Janasevana house SLA architectural competition

This article discusses the winning entries of a competition by the Sri Lanka Institute of Architects to design a low cost house

Farming fit? Dispelling the Australian agrarian myth

Background: Rural Australians face a higher mental health and lifestyle disease burden (obesity, diabetes andcardiovascular disease) than their urban counterparts. Our ongoing research reveals that the Australian farmingcommunity has even poorer physical and mental health outcomes than rural averages. In particular, farm men andwomen have high rates of overweightness, obesity, abdominal adiposity, high blood pressure and psychologicaldistress when compared against Australian averages. Within our farming cohort we observed a significantassociation between psychological distress and obesity, abdominal adiposity and body fat percentage in thefarming population.Presentation of hypothesis: This paper presents a hypothesis based on preliminary data obtained from anongoing study that could potentially explain the complex correlation between obesity, psychological distress andphysical activity among a farming population. We posit that spasmodic physical activity, changing farm practicesand climate variability induce prolonged stress in farmers. This increases systemic cortisol that, in turn, promotesabdominal adiposity and weight gain.Testing the hypothesis: The hypothesis will be tested by anthropometric, biochemical and psychological analysismatched against systemic cortisol levels and the physical activity of the subjects.Implications of the hypothesis tested: Previous studies indicate that farming populations have elevated rates ofpsychological distress and high rates of suicide. Australian farmers have recently experienced challenging climaticconditions including prolonged drought, floods and cyclones. Through our interactions and through the media it isnot uncommon for farmers to describe the effect of this long-term stress with feelings of &lsquo;defeat&rsquo;. By gaining agreater understanding of the role cortisol and physical activity have on mental and physical health we maypositively impact the current rates of psychological distress in farmers.<br /

Zn treatment effects on biological potential of fennel bulbs as affected by in vitro digestion process

Zn treatment effects on the stability of polyphenols, MDA (malondialdehyde) content, antioxidant and lipoxygenase inhibition activities of two varieties of fennel bulbs were studied by using an in vitro gastrointestinal digestion model. Likewise, the effect of Zn on viability cells of E. coli was also performed. The results revealed that high amounts of total phenolic and flavonoid compounds were released during the digestion process, especially after the intestinal phase. Additionally, the antioxidant and lipoxygenase inhibitory activity were affected by the gastrointestinal digestion process and seems to be correlated with total phenol contents. On the other hand, the viability of E. coli was not affected by the activity of our tested bulbs during passage through the artificial digestion model, but the treated bulbs activity contribute relatively to the inhibition growth of bacteria. The survival of E. coli in fennel bulbs was challenged with simulated gastrointestinal fluids and the results showed that the E. coli strains, despite having experienced a viability reduction at the intestinal phase, were able to overcome the exposure to the gastrointestinal synthetic fluids. This E. coli ability reinforces the need for good hygienic measures to assure safe fresh produce, even for those that are rich in antibacterial compounds.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Climate Change Impacts on Rice Farming Systems in Northwestern Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka has achieved tremendous progress since 1950 in crop production and food availability. Yields grew at an impressive rate until leveling off in the mid-eighties. Sri Lanka's population is anticipated to grow in the coming decades, creating an ever-greater demand for food security on the household, sub-district, regional, and national scales.The agricultural sector in Sri Lanka is vulnerable to climate shocks. An unusual succession of droughts and floods from 2008 to 2014 has led to both booms and busts in agricultural production, which were reflected in food prices. In both instances, the majority of farmers and consumers were adversely affected.At present the rice-farming systems are under stress due to inadequate returns for the farmers and difficulty in coping with shocks due to climate, pests, and diseases, and prices for produce. There are government price-support mechanisms, fertilizer-subsidy schemes, and crop insurance schemes, but the levels of the supports are modest and often do not effectively reach the farmers

Influence of Socio-Cultural and Economical aspects on Architectural Taste with relevance to Real Estate Development

Taste is perceivable in various ways by different people due to their sociocultural and economic backgrounds. Particularly, taste in the built environment is predominantly associated with the living, working, or visual experiencing a building. This paper investigates the influence of socio-cultural and economic factors on the development of architectural taste. The main objective of the study is to identify and examine the influence of socio-cultural and economic factors on the formation of taste in the built environment. The methodology adopted for the study is a comprehensive review and content analysis of existing literature on the subject. The combination of statistical data and qualitative insights from studies already conducted relevant to Aesthetic taste and Architectural taste were considered as the main sources of information. Conclusions were developed through scrutinizing and critically analyzing the gathered data and information. The study clearly shows that the socio-cultural factors such as social class, religion, education, occupation and place of residence, demographic factors such as sex, age, and economic factors such as financial status and demand are related to the issue making different levels of influences on architectural taste. Based on the main findings of the study, it is recommended that architects and policymakers should pay attention to the socio-cultural, economic as well as demographic factors of the occupants to achieve residential satisfaction in real estate development. Keywords: Socio-Cultural factors, Economic factors, Architectural taste, Real Estate Development

The effect of rice variety and parboiling on in vivo glycemic response

Improved and traditional rice varieties grown in Sri Lanka namely, Bg 300, Bg 352, Bg 358, Bg 406, LD 356, Rathkaral, Wedaheenati and Heendikwel were studied for their in vivo glycemic response. Proximate compositions and amylose content of rice were determined according to standard methods and available carbohydrate content was calculated using the difference method. The in vivo glycemic response of selected improved and traditional rice varieties was assessed by determining the glycemic index (GI) using ten healthy subjects. Further, the effect of parboiling of rice on glycemic response was also assessed. The crude protein content was higher in parboiled rice as compared to nonparboiled rice. According to the amylose content, rice varieties studied were classified as intermediate and high amylose rice. The amylose content of Bg 406 was the lowest (20.18% &plusmn;0.17) while Rathkaral showed the highest (29%&plusmn;0.07). The Glycemic index of rice varieties studied ranged from 57&plusmn;1 to 73&plusmn; 2. The Wedaheenati variety exhibited the lowest GI while Bg 406 exhibited the highest GI value. Unparboiled Bg 406, LD 356 and parboiled Bg 406 were classified as high GI foods while the rest of the rice varieties studied were categorized as intermediate GI foods. Parboiled rice brought about a reduction in glycemic response in healthy subjects. The maximum reduction of 10% in glycemic index upon parboiling was observed with Bg 352. The traditional rice produced significantly lower (p&lt;0.05) postprandial glycemic effect than did the improved rice. By their low post-prandial glycemic response they could be potentially useful in low GI diets

Sensing Line-of-Sight Obstructions in a Multipath Radio Environment

The paper presents the development and the experimental verification of a technique for the identification of obstructions in the line-of-sight path between two or more radio transceivers in a multipath radio environment. The objective of this technique is to use RSS measurements from a mesh of simple sensor nodes to identify intrusions

Wi-alert : a wireless sensor network based intrusion alert prototype for HEC

A wired fence based intrusion detection and alerting mechanism for boundaries separating wildlife habitats and human settlements was implemented, particularly as a solution to the Human-Elephant Conflict (HEC). The objective of the research reported in this paper is to propose and verify an alternative technique for this wired fence based alerting mechanism to overcome its limitations and to improve its effectiveness. This article presents a comprehensive study of alternative solutions with deliberate consideration of the practical constraints. Wi-Alert is a wireless sensor network based intrusion detection system proposed as the best alternative solution. This article reports the outcomes of the first two phases of ongoing developments of Wi-Alert. The first phase of experiments was conducted to investigate the multi-path effect reduction techniques at one site. In the next phase, experiments were conducted to verify the ability to detect elephants. The results obtained via the candidate techniques are compared. Both experiments confirm the feasibility of the prototype as a non-invasive method to detect elephants