ICATC–2021

Permanent URI for this collectionhttp://repository.kln.ac.lk/handle/123456789/24384

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Adoption and reflection of new educational model in Higher Educational sectors at present COVID-19 pandemic.
(Faculty of Computing and Technology, University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka, 2021) Nadesana, Nixsala; Wijayarathna, Gamini
The education in the world was affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, especially higher educational institute process functionality was interrupted by stopping the physical class rooms. As per the COVID-19 effect the large number of higher educational institutes move to the online education like universities in Sri Lanka [1]. Higher educational institutes have taken their course orientation, lectures, registration, examination and assignment submissions or thesis submissions through online platform. The students and lecturers having issues to get the physical materials like reference books through online. Those problems are most identified in science course providing departments. Because the students in science stream have to prepare for their practical work. But they have a struggle to go to their institute and do the practical activities in pandemic situation. Therefore, the practical integrated online education accompanied LMS will help the university students. This paper analyses numerous approaches taken by higher educational sectors to deliver teaching, laboratory practices and semester examinations in consideration of the COVID-19 pandemic, while also considering the potential effects on the student learning experience and lecturers convenient. The mission of Sri Lankan higher educational sectors during the pandemic is offering accessible quality online education delivery, research and innovation in order to produce young leaders in the relevant fields to suit the needs by conducting collaborative learning and examination process without postponing the educational process of the students by charging the current pandemic impact by COVID-19.
Analysis of future demand for Sri Lankan ICT undergraduates in ICT industry: Mapping the ACM/IEEE computing degrees with emerging technologies
(2021) Amarasooriya, P.M.D.S.; Werawatta, R.
Sri Lanka is famous for its agricultural economy, but in recent years it is slowly shifting towards a knowledge-based economy. In a knowledge-based economy, Information and Communication Technology (ICT) industry plays a critical role in increasing productivity and economic growth. This sector has generated numerous new job opportunities, led to increased export profits, and attracted international investors for investment. Present Sri Lankan ICT industry consists of over 600 companies [1]. According to reports from Sri Lanka Association for Software and Services Companies, the demand for the ICT sector has increased in recent years. The increase in demand for the ICT sector led to the creation of many ICT job opportunities as well as the opening of new ICT degree-awarding training institutes in Sri Lanka [2]. Government universities, private degree awarding institutes, government vocational and tertiary training institutes, and private diploma and certificate awarding training institutes are major categories of institutions that offer various degree programs in ICT disciplines [3]. According to SLASSCOM, there are fourteen job categories in the present-day ICT industry. Because of this reason undergraduates are unable to choose the most suitable ICT degree program according to the job demand. This research provides the solution for the above problem. The main objective of this research is to analyze the future demand for Sri Lankan ICT undergraduates in the ICT industry. This study will be of great help for undergraduates to choose the ICT discipline according to the demand of the job market. The future demand for ICT graduates in the ICT industry is examined in this research based on ACM/IEEE computing disciplines [4]. The secondary data for this research were collected from the National IT-BPM workforce survey and the university grant commission website. Finally, undergraduates can choose the best path in the ICT field by knowing the most demanding technologies in the ICT industry.
Design of Effective Shading Devices for Sri Lankan Residential Buildings
(International Conference of the Biotechnology Society of Nepal (ICBSN), 2021, 2021) Chithrananda, Thilini; Thakshila, Madhushani; Lakmali, Vishwani; Abeygunawardhana, Sadeesha; Jeewandara, Amila; Silva, Mangala
According to international and national standards, new buildings are constructed to maintain high energy efficiency from both active and passive perspective, as well as excellent indoor environmental conditions. Electricity consumption accounts for the majority of energy consumption in homes. HVAC contributed to high energy consumption in buildings as a result of this. The HVAC load could be minimized by avoiding the heat gain inside the house. There have been several approaches adopted to prevent heat gain. One of the remedies is to develop an external shading device [1]. Developing an efficient external shading device will help minimize the amount of heat gained from the sun rays that fall into the building. However, there are no standard guidelines or standardsin the Sri Lankan context for shading devices. Hence, this study aims to provide a set of standards, including the dimensions needed to establish appropriate shading devices for Sri Lankan residential buildings. The orientation, climate, and sun path for a particular location needs to be studied to obtain the sun angle. The sun angles, which are the azimuth and the altitude, are the key factors used to calculate the dimensions for an effective shading device. Values were obtained using 3D sun path software by Dr. Andrew Marsh [2]. The calculations for shading device dimensions were carried out for all twenty-five districts in Sri Lanka for a number of standard window sizes that are being used in residential buildings. The shading lengths depend on the direction or the orientation of the window. The east and west-facing windows get the direct sunlight. Therefore, placing shading devices on those will not be effective compared to the windows oriented to north and south directions [3]. Hence, the lengths of the vertical and horizontal shading devices were calculated for the windows facing to north and south directions. Calculated dimensions were verified by modelling the shading devices using AutoCAD software. Thermal comfort and the cooling load of the building was determined using the Revit software by Autodesk. Findings of this study show that the horizontal and vertical shading device lengths obtained for north-oriented windows are lower than the lengths obtained for south-oriented windows. This can be attributed to the higher altitude , and lower azimuth on the north side compared to the lower altitude and higher azimuth in the south-side. Sri Lanka being a small island, the variation of latitudes and longitudes within the country is insignificant. Therefore, though the lengths show a difference for each district, it does not vary in large numbers. From the energy simulation results, it could be proved that thermal comfort could be increased using an effective shading device. The cost analysis proves that approximately five hundred Sri Lankan rupees could be saved from the electricity bill per month for an average residential house with a floor area of eighty-one square meters (81 m2 ).
Development of a Household Washing Liquid for the Efficient Removal of Pesticides Residues in Vegetables and Fruits using Natural Substances
(Faculty of Computing and Technology, University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka, 2021) Embogama, Manjali; Wickckramaarachchi, Harshani; Sonalee, Nimesha; Rukmal, Tharindu; Rupasinghe, Thilini
Pesticides are chemical or biological agents that are used in agriculture to minimize plant diseases, insect, pests and weeds. In the current Sri Lankan context, the commercial production of fruits and vegetables is extremely dependent on the regular usage of pesticides. Farmers tend to use pesticides more than the recommended amounts to achieve higher harvest by reducing the crop lost due to pests, insects and weeds [1, 2]. As a consequence, excessive pesticides residues have been detected on the surface of the vegetables available in the Sri Lankan market. According to literature, accumulated pesticide residues in food products have been associated with a wide variety of human health hazards, ranging from short-term effects to long-term health issues such as neuron problems, cancers, immune system deficiency and inborn deformities [1,3]. Therefore, it is significantly important to remove pesticide residues from fruits and vegetable before consumption. Current practice in most of the households in Sri Lanka is washing vegetables and fruits using tap/well water to remove pesticides. However, using tap water is not an effective method as it is not sufficient to remove most pesticide residues. Hence, this study focuses on developing a biosafe, effective and easily applicable washing liquid to remove pesticide residues using natural substances. Chlorpyrifos which is one of the mostly used pesticides in Sri Lanka, was selected as the model pesticide and the removal efficiency of this pesticide by natural substances such as vinegar, lime, turmeric and tamarind was investigated using computational simulations. The main hypothesis was that the efficiency of removal would depend on the interaction between the biogenic substance and Chlorpyrifos [4]. Therefore, in the computational study the interaction that could occur between the active chemical of the biogenic substance and Chlorpyrifos was predicted and the Spartan software was used to obtain information about structure, relative stabilities, and properties of the predicted product. Further, the potential energy of bond between acid substances and chloropyrifos was also calculated using Spartan software. The stability of the product formed between Chlorpyrifos and citric acid (lime) resulted to be -948.98 kJ / mol while that of curcumin (turmeric) and acetic acid (vinegar) resulted to be -472.69 kJ / mol, -286.73 kJ / mol respectively. According to the hypothesis, citric acid can be named as the most suitable candidate as it results in a product with the lowest potential energy. Overall, the results from the theoretical study provides a good basis for the selection of natural substances for future laboratory studies to develop a washing liquid with a higher efficiency of pesticide removal.
Development of Low-Cost Efficient Device/ Method to Utilize Groundwater Resource for Cultivation in Sri Lanka
(Faculty of Computing and Technology, University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka, 2021) Shobana, P.; Keshavaruban, J.; Fernando, P.R.P.; Fernando, Kasun
Plant earth is covered with water than land. Percentage wise it is 97% of oceans and 3% of freshwater. Freshwater is again separated as 79% of ice and glaciers, 29% of groundwater and, 1% surface water. Sri Lanka is a tropical country where it receives an average rainfall of 2000 mm annually [1]. The Northern part of Sri Lanka is recognized as the dry zone of the country based on annual rainfall records and it solely depend on the rain and ground water while the other parts depend on man-made tanks, canals etc. [1]. In general practice, electrical and fuel pumps are used to bring groundwater to the surface. However, such pumps are associated with key drawbacks such as high initial cost and higher maintenance cost. [2]. In that context, there is an urgent need to find an alternative for electrical and fuel pumps. Use of windmill water pumps are considered as one of the cheapest methods to pump ground water to the surface. Moreover, this method is environmentally friendly and therefore named as an effective alternative for electrical and fuel pumps. Nevertheless, this technique is rarely used for water utilization. In this study, a 1:10 scale water windmill was developed using mostly reusable materials. It was comparatively low cost device to utilize this readily available energy source. The model designed is able to collect and distribute water utilizing the gravity. A feasibility study identified Jaffna peninsula of northern of Sri Lanka as the best location based on the requirement of water and the availability of groundwater for cultivation purposes. More in depth work on the use of windmill could provide farmers in Northern Sri Lanka a method to be sustained through ground water rather than depending on rain water.
Evaluation of Growth Performance on Newly Developed Slip Form Vertical Growing Panels
(Faculty of Computing and Technology, University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka, 2021) Jayasingha, Krishani R.; Dayarathne, D.G. Jinali P.; Tharanga, K.H.G. Pasindu; Ahamed, M.M. Imsan; Fernando, T. Nilanthi; Asanka, Pallewatta
Greenery and sustainability are playing an important role, as today’s world tends to tackle the global warming. Green environments tend to reduce the negative impact of global warming, preserve precious natural resources and improve the quality of lifestyle[1]. The act of greening generally involves incorporating more environment friendly systems into one's environment such as home, workplaces, and public places. External green wall cultivation is one of the main structural components, which is used in green building designs/ greenery environments. It is part of an integrated solution for sick building syndrome problems. The present study focuses on the evaluation of growth performance of Centella asiatica (Gotukola) plants, Rhoeo spathacea (Boat Lily), and Hedera helix (English Ivy) on newly develop slip form vertical growing panels. It aims to find an innovative method to address the drawbacks of existing green walls, such as wash off of plant nutrients during irrigation and the potential of causing damages to the cultivated walls etc. Slip form vertical growing wall panels were prepared as described in literature using three different sustainable homogenous mixtures that were reinforced with three different weights of alkaline hydrogen peroxide pretreated coir fibers [2]. In addition, growth parameters of plant height, leaf area, and number of leaves per plants were measured for the selected crops, which were grown in prepared slip form panels (fig.1). The average leaf area of Gotukola, Rhoeo, and English Ivy varied between 4.13 cm2 -5.3cm2 , 14.45-20.28cm2 and 9.71-14.07cm2 respectively. Further, there was no significant variation in the leaf area of cultivated crops grown in the three different wall panels after 7 weeks. Similar variations were observed in the readings of average number of leaves per plant and plant height. Thus, the comparison of variations of growth parameters indicates that the all three different wallpanels could be used for preparation of vertical growing panels while the most suitable wall panels were selected through cost analysis.
Gift Eka: Online Gift Giving web platform for Sri Lanka
(Faculty of Computing and Technology, University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka, 2021) Perera, H.D.U.A.; Wijegunasekara, Carmel
Due to the current Corona pandemic, most buying and selling processes are done through online e-commerce platforms. Also, number of participants for celebrations\ has been limited due to the pandemic. Currently there are so many instances for people to show their affection to the loved ones, celebrate moments, and special occasions and to surprise others without having a physical meeting. Unfortunately, in Sri Lanka, most online shopping platforms are not specialized for gift giving applications. With this analysis, we came up with a clear idea to propose this “GiftEka” gifting platform which is different and special from current platforms [1],[2],[3]. Waterfall and Agile methodologies were used for this project because it gives the biggest advantage of adding new requirements for the plan in the middle of its development. For this project PHP , MySQL with Laravel 8 was used for development. By using Laravel 8 this whole project was developed under the Model, View & Controller (MVC) Architecture. Laravel 8 is a powerful MVC Controller PHP framework that is designed for developers who need a simple and elegant toolkit to create full-featured web applications [3]Users can select their gift items and wrapping types. Senders’ affection can be shared to the receiver by their gift items and associated wrapping feature. According to the study done on currently available gift platforms are not developed specifically for gifting. Rather they are developed for online shopping purposes such as grocery, wholesale or retail marketing. But “GiftEka” is far more advanced with new features of customizing gift items and providing customized gift-wrapping. To analyze the success rate of the functionality and the accuracy of this proposed system test cases was carried out This project has huge potential to provide better solutions for people under different scenarios and use cases.
A Model for Digital Content Creation to Promote Inclusive Education in Sri Lanka
(Faculty of Computing and Technology, University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka, 2021) Neloni, P.D.M.D.; Wijayarathna, Gamini
This paper makes a strong claim on considering inclusive education in this era of eLearning. To achieve this objective digital content creation as a method for e-Learning should be designed in a way that promotes participation of all the students in the virtual setting. The main aim of this research paper is to present a conceptual model which promotes inclusive education through enhancements of an existing platform that is designed to create digital content. For this purpose object-oriented approach and Unified Modelling Language (UML) techniques are utilized. Proposed framework includes the functional and structural views of the system. Further, use case diagrams and activity diagrams have been developed to represent the functional requirements of the proposed enhancements, while , context diagram, class diagram and the state machine diagram have been designed to model the structural view of the system.
The Necessity for New Learning Model during the Covid-19 Pandemic
(Faculty of Computing and Technology, University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka, 2021) Vinushiya, Puvanendrarajah; Wijayarathna, Gamini
E-Learning means education conducted via electronic media, typically on the internet. Owing to the current global pandemic situation, all the education institutes in the world have shifted from the traditional face-to-face teaching to online teaching. has The global education has shifted to online learning platforms to effectively manage their educational activities. This fundamental shift saw an increase in the use of e-learning. The System method can help to develop a learning management system within a short period. E-learning gives the university and private institute to create and deliver content, organize courses, manage students, and monitor the progress of multiple students, authoring, presenting, consuming, storing, and tracking educational content and training materials. This Paper Evaluates Numerous Approaches engaged by education side to deliver teaching and semester examination in consideration of the COVID-19 pandemic Situation. \ Ddirect learning and teaching activity of students has been greatly reduced due to COVID-19 situation. The purpose of this study is to find a solution to this problem.
New Education Model for Sri Lanka in the Post Covid – 19 Pandemic Era
(Faculty of Computing and Technology, University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka, 2021) Yoganathan, Banuja; Wijayarathna, Gamini
The COVID epidemic affected global education, particularly universities, with the shutdown of physical lecture rooms. . Sri Lankan universities have moved to an online platform[1] for course orientation, lectures, registration, examinations, and assignment or thesis submission. Students and lecturers have difficulty accessing physical materials such as notebooks via the internet. These issues are more prevalent in science faculties where students must complete practical work in laboratories.. They are, having difficulty getting to university and participating in practical activities during the pandemic.]. This study examines a variety of strategies used by universities to provide instruction for laboratory practicals, and research activitie. Examining the effect of COVID-19 over the course of a semester, while also taking into account the potential consequences of the environment..
New Education Model for Sri Lanka in the Post Covid-19 Pandemic Era Using UML
(Faculty of Computing and Technology, University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka, 2021) Jayasekara, Kanishka; Wijayarathna, Gamini; Bandara, Nishantha Nishantha
Providing quality education is one of the key sustainable development goals (SDGs) adopted by United Nations, which is a universal call to action to end poverty, protect the planet, and ensure that by 2030 all people enjoy peace and prosperity. In the current context, all the UN member countries have implemented necessary action to achieve SDGs by 2030. Accordingly, Sri Lanka is also moving towards SDGs with an specific focus on enhancing the quality of education. . This paper aims to present a conceptual model for a new education system for Sri Lanka in the post Covid-19 pandemic era. Here in, a conceptual model has been proposed using an object-oriented approach and unified modeling language (UML). In this Framework functional and static views of the system is also presented and use case diagrams and activity diagrams have been used to explore predefined functional requirements of the system, while class diagram have been used to explore the static view of the system.
Online Continuous Assessment System for Technical Colleges in Sri Lanka using UML
(Faculty of Computing and Technology, University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka, 2021) Niroshanie, Vindya; Wijayarathna, Gamini
The research in this paper discusses the issues relevant to an existing manual assessment system, [1] and aims the development of conceptual model for online continuous assessments system. This was achieved by using Object-oriented approach and unified modelling language (UML). The functional and dynamic views of the system are presented and explained within this framework. Although above framework is used, since Structured Systems Analysis & Design Method (SSADM) provides a standard set of activities which cover the analysis and outline design stages of a system development project, Ccontext diagram [2] also was included in SSADM. The functional system includes use case diagrams and Activity diagrams, while the dynamic view includes state machine diagrams. Therefore, the proposed models are used to efficient implementation of Online Continuous Assessment System.
Prediction of Mechanical Properties of Steel Nanowires using Molecular Dynamics
(Faculty of Computing and Technology, University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka, 2021) Nadeesha, Tharundi M.D.; Liyanage, J.K.; Liyanage, Laalitha S. I.
Nanowires have received increasing interest due to their unique properties and potential applications [1]. Limited studies have been conducted on tensile strength and mechanical properties of pure iron and iron alloy-based nanowires using simulations. In this study, the dependence of the mechanical properties of steel nanowires with different carbon percentages at varying temperatures is investigated. Atomic interactions between Fe and C atoms are modelled using interatomic force fields for molecular dynamics (MD) simulations. Four interatomic potentials were evaluated [2][3][4][5][6] using their bulk properties. Modified embedded atom method (MEAM) potential by Liyanage et al. was selected due to its accuracy in predicting properties of BCC Fe, Fe-C in B1 rock salt structure, and properties of BCC iron structure with varying C percentages. Uniaxial tensile test simulations at varying C atom percentages and different temperatures are conducted using MD simulations with the LAMMPS package. The amount of C was varied from 0 – 10 % at temperatures ranging from 0.1 K – 900 K. Mechanical properties of steel nanowires were extracted from the stress-strain curves generated by the tensile simulations. Young’s modulus of the steel nanowires increased in the temperature range of 0.1 K – 300 K while decreased in the range of 600 K - 900 K with respect to the C %. Yield stress and Ultimate Tensile Stress gradually decreased with the increase of C atoms from 0 – 10 %. Predicted results were compared with the results of bulk steel experimental values [7]. The micro-structural changes in the nanowires were analysed with common neighbor analysis (CNA). CNA showed the rapid formation of slip planes with increasing C% and increased propagation of slip planes contributes to the reduction in the strength of the nanowires.
Productive Web Application for Construction Guiding, Consulting and Providing Services
(Faculty of Computing and Technology, University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka, 2021) Padmasiri, K.M.P.U.; Wijegunasekara, M.C.
Up to now, the Internet provides a vast platform for industries to expand their business opportunities. However, people do not obtain the maximum benefit from using modern technology in the construction process. For example, purchasing land, selecting house plans and purchasing hardware items is still done in the traditional way. Furthermore, most people are unaware of the approvals and permissions that must be obtained from the appropriate government authorities prior to the beginning of civil construction. Meanwhile, people do not have many facilities to get the right service from the right professional or the most suitable person at the right time. In this research, a web application is proposed to solve the above problems. Background research was conducted to discover available technologies and similar web applications in the market. Eleven websites that are related to the objectives of the proposed web application were referred. Some of them were for purchasing land [1], house plans [2] and hardware items [3] and some of them were for providing contact details of the service providers [4]. However, users cannot get access to all the functionalities related to home construction from a single website. Hence, the main aim of this study is to develop a productive web application for the construction industry, which provides guidance, consultation and services for users and service providers. The business need of the web application is to acquire financial benefits by hosting it on the Internet. The developed web application will enable someone to sell their land through paid advertisement. It will also allow professionals to publish their details on the web application through paid advertisement. Online hardware store can be maintained which will give a direct income to the person who maintains the web application. The next advantage is that professionals can use the web application as an advertising platform to publish their advertisements. Accordingly, it gives a solution to unemployment. HTML, CSS, JQueries and Bootstrap are used for the front-end development of the proposed web application. For backend development, PHP is used. Phpmyadmin is used for the database creation and management. SQL is used as the query language to fetch data from a database. The evaluation process was carried out for the verification and validation of the developed web applicationDomain experts and technical personnel participated in that process in which bugs and errors were identified and fixed. Feedback was received and relevant suggestions were implemented to maximize the usability of the web application.
Sustainable Optimization of an Assembled Product using LCA
(Faculty of Computing and Technology, University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka, 2021) Wijerathne, M.W.S.; Bandara, D.B.P.L.P.; Hansani, B.A.D.M.; Silva, N.D.H.W.; Peiris, R.L.
Currently, industries come up with Assembled Product Optimization which is totally or partially relying on economic and social aspects rather than environmental aspects. It tends to avoid identifying hidden and massive impacts to the environment by manufacturing products. The total composition of three pillars; economic, social and environmental can affect achieving sustainable product optimization [1]. The importance of pillars of sustainability will be demonstrated through the Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) technique to produce a sustainable product such as a wardrobe of a modern residential apartment is optimized [2]. Enhancing its product development factors will be affected towards the optimization while exposing the hidden environmental impacts [3]. By redesigning the associated wardrobe through changes of specifications, raw material and dimensions, best-optimized designs will be selected in which best-optimized cases of enhanced product qualities than the reference wardrobe design. Furthermore, to guide real furniture manufacturers for this optimization approach, a manufacturer guideline will be prepared as the ultimate deliverable or the output of this study which can be recognized as a strategic product optimization plan which will act as a milestone in sustainable product optimization strategy.
Traveling Assistant Mobile Application Using Location-Based Service
(Faculty of Computing and Technology, University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka, 2021) Dhananjaya, S.M.D.V.; Wijegunasekera, M.C.
Sri Lanka is a major tourist destination which has several historical places, rivers, waterfalls, and shrines, as well as many other places of interest,. Currently, several mobile apps have been added to the Google Play Store for the convenience of these travelers, but these apps do not meet the latest needs of travelers. As a result of this project, created a new mobile application called “Travel Lanka” that addresses the issues and new needs of the travelers. This project follows the Agile software development methodology. Travel guidance is provided by displaying data on a google map view [1]. People can find the places for food and drink, shopping, and service places using Google maps. But it has no method to find a nearby travelling place. This application automatically suggests and shows nearby places on the map that can be travelled based on user location using the have sine formula [2]. This application can automatically change the nearby places when the user moves from location to location. Also, users can find all places in a particular district or province and find any places by using place names. Travelers can filter places using place types as waterfalls, parks, mountains, beaches and so on. With the suggested places, users can view some important details about the places and receive navigation instructions. In addition to that, this mobile application facilitates users to view compass, use the suggested transport facility, currency converter and nine major languages are provided by this application. All the functions were tested using unit testing and integrated testing, Basically, how the user interfaces layout changes under different screen sizes was tested when creating this “Travel Lanka” application,. This app is designed to suit different screen sizes of different mobile phones. A responsive layout has been created to display this application correctly on all types of phones. For this, testing was done using the package called “Device Preview” [3]. This Device Preview package helped to test various screen sizes, change device orientation, check background running capability, and many more. Such facilities are not available for use in a single mobile application currently offered to the tourism industry in Sri Lanka. A major challenge for travelers has to install and use the number of applications to get these features. Travel Lanka app combines all general features available in other apps. Feedback and user evaluations were collected and considered under the categorizing as usability, accessibility, accuracy, and correctness. Positive user feedback and user evaluations show the success and the usefulness of the application for the users.