The implementation of the Tsunami Livelihood Restoration Project: Progress report 2005

Natural disasters / Rehabilitation / Living conditions / Farmers’ associations / Sri Lanka / Hambantota District

Anicut systems in Sri Lanka: The case of the Upper Walawe River Basin

Water resources / Tanks / Water use / River basins / Hydrology / Irrigation systems / Water shortage / Crops / Doemstic water / Fuelwood / Cultivation / Deforestation / Water supply / Economic development / Water management / Institutions / Land reform

Deviation of planned water demand from actual on farm water usage and suggestions for improvements: a case study from Uda Walawe irrigation scheme, Sri Lanka.

Water managers’ seasonal water allocation plans deviates from the actual water usage in the field due to many factors. Temporal and spatial variations that vary dramatically will affect the Field Irrigation Requirement (FIR) which is calculated. Therefore, the main objective of this paper is to see how planned FIR deviates from the actual on farm water usage in Uda Walawe Irrigation Scheme. The study proposes suggestions for improvements in meeting and balancing the water demands. Irrigation issues and the interviews with farmers and officials were used for the analysis. Results show that actual water usage is always higher than the FIR and water manager’s planned. There are various factors contributes for these discrepancy. Two lines of improvement are outlined. One is adjustment of the volumes allocated to each D. The second possibility of improvement points to greater involvement of farmers at the scheme and branch levels. A way to tackle this is to devise a transparent process of allocation at the scheme level whereby representatives from the different branch canals would participate in the definition of sharing arrangements. MASL’s role would be to ensure bulk allocation at the head of canal. FOs are responsible for finding ways to distribute this volume within their area

Background report: Kurunegala, Sri Lanka

Development projects / Water resources / Social aspects / Population / Households / Income / Water supply / Sanitation / Wastewater / Water quality / Public health / Waterborne diseases / Land use / Land tenure / Legislation / Sri Lanka / Kurunegala / Wan Ela / Beu Ela

A study on behavioural effects of laboratory rats (albino wistar) after the sub-chronic noise stress

Background: Humans and animals can hear a wide range of sound frequencies. If the sense of hearing is impaired, both man and animal cannot fare well in their respective environments. Present study is aimed to investigate the behavioral effects following the sub-chronic noise stress of a rat species, Albino Wistar.Methods: The sound source consists of a set of speakers, GWINSTEK AFG-2000 series function generator and an amplifier. Sound levels and frequencies were monitored by B and K type 2250 sound level meter. Six adult Albino Wistars were exposed to sound frequencies of 1-20 kHz, at intervals of 1 kHz at LAeq of 70-80 dB for 5minute periods and their behavior was recorded. In the second test four adult rats were randomly divided into control and test groups. The test animals were exposed to noise of 7, 8, 9 and 10 kHz for 4hrs daily while keeping the control group in same room for same period of time without exposing to the sound. Locomotive activity, increase of defection and decrease of social activities, of rats was assessed by open field test (OFT). Anxiety and depressive behavior were monitored by elevated plus maze test (EPM) and tail suspension test (TST).Results: A different behavior in rats was observed in frequency range of 7-10 kHz. At the beginning of exposure, all rats were huddled in a group and then some were frozen into motionless stance. A less time spent and less number of entries in open arm was noticed in test sample compared to the controls in the EPM test. A tendency to move to open field compared to controls was identified in OFT. The TST revealed that a significant increase in immobility time, which indicates a depression like behavior of noise stressed rats compared to controls.Conclusions: According to the study the most effective noise frequency range for rats is 7-10 kHzl

A Survey on Simultaneous Wireless Information and Power Transfer

This paper presents a comprehensive study related to simultaneous wireless information and power transfer (SWIPT) in different types of wireless communication setups. Harvesting energy using SWIPT is an appealing solution in the context of extending battery life of wireless devices for a fully sustainable communication system. Strong signal power increases power transfer, but also causes more interference in information transfer, causing realization of the SWIPT challenging problem. This article provides an overview of technical evolution of SWIPT. A survey and qualitative comparison of the existing SWIPT schemes is provided to demonstrate their limitations in the current and 5G networks. Open challenges are emphasized and guidelines are provided to adapt the existing schemes in order to overcome these limitations and make them fit for integrating with the modern and emerging next generation communication networks, such as 5G systems

Australian older adults\u27 views on using social media for reducing social isolation and loneliness in hearing impaired older adults: A community conversation

Objective(s): The objective of this study was to conduct a community conversation to identify the views of the community members when designing an online community using Facebook to support the psychosocial well-being of hearing-impaired older adults. Methods: A community conversation was held with 40 older adults aged more than 60 years. The participants were divided into groups of five and asked to discuss three open-ended questions. The researchers facilitated the discussions. Results: The overwhelming response from this group was that they did not use Facebook or social media as a tool for social connection and did not see the benefits of social media applications. They preferred phone calls or in-person events to maintain their social relationships. Conclusions: Implications for areas of future research and interventions that target loneliness in older adults are discussed