Analysis of public university facilities cost

2017 Fall.Includes bibliographical references.Comparing construction costs between public and private sector projects has been a topic of interest, specifically, which one is more cost efficient. Many researches have compared the two sectors, however, there is limited research with emphasis on university construction. This study focuses on the cost factors influencing project cost performed at public universities and comparing it with similar projects in the private sector. It also presents an analysis of the assorted reasons responsible for the difference or similarities in the two sectors. This study utilizes an exploratory, comparative case study methodology performed on a small sample number of public university projects and two sources of private sector cost data. A thorough analysis with a large dataset is required to conclude a generalizable outcome. The data of four categories of projects collected from five public universities is compared with the cost range obtained from two private entities based on cost per square foot. The results show that most of the public projects have comparable costs to that of their private sector counterparts. The cost data from the university projects is also compared with each other to explore if there are any possible relationships between the types of delivery methods and sustainability certifications based on two project performance indexes; cost and duration. Based on the limited scope of this research it can be surmised that Design-Build proves superior performance when compared to Design-Bid-Build and CM/GC. Based on the limited data, no significant conclusion could be made on the effect of LEED certifications levels on either cost or project duration. This research does provide a starting point for future research into the topic of public sector project costs when compared to private sector counterparts

Profiling psychotropic discharge medication from a children’s psychiatric ward

Community prescribing of medication to treat psychiatric illness in children is increasing. However, details about medication prescribed at discharge from psychiatric inpatient services for children are scarce. Objectives Characterise the nature of psychotropic medication prescribed on discharge from a children’s psychiatric ward over a 15-year period. Method Retrospective analysis of discharge summary letters of all discharges occurring between Jan 1997 to Dec 2012. Results 234 children (152 males and 82 females) were discharged with 117 (50 %) prescribed psychotropic medication at discharge. 133 medicines were prescribed (stimulants n = 49, antipsychotics n = 31, antidepressants n = 22, mood stabilisers n = 1, other ADHD medication n = 11, melatonin n = 10, benzodiazepines n = 7, other n = 2). Risperidone was the most popular antipsychotic at a mean daily dose of 1 mg (range 0.25–4 mg). Fifty per cent were given an unlicensed medicine or a licensed drug was used in an unlicensed manner, of which risperidone was the most common (n = 14). Sleep disturbance and tics were most often treated using unlicensed/off label medication (n = 10). Conclusion Psychotropic medication is routinely used in inpatient children’s services, with the majority of use confined to stimulants and atypical antipsychotics. Much of the antipsychotic use is for unlicensed indications or at unlicensed doses

The Politics of English in Sri Lanka: Perspectives from Postcolonial Anglophone Literature

Anglophone literature by writers from former British colonies has been viewed by literary critics as an act of writing back to the colonial centre. Such a view presents these writers as located in the margins, where they re-appropriate and re-fashion the language of the coloniser in service of those it once oppressed, to paraphrase Salman Rushdie and Ashcroft et al. However, in framing postcolonial Anglophone literature within this centre-periphery binary, this mode of reading presents the writer as resisting the colonial metropole but fails to address the status of English in relation to racial, ethno-linguistic and class conflicts in postcolonial countries like Sri Lanka. English in Sri Lanka is constitutionally recognised as a “link language” under the presumption that it mitigates linguistic conflicts that have erupted between the country’s various ethnic groups, notably between the Sinhalese and Tamils. This contributes to English functioning as a “vanishing mediator”, as Aamir Mufti calls it, where in acting as a mediator it assumes an aura of transparency which obscures its function as a vehicle for generating “elite cultural capital” in Sarah Brouillette’s words. Departing from the centre-periphery model, this thesis examines two Sri Lankan Anglophone literary texts, Shehan Karunatilaka’s Chinaman (2010) and Michael Ondaatje’s Running in the Family (1982) to understand the status of English in relation to the politics of ethnicity, race, class and language in Sri Lanka. A novel about cricket, I read Karunatilaka’s depiction of the imperial cultural product, which has been appropriated by the former colony, as an analogy for the English language, one that allows for an interrogation of the assumptions that English and cricket can unite and “link” the nation amidst competing Sinhala-Tamil nationalisms. An exploration of his Anglophone Burgher cultural heritage, Ondaatje’s text brings to the fore the complicity of this ethnically privileged minority subject, which I read as challenging the assumptions about ethnicity, race and language boundaries in Sri Lanka. My analyses of these texts interrogate the assumptions of “link language” implied in the country’s constitution, while revealing that English in Sri Lanka both exposes the fault lines of Sri Lankan society while disrupting notions of ethno-linguistic purity that have come to define the Sinhala-Tamil conflict and post-colonial race relations in the country

Responses of Suaeda maritima to flooding and salinity

Suaeda maritima is an annual halophyte commonly found in salt-marshes. Its salt tolerance has been well studied, though there is little published on the effect of simultaneous waterlogging. The effects of saline waterlogging on growth, antioxidants (glutathione and total polyphenolic compounds, antioxidant activity) and oxidative damage were investigated with simulated tides in a controlled glasshouse and on plants collected from the field. Flooded shoots possessed higher levels of antioxidants than those from plants growing in well-drained situations, in the glasshouse and the field. The effects of hypoxia, (simulated in nutrient solution by flushing with nitrogen in a solution containing a low concentration of agar, which limits convection within the solution and so the transport of oxygen from the air) were determined on growth and trace metal concentrations, in plants grown in different concentrations of artificial seawater (100 and 350 mM Na+ at low pH, > pH 5.5), in sand/mud irrigated with halfstrength fresh seawater (at high pH, ca 7-8) and in different concentrations of manganese and iron in solution culture. High salt concentration reduced accumulation of trace metals in plants. Optimal growth occurred in 14 μM Fe and 1 mM Mn. Accumulation of trace metals was reduced at high pH, with more accumulating in the roots than the shoots. Hypoxia increased soluble sugars in shoots and roots, and this was affected by the salt concentration. Hypoxia also caused adventitious root development in hydroponic experiments, while in sand, adventitious root development was greater in drained than flooded conditions. Hypoxia significantly reduced shoot sodium concentration, sodium flux and bypass flow, at low and high salt concentrations. In high salt conditions, S. maritima reduced its transpiration rate and improved its water use efficiency. It was also shown that the roots contained high lactate concentrations under aerated and hypoxic conditions. S. maritima demonstrated many adaptations for tolerating extreme hypoxia

Effect of Small Molecule Inhibitor Fisetin over Proliferation of Human Non-Small Cell Pulmonary Carcinoma

The percentage of cancer-related deaths attributable to diet and tobacco globally is reported to be as high as 60-70%. A large number of dietary compounds have gained research interest and tested to determine their chemopreventive / antiproliferative effects on in-vivo/in-vitro models. The present study effect of flavonoid fisetin on proliferation of human lung carcinoma cells A549 and NCI-H460 was investigated. The effect of fisetin on cell growth was investigated by MTT, Crystal violet, XTT, LDH release, and colony forming assays. Cell proliferation was assessed by BrdU incorporation test. Further, cell morphology and cytopathology was analyzed by crystal violet test and hematoxylin and eosin staining. Results of study revealed that fisetin treatment exerted a dose dependent decrease in the growth of A549 and NCI-H460 cells with IC50 values of 190µM and 210µM respectively. It also inhibited cell proliferation and colony formation in both A549 and NCI-H460 cells. Cytopathology studies exhibited features such as nuclear fragmentation, cytoplasmic vacuolation, karyorrhexis, chromatin condensation, which were suggestive of apoptotic cell death. Results of the study indicate growth inhibitory, anti-proliferative and pro-apoptotic effects of fisetin on lung carcinoma cells

Food And Feeding Habits Of Schizothorax Niger In Dal-Lake,From Kashmir

The food and feeding habits of Schizothorax niger in Dal-lake was studied by examining      guts collected throughout the year.The fish samples used in the study was within the range of 200mm to 340mm in total length and weight ranging from 100g to 424g in weight and the sampling duration was from March 2021 to April 2022.During the analysis the food and feeding habits of S.niger it was concluded that the fish is herbivorous.Its food mainly consists of plant matter 67.53% and 23.43% animal matter. Green algae, which made up around 30.01% of all food items, was the main contributor to the plant food. It was found to be at its highest (32.64%) in July and at its lowest (10.18%) in January. The primary source of animal food was crustaceans, which accounted for 16.20% of all food items. The highest percentage of crustaceans was reported in the month of February (30%), while the lowest percentage was recorded in the month of July (9%)

Vishaharayogas in Sahasrayoga: A review

Ayurveda pharmaceutics deals with preparation of medicines. The formulations are in different forms with a variety of ingredients that are herbal, mineral, marine, etc. in origin.  These formulations, based on the ingredients and the forms are mentioned in different conditions including in the management of poisons. Sahasrayoga is a book that is a compilation of different formulations that are mentioned in various diseases. A review of this book has put light on the yogas that are mentioned in the management of various poisons. In this book, for the management of poisons different dosage forms are mentioned like kashaya, churna, leha, ghrita, etc. The formulations mentioned are not just for management of visha but are also indicated in other disorders. Keywords: Visha, Yogas, Vishaghna, Ayurveda, formulation

Individual and Society: A Study of Male Characters in the Novels of Anita Desai

This research paper focuses on the male character of Anita Desai. She is a prominent writer; focuses not only at her female characters but her male characters have same values. Her study shows a deep psychology of her characters. The novel ‘cry the peacock’ shows a tragic trauma of Maya, but it is created by her husband Gautama, the same way Sita get trouble due to the involvement of male character in ‘Where Shall We Go This Summer?’. Deep neurotic trauma is revealed by Nirode in ‘Voices in the City’. The elements of diasporic sensibility are reflected in the novel of ‘Bye Bye Blackbird’, ‘Journey to Ithaca’ and ‘Fasting Feasting’. ‘In Custody’ shows the trouble of Urdu fond professor and Baumgartner Bombay to a Jew. We will focus on the pathetic psyche of Eric and Ravi in ‘Zig Zag Way’ and ‘The Artist of Disappearance

Comparative Analysis of the Impact of Tsunami and Tsunami Interventions on Conflicts in Sri Lanka and Aceh/Indonesia

The objective of this field-based research was to assess the impact of natural disasters and disaster interventions on protracted intra-state conflicts and to provide insight for designing and implementing disaster interventions in conflict situations. The field research was conducted in Sri Lanka and Aceh/Indonesia as a comparative analysis. The researchers chose Sri Lanka and Aceh/Indonesia because both were severely hit by the tsunami in December 2004 and have been marred by intra-State conflicts. The distinct nature and intensity of these conflicts provided a platform to observe the implementation of humanitarian assistance and identify the strengths and limitations of the tsunami interventions. The researchers interviewed various experts and officials involved in humanitarian and conflict resolution activities. The researchers also had the opportunity to observe the realities on the ground and to discuss the situation with the tsunami and war affected people. By applying conflict resolution models and principles in humanitarian assistance this research established, among others, two major findings. First, the tsunami and the tsunami interventions had different impacts on the dynamics of the two conflicts. In Aceh/Indonesia, the major actors, GAM and the Government of Indonesia (GOI), successfully negotiated a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) ending almost 30 years of war. Conversely, in Sri Lanka the relations between the government and the LTTE deteriorated. The research analyzes these outcomes and attempts to explore the underlying causes of this disparity. Second, in both cases, the tsunami interventions suffered from one major shortcoming. The humanitarian assistance did not reach the thousands of conflict-affected, Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) who have been living in vulnerable conditions for many years. In addition, drawbacks including: lack of effective coordination, conflict insensitivity, low levels of participation by the beneficiaries, and undermining local capacities were observed by the researchers and identified by interviewees. The research provided several recommendations including: innovation in fund raising processes and assessment of inflexible and inappropriate mandates, judicious conditionality on debt relief measures so as to encourage the peaceful resolution of conflicts, and cross-learning between the fields of disaster relief, development, and conflict resolution. In addition, it is vital that serious steps are taken in regard to the consideration of unique contexts, local values, and domestic realities. Also, participatory approaches should be implemented at every level of intervention. The researchers suggest that if such and similar steps are taken into account, humanitarian assistance will not exacerbate conflict situations and can help to mitigate war and contribute to resolutions of conflicts between and among diverse groups. Due to the nature of a summary many of the intricacies and nuances will unfortunately be missing in this document. For a comprehensive discussion please contact Peter Bauman and he will happily forward a copy of the full report