ARS - 2005
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Item Proof for an Algorithm to Solve the Lane-Emden Equation of index m, (m?N)(Proceedings of the Annual Research Symposium 2005-Faculty of Graduate Studies, University of Kelaniya, 2005) Dharmawardane, P.M.N.; Piyadasa, R A D; Wickramasuriya, S B PThe solution of the Lane-Emden equation is very important to understand the interior stellar structure, and is of great importance in Mathematics since the equation of index grater than one represents one class of non-linear differential equations. The complete solution of the differential equation can be expressed as an infinite Taylor series of even powers under the boundary conditions to be imposed at the center of the star. Department of Mathematics of University of Kelaniya has found an algorithm [I] which can be used to obtain successive coefficients of the Taylor series and in this paper the proof of this algorithm will be given. The Lane – Emden equation of index m [II] has the following form. 0 2 2 2 + + = m y dx dy dx x d y (1) where m is a parameter. The boundary conditions are y(0) = 1, 0 1 )0( = = x dx dy y = 0. Lane- Emden equation is unchanged when –x is substituted for x, the Taylor’s expansion contains only even powers of x and the derivatives of odd order evaluated at x = 0 are all zero. ∑ ∞ =0 ! )0( n n n n y x = + + + + ... = 6! )0( 4! )0( 2! )0( )0( 6 6 4 4 2 2 y x y x y x y ∑ ∞ =0 2 2 2( )! )0( n n n n y x 71 By using Leibniz’s formula, and the boundary conditions of (1) we can obtain the following recurrence relation ( )n m n y n n y + + + = − 3 1 2 Here n n n dx d y y = (0) and ( ) ).0( ( ) n n m n m dx d y y = Taylor’s expansion ∑ ∞ =0 ! )0( n n n n y x about x = 0 will produce the solution. But computational difficulties arise in evaluating (y m )n . Therefore we use the following algorithm. ( ) r r s s s r r m n m N(S ,S , ,S )y y y S !S ! S ! n! y C ... ... ... 1 2 1 2 1 2 = ∑ , where ( , ,........., ) N S1 S2 Sr is the number of possible arrangements of S S Sr , ,..., 1 2 such that 1 2 1 1 S + S + ...+ Sr = n , Sr ≥ Sr− ≥ ... ≥ S . The summation is over all the distinct partitions of n. The proof of this algorithm is presented in this paper. The Proof of the Algorithm It can be shown that 0 yn )0( = for odd n. Now ( ) r n r s s s m y C(S , S ,..., S ) y y ...y 2 ∑ 1 2 1 2 = Here ( , ,..., ) C S1 S2 Sr is the coefficient of r s s s y y ...y 1 2 . If ( ) n ( ) ( ) ( ) m n m y y y y 2 1 2 2 = ( ... ) is labeling each y in y m and y DD D y D y r r S s = ( ... ) = Now consider the term 1 2 . .... r S S S y y y in ( ) n m y 2 . ( ) ( ( ) ) 1 1 S 1 S y = y can be obtained in 1 2 S nC ways ( ) ( ( ) ) 2 2 S 2 S y = y can be obtained in 2 2 1 S n S C − ways . . . 72 ( ) ( ( ) ) r r S r S y = y can be obtained in r r S n S S S 1 2 1C 2 ... − − − − − ways. Therefore 1 2 . ... r S S S y y y reduces to ( ) ! !... ! 2 ! S1 S2 Sr n According to the term 1 2 . ... r S S S y y y [= ( ) ( ) ( ) r S S r S ( y ) ( y ) ...( y ) 1 2 1 2 ], S S Sr , ,..., 1 2 can be changed among themselves in N ways, where N is the number of possible arrangement of S S Sr , ,..., 1 2 and ... . Sr ≥ Sr−1 ≥ ≥ S1 Therefore r C S S S C m ( 1 , 2 ,..., r )= ( ) ! !.... ! 2 ! S1 S2 Sr n N. Hence ( ) ( ) ( , ,... ) . ! !... ! 2 ! 1 2 ... 1 2 2 S1 S2 Sr r r r m n m N S S S y y y S S S n y = ∑ C Now we replace 2n by n, to get ( ) S S Sr r r r m n m N S S S y y y S S S n y C 1 2 ... 1 2 1 2 ( , ,... ) ! !... ! ! = ∑ , where 1 2 . , ,..., r S S S y y y denote , , , 2 4 6 y y y and so on, ( , ,... ) N S1 S2 Sr denotes the number of possible arrangement of S S Sr , ,..., 1 2 , S1 + S2 + ...+ Sr = n and ... . Sr ≥ Sr−1 ≥ ≥ S1 Though the proof applies to positive integers m, the solution obtained by use of the algorithm holds true for fractional values also.Item Is systemic Vibriosis a predisposing factor for white spot disease in shrimp, Penaeus monodon in grow-out ponds?(Proceedings of the Annual Research Symposium 2005-Faculty of Graduate Studies, University of Kelaniya, 2005) Hettiarachchi, M.; Hettiarachchi, D.C.Results of preliminary observations carried out and recorded by some grow out farm managers indicated that the cultured shrimp stocks predisposed to vibriosis are easily susceptible to white spot viral disease. Therefore the present study was carried out in May, 2005 when most of the shrimp grow out ponds at Arachchikattuwa area were affected with white spot disease to see whether there is any relationship between systemic vibriosis and white spot disease. A farm with 5 earthen ponds at Arachchikattuwa area was selected and a commercially available probiotic was used to suppress the Vibrio populations in 3 ponds; other 2 ponds did not receive the probiotic . Weekly random samples of shrimp were observed from each pond and haemolymph was inoculated on TCBS agar and cephalothorax of these shrimp were preserved in Davison Afa for histological preparations. Shrimp in each pond were observed for gross clinical signs of white spot disease. Heamolymph samples obtained from the shrimp of the 2 ponds that did not receive the probiotic treatment gradually increased and reached 480 ± 73 cfu/ml of haemolymph and such shrimp had multifocal melanized and/ or non-melanized haemocytic nodules with septic centers which is the principal diagnostic feature of systemic vibriosis. The stocks of shrimp in these 2 ponds exhibited gross clinical signs of white spot disease within 10-12 days (from the date they had Vibro count of 480±73 cfu/ml of haemolymph) and emergency harvest was carried out. In contrast, haemolymph of shrimp was free of Vibrio in the ponds that received the probiotic treatment and the shrimp did not develop systemic vibriosis and farm manager could complete the normal production cycle. Results of the present study suggest that systemic vibriosis is a predisposing factor for the occurrence of white spot disease in shrimp, P.monodon in grow out ponds.Item A preliminary investigation on proteins produced by iron resistant and iron sensitive rice varieties(Proceedings of the Annual Research Symposium 2005-Faculty of Graduate Studies, University of Kelaniya, 2005) Attanayake, K.P.R.N.; Sirisena, D.M.K.P.R.N. Attanayake and D.M. SirisenaItem Identification and characterization of dieback syndrome in Camelliasinensis (TRI 2025)(University of Kelaniya, 2005) Ranasinghe, C.P.; Balasuriya, A.; Jayaratne, D.L.The disease has been reported in the tea cultivar TRI 2025, grown in the upcountry since 1989 (Nethaniel, 1999). Preliminary observations from different locations where the disease has already been reported showed pathological affiliations instead of a physiological disorder or agronomical reasons. During the eight months under investigation in the Nuwara Eliya Estate, the affected area expandedby 129.75 m2. A distinctive increase in the rate of spread was observed during dry seasons. Asignificant relationship between the spread of the disease and climatic stress was found. The rate ofspread of the disease was higher with low relative humidity and rainfall. The expansion of the patch followed the direction of the wind with an indication of an airborne disease. Phylloplane microflora of TRI 2025 between healthy and diseased plants, the soils, which they are grown, collected from diseased and healthy areas found to have no significant difference. However, Pantoea agglomerans (Beijerinck) (Gavini et al., 1989), a Gram negative rod was solely and repeatedly isolated on nutrient agar, from the xylem sap of diseased plants. The sap of visually healthy plants, of the same cultivar upon prolonged incubation developed few colonies of the same bacterium. The bacterium was also isolated from dew collected from leaves of the diseased plants. The isolate was confirmed by the International Mycological Institute (IMI) in the United Kingdom (Offord, 2003). Four experimental sets of plants used to demonstrate Koch’s postulates, using mature tea bushes (Nuwara Eliya and St. Coomb’s), young plants and tomato seedlings. None of the sets met with conclusive results. Stem section analysis of the cultivar showed a significant xylem blocking in diseased plants, which increased in numbers with the severity of symptoms. P. agglomerans (Beijerinck) (Gavini et al., 1989), produce high-molecular-weight extra-cellular polysaccharides (Balows et al., 1992) and some strains are ice-nucleae active causing frost damage (Pajand,2005). Under the evidences the dieback in TRI 2025 can be classified as a stress driven relationship between a stressed plant and an opportunist.Item If therapeutic formalin treatment for gill fluke infestation is to be successful in goldfish, gill lamellae should not have reached the stage of telangiectasis(Proceedings of the Annual Research Symposium 2005-Faculty of Graduate Studies, University of Kelaniya, 2005) Hettiarachchi, M.Dactylogyrus sp. (a monogenean gill fluke) is one of the most common disease causing agent found in gills of goldfish, Carassius auratus reared in mud ponds. Several aquaria owners have reported that when the goldfish, infested with gill flukes were treated with the recommended therapeutic dosage of formalin (200 mgl-1 for 15 to 30 minutes), mortality of fish increased drastically; therefore, the present study was carried out to find out the possible reason for poor results of the treatment. Three slightly different stages of severity in breathing difficulty of gill fluke infested goldfish (5.5±1.5 cm SL) were identified using the behaviour exhibited by the fish. These three stages were confirmed with wet mounts under the microscope by the presence of gills covered with thick mucus (stage I) and the gills with different degree of hyperplasia (stage II) and gills under telangiectasis (dilation of groups of small blood vessels in the secondary lamellae; stage III). The fish in each different stage of breathing difficulty/gross appearance of gills were treated separately (3 replicates from each stage) with the recommended dosage of formalin; apparently healthy fish reared in cement tank were used as control and were subjected to the same treatment. During the treatment period each fish that reached the terminal stage of life was euthansiated and wet mounts of gills were observed under the microscope. Ninety eight percent of goldfish that reached the terminal stage of fish during the treatment had gill lamellae under telangiectasis before the treatment. Fish that had gills with thick mucus and hyperplasia of gill lamellae before the treatment could tolerate the treatment. It seems that the therapeutic dosage of formalin recommended for killing monogenean gill flukes is also toxic for fish if the gill lamellae have reached the stage of telangiectasis due to the presence of the parasite. Therefore it is essential to identify gill fluke infestations at an early stage, if the therapeutic treatment with formalin is to be successful in protecting goldfish while controlling the flukes.Item Isolation of a plasmid harbouring cellulolytic bacterial strain from decomposing rice straw(Proceedings of the Annual Research Symposium 2005-Faculty of Graduate Studies, University of Kelaniya, 2005) Weerakoon, D M N; Sirisena, D MAlthough rice straw can be utilized as an organic fertilizer most of the farmers are compelled to discard this valuable source of nutrients without any use because of its slow rate of decomposition which obstructs the subsequent operations in the field. Organisms with high cellulolytic activity can be employed to mitigate this problem by accelerating the rate of decomposition of rice straw. Although both fungi and bacteria are capable of synthesizing cellulase enzymes, less work on such bacteria has been reported compared to that of fungi. In this study six cellulolytic bacterial strains associated with partially decomposed rice straw were isolated, identified and their cellulolytic activity was compared. Two isolates identified as Pseudomonas sp. and Acinetobacter sp. showed high level of endo-1,4-ß glucanase (carboxymethylcellulase) activity. Amount of glucose released by saccharification of cellulose was also high with these two strains. The susceptibility of these two strains to antimicrobial agents was tested with various antibiotics at different concentrations. The Acinetobacter sp tolerates high level of ampicillin i.e.100 µg /ml and Pseudomonas sp was susceptible to all tested antibiotics. The strain with antibiotic resistance, presumed to carry plasmids was examined for the presence of plasmid by plasmid DNA isolation and subsequent gel electrophoresis. This Acinetobacter sp carries a plasmid that generate eight (8) fragments when digested with Hind III .The plasmid DNA digested with Pst I produces a smear on the gel suggesting the presence of many Pst I sites. There is a dearth of information on presence of plasmids in cellulolytic bacteria. The Acinetobacter strain isolated in this study is useful to investigate whether the cellulolytic function is encoded by a plasmid gene.Item Reliability of Language Tests (Speech and Written) - First Year Students in Commerce and Management Faculty(University of Kelaniya, 2005) Jayasinghe, R.R.A test, like any other type of instrument used to measure should give the same results every time it measures, if it is used under the same conditions. This is considered the Reliability of a test. But human beings do not behave in exactly the same way on every occasion, even when the circumstances seem identical. The performances of students on any test can vary for a variety of reasons. The purpose of this research is to observe the reliability of two main tests. First I took a sample of test scores of the Placement Test (a written test) for “English for Business Communication” course (Test-1-A). This test was held in an examination hall in a fairly formal environment. After about one month, I took the same group of students and held the same test inside my classroom (Test-1-B). As the next step I held an oral test (presentation) again in a fairly formal environment (Test –2- A) for this particular group. Next, I held the same oral test inside my classroom for the same group of students. (Test-2-B) This paper attempts to focus on the reliability of these two tests by calculating the Reliability Coefficient - K-R 21. An analysis on how these reliability coefficients vary due to the sources of Error Variance, as a result of environment (e.g. location, space, ventilation) and also as a result of variance attributable to examinees (e.g. emotion, memory) will be discussed. At the conclusion of this investigation, we would be able to find out how these sources of Error Variance affect the reliability of the two tests. Moreover, we can minimize such Error Variance in test-administration to some extent.Item A kinetic study on slow natural degradation of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in Bolgoda Lake waters and a technique for rapid destruction of them in the aquatic environment(Proceedings of the Annual Research Symposium 2005-Faculty of Graduate Studies, University of Kelaniya, 2005) Pathiratne, K.A.S.; de Silva, O.C.P.Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are unique environmental contaminants that exhibit strong toxic, carcinogenic and mutagenic properties. They are generated through incomplete combustion of organic matter such as fossil fuels (petrol, diesel, and natural gasses, etc.), wood and many other organic compounds used in variety of industrial and domestic processes. Once formed, they are adsorbed on to particulate matter and deposited on ground and in water bodies through continuous atmospheric fallouts. During rainy seasons, PAHs deposited on ground surfaces are washed into water bodies through surface runoff. A recent study revealed that water and sediment in Bolgoda lake to contain PAHs above safe levels. Further, the levels observed during dry seasons were found to increase after heavy rains, followed by gradual degradation during dry periods. As a part of the present investigation, the kinetics of degradations of four selected PAHs; naphthalene, phenanthrene, pyrene and chrysene (2, 3, 4 and 5 member ring compounds) found in Bolgoda lake were carried out. Four different environmental matrices given below (a) to (d): (a) Bolgoda lake water exposed continuously to incandescent radiation of a 60 W tungsten lamp at room temperature. (b) Bolgoda lake water kept in dark at room temperature. (c) Deionized water with pH and electrical conductivity (EC) adjusted to those of Bolgoda lake water, exposed continuously to incandescent radiation of 60 W tungsten lamp at room temperature (d). Deionized water with pH and EC adjusted to those of Bolgoda lake water, kept in dark at room temperature. These four different media could represent unique environmental components found in Bolgoda lake that could be responsible for degradations of PAHS in the Bolgoda lake. The results indicate that pseudo first order rate constants corresponding to degradations of all four PAHs in the four different media at room temperature decrease in the order a > b > c > d. Also, in all four media the order of the pseudo first order rate constants for degradations of the four PAHs found to vary as chrysene > naphthalene > pyrene > phenanthrene. As the other part of the investigation, the suitability of a modified Fenton based oxidation process to enhance the rate of degradation of PAHs in aquatic environment was investigated. The effect of initial concentration of H2 O2 & Fe2+ ions, pH of the solution and the presence of triton X-100, a surfactant which could bring non polar PAHs and polar Fenton reagents in close proximity to facilitate degradation reaction were examined for 3,4 and 5 member ring compounds: phenanthrene, pyrene and benzo(a)pyrene found in local aquatic environments. Pseudo first order rate constants for degradations of all three PAHs found to increase with increasing initial H2 O2 concentrations and initial Fe2+ concentration in aqueous media. High degradation rates were observed for concentration ratios, [H2 O2 ]:[Fe2+] in the range of ~50 to ~100. Decrease of pH of solutions, also increased the rates of degradation of all three PAHs. Presence of Triton X-100 at low levels, (1% v/v in the solution) found to increase the degradation rates of all three PAHs. Under all conditions studied, the pseudo first order rate constants for degradation of Benzo(a)pyrene were found to be the largest among the three PAHs .Item Dietary fibre content of some rice varieties under raw and parboiled conditions(Proceedings of the Annual Research Symposium 2005-Faculty of Graduate Studies, University of Kelaniya, 2005) Adikari, A.C.; Wimalasena, S.There is a growing demand on foods rich in dietary fibre due to their beneficial health effects. Rice is the staple food for over 50% of the world population including Sri Lanka. This study reports the content of total dietary fibre (TDF), insoluble dietary fibre (IDF) and soluble dietary fibre (SDF) in two varieties of raw rice (RW)(BG 300 and BG 352), and two varieties of parboiled rice (PB)(BG 300 and BG 352) under two levels of bran removal (10% and 7%) obtained from the Institute of Post Harvest Technology, Anuradhapura. IDF was calculated by subtracting the protein and ash content from the weight of the residue obtained after hydrolyzing the sample of rice with Tetramyl enzyme, pepsin enzyme solution and pancreatin solution. The SDF was determined by subtracting the protein and ash content from the residue obtained by incubating the filterate from enzyme hydrolysis with ethanol. Protein content was determined by the Kjeldhal method and the ash content by heating in a muffle furnace at 550 0 C. It was observed that percentage of TDF, SDF and IDF ranged from 56.7% - 44.7%, 16.6 - 12.5% and 40.1 - 30.1% respectively in RW while in PB the values ranged from 63.6 -45.4%, 17.3 -10.8%, 46.2 - 34.61% respectively. For raw rice the highest TDF, SDF and IDF were obtained for BG 300 (10%) while in parboiled rice the highest value was obtained for BG 352 (10%). In all samples except for BG 352 (RW) TDF, SDF and IDF increased with increase in percentage of bran . Parboiled rice had a higher TDF and IDF than raw rice. Except in BG 352 (7%) in other varieties the percentage of SDF was higher in par boiled rice than raw rice. Percentages in parenthesis refer to the percentages of bran removed from rice. Financial assistance from ADB is acknowledged.Item Unemployment and Vocational Training (A study of the Sri Lankan Experience)(Proceedings of the Annual Research Symposium 2005-Faculty of Graduate Studies, University of Kelaniya, 2005) Gunarathna, ManjulaAs a result of globalization, today the world is changing rapidly. This is not limited to any particular country. Therefore, Sri Lanka also has to adapt to the changes in the global environment. In this case vocational training plays a vital role in connection with employment. Although, in Sri Lanka there were a lot of unemployed after independence, it gradually decreased in the last few decades. Traditional educational system has been a major reason for unemployment as well as youth unrest in the country as we have seen in 1971 and 1987 – 1989. There is a clear contrast between the educational system and employment opportunities in Sri Lanka. Gradually employment opportunities in the governmental sector decreased. Therefore, there was a tendency of seeking jobs in private sector even though there is a great competition to obtain jobs in the private sector. To get through this competition vocational training is a very important qualification. Therefore a lot of unemployed tended to follow vocational training courses. E ventually the u nemployed who followed vocational training increased. The number of unemployed with vocational training has become a major problem in Sri Lanka. In this background, a study of unemployment and the impact of vocational training on unemployment in Sri Lanka addressed a major problem. Analysis of the Sri Lankan experience will help to formulate a comprehensive employment policy based on meaningful vocational training programmes. In the analysis of that issue time series data and cross sectional data were used in this research. Secondary data were gathered by reports, electronic and written media. Through data analysis, it was discovered that there exists a wide gap between the vocational training programmes offered by the different agencies and vocational training required by the private sector companies. That is because; the vocational training is not matched with the demand of jobs. The above mentioned facts show that the unemployment related to vocational training in Sri Lanka has been a major problem. It is necessary to pay attention to the nature of this problem and find a solution for it, based on the Sri Lankan experience.Item Norwegian Mediation in Sri Lankan conflict(Proceedings of the Annual Research Symposium 2005-Faculty of Graduate Studies, University of Kelaniya, 2005) Shammika, D L A HBy this research paper I will presented the context of Sri Lankan conflict and how the role of Norway as the mediator relates with that. The contingency approach that I used in this paper perceives that the mediation strategy and behaviour (procedural factors) must in order to be effective match and reflect the contextual factors of the conflict that I used interviews and opinion poll to shed light into the procedural factors of the mediation and how it interrelates with the contextual factors. Mediation is one of the key themes dominated in the study field of the conflict management Due to its widespread use and its increasing importance in international relations, mediation requires insensitive deep study in the form of research. Even though mediation has gained an important role in Sri Lankan conflict in recent history, it has not yet been a priority in the research field. Most of the literature on issues of the Sri Lankan conflict tackle only upon the overt incidence of it but hardly ever contain a deep insight to the realities in the grass root level. My attempt in this research is to provide a border picture of the ongoing peace process and the mediation by Norwegians in Sri Lankan conflict. For that I chose a mixed approach hence I used both quantitative and qualitative methods in my research. Interviews, filed observations and participant observations were the main qualitative research. Methodologies I employed at collecting data informal meetings, observations of artefacts secondary data sources were also used. The data collected on certain issues of mediation process from questionnaires gave the quantitative value to the research.Item Induction of pollutant responsive biomarkers, ethoxyresorufin–Odeethylase, glutathione S-transferase and biliary fluorescent aromatic compounds in tilapia inhabiting Bolgoda North Lake, Sri Lanka.(Proceedings of the Annual Research Symposium 2005-Faculty of Graduate Studies, University of Kelaniya, 2005) Chandrasekera, L.W.H.U.; Pathiratne, A.; Pathiratne, K.A.S.The presence of organic contaminants in aquatic systems poses a serious threat to environmental health. Biomarkers are sub-lethal biological measures of the response to and effect of pollutants in living organisms. Use of biomarkers has been identified as a powerful and cost-effective approach to obtain information on the state of the environment and the effect of pollutants on living biological resources. This study presents results of a part of the research project which focuses on evaluation of the use of biomarkers in food fish tilapia as tools in monitoring pollution in inland waterbodies in Sri Lanka. In the present study, activities of two enzyme biomarkers, ethoxyresorufin-O-deethylase (EROD) & glutathione S-transferase (GST) and biliary fluorescent aromatic compounds (FACs) in Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) collected from Bolgoda North Lake were evaluated in comparison to the baseline levels of the control fish in order to assess the biomarker responses in this fish. The results revealed that EROD and GST activities of tilapia inhabiting Bolgoda North Lake were significantly elevated several folds in comparison to the baseline levels. Liver somatic index and microsomal and cytosolic protein levels in the gill and liver tissues of fish collected from the lake were also elevated significantly compared to the controls. Induction of EROD and GST enzymes indicate the exposure of fish residing in the lake to organic contaminants such as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCB). Analysis of biliary FACs in the fish showed recent uptake of naphthalene, pyrene and benzo(a)pyrene type PAHs. Occurrence of PAHs in the colloids and sediments of Bolgoda North Lake has been confirmed by chemical analysis. Results suggest that EROD and GST in liver and gill tissues and FACs in bile in this fish are promising biomarkers of organic contaminations especially PAHs in the aquatic environments.Item A Metric Represents a Sphere of Constant Density Comprising Electrically counterpoised Dust (ECD)(Proceedings of the Annual Research Symposium 2005-Faculty of Graduate Studies, University of Kelaniya, 2005) Wickramasuriya, S B P; Wimaladharma, N A S NThe metric which represents a sphere of electrically counterpoised dust (ECD) with constant density π ρ 4 1 = is ( ) ( ) ( ) ( ) ( ) ( ) + Ω < < ∞ − + + = = − + Ω ≤ ≤ dR R d a R R B A R B A dt ds R dR R d R a R dt ds 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 θ 0 θ where θ(R) is the Emden function satisfying the Emden equation with n=3, a is the coordinate radius, R is the radial coordinate , A and B are constants given by ( ) ( ) B a ( ) a A a a a θ θ θ = − = + 2 a is a constant whose value is restricted, 0 < a < bItem Labour Market Distortions in Sri Lanka: Have they reduced under liberalised economic policies?(University of Kelaniya, 2005) Patabendige, A.J.Studies such as Gupta (1989), Agarwala I 1983), and Little (1982), highlight that capital-Iabour ratios (technologies) are in fact sensitive to the relative cost of labour and capital. In this background, if the factor markets are distorted in favour of selecting capital intensive technologies, labour demand or the growth of employment is impeded. Agarwala’s (1983) study on ‘Price Distortion and Growth’ of 31 developing countries confirmed that as in the case of most of the developing countries Sri Lanka’s labour market was also highly distorted during the controlled era of the 1960s and the1970. Thus, those who highly emphasise labour market distortions promote exceedingly the case for economic reforms and labour market deregulation for developing countries to enhance their labour market ‘flexibility’ to bring about a positive effect on economic growth and speeding up of employment creation. Hence, in a background of implementing economic reforms with some changes in labour practices for more than two decades from 1 977 i n Sri Lanka, it requires to determine how far the cost of labour market distortions has decreased during the economic reform period. However, a debate over the cost of labour market distortions even after the economic reforms has emerged. Some are of the opinion that although the economy moved towards a free market following the 1977 economic policy changes the Sri Lankan labour market has not been reformed to be matched with the requirements of the open economy and remained distorted, imposing a higher labour cost to investors while others believe that Sri Lankan labour is more cheaper than most of the countries in the region. Meanwhile, starting from 2002, four key Acts on labour regulations such as the Factory Ordinance of 1942 (FO), the Termination of Employment of Workmen Act of 1971 (TEWA), The Industrial Dispute Act (IDA) of 1950 were amended with a view to increasing the labour market flexibility. In this setting, this paper aims at assessing how far Sri Lanka’s labour market distortions have reduced under the reform period mainly by comparing the Sri Lankan labour market regulations and behaviour with those of the neighbouring and some of the fast developing East Asian countries depending on the data availability for the period after 1977. This comparison is made on 1) minimum wage levels, 2) employment security legislations, 3) holidays and leave, 4) maternity benefits, and 5) industrial relations.Evidence gathered shows that contrary to the conventional wisdom the minimum wage regulations in Sri Lanka do not have a large positive impact on increasing employers’ costs of labour. But quite the opposite impact on the costs of labour could be seen arising from the regulations related to the employment security, contributions to social security programmes, and the private sector and the public sector holiday and leave. These regulations have a consider ably high positive effect on increasing employers’ non-wage labour costs in Sri Lanka. Also, 13 new major labour regulations relating to various aspects of working life have been enacted after 1977 and the cost of social security has increased during the reform period. Moreover, it has been found that more than anything else the highly deteriorated industrial relations system has damaged labour market flexibility in Sri Lanka and thereby imposed a huge cost to employers without showing any improvement of labour relations from the controlled era to be consistent with open economic policy regime. Consequently, the paper concludes that more than the other countries in the region the costs of labour market distortions in Sri Lanka have significantly increased during the reform period after 19771 resulting in a considerable retardation in the labour market demand .Item Weighted Z ? Score Based on Discrimination Factors(Proceedings of the Annual Research Symposium 2005-Faculty of Graduate Studies, University of Kelaniya, 2005) Suriyaarachchi, D J CShort comings in the current Z – score system were pointed out in the paper [1] presented at the last symposium. In this paper we show how these short comings can be minimized.In Sri Lanka, the results of the G. C. E. (Adv. Level) Examination are mainly used for the purpose of selecting students for university admission. There are two other purposes; one is to select personnel for non-graduate jobs and second is to select students for the courses conducted by professional, technical and private institutes. The results of the G. C. E. (Adv. Level) Examination, released in terms of grades based on the raw marks, serve the two purposes mentioned in the latter cases. To achieve the main purpose the results of the G. C. E. (Adv. Level) Examination are released, at present, in terms of the average of the three Z – scores obtained for the three subjects. The competition is very high for university admission due to the limited and small number of places available in the universities. As far as the streams such as Medicine, Engineering, Commerce & Management, and Law are concerned, the demand is very high. Usually the topmost group in Biological Sciences gets the opportunity to enter Medical faculties and the topmost group in Physical Sciences gets the opportunity to enter Engineering faculties. The criterion for selecting students especially to the highly competitive streams is a deciding factor for the future of students. Criteria used for this purpose should enable the authorities to select the best out of the groups. The main objective of this study is to find out a new system of measurement incorporating weights which could minimize the shortcomings in the present average Z- score method [1] that is used for selecting students for university admission [2]. In our study it is observed, from the last five years’ results, that the means and the standard deviations of the subjects vary significantly. The variations can be seen within and between subjects. These variations are mainly due to the variations in degrees of difficulty of the subjects. The degrees of difficulty of the papers of the same subject given in two different years are not the same. They too vary. Our main objective of this study is to find a way to incorporate this variation into the selection criteria. In our method a discrimination factor for each subject is considered. This factor is used to measure the discrimination between the cleverer students and the weaker students. For any combination of three subjects the recommended weights are computed based on the discrimination factors for the three subjects. We then consider the total of the weighted Z – scores of the three subjects as the criterion. This method gives due consideration to the students who perform well in difficult subjects; i.e. subjects with higher discrimination factors. It gives relatively less weight for the subjects that are easy to score in. For the identical aggregate of raw marks of the students the average scores of respective students vary widely. This range of variation is reduced by our methodItem SOCIO - ECONOMIC EFFECTS OF THE TOURIST INDUSTRY: A case study of three selected tourist destinations in the Nagombo coastal belt(Proceedings of the Annual Research Symposium 2005-Faculty of Graduate Studies, University of Kelaniya, 2005) Fernando, W.V.N.Tourism in Sri Lanka, as a major source of income and employment has developed gradually since the late 1960s and has become a priority sector of the economy today. In spite of its positive effects, tourism has also some adverse social and cultural impacts. The present paper deals with such adverse social and economical impacts on the communities living in Negombo area of the Western coast, where tourism related activities are more intense. Case studies have been conducted in Palangatura, Eththukala and Kudapaduwa GN divisions of Negombo DS division and, field survey techniques such as structured interviews administrating questionnaires and field observations were conducted covering different segments of the society in the area. At the field survey there were three types of questionnaires administrated on different respondent that is Householders, Hotels and Shopkeepers. In each case the sample size was 30. The study revealed that some social and cultural changes have taken place subsequent to the adoption of tourist related activities by the traditional fishing communities. Both direct and indirect employment opportunities have been generated in the tourist sector, leading to multiplier effects in associated areas. The economy and lifestyle of the people have also undergone many parallel changes like child abuse and other illicit activities. The dropout rates of school children have also increased due to the harmful environmental impacts of commercialization. The findings of the study provide a sound basis for formulating favorable policies for developing tourism sector in the area.Item Tsunami: Affected Archaeological Heritage Sites in the Western Province,Sri Lanka(Proceedings of the Annual Research Symposium 2005-Faculty of Graduate Studies, University of Kelaniya, 2005) Gunawardhana, Prishanta; Katugampola, MangalaSri Lanka’s archaeological heritage goes back from the Historical period right back to the Protohistoric and Prehistoric periods (Deraniyagala, 1996, Silva, 1990). This archaeological heritage includes a variety of outstanding monuments, buildings and sites. Significantly, some of them are now declared as World Heritage sites. It is evident that Tsunami has devastated much of the coastal belt in Sri Lanka that hit and destroyed the people lives and their property. More than 30,000 people have been killed and nearly 900,000 have been made homeless. The UNESCO World heritage site of Galle was not seriously affected. However, the Maritime archaeological museum located within this environment has been subjected to some damage due to flooding in the area. It is almost certain that some of the cultural heritage sites and the cultural landscape of the costal belt has also been greatly damaged or destroyed. The damage is extensive and the sites need to be conserved within the framework of archaeological principles. This paper is intended to discuss the damage to the cultural heritage in the Colombo, Gampaha and Kalutara districts of the Western Province of Sri Lanka. We have identified twenty eight sites which have been affected by the tsunami disaster in these three districts (Gunawardhana and Katugampola, 2005). In this paper, we will also describe the scale of the damages to the archeological heritage sites in the Western Province.Item Diversity and community composition of the ground and lower canopy foraging worker ants in the Gilimale forest(Proceedings of the Annual Research Symposium 2005-Faculty of Graduate Studies, University of Kelaniya, 2005) Dias, R.K.S.; Perera, K A MAnts are a very important group of insects in the forests of Sri Lanka and their microhabitats vary from ground to the canopy. Worker ants on the ground and lower canopy of two sites in the Gilimale forest were sampled by several methods in April, June and August 2004. Worker ants were sampled along a 100 m transect in each site by the baited traps (honey and canned fish), manual collection, soil and litter sieving (Time unit method) and Winkler extraction. Branch clipping, beating and, five honey baited traps hanged at a height of 15 - 20 feet were used to sample ants on three Symplocos bractealis (Wal Bombu) and three Schumacheria castaneifolia (Kekiriwara) trees in April. Fifteen honey baited traps were hung on three of the each tree species in June. In August, five traps baited with honey, canned fish, desiccated coconut, ground peanut or paddy seeds (variety BG 11)) were hung on the same trees. Pitfall traps and baits on trees were set to collect ants that forage at dusk and the night. Worker ants were identified with the assistance of Bolton (1994) and the reference collection at the Department of Zoology, University of Kelaniya. Worker ants belonging to nine subfamilies and thirty five taxa (H = Ópi logpi = 2.56), Aenictus sp. (0.26%), Aneuretus simoni Emery (2.5%), Amblyopone sp. (0.15%), Anochetus (0.1%), Aphaenogaster sp. (25%), Calyptomyrmex sp. (0.3%), Camponotus sp. (4.7%), Cataulacus sp. (0.05%), Crematogaster sp. (9.4%), Cryptopone sp. (0.26%), Dolichoderus sp. (0.56%), Hypoponera sp. (0.1%), Leptanilla sp. (0.26%), Leptomyrmex sp. (1%), Leptogenys sp. (0.7%), Lophomyrmex sp. (0.26%), Meranoplus bicolor (0.77%), Monomorium sp. (1.1%), Myrmicaria sp. (10.4%), Odontomachus simillimus Smith (0.15%), Oligomyrmex sp. (13.4%), Paratrechina sp. (2.%), Pheidole sp. (4.5%), Pheidologeton sp. (8.4%), Polyrhachis sp. (1.2%), Ponera sp. (0.36%), Solenopsis sp. 1 (0.26%), Strumigenys sp. (0.05%), Tapinoma melanocephalum Forel (0.3%), Tapinoma indicum Forel (0.2%), Technomyrmex albipes Emery (2%), Technomyrmex bicolor Emery (2%), Tetramorium sp.1 (4.3%), Tetramorium bicarinatum Mayr (3.2%) and Tetraponera allaborans (0.05%) were recorded from the ground samples. Ten taxa (H = 1.73) of worker ants that belonging to Dolichoderinae, Formicinae and Myrmicinae, Aphaenogaster sp. (8%), Camponotus sp. (17%), Cataulacus sp. (1%), Crematogaster sp. (5%), Leptomyrmex sp. (1%), Myrmicaria sp. (1%), Polyrhachis sp. (8%), Solenopsis sp. 2 (12%), Technomyrmex albipes Emery (43%) and Tetramorium sp. 2 (4%) were identified from the lower canopy. Solenopsis sp. 2 and Tetramorium sp. 2 were observed only on the trees. Worker ants belonging to five subfamilies and fifteen morphospecies were observed in the night traps. Species Richness values recorded from both ground and the canopy in April, June and August were not significantly different (Chi-square, p > 0.05) and reached 24, 25 and 24, respectively. Presence or absence of some taxa and the proportional abundance of dominant taxa varied on the three occasions. Leptomyrmex sp. forages on the ground as well as on trees and is a new record from Sri Lanka.Item PREPARATION OF FACULTY TIME TABLE : AN ANALATICAL APPROACH(Proceedings of the Annual Research Symposium 2005-Faculty of Graduate Studies, University of Kelaniya, 2005) Jayasiri, M.A.A.H.; Suriyaarachchi, J.C.Preparation of a faculty time table is a major administrative activity in any faculty. With the introduction of course unit system, the students are given flexibility to follow course units from various departments not only in the faculty but also from other faculties. These cause more complexities in the preparation of time tables. Any systematic method is not seen in the current procedure of preparation of time table in the Faculty of Science. Changes have to be done frequently during the first couple of weeks in each semester due to various reasons such as time and class room clashes. This study is focused on developing an algorithm for the preparation of faculty time table. This algorithm contains a sequence of five steps. The first four steps are developed using the concept in Set Theory. The last step is developed for allocation of class rooms/lecture halls with maximum utilization. Using the algorithm a computer-based system for time and class room allocation has been developed. We use the data of Faculty of Science, University of Kelaniya for the validation of the system. The benefits of this approach are; 1. Optimal utilization of class rooms. 2. Elimination of clashes between and within the subjects. 3. Elimination of timetable constraints on selection of elective or auxiliary course units.Item An Empirical Study of the Relationship between Organizational Stress and Emotional Intelligence on Organizational Commitment: With Reference to Bank Branch Managers in the Western Province of Sri Lanka(University of Kelaniya, 2005) Jayaweera, A.T.Bank managers are a profession, which is of immense importance to the nation’s economic growth and prosperity. The contribution of banking organizations towards the progress of a country is vital. As a matter of fact, the contribution of banking organizations heavily depends on commitment made by bank managers towards 1achieving organizational goals. This empirical study attempts to establish a relationship of organizational stress and emotional Intelligence on Organizational Commitment of bank managers in the Western province of Sri Lanka. A conceptual model was formulated for the relationship of organizational stress, Emotional Intelligence (Independent variables) with Organizational Commitment (Dependent variable). The study was conducted among the sample of 150 managers randomly selected from fifteen public sector bank branch premises and fifteen private sector bank branch premises operating in the Western province of Sri Lanka. Data were collected through a structured questionnaire and were analyzed using the software SPSS version 10.0. The results of the correlation analysis indicated that Organizational Stress was negatively and significantly correlated with Organizational Commitment. Emotional Intelligence was positively and significantly correlated with Organizational Commitment. The results of the multiple regression analysis revealed that Organizational Stress and Emotional Intelligence are the strong predictors of the Organizational Commitment. On the whole, two independent variables were accounted for 55.9% of the variance in the organizational commitment of bank managers. Organizational Stress and Emotional Intelligence were found to be the critical factors to be focused for improving the organizational commitment of bank branch managers in the Western province of Sri Lanka.