Environmental microbial contaminants in selected retail pharmacies of Sri Lanka

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Temporal Modulation of Traveling Waves in the Flow Between Rotating Cylinders With Broken Azimuthal Symmetry

The effect of temporal modulation on traveling waves in the flows in two distinct systems of rotating cylinders, both with broken azimuthal symmetry, has been investigated. It is shown that by modulating the control parameter at twice the critical frequency one can excite phase-locked standing waves and standing-wave-like states which are not allowed when the system is rotationally symmetric. We also show how previous theoretical results can be extended to handle patterns such as these, that are periodic in two spatial direction.Comment: 17 pages in LaTeX, 22 figures available as postscript files from http://www.esam.nwu.edu/riecke/lit/lit.htm

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.

Patterns and Collective Behavior in Granular Media: Theoretical Concepts

Granular materials are ubiquitous in our daily lives. While they have been a subject of intensive engineering research for centuries, in the last decade granular matter attracted significant attention of physicists. Yet despite a major efforts by many groups, the theoretical description of granular systems remains largely a plethora of different, often contradicting concepts and approaches. Authors give an overview of various theoretical models emerged in the physics of granular matter, with the focus on the onset of collective behavior and pattern formation. Their aim is two-fold: to identify general principles common for granular systems and other complex non-equilibrium systems, and to elucidate important distinctions between collective behavior in granular and continuum pattern-forming systems.Comment: Submitted to Reviews of Modern Physics. Full text with figures (2Mb pdf) avaliable at http://mti.msd.anl.gov/AransonTsimringReview/aranson_tsimring.pdf Community responce is appreciated. Comments/suggestions send to [email protected]

Sustainable development through proper land utilization Case study Ratnapura, Sri Lanka

Since the land is a scarce resource, the utilization of land effectively would be directly affected to thesustainable development of any country. A proper system ofland uti Iization is very essential especiallyfor a country like Sri Lanka which is very small in size and the majority of the people are dependingon the land related activities such as farming, grazing etc. as their major source of income. Unfortunately,land is in the state of under utilization in Sri Lanka. This paper attempts to study the importance of theeffective land utilization using Geographical Information Systems (GIS) for the sustainable development.The study was mainly based on the data gathered from Ratnapura Divisional Secretary area, Thearea is consisting with natural vegetations such as forests, shrubs. and man -rnade cultivation such astea, rubber, paddy. Also the area has a high economic value and it is well known for natural disasterssuch as floods and earth slips. Primary data was collected using semi-structured questionnaires,interviewing people and relevant officers and field surveying using hand held Global Positioning System(GPS). The study supplemented with secondary data such as remote sensing satellite images, existingmaps. GIS technique was used for the data analyses.The study identified 4 major issues in the specified areaI. 20 % of the total area is under utilization2. 25 % of the total area is misused3. 05 % of the total area is over utilized4. Continuous loss of land due to the natural disastersAccording to the results, the land has not used effectively in the area. 45% of the area is not usedeffectively. Since the country is very small, proper land utilization is very important. The study suggestthat an immediate action should be taken to overcome the matter. And also it is very important to getthe active participation of the general public to stop the loss ofland due to natural disasters and forfuture decision making. 

Care for patients with severe mental illness: the general practitioner's role perspective

BACKGROUND: Patients with severe mental illness (SMI) experience distress and disabilities in several aspects of life, and they have a higher risk of somatic co-morbidity. Both patients and their family members need the support of an easily accessible primary care system. The willingness of general practitioners and the impeding factors for them to participate in providing care for patients with severe mental illness in the acute and the chronic or residual phase were explored. METHODS: A questionnaire survey of a sample of Dutch general practitioners spread over the Netherlands was carried out. This comprised 20 questions on the GP's 'Opinion and Task Perspective', 19 questions on 'Treatment and Experiences', and 27 questions on 'Characteristics of the General Practitioner and the Practice Organisation'. RESULTS: 186 general practitioners distributed over urban areas (49%), urbanised rural areas (38%) and rural areas (15%) of the Netherlands participated. The findings were as follows: GPs currently considered themselves as the first contact in the acute psychotic phase. In the chronic or residual phase GPs saw their core task as to diagnose and treat somatic co-morbidity. A majority would be willing to monitor the general health of these patients as well. It appeared that GP trainers and GPs with a smaller practice setting made follow-up appointments and were willing to monitor the self-care of patients with SMI more often than GPs with larger practices.GPs also saw their role as giving support and information to the patient's family.However, they felt a need for recognition of their competencies when working with mental health care specialists. CONCLUSION: GPs were willing to participate in providing care for patients with SMI. They considered themselves responsible for psychotic emergency cases, for monitoring physical health in the chronic phase, and for supporting the relatives of psychotic patients

Effects of hospital facilities on patient outcomes after cancer surgery: an international, prospective, observational study

Background Early death after cancer surgery is higher in low-income and middle-income countries (LMICs) compared with in high-income countries, yet the impact of facility characteristics on early postoperative outcomes is unknown. The aim of this study was to examine the association between hospital infrastructure, resource availability, and processes on early outcomes after cancer surgery worldwide.Methods A multimethods analysis was performed as part of the GlobalSurg 3 study-a multicentre, international, prospective cohort study of patients who had surgery for breast, colorectal, or gastric cancer. The primary outcomes were 30-day mortality and 30-day major complication rates. Potentially beneficial hospital facilities were identified by variable selection to select those associated with 30-day mortality. Adjusted outcomes were determined using generalised estimating equations to account for patient characteristics and country-income group, with population stratification by hospital.Findings Between April 1, 2018, and April 23, 2019, facility-level data were collected for 9685 patients across 238 hospitals in 66 countries (91 hospitals in 20 high-income countries; 57 hospitals in 19 upper-middle-income countries; and 90 hospitals in 27 low-income to lower-middle-income countries). The availability of five hospital facilities was inversely associated with mortality: ultrasound, CT scanner, critical care unit, opioid analgesia, and oncologist. After adjustment for case-mix and country income group, hospitals with three or fewer of these facilities (62 hospitals, 1294 patients) had higher mortality compared with those with four or five (adjusted odds ratio [OR] 3.85 [95% CI 2.58-5.75]; p<0.0001), with excess mortality predominantly explained by a limited capacity to rescue following the development of major complications (63.0% vs 82.7%; OR 0.35 [0.23-0.53]; p<0.0001). Across LMICs, improvements in hospital facilities would prevent one to three deaths for every 100 patients undergoing surgery for cancer.Interpretation Hospitals with higher levels of infrastructure and resources have better outcomes after cancer surgery, independent of country income. Without urgent strengthening of hospital infrastructure and resources, the reductions in cancer-associated mortality associated with improved access will not be realised

A microRNA profile of human CD8(+) regulatory T cells and characterization of the effects of microRNAs on Treg cell-associated genes.

Recently, regulatory T (Treg) cells have gained interest in the fields of immunopathology, transplantation and oncoimmunology. Here, we investigated the microRNA expression profile of human natural CD8(+)CD25(+) Treg cells and the impact of microRNAs on molecules associated with immune regulation. We purified human natural CD8(+) Treg cells and assessed the expression of FOXP3 and CTLA-4 by flow cytometry. We have also tested the ex vivo suppressive capacity of these cells in mixed leukocyte reactions. Using TaqMan low-density arrays and microRNA qPCR for validation, we could identify a microRNA 'signature' for CD8(+)CD25(+)FOXP3(+)CTLA-4(+) natural Treg cells. We used the 'TargetScan' and 'miRBase' bioinformatics programs to identify potential target sites for these microRNAs in the 3'-UTR of important Treg cell-associated genes. The human CD8(+)CD25(+) natural Treg cell microRNA signature includes 10 differentially expressed microRNAs. We demonstrated an impact of this signature on Treg cell biology by showing specific regulation of FOXP3, CTLA-4 and GARP gene expression by microRNA using site-directed mutagenesis and a dual-luciferase reporter assay. Furthermore, we used microRNA transduction experiments to demonstrate that these microRNAs impacted their target genes in human primary Treg cells ex vivo. We are examining the biological relevance of this 'signature' by studying its impact on other important Treg cell-associated genes. These efforts could result in a better understanding of the regulation of Treg cell function and might reveal new targets for immunotherapy in immune disorders and cancer