The University of Toliara is historically the oldest center for higher education, founded in 1971 after the decentralization of the University of Madagascar center. The university campus is located in Maninday 5 km east of the city of Toliara, the capital of Atsimo-Andrefana on the southwest side of Madagascar. This university teaches Humanities and Social Science, Science, Philosophy, and Management (the latter located next to the Cedratom).The university operates the CEDRATOM Museum..
Scolecophidians (blind or thread snakes) are a diverse taxon typically characterized as strictly fossorial snakes that are highly adapted to subterranean lifestyle. However, reports of climbing behaviour in various species underline the gaps in our knowledge regarding the behaviour of these secretive animals. Here, we present the first record of arboreality in the Madagascar-endemic typhlopid Madatyphlops ocularis (Parker, 1927) based on observations of three individuals, constituting the second published report of climbing behaviour in Malagasy blind snakes. We furthermore provide the first reliably identified photographs of this species in life, review the distribution of this species, and discuss possible functions of the climbing behaviour such as mate attraction.
BackgroundSocial-ecological trap theory highlights the potential for food systems and the social and environmental contexts within which they are situated to ‘trap’ individuals into a trajectory of specific nutritional outcomes when their physical or financial access to traditional foods is restricted, resulting in less healthy dietary patterns than those traditionally consumed.ObjectiveWhile social-ecological trap theory literature highlights the potential for these traps to result in four hypothesized dietary patterns, the presence and composition of such dietary patterns have not been explored in southwestern Madagascar.MethodsThis study employs innovative Weighted Overfit Latent Class Analysis methods to identify dietary patterns among individuals residing in southwestern Madagascar. The study used longitudinal cohort data collected from 2023 to 2024.ResultsFour dietary patterns were identified and characterized as (1) a traditional dietary pattern which included 35.9% (SD 11.1%) of the population, (2) a industrialized-transitioning dietary pattern which included 29.2% (SD 13.5%) of the population, (3) an traditional-undernourishing dietary pattern which included 16.3% (SD 5.2%) of the population, and (4) a industrialized-undernourishing dietary pattern which included 17.8% (SD 11.2%) of the population. The four dietary patterns identified aligned with three of the four patterns hypothesized to result from social-ecological traps. Those in the traditional dietary pattern consumed the most diverse diet and tended to be fishers who also often participated in crop-based agriculture. Those in the industrialized-transitioning dietary pattern consumed a greater proportion of their diet from market-source foods. Those in the traditional-undernourishing dietary pattern consumed the fewest calories and had the lowest level of food security. Lastly, those in the industrialized-undernourishing dietary pattern consumed 63% of their calories from rice and consumed more market-source foods than those in the traditional-undernourishing dietary pattern.ConclusionOf the four dietary patterns identified in southwestern Madagascar, two are characterized as higher-quality and two as undernourishing dietary patterns. Each dietary pattern comprises individuals of varying demographic and socio-economic status. Understanding dietary patterns and who follows them enables policymakers and public health practitioners to better understand who may be most affected by the impacts of social and ecological change on the food system, thereby improving the targeting of nutritional interventions.
This work focuses on the development and characterization of novel biodegradable composite materials combining carrageenan matrices with graphite reinforcement. Graphite, a material of significant contemporary interest due to its exceptional electrical conductivity, thermal stability, and mechanical strength, was exfoliated using an optimized mechanical ultrasound method in aqueous medium to produce few-layer graphene sheets with minimal defects. The exfoliation parameters, including sonication time (2hour), amplitude (80%), and temperature control (maintained below 40°C), were carefully calibrated to ensure reproducible results. Carrageenans, sustainable biopolymers, were extracted from two red seaweed species: Kappaphycus alvarezii (Cottonii) and Eucheuma denticulatum (Spinosum), collected from coastal regions of Madagascar. The extraction protocol involved sequential steps of washing, alkaline treatment, filtration, precipitation with isopropanol, and final drying, yielding high-purity κ- and ι-carrageenan types respectively. Composite films were fabricated using solution mixing and casting-evaporation techniques, involving dissolution of carrageenan in distilled water at 80°C and homogeneous dispersion of exfoliated graphite via probe sonication. The mixtures were then cast onto glass plates and dried under controlled conditions (25°C, 50% RH) for 48h, producing uniform films with thicknesses ranging from 80mm to 120mm. The resulting bio(nano)composite films were systematically characterized using Thermogravimetric Analysis (TGA), X-ray Diffraction (XRD), and Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FT-IR). TGA revealed a significant increase in degradation temperature from 242°C for pure Carr-Co to 278°C for composites with 2% filler, representing a 36°C improvement in thermal stability. XRD analysis showed characteristic graphite peaks at 2θ = 26.53° with d-spacing values of approximately 0.34nm, confirming the preservation of crystalline structure after processing. FT-IR spectra confirmed successful integration of graphite within the carrageenan matrix through observed band shifts and reduced hydroxyl stretching intensities. These promising results highlight the potential of graphite-reinforced carrageenan composites for advanced applications including sustainable packaging materials with enhanced barrier properties, biomedical scaffolds for tissue engineering with improved structural integrity, and biodegradable electronics with tunable conductivity. Future work will focus on comprehensive mechanical property evaluation using dynamic mechanical analysis, detailed biodegradability studies in simulated environmental conditions, systematic investigation of water vapor permeability, and preliminary scale-up feasibility assessment for industrial production. Additionally, the antimicrobial properties and cytotoxicity profiles of these composites will be explored to broaden their applicability in medical and food packaging sectors.
