Economic valuation of irrigation water under a major irrigation scheme (Gal Oya) in eastern Sri Lanka

The objective of this study was to estimate the economic value of irrigation water used in a crop farm (paddy and chilies) using a Linear Programming approach in the Senanayake Samudra (Gal-Oya Irrigation Scheme) Right Bank System area in the Ampara District.Length: pp.89-94Irrigation schemesIrrigation waterPricingModels

What is the Brillouin Zone of an Anisotropic Photonic Crystal?

The concept of the Brillouin zone (BZ) in relation to a photonic crystal fabricated in an optically anisotropic material is explored both experimentally and theoretically. In experiment, we used femtosecond laser pulses to excite THz polaritons and image their propagation in lithium niobate and lithium tantalate photonic crystal (PhC) slabs. We directly measured the dispersion relation inside PhCs and observed that the lowest bandgap expected to form at the BZ boundary forms inside the BZ in the anisotropic lithium niobate PhC. Our analysis shows that in an anisotropic material the BZ - defined as the Wigner-Seitz cell in the reciprocal lattice - is no longer bounded by Bragg planes and thus does not conform to the original definition of the BZ by Brillouin. We construct an alternative Brillouin zone defined by Bragg planes and show its utility in identifying features of the dispersion bands. We show that for an anisotropic 2D PhC without dispersion, the Bragg plane BZ can be constructed by applying the Wigner-Seitz method to a stretched or compressed reciprocal lattice. We also show that in the presence of the dispersion in the underlying material or in a slab waveguide, the Bragg planes are generally represented by curved surfaces rather than planes. The concept of constructing a BZ with Bragg planes should prove useful in understanding the formation of dispersion bands in anisotropic PhCs and in selectively tailoring their optical properties.Comment: 9 pages, 6 figure

Sheltering the unsheltered: a 'post-Tsunami' situation analysis of housing in Maruthamunai, Ampara district

The village, Maruthamunai situated north of Kalmunai in Ampara District, was devastated by the tsunami that occurred in 2004. The tsunami affected families were not fully provided with housing facilities to date and a vast majority are still in welfare centres. This study was done to assess post-tsunami housing activities in Maruthamunai, and level to which the housing reconstruction activities had benefitted the affected people. Key informant interviews and secondary data collected from various sources were used in the analysis. Around 2/3 of the entire Maruthamunai was affected by the tsunami disaster. Massive destruction was caused to several economic and social infrastructures. The loss caused to houses was estimated at Rs. 1,674 Mn., about 75.88% of total monetary loss. Therefore, it was necessary to study the post-tsunami housing activities in Maruthamunai with the support of the government and donors. It was hypothesized that housing construction had benefited the affected families. About 2,564 families consisting of 9,416 persons were affected by tsunami. Fully damaged houses within the buffer zone (0 - 65 meters) were 277, while damaged houses within the 65 - 200 meters were 1718, of which 26.78% were fully damaged. Total damaged bouses above the 200 meters zone were 481 in which 99.58% were fully damaged houses. Around 2,476 houses were required to be constructed for the affected families. But only 732 houses (29.56% damaged) were constructed by donors with Government support. Around 1,648 households were paid Rs. 100,000 to Rs.250,000 for repairing damaged houses. Only 96 houses (34.65% of total damaged) were provided to affected beneficiaries in the buffer zone. Since the funding and designs for housing varied from donor to donor, beneficiaries had dissatisfaction with the houses provided. Funds provided for repairing partly damaged houses was also insufficient for most of the affected families. The post-tsunami housing construction work of the government and donors was observed to be still going on at a slow pace. Hence it is evident that housing construction work in Maruthamunai had not significantly benefited the affected people as expected. There is an urgent need to monitor and expedite the reconstruction of houses to shelter the homeless poor people

Urban Solid Waste Generation and Management Issues Analysis of Solid Waste Disposal in the Kattankudy Urban Council Area, Sri Lanka

Urban solid waste management is a problem for local authorities of many cities in Sri Lanka,due to rapid population growth and changes in consumption patterns of urban households,leading to large quantity of solid waste generation. This paper addresses solid wastemanagement in the Kattankudy urban council area in Sri Lanka. The study used mainlysecondary data collected from the Urban Council office and some discussions with UCofficials dealing with waste management. Total waste generation per day was 37,368 kg, totalbio waste per day of 21,371 kg (57.20%), total Non-bio waste per day 15,829 kg (42.36%),and total special waste per day 168 kg (0.44%). Total waste generated per day was composedof bio waste of 21,371 kg (57.20%), total Non-bio waste of 15,829 kg (42.36%), and totalspecial waste of 168 kg (0.44%). The total waste generation per person per day was 0.753 kg,0.43 kg of biodegradable waste, 0.32 kg non-biodegradable waste and 0.003 kg special wasteper person per day. It was estimated that about 54% of the revenue collected by theKattankudy UC was being spent on solid waste collection activities, which has hindered useof funds for other essential service provision such as repairs to roads, water supply andsanitation facilities. Findings indicate that massive amounts of solid waste are generatedwhich are difficult to collect and dispose. Some policy issues are discussed for a better wastemanagement strategy

Limnological Characteristics Reveal Metal Pollution Legacy in Lakes near Canada’s Northernmost Mine, Little Cornwallis Island, Nunavut

We compared modern limnological characteristics of three lakes near the world’s northernmost base metal (lead-zinc) mine, Polaris Mine, which operated from 1981 to 2002 on Little Cornwallis Island (Nunavut, Canada), to a suite of sites from Resolute Bay (Qausuittuq), Cornwallis Island. Although both study regions are underlain by broadly similar geology and experience nearly identical climatic conditions, present-day water chemistry variables differed markedly between sites on the two islands. Specifically, the lakes near the Polaris Mine recorded substantially higher concentrations of zinc and lead, as well as several other heavy metals (cadmium, molybdenum, nickel, uranium, vanadium), relative to the sites on Cornwallis Island. Although the Polaris Mine closed in 2002, elevated levels of heavy metals in our 2017 survey are likely a legacy of contamination from prior operations. Nous avons comparé les caractéristiques limnologiques modernes de trois lacs situés à proximité de la mine de métaux communs (plomb-zinc) la plus au nord du globe, soit la mine Polaris exploitée de 1981 à 2002 sur la Petite île Cornwallis (Nunavut, Canada), à une série de sites de la baie Resolute (Qausuittuq) sur l’île Cornwallis. Même si les deux régions à l’étude possèdent une géologie grandement similaire et qu’elles connaissent des conditions climatiques quasi identiques, les variables de la composition chimique de l’eau actuelle affichaient des différences considérables entre les sites des deux îles. Plus précisément, les lacs à proximité de la mine Polaris avaient des concentrations de plomb et de zinc nettement supérieures ainsi que plusieurs autres métaux lourds (cadmium, molybdène, nickel, uranium, vanadium) comparativement aux sites de l’île Cornwallis. Même si la mine Polaris a fermé ses portes en 2002, la présence de taux élevés de métaux lourds dans notre levé de 2017 découle vraisemblablement de la contamination émanant d’activités antérieures.&nbsp

The role of e-participation and open data in evidence-based policy decision making in local government

The relationships between policies, their values and outcomes are often difficult for citizens and policy makers to assess due to the complex nature of the policy lifecycle. With the opening of data by public administrations there is now a greater opportunity for transparency, accountability and evidence-based decision making in the policy making process. In representative democracies, citizens rely on their elected representatives and local administrations to take policy decisions that address societal challenges and add value to their local communities. Citizens now have the opportunity to assess the impact and values of the policies introduced by their elected representatives and hold them accountable by utilising historical open data that is publicly available. Using a qualitative case study in a UK Local Government Authority, this paper examines how e-participation platforms and the use of open data can facilitate more factual, evidence based and transparent policy decision making and evaluation. From a theoretical stance, this paper contributes to the policy lifecycle and e-participation literature. The paper also offers valuable insights to public administrations on how open data can be utilised for evidence-based policy decision making and evaluationThis work evolved in the context of the project Policy Compass (http://policycompass.eu/), a project co-funded by the EC within FP7, Grant agreement no: 612133

Relaxation and Guided Imagery Significantly Reduces Androgen Levels and Distress in Polycystic Ovary Syndrome: Pilot Study

AIM: Women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) often have elevated levels of the androgen testosterone, and are at increased risk of anxiety and depression. This study aimed to use psychological relaxation with guided imagery to decrease androgen levels and improve mood in PCOS. METHODS: Repeated-measures. Thirteen women with PCOS underwent six weekly treatment sessions, and a follow-up session, of calming breathing, muscle relaxation, and guided imagery. The main outcome measures were mood and quality of life (QoL) – assessed using validated questionnaires – and hormones, which were assayed in serum using tandem mass spectrometry. RESULTS: There was a small but statistically significant reduction in DHEAS from before to after Week 1 (p <.044) and from before to after Week 6 (p <.001). From before to after Week 6 there were also small but statistically significant reductions in androstenedione (p <.010) and cortisol (p <.003). From Week 1 to Week 6 there was a significant reduction in anxiety (p <.037). There was a significant improvement in depression from Week 1 to Week 6 (p <.034) and from Week 1 to follow-up (p <.011). There were no significant changes in free or total testosterone, nor in QoL. CONCLUSIONS: This is the first study to use a relaxation programme to reduce adrenal androgens in PCOS

Examining the Role of Procurement 4.0 towards Remanufacturing Operations and Circular Economy

YesProcurement digitalisation can provide significant opportunities for excellence in remanufacturing operations. The close attention of firms is required during the configuration of procurement 4.0 resources for applying front end and base technologies in order to develop the correct set of these resources. Based on Resource Based View theory, this research examines the role of resources influencing procurement 4.0 for driving productivity in remanufacturing operations and circular economy performance. The survey data for this research was gathered from working professionals in South Africa and results reveal that technological resources are necessary in procurement 4.0, which can in turn improve the productivity in remanufacturing operations. An upsurge in performance in remanufacturing operations can enhance the circular economy outcome. To the best of authors’ knowledge, this study is the first to provide insight for researchers, practitioners and academics with an empirical test of digital procurement on remanufacturing operations and of circular economy performance in an emerging economy like South Africa