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A preliminary study on milk composition of three buffalo breeds located in Polonnaruwa, Sri Lanka
(National Science Foundation: Colombo, 2024-04-09) Gunathilake, S.P.; Gayanjalee, D.A.; Prathiraja, D.A.S.; Weerathilake, W.A.D.V.; Dissanayake, Dilan
Buffaloes have great potential to be developed as one of the main dairy animals in Sri Lanka because of their higher adaptability to local conditions compared to European dairy cattle breeds. Processing dairy products such as curd, cheese, and yoghurt from buffalo milk has several advantages due to its greater quantities of total solids, solid-nonfat, and protein. However, milk composition and coagulation properties largely depend on the breed. Therefore, this research aimed to investigate the milk composition of three major buffalo breeds in Sri Lanka. The milk of the Lanka buffalo contained 18.1% total solids, 10.7% solid non-fat (SNF), 7.5% fat, 4.9% protein, 4.9% lactose, and 0.9% minerals. The milk of the Murrah crossbreed contained 15.4% total solids, 10.1% SNF, 5.3% fat, 4.2% protein, 5.1% lactose, and 1.1% minerals. The milk of the Nili-Ravi crossbreed contained 16.6% total solids, 10.2% SNF, 6.4% fat, 4.1% protein, 4.9% lactose, and 1.1% minerals. The results indicate that milk composition varies among the breeds in which the milk of the Lanka buffalo has significantly higher amounts of total solids, SNF, and fat. Protein, lactose, and mineral contents do not vary signiticantly.
Path coefficient analysis using traditional and improved rice genotypes for trait effect on grain yield
(National Science Foundation: Colombo, 2024-04-09) Shyamalee, H.A.P.A.; Ranawake, A.L.
Accessions of traditional rice play a crucial role in preserving the genetic diversity of commercial rice. They contain specific and useful traits that can help to improve the overall yield, which cannot be achieved by relying solely on improved rice varieties. This is because traditional rice accessions display a wide range of morphological characteristics that contribute to their unique yield determinants. Fifty traditional and forty-five improved rice genotypes were evaluated for thirteen agronomic traits (days to 50% flowering, plant height, number of tillers per plant, number of effective tillers per plant, number of leaves per plant, panicle length, flag leaf length, flag leaf width, number of grains per panicle, filled grain percentage, 100-grain weight at maturity, grain length, and grain width) to understand the yield determination of traditional and improved rice genotypes. Path analysis was carried out using IBM SPSS AMOS statistical software to understand the difference in the direct and indirect effect of the studied parameters. The direct effect of effective tillers per plant (β = 0.519), filled grain percentage (β = 0.496), and hundred-seed weight (β = 0.403) on grain yield was high in improved rice varieties. In traditional rice accessions, the direct effect of effective tillers per plant (β = 0.746) and filled grain percentage (β = 0.395) on grain yield was high, but there was no direct effect of hundred seed weight. Filled grains per panicle recorded a moderate effect in both traditional (β =0.246) and improved (β = 0.266) rice genotypes. None of the studied parameters directly and negatively affected the yield of improved rice varieties. Still, several traits (flag leaf length, days to 50% flowering, panicle length, seed length, and seed width) negatively affected the yield of traditional rice accessions. The contributions of yield determinants in traditional rice accessions deviated substantially from those observed in improved rice varieties, highlighting the critical role of plant architecture in determining the final yield. Fertile tiller number, filled grain percentage and grains per panicle are possible traits that can be used in direct selection criteria for improved and traditional rice genotypes for high yield.
Democracy and the challenges of globalisation: a theoretical framework
(National Science Foundation: Colombo, 2021-12-29) Reis, João
Globalization is an increasingly broad, dynamic and complex phenomenon. Given the previous context and in an attempt to reduce its complexity, the underlying objective of this article is to contribute to a broader and more comprehensive discussion on globalization in the light of the theme, democracy. We used a qualitative, exploratory and descriptive methodology, which focused on a theoretical analysis through a systematic literature review. The systematic review made it possible to synthesize the existing literature in order to provide a holistic view of the phenomenon. Therefore, our intention is to present a theoretical framework on the dimensions that contain the essence of globalization in a postmodern version of democracy. The results suggest that there are no unambiguous metrics to measure the impact of globalization. In that regard, it is essential to recognise globalization as an opportunity and not as a threat, being aware of the underlying inequalities and the risks that they can pose to democratic states. Future studies can analyse the impact of the dimensions identified in this article and examine the differences within different countries and cultural contexts. The identification of opportunities that globalization creates, as well as ways to mitigate possible inequalities and risks, can be useful in looking for new scientific and academic ventures.
Two level neuro-functional forecaster: A novel dynamic hybridization for functional data forecasting
(National Science Foundation: Colombo, 2024-04-09) Deshani, K.A.D.; Attygalle, D.T.; Hansen, L.L.
With the advancement of technology, time series data are automatically collected without human intervention. As the data collection process becomes effortless, the next change encountered is to identify the best method to forecast time series data with high accuracies. In this regard, hybrid approaches have gained much attention where the strengths of two approaches can be combined to lessen the weaknesses of each individual approach. When exploring the features of time series data, some depict repetitive patterns and also data can be observed at several levels. The repeating curves can be considered as the higher level, whereas each individual observation can be considered as the lower level. Thus, in order to handle the data in a more effective way, the series can be handled at two levels by giving prominence to the features of each level separately. This paper proposes a novel algorithm named two level neuro-functional forecaster, which is capable of handling data at two levels, hybridizing a statistical approach with an artificial intelligence approach, to gain high accuracy levels. In addition, as this approach handles data at two levels, data sparsity at a particular level can be accommodated at the other level. To apply this algorithm to a real world dataset, electricity demand data in Sri Lanka was considered where the series consisted of daily load curves with repetitive pattern across the days. The proposed hybrid algorithm, outperforms the two approaches when individually used, with a MAPE of 3.324% for a year.
Beyond ‘do-no-harm’: development, social safeguards policies, and human rights
(National Science Foundation: Colombo, 2021-06-30) Perera, Jayantha
Multilateral Development Banks (MDBs) have introduced environmental and social safeguard policies to protect the environment and improve human conditions. The paper attempts to demonstrate why MDBs should combine safeguard policies with the human rights to combat poverty and promote shared prosperity. It highlights MDBs’ reluctance to link safeguards policies with human rights and how such reluctance has emboldened borrowers to ignore or to pay lip service to the human rights of development-affected persons and communities. In this context, MDBs need to update their safeguard policies to accommodate human rights and use approaches such as material incentives, persuasion, and long-term acculturation to encourage and lead borrowers to adhere to safeguard policies and human rights in planning and implementing development projects. In 2013, in India, such persuasion and incentives resulted in introducing in 2013 a comprehensive social safeguard framework covering physical displacement and resettlement and adverse project impacts on tribal people. Similarly, the Forest Dwellers Act of 2007 brought distinct benefits and a legal framework for tribal people to gain benefits of development and respect for their human rights. In Sri Lanka, a series of procedural reforms introduced from 2001 to the Land Acquisition Act of 1950 has helped to include several international safeguard best practices in the local regulatory framework such as land compensation at replacement cost and assistance to the untitled land users. However, the continuity of urgency clause (Section 38a) of the Act weakens the reforms’ impact.