Imagine a round dinner plate with a line running vertically down its center dividing it evenly in two. One half of the plate should be taken up by equal portions of whole grains (not refined grains like white bread and white rice) and healthy protein (such as fish, nuts, beans and poultry—not red meat or processed meats). Two-thirds of the other half should be filled with vegetables, with the remaining portion consisting of fruit. Try to inject a lot of variety into this half of your plate (or half of your diet)—eat fruits in a variety of colors and vegetables of all types (but don't count potatoes or French fries as vegetables). To one side of the plate, picture a glass of water, since that's the best drink for weight loss and for overall health (At some meals you can substitute coffee or tea with little to no sugar). Don't drink more than a serving or two of milk each day. To the other side of the plate, imagine a vessel containing healthy oils such as canola or olive oil. Use it for cooking or at the table instead of butter . Read more

If base or radix of a number system is ‘r’, then the numbers present in that number system are ranging from zero to r-1. The total numbers present in that number system is ‘r’. So, we will get various number systems, by choosing the values of radix as greater than or equal to two. In this chapter, let us discuss about the popular number systems and how to represent a number in the respective number system. The following number systems are the most commonly used. Decimal Number system Binary Number system Octal Number system Hexadecimal Number system Decimal Number System The base or radix of Decimal number system is 10. So, the numbers ranging from 0 to 9 are used in this number system. The part of the number that lies to the left of the decimal point is known as integer part. Similarly, the part of the number that lies to the right of the decimal point is known as fractional part. In this number system, the successive positions to the left of the decimal point having weights of 100, 101, 102, 103 and so on. Similarly, the successive positions to the right of the decimal point having weights of 10-1, 10-2, 10-3 and so on. That means, each position has specific weight, which is power of base 10 Example Consider the decimal number 1358.246. Integer part of this number is 1358 and fractional part of this number is 0.246. The digits 8, 5, 3 and 1 have weights of 100, 101, 102 and 103 respectively. Similarly, the digits 2, 4 and 6 have weights of 10-1, 10-2 and 10-3 respectively. Mathematically, we can write it as 1358.246 = (1 × 103) + (3 × 102) + (5 × 101) + (8 × 100) + (2 × 10-1) + (4 × 10-2) + (6 × 10-3) After simplifying the right hand side terms, we will get the decimal number, which is on left hand side. Binary Number System All digital circuits and systems use this binary number system. The base or radix of this number system is 2. So, the numbers 0 and 1 are used in this number system. The part of the number, which lies to the left of the binary point is known as integer part. Similarly, the part of the number, which lies to the right of the binary point is known as fractional part. In this number system, the successive positions to the left of the binary point having weights of 20, 21, 22, 23 and so on. Similarly, the successive positions to the right of the binary point having weights of 2-1, 2-2, 2-3 and so on. That means, each position has specific weight, which is power of base 2. Example Consider the binary number 1101.011. Integer part of this number is 1101 and fractional part of this number is 0.011. The digits 1, 0, 1 and 1 of integer part have weights of 20, 21, 22, 23 respectively. Similarly, the digits 0, 1 and 1 of fractional part have weights of 2-1, 2-2, 2-3 respectively. Mathematically, we can write it as 1101.011 = (1 × 23) + (1 × 22) + (0 × 21) + (1 × 20) + (0 × 2-1) + (1 × 2-2) + (1 × 2-3) After simplifying the right hand side terms, we will get a decimal number, which is an equivalent of binary number on left hand side. Octal Number System The base or radix of octal number system is 8. So, the numbers ranging from 0 to 7 are used in this number system. The part of the number that lies to the left of the octal point is known as integer part. Similarly, the part of the number that lies to the right of the octal point is known as fractional part. In this number system, the successive positions to the left of the octal point having weights of 80, 81, 82, 83 and so on. Similarly, the successive positions to the right of the octal point having weights of 8-1, 8-2, 8-3 and so on. That means, each position has specific weight, which is power of base 8. Example Consider the octal number 1457.236. Integer part of this number is 1457 and fractional part of this number is 0.236. The digits 7, 5, 4 and 1 have weights of 80, 81, 82 and 83 respectively. Similarly, the digits 2, 3 and 6 have weights of 8-1, 8-2, 8-3 respectively. Mathematically, we can write it as 1457.236 = (1 × 83) + (4 × 82) + (5 × 81) + (7 × 80) + (2 × 8-1) + (3 × 8-2) + (6 × 8-3) After simplifying the right hand side terms, we will get a decimal number, which is an equivalent of octal number on left hand side. Hexadecimal Number System The base or radix of Hexa-decimal number system is 16. So, the numbers ranging from 0 to 9 and the letters from A to F are used in this number system. The decimal equivalent of Hexa-decimal digits from A to F are 10 to 15. The part of the number, which lies to the left of the hexadecimal point is known as integer part. Similarly, the part of the number, which lies to the right of the Hexa-decimal point is known as fractional part. In this number system, the successive positions to the left of the Hexa-decimal point having weights of 160, 161, 162, 163 and so on. Similarly, the successive positions to the right of the Hexa-decimal point having weights of 16-1, 16-2, 16-3 and so on. That means, each position has specific weight, which is power of base 16. Read more

Data is the new Oil. This statement shows how every modern IT system is driven by capturing, storing and analysing data for various needs. Be it about making decision for business, forecasting weather, studying protein structures in biology or designing a marketing campaign. All of these scenarios involve a multidisciplinary approach of using mathematical models, statistics, graphs, databases and of course the business or scientific logic behind the data analysis. So we need a programming language which can cater to all these diverse needs of data science. Python shines bright as one such language as it has numerous libraries and built in features which makes it easy to tackle the needs of Data science. In this tutorial we will cover these the various techniques used in data science using the Python programming language. Read more

Clean Out Dates: Periodically ask the student to sort through and clean out his orher desk, book bag, and other special places where written assignments are stored.Extra Books: Provide the student with an extra set of books or electronicversions of books for use at home. This eliminates the student having toremember to bring books back and forth.Use of Calendars: Teach the student to use a calendar for schedulingassignments. Tape a schedule of planned daily activities to the student’s desk tohelp with time management and transitions.Checklist of Homework Supplies: Give the student a checklist that identifiescategories of items needed for homework assignments. The checklist can betaped to the inside of the student’s locker or desk.  Read more

The Journal of Agricultural Sciences is a peer reviewed journal aiming to publish high quality articles on topical issues in Agriculture. The journal provides a forum for Sri Lankan and international scholars especially in Asia and Africa to publish authoritative and well referenced articles in agriculture related areas. The journal publishes original research works, book reviews, short communications and comparative articles. JAS is published by the Faculty of Agricultural Sciences of the Sabaragamuwa University of Sri Lanka. Read more

As the new school year ramps up, teachers and parents need to be reminded of a well-kept secret: Across all grade levels and academic subjects, girls earn higher grades than boys. Not just in the United States, but across the globe, in countries as far afield as Norway and Hong Kong.   This finding is reflected in a recent study by psychology professors Daniel and Susan Voyer at the University of New Brunswick. The Voyers based their results on a meta-analysis of 369 studies involving the academic grades of over one million boys and girls from 30 different nations. The findings are unquestionably robust: Girls earn higher grades in every subject, including the science-related fields where boys are thought to surpass them. Read more

An election is usually a competition between different parties.[5] Some examples of political parties worldwide are: the African National Congress (ANC) in South Africa, the Democratic Party (D) in the United States, the Conservative Party in the United Kingdom, the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) in Germany and the Indian National Congress in India which has the highest number of political parties in the world (2546 political parties) [6]. Politics is a multifaceted word. It has a set of fairly specific meanings that are descriptive and nonjudgmental (such as "the art or science of government" and "political principles"), but does often colloquially carry a negative connotation.[1][7][8] The word has been used negatively for many years: the British national anthem as published in 1745 calls on God to "Confound their politics",[9] and the phrase "play politics", for example, has been in use since at least 1853, when abolitionist Wendell Phillips declared: "We do not play politics; anti-slavery is no half-jest with us."[10] A variety of methods are deployed in politics, which include promoting one's own political views among people, negotiation with other political subjects, making laws, and exercising force, including warfare against adversaries.[11][12][13][14][15] Politics is exercised on a wide range of social levels, from clans and tribes of traditional societies, through modern local governments, companies and institutions up to sovereign states, to the international level. During the past decade two tendencies (1.Concern for theoretical explication and methodological rigor, and 2. The emphasis on field studies of the “emerging,” “new,” and “non-Western” nations) made it possible to overlook comparative politics. [16] Read more

Consumers want more control over what they eat, but also want to be adventurous with their meal choices at home. Online restaurants, where the startup prepares, cooks and delivers meals to customers, are opening access to new types of foods for consumers to enjoy, often with a particular angle or theme like a special diet or vegan menu. In the same category, we include meal kit companies that prepare pre-portioned ingredients for consumers to cook at home. Read more

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Ella is a small town in the Badulla District of Uva Province, Sri Lanka governed by an Urban Council. It is approximately 200 kilometres east of Colombo and is situated at an elevation of 1,041 metres above sea level. The area has a rich bio-diversity, dense with numerous varieties of flora and fauna Read more

Ref : https://reliefweb.int/sites/reliefweb.int/files/resources/IDL-57456.pdf     The overall objective of the project ‘Making agri-food systems work for the rural poor in Eastern and Southern Africa’ was to improve food security and promote sustainable management of natural resources through enhanced adoption of pro-poor agri-food system innovations. To achieve this goal, the project aimed at achieving the following four specific objectives; (i) to identify and promote local innovations and adaptation strategies that work for the poor rural men and women to cope with food security vulnerabilities; (ii) to adapt and scale up technologies and market innovations for promoting orphan crops that enhance food security, increase incomes and ecosystem integrity in selected areas of Malawi, Kenya and Uganda; (iii) to analyze and promote specific policies and governance mechanisms for sustainable agri-food systems; and (iv) to determine mechanisms for scaling up agri-food systems and sustainable agriculture. The project was implemented in 3 countries, Kenya, Malawi and Uganda with the participation of five partner institutions, i.e., National Agricultural Research Organization (NARO), Uganda; Kenya Agricultural Research Institute (KARI), Kenya; Bunda College of Agriculture, Malawi; Advocates Coalition for Development and Environment (ACODE), Uganda; and Tegemeo Institute of Agricultural Policy and Development (TEGEMEO), Kenya. ASARECA’s main task was to coordinate regional activities and provide a platform for the participating countries and institutions to share lessons. Over the project implementation period, ASARECA facilitated a series of regional meetings to discuss among other issues a common approach to project implementation, monitoring and evaluation, management of knowledge and communication products and final regional fora to disseminate the research findings. In addition, ASARECA organized two sets of training courses on scientific writing and communication, which were attended by the scientists from the participating institutions. To enable the project partners widely disseminate the research findings, ASARECA provided a platform at its 2nd General Assembly where over 16 papers were presented not only from this particular project but also papers based on findings from other IDRC supported projects in the region (Annex II). Overall, the project has demonstrated that orphan crops have the potential to diversify the farming systems, spread risks, contribute to food security, and provide income opportunities for the most vulnerable and women in particular Read more

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/241757597_Implications_of_agri-food_standards_for_Sri_Lanka_Case_studies_of_tea_and_fisheries_export_industries     Dear Colleagues, Agri-food economies are socio-technical systems converting natural resources into food and ecosystem services and distributing them to consumers mainly through supply chains and markets. This book considers agri-food economies as “economies on their own” distinct to economies in general since they deliver food, which is indispensable for the continuity and quality of human life, and they are located at the complex interface between nature and society. Today, technological global agri-food economies dominated by vertically integrated, large enterprises are failing in meeting the challenge of feeding a growing global population within the limits of “planetary boundaries” and they are characterized by a “triple fracture” between agri-food economies and their three constitutive elements: nature, consumers and producers. In parallel to this crisis, new eco-ethical driven agri-food economies are built around new farming and food distribution practices. By exploring these new emerging agri-food economies in both developing and developed countries, this book develops a multidisciplinary discussion on the re-construction of local and regional agri-food economies as a solution to existing global agri-food economy crises. At a farm level, in contrast with the specialization and productivism of the modernized farming model, new farming practices grounded in ecological and biocultural principles and multifunctional diversification have emerged. At the supply chain and market level, in the last twenty years, we have witnessed the emergence of alternative food networks (AFNs) and/or short food supply chains (SFSCs,): alternative arrangements to the more standardized or conventional food supply and distribution chains, which relies on the notions of ‘ diversity’ ‘equity’ ‘transparency’, ‘quality’, ‘place’, and ‘sustainability’ and ‘community’. In alterity to the deterritorialization of the global agro-industrial food chain, the reterritorialization processes of AFNs/SFSCs moves towards food re-localization and re-socialization. Read more