Evaluation of Luffa (Luffa acutangula (L.) Roxb) varieties under low country intermediate zone of Sri Lanka

Luffa (Luffa acutangulu) is a popular low country vegetable in Sri Lanka and it is one of the mosthighly utilized vegetable species in the fanning systems of dry and intermediate zones. The existingLuffa varieties in Sri Lanka, recommended by the Department of Agriculture, and the introducedhybrids are vulnerable to pests and diseases and the cost for pest control mainly accounts for thehigher production cost of Luffa. Makandura Selection (MK) is a Luffa variety selected from farmerfields and it shows tolerance to fruit fly (Bactrocera cucurbitae (Coquillettj), which is the mostserious pest causing high level of economic losses. Therefore, an experiment was conducted at theRegional Agricultural Research and Development Centre, Makandura, to evaluate the performanceof Makandura Selection along with the two Department of Agricu Iture recommended Luffa varieties,Asiri and LA 33. The experiment was laid out in a randomized complete block design with fourreplicates. Evaluation was done based on reproductive, yield and fruit quality parameters. Though thevariety LA 33 recorded the significantly highest yield (9.08 t/ha), the higher fruit length (35.02 ern),higher fruit weight (280.5 g) and high fruit firmness (4.38 kg) were not desirable in the context ofconsumer preference. The variety Asiri recorded a significantly lower yield (7.05 t ha') and thelowest fruit firmness (3.89 kg) wh ich are not preferred by the farmers. The variety MakanduraSelection showed moderate yields (8.98 t ha') and better performance in fruit quality attributes suchas lower fru it length (21.7 ern), lower fru it weight (207.2 g) and moderate firmness (4.25 kg). Therefore,the fruit fly tolerant ability, along with these positive fruit characteristics makes Makandura Selectiona suitable variety to introduce to the Luffa growers in Sri Lanka after further testing

A STUDY ON THE BUTTERFLY FAUNAL DIVERSITY IN VARIOUS FOREST HABITATS IN THE KNUCKLES FOREST RANGE

A butterfly faunal survey was conducted in the Deenston-Nawanagala Nature Trail areaon the eastern flank of the Knuckles Forest Range at a 915-1906m of elevation with theobjective of studying the butterfly faunal of the area in different habitat types.A field survey was carried out one day per month during August 2002 to August 2003period. Data collection was done using the 'long-transect method' containing thetransect width to the 'visible range' that varied according to the atmospheric conditionsThe following five major habitat types (Listed in the descending order of extent) wereidentified: Abandoned Tea Lands with Lime Grass, Lowland Semi-evergreen Forest, SubMontane Forest, Montane Forest and Abandoned Cardamom AreasThe total number of species recorded was 40 in seven familiesThis habitat distribution is as follows: Abandoned Tea Lands with Lime Grass: 27 spp.,Lowland Semi-evergreen Forest; 28, Sub Montane Forest; 18, Montane Forest; 9,Abandoned Cardamom Areas;13.Their distribution in the families is; Nymphalidae 12 spp., Papilionidae 8, Pieridae 6,Satyridae 6, Danaidae 5, Lycaenidae 2 and Riodinidae 1. Only the Family Nymphalidaeis found in all habitat types.Three of these species are endemic and altogether five species (Including the threeendemics) are nationally threatened.In the study area the butterfly fauna facing threats due to human and natural causes. Manmade fires occur in grasslands where 27 species (54%) are found. Cardamom cultivationis another factor. Strong winds in some seasons and forest dieback (especially inNawangala) are natural causes. The need for conserving this butterfly fauna ishighlighted in this paper

Tea tourism as a marketing tool: a strategy to develop the image of Sri Lanka as an attractive tourism destination

Tourism is one of the world’s largest industries as well a provider of employments over to 100 million populations around the world. Niche tourism refers to strategy that specific tourism product personalized to meet the needs of a particular tourist segment. Hence Tea tourism has been identified as one niche Tourism segment emerged with novel concept of sustainable and nature based eco-friendly tourism. Research objective is to identify the potentials to promote Sri Lanka as a tea tourism destination with special reference to Badulla and Nuwara Eliya districts by investigating the tea tourists’ attitudes, expectations and destination attributes and local community involvement for tea tourism. Sample consists with 173 tea tourists and structured questionnaire and semi structured interviews were adopted in primary data collection. The numerous potentials have been identified which will be in capable of promoting tea tourism. Destination image building with the brand name of “Ceylon Tea”, global promotional campaigns with the collaboration of Social Media Marketing tools as well introducing sustainable tourism experience packages has been recommended.</span

The Scales Project, a cross-national dataset on the interpretation of thermal perception scales

Thermal discomfort is one of the main triggers for occupants’ interactions with components of the built environment such as adjustments of thermostats and/or opening windows and strongly related to the energy use in buildings. Understanding causes for thermal (dis-)comfort is crucial for design and operation of any type of building. The assessment of human thermal perception through rating scales, for example in post-occupancy studies, has been applied for several decades; however, long-existing assumptions related to these rating scales had been questioned by several researchers. The aim of this study was to gain deeper knowledge on contextual influences on the interpretation of thermal perception scales and their verbal anchors by survey participants. A questionnaire was designed and consequently applied in 21 language versions. These surveys were conducted in 57 cities in 30 countries resulting in a dataset containing responses from 8225 participants. The database offers potential for further analysis in the areas of building design and operation, psycho-physical relationships between human perception and the built environment, and linguistic analyses

Evaluating assumptions of scales for subjective assessment of thermal environments – Do laypersons perceive them the way, we researchers believe?

People's subjective response to any thermal environment is commonly investigated by using rating scales describing the degree of thermal sensation, comfort, and acceptability. Subsequent analyses of results collected in this way rely on the assumption that specific distances between verbal anchors placed on the scale exist and that relationships between verbal anchors from different dimensions that are assessed (e.g. thermal sensation and comfort) do not change. Another inherent assumption is that such scales are independent of the context in which they are used (climate zone, season, etc.). Despite their use worldwide, there is indication that contextual differences influence the way the scales are perceived and therefore question the reliability of the scales’ interpretation. To address this issue, a large international collaborative questionnaire study was conducted in 26 countries, using 21 different languages, which led to a dataset of 8225 questionnaires. Results, analysed by means of robust statistical techniques, revealed that only a subset of the responses are in accordance with the mentioned assumptions. Significant differences appeared between groups of participants in their perception of the scales, both in relation to distances of the anchors and relationships between scales. It was also found that respondents’ interpretations of scales changed with contextual factors, such as climate, season, and language. These findings highlight the need to carefully consider context-dependent factors in interpreting and reporting results from thermal comfort studies or post-occupancy evaluations, as well as to revisit the use of rating scales and the analysis methods used in thermal comfort studies to improve their reliability

The Scales Project, a cross-national dataset on the interpretation of thermal perception scales

Thermal discomfort is one of the main triggers for occupants' interactions with components of the built environment such as adjustments of thermostats and/or opening windows and strongly related to the energy use in buildings. Understanding causes for thermal (dis-)comfort is crucial for design and operation of any type of building. The assessment of human thermal perception through rating scales, for example in post-occupancy studies, has been applied for several decades; however, long-existing assumptions related to these rating scales had been questioned by several researchers. The aim of this study was to gain deeper knowledge on contextual influences on the interpretation of thermal perception scales and their verbal anchors by survey participants. A questionnaire was designed and consequently applied in 21 language versions. These surveys were conducted in 57 cities in 30 countries resulting in a dataset containing responses from 8225 participants. The database offers potential for further analysis in the areas of building design and operation, psycho-physical relationships between human perception and the built environment, and linguistic analyses

Advances in research on the use of biochar in soil for remediation: a review

Purpose: Soil contamination mainly from human activities remains a major environmental problem in the contemporary world. Significant work has been undertaken to position biochar as a readily-available material useful for the management of contaminants in various environmental media notably soil. Here, we review the increasing research on the use of biochar in soil for the remediation of some organic and inorganic contaminants.  Materials and methods: Bibliometric analysis was carried out within the past 10 years to determine the increasing trend in research related to biochar in soil for contaminant remediation. Five exemplar contaminants were reviewed in both laboratory and field-based studies. These included two inorganic (i.e., As and Pb) and three organic classes (i.e., sulfamethoxazole, atrazine, and PAHs). The contaminants were selected based on bibliometric data and as representatives of their various contaminant classes. For example, As and Pb are potentially toxic elements (anionic and cationic, respectively), while sulfamethoxazole, atrazine, and PAHs represent antibiotics, herbicides, and hydrocarbons, respectively.  Results and discussion: The interaction between biochar and contaminants in soil is largely driven by biochar precursor material and pyrolysis temperature as well as some characteristics of the contaminants such as octanol-water partition coefficient (KOW) and polarity. The structural and chemical characteristics of biochar in turn determine the major sorption mechanisms and define biochar’s suitability for contaminant sorption. Based on the reviewed literature, a soil treatment plan is suggested to guide the application of biochar in various soil types (paddy soils, brownfield, and mine soils) at different pH levels (4–5.5) and contaminant concentrations ( 50 mg kg−1).  Conclusions: Research on biochar has grown over the years with significant focus on its properties, and how these affect biochar’s ability to immobilize organic and inorganic contaminants in soil. Few of these studies have been field-based. More studies with greater focus on field-based soil remediation are therefore required to fully understand the behavior of biochar under natural circumstances. Other recommendations are made aimed at stimulating future research in areas where significant knowledge gaps exist

Effects of alirocumab on types of myocardial infarction: insights from the ODYSSEY OUTCOMES trial

Aims  The third Universal Definition of Myocardial Infarction (MI) Task Force classified MIs into five types: Type 1, spontaneous; Type 2, related to oxygen supply/demand imbalance; Type 3, fatal without ascertainment of cardiac biomarkers; Type 4, related to percutaneous coronary intervention; and Type 5, related to coronary artery bypass surgery. Low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) reduction with statins and proprotein convertase subtilisin–kexin Type 9 (PCSK9) inhibitors reduces risk of MI, but less is known about effects on types of MI. ODYSSEY OUTCOMES compared the PCSK9 inhibitor alirocumab with placebo in 18 924 patients with recent acute coronary syndrome (ACS) and elevated LDL-C (≥1.8 mmol/L) despite intensive statin therapy. In a pre-specified analysis, we assessed the effects of alirocumab on types of MI. Methods and results  Median follow-up was 2.8 years. Myocardial infarction types were prospectively adjudicated and classified. Of 1860 total MIs, 1223 (65.8%) were adjudicated as Type 1, 386 (20.8%) as Type 2, and 244 (13.1%) as Type 4. Few events were Type 3 (n = 2) or Type 5 (n = 5). Alirocumab reduced first MIs [hazard ratio (HR) 0.85, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.77–0.95; P = 0.003], with reductions in both Type 1 (HR 0.87, 95% CI 0.77–0.99; P = 0.032) and Type 2 (0.77, 0.61–0.97; P = 0.025), but not Type 4 MI. Conclusion  After ACS, alirocumab added to intensive statin therapy favourably impacted on Type 1 and 2 MIs. The data indicate for the first time that a lipid-lowering therapy can attenuate the risk of Type 2 MI. Low-density lipoprotein cholesterol reduction below levels achievable with statins is an effective preventive strategy for both MI types.For complete list of authors see http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/eurheartj/ehz299</p

Effect of alirocumab on mortality after acute coronary syndromes. An analysis of the ODYSSEY OUTCOMES randomized clinical trial

Background: Previous trials of PCSK9 (proprotein convertase subtilisin-kexin type 9) inhibitors demonstrated reductions in major adverse cardiovascular events, but not death. We assessed the effects of alirocumab on death after index acute coronary syndrome. Methods: ODYSSEY OUTCOMES (Evaluation of Cardiovascular Outcomes After an Acute Coronary Syndrome During Treatment With Alirocumab) was a double-blind, randomized comparison of alirocumab or placebo in 18 924 patients who had an ACS 1 to 12 months previously and elevated atherogenic lipoproteins despite intensive statin therapy. Alirocumab dose was blindly titrated to target achieved low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) between 25 and 50 mg/dL. We examined the effects of treatment on all-cause death and its components, cardiovascular and noncardiovascular death, with log-rank testing. Joint semiparametric models tested associations between nonfatal cardiovascular events and cardiovascular or noncardiovascular death. Results: Median follow-up was 2.8 years. Death occurred in 334 (3.5%) and 392 (4.1%) patients, respectively, in the alirocumab and placebo groups (hazard ratio [HR], 0.85; 95% CI, 0.73 to 0.98; P=0.03, nominal P value). This resulted from nonsignificantly fewer cardiovascular (240 [2.5%] vs 271 [2.9%]; HR, 0.88; 95% CI, 0.74 to 1.05; P=0.15) and noncardiovascular (94 [1.0%] vs 121 [1.3%]; HR, 0.77; 95% CI, 0.59 to 1.01; P=0.06) deaths with alirocumab. In a prespecified analysis of 8242 patients eligible for ≥3 years follow-up, alirocumab reduced death (HR, 0.78; 95% CI, 0.65 to 0.94; P=0.01). Patients with nonfatal cardiovascular events were at increased risk for cardiovascular and noncardiovascular deaths (P<0.0001 for the associations). Alirocumab reduced total nonfatal cardiovascular events (P<0.001) and thereby may have attenuated the number of cardiovascular and noncardiovascular deaths. A post hoc analysis found that, compared to patients with lower LDL-C, patients with baseline LDL-C ≥100 mg/dL (2.59 mmol/L) had a greater absolute risk of death and a larger mortality benefit from alirocumab (HR, 0.71; 95% CI, 0.56 to 0.90; Pinteraction=0.007). In the alirocumab group, all-cause death declined wit h achieved LDL-C at 4 months of treatment, to a level of approximately 30 mg/dL (adjusted P=0.017 for linear trend). Conclusions: Alirocumab added to intensive statin therapy has the potential to reduce death after acute coronary syndrome, particularly if treatment is maintained for ≥3 years, if baseline LDL-C is ≥100 mg/dL, or if achieved LDL-C is low. Clinical Trial Registration: URL: https://www.clinicaltrials.gov. Unique identifier: NCT01663402