Community views and attitudes for waste management improvement in a higher education institute: A case study

The safe disposal technologies for waste is utmost important for the reduction of environmental burdens associated with the improper disposal of wastes. Before the planning and implementation of waste management systems, the views and attitudes of community (stakeholders) are very important for the sustainability of waste management system which will be implemented. In this study, we attempted to gather the views of community in the Faculty of Agriculture, University of Ruhuna on environmental issues and waste management, and evaluate them for the improvement of waste management system towards sustainability. A questionnaire survey and informal discussions were carried out to gather information on waste management. A randomly selected sample was taken, covering all possible members such as academic staff, non academic staff, students and cleaning service personnel comprising the sample size of 70 were interviewed. Informal discussions were also conducted with the individuals (randomly) in the Faculty. Gathered data were analyzed through simple descriptive methods using Microsoft spread sheet software. The most of the respondents (96 0/0) knows that environmental degradation is a serious problem due to improper disposal of solid wastes. However, about 63 % of respondents think that equal priorities should be given for the development activities and environmental issues. About 50 % of respondents believe that health problems are created due to environmental deterioration and over 74% argued that respiratory problems are apparent due to improper disposal of wastes. Over 90 % of people know the waste management system practiced in the faculty and there demerits. For the good management of wastes, the segregation is essential; however, most of the respondents think that waste separation is not important for waste management. Therefore, it is necessary make an awareness program for them to get involved in the waste separation. Eighty nine percent of people like to support and cooperate in the activities of the waste management programs implemented at the faculty. And also they (69%) know the cooperation is essential for the management of wastes. Most of the community interviewed think that a good waste management system can be implemented at the faculty and they believe that education, technology, man power and resources are abundant in the faculty. The people in the faculty like to cooperate and participate for a proper waste management system. Therefore, their involvement should be encouraged for the development and implementation of waste management system in the faculty. The views and attitudes of the stake holders are very important for the proper function of waste management systems in any institute and therefore, prior to the implementation of waste management system, stakeholders' views should be taken and their attitudes should also be changed where necessary

The rise and decline of Chola power in Ceylon.

The present thesis attempts to critically examine the rise, decline and effects of Cola rule over the northern half of Ceylon during the first three quarters of the eleventh century. The short introduction explains the need for a comprehensive investigation into many of the more important aspects of those critical years. It also stresses the need for a closer examination of the motives "behind the sudden expansion of Cola power outside India. This is followed by a chapter (i) on the Sources pertaining to our study. The main study begins with Chapter II with an account of the relations between Ceylon and South India up to the tenth century. Chapter III traces the rise of the Cola Vijayalaya line in South India and its impact on Ceylon. This becomes evident with the accession of Parantaka I (906-955 A.C.). But in spite of his attempt to conquer Ceylon the position remained unchanged till the accession of Rajaraja I (985-955 A.C. There is also a conflicting account of an Indian invasion of the north of Ceylon in the time of Mahinda IV (956-972 A.C.). Chapter IV is devoted to the Cola occupation of Rajarattha in the time of Rajaraja I, and the consolidation of their power during the reigns Rajendra I and Rajadhiraja I. Chapter V covers the vital phase of the struggle between the Sinhalese and the Colas. Taking advantage of the difficulties of the Colas following the death of Virara-jendra the Sinhalese under the leadership of Vijayabahu I were able to overthrow the power of the Colas in Ceylon. Thus their power in Ceylon came to an end, but the relations between the Sinhalese and the Colas continued to be unfriendly for over another hundred years. Chapter VI is devoted to a study of the administration of Rajaratha (Anuradhapura kingdom) and its economic conditions under the Colas. What we have undertaken here is the first serious survey of its kind. The last chapter (VII) discusses the effect of the Cola occupation on the society and religion in Ceylon. The more important results of our investigations are summarised in a Conclusion

“Tell me what I should watch”: A customer value perspective of YouTube metadata

YouTube is increasingly being considered a lucrative means of earning money in addition to becoming popular among viewers. To gain these benefits YouTube content creators (YouTubers) need to first attract viewers’ attention to their videos and then persuade them to watch. YouTube metadata, such as the title, thumbnail, description, and keywords, can assist in achieving both objectives. This has been established in the current literature which shows, for example, that metadata optimizing can increase view counts. While these studies have demonstrated the end result of metadata optimization, they do not indicate why viewers respond to different characteristics of metadata in different ways. We contribute to the literature on marketing and consuming YouTube videos by examining, using Holbrook’s (1999) value typology for theorisation, how viewers experience the metadata and how these experiences contribute to the overall value creation process of watching YouTube videos. We employed an interpretive, qualitative research design in conducting the study, using focus group discussions with 21 young YouTube viewers as the data collection method. Data were analysed using thematic analysis. Key findings were that metadata can both deliver value (efficiency) and provide signals about values delivered through the video (excellence and aesthetics). Further, the play value viewers get from interacting with the video is indirectly influenced by the metadata. We also identified that although viewers commonly expect some characteristics in the title and thumbnail, irrespective of their purpose of using YouTube, the importance of each differs when they seek information or entertainment gratification. Further, when value promises made by the metadata are not delivered through the videos, viewers respond negatively. Keywords: Entertainment gratification, Information gratification, Metadata optimization, Value, YouTub

BIOGAS PRODUCTION POTENTIAL OF SELECT RAW MATERIALS COMMONLY FOUND IN HOUSE HOLD WASTE

Most of the people in Sri Lanka do not have enough and distinct knowledge about biogas technology, suitable raw materials and biogas production potential of such raw materials. In this study, evaluate the composition, physical and chemical properties of house hold waste, and to determine the biogas production potential of selected raw materials. After evaluating the selected raw materials, biogas production potential was determined. News papers, papaya peels ,banana peels, coconut scraped refuses, potato refuses, rice, and mixture of those waste were fed into the batch  digesters (4.5 L) with inoculums and sealed to maintain anaerobic condition. Each treatment comprised 400 g of raw materials (dry weight).  C:N ratio of each treatment was adjusted before sealing the reactors. Daily biogas productions of every treatment were recorded and pH adjustment was done where necessary in all reactors. Gas production started in all the reactors 16 days after filling. Highest gas production (10473.1mL) was observed in reactors having mixtures of wastes during 41 days while lowest gas production (754mL) was recorded in reactors with coconut scrap refuses in 27 days. Average duration of gas production for most of the waste was 54 days. pH was reduced in the mixture of reactors at the beginning down to 3.91 and it was adjusted to improve the gas production. Papaya peel and coconut scrap were the highest and lowest degradability waste respectively. It appears that this technology is a good option for the management of the organic fraction of household waste

Influence of undergraduates activities on the waste composition and generation rates in a residential University – case study

The increase of waste generation and its disposal is a major problem and challenge faced by the most of the countries today.The uncontrolled disposal of different types of waste into environment is a great threat for the future of all living beings in the world. Therefore, it is essential to pay more attention for the waste management and disposal to avoid the detrimental impact on the environment. For the development of a proper treatment or disposal systems for waste management for any organization or municipality, it is essential to have the information with respect to waste composition, generation rate and its variation with time of that organization. Therefore, in this study, it was attempted to evaluate the composition and the variation of waste generation rate in the hostels of the undergraduates of University of Ruhuna with their activities.The study was conducted in the premises and surroundings of the hostels of the undergraduates for a period of one year (September to August). The waste samples were collected from each and every hostel once in two months. The waste samples were separated into different components (such as foods, paper, plastics, etc), weighed and determined the percentages of different components.  The different types of waste generation rate per head were calculated based on the waste generation for the total study period. It was found that food remains, papers, plastics and polythene are the major components. The types of waste found in hostels of girls were less in numbers than that of boys. Leather, textiles, metals, etc could not be found in hostels of girls.Over ~95 % of waste found in girls’ hostels were food remains and boys generate food waste about ~71%. Per capita food waste generation by girls was ~ 207 g/day while it was ~23 g/day by boys. The generation of other types of waste was higher in hostels of boys than that of girls’ hostels. It appears that the amount of waste generation varied in different months basically due to examinations and other activities of the students. During examination periods, it seems that the undergraduates may change their food habits. Based on this study, it can be concluded that major component of waste found in undergraduate hostels was food wastes and the generation rate slightly varies with the activities of undergraduates. When designing of a waste management systems for higher education institutes where students reside, higher priority should be given for the management of food wast

Seed Biology of Three Strychnos Species (Loganiaceae) from Sri Lanka, Towards Their Conservation

Knowing seed germination phenology is important in propagation and thus conservation of plant species as many of the plants regenerate through seeds naturally and easily. Knowledge on seed biology of a species plays a vital role in both ex-situ and in-situ conservation. Thus, we aimed to study seed biology of three Strychnos species from Sri Lanka which are of conservation importance, S. potatorum L.f. and S.nux-vomica L. in dry zone and S. benthamii C. B. Clarke in wet lowlands and montane regions. Seed moisture content was determined for study species by an oven dry method. Desiccation sensitivity of seeds was determined using 100 seed method proposed by Pritchard et al. (2004). Effect of different temperatures (32 and 25o C) and Gibberellic acid (GA3) concentrations (500 and 100 ppm) on seed germination was evaluated. Seeds were incubated in Petri dishes on moistened (with distilled water or GA3) tissue papers in light/dark (12/12hr) condition. Embryo length: seed length ratio (E: S ratio) of fresh seeds, seeds just after radicle emergence and of seeds before shoot emergence was studied. The moisture content of S. nux-vomica, S. potatorum and S.benthamii at dispersal was 42.02, 34.9 and 45.93%, respectively. Hundred seed test for S. nux-vomica, and S. potatorum revealed that their seeds could tolerate desiccation, while S. benthamii seed could not survive desiccation. Radicle emergence of S. nux vomica and S. potatorum incubated at 32o C initiated after 34 and 59 days, respectively. Radicle emergence of S. benthamii initiated after 11 days at 25o C. GA3 treated seeds of S. nux-vomica and S. potatorum emerged radicle quickly than those incubated on distilled water (p<0.001and p<0.001, respectively), while there was no GA3 effect on S. benthamii seeds. Further, when the shoot emergence was considered a considerable delay in shoot emergence was observed in seeds of all the three species indicating that they have epicotyl dormancy. The size of the embryos of S. nux vomica, S. potatorum and S. benthamii seeds have increased by 38.24, 34.48 and 25.49% by the time of radicle emergence. Thus, seeds of the three study species also have a morphological component to their dormancy. Thus, their dormancy can be classified as morphophysiological epicotyl dormancy. Although the GA3 has increased the shoot emergence rate, seeds of all the study species emerged shoot within 4 months. Thus, we recommend sawing of seeds 4 months prior to seedling requirements to obtain necessary seedlings for seed restoration. Determination of dormancy type and storage type of these species is vital in seed handling and storage for restoration activities.Keywords: Strychnos, Morphophysiological, Epicotyl dormancy, Seed dormancy, Seed storag

Floristic composition of homegarden systems in some villages in northern flank of Dumbara: with a special emphasis on endemic homegarden plant species

A study was carried out in 55 home gardens in six peripheral villages in the Northern flank of Dumbara Conservation Area (Knuckles) from January to April 2012. Two large (10x10 m2) quadrates and 4 small (1x1 m2) quadrates were studied in each randomly selected home garden. Individuals ≥ 2 m height and ≥ 1 cm DBH were measured and identification was done on site and further with the help of National Herbarium, Peradeniya. Total of 1,335 individual woody-perennials, 4,603 herbs were found in 11,000 m2. 152 woody-perennial species (19 endemic, 44 naturalized exotics, 35 cultivated and 52 timber) under 54 families and 56 herb species (46 medicinal) belonging to 33 families were recorded. Euphorbiaceae was the dominant family with 15 species, followed by Fabaceae (11 species), Anacardiaceae (10 species), Rutaceae (10 species), Myrtaceae (7 species), Rubiaceae (6 species), Arecaceae (6 species), Moraceae (5 species), Sapindaceae (4 species) and Zingiberaceae (4 species). Highest number of plant families (43) was recorded in Pitawala, while the lowest number of plant families recorded in Polommana (24). Based on the Important Value Index (IVI), the dominance, some species were selected to pay high priority for conservation. According to Shannon diversity values for different villages, Rathninda is the most stable and less disturbed, whereas Polommana is the most unstable and highly disturbed village. There were five endemic Anacardiaceae (56%) species (Campnosperma zeylanicum, Mangifera zeylanica, Semecarpus coriaceae, Semecarpus nigro-viridis, Semecarpus walkeri). Callophyllum trapezifolium, Garcinia quaesita (Clusiaceae), Dipterocarpus zelanicus, Shorea hulanidda (Dipterocarpaceae), Agrostistachys hookeri, Phyllanthus myrtifolius (Euphorbiaceae), Aidia gardneri, Diplospera erythrospora (Rubiaceae), Strobilanthes anceps (Acanthaceae), Canarium zeylanicum (Burseraceae), Diospyros oppositifolia (Ebanaceae); Scolopia crassipes (Flacourtiaceae) and Pandannus ceylanicas (Pandanaceae) were the other endemics reported. Preference of plant to grow in their homegardens was varied from household to household. Most are preferred on Cocus nucifera (57%) and 24% of people were interested in timber trees such as Tectona grandis, Melia azedarach, Swietenia macrophylla and Chloroxylon swietenia. Twelve percent of the studied population was preferred in fruit trees while 5% were interested in some medicinal plants. Preference of this nature indicates that the deprivation of plant diversity in the homegadens in near future. Therefore, people in northern flank of Dumbara area should be encouraged to incorporate multipurpose endemic plants and plants with less IVI values in their home gardens in order to conserve of endemic and relatively rare plants, with the facilitates of relevant authoritie

Species Composition and Visiting Frequencies of Flower Visitors of Chromolaena odorata

Plant-animal interaction has been a major theme in ecology as it has helped ecologists to rule out different patterns they observed in the surrounding environments. Chromolaena odorata is another plant species that is studied extensively as it has become a major troublesome weed in many parts of the tropics. But, handful of studies are available on pollination of this invasive plant species in dry forests and its function as a pollinator sink in these environments. The current study was carried out in a dry zone secondary forest patch in North-Central Sri Lanka to assess the diversity, abundance, and pollination strength of flower visitors associated with the C. odorata. The results suggest that the diversity of Hymenoptera and Lepidoptera is higher than the other insect orders that visited C. odorata, but all species exerted equal pollination strength on the plant. The attraction of large numbers of insects is concluded to as one of the factors that contribute to the reproductive success of C. odorata in dry zone forests