• Wind and Structures
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• v.20 no.4
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• pp.565-578
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• 2015

A wind energy assessment is an integrated analysis of the potential of wind energy resources of a particular area. In this work, the wind energy potentials for Mauritius have been assessed using a Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) model. The approach employed in this work aims to enhance the assessment of wind energy potentials for the siting of large-scale wind farms in the island. Validation of the model is done by comparing simulated wind speed data to experimental ones measured at specific locations over the island. The local wind velocity resulting from the CFD simulations are used to compute the weighted-sum power density including annual directional inflow variations determined by wind roses. The model is used to generate contour maps of velocity and power, for Mauritius at a resolution of 500 m.

• Asian Journal of Innovation and Policy
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• v.11 no.1
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• pp.50-68
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• 2022

Innovation is broadly defined as the creation or adoption of new ideas and technologies, which has become an instrumental tool to determine the success and development level of a country as it leads to competitiveness and productivity of companies. Innovation is influenced by many factors including geographic and socio-economic factors as well as a political framework. In fact, innovation is systemic in nature, and it focuses on interactions amongst a nexus of processes such as Research and Development (R&D), production, business, and education, amongst other factors. However, not all innovation ecosystems have the same architectural models or internal collaboration. This paper aims to review the structure of the National Innovation Ecosystem by highlighting the different actions taken by the Government of Mauritius over the years. The multipronged approach of the government will be demonstrated through the different lines of actions to boost the innovation culture and offers a foundation for other small island developing state to follow to be at par with other innovative economies.

• CELLMED
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• v.3 no.4
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• pp.31.1-31.8
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• 2013

This study has been geared to document primary information on common complementary and alternative medicines (CAM) used to treat and/or manage common dermatological disorders in Mauritius, a tropical multicultural island in the Indian Ocean. Data from 355 key informants was collected via a semi-structured questionnaire. Pearson correlation and Chi-squared test were performed to delineate any association. Quantitative indexes including the Importance Value (IV) and fidelity value were calculated. Results tend to indicate that cultural reasons were behind the use of CAM among Mauritians and traditional knowledge was mainly acquired either from parents/relatives or from self-experience. Among the medicinal plants mentioned, Aziadiracta indica (IV = 0.78) and Paederia tomentosa (IV = 0.70) were found to be most used plants. Calendula officinalis (IV = 0.15), Centella asiatica (IV = 0.22) and Agauria salicifolia (IV = 0.11) were also recorded to be used for common dermatological disorders though greatly under-utilised. Animal products were mentioned by 38.0% respondents and cow ghee was found to be commonly used in the management of measles (IV = 0.88). Spiritual healing was found to be used mainly for measles and warts. Given the plethora of novel information documented from the present survey, it can be suggested that the Mauritian population still relies to a great extent on CAM which needs to be preserved and used sustainably. Nonetheless, further investigation is required to probe the possible active constituents that could be the basis of an evidence based investigation to discover new drugs.

• Journal of Ecology and Environment
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• v.43 no.1
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• pp.22-30
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• 2019

Background: Piton du Milieu (PdM) impounding reservoir is suspected to be eutrophic based on the elevated level of orthophosphate and nitrate. Water supplies from three adjacent rivers are primarily thought to contribute to the nutrient enrichment of the reservoir. It is also suspected that there is leaching of orthophosphate, nitrate and organic matter into the rivers during rainfall events and also as a result of anthropogenic activities within the catchment area. The aim of this study was to ascertain the impact of nutrient loading on the water quality of PdM water and on the population of freshwater microalgae in the reservoir. The enumeration and identification of algae from PdM were performed by differential interference contrast microscopy. Dissolved oxygen (DO) and pH were determined by electrometric methods, whereas nutrient levels, silica and total organic carbon (TOC) were determined by instrumentation techniques. Results: Annual mean orthophosphate, nitrate and total organic carbon input from the three feeders within the catchment area of PdM reached levels as high as 0.09 mg/L, 0.4 mg/L and 2.62 ppm respectively. Over a 12-month period, mean TOC concentration in the reservoir was 2.32 ppm while the mean algal cell count was 4601 cells/mL. The dominant algal species identified were Oscillatoria, Cyclotella, Navicula and Cosmarium. Conclusion: This study highlights the trophic state of the reservoir water and clearly points to the need for constant monitoring in order to avoid the occurrence of an impending harmful algal bloom.

• Korean journal of applied entomology
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• v.35 no.3
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• pp.216-220
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• 1996

Drosophila simulans and D. mauritiana are sibling species, the former cosmopolitan and the latter restricted to the oceanic island of Mauritius. Sex comb-tooth number of male flies of D. simulans were about 9.83, while those of D. mauritiana were 12.90. Genital arch of D. simulans is large semicircular shaped expasion, while that of D. mauritiana is a narrow fingerlike expansion. We used classical genetic analysis to measure effects of genes on the X chromosome responsible for numeral and morphological differences in sex comb-tooth and genital arch between these species, respectively. For these purposes, mutant strain of D. simulans and wild type strain of D. mauritiana were hybridized and males of the FI and the backcrossed progenies were compared with two characters above mentioned. The sex comb-tooth number of F, males were about 11.79, and the genitalia of F, male were intermediate in shape between those of D. simulans and D. mauritiana. Genetic analysis of sex comb-tooth number and genital arches differing between D. simulans and D. mauritiana showed that very little diffemce was due to effect of the X chromosome.

• Information Systems Review
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• v.11 no.1
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• pp.69-83
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• 2009

In a global software development project, knowledge transfer between a corporate headquarter and offshore development sites is considered to be important for effective software development. This article presents empirical research that investigates factors influencing knowledge transfer in global software development. The factors evaluated in this study are: 1) quality of communication infrastructure, 2) quality of partnership and 3) types of governance mechanism. Questionnaires were collected from offshore development sites in Mauritius. While the quality of both the partnership and communication infrastructure were found to be determinants to knowledge transfer, hierarchical governance had a negative impact on knowledge transfer. Although the results are similar to the previous studies done within an organizational boundary, implications of the results are far different due to the geographical distance among offshore locations. Future research is called for to investigate the relationships between governance type and knowledge transfer.

• Asian Journal of Innovation and Policy
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• v.11 no.3
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• pp.293-319
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• 2022

By analyzing the adaptive capacity, market formation and policy direction as functional areas of Technological Innovation System (TIS), the article evaluates the progress of renewable energy transition in the Maldives, with the inclusion of ideas from Mauritius and Cabo Verde. On the policy direction in the Maldives, technology roadmaps produced with assistance from International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) and Asian Development Bank (ADB) are evaluated. Although there are inducing factors such as the Solar Risk Management Initiative, the progress of energy transition is hindered by the lack of technical capacity and local value chain. The findings indicate the importance of facilitating and establishing industry and knowledge networks, incorporating innovation policies, greater involvement of the local private sector along with international investors, and taking water-energy nexus to achieve complementary targets. The study adds value to knowledge by offering a simplified TIS framework, with a current insight of the energy transition in Small Island Developing States with a focus on the Maldives.

• The Plant Pathology Journal
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• v.36 no.4
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• pp.364-377
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• 2020

Sugarcane is an important sugar crop contributes more than 80% of world sugar production. Mosaic, leaf fleck, and yellow leaf (YL) are the major viral diseases affecting sugarcane, amongst YL occurrence is widely reported in all the sugarcane growing countries. It is caused by Sugarcane yellow leaf virus (SCYLV) and detailed works were done on complete genome characterization, transmission, and management. However, in countries like Egypt, South Africa, Cuba, Mauritius and Hawaii, the disease was reported to the cause of sugarcane yellow leaf phytoplasma (SCYP) and/or SCYLV as single/combined infections. Hence, we have investigated in detail to identify the exact Candidatus phytoplasma taxon associated in Indian cultivars affected with YL. The sequencing results and the restriction fragment length polymorphism pattern of the PCR products using the universal phytoplasma primers confirmed presence of sugarcane grassy shoot (SCGS) phytoplasma (16SrXI group) in the YL-affected plants. Mixed infection of SCYLV and SCGS phytoplasma was estimated as 32.8% in YL affected plants. Evolutionary genetic relationship between SCYP and SCGS phytoplasma representatively taken from different countries showed that SCYP from South Africa and Cuba were diverged from others and had a highest similarity with SCGS phytoplasma. Although we wanted to identify SCYP from YL affected Indian sugarcane cultivars, the study clearly indicated a clear absence of SCYP in YL affected plants and we found SCYLV as the primary cause for the disease.

• Ocean and Polar Research
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• v.36 no.3
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• pp.225-234
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• 2014

The 2011 Tohoku earthquake triggered extremely destructive tsunami waves which propagated over the Pacific Ocean, Atlantic Ocean through Drake Passage and Indian Ocean respectively. A total of 10 tide-gauge records collected from the UNESCO/IOC site were analyzed through a band-pass digital filtering device to examine the observed tsunami characteristics. The ray tracing method and finite-difference model with GEBCO 30 arc second bathymetry were also applied to compare the travel times of the Tohoku-originated tsunami, particularly at Rodrigues in the Indian Ocean and King Edward Point in the Atlantic Ocean with observation-based estimates. At both locations the finite-difference model produced the shortest arrival times, while the ray method produced the longest arrival times. Values of the travel time difference however appear to be within tolerable ranges, considering the propagation distance of the tsunami waves. The observed tsunami at Rodrigues, Mauritius in the west of the Madagascar was found to take a clockwise travel path around Australia and New Zealand, while the observed tsunami at King Edward Point in the southern Atlantic Ocean was found to traverse the Pacific Ocean and then passed into the Atlantic Ocean through the Drake Strait. The formation of icebergs captured by satellite images in Sulzberger in the Antarctica also supports the long-range propagation of the Tohoku-originated tsunami.

• East Asian Journal of Business Economics (EAJBE)
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• v.3 no.1
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• pp.8-16
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• 2015

In the later quarter of the twentieth century, the need for foreign capital is realized among the various countries of the world. Developing countries especially developed multi-pronged strategies to attract foreign capital into the country. One such strategy is the adoption of liberalization policy. Almost all the developing countries started opening their economy, out of the compulsion, to achieve faster rate of economic growth and development. Even a communist country like China adopted liberalization policy as a strategy for accelerated economic growth during 1979. India also joined the race by 1991, when the government announced the policy of liberalization. The importance of FDI extends beyond the financial capital that flows into the country. The huge size of the market in this sector and high returns on investment are two important factors in boosting FDI inflows to power sector. 100 percent FDI is allowed under automatic route in almost all the sub sectors of power sector except the atomic energy. Major foreign investment is made in this sector during 2000 to 2009 is Mauritius with an investment of US$ 4490.96 i.e., 4.24 percent of the total FDI inflows into the country during the period. The estimation of future FDI flow shows a marginal decline in the year 2010. Then from 2011 to 2015 onwards upward trend of FDI was observed.