DEVELOPING A FRAMEWORK FOR SCRUTINIZING STRATEGIC GREEN ORIENTATION AND ORGANIZATIONAL PERFORMANCE WITH RELEVANCE TO THE SUSTAINABILITY OF TOURISM INDUSTRY

The purpose of this paper is to review the concept of sustainability, theoretical background and strategic green orientation (SGO) to develop an in-depth understands for the benefit of organizational performance (OP). Theoretical background outlines how triple bottom line and ecological modernization viewpoints relate with SGO and OP towards the sustainability to develop a research framework. The paper discloses a series of gaps in sustainability related theories and empirical research at business organizations and recommends a quantitative research approach and method for an empirical study on SGO of business organizations in tourism industry of Sri Lanka. Proposed study expects that new relationships could be discovered and theorized. This may address identified research gaps and would contribute to the body of knowledge. The findings of proposed research could be useful to future research initiatives on green business modeling for the sustainability in terms of triple bottom line: economic, environmental, and social performance.  Article visualizations

Polyunsaturated fatty acids influence offspring sex ratio in cows

Dietary polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) can influence fertility in farm animals. Some evidence in mice and sheep have suggested that PUFAs may influence offspring sex ratio, which may have significant value for cattle production. To test this hypothesis, three groups of Holstein cows were supplemented with either 0%, 3% or 5% protected fat (PF) in the form of calcium salt of fatty acids (rich in omega-6) from 14–21 days pre-partum until conception. Proven-fertile frozen semen from the same ejaculate was used for insemination. Calf sex recorded at birth was 8/19 (42.1%) male offspring in the control group, increasing to 14/20 (70%, P > 0.05) and 17/20 (85%, P < 0.05) in 3% and 5% PF, respectively. To test if this effect was caused by a direct influence on the oocyte, we supplemented bovine cumulus oocyte complexes during in vitro maturation with either omega-3 alpha-linolenic acid (ALA), omega-6 linoleic acid (LA) or trans-10, cis-12 conjugated linoleic acid (CLA). Sex ratio of the produced transferable embryos was determined using PCR of SRY gene. Similar to the in vivo results, sex ratio was skewed to the male side in the embryos derived from LA- and CLA-treated oocytes (79% and 71%) compared to control and ALA-treated oocytes (44% and 54%, respectively). These results indicate that both dietary and in vitro supplementation of omega-6 PUFAs can skew the sex ratio towards the male side in cattle. Further experiments are required to confirm this effect on a larger scale and to study the mechanisms of action that might be involved

Agro- forestry system to protect both the Sinharaja forest and the peripheral villages (a case study of the southern part of Sin haraja)

Kandyan homcgardens are the most predominant upland cropping system which supposed tobe highly adapted, diversified, economically and environmental viable land use system. Objectives ofthis study were to identify problems and improvement potentials to this important system of landmanagement. Data were collected from randomly selected (n=65) homegardens in Yatinuwara DistrictSecretariat division during 2006. A vegetation survey was conducted to evaluate the structure andcomposition of homegardens. A household survey was conducted by interviewing the members toidentify tree use practices by family members, constraints and improvement potentials. Secondarydata were also collected from Agrarian Service Centres, maps and reports.Hornegardens in the study area have maintained diverse on farm trees. They cultivating andusing at least 138 species of which 36, 34, 24 and 6% comprised timber, medicinal plant, fruit tree andexport agricultural crop species. There are 73, 193,300 and 147, individuals of timber, fruit medicinaland export agricultural crops plants/ha indicating high plant density per unit area. These speciesgrown on homegardens have substantially contributed to meet the dai ly need of household, supplyingmainly fruit, green vegetable, timber and fuelwood. Some of these species have medicinal value andalso play an important role in soil conservation. This suggests that homegardens are important as asource of conserving agro-biodiversity, species, habitat and landscape protection. However, morethan half of the homegardens of Yatinuwara area are 20-80 perches category which indicate landfragmentation. Thus, each land unit has to playa vital role with limited land availability. Therefore,sustainable management practices are very important to increase production to reach increasing demanddue to increasing human population while maintaining the resource base. In satisfying necessarychanges to hornegardens, availability of quality planting material (only 22% had access to recommendedplanting material), height offruit trees, poor soil management and labour scarcity were identified asmajor problems in Yatinuwara area. There are improvement potentials to homegardens by increasingthe productivity of the existing system. It is possible even to increase the number of trees perhomegardens by introducing new varieties. It is also possible to replace existing less productiveindividuals by certified planting material. In addition, management of soil can also be improved byintroducing new techniques such as compost preparations with garbages and fallen leaves whichrequire attitudinal changes of households. Implications of these are discussed with respect to food,nutritional and health security and income generation.

SMALL HYDROPOWER PROJECTS: ENVIRONMENTAL AND HYDRO·GEOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVES

Small hydropower projects are those that generate less than 10 MW of electricity usingsmall run-of-the-river hydropower systems. They usually consist of water conveyance.(headrace channel, forebay and penstock), powerhouse unit, tailrace and transmissionline. It is considered as a renewable resource of energy. It does not contribute to globalwarming and does not contribute to acid rains etc. Therefore, there is no question ofpollution or degradation of land, waterways or other water bodies. However, large-scaledam hydropower projects are often criticized for their impacts on environment,particularly on wildlife habitat, fish migration, and water flow and quality. It is usuallyassumed that small, run-of-the-river projects are free from many of the environmentalproblems associated with their large-scale counterparts because of the use of the naturalflow of the river, and thus producing relatively little change in the stream channel andflow. This paper addresses the feasibility of small hydropower projects in Sri Lanka withrespect to environmental issues, geological stability and hydrological feasibility usingcase studies. The results of the study revealed that environmental impacts of smallhydropower projects are location sensitive and also case dependant. In most cases,proper planning and implementation of the project and relevant mitigatory measures canminimize significant impacts of projects. Problems related to implementation andmonitoring of impacts and possible solutions are also discussed

USES OF PTERIDOPHTE FLORA IN SRI LANKA

Pteridophyte flora (ferns and fern allies) plays a significant role inunderstorey of the rain forest. Even though Pteridophytes are not widely usein Sri Lanka, it has been reported that they have ability to provide food,medicines, fiber, craft and building materials. Adrasive and decorations, inSri Lanka, 360 Pteridopyte species have been recorded, although informationPteridiphytes and their uses in scanty. Consequently, this study was carriedout to identify the food, medicinal and ornamental uses of Pteridophyte florain Sri Lanka. Studies were carried out at Kanneliya Man and BiosphereReserve (MAB) in Southern Province, Maliboda area in Sri Pada range andHunnasgiriya area in the Knuckles range. Observation of Pteridophyte floraand their identification and sample collection were done using scientificallyfrom discussion with adjacent communities, Hanthana, Dolosbage andLoolkandura (Kandy), Kalupahana (Matale), Namunukula (Badulla) andWatawala, Thalawakele and Hortain planes areas (Nuwara eliya) were alsovisited to observe and collect information on Pteridophytes, particularly withrespect to uses. Relevant literatures on Pteridophytes were also reviewed tofind out traditional and current uses of this plant category.Results of the study revealed that out of he 360 Pteridophytes species in SriLanka, only 4% (16 species) were used for medicinal purposes, while another4% (15 species) and 1% (5 species) were used as ornamental and plants,respectively. Eight species, namely Acrosticum aureum, Blechnum orientale,Drynaria quercifolia, Huperzia phlegmaria, H. squarrosa, Lycopodiellacernua, Nephrolepis falcate, and Ophioglossum pendulum were used for theboth medicinal and ornamental purpose. Two species, namely Acrostichumaureum and Blechnum oreientale were used for ornamental, medicinal aswell as foods. Cyathea walkera is the only endemic fern used for ornamentalplant and it was unable to find uses of the endemic Pteridophytes asmedicinal or food uses. Six species used for medicinal purposes and 4 speciesused for ornamental purposes have been identifies as threatened species.During the study, it was noted that the adjacent communities collectedspecies from the wild and none of the species under cultivation, suggestingthat for some species immediate conservation and utilization measures arerequired

STATUS OF BIODIVERSITY OF MAHAWELI RIVER AND ITS RIVER BANKS BETWEEN WATAWALA AND GINIGATHHENA

A systematic survey was conducted from January to August 2003 to identify existingmajor habitats, status of biodiversity with respect to flora (flowering plants and fern andfern allies) and fauna (birds and mammals, butterflies, amphibians and freshwater fishspecies), and threats they faced in the Mahaweli river and adjacent river banks betweenWatawala and Nawalapitiya. The flora and fauna were documented using scientificallyvalid techniques.The survey enabled to identify seven major vegetationlhabitats along the Mahaweli riverand its adjacent river banks. They are: river bank habitat with secondary growth; flowingfresh water habitat; ephemeral and perennial small stream water habitat; scrub forestarea; Pinus plantation, homegardens, Albizia dominated abandoned tea plantation, teaplantation, abandoned tea plantation with grassland, and Eucalyptus plantation. Withinthe stretch, a total of 170 species of flowering plants and fern and fern allies belongs to64 families were identified. A total of 18 species of birds (9 families), 16 species ofbutterflies (7 families), 10 species of freshwater fishes (5 families), 16 species of reptiles(7 families), 7 species of amphibians (3 families) and 13 species of mammals (10families) have also been documented.At present, the biodiversity of Mahaweli river and its adjacent river banks hasbeen subjected to several threats, namely pollution due to garbage disposal (mainly atGinigathhena), spread of alien invasive species (mainly at river banks due to Clusiarosea), direct exploitation of species (freshwater fish species), encroachment of bankreservation, unplanned land use practices and small hydropower projects. The criticallyaffected group as a result of these threats is fresh wa•er fish species, which includes 6threatened endemic species. Thus, clear mitigatory measures will be required to avoiddisturbances to such species.

Negative energy balance in dairy cows is associated with specific changes in IGF-binding protein expression in the oviduct

Negative energy balance (NEB) during early lactation in dairy cows leads to an altered metabolic state that has major effects on the production of IGF family members. Low IGF-I concentrations are associated with poor fertility and therefore we aimed to determine whether NEB exerts a direct effect on IGF expression in the postpartum oviduct. Multiparous Holstein cows were allocated to two treatments (each n=6) designed using differential feeding and milking regimes to produce either mild NEB (MNEB) or severe NEB (SNEB). Animals were slaughtered in week 2 of lactation when divergent metabolic profiles were evident. Oviducts were collected for RNA analysis by real-time RT-PCR and in situ hybridisation. Quantitative measures in oviduct gene expression were obtained for all members of the IGF family (IGF-I/II, IGF-binding proteins (IGFBP) 1–6 and receptors for IGF types 1 and 2), insulin A/B, GH, glucocorticoid and oestrogen α/β. Expression of IGFBP-2 and IGFBP-6 (both of which have a high affinity for IGF-II) was decreased in SNEB relative to MNEB (P<0.05). No other gene was altered by NEB, but IGF-II, IGFBP-3, IGFBP-5 and IGFBP-6 all showed differential expression in different regions of the oviduct. These results indicate that, in addition to low circulating IGF-I after calving, NEB may also influence IGF availability in the oviduct indirectly through changes in specific IGFBP expression. It is possible that the predicted increased signalling by IGF-II may perturb embryo development, contributing to the high rates of embryonic mortality in dairy cows

The reproductive biology of Artocarpus heterophyllus Lam

SIGLEAvailable from British Library Document Supply Centre-DSC:D194776 / BLDSC - British Library Document Supply CentreGBUnited Kingdo

Relationships between the plasma concentrations of insulin-like growth factor-I in dairy cows and their fertility and milk yield

The relationships between insulin-like growth factor-I (IGF-I) and the fertility and milk yield of Holstein-Friesian dairy cows were investigated. The concentration of IGF-I in blood was measured weekly from one week before to 12 weeks after calving in 177 multiparous cows and at four times during this period in 142 primiparous cows; the concentration of IGF-I in milk was measured in 50 of the multiparous cows. The plasma concentrations of IGF-I were higher in the primiparous than in the multiparous animals. in the primiparous cows, high concentrations of IGF-I before calving were associated with longer calving to conception intervals. Conversely, in the multiparous cows low concentrations of IGF-I before and after calving were associated with a failure to conceive, despite repeated services. Multiparous cows with IGF-I concentrations of greater than 25 ng/ml in the week after calving were 11 times more likely to conceive to first service than those with lower concentrations. Concentrations of IGF-I greater than 50 ng/ml at first service increased the likelihood of conception five-fold. Cows with higher peak milk yields had lower plasma concentrations of IGF-I and took longer to return to ovarian cyclicity. The negative relationship between milk yield and return to cyclicity was stronger in the multiparous cows (P<0(.)002) than in the primiparous cows (P<0(.)04). The concentrations of IGF-I in milk followed a different pattern and were not associated with the changes in plasma IGF-I or fertility