An empirical analysis of sustainability of trade deficit: Evidence from Sri Lanka

In this paper, the long-run relationship between Sri Lanka exports and imports during the period 1950 to 2006 is examined using unit root tests and co-integration techniques that allow for an endogenously determined structural break. The results failed to support the existence of a long-run equilibrium between exports and imports in Sri Lanka. This finding questions the effectiveness of Sri Lanka’s current long-term macroeconomic policies and suggests that Sri Lanka is in violation of its international budget constraint

An Empirical Analysis of Sustainability of Trade Deficit:Evidence from Sri Lanka

In this paper, the long-run relationship between Sri Lankan exports and imports during the period 1950 to 2006 is examined using unit root tests and cointegration techniques that allow for an endogenously determined structural break. The results failed to support the existence of a long-run equilibrium between exports and imports in Sri Lanka. This finding questions the effectiveness of Sri Lanka’s current long-term macroeconomic policies and suggests that Sri Lanka is in violation of its international budget constraint.Trade Deficit, Exports, Imports, Unit root, Structural Breaks,Cointegration, Sri Lanka

AN EMPIRICAL ANALYSIS OF SUSTAINABILITY OF TRADE DEFICIT: EVIDENCE FROM SRI LANKA

In this paper, the long-run relationship between Sri Lankan exports and imports during the period 1950 to 2006 is examined using unit root tests and cointegration techniques that allow for an endogenously determined structural break. The results failed to support the existence of a long-run equilibrium between exports and imports in Sri Lanka. This finding questions the effectiveness of Sri Lanka’s current long-term macroeconomic policies and suggests that Sri Lanka is in violation of its international budget constraint.Trade Deficit, Unit root, Structural Breaks, Cointegration, Sri Lanka

Performance evaluation of water and wastewater treatment plant in Kathmandu Valley

In this work, assessments of technology of the water and wastewater treatment plants including constructed wetlands in Kathmandu valley are presented. There are nine water treatment plants among which two are not in operation; seven constructed wetlands among which two are under maintenance and one is not in operation. In addition, one conventional wastewater treatment plant is studied in order to highlight the associated benefits and identify challenges of water and wastewater treatment in Kathmandu valley. A constructed wetland uses less energy to treat wastewater than a conventional wastewater treatment plant. Thus, wetland systems have benefit in a country where energy scarcity occurs. However the technical and managerial problems and lack of awareness decrease the success of the wetland systems, but technical as well as managerial problems exist also in water treatment plants even Kathmandu Upatyaka Khanepani Limited (KUKL) has responsibility over it. Analysis of chemical parameters that indicate the characteristics of wastewater from constructed wetlands is done by collecting one sample for each parameter. Similarly, assessment of technical and operation and maintenance for water and wastewater treatment plants including constructed wetlands are obtained by field observation and conducting questionnaire survey. Interviews with care operator are made for all studied treatment locations and reviews from user committees, non- user committees and farmers are made only for constructed wetlands. A comparative analysis between conventional wastewater treatment plants and constructed wetland is also presented. Compared to conventional wastewater treatment systems, constructed wetland systems uses less energy and are less costly as well as easier to maintain due to simple construction and efficient functioning. More attention has given to water treatment plants though it does not show good performance in operation when compared to wastewater treatment plants. The results showed that there is a need of development in water and wastewater management with systematic operation and maintenance. An effective study of the most fruitful type of plants and their monitoring after establishment is essential. Treatment efficiency of water and wastewater treatment plants has not shown very high performance. It is necessary to address issues, including economical, technical, social and personal to improve the systems.M-MIN

Histopathological analysis of breast lump in an urban community hospital laboratory

Introductions: Breast lump is mostly benign in nature however carcinoma ofthe breast also presents as a simple lump. Since breast carcinoma is the secondmost common killer of the female cancer it is important to detect it at earlystage and treat. The purpose of the study was to analyse histopathology profileof breast lump.Methods: Histopathology samples were received, processed, reported andrecorded in the Pathology laboratory of Helping Hands Community Hospital,Kathmandu. Data analysed from 2008 to 2011. Descriptive statistics was usedto analyse the data.Results: Out of 1991 histopathology samples 68 were breast lumps. Fifty(73.5%) were benign and 18 (26.5%) were malignant. Ten (55.5%) of carcinoma was seen in between 41 and 50 years. Eleven (46%) of the malignant neoplasm were of Stage IIIA.Conclusions: Every fourth sample had carcinoma and it is mostly seen after 40years of age.Keywords: biopsy, breast lump, carcinoma, fibroadenom

Mobiiliverkkodatan käytön validointi lähtö-määränpää -matriisien luomisessa

The rapid development in telecommunication networks during last years has made it possible to study human travel behaviour effectively from mobile network data. The combination of passive and active signalling events gathered by mobile network operators allow analysing movements of people with full longitudinal and spatial coverage. Therefore, recent years have seen an increasing interest in utilizing mobile network data in transportation studies, as an alternative or a complementary data source for conventional transport data. This study validates the capability of mobile network data to produce long-distance origin-destination matrices in Finland. Features that are being validated include trip counts, seasonal trip count changes and modal split. As reference data sources of the study, the National Travel Survey 2016, HELMET-transport demand model (Transport model by HSL) and LAM-data (automated traffic census) are used. Validation is done by analysing correlations between mobile network data and the reference data sources. By being able to demonstrate the validity and reliability of mobile network data usage in producing origin-destination matrices, cost-effectiveness and more accurate methods to gather information from long-distance transportation can be provided for the field in general. The overall results of the study are in line with the few similar related studies that have been conducted. The thesis work suggests that mobile network data is capable of producing more reliable trip counts from sparsely populated areas than the National Travel Survey. In addition, it seems to be more capable of capturing the high summer peak in longdistance travelling in Finland. The results regarding modal split are promising, but more studies regarding the modal detection will be needed.Matkapuhelinverkkojen viime vuosien nopea kehitys on mahdollistanut yhä tarkemman matkapuhelinten solupaikannuksen. Teleoperaattoreiden keräämä passiivisten ja aktiivisten matkapuhelinverkon signaalihavaintojen yhdistelmä mahdollistaa ihmisten liikkumiskäyttäytymisen tutkimisen kattavasti sekä ajallisesti että alueellisesti. Viime aikoina matkapuhelinverkkodatan hyödyntäminen liikennetutkimuksissa on tästä syystä herättänyt kasvavaa kiinnostusta perinteisten tiedonkeruumenetelmien korvaajana ja täydentäjänä. Tämä tutkimus validoi mobiiliverkkodatan käyttöä lähtö-määränpää -matriisien luomisessa Suomen pitkän matkan liikenteessä. Validoitavia ominaisuuksia ovat matkamäärät, matkamäärien vuodenajoittainen vaihtelu ja matkojen kulkumuotojakauma. Referenssiaineistona työssä käytetään Suomen Henkilöliikennetutkimusta, HELMET-liikennemallia ja LAM-dataa. Validointi suoritetaan analysoimalla mobiiliverkkodatan ja referenssiaineistojen välisiä korrelaatioita. Osoittamalla mobiiliverkkodatan käytettävyys lähtö-määränpää matriisien luomisessa, liikennesuunnittelun kustannustehokkuutta ja keinoja tarkemman tiedon keräämiseen pitkämatkaisesta liikkumisesta voidaan edistää. Työn tulokset ovat linjassa aiemman tutkimuksen kanssa. Tulokset näyttävät mobiiliverkkodatan olevan kykenevä tuottamaan lähtö-määränpää -tietoa hajaasutusalueilta luotettavammin kuin Henkilöliikennetutkimus. Lisäksi, mobiiliverkkodata näyttää pystyvän observoimaan kesän lomakauden matkapiikin tarkemmin kuin Henkilöliikennetutkimus. Tulokset mobiiliverkkodatan kulkumuototunnistukseen ovat lupaavia, mutta lisää tutkimusta tarvitaan näiden havaintojen vahvistamiseen

An investigation of radiolytic damage to biomolecules in foodstuffs

The development of an effective test system for detecting the irradiation status of foodstuffs is essential for the establishment of legislative control and consumer choice. For foodstuffs consisting mainly of water, treatment with ionising radiation initially generates highly reactive free radical species (hydroxyl radical (‘OH), hydrated electrons (e-aq) or hydrogen atoms (H)). These react extremely rapidly with a wide variety of “target" molecules in foodstuffs resulting in small but detectable chemical changes. Hence, assays for the assessment of ‘OH radical activity involve the identification and/or quantification of chemical species produced by the attack of ‘OH radical on a range of biomolecules occurring in foodstuffs. This study Involves an investigation of radiolytically-induced chemical modifications arising from the Interaction of ‘OH radical with naturally occurring aromatic compounds in fruits and vegetables. High performance liquid chromatography coupled with electrochemical detection has been applied to the analysis. In addition, the chemical nature of intermediates in, and end-products arising from the interaction of ‘0H radical with polyunsaturated fatty acids and carbohydrates Is reviewed by application of second-derivative (2D) electronic absorption spectrophotometry. The 2D spectrophotometric technique has not been previously applied to food studies and may serve as a potential “probe” for the measurement of radiolytic products generated as a consequence of irradiation treatment. Additionally, high-field, high-resolution proton nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy has been employed to assess radiolytically-induced damage to biomolecules present In shellfish

Photophysics of Upconversion: Towards Application in Upconversion Displays

Der Regenbogen besteht aus sieben Farben. Von Violett nach Rot, nimmt die Photonenenergie des Lichts ab. Durch die Kombination der Energien von zwei roten Photonen kann ein blaues Photon erzeugt werden. Ein solcher Prozess wird als Upconversion (UC) bezeichnet. UC kann in organischen und anorganischen Systemen beobachtet werden. Zum Beispiel ist die Kombination von zwei roten Photonen zur Erzeugung von blauem Licht in einem organischen System möglich, das aus Platin(II)-Tetraphenyltetrabenzoporphyrin und Perylen besteht. In anorganischen Systemen ist die Umwandlung von Nah-Infrarot (Photonen mit einer Energie, die geringer ist als die der roten Photonen, mit Wellenlängen zwischen 780 und 2500 nm) in sichtbares Licht häufiger. Diese Energieumwandlung wird durch Energieübertragung zwischen den leiterartigen, angeregten Energiezuständen ermöglicht, die in bestimmten Lanthanid-Ionen existieren. Insbesondere das dreiwertige Erbium-Ion (Er3+) ist wegen der Positionen seiner höheren angeregten Energiezustände, die bei Vielfachen tiefer liegender angeregter Zustände liegen, hervorzuheben. Bei der Sensibilisierung mit einem dreiwertigen Ytterbium-Ion (Yb3+), das effektiv nahinfrarotes Licht um 980 nm absorbieren und die Energie auf ein Er3+-Ion übertragen kann, werden vom Er3+-Ion verschiedene Emissionslinien im Sichtbaren beobachtet, wobei die stärksten im grünen und roten Bereich liegen. Damit solche Energieübertragungen stattfinden können, sollten diese Ionen in einem Kristallgitter eingebettet sein. Mehrere Faktoren beeinflussen die Effizienz der anorganischen UC. Dazu gehören die Konzentration der dotierten Ionen, Kristallinität und Phononenenergie des Gitters, und die Ortssymmetrie der Ionen. Noch wichtiger ist, dass die Effizienz der UC aufgrund ihrer nichtlinearen Natur stark von der Anregungsleistungsdichte (EPD von engl. excitation-power-density) abhängt. Ein Ziel dieser Arbeit ist die Untersuchung der Photophysik der UC, insbesondere der Vergleich verschiedener Materialien, die UC zeigen, basierend darauf, wie sie abhängig von der EPD funktionieren. Außerdem ist diejenige EPD zu identifizieren, bei welcher die UC-Emission eines Materials am effizientesten ist. Die Kenntnis dieser Untergrenze würde bei der Kategorisierung der UC-Materialien für verschiedene Anwendungen helfen, die bei verschiedenen EPDs funktionieren. Um die EPD-Abhängigkeit der UC-Emission eines Materials genau zu untersuchen, müssen zunächst die durch laserinduzierte Erwärmung verursachten Effekte korrigiert werden. Es wurde festgestellt, dass mikrokristallines β-NaYF4, das mit 18% Yb3+ und 2% Er3+ dotiert ist, einen Temperaturanstieg von 60 K aufweist, wenn es mit 980 nm Laserstrahlung bei einer EPD von 240 W cm-2 angeregt wird. Dieser Effekt führt zu einer Unterschätzung der gemessenen UC-Intensität, die ohne laserinduzierte Erwärmung 24% niedriger als die tatsächliche UC-Intensität ist. Der Effekt ist bei Materialien mit schlechter Wärmeübertragung stärker ausgeprägt. Im Rahmen dieser Arbeit wird eine Methode zur Korrektur der EPD-Abhängigkeit der UC entwickelt, so dass ein effektiver Vergleich der EPD-Abhängigkeiten ermöglicht wird. Für den Vergleich der EPD-Abhängigkeiten verschiedener UC-Materialien wird ein analytisches Modell entwickelt, das als „Critical Power Density" (CPD)-Modell bezeichnet wird. Durch Anpassung dieses Modells an die EPD-Abhängigkeiten einer UC-Emission kann eine wichtige Kenngröße, die sogenannte CPD, extrahiert werden. Ein Material mit einem niedrigeren CPD-Wert ist bei einem niedrigeren EPD-Wert ein besserer Upconverter. Dem Modell zufolge ist der CPD-Wert bei einem Material mit langer Lebensdauer im Zwischenstadium niedriger. Darüber hinaus bietet das CPD-Modell zwei verschiedene Möglichkeiten zur Bestimmung der Sättigungs-PLQY der UC, ohne dass die UC durch Anregung bei sehr hohen EPDs in die Sättigung getrieben werden muss, was eine Probendegradation durch Erwärmung verhindert. Erstens beträgt die Sättigungs-PLQY das 5,8-fache des Wertes, der am CPD gemessenen PLQY und zweitens beträgt die Sättigungs-PLQY die Hälfte der PLQY, die durch direkte Anregung des Energiezustandes, dessen PLQY gemessen werden soll, gemessen wird. Es wird festgestellt, dass die experimentell gemessene Sättigungs-PLQY mit den Werten der Sättigungs-PLQY übereinstimmt, die mit dem CPD-Modell ausgewertet wurden. Schließlich werden die Anforderungen an eine UC-Anzeige diskutiert, nachdem Erkenntnisse über die Funktion der verschiedenen UC-Mechanismen auf der Grundlage des CPD-Modells bei Zwei-Wellenlängen-Anregung (980 nm und 1550 nm) gewonnen wurden. Unter Berücksichtigung der Anforderungen an ein solches Persistence-of-Vision (POV)-Display wird ein Proof-of-Principle eines monochromen UC-Displays demonstriert. Durch Verwendung des Materials β-NaYF4: 18% Yb3+, 2% Er3+, bei einer moderaten EPD von 100 W cm-2, für jede der 980 nm und 1550 nm Anregungen, konnte eine Leuchtdichte von 8×106 cd m -2 erreicht werden. Diese Emission wäre bei Umgebungslicht immer noch sichtbar, wenn eine Reduzierung um fünf Größenordnungen durch das Scannen auf POV und die reduzierte Absorption in einem dünnen Film berücksichtigt würde. Im Material SrF2: 18% Yb3+, 2% Er3+, konnte durch Wechsel zwischen den beiden verschiedenen Anregungswellenlängen und durch gleichzeitige Anregung die Emissionsfarbe von Rot über Gelb bis Grün variiert werden. Diese Emission wäre aufgrund ihrer geringeren Leuchtdichte, dann für Anwendungen geeignet, die eine Nicht-POV-Anzeige im Dunkeln erfordern

次世代ナノエレクトロニクスを志向した単層及び多層グラフェンナノリボンの電気特性に関する研究

Graphene nanoribbon (GNR) is a narrow strip of carbon atoms which has exceptional properties and are being exploited for various applications, such as in semiconductor electronics, solar cells, and sensors. However, the realization of GNR based devices still needs an extensive research to achieve the commercial specifications. This research is mainly emphasized on the synthesis of high-quality GNR from double-walled carbon nanotubes (DWNTs) and fabrication of field effect transistor (FET) devices. Moreover, the electrical transport properties were also investigated for single-layer GNR (sGNR), multi-layer GNR with and without adsorption of molecular nanoparticles. The electrical transport properties of GNR device was tuned to semiconducting with the adsorption of molecular nanoparticles. This study demonstrates a simple and fast approach to band gap formation in sGNR using Hexaazatriphenylenehexacarbonitrile (HAT-CN6). In this process, sGNRs were synthesized by unzipping of DWNTs followed by casting the solution of HAT-CN6. HAT-CN6 on GNR forms self-assembled nanoparticle and the adsorption of nanoparticles was confirmed by AFM observation. Further, the electric property of pristine sGNR device and the device with HAT-CN6 were measured using point-contact current imaging (PCI-) AFM and also with the FET device. Thus, the adsorbed nanoparticles on sGNR forms the electron trapping sites which result in a necklike structure of sGNR near the adsorbed region of the molecular nanoparticle. The neck region working similar to narrow width GNR (< 10 nm) allows the charge carriers passing through. Such a narrow sGNR has lateral confinement of charge carrier around the neck region hence the device turns to semiconducting. The activation energy of pristine sGNR and the sGNR with HAT-CN6 were calculated by the results of temperature change measurement as about 1.5 meV and 52 meV, respectively. The pristine sGNR has very low activation energy as compared to the device with HAT-CN6. Thus, the device with HAT-CN6 has a large transition from semimetallic to semiconducting property. The device could have various possible application in future electronics industry due to its semiconducting property. Moreover, the study also explains the fabrication of multi-layer GNR (mGNR) field effect transistor (FET) and control of its electrical property with the adsorption of the flat molecular nanoparticle. The stacked mGNR device shows the similar performance to the sGNR device due to lower inter layer coupling. Inter layer interaction was supposed to be lower since the turbostratic stacking of GNR was formed with CVD growth process. Next, HAT-CN6 were casted on the mGNR device to alter the electronic property of GNR. Thus, the adsorbed nanoparticles form the charge carrier trapping sites on mGNR and the channel width was narrowed due to the nanoparticles on GNR. Hence, the charge carriers are confined in a narrow channel and the device is in a transition state from semimetallic to semiconducting, which is similar to narrow width GNR. The on/off ratio and mobility of mGNR-FET device was also improved with the adsorption of the nanoparticle. The fabricated mGNR-FET device has wide area of semiconductor electronics applications in the semiconductor industry. Furthermore, X- and Y-type junctions were also fabricated using GNRs obtained by unzipping of DWNTs. The junction of the synthesized GNR shows semiconducting property whereas the other part shows the semimetallic property. The semiconducting property at the junction was supposed to be due to change in lattice orientation at the junction of two GNRs. Such a junction can have great interest for the device and wiring application in the semiconductor industry. The semiconducting property in the several X-type junctions of wide GNRs (greater than 10 nm) was investigated.九州工業大学博士学位論文 学位記番号：生工博甲第295号 学位授与年月日：平成29年6月30日1 Introduction|2 Methodology|3 Tuning the electrical property of single-layer graphene nanoribbon by adsorption of planar molecular nanoparticles|4 Fabrication of turbostratic multi-layer graphene nanoribbon field effect transistor and investigating the electrical property with the adsorption of HAT-CN666|5 Fabrication of X- and Y-type graphene nanoribbon cross junction and study the electrical transport property|6 Conclusion九州工業大学平成29年

次世代ナノエレクトロニクスを志向した単層および多層グラフェンナノリボンの電気特性に関する研究

九州工業大学博士学位論文（要旨）学位記番号：生工博甲第295号 学位授与年月日：平成29年6月30