Development of an expert system for better management of solid waste composting by pradeshiya sabhas in Sri Lanka

The increasing population and the ever-changing life style of the public have begun to add to the growing solid waste problem in Sri Lanka. As a solution, Local Authorities, NGOs, researchers and environmentalists have implemented several composting projects. Unfortunately, most of these projects are either abandoned or operating under poor conditions due to social, economic and technical problems encountered and none of options have solved the solid waste management problem itself. A key issue that is highlighted is the lack of qualified personnel (experts) to advise and assist Local Authorities to adopt the best solid waste management practices. Decision Support Systems and Expert Systems are favourable tools to overcome these problems. Therefore by capturing past mistakes, weak points and considering past experience, a user friendly Expert System called BESTCOMP was developed for better management of solid waste composting by Pradeshiya Sabhas in Sri Lanka. This research mainly focused on the behaviour of the physical, chemical and biological process in composting. The model is geared towards decision making as well as providing required expertise to solid waste composting hierarchy

An information technology (it) approach in developing a solution to a local environmental problem

Solid waste (mis)management is one of the most serious local environmental problems in Sri Lanka (Figure 1). It has become a big threat to public health, the beautiful environment and a burden to the national economy

BIOCOM-MSW: A composting system for Sri Lankan solid waste management

Municipal solid waste has become a major problem in every country in terms of public health and environmental damage. As a developing country, Sri Lanka too faces the same challenge not only through public health and environmental damage, but also in finding an affordable yet effective technology, which is socially and economically acceptable. Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) is qualitatively heterogeneous. Therefore it is difficult to find a unique solution for proper treatment, i.e. the solution is always an integrated one, which consists of sorting, biological/thermal/chemical treatment, recycling and land filling." However quantification and characterization of solid waste in a given area are important factors prior to selecting the suitable technology. Therefore, it is required to find waste quantity, composition, density, moisture content, annual growth rate of waste generation and calorific value of waste etc. in a given area. In Sri Lanka, moisture content and organic fraction being reasonably high, and lack of high thermal value materials in the solid waste stream have lead to an overall low calorific value of MSW. The general practice for handling the MSW is low rate composting systems. Most have failed due to poor process management, lack of knowledge of proper operation (feedstock formulation, process control, end point indicators), poor product quality, long lead-time, weaker community participation and lack of public awareness. In all systems existing at present bad odour and leachate are unsolved issues. These systems have largely been controlled by default rather than by design. Thus, losing public confidence on composting is inevitable

BESTCOMP: expert system for Sri Lankan solid waste composting

A user friendly expert system, BESTCOMP was developed for better management of solid waste composting by local authorities in Sri Lanka. BESTCOMP expert system mainly focussed on the behaviour of the physical, chemical and biological process in composting. The intention had been to provide distant users with scientific and techno-economic information using modern tools but at a much lower cost. This research has put very strong emphasis on allowing the user to browse around the knowledge that has being extracted from books, published research articles, reports, audio, video, Internet, case studies and the domain experts who involved in solid waste management activities, so the user can get an accurate and a real feel for the solid waste management subject

A descriptive study of self-medication practices among Sri Lankan national level athletes

Abstract Background Intake of medicines and supplements is widespread among the professional athletes in developed countries and there are reports to suggest inappropriate self-administration of medicine. Data from South Asia on this area is lacking. This study examined self-medication practices with regard to use of allopathic and herbal/traditional medicines among national -level Sri Lankan athletes. Results 209 athletes from 15 national sport teams were assessed using an anonymous, interviewer administered questionnaire. Self-medication practices during the 3 months before data collection were evaluated. 60.8% athletes practiced self-medication. 58.3 and 9.4% consumed western and herbal/traditional medicines respectively, while a third used both. The most common symptom for which self-medication was practiced was musculoskeletal pain (73.2%). Oral non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) and antibiotics were used by 15.7 and 7.1% respectively. Musculoskeletal pain was the predominant symptom that prompted the use of allopathic medicines, while the majority of athletes with upper respiratory tract symptoms being the predominant symptoms, consumed herbal/traditional medicines. Two different commercially available preparations of herbal mixtures were consumed by 15.7 and 15%. Pain prophylaxis during or prior to a sport event was reported by 20.1%, mainly with topical medicines. Medicines were obtained by direct request from a pharmacy without an authorized prescription by a majority (77.2%), followed by using an old prescription in 12.6%. Conclusions This study finds that self-medication with both allopathic and herbal/traditional preparations among athletes in a Sri Lanka is high. The use of oral NSAIDs without an authorized prescription in a significant number of athletes is a potential health risk. Frequency of oral NSAID use is lower than that is reported in non-Asian studies from developed countries. The use of herbal/traditional medications increases the likelihood of inadvertent doping. Enhancing awareness regarding risk of such practices among athletes, trainers, pharmacists and prescribers is essential