Simplified model to estimate impact on coastal water resources and loss of shore line land due to climate change and sea level rise

This paper presents a review of past to current observations in the study of climate change and sea-level rise. It appraised the relationship between climate change and sea-level rise, and other drivers on the climate system and factors contributing to sea-level rise. It also highlighting various impacts of climate change and sea-level rise and suggesting short to long term strategies for effective coastal management.A model was developed to provide an estimation of present sea-level rise invariably indicating how much land is lost and how much effect it will have on the water table and rivers especially in coastal areas where there is no data available. To obtain these estimates, numerical modelling was carried out using parameters selected during the study. These parameters with the help of a conversion table produced initial data which were then applied to available Wellington region data for scenarios of 0.5m, 1.0m and 1.5m sea-level rise. Model testing was carried out to measure loss of land and effect of on water table, and satisfactory results were obtained and presented here in. This model hopes to aid in the decision making process of what adaptation methods to employ or implement in certain coastal areas

Recreationist perspectives, attitudes, and perceptions towards national park management in Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka\u27s National Parks (NPs) are becoming prime destinations for both foreign and domestic tourists. With rising heterogeneous demand for nature-based experiences, NP administrators are facing the challenge of re-crafting policy and nature-based use-models to meet the diverse expectations of visitors while achieving conservation goals. As such, an understanding of NP visitor perspectives is essential in making sound management decisions to effectively accommodate conservation and recreational uses. This study explores visitor perceptions of roles, functions, policies and best uses of NPs in Sri Lanka. On-site interviews from 682 visitors to two highly-visited NPs revealed that a majority of respondents view "ecological protection" as the most important role of NPs. Recreation and commercial development-related roles were ranked lower in overall importance. Factor analysis and subsequent ANOVA comparisons further identified core belief constructs that ultimately supported the notion of NP policy should be more protection-oriented rather than accommodating to recreation. This is not to say that recreation should not be one of the multiple uses of NPs from the respondents\u27 viewpoint. Although non-consumptive activities were rated most appropriate, visitors also desire that park infrastructure and visitor services to be developed and maintained at an acceptable level in order for them to satisfactorily experience the destination

Understanding public attitudes towards the policies and management of national game parks in Sri Lanka: The case of visitors to Minneriya National Park

Nature-based tourism has wider implications for biodiversity-rich tropical countries such as Sri Lanka. Sri Lanka at present is in a rapid post-war recovery process, and the country’s tourism sector is also gaining a rapid momentum. As such, Sri Lanka’s National Parks (NPs) are increasingly becoming prime destinations for both international and domestic tourists. With rising demand, the nature-based tourism market in Sri Lanka is becoming more heterogeneous, and as a result, the management of NPsare facing the quandary of positively meeting the diverse expectations of tourists while efficiently conserving the biological and natural resources. In making sound management decisions to accommodate the dual mandates of conservation and recreational utilization of  NPs,  a proper understanding of park visitors’ attitudes is essential. Hence, this study explores the visitor perceptions of roles, functions, policies and appropriate uses of NPs in Sri Lanka, based on data gathered from a highly visited national game park.Data were collected from 682 local visitors to the Minneriya NP.  A structured questionnaire was the primary research instrument. Using a systematic sampling method, every one in three visitors were intercepted to administer the questionnaire at the park   exit. Only visitors over 18 years of age were interviewed. Results indicated that visitors have predominantly positive attitudes towards NPs. Majority of respondents viewed aspects related to “ecological protection” as most important roles and function ofNPs. Recreation and commercial development related roles and functions were least prioritized by most respondents. Limiting visitor numbers, recreational activities and phasing out inappropriate uses of the NPs policy were also supported by most participants. Factor analysis and subsequent ANOVA comparisons of visitor attitudes further buttressed that NP policy should be protection-oriented rather than accommodating recreation.  Non-consumptive activities such as observing wildlife and wildlife photography  were rated as most appropriate uses by respondents. However, if nature-based tourism/ecotourism to be promoted within NPs in a sustainable manner, it is imperative that infrastructure facilities supporting appropriate visitor activities, visitor education,   lodging and other facilities such as sanitary and emergency services be developed according to the carrying capacity of respective NPs, as these were deemed highly or moderately appropriate consumptive uses by respondents.Key words: Minneriya National Park, visitor attitudes, nature-based tourism, ecotourism, visitor Managemen

Effect of Growth Rate on Wood Specific Gravity of Three Alternative Timber Species in Sri Lanka; Swietenia macrophylla, Khaya senegalensis and Paulownia fortunei

With increasing private sector investments in commercial forestry, it is apparent that plantationforestry in Sri Lanka is moving in the direction of managing fast growing timber species for shorterrotations. However, there’s a perceptionthat accelerated growth rates induced by improved forestmanagement practices can result in inferior wood quality. This study tested this perceptionby studyingthe effect of growth rate on the specific gravity, as a proxy for wood quality, of three alternative timberspecies grown in Sri Lanka; Swietenia macrophylla, Khaya senegalensis and Paulownia fortunei.Specific gravity remained more or less uniform from pith to bark regardless of the fluctuation of ringwidth in K. senegalensis while S. macrophylla exhibited a slight increase in specific gravity from pith tobark. This increasing trend was more prominent in P. fortunei. Results revealed growth rates representedby ring width showed poor correlations with specific gravity in both S. macrophylla, and K.senegalensis. Although P. fortunei showed a statistically significant positive correlation, regressionanalysis indicated a poor relationship between growth rate and specific gravity. Hence it is unlikely thatwood specific gravity of the studied species to be influenced by accelerated growth rates

Effect of Growth Rate on Wood Specific Gravity of Three Alternative Timber Species in Sri Lanka; Swietenia macrophylla, Khaya senegalensis and Paulownia fortunei

With increasing private sector investments in commercial forestry, it is apparent that plantationforestry in Sri Lanka is moving in the direction of managing fast growing timber species for shorterrotations. However, there’s a perceptionthat accelerated growth rates induced by improved forestmanagement practices can result in inferior wood quality. This study tested this perceptionby studyingthe effect of growth rate on the specific gravity, as a proxy for wood quality, of three alternative timberspecies grown in Sri Lanka; Swietenia macrophylla, Khaya senegalensis and Paulownia fortunei.Specific gravity remained more or less uniform from pith to bark regardless of the fluctuation of ringwidth in K. senegalensis while S. macrophylla exhibited a slight increase in specific gravity from pith tobark. This increasing trend was more prominent in P. fortunei. Results revealed growth rates representedby ring width showed poor correlations with specific gravity in both S. macrophylla, and K.senegalensis. Although P. fortunei showed a statistically significant positive correlation, regressionanalysis indicated a poor relationship between growth rate and specific gravity. Hence it is unlikely thatwood specific gravity of the studied species to be influenced by accelerated growth rates

Promjene shvaćanja postupka certificiranja proizvođača finalnih proizvoda od drva u Sjedinjenim Američkim Državama od 2002. do 2008. godine

Certification is a voluntary mechanism which involves assessing either forest management practices or chain-of-custody tracking through supply chains against a set of standards. Certification is becoming an important market requirement particularly in value-added wood product sectors such as furniture, flooring and millwork. In 2002 and 2008 we conducted national studies in the United States to identify value-added wood industry perspectives and participation in certification and to see what has changed in the industry in the past 6 years. Results show that certification continues to be an important issue for the value-added wood products sector in the U.S. Certification awareness and participation have increased significantly from 2002-2008. The percent of respondents receiving premiums for certified products has increased significantly from 2002-2008 and the percent of respondents incurring (non-raw material) costs for certified wood raw materials declined. Finally, 97% of respondents in 2008 said that they will continue to sell certified wood products in the future.Certificiranje je dobrovoljni postupak koji je ocjena poslovanja u šumarstvu ili ocjena zaštite u lancu nabave prema određenim standardima. Certificiranje je postalo jedan od važnih tržišnih zahtjeva posebno u granama koje stvaraju drvne proizvode visoke dodane vrijednosti, kao što su namještaj, podovi i pilanski proizvodi. U radu su uspoređene studije iz 2002. i 2008. godine, provedene u Sjedinjenim Američkim Državama, kako bi se utvrdila perspektiva i sudjelovanje finalne drvne idustrije u certificiranju te kako bi se utvrdile promjene nastale u navedenom razdoblju. Dobiveni su rezultati pokazali da u Sjedinjenim Američkim Državama certificiranje sve više postaje važna značajka za finalnu drvnu industriju. Pri usporedbi 2002. i 2008. uočava se da su informiranost i sudjelovanje u certificiranjau znatno porasli. Postotak tvrtki koje dobivaju poticajna sredstva za certificiranje proizvoda uvelike je porastao od 2002. do 2008. godine, dok se smanjio postotak tvrtki kojima je certificiranje sirovine povećalo troškove. Pritom se 97% ispitanika izjasnilo da će i u budućnosti nastaviti prodavati certificirane drvne proizvode

EXPLORING MOTIVATION, SATISFACTION AND REVISIT INTENTION OF ECOLODGE VISITORS

Purpose – This paper demonstrates that the recommendations regarding visitor satisfaction and revisit intention reported in the international literature apply to the management ofecolodges in Sri Lanka. Design/Methodology/Approach – Data from 362 self-report questionnaires completed by visitors between January 2014 and January 2015 were analysed by structural modelling using SPSS and AMOS to confirm the significance that reported direct and indirect relationships of the latent factors ecolodge attributes, tourist motives, visitor satisfaction, and revisit intention have for Sri Lankan ecolodges. Findings – Responses of visitors to Sri Lankan ecolodges were like those of ecolodge visitors in other countries. Ecolodge attributes had a strong direct influence on both international tourist motives to visit Sri Lanka and visitor satisfaction. Further, travel motives and satisfaction have a substantial direct influence on tourist intentions to revisit individual ecolodges and hence Sri Lanka more broadly. Originality of the research – Having confirmed that the factors which influence satisfaction and revisit intention of visitors to Sri Lankan ecolodges are consistent with the research findings from other countries, this is the first study to demonstrate that recommendations from the international ecolodge literature are applicable to and can inform the management and sustainability of ecolodges in Sri Lanka

Recreationist perspectives, attitudes, and perceptions towards national park management in Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka\u27s National Parks (NPs) are becoming prime destinations for both foreign and domestic tourists. With rising heterogeneous demand for nature-based experiences, NP administrators are facing the challenge of re-crafting policy and nature-based use-models to meet the diverse expectations of visitors while achieving conservation goals. As such, an understanding of NP visitor perspectives is essential in making sound management decisions to effectively accommodate conservation and recreational uses. This study explores visitor perceptions of roles, functions, policies and best uses of NPs in Sri Lanka. On-site interviews from 682 visitors to two highly-visited NPs revealed that a majority of respondents view "ecological protection" as the most important role of NPs. Recreation and commercial development-related roles were ranked lower in overall importance. Factor analysis and subsequent ANOVA comparisons further identified core belief constructs that ultimately supported the notion of NP policy should be more protection-oriented rather than accommodating to recreation. This is not to say that recreation should not be one of the multiple uses of NPs from the respondents\u27 viewpoint. Although non-consumptive activities were rated most appropriate, visitors also desire that park infrastructure and visitor services to be developed and maintained at an acceptable level in order for them to satisfactorily experience the destination

Artificial intelligence and smart vision for building and construction 4.0: Machine and deep learning methods and applications

This article presents a state-of-the-art review of the applications of Artificial Intelligence (AI), Machine Learning (ML), and Deep Learning (DL) in building and construction industry 4.0 in the facets of architectural design and visualization; material design and optimization; structural design and analysis; offsite manufacturing and automation; construction management, progress monitoring, and safety; smart operation, building management and health monitoring; and durability, life cycle analysis, and circular economy. This paper presents a unique perspective on applications of AI/DL/ML in these domains for the complete building lifecycle, from conceptual stage, design stage, construction stage, operational and maintenance stage until the end of life. Furthermore, data collection strategies using smart vision and sensors, data cleaning methods (post-processing), data storage for developing these models are discussed, and the challenges in model development and strategies to overcome these challenges are elaborated. Future trends in these domains and possible research avenues are also presented

A Conserved Behavioral State Barrier Impedes Transitions between Anesthetic-Induced Unconsciousness and Wakefulness: Evidence for Neural Inertia

One major unanswered question in neuroscience is how the brain transitions between conscious and unconscious states. General anesthetics offer a controllable means to study these transitions. Induction of anesthesia is commonly attributed to drug-induced global modulation of neuronal function, while emergence from anesthesia has been thought to occur passively, paralleling elimination of the anesthetic from its sites in the central nervous system (CNS). If this were true, then CNS anesthetic concentrations on induction and emergence would be indistinguishable. By generating anesthetic dose-response data in both insects and mammals, we demonstrate that the forward and reverse paths through which anesthetic-induced unconsciousness arises and dissipates are not identical. Instead they exhibit hysteresis that is not fully explained by pharmacokinetics as previously thought. Single gene mutations that affect sleep-wake states are shown to collapse or widen anesthetic hysteresis without obvious confounding effects on volatile anesthetic uptake, distribution, or metabolism. We propose a fundamental and biologically conserved concept of neural inertia, a tendency of the CNS to resist behavioral state transitions between conscious and unconscious states. We demonstrate that such a barrier separates wakeful and anesthetized states for multiple anesthetics in both flies and mice, and argue that it contributes to the hysteresis observed when the brain transitions between conscious and unconscious states