Journal Articles

Promoting Brain Health in Teacher Training Programs: A Case Study

Tue, 09 Dec 2025 00:00:00 GMT

Promoting Brain Health in Teacher Training Programs: A Case Study Marikar, Faiz General Sir John Kotelawala Defence University (KDU) pioneered preventive brain health and mental well-being by integrating Life’s Ten Principles into the Certificate in Teaching in Higher Education (CTHE) program during the 2024 Preventive Brain Health Week. The pilot involved 40 early- career academics who participated in interactive lectures, practical sessions, and reflective teaching portfolios focusing on holistic lifestyle factors such as healthy eating, physical activity, sleep hygiene, stress management, metabolic health, and social engagement. The findings suggest that feedback from students and young academics was used to inform decisions regarding program improvement. Furthermore, participants reported that integrating brain health activities may support professional development, teaching effectiveness, and mental resilience, contributing to a healthy, happy, and effective learning environment.

Experimental investigation of band-beam slabs subjected to close-range blast loading

Mon, 01 Jan 2024 00:00:00 GMT

Experimental investigation of band-beam slabs subjected to close-range blast loading Mohotti, D; Wijesooriya, K; Fernando, PLN; Nishshanka, Bandula; Chi-King Lee; Remmenikov, Alex Portable explosions in the form of backpacks and suitcases have been at the forefront of various terrorist ac tivities due to their ability to create unrest in crucial infrastructure such as railway stations. At close range, these portable explosives, with charge sizes ranging from 2 kg to 10 kg, can reasonably damage vital structural ele ments of a building. For example, the debris produced by breaching one slab can overload and damage the slabs below in a multi-storey structure or pile up to block the access and continuous functioning of a building during rescue operations. A "band-beam slab" or "slab with a shallow beam" is one of the most used slab types in modern multi-storey buildings, especially on basements and lower floors. The band-beam slabs are commonly used to save headspace and floor-to-floor heights of multi-storeyed buildings. Therefore, investigation of the perfor mance of band-beam slabs under close-in detonation is an interest of crucial infrastructure projects. To this end, the work presented in this paper investigates the performance of band-beam slabs subjected to close-in deto nations. Thirteen band-beam slabs were subjected to close-in detonations against Composition-4 (C4) charges of sizes varying from 2.5 kg to 4.5 kg. The panels were designed to withstand the overall blast load following the typical design guidelines. However, some variations were introduced in the design to observe the effect of (i) slab reinforcement ratio, (ii) primary longitudinal reinforcement ratio of the beam, (iii) shear link size and spacing in band-beams, and (iv) scaled stand-off distance. In general, all test specimens experienced minor to moderate damage. At the same time, it is observed that the effect of the shear reinforcement ratio and detailing of the reinforcement play a significant role in reducing the spalling and crater formation. The observations have been compared with the UFC-3–340-02 guidelines for spalling and breach and found that experimental results reasonably agree with UFC predictions. Finally, based on the observations, design recommendations in terms of additional reinforcement to control and mitigate spalling, cracking and scabbing were proposed.

The Effect of Ultrasound Scanning on the State Anxiety among Expectant Mothers in Their First Trimester and Predictors of Anxiety

Wed, 01 Jan 2025 00:00:00 GMT

The Effect of Ultrasound Scanning on the State Anxiety among Expectant Mothers in Their First Trimester and Predictors of Anxiety Weerasinghe, Navodya; De Silva, Oshadee Kaushalya; Rodrigo, Senapathige Nilan Kalidasa Background: Undergoing ultrasound scanning (USS) during the first tri mester of pregnancy is highly imperative for expecting mothers, as it sup ports the early detection of any malformations, identifying the fetal number, fetal growth, fetal sex, and calculation of delivery. Previous studies have shown that undergoing such prenatal screening procedures could reduce the antenatal anxiety levels of expectant mothers. The present study aimed to explore the impact of first-trimester ultrasound scanning towards the ante natal anxiety and identify the predictors of antenatal anxiety among ex pectant mothers in the first trimester. Methods: A repeated measure design study was conducted in Maternity Clinics of University Hospital KDU, Ninewells Care Hospital and Navy General Hospital over 4 months with one hundred and fifteen (n = 115) expectant mothers. Participants completed a general information sheet first and State Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI) (Spielberger et al., 1970) was administered before and after undergoing the USS. Results: Mean age of the participants was 28.84 ± 3.68. The Wilcoxon Signed Rank test showed that there is a significant reduction of participants’ antenatal anxiety levels following the USS z = −5.658, p < 0.001, with an effect size of r = 0.37. The hierarchical multiple regression analysis showed that partner’s support was a significant predictor of antenatal anxiety among the expectant mothers in the first trimester. Conclusions: Findings suggest that undergoing the first trimester USS significantly reduces the antenatal state anxiety and partner’s support is an important factor in reducing the antenatal anxiety experienced by expectant mothers in the first trimester. Future studies can focus on how USS can contribute to alleviating antenatal anxiety in second and third trimesters.

Investigation of band-beam slabs subjected to close-in blast loading - Experimental and numerical study

Mon, 01 Jan 2024 00:00:00 GMT

Investigation of band-beam slabs subjected to close-in blast loading - Experimental and numerical study Wijesooriya, K; Mohotti, D; Fernando, PLN; Nishshanka, Bandula; Chi-King Lee; Remennikov, Alex Band-beam slab" or "slab with a shallow beam" are widely used in contemporary multi-level building construction and are particularly common in lower levels and basements. These slabs are favoured for conserving space and reducing floor-to-floor heights. Consequently, under standing how band-beam slabs perform when exposed to close-range detonations is essential for critical infrastructure projects and has not been previously studied in the literature. With recent terrorism events where portable explosives ranging from 2 kg to 10 kg are more common, a close in detonation can significantly affect the structural integrity of civil infrastructure. Thus, this study aims to examine the behaviour of band-beam slabs when subjected to close-in detonations. The paper presents both experimental results and validated Arbitrary Lagrange-Euler (ALE) nu merical framework to study and assess the damage of the slabs under various loading conditions and slab designs. A total of six band-bean panels are subjected to close-in detonations of Composition-4 (C4) charges. Initially, validation of the numerical modelling is performed where damage in terms of spall crater sizing and crack patterns are observed. It was shown that the numerical modelling technique could predict crater sizes within 15 % of the area, and crack propagation, including patterns, was appropriately captured. Through numerical modelling parametrisations, it was shown that confinement detailing, such as the use of C-hooks, close spacing of shear reinforcement, and additional reinforcement in the beam-to-slab transition zone can drastically improve the performance of the panel in terms of spalling damage and deflections. Finally, it was shown that the spalling, global and local deformation can be minimised with appropriate detailing. Design recommendations for additional reinforcement to control and mitigate spalling, cracking and scabbing were proposed.