Water for rural development: Background paper on water for rural development prepared for the World Bank

Water management / Irrigation management / Rural development / Water resources development / Small scale systems / Land management / Groundwater / Environment / Health / Water policy / Institutions / Food consumption / Water supply / Water demand / Water allocation / Crop yield / Cereals / Water scarcity / Food production / Food security / Crop production / Population growth

Modernization using the structured system design of the Bhadra Reservoir Project, India: an intervention analysis

Performance evaluationIrrigation programsModernizationParticipatory managementFarmer participationFarmer-agency interactionsFarmers' attitudesRemote sensingRiceIrrigated farmingWater distributionWater supplyProductivity

Impact assessment of rehabilitation intervention in the Gal Oya Left Bank [Sri Lanka].

Irrigation managementWater managementIrrigation systemsProductivityRehabilitationModelsProject evaluationRainReservoir storage

Water scarcity and managing seasonal water crisis: lessons from the Kirindi Oya Project in Sri Lanka

Irrigation management / Water management / Irrigation programs / Irrigated farming / Rain / Crop production / Crop yield / Rice / Case studies / River basins / Catchment areas / Irrigation scheduling / Water allocation / Water use efficiency / Water scarcity / Water shortage / Water demand / Reservoirs / Flow / Farmer participation / Farmer-agency interactions / Farmers' associations / Seasonal variation / Water distribution / Sri Lanka / Kirindi Oya / Ellegala / Lunugamwehera Reservoir

Land and water productivity of wheat in the Western Indo-Gangetic Plains of India and Pakistan: a comparative analysis

Wheat / Crop yield / Productivity / Climate / Irrigation canals / Watercourses / Water distribution / Water allocation / Policy / India / Pakistan / Gangetic Plains / Kaithal Irrigation Circle / Bhakra Canal / Chaj Sub-Basin / Lower Jehlum Canal

Effect of residual detergents in specimen collection containers on routine serum biochemical analytes

The use of Teepol, Lysol and sodium hypochlorite are frequent in reusing of specimen collection tubes by the state hospitals in Sri Lanka. Detergent residue in collection tubes is   thought to be the reason for uncertain results in the recent past. This raised a concern to evaluate the effect of washing of the specimen collection tubes by various detergents on serum creatinine, aspartate transaminase (AST), Na+ and K+. Three sets of newly purchased glass Khan tubes were washed using Teepol, Lysol (concentration of 1%), and sodium hypochlorite (0.1 %) adhering to World Health Organization protocol. Blood from a single donor was aliquoted to a detergent washed tubes (test) and to a newly purchased plain glass Khan tube (control). Both were tested for serum creatinine, AST, Na+ and K+. A sample size of 20 was analyzed for each detergent-washed tube. There was no significant difference in serum creatinine, AST and K+ when Teepol, Lysol or sodium hypochlorite washed tubes were used in sequence (p>0.05). Na+ concentrations measured in serum was significantly different in specimens collected to Lysol-washed tubes (p<0.05). The Lysol-washed tubes were significantly contaminated with detergent residues. In conclusion, domestic detergents (Teepol, Lysol and sodium hypochlorite) don’t impart a significant effect on tested analytes if the cleansing is done according to guidelines by World Health Organization. However, newly purchased tubes are recommended in critical investigations such as serum electrolytes to improve the accuracy of laboratory reports.         KEYWORDS:  Teepol, Lysol, Sodium hypochlorite, creatinine, Na+ and K+ &nbsp

The cap-snatching SFTSV endonuclease domain is an antiviral target

Severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome virus (SFTSV) is a tick-borne virus with 12%-30% case mortality rates and is related to the Heartland virus (HRTV) identified in the United States. Together, SFTSV and HRTV are emerging segmented, negative-sense RNA viral (sNSV) pathogens with potential global health impact. Here, we characterize the amino-terminal cap-snatching endonuclease domain of SFTSV polymerase (L) and solve a 2.4-Å X-ray crystal structure. While the overall structure is similar to those of other cap-snatching sNSV endonucleases, differences near the C terminus of the SFTSV endonuclease suggest divergence in regulation. Influenza virus endonuclease inhibitors, including the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved Baloxavir (BXA), inhibit the endonuclease activity in in vitro enzymatic assays and in cell-based studies. BXA displays potent activity with a half maximal inhibitory concentration (I

Observations on metal concentrations in commercial landings of two species of tilapia (Oreochromis mossambicus and Oreochromis niloticus) from reservoirs in six river basins in Sri Lanka

Samples of the muscle of two species of tilapia (Oreochromis mossambicus and O. niloticus; 17-20 cm length) were obtained from at least one reservoir in each of the six river basins (Aruvi Aru, Kala Oya, Kirindi Oya, Ma Oya, Mahaweli, and Walawe Ganga catchments) in Sri Lanka. The metals Ca, Cu, Fe, K, Mg, Mn, Na, and Zn were consistently detected in the muscle tissue. Overall, there were few differences in the concentration of metals between the two species of fish, although there were also some statistically significant differences (p &lt; 0.05) in the concentrations of some metals in fish obtained from some of the reservoirs. Aruvi Aru stands out as a river basin in which the two fish species have significantly lower concentration of metals when compared to other river basins. The concentration of the metals studied were below WHO and FSANZ guideline values for fish, suggesting that the consumption of the metals found in tilapia from these reservoirs poses little risk to human health. <br /

The evolutionary origin of CIPK16: a gene involved in enhanced salt tolerance

Abstract not availableShanika Amarasinghe, Nathan S. Watson-Haigh, Matthew Gilliham, Stuart Roy, Ute Bauman

Occurrence of Urinary Crystals among Urinary Tract Infections Suspected Paediatric Patients, Sri Lanka

Crystalluria has become one of the most vital biomarkers in urinalysis in detecting several disease conditions. It has been reported that urinary tract infections (UTI) may be the presenting sign of Urolithiasis in children. Therefore, the objective of this study was to identify and estimate the different types of crystals in the urine samples collected from UTI suspected children who admitted to the Lady Ridgeway Hospital for children, Sri Lanka. A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted using 400 children belong to age<12 years suspected with UTI. The participants included 242 males and 158 females. The urine samples were collected prior to start antibiotics. Each sample was examined macroscopically and centrifuged at 2000 rpm for 5 minutes. The urine sediment was examined under the light microscope and different crystal types were identified and counted at x40 magnification. Out of 400 samples 82 samples (82/400) were positive for crystalluria. The crystal types present were uric acid, calcium oxalate, triple phosphate, ammonium biuate and ammonium urate. None of the samples showed abnormal crystal types. The distribution of each crystal type was as follow; uric acid 25/82, calcium oxalate 34/82, triple phosphate 12/82, ammonium biuate 7/82 and ammonium urate 4/82. The quantity of crystals per mL of urine was ranged as follow; uric acid 850-130,000, calcium oxalate 350- >250,000, triple phosphate 650-6,000, ammonium biurate and ammonium urate were presented in clumps. KEYWORDS: Crystalluria, Uric Acid, Calcium Oxalate, Triple Phosphate, Ammonium Biurate, Ammonium Urate, Urolithiasis, Urinary Tract Infections