Forest Fire Susceptibility and Risk Mapping Using Geographical Information Systems (GIS) and Remote Sensing (RS) for Protected Areas Case of Horton Plains National Park, Sri Lanka

Horton Plains National Park is a protected Area in the central highlands of SriLanka and is covered by montane grassland and cloud forest. This plateau is rich inbiodiversity and many species found here are endemic to the region. Horton PlainsNational Park is the headwater of the three major rivers in Sri Lanka, Mahaweli, Kelaniand Walawe. It is one of the main tourist attraction areas of the country. Hence it isutmost important to protect this National Park, considering it‟s ecological, hydrological,and economic significance to the country.It has been experiencing number of conservation issues including man-madeforest fires from the past to the present. Though the occurrence of forest fires fairly lowthey lead to considerable damages to ecosystem along with number of other negativeconsequences. In the event of a prolonged spell without rain, and a lowering of thewater table in the peat swamp forest, the National Park is very prone to fire. Therefore aprecise evaluation of forest fire problems and the understanding of the areas at fire risksneed to be closer concentration. Decisions on forest fire management can only besatisfactory when a fire hazard zone mapping is available. Geospatial technology,including Remote Sensing (RS) and Geographical Information Systems (GIS), providesthe information and the tools necessary to develop a forest fire susceptibility map inorder to indentify, classify and map fire hazard area.The objectives of this research study were to identify environmental and humaninduced factors for forest fire hazards in Horton Plains National Park and to identifysusceptible areas for fire hazard and finally to prepare susceptibility and risk map inorder to facilitate decision making for fire hazard control. Data, such as soil type,topography, and other environmental factors were collected and were converted into aspatial database using GIS. Parameters to reflect the factors that influence fireoccurrence, such as fuel type, vegetation cover, temperature, wetness, etc were extracted from Landsat-7 ETM and IRS imagery. Slope and aspect of topography were generatedfrom the digital terrain data of Survey Department. Soil type data was digitized from thesoil map of the Irrigation Department. Forest fire susceptibility was analyzed using thefactors causing forest fires by likelihood ratio method and the spatial relationshipsbetween hotspot-occurrence location and each factors contribution in hotspotoccurrence were derived using the frequency ratio model.The results derived in this study can help the concerned authorities for forest firemanagement and mitigation in protected areas in Sri Lanka. The models used in thestudy are valid for awareness so that necessary prevention measures can be taken duringthe time of forest fire. In this paper, forest fire susceptibility map was developed inorder to determine the level of severity of forest fire hazards in terms of susceptibility tofire by assessing the relative importance of fire factors and location of fire ignitionKey words: GIS modeling of fire, Protected area management, Fire ecology

A High Energy X-Ray and Neutron Scattering Study of Iron Phosphate Glasses Containing Uranium

The atomic structure of iron phosphate glasses containing uranium has been studied by complementary neutron and x-ray scattering techniques. by combining x-ray and neutron structure factors, detailed information about different pair interactions has been obtained. Most of the basic structural features such as coordination numbers and O-O and P-O distances in uranium containing glasses are the same as those in the base glass of batch composition 40Fe2O3-60P2O5 (mol %). However, the Fe-O distances change slightly with the addition of uranium. The observed structural parameters support a structural model in which the waste elements occupy voids in the Fe-O-P network, hence, not altering the basic structure of the parent iron phosphate glass

Impact of an educational intervention on cancer palliative care among nurses

Objectives: To evaluate the impact of an educational intervention on the knowledge of nurses providing palliative care (PC)Methods: Nurses were selected from the medical and surgical oncology units of National Institute of Cancer Maharagama (NICM) (n=38) and Teaching Hospital Karapitiya (THK) (n=37) using convenient sampling technique as the intervention and control groups respectively. An educational intervention was prepared including printed material and DVD on cancer PC. The duration of the intervention was eight weeks. Pre and post intervention assessment of knowledge was done on intervention and control group. Ethical approval was obtained from the ethical review committee of the Faculty of Medical Sciences. Independent t-test and ANOVA were applied to determine significant differences (p>0.05).Results: The age, educational qualifications and the professional experience was similar in the two groups. Pre intervention knowledge was similar in the intervention (28.61±6.66) and the control (28.73± 5.31) groups. However, the knowledge of intervention group improved significantly immediately after the intervention (47.00±3.93). Further when assessing knowledge of nurses 12 weeks after the intervention, there was a significant improvement in knowledge of intervention group (50.36±3.97) when compared to control group (28.23±4.88). When comparing the pre-intervention knowledge of intervention group (28.61±6.66) the post intervention (12th week) knowledge was significantly higher (50.36±3.97).Conclusions: The educational intervention for nurses on cancer palliative care was effective in improving knowledge

Patients' perspectives on self-testing of oral anticoagulation therapy: Content analysis of patients' internet blogs

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Patients on oral anticoagulant therapy (OAT) require regular testing of the prothrombin time (PT) and the international normalised ratio (INR) to monitor their blood coagulation level to avoid complications of either over or under coagulation. PT/INR can be tested by a healthcare professional or by the patient. The latter mode of the testing is known as patient self-testing or home testing. The objective of this study was to elicit patients' perspectives and experiences regarding PT/INR self-testing using portable coagulometer devices.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Internet blog text mining was used to collect 246 blog postings by 108 patients, mainly from the USA and the UK. The content of these qualitative data were analysed using XSight and NVivo software packages.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>The key themes in relation to self-testing of OAT identified were as follows: Patient benefits reported were time saved, personal control, choice, travel reduction, cheaper testing, and peace of mind. Equipment issues included high costs, reliability, quality, and learning how to use the device. PT/INR issues focused on the frequency of testing, INR fluctuations and individual target (therapeutic) INR level. Other themes noted were INR testing at laboratories, the interactions with healthcare professionals in managing and testing OAT and insurance companies' involvement in acquiring the self-testing equipment. Social issues included the pain and stress of taking and testing for OAT.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Patients' blogs on PT/INR testing provide insightful information that can help in understanding the nature of the experiences and perspectives of patients on self-testing of OAT. The themes identified in this paper highlight the substantial complexities involved in self-testing programmes in the healthcare system. Thus, the issues elicited in this study are very valuable for all stakeholders involved in developing effective self-testing strategies in healthcare that are gaining considerable current momentum particularly for patients with chronic illness.</p

Older People’s Needs and Opportunities for Assistive Technologies

Older adults experience a disconnect between their needs and adoption of technologies that have potential to assist and to support more independent living. This paper reviewed research that links people’s needs with opportunities for assistive technologies. It searched 13 databases identifying 923 papers with 34 papers finally included for detailed analysis. The research papers identified needs in the fields of health, leisure, living, safety, communication, family relationship and social involvement. Amongst these, support for activities of daily living category was of most interest. In specific sub-categories, the next most reported need was assistive technology to support walking and mobility followed by smart cooking/kitchen technology and assistive technology for social contacts with family member/other people. The research aimed to inform a program of research into improving the adoption of technologies where they can ameliorate identified needs of older people

Implementation and use of computerised clinical decision support (CCDS) in emergency pre-hospital care: a qualitative study of paramedic views and experience using Strong Structuration Theory

Computerised clinical decision support (CCDS) has been shown to improve processes of care in some healthcare settings, but there is little evidence related to its use or effects in pre-hospital emergency care. CCDS in this setting aligns with policies to increase IT use in ambulance care, enhance paramedic decision-making skills, reduce avoidable emergency department attendances and improve quality of care and patient experience. This qualitative study was conducted alongside a cluster randomised trial in two ambulance services of the costs and effects of web-based CCDS system designed to support paramedic decision-making in the care of older people following a fall. Paramedics were trained to enter observations and history for relevant patients on a tablet, and the CCDS then generated a recommended course of action which could be logged. Our aim was to describe paramedics' experience of the CCDS intervention and to identify factors affecting its implementation and use. We invited all paramedics who had been randomly allocated to the intervention arm of the trial to participate in interviews or focus groups. The study was underpinned by Strong Structuration Theory, a theoretical model for studying innovation based on the relationship between what people do and their context. We used the Framework approach to data analysis. Twenty out of 22 paramedics agreed to participate. We developed a model of paramedic experience of CCDS with three domains: context, adoption and use, and outcomes. Aspects of context which had an impact included organisational culture and perceived support for non-conveyance decisions. Experience of adoption and use of the CCDS varied between individual paramedics, with some using it with all eligible patients, some only with patients they thought were 'suitable' and some never using it. A range of outcomes were reported, some of which were different from the intended role of the technology in decision support. Implementation of new technology such as CCDS is not a one-off event, but an ongoing process, which requires support at the organisational level to be effective. ISRCTN Registry 10538608 . Registered 1 May 2007. Retrospectively registered