University of Peradeniya

About: University of Peradeniya is a education organization based out in Kandy, Sri Lanka. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Population & Poison control. The organization has 5970 authors who have published 7388 publications receiving 197002 citations.

Revisiting Russell's viper (Daboia russelii) bite in Sri Lanka: is abdominal pain an early feature of systemic envenoming?

Abstract: The Russell's viper (Daboia russelii) is responsible for 30–40% of all snakebites and the most number of life-threatening bites of any snake in Sri Lanka. The clinical profile of Russell's viper bite includes local swelling, coagulopathy, renal dysfunction and neuromuscular paralysis, based on which the syndromic diagnostic tools have been developed. The currently available Indian polyvalent antivenom is not very effective in treating Russell's viper bite patients in Sri Lanka and the decision regarding antivenom therapy is primarily driven by clinical and laboratory evidence of envenoming. The non-availability of early predictors of Russell's viper systemic envenoming is responsible for considerable delay in commencing antivenom. The objective of this study is to evaluate abdominal pain as an early feature of systemic envenoming following Russell's viper bites. We evaluated the clinical profile of Russell's viper bite patients admitted to a tertiary care centre in Sri Lanka. Fifty-five patients were proven Russell's viper bite victims who produced the biting snake, while one hundred and fifty-four were suspected to have been bitten by the same snake species. Coagulopathy (159, 76.1%), renal dysfunction (39, 18.7%), neuromuscular paralysis (146, 69.9%) and local envenoming (192, 91.9%) were seen in the victims, ranging from mono-systemic involvement to various combinations. Abdominal pain was present in 79.5% of these patients, appearing 5 minutes to 4 hours after the bite. The severity of the abdominal pain, assessed using a scoring system, correlated well with the severity of the coagulopathy (p<0.001) and the neurotoxicity (p<0.001). Its diagnostic validity to predict systemic envenoming is – Sensitivity 81.6%, Specificity 82.4%, Positive predictive value 91.2%. Thus, abdominal pain is an early clinical feature of systemic Russell's viper bite envenoming in Sri Lanka. However, it is best to judge abdominal pain together with other clinical manifestations on decision making.

Variations in the particles produced at the end of mastication in subjects with different types of dentition.

Abstract: Summary The final composition of the size of particles of food or the swallowable composition (SC) has been investigated in subjects with different types of dentition. A convenient mouthful of hard-baked soya beans was masticated and thereafter the bolus was dried, sieved and weighed. Full denture wearers prepared a SC with a mode value around 4000 μm whereas subjects with mixed dentition prepared a SC with a mode value around 2000 μm. Subjects with partial dentition produced wide variations in the SC. To produce a SC which is usually swallowed by a particular subject the quantity of masticated food should bear an optimum ratio to the area of the healthy oral tissues.

Stability Analysis Based on Instantaneous Driving Behavior Using Car-Following Data

Abstract: An attempt is made to analyze the stability of a platoon using experimental data measured by real-time kinematic (RTK) Global Positioning System (GPS) receivers. Car-following experiments were conducted on a test track using 10 passenger cars. Various speed patterns were tested for the lead car, including random, constant, and sinusoidal, giving different driving conditions. The responses of the following drivers were measured by RTK GPS receivers in each car. The stimulus-response car-following concept was examined, assuming that the reaction time might vary over time. A graphical method was modified to estimate the time-variant reaction time more efficiently. A new algorithm was proposed to estimate the sensitivity factor using Lissajou's diagram between relative speed and acceleration. The statistical analysis showed that intrapersonal variability was higher than interpersonal variability for both reaction time and sensitivity factor. However, the influence of the driver's position in the platoon and speed patterns was low. It was found that the reaction time was distributed in a lognormal function for most of the drivers. The variations in the estimated values for the sensitivity factor were relatively high. The stability analysis showed that the average responses of drivers were unstable both locally and asymptotically. The influence of speed fluctuation frequency was found insignificant for the stability of the platoon.

Geographical Frame of Reference and Dangerous Intergroup Attitudes: A Double‐Minority Study in Sri Lanka

Abstract: An ethnic group can comprise a local majority, but be a minority within a broader geographic region or vice-versa. This situation has interesting psychological implications that may contribute to intergroup conflict. To test some of these implications, an experiment was conducted in Sri Lanka, during a ceasefire in the conflict between the government and Tamil rebellion forces. Participants were 100 Sinhalese students. An experimental manipulation was introduced to make one of two geographical regions salient: either just Sri Lanka (within which Sinhalese outnumber Tamils) or a broader region of south Asia (within which Sinhalese are outnumbered by Tamils). Following the manipulation, stereotypes and conflict-relevant attitudes were assessed. Results revealed that when Sinhalese participants were inclined to think of their group as the outnumbered minority, stereotypic perceptions of Tamils were more demonizing (i.e., depicting Tamils as more malevolent and also more competent), and their conflict-relevant attitudes were less conciliatory. These results have conceptual implications as well as implications for understanding conflict and conflict resolution.