Factors influencing Solar Energy Technology adoption by Households in Western Province Sri Lanka

The acceptance and slow growth of solar energy is a major barrier for the Sri Lanka’s expansion of Solar. The aim of this study is to identify the factors that important when adopting to solar energy technology. Technology Acceptance Model (TAM), Diffusion of Innovation (DOI), Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) and Transaction Cost Economics theory (TCE) are the theories that used to develop the research foundation. A self-administrated questionnaire was used to collect data from a sample of 384 household respondents. Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) was used to test the hypothesis. The result of the study indicates that perceived ease of use has the most significant impact on adopting to solar energy technology. Awareness of the technology and relative advantage become second and third influential factors of adoption. Perceived behavioral control also has a positive impact on adoption to solar energy technology while cost shows a negative impact. From a managerial viewpoint these findings can be used for implementing the solar energy technology as a household renewable energy source for upcoming future energy crisis. Though geographical unfairness act as the main limitation, since the high density of population, income level and urbanization of observed area, the result can be generalized to the urbanized households.KeywordsAdoption; Relative advantage; Perceived behavioral control; Perceived ease of use, Awareness; Cost; Solar energ

DEVELOPMENT OF A FUNGAL INOCULUM FOR EFFICIENT PHOSPHATE UTILIZATION IN AGRICULTURE

With the aim of developing an environment friendly P biofertilizer, phosphate solubilizing fungi (PSF) were isolated from Sri Lankan soil. A total of 12 fungal isolates, showing phosphate solubilizing activities were isolated from bulk and rhizosphere soils of different agro-ecological zones. The best 11 P solubilizers selected  by three levels of screening were further evaluated  for  their efficiency  inphosphate solubilization in Pikovskaya liquid media containing tricalcium phosphate and High Grade Eppawala Rock Phosphate (HERP) using two parameters: solubilized P concentration and media pH due to organic acid production.  In contrast to all isolates being  able to mediate high amount of P solubilization in PVK medium,  they were less efficient in solubilizing HERP in modified PVK medium. Among the 11 PSF, fungal isolate KBF4 accounted for the highest Ca3(PO4)2 solubilization while  KBF2 accounted for the highest HERP solubilization. Acidification of the culture media seemed to be the main mechanism of P solubilization in both media indicating a significant pH decrease of the culture supernatants.  A significant correlation between the quantity of P solubilized and the pH decrease in PVK liquid media containing Ca3(PO4)2 was observed.  This relationship was not significant in HERP medium indicating other possible mechanism of phosphate solubilization

BAT: block analytics tool integrated with blockchain based IoT platform

The Internet of Things (IoT) is currently the paradigm of connectivity and driving force behind the state-of-art applications and services. However, the exponential growth of the number of IoT devices and services, their distributed nature, and scarcity of resources has increased the number of security and privacy concerns ranging from the risks of unauthorized data alterations to the potential discrimination enabled by data analytics over sensitive information. A blockchain based IoT-platform is introduced to address these issues. Built upon the tamper-proof architecture, the access management mechanisms ensure the authenticity and integrity of data. Moreover, a novel approach called Block Analytics Tool (BAT), integrated with the platform is proposed to analyze and make predictions on data stored on blockchain. BAT enables the data-analysis applications to be developed using the data stored in the platform in an optimized manner acting as an interface to off-chain processing. A pharmaceutical supply chain is the use case scenario to show the functionality of the proposed platform. Furthermore, a model to forecast the demand of the pharmaceutical drugs is investigated using a real-world data set to demonstrate the functionality of BAT. Finally, the performance of BAT integrated with the platform is evaluated

INVESTIGATION OF COST EFFECTIVE SEED PROPAGATION METHODS FOR THE MEDICINAL UANA Coscinium fenestratum Colebr. (Menispennaceae)

Coscinium fenestratum colebr. (Menispermaceae) is a widely used medicinal liana in SriLanka and South Asian region. Due to heavy and indiscriminate harvesting from naturalpopulations, this species is endangered in Sri Lanka. In order to reduce the pressure onnatural populations, we attempted to develop rapid and cost effective seed germinationmethods to raise new plants for restoration and rehabilitation programs.Seeds of C. fenestratum showed all hallmarks of "recalcitrant" seed characters.Considering there initial moisture content and moisture losses. The moisture content offresh seeds was 31 ± 0.6 %. The best method to.conserve moisture content of seeds above25% during storage was by maintaining them in a humid chamber. The viability of seedsdecreased progressively with storage time and the associated moisture loss. Forty daysafter storage, the highest viability (89%) was recorded when seeds were stored in amoisture chamber while the least viability (30%) was recorded when seeds were storedunder ambient conditions. Sixty two percent of seed viability was shown when seeds werestored in polythene bags while the viability was 41% when seeds were stored in paperbags.Bioassays carried out using seeds of Brassica junceae revealed the presence ofgermination inhibitors in the endosperm and the embryo of C. fenestratum seeds.Germination percentage of B. junceae seeds (used as an indicator to check the inhibitoryaction of C. fenestratum seed) soaked with the water extracts of the endosperm and theembryo of C.fenestratuin were 17% and 25% respectively. B. junceae seeds showcJ 88%germination percentage in the control experiment where the seeds were soaked in water.In order to evaluate the best seed treatment method that enhance the germination success,fresh seeds were subjected to soaking in a range of gibberllic acid solutions (1500 ppm,2000 ppm, 2500 ppm and 3000 ppm) for 12 hours, mechanical cracking of the seed coat,soaking in tap water for 12 and 24 hours and exposure to sunlight followed by soaking intap water for 12 hours. The highest germination percentage (27%) was shown when seedswere soaked in 2000 ppm gebberllic acid for 12 hours. In all other treatments thepercentage germination was less than 10%.

CONSTRUCTION OF A PRECISE GROWTH MODEL TO PREDICT THE NDIVIDUAL STEM VOLUME OF Alstonia macrophylla WALL. EX G. DON

In order to reduce the pressure on existing Natural Forests in Sri Lanka,Forest Department promoted growing timber species as plantations and inhome gardens. Among the suggested species Alstonia macrophylla(Hawarinuga) has recently become popular due to its fast growth rate, ease ofestablishment and timber value. There are about 1913 ha extent of Alstoniamacrophylla plantations at the end of the year 1998 maintained by the ForestDepartment of Sri Lanka. However, this figure must be higher than thatbecause many other private organizations are establishing Alstoniamacrophylla plantations in the wet zone in large scale. This species is alsogrown in home gardens, alleys and borders as non-blocks (non-plantations).However, at present there is no method at present for estimating the stemvolume of this species, which is considered as the most important variable incommercial forestry. Therefore a mathematical model was constructed in thisstudy to predict the individual stem volume of Alstonia macrophylla treesgrown in plantations.Since Alstonia macrophylla is widely found in wet zone of Sri Lanka, studysites were selected from Galle (two even-aged plantations from Pituwala andWattehena Beats) districts. The ages of these plantations were 19 and 16respectively. Ten 0.02 ha circular plots with slope correction were randomlylaid out for each plantation, in order to measure the necessary parametersfrom the individual trees. Diameter at breast height (dbh), total height andheight to the crown base of all the trees inside the plots were measured.Newton's formula was used in this research because it is the most accuratemethod. In order to calculate the volume using the Newton's formula, thestem of each tree was hypothetically divided into 4 -5 sections. Then thebottom, mid and top diameters and section lengths were measured usingSpeigal Relascope and Blume Leiss Altimeter respectively. The final sectionof the tree was assumed as a cone and only the bottom diameter and heightwere used in that particular section. The total volume of each section wasestimated by adding the section volumes calculated using Newton's formulato the volume of the final section.First a theoretical model structure was developed using the relationship ofform factor with volume, height and area at the base. Regression analysis wasused to fit the data into the model. Untransformed as well as transformedcombinations of all variables were tested. In this procedure the combinedvariable (basal area * tree height) was always kept as the first explanatoryvariable. After trying with many combinations of selected variables withvolume, final model was selected using its compatibility with the real world,R2 values, and residual distributions, model bias value and modelingefficiency. The selected models at the preliminary stage indicated very highperformance and insignificant bias. In order to select a final one, the abovemodels were validated with a new set of data. The final selected model in thisstudy to predict the individual stem volume with insignificant bias ofAlstonia macrophylla is; --.jv= 0.659 log BA *Ht + 0.00404 ...fer h

LEAF ADAPTABILITY OF lWO NON·TIMBER FOREST SPECIES Caryota urens L. AND Elettaria carrlamomum VAR. MAJOR PLANTED IN THE Pinus caribaea ENRICHMENT BUFFER ZONE IN SINHARAJA MAB RESERVE, SRI LANKA

Caryota urens L. and Elettaria cardamomum var. major are indigenous non-timberspecies which are used as market or sustainable goods and services for human orindustrial consumption. Both species thrive well in disturbed forest areas in the southwesternpart of Sri Lanka. Being understorey species, the growth of these species areaffected by sun light which is highly variable and often limiting resource in the forest.In a Pinus enrichment study established in 1991, leaf anatomical adaptability of these twospecies after 12 years of initial establishment under the Pinus buffer zone of the SinharajaMAB .reserve was investigated. Different light levels in the study area were created bythinning Pinus trees at different densities.Lower epidermis of C. urens showed highest (7.75 %) and lowest (6.35 %) stomatalindices in 2 pine rows removed treatment (2R) and 5 pine rows removed treatment (5R)respectively. Corresponding values for E. cardamomum were 6.00 % (highest) in theclosed canopy control (CU) and 5.22 % (lowest) in 1 pine row removed treatment (lR).The highest thickness of C. urens leaf cuticle (0.2611 ±0.02), leaf blade (22.2711 ±2.l4),upper epidermis (1.7511 ±0.10), lower epidermis (1.8311 ±0.06), palisade layer (6.2511±0.87) and spongy mesophylliayer (11.7411 ±1.30) were observed in 5R treatment thatreceived relatively high light levels than other treatments.E. cardamomum leaves showed highest thickness of leaf blade (22.4311 ±O.88), lowerepidermal layer (2.1211 ±O.ll), spongy mesophyll layer (10.3211 ±O.57) in 3 pine rowsremoved treatment (3R). The highest cuticle thickness (0.2311 ±O.OI) was recordered in 3pine rows under planting treatment (3U) while lR treatment showed highest upperepidermal layer thickness of 2.2111 ±0.15. Palisade layer was highest (4.74J! ±0.55) inCU.Results revealed that C. urens shows leaf adaptability to grow under relatively high sunlight levels (5R treatment) while E. cardamomum shows most of the leaf adaptabilitycharacters to grow under moderate light levels (3R treatment).The knowledge gained by this study is useful to recommend the optimum lightrequirements in terms of leaf anatomical traits of the study species.

Antimicrobial activity of some Sri Lankan Rubiaceae and Meliaceae

Ninety solvent extracts (n-hexane, dichloromethane and methanol) obtained from the leaves, bark and stem of 13 Sri Lankan Rubiaceae and two Sri Lankan Meliaceae plants have been screened for antibacterial and antifungal activities. Morinda tinctoria, Mussaenda frondosa, Psychotria gardneri and Psychotria stenophylla displayed the widest spectrum of antibacterial activity

A Ly{\alpha} blob and zabs {\approx} zem damped Ly{\alpha} absorber in the dark matter halo of the binary quasar Q 0151+048

Q0151+048 is a physical QSO pair at z ~ 1.929 with a separation of 3.3 arcsec on the sky. In the spectrum of Q0151+048A (qA), a DLA is observed at a higher redshift. We have previously detected the host galaxies of both QSOs, as well as a Lya blob. We performed low-resolution spectroscopy with the slit aligned with the extended emission. We also observed the system using the medium-resolution VLT/X-shooter spectrograph and the slit aligned with the two QSOs. We measure systemic redshifts of zem(A)=1.92924{\pm}0.00036 and zem(B)=1.92863{\pm}0.00042 from the H{\beta} and H{\alpha} emission lines, respectively. We estimate the masses of the black holes of the two QSOs to be 10^9.33 M{\odot} and 10^8.38 M{\odot} for qA and qB, respectively. From this we infered the mass of the dark matter halos hosting the two QSOs: 10^13.74 M{\odot} and 10^13.13 M{\odot} for qA and qB, respectively. We observe a velocity gradient along the major axis of the Lya blob consistent with the rotation curve of a large disk galaxy, but it may also be caused by gas inflow or outflow. We detect residual continuum in the DLA trough which we interpret as emission from the host galaxy of qA. The derived H0 column density of the DLA is log NH0 = 20.34 {\pm} 0.02. Metal column densities results in an overall metallicity of 0.01 Z{\odot}. We detect CII* which allows us to make a physical model of the DLA cloud. From the systemic redshifts of the QSOs, we conclude that the Lya blob is associated with qA rather than with the DLA. The DLA must be located in front of both the Lya blob and qA at a distance larger than 30 kpc. The two QSOs accrete at normal eddington ratios. The DM halo of this double quasar will grow to the mass of our local super-cluster at z=0. We point out that those objects therefore form an ideal laboratory to study the physical interactions in a z=2 pre-cursor of our local super-cluster.Comment: 12 pages, 11 figures, accepted for publication in A&