily activities with the view to contributing to his well being. These can include food production and preparation, transportation, communication, and other leisure related activities. From the past century, industrialisation and the invention of numerous electronic gadgets had immensely increased Man's dependence on energy so much so that the availability of energy has become paramount for sustaining human life.The objective of the working group was to provide policy guidance to the Council on this theme and establish a list of prioritised topics for research. The report also covered both the actual and projected use of local energy resources paying particular attention to renewable resources like bagasse, solar and solid waste, amongst others.

Biotechnology

Mon, 29 Oct 2018 20:00:00 +0000

The Potential benefits of biotechnology hold as much promises for developing as for developed countries, especially where the low input farming of developing countries is considered. The primary objective of biotechnology was the development of products, processes and technologies whose large-scale application would result in social benefits.

National water research group (Research perspectives and recommendations on water resources in Mauritius)

Wed, 01 Feb 2012 20:00:00 +0000

National Water Research Group is an Interdisciplinary Steering Committee involving public and private sector stakeholders.The aim of this study was to identify critical issues on water resources for Mauritius, Prioritising research themes in water resources management and Coordinating and facilitating research activities related to the water shortage issue.

Experimental Wheat Cultivation in Mauritius (2011-2014)

Thu, 30 Apr 2015 20:00:00 +0000

Mauritius is highly dependent on food imports and is currently importing 80% of its food requirements Wheat is the most important staple food, it is imported at the rate of around 170,000 tonnes annually and is priced 450 to 500 USD per tonne (FAO, 2012). The specific objectives were: To assess the adaptability of three wheat varieties under different agro-climatic conditions Evaluate specific variety of wheat suitable for local climate Evaluate the potential commercial application of the studied varieties.

Towards an ocean economy

Tue, 31 Jul 2012 20:00:00 +0000

The general aim of this report was to suggest a Road Map to Government for scaling up the Mauritian OE. Hence the specific objectives was to: Establish the importance of Science, Technology and Innovation (STI)within the global Ocean Economy (OE), Use international trends in Ocean Policy-making to support the recommendations made, Provide a comprehensive picture of the local marine research carried out in Mauritius, Draw a list of activities and projects with substantial returns in the short and medium term

Seaweed Farming in Mauritius and Rodrigues Phase II: Hands-on Training workshop on Seaweed Farming for Stakeholders/fisher groups in Mauritius and Rodrigues

Wed, 30 Nov 2011 20:00:00 +0000

The second phase of the training which is the subject of this report was on “Hands-on Training workshop on Seaweed Farming for Stakeholders/Fisher Groups in Mauritius and Rodrigues” was implemented in Mauritius from 6 – 20 November 2011. The aim of the second phase was to equip the stakeholders and fisher groups in Mauritius and Rodrigues with knowledge in seaweed farming and to set up experimental farms in the two areas.

Seaweed farming in Mauritius and Rodrigues Phase I: Capacity building in seaweed farming for technical personnel of Mauritius and Rodrigues in Zanzibar

Sun, 02 Oct 2011 20:00:00 +0000

Mauritius and Rodrigues are among the countries that have similar topography with Tanzania/Zanzibar and, thus, seaweed farming can be done in these countries.Three research trainees from Mauritius and Rodrigues were trained in Zanzibar on important aspects of seaweed farming. The topics covered in the lecture included the following: Nutritional value of seaweeds Traditional use of seaweeds in Tanzania Initial trade based on collection from the wild Initial scientific studies, commercial farming and expansion Production and marketing trends Importance of the industry, socioeconomic and environmental impacts How to select a seaweed farming site Farming materials

Causes & consequences of suicidal behaviour among teenagers in Mauritius

Sun, 31 May 2015 20:00:00 +0000

The primary data collection process for the study was carried out over period May 2014 to February 2015. The overarching objectives of this study were to determine the causes of suicide and attempted suicide among teenagers as well as to explore the consequences of suicidal behaviour on family and friends of attempters and completers of suicide.

Low cost equipment for teaching science and technology in primary schools

Mon, 28 Feb 2005 20:00:00 +0000

Science is the study of nature. The aim of this study was to intrigue and delight young children, foster children capacity, and expand the skills and competence of children.

The roles and functions of a science park in Mauritius

Sun, 28 Feb 2010 20:00:00 +0000

Science Parks can be described as a 'Triple helix' involvement of academia, industry and government, each playing a complementary role with a view to transforming technologically innovative ideas into enterprises. The main objective was to define the roles, functions and operation of a Science Park that could enhance the competiveness of Mauritius.

A study of attitudes and lifestyles implications of the pilot implementation of summertime in the Republic of Mauritius 2008-2009.

Mon, 18 May 2009 20:00:00 +0000

The main objective of this study was to gather data from a fully representative sample of the adult population of Mauritius and Rodrigues so as to enable an assessment of the impact of Summertime on the social behaviour of individuals. A Qualitative Methodology was also designed to capture information about the effect, if any, of the implementation of Summertime on school students and the daily functioning of schools.

School footprinting initiative (Teacher Manual)

Sun, 01 Apr 2007 20:00:00 +0000

The School Footprinting Inititaive (SFI) is an Environmental Education (EE) program that has been jointly developed by the University of Technology, Mauritius, Mauritius Institute of Education (MIE), Mauritius Research Council. It involves an active teaching and learning method called Project Based Learning (PBL) to link different components of the curriculum, and bring a holistic approach to EE.

Training manual for secondary school laboratory attendants

Wed, 25 Apr 2007 20:00:00 +0000

Laboratory attendants in secondary schools play a crucial role in the preparation and smooth running of science practical lessons and demonstrations. The purpose of this manual was to provide guidance to laboratory attendants in biology, chemistry and physics, to enable them to contribute more effectively to the teaching of practical science at lower and higher secondary level.

Science education in primary schools FINAL REPORT

Sun, 30 Nov 2003 20:00:00 +0000

The Ministry of Education and Scientific Research had mandated the Mauritius Research Council (MRC) to chair a Steering Committee and two Task Forces, on primary and secondary education respectively, in order to review the teaching and learning of science at both primary and secondary levels. THE KEY FINDING OF THE SURVEY ARE CONCLUDED AS FOLLOWS: Almost 66% teachers and head teachers said that science should be introduced in Standard I because the teaching and learning of science starts at home at a very early age, when the child starts reasoning with the parents. Most students in primary schools prefer EVS/ science more than the languages (French and English) 10% of the General Purpose teachers had never studied science in secondary school.

Teaching and learning of science in schools (REPUBLIC OF MAURITIUS) VOLUME I

Sun, 02 May 2004 20:00:00 +0000

The first section of the report focuses on the issues pertaining to the teaching of science at the level of primary schools and the recommendations made thereafter. Section B deals with the issues and recommendations for the secondary sector. In Section C, common recommendations are formulated for both sectors. The aims of science education at the primary level was to: prepare young people to acquire a broad understanding of the main ideas and processes of science, enable students to understand procedures of scientific inquiry and apply new knowledge to solve problems, understand and appreciate the interdependence between science and technology and the way technology is impacting human life.

National Research Group on Road Traffic

Mon, 02 Jan 2012 20:00:00 +0000

The National Research Group on Road Traffic (NRG-RT) is an initiative constituted under the aegis of Dr the Honourable Minister Rajeshwar Jeetah of the Ministry of Tertiary Education, Research, Science and Technology (MoTERST). It was developed with a view to specifically investigate the impact of Road Traffic on the National Economy, Environment and Health. The aim of the NRG-RT initiative was to initiate debate on the critical societal impacts of Road Traffic in Mauritius and provide a series of Research Areas on which research could be carried out to fill gaps in knowledge. It is believed that such research can lead to appropriate and practical recommendations by acting as a Needs Assessment for Research in Road Traffic Management.

Ethical guidelines for biomedical research involving human subjects

Mon, 30 Jun 2003 20:00:00 +0000

The objective of this guideline was to establish a grater degree of scientific efficacy and procedural responsibility in the practice of ethics committees, especially those that are responsible for considering research proposal involving participation of human subjects.

Guidelines on Research Ethics

Mon, 30 Jun 2003 20:00:00 +0000

Guidelines on Research Ethics

Code of care and responsibility in the use of animals in research

Mon, 30 Jun 2003 20:00:00 +0000

This code intended to provide guidance to medical researchers using animals or animal products in their research, and to members of animal ethics committees who would be involve in reviewing applications for support.

Public awareness of genetically modified products and labeling of products in stores in Island of Mauritius

Tue, 31 May 2005 20:00:00 +0000

This study was commissioned by the Mauritius Research Council who wished to implement a rapid study of the awareness of the public in Mauritius of the existence of, understanding of, and attitudes towards Genetically Modified Oragnisms(GMOs) in foodstuffs available on the local market. This study was divided into two stages. The first stage was a questionnaire based study of shoppers, island-wide in Mauritius. The second stage was a physical examination of the labeling of products in retail outlets.

A coordinated research perspective on sustainable buildings in Mauritius

Tue, 31 Jan 2012 20:00:00 +0000

The challenges our planet is facing nowadays, particularly climate change and sustainable development, are global in nature and thus require global solutions. A major part of this global problem is the building sector. The latter consumes as much as 40% of the world's energy, 12% of its potable water and contributes up to 70% of solid waste. In Mauritius as well, buildings and construction works have a key role to play in overall resource use (energy, water, and materials), wastage and pollution emission. As such, buildings are coming under closer governmental scrutiny and regulations. To respond to this, the Government is now looking at better ways to manage our production and deliver highly efficient energy solutions. The NERG had the following objectives: (i) To take cognizance of the existing initiatives/measures on sustainable buildings with emphasis on positive renewable energy buildings in Mauritius (ii) To establish a dynamic energy research alliance in Mauritius regrouping private and public sector stakeholders (iii) To identify research gaps, overlapping/critical research issues on sustainable and positive buildings in Mauritius (iv) To prioritise research themes in sustainable and positive buildings (v) To coordinate and facilitate research activities on sustainable and positive buildings in Mauritius (vi) To make recommendations to the policy makers with respect to the research findings

Mauritius National Research Foresight Dxercise

Mon, 15 Apr 2013 20:00:00 +0000

Mauritius is at a crucial stage in its development, on the trajectory towards a knowledge-based economy and society. Clearly Mauritius needs to enhance and extend its capacity for knowledge based enterprise, governance and society, through coordinated programmes of research and innovation, to build 'anticipatory intelligence for a knowledge based nation'. The National Research Foresight Exercise (NRFE) aimed to map out a medium-longer term research & innovation (R&I) strategy for Mauritius.

Desk study of the informal sector -Mauritius,Botswana, Malaysia and India

Thu, 31 Mar 2005 20:00:00 +0000

This desk study of the Informal Sector in 4 countries: Botswana, Malaysia, India and Mauritius is of an exploratory nature since it tries to map out the broad contours of the Informal Sector, the possibilities and constraints within the sector as well as examine some aspects of legislations and the regulatory frameworks prevailing in the countries. Given the lack of data on this sector in Mauritius, the research team deemed it necessary not to restrict itself to a desk study but to engage in some primary data collection as well. The informal sector is defined as being very heterogeneous and constituting of a wide range of activities. The informal sector includes a wide variety of activities such as street hawking, beach hawkers; cake selling, construction workers, masons, retail food enterprises, vegetable selling, food, cold drinks, snacks, handicrafts, to mention a few.

Research/Innovation-Industry Linkage study

Thu, 31 Jan 2013 20:00:00 +0000

The global economy is facing multiple challenges, buffeted by economic and financial instability. Against this backdrop, each and every country is trying to sustain growth, and one of the determinants to sustain growth is innovation. Innovation in all its forms is a core condition for both the growth of the economy and business competitiveness. The specific aims of the study were to: explore the specific role of Research-Industry Linkage (RIL) in the National Innovation System,map, understand and assess the nature of linkages which exist between private sector and research institutions, and identify the main bottlenecks which hamper efficient and effective linkages.

Jatropha cultivation for biofuel production in Mauritius

Sun, 01 Oct 2006 20:00:00 +0000

The transport sector occupied 49.5% of final energy consumption in 2005. Gasolene and diesel oil had 23.9% and 40.2% share, respectively, in transportation. On average, the energy consumption by the transport sector has been growing at about 3.4% per annum over the past 5 years. The initial objective of the study was to: 1. Investigate the economic feasibility of cultivating Jatropha Curcas in Mauritius for the production of biodiesel The scope of the study has been enlarged to also include a: 2. Preliminary investigation of the economic feasibility of producing biodiesel in Mauritius from imported raw materials

Integrated farming system at Union Ducray

Sun, 02 Feb 2003 20:00:00 +0000

Integrated Farming System (IFS) is a scientifically proven concept in many countries such as China, Vietnam, Fiji, and Brazil etc. Mauritius Research Council (MRC), in collaboration with the Ministry of Local Government and Rodrigues, decided to review the project proposal submitted by Union Ducray on Integrated Farming in Rodrigues. The aim of the study was to objectively review and assess the project proposal and to make its recommendations to the Ministry.

Priority research themes identified by the human resources research group

Wed, 01 Feb 2012 20:00:00 +0000

The main objective of this study was to brainstorm on the main issues affecting local human resource development, management and retention in the context of current opportunities and challenges,to identify priority research projects of topical relevance to human resources which are of current and future significance to the country and Contribution of research-based evidence to address problems affecting Human Resource

National research group on impacts of food quality on human health

Wed, 01 Feb 2012 20:00:00 +0000

The aim of this study was to protect public health and achieve food safety through food inspection, product tracing and product recalls.

Experimental enzymatic degumming of raw fibres from banana trunks & pineaplle leaves & characterisation of the degummed fibres

Sun, 01 Sep 2013 20:00:00 +0000

Natural fibres of plant and animal origin are extensively used in a large variety of products such as ropes, mats, clothes, household furnishings and car interiors. Each year, around 35 million tonnes of natural fibres are harvested from a wide range of animals and plants. The aim of this study was to satisfactorily degum raw banana trunk fibres and raw pineapple leaf fibres by enzymatic digestion using pectinases for improved mechanical properties such as handle and stiffness for eventual yarn spinning.

A survey on the quality of potable water in Mauritius

Sun, 28 Feb 2010 20:00:00 +0000

In September 2009, the Ministry of Industry, Science and Research (MoISR) requested the Mauritius Research Council (MRC) to report on the impact of the use of fertilizers on the water table and on the health of the population, with a view to elaborating a policy and developing a strategy for subsequent adoption. In this context, the MRC set up a Task Group comprising stakeholders with responsibilities for the sourcing, supply and distribution of water, as well as for monitoring the quality of water distributed for domestic and industrial uses. The Task Group also included representation of institutions involved in research and development, with a focus on the utilisation of water for agricultural purposes. In December 2009, the Ministry of Renewable Energy and Public Utilities (MoREPU) was informed of the request made to the MRC, and gave its approval for the Council to conduct a survey on the quality of potable water in Mauritius. Between September 2009 and February 2010, the MRC (i) obtained the collaboration of various organisations for the provision of data pertaining to water quality over the period 1989 - 2009, and (ii) analysed the data made available through a series of statistical tools, with a view to identifying trends and quantifying the changes recorded, in relation to the safety criteria established for potable water in Mauritius. This preliminary report therefore presents the results of the statistical analysis carried out between September 2009 and February 2010 on data obtained from various stakeholders. The data and the preliminary results have been discussed by the Task Group, the outcome of which is also included in the report as a list of recommendations for further action.

Use of waste vegetable oil and coconut oil as substitutes to diesel oil

Sat, 08 Nov 2008 20:00:00 +0000

MRC has been conducting parallel projects to investigate the use of Waste Vegetable Oil (WVO) and Coconut Oil (CNO) as substitutes for diesel oil. The usage and disposal of vegetable oil by large consumers, including hotels, fast food chains and hospitals was investigated. This study has shown that between 35-40% of oil is disposed of, and that the consumers of oil also have fleets of diesel vehicles. WVO can potentially be used as a substitute for diesel oil.

Reviewing and testing e-waste policies using a systematic model

Wed, 31 Oct 2012 20:00:00 +0000

Waste generation has always form part of our life but presently it is termed as a âglobal phenomenon' which needs to be handled through appropriate methods and policies. It is a matter of concern since there has been a growing trend in the disposal of wastes irrespective of whether they are classified as toxic or non-toxic wastes. The term 'waste' also incorporates Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE), commonly known as electronic waste or ewaste, as a consequence of the rapid development in technology. This project aims at studying and developing an eWaste Policy Framework using System Dynamics.

Establishment and operation of a poverty observatory in the Republic of Mauritius

Mon, 31 May 2010 20:00:00 +0000

After a preliminary study on qualitative methodology on Poverty in Mauritius carried out by the Decentralised Cooperation Programme of the European Union and a workshop with various stakeholders in the social and poverty field there was a call for proposal in December 2008 inviting submissions of projects for the operation of a Poverty Observatory in the Republic of Mauritius. The aim of the Poverty Observatory was to carry out qualitative research. However, quantitative information was used as background to carry out the qualitative study. The major distinction of the poverty observatory methodology was that there would be no repetition of findings as in most of the previous studies carried out.

Survey of centenarians in the Republic of Mauritius

Tue, 09 Jun 2009 20:00:00 +0000

An ageing society, suffering from age-related diseases and disabilities poses serious challenges to existing support systems. There is therefore need to find ways to lessen this pressure and consequently improve the delivery of social services. One of the ways to do so is to promote 'successful ageing'. The present study focused on the Republic of Mauritius and tries to identify lifestyle and functional health determinants that have contributed to the longevity of its centenarians.

E-waste quantification and characterisation

Tue, 30 Jun 2009 20:00:00 +0000

The term 'Electronic waste', denoted in short by the word 'e-waste', is a type of waste consisting of old, end-of-life or discarded appliances using electricity. E-waste is also used as a generic term embracing all types of waste containing electrically powered components. Waste electrical and electronic equipment contain both valuable materials as well as hazardous materials which require special handling and recycling methods.The main aim of the project is to get an insight of the percentage of e-waste out of the general waste.

Energy auditing, management and efficiency at CWA pumping stations phase II

Sun, 01 Oct 2006 20:00:00 +0000

This project on 'Energy Auditing, Management and Efficiency at CWA Pumping Stations' was put forward in order to identify energy conservation opportunities aiming to have an optimised pumping system. It is divided into four distinct phases. The overall objectives of this project was: To review the pump hydraulic characteristics and electrical ratings of all operational pumps and verify that they match the operational requirements, To propose an energy management strategy to improve efficiency of pumping equipment and optimize energy costs.

Energy auditing, management and efficiency at CWA pumping stations phase I

Sun, 02 Jan 2005 20:00:00 +0000

This project on 'Energy Auditing, Management and Efficiency at CWA Pumping Stations' was put forward in order to identify energy conservation opportunities aiming to have an optimised pumping system. It is divided into four distinct phases. Phase 1 included gathering of data for computing the production cost at borehole pumping stations and estimate the energy wastage from a desktop study. The aim of this report was : To review the pump hydraulic characteristics and electrical ratings of all operational pumps and verify that they match the operational requirements. To submit proposals for a better energy management strategy and derive maximum efficiency of all installed M&E equipment. To design an optimal and highly efficient pumping system covering the whole island. To seek causes and propose remedial actions for optimization of the energy cost per meter cube of water being pumped at all pumping sites

High penetration renewable energy roadmap for the Republic of Mauritius

Mon, 08 Aug 2016 20:00:00 +0000

The Republic of Mauritius has excellent renewable energy resources, including solar, wind and wave. This report, a renewable energy roadmap, provided the data and a list of specific recommendations to assist governing bodies in Mauritius to develop a plan to reach a target of 60% renewable contribution or more as early as 2030-35.

Feasibility study on use of coconut oil (CNO) and waste vegetable oil (WVO) for electricity generation

Mon, 29 Oct 2018 20:00:00 +0000

In line with the Maurice Ile Durable Project, the Mauritius Research Council (MRC) under the aegis of the Ministry of Tertiary Education, Science, Research and Technology (MoTESRT) in collaboration with Outer Islands Development Corporation (OIDC) initiated a project on the use of Coconut Oil and Waste Vegetable Oil as substitutes to Diesel for transportation. The aim of the project was to transform Agalega into an âIle Durableâ with regards to its energy requirement and propose environment friendly solution for disposal of waste vegetable oil in Mauritius

Low cost housing

Sun, 01 Jun 2003 20:00:00 +0000

As one of its responsibilities to address technological and socio-economic issues, and technology related to quality of life, the Mauritius Research Council initiated a research project on alternative construction technologies especially for cyclonic regions.The aim of this research was to identify alternative construction technologies that could be adapted to Mauritius with a view to improving efficiency and cost-effectiveness.

Rainwater harvesting devices for Rodrigues

Wed, 02 Jan 2002 20:00:00 +0000

Rainwater harvesting systems (synonymous with rainwater collection systems) normally refer to small-scale systems providing individual households or single communities with a primary or supplementary water supply.

A guide to patent searching

Sun, 31 Dec 2006 20:00:00 +0000

The objectives of this workshop were to (i) sensitise a wide audience on the importance of patents, the various techniques available for patent searching and the critical elements involved in the drafting of successful patent claims, and (ii) impart the skills and provide hands-on training/exercises to participants in patent searching and the drafting of patent claims.

Needs assesment on neurological rehabilitation Services in Mauritius

Wed, 31 Aug 2011 20:00:00 +0000

During private trips to Mauritius, Drs Sohur and Soopramanien, two members of the Mauritian Diaspora, separately came to the conclusion that facilities for neurological rehabilitation were not optimal. Their shared impression was that people who had had a Stroke, Spinal Cord Injury (SCI) or Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI), did not have access to appropriate rehabilitation care. The overall objective of this proposal was to obtain qualitative and quantitative information relating to the potential gaps in Neurological Rehabilitation Care in Mauritius. It focused on the following elements and themes: Incidence/Prevalence of Stroke, SCI and TBI, Types of services and infrastructure available for patients in need of Neurological Rehabilitation, Quality of long term care provided to patients with severe Neurological Disease, The Patient's Journey, Human Resources available in the country for provision of Neurological Rehabilitation, Specific training programmes available in this area, Architectural barriers for persons with disabilities.

Biomedical Research

Sun, 02 Sep 2001 20:00:00 +0000

Biomedical Research is an important component of a health care system of country. The overall aim is to elucidate problems associated with health service and with delivery of health care and to help understand the aetiology, pathogenesis, and causes and mechanisms of various types of diseases. It also entails the definition, diagnosis and management of treatment of those diseases.

Science, Technology & Innovation Audit

Tue, 31 Oct 2000 20:00:00 +0000

In the highly competitive global economy it has become evident that Mauritius will need to extend the application of scientific & technological developments and become a more innovative nation in order to broaden its commercial base and thus improve the standard of living of its communities.

National Innovation framework

Mon, 29 Oct 2018 20:00:00 +0000

Innovation is defined as the introduction into a market of new or improved products and services. The National Innovation Eco-System is a set of functioning institutions, organizations and policies that interact constructively in the pursuit of a common set of social and economic goals and objectives and uses innovation as the key promoter of change. Mauritius is an upper middle income country and is poised to transition to the level of a high income country, where innovation becomes the key driver of socio-economic development. The National Innovation Framework is a unique programme of creating innovation ecosystems to transform the landscape of the Mauritian economy. The success of this framework is contingent on the following unique features: sustainable roadmap for growth, private funding for programmes, integrated and coordinated growth and accountability of innovators.

The Study of Consumer behaviour in a small island economy

Sun, 28 Feb 1999 20:00:00 +0000

An understanding of the consumption of goods and services by individuals or groups of individuals is a complex process that requires an in depth analysis of different factors that affect purchasing behaviour. This research study is an attempt to analyse the different aspects of consumer behaviour of the Mauritian population. The different aspects which have been discussed in this study are how Mauritian consumers purchase specific products and services, their reasons for purchasing these products and services, the retail outlets they use for their purchases, the influence of promotion on their purchases and the level of consumer awareness among the Mauritian population. The study explored the aspects of brand choice, brand switching and innovation. Data was collected from a sample of households, representative of the whole population through a survey. The sampling unit was the head of household. The findings suggest that there is a noticeable absence of homogeneity in the behaviour of Mauritian consumers. This absence of homogeneity is due to differences that exist in the origins of different communities, their lifestyles, purchasing patterns, cultural beliefs and values and their demographic characteristics. The findings also suggest that demographic characteristics are also major determinants of consumer behaviour in Mauritius.

Modular Vertical-Axis Wind Turbine

Sun, 02 Jan 2000 20:00:00 +0000

Electrical energy is much of our part life, the power requirement is will always be on the incline. There are so many ways of producing electricity, but at the same time we have to look after our fragile planet. The prospect of producing clean, sustainable power is substantial qualities from renewable energy sources is now arousing interest around the world. The wind energy is a must for the Island. Once the idea is there, a search had to be done top see if ever this design is already registered , then form the drawing calculation of power output to a model.

Trade secrets - The Export Answer Book for Small and Medium-Sized Exporters

Sun, 02 Jan 2000 20:00:00 +0000

Exporting offers numerous advantages to the firm, but unfortunately, many firms do not make the most of the incredible opprtunities that exist in the world wide marketplace. Indeed, the term 'Global village' is gaining more and more with the increasing facility with which goods and services can be traded internatinally. Thus this handbook is customised to suit the needs of SMEs in Mauritius and answering the most commonly asked questions on export process, market research, cultural issues, marketing, market entry methods, agents and distributors, regulations, quality standards, pricing, documentation, packing and labelling, trade agreements, software programmes and databases available within Mauritius.

Heating water to increase Red Snappy production

Tue, 29 Feb 2000 20:00:00 +0000

FUEL has invested millions of rupees in a fish farm by using APT PAZ technologies for breeding of red snappy fish. The objective of the farm is to produce fifty tons of fish annually but this is not being attained. The reason for this under-production had been investigated and it was found this was due to the water temperature.

Late production of onions in La Marie/Glen Park

Mon, 31 Jul 2000 20:00:00 +0000

Onion is an important vegetable cash crop in Mauritius. It is grown mainly for the fresh market consumption and for storage. The production of onion is highly seasonal with the bulk of the crop harvested around October and November. This results in a seasonal surplus production of 1600 to 1800 tonnes annually. The aim of this project is to study the prospects of producing high quality onions in late season in the region of La Marie. If onions could be produced during that period, these can be cured and stored by farmers for the sale as from February a period when the country depends on imported onions to satisfy local requirement.

Gestion raisonée des prairies Bilan fourrager dans differents elevages cervides de L'île Maurice

Sun, 12 Oct 2003 20:00:00 +0000

Le but de cette étude de d'analyses les pratiques et les méthodes que les éleveurs mettent en oeuvres. Des outils de diagnostic ont été mis en oeuvre pour répondre aux problèmes concrets de la gestion des systèmes fourragers en apportant des solutions adaptées aux caractéristiques propre à chaque élévage, aux objectifs de l'éléveurs, en tenat compte du milieu et des contraintes saisonnières marquées.

Technological Competence Survey

Sun, 30 Apr 1995 20:00:00 +0000

The overall aims of the study were to assess the degree of technological competence in Mauritian industries. The outputs of the study include assessments of the current level of technology in the country, of the mechanisms of obtaining technology, of information channels for securing new technology, and of how technology assessment and forecasting are being carried out. The study also aims at detennining the strength of the Research and Development system in the country, and at identifying the technological gap between existing technology and that which is available on the world market.

Environmental impacts of structural concrete using coal ash as partial fine aggregate replacement and coal fly ash as partial cement replacement

Sun, 02 Jun 2013 20:00:00 +0000

Coal is the single largest fuel source for the generation of electricity worldwide and consists of 38% yearly electricity generation. In Mauritius, thermal power generation accounts for about 96 % of the total energy produced.This project aims to investigate the feasibility of the use of coal bottom ash as replacement for all in aggregates in concrete in Mauritius, as a means to reduce the exploitation of natural resources and to contribute to a sound management of coal ash on the island. In this research, the all in aggregates in both grade 40 and grade 15 concrete mixes were replaced by coal bottom ash in varying proportions by weight. The effect of bottom ash on the 7 and 28 days compressive strengths were then determined. In addition, leaching characteristics of heavy metals from the bottom-ash concrete at 90 days were determined as per BS EN12457-1:2002 and results compared with limits specified in BS6920:2000-Materials in Contact with Drinking Water and in Mauritian Drinking Water Standards. Five grade 40 concrete mixes were designed comprising 15%, 26% and 54% respectively replacement by weight of all in aggregates by coal bottom ash. The 7 and 28 days compressive strength of cubes as well as the leaching characteristics of heavy metals from the bottom-ash concrete were determined. Results show that the compressive strength of concrete decreases drastically as bottom ash content increases and thus use of bottom ash in structural concrete is not technically and economically feasible. Subsequently, two grade 15 concrete mixes were designed comprising 31% and 100% respectively replacement by weight of all in aggregates by coal bottom ash. 7 and 28 cube test results showed that compressive strengths of both mixes are comparable to those of control mix. In addition, leachability tests showed concentrations of heavy metals at 31% replacement were within limits. However, limits for barium and lead at 100% replacement were slightly higher than the threshold limits. This research concludes that the use bottom ash as all in replacement/aggregate replacement in structural concrete is not technically feasible and is uneconomical. However, bottom ash in low strength concrete applications e.g. blinding, mass concrete and concrete infills is technically feasible and economical. In this respect, the replacement of all in aggregates by bottom ash up to 31% can be implemented safely. Since there is a potential risk of the low strength concrete getting into contact with drinking water because of percolation, the replacement of all in aggregates by bottom ash up to 100% must be done with caution. This impact will have to be assessed in situ because of varying levels of dilution likely to occur in nature.

Assessing the potential of using coal ash and bagasse ash as inorganic amendment in the composting process of municipal solid wastes: Improvements in compost quality for agronomic application

Sun, 31 Mar 2013 20:00:00 +0000

Mounting demand of electricity consumption, fuelled by the rapid modernisation and ever-growing population, has risen up the use of coal, with an inclination towards bagasse utilisation as well in the line of sustainable energy consumption. Improper disposal of ashes generated by the combustion of these energy sources is creating havoc and this has resulted in the quest of technologies that would swallow up and stabilise these ashes. In this respect, the use of coal ash and bagasse ash as amendment in the composting process was investigated. 10 composting drums were set up as follows: A -20% bagasse ash with unsorted municipal solid wastes (MSW); B-40% bagasse ash with unsorted MSW; C - unsorted MSW only; D -20% bagasse ash with sorted MSW; E - 40% bagasse ash with sorted MSW; F- sorted MSW only; G -20% coal ash with unsorted MSW; H - 40% coal ash with unsorted MSW; I -20% coal ash with sorted MSW and J- 40% coal ash with sorted MSW. Moisture content was maintained within 53.56-63.12% after first adjustment. Setups D, F, G and I achieved a retention time of at least 3 days above 550C with the following peak temperature: Dâ620C, Fâ570C, Gâ620C and I-580C. D and G resulted in the highest VS degradation of 68.59% and 58.41% to yield the highest volume reduction of 66.07 and 64.29% for the sorted and unsorted category respectively. Compost quality tests were performed on D, G, I and the controls C and F. All the composted masses were within range in terms of electrical conductivity (794-1771Î¼S/cm) and pH (6.69-7.12) and exhibited comparable water holding capacities (183.18 â 216.79%). C/N ratio of sorted wastes was improved by the addition of 20% coal ash and bagasse ash. Higher Germination indices, all above 0.8%, were attributed to the ash-amended compost (D, G, I) as compared to their respective controls, indicating the feasibility and enhancement of using bagasse and coal ash as inorganic amendment in the composting process in the following proportion: 20% bagasse ash in sorted wastes and 20% coal ash in sorted and unsorted wastes. In terms of heavy metal content, while the composting mix G exceeded in final chromium concentration, the other ash amended wastes (D and I) showed compliance with the MS 164 standards indicating no problematic issue in land application of these composted masses.

Safe and sustainable utilisation of coal/bagasse ash in agroecosystems as soil amendment and for crop protection

Sun, 28 Oct 2018 20:00:00 +0000

This project attempted to evaluate the agronomic and environmental characteristics of ash, which is a waste product generated during energy production from coal and bagasse (coal ash and bagasse ash, respectively). Ash is produced in large amounts and its injudicious disposal into the environment can have adverse consequences for human, plant, and animal health (Kumar et al, 1998). The best strategy would be to convert this waste into a resource that can be utilised, for instance in agriculture (Munbodh, 1995; Lalljee, 2000; Bhantoo, 2002; Lalljee, 2006) and construction. This project investigated' and developed the optimum rate and frequency of ash application (to soil to improve soil properties, control pests, and enhance crop growth and yield. The study also investigated" the effect on soil biodiversity. Scientific data from the experimental work was statistically analysed. Many soils in Mauritius are acidic, and under such conditions, plants are able to take up very small amounts of nitrogenous, phosphatic and potassic nutrients, and hence, even large scale additions of fertilizers and compost can fail to provide the essential nutrients to the crop. On the other hand, high alkalinity too can have a similar effect (although the reason for the unavailability of the nutrients is not the same). Moreover, Mauritian soils are deficient in silicon (Lalljee, 2008). Ash has the potential to reduce soil acidity and serve as a soil amendment and conditioner. Ash can also help in pest control by its abrasive effect on soft-bodied pests such as molluscs and insect larvae. However, it is necessary to investigate the appropriate rate, frequency and mode of application to ensure that the effects of ash are optimized, and that there is no toxicity to the plant or soil resulting from excessive application. This project will help (i) reduce the amount of ash that would need to be disposed of into the environment, (ii) provide a locally-produced, easily available, soil amendment and crop control product which can be used in conventional and organic agriculture, the latter in itself being a high value-added activity envisaged by the Government, (iii) reduce consumption of synthetic fertilisers in conventional agriculture, and hence help make it more environment friendly and sustainable, (iv) add value to the ash, (v) increase the income of flexi-factories, and State-owned and Independent Power Producers through the sale of this by-product, and create business opportunities for Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs).

Modeling the influence of large scale circulation patterns on precipitation and a multivariate drought analysis for Mauritius.

Thu, 31 Jan 2013 20:00:00 +0000

Mauritius suffered from chronic water shortage problems that had a severe impact on its economy and the well-being of its population. For instance, in 1998-1999, the island faced a drought that resulted in a 40% decrease in sugar production, and a drop of about MUR 2 billion in GDP. On the social level, the water deficit the country faces is a major problem for residents. Water availability in reservoirs and major aquifers are influenced by precipitation regimes, which are in turn affected by large-scale circulation patterns such as the El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO) and the Indian Ocean Dipole (IOD). In this study we (i) investigated the relationship between both ENSO and IOD with precipitation, (ii) developped an Artificial Neural Network (ANN) for precipitation prediction based on ENSO and IOD, (iii) develop statistical and time-series models for precipitation forecasting, and (iv) conduct a drought analysis based on multiple precipitation deficit variables (duration, severity and inter-arrival time). Monthly precipitation data for the period between 1961 to 2012 for the Vacoas station are used in this study. We found some correlation between average winter ENSO indices and precipitation, while the correlation for summer was negligible. Statistically significant correlation was found between average winter precipitation and IOD index. We also found that the correlations fluctuate over time. With ANNs, we obtained an average winter precipitation prediction accuracy of 86%. Prediction of summer precipitation was less accurate than winter precipitation. Results obtained from ANN were more accurate than those from other statistical techniques, such as linear regression and autoregressive integrated moving average (ARIMA). This may be attributed to the ability of ANNs to capture non-linearity in the system. Both ANNs and regression based models predict winter precipitation with remarkably higher precision than summer precipitation. Standardized Precipitation Index (SPI) is proposed as a simple and effective index that can be used for drought definition. It is a spatially invariant quantity that can be computed to give precipitation deficit at multiple timescales. Based on SPI for six months for Vacoas, we found that drought durations vary between 1 and 9 months with a mean of 2.6 months. The mean interarrival time is 15 months. We also identified the severity of all drought events between 1961 and 2012 and the computed the conditional probability of drought of a certain duration given severity and vice versa. The findings from this study can help in more efficient planning and management of scarce water resources on the island. This study can be extended in several ways: (i) cover longer time periods to investigate possible impact of climate change, (ii) cover more stations across the island, (iii) incorporate other meteorological parameters, and (iv) develop models to predict other key variables such as water levels in reservoirs.

Assessing the impacts of climate change on the Phenology of Native Mauritian Plants

Wed, 16 Jan 2013 20:00:00 +0000

Plant phenology is defined as the scientific study of the timing of recurrent biological events (flowering, fruiting, leaf shading and leaf flushing), the causes of their timing with regard to biotic and abiotic factors, and the interrelation among phases of the same or different species. Phenology has evolved over millions of years, but ecosystems degradation and climatic changes are affecting the native flora and fauna, and phenological patterns. However, there are relatively few studies on this subject worldwide. The Mauritian Wildlife Foundation initiated a study a decade ago to understand the natural food availability throughout the year across fragmented remnants and to manage supplementary feeding, which has been formalised since 2007. Phenology data has been collected for the period September 2007 to present at five conservation sites in Mauritius (four in the Black River Gorges National Park and the fifth, on the offshore islet of Ile aux Aigrettes) on 48 native and 16 introduced species. Significant correlations between phenological traits (flower budding, flowering, fruiting and leafing) to month, site and individual trees in declining order have been found. Phenology calendars have been produced for 43 native and 16 introduced species and these are useful tools for conservation of the species and for studying the impacts of climate change or variability on phenology. The effects of climate change are still unknown due to the paucity of data. However, initial analysis based on a restricted data set seems to indicate that rainfall variation does not significantly affect phenological traits for native and introduced species studied here.

Evaluation of the vulnerability of coastal communities to climate change in the island economies - A case of the Republic of Mauritius

Tue, 05 Feb 2013 20:00:00 +0000

In the context of this research, climate change relates to the potential extreme weather events that may occur in and around Mauritius that will have severe adverse effects, including injuries, loss of lives, on the economic and social lifestyles of certain coastal communities of the island. Extreme weather events may be referred to as intense tropical cyclones, droughts, flooding and wave surges and sea level-rise amongst others. The main aim of the present research was thus to assess the vulnerability of coastal communities by tracking the potential immediate effects of these extreme weather events on such people while at the same time tracking the latterâs readiness to face them. 422 interviews were in fact conducted in four villages, namely, Pointe aux Piments, Riviere des Gallets, Case Noyale and Quatre Soeurs.

The use of system dynamics approach to identify integrated coastal zone planning and management indicators for Mauritius: A performance evaluation model

Sun, 02 Jun 2013 20:00:00 +0000

This project relates towards developing a systemic model to support integrated coastal zone planning and management activities prevailing in Mauritius. The island is a small one with developed coastal areas that sustain the livelihoods of local inhabitants as well as its economy. There have been major developments in these areas as a result of the expansion of the fishing and tourism industries, and other coastal activities. Further, projected outcomes of global climate change comprise warmer land and ocean temperatures, rises in both sea level and acidification, changes in rainfall frequency and pattern as well as in storm severity. As a Small Island Developing State (SIDS), Mauritius is highly vulnerable to negative climate change impacts on its natural and built coastal environment, thus endangering coastal activities which require coastal resources to be perennial. Consequently, the island is faced with complex coastal zone management challenges associated with our attempt to achieve economic growth without destroying the ecological systems that support human existence. Poorly planned coastal land use including residential, agricultural and leisure activities also generate aftermaths on climate change while exacerbating coastal vulnerability. These circumstances justify an integrated coastal zone management (ICZM) whereby coastal land use planning as one of its key constituents would also combine climate mitigation and adaptation measures. The proposed model take into consideration the rising coastal issues, find out whether a systems approach may be used to address coastal zone problems and the identification of a set of indicators bestde scribing the coa stal zone to be used for monitoring and evaluating ICZM plan of actions. Flic-en-Flac as a particular demo site of Mauritius has been considered for that purpose. Data profiling and site characterization by means of a survey was carried out to determine relevant variables. A system dynamics approach using causal loop diagram has been applied to illustrate the possible relationships between the variables to generate specific indicators which will be used for scenario planning. Eventually, this exercise will help to evaluate and monitor ICZM performance of that particular demo site.

Use of compost by farmers as an adaptation strategy for climate change: Land application and simulation studies

Sun, 01 Dec 2013 20:00:00 +0000

Climate change, a complex biophysical process is already happening. It is not possible to predict precise future climate conditions, but the scientific consensus is that global land and sea temperatures are warming under the influence of greenhouse gases, and will continue to warm regardless of human intervention for at least the next two decades (IPCC, 2007).This study comprised analyzing different treatments namely: (a) Soil only(S), (b) Compost and soil (SC), (c) Soil and Manure (SM), Soil and Manure(SM) and (e) Compost, Soil and Chemical fertilizers (SFC) for comparing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. The GHG emissions were monitored and compared by quantifying CO2 and CH4 fluxes using a static flux chamber. The following chemical and physical analyses of soil properties were monitored: pH, electrical conductivity, moisture content, bulk density, porosity, water holding capacity, volatile solids, Nitrogen, Phosphorus, Potassium and Total Organic Carbon (TOC). Further investigations involved analysis of crop yield and root system formation of Lactuca Sativa seedlings (lettuce) which were grown on the each treatment. The results showed that organic treatments such as MSW compost and chicken manure addition helped to maintain the pH of soil between 7.3-7.5 which is deemed conducive for vegetation. It was also deduced that both compost and chicken manure were successful in reducing the bulk density of the soil by at least 8 %. After 7 weeks, incorporation of compost triggered an increase of 135% in the TOC of the soil while the TOC of SM and SF increased by 108% and 86.9% only. A maximum flux of 46.41 g/m2/day of CO2 was measured from treatment SM on the 49th day. Thus, treatment SM acted as a source of CO2. Treatment SC was a sink for CO2, since the net fluxes of both CO2 and CH4 was zero. Application of fertilizer resulted in higher N2O emissions (31.98 kg N2O/yr) compared to compost application (25.86 kg N2O/yr) and chicken manure application (25.80 kg N2O/yr). The total greenhouse gas emissions from treatment SF, SC, SM, SFC were 10533, 8318, 25160 and 9805 kg CO2 equivalent/yr respectively. Compared to treatment SF, compost application reduced total GHG emissions by 21% while chicken litter increased GHG emissions by 139%. The number of leaves formed and height of shoots per plant were the highest in treatment SC and SM. The dry mass of Lactuca Sativa (Lettuce) from treatment SC was 10.9% compared to 10.3%, 10.5%, 10.1%, and 10.8% from treatments S, SM, SF and SFC respectively. The % crop yields of SC and SM was 100%. Treatments SF and SFC produced lower crop yields (75% and 65%) compared to the control, where the crop yield was 95%.

Appropriation des langues à Maurice: Dynamiques d'apprentissage et facteurs externes

Tue, 31 Jul 2001 20:00:00 +0000

Les nombreux travaux de recherche realises sur les questions de la politique linguistique de l'ecole mauricienne nous font penser qu'il est peut-etre temps de diversifier nos centres d'lnteret, de constituer de nouveaux objets d'etude afin d'offrir de nouveaux (types d') edalraqe sur la problemattque des langues et de l'ecole a Maurice. C'est dans le cadre d'un renouvellement des connaissances sur la problernatique a l'etude que s'inscrit cette recherche. Ainsi que l'indique l'intltule du projet, cette etude porte a la fois sur les dynamiques d'apprentissage des langues et sur le poids des facteurs dits externes sur le processus de !'appropriation des langues.

A rapid assessment of the extent of coral bleaching in Mauritius after the 1998 seawater warming event .

Sun, 31 Oct 1999 20:00:00 +0000

During 1997-1998 coral reefs throughout the tropics were subjected to the most geographically widespread and probably most severe bleaching event in recorded history. In Mauritius Sea Surface Temperature (SST) anomaly charts produced by NOAA show that SST was raised l-l.25°C above the climatological maximum for this region during February 1998, however, the level of bleaching in Mauritius was poorly known. This study investigated whether the coral reefs of Mauritius had suffered a mass bleaching event during 1998. A rapid assessment was made the degree of coral bleaching on reefs around the whole coast of Mauritius.

Detection of the phytoplasma associated with yellow leaf syndrome of sugarcane

Sun, 31 Mar 2002 20:00:00 +0000

In the 1960s a new symptom known as yellow wilt was observed in sugar cane in Tanzania. These symptoms were then found to be widespread in Central and East Africa. (Ricaud, 1968; Rogers, 1970). No pathogen was at that time associated with yellow wilt. Several years later yellow leaf syndrome (YLS) which has similar symptoms as yellow wilt of sugar cane was described in Hawaii (Schenck, 1990; Schenck and Hu, 1991). YLS is characterized by the yellowing of the midrib. The colour gradually extends to the leaf blade and is sometimes accompanied by a shortening of the upper internodes, producing a fan-like appearance. Thereafter YLS was reported in 34 countries (Lockhart and CronjÃ©, 2000). The syndrome was found to be transmitted by vegetative propagation (Schenck, 1990) suggesting that a pathogen was involved. Subsequently, a new luteovirus- Sugarcane yellow leaf virus (SCYLV)- was found to be associated with YLS in several countries. Furthermore CronjÃ© et al. (1996, 1998) during their search for the SCYLV, found electron microscopic evidence for phloem-inhabiting phytoplasma-like bodies. Phytoplasmas, previously known as mycoplasma-like organisms (MLOs) were first discovered in the late 1960s by Doi et al. (1967) as wall-less microbes in electron micrographs of mulberry tissue affected by the âyellowsâ disease, mulberry dwarf. They were called âmycoplasma-like organismsâ (MLOs) because of their morphological similarity to the wall-less mollicutes mycoplasmas, known to cause numerous disorders of human and animals. Recent evidence showing that MLOs are only distantly related to animal mycoplasma led to their designation as âphytoplasmaâ a name that reflects their primary plant hosts (Sears and Kirkpatrick, 1994). Phytoplasmas have been found to be associated with diseases of several hundred plant species (McCoy et al., 1989; Kollar et al., 1990). Cronje et al. (1998) presented evidence of phytoplasmas in sugar cane with symptoms of YLS based on PCR amplification of the 16S rDNA of the organism, RFLP analysis of the PCR products, scanning electron microscopy and transmission studies. These authors further distinguished two groups of the phytoplasma (which they named Sugarcane yellows phytoplasma - SCYP I and SCYP II), present in both YLS symptomatic and asymptomatic field grown sugar cane. They also found poor association between the presence of SCYLV and YLS in field grown sugar cane varieties in eight African countries and 12 countries outside Africa. In Thailand two important sugar cane diseases, sugar cane white leaf (SCWL) and sugar cane grassy shoot (SCGS), are caused by phytoplasma (Wongkaew et al., 1997). Analysis of the RFLP pattern and of the PCR product of the 16S rRNA and the sequence data of the spacer region between the 16S rRNA and the tRNA (Ile) showed that the SCWL and the SCGS diseases are caused by two different phytoplasmas. On the other hand sequences obtained from the intergenic spacer region between the 16S and the 23S rDNA genes of the ScYP I and ScYP II confirmed the identity of the phytoplasma as belonging to the Western X and SCWL phytoplasma groups (Cronje et al., 1998). In Mauritius no phytoplasma disease was recorded in sugar cane until recently. YLS was first observed in 1994 on variety CP 721210 imported from Florida, USA. Symptoms were also observed in local varieties a few months later. The presence of SCYLV was confirmed in 1996 and that of the phytoplasma in 1997. This study was undertaken to investigate the distribution of the two pathogens associated with YLS, particularly the phytoplasma for which the incidence was unknown in Mauritius. The phytoplasma was detected by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and the virus by reverse transcriptase PCR (RT-PCR). An attempt was made to relate symptoms to the presence of either or both pathogens. Strain variation in the phytoplasma was studied using PCR and RFLP analysis of the phytoplasma 16S rDNA and PCR products were cloned and sequenced using an ABI 310 DNA analyser. Tissue culture techniques were investigated to free diseased material from YLS.

Elimination of pathogen from noble canes, saccharum officinarum, by tissue culture methods for conservation and molecular analysis to detect genetic changes.

Wed, 03 May 2000 20:00:00 +0000

New sugarcane varieties are interspecific hybrids derived mainly from crosses between the noble canes (Saccharum ofjicinarum) and the wild type species of Saccharum spontaneum. Through a number of selection programmes, varieties with enhanced disease resistance, high sucrose content and increased water/drought tolerance are obtained. Owing to the importance of noble canes in breeding programmes, this project was carried out in order to eliminate the various pathogens infecting them and to introduce a long term in vitro system for their conservation. A survey was carried out among an existing collection of noble canes to determine the level of infection with the following pathogens; sugarcane bacilliform virus (SCBV), sugarcane yellow leaf virus (Sc YL V), Xanthomonas campestris pv . vasculorum (XCV) and Xnnthomonas albilineans (Xalb). All varieties tested for SCBV by PCR using primers SCBVF5 and SCBVR5 were found infected by the virus. ScYLV was detected in the noble canes by tissue blot immunoassay (TBIA) using leaf midribs and stems. The pathogen was found in 39 (out of 65) varieties with an incidence as high as 90% observed in several varieties. However, presence of the virus was not always associated with the typical symptoms of yellowing of the leaves. The stalk imprint method on Wilbrink medium and the diffusion test were used for the detection of XCV and Xalb. XCV was present in eight varieties of noble canes whereas Xalb was not detected in any plant. A more effective tissue culture medium (TCM) was devised consisting of phytagel (1.8 g/1) instead of type A agar (7 g/1) and a 2:1 (13.7: 6.3 g/1) sucrose I glucose carbon source instead of 20 g/1 sucrose as sole carbon source. Using this modified medium, high level of regeneration was observed with apical meristem and axillary buds. Similarly, embryogenic callus could be obtained from 95% of the varieties initiated. Out of nine varieties tested for ScYLV by RT-PCR using primer pairs YLS 111 and YLS 462, plantlets from seven varieties were found freed from the virus. These were regenerated from apical meristem, axillary buds and from callus. Sc YLV was eliminated from all plants derived from callus culture. Inability of the virus to colonise the somatic embryos or apical meristem may explain their absence from plantlets regenerated from such explants. Plantlets (variety M168/33) regenerated from the three types of explants and presumably freed from the virus were potted and transferred to the glasshouse. After nine months, the virus remained undetected in these plants. However, all plantlets remained infected with SCBV following tissue culture. The ability of an antiviral agent, ribavirin, to eliminate SCBV and Sc YLV was investigated. This compound was found to be phytotoxic to in vitro plantlets at concentration above 30 mg/1 in tissue culture medium. Treatment at 10-30 mg/1 failed to eliminate either virus after 7-10 subcultures. The evaluation of antibiotics for the elimination of XCV from noble canes was also carried out. Cefotaxime, tetracycline and rifampicin were found to have bacteriocidal activity against XCV in TCM. The minimal bacteriocidal concentration (MBC) of the antibiotics in TCM were as follows: tetracycline; 50 mg/1, rifampicin; 15 mg/1 and cefotaxime; 90 mg/1. However, exposure to strong light led to the inactivation of the antibiotics, their activity falling from 2MBC to MBC within 4 days for tetracycline, 6 days fer nfampicin and 7 days for cefotaxime. Under low light intensity, their activity remained above that of MBC for at least 19 days. The phytotoxicity of the antibiotics on sugarcane plantlets was also assayed. Exposure for two months with tetracycline at 2MBC led to the bleaching of newly formed leaves and eventual death of the plants. No phytotoxic effect could be associated with cefotaxime and rifampicin. The use of heat on the elimination ofXCV was further studied. The thermal death point (TDP) ofXCV was found to be 60°C for 30 min. Likewise axillary buds from some sugarcane varieties were found to be able to resist such temperature. These results suggest that heat could potentially be use for the elimination of XCV by treatment of axillary buds. Finally, the effect of encapsulation/dehydration on the regeneration of somatic embryos and micromeristems (variety M 168/33) was studied. Three treatments were carried out: 1) direct regeneration, 2) regeneration following encapsulation in 3% alginate beads and 3) regeneration following encapsulation and dehydration. Encapsulation seemed to have minor effects on the regeneration of somatic embryos or meristems. However, no regeneration was observed following dessication of both encapsulated explants.

Validation of the ethnobotanical information of some commonly used medicinal plants of Mauritius

Sun, 02 Sep 2001 20:00:00 +0000

The purpose of this work is to provide: (1) Preliminary scientific information on the safety and efficacy of the widely used medicinal plants in Mauritius. (The list of plants has been made from the survey carried out in Mauritius and Rodrigues between 1990-1994). (2) The preliminary validation process was based on the following assays: anti-bacterial, anti-fungal screenings as well as the toxicity tests have been effected. The antibacterial assays were complemented with an assessment of their ability to contract and relax, in vitro, the ileum of rats and frogs. (3) Provide a model and protocols for the preliminary evaluation of other medicinal plants. (4) Study from the phytochemical and pharmacological point of view some of the endemic medicinal plants of Mauritius.

Technology and investment decisions in the small and medium enterprises (SME) sector in Mauritius

Wed, 30 Apr 2003 20:00:00 +0000

Over the last decades, there has been an increasing awareness for the potential of technology in the acceleration of development. However, so far, the literature has concentrated mainly on large firms. Very little has been done concerning the importance of technology for the Small and Medium Enterprises (SME's) especially for the Small Island Economies. This study attempts to take this factor into consideration and is thus a contribution to the literature. An attempt is made to find the importance of technology policies for the survival of SMEs. The scope of this study is limited to the SMEs engaged in the manufacturing sector in Mauritius. The introduction of new technologies to SMEs is essential to increase their competitiveness. In contrast to large enterprises, SMEs have a greater flexibility to change their production capabilities at a faster rate. As such, the SMEs can react faster to any change that might occur. If good use of this capability is made, SMEs would thus have an advantage over the large firms. Recently there has been a shift from mass production to mass customisation. Technology is the major gateway to industrial development. Competition requires the employment of new updated technologies. The technology that was previously used is no longer competitive. In order to avoid growing external dependency, there is a need to allocate resources to establish a comprehensive framework for technological innovation capabilities.In fact, the latter is nowadays more important than technology itself. This is particularly important since technological capacities tend to become easily outdated.

Use of bio-indicators for heavy metal pollution studies in the coastal marine environment of Mauritius

Sun, 02 Sep 2001 20:00:00 +0000

Many studies in various parts of the world have investigated the levels of pollutants in seawater, sediments and marine organisms. Such studies have been used either to describe the environmental behaviour of pollutants or to monitor the levels of contamination in those constituents of the coastal marine environment. This work relates to the levels of some trace metals in the coastal marine environment of Mauritius. Concentrations of Cadmium, Chromium, Copper, Lead, Tin and Zinc were measured in samples of seawater, sediment and biota from 20 sites around the island during 1998-2000. The main objectives were to identify potential bio -indicators for heavy metal contamination and pollution hot spots around the coastline and also to assess whether trace metal levels in commercial fish species represent a health hazard to the community. The data generated indicate that the western coastline would be more vulnerable than elsewhere because of its accessability and more sheltered condition. However, elevated contamination of both seawater and sediment was localised at certain sites, the 'hot spots' normally corresponding to the sites of waste water discharge or underground seepage in the lagoons. The most contaminated zone would be Port Louis and the surrounding areas, which anyway are highly degraded due to discharge of untreated industrial and domestic wastewater. Installation islandwide of a sewerage network and wastewater treatment facilities would be the only solution to improve the environmental health of the coastal environment in Mauritius. Comparison with levels cited in literature indicates that contamination by any of the metals investigated in this study would not be higher than elswhere in the world. The levels recorded in samples of marine biota as well as in the commercial fish species were well below the recommended limits for consumption. This work should be considered only as preliminary. The organisms which have been indentified as potential bio-indicators need to be studied much more rigorously for extended periods of time so that some of them can actually serve as real sentinels for coastal marine pollution in Mauritius.

Sensitive VLA observations of far Infra Red luminous Quasars

Sun, 31 Mar 2002 20:00:00 +0000

The far infrared emission has shown by IRAS , to be very important for starbursts, radiogalaxies and QSOs. An investigation of the rest-frame far infrared properties of radio Quasars from Z > 4 pm quasar sample was undertaken.

Study of extended galaxies at 151.6 mhz using the mauritius radio telescope

Sat, 20 Apr 2002 20:00:00 +0000

The MRT survey will be by far one of the most extensive survey at low frequencies. This survey will provide a moderately deep radio catalog reaching a source density of about 2 x I0^4 sr-1 over the southern sky with an angular resolution of 4' x 4' and a limiting flux density of 70 mJy ( l o ) at 151 MHz. The availability of zero spacing and short baselines in the MRT array will make it sensitive to the background temperature and to large scale features in the sky. In addition to this feature, the low frequency operation makes a study of continuum emission from large radio sources by MRT to have several interesting and important implications in the study of radio galaxies. This paper discusses the parameter space of radio galaxies which can be explored using the MRT. Images of a few extended radio galaxies are also presented.

New generation polymer beads for solid-phase synthesis

Sun, 02 Jun 2002 20:00:00 +0000

The yield and practicality of every reaction in synthesis are limited by the ability to separate and recover the final pure product from the reaction mixture. The desired compound is to be synthesised cheaply, efficiently and safely. The need for new compounds is especially acute in the pursuit of new drugs, catalysts and materials. In response to this need, the emerging disciplines of combinatorial(1-3) synthesis and automated organic synthesis are beginning to provide new compounds at a greatly accelerated pace. Synthetic organic chemistry has usually been distinguished by the need of several synthetic steps in the preparation of one compound. Along this line, the synthetic chemist has been trained to produce a single target compound with maximum yield and purity. Thus traditional chemistry often makes synthesis a time consuming and expensive activity. On the other hand, in industry where profitability is the most important motive, saving both time and money is vital. To increase productivity, chemists have been trying to innovate their approach to synthesis. Under these circumstances, combinatorial chemistry has found ample space for development. This emerging sub-discipline has initiated a major rethink of the way chemistry is practised. In particular, combinatorial chemistry has instigated a reappraisal and resurgence in the synthesis and analysis of compounds attached to solid-phase supports. These aspects are changing the way chemistry is performed and will ultimately lead to more rapid and effective research. Combinatorial chemistry augurs to quickly find the sought, though unknown, targets by giving more tries. Chemists have recognised the potential. Research in the development of new solid supports and catalysts, which was stagnant for some time, has now gathered momentum. The rush towards new and better solid supports and catalysts is on. This project was devoted to the development of new solid supports that are based on styrene and maleic anhydride derivatives (maleimides). The more polar backbone of these polymer beads is expected to be compatible with a wider range of solvents than traditional polystyrene supports.

Processing of palm shoots

Sun, 02 Sep 2001 20:00:00 +0000

The primary objective of the project was to develop value-added, shelf-stable processed products of palm shoot Dictyosperma album in view of their production in a local processing plant. The study had been designed in three stages, each with defined objectives. 1.1 Stage One: CHARACTERISATION OF THE PHYSICAL, CHEMICAL AND SENSORY PROPERTIES OF PALM SHOOT This first stage of the project aimed at evaluating the physical, chemical and sensory characteristics of palm shoot Dictyosperma album grown locally. This included evaluation of the colour, texture and taste, physical measurements, quantification of the edible/non-edible ratio, determination of pH, Brix, titratable acidity, moisture content, ash content, ascorbic acid, crude fibre and crude protein, and inhibition of browning reactions. 1.2 STAGE Two: PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT AND SHELF LIFE STUDIES The main objective of this stage was initially to develop pickled and canned products from palm shoot. However, canning was, at later stage, rejected. This decision was taken by members of the research team, the Groupement Palmiste, and the Mauritius Chamber of Agriculture after considering the low volume of imports of canned palm shoot, its limited market and its high projected unit cost price. Pickling was therefore the method retained for product development. This involved formulation trials, sensory evaluation, microbiological analysis and physicochemical analysis. Furthermore, shelf life testing was also carried out to assess the keeping quality of the products both in terms of their safety and organoleptic quality. 1.3 STAGE Three: PROCESSING LINE ACCEPTABILITY OF PRODUCTS The final stage of the project aimed at assessing the acceptability of the new product by conducting a consumer-oriented sensory evaluation survey. The production requirements in terms of processing steps and quality control would also be finalised.

An Investigation into the level of insecticide resistance in Lyriomyza trifolli (burgess) populations in Mauritius

Thu, 29 Jul 2004 20:00:00 +0000

Liriomyza trifoli (Burgers) and L.huidobrensis (Blanchard) (Diptera: Agromyzidae) occur on many agricultural and ornamental plants in Mauritius. The former is recorded on about 24 plants species and the latter on 18. With such a wide spectrum of host plants (crops, ornamental and weeds) and coupled with a high biotic potential, these two species can build up high populations during favourable climatic conditions.

Growth and reproduction biology of lethrinus Mahsena

Mon, 30 Jun 2003 20:00:00 +0000

sed to calculate the above parameters. For calculation purposes the following packages have been used: FAOâ¢ lCLARM Stock Assessment Tools (FiSAT), BASlCA and EXCEL. The values of 'a' and 'b' in the formula W=aLb were found to be 0.0165 and 3.0007 respectively. This was in accordance with data reported from Saya de Mal ha (a= 0.012 and b = 3.160 by Bertrand et al in 1986. The Fulton's condition factor (cf) was also calculated and no general trend was found during the sixteen months of study. The asymptotic length (Loo) was found to be 63 cm and the growth constant K was found to be 0.12 in 1999. The total mortality Z, natural mortality M and fishing mortality F were calculated as 0.65, 0.34 and 0.31 respectively. The Ganado Somatic Index (GS!) was directly related to the Hepato Somatic Index (HIS) between July 1998 and August 1999 and was inversely related for the last two months implying that spawning may have started by September I 999. The length at first capture (Lc50) was found to be 31.8 cm, that is, it exceeded the value of the length at maturity (Lm50) which was found to be below 30 cm. Data were in accordance with those from Saya de Malha and Nazareth bank. However, due to the limited data available and Lethrinus mahsena being a slow growing fish, further studies need to be carried out. A wider sampling time span is thus suggested. The sample was taken from a commercial catch and thus the sample was biased due to gear selectivity. For proper management measures, otolimetry should be performed so as to obtain better age data for analysis. This project having been interrupted in the middle of the sampling period, such data was not available.

Start up and operation of the Upflow Anaerobic Sludge Blanket (USAB) process

Mon, 30 Sep 2002 20:00:00 +0000

Pilot Plant Investigations have shown the feasibility of the Upflow Anaerobic Sludge Blanket (UASB) process in effectively removing about 90 percent of the COD contained in sugar industry effluents at an organic loading rate of 12.5 Kg COD/m3.day and a hydraulic retention time of 6 hours. Within the context of promoting the use of biotechnology for environmental protection, the Mauritius Research Council (MRC) funded the construction of a 50m3 demonstration plant at Rose Belle sugar factory, which was completed in September 1998. The main objective of this project was to determine the optimum criteria during the start-up phase of the treatment plant using a suitable inoculum and to operate it during two milling seasons. A proper equalization pond is a pre-requisite for the successful operation of any high-rate anaerobic system. Alkalinity has to be added to this pond to achieve a minimum concentration of 1500 mg/l CaCO3. The start-up of the plant has proved to be difficult and good quality sludge needs to be available. The presence of good quantity of seed sludge is the key for success of the UASB plant. It is proposed that in the Mauritian context the reactor be seeded either with septic tank sludge, anaerobic pond sediments or with imported granular sludge. Following the addition of a proper quantity of sludge in the reactor, the COD removal efficiency reached 70 percent during the 2001 milling season. The organic loading rate was 3.5 KgCOD/m3.day for a HRT of 24 hours. The organic loading rate can be further increased provided there is a good quantity of acclimatized sludge in the reactor. A pre-design cost estimation arrived at a capital investment of about Rs 12,000 per m3 of reactor. A 150 TCH factory will have to invest about 5 million rupees for a UASB treatment plant. The net annual operating cost is estimated at about Rs 3.00 per Kg of influent COD. Increased recycling of process water in industries will lead to lower amounts but higher concentrated effluents and an increased demand for anaerobic processed can be expected in the future. The effluent charges set by the Wastewater Management Authority (WMA) for discharge into sewers will increasingly lead to pre-treatment of industrial effluents using anaerobic technologies. The full potential of high-rate anaerobic technologies has so far not been exploited in the Mauritian context. There is a need for specialized training courses on anaerobic treatment for industry personnel and responsible authorities and financial organizations must be informed on the potential of these technologies.

Oil based condition monitoring maintenance

Sun, 01 Jul 2001 20:00:00 +0000

The oil analysis is an important maintenance tool for vehicle owners. It is based on the monitoring of the physical and chemical properties together with the contamination level of the lubricant. Thus, through these properties, the condition of the engines can be assessed and recommendations can be taken on the future maintenance actions. The main part of the project work consists in collecting used oil samples for analysis purposes. The oil properties are monitored over a time scale and linked with the maintenance history of the particular vehicle in order to determine the variation trends of these properties and the factors affecting them. The wear metals contents of the oil have been trended as well as the physical properties. Cumulative values have been plotted for the wear metals. Statistical analyses of the test data especially for the standard deviations have been carried out; these have been used to determine the reportable and the alert limits and the moderate and the rapid trends. This study started in June 1998 and rolled on through to 2001. The collection and submission of oil samples for analysis purposes was solely the responsibility of the firms and companies participating in the project. In fact three companies were chosen at random and some 280 oil samples were expected to be obtained. However some way through, two of the companies showed sign of slackness and pulled out for reasons of staff earlier committed to the project leaving the company or otherwise. Ultimately only one company supplied the bulk of the oil samples. The advantage so derived is that a more thorough analysis was made possible with a substantial number of samples for the vehicles of that particular company.

Monitoring and control of vehicle emission exhaust in Mauritius

Thu, 31 May 2001 20:00:00 +0000

The present project proposed to assess the extent of atmospheric pollution caused by the exhaust system of mobile internal combustion (IC) engines. The appropriate experimental and analytical investigations were undertaken. A smoke meter was used for assessing pollution from diesel vehicles while for petrol-driven vehicles, use was made of an engine gas analyser. The relevant parameters monitored were identified as follows: â¢ for diesel vehicles : Smoke opacity level â¢ for petrol vehicles : HC and CO emissions. On-road tests were carried out on samples of the diesel- and petrol-driven vehicle populations, which were worked out using the Stratified Random Sampling Method. In parallel with the project, a survey was carried out to assess the perception of the general public, drivers and enforcement officers vis-Ã -vis vehicle pollution.

Lead pollution along major roads in Mauritius

Thu, 31 May 2001 20:00:00 +0000

The project deals with the determination of lead in soil samples collected near roads in Mauritius. Roads with different traffic densities (High Traffic Density, HTD; Average Traffic Density, A TD; Low Traffic Density, LTD) found in rural, sub-urban and urban areas were selected for the study. A total of 733 soil samples have been collected, dried, sieved, digested using microwave technique and analysed for lead by atomic absorption spectrometry. The lead content obtained in the different soil samples ranged from O ppm (road near Trou aux Cerfs region) to 3012 ppm (alongside the M 1 motorway between Reduit and Caudan). Typically roads having a LTD, A TD and HTD have a mean lead soil content of less than 250 ppm, 400 ppm and greater than 500 ppm respectively. The results clearly indicate that vehicular exhaust is the main source of lead pollution near roads in Mauritius. The most polluted soil samples were collected near the Reduit/Caudan segment of the M1motorway (mean lead level> 800 ppm). Lead soil levels alongside roads in Beau-Bassin/Rose-Hill, Quatre-Bornes and Curepipe varied from 18 ppm to 1299 ppm. Curepipe was found to the least polluted (mean 159 ppm) whereas Quatre-Bornes and Beau-Bassin/Rose-Hill had similar soil lead content (mean of 283 and 290 ppm respectively). The mean soil lead level was found to increase with time alongside the M 1 motorway. Climatic conditions and topography of the land were found to influence greatly the deposition of lead particulate matter near the roads.

A feasible solution towards efficient & economic generation of steam & utilities in the Valentina Industrial Zone

Thu, 03 May 2001 20:00:00 +0000

Boilers, when properly operated, contribute significantly towards productivity in process factories – but unfortunately due to ignorance, this equipment is most often wrongly installed, poorly operated and inadequately maintained. As a result, it causes air pollution, but even more important, it considerably affects the performance of the factory. In 1997, a detailed survey was carried out within factories in the Valentina region to assess pertinent factors which in fact contribute towards pollution.

Study on the evolution of women and gender development of over three generations in Mauritius

Wed, 30 Apr 2003 20:00:00 +0000

The objective of this research was to: trace and describe lives of women in their interface with men and how they have met the challenges of modernization since post-independence period.

Mauritius and the Indian ocean RIM association: prospects and potential

Wed, 16 Dec 1998 20:00:00 +0000

Mauritius became independent in 1968. Since then, it is one of the few countries in the developing world that has been able to sustain a vibrant multi-party democracy. The press is free, elections are held regularly and democratic institutions semm to well institutionalized. In order to understand the complex interworking of Mauritian politics, it is neccessary to know the main political parties, the key leaders and the current shape of alliances and coalitions.

NIDDM: Do haemoglobin variants cause misleading results of indicators of glycemic control in diabetic patients

Sat, 08 Sep 2001 20:00:00 +0000

Surveys carried out by the Ministry of Health and Quality of Life and Collaboration Centres of the World Health Organization in the years 1987, 1992 and 1998 had shown that there is rising prevalence of Type 2 diabetes in the Island nation of Mauritius and Rodrigues. One in five Mauritian adults is likely to be affected Of significance , the rate of poorly controlled diabetic patients was high , being around 40 % of the diagnosed cases.Fasting plasma glucose has been the sole indicator used to assess glycemic control in the patients. Glycated haemoglobin has been known to be a better indicator as reported in various studies elsewhere. However, it was important to assess the suitability of this test and to determine the appropriate cut off value to help in the management of treatment of diabetic patients in Mauritius. A cohort of diagnosed cases of diabetic was studied over the period of 1997 to 2001. Fasting plasma glucose, serum fructosamine and glycated haemoglobin were assayed at various intervals to compare glycemic status in those patients. Haemoglobin variants were screened in representative samples of nonnal adults and diabetic patients to detennine the prevalence in the population. Laboratory tests were also carried to detennine the effect of any interference on those indicators. As a substudy , a group of patients were given intensive intervention with an education module and the indicators were compared for any significant change. Results of the study have shown that : (a) The prevalence of haemoglobin variants is 1.2Â°/,. in the normal adult population of Mauritius and Rodrigues; the majority being HbS (1.1'/o) and the other type detected was HbC (0.1%) ; Very low prevalence was detected in the cohort studied. (b) The best indicator for glycemic control is HbA1C with a cut off value of 7.5%. An appropriate cut off value when using fasting plasma glucose is 9.0 mmol/L. (c) The poorly controlled diabetic patients comprise of a majority of insulin requiring cases of whom a significant number could be Type 1 cases. (d) Intensive intervention with well defined education component has a beneficial effect on glycemic status ,which can be assessed by HbA1c (a complex of glucose and haemoglobin) as indicator. (e) The interference by haemoglobin variants on the three indicators studied was not significant. It is therefore recommended that: (a) HbA1C be used as routine indicator for glycemic control in diabetic patients. This will also necessitate standardized methodology with appropriate quality control. There must be a well defined protocol for clinicians to use this service in the most cost effective way. (b) Education be made an integral component of intervention for diabetic patients .This will require adequate monitoring and evaluation. HbA1C will be the indicator of choice. (c) Further studies be carried to : Determine the proportion of known Type 2 diabetic patients who resemble Type 1 and require insulin treatment; Detect onset of complications in long standing poorly controlled cases; Assays of microalbuminuria, insulin response , and Cpeptide concentration will be appropriate. â¢ Initiate suitable intervention programme for diagnosed cases of diabetes, with emphasis on education . Monitoring and evaluation will involve HbA1C as main indicator. Develop a laboratory method to determine HbA1C or equivalent indicator which can be adapted in the Mauritian context as an appropriate , cost effective and cost efficient procedure to be used in the decentralized services of diabetes care in Mauritius.

Synthesis and characterisation of environmentally friendly polymers derived from cellulose

Mon, 31 Mar 2003 20:00:00 +0000

Cellulosic materials are used in the polymer industry for a wide range of applications including fillers, laminates and panel products, wood-polymer composites (WPC), polymer composites, alloys and blends, and cellulose derivatives called cellulosics. The derivatisation of cellulose has opened up tremendous marketing possibilities for the polymer processing, adhesives and pharmaceutical industries Commodity products made from waste cellulosic materials also show a promising future. Much effort has been devoted to the preparation of the wood-like composite materials (fabric laminates, plywood, particle board, medium density fiber board (MDF) that use wood waste or non-woody plants like sugar-cane bagasse. The study of polymer composites that contain cellulosic materials is also another important area of research. Cellulosic materials are rigid as compared to synthetic polymers. When cellulosics are used in polymer composites, it is of critical importance to reduce the free energy of the cellulosic surfaces to reduce agglomeration. Composites prepared under optimum conditions show excellent properties. The obtention of cellulose-reinforced materials, particularly thermoplastics, proceeds through modification of the polar cellulose surface by grafting with compatible thermoplastic segments. Natural cellulose has a melting point that is considerably higher than its decomposition temperature. Thus, natural cellulose cannot be used as a plastic material. However, cellulose is derivatised through the etherification or esterification, its properties are modified and it can then be melted and molded. Such cellulosic products are used in a large variety of applications. This report focused mainly on the synthesis of such derivatives. ln a first part, it is important to have a close look at the structure of native cellulose and the techniques used for its characterisation.

Adaptive Coding Techniques for Time Varying Channels

Tue, 30 Jun 1998 20:00:00 +0000

Adaptive coding techniques for time varying channels such as the HF (2-30) MHz have been under investigation for several decades [Honary 1981, Katakol 1987, Zolghadr 1989, Bate 1992, etc.]. Forward error correction applied to these channels are designed to give the desired performance for the worst channel state. Hence when the channel is relatively error free unnecessary error correction power and redundancy is being employed. This naturally reduces the overall information rate. In order to transmit data efficiently in a time varying channel an ideal error control scheme should achieve a lower average output bit error rate than that obtainable with a fixed rate system. This is done by matching the code to the changing channel conditions. In this report a number of embedded coding techniques employing block codes for time varying channels have been proposed and investigated. A novel statistical channel evaluation technique based on trellis of block codes has also been devised. The HF(high frequency) link has been established with a receiver station Mauritius and measurement of data from UK has shown that it is working as expected.

Nitrous Oxide Emission from soils under sugarcane in Mauritius

Sun, 28 Oct 2018 20:00:00 +0000

Prompted by environmental and agronomic concerns, emissions of nitrous oxide (N20) and nitrogen (N2) gases from soils under sugar cane were monitored by the acetylene inhibition technique at 4 sites fertilized with and without 140 kg N ha-1. The data obtained showed that the rates of N20IN2 emission from the soils cannot be predicted by any single soil variable. Moreover in spite of site to site variabilities. the temporal pattern of the gaseous N emissions invariably showed a base level emission rate ranging from IO to 50 g N ha-I d-1. Upon that background flux were pulses of emission which could be as high as 5 times the baseline flux. Following N fertilizer application, large pulses of gaseous N escape with the flux attaining a peak of 500 g N ha- I d-1 were only observed in the superhumid regions (> 3 500 mm rain y-') such as Belle Rive and Union Park. At the 2 sites (Reduit and Parnplemousses) in the low rainfall areas (< I 500 mm rain y·'). the rates of gaseous N loss from soils were hardly altered by fertilizer application. The results therefore showed that gaseous losses of fertilizer N could be of agronomic significance only in the high rainfall zone. On average 15% of the 140 kg N ha-I applied at Belle Rive escaped to the atmosphere over a sugar cane growing season. Soil wetness further controlled the ratio N20:N2 emitted from the soils. Conversion of N20 to N2 gas was of significance at Belle Rive and Union Park where more than 80% of the soil pore space was shown to be water-filled for frequent prolonged periods. Though the present study showed that gaseous losses of fertilizer N may in general not be of agronomic or economic relevance. The magnitude of yearly N20 emissions from sugar cane fields which ranged from 5 to I7 kg N ha-1, may be of concern from the environment point of view.

Origins of slaves through study - History, memory and identity

Wed, 31 Jan 2001 20:00:00 +0000

History is a dialogue between man and his past. The dialogue is unending. new quesuons arise and new answers have to be sought. This is why history is a perpetual 'renuse en question'. The aim was no doubt to encourage the population of Afro-Malagasy descent to trace its family history and get a better sense of its roots. It will provide teachers, students and researchers with the kind of information they need to study the ethnic origins of the ex-slave population of Afro-Malagasy descent.

An overview of Mauritian manufacturing industries - Towards Competitiveness

Thu, 07 Jan 1999 20:00:00 +0000

In addressing the issue of Mauritian manufacturing towards competitiveness, the study focused on a wide cross subject from productivity to strategic planning. Where foreign experiences were brought to blend with the local one. Participation of various manufacturers and contributions from different economic sectors showed the growing interest in developing a wide range of strategies in finding solutions for the Mauritian manufacturing industries towards competitiveness which was indeed very promising and encouraging. The strategy and policy issues for promoting manufacturing industries towards globalisation is a matter of commitment in creating a clear defined mission, objectives, vision and institutional support in the field of training, finance, management, market and technology. The strategy for the development of manufacturing sector is, in fact two fold of new, modem manufacturing sector and consolidate the expansion of the existing enterprise. In other words, it means ensuring survival and growth of existing firms.

Organizational culture & women's progress in management : An evaluation of Mauritian situation

Tue, 30 Jun 1998 20:00:00 +0000

The research was undertaken in 2 stage, the initial stage being conducted among 1753 organisations operating in Mauritius representing both private and public sector and phase 2 among a sample of these organisations. The aim of this study was to determine the exact degree of women participation in Mauritian Organisations.

New industrial strategies: A study of gender, migrant labour & EPZ in Mauritius

Sun, 01 Aug 1999 20:00:00 +0000

The report is based on research carried out from 1996 to 1998 on New Industrial Strategies: The experiences of migrant workers in the Mauritian EPZ. The research was carried out using qualitative and quantitative methodological approaches. This research is based on an earlier study on workers in the EPZ ( See Kothari and Nababsing 1996). One of the key findings of this project was the increasing reliance on foreign workers to this industrial sector. At the same time we also became aware that the area of temporary worker migrations had been largely understudied. This current research emerged out of our concern of an absence of detailed material on the use and experiences of migrant workers particularly in regions outside of Europe and North America. The report does not only provide details of processes of industrialisation and the importation of labour but also information that will enable the formulation and effective implementation of appropriate policies. We hope that this preliminary study has raised important issues and identified areas for further investigation and analysis. We expect this report to be of direct interest to migrant workers, industrialists and policy makers and of more general interest to those concerned with the role of labour movements within global economic strategies.

Survey on health workers knowledge and attitudes towards HIV Aids

Mon, 31 May 2004 20:00:00 +0000

Accurate knowledge influences attitudes. In the Context of HIV AIDS, accurate knowledge is essential to prevent infection and also for the care and treatment of those infected. The objective of the survey was to add some new knowledge about knowledge and attitudes concerning HIV AIDS. According to the U.S. Centre for Disease Control and Prevention, HIV cannot be transmitted from towels or toilet-seat, as the virus does not survive well in the environment making the possibility of environmental transmission remote. Since HIV is unable to reproduce outside its living host (unlike many bacteria or fungi; which may do so under suitable conditions), except under laboratory conditions, it does not spread or maintains infectiousness outside its hosts. It is not conveyed through biting, kissing and insect bites. Yet it is not uncommon for people to believe this to be a mode of transmission. Infections through Households and Other Settings. Although HIV has been transmitted between family members in a household setting, this type of transmission is very rare. These transmissions are believed to have resulted from contact between skin or mucous membranes and infected blood. To prevent even such rare occurrences, precautions, such as wearing of gloves during contact with blood, or other body fluid that may contain blood is recommended. Cuts, sores, breaks on both the caregiver's and patient's exposed skin should be covered with bandages. Hands and other parts of the body should be washed immediately after contact with blood or other bodily fluids. Surfaces soiled with blood should be disinfected appropriately. Practices that increased the likelihood of blood contact such as sharing of razors and toothbrushes should be avoided. Needles and other sharp instruments should be used only when medically necessary and handled according to recommendations for health-care settings.

Fabric waste recycling

Sun, 06 Oct 1996 20:00:00 +0000

The CSIR was commissioned by the EPZDA to undertake a preliminary investigation into the feasibility of recycling textile waste in Mauritius. The main objective of the study was to provide sufficient information to support a decision on whether to proceed with a detailed feasibility study or not. This phased approach was agreed upon to reduce the risk of incurring unnecessary expenditure. The study comprised three parts : 1) A survey of the well established South African textile waste market to capture lessons and to provide benchmarks. 2) A high level scan of the technologies typically employed in the recycling of textile waste. 3) A survey, conducted with the assistance of the University of Mauritius, of the quantity and types of textile waste generated in Mauritius. This report commences with a brief overview of the sources and end uses of textile waste before describing the findings of each of the above surveys. The report concludes with recommendations on how to proceed further.

Post harvest quality of bananas

Sun, 28 Feb 1999 20:00:00 +0000

Banana is one of the major fruits produced all year round in Mauritius. It is very much appreciated for its taste and nutritive value. Its cultivation occupies some 500 hectares or land w ith an annual production of about 9,000 tonnes. All of the production is consumed locally, mainly as dessert banana. So far no loss assessment exercise has been carried out to quantify post-harvest losses in banana in Mauritius. It has however been observed that post-harvest losses in banana were quite high. In addition. the quality of banana fruits on the market is poor in terms or overall appearance and shell life of the fruit. Thus marketing such fruit becomes difficult. The major causes or post-harvest losses and poor fruit quality are namely: â¢ improper stage fruits at harvest (too early or too late) â¢ mechanicai damage to fruits as a result of poor harvesting and handling procedures â¢ physiological breakdown caused by poor ripening and storage conditions. particularly during fruit ripening â¢ pathological problems caused hy l.ucm lungul diseases developing during fruit ripening In view of the increasing demand for high quality fruits, especially by hotels and supermarkets. It was felt imperative that research and development activities be undertaken lo improve the post harvest quality ot banana and thus its marketability. The specific objectives of the project were : to determine the optimun harvest age of commercially important banana cultivars, to assess the disease state of banana on the market and to investigate the effects of different ripening regimes on the quality of fruits harvested at the physiological age

Development of a hydroponic production system for intensive home gardening

Sun, 28 Feb 1999 20:00:00 +0000

There is a growing interest among local growers and the public in general for soilless culture. Until now very little research has been carried out in this field in Mauritius. The following study was undertaken in order to provide some useful information on this new technology. The project objectives were: â¢ To show that hydroponics can be an acceptable alternative to conventional method of vegetable production â¢ To provide a part-time activity to the housewife â¢ To provide an opportunity to the public to produce fresh vegetable for self-consumption The project activities consisted of trials to: â¢ evaluate the possibility of using locally available substrates as soilless media to investigate two different systems of production, namely the planting bed method, which can be constructed over unproductive land or on house-tops, and the wick method, wh ich can be set up in restricted areas in households. The substrates that were evaluated included sugar-cane by-products, gravel and sawdust with soil as a control. The planting bed method was set up on marginal land at Reduit Crop Research Station where the following crops were grown: lettuce, sweet pepper, bean and cauliflower. The wick method was set up under a covered structure at Wooton Crop Research Station where crops like tomato, strawberry, sweet pepper and bean were grown. Except for bean, which was directly sown, all the other crops were first sown in field and roots of seedlings were washed to remove all soil particles before transplantation. The plants were fertilized using commercially available hydroponics solution. Results obtained from trials set on both the planting bed and the wick system showed that organic media like flyash and scum, used singly or in combination with bagasse or an inert substrate (like gravel) can be used as rooting media in soilless culture. Substrates differed in such characteristics as water holding capacity and decomposition rate. Organic media like scum and flyash retained moisture for a longer period but had a faster rate of decomposition as compared to gravel. In general scum and flyash gave better yields than gravel but had to be replaced each year because they decomposed more rapidly. Gravel had the advantage of being inert, (did not decompose), was easily available and could be sterilized after each cultivation. The low nutrient retention capacity of gravel could be overcome by a regular application of small quantities of hydroponics nutrient solution. It can be concluded that the planting bed method is more appropriate for marginal lands owned by small commercial growers or in households, whilst the wick method is more suitable for backyard activity or home gardening.

Improving the use of poultry waste for crop production

Sun, 28 Feb 1999 20:00:00 +0000

The intensive crop production systems rely heavily on inorganic fertilisers, which exert a strong influence on the cost of production. There exists the possibility for reducing the cost of production with the use of local, potential sources of organic wastes like the poultry litter. With the reduced availability of the conventional source of organic fertiliser, (namely farmyard manure), farmers are resorting to the use of poultry litter. However; the quality of the poultry litter or manure used is highly heterogeneous and it is important to assess its nutrient contents in view of using it as a partial substitute for inorganic fertilisers. the storage and disposal of poultry litter is a potential source of environmental pollution. The objectives of this study were firstly to assess the fertiliser value of poultry waste ( litter and manure ) in foodcrop production and secondly to investigate how poultry waste can be disposed so that it does not affect the environment. The project consists of three components namely the determination of the nutrient qualities of poultry waste(both litter and manure), the composting of such waste and field trials to assess the fertiliser value of poultry composts. All three activities were undertaken. Results indicate that poultry waste is alkaline in nature with pH varying from 8.5 in litter to 8.8 in manure. Poultry waste can thus contribute significantly towards improving the quality of the highly acidic leached soils found in the uplands of Mauritius. Poultry manure (9 175 ppm and 26.8 rneq % respectively) is richer than litter (7 017 ppm and 20.8 meq %) in available P and K, but both represent good sources of Kand P. Poultry manure contained less organic matter (31.6 % as opposed to 43.9 %) and was slightly richer in total N ( 2.6 % ). The C:N ratio of poultry waste, ranged from 7:1 to 12:1, and indicates that N will be readily available to the plant. Composting of poultry waste with other carbon rich materials can be considered in a composting process. The pile method was found to be effective for composting poultry waste. When poultry waste was composted in heaps above ground, maturity of the compost was reached after 8 to IO weeks with litter and about twice as Jong i.e. 18 to 20 weeks in the case of manure. Composting lowered pH to near neutrality and decreased organic matter content probably owing to oxidation of carbon by microorganisms. Composting also brought about an increase in available P and K but the trends in changes in total N and in C:N ratio were less perceptible. Poultry compost, be it manure or litter, is slightly alkaline in nature (average pH: 7.65) and could thus prove to be a valuable resource for improving acidic soils in the superhumid areas of the country. Field trials were carried out to assess the fertiliser value of composted poultry manure and litter. Results indicate that when manure was used at the rate of SOt/ha in cabbage the amount of mineral fertilisers can be reduced by two-thirds the level usually recommended i.e. 60 kg N, 80 kg 1'205 and I 00 kg K20 per hectare. However, results were not consistent with lettuce and cauliflower. The Objectives were: (i) to replace partly if not totally the amount of inorganic fertilisers used in fooclcrops production by poultry wastes. (ii) to dispose poultry waste usefully so that it does not affect the environment.

Application of ultrafiltration for treatment of dyehouse effluent for reuse

Tue, 07 Mar 2000 20:00:00 +0000

A study to test the Ultrafiltration (UF), an operation and sampling programme. The use of UF to treat effluent for reuse either directly in the dyeing process or in the dye house as utility water.

A practical guide to geotechnical site characterization for Mauritius

Wed, 30 Apr 2003 20:00:00 +0000

Civil engineering consists of the conception,analysis,design, construction, operation and maintenance of a diversity structure, all of which are built on, in or with soils and rocks. The engineering behavior of the soils and rocks at the location of any construction project has a major influence on the economy and safety of works. The increase in the development of infrastructual works in Mauritius during the past two decades was accompanied by a corresponding increase in the site investigation activities and more importantly, by the need to determine the required parameters for geological engineering design. The objectives of this study were to: classify the rocks and soil of Mauritius for geotechnical purposes and convert all available geological logs from hard copies into electronic format.

Experimental evaluation of an Evacuated Tube Solar Thermal Collector Model

Tue, 31 Oct 2017 20:00:00 +0000

With the alarming increase in greenhouse gas (GHG) in our atmosphere, and the depleting fossil fuel reserve, the need to develop methods of exploiting other cleaner and renewable energy resources is becoming more imperative. The main aim of this study was to design an evacuated tube solar water collector model for the correct prediction of its performance under different climate conditions and materials used for its manufacture.

Nation-wide survey of coral bleaching due to temperature stress caused by the El Nino effect

Tue, 31 Jul 2018 20:00:00 +0000

Corals are marine invertebrate organisms that live in colonies and coral reefs are formed through the decay of dying corals and the development of new corals. These organisms form ecosystems considered ecological hotspots for their abundance and diversity of species. Over 4,000 species of fish are known to be found in the reefs around the world, and the 2,500 different coral species recorded, provide countless benefits to other organisms. Coral reefs are valued at about USD 375 billion, and up to 500 million people around the world are known to benefit from coral reefs from fishing, consuming fish, eco-tourism, and recreational use. However, corals are facing extreme degradation worldwide from a combination of natural and human-made pressures. Coral reefs in Mauritius are under threat and have already suffered mass coral bleaching events in 1998 and 2009. These events were caused by high sea water temperatures and resulted in significant loss in coral cover in our lagoons.The six sites surveyed on a monthly basis were Anse la Raie ALBC, Anse la Raie ALLC, Bain Boeuf, Balaclava, Bel Ombre Kayak, and Bel Ombre Coral Garden.

Assessing the factors influencing the adoption of E-Learning among undergraduates in a developing economy: A survey among Undergraduates in Mauritius.

Mon, 31 Jul 2017 20:00:00 +0000

The purpose of the research was to (i) assess the factors that can affect the effective delivery of online undergraduate degree programmes in Mauritius and (ii) determine the extent to which university's undergraduates are ready and willing to enroll on online degree programmes.

Open Educational Resources - an appropriate tool for teachers to address the challenge of Inclusive Education in Mauritius?

Sun, 01 Jul 2018 20:00:00 +0000

The current state of inclusive education in Mauritius from the teachers' perspective, the use of Information Technology and OERs. They then introduced the TESSA toolkit for inclusive education and provided opportunities for teachers to experience its usefulness as a brief intervention. At time 2, they evaluated attitudes and behaviors toward inclusive education, IT and OERS as well as the use of the toolkit.

Culinary art, atithian tradition and belief system: An anthropogenic investigation in Mauritius and Rodrigues

Wed, 31 May 2017 20:00:00 +0000

In trying to understand the making of the modern food system, it is necessary to be aware of both continuity and change in the social processes which shape the ways in which food is being produced, distributed and consumed. In the accounts which are focused on the development of the modern food system in the West, there is an emphasis on changes which can be interpreted as progress: the triumph over the difficulties of improving the scale and quality of production; the technological achievements in both preservation and the food distribution network; the extension of consumer choice free from seasonal constraints. Indeed, the symbolic potential of food and eating is virtually limitless, and food items and food consumption events can be imbued with meanings of great significance and surpassing subtlety, according to the occasion and the context. Of course, the role of food and food preparation conventions in symbolizing ethnic differences is also significant, given the fact that these conventions are such central features of cultural distinctiveness, and can retain their potency among minority groups for several generations after their physical separation from the parent culture. These categories are: cultural super foods, the main staples of the society in question; prestige foods, whose consumption is limited to special occasions or to high-status groups; body-image foods, which are seen as directly promoting health and bodily well-being; and, finally, physiologic group foods, which are seen as suitable for specific categories of individuals defined in terms of gender, age and bodily condition related to health, pregnancy, etc.

Prospects and challenges of small and medium enterprises in the tourism industry in Mauritius

Sun, 01 Jul 2018 20:00:00 +0000

This study assessed the benefits and challenges of Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) in developing agritourism in the Small Island State of Mauritius (SIDS). In the search for alternative sources of income to compensate for the decline in purely agricultural incomes, SMEs in the field of agribusiness in the developed world have increasingly diversified into tourism since the latter is considered as an activity with high potential. However, such entrepreneurship ventures are scarce in SIDS and only limited information is available on this topic. The purpose of this study was therefore to investigate how SMEs from the agricultural sector can tap into the tourism market so as to diversify their products and services.

An assessment of the mismatch between higher education learning outcomes and job market requirements. An exploratory study in the business field

Mon, 31 Jul 2017 20:00:00 +0000

Youth unemployment is a major social and economic crisis facing the world today. The link between higher education and employment as perceived by pure educationalist, is going against the true purpose of education. It can even be considered as going against the notion of academic freedom and viewed as arguing that higher education ought to focus on provided necessary training to students for jobs instead of aiming at raising the mental capabilities (Harvey, 2000). The specific objectives of the study were: 1. To identify the essential knowledge and skills that business graduates are expected to attain. 2. To develop a gap model for higher education learning outcomes pertaining to the job market requirements. 3. To develop a conceptual framework of higher education learning outcomes. 4. To evaluate the perceived mismatch between expected and attained learning outcomes from the graduates perspectives. 5. To understand the nature of the gaps in skills and knowledge identified following the graduates survey by investigating into the views of employers.

Towards green consumption of electronic devices: Using augmented reality to improve awareness

Mon, 31 Oct 2016 20:00:00 +0000

Over the last fewdecades, the adoption of innovative technologies in both households and businesses has brought immense benefits to human beings, such as increased productivity, improved entertainment and communication, and much more. Both developed and developing countries are making significant efforts to promote the adoption of technological devices so as to achieve economic growth and development, improved public health and standard of living. However, the increasing use of these technologies has also resulted in the deterioration of the relationship between technology and the natural environment. The growing number of electrical and electronic devices present in both homes and offices are contributing to the continuous increase in energy consumption both in Mauritius and throughout theworld. The generation of electricity is known to be a key cause of climate change due to the use of non-renewable sources such as coal and oil which release carbon dioxide and other pollutants into the atmosphere. The growth of electronic devices has also resulted in an increase of electronic waste, which is also detrimental to the human health and the environment. As such, in order to mitigate the global climate change problems being faced, it has become important for human beings to take actions to reduce the risks and damages to the environment also caused by electronic devices. One possible solution is to use ICT based mitigation techniques to help human beings reduce their environmental impacts during the use of electronic devices. Studies have showed that a lack of knowledge is often considered as a key barrier to the adoption of environmentally sustainable actions. One emerging technology that has shown to foster engagement, improve understanding and provide a unique learning experience is Augmented Reality. This study aims to assess the effectiveness of using Augmented Reality to improve awareness on green consumption of electronic devices. To achieve this, an Augmented Realitymobile applicationwas developed to help individuals learn and understand their electricity consumption from various electrical devices being used at home and offices. The application also provides a means for end users to track the amount of energy consumed by different devices, and provided appropriate tips and best practices to educate users on green practices. Additionally, the application also contained a quiz feature to assess the knowledge of the users. Following evaluation, results confirmed the hypothesis of the research project and indicated a positive correlation between Augmented Reality and learning enhancement on green practices. This was denoted by an improvement of 39.8% in test results conducted after utilization of the implemented prototype.

Decent Work: How far do the established parameters apply to workers involved in cleaning services in the Republic of Mauritius?

Sun, 01 Oct 2017 20:00:00 +0000

This study investigates the extent to which individuals working as "cleaners" in the Republic of Mauritius, perceive their jobs to be "decent" according to the parameters set by ILO (2008a). The objectives of the study have been set as follows: 1. To assess the employment dimension of decent work among cleaning workers in Mauritius. 2. To investigate on the social protection dimension of decent work among cleaners in Mauritius. 3. To examine the rights at work dimension of decent work among cleaners in Mauritius. 4. To investigate into the details of the social dialogue dimension of decent work among cleaners in Mauritius.

Factors influencing the adoption of e-Government services in Mauritius

Sun, 31 Jul 2016 20:00:00 +0000

Mauritius is the second top most e-government ready country in Africa behind Tunisia. Despite being ranked second in Africa for e-readiness and having the necessary infrastructure, Mauritians are reluctant to adopt e-government services. This presents a serious challenge for the government as the success of any e-government initiative depends on the willingness of the citizens to adopt such a service. A lack of e-government adoption hampers the realisation of benefits and is a waste of tax payers money. Moreover, empirical research on e-government in Sub-Saharan Africa is scant. Against this backdrop, this study aims to examine the factors that influence e-government adoption in Mauritius through a technology adoption lens. We employ an extended model using the unified theory of acceptance and use of technology and the government adoption model to investigate factors that would lead to a greater uptake of e-government services in Mauritius. Using a convenience sampling strategy, a cross-sectional survey of 229 Mauritian citizens was carried out. The findings of our study demonstrate that citizens perceive that using e-government will be beneficial to them with improvements such as time savings and faster feedback. Our respondents feel that there are adequate facilities provided by the government to gain access to e-government services. However, our research also shows that there is a lack of awareness amongst the public on e-government offerings. Citizens are unaware of the different online services available to them and thus do not perceive the trade off between the benefits of using e-government services and the monetary cost of using traditional government offices. Although, citizens have the necessary computer skills to use e-government services, they would rather choose not to do so. Unfriendly and overly complicated website to use, wrong design principles, and out-dated information may be the cause. Trust in the internet has been found to be an important motivator to adopt e-government services. On the other end, our findings suggest that there is a lack of trust in the government by the citizens which hampers adoption of e-government services. Finally, resistance to change inhibits citizens from choosing e-government services over traditional government offices. We offer further recommendations to policy makers in areas where interventions should be made.

An investigation of the underlying causes and effects of household indebtedness: case study of Mauritius

Sun, 30 Aug 2015 20:00:00 +0000

The present study attempts to investigate various aspects of household over-indebtedness in Mauritius. The crux of this study is to engage in a preliminary investigation of the main causes of such a state and its likely implications at the household level. The research particularly examines the factors leading to such indebtedness. In addition to examining the socio economic effect of household indebtedness, the study also attempts initially to estimate the size of the average household indebtedness, with particular emphasis on recent trends in household debt and on the main providers of credit. Using survey methodologies, including descriptive, inferential and factor analysis, the authors found that a significant majority of the respondents (85.1%) are concerned about their current level of debts. Consistent with previous studies, factors that consistently trigger households into potential debt problems and increase the risk of over-indebtedness are found to be: the increase in cost of living, the rise in the price of real estate, financing education, persistent low income, inability of coping with expenses and obtaining debts on hire purchase. Overall, the consequences of high indebtedness was more inclined towards the adverse economic shocks that the country may face in terms of financial instability and families struggling to meet basic needs. Though the social impact was less likely recognised, to act immorally and commit fraud and corruption in the society, alcoholism, stress, and family breakdown were among the most elected consequences of the respondent. Possible suggestions to reduce and mitigate the risk of having excessive debts are related mainly with the provision with meaningful and appropriate information when taking loans and also greater awareness and institutional assistance and advices.

Factors affecting performances of first year students in online courses

Tue, 31 May 2016 20:00:00 +0000

At the University of Mauritius, the Diploma in Web and Multimedia development is offered to secondary school leavers using the online mode of delivery through the e-learning platform @ http://ilearn.uom.ac.mu/. Two modules in the first year are however offered on a face-to-face basis given that they form the core of the subject area. The course is offered on a full-time basis over a period of 2 years. The modules follow a yearly structure and are of 6 credits each. This means that exams for one module are normally held at the end of an academic year. However, throughout the year, there are a number of assignments, and practicals that students have to hand over as part of the continuous assessment of the course. In 2012, about 120 students were enrolled on the first year of the programme. In August 2013, a new cohort of 160 students joined in the first year of the programme. After the first year exams (for the 2012 cohort) about 30 % of the overall student population either had at least one re-sits, have to repeat the year or have been terminated from the course. There have been sporadic claims especially from a few students who fall in the 30% that the online mode of delivery was to their disadvantage (despite knowing that the course was offered on DEOL mode prior to registration). Given that the number of students is steadily increasing due to the policy of opening access to tertiary education, there are a number of factors that can be contributing to the problem mentioned. These can be linked to the quality of HSC results, hence the students' academic ability, the mode of delivery, the assessment modalities, the courseware design and other factors such as students' commitment to the course and participation in mandatory learning activities like assignments, and presentations. It is therefore important to find the major causes of failures and whether the new modality of online learning is the main cause_of student's lack of success. There is also a need to probe into the current pedagogical practices and student support framework to identify any shortcomings that need to be addressed for future improvements. The main research questions based on the specific objectives of the project are as follows: â¢ Is there a correlation between HSC grades of first year students and their performances in online modules? â¢ Is there a significant difference between the performances of students in the online modules when compared to modules offered on a face-to-face mode? â¢ Is there a correlation between student engagement in an online module and the performances of the student?

Development of a Carbon management framework for the tertiary education sector in Mauritius: carbon footprint measurement and employee sensitization

Tue, 31 Mar 2015 20:00:00 +0000

rowing concern so as to bring effective solutions. Presently, one particular tool known as carbon footprint calculator, is available to help in measuring an individual's annual carbon emission, and consequently help in keeping track and reducing the amount of carbon emitted through daily activities. Prior research has indicated that the measurement of individual carbon emissions helps people to be more environmentally conscious of their actions and to adopt a low-carbon lifestyle. Furthermore, even though the tertiary education sector is a key player for inculcating environmentally sustainable practices among its human resources along with promulgating carbon mitigation awareness to other stakeholders and sectors of the island, there exists no carbon management framework being adopted by employees of the same sector. There is also no indication whether such tool is being used by employees so as to reduce their carbon emissions to promote a greener Mauritius. As such, this research project aims to develop a carbon management framework to assess, reduce and sensitize employees within tertiary education institutions in Mauritius, after measuring their carbon emissions via the use of existing calculators. To meet the aim of the project, 440 employees within different tertiary education institutions in Mauritius were sensitised on how to reduce their personal carbon emissions via the use of flyers. Furthermore, the carbon footprint data of the same participating employees was collected in order to create a baseline for employee carbon emission in the tertiary education sector. Based on results obtained, the carbon management framework was created.

Assessing biodiversity and tourism perception of Permeable Submerged Breakwaters (PSB) in view for future considerations of active managements (Transforming denuded Permeable Submerged Breakwater (PSB) structures to functioning reef modules)

Sun, 01 May 2016 20:00:00 +0000

Mauritius is strategically located in the Indian Ocean and its marine environment plays a vital role in the national economy. Over the past few years Mauritius has seen rapid development and the tourism sector has been one of the main pillars for the flourishing economy. Tourism has brought a lot of foreign direct investment leading to the construction of several high class hotels and these have provided for numerous direct and indirect employments within the sector. These hotels have several requirements in view of ensuring quality and luxury of the establishment and amongst those would be nice sandy beaches adjacent to an appropriate lagoon. Considering the size of the island and the little space available along the shore, the hotels are now being constructed in areas with previously no sandy beaches and thus provisions had to be made for beach improvement work and lagoon rehabilitation. These works have to include methods for the implementation of sustainable beaches as sand remains costly. Various methods have been applied locally and the most promising being the Permeable Submerged Breakwater (PSB) whereby heavy basaltic rocks are laid within the lagoon to minimize the effect of waves and current reaching the shore. In addition, these PSB is found most appropriate as substrate for coral recruitment and coral transplant. This research investigated the colonization of various species in 3 Stations and the PSB in the north-west region. These structures have created habitats not only for corals but fishes and other organisms whether natural reefs structures were present or absent. Biodiversity around the PSB have increased rapidly with different coral species. Coral recruitment (

Introduction of augmented reality as a pedagogical tool to enhance learning at tertiary level in Mauritius

Thu, 01 Jan 1970 00:00:00 +0000

The related study investigated the impact of Augmented Reality on students' learning within a tertiary education setting in Mauritius. In order to achieve the study objectives, a mobile Augmented Reality application called ARBrain was developed. Precisely, the study weighed learning enhancement levels, motivation and the perceived acceptance of the technology as participants engaged in a lesson relating to the human brain anatomy. A total of eighty research participants from the Middlesex University Mauritius Branch Campus took part in the study. They were recruited from a variety of departments and assigned randomly in a split 40:40 ratio of two groups: (1) Augmented Reality Instruction; and (2) Traditional Instruction. Based on their assigned groups, participants were either treated to Augmented Reality based instructions or Traditional 2-Dimensional instructions. At the end of the lesson, participants from both groups were required to take a post-test based on what they had learnt. Furthermore, participants that took part in the Augmented Reality Instruction treatment, were also required to take a Technology Acceptance test. Analysis of results derived from the posttests of both Augmented Reality Instruction and Traditional Instruction treatment groups, highlighted a strong significant difference in learning gains. In addition, the Technology Acceptance test taken by the Augmented Reality Instruction group also showed that the use of Augmented Reality, had a positive effect on students' motivation to learn, and also reflected as the main reason for their acceptance of the technology.

Exploring teacher leadership in the Mauritian Secondary Schools

Thu, 01 Jan 1970 00:00:00 +0000

Research into teacher leadership is well established in the Anglo-Saxon world (Harris & Muijis, 2002; Angelle et al., 2008; Barth, 1999), with a range of global trends but it is a relatively inexistent area of research in Mauritius. This paper reports on survey research into educators' perceptions and experiences of teacher leadership within their respective school. Quantitative data in the form of self administered questionnaires were gathered from 943 educators in a random sample of thirty six secondary schools. The data collected from the questionnaires were then analysed to determine the level and extent to which teacher leadership differs according to the different types of secondary schools that exist in Mauritius.

An improved and continuous data collection system for the octopus fishery in Rodrigues for improved management

Fri, 31 Aug 2012 20:00:00 +0000

The Rodrigues octopus stock has been in steady decline for over two decades, reflected by annual octopus landings dropping from close to 800 tons in 1994 to just over 200 tons in 2011. This has had a negative effect on the financial status of the fisher community, which in turn is affecting the local economy. Seasonal closures of octopus fisheries have been pioneered in other countries in the region, most notably in Madagascar, with positive effects on their octopus stock as well as the quality of life of the fishers engages in the trade. The Rodrigues Regional Assembly has opted for carrying out similar seasonal closures in a bid to rehabilitate the local octopus stock and improve the status of fishers and others involved in the octopus industry. The 2012 closure that took place in winter between the 13th of August and the 12th of October had a marked effect on the landings during that year, increasing by 188 tons compared to 2011. Similarly, octopus exports for the year 2012 increased by 106 tons injecting an additional MUR ~10.6 million into the local economy, bringing the recorded frozen octopus export figure up 185 tons I.E. MUR 18.5 million in revenue to Rodrigues' economy. The work reported here through the population dynamic study of Octopus cyanea by the Shoals Rodrigues team in collaboration with the Rodrigues Regional Assembly, reconverted octopus fishers and active octopus fishers has shown that the two-month winter closure was also a success from a biological point of view. The mean weight of female octopuses caught just after reopening of the fishery rose to 1,721 grams from 752 grams in 2011; similarly, mean male octopus weight increased from 742 to 1,730 grams. In the medium term, the number of juveniles assessed in the study, weighing less than 350 grams between January and April increased from 1,178 in 2012 to 1,707 in 2013; however, a break down of the individual months suggests this may be due to a poor sampling regime in 2012. Summer closure modelling work suggests that octopus double in weight regardless of age within a 5 to 6 week period and that their mean weight also increases from January to April. Consequently a closure at the beginning of the summer would protect the stock more than it would boost landings and conversely, a closure towards the end of summer would have the effect of boosting landings but would not be the best option for protecting new recruits and juveniles. Winter closure date/duration refining work suggests that female octopus weight peaks in late winter and that this should continue to be the preferred period for closures aimed at promoting the migration of females out of the lagoon for reproductive purposes; however, the data does not indicate whether the females are actually leaving the lagoon, therefore a study involving acoustic tagging of female octopuses during the winter period is recommended. In the meantime winter closures should be lengthened as much as reasonably possible, towards the end of the year, to increase the probability of octopus females migrating to lay and brood their eggs, incidentally this will significantly boost landings.

Exploring Human Resources (HR) Auditing among high performing organisations in Mauritius

Thu, 01 Jan 1970 00:00:00 +0000

The primary purpose of Human Resource Auditing is to facilitate the management of people as valued organizational resources. This study sought to assess the practice of HRAudits, their scope and their range which could help to shed further light on the state of HRM (human resource management) in Mauritius through a semi-qualitative approach, relying essentially on structured, face-to-face interviews, phone and email surveys, as well as secondary data available from the annual financial reports of non-participants. The findings, subsequent to research, revealed a deficient implementation of HRM practices and a general ambivalence about the concept of HR Auditing in Mauritius. Although some form of auditing of the HR function is done, evidence for HR Audits per se is scant (Hyland and Verrault, 2006). However, HR audits provide an effective means to relate organizational performance and HRM, and should therefore be an integral part of the HR package in organizations.

Phytochemical studies on tissue cultured endemic Aloes from Mauritius

Sun, 28 Oct 2018 20:00:00 +0000

1. Development of an efficient protocol for the mass propagation of the endemic aloe species for the conservation purpose. 2. Identification of secondary metabolites present in the crude extract and gels of A. tormentorii and A. purpurea 3. Preliminary phytochemical screening of tissue cultured and wild Mascarene Aloes. 4. Evaluate the antioxidant properties of the selected Aloes.

UNESCO Heritage sites as contested spaces: case study in Mauritius

Wed, 31 Jan 2001 20:00:00 +0000

Heritage Sites in Mauritius have evolved since their inscription on UNESCO's prestigious list. A social geographical perspective was adopted as its fundamental assumption is that of different stakeholders striving in order to have access and control over territorial resources. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with four major categories of territorial stakeholders on their representations, perceived uses and actions on the sites. It was found out that this perspective was appropriate in the case of Mauritius which is characterised by a liberal territorial perspective and ethnic groups competing for access to national resources. Hence, despite their inscription for their universal values, these two sites are primordially associated with the two major ethnic groups in Mauritius, that is the Indo-Mauritians and the General Population. It was demonstrated as well that there is growing dissonance between the local and national identities. These dissonances were generating conflicting uses of the heritage sites, even leading to contestations and extreme acts of destruction of vestiges. A third observation was that of the reluctance to consider these sites as economic resources to be inserted within the broader cultural leisure industry, thus obliterating the potential role of these sites to become levers for territorial development.

Mipache: Mille pattes de Chébelles

Sun, 31 Mar 2013 20:00:00 +0000

Le projet MIPACHE a ete pense en juin 2011 apres avoir entendu a plusieurs reprises a la radio que des habitants d'un quartier populaire etaient confrontes depuis de longues semaines a un probleme sanitaire recurrent : !'invasion d'une espece d'insectes appeles milles-pattes par les riverains. La population affectee est composee d'une trentaine d'habitants residant dans des logements sociaux a Chebel un quartier de la municipalite de BeauBassin Rose-Hill. Cette problematique s'insere dans un cadre agricole et semi-urbain ou se melent a la fois la nuisance d'une espece envahissante et la vie sociale d'un groupe d'etres humains. Deux ecosystemes juxtaposes interagissent, l'un occupe par les mille-pattes empietant sur le territoire de l'autre : l'Homme. L'impossibilite de la cohabitation devient alors flagrante lorsque l'espece animale devient envahissante au point de creer un probleme de sante publique. Deux pistes de recherche ont ete explorees sur quelques mois afin de proposer des solutions pour resoudre le probleme sous deux angles opposes : le controle de la survie de l'espece afin de minimiser la proliferation de sa population, et la valorisation de l'espece en ayant pour objectif d'introduire l'aspect economique au projet en complement des aspects sociaux et environnementaux existants. Au prealable, nous commencerons les recherches par une etude descriptive de l'espece concernee.

L'interculturel a l'ile Maurice: Une vision des jeunes pour des actions futures adaptées

Wed, 20 Mar 2013 20:00:00 +0000

L'education est un domaine qui est important a considerer quand on traite de l'interculturel car c'est un apprentissage de pouvoir vivre avec d'autres differents de soi. C'est cette problematique qui nous interesse dans cette recherche. En effet, si le contexte de vie mauricien amene differents groupes ethniques et religieux a vivre ensemble, ces derniers s'affrontent culturellement. Il y a un besoin urgent non seulement de tolerer l'autre different de soi mais aussi de la considerer comme egal a soi-meme. Si a Maurice nous avons un contexte multiculturel riche qui favorise l'industrie du tourisme par exemple, cette image doit etre aussi vecue interieurement. Les discriminations et les stereotypes doivent reculer au profit d'une meilleure connaissance et donc, meilleure comprehension de l'autre. C'est pour cette raison que nous nous interessons a etudier comment les jeunes en particulier voient le contexte dans lequel ils evoluent, car ils seront les principaux acteurs de la societe mauricienne de demain. Enfin, nous visons a mieux cerner le point de vue des jeunes en vue de preparer des actions concretes en lien avec leurs besoins, d'une part, et de la realite mauricienne, d'autre part.

Evaluation of the daily lunch provided under the Eradication of Absolute Poverty (EAP) Programme

Sun, 01 Jan 2012 20:00:00 +0000

The Eradication of Absolute Poverty (EAP) Programme is an integrated development project within identified pockets of poverty. Financial provision in the budget speech 2008/2009) had been made to ensure that (i) all poor children of pre-primary school going age, attend school (ii) these children are provided with decent lunch (iii) parents are trained to get a decent job with sustainable income (iv) social problems are dealt with (v) there is training in life skills management for parents and children, and adequate infrastructure to those needing it. The EAP programme is being implemented by a consortium involving government, private sector, Non Governmental Organising, socio-cultural organizations, corporate sectors among others. To date, about 819 pre-primary school children are benefiting from the EAP Programme. After almost 20 months of implementation, it would be relevant to assess the status the project with respect to the provision of a decent lunch. This study particularly focuses on the evaluation of the aspect of "Provision of decent lunch", where both the quality and safety of the lunch provided will be assessed. This study aims at getting a better understanding of the administrative, nutritional and safety aspects of the daily lunch provision project. The specific objectives of the study are to: Determine mechanism of lunch provision under the EAP programme to pre-primary school children Determine the types of meals provided and qualitatively assess their nutritional adequacy Assess nutritional knowledge of the caterers. Assess the hygienic practices associated and knowledge on food preparation and handling Identify any constraints in the implementation of the provision of daily lunch project Develop and run a sho11 (5-6 hours) duration training programme on "Preparation of safe and healthy food for preschool children" for the food providers Assess the impact of the training programme on the knowledge and attitude of the food providers in nutrition and food safety.

Interaction between PON1 GIn192Arg polymorphism and type 2 diabetes in agricultural workers exposed to herbicides

Mon, 03 Nov 2008 20:00:00 +0000

Mauritius has had for a long time an agricultural economy, relying heavily on sugar production. Even though the economy is more diversified nowadays, the use of pesticides/herbicides in sugarcane plantation, vegetables and fruit plantations is quite common. This study was an attempt to find the health state of workers exposed to herbicides as these are more widely used than pesticides in Mauritius.

Power and silence : workplace sexual harassment in Mauritius

Thu, 31 Jan 2008 20:00:00 +0000

The objective of this study was to elicit a description of sexual harassment as it occurs in the workplaces of Mauritius, including the types of behaviours, possible associated factors and responses by target. It also sought to uncover the governmental and non- governmental policies and programs currently in place to address sexual harassment.

Evaluation of training programmes of community leaders in Mauritius

Fri, 16 Aug 2002 20:00:00 +0000

The objective of this project was to develop appropriate yardsticks for a participatory evaluation using both quantitative and qualitative methods and to improve community development through continuous training and capacity building programmes

The status of voluntary social work within the context of social welfare centres of the republic of Mauritius

Thu, 01 Jan 1970 00:00:00 +0000

This research work focused on social workers who are appointed by the government to serve on a voluntary basis as members of social welfare committees that help in the administration of social welfare centers set up under the social welfare centers act of 1961. The aim of this project was to understand the characteristics of social committee members, their behaviour and the different factors that influence them in their role as members.

High Speed non stop one level multiple road intersection

Thu, 29 May 2003 20:00:00 +0000

Traffic congestion is one of the main problems of modern society. It leads to pollution, waste of time, stress and accidents. Efficient road systems therefore become a very important aspect of any modern city.

A study of CPE low achievers in the Black River District

Sun, 02 Sep 2001 20:00:00 +0000

C.P.E low achievers have received scant attention from our major educational institution. Much attention has been paid to those students who succeeded in the examination. More than 6,000 students leave school after their failure to succeed. They have to struggle very hard to earn their living. Some join the labour market while others start indulging in criminal activities and even become drug addicts. The objective of this project was to find out why students perform poorly in C.P.E examinations and to propose measures to reintegrate these students in the educational system and society in general.

Inhibition of atmospheric corrosion on constructional metals in Mauritius

Wed, 12 Mar 2003 20:00:00 +0000

Today, in Mauritius there is an increasing use of metals for construction or fabrication purposes. The aim of the project was to enable professionals and laymen know and efficiently use the different types of existing corrosion inhibition methods and to decrease the import of the construction metals that already cost a lot to the Mauritian ecomomy .

The role of personal Entrepreneurial competencies in setting up SMEs

Thu, 01 Jan 1970 00:00:00 +0000

The empretec training workshop is an intensive non- residential entrepreneurship programme for building the personal entrepreneurial skills of the individual through an interactive process of role -play, structured exercises and experience sharing module. The overall objective was to create new generation of high performing entrepreneurs, who have the right mindset to compete internatinally.

Adjustment to retirement in old age

Thu, 01 Jan 1970 00:00:00 +0000

Retirement brings its share of mental and emotional turmoil. This study analized the adjustment phase of retirement.

Oil spillage- the damage caused to our tar roads

Thu, 13 Mar 2008 20:00:00 +0000

Oil spillage caused by heavy vehicules and its economic impact has been poorly studied in Mauritius. Oil is a precious commodity for remote and isolated small island, especially when it is imported from far and in small quantity. Wastage of this commodity is having a direct economic impact. This study evaluated the economic damage caused by oil spillage.

Long Term Complications of diabetes mellitus in Mauritius

Thu, 01 Jan 1970 00:00:00 +0000

Diabetes mellitus often called ''sugar disease'' may be prescribed as a serious disorder of the metabolism where the normal control of the body's blood sugar is faulty. It is a chronic disease associated with abnormally high levels of glucose in the blood.

Control of stomoxys nigra Macquart in deer ranches in Mauritius Phase I

Wed, 28 Feb 2001 20:00:00 +0000

Stomoxys nigra is haematophagous and causes great irritation to deer and cattle resulting into weight loss. The aim of the project was to develop an effective trapping system to lure and kill Stomoxys nigra in deer ranches.

Implementation of Energy Management Systems in Floreal Group

Sun, 01 Apr 2001 20:00:00 +0000

An Energy Management System (EMS) is an innovative an approach applying Engineering and Management techniques to optimise energy efficiency. The benefits for the company as well as for the country are significant. Applying an EMS in the Flora group has improved the generation, distribution and utilisation of energy.

Recycling waste water, agro-industrial affluent, sewer & sludge for the establishment of an integral artificial wetlands

Sun, 31 Oct 1999 20:00:00 +0000

The availability of fresh water is becoming a major concern for everyone on the Island of Mauritius. The severe drought, which is prevailing on the Island of Mauritius , has affected our agriculture and may lead to severe environmental problems. This research is based on a model for reuse and recycling of grey water, sullage. It is estimated that an average person utilises 200 litres of water per day. At least 65% of this volume is converted into grey water, which is released directly to the environment. Sullage can be purified using a biological process, which can takes place into the root zone areas of reeds, an acquatic plant locally known as voon.

Development of ecofloristic zones on Mauritius Island for recreation and ecotourism

Sun, 20 Feb 2005 20:00:00 +0000

This project intends to demonstrate that ecofloristic zone help in both the physical and holistic characteristics of human kind. Several partners from different organisations and work environment can share one common goal in life that is to ensure the sustainable uses of our nature. Within the scope of this project, every person who makes use of the site has been catered for.

Stabilization of the moisture level in bagasse prior to its combustion in thermal power plants

Sun, 28 Oct 2018 20:00:00 +0000

Bagasse is a heterogeneous medium consisting of cellulose fibres, water, air and a small quantity of sugar. The percentage of water content is is normally between 46 to 52 % . When the moisture content of bagasse is low, all the water molecules bound to the cellulose fibres. However, at higher moisture contents, part of the water begins to collect in the pores and capillaries and is said to be on the unbound state.

Assessing recovery potential of solid waste

Sun, 28 Oct 2018 20:00:00 +0000

The study was done in the residential area of township of Quatre-Bornes to assess the amount and characteristics of solid waste. The objectives were to determine the solid waste generation rates, solid waste composition, and assess the recovery potential of solid waste.

Post baking drying of biscuits

Thu, 02 Mar 2000 20:00:00 +0000

Both technical and economic analysis have pointed out the microwave post baking is a wothwhile option in the case 'Give more biscuits'. The proven advantages of the proposed process over the conventional one, fully justifies perserving into the prototype stage of the project.

Flowable rockdust - cement slurry as backfill

Thu, 31 Jan 2002 20:00:00 +0000

The purpose of this project was to investigate the suitability of rockbust, stabilised with cement in the form of a flowable slurry for the blackfilling of trenches, either transversal or longitudinal,over which there will be an asphaltic pavement. The slurry would have to comply with the specifications laid down by the Ministry of Public Infrastructure (MPI) which are : the 4-days soaked CBR at 95% BS Heavy companion should not be less than 10%, the plasticity index should not be more than 25% and the liquid limit should not be more than 35%.

Use of Coral sand and crushed basalt sand for mortars for plastering and rendering in the Construction Industry

Wed, 28 Feb 2001 20:00:00 +0000

The purpose of this research project was to investigate the suitabilty of crushed basalt sand and marine dregged coral as an alternative to lagoon coral sand for plastering and rendering purposes. To achieve this objective, investigations were carried out in three stages. The first stage consisted and comparing the properties of two sands under investigation with lagoon coral sand, the sand usually used in construction industry for plastering and rendering. The second stage was to incorporate the different sands in mortar and to develop optimum mixes for each sand. The final stage was then to investigate the shrinkage properties of the optimum mixes and to stimulate internal plastering and external rendering so as to compare the characteristics of each sand when used in plaster and render.

Factors causing discoloration of Anthurium Andreanum flowers

Sun, 02 Jul 2000 20:00:00 +0000

A disorder affecting some suspectible varieties of Anthurium andreanum, namely Nitta and Mado has been noticed locally during the summer months of November to February. This disorder has been commonly described as the Anthurium bleach and is characterised by a general discoloration or unpigmentation about the lobed portion of the spathe. Plants then go into a chronic or long-term symptom stage that is characterised by severe chlorosis and stunning of new leaves. Spathes and spadixes do not develop their normal colour and appear faded, hence the name 'bleaching '. Chronic symptoms usually last for 3 to 6 months or sometimes longer. Locally, it has been noted that there are between 2000 and 5000 unmarketable flowers obtained per month due to Anthurium bleach.

Development of ornamental fish breeding industry for export market at Rose-Belle Sugar Estate

Thu, 12 Oct 2006 20:00:00 +0000

The study on the "Develpoment of an ornament fish breeding unit for the export at market at Rose Belle Sugar Estate'' emerged following policy decision to diversify our agricultural activities and the search for remunerative investment options. This study has shown that import and export of ornamental fish is a minor activity and ornamental fish rearing is done on an amateur basis in Mauritius. Breeding and production are not carried out in Mauritius. Ornamental fish species are imported and re-exported by few dealers. Marine ornamental fishes are captured and then exported on a limited scale.

Value addition to essential oils extracted from indigenous or chemotype plants of Mauritius

Sun, 30 Apr 2000 20:00:00 +0000

The main objective was the screening and identification of essential oil, from indigenous flora, which shall be unique due to the very nature of the indigenous plants.The study is of essential oil yields and composition variations extracted by different extraction method such as water distillation, organic solvent extraction and eventually super critical fluid extraction.

Control of stomoxys nigra Macq (Muscidae : Diptera) in Mauritius Phase II

Sun, 02 Jul 2006 20:00:00 +0000

The stomoxys fly is blood sucking fly is blood studying fly of livestock in Mauritius. During summer months, high temperatures cause a second increase in fly abundance and activity in humid and super humid areas where adult flies cause great nuisance to deer. Members of Meat Producers' Association (MMPA) consider this pest a threat to dear farming and they estimated an annual shorfall of about Rs 1 million rupees due to pest.