Rebirth of a nation or 'The incomparable toothbrush': the origin story and narrative regeneration in Sri Lanka

I examine the post-Independence role of Sri Lanka’s origin story, revealing the ways in which the foundational myth of the Mahavamsa functions as a conflicted site of cultural ‘encompassment’ (Kapferer) in literary and political discourse. Through an analysis of the fiction of Tissa Abeysekara, Carl Muller and the assassinated president Ranasinghe Premadasa, I show how the scripting of this myth in fiction reveals a shift from the celebratory drives of nationalism to a critique of patriotism in a way that both reflects and anticipates a broader paradigmatic shift in the construction of belonging and the outsider found in post-war Sri Lanka

Shear behaviour of rock joints with unsaturated infill

Behaviour of soil-infilled rock joints has significant importance with respect to the strength of fractured rock mass. The presence of even a small amount of fine-grained infill material within a joint can reduce its shear strength considerably, depending on the degree of saturation of infill. Therefore, it is crucial to examine how the infill material can adversely affect the joint shear strength. Previous studies of infilled joints have mainly been focused on idealised regular joint patterns owing to the simplicity and reproducibility in laboratory testing. Current literature on infilled rock joints has also neglected the effect of the degree of saturation of infill on the shear behaviour. In most instances, fully saturated infill has been used or assumed, and the contribution of matric suction on the shear strength of joints having unsaturated infill has not been studied. In this study, a series of triaxial tests on natural joint profiles having joint roughness coefficient (JRC) of 10-12 is carried out at constant moisture content. A semi-empirical model is proposed and validated on the basis of laboratory data

Alterations in symptoms and health‐related quality of life as kidney function deteriorates: A cross‐sectional study

Aims and objectives: To compare symptoms and health-related quality of life and to examine the relationship between these as kidney function deteriorates. Background: Chronic kidney disease is a global health problem, and while knowledge of symptom burden and health-related quality of life is understood in kidney failure (previously end-stage kidney disease), there is limited understanding about symptoms and health-related quality of life across the chronic kidney disease trajectory. Design: Cross-sectional design reported using the STROBE guidelines. Methods: Eight hundred eighty-six adults with varying levels of kidney function (chronic kidney disease grades 3b–5 including those receiving dialysis) completed the renal version of the Integrated Palliative care Outcome Scale and the Quality of Life Short Form-36 version 2. Socio-demographic and renal characteristics were also collected. Data were analysed using descriptive and inferential statistics. Results: Participants had a mean age of 57 years and were mostly male. Regardless of chronic kidney disease grade, pain, poor mobility, weakness, anxiety and depression were the most prevalent and severe symptoms reported. Health-related quality of life was significantly associated with physical and psychological symptom scores. As kidney function deteriorated, both physical and mental health-related quality of life decreased, and prevalence and severity of symptoms increased. Conclusions: There is substantial symptom burden irrespective of chronic kidney disease grade, which overwhelmingly affects health-related quality of life. Early identification by nurses would enable proactive management plans to be implemented. Relevance to clinical practice: Nurses, whether in specialist renal services or in primary healthcare, are ideally placed to regularly assess symptoms and health-related quality of life in those with chronic kidney disease. Timely assessment could assist in the targeting of earlier interventions designed to reduce symptom burden and to increase health-related quality of life.</p