Visuospatial tasks suppress craving for cigarettes.

The Elaborated Intrusion (EI) theory of desire posits that visual imagery plays a key role in craving. We report a series of experiments testing this hypothesis in a drug addiction context. Experiment 1 showed that a mental visual imagery task with neutral content reduced cigarette craving in abstaining smokers, but that an equivalent auditory task did not. The effect of visual imagery was replicated in Experiment 2, which also showed comparable effects of non-imagery visual working memory interference. Experiment 3 showed that the benefit of visual over auditory interference was not dependent upon imagery being used to induce craving. Experiment 4 compared a visuomotor task, making shapes from modeling clay, with a verbal task (counting back from 100), and again showed a benefit of the visual over the non-visual task. We conclude that visual imagery supports craving for cigarettes. Competing imagery or visual working memory tasks may help tackle craving in smokers trying to quit

Evolution, present status and issues concerning small tank systems in Sri Lanka [Small tanks in Sri Lanka: evolution, present status and issues]

Tank irrigationHydrologyWater qualityIrrigation managementWater managementWater distributionWatershedsIrrigation designMaintenanceFarming systemsGovernmental interrelationsSmall scale systemsVillagesHistory

Evolution, present status and issues concerning small tank systems in Sri Lanka [Small tanks in Sri Lanka: evolution, present status and issues]

Tank irrigationSmall scale systemsHistoryIrrigation systemsDesignMaintenanceHydrologyPollutionIrrigation managementCultivationFarming systemsWells

The role of visual imagery in craving.

This thesis tests a new theory of craving: The Elaborated-Intrusion Theory of Desire. The theory incorporates aspects of current conditioning, neurophysiological and cognitive theories and expands on existing knowledge of craving. The theory suggests that human desire involves intrusive thoughts and elaborated cognitions and also introduces mental imagery as a key aspect of the craving episode. There are two broad areas of research conducted in this thesis. The first explored the subjective experience of craving using two questionnaire studies. The results from these questionnaire studies acknowledged the generality of craving, indicating that the subjective experience of desire was similar across different target substances and it confirmed that visual imagery was a component of craving. The second area of research focuses on this relationship between visual imagery and craving. Experiments 1 to 3 tested visual imagery and working memory manipulations in deprived and continuing smokers. They provide empirical support for the hypothesis that craving can be reduced by a concurrent task that selectively loads the cognitive processes involved in generating and maintaining an image of the craved substance. The final experiment was an intervention study testing the potential for using visual imagery methods to manage cravings outside the laboratory. However, the visual imagery task did reduce smoking behaviour over a one-week 'treatment' period in a group of smokers wanting to quit, an auditory imagery task had a similar effect. The results overall support the contention of the EI theory that visual imagery is a key component in desire. Despite the equivocal results of Experiment 4, the findings highlight the potential for imagery interventions to help manage craving in therapeutic setting

The small tank cascade systems of the Rajarata: Their setting, distribution patterns, and hydrography

Tank irrigation / Maps / Watersheds / River basins / Environment / History / Sri Lanka / Rajarata / Mahaweli Project / Kala Oya / Moderagam Ara / Malwathu Oya / Parangi Ara / Ma Oya / Mee Oya / Yan Oya / Koddikkaddi Ara / Pankulam Ara

Irrigation and drainage in the new millennium

Presented at the 2000 USCID international conference, Challenges facing irrigation and drainage in the new millennium on June 20-24 in Fort Collins, Colorado.Includes bibliographical references.Climate potential in respect to onset, magnitude and risk associated with rainfall for crop production in the Nilwala basin, Southern Sri Lanka was assessed using the daily rainfall of 12 stations scattered in different locations for more than 35 consecutive years (1950-1995). The program CROPWAT was used to assess the irrigation need. It was revealed that rainfall of the basin increases from south to north with increasing elevation and altitude. Within a 70-km distance in the south north gradient, rainfall elevates from 1656 mm at Kekanadura to 4216 mm at Kudawa. The net irrigation requirement of Yala rice in different locations varied from 1012 mm to 1246 mm. It was established that the irrigation need in the Nilwala upper catchment is below 40 % of the total water requirement, but in downstream areas it constitutes above 70% of the total water demand. Therefore both the Yala and Maha seasons in Nilwala downstream areas appeared to be unsuitable for rice cultivation without supplementary irrigation. From April 10th onward until May 20th is the best period for establishment of perennial crops at upper catchment areas. Optimum dates for crop establishment at the mid and lower part of the catchment falls on the 14th meteorological week. It is important to note that delaying crop establishment in Yala by 2 or 3 weeks from the optimum date would result in a considerable increase of irrigation need even in the upper catchment areas; it is not advisable to delay the establishment of Maha rice until October when rice varieties off our month duration are cultivated

Irrigation management for crop diversification in Sri Lanka: A synthesis in current research

Irrigation management / Crop yield / Diversification / Farmer-agency interactions / On-farm research / Water delivery / Water supply / Weirs / Communication / Sri Lanka / Dewahuwa / Kalankuttiya / Mahaweli Project

Tsunami impacts on shallow groundwater and associated water supply on the East Coast of Sri Lanka: a post-tsunami well recovery support initiative and an assessment of groundwater salinity in three areas of Batticaloa and Ampara Districts

Groundwater, Aquifers, Salinity, Natural disasters, Water supply, Drinking water, Wells, Rehabilitation, Mosquitoes, Disease vectors, Environmental Economics and Policy, Health Economics and Policy, Resource /Energy Economics and Policy,

Pre-project technical assistance study for proposed Area Development Project of North Central Province

Tanks / Water resources / Surface water / Rain / Water availability / River basin development / Water balance / Case studies / Irrigation programs / Development projects / Water resources development / Sri Lanka / North Central Province / Mahaweli Project / Anuradhapura / Polonnaruwa

Nature of small tank cascade systems and a framework for rehabilitation of tanks within them

Tank irrigation / Water resource management / Irrigated farming / Small scale systems / Hydrology / Surface water / Groundwater / Rehabilitation / Sri Lanka / Anuradhapura