bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
dentification of Loss Hot Spots of the Post-harvest Chain during the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Case of Banana and Mango Supply Chain
Authors: Dinesha O.G.R.  , De Silva D.A.M.  
Published: June 2022

Banana and mango are the main types of fruit crop cultivated in Polonnaruwa District. Income generated from commercial level fruit cultivations help farmers to manage their household economy. COVID-19 pandemic, lockdown, curfew, restricted movements and closure of public markets and economic centers significantly damage the fresh produce supply chains of the country, especially in key farming areas like Polonnaruwa. Present study was conducted to identify the loss hot spots of the papaya and mango supply chain during COVID-19 pandemic, measure the economic loss and find out the social consequences of it. A total sample of 75 respondents, including farmers, collectors, wholesellers, transporters, and retailers randomly selected from three Divisional Secretariats (Madirigiriya, Hingurakgoda, Thamankaduwa) of Polonnaruwa District. Data were analysis by using both qualitative and quantitative techniques. Primary data were gathered through a field survey using a structured questionnaire, focus group interviews, in-depth interviews, and participatory observations. Both banana and mango supply chains were shorter, fragile and concentrated regionally. Regional public markets and dedicated economic centers were connecting regional supply chains into national level. Mango supply chains showed two different structures; most common one has similar structure of banana and the other type ended up with exporters. Closure of market operations crippled the regional supply chains and farmers unable to sell their products. Postharvest losses were high at farm gate, farmers hardly receive any income. Limited number of farmers was able to sell fruits to mobile vendors at very low prices. Some had to throw their rotting crops into piles of rubbish with miserable, which could not be sold because of restrictions on circulation. In addition to that collapse of the tourism industry, the majority of wholesale buyers reduced average purchases and tried to get the harvest from farmers at a lower price. New retail formats were born during the pandemic and most common were the mobile retailers. Household economies of the farmers faced severe financial crisis and issue were doubled with the extra financial requirements for the children’s online education. Resources waste reached to the highest level and farmer debts reached to alarming levels.
Keywords: Post-harvest chain, COVID-19, Banana and mango
Sea Level Rise in the Southern Coast of Sri Lanka
Authors: Indika K.W  
Published: June 2022

Sea level variation is short and long term fluctuation of water level by the forces of the location’s astronomical, meteorological and hydrological properties. The volume of the ocean has been increasing by absorption of additional heat accumulated in the atmosphere by natural and anthropogenic activities during the last few decades. The high-frequency in-situ sea level observation from Mirissa station and satellite altimetry data from ECMWE, AVISO were used for the analysis of sea level dynamics from 1993 to 2021 in the southern coast of Sri Lanka. The Harmonic analysis tool for MATLAB version was used to quantify tidal constituents and derivation of tidal pattern based on form factor as presented Hicks in 2006. The resulted in tidal pattern is mixed semidiurnal (F=0.275, Range: 0.25 to 1.5), which is included two high tides (50 cm) and two low tides (11 cm) per day with different strengths within the micro-tidal category in the southern coast of Sri Lanka. The most dominant tidal constitutes are semidiurnal lunar (M2) through 0.082 cph frequency with 95% of significant level. The Power Spectral Density (PSD) of the tidal spectrum was captured two dominant peaks related to M2 and S2. The satellite-derived monthly average sea level fluctuation shows a significant seasonal signal with a range of 18-22 cm during the last 22 years on the southern coast of Sri Lanka. The maximum seasonal sea level variation was recorded from December to January, while the minimum from July to August. The peak month on the southern-coast is slightly later and lower than the peak month on the east-coast. The seasonal variation of the Southern coast is comparable to that of Sri Lanka’s west coast. During the last five years, the maximum extreme sea level height recorded was less than 1 m. The long term sea level variation is a positive trend with approximately 3.12 mm per year in the Southern coast of Sri Lanka.
Keywords: Sea level, Seasonal, Sea level rise, Tide, Extreme height
Environmental and Security Issues Posed by Marine Tourism to Sri Lanka’s Marine Ecosystem
Authors: Premarathna P.K.B.I.  
Published: June 2022

Sri Lanka is a small island in the Indian Ocean. The maritime environment has long been one of the most attractive settings for tourism and recreation. The concept of maritime tourism comprises all tourism activities linked to the sea and the coastline. In addition to the function of pleasure boats and sails, it allows for a wide range of bodily functions such as water skiing, windsurfing, underwater fishing, scuba diving, swimming, and marine park tours. Numerous reports on the socioeconomic and environmental effects of environmental change and adaptation, including such changes in marine and coastal contexts, have been published in the scientific literature on sustainability. The objective of the study is to investigate the environmental and security risks posed by the maritime tourism industry to Sri Lanka's marine ecosystem. Qualitative methodology was used for this research and secondary data sources were also used. The research work was carried out by analyzing the literary sources in multiple ways and for data analysis SPSS was used. Tourism adds another layer of challenges to our marine environment, and its rapid global growth means those challenges have multiplied dramatically over the past few years. Tourism’s impact on the marine environment examines these trends in detail. The impact of tourism on oceans’ waste, waste and plastics. A bi-directional relationship between climate change and global warming and marine environments and coastal tourist destinations and Impacts of recreational activities such as diving and offshore fishing on the marine environment, including coral reefs. The consumption of marine resources to meet the tourist demand for products of the sea and souvenirs that impoverish the oceanic resources. Natural and man-made disasters that have their origins in the oceans, but affect coastal tourism destinations. The challenges of marine tourism planning and management, as well as the impacts of the construction of new resorts and tourism infrastructure. According to all these studies factors, the maritime tourism industry in Sri Lanka has a number of irregular problems. This seems to have an impact on maritime security and the ecosystem as well.
Keywords: Environment, Security issues, Marine tourism, Sri Lanka’s marine ecosystem
Conversion of a Garbage Dump Yard into a Landscape Recreational Park: A Study of Impact on Human Perception with Reference to the Meethotamulla Rehabilitation Project
Authors: Rekha K.A.P.Y.  
Published: June 2022

Solid waste is one of the main global issues that arise due to the malfunctioning of solid waste management. It creates an adverse effect on environmental, social, and economical aspects of human wellbeing. Sanitary landfill is a proper solution on solid waste management (SWM) which results in closed landfills leads to implement landscape architectural interventions as a secondary use. Meethotamulla garbage dump yard is one of the main examples which can be identified as a newly implemented project which converts a dump yard into a landscape recreational park for the first time in Sri Lanka. The objective of this study is to identify the impact of this conversion on the human perception of the surrounding community within the micro context and the study will be a motivative study on the landscape architectural approach in Sri Lanka. Changes in human perception were compared according to past, present, and future conditions of the community by using 30 participants who were selected randomly. Participants were selected according to a residential location under limitations such as distance from the dump yard, residential type, and age group. Information processing theory, prospect-refuge theory, Berlyne’s arousal theory, and theory of biophilia were used as the theoretical base for studying the impact on human perception (five senses) through a live interview. After analyzing data, the impact of the conversion on human perception has been affected positively by creating new landscape qualities and a comfortable environment. Initially, the Meethotamulla dump yard has changed the behavioral pattern of the community while leading to anincrease in illegal activities, drop-in educational level, and stressful environment etc. With the development of the recreational park, negative impacts have been controlled and pleasant landscape qualities like calm, pleasing, picturesque, spaciousness, and openness etc. have been improved. As a result, coherence, legibility, complexity, imageability, naturalness, visual scale, novelty, and surprisingness are landscape concepts that have been encouraged. The physical and mental health of the community has been positively impacting and it will be continued in the future as well.
Keywords: Meethotamulla dump yard, Meethotamulla rehabilitation project, Solid waste management, Sanitary landfill, Landscape recreational park
Product Water Footprint on Rice Cultivation in Intermediate Zone, Sri Lanka: A Case Study in Kurunegala District, Sri Lanka
Authors: Palliyaguru M.P.G.N.M.  , Navaratne C.M.  , Wickramasinghe D.D.  , Nanayakkara C.M.  
Published: June 2022

Water consumption by crops for ensuring food security for a growing population has become a threat to the limited natural resource of freshwater. In order to consume water in a sustainable manner for food productions, the concept of Water Footprint came into practice. Since the rice is the most water consuming crop compared to other food crops, a study was conducted to quantify the total water footprint: the volume of freshwater (m3) that needs to grow a tonne of rice including freshwater volume needed to assimilate polluted water of rice fields due to the application of chemical fertilizers. An experiment was carried out under two conditions: controlled run-off and continual run-off at selected two locations in Kurunegala District in the Low Country Intermediate Zone, Sri Lanka from 2015 to 2016 for four consecutive cropping seasons with three replicates. Greywater footprints (WFgrey) for both sites were estimated based on the estimated leaching runoff fraction related to nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) fertilizers based on the site-specific data. The WFgrey for rice cultivated under the controlled run-off condition for N and P were 192±34 m3/t and 39±07 m3/t respectively. Under the continual runoff situation, WFgrey was varied showing 198±42 m3/t for N and 58±03 m3/t for P. This study revealed that the critical element for water pollution is nitrogen associated with rice cultivation and a considerable amount of nitrogen leaching and runoff could occur through paddy cultivation. The green and blue water footprints for both sites were estimated with the CROPWAT model by crop water requirement option according to the Water Footprint Assessment Manual. This study discovered that under the complimentary irrigation, the total water footprint for paddy production for run-off controlled condition was 1,370±294 m3/t (WFgreen:705, WFblue:473, WFgrey:192 m3/t) for the yield of 4.2 t/ha and for the continual run-off situation was 1,393±456 m3/t (WFgreen:604, WFblue:591, WFgrey:198 m3/t) for the yield of 4.5 t/ha. It expressed the volume of water required for the production of one tonne of paddy in Kurunegala District, Intermediate Zone, Sri Lanka for the period from 2015-2016. The experimental values are somewhat less with respect to the global average of 1,519 m3/t for the rice under irrigated agriculture system for the yield of 4.67 t/ha. It was revealed that site differences, variation of agronomical practices were not significantly affected on the estimated total water footprint of the production of rice for the experimental period in the given settings.
Keywords: Water footprint, Paddy, Nitrate, Phosphate
Acknowledgement: Authors acknowledge the Rice Research and Development Institute and the Coconut Development Authority
Production of Textile Ink using Waste Cotton
Authors: De Silva G.K.D.  , De Silva D.J.  
Published: June 2022

The use of eco-friendly ink for textiles is one of the alternatives to reduce the accumulation of toxic chemicals in biosphere. It is a creative answer for the waste management of textiles and other industries and a green concept as well. The usage of findings explained in the paper is far beyond the conventional uses of green chemistry with the advancement of science and technology. The production of ink using waste cotton contributes to the preservation of our environment from various hazardous chemicals with the use of water-based ink system which is environmentally friendly and safe for humans and all other living organisms. In this research project waste cotton fibers (cellulose fibers) are converted into the ink base for textile. Cotton fibers (cellulose fibers) were dissolved in N,N-dimethylacetamide/lithium chloride (DMAc/LiCl) solvent system and converted into a clear cellulose solution and then step by step added thickener (Polylactic acid and glycerin system) and finally natural pigments make it a whole new natural textile ink. Here, basically Anthocyanins were used as the pigment/colorant. Using Anthocyanin is advantageous in many ways such as the vast availability, easy obtainability of the preferred colors and cost-effectiveness. Cellulose polymer and pigments particles have hydroxyls groups that can create hydrogen bonds with water as well as the natural fabrics (especially cotton). So, due to this reason ink is developed as a water base ink which is more viable task when comparing with other ink production processes. The produced water base ink has a good adhesion with fabric which can be seen in trials followed with manual screen printing. It serves as a great alternative to plastisol and other solvent based inks in many circumstances. One of the most prominent features of this newly formed ink is that the base does not include plastic or any hazardous man-made chemical. These kind of water-based inks seeps in to the garment rather than sitting top of the fabric. This creates a more consistent feel and a very good hand feel along with a better revived look after a few washes. Trials from the manufactured ink are carried out to test color fastness, color migration, wash durability, perspiration and dry/wet crocking of prints. Durability and crocking test results are already available. Durability test resulted 4.0 according to the AATCC135 washing method at 30 C, within five wash cycles. Crocking test was done in both dry and wet conditions according to AATCC008/AACC116 method which gave results 4.5 and 4.0 respectively. Results already finalized are passed the international standards and looking forward for the balance test results.
Keywords: Waste management, Eco-friendly, Chemistry, Polymer, Textiles
A Preliminary Study on the Level of Noise Attenuation by a Natural Green Hedge
Authors: Amarasingha N.D.  , Bodhika J.A.P.  
Published: June 2022

Traffic noise can be considered a weightless pollutant, and it is far growing daily in urban areas all over the world. Few countries have started to introduce sound barriers to minimize a significant amount of traffic noise. This study investigates the sound reduction ability of a natural green hedge in applying as a noise barrier. The study result is based on a naturally grown green fence of Small Nuga (Ficus benjamina) having a high packing factor with thickness×height×length of 2.0×4.0×6.0 m3. The average weight of the fresh plant of a unit volume of the fence is 5.6 kg. Handheld sound analyzer (IEC 60651, B&K 2250L, class 1) and B&K omni-directional dodecahedron sound source (0.8-3.15 kHz) type 2734-A amplifier (50-5,000 Hz, 1/3 octave bands) are the primary equipment used for the study. The speaker was placed 1 m away from the fence and 1.2 m above the ground. The transmitted sound through the fence was monitored for three locations in a line of 1 m, 2 m, and 3 m with the same speaker level. All exterior sounds were avoided during the measurements. Sound propagation after the green fence was estimated and mapped using iNoise software (version 2021.1) and ArcMap software (version 10.7.1). The study reveals that the vegetation barrier could reduce 34.4% of the incident acoustic energy, and approximately 26 dB of noise drop was identified at a point 2 m away from the vegetation barrier. The adequately structured noise barrier will effectively increase noise reduction.
Keywords: Traffic noise, Vegetation barriers, Sound absorption, Noise reduction
Preliminary Study on Existing Scenario of Selected Soil Properties in Cheddikulum Grama Niladhari Division Vavuniya District, Sri Lanka
Authors: Madhushani K.G.S.  , Ranasinghe U.D.S.S.  
Published: June 2022

The productivity of the soil has changed into the worst condition knowingly or unknowingly by anthropogenic activities as well as natural phenomena. The study was conducted to quantify selected soil properties in Cheddikulum Grama Niladhari division, Vavuniya District and find reclaim the problem soil and make suggestions to cultivate the crop variety suitable for the existing soil properties since this area is a recently rehabilitated area. Fifty composite samples were selected for the research using the stratified random sampling method. Stratification was based on the type of land cover, and following land cover patterns were identified agriculture land patches, forest patches, and grassland patches. Soils were collected from top to 30 cm depth (root zone) using a core sampler, and subsamples were collected to obtain composite samples. Soil samples were analyzed for pH, EC, organic matter content, total nitrogen, exchangeable potassium, and available phosphorous. 14.8% of agricultural land area was acidic soil and 4.7% alkaline soil. 15.3% of agricultural land area was identified as saline soil. 67.11% of agricultural lands contain more phosphorous concentration than the optimum range. 4.7% of agricultural lands contain higher potassium concentrations than the optimum range. 94% of forest lands and 100% of grasslands contains phosphorous concentration higher than the optimum range. But forest lands showed a lower level of potassium concentration. 23.6% of grasslands contain higher potassium than the optimum level. Organic matter ranged between 0.01% to 5.43% in agricultural lands where 82% of total nitrogen concentrations were the optimum level. Agriculture practices lead to change in the soil; hence identified soil problems should be reclaimed in order to maintain the fertility of the soil for sustainable production. Proper management of soil can be a better solution for supporting the successful agricultural activity of the community in the future and socio-economic development of this region and need to be adhering to crop variety selection and soil reclamation practices.
Keywords: Productivity, Soil problems, Soil reclamation
Status of the Fishery in Mount Lavinia, Colombo, Sri Lanka
Authors: Jeewanthi L.G.S.  , Silva T.D.H.N.  , Jayamanne J.M.D.N.P.  , Jayasundara W.M.B.S.  , Bandara A.G.G.C.  
Published: June 2022

Mount Lavina has become popular due to its unique ecological and recreational qualities which is a limited resource within the Colombo Metropolitan Area. But it also consists of a small fisher community. However the scale of this community is still unknown. Therefore this project was initiated to analyze and review the status of the fisher community in the area. The study was conducted for a 4 month period in weekly intervals. Sociological survey was conducted to assess the status of fishery while separate study conducted to identify the Bycatch species of beach seine fishery. According to the results, there were a total 160 fishermen and 60 boats. Four different mesh sizes were used and almost half of the fishermen used 6 mm size. The main targeted species were squids, Caranx spp., Tuna spp., rock fishes and lobsters which depend on the season and the type of the net. According to statistics, the daily salary ranged between Rs.500-15,000. Crew members were paid by the boat owner and it deepened on the amount of catch and fuel prices. For the non-working days crew members rely on other part time jobs. There were three traditional beach seines operated in the area only in specific seasons (September-January). Study identified 52 species caught in the beach seine fishery. Among them, 27 were Bycatch species. Most Bycatch species were puffers, sharks and rays by weight. Most of them were discarded while others were sold to dry fish markets. Moreover turtles and jellyfishes were recorded as non-fish Bycatch. The study is being continued as a long-term by-catch study to evaluate the intensity of the Bycatch in traditional fishery
Keywords: Bycatch, Caranx species, Beach seine, Sociology survey, Sri Lanka
The effect of corporate social responsibility on debt finance: The moderating effect of accounting conservatism
Authors: Ali Karim Mansour , Abdel ghaffar Emad sayed 
Published: June 2022

This study aims to investigate the impact of corporate social responsibility (CSR) practices on the debt finance (DF) of Egyptian firms, as well as examine the moderating role of accounting conservatism (AC) on this relationship. The sample of the study consists of 120 listed Egyptian firms from 2012 to 2019 with overall observations of 960, the data were processed using the panel corrected standards errors (PCSE) and the generalized least squares (GLS). The results reveal that CSR practices have a negative effect on the DF of listed Egyptian firms, this means that listed firms that engage in CSR practices have less ability to obtain DF than non-CSR firms. Also, the results indicate that the negative effect of CSR practices on DF is more pronounced in firms that have a high conservatism. The results of this study have some essential implications, as CSR practices are crucial for stakeholders such as regulators, investors, and credit providers. Besides, this study contributes to testing some factors that affect firms' ability to obtain DF in one of the emerging countries such as Egypt.
Keywords Corporate social responsibility, Debt finance, Accounting conservatism, Panel data, Egypt