IRSPAS 2018

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Correlation between selected morphological and biochemical parameters in a hybrid tea population with the blister blight disease
(Research Symposium on Pure and Applied Sciences, 2018 Faculty of Science, University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka, 2018) Weerasooriya, C.R.; Kottawaarachchi, J.D.; Ranathunga, M.A.B.; Amarakoon, A.M.T.
Tea is produced from the plant species Camellia sinensis. Blister blight is a major leaf disease caused by the fungus Exobasidium vexans in tea resulting in significant yield losses, debilitation and death of tea bushes . Copper and systemic fungicides are currently used to control the disease resulting in high costs and potential residues in tea. In addition, there is a possibility of developing fungi resistance in tea plants to fungicides. Therefore, developing cultivars with resistance towards Blister blight is considered as the most suitable approach to control the disease. In the present study, the correlation between morphological and biochemical parameters was investigated with Blister blight disease with an aim to develop resistant cultivars. Twenty (20) tea samples including 18 accessions produced by crossing two parent cultivars: TRI 2043 (highly resistant to Blister blight) and TRI 3055 (highly susceptible to Blister blight) and the two parent cultivar samples were used in this study. The morphological analysis was carried out with reference to the guidelines given in the descriptors for tea by the International Plant Genetic Resources Institute (IPGRI) in 1997 and the descriptor list of the International Union for the Protection of New Varieties of Plants (UPOV) for tea (2008). Biochemical parameters were analysed following spectrophotometric methods and HPLC methods. Total anthocyanin, caffeine, polyphenol, gallic acid, epigallocatechin, catechin, epicatechin, epigallocatechin gallate and epicatechin gallate contents were determined. Results obtained for morphological and biochemical parameters were statistically analysed using the Minitab software under two categories; calculating the correlation between morphological and biochemical parameters and plotting a dendrogram for morphological and biochemical parameters separately. The Pearson correlation method was used to calculate the correlation between parameters. From the morphological parameters, a positive relationship was observed in the number of average pubescence on young leaf with the Blister blight resistance. Total anthocyanin content showed a positive relationship and epicatechin showed a low negative relationship with the Blister blight resistance. Accession 26 showed a very high total anthocyanin content (0.123 ± 0.065%), a moderate epicatechin content (0.792 ± 0.168%) and a high resistance to Blister blight disease, indicating its potential to be developed as a resistant cultivar. The experiment was duplicated, and the same results were obtained both times. Based on the results, it can be concluded that anthocyanin content can be suggested as a biochemical marker in tea crop improvement programs.
Study on subsoil profile analysis at Lamae district municipality ground, Chumphon city, Thailand by atomic absorption spectroscopy for forensic application
(Research Symposium on Pure and Applied Sciences, 2018 Faculty of Science, University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka, 2018) Moorthy, T. N.
Soil is an important physical evidence used in crime investigation. It is a trace evidence found in shoes, shirts, head hairs, vehicle tyres, transferred from the crime site. Soil is a mixture of multi-minerals, plant materials, animal matters and tiny man-made materials like paint chips, glass pieces, concrete materials, oil stains and many more. Soil is composed of small particles and these particles vary in size, shape and chemical composition. Three types of soil particles are known viz. sand, silt and clay. Soil texture is determined by the relative amounts of sand, silt and clay in the soil. The combination of soil mixture makes it distinct and thus vary from one site to another. Even the color of soil vary from one place to another since color is an indicator of the chemical and physical characteristics of soils. The metal ion concentration plays a vital role for soil comparison. Similar to top soils, subsoil samples also show variation in density, pH and metal ion concentration. Comparison of soil trace is an important component to identify and link the primary and secondary crime scenes. Therefore, forensic scientists are interested in subsoil analysis for forensic application. The objective of this research was to analyse the subsoil profiles. Three soil samples each (500 g) were collected at three different points in the same ground, viz. top soil, soil at the depth of 15 cm, and 30 cm from a total of 9 soil samples from Lamae district municipality ground, Chumphon town, Southern Thailand and preserved. The color of the soil was noted by using Munsell color chart and pH of the soil samples were identified using pH paper. Atomic Absorption Spectroscopy (AAS) was used to determine the metal ions concentration of potassium, sodium, calcium, iron, lead, copper, chromium and cadmium from soil samples collected from different points and depths. Soil samples in point S1 showed that potassium metal ion concentration at 5.72 mg/kg in top soil sample, 11. 64 mg/kg in 15 cm subsoil and 7.23 mg/kg in 30 cm subsoil and show sub profile variation at the same point. Similar variations were observed in other metal ion concentrations. The results show that no two soil samples are same and all soil samples varied both physically and chemically. Hence, it is concluded that this method of soil analysis can be used for forensic application.
Identification and evaluation of current socio-economic conditions for improvement of water supply and sanitation in rural areas in tropical regions;A study from Sri Lanka
(Research Symposium on Pure and Applied Sciences, 2018 Faculty of Science, University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka, 2018) Bellanthudawa, B. K. A.; Wijesinghe, L.; Darshana, W. D.; Jayasooriya, J. M. S. N.; Sundarapperuma, S. R. Y. S. S. B.; Kumara, S. D. K. S.; Nawalage, N. M. S. K.; Samaradiwakara, T. C. B.
Empowering the water supply and sanitation is a concern in Sri Lanka.Thus, present study was carried out on Anhettigama area in Deraniyagala Divisional Secretariat Division (DSD) in Kegalle District to identify the socio-economic status in the study area for implementing a water supply and sanitation improvement project and identify crucial issues to implement water supply. A semi-structured questionnaire survey was conducted for households (n=50) for assessing the social-demographic and economic background of the community through random sampling technique in project impact area. Data analysis was conducted using Microsoft Excel 2013 software to compare the responses in graphical presentations. Majority (92%) indicated that their livelihood pattern as mixed economic. 86% of the families were headed by males whereas 14% families were headed by females in the project area. Project impact area was composed of 83% Sinhalese and 17% Tamil families. In terms of water consumption patterns, 34% of houses used existing “Suhada” water supply scheme and 66% fulfilled their water requirement from private protected and unprotected wells located within their premises. Surface well water usage was 32%, which was not safe unless subjected to disinfection before drinking. 72% of the respondents mentioned that water was insufficient during dry seasons, which may reduce the water quality as well. Majority of the respondents (92%) mentioned that they were not satisfied with their present water supply scheme. Since current drinking water has not undergone any treatment method, 96% people used domestic purification methods such as artificial filtering and boiling. About 84.9% of the households had proper sanitation facilities while 9.2% of the people did not have toilets. Out of these 84.9%, 50% accounted for water sealed toilets with cistern and 34.9% accounted for water sealed toilets without cistern. Since the current water supply was insufficient, 97% people were willing to pay a monthly water bill. 16% of households received the government food subsidy of Samurdhi given for households living below the official poverty line with regards to economy. 35% of the people were involved in professions in the private sector, 26% in agriculture, 12% were government employees while unemployed population was 5%. In conclusion, there is a necessity and high demand for pipe borne water, sanitation and economic development. Incorporation of a water supply and sanitation improvement project is a sustainable solution.
Scalar and multi-scalar multiplication in Elliptic Curve Cryptography using Fibonacci numbers
(Research Symposium on Pure and Applied Sciences, 2018 Faculty of Science, University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka, 2018) Sandamali, N. P. A. A.; Wijesiri, G. S.
Cryptography is a science, which enables secure communications from various malicious adversaries using mathematical techniques. As a branch of cryptography, Neal Koblitz and Victor Miller introduced the Elliptic Curve Cryptography (ECC), in 1985. ECC provides us several advantages such as higher speed, efficient use of power and less storage. Security of ECC is based on the hardness of Elliptic Curve Discrete Logarithm Problem (ECDLP), which is defined as the problem of determining scalar d of the scalar multiplication Q = dP, when P and Q are given, where P and Q are two points on the elliptic curve. Lot of research are carried out to speed up and improve ECC implementations. Such researches mainly focus on the scalar multiplication, since it is the most important and time-consuming ECC operation. In this work we also focus on scalar as well as multi-scalar multiplication. Although Elliptic Curve Cryptosystems have enormous advantages, side channel attacks can break their common implementations. Finding methods against side channel attacks on elliptic curves is also a very active research. Simple Power Analysis (SPA) is a one type of side channel attack. In SPA, the attackers use the power consumption to monitor each operation and it helps attackers to retrieve secret scalar. Scalar multiplication is considered as a basic operation for elliptic curve cryptosystems. There are various methods to compute scalar multiplication in ECC. Generally, the most popular method is binary method. Unfortunately, although the binary method has excellent features, SPA attackers are able to fully reveal the secret scalar d, by observing the power trace of the binary method. One way to overcome this problem is finding a doubling free addition chain. Our main objective in this research is finding a doubling-free addition chain to compute scalar and multi-scalar multiples. As a solution for this problem, we proposed a new methodology to compute scalar and multi-scalar multiplication using Fibonacci numbers. We propose three algorithms. The first algorithm is for pre-computations in which we get a sequence of Fibonacci numbers to compute multiples. Using the resulting sequence, the second algorithm compute the relevant scalar multiplication. Using the same sequence, the third algorithm can compute the relevant multi-scalar multiplication. The proposed method shows higher performance when we compare new algorithms with traditional binary method.
Impact of short term aerobic exercises on taste perception for sucrose in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus
(Research Symposium on Pure and Applied Sciences, 2018 Faculty of Science, University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka, 2018) Vidanage, D.; Hettiarachchi, P.; Prathapan, S.; Wasalathanthri, S.
Exercise, along with diet and medications plays an important role in the management of type 2 diabetes. Several long-term studies have demonstrated that regular exercise is beneficial in increasing insulin sensitivity in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus. The sense of taste is an important oral chemical sense that plays a critical role in determining food preferences. The studies that have been conducted to determine the impact of exercise on taste perception is very limited. Thus, the aim of this study was to assess the impact of short-term aerobic exercise on taste perception for sucrose in type 2 diabetes mellitus patients. A sample of 140 type 2 diabetic patients, aged between 35-60 years was recruited for the study and randomly assigned into two groups, an exercise group performing aerobic exercises and a control group. A pre-tested questionnaire was used to obtain demographic data of all participants. A graded exercise protocol was introduced to the exercise group and they were instructed to perform regular exercises 4-5 days a week for 3 months without changing their regular diet and medications. Adherence to the protocol was assessed by giving regular telephone calls. Taste perception was assessed in both groups at 0 and 3 months. Preference for sucrose was assessed by the “Monell 2-series, Forced Choice Method” and suprathreshold intensity ratings for sucrose were tested using “general Labeled Magnitude Scale”. Data analysis was done by paired sample t-test and the significance was set at p=0.05 level. Participants in the exercise group showed increased supra-threshold intensity ratings for 04 out of 06 sucrose solutions, with the results being statistically significant for 02 of the higher concentrations i.e. 2.02 M (Difference in mean = 7.07 ± 4.03, p=0.032) and 0.64 M (Difference in mean = 7.77 ± 4.79, p=0.038) when compared to the controls. The preference for sucrose was significantly reduced (Difference in mean = 0.04 ± 0.02, p=0.031) after 3 months in the exercise group. The supra-threshold intensity ratings in the control group did not show a statistically significant pattern while the preference for sucrose was increased (Difference in mean = 0.1 ± 1.04, p=0.479). In conclusion, taste sensitivity for sucrose increases especially for higher concentrations and taste preference decreases in type 2 diabetes mellitus patients after 3 months of regular aerobic exercise.
Improving downstream logistics performance in Sri Lankan agricultural supply chain through collaborative digital logistics
(Research Symposium on Pure and Applied Sciences, 2018 Faculty of Science, University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka, 2018) Sarathchandra, K.; Vidanagamachchi, K.
Global agricultural production is barely sufficient to appease the hunger of the world population. Greater part of agricultural production gets spoiled on the way to the consumer. As a consequence, agricultural logistics has gained much consideration in order to ensure that the agricultural products reach the consumer with better quality. Nowadays consumers are demanding more on the food quality and the sustainability, hence the necessity of redesigning agricultural supply chain networks and implementing best practices in place is emphasized. Thus having properly managed storage facilities and vehicles, real time access to information regarding demand, supply, weather conditions and price fluctuations, proper handling of surplus and value addition is crucial. Consequently, reengineering the agricultural processes by deploying information technology has emerged. Although the use of sophisticated new digital technologies in logistics is important to enhance the performance, it is difficult for small farmers, retailers, wholesalers, etc., to invest on these new-fangled technologies. It’s proven that collaboration is a strategic decision which aids in superior supply chain performance and is a key to achieve logistical excellence. Accordingly, this study focuses on the effect of supply chain collaboration in implementing digital logistics in less sophisticated supply chains such as Sri Lankan agricultural supply chain in order to achieve high downstream logistics performance. In relation to the results of this scrutiny, digitized logistics in Sri Lankan agricultural supply chain is in the elementary stage and inadequate knowledge, skills and investments are the major restrictions for technology adoption. The methodology adopted in this research was mixed method approach which involved data collection through questionnaire surveys using stake holders of agricultural supply chain and semi-structured interviews. Quantitative analysis was conducted to discover the relationship between variables and was done through regression analysis using SPSS software and qualitative analysis was done to identify the factors affecting collaborative digital logistics and the downstream logistics performance of agricultural supply chains through thematic analysis. The study suggests to align consumer and stakeholder expectations through collaborative digitization in order to improve agricultural downstream logistics performance. The decision model and the heuristics presented through this paper will help the agricultural supply chain stakeholders in digitizing their logistics to meet consumer expectations and to maximize their profits.
Estimating carbon footprint: Case study of University of Kelaniya
(Research Symposium on Pure and Applied Sciences, 2018 Faculty of Science, University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka, 2018) Bandara, W. A. R. T. W.; Theekshana, I. K. P. R.; Tharaka, T.; Ketethenna, K. V. L. M.
According to GHG protocol, in 2011 Sri Lanka emitted 45 million metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent (MtCO2e). In order to identify the organizational impact on carbon dioxide emission leading to global warming, an analysis was carried out using planned CO2 inventory for the University of Kelaniya, with setting Dalugama premises as organizational and operational boundary. Estimates were limited for the scope 1 and scope 2 emissions. Reporting period is for 12 months and ideally corresponding with 2016 financial year since this allows easier comparison of financial performance with other aspects of carbon footprint analysis. The four main faculties namely Faculties of Science, Social Science, Finance and Management Studies and Humanities were considered. As activity data, monthly water bills and electricity bills of year 2016 were gathered. Total consumption of fuel used in transportation from internal vehicle pool was collected for the year 2016 from the Transport Division of University of Kelaniya. Further information was collected to understand the, “Exact mode of transportation, type of vehicles (engines) used” and, “how often transport is used”. Total consumption of fugitive fuels for air conditioner and refrigerator refilling were also collected for the year 2016. In addition, amount of diesel used in diesel generator to produce electricity for the year was considered. After the collection of data direct and indirect carbon footprint was calculated separately using guidelines given in the DEFRA data base. Conversion factors widely accepted are used in conversion of electricity, water, transportation into CO2e. Emissions of other greenhouse gases were converted into equivalent emissions data in MtCO2e, using the global warming potential factors published by DEFRA. According to the analysis, the total carbon emission of the University of Kelaniya, Dalugama premises under scope 1 and 2 was 42,383.8 tons CO2e in year 2016. To calculate the per capita carbon footprint, the total carbon footprint was divided by the number of the permanent staff considered in this case study. The per capita carbon footprint by considering scope 1 and 2 was 4.7093 tons CO2e during 2016 at University of Kelaniya.
Evaluation of antibacterial potential of tea and different herbal plant extracts against Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus
(Research Symposium on Pure and Applied Sciences, 2018 Faculty of Science, University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka, 2018) Hansanee, K. P. N.; Yapa, P. N.
Escherichia coli is the most commonly found bacteria in the human intestinal tract. E. coli is non-pathogenic in normal conditions, but virulent strains such as Escherichia coli O157:H7 can cause gastroenteritis, urinary tract infections, neonatal meningitis etc. Staphylococcus aureus colonizes the human skin as a part of the normal flora and the most common pathogen causing bacterial infections in hospitalized patients. Further, S. aureus causes food borne infections in humans as well as pneumonia, bacteraemia, osteomyelitis, endocarditis, sepsis and toxic shock syndrome. The prevalence of methicillin resistant S. aureus (MRSA) and its ability to resist multiple drugs has posed a serious challenge for disease control. Tea is mainly an infusion of leaves of the plant Camellia sinensis consumed for centuries as a beverage and is valued for its medicinal properties. It was hypothesized that some herbal teas could also be useful in fighting against some bacteria especially enteropathogens. In the present study, C. sinensis tea leaves and plant parts frequently used in herbal tea production, were selected and their aqueous extracts were tested for antimicrobial activity against E. coli and S. aureus. C. sinensis black tea and green tea leaves, flower buds of Syzygium aromaticum, stems of Hemidesmus indicus, flowers of Senna auriculata, Aegle marmelos, plant of Aerva lanata, inner bark of Cinnamomum zeylanicum, and rhizome of Zingiber officinale were purchased from domestic markets and herbalists from Mihinthale, Kandy and Kalutara areas. They were air-dried, ground into powder and extracts were made using boiled distilled water, allow to cool at 370C and tested for its antimicrobial effect against E. coli and S. aureus, using standard agar-gel diffusion inhibition test. The test bacteria were introduced and uniformly spread on the surface of Mueller Hinton agar plates. After placing 20 μl of extracts into each well, plates were incubated at 370C for 24 hr and the diameter of the growth inhibition zone around the wells were measured. Comparisons were performed using one-way ANOVA followed by Duncan multiple-range test. Green tea was found to be most effective, followed by black tea, H. indicus and C. zeylanicum extracts, against S. aureus. The tested aqueous extracts did not show antibacterial activity against E. coli. It can be concluded that green and black teas as well as tea made by infusing specific parts of H. indicus and C. zeylanicum can be used to prevent and control diseases caused by S. aureus. Further, E. coli present in human gastrointestinal tract will not be affected by drinking the tested extracts.
Supercapacitor based novel approach for efficient solar energy harnessing
(Research Symposium on Pure and Applied Sciences, 2018 Faculty of Science, University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka, 2018) Piyumal, P. L. A. K.; Ranaweera, A. L. A. K.; Kalingamudali, S. R. D.; Kularatna, N.
Finding greener solutions through renewable energy sources to provide energy demand in 21st century is an important task due to the shortage of world energy sources. From many types of renewable energy sources, photovoltaic cell is the most popular device that can be used to harvest solar energy and produce electricity. Currently, efficiency of conventional solar panels lies between 20-25%. In addition, part of energy is lost during the power conversion process in solar power converters. Standalone photovoltaic systems used in houses and other buildings in remote areas employ solar charge controllers to charge their battery banks in order to store energy. Efficiency of these systems relies mostly on the efficiency of in built DC-DC converter of the charge controller. With the advancement of modern semiconductor technologies and electronics, maximum of 90% efficiency can be achieved by a brand new solar charge controller. Usually this value will be decreased with the years of usage. Hence, the purpose of this work is to minimize the energy wasted during charging process of the battery bank of a standalone photovoltaic system. The initial approach was to connect DC-DC converter and battery bank in series with a capacitor charging loop. When an empty capacitor is charged by delivering Q charge using an external source, it can theoretically be shown that 50% of energy will be lost in the charging loop regardless of the resistance of the loop. If a useful resistive load is attached to the capacitor charging loop in series, this wasted energy can be effectively utilized by doing a treasured work while charging the capacitor too. In this work, this basic concept was used by replacing the conventional capacitor from a supercapacitor and attaching the DC-DC converter and the battery bank as the useful resistive load. Thereby, charging both supercapacitor and battery bank has been done. Theoretical analysis of this novel method shows promising outcomes on achieving high charging efficiency. Experimental results show this technique increases the overall charging efficiency of a standalone photovoltaic system by 9% when 80% efficient DC-DC converter is used to charge the battery bank. Therefore, it can be concluded that the overall charging efficiency of a typical standalone photovoltaic system can be enhanced by adding supercapacitor in series. The energy stored in both devices could be used to drive DC or AC loads using necessary electronics.
Abhiram, G. and Munasinghe, R. C. (2018). Development of new master batch mixing cycle for a track producing extrusion compound with lower rejection rate
(Research Symposium on Pure and Applied Sciences, 2018 Faculty of Science, University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka, 2018) Thennakoon, T. M. A. D. L.; Withanage, N. S.
As rubber shows inherent viscous and elastic properties, mixing of compounding ingredients is the first and most important step in rubber manufacturing. If mixing does not properly happen, many problems will be appeared in the end product leading to higher rejection. Currently, Rubber compounding industry produces track producing extrusion compounds to make continuous band of tread for military, agricultural and construction vehicles around 98% rejection, due to viscosity. Therefore, the focus of this research was to develop a new master batch mixing cycle by modifying the present conditions maintained during mastication phase, carbon black incorporation phase and dispersion phase to reduce the rejection level of track producing extrusion compound. Hence, the mastication phase rotor speed (30 rpm, 40 rpm, 50 rpm), mastication phase masticate time (60s, 80s, 100s), carbon black incorporation phase rotor speed (30 rpm, 40 rpm, 50 rpm) and dispersion phase rotor speed (30 rpm, 40 rpm, 50 rpm) were changed separately to obtain the optimum conditions for each phase giving better viscosity properties of the compound. The results revealed that, the best batches could be obtained under 50 rpm rotor speed and 80s masticate time in mastication phase; 50 rpm rotor speed in carbon black incorporation phase and 40 rpm rotor speed in dispersion phase. Therefore, the new master batch mixing cycle could be considered as 50 rpm rotor speed and 80s masticate time in mastication phase; 50 rpm rotor speed in carbon black incorporation phase and 40 rpm rotor speed in dispersion phase to reduce the present rejection rate of track producing extrusion compound TR-5237.
Survey on cyber security measures and their applicability in digital business ecosystem
(Research Symposium on Pure and Applied Sciences, 2018 Faculty of Science, University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka, 2018) Subashini, K. K. P.; Fernando, S.
This paper evaluates the cyber security, attributes and culture which are critical for today business transactions. World is moving to sustainable digital business transformation. Therefore, we need to think the key important attributes of the digital maturity and modern organization culture as it definitely creates a delightful customer experience. Changes in cyber security definitely requires a new type of process and skills. Particularly, the software development process based on the security framework. Adaptive skills and innovation processors are key to the next phase of cyber security. Therefore, the main objective of this research is to suggest more suitable and proper approach to capitalize the cyber security for digital business ecosystem. As entry criteria for the main objective, a survey has been conducted to measure the effectiveness of the factors, which have been identified based on literature review on cyber security. The conclusion is derived based on the collected data. The research started with a literature survey to identify the factors that affect the security in global business ecosystem. A structured questionnaire was used as the research instrument to collect data from projects in IT companies in Sri Lanka. To gather data, 30 IT professionals were interviewed from 5 different companies. Survey participants were selected by using random sampling technique. According to the result shown in the survey 80% of the IT professionals are ready to capitalize the cyber security and receive information and upgrade their products.70% of the response indicate that, they are using security as nonfunctional requirement. 100% of professionals aware about the importance on cyber security. The results of the study shows that 90% of the clients are expecting security feature in their products. 40% of clients are not aware on the level of security they need. The cost for security enhancement is very high and due to this, 60% of clients are not willing to pay high amount of money for security establishment. Therefore they are satisfied with the low cost security tools or open source tools. The most highlighted barrier is that it discourages IT professionals using the commercialized security tool due to the fear to embrace new tool or process and lack of knowledge. The high cost of the tools and no define process to develop secure applications are the other main issues to be addressed in order to enhance cyber security in the global business ecosystem. Results have shown that the younger generation is willing to adopt and interested in the new technology. It also found that there is a gap in security expectations and software development process.
Factors associated with child abuse incidents in Chilaw police enforce division: case study
(Research Symposium on Pure and Applied Sciences, 2018 Faculty of Science, University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka, 2018) Siriwardana, L. W. M. S.; Tissera, J. H. D. S. P.
Child abuse has become a major social issue across the world. Globally, millions of children suffer from maltreatment, exploitation and abuse. To avert children from such situations, it is important to identify respective causes. This research targeted Chilaw division, where a considerable fraction of child population suffers from numerous disciplines of abuses. The study was limited to sub areas of Chilaw police enforce division. The main objective of the study was to find out factors associated aforementioned categories. The response variable was taken as respective type of child abuse incident. Three categories of abuses were found as 159 rape cases, 77 cruelty and sexual abuses along with 60 kidnappings. Some of the explanatory variables were age of the victim, gender, whether the child was schooling, incident locations, relationship with abuser, age and occupation of abuser, guardianship of the child, occupation of parents and consent of the child. Data for the study was obtained through a questionnaire utilizing police records in respective areas. All recorded incidents (296) were included in the analysis. Initially the study majored on descriptive analysis to visualize the relationships between the variables. Then univariate analysis was carried out using Pearson’s chi squared test and Kruskal Wallis test for categorical data to identify the association between response variable and explanatory variables and extended to obtain the variables that are statistically significant. Type of child abuse incidents were modelled using Multinomial Logistic Regression (MLR). Likelihood ratio statistic was used to differentiate between the significant variable or the model. Akaike Information Criterion was used for model comparison. In order to assess the goodness of fit of the final model, likelihood ratio statistic deviance was used. Majority of the victims were abused in their own homes. The most vulnerable age group for raping was 15-18. Out of 70% of rape cases, the abuser was the boyfriend of the victim. It is interesting to see that most of these females were abused with their consent. The children of other age groups were not victims of raping prominently. Using the MLR model, stated variables were found to be the significant factors associated with type of child abuse incidents; age of victim, place of the incident, area of the incident, age of abuser, relationship with abuser, occupation of parents and consent of the child.
Chemical and functional properties of selected traditional rice ( Oryza sativa ) varieties
(Research Symposium on Pure and Applied Sciences, 2018 Faculty of Science, University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka, 2018) Bhagy, K. A. D. L.; Ekanayake, S.
Rice is the single most important cereal consumed by Sri Lankans with a 114 kg per-capita consumption per year. Due to the current increase in the interest on consuming traditional rice varieties due to health benefits, information regarding chemical and the functional properties in terms of nutrients and the ability of the rice flour to be incorporated in food production led to this study where we determined the chemical composition, water solubility index (WSI) and water absorbability index (WAI) of five different raw and cooked traditional rice varieties named Kaluheenati, Suwadel, Mavee, Masuran, and Gonabaru. Rice was cooked as per home cooking. Raw and cooked flour were obtained after drying and milling. All the analyses were carried out according to standard methods (n=6). Significances were analyzed at 95% confidence interval. Among the analyzed traditional rice varieties, digestible starch (DS) content was prominent and ranged between 71-79% in raw and 77-84% in cooked rice. Mavee contained the highest DS content (83.7%) after cooking which had significantly increased from raw rice (70.7%). Crude fat and crude protein of cooked rice ranged between 4-6% and 5-10% while in raw rice the values were 45% and 6-9% respectively. Fat content of Masuran (6%) and Suwadel (4.6%) were significantly high in cooked and raw rice respectively. According to the results, majority of studied raw or cooked traditional rice are a good source of protein with Suwadel (9.5%) and Mavee (9.2%) having significantly high protein contents among the tested cooked varieties. WSI of all raw (2-5%) and cooked rice (4-9%) were low. However, the WAI ranged between 98-146% in raw rice and 192-236% of cooked rice. Highest WAI were found in Suwadel (236%) followed by Mavee (228%) both of which contained high protein. Cooking has increased the DS content, protein and WAI of rice flour when compared to raw rice flour.
Cadmium and arsenic levels in edible fishes, Oreochromis niloticus (Nile tilapia) and Ompok bimaculatus (Pena walaya) from Padaviya reservoir of North Central Province, Sri Lanka
(Research Symposium on Pure and Applied Sciences, 2018 Faculty of Science, University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka, 2018) Weerasekara, K.A.W.S.; Pathiratne, A.; Kithsiri, H.M.P.
Oreochromis niloticus (Nile tilapia) and Ompok bimaculatus (Pena walaya) are two edible fish species captured in the reservoirs in the North Central province. Objective of this study was to assess the cadmium and arsenic levels in muscle, liver and kidney tissues of O. niloticus and O. bimaculatus inhabiting the Padaviya reservoir to assess association of metal/metalloid levels in tissues with body weights, and total lengths of the fishes. The body weight (180-300g; 110-225g) and the total length (19.0-24.1cm; 24.0-34.0cm) of Nile Tilapia (n=30), and Pena walaya (n=30) respectively were recorded during three sampling events in 2018. The tissues were analyzed for cadmium and arsenic levels using Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry. Cadmium and arsenic contents of the muscle tissues were below the limit of detection (LOD) (<0.05 mg/kg wet weight) except cadmium in the muscle tissues of five Nile tilapia (0.05-0.10 mg/kg). Cadmium contents in the liver tissues of both Nile tilapia and Pena walaya, ranged from <0.05 to 0.14 mg/kg (wet weight) where cadmium levels of 67-70% of the fishes were below the LOD. Arsenic levels in liver tissues of Nile tilapia and Pena walaya were <0.05–0.10 mg/kg and <0.05–0.06 mg/kg respectively where arsenic levels in 83% of Nile tilapia and 97% of Pena walaya were below the LOD. Cadmium content in the kidney tissues of Nile tilapia and Pena walaya were <0.05-0.90 mg/kg and <0.05-0.40 mg/kg respectively where cadmium levels in 30% and 33% fishes were below the LOD. Arsenic was detected only in kidney tissues of 10% Nile tilapia (<0.050.46 mg/kg). Cadmium contents in liver tissues of Nile tilapia positively correlated (p <0.05) with the total length. No other significant associations were found between the metal/metalloid content in the tissues and the body size of the fishes. Results revealed that the cadmium and arsenic contents in the edible muscle tissues of most of these fishes were within the safe limits specified by the regulatory authorities for human consumption. Bioaccumulation pattern of cadmium in the tissues of both fishes followed the order: muscle < liver < kidney, showing greater cadmium bioaccumulative capacity in the kidney tissues. Periodic monitoring of metal/metalloid levels in edible fishes in Padaviya reservoir is recommended considering human safety. The data generated in this study can serve as baseline information for future monitoring and human health risk assessment programmes.
Joint probability distribution of daily maximum and minimum temperature data: A copula based approach
(Research Symposium on Pure and Applied Sciences, 2018 Faculty of Science, University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka, 2018) Abraj, M.; Hewaarachchi, A. P.
The analysis of extreme daily temperature is crucial for crop production, public health development, weather predictions and decision making processes. This study examines the joint distribution of daily maximum (Tmax) and daily minimum (Tmin) temperature. For this study, daily Tmax and Tmin temperature data, measured at the Hambantota Meteorological station from January 2012 to December 2017 are used. To test the correlation, Kendall’s tau rank correlation test is used and a significant correlation (p-value < 0.05) is observed between daily Tmax and Tmin. Copula method is then used to model the dependence between Tmax and Tmin. Five candidates of univariate distributions are employed to model Tmax and Tmin separately. The parameters are estimated using the maximum likelihood method, consequently the best fitted distributions are identified based on Akaike Information Criterion (AIC) and Bayesian Information Criterion (BIC). It is identified that Normal distribution (µ=31, 𝜎=1.5) is the best fitted univariate distribution for daily Tmax and Weibull distribution (Shape=23.3, Scale=25.6) is the best fitted univariate distribution for daily Tmin. The best fitted univariate distributions are then used to fit Frank, Clayton, Gaussian, and Gumbel Copulas. The best fitted Copula is identified based on the minimum values of AIC and BIC. To validate the best fitted Copula model, cross validation Copula Information Criterion is used. It is determined that Gaussian Copula is the best to model the dependence between daily Tmax and Tmin in Hambantota.
Antidiabetic effect of Coccinia grandis Linn. on streptozotocin induced diabetic rats and its role in regulating hepatic key enzymes
(Research Symposium on Pure and Applied Sciences, 2018 Faculty of Science, University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka, 2018) Meenatchi, P.; Maneemegalai, S.
Coccinia grandis (L.) Voigt is an herb, growing throughout India widely used in traditional treatment of diabetes. The aim of present study was to evaluate the antidiabetic potential of ethanol extract of mature unripe fruits of Coccinia grandis (CGE) in streptozotocin (STZ)induced diabetic rats with reference to carbohydrate metabolizing hepatic enzymes. Male albino rats of Wistar strain with body weight, 180 ± 20 g were divided into 5 groups of 6 rats in each (normal control, normal + 250 mg CGE, diabetic control, diabetic + 250 mg CGE and Diabetic + 5 mg glibenclamide (GBE)). Diabetes was induced in overnight fasted experimental rats by a single intraperitoneal injection of STZ (40 mg/kg body weight) dissolved in freshly prepared citrate buffer (0.1 M, pH 4.5). The animals were considered as diabetic, if their blood glucose values were above 250 mg/dl on the third day after STZ injection. The treatment was started on the third day after STZ injection and continued for 30 days at 24 h intervals during the entire period of the experiment. After the experimental period, the plasma glucose was estimated by the method of Trinder using a reagent kit (1969) and the glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) was estimated by the method of Drabkin and Austin (1932) and Sudhakar and Pattabiraman (1981). Administration of CGE at 250 mg/kg body weight showed a significant (p<0.05) reduction in the levels of plasma glucose, from 289.65 ± 22.63 to 154.36 ± 4.64 mg/dL and HbA1c from 1.26 ± 0.027 to 0.62 ± 0.039 mg/g of Hb when compared to diabetic control group. The levels of hepatic key enzymes viz. hexokinase, glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase, glucose 6-phosphatase, fructose 1,6bisphosphatase were assayed using methods of Brandstrup et al. (1957), Koide and Oda (1956), Gancedo and Gancedo (1971) and Bergmeyer (1984) respectively. Oral administration of CGE to diabetic group significantly (p<0.05) increased the activity of hexokinase from 87.53 ± 3.57 to 98.64 ± 4.63 nmoles of glucose-6-phosphate liberated/min/mg protein and glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase from 1.38 ± 0.14 to 1.72 ± 0.13 IU/L. In contrast, oral administration of CGE to diabetic group of animals significantly (p<0.05) decreased the gluconeogenic enzymes glucose 6-phosphatase from 0.31 ± 0.03 to 0.08 ± 0.04 IU/L and fructose 1,6-bisphosphatase from 8.26 ± 0.41 to 3.72 ± 0.36 IU/L. The results of this study demonstrated unequivocally the antidiabetic effect of C. grandis by modulating hepatic key enzymes and a good candidate for complementary and alternative medicine in the management of diabetes mellitus.
Assessment of hardness and selected anion contents of well water in Mahadivulwewa and Puhudivula grama niladari divisions in Madawachchiya divisional secretariat area
(Research Symposium on Pure and Applied Sciences, 2018 Faculty of Science, University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka, 2018) Fernando, T. D.; Mathota-Arachchige, Y. L. N.
Mahadivulwewa and Puhudivula grama niladari (GN) divisions of Madawachchiya divisional secretariat area are highly influenced by agricultural practices. These areas have reported the highest number of CKDu patients. People in these GN divisions have colonized as isolated villages. Therefore, in our study we have selected 10 sites in Mahadivulwewa and Puhudivula representing all villages to analyze the current situation of water quality in those areas. The Calcium, Magnesium, Fluoride, Nitrate, Nitrite, Sulphate, alkalinity, hardness conductivity, salinity and TDS levels were measured according to American Public Health Association (APHA) standards. Results were analyzed using IBM SPSS Statistics 20 software. The Calcium level ranged between 17.30 - 101.35 mg/L and Magnesium level ranged between 4 - 102 mg/L. Fluoride (F-), Nitrate (NO3-), Nitrite (NO2-) and Sulphate (SO42-) levels ranged between 0.02 - 4.3 mg/L, 0 - 8 mg/L, 0.1 - 9.3 mg/L and 4 - 98 mg/L respectively. Alkalinity and hardness levels ranged between 20-250 CaCO3 (mg/L) and 59.7 - 608.9 CaCO3 (mg/L) respectively. With respect to Magnesium, Fluoride, hardness and alkalinity, water samples had exceeded SLS recommended levels by 66.7%, 51.7%, 71.2% and 2.6%, respectively. No water sample had exceeded the SLS recommended levels for NO3-, NO2- and SO42-. Even though there is no significant difference (P >0.05) with respect to above parameters between the sites, there was a slightly low conductivity levels in one site (with the highest percentage of CKDu patients) compared to the other sites. According to these results higher percentages of wells in these areas are not suitable for drinking purposes.
Observation of surface potential on evaporated mixed films of TPBi with CBP as function of the film thickness
(Research Symposium on Pure and Applied Sciences, 2018 Faculty of Science, University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka, 2018) Gunawardana, H. D. C. N.; Osada, K.; Koswattage, K. R.; Noguchi, Y.
Organic light emitting devices have been extensively investigated for many promising applications. Surface Potential (SP) is essential to characterize the fabrication process of Organic Light Emitting Diode (OLED). In the case of OLED fabrication, some organic materials are spontaneously oriented and ordered in the evaporation films in OLED structure. According to the literature, many of organic semiconductor films show such a spontaneous orientation polarization (SOP) however, the formation mechanism of SOP has not been well understood. Thus, far many studies have been dedicated to understand macroscopic properties of SOP in the single component. However there has not been well characterized in terms of SOP for mixed films which are often used in the OLEDs. Thus, it is essential to characterise the surface potential and its local distribution on mixed films of polar and nonpolar molecules which are commonly employing in OLED fabrication. As the initial step, we have characterized TPBi (polar) - 2,2',2"- (1,3,5-Benzinetriyl) -tris(1-phenyl-1-H-benzimidazole) with CBP (nonpolar) - 4,4′-Bis(N-carbazolyl) - 1,1′biphenyl via Kelvin Probe (KP) measurement technique in order to verify the surface potential. Organic layers were deposited to half covering (using shadow mask) Indium Tin Oxide (ITO) glass substrate via vacuum evaporation technique at UHV chamber with a base pressure of ̴ 10-4 Pa in the dark condition. After carefully adjusting the evaporation condition of each molecule using thickness monitor, two molecules were simultaneously deposited on the ITO substrate. Several mixed films with different thicknesses were fabricated in the same experiment conditions in order to identify the surface potential as the function of mixed film thickness. KP measurement were performed for each films and after the KP measurement, thickness of the films were estimated via profilemeter and atomic force microscope measurements. The results of surface potential against film thickness were obtained for each and every films. It is clear from the results as the surface potential of TPBi (polar) with CBP (nonpolar) mixed film increases with the increment of film thicknesses which implies the molecular interactions increase with the increment of film thickness. Further, we have compared the SP of mixed film with single film of TPBi and found that the values of 74.75 mV/nm and 57.53 mV/nm for the mixed and the single films, respectively.
Assessment of the potential of incorporating rice husk ash in compressed stabilized earth block manufacturing process
(Research Symposium on Pure and Applied Sciences, 2018 Faculty of Science, University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka, 2018) Athukorala, S. M. W.; Yatawara, M.
Rice husk ash (RHA), an agricultural waste discharged from rice milling industries has become an environmental issue in certain districts in Sri Lanka. Since RHA shows high pozzolanic properties, the present study was designed to determine whether there is a potential to incorporate RHA in compressed stabilized earth block (CSEB) manufacturing process in a production line without changing the proportion of ordinary Portland cement (OPC). Analysis of chemical properties and particle size distribution of RHA and soil texture were done prior to the manufacturing process to confirm the suitability of raw materials. The mixing proportion of OPC and clay soil was, thus, 1:15. Six different types of CSEBs having the size of 300 mm × 150 mm × 100 mm (length, width, height) were manufactured by replacing 0% (control-B1), 5% (B2), 7.5% (B3), 10% (B4), 15% (B5), and 20% (B6) of clay soil by RHA. Properties of CSEBs including dry and bulk densities, water absorption, compressive strength, erosion resistance, acid resistance and percentage weight reduction were determined. Each test was quadruplicated. Data were subjected to One-way ANOVA followed by Tukey’s tests in MINITAB 14. The values were compared with SLS 1382-2009 and British standards. Results revealed that a significant reduction of dry and bulk densities of B3, B4, B5 and B6 (p<0.05) was achieved when compared with controls. The block B3 showed the lowest water absorption, pitting depth, pitting rate and the highest compressive strength. According to SL standard, all the blocks manufactured were suitable for construction of walls (Grade 3), but not for interlocking except B3. When compared with the British statutory minimum compressive strength requirements of bricks for various walls, all types of blocks manufactured were suitable for load bearing walls for one and two storey houses and storey houses divided into flat and non - load bearing walls (both external and internal). Nevertheless, considering acid tolerance of the manufactured blocks, it is recommended to use all types of blocks for load bearing walls for one and two storey houses and storey houses divided into flat and non - load bearing walls (external). The present study suggests that the RHA discharged from rice milling industry can be effectively utilized in CSEB manufacturing by hydraulic compaction at 1.37 x 109 N/m2.
Effect of dehydration temperature, time and blanching methods on the sensory properties of an herbal tea developed from Moringa oleifera leaves
(Research Symposium on Pure and Applied Sciences, 2018 Faculty of Science, University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka, 2018) Wickramasinghe, W.Y H.,; Wickramasinghe, I.; Ariyasinghe, H. A. E. N.; Wijesekara, I.
Moringa oleifera is a highly nutritious plant which can be used as a good source of nutrition and leaves have been found to contain high amounts of vitamins, minerals, proteins and fiber. The main objective of this study is to explore the use of Moringa oleifera leaves, to produce an herbal tea with acceptable sensory properties, by using different dehydration temperatures, time and blanching methods which can be used in the Sri Lankan market. According to AOAC procedures the initial moisture content (%) of fresh leaves was found to be 78.17 ± 1.57 (dry basis). Six sets of samples were prepared where temperature and time combinations were; 600C 4 h 30 min, 650C 3 h, 550C 6 h for unblanched samples and; 600C 5 h 30 min, 650C 4 h and 550C 6 h for the steam blanched samples. The gross yields of the dried leaves to its initial weights were 22.86%, 20.88%, 23.62%, 19.18%, 15.21% and 14.97% respectively. The moisture content of the dried leaves ranged from 2.09±0.17 to 5.36±0.06. The colour values L*, a*, b* ranged from 16.83 ± 3.02 to 30.2 ± 3.32, -1.93 ± 0.46 to - 6.41 ± 0.79 and 5.1 ± 1.29 to 15.49 ± 1.29 respectively. These samples were given to a trained panel of tea tasters for the sensory evaluation and sample 5 (steam blanched, 650C 4 h) was selected as the sample with the best sensory attributes. These samples were evaluated using a 5-point hedonic scale, by a semi-trained panel of 35 assessors and data were analyzed using the MINITAB statistical package using Friedman test. According to the statistical analysis, sample 5 showed the highest score. The brew of unblanched leaves was giving harsh unpleasant characters whereas the steam blanched samples were giving a pleasant taste.