Regulatory requirements and quality assurance of radiation monitoring instruments

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Narasimharao, K.L.; Sharma, Ranjit

2005-01-01

The successful utilisation of radiation sources in the fields of medicine and industry requires the accurate measurement of activity, exposure rate and dose. Many varieties of instruments are in use for measurement of these parameters and new ones are being developed. The criteria for the design of the radiation monitoring instrument include the type and intensity of the radiation, purpose of measurement and ruggedness of the instrument. Quality and reliability of radiation monitoring instruments ensure that individuals are adequately protected. Accuracy, response time and ruggedness are required to be as per the approved/ prescribed guidelines. Regulatory authorities outline the design and performance criteria for radiation monitoring instruments and prescribe the recommendations of international agencies such as IAEA, ICRU and ISO for radiological measurement assurance programme. National Standards Laboratories all over the world prescribe procedures for calibration of various radiation monitoring instruments. The instruments should be calibrated as per these guidelines and should be traceable to national standards. The calibration traceable to national/ international standards and documentation as well as limits stipulated by the competent authority ensures the expected performance of the instrument. (author)

Effectiveness of Software Quality Assurance in Offshore Development Enterprises in Sri Lanka

OpenAIRE

Malinda G. Sirisena

2014-01-01

The aim of this research is to evaluate the effectiveness of software quality assurance approaches of Sri Lankan offshore software development organizations, and to propose a framework which could be used across all offshore software development organizations. An empirical study was conducted using derived framework from popular software quality evaluation models. The research instrument employed was a questionnaire survey among thirty seven Sri Lankan registered offshore software develop...

Current situation and prospect of market on the latest radiation measuring instrument

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ha, Chang Ho; Kim, Wang Geum; Cho, Gyu Seong

2009-12-01

This book deals with current situation and prospect of market on the latest radiation measuring instrument. The contents of this book are basic of technology on radiation measuring instrument with basic principle of various measuring instrument, current situation of technology and prospect of radiation measuring instrument, effect of spreading and application field of radiation measuring instrument, facility for making and research and development of radiation measuring instrument, prospect of market about radiation measuring instrument, strategy for market entry with the latest radiation measuring instrument and general prospect for the future.

Calibration of solar radiation measuring instruments. Final report

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Bahm, R J; Nakos, J C

1979-11-01

A review of solar radiation measurement of instruments and some types of errors is given; and procedures for calibrating solar radiation measuring instruments are detailed. An appendix contains a description of various agencies who perform calibration of solar instruments and a description of the methods they used at the time this report was prepared. (WHK)

Instrument evaluation no. 10. Scanray radiation meter type 751

CERN Document Server

Burgess, P H; White, D F

1978-01-01

The various radiations encountered in radiological protection cover a wide range of energies and radiation measurements have to be carried out under an equally broad spectrum of environmental conditions. This report is one of a series intended to give information on the performance characteristics of radiological protection instruments, to assist in the selection of appropriate instruments for a given purpose, to interpret the results obtained with such instruments, and, in particular, to know the likely sources and magnitude of errors that might be associated with measurements in the field. The radiation, electrical and environmental characteristics of radiation protection instruments are considered together with those aspects of the construction which make an instrument convenient for routine use. To provide consistent criteria for instrument performance, the range of tests performed on any particular class of instrument, the test methods and the criteria of acceptable performance are based broadly on the a...

Instrument evaluation no. 33. Automess Szintomat 6134 radiation survey meter

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

McClure, D.R.

1986-04-01

The various radiations encountered in radiological protection cover a wide range of energies and radiation measurements have to be carried out under an equally broad spectrum of environmental conditions. This report is one of a series intended to give information on the performance characteristics of radiological protection instruments, to assist in the selection of appropriate instruments for a given purpose, to interpret the results obtained with such instruments, and, in particular, to know the likely sources and magnitude of errors that might be associated with measurements in the field. The radiation, electrical and environmental characteristics of radiation protection instruments are considered together with those aspects of the construction which make an instrument convenient for routine use. To provide consistent criteria for instrument performance, the range of tests performed on any particular class of instrument, the test methods and the criteria of acceptable performance are based broadly on the appropriate Recommendations of the International Electrotechnical Commission. The radiations in the tests are, in general, selected from the range of reference radiations for instrument calibration being drawn up by the International Standards Organisation. Normally, each report deals with the capabilities and limitations of one model of instrument and no direct comparison with other instruments intended for similar purposes is made, since the significance of particular performance characteristics largely depends on the radiations and environmental conditions in which the instrument is to be used. The results quoted here have all been obtained from tests on instruments in routine production, with the appropriate measurements being made by the NRPB. This instrument evaluation report deals with the Automess Szintomat 6134 Radiation Survey Meter

Toad radiation reveals into-India dispersal as a source of endemism in the Western Ghats-Sri Lanka biodiversity hotspot

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Bossuyt Franky

2009-06-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background High taxonomic level endemism in the Western Ghats-Sri Lanka biodiversity hotspot has been typically attributed to the subcontinent's geological history of long-term isolation. Subsequent out of – and into India dispersal of species after accretion to the Eurasian mainland is therefore often seen as a biogeographic factor that 'diluted' the composition of previously isolated Indian biota. However, few molecular studies have focussed on into-India dispersal as a possible source of endemism on the subcontinent. Using c. 6000 base pairs of mitochondrial and nuclear DNA, we investigated the evolutionary history and biogeography of true toads (Bufonidae, a group that colonized the Indian Subcontinent after the Indo-Asia collision. Results Contrary to previous studies, Old World toads were recovered as a nested clade within New World Bufonidae, indicating a single colonization event. Species currently classified as Ansonia and Pedostibes were both recovered as being non-monophyletic, providing evidence for the independent origin of torrential and arboreal ecomorphs on the Indian subcontinent and in South-East Asia. Our analyses also revealed a previously unrecognized adaptive radiation of toads containing a variety of larval and adult ecomorphs. Molecular dating estimates and biogeographic analyses indicate that the early diversification of this clade happened in the Western Ghats and Sri Lanka during the Late Oligocene to Early Miocene. Conclusion Paleoclimate reconstructions have shown that the Early Neogene of India was marked by major environmental changes, with the transition from a zonal- to the current monsoon-dominated climate. After arrival in the Western Ghats-Sri Lanka hotspot, toads diversified in situ, with only one lineage able to successfully disperse out of these mountains. Consequently, higher taxonomic level endemism on the Indian Subcontinent is not only the result of Cretaceous isolation, but also of invasion

Quality assurance of radiation protection monitoring instruments in India

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tripathi, S.M.; Daniel, Liji; Rao, Suresh; Sharma, D.N.

2008-01-01

Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC) is the National Metrology Institute (NMI) for developing, maintaining and disseminating standards for ionizing radiation in India. Radiation Safety Systems Division (RSSD) of BARC has the requisite infrastructure in the form of experts, trained manpower, laboratories, equipment and facilities for providing calibration services to users and ascertaining traceability to international standards. It periodically participates in various international inter-comparisons. RSSD maintains reference radiation fields that are required for calibrating Radiation Protection Monitoring Instruments that form the backbone of the radiation monitoring programme for harnessing the benefits of nuclear energy and ionizing radiations. These instruments are type-tested and periodically calibrated at standard reference radiation fields to ensure their healthy working condition and fitness for their intended use. This paper describes the details of the standardization procedures adopted for reference radiation fields and infrastructure established and maintained at RSSD, BARC in accordance with the recommendations of ISO-4037. The paper describes the various tests that are carried out for radiation protection monitoring instrument to study the variation of the calibration factor with influencing quantities like linearity of response, energy response, angular dependence and overload characteristics. The results of these tests for typical instruments are also discussed. The present work also describes various types of indigenously developed radiation protection monitoring instruments and their performance characteristics. Adaptability of these instruments for the implementation of operational quantities are discussed briefly. It also dwells on the IAEA Quality Audit for radiation protection level calibrations, which RSSD has been participating since 2001. Our results of the quality audit are well within the acceptance limit (±7%) set by IAEA for the

Preliminary report on safety aspects on nuclear power generation in Sri Lanka

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jayamanne, D.; Fernando, W.L.W.; Ariyadasa

1988-01-01

This document is intended as background information on nuclear energy to contribute to Sri Lanka's comparative study of alternative sources of energy. This study has considered the safety and environmental effects of nuclear power reactors. Basic concepts of nuclear physics are introduced and providing and appreciation of safety considerations and safety aspects of nuclear power plants and the personnel. Radioactive waste management, storage and disposal are also discussed. Natural radiation levels in Sri Lanka are provided as well as information on biological effects of radiation especially occupational exposure licensing procedures for nuclear power plants are outlined strategy for public awareness of nuclear power is proposed

Promoting Nature-Based Tourism for Management of Protected Areas and Elephant Conservation in Sri Lanka

OpenAIRE

World Bank

2010-01-01

Sri Lanka's ten-year development framework aims at accelerating economic growth while ensuring a path of sustainable development and prioritizing conservation of the country's natural heritage. It is in this context that this policy note seeks to examine the scope for enhancing protection of Sri Lanka's natural assets through nature based tourism as an instrument for conservation with a sp...

Strategic Role of Sri Lankan Tamil Diaspora in Promoting Separatism in Sri Lanka

Science.gov (United States)

2014-06-13

Tamil Eelam and the Tamil genocide in Sri Lanka. This campaign tries to achieve its objectives through the boycott of Sri Lankan tourism and products...Lanka campaign.157 The boycott Sri Lanka campaign is not limited to tourism or products. The Tamil Youth Organization (TYO) is conducting a “Boycott...Sri Lankan sports are not accepted in international fora as they 155Tamils Against Genocide

New type of radiation instrumentation system

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Matsuo, Keichi; Takaoka, Akira; Uranaka, Yasuo

2000-01-01

The Mitsubishi Electric Co., Ltd. developed a radiation instrumentation system introduced some recent techniques such as computation technique, network technique and so on into conventional radiation detection aiming at general market except power generation company. In a conventional system, a detector and an operation processing board was placed at a field and center, respectively, and a feeble pulse signal from the detector was transferred to the operation processing board. Then, on establishment of cables, detectors and operation processing board, it is essential to carry out engineering planning and field engineering conceiving on noise countermeasure. Noise resistance of the new type of radiation instrumentation system, not by adding operation processing function and network interface function into a detector unit in a field to transfer feeble signal, but by transferring testing result as a digital signal. And, noise removing function capable of selectively passing only signal pulse waveform from the detector to judge its signal waveform was also added to a detector unit in the field, to carry out a thoroughly removing noise. In addition, by connecting between each apparatus placed at the field with a network a system capable of reducing some cable engineering could be executed. Here were introduced on abstract of this new type of radiation instrumentation system and on noise removing function of its characteristics. (G.K.)

''Cutie Pie,'' A portable radiation instrument

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ballou, C.O.

1947-01-01

A portable beta and gamma radiation meter of exceedingly small dimensions and weight has been developed. User acceptance has been more enthusiastic than any previous instrument of its type. The circuit, using one Victoreen V-32 tube, is the simplest electronic circuit possible for radiation work and gives high sensitivity. Stability exceeds anything of comparable sensitivity which has come to our attention. The short term stability is due to a circuit which prevents emission before the cathode reaches operating temperature. Long term stability has been improved by evacuating the tube enclosure and switch. The complete, one unit instrument, weighs four pounds two ounces, and is carried with a pistol grip. Exclusive of chamber and handle, its dimensions are 3'' wide, 6 1/2'' long, and 5'' high. The case is formed of aluminum and is designed to give excellent visibility of the meter. Three ranges of approximately 50, 500 and 5000 mr/hr have been incorporated in the instruments. The instrument has been named ''Cutie Pie'' due to its diminutive size

L-34: EPR-First Responders: Basic Radiation Instrumentation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2011-01-01

This lecture is about radiation basic instrumentation, previous measurements, personnel dosimetry, Geiger Mueller, ionizing chambers, gamma spectrometry, contamination monitoring and radiation detection.

Radiation-hardened micro-electronics for nuclear instrumentation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Van Uffelen, M.

2007-01-01

The successful development and deployment of future fission and thermonuclear fusion reactors depends to a large extent on the advances of different enabling technologies. Not only the materials need to be custom engineered but also the instrumentation, the electronics and the communication equipment need to support operation in this harsh environment, with expected radiation levels during maintenance up to several MGy. Indeed, there are yet no commercially available electronic devices available off-the-shelf which demonstrated a satisfying operation at these extremely high radiation levels. The main goal of this task is to identify commercially available radiation tolerant technologies, and to design dedicated and integrated electronic circuits, using radiation hardening techniques, both at the topological and architectural level. Within a stepwise approach, we first design circuits with discrete components and look for an equivalent integrated technology. This will enable us to develop innovative instrumentation and communication tools for the next generation of nuclear reactors, where both radiation hardening and miniaturization play a dominant role

A simple solar radiation index for wildlife habitat studies

Science.gov (United States)

Keating, Kim A.; Gogan, Peter J.; Vore, John N.; Irby, Lynn R.

2007-01-01

Solar radiation is a potentially important covariate in many wildlife habitat studies, but it is typically addressed only indirectly, using problematic surrogates like aspect or hillshade. We devised a simple solar radiation index (SRI) that combines readily available information about aspect, slope, and latitude. Our SRI is proportional to the amount of extraterrestrial solar radiation theoretically striking an arbitrarily oriented surface during the hour surrounding solar noon on the equinox. Because it derives from first geometric principles and is linearly distributed, SRI offers clear advantages over aspect-based surrogates. The SRI also is superior to hillshade, which we found to be sometimes imprecise and ill-behaved. To illustrate application of our SRI, we assessed niche separation among 3 ungulate species along a single environmental axis, solar radiation, on the northern Yellowstone winter range. We detected no difference between the niches occupied by bighorn sheep (Ovis canadensis) and elk (Cervus elaphus; P = 0.104), but found that mule deer (Odocoileus hemionus) tended to use areas receiving more solar radiation than either of the other species (P solar radiation component.

Risk-return of Belgian SRI funds

OpenAIRE

Van Liedekerke, Luc; De Moor, Lieven; Vanwalleghem, Dieter

2007-01-01

We analyse the risk-return profile of Belgian SRI funds versus conventional investment funds. We apply a four-factor conditional Carhart model to establish whether there are significant differences in risk-return profile between an SRI portfolio and a conventional portfolio and test for learning effects in SRI funds. We show that there is no difference in risk-return profile between SRI and conventional funds. If return is not the problem, then what is it that limits the development of an SRI...

Control device intended for a gamma radiation measuring instrument

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1976-01-01

This invention concerns a monitoring device for a gamma radiation measuring instrument or radiation meter, in which the radiation to be measured brings about, inter alia, the ionisation of a gas and the generation of current pulses. The dial of this meter is generally calibrated in roentgens per hour, i.e. in radiation rate units. This instrument of very simple design is remarkable for its operating reliability. Preferably placed at the inlet to a radioactive area, it enables every user of a ratemeter to check, over the entire measuring range of this instrument, its proper operation prior to entering the area. To this effect, the monitoring device in question has a thick wall lead castle, having an internal cavity in which is mounted a radioactive source delivering a gamma radiation with given constant characteristics, through a measurement window closed by a calibrated plug. Lead doors articulated on the castle can be superimposed on this window to bring about a given attenuation of the radiation coming from the source and delivered to the exterior of the castle [fr

Survey of instrumentation for environmental monitoring: major update. Volume 3. Radiation

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

1979-09-01

This is the third volume of a four-volume (seven-part) series, the culmination of a comprehensive survey of instrumentation for environmental monitoring. Consideration is given to instruments and techniques presently in use and to those developed for other purposes but having possible applications to radiation monitoring. The results of the survey are given as descriptions of the physical and operating characteristics of available instruments, critical comparisons among instrumentation methods, and recommendations of promising methodology and development of new instrumentation. Information is also given regarding the pollutants to be monitored, their characteristics and forms, their sources and pathways, their effects on the ecosystem, and the means of controlling them through process and regulatory controls. The discussion is presented under sections entitled radiation sources; instrumentation: by type of radiation or instrument type; and, instrumentation for specific radionuclides. (JGB)

Survey of instrumentation for environmental monitoring: major update. Volume 3. Radiation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1979-09-01

This is the third volume of a four-volume (seven-part) series, the culmination of a comprehensive survey of instrumentation for environmental monitoring. Consideration is given to instruments and techniques presently in use and to those developed for other purposes but having possible applications to radiation monitoring. The results of the survey are given as descriptions of the physical and operating characteristics of available instruments, critical comparisons among instrumentation methods, and recommendations of promising methodology and development of new instrumentation. Information is also given regarding the pollutants to be monitored, their characteristics and forms, their sources and pathways, their effects on the ecosystem, and the means of controlling them through process and regulatory controls. The discussion is presented under sections entitled radiation sources; instrumentation: by type of radiation or instrument type; and, instrumentation for specific radionuclides

Portable radiation instrumentation traceability of standards and measurements

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wiserman, A.; Walke, M.

1995-01-01

Portable radiation measuring instruments are used to estimate and control doses for workers. Calibration of these instruments must be sufficiently accurate to ensure that administrative and legal dose limits are not likely to be exceeded due to measurement uncertainties. An instrument calibration and management program is established which permits measurements made with an instrument to be traced to a national standard. This paper describes the establishment and maintenance of calibration standards for gamma survey instruments and an instrument management program which achieves traceability of measurement for uniquely identified field instruments. (author)

Interest Rate Pass-through in Sri Lanka

OpenAIRE

Amarasekara, Chandranath

2005-01-01

The Central Bank of Sri Lanka has increasingly been relying on interest rates as the instrument for conducting monetary policy. Changes to the key monetary policy variables, the Repo and the Reverse Repo rates, are initially expected to be reflected in the OMO rates and the call money market rates, before being passedthrough to commercial bank retail interest rates. It is important to obtain a good understanding of the speed and magnitude of the interest rate pass-through to make timely monet...

INSTRUMENTATION FOR MEASURING AND TRANSMISSION THE SOLAR RADIATION THROUGH EARTH’S ATMOSPHERE

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Alexandru Dan Toma

2013-07-01

Full Text Available The Sun's energy is distributed over a broad range of the electromagnetic spectrum and Sun behaves approximately like a "blackbody" radiating at a temperature of about 5800 K with maximum output in the green-yellow part of the visible spectrum, around 500 nm. Not all solar radiation reaching the top of the atmosphere reaches Earth's surface due to a various optical phenomena in regard to solar radiation crossing the Earth’s atmosphere. In order to investigate them, there are two general categories of instruments used to measure the transmission of solar radiation through Earth's atmosphere: instruments that measure radiation from the entire sky and instruments that measure only direct solar radiation. Within each of these categories, instruments can be further subdivided into those that measure radiation over a broad range of wavelengths and those that measure only specific wavelengths.

Pengaruh Sri Sultan Hamengku Buwono I pada Seni Karawitan Kraton Yogyakarta

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Raharja -

2014-11-01

Full Text Available Gamelan sebagai alat musik atau karawitan sebagai produk musikal dari Kraton Yogyakartamempunyai beberapa karakter yang sangat khas. Karawitan masih dipergunakan sebagai suatu identitasdan diakui oleh masyarakat hingga saat ini. Pengembangan musikal ini bermula dari Sri SultanHamengku Buwono I. Ada dua alasan penting yang mendorong gagasan penciptaan karaktergamelan. Pertama, konsepsi kedudukan raja telah mendudukkan gamelan sebagai salah satu pusakapenting. Kedua, kepribadian Sultan yang maskulin, heroik, dan patriotik menjadi model pengembangan,memberi ciri khas pada masing-masing ricikan gamelan dan musikalitasnya. Gamelan KratonYogyakarta mempunyai kesan rasa musikal: agung, gagah, tegas, mantap, berwibawa, mrabu (sepertiraja, dan ngratoni (seperti suasana di kraton.   The Effect of Sri Sultan Hamengku Buwono I on Kraton Yogyakarta Karawitan. Gamelan asmusical instrument or karawitan as a musical product of Kraton Yogyakarta has some specific characters. Itis still used as an identity and is recognized by karawitan society until now. This musical development wasfirstly introduced by Sri Sultan Hamengku Buwono I. There are two important reasons which stimulatethe ideas of creating gamelan characters. First, the king’s authority conception puts the gamelan as one ofthe important heirloom. Second, Sultan’s personalities which are masculine, heroic, and patriotic becomethe influencing model of its development, and give some specific characters on each gamelan instrument andits musicality as well. Kraton Yogyakarta gamelan has many musical rasa(s/feelings: glorious, strong, clear,steady, prestigious, ‘mrabu’ (like a king, and ‘ngratoni’ (such an atmosphere of Kraton.

MGR COMPLIANCE PROGRAM GUIDANCE PACKAGE FOR RADIATION PROTECTION EQUIPMENT, INSTRUMENTATION, AND FACILITIES

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2000-01-01

This Compliance Program Guidance Package identifies the regulatory guidance and industry codes and standards addressing radiation protection equipment, instrumentation, and support facilities considered to be appropriate for radiation protection at the Monitored Geologic Repository (MGR). Included are considerations relevant to radiation monitoring instruments, calibration, contamination control and decontamination, respiratory protection equipment, and general radiation protection facilities. The scope of this Guidance Package does not include design guidance relevant to criticality monitoring, area radiation monitoring, effluent monitoring, and airborne radioactivity monitoring systems since they are considered to be the topics of specific design and construction requirements (i.e., ''fixed'' or ''built-in'' systems). This Guidance Package does not address radiation protection design issues; it addresses the selection and calibration of radiation monitoring instrumentation to the extent that the guidance is relevant to the operational radiation protection program. Radon and radon progeny monitoring instrumentation is not included in the Guidance Package since such naturally occurring radioactive materials do not fall within the NRC's jurisdiction at the MGR

New-generation low-power radiation survey instruments

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Waechter, D.A.; Bjarke, G.O.; Wolf, M.A.; Trujillo, F.; Umbarger, C.J.

1983-01-01

A number of new, ultra-low-powered radiation instruments have recently been developed at Los Alamos. Among these are two instruments which use a novel power source to eliminate costly batteries. The newly developed gamma detecting radiac, nicknamed the Firefly, and the alpha particle detecting instrument, called the Simple Cordless Alpha Monitor, both use recent advances in miniaturization and power-saving electronics to yield devices which are small, rugged, and very power-frugal. The two instruments consume so little power that the need for batteries to run them is eliminated. They are, instead, powered by a charged capacitor which will operate the instruments for an hour or more. Both line power and mechanical sources are used to charge the storage capacitors which power the instruments

The introduction of radiation monitor produced by several nuclear instrument factories

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yu Liying

2005-01-01

The paper introduce some radiation monitor products of several nuclear instrument factories include Xi'an Nuclear Instrument Factory, MGP Instruments Inc, and Canberra Industries Inc. The introduction aspects include the range, configuration, and application of products. So, the paper is reference for the designer with responsibility for radiation monitoring system of new nuclear project. (authors)

Spices as a source of lead exposure: a market-basket survey in Sri Lanka.

Science.gov (United States)

Senanayake, M P; Perera, R; Liyanaarachchi, L A; Dassanayake, M P

2013-12-01

We performed a laboratory analysis of spices sold in Sri Lanka for lead content. Samples of curry powder, chili powder and turmeric powder from seven provinces, collected using the market basket survey method, underwent atomic absorption spectrometry. Blanks and standards were utilised for instrument calibration and measurement accuracy. The results were validated in two different laboratories. All samples were found to have lead levels below the US Food and Drug Administration's action level of 0.5 μg/g. Spices sold in Sri Lanka contain lead concentrations that are low and within the stipulated safety standards.

Food Crops Breeding in Sri Lanka - Achievements and challenges

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Jayawardena, S D.L.; Peiris, R [Central Agricultural Research Institute, Gannoruwa, Peradeniya (Sierra Leone)

1988-12-31

Since Rice is the staple food in Sri Lanka strong emphasis has been given for the improvement of Rice in Sri Lanka. Over the last three decades 36 high yielding rice varieties have been developed. The present yield potential of Sri Lanka`s best varieties have been recorded to be be around 10 mt/ha. At present more than 90% of the total paddy extent is grown with modern high yielding rice varieties and as a result the national paddy production has increased from 1.8 mt/ha to 3.5 mt/ha. Induced mutations is used in plant breeding. Use of radiation to produce haploids and for production of transitory sexuality in apomicts have been done. Under the coarse grains and millet varietal program, maize have recorded increasing attention owing to the fact that is is used for human consumption and as feed grain for poultry. Promising varieties of Soya bean, cowpea, mung bean, black gram and ground nut have been recommended for cultivation. Research attention has also been directed towards Root and Tuber crops which have great potential in providong food for the rapidly increasing population in Sri Lanka. Potato is the most important and popular tuber crop. A number of improved varieties with respect to a number of local fruit crops such as banana, sweet orange, lemonime, avocado, pineapple, rambutan, grapes.have been introduced. New improved varieties of indigenous vegetables such as tomato, brinjal etc. have been produced. Chillies and onions with desirable qualities also have been identified. Mutation breeding provides a novel approach to the plant breeders for raising the productivity of crop plants, thus complementing conventional methods. Any way the use of induced mutations in crop improvement has not been properly exploited in Sri Lanka as yet.

Food Crops Breeding in Sri Lanka - Achievements and challenges

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jayawardena, S.D.L.; Peiris, R.

1988-01-01

Since Rice is the staple food in Sri Lanka strong emphasis has been given for the improvement of Rice in Sri Lanka. Over the last three decades 36 high yielding rice varieties have been developed. The present yield potential of Sri Lanka's best varieties have been recorded to be be around 10 mt/ha. At present more than 90% of the total paddy extent is grown with modern high yielding rice varieties and as a result the national paddy production has increased from 1.8 mt/ha to 3.5 mt/ha. Induced mutations is used in plant breeding. Use of radiation to produce haploids and for production of transitory sexuality in apomicts have been done. Under the coarse grains and millet varietal program, maize have recorded increasing attention owing to the fact that is is used for human consumption and as feed grain for poultry. Promising varieties of Soya bean, cowpea, mung bean, black gram and ground nut have been recommended for cultivation. Research attention has also been directed towards Root and Tuber crops which have great potential in providong food for the rapidly increasing population in Sri Lanka. Potato is the most important and popular tuber crop. A number of improved varieties with respect to a number of local fruit crops such as banana, sweet orange, lemonime, avocado, pineapple, rambutan, grapes.have been introduced. New improved varieties of indigenous vegetables such as tomato, brinjal etc. have been produced. Chillies and onions with desirable qualities also have been identified. Mutation breeding provides a novel approach to the plant breeders for raising the productivity of crop plants, thus complementing conventional methods. Any way the use of induced mutations in crop improvement has not been properly exploited in Sri Lanka as yet

Instrumentation for environmental monitoring. Volume 1. Radiation. Second Edition

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Budnitz, R.J.; Nero, A.V.; Murphy, D.J.; Graven, R.

1983-01-01

This volume describes ionizing radiation and the instruments used for measurement. Units, sources, and effects of radiation are introduced, basic detection methods discussed, and measurement of alpha, beta, gamma and x-radiation described. Sources of anthropogenic radiation are discussed in detail: nuclear power plants, spent-fuel processing, and uranium mining and milling

Legal verification of the dosimetric instrumentation using for radiation protection in Cuba

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Walwyn, A.; Morales, J.A.

1999-01-01

By April of 1998 the Decree law 183 of Metrology was published at the Gaceta Oficial de la Republica de Cuba. It establishes the principles and general regulations for the organisation and juridical system of the metrological activity in Cuba. In the radiation protection field this legislation promote the establishment of a verification service of radiation measuring instruments used in the practices with radiation sources in the country. The limitations of old Cuban standards of verification related to dosimetric quantities and to the types of instruments for those which these standards are applicable; and in addition, the publication of new international standards that includes the operational quantities used for the measurement of instruments, led to the elaboration of the X and Gamma Radiation Meters Used in Radiation Protection standard. The requirements of metrological aptitude are taken from some test procedures described in the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) standards on photon monitoring equipment. The Secondary Standard Dosimetry Laboratory of the Centre for Radiation Protection and Higiene will start the verification service of Radiation Protection instruments. The beginning of the service is an essential element in the improvement of the accuracy of ionisation radiation metrology in Cuba, and have an evident impact in the protection of the occupationally exposed workers, because having the instruments in good technical condition became a legal exigency to the users of ionisation radiation

Calibration methodology for instruments utilized in X radiation beams, diagnostic level

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Penha, M. da; Potiens, A.; Caldas, L.V.E.

2004-01-01

Methodologies for the calibration of diagnostic radiology instruments were established at the Calibration Laboratory of IPEN. The methods may be used in the calibration procedures of survey meters used in radiation protection measurements (scattered radiation), instruments used in direct beams (attenuated and non attenuated beams) and quality control instruments. The established qualities are recommended by the international standards IEC 1267 and ISO 4037-3. Two ionization chambers were used as reference systems, one with a volume of 30 cm 3 for radiation protection measurements, and the other with a volume of 1 cm 3 for direct beam measurements. Both are traceable to the German Primary Laboratory of Physikalisch-Technische Bundesanstalt (PTB). In the case of calibration of quality control instruments, a non-invasive method using the measurement of the spectrum endpoint was established with a portable gamma and X-ray Intertechnique spectrometer system. The methods were applied to survey meters (radiation protection measurements), ionization chambers (direct beam measurements) and k Vp meters (invasive and non-invasive instruments). (Author)

Calibration methodology for instruments utilized in X radiation beams, diagnostic level

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Penha, M. da; Potiens, A.; Caldas, L.V.E. [Instituto de Pesquisas Energeticas e Nucleares, Comissao Nacional de Energia Nuclear, Sao Paulo (Brazil)]. E-mail: mppalbu@ipen.br

2004-07-01

Methodologies for the calibration of diagnostic radiology instruments were established at the Calibration Laboratory of IPEN. The methods may be used in the calibration procedures of survey meters used in radiation protection measurements (scattered radiation), instruments used in direct beams (attenuated and non attenuated beams) and quality control instruments. The established qualities are recommended by the international standards IEC 1267 and ISO 4037-3. Two ionization chambers were used as reference systems, one with a volume of 30 cm{sup 3} for radiation protection measurements, and the other with a volume of 1 cm{sup 3} for direct beam measurements. Both are traceable to the German Primary Laboratory of Physikalisch-Technische Bundesanstalt (PTB). In the case of calibration of quality control instruments, a non-invasive method using the measurement of the spectrum endpoint was established with a portable gamma and X-ray Intertechnique spectrometer system. The methods were applied to survey meters (radiation protection measurements), ionization chambers (direct beam measurements) and k Vp meters (invasive and non-invasive instruments). (Author)

New instruments for radiation protection

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bartos, D.; Ciobanu, M.; Constantin, F.; Petcu, M.; Plostinaru, V.D.; Rusu, Al.; Lupu, A.C.; Lupu, F.

2003-01-01

Though a century old, the radiation protection is actual by its purpose: a dose as low as reasonable achievable is to be received either by involved professionals or population. This threshold is dependent on the technical progress. Some major developments like surface mounted device technology, consumer almost ideal operational amplifiers, microcontrollers and the news signal digital processing techniques, offer the opportunity to design improved instruments for radioprotection. To put in a light portable instrument both the whole measuring system and the 'intelligence' - a microcontroller and the associated software - are the main ideas applied by the authors. The result is presented: a family of eight members, at least, based on two parents. (authors)

Design and development of an instrument to measure radiative absorption of seawater. Sumarad

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fasano, G.; Materassi, A.

2003-01-01

In the present work, a low-cost instrument is presented that provides the ratio between underwater radiation and radiation outside water for the four spectral ranges fundamental for photosynthetic activity (Sub Marine Radiometer). The instrument essentially consists of two radiometers which operate in the same four bands: one acquires radiation outside the water, the other underwater radiation at a pre-established depth. The two acquisition systems are synchronized when the instrument is turned on and then, in the course of data elaboration, the ratio is obtained between underwater and outside water radiation for each spectral band, at any determined moment, at a predetermined depth. This ratio, in accordance with the Beer-Lambert equation, represents the transmittance of the medium crossed by radiation. By applying the Linke equation to collected data, it is also possible to determine the turbidity of the considered medium. The system can acquire as many as 1,472 data, with programmable temporal scanning, and can operate at depths up to 50 meters. Applications of this instrument are already in progress in studies concerning the relationship between solar radiation and photosynthetic activity of Posidonia oceanica. The proposed instrument has a relatively low cost, when compared with that of other instruments currently on the market, making it particularly suitable for applications that require numerous instruments to monitor sea, lacustrine or fluvial water in various points at the same time [it

New generation low power radiation survey instruments

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Waechter, D.A.; Bjarke, G.O.; Trujillo, F.; Umbarger, C.J.; Wolf, M.A.

1984-01-01

A number of new, ultra-low-powered radiation instruments have recently been developed at Los Alamos. Among these are two instruments which use a novel power source to eliminate costly batteries. The newly developed gamma detecting radiac, nicknamed the Firefly, and the alpha particle detecting instrument, called the Simple Cordless Alpha Monitor, both use recent advances in miniaturization and powersaving electronics to yield devices which are small, rugged, and very power-frugal. The two instruments consume so little power that the need for batteries to run them is eliminated. They are, instead, powered by a charged capacitor which will operate the instruments for an hour or more. Use of a capacitor as a power source eliminates many problems commonly associated with battery-operated instruments, such as having to open the case to change batteries, battery storage life, availability of batteries in the field, and some savings in weight. Both line power and mechanical sources are used to charge the storage capacitors which power the instruments

New developments in radiation protection instrumentation via active electronic methods

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Umbarger, C.J.

1981-01-01

New developments in electronics and radiation detectors are improving on real-time data acquisition of radiation exposure and contamination conditions. Recent developments in low power circuit designs, hybrid and integrated circuits, and microcomputers have all contributed to smaller and lighter radiation detection instruments that are, at the same time, more sensitive and provide more information (e.g., radioisotope identification) than previous devices. New developments in radiation detectors, such as cadmium telluride, gas scintillation proportional counters, and imaging counters (both charged particle and photon) promise higher sensitivities and expanded uses over present instruments. These developments are being applied in such areas as health physics, waste management, environmental monitoring, in vivo measurements, and nuclear safeguards

Standards for radiation protection instrumentation: design of safety standards and testing procedures

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Meissner, Frank

2008-01-01

This paper describes by means of examples the role of safety standards for radiation protection and the testing and qualification procedures. The development and qualification of radiation protection instrumentation is a significant part of the work of TUV NORD SysTec, an independent expert organisation in Germany. The German Nuclear Safety Standards Commission (KTA) establishes regulations in the field of nuclear safety. The examples presented may be of importance for governments and nuclear safety authorities, for nuclear operators and for manufacturers worldwide. They demonstrate the advantage of standards in the design of radiation protection instrumentation for new power plants, in the upgrade of existing instrumentation to nuclear safety standards or in the application of safety standards to newly developed equipment. Furthermore, they show how authorities may proceed when safety standards for radiation protection instrumentation are not yet established or require actualization. (author)

Design of instrument for monitoring nuclear radiation and baneful gas

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Xiong Jianping; Chen Jun; Zhu Wenkai

2006-01-01

Counters and ionization chambers are applied to sensors, and microprocessor based on ARM IP is applied to center controller in the instrument. It is achieved to monitor nuclear radiation and baneful gas in an instrument. The instrument is capable of LCD displaying, menu operating and speech alarming. (authors)

The geostationary Earth radiation budget (GERB) instrument on EUMETSAT's MSG satellite

Science.gov (United States)

Sandford, M. C. W.; Allan, P. M.; Caldwell, M. E.; Delderfield, J.; Oliver, M. B.; Sawyer, E.; Harries, J. E.; Ashmall, J.; Brindley, H.; Kellock, S.; Mossavati, R.; Wrigley, R.; Llewellyn-Jones, D.; Blake, O.; Butcher, G.; Cole, R.; Nelms, N.; DeWitte, S.; Gloesener, P.; Fabbrizzi, F.

2003-12-01

Geostationary Earth radiation budget (GERB) is an Announcement of Opportunity Instrument for EUMETSAT's Meteosat Second Generation (MSG) satellite. GERB will make accurate measurements of the Earth Radiation Budget from geostationary orbit, provide an absolute reference calibration for LEO Earth radiation budget instruments and allow studies of the energetics of atmospheric processes. By operating from geostationary orbit, measurements may be made many times a day, thereby providing essentially perfect diurnal sampling of the radiation balance between reflected and emitted radiance for that area of the globe within the field of view. GERB will thus complement other instruments which operate in low orbit and give complete global coverage, but with poor and biased time resolution. GERB measures infrared radiation in two wavelength bands: 0.32-4.0 and 0.32- 30 μm, with a pixel element size of 44 km at sub-satellite point. This paper gives an overview of the project and concentrates on the design and development of the instrument and ground testing and calibration, and lessons learnt from a short time scale low-budget project. The instrument was delivered for integration on the MSG platform in April 1999 ready for the proposed launch in October 2000, which has now been delayed probably to early 2002. The ground segment is being undertaken by RAL and RMIB and produces near real-time data for meteorological applications in conjunction with the main MSG imager—SEVERI. Climate research and other applications which are being developed under a EU Framework IV pilot project will be served by fully processed data. Because of the relevance of the observations to climate change, it is planned to maintain an operating instrument in orbit for at least 3.5 years. Two further GERB instruments are being built for subsequent launches of MSG.

Single-chip microcomputer application in nuclear radiation monitoring instruments

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhang Songshou

1994-01-01

The single-chip microcomputer has advantage in many respects i.e. multiple function, small size, low-power consumption,reliability etc. It is widely used now in industry, instrumentation, communication and machinery. The author introduced usage of single-chip microcomputer in nuclear radiation monitoring instruments for control, linear compensation, calculation, changeable parameter presetting and military training

Radiation Budget Instrument (RBI) for JPSS-2

Science.gov (United States)

Georgieva, Elena; Priestley, Kory; Dunn, Barry; Cageao, Richard; Barki, Anum; Osmundsen, Jim; Turczynski, Craig; Abedin, Nurul

2015-01-01

Radiation Budget Instrument (RBI) will be one of five instruments flying aboard the JPSS-2 spacecraft, a polar-orbiting sun-synchronous satellite in Low Earth Orbit. RBI is a passive remote sensing instrument that will follow the successful legacy of the Clouds and Earth's Radiant Energy System (CERES) instruments to make measurement of Earth's short and longwave radiation budget. The goal of RBI is to provide an independent measurement of the broadband reflected solar radiance and Earth's emitted thermal radiance by using three spectral bands (Shortwave, Longwave, and Total) that will have the same overlapped point spread function (PSF) footprint on Earth. To ensure precise NIST-traceable calibration in space the RBI sensor is designed to use a visible calibration target (VCT), a solar calibration target (SCT), and an infrared calibration target (ICT) containing phase change cells (PCC) to enable on-board temperature calibration. The VCT is a thermally controlled integrating sphere with space grade Spectralon covering the inner surface. Two sides of the sphere will have fiber-coupled laser diodes in the UV to IR wavelength region. An electrical substitution radiometer on the integrating sphere will monitor the long term stability of the sources and the possible degradation of the Spectralon in space. In addition the radiometric calibration operations will use the Spectralon diffusers of the SCT to provide accurate measurements of Solar degradation. All those stable on-orbit references will ensure that calibration stability is maintained over the RBI sensor lifetime. For the preflight calibration the RBI will view five calibration sources - two integrating spheres and three CrIS (Cross-track Infrared Sounder ) -like blackbodies whose outputs will be validated with NIST calibration approach. Thermopile are the selected detectors for the RBI. The sensor has a requirement to perform lunar calibration in addition to solar calibration in space in a way similar to CERES

Calibration of radiation protection area monitoring instruments in Sudan

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Suliman, I.I.; Youssif, B.E.; Beineen, A.A.; Hassan, M.

2010-01-01

This article presents results of measurements for the calibration of radiation protection area monitoring instruments carried out during the period 2006-2008 at Secondary Standard Dosimetry Laboratory of Sudan. The work performed included quality assurance measurements, measurements for the dosimeter calibrations and uncertainty analysis. Calibrations were performed using 137 Cs gamma ray sources produced by OB 85 and OB 34/1 gamma calibrators producing air kerma rate that ranged from 10 μGy/h to 50 mGy/h. Area monitoring instruments were calibrated in terms of ambient dose equivalent, H*(10) derived using air kerma to ambient dose equivalent conversion coefficients. Results are presented for 78 area monitoring instruments representing most commonly used types in Sudan. Radioactive check source measurements for the reference chamber showed deviation within 1% limit. The accuracy in the beam output measurements was within 5% internationally considered as acceptable. The results highlighted the importance of radiation protection calibrations. Regulations are further need to ensure safety aspect really meet the required international standards.

An Experiment in Radiation Measurement Using the Depron Instrument

Science.gov (United States)

Benghin, Victor V.; Nechaev, Oleg Y.; Zolotarev, Ivan A.; Amelyushkin, Alexander M.; Petrov, Vasiliy L.; Panasyuk, Milhail I.; Yashin, Ivan V.

2018-02-01

Most of the radiation measurements have been made onboard spacecraft flying along orbits with an inclination of up to 51.6 degrees. Due to the prospect of manned missions at orbits with larger inclinations, it is advisable to conduct preliminary detailed dosimetry measurements at a high-inclination orbit; due to its polar orbit, the Lomonosov satellite provides good opportunities for such study. We chose a method of cosmic radiation dosimetry based on semiconductor detectors. This method is widely used onboard spacecraft, including full-time radiation monitoring onboard the International Space Station (ISS). It should be noted that not only did the charged particles contribute significantly in the dose equivalent, but also did the neutrons. Semiconductor detectors have low sensitivity to neutron radiation and are not sufficient for detecting the expected flux of neutrons. We add a thermal neutron counter to the proposed device in order to provide an opportunity for estimation of neutron flux variations along the satellite trajectory. Thus, the design of the instrument DEPRON (Dosimeter of Electrons, PROtons and Neutrons) was determined. DEPRON is intended for registration of the absorbed doses and linear energy transfer spectra for high-energy electrons, protons and nuclei of space radiation, as well as registration of thermal neutrons. The present paper provides a brief description of the DEPRON instrument. Its calibration results and the first mission results of background radiation measurements are also presented.

Proceedings of the workshop on radiation survey instruments and calibrations

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Selby, J.M.; Swinth, K.L.; Vallario, E.J.; Murphy, B.L.

1985-11-01

The workshop was held to discuss two topics: first, a performance standard for radiation survey instruments and the potential for a testing program based on that standard; and second, a system of secondary standards laboratories to provide instrument calibrations and related services. Separate abstracts have been prepared for the individual presentations

A new species of Aspidura Wagler, 1830 (Squamata: Colubridae: Natricinae) from Sri Pada sanctuary (Peak Wilderness), Sri Lanka.

Science.gov (United States)

Wickramasinghe, L J Mendis; Vidanapathirana, Dulan Ranga; Kandambi, H K Dushantha; Pyron, R Alexander; Wickramasinghe, Nethu

2017-11-13

We describe a new species, Aspidura ravanai sp. nov., representing the eighth species of the genus known from Sri Lanka. The new species is readily distinguished from all other congeners by its colour pattern, scalation, and genetic distinctiveness. Our molecular results indicated that Aspidura began diversifying in the Miocene approximately 18 Ma, and A. ravanai sp. nov. diverged from its likely sister lineage A. trachyprocta at least 6.2 Ma. The species is currently known only from the type locality, on the western slopes of Sri Pada Peak in the central highlands of Sri Lanka.

Field experience in use of radiation instruments in Cirus reactor

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ramesh, N.; Sharma, R.C.; Agarwal, S.K.; Sawant, D.K.; Yadav, R.K.B.; Prasad, S.K.

2005-01-01

Cirus, located at Bhabha Atomic Research Centre, is a 40 MW (Th) research reactor fuelled by natural uranium, moderated by heavy water and cooled by de-mineralized light water. Graphite is used as reflector in this reactor. The reactor, commissioned in the year 1960, was in operation with availability factor of about 70% till early nineties. There after signs of ageing started surfacing up. After ageing studies, refurbishment plan was finalized and executed during the period from 1997-2002. after successful refurbishment, the reactor is in operation at full power. A wide range of radiation instruments have been used at Cirus for online monitoring of the radiological status of various process systems and environmental releases. Also, variety of survey meters, counting systems and monitors have been used by the health physics unit of the reactor for radiation hazard control. Many of these instruments, which were originally of Canadian design, have undergone changes due to obsolescence or as part of upgradation. This paper describes the experience with the radiation instruments of Cirus, bringing out their effectiveness in meeting the design intent, difficulties faced in their field use, and modifications carried out based on the performance feed back. Also, this paper highlights the areas where further efforts are needed to develop nuclear instrumentation to further strengthen monitoring and surveillance. (author)

Recent developments in radiation detectors and instruments

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Das, Debashis

2016-01-01

Radiation detector is the key component in precise and accurate measurement of the nuclear radiations. The detectors deployed for radiation measurements in broadly classified sectors of Energy, Security, Discovery Science and Health and Environments are in general specific to their applications. The nuclear reactors as well as the fuel processing including waste management in energy sector require wide range/variety of detectors and the instruments for safe and precise generation of power. The security sector has gained importance in radiation monitoring in the present security perspective and there are many challenges in development of detector technology. The Discovery Science or the mega science projects viz CERN, Fermilab, GANIL, INO, MACE telescope, ITER etc have continuously generated new demand on detector related technologies that have been also found to be useful in other applications. Similarly, the health and environment monitoring have been also evolving with new technologies and techniques to address the requirement's arising in projects of new nuclear programs

Paper on operation and maintenance experiences on radiation monitoring instrumentation at NAPS

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gupta, J.P.; Vinod Kumar; Sen, S.K.; Malhotra, S.

2005-01-01

Narora Atomic Power Station (NAPS) is the first standardized Pressurised Heavy Water Reactor in India commissioned in the year 1989. Many new Radiation Monitoring Systems like Portal Monitors and Ventilation Exhaust Activity Monitors were first time introduced at NAPS. All the Personnel Contamination Monitors and Area Radiation Monitors used at NAPS were designed and developed by Electronics Division, BARC. Only the Portal Monitor was supplied by M/S Herfurth, Germany. The paper highlights the operation and maintenance experiences on Radiation Monitoring Instrumentation at NAPS in the last 15 years of operation. The paper also highlights the different problems faced in Radiation Instruments and our suggestions for improvement in their design for their better availability and long term reliability. (author)

Development of the Sri Lankan early teenagers' violence inventory: an instrument to measure peer violence in schools.

Science.gov (United States)

Wijeratne, Monika; Seneviratne, Rohini; Gunawardena, Nalika; Østbye, Truls; Lynch, Catherine; Sandøy, Ingvild Fossgard

2014-01-01

This study was designed to develop an inventory to measure peer violence among early teens (13-15 years of age) in schools in Sri Lanka. Development of SLETVI was carried out in two phases. In phase I, development of an operational definition for peer violence, identification, and finalizing violent acts for inventory was done by a combination of qualitative methods: a comprehensive literature review, focus group discussions among 13-15-year-old adolescents, their teachers and parents, and consultative meetings with experts in the field. Inventory was then pretested. In phase II, elaboration of SLETVI was carried out by administering it to a sample of 1700 adolescents (13-15 years old). Exploratory factor analysis using principal component analysis was performed separately for experiences of victimization and perpetration. Test-retest reliability of SLETVI was assessed. SLETVI included 37 items in three factors: "less severe violence," "severe physical," and "severe relational" violence. Combined use of qualitative and quantitative methods enabled development of a culturally valid and reliable operational inventory to assess early teenagers' peer violence in Sri Lankan and other South Asian schools.

Activities on calibration of radiation protection instruments in Indonesia

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Trijoko, S.

1995-01-01

As the use of the ionizing radiation emitted by radionuclides or produced by modern machines in Indonesia has increased significantly in the past two decades, the demand for radiation protection measures has also grown up very rapidly. In the mind of Indonesian people, ionizing radiation is always associated with atomic bombs. Indonesian government has set up National Atomic Energy Agency (BATAN) through the Act No. 31/1964. The BATAN has responsibility in the research and development, implementation and inspection of the safe use of ionizing radiation for peaceful purposes, and always put a great concern on radiation protection matter. The Center for Standardization and Radiation Safety Research (CSRSR) has been founded to implement research and services in the fields of radiation safety, standardization, dosimetry, radiation health, as well as the application of nuclear techniques to medicine. In order to provide the national reference in terms of radiation dosimetry and calibration, the Secondary Standard Dosimetry Laboratory was completely set up in Jakarta by 1984. As available facilities, radiation instruments and radiation sources are described. Calibration and personal monitoring services are reported. (K.I.)

Analysis of the sex-determining region of the Y chromosome (SRY) in sex reversed patients: point-mutation in SRY causing sex-reversion in a 46,XY female

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Müller, Jørn; Schwartz, M; Skakkebaek, N E

1992-01-01

The first and essential step in normal sexual differentiation takes place during the 5th-6th week of gestation. The testis determining factor (TDF) directs the undifferentiated gonad into a testis, which secretes hormones responsible for normal male development. A new candidate for TDF has recently...... been reported, and it has been called the sex determining region of the Y (SRY). The hypothesis has been supported by the finding of XX individuals with SRY, and two females with 46,XY karyotype and a mutation in SRY. However, XX males without SRY has been reported, and the role of SRY still has...... to be determined. We have tested three human females with 46,XY karyotype and gonadal dysgenesis and two 46,XX males for the presence of SRY using the polymerase chain reaction and subsequent DNA sequencing. Both 46,XX males contained SRY, whereas one of the 46,XY females had suffered a point mutation in SRY...

Radiation protection commissioning of neutron beam instruments at the OPAL research reactor

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Parkes, Alison; Saratsopoulos, John; Deura, Michael; Kenny, Pat

2008-01-01

The neutron beam facilities at the 20 MW OPAL Research Reactor were commissioned in 2007 and 2008. The initial suite of eight neutron beam instruments on two thermal neutron guides, two cold neutron guides and one thermal beam port located at the reactor face, together with their associated shielding were progressively installed and commissioned according to their individual project plans. Radiation surveys were systematically conducted as reactor power was raised in a step-wise manner to 20 MW in order to validate instrument shielding design and performance. The performance of each neutron guide was assessed by neutron energy spectrum and flux measurements. The activation of beam line components, decay times assessments and access procedures for Bragg Institute beam instrument scientists were established. The multiple configurations for each instrument and the influence of operating more than one instrument or beamline simultaneously were also tested. Areas of interest were the shielding around the secondary shutters, guide shield and bunker shield interfaces and monochromator doors. The shielding performance, safety interlock checks, improvements, radiation exposures and related radiation protection challenges are discussed. This paper discusses the health physics experience of commissioning the OPAL Research Reactor neutron beam facilities and describes health physics results, actions taken and lessons learned during commissioning. (author)

Lõputu sõda Sri Lankal / Agu Karelsohn

Index Scriptorium Estoniae

Karelsohn, Agu

2008-01-01

Ülevaade Sri Lankal aastakümneid kestnud ja umbes 70 000 tapetut nõudnud kodusõjast, kus omavahel võitlevad võimul olevad singalid ja vähemuses olevad ning mässuliste organisatsiooniks Tamili Tiigrid koondunud tamilid. Kaart: Sri Lanka

Role of Military in Post-Conflict Sri Lanka

Science.gov (United States)

2012-03-01

state of Tamil Eelam based on the rights of self- determination .”30 They protested restricted citizenship and franchise rights for South Indian Tamils...Lankan terrorist organizations from August 1983 for several reasons,38 beginning with New Delhi’s objection to Sri Lanka’s pro -Western policy after 1977...nonTaxnom. (accessed August 15, 2011) 35 Government of Sri Lanka, “The Parliament of Sri Lanka, 1978 Constitution,” http://www.priu.gov.lk/ Cons

INSTRUMENTATION FOR ENVIRONMENTAL MONITORING--Radiation--Vol3Pt1

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Authors, Various

1972-01-02

A comprehensive survey of instrumentation for environmental monitoring is being carried out by the Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory originally under a grant from the National Science Foundation and now by the Office of Health and Environmental Research of the Department of Energy. Instruments being investigated are those useful for measurements in Air Quality, Water Quality, Radiation, and Biomedicine related to environmental research and monitoring. Consideration is given to instruments and techniques presently in use and to those developed for other purposes but having possible applications to this work. The results of the survey are given as (a) descriptions of the physical and operating characteristics of available instruments, (b) critical comparisons among instrumentation methods, and (c) recommendations of promising methodology and development of new instrumentation. Information is also given regarding the pollutants to be monitored: their characteristics and forms, their sources and pathways, their effects on the ecosystem, and the means of controlling them through process and regulatory controls.

Atmospheric Radiation Measurement Climate Research Facility (ACRF Instrumentation Status: New, Current, and Future)

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

JW Voyles

2008-01-30

The purpose of this report is to provide a concise but comprehensive overview of Atmospheric Radiation Measurement Climate Research Facility instrumentation status. The report is divided into the following four sections: (1) new instrumentation in the process of being acquired and deployed, (2) existing instrumentation and progress on improvements or upgrades, (3) proposed future instrumentation, and (4) Small Business Innovation Research instrument development.

Development of an instrument to measure patient perception of the quality of nursing care and related hospital services at the national hospital of sri lanka.

Science.gov (United States)

Senarat, Upul; Gunawardena, Nalika S

2011-06-01

This study aimed to develop and validate an instrument to measure patient perception of quality of nursing care and related hospital services in a tertiary care setting. We compiled an instrument with 72 items that patients may perceive as quality of nursing care and related hospital services, following an extensive literature search, discussions with patients and care pro-I viders and a brainstorming session with an expert panel. A cross-sectional study was conducted at the National Hospital of Sri Lanka. A sample (n = 120) of patients stayed in general surgical or medical units responded to the interviewer administered instrument upon discharge. Item analysis and principal component factor analysis were performed to assess validity, and internal consistency was calculated to measure reliability. Of the 72 items, 18 had greater than 20% of responses as 'not relevant'. A further 11 items were eliminated since item-total correlations were less than .2. Factor analysis was performed on remaining 43 items which resulted in 36 items classifying into eight factors accounting for 71% of the variation. Factor loadings in the final solution after Varimax rotation were interpersonal aspects (.68-.85), efficiency (.62-.79), competency (.66-.68), comfort (.60-.84), physical environment (.65-.82), cleanliness (.81-.85), personalized information (.76-.83), and general instructions (.61-.78). The instrument had high Internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha = .91). We developed a comprehensive, reliable and valid, 36-item instrument that may be used to measure patient perception of quality of nursing care in tertiary care settings. Copyright © 2011 Korean Society of Nursing Science. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Radiation monitoring instrumentation for nuclear power plants

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bharath Kumar, M.

2013-01-01

Measurement of nucleonic signals is required to control and operate the reactor in a safe and reliable manner. To achieve this, parameters like Neutron flux, other radiation fields, contamination levels, source strength, release thru stack etc. are required to be monitored and controlled. The above are required to be monitored throughout the life of the reactor whether it is operational or in shutdown condition. In addition such monitoring is also required during decommissioning phase of the reactor as needed. To measure these parameters a large number of instruments are used in Nuclear Power Plants (NPP) which includes sensors and electronics for detecting alpha, beta, gamma and neutron radiation with qualification to withstand harsh environment

Nuclear radiation monitoring instruments for personnel in nuclear disaster for defence needs

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bhatnagar, P.K.; Vaijapurkar, S.G.; Yadav, Ashok

2005-01-01

Ever since the tragedy of nuclear device exploding over Japan by USA in 1945 awareness exists amongst the armed forces personnel all over the world that a requirement of implementing radiological protection is imminent. Towards this adoption of radiological safety programme is a criterion. In a nuclear war disaster scenario, one encounters initial nuclear radiation (gamma and neutron radiations), gamma radiations from fallout, heat and blast. At certain distances Tanks/ armoured vehicles will survive and 4 R/s radiation level sensing to actuate relays for closing the ports of vehicles is essential, leading to reduction in inhalation, ingestion of fallout radioactivity and reduction in radiation dose received by occupants of the vehicle. Towards this sturdy radiation monitors to indicate gamma dose rate of the order of 1000 R/h, gamma and neutron dosimeters of the order of 1000 cGy with reading instruments are to be developed. These must work in harsh environment and sustain JSS 55555 conditions of army. Defence Laboratory, Jodhpur over past one decade has been involved in developing personnel, area and field monitoring instruments like dosimeters, survey meters, which are useful, acceptable to army personnel, armoured and personnel carrier vehicles, field structures/shelters. Technology transfer after satisfaction of armed forces, product ionisation and supply, maintenance, training has been the endeavor of the DRDO. Herein it is proposed to highlight the techno electronics nuclear radiation monitoring sensors and associated electronics systems developed first time in the country and productionised in bulk for Services for implementing personnel protection. The sensors developed and described are - Radiophotoluminescent Glass (RPLG) for gamma radiation dosimetry , neutron sensitive PIN diode for fast neutron dosimetry, gamma radiation sensitive PIN diode, superheated liquid neutron and gamma sensors. The dosimeter, dose rate meter and field/area instruments are

IAEA eLearning Program: The Use of Radiation Detection Instruments

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2010-01-01

This CD-ROM contains a computer based training on Radiation Detection Techniques for Nuclear Security Applications. The IAEA Nuclear Security eLearning tool offers computer based training to Frontline Officers to improve their understanding about key elements of the use of radiation detection instruments. The eLearning program prepares Frontline Officers for the IAEA Detection and Response Frontline Officer course

Validity and reliability of the Utrecht Work Engagement Scale-Student Version in Sri Lanka.

Science.gov (United States)

Wickramasinghe, Nuwan Darshana; Dissanayake, Devani Sakunthala; Abeywardena, Gihan Sajiwa

2018-05-04

The present study was aimed at assessing the validity and the reliability of the Sinhala version of the Utrecht Work Engagement Scale-Student Version (UWES-S) among collegiate cycle students in Sri Lanka. The 17-item UWES-S was translated to Sinhala and the judgmental validity was assessed by a multi-disciplinary panel of experts. Construct validity of the UWES-S was appraised by using multi-trait scaling analysis and exploratory factor analysis (EFA) on data obtained from a sample of 194 grade thirteen students in the Kurunegala district, Sri Lanka. Reliability of the UWES-S was assessed by using internal consistency and test-retest reliability. Except for item 13, all other items showed good psychometric properties in judgemental validity, item-convergent validity and item-discriminant validity. EFA using principal component analysis with Oblimin rotation, suggested a three-factor solution (including vigor, dedication and absorption subscales) explaining 65.4% of the total variance for the 16-item UWES-S (with item 13 deleted). All three subscales show high internal consistency with Cronbach's α coefficient values of 0.867, 0.819, and 0.903 and test-retest reliability was high (p valid and a reliable instrument to assess work engagement among collegiate cycle students in Sri Lanka.

Eesti puidufirma laieneb Sri Lankale / Andris Feldmanis

Index Scriptorium Estoniae

Feldmanis, Andris, 1982-

2004-01-01

Eesti puidufirma Hapa Group alustab tootmist Sri Lankal, lootes suurendada kasumit odava toorme ja tööjõu kasutamise läbi. Lisa: Mõned faktid Hapa Groupi kohta. Diagramm: Tööjõud Sri Lankal 10 korda odavam. Kommenteerivad August Kull, Jaak Leimann, Ilmar Petersen ja Alar Kolk

Investigations on Piper betle grown in Sri Lanka.

Science.gov (United States)

Arambewela, L S R; Arawwawala, L D A M; Kumaratunga, K G; Dissanayake, D S; Ratnasooriya, W D; Kumarasingha, S P

2011-07-01

Piper betle is an economically important plant cultivated in Sri Lanka. Although more than 12 cultivars of betel are reported in Sri Lanka, very few scientific investigations have been carried out on them. Studies on the chemical constituents indicated that safrole is the major constituent, followed by chavibitol acetate, in the essential oil of common betel leaves of Sri Lanka. Investigations on the bioactivities of P. betle revealed the presence of antimicrobial, insecticidal, antioxidant, antinociceptive, antidiabetic and gastroprotective activities. In addition, P. betle was found to be safe in terms of hepatotoxicity, renotoxicity, hematotoxicity, gross morphology, weights of organs, stress or aversive behaviors in rats. The above findings indicate the vast potential of P. betle yet to be harnessed for the benefit of mankind and the betel industry of Sri Lanka.

Mission from Anti-Terrorism to Peace in Sri Lanka

Science.gov (United States)

2009-03-24

citizens working together. Endnotes 1 Asoka Bandarage, “The Sri Lankan Conflict a Multi-Polar Approach,” Harvard International Review, 15 June 2008...8 Asoka Bandarage, “The Sri Lankan Conflict a Multi-Polar Approach”, Harvard International Review, 15 June 2008, available from...Eastern University Press, 2003), 222. 24 H. Kaunaratna. BA (Ceylon) University of Peradeniya, Sri Lanka, interviewed by author, 25 November 2008. 25 Asoka

Increased Y-chromosome detection by SRY duplexing

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Hansen, Morten Høgh; Clausen, Frederik Banch; Dziegiel, Morten Hanefeld

2012-01-01

Determining fetal sex noninvasively is dependent of a robust assay. We designed a novel SRY assay and combined it with a SRY assay from literature forming a duplex assay with the same fluorescent dye to increase detection of Y-chromosome at low cell-free fetal DNA or chimeric DNA concentrations....

Brain Sexual Differentiation and Requirement of SRY: Why or Why Not?

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Cheryl S. Rosenfeld

2017-11-01

Full Text Available Brain sexual differentiation is orchestrated by precise coordination of sex steroid hormones. In some species, programming of select male brain regions is dependent upon aromatization of testosterone to estrogen. In mammals, these hormones surge during the organizational and activational periods that occur during perinatal development and adulthood, respectively. In various fish and reptiles, incubation temperature during a critical embryonic period results in male or female sexual differentiation, but this can be overridden in males by early exposure to estrogenic chemicals. Testes development in mammals requires a Y chromosome and testis determining gene SRY (in humans/Sry (all other therian mammals, although there are notable exceptions. Two species of spiny rats: Amami spiny rat (Tokudaia osimensis and Tokunoshima spiny rat (Tokudaia tokunoshimensis and two species of mole voles (Ellobius lutescens and Ellobius tancrei, lack a Y chromosome/Sry and possess an XO chromosome system in both sexes. Such rodent species, prototherians (monotremes, who also lack Sry, and fish and reptile species that demonstrate temperature sex determination (TSD seemingly call into question the requirement of Sry for brain sexual differentiation. This review will consider brain regions expressing SRY/Sry in humans and rodents, respectively, and potential roles of SRY/Sry in the brain will be discussed. The evidence from various taxa disputing the requirement of Sry for brain sexual differentiation in mammals (therians and prototherians and certain fish and reptilian species will be examined. A comparative approach to address this question may elucidate other genes, pathways, and epigenetic modifications stimulating brain sexual differentiation in vertebrate species, including humans.

A profile of biomass stove use in Sri Lanka.

Science.gov (United States)

Elledge, Myles F; Phillips, Michael J; Thornburg, Vanessa E; Everett, Kibri H; Nandasena, Sumal

2012-04-01

A large body of evidence has confirmed that the indoor air pollution (IAP) from biomass fuel use is a major cause of premature deaths, and acute and chronic diseases. Over 78% of Sri Lankans use biomass fuel for cooking, the major source of IAP in developing countries. We conducted a review of the available literature and data sources to profile biomass fuel use in Sri Lanka. We also produced two maps (population density and biomass use; and cooking fuel sources by district) to illustrate the problem in a geographical context. The biomass use in Sri Lanka is limited to wood while coal, charcoal, and cow dung are not used. Government data sources indicate poor residents in rural areas are more likely to use biomass fuel. Respiratory diseases, which may have been caused by cooking emissions, are one of the leading causes of hospitalizations and death. The World Health Organization estimated that the number of deaths attributable to IAP in Sri Lanka in 2004 was 4300. Small scale studies have been conducted in-country in an attempt to associate biomass fuel use with cataracts, low birth weight, respiratory diseases and lung cancer. However, the IAP issue has not been broadly researched and is not prominent in Sri Lankan public health policies and programs to date. Our profile of Sri Lanka calls for further analytical studies and new innovative initiatives to inform public health policy, advocacy and program interventions to address the IAP problem of Sri Lanka.

Product ion distributions for the reactions of NO+ with some physiologically significant aldehydes obtained using a SRI-TOF-MS instrument

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Mochalski, P.; Unterkofler, K.; Španěl, Patrik; Smith, D.; Amann, A.

2014-01-01

Roč. 363, APR 2014 (2014), s. 23-31 ISSN 1387-3806 Institutional support: RVO:61388955 Keywords : aldehydes * SRI-TOF-MS * NO+ reactions Subject RIV: CF - Physical ; Theoretical Chemistry Impact factor: 1.972, year: 2014

Differences in selected lifestyle risk factors for cardiovascular disease between Sri Lankans in Oslo, Norway, and in Kandy, Sri Lanka.

Science.gov (United States)

Tennakoon, Sampath U B; Kumar, Bernadette N; Meyer, Haakon E

2015-03-01

Sri Lankans in Oslo have previously been shown to have lower risk of cardiovascular disease compared with those in Kandy, Sri Lanka. Here we present lifestyle risk factors for cardiovascular diseases: frequency and type of fat consumed, frequency of fruit and vegetable intake, alcohol consumption, and leisure time physical activity between 1145 Sri Lankans living in Oslo and 678 Tamils and Sinhalese Sri Lankans living in Kandy as possible explanatory factors for the differences observed. Those in Oslo were consuming healthier fats and reported higher levels of physical activity but frequency of vegetable and fruit consumption was lower. Alcohol consumption among women was negligible. Type of fats consumed might be protective for Oslo group compared with predominantly saturated fat diet in Kandy. Higher leisure time physical activity may also be protective for the Oslo group. Higher frequency of consumption of vegetables and fruits may be beneficial in Kandy. © 2013 APJPH.

An Empirical Study of the Fisher Effect and the Dynamic Relationship between Inflation and Interest Rate in Sri Lanka

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Navoda Dhananjika Edirisinghe

2015-01-01

Full Text Available Maintaining price stability is one of the primary objectives of monetary policy in any economy as price instability, particularly high inflation, will cause to reduce economic growth by reducing investments and productivity growth. Therefore, investigating the existence of Fisher Effect and Price Puzzle is a necessary requirement in order to understand the nature, extent and dynamics of effective monetary policies in Sri Lanka. The main objective of this study is to investigate the existence of short run and long run Fisher Effect and Price Puzzle in Sri Lanka. The results from co-integration technique, Error Correction Model (ECM which employed in the study suggest that in Sri Lanka, nominal interest rates fully adjust for expected inflation in long-run. But in short-run, a significant positive association between nominal interest rates and expected inflation is there with absence of full Fisher Effect. Moreover the analysis has been extended and identified the existence of the Price Puzzle both in a short run and long run. Therefore, changes in monetary instruments do not appear to be completely effective in meeting the goal of low inflation. In order to solve this problem what we can recommend is, Sri Lanka should move towards inflation-targeting monetary policy system.

Relance de l'aquaculture au Sri Lanka | IDRC - International ...

International Development Research Centre (IDRC) Digital Library (Canada)

29 avr. 2016 ... Aquaculture au Sri Lanka. L'adoption de l'ostréiculture dans deux collectivités côtières du Sri Lanka a donné lieu aux premières exportations d'huîtres du pays. Au Sri Lanka, le gouvernement a pour objectif de doubler la consommation de poisson par personne, de 11 kilos à 22 kilos par année, d'ici à la fin ...

Seminar-meeting on maintenance of nuclear instruments, 24 October -3 November 1980, Quezon City, Philippines

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Anon.

1980-01-01

This collection is composed of twenty (20) papers on the repair, maintenance and maintenance plans, of nuclear instruments, training programs for maintenance technicians, and experiences in the maintenance of nuclear instruments in Indonesia, Japan, Philippines, India, Thailand, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Korea and Malaysia. (author)

Synergistic effect of SRY and its direct target, WDR5, on Sox9 expression.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Zhen Xu

Full Text Available SRY is a sex-determining gene that encodes a transcription factor, which triggers male development in most mammals. The molecular mechanism of SRY action in testis determination is, however, poorly understood. In this study, we demonstrate that WDR5, which encodes a WD-40 repeat protein, is a direct target of SRY. EMSA experiments and ChIP assays showed that SRY could bind to the WDR5 gene promoter directly. Overexpression of SRY in LNCaP cells significantly increased WDR5 expression concurrent with histone H3K4 methylation on the WDR5 promoter. To specifically address whether SRY contributes to WDR5 regulation, we introduced a 4-hydroxy-tamoxifen-inducible SRY allele into LNCaP cells. Conditional SRY expression triggered enrichment of SRY on the WDR5 promoter resulting in induction of WDR5 transcription. We found that WDR5 was self regulating through a positive feedback loop. WDR5 and SRY interacted and were colocalized in cells. In addition, the interaction of WDR5 with SRY resulted in activation of Sox9 while repressing the expression of β-catenin. These results suggest that, in conjunction with SRY, WDR5 plays an important role in sex determination.

Autosomal dominant hereditary ataxia in Sri Lanka

OpenAIRE

Sumathipala, Dulika S; Abeysekera, Gayan S; Jayasekara, Rohan W; Tallaksen, Chantal ME; Dissanayake, Vajira HW

2013-01-01

Background Spinocerebellar ataxias (SCA) are a group of hereditary neurodegenerative disorders. Prevalence of SCA subtypes differ worldwide. Autosomal dominant ataxias are the commonest types of inherited ataxias seen in Sri Lanka. The aim of the study is to determine the genetic etiology of patients with autosomal dominant ataxia in Sri Lanka and to describe the clinical features of each genetic subtype. Methods ...

Radioisotopes and medical imaging in Sri Lanka

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jayasinghe, J.M.A.C.

1993-01-01

The article deals with the use of X-rays and magnetic resonance imaging in medical diagnosis in its introduction. Then it elaborates on the facilities in the field of medical imaging for diagnosis, in Sri Lanka. The use of Technetium-99m in diagnostic medicine as well as the future of medical imaging in Sri Lanka is also dealt with

Conservation Priorities for Tree Ferns (Cyatheaceae in Sri Lanka

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R. H. G. Ranil

2011-09-01

Full Text Available Diversity, phytogeography and conservation status of Sri Lankan tree-ferns are discussed in this paper. The family Cyatheaceae is represented by eight taxa (seven species and one doubtful variety in Sri Lanka with a high rate of endemism of 75%. Apart from Cyathea walkerae and C. gigantea, the other species are restricted to geographically isolated areas in the country with limited population sizes. Fortunately, all Sri Lankan species of Cyathea occur within the protected areas of the wet zone. However, ex situ conservation is limited to C. walkerae and C. crinita at Botanic Gardens in Hakgala. Despite the family being listed in Annex II of CITES, its species have not yet been assessed in Sri Lanka for the Red Listing criteria. Identification of the nature and level of threat to Sri Lankan Cyathea species is therefore a major priority, followed by the monitoring of populations in situ in protected areas in the wet zone. Ex situ conservation of rare species and cultivation of Cyathea species from spores have also been identified as priority areas. A strong programme should be developed with the National Herbarium to explore little known forest patches in the wet zone to enhance our knowledge of Cyathea species in Sri Lanka. Such information will provide a strong basis for preparing a conservation and management plan for tree-ferns in the country.

A jurassic-cretaceous dolerite dike from Sri Lanka

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yoshida, M.; Vitanage, P.W.

1989-01-01

A dolerite dike from southwestern Sri Lanka gave whole-rock K-Ar ages of 152.6 ± 7.6 Ma and 143.3 ± 7.2 Ma. Many of the other dolerite dikes of Sri Lanka are considered to be of Mesozoic ages judging from the present age data and tectonometamorphic history of Sri Lanka. Petrographic similarities should not be used for age correlations, because dolerites of different age may have the same petrography. Preliminary natural remanent magnetization (NRM) after AF and thermal demagnetization gave a mean inclination of 24.6deg and declination of 67.5deg with α95=21.7deg. A virtual geomagnetic pole position calculated from the mean NRM was rotated relative to Antarctica so as to fit with that obtained from the Jurassic Ferrar dolerite of Antarctica. This rotation results in the location and attitude of Sri Lanka to attach with Antarctica at Lutzow-Holm Bay as suggested by Barron et al. (1978). (author). 18 refs

ANALISISI AMANAT DAN NILAI-NILAI GURINDAM KEDUA BELAS DONGENG BUJANG SRI LADANG

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Suhardi Suhardi

2017-06-01

Full Text Available The purpose of this study was to describe the values ​​Gurindam Twelfth contained in Bujang Sri Ladang fairy tale. This study uses an objective approach, the approach that focuses only on work study itself (fairy tale Bujang Sri Ladang. The method used is descriptive method, which describe the values ​​Gurindam Twelfth contained in Bujang Sri Ladang fairy tale. Data collected by interview, the interviewing community leaders in the city of Tanjungpinang fairytale owner, to obtain data related to the fairy tale Bujang Sri Ladang. Data analysis technique conducted by: (1 describe the synopsis legend Ship Island, (2 describe the mandate of the fabled Bujang Sri Ladang, (3 describe the values ​​Gurindam Twelfth contained in a fairy tale Bujang Sri Ladang, and (4 interprets the value -value Gurindam Twelfth contained in Bujang Sri Ladang fairy tale. The results obtained: Bujang Sri Ladang fairytale field contains: Islamic values, the value of faith, social values, manners and character, introspective, benefits, and ethical values. It is as the result of analyzes performed. Those values ​​are the essential values ​​and become a lifeline of society, especially the Malay community Tanjungpinang city

Three Canted Radiator Panels to Provide Adequate Cooling for Instruments on Slewing Spacecraft in LEO

Science.gov (United States)

Choi, Michael K.

2012-01-01

Certain free-flying spacecraft in low Earth orbit (LEO) or payloads on the International Space Station (ISS) are required to slew to point the telescopes at targets. Instrument detectors and electronics require cooling. Traditionally a planar thermal radiator is used. The temperature of such a radiator varies significantly when the spacecraft slews because its view factors to space vary significantly. Also for payloads on the ISS, solar impingement on the radiator is possible. These thermal adversities could lead to inadequate cooling for the instrument. This paper presents a novel thermal design concept that utilizes three canted radiator panels to mitigate this problem. It increases the overall radiator view factor to cold space and reduces the overall solar or albedo flux absorbed per unit area of the radiator.

Adaptación del Inventario de Resiliencia ante el Suicidio (SRI-25 en adolescentes y jóvenes de Colombia Adapting the Suicide Resilience Inventory (SRI-25 for adolescents and young adults in Colombia

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Fredy Hernán Villalobos-Galvis

2012-03-01

confirmed that in all the groups, the items are weighted on the same factors as in the original test: namely, internal protection, emotional stability, and external protection. A Cronbach's alpha coefficient of 0.922 was obtained for the total test. Concerning the validity of the construct, the SRI-25 presented significant correlations with measurements of self-esteem, social support, problem-solving skills, reasons for living, depression, despair, and suicidal ideas. CONCLUSIONS: It was proved that the SRI-25 is a useful instrument for measuring resilience to suicide among adolescents and young people pursuing their education in San Juan de Pasto, Colombia.

Learning Peace (and Conflict): The Role of Primary Learning Materials in Peacebuilding in Post-War Afghanistan, South Sudan and Sri Lanka

Science.gov (United States)

Vanner, Catherine; Akseer, Spogmai; Kovinthan, Thursica

2017-01-01

Post-war education is usually considered a positive contributor to peacebuilding; however, it can also reinforce divisive perspectives. Textbooks and learning materials can be instrumental in maintaining or exacerbating existing inequalities. This paper uses case study literature reviews of Afghanistan, South Sudan and Sri Lanka to explore the…

Trends in instrumentation for environmental radiation measurements at Los Alamos Scientific Laboratory

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hiebert, R.D.; Wolf, M.A.

1980-01-01

Recent instruments developed to fulfill radiation monitoring needs at Los Alamos Scientific Laboratory are described. Laboratory instruments that measure tritium gas effluents alone, or in the presence of activated air from D-T fusion reactors are discussed. Fully portable systems for gamma, x-ray, and alpha analyses in the field are described. Also included are descriptions of survey instruments that measure low levels of transuranic contaminants and that measure pulsed-neutron dose rates

Parallel Study of HEND, RAD, and DAN Instrument Response to Martian Radiation and Surface Conditions

Science.gov (United States)

Martiniez Sierra, Luz Maria; Jun, Insoo; Litvak, Maxim; Sanin, Anton; Mitrofanov, Igor; Zeitlin, Cary

2015-01-01

Nuclear detection methods are being used to understand the radiation environment at Mars. JPL (Jet Propulsion Laboratory) assets on Mars include: Orbiter -2001 Mars Odyssey [High Energy Neutron Detector (HEND)]; Mars Science Laboratory Rover -Curiosity [(Radiation Assessment Detector (RAD); Dynamic Albedo Neutron (DAN))]. Spacecraft have instruments able to detect ionizing and non-ionizing radiation. Instrument response on orbit and on the surface of Mars to space weather and local conditions [is discussed] - Data available at NASA-PDS (Planetary Data System).

Radioisotope instruments

CERN Document Server

Cameron, J F; Silverleaf, D J

1971-01-01

International Series of Monographs in Nuclear Energy, Volume 107: Radioisotope Instruments, Part 1 focuses on the design and applications of instruments based on the radiation released by radioactive substances. The book first offers information on the physical basis of radioisotope instruments; technical and economic advantages of radioisotope instruments; and radiation hazard. The manuscript then discusses commercial radioisotope instruments, including radiation sources and detectors, computing and control units, and measuring heads. The text describes the applications of radioisotop

Instrument evaluation no. 5. Wallac OY universal radiation survey meter type RD-8

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

White, D.F.; Blundell, D.R.; Callowhill, K.; Iles, W.J.

1976-05-01

The Wallace RD-8 is a portable, battery-operated survey meter covering an exposure rate range from 0.01 mR/h to 300 R/h. The instrument was designed specifically for military and civil defence applications and is accordingly of particularly rugged construction and claimed to be both waterproof and shockproof. This instrument is unusual in that it has two internally mounted radiation detectors. An end-window GM tube is used to cover the range from 0.01 to 300 mR/h, and a GM tube covers the range from 0.01 to 300 R/h. Both tubes have energy compensation sheaths for the measurement of photon radiation in the forward direction. Only the first tube permits the measurement of β-radiation. The information is given under the following headings; Facilities and controls; radiation characteristics; electrical characteristics; environmental characteristics; mechanical characteristics; summary of performance; calibration procedure; conclusions. (U.K.)

Biomass Development in SRI Field Under Unmaintained Alternate Wetting-Drying Irrigation

Science.gov (United States)

Ardiansyah; Chusnul, A.; Krissandi, W.; Asna, M.

2018-05-01

The aim of this research is to observe biomass development of SRI on farmers practice in three plots with different level. This research observes the farmer practice of SRI and Non-SRI during the uncertainty of irrigation water supply and its effects on paddy biomass development during growth stages and final stage of crop. A farmer group that already understand the principle of SRI, applied this method into several plots of their rented paddy field. Researcher interventions were eliminated from their action, so it is purely on farmers decision on managing their SRI plots. Three plots from both SRI and Non-SRI were chosen based on the position of the plot related their access to water. First plots had direct access to water from tertiary irrigation channel (on farm). Second plots were received water from previous upper plots and drainage water into other plots. Third plots were in the bottom position, where they received water from upper plot, and drainage water into farm drainage channel. Result shows there are similar patterns of root, straw, and leaves of biomass during crop growth. On the other hand, during generative phase, grain development shows different pattern and resulting different biomass in harvest time. Second plot, (of SRI) that has water from first plot has the average of biomass grain per plant of 54.4, higher than first plot and third plot, which are 33.8 g and 38.4. Average biomass in second plot is 74.6 g, higher than first and third plot, which are 49.9 g and 52.3 g.

Traditional Roots of Sri Aurobindo’s Integral Yoga

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Debashish Banerji

2013-09-01

Full Text Available Sri Aurobindo’s teachings on Integral Yoga are couched in a universal and impersonal language, and could be considered an early input to contemporary transpersonal psychology. Yet, while he was writing his principal works in English, he was also keeping a diary of his experiences and understandings in a personal patois that hybridized English and Sanskrit. A hermeneutic perusal of this text, The Record of Yoga, published by the Sri Aurobindo Ashram, uncovers the semiotics of Indian yoga traditions, showing how Sri Aurobindo utilizes and furthers their discourse, and where he introduces new elements which may be considered “modern.” This essay takes a psycho-biographical approach to the life of Sri Aurobindo (1872-1950, tracing his encounters with texts and situated traditions of Indian yoga from the period of his return to India from England (1893 till his settlement in Pondicherry (1910, to excavate the traditional roots and modern ruptures of his own yoga practice, which goes to inform his non-sectarian yoga teachings.

Instrumentation for characterizing materials and composed semiconductors for ionizing radiation detectors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Paschoal, Arquimedes J.A.; Leite, Adolfo M.B.; Nazzre, Fabio V.B.; Santos, Luiz A.P.

2007-01-01

The purpose of this work is the development of instrumentation for characterizing some type of ionizing radiation detectors. Those detectors are being manufactured by the Nuclear Instrumentation Laboratory at CRCN/Recife and can be used both on photon beam and with particles. Such detectors consist of semiconductor material in the form of films generated by oxide growing or by means of semiconductor material deposition in a substrate. Those materials can be made of metals, semi-metals, composites or semiconductor polymers. Prior to expose those detectors to ionizing radiation, it must be physically and electrically characterized. In this intention it was developed an electromechanical system. An electrical circuit was built to measure the signal from the detector and another circuit to control the movement of four probes (4-points technique) by using a stepper motor and the micro stepping technique avoiding damage to the detector. This system can be of interest to researchers that work with a sort of semiconductor materials in the form of thin film and in nanotechnological processes aiming the design of radiation ionizing detectors. (author)

A historical review of portable health physics instruments and their use in radiation protection programs at Hanford, 1944 through 1988

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Howell, W.P.; Kenoyer, J.L.; Kress, M.L.; Swinth, K.L.; Corbit, C.D.; Zuerner, L.V.; Fleming, D.M.; DeHaven, H.W.

1989-09-01

This historical review covers portable health physics instruments at Hanford from an applications viewpoint. The review provides information on specific instruments and on the general kinds of facility work environments in which the instruments have been and are being used. It provides a short, modestly technical explanation of the types of nuclear radiations, the way radiation units are quantified, and the types of nuclear radiations, the way radiation units are quantified, and the types of detection media used in portable health physics instruments. This document does not, however, cover the history of the entire Hanford program that was required to develop and/or modify the subject instruments. 11 refs., 34 figs., 2 tabs.

A historical review of portable health physics instruments and their use in radiation protection programs at Hanford, 1944 through 1988

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Howell, W.P.; Kenoyer, J.L.; Kress, M.L.; Swinth, K.L.; Corbit, C.D.; Zuerner, L.V.; Fleming, D.M.; DeHaven, H.W.

1989-09-01

This historical review covers portable health physics instruments at Hanford from an applications viewpoint. The review provides information on specific instruments and on the general kinds of facility work environments in which the instruments have been and are being used. It provides a short, modestly technical explanation of the types of nuclear radiations, the way radiation units are quantified, and the types of nuclear radiations, the way radiation units are quantified, and the types of detection media used in portable health physics instruments. This document does not, however, cover the history of the entire Hanford program that was required to develop and/or modify the subject instruments. 11 refs., 34 figs., 2 tabs

A MGy radiation-hardened sensor instrumentation link for nuclear reactor monitoring and remote handling

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Verbeeck, Jens; Cao, Ying [KU Leuven - KUL, Div. LRD-MAGyICS, Kasteelpark Arenberg 10, 3001 Heverlee (Belgium); Van Uffelen, Marco; Mont Casellas, Laura; Damiani, Carlo; Morales, Emilio Ruiz; Santana, Roberto Ranz [Fusion for Energy - F4E, c/Josep,n deg. 2, Torres Diagonal Litoral, Ed. B3, 08019 Barcelona (Spain); Meek, Richard; Haist, Bernhard [Oxford Technologies Ltd. OTL, 7 Nuffield Way, Abingdon OX14 1RL (United Kingdom); De Cock, Wouter; Vermeeren, Ludo [SCK-CEN, Boeretang 200, 2400 Mol (Belgium); Steyaert, Michiel [KU Leuven, ESAT-MICAS, KasteelparkArenberg 10, 3001 Heverlee (Belgium); Leroux, Paul [KU Leuven, ESAT-MICAS, KasteelparkArenberg 10, 3001 Heverlee (Belgium)

2015-07-01

Decommissioning, dismantling and remote handling applications in nuclear facilities all require robotic solutions that are able to survive in radiation environments. Recently raised safety, radiation hardness and cost efficiency demands from both the nuclear regulatory and the society impose severe challenges in traditional methods. For example, in case of the dismantling of the Fukushima sites, solutions that survive accumulated doses higher than 1 MGy are mandatory. To allow remote operation of these tools in nuclear environments, electronics were used to be shielded with several centimeters of lead or even completely banned in these solutions. However, shielding electronics always leads to bulky and heavy solutions, which reduces the flexibility of robotic tools. It also requires longer repair time and produces extra waste further in a dismantling or decommissioning cycle. In addition, often in current reactor designs, due to size restrictions and the need to inspect very tight areas there are limitations to the use of shielding. A MGy radiation-hardened sensor instrumentation link developed by MAGyICS provides a solution to build a flexible, easy removable and small I and C module with MGy radiation tolerance without any shielding. Hereby it removes all these pains to implement electronics in robotic tools. The demonstrated solution in this poster is developed for ITER Remote Handling equipments operating in high radiation environments (>1 MGy) in and around the Tokamak. In order to obtain adequately accurate instrumentation and control information, as well as to ease the umbilical management, there is a need of front-end electronics that will have to be located close to those actuators and sensors on the remote handling tool. In particular, for diverter remote handling, it is estimated that these components will face gamma radiation up to 300 Gy/h (in-vessel) and a total dose of 1 MGy. The radiation-hardened sensor instrumentation link presented here, consists

Development of multifunctional radiation monitoring instrument based on PLC technology

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Li Ziqiang; Zhu Yuye; Zhuang Min

2007-01-01

This eight-channel multifunctional Radiation Monitoring Instrument is developed by making use of the built-in high-speed counters and the powerful instruction system of the SIEMES SIMATICS S7 series Programmable Logic Controllers (PLC) to record and process the pulse signal output by the detectors. The instrument with functions, such as analog and digital display, digital storage of digital data, pulse signal generator, network communication, can connect various types of pulse detectors. The initial process can be translated between Graduation Apparatus method and Formula method. the logicality of the high-dosage warning system is processed itself. The signal output will drive the alarm lights and bell directly. This paper mainly describes the configuration, programming and feature of the instrument. (authors)

Instrumentation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Decreton, M.

2002-01-01

SCK-CEN's R and D programme on instrumentation involves the development of advanced instrumentation systems for nuclear applications as well as the assessment of the performance of these instruments in a radiation environment. Particular emphasis is on the use of optical fibres as umbilincal links of a remote handling unit for use during maintanance of a fusion reacor, studies on the radiation hardening of plasma diagnostic systems; investigations on new instrumentation for the future MYRRHA accelerator driven system; space applications related to radiation-hardened lenses; the development of new approaches for dose, temperature and strain measurements; the assessment of radiation-hardened sensors and motors for remote handling tasks and studies of dose measurement systems including the use of optical fibres. Progress and achievements in these areas for 2001 are described

Instrumentation

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Decreton, M

2002-04-01

SCK-CEN's R and D programme on instrumentation involves the development of advanced instrumentation systems for nuclear applications as well as the assessment of the performance of these instruments in a radiation environment. Particular emphasis is on the use of optical fibres as umbilincal links of a remote handling unit for use during maintanance of a fusion reacor, studies on the radiation hardening of plasma diagnostic systems; investigations on new instrumentation for the future MYRRHA accelerator driven system; space applications related to radiation-hardened lenses; the development of new approaches for dose, temperature and strain measurements; the assessment of radiation-hardened sensors and motors for remote handling tasks and studies of dose measurement systems including the use of optical fibres. Progress and achievements in these areas for 2001 are described.

Solar photovoltaics in Sri Lanka: a short history

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gunaratne, L.

1994-01-01

With a significant unelectrified rural population, Sri Lanka has followed the evolution of solar photovoltaic (PV) technology in the West very closely since the 1970s as terrestrial applications for photovoltaics were developed. It was not until 1980 that the Sri Lankan government embarked on the promotion of solar photovoltaics for rural domestic use when the Ceylon Electricity Board formed the Energy Unit. In addition, Australian and Sri Lankan government-funded pilot projects have given the local promoters further valuable insight into how and how not to promote solar photovoltaics. The establishment of community-based solar photovoltaic programmes by non-governmental organizations has developed a novel approach to bridge the gap between this state-of-the-art technology and the remotely located end-users. (author)

A study of culture and how it affects Sri Lankan organisations

OpenAIRE

Perera, Ethmadalage Dineeli Nadeesha

2006-01-01

This dissertation presents a study of culture by bifurcating it into two parts: National and Organisational Culture. Through research, a profile of the Sri Lankan National Culture and the Organisational Culture of 3 selected companies is arrived at. Consequently, the research findings are analysed to distinguish if the National Culture of Sri Lanka has had an influence on the Organisational Culture of Sri Lankan companies.

Sri Lanka Telecentre Family Network Project | CRDI - Centre de ...

International Development Research Centre (IDRC) Digital Library (Canada)

Sri Lanka Telecentre Family Network Project. There has been dramatic growth in telecentres and other local information and communication technology (ICT) projects in Sri Lanka. The largest of these, the Nanasala (rural knowledge centres) program, aims to reach 1 000 villages across the nation. Sarvodaya, an early ...

Non-economic gains of Sri Lanka's FTAs with neighbours

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Bandara, Jayatilleke S.; Yu, Wusheng

2012-01-01

were not explicitly outlined in Sri Lanka's two FTAs with its big rival neighbours (India and Pakistan), the FTAs helped Sri Lanka to successfully execute the war against the LTTE (the Tamil Tigers) by neutralising India on the one hand and gaining military assistance from Pakistan on the other...

L2 Reading Motivation among Sri Lankan University Students

Science.gov (United States)

Dhanapala, Kusumi Vasantha; Hirakawa, Yukiko

2016-01-01

This study investigated the extent of the motivational processes that facilitated the text comprehension among 406 Sri Lankan university students in Sri Lanka. Students' L2 text comprehension and reading motivation were assessed using a reading comprehension test and a reading motivation and attitude questionnaire. The Principal Componential…

Tesla VUPJT instruments for radiation monitoring of working environment and selected aplications

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Slezak, V.; Kula, J.; Novakova, O.; Jursova, L.; Severa, L.

1986-01-01

A survey is presented of the current state of development and production of instruments for ionizing radiation monitoring and detection, also listing possible applications in the national economy. (author)

IDRC in Sri Lanka

International Development Research Centre (IDRC) Digital Library (Canada)

in 600 Sri Lankan and 4,000 Indian plantations ... Building a culture of evaluation ... this need in South Asia, universities in ... The boundaries and names shown on the map do not imply official endorsement or acceptance by IDRC. Y. O. SE. F.

Intercomparison of radiation protection instrumentation in a pulsed neutron field

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Caresana, M., E-mail: marco.caresana@polimi.it [Politecnico di Milano, CESNEF, Dipartimento di Energia, via Ponzio 34/3, 20133 Milano (Italy); Denker, A. [Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin für Materialien und Energie, Hahn-Meitner-Platz 1, D-14109 Berlin (Germany); Esposito, A. [IFNF-LNF, FISMEL, via E. Fermi 40, 00044 Frascati (Italy); Ferrarini, M. [CNAO, Via Privata Campeggi, 27100 Pavia (Italy); Golnik, N. [Institute of Metrology and Biomedical Engineering, Warsaw University of Technology, Sw. A. Boboli 8, 02-525 Warsaw (Poland); Hohmann, E. [Paul Scherrer Institut (PSI), Radiation Metrology Section, CH-5232 Villigen PSI (Switzerland); Leuschner, A. [Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron DESY, Notkestr. 85, 22603 Hamburg (Germany); Luszik-Bhadra, M. [Physikalisch-Technische Bundesanstalt (PTB), Bundesallee 100, 38116 Braunschweig (Germany); Manessi, G. [CERN, 1211 Geneva 23 (Switzerland); University of Liverpool, Department of Physics, L69 7ZE Liverpool (United Kingdom); Mayer, S. [Paul Scherrer Institut (PSI), Radiation Metrology Section, CH-5232 Villigen PSI (Switzerland); Ott, K. [Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin, BESSYII, Albert-Einstein-Str.15, 12489 Berlin (Germany); Röhrich, J. [Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin für Materialien und Energie, Hahn-Meitner-Platz 1, D-14109 Berlin (Germany); Silari, M. [CERN, 1211 Geneva 23 (Switzerland); Trompier, F. [Institute for Radiological Protection and Nuclear Safety, F-92262 Fontenay aux Roses (France); Volnhals, M.; Wielunski, M. [Helmholtz Zentrum München, Ingolstädter Landstr. 1, D-85764 Neuherberg (Germany)

2014-02-11

In the framework of the EURADOS working group 11, an intercomparison of active neutron survey meters was performed in a pulsed neutron field (PNF). The aim of the exercise was to evaluate the performances of various neutron instruments, including commercially available rem-counters, personal dosemeters and instrument prototypes. The measurements took place at the cyclotron of the Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin für Materialien und Energie GmbH. The cyclotron is routinely used for proton therapy of ocular tumours, but an experimental area is also available. For the therapy the machine accelerates protons to 68 MeV. The interaction of the proton beam with a thick tungsten target produces a neutron field with energy up to about 60 MeV. One interesting feature of the cyclotron is that the beam can be delivered in bursts, with the possibility to modify in a simple and flexible way the burst length and the ion current. Through this possibility one can obtain radiation bursts of variable duration and intensity. All instruments were placed in a reference position and irradiated with neutrons delivered in bursts of different intensity. The analysis of the instrument response as a function of the burst charge (the total electric charge of the protons in the burst shot onto the tungsten target) permitted to assess for each device the dose underestimation due to the time structure of the radiation field. The personal neutron dosemeters were exposed on a standard PMMA slab phantom and the response linearity was evaluated.

Radiation monitoring and measuring instrument developed by Turkish Atomic Energy Authority

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kuecuekarslan, N.; Gueven, A.

2001-01-01

Turkish Atomic Energy Authority (TAEA), Cekmece Nuclear Research and Training Center, Nuclear Electronics Department is working on research, development and production of radiation monitoring and measuring instruments in the aims of TAEA to serve our Country. Advanced micro controller technology is used to cover problems of radiation measurement. Control by micro controller enables reliable, stable measurement and display of low level dose rate fields. It makes possible the simultaneous measurement of both dose and dose rate values

High Sr/Y rocks are not all adakites!

Science.gov (United States)

Moyen, Jean-François

2010-05-01

The name of "adakite" is used to describe a far too large group of rocks, whose sole common feature is high Sr/Y and La/Yb ratios. Defining adakites only by this criterion is misleading, as the definition of this group of rocks does include many other criteria, including major elements. In itself, high (or commonly moderate!) Sr/Y ratios can be achieved via different processes: melting of a high Sr/Y (and La/Yb) source; deep melting, with abundant residual garnet; fractional crystallization or AFC; or interactions of felsic melts with the mantle, causing selective enrichment in LREE and Sr over HREE. A database of the compositions of "adakitic" rocks - including "high silica" and "low silica" adakites, "continental" adakites and Archaean adakites—was assembled. Geochemical modeling of the potential processes is used to interpret it, and reveals that (1) the genesis of high-silica adakites requires high pressure evolution (be it by melting or fractionation), in equilibrium with large amounts of garnet; (2) low-silica adakites are explained by garnet-present melting of an adakite-metasomatized mantle, i.e at depths greater than 2.5 GPa; (3) "Continental" adakites is a term encompassing a huge range of rocks, with a corresponding diversity of petrogenetic processes, and most of them are different from both low- and high- silica adakites; in fact in many cases it is a complete misnomer and the rocks studied are high-K calc-alkaline granitoids or even S-type granites; (4) Archaean adakites show a bimodal composition range, with some very high Sr/Y examples (similar to part of the TTG suite) reflecting deep melting (> 2.0 GPa) of a basaltic source with a relatively high Sr/Y, while lower Sr/Y rocks formed by shallower (1.0 GPa) melting of similar sources. Comparison with the Archaean TTG suite highlights the heterogeneity of the TTGs, whose composition spreads the whole combined range of HSA and Archaean adakites, pointing to a diversity of sources and processes

Reducing fruit losses in India and Sri Lanka using nanotechnology

International Development Research Centre (IDRC) Digital Library (Canada)

Reducing fruit losses in India and. Sri Lanka using ... The post-harvest losses — between 35 and 40% and valued at about ... Industrial Technology Institute in Sri Lanka has a bio-wax ... Better jobs and entrepreneurial opportunities for women.

Impact of changing external conditions on counterinsurgency: the Sri Lankan experience

OpenAIRE

Premaratne, Nilantha P.

2015-01-01

Approved for public release; distribution is unlimited After thirty years of protracted war against the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), Sri Lanka defeated its long-lasting terrorist insurgency in May 2009. Sri Lanka’s victory surprised the world. This thesis examines why Sri Lanka’s counterterrorism strategy succeeded in 2009 when it had previously failed. Discriminatory government policies, the economic liberalization in the 1980s, and external support fueled Tamil insurgency and...

Building 772 - CERN’s new calibration facility for radiation protection instruments is ready to go

CERN Document Server

2014-01-01

Building 772 is becoming the new home of CERN’s calibration facility for radiation protection instrumentation. The new laboratory in Prévessin will be a state-of-the-art calibration facility and the first of its kind in both France and Switzerland, offering a wide range of possibilities with respect to radiation fields and instrumentation.   New four-axis calibration bench for radiation protection instruments.   Civil engineering work started in November 2013 in Prévessin and Building 772 is now finished and ready for inauguration. CERN’s calibration facility was previously located in Building 172 in Meyrin. Although still very accurate, the technology used was becoming obsolete and needed replacement. “Having considered different options, the decision was taken to build a new facility fully designed and conceived to meet all international safety and technical requirements of such a laboratory,” says Pie...

Evaluation of radiation protection instrumentation: the C.T.H.I.R.. Poster and booklet for activity presentation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bicheron, G.; Ginisty, C.

1998-01-01

Among all the components required for radiation protection optimization, the evaluation of instrumentation is essential. The instrumentation in radiation protection allows to make the surveillance of personnel, installations and environment against the risk bound to radioactive contamination and ionizing radiations. The different devices can give the following functions: ambient dosimetry, (individual and environmental dosimetry), measurement of surface contaminations, air contamination by aerosols or gas, water contamination by liquid wastes,detection of criticality accidents, measurement of samples radioactivity. (N.C.)

Overview of the atmospheric ionizing radiation environment monitoring by Bulgarian build instruments

Science.gov (United States)

Dachev, Tsvetan; Tomov, Borislav; Matviichuk, Yury; Dimitrov, Plamen; Spurny, Frantisek; Ploc, Ondrej; Uchihori, Yukio; Flueckiger, Erwin; Kudela, Karel; Benton, Eric

2012-10-01

Humans are exposed to ionizing radiation all the time, and it is known that it can induce a variety of harmful biological effects. Consequently, it is necessary to quantitatively assess the level of exposure to this radiation as the basis for estimating risks for their health. Spacecraft and aircraft crews are exposed to elevated levels of cosmic radiation of galactic and solar origin and to secondary radiation produced in the atmosphere, the vehicle structure and its contents. The aircraft crew monitoring is required by the following recommendations of the International Commission on Radiological Protection (ICRP) (ICRP 1990), the European Union (EU) introduced a revised Basic Safety Standards Directive (EC 1997) which, inter alia, included the exposure to cosmic radiation. This approach has been also adopted in other official documents (NCRP 2002). In this overview we present the results of ground based, mountain peaks, aircraft, balloon and rocket radiation environment monitoring by means of a Si-diode energy deposition spectrometer Liulin type developed first in Bulgarian Academy of Sciences (BAS) for the purposes of the space radiation monitoring at MIR and International Space Station (ISS). These spectrometers-dosemeters are further developed, calibrated and used by scientific groups in different countries. Calibration procedures of them are performed at different accelerators including runs in the CERN high-energy reference field, simulating the radiation field at 10 km altitude in the atmosphere and with heavy ions in Chiba, Japan HIMAC accelerator were performed also. The long term aircraft data base were accumulated using specially developed battery operated instrument in 2001-2009 years onboard of A310-300 aircrafts of Czech Air Lines, during 24 about 2 months runs with more than 2000 flights and 13500 flight hours on routes over the Atlantic Ocean mainly. The obtained experimental data are compared with computational models like CARI and EPCARD. The

Crystal growth and scintillation properties of Pr-doped SrI2 single crystals

Science.gov (United States)

Yokota, Yuui; Ito, Tomoki; Yoshino, Masao; Yamaji, Akihiro; Ohashi, Yuji; Kurosawa, Shunsuke; Kamada, Kei; Yoshikawa, Akira

2018-04-01

Pr-doped SrI2 (Pr:SrI2) single crystals with various Pr concentrations were grown by the halide-micro-pulling-down (H-μ-PD) method, and the scintillation properties were investigated. Pr1%:SrI2 single crystal with high transparency could be grown by the H-μ-PD method while Pr2, 3 and 5%:SrI2 single crystals included some cracks and opaque parts. In the photoluminescence spectrum of the Pr1%:SrI2 single crystal, an emission peak originated from the Pr3+ ion was observed around 435 nm while the radioluminescence spectra showed an emission peak around 535 nm for the undoped SrI2 and Pr:SrI2 single crystals. Light yields of Pr1, 2, 3 and 5%:SrI2 single crystals under γ-ray irradiation were 7700, 8700, 7200 and 6700 photons/MeV, respectively. Decay times of Pr1 and 2%:SrI2 single crystals under γ-ray irradiation were 55.9 and 35.0 ns of the fast decay component, and 435 and 408 ns of the slow decay component, respectively.

The Political Economy of Postwar Economic Development in Sri Lanka

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Prasanna-Perera Welgamage Lalith Prasanna-Perera

2014-12-01

Full Text Available Thirty years of civil war in Sri Lanka has affected economic, political, social, cultural and psychological aspects of the society significantly. This paper presents an overview of postwar development strategies in Sri Lanka and compares it with the prewar economy from a political economic perspective. The paper specifically examines the progress of the overall postwar development in the war affected Northern Province of Sri Lanka. Using mixed methodologies data was gathered on critical aspects related to political economy. According to the current study, no clear progress has been made in the areas of economic growth, FDI growth, household income, and poverty and income inequality in the postwar economy of Sri Lanka when compared with the prewar economy. Government fiscal policy targets the postwar reconstruction works while monetary policy enjoys the amalgamation of North and East provinces to country’s aggregate supply apart from introducing very few loan schemes. Security phobia of the government of Sri Lanka limits local, national, regional and international none-government organizations especially in the North and East. There is a considerable amount of progress made in the area of infrastructure development and resettlement of displaced persons. However, primary data from the study indicates these strategies lack conflict sensitivity and public trust. This study emphasizes that postwar economic development strategies should address the critical determinants of sustainable recovery, peace and development aiming at protecting human rights, ensuring rule of law, establishing efficient public service system and finally offering constitutional reforms in Sri Lanka.

Sri Lanka, Colored Height

Science.gov (United States)

2005-01-01

The topography of the island nation of Sri Lanka is well shown in this color-coded shaded relief map generated with digital elevation data from the Shuttle Radar Topography Mission (SRTM). Two visualization methods were combined to produce the image: shading and color coding of topographic height. The shade image was derived by computing topographic slope in the northwest-southeast direction, so that northwest slopes appear bright and southeast slopes appear dark. Color coding is directly related to topographic height, with green at the lower elevations, rising through yellow and tan, to white at the highest elevations. For this special view heights below 10 meters (33 feet) above sea level have been colored red. These low coastal elevations extend 5 to 10 km (3.1 to 6.2 mi) inland on Sri Lanka and are especially vulnerable to flooding associated with storm surges, rising sea level, or, as in the aftermath of the earthquake of December 26, 2004, tsunami. These so-called tidal waves have occurred numerous times in history and can be especially destructive, but with the advent of the near-global SRTM elevation data planners can better predict which areas are in the most danger and help develop mitigation plans in the event of particular flood events. Sri Lanka is shaped like a giant teardrop falling from the southern tip of the vast Indian subcontinent. It is separated from India by the 50km (31mi) wide Palk Strait, although there is a series of stepping-stone coral islets known as Adam's Bridge that almost form a land bridge between the two countries. The island is just 350km (217mi) long and only 180km (112mi) wide at its broadest, and is about the same size as Ireland, West Virginia or Tasmania. The southern half of the island is dominated by beautiful and rugged hill country, and includes Mt Pidurutalagala, the islandaE(TM)s highest point at 2524 meters (8281 ft). The entire northern half comprises a large plain extending from the edge of the hill country to the

The design of nuclear radiation measuring instrument of embedded network

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhang Huaiqiang; Ge Liangquan; Xiong Shengqing

2009-01-01

The design and realization of nuclear radiation measuring instrument is introduced. Due to the current nuclear instrument often used serial interface to communicate the PC, it is widely used for simple design and easy operation. However, as the demand of remote data acquisition and the call of sharing resources, the design of embedded the TCP/IP protocol stack into MCU, it may send the nuclear signal in Internet. Some devices that link each other with the network can be networked. The design is not only realizing remote data acquisition and sharing resources, but also reducing costs and improving the maintainability of the system. (authors)

Non-cognitive characteristics predicting academic success among medical students in Sri Lanka.

Science.gov (United States)

Ranasinghe, Priyanga; Ellawela, Amaya; Gunatilake, Saman B

2012-08-03

To identify non-cognitive and socio-demographic characteristics determining academic success of Sri Lankan medical undergraduates. A retrospective study among 90 recently graduated students of the Faculty of Medical Sciences, University of Sri Jayewardenepura, Sri Lanka. Students were stratified into two equal groups; 'High-achievers' (honours degree at the final MBBS examination) and 'Low-achievers' (repeated one or more subjects at the same examination). A revised version of the Non-cognitive Questionnaire (NQ) with additional socio-demographic data was the study instrument. Academic performance indicator was performance at the final MBBS examinations. A binary logistic regression analysis was performed using the dichotomous variable 'Honours degree at final MBBS' as the dependant factor. Males were 56.7%. Mean age ± SD was 26.4 ± 0.9 years. 'High-achievers' were significantly younger than 'Low-achievers'. Significant proportion of 'High-achievers' were from the Western province and selected to university from Colombo district. A significant majority of 'High-achievers' entered medical school from their first attempt at GCE A/L examination and obtained 'Distinctions' at the GCE A/L English subject. 'High-achievers' demonstrated a significantly higher mean score for the following domains of NQ; Positive self-concept and confidence, realistic self-appraisal, leadership, preference of long range goals and academic familiarity.The binary logistic regression indicates that age, being selected to university from Colombo district, residency in Western province, entering university from GCE A/L first attempt, obtaining a 'Distinction' for GCE A/L English subject, higher number of patient-oriented case discussions, positive self-concept and confidence, leadership qualities, preference of long range goals and academic familiarity all significantly increased the odds of obtaining a Honours degree. A combined system incorporating both past academic performance and non

Comparison of cardiovascular risk factors between Sri Lankans living in Kandy and Oslo.

Science.gov (United States)

Tennakoon, Sampath U B; Kumar, Bernadette N; Nugegoda, Danasela B; Meyer, Haakon E

2010-10-29

South Asians living in western countries are known to have unfavourable cardiovascular risk profiles. Studies indicate migrants are worse off when compared to those living in country of origin. The purpose of this study was to compare selected cardiovascular risk factors between migrant Sri Lankans living in Oslo, Norway and Urban dwellers from Kandy, Sri Lanka. Data on non fasting serum lipids, blood pressure, anthropometrics and socio demographics of Sri Lankan Tamils from two almost similar population based cross sectional studies in Oslo, Norway between 2000 and 2002 (1145 participants) and Kandy, Sri Lanka in 2005 (233 participants) were compared. Combined data were analyzed using linear regression analyses. Men and women in Oslo had higher HDL cholesterol. Men and women from Kandy had higher Total/HDL cholesterol ratios. Mean waist circumference and body mass index was higher in Oslo. Smoking among men was low (19.2% Oslo, 13.1% Kandy, P = 0.16). None of the women smoked. Mean systolic and diastolic blood pressure was significantly higher in Kandy than in Oslo. Our comparison showed unexpected differences in risk factors between Sri Lankan migrants living in Oslo and those living in Kandy Sri Lanka. Sri Lankans in Oslo had favorable lipid profiles and blood pressure levels despite being more obese.

Surface circulation and upwelling patterns around Sri Lanka

Science.gov (United States)

de Vos, A.; Pattiaratchi, C. B.; Wijeratne, E. M. S.

2013-09-01

Sri Lanka occupies a unique location within the equatorial belt in the northern Indian Ocean with the Arabian Sea on its western side and the Bay of Bengal on its eastern side. The region is characterised by bi-annually reversing monsoon winds resulting from seasonal differential heating and cooling of the continental land mass and the ocean. This study explored elements of the dynamics of the surface circulation and coastal upwelling in the waters around Sri Lanka using satellite imagery and the Regional Ocean Modelling System (ROMS) configured to the study region and forced with ECMWF interim data. The model was run for 2 yr to examine the seasonal and shorter term (∼10 days) variability. The results confirmed the presence of the reversing current system in response to the changing wind field: the eastward flowing Southwest Monsoon Current (SMC) during the Southwest (SW) monsoon transporting 11.5 Sv and the westward flowing Northeast Monsoon Current (NMC) transporting 9.5 Sv during the Northeast (NE) monsoon, respectively. A recirculation feature located to the east of Sri Lanka during the SW monsoon, the Sri Lanka Dome, is shown to result from the interaction between the SMC and the Island of Sri Lanka. Along the eastern and western coasts, during both monsoon periods, flow is southward converging along the south coast. During the SW monsoon the Island deflects the eastward flowing SMC southward whilst along the east coast the southward flow results from the Sri Lanka Dome recirculation. The major upwelling region, during both monsoon periods, is located along the south coast and is shown to be due to flow convergence and divergence associated with offshore transport of water. Higher surface chlorophyll concentrations were observed during the SW monsoon. The location of the flow convergence and hence the upwelling centre was dependent on the relative strengths of wind driven flow along the east and west coasts: during the SW (NE) monsoon the flow along the

All projects related to sri lanka | Page 3 | IDRC - International ...

International Development Research Centre (IDRC) Digital Library (Canada)

Women face many barriers to political participation in conflict zones across South ... perpetuate a culture of impunity and lack of justice for victims of violence and abuse ... INDIA, PAKISTAN, BANGLADESH, SRI LANKA, LEGISLATIVE POWER, Gender ... Sri Lanka is turning to aquaculture to diversify its rural economy and ...

Sri Lanka : tous les projets | Page 3 | CRDI - Centre de recherches ...

International Development Research Centre (IDRC) Digital Library (Canada)

Sujet: VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN, POLITICAL PARTICIPATION, MARGINALISM, INDIA, PAKISTAN, BANGLADESH, SRI LANKA, LEGISLATIVE POWER. Région: Bangladesh, India, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Central Asia, Far East Asia, South Asia. Programme: Gouvernance et justice. Financement total : CA$ 315,800.00.

Challenges of analysing suspected over exposed subjects using biological dosimetry at Sri Ramachandra University

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Vijayalakshimi, J.; Venkatachalam, P.; Solomon, F.D. Paul

2016-01-01

Biological dosimetry based on the analysis of dicentric chromosomes has become a routine component of the radiological protection programmes and has a valuable role to contribute in suspected over exposed subjects who perform diagnostic and therapeutic procedures. The Department of Human Genetics, Sri Ramachandra University, Porur, Chennai, has been involved in the standardization of chromosomal aberration analysis as a biological dosimeter for investigating accidental ionising radiation exposure since 1998. Our laboratory has been accredited since 2007 by Atomic Energy Regulatory Board. The initial process was to establish the in vitro dose response curve for various type of low LET ionizing radiation. Since accreditation, a total of 61 subjects have been referred to Sri Ramachandra University from SRRC, Kalpakkam. Brief social/medical history and informed consent are being obtained prior to blood samplings. The dose estimates expressed in sievert (Sv) measured by Thermoluminescence badges was in the range of 0.05-2779.05 mSv. Chromosomal aberration assay was used for analysis which allows direct detection of aberration in peripheral blood lymphocytes. The test was performed as per the standard operating protocol on peripheral blood lymphocyte. Currently the dose response curve for the automated scoring process in under way and we hope to improve upon quality and turnaround time using the automation available. Future challenge would be to establish an in vitro dose response curve with automated scoring technique and developing inter-laboratory comparison of dose response generated using automation

Performance of the HIRS/2 instrument on TIROS-N. [High Resolution Infrared Radiation Sounder

Science.gov (United States)

Koenig, E. W.

1980-01-01

The High Resolution Infrared Radiation Sounder (HIRS/2) was developed and flown on the TIROS-N satellite as one means of obtaining atmospheric vertical profile information. The HIRS/2 receives visible and infrared spectrum radiation through a single telescope and selects 20 narrow radiation channels by means of a rotating filter wheel. A passive radiant cooler provides an operating temperature of 106.7 K for the HgCdTe and InSb detectors while the visible detector operates at instrument frame temperature. Low noise amplifiers and digital processing provide 13 bit data for spacecraft data multiplexing and transmission. The qualities of system performance that determine sounding capability are the dynamic range of data collection, the noise equivalent radiance of the system, the registration of the air columns sampled in each channel and the ability to upgrade the calibration of the instrument to maintain the performance standard throughout life. The basic features, operating characteristics and performance of the instrument in test are described. Early orbital information from the TIROS-N launched on October 13, 1978 is given and some observations on system quality are made.

XX males SRY negative: a confirmed cause of infertility.

Science.gov (United States)

Vetro, Annalisa; Ciccone, Roberto; Giorda, Roberto; Patricelli, Maria Grazia; Della Mina, Erika; Forlino, Antonella; Zuffardi, Orsetta

2011-10-01

SOX9 is a widely expressed transcription factor playing several relevant functions during development and essential for testes differentiation. It is considered to be the direct target gene of the protein encoded by SRY and its overexpression in an XX murine gonad can lead to male development in the absence of Sry. Recently, a family was reported with a 178 kb duplication in the gene desert region ending about 500 kb upstream of SOX9 in which 46,XY duplicated persons were completely normal and fertile whereas the 46,XX ones were males who came to clinical attention because of infertility. We report a family with two azoospermic brothers, both 46,XX, SRY negative, having a 96 kb triplication 500 kb upstream of SOX9. Both subjects have been analyzed trough oligonucleotide array-CGH and the triplication was confirmed and characterised through qPCR, defining the minimal region of amplification upstream of SOX9 associated with 46,XX infertile males, SRY negative. Our results confirm that even in absence of SRY, complete male differentiation may occur, possibly driven by overexpression of SOX9 in the gonadal ridge, as a consequence of the amplification of a gene desert region. We hypothesize that this region contains gonadal specific long-range regulation elements whose alteration may impair the normal sex development. Our data show that normal XX males, with alteration in copy number or, possibly, in the critical sequence upstream to SOX9 are a new category of infertility inherited in a dominant way with expression limited to the XX background.

Internet-based media coverage on dengue in Sri Lanka between 2007 and 2015

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Annelies Wilder-Smith

2016-05-01

Full Text Available Background: Internet-based media coverage to explore the extent of awareness of a disease and perceived severity of an outbreak at a national level can be used for early outbreak detection. Dengue has emerged as a major public health problem in Sri Lanka since 2009. Objective: To compare Internet references to dengue in Sri Lana with references to other diseases (malaria and influenza in Sri Lanka and to compare Internet references to dengue in Sri Lanka with notified cases of dengue in Sri Lanka. Design: We examined Internet-based news media articles on dengue queried from HealthMap for Sri Lanka, for the period January 2007 to November 2015. For comparative purposes, we compared hits on dengue with hits on influenza and malaria. Results: There were 565 hits on dengue between 2007 and 2015, with a rapid rise in 2009 and followed by a rising trend ever since. These hits were highly correlated with the national epidemiological trend of dengue. The volume of digital media coverage of dengue was much higher than of influenza and malaria. Conclusions: Dengue in Sri Lanka is receiving increasing media attention. Our findings underpin previous claims that digital media reports reflect national epidemiological trends, both in annual trends and inter-annual seasonal variation, thus acting as proxy biosurveillance to provide early warning and situation awareness of emerging infectious diseases.

On-farm impact of the System of Rice Intensification (SRI): Evidence and knowledge gaps

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Berkhout, E.D.; Glover, D.B.A.; Kuyvenhoven, A.

2015-01-01

The System of Rice Intensification (SRI) is being promoted worldwide, but relatively little is yet known about its impacts at farm level. This article reviews available evidence on the impact of SRI practices in terms of yield and productivity. Adoption of SRI practices necessarily changes the mix

Two males with SRY-positive 46,XX testicular disorder of sex development.

Science.gov (United States)

Gunes, Sezgin; Asci, Ramazan; Okten, Gülsen; Atac, Fatih; Onat, Onur E; Ogur, Gonul; Aydin, Oguz; Ozcelik, Tayfun; Bagci, Hasan

2013-02-01

The 46,XX testicular disorder of sex development (46,XX testicular DSD) is a rare phenotype associated with disorder of the sex chromosomes. We describe the clinical, molecular, and cytogenetic findings of a 16- and a 30-year-old male patient with sex-determining region Y (SRY)-positive 46,XX testicular DSD. Chromosomal analysis revealed 46,XX karyotype. Fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) showed the SRY region translocated to the short arm of the X chromosome. The presence of the SRY gene was also confirmed by polymerase chain reaction (PCR). The X chromosome inactivation (XCI) assay showed that both patients have a random pattern of X chromosome inactivation. This report compares the symptoms and features of the SRY-positive 46,XX testicular DSD patients.

Lighting energy efficiency in office buildings: Sri Lanka

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wijayatunga, Priyantha D.C.; Fernando, W.J.L.S.; Ranasinghe, S.

2003-01-01

This paper describes a study conducted in the lighting sector of office buildings as a part of a broader research study aimed at developing building codes for Sri Lanka addressing lighting as well as thermal comfort in order to optimise the use of electricity within these buildings. The study covered different tasks performed in office buildings and the optimum lighting levels required to perform these tasks in the office environment in Sri Lanka. Also, it included assessing the visual performance of people involved in different activities under varying illumination levels in a controlled environment and a comparison of these optimum lighting levels with international standards. It can be seen that the required optimum lighting levels are generally lower in Sri Lanka in comparison to specified standard levels, and this scenario is likely to be similar in other developing countries too. These findings clearly emphasise the need to adopt lighting standards most appropriate to local conditions, in turn helping improve the energy efficiency within buildings

Leptospirosis in rural Sri Lanka:

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Hellung Schønning, Marie; Agampodi, Suneth; Phelps, Matthew

2016-01-01

Sri Lanka has one of the highest incidences of human leptospirosis worldwide. Outbreaks of this zoonotic infection are related to the monsoons and flooding. The present study investigates risks associated with environmental, animal and occupational exposure. Data was obtained from structured inte...

The first case of 38,XX (SRY-positive) disorder of sex development in a cat.

Science.gov (United States)

Szczerbal, Izabela; Stachowiak, Monika; Dzimira, Stanislaw; Sliwa, Krystyna; Switonski, Marek

2015-01-01

SRY-positive XX testicular disorder of sex development (DSD) caused by X;Y translocations was not yet reported in domestic animals. In humans it is rarely diagnosed and a majority of clinical features resemble those which are typical for Klinefelter syndrome (KS). Here we describe the first case of SRY-positive XX DSD in a tortoiseshell cat with a rudimentary penis and a lack of scrotum. Molecular analysis showed the presence of two Y-linked genes (SRY and ZFY) and a normal sequence of the SRY gene. Application of classical cytogenetic techniques revealed two X chromosomes (38,XX), but further FISH studies with the use of the whole X chromosome painting probe and BAC probes specific to the Yp chromosome facilitated identification of Xp;Yp translocation. The SRY gene was localised at a distal position of Xp. The karyotype of the studied case was described as: 38,XX.ish der(X)t(X;Y)(p22;p12)(SRY+). Moreover, the X inactivation status assessed by a sequential R-banding and FISH with the SRY-specific probe showed a random inactivation of the derivative X(SRY) chromosome. Our study showed that among DSD tortoiseshell cats, apart from XXY trisomy and XX/XY chimerism, also SRY-positive XX cases may occur. It is hypothesized that the extremely rare occurrence of this abnormality in domestic animals, when compared with humans, may be associated with a different organisation of the Yp arm in these species.

Characteristics of Un doped and Europium-doped SrI2 Scintillator Detectors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sturm, Benjamin; Cherepy, Nerine; Drury, Owen; Thelin, P.; Fisher, S.E.; O'Neal, S.P.; Payne, Stephen A.; Burger, Arnold; Boatner, Lynn A.; Ramey, Joanne Oxendine; Shah, Kanai; Hawrami, Rastgo

2012-01-01

High energy resolution gamma-ray detectors that can be formed into relatively large sizes while operating at room temperature offer many advantages for national security applications. We are working toward that goal through the development of SrI 2 (Eu) scintillator detectors, which routinely provide ;10 cm 3 . In this study, we have tested pure, undoped SrI 2 to gain a better understanding of the scintillation properties and spectroscopic performance achievable without activation. An undoped crystal grown from 99.999% pure SrI 2 pellets was tested for its spectroscopic performance, its light yield, and uniformity of scintillation light collection as a function of gamma-ray interaction position relative to the crystal growth direction. Undoped SrI 2 was found to provide energy resolution of 5.3% at 662 keV, and the light collection nonuniformity varied by only 0.72% over the length of the crystal. Measurements of both a 3% Eu-doped and the undoped SrI 2 crystal were carried out in the SLYNCI facility and indicate differences in their light yield non-proportionality. The surprisingly good scintillation properties of the pure SrI 2 crystal suggests that with high-purity feedstock, further reduction of the Eu concentration can be made to grow larger crystals while not adversely impacting the spectroscopic performance.

Adaptive COIN in Sri Lanka: What Contributed to the Demise of the LTTE?

Science.gov (United States)

2012-06-01

significant socio -ethnic division in Sri Lankan society is between the numerical majority, the Sinhalese, and the numerical minority, the Sri Lankan...37 K. M. De Silva, Universal Franchise , 1931–1981: The Sri Lankan Experience (Colombo: Dept. of Information, Ministry of State...ethnic conflict due to socio -demographic electoral dynamics and constitutional constraints.118 This did not occur within the GoSL during the CFA period

In vitro Antiglycation and Cross-Link Breaking Activities of Sri ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Purpose: To investigate the antiglycation and cross-link breaking activities of Sri Lankan low-grown orthodox Orange Pekoe grade black tea (Camellia sinensis L) Methods: Five concentrations (6.25, 12.5, 25.0, 50.0 or 100.0 ìg/ml) of Black tea brew (BTB) were made using Sri Lankan low-grown Orange Pekoe (O.P.) grade ...

Sustainability of Government Debt in Sri Lanka

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OG Dayaratna-Banda

2014-07-01

Full Text Available This paper examines the impact of government budget deficit on debt sustainability in Sri Lanka by using a novel methodological approach. The study used annual time series data from 1960 to 2012 in Sri Lanka for empirical testing. Sustainability of government debt is tested by using face value, market value and discounted market value of government debt as a proportion of GDP. Discounted market value of debt to GDP ratio was calculated using weighted average interest rate. Results of Augmented Dickey Fuller and Phillips-Perron tests indicate that debt ratios are non-stationary implying the existence of an unsustainable debt outlook. Results of the Chow test, employed to test if a structural break can be observed in 1978 as a result of moving away from the command economy to a market-oriented economy, indicate that the policy change has not led to have any fixed change in the mean of debt serials. The results compel us to conclude that public debt in Sri Lankan is not sustainable, so that a switch is required from foreign debt to other sources of financing of fiscal deficit or deficit reduction.

Instrumentation

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Decreton, M

2001-04-01

SCK-CEN's research and development programme on instrumentation involves the assessment and the development of sensitive measurement systems used within a radiation environment. Particular emphasis is on the assessment of optical fibre components and their adaptability to radiation environments. The evaluation of ageing processes of instrumentation in fission plants, the development of specific data evaluation strategies to compensate for ageing induced degradation of sensors and cable performance form part of these activities. In 2000, particular emphasis was on in-core reactor instrumentation applied to fusion, accelerator driven and water-cooled fission reactors. This involved the development of high performance instrumentation for irradiation experiments in the BR2 reactor in support of new instrumentation needs for MYRRHA, and for diagnostic systems for the ITER reactor.

Instrumentation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Decreton, M.

2001-01-01

SCK-CEN's research and development programme on instrumentation involves the assessment and the development of sensitive measurement systems used within a radiation environment. Particular emphasis is on the assessment of optical fibre components and their adaptability to radiation environments. The evaluation of ageing processes of instrumentation in fission plants, the development of specific data evaluation strategies to compensate for ageing induced degradation of sensors and cable performance form part of these activities. In 2000, particular emphasis was on in-core reactor instrumentation applied to fusion, accelerator driven and water-cooled fission reactors. This involved the development of high performance instrumentation for irradiation experiments in the BR2 reactor in support of new instrumentation needs for MYRRHA, and for diagnostic systems for the ITER reactor

Sri Lanka. Spotlight.

Science.gov (United States)

Hoque, M N

1985-01-01

Sri Lanka, an island country off the southeastern coast of India, populated by an estimated 16.1 million inhabitants, was one of the 1st developing countries to adopt a population policy aimed at reducing population growth and redistributing the population more equitably throughout the country. Population density is high. There are 636 persons/square mile, and 2/3 of the population lives in the southwestern and central regions of the country. Government redistribution policies seek to increase internal migration flows to the drier and less populated areas. The country's birth rate was 27 in 1982, the death rate was 6 in 1981, and the infant mortality rate was 34.4 in 1980. The rate of natural increase in 1982 was 2.1%, and the population growth rate declined from 2.5% prior to 1970 to 1.7% in 1980. The total fertility rate declined between 1963-74 from 5.0-3.4 and then increased to 3.7 in recent years. Given the age structure of the population, the population is expected to continue growing at a high rate in the coming years; however, the age at marriage is increasing and the proportion of young married women in the population is declining, and these trends will have an impact on population growth. These trends are due in part to increased educational and employment opportunities for women. The delay in marriage may also be linked to the dowry system. Given the high rate of poverty, it is difficult for parents to accummulate sufficient resources to provide dowries for their daughters. Sri lanka's economy is predominantly agricultural, with only 15% of the gross national product derived from manufacturing. Approximately 22% of thepopulation lives in urban areas. In 1981 exports totaled US$1.1 billion, and major export items were tea and rubber. In the same year, imports totaled US$1.8 billion and consisted primarily of food, petroleum, and fertilizers. The per capita gross national product was US$320 in 1982. Sri Lanka receives considerable foreign aid, and the

New Mutation Identified in the SRY Gene High Mobility Group (HMG

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Feride İffet Şahin

2013-06-01

Full Text Available Mutations in the SRY gene prevent the differentiation of the fetal gonads to testes and cause developing female phenotype, and as a result sex reversal and pure gonadal dysgenesis (Swyer syndrome can be developed. Different types of mutations identified in the SRY gene are responsible for 15% of the gonadal dysgenesis. In this study, we report a new mutation (R132P in the High Mobility Group (HMG region of SRY gene was detected in a patient with primary amenorrhea who has 46,XY karyotype. This mutation leads to replacement of the polar and basic arginine with a nonpolar hydrophobic proline residue at aminoacid 132 in the nuclear localization signal region of the protein. With this case report we want to emphasize the genetic approach to the patients with gonadal dysgenesis. If Y chromosome is detected during cytogenetic analysis, revealing the presence of the SRY gene and identification of mutations in this gene by sequencing analysis is become important in.

Tourism and Economic Growth in Sri Lanka: An ARDL Bounds Testing Approach

OpenAIRE

P. Srinivasan; Santhosh Kumar P. K; L. Ganesh

2012-01-01

The purpose of the study is to examine the impact of tourism on economic growth in Sri Lanka through the Autoregressive Distributed Lag (ARDL) bounds testing approach. The analysis was carried out for the period from 1969 to 2009. By and large, our analysis reveals that the tourism has a positive impact on economic growth in Sri Lanka both in the short-run and long-run. Hence, it is crucial for the Sri Lankan government to achieve unification and stability by focusing on political solutions t...

Organizational health and the achievement level of students in science at the secondary-level schools in Sri Lanka

Science.gov (United States)

Pakkeer-Jaufar, Pakkeer Cadermohideen

This study sought to identify those organizational health factors that might have overriding influence on the achievement level of students in science in Sri Lankan secondary schools. This study involved 752 students, 33 science teachers, and 10 principals from two different districts, Ampara and Colombo, in Sri Lanka. Ten Tamil medium, secondary level, public schools were selected to participate in this study. Data were collected using four types of instruments: a questionnaire for pupils; interview schedules for science teachers and principals; checklists for classroom/school facilities, science laboratory facilities, and science practicals; and a science achievement test. The analysis focused on the collective perceptions of students, science teachers, and principals. Regression and path analyses were used as major analysis techniques, and the qualitative data provided by science teachers and principals were considered for a crosschecking of the quantitative inferences. The researcher found teacher affiliation, academic emphasis, and instructional leadership of the principal, in descending order, were the overriding influential factors on the achievement level of students in science in Sri Lankan secondary schools. At the same time a similar descending order was found in their mean values and qualities. The researcher concluded that increasing the quality of the organizational health factors in Sri Lankan secondary schools would result in improved better achievement in science. The findings further indicate that instructional leadership of the principal had both direct and indirect effects on students' achievement in science when academic emphasis and teacher affiliation were taken into account. In addition, the resource support of the principal did not make any difference in students' science achievement and the findings stress the availability of the resources for individual students instead of assuming the general facilities of the school are available to all

The Sri Lanka tsunami experience.

Science.gov (United States)

Yamada, Seiji; Gunatilake, Ravindu P; Roytman, Timur M; Gunatilake, Sarath; Fernando, Thushara; Fernando, Lalan

2006-01-01

The Indian Ocean tsunami of 2004 killed 31,000 people in Sri Lanka and produced morbidity primarily resulting from near-drownings and traumatic injuries. In the immediate aftermath, the survivors brought bodies to the hospitals, which hampered the hospitals' operations. The fear of epidemics led to mass burials. Infectious diseases were prevented through the provision of clean water and through vector control. Months after the tsunami, little rebuilding of permanent housing was evident, and many tsunami victims continued to reside in transit camps without means of generating their own income. The lack of an incident command system, limited funding, and political conflicts were identified as barriers to optimal relief efforts. Despite these barriers, Sri Lanka was fortunate in drawing upon a well-developed community health infrastructure as well as local and international resources. The need continues for education and training in clinical skills for mass rescue and emergency treatment, as well as participation in a multidisciplinary response.

The Securitisation of Sri Lankan Tourism in the Absence of Peace

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Jennifer Hyndman

2015-03-01

Full Text Available The military conflict in Sri Lanka may be over officially, but conflict continues as a ‘war without sound’ (community informant, Mullaitivu 2013, or as war by other means (Dahlman 2011. In the absence of peace and reconciliation, but the presence of economic growth, development by stealth proceeds. Much has been written about the militarisation of civilian life in Sri Lanka (Kadirgamar 2013; David 2013, but this paper focuses specifically on how militarisation has proceeded with little public protest or pushback. The political work accomplished by ‘securitisation’ is used to gain consent and create new space and capacity for state security measures and militarisation. This paper recasts the connections between security, peace, and development in post-war Sri Lanka, drawing on fieldwork in one area that connects all of these projects: tourism. An analysis of ‘war tourism’ in Sri Lanka shows how it reproduces threats to Sri Lanka’s security at the same time that it celebrates military victory and might. Tourism encapsulates economic, security, and development agendas in very specific ways. Tourist sites mobilise fear of potential terrorism and return to the rule of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE, if vigilance and militarisation are not maintained. In such a context of risk, development is best done by the military. Within this logic of securitisation, militarisation becomes a common sense approach. How is this common sense produced? The securitisation of development is vivid in the post-war context of Sri Lanka, inextricably tied to neoliberal imperatives to convey a democratic, stable country that is open to and good for business.

On the radiative and thermodynamic properties of the cosmic radiations using COBE FIRAS instrument data: I. Cosmic microwave background radiation

Science.gov (United States)

Fisenko, Anatoliy I.; Lemberg, Vladimir

2014-07-01

Using the explicit form of the functions to describe the monopole and dipole spectra of the Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB) radiation, the exact expressions for the temperature dependences of the radiative and thermodynamic functions, such as the total radiation power per unit area, total energy density, number density of photons, Helmholtz free energy density, entropy density, heat capacity at constant volume, and pressure in the finite range of frequencies v 1≤ v≤ v 2 are obtained. Since the dependence of temperature upon the redshift z is known, the obtained expressions can be simply presented in z representation. Utilizing experimental data for the monopole and dipole spectra measured by the COBE FIRAS instrument in the 60-600 GHz frequency interval at the temperature T=2.72548 K, the values of the radiative and thermodynamic functions, as well as the radiation density constant a and the Stefan-Boltzmann constant σ are calculated. In the case of the dipole spectrum, the constants a and σ, and the radiative and thermodynamic properties of the CMB radiation are obtained using the mean amplitude T amp=3.358 mK. It is shown that the Doppler shift leads to a renormalization of the radiation density constant a, the Stefan-Boltzmann constant σ, and the corresponding constants for the thermodynamic functions. The expressions for new astrophysical parameters, such as the entropy density/Boltzmann constant, and number density of CMB photons are obtained. The radiative and thermodynamic properties of the Cosmic Microwave Background radiation for the monopole and dipole spectra at redshift z≈1089 are calculated.

Wind and wave dataset for Matara, Sri Lanka

Science.gov (United States)

Luo, Yao; Wang, Dongxiao; Priyadarshana Gamage, Tilak; Zhou, Fenghua; Madusanka Widanage, Charith; Liu, Taiwei

2018-01-01

We present a continuous in situ hydro-meteorology observational dataset from a set of instruments first deployed in December 2012 in the south of Sri Lanka, facing toward the north Indian Ocean. In these waters, simultaneous records of wind and wave data are sparse due to difficulties in deploying measurement instruments, although the area hosts one of the busiest shipping lanes in the world. This study describes the survey, deployment, and measurements of wind and waves, with the aim of offering future users of the dataset the most comprehensive and as much information as possible. This dataset advances our understanding of the nearshore hydrodynamic processes and wave climate, including sea waves and swells, in the north Indian Ocean. Moreover, it is a valuable resource for ocean model parameterization and validation. The archived dataset (Table 1) is examined in detail, including wave data at two locations with water depths of 20 and 10 m comprising synchronous time series of wind, ocean astronomical tide, air pressure, etc. In addition, we use these wave observations to evaluate the ERA-Interim reanalysis product. Based on Buoy 2 data, the swells are the main component of waves year-round, although monsoons can markedly alter the proportion between swell and wind sea. The dataset (Luo et al., 2017) is publicly available from Science Data Bank (https://doi.org/10.11922/sciencedb.447).

Wind and wave dataset for Matara, Sri Lanka

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Y. Luo

2018-01-01

Full Text Available We present a continuous in situ hydro-meteorology observational dataset from a set of instruments first deployed in December 2012 in the south of Sri Lanka, facing toward the north Indian Ocean. In these waters, simultaneous records of wind and wave data are sparse due to difficulties in deploying measurement instruments, although the area hosts one of the busiest shipping lanes in the world. This study describes the survey, deployment, and measurements of wind and waves, with the aim of offering future users of the dataset the most comprehensive and as much information as possible. This dataset advances our understanding of the nearshore hydrodynamic processes and wave climate, including sea waves and swells, in the north Indian Ocean. Moreover, it is a valuable resource for ocean model parameterization and validation. The archived dataset (Table 1 is examined in detail, including wave data at two locations with water depths of 20 and 10 m comprising synchronous time series of wind, ocean astronomical tide, air pressure, etc. In addition, we use these wave observations to evaluate the ERA-Interim reanalysis product. Based on Buoy 2 data, the swells are the main component of waves year-round, although monsoons can markedly alter the proportion between swell and wind sea. The dataset (Luo et al., 2017 is publicly available from Science Data Bank (https://doi.org/10.11922/sciencedb.447.

Sri Lankan FRAX model and country-specific intervention thresholds.

Science.gov (United States)

Lekamwasam, Sarath

2013-01-01

There is a wide variation in fracture probabilities estimated by Asian FRAX models, although the outputs of South Asian models are concordant. Clinicians can choose either fixed or age-specific intervention thresholds when making treatment decisions in postmenopausal women. Cost-effectiveness of such approach, however, needs to be addressed. This study examined suitable fracture probability intervention thresholds (ITs) for Sri Lanka, based on the Sri Lankan FRAX model. Fracture probabilities were estimated using all Asian FRAX models for a postmenopausal woman of BMI 25 kg/m² and has no clinical risk factors apart from a fragility fracture, and they were compared. Age-specific ITs were estimated based on the Sri Lankan FRAX model using the method followed by the National Osteoporosis Guideline Group in the UK. Using the age-specific ITs as the reference standard, suitable fixed ITs were also estimated. Fracture probabilities estimated by different Asian FRAX models varied widely. Japanese and Taiwan models showed higher fracture probabilities while Chinese, Philippine, and Indonesian models gave lower fracture probabilities. Output of remaining FRAX models were generally similar. Age-specific ITs of major osteoporotic fracture probabilities (MOFP) based on the Sri Lankan FRAX model varied from 2.6 to 18% between 50 and 90 years. ITs of hip fracture probabilities (HFP) varied from 0.4 to 6.5% between 50 and 90 years. In finding fixed ITs, MOFP of 11% and HFP of 3.5% gave the lowest misclassification and highest agreement. Sri Lankan FRAX model behaves similar to other Asian FRAX models such as Indian, Singapore-Indian, Thai, and South Korean. Clinicians may use either the fixed or age-specific ITs in making therapeutic decisions in postmenopausal women. The economical aspects of such decisions, however, need to be considered.

Tourism Economics in Sri Lanka: An Econometric Analysis

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Prasanna-Perera Lalith Welgamage

2015-01-01

Full Text Available Sri Lanka aims to transform its tourism sector into one of the largest foreign exchange earners in 2016 by attracting 2.5 million high spending tourists. Tourism was ranked as the fifth largest source of foreign exchange earnings in 2012, and third largest in 2013 contributing 5.2 percent to total foreign earnings of the country. Further to this, the Sri Lankan government also identified tourism as a major hub of the country’s economy. Given the multi-dimensional impact the sector has on the country’s economy, it has to be examined systematically. This paper develops an econometric model based on the Cobb-Douglas function to analyze the relation between foreign exchange earnings, tourist arrivals, tourist prices, and tourist spending and direct employment in tourism. These variables of tourism are estimated utilizing model parameters such as R-Studio based on data from the sample period from 2002 to 2013. The formula presented in this study can be used by policy makers to calculate future foreign exchange earnings, employment, arrivals and prices related to tourism in Sri Lanka.

Comparative In silico Study of Sex-Determining Region Y (SRY) Protein Sequences Involved in Sex-Determining.

Science.gov (United States)

Vakili Azghandi, Masoume; Nasiri, Mohammadreza; Shamsa, Ali; Jalali, Mohsen; Shariati, Mohammad Mahdi

2016-04-01

The SRY gene (SRY) provides instructions for making a transcription factor called the sex-determining region Y protein. The sex-determining region Y protein causes a fetus to develop as a male. In this study, SRY of 15 spices included of human, chimpanzee, dog, pig, rat, cattle, buffalo, goat, sheep, horse, zebra, frog, urial, dolphin and killer whale were used for determine of bioinformatic differences. Nucleotide sequences of SRY were retrieved from the NCBI databank. Bioinformatic analysis of SRY is done by CLC Main Workbench version 5.5 and ClustalW (http:/www.ebi.ac.uk/clustalw/) and MEGA6 softwares. The multiple sequence alignment results indicated that SRY protein sequences from Orcinus orca (killer whale) and Tursiopsaduncus (dolphin) have least genetic distance of 0.33 in these 15 species and are 99.67% identical at the amino acid level. Homosapiens and Pantroglodytes (chimpanzee) have the next lowest genetic distance of 1.35 and are 98.65% identical at the amino acid level. These findings indicate that the SRY proteins are conserved in the 15 species, and their evolutionary relationships are similar.

New portable hand-held radiation instruments for measurements and monitoring

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fehlau, P.E.

1987-01-01

Hand-held radiation monitors are often used to search pedestrians and motor vehicles for special nuclear material (SNM) as part of a physical protection plan for nuclear materials. Recently, the Los Alamos Advanced Nuclear Technology group has commercialized an improved hand-held monitor that can be used for both physical-protection monitoring and verification measurements in nuclear material control and waste management. The new monitoring instruments are smaller and lighter; operate much longer on a battery charge; are available with NaI(Tl) or neutron and gamma-ray sensitive plastic scintillation detectors; and are less expensive than other comparable instruments. They also have a second operating mode for making precise measurements over counting times as long as 99 s. This mode permits making basic verification measurements that may be needed before transporting nuclear material or waste outside protected areas. Improved verification measurements can be made with a second new hand-held instrument that has a stabilized detector and three separate gamma-ray energy windows to obtain spectral information for SNM quantity, enrichment, or material-type verification

STATUS GIZI PADA BALITA DAN ANAK VEGETARIAN DI KOMUNITAS ASRAM SRI SRI RADHA MADHAVA, DESA SIANGAN, KABUPATEN GIANYAR TAHUN 2014

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I Gusti Ayu Risma Pramita

2015-06-01

Full Text Available Masalah gizi adalah salah satu permasalahan kesehatan masyarakat yang belum tuntas ditanggulangi di dunia. Berdasarkan data Riskesdas 2010, prevalensi balita yang mengalami gizi buruk secara nasional adalah 4,9%, gizi kurang 13%, dan gizi lebih 5,8%. Asram Sri Sri Radha Madhava berada di wilayah kerja Puskesmas Gianyar II. Masyarakat tersebut adalah kelompok vegetarian lakto mulai dari remaja, hamil, sampai pada anak yang dilahirkan. Berdasarkan laporan tahunan Puskesmas Gianyar II tahun 2012 terjadi masalah gizi kurang sebesar 2,3%. Pada tahun 2013 di Puskesmas Gianyar II tercatat masalah gizi kurang pada balita meningkat menjadi 5%, sedangkan jumlah balita gizi buruk adalah sebesar 2%. Puskesmas Gianyar II belum dapat mencapai target yakni 0% untuk balita gizi buruk maupun gizi kurang. Balita dan anak-anak Asram jarang mengikuti kegiatan Posyandu sehingga pertumbuhan dan perkembangannya sulit untuk dipantau. Tujuan penelitian ini adalah untuk mengetahui status gizi bayi dan balita serta anak vegetarian di komunitas Asram Sri Sri Radha Madhava. Desain penelitian yang digunakan adalah studi potong lintang (cross-sectional deskriptif. Pengumpulan data dilakukan dengan pengukuran langsung tinggi badan dan berat badan serta wawancara. Status gizi pada 36 orang yang termasuk kelompok balita dan anak vegetarian dilihat berdasarkan indeks berat badan terhadap umur (BB/U, tinggi badan terhadap umur (TB/U, berat badan terhadap tinggi badan (BB/TB, dan indeks masa tubuh terhadap umur (IMT/U dari grafik WHO. Sebagian besar tergolong gizi baik berdasarkan BB/U (80,6%, TB/U normal (72,2%, BB/TB normal (63,9%, dan IMT/U normal (72,2%. Sebanyak 2,8% termasuk kategori obese, 11,1% kategori gemuk (overweight dan 13,9% kategori kurus (underweight.

Non-cognitive characteristics predicting academic success among medical students in Sri Lanka

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Ranasinghe Priyanga

2012-08-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background To identify non-cognitive and socio-demographic characteristics determining academic success of Sri Lankan medical undergraduates. Methods A retrospective study among 90 recently graduated students of the Faculty of Medical Sciences, University of Sri Jayewardenepura, Sri Lanka. Students were stratified into two equal groups; ‘High-achievers’ (honours degree at the final MBBS examination and ‘Low-achievers’ (repeated one or more subjects at the same examination. A revised version of the Non-cognitive Questionnaire (NQ with additional socio-demographic data was the study instrument. Academic performance indicator was performance at the final MBBS examinations. A binary logistic regression analysis was performed using the dichotomous variable ‘Honours degree at final MBBS’ as the dependant factor. Results Males were 56.7%. Mean age ± SD was 26.4 ± 0.9 years. ‘High-achievers’ were significantly younger than ‘Low-achievers’. Significant proportion of ‘High-achievers’ were from the Western province and selected to university from Colombo district. A significant majority of ‘High-achievers’ entered medical school from their first attempt at GCE A/L examination and obtained ‘Distinctions’ at the GCE A/L English subject. ‘High-achievers’ demonstrated a significantly higher mean score for the following domains of NQ; Positive self-concept and confidence, realistic self-appraisal, leadership, preference of long range goals and academic familiarity. The binary logistic regression indicates that age, being selected to university from Colombo district, residency in Western province, entering university from GCE A/L first attempt, obtaining a ‘Distinction’ for GCE A/L English subject, higher number of patient-oriented case discussions, positive self-concept and confidence, leadership qualities, preference of long range goals and academic familiarity all significantly increased the odds of

Suicide in Sri Lanka 1975-2012

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Knipe, Duleeka W; Metcalfe, Chris; Fernando, Ravindra

2014-01-01

pesticides. We investigate these changes in suicide rates in relation to age, gender, method specific trends and birth-cohort and period effects, with the aim of informing preventative strategies. METHODS: Secular trends of suicide in relation to age, sex, method, birth-cohort and period effects were......BACKGROUND: Sri Lanka has experienced major changes in its suicide rates since the 1970s, and in 1995 it had one of the highest rates in the world. Subsequent reductions in Sri Lanka's suicide rates have been attributed to the introduction of restrictions on the availability of highly toxic...... investigated graphically using police data (1975-2012). Poisoning case-fatality was investigated using national hospital admission data (2004-2010). RESULTS: There were marked changes to the age-, gender- and method-specific incidence of suicide over the study period. Year on year declines in rates began in 17...

Perimenopausal symptoms in Sri Lankan women.

Science.gov (United States)

Goonaratna, C; Fonseka, P; Wijeywardene, K

1999-06-01

To determine the types of perimenopausal symptoms (PMS) associated with the natural menopause and to make a preliminary assessment of the influence of PMS on household work, employment duties and social life, since no published data are available regarding these aspects in Sri Lankan women. A cross-sectional descriptive study of 403 women after natural menopause chosen randomly from four selected groups. A pre-tested coded questionnaire administered by trained women medical students to consenting menopausal women. An overwhelming majority of menopausal women (87.1%) had one or more PMS. The principal PMS reported were insomnia (57.8%), joint pains (55.8%), night sweats (55.6%), hot flushes (40.2%), irritability (35.3%) and headaches (33.3%). Of the 171 women employed outside the home, 38% noted some interference with employment duties. PMS causes much morbidity in Sri Lankan perimenopausal women.

Political Economy of Epidemic Kidney Disease in Sri Lanka

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Asoka Bandarage

2013-10-01

Full Text Available The Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD, taking the lives of thousands in poor farming communities in Sri Lanka, is commonly seen as a problem peculiar to the island’s north central dry zone agricultural region. The prevailing bio-medical focus is on identifying one or more “environmental nephrotoxins.” While delineating important controversies on the etiology of the disease, this article seeks to broaden the discourse on the hitherto neglected political economy of CKD in Sri Lanka. In so doing, it seeks to bring together the bio-medical debate on the impact of widespread and unregulated use of agrochemicals on public health and kidney disease with broader global interdisciplinary perspectives on the industrialization of agriculture and the consolidation of food production by transnational agribusiness corporations. The article concludes pointing out environmentally sustainable and socially equitable development and organic agriculture as the long-term solutions to CKD in Sri Lanka and elsewhere.

Sri Lanka’s Post-Conflict Strategy: Restorative Justice for Rebels and Rebuilding of Conflict-affected Communities

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Iromi Dharmawardhane

2013-12-01

Full Text Available Following the Sri Lankan Government’s military defeat of the internationally proscribed terrorist organisation, the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE in May 2009, Sri Lanka embarked on an essential and long-term twofold post-conflict strategy: (i rehabilitation and reintegration of former LTTE combatants, and (ii the rebuilding of the conflict-affected Tamil communities of the Northern and Eastern Provinces. The rehabilitation program was by many counts a success, with demonstrated cognitive transformation in attitudes and behaviour of most of the (formerly radicalised combatants. Reconciliation initiatives were implemented to fulfill the urgent social, political, and economic needs of the conflict-affected communities of the North and East. These reconciliation efforts continue to be implemented and comprise different measures taken in: (1 resettlement and humanitarian assistance, (2 reconstruction of key transport, economic, health, and social infrastructure for reintegration, (3 political engagement, and (4 various types of peace-building work. Sri Lanka’s post-conflict strategy adopts a holistic approach, seeking the contribution of the public sector, private sector, community organisations, international organisations, NGOs, and private individuals from different segments of society in Sri Lanka. However, despite the many effective state-led and other reconciliation efforts undertaken by Sri Lanka, the author is able to present a number of recommendations to the government of Sri Lanka to overcome shortcomings in the rehabilitation and reconciliation programs adopted, as well as other challenges faced by Sri Lanka, such as the relentless disinformation campaign against the Sri Lankan state pursued by the remnant LTTE cells surviving internationally. To understand the complex nature of the Sri Lankan conflict and the skillful disinformation campaign pursued against the Sri Lankan state by the LTTE’s transnational network, a

Survey and analysis of radiation safety management systems at medical institutions. Second report. Radiation measurement, calibration of radiation survey meters, and periodic check of installations, equipment, and protection instruments

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ohba, Hisateru; Ogasawara, Katsuhiko; Aburano, Tamio

2006-01-01

We carried out a questionnaire survey to determine the actual situation of radiation safety management measures in all medical institutions in Japan that had nuclear medicine facilities. The questionnaire consisted of questions concerning the evaluation of shielding capacity; radiation measurement; periodic checks of installations, equipment, and protection instruments; and the calibration of radiation survey meters. The analysis was undertaken according to region, type of establishment, and number of beds. The overall response rate was 60 percent. For the evaluation of shielding capacity, the outsourcing rate was 53 percent of the total. For the radiation measurements of ''leakage radiation dose and radioactive contamination'' and contamination of radioactive substances in the air'', the outsourcing rates were 28 percent and 35 percent of the total, respectively (p<0.001, according to region and establishment). For the periodic check of radiation protection instruments, the implementation rate was 98 percent, and the outsourcing rate was 32 percent for radiation survey meters and 47 percent for lead aprons. The non-implemented rate for calibration of radiation survey meters was 25 percent of the total (p<0.001, according to region and establishment). The outsourcing rate for calibration of radiation survey meters accounted for 87 percent of the total, and of these medical institutions, 72 percent undertook annual calibration. The implementation rate for patient exposure measurement was 20 percent of the total (p<0.001, according to number of beds), and of these medical institutions 46 percent recorded measurement outcome. (author)

Immigration And Its Effects On The National Security Of Sri Lanka

Science.gov (United States)

2016-12-01

Tourism Council. Travel & Tourism : Economic Impact 2015, Sri Lanka. London, UK: Author, 2015. https://www.wttc.org/- / media /files/reports/economic...release. Distribution is unlimited. 12b. DISTRIBUTION CODE 13. ABSTRACT (maximum 200 words) Immigration has social , political, economic, and...INTENTIONALLY LEFT BLANK v ABSTRACT Immigration has social , political, economic, and security significance in Sri Lanka. Immigrants bring economic

Suicide first aid guidelines for Sri Lanka: a Delphi consensus study.

Science.gov (United States)

De Silva, Saranga A; Colucci, Erminia; Mendis, Jayan; Kelly, Claire M; Jorm, Anthony F; Minas, Harry

2016-01-01

Sri Lanka has one of the highest suicide rates in the world. Gatekeeper programs aimed at specific target groups could be a promising suicide prevention strategy in the country. The aim of this study was to develop guidelines that help members of the public to provide first aid to persons in Sri Lanka who are at risk of suicide. The Delphi method was used to elicit consensus on potential helping statements to include in the guidelines. These statements describe information members of the public should have and actions they can take to help a person who is experiencing suicidal thoughts. An expert panel, comprised of mental health and suicide experts in Sri Lanka, rated each statement. The panellists were encouraged to suggest any additional action that was not included in the original questionnaire and, in particular, to include items that were culturally appropriate or gender specific. Responses to open-ended questions were used to generate new items. These items were included in the subsequent Delphi rounds. Three Delphi rounds were carried out. Statements were accepted for inclusion in the guidelines if they were endorsed (rated as essential or important) by at least 80 % of the panel. Statements endorsed by 70-79 % of the panel were re-rated in the following round. Statements with less than 70 % endorsement, or re-rated items that did not receive 80 % or higher endorsement were rejected. The output from the Delphi process was a set of endorsed statements. In the first round questionnaire 473 statements were presented to the panel and 58 new items were generated from responses to the open-ended questions. Of the total 531 statements presented, 304 were endorsed. These statements were used to develop the suicide first aid guidelines for Sri Lanka. By engaging Sri Lankans who are experts in the field of mental health or suicide this research developed culturally appropriate guidelines for providing mental health first aid to a person at risk of suicide in Sri

Design and operation of dust measuring instrumentation based on the beta-radiation method

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lilienfeld, P.

1975-01-01

The theory, instrument design aspects and applications of beta-radiation attenuation for the measurement of the mass concentration of airborne particulates are reviewed. Applicable methods of particle collection, beta sensing configurations, source ( 63 Ni, 14 C, 147 Pr, 85 Kr) and detector design criteria, electronic signal processing, digital control and instrument programming techniques are treated. Advantages, limitations and error sources of beta-attenuation instrumentation are analyzed. Applications to industrial dust measurements, source testing, ambient monitoring, and particle size analysis are the major areas of practical utilization of this technique, and its inherent capability for automated and unattended operation provides compatibility with process control synchronization and alarm, telemetry, and incorporation into pollution monitoring network sensing stations. (orig.) [de

Conception of the Instrument Calibration Laboratory of Ionizing Radiation Measurement (LACIMRI) of CTMSP - Sao Paulo, SP

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Silva, Raimundo Dias da; Kibrit, Eduardo

2009-01-01

The present work describes the phases of implantation of calibration laboratory of ionizing radiation measurement instruments at the CTMSP, Sao Paulo, in a priory approved by CNEN, Brazil. That laboratory will allow and enhance the present metrological capacity for the attendance to the growing demand for calibration services of the instruments

Comparative In silico Study of Sex-Determining Region Y (SRY Protein Sequences Involved in Sex-Determining

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Masoume Vakili Azghandi

2016-05-01

Full Text Available Background: The SRY gene (SRY provides instructions for making a transcription factor called the sex-determining region Y protein. The sex-determining region Y protein causes a fetus to develop as a male. In this study, SRY of 15 spices included of human, chimpanzee, dog, pig, rat, cattle, buffalo, goat, sheep, horse, zebra, frog, urial, dolphin and killer whale were used for determine of bioinformatic differences. Methods: Nucleotide sequences of SRY were retrieved from the NCBI databank. Bioinformatic analysis of SRY is done by CLC Main Workbench version 5.5 and ClustalW (http:/www.ebi.ac.uk/clustalw/ and MEGA6 softwares. Results: The multiple sequence alignment results indicated that SRY protein sequences from Orcinus orca (killer whale and Tursiopsaduncus (dolphin have least genetic distance of 0.33 in these 15 species and are 99.67% identical at the amino acid level. Homosapiens and Pantroglodytes (chimpanzee have the next lowest genetic distance of 1.35 and are 98.65% identical at the amino acid level. Conclusion: These findings indicate that the SRY proteins are conserved in the 15 species, and their evolutionary relationships are similar.

The radiation budget of stratocumulus clouds measured by tethered balloon instrumentation: Variability of flux measurements

Science.gov (United States)

Duda, David P.; Stephens, Graeme L.; Cox, Stephen K.

1990-01-01

Measurements of longwave and shortwave radiation were made using an instrument package on the NASA tethered balloon during the FIRE Marine Stratocumulus experiment. Radiation data from two pairs of pyranometers were used to obtain vertical profiles of the near-infrared and total solar fluxes through the boundary layer, while a pair of pyrgeometers supplied measurements of the longwave fluxes in the cloud layer. The radiation observations were analyzed to determine heating rates and to measure the radiative energy budget inside the stratocumulus clouds during several tethered balloon flights. The radiation fields in the cloud layer were also simulated by a two-stream radiative transfer model, which used cloud optical properties derived from microphysical measurements and Mie scattering theory.

Plan for the testing of radiation measurement instrumentation intended for use at an excavation site

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gehrke, R.J.

1994-11-01

This plan describes performance tests to be made with ionizing radiation measurement instrumentation designed and built for in-field assay at an excavation site. One instrument measures gross gamma-ray and neutron fields and the other identifies gamma-ray emitting radionuclides and also is capable of assaying for selected hazardous materials. These instruments will be operationally tested to verify that original specifications have been met and performance tested to establish and verify that they have the potential to function as intended at an excavation site

Use and maintenance of nuclear medicine instruments in Southeast Asia

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1983-02-01

Nuclear medicine instruments are rather sophisticated. They are difficult to maintain in effective working condition, especially in developing countries. The present document describes a survey conducted in Bangladesh, India, Malaysia, Pakistan, Philippines, Singapore, Sri Lanka and Thailand from October 1977 to March 1978, on the use and maintenance of nuclear medicine equipment. The survey evaluated the existing problems of instrument maintenance in the 8 countries visited. The major instruments in use were (1) scintillation probe counters, (2) well scintillation counters and (3) rectilinear cameras. Gamma camera was not widely available in the region at the time of the survey. Most of the surveyed instruments were kept in a detrimental environment resulting in a high failure rate, that caused the relatively high instrument unavailability of 11%. Insufficient bureaucratic handling of repair cases, difficulties with the supply of spare- and replacement parts and lack of training proved to be the main reasons for long periods of instrument inoperation. Remedial actions, based on the survey data, have been initiated

Neurological symptoms among Sri Lankan farmers occupationally exposed to acetylcholinesterase-inhibiting insecticides

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Smit, L.A.M.; Wendel- de Joode, B.N. van; Heederik, D.; Peiris-John, R.J.; Hoek, W. van der

2003-01-01

Background: In many agricultural districts in Sri Lanka, pesticide poisoning is a leading cause of death. This study aims to evaluate the impact of pesticide use on Sri Lankan farmers' health. Methods: A total of 260 subjects were surveyed in both a low and a high exposure period.

Examining Adaptations to Water Stress Among Farming Households in Sri Lanka's Dry Zone

Science.gov (United States)

Williams, N. E.; Carrico, A.

2016-12-01

Climate change is increasing water scarcity in Sri Lanka's primary rice-farming zone. Whether these changes will undermine the national-level food security that Sri Lanka has worked to develop since their independence depends upon the ability of the small-scale farmers that dominate rice production and the institutions that support them to overcome the challenges presented by changing water availability. Using household survey data collected in 13 rice farming communities throughout Sri Lanka, this research explores how water stressed farmers are working to adapt to changing conditions and how the strategies they employ impact rice yields. Our analyses reveal that farmers' abilities to access irrigation infrastructure is the most important factor shaping the rice yields of water stressed Sri Lanka farmers. Notably, however, our research also identified farmers' use of hybrid, 'short duration' seed varietals to be the only climate adaptation strategy being promoted by agricultural extension services to have a significant positive impact on farmers' yields. These findings provide encouraging evidence for policies that promote plant breeding and distribution in Sri Lanka as a means to buffer the food system to climate change.

Self, other, and astrology: esoteric therapy in Sri Lanka.

Science.gov (United States)

Perinbanayagam, R S

1981-02-01

HARRY STACK SULLIVAN'S argument that anxiety as a fundamental human experience is alleviated by the use of various procedures that he called "security operations" is used in this paper to examine the meaning of astrology in Sri Lanka. Astrology and the doctrine of karma provide the relevant framework in which various forms of misfortune are understood and handled. An examination of cases in Sri Lanka reveals that astrology and the doctrine of karma enable a person of that culture to create a number of structures which have a therapeutic effect.

Collection of radiation resistant characteristics reports for instruments and materials in high dose rate environment

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kusano, Joichi

2008-03-01

This document presents the collected official reports of radiation irradiation study for the candidate materials to be used in high dose rate environment as J-PARC facility. The effect of radiation damage by loss-beam or secondary particle beam of the accelerators influences the performance and the reliability of various instruments. The knowledge on the radiation resistivity of the materials is important to estimate the life of the equipments, the maintenance interval and dose evaluation for the personnel at the maintenance period. The radiation damage consists with mechanical property, electrical property and gas-evolution property. (author)

Genetic diversity of merozoite surface antigens in Babesia bovis detected from Sri Lankan cattle.

Science.gov (United States)

Sivakumar, Thillaiampalam; Okubo, Kazuhiro; Igarashi, Ikuo; de Silva, Weligodage Kumarawansa; Kothalawala, Hemal; Silva, Seekkuge Susil Priyantha; Vimalakumar, Singarayar Caniciyas; Meewewa, Asela Sanjeewa; Yokoyama, Naoaki

2013-10-01

Babesia bovis, the causative agent of severe bovine babesiosis, is endemic in Sri Lanka. The live attenuated vaccine (K-strain), which was introduced in the early 1990s, has been used to immunize cattle populations in endemic areas of the country. The present study was undertaken to determine the genetic diversity of merozoite surface antigens (MSAs) in B. bovis isolates from Sri Lankan cattle, and to compare the gene sequences obtained from such isolates against those of the K-strain. Forty-four bovine blood samples isolated from different geographical regions of Sri Lanka and judged to be B. bovis-positive by PCR screening were used to amplify MSAs (MSA-1, MSA-2c, MSA-2a1, MSA-2a2, and MSA-2b), AMA-1, and 12D3 genes from parasite DNA. Although the AMA-1 and 12D3 gene sequences were highly conserved among the Sri Lankan isolates, the MSA gene sequences from the same isolates were highly diverse. Sri Lankan MSA-1, MSA-2c, MSA-2a1, MSA-2a2, and MSA-2b sequences clustered within 5, 2, 4, 1, and 9 different clades in the gene phylograms, respectively, while the minimum similarity values among the deduced amino acid sequences of these genes were 36.8%, 68.7%, 80.3%, 100%, and 68.3%, respectively. In the phylograms, none of the Sri Lankan sequences fell within clades containing the respective K-strain sequences. Additionally, the similarity values for MSA-1 and MSA-2c were 40-61.8% and 90.9-93.2% between the Sri Lankan isolates and the K-strain, respectively, while the K-strain MSA-2a/b sequence shared 64.5-69.8%, 69.3%, and 70.5-80.3% similarities with the Sri Lankan MSA-2a1, MSA-2a2, and MSA-2b sequences, respectively. The present study has shown that genetic diversity among MSAs of Sri Lankan B. bovis isolates is very high, and that the sequences of field isolates diverged genetically from the K-strain. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Fisheries education in Sri Lanka: current status, constraints and future outlook

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Tharindu Nimantha Herath

2017-12-01

Full Text Available Sustainable utilization of the fishery resources along with manpower is one of the most important aspects of fisheries science. Although a huge manpower is available in the fisheries sector, lapses in knowledge also prevalent in various subsections of fishery related occupations. In this scenario, this paper attempts to evaluate the various levels of fisheries education in Sri Lanka. It has been observed that clear demarcation of the level of fisheries education such as undergraduate, postgraduate, and basic level exists in Sri Lanka. Although a low level of student enrolment, university education of fisheries and aquaculture is at satisfactory level. Expansion of fisheries education for basic levels such as education of fisherwomen needs to be improved. Scientific dissemination of knowledge by published works such as journals should further be expanded and indexing of those journals in reputable and reliable databases is needed. Several constraints in Sri Lankan fisheries education such as inadequate funding, low level of student enrolment, quality of the students and less cooperation with industries etc. were also identified. Therefore, finding possible solutions to these issues is necessary to ensure the quality of the education in Sri Lanka.

An Overview of Meat Industry in Sri Lanka: A Comprehensive Review.

Science.gov (United States)

Alahakoon, Amali U; Jo, Cheorun; Jayasena, Dinesh D

2016-01-01

Livestock is considered as one of the most important segments in agriculture since animal husbandry was practiced for centuries as a backyard system by rural families. Livestock plays as a powerful tool in rural development where meat industry contributes a dominant part. Meat and meat products become a vital component in the diet, which had been one of the main protein sources traditionally as well. The development in the livestock and meat industry of Sri Lanka basically depends upon religious, cultural, and economic factors. There is a growing demand for processed meat products in Sri Lankan urban culture and several large scale processors entered the business during the past few decades. The consumption of meat and meat products shows an upward trend in Sri Lanka during the last decade and is anticipated to increase further in future. The growth potential of the local meat industry is considerably high owing to the improvement of the market and consumer perception. The present status, trends, and future prospects for the Sri Lankan meat industry with respect to production, consumption, processing, marketing, and improvement are discussed in this review.

The politics of citizenship and difference in Sri Lankan schools

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Sørensen, Birgitte

2008-01-01

This article explores the links that exist between education and conflict in Sri Lanka and examines recent curriculum changes directed at fostering national social cohesion. The article argues that the reforms only have a minimum impact, because teachers' and pupils' everyday experiences with the...... with the education system contradict the values communicated in the new curriculum. Through their efforts to secure proper education, the pupils engage in discussions about the meaning of citizenship in presentday Sri Lanka....

Wind Energy Resource Atlas of Sri Lanka and the Maldives

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Elliott, D.; Schwartz, M.; Scott, G.; Haymes, S.; Heimiller, D.; George, R.

2003-08-01

The Wind Energy Resource Atlas of Sri Lanka and the Maldives, produced by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory's (NREL's) wind resource group identifies the wind characteristics and distribution of the wind resource in Sri Lanka and the Maldives. The detailed wind resource maps and other information contained in the atlas facilitate the identification of prospective areas for use of wind energy technologies, both for utility-scale power generation and off-grid wind energy applications.

China’s Strategic Engagement with Sri Lanka: Implications for India

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S.Y. Surendra Kumar

2017-12-01

Full Text Available The way the foreign policy of China has evolved in recent decades to consolidate its interests could be an object lesson to other countries. Initially, China’s Asia policy focused on Northeast and Southeast Asia. But in recent times, South Asia has gained tremendous importance in China’s foreign policy, which currently aims to maintain and promote regional peace and stability and, in consequence, sustain China’s own peaceful rise. As a result, South Asia constitutes an important region for China’s strategic ambit, and Sri Lanka is no different. In this context, this paper attempts to examine the growing China-Sri Lanka strategic engagement in general and particularly under President Rajapakse regime, which actually transformed the bilateral ties. India’s response to deepening ties between China and Sri Lanka and President Sririsena’s balancing approach towards India and China is analysed.

Social Geology and Landslide Disaster Risk Reduction in Sri Lanka

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Jayasingha P

2017-03-01

Full Text Available AbstractLandslide disaster risk reduction is presently a challenging task facing by Sri Lankangeologists. Increasing trend of population growth in Sri Lanka has adversely affected thestability of central highland due to various human activities. Among them establishment ofhuman settlements and change in land use pattern have become a serious issue in triggeringland instabilities in central highland of the country. National Building Research Oragnisationwhich is the main focal point in land slide disaster risk reduction in Sri Lanka has takenvaluable and timely needed actions including preparation of landslide hazard zonation maps,early warnings and mitigations. Though the landslide is a geological phenomenon, it is highlyinteracted with human societies. Hence managing the issues arising with the landslideoccurrence should be addressed with a sociological approach. This new approach is known asSocio Geological approach which is discussed here.Key words: Landslide, Geology, Socio Geology, Social Geologist

The use and abuse of female domestic workers from Sri Lanka in Lebanon.

Science.gov (United States)

Abu-habib, L

1998-03-01

Women who migrate from Sri Lanka to become domestic workers in Lebanon face gender, class, and race discrimination that often results in abuse, yet the predicament of these women is largely ignored by local and international humanitarian and human rights agencies. Public consciousness about the plight of Asian domestic workers in the Persian Gulf region was raised in 1990 when domestic workers were repatriated in the wake of the Gulf War. In Lebanon, nearly half of the work permits granted to foreigners in 1997 were to women from Sri Lanka. This migration began in the 1970s and is sanctioned by the Sri Lanka government because of the economic benefits accruing from wages sent home by these women. Lebanese families procure domestic positions through an employment agency that arranges transportation and entry for the Sri Lankan women. These women, especially minors, often have to bribe Sri Lankan government agents to falsify travel documents. Upon arrival in Lebanon, the women have no support systems or job security. Most employment contracts last 3 years and pay $100/month with no benefits or protection from local labor laws. Domestic workers are made vulnerable by employers who withhold salaries or travel documents. Upon return to Sri Lanka, former domestic workers face social disapproval and marital problems. To redress this situation, the governments of sending and receiving countries must take action to protect female migrant workers, and nongovernmental organizations must publicize the plight of these women and take action to address the abuses they face.

Health physics instrument manual

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gupton, E.D.

1978-08-01

The purpose of this manual is to provide apprentice health physics surveyors and other operating groups not directly concerned with radiation detection instruments a working knowledge of the radiation detection and measuring instruments in use at the Laboratory. The characteristics and applications of the instruments are given. Portable instruments, stationary instruments, personnel monitoring instruments, sample counters, and miscellaneous instruments are described. Also, information sheets on calibration sources, procedures, and devices are included. Gamma sources, beta sources, alpha sources, neutron sources, special sources, a gamma calibration device for badge dosimeters, and a calibration device for ionization chambers are described

Voormalige kindsoldaten in Sri Lanka, een onopgeloste erfenis van een bloedig conflict

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Stöpler, L.; Frerks, G.E.

2010-01-01

Lucien Stopler & Georg Frerks discuss the plight of the Tamil ex-child soldiers in Sri Lanka, an unresolved heritage of a bloody war. In the wake of the defeat of the LTTE, the Sri Lankan government has not shown much effort in addressing the root causes of the conflict and in building peace. It

Sri Lanka: In peace or in pieces? A critical approach to peace education in Sri Lanka

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Lopes Cardozo, M.T.A.

2008-01-01

This article seeks to explore the 'two faces of education' through a critical analysis of peace education in Sri Lanka. It aims to contribute to the wider debate on the complex role of education in situations of conflict. The article starts with an overview of what peace education is, or should be.

Language Policy, Ethnic Tensions and Linguistic Rights in Post War Sri Lanka

Science.gov (United States)

Herath, Sreemali

2015-01-01

As in many former colonies, language policy and planning in Sri Lanka has been largely shaped by and continues to be overshadowed by its history of colonial rule. Sri Lanka experienced colonization under three different western powers for over four centuries. This situation was further muddied by the three-decades long ethnic-based civil war which…

Crystal Growth and Scintillation Properties of Eu2+ doped Cs4CaI6 and Cs4SrI6

Science.gov (United States)

Stand, L.; Zhuravleva, M.; Chakoumakos, B.; Johnson, J.; Loyd, M.; Wu, Y.; Koschan, M.; Melcher, C. L.

2018-03-01

In this work we present the crystal growth and scintillation properties of two new ternarymetal halide scintillators activated with divalent europium, Cs4CaI6 and Cs4SrI6. Single crystals of each compound were grown in evacuated quartz ampoules via the vertical Bridgman technique using a two-zone transparent furnace. Single crystal X-ray diffraction experiments showed that both crystals have a trigonal (R-3c) structure, with a density of 3.99 g/cm3 and 4.03 g/cm3. The radioluminescence and photoluminescence measurements showed typical luminescence properties due to the 5d-4f radiative transitions in Eu2+. At this early stage of development Cs4SrI6:Eu and Cs4CaI6:Eu have shown very promising scintillation properties, with light yields and energy resolutions of 62,300 ph/MeV and 3.3%, and 51,800 photons/MeV and 3.6% at 662 keV, respectively.

Composition of Mix Species Foraging Flocks of Birds in Riverstan of Montane Region, Sri Lanka

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

W.G.D.D.M. Shermila

2013-04-01

Full Text Available Montane zone mixed-species bird flock system is distinct from that of low-land wet zone of SriLanka, although some species are present in both systems. The present study identified the mixed speciesflocks of birds in Riverstan at Knuckles Region, Sri Lanka. Monthly transect counts and opportunisticobservations were made between January and May, 2012. A total of 78 flocks and 27 bird species wereencountered at Riverstan during the study period. The flock size varied between 2 to 13 species and 4 to58 individuals. The mean number of species per flock was 6.03 ± 2.25 and the mean number ofindividuals in a flock was 18.41±9.87. The flock size was positively correlated with the number of speciespresent (r = 0.756, P <0.05. Grey-headed Canary Flycatcher was the most abundant species (mean2.68±1.02 birds per flocks while Sri Lanka White-eye was the most frequent species (mean 5.69±3.92birds per flocks. Grey-headed Canary Flycatcher and Sri Lanka Scimitar-babbler were the nuclear speciesin Riverstan. The leading species were Sri Lanka white-eye and Sri Lanka Yellow-eared Bulbul. Differentbird species used different heights within flocks.Keywords: Mixed-species flock, Nuclear species, Abundance, Foraging flocks

Seroepidemiololgy of rickettsioses in Sri Lanka: a patient based study

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Liyanapathirana Veranja

2011-11-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Rickettsioses are emerging infections in Sri Lanka as shown by the increase in the number of clinically diagnosed rickettsial patients being reported to the Epidemiology Unit, Sri Lanka. However, mapping the disease for the whole island with laboratory confirmed cases has not been previously carried out. Methods 615 samples received from 23 hospital representing 8 provinces were tested using ELISA or IFA methods and clinical data was collected using a validated questionnaire. Results Rash was found among more spotted fever seropositive patients than scrub typhus seropositive patients while the opposite was true for the presence of eschar. Spotted fever and scrub typhus was found in a geographically restricted manner. Consistent temporal patterns were seen for the presentation of patients with rickettsioses in Kandy and Kurunegala districts for 2009 and 2010. Conclusions This study expanded knowledge on the distribution of rickettsioses in Sri Lanka and their clinical profiles which in turn helps in the clinical diagnosis of these infections.

Structure-function analysis of mouse Sry reveals dual essential roles of the C-terminal polyglutamine tract in sex determination.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhao, Liang; Ng, Ee Ting; Davidson, Tara-Lynne; Longmuss, Enya; Urschitz, Johann; Elston, Marlee; Moisyadi, Stefan; Bowles, Josephine; Koopman, Peter

2014-08-12

The mammalian sex-determining factor SRY comprises a conserved high-mobility group (HMG) box DNA-binding domain and poorly conserved regions outside the HMG box. Mouse Sry is unusual in that it includes a C-terminal polyglutamine (polyQ) tract that is absent in nonrodent SRY proteins, and yet, paradoxically, is essential for male sex determination. To dissect the molecular functions of this domain, we generated a series of Sry mutants, and studied their biochemical properties in cell lines and transgenic mouse embryos. Sry protein lacking the polyQ domain was unstable, due to proteasomal degradation. Replacing this domain with irrelevant sequences stabilized the protein but failed to restore Sry's ability to up-regulate its key target gene SRY-box 9 (Sox9) and its sex-determining function in vivo. These functions were restored only when a VP16 transactivation domain was substituted. We conclude that the polyQ domain has important roles in protein stabilization and transcriptional activation, both of which are essential for male sex determination in mice. Our data disprove the hypothesis that the conserved HMG box domain is the only functional domain of Sry, and highlight an evolutionary paradox whereby mouse Sry has evolved a novel bifunctional module to activate Sox9 directly, whereas SRY proteins in other taxa, including humans, seem to lack this ability, presumably making them dependent on partner proteins(s) to provide this function.

The Economic Virtues of SRI and CSR

NARCIS (Netherlands)

J. Derwall (Jeroen)

2007-01-01

textabstractFinancial markets and company managers are increasingly acknowledging the concepts of socially responsible investing (SRI) and corporate social responsibility (CSR), but not without reservations. These hesitations are largely attributable to ongoing debates about a potential conflict

Common mental disorders among adult members of 'left-behind' international migrant worker families in Sri Lanka.

Science.gov (United States)

Siriwardhana, Chesmal; Wickramage, Kolitha; Siribaddana, Sisira; Vidanapathirana, Puwalani; Jayasekara, Buddhini; Weerawarna, Sulochana; Pannala, Gayani; Adikari, Anushka; Jayaweera, Kaushalya; Pieris, Sharika; Sumathipala, Athula

2015-03-28

Nearly one-in-ten Sri Lankans are employed abroad as International migrant workers (IMW). Very little is known about the mental health of adult members in families left-behind. This study aimed to explore the impact of economic migration on mental health (common mental disorders) of left-behind families in Sri Lanka. A cross-sectional survey using multistage sampling was conducted in six districts (representing 62% of outbound IMW population) of Sri Lanka. Spouses and non-spouse caregivers (those providing substantial care for children) from families of economic migrants were recruited. Adult mental health was measured using the Patient Health Questionnaire. Demographic, socio-economic, migration-specific and health utilization information were gathered. A total of 410 IMW families were recruited (response rate: 95.1%). Both spouse and a non-spouse caregiver were recruited for 55 families with a total of 277 spouses and 188 caregivers included. Poor general health, current diagnosed illness and healthcare visit frequency was higher in the non-spouse caregiver group. Overall prevalence of common mental disorder (CMD; Depression, somatoform disorder, anxiety) was 20.7% (95%CI 16.9-24.3) with 14.4% (95%CI 10.3-18.6) among spouses and 29.8% (95%CI 23.2-36.4) among non-spouse caregivers. Prevalence of depression (25.5%; 95%CI 19.2-31.8) and somatoform disorder 11.7% (95%CI 7.0-16.3) was higher in non-spouse caregiver group. When adjusted for age and gender, non-returning IMW in family, primary education and low in-bound remittance frequency was associated with CMD for spouses while no education, poor general health and increased healthcare visits was significantly associated in the non-spouse caregiver group. To our knowledge, this is one of the first studies to explore specific mental health outcomes among adult left-behind family members of IMW through standardized diagnostic instruments in Sri Lanka and in South Asian region. Negative impact of economic migration is

Analysis of Polymorphisms in the Merozoite Surface Protein-3a Gene and Two Microsatellite Loci in Sri Lankan Plasmodium vivax: Evidence of Population Substructure in Sri Lanka

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Schousboe, Mette L; Rajakaruna, Rupika S; Amerasinghe, Priyanie H

2011-01-01

Abstract. The geographical distribution of genetic variation in Plasmodium vivax samples (N = 386) from nine districts across Sri Lanka is described using three markers; the P. vivax merozoite surface protein-3a (Pvmsp-3a) gene, and the two microsatellites m1501 and m3502. At Pvmsp-3a, 11 alleles....... The results show evidence of high genetic diversity and possible population substructure of P. vivax populations in Sri Lanka....

The science and art of learning about cultures: Descriptions, explanations, and reflections In conversation with Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, Founder, Art of Living

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ritu Tripathi

2014-06-01

Full Text Available National cultural differences pose major obstacles to global business expansion. Managers, therefore, seek to learn more about cultures. Conventional managerial learning mostly draws from descriptive scientific models which have potential drawbacks such as unidimensionality, decontextualisation, and culture-level information. Explanatory models of cultural psychology can help overcome these limitations. Further, insights from a cross-culturally fluent authority provide reflective learnings. Toward this end, I engage in a conversation with Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, the founder of the Art of Living organization, on issues related to cultural identity in the global workplace in the Indian context.

Post-Disaster Housing Reconstruction in Sri Lanka

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Nuwani Amaratunga

2015-07-01

Full Text Available Research methodology is the procedural framework within which the research is conducted. This includes the overall approach to a problem that could be put into practice in a research process, from the theoretical underpinning to the collection and analysis of data. Choice of methodology depends on the primary drivers: topic to be researched and the specific research questions. Hence, methodological perspectives of managing stakeholder expectations of PDHR context are composed of research philosophies, research strategy, research design, and research techniques. This research belonged to social constructivism or interpretivism within a philosophical continuum. The nature of the study was more toward subjectivism where human behavior favored voluntary stance. Ontological, methodological, epistemological, and axiological positioning carried the characteristics of idealism, ideographic, anti-positivism, and value laden, respectively. Data collection comprises two phases, preliminary and secondary. Exploratory interviews with construction experts in the United Kingdom and Sri Lanka were carried out to refine the interview questions and identify the case studies. Case study interviews during the secondary phase took place in Sri Lanka. Data collected at the preliminary stage were used to assess the attributes of power, legitimacy/proximity, and urgency of stakeholders to the project using Stakeholder Circle™ software. Moreover, the data collected at secondary phase via case studies will be analyzed with NVivo 8. This article aims to discuss these methodological underpinnings in detail applied in a post-disaster housing reconstruction context in Sri Lanka.

New opportunities for aquaculture in Sri Lanka

International Development Research Centre (IDRC) Digital Library (Canada)

Context. In Sri Lanka, fish are a vital food source, ... of disease and degradation of water bodies ... specific better management practices to address ... This was integrated in a pilot knowledge ... result, 80% of farmers took actions to implement.

Sri Lanka: An Ethnocratic State Endangering Positive Peace in the Island

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Nirmanusan Balasundaram

2016-11-01

Full Text Available Although proclaimed as a democratic republic, the Sri Lankan state is strongly controlled and ruled by Sinhala Buddhist influence due to a deep engrained belief that the island belongs to the Sinhala Buddhists. The modus operandi of the Sri Lankan state apparatus outlines the ethnocratic characteristics of the state. This mono-ethnic and mono-religious attitude has led to the widening and deepening of the discrimination against a particular ethnic group known as the Tamils who traditionally inhabit the North and East of the island. Ethnocracy continues to be defended and justified by the state in the name of sovereignty, territorial integrity and national security and has led to further polarization of the already divided ethnic groups. As a consequence and outcome of the ethnocratic nature of the Sri Lankan state, a bloody war erupted between successive governments of Sri Lanka and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE. After nearly 38 years the prolonged war came to a brutal end in May 2009 amidst blatant violations of international law. However, the root causes of this conflict, which occurred due to ethnocratic nature of the state, have not yet been addressed resulting in the continuation of the ethnic conflict despite the end of the war.

Coastal risks in Sri-Lanka - GIS, scenario and modelling approaches

OpenAIRE

Garcin , Manuel; Desprats , Jean-François; Pedreros , Rodrigo; Fontaine , Mélanie; Sedan , Olivier; Lenotre , Nicole; Attanayake , Nishantha; De Silva , Udaya; Fernando , Starin; Siriwardana , Cher

2008-01-01

1 p.; International audience; The impact of the tsunami of December 26, 2004 in Sri Lanka clearly showed the importance of a thorough knowledge of coastal risks and of taking these into account in order to reduce their impacts. We present here a project funded by French Government (Ministère des Affaires Etrangères) and BRGM Research Division including both Sri Lankan and French institutions. The aims of this project are to implement an effective tool designed to reduce the impact of coastal ...

SRI-fond i Skandinavia - En studie av lønnsomhet og best-in-class-strategien

OpenAIRE

Hofset, Nicolai; Larsen, Sindre Veen

2015-01-01

Master i økonomi og administrasjon Denne oppgavens hensikt er å studere forskjeller i lønnsomhet mellom skandinavisk forvaltede SRI-fond og konvensjonelle fond, og effekten av å bruke en best-in-classstrategi basert på ESG-kriteriet ved SRI. Forfatterne fant det hensiktsmessig å dele oppgaven inn i to problemstillinger. Den første problemstillingen omhandler eventuelle forskjeller i SRI-fond og konvensjonelle fond, mens den andre problemstillingen omhandler lønnsomhet ved an...

Demand for private tuition classes under the free education policy. Evidence based on Sri Lanka

OpenAIRE

Pallegedara, Asankha

2011-01-01

Private tuition classes are growing phenomenon in Sri Lanka especially among students who prepare for competitive national school qualifying examinations. It is one of major education issues under the free education policy in Sri Lanka. It can tarnish the real purpose of free education policy. In this paper, we examine the demand for private tuition classes in Sri Lanka by using two waves of Household Income and Expenditure Surveys (HIES) conducted by the Department of Census and Statistics (...

Sri Lanka Telecentre Family Network Project | IDRC - International ...

International Development Research Centre (IDRC) Digital Library (Canada)

Sri Lanka Telecentre Family Network Project ... will require telecentre manager training, technical and business support, and knowledge-sharing across programs. ... IWRA/IDRC webinar on climate change and adaptive water management.

IMPACT OF SRI ORGANIC AS COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM OF PT MEDCO E&P INDONESIA

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Lita Ayudia Fitriyani

2015-03-01

Full Text Available Indonesia is an agricultural country that has majority occupation as farmer. Unfortunately, farmers still become the biggest contributor to poverty in Indonesia around 62.25% in 2012. As a country that has a vision to become an independent country, Indonesia should be able to meet the welfare of its people, including farmers. This can be achieved if the cooperation between the government and the perpetrators of activities in Indonesia; such as natural resource companies that perform social responsibility programs as a contribution to society. One form of social responsibility is a community development program which is considered to be more useful. System of Rice Intensification or SRI Organic Organic is one of the community development programs that were developed to improve the welfare of farmers. The aim of this study were 1 to evaluate the impact of a given Organic SRI as a community development programs; 2 measuring the level of Organic SRI farmers' income; 3 Organic SRI analyze opportunities in the future as an independent and sustainable program. By doing a case study on community development programs conducted by PT Medco E & P Indonesia in the dusun parit 9, Banyuasin District, the authors analyze and evaluate the impact of using SEAGA to 20 respondents. The results of these studies are intended to provide input in order to make the community development program more effective in the future.Keywords: welfare, corporate social responsibility, community development, SRI organic, SEAGAABSTRAKIndonesia adalah negara agraris dimana petani merupakan mayoritas pekerjaan namun menjadi penyumbang kemiskinan terbesar di Indonesia sekitar 62,25% pada 2012.  Sebagai negara yang memiliki visi untuk menjadi negara mandiri, Indonesia harus mampu memenuhi kesejahteraan rakyatnya termasuk petani. Hal tersebut dapat tercapai jika adanya kerjasama antara pemerintah dan pelaku aktivitas di Indonesia; seperti perusahaan sumber daya alam yang melakukan

Dissociable effects of Sry and sex chromosome complement on activity, feeding and anxiety-related behaviours in mice.

Science.gov (United States)

Kopsida, Eleni; Lynn, Phoebe M; Humby, Trevor; Wilkinson, Lawrence S; Davies, William

2013-01-01

Whilst gonadal hormones can substantially influence sexual differentiation of the brain, recent findings have suggested that sex-linked genes may also directly influence neurodevelopment. Here we used the well-established murine 'four core genotype' (FCG) model on a gonadally-intact, outbred genetic background to characterise the contribution of Sry-dependent effects (i.e. those arising from the expression of the Y-linked Sry gene in the brain, or from hormonal sequelae of gonadal Sry expression) and direct effects of sex-linked genes other than Sry ('sex chromosome complement' effects) to sexually dimorphic mouse behavioural phenotypes. Over a 24 hour period, XX and XY gonadally female mice (lacking Sry) exhibited greater horizontal locomotor activity and reduced food consumption per unit bodyweight than XX and XY gonadally male mice (possessing Sry); in two behavioural tests (the elevated plus and zero mazes) XX and XY gonadally female mice showed evidence for increased anxiety-related behaviours relative to XX and XY gonadally male mice. Exploratory correlational analyses indicated that these Sry-dependent effects could not be simply explained by brain expression of the gene, nor by circulating testosterone levels. We also noted a sex chromosome complement effect on food (but not water) consumption whereby XY mice consumed more over a 24hr period than XX mice, and a sex chromosome complement effect in a third test of anxiety-related behaviour, the light-dark box. The present data suggest that: i) the male-specific factor Sry may influence activity and feeding behaviours in mice, and ii) dissociable feeding and anxiety-related murine phenotypes may be differentially modulated by Sry and by other sex-linked genes. Our results may have relevance for understanding the molecular underpinnings of sexually dimorphic behavioural phenotypes in healthy men and women, and in individuals with abnormal sex chromosome constitutions.

Dissociable effects of Sry and sex chromosome complement on activity, feeding and anxiety-related behaviours in mice.

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Eleni Kopsida

Full Text Available Whilst gonadal hormones can substantially influence sexual differentiation of the brain, recent findings have suggested that sex-linked genes may also directly influence neurodevelopment. Here we used the well-established murine 'four core genotype' (FCG model on a gonadally-intact, outbred genetic background to characterise the contribution of Sry-dependent effects (i.e. those arising from the expression of the Y-linked Sry gene in the brain, or from hormonal sequelae of gonadal Sry expression and direct effects of sex-linked genes other than Sry ('sex chromosome complement' effects to sexually dimorphic mouse behavioural phenotypes. Over a 24 hour period, XX and XY gonadally female mice (lacking Sry exhibited greater horizontal locomotor activity and reduced food consumption per unit bodyweight than XX and XY gonadally male mice (possessing Sry; in two behavioural tests (the elevated plus and zero mazes XX and XY gonadally female mice showed evidence for increased anxiety-related behaviours relative to XX and XY gonadally male mice. Exploratory correlational analyses indicated that these Sry-dependent effects could not be simply explained by brain expression of the gene, nor by circulating testosterone levels. We also noted a sex chromosome complement effect on food (but not water consumption whereby XY mice consumed more over a 24hr period than XX mice, and a sex chromosome complement effect in a third test of anxiety-related behaviour, the light-dark box. The present data suggest that: i the male-specific factor Sry may influence activity and feeding behaviours in mice, and ii dissociable feeding and anxiety-related murine phenotypes may be differentially modulated by Sry and by other sex-linked genes. Our results may have relevance for understanding the molecular underpinnings of sexually dimorphic behavioural phenotypes in healthy men and women, and in individuals with abnormal sex chromosome constitutions.

Mirror mounts designed for the Advanced Photon Source SRI-CAT

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shu, D.; Benson, C.; Chang, J.; Barraza, J.; Kuzay, T. M.; Alp, E. E.; Sturhahn, W.; Lai, B.; McNulty, I.; Randall, K.; Srajer, G.; Xu, Z.; Yun, W.

1997-01-01

Use of a mirror for beamlines at third-generation synchrotron radiation facilities, such as the Advanced Photon Source (APS) at Argonne National Laboratory, has many advantages. [Yun et al., Rev. Sci. Instrum. 67(9)(1996)CD-ROM] A mirror as a first optical component provides significant reduction in the beam peak heat flux and total power on the downstream monochromator and simplifies the bremsstrahlung shielding design for the beamline transport. It also allows us to have a system for multibeamline branching and switching. More generally, a mirror is used for beam focusing and/or low-pass filtering. Six different mirror mounts have been designed for the SRI-CAT beamlines. Four of them are designed as water-cooled mirrors for white or pink beam use, and the other two are for monochromatic beam use. Mirror mount designs, including vacuum vessel structure and precision supporting stages, are presented in this paper

Comparison of the performance of Islamic, Sri and green mutual funds

OpenAIRE

Paradinovic, Ivana

2017-01-01

This paper measures and compares performance of Islamic, SRI and Green mutual equity funds worldwide in the period from 1 January 2001 to 31 December 2015. The sample consists of 611 mutual equity funds and their performance was assessed by using traditional risk-adjusted measures, namely Sharpe ratio, Modified Sharpe Ratio, Adjusted Sharpe Ratio, Treynor measure, Information ratio and Jensen’s alpha. The main findings show that Green mutual equity funds, on average, outperform both SRI and I...

Assessing sloth bears as surrogates for carnivore conservation in Sri Lanka

Science.gov (United States)

Ratnayeke, Shyamala; Van Manen, Frank T.

2012-01-01

Bears are large, charismatic mammals whose presence often garners conservation attention. Because healthy bear populations typically require large, contiguous areas of habitat, land conservation actions often are assumed to benefit co-occurring species, including other mammalian carnivores. However, we are not aware of an empirical test of this assumption. We used remote camera data from 2 national parks in Sri Lanka to test the hypothesis that the frequency of detection of sloth bears (Melursus ursinus) is associated with greater richness of carnivore species. We focused on mammalian carnivores because they play a pivotal role in the stability of ecological communities and are among Sri Lanka's most endangered species. Seven of Sri Lanka's carnivores are listed as endangered, vulnerable, or near threatened, and little empirical information exists on their status and distribution. During 2002–03, we placed camera traps at 152 sites to document carnivore species presence. We used Poisson regression to develop predictive models for 3 categories of dependent variables: species richness of (1) all carnivores, (2) carnivores considered at risk, and (3) carnivores of least conservation concern. For each category, we analyzed 8 a priori models based on combinations of sloth bear detections, sample year, and study area and used Akaike's information criterion (AICc) to test our research hypothesis. We detected sloth bears at 55 camera sites and detected 13 of Sri Lanka's 14 Carnivora species. Species richness of all carnivores showed positive associations with the number of sloth bear detections, regardless of study area. Sloth bear detections were also positively associated with species richness of carnivores at risk across both study years and study areas, but not with species richness of common carnivores. Sloth bears may serve as a valuable surrogate species whose habitat protection would contribute to conservation of other carnivores in Sri Lanka.

Structure–function analysis of mouse Sry reveals dual essential roles of the C-terminal polyglutamine tract in sex determination

Science.gov (United States)

Zhao, Liang; Ng, Ee Ting; Davidson, Tara-Lynne; Longmuss, Enya; Urschitz, Johann; Elston, Marlee; Moisyadi, Stefan; Bowles, Josephine; Koopman, Peter

2014-01-01

The mammalian sex-determining factor SRY comprises a conserved high-mobility group (HMG) box DNA-binding domain and poorly conserved regions outside the HMG box. Mouse Sry is unusual in that it includes a C-terminal polyglutamine (polyQ) tract that is absent in nonrodent SRY proteins, and yet, paradoxically, is essential for male sex determination. To dissect the molecular functions of this domain, we generated a series of Sry mutants, and studied their biochemical properties in cell lines and transgenic mouse embryos. Sry protein lacking the polyQ domain was unstable, due to proteasomal degradation. Replacing this domain with irrelevant sequences stabilized the protein but failed to restore Sry’s ability to up-regulate its key target gene SRY-box 9 (Sox9) and its sex-determining function in vivo. These functions were restored only when a VP16 transactivation domain was substituted. We conclude that the polyQ domain has important roles in protein stabilization and transcriptional activation, both of which are essential for male sex determination in mice. Our data disprove the hypothesis that the conserved HMG box domain is the only functional domain of Sry, and highlight an evolutionary paradox whereby mouse Sry has evolved a novel bifunctional module to activate Sox9 directly, whereas SRY proteins in other taxa, including humans, seem to lack this ability, presumably making them dependent on partner proteins(s) to provide this function. PMID:25074915

Losing ground: a critical analysis of teachers' agency for peacebuilding education in Sri Lanka

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Lopes Cardozo, M.T.A.; Hoeks, C.C.M.Q.

2015-01-01

This paper aims to explore the agency of teachers for peacebuilding education in Sri Lanka through a critical multiscalar analysis of the interplay between context - education policies and governance - and agent - teachers as strategic political actors. It draws on two studies conducted in Sri Lanka

Prevalence of Organophosphate Poisoning In Batticaloa, Sri Lanka

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maheswaran umakanth

2017-12-01

Full Text Available Background: Deliberate self-harm (DSH is a global problem which has steadily increased over the past few years in developing countries and has become as one of the major causes of morbidity and mortality in these countries. The aim of this prospective study was to analyze the prevalence of organophosphate poisoning among other acute DSH cases admitted to the medical ward at Batticaloa Teaching Hospital, Sri Lanka. We report the socio-demographic, and outcome of organophosphate poisoning. Method: The prospective study comprises of 121 cases of acute poisoning admitted at Batticaloa Teaching Hospital (BTH, Sri Lanka. This study was conducted for a period of three months from April 12 through July 12, 2017. Results: Among the subjects, 119 (98.34% cases had intentional poisoning and only two cases (1.65% accidental poisoning. Poisoning with organophosphate compounds (OP 23 (19% was the second leading type. There were 13 (56.5% males and 10 (43.5% females. Most of the patients were under the age group of 20-29 years old. 21 cases lived in rural areas and 2 in urban areas. Out of 23 patients, there were 2 (8.7% deaths, 18 (78.3% were discharged without any complications. Conclusion: DSH in Sri Lanka is reported to be associated with interpersonal conflict, short premeditation, as well as alcohol misuse among males.

Tissue bank: Sri Lanka

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2003-01-01

Human degenerative diseases and congenital defects are common throughout the world. Many people suffer also from burns, fractures and nerve damage resulting from traumatic accidents and outbreaks of violence which occur all too frequently, especially in poorer countries. Far too many people are impaired for life because they have no access to treatment or simply cannot afford it. The Department of Technical Co-operation is sponsoring a programme, with technical support from the Division of Nuclear Medicine, to improve facilities at the Sri Lanka Tissue Bank. (IAEA)

Reduced Activity of SRY and its Target Enhancer Sox9-TESCO in a Mouse Species with X*Y Sex Reversal.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhao, Liang; Quinn, Alexander; Ng, Ee Ting; Veyrunes, Frederic; Koopman, Peter

2017-02-03

In most eutherian mammals, sex determination is governed by the Y-linked gene Sry, but in African pygmy mice Mus minutoides, Sry action is overridden by a variant X chromosome (X*), yielding X*Y females. We hypothesized that X*Y sex reversal may be underpinned not only by neomorphic X chromosome functionality, but also by a compromised Sry pathway. Here, we show that neither M. minutoides SRY nor its target, the Sox9-TESCO enhancer, had appreciable transcriptional activity in in vitro assays, correlating with sequence degradation compared to Mus musculus counterparts. However, M. minutoides SRY activated its cognate TESCO to a moderate degree, and can clearly engage the male pathway in M. minutoides in the wild, indicating that SRY and TESCO may have co-evolved in M. minutoides to retain function above a threshold level. We suggest that weakening of the SRY/TESCO nexus may have facilitated the rise and spread of a variant X* chromosome carrying female-inducing modifier gene(s).

Neoclassical and Behavioural Asset Pricing Models : The Case of Sri Lanka

OpenAIRE

Perera, Shenali Anne

2013-01-01

This study aims to provide a better understanding of the Sri Lankan stock market in terms of asset pricing models. In order to achieve this goal this research evaluates the Fama and French three-factor model and a behavioural asset pricing model to investigate which framework is better suited for security valuation in Sri Lanka. Accordingly findings reveal that small stocks with low book-to-market equity generate high realized returns. But results indicate that superior returns on these stock...

Sri Lanka : Country Financial Accountability Assessment

OpenAIRE

World Bank

2003-01-01

The framework for public financial accountability in Sri Lanka is founded in the principles of governance associated with the model inherited from the British, widely accepted as appropriate for the country. The primary accountability institutions, and organizations for financial management, control, audit and legislative scrutiny have, however, not evolved in line with the changes in the ...

Non-fatal self-poisoning across age groups, in Sri Lanka.

Science.gov (United States)

Rajapakse, Thilini; Christensen, Helen; Cotton, Sue; Griffiths, Kathleen Margaret

2016-02-01

Attempted or non-fatal self-poisoning in common in Sri Lanka, but little is known about variation of psychiatric morbidity and suicidal intent across differing ages. The aim of this study was to investigate factors associated with non-fatal self-poisoning in Sri Lanka across three different age groups (namely 14-24 years, 25-34 years and ≥ 35 years). It was anticipated that the findings of the study would inform and guide development of preventive interventions for non-fatal self-poisoning in this country. 935 participants were interviewed within one week of admission to hospital for medical management of non-fatal self-poisoning, over a consecutive 14-month period. Socio-demographic factors, types of poison ingested, triggers and psychiatric morbidity was examined as a function of age. Results showed that a majority (83%) of participants were aged below 35 years. Younger participants aged aged 25-34 years, and ≥ 35 years), who were more likely to ingest pesticides. Recent interpersonal conflict was a proximal trigger seen in all age groups, but suicidal intent, depression and alcohol use disorders increased with age. The overall study findings indicate that most who carry out acts of non-fatal self-poisoning in Sri Lanka are young (aged age groups, but psychiatric morbidity and suicidal intent is higher in the older age groups, as is pesticide ingestion. Age specific interventions may be efficacious in the prevention of non-fatal self-poisoning in Sri Lanka. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Clinical diagnosis of uncomplicated malaria in Sri Lanka.

Science.gov (United States)

van der Hoek, W; Premasiri, D A; Wickremasinghe, A R

1998-06-01

To assess the possibility of developing a protocol for the clinical diagnosis of malaria, a study was done at the regional laboratory of the Anti-Malaria Campaign in Puttalam, Sri Lanka. Of a group of 502 patients, who suspected they were suffering from malaria, 97 had a positive blood film for malaria parasites (71 Plasmodium vivax and 26 P. falciparum). There were no important differences in signs and symptoms between those with positive and those with negative blood films. It is argued that it is unlikely that health workers can improve on the diagnosis of malaria made by the patients themselves, if laboratory facilities are not available. For Sri Lanka the best option is to expand the number of facilities where microscopic examination for malaria parasites can take place.

Evaluation of Differences in Response of DOD Portable Instruments and Solid-State Detectors used by MEXT for Measurement of External Radiations with Attention to the Cosmic Radiation Component

Science.gov (United States)

2014-03-01

Defense Threat Reduction Agency 8725 John J. Kingman Road, MS-6201 Fort Belvoir, VA 22060-6201...Attention to the Cosmic Radiation Component DISTRIBUTION A. Approved for public release: distribution is unlimited March 2014...Portable Instruments and Solid-State Detectors used by MEXT for Measurement of External Radiations with Attention to the Cosmic Radiation Component 5a

Mutations in the testis-specific enhancer of SOX9 in the SRY independent sex-determining mechanism in the genus Tokudaia.

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Ryutaro Kimura

Full Text Available SRY (sex-determining region Y is widely conserved in eutherian mammals as a sex-determining gene located on the Y chromosome. SRY proteins bind to the testis-specific enhancer of SOX9 (TES with SF1 to upregulate SOX9 expression in undifferentiated gonads of XY embryos of humans and mice. The core region within TES, named TESCO, is an important enhancer for mammalian sex determination. We show that TESCO of the genus Tokudaia lost enhancer activity caused by mutations in its SRY and SF1 binding sites. Two species of Tokudaia do not have the Y chromosome or SRY, and one species has multiple SRYs located on the neo-Y chromosome consisting of the Y fused with an autosome. The sequence of Tokudaia TESCO exhibited more than 83% identity with mouse TESCO, however, nucleotide substitution(s were found in two out of three SRY binding sites and in five out of six SF1 binding sites. TESCO of all species showed low enhancer activity in cells co-transfected with SRY and SF1, and SOX9 and SF1 in reporter gene assays. Mutated TESCO, in which nucleotide substitutions found in SRY and SF1 binding sites were replaced with mouse sequence, recovered the activity. Furthermore, SRYs of the SRY-positive species could not activate the mutated TESCO or mouse TESCO, suggesting that SRYs lost function as a sex-determining gene any more. Our results indicate that the SRY dependent sex-determining mechanism was lost in a common ancestor of the genus Tokudaia caused by nucleotide substitutions in SRY and SF1 binding sites after emergence of a new sex-determining gene. We present the first evidence for an intermediate stage of the switchover from SRY to a new sex-determining gene in the evolution of mammalian sex-determining mechanism.

Mutations in the testis-specific enhancer of SOX9 in the SRY independent sex-determining mechanism in the genus Tokudaia.

Science.gov (United States)

Kimura, Ryutaro; Murata, Chie; Kuroki, Yoko; Kuroiwa, Asato

2014-01-01

SRY (sex-determining region Y) is widely conserved in eutherian mammals as a sex-determining gene located on the Y chromosome. SRY proteins bind to the testis-specific enhancer of SOX9 (TES) with SF1 to upregulate SOX9 expression in undifferentiated gonads of XY embryos of humans and mice. The core region within TES, named TESCO, is an important enhancer for mammalian sex determination. We show that TESCO of the genus Tokudaia lost enhancer activity caused by mutations in its SRY and SF1 binding sites. Two species of Tokudaia do not have the Y chromosome or SRY, and one species has multiple SRYs located on the neo-Y chromosome consisting of the Y fused with an autosome. The sequence of Tokudaia TESCO exhibited more than 83% identity with mouse TESCO, however, nucleotide substitution(s) were found in two out of three SRY binding sites and in five out of six SF1 binding sites. TESCO of all species showed low enhancer activity in cells co-transfected with SRY and SF1, and SOX9 and SF1 in reporter gene assays. Mutated TESCO, in which nucleotide substitutions found in SRY and SF1 binding sites were replaced with mouse sequence, recovered the activity. Furthermore, SRYs of the SRY-positive species could not activate the mutated TESCO or mouse TESCO, suggesting that SRYs lost function as a sex-determining gene any more. Our results indicate that the SRY dependent sex-determining mechanism was lost in a common ancestor of the genus Tokudaia caused by nucleotide substitutions in SRY and SF1 binding sites after emergence of a new sex-determining gene. We present the first evidence for an intermediate stage of the switchover from SRY to a new sex-determining gene in the evolution of mammalian sex-determining mechanism.

Losing Ground: A Critical Analysis of Teachers' Agency for Peacebuilding Education in Sri Lanka

Science.gov (United States)

Lopes Cardozo, Mieke T. A.; Hoeks, Celine C. M. Q.

2015-01-01

This paper aims to explore the "agency" of teachers for peacebuilding education in Sri Lanka through a critical multiscalar analysis of the interplay between "context"--education policies and governance--and "agent"--teachers as strategic political actors. It draws on two studies conducted in Sri Lanka in 2006 and…

Lung function parameters of healthy Sri Lankan Tamil young adults.

Science.gov (United States)

Balasubramaniam, M; Sivapalan, K; Thuvarathipan, R

2014-06-01

To establish reference norms of lung function parameters for healthy Sri Lankan Tamil young adults. Cross sectional study of Tamil students at the Faculty of Medicine, Jaffna. Healthy non smoking students of Sri Lankan Tamil ethnic group were enrolled. Age, height, weight, BMI and spirometric measurements (Micro Quark) were recorded in 267 participants (137 females and 130 males). Height was significantly correlated with (pTamils. When mean values were compared, these parameters were significantly higher in Tamil males (pTamil females (pTamils. However, our study sample was confined to medical students of 20-28 years which may explain the differences with Sinhalese.

The impact of pesticide regulations on suicide in Sri Lanka

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Gunnell, D; Fernando, R; Hewagama, M

2007-01-01

BACKGROUND: Between 1950 and 1995 suicide rates in Sri Lanka increased 8-fold to a peak of 47 per 100,000 in 1995. By 2005, rates had halved. We investigated whether Sri Lanka's regulatory controls on the import and sale of pesticides that are particularly toxic to humans were responsible...... with these declines. CONCLUSION: These data indicate that in countries where pesticides are commonly used in acts of self-poisoning, import controls on the most toxic pesticides may have a favourable impact on suicide. In Asia, there are an estimated 300,000 deaths from pesticide self-poisoning annually. National...

Nanopositioning techniques development for synchrotron radiation instrumentation applications at the Advanced Photon Source

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shu Deming

2010-01-01

At modern synchrotron radiation sources and beamlines, high-precision positioning techniques present a significant opportunity to support state-of-the-art synchrotron radiation research. Meanwhile, the required instrument positioning performance and capabilities, such as resolution, dynamic range, repeatability, speed, and multiple axes synchronization are exceeding the limit of commercial availability. This paper presents the current nanopositioning techniques developed for the Argonne Center for Nanoscale Materials (CNM)/Advanced Photon Source (APS) hard x-ray nanoprobe and high-resolution x-ray monochromators and analyzers for the APS X-ray Operations and Research (XOR) beamlines. Future nanopositioning techniques to be developed for the APS renewal project will also be discussed.

Lyssavirus in Indian Flying Foxes, Sri Lanka.

Science.gov (United States)

Gunawardena, Panduka S; Marston, Denise A; Ellis, Richard J; Wise, Emma L; Karawita, Anjana C; Breed, Andrew C; McElhinney, Lorraine M; Johnson, Nicholas; Banyard, Ashley C; Fooks, Anthony R

2016-08-01

A novel lyssavirus was isolated from brains of Indian flying foxes (Pteropus medius) in Sri Lanka. Phylogenetic analysis of complete virus genome sequences, and geographic location and host species, provides strong evidence that this virus is a putative new lyssavirus species, designated as Gannoruwa bat lyssavirus.

Air pollution and health in Sri Lanka: a review of epidemiologic studies

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sathiakumar Nalini

2010-06-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Air pollution is increasingly documented as a threat to public health in most developing countries. Evaluation of current air quality levels, regulatory standards and scientific literature on outdoor and indoor air pollution, and health effects are important to identify the burden, develop and implement interventions and to fill knowledge gaps in Sri Lanka. Methods PUBMED and Medline databases, local journals and conference proceedings were searched for epidemiologic studies pertaining to air pollution and health effects in Sri Lanka. All the studies pertaining to air pollution and health effects were considered. Results Sixteen studies investigated the association between exposure to ambient or indoor air pollution (IAP and various health outcomes ranging from respiratory symptoms, low birth weight and lung cancers. Of the sixteen, three used a case control design. Half of the studies collected exposure data only through questionnaires. There were positive associations between air pollution and adverse health effects in all studies. Methodological limitations in most of the studies resulted in poor quantification of risk estimates. Conclusion A limited number of epidemiological studies in Sri Lanka have investigated the health effects of air pollution. Based on findings of studies and reported air quality levels, air pollution may be considered a neglected public health problem in Sri Lanka.

Air pollution and health in Sri Lanka: a review of epidemiologic studies.

Science.gov (United States)

Nandasena, Yatagama Lokuge S; Wickremasinghe, Ananda R; Sathiakumar, Nalini

2010-06-02

Air pollution is increasingly documented as a threat to public health in most developing countries. Evaluation of current air quality levels, regulatory standards and scientific literature on outdoor and indoor air pollution, and health effects are important to identify the burden, develop and implement interventions and to fill knowledge gaps in Sri Lanka. PUBMED and Medline databases, local journals and conference proceedings were searched for epidemiologic studies pertaining to air pollution and health effects in Sri Lanka. All the studies pertaining to air pollution and health effects were considered. Sixteen studies investigated the association between exposure to ambient or indoor air pollution (IAP) and various health outcomes ranging from respiratory symptoms, low birth weight and lung cancers. Of the sixteen, three used a case control design. Half of the studies collected exposure data only through questionnaires. There were positive associations between air pollution and adverse health effects in all studies. Methodological limitations in most of the studies resulted in poor quantification of risk estimates. A limited number of epidemiological studies in Sri Lanka have investigated the health effects of air pollution. Based on findings of studies and reported air quality levels, air pollution may be considered a neglected public health problem in Sri Lanka.

Prospects for a wind pump industry in Sri Lanka

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fernando, S.

1991-01-01

Since 1977 considerable effort has been made in Sri Lanka to develop and disseminate wind pumping systems primarily in the small-scale agricultural sector in the island's dry zone. Through close cooperation with the Consultancy Services Wind Energy Developing Countries (CWD) in the Netherlands this programme has been successful in developing the necessary hardware but the broad objective of promoting wide spread use of wind pumping in Sri Lanka is yet to materialize. In analyzing probable reasons for this, the paper highlights that the basic arguments underlying the origin of the project in 1976, such as foreign exchange savings and local industrial development, became irrelevant to the post 1977 political and economic policies of the new government. Thus, the general economic framework adopted in Sri Lanka since 1977 does not seem to provide the necessary pre-conditions for development of a local industry for wind pumps. Due to this reason and the fact that kerosene oil used in conventional agriculturla pumps is subsidized, the ability of wind pumps to compete in the wind pump market seems highly constrained. It is concluded that under such conditions the prospects for the manufacturing and marketing of wind pumps on an industrial scale are not very favourable

Fibre Bragg grating encapted with no-core fibre sensors for SRI and temperature monitoring

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

S. Daud

2018-06-01

Full Text Available In this work, a Fibre Bragg grating (FBG encapted with no-core fibre (NCF as surrounding refractive index (SRI and temperature sensors are practically demonstrated. A FBG with 1550 nm wavelength was attached with 5 cm length of no-core fibre (NCF is used as SRI and temperature sensing probe. The change of temperature and SRI induced the wavelength shift in FBG. The wavelength shift in FBG reacts directly proportional to the temperature with a sensitivity of while the sensitivity of NCF was measured as 13.13 pm °C−1. Keywords: FBG, No-core fibre (NCF, Temperature, Sensor

Instrument evaluation no. 9. Mini-instruments dose rate meter type 5 - 1OR

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Iles, W.J.; Burgess, P.H.; Callowhill, K.

1977-04-01

This instrument is a portable, battery powered dose rate meter covering the dose rate range from 0 to 200 mrad h -1 . The instrument is designed to measure X- and γ-radiation dose rates over the energy range from 45 keV to 3 MeV. The radiation detector of the instrument is a GM tube with a specially designed energy compensation sheath. This detector is incorporated in a probe connected to the rate meter by an extensible cable which may be either hand-held or clipped on to the top of the instrument case. All the measurements in this report have been taken with the long axis of the probe normal to the direction of the incident radiation, the orientation recommended by the manufacturer. The information is given under the following headings: facilities and controls; radiation characteristics; electrical characteristics; effect of ambient temperature; mechanical characteristics; summary of performance; conclusions. (U.K.)

Mirror mounts designed for the Advanced Photon Source SRI-CAT

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shu, D.; Benson, C.; Chang, J.; Barraza, J.; Kuzay, T.M.; Alp, E.E.; Sturhahn, W.; Lai, B.; McNulty, I.; Randall, K.; Srajer, G.; Xu, Z.; Yun, W.

1997-01-01

Use of a mirror for beamlines at third-generation synchrotron radiation facilities, such as the Advanced Photon Source (APS) at Argonne National Laboratory, has many advantages. [Yun et al., Rev. Sci. Instrum. 67(9)(1996)CD-ROM] A mirror as a first optical component provides significant reduction in the beam peak heat flux and total power on the downstream monochromator and simplifies the bremsstrahlung shielding design for the beamline transport. It also allows us to have a system for multibeamline branching and switching. More generally, a mirror is used for beam focusing and/or low-pass filtering. Six different mirror mounts have been designed for the SRI-CAT beamlines. Four of them are designed as water-cooled mirrors for white or pink beam use, and the other two are for monochromatic beam use. Mirror mount designs, including vacuum vessel structure and precision supporting stages, are presented in this paper. copyright 1997 American Institute of Physics

Intercomparison of radiation protection instrumentation in a pulsed neutron field

CERN Document Server

Caresana, M; Esposito, A; Ferrarini, M; Golnik, N; Hohmann, E; Leuschner, A; Luszik-Bhadra, M; Manessi, G; Mayer, S; Ott, K; Röhrich, J; Silari, M; Trompier, F; Volnhals, M; Wielunski, M

2014-01-01

In the framework of the EURADOS working group 11, an intercomparison of active neutron survey meters was performed in a pulsed neutron field (PNF). The aim of the exercise was to evaluate the performances of various neutron instruments, including commercially available rem-counters, personal dosemeters and instrument prototypes. The measurements took place at the cyclotron of the Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin für Materialien und Energie GmbH. The cyclotron is routinely used for proton therapy of ocular tumours, but an experimental area is also available. For the therapy the machine accelerates protons to 68 MeV. The interaction of the proton beam with a thick tungsten target produces a neutron field with energy up to about 60 MeV. One interesting feature of the cyclotron is that the beam can be delivered in bursts, with the possibility to modify in a simple and flexible way the burst length and the ion current. Through this possibility one can obtain radiation bursts of variable duration and intensity. All instru...

Scaling-up Sustainable Aquaculture Development in Sri Lanka ...

International Development Research Centre (IDRC) Digital Library (Canada)

... of Sri Lanka is increasingly emphasizing aquaculture development as a means to foster ... Pilot interventions tested the effectiveness of mobile short text messaging to ... Building on this project, researchers will test three ways of scaling-up ...

Active Radiation Level Measurement on New Laboratory Instrument for Evaluating the Antibacterial Activity of Radioisotope

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Joh, Eunha; Park, Jang Guen

2014-01-01

A disc method has been widely used to measure the antibacterial effect of chemical agents. However, it is difficult to measure the antibacterial effect of radioisotopes using a disc method. A disc method is a method for diffusing a drug by placing the drug containing disc on the medium. In this method, radioisotopes are diffused on the medium and it is difficult to measure the exact effect by radiation. Thus, new laboratory equipment needs to evaluate the antibacterial activity by the radioisotopes. In this study, we measured the radiation level of radioisotopes on a new laboratory instrument using a MCNP. A disc method has been widely used to measure the antibacterial effect of chemical agents. This method uses a drug diffusion system for the measurement of anti-bacterial antibiotics. To measure the antimicrobial activity of a radioisotope, a new type of laboratory instrument is necessary to prevent the drug from spreading. The radioisotopes are used to diagnose and treat cancer. However, studies for anti-biotical use have not progressed. The radiation of radioisotopes has the effect of killing bacteria. Before this study proceeds further, it is necessary to be able to measure the antimicrobial activity of the radioisotope easily in the laboratory. However, in this study, it was possible to measure the antimicrobial activity of the radioisotope in the laboratory using a new laboratory instrument. We intend to start evaluation studies of the antibacterial activity of specific radioisotopes. In addition, it will be possible to develop research to overcome diseases caused by bacteria in the future

Active Radiation Level Measurement on New Laboratory Instrument for Evaluating the Antibacterial Activity of Radioisotope

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Joh, Eunha; Park, Jang Guen [Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute, Daejeon (Korea, Republic of)

2014-05-15

A disc method has been widely used to measure the antibacterial effect of chemical agents. However, it is difficult to measure the antibacterial effect of radioisotopes using a disc method. A disc method is a method for diffusing a drug by placing the drug containing disc on the medium. In this method, radioisotopes are diffused on the medium and it is difficult to measure the exact effect by radiation. Thus, new laboratory equipment needs to evaluate the antibacterial activity by the radioisotopes. In this study, we measured the radiation level of radioisotopes on a new laboratory instrument using a MCNP. A disc method has been widely used to measure the antibacterial effect of chemical agents. This method uses a drug diffusion system for the measurement of anti-bacterial antibiotics. To measure the antimicrobial activity of a radioisotope, a new type of laboratory instrument is necessary to prevent the drug from spreading. The radioisotopes are used to diagnose and treat cancer. However, studies for anti-biotical use have not progressed. The radiation of radioisotopes has the effect of killing bacteria. Before this study proceeds further, it is necessary to be able to measure the antimicrobial activity of the radioisotope easily in the laboratory. However, in this study, it was possible to measure the antimicrobial activity of the radioisotope in the laboratory using a new laboratory instrument. We intend to start evaluation studies of the antibacterial activity of specific radioisotopes. In addition, it will be possible to develop research to overcome diseases caused by bacteria in the future.

Measurements of radiation exposure on commercial aircraft with the LIULIN-3M instrument

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Stassinopoulos, E.G.; Stauffer, C.A.; Dachev, T.P.; Tomov, B.T.; Dimitrov, P.G.; Brucker, G.J.

1999-01-01

The LIULIN-3M evolved from an international cooperative project by a group of Bulgarian, Russian, German, and American scientists. The radiometer is a low power, small size, light weight, and low cost instrument composed of a solid state detector (SSD) with supporting electronics that enable it to operate as a pulse height analyzer of energy deposited in the detector, and to obtain from these measurements the total dose or the dose rate produced by charged particles. The instrument has also been used as a low-LET radiation spectrometer for measuring biological doses of potential human exposures. A flash memory allows self-storage of data during flights and post flight retrieval. Results will be presented and discussed. (author)

Global Observations of Aerosols and Clouds from Combined Lidar and Passive Instruments to Improve Radiation Budget and Climate Studies

Science.gov (United States)

Winker, David M.

1999-01-01

Current uncertainties in the effects of clouds and aerosols on the Earth radiation budget limit our understanding of the climate system and the potential for global climate change. Pathfinder Instruments for Cloud and Aerosol Spaceborne Observations - Climatologie Etendue des Nuages et des Aerosols (PICASSO-CENA) is a recently approved satellite mission within NASA's Earth System Science Pathfinder (ESSP) program which will address these uncertainties with a unique suite of active and passive instruments. The Lidar In-space Technology Experiment (LITE) demonstrated the potential benefits of space lidar for studies of clouds and aerosols. PICASSO-CENA builds on this experience with a payload consisting of a two-wavelength polarization-sensitive lidar, an oxygen A-band spectrometer (ABS), an imaging infrared radiometer (IIR), and a wide field camera (WFC). Data from these instruments will be used to measure the vertical distributions of aerosols and clouds in the atmosphere, as well as optical and physical properties of aerosols and clouds which influence the Earth radiation budget. PICASSO-CENA will be flown in formation with the PM satellite of the NASA Earth Observing System (EOS) to provide a comprehensive suite of coincident measurements of atmospheric state, aerosol and cloud optical properties, and radiative fluxes. The mission will address critical uncertainties iin the direct radiative forcing of aerosols and clouds as well as aerosol influences on cloud radiative properties and cloud-climate radiation feedbacks. PICASSO-CENA is planned for a three year mission, with a launch in early 2003. PICASSO-CENA is being developed within the framework of a collaboration between NASA and CNES.

Calibration of "Babyline" RP instruments

CERN Multimedia

2015-01-01

  If you have old RP instrumentation of the “Babyline” type, as shown in the photo, please contact the Radiation Protection Group (Joffrey Germa, 73171) to have the instrument checked and calibrated. Thank you. Radiation Protection Group

Assessment of System of Rice Intensification (SRI and Conventional Practices under Organic and Inorganic Management in Japan

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Tejendra CHAPAGAIN

2011-12-01

Full Text Available The system of rice intensification (SRI is a production system that involves the adoption of certain changes in management practices for rice cultivation that create a better growing environment for the crop. This system was compared with conventional practices and assessed under organic and inorganic management. SRI practices showed significant response in root number, number of effective tillers per hill, days to flowering and harvest index. In addition, SRI was found effective in minimizing pest and disease incidence, shortening the crop cycle, and improving plant stand. Grain yield was not different from conventional method. Except for harvest index and plant lodging percentage, there were no significant effects from management treatments. Synergistic responses were noted when SRI practices were combined with organic management for plant height, number of effective tillers per hill, days to flowering and to maturity. The improved panicle characteristics, lower plant lodging percentage and higher harvest index that ultimately led to comparable grain yields. Net returns increased approximately 1.5 times for SRI-organic management regardless of the added labor requirements for weed control. However, comparatively higher grain yield from conventional-inorganic methods underscore the need for further investigations in defining what constitutes an optimum set of practices for an SRI-organic system specifically addressing grain yield and weed management.

Evaluating musical instruments

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Campbell, D. Murray

2014-01-01

Scientific measurements of sound generation and radiation by musical instruments are surprisingly hard to correlate with the subtle and complex judgments of instrumental quality made by expert musicians

Rates and Psychological Effects of Exposure to Family Violence among Sri Lankan University Students

Science.gov (United States)

Haj-Yahia, Muhammad M.; de Zoysa, Piyanjli

2008-01-01

Objectives: The study had two objectives: to examine the rates of exposure to family violence among students in a non-Western society, with Sri Lanka as a case study and to examine the psychological effects of their exposure. Method: Four hundred seventy six medical students in Sri Lanka were surveyed. A self-administered questionnaire was…

How does the conflict influence the development and the situation of women in Trincomalee district, Sri Lanka?

OpenAIRE

Ariyarathne, Nisanka Sanjeewani

2009-01-01

Masteroppgave i development management- Universitetet i Agder 2009 In thirty years period conflict became as main actor in Sri Lankan socio economic and political back grounds. As the consequences of the conflict, Sri Lankan mainstreams had harmful damages. These damages directly affected to the development. North and Eastern province are most conflict affected regions in Sri Lanka. North was the first conflict affected region. Eastern is the totally different form when compari...

Coexistence of Trisomy 13 and SRY (-) XX Ovotesticular Disorder of Sex Development.

Science.gov (United States)

Ürel Demir, Gizem; Doğan, Özlem Akgün; Şimşek Kiper, Pelin Özlem; Utine, Gülen Eda; Boduroğlu, Koray; Gucer, Safak; Alikaşifoğlu, Mehmet

2017-12-01

Ovotesticular disorder of sex development (OT-DSD) is a rare disorder of sexual differentiation characterized by the presence of both testicular and ovarian tissue in an individual and the majority of cases have been reported with 46,XX karyotype. In 46,XX cases, testicular differentiation may occur due to the translocation of SRY to the X chromosome or to an autosome. Herein, we present a female newborn with a combination of trisomy 13 and SRY (-) XX OT-DSD. Trisomy 13 is a relatively common and well-known chromosomal disorder in which disorders of sexual differentiation are not frequent. In the absence of SRY, overexpression of pro-testis genes, or decreased expression of pro-ovarian/anti-testis genes have been suggested as underlying mechanisms of testicular formation. The findings in this patient were suggestive of an underlying genomic disorder associated with FGF9 and/or SPRY2.

Non-fatal self-poisoning in Sri Lanka: associated triggers and motivations.

Science.gov (United States)

Rajapakse, Thilini; Griffiths, Kathleen Margaret; Christensen, Helen; Cotton, Sue

2015-11-24

Attempted or non-fatal self-poisoning is common in Sri Lanka. To date, most preventive strategies have focused on limitation of access to toxic pesticides, which has reduced the rates of fatal self-poisoning. However the ongoing phenomenon of non-fatal self-poisoning indicates the need for exploration of alternate preventive strategies. Self-poisoning in Sri Lanka has been described as impulsive, with little premeditation, but the motivations associated with this act have not been studied in depth. This research describes the triggers and motivations associated with non-fatal self-poisoning in Sri Lanka. It is anticipated that the findings would help guide future preventive strategies. Two studies were carried out, at Teaching Hospital Peradeniya, Sri Lanka, each using a different methodology - Study 1 consisted of qualitative semi-structured interviews, and Study 2 was a cross sectional survey. Both studies were conducted among those who had recently attempted self-poisoning, and explored associated triggers and motivations associated with the act of self-poisoning. There was no overlap between participants of the two studies. A total of 24 persons participated in the semi-structured interviews (Study 1), and 921 took part in the cross-sectional survey (Study 2). Interpersonal conflict was the most common trigger prior to the act of non-fatal self-poisoning. A mixture of motivations was associated with the act of self-poisoning, including intent to die, to escape, and difficulty tolerating distress associated with interpersonal conflict. Development of interpersonal skills and interpersonal problem solving skills, particularly in adolescents and young people, emerges as a key primary preventive strategy. Further, there is value in exploring and helping people to develop more adaptive strategies to cope with emotional distress associated with interpersonal conflict. While distress tolerance and interpersonal skill training strategies used in the West may be

Twelve Years of Rabies Surveillance in Sri Lanka, 1999–2010

Science.gov (United States)

Karunanayake, Dushantha; Matsumoto, Takashi; Wimalaratne, Omala; Nanayakkara, Susilakanthi; Perera, Devika; Nishizono, Akira; Ahmed, Kamruddin

2014-01-01

Background Rabies is endemic in Sri Lanka, but little is known about the temporal and spatial trends of rabies in this country. Knowing these trends may provide insight into past control efforts and serve as the basis for future control measures. In this study, we analyzed distribution of rabies in humans and animals over a period of 12 years in Sri Lanka. Methods Accumulated data from 1999 through 2010 compiled by the Department of Rabies Diagnosis and Research, Medical Research Institute (MRI), Colombo, were used in this study. Results The yearly mean percentage of rabies-positive sample was 62.4% (47.6–75.9%). Three-fourths of the rabies-positive samples were from the Colombo, Gampaha, and Kalutara districts in Western province, followed by Galle in Southern province. A high percentage of the rabies samples were from dogs (85.2%), followed by cats (7.9%), humans (3.8%), wild animals (2.0%), and livestock (1.1%). Among wild animals, mongooses were the main victims followed by civets. The number of suspect human rabies cases decreased gradually in Sri Lanka, although the number of human samples submitted for laboratory confirmation increased. Conclusions The number of rabid dogs has remained relatively unchanged, but the number of suspect human rabies is decreasing gradually in Sri Lanka. These findings indicate successful use of postexposure prophylaxis (PEP) by animal bite victims and increased rabies awareness. PEP is free of charge and is supplied through government hospitals by the Ministry of Health, Sri Lanka. Our survey shows that most positive samples were received from Western and Southern provinces, possibly because of the ease of transporting samples to the laboratory. Submissions of wild animal and livestock samples should be increased by creating more awareness among the public. Better rabies surveillance will require introduction of molecular methods for detection and the establishment of more regional rabies diagnostic laboratories. PMID:25299511

Climate change impacts on biodiversity and ecosystems in Sri Lanka: a review

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jeevan Dananjaya Kottawa-Arachchi

2017-10-01

Full Text Available The climate change impacts are felt by all facets and sectors of ecosystems, covering flora, fauna and environment. Sri Lanka is considered as a vulnerable, small island country that is under serious threat from climate change impacts. The most profound impacts of climate change in Sri Lanka will be on agriculture and food security, water and coastal resources, biodiversity changes, and human health. Sri Lanka's biodiversity is significantly important both on a regional and global scale as it has the highest species density for flowering plants, amphibians, reptiles, and mammals. Sri Lanka's varied ecosystems provide many services that are of significant economic value and play a crucial role in providing goods and ecosystem services. The subsequent sections featuring specific aspects of biodiversity in forests, freshwater wetlands, coastal and marine systems and agricultural systems, provide greater detail on the ecosystem services and bio-resources. Habitat loss and fragmentation, invasive alien species, deforestation and forest degradation, development projects, environmental pollutions and climate change (global warming are the major threats to the biodiversity of the country. Climate change impacts on environment lead to a reduction in the distribution and abundance of species, especially endemics, which may even result in their global extinction. The introduction of various policies and guidelines in relation to environment is a good sign for conservation of ecosystems and biodiversity. The government of Sri Lanka has been implementing various environmental projects aiming at reducing deforestation and degradation of ecosystems. Policies and measures already developed under such initiatives will no doubt preserve natural habitats for plant and animal species. However, being a developing country with many economic challenges, the funds and expertise available for monitoring climate change impacts and biodiversity conservation are not

Iron deficiency anaemia in Sri Lanka

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Liyanage, K.D.C.E.

1992-01-01

The commonest cause of nutritional anaemia in the Sri Lankan population is iron deficiency. The diets of the population belonging to the lower socio-economic groups contain little food of animal origin. Thus, their diets are deficient in easily absorbable (haem) iron; and are also heavily cereal-based. Therefore interference in the absorption of dietary iron also occurs. Iron-deficiency anaemia is not restricted to the so-called ''vulnerable groups'' in Sri Lanka, however, their greater demands make the problem not only commoner but also more severe. Among pregnant and lactating women anaemia is often associated with folate deficiency. It must also be noted that the low availability of dietary iron is compounded in large population groups. Malaria, presently raging on an epidemic scale is also a major contributory factor to the incidence of anaemia. The purpose of this study was to examine the iron status of pre-school children and pregnant women; to establish normal levels of biochemical indices at different trimesters; to record the effect of iron supplementation during pregnancy; and to record the bioavailability of iron from weaning foods and common adult diets. 6 figs, 14 tabs

Tropospheric Aerosol Radiative Forcing Observational eXperiment - University of Washington instrumented C-131A aircraft Data Set

Data.gov (United States)

National Aeronautics and Space Administration — TARFOX_UWC131A is the Tropospheric Aerosol Radiative Forcing Observational eXperiment (TARFOX) - University of Washington instrumented C-131A aircraft data set. The...

Smart instrumentation development at Los Alamos

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Erkkila, B.

1984-01-01

For several years Los Alamos has incorporated microprocessors into instruments to expand the capability of portable survey type equipment. Beginning with portable pulse height analyzers, the developments have expanded to small dedicated instruments which handle the measurement and interpretation of various radiation fields. So far, instruments to measure gamma rays, neutrons, and beta particles have been produced. The computer capability built into these instruments provides significant computational power into the instruments. Capability unheard of a few years ago in small portable instruments is routine today. Large computer-based laboratory measurement systems which required much space and electrical power can now be incorporated in a portable hand-held instrument. The microprocessor developments at Los Alamos are now restricted to radiation monitoring equipment but can be expanded to chemical and biological applications as well. Applications for radiation monitoring equipment and others are discussed

Research in radiation monitoring survey instrumentation. Final report

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Blalock, T.V.; Kennedy, E.J.; Phillips, R.G.; Walker, E.W. Jr.

1978-01-01

Two low-power solid-state prototype readout units were developed, an LED display and a LCD display. This display output was in a bar-graph format, covering four-decades of information, with 10-segments per decade. The displays accept a frequency input, which is standardly available from several portable radiation-survey instruments. Both readout units will operate on two D-cell batteries (3.0 Volt), with a typical current drain requirement of 0.3 MA for the LED display and 30μA for the LCD display. A wide-range electrometer circuit was also developed. The circuit covers an input current range from 10 -13 A to 10 -8 A. The output signal is a pulse whose frequency is directly proportional to input current. The circuit requires no high-megohm resistors, and is autoranging. Several candidate input amplifiers were analyzed and evaluated for use with the electrometer circuit

Bank Finance For Small And Medium-Sized Enterprises In Sri Lanka: Issues And Policy Reforms

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Gamage Pandula

2015-08-01

Full Text Available Access to bank finance is necessary to create an economic environment that enables Small and Medium-sized enterprises (SMEs to grow and prosper. The SMEs in Sri Lanka, however, face significant constraints to access bank finance. The purpose of this paper is to investigate the access to bank finance and related issues in the SME sector of Sri Lanka. The paper is exploratory in nature and reviews the bank financing situation for SMEs in Sri Lanka, as well as provides an overview of constraints faced by the banks (supply-side and SMEs (demand-side. The paper also highlights some good practices in SME lending from international experience and outlines some recommendations to help overcome the constraints faced by the banks and SMEs. The recommendations discussed in this paper may be of importance to policymakers, not only in Sri Lanka, but in many other developing countries in a similar stage of economic growth.

Solar radiation data - statistical analysis and simulation models

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Mustacchi, C; Cena, V; Rocchi, M; Haghigat, F

1984-01-01

The activities consisted in collecting meteorological data on magnetic tape for ten european locations (with latitudes ranging from 42/sup 0/ to 56/sup 0/ N), analysing the multi-year sequences, developing mathematical models to generate synthetic sequences having the same statistical properties of the original data sets, and producing one or more Short Reference Years (SRY's) for each location. The meteorological parameters examinated were (for all the locations) global + diffuse radiation on horizontal surface, dry bulb temperature, sunshine duration. For some of the locations additional parameters were available, namely, global, beam and diffuse radiation on surfaces other than horizontal, wet bulb temperature, wind velocity, cloud type, cloud cover. The statistical properties investigated were mean, variance, autocorrelation, crosscorrelation with selected parameters, probability density function. For all the meteorological parameters, various mathematical models were built: linear regression, stochastic models of the AR and the DAR type. In each case, the model with the best statistical behaviour was selected for the production of a SRY for the relevant parameter/location.

Chikungunya as a cause of acute febrile illness in southern Sri Lanka.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Megan E Reller

Full Text Available Chikungunya virus (CHIKV re-emerged in Sri Lanka in late 2006 after a 40-year hiatus. We sought to identify and characterize acute chikungunya infection (CHIK in patients presenting with acute undifferentiated febrile illness in unstudied rural and semi-urban southern Sri Lanka in 2007.We enrolled febrile patients ≥ 2 years of age, collected uniform epidemiologic and clinical data, and obtained serum samples for serology, virus isolation, and real-time reverse-transcriptase PCR (RT-PCR. Serology on paired acute and convalescent samples identified acute chikungunya infection in 3.5% (28/797 patients without acute dengue virus (DENV infection, 64.3% (18/28 of which were confirmed by viral isolation and/or real-time RT-PCR. No CHIKV/DENV co-infections were detected among 54 patients with confirmed acute DENV. Sequencing of the E1 coding region of six temporally distinct CHIKV isolates (April through October 2007 showed that all isolates posessed the E1-226A residue and were most closely related to Sri Lankan and Indian isolates from the same time period. Except for more frequent and persistent musculoskeletal symptoms, acute chikungunya infections mimicked DENV and other acute febrile illnesses. Only 12/797 (1.5% patients had serological evidence of past chikungunya infection.Our findings suggest CHIKV is a prominent cause of non-specific acute febrile illness in southern Sri Lanka.

Applying real-time quantitative PCR to diagnosis of freemartin in Holstein cattle by quantifying SRY gene: a comparison experiment

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Qinghua Qiu

2018-04-01

Full Text Available Background Freemartinism generally occurs in female offspring of dizygotic twins in a mixed-sex pregnancy. Most bovine heterosexual twin females are freemartins. However, about 10% of bovine heterosexual twin females are fertile. Farmers mostly cull bovine fertile heterosexual twin females due to the lack of a practical diagnostic approach. Culling of such animals results in economic and genetic-material losses both for dairy and beef industry. Methods In this study, a comparative test, including qualitative detection of SRY gene by polymerase chain reaction (PCR, quantitative detection of relative content of SRY by real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR, and quantitative detection of H-Y antigen, was performed to establish the most accurate diagnosis for freemartin. Twelve Holstein heterosexual twin females were used in this study, while three normal Holstein bulls and three normal Holstein cows were used as a positive and negative control, respectively. Results Polymerase chain reaction results revealed that SRY gene were absent in three heterosexual twin females and only two of them were verified as fertile in later age. The qPCR results showed that relative content of SRY was more than 14.2% in freemartins and below 0.41% in fertile heterosexual twin females. The H-Y antigen test showed no significant numerical difference between freemartin and fertile heterosexual twin female. Discussion Our results show that relative content of SRY quantified by qPCR is a better detection method for diagnosis of freemartin in Holstein cattle as compare to qualitative detection of SRY gene by PCR or quantitative detection of H-Y antigen. To the authors’ knowledge, this is the first time we applied qPCR to diagnosing freemartin by quantifying SRY gene and got relative SRY content of each freemartin and fertile heterosexual twin female. We concluded that low-level of SRY would not influence fertility of bovine heterosexual twin female.

Mutations of the SRY-responsive enhancer of SOX9 are uncommon in XY gonadal dysgenesis.

Science.gov (United States)

Georg, I; Bagheri-Fam, S; Knower, K C; Wieacker, P; Scherer, Gerd; Harley, V R

2010-01-01

During mouse sex determination, SRY upregulates the core testis-specific enhancer of Sox9, TESCO. Mutations in human SRY are found in one third of cases with XY pure gonadal dysgenesis (XY GD; Swyer syndrome), while two thirds remain unexplained. Heterozygous SOX9 mutations can cause XY GD in association with the skeletal malformation syndrome campomelic dysplasia. We hypothesized that human TESCO mutations could cause isolated XY GD. Sixty-six XY GD cases with an intact SRY were analyzed for TESCO point mutations or deletions. No mutations were identified. We conclude that TESCO mutations are not a common cause of XY GD. Copyright © 2010 S. Karger AG, Basel.

Stabilising a victor's peace? Humanitarian action and reconstruction in eastern Sri Lanka.

Science.gov (United States)

Goodhand, Jonathan

2010-10-01

This paper focuses on the 'Sri Lankan model' of counter-insurgency and stabilisation and its implications for humanitarian and development actors. The Sri Lanka case shows that discourses, policies and practices associated with 'stabilisation' are not confined to 'fragile state' contexts in which there is heavy (and often militarised) international engagement--even though exemplars such as Afghanistan and Iraq have tended to dominate debates on this issue. Rather than being a single template, the 'stabilisation agenda' takes on very different guises in different contexts, presenting quite specific challenges to humanitarian and development actors. This is particularly true in settings like Sri Lanka, where there is a strong state, which seeks to make aid 'coherent' with its own vision of a militarily imposed political settlement. Working in such environments involves navigating a highly-charged domestic political arena, shaped by concerns about sovereignty, nationalism and struggles for legitimacy. © 2010 The Author(s). Journal compilation © Overseas Development Institute, 2010.

70-kDa Heat Shock Cognate Protein hsc70 Mediates Calmodulin-dependent Nuclear Import of the Sex-determining Factor SRY*

Science.gov (United States)

Kaur, Gurpreet; Lieu, Kim G.; Jans, David A.

2013-01-01

We recently showed that the developmentally important family of SOX (SRY (sex determining region on the Y chromosome)-related high mobility group (HMG) box) proteins require the calcium-binding protein calmodulin (CaM) for optimal nuclear accumulation, with clinical mutations in SRY that specifically impair nuclear accumulation via this pathway resulting in XY sex reversal. However, the mechanism by which CaM facilitates nuclear accumulation is unknown. Here, we show, for the first time, that the 70-kDa heat shock cognate protein hsc70 plays a key role in CaM-dependent nuclear import of SRY. Using a reconstituted nuclear import assay, we show that antibodies to hsc70 significantly reduce nuclear accumulation of wild type SRY and mutant derivatives thereof that retain CaM-dependent nuclear import, with an increased rate of nuclear accumulation upon addition of both CaM and hsc70, in contrast to an SRY mutant derivative with impaired CaM binding. siRNA knockdown of hsc70 in intact cells showed similar results, indicating clear dependence upon hsc70 for CaM-dependent nuclear import. Analysis using the technique of fluorescence recovery after photobleaching indicated that hsc70 is required for the maximal rate of SRY nuclear import in living cells but has no impact upon SRY nuclear retention/nuclear dynamics. Finally, we demonstrate direct binding of hsc70 to the SRY·CaM complex, with immunoprecipitation experiments from cell extracts showing association of hsc70 with wild type SRY, but not with a mutant derivative with impaired CaM binding, dependent on Ca2+. Our novel findings strongly implicate hsc70 in CaM-dependent nuclear import of SRY. PMID:23235156

Instrumentation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Decreton, M.

2000-01-01

SCK-CEN's research and development programme on instrumentation aims at evaluating the potentials of new instrumentation technologies under the severe constraints of a nuclear application. It focuses on the tolerance of sensors to high radiation doses, including optical fibre sensors, and on the related intelligent data processing needed to cope with the nuclear constraints. Main achievements in these domains in 1999 are summarised

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International Development Research Centre (IDRC) Digital Library (Canada)

Harnessing big data to meet the Sustainable Development Goals – Building capacity in the ... and facilitate development in sectors such as health, urban development, ... North and Central America, South America, Mexico, Rwanda, Sri Lanka.

Medical support to Sri Lanka in the wake of tsunamis: planning considerations and lessons learned.

Science.gov (United States)

Lane, David A

2006-10-01

When massive tsunamis affected the coast of Sri Lanka and other Indian Ocean littorals, elements of the Third Force Service Support Group and assigned Navy, Air Force, Army, and Coast Guard units from the U.S. Pacific Command were "task organized" to form Combined Support Group-Sri Lanka (CSG-SL), charged to conduct humanitarian assistance/disaster relief (HA/DR) operations. The specific mission was to provide immediate relief to the affected population of Sri Lanka and the Maldives, to minimize loss of life, and to mitigate human suffering. A 30-person health care team deployed to the northern province of Jaffna and provided medical assistance to that chronically underserved and acutely overstressed region. For a 12-day period, the team served as the principal medical staff of an under-resourced government hospital and conducted mobile primary care clinics at nearby welfare camps housing > 7,000 internally displaced persons made homeless by the tsunamis. By every measurable standard, CSG-SL accomplished its assigned HA/DR task in Sri Lanka, including the medical mission. In doing so, the medical team learned many important lessons, including five of particular value to planners of similar relief operations in the future. This article discusses the context in which CSG-SL planned and executed the medical aspects of its HA/DR operations in Sri Lanka, and it describes the most significant medical lessons learned.

Risk factors for acute pesticide poisoning in Sri Lanka

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

van der Hoek, Wim; Konradsen, Flemming

2005-01-01

This report describes the characteristics of patients with acute pesticide poisoning in a rural area of Sri Lanka and, for intentional self-poisoning cases, explores the relative importance of the different determinants. Data were collected for 239 acute pesticide-poisoning cases, which were...... admitted to two rural hospitals in Sri Lanka. Sociodemographic characteristics, negative life events and agricultural practices of the intentional self-poisoning cases were compared with a control group. Most cases occurred among young adults and the large majority (84%) was because of intentional self-poisoning....... Case fatality was 18% with extremely high case fatality for poisoning with the insecticide endosulfan and the herbicide paraquat. Cases were generally younger than controls, of lower educational status and were more often unemployed. No agricultural risk factors were found but a family history...

The Effective Use of Elements of National Power in Counterinsurgency: A Study on the Lessons from Sri Lanka 1983-2004 and 2005-2009

Science.gov (United States)

2011-06-10

book by Asoka Bandarage titled, The Separatist Conflict in Sri Lanka: Terrorism, Ethnicity, Political Economy examined the conflict in Sri Lanka...population, including the Tamil Diaspora, 23 Asoka Bandarage, The Separatist Conflict in Sri Lanka...Books Bandarage, Asoka . The Separatist Conflict in Sri Lanka: Terrorism, Ethnicity, Political Economy. New York: IUniverse, Inc., 2009. Books LLC

Developing government policies for distance education: Lessons learnt from two Sri Lankan case studies

Science.gov (United States)

Liyanagunawardena, Tharindu Rekha; Adams, Andrew A.; Rassool, Naz; Williams, Shirley A.

2014-12-01

Education, especially higher education, is considered vital for maintaining national and individual competitiveness in the global knowledge economy. Following the introduction of its "Free Education Policy" as early as 1947, Sri Lanka is now the best performer in basic education in the South Asian region, with a remarkable record in terms of high literacy rates and the achievement of universal primary education. However, access to tertiary education is a bottleneck, due to an acute shortage of university places. In an attempt to address this problem, the government of Sri Lanka has invested heavily in information and communications technologies (ICTs) for distance education. Although this has resulted in some improvement, the authors of this article identify several barriers which are still impeding successful participation for the majority of Sri Lankans wanting to study at tertiary level. These impediments include the lack of infrastructure/resources, low English language proficiency, weak digital literacy, poor quality of materials and insufficient provision of student support. In the hope that future implementations of ICT-enabled education programmes can avoid repeating the mistakes identified by their research in this Sri Lankan case, the authors conclude their paper with a list of suggested policy options.

Sri Lanka: Background and U.S. Relations

Science.gov (United States)

2009-06-04

account for about four-fifths of the country’s exports, including garments , textiles, gems, as well as agricultural goods. Tourism and repatriated...May 28, 2009. Sri Lanka: Background and U.S. Relations Congressional Research Service 13 reform and privatization of state-owned industries in...port facilities in Gwadar, Pakistan; Chittagong, Bangladesh ; and Sittwe, Burma.75 Colombo was also

Instrumentation

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Decreton, M

2000-07-01

SCK-CEN's research and development programme on instrumentation aims at evaluating the potentials of new instrumentation technologies under the severe constraints of a nuclear application. It focuses on the tolerance of sensors to high radiation doses, including optical fibre sensors, and on the related intelligent data processing needed to cope with the nuclear constraints. Main achievements in these domains in 1999 are summarised.

Sri Lanka drops leading condom.

Science.gov (United States)

1984-01-01

Sri Lanka's Family Planning Association has stopped selling its Preethi Regular condom, the backbone of its social marketing program for nearly a decade. Last year nearly 7 times as many Preethi condoms were sold as all other brands combined. The decision was reported to be caused by budget constraints following the International Planned Parenthood Federation's (IPPF) new policy of limiting the number of Preethi Regular condoms supplied to Sri Lanka. IPPF's Asian Regional Officer reported that the Preethi condom is a costly product, and that as many as needed of a US Agency for International Development (USAID) supplied product will be sent to Sri Lanka. The Contraceptive Retail Sales (CRS) program has devised a new sales strategy, based partly on the introduction of a high-priced condom to fill the gap left by the discontinuation of the Preethi Regular. The new Preethi Gold condom is expected to help the project become more financially self-reliant while taing advantage of Preethi's marketplace popularity. Preethi Gold is manufactured by the Malaysia Rubber Company and costs the project US $4.85/gross. It is sold for US $.14 for 3, about 3 times the price of a Preethi Regular. The project is also pushing the Panther condom, donated to IPPF by USAID. 2 Panther condoms sell for about 3.6U, about the cost of Preethi Regulars. The project also sells Moonbeam, Rough Rider, and Stimula condoms, the latter 2 at full commercial prices. A smooth transfer of demand from Preethi to Panther had been desired, but by the end of 1983 some retailers were hesitating to make the product switch because some Preethi Regulars were still available. Total condom sales in 1983 were down by nearly 590,000 from the approximately 6,860,000 sold in 1982. Total condom sales for the 1st quarter of 1984 were slightly over 1,218,000 pieces, compared to about 1,547,000 for the same quarter in 1983, a decline of 21%. The Family Planning Association is gearing up to reverse the downward trend

The delaying effect of stigma on mental health help‐seeking in Sri Lanka

OpenAIRE

Fernando, Sunera M.; Deane, Frank P.; McLeod, Hamish J.

2017-01-01

Background: Mental health stigma has been associated with delays in seeking treatment.\\ud Aims: To describe perceived stigma experienced by patients and carers in Sri Lanka and to determine the effects of stigma on help‐seeking delay.\\ud Methods: Survey of outpatients and family carers (n = 118 dyads) attending two psychiatric hospitals in Sri Lanka, using the Disclosure and Discrimination subscales of the Stigma Scale.\\ud Results: Stigma was positively related to help‐seeking delay for carer...

Scrub Typhus among Pediatric Patients in Dambadeniya:A Base Hospital in Sri Lanka

OpenAIRE

De Silva, Nalika; Wijesundara, Sarojini; Liyanapathirana, Veranja; Thevanesam, Vasanthi; Stenos, John

2012-01-01

Data on pediatric scrub typhus is uncommon in Sri Lanka and other countries. The objective of this study was to identify the clinical features of patients with scrub typhus at a Base Hospital in Sri Lanka. Sixty patients presenting with suspected scrub typhus were included in the study. Their blood samples were tested for the presence of antibodies against rickettsioses using the reference method. Twenty patients had confirmed scrub typhus and 24 had possible scrub typhus. Their clinical feat...

Temporal variation of microbiological and chemical quality of noncarbonated bottled drinking water sold in Sri Lanka.

Science.gov (United States)

Herath, A T; Abayasekara, C L; Chandrajith, Rohana; Adikaram, N K B

2012-03-01

Use of bottled water in Sri Lanka has increased over the last decade, while new brands of bottled water are often introduced to the market. However, the manufacturers' adherence to bottled water regulations is questionable, raising concerns regarding the quality of bottled water. The objective of the current study was to investigate the microbiological and chemical quality of bottled water in Sri Lanka. Thirty bottled water brands were sampled and their chemical and microbiological parameters were analyzed. Microbiological analysis was carried out within 1 to 3, 3 to 6, 6 to 9, and 9 to 12 mo after the date of manufacture. The results indicated that 63% of brands tested exceeded the levels permitted by the Sri Lanka Standards Institution (SLSI) for presumptive total coliforms (TC) (ammonia. The results of this study show the need for the bottling industry to be monitored closely by relevant authorities, in order to provide safe bottled drinking water to consumers in Sri Lanka. © 2012 Institute of Food Technologists®

An Approach to assess the Urban Management Performance of Municipalities in Sri Lanka

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Gayani Ranasinghe

2016-01-01

Full Text Available Urbanization tends bring out a number of problems, such as inadequate housing and urban services, increase land prices and construction costs, propagation of slums, pollution and deterioration of the urban environment. Currently, spatial development activities focusing on major cities of Sri Lanka are demanding urban infrastructure and services where municipalities are facing challenges on provision of the infrastructure and proper urban management too. This study seeks to identify the relevant criteria, indicators and a method for assessing the urban management performance of municipalities in Sri Lanka since specific measurement criteria and related indicators are not yet identified to evaluate urban management by the central government or local government levels. Based on Literature review, five criteria and 25 indicators were selected considering their applicability for the context of Sri Lanka. The Full Permutation Polygon Synthetic Indicator Method (FPPSI was applied to synthesize indicators and the Synthetic indicator has been used to show the performance of each criterion in terms of urban service delivery. Colombo Municipal Council (CMC, Sri Jayawardenapura Kotte Municipal Council (SJKMC and Moratuwa Municipal Council (MMC have been selected as the case studies for this research. Although selected cases are within Colombo Metropolitan Region, none of the municipalities were achieved the “High” or “Very High” level of synthetic indicator (SR>= 0.50 that shows the standard of municipal service delivery of Sri Lanka as a whole. This research lays the platform to evaluate the functional performance of Municipal Councils to guide the future scenario and to make decisions at the grass root level for managing the urbanization related issues in the country. Also this research helps the government to know the current trends of development impact and to take necessary policy level decisions to guide the economic growth in a correct

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Involuntary resettlement: A cross-country study on urban inequality and poverty ... INDIA, Poverty, SOUTH ASIA, SRI LANKA, SOCIAL CONFLICTS, Gender ... LOW INCOME GROUPS, WOMEN, RESEARCH CAPACITY, Social Policy, POLICY ...

Laboratory for Calibration of Gamma Radiation Measurement Instruments (LabCal) of Institute of Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear Defense (IDQBRN) from Brazilian Army Technology Center (CTEx)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Amorim, Aneuri de; Balthar, Mario Cesar V.; Santos, Avelino; Vilela, Paulo Ricardo T. de; Oliveira, Luciano Santa Rita; Penha, Paulo Eduardo C. de Oliveira; Gonzaga, Roberto Neves; Andrade, Edson Ramos de; Oliveira, Celio Jorge Vasques de; Fagundes, Luiz Cesar S.

2016-01-01

This paper describes the calibration laboratory deployment steps (LABCAL) gamma ionizing radiation measuring instruments in the Army Technology Center, CTEx. Initially the calibration of radiation monitors will be held in the dosimetric quantity air kerma and operational quantity ambient dose equivalent H*(d). The LABCAL / CTEx has not yet authorized by CASEC / CNEN. This laboratory aims to calibrate the ionizing radiation instruments used by the Brazilian Army. (author)

How Old Is Old? Employing Elderly Teachers in the Private Sector Schools in Sri Lanka

Science.gov (United States)

Madhuwanthi, L. A. P.

2016-01-01

The purpose of this paper is to explore why private sector schools in Sri Lanka employ elderly teachers (ETs). This paper used semi-structured in-depth interviews with 9 employers/principals in the private sector schools in Sri Lanka. The study found that the reasons for employing ETs in the private sector schools were shortfall of English medium…

In Pursuit of 1 Sri Lanka: Lessons from a Malaysian Counterpart

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Salma Yusuf

2013-10-01

Full Text Available La búsqueda de la unidad nacional se ha convertido en un desafío para el liderazgo de sucesivos gobernantes tanto en Malasia como en Sri Lanka. Mientras ambos países presentan notables diferencias tanto en sus contextos como en sus orígenes históricos, existen igualmente grandes parecidos. Lo que sigue es un artículo basado en el estudio de dos países llevado a cabo por el autor con el fin de analizar y explorar el Programa "1 Malasia" lanzado en el 2009 tras la elección del primer ministro de Malasia, Tun Najib Razak durante su primer mandato. La autora pasó dos semanas en la Fundación "1 Malasia" en Malasia durante el verano del 2012 para estudiar las facetas del programa que había sido formulado con la intención de resolver las tensiones étnicas que llevan afectando a Malasia desde su acceso a la independencia (Merdeka. El propósito de esta búsqueda es triple: primero, identificar y extraer aquellos aspectos del Programa "1 Malasia" relevantes para el contexto de Sri Lanka para poder así formular un potencial Programa "1 Sri Lanka" que tenga en cuenta las variables en juego. Segundo, el artículo busca criticar el marco ya existente del Programa "1 Malasia" ofreciendo recomendaciones para las mejoras pertinentes. Tercero, iniciar un diálogo y deliberaciones sobre el rico aprendizaje y el intercambio que se pueden cultivar entre los dos países ofreciendo un marco para la cooperación bilateral entre los gobiernos de Malasia y Sri Lanka.

Coagulopthy, acute kidney injury and death following Hypnale zara envenoming: the first case report from Sri Lanka.

Science.gov (United States)

Maduwage, Kalana; Kularatne, Keerthi; Wazil, Abdul; Gawarammana, Indika

2011-12-01

Snakebite is a major medical problem in developing Asia. Hump-nosed pit viper (Genus Hypnale) causes the most number of snakebites with significant morbidity and mortality in Sri Lanka. Even though there are three species (Hypnale hypnale, Hypnale zara and Hypnale nepa) in Sri Lanka there are few published literature on species-specific clinico-epidemiological data. This report describes an authenticated fatal case of a 47 years old male due to coagulopthy and acute kidney injury following envenoming by H. zara in Sri Lanka. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Radiation protection instruments based on tissue equivalent proportional counters: Part II of an international intercomparison

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Alberts, W.G.; Dietz, E.; Guldbakke, S.; Kluge, H.; Schumacher, H.

1988-04-01

This report describes the irradiation conditions and procedures of Part II of an international intercomparison of tissue-equivalent proportional counters used for radiation protection measurements. The irradiations took place in monoenergetic reference neutron fields produced by the research reactor and accelerator facilities of the PTB Braunschweig in the range from thermal neutrons to 14.8 MeV. In addition measurements were performed in 60 Co and D 2 O-moderated 252 Cf radiation fields. Prototype instruments from 7 European groups were investigated. The results of the measurements are summarized and compared with the reference data of the irradiations. (orig.) [de

A summary of the performance of exposure rate and dose rate instruments contained in instrument evaluation reports NRPB-IE1 to NRPB-IE13

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Burgess, P.H.; Iles, W.J.

1979-06-01

The various radiations encountered in radiological protection cover a wide range of energies and radiation measurements have to be carried out under an equally broad spectrum of environmental conditions. This report is one of a series intended to give information on the performance characteristics of radiological protection instruments, to assist in the selection of appropriate instruments for a given purpose, to interpret the results obtained with such instruments, and, in particular, to know the likely sources and magnitude of errors that might be associated with measurements in the field. The radiation, electrical and environmental characteristics of radiation protection instruments are considered together with those aspects of the construction which make an instrument convenient for routine use. To provide consistent criteria for instrument performance, the range of tests performed on any particular class of instrument, the test methods and the criteria of acceptable performance are based broadly on the appropriate Recommendations of the International Electrotechnical Commission. The radiations in the tests are, in general, selected from the range of reference radiations for instrument calibration being drawn up by the International Standards Organisation. Normally, each report deals with the capabilities and limitations of one model of instrument and no direct comparison with other instruments intended for similar purposes is made, since the significance of particular performance characteristics largely depends on the radiations and environmental conditions in which the instrument is to be used. The results quoted here have all been obtained from tests on instruments in routine production, with the appropriate measurements being made by the NRPB. This report provides a concise summary of measurements of the more important performance characteristics of radiation protection dose rate or exposure rate survey instruments which have been assessed by NRPB as part

Mobile technology detects, prevents disease outbreaks in Sri Lanka ...

International Development Research Centre (IDRC) Digital Library (Canada)

2016-05-02

May 2, 2016 ... Researchers used innovative ways to reduce the spread of ... the role of their veterinarians into areas such as antibiotic resistance and farm practices. ... with Sri Lanka's Ministry of Livestock and Rural Development and the ...

Instrumentation for Nuclear Applications

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1998-01-01

The objective of this project was to develop and coordinate nuclear instrumentation standards with resulting economies for the nuclear and radiation fields. There was particular emphasis on coordination and management of the Nuclear Instrument Module (NIM) System, U.S. activity involving the CAMAC international standard dataway system, the FASTBUS modular high-speed data acquisition and control system and processing and management of national nuclear instrumentation and detector standards, as well as a modest amount of assistance and consultation services to the Pollutant Characterization and Safety Research Division of the Office of Health and Environmental Research. The principal accomplishments were the development and maintenance of the NIM instrumentation system that is the predominant instrumentation system in the nuclear and radiation fields worldwide, the CAMAC digital interface system in coordination with the ESONE Committee of European Laboratories, the FASTBUS high-speed system and numerous national and international nuclear instrumentation standards

Entanglements of Politics and Education in Sri Lanka

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Sørensen, Birgitte Refslund

2011-01-01

In this article I argue that in Sri Lanka the field of education has been a constant and significant element in the relationship between population and politicians, and it plays an important role in most people's experiences and understandings of politics, just as it affects their own political...

Selenium and iodine in soil, rice and drinking water in relation to endemic goitre in Sri Lanka

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fordyce, F.M.; Johnson, C.C.; Appleton, J.D.; Navaratna, U.R.B.; Dissanayake, C.B.

2000-01-01

Endemic goitre has been reported in the climatic wet zone of south-west Sri Lanka for the past 50 years, but rarely occurs in the northern dry zone. Despite government-sponsored iodised salt programmes, endemic goitre is still prevalent. In recent years, it has been suggested that Se deficiency may be an important factor in the onset of goitre and other iodine deficiency disorders (IDD). Prior to the present study, environmental concentrations of Se in Sri Lanka and the possible relationships between Se deficiency and endemic goitre had not been investigated. During the present study, chemical differences in the environment (measured in soil, rice and drinking water) and the Se-status of the human population (demonstrated by hair samples from women) were determined for 15 villages. The villages were characterised by low ( 25%) goitre incidence (NIDD, MIDD and HIDD, respectively). Results show that concentrations of soil total Se and iodine are highest in the HIDD villages, however, the soil clay and organic matter content appear to inhibit the bioavailability of these elements. Concentrations of iodine in rice are low (≤58 ng/g) and rice does not provide a significant source of iodine in the Sri Lankan diet. High concentrations of iodine (up to 84 μg/l) in drinking water in the dry zone may, in part, explain why goitre is uncommon in this area. This study has shown for the first time that significant proportions of the Sri Lankan female population may be Se deficient (24, 24 and 40% in the NIDD, MIDD and HIDD villages, respectively). Although Se deficiency is not restricted to areas where goitre is prevalent, a combination of iodine and Se deficiency could be involved in the pathogenesis of goitre in Sri Lanka. The distribution of red rice cultivation in Sri Lanka is coincident with the HIDD villages. Varieties of red rice grown in other countries contain anthocyanins and procyanidins, compounds which in other foodstuffs are known goitrogens. The potential

Psychosocial wellbeing and physical health among Tamil schoolchildren in northern Sri Lanka.

Science.gov (United States)

Hamilton, Alexander; Foster, Charlie; Richards, Justin; Surenthirakumaran, Rajendra

2016-01-01

Mental disorders contribute to the global disease burden and have an increased prevalence among children in emergency settings. Good physical health is crucial for mental well-being, although physical health is multifactorial and the nature of this relationship is not fully understood. Using Sri Lanka as a case study, we assessed the baseline levels of, and the association between, mental health and physical health in Tamil school children. We conducted a cross sectional study of mental and physical health in 10 schools in Kilinochchi town in northern Sri Lanka. All Grade 8 children attending selected schools were eligible to participate in the study. Mental health was assessed using the Sri Lankan Index for Psychosocial Stress - Child Version. Physical health was assessed using Body Mass Index for age, height for age Z scores and the Multi-stage Fitness Test. Association between physical and mental health variables was assessed using scatterplots and correlation was assessed using Pearson's R. There were 461 participants included in the study. Girls significantly outperformed boys in the MH testing t (459) = 2.201, p Tamil school children.

Discovery of the Critically Endangered Tarantula Species of the Genus Poecilotheria (Araneae: Theraphosidae, Poecilotheria hanumavilasumica, From Sri Lanka

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ranil P. Nanayakkara

2015-03-01

Full Text Available The arboreal spiders in the genus Poecilotheria is represented by 16 species and restricted to India and Sri Lanka. Each country has eight endemic species. During a survey on mygalomorph spiders in the Northern Province of Sri Lanka, the critically endangered species of Theraphosidae Poecilotheria hanumavilasumica was discovered for the first time outside of its native habitat in India, expanding its range to northern Sri Lanka. The discovery of P. hanumavilasumica is unique, as it used to be a critically endangered and endemic species of the genus Poecilotheria found in India, and it is evident that during the land bridge connection between India and Sri Lanka, when the Pleistocene epoch biotic exchange took place between the two countries, taxa were dispersed through the land connections.

A Psychometric Evaluation of a Swedish Version of the Positive–Negative Sex-Role Inventory (PN-SRI

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Therese Rydberg Sterner

2018-02-01

Full Text Available The Positive–Negative Sex-Role Inventory (PN-SRI assesses gender identity. The aim of this study was to evaluate the validity and reliability of a Swedish version of the PN-SRI in a population of 70-year-olds within the Gothenburg H70-study in Sweden. The overarching objective of testing the PN-SRI within the H70-study was to evaluate its usability to further study gender identity in large population-based samples of older adults. A total of 1124 individuals participated in the psychometric testing. A sub-sample of these (n = 406 provided a comprehensive survey regarding societal norms on femininity and masculinity. Reliability and validity tests were performed using Cronbach’s Alpha and factor analyses. The Cronbach’s α coefficients (0.734–0.787 indicated a satisfactory level of internal consistency, and the four-factor model (Model 2 fitted the data at an acceptable level (root-mean-square error of approximation, RMSEA = 0.068, standardized root-mean-square residual, SRMR = 0.07. This cross-cultural adaptation of the PN-SRI indicates that it may be applicable in a Swedish research setting comprising older adults. Future research is needed to further test the psychometric properties of this scale. Adding the PN-SRI to population-based studies will contribute to providing a nuanced way of analyzing differences and similarities among men and women.

Diffusion of a Sustainable Farming Technique in Sri Lanka: An Agent-Based Modeling Approach

Science.gov (United States)

Jacobi, J. H.; Gilligan, J. M.; Carrico, A. R.; Truelove, H. B.; Hornberger, G.

2012-12-01

We live in a changing world - anthropogenic climate change is disrupting historic climate patterns and social structures are shifting as large scale population growth and massive migrations place unprecedented strain on natural and social resources. Agriculture in many countries is affected by these changes in the social and natural environments. In Sri Lanka, rice farmers in the Mahaweli River watershed have seen increases in temperature and decreases in precipitation. In addition, a government led resettlement project has altered the demographics and social practices in villages throughout the watershed. These changes have the potential to impact rice yields in a country where self-sufficiency in rice production is a point of national pride. Studies of the climate can elucidate physical effects on rice production, while research on social behaviors can illuminate the influence of community dynamics on agricultural practices. Only an integrated approach, however, can capture the combined and interactive impacts of these global changes on Sri Lankan agricultural. As part of an interdisciplinary team, we present an agent-based modeling (ABM) approach to studying the effects of physical and social changes on farmers in Sri Lanka. In our research, the diffusion of a sustainable farming technique, the system of rice intensification (SRI), throughout a farming community is modeled to identify factors that either inhibit or promote the spread of a more sustainable approach to rice farming. Inputs into the ABM are both physical and social and include temperature, precipitation, the Palmer Drought Severity Index (PDSI), community trust, and social networks. Outputs from the ABM demonstrate the importance of meteorology and social structure on the diffusion of SRI throughout a farming community.

Characterization of Sri Lanka rabies virus isolates using nucleotide sequence analysis of nucleoprotein gene.

Science.gov (United States)

Arai, Y T; Takahashi, H; Kameoka, Y; Shiino, T; Wimalaratne, O; Lodmell, D L

2001-01-01

Thirty-four suspected rabid brain samples from 2 humans, 24 dogs, 4 cats, 2 mongooses, I jackal and I water buffalo were collected in 1995-1996 in Sri Lanka. Total RNA was extracted directly from brain suspensions and examined using a one-step reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) for the rabies virus nucleoprotein (N) gene. Twenty-eight samples were found positive for the virus N gene by RT-PCR and also for the virus antigens by fluorescent antibody (FA) test. Rabies virus isolates obtained from different animal species in different regions of Sri Lanka were genetically homogenous. Sequences of 203 nucleotides (nt)-long RT-PCR products obtained from 16 of 27 samples were found identical. Sequences of 1350 nt of N genes of 14 RT-PCR products were determined. The Sri Lanka isolates under study formed a specific cluster that included also an earlier isolate from India but did not include the known isolates from China, Thailand, Malaysia, Israel, Iran, Oman, Saudi Arabia, Russia, Nepal, Philippines, Japan and from several other countries. These results suggest that one type of rabies virus is circulating among human, dog, cat, mongoose, jackal and water buffalo living near Colombo City and in other five remote regions in Sri Lanka.

Climate Change Impacts on Rice Farming Systems in Northwestern Sri Lanka. Chapter 10

Science.gov (United States)

Zubair, Lareef; Nissanka, Sarath P.; Weerakoon, W. M. W.; Herath, Dumindu I.; Karunaratne, Asha S; Prabodha, A. S. M.; Agalawatte, M. B.; Herath, Rasnayaka; Yahiya, S. Zeenas; Punyawardhene, B. V. R.;

The nursing profession in Sri Lanka: time for policy changes.

Science.gov (United States)

Aluwihare-Samaranayake, D; Ogilvie, L; Cummings, G G; Gellatly, Ian R

2017-09-01

We address issues and challenges in nursing in Sri Lanka with the aim of identifying where and how policy changes need to be made. Increased global interconnectivity calls for professional leadership, research, education, and policy reform in nursing as these are identified as enhancing health workforce performance and professionalization, thereby improving health systems. We draw on first-hand knowledge of health care and nursing in Sri Lanka and a recent survey of nurses at a large urban government hospital in Sri Lanka, followed by discussion and proposed action on themes identified through analysis of published and unpublished literature about the nursing profession. Policy and action are needed to: (a) establish mandatory nurse licensure in the public and private healthcare sectors; (b) implement realistic policies to further develop nursing education; (c) develop a professionalization process to support nursing autonomy and voice; and (d) promote systematic processes for educational accreditation, curriculum revision, continuing professional development, evidence-based practice, research, leadership, and information systems. There is a policy vacuum that requires careful analysis and strategic planning by formal nurse leaders. Implementing change will require political and professional power and strategic, innovative, and evolutionary policy initiatives as well as organizational infrastructure modifications best achieved through committed multidisciplinary collaboration, augmented research capacity, bolstered nursing leadership, and promotion of partnerships with policy makers. © 2017 International Council of Nurses.

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Region: India, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Central Asia, Far East Asia, South Asia ... Peace and Development : Democratization, Poverty Reduction and Risk Mitigation in ... Global Network : Integration and Harmonization of ICT Policy and Regulation ...

Learning Organization Dimensions of the Sri Lanka Army

Science.gov (United States)

Dahanayake, Nishada Dhananjaya; Gamlath, Sharmila

2013-01-01

Purpose: This study intends to investigate the extent to which the Sri Lanka Army can be described as a learning organization. Design/methodology/approach: The main tool of analysis used was the Dimensions of the Learning Organization Questionnaire (DLOQ) developed by Marsick and Watkins, with the exclusion of the sections on financial and…

The Economic Virtues of SRI and CSR

OpenAIRE

Derwall, Jeroen

2007-01-01

textabstractFinancial markets and company managers are increasingly acknowledging the concepts of socially responsible investing (SRI) and corporate social responsibility (CSR), but not without reservations. These hesitations are largely attributable to ongoing debates about a potential conflict between social responsibility goals and the traditional financial objectives of investors and companies. This thesis bundles six empirical studies that deepen our understanding of the economic value o...

Analisis Ekonomi Kegiatan Penyuluhan Tentang Penerapan System Of Rice Intensification (SRI di Tujuh Kabupaten Provinsi Bali: Analisis SEM

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

I Gede Setiawan Adi Putra

2012-10-01

Full Text Available Despite the SRI’s higher yield potential, the Subak member rice farmers are still reluctant to adopt this new way of cultivating rice. In about five years since its introduction to Bali, only 288 rice farmers have adopted it. This slow rate of adoption became a problem worth to investigate. In this conjunction, this study attempted to disclose the extent of SRI adoption amongst these farmers, and to explain how factors such as farmer’s personal characteristics, perceptions about SRI, attitudes toward SRI, Self-Reliance, and Extension workers’ as well as the heads of Subak competencies jointly affected the adoption behavior of the Balinese rice farmers. To attain these objectives an ex post facto study was designed. A random sample of 104 rice farmers was thereafter selected and interviewed using a structured questionnaire. Data were then analyzed by employing the Structural Equation Model (SEM procedure with the Lisrel Version 8.3 program. The study concluded that the extent of adoption of the 9 components of SRI amongst the Balinese rice farmers were still diverse, and the intensity of the above factors’ effects on the SRI adoption amongst the Balinese rice farmers ranged from weak to moderate.

The Metaphors on International Intervention: A Discourse Analysis of the Sri Lankan English Newspaper Editorials

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Jeyaseelan Gnanaseelan

2015-07-01

Full Text Available The metaphors used in the Sri Lankan English newspaper editorials during the peace talk time (2001-2007 commenting on the international intervention in the Sri Lankan ethnic conflict reveal community based ideological and attitudinal positions of the newspapers published in Sri Lanka. Metaphors literally contribute to our understanding of reality. The frames and scripts used for legitimization and de-legitimization of the issues related to international intervention and facilitation in the peace talk, peace process and monitoring the ceasefire bring out certain realities comfortable to certain people, groups or communities. The binary positions projected in the editorial discourse are identified. Discourse constitutes power in constructing ideational, textual and interpersonal constructs which are ideological. It can transmit and even legitimize power in society. During the peace talk time, the editorials are expected to develop constructive discourse on conflict intervention and resolution to make a positive impact on legislative changes but they display ‘ethno-nationalist’ tendencies. The study analyzes whether the media has been a part of the problem or a part of the solution. Since newspaper and editorial discourses are the constructions of journalists and editors of the elites, the biased ideologies are “hidden or subtle in expressions and often revealed in mild forms”. This study takes up selected editorials of the Sri Lankan English newspapers which appeared mainly during the Memorandum of Understanding between the Sri Lankan government and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eezham during that period, to relate the discourse themes with rhetorical and metaphorical features.

Validation of ultraviolet radiation budgets using satellite observations from the OMI instrument

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Den Outer, P.N.; Van Dijk, A.; Slaper, H.

2008-11-01

Satellite retrieval of ozone, clouds, aerosols and ground albedo allows the modelling of ultraviolet (UV)-doses received at the ground. UV-doses derived from satellite observations are highly useful in analyzing regional differences in the effects of ozone depletion and climate change on the biologically effective UV-radiation levels. RIVM has developed and used UV-mapping and UV-risk mapping techniques in environmental assessments in evaluating the effects of ozone depletion and climate change. This project provides a validation study on the OMUVB product by means of a comparison with ground-based measurements. This validation should demonstrate if the OMUVB product can be used from the perspective of long-term environmental trend assessments. Comparing ground-based UV-measurements with the OMUVB product, we show that the product consistently overestimates the UV-doses received at the ground in Europe. The systematic comparison with data from 8 European sites shows on average a 15% overestimate in the yearly integrated UV with a site-to-site variability of around 8%. For four of the more northern sites the overestimation in yearly doses is between 5-10%, and for the four sites that are more southern the deviation is 20-27%. Using the ozone and reflectivity data from the OMI-instrument (Ozone Monitoring Instrument) in combination with the AMOUR-algorithm (Assessment Model for Ultraviolet radiation and Risks) shows smaller overestimates of on average 5-6% with a similar variability between the sites. The variability between sites is largely caused by aerosol and albedo effects and is reduced to 3% if local data on aerosol and albedo are used. The overestimates in the OMUVB product are primarily due to too low (tropospheric) aerosol loads used for the European sites. In addition, our comparison shows that under heavy clouded conditions the cloud modification factors are too high. This contributes to the overall too high UV-doses of the OMUVB product. Environmental

Validation of ultraviolet radiation budgets using satellite observations from the OMI instrument

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Den Outer, P.N.; Van Dijk, A.; Slaper, H.

2008-11-15

Satellite retrieval of ozone, clouds, aerosols and ground albedo allows the modelling of ultraviolet (UV)-doses received at the ground. UV-doses derived from satellite observations are highly useful in analyzing regional differences in the effects of ozone depletion and climate change on the biologically effective UV-radiation levels. RIVM has developed and used UV-mapping and UV-risk mapping techniques in environmental assessments in evaluating the effects of ozone depletion and climate change. This project provides a validation study on the OMUVB product by means of a comparison with ground-based measurements. This validation should demonstrate if the OMUVB product can be used from the perspective of long-term environmental trend assessments. Comparing ground-based UV-measurements with the OMUVB product, we show that the product consistently overestimates the UV-doses received at the ground in Europe. The systematic comparison with data from 8 European sites shows on average a 15% overestimate in the yearly integrated UV with a site-to-site variability of around 8%. For four of the more northern sites the overestimation in yearly doses is between 5-10%, and for the four sites that are more southern the deviation is 20-27%. Using the ozone and reflectivity data from the OMI-instrument (Ozone Monitoring Instrument) in combination with the AMOUR-algorithm (Assessment Model for Ultraviolet radiation and Risks) shows smaller overestimates of on average 5-6% with a similar variability between the sites. The variability between sites is largely caused by aerosol and albedo effects and is reduced to 3% if local data on aerosol and albedo are used. The overestimates in the OMUVB product are primarily due to too low (tropospheric) aerosol loads used for the European sites. In addition, our comparison shows that under heavy clouded conditions the cloud modification factors are too high. This contributes to the overall too high UV-doses of the OMUVB product. Environmental

A national upgrade of the climate monitoring grid in Sri Lanka. The place of Open Design, OSHW and FOSS.

Science.gov (United States)

Chemin, Yann; Bandara, Niroshan; Eriyagama, Nishadi

2015-04-01

The National Climate Observatory of Sri lanka is a proposition designed for the Government of Sri Lanka in September and discussed with private and public stakeholders in November 2014. The idea was initially to install a networked grid of weather instruments from locally-made open source hardware technology, on land and seas, that report live the state of climate. After initial stakeholder meetings, it was agreed to first try to connect any existing weather stations from different governmental and private sector agencies. This would bring existing information to a common ground through the Internet. At this point, it was realized that extracting information from various vendors set up would take a large amount of efforts, that is still the best and fastest anyway, as considerations from ownership and maintenance are the most important issues in a tropical humid country as Sri Lanka. Thus, the question of Open Design, open source hardware (OSHW) and free and open source software (FOSS) became a pivotal element in considering operationalization of any future elements of a national grid. Reasons range from ownership, to low-cost and customization, but prominently it is about technology ownership, royalty-free and local availability. Building on previous work from (Chemin and Bandara, 2014) we proposed to open design specifications and prototypes for weather monitoring for various kinds of needs, the Meteorological Department clearly specified that the highest variability observed spatially in Sri Lanka is rainfall, and their willingness to investigate OSHW electronics using their new team of electronics and sensors specialists. A local manufacturer is providing an OSHW micro-controller product, a start up is providing additional sensor boards under OSHW specifications and local manufacture of the sensors (tipping-bucket and other wind sensors) is under development and blueprints have been made available in the Public Domain for CNC machine, 3D printing or Plastic

Health physics instrumentation - a progress report

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Maushart, R.

1992-01-01

Health Physics Instruments have changed rather dramatically in the past decade. On the one hand, technological innovations like Microprocessors, data storage facilities and imaging displays have altered shape, size and appearance of the classical devices, particularly the hand-held ones. On the other hand, instruments are increasingly being considered as an integral part of Radiation Protection procedures and organizations, supporting a smooth and reliable implementation of all necessary measures. This implies ease of operation, and extensive self-checking and performance control features. Since there are different categories of users with quite different degrees of motivation and training, the measuring instruments of the future will have to be adapted to specific types of users. Instruments for 'professional' radiation protection - for example in nuclear power plants and nuclear technology - will differ from instruments used in the radionuclide laboratory, where radiation protection will necessarily have to be done as a 'side-job'. (author)

Evaluation of common type 2 diabetes risk variants in a South Asian population of Sri Lankan descent.

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Neelam Hassanali

Full Text Available Most studies seeking common variant associations with type 2 diabetes (T2D have focused on individuals of European ancestry. These discoveries need to be evaluated in other major ancestral groups, to understand ethnic differences in predisposition, and establish whether these contribute to variation in T2D prevalence and presentation. This study aims to establish whether common variants conferring T2D-risk in Europeans contribute to T2D-susceptibility in the South Asian population of Sri Lanka.Lead single nucleotide polymorphism (SNPs at 37 T2D-risk loci attaining genome-wide significance in Europeans were genotyped in 878 T2D cases and 1523 normoglycaemic controls from Sri Lanka. Association testing was performed by logistic regression adjusting for age and sex and by the Cochran-Mantel-Haenszel test after stratifying according to self-identified ethnolinguistic subgroup. A weighted genetic risk score was generated to examine the combined effect of these SNPs on T2D-risk in the Sri Lankan population.Of the 36 SNPs passing quality control, sixteen showed nominal (p<0.05 association in Sri Lankan samples, fifteen of those directionally-consistent with the original signal. Overall, these association findings were robust to analyses that accounted for membership of ethnolinguistic subgroups. Overall, the odds ratios for 31 of the 36 SNPs were directionally-consistent with those observed in Europeans (p = 3.2×10(-6. Allelic odds ratios and risk allele frequencies in Sri Lankan subjects were not systematically different to those reported in Europeans. Genetic risk score and risk of T2D were strongly related in Sri Lankans (per allele OR 1.10 [95%CI 1.08-1.13], p = 1.2×10(-17.Our data indicate that most T2D-risk variants identified in Europeans have similar effects in South Asians from Sri Lanka, and that systematic difference in common variant associations are unlikely to explain inter-ethnic differences in prevalence or presentation of T2D.

Time Demand and Radiation Dose in 3D-Fluoroscopy-based Navigation-assisted 3D-Fluoroscopy-controlled Pedicle Screw Instrumentations.

Science.gov (United States)

Balling, Horst

2018-05-01

Prospective single-center cohort study to record additional time requirements and radiation dose in navigation-assisted O-arm-controlled pedicle screw (PS) instrumentations. The aim of this study was to evaluate amount of extra-time and radiation dose for navigation-assisted PS instrumentations of the thoracolumbosacral spine using O-arm 3D-real-time-navigation (O3DN) compared to non-navigated spinal procedures (NNSPs) with a single C-arm and postoperative computed tomography (CT) scan for controlling PS positions. 3D-navigation is reported to enhance PS insertion accuracy. But time-consuming navigational steps and considerable additional radiation doses seem to limit this modern technique's attraction. A detailed analysis of additional time demand and extra-radiation dose in 3D-navigated spine surgery is not provided in literature, yet. From February 2011 through July 2015, 306 consecutive posterior instrumentations were performed in vertebral levels T10-S1 using O3DN for PS insertion. The duration of procedure-specific navigational steps of the overall collective (I) and the last cohort of 50 consecutive O3DN-surgeries (II) was compared to the average duration of analogous surgical steps in 100 consecutive NNSP using a single C-arm. 3D-radiation dose (dose-length-product, DLP) of navigational and postinstrumentation O-arm scans in group I and II was compared to the average DLP of 100 diagnostic lumbar CT scans. The average presurgical time from patient positioning on the operating table to skin incision was 46.2 ± 10.1 minutes (O3DN, I) and 40.6 ± 9.8 minutes (O3DN, II) versus 30.6 ± 8.3 minutes (NNSP) (P demand of 13.0 minutes compared to NNSP, and with a total DLP below that of a diagnostic lumbar CT scan (P ≈ 0.81). 4.

Radiation budget studies using collocated observations from advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer, High-Resolution Infrared Sounder/2, and Earth Radiation Budget Experiment instruments

Science.gov (United States)

Ackerman, Steven A.; Frey, Richard A.; Smith, William L.

1992-01-01

Collocated observations from the Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer (AVHRR), High-Resolution Infrared Sounder/2 (HIRS/2), and Earth Radiation Budget Experiment (ERBE) instruments onboard the NOAA 9 satellite are combined to describe the broadband and spectral radiative properties of the earth-atmosphere system. Broadband radiative properties are determined from the ERBE observations, while spectral properties are determined from the HIRS/2 and AVHRR observations. The presence of clouds, their areal coverage, and cloud top pressure are determined from a combination of the HIRS/2 and the AVHRR observations. The CO2 slicing method is applied to the HIRS/2 to determine the presence of upper level clouds and their effective emissivity. The AVHRR data collocated within the HIRS/2 field of view are utilized to determine the uniformity of the scene and retrieve sea surface temperature. Changes in the top of the atmosphere longwave and shortwave radiative energy budgets, and the spectral distribution of longwave radiation are presented as a function of cloud amount and cloud top pressure. The radiative characteristics of clear sky conditions over oceans are presented as a function of sea surface temperature and atmospheric water vapor structure.

Utilization of Boxes for Pesticide Storage in Sri Lanka

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Pieris, Ravi; Weerasinghe, Manjula; Abeywickrama, Tharaka

2017-01-01

Pesticide self-poisoning is now considered one of the two most common methods of suicide worldwide. Encouraging safe storage of pesticides is one particular approach aimed at reducing pesticide self-poisoning. CropLife Sri Lanka (the local association of pesticide manufacturers), with the aid of ...

Troubleshooting in nuclear instruments

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1987-06-01

This report on troubleshooting of nuclear instruments is the product of several scientists and engineers, who are closely associated with nuclear instrumentation and with the IAEA activities in the field. The text covers the following topics: Preamplifiers, amplifiers, scalers, timers, ratemeters, multichannel analyzers, dedicated instruments, tools, instruments, accessories, components, skills, interfaces, power supplies, preventive maintenance, troubleshooting in systems, radiation detectors. The troubleshooting and repair of instruments is illustrated by some real examples

Preliminary investigation of genetic characterization of native and endemic fowl types of Sri Lanka

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Silva, L.P.; Rajapaksha, W.R.A.K.J.S.

2005-01-01

The Red Jungle Fowl (Gallus gallus) is generally considered to be main ancestor of the domestic fowl (Callus domesticus). However, it is also believed that other wild Callus species might have contributed to the modern genetic make-up of the domestic fowl, one wild species being the Ceylon Jungle Fowl (Gallus lafayetti), endemic to Sri Lanka, which could have contributed to the domestic stock of Sri Lankan native poultry. The present study was conducted in order to investigate the origin of native fowl in Sri Lanka and to establish genetic relationships among them and the Ceylon Jungle Fowl. Morphological characters of endemic, indigenous and exotic fowl types were recorded. These included Ceylon Jungle fowl; eleven types of native chicken from Sri Lanka; and two exotic chicken breeds (Cornish and Rhode Island Red). Blood samples were collected for DNA extraction. Randomly Amplified Polymorphic DNA (RAPD) analysis was carried out using sixteen non-specific primers. The results of morphological characterization revealed many variations in plumage and colour pattern. Single and pea comb types were found in both native and exotic types of chicken. A prominent yellow colour marking on a red comb was a unique feature in Ceylon Jungle fowl. The presence of white spots in red earlobes was a distinguishing feature of all native chicken types. Sixteen non-specific primers were used in the study, and produced 22 polymorphic bands ranging from 500 to 1960 bp. Genetic similarity indices ranged from 0.5 to 1.1 in average genetic distance scale, indicating a broad genetic base in the samples studied. Cluster analysis revealed a clear separation of Ceylon Jungle Fowl from all other types studied, indicating that contribution in data analysis, and the Director and staff, National Zoological Gardens, Sri Lanka, for their help in sampling Ceylon Jungle Fowl. (author)

Assessing the changes of groundwater recharge / irrigation water use between SRI and traditional irrigation schemes in Central Taiwan

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, Shih-Kai; Jang, Cheng-Shin; Tsai, Cheng-Bin

2015-04-01

To respond to agricultural water shortage impacted by climate change without affecting rice yield in the future, the application of water-saving irrigation, such as SRI methodology, is considered to be adopted in rice-cultivation in Taiwan. However, the flooded paddy fields could be considered as an important source of groundwater recharge in Central Taiwan. The water-saving benefit of this new methodology and its impact on the reducing of groundwater recharge should be integrally assessed in this area. The objective of this study was to evaluate the changes of groundwater recharge/ irrigation water use between the SRI and traditional irrigation schemes (continuous irrigation, rotational irrigation). An experimental paddy field located in the proximal area of the Choushui River alluvial fan (the largest groundwater pumping region in Taiwan) was chosen as the study area. The 3-D finite element groundwater model (FEMWATER) with the variable boundary condition analog functions, was applied in simulating groundwater recharge process and amount under traditional irrigation schemes and SRI methodology. The use of effective rainfall was taken into account or not in different simulation scenarios for each irrigation scheme. The simulation results showed that there were no significant variations of infiltration rate in the use of effective rainfall or not, but the low soil moisture setting in deep soil layers resulted in higher infiltration rate. Taking the use of effective rainfall into account, the average infiltration rate for continuous irrigation, rotational irrigation, and SRI methodology in the first crop season of 2013 were 4.04 mm/day, 4.00 mm/day and 3.92 mm/day, respectively. The groundwater recharge amount of SRI methodology was slightly lower than those of traditional irrigation schemes, reducing 4% and 2% compared with continuous irrigation and rotational irrigation, respectively. The field irrigation requirement amount of SRI methodology was significantly

Instrument evaluation no. 13. Nuclear enterprises portable meter type PDR

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Burgess, P.H.; Iles, W.J.

1978-06-01

The various radiations encountered in radiological protection cover a wide range of energies and radiation measurements have to be carried out under an equally broad spectrum of environmental conditions. This report is one of a series intended to give information on the performance characteristics of radiological protection instruments, to assist in the selection of appropriate instruments for a given purpose, to interpret the results obtained with such instruments, and, in particular, to know the likely sources and magnitude of errors that might be associated with measurements in the field. The radiation, electrical and environmental characteristics of radiation protection instruments are considered together with those aspects of the construction which make an instrument convenient for routine use. To provide consistent criteria for instrument performance, the range of tests performed on any particular class of instrument, the test methods and the criteria of acceptable performance are based broadly on the appropriate Recommendations of the International Electrotechnical Commission. The radiations in the tests are, in general, selected from the range of reference radiations for instrument calibration being drawn up by the International Standards Organisation. Normally, each report deals with the capabilities and limitations of one model of instrument and no direct comparison with other instruments intended for similar purposes is made, since the significance of particular performance characteristics largely depends on the radiations and environmental conditions in which the instrument is to be used. The results quoted here have all been obtained from tests on instruments in routine production, with the appropriate measurements being made by the NRPB. This report deals with the evaluation of Nuclear Enterprises Portable Dose Rate Meter Type PDR 2

Molecular mechanism of male differentiation is conserved in the SRY-absent mammal, Tokudaia osimensis.

Science.gov (United States)

Otake, Tomofumi; Kuroiwa, Asato

2016-09-09

The sex-determining gene SRY induces SOX9 expression in the testes of eutherian mammals via two pathways. SRY binds to testis-specific enhancer of Sox9 (TESCO) with SF1 to activate SOX9 transcription. SRY also up-regulates ER71 expression, and ER71 activates Sox9 transcription. After the initiation of testis differentiation, SOX9 enhances Amh expression by binding to its promoter with SF1. SOX8, SOX9 and SOX10, members of the SOXE gene family, also enhance the activities of the Amh promoter and TESCO. In this study, we investigated the regulation of these sexual differentiation genes in Tokudaia osimensis, which lacks a Y chromosome and the SRY gene. The activity of the AMH promoter was stimulated by SOXE genes and SF1. Mutant AMH promoters, with mutations in its SOX and SF1 binding sites, did not show significant activity by SOX9 and SF1. These results indicate that AMH expression was regulated by the binding of SOX9 and SF1. By contrast, SOXE genes could not enhance TESCO activity. These results indicate that TESCO enhancer activity was lost in this species. Furthermore, the activity of the SOX9 promoter was enhanced by ER71, indicating that ER71 may play an important role in the testis-specific expression of SOX9.

Instrumentation measurement and testing complex for detection and identification of radioactive materials using the emitted radiation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Samossadny, V.T.; Dmitrenko, V.V.; Kadlin, V.V.; Kolesnikov, S.V.; Ulin, S.E.; Grachev, V.M.; Vlasik, K.F.; Dedenko, G.L.; Novikov, D.V.; Uteshev, Z.M.

2006-01-01

Simultaneous measurement of neutron and gamma radiation is a very usefull method for effective nuclear materials identification and control. The gamma-ray-neutron complex described in the paper is based on two multi-layer 3 He neutrons detectors and two High Pressure Xenon gamma-ray spectrometers assembled in one unit. All these detectors were callibrated on neutron and gamma-ray sources. The main characteristics of the instrumentation , its testing results and gamma-ray and neutron radiation parameters, which have been measured are represented in the paper. The gamma-neutron sources and fissile materials reliable detection and identification capability was demonstrated

Potential Challenges of Controlling Leishmaniasis in Sri Lanka at a Disease Outbreak

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Tharaka Wijerathna

2017-01-01

Full Text Available The present works reviewed the existing information on leishmaniasis in Sri Lanka and in other countries, focusing on challenges of controlling leishmaniasis in the country, in an outbreak. Evidence from recent studies suggests that there is a possibility of a leishmaniasis outbreak in Sri Lanka in the near future. Difficulty of early diagnosis due to lack of awareness and unavailability or inadequacy of sensitive tests are two of the main challenges for effective case management. Furthermore, the absence of a proper drug for treatment and lack of knowledge about vector biology, distribution, taxonomy and bionomics, and reservoir hosts make the problem serious. The evident potential for visceralization in the cutaneous variant of L. donovani in Sri Lanka may also complicate the issue. Lack of knowledge among local communities also reduces the effectiveness of vector and reservoir host control programs. Immediate actions need to be taken in order to increase scientific knowledge about the disease and a higher effectiveness of the patient management and control programs must be achieved through increased awareness about the disease among general public and active participation of local community in control activities.

Ethics of cancer palliative care in Sri Lanka. A cross- cultural perspective.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Dayasiri MBKC

2010-12-01

Full Text Available The diagnosis of cancer is associated with an unexpected breakdown of the physical, psychological and social well being. In addition to cancer related physical outcomes, cross-cultural issues are known to hasten patients’ clinical deterioration and can impact upon orientation as a healthy human being in society. As members of a developing nation in the second world, to provide patient oriented quality care while maintaining high standards of ethical practice, health care workers in Sri Lanka have to be culturally competent. In Sri Lanka, the cross-cultural ethical issues related to patients with a diagnosis of cancer include, awareness of one’s own cultural identity, gaining knowledge of different cultural issues, verbal and non verbal communication skills, respect for patients’ autonomy, involvement of the family and the relatives, addressing moral and spiritual backgrounds, development of effective communication skills and provision of social support. Therefore in the management of cancer patients in Sri Lanka, cultural issues should be given a high priority to maintain ethical standards and quality in palliative care. Culturally competent Health care workers safeguard the rights of patients, as well as providing optimal medical and surgical care.

All projects related to sri lanka | Page 5 | IDRC - International ...

International Development Research Centre (IDRC) Digital Library (Canada)

IDRC's Focus Cities Research Initiative (FCRI) is supporting research teams in nine ... Region: Central Asia, Far East Asia, South Asia, Sri Lanka, Indonesia ... it was reported that mangrove wetlands and other thick coastal vegetation served to ...

Agricultural Innovation Systems (AIS): A Study of Stakeholders and Their Relations in System of Rice Intensification (SRI)

Science.gov (United States)

Suchiradipta, Bhattacharjee; Raj, Saravanan

2015-01-01

Purpose: This paper identifies the stakeholders of System of Rice Intensification (SRI), their roles and actions and the supporting and enabling environment of innovation in the state as the elements of the Agricultural Innovation Systems (AIS) in SRI in Tripura state of India and studies the relationship matrix among the stakeholders.…

Perspective of radiation processing

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhang Manwei

1987-01-01

The area of the applications of radiation techniques is very wide. This paper only relates to the applications of radiation techniques in industries including radiation chemical industry, radiation processing of foods and environmental protection by radiation, but the nuclear instruments and the instrumentations of radiation are out-side of our study. (author)

Butching it up: an analysis of same-sex female masculinity in Sri Lanka.

Science.gov (United States)

Kuru-Utumpala, Jayanthi

2013-01-01

This paper seeks to examine the embodiment of female masculinity as experienced by 12 gender-non-conforming lesbians in Sri Lanka. By drawing on western feminist and queer theories, it critiques western theories in relation to a non-western subjectivity, attempting to unravel the seemingly empowering, albeit problematic, category of female masculinity. Data gathered through qualitative interviews address one key research question: how do gender-non-conforming lesbians in Sri Lankan embody female masculinity? As the discussion unfolds, this paper analyses the ways they view themselves, the extent to which their actions and behaviours fit within a masculine framework and the ways in which notions of desire are felt and understood in relation to their understanding of gender. In terms of theory, the analysis is located in social constructivist theory, while drawing on a postmodernist approach. Theoretically, the concept of female masculinity allows a woman embodying masculinity to dislodge men and maleness from it. The reality within a Sri Lankan experience, however, can at times be different, as this paper reveals.

Calibration of dosemeters and survey instruments for photon

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Alamares, A.L.; Caseria, E.S.

1995-01-01

The Philippine Nuclear Research Institute (PNRI), the country's regulatory agency, through its Radiation Protection Unit of the Nuclear Regulations Licensing and Safeguard Division provides the calibration services of nuclear instruments used by various institutions. The periodic calibration and standardization of radiation and protection survey instruments are done to insure correct and valid radiation readings. It is also a regulatory requirement for radiation workers to use only operable and precalibrated survey instruments for their work with radioactive materials. The PNRI maintains and operates the Secondary Standard Dosimetry Laboratory (SSDL). It provides the periodic calibration and standardization of radiation monitoring and protection survey instruments, and also the radiological hazard and performance evaluation surveys of radiotherapy facilities and others. For the calibration of survey instruments, the standard sources of Cs-137 and Co-60 are used. The calibration procedures for survey meters and pocket dosimeters are explained. The clients served are shown. The personnel dosimetry using film badges, the application of ICRU operational quantities, and the problems encountered and recommendations are reported. (K.I.)

Legal instruments for controlling exposure of workers to ionizing radiations in mining and its associated industries

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yusoff Ismail

1994-01-01

Briefly, the existing legal instruments for protection of workers in mining and its associated activities are given. Further, major provisions of the laws relevant to the protection of workers against ionizing radiations in mining and its associated activities are detailed. Finally, practical framework developed by the Atomic Energy Licensing Board, for implementation and enforcement is described

Design of transplanting mechanism for system of rice intensification (SRI) transplanter in Kedah, Malaysia

Science.gov (United States)

Imran, M. S.; Manan, M. S. Abdul; Khalil, A. N. M.; MdNaim, M. K.; Ahmad, R. N.

2017-08-01

There is a demand to develop transplanter specifically for system of rice intensification (SRI) cultivation in Malaysia. This SRI transplanter is different from conventional transplanter as it is required special requirements for transplanting. The work focused on transplanting mechanism design which can be later attached to SRI transplanter. The mechanical design was established using linkage mechanism, having a wheel that act as timing wheel that will control the distance between transplanted seedlings. The linkage mechanism also control the opening of the flapper that allow the seedling together with its nursery soil to be dropped, and control the stopper to prevent next seedling from sliding down the tray. The use of simple mechanism will have low cost for fabrication. The design was analysed using motion analysis software. Results show the design is perfectly good and can be fabricated without any problem. The animation successfully shows the perfect movement of the mechanism and transplanting process.

Dehydration and malaria augment the risk of developing chronic kidney disease in Sri Lanka.

Science.gov (United States)

Siriwardhana, E A R I E; Perera, P A J; Sivakanesan, R; Abeysekara, T; Nugegoda, D B; Jayaweera, J A A S

2015-01-01

Chronic kidney disease (CKD) of unknown etiology (CKDu) is a serious health issue in Sri Lanka. One-to-one age and sex-matched two sample comparative study was carried out in the Medawachchiya divisional secretariat area of the North Central Province (NCP) of Sri Lanka, by randomly selecting 100 CKDu patients and 100 age and sex-matched subjects from non-CKDu affected families from the same area. An interviewer-administered questionnaire was used for the collection of data pertaining to occupation, medical history and lifestyle. Data were analyzed using a conditional linear logistic model. Working for >6 h in the field per day, exposure to sun, drinking water only from well, consumption of CKDu. Treatment of water prior to consumption had a significant protective effect against CKDu. Dehydration, history of malaria and drinking untreated well water from are likely contribute to the development of CKD of unknown etiology among the inhabitants of NCP, Sri Lanka.

SIMMER analysis of SRI high pressure bubble expansion experiments

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rexroth, P.E.; Suo-Anttila, A.J.

1979-01-01

SIMMER-II was used to analyze the results of the SRI nitrogen bubble expansion experiments. Good agreement was found for all of the experiments analyzed as well as the theoretical isentropic limiting case. Scaling to a full size CRBR reactor reveals no significant scaling effects for the structureless core

Plantation Patriarchy and Structural Violence: Women Workers in Sri Lanka

NARCIS (Netherlands)

R. Kurian (Rachel); K. Jayawardena (Kumari)

2013-01-01

markdownabstract__Abstract__ Plantation production began in Sri Lanka in the early 19th century under British colonial rule, when the government provided financial incentives and infrastructural support for the commercialisation and export of agricultural crops in line with promoting

Mutations in the SRY, DAX1, SF1 and WNT4 genes in Brazilian sex-reversed patients

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

S. Domenice

2004-01-01

Full Text Available In most mammals, male development is triggered by the transient expression of the SRY gene, which initiates a cascade of gene interactions ultimately leading to the formation of a testis from the indifferent fetal gonad. Mutation studies have identified several genes essential for early gonadal development. We report here a molecular study of the SRY, DAX1, SF1 and WNT4 genes, mainly involved in sexual determination, in Brazilian 46,XX and 46,XY sex-reversed patients. The group of 46,XX sex-reversed patients consisted of thirteen 46,XX true hermaphrodites and four 46,XX males, and was examined for the presence of the SRY gene and for the loss of function (inactivating mutations and deletions of DAX1 and WNT4 genes. In the second group consisting of thirty-three 46,XY sex-reversed patients we investigated the presence of inactivating mutations in the SRY and SF1 genes as well as the overexpression (duplication of the DAX1 and WNT4 genes. The SRY gene was present in two 46,XX male patients and in none of the true hermaphrodites. Only one mutation, located outside homeobox domain of the 5' region of the HMG box of SRY (S18N, was identified in a patient with 46,XY sex reversal. A novel 8-bp microdeletion of the SF1 gene was identified in a 46,XY sex-reversed patient without adrenal insufficiency. The dosage of DAX1 and WNT4 was normal in the sex-reversed patients studied. We conclude that these genes are rarely involved in the etiology of male gonadal development in sex-reversed patients, a fact suggesting the presence of other genes in the sex determination cascade.

Utilization of organic fertilizer to increase paddy growth and productivity using System of Rice Intensification (SRI method in saline soil

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V . O . Subardja

2016-01-01

Full Text Available Soil salinity has negative effect on soil biodiversity as well as microbial activities. Hence, rice growth also effected by salinity. Application of organic fertilizer and adoption of System of Rice Intensification (SRI cultivation might improve the (biological soil properties and increase rice yield. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of two different rice cultivation methods namely conventional rice cultivation method and System of Rice Intensification (SRI rice cultivation method and two kinds organic fertilizer on improvement of soil biological properties and rice yield. In this study, a split plot experimental design was applied where rice cultivation method (conventional and SRI was the main plot and two kinds of organic fertilizer (market waste and rice straw was the sub plot. The treatments had four replicates. The results showed that SRI cultivation with market waste organic fertilizer could increase soil biological properties (population of microbe, fungi and soil respiration. The same treatment also increased rice growth and production. Combination of SRI and market waste organic fertilizer yielded the highest rice production (7.21 t/ha.

An ethnographic study of diabetes health beliefs and practices in Sri Lankan adults.

Science.gov (United States)

Amarasekara, A A T D; Fongkaew, W; Turale, S; Wimalasekara, S W; Chanprasit, C

2014-12-01

Globally, type 2 diabetes is increasingly prevalent; however, unique cultural contexts in each country might affect these diabetes control behaviours. Diabetes is a serious health issue in Sri Lanka and little is known about the impact of sociocultural context on diabetes health behaviours. This first-time qualitative Sri Lankan study explored the health beliefs and practices of adults with diabetes to enhance current nursing care and medical treatment. An ethnographic approach was used to collect data through participant observations, in-depth interviews with 14 key informants in their homes and field notes. Data were analysed by thematic analysis. Findings revealed unique, informative insights into sociocultural worlds of the participants from three Sinhalese, Tamils and Moor ethnic groups. Findings are described under five themes: gaining religious support, changing food habits is a struggle, exercising is challenging, Western medicine causes long-term consequences and Ayurveda/traditional treatments can cure. In Sri Lankans, the impact of sociocultural context on glycaemic control behaviours is significant and should be taken in consideration when health professionals provide care, treatment and health education. Study informants were selected from three ethnic groups and just two communities. Further in-depth research is required using both qualitative and quantitative approaches in individual groups. Culturally relevant policies and protocols for community care and treatment of people with diabetes are urgently required in Sri Lanka to enhance cultural treatment and care and reduce the epidemic of diabetes. These policies need to take into account traditional beliefs and practices of various ethnic groups. © 2014 International Council of Nurses.

Ethics Review Committee approval and informed consent: an analysis of biomedical publications originating from Sri Lanka

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Siriwardhana Chesmal

2008-02-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background International guidelines on research have focused on protecting research participants. Ethical Research Committee (ERC approval and informed consent are the cornerstones. Externally sponsored research requires approval through ethical review in both the host and the sponsoring country. This study aimed to determine to what extent ERC approval and informed consent procedures are documented in locally and internationally published human subject research carried out in Sri Lanka. Methods We obtained ERC approval in Sri Lanka and the United Kingdom. Theses from 1985 to 2005 available at the Postgraduate Institute of Medicine (PGIM library affiliated to the University of Colombo were scrutinised using checklists agreed in consultation with senior research collaborators. A Medline search was carried out with MeSH major and minor heading 'Sri Lanka' as the search term for international publications originating in Sri Lanka during 1999 to 2004. All research publications from CMJ during 1999 to 2005 were also scrutinized. Results Of 291 theses, 34% documented ERC approvals and 61% documented obtaining consent. From the international journal survey, 250 publications originated from Sri Lanka of which only 79 full text original research publications could be accessed electronically. Of these 38% documented ERC approval and 39% documented obtaining consent. In the Ceylon Medical Journal 36% documented ERC approval and 37% documented obtaining consent. Conclusion Only one third of the publications scrutinized recorded ERC approval and procurement of informed consent. However, there is a positive trend in documenting these ethical requirements in local postgraduate research and in the local medical journal.

All projects related to Sri Lanka | Page 4 | IDRC - International ...

International Development Research Centre (IDRC) Digital Library (Canada)

2006-05-27

There has been dramatic growth in telecentres and other local information and communication technology (ICT) projects in Sri Lanka. Start Date: May 27, 2006. End Date: March 17, 2010. Topic: COMMUNITY FACILITIES, INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY, INFORMATION SERVICES, INFORMATION NETWORKS. Region: ...

Health physics instruments: what are the current needs

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Armantrout, G.A.

1982-01-01

Health Physics instruments are used to measure the risk which may be incurred by an individual exposed to a given radiation field. The response of the instrument sensors will differ markedly from actual human risk factors for a variety of reasons, and this requires the use of instrument modifications and conversion factors. The values of these conversion factors continue to be updated and will likely change in the future. To accommodate the effects of different types of radiation and new conversion and usage factors, new instruments should be able to determine the type, energy distribution, and direction of incoming radiation and then apply the proper weighting factors to determine relative human risk. Such instrumentation will need to utilize modern sensor elements and microprocessor electronics

First record of Anopheles stephensi in Sri Lanka: a potential challenge for prevention of malaria reintroduction.

Science.gov (United States)

Gayan Dharmasiri, A G; Perera, A Yashan; Harishchandra, Jeevanie; Herath, Hemantha; Aravindan, Kandasamy; Jayasooriya, H T R; Ranawaka, Gaya R; Hewavitharane, Mihirini

2017-08-10

The major malaria vector in Sri Lanka is reported to be Anopheles culicifacies with Anopheles subpictus, Anopheles annularis, and Anopheles varuna considered as potential vectors. The occurrence of Anopheles stephensi, which is the key vector of urban malaria in India and the Middle East, had never been reported from Sri Lanka. A series of entomological investigations were carried out by the Anti Malaria Campaign, Ministry of Health, Sri Lanka during December 2016 to April 2017 in two localities of the Mannar District in the Northern Province of the country. Adult mosquito collections were done through indoor and outdoor resting collections, animal and human biting collections and emergence traps. Potential mosquito breeding sites were investigated through larval surveys. The larvae and adults of An. stephensi were initially identified using morphological keys, and subsequently confirmed by sequencing the barcode region of the cytochrome c oxidase I (COI) gene. This is the first report of the presence of An. stephensi in the island of Mannar in the Northern Province of Sri Lanka. Anopheles stephensi (36.65%) was the most abundant anopheline species in the larval habitats in Mannar. It was found breeding together with An. culicifacies (20.7%), An. subpictus (13.5%) and An. varuna (28.13%). Anopheles stephensi was found to be abundantly breeding in built wells used for domestic purposes. Adult females of An. stephensi were observed in emergence trap collections (93.9%), human landing catches all night (79.2%), pyrethrum spray sheet collections (38.6%), outdoor collections (8.3%), donkey-baited trap collections (14.3), and cattle-baited net trap collections (0.7%). Sri Lanka was certified as malaria-free by the WHO in September 2016, however, this new finding may pose a serious challenge to the efforts of the Ministry of Health to prevent the re-introduction of malaria transmission in the country, considering the role that An. stephensi could play in urban and high

International Enterprise Education in Sri Lanka: A Blended Approach

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Kasturiratne, Dulekha; Lean, Jonathan; Phippen, Andy

2012-01-01

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to explore how enterprise education was adapted from a UK higher education institution (HEI) setting into an international context through collaboration with two Sri Lankan universities. It demonstrates the value of enterprise education in different cultures, and presents learning from the challenges faced by…

Development of a New Radiation Measuring Instrument for the Column Scanning Technique - NibraS

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Benahmed, A.; Alami, R.

2013-06-01

The radiation measuring instrument, called Nibras, associated to a special data processing software for Column scanning is a new data acquisition system. It was developed to scan and to plot density profiles, inside a distillation column, which illustrates the activity of the radiations able to cross the contents of the column. Nibras is an autonomous data logger with very low power consumption, using only 4 batteries of 1.5 V and can be operated for more than 120 hours continuously; this presents an ecological and economic importance. Another particularity of Nibras consists in its dual functionality to display counting rates indicating the existence and the intensity of radiation; and to perform a real-time control in industrial plant particularly in oil distillation columns, due to its user-friendly software. This last provides essential data to optimize the performance of the columns, extend column run times, track the performance-deteriorating effects of fouling and solids deposition, and to identify maintenance requirements well in advance of scheduled turnarounds. This on-line knowledge can reduce repair downtime significantly. (authors)

Sri Lanka's national assessment on innovation and intellectual property for access to medical products.

Science.gov (United States)

Beneragama, Hemantha; Shridhar, Manisha; Ranasinghe, Thushara; Dissanayake, Vajira Hw

2016-09-01

In 2008, the Global strategy and plan of action on public health, innovation and intellectual property (GSPA-PHI) was launched by the World Health Organization, to stimulate fresh thinking on innovation in, and access to, medicines and to build sustainable research on diseases disproportionately affecting low- and middle-income countries. As part of the activities of the GSPA-PHI, Sri Lanka has been the first country to date to assess the national environment for medical technology and innovation. This year-long, multistakeholder, participative analysis facilitated identification of clear and implementable policy recommendations, for the government to increase its effectiveness in promoting innovation in health products through institutional development, investment and coordination among all areas relevant to public health. The assessment also highlighted areas for priority action, including closing the technology gap in development of health products, facilitating technology transfer, and building the health-research and allied workforces. The Sri Lankan experience will inform the ongoing independent external evaluation of the GSPA-PHI worldwide. The assessment process coincided with the passing of the National Medicines Regulatory Authority Act in 2015. In addition, there is growing recognition that regional cooperation will be critical to improving access to medical products in the future. Sri Lanka is therefore actively promoting cooperation to establish a regional regulatory affairs network. Lessons learnt from the Sri Lankan assessment may also benefit other countries embarking on a national GSPA-PHI assessment.

A survey of severe visual impairment and blindness in children attending thirteen schools for the blind in sri lanka.

Science.gov (United States)

Gao, Zoe; Muecke, James; Edussuriya, Kapila; Dayawansa, Ranasiri; Hammerton, Michael; Kong, Aimee; Sennanayake, Saman; Senaratne, Tissa; Marasinghe, Nirosha; Selva, Dinesh

2011-02-01

To identify the causes of blindness and severe visual impairment (BL/SVI) in children attending schools for the blind in Sri Lanka, and to provide optical devices and ophthalmic treatment where indicated. Two hundred and six children under 16 years from 13 schools for the blind in Sri Lanka were examined by a team of ophthalmologists and optometrists. Data were entered in the World Health Organization Prevention of Blindness Eye Examination Record for Childhood Blindness (WHO/PBL ERCB). Of the 206 children, 83.5% were blind (BL = Visual acuity [VA] schools for the blind in Sri Lanka had potentially avoidable causes of BL/SVI. Vision could also be improved in a third of children. The data support the need to develop specialized pediatric ophthalmic services, particularly in the face of advancing neonatal life support in Sri Lanka, and the need for increased provision of optical support.

Mitochondrial DNA history of Sri Lankan ethnic people: their relations within the island and with the Indian subcontinental populations.

Science.gov (United States)

Ranaweera, Lanka; Kaewsutthi, Supannee; Win Tun, Aung; Boonyarit, Hathaichanoke; Poolsuwan, Samerchai; Lertrit, Patcharee

2014-01-01

Located only a short distance off the southernmost shore of the Greater Indian subcontinent, the island of Sri Lanka has long been inhabited by various ethnic populations. Mainly comprising the Vedda, Sinhalese (Up- and Low-country) and Tamil (Sri Lankan and Indian); their history of settlements on the island and the biological relationships among them have remained obscure. It has been hypothesized that the Vedda was probably the earliest inhabitants of the area, followed by Sinhalese and Tamil from the Indian mainland. This study, in which 271 individuals, representing the Sri Lankan ethnic populations mentioned, were typed for their mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) hypervariable segment 1 (HVS-1) and part of hypervariable segment 2 (HVS-2), provides implications for their settlement history on the island. From the phylogenetic, principal coordinate and analysis of molecular variance results, the Vedda occupied a position separated from all other ethnic people of the island, who formed relatively close affiliations among themselves, suggesting a separate origin of the former. The haplotypes and analysis of molecular variance revealed that Vedda people's mitochondrial sequences are more related to the Sinhalese and Sri Lankan Tamils' than the Indian Tamils' sequences. MtDNA haplogroup analysis revealed that several West Eurasian haplogroups as well as Indian-specific mtDNA clades were found amongst the Sri Lankan populations. Through a comparison with the mtDNA HVS-1 and part of HVS-2 of Indian database, both Tamils and Sinhalese clusters were affiliated with Indian subcontinent populations than Vedda people who are believed to be the native population of the island of Sri Lanka.

Novel mass spectrometric instrument for gaseous and particulate characterization and monitoring

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Coggiola, M.J.

1993-04-01

Under contract DE-AC21-92MC29116, SRI International will develop a unique new instrument that will be capable of providing real-time (< l minute), quantitative, chemical characterization of gaseous and particulate pollutants generated from DOE waste cleanup activities. The instrument will be capable of detecting and identifying volatile organic compounds, polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons, heavy metals, and transuranic species released during waste cleanup activities. The instrument will be unique in its ability to detect and quantify in real-time these diverse pollutants in both vapor and particulate form. The instrument to be developed under this program will consist of several major components: (1) an isokinetic sampler capable of operating over a wide range of temperatures (up to 500 K) and flow rates; (2) a high pressure to low pressure transition and sampling region that efficiently separates particles from vapor-phase components for separate, parallel analyses; (3) two small mass spectrometers, one optimized for organic analysis using a unique field ionization source and one optimized for particulate characterization using thermal pyrolysis and electron-impact ionization (EI); and (4) a powerful personal computer for control and data acquisition

Inconsistencies in net radiation estimates from use of several models of instruments in a desert environment

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kustas, W.P.; Prueger, J.H.; Hipps, L.E.; Hatfield, J.L.; Meek, D.

1998-01-01

Studies of surface energy and water balance generally require an accurate estimate of net radiation and its spatial distribution. A project quantifying both short term and seasonal water use of shrub and grass vegetation in the Jornada Experimental Range in New Mexico prompted a study to compare net radiation observations using two types of net radiometers currently being used in research. A set of 12 REBS net radiometers were compared with each other and one Swissteco, over wet and dry surfaces in an arid landscape under clear skies. The set of REBS exhibited significant differences in output over both surfaces. However, they could be cross calibrated to yield values within 10 W m −2 , on average. There was also a significant bias between the REBS and Swissteco over a dry surface, but not over a wet one. The two makes of instrument could be made to agree under the dry conditions by using regression or autoregression techniques. However, the resulting equations would induce bias for the wet surface condition. Thus, it is not possible to cross calibrate these two makes of radiometer over the range of environmental conditions observed. This result indicates that determination of spatial distribution of net radiation over a variable surface should be made with identical instruments which have been cross calibrated. The need still exists for development of a radiometer and calibration procedures which will produce accurate and consistent measurements over a range of surface conditions. (author)

Maintaining presence : Catholic aid agencies in Sri Lanka's civil war − towards a socio-theoretical perspective to humanitarian access and power

OpenAIRE

Mustonen, Anni

2017-01-01

Maintaining presence and proximity is an increasing challenge for humanitarian agencies. The final phase of Sri Lanka’s civil war (1983-2009) was characterised by humanitarian crisis. The government of Sri Lanka denounced a demarcated safe zone in Vanni, the Northern Province of Sri Lanka, claiming it was providing a haven for civilians but prohibited humanitarian agencies accessing the area. In my research, I focused on the Catholic aid agencies who were authorised to remain or to pay s...

Management and outcomes of acute ST-segment-elevation myocardial infarction at a tertiary-care hospital in Sri Lanka: an observational study

OpenAIRE

Bandara, Ruwanthi; Medagama, Arjuna; Munasinghe, Ruwan; Dinamithra, Nandana; Subasinghe, Amila; Herath, Jayantha; Ratnayake, Mahesh; Imbulpitiya, Buddhini; Sulaiman, Ameena

2015-01-01

Background Sri Lanka is a developing country with a high rate of cardiovascular mortality. It is still largely dependent on thrombolysis for primary management of acute myocardial infarction. The aim of this study was to present current data on the presentation, management, and outcomes of acute ST-segment-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) at a tertiary-care hospital in Sri Lanka. Methods Eighty-one patients with acute STEMI presenting to a teaching hospital in Peradeniya, Sri Lanka, we...

ANALISIS PENDAPATAN USAHATANI PADI SAWAH DENGAN METODE SRI (System of Rice Intensification DI DESA EMPAT BALAI KECAMATAN KUOK KABUPATEN KAMPAR

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Mario Francisco Tamba

2017-04-01

Full Text Available Paddy is one of main farming commodity since rice is one of main food in Indonesia. Innovation adoption about paddy farming was meaningful, because there were land conversion from food farming to industrial land or plantation. This study aimed to know about the adoption of farming technical was used by farmers, then aimed to know the efficiency of farming. This study took place in Empat Balai Village Kuok Sub-district Kampar Municipality. The results of this study showed there were differences about faming technical between faming technical with SRI and conventional faming technical that was used for a long time. The differences between SRI paddy farming and conventional farming were the amount of seeds per planted hole and the use of fertilizers. The amount of seeds on SRI method was only 1 seed per planted hole, meanwhile the use of fertilizers was more prioritize on using the organic materials i.e. golden snail, rice water, and brown sugar. On the other hand, there was an increasing of paddy production from SRI method which reached the production of 3.014,51 kg per ha. The increase of production caused the increase of total net income by SRI method Rp.14.953.667,01 per ha. RCR value of this farming was 1,76 per ha, which the value of RCR > 1 then this farming was profitable categorized.Keywords: Farming, Paddy, SRI, Income, Efficiency

Occupational health issues in small-scale industries in Sri Lanka: An underreported burden.

Science.gov (United States)

Suraweera, Inoka K; Wijesinghe, Supun D; Senanayake, Sameera J; Herath, Hema D B; Jayalal, T B Ananda

2016-10-17

Work-related diseases and occupational accidents affect a significant number of workers globally. The majority of these diseases and accidents are reported from developing countries; and a large percentage of the workforce in developing countries is estimated to be employed in small-scale industries. Sri Lanka is no exception. These workers are exposed to occupational hazards and are at a great risk of developing work- related diseases and injuries. To identify occupational health issues faced by small-scale industry workers in Sri Lanka. A cross sectional study was conducted among workers in four selected small-scale industry categories in two districts of Sri Lanka. A small-scale industry was defined as a work setting with less than 20 workers. Cluster sampling using probability proportionate to size of workers was used. Eighty clusters with a cluster size of eight from each district were selected. Data was collected using a pre-tested interviewer administered questionnaire. Our study surveyed 198 industries. Headache (2.2%, 95% CI 1.5-3.1) and eye problems (2.1%, 95% CI 1.4-2.9) were the commonest general health issues detected. Back pain (4.8%, 95% CI 3.8-6.1) was the most prevalent work-related musculoskeletal pain reported. Knee pain was the second highest (4.4%, 95% CI 3.4-5.6). Most of the work-related musculoskeletal pain was either of short duration or long lasting. Work-related musculoskeletal pain was much more common than the general health issues reported. Health promotional programs at workplaces focusing ergonomics will benefit the workers at small-scale industries inSri Lanka.

Symptoms of anxiety and depression in adolescent students; a perspective from Sri Lanka

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Wijeratne Thilina

2010-03-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Sri Lanka recorded an extraordinary high suicide rate for adolescents aged 15 - 19 in the early 1990s (46.5/100,000. With this in perspective, the Ministry of Health in Sri Lanka recommends school programmes for adolescents by mental health units of local hospitals. Methods We conducted cross sectional surveys to screen for symptoms of anxiety and depression among students aged 14 - 18 during school mental health programmes. Two schools were randomly selected within the Ratnapura municipality (urban population of approx. 50,000, Sri Lanka and all students aged 14-18 were assessed with self administered (pre tested, Sinhalese translations questionnaires [Center for epidemiologic studies depression scale, Anxiety screening test of suicide and mental health association international]. Results A total of 445 students were assessed (male-54.4%, female 45.6%. Thirty six percent screened positive for depression (mild depression-17%, severe depression-19% and 28% screened positive for severe anxiety. Females screened positive for depression and anxiety significantly more than the males (p = 0.0001, 0.005 respectively. Students in classes facing barrier examinations at the end of the year had the highest positivity rates. Examination related issues (36% were the most commonly cited problem. Recommendations It is recommended that: 1. School mental health development programmes in Sri Lanka concentrate more on reducing examination related stress, and in particular focus on the female students 2. Policy decisions are made to reduce competition for higher education 3. A nationally coordinated survey on mental health of adolescent students is carried out utilizing the island-wide network of medical officers of mental health.

Mercy for money: Torture's link to profit in Sri Lanka, a retrospective review.

Science.gov (United States)

Block, Wendell; Lee, Jessica; Vijayasingham, Kera

2017-01-01

The purpose of this retrospective study is to describe the pattern of bribe taking in exchange for release from torture, during and after the decades-long war in Sri Lanka. We reviewed the charts of 98 refugee claimants from Sri Lanka referred to the Canadian Centre for Victims of Torture for medical assessments prior to their refugee hearings in Toronto between 1989 and 2013. We tallied the number of incidents in which claimants described paying cash or jewelry to end torture, and collected other associated data such as demographics, organizations of the perpetrators, locations, and, if available, amounts paid. We included torture perpetrated by both governmental and nongovernmental militant groups. Collected data was coded and evaluated. We found that 78 of the 95 subjects (82.1%) whose reported ordeals met the United Nations Convention Against Torture/International Criminal Court definitions of torture described paying to end torture at least once. 43 subjects paid to end torture more than once. Multiple groups (governmental and non-governmental) practiced torture and extorted money by doing so. A middleman was described in 32 percent of the incidents. Payment amounts as reported were high compared to average Sri Lankan annual incomes. The practice of torture and related monetary extortion was still reported after the end of the war, inclusive of 2013. Torture in Sri Lanka is unlikely to end while profit motives remain unchallenged. As well as health injuries, victims of torture and their families suffer significant economic injuries while their assailants are enriched. The frequent link between torture and impunity means multiple populations the world over are vulnerable to this abuse.

Research-informed Outreach informs Research: Using games to inform and understand farmer decisions in Sri Lanka

Science.gov (United States)

Gunda, T.; Yeung, K.; Hornberger, G. M.

2016-12-01

Researchers from the Agricultural Decision Making and Adaptation to Precipitation Trends in Sri Lanka (ADAPT-SL) team have been working for the past six years to understand Sri Lanka's agricultural vulnerability to climate change and how farmers and policy makers can adapt to and mitigate the variety of threats and uncertainties that climate change brings. In addition to academic publications, the compiled and developed knowledge from the ADAPT-SL research efforts are shared routinely with Sri Lankan stakeholders directly. While presentations are the norm for academic and government stakeholder outreach, we decided that an interactive component would increase farmers' learning. Drawing on teaching pedagogies, we designed a place-based, hands-on game that incorporated local climate and market characteristics to convey the impact of climate change on crop water needs for the Sri Lanka farmers. The process of developing the game, however, revealed gaps in our research knowledge, specifically regarding how farmers balance uncertainties associated with weather and market conditions. So we took advantage of the opportunity offered by the outreach effort to collect data; findings from the game led to the development of a system dynamics model. The game was well received by farmers and other Sri Lankan stakeholders in January 2016, with the former expressing that they played the game as if it was emulating actual farming decisions. The farmers also expressed a desire for more outreach efforts to be designed in such an interactive way. The game has since been used to engage U.S. students (from 5th grade to college seniors majoring in Sociology) regarding the complexities of tackling climate change issues.

Single Cell Analysis of Dystrophin and SRY Gene by Using Whole Genome Amplification

Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

徐晨明; 金帆; 黄荷凤; 陶冶; 叶英辉

2001-01-01

Objective To develop a reliable and sensitive method for detection of sex and multiloci of Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) gene in single cell Materials & methods Whole genome of single cell were amplified by using 15-base random primers (primer extension preamplification, PEP), then a small aliquot of PEP product were analyzed by using locus-specific nest PCR amplification. The procedure was evaluated by detection dystrophin exons 8, 17, 19, 44, 45, 48 and human testis-determining gene (SRY)in single lymphocytes from known sources and single blastomeres from the couples with no family history of DMD.Results The amplification efficiency rate of six dystrophin exons from single lymphocytes and single blastomeres were 97. 2% (175/180) and 100% (60/60) respectively.Results of SRY showed that 100% (15/15) amplification in single male-derived lymphocytes and 0% (0/15) amplification in single female-derived lymphocytes. Conclusion The technique of single cell PEP-nest PCR for dystrophin exons 8, 17,19, 44, 45, 48 and SRY is highly specifc. PEP-nest PCR is suitable for Preimplantation genetic diagnosis (PGD) of DMD at single cell level.

Electron beam instrumentation techniques using coherent radiation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wang, D.X.

1997-01-01

Much progress has been made on coherent radiation research since coherent synchrotron radiation was first observed in 1989. The use of coherent radiation as a bunch length diagnostic tool has been studied by several groups. In this paper, brief introductions to coherent radiation and far-infrared measurement are given, the progress and status of their beam diagnostic application are reviewed, different techniques are described, and their advantages and limitations are discussed

The delaying effect of stigma on mental health help-seeking in Sri Lanka.

Science.gov (United States)

Fernando, Sunera M; Deane, Frank P; McLeod, Hamish J

2017-03-01

Mental health stigma has been associated with delays in seeking treatment. To describe perceived stigma experienced by patients and carers in Sri Lanka and to determine the effects of stigma on help-seeking delay. Survey of outpatients and family carers (n = 118 dyads) attending two psychiatric hospitals in Sri Lanka, using the Disclosure and Discrimination subscales of the Stigma Scale. Stigma was positively related to help-seeking delay for carers but not patients. Public stigma experienced by carers accounted for 23% of the variance in help-seeking delay. Reducing stigma may reduce help-seeking delays during the course of treatment. © 2016 John Wiley & Sons Australia, Ltd.

A 45 X male patient with 7q distal deletion and rearrangement with SRY gene translocation: a case report.

Science.gov (United States)

Bilen, S; Okten, A; Karaguzel, G; Ikbal, M; Aslan, Y

2013-01-01

Here we present a male newborn with multiple congenital anomalies who also has an extremely rare form of testicular disorder of sex development (DSD). His karyotype was 45X, without any mosaicism. SRY gene was positive by polymerase chain reaction (PCR), and rearranged on distal part of the 7th chromosome by fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) analysis. SRY, normally located on the Y chromosome, is the most important gene that plays a role in the development of male sex. SRY gen may be translocated onto another chromosome, mostly X chromosome in the XX testicular DSD. On the other hand very few cases of 45 X testicular DSD were published to date. Other clinical manifestations of our patient were compatible with distal 7 q deletion syndrome. To the best of our knowledge this is the first case of 45 X testicular DSD with SRY gene rearranged on the 7th autosomal chromosome.

Energy and environmental assessments of bioethanol production from Sri Kanji 1 cassava in Malaysia

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M. Hanif

2017-03-01

Full Text Available According to the Malaysia’s biofuel policy, renewable fuels are crucial for energy sustainability in the transportation sector in the future. This study was aimed to evaluate the potential of bioethanol production from Sri Kanji 1 cassava in Malaysia in terms of energy efficiency and renewability, as well to estimate the potential greenhouse gas (GHG emissions reduction in CO2 equivalent. Bioethanol production process from cassava includes cassava farming, ethanol production, and transportation in which the primary energy consumption was considered. The Net Energy Balance (NEB and Net Energy Ratio (NER of 25.68 MJ/L and 3.98, respectively, indicated that bioethanol production from Sri Kanji 1 cassava in Malaysia was energy efficient. From the environmental perspective, the GHG balance results revealed that the production and distribution of 1 L of Cassava Fuel Ethanol (CFE could reduce GHG emissions by 73.2%. Although found promising in the present study, Sri Kanji 1 cassava as bioethanol feedstock should be further investigated by constructing an actual ethanol plant to obtain real life data.

Sampled data spectroscopy (SDS): A new technology for radiation instrumentation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Odell, D.M.C.

1992-01-01

A new instrumentation architecture for radiation spectroscopy is in the early stages of development at Savannah River. Based upon the same digital sampling techniques used in sonar and radar, sampled data spectroscopy (SDS) has produced Na(I)/PMT spectra with resolution comparable to conventional PHA systems. This work has laid the foundation for extending SDS techniques to solid state detector applications as well. Two-dimensional SDS processes raw, unintegrated detector output pulses to produce both energy and shape information that is used to construct a conventional energy spectrum. System advantages include zero electronic deadtime to support very high count rates, elimination of pulse pile-up peaks, high noise immunity, and digital system stability and reliability. Small size and low power requirements make 2-D SDS anideal technology for portable instrumentation and remote monitoring applications. Applications of potential interest at Savannah River include on-the-spot spill analysis, real-time waste stream monitoring, and personnel and area monitoring below background levels. A three-dimensional sampled data architecture is also being developed. Relying on image analysis and enhancement techniques, 3-D SDS identifies spectral peaks without determining the energy of any individual detector pulses. These techniques also open up a new avenue of exploration for reducing or removing Compton effects from the spectra of single detector systems. The intended application for this technique is waste characterization where lower energy isotopes are often obscured by the Compton scattering from dominant isotopes such as Csl37

Instrument evaluation no. 11. ESI nuclear model 271 C contamination monitor

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Burgess, P.H.; Iles, W.J.

1978-06-01

The various radiations encountered in radiological protection cover a wide range of energies and radiation measurements have to he carried out under an equally broad spectrum of environmental conditions. This report is one of a series intended to give information on the performance characteristics of radiological protection instruments, to assist in the selection of appropriate instruments for a given purpose, to interpret the results obtained with such instruments, and, in particular, to know the likely sources and magnitude of errors that might be associated with measurements in the field. The radiation, electrical and environmental characteristics of radiation protection instruments are considered together with those aspects of the construction which make an instrument convenient for routine use. To provide consistent criteria for instrument performance, the range of tests performed on any particular class of instrument, the test methods and the criteria of acceptable performance are based broadly on the appropriate Recommendations of the International Electrotechnical Commission. The radiations in the tests are, in general, selected from the range of reference radiations for instrument calibration being drawn up by the International Standards Organisation. Normally, each report deals with the capabilities and limitations of one model of instrument and no direct comparison with other instruments intended for similar purposes is made, since the significance of particular performance characteristics largely depends on the radiations and environmental conditions in which the instrument is to be used. The results quoted here have all been obtained from tests on instruments in routine production, with the appropriate measurements being made by the NRPB. This report deals with the ESI Nuclear Model 271 C; a general purpose contamination monitor, comprising a GM tube connected by a coiled extensible cable to a ratemeter

Adaptation, translation and reliability of the Australian 'Juniors Enjoying Cricket Safely' injury risk perception questionnaire for Sri Lanka.

Science.gov (United States)

Gamage, Prasanna J; Fortington, Lauren V; Finch, Caroline F

2018-01-01

Cricket is a very popular sport in Sri Lanka. In this setting there has been limited research; specifically, there is little knowledge of cricket injuries. To support future research possibilities, the aim of this study was to cross-culturally adapt, translate and test the reliability of an Australian-developed questionnaire for the Sri Lankan context. The Australian 'Juniors Enjoying Cricket Safely' (JECS-Aus) injury risk perception questionnaire was cross-culturally adapted to suit the Sri Lankan context and subsequently translated into the two main languages (Sinhala and Tamil) based on standard forward-back translation. The translated questionnaires were examined for content validity by two language schoolteachers. The questionnaires were completed twice, 2 weeks apart, by two groups of school cricketers (males) aged 11-15 years (Sinhala (n=24), Tamil (n=30)) to assess reliability. Test-retest scores were evaluated for agreement. Where responses were statistics were calculated. Questions with moderate-to-poor test-retest reliability (κAus questionnaire for use in a different population, providing an outcome measure for assessing injury risk perceptions in Sri Lankan junior cricketers.

Energy efficiency and conservation in Sri Lanka

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Samarasekura, S W.R.

1983-01-01

Sri Lanka is a tropical, predominantly agricultural island with a mixed population. The economy is rapidly expanding since 1977. So far the country is self-sufficient in rice, which is the staple food of the population. Indiscriminate cutting of forests for firewood resulted in a disastrous upsetting of the rain pattern. The existing capacity of hydro-electric power plants is not adequate to meet the demands of the rapidly growing industries and of households where the use of appliances increases dramatically with the progress of the economy. Periodic cut-offs of electric power supply became necessary. These are very harmful to industry. In order to keep the balance of payments in equilibrium, the government is fostering the development of new sources of foreign income, such as tourism and export of gems and spices. Remedies used to master the energy crisis are: the building of new hydroelectric plants, reforestation; introduction of ''kerosene stamps'' which will restrict the sale of this product at subsidized prices to the needy only; encouraging the use of fuel-efficient motorcycles in preference to automobiles; introduction (in cooperation with Honda) of alcohol-powered motorcycles; appointment of a Ministerial Committee endowed with broad powers to formulate and implement national energy policy. Although the general energy situation in Sri Lanka is rather bleak for the moment, it is confidently hoped that these measures will bear fruit in the long run.

Research with Sri Lankan fish farmers brings best practices home ...

International Development Research Centre (IDRC) Digital Library (Canada)

2013-01-11

Jan 11, 2013 ... The resulting sustainable aquaculture practices could lead to fewer disease ... shrimp, and mussels) holds great promise for improving nutrition and reducing rural poverty in Sri Lanka. ... The challenge: Communicating best practices to farmers. Disease, poor information sharing, and a lack of measureable ...

Proceedings of the FNCA 2007 workshop on application of electron accelerator. Radiation processing of natural polymer

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tamada, Masao; Kume, Tamikazu

2008-12-01

This workshop was co-sponsored by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT), Japan and the Ministry of Science and Technology (MOST), Vietnam. The Vietnam Atomic Energy Commission and Japan Atomic Energy Agency (JAEA) jointly executed the workshop in cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). The main objectives of the workshop were the following: - to discuss for the promotion of the commercial applications of radiation processing of natural polymer. - to prepare the work plan for the FNCA activities for 2007-2008. The workshop was attended by experts on radiation processing from Bangladesh, China, Egypt, India, Indonesia, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Pakistan, Philippines, Sri Lanka, Thailand and Vietnam. The radiation processing of natural polymer is divided into crosslinking, degradation and graft polymerization. The radiation crosslinked polysaccharides are mainly used to prepare hydrogel for healthcare and environment. Hydrogels were commercialized in India, Korea, and Malaysia and are going to be commercialized in Philippines and Vietnam as wound dressings. Radiation degraded polysaccharides (alginate and chitosan) are commercialized in China and Vietnam in aquaculture and agriculture, respectively. Indonesia successfully carried out field test of radiation degraded chitosan as plant growth promoter. Also the radiation degraded chitosan was demonstrated to preserve post harvest fruit and to extend the shelf life of papaya in Pakistan and Sri Lanka, respectively. Radiation graft polymerization onto polysaccharide is applied for production of soil conditioner in Vietnam. Several applications of grafting technique were also reported. Manuscripts submitted by presenters were compiled in the proceedings. The 31 of the presented papers are indexed individually. (J.P.N.)

Vascular brachytherapy with 90Sr/Y versus 192Ir: A health physics perspective

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Elder, E.S.; Butker, E.K.; Miner, M.S.; Wang, C.K.; Crocker, I.R.

1997-01-01

Purpose: Currently there are two ongoing trials of catheter based radiation therapy in the United States, the BERT Trial (Emory University, Atlanta, GA) and the SCRIPPS Trial (Scripps Clinic, La Jolla, CA). The BERT method involved the use of a treatment system to manually deliver a source train consisting of 12, encapsulated 90 Sr/Y seeds of 3 cm total active length. The total activity of the source train was approximately 3.7 GBq. The SCRIPPS trial involved the use of a hand delivered 192 Ir (BEST Industries) source train of either 5 or 9 sources with 1 mm spacing between the sources. The average total activity of the source train was 3.6 GBq ± 1.08 GBq. It is the purpose of this study to compare the patient dose and staff exposures from the above source trains. A comparison with exposures from use of fluoroscopy in the catheterization laboratory will also be made. Materials and Methods: Measurements made with a GM meter at specified locations around the BERT patients during the insertion of the seeds were compared with published information from the SCRIPPS Trial. Monte Carlo modeled measurements of the equivalent dose in humans from insertion of the source trains were also compared for both methods. The above were contrasted with GM measurements from use of fluoroscopy in the catheterization laboratory. Results: Average exposure rates recorded at the patient's chest and groin from the BERT method were 4.9x10 -4 and 1.29x10 -4 C/kg·hr respectively. Average exposures to the operator from the BERT method and the SCRIPPS method were 8.6x10 -6 and 1.03x10 -3 C/kg respectively. A typical exposure rate for conventional cardiac fluoroscopy is 3.9x10 -3 C/kg·hr. Monte Carlo modeled calculations of patient dose equivalent for the BERT method and the SCRIPPS method were 0.43 μSv and 6.41 mSv respectively. Conclusions: Vascular brachytherapy performed with 90 Sr/Y sources resulted in staff exposures of at least a factor of 120 less and patient doses of a factor of

Coronaviruses in guano from Pteropus medius bats in Peradeniya, Sri Lanka.

Science.gov (United States)

Kudagammana, H D W S; Thevanesam, V; Chu, D K W; Eriyagama, N B; Peiris, J S M; Noordeen, F

2018-03-02

Bats are a unique group of mammals well suited to be hosts for emerging viruses. With current rates of deforestation and urbanization, redistribution of bat habitats to urban and suburban areas may bring bats into closer contact with livestock and humans. Common flying fox, Pteropus medius (previously known as Pteropus giganteus), forms large communal roosts on treetops, often in close proximity to human habitation in Sri Lanka. This report describes the detection of coronavirus RNA in P. medius bat guano collected in Peradeniya, Sri Lanka. These viruses had >97% nucleotide identity with coronaviruses detected in Cynopterus sphinx, Scotophilus heathii and S. kuhlii bats in Thailand. Pteropus medius is widespread in Asia and appears to excrete group D coronaviruses, which are hitherto confined to bats; however, these findings may have public health implications in the future. © 2018 Blackwell Verlag GmbH.

Role of radiation standards in peaceful uses of nuclear energy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mahant, A.K.; Sathian, V.; Joseph, L.

2009-01-01

Radiation standards play an acute role in all the peaceful applications of nuclear energy, which is not limited to generation of electrical power anymore. Radioactive sources are being used in a very wide variety of applications, which can be broadly classified as medicine, agriculture, industry and scientific research. All these applications involve the use of radiation in a well-controlled manner and hence require accurate characterization and quantification of the radiation. Radiation Standards Section of Radiation Safety Systems Division at BARC is the apex national laboratory for all the radiological quantities related to various types of radiation sources. The laboratory develops, maintains and disseminates the standards to the users of the radiation sources all over the country and some of the neighbouring countries viz. Nepal, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Myanmar with an essential objective to bring homogeneity in all radiological measurements and make them compatible with the international standards. Various services provided by the Radiation Standards Section have been briefly described in the following sections. (author)

Instrument evaluation no. 11. ESI nuclear model 271 C contamination monitor

CERN Document Server

Burgess, P H

1978-01-01

The various radiations encountered in radiological protection cover a wide range of energies and radiation measurements have to he carried out under an equally broad spectrum of environmental conditions. This report is one of a series intended to give information on the performance characteristics of radiological protection instruments, to assist in the selection of appropriate instruments for a given purpose, to interpret the results obtained with such instruments, and, in particular, to know the likely sources and magnitude of errors that might be associated with measurements in the field. The radiation, electrical and environmental characteristics of radiation protection instruments are considered together with those aspects of the construction which make an instrument convenient for routine use. To provide consistent criteria for instrument performance, the range of tests performed on any particular class of instrument, the test methods and the criteria of acceptable performance are based broadly on the a...

Instrument evaluation no. 17. Wallac automatic alarm dosimeter type RAD21

CERN Document Server

Burgess, P H

1980-01-01

The various radiations encountered in radiological protection cover a wide range of energies and radiation measurements have to be carried out under an equally broad spectrum of environmental conditions. This report is one of a series intended to give information on the performance characteristics of radiological protection instruments, to assist in the selection of appropriate instruments for a given purpose, to interpret the results obtained with such instruments, and, in particular, to know the likely sources and magnitude of errors that might be associated with measurements in the field. The radiation, electrical and environmental characteristics of radiation protection instruments are considered together with those aspects of the construction which make an instrument convenient for routine use. To provide consistent criteria for instrument performance, the range of tests performed on any particular class of instrument, the test methods and the criteria of acceptable performance are based broadly on the a...

Impact of natural disasters on income inequality in Sri Lanka

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Keerthiratne, Subhani; Tol, Richard S.J.

We explore the relationship between natural disasters and income inequality in Sri Lanka as the first study of this nature for the country. The analysis uses a unique panel data set constructed for the purpose of this paper. It contains district inequality measures based on household income reported

The calibration procedure of the radiation monitoring system installed in radiation controlled area of KOMAC

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Park, Sung-Kyun; Min, Yi-Sub; Park, Jeong-Min; Cho, Yong-Sub [Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute, Gyeongju (Korea, Republic of)

2016-10-15

The spaces, where these accelerators are installed, are defined as the radiation controlled area and the levels of the radiation in this area are monitored by the radiation monitoring system (RMS) to protect radiation workers and experiment users from the hazards of the ionizing radiation and the surface and air contamination tests are carried out periodically by the radiation secure team. The most of RMS instruments are installed in the accelerator building, where the 100-MeV proton linear accelerator is installed. All detectors of RMS should be calibrated every year to prove the reliability of RMS and almost all instruments for RMS was calibrated during this summer maintenance period of KOMAC this year. Almost all RMS instruments installed in KOMAC is calibrated between 2016-07-13 and 2016-08-24. As the calibration result, if the current reading value are within the 5% of the reference dose rate value, this RMS instrument can be used one more year. Otherwise, the detector of that RMS instrument should be repaired or replaced. The self-calibration certificate for each RMS instrument will be published only for the instrument to satisfy the condition.

Implementasi Corporate Sosial Responsibility PT Riau Crumb Rubber Factory terhadap Masyarakat Kelurahan Sri Meranti Kota Pekanbaru

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Andrew Shandy Utama

2017-08-01

Full Text Available A company that carries out its business activities in the field and/or related to natural resources is obliged to carry out its Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR. This research was conducted at PT Riau Crumb Rubber Factory which is located in Sri Meranti Village. Raw rubber production activities into semi-finished rubbers have been routinely generating pollution for the environment and society, such as air pollution and water pollution. The problem is how the implementation of CSR PT Riau Crumb Rubber Factory to the community of Sri Meranti Village in Pekanbaru City? What are the obstacles and the legal effort based on Riau Province Regional Regulation Number 6 Year 2012? This research is a sociological law research. Source of data used in this research is primary data and secondary data. Data collection techniques used in this study are observation, interview, and literature study. Data analysis technique used in this research is qualitative analysis. The result of this research is PT Riau Crumb Rubber Factory has implemented CSR, but has not fulfilled the expectation the community of Sri Meranti Village because it is not comparable with the pollution and environmental damage caused by the company's operational activities. The obstacle from the company side is the limited budget of CSR funds owned by PT Riau Crumb Rubber Factory to be able to meet all the needs of the community, while from the community side is the lack of legal knowledge of the community of Sri Meranti Village about CSR. The legal effort is that if PT Riau Crumb Rubber Factory does not implement CSR, the community of Sri Meranti Village can convey their aspirations to the DPRD of Riau Province for the company to be recommended to get administrative sanction from the government, such as the suspension of operational license of the company.

Study of State of Democracy and Governance in Sri Lanka | IDRC ...

International Development Research Centre (IDRC) Digital Library (Canada)

The CSDS launched the project's second phase in 2012, but had insufficient funding to ... issues in Sri Lanka in the context of protracted social and ethnic conflicts, civil war, ... Eleven world-class research teams set to improve livestock vaccine ...

Neutron and synchrotron radiation for condensed matter studies. Volume 1: theory, instruments and methods

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Baruchel, J.; Hodeau, J.L.; Lehmann, M.S.; Regnard, J.R.; Schlenker, C.

1993-01-01

This book provides the basic information required by a research scientist wishing to undertake studies using neutrons or synchrotron radiation at a Large Facility. These lecture notes result from 'HERCULES', a course that has been held in Grenoble since 1991 to train young scientists in these fields. They cover the production of neutrons and synchrotron radiation and describe all aspects of instrumentation. In addition, this work outlines the basics of the various fields of research pursued at these Large Facilities. It consists of a series of chapters written by experts in the particular fields. While following a progression and constituting a lecture course on neutron and x-ray scattering, these chapters can also be read independently. This first volume will be followed by two further volumes concerned with the applications to solid state physics and chemistry, and to biology and soft condensed matter properties

Developing tools to link environmental flows science and its practice in Sri Lanka

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

N. Eriyagma

2014-09-01

Full Text Available The term "Environmental Flows (EF" may be defined as "the quantity, timing and quality of water flows required to sustain freshwater and estuarine ecosystems and the human livelihoods and well-being that depend on these ecosystems". It may be regarded as "water for nature" or "environmental demand" similar to crop water requirements, industrial or domestic water demand. The practice of EF is still limited to a few developed countries such as Australia, South Africa and the UK. In many developing countries EF is rarely considered in water resources planning and is often deemed "unimportant". Sri Lanka, being a developing country, is no exception to this general rule. Although the country underwent an extensive irrigation/water resources development phase during the 1960s through to the 1980s, the concept of EF was hardly considered. However, as Sri Lanka's water resources are being exploited more and more for human usage, ecologists, water practitioners and policymakers alike have realized the importance of EF in sustaining not only freshwater and estuarine ecosystems, but also their services to humans. Hence estimation of EF has been made mandatory in environmental impact assessments (EIAs of all large development projects involving river regulation/water abstraction. Considering EF is especially vital under the rapid urbanization and infrastructure development phase that dawned after the end of the war in the North and the East of the country in 2009. This paper details simple tools (including a software package which is under development and methods that may be used for coarse scale estimation of EF at/near monitored locations on major rivers of Sri Lanka, along with example applications to two locations on River Mahaweli. It is hoped that these tools will help bridge the gap between EF science and its practice in Sri Lanka and other developing countries.

Factors shaping political priorities for violence against women-mitigation policies in Sri Lanka.

Science.gov (United States)

Colombini, Manuela; Mayhew, Susannah H; Lund, Ragnhild; Singh, Navpreet; Swahnberg, Katarina; Infanti, Jennifer; Schei, Berit; Wijewardene, Kumudu

2018-05-25

Although violence against women (VAW) is a global public health issue, its importance as a health issue is often unrecognized in legal and health policy documents. This paper uses Sri Lanka as a case study to explore the factors influencing the national policy response to VAW, particularly by the health sector. A document based health policy analysis was conducted to examine current policy responses to VAW in Sri Lanka using the Shiffman and Smith (2007) policy analysis framework. The findings suggest that the networks and influences of various actors in Sri Lanka, and their ideas used to frame the issue of VAW, have been particularly important in shaping the nature of the policy response to date. The Ministry of Women and Child Affairs led the national response on VAW, but suffered from limited financial and political support. Results also suggest that there was low engagement by the health sector in the initial policy response to VAW in Sri Lanka, which focused primarily on criminal legislation, following global influences. Furthermore, a lack of empirical data on VAW has impeded its promotion as a health policy issue, despite financial support from international organisations enabling an initial health systems response by the Ministry of Health. Until a legal framework was established (2005), the political context provided limited opportunities for VAW to also be construed as a health issue. It was only then that the Ministry of Health got legitimacy to institutionalise VAW services. Nearly a decade later, a change in government has led to a new national plan on VAW, giving a clear role to the health sector in the fight against VAW. High-level political will, criminalisation of violence, coalesced women's groups advocating for legislative change, prevalence data, and financial support from influential institutions are all critical elements helping frame violence as a national public health issue.

Oral Competency of ESL/EFL Learners in Sri Lankan Rural School Context

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sarath Withanarachchi Samaranayake

2016-06-01

Full Text Available This study investigates the current teaching trends and practices in teaching oral English in rural Sinhala-medium schools in Sri Lanka and their relevance to the current theoretical, empirical, and pedagogical perspectives of second-language acquisition (SLA. The present study, which was conducted in two Sri Lankan Sinhala-medium rural schools, is a case study in which the classroom observation, interviewing of the participants, and videotaping of students’ interaction were included as data collection tools. The spoken data were analyzed using the Communicative Orientation of Language Teaching (COLT scheme designed by Fröhlich, Spada, and Allen, while the numerical data obtained from the structured speaking test (Cambridge Key English for Schools Test were analyzed using independent samples t test. The findings of the study indicate that the instructional method used by English teachers does not provide the learners with adequate input of the target language to improve their oral communication skills in rural school contexts. As a result, a majority of students from rural schools in Sri Lanka demonstrate a limited or a low proficiency level in oral communication in English. Therefore, possible reasons for the lack of greater awareness towards more communicative teaching are discussed, and suggestions for promoting changes in teaching English as a Foreign Language (EFL in rural school contexts are offered.

Estimates of dengue force of infection in children in Colombo, Sri Lanka.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Clarence C Tam

Full Text Available Dengue is the most important vector-borne viral disease worldwide and a major cause of childhood fever burden in Sri Lanka, which has experienced a number of large epidemics in the past decade. Despite this, data on the burden and transmission of dengue virus in the Indian Subcontinent are lacking. As part of a longitudinal fever surveillance study, we conducted a dengue seroprevalence survey among children aged <12 years in Colombo, Sri Lanka. We used a catalytic model to estimate the risk of primary infection among seronegative children. Over 50% of children had IgG antibodies to dengue virus and seroprevalence increased with age. The risk of primary infection was 14.1% per year (95% CI: 12.7%-15.6%, indicating that among initially seronegative children, approximately 1 in 7 experience their first infection within 12 months. There was weak evidence to suggest that the force of primary infection could be lower for children aged 6 years and above. We estimate that there are approximately 30 primary dengue infections among children <12 years in the community for every case notified to national surveillance, although this ratio is closer to 100:1 among infants. Dengue represents a considerable infection burden among children in urban Sri Lanka, with levels of transmission comparable to those in the more established epidemics of Southeast Asia.

Magnetic Measuring Instrumentation with Radiation-Resistant Hall Sensors for Fusion Reactors: Experience of Testing at JET

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Bolshakova, I.; Quercia, A.; Coccorese, V.; Murari, A.; Holyaka, R.; Ďuran, Ivan; Viererbl, L.; Konopleva, R.; Yerashok, V.

2012-01-01

Roč. 59, č. 4 (2012), s. 1224-1231 ISSN 0018-9499. [International Conference on Advancements in Nuclear Instrumentation, Measurement Methods and their Applications. Ghent, 06.06.2011-09.06.2011] R&D Projects: GA ČR GAP205/10/2055 Institutional research plan: CEZ:AV0Z20430508 Keywords : plasma * tokamak * JET * Hall probes * radiation resistance Subject RIV: BL - Plasma and Gas Discharge Physics Impact factor: 1.219, year: 2012

Neurological manifestations of snake bite in Sri Lanka.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Seneviratne U

2002-10-01

Full Text Available BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Snake bite is an important cause of mortality and morbidity in certain parts of Sri Lanka. This study was designed to determine the offending snakes, neurological manifestations, disease course, and outcome in neurotoxic envenomation. METHODS AND MATERIAL: Fifty six consecutive patients admitted with neurological manifestations following snake bite were studied prospectively. Data were obtained regarding the offending snakes, neurological symptoms, time taken for onset of symptoms, neurological signs, and time taken for recovery. RESULTS: The offending snake was Russell′s viper in 27(48.2%, common and Sri Lankan krait in 19(33.9%, cobra in 3(5.4%, and unidentified in 7(12.5%. Ptosis was the commonest neurological manifestation seen in 48(85.7% followed by ophthalmoplegia (75%, limb weakness (26.8%, respiratory failure (17.9%, palatal weakness (10.7%, neck muscle weakness (7.1%, and delayed sensory neuropathy (1.8%. Neurological symptoms were experienced usually within 6 hours after the bite. Following administration of antivenom, the signs of recovery became evident within a few hours to several days. The duration for complete recovery ranged from four hours to two weeks. CONCLUSIONS: Complete recovery of neuromuscular weakness was observed in all patients except for one who died with intracerebral haemorrhage shortly after admission.

Plant Poisoning among Children in Rural Sri Lanka

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M. B. Kavinda Chandimal Dayasiri

2017-01-01

Full Text Available Plant poisoning is a common presentation in paediatric practice and an important cause of preventable mortality and morbidity in Sri Lanka. The burden of plant poisoning is largely underexplored. The current multicenter study based in rural Sri Lanka assessed clinical profiles, poison related factors, clinical management, complications, outcomes, and risk factors associated with plant poisoning in the paediatric age group. Among 325 children, 57% were male with 64% being below five years of age. 99.4% had ingested the poison. Transfer rate was 66.4%. Most had unintentional poisoning. Commonest poison plant was Jatropha circus and poisoning event happened mostly in home garden. 29% of parents practiced harmful first-aid practices. 32% of children had delayed presentations to which the commonest reason was lack of parental concern regarding urgency of seeking medical care. Presence of poisonous plants in home garden was the strongest risk factor for plant poisoning. Mortality rate was 1.2% and all cases had Oleander poisoning. The study revealed the value of community awareness regarding risk factors and awareness among healthcare workers regarding the mostly benign nature of plant poisoning in children in view of limiting incidence of plant poisoning and reducing expenditure on patient management.

Integrated approach for coastal hazards and risks in Sri Lanka

Science.gov (United States)

Garcin, M.; Desprats, J. F.; Fontaine, M.; Pedreros, R.; Attanayake, N.; Fernando, S.; Siriwardana, C. H. E. R.; de Silva, U.; Poisson, B.

2008-06-01

The devastating impact of the tsunami of 26 December 2004 on the shores of the Indian Ocean recalled the importance of knowledge and the taking into account of coastal hazards. Sri Lanka was one of the countries most affected by this tsunami (e.g. 30 000 dead, 1 million people homeless and 70% of the fishing fleet destroyed). Following this tsunami, as part of the French post-tsunami aid, a project to establish a Geographical Information System (GIS) on coastal hazards and risks was funded. This project aims to define, at a pilot site, a methodology for multiple coastal hazards assessment that might be useful for the post-tsunami reconstruction and for development planning. This methodology could be applied to the whole coastline of Sri Lanka. The multi-hazard approach deals with very different coastal processes in terms of dynamics as well as in terms of return period. The first elements of this study are presented here. We used a set of tools integrating a GIS, numerical simulations and risk scenario modelling. While this action occurred in response to the crisis caused by the tsunami, it was decided to integrate other coastal hazards into the study. Although less dramatic than the tsunami these remain responsible for loss of life and damage. Furthermore, the establishment of such a system could not ignore the longer-term effects of climate change on coastal hazards in Sri Lanka. This GIS integrates the physical and demographic data available in Sri Lanka that is useful for assessing the coastal hazards and risks. In addition, these data have been used in numerical modelling of the waves generated during periods of monsoon as well as for the December 2004 tsunami. Risk scenarios have also been assessed for test areas and validated by field data acquired during the project. The results obtained from the models can be further integrated into the GIS and contribute to its enrichment and to help in better assessment and mitigation of these risks. The coastal

Integrated approach for coastal hazards and risks in Sri Lanka

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

M. Garcin

2008-06-01

Full Text Available The devastating impact of the tsunami of 26 December 2004 on the shores of the Indian Ocean recalled the importance of knowledge and the taking into account of coastal hazards. Sri Lanka was one of the countries most affected by this tsunami (e.g. 30 000 dead, 1 million people homeless and 70% of the fishing fleet destroyed. Following this tsunami, as part of the French post-tsunami aid, a project to establish a Geographical Information System (GIS on coastal hazards and risks was funded. This project aims to define, at a pilot site, a methodology for multiple coastal hazards assessment that might be useful for the post-tsunami reconstruction and for development planning. This methodology could be applied to the whole coastline of Sri Lanka.

The multi-hazard approach deals with very different coastal processes in terms of dynamics as well as in terms of return period. The first elements of this study are presented here. We used a set of tools integrating a GIS, numerical simulations and risk scenario modelling. While this action occurred in response to the crisis caused by the tsunami, it was decided to integrate other coastal hazards into the study. Although less dramatic than the tsunami these remain responsible for loss of life and damage. Furthermore, the establishment of such a system could not ignore the longer-term effects of climate change on coastal hazards in Sri Lanka.

This GIS integrates the physical and demographic data available in Sri Lanka that is useful for assessing the coastal hazards and risks. In addition, these data have been used in numerical modelling of the waves generated during periods of monsoon as well as for the December 2004 tsunami. Risk scenarios have also been assessed for test areas and validated by field data acquired during the project. The results obtained from the models can be further integrated into the GIS and contribute to its enrichment and to help in better assessment and mitigation

All projects related to sri lanka | Page 2 | IDRC - International ...

International Development Research Centre (IDRC) Digital Library (Canada)

Region: Sri Lanka, Central Asia, Far East Asia, South Asia, Canada. Program: Agriculture and Food Security. Total Funding: CA$ 410,300.00. Involuntary resettlement: A cross-country study on urban inequality and poverty. Project. Involuntary displacement in urban areas takes place when people are forced to leave and do ...

Peace Education in Conflict Zones--Experience from Northern Sri Lanka

Science.gov (United States)

Harris, Simon; Lewer, Nick

2008-01-01

In September 2005, adult students from Kilinochchi, located in the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE)-controlled Wanni region of northern Sri Lanka, were awarded University of Bradford, UK, validated postgraduate certificates or diplomas in conflict resolution and peace preparedness. The diploma is, we think, a landmark in peace education…

Calmodulin-dependent nuclear import of HMG-box family nuclear factors: importance of the role of SRY in sex reversal.

Science.gov (United States)

Kaur, Gurpreet; Delluc-Clavieres, Aurelie; Poon, Ivan K H; Forwood, Jade K; Glover, Dominic J; Jans, David A

2010-08-15

The HMG (high-mobility group)-box-containing chromatin-remodelling factor SRY (sex-determining region on the Y chromosome) plays a key role in sex determination. Its role in the nucleus is critically dependent on two NLSs (nuclear localization signals) that flank its HMG domain: the C-terminally located 'beta-NLS' that mediates nuclear transport through Impbeta1 (importin beta1) and the N-terminally located 'CaM-NLS' which is known to recognize the calcium-binding protein CaM (calmodulin). In the present study, we examined a number of missense mutations in the SRY CaM-NLS from human XY sex-reversed females for the first time, showing that they result in significantly reduced nuclear localization of GFP (green fluorescent protein)-SRY fusion proteins in transfected cells compared with wild-type. The CaM antagonist CDZ (calmidazolium chloride) was found to significantly reduce wild-type SRY nuclear accumulation, indicating dependence of SRY nuclear import on CaM. Intriguingly, the CaM-NLS mutants were all resistant to CDZ's effects, implying a loss of interaction with CaM, which was confirmed by direct binding experiments. CaM-binding/resultant nuclear accumulation was the only property of SRY found to be impaired by two of the CaM-NLS mutations, implying that inhibition of CaM-dependent nuclear import is the basis of sex reversal in these cases. Importantly, the CaM-NLS is conserved in other HMG-box-domain-containing proteins such as SOX-2, -9, -10 and HMGN1, all of which were found for the first time to rely on CaM for optimal nuclear localization. CaM-dependent nuclear translocation is thus a common mechanism for this family of important transcription factors.

Behavioral Pattern of Endemic Sri Lanka Grey Hornbill (Ocyceros gingalensis) within the Breeding and Nonbreeding Seasons

OpenAIRE

Wijerathne, Iresha; Wickramasinghe, Sriyani

2018-01-01

The hornbills are among the most extraordinary looking birds in the world. Out of two species of hornbill, the Ocyceros gingalensis is the only endemic grey hornbill in Sri Lanka. This study was conducted in Mihintale Sanctuary which is comprised of secondary dry mixed evergreen forest patches and semiurbanized area from 2013 to 2015. Ad libitum focal animal sampling was used to construct an ethogram for the behavior of Sri Lanka grey hornbill (SLGh). The study recorded 35 behavioral events i...

The role of religion in youth exposed to disasters in Sri Lanka.

Science.gov (United States)

Fernando, Gaithri A; Berger, Dale E

2017-01-01

Little research is available on the role of religious coping among youth exposed to disasters. This study examined the role of general and religious coping in a sample of 669 Sri Lankan Buddhist, Hindu, Muslim, and Christian youth (mean age = 14). Youth completed a survey with measures of exposure to disaster-related stressors, psychological and psychosocial functioning, and general and religious coping. Exposure to stressors was the most consistent predictor of negative outcomes, while approach-related coping predicted better outcomes for Buddhist and Hindu youth. Religious coping was the highest reported type of coping for all four religious groups, but was not significantly associated with any of the measured outcomes. The results suggest that Sri Lankan youth of different religious backgrounds are probably more similar than different in the ways they cope with adversity.

Application of Modis Data to Assess the Latest Forest Cover Changes of Sri Lanka

Science.gov (United States)

Perera, K.; Herath, S.; Apan, A.; Tateishi, R.

2012-07-01

Assessing forest cover of Sri Lanka is becoming important to lower the pressure on forest lands as well as man-elephant conflicts. Furthermore, the land access to north-east Sri Lanka after the end of 30 years long civil war has increased the need of regularly updated land cover information for proper planning. This study produced an assessment of the forest cover of Sri Lanka using two satellite data based maps within 23 years of time span. For the old forest cover map, the study used one of the first island-wide digital land cover classification produced by the main author in 1988. The old land cover classification was produced at 80 m spatial resolution, using Landsat MSS data. A previously published another study by the author has investigated the application feasibility of MODIS and Landsat MSS imagery for a selected sub-section of Sri Lanka to identify the forest cover changes. Through the light of these two studies, the assessment was conducted to investigate the application possibility of MODIS 250 m over a small island like Sri Lanka. The relation between the definition of forest in the study and spatial resolution of the used satellite data sets were considered since the 2012 map was based on MODIS data. The forest cover map of 1988 was interpolated into 250 m spatial resolution to integrate with the GIS data base. The results demonstrated the advantages as well as disadvantages of MODIS data in a study at this scale. The successful monitoring of forest is largely depending on the possibility to update the field conditions at regular basis. Freely available MODIS data provides a very valuable set of information of relatively large green patches on the ground at relatively real-time basis. Based on the changes of forest cover from 1988 to 2012, the study recommends the use of MODIS data as a resalable method to forest assessment and to identify hotspots to be re-investigated. It's noteworthy to mention the possibility of uncounted small isolated pockets of

Putting houses in place: rebuilding communities in post-tsunami Sri Lanka.

Science.gov (United States)

Ruwanpura, Kanchana N

2009-07-01

This paper interrogates the social and political geographies of resettlement and reconstruction of temporary and permanent shelters, which are fundamental to rebuilding tsunami-affected communities. War and ethnic cleavages are an endemic feature of Sri Lanka's social polity, and uneven development processes in the country are clearly visible. This paper draws attention to these spaces of inequality by drawing on in-depth interviews and participant observation carried out in Eastern and Southern Sri Lanka. It argues that communities' concerns and anxieties regarding displacement and resettlement have tended to be articulated against prevailing fault lines of war and inequality. This is the backdrop against which communities negotiated the recovery process. My fieldwork shows that it is critical to understand that disaster and development relief are ingrained within context specificities. Relief efforts therefore need to recognise that the process of 'putting houses in place' should be embedded within local social relations.

Malaria vectors in a traditional dry zone village in Sri Lanka

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Amerasinghe, P H; Amerasinghe, F P; Konradsen, F

1999-01-01

Malaria transmission by anopheline mosquitoes was studied in a traditional tank-irrigation-based rice-producing village in the malaria-endemic low country dry zone of northcentral Sri Lanka during the period August 1994-February 1997. Adult mosquitoes were collected from human and bovid bait...... catches, bovid-baited trap huts, indoor catches, and pit traps. Mosquito head-thoraces were tested for the presence of Plasmodium falciparum and P. vivax, and blood-engorged abdomens for the presence of human blood by ELISAs. House surveys were done at two-day intervals to record cases of blood film...... in An. culicifacies and An. peditaeniatus. Malaria parasite infections were seen in seven mosquito species, with 75% of the positive mosquitoes containing P. falciparum and 25% P. vivax. Polymorph PV247 was recorded from a vector (i.e., An. varuna) for the first time in Sri Lanka. Computations of mean...

Technological considerations in emergency instrument preparedness

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Selby, J.M.

1975-01-01

The types of emergency instrumentation systems necessary to characterize the severity and extent of radiation accidents and to aid in the protection of operating personnel and personnel living near the plant are discussed. These include instruments for direct measurement of the airborne radioactive material within the facility, fixed instrumentation for ambient dose rate monitoring or area monitoring, and portable instruments for environmental monitoring

Dehydration and malaria augment the risk of developing chronic kidney disease in Sri Lanka

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

E. A. R. I. E. Siriwardhana

2015-01-01

Full Text Available Chronic kidney disease (CKD of unknown etiology (CKDu is a serious health issue in Sri Lanka. One-to-one age and sex-matched two sample comparative study was carried out in the Medawachchiya divisional secretariat area of the North Central Province (NCP of Sri Lanka, by randomly selecting 100 CKDu patients and 100 age and sex-matched subjects from non-CKDu affected families from the same area. An interviewer-administered questionnaire was used for the collection of data pertaining to occupation, medical history and lifestyle. Data were analyzed using a conditional linear logistic model. Working for >6 h in the field per day, exposure to sun, drinking water only from well, consumption of <3 L of water per day, and having a history of malaria were found to be having significant (P < 0.05 likelihood toward the development of CKDu. Treatment of water prior to consumption had a significant protective effect against CKDu. Dehydration, history of malaria and drinking untreated well water from are likely contribute to the development of CKD of unknown etiology among the inhabitants of NCP, Sri Lanka.

Problems with radiological surveillance instrumentation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Swinth, K.L.; Tanner, J.E.; Fleming, D.M.

1984-09-01

Many radiological surveillance instruments are in use at DOE facilities throughout the country. These instruments are an essential part of all health physics programs, and poor instrument performance can increase program costs or compromise program effectiveness. Generic data from simple tests on newly purchased instruments shows that many instruments will not meet requirements due to manufacturing defects. In other cases, lack of consideration of instrument use has resulted in poor acceptance of instruments and poor reliability. The performance of instruments is highly variable for electronic and mechanical performance, radiation response, susceptibility to interferences and response to environmental factors. Poor instrument performance in these areas can lead to errors or poor accuracy in measurements

Problems with radiological surveillance instrumentation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Swinth, K.L.; Tanner, J.E.; Fleming, D.M.

1985-01-01

Many radiological surveillance instruments are in use at DOE facilities throughout the country. These instruments are an essential part of all health physics programs, and poor instrument performance can increase program costs or compromise program effectiveness. Generic data from simple tests on newly purchased instruments shows that many instruments will not meet requirements due to manufacturing defects. In other cases, lack of consideration of instrument use has resulted in poor acceptance of instruments and poor reliability. The performance of instruments is highly variable for electronic and mechanical performance, radiation response, susceptibility to interferences and response to environmental factors. Poor instrument performance in these areas can lead to errors or poor accuracy in measurements

Characteristics of X ray calibration fields for performance test of radiation measuring instruments

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shimizu, Shigeru; Takahashi, Fumiaki; Sawahata, Tadahiro; Tohnami, Kohichi; Kikuchi, Hiroshi; Murayama, Takashi

1999-02-01

Performance test and calibration of the radiation measuring instruments for low energy photons are made using the X ray calibration fields which are monochromatically characterized by filtration of continuous X ray spectrum. The X ray calibration field needs to be characterized by some quality conditions such as quality index and homogeneity coefficient. The present report describes quality conditions, spectrum and some characteristics of X ray irradiation fields in the Facility of Radiation Standard of the Japan Atomic Energy Research Institute (FRS-JAERI). Fifty nine X ray qualities with the quality index of 0.6, 0.7, 0.8 and 0.9 were set for the tube voltages between 10 kV and 350 kV. Estimation of X ray spectrum measured with a Ge detector was made in terms of exposure, ambient dose equivalent and fluence for all the obtained qualities. Practical irradiation field was determined as the dose distribution uniformity is within ±3%. The obtained results improve the quality of X ray calibration fields and calibration accuracy. (author)

The Impact of Education Investment on Sri Lankan Economic Growth

Science.gov (United States)

Ganegodage, K. Renuka; Rambaldi, Alicia N.

2011-01-01

We evaluate the contribution of investment on education to Sri Lanka's economic growth during the period 1959-2008. Physical capital, economic policy changes and the ethnic war are also evaluated due to their substantial importance. This study uses a framework encompassing both the neoclassical and endogenous growth model. The impact of education…

Étude sur l'état de la démocratie et de la gouvernance au Sri Lanka ...

International Development Research Centre (IDRC) Digital Library (Canada)

Étude sur l'état de la démocratie et de la gouvernance au Sri Lanka. Ce projet de recherche aidera la Social Scientists' Association (SSA) du Sri Lanka à contribuer à la deuxième phase du projet State of Democracy and Human Security in South Asia (SDSA). Des chercheurs chevronnés de la SSA et du programme Lokniti ...

Attitude Towards Health Information Privacy and Electronic Health Records Among Urban Sri Lankan Adults.

Science.gov (United States)

Tissera, Shaluni R; Silva, S N

2016-01-01

Sri Lanka is planning to move towards an Electronic Health Record (EHR) system. This research argues that the public preparedness should be considered in order to implement a functioning and an effective EHR system in a country. When asked about how concerned the participants were about the security of their health records, 40.5% stated they were concerned and 38.8% were very concerned. They were asked to rate the 'level of trust' they have on health institutes in Sri Lanka on a scale from 1 to 10 (1 lowest level of trust and 10 highest), 66.1% rated at level 5 or less.

Two Atypical Cases of Hantavirus Infections from Sri Lanka

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

N. D. B. Ehelepola

2018-01-01

Full Text Available There are two categories of hantaviruses resulting in two distinct illnesses. The Old World (Asia and Europe viruses give rise to hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome (HFRS, and the New World (Americas viruses cause hantavirus pulmonary syndrome (HPS. Hantavirus infections have very similar clinical pictures and epidemiology to leptospirosis. Here, we present two cases of hantavirus infections from Sri Lanka (in South Asia initially misdiagnosed as leptospirosis and later further investigated and diagnosed as hantavirus infections with serological confirmation of the diagnosis. They had clinical pictures of a combination of both HFRS and HPS as well as the involvement of the central nervous system. Hantavirus infections are rarely diagnosed in South Asia. Reports on such atypical clinical pictures of hantavirus infections are extremely rare. Having arrived at the correct diagnosis late/retrospectively, both these patients recovered notwithstanding being seriously ill, indicating adequate supportive therapy can save lives in such cases. The emergence of the hantavirus, an infection seriously affecting multiple organ systems with a high case fatality rate that is spread by aerosol and other routes, could become a serious public health issue in Sri Lanka.

An undercurrent off the east coast of Sri Lanka

Science.gov (United States)

Anutaliya, Arachaporn; Send, Uwe; McClean, Julie L.; Sprintall, Janet; Rainville, Luc; Lee, Craig M.; Priyantha Jinadasa, S. U.; Wallcraft, Alan J.; Metzger, E. Joseph

2017-12-01

The existence of a seasonally varying undercurrent along 8° N off the east coast of Sri Lanka is inferred from shipboard hydrography, Argo floats, glider measurements, and two ocean general circulation model simulations. Together, they reveal an undercurrent below 100-200 m flowing in the opposite direction to the surface current, which is most pronounced during boreal spring and summer and switches direction between these two seasons. The volume transport of the undercurrent (200-1000 m layer) can be more than 10 Sv in either direction, exceeding the transport of 1-6 Sv carried by the surface current (0-200 m layer). The undercurrent transports relatively fresher water southward during spring, while it advects more saline water northward along the east coast of Sri Lanka during summer. Although the undercurrent is potentially a pathway of salt exchange between the Arabian Sea and the Bay of Bengal, the observations and the ocean general circulation models suggest that the salinity contrast between seasons and between the boundary current and interior is less than 0.09 in the subsurface layer, suggesting a small salt transport by the undercurrent of less than 4 % of the salinity deficit in the Bay of Bengal.

Sri Lanka : tous les projets | Page 5 | CRDI - Centre de recherches ...

International Development Research Centre (IDRC) Digital Library (Canada)

Sujet: Internet, LANGUAGE BARRIER, ASIAN LANGUAGES, COMPUTER PROGRAMS, SOFTWARE ENGINEERING, INFORMATION SOCIETY. Région: ... Les télécentres et autres projets locaux de technologies de l'information et de la communication (TIC) ont connu une croissance exceptionnelle au Sri Lanka. Date de ...

Grassroots Empowerment of Women: Portraits of Four Villages in Sri Lanka

Science.gov (United States)

Jeris, Laurel; Gajanayake, Jaya; Ismail, Jesima; Ebert, Seela; Peris, Amara; Wanasundara, Leelangi; Diyadawagamage, Nalika

2006-01-01

This paper describes a participatory research (PR) project encompassing a capacity-development programme and advocacy skill-building initiative for rural women. The project actively engaged four prominent women's non-governmental organisations (NGOs) in Sri Lanka: Agromart Foundation, Centre for Women's Research (CENWOR), Sarvodaya Women's…

Cost of malaria control in Sri Lanka

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Konradsen, F; Steele, P; Perera, D

1999-01-01

The study provides estimates of the cost of various malaria control measures in an area of North-Central Province of Sri Lanka where the disease is endemic. We assumed that each measure was equally effective. In these terms, impregnating privately purchased bednets with insecticide was estimated...... to cost Rs 48 (US(40.87) per individual protected per year, less than half the cost of spraying houses with residual insecticides. Larviciding of vector breeding sites and especially the elimination of breeding habitats by flushing streams through seasonal release of water from upstream reservoirs...

Photon Activation Analysis Of Light Elements Using 'Non-Gamma' Radiation Spectroscopy - The Instrumental Determination Of Phosphorus

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Segebade, Christian; Goerner, Wolf

2011-01-01

Unlike metal determinations the analysis of light elements (e.g., carbon, oxygen, phosphorus) is frequently problematic, in particular if analysed instrumentally. In photon activation analysis (PAA) the respective activation products do not emit gamma radiation in the most cases. Usually, annihilation quanta counting and subsequent decay curve analysis have been used for determinations of C, N, O, and F. However, radiochemical separation of the respective radioisotopes mostly is indispensable. For several reasons, some of the light elements cannot be analysed following this procedure, e.g. phosphorus. In this contribution the instrumental PAA of phosphorus in organic matrix by activation with bremsstrahlung of an electron linear accelerator and subsequent beta spectroscopy is described. The accuracy of the results was excellent as obtained by analysis of a BCR Reference Material.

Providing choice for poor farmers: Harsha de Silva (Sri Lanka ...

International Development Research Centre (IDRC) Digital Library (Canada)

The work we are doing is really cutting-edge. Through this research we are talking about creating choices for farmers, giving them power using mobile phones as a tool. We just completed an extensive and comprehensive study of how 10 000 poor people use ICTs in Pakistan, India, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Thailand, and ...

Musculoskeletal symptoms among female garment factory workers in Sri Lanka.

Science.gov (United States)

Lombardo, Sarah R; Vijitha de Silva, P; Lipscomb, Hester J; Ostbye, Truls

2012-01-01

To assess the prevalence of musculoskeletal symptoms and their association with sociodemographic risk factors among female garment factory workers in Sri Lanka. 1058 randomly selected female garment factory workers employed in the free trade zone of Kogalla, Sri Lanka were recruited to complete two interviewer-administered questionnaires assessing musculoskeletal symptoms and health behaviors. Musculoskeletal complaints among female garment workers in the FTZ of Kogalla are less common than expected. Sociocultural factors may have resulted in underreporting and similarly contribute to the low rates of healthcare utilization by these women. 164 (15.5%) of workers reported musculoskeletal symptoms occurring more than 3 times or lasting a week or more during the previous 12-month period. Back (57.3%) and knee (31.7%) were the most common sites of pain. Although most symptomatic women reported that their problems interfered with work and leisure activities, very few missed work as a result of their pain. Prevalence correlated positively with increased age and industry tenure of less than 12 months. Job type, body mass index, and education were not significant predictors of musculoskeletal symptoms.

An early historic assemblage offshore of Godawaya, Sri Lanka: Evidence for early regional seafaring in South Asia.

Digital Repository Service at National Institute of Oceanography (India)

Muthucumarana, R; Gaur, A.S.; Chandraratne, W.M.; Manders, M.; Rao, B.R; Bhushan, R; Khedekar, V.D.; Dayananda, A.M.A.

of Ceylon, Colombo. Parthesius R, Millar K, Devendra S, Green J (2003) Sri Lanka Maritime Archaeological Unit Report on the Avondster Project 2001 – 2002. The Netherlands Ray HP (2003) The Archaeology of Seafaring in South Asia. Cambridge University... and Mesopotamia, Part I: New WDS analysis. Archaeometry, 48(4):581-603. Somadeva R (2006) Urban origins in Southern Sri Lanka. Published by African and comparative Archaeology, Department of Archaeology and ancient History Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden...

Distribution pattern of Plasmodium falciparum chloroquine transporter (pfcrt) gene haplotypes in Sri Lanka 1996-2006

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Zhang, Jenny J; Senaratne, Tharanga N; Daniels, Rachel

2011-01-01

Abstract. Widespread antimalarial resistance has been a barrier to malaria elimination efforts in Sri Lanka. Analysis of genetic markers in historic parasites may uncover trends in the spread of resistance. We examined the frequency of Plasmodium falciparum chloroquine transporter (pfcrt; codons 72......-76) haplotypes in Sri Lanka in 1996-1998 and 2004-2006 using a high-resolution melting assay. Among 59 samples from 1996 to 1998, we detected the SVMNT (86%), CVMNK (10%), and CVIET (2%) haplotypes, with a positive trend in SVMNT and a negative trend in CVMNK frequency (P = 0.004) over time. Among 24 samples...

Study of the performance of diagnostic radiology instruments during calibration

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Freitas, Rodrigo N. de; Vivolo, Vitor; Potiens, Maria da Penha A.

2008-01-01

Full text: The instruments used in diagnostic radiology measurements represent 8 % of the tested instruments by the calibration laboratory of IPEN annually (approximately 1600 in 2007). Considering that the calibration of this kind of instrument is performed biannually it is possible to conclude that almost 300 instruments are being used to measure the air kerma in diagnostic radiology clinics to determine the in beam values (in front of the patient), attenuated measurements (behind the patient) and scattered radiation. This work presents the results of the calibration of the instruments used in mammography, computed tomography, dental and conventional diagnostic radiology dosimetry, performed during the period of 2005 to 2007. Their performances during the calibrations measurements were evaluated. Although at the calibration laboratory there are three available series of radiation quality to this type of calibration (RQR, N and M, according to standards IEC 61267 and ISO 4037-1.), the applications can be assorted (general radiology, computed tomography, mammography, radiation protection and fluoroscopy). Depending on its design and behaviour , one kind of instrument can be used for one or more type of applications. The instruments normally used for diagnostic radiology measurements are ionization chambers with volumes varying from 3 to 1800 cm 3 , and can be cylindrical, spherical or plane parallel plates kind. They usually are sensitive to photon particles, with energies greater than 15 keV and can be used up to 1200 keV. In this work they were tested in X radiation fields from 25 to 150 kV, in specific qualities depending on the utilization of the instrument. The calibration results of 390 instruments received from 2005 to 2007 were analyzed. About 20 instruments were not able to be calibrated due to bad functioning. The calibration coefficients obtained were between 0.88 and 1.24. The uncertainties were always less than ± 3.6% to instruments used in scattered

Neutron measuring instruments for radiation protection

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Heinzelmann, M.; Schneider, W.; Hoefert, M.; Kuehn, H.; Jahr, R.; Wagner, S.; Piesch, E.

1979-09-01

The present report deals with selected topics from the field of neutron dosimetry for radiation protection connected with the work of the subcommittee 6802 in the Standards Committee on Radiology (NAR) of the German Standards Institute (DIN). It is a sort of material collection. The topics are: 1. Measurement of the absorbed-energy dose by a) ionization chambers in fields of mixed radiation and b) recoil-proton proportional counting tubes. 2. Measurement of the equivalent dose, neutron monitors, combination methods by a) rem-meters, b) recoil-proton counting tubes, c) recombination method, tissue-equivalent proportional counters, activation methods for high energies in fields of mixed radiation, d) personnel dosimetry by means of ionization chambers and counting tubes, e) dosimetry by means of activation methods, nuclear track films, nonphotographic nuclear track detectors and solid-state dosimeters. (orig./HP) [de

Label-free detection of sex determining region Y (SRY) via capacitive biosensor

KAUST Repository

Sivashankar, Shilpa

2016-10-20

In this work, we present for the first time, the use of a simple fractal capacitive biosensor for the quantification and detection of sex-determining region Y (SRY) genes. This section of genetic code, which is found on the Y chromosome, finds importance for study as it causes fetuses to develop characteristics of male sex-like gonads when a mutation occurs. It is also an important genetic code in men, and disorders involving the SRY gene can cause infertility and sexual malfunction that lead to a variety of gene mutational disorders. We have therefore designed silicon-based, label-free fractal capacitive biosensors to quantify various proteins and genes. We take advantage of a good dielectric material, Parylene C for enhancing the performance of the sensors. We have integrated these sensors with a simple microchannel for easy handling of fluids on the detection area. The read-out value of an Agilent LCR meter used to measure capacitance of the sensor at a frequency of 1 MHz determined gene specificity and gene quantification. These data revealed that the capacitance measurement of the capacitive biosensor for the SRY gene depended on both the target and the concentration of DNA. The experimental outcomes in the present study can be used to detect DNA and its variations in crucial fields that have a great impact on our daily lives, such as clinical and veterinary diagnostics, industrial and environmental testing and forensic sciences.

The effects of nuclear power generators upon electronic instrumentation

Science.gov (United States)

Miller, C. G.; Truscello, V. C.

1970-01-01

Radiation sensitivity of electronic instruments susceptible to neutron and gamma radiation is evaluated by means of a radioisotope thermoelectric generator /RTG/. The gamma field of the RTG affects instrument operation and requires shielding, the neutron field does not affect operation via secondary capture-gamma production.

Free education in Sri Lanka. Does it eliminate the family effect?

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Hartog, J.; Ranasinghe, A.

2002-01-01

Using the human capital theory we modelled and estimated the school enrolment and the length of schooling decisions of Sri Lankans. Our results show a very clear positive association between family background and the education decision. Children of affluent families seem to derive more benefits from

TTI Phase 2 Institutional Support: Institute of Policy Studies of Sri ...

International Development Research Centre (IDRC) Digital Library (Canada)

For IPS, this project will help enhance its research quality, organizational performance, and policy engagement. Enhancing research ... -consolidate the institutional transformations made to achieve improved performance ... -influence policies based on its work to place Sri Lanka on a smarter growth path -have an impact on ...

Livestock farming in coconut plantations in Sri Lanka: Constraints and opportunities

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Samarajeewa, A.D.; Schiere, J.B.; Ibrahim, M.N.M.; Viets, T.C.

2003-01-01

A study was carried out to identify biological and socio-economic constraints and opportunities for livestock development in coconut plantations in Sri Lanka. One part of the study focussed on the use of participatory rural appraisal to establish felt needs of different farmer categories in terms of

Rainfall Distributions in Sri Lanka in Time and Space: An Analysis Based on Daily Rainfall Data

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

T. P. Burt

2014-09-01

Full Text Available Daily rainfall totals are analyzed for the main agro-climatic zones of Sri Lanka for the period 1976–2006. The emphasis is on daily rainfall rather than on longer-period totals, in particular the number of daily falls exceeding given threshold totals. For one station (Mapalana, where a complete daily series is available from 1950, a longer-term perspective on changes over half a century is provided. The focus here is particularly on rainfall in March and April, given the sensitivity of agricultural decisions to early southwest monsoon rainfall at the beginning of the Yala cultivation season but other seasons are also considered, in particular the northeast monsoon. Rainfall across Sri Lanka over three decades is investigated in relation to the main atmospheric drivers known to affect climate in the region: sea surface temperatures in the Pacific and Indian Oceans, of which the former are shown to be more important. The strong influence of El Niño and La Niña phases on various aspects of the daily rainfall distribution in Sri Lanka is confirmed: positive correlations with Pacific sea-surface temperatures during the north east monsoon and negative correlations at other times. It is emphasized in the discussion that Sri Lanka must be placed in its regional context and it is important to draw on regional-scale research across the Indian subcontinent and the Bay of Bengal.

Application of Gamma Radiation to Enhance Heavy Metals Removal Efficiency to Bacteria Isolated from Ronpiboon District, Nakhon Sri Thamarat Province, Thailand

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Intrasungkha, Nugul; Wisapan, Walakon; Piadang, Nattayana

2006-09-01

The objective of this study was to isolate soil bacteria capable to te move 4 heavy metals, namely, arsenic (As(III)), lead Pb(II) and cadmium f ron old tin mine in Ronpiboon district, Nakhon Sri Thamarat. It was found that there were bacteria which capable to resist arsenic, lead and copper 11, 15, 8 and 2 ileitis, respectively[evacuate;y. The arsenic removal efficiency of these bacteria was evaluated at the low concentration of 1 u g/l. with the results of 7-61%. The lead and copper removal efficiencies at 10 mg/l were found at the range pf 9-98% and 8-40%, respectively. Six isolates of bacteria (KRD, KRH, KRM, KCD13 and KCD14) were selected to be irradiated by gamma radiation at the levels of 2-10 kGy. The heavy metals resistance was found increase in the range of of 125-16% for arsenic, 0-50% for copper, 0-18% for lead and 0-17% for cadmium, respectively. Also ut was found that the low temperature at 4 and -40 degree Celsius can prolong the bacterial survival up to 6 months. Later the arsenic removal experiment in liquid medium was conducted and it was found that the mutants can perform slightly better than wild type only >17%. It was due to the initial concentration of arsenic was too high (10 mg/l). The preliminary study of arsenic removal in soil was also conducted using pack-bed reactor. We found the proper ratio of pack material (soil and gravel) was 1:1 to promote the liquid and air circulation. The suitable medium was found to be acidified mo lass solution which were found promote the growth of tested bacterial isolates.

Health seeking narratives of unwell Sri Lankan Tamil refugees in Melbourne Australia.

Science.gov (United States)

Samuel, Sophia; Advocat, Jenny; Russell, Grant

2018-03-01

Sri Lankan Tamil refugees are among the largest group of refugees to resettle in Australia in the last decade. The aim of this study is to characterise the narratives of health-seeking among unwell Sri Lankan Tamil refugees in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. Drawing on a qualitative, phenomenological perspective, we conducted in-depth interviews in Tamil and English with 12 participants who identified as being unwell for 6 months or more. Findings revealed three narratives of health-seeking: the search for the 'good life' that was lost or never experienced, seeking help from familiar channels in an unfamiliar context, and the desire for financial and occupational independence. These three narratives are undergirded by the metanarrative of a hope-filled recovery. These narratives of Tamil refugees' lived experience provide new insights into clinical care and health service delivery.

An investigation into the role of alcohol in self-harm in rural Sri Lanka: a protocol for a multimethod, qualitative study.

Science.gov (United States)

Sørensen, Jane Brandt; Rheinländer, Thilde; Sørensen, Birgitte Refslund; Pearson, Melissa; Agampodi, Thilini; Siribaddana, Sisira; Konradsen, Flemming

2014-10-07

Sri Lanka has one of the highest suicide and self-harm rates in the world and although alcohol has been found to be a risk factor for self-harm in Sri Lanka, we know little about the connection between the two. This paper comprises a protocol for a qualitative study investigating alcohol's role in self-harm in rural Sri Lanka at three levels: the individual, community and policy level. The analysis will bring new understanding of the link between alcohol and self-harm in Sri Lanka, drawing on structural, cultural and social concepts. It will equip researchers, health systems and policy makers with vital information for developing strategies to address alcohol-related problems as they relate to self-harm. To capture the complexity of the link between alcohol and self-harm in the Anuradhapura district in the North Central Province in Sri Lanka, qualitative methods will be utilised. Specifically, the data will consist of serial narrative life-story interviews with up to 20 individuals who have non-fatally self-harmed and where alcohol directly or indirectly was involved in the incidence as well as with their significant others; observations in communities and families; six focus group discussions with community members; and key-informant interviews with 15-25 stakeholders who have a stake in alcohol distribution, marketing, policies, prevention and treatment as they relate to self-harm. The study has received ethical approval from the Ethical Review Committee of the Faculty of Medicine and Allied Sciences, Rajarata University of Sri Lanka. A sensitive data collection technique will be used and ethical issues will be considered throughout the study. The results will be disseminated in scientific peer-reviewed articles in collaboration with Sri Lankan and other international research partners. Published by the BMJ Publishing Group Limited. For permission to use (where not already granted under a licence) please go to http://group.bmj.com/group/rights-licensing/permissions.

Factors affecting sustainable dairy production: A case study from Uva Province of Sri Lanka

Science.gov (United States)

Wijethilaka, D.; De Silva, S.; Deshapriya, R. M. C.; Gunaratne, L. H. P.

2018-05-01

Dairy farming has been playing a key role by improving household incomes and food security for rural communities in Sri Lanka. Nevertheless, it has failed to meet the expected self-sufficiency. In 2015, Sri Lanka imported 51percent of the national milk requirement spending US 251 million from its debt-ridden economy. This paper aims to analyse socio-economic characteristics of dairy farmers and factors affecting dairy production efficiency in the Uva Province of Sri Lanka, a highly potential area comprising all the dairy value chain actors. Surveyed was conducted to farmers, key informants from input suppliers, collectors, transporters, processors, sellers and support service providers. Result revealed that intensive farmer’s milk yields per cow was only 7.97 L/day, which was 35% and 60% higher than the yields of semi-intensive and extensive farmers respectively. The highest profit of Rs. 53.30 per litre was earned by extensive farmers, whereas it was Rs. 47.63 for semi-intensive and Rs. 44.76 for intensive farmers respectively if family labour cost was not taken into the account. The Technical Efficiency Analysis revealed that 37.1% and 20% milk production of intensive farmers and semi-intensive is being loss due to inefficiency and could be increased without any additional inputs. The main factors affecting efficiency in milk production included farmers’ socio-economic characteristics and farm characteristics. Based on the results it can be concluded that sustainability dairy production depends on farmer training, collectivizing farmers into farmer societies, culling unproductive male animals, increasing the availability and access to AI/other breading programs and low-cost quality concentrate feed and other supplements, and, thus appropriate measures should be taken to provide these conditions if Sri Lanka aims to achieve self-sufficiency in milk production.

SOME ETHNO-ARCHAEOLOGICAL OBSERVATIONS ON THE SUBSISTENCE STRATEGIES OF THE VEDDAS IN SRI LANKA

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

R.M.M. Chandraratne

2016-04-01

Full Text Available Veddas are considered to be the indigenous people of Sri Lanka. A century ago, the Veddas were scattered across the Eastern Province, and some parts of the North-Central and Uva Provinces, although at present they are confined to Bintanne that stretches to some parts of the Uva and Eastern provinces. This paper explores the subsistence pattern of the Veddas in Sri Lanka in relation to their old equipment and practices. It builds on ethno-archaeological interpretations drawing from archaeological evidence from Prehistoric to Historical periods. Evidence of interaction of humans, technology,faunal and floral resources found from archaeological sites in relation to subsistence was interpreted through the method of ethnographic analogy. Evidence suggests that during the historical period, the Veddas lived in various parts of Sri Lanka including Anuradhapura, Polonnaruwa, Ratnapura, Buttala, Tambalagam pattu, Kattakulam pattu, Bintannae, Nilgala and Batticaloa. They bartered deer hide, dried flesh, cotton and honey for rice, Kurrakkan (Elusine coracana , tobacco, salt, clothes and iron arrow heads a century ago. The existence of charred bones and arrow head type of bone tools shows the practice of hunting during the protohistoric and early historic periods. The Veddas did not adopt Sinhalese mode of life up till the 19th century. However, acculturation is gradually taking place at least in the lifestyle of Veddas in Dambana at present. Especially the Anuradhapura Veddas who lived outside the Bintanne area do not seem to possess traditional Vedda livelihoods, and maintain a lifestyle comparable with the Sinhalese Buddhist culture. Based on the above evidence, the paper concludes that the subsistence patterns of Veddas prior to the last century are quite comparable with similar evidence found from the Mesolithic, Proto and the Early Historic periods in Sri Lanka, though a certain decline in the distinction between Vedda culture and the dominant culture

Radiation detection and measurement

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Knoll, G.F.

1979-01-01

The book is a complete, clear and up-to-date text that provides a basic review of instruments and methods of ionizing radiation. The text covers detailed discussion of all detector types introductory discussions of radiation sources, interactions, and counting statistics functional analysis of the electronics and pulse processing aspects of radiation detectors in instrumentation systems and consideration of shielding and background potentially vital in low-level counting. A total of 350 figures and approximately 900 references to current scientific literature is included. The book is largely intended as a textbook for a junior/senior or first-year graduate course in nuclear instrumentation and radiation measurements

ACRF Instrumentation Status and Information September 2009

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

JW Voyles

2009-10-01

The purpose of this report is to provide a concise but comprehensive overview of Atmospheric Radiation Measurement Climate Research Facility instrumentation status. The report is divided into the following five sections: (1) new instrumentation in the process of being acquired and deployed, (2) field campaigns, (3) existing instrumentation and progress on improvements or upgrades, (4) proposed future instrumentation, and (5) Small Business Innovation Research instrument development.

ACRF Instrumentation Status and Information April 2009

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Voyles, JW

2009-05-07

The purpose of this report is to provide a concise but comprehensive overview of Atmospheric Radiation Measurement Climate Research Facility instrumentation status. The report is divided into the following five sections: (1) new instrumentation in the process of being acquired and deployed, (2) field campaigns, (3) existing instrumentation and progress on improvements or upgrades, (4) proposed future instrumentation, and (5) Small Business Innovation Research instrument development.

ACRF Instrumentation Status and Information August 2009

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

JW Voyles

2009-09-09

The purpose of this report is to provide a concise but comprehensive overview of Atmospheric Radiation Measurement Climate Research Facility instrumentation status. The report is divided into the following five sections: (1) new instrumentation in the process of being acquired and deployed, (2) field campaigns, (3) existing instrumentation and progress on improvements or upgrades, (4) proposed future instrumentation, and (5) Small Business Innovation Research instrument development.

ACRF Instrumentation Status and Information July 2009

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

JW Voyles

2009-08-13

The purpose of this report is to provide a concise but comprehensive overview of Atmospheric Radiation Measurement Climate Research Facility instrumentation status. The report is divided into the following five sections: (1) new instrumentation in the process of being acquired and deployed, (2) field campaigns, (3) existing instrumentation and progress on improvements or upgrades, (4) proposed future instrumentation, and (5) Small Business Innovation Research instrument development.

ACRF Instrumentation Status and Information - June 2009

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

JW Voyles

2009-06-01

The purpose of this report is to provide a concise but comprehensive overview of Atmospheric Radiation Measurement Climate Research Facility instrumentation status. The report is divided into the following five sections: (1) new instrumentation in the process of being acquired and deployed, (2) field campaigns, (3) existing instrumentation and progress on improvements or upgrades, (4) proposed future instrumentation, and (5) Small Business Innovation Research instrument development.

ACRF Instrumentation Status and Information May 2009

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

JW Voyles

2009-05-01

The purpose of this report is to provide a concise but comprehensive overview of Atmospheric Radiation Measurement Climate Research Facility instrumentation status. The report is divided into the following five sections: (1) new instrumentation in the process of being acquired and deployed, (2) field campaigns, (3) existing instrumentation and progress on improvements or upgrades, (4) proposed future instrumentation, and (5) Small Business Innovation Research instrument development.

An Integrated Model to Predict Corporate Failure of Listed Companies in Sri Lanka

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Nisansala Wijekoon

2015-07-01

Full Text Available The primary objective of this study is to develop an integrated model to predict corporate failure of listed companies in Sri Lanka. The logistic regression analysis was employed to a data set of 70 matched-pairs of failed and non-failed companies listed in the Colombo Stock Exchange (CSE in Sri Lanka over the period 2002 to 2010. A total of fifteen financial ratios and eight corporate governance variables were used as predictor variables of corporate failure. Analysis of the statistical testing results indicated that model consists with both corporate governance variables and financial ratios improved the prediction accuracy to reach 88.57 per cent one year prior to failure. Furthermore, predictive accuracy of this model in all three years prior to failure is above 80 per cent. Hence model is robust in obtaining accurate results for up to three years prior to failure. It was further found that two financial ratios, working capital to total assets and cash flow from operating activities to total assets, and two corporate governance variables, outside director ratio and company audit committee are having more explanatory power to predict corporate failure. Therefore, model developed in this study can assist investors, managers, shareholders, financial institutions, auditors and regulatory agents in Sri Lanka to forecast corporate failure of listed companies.

Transnational Organized Crime and New Terrorism in Sri Lanka: A Nexus

Science.gov (United States)

2017-12-01

national security of Sri Lanka. 14. SUBJECT TERMS transnational organized crime, drug trafficking, money laundering , trafficking in persons...42 4. Money Laundering .......................................................................45 5. Trafficking of Illegal Arms...MILF Moro Islamic Liberation Front ML money laundering MNLF Moro National Liberation Front MOD Ministry of Defense NDDCB National Dangerous

An International Partnership Promoting Psychological Well-Being in Sri Lankan Schools

Science.gov (United States)

Nastasi, Bonnie K.; Jayasena, Asoka N. S.

2014-01-01

This article illustrates the application of psychological and educational consultation in an international setting. With the goal of promoting psychological well-being of the school-age population, a partnership was formed between an American school psychologist and a Sri Lankan educational sociologist and teacher educator. The partners, or…

Problem—solving counseling as a therapeutic tool on youth suicidal behavior in the suburban population in Sri Lanka

OpenAIRE

Perera, E. A. Ramani; Kathriarachchi, Samudra T.

2011-01-01

Background: Suicidal behaviour among youth is a major public health concern in Sri Lanka. Prevention of youth suicides using effective, feasible and culturally acceptable methods is invaluable in this regard, however research in this area is grossly lacking. Objective: This study aimed at determining the effectiveness of problem solving counselling as a therapeutic intervention in prevention of youth suicidal behaviour in Sri Lanka. Setting and design: This control trial study was based on ho...

Nuclear electronic instrumentation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ramirez J, F. J.

2010-01-01

The activities carried out in the Instituto Nacional de Investigaciones Nucleares (ININ) in the field of the nuclear electronic instrumentation included those activities corresponding to the design and production of nuclear instruments in a first stage, as well as the internal activities of design, repair and maintenance that have supported to other projects of the institution during many years. It is mentioned of the presence and constant collaboration of the ININ with the IAEA in different projects and programs. Also, it is mentioned on the establishment of the Radiation Detectors Laboratory, which for their characteristics and repair capacities of radiation detectors of cooled semiconductor, it is only in their specialty. It is emphasized the investigation and the development in the field of new radiation detectors and applications, as well as the important contribution in this field, in institutions like: Mexican Petroleum, National Commission of Nuclear Safety and Safeguards and Federal Commission of Electricity. Finally a position of the future of these activities is made, considering the speed of the advances of the electronic and nuclear technology. (Author)

Risk factors for chronic periodontitis in Sri Lankan adults: a population based case-control study.

Science.gov (United States)

Wellapuli, Nimali; Ekanayake, Lilani

2017-09-07

To determine risk factors for chronic periodontitis in 30-60 year olds in Sri Lanka. Cases and controls for this population based unmatched case-control study were identified from a broader cross-sectional study which was conducted to determine the prevalence of chronic periodontitis in 30-60 year old adults in Colombo district Sri Lanka. The study included 694 cases and 706 controls. Data were collected by means of a pre-tested interviewer administered questionnaire to obtain information about socio-demographic and behavioural factors, a physical examination to record anthropometric measurements and an oral examination. Being a male, a Muslim, belonging to the 45-60 year old age group, having less than 12 years of education, using the finger to clean teeth, current smoking, current betel quid chewing, self-reported diabetes and hypertension emerged as risk factors for chronic periodontitis. Several socio-demographic and behavioural factors as well as co-morbid conditions emerged as independent risk factors for chronic periodontits in this population. The findings could be used for planning programmes to reduce the burden of chronic periodontits in Colombo district Sri Lanka.

Impacts of chronic non-communicable diseases on households' out-of-pocket healthcare expenditures in Sri Lanka.

Science.gov (United States)

Pallegedara, Asankha

2018-01-10

This article examines the effects of chronic non-communicable diseases (NCDs) on households' out-of-pocket health expenditures in Sri Lanka. We explore the disease specific impacts on out-of-pocket health care expenses from chronic NCDs such as heart diseases, hypertension, cancer, diabetics and asthma. We use nationwide cross-sectional household income and expenditure survey 2012/2013 data compiled by the department of census and statistics of Sri Lanka. Employing propensity score matching method to account for selectivity bias, we find that chronic NCD affected households appear to spend significantly higher out-of-pocket health care expenditures and encounter grater economic burden than matched control group despite having universal public health care policy in Sri Lanka. The results also suggest that out-of-pocket expenses on medicines and other pharmaceutical products as well as expenses on medical laboratory tests and other ancillary services are particularly higher for households with chronic NCD patients. The findings underline the importance of protecting households against the financial burden due to NCDs.

Tamper and radiation resistant instrumentation for safeguarding special nuclear materials

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Parsons, B.B.; Wells, J.L.

1977-01-01

A tamper-resistant liquid level/accountability instrumentation system for safeguards use has been developed and tested. The tests demonstrate the accuracy of liquid level measurement using TDR (Time Domain Reflectometry) techniques and the accuracy of differential pressure and temperature measurements utilizing a custom designed liquid level sensor probe. The calibrated liquid level, differential pressure, and temperature data provide sufficient information to accurately determine volume, density, and specific gravity. Test solutions used include ordinary tap water, diluted nitric acid in varying concentrations, and diluted uranium trioxide also in varying concentrations. System operations and preliminary test results conducted at the General Electric Midwest Fuel Recovery Plant and the National Bureau of Standards, respectively, suggest that the system will provide the safeguards inspector with an additional tool for real-time independent verification of normal operations and special nuclear materials accountancy data for chemical reprocessing plants. This paper discusses the system design concepts, including a brief description of the tamper and radiation resistant features, the preliminary test results, and the significance of the work

Label-free detection of sex determining region Y (SRY) via capacitive biosensor

KAUST Repository

Sivashankar, Shilpa; Sapsanis, Christos; Agambayev, Sumeyra; Buttner, Ulrich; Salama, Khaled N.

2016-01-01

In this work, we present for the first time, the use of a simple fractal capacitive biosensor for the quantification and detection of sex-determining region Y (SRY) genes. This section of genetic code, which is found on the Y chromosome, finds

Conflict, War and Peace in Sri Lanka – Politics by Other Means?

NARCIS (Netherlands)

S.M.S. Jayasundara-Smits (Shyamika)

2011-01-01

textabstractAbstract: For decades, Sri Lanka has been a laboratory for research and scholarship on ethnic conflict, liberal peacebuilding and civil war. Methodologically, this pre-war academic work laments the risks of applying simplified “episode based approaches” and narrow theoretical frameworks

Feasibility of an appliance energy testing and labeling program for Sri Lanka

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Biermayer, Peter; Busch, John; Hakim, Sajid; Turiel, Issac; du Pont, Peter; Stone, Chris

2000-04-01

A feasibility study evaluated the costs and benefits of establishing a program for testing, labeling and setting minimum efficiency standards for appliances and lighting in Sri Lanka. The feasibility study included: refrigerators, air-conditioners, flourescent lighting (ballasts & CFls), ceiling fans, motors, and televisions.

Some notes on the butterflies (Lepidoptera: Papilionoidea of Tantirimale Archaeological Site, Anuradhapura District, Sri Lanka

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

M.D.C. Asela

2009-07-01

Full Text Available There are 243 species of butterflies which including 5 families in Sri Lanka and 20 of them are endemic. However out of the 243 species 37 butterfly species belonging to 4 families was discovered from Tanthirimale Archaeological Forest area. This forest is classified as a Tropical dry mixed evergreen forests and its situated dry zone in Anuradapura district of Sri Lanka. We select three habitat types such as: forests, Rock outcrops and scrublands for studding composition and structure of butterflies in Archaeological Forest area. However, this important forest is threatened by harmful human activities such as man made fire, illegal logging, chena cultivation and road kills.

Recent disasters in Sri Lanka: lessons learned.

Science.gov (United States)

Somasundaram, Daya

2013-09-01

Sri Lanka has faced several disasters in the recent past, both manmade and natural. The mental health and psychosocial consequences have been felt at the individual, family, and collective levels. Individuals developed normal distress, posttraumatic stress disorder, depression, or alcohol abuse. There were changes in family and social processes causing a tearing of the social fabric, lack of social cohesion, disconnection, mistrust, hopelessness, dependency, lack of motivation, powerlessness, and despondency. Because of the widespread nature of mental health needs, a community approach would reach the most number of people. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Portable Radiation Package (PRP) Instrument Handbook

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Reynolds, R Michael [Remote Measurements and Research Company, Seattle, WA (United States)

2017-08-03

The Portable Radiation Package (PRP) was developed to provide basic radiation information in locations such as ships at sea where proper exposure is remote and difficult, the platform is in motion, and azimuth alignment is not fixed. Development of the PRP began at Brookhaven National Laboratory (BNL) in the mid-1990s and versions of it were deployed on ships in the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) Climate Research Facility’s Nauru-99 project. The PRP was deployed on ships in support of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Sensor Intercomparison for Marine Biological and Interdisciplinary Ocean Studies (SIMBIOS) program. Over the years the measurements have remained the same while the post-processing data analysis, especially for the FRSR, has evolved. This document describes the next-generation Portable Radiation Package (PRP2) that was developed for the DOE ARM Facility, under contract no. 9F-31462 from Argonne National Laboratory (ANL). The PRP2 has the same scientific principles that were well validated in prior studies, but has upgraded electronic hardware. The PRP2 approach is completely modular, both in hardware and software. Each sensor input is treated as a separate serial stream into the data collection computer. In this way the operator has complete access to each component of the system for purposes of error checking, calibration, and maintenance. The resulting system is more reliable, easier to install in complex situations, and more amenable to upgrade.

Spatial epidemiology of suspected clinical leptospirosis in Sri Lanka.

Science.gov (United States)

Robertson, C; Nelson, T A; Stephen, C

2012-04-01

Leptospirosis is one of the most widespread zoonoses in the world. A large outbreak of suspected human leptospirosis began in Sri Lanka during 2008. This study investigated spatial variables associated with suspected leptospirosis risk during endemic and outbreak periods. Data were obtained for monthly numbers of reported cases of suspected clinical leptospirosis for 2005-2009 for all of Sri Lanka. Space-time scan statistics were combined with regression modelling to test associations during endemic and outbreak periods. The cross-correlation function was used to test association between rainfall and leptospirosis at four locations. During the endemic period (2005-2007), leptospirosis risk was positively associated with shorter average distance to rivers and with higher percentage of agriculture made up of farms <0·20 hectares. Temporal correlation analysis of suspected leptospirosis cases and rainfall revealed a 2-month lag in rainfall-case association during the baseline period. Outbreak locations in 2008 were characterized by shorter distance to rivers and higher population density. The analysis suggests the possibility of household transmission in densely populated semi-urban villages as a defining characteristic of the outbreak. The role of rainfall in the outbreak remains to be investigated, although analysis here suggests a more complex relationship than simple correlation.

Sri Lankan English O Level: Lever for Change. Practical Considerations.

Science.gov (United States)

Nanayakkara, Ethel; Webber, Richard

A discussion of the new Sri Lankan General Certificate of Education (GCE) O-Level standardized test of English focuses on how new ideas in testing have been implemented in the test and on their effect on classroom practice and the quality of English instruction. The discussion begins with a brief outline of the history and context in which the new…

Validation of diffusion tensor MRI measurements of cardiac microstructure with structure tensor synchrotron radiation imaging.

Science.gov (United States)

Teh, Irvin; McClymont, Darryl; Zdora, Marie-Christine; Whittington, Hannah J; Davidoiu, Valentina; Lee, Jack; Lygate, Craig A; Rau, Christoph; Zanette, Irene; Schneider, Jürgen E

2017-03-10

Diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) is widely used to assess tissue microstructure non-invasively. Cardiac DTI enables inference of cell and sheetlet orientations, which are altered under pathological conditions. However, DTI is affected by many factors, therefore robust validation is critical. Existing histological validation is intrinsically flawed, since it requires further tissue processing leading to sample distortion, is routinely limited in field-of-view and requires reconstruction of three-dimensional volumes from two-dimensional images. In contrast, synchrotron radiation imaging (SRI) data enables imaging of the heart in 3D without further preparation following DTI. The objective of the study was to validate DTI measurements based on structure tensor analysis of SRI data. One isolated, fixed rat heart was imaged ex vivo with DTI and X-ray phase contrast SRI, and reconstructed at 100 μm and 3.6 μm isotropic resolution respectively. Structure tensors were determined from the SRI data and registered to the DTI data. Excellent agreement in helix angles (HA) and transverse angles (TA) was observed between the DTI and structure tensor synchrotron radiation imaging (STSRI) data, where HA DTI-STSRI  = -1.4° ± 23.2° and TA DTI-STSRI  = -1.4° ± 35.0° (mean ± 1.96 standard deviation across all voxels in the left ventricle). STSRI confirmed that the primary eigenvector of the diffusion tensor corresponds with the cardiomyocyte long-axis across the whole myocardium. We have used STSRI as a novel and high-resolution gold standard for the validation of DTI, allowing like-with-like comparison of three-dimensional tissue structures in the same intact heart free of distortion. This represents a critical step forward in independently verifying the structural basis and informing the interpretation of cardiac DTI data, thereby supporting the further development and adoption of DTI in structure-based electro-mechanical modelling and routine clinical

Neutron instrumentation for biology

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Mason, S.A. [Institut Laue-Langevin, Grenoble (France)

1994-12-31

In the October 1994 round of proposals at the ILL, the external biology review sub- committee was asked to allocate neutron beam time to a wide range of experiments, on almost half the total number of scheduled neutron instruments: on 3 diffractometers, on 3 small angle scattering instruments, and on some 6 inelastic scattering spectrometers. In the 3.5 years since the temporary reactor shutdown, the ILL`s management structure has been optimized, budgets and staff have been trimmed, the ILL reactor has been re-built, and many of the instruments up-graded, many powerful (mainly Unix) workstations have been introduced, and the neighboring European Synchrotron Radiation Facility has established itself as the leading synchrotron radiation source and has started its official user program. The ILL reactor remains the world`s most intense dedicated neutron source. In this challenging context, it is of interest to review briefly the park of ILL instruments used to study the structure and energetics of small and large biological systems. A brief summary will be made of each class of experiments actually proposed in the latest ILL proposal round.

Observations of Infrared Radiative Cooling in the Thermosphere on Daily to Multiyear Timescales from the TIMED/SABER Instrument

Science.gov (United States)

Mlynczak, Martin G.; Hunt, Linda A.; Marshall, B. Thomas; Martin-Torres, F. Javier; Mertens, Christopher J.; Russell, James M., III; Remsberg, Ellis E.; Lopez-Puertas, Manuel; Picard, Richard; Winick, Jeremy;

GoAmazon 2014/15. SRI-PTR-ToFMS Field Campaign Report

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Guenther, A. [Univ. of California, Irvine, CA (United States)

2016-03-01

Our science team, including Dr. Alex Guenther (previously at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) and now at the University of California, Irvine) Dr. Saewung Kim and Dr. Roger Seco, and Dr. Jim Smith (previously at NCAR and now at UC Irvine), deployed a selected reagent ion – proton transfer reaction – time-of-flight mass spectrometer (SRI-PTR-TOFMS) to the T3 site during the GoAmazon study. One of the major uncertainties in climate model simulations is the effects of aerosols on radiative forcing, and a better understanding of the factors controlling aerosol distributions and life cycle is urgently needed. Aerosols contribute directly to the Earth’s radiation balance by scattering or absorbing light as a function of their physical properties and indirectly through particle-cloud interactions that lead to cloud formation and the modification of cloud properties. On a global scale, the dominant source of organic aerosol is biogenic volatile organic compounds (BVOC) emitted from terrestrial ecosystems. These organic aerosols are a major part of the total mass of all airborne particles and are currently not sufficiently represented in climate models. To incorporate quantitatively the effects of BVOCs and their oxidation products on biogenic organic aerosol (BOA) requires parameterization of their production in terrestrial ecosystems and their atmospheric transformations. This project was designed to reduce the gaps in our understanding of how these processes control BVOCs and BOAs, and their impact on climate. This was accomplished by wet and dry season measurements at the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE)’s Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) Climate Research Facility T3 site along with a comprehensive suite of complementary measurements. The specific goals were to 1) measure and mechanistically understand the factors affecting aerosol distributions over a tropical rain forest, especially the effects of anthropogenic pollution as a perturbation to

Radioactive standards and calibration methods for contamination monitoring instruments

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Yoshida, Makoto [Japan Atomic Energy Research Inst., Tokai, Ibaraki (Japan). Tokai Research Establishment

1997-06-01

Contamination monitoring in the facilities for handling unsealed radioactive materials is one of the most important procedures for radiation protection as well as radiation dose monitoring. For implementation of the proper contamination monitoring, radiation measuring instruments should not only be suitable to the purpose of monitoring, but also be well calibrated for the objective qualities of measurement. In the calibration of contamination monitoring instruments, quality reference activities need to be used. They are supplied in different such as extended sources, radioactive solutions or radioactive gases. These reference activities must be traceable to the national standards or equivalent standards. On the other hand, the appropriate calibration methods must be applied for each type of contamination monitoring instruments. In this paper, the concepts of calibration for contamination monitoring instruments, reference sources, determination methods of reference quantities and practical calibration methods of contamination monitoring instruments, including the procedures carried out in Japan Atomic Energy Research Institute and some relevant experimental data. (G.K.)

High carbohydrate diet and physical inactivity associated with central obesity among premenopausal housewives in Sri Lanka.

Science.gov (United States)

Rathnayake, Kumari M; Roopasingam, Tharrmini; Dibley, Michael J

2014-08-23

Prevalence of obesity and overweight is rising in developing countries, including Sri Lanka at a rapid pace due to dietary and lifestyle changes. This study aimed to assess the association between high carbohydrate diet, physical inactivity and central obesity among premenopausal housewives in Sri Lanka. This study was conducted as a cross-sectional study. A sample of 100 premenopausal women with home duties aged between 20 to 45 years were selected randomly from two divisional secretariats (DS), representing urban and rural sectors in Sri Lanka. Data on basic characteristics, anthropometric measurements, dietary assessment and physical activity were collected. We defined central obesity as a waist circumference ≥80 cm, which is the WHO recommended cut-off. Independent sample t test was used to compare the mean values. Linear and binary logistic regression analyses were performed to find out the relationship and the magnitude of association between central obesity and percentage of energy contributed from carbohydrate and physical activity level, respectively. The women reported an average of 18 starch portions per day, which was well above the national recommendations. Seventy percent of energy in the diet came from carbohydrate. The mean BMI and waist circumference of total sample was 25.4 kgm-2 and 78.5 cm, respectively. Prevalence of overweight, obesity and centrally obesity among total sample was 38%, 34% and 45%, respectively. A significant positive correlation observed between high carbohydrate diet and waist circumference (r = 0.628, p household level to reverse this trend among the housewives in Sri Lanka.

Coping strategies used by traumatic spinal cord injury patients in Sri Lanka: a focus group study.

Science.gov (United States)

Arya, Sumedha; Xue, Siqi; Embuldeniya, Amanda; Narammalage, Harsha; da Silva, Tricia; Williams, Shehan; Ravindran, Arun

2016-10-01

Psychosocial consequences of traumatic spinal cord injury (SCI) have been well documented in Western populations, but there is no published literature on such incidence in the Sri Lankan population. The purpose of this study was to explore the psychosocial impact of SCI in a Sri Lankan population and to examine this population's coping mechanisms. Participants were recruited purposively at the Ragama Rheumatology and Rehabilitation Hospital, the sole rehabilitation facility for SCI patients in Sri Lanka. Focus groups were conducted with 23 consenting individuals. Interview transcripts were analysed using descriptive thematic analysis. Four domains of life impact, three types of active coping strategies and four types of external supports were identified. Decreased ambulation and burden on family life were significant concerns for male and female participants alike. Religious practices were reported most frequently as active coping strategies, followed by positive reframing and goal-setting. Reported external supports included guided physiotherapy, informational workshops, social support and peer networks. Rehabilitation efforts for Sri Lankan SCI patients should be sensitive to psychosocial concerns in addition to physical concerns in order to help patients re-integrate into their family lives and community. Furthermore, religious practices should be respected as possible aids to rehabilitation. Implications for Rehabilitation Rehabilitative efforts should be conscientious of patients' psychosocial well-being in addition to their physical well-being. Hospital-based rehabilitative efforts for traumatic spinal cord injury patients should promote functional independence and community re-integration. Spiritual and/or religious practices should be respected as ways by which traumatic spinal cord injury patients may confront personal challenges that arise following injury.

Activities of Radiation Standard Section

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kannan, A.; Rao, P.S.; Sachadev, R.N.; Shaha, V.V.; Sharma, D.; Srivastava, P.K.

1992-01-01

A brief account of the various facilities and services provided by the Radiation Standards Section (RSS) of the Bhabha Atomic Research Centre, Bombay is given. RSS maintains the primary and secondary standards of various parameters of radiation measurements. It ensures accurate radiological measurements as per international requirements, through periodic international intercomparisons of national standards. It also provides calibration services to various users of radiation sources and instruments. The activities of RSS are described under the headings: (1) Radiological Metrology Standards, (2) Radionuclide Standards, Neutron Metrology, (4) Instruments Calibration, (5) Non-ionizing Radiations, and (6) Instrumentation. (author). figs., tabs

Study of radiation detectors response in standard X, gamma and beta radiation standard beams

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nonato, Fernanda Beatrice Conceicao

2010-01-01

The response of 76 Geiger-Mueller detectors, 4 semiconductor detectors and 34 ionization chambers were studied. Many of them were calibrated with gamma radiation beams ( 37 Cs and 60 Co), and some of them were tested in beta radiation ( 90 Sr+ 9' 0Y e 204 Tl) and X radiation (N-60, N-80, N-100, N-150) beams. For all three types of radiation, the calibration factors of the instruments were obtained, and the energy and angular dependences were studied. For beta and gamma radiation, the angular dependence was studied for incident radiation angles of 0 deg and +- 45 deg. The curves of the response of the instruments were obtained over an angle interval of 0 deg to +- 90 deg, for gamma, beta and X radiations. The calibration factors obtained for beta radiation were compared to those obtained for gamma radiation. For gamma radiation, 24 of the 66 tested Geiger-Mueller detectors presented results for the energy dependence according to international recommendation of ISO 4037-2 and 56 were in accordance with the Brazilian ABNT 10011 recommendation. The ionization chambers and semiconductors were in accordance to national and international recommendations. All instruments showed angular dependence less than 40%. For beta radiation, the instruments showed unsatisfactory results for the energy dependence and angular dependence. For X radiation, the ionization chambers presented results for energy dependence according to the national recommendation, and the angular dependence was less than 40%. (author)

Geomagnetic field variations at the equatorial electrojet station in Sri Lanka, Peredinia

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R. G. Rastogi

2004-09-01

Full Text Available The paper discusses the variations of the horizontal (H, vertical (Z and eastward (Y components of the geomagnetic field at Peredinia (PRD, an electrojet station in Sri Lanka, with the time of the day, season, sudden commencement (SSC and during geomagnetic storms. The daily variation of H showed a large peak around midday. The daily variation of Z appeared to be almost a time gradient curve of the daily variation of H, showing a maximum around 09:00 LT (75° EMT when the H field was increasing fastest and not at noon when Δ H was the maximum. Storm time variation of H resembled the variation of the Dst index but that of Z showed a large minimum about 2-3h before the time of minimum Dst or at the time of maximum time gradient of Dst variation. These features are compared with corresponding variations at the equatorial stations Trivandrum (TRD in India, and remarkable similarity in all observations is noticed at PRD and TRD. It is suggested that the observed abnormal features of Z variations at electrojet stations in India-Sri Lanka are due to (i direct effect of the ionospheric electrojet current (ii the induction effect of the image current by the average spatially extended conductivity region and (iii the induction current in the local subsurface conductor. It is suggested that the conductor responsible for the observed features in Z in India and Sri Lanka has to have extended spatial domain to latitudes well south of India, rather than confined to narrow Palk Strait.

Synchrotron radiation microtomography of musical instruments: a non-destructive monitoring technique for insect infestations

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Beatrice Bentivoglio-Ravasio

2011-08-01

Full Text Available X-ray computed tomography is becoming a common technique for the structural analysis of samples of cultural relevance, providing luthiers, art historians, conservators and restorators with a unique tool for the characterization of musical instruments. Synchrotron-radiation phase-contrast microtomography is an ideal technique for the non-destructive 3D analysis of samples where small lowabsorbing details such as larvae and eggs can be detected. We report results from the first feasibility studies performed at the Elettra synchrotron laboratory, where the 1494 organ by Lorenzo Gusnasco da Pavia has been studied. Together with important information about the structural conditions, the presence of xylophages could be detected and characterized.

Century scale climate change in the central highlands of Sri Lanka

Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

In this study, an analysis of century scale climate trends in the central highlands of Sri Lanka is presented. Monthly rainfall and temperature records of the period 1869–2006 from five climatological stations were analyzed. The trend is calculated by the least square regression analysis and the significance of the observed ...

Phosphate fertilizer is a main source of arsenic in areas affected with chronic kidney disease of unknown etiology in Sri Lanka.

Science.gov (United States)

Jayasumana, Channa; Fonseka, Saranga; Fernando, Ashvin; Jayalath, Kumudika; Amarasinghe, Mala; Siribaddana, Sisira; Gunatilake, Sarath; Paranagama, Priyani

2015-01-01

Chronic Kidney Disease of unknown etiology (CKDu) has escalated into an epidemic in North Central Province (NCP) and adjacent farming areas in the dry zone of Sri Lanka. Studies have shown that this special type of CKD is a toxic nephropathy and arsenic may play a causative role along with a number of other heavy metals. We investigated the hypothesis that chemical fertilizers and pesticide could be a source of arsenic. 226 samples of Fertilizers and 273 samples of pesticides were collected and analyzed using atomic absorption spectrometry and inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry for arsenic and other heavy metals in two university laboratories. Almost all the agrochemicals available to the farmers in the study area are contaminated with arsenic. The highest amount was in triple super phosphate (TSP) with a mean value of 31 mg/kg. Also TSP is a rich source of other nephrotoxic metals including Cr, Co, Ni, Pb and V. Annually more than 0.1 million tons of TSP is imported to Sri Lanka containing approximately 2100 kg of arsenic. The next highest concentration was seen in the rock phosphate obtained from an open pit mine in NCP (8.56 mg/kg). Organic fertilizer contained very low amounts of arsenic. Arsenic contamination in pesticides varied from 0.18 mg/kg to 2.53 mg/kg although arsenic containing pesticides are banned in Sri Lanka. Glyphosate the most widely used pesticide in Sri Lanka contains average of 1.9 mg/kg arsenic. Findings suggest that agrochemicals especially phosphate fertilizers are a major source of inorganic arsenic in CKDu endemic areas. Organic fertilizer available in Sri Lanka is comparatively very low in arsenic and hence the farmers in CKDu endemic areas in Sri Lanka should be encouraged to minimize the use of imported chemical fertilizer and use organic fertilizers instead.

Legal aspects of motor traffic trauma in Sri Lanka

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Clifford Perera

2016-12-01

Legislation plays a critical role in regulating motor traffic in a country. The Motor Traffic Act of Sri Lanka has undergone many revisions in the recent past to accommodate new provisions to regularize road traffic effectively. However implementation of such provisions is heavily dependent on the rapid and effective action of the police on road traffic offences and awareness and attitudes of courts towards penalizing offenders in view of streamlining the legislation on road traffic.

Perception on the abortion laws in Sri Lanka: A community based study in the city of Colombo

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Suranga, M S; Silva, K T; Senanayake, L

2016-12-30

Abortion is legally permitted in Sri Lanka, only if it is performed to save the mother’s life. However, it is estimated that a large number of induced abortions take place in Sri Lanka. Knowledge and attitudes towards induced abortion in the society are key issues influencing the policy response towards changes in the law. This study aimed to assess the knowledge and attitudes of adults towards induced abortion in Sri Lanka. Six Grama Niladhari Divisions (GNDs) and five to eight housing clusters from each GND were selected from Thimbirigasyaya Divisional Secretariat Division using multi stage stratified random sampling. Fifty households were systematically selected from each GND. An interview was scheduled among 743 residents aged between 19 to 49 years of age after receiving written informed consent. Only 11% of the respondents knew the situations in which abortion was legal in Sri Lanka. Approximately one tenth of the respondents (11%) did not agree with the current law which allows an induced abortion only to save the life of the mother. However, a majority agreed to legalization of abortion for rape (65%), incest (55%) and pregnancies with lethal fetal abnormalities (53%). Less than one tenth of respondents agreed with legalisation of induced abortion for other reasons such as con-traceptive failure (6%), poor economic conditions (7%) and, on request (4%). Although the society rejects abortion on request majority are in favour of allowing abortions for rape, incest and fetuses with lethal abnormalities.

A comparison of RANZCR and Singapore-designed radiation oncology practice audit instruments: how does reproducibility affect future approaches to revalidation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lu, Jiade J.; Wynne, Christopher J.; Kumar, Mahesh B.; Shakespeare, Thomas P.; Mukherjee, Rahul; Back, Michael F.

2004-01-01

Physician competency assessment requires the use of validated methods and instruments. The Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Radiologists (RANZCR) developed a draft audit form to be evaluated as a competency assessment instrument for radiation oncologists (ROs) in Australasia. We evaluated the reliability of the RANZCR instrument as well as a separate The Cancer Institute (TCI) Singapore-designed instrument by having two ROs perform an independent chart review of 80 randomly selected patients seen at The Cancer Institute (TCI), Singapore. Both RANZCR and TCI Singapore instruments were used to score each chart. Inter- and intra-observer reliability for both audit instruments were compared using misclassification rates as the primary end-point. Overall, for inter-observer reproducibility, 2.3% of TCI Singapore items were misclassified compared to 22.3% of RANZCR items (P < 0.0001, 100.00% confidence that TCI instrument has less inter-observer misclassification). For intra-observer reproducibility, 2.4% of TCI Singapore items were misclassified compared to 13.6% of RANZCR items (P < 0.0001, 100.00% confidence that TCI instrument has less intra-observer misclassification). The proposed RANZCR RO revalidation audit instrument requires further refinement to improve validity. Several items require modification or removal because of lack of reliability, whereas inclusion of other important and reproducible items can be incorporated as demonstrated by the TCI Singapore instrument. The TCI Singapore instrument also has the advantage of incorporating a simple scoring system and criticality index to allow discrimination between ROs and comparisons against future College standards Copyright (2004) Blackwell Publishing Asia Pty Ltd

Project Radiation protection, Annual report 1994

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ninkovic, M.M.

1994-12-01

According to the action plan for the period 1991-1995, the main objective of this project during 1994 was to provide operational basis, methods and procedures for solving the radiation protection problems that might appear under routine working conditions and handling of radiation sources. The aim was also to provide special methods for action in case of accidents that could affect the employed staff and the population. Overall activity was directed to maintaining and providing personnel, instrumentation, and methods for the following special radiation protection measures: operational control of the radiation field and contamination; calibration of the radiation and dosimetry instruments-secondary dosimetry metrology laboratory; instrumentation and measuring systems for radiation protection; control of environmental transfer of radioactive material; medical radiation protection [sr

Study on bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells in repairing of radiation induced acute liver injury of rats

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bao Yongxing; Lou Fan; Zhao Huarong; Zhu Huhu; Ma Yan; Wen Hao

2010-01-01

Objective: To investigate the role of mesenchymal stem cells in the repair of radiation induced liver injury. Methods: 12 female SD rats were irradiated with 20 Gy 6 MV X-rays on the right lobe of the liver, to establish the model of radiation induced liver injury. The rats were divided randomly into two groups as invention group and control group, and transplanted with 1 ml male mesenchymal suspension or 1 ml normal saline in 4 hours after radiotherapy. The morphological changes of liver were observed. The existence of sex determining gene Y(SRY) and the level of alpha-smooth muscle actin (a-SMA) were detected. Results: Some injury of right lobe liver in two groups were observed, and the injury degree of right lobe liver in intervention group were lower than that of control group. The amount of SRY positive cells in the right lobe liver of intervention group was higher than that in the left lobe liver (t = 3.77, P <0.05). The positive expression rate of a-SMA in right lobe liver of intervention group was lower than that of control group. Conclusions: Acute radiation induced liver injury could lead BMSCs' homing in order to decrease the degree of liver fibrosis. (authors)

Post-Tsunami Reconstruction in Sri Lanka: Houses or Housing?

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Khazai, B.; Franco, G.; Ingram, J. C.; Rumbaitis del Rio, C.

2005-12-01

Reconstruction can be an opportunity to address longer-term livelihood vulnerability within poor communities and households, and to empower the most vulnerable. The post-tsunami reconstruction efforts in Sri Lanka can be seen on two disconnected scales. On a local scale there seems to be a growing recognition by district-level government and NGOs on the importance of households in creating social, human and financial capital, as demonstrated by many programs targeted at rebuilding livelihoods and income-generating activities. On a national scale, however, programs have revealed an emphasis on houses as the physical capital rather than housing as the arena of social and economic life. The aim of national-scale programs is to deliver tangible and quantifiable products, in the form of houses built, often without regard of whether this complements or disrupts livelihoods. One example of such a directive is the implementation of a coastal buffer zone which will ban any new construction within a 100 to 200 meter band from the ocean and allowing only structures that sustained less than 40 percent damage to remain and rebuild. In general these kind of surviving structures along the coast are businesses such as hotels and restaurants. In an island nation such as Sri Lanka, where beach front property is by and large considered low-income housing, typically inhabited by fishermen who rely on the ocean for their livelihoods, the buffer zone constitutes a drastic oversight of local processes shaping these households. The product-oriented solution on the national scale has resulted in building permanent houses for fishery communities in resettlement sites kilometers away from the ocean. The focus of this presentation will be on reconciling the need for immediate shelter needs with a long-term perspective of livelihood rehabilitation using Sri Lanka as a case study. Houses themselves are often not an immediate priority for local people, whose first need is likely to resume income

Modern instrumentation for radiation introscopic testing of welding quality

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sosnin, F.R.

1985-01-01

Modern instrumenlation used for radiation introscopy of welded joints is discussed. the absolute (relative) sensitivity of radiation testing, resolution range, efficiency are considered as basic parameters of introscopes. The characteristics of fluoroscopes, radiation-television installations with the external scintillator and radiative image converter as well as with X-ray vidicons are given. The characterisitcs of radiation introscopes with manipulators to move objects being tested are analysed as well as digitized radiation introscopes

Industrial Upgrading in the Apparel Value Chain and the Role of Designer in the Transition: comparative analysis of Sri Lanka and Hong Kong

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Sumith Gopura

2016-11-01

Full Text Available The apparel industry is a major export industry in Sri Lanka that depends upon labour intensive manufacturing. The Sri Lankan apparel industry is transitioning from Cut, Make, Trims (CMT assembly and Original Equipment Manufacturing (OEM to Original Design Manufacturing (ODM and Original Brand Manufacturing (OBM, experiencing the economic benefits of apparel product export. The transition relies on having expert professionals who can provide creative, commercial, technical, and leadership skills in the process. In order to identify the creative roles and responsibilities that can contribute to the industrial upgrading process in Sri Lanka, this paper first provides an analysis of the global apparel value chain and the journeys of the countries with newly industrialized economies (NIEs in the region. Second, a comparison of Hong Kong and Sri Lankan apparel industries contextualises the development of fashion design within each nation’s industry as a competitive advantage. In each country we examine three factors that demonstrate growth in fashion design: development of fashion design education; development of exportable own brands; and the establishment of local showcases to a global audience. The examples of both Hong Kong and Sri Lanka demonstrate the ways in which creative roles may act as a bridge between production and marketing networks, buyers and producers in maintaining and building industry value-adding for highly sophisticated and competitive fashion production systems. Although the Sri Lankan apparel industry has not progressed as far as Hong Kong in this arena, evidence suggests the industry is actively growing design capabilities

Prevalence of chromosomal abnormalities in Sri Lankan women with primary amenorrhea.

Science.gov (United States)

Samarakoon, Lasitha; Sirisena, Nirmala D; Wettasinghe, Kalum T; Kariyawasam, Kariyawasam Warnakulathanthrige Jayani C; Jayasekara, Rohan W; Dissanayake, Vajira H W

2013-05-01

Chromosomal abnormalities are implicated in the etiology of primary amenorrhea. The underlying chromosomal aberrations are varied and regional differences have been reported. The objective of this study is to describe the prevalence of various types of chromosomal abnormalities in Sri Lankan women with primary amenorrhea. Medical records of all patients diagnosed with primary amenorrhea referred for cytogenetic analysis to two genetic centers in Sri Lanka from January 2005 to December 2011 were reviewed. Chromosome culture and karyotyping was performed on peripheral blood samples obtained from each patient. Data were analyzed using standard descriptive statistics. Altogether 338 patients with primary amenorrhea were karyotyped and mean age at testing was 20.5 years. Numerical and structural chromosomal abnormalities were noted in 115 (34.0%) patients which included 45,X Turner syndrome (10.7%), Turner syndrome variants (13.9%), XY females (6.5%), 45,X/46,XY (0.9%), 46,XX/46,XY (0.6%), 47,XXX (0.3%), 47,XX,+ mar (0.3%), 46,X,i(X)(p10) (0.3%), 46,XX with SRY gene translocation on X chromosome (0.3%) and 46,XX,inv(7)(p10;q11.2) (0.3%). Short stature, absent secondary sexual characteristics, neck webbing, cubitus valgus and broad chest with widely spaced nipples were commonly seen in patients with Turner syndrome and variant forms. Neck webbing and absent secondary sexual characteristics were significantly associated with classical Turner syndrome than variant forms. A considerable proportion of women with primary amenorrhea had chromosomal abnormalities. Mean age at testing was late suggesting delay in referral for karyotyping. Early referral for cytogenetic evaluation is recommended for the identification of underlying chromosomal aberrations in women with primary amenorrhea. © 2012 The Authors. Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology Research © 2012 Japan Society of Obstetrics and Gynecology.

Tsunami vulnerability assessment in the western coastal belt in Sri Lanka

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Ranagalage, M. M.

2017-12-01

26th December 2004 tsunami disaster has caused massive loss of life, damage to coastal infrastructures and disruption to economic activities in the coastal belt of Sri Lanka. Tsunami vulnerability assessment is a requirement for disaster risk and vulnerability reduction. It plays a major role in identifying the extent and level of vulnerabilities to disasters within the communities. There is a need for a clearer understanding of the disaster risk patterns and factors contributing to it in different parts of the coastal belt. The main objective of this study is to investigate tsunami vulnerability assessment of Moratuwa Municipal council area in Sri Lanka. We have selected Moratuwa area due to considering urbanization pattern and Tsunami hazards of the country. Different data sets such as one-meter resolution LiDAR data, orthophoto, population, housing data and road layer were employed in this study. We employed tsunami vulnerability model for 1796 housing units located there, for a tsunami scenario with a maximum run-up 8 meters. 86% of the total land area affected by the tsunami in 8 meters scenarios. Additionally, building population has been used to estimate population in different vulnerability levels. The result shows that 32% of the buildings have extremely critical vulnerability level, 46% have critical vulnerability level, 22% have high vulnerability level, and 1% have a moderate vulnerability. According to the population estimation model results, 18% reside building with extremely critical vulnerability, 43% with critical vulnerability, 36% with high vulnerability and 3% belong to moderate vulnerability level. The results of the study provide a clear picture of tsunami vulnerability. Outcomes of this analysis can use as a valuable tool for urban planners to assess the risk and extent of disaster risk reduction which could be achieved via suitable mitigation measures to manage the coastal belt in Sri Lanka.

Change in Dengue and Japanese Encephalitis Seroprevalence Rates in Sri Lanka

Science.gov (United States)

Jeewandara, Chandima; Gomes, Laksiri; Paranavitane, S. A.; Tantirimudalige, Mihiri; Panapitiya, Sumedha Sandaruwan; Jayewardene, Amitha; Fernando, Samitha; Fernando, R. H.; Prathapan, Shamini

2015-01-01

Background Sri Lanka has been affected by epidemics of dengue infections for many decades and the incidence and severity of dengue infections have been rising each year. Therefore, we investigated the age stratified seroprevalence of dengue infections in order to facilitate future dengue vaccine strategies. In addition, since the symptomatic dengue infections have increased during the past few decades, we also investigated the possible association with Japanese Encephalitis Virus (JEV) antibody seropositivity with symptomatic dengue in a community cohort in Sri Lanka. Methods 1689 healthy individuals who were attending a primary health care facility were recruited. Dengue and JEV antibody status was determined in all individuals and JEV vaccination status was recorded. Results 1152/1689 (68.2%) individuals were seropositive for dengue and only 133/1152 (11.5%) of them had been hospitalized to due to dengue. A significant and positive correlation was observed for dengue antibody seropositivity and age in children (Spearmans R = 0.84, p = 0.002) and in adults (Spearmans R = 0.96, p = 0.004). We observed a significant rise in the age stratified seroprevalence rates in children over a period of 12 years. For instance, in year 2003 the annual seroconversion rate was 1.5% per annum, which had risen to 3.79% per annum by 2014. We also found that both adults (pdengue were more likely to be seropositive for JEV antibodies. However, 244 (91.4%) of adults who were seropositive for JEV had not had the JEV vaccine. Conclusions Dengue seroprevalence rates have risen significantly over the last 12 years in Sri Lanka, possibly due to increased transmission. As individuals who were hospitalized due to dengue were more likely to be seropositive for JEV, the possibility of cross-reactive assays and/or of JEV infection on immunity to the DENV and clinical disease severity should be further investigated. PMID:26696417

Instruments for radiation measurement in biosciences. Series 3. radioluminography. 1. Results of questionnaires to the scientists using radioluminographic techniques

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kurihara, Norio; Nakajima, Eiichi; Takahashi, Sentaro

1998-01-01

Radioluminography (RLG) is a method to detect radioactivity with its photostimulated luminescence phenomenon. This paper describes major results of questionnaires to the scientists using RLG technique which was performed by the technical subcommittee for research instruments for isotope tracer of Life Science Section, Japan Radioisotope Association. The main purpose was to find the advantage and problems of RLG recognized by users. Questionnaires were sent to 271 users and 101 answers were obtained from pharmaceutical companies, universities and other public research facilities. RLG was found mainly used in gel electrophoresis in the molecular biology field, thin layer chromatography and quantitative whole body autoradiography. RLG technology itself of the instrument, imaging plate and standard usage was found to be in progress as well. Problems were those on the fundamental handling (e.g., ROI definition), on instruments, on quantitativeness, on different nuclides, on value for formal data and on radiation control. The major instrument manufacturers were Fuji Film Co., BioRad Co. and Molecular Dynamics Co. Results of the questionnaire will be published in more detailed form in future. (K.H.)

Sri Lanka : tous les projets | Page 2 | CRDI - Centre de recherches ...

International Development Research Centre (IDRC) Digital Library (Canada)

... grande intégration économique, on voit apparaître tout un éventail de difficultés interreliées ayant trait aux garanties constitutionnelles et aux garanties des droits de la personne. End Date: 17 mars 2016. Sujet: PRISONS, Gender. Région: Bangladesh, India, Nepal, Pakistan, Sri Lanka. Programme: Gouvernance et justice.