ARS - 2010

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Accounting information of cooperative rural banks in Sri Lanka
(Research Symposium 2010 - Faculty of Graduate Studies, University of Kelaniya, 2010) Jayamaha, A.
Many small financial institutions (SFIs) in developing countries make great effort to provide efficient services to the poorhouse holders. In Sri Lanka, Cooperative rural banks (CRBs), one of the formal SFIs in Sri Lanka, serve a large number of customers, deal with a large amount of funds and have substantial contributions to the rural financial sector during the last four decades. In recent literature, accounting information, integral part of the corporate governance mechanism has been highlighted in regulatory and supervisory framework of SFIs (Bushman and Smith2001; Mullineux 2006; Cayanan 2007). However, there is a doubt of providing relevant and sufficient information to the stakeholders in SFIs in developing countries due to not maintaining appropriate accounting practices. In Sri Lanka, recent collapses of many financial institutions also signal that they do not provide relevant and sufficient information to their stakeholders. This paper seeks to assess the accounting practices of CRBs in Sri Lanka. In the absence of accepted standards for the preparation and presentation of financial statements of SFIs in Sri Lanka, the accounting practices of CRBs were assessed, by using generally accepted accounting principles for financial institutions and international guidelines for Microfinance institutions. Those are considered as the most appropriate benchmark for CRBs in Sri Lanka. The empirical analysis reveals that there is considerable variation in the accounting practices for the provision for loan losses and write-off of loan losses across CRBs. Some CRBs use accounting practices that are on par with those accepted by global financial institutions even though no specific guidelines exist for Sri Lankan CRBs.
Adaptation of e-commerce by Sri Lankan companies
(Research Symposium 2010 - Faculty of Graduate Studies, University of Kelaniya, 2010) Munasinghe, M.A.T.K.; Kumari, P.W.N.A.
Electronic Commerce or E-commerce is the newest trading mechanism activated by means of the internet or other computer networks. This particular trade method is functioned in three forms namely Public relations, Brochuring and Retail. The Retail form represents fully adoption level of e-commerce. E-commerce offers excellent opportunities for growth in developing nations. Hence it is needed to have a better understanding of current adoption levels pertaining to it. To understand the potential for E-commerce and the current state of adoption in Sri Lanka it was supposed to conduct a survey on this particular field. All companies listed in CSE were selected for survey. The study is based on review of websites of each listed companies in Colombo Stock Exchange (CSE). CSE has 236 listed companies representing 2business sectors. CSE is one of the top performing markets in Asia with an average annual index growth rate of 27%. The research reveals that 41% of companies fall under the public relations, 27% of companies are brochuring and 17% of companies are retailing. Overall findings conclude that 85% of companies adopt E-commerce in Sri Lanka.
Aedes albopictus the “underrated” Asian Tiger
(University of Kelaniya, 2010) Jayasooriya, D.H.S.W.; Gunawardene, Y.I.N.S.; Manamperi, A.; de Silva, H.J.; Abeyewickreme, W.
Introduction The mosquito Aedes aegypti was thought to be the main vector responsible for virtually all dengue epidemics; while Aedes albopictus was considered a vector in which the virus is maintained but does not cause epidemics. Objective The study was conducted covering three endemic districts in Sri Lanka to determine the role of genus Aedes during dengue transmission. Methods and Material Mosquitoes were collected within a 350m radius from the location of the positive patients. Heads and abdomens of 63 pools were tested for DENV RNA with and RT-PCR-LH-(P32) assays Results Discussion Ae. albopictus was present in majority of the locations in all districts surveyed. Ae. albopictus was found in 13/17 (76.47%), 24/25 (96%)and 19/22 (86.36%) sites in Colombo, Gampaha and Kurunegala respectively. The RT-PCR-LH-(P32) assays indicated that 5/25 (20%) sites in Gampaha, 2/17 (11.76%) in Colombo and 6/22 (27.27%) in Kurunegala were positive for DENV. In Gampaha and Colombo there were 3 and 1 of DEN-2 positive pools respectively, while there were 2 and 1 of DEN-3 positive pools respectively. A higher number of positive pools (4/1or 21.05%) for DEN-1 and 1/1(5.26 %) for DEN-4 were found in Kurunegala. In Kurunegala one pool was positive for both DEN-2 and DEN-4 indicating the circulation of multiple serotypes within close proximity. Moreover one of the three DEN-2 positive pools in Gampaha consisting of only male Ae. albopictus mosquitoes is supportive of the belief of vertical transmission of DENV. In a DEN-4 positive location in Kurunegala HI was found to be10%, BI= 1and CI= 5.88 %while anotherDEN-2 positive site in Wattala showed HI of 5.55%and a BI of 5.55 suggesting active transmission. The abundance of Ae. albopictus in all districts and the findings indicating that100% of the positive pools were made of Ae. albopictus in this study highlights the importance of Ae. albopictus in the transmission dynamics dengue. The ability of Ae. albopictus to be infected with low viremia and the degree to which it permits replication within the mosquito itself could have an impact on the transmission and these verity of the disease. Co-circulation of two or more serotypes in a single pool or in different pools of mosquitoes within the same district is suggestive of hyper endemic transmission dengue in the three districts. The greater susceptibility of Ae. albopictus to infection by DENV is said to lead to greater virus adaptation. Sri Lanka as a whole would be at serious risks for multiple outbreaks in future. Our results indicate that Ae. albopictus is more efficient in dengue transmission than previously thought. The results shed light on the efficiency of Ae. albopictus as a vector in transmitting DENV in the absence or low abundance of Ae. aegypti in Sri Lanka. The present study suggests that Ae. albopictus sp is underrated in terms of transmission potential during peak transmission periods of dengue in Sri Lanka. Key words: RT-PCR-LH-(P32) RT-PCR-Liquid Hybridization with P32 radio isotope, HI-House hold Index, BI- Breteau Index, CI-Container Index,DENV-Dengue Virus Authors wish to acknowledge the financial assistance rendered by the NSF Sri Lanka (GrantNo:SIDA/2006/BT/02)and the IAEA (Grant NoTC SRL 6/028).
Analysis of Mycoplasma pneumoniae IgG response in patients with respiratory tract infections
(Research Symposium 2010 - Faculty of Graduate Studies, University of Kelaniya, 2010) Wijesooriya, W.R.P.L.I.; Kok, T.W.; Perera, J.; Thilakarathna, Y.
Introduction M. pneumoniae is the causative agent of primary atypical pneumonia. Patients mount IgM and IgG antibody responses against this infection. However, IgM antibodies are not always produced in adults upon reinfection. Therefore, diagnosis of M. pneumoniae infection in adults relies on specific IgG response which increases slowly during the course of illness. Most clinicians receive a single serum sample for serology tests, as paired sera testing will not be useful for management due to time delay or patients may not provide a convalescent-phase sample. Aim Analysis of the M. pneumoniae specific IgG response in paired-sera of patients with respiratory tract infections. Methodology A prospective clinical study was carried out involving 418 adult patients in Colombo North Teaching Hospital, Ragama and chest hospital, Welisara (Pneumonia-97, acute bronchitis-183, pharyngitis-138). M. pneumoniae specific IgG was tested and analyzed in paired sera using ELISA kits (IBLHamburg-Germany). Results 27 patients showed positive IgG antibody titer in acute, convalescent or both serum samples. In these 27 samples, seven were positive in acute-serum samples and negative in convalescent-samples. Thirteen were positive at convalescent-sampling but negative at acute-sampling. Seven were positive in both acute and convalescent samples. Discussion Only 25.9% (7/27) of the cases would be diagnosed correctly using paired sera. 48.2% (13/27) would be negatively misdiagnosed 25.9% (7/27) would be positively misdiagnosed by testing acute sample alone. Paired-serum samples were essential to confirm the diagnosis of 74.1% (20/27) of patients with suspected M. pneumoniae infection. Conclusion Paired-serum samples are mandatory in the diagnosis M. pneumoniae infection based on IgG response.
An anatomical study on pyramidal lobe of the thyroid gland in Sri Lankan population; Occurrence and clinical significance
(Research Symposium 2010 - Faculty of Graduate Studies, University of Kelaniya, 2010) Wimalarathne, Saranga; Mallawaarachchi, Ranjan; Karunanayake, Aranjan; Salgado, LSS
Introduction Total thyroidectomy is a common surgical procedure performed all over the world. Presence of a pyramidal lobe has an added functional and clinical significance. Even after performing a total thyroidectomy for Graves disease, an undetected pyramidal lobe or presence of residual thyroid tissue may be a cause of persistent hyperthyroidism or it also may be a site of a thyroid carcinoma. Therefore when performing a total thyroidectomy, a special attention should be paid to the pyramidal lobe to avoid leaving any residual thyroid tissues. Objectives To determine the incidence, position, attachment and length of the pyramidal lobe in Sri Lankan population Methodology At the department of Anatomy, Faculty of Medicine, Ragama, 3formalin fixed cadavers with the age range of 45-75 selected randomly, were dissected to study the pyramidal lobes of thethyroid glands. Pyramidal lobes were identified extending upwards from the non-enlarged thyroid glands. The length and the breadth were measured using a flexible tape. Results Eighteen male and twelve female cadavers were dissected and pyramidal lobes were found in 26.7% cadavers. Of the cadavers in whom the pyramidal lobes were present 27.8% were males and 25% were females. Pyramidal lobes were on the right side in 37.5% cadavers and on the left side in 62.5% cadavers. The length and the breadth of the pyramidal lobes varied from 1to 38mm and 4 to 14mm respectively. In 62.5% cadavers, pyramidal lobes were associated with Levator grandulae thyroideae. Conclusion Presence of a pyramidal lobe in the thyroid gland is not a rare occurrence. Therefore when performing thyroid operations, it is crucial to observe the anterior cervical region carefully to detect the presence of a pyramidal lobe. Since our sample size is small we intend to carry out further studies on this area.
Antifungal, antibacterial and insecticidal activities of the endolichenic fungi of the lichen Usnea sp. at Hakgala montane forest
(Research Symposium 2010 - Faculty of Graduate Studies, University of Kelaniya, 2010) Paranagama, P.A.; Kannangara, B.T.S.D.P.; Rajapaksha, R.S.C.G.
In a search for new bioactive natural products from endolichenic fungal species isolated from the lichens, bioactivity studies of fungi living with lichens were recently initiated and from this study, the potential of ethyl acetate extracts of endolichenic fungi inhabiting the lichen, Usnea sp. from Hakgala montane forest was investigated using antifungal, antibacterial and insecticidal properties. Selected four endolichenic fungal species, Chrysosporium sp.1, Fusarium sp., Curvularia sp. and dark sterile sp.1 were extracted with ethyl acetate (EtOAc) to obtain the secondary metabolites. Antifungal effects of theses extracts were tested against Colletotrichum musae, which cause anthracnose disease in banana, and the antibacterial activity was investigated against Bacillus subtilus and Staphyloccus aureus using filter paper disk method and well diffusion method respectively. Residual film bioassay (RFB) and Treated seed bioassay (TSB) were carried out to evaluate the insecticidal activity of the fungal extracts contained secondary metabolites against cowpea bruchid, Callosobruchus maculatus. The highest yield of the secondary metabolites was obtained from the dark sterile sp.1. (1.0610g). Results of the antifungal activity and antibacterial activity revealed an increase of the diameter of inhibition zone with increasing dose of extracts. EtOAc extracts of Curvularia sp. on PDA and PDB showed higher antifungal effects against C. musae. Highest inhibition of C. musae was observed at the dose of 400 μg of the EtOAc extracts. EtOAc extracts of Curvularia sp. on PDA and PDB showed higher inhibitory effects (diameter ~2.0cm) and both Curvularia sp. on PDA and PDB extracts showed similar effect with a MIC of 50 μg and Curvularia sp. on PDB indicated the lowest MLC of 100 μg against C. musae. Chrysosporium sp. 1 showed higher antibacterial effects against Staphylococcus aureus and Bacillus subtilis. Insecticidal assays revealed that percentage mortalities of C. maculatus shown in two bioassay methods were not significantly different from each other. Highest mortality (100%) of C. maculatus was observed in the EtOAc extracts of Curvularia sp. obtained from both PDB and PDA separately. Also the LC50 values for both Residual film bioassay and Treated seed bioassay confirmed that the lowest values were obtained for EtOAc extracts of Curvularia sp.on PDA and PDB.
An assessment of obstacles to technology driven business transformation in the agro based organizations in the Eastern province of Sri Lanka
(Research Symposium 2010 - Faculty of Graduate Studies, University of Kelaniya, 2010) Athambawa, S.; Pushpakumara, Chamli; Wickramarachchi, A P R; Nanayakkara, J L D F
Transformation and change are critical issues for most organizations.. Business transformation is a change management strategy which has the aim to align People, Process and Technology initiatives of a business organisation more clearly with its business strategy and vision. Sri Lanka’s Northern and Eastern provinces which are recovering rapidly from the effects of war are identified as newly developing provinces. Agricultural sector is an important sector contributing to the economy of the eastern province. In the face of increased competition in domestic and international markets, small and medium sized farms and agribusinesses are in need of a transformation. Technology facilitates competitiveness and growth through product development, expanded business opportunities, and niche market creation. However, many technological innovations are not efficiently transferred and commercialized due to various bottlenecks such as slow technological transfer, adoption, and commercialization rates. This paper critically analyses the literature on how small businesses in the developing countries have used technology as a means for the transformation of small businesses in rural areas to meet the current competition. It will draw parallels for the agribusiness industry in the eastern province of Sri Lanka with a view of identifying a model suitable for the transformation of the agri-business in the Eastern Province of Sri Lanka and assess the current obstacles in achieving the transformation objectives..
Barriers to adopt Management Science Techniques among Sri Lankan Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs)
(Research Symposium 2010 - Faculty of Graduate Studies, University of Kelaniya, 2010) Dasanayake, L.W.
With the globalization deepening and the acknowledgement that it would prove difficult to remain outside it, therefore, SME sector in Sri Lanka will have to be prepared adequately if they were to become active players in the global market. The role that SME sector can play in stimulating competitive environment and technologically based innovation is becoming a crucial factor in the knowledge-base economy. However, the success of SME sector depends on the effective management science techniques (MST) that are used by the managers. These techniques are generally acceptable process improvement approaches for achieving exceptional results in many areas in the organization. Implementation of MST will maximize profit, minimize losses and restrict risks. Therefore, the usage of appropriate MST in the quantitative decision making process is increasingly in the focus of attention for entrepreneurs. This paper reports on the results of a study that examined barriers to adopt MST among a sample of 70 managers of SMEs in Sri Lanka. Further, the study examined the importance of MST in firm’s operational improvement and obstacles to implement MST, which can limit a firm's ability to remain competitive and profitable. Findings of the study show that barriers have a differential impact on the various types operations. The most significant barriers are associated with organizational factors of organizational culture, top management support and motivation to use MST. The results may also be insightful for managers who are attempting to encourage adoption of MST.
Change of women’s role in a traditional village
(Research Symposium 2010 - Faculty of Graduate Studies, University of Kelaniya, 2010) Wickramaarachchi, W.A.W.L.
Rural villagers are unable to forget because they have not been changed due the social, economic, political and cultural factors for more than half a century. The role of father and mother is an important factor to perform the various types of responsibility within the family system. Economic and social life of human is based on livelihood in past and present time. So, women do important and equal role in traditional society. Due to industrial revolution and urbanization rural people migrated to urban areas for finding employment in factories. Sri Lanka society was not vulnerable to those changes but due to colonization of Sri Lanka by English people abolished the feudalism (1833), barren land act (1840), corn tax act (1855), prohibition of illegal settlement act (1897) etc. forced to change Sri Lanka society and urbanized. With the introduction of open economic policies or liberalized economic policies to Sri Lanka in 1978 rural men and women were able to find jobs in Free Trade Zone in Sri Lanka. Hence, the role of women has been changed. It can be identified the various ways of the changes of women’s role in Sri Lanka. It can be recognized various changes of women’s role in the Sooriyagama study area. Due to free education majority of women were able to go to various types of jobs in Sri Lanka. With the help of modernization, urbanization, westernization and industrialization it is obvious that any society can be changed. So, the problem of this studies whether the women’s role has been changed and which ways. The objectives of this study are to identify the various types of ways which the women’s role has been changed, identify the sectors of changed and identify the type of change either positive or negative. It has been used comparative method and functional method for this study. Interview schedule and observation method was employed to collect primary data. Sooriyagama village in Haburugala in Bentota division was selected for this study. Data was collected from sixty women as a sample in this village. This include over sixteen women, unmarried ten women, thirty four women under twenty five-fifty age category. Thirty two were employed and majority is self-employed women. The reasons for changing the role of these women’s are free education, social understanding and job opportunities. The contribution for child socialization from nuclear family is 68%. 70% of women work hard daily. Due to new technology cooking and washing of women has been changed by 80%. According to collected data it can be said that the role of women has been changed and this change not a change of role but the modernization of role.
Changes in mammal abundance due to small tank renovation – A Case Study from the Dry Zone of Sri Lanka
(Research Symposium 2010 - Faculty of Graduate Studies, University of Kelaniya, 2010) Dangalla, N.K.; Najim, M.M.M.; Nishantha, K.P.L.
The tank renovation programs in Sri Lanka were implemented with the sole objective of increasing agricultural productivity without considering the possible impacts on the environments. A study was conducted to assess the impact of tank renovation on mammal diversity around renovated tanks. Twelve small tanks from Galgamuwa D.S. Division were selected using stratified random sampling technique. The questionnaire survey was responded by 150 randomly selected farmers while 400 farmers were engaged in the 12 PRA surveys covering each study tank. Results from these surveys were assessed to evaluate the abundance of mammals before and after the tank renovation. According to the questionnaire survey deer, mongoose species and sambur populations have decreased with tank renovation. Twelve percent of the respondents are with the opinion that many deers (Axis axis ceylonesis) could be seen before the tank renovation but 79 % of them reported that deer could not be seen abundantly after the renovation. According to the farmers responses, Sambur (Cervus unicolor unicolor) could not be seen after the tank renovation. The PRA analysis identified an increase in mammal species in Monnankulama tank while a decrease in Ihalagama tank. The other tanks did not show any changes in the overall mammal populations. The reduction in the population of these mammals could be due to the increased human, vehicular and machinery movements due to the tank renovation. In additions, regular removals of vegetation cover from the tank surroundings, increased crop cultivation and settlements could have contributed to the changes in mammal diversity. According to the PRA survey, least mammal density is reported from Pahala Pulanchiya, Inhale and Pahala Palukandawa, Kurundankulama and Diwullawa tanks. The main reason for the least population could be linked to the closeness to the main roads and the settlements.
The changing pattern of Classical Song on the impact of Electronic media; with special reference to Radio and T.V media in Sri Lanka
(Research Symposium 2010 - Faculty of Graduate Studies, University of Kelaniya, 2010) Jinadasa, W.W Manoj Pushpa Kumara; Dias, W.K.R.R.
The objective of this study is to identify the characteristic features behind the changing of Classical Song on the impact of Electronic Media with special reference to the Radio and Television media channels in Sri Lanka. In 1990, after the high circulation of electronic media in Sri Lanka well-made classical song, which has been standardized in the radio media for nearly six decades, happened to change its both semantic construction and classical music construction. In this, with compare to its previous decades, classical song, which is highly popular in so called electronic media, has to seen many failures in poetic expression in both semantic and acoustic appreciation. Qualitative analysis is used in this study. In this, Interviewing form the selected electronic media personals by whom embarked on musical song programmes and Textual analysis from selected narrations of songs, which are highly popular at electronic media is descriptively analyzed.
Classification and Regression Trees (CART) based Data Driven Approach for Prosody Duration Modeling in Sinhala Language
(Research Symposium 2010 - Faculty of Graduate Studies, University of Kelaniya, 2010) Dolawattha, D.D.M.; Dias, N.G.J.; Kumara, K.H.
A Text-to-Speech (TTS) Synthesizer or Text-to-Speech Engine is a computer based system that capable to read any text aloud with naturally. In TTS, the text might be inserted directly to the computer by an operator or an output file of an Optical Character Recognition (OCR) system of a scanned written text document. Prosody features play a major role when developing a TTS system. Getting the correct intonation, Stress and duration from written text is the most challenging problems for natural languages. The prosodic duration highly affect on machine generated synthetic speech’s naturalness and intelligibility. Here we have used different features that are automatically derived from the text and affect on the duration pattern of the natural speech to be modeled the duration. In this work, in order to develop generic models for prosodic synthesis in speech synthesis, we have selected a speech corpus of 150 possible sentences in Sinhala Language and recorded them according to the three intonation patterns angry, sadness and sarcastic with a female native speaker who is a well trained person in Drama and Theater. Both the waveform and the spectrogram were used to determine the segment (phoneme) boundaries, and the boundaries identified are confirmed by listening to the speech. Each segment in the corpora was annotated with the following features together with the actual segment duration and finally generated the CART. Identity of the current phoneme, Identity of the preceding phoneme, the features considered are the Identity of the following phoneme, Position in the parent syllable, Parent syllable initial, Parent syllable final, Parent syllable position type, Number of syllables in the parent word, Position of parent syllable in the word, Parent syllables break information, Phrase length (number of words) and Position of phrase in the utterance. Above features were observed from similar worked carried out for other languages specially Asian languages [1]. Predictions of the segmental durations were done as follows. The decision tree (CART) was traversable starting from the root node, taking various paths satisfying the conditions at intermediate nodes, till the leaf node is reached. The leaf node contains the value of segmental duration prediction.
A Comparative Analysis of Grouping Students into Ability Groups and Mixed Ability Groups When Teaching English as a Second Language at the Faculty of Commerce and Management, University of Kelaniya
(Research Symposium 2010 - Faculty of Graduate Studies, University of Kelaniya, 2010) Ranatunga, Ruwandini
When teaching English as a second language the two most common types of groups are mixed ability groups and ability groups. In most Sri Lankan universities students are made to sit a placement test on entering of which the results provide the basis for their grouping at the intensive course. They are grouped according to their level of proficiency in English and taught in ability groups. At the University of Kelaniya, they sit the test and their level of proficiency is assessed. Nevertheless they are taught in mixed ability groups. There are linguistic, psychological and practical reasons which account for the preference of one of the above two grouping methods. This paper is aimed at analyzing the pros and cons of ability grouping and mixed ability grouping, for teaching English as a second language. Thus, this study will make it possible to find the better type of grouping of the two types mentioned, in order to carry out Teaching -Learning Process more effectively. The paper will be based on the grouping of the first year students of the Faculty of Commerce and Management at the University of Kelaniya. In order to do so, this project will use both qualitative and quantitative research, including questionnaires, interviews with members of the Faculty and analysis of student grades.
A COMPARATIVE STUDY ON GENERAL DECISION MAKING STYLES OF MIDDLE LEVEL MANAGERS BETWEEN PRIVATE AND PUBLIC SECTOR ORGANIZATIONS IN SRI LANKA
(Research Symposium 2010 - Faculty of Graduate Studies, University of Kelaniya, 2010) Gunasekare, U.L.T.P.; Morawakage, P.S.
In this study decision making styles of middle level managers in three government departments and three private companies were studied to find out their general decision making styles and further a comparison was done between these two sectors. Literature sl,lggests five decisions making styles such as rational decision making, institutive decision making, dependent decision making, avoidant decision making and spontaneous decision making. These five decision making styles were observed among the selected sample and questionnaire GDMS instrument developed by Scott and Bruce (1995) was administered among twenty numbers of managers in each sector. Analysis was done using descriptive statistics. Results disclosed that there is a vast different between government sector and private sector middle level managers in making decisions. Most of the government managers display dependent and avoidant decision making styles while private sector managers display rational and spontaneous decisions making styles. Key words - general decision making styles, rational decision making, institutive decision making, dependent decision making, avoidant decision making ,spontaneous decision making.
Corporate Reporting Practices in Sri Lanka with special reference to the Manufacturing Companies Listed in Colombo Stock Exchange
(Research Symposium 2010 - Faculty of Graduate Studies, University of Kelaniya, 2010) Pushpakumara, W.P.N.; Rajapakse, R.M.D.A.P.
In recent years all over the world there has been increasing demand for transparency of operations with respect to environmental and social performance of the corporate in addition to its financial performance. The environmental and social reporting is a tool for extending a broad dialogue with stakeholders, those who are interested in the organization. Environmental and social reporting is a gesture to reveals Company’s commitment towards sustainability, it underlines their responsiveness to those who always want to know the company betterment. Thus corporate reporting on social is grown significantly throughout the world. This study has been carried out to analyze the extent of corporate reporting by the listed companies in manufacturing sector of the Colombo Stock Exchange and the how it influenced by the company attributes. The researches have identified five main categories of disclosures such as Information on Accounting and Finance, Information on Personal, Information on Marketing, Information on Production and General Information. The research population is manufacturing sector in Sri Lanka, and the research is based on 3listed companies has been selected on the sample from manufacturing industry listed in Colombo Stock Exchange. The research is based on the secondary data of the companies for the period covering 2008 to 2010. The empirical results of the study indicate that a large number of reporting items have lesser disclosure score in the selected sample during the period. Information on Accounting and Finance has gained maximum disclosure score percentage during the period while general information has the lowest score of disclosure. Further it has found that a positive significant relationship between the sizes and the disclosure and also turnover and disclosure of the company. Finally it concludes that the disclosure practices of Sri Lankan manufacturing companies still not in a satisfactory level, therefore corporate sector of the Sri Lanka must be pays special attention on this regard.
Dengue vector mosquito surveillance and dengue risks based on environmental factors in Kelaniya MOH area
(Research Symposium 2010 - Faculty of Graduate Studies, University of Kelaniya, 2010) Nadeeka, P.V.J.; Amarasinghe, L.D.
Potential dengue vector mosquito surveillance was conducted at 25 sites in Kelaniya Medical Office of Health area that contains 37 Divisional secretariat areas and 6 PHI divisions, from April 2008 to Feb 2010 at monthly intervals. Sites were selected based on census using GPS. The abundance of Aedes albopictus and Ae. aegypti was determined using ovitraps installed in out door and indoor at each site and by adult emergence rate from eggs and field caught mosquitoes. Adult mosquito species were identified morphologically. Recorded dengue cases within the Kelaniya MOH area were obtained after a written approval from Regional Director of Health Services of Gampaha. Based on the ovitrap study it was revealed that oviposition prevalence of Aedes mosquitoes in outdoor was higher than that of indoor in all the study sites. It was highest in Hunupitiya PHI division followed by Dalugama, Kiribathgoda, Peliyagoda, Kelaniya and Wedamulla divisions. The study also reveald that indoor and outdoor adult mosquito populations based on the emergence rate are dominatwed by Ae.albopictus (75%) in the study sites. The highest abundance of Ae.albopictus was recorded in Hunupitiya PHI division in the outdoor site.There were positive correlations between the number of suspected dengue patients and the abundance of Ae.aegypti (P=0.027) and Ae.albopictus(P=0.049) in indoor sites of each PHI divisions.the least number of patients and mosquito populations were recorded at Wedamulla PHI division. Within the each year of study period, there were two peaks of the outdoor mean number of eggs per ovitrap each in April and December. Indoor mean number of eggs per ovitrap was significantly correlated with number of wet days (P=0.033). However, outdoor mean number of eggs per ovitrap was significantly correlated with humidity (P=0.049).Recorded dengue cases and environmental factors were linked to GIS database and presented in digitized maps. Financial assistance from NSF RG/2007/HS/14 is highly acknowledged.
Derivation of Equations that satisfy Dirac’s Equation and invariance of transformations similar to Guage Transformations under mixed numbers
(Research Symposium 2010 - Faculty of Graduate Studies, University of Kelaniya, 2010) Hansameenu, W.P.T.; de Silva, L.N.K.; de Silva, T.P.
Determinants of Exchange Rate Movements
(Research Symposium 2010 - Faculty of Graduate Studies, University of Kelaniya, 2010) Ranjani, R.P.C.; Fernando, J.M.R.; Rathnasiri, U.A.H.A.
The economy is comprised of many activities that fulfill human needs. The fluctuations of economy depend on variety of economic tools in any country. The exchange rate is one of the most important macro economic tool, since it links the domestic economy and the rest of the economies together. In the recent past, countries have shown a tendency to choose either hard peg or freely float system in determining their exchange rate. Since January 2001 Sri Lanka was abandoned the existing floated system which were governed by the Central Bank to a free float system by allowing greater freedom in determining the exchange rate through market forces. Therefore identification of the macro economic factors is significant in determination of exchange rate. In this study we have taken the Nominal Effective Exchange Rate (NEER) as the dependent variable and interest rate, inflation rate and GDP growth rate as the macro economic variables. Three months Treasury bills rate is represent the interest rate and Weighted Price Index (WPI) is for the calculation of the inflation. This study will be basically using secondary data sources such as Central Bank annual reports, and Central Bank Website. The time period for this study considered from year 2005 to 200based on quarterly balances. For analysis of data regression and correlation coefficient were used. The result shows that the correlations between the dependent variables and the independent variables have strong relationship and the regression results shows that the selected macroeconomic variables are significant in determining the exchange rate. Overall results conclude that the exchange rate is insightful to the macro economic variables.
Development Information needs and issues of Estate Workers in Sri Lanka
(Research Symposium 2010 - Faculty of Graduate Studies, University of Kelaniya, 2010) Weerasooriya, W.A.; Wanigasooriya, Priyanwada; Piyarathana, Rev.L; Samarakoon, Manori
People live in a divided world: between rich and poor, healthy and sick, literate and illiterate, democratic and authoritarian and between empowered and deprived. Human development is a process of enlarging people’s freedom to do and be what they value in the life, empowering people as active agents in the development process. People are both the beneficiaries and agents of human development both as individual and as group in common sense with others. Information remains as the fountainhead for human development and the economic growth today. Information is a catalyst for the development, and it is classified in different contexts. ‘Development Information’ indicates the whole types of information that lead for the economic, social, political and cultural development of a nation or a country. This research discusses the information needs and issues of Estate Workers in Sri Lanka with special reference to Nuwara Eliya district, focusing the Development Information context. The objectives of this study are to have a clear picture about Development Information, to identify development information needs, to identify the ways that the estate workers fulfill their information needs, to identify the information providers and public opinion makers in the community and to identify the issues faced by the Estate Workers in the information flow in Sri Lanka. The research method adopted was the survey research of using questionnaires, interviews and observation as principal research techniques. The research was based on a field visits selecting 150 Estate Worker families as a sample in three Gramasewa Divisions; Lidula, Watagoda and Talawakale. Primary data revealed that majority of Estate Workers are illiterate and they did not have rights to do their works on their own. Talewar and neighbors are the main information providers and they have less confidence with government officials such as Grama Sewaka, Midwife, Health Inspectors and Doctors. Further they were less entitled for the facilities such as good health conditions, nutrition, sanitary facilities, access to maternity services provided in other sectors. They live hand to mouth life and not custom to save a certain percentage of money from their fort night earning. To overcome these issues adult education is a prime necessity and audio visual teaching methods should be used to increase the awareness of information and its access for their day today life. It is essential to develop more infrastructure facilities among the Estate Worker communities.
The Digital lab: a computer lab to replace microscopic slides by virtual slides
(Research Symposium 2010 - Faculty of Graduate Studies, University of Kelaniya, 2010) Hettige, S.; Solangaarachchi, D.I.K.; Thilakawansa, H.K.D.D.; Pathmeswaran, A.
Introduction Traditional medical curriculum includes many laboratory classes where students learn to recognize microscopic structures and pathological changes by looking at prepared slides using light microscopes. The periodic preparation of identical sets of slides is not an easy task.The use of virtual microscopic slides as a cost effective solution to the use of traditional microscopes at lab classes in the Faculty of Medicine is described. Materials and Methods The digital lab is equipped with 65 PCs and a server. Server is run on Linux platform while the PCs have both Windows Vista and Ubuntu platform access. Moodle learning management system is used to deliver lessons that contain virtual slides prepared by the teaching staff. Open source virtual network computing software is used to mirror the teachers computer screen to students desktop when required. The microscopic simulation of zooming is done by mapping area in the virtual slides in HTML pages to the correct slides that is available in another HTML page using tag. This is done by using Amaya Web Editor. The traditional lab class teaching method is enhanced by adding Java scripts, audio clips, and video clips to the teaching materials. Results Discussion The teachers can upload the lesson to the server and make assignments via the LAN. The students are given access to the virtual material any time. The problem of vanishing slides near the exams will be also solved. We did not incur any expenses on software as we have used open source software and Windows OS through Microsoft Academic Alliance.