Mauritius Sugarcane Industry Research Institute

The lack of practical knowledge and effective engagement with gender in blue carbon initiatives poses a threat to their success and sustainability and risks exacerbating existing gender inequalities. Developed by an interdisciplinary team of experts, this paper proposes a research agenda, comprised of seven research areas as well as priority actions, designed to catalyze a shift towards more just, equitable and effective blue carbon initiatives. This paper is a call-to-action to increase commitment, funding, and collaborative, interdisciplinary science to close the gender gap in the conservation and restoration of blue carbon ecosystems and enhance their social-enovironmental impacts.

Hibiscus L. sect. Lilibiscus Hochr. comprises 31 species, the majority of which occur on volcanic islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. Four species are currently described in the Mascarene Archipelago: H. boryanus DC., H. fragilis DC., H. genevei Bojer, and H. liliiflorus Cav. Though they are a small group, the Mascarene species in section Lilibiscus have a complex taxonomic history. While type collections and species descriptions are sufficiently detailed to apply the existing names H. liliiflorus and H. genevei to species, the brief species descriptions and insubstantial type collections of H. boryanus and H. fragilis have complicated the application of these two names to the remaining two species. In addition, morphological variation within H. boryanus s.l. as it is currently delimited suggests that the name comprises three distinct species. Thus, the names H. boryanus and H. fragilis could each be applied to one of four species, leaving two species to be described. To determine the proper application of the names H. boryanus and H. fragilis, we conducted a thorough study of herbarium specimens and species descriptions combined with morphometric analyses of seven floral characters obtainable from the 220-year-old type specimens of H. boryanus and H. fragilis and 70 other flowering specimens. Although morphometric analyses were sufficient to determine that the name H. fragilis is best applied to the red-flowered species in Mauritius, additional lines of evidence inferred from the original description of H. boryanus were necessary to apply this name to the yellow-flowered species in Réunion. Consequently, we describe two new species formerly treated under H. boryanus s.l.: a magenta-flowered species endemic to Mauritius (H. dargentii Mashburn) and a red-and-yellow–flowered species endemic to Réunion (H. igneus Mashburn). We provide an identification key to differentiate the Mascarene Hibiscus sect. Lilibiscus species and new and updated species descriptions for all six species.

Identity of Amphorkis inermis Thouars and Arnottia mauritiana A.Rich. two distinct species, considered as synonyms of Cynorkis inermis (Thouars) Hermans & P. J. Cribb in the “Flore des Mascareignes”. The first volume of the Orchidaceae family of the “Flore des Mascareignes” groups two species (Amphorkis inermis and Arnottia mauritiana) under the name Cynorkis inermis. The study of the literature and herbarium material available at CBNM, MARS, MAU, MPU, P, and REU, led us to the conclusion that Amphorkis inermis Thouars and Arnottia mauritiana A.Rich. are not synonyms but two distinct species that we propose to recognize respectively under the binomials Cynorkis inermis and Cynorkis mauritiana comb. nov. Comparing the types and diagnoses of the two species makes it possible to establish that Cynorkis inermis differs from Cynorkis mauritiana comb. nov. by its resupinate flowers and by the smaller size of its floral parts. The current presence of Cynorkis inermis in Mauritius is confirmed while there is no specimen to confirm its past or present existence in La Réunion. Cynorkis mauritiana comb. nov., is very common in La Réunion but its current presence in Mauritius remains to be confirmed.

IntroductionWhile cardiac neoplasms can disrupt conduction pathways, events of arrhythmias among patients with benign neoplasm of the heart (BNH) and malignant neoplasm of the heart (MNH) are not well reported. We aim to assess patient characteristics and odds of cardiac arrhythmias between BNH and MNH.MethodsRecords of adults with BNH or MNH were extracted from the 2016–2020 National Inpatient Sample using relevant ICD-10 codes. Differences in various characteristics, presence of cardiac arrhythmias and outcomes were explored.Results23,450 patients diagnosed with a cardiac neoplasm were included. 21,200 (90.4%) had a recorded diagnosis of BNH, while 2,250 (9.6%) had a diagnosis for MNH. BNH cases were older (65.07 vs 52.15, p<0.01), consisted mostly of patients of female sex (63.5% BNH vs 48.2% MNH, p<0.01) and were more comorbid, with significantly higher proportion of patients with cirrhosis, diabetes, hypertension, peripheral vascular disease, smoking, obesity, chronic kidney disease, alcohol abuse, drug abuse, and lipid disorder compared to those with MNH (all p=<0.001). While the majority of BNH cases were covered by Medicare, Private insurance forms were mostly used by MNH patients. Despite BNH having higher proportions of comorbidities, a higher mean Charlson Comorbidity Index (CCI) score was noted among the MNH cohort. (2.71 BNH vs 5.23 MNH, p<0.01) After adjusting for confounding factors, BNH patients had higher odds of reporting ventricular tachycardia (aOR 1.58 95% CI 1.17–2.14, p=0.003), while showing reduced odds of events for atrial flutter (aOR 0.51 95% CI 0.44–0.61, p<0.001). The BNH cohort also had reduced odds of adverse outcomes of cardiogenic shock (aOR 0.377, 95% CI 0.306–0.466, p<0.001), acute kidney injury (AKI) (aOR 0.629, 95% CI 0.553–0.716, p<0.001), and death (aOR 0.200, 95% CI 0.166–0.241, p<0.001) than those with MNH (table 1).ConclusionWhile patients with BNH were older and had higher a proportion of comorbidities, they reported reduced odds of atrial flutter and better overall outcomes, but higher odds of ventricular tachycardia. 128 Table 1aPatient Characteristics and differences between cases of benign heart neoplasm versus malignant heart neoplasm among adults Benign Heart Neoplasm (n=21200) (%) Malignant Heart Neoplasm (n=2250) (%) p-value Mean Age (Years) 65.07 52.15 <0.01 Female 63.5 48.2 <0.01 Comorbidities Cirrhosis 2.0 1.1 <0.01 Diabetes 29.4 18.0 <0.01 Hypertension 42.1 26.4 <0.01 Chronic Kidney Disease 19.7 8.2 <0.01 Lipid Disorder 48.9 28.4 <0.01 Mean Charlson Comorbidity Index (CCI) score 2.71 5.23 <0.01 Outcomes Cardiogenic Shock 2.2 6.9 <0.01 Acute Kidney Injury 17.3 18.0 0.412 Death 2.6 10.3 <0.01 128 Table 1bAdjusted odds ratio for presence of various cardiac arrhythmias and outcomes with Benign neoplasm of the heart as compared to those with Malignant neoplasm of the heart (reference) p-value aOR Lower 95% CI Upper 95% CI Atrial Fibrillation 0.315 1.057 0.948 1.179 Supraventricular Tachycardia 0.078 0.821 0.659 1.022 Ventricular Tachycardia 0.003 1.582 1.170 2.137 Ventricular Fibrillation 0.416 0.864 0.607 1.229 Atrial Flutter <0.001 0.513 0.435 0.605 Complete AV Block 0.615 0.919 0.662 1.276 Cardiogenic Shock <0.001 0.377 0.306 0.466 Acute Kidney Injury <0.001 0.629 0.553 0.716 Death <0.001 0.200 0.166 0.241 128 Figure 1Adjusted odds ratio for presence of various cardiac arrhythmias and complications in patients with Benign neoplasm of heart as compared to those with Malignant neoplasm of the heart(reference)Conflict of InterestNone

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The output power of a wind turbine is usually found to follow a sigmoid curve as a function of wind speed. As a result, identifying the appropriate sigmoid curve to fit the wind turbine power curve is crucial for maximizing the turbine's performance. In this paper, we analyse the effectiveness of several renowned sigmoid functions to correctly model the power curve of a wind turbine with minimum convergence error and reduced complexity. The Logistic and Hill functions are among the candidates. We show that all of the aforementioned sigmoid functions are best suited for modelling WEC power curves if the sigmoid functions' parameters are appropriately determined and adjusted to account for the delay in the power response and to perform as a cubic function in the wind speed locally. When it comes to interpreting the physical meaning of the underlying parameters, they each have their own advantages and drawbacks. Experimental data from a wind farm in Mauritius is used to validate the model.