Mémoire--Antananarivo, 1976.

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Madagascar is renowned for its biodiversity, but also for forest loss, fragmentation, and degradation, making it a global conservation priority. With few studies dedicated to Madagascar's carnivores, little is known about their ecology. My objectives were to 1) compare density estimation techniques applicable to enumerating rare and/or elusive carnivores, 2) investigate Malagasy carnivore distributions, abundance and density, and occupancy/use across four sites that vary in forest disturbance, and 3) explore temporal activity patterns of rainforest carnivores. I found the spatially-explicit-capture-recapture models were empirically superior, as they are flexible and account for spatial variation in detection probability and area estimation. I found both endemic and exotic carnivore composition varied among four rainforest sites: Primary, Selectively-logged, Fragments <2.5 km and Fragments >15 km from contiguous-primary rainforest. All endemic carnivores were present in the Primary and Selectively-logged rainforest, while endemic carnivore species richness decreased and exotic carnivore species richness increased in the fragmented forests. Malagasy civet (Fossa fossana) density ± SE was significantly less in the Selectively-logged compared to the Primary rainforest (1.38 ± 0.22, 3.19 ± 0.55 civets/km2, respectively); they were absent from both fragmented forests. Fossa (Cryptoprocta ferox) density ± SE was not different between the Primary and Selectively-logged rainforests (0.12 ± 0.05, 0.09 ± 0.04 adults/km2, respectively); a single animal was detected in the Fragments <2.5 km, while none were detected in the Fragments >15 km. Malagasy carnivores had varied temporal activity overlap (5.8-88.8%). C. ferox preferred crepuscular activity, but overall exhibited a cathemeral activity pattern. / Master of Science

This study has focused on genetic variability and structure in Chaerephon atsinanana, a newly-described molossid bat found in the mid to southern region of the eastern watershed of Madagascar. As these bats are strong fliers, and are able to traverse the riverine and mountain barriers within the landscape, it was hypothesized that they would show relatively low levels of intraspecific genetic structure, consistent with patterns shown for other Molossidae on Madagascar (Mormopterus jugularis, Mops midas, Mops leucostigma, and C. lecuogaster. Phylogenetic (neighbor-joining, parsimony and Bayesian inference) and population genetic analyses of maternally-inherited mitochondrial control region sequences revealed the presence of 6 distinct haplotype groups separated by genetic distances of up to 8.14% (mean 4.95%). There were high levels of genetic structure among the haplotype groups (overall FST= 0.994). Thus the hypothesis of low levels of genetic structure was rejected. Bayesian skyline analyses and significantly ragged mismatch distributions were consistent with ancient stable C. atsinanana populations which were of constant size during the last two major Pleistocene glacial periods. This made retreat into and expansion from glacial refugia an unlikely explanation for such high levels of structure. An alternative hypothesis is that C. atsinanana haplotype groups are spatially structured as a result of philopatry. As mitochondria are maternally-inherited, this data is consistent with the existence of female philopatry in C. atsinanana. The second aim of this study was to examine the genetic structure of C. atsinanana with nuclear sequence markers, which are biparentally-inherited, in order to provide information on the male contribution to gene flow and the possible presence of male philopatry in this molossid bat species. The initial objective was to amplify and sequence candidate nuclear markers in order to identify those which were variable among C. atsinanana samples. I attempted to amplify and sequence a set of 12 nuclear markers, identified from the literature, which had been reported to show high levels of variability, or which were untested and showed the potential for high levels of variability. Of these, the intron markers PNPO-3, SLC38A7-8, CARHSP1-1, GAD2-1, OSTA-5 had not previously been used in phylogenetic analyses while FES, GHR, RHO1 CHRNA1, STAT5, PRKC1 and THY had been. I was not able to amplify and/or sequence SLC38A7-8, CARHSP1-1, GAD2-1, OSTA-5, CHRNA1, STAT5 and THY across the range of the C. atsinanana samples. PNPO-3, FES, GHR, RHO1 and PRKC1were successfully amplified and sequenced, but showed no variability and very little polymorphism, and were therefore unsuitable for testing hypotheses related to genetic variability of C. atsinanana populations. These five nuclear sequence markers were further used to investigate phylogenetic relationships among 5 genera (Chaerephon, Mops, Mormopterus, Otomops and Sauromys) and 13 species of Afro-Malagasy molossid bats, and to provide a nuclear phylogenetic perspective on the newly-described C. atsinanana. PNPO-3 is a novel nuclear intron marker, previously unused in phylogenetic studies. This intron provides resolution primarily at the genus level, and is less informative at interspecific level. These five nuclear markers were combined with already existing mitochondrial cytochrome b (Cyt b) and nuclear Rag2 data retrieved from GenBank. This study provides strong support for the monophyly of the Chaerephon and Mops taxa included, with the exception of C. jobimena, which was weakly associated with this group. There was no support for the generic affiliation of C. jobimena or for the monophyly of either of the genera Chaerephon or Mops individually. This leads to the suggestion that Mops and Chaerephon be combined into a single genus, with crown age of 14.82 (6.44-25.54) MYA, or 21.97 (12.16-33.44) MYA if C. jobimena is included. Otomops forms a strongly supported clade consistent with its generic status, comprising two subclades corresponding to the recognised sister species O. martiensseni and O. madagascariensis, which last shared a common ancestor 8.35 (2.87-17.47) MYA. This study provides good nuclear support for the mitochondrially-defined subclades of O. martiensseni, which last shared a common ancestor 4.18 (1.08-9.96) MYA. It would appear appropriate to name the clade from north east Africa and Arabia as a new species of Otomops, as the clade from southern and western Africa includes the type locality. This study provides weak support based on individual gene regions for associations of Sauromys with Otomops and Mormopterus, although these do not stand up in the concatenated datasets which offer better resolving power, indicating that Sauromys is not phylogenetically associated with Chaerephon/Mops, Otomops and Mormopterus. These results provide some support for the membership of Mormopterus in the proposed Old World Molossid tribe, Tadarini, but also support Mormopterus as a basal genus within the Molossidae, consistent with its designation as a separate tribe, Mormopterini. / Thesis (M.Sc.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Westville, 2013.

This thesis comprises six chapters. Chapter one consists of the statement of the research problem. It covers the outlin of the dissertation and the background of and motivation for the research. It also includes the research problem and the theoretical framework. The last section of the introduction will be the limitations and the assessment of the main resources used in this study. The aim of chapter two is to give the background information of the people of Madagascar in general, and the Merina in particular. It gives a general understanding of their world. It includes a brief description of the island and its population, the location of the Merina and their origin, also their traditional beliefs and religion, the attempts of the early Catholic missionaries to evangelise the Island and Radama's contract with Great Britain. Chapter three deals with the first encounters between the Bible and Merina Christians around the capital of Antananarivo. It highlights the arrival of the first LMS missionaries and their mission in and around the city of Antananarivo, the presence of the Bible in the highlands and the use of it as a text book in schools. From that moment the Merina population sensed that the Bible had power; as a result their interest to get copies of it grew throughout the capital and the surrounding villages. Chapter four provides information about the uncertainty of Christianity in Madagascar. It was uncertain because of the death of Radama, friend of the missionaries, and the accession of Ranavalona I, an anti-Christian queen, to the throne as his successor. It continues with the dusk: a period of confirming the church, then the queen's edicts against the converts. It ends up with the edition of the Bible, translated into the Malagasy language. The focus of chapter five is the sustaining power of the Bible during persecutions. First of all it considers the causes of the persecutions, then the role of the Bible in the Malagasy language in the hands of Christians. After that it speaks of the use of the Bible by the indigenous Christians and the power they gained from it during times of persecution. It also speaks about the edict of the queen to collect all the Bibles and burn them, and how the Christians managed to save some and hide them. Then it concentrates on the three waves of martyrdom, in 1837-1842, 1849 and 1857. Lastly it highlights the courage of these martyrs until death with the Bible in their hands and the contribution of the Bible to the growth of Christianity in Imerina during the persecution. Chapter six will be the conclusion of the thesis. It underlines three aspects of the Bible and its encounters with the martyr church. It considers, in the first aspect, the effects of the translation of the Bible into the Malagasy language. The second aspect deals with the interaction of the Bible with the Malagasy culture and context; and the last is about the power of the Bible itself. The very last paragraph will try to prompt a further research on the Bible and its impact in Madagascar after Ranavalona's death. / Thesis (M.Th.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 2005.

With the end of the Multifibre Arrangement (MFA), many have predicted that countries in Africa will lose their comparatively inefficient clothing and textile industry as competition from China increases. Madagascar has not escaped such threat. The clothing and textile industry is important to Madagascar in terms of export revenue, employment creation and income generation. Trade agreements have played an essential role in the growth of the clothing industry as Madagascar is eligible for both AGOA (Africa Growth and Opportunity Act) and European Union ACP (Africa, Caribbean and Pacific) trade benefits. This paper aims to find out how the end of the MFA has affected the industry thus far, investigate the competitiveness of the Madagascar garment industry to respond to this new global change, assess strategies firms and government have for the future, and offer policy suggestions on how firms can be supported to encourage them to remain in Madagascar. / Thesis (M.Dev.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, 2006.

Abstract of Thesis (doctoral). / Three folded col. maps inserted. Includes bibliographical references (p. 427-435).

Texte remanié de: Th.--Ethnol.--Strasbourg--Université des sciences humaines, 1985. Titre de soutenance : Rites d'invocation et de possession chez les Sakalava du Nord de Madagascar. / Bibliogr. p. 377-382.

Résumé exécutif.<p>Introduction.<p>La tuberculose est une maladie infectieuse qui constitue un fardeau pour la société et en ce sens qu’elle est responsable d’un important taux de mortalité spécifique, surtout dans les pays en développement. Malgré les grands progrès en termes de méthodes de diagnostic, de prévention et de traitement, près de 9 millions de nouveaux cas apparaissent chaque année au niveau mondial et les 30% se trouvent en Afrique. On estime que la tuberculose est responsable de près de 2 millions de morts par an, principalement parmi les populations les plus pauvres. Pourtant, la maladie peut être guérie à l’aide des médicaments dont le coût est inférieur à 18 USD par patient. <p>Pour faire face à ce problème lié à la tuberculose, l’OMS a recommandé vers 1994 l’application de la stratégie « Directly Observed Treatment Short-course, (DOTS) ». Cette stratégie, constituée de 5 points clés, n’a donné que des résultats partiels. Par conséquent, les experts de l’OMS ont conçu et ont publié une autre stratégie appelée « Halte à la Tuberculose » en 2006. Cette nouvelle stratégie, allant au delà des 5 principaux points de la stratégie DOTS, fait appel à toutes les structures sanitaires publiques et privées et à tous les acteurs de santé, y compris la communauté, pour participer au dépistage et à la prise en charge des tuberculeux.<p>A Madagascar, la lutte contre cette maladie est coordonnée par l’équipe du Programme national de lutte contre la tuberculose (PNT). Ce programme est fonctionnel depuis 1991 et applique les stratégies recommandées par l’OMS. Par ailleurs, il a conçu un manuel destiné aux prestataires de soins et aux différents responsables du niveau opérationnel. Le PNT s’est fixé comme principaux objectifs d’améliorer le système de dépistage et d’atteindre un taux de guérison de 85%. En 2006, 15 ans après la mise en œuvre du programme, le taux de notification des nouveaux cas de tuberculose à frottis positif (TPM+) était de 81 pour 100.000 habitants par an et la proportion de réussite au traitement pour ce dernier groupe de tuberculeux était encore de 78%. La létalité et le taux d’échec au traitement à Madagascar est relativement bas. La relativement faible proportion de réussite, inférieure à l’objectif, est avant tout liée au taux d’abandon élevé. Depuis 2006, le PNT a adopté le système décentralisé dans la prise en charge des malades. <p>Généralement, un tuberculeux a un parcours long et ardu à effectuer à partir de l’apparition des premiers signes d’imprégnation tuberculeuse jusqu’à la guérison. Ce parcours est à la fois d’ordre géographique et thérapeutique. Bien que les malades présentent des signes cliniques quasiment identiques, demandant un schéma thérapeutique standard, ils vivent dans des contextes différents. Et chaque contexte a un effet spécifique sur l’adhésion au traitement. Pourtant, ces contextes sont rarement considérés dans les stratégies conçues au niveau national et international. Soulignons que Madagascar est un vaste pays de 590.000 km² ayant des contextes (contexte géographique, contexte culturel, nombre de formations sanitaires, etc.) très variables d’une région à l’autre et d’un district à l’autre. L’application des directives sans tenir compte ces différents contextes locaux pourrait être à l’origine de la non réussite su système de suivi des malades et donc du contrôle de la tuberculose. Inversement, les districts et les centres de diagnostic et de traitement (CDT) qui adaptent les directives selon leurs contextes et/ou qui prennent des initiatives répondant aux contextes des malades, ont plus de chance de réussir le contrôle de la tuberculose.<p>Objectifs.<p>D’une manière spécifique, la présente thèse vise à :<p>-\ / Doctorat en Sciences médicales / info:eu-repo/semantics/nonPublished

M.Sc. / Please refer to full text to view abstract