Factors determining capital structure: an analysis of listed companies in the colombo stock exchange in Sri Lanka

Capital structure/ financial leverage describe the combination of debt and equity capital. A business concern can go for different levels of capital structure. It is determined by several factors. the objectives of this study are to investigates the impact of determinants of capital structure on leverage level (Long term debt ratio) and to identify the significant relationship between the determinants of capital structure andLong term debt ratio (LTD) with a sample of 34 listed companies in the Colombo stock exchange (CSE) in Sri Lanka over the period of five years from 2009 to 2013. Companies/firms were selected by using the convenient sampling technique and the availability of the necessary data. Four factors such a profitability, liquidity, tangibility and firm size were taken as a independent variable and Long term debt ratio was used as dependent variable to measure the leverage level / capital structure. For the purpose of this study, the secondary data was extracted from the annual reports of the selected listed companies from beverage food and tobacco and manufacturing sector. The collected data were analysed using the multiple regression and correlation analysis with usage of SPSS -20 versions. The findings revealed that the determinants of capital structure such as profitability (PROF) and liquidity (LIQ) were significantly negatively correlated with leverage level (Long term debt ratio) while Tangibility(TANG) has a significant positive relationship with level of leverage but Firm size (FSIZE) has no significant relationship withleverage level (LTD). Further determinants of capital structure have a significant impact on leverage level (LTD) in manufaturing and Beverage food and Tobacco sector in the CSE in Sri Lanka

An Experimental Study of Bubble Rise Characteristics in non – Newtonian (Power-Law) Fluids

Air bubbles are used in chemical, biochemical, environmental, food process such as sugar industries for improving the heat and mass transfer. In particular, the bubble rise characteristics in massecuite - a fluid made from sugar crystals and sugar syrup have a great influence on vacuum pan operation which is an important process for the production of raw sugar in sugar industries. An experimental study of the bubble rise characteristics in xanthan gum solutions, a non-Newtonian (Power-Law) massecuite equivalent fluid are presented in this paper. The main characteristics, i.e. the bubble velocity, the bubble trajectory, and the drag relationship were investigated as a function of volume of air bubbles. The bubble rise velocity and trajectory were measured using a combination of non-intrusive (high speed photographic) method and digital image processing. The parameters that significantly affect the rise of air bubble are identified. The effect of different bubble volumes and liquid heights on the bubble rise velocity and bubble trajectory are analysed and discussed. A relationship between the Reynolds number and the drag coefficient is presented and discussed

Optimization of reaction variables in situ transesterification of Jatropha curcas seed oil for biodiesel production

Biodiesel was produced from seed oil of Jatropha curcas by in situ acid-catalyzed transesterification with methanol. Optimization of the reaction parameters was carried out using response surface methodology based on Box-Behnken design. All the four variables investigated were found to be significant. The empirical model obtained adequately expresses the relationship between the biodiesel yield and the statistically significant reaction variables (R2 = 96.97%). The optimization result predicted an optimal biodiesel yield of 84.07% at a reaction temperature of 48°C; a reaction time of 240 min; with 5 cm3 methanol/g of the seed and catalyst concentration of 0.88M. The validation result was in agreement with the predicted biodiesel yield. The fatty acid methyl profile of the biodiesel shows that it predominantly contains methyl esters of octadecenoic acid, octadecadienoic acid and hexadecanoic acid which make up about 87% the biodiesel. The fuel properties of the biodiesel were in agreement with the requirements of Worldwide Fuel Charter Committee Biodiesel Guidelines.Keywords: Jatropha curcas, Biodiesel, In situ transesterification, Optimization, Box-Behnke

Lupeol Acetate Isolated from n-Hexane Extract of Tapinanthus globiferus Leaf

A study was carried out to isolate and characterise Lupeol Acetate from the leaves of Tapinanthus globiferus. The dried pulverized plant material was extracted for 24 hours with n-hexane, dichloromethane, ethyl acetate and methanol solvents. The /n-hexane fraction obtained was subjected to column chromatography followed by preparative thin layer chromatography, which resulted in isolation of a colourless crystalline compound. The spectral data (1H NMR, 13C NMR and FTIR) and literature comparison infer that the isolated compound is a pentacyclic triterpenoid namely Lupeol Acetate.Keywords: Tapinanthus globiferus, Lupeol Acetate, Structure elucidatio

A comparative study of bubble rise phenomena in water and low concentration polymer solutions

Paper presented at the 5th International Conference on Heat Transfer, Fluid Mechanics and Thermodynamics, South Africa, 1-4 July, 2007.Bubbles are used in polymer, metallurgy, biotechnology and especially in process industries for improving the heat and mass transfer from a dispersed gaseous phase to viscous liquid phase. A comparative study of the bubble rise characteristics in water and a few selected low concentration polymer solutions is presented in this paper. The characteristics, namely, the bubble velocity, the bubble trajectory, the bubble volume and the drag relationship are investigated. The experiments were conducted in 125 mm cylindrical column at liquid heights of 1 m, 1.2 m, 1.4 m and 1.6 m by introducing different bubble volumes (from 0.1 mL to 5.0 mL ) corresponding to each height. The bubble rise velocity and trajectory were measured using a combination of non-intrusive (high speed photographic) method and digital image processing. The parameters that significantly affect the rise of air bubble are identified. The effect of different bubble volumes and liquid heights on the bubble rise velocity and bubble trajectory are analysed and discussed. The correlation between the Reynolds number and the drag coefficient is developed and presented. The results of this study are compared with the results of other analytical and experimental studies available in the literature.cs201

American Society of Anesthesiologists Physical Status Classification System: History, Development, Reliability, and Its Future

The American Society of Anesthesiologists Physical Status (ASA PS) classification has long been used as a ranking system that quantifies patient health before anaesthesia and surgery. When initially developed, the ASA PS intended application was purely statistical. However, nowadays it is commonly used by surgical specialties to determine a patient’s likelihood of developing postoperative complications, despite studies reporting scoring method subjectivity and inconsistencies among anaesthesiologists in assigning these scores. Over the years, the ASA PS classifications have undergone many changes and modifications to address its limitations. There are a few points to be discussed if all shortcomings are to be treated and interobserver variability is to be limited

Analysis and comparison of engine performance and exhaust emissions of internal combustion engine for three different fuel efficiency devices

Paper presented at the 9th International Conference on Heat Transfer, Fluid Mechanics and Thermodynamics, Malta, 16-18 July, 2012.The engine performance and exhaust emissions characteristics of an internal combustion engine using three different fuel efficiency devices, namely Hiclone, Supermax and FFC are analyzed compared and discussed in this paper in order to identify the best fuel efficiency device among three. The testing was done in a 2.4L 4-cylinder Toyota Camry 2AZ- FE engine. The procedure recommended by Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Aftermarket Retrofit Device Evaluation Program was used for engine testing. All the results obtained were when the devices were fitted and compared with results when no device was fitted with the engine. This study found that there is no significant increase/decrease of brake power, brake torque, fuel consumption and exhaust emissions for these fuel efficiency devices. Further study is recommended in order to come to an acceptable conclusion.dc201

Thermal performance modelling of data centre– a case study

Paper presented at the 9th International Conference on Heat Transfer, Fluid Mechanics and Thermodynamics, Malta, 16-18 July, 2012.This paper presents a computational study of thermal modelling of the data centre located at CQUniversity, Rockhampton Campus, Australia. The data centre was modeled and analyzed using computational fluid dynamics (CFD) model to study the effectiveness of cooling within the racks and aisles of the centre. CoolSim- software was used for designing a graphical user interface (GUI) that allows data centre components to be positioned, sized and characterized in a plan view. Modelling of airflow and temperature distribution in the data centre was performed using the CFD code Fluent. The CFD model based on thermal mass and energy balance principles was calibrated with the actual measurements of energy consumption, pressure and temperature from a standard rack filled with a set of rack mounted processor and storage units. The simulation results identified the potential high temperature zone within the computer rack in the data centre, and provide a detailed 3D analysis of how cold air is moving through the data centre. The results also provide the performance analysis of computer room air conditionings (CRACs), detailed rack-by-rack inlet and exit temperatures and 3D thermal mapping of the data centre and racks highlighting trouble areas. The model developed was capable of evaluating the airflow rates and thermal loads for optimizing and designing a new or existing data centre.dc201

Effects of Introducing Different Levels of Groundnut Hay Treated with Urea and Molasses on Performance of Desert Lambs (Hammari Ecotype)

Non-traditional agricultural by-products are a potentially valuable alternative source of animal feed which may decrease dependence on traditional feed products and decrease overall feeding costs. This experiment was conducted to evaluate the effect of using groundnut hay in lambs fattening. Groundnut hay was used at three levels (0, 20 and 30%) in three iso-energetic and iso-nitrogenous diets (A, B and C). Twenty seven male lambs of Sudanese Desert sheep (Hamari ecotype) were selected according to their age (4-5months) and average live body weight (20.5Kg) and they were kept in Rural Development and Extension Center (R.D.E.C). The experimental feed includes three different levels of groundnut hay treated with urea and molasses (0, 20 and 30 %). Experimental animals were fed for 60 days included two weeks as adaptation periods. All the data was collected and statistically analyzed by using statistical package for Social Studies (SPSS version 17.0). an A Completely Randomized Design (CRD). One way analysis of variance (ANOVA) and Duncans multiple range were used to test for difference among the treatments means. The study showed a significant differences (P>0.05) among different treatments for average values of final live body weight gain(FLBWG), total live body weight gain(TLBWG), daily live body weight gain(DLBWG), feed conversion rate(FCR), feed conversion rate as % of live body weight gain, cost of one kg feed and cost of one kg live weight per (SG). While initial live body weight (ILBW) and daily feed intake (DFI) showed no significant differences (P>0.05) among different treatments. Treatment A (control) reported the highest and best values of final live body weight, daily weight gain, cost of one kg feed, and cost of one kg live weight followed by treatment B (%20) while treatment C (30%) reported the lowest values so, we recommend to use groundnut hay up to 20% for finishing desert lamb.&nbsp