IPRC - 2016

Permanent URI for this collectionhttp://repository.kln.ac.lk/handle/123456789/157

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Effective Study Skills Instruction in English for Academic Purpose (EAP): Facilitating Positive Mindset for Student-Centered Learning in Tertiary Education
(Faculty of Graduate Studies, University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka, 2016) Edirisinghe, N.
Transition from secondary education to tertiary education pose a major challenge to many students who undergo not only a change in the medium of instruction but also a pedagogical shift from traditional Teacher Centered Learning (TCL) in the classroom to Student Centered Learning (SCL). In Sri Lanka, English language, generally perceived negatively as ‘kaduwa’, being the current Academic Lingua Franca further discourages many students who have previously studied in their mother tongue, Sinhala or Tamil. Particularly, during the first semester of the academic year, as cited in Hassanbeigi et al (2011), students often encounter problems related to concentration, memory, note taking, test strategies, test anxiety, motivation and attitude, reading and selecting major ideas, organizing and processing information and time management which result in underachievement and failure. In this context, the research aims to determine the implications of effective Study Skills instruction to foster positive academic mindset towards SCL in First-year students. In this action research, a sample group of 150 first-year students from Higher National Diploma in English course of Advanced Technological Institute- Kegalle, a statutory tertiary education body, were selected from two batches. Initially a Study Skills self-assessment test was given to the participants followed by a series of lectures conducted on note taking, critical reading and essay writing and presentation skills. Simultaneously, scores of two assignments given for two course modules in the first-year first semester were evaluated. The same procedure was repeated for the participants for the next batch followed by practice sessions with more emphasis on collaborative learning. At the end of each semester, a post self-assessment test was conducted along with face to face interviews with six lecturers of the particular modules. Majority of the participants perceived Study Skills as a positive step in enhancing academic performance and self-confidence of students. While Study Skill instruction with lectures failed to bring a significant change in the assignment scores, with practice sessions including collaborative learning activities the participants managed to improve considerably. Therefore, it was evident that Study Skill instruction coupled with collaborative learning is more effective in creating a positive attitude towards learning in SCL environment and enhancing academic performance of the students in their first semester of the academic year.
T-Moms for Restaurants
(Faculty of Graduate Studies, University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka, 2016) Medhavi, Y.A.U.; Wijegunasekara, M.C.
The aim of this study was to identify the drawbacks of a restaurant order management system and suggest a solution. Several such systems were studied and it was identified that customers waiting time to receive an order is considerably high. This is because during peak hours the waiter staff is not sufficient and the service offered is not to the required standard. In addition, the paper menus can be flimsy, hard to navigate, and outdated. To reduce customer’s wait times, management must ensure sufficient staff to present during peak hours and that they are properly trained to provide excellent customer service. These staffing issues can lead to substantial costs for the business. As a result, the Tablet based Menu and Order Management System (T-MOMS) was implemented to resolve these problems using mobile devices. The T-MOMS contains four systems, a mobile application for customers and three web based systems for the admin panel, kitchen and cashier. The order is taken by a mobile device namely, a tablet placed on the restaurant table which acts as a waiter. The mobile application is started by a waiter by logging into the system and assigning the table number and a waiter identification. The waiter identification and table number are saved in the application until that particular waiter logs out. The mobile application has four subsystems namely, display subsystem, assistance subsystem, commenting subsystem and ordering subsystem. The display subsystem displays the complete restaurant menu by categories, special offers’ information and allows the customer to browse all the currently available menu items by category. The assistance subsystem allows the customer to call a waiter for any assistance needed. The commenting subsystem allows customers to create user accounts for adding comments and share experience on Facebook/Twitter. The ordering subsystem allows to select the desired items and make the order. Once the customer makes the order, first he will be able to view the order information that he has ordered including the payment with/without tax and service charge. After the customer confirms the order, the order is transmitted to the kitchen department via Internet for meal preparation. The kitchen web system displays all order information that are received from the tablets. This include the customer details, table number, the waiter identification and the details of the order. After the order is prepared, the waiter will deliver the order to the customer. At the same time, the cashier web system receives the details of the delivered order and the bill is prepared. The web based admin panel system allows the restaurant’s management to add/view/remove/ update menu items and waiters, view reservation information and their cooking status/payment status, update service charge/tax, viewing revenue information over a time period. The T-MOMS system consists of a central server and a database. All ordering and expenditure information is stored in a central database. Eclipse and PHPStorm used as the IDEs. Mainly used languages are HTML, JavaScript, PHP, JAVA, XML. The menu application is designed to be used on 7" tablets as well as it will be supported on smaller screen sizes. As future development, features such as restaurant statistics should be implemented, paying the bill directly through the menu application should be created.
An Investigative Study of the Conflict Resolution Approaches Included in Dhammapada
(Faculty of Graduate Studies, University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka, 2016) Sobhitha Thero, Karandagolle
People of the many countries in the world are involved in internal and external conflicts that are interpersonal and ethnic, economic and social. Therefore, modern scholars have introduced so many conflict resolution theories, such as Human Need theory, Principled Negotiation theory, Community Relation theory, Identity theory, Inter-Cultural Miscommunication theory and Conflict Transformation theory to avoid those conflicts. The Lord Buddha has always paved the way to solve problems that are interpersonal and ethnic economic and social throughout his preaching' In the Dhammapada there are ways and methods which help to resolve conflict for the purpose of benefitting society. Especially the Lord Buddha has composed the stanzas attractively, regarding resolving the conflict which has raised interpersonal conflicts between various people, groups and states. Those methods help to experience happiness, do day-to-day activities with an awakened mind, not be shaken by sadness and be involved in winning and losing. So, we can understand that Dhammapada highlights conflict resolution rather than giving advice. For an example, “Nahi verena verāni-sammantīdha kudācanaṃ Averenacasammanti-esadhammo sanantano” (Yamaka Vagga 5 stanza) ‘Hatred never ceases through hatred in this world, through love (mettā) alone they cease. This is an eternal law.’ Two women avenged themselves in the course of two successive births. In their third birth however, they were compelled to meet the Buddha, who pacified them by preaching to them and advising them not to retaliate. On that occasion Lord Buddha solved that conflict as mediator by using a transformation approach. It is the same as the modern approach called conflict transformation theory. In that way we can find out the conflict resolution approaches in Dhammapada. I specifically try to show that the approaches in Dhammapada are similar to traditional and modern approaches or filled with concepts and theories which can be used for conflict resolution beyond traditional and modern approaches. I examine the Dhammapada to try to adduce optimum treatments and ways to avoid conflicts raised in society and understand primary sources of conflicts. In addition one of the main purposes of this research is to use the Dhammapada to investigate new approaches which help to prevent people from engaging in conflict and suffering.
Prevalence of NS-1 Status of Clinically Suspected Dengue Patients in a Selected Out-Patient Setting
(Faculty of Graduate Studies, University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka, 2016) Kodikara, K.; Jayathilake, S.; Kumarasinghe, B.; Muhandiramlage, T.; Gunesakera, D.; Fujii, Y.
Dengue infection is one of the rapidly emerging arboviral infections in the world. It is a cause of significant morbidity and mortality especially in developing countries. Although most dengue infections are asymptomatic, dengue fever can be manifested with or without complications. Early diagnosis of dengue is important both clinicians and the patients, where appropriate management of dengue patients reduces both morbidity and mortality. Traditionally dengue infection is clinically suspected with full blood count aided by clinical features although dengue infection cannot be confirmed by either of these methods. Confirmatory tests for detection of the dengue virus are by virus isolation or by nucleic acid detection. which are not suitable for routine diagnosis. NS-1 rapid antigen test has become available for early detection of dengue NS1 antigen, which can be performed at the point of care. Estimate the prevalence of NS1 positivity in dengue suspected patients with acute febrile illness in a selected study setting Blood samples from clinically suspected patients within the first five days of fever were sent for NS1 diagnosis to the molecular laboratory in the department of Biochemistry Faculty of Medicine Ragama. Clinical diagnosis was made by a medical officer. Serum was used for the NS1 diagnosis using Inbios Diagnostic kit (USA). 22.2% of samples were tested positive for NS-1 antigen in a total of 54 samples collected. There were 53.7% males. 9.2% patients were below 10 years of age, 37% patients between 11-20 years of age, 20.3% patients between 21-30 years and 31.4% patients above 31 years of age. 30 % of patients between 11-20 years were NS-1 positive. 36.3 % of patients between 21-30 years of age and 11.7% patients above 31 years of age were also NS-1 positive. NS-1 antigen prevalence was highest among patients between the ages of 11-30 years. Initial clinical assessment of dengue infections is of low specificity as the disease manifests as an undifferentiated febrile illness. Therefore, the inclusion of an antigen test will improve the specificity of diagnosis in a similar out-patient setting which will enable clinicians to make decisions on the further management of the condition.
National Non-Governmental Organization’s Influence on Policy Making: Special Reference to Sri Lanka in Post-War Period
(Faculty of Graduate Studies, University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka, 2016) Fernando, H.S.G.
Non-governmental organizations have become influential actors in the world of politics. NGOs are basically defined as “a non-profit entity whose members are citizens or associations of citizens of one or more countries and whose activities are determined by the collective will of its members in response to the members of the one or more communities with which the NGO cooperate”. As there are several classifications of NGOs, they can be classified as international NGOs, national NGOs, humanitarian NGOs, human rights NGOs, advocacy NGOs, regional NGOs and etc. Most of the time, national NGOs have become critical non-state actors in each and every country. According to realist theorists, nation states always strategically think to maintain their sovereignty for their survival and largely ignore those non-government actors which having no real power in international politics. Constructivists and institutionalists have spawned a variety of theories that have explanative power with regard to NGO roles in international relations which will be considered more fully. The emergence of NGOs in Sri Lanka basically started due to the causes of civil war in North. The increased refugee flows, conflict resolution and poor food and health care services encouraged humanitarian NGOs to function in Sri Lanka. Not only the international NGOs, but also the national NGOs also contributed largely for the humanitarian crisis in Sri Lanka. After the eradication of the conflict in Sri Lanka, national NGOs take part in influencing the policy making mechanisms to strengthen the post-war harmony. Therefore this research is mainly examine what kind of influence the national NGOs impose on the policy making process in Sri Lanka in post-war period. The main objective of this study is to find the impact of national NGOs in policy making and what kind of fields that have been influenced by NGOs to prosper better policy making mechanisms. The study has been conducted using both primary and secondary data and used qualitative data analysis techniques. Secondary data have been collected from books, journals, reports, and academic publications. Primary data have collected by interviewing diplomats, government officers, and NGO staff members through unstructured questionnaire method through convenience sampling method. The study has identified that national NGOs influence in policy making in strengthening good governance, transparency and accountability, justice, and collaborative for projects of Sri Lanka. Through different strategies they make the public aware of information and promoting essential polices to be implemented in the country.
The Psychological Manipulation of Advertising in the Modern World a Discussion of Revealing Advertising as Manipulative or Informative
(Faculty of Graduate Studies, University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka, 2016) Dissanayake, A.; Jayasinghe, N.
Marketing is a universal management process that identifies, anticipates and satisfies customer requirements profitably. Advertising is used as the core of marketing in the present context. This paper focused on the topic that the advertising as information or manipulation and proving the fact that the modern advertising techniques are manipulative. The topic has narrowed down to sub topics such as advertising, the importance, characteristics, advantages and disadvantages, the highest advertising investments and the ethical aspects. The paper has collected qualitative and quantitative data; primary sources including the views of experts, interview sessions, observations and the secondary sources through the measurements of advertising growth. The modern advertising methods has restricted the freedom of choice of consumers by the power of manipulative advertising. The psychological techniques are being used including creating a subconscious motivation via conveying a subliminal message, creating perception through selective attention, selective distortion, selective retention and priming. The learning techniques are being persuaded through repetition including operant conditioning through positive reinforcement, classical conditioning through celebrities and brand ambassadors. The consumer behavior is influenced in related with AIDA concept &PLC through psychological manipulation and emotional appeal. The purpose of this paper is aware the target audience to realize the techniques of manipulative advertising by their free choice of decision making. The customer has to choose the best product or the service through realizing the disadvantages it can cause to the community and avoid the influence of harmful products and services. The unethical manipulative advertising will effect physically, financially and socially. The mechanism of investment in advertising and the impact of economic growth will be discussed. The ethical aspects of manipulative advertising depends on the service or the product and relies on the theme of the company. The customer should realize the product or service which is harmless to him by differentiating its’ value to the society. Manipulative advertising is not unethical but it depends on the factor which the product is harmful or harmless to the society.
A Study on the Orientation Program Conducted by the University Senior Students for the Freshers
(Faculty of Graduate Studies, University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka, 2016) Herath, D.
There is a criticism in the university and society regarding the orientation program conducted by the senior students of the universities for the freshers. Some group of senior students and the Student’s Union activists try to carry out this "home grown" orientation program uninterruptedly. The university administration tries to control this orientation program in response to innumerable complaints made by the students subjected to this program. It has resulted in creating a conflict situation between the university administration and the student activists. The aim of this research is to find out the opinion of the university students towards the above mentioned orientation program. The students from the four Faculties of University of Kelaniya, i.e. Faculty of Social Sciences, Humanities, Commerce and Management and Science of the University of Kelaniya were used as a research sample. Hundred students from each Faculty were selected according to the random sample method. Questionnaire, participatory observation, interview and case study methods were used to collect data. The orientation program conducted by the senior students has created controversy owing to misunderstanding between students and administration regarding surreptous political interferences in student affairs, unauthorised activities, and hidden agendas. This study recommended that it is necessary to organize useful and systematic program that are transparent, supportive, and helpful in getting to know each other and socialise within a framework of the university life.
The Influence of Neighbours on Helping Behaviors of People
(Faculty of Graduate Studies, University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka, 2016) Sobitha Thero, Karapikkada; Piyadhamma Thero, Attaragoda
Pro-social behavior is one of the very interesting topics in Social Psychology today. Helping others is a type of pro_social behavior. Social Psychologists who investigate on pro_social behaviors are highly concerned with factors that influence helping behaviors. In this research, the influence of neighbours on helping behaviors was investigated using natural observational method. This research was conducted with 20 volunteer participants and they were divided into two equal groups as first group and second group. The first group was asked to sit on front seats on the buses and advised to help beggars who beg on the buses while the second group was asked to sit on front seats and advised not to help beggars. The research was conducted at general bus stand of new town, Anuradhapura. It was clear that beggars earned more money from buses where the first group sat in the front seats when compared to the earnings from buses which the second group sat in the front seats. Therefore, it can be concluded that the neighbours influenced the helping behaviors of people Therefore, finally, this research concluded that neighbors influence on helping behaviors of people.
Should Euthanasia Be Allowed or Not: Ethical Dilemma of Philosophical Approach
(Faculty of Graduate Studies, University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka, 2016) de Zoysa, H.N.
Euthanasia is one of the controversial issues discussed in medical ethics .Ethical issues in the medical field are invariably accompanied by legal issues, and the typical causes include societal and professional misconduct .Euthanasia can be defined as the intentional killing of a dependent human being for their benefit .A patient might have an incurable disease and ask his doctor to stop the treatment which is keeping him alive, which causes a conflict between autonomy and non-maleficence .According to the Hippocratic Oath, doctors are not allowed to let patients die even if they were in serious situation .The intent of this paper is to examine the ethical issues related to euthanasia in a philosophical context .Sub objectives of this study are to find out why euthanasia should be allowed and why euthanasia should be forbidden. Research methodology used in this study was largely based on qualitative approach which analyses the relevant documentary sources from books, journals and web sites relating to this area .A descriptive research design was applied in this study .There are several types of Euthanasia such as active and passive euthanasia, voluntary and involuntary euthanasia, indirect euthanasia and assisted suicide .Egoism and utilitarianism are two moral theories that apply to euthanasia and both theories can be used to support and oppose the moral dilemma of euthanasia. Findings shows that practicing euthanasia has a lot of undesirable and harmful outcomes. It is virtually an act helping people die. It promotes abuse, gives doctors the right to murder and is contradictory to religious beliefs.
Usage of Resources to Facilitate English Language Teaching and Learning in Government Schools in The Gampaha District
(Faculty of Graduate Studies, University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka, 2016) Rajapakse, N.
Even though every child commences to learn English from their nursery, even after thirteen years of education of the English language, there are students who are unable to pass the General English Language paper at the Advanced Level examination. Thus in the process of teaching and learning any language, according to the evaluation report done by the Department of Examination (2013), using resources to facilitate the process is suggested as one of the key aspects for an effective teaching and learning process in English. This study provides an insight into the usage of resources to facilitate English language teaching and learning in five government schools in the Biyagama Divisional Secretariat in Gampaha district. The purpose of this study is to examine whether the present English language teaching methodology uses resources to facilitate the teaching and learning process that makes English language teaching at government schools effective. The study adopts a mixed method approach, comprising of both qualitative and quantitative data: student and teacher questionnaires and lesson observations. Both the data collecting methods are carried out to investigate whether the government English teaching classrooms still follow traditional teaching methods regardless of utilizing the resources that are more beneficial when teaching a communicative language like English. Thus the research sample consists of fifty eight participants; fifty students from nine classes and eight teachers who teach English for the selected classes. The findings of the study indicate that other than the text book or any other supplementary book given by the Ministry of Education, resources such as Internet and audio cassettes, videos and games are not at all incorporated when teaching English in these selected government schools. Thus the government should guide the English language teachers to use more resources to make the lessons that are taught, interesting and meaningful.
Exploring factors associated with smokeless tobacco use among urban Communities in Sri Lanka
(Faculty of Graduate Studies, University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka, 2016) Pallewaththa, P.W.K.; Prakash, T.G.S.L.; Niwarthana, H.P.G.; Kumara, S.G.P.; Abeykoon, P.; Abeynayaka, T.D.
Smokeless tobacco is tobacco or a tobacco product that is used by means other than smoking which implies use of unburned tobacco in the finished products. These products are intended to be used orally, sucked, chewed, gargled or applied to the gums or tooth, while fire tobacco mixtures are usually inhaled into the nostrils. Chewing tobacco is a risk in getting oral cancers and pre-cancers. Other health risks of chewing tobacco include gum disease, tooth decay and tooth loss, and possible links to other cancers and cardiovascular disease. Informal observations reveal an increase in use of smokeless tobacco among youth and adolescence. Studies or health programs related to smokeless tobacco in Sri Lanka is scarce. This study attempted to explore factors associated with smokeless tobacco use among urban communities in Sri Lanka. Study design was qualitative in nature. Subjects / sample were selected based on snow ball sampling method. The study was conducted in Colombo district. Fourteen in-depth Interviews (n=14, including 8 males and 6 females) were conducted to collect data. Inquiries were made with regard to factors effecting initiation and continuing smokeless tobacco (Here, unseen determinant factors were especially taken into consideration). Saturation method was the guiding method of data collection and data were analyzed through framework analyzing method. The study found out the following factors associated with smokeless tobacco use among urban communities in Sri Lanka; Perceptions (‘Being with the gang’, as a youth style, Group action – Ganja Set, Pampara Set, Hanz Set), Expectancies (forget problems, keep the energy, and escape from the loneliness, to gain attraction, to gain pleasure, to keep wake up at night), distributors do it secretly acting as if they are engaged in other things, compare to other substitutions this is cheap, chemical effect cannot be seen by outsiders compared to other drugs, carelessness of parents, lack of knowledge about harmfulness of the product, peers – (not to be stigma, financial support), and certain qualities of the product (no bad smell). The study recommended an effective Health Promotion intervention to address these determinant factors.
Growth of Electrodeposited n-Cu2O Thin Films with Tunable Band Edge Position
(Faculty of Graduate Studies, University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka, 2016) Kafi, F.S.B.; Jayathilekea, K.M.D.C.; Wijesundera, R.P.; Siripala, W.
Cuprous oxide (Cu2O) is one of the best candidate for low cost photovoltaic applications due to its optoelectronic properties. Cu2O based solar cell devices have already been reported but the efficiency of the devices are very low compare to the theoretical efficiency limit of 20 %. One of the major drawbacks of the PV devices made with Cu2O is the unfavorable band edge positions of the semicondcutors in contact. Indeed, the possibility of relative band edge shifts of Cu2O with suitable interfacing materials will pave the way for interface engineering to improve the efficiency of Cu2O based devices. In this study we have investigated this possibility of using electrodeposited n-type cuprous oxide thin films deposited using an acetate bath containing 0.1M sodium acetate and 0.01M cupric acetate at various pH values. In order to fabricate Au/n-Cu2O Schottky junction, thin Au layers having the area of 2X2 mm2 were sputtered on these Cu2O films and then these samples were employed with capacitance-voltage measurements to study the flat band potential variations with the pH of the Cu2O film deposition baths. It was observed that pH value of the Cu2O film deposition bath is very sensitive to the flat band potential and observed the flat band potential shift of about 450 mV in the negative direction, as the pH of the deposition bath was changed from 6.2 to 5.5. This result gives a direct evidence that the surface of n-Cu2O film can be modified with the deposition bath pH. The observed shift in the flat band potential is very useful to match the band edge positions of the p-type semicondcutors in contact to fabricate high efficient Cu2O base PV device. National Research council is gratefully acknowledged for the financial assistance through the research grant NRC 15-41.
මහනුවර යුගයේ සමාජ සාමායික තොරතුරු හඳුනා ගැනීමෙහිලා කුසලානුක්‍රියා සන්දේශයෙහි' ප්‍රාමාණිකත්වය පිළිබඳ විමසුමක්
(Faculty of Graduate Studies, University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka, 2016) Jayasundara, M.B.B.
Marketing Chain Analysis of Rice Production in Ampara District, Eastern Part of Sri Lanka
(Faculty of Graduate Studies, University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka, 2016) Shameem, A.L.M.A.
This study was initiated to examine the rice marketing chain system in Ampara district of Eastern province which is most famous geographical point for rice production in Sri Lanka. The objectives of this study were to analyse the structure of marketing chain, to examine the channel members in this chain, to understand the determinants of rice supply, to find out the major constraints in marketing the rice in this region. The data were collected through interviews from 42 famers, 15 millers, 10 business community, and 06 middle men by using selfadministrated questionnaire and checklists. This was enhanced by several secondary data such as published materials. The results obtained from this analysis indicates that educational level and experiences in rice business of farmers, millers, business community, price and profit of rice and seasonal variety of rice, quantity and quality of rice were found to be the most important variable which were designed the marketing chain of the rice market in Sri Lanka. The main marketing determinates of rice marketing were famers, business community, millers, and middle man. However, few rice producers are channeled or distributed to household consumers as direct selling small medium entrepreneurs. Further rice marketing price and profit performance also measured with the past ten years’ price and profit data through the interviews of marketing channels. In addition to these findings, this study has found that several businessrelated issues such as maintaining low cost production methodology, chemical free production, lack of modern technology, and value adding methods targeting export and local business, etc. This study will help to policy decision makers of this rice business sector.
Eliminating female Aedes mosquitoes by spiking blood meals with toxicants as a sex separation method in the context of the sterile insect technique and Incompatible Insect Technique
(Faculty of Graduate Studies, University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka, 2016) Ranathunga, R.M.T.B.; Gunathilaka, P.A.D.H.N.; Udayanga, N.W.B.A.L.; Wijegunawardena, N.D.A.; Abeyewickreme, W.
Ivermectin and spinosad have longevity reducing effects in several insect species, including disease transmitting mosquitoes after feeding blood contaminated with above toxicants on hosts. Therefore, this approach could play an enormous role in mosquito control operations by its use in the female elimination process during mass-rearing, enabling the release of only sterile males in the context of the sterile insect technique (SIT) and incompatible insect technique (IIT) with Wolbachia bacterium. Blood meals of cattle origin were spiked with diffeerenct concentrations (2, 4, 6, 8 and 10 ppm) of Ivermectin (Ivotec, 1% w/v) and Spinosad (Spinosyn, 12% w/v) and offered to a batch of adult Ae. aegypti (n = 300) and Ae. albopictus (n = 300) having 1:1 sex ratio in order to obtain an optimal dose for quick and total female elimination. After 24 hours all remaining females and males were aspirated out and transferred in to new cages separately. An additional blood meal with the initially fed concentrations of ivermectin and spinosad was provided after 24 hours, followed by a 48-hour observation of mortality. This experiment was repeated by feeding cattle blood containing a mixture of ivermectin and spinosad in 1:1 ratio from each concentration. Spiked blood with 8 ppm ivermectin and spinosad killed all the fed females of Ae aegypti and Ae. abopictus within 24 to 48 hours. It was observed that the number of fed females gradually increased, when decreasing the toxicity in combination of ivermectin and spinosad (1:1) in blood for both species. Male mortality did not show any significant differences during the study. Mixed feeding of blood with 8 ppm ivermectin and 8 ppm spinosad have shown as the viable treatment to eliminate female Ae aegypti and Ae. abopictus from laboratory colonies.
වියපත්වූවන් මුහුණදෙනු ලබන මනෝ-සමාජීය ගැටලු හඳුනා ගැනීම කඹුරුපිටිය ප්‍රාදේශීය කොට්ඨාශය ඇසුරින්
(Faculty of Graduate Studies, University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka, 2016) Hettiarachchi, P.C.
The Relationship Between Liquidity and Profitability: Empirical Evidence from Banks in Sri Lanka
(Faculty of Graduate Studies, University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka, 2016) Madhushani, N.; Wellappuli, N.
Banking sector plays a crucial role in the financial system of a country and provides significant contribution to the development of the economy. Importantly, this study investigates the relationship between liquidity and profitability of banks in Sri Lanka for the period of five years from 2011 to 2015. Moreover, this study attempt to find significant differences in liquidity and profitability among the selected banks. Data was gathered from annual reports of 10 selected banks in Sri Lanka. For data analyzing it employed descriptive statistics, multiple regression analysis, and ANOVA analysis. This study used current ratio and cash ratio as liquidity measures while profitability was measured by return on assets and return on equity. Further firm size was used as control variable. The findings of this study revealed that there is a significant and positive relationship between liquidity and return on assets while liquidity has an insignificant and positive relationship with return on equity. The impact of firm size on profitability is significant and positive. Moreover, there are significant differences in liquidity, profitability and firm size among the selected banks in Sri Lanka. These findings reveal that banks should pay attention in liquidity management and adopt efficient liquidity management techniques to maintain adequate liquidity level for maximizing its profitability.
The Most Effective Barrier, do Undergraduate Students Encounter When Taking Online Courses Offered by University
(Faculty of Graduate Studies, University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka, 2016) Wehigaldeniya, D.; Arachchige, O.; Pitigala, G.
As the popularity of the Internet grows, so does the potential for online learning. A great deal of evidence exists which shows that no significant differences should be expected regarding the effectiveness of well-designed online learning compared with well-designed in-person learning (Clark, 1983). The advent of new technologies are providing educators with opportunities to create a variety of effective learning environments, however, many adults students still prefer traditional, academic settings. The purpose of this study is to analyze student barriers to the online courses in the University. This research further aimed to understand which students will face barriers when attempting to learn online, what are those barriers and ultimate aime is to identify how we can help individuals in their learning? The main objective in this study is to identify most effective barrier faced by undergraduate students when taking online courses offered by university. Research sample unit based on infinite universe. It may be changing every time. Therefore, researcher choose snowball sampling method. The purpose of collecting this demographic data was to increase external validity for generalizability applications. According to above research design the researcher has to get four objectives for this study. The methodology applied in the four heading such as source of data. After that the researcher has selected study samples and collected primary data under the observation method. Furthermore researcher has identified independent and dependent variables. Finally analysis this data factor lording method, a frequency by ANOVA. To gain a better understanding about online course retention rates, participants were asked to respond to an item about their experience with online education. Items were meant to distinguish groups of students by their experience with online learning. By dividing research study participants into groups, the researcher was better able to grasp the differences between perceived and actual barriers to online education.
Impact of Advance Computing and Technology to Manage Energy Resources. (This paper considered for an electricity usage in Sri-Lanka)
(Faculty of Graduate Studies, University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka, 2016) Fernando, T.A.
Electricity, the essence of life. It is one of the important supplement to run our lives, in the modern world. In the past, electricity used only to power up equipment we tend to use. Eventually Its lead to change with modern life style. Electricity currently (presently) not only use for power up homes or Industry, it is started to use for multiple energy sector too. With this peak electricity usage, energy efficiency is critical in proper household and Industry management. Hence the Sri Lankan government tend to find out various methods to generate more electricity. By researching author able to identify the massive increase of electricity consuming when comparing with past years and every year consumption increase. Consuming energy increases day by day, the Government not able to provide sufficient electricity requirement to the country and it can lead country to some anonymous difficulties. As a consumer, consumers should also take responsibility to adapt and understand the situation. Locally higher percentage of the consumers are not aware new advance technologies available for them to use to manage the electricity usage much better ways than the present methods they used. As an example, most of the electricity consumers use government or privet sector generated electricity and they end up with high expenses for the electricity. While researching author identifies present world there are many options consumers can implement to reduce their consumption, but most consumers not aware about the available solutions and possibilities they have. One example consumers are unaware that they are able to set up solar panels to generate electricity and the generated electricity could set against with the consumed electricity by the user. Applying this method, consumers are able to save money and also be able to support to save natural resources. Furthermore, the major issue is local consumer’s lack of knowledge about their unwanted electricity usage and the available methods to use for manage their electricity usage appropriately. Local consumers are unaware the technology used by the developed countries to make their life easy and effectively manage the limited resources. By research author recognize available solutions to track down or control electric appliances such as time sensitive switches, sensor switches, smart switches. Some of the solutions are grouped and used to achieve the outcome consumers expecting. Furthermore, these solutions been more developed and thus adapt to the modern world technologies such as control the appliances using mobile devices. These advanced technologies already in used in globally. As an example, Home Automation Systems in developed countries are popular technology used for manage their day to day life electricity consumption. Using this technology, consumers are able to monitor the equipment consuming electricity and manage the consumption level even they are not in the premises. Hence, there will not be mismanage an electricity usage. Due to unknown of this Advance Computing Technologies by the local consumers, leads to critical in proper household and Industry management. Considering all these factors found while researching, Author recommend to local consumers to begin with these new Advance Computing technologies to manage energy efficiency and reduce their life complexity.
Development of Essential Oil Based Tablets from Cinnamomum Zeylanicum Leaves and Cymbopogon Nardus Against the Stored Grain Pest Insect, Sitophilus Oryzae in Traditional Rice Varieties in Sri Lanka
(Faculty of Graduate Studies, University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka, 2016) Paranagama, P.A.; Maduwanthi, H.M.I.
Essential oils have been used as an alternative method to reduce postharvest losses from rice weevil, Sitophilus oryzae in traditional rice varieties cultivated in Sri Lanka. In the present study essential oils extracted from Cinnamon leaves (Cinnomomum zeylanicum) and Citronella leaves (Cymbopogon nardus) were used to control rice weevil, in three traditional rice varieties, Rathkanda al, Pachchaperumal, Suwandal along with a hybrid variety, White raw rice cultivated in Sri Lanka. Kaolin pellets treated with test essential oil mixture, C. zeylanicum and C. nardus (2: 1 v / v) were used to test the effect on rice. The major components of the essential oils of C. zeylanicum leaf oil and citronella oil were eugenol, citronellal and geraniol. Number of S. oryzae in treated rice samples throughout the test period were significantly decreased compared with the controls. A significant decrease of % seed damage was also observed during the 6 months of storage of rice in polyethylene bags. Flavor, aroma, and stickiness of cooked rice have enhanced significantly in all treated rice varieties compared to controls. The physical and organoleptic properties of cooked rice were not significantly different with controls after 6 months of treatment. Only 5 % weigh loss of kaolin tablets was revealed after completing the test. The insecticidal activity of the above essential oil mixture showed the highest effect on the rice type Suwandal.