IPRC - 2019

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Assessment of the Heavy Metals in Rice Grains Grown in Paddy Soil in CKDu Endemic Area in Eppawala, Anuradhapura
(International Postgraduate Research Conference 2019, Faculty of Graduate Studies, University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka, 2019) Perera, W.P.R.T.; Dissanayake, D.M.U.C.; Kannangara, A.T.; Liyanage, J.A.
Global public health attention is being focused on Chronic kidney disease due to significant prevalence and the enormous cost of the treatment process. It was revealed that longterm consumption of bioavailable metals in grains causes CKD in humans. Therefore, the present study was planned to assess the levels of heavy metals in rice grains grown in paddy soil in CKDu endemic area in Eppawala, Anuradhapura. The soil samples (n=30) were collected from paddy fields in Eppawala GN division. Rice plants with rice grains (n=30) were also collected from the same fields. Collected samples (soil, rice roots and rice grains) were digested using the microwave digester (MDS-6G). Concentrations of heavy metals (Cr, Fe, Cu, Zn, As, Cd, Pb) of the paddy soil, rice roots and ride grain samples were analyzed by ICP-MS (Agilent 7800). Based on the analyzed concentrations, Geo acumination indices were calculated to evaluate the heavy metal contamination conditions in the agricultural soil.The results indicated that the average concentrations of Cr, Cd, As and Pb in soil were 49.918 mg/kg, 0.107 mg/kg 5.033 mg/kg and 9.882 mg/kg respectively and they were 1.709 mg/kg, 0.027 mg/kg, 0.217 mg/kg, 0.566 mg/kg respectively in roots. Nevertheless, the lowest levels of metals were observed from rice grains (Cr, Cd, As and Pb were recorded as 0.342 mg/kg, 0.011 mg/kg, 0.035 mg/kg, 0.112 mg/kg respectively). According to the Igeo calculations, agricultural paddy soil in the Eppawala area has been moderately contaminated with Pb, As, Zn, and Cu. (Class 2). Nevertheless, Cd and Cr levels were between near to moderate contamination level. (Class 1). Although the levels of metals in rice grains were low, long term consumption of metal contaminated rice may contribute to chronic failure.
A Study into the Attitude of L2 Learners towards Vocabulary Learning
(International Postgraduate Research Conference 2019, Faculty of Graduate Studies, University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka, 2019) Nirmani, W.A.S.; Maithripala, W.G.S.
Vocabulary learning is of paramount importance in the process of second language learning. Learning vocabulary helps the learner to enhance the competence and knowledge in English language. Thus it is very much essential for the teachers as well as the learners to understand the importance of vocabulary learning in the second language classroom in order to develop in their language skills as their attitude towards vocabulary learning will determine the effort the learners put forth to acquire new vocabulary. The present study explores the attitudes of L2 learners in the tertiary level towards the importance of vocabulary in learning English. It investigates the differences of attitude of 52 participants who are in the Basic level of English proficiency in the first year of the Faculty of Arts. A structured questionnaire was used to collect data which consists of two sections: Part A is comprised of 6 questions on the participant’s demographic data when Part B contains 7 close-ended statements on the attitude of the students towards the importance given to vocabulary in learning English. The study used descriptive analysis by using IBM SPSS 20 software. The results of the study revealed that the majority of the students have admitted that they can understand the sentences which are even grammatically wrong as they place importance in the vocabulary rather than in the accuracy of the sentence. Moreover they have placed more importance in expressive vocabulary which includes speaking and writing skills than on the receptive vocabulary that consists of reading and listening skills. In conclusion, the students showed a positive attitude towards the importance of vocabulary in English language learning. The findings of the present study conclude with the pedagogical implications that instructors can design vocabulary activities targeting expressive vocabulary to promote positive attitude in vocabulary acquisition and thus boost learners’ interest in the study of second language
Entrepreneurship Development as a Strategy for Expansion of Employment Opportunities in the Rural Sector (With Special Reference to Kurunegala District)
(International Postgraduate Research Conference 2019, Faculty of Graduate Studies, University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka, 2019) Bandara, H.G.K.N.
Despite the fact that the past successive governments of Sri Lanka have been attempted to address the issue of rural unemployment through different strategies, unemployment and underemployment rates as well as the dependent population are still high in the rural sector of Sri Lanka. The salient feature of this problem is that the rate of unemployment and underemployment among the educated youth is higher than that of other groups. It is widely believed that Entrepreneurship development is a strategy that could support to overcome the persistent problem of unemployment in rural economies. Therefore, the present study focuses on the matter of how far successful Entrepreneurship Development programs that are being operated in Sri Lanka in coping with the problem of rural unemployment. The objectives of this study were, to identify the nature of unemployment in the rural Sri Lanka and to make a methodical assessment of the contribution of Entrepreneurship development programs with regard to the reduction of rural unemployment and underemployment. The relevant primary data for the study were collected through a field survey. Two structured questionnaires were employed to collect primary data from the selected sample. Secondary data were collected through a number of sources; mainly from the official publications of government departments and institutions. The sample was selected from the Kurunegala District and the sample included both unemployed and underemployed persons as well as young educated entrepreneurs who are in the Kurunegala District. Collected data were analyzed with the help of basic statistical methods such as percentages, tables, graphs and measures of central tendency. The study reveals that though there are many Entrepreneurship development programs have been implemented by the government of Sri Lanka, such programs have not been successful in dealing with the problem of rural unemployment due to lack of having proper awareness of the concept and insight into the matter. Therefore, Entrepreneurship Development programs should be designed in order to meet the needs of young, unemployed persons in the rural sector.
Use of Chronemics: Ethical Considerations of the Process of Communication in the Family
(International Postgraduate Research Conference 2019, Faculty of Graduate Studies, University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka, 2019) Jayarathna, R.N.H.M.D.
Appearing for a one out of seven codes of non verbal signals, ‘chronemics, represents the use of time as a message system such as punctuality, amount of time spent with another and waiting time. As it is a component which is accountable to the quality of the process of communication, the use of ‘chronemics’ is substantially liable upon the emergence of ethics in the society. In an any social situation, one’s communication is massively influenced by related family. In this context, considering the process of communication in the family, this study aimed two objectives as the major one was to identify a common code of ethics in use of ‘chronemics’ and the other specific one was to identify attributed values of the use of chronemics. The mixed research methodology was applied though qualitative data were cared prominent. Interviews were used as the main instrument of data collection while the observation was present too. Only for this study, the families were categorized into five groups under a simple socio-economic criterion; by names the families represent ancient folk, rural elites’ ancestry, modern middle class, modern rural folk, and modern town folk. Allowing five families to belong to each group, sum of twenty five families in Kurunegala district were randomly selected as the sample. Two indicators of ‘chronemics’ namely ‘spending time with another’ and ‘waiting time’ were concerned. Likewise the both indicators equally proclaimed the extra ordinary complexity of the use of chronemics, they revealed that there’s an identifiable difference between the particular use within family members and with aliens. ‘Spending time with another’ is more effectively applicable when communicating with an alien but it creates ethical issues if use against the family members. Although ‘the waiting time’ for a family member is various due to intra family kinship, the lowest ‘waiting time’ in it is obviously higher than the ‘waiting time’ kept for any outsider. Both indicators show some variations in practice according to the family category but more families revealed even attitudes about the particular use of ‘chronemics’ though the practice doesn’t represent it properly. Conclusion made by the attitudes of the sample families as a qualitative analysis was done stating that there are more common ethics in the use of ‘chronemics’ where in the process of communication in the family
Using Logistic Regression to Estimate the Influence of Environmental Factors on Motor Cycle Road Crash Severity
(International Postgraduate Research Conference 2019, Faculty of Graduate Studies, University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka, 2019) Liyanage, L.
The field of transportation has undergone a massive growth with the immense development that occurred with the industrialization. But as a side effect, a huge increase in road accidents can be depicted. It has become one of the leading causes of death and injury in Sri Lanka. Nowadays, the rate of incidence of traffic accidents is increasing severely. Much against the popular belief, it is the light vehicles that are most often causing traffic accidents. Each year over 35752 road accidents occur in Sri Lanka, causing on average eight fatalities every day. In every year the highest numbers of deaths occurred with motorcyclists. There are various factors which are related to motorcycle road accidents. So this study was carried out to find the factors influencing the severity of the motorcycle accidents in Sri Lanka. This study was based on the records of the Traffic Police Head Office, Colombo. 171493 motorcycle accident cases were considered during the period 2008-2017. Logistic Regression was used to estimate the severity of factors related to road. The logistic regression model is the most common model for data analysis when the dependent variable is in binary nature. It is normally used to study the association between a binary dependent variable and a group of the continuous or categorical independent variable. The response can take the values 1 or 0. The variable “Nature of the Accident” (Fatal/Non-fatal) is considered as a dichotomous variable, and the factors road surface, weather condition and the light condition are treated as influencing factors on the accident severity. After a series of statistical analyses were conducted, all of the independent variables were identified as influential variables to the accident severity. But as none of the four variables was included in the equation, there were no coefficients for them. Rather, dummy variables which code for each and every independent variable are in the equation, and those have coefficients. Of the road surface variable, two categories namely wet road surface and the slippery road surface were found to be significantly associated with the outcome of the dependent variable. Dry road surface and the road flooded with water were not statistically significant. Of the weather condition variable, two categories were found to be significantly associated with the outcome of the dependent variable namely rainy weather and the fog/mist weather. Clear and cloudy weather was not statistically significant. Of the light condition variable, three categories were found to be significantly associated with the outcome of the dependent variable namely daylight, no light at the night and the improper light at the night. Dusk/ Dawn and good street light at night were not statistically significant. Results from this study reveal that the fitted logistic regression model can be used for the safety improvements against the motorcycle road accidents in Sri Lanka
Evaluation of the Survival of Dendrobium crumenatum Swartz. Pollen Stored at Different Temperatures
(International Postgraduate Research Conference 2019, Faculty of Graduate Studies, University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka, 2019) Silva, W.E.R.; Attanayake, R.; Ratnayake, S.; Senanayake, S.P.
Dendrobiums have a high demand in the Sri Lankan floriculture industry as cut flowers and potted plants. Most Dendrobium cultivars found in the Sri Lankan market are imported from countries like Thailand, Singapore and Malaysia. Development of new cultivars and commercial cultivation of orchids has become a billion-dollar profitable industry in the world. In order to uplift the local orchid industry, cultivars with Sri Lankan identity should be developed. As Sri Lankan Dendrobiums have high floral diversity with economically important characters like fragrance, patterns and shapes, such characters could be introduced to the popular cultivars through breeding programs. Pollinia of these species and cultivars may not be always available throughout the year. Therefore, a suitable pollen storage method that maintains pollen viability and germinability, should be developed. The objective of this study was to develop a pollen preservation technique for Dendrobium crumenatum (E: Pigeon orchid, S: Sudu pareyi mal) by storing at different temperatures in order to use them in breeding programs. Pollen were collected into 0.2 mL tubes from fully opened fresh flowers at the onset of the anthesis around 7.00 – 8.00 am in July 2019. A set of pollen was dried in silica for 24 hours before storage and the other set was directly stored at -80 °C, -20 °C, -1 °C, 9 °C and 28 °C temperatures. Cryopreservation of pollen at -80 °C and -20 °C were also conducted in modified Murashige and Skoog medium (pH 5.7). Treatments were performed in triplicates. Samples of stored pollen were removed after 1, 3, 7, 14, 30 and 60 days and in vitro germinability and viability were tested in 10% sucrose and 2,3,5-Triphenyltetrazolium chloride (TTC) respectively. To confirm pollen viability and germinability, pollen of D. crumenatum stored at 9 °C were used in controlled cross pollination with Dendrobium ‘Pink Stripe,’ Dendrobium ‘Sonia Red’ and Dendrobium ‘Pink New Splash’. D. crumenatum had 54.97±12.22 % germinability and 76.0±4.58 % viability prior to storage. Pollen stored at subzero temperatures or subjected to cryopreservation lost viability and germinability. Pollen stored at 9 °C without drying, were viable for 14 days and produced pollen tubes (8.63±0.71 %). Although, percent in vitro germination of D. crumenatum pollen reduced to less than 20% after 7 days of storage (19.57±6.55 %) at 9 °C, pollination of stored pollen resulted in fruit set in Dendrobium ‘Pink Stripe,’ and Dendrobium ‘Pink New Splash’. This study found that seasonally flowering D. crumenatum pollen can be stored for short periods at 9 °C while maintaining their viability and germinability and can be used for cross pollination in breeding programs. However, subzero temperatures and cryopreservation may not be appropriate for storage of D. crumenatum pollen
A Geo-Spatial Analysis to Identify the Land Loses and Land Use Changes Due to Clay and Sand Mining – A Case Study of Ma-Oya Left Bank in Katana Divisional Secretariat Division
(International Postgraduate Research Conference 2019, Faculty of Graduate Studies, University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka, 2019) Jayarahthe, M.; Dayaratne, W.J.M.; Dissanayake, A.M.C.
Mining is one of the main methods to extract mineral resources. This research carried out to identify the loss of land and land-use changes due to clay and sand mining in the lower Ma-Oya river bank of Katana Divisional Secretariat Division. Geographically, environmentally and socio-economically the Ma-Oya river basin is one of the unique river basin in Sri Lanka. The length of Ma-Oya River is 134km and the size of the river basin is 1528Sq.km. During the last few decades, due to sand and clay mining both left and right river banks of the lower Ma Oya river basin have been highly degraded. Field observation, Participatory Rural Appraisal (PRA) and Global Positioning System (GPS) data and google satellite images were used as primary data. Land use maps of 1956, 1984, 2018 and resource report of Katana DS Division were used as secondary data. This has done using mix method. QGIS 2.8 and Arc GIS 10.1 and MS Office applications have been used to analyze the spatial land-use changes and calculated the extent of land loses. The Inverse Distance Weighting (IDW) analysis and geo-processing techniques have been applied to determine multivariable interpolations. The study revealed that Ma-Oya left river bank highly changes and loss of land due to critical natural resource use issues. Especially clay has been excavated up to 835 hundred meter distance from the left river bank. As a result, a considerable amount of land and land uses have been loosed. 119 hectares of the total land area were loosed and according to the present value of lands in the area, it was the amount of Rs. 2,728,774,720 (27287 Rs/M). Respectively, 63.25ha of coconut lands, 42.24ha of home gardens, 9.79ha of paddy lands, 2.68ha of scrubs and 1.24ha of croplands have been converted into water bodies or bare lands in lover left bank of Ma-Oya.
Legal Barriers Faced by Female Entrepreneurs in Sri Lanka
(International Postgraduate Research Conference 2019, Faculty of Graduate Studies, University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka, 2019) Jayawardane, V.P.T
According to the data obtained from the Women’s Chamber of Industry and Commerce Sri Lanka, there is a significant increase in the number of female entrepreneurs in Sri Lanka over the past decade. Sri Lankan female entrepreneurs play a significant role contributing to the economic development of the country. These female entrepreneurs work for the common good of the society, while looking for opportunities and utilizing them for their own betterment. There are many challenges faced by female entrepreneurs during the course of their ventures including economic, political, technological and legal constraints. The objective of this paper is to examine the legal barriers the Sri Lankan female entrepreneurs come across during the course of their business venture. The study was done with secondary data obtained from materials from the Central Bank of Sri Lanka along with data obtained from a survey research conducted by the author, of a population consisting 200 interviews. The standardized five point’s Likert questionnaire which was used by many researchers with a proven reliability and validity was used and a few personal interviews were done with female entrepreneurs chosen from random sampling. A qualitative analysis was conducted to analyse the data and the results proved that the legal factors affect the decision making of female entrepreneurs in Sri Lanka. In addition, the research identified various legal barriers which affect and influence the female entrepreneurs in Sri Lanka. This paper will propose some solutions to help overcome these legal barriers. The paper recommends that Sri Lanka ought to imply strong policies and national laws, which can be implemented to offer solutions to address these concerns.
The Impact by Environmental Features of the Recreation Parks on the Continues Participation
(International Postgraduate Research Conference 2019, Faculty of Graduate Studies, University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka, 2019) Rajapaksha, R.P.D.D.; Abeykoon, A.M.S.J.P.
During the past few decades, the role of sport and physical education in health and vitality has been the focus of the attention of sports scientists. Research has shown that recreational activity is effective for the health and well-being of society. Therefore, they have not forgotten to pay attention to spend their leisure time in parks. Thus, it is important to point out that the human and social-centric conditions motivate the individual to engage in recreational activity and, on the other hand, the natural or designed environment on which the relevant functions are based is acting as the pull factors. The key objective of this study was to identify how environmental features impact on the tendency for continues participation. It was intended to collect Primary data. Convenient sample method was used to collect data from 200 people who arrived to the “Diyatha Uyana”. The questionnaire covered the 03 main aspects of environmental features called Greenspace, Landscape & River Trails. “The tendency to continue participation” was the dependent variable of this study, which was measured by the number of arriving by the beneficiaries from January to September of 2019. An analysis was done using the descriptive and inferential statistics method such as Structural Equation Modeling (SEM). Estimated relationship in SPSS- AMOS 21 and SPSS statistic version 21. The analysis showed that River trails (P=.064) and Landscape (P=.010) variables were statistically significant at 0.5 levels. In addition, among the identified variables the impact of the landscape has most regression weights reported as .134. Which can make an impact on the beneficiaries’ tendency to participate in the “Diyatha Uyana”. It means that when landscape increase by one standard deviation, the tendency to participate goes up by 0.134 standard deviations. Moreover, this result indicates that, landscapes and River trails variables have a comparatively higher association with beneficiaries' participation in “Diyatha Uyana” than green space.
The Influence of Sinhalese Dative Case suffix /-ʈə/ in Learning Tamil as a Second Language in Sri Lanka: A Case Study
(International Postgraduate Research Conference 2019, Faculty of Graduate Studies, University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka, 2019) Srikantharajah, S.
Sri Lanka is a multi-lingual and multi-ethnic society. Sinhalese and Tamil Languages are regarded as national languages by the two major linguistics communities: Sinhalese and Tamils. Teaching of Second National Language in secondary school curriculum was introduced by the Sri Lankan Government as compulsory subject in grades 6 to 9 and as an optional subject in grades 10 to 11 also it is taught as compulsory and optional unit in some universities of Sri Lanka which is also one important way to promote national unity in Sri Lanka. The role of First Language [L1] has been recognized as major linguistic activity in Second language [L2] learning. Particularly due to the interference of L1, learners of L2 find it difficult at the initial stage of learning the Language. Furthermore, when constructing sentences the learners have the tendency to translate literally following the syntactic rules of their L1. The aim of this study is to identify the influence of Sinhalese dative case suffix /-ʈə/ in learning Tamil as a second Language. when the attention is focused on learning case inflection in Tamil by Sinhalese native speakers as a beginner in the first year at the Department of Linguistics, University of Kelaniya, it has been observed that the learners faced certain difficulties to structure and comprehend the sentences with case inflected nouns due to the multiple usage of dative case marker /-ʈə/ in their L1. The comparative analysis of Sinhalese and Tamil Language says that, the Sinhalese dative case suffix /-ʈǝ/ is equal to /-kku/ in Tamil. Therefore the students who are studying Tamil as a second Language are interfered with this grammatical aspect. When the suffix /-ʈǝ/ occurs in Sinhalese sentences, they try to translate it by applying the suffix /-kku-/ in Tamil without considering the multiple usage of /-ʈǝ/. According to this research, influence of Sinhalese dative case suffix /-ʈǝ/ had been identified on the following L2 cases: Instrumental, Accusative, ablative case with the Significance meaning of motion from (an animate object) and locative case with the Significance meaning of on the person of (animate). This study is intended only for the spoken variety of Tamil and Sinhalese. The Tamil data represent the Jaffna Tamil and the Sinhalese data represent the western dialect of Sinhalese. Research sample of this study limited to 30 students at beginner level of Department of Linguistics, University of Kelaniya. The data was collected by reviewing the questionnaire, analyzing the students’ performance and classroom observation were also done in order to gather data. In conclusion, the knowledge of contrastive features of case inflection of the two languages and identifies the interference of First Language are very essential for effective learning and teaching a Second Language
Revival of Silk Route: Practicing China’s Economic Diplomacy
(International Postgraduate Research Conference 2019, Faculty of Graduate Studies, University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka, 2019) Yapa, H.
Ancient trade routes have played an important role in promotion economic ties and cultural linkages between nations. China, as one of the major trading partner in the world has established famous silk route to develop trade partnership between Europe, Middle East, Africa and Asia. After re-establishment of new silk route in 2003 which it consists of two most important projects called the ‘ New Silk Road Economic Belt ‘ and ‘21st Century Maritime Silk Road’ apparently paved the way for practicing China’s Economic Diplomacy. China’s investment, domestic growth by opening up new trade markets and the strengthening of the Chinese Yuan to become an international currency will improve the economic development and exchange between China and nations in this area are the major initiatives to taken up in recent years. The Silk Road induces developing unity among OBOR partners sharing its cultures by trade and now China is pursuing an insightful plan to revive ancient trading links with its neighbor countries, stretching South to North and East to West. This research paper is addressing new trends, patterns and prospects of OBOR initiatives taken up in the developing nations through building of New Economic Cooperation’s. Furthermore, this research paper examines the China’s economic behavior in the Silk Road project with implications for the developing nation’s special reference to Sri Lanka. Sri Lanka and China have practiced trade relations as a major center in the historical silk route over the last centuries and again China Sri Lanka have unprecedented economic and trade ties with after China’s significant influence in Sri Lankan market. The objective of this paper is to find out the impact of beneficial of OBOR projects conducted by host country towards developing economies. The research reveals the trade relations among China Sri Lanka and focus of its effect on our middle income index. The much more consideration goes to new projects executing in Sri Lanka particularly development and impact of port city in Colombo. The Chinese government has invested large amount to develop infrastructure and projects which consider as the Revival of Ancient Silk Route as a mutually beneficial program. Therefore, methodology of the study is derived from the analysis of trade statistics, literature reviews, document analysis and observations. Practical implications of the study are point out the challenges of China’s economic diplomacy to overcome US China trade war.
Production, Optimization and Characterization of Thermostable, Halotolerant, Detergent Compatible Cellulase from a Bacillus sp using Agricultural Residues
(International Postgraduate Research Conference 2019, Faculty of Graduate Studies, University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka, 2019) Jayarathne, J.A.J.C.; Kawan, A.; Prakash, P.
Lignocellulose biomass is considered to be the most copious and renewable organic material on the planet. Agricultural residues are a great source of lignocellulose biomass which is inexpensive, renewable and environmentally friendly. Cellulose is the predominant constitute, while hemicellulose, pectin, and lignin are present as minor components. Cellulase is the key to achieve economically valuable high-energy molecules via effective enzymatic hydrolysis. Cellulases are adaptive enzymes which are synthesized by microorganisms during their growth in the media when cellulosic substrates are present. The current study was focused on optimizing the production conditions of cellulase-producing bacteria isolated from garden soil using inexpensive agro wastes as the sole carbon source. Furthermore, the cellulase enzyme was partially purified and characterized under different parameters. Bacterial strain, Bacillus clausii was manifested to produce extracellular thermostable, halotolerant and detergent stable cellulase. The culture conditions for the growth of the enzyme producer were optimized with respect to incubation time, pH, temperature, carbon sources and nitrogen sources. Cellulase production was instigated at 12 hours as soon as the bacterium entered the exponential phase and reached its maximum at 48 hours. The production of cellulase was active in a significant range of pH from pH 7 to 11. Optimal pH was recorded to be pH 11. The maximal cellulase activity was obtained between 30⁰C to 40⁰C. The yield of cellulase was enhanced nearly by 45% in the presence of agricultural residues including 1% of corn husks and jack fruit peel powder. Cellulase was partially purified by 60% of ammonium sulfate precipitation method followed by the dialysis. Partially purified cellulase was subjected to characterization. Maximum enzyme activity was recorded at pH 5 and 50⁰C. The enzyme was thermostable perpetuating 100% original activity at 60⁰C for 1 hour. The enzyme was active over a broad spectrum of sodium chloride of 2 % to 14% and the enzyme activity was induced by 8% of Sodium Chloride (NaCl). Cellulase activity was significantly inhibited by the presence of mercury (ii) ion. Detergent compatibility was varied with different types of commercially available laundry detergents. Cellulase depicted its apex of stability with respect to Surf Excel. In addition, cellulase rendered its stability in the presence of 1% Sodium Dodecyl Sulphate (SDS) and it might give an indication to be used as a potential additive in the detergent industry. We believe that the utilization of garden soil bacteria upon cellulosic waste is an inexpensive approach to reduce the enzyme production cost. And also, indirectly it helps to reduce environmental pollution. Besides, the production of cellulases that can actively participate in harsh environmental conditions is considered to be an important application from the industrial perspective.
Assessment of Awareness and Socio – Economic Status on Edible Oil Consumption among Housewives in Dehiwala Divisional Secretariat Area
(International Postgraduate Research Conference 2019, Faculty of Graduate Studies, University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka, 2019) Manori, H.A.C.; Jayasekara, K.G.T.
Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs) prevail in the present-day society due to unhealthy food habits and inactive lifestyle of the people. Excessive consumption of edible oil is a cause for obesity which is a contributory factor for NCDs. Edible oils should be used in moderation by adopting proper methods of cooking to minimize their unhealthy effects. A descriptive cross-sectional study was carried out in Dehiwala divisional secretariat area to assess the awareness, socio-economic status on edible oil consumption among housewives and, the individual’s fat intake through edible oil consumption. Since, the total fat intake of an individual includes fats received from coconut kernel, processed coconut milk and coconut milk powder used in food preparations, in addition to edible oils, fats coming from these food items were also considered in calculating the daily per capita fat intake. The study sample consisted of 405 randomly selected housewives representing all the fifteen Grama Niladari divisions of the area including 27 housewives from each division. Data were gathered using a self-administered questionnaire. Results showed that daily per capita edible oil consumption was 59.75 ml. Only 31.50% housewives consumed edible oils, within the recommended level of fat and oil intake per person as in Food based dietary guidelines for Sri Lankans, prepared by the Ministry of Health. The daily per capita fat intake by consuming edible oil together with coconut kernel, processed coconut milk and coconut milk powder was 80.13 g. 77.75% housewives used edible oils and coconut products in food preparations to receive energy more than the amount of energy recommended to be received from fat (no more than 30% of the total energy coming from fat). Chi-square test results showed that there were significant relationships between educational level of housewives and the type of edible oil used (p<0.01) and monthly family income and the type of edible oil used (p<0.01). Since, the majority of the individuals consume more fat than the recommended level, there is a need for an intervention to educate people on healthy use of edible oil as to prevent from obesity, a contributory factor of NCDs.
How Young Men Establish Their Same-Sexual Relationships through Digital Contexts, Mutual Understanding and Emerging Networks of Digital Intimacy
(International Postgraduate Research Conference 2019, Faculty of Graduate Studies, University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka, 2019) Jinadasa, M.; Priyankara, R.
This paper reviews three divisions as mutual understanding, digital media contexts, and emerging networks of digital intimacies. First, mutual understanding involves with explaining how young men establish similar understanding between each other through interactive communication via Facebook in order to establish their same sexual relationships. Second, Digital media contexts involves with reviewing digital media’s potentials and spaces, on which rural young men create mutual understanding. Third, emerging networks of digital intimacies involves with clarifying how rural young men network themselves for their same sexual relations through Facebook as a safe and convenient space for their intimacies. On this qualitative literature review, key concepts such as mutual understanding, digital contexts and emerging networks of digital intimacy are explored to argue how rural young men create a network of digital intimacy on their same sexual relationships. Mutual understanding as a key public relation concept, is used to understand how young men establish their same sexual relationships through a process of inter-personal communication via Facebook. Digital media’s potentiality through ‘network society’ and ‘participatory culture’ are explored in order to understand how Facebook helps to create mutual understanding. Accordingly, this paper defines mutual understanding based on how young men individually interconnect through Facebook in order to identity “who they are” for their same sexual relationships. This is not similar to how relationships are managed between organisation and its stakeholders in terms of the corporate benefit. In short, this thesis argues how mutual understanding is constructed through young men’s individual understanding on a process of interaction via Facebook. As a result, it is argued how these virtual communities create a network of digital intimacy
Dressing of Sri Lankan Female School Teachers and Their Job Performance
(International Postgraduate Research Conference 2019, Faculty of Graduate Studies, University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka, 2019) Jayasooriya, L.B.; De Silva, S.; Wanigasundera, P.
Scrupulous attention is paid to the details of clothing at the workplace, where many organizations have strict rules and regulations regarding the dress codes of the employees. Previous studies show that the dress codes of the employees have an impact on professionalism, efficiency, productivity at work, communication, social distance, safety, economy and self-satisfaction. Nonetheless, the majority of these studies have been conducted in the western populations, whereas data in Asian countries, which have contrasting cultural norms to the western world, are sparse. Therefore, this study was catered to examine how clothing of Sri Lankan female school teachers affects their job performances. A mixed method integrating qualitative interviews and secondary data analysis along with quantitative data derived from a self-administrated questionnaire were used for the study. Quantitative data were obtained from 100 female school teachers from Kandy and Colombo districts in Sri Lanka while 15 in-depth interviews were conducted to obtain qualitative data. Results revealed that evolution and current practice of the dress of females were more into promote nationalism and culture. Though the current dress of Sri Lankan school teachers is the Saree/Abaya, the majority preferred to wear casual dresses (54%). Wilcoxon Signed Rank test showed that casual dress is significantly comfortable compared to their traditional dress (p<0.05). There was a significant difference between efficiency in performing given four tasks wearing casual attire over traditional attire as per Wilcoxon Signed Rank test statistics(p<0.05). Thirty percent of teachers in the sample have faced accidents due to their current dress. They suggested that they would be more productive in teaching and performing extra-curricular activities if they wear casual dresses. Hence, the findings of this study suggest that a change in the current dress of female school teachers into a more relaxing and a convenient one which is easy to maintain, wear and handle would help the teachers enliven their dynamic role while creating avenues for positive changes in the education sector in Sri Lanka
A Study on the Necessity of Implementing Online Programs for Higher Educational Institutes in Sri Lanka
(International Postgraduate Research Conference 2019, Faculty of Graduate Studies, University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka, 2019) Muthugamage, C.D.; Deepani, E.A.T.; Hettiarachchi, K.S.T.
Generally, education is considered as a factor which moulds an individual to a professional. Conventional education refers to long-established customs that society traditionally used in educational institutes. In Sri Lanka, education for both secondary and tertiary education still depends on routine physical attendance of students in classroom activities. When considering the higher education in Sri Lanka, in most of the situations, working professionals face various constraints in continuing their further studies. As a result of this issue, a knowledge gap is created. However, with the passage of the time and with transformation of the teaching and learning methods in education, technology received a high demand in the educational sector. Moreover, in the contemporary world, there is a trend for online programs which can fill the aforementioned gap. This research study examines the necessity of implementing online programs in Sri Lankan higher educational institutes. As the targeted population is considerably high sample has been selected from National Institute of Business Management and has been narrowed down to the students graduated from School of Computing and School of Business in the year of 2018. Due to complexity of studying, the sampling has been limited to 250 graduates. A questionnaire was circulated among randomly selected 50 (25 each) graduated-working professionals of National Institute of Business Management and using random sampling method. They are asked to recirculate the provided questionnaire among five colleagues in the same organization from different higher educational institutes in Sri Lanka. The data analysis method used in the research study is regression analysis. The results of the research study revealed that the demand for the online programs among the working professionals is high due to many advantages that they can fulfill. Moreover, the findings indicate the factors (independent variables); self-efficacy, social influence, user satisfaction, quality of information and academic relevance. Based on the factors the findings indicate that there is a strong effect on the demand for online programs in multi-disciplines
In Silico and In Vitro Analysis of Inhibition of Rice Bran Lipase to Extend the Shelf Life
(International Postgraduate Research Conference 2019, Faculty of Graduate Studies, University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka, 2019) Weerakoon, W.M.T.D.N.; Munaweera, R.; Chandula, S.; Dodampe, N.; Seneviratne, K.N.; Jayathilaka, N.
Rice bran is a byproduct of the rice (Oryza sativa) milling process. The hard, outer layer removed from the starchy endosperm of the rice grains is known as rice bran. Rice bran is a rich source of nutrients. Rice bran is used to produce rice bran oil and as animal feed. Oxidation of fatty acids in lipids is one of the main causes for the spoilage of rice bran during storage. Lipase enzymes catalyze the hydrolysis of ester bond in triglycerides (lipids) releasing free fatty acids, which are more prone to oxidation than fatty acids in triglycerides. Therefore, inhibition of lipases can be a possible solution to restrict the lipid oxidation. The active site of lipases contains a characteristic GXSXG pentapeptide sequence (where X = any amino acid) which plays a major role in the lipase enzymatic activity. Orlistat is a lactone known to act as a potent inhibitor of human lipase. Therefore, in the present study, we evaluated the lipase inhibitory potential of lactones that are present in Psidium guineense. Homology-modelling of rice bran lipase and molecular docking studies (SWISSDOCK) were carried out to identify compounds with high affinity at the binding site. The top 20 docking poses with the lowest estimated Gibbs free energy values (ΔG) were considered from the molecular docking study. Low ΔG values of lactones show preferable binding at the binding site of Oryza sativa lipase. Close proximity of electrophilic carbon of lactones to the nucleophilic oxygen of the serine residue indicates the possibility of a nucleophilic attack by the oxygen of the serine residue to the electrophilic carbon of lactones leading to a covalent bond formation inhibiting the lipase enzyme. This suggests that lactones present in guava may be capable of inhibiting the lipases present in Oryza sativa. The in silico data were validated using lipase purified from rice bran. Rice bran lipase was purified by ion exchange chromatography followed by size exclusion chromatography. Inhibition of lipase activity was assessed using phenyl acetate assay. Percentage inhibition of lipase activity by guava leaf extract and Orlistat were 74.1% and 58.8% respectively. This indicates that guava extract contains compounds with inhibitory action towards lipase enzyme and they are more effective in inhibiting lipase than Orlistat. Even though the rice bran is one of the richest and cheapest sources of antioxidants, easy oxidative spoilage makes the shelf life of rice bran short. However, when the antioxidants stripped from rice bran re mixed with rice bran, a concentration dependent inhibition of the formation of oxidation products in rice bran was observed suggesting that bioavailability of the antioxidants present in the rice bran is low. While the docking studies provide evidence of inhibition of rice bran lipase activity, empirical evidence require analysis using purified lactones from guava on the inhibition of rice bran lipase. Our findings suggest antioxidants and lactones inhibit rancidity of rice bran during storage by inhibiting oxidation of lipids and inhibiting the lipase activity.
Evaluating Digital Health System’s Success of Public sector Hospitals in Sri Lanka
(International Postgraduate Research Conference 2019, Faculty of Graduate Studies, University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka, 2019) Sarathchandra, K.
The use of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) in the health care sector offers great potential for improving the quality of services provided, the efficiency and effectiveness of health personnel, and organizational cost reduction. Thus, digital health has been a priority for the World Health Organization (WHO). The majority of developed and developing countries report having national digital health initiatives and their digital health budgets continue to rise. Despite large investments made by countries, the magnitude of evidence of success is not proportionate thus, the evaluation of digital health interventions after implementation is critical to ensure perceived benefits, reduce potential negative effects and provide decision-makers with accurate information for improvements and future planning. The purpose of this paper is to focus on digital health success in Sri Lankan public sector hospitals. This study aimed to understand the evidence of success and study different models to select the best model to evaluate digital health success. The qualitative research was carried out and 15 primary users of digital health projects in Sri Lanka are interviewed to understand their perceived benefits and success. The purposive sampling technique was used to select experts in current digital health projects. A systematic literature review was conducted to explore the Information Systems' success models, usage in other countries and applicability to digital health. The empirical study findings show that digital health implementation in public sector hospitals in Sri Lanka has made significant progress in establishing digital health policy, national guidelines, administrative structures, heavy investments. Existing research findings show that user acceptance and system usage has positive results. However, the perceived benefits are not adequately evaluated and this study reveals that primary users have mixed opinions on success. They suggest a scientific evaluation to prove the level of success. The systematic literature survey results show Delone & McLean’s Information Systems success model as the most comprehensive and preferred model out of many other models. This model has been adapted to suit the digital health evaluation in different contexts adding new dimensions apart from seven original dimensions: Information Quality, System Quality, Service Quality, Use, Intention to Use, User satisfaction, and net benefits. Leadership has been recognized as one of the key driving forces to success in Sri Lankan digital health thus, Delone & McLean’s Information Systems success model together with the Leadership dimension could reveal the success level and these results significantly contribute to digital health transformations
Speciation Distribution of Analyzed Drinking Water in a CKDu Endemic Area in the Anuradhapura District
(International Postgraduate Research Conference 2019, Faculty of Graduate Studies, University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka, 2019) Weerasinghe, A.A.V.N.; Perera, W.P.R.T.; Liyanage, J.A.
Chronic Kidney Disease of Unknown etiology (CKDu) has been showing a spreading tendency among the agricultural zones in the North Central Province since the mid-1990s. Even though most of the studies have identified that the nephrotoxic heavy metal content in surface and ground water has not exceeded the permissible limits in the CKDu prone areas, long term exposure could influence on renal failures. The present study was attempted to study the chemical speciation of the contaminants in drinking water of CKDu endemic area in the Anuradhapura District. The areas selected for the study were Eppawala Grama-Niladhari division (GND) (8°8′33″N 80°24′10″E) in Anuradhapura District (Endemic site) and Dambethalawa GND (7°17'11.9"N 81°32'04.3"E) in Ampara District (Reference site). Nineteen drinking water samples from each sampling area were randomly collected. Basic physico-chemical parameters such as pH, conductivity, dissolved oxygen and Fluoride content were measured on-site. Concentrations of heavy metals (Cr, Mn, Fe, Cu, Zn, As, Cd, Pb) of the water samples were analyzed by ICP-MS (Agilent 7800) and counter-ion content (F-, Cl-, NO3-, PO43-, SO42-) was analyzed by Ion chromatography (Methorm eco IC). Chemical speciation modeling was performed by using the Visual MINTEQ 3.1 software based on the obtained concentrations. According to the results, the average concentrations of Cr, Cu, Zn, As, Pb were complied with SLS values for drinking water while Mn and Fe concentrations from both areas have exceeded the SLS values which are 100.00 and 300.00 μg/L respectively. The Mn concentration of Eppawala and Ampara were 173.99 (10.39-485.59) μg/L and 129.27 (1.089-239.86) μg/L respectively and for Fe it was recorded as 383.14 (0.18-867.44) μg/L and 526.21 (0.85-897.25) μg/l. Since the samples were collected randomly, the presence of Mn and Fe as heavy contaminants in some sites might be the reason for having a wide concentration range. The mean F- concentration of the Eppawala area was 1.80 (0.10-3.96) mg/L which exceeded the SLS maximum level (1.00 mg/L) while it was 0.45 (0.11-1.00) mg/L in Ampara which was below the SLS maximum limit. According to the speciation results, only species of Cr, Pb, Cd, Cu and Fe, namely Cr(OH)3, CrOH2+, Pb2+, PbOH+, PbCl+, PbSO4, Cd2+, CdCl+, CdSO4, Cu2+, CuOH+, Fe(OH)2+, showed higher variations of percentage distributions under the tested pH range of 4 to 9. Higher percentage distribution values of CdCl+, CdSO4, PbCl+, PbSO4, ZnSO4, MnSO4, CuSO4 were observed from the Eppawala area compared to Ampara area. Manganese, Cadmium, Zinc, Copper, Lead, Fluoride, Nitrate and Chloride species showed more tendency to exist as free ionic species such as Mn2+, Cd2+ , Zn2+, Cu2+, Pb2+, F-, NO3-, Cl- at pH 7 while Chromium, Iron and Arsenic were found as Cr(OH)3, Fe(OH)2+ and H3AsO3 at pH 7. Long-term exposure to different species formed by Cd, Pb, Cr, As and higher F- concentrations may have some significant effects in causing CKDu.
The Adulthood Difficulties on Childhood Physical Abuse
(International Postgraduate Research Conference 2019, Faculty of Graduate Studies, University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka, 2019) Serasinghe, H.
Childhood Physical abuse simply defined as brutality and other unexpected prohibit human actions that inflict pain on a child and injury or lifelong destruction to growth or work on. Further, bumps, wounds, fractures, burns, bites, poisoning, internal injuries, drowning, smothering, prohibiting, shaking and cutting were identified as the types of physical abuse. In the literature there were less researches have been done related to adulthood difficulties on physical abuse yet. The purpose of the study is to identify the adulthood difficulties on childhood physical abuse. To achieve the purpose of the research qualitative approach has been used. Further, Prisma methodology coded the content of each of the 50 journal article based on themes to identify the latent idea of the phenomena. Content analysis was used to develop the conceptual model. According to data, Substance abuse, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, Antisocial behavior, Eating disorder and Attempt to suicide were identified as the direct adulthood difficulties on childhood Physical abuse. Furthermore, Sexual problems, Divorce or Separation, Decline in Socio economic status, frailer to graduate from high school were identified as the indirect adulthood difficulties on childhood physical abuse. Based on the analyzed data, it could be concluded that the victims of the childhood physical abuse are effect on adulthood difficulties directly or indirectly. Thus, further research needed to be measure the conceptualized model and difficulty which could more effect on childhood physical abuse