Curriculum development in integrated science for form one to form three in Mauritius : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Philosophy at Massey University

During the past decade, Integrated Science curricula and courses have mushroomed all over the world. Likewise the Mauritius Integrated Science Project came into existence in 1976. Implied is that this 'new' science course is also a 'better' course. Is it and can it be improved? After retracing the history of Mauritian education and showing how the education system was shackled to the powers that be, mention is made of how the wind of change started blowing over the education system. The birth of M.I.S.P is hailed; its aims and objectives are then discussed. This centres on the meaning of Integrated Science, its composition and where M.I.S.P stands with regard to it. Philosophical concerns for the nature of science, the relevance of science education as well as the social implications of science education,all these concepts are treated at length. It is the thesis of this author that if these three concerns are not taken into consideration in curriculum development work for a science course at primary and secondary education levels, then we would only be scratching the surface. In consequence, an in-depth analysis of the scientific method is called for. How far the M.I.S.P teaching approach diverges from this scientific method is then exposed. Time dichotomy between the process of science and the product of science is fully discussed. It is suggested that school science, based essentially on the product of science, despite teaching approaches to the contrary i.e guided discovery method, will do more harm than good. It is proposed that the process is the all important factor in science education. Learning through science rather than learning Science is upheld to be the goal of science education. Scientific thinking should predominate over scientific knowledge at the level of education under consideration. This is said to have survival value and is viewed as the Education for Tomorrow. Proposal for changes in the structure and contents of M.I.S.P is made. The implementation issue is emphasised, especially in terms of teacher training, and examinations. These two factors are considered essential to the success of M.I.S.P. Otherwise a new orthodoxy will set in

Technology enhancement in hotel guestroom

This is an exploratory research paper looking on various types of technology, facilities enhancement and devices adopted by hoteliers for their guestrooms to meet the ever increasing demand and expectations from their guests. This paper also explores the technologies and devices that owners use to leverage on business sustainability for their operations. As part of the corporate social responsibility, hotel owners are exploring the opportunities to increase these activities through the use of modern technology and devices to reduce damage to the environment such as using energy saving devices in their properties. Business and leisure travelers who are environmentally conscious will be interested in this paper as they will have a better understanding on the technologies adopted by hoteliers that have a positive impact on the environment and at the same time without compromising the service level they deliver and at the same time be able to have a memorable experience during their stay in the hotel

Discrimination of Alternative Spliced Isoforms by Real-Time PCR Using Locked Nucleic Acid (LNA) Substituted Primer

Determination of quantitative expression levels of alternatively spliced isoforms provides an important approach to the understanding of the functional significance of each isoform. Real-time PCR using exon junction overlapping primers has been shown to allow specific detection of each isoform. However, this design often suffers from severe cross amplification of sequences with high homology at the exon junctions. We used human GFRα2b as a model to evaluate the specificity of primers substituted with locked nucleic acids (LNAs). We demonstrate here that single LNA substitutions at different positions of 3’ terminus could improve the discrimination of the primers against GFRα2a template, a highly homologous isoform. While LNA substitutions of GFRα2b primer at the residues possessing different sequences as GFRα2a has limited improvement in specificity, two consecutive LNA substitutions preceding the different sequences has dramatically improved the discrimination by greater than 100,000-fold compared to the non-substituted primer. Thus, LNA when substituted at certain residues can allow the discrimination of highly homologous sequences.Singapore-MIT Alliance (SMA