Browsing by Author "Siriwardena, N."

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Background radiation levels near a mineral sand mining factory in Sri Lanka: Correlation of radiation measurements with micronuclei frequency
(Nuclear Technology Pub, 2020) Warnakulasuriya, T.; Williams, S.; Weerakkody, T.; Dabarera, M.; Rodrigo, K.; Waduge, V.A.; Ediriweera, D.; Siriwardena, N.; Wickremasinghe, R.
ABSTRACT:Lanka Mineral Sands Ltd (LMS) is a company operating in Pulmoddai, Sri Lanka, mining for rare earth minerals along with monazite which contains thorium that emits ionizing gamma and alpha radiation on decay. The objective of the study was to determine the background radiation levels and selected radionuclides and then to correlate these levels with the frequency of micronuclei (MN) among persons residing in the vicinity of LMS. A cross-sectional study was conducted among persons of both sexes between 35 and 45 years of age residing in the vicinity of LMS. Background radiation measurements were obtained by a survey metre, and gamma spectrometry was done on soil samples. Five millilitres of venous blood was drawn for cytokinesis-blocked MN assay. Background radiation levels measured by the survey metre; 232Th, 226Ra and 210Pb mass activities in soil were highest in the samples collected from the LMS. The background radiation measurements positively correlated with MN frequency although the magnitude of the correlation was small (r = 0.176, p = 0.04). This implies that chronic long-term exposure to low-dose radiation may result in genotoxicity. Prospective large-scale studies are recommended to evaluate the long-term effect of exposure to low-dose radiation at Pulmoddai.
Conflicts and conflict prevention in perennial reservoir fisheries management
(Sri Lanka Association for Fisheries and Aquatic Resources, 2008) Kumara, U.; Siriwardena, N.; Lidzba, C.
In comparison to marine fisheries, reservoir capture fisheries in Sri Lanka have a relatively short history. Therefore, this sector faces the absence of well-defined user rights, properly established structures and mechanisms, and long-term experiences. At the early stages the social recognition of fish-ing for an income had been very low, only the poorest strata of the communi-ties engaged in fisheries. More recently, the growing population and the in-creasing scarcity of resources force rural people to seek incomes supplemen-tary or alternative to agriculture. This has led to a continuously increasing number of people depending on a cash income from reservoir fisheries. Expe-rience of the Fisheries Community Development and Resources Management Project indicates that so far neither Fisheries Co-operative Societies nor the Fisheries Management Committees can cope with the increasing demand on the reservoir fisheries. This paper looks at social, distributional, institutional and historical issues that have led to conflicts among the fishers and ham-pered the proper management of the fisheries resources. Considering the pre-vailing local socio-cultural conditions, conflicts will continue to arise in res-ervoir fisheries management. However, it is possible to prevent or minimise conflicts through sensitive social organising and negotiation. Conflict resolu-tion will always and should always be a central part of inland fisheries man-agement and extension work in Sri Lanka. Therefore, sensitisation, capacity building and training of local fishers and extension staff in conflict recogni-tion, resolution and negotiation skills are crucial for the establishment of a sustainable, participatory management system.
Fish farming in seasonal reservoirs: Beyond technical feasibility
(Sri Lanka Association for Fisheries and Aquatic Resources, 2008) Lidzba, C.; Siriwardena, N.; Kumara, U.
The Fisheries Community Development and Resource Manage-ment Project (FCDRMP) has tested community-based carp polyculture programmes in seasonal minor irrigation reservoirs in the Hambantota and the Monaragala districts of the southern dry zone of Sri Lanka since 1999. Seasonal reservoirs that are technically feasible for fish farming were se-lected for the implementation of the programme. The potential fish farm-ers were mobilised mainly through the local farmer organisation. In rare cases, extension staff mobilised people informally. As the main purpose of seasonal reservoirs is the irrigation of paddy lands, the fish farming pro-gramme is part of a complex system of resource uses. Ignoring this com-plexity and excluding the social dynamics within this system result in a high economic and social cost. Out of a sample of 20 reservoirs supported by FCDRMP in 2004, 18 faced serious non-technical problems. By high-lighting the social and institutional hindrances the project has experienced, this paper draws attention to the importance of a more holistic approach in planning and implementing fish farming programmes in seasonal reser-voirs. An assessment of the local social dynamics and the participation of the community during the planning and implementation stages of fish farming are crucial. In order to recognise, prevent or resolve potential and actual problems and conflicts, a different approach to extension services is necessary.
How participatory is inland fisheries co-management in Sri Lanka?
(Sri Lanka Association for Fisheries and Aquatic Resources, 2008) Lidzba, C.; Siriwardena, N.; Kumara, U.
Participatory and co-management systems in reservoir fisheries have a relatively short history in Sri Lanka. The legal foundation for such management systems has been provided by the Fisheries and Aquatic Resources Act of 1996. Based on these legal pre-conditions, the Fisheries Community Development and Resource Management Project has pro-moted the co-management approach in eight perennial reservoirs in the Hambantota and the Monaragala Districts in the southern dry zone of Sri Lanka. Despite the progressive legal provisions, the project experience indicates that the institutional framework and infrastructure for extension are so far not favourable for the proper implementation of co-management systems in Sri Lanka. This paper argues that the fisheries co-management presently established is of the instrumental type where the fishers are only involved in the implementation process. Among other recommendations the paper stresses the importance of a better representation of fishers in fisheries decision-making and to move towards a more functional decen-tralisation. This could be achieved by a better organisational structure and procedures that are legally better-defined, and by providing guidelines and training that would compel and support the fisheries administration and extension staff to consult the fishers and consider their views.
Usablity of a prototype mobile application for patient record keeping in the ward setting at the National Cancer Insitutite, Sri Lanka (NCISL)
(Sri Lanka Medical Association, 2019) Deduwela, R.S.; Siribaddana, P.A.; Marasinghe, R.B.; Siriwardena, N.; Athauda, L.K.
INTRODUCTION & OBJECTIVES: Applications of information technology have transformed health care workflow settings globally and locally. Authors designed a patient data capturing tool in the form of a mobile application, to be used in the ward setting at the National Cancer Institute of Sri Lanka, based on the requirements and expectations of medical officers. This study aimed at evaluating the usability of the mobile application. METHODS: A high-fidelity prototype of the mobile application was evaluated for usability with a three-part self-administered questionnaire, given to fifteen randomly selected medical officers in the ward setting. The size was determined by the literature on usability evaluations. It included the System Usability Scale® (SUS), demographics and other usability parameters. Data was analysed on Microsoft Excel and the SUS scale was analysed on author instructions. RESULTS: Of the 15 participants, seven were male, and eight were female. All aged between 30-40 years and all had more than four years of work experience. The prototype received an average SUS score of 68.3 within a range of 47.5 and 92.5. Application received SUS score of >70 (highest category in acceptability range) by eight participants. Among other usability parameters, legibility, user-friendliness, accuracy and relevance of the contents scored the highest. Features that need to be improved such as speed and error recovery were also identified. CONCLUSION: Usability evaluation provided a valuable feedback on the strengths and weaknesses of the mobile application's design. As suggested by results, new mobile application is predicted to serve its purpose, with further modifications applied to the final release.