IRSPAS 2018

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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.
Abundance and distribution pattern of Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus in selected urban, sub-urban and rural areas of Gampaha District, Sri Lanka
(Research Symposium on Pure and Applied Sciences, 2018 Faculty of Science, University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka, 2018) Dalpadado, C. P. R. D.; Amarasinghe, L. D.
The abundance and distribution of Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus, vectors of dengue fever, were determined at six localities in Gampaha District, which is the district with the occurrence of second highest number of dengue cases during last five years. Negombo and Wattala areas were selected to represent urbanized communities, Gampaha and Attanagalla to represent sub-urban communities and Dompe and Divulapitiya were selected for the rural communities based on population density. Percentage of premises infected with Aedes larvae (Premise Index) and the number of positive containers for 100 premises inspected (Breteau Index) were used as a proxy to determine the abundance of vectors. Larval collections were done monthly during April 2016 to June 2018 using random sampling technique for minimum 100 houses within a radius of 300 m. Potential breeding places in each site were identified and categorized accordingly. Out of 7916 premises examined, 1011 (12.8%) premises were found to be positive for Aedes mosquitoes. Among them 10.1% and 89.9% were found to be positive for Ae . aegypti and Ae . albopictus, respectively . Ae . aegypti was mostly prevalent in highly urbanized MOH areas (73%) while it showed low abundance in sub urban (21%) and rural (6%) areas. On contrary, abundance of Ae . albopictus was highest in sub-urban areas (47%) and lowest in urban areas (18%). Premise index (PI) for Ae . aegypti in urbanized areas were significantly higher than that of sub-urban (F=9.13, p<0.05) and rural areas (F=15.49, p<0.05) in Gampaha District and there was no significant difference (F=4.04, p>0.05) between PI of Ae . aegypti in sub urban and rural areas. The PI of Ae . albopictus in sub-urban areas was significantly higher than that of urban areas (F=15.43, p<0.05). There was no significant difference (F=1.44, p>0.05) between PI of Ae . albopictus in sub-urban and rural areas. Similarly, there was no significant difference between mix indices for Ae . aegypti and Ae . albopictus in Gampaha district (p>0.05). There was a strong correlation between the Breteau Index and the number of dengue patients reported in urbanized areas (r<0.5). Higher correlation was recorded with Ae . aegypti than Ae . albopictus. Therefore, occurrence of dengue epidemics are strongly correlated with Ae .aegypti indices in city areas of Gampaha District and present study suggests that Stegomyia indices can be used as a proxy to determine dengue transmission risk.
Accelerate business growth by synergizing emotional intelligence
(Research Symposium on Pure and Applied Sciences, 2018 Faculty of Science, University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka, 2018) Subashini, K. K. P.
“Emotions drive people, people drive performance”. Emotional Intelligence is a critical success factor for the sustainable business growth on which professionals need to concentrate. Emotional intelligence is an invisible skill, which can be developed through learning, training and practicing. To be a part of successful, satisfied, high customer delight team, it is important to have positive, effective interpersonal skills as well as high emotional intelligence empowerment. Research has shown that every emotion has a function. Experts opine that “People buy relationships, not products”. To accelerate business growth, professionals need to pay attention of the emotions of the clients. The objective of this paper is to identify the factors that affect the business growth. We used random sampling techniques to collect data. Then we analyzed the data by using statistical tools. We first setup a forum for software professionals to discuss the challenges, limitations and success factors. We then conducted an online survey based on the findings from forum and literature review. Through this, we identified more than 30 challenges and several best practices. We further conducted a set of face-to-face interviews with the subject matter expertise like customer relation managers and sales teams to identify a suitable set of solutions, and finally developed a framework. According to the result shown in the survey, clients are willing to have emotional bond with the development team. Further, 80% of the professionals agreed that emotional connection is one of the main factor for the project success. It has also shown that 70% of the people state that emotional intelligence is a skill, which needs to be trained by the expert for better work environment. 75% of the experts state that emotional intelligence is needed for good personal relationship. 60% of the professionals agreed that empathy is the major factor, which help to have a good work environment. It also found that technical team has to understand the power of emotional intelligence to have good business growth in the organization.
Adaptive green time allocation method for traffic congestion based on cell transmission model and genetic algorithm
(Research Symposium on Pure and Applied Sciences, 2018 Faculty of Science, University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka, 2018) Priyasad, H. A. D.; Kulatunga, D. D. S.
Traffic congestion is defined as a physical phenomenon relating to the manner in which vehicles impede each other’s progression as demand for limited road space approaches full capacity. This makes trip time longer and increasing queuing. Also it causes serious problems for the day to day lives of people, massive financial and man-hour loss, environment pollution, some diseases etc. In Sri Lanka, traffic congestion in a given area occurs for many reasons. The main reason is that the demand of road does not match to road capacity. In Sri Lanka, although an increase of 10% per year road demand is expected, it can increase road capacity by around 2% to 3% per year. Other important reasons are the existing traffic control system and traffic intersections. Traffic control systems play a central role of traffic management in Sri Lankan cities. Existing traffic light system mainly controls the traffic light change in constant cycle time. But road conditions in a given area vary day by day. If the traffic control system does not deal with these variations, then traffic control system will create bottlenecks and delays. Therefore, the control of traffic requires adequate adjustments to these variations. This research focused on studying and applying cell transmission model to dynamic traffic signal controlling procedure. Basic cell transmission model is used to model the dynamic changes of vehicular traffic flow and to estimate the total delay of vehicles in a given region within a given time interval under different green time allocations. To find an optimal signal timing plan, the Genetic Algorithm is used. The proposed model is applied with certain assumptions to find an optimal time plan to a signalized intersection in main Kandy - Colombo road which has heavy traffic congestion in the morning hours in weekdays. A section of this region is selected to minimize the total delay and to find an optimal dynamic time plan for the signal lights analyzing the actual data collected in this region using four video cameras. The results are compared with the existing pre-timed signal time plan and the corresponding total delay. It is observed that the proposed dynamic signal timing plan will reduce average delay by 6.2675% and it can be proposed as an alternative for the existing system.
An agent-based simulation study on the impact of emerging motorbikes swarms on the transportation system in Sri Lanka
(Research Symposium on Pure and Applied Sciences, 2018 Faculty of Science, University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka, 2018) Kulathilake, E. R.; Rajapakse, R. A. C. P.
Transportation system in Sri Lanka is increasingly getting dependent on private modes rather than public modes. In particular, the motorbike has become the most popular mode of transportation among the middle income category of the society. This increasing trend is well reflected in the rush hour traffic as well as in the growing number of motorbike sales outlets appearing across the country. Our research is based on the question where would this end up if this trend continues. As many East Asian countries such as Vietnam, Indonesia and Thailand are currently suffering from the largely unorganized traffic resulted from motorbike swarms, we see the investigation of the possible impact of this growing tendency to use motorbikes in Sri Lanka on the transportation system as a critical issue that the policy makers should be concerned of. We propose to use computational methods to foresee the future by creating simulation models. For this endeavor, we propose the Agent-Based Modeling and Simulation methodology which is a computational method of studying macro level emerging patterns in a system such as traffic congestion by simulating the micro level interactions of individual entities such as individuals, motor bike riders, pedestrians, other vehicles are modeled as software agents. The primary data to construct the model as well as to calibrate its parameters are collected through a questionnaire distributed among motor bike riders as well as thorough literature review. The data being collected include the background of using motorbike as the primary mode of transportation, the issues in the public transportation system as well as the common driving patterns of individual motorcyclists. Once the model is constructed, the simulation results will be compared with the observations in the real environment to validate the model. The validated model will then be used to make predictions about the future and arrive at conclusions about the future traffic patterns. The implications of this study will be helpful to the policy makers to come up with better strategies to reduce the congestion.
Analysis of selected, commercially available inorganic fertilizers and soil NPK content in Puhudivula; Medawachchiya
(Research Symposium on Pure and Applied Sciences, 2018 Faculty of Science, University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka, 2018) Sahlah, M. A. H. F.; De Silva, R. C. L.
The increased prevalence of CKDu confined to specific geographical regions and among specific occupational groups of Sri Lanka has drawn the attention of scientific community in recent years. This study was conducted to investigate possible contributions of inorganic fertilizer usage on the disease prevalence at Puhudivula; Medawachchiya. Five commercially available fertilizer samples (Urea, TSP, MOP, TOP and Chili mix) most commonly used in the study area were analyzed for their NPK content and trace metal amounts. The NPK composition, calcium content and physiological properties of soil were also analyzed in five selected sites. The total nitrogen amounts were determined using standard Kjeldahl procedure. Total phosphate content of fertilizers was analyzed using ammonium vanadomolybdate method while both total phosphate and inorganic phosphate amounts in soil were determined using molybdenum blue method. The potassium and calcium amounts were determined using flame photometry. The percentage NPK compositions of the analyzed fertilizer samples agree with the percentage compositions listed by the manufacturers for each fertilizer. However, less total nitrogen and less phosphate percentages were measured in Urea and TSP respectively. The NPK composition of soil followed N% > K% > P% order with overall mean concentration of NPK between 279.4-1537.3 mg/kg, 32.4-193.7 mg/kg and 3.0-25.5 mg/kg respectively. The mean calcium concentration in soil was high, ranged from 537.27-1007.75 mg/kg. The trace metals Cd, Pb, Cr, Zn, Cu and Fe in fertilizer samples were analyzed using Atomic Absorption Spectrometer. From the analyzed trace metals, Fe exhibited a remarkable presence in all analyzed fertilizers except Urea with an overall mean concentration >1550.0 mg/kg and the mean concentrations of Cd, Pb and Cr followed the phosphate percentage by weight. Cd and Pb mean concentrations ranged from 0.23-1.80 mg/kg and 0.94-7.17 mg/kg respectively and were below the WHO maximum acceptable concentrations. According to the results, the addition of fertilizers did not increase the heavy metal levels in soil significantly unless it accumulates, and the excessive use of inorganic fertilizers mainly the ammonium-based fertilizers in already nitrogen enriched soils indicates to be causing the acidification of soils and it is evident that it may be mobilizing the calcium ions from its immobile form. This study provides new data to relevant authorities to limit the excessive annual fertilizer input on these lands through proper NPK analysis prior to application.
Anatomy and chromium tolerance of green leafy vegetable, Alternanthera sessilis and its sympatric weed, Alternanthera philoxeroides
(Research Symposium on Pure and Applied Sciences, 2018 Faculty of Science, University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka, 2018) Siriwardhana, K. H. W.; Ratnayake, R. M. C. S.
Heavy metals can be readily taken up by crop roots and can be accumulated at high levels in edible parts. Elevated levels of heavy metal in edible parts of vegetables can affect human health. Some food plants in Sri Lanka act as hyper-accumulators. Alternanthera sessilis (“Mukunuwenna”) is a commonly used leafy vegetable and its co-species Alternanthera philoxeroides (“Alligator weed”) is a weed and known as hyper-accumulators. A. sessilis bunches available in vegetable markets are commonly mixed with A . philoxeroides. Chromium (Cr) is a heavy metal and its maximum allowable limit in food is 2.3 mg/kg (FAO/WHO). The objectives of the present study were to determine the ability to tolerate chromium in A . sessilis and A . philoxeroides and their anatomical variations. Pot experiments were done by growing healthy plantlets of both Alternathera species in garden soil treated with Cr concentrations of 0, 10, 15, 20, 30 and 40 mg/kg. 30 pots per treatment were used and three plants were planted in each pot. Growth parameters of plants were measured after two weeks. All the data obtained were statistically analyzed using MINITAB (Version-18) statistical software package. The one way analysis of variance (ANOVA, p < 0.05), Tukey’s pairwise comparison tests was employed to make out the significant differences. While A . philoxeroides bear hollow cylinder in their stems, A . sessilis stems are filled with pith cells. In leaves, clustered vascular bundles are seen in A . philoxeroides, whereas single isolated vascular bundles are seen in A . sessilis . While the highest shoot height and fresh weight of A . sessilis were at 15 mg/kg Cr concentration, that of A . philoxeroides were recorded at 20 mg/kg Cr treatment. In A . philoxeroides, the highest internode length was recorded at the 20 mg/kg of Cr treatment. But, in A . Sessilis, the highest internode length was recorded in the control. Although the plant growth of two Alternanthera species was increased with increasing Cr in soil, above 40 mg/kg of Cr causeed growth reduction in both species. While chlorosis of the plants was recorded in A . sessilis, wilting of plants were observed in A . philoxeroides at 40 mg/kg of Cr concentrations. Interestingly, A . philoxeroides showed a higher level of Cr tolerance without a considerable growth reduction compared to A . sessilis . As A . philoxeroides grows healthier than A . sessilis in an environment with high levels of Cr, it may be of health risk if A . philoxeroides is being consumed due to the possibility of accumulated Cr.
Ant visitors and ant pollination of Jatropha curcas L. at three localities in Sri Lanka
(Research Symposium on Pure and Applied Sciences, 2018 Faculty of Science, University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka, 2018) Jayathilaka, M. S. T.; Dias, R. K. S.
Ant visitors (Formicidae) and the contribution of worker ant species to the pollination of Jatropha curcas L., a plant producing seeds that are considered a source of biofuel, at three localities of Gampaha district were investigated from April to September in 2017 by identifying and recording the number of individuals of each species and, conducting a bagging experiment in the field. Ants were surveyed three times during each vegetative phase, bud initiation phase, flowering phase and fruit initiation phase of two plants in Buthpitiya, Keragala and Dekatana from 08 - 11 a.m. and 2 - 4 p.m. Several workers of each species were preserved in 70% ethanol and identified. Field bagging experiments were conducted three times at each locality from April to August in 2017. An inflorescence comprising female and male initial floral buds on each of the two selected plants were covered using 25 x 20 cm green tissue net bags to prevent flying insects while another adjacent plant having initial floral buds in an exposed inflorescence served as the control. Species that crawled inside the covered inflorescence were identified. The experiment was continued until fruits appeared on the experimental and control plants. Mean percentage of fruits produced by female flowers was calculated. Air temperature, light intensity and relative humidity varied between 30 - 350C, 15,000 - 25,000 Lux m-2 and 70 - 75%, respectively. Anoplolepis gracilipes Smith F. in Formicinae, Monomorium floricola Jerdon and Trichomyrmex destructor Jerdon in Myrmicinae, Tapinoma melanocephalum Fabricius and Technomyrmex albipes Smith F. in Dolichoderinae and Tetraponera microcarpa Wu & Wang in Pseudomyrmecinae were listed. Significantly higher frequency (Chi-square test, p<0.05) of T . melanocephalum than that of other species was recorded in Buthpitiya on each occasion. T. melanocephalum or T . albipes or T . destructor was observed on each covered inflorescence. Significantly lower and higher (p<0.05) mean fruiting percentage than that of the control were observed for T . albipes and T . destructor, respectively while no significant difference was observed (p>0.05) for T . melanocephalum showing that each ant species pollinated the flowers. Germination of pollen adhered to each ant species that was collected from J . curcas flowers and the pollen directly collected from the male flowers was studied by putting each in a cavity slide filled with 20% sucrose solution. Initial number of pollen grains adhered to each ant and the number germinated in two-hour intervals were counted. Mean germination percentage of 30%, 28% and 25% was observed for T . melanocephalum, T . albipes and T . destructor, respectively whereas that of 58%, 55% and 50% was observed for each set of the pollen grains of male flowers. Pollination of J . curcas by the three species observed in the bagging experiment was confirmed by this finding
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.
Antidiabetic efficacy of two major compounds isolated from Coccinia grandis (L.) Voigt and their effect on insulin-producing cell line RINm5F in vitro
(Research Symposium on Pure and Applied Sciences, 2018 Faculty of Science, University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka, 2018) Meenatch, P.; Purushothaman, A.; Maneemegalai, S.
Coccinia grandis (L.) Voigt (Cucurbitaceae family) is widely used in traditional treatment of diabetes. The present study aimed to isolate and characterize major bioactive compounds from mature unripe fruits of Coccinia grandis (L.) Voigt and evaluate their insulinotropic properties in insulin producing rat RINm5F cells in vitro. The n-butanolic concentrate of the fruit extract was subjected to thin layer chromatography (TLC) and repeated silica gel column chromatography followed by elution with various solvents. The compounds were identified based on observed spectral (IR, 1H NMR, 13C NMR and mass spectrometry) data. The structure of two major compounds isolated from Coccinia grandis was elucidated as β-sitosterol (C29H50O) and lupeol (C30H50O) by extensive spectroscopic studies. Furthermore, the isolated compounds viz. β-sitosterol and lupeol were assessed for insulinotropic properties using RINm5F cells in vitro. Insulin secretion activity of βsitosterol/lupeol was determined after 60 min incubation with RINm5F cells. Glucose-free Krebs-Ringer bicarbonate (KRB) buffer was used as Vehicle and Glibenclamide (10 µM) dissolved in DMSO, further diluted with Kreb’s Ringer buffer was used as positive control. Aliquots (10 μL) were removed from each well, centrifuged (2000 rpm for 5 min, at 4 °C), and assayed for insulin with Mercodia Rat Insulin ELISA kit as per Manufacturer's protocol. A concentration dependent increase in insulin secretion was observed for both the compounds. The isolated compound β-sitosterol significantly (p < 0.05) increased the insulin secretion from 0.0198 ± 0.0065 (vehicle control) to 0.098 ± 0.0058 μg/105 cells at the concentration of 15 μg/mL. Likewise, lupeol increased the insulin secretion from 0.0187 ± 0.0054 (vehicle control) to 0.065 2 ± 0.0043 μg/105 cells at the same concentration. The anti-diabetic compounds isolated from mature unripe fruits of Coccinia grandis (L.) Voigt validates the use of this plant in traditional medicine for diabetes. However, as this is only a preliminary study, further studies are in progress to evaluate the possible molecular mechanisms underlying the insulin-producing action of β-sitosterol and lupeol and in vivo oral rodent efficacy studies in a disease model.
Applicability of machine learning techniques to improve the accuracy of communication of children with isolated speech and language delay in Sri Lanka
(Research Symposium on Pure and Applied Sciences, 2018 Faculty of Science, University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka, 2018) Dissanayake, D. M. N. M.; Jayalal, S. G. V. S.
Children with speech and language difficulties face a lot of inconvenience when they try to communicate with others. This study looks for the possibility to help improve their communication by integrating Machine Learning (ML) techniques to widely used picturebased communication method. Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) is a popular intervention used for the treatment of speech delay, which includes exchangebased pictorial communication. Apart from the manual implementations, the mobile applications based on AAC have become popular among the interested audience, where they can place the relevant pictures instead of typing words and the pictures are spoken out by the application. The issue with the existing solutions was that the application just reads out the referents of each picture without making a proper sentence, sometimes making it hard to understand what the patient has meant, along with less support provided for local language. Main objective of this study was to explore the possibility of integrating ML techniques to the AAC based mobile application, which would be ordering the pictures placed by the patient better and predict better picture-based suggestions, increasing the accuracy of communication. In the implementation, a text classifier based on Natural Language Processing (NLP), which is a ML technique, was used to assign a class to each chosen referent. The NLP model was trained using a labelled dataset which contained referents and the labels they belong. Then an algorithm was written to reorder the pictures placed, using the referents and assigned classes. A sample of 12 children diagnosed with isolated speech and language delay was used to test the application. They were tested twice; once with the normal application and again with the enhanced application. The application was used to communicate with both their regular and non-regular communication partners. Majority out of the 12 partners were positive on the improved accuracy of the communication with the enhanced application. Previously used similar applications had not used ML techniques to enhance the accuracy of the output of the application. Categorizing the pictures had been already done; yet, new data had to be repeatedly added to the categories manually, and at another level, a meaningful sentence was not formed as the output. Findings of this research proved that integrating Machine learning techniques such as NLP, to order the output of the application making more sense, was successful in terms of accuracy and the meaning of communication.
Application of Allium cepa bioassay to study the spatial variation of potential cytotoxicity in relation to water quality in the Dandugan Oya, Sri Lanka
(Research Symposium on Pure and Applied Sciences, 2018 Faculty of Science, University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka, 2018) Wadasinghe, L. G. Y. J. G.; Wijeyaratne, W. M. D. N.
Water quality is an important indicator in measuring the health of aquatic ecosystems. Poor water quality can lead to ecological health impairment. Dandugan Oya is receiving industrial waste from multiple sources. In addition, the raw water for the public water supply in some suburban areas in the Gampaha District is obtained from the Dandugan oya. In this study, potential cytotoxic effects of the water in selected sites of the Dandugan Oya were assessed using Allium cepa bioassay. Surface water samples were collected from six sites (Site A: Urban site; B and D: Industrial sites; C: public water supply intake; E: Agricultural site; F: Reference site with pristine environmental conditions) at two month intervals from May to November 2017. Water samples were collected from each site (n=10) and temperature, pH, conductivity, biochemical oxygen demand (BOD), dissolved oxygen concentration (DO), total dissolved solids (TDS) and chemical oxygen demand (COD) were analysed using standard analytical methods. Potential cytotoxicity of these water samples were assessed using Allium cepa bioassay. Spatial variation of water quality and cytotoxic end points were analysed by ANOVA followed by Tukey’s pairwise comparison using MINITAB 14 software. Significantly lower DO was recorded from sites C (4.0 ± 0.3 mg/L) and D (4.3 ± 0.4 mg/L) and significantly high COD was recorded from site D (267.1 ± 56.5 mg/L) (p<0.05). Significantly high TDS and conductivity were recorded from sites A and B (p<0.05). Mean nuclear abnormalities of the root tip cells of the A . cepa bulbs exposed to the surface water samples collected from the study sites ranged from 9‰ to 83‰ where significantly higher (p<0.05) nuclear abnormalities were recorded from site C (83 ± 2.4‰). Occurrence of nuclear buds and condensed nuclei in the interphase cells of the A . cepa root tips exposed to water samples from the site C (18 ± 0.8‰ and 61 ± 2.0‰) were significantly higher compared to the reference site (2 ± 0.1‰ and 4 ± 0.1‰)(p<0.05). Further, Site D also showed significantly high (p<0.05) nuclear bud formation (15 ± 0.4‰) and highest binuclei formation (6‰ ± 0.2) compared to the reference site. The results of the present study indicated occurrence of potentially high cytotoxicity in the A . cepa bioassay in the water at site C, which is the water intake site of Dandugan Oya for public water supply. Therefore, further investigations on the identification of the active forms of cytotoxic contaminants and continuous monitoring of water quality in these sites of Dandugan Oya is important in order to maintain the ecosystem and human health.
An application of image processing techniques in identifying herbal plants in Sri Lanka
(Research Symposium on Pure and Applied Sciences, 2018 Faculty of Science, University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka, 2018) Azeez, Y. R.; Rajapakse, R. A. C. P.
Sri Lanka which is a tropical country situated in South Asian region has a considerable collection of plant species have been utilized by generations as medicinal treatments for a variety of diseases. These diseases ranges from complicated situations such as diabetes, arthritis to cancer and are known to be completely cured using the traditional methods used in Ayurvedic medicines mainly extracted from herbal plants. Dissemination of knowledge regarding herbal plants is restricted mainly to very limited group of people and is passed down from generation to generation who practice traditional medicine. In this study, we therefore attempt to identify herbal plants using machine learning analysis in order to assist more locals to identify them. Among many herbal plants, 5 are chosen to analyze further in detail and the images of the plants will be acquired from social media, Institute of Ayurveda and Alternative medicine website and blogs related to Sri Lankan herbal plants creating a noisy web data set. Several existing algorithms will be analyzed in order to select the suitable algorithms to classify the selected 5 plants accurately and to suggest how they can be used for treatments as recommended by Institute of Ayurveda and Alternative medicine. The main objective of the study is to analyze the noisy image set using deep neural network architectures based on transfer learning, choose the best architecture and create a deep learning model that can be applied effectively for an application. The outcome of this study will be used by locals in identifying herbal plants accurately. The methodology includes gathering data from Institute of Ayurveda and Alternative medicine on plant details and transfer learning based on deep Convolutional Neural Networks used on noisy image set for processing them using tensorflow in a local computer. Images will be retrained on the available neural network architectures such as GoogleNet, Inception v2 and Inception v4 architectures, fine-tuned from pre-trained weights and then the best technique will be selected. The selected algorithm will be fine-tuned using data augmentation techniques on the labeled dataset and hyper-parameter tuning. Conclusively, this study will provide valuable information regarding the herbal plants and possible treatments and help to disseminate knowledge to future generations.
Application of industry 4.0 concepts to optimise workforce performance in human resource processes: context of Sri Lankan apparel industry
(Research Symposium on Pure and Applied Sciences, 2018 Faculty of Science, University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka, 2018) Weerasekara, M. M.; Wickramarachchi, R.; Vidanagamachchi, K.
To cope with the new technologies driven by the fourth industrial revolution such as Cloud based systems, Internet of Things, Virtual Reality, Artificial Intelligence, skill development is vital in order to enhance the performance of the workforce. Advancement of the technology will affect disruptively for all organisational functions including human resource. There is a threat that humans will be replaced by advanced technological systems in the near future. It will badly affect all areas of operations including human resources, if organisations fail to absorb the technology. Even though these technologies have been widely used in many countries, developing countries such as Sri Lanka are far behind. This paper focuses on how to improve the performance of the employees by developing necessary skills, using various technologies included in Industry 4.0. Previous researchers have mentioned about how industry 4.0 applications disrupt human resource but not how to fulfil those gaps. Sri Lankan apparel industry has been identified as one of the key industries to implement these concepts to measure the workforce performance since it involves both human and machinery in its processes. By introducing advanced technologies to areas such as recruitment, talent on-boarding and off-boarding, training and development, both time and cost for unnecessary processes can be reduced while increasing the efficiency and effectiveness of the employees. Initial data collection has been conducted through two questionnaires based on a sample of 30 individuals from each level which are above executive and below executive from human resource departments. Five apparel firms were chosen to collect the data as a quantitative approach. Questionnaire was developed to discover the relationship between variables such as industry 4.0 application, skill development, job satisfaction and job performance to check how they intervene with enhancing performance. Data analysis was done through structural equation modelling using AMOS supporting software. The study suggests ways to optimise skills and satisfaction level of workforce performance using industry 4.0 applications with smart human resource concepts. In addition, an innovative model will be introduced to enable apparel industry to enhance the process of human resource development using technologies through industry 4.0 application.
An approach to enhance accessibility of E-Learning materials by hearing Impaired youth
(Research Symposium on Pure and Applied Sciences, 2018 Faculty of Science, University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka, 2018) Nambuwasam, S. G.
Children with hearing loss have difficulty with all areas of academic achievement, especially reading and mathematical concepts (Chamberlain & Mayberry, 2000; Hoover & Gough, 1990). Learning difficulties of hearing impaired learners lie in their linguistic inability varying according the degrees of hearing loss. E-learning materials designed for non-hearing impaired learners are comparatively abundant. This paper presents a preliminary study done for an ongoing research to identify the accessibility of e-learning materials developed for non-hearing impaired youth for the hearing impaired youth. A major objective of the study is to examine the effectiveness of using text, graphics, audio and video to make e-learning materials accessible by hearing impaired youth in developing Information Communication Technology literacy. The sample study was done with twenty hearing impaired youth selected using convenience sampling technique. The open source Sharable Content Object Reference Model based e-learning materials developed using Analysis, Design, Development, Implementation, Evaluation model were used in the study. Using individual computers the participants logged into the system to accesses the e-learning materials available on the virtual learning environment. Paper based semi-structured questionnaire was used to collect the participants’ feedback about the virtual learning experience and the accessibility of the e-learning materials. The questionnaire contained seventeen structured and a single unstructured question. The structured questions were in single response, multiple responses and scaled question forms. Responses of structured questions were analyzed using a statistical package. Unstructured question was used to check the writing skills of the participants. According to data analysis, over 70% had the experience of accessing the Internet through a computer, was not familiar with e-learning or Learning Management System, preferred to follow an e-learning course and use e-learning materials. In comparison to typical hearing peers, students who are deaf or hard of hearing demonstrate vocabulary knowledge that is quantitatively reduced (Luckner & Cooke, 2010). The research results reveal that hearing impaired youth have limited vocabulary, difficulties in pronunciation of words, can write only simple sentences, to understand repeatedly read the same sentence for several times, could understand only simple short sentences and less motivated to read and learn. To make e-learning materials accessible by hearing impaired youth, the learning materials should be customized by using simple short sentence structures, applying good contrast colours between the background and the foreground, using larger font sizes, avoid using of blinking/flickering or moving elements and take precautions to eliminate unnecessary complexities of the contents.
Assessing factors driving price premium between voting and non-voting stock at CSE
(Research Symposium on Pure and Applied Sciences, 2018 Faculty of Science, University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka, 2018) Rasanjani, P. M. D.; Peter, P. L. S.
In a dynamic capital market, the speed of information flow is crucial in maintaining an efficient market. Asymmetric information in the capital market creates either the buyer or seller a better (arbitrage) opportunity to make a profit. The party having more information on the past, present or future performance of the shares may know whether the share is underpriced or overpriced relative to its aggregate performance. Therefore, the speed of symmetric information flow of the share prices is a very important feature in the capital market domain. Publicly traded companies sometimes issue different classes of shares. The main benefit of dual class voting structures for shareholders and a company’s management is to focus on long-term goals and a company’s strategic direction while maintaining the freedom, rather than contending with the threat of a hostile takeover. The key difference between voting shares and non-voting shares in dual class structure is the voting right. When perusing historical data for past few years in companies that trade both voting and non-voting shares in the Colombo Stock Exchange (CSE), it was observed that the voting premium varies from company to company and within the company itself over the time. These reasons lead to an initial empirical examination of the factors affecting the voting premium of voting over nonvoting stocks. The purpose of the research was to explore the factors affecting the voting premium in the CSE and quantify the price gap between voting shares and non-voting shares. After conducting a systematic review of literature, factors affecting voting premium that is described using different models, frames and processes were identified. Consequently, the study identified the set of factors; namely, differences in liquidity (free float), restriction on transferability, share ownership structure and corporate control, percentage of private benefits of control, investor’s purpose, management status, sector specific factors, macroeconomic factors, firm specific factors and effect of time as possible reasons for the existence of the premium. Expert opinion has been sought to aid verification. It is envisaged to analyze historical data in the CSE including share prices, published financial statements and ratios while integrating previous literature, to verify and introduce a comprehensive model or framework-based solution approach for quantifying price gap between voting shares and non-voting shares in CSE. As an extension, this research expects to introduce an exact mathematical formula for quantifying the voting premium.
Assessing the applicability of industry 4.0 to optimize new product development process in Sri Lankan apparel industry: a conceptual model
(Research Symposium on Pure and Applied Sciences, 2018 Faculty of Science, University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka, 2018) Wijewardena, S. G. E. H.; Weerabahu, W. M. S. K.; Nanayakkara, L. D. J. F.
The world is experiencing environmental problems due to the environmental pollution and degradation happening in a major scale due to the waste generated both by public and industries. Among the industrial waste generators, logistics industry plays a major role due to the wastes released in different forms in their operations. Sustainability is emerging as a main consideration throughout the industrial world to reduce and control the industrial waste. Lean management is becoming a popular management tool on minimizing wastes. Although lean and green concepts have been studied in different industrial contexts, a theoretical gap has been identified in the field of logistics. A comprehensive literature review was conducted along with the expert reviews based on interviews to address the identified research gap. The objective of the study is to examine the best practices related with lean and green concepts which are applicable to the logistics industry. A key word based search in Google scholar and Scopus was conducted for selecting the published research papers which have been proven as valid to extract the knowledge for this study. In this stage, the studies conducted on lean and sustainable practices were selected while excluding the other studies. Then the topics and abstracts of selected articles were analyzed to select the studies that have studied about the practical implementation of green and lean concepts. Finally, a full text review was conducted to identify best practices in the logistics industry while excluding the research papers in other industries. Transportation and the warehousing are the main logistics functions focused in this study. The result of the study is a best practice reference model developed by authors for logistics service providers to identify their stage in implementing lean and green best practices. Best practices were identified through a comprehensive literature review and industry based observations. The identified best practices have been categorized for five different levels which gives a clear understanding for an organization regarding the current stage while providing a clear road map for organizations to develop to the next stage. The model is validated through the reviews of experts in the logistics industry. The proposed model will be beneficial for the logistics service providers. It can be concluded that the result of the study will lead the logistics service providers to reduce their industrial wastes and provide a sustainable service if the model is used properly.
Assessment of current public sanitation status and demand calculation to enhance public sanitation facilities in an urban town: A study from Kegalle,Sri Lanka
(2018) Bellanthudawa, B. K. A.; Wijesinghe, L.; Darshana, W. D.; Jayasooriya, J. M. S. N.; Sundarapperuma, S. R. Y. S. S.B.; Nawalage, N. M. S. K.; Senanayake, R.; Thotagodawaththa, T. M. C. D. B.
Urban sanitation demands prior consideration in a developing city with tourists’ destinations. As Kegalle town attracts many local and foreign visitors, it is vital to maintain proper quality sanitation. Therefore, the present study focused on the assessment of status and demand calculation of public sanitation in Kegalle township as a baseline. A questionnaire-based survey was conducted using random sampling technique to assess current sanitation status and public view, while direct interviews of key informants and focus group discussions with public health section of Kegalle Urban Council (UC) were conducted to evaluate the demand analysis for improvement of public sanitation. Data analysis was conducted using Microsoft Excel 2013 software to compare the responses in graphical presentations. Five major public toilets were examined under the authority of Kegalle UC. According to the total respondents (n=115) interviewed, (56.6%) were regular users and the rest were using public toilets rarely or not using. Among the users 59.3% were men while 40.7% were women. 94% of respondents stated that uncleanliness, bad odor and low safety as the main issues associated with public toilets, while (6%) stated no reasons for refusing the public toilets. Majority (86.9%) showed that, they are unsatisfied with criteria like existing uncleanliness in cleaning process, water supply in toilets, proximity and security in available public toilets in Kegalle town area. 60.2% stated that, the existing public toilet complexes do not meet the standards with poor or very poor sanitation quality. 81.4% responded that the available toilets are insufficient. 71.4 % clearly mentioned that there is a necessity for the construction of new public toilet complexes close to the bus stops and common shopping market in Kegalle town. As the sanitation preferences, 50% ensured that their preference is on squatting pans over commodes (43.9%) and other modes. In the demand calculation, a total of 175,200 users were recorded per year and 480 average number of users per day, which conclusively revealed a demanding need for a new latrine complex to enhance and ensure the sanitation facilities in Kegalle town. Uncleanliness raised due to improper solid waste management practices, bad odor, insufficiency in water supply, insecurity and charges were the main issues associated with present toilets in Kegalle area. Additionally, installation of CCTV cameras for the safety, intense cleaning at peak hours and awareness on proper sanitary and hygiene practices through a display were proposed.
Assessment of enterprise information systems adoption in small & medium enterprises in Sri Lanka: A systematic review of literature
(Research Symposium on Pure and Applied Sciences, 2018 Faculty of Science, University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka, 2018) Kaluarachchi, T. R.; Weerabahu, W. M. S. K.; Nanayakkara, L. D. J. F.
In Sri Lanka, Small and Medium Enterprises (SME) play a vital role in the economy in terms of national output and employment. In today’s highly competitive economy, small and medium-sized enterprises lack the resources and technologies to compete with large enterprises with a relatively high death rate. In order to survive in the competitive market and exploit opportunities, many small and medium-sized enterprises adopt information technology (IT) related applications. However, in the current context of IT application usage, such as Enterprise Information Systems (EIS), the SME sector in Sri Lanka is far behind compared to other countries. Therefore, the need to adopt to EIS/other Information Systems related technologies is becoming a must or an urgent need in the context of establishing a competitive SME sector. As a result, some IT organizations have integrated with the SME sector in different business solutions according to their information requirements while meeting up with their capabilities. However, these integrations would ultimately face failures rather than success. The objective of this study is to recognize the real need for EIS based applications in the SME sector while accessing the adoption level and identify the driving forces and barriers which influence the focus of SMEs adoption of EIS based technologies. This study is based on a comprehensive, systematic review of literature published in relation to assessing adoption of IT related applications’ in the SME sector. Consequently, to conceptualize the factors under technological, organizational and environmental contexts, reviewed articles are roughly classified into these 3 categories according to different keywords. Under such classification framework, top management support, IT experience, relative advantage, complexity, industry, market scope, regulatory policies, external IT support, and competitive pressure etc. are emphasized as the main factors. Further originated that, innovativeness, IT-driven attitude and entrepreneurial competencies also drive adoption of EIS related technologies. Through the effective analysis of the above evidence of factors, the paper explains the specific causes of the low adoption rate of EIS, which will be extremely important for the SME management and policymakers. Hence, the future work needs to be carried out to answer the problems on what level of adoption of EIS is required by SMEs and why EIS adoption is difficult for the SME sector in Sri Lanka.
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.