Association of the leptin receptor Q223R (rs1137101) polymorphism with obesity measures in Sri Lankans

OBJECTIVE: The role of genetic factors in the development of obesity is largely unreported in Sri Lankans. The Q223R (rs1137101) single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) of the leptin receptor (LEPR) gene has been associated with obesity measures in various ethnicities. We investigated the association of the Q223R polymorphism with obesity related anthropometric measures and biochemical parameters fasting blood glucose and lipid profile in a sample of 530 Sri Lankan adult subjects (age 18-70 years) representing both urban and rural areas of residence. RESULTS: The LEPR Q223R variant G allele frequency was 0.54. The polymorphism was associated with body mass index (p = 0.04) and waist circumference (p = 0.02) measures in overweight and obese (BMI ≥ 25 kgm-2) subjects with the variant allele conferring a greater risk of adiposity. Residency in urban areas eliminated the protective effect of the non-risk genotype (AA) in the development of obesity

Framing Of Climate Change Impacts And Use Of Management Accounting Practices

This study examines (i) how companies perceive climate change impacts in terms of opportunities or threats and the reasons for these perceptions, and (ii) use of management accounting practices to manage carbon emissions and the relationship between climate change perceptions and accounting use. The sample consists of Australian companies that participated in the Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP) 2009 survey. We fnd that how climate change impacts are framed (as threat or opportunity) influences the use of planning and target setting, performance measurement and incentivisation in managing emissions. However, in general, use of accounting practices in managing carbon emissions is limited

Effects of transition metal doping on multiferroic ordering in ni3v2o8 and fevo4

We have studied the effects of doping both non-magnetic and magnetic ions on the phase transitions and multiferroic ordering in two multiferroic oxides; Ni3V2O8 and FeVO4. Magnetic, dielectric, specific heat, polarization and AC susceptibility measurements were used to track changes in phase transition temperatures. We found that the two higher temperature magnetic transitions in Ni3V2O8; TH = 9.1 K and TL = 6.3 K are suppressed to lower temperatures with all transition metal dopants. For Zn doping, the rates of the suppression of both TH and TL with dopant fraction are consistent with simple site dilution for two-dimensional spin systems, with the suppression of TH consistent with Ising spins and the suppression of TL consistent with Heisenberg spins. However, samples remain multiferroic at least up to 15% Zn doping. Conversely, spin-1/2 Cu doping strongly suppresses both transitions, for which the multiferroic magnetic structure is completely suppressed at only 10% Cu doping. However, below 10% Cu doping, the samples show enhanced ferroelectric polarization, and a sizable net magnetization also develops. With spin-3/2 Co doping, suppression is very small, with the multiferroic transition persisting even at 30% doping and the material showing Ni3V2O8 magnetic characteristics up to 80% doping. On the Co rich side of the composition, we find that the magnetic ordering temperatures for Co3V2O8 are suppressed rapidly with Ni doping. With higher spin dopants (e.g. spin-2 Fe and spin-5/2 Mn), suppression remains fairly low. We also present phase diagrams for (Ni1-xMx)3V2O8 (M = Zn, Cu, Co, Fe and Mn). These studies suggest that the spin structures in Ni3V2O8 responsible for the development of ferroelectric order are relatively robust against perturbations produced by both magnetic and non-magnetic dopants, with the most significant disruption of the magnetic structure developing for Cu doping. In the case of FeVO4, we find that the magnetoelectric coupling in FeVO4 is remarkably robust to dopants with minimal suppression in transition temperatures for 3 transition metal dopants, Zn, Cr and Fe. We observe clear reversible polarization even at 20% doping suggesting the multiferroic order persists even at a large doping fraction. It is possible that the low symmetry and the 3-dimensional spin structure of FeVO4 are responsible for this remarkable robustness against dopants. These results indicate multiferroic ordering in Ni3V2O8 and FeVO4 show high resilience to dopants which can be extremely important in tuning the properties of multiferroics in general. Cu doped Ni3V2O8 studies show it is possible to develop a sizable net magnetization simultaneously with strong polarization and good magnetoelectric coupling which is a much desirable property to have for device development

Impact of Lean Utilization on Operational Performance: A Study of Sri Lankan Textile and Apparel Industry

The increasingly competitive local and international market for the Textile and Apparel industry has forced the manufacturers to adopt practices that lead to cost reductions and improve Operational Performance (OP). According to Gamage et al. (2010) lean had been initiated to fulfill this requirement. Yet it was crucial to be aware whether Lean Practices would essentially have a positive impact on OP. This research was therefore conducted to identify the relationship between Lean and OP and the impact Lean utilization creates on the OP levels. The objectives also covered the identification of issues that hinder the ability to derive the expected benefits and suggesting how Lean could be used effectively to attain the expected OP levels. A survey questionnaire was used to gather data from Textile and Apparel factories that met the criteria of possessing Lean manufacturing as the standard of operation for more than a period of one year, to ensure adequate time to gain results on an impact on the OP measurement criteria identified in the model. This was studied in a sample of thirty medium to large scale factories registered in the Board of Investments. Data were specifically gathered on Lean utilization under three constructs, Just in Time (JIT), Waste Elimination (WE) and Flow Management (FM) extracted from literature. OP was measured through 12 Key Performance Indicators identified from industry. Descriptive Statistics, Multiple Regression Analysis and Correlation Analysis were employed to analyze the data. Results indicated that there is a positive relationship between Lean Utilization and OP in the Textile and Apparel industry. WE techniques utilized in the industry had a highly significant relationship with OP compared to JIT and FM. Also it was evident that lack of awareness of the human factor, lesser number of studies and consultancy expenses has hindered their ability to gain expected outcomes. The study encourages WE techniques such as elimination of bottlenecks and would support the management in long term decision making. KeywordsKey Performance Indicators, Lean Practices, Operational Performance,Textile and Apparel Industr

Optimal One Day International Cricket Team Selection by Genetic Algorithm

Cricket is one of the oldest and most popular games in the world. At present it is played professionally and none professionally around the world. Even though the origin of cricket is unknown, there are evidences that it has been played in 16th century. Since then, this remarkable game has developed massively and the first international test cricket match was played in 1877 between Australia and England. Generally there are three types of international cricket matches, which are Test match cricket, one day international cricket and 20-20 cricket. Since the popularity of cricket, it has an immense financial importance. Therefore, winning more matches consistently will generate more financial benefits for the country. Selecting the most suitable cricket team for the given scenario is very vital as far as winning matches are concerned. This system contains various individual characteristics such as players’ batting average, bowling average, Number of wickets and so on. This study describes how to select the optimal one day international squad of Sri Lanka, which consists of 15 players out of 30 players, for the world cup 2015 which is played in Australia. By using Genetic Algorithm method and MATLAB 7 software a system has been constructed to implement the results

Effects of joint orientation in tunneling

This research is focused on the effects of joint orientation with respect to the direction of tunnel axis. It is expected that the stability of surrounding rock is affected by the strike and dip of the joints and the direction of the tunnel axis, whether it is with the dip or against dip etc. similarly the spacing of joints will also affect the stability. The orientation of joints in different directions can form blocks liable to fall. The objective of this research project is to determine the degree of influence of joints' strike and dip orientation in tunneling. Field works related to this project was carried out at the Bogala Graphite Lanka Ltd. Tunnel mapping and other observations related to the project were made at 489.6m level in Bogata mine. Models were made with joint spacing of 15mm with two joint sets (joint sets parallel to tunnel axis and joint sets perpendicular to tunnel axis). Tunnels were created with 90mm diameter with dip angles of joints are 00,300,600,and 900. The tunnels models are loaded using UCS machine and observed the behavior of rock mass around the tunnels during loading. From the results the most preferable dip angle for the joint strike perpendicular to the tunnel axis would be the 900 and for the joint strike parallel to the tunnel axis would be 00

Peritoneal Dialysis in Dengue Shock Syndrome May Be Detrimental

Dengue shock syndrome is the most severe form of Dengue that can be fatal. Nonresponders to standard therapy need intensive care. This paper outlines the clinical features, complications, and outcomes of Dengue Shock Syndrome not responding to standard therapies and needing supportive care in a tertiary referral intensive care unit of a developing country. Nearly one-third die within 3 days of admission to ICU. Peritoneal dialysis predicts the worst outcomes

LEPR c.668A>G polymorphism in a cohort of Sri Lankan women with pre-eclampsia / pregnancy induced hypertension: a case control study

BACKGROUND: Leptin is known to be elevated in pre-eclampsia/ pregnancy induced hypertension (PE/PIH). However the reports on the association of leptin receptor (LEPR) c.668A>G polymorphism with PE/PIH are inconsistent. FINDINGS: LEPR c.668A>G polymorphism was studied in a cohort of women with PE/PIH (N = 61) and normotensive pregnancies (N = 40) by polymerase chain reaction / restriction fragment length polymorphism. Genotype and allele frequencies were in Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium within both groups (Chi square test). Allele and genotype frequencies were not significantly different between PE/PIH and normotensive pregnancies (Chi square test). Leptin levels (Kruskal Wallis analysis of variance) and leptin/body mass index (one way analysis of variance) were not significantly different between genotypes within each group. However, leptin (Mann Whitney U test) and leptin normalised to body mass index (unpaired t test) were significantly higher in PE/PIH women homozygous and heterozygous for the G668 allele than in respective normotensives. CONCLUSIONS: Whether the leptin receptor c.668A>G polymorphism increases the risk of developing PE/PIH in Sri Lankan women remains inconclusive in view of the smaller sample studied. However leptin levels in PE/PIH appeared to be modulated by this polymorphism

Distractions for motorcyclists caused by acute mental disturbances: A Sri Lankan Study

A motorcycle/motorbike accident is a collective outcome of human and nonhuman factors. The possible contribution of acute mental disturbances resulting in motorcycle accidents was poorly studied in Sri Lanka. As a result, the purpose of this study was to study the potential contribution of acute mental disturbances/psychological disturbances resulting in accidents or collisions. A few other specific objectives included determining the place of the accident, speed and related demographics, and the severity of the road rage. The acute mental disturbance was defined by five components: the presence or absence of road rage, consumption of alcohol or substance abuse, having a problem with friends or at the workplace, having a problem at home, and an unspecified mental disturbance and or tiredness. A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted to study these aspects with the participation of 2500 patients admitted to a tertiary care hospital in Sri Lanka. Each participant completed a questionnaire administered by an interviewer. There were n=2151 males, and the majority of victims were in the age group of 20-30 years, accounting for 28%. 5% of drivers had encountered road rage. 45% of the population reported experiencing at least one of the acute mental disturbances. 12% (n=291) had revealed that they had consumed alcohol or any other substance within the 24 hours of the incident. There was a statistical significance between the experiencing of acute mental disturbance and the speed, age and the place of the accident though there wasn’t a statistical significance between the sex. The mental state at the time of a road traffic injury is worth investigating as revealed by this study because it may be possible to find remedial actions through behavioural, attitudinal, educational and infrastructure changes. KEYWORDS: Motorbike/motorcycle, Motorcyclist/driver, Acute mental disturbance, Road rage, Driver distraction, Acute psychological disturbanc