University Of Ruhuna Research Articles

Problems Identified in Antenatal Screening in Bope Poddala, Sri Lanka

Introduction: This study was carried out to analyze the patterns and identify some co-relates of Hemoglobin levels and basic investigations (VDRL, UFR, Grouping & Rh) performed at booking visit during pregnancy. Methods: All pregnant mothers who attended the routine antenatal clinic for their booking visit in Bope Poddala MOH area from April 2013 to April 2014 were selected as the sample. Data were extracted from the records available in the Department of Community Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Ruhuna, Sri Lanka. Results Total number of mothers in the sample was 289. Of them, 7.3% were teenage mothers while those aged between 19-35yrs and above 35yrs constituted 82.0% and 10.7% respectively. The ethnic distribution of pregnant women is as follows; Sinhala 68.2% (197), Muslim 30.4% (88) and Tamil 1.4% (4). Their respective Hb levels were 12.15g/dl, 11.94g/dl and 10.82g/dl. The overall mean Hb level of pregnant mothers is 12.07 g/dl (SD=1.48). The mean Hb levels of teenage mothers, mothers aged between 19-35yrs and mothers above 35yrs were 11.65 (SD=1.29) g/dl, 12.07g/dl (SD=1.43) and 12.3 (SD=1.91) g/dl respectively. Accordingly, 22.8% among first trimester pregnant mothers were anemic. There was no association between age group (P value 0.438), ethnicity (P value 0.230) and parity (P value 0.291) of pregnant mothers with their Hb levels. Only 0.3% has a weakly reactive VDRL results and no one had a positive test. Out of total pregnant mothers 8.7% had pyuria and 4.5% had trace urine albumin levels at booking visit. Out of total pregnant mothers 91.7% was Rh positive and 8.3% was Rh negative. Conclusion This study shows that nearly quarter of first trimester pregnant mothers who presented at their booking visit to antenatal clinic were anemic. A considerable percentage had pyuria which is compatible with the global prevalence. Nutritional interventions for pre-pregnant women and educating pregnant women on prevention of urinary tract infections are recommended.

How does the quality of life and the underlying biochemical indicators correlate with the performance in academic examinations in a group of medical students of Sri Lanka?

BackgroundIndividual variation of examination performance depends on many modifiable and non-modifiable factors, including pre-examination anxiety. Medical students’ quality of life (QoL) and certain biochemical changes occurring while they are preparing for examinations has not been explored.PurposeWe hypothesize that these parameters would determine the examination performance among medical students.MethodsFourth-year medical students (n=78) from the University of Ruhuna, Sri Lanka, were invited. Their pre- and post-exam status of QoL, using the World Health Organization Quality of Life (WHOQOL-BREF) questionnaire, and the level of biochemical marker levels (i.e., serum levels of thyroid profile including thyroglobulin, cortisol and ferritin) were assessed. Differences between the scores of QoL and serum parameters were compared with their performance at the examination.ResultsThe mean QoL score was significantly lower at pre-exam (56.19±8.1) when compared with post-exam (61.7±7.1) levels (p<0.001). The median serum TSH level prior to the exam (0.9 mIU/L; interquartile range 0.74–1.4 mIU/L) was significantly lower (p=0.001) when compared with the level after the exam (median of 2.7 mIU/L; IQR 1.90–3.60). The mean±SD fT4 level was significantly higher before the exam (19.48±0.4 pmol/L at study entry vs. 17.43±0.3 pmol/L after the exam; p<0.001). Median serum ferritin (SF) level prior to the exam (43.15 (23.5–63.3) µg/L) was significantly lower (p≤0.001) when compared with after-exam status (72.36 (49.9–94.9) µg/L). However, there was no difference in mean serum cortisol levels (16.51±0.7 at pre-exam and 15.88±0.7 at post-exam, respectively; p=0.41).ConclusionsStudents had higher fT4 and low ferritin levels on pre-exam biochemical assessment. It was evident that students who perform better at the examination had significantly higher QoL scores at each domain tested through the questionnaire (Physical health, Psychological, Social interaction and Environment). The higher the QoL scores, the better the grades were. It was also found that students who failed exhibited profound differences in the QoL score.

First report of the molecular identification of a phytoplasma associated with dieback disease of papaya in Sri Lanka

Papaya (Carica papaya) is a very popular fruit crop in Sri Lanka, grown as a home garden and commercial crop for local and export markets. Papaya is commercially cultivated in Sri Lanka in about 8,000 ha with production of about 32,000 tonnes/year. As elsewhere, phytoplasma diseases have become a threat to the papaya crop in Sri Lanka. During November 2012, dieback-like symptoms were observed in papaya fields at Monaragala, Uva Province, in Sri Lanka. Symptoms in the field initially included a bright yellowing of the upper young leaves (Fig. 1a) that progressively evolved to tip necrosis in the tender leaves (Fig. 1b), followed by drying of the upper leaves and eventual death of the whole plant (Fig. 1c). Moreover, diseased plants exhibited discolouration of the vascular tissues, abnormal growth and shapes of fruits and premature fruit fall. Total genomic DNA was extracted from the midribs of fresh leaf samples (1 g) from four plants with symptoms and two symptomless plants using the DNeasy Plant Mini Kit (QIAGEN, UK) according to the manufacturer's protocol. Phytoplasma rDNA was amplified with the universal phytoplasma primer pairs P1/P7 in the first round of polymerase chain reaction (PCR), and R16F2n/R16R2 in a nested PCR (Dickinson et al., 3). Amplifications of the 16S rDNA were performed in 25 ül reactions using Ready-To-Go PCR beadsTM (Amersham Pharmacia Biotech, UK) in a TECHNE TC-3000 thermocycler, and resulted in PCR bands of approximately 1.2 kb from symptom-bearing plants but not from the symptomless papaya plants (Fig. 2). Three representative nested PCR products were purified (PCR Cleanup kit, Sigma, UK) and directly sequenced. A phylogenetic tree (Fig. 3) was constructed based on the 16S rDNA consensus sequence using the neighbour-joining method with default values and 1000 replicates for bootstrap analysis (MEGA version 3.1). The partial 16S rDNA sequences of the three representative phytoplasma isolates shared 100% sequence identity with each other. The BLAST analysis of the consensus sequence of the Monaragala papaya dieback phytoplasma (GenBank Accession No. KJ027722) revealed 99% sequence identity with that of phytoplasmas of group 16SrI (‘Candidatus Phytoplasma asteris’). Acosta et al. (1) previously reported a phytoplasma from group 16SrI associated bunchy top-like symptoms of papaya in Cuba. Moreover, phytoplasmas belonging to different 16Sr groups have been identified in papaya, particularly in the Asian continent including group 16SrII (‘Candidatus Phytoplasma aurantifolia’) in India associated with similar dieback symptoms (Rao et al., 5) and axillary shoot proliferation (Verma et al., 6); and group 16SrXII ‘Stolbur’ associated with a dieback-like disease of papaya in Israel (Gera et al., 4), and yellows disease in Taiwan (Bau et al., 2). To our knowledge, this is the first record of the identification of a 16SrI ‘Ca. Phytoplasma asteris’ isolate associated with a dieback-like disease of papaya in Sri Lanka. This finding demonstrates significant phytosanitary impact for the papaya industry in Sri Lanka, and the region, considering that 16SrI is the group that possesses the widest plant host range and the most complex epidemiology worldwide. The authors acknowledge the research grant (Pro/DVC/0185) received through the TURIS project from University of Ruhuna, Sri Lanka.

Educational environment of nursing undergraduates in University of Ruhuna: effect of gender

A considerable increase in male admission into the nursing profession demands a better understanding of gender influences on nursing education and practice. This research explores how male and female nursing students perceive the new educational environment created by the curriculum introduced for B.Sc. Nursing Degree programme in the University of Ruhuna. Prospective study using the already validated Dundee Ready Education Environment (DREEM) questionnaire was administered to all B. Sc. Nursing undergraduates enrolled in academic years 2008/9 (first batch) and 2009/10 (second batch), respectively. The DREEM questionnaire, consists of 50 items each having a scoring range of 0-4 Likert type scale, was completed by 55 nursing students. Mean±SD DREEM scores were 112.0±15.6 and 106.90±1.54 for the male and female nursing undergraduates (p=0.22), respectively, indicating relative satisfaction with the perceived environment. The academic self-perceptions of male undergraduates fall more towards the positive side (mean score of 19.50±2.27) and that of females (mean score of 17.16±3.52; p=0.005) fall towards the negative side. The social self-perception of females of the first batch of nursing students was significantly low (mean score =13.65) when compared with that of females of the second batch of students (mean score =15.40; p=0.02). The male students of the second batch were having overall higher perception (mean score of 118.2) when compared with females of the same batch (mean score of 107.8; p=0.06). This study identifies the issues pertaining to the perception of learning and academic self-perception in the nursing programme. Further, use of DREEM as a monitoring tool would be useful to re-evaluate the environment for appropriate intervention.DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.4038/jur.v1i1.6155 Journal of the University of Ruhuna 2013 1(1): 11-16

Clearing Impediments to the Use of English by the Undergraduates: A Case Study of the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences at the University of Ruhuna, Sri Lanka

Abstract The common belief is that the students of the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences are lagging far behind in the achievement of the required competency levels in English. This study investigates the impediments to the use of English by the undergraduates taking the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences of the University of Ruhuna as the research field. It talks about the social, cultural, political, regional, attitudinal and many more differences of the undergraduates and evaluates the new proposal presented by the English Language Teaching Unit.

English

Yields of traditional rice cultivars are typically low. The objective of this study was to understand the yield and agronomically important phenotypic traits of some traditional rice cultivars with different days to maturity at fertilized conditions. A field experiment was done at Faculty of Agriculture, University of Ruhuna, Mapalana, Kamburupitiya, Sri Lanka during Maha 2011 to 2012 and Yala seasons in 2012. The recommended fertilizer dose for improved rice cultivars was applied for the study. Effect of fertilizer on agronomic characters namely plant height (cm), number of tillers/plant and number of leaves/plant were measured during the experiment. Grain yield (g/plant) and harvest index were calculated at the end of the experiment. All the evaluated parameters were significantly higher at the fertilized conditions than those of at non fertilized conditions except the plant height in 161 to 165 days to maturity age group and number of leaves/plant in 110 to 115 days to maturity age group. At fertilized conditions the lowest significant plant height (97.5 cm) was recorded in the 161 to 165 age group while 151 to 155 age group recorded the significantly highest plant height (138.4 cm). The number of tillers/plant ranged from 6.0 to 9.8 while the highest significant number of tillers/plant (9.8) was recorded in 110 to 115 age group. However the highest grain yield/ plant (23.0 g) was recorded in the shortest days to maturity age group (110-115). Supporting this, the highest average yield/plant (10.1 g) at non fertilized conditions was also recorded in early maturing cultivars belong to 110 to 115 days to maturity age group. Key words: Agronomic characters, traditional rice, fertilizer effect, days to maturity.

Effect of physiological status on rooting of Masbedda (Gymnema sylvestre) cuttings

Vegetative propagation by means of cuttings is an important method for starting new plants identicalto the parent plants. Many plants can be propagated with good results by cutting, though the successdepends upon the propagator's circumstances, the time of year, and the plant to be propagated. Thepresent study was carried out to investigate the effect of physiological stage on rooting of Gymnemasylvestre stem cuttings.Healthy, double nodded cuttings were made from the mature plant stock established at the Faculty ofAgriculture, University of Ruhuna. The cuttings taken from pre-flowering (Tl), flowering (T2) andpost-flowering (T3) stages were stuck into preformed holes in poly bags filled with moistened rootingmedium which consisted of sand, top soil and compost (1 :1: 1 by volume). They were placed in a shadehouse and watered once a day. The Completely Randomized Design (CRD) was used with tenreplicates. Assessment was done 75 days after for rooting. The percentage survival was not significantly(p ~ 0.05) different between cuttings taken from the pre-flowering (92%) and post-flowering (87%)stages. No significant (p ~ 0.05) differences also in the percentage of callused and rooted cuttingswere recorded between T I and T3. However, number of roots and length of the longest root percutting were significantly (p ~ 0.05) higher in Tl than any other. Furthermore, T2 showed the lowestfigures for all the parameters assessed, indicating that the physiological status of the stock plant at thetime the cuttings are excised is of great importance for the rooting process.

STUDIES ON PROPAGATION METHODS OF KONTHALAUN (Xylocarpus rumphii)

Konthalaun is a rare plant with medicinal and industrial value. Seeds are used for thepreparation of Ayurvedic medicine caddied "Gopaluguliya" used as a treatment for foodpoisoning and snakebites. Since there is only a small population of Konthalaun treesdistributed along the coastal belt of Sri Lanka, multiplication and conservation of thisplant is of paramount importance.Using nineteen mother trees of Konthalaun selected from four sites in the Galled district.This study was conducted at Faculty of Agriculture, University of Ruhuna and inUnawatuna area in Galle district to develop an efficient propagation method. Threepropagation methods manly stem cuttings, air layering and full mature viable seeds wereused in this study.Seed germination was observed with five treatments.Tl - Soaking in ordinary water (Room T) for 12 hoursT2 - Soaking in hot water for 5 minutes (at 55°qT3 - Peeling the seed coat without damaging the (cotyledents)T4 - Soaking in 15% H2S04 solution for 2 minute and then wash out with distilledwaterTS - Soaking in sea water for 12hoursFor the stem cuttings three types of cuttings were taken and treated withcommercially available homone, (secto) and a control was used (no homones)T 1 - Soft and stem cuttings (3 leaves)T2 - Sproutings (3 leaves)T3 - Hard wood stem cuttings (3 leaves)Hard wood and soft wood branches were air layered. These branches were treated withsecto and those without sccto also severed as the controlSea water treated seeds showed the highest percentage of germination while the lowestgermination percentage was observed in peeled seeds.Three weeks later all the cuttings showed sprouting. But six weeks later all sproutedcuttings in all treatments withered and diedAfter four months all treatments including the control showed root primodia initiationbut the number of root primodia was higher in soft wood than hard wood cuttings.Results showed that seed propagation (seed soaked in sea water) is the easiast method butair layering could also be used as an alternative method.

IDENTIFYING AND MAPPING SALT-AFFECTED LANDS IN HAMBANTOTA DISTRICT, SRI LANKA: AN INTEGRATED GIS AND REMOTE SENSING APPROACH

Since available lands in Sri Lanka is decreasing every year mainly due to degradation oflands, it is very important to restore these lands for useful agricultural production. In thisregard, identification of salt-affected lands and differentiates into salinity levels wouldhelp to take necessary actions to restore these lands.An extensive soil survey was conducted throughout the Hambantota district in order to10 0 to to KA•••••.•.identify the salt-affected lands in the district The sampling was done at different depths(i.e. O-lOcm, IO-20cm, 20-30cm, 30-4Ocm and 40-50cm) by using a manual soil auger.The distance between sampling sites was approximately 3km. The exact position ofsampling points in latitude and longitl!c!~ ~ identified by GP~ (Global PositioningSystea), A total number of 100 points and 400 samples were collected. Topographicmaps of survey of Sri Lanka used in the study were Timbolketiya (82), Kataragama(83),Yala(l4), Hambantota(88) and Tissamaharama(89) of scale 1:50,000. Digital thematicmaps of same map sheets and Scale of I :25000 digital maps were also been used.The samples were taken to the laboratory of the Department of Crop Science, Faculty ofAgriallture, University of Ruhuna, where EC and pH measurements were taken using theEC meter and the pH meter. AIl the locational data taken using GPS system, entered intoa database. EC and pH data also been entered to the database. Using ArcView software, apoint map was generated using all the locational data including EC and pH values asattribstes. By applying interpolating techniques, salinity maps were produced.

EXTRACTION PATTERN OF SOIL MOISTURE IN BARE SOIL, TEA PLANTATION AND SOIL COVERED WITH FOREST SPECIES (Alstonia macrophytla wall)

The present study conducted at the research farm, Faculty of Agriculture, University ofRuhuna, Mapalana and adjacent site of well established tea plantation from January toJuly 2003, to assess the moisture extraction patterns under tea (Camellia sinensis L.) andforest speices (Alostonia macrophylla wall) compared to bare soilDiviner 2000 is used to assess the soil moisture in different sites. The experiment wasconducted in two sites, viz well managed tea plantation and an experimental site whereAlstonia macrophylla wall is planted, and bare spots were kept randomlyThe soil under tea was loamy sand with bulk density of lBgcm" in surface layers whichincrease with the depth. The soil under forest species was silt loam with a bulk density of1.4gcm-3 in surface layers. Bulk density of bare soil was highly varied with an average of1.49gcm-3. A thick laterite layer was found in 40-5Ocm layer in tea soil and 50-60cmdepth in forest and bare soils. The results revealed that the water holding capacity of teasoil is high by about 16% compared to that of bare soil and water-holding capacity offorest soil is low by 8% compared to bare soil.According to the moisture extraction pattern of soils, somewhat highest retentioncapacity was in bare land followed by tea soil and then forest soil. The probable reasonfor this may be high evapotranspiration rate from tea plantation and forest species. Themoisture retention of the tea plantation is higher than the forest soil, due to the highevapotranspiration by forest speciesThe rate of moisture depletion is remarkably high in forest soil with an average of4.8mmlday constituting 60% increment over bare soil evaporation. Soil moisturedepletion rate of the soil under tea is about 4.2mmlday, which is 40% higher comparedthat to the bare soil evaporation. Well-established canopy cover of the tea plantationappeared to be a good barrier to reduce surface evaporationParameters like porosity, soil texture, soil temperature, rainfall, wind speed and rootdistribution pattern appeared to have an influence on the soil moisture depletion

ASSESSMENT OF THE COMPOSITION AND THE VOLUME OF BIOGAS LIBERATION FROM AGRICULTURAL WASTES

Study was conducted in the Faculty of Agriculture, University of Ruhuna, Mapalana toassess the composition and the volume of biogas liberation pattern from differentagricultural raw materials. In the Sri Lankan batch type biogas generator (volume 6m first batch of straw (lOOOkg)was filled in September 1999 and second and third batch in October 2000, April 2001respectively. It was revealed that average gas production from the digester was 1.0 m3/daywith a peak value of 1.8m3/day. Total gas production during four and half month period ofdigestion was 166.85 m3. The maximum average methane percentage and the average lagphase during the digestion were 50% and 20 days respectively. In order to assess the biogas liberation pattern and composiuon of each material, alaboratory test unit was designed using a 20 L plastic gallon as the digester andexperiment was conducted using straw, cow dung and market garbage (vegetable) as rawmaterials. Gas volumes, pH value of slurry and methane percentage were measured whilemaintaining the temperature between 35°C-37°C using electric bulbs. N,P,K compositions, CIN ratio and dry matter percentages of different raw materials wereanalyzed. Total biogas liberated per unit weight of dry matter was 8.15 L, 58.7 Land15.797L for dung, vegetable and straw respectively. The duration of digestion period was55-60 days. Average methane percentages of the liberated gases were 53%, 54% and 50%for dung, vegetable and straw respectively. It was revealed that market garbage had thehighest digestibility value, which had the highest gas production with high methanepercentage.

Scientific Performance of the University of Ruhuna During 1999-2010 Based on the Isi Wos Database : A Scientometric Study.

One such attempt in this direction is this study, which aims to analyse the Scientific performance of the University of Ruhuna during 1999-2010 in terms of scientometric indicators by using ISI WoS database.As no such study has been undertaken in this research area. Scientific performance points out the stronger and weaker areas of research and helps researchers to contribute more. This study helps the scientists and University of Ruhuna to improve their quality in terms of research productivity nationally and worldwide. Many studies have been reported in this area of research. But no study has been conducted on the analysis of the research productivity of University of Ruhuna University. In this study, by using Web of Science as database, the research outcomes of fifteen Sri Lankan universities were compared with each other. They were compared by the number of articles published per year, number of citations received per year, number of citation per article, h-index of the universities and also it maps scientometric profile of University of Ruhuna such as International collaboration, funding agencies for R&D activities undertaken by the University, preference of journals by scientist ,subject areas for research ,institutional collaboration and so forth. The result of this study shows the ranking of the scientists in University of Ruhuna in terms of h-index.

Effect Of Potting Mixture On Growth And Yield Of Chilli Varieties (Capsicum Spp) And Microbial Activity

The study was carried out as pot experiments using a Green Chilli variety, MI 2, and a Curry Chilli variety, Hungarian Yellow Wax (HYW) at the research field, Faculty of Agriculture, University of Ruhuna. The basal soil mixture was prepared using coir dust, sand, soil and cow-dong (1:1:1 control). Four different potting mixtures were prepared by adding tea waste, compost and inorganic fertilizer. The experiment was carried out according to complete randomized block design with four replicates at the rate of 8 plants per replicate. Plant height (cm), number of pods/plant, weight of pods per plant (g), pod length (cm) and pod appearance were recorded. Carbon-dioxide (CO 2 ) evolution method was applied to observe soil microbial activity in different soil mixtures. Potting mixture combined with tea waste showed significantly highest plant height for both chilli varieties HYW (42 cm) and MI-2 (55 cm) while minimum plant growth in both varieties was recorded in control (P Tropical Agricultural Research and Extension 15(3): 2012: page 33-35 DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.4038/tare.v15i3.5254

Callus Induction and Plantlet Regeneration Ability of Selected Sri Lankan Traditional Rice Cultivars (Oryza Sativa L.) in Caryopses Culture

A total of forty Sri Lankan traditional rice varieties ( Oryza sativa L) were examined for their callus induction, growth and regeneration ability at Laboratory of Agricultural Biology, Faculty of Agriculture, University of Ruhuna. Surface sterilized rice seeds (caryopses) were cultured on four different callus induction media supplemented with 1.5, 2.5, 3mg/l 2,4 – dichlorophenoxy acetic acid (2,4-D) and 0.1 mg/l 6 – benzyladenine (BA) on Murashige and Skoog’s (MS) basal medium. Proliferated calli were regenerated on 4 different regeneration media supplemented with 1.5, 2, 2.5, 3mg/l BA with 0.1 mg/l naphthaleneacetic acid (NAA). Eighty seven point five % of rice cultivars were able to produce callus on callus induction medium and among them 12.5 % of rice cultivars regenerated shoots. 100% callus induction was recorded by 75% of tested rice cultivars on 2.5mg/l 2,4-D supplemented to MS basal medium while the callus induction percentages were 30% and 32.5% in 1.5mg/l 2,4-D and 3mg/l 2,4-D supple-mented media respectively. Callus growth of rice cultivars showed significant difference with the cultivar and medium. By the 4th week of callus induction maximum diameter (> 2cm) of callus recorded by rice cultivar Herath on 2.5 mg/l 2,4-D + 0.1mg/l BA + MS basal medium. The regeneration ability of rice cultivars varied from 0 % to 100% while the highest regeneration was recorded in rice cultivar Herath on regeneration medium supplemented with 2.5mg/l BA and 0.1mg/l NAA. Callus induction varied from 0% - 100% and signifi-cantly high callus formation was offered in Dik wee, Herath, Pachchai Perumal and Rathu wee . Sudu bala wee, Kahata wee (long grain), Sudu heenati, Kahata samba and Muthumala failed to initiate callus on any of the medium. Significantly highest shoot regeneration percentage was found in Herath (100%) while Mas samba, Seedevi, Dostara heenati and Rathel were also categorized in to the same DMRT (Duncan's Multiple Range Test) group with Herath . The highest number of shoots (8 shoots/callus) was recorded in Herath compared to other varieties (0.1- 8 per explant). There was a significant interaction between callus induction medium and rice cultivar as well as regeneration medium and rice cultivar. Tropical Agricultural Research and Extension 15(1): 2012: page 15-18 DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.4038/tare.v15i2.5244

Comparative study of thermal efficiency in five different fuel wood cook stoves for conserving biomass energy sources in Sri Lanka

Minimum energy requirements for cooking and heating may be estimated as 6 - 10 GJ, or 0.5 - 1 m³ of fuel wood per person per year. Inefficient use of biomass for anthropogenic activities causes reduction of biomass availability. Therefore, there is a scientific need to identify most efficient cook stoves to improve the efficiency of using bio mass for cooking for the sake of saving forest cover and for the solution of the green energy requirement. The present research study formulated to evaluate the efficiency of existing cook stoves such as “Batapola Lipa” (BS), “Anagi Lipa” (AS), and traditional three stone cook stove (TS) with newly developed cook stoves such as traditional three stone cook stove with grater (TSG) and a prototype metal stove (PMS) developed by the Department of Agricultural Engineering, Faculty of Agriculture, University of Ruhuna. The standard boiling water laboratory test was done for studying the thermal efficiency. Cinnamon sticks were used as the source of biomass. Initial and boiling water temperatures, amount of water boiled and evaporated, amount of biomass utilized and unburned remaining biomass in weight basis after the boiling test, were measured and percent heat utilized and power output of stoves were calculated. The results which were analyzed using ANOVA procedure with Duncan’s Multiple Range Test, revealed that energy output of the BS, AS, TS, TSG and PMS, were observed as 15.1 kW, 5.8 kW, 3.9 kW, 4.7 kW and 14.3 kW respectively. Comparatively higher percent heat utilized value were observed in TSG, AS and BS than TS and PMS. The BS, TS, TSG, PMS consumed 190, 274, 172, 298 g, within 3.95, 22, 11.25, 6.52 minutes respectively. Lowest biomass consumption rate was observed in TSG. It revealed that 102 g of biomass and 10.75 minutes can be saved by TSG than TS for boiling one liter of water. Therefore the significant amount of fuel wood can be saved successfully by introducing a grater to the traditional three stone cook stove which may save natural forests resources in Sri Lanka.

Validity of the Diabetic Neuropathy score and Diabetic Neuropathy Examination score as screening tools for the detection of distal symmetrical diabetic neuropathy

Sri Lanka is a developing country in which one of five adults has either diabetes or prediabetes. Complications of diabetes, especially diabetic neuropathy, place a considerable burden on the country’s health care system and so there is a dire need for an easy to perform, cheap, and validated tool for the early detection of diabetic neuropathy among Sri Lankan patients. Many validated scoring systems are available in Western countries for the screening of distal symmetrical diabetic neuropathy (DSPN), which accounts for 75% of all diabetic neuropathies, with the two most common being the Diabetic Neuropathy Symptom (DNS) and Diabetic Neuropathy Examination (DNE) scores. The DNS score incorporates information from four questions related to medical history. The maximum score is 4 points, with scores >1 considered abnormal. The DNE score is based on a hierarchical physical examination consisting of eight items. The maximum score is 16 and scores >3 are considered abnormal. However, we were unable to find a similar screening tool validated for the local Sri Lankan population. Thus, we undertook the present study to examine the clinical utility of the commonly used DNS and DNE scores for diagnosing diabetic neuropathy among our local population of diabetics. Patients with diabetes attending medical clinics in the Teaching Hospital (Galle, Sri Lanka) were recruited to the study, which was approved by the Ethical Review Committee, Faculty of Medicine (University of Ruhuna, Galle). All participants provided informed consent. Demographic and disease-related data were collected using a pretest questionnaire. The DNS and DNE scores were obtained separately by two researchers who were blinded to the score obtained using the other tool. Both DNS and DNE scores were obtained as per the recommended guidelines. The Semmes– Weinstein monofilament (SW-MF) and vibration perception threshold (VPT) determined using a biothesiometer were considered as reference standards for the detection of diabetic neuropathy. Both these tests were performed on the same as the DNS and DNE questionnaires by another medical officer who did not know the results of the DNS and DNE scores. The SW-MF test was applied with 10 g pressure and standard ‘‘yes ⁄no’’ responses. It was applied to five sites on each foot: plantar surface of the first toe, the plantar surfaces of the first, third, and fifth metatarsal heads, and the plantar surface of the heal. The VPT was performed using a hand-held biothesiometer (Madras Engineering Services, Chennai, India). The VPT was determined over the dorsal aspect of the hallux on the interphalangeal joint. The voltage of the vibration was increased from 0 to 50 V until the patient perceived a vibration. The mean of three measurements was used as the value for each patient as was compared against ageadjusted reference values. Values higher than the mean + 2 SD were considered abnormal. In all, 314 diabetic patients (98 men) were screened. The mean (±SD) age and duration of the disease were 62.0 ± 10.5 and 9.4 ± 5.3 years, respectively. The prevalence of neuropathy in the study population determined by the SW-MF and VPT tests was 49.5% and 89.6%, respectively. The sensitivity and specificity of the DNS and DNE scores in determining DSPN are given in Table 1. Correspondence P.L. Gayani C. Liyanage, Departments of Pharmacology and Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Ruhuna, PO Box 70, Galle, Sri Lanka. Tel: +94 77 3 548684 Fax: +94 2 222314 Email: gayanicl@yahoo.com Received 9 December 2011; revised 28 March 2012; accepted 10 April 2012. doi: 10.1111/j.1753-0407.2012.00201.x Journal of Diabetes 4 (2012) 264–265

Impact of the Application of International Quality Processes on Engineering Education at Universities in Sri Lanka

Globally, the delivery of engineering degree programs and accreditation processes for benchmarking the quality of engineering education have been improved with introduction of the Washington Accord. This paper highlights the overview of engineering education conducted by the national universities in Sri Lanka, and the impacts of the application of international quality processes on their delivery. Currently three national universities offer highly competitive engineering education in Sri Lanka; the University of Peradeniya, the University of Moratuwa and the University of Ruhuna. The University Grants Commission (UGC) and the Institution of Engineers, Sri Lanka (IESL) have been working together with these universities to assure the relevance and the quality of engineering education. After the Washington Accord, the several notable actions have been employed to ensure quality engineering education, including: institutional and subject reviews carried out between 2005 and 2009 by UGC; the introduction of an improved accreditation process in 2006, and initiatives towards international recognition by IESL in 2007. As a result IESL currently holds provisional status in the Washington Accord and has become a member of the Engineering Mobility Forum.

Effect of K on nitrogen fixation of intercrop groundnut and the competition between intercrop groundnut and maize

Application of adequate level of K has shown to improve the competitive ability of the legume in legume/grass mixtures. However, the effect of K on the competitive ability of grain legumes in legume/cereal intercropping systems has not been adequately studied. Hence, studies were made to ascertain if the effects of K could be exploited in improving the performance of groundnut (Arachis hypogaea L.) cv. No. 45 when intercropped with maize (Zea mays L.) cv. Badra. The study was conducted at the Faculty of Agriculture, University of Ruhuna, Kamburupitiya, Sri Lanka in 1988 in basins filled with 36 kg of soil. It involved establishing maize and groundnut as monocrops and as intercrops at three K levels viz. 0, 20 and 40 mg of K kg−1 of soil. Monocrop maize and groundnut had 2 and 5 plants/basin, respectively while the intercrop had 1 maize plant and 3 groundnut plants/basin. The soil used was Red Yellow Podzolic which was tagged by incorporating15N-labelled plant material. When grown as a monocrop, K had no effect on the percent N derived from atmosphere, amount of N2 fixed, dry matter production, pod yield and total N content of groundnut. However, when intercropped with maize lack of K application affected the above parameters significantly which was overcome by improving K level. Thus, the optimum level of K for groundnut was greater when intercropped than monocropped. A significant interaction between K level and cropping system was evident with regard to N2 fixation, pod yield and total dry matter production of groundnut. Intercrop maize derived 30–35% of its N content from the associated groundnut plants which amounted to 13–22 mg N/plant. The amount of N supplied by groundnut to associated maize plant was not affected by K level. It appears that there is scope for alleviating growth depression of the legume component in legume/cereal intercropping systems by developing appropriate K fertilizer practices.