• 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.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.15 no.16
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• pp.6691-6695
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• 2014

Background: A population-based cervical cancer screening program using visual inspection with acetic acid was launched in Maldives in 2014. Our study aimed to assess the knowledge, attitude and practices of women in relation to risk factors of cervical cancer, early detection of the disease and its prevention. Materials and Methods: The questionnaire based survey was conducted among 20 to 50 year old women, systematically sampled to represent three regions of Maldives. Trained investigators interviewed a total of 2,845 women at home. Results: The prevalence of the risk factors of cervical cancer like early age at marriage and childbirth, multiple marriages, multiple marriages of the husbands, and multiple pregnancies was high. More women knew about breast cancer than cervical cancer. Even among the small number of women who knew of cervical cancer, only 34.6% had the knowledge of at least one early symptom. Very few women knew that the cancer could be prevented by any test. Only 6.2% of the women reported having ever undergone a Pap smear. Many women had the misconception that cervical cancer was infectious. In Maldives the younger women have high literacy rate due to the policy of universal free education and those with higher levels of education had improved knowledge of cervical cancer and its risk factors. The prevalence of risk factors also reduced with improved literacy. Conclusions: Awareness about risk factors and prevention of cervical cancer is limited among Maldivian women in spite of having high exposure to some of the risk factors. A universal literacy program in the country has helped to improve the knowledge of cervical cancer prevention and to reduce the exposure to various risk factors in the younger population.

• The Journal of Asian Finance, Economics and Business
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• v.7 no.1
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• pp.111-121
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• 2020

The study measures the resource use efficiency of diesel based power generation in the Maldives and analyses factors which influence efficiency levels. Stochastic frontier analysis (SFA) technique is applied to data on 30 plants over two year period from 2016 to 2017. The study finds that technical efficiency scores varies from 0.44 to 0.98 across power plants. About 33 percent of the plants have scores below the mean technical efficiency score of 0.87. Empirical results indicate ownership and use of solar photovoltaic (PV) have an influence on improving efficiency levels. Privately owned power plants in resort islands obtained higher technical efficiency scores compared to public and community owned power plants. This is a significant finding as the first study that used power plants in tourist sector in a comparative study. Size of the power plants was not found significant, but relatively small installed capacities can also be efficient. This finding is important because in many inhabited islands installed capacities remain oversized compared to the load. The benchmarking exercise offers model power plants that are relatively efficient, for other power plants and policy makers in small islands to learn from.

• Journal of Smart Tourism
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• v.2 no.3
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• pp.17-30
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• 2022

The tourism sector of the Maldives has seen rapid growth since its inception in 1972. One significant development is the transformation of the market composition in recent years. China has surpassed traditional European markets as the single largest source market. In this regard, this study seeks to assess the seasonality in the Maldivian tourism sector using a monthly dataset of visitor arrivals from 2003 to 2019. The seasonality ratio, the seasonality indicator, the Gini coefficient and the seasonal index were used to examine the seasonality patterns. The results of this study show that there are three distinct peaks (January to April, August, and November to December) and two off-peaks (May to July and September) periods. The findings also reveal that the rise of the Chinese market has significantly lessened the seasonality of Maldivian inbound tourism. Finally, some important implications are discussed.

• Journal of the Korean Institute of Electrical and Electronic Material Engineers
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• v.35 no.6
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• pp.631-638
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• 2022

Microgrid, which enables the production and consumption of electricity to be done independently on a small scale, has been studied on one of the solutions of reinforcement for flexibility of electronic system. This study examined the application effect of new microgrid by applying hybrid battery in electric power storage device. We designed the system to highlight the advantage of each battery and complement the disadvantage by using hybrid system with Lithium-ion battery and interval Redox flow battery. It runs with lithium-ion battery during the initial startup while the Redox flow battery operates for a long time at the end of excessive period, and it enables a discharge of Lithium-ion and Redox flow battery at the same time when the load has a large output. We chose Maldives as a subject of this study for organizing and optimizing independent microgrid. Maldives is the country to accomplish 100% domestic electricity in South Asia, but the whole electric power is supplied through diesel generation imported fossil fuel. We organized and optimized microgrid for energy independence on Malahini island to solve Maldives energy cost problem and global energy environment matters. We analyzed the daily power supply and accumulated the power supply from September 18, 2018~February 11, 2019. The accumulated power supply was about 120.4 MWh and the daily power supply was about 800~1000 kWh. Based on the collected information, we divided the cases into three models which are only diesel generator, solar generator as well as diesel generator, and solar+ESS+diesel generator. We analyzed the amount of oil consumption compared to the cost of construction and power output. The result showed that solar+ESS+diesel generator was most economically feasible. As well, we obtained that our considering hybrid battery system reduced the fuel consumption for diesel power generation about 10~15%.

• Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
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• v.23 no.3
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• pp.8.1-8.9
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• 2020

Background: The present study investigates the potent skin whitening ability of ethanol extract from the brown alga, Padina boryana (PBE) which was collected in the shores of Fulhadhoo Island, the Maldives, and its specific pathways of action. The effect of PBE which contains a rich amount of polyphenols was evaluated using B16F10 murine melanoma cells and provides insight to the underlying mechanisms with reference to the inhibition of melanin formation. Methods: Melanin synthesis and cellular tyrosinase inhibition were assessed in the α-MSH-stimulated melanocytes. Melanogenic pathway-related protein expressions were investigated via Western blotting. ERK 42/44 was particularly examined considering its involvement in the melanogenic pathway. Further, RT-qPCR techniques were involved in gene expression analysis. Results: PBE dose-dependently inhibited the cellular melanin synthesis and tyrosinase levels. Western blotting revealed the potential of PBE to downregulate microphthalmia-associated transcription factor (MITF), tyrosinase, and tyrosinase-related protein-1 and protein-2 (TRP-1 and TRP-2). Moreover, results explained the phosphorylation of ERK was sustained via PBE and hence declined the ultimate melanin synthesis. Gene expression analysis reinforced the results obtained. Conclusions: The study provides substantial evidence to express the potential of PBE to inhibit B16F10 melanoma cell melanin synthesis. Concisely, results suggest the ability of PBE to be involved in medicinal and cosmeceutical applications.

• Ocean Science Journal
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• v.43 no.4
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• pp.165-173
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• 2008

In this article, we describe a simple yet effective method for insertion of observational datasets in a mesoscale atmospheric model used in one-dimensional configuration through Nudging. To demonstrate the effectiveness of this technique, vertical profiles of meteorological parameters obtained from GLASS Sonde launches from a tiny island of Kaashidhoo in the Republic of Maldives are injected in a mesoscale atmospheric model - Advanced Regional Prediction System (ARPS), and model simulated parameters are compared with the available observational datasets. Analysis of one-time nudging in the model simulations over Kaashidhoo show that incorporation of this technique reasonably improves the model simulations within a time domain of +6 to +12 Hrs, while its impact on +18 Hrs simulations and beyond becomes literally null.

• Asia-Pacific Journal of Business
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• v.11 no.2
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• pp.1-14
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• 2020

Purpose - The propose of this study is to examine the effect of human development index on mobile telephony diffusion. Design/methodology/approach - This study fits the modidensity of South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) member countries with an econometric Gompertz growth model. The diffusion factors, including the human development index (HDI), gross domestic product (nominal) per capita, fixed-line telephony subscription, and population data of each member country from 2005 to 2018 are considered for the empirical experiment. Furthermore, the mobidensity of randomly sampled countries with very high human development scores (the Republic of Korea, Switzerland and Norway) and high development scores (Brazil and Costa Rica) have been examined with the same process as SAARC members. Findings - We have found a positive but insignificant relationship between the HDI value and mobile telephony diffusion in Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, and Pakistan; a positive and statistically significant relationship at a 99% confidence level in SriLanka; and a negative and insignificant relationship in the Maldives and Nepal. HDI has both positive and negative effects on mobile telephony diffusion, with the nature of effect depending on the profiles of each country. HDI is a diffusion determinant of mobile telephony only for the high human development country groups. Research implications or Originality - This study provides a reference for policymakers, telecommunication stakeholders, and future researchers to design the telecommunication policies and strategies.

• Journal of Species Research
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• v.11 no.4
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• pp.239-252
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• 2022

Afrolaophonte koreana sp. nov. is described from the intertidal zone of two sandy beaches on the south coast of Korea. This is the first record of the genus Afrolaophonte Chappuis, 1960 in the Northern Pacific. The new species is most similar to A. aequatorialis Cottarelli and Mura, 1981, described from the Maldives and subsequently also found in Papua New Guinea, but could be distinguished by numerous characters, including the segmentation of the third leg endopod in male, armature formula of the second leg in both sexes, length of caudal rami in both sexes, and length of some setae on the fourth leg in female. Afrolaophonte ensiger Wells and Rao, 1987 from the Andaman and Nicobar Islands is established as a junior subjective synonym of A. aequatorialis. To test previous phylogenetic hypotheses based on intuitive methods, a parsimony based cladistic analysis of 13 valid congeners is performed using 15 morphological characters and one outgroup. Only one of three previously proposed species-groups is supported with a synapomorphy, while one was clearly based on symplesiomorphies. Our current knowledge of morphology in this genus is not sufficient for postulating interspecific phylogenies, which also renders previous zoogeographical hypotheses untestable.

• Atmosphere
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• v.21 no.3
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• pp.301-309
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• 2011

In this study, we compared light-absorption properties of aerosols observed in East and South Asia from black carbon (BC) mass concentration, aerosol scattering (${\sigma}_s$) and absorption (${\sigma}_a$) coefficients measurements at four sites: Korea Climate Observatory-Gosan (KCO-G), Korea Climate Observatory-Anmyeon (KCO-A), Maldives Climate Observatory-Hanimaadhoo (MCO-H) and Nepal Climate Observatory-Pyramid (NCO-P). No significant seasonal variations of BC mass concentration, ${\sigma}_s$ and ${\sigma}_a$, despite of wet removal of aerosols by precipitation in summer, were observed in East Asia, whereas dramatic changes of light-absorbing aerosol properties were observed in South Asia between dry and wet monsoon periods. Although BC mass concentration in East Asia is generally higher than that observed in South Asia, BC mass concentration at MCO-H during winter dry monsoon is similar to that of East Asia. The observed solar absorption efficiency (${\alpha}$) at 550 nm, where ${\alpha}={\sigma}_a/({\sigma}_s+{\sigma}_a)$, at KCO-G and KCO-A is higher than that in MCO-H due to large portions of BC emission from fossil fuel combustion. Interestingly, ${\alpha}$ at NCO-P is 0.14, which is two times great than that in MCO-H and is about 40% higher than that in East Asia, though BC mass concentration at NCO-P is the lowest among four sites. Consistently, the highest elemental carbon to sulphate ratio is found at NCO-P.