Environmental contamination of pathogenic and intermediate pathogenic <em>Leptospira</em> spp in two divisional secretariats of Kandy district

NA

Meta-analysis of Technical Efficiency in Selected Agricultural Sub-sectors: Implications for Policy Making in Developing Countries like Sri Lanka

Aims: To evaluate the technical efficiency (TE) in selected agricultural sub-sectors and to propose possible policy interventions to the government with the aim of reducing the poverty of farmers in the developing world. Study design: A meta-analysis based on empirical studies conducted by various scientists throughout the developing world. Methodology: Research articles for the meta-analysis were selected using a thorough screening process based on the PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-Analyses) concept. Selected 94 articles were sub-divided in to three main agriculture sub-sectors for detailed analysis; (a) paddy, other field crops-OFC and vegetables, (b) fruits, and (c) livestock. Mean TE of each crop or livestock type was calculated by averaging the TE values for a particular crop or livestock type across different studies included in this study. Results: TE data presented in the original articles showed a considerable dispersion within a given study. The highest mean TE was recorded in B-onion (0.83±0.15) whereas the lowest was recorded in maize (0.703±0.09) and in soybean (0.705±0.13). The TE of chili cultivation was 0.78 with the greatest variability (standard error of mean [SEM] 0.19) among the crops considered, which signifies the unpredictable nature of the chili cultivation. Mango was found to be the least technically efficient crop among the studied, with a mean TE of 0.596±0.11. Dairy, poultry and aquaculture farming operations were found to be highly technically efficient having mean TE values of 0.80±0.16, 0.89±0.02 and 0.88±0.08 respectively. Conclusion: Findings of this study will lead to several key policy implications including, improvement of the socioeconomic characteristics of farmers, implementation of farmer field schools (FFS) and establishment of a cautious and gradual strategy for expansion of the rural financial institutions

Anatomical landmarks for ankle block

Abstract We aimed to describe anatomical landmarks to accurately locate the five nerves that are infiltrated to accomplish anaesthesia of the foot in an ankle block. Twenty-four formaldehyde-fixed cadaveric ankles were studied. Photographs of cross sections of the frozen legs, cut at a horizontal plane across the most prominent points of the medial and lateral malleoli, were analysed. The curvilinear distance from the most prominent point of the closest malleolus to each of the five cutaneous nerves and their depth from the skin surface were measured. Sural, tibial, deep peroneal, saphenous and medial dorsal cutaneous nerves were located 5.2 ± 1.3, 9.2 ± 2.4, 7.4 ± 1.9, 2.8 ± 1.1, 2.1 ± 0.6 mm deep to the skin surface. The curvilinear distances from the medial malleolus to the tibial, deep peroneal and saphenous nerves were 32.5 ± 8.9, 62.8 ± 11.1 and 24.4 ± 7.9 mm, respectively. The curvilinear distances from the lateral malleolus to the sural and medial dorsal cutaneous branches of superficial peroneal nerves were 27.9 ± 6.3 and 52.7 ± 7.3 mm, respectively. The deep peroneal nerve was found between the tendons of the extensor hallucis longus and the extensor digitorum longus in the majority of specimens, while the medial dorsal cutaneous nerve was almost exclusively found on the extensor digitorum longus tendon. The sural and tibial nerves were located around halfway between the most prominent point of the relevant malleolus and the posterior border of the Achilles tendon. In conclusion, this study describes easily identifiable, palpable bony and soft tissue landmarks that could be used to locate the nerves around the ankle

Lankanectes pera Senevirathne & Samarawickrama & Wijayathilaka & Manamendra-Arachchi & Bowatte & Samarawickrama & Meegaskumbura 2018, sp. nov.

&lt;i&gt;Lankanectes pera&lt;/i&gt;, sp. nov. &lt;p&gt;(Figs. 2, 3, 4, Appendix 2)&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt; &lt;b&gt;Type Material.&lt;/b&gt; Holotype: mature male, 66.0 mm SVL, DZ1858 (KNU01), Knuckles Peak, alt. 1580 m, 7.4646 &deg;N 80.7409 &deg;E. Collected by MM, KM-A 10th August, 2012.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;Paratypes: mature female, 51.0 mm SVL, DZ1859 (KNU02), Knuckles Peak, alt. 1580 m (7&ring;4646&rsquo; N 80&ring;7409&rsquo;E) collected by MM, KM-A 10th August, 2012; mature female, 42.4 mm SVL DZ1860 (HUN01), Dothalugala (Hunnasgiriya Peak), alt. 1420 m (7&ring;3206&rsquo;N 80&ring;8568&rsquo;E), MM, KM-A, NW 12th December, 2012; mature male, 68.7 mm SVL, DZ1307, Riverston Knuckles, alt 1330 m (7&ring;5233&rsquo;N, 80&ring;7333&rsquo;E), collected by MM, NW, GS 15th August, 2013; mature female, 55.8 mm SVL, DZ1290, Riverston Knuckles, alt. 1260 m (7&ring;5180&rsquo;N, 80&ring;7375&rsquo;E), collected by MM, NW, GS 15th August, 2013; mature female, 47.3 mm SVL, DZ1302, Riverston Knuckles, 1260 m (7&ring;5180&rsquo;N, 80&ring;7375&rsquo;E), collected by MM, NW, GS 15th August, 2013.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt; &lt;b&gt;Diagnosis.&lt;/b&gt; &lt;i&gt;Lankanectes pera&lt;/i&gt; &lt;b&gt;sp. nov.&lt;/b&gt; can be distinguished from &lt;i&gt;L. corrugatus&lt;/i&gt; by the following characters: ventrally greyish (&lt;i&gt;vs&lt;/i&gt; white with dark brown patches in &lt;i&gt;L. corrugatus&lt;/i&gt;); white tubercles on throat (&lt;i&gt;vs&lt;/i&gt; smooth throat in &lt;i&gt;L. corrugatus&lt;/i&gt;); edge of the upper lip uniform grey (&lt;i&gt;vs&lt;/i&gt; white border with dark brown patches in &lt;i&gt;L. corrugatus&lt;/i&gt;); inner edge of toes grey (&lt;i&gt;vs&lt;/i&gt; inner edge of I, II, III and IV toes white in &lt;i&gt;L. corrugatus&lt;/i&gt;); inner edge of foot grey (&lt;i&gt;vs&lt;/i&gt; white in &lt;i&gt;L. corrugatus&lt;/i&gt;); flank grey (vs. flank with dark brown and white patches in &lt;i&gt;L. corrugatus&lt;/i&gt;).&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt; &lt;b&gt;Description&lt;/b&gt; (based on the holotype, DZ 1858; Figs. 2,3,4). Body stout. Head flat dorsally. Snout rounded when viewed dorsally and laterally. Canthal edges indistinct. Loreal region convex. Edges of upper lip with distinct tubercles; interorbital and internasal spaces convex. Nostrils oval; close to each other (19.3% of the width of the skull); placed dorsally on snout; edges fleshy. Tympanum absent; pineal ocellus absent. Vomerine teeth present; the vomerine teeth are tusk-like (more prominent in males), with an angle of 60&deg; relative to body axis; less close to choanae than to each other. Tongue large; emarginated; not bearing a lingual papilla; two tubercles on posterior base of tongue. Two fang-like processes on the mandible. Internal vocal slits present, close to gape. Supratympanic fold absent. Parotid glands absent. Head wide. Cephalic ridges absent. Cephalic knob on head. Skin on head not coossified. Dorsal surface of head and body covered in numerous prominent dermal folds (corrugations) and glandular, white-tipped warts. Corrugations present also on ventral surface of head and throat. Manus robust. Forearms short, strong; fingers thin. Tips of fingers rounded, enlarged; discs absent; finger-tips not wide compared to finger width; no dermal fringe on inner or outer sides of fingers; no webbing on fingers; subarticular tubercles on fingers prominent, oval, single; prepollex distinct. Two palmar tubercles, oval, distinct, convex. Supernumerary tubercles on palm very small. Nuptial pad absent. Pes robust. Thigh and shank stout. Toes thin. Tips of toes rounded, enlarged, discs absent; tips of toes not wide compared to toe width. Toes fully webbed (see Figs 2B &amp; 3B). Dermal folds present on inner edge of toe I and outer edge of toe V. Subarticular tubercles on toes prominent, rounded or oval, single. Inner metatarsal tubercle long, prominent, oval. Tarsal fold present. Outer metatarsal tubercle absent. Supernumerary tubercles on foot absent. Tarsal tubercle absent. Snout between eyes and side of head with folds and fine tubercles. Anterior and posterior part of back, and upper and lower flank with dermal folds. Dorsolateral fold absent on body. Corrugations and glandular warts present on dorsal surface of legs, but are less prominent; ventral surface of legs smooth. Lateral-line system present. Dorsal parts of forelimb and thigh with corrugations. Dorsal part of shank and tarsus with corrugations and tiny tubercles. Chest, belly and ventral part of thigh smooth. A cluster of macroglands (femoral glands) on inner surface of thigh. Possess vocal sacs and nuptial pads.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt; &lt;b&gt;Sexual dimorphism.&lt;/b&gt; Head of females narrower than males (see Appendix 4 for measurements); cephalic knob and vocal slits absent.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;Coloration (in alcohol; Fig. 4)&mdash;Dorsally dark brown with unequal dark patches, edges of corrugations lighter in color, some pale spots on dorsum. A pale-yellow bar with dark edges on inter-orbital area. Flank, inguinal zone, loreal region and sides of back of head light brown, edges of corrugations pale. Throat, margin of throat and vocal sacs pale brown with lighter spots. Chest, belly, ventral sides of thighs and webbing light brown.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;Color in life: Dorsally chocolate brown with unequal dark-brown patches. Ridges of the numerous prominent corrugations lighter in color, with interspersed light-brown spots. A light-brown bar edged with dark brown/black colors in the interorbital area. Flank, inguinal zone, loreal region and sides of back of head light brown. Throat, margin of throat and vocal sacs white with pale brown patches. Chest, belly ventral sides white. Ventral sides of thighs light brown, with white patches. Underside of webbing light brown. Disks and tubercles of pes and manus grey-brown.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt; &lt;b&gt;Measurements of Holotype (&lt;/b&gt; DZ 1858 in mm &lt;b&gt;)&lt;/b&gt;. DBE, 17.2; DFE, 9.6; ED, 7.5; EN, 4.3; ES, 9.1; FEL, 29.7; FL I, 5.8; FL II, 6.0; FL III, 7.9; FL IV, 6.9; FOL, 42.0; HL, 27.3; HW, 25.7; IML, 3.3; IN, 3.6; IO, 5.6; LAL, 13.2; MBE, 12.6; MFE, 20.4; MN, 24.1; NS, 6.9; PAL, 15.8; SVL, 66.0; TBL, 28.4; TL I, 7.3; TL II, 9.0; TL III, 12.7; TL IV, 15.9; TL V, 12; UAW, 9.8; UEW, 3.0.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt; &lt;b&gt;Etymology.&lt;/b&gt; The specific epithet &lt;i&gt;pera&lt;/i&gt; is applied as a noun in apposition. It is a reference to the University of Peradeniya, Sri Lanka, affectionately referred to as &ldquo;Pera&rdquo; by its alumni.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt; &lt;b&gt;Morphometrics.&lt;/b&gt; Unrotated principal components analysis separates the males of the two species on PC1, but slight overlap is seen for females (Fig. 1D). Of the total variance, 92 % is explained by PC1, which is a size axis (although the highest factor loading was for SVL, all other variables too, had high positive values); &lt;i&gt;Lankanectes pera&lt;/i&gt; &lt;b&gt;sp. nov.&lt;/b&gt; is larger in size than &lt;i&gt;L. corrugatus&lt;/i&gt; (see Appendix 4 for all material studied and measurements). Only 2.6% of the total variance is explained by PC2, which reflects mostly in FLI (length of first finger) and NS (nostril to snout distance). This axis, however, is uninformative as the two species show nearly complete overlap (Fig. 1D, Appendix 4).&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt; &lt;b&gt;Distribution:&lt;/b&gt; &lt;i&gt;Lankanectes pera&lt;/i&gt; &lt;b&gt;sp. nov.&lt;/b&gt; is restricted to streams flowing through the montane forests on highest peaks of the Knuckles Mountain range&mdash; 1100 m asl, in Dothalugala and Bamabarella and Riverston regions.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt; &lt;b&gt;Ecological notes and natural history.&lt;/b&gt; This species has so far only been observed inhabiting pristine streams flowing through closed-canopy montane forests. These streams are characterized by clear, shallow and slowflowing water, and sand and rock-strewn substrates. Males are found under rocks or rock-crevices in flowing water. Occasionally males call haltingly during daytime, but several males frequently vocalize in chorus at night, especially after light rain. Tadpoles of these frogs are large (total length of Gosner stage 35 tadpoles range between 42.00&ndash; 45.14 mm, &lt;i&gt;N =&lt;/i&gt; 4), and occur in deeper regions (0.5 m) where decaying vegetation gathers.&lt;/p&gt;Published as part of &lt;i&gt;Senevirathne, Gayani, Samarawickrama, V. A. M. P. K., Wijayathilaka, Nayana, Manamendra-Arachchi, Kelum, Bowatte, Gayan, Samarawickrama, D. R. N. S. &amp; Meegaskumbura, Madhava, 2018, A new frog species from rapidly dwindling cloud forest streams of Sri Lanka-Lankanectes pera (Anura, Nyctibatrachidae), pp. 519-538 in Zootaxa 4461 (4)&lt;/i&gt; on pages 526-530, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4461.4.4, &lt;a href="http://zenodo.org/record/1460258"&gt;http://zenodo.org/record/1460258&lt;/a&gt