Ministry of Science, Technology and Research To read Vidya as an Paper visit www.dailynews.lk /vidya

Ministry of Science, Technology and Research To read Vidya as an Paper visit

A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on Co-operation in the Field of Science ,

Technology & Innovation between Sri Lanka and South Africa was signed on 31st January 2018, in Pretoria, South Africa at the Department of Science

and Technology (DST), further strengthening the existing excellent relations between the two coun-tries. On behalf of Sri Lanka, the MoU was signed by Mr. Udaya Senevirathne, Secretary, Ministry of

The 7th Research Symposium of the Young Scientists’ Forum (YSF), conducted by the National Science and Technology

Commission, was held on the 19th of January at the Faculty of Applied Sciences auditorium at the University of Wayamba. Vice Chancellor of the Wayamba University, Prof. E.M.P.P Eka-nayaka graced the occasion as the Chief Guest. The inaugural lecture was delivered by Prof. Chalinda Beneragama, Lecturer at Peradeniya University. Around 50 research papers on Bio-Chemistry,Chemistry, Biology, Agronomy, Micro-

biology, Molecular Biology, Biotechnology, Food Science & Nutrition, Physics, Engineering Tech-nology, Tanotechnology, Economics, Numerolo-gy, Humanities & Social Sciences were presented by young scientists at the research seminar this year. A Certifi cate of Merit was presented to the best research paper in each section. The Best Young Scientist of the Year award which had not been granted several years was re-started in 2017 and the applications received were evalu-ated by an impartial jury.

Vidatha Haritha Kadamandiya, which was jointly organized by the Ministry of Science, Technol-

ogy and Research was held on the 25th and 26th of January and on the 26th & 27th of this month at the Sethsiripaya premises in Battaramulla.Generally

this event is organized, at the end of each month and it is aimed at encouraging local entrepreneurs to create a better market for their products and services. This has also been a great strength to the ‘Grama Shakthi’ program as well.

- Pradeep Piyathilaka -

Continued on page 03...

Wednesday, February 28, 2018

2

Mrs. Yasomanike in the Kalu-galthenna Grama Niladari

Division of the Ambangangako-rale Divisional Secretariat in the Matale District is a motivated entrepreneur running a successful yogurt production, having com-pleted formal technical training at the Ambangagakorale Vidatha Resource Center.

Mrs.Yaso Manike joined Vidatha Re-source Center in 2015, enrolling for the milk-based product training program. Having completed the program, she started to buy milk from milk producers in her hometown and began producing yoghurt. Initially production began with the use of home based tools, without the use of any machinery. The officers of the Vidatha Resource Center made arrange-ments to visit her house and instructed her on producing yogurt using better methods and sanitary means.

The Vidatha Resource Center helped

her register the business and print yogurt cups. Subsequently,

the biggest challenge she faced was marketing the product. She had to compete with the big and famous, local & international companies. To overcome this obstacle, she showcased spectacu-lar and convincing ads at vital market places. These measures helped greatly improve her sales. The product was able

to be sold among the school children of Pussella Navodya College, with the sup-port of the principal. With the gradual improvement of her business each day,

she bought an incubator for the pro-duction of yoghurt. With that, her daily production increased dramatically. Some consumers have already started to visit

her place personally to purchase her products. She started her own dairy farm to utilize the milk for her yogurt produc-tion. Working place was underway to turn a section of her house into a small factory. She has already purchased alu-minum covers and a sealing machine for her yoghurt cups. Yaso Manike is now registered under the brand name of ‘Am-ban Yogurt’ with No. 2/4/1 /DS / Amban / 15/02. Her daily yogurt production today stands at 200 yogurts cups. Let’s wish her business more success and profitability.

Tel - 072 1580046(This information was provided to us by the Science and Technology Officer, P.D.P Dhanasena of the Vidatha Resource Center in Ambangangakorale)

Initially production

began with the use

of home based tools,

without the use of any

machinery. The officers

of the Vidatha Resource

Center made arrange-

ments to visit her house

and instructed her on

producing yogurt using

better methods and

sanitary means.

“

I met Mr.Lasantha Chamara Weera-koon in 2014, who had grown up

in the beautiful rural village of Sandaga-nagama, Weligepola in the Rathnapura District. At the time of meeting, he had finished his higher studies and was looking for a job. As he preferred self employment as a career, in order to assist him in his entrepreneurial dream, he was informed that various technical training programs were being carried out at the Vidatha Resource Center. There, he was able to join a training program which prepared herbal medicinal beverages through an easy to consume method. He realized that he could start a venture of his own from the training he was given and create a sustainable source of income for himself. Accord-ingly he commenced to produce a series of drinks under the brand name of “Ayu”. At present there is a rapid increase in non communicable diseases such

as diabetes, cholesterol and heart at-tacks in the country. Doctors say that

the major cause for this is the frequent consumption of various instant foods, artifi-cially flavored food & lack

of exercise. Indigenous Medicinal herbs

possess proper-ties to control these diseases to a consider-able extent. But to prepare these

beverages, con-sume some time As

a solution to this, these beverages which are pre-

pared using Vidatha technology are presented to the market, providing an easy and healthy solution to the cus-tomer. Currently indigenous medicinal herbs such as Belimal, Kothala Him-butu, Iramusu, Polpala and Ranawara have been introduced to the market,

packed into easily drinkable pack-ages. During the production process of these beverages, all ingredients used are 100% natural which has no artificial flavors, coloring or chemical preservatives included in the produc-tion.

Vidatha Resource Center at Welige-pola, assists him in providing the re-quired technical knowhow and instruc-tions in order to develop his products into a viable business. The equipment has been provided with the support of a project carried out by the Ministry of Science Technology and Research. They are engaged in these activities using equipment such as Dehydra-tors invented by Sri Lanka National Engineering Research and Develop-ment Center. They are also rich with knowledge provided by ITI.

These products have already been distributed island wide.

Heshan WarusawitharanaScience & Technology Officer

Weligepola

Wednesday, February 28, 2018

Science and Technology and Research, and Hon. Naledi Pandor, Minister in charge of the subject, Science and Technology, signed on behalf of South Africa. The two countries are expected to setup a Joint Working Group to identify and implement future Programs in the relevant fi elds. By sign-ing the Document, the two countries agree to promote and encourage scientifi c research and technological progress in sectors of mutual benefi t. The areas of coopera-tion covered by the MoU include Biotechnology,

Nanotechnology, Traditional and Herbal Medicine, Space Technology and Manufac-turing. The High Commissioner of Sri Lanka in South Afri-ca H.E. Mr. Sunil De Silva and Mr. Mr Daan du Toit, Deputy Director-General, International Cooperation and Resources of DST were also present at the signing ceremony.The delegation of Sri Lanka that visited South Africa also included Dr. G.A.S. Premakumara, Di-rector General, Industrial Technology Institute (ITI) and Mrs. Himali Athaud-

age, Director, Ministry of Science Technology and Research. The delegation visited the Department of Science and Technol-ogy, National Mineral Research Organization (MINTEC), Medical Re-search Council (MRC), Council for Scientifi c and Industrial Research (CSIR). They also had discussions with re-searchers from Depart-ment of Marine Polar Research and Palaeosci-ence, IK based technol-ogy innovation and South Africa national Space Agency (SANSA).

Dr. Lalith Suriyagoda, Senior Lecturer at the Agriculture Faculty of Peradeniya Univer-sity was offi cially announced as the Young Scientist of the year 2017 on the occa-sion with a cash prize being presented to him. Annual Research Seminar 2017, was held under the participation of the Dean of the Faculty of Applied Science,University of Wayamba, Dr L.D.D.R Perera, the Director of National Sci-ence and Technology Com-

mission, Dr.Muditha Liyanage-dara, Member of the Active Guild of the Young Scientists Forum, Dr. Meththika Vithan-age and many other mem-bers of the Young Scientists Forum of 2017. The research symposium was streamed live for the fi rst time in the his-tory of the Young Scientists Forum,with the assistance of WAYOSCOPE, the offi cial media arm of the Wayamba University.

A MOU was signed recently between

the “Vidatha Program” which introduces technology to the vil-lage, under the Ministry of Science Technology and Research and Small Enterprise Development Division un-der the Ministry of National Policies and Economic Affairs for the pur-pose of carrying out a joint program for the development of small and medium enterprises in rural areas of Sri Lanka.

The main objective of the Vi-datha program is to create small scale entrepreneurs thereby creat-ing added value and increasing resources in the rural sector. It will be done through developing small and medium scale industries with the support of modern science and technology. Various training programs have been organized for this purpose and it is expected to increase the products available in rural areas to create a solid basement for the rural and national economies. Currently the Vidatha program has been successfully implemented through 266 “Vidatha Centers” island wide with services being provided by 22 district offi ces established by the Small Entrepre-neurship Development Division.These offi ces carry out the duties of conducting training programs for the development of small and medium scale enterprises, provide consultation services, coordinate marketing, technical and fi nancial services etc.

Thus both the Small Scale En-terprise Development Division and the Vidatha program implemented

through divisional sec-retariats island wide, work with the objective of strengthening the rural economy through developing rural entre-preneurship.

Accordingly in the process of working towards this collec-tive objective, ‘a joint program’ has been implemented with

the purpose of achieving greater productivity through the utilization of human and physical resources of

both divisions. Thus the agreement promises to provide new techno-logical knowhow required by these entrepreneurs along with theoretical and practical training, guidance for business management, solutions for marketing issues and coordination of fi nancial and technical services, etc.

In the initial phase, nine districts will be selected from the nine prov-

inces and pilot projects will be rolled out in the relevant areas via the successfully driven Vidatha Resource Centers in each of the selected districts. The program is expected to identify and give priority to the industries which will increase productivity in those areas.

This is very applicable to coun-tries such as Sri Lanka to strength-en the rural economies through a determined human resource base, adding more value to the natural resources of the country. Thus more space will be created to strengthen the national economy through this valid initiative.

Wednesday, February 28, 2018 3

Dulip NayanapriyaMedia Unit

Ministry of Science Technology and Research

Continued from page 01... Continued from page 01... Young Scientists...MOU betaween...

4

Introduction of NERD Foot Bridge Technology for the

convenience of transpotation of communities in remote areas of sri lanka in place of unprotected “ Edanda” currently in use.

1.0 INTRODUCTION TO THE PROJECT

One major disturbance for the development of rural areas of Sri Lanka is unavailability of safe means of crossing canals. Many of the vil-lages in the rural areas are farmers and they faced many difficulties to transport their agricultural products to the nearby towns. The school chil-dren in these areas are

unable to attend their schools during the rainy season due to increased water levels in the canals. As the villagers do not have proper access to cross canals, they use a rope which is tightening to trees at both ends to cross the water paths. Many of them use tim-ber logs laid across the water path to cross it. These timber logs disappeared after the flood. If it remains it has to be replacing regularly.

To find out the real situation in the rural areas, National Engineering Research & Development Centre of Sri Lanka (NERDC) carried out a survey in 2007 among 84 Divisional Secretariats in Sri Lanka.

According to this survey, it was seen that the provisions

for such small footbridges to cross canals of width 20ft. al-ways exist at 624 places. Fur-ther, 141 places have been identified, where such canal crossings is between 20ft. – 30ft. 471 places required foot bridges over 30’ span. This study has to be re-visited as the report is carried out

in 2007 to identify locations needing such footbridges as at present. Following is the summary of the survey car-ried out.

As a results of series of successful research on safe means of crossing canals, National Engineering Re-search & Development Cen-tre of Sri Lanka (NERDC) has developed cost effective foot bridges with spans of 20-30 feet using two potential tech-nologies namely Pre-stressed concrete technology & Ferro-cement technology, which can be used for three-wheeler access. Main advantages of these technologies are;

• Cost effectiveness ( 30% cost reduction compared

to reinforced concrete foot bridges)

• Fast & easy construction.• Freely available materialsBy now, NERDC has con-

structed 9 footbridges on pilot basis both using pre-stressed and the Ferro-cement tech-nologies in different locations in the country.

1.1 PRE-STRESSED CONCRETE TECHNOLOGYIn pre-stressed concrete,

predetermined forces are imposed on the concrete structural member by special high-tensile steels prior to the members functioning as a load-supporting element. These pre-emptive pre-stressing forces are calculat-ed and positioned to mitigate the anticipated stresses that subsequently occur during the service loading of the member, thus reducing the net final stresses developed and allowing a significant reduction in the required size of the concrete elements.

• Well stabilized system (Design codes/Method of

analysis are available)• Mass scale production is

possible.• NERDC registered yards

are available all over the Island.

• Small sections with com-pared to Reinforced Concrete

• Minimum site work

1.2 FERRO-CEMENT TECHNOLOGYThe name Ferro-cement is

given since it’s a composite made out of ferrous products and cement mortar. Cement mortar reinforced with layers of steel mesh and steel. Only

small size aggregates are used in Ferro-cement applications. Ferro-cement is very cost effective compared to Roller - Compacted Concrete (RCC) or steel. Main advantages of Ferro-cement are

• Can be formed in to almost any shapes.

• Production is simple and require minimum skills and a few hand tools

• Labor-intensive technol-ogy.

• Raw materials readily available in market

• Strength/weight ratio is high

• Easy repairs and less maintenance

• Technology can eas ily be adopted for

ordinary people.• High fire resistance

properties• High corrosion proof

properties• High water proofing

properties• Environmental friendly

construction• Excellent replacement for

timber • Less finishing works.• Pre-fabrication with Ferro

cement component is simple.

• Less construction duration

2.0 PILOT PROJECTS:The NERDC has already

constructed four pre-stressed concrete footbridges on pilot basis in Warakapola, Kuru-wita, Kotugoda, Monaragala, Ja-Ela and Morawaka. The results indicate that they are very much suitable for pedes-trian crossings, for Motorcy-

cles and the Push Cycles and Three-wheelers as well.

3.0 PROPOSED

METHODOLOGYIn line with the Govern-

ment development plan to provide safe access facilities for all people in the country, this proposal is aimed at constructing 1000 nos. of foot bridges in all Districts in Sri Lanka. Initially an awareness program will be conducted at district level to introduce this technology to the relevant officers in the district and to formulate effective mecha-nism to construct foot bridges with community participation. Parallel to this awareness program a survey will be car-ried out to identify the loca-tions which a requirement of a foot bridge is exists. Based on the results of the survey 1000 nos. of foot bridges will be identified for the construc-tion. 3oo nos. of foot bridges will be constructed in the first year and it is planned cover districts in three provinces during the first year. 350 foot bridges each will be constructed during next two years in other six provinces. A onsite training will be provid-ed to the local technical staff.

National Engineering Re-search & Development Cen-tre of Sri Lanka (NERDC) will implement the Project under the guidance of the Ministry of Science, Technology and Research and NERDC will involved in following activities.

1. Location of the foot bridge will be identified through relevant government officers, community leaders with the participation of re-spective divisional secretariat.

2. Awareness program for Divisional Secretaries, Political leaders in the district, Engineers, technical officers and other relevant officers.

3. Awareness program for NERDC Licensees on foot bridge technologies

4. Planning, designing and estimating of the foot bridge

5. Supply of precast & pre-stressed concrete compo-nents to the sites.

6. Few foot bridges will be constructed by NERDC as demonstration projects. Train-ing program will be arranged for relevant officers, villages and the contractors in the area

Continued on page 05...

Wednesday, February 28, 2018

57. Awareness of contractors for the

construction of foot bridges8. Supervision of the construction

work.

9. Monitoring of the progress of the project.

10. Arrange necessary payments.

3.1 IMPLEMENTATION ARRANGEMENTS:The overall management and imple-

mentation responsibility of the Project will be with the Ministry of Science, Technology and Research and National Engineering Research & Development Center of Sri Lanka (NERDCSL). After the training, the services of the trained local technical staff will also be obtained for implementing this project.

4.0 PRELIMINARY SURVEYAs the previous survey is carried out

in 2007, a new survey will be carried out covering all divisional secretariats in Sri Lanka. Two questionnaires were is-sued to collect the details of foot bridge requirements and to collect informa-tion of the personals who need the foot bridge technology. This questionnaire will be issued by the Ministry of Science, Technology & Research with the circular no 01/2017 signed by the secretary to the Ministry of Science, Technology & Research. The revised demand for foot bridges will be fi nd out from the results of the survey.

5.0 AWARENESS PROGRAMS FOR GOVERNMENT OFFICERS

An awareness program is conducted in each and every district secretariat in the country with the participation of District Secretary, Political Leaders in the District, Divisional Secretar-ies, Engineers and Technical Offi cers. The foot bridge program, technologies used to construct foot bridges and other cost effective technologies introduced by the NERDC will be presented in this program. Expen-ditures for this program is from the popularization budget of NERDC.

8.0 TARGET BENEFICIARIES/STAKEHOLDERS

Rural population island wide•The families and the school chil-

dren in remote villages to have an easy access to nearby towns and the schools.

•Local Authorities to provide such infra-structure facilities to remote villages.

•Several NERDC licensees having pre-stressed and precast yards to ben-efi t from such construction activities.

9.0 EXPECTED PROJECT OUT-PUTS:

•Promote safe means of crossing ca-nals to access nearby towns speedily.

•Removal of unsafe structures and “Edandas” presently used by the villag-ers.

•As availability of two durable tech-nologies, foot bridges can be placed as site condition.

•Transfer the foot bridge technologies developed by the NERDC, which are cost effective time saving construction

methods.•As community participation is in-

volved for the construction, foot bridges in other required places in the village can be constructed by the same com-munity.

• Promote awareness among the pub-lic for the use of footbridges developed by the NERDC.

• Affordable cost

• Employment opportunities to the community

• Improve the productivity of their agri-cultural/ plantation sector.

• Improve the educational levels of the children.

• Saving of natural resources• Improve the contribution of the vil-

lages to the development of the country.

Continued from page 04...Wednesday, February 28, 2018

At present, diseases such as diabetes, chronic res-

piratory diseases, diseases in the blood circulatory system, kidney related diseases,

and cancers which are widely spread among the global population are known as Non

Communicable Diseases.

Disease Control � e reasons for kidney related diseases cannot be discovered as its root causes remains unclear.Poor dietary habits, lack of exercise and the harmful use of

liquor can lead to the development of adverse health conditions which eventu-ally result in death. � ese non communica-ble diseases can be prevented and controlled by adopting a healthy life style and taking up necessary medical checkups frequently. Further, ‘non communicable’ diseases are not contagious, as explained by the name itself. If caught, they cannot be cured promptly and they result in long lasting side e� ects. Non Communicable diseases are the root cause of most deaths worldwide (Around 360,000 annually).

Awareness� e cause of 7 out of 10 daily deaths in Sri Lanka is the spread of non communicable diseases. Bad habits like laziness make the human body inactive and increases the fat and glucose content in the body causing high blood pressure. If these negative behavioral patterns are not controlled, you may be diagnosed with a

chronic non communicable disease. We should be very aware of these side e� ects and untimely deaths related to non communicable diseases which can be prevented with early awareness. Additionally if you get used to a healthy life style from a younger age you can avoid these diseases as you age. � us let yourself and people around you be aware of these non communicable diseases.

Continued on page 07...

7

Adulteration is a practice of substi-tuting original crude drug with

similar looking substances having inferior in chemical and therapeutic or nutritional properties. Reasons for adulteration are; high demand, high price, less supply, similar appear-ance similar to original drug, una-vailability of genuine raw materials, seasonal availability of certain raw materials, unavailability of proper cultivation practices for certain plants, long harvesting period, use of same name for different species, mal practice and carelessness.

Substitution with Substandard Commercial Varieties

This is very frequent practice when the original raw material is unavaila-ble practice of replacing with similar looking materials Ex. Indian senna (Cassia angustifolia) is substituted with other cassia species such as Cassia occidentalis, Cassia ciamia, Cassia sophera etc. which can be identifi ed with particular type of tri-chomes available in original senna. Similarly, Suduru adulteration with satakuppa can also be identifi ed by microscopical identifi cation methods (Figure 1). Other plant drugs can also be identifi ed by using Pharma-cognostical techniques available at Herbal Technology Section of ITI.

Substitution with Exhausted Drugs

Where the raw material is the same original botanical source but medicinally important ac-

tives have been extracted out.Ex.1. Distilled clove buds dried and producing to market.Ex.2. Extracted ginger rhizomes dried and powdered and then producing to the market as a powder which does not contain ginger essential oils and oleo-resins.Ex.3. Exhausted coriander is fumigat-ed with sulphur to show that the fruits are natural.The above adulterations can be identi-fi ed by various pharmacognostical methods available at ITI.

Substitution with Superfi cially Simi-lar Inferior Drugs

Sandalwood is famous for its aroma and which is accumulated in the heart wood probably after twenty years of old trees but the market comprises of sap wood or immature wood of the same tree where santalool is absent and therefore, wood is artifi cially scented in trade. Such adulteration can be detected at the Herbal Technol-ogy Section of ITI.

Substitution with Artifi cially Manu-factured Substances Substances like bee honey artifi cially prepared that re-

sembles original honey which can be identifi ed by referring to SLS 464: 2016 standard at ITI and issue a reli-able report on its identity . Similarly, Parafi n wax made yellow colour and made into blocks in order to resemble bees wax which also can be detected at ITI.

Adulteration of Fats and Oils Fixed oils such as caster, sesame, coconut oil are being adulterated in the market those can be identifi ed with validated Pharmacognostical meth-ods which are available at the Herbal Technology Section of ITI. Cow’s ghee which is highly used in food and herbal industry are also being adulterated with plant

derived fi xed oils such as Mahuwa oil (Mee tel)

and because of that oleic

acid

quantity increases in ghee. This can be detected as per as per SLS 340:1975 specifi cation for Ghee and this facility is available at ITI.

Since the fact that ITI is made to cater scientifi c industrial requirements of the country, public should made use of the facilities available at ITI for the indus-trial development of the country.

Microscopic view of Suduru & Satakuppa

Dr. T.D.C.M.K. Wijayasiriwardena W.A.D.D. Wasalamuni

Herbal Technology Section Industrial Technology Institute (ITI)

Wednesday, February 28, 2018

Let’s learn the A,B,C,D,Es to be

healthy!

A void alcohol B e physically active

C ut down salt sugar and fat D on’t use tobacco products E at plenty of fruits and vegetables

ABCDE Formula

1. Don’t break your own heart!The risk of heart attacks de-creases by 30% with 30 minutes of daily active exercises.

Be Active (Exercises) Get a Bit Slim

2. The food rich in salt, sugar and oils and instant foods increase the risk of heart attacks, diabetes and cancers.

Eat healthy, Get more benefi ts.

3. What shall we do to avoid weight gain and dis-eases? Lets run, jump (exercises / sports) swim, cycle!

4. Think twice before con-suming liquor.Harmful liquors take over 500,000 lives annually. Liquors are dangerous, avoid them!

5. Don’t try tobacco products, they are addictive. They kill! Don’t smoke or chew them.

6. Don’t be around smokers; tell them toget rid of their cigarette. Your cigarette kills me!

7. Avoid junk food and drinks; avoid them even if you get them free. Eat more fresh fruits and vegetables.

Hasanthi PathirathneFrom ‘Handbook of Non Communicable Diseases’

Translation Rathnapala Wijesinghe,

M.A.M Damayanthi

Live a little longer}

8-9

After the “Industrial Revolution”, most of established agricultural and commercial

societies were replaced by modern and indus-trial societies with complex technologies. As a result, “Energy” became the most significant aspect when dealing with these highly multifac-eted modern methods, procedures and activi-ties.

BackgroundTherefore, due to high demand for “energy use”, the global concentration was focused towards the “energy conservation”, while estab-lishing the sustainable built environment as a new concept, which was invented to safeguard scares resources which became highly de-manded, due to complicated technologies and developments. Thus, “methods and technolo-gies”, always must be suitable and appropriate to the local economy, social background and

the cultural setting of that country. As a result, research work was carried out to find out the and under-stand the existing technologies in local context and during the analysis it was found that “mud”, as a construction material, before, the advent of cement and concrete, it was the mortar and, more often the material of which entire build-ings were made. Then questions were raised as for why mud or earth is not a popular build-ing material in theso-calledcurrent construction industry? These doubts were lead our pathway of researching on new soil-based technologies and inventing the Mud-Concrete technology.

Mud ConcreteAs we identified the current soil-based tech-nologies are not popular mainly due to the strength and the durability issues. These issues are badly affecting on popularizing the technol-ogy among the local people. Further, the com-mon social misbelieve on earth as a low-cost housing solution which fulfils the need of poor has resulted in creating a prejudice against earthen construction.Thus, the initial concept of developing Mud-Concrete is to incorporate both strength and durability of concrete to mud-based constructions and make such construc-tions popular locally while ensuring indoor comfort, low-cost load bearing walling system with easy construction technique which has the least impact on the environment.Mud-Concrete is a sustainable, novel earth-based walling material which was found in University of Moratuwa through a series of research work in the recent past. It is a mixture of soil, cement and water. The concept of Mud-Concrete is to develop a compos-ite material out of soil which is similar to concrete.

ConcreteCurrently, concrete is regarded as a popular

and versatile construction material due to its strength and durability and

is widely used in the building industry. Concrete is a composite construction

material made of cement, sand, metal and water. Here, metal (coarse aggre-

gate) governs the strength, cement acts as the binder and sand (fine aggregate)

reduces the porosity and water acts as the reactor to cement. In Mud-Concrete,

the intended functions of sand and metal of concrete are replaced by afraction of the soil. The precise gravel percentage governs the strength of Mud-Concrete. The cement in this concrete is also used as a stabilizer in very less quantities. Most importantly the introduced self-compaction methods become magical solu-tions to remove the labour intensive construc-tion methods and control the cost, quality and save the time during construction.There are two types of Masonry units which could be devel-oped through Mud-Concrete technology. First one is a masonry block called Mud-Concrete block and the second is a self-compacting in-situ cast load-bearing walling system.

Mud-Concrete Block ConstructionThis is the first construction method investigat-

ed on Mud-Concrete technology. When devel-oping this masonry block series of questions arose aswhere to start the research methodol-ogy. Thus, the initial research was adesign on checking the compressive strength behaviour with varying each component of the mix. At first, we have changed the fine percentage while keeping the sand and gravel percentages constant. Once the optimum or most practical fine content is known, the sand / gravel percent-age was changed to find the optimum sand and gravel contents. Finally, the proposed mix was tested with different cement percentages, to op-timize the required wet and dry strength of the block. According to gradual experiment process, the best mix proportions of unique Mud con-crete block is achieved with minimum cement percentage and optimum water requirement which allows its self-compacting nature. As a result, the mix proportions of the Mud-Concrete

Block were finalized to have a minimum of 4% Cement, Fine ≤ 10% ( ≤ sieve size 0.425 mm), Sand 55–60% (sieve size 0.425 mm ≤ sand ≤ 4.75mm), Gravel 30 – 35% (sieve

size 4.75mm ≤ gravel ≤ 20 mm) with a water content of 18% to 20% from the dry mix. The achieved mix design for the Mud-Concrete Block also satisfied the durability requirements up to the standard levels.Through this technology, we have found a number of research innovations which can lead to find new solutions in soil-based construction technologies. In this method, the soil will be slightly modified to form a concrete, which can withstand high strength and is durable. The gravel acts as the strengthening agent, while clay and cement will act as the binder. High water / cement ratio used is reducing strength; however, it is regained by the proposed mix propor-tions of Mud-Concrete.

The proposed water content will allow the mix to flow freely, which would create a mix that can compact itself. The porous structure and the absence of compaction will ensure aeration which would cut down heat gain due to low con-ductivity. The extra water within the block will ensure that the block achieves its strength with time without any curing process. This will allow the block to be used as soon as it achieves the required minimum strength. Since there is no burning involved, the block can be cast to any dimension, which matches the structural and architectural requirement. Due to high water content and presence of clay, the block will end up with a clear and smooth surface which allows it to be used without plaster. The proposed manufacturing techniques as well as the proposed proportions finally make a block

that is low cost, has low embodied energy and requires lesser technical input / knowhow at the construction stage.Thus, the innovation of MCB drives people to rethink on soil-based construction once again in making their built environment more responsive, while fading their doubts on strength and durability meas-ures of soil. The Mud-Concrete Block has also obtained a patent under Sri Lankan intellectual property act No.36 of 2003 and under the international patent classification (IPC: E04C 1/100, B28B, B28C).

Self-compacting in-situ cast Mud-Concrete load-bearing walling systemIn this concept, the initial target is to design an in-situ cast load-bearing wall system through Mud-Concrete. Basically, the research design for load- bearing wall was started from the initial findings of theMud-Concrete block. Un-like a masonry block, the invention of in-situ cast load bearing wall system could construct up to three stories without any reinforcement or column-beam structures. In this system, wall segment could lift to 1200mm height and theminimum thickness of theinternal wall is 100mm and standard external wall thickness is

150mm. Further, depending on the load, the thickness of the wall could have adjusted, and reinforce-ment could use to increase carrying capacity of the wall segment. This will further help to lift the wall system up to ahigher story. The best mix of Mud-Concrete load-bearing wall consists with minimum 4% of Cement, fine < 5% (≤ sieve size 0.425mm), sand 50% (sieve size 0.425mm ≤ sand ≤ 4.75 mm), and gravel 45% (sieve size 4.75mm ≤ gravel ≤ 32mm) and optimum water requirement 20% from the dry mix. This novel in-situ cast technology will resultin series of advantages to the construction indus-try. In this technology, any type of soil could be improved up to the proposed proportions and easily make it as a ‘Well graded soil” which is ready for construction. Same as in the block construction gravel will govern the strength fac-tor. In this system more, strength and stiffness could achieve than the Mud-Concrete block, because the system was capable enough to expand the usable gravel range as much space provided along the vertical boundaries in Mud-Concrete load-bearing wall system. Due to the self-compacting quality of the mix, there’s no need any compaction / ramming or vibration; mix will self-compact; just need to pour the mix into formwork and wall will obtain the strength with mix properties. Gravel particles will remain as it is in the mix because there is no ram-ming process and that will help not to crush the gravel in soil mixture and not to effect on strength of wall segment. Once the wall casting is completed simultaneously, the total building also gets completed. Thus, the novel technol-ogy will cater to the current demand for easy and quick construction technologies.Further, this system provides flexibility of adding

electrical wiring and plumbing within the system due to no compaction; because of self-compac-tion, the structure has the provision of reinforc-ing it with timber or steel as desired. Reinforce-ment could use to increase carrying capacity of the wall segment further and use it in multi-sto-rey building construction.The drying shrinkage of Mud-Concrete wall is 0.25% in 7days curing periods and it is almost below the maximum standards allowed for earth wall. This system is capable to cater for the different architectural requirement, maintaining its quality & flexibility. Wall thickness could adjust according to the architectural & structural requirements bysimply adjusting the gap between the mould plates of formwork. Non-plastered smooth walling sur-face could achieve with high water content used in the workable mix. A variety of textural and colour finishes in a single wall could achieve through careful selection of raw materials.This in-situ cast walling system ensures thermal resistance. The mud-concrete wall performs as a thermal mass; ensure structural cooling effect; because in this technology excessive water amount is used in preparing the workable mix. Then the porosity of the structure will increase. So, this wall could ensure its hygroscopic qual-ity and then it would capable enough to release or absorb moisture in response to changing mi-croclimate around the building. Therefore, this walling system will contribute to enhance health and performance and will have an ability to contribute to the passive environmental perfor-mance of the building. Thus, all these qualities confirmed the simplicity of the technology and the easy construction which is a high demand in the current construction world. Self-compacting in-situ cast load-bearing Mud-Concrete walling system is a sustainable, low cost and speed construction technique which is mainly de-veloped by local materials which could easily adapt to the local context and this novel walling system was patented under Sri Lankan prop-erty act No.36 of 2003 (Patent Number: 18762/ International patent classification: E04C1/00).

Prof. Rangika Halwatura & Architect Rizna Arooz

Department of Civil Engineering,University of Moratuwa

Further, this sys-tem provides flex-

ibility of adding electrical wiring

and plumbing within the sys-tem due to no compaction;

because of self-compaction, thestructure has theprovi-sion of reinforcing it with

timber or steel as desired.

Wednesday, February 28, 2018

“

Figure 1: Mud-Concrete Blocks

Figure 3 : In-situ cast Mud-Concrete load-bearing wall segment

Figure 4:Assembling the formwork-Process of in-situ cast Mud-Concrete

wall constructionFigure 2 : Wall construction through

Mud-Concrete Block

Figure 5 : Proto type in-situ cast Mud-Concrete load-bearing wall

models made for laboratory testing

10

Senior Scientist Prof. Chandana JayarathnePresident - Sri Lanka Association for the

Advancement of Science (SLAAS)

Prof. K.P.S Chandana Jayarathne is an old pupil of Nal-anda College, Colombo. In 1979 he entered the Science

Faculty of the University of Colombo and gained a special degree in Physics (Hon) in 1983. He is currently serving as a Senior Professor at the Department of Physics in the Uni-versity of Colombo, where he has been working since 1984. He is the Consultant to the Space Science Division at the Arthur C.Clarke Institute for Modern Technologies, Katubedda, Moratuwa. Prof Jayarathne is also a well known budding as-tronomer with several research publications on astronomy and has been involved in establishing the biggest telescope in the country,at the Arthur C.Clarke Institute for Modern Technolo-gies in Moratuwa.

The Professor is the director of the Space Science Unit of the University of Colombo and has won many accolades such as the ‘ShasanaDeepana’, ‘VishwaVidya’, ‘NalandaKeerthi Sri’, ‘Lokarthachari’, ‘VidyaChawaspathi’, and ‘VidyaKeerthi’ for his contributions in the field of science. In addition to the many degrees in physics, he possesses post graduate degrees on psychological counseling and he is also a well known coun-selor in psychology. He was the Senior Student Counselor at the University of Colombo from 1999-2004 and has conducted over 1000 TV and radio programs on science. Furthermore he is an advisor of the Ceylon Buddhist Congress.

In 1992, he received the prize for the Best Scientist in the ‘Third World’ which is jointly presented by the NationalScience Foundation (NSF) and the ‘Third World’ Science Academy. He was the former general secretary of the Sri Lanka Institute for the Advancement of Science which is the chief official organization of all the scientists in Sri Lanka which includes over 10000 members. He was an active member of the council for over 15 years and he is the President in the Sri Lanka Institute for the Advancement of Science for the year 2018. He is also the National Coordinator and founder of the Sri Lankan

Astronomy and Astrophysics Olympiad and the Sri Lankan representative and Board member of the International Board on Astronomy and Astrophysics Olympiad, in addition to being a current member of the International Committee on Space Research. (COSPAR).

Prof Jayarathne has held many other positions in his

career such as the President of the Inventors Competitions Committee of the Sri Lanka Institute for the Advancement of Science, former President of the Sri Lanka Institute of Physics, (2009-2011), former President of the Sri Lanka Eye Donors Association (2012/13), former Senior Vice President of the National Institute of Academic Professional Counselors, including being the pioneer of the MSc degree in Atmospheric and Meteorology in the University of Colombo. He is also a member of many International Organizations such as British and Canadian Astronomical Associations and is a reputed member of the New York Science Academy. Furthermore he is the Founder and President of the ‘Meth Saviya’ Meditation Organization. This is how he described about his magnificent journey.

It was a very clear sky. I was searching for something among the stars. Sometimes I get lost among them. I think that is where my journey began.

My father was a landed proprietor in Dompe. My mother was a school principal. I was their eldest child. It was two miles from the junction to our house. My father used to send someone to bring me home when I got late from school. Until my escort came, I used to keep looking at the stars. Unlike today, the sky above our village was very clear in those days. So I kept looking at the sky for about an hour each day.

I used to wake up at 4 a.m. We did not have electricity at the time. The 60s and the 70s were not a developed era. We used to study with the help of oil lamps.

Dompe Junior School was where I had my primary educa-tion. Whenever I got free time I used to gather batteries, wires and torch bulbs, lit them and I enjoyed looking at them. The walls of my room had been turned black because of the chemicals I used for small experiments at home. After the 6th grade I had a small laboratory of my own.

I was able to get a scholarship to Nalanda College after the 5th grade. When I moved to Nalanda, the experience was similar to that of entering a university. The Buddhist back-ground of the school, has changed us a lot. The inspirational figure we had in our childhood was Senior Scientist, Prof. Siril Ponnamperuma.

I had one of my articles published in the newspaper for the

first time, when I was in the 7th grade. It was published in the ‘NawaYugaya’ newspaper which was a product of Lake House. In it I wrote on how to make an artificial rainbow. I was very happy when I saw it in the newspaper.

21st of July 1969, was a day of global significance and sim-ilar everyone, I too as a child used to tune into the radio. I was listening to every detail with great enthusiasm. From my child-hood, I had a certain plan and focus on what my future would look like. The goal of being a scientist had been instilled in my mind deeply. My family gave me immense support to achieve my goals. Nalanda College was also a continuous support base for my work. I was a committee member at the school and a member of the swimming team. I was also the one who initiated the photographic society of the school.

Our teachers are the ones who helped us lead a life with science and to study science with great interest. The way they taught science made us learn it with much enthusiasm. Mr. Athula Manchanayake is special among them. We used to collect and read all of his articles which were published in the ‘NawaYugaya’ newspaper. We gathered the knowledge required to be doctors, engineers and scientists, from the ‘NawaYugaya’ newspaper. I also wrote to ‘NawaYugaya’ with great pleasure.

I could not spend time leisurely at home after A/Ls, in 1978. I got the opportunity to work as a ‘Student Teacher’ at Nal-anda. I received a salary of Rs.300 at the time for my work. With my first salary I bought two alarm clocks for my parents. In 1979, I entered Colombo University. I followed the Special Degree in Physics and received the opportunity to work as an assistant lecturer at my university. Prof. Osman Jayarathne was our teacher. We really liked his lectures.

Those days we could not study Astronomy as a subject. An Astronomical Society had been established at the University by the students who were interested in the subject since 1959. We too became members of it. Fortunatelylater on we were able to raise this subject to a position where the students could acquire a doctorate degree in Astronomy, from the University of Colombo. Even thoughIreceived the opportunity to go to the USA for my higher studies I decided to serve my country by staying at the University of Colombo. I got registered for a degree at the University of Upsala in Sweden and I completed it while being here in Sri Lanka. Accordingly I was the first to register for the local doctorate degree. At present, even my students have become lecturers and professors.

Children today have ample opportunities available to them. They get the chance to study science through television, the internet, the computer, social networks, newspapers, maga-zines, articles, books and TV channels such as discovery etc. Currently there are 3500 scientists in Sri Lanka and there will be a requirement of around 20,000 scientists for different fields in future. Students who study science can choose among many related fields to pursue their careers in. So I request all the parents and teachers to let students choose the field of science without any hesitation.

An Institute of Science, three planetariums and modifica-tions for the existing planetarium are being done for you, who are new to the world of science. As the Sri Lanka Institute for the Advancement of Science we organize the school Inven-tor’s Exhibition competition in order to enrich your knowledge of science and bring you to international platforms. We plan to improve literacy in science and technology further. Learn to love science from your childhood. It will be enough to build a successful future for you.

Pramitha Randali Pabasara

Don’t hesitate to

teach Science.

There’s a

requirement of

20,000 scientists...

Wednesday, February 28, 2018

11

Science & Research Development Division,

Ministry of Science Technology & Research 3rd Floor

Sethsiripaya (Stage 01) Battaramulla

Mention ‘Vidya Newspaper’ on the top left corner of the envelop

Sri Lanka Science and Engi-

neering Exhibition 2018 was

successfully held on the 19th of

February 2018 at the Wimalas-

urendra auditorium of the Sri

Lanka Engineering Institute. The

exhibition was jointly organized

by the National Science Founda-

tion (NSF) which operates under

the Ministry of Science Technol-

ogy and Research, the Ministry

of Education, Sri Lanka Engi-

neering Institute, and Sri Lanka

Intel. The top 10 projects of the

Science Research Project Com-

petition competed at the exhibi-

tion. The competition was held

among school science societies

around the country as part of the

NSF’s program of popularizing

science. Further the top 10 final

inventions of the Junior Inven-

tors Competition which is annu-

ally organized by the Sri Lanka

Engineering Institute also

competed at the exhibition.

These projects were judged

by a panel of seven judges

including Prof. Narada

Warnasooriya. The top three

projects of the competition

will qualify to participate

at the Intel International

Science and Engineering

Exhibition which will be held on

May 2018 in the United States.

Are you really talented in science? Then an-swer the questions below and send this way. Ministry of Science, Technology & Research is going to give away 03 valuable prices for the winners.

1. How many vertebrae are found in the spinal column of the human body? 2. What is the basic unit of Protein? 3. Which cells in the eye are sensitive to low light? 4. What are bacterial cell walls made of? 5. Which blood group has been identified as Universal Donors during blood transfusions? 6. What is the main constituent of nails? 7. Name the enzyme which destructs the cell walls of bacteria in sputum.8. What is the plant growth factor that contributes to the phototropic movements of plants?9. What is the biggest organ of the human body? 10. Name the common factor in the human dietary and respiratory tract.11. When a flower becomes a fruit, which part of the flower becomes the seed?

Send the answers to the address below, before the 15th of March 2018

Wednesday, February 28, 2018

Dulip Nayanapriya Media Unit

Ministry of Science Technology and Research

12

Annual Scientific Ses-sions of the Nutrition

Society of Sri Lanka was held on 27-28th January 2018 at Colombo under the theme of “Investing in Nutrition for Economic Prosperity”. The session was organized in association with the Ministry of Science, Technology and Research and Wayamba University of Sri Lanka

Investing in nutrition is con-sidered as one of the most cost effective strategies to

fuel the economic growth, particularly in Asian countries. However, there is a need for more research in this aspect as far as Sri Lankan context is concerned. Thus the forum provided a platform to both economists and nutrition professionals to exchange knowledge and experience in order to generate more evidence.

The event was attended by over 300 professionals.Invited presentations were delivered by 12 experts from various fields and there were 21 oral

and poster presen-tations on original research findings.

The Keynote speech was deliv-ered by Mr.Eran Wickraratne, Hon. Minister of Finance and Mass Media. Mr. Susil Premajayan-tha, Hon Minister of Science, Technology and Research was supposed to grace the occasion as the Chief Guest, but was not able to attend the event due to an inter-

national assignment. The Nu-trition Society wishes to ex-press its deep gratitude to the Ministry for the grant awarded to conduct the session while specially thanking Hon Minister, Science, Technol-ogy and Research, Mr,Udaya R Senevirathne Secretary, to the Minisry of Science Technolgy and Research and Mr. P.M.Dharmatilake, Direc-tor Science, Technology and Research Development for their untiring efforts to make the event a success.

The first workshop on Pre-cast Concrete Components of the year was held at Ku-

lasinghe auditorium on 7th and 8th Feb 2018, in NERD Centre. This workshop was organized upon the request of World Vision Lanka office. Objective of this two day workshop was to train participants to manufacture concrete door win-dow frames to get their own homes done and to get started their own enterprises for catering future needs of these concrete components. Since the participants all together were 48 in number and comprised of Killinochchi, Mul-laitivu and Batticoloa districts where new reset-tlement schemes have begun: training they

received through this workshop will be benefited in ca-

ter-

ing the requirements of establishing small scale entrepreneurs in manufacturing of concrete components. This two day workshop was a residential work-shop and among the theory sessions, topics covered were Concrete Materials & Practice, Manufacturing of Concrete Door/window Frames & other components, Introduction to Ferro-Cement & its products, and Manufactur-ing of Asbestos free roofing sheets. During the night, there was entertainment and at the end of the workshop, closing ceremony followed up a valuable certificate, awarded to participants, to encourage & support them to start up their own workshop.

1st Place

Zenab Zeib2nd Place

Chanuka Jinapriya Abeysekera

3rd Place

N.Bishry

******************************************************************************************************************************************************************

Wednesday, February 28, 2018

1.Plant Science: l Why do flowers have bright colors?Flowers have bright colors to attract insects to carry out pollination.

2.Electronics: l What is an amplifier?An electric mechanism sets in motion by one or more razor blades. Above the blade there is a razor metal head. The facial hair penetrates this head and is cut by the moving blade.

3.Communication: l What are radio waves?Radio waves are electromagnetic waves having wavelengths from 50cm. to 30 meters.

4.Communication: l What are the requirements of internet?A computer, a telephone system and an internet connection.

5.Robotic: l What is the heart of robot?A Computer is the heart of robotic device. It changes human words into electrical signals. These signals from the language of a robot. Computers also have electronic memory banks that allow robots to recall information.

6.Energy: l What are the renewable resources of energy?The sources of energy which are continuously produced in nature are called renewable sources of energy. They include plants, food and feed, wood, fuel, falling water, geothermal power, etc. Renewable sources depend ultimately on sun’s energy.

7.Time: l What are the earlier watches and clocks?Sundial, sand clock, water clock and candle clocks were the earlier devices of time measurement.

8.Animal: l Which bird cannot fly?Ostrich, emu, penguins cannot fly, but they are fast runners. Penguins are very fast swimmers.

9.Human body: l Why is blood red?Blood is red because of the presence of a pigment in blood called hemoglobin.

10.What are the three Laws of Motion (applicable to all bodies in the universe) propounded by Sir Isaac Newton?

I). According to the first law, if a body is at reset or is in a state of uniform motion in a straight line, it will remain in the same state unless it is disturbed by some external force to change that state.

II). The second law of motion states that the rate of change of momentum is directly proportional to the impressed force, and is always in the direction of the force.

III). The second law of motion states that to every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction.

*********************************************************************************

*********************************************************************************WINNERS - January 2018

(Colombo -05)(Bemmulla)

(Akkaraipattu - II)

Are all diabetics required to check their blood sugar

levels at home using a glu-cometer?

No. It will be very useful if you could frequently check for your blood sugar level at home using a glucometer, but for some diabetics who are:1. Type 01 diabetes (those who have diabetes from childhood). 2. Type 02 diabetes (those who use insulin). 3. Pregnant mothers with diabetes. 4. Diabetics whose blood sugar levels vary. it is important to check for their blood sugar levels frequently at home.

The advantages and the disadvan-tages of using a glucometer at home?There are many advantages of this. When the blood sugar levels are frequently checked; the diabetic can manage their medication while controlling his diabetes. Some diabetics have symptoms such as perspiration, vomiting and shivering and this blood test is very important to distinguish these symptoms in order to identify whether it is caused due to low or high blood sugar levels. Diabetics who use insulin could control their insulin amount gradually by having this blood test. There are disadvantages as well, namely; the strips that are used including the glucometer is relatively pricey. Likewise, this frequent blood sugar testing can often be the cause of mental stress in some patients.

What is the accuracy of the reading shown in the glucometer?

Usually, these machines are provided with an ISO certificate. This is ISO 15197. But glucom-eters of inferior quality can be found in the Sri Lankan market, so it is important to be cautious when buying them. There may be minor dif-ferences between the reading shown in the glucometer and the diabetes test report. This may vary from over a range of 5-15 percent. Therefore, the glucometer reading is relatively high. Patients whose blood glucose levels vary from normal to high ranges, will not have a significant difference. However, when the blood glucose levels are low, the change in the read-ing can have a great effect. Therefore, if the glycemic meter reading is less than 100mg, it is important to remember that it signifies low blood glucose levels.

What is the reason for the difference between the reading in the glucom-eter and of the laboratory report?

When examining blood from a glucometer, the blood which is drawn from the finger is that of the capillaries. But in laboratory tests, the blood in the veins is checked. Usually the amount of sugar in the veins is lower. Therefore, labora-tory reports show lower blood glucose levels.

What are the other factors that influ-ence the changing in the reading?

The strips used in sugar testing are very sensi-tive and they are easily subjected to external factors such as heat, moisture and dust. There-fore, in the purchase of strips, the full package should be purchased and they should not be purchased separately. When one strips belt is removed from the

packet, the remaining strips should be carefully packed. We should be careful not to place it in warm places or in direct sunlight. When purchasing strips, good quality strips should be purchased and low-quality counterfeit strips should not be purchased as it can give out incorrect readings. Keeping the glucometer at dusty and highly warm places will also affect the accuracy of the readings. Therefore it is important to check the meter using the standard solution in the packet containing the glucometer at least once a month. Likewise, insufficient blood in the strip, can give you the wrong out-age. In general, each glucometer has its own unique code number and it varies from one glucometer to another. Therefore, when using a new strip, the code number must be formatted.

A small chip can be found in some of the glucometer packets and each packet contains a new chip. After the chip is changed, new strips

should be used. Blood tests will show a huge differ-ence between readings, if the blood is checked without changing the code number of the glucometer. Generally, this can cause a significant range of error of around 75mg. Using expired strips can also give out wrong readings. At present, glucometers which can

be used without changing the code number, are available at the market and the use of such glucometers are convenient to the consumer compared

to other glucometers. In addition, some other glucometer strips are packed in separate packets so the consum-ers can purchase them according to their need.

Certain glucometers indi-cate readings in milligrams or millimoles. What is the difference between them?

There are two types of units that shows the level of blood glucose. The millimole is used in England, Aus-tralia, Canada, and China, and the unit of milligram is used in countries

such as US, France, Japan, India and Sri Lanka. Millimoles must be multiplied by 18 to convert it to milligrams.(Eg- the reading 9.8mmol/d equals 9.8*18=176mg/dl)Strips for imported glucometers cannot be purchased in the local market and such imported ma-chines will cost you unnecessarily. Also, some of the strips show the wrong readings due to the change in climate.

How often should a diabetic patient check their blood at home?

This varies from patient to patient. It should be usually two or three times a week. It is enough to check once a week for those who control their diabetes well. Pregnant mothers should check their blood several times a day. In this examination, it is more appropriate to check it several times without checking only the Fasting Blood Sugar (FBS) level. It is advisable to check it daily as follows:

Eight hours of Fasting Blood Sugar test (Fast-ing more than eight hours does not affect the reading).l Two hours after breakfast (2hrPPBS).l Pre-lunch.l Two hours after lunch.l Pre-dinner.l Post dinner (2hrs PPBS).

Thus frequent blood testing, control of food, medication and exercise can contribute greatly to the systematic control of the condition.

13

Dr. A.M MuthalibInstitute of Indigenous Medicine

Wednesday, February 28, 2018

14

If you are a student in biology, isn’t your

prime purpose to be a doctor one day? It is very

important and a productive goal for the country and hence

when you are not able to enter university with your first shy, you

endeavor to enter medical faculty from the second or third shy. However, only 1,300 admissions are enrolled in government universities annually, even though the number of students entering university and the number of students who enroll for the Advanced Level exams are increasing every year. This message will be very important to you in your efforts to be counted among the best students in this highly competitive examination.

Top PrivilegesFrom childhood, our parents instill in our minds the desire to be doctors as the medical profession has been a very reputed career of choice. But today, there is a huge increase in the number of biol-

ogy related professions, both locally and overseas. The wages for some of these professions are high when compared to that of a doctor. International recognition is also very high, but the sad news is that both the students and parents have very little knowledge of these other professions and newer fields of biology. You may have heard or seen of students who have quali-fied to enter medical faculty but choose to take up courses related to biology or molecular biology. Some of you will find this a foolish thing to do. But you will be surprised to learn of what he has achieved in only six years. Today we will enlighten you on the fields that you can take up at university, if you are a student of biology.

Vetenary FieldIf you do not qualify to enter the medical or dental faculty, you will be able to enter the Veterinary Faculty. The profession of many veterinary professionals is very popular and there is a great demand in Sri Lanka as well as foreign countries for the profes-sion. Veterinary surgeons have a great de-mand in pet health, livestock development and the fields of veterinary research.

AgricultureWhether you study agriculture for A/Ls or not, you have the opportunity to study

Agriculture at the university. Many degree courses related to Agricul-

ture are already included in the national university system.

Graduate courses such as agriculture and

plantation,

agricultural technology and man-agement have been developed because of the demand for human resources in that profession across the country.

The Specialized DegreeThe students who study graduate courses in Agriculture get the op-portunity to take up a specialized course offered by the university in their third year. These include Plant Management, Biotechnology and Agri-business Management. As an agriculture based country, there is a great demand for graduates in agriculture for employment related to the three sectors of; research, management and popularizing knowledge of plantation indus-

tries such as tea, coconut and rubber in Sri Lanka. Also, large scale agribusiness holders in the plantation industries provide such graduates with high quality jobs and you can climb up the professional ladder by joining such large companies.

Food science & NutritionFood science and nutrition, is a special course offered to those who study biology. There are many employment opportunities in food technology and food quality control in local and multi-national food process-ing companies. In addition, you will get the chance to be a government registered nutritionist which gives you the opportunity of serve as a nutrition consultant in public and private sector hospitals.

Molecular Biology &Biochemistry

Molecular biology and biochemistry are highly regarded professions in the modern world. Through the study of molecular biol-ogy and biochemistry, you will be able to be a molecular bio scientist, a biochemical researcher and be a scientist in local and foreign research institutes.

Allied Health Science Degree

Currently, degree programs established

in Sri Lanka for improving medical research and treatment are directly targeted at the professions re-lated to hospitals. Undergradu-ate study programs such as Nursing, Pharmacology, Radiation, Medical Labora-tory Equipment and Physiotherapists, are the foundation for ac-cessing these fields. The Government is also developing policies to ensure that those graduates are admitted to government hospitals. If you study biology for A/Ls, you can take the opportunity to study a Bachelor of Science degree by enter-ing the science faculty at a state uni-

versity. Degree courses differ from one university to another, but many universities offer zoology, phytology, chemistry, physics, statistics and mathematics as main subject fields. Based on the performance of the first

two years, selected students will be able to follow four-year specialized science courses.

Post Graduate DegreeAccording to the field of their graduate course, they can follow the path of studying

postgraduate courses (M.Phil and MSc) as well. Based on the enthusiasm and the tal-ent of the student, it is possible for them to become a specialist in the field of science, eventually reaching for a Doctor's degree. Further, these postgraduate and PhD de-grees can be completed in Sri Lanka, and currently international universities provide many scholarships for higher education in various fields in science stream. There are many students who have obtained these foreign scholarships and succeeded in their career.

Pradeep Piyathilaka,Communication & Media Officer

National Institute of Fundamental Studies Kandy

If you do not qualify to enter the medical or dental

faculty, you will be able to enter the Veterinary Facul-ty. The profession of many veterinary professionals is very popular and there is a great demand in Sri Lanka as well as foreign countries for the profession.

"

So do not be afraid. Do not be hesitant if you do not get qualified

to enter the medical faculty having studied biology. There are many

other professional fields for students who study biology even this article did not mention. Therefore, you too can win the game with science. Take

interest. Be committed. Study the subjects of science with desire. Then

you will soar in the world with the knowledge of science.

Wednesday, February 28, 2018

15

A star is a hypogenous astral body that produces radia-

tion, such as light and heat as a result of the behavior of gases such as hydrogen and helium. The Sun that nourishes our planet is such a star. As you know, a Solar System is cre-ated centered on a star. In this article, we will discuss how a new star is born.

NebulaYou would be aware that all creatures on Earth go through the phases of birth, life and death. Similarly the stars in space too are born, grow and then eventually die. When they are born, the star is simply very small particles of dust, in the shape of clouds at high velocities. In the beginning, the temperature of region surrounding the dust particles are lower than later on.Such a place is called a Nebula. For those who are interest-ed, the “Orion Nebula” is the most popular Nebula which can be seen by the naked eye. When the star is born, streams of air and clouds of dust at the place,begin to break into small, oval shaped particles under gravitational pressure.Then these small,spherical particles increase intemperate and become highly dense,starting nuclear fusion reactions. When the

temperature reaches around 10 mil-lion degrees centigrade, a new star is generated by the small fractions of chilled gas streams.These stars are then seen brightly shining in the sky because of theTh-ermo Nuclear Fusion which is taking place. Inside the star’s core, reac-tions take place to convert hydrogen into helium, releasing radiation in the form of heat and light energy.

BrightnessAlthough we are able to see and feel the light and the heat energy of the closest star to the Earth- The Sun; we are able to only see the bright-ness of stars which are far away from Earth. Star classifications are done ac-

cording to the temperature of the relevant stars. The above mentioned nuclear activity takes place through-out the life cycle of a star. But the energy released overtime becomes sluggish. In a newly born star, the nuclear fusion process increases rapidly and the release of energy is also high. That is, the heat and light energy are at its maximum state. But when the star’s lifespan increas-es, the speed of its nuclear activity decreases, and the releasing energy and the temperature too begin to decrease gradually. Accordingly, the newly born star appears blue given that its temperature is at its peak.with the age of the star, the temper-ature decreases and the color turns

from blue to red. If a star appears red, we need to under-stand that the star is about to die. An example for such a star is the red colored Antares star which is situated at the heart of the Scorpion Constel-lation.

Dwarf StarsBut our Sun is a yellow star which symbolizes mid-dle age. One day, when its hydrogen depletes, it will be-come a magnified red giant star.Per-haps the stagnation

may be several million kilometers. One day if that happens, it can destroy the planets of Venus and Mercury. The outer layers of such a giant star become smoke and its inside becomes a white dwarf star which is densely thick. A white dwarf star disappear over billions of years.The life expectancy of the stars which are more than 80 times the mass of our Sun can end at an instant. These stars turn out to be gigantic red stars, when their nu-clear activity ceases and they start to generate energy by burning other fuels to increase their lifespan. But in a million years, a large explosion (Supernova Explosion) destroys this star, and later it becomes a Black Hole or Neutron Star.Matter from dead stars are spread throughout Space and they reunite to become the birthplace of a star when it is subjected to high tem-perature and pressure.

A Presentation of theSri Lanka Planetarium

The Life Circle of a Star

Star Classification according to the Spectrum

A NormalStar

A Photograph taken by the Hubble Space Telescope

Orion Nebula

A Red GiantStar

Planetary Nebula

White Dwarf Star

Neutron Star

Supernova ExplosionRed Supergiant

Star

A Large Star

Nebula

Black Holes

Editor - Zahrah Imitiaz Translator - Nirasha Karunarathne

CreationsMahesh Kothalawala / Ashani Jayawardana

Photo EditingLake House Production Graphic Department

Printing Lake House Printing Department

Coordination/ Graphics and Creations Supervision

Samantha KarunasekeraManaging Editor – Government Relations

(Lake House)0112 429297 / 077 3493785

Government Relations Dept.

Advice Udaya R. Seneviratne

SecretaryMinistry of Science, Technology and Research

J.M. Mangalatissa State Secretary

Ministry of Science, Technology and Research

H.M.B.C. HerathAdditional Secretary

(Technology & Research Development)

Nandanie SamarawickremaAdditional Secretary

(Administration & Finance)

Guidance

P.M. DharmatilakeDirector

(Science and Research Development)

Dilrukshi PathiranaAssistant Director-(Marketing) (National Engineering Research &

Development Center)

Dr. Kalpa SamarakoonDirector (Planning)

Pradeep PiyathilakeCommunication Officer

(National Institute of Fundamental Studies)

K.N.K. DisanayakeScientific Officer

(National Research Council)

C.D. Rathnaweera Assistant Director (Science)

Ministry of Education

Co-editingMahesh Samarasekera

(Media Secretary)0112-372288

Dhammika RathnayakeMadhuka Subhashini Amarasinghe

Isanka Liyanage(Technology and Research

Development Division)Official PhotographsDulip NayanapriyaMinistry Media Unit

Wednesday, February 28, 2018

16 Wednesday, February 28, 2018

Printed & Published by The Associated Newspapers of Ceylon Ltd., at No.35, D.R. Wijewardene Mawatha, Colombo 10 on Wednesday, February 28, 2018

The Science Research Projects Com-petition (SRPC) has been organized

by NSF since 2008 with the objective of enhancing innovative thinking, creativ-ity and the investigative ability amongst the school children of the country. School children from Grade 9-12 are eligible to participate at this competition as individu-als or groups (maximum of three students per group). Students of the schools regis-tered with NSF are invited to participate at the competition each year.

The SRPC is conducted based on the rules of the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair organized by Society for Science and the Public, USA. NSF trains school children to conduct Science Re-search Projects applying scientific method-ology targeting the participation at the Intel International Science and Engineering

Fair, USA.The Science Research Projects Com-

petition Evaluation Camp 2017 Step-I was conducted from 17th – 19th January 2018 at the YGRO Camping Site, Madampe as a 3-day programme. Forty-seven (47) student researchers representing 25 re-search projects participated and presented their research findings. The programme was composed of team building activities, physical exercise and mind relaxation ses-sions, a campfire and lectures to inspire young research minds in addition to the presentation sessions. Twenty(20) projects were selected for the Step-II Evaluation which was conducted on 29th January 2018 at NSF. Step-II evaluation was com-posed of poster presentations and the top ten research projects were selected as the winners of the SRPC 2017.

M. Shenali Ambegoda / Y. Shakya WekadapolaSirimavo Bandaranayake Vidyalaya- Colombo – 07

J. Indusara DharmarathneK.A. Akila Sadil Dulsara / M. Dinera Susiriwardana

Nalanda College, Colombo 10

A.M. Pasindu SudanthakaL.K. Tharukee Amaya / W.A. Disna Maduwanthi

Lihiniyawa Junior School, Meegahathenna

M.W. Hansaji LalithyaJanadipathi Balika Vidyalaya, Galle

N. AathavanJaffna Hindu College, Jaffna

M.M.T. Deepaloka MunasingheNalanda College, Colombo 10

M. Amjad AslumS.De.S.Jayasinghe Central College,

Dehiwala

G. Lahiru SandaruwanS. De. S. Jayasinghe Central

College, Dehiwala

K.R.R. InduwaraAnanda National school, Chilaw

W.A.S.Sahashraka BandaranayakaRathnavali Balika Vidyalaya, Gampaha

Under the theme, ‘Creative Minds towards

Innovative Future’ a Student Academic Conference was held with the co organization

of the Faculty of Engineering Technology, Open University of Sri Lanka and the Ministry of Science

Technology & Research. The conference was held on the 16th of February 2018, and abstracts have been called for the fields of

Agricultural & Plantation Engineering, Civil Engineering, Electrical, Electronic & Computer Engineering, and Mathematics & Philosophy of Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, and Textile & Apparel Technology for the conference.

Student Academic Conference

2018

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essays, short creations based on science, posters, art creations on A4 sized papers, with the details including your name address, age, class, and school, before 21st of March 2018. The space is also reserved for the activities of your school Sci-ence Society, new ideas, and for the scientific themes you’re interested about. Send in your Creations- Science & Research Development Division Ministry of Science Technology & Research3rd Floor

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Organized byFaculty of Engineering TechologyThe Open University of Sri Lanka

Co-organized byMinistry of Science, Techology and Research

Sri lanka