PURSE 1996

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Controversies on the Aetiology of Endemic Goitre in Sri Lanka
(University of Peradeniya, Peradeniya, 1996-08-10) Areseculeratne, Y. M.; Reginald, G. J.; Hemawardana, D. M.; Weerasekara, G. A. B.; Tammita, A.
Endemic goitre is widely prevalent in the wet zone en Sri Lanka. The exact aetiology of endemic goitre has not been fully understood though iodine deficiency has been thought to be the commonest cause. This study involved the investigation of hundred and eleven euthyroid goitrous female patients with regard to their thyroid status. The gland was assessed according to the classification endorsed by the WHO and the International Council for the Control of Iodine Deficiency Disorders (lCCIDD), and categorised into 3 grades. The tests included measurement of total serum thyroxine, triiodothyronine and thyroid stimulating hormone levels and 2 and 24 hour iodine uptakes following the administration of a tracer dose of radioactive iodine. Thyroid hormone levels were found to be within the specified 'normal' ranges, but a trend was observed whereby an increase in goitre size was associated with a fall in total serum thyroxine levels, which was not significant, a rise in total triiodothyronine, being significant between grades 2 & 3 (p < 0.05), and a significant fall in serum thyroid stimulating hormone levels between grades 1 & 2 (p < 0.03), as well as between grades 2 & 3 (p < 0.05). The radioactive iodine uptakes at both 2 & 24 hours showed a rise with increase in the size of the gland, the uptakes between grades 2 & 3 were significant in both instances, (p < 0.01) and (p < 0.05) respectively. The biochemical picture seen in these patients is not in keeping with that seen in patients from areas en confirmed iodine deficiency.
Determination of Iron Status in a Rural Population in Sri Lanka: Prevalence of Anaemia and Oral manifestations
(University of Peradeniya, Peradeniya, 1996-08-10) Ranasinghe, A. W.; Cuncheer, S.
The study was carried out using a randomly selected individuals from ten Grarna Sevaka divisions of Kadugannawa M 0 H division. A total of 339 patients were used in this study and a detailed questionnaire was administered to record socioeconomic and clinical data of the subjects. Intravenous blood was drawn to assess haemoglobin level, packed cell volume and the blood picture. The data analysis was done using a programme called EPI INFO Version 5. A total of 190 females and 149 of males were screened and their mean ages 49.2 + / - 14.1 and 46.5+ / - 15.6 years respectively. Only 2.7% of the patients were pure vegetarian and more than 85% of the patients consumed either fish. dry fish or chicken. However, around 50% of the group did not consume beef Only 8.3% of the patients gave a history of bleeding from the gastrointestinal tract, however, nearly 14% patients had menorrhgia Almost 50% of the study group had symptoms associated with anaemia. This high figure cannot be attributed purely to anaemia because some of these symptoms were common to anaemia as well as other disorders. e.g. angina. In contrast only 14% of the patients had signs of anaemia and females formed a higher percentage(78%) of this group compared to males(22%). Atrophy of the tongue was the commonest clinical abnormality(15%) followed by angular cheilitis(6.2%) and abnormalities like koilonychia and brittle nails were rare among the patients. Nearly 35.6% of the patients had a haemoglobin level less than 12 g/d1. however, when the cut-off point was lowered to 11 g/dl, the percentage of patients above this value rose to 81.9%. Even at this level nearly 20% of the population were anaemic which is a significant portion of the population and this data demonstrate the value of routine screening for anaemia in populations.
Efect of Smoke Curing on some Foods in Sri Lanka
(University of Peradeniya, Peradeniya, 1996-08-10) Samarajeewa, U.; Wijeratne, M. C. P.; Rodrigo, M. C. P.; Karunaratne, G. D. D. P.
Foods are smoke cured for drying and to impart new organoleptic properties. The smoke produced during combustion and thermal decomposition of organic substances is a colloidal suspension of vapour, liquid droplets and solid particles. Chemically, the smoke contains organic acids, carbonyls, phenols and Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAH). Some of the PAH are known carcinogens. Understanding of the presence and the mechanisms of contamination of foods by PAH is important from a health point of view and in processing offood. In Sri Lanka, copra and 'Maldive fish' are prepared by smoke curing. Eighty seven samples of coconut kernel products and twelve samples of 'Maldive fish' collected from the oil mills in the coconut triangle and markets in Kandy respectively were analyzed for PAH. The PAH from coconut samples were extracted in to hexane in Soxhlet and the 'Maldive fish' through dichloromethane using standard methods. The hexane extracts were purified by absorbing in to Sep-pak (Bond Elute LRC, Varian Inc.) cartridge and eluting with hexane-dichloromethane (3: 1). Estimation of PAH were done on Shimadzu model LC- 6A HPLC in reverse phase using a Chrompak Chrom Spher PAH glass cartridge, mobile phase of30 - 100% water:acetonitrile and a fluorescent detector. The mean total PAH concentrations observed in copra, coconut oil, copra meal and parings were 102 ± 184,359 ± 412, 68 ± 101 and 109 ± 164 mglkg respectively. More than 90% of the PAH detected were non-carcinogenic. Some of the sun-dried copra and desiccated coconuts did not contain PAR The concentrations ofPAH observed in Sri Lankan copra were much less than observed in copra in other countries of the region. The relatively low concentrations of PAH observed is probably associated with controlled combustion of shells practiced in 'Standard Ceylon Copra Kiln' which provides a relatively 'clean' supply of hot air. The distribution pattern of total PAH between oil and copra meal, compared to what is present in copra used to expel the oil indicate possible production of PAH during mechanical expulsion of oil in mills. The maldive fish contained mean total PAH concentration of 1083 ± 1332 mg/kg. The PAH concentrations in 'maldive fish' were 3 to 4 fold higher than what is reported in smoked salmon. However, the bulk of the PAH in 'maldive fish' were in the outer 2 mm crust which contained 60 to 90% of the PAH. The PAH in the innermost regions of the 'maldive fish' are probably either absorbed from smoke or produced due to heat. Both deposition and thermal generation ofPAH appear to occur in copra and 'maldive fish'. Preparation of regulatory limits for PAH in foods are still in an elementary stage. Germany has insisted on a regulatory limit of 25 mg/kg for total PAH and 5 mglkg for Benzo[ aJpyrene. In view of the concentrations observed in this study and else where it is more appropriate at this stage to classify food containing PAH to the following categories. Such a classification will enable the industries to reduce contamination by modification of smoke curing processes while meeting the day-to-day needs of the smoke cured foods.
Fodder Biomass Yield, Feeding Value and Palatabilty of Shrub Fodder Species Grown in Marginal Lands in the Mid Contry of Sri Lanka
(University of Peradeniya, Peradeniya, 1996-08-10) Perera, A. N. F.
Marginal lands in the mid country region are steep, heavily eroded and highly acidic. In most of these lands the top soil is limited to a very thin layer or completely cb;ent. Therefore, this study was conducted' to evaluate the potential of different shrub species for fodder biomass production. feeding value and preference by ruminants. This will provide an opportunity to introduce a profitable livestock. production system to generate a successful income source for the resource poor farmers in the mid country region. Legumes; Gliricidia sepium, Calliandra calothyrsus, Erythrina verigeta, Desmodium ransonii, F1emingia macrophylla and non legumes ; Tithonia diversifolia, Morus alba were established in double raw hedges, 7 meters apart. Leaf dry matter yields (LDMY) were estimated for 100m. linear lengths, with a lopping cycle of 16 weeks for a period of 1 year. Highest LDMY was observed in E. Verigeta (276±23 kg. DMIyear) and the lowest was in D. ransonii (86±12 kg. DMIyear). G. sepium, L. leucocephala, C. calothyrsus and F. macrophylla produced a LDMY of 205±17, 188±18, 165±10 and lOO±15 kglyear, respectively. Tithonia diversifolia and M .alba yielded 146±22 and 143±16 kgIyear, respectively. The Crude Protein (CP) content of leguminous shrub species ranged from 210±21 gIkg (F. macrophylla) to 270±21 gIkg (c. calothyrsus). In non leguminous species, T. diversifolia had a higher CP content (180±26 g/kg) than M alba (120±32 . lY'kg). Acid Detergent Fibre (ADF) in all fodder species were above 300±21 g/kg., and the highest . was in F. macrophylla (480±63 g/kg.), Lignin content was highly variable between species, from as low as 81±14 g/kg, (D. ransonii) to as high as 284±26 g/kg, (F. macrophyllay. The In Vitro dry matter digestibility (IVDMD) was above 500 gIkg. in all fodder species, except for F. macrophylla (466±124 g/kg.). The highest rapidly degradable fraction (a) was in G. sepium (42.0"10)and lowest in F macrophylla (24.4%). The potential degradability (a+b) was highest in T. diversifolia (79.4%). The highest soluble .fraction of nitrogen were in G. sepium and E. verigeta (59.1 % and 52.6%, respectively). All fodder species, except F. macrophyl/a and C. calothyrsus consist a potential degradable nitrogen (a+b), above 80%. The most preferred fodder species was M alba and the least preferred was F. macrophy/la (720 and 300 g. DMldIhead). This study suggest that the legwninous and non leguminous fodder species performed successfully in marginal lands and open an avenue for ruminant livestock production through providing quality fodder biomass for feeding.
Monitoring of Beragala Landslide
(University of Peradeniya, Peradeniya, 1996-08-10) Dissanayake, A. K.; Edirisinghe, A. G. H. J.; Seniviratne, H. N.; Abayakoon, S. B. S.
Landslips occur in many parts of the world, specially in hilly or mountainous terrain. In Sri Lanka landslides.are a major natural hazard. Out of many active landslides in the island, Beragala earthslip is particularly significant because of the possible disruption of the transportation system in the southern part of the .central highlands. This paper describes the geotechnical instrumentation and monitoring carried out as a part of a major research project to study the behaviour of the Beragala landslide. The landslide is monitored using GPS method, extensometers and precise leveling of embedded markers. It is expected that interpretation of the results of this instrumentation would lead to the identification of the mechanism of the landslide and thereby enable the determination of suitable remedial measures if required.
Premary Study on the Protein Chemistry of Goat Milk
(University of Peradeniya, Peradeniya, 1996-08-10) Weerabadda, W. K. C.; Horadagoda, A.; Wijewardena, T. G.
Incidence of food allergy can increase with the introduction of cow milk/(Wood 1986). Food allergy is the clinical syndrome resulting from sensitisation of an individual to dietary proteins or other allergens present in the intestinal1umen. Cow milk allergy is common during infancy however, it is not confined to childhood (Deamer. Gerrard and Speer 1979). Allergic response elicited by cows milk may be attributed to its soluble whey proteins and such persons are prescribed goat milk or cow milk products such as yoghurt which they appear to tolerate well. Unlike cow milk, there is a dearth of information on the composition and chemistry of goat milk proteins which may be responsible for the aforementioned favourable effect. In this study, proteins in goat milk have been analysed and compared with those of human milk, cow milk and yoghurts (made out of cow milk) in order to understand the reasons for this differences in the allergic responses. Twenty five samples of milk were collected from each species. In the cow and the goat these were collected at different stages of lactation but it was ensured that equal numbers per stages were collected in each species. In the human all samples were from early lactation. All the samples were analysed for total protein, casein, whey proteins by using both Kjeldhal and Biuret assays and further analysed by Sodium Dodecyl Sulphate Polyacrylamide Gel Electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE). The electrophoretic patterns of proteins in individual samples were compared with that of the commercially available milk protein standards. The average total protein concentration (g/I) of goat milk, cow milk, human milk and yoghurt was 35.2, 33.5, 8.3 and 33.0 respectively. The casein concentration and the whey proteins for the three species were 29.1,24.1,2.4 and 6.13,9.51, 5.97 (g/I) respectively. Casein to whey protein ratio was high in cow and goat milk and in human the ratio was very much lower. SDS-PAGE revealed that goat milk had similar protein bands to that of cow milk but during the preparation of yoghurt the whey protein fraction of fresh milk has reduced and SDS-PAGE showed lighter whey protein bands in the yoghurt. Further studies are in progress to identify and quantitate the different proteins of these milks and their products.
Recommendation of Rice Cultivars Based on Stability Analysis
(University of Peradeniya, Peradeniya, 1996-08-10) Thattil, R. O.; Marambe, B.; Abeynayake, N. R.; Abeysiriwardena, S. De Z.
Stability analysis was performed on yield data from the co-ordinated rice varietal trials, which were conducted at 13 locations using 34 cultivars (varieties). The data used in the analysis came from the trials conducted in 1993 Yala, 1993/94 Maha and 1994 Yala seasons. The stability parameters (Bi and Ai) and the variance components of the genotype x environment interaction were evaluated for each cultivar. Based on the results of the analysis general and specific recommendations can be made. In the 4 - 4'12month age group the varieties BG 1528, BG 1222 and BG 1959 performed consistently well in all locations and seasons and can be used for general recommendation. In the 3'12month age group BG 1639 and BG 94-1 can be recommended for general use throughout all locations, while in the 3 month group none of the varieties are suitable for general recommendation. Some varieties though not consistent in performance over all seasons and locations, performed well in I or 2 sites in I or more seasons. They are suitable specifically to these sites. Varieties BW 306-2 and AT 90-332 of the 4-4'12 age group can be recommended to Maha- Illuppallarna (in Yala) and Ambalantota (in Maha)respectively. The variety BW 326-3 (3'12 month) can be recommended to Paranthan, while BG 1492 (3 month) can be recommended to Labuduwa, and to Ambalantota and Paranthan in Yala.
Recovery of Sodium Hydroxide Form Embilipitiya Black Liquor by Electrodialysis
(University of Peradeniya, Peradeniya, 1996-08-10) Arulalanantham, M. E. I. N.; Shanthini, R.
A new type of electrodialyser unit to fractionate the Embilipitiya black liquor into sodium hydroxide, lignin and organic acids has been proposed and experimented in this work. Lignin deposition on and the consequent damage to the anode-side cellophane membrane that are generally associated with electrodialysis have been eliminated in the proposed unit. Also, bubbling of liquor in the anode compartment has been eliminated and erosion of anode electrode has been minimized. Even with the use of an ordinary membrane, such as cellophane, the cathode compartments of the proposed unit yield sodium hydroxide solutions of strength 0.1 M or more which has a good market value. Lignin which has a very high fuel value can easily be isolated from the end products of electrodialysis. Most importantly the polluting black liquor, upon electrodialysis followed by filtration, yields an almost colourless liquor with a pH of 6.1 and a TDS of 0.23 g/l which could be discharged on land for irrigation purposes as per the environmental standards of Sri Lanka. Thus an environmentally hazardous black liquor has been changed to an environmentally friendly liquor with valuable byproducts.
The potential for Discovery of economic Gold Deposits in Sri Lanka
(University of Peradeniya, Peradeniya, 1996-08-10) Nawaratne, S. W.
Historical records such as Mahawamsa and recent archeogeological observations indicate that gold was mined in large quantities in Sri Lanka during the ancient times. At present small quantities of gold are mined from alluvial placer accwnulations. Present investigations show that significant quantities of alluvial gold occur in the zone lying between the gem-bearing gravel layer and the decomposed bed rock in the areas drained by Walawe Ganga and its tributaries such as Kiri-ibban wewa In such zones, the gold content varies from place to place and concentrations up to 9g per tonne of sediment were observed The gold grains show different morphological features and occur' as dust, flakes and nuggets. Some grains contain 100% Au whereas others have lesser amounts with the balance being constituted of Ag, Cu and Mn. The Walawe Ganga basin lies near the eastern boundary of the Precambrian Highland Complex rock terrain of Sri Lanka. The highest alluvial placer gold concentrations are found in zones of intense shearing and fracturing in the country rock which are commonly mineralized with sulphides and carbontes and intruded by quartz veins and pegmatites. The source of the gold in Wala\W Ganga basin sediments appears to be young fracture controlled mineralization in the Highland Complex rocks.

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