Comparison of Faunal Wealth of a Selected Oil Palm Plantation and a Rubber Plantation in the Wet Zone of Sri Lanka

A rapid increase in oil palm plantations has been evident in the low country wet zone of Sri Lanka as it is an economically profitable crop. Nevertheless, oil palm receives an immense resistance by the public claiming diminution of the water table and biodiversity wealth. Rubber plantations, which are often replaced by oil palm are claimed to be more environmentally friendly than oil palm plantations. The current study was designed to reveal the faunal wealth of selected oil palm plantations (OPP) and rubber plantations (RP) with reference to microclimatic conditions. It was hypothesized that there is no difference in faunal wealth of OPP and RP as measured by species richness, abundance and diversity indices. Three OPP and two RP in Agalawatta (N 6o 32' 50" E 80o 14' 01"-N 6o 32' 50" E 80o13' 55") were selected for the study. Species richness and abundance of selected faunal groups were determined with reference to environmental factors (ambient temperature, relative humidity, soil moisture, litter depth, light intensity and canopy cover) from March to September 2018. Species richness and abundance of invertebrates (butterflies and dragonflies) and vertebrates (amphibians, reptiles, birds and mammals) were studied using line transects, circular plot counts, visual encounter survey technique, quadrate cleaning technique, live trapping and hair tube sampling. Shannon-Weiner Diversity Index (H) was determined for different faunal groups inhabiting OPP and RP. Soil moisture content in OPP was significantly higher than that of RP (t-test p<0.05) while litter depth was significantly higher in RP (p<0.05). Ambient temperature, relative humidity, light intensity and canopy cover did not differ significantly between the two plantations. Species richness of fauna of OPP and RP were 54 (Endemic 16) and 30 (Endemic 5) respectively. Vertebrate diversity did not differ significantly between OPP (H=2.68) and RP (H=2.53), however, invertebrate diversity of OPP (H=2.26) was significantly higher than that of RP (H=0.95) (t-test p<0.05). Diversity of birds and reptiles were higher in RP than OPP while diversity of amphibians and small mammals were higher in OPP. Rare point endemic bush frog Polypedates ranwellai was found in oil palm plantations, which is considered as a range extension. This preliminary study revealed that overall faunal wealth of oil palm plantations is slightly higher than that of rubber plantations and this could be attributed to the availability of microhabitats.Keywords: Oil palm cultivations, Biological diversity, Microclimatic parameters, Herpetofaun

Trigeneration - a green approach for meeting total building service requirement

Tourism industry in the country is presently seeing a considerable growth, with demand for hotel and accommodation industry to keep pace. In expanding this sector, provision of electricity and other utilities is essential. In this regard, the availability of electricity supply and the quality of available power are serious concerns when it comes to expanding the facility to remote but attractive areas. As a means of handling this situation, in this paper the possibility of using stand alone trigeneration to meet, cooling and electricity demand of such facilities is explored and compared with the present system of grid connected power and diesel based heat generation. A comparison of the two systems; trigeneration and present base case scenario, reveals that there will be over 50% reduction in CO2 emission and about 41% saving in energy bills over those of base case when a trigeneration system is sized based on the criterion of meeting total cooling demand using vapour absorption refrigeration. A simple payback estimates shows that recovery of investment for trigeneration system is well under two years

Synthesis, Characterization and Antimicrobial Activity of Garcinol Coated Titanium Dioxide Nanoparticles

Background: Garcinol is a secondary metabolite derived from the plants of Clusiaceae Family. It has shown a broad range of bioactivities such as antimicrobial, antioxidant, anticancer and anti-inflammatory. Titanium dioxide nanoparticles (TiO2NPs) are known to have a significant photocatalytic activity and are widely used in medicine. In this study, garcinol was used to modify the surface of TiO2NPs to enhance the antibacterial activity.Objectives: To synthesize, characterize and determine antimicrobial activity of garcinol coated titanium dioxide nanoparticles G-TiO2NPs.Methods: Garcinol was isolated from the dried fruit rinds of Garcinia quaesita. TiO2NPs were coated by garcinol and characterized by using Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), Powder X-Ray Diffraction (XRD), and Diffused Reflectance Spectroscopy. Minimum Inhibition Concentration (MIC) was tested against five microbial species including Staphylococcus aureus (ATCC 25623), Pseudomonas aeruginosa (ATCC 27853),Escherichia coli (ATCC 25922), Candida albicans (ATCC 10231) and clinical isolates of Methicillin Resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), using broth micro-dilution assay. Time-kill kinetic study was performed to determine the inhibition percentage of Staphylococcus aureus over time.Results: SEM images confirmed the spherical shape of G-TiO2NPs, diameter ranging from 20 - 200 nm. XRD data revealed the anatase phase and rutile phase of TiO2NPs. Formation of G-TiO2NPs caused a red shift of the absorption wavelength. G-TiO2NPs and TiO2NPs showed a MIC range of 250-500 μg/ml and 500-1000 μg/ml against the tested microbial species, respectively. In the time-kill kinetic studies, inhibition percentage (IP) of microbial growth was determined at 60 minute time intervals. TiO2NPs and G-TiO2NPs demonstrated inhibition over 50% at 3 hours.Conclusions: G-TiO2NPs presented a significant enhancement in antimicrobial activity against S. aureus compared to TiO2NPs. Surface modification of TiO2NPs with garcinol has created a synergistic antimicrobial effect against S. aureus.Acknowledgement: University Grant ASP/01/RE/SCI/2017/1

Impact of Capital Structure on Profitability: Evidence from Star Category Hotels in Sri Lanka

This study examines the impact of the capital structure on the profitability of the 25 registered hotels in the Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority (SLTDA). The data on capital structure and profitability collected from audited annual reports (2011 to 2021), were analyzed using panel regression methodology and presented through descriptive statistics and models. Total debt to total assets, total debt to total equity and interest coverage ratio were used to measure the capital structure and return on assets and return on equity were used to measure the profitability of the firm. The study found no significant impact of debt to equity ratio and interest coverage ratio on the return on equity and return on asset. There is a significant impact of debt to asset and return on equity and the return on asset. These results concluded that there is an impact of capital structure on the profitability of the hotel industry in Sri Lanka.    © 2022 The Authors. Published by Department of Estate Management and Valuation, University of Sri Jayewardenepura   Key Words: Capital structure; Profitability; Registered Star Category Hotels in Sri Lank

Involvement of alcohol in injury cases in rural Sri Lanka:Prevalence and associated factors among in-patients in three primary care hospitals

BACKGROUND: Injuries account for a major proportion of global morbidity and mortality related to alcohol use. Information on the prevalence of alcohol-related injury in rural Sri Lanka is limited. The aims of this study were to determine the burden of alcohol-related injury in a hospital-based sample in rural Sri Lanka and explore factors associated with an increased risk of alcohol-related injury. METHODS: Involvement of alcohol in injury amongst in-patients was assessed in three hospitals in the North Central Province of Sri Lanka over 6 months. Adult (≥ 18 years) patients were eligible. Patients were assessed for: injury characteristics, current alcohol use (in the past year) using the Alcohol Use Disorder Identification Test (AUDIT), and acute intoxication. Patients with a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) reading equivalent of 10 mg/dL (2.17 mmol/L) were considered as having an alcohol-related injury. Binary logistic regression was used to explore association between alcohol-related injury and demographic and injury characteristics. RESULTS: A total of 883 injured patients were eligible and consented to the study. No alcohol use was reported by 487 (55.2%) of patients (35.6% of men, 95.2% of women). Prevalence of alcohol-related injuries was 14.8% overall and 32.8% among current alcohol users. Almost all patients with an alcohol-related injury were male (122/123; 99.2%); 24 (18.8%) of these patients scored positive for possible alcohol dependence. Patients with an alcohol-related injury had significantly higher AUDIT scores (median = 15 vs 6, p < 0.001), were significantly more likely to be aged 26–40 (OR 2.29, 95% CI:1.11, 4.72) or 41–55 years (OR 2.76, 95% CI: 1.29, 5.90) (compared to 18–25 years), to have a transport-related injury (OR 5.14, 95% CI: 2.30, 11.49) (compared to animal/plant sting/bite), and have intentional injuries (OR 3.47, 95% CI: 1.01, 11.87). CONCLUSIONS: One in three injuries among people who drank alcohol in this sample were alcohol-related. In addition, problematic alcohol use was higher among those with alcohol-related injury. Further work is needed to explore whether this prevalence of alcohol-related injury is reflected in other rural settings in Sri Lanka. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12889-022-12958-8

Sustainable Use of Biomass Boiler Ash as a Reinforcement Filler for Polyamide 6 Composite

The use of biomass combustion ash as a reinforcing filler has taken the attention in recent years to reduce the overall production cost and increase the mechanical properties of plastics. This study evaluates the effect of biomass boilers ash (BBA) as a reinforcing filler on polyamide 6 composites (PA6). The chemical composition and thermal stability of BBA were analyzed by X-ray fluorescence (XRF), Thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), and Differential thermal analysis (DTA) thermographs. Test samples were prepared by varying the ash content (2.5%, 5%, 7.5%, and 10%), and also samples were prepared without adding ash as a control. Moreover, surface modification was carried out by using N-2 (Aminoethyl) 3-aminopropyl triethoxy diamino-silane as a possible coupling agent for BBA  and it was tested by varying the coupling agent concentration (0.5%, 1%, and 2%) by dry process and the samples were prepared by extrusion and injection molding processes. Comparative analysis of the degree of crystallinity, mechanical properties including tensile, flexural, and thermal properties were tested. The highest degree of crystallinity was obtained with 7.5% BBA-filled composites. The addition of 2% surface-modified BBA (SBBA) filled composites (PA6 / 10% Ash 2% CA) showed an increase of tensile strength and elongation at break than the 10% unmodified BBA (UBBA) (PA6/ 10% Ash) filled composites. Stress at peak and bending modulus values in the flexural test data were increased up to 10%. But it was significantly reduced with the increasing of modifying agent concentration due to the increment of stiffness of the composite