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A major focus is on the isolation and structural elucidation of natural compounds from terrestrial and marine organisms for applications related to human health and agriculture. More recently attention has also been placed on synthesis of novel molecules. Several researchers are also exploring new materials for use in a number of important applications e.g. in solar energy conversion devices liquid crystal displays biosensors and as catalysts for industrial processes. These efforts have yielded exciting results with several novel compounds showing commer- cial potential. Already one US patent on a product with potential pharmaceutical applications has been secured and an additional one is pending. A recently completed project revealed the potential for producing biodiesel from waste oils and another study showed how the use of small volumes of ozone-depleting substances can impact air-borne concentrations of these agents.Recent research has shown the presence of endocrine-disrupting chemicals in many sewage treatment plant effluents in Trinidad. Department of Computing and Information Technology The DCIT has been concentrating on mobile and e-learning technologies distributed computing networking artificial intelli- gence neural networks database systems internet technologies object-oriented systemsinformation visualization and program- ming aptitude. The Department has formed partnerships with external stakeholders for research aimed at creating business opportunities and enhancing efficiency and competitiveness in the region.One initiative supported by the Trinidad and Tobago Research and Development Impact Fund RDI Fund is the project Agricultural Knowledge ePortalResearch on Intelligent Decision Support for Enhancing Crop and Livestock Enterprise Management AgriNeT. This collaborative venture with the Ministry of Food Production and the Agricultural Society has already yielded tangible benefits for the sector for example mobile apps developed from this programme are currently being used by farmers to access real time information on commodity pricing. Progress is being made in the development of additional mobile tools for other applications e.g. for field diagnosis of crop diseases and for human disease monitoring surveillance and management. Some of the tools developed were recently used in the establishment of the National Stroke Registry as part of the Faculty of Medical Sciences IDB-funded project Regional Non-Communicable Diseases Surveillance System. Other current research activities that are expected to have major impacts in the region include Radio resource management for next generation cellular networks Performance and capacity analysis of wired and wireless networks Intelligent systems data management and datamining. Developing digital watermarking techniques. Department of Life Sciences This department concentrates research in two main areas Small island biodiversity and environmental management Biotechnology and molecular biology. The programmes of the DLS have been developed in areas related to the environment agriculture and human well-being. The information generated will be important in the formulation of national policies and to help in the development of improved biodiversity management and conservation strategies. For exam- ple UNEP and UWI-RDI funded research in collaboration with several government ministries will provide an economic valuation of a range of ecosystem services of different environments in Trinidad and Tobago. These include assessment of soil and nutrient retention by hillside forestscoastal erosion protection by coral reefs and sea grass beds and carbon sequestration and insect pollination services by wetlands.SimilarlyEU-ACP and IDRC funded programmes would help in understanding the effects of climate change and to improve resilience and build adaptive capacity in promoting sustainable development. The ERC-funded BioTIMEproject is using local streams and their aquatic life forms as natural laboratories to help explain how biodiversity changes over time. The Trinidad and Tobago Green Fund supported project on the Aripo Savannahs is generating ecological data that would help conserve unique plant species in this environmentally-sensitive environment. The EU-ACP funded project on plant disease management will establish systems for continuous monitoring and diagnosis of plant diseases in addition to developing integrated disease management procedures for important vegetable crops.Research supported by Acadian SeaPlants Canada and CFH Foundation USA is exploring the use of seaweed extracts to enhance crop production under local conditions.Work is also proceeding on the development of improved varieties of anthurium and hot pepper. In the area of human health the Bill and Melinda Gates Founda- tion is funding research for the development of a novel lethal ovitrap method for controlling the Aedes aegypti mosquito. Additionallythe UWI-RDI fund is supporting research on develop- ment of rapid diagnostic tools for detecting antibiotic resistance in human bacterial pathogens in Trinidad. Department of Mathematics and Statistics The major areas of research in this department include Mathematical modelling Fluid dynamics Graph theory and combinatorics Biomathematics In addition to research in theoretical mathematics this depart- ment has a number of applied programmes geared towards improving human well-being in the short term. For example mathematical modelling has been applied to help describe the growth of gangs in Trinidad and Tobago specifically by determin- ing the influence of factors such as recruitment activities of gang members interventiondeterrence methods and length of jail sentences on the increase in size and spread of gangs. Potential management strategies have already been identified. Similarly mathematical modelling is being used to help understand blood flow in the human body which can aid in developing improved diagnostic tools for cardiovascular diseases and also help under- stand the effects of assessment and therapeutic procedures on cardiovascular patients. Research on fluid dynamics is also being applied to elucidate physiological processes such as peristaltic transport in the gastrointestinal tract and in pharmaceutical applications such as evaluating drug delivery systems using porous microspheres. Similar applications are being made to characterize flow processes of liquids in industrial processes 96