Utilization of aquatic plants: a method to enhance the productivity of water in seasonal tanks in the Anuradhapura District

Heavy infestations of aquatic plants in a water body cause considerable economic and ecological losses. Many seasonal tanks in the Anuradhapura District suffer from this problem and cannot be neglected in water resource development and management schemes. This study was focused on the uses of aquatic plants and the problems caused by huge manifestations of aquatic plants in the selected seasonal tanks in the Anuradhapura District. The study was conducted in four seasonal tanks viz., Galkulama, Thirappane Maradankadawala and Thibbatuwewa in the Anuradhapura District. Information on the utilization of aquatic plants, exploitation level and harmful effects were gathered by using a structured questionnaire to interview people who were residing close to the study sites. The attitudes of the public towards the aquatic plants i.e., conservation of aquatic plants, the potential uses of native plants and harmful effects of invasive aquatic plants were collected. Twelve species were identified as economically important aquatic plants through the questionnaire survey. Among the 50 respondents, 92 % utilized aquatic plants for food, 58 % utilized flowers for offerings and decorations, 52 % utilized aquatic plants for medicinal purposes, 42 % utilized them as ornamental plants, 30 % used them as bio-fertilizers and 28 % utilized them for weaving. The edible aquatic plants consumed by the rural community in the Anuradhapura District are Ipomoea aquatica (72 %), Alternanthera sessilis (66 %), Nelumbo nucifera (64 %), Nymphaea pubescens (60 %) and Aponogeton spp. (52 %). Some edible aquatic plants, namely Neptunia oleracea, Ottelia alismoides and Ceratopteris thalictriodes, which are present in the Anuradhapura District, are not consumed, although these are consumed in many other countries. N. nucifera is the most commonly used flower for offerings in the temples and for decorations. In addition, N. pubescens, Nymphaea nouchali are also used for flowers. Bacopa monnieri, N. nucifera, Acanthus illicifolia, N. nouchali and Aponogeton spp. have been recorded as medicinally important plants. Though there are many ornamentally important aquatic plants, only N. pubescens, N. nouchali, B. monnieri, Nymphoides hydrophylla are used. Salvinia molesta and Eichhornia crassipes are the two aquatic plants commonly used as bio fertilizers. With reference to the questionnaire survey, there were seven major problems that were discovered to exist due to heavy infestations of aquatic weeds in the water bodies viz., sedimentation and unsuitability for domestic use, interference with navigation, effects on fisheries, blocking irrigation canals and evapotranspiration. The most problematic plants in the Anuradhapura District include E. crassipes, N. nucifera, S. molesta, Pistia stratiotes and Ceratophyllum demersum. Economically important aquatic plants available in the shallow water bodies of the Anuradhapura District, are marginally utilized, when compared with the utilization of aquatic plants in the global scenario. There appears to be a lack of a well organized action plan to cope with this situation. The public suffer a lot from the problems created by the heavy mass of aquatic plants, which covered the village tanks. The public are, however, willing to get organized and to engage in a participatory approach to restore their water bodies. There is a need for research and development of management strategies for the sustainable utilization of these valuable resources. Awareness programs should be conducted to promote sustainable utilization of aquatic plants. Creating awareness among the people about the nutritional and economic benefits of these natural resources will be useful for Sri Lanka, as a developing nation.Length: pp.23-32Aquatic plantsTanks

Multi-Scaling of Correlation Functions in Single Species Reaction-Diffusion Systems

We derive the multi-fractal scaling of probability distributions of multi-particle configurations for the binary reaction-diffusion system $A+A \to \emptyset$ in $d \leq 2$ and for the ternary system $3A \to \emptyset$ in $d=1$. For the binary reaction we find that the probability $P_{t}(N, \Delta V)$ of finding $N$ particles in a fixed volume element $\Delta V$ at time $t$ decays in the limit of large time as $(\frac{\ln t}{t})^{N}(\ln t)^{-\frac{N(N-1)}{2}}$ for $d=2$ and t^{-Nd/2}t^{-\frac{N(N-1)\epsilon}{4}+\mathcal{O}(\ep^2)} for $d<2$. Here \ep=2-d. For the ternary reaction in one dimension we find that $P_{t}(N,\Delta V) \sim (\frac{\ln t}{t})^{N/2}(\ln t)^{-\frac{N(N-1)(N-2)}{6}}$. The principal tool of our study is the dynamical renormalization group. We compare predictions of \ep-expansions for $P_{t}(N,\Delta V)$ for binary reaction in one dimension against exact known results. We conclude that the \ep-corrections of order two and higher are absent in the above answer for $P_{t}(N, \Delta V)$ for $N=1,2,3,4$. Furthermore we conjecture the absence of \ep^2-corrections for all values of $N$.Comment: 10 pages, 6 figure

Detection of Seismic Infrasonic Elephant Rumbles Using Spectrogram-Based Machine Learning

This paper presents an effective method of identifying elephant rumbles in infrasonic seismic signals. The design and implementation of electronic circuitry to amplify, filter, and digitize the seismic signals captured through geophones are presented. A collection of seismic infrasonic elephant rumbles was collected at a free-ranging area of an elephant orphanage in Sri Lanka. The seismic rumbles were converted to spectrograms, and several methods were used for spectral feature extraction. Using LasyPredict, the features extracted using different methods were fed into their corresponding machine-learning algorithms to train them for automatic seismic rumble identification. It was found that the Mel frequency cepstral coefficient (MFCC) together with the Ridge classifier machine learning algorithm produced the best performance in identifying seismic elephant rumbles. A novel method for denoising the spectrum that leads to enhanced accuracy in identifying seismic rumbles is also presented.Comment: 8 pages, 7 figures, journa

Comparing Floristic Diversity between a Silviculturally Managed Arboretum and a Forest Reserve in Dambulla, Sri Lanka

Repeated slash and burn cultivation creates wasteland with thorny shrubs, which then takes a long time to become secondary forests through serial stages of succession. Assisted natural regeneration through silvicultural management is a useful restoration method to accelerate succession. This survey evaluates the effectiveness of a simple silvicultural method for the rehabilitation of degraded lands to productive forest, thereby increasing floristic wealth. Field-based comparative analyses of floristic composition were carried out at a silviculturally managed forest (Popham Arboretum) and a primary forest (Kaludiyapokuna Forest Reserve) which is located in Dambulla in Sri Lanka. Floristic analysis was used to examine the effectiveness of silvicultural techniques for successful restoration of degraded forest in the dry zone. Nine 20 m × 20 m plots in each forest were enumerated and the vegetation ≥ 10 cm girth at breast height was quantitatively analyzed. Cluster analysis resulted in five distinguishable clusters (two from Popham Arboretum and three from Kaludiyapokuna Forest Reserve). Similarity indices were generated to compare the plots within and between sites. Floristic similarity was higher in forest reserve plots compared to arboretum plots. A total of 72 plant species belonging to 60 genera and 26 families were recorded from the study sites. Of the recorded species, Grewia damine and Syzygium cumini (Importance Value Index, IVI = 24 and 23 respectively) were the ecologically co-dominant taxa at the Popham Arboretum. In contrast, Mischodon zeylanicus (IVI = 31), Schleichera oleosa (IVI = 25) and Diospyros ebenum (IVI = 21) were the abundant taxa in the forest reserve

Hypothermia for encephalopathy in low and middle-income countries (HELIX): Study protocol for a randomised controlled trial

BACKGROUND: Therapeutic hypothermia reduces death and disability after moderate or severe neonatal encephalopathy in high-income countries and is used as standard therapy in these settings. However, the safety and efficacy of cooling therapy in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), where 99% of the disease burden occurs, remains unclear. We will examine whether whole body cooling reduces death or neurodisability at 18-22 months after neonatal encephalopathy, in LMICs. METHODS: We will randomly allocate 408 term or near-term babies (aged ≤ 6 h) with moderate or severe neonatal encephalopathy admitted to public sector neonatal units in LMIC countries (India, Bangladesh or Sri Lanka), to either usual care alone or whole-body cooling with usual care. Babies allocated to the cooling arm will have core body temperature maintained at 33.5 °C using a servo-controlled cooling device for 72 h, followed by re-warming at 0.5 °C per hour. All babies will have detailed infection screening at the time of recruitment and 3 Telsa cerebral magnetic resonance imaging and spectroscopy at 1-2 weeks after birth. Our primary endpoint is death or moderate or severe disability at the age of 18 months. DISCUSSION: Upon completion, HELIX will be the largest cooling trial in neonatal encephalopathy and will provide a definitive answer regarding the safety and efficacy of cooling therapy for neonatal encephalopathy in LMICs. The trial will also provide important data about the influence of co-existent perinatal infection on the efficacy of hypothermic neuroprotection. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT02387385. Registered on 27 February 2015

Three pillars of sustainability: in search of conceptual origins

The three-pillar conception of (social, economic and environmental) sustainability, commonly represented by three intersecting circles with overall sustainability at the centre, has become ubiquitous. With a view of identifying the genesis and theoretical foundations of this conception, this paper reviews and discusses relevant historical sustainability literature. From this we find that there is no single point of origin of this three-pillar conception, but rather a gradual emergence from various critiques in the early academic literature of the economic status quo from both social and ecological perspectives on the one hand, and the quest to reconcile economic growth as a solution to social and ecological problems on the part of the United Nations on the other. The popular three circles diagram appears to have been first presented by Barbier (Environ Conserv 14:101, doi: 10.1017/s0376892900011449, 1987), albeit purposed towards developing nations with foci which differ from modern interpretations. The conceptualisation of three pillars seems to predate this, however. Nowhere have we found a theoretically rigorous description of the three pillars. This is thought to be in part due to the nature of the sustainability discourse arising from broadly different schools of thought historically. The absence of such a theoretically solid conception frustrates approaches towards a theoretically rigorous operationalisation of ‘sustainability’

Quality Assessment of Selected Dairy Products in Sri Lankan Market

The purpose of the study was to determine the quality of selected Sri Lankan-marketed dairy products. Four brands of full cream milk powder (FCMP) (imported A and B; local C and D) and three brands of pasteurized milk (PM) attributed to the alphabetical identifies E, F, and G were tested, with raw cow’s milk (CM) as control. Fat, protein, ash, carbohydrate, moisture, and water percentage, total solids (TS), titratable acidity (TA), pH, specific gravity (SG), arsenic content, and total coliform count (TCC) were assessed. The average fat and ash content per serving of milk (SOM) of FCMP was significantly lower than the PM and CM. Highest (p>0.05) protein content (7.58 g ± 1.05) was recorded for CM. Carbohydrate and pH were not significantly different in three types of milk products. FCMP had a significantly lower (p0.05) compared to the CM (1.030 ± 0.00). All the abovementioned parameters between imported and locally produced FCMP brands were not significantly different from each other. In imported FCMP, mean moisture % was significantly higher (p>0.05) than local brands; however, in each FCMP, brand mean moisture % was statistically non-significant. Total solids in PM was significantly lower (p<0.05) than the CM. Every tested sample was free of arsenic. However, all PM brands and B of FCMP were contaminated with coliform. Total coliform count in B and E agreed with the Sri Lankan standard level. Nutritional value in SOM of PM and FCMP was less than CM, while the lowest value was recorded in FCMP. It can be concluded that all brands of powdered milk possess the recommend suggested standards in terms of both physicochemical and microbiological qualities. Though the physicochemical characteristics in PM brands agree with the standard levels, microbial hygiene is poor where coliform contamination was very high in Brand E