Theses and Dissertations
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Item The association between asthma and functional abdominal pain disorders in paediatric population: common pathophysiological mechanisms causing this association(University of Kelaniya, 2019) Kumari, A.M.M.V.Asthma and functional abdominal pain disorders (FAPDs) are common paediatric disorders affecting quality of life. Though the association of asthma with irritable bowel syndrome has been reported, association with other FAPDs and possible underlying pathophysiological mechanisms have not been well described. This thesis describes the association between asthma and FAPDs (Phase I) and investigation of a possible pathophysiological mechanism using gastric motility and lung function tests (Phase II) in a cohort of children. In phase I, a cross-sectional survey was conducted among randomly selected adolescents. The validated Rome HI, and International Study on Asthma and Allergies in Childhood (ISAAC) questionnaires were utilized to identify adolescents with FAPDs and asthma respectively. Health-related quality of life (HRQoL) was evaluated using the Paediatric Quality of Life Inventory. Logistic regression showed independent association between asthma and functional abdominal pain [odds ratio (OR) 3.1, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.6-6.0], functional dyspepsia (OR 3.9, 95% CI 1.1-13.5) and abdominal migraine (OR 10.2, 95% CI 2.6-39.5). HRQoL was significantly impaired among adolescents with both disorders. In phase II, an extensive review identified shared pathophysiological mechanisms; smooth muscle dysfunction, immune dysfunction, hypersensitivity, mucosal inflammation and barrier dysfunction, followed by a laboratory-based study involving 100 children (age 7-12 years), recruited into 4 groups of 25 each; asthma only, FAPDs only, asthma and FAPDs, and healthy controls. Asthma was diagnosed using clinical history and spirometry, and FAPDs by Rome III criteria. All subjects underwent real-time ultrasonography and spirometry. Gastric emptying rate, amplitude of antral contractions and antral motility index were significantly impaired in children with either disorder or both compared to controls (p<0.05). Antral motility index correlated with FEVi/FVC ratio (r=0.60, p=0.002) and FEF25%-75% (r=0.49,p=0.01) in children with both disorders. In conclusion, a strong independent association was noted between asthma and FAPDs. Gastric motility was significantly impaired in children with either disorder or both. Motility index measuring overall gastric motor function, shov/ed significant positive correlation with lung function parameters that measured airflow limitation. Primary disturbance of smooth muscle activity in airways and the gastrointestinal wall could be a possible pathophysiological mechanism for this association between asthma and FAPDs.Item The effect of environmental factors in learning English as a second language (a study on English language education of ordinary level students in Kurunegala district)(Bandara, L. H. M. S.(2019), The effect of environmental factors in learning English as a second language (a study on English language education of ordinary level students in Kurunegala district), MPhil Theses. University of Kelaniya, 2019) Bandara, L. H. M. S.The purpose of this research is to investigate the effect of external environmental factors; the school learning environment and the home learning environment, in learning English as a second language of rural and urban schools in the Kurunegala district. As far as the school learning environment is concerned, it describes seven factors; school equipment, teachers’ qualifications, the relationship among the teacher and the student, the relationship among peers, the scale of school and characteristics of school. As far as the home learning environment is concerned, it describes two factors; socio-economic status and the education of family members . Under the school learning environment, 17 indicators were developed whereas 26 indicators were developed under the home learning environment. Those indicators were evaluated by questionnaires and observations and data was analyzed using qualitative and quantitative methods. Quantitative data was analyzed by Chi squired test and qualitative data was analyzed by comparison. According to the considered 17 school learning environmental factors that effect on second language learning, 6 factors have an influence to promote second language learning in the urban school, percentagewise it is 35.29% whereas 3 factors have higher influence to upgrade English language learning in the rural school more than the urban school. Percentage wise, it is 17.64%. 8 factors do not cause for the difference of second language learning between the rural school and the urban school. Percentagewise it is 47.058%. According to the considered 26 home learning environmental factors that effect on second language learning, 21 factors cause for the difference of second language learning between the rural school and the urban school. Percentagewise, it is 80.769%. 5 factors do not cause for the difference of second language learning between the rural school and the urban school. Percentagewise it is 19.230%.Thus, this research reveals that the homeItem කාන්තාව පිළිබඳ තත්කාලීන ග්රීක සමාජ දෘෂ්ටිය ට්රැජඩි නාට්යකරුවන් කෙරෙහි ඇති කළ බලපෑම(2017) කුමාරි, ඒ.ආර්.බී.පී.The origin of Greek drama was liked with the worship of God Dionysius the god of fertility after life and wine. The ritual which later turned in to a religious ceremony came to be organized as a dramatic festival later on. Three types of drama were performed in these festivals. They were Tragedy, Comedy and satire. Among three Tragedies took a prominent place. Among the classical dramatists who lived in 5th century BCE only the plays of Aeschylus, Sophocles and Euripides have survived the test of time. Characters of women have obtained a prominent place in their dramas. The Matriarchal society which existed Greece had turned in to a patriarchal society. By the classical period women had become subordinate to their made counter parts. She had only the powers of giving birth and nurturing children apart from some other insignificant functions. Political, social, economical rights as well as freedom of thought had not been accessible to women. The afore mentioned dramatists, though they based their themes on ancient myths the portrayal of women were given much strength. They brought on to stage characters such as Clytemnestra, Jocasta, Antigoni, furies, Medea, Phaedra. These characters indulged in ruling the state, were independent in thought had political rights and were well respected within the family. They were also tactful, passionate and obstinate characters who stood up for internal conflicts within their minds. Some had even resort to take cruel revenge. They were very much different from the traditional subdued women. This study would be concentrated on selected characters of women found in the tragedies of the Classical period. The aim and objective of the investigation would be to analyze the various factors that had influenced the characters to be so. The reasons would be of the values of contemporary society, politics and philosophical thought that were likely to have influenced them. With those would be compared the forces that would have affected the thoughts of the dramatist with reality that they were facing. Sri Lankan dramatists have been of late compelled to experiment on Greek Tragedy through various interpretations and structures based on vivid angles. This study could make a considerable contribution to the afore mentioned translations and adaptations of this new tendency in Sri Lanka.Item Item Impact of occupational stresses on organizational commitment in public sector banks of Sri Lanka (special reference to middle level managers)(2019) Rukshan, A.R.Relationship between Occupational Stress and Organizational Commitment are well established phenomenon in past literature that it has negative relationship, when stress levels are increasing it decrease Organizational commitment in turn. However, there is evidence that increasing employee decreased organizational commitment, job satisfaction and employee turnover. Increase in staff turnover, fraud, increase non communal diseases and even sudden death among bankers are evidence to the occupational stress among bankers. According to that this study developed to examine the impact of occupational stresses on organizational commitment in public sector banks of Sri Lanka, special reference to middle level managers. The research approach used the survey method as the research strategy, study was conducted in two major government Sri Lankan Banks its Head office Unit and selected branch from provinces, using random sampling method. Expected response rate of 90%, assumes to distribute more than 300 questionnaires among employees in permanent carder that covers every position of the bank in middle manager level at head office units and branches. Data gathered from the sample was descriptively analyzed. For statistical analysis, measure of correlation between variables will be used. The process of analysis was carried out using SPSS statistical software. Which the analysis will reveals that correlation between the variables of Role Stress and Organizational commitment. Findings of the study emphasis that most of respondents have agreed with the statements related to each variable and all the data for each variable can be assumed as normally distributed. As per the regression analysis, all the independent variables are significant except the coefficient of the Job Security. Also, all the hypotheses are accepted except job security. Which means the ocupational stresses directly impacted to the organisational commitment of the middle level managers of public banks in Sri LankaItem The impact of disclosure of corporate social responsibility on investment decision of the shareholders(2019) Bandara, B.N.W.T.S.U.The study examines the impact of disclosure of corporate social responsibility on investment decision of the shareholders. The key objectives are to identify the impact of the CSR information on the buying decisions of the shareholders and the impact of demographic factors on the buying decision of the shareholders. The study uses quantitative approach and data is collected using standard questionnaire from a sample of 180 investors. Structural equation modeling is performed using smart PLS. Accordingly no impact of CSR is found on shareholder buying decision. However there is a significant impact of gender and age towards the investment decision.Item Work life balance and commitment of government hospital nurses(2019) Dayananda, K.H.M.K.The nurses play a crucial role in the government hospital and their commitment and the work life balance seem to have a greater impact in order to ensure quality of health sector in the country. The main emphases of the study are to figure out the factors affect to the Work Life Balance (WLB) and to examine the Work Life Balance influence on working Commitment among the nursing professionals. The study conducted using primary data gathered focusing government hospitals in Colombo area. The questionnaires were distributed among nurses working in the selected three hospitals in Colombo district. Participants are asked to complete structural questionnaires which were developed to measure demographic factors and research variables. Hundred and five competed questionnaires returned from respondents. Descriptive statistics and correlation analysis and regression were utilized to data analysis. The study has examined eight independent variables which affect to the Work Life Balance and it was found the working environment, work stress, financial encouragement and family & life factors have greater impact to the work life balance. Here, multiple regression model was used to find out the independent variables out of eight variables which affect to the Work Life Balance and it was found the among the independent variables the working environment, work stress, financial encouragement and family & life factors have greater impact to the Work Life Balance. Here, it reveals that the four independent variables have statistically significant impact to the WLB. As such variables remain significant in terms of WLB among the nursing profession in Sri Lankan context. Public sector still plays a vibrant role in every country. If public sector employees are not satisfied with their motives, employee performance will deteriorate and inefficiency will be increased. It may also be a part of grievances, low productivity, disciplinary problems and other organization difficulties. As such, the next focus is to measure the relationship among WLB and level of working commitment based on the same sample selected. Organizational commitment was measured with 20 statements. Having undergone a correlation analysis, here it is noted that Work life balance and working commitment have strong positive relationship under analysis of total scored gathered. In this context, it can be concluded that the proper WLB will lead to high working commitment and vice versa. As such, it is witnessed that better WLB will definitely have highly committed nursing professionals which also leads to enhance the quality of health service in the country.Item Dahanayake, P.(2019), Influence of service quality on customer loyalty in the telecommunication industry in Sri Lanka.M.COM Thesis. University of Kelaniya.(2019) Dahanayake, P.The key objectives of the study are to examine service quality direct effect on customer loyalty and to examine the perceived value mediates the relationship between service quality and customer loyalty in the telecommunication industry in Sri Lanka. Three hundred fifty-five questionnaires were received from the respondents, and the data of 339 questionnaires were used for the data analysis. Regression analysis was used to examine the direct effect of independent variable on dependent variable. The mediating effect of perceived value on the relationship between service quality and customer loyalty was analyzed using the process method. Data analysis was conducted using SPSS 23 software package. The key findings of the study are the overall service quality positively influences customer loyalty. Moreover, each service quality dimension significantly impacts customer loyalty of the telecommunication industry customers in Sri Lanka. Perceived value shows a significant influence on customer loyalty, and service quality positively influences perceived value. Moreover, the results do not offer a full mediating effect of perceived value towards the relationship between service quality and customer loyalty in the telecommunication industry. This study provides insights on the relative significance of perceived value and service quality for building customer loyalty. Telecommunication companies can enhance customer loyalty by providing excellent service quality that meets the expectations of telecommunication customers in Sri Lanka. Future researchers can examine the direct and indirect impact of the perceived value and other factors that may affect customer loyalty based on different variables and industries.Item The impacts of global financial crisis on garment industry in Sri Lanka: a study based on selected garment factories of Katunayake free trade zone(2019) Fernando, C.S.IThe garment industry in Sri Lanka has been the largest gross export earner since 1986. However, with the 2008 financial crisis country’s total exports started declining sharply. In this background, this study’s main objective was to identify the effect of the 2008 financial crisis on garments sector performances of the export sector in Sri Lanka. For this purpose, the study used a mixed methodology of quantitative and qualitative reasoning. Primary data for the study was collected by administering a questionnaire to randomly selected 23 apparel companies. The main analysis was done using three regression analyses. According to the first regression analysis, Imported Capital Inputs (ICI), Imported Revenue Inputs (IRI) and Domestic Capital Inputs (DCI) are found to have a positive and significant effect with regard to both Knitted Ready Made garment (KRMG) sector and Woven Ready Made garment (WRMG) sector except ICI, although which was positive but not significant on WRMG sector. Domestic Revenue Inputs (DRI) has a negative relationship on both sectors but DRI is not significant on KRMG sector and that of WRMG sector is significant. Although employment showed a positive relationship but it is not significant on firms level exports of KRMG sector and Employment has a negative relationship with regard to WRMG sector but same is insignificant in case of firms. Then, under the second regression analysis there were positive relationships between employment and exports and they were significant in case of both sectors. Finally under the third regression analysis only infrastructure was positive & significant. But wages has negative and significant effect on total garment exports. As a whole, it is possible to conclude that 2008 financial crisis has some mixed (both positive and negative) effects on garment industry expansion in Sri Lanka in the ensuing period.Item AN ANALYSIS OF SECOND LANGUAGE LEARNING DIFFICULTIES IN VISUALLY IMPAIRED CHILDREN IN NORTHERN REGION OF SRI LANKA(2019) Pushparajah, Vany.This study seeks to establish the state of second language (English) learning difficulties in children with visual impairments and make recommendations that could assist with special needs education in the country. The objectives of this study are to analyze the types of errors committed in second language learning, to analyze the teaching-learning difficulties in children with visual difficulties, analyze the personal-family-socio-political-economic factors that affect the learning, assess the extent of the learner-friendliness of the environments in which learners with visual impairments learn and to study the impact made by the use of Assistive Technology in the second language learning of visually impaired. This study was carried out in Northern Sri Lanka where children with visual impairments, their teachers and parents were the part of this study. 30 participants; including 25 students and 5 teachers took part in this study where both quantitative and qualitative data collection tools were utilized. Data collection consisted of surveys, classroom observations, and interviews with students and teachers, as well as with a close analysis of spoken and written samples of student works and available literature. Subsequently, a purposive sample was identified to participate in the second round of data collection where an interview protocol rooted in the literature was developed to act as a guide for the semi-structured interviews. Thematic analysis of the data was carried out using aspects of framework analysis. The study concludes that the students with visual impairment of this region undergo several difficulties in their second language learning where their personal, socio, political and economic factors make a remarkable impact. Despite the difficulties, the students are very motivated to learn the second language, English, and they positively regard the use of Talking Software as an Assistive Technology in the language learning context.