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Dengar: an anonymous GPS-based dengue and garbage real-time smart reporter
Get PDFAn Unhealthy environment causes infectious and
non-infectious diseases to the living beings.
Human plays an important role in controlling
disease spread, requiring every individual to
maintain environmental cleanliness. One measure
is to inform the relevant government authorities
about Dengue breeding sites and improper waste
management practices. Currently, there is no
practical mechanism to lodge complaints
anonymously, causing informers to face various
challenges. To address this gap, an Android based
prototype called ‘DenGar Reporter’ is introduced
in this work, where any general public can inform
authorities about untidy and health-risky
locations during their travels. Authorities,
including Public Health Inspector (PHI), MOH
offices, Municipal councils and police stations,
can receive reports through this prototype. This
prototype will not reveal the details of the
informer as it operates anonymously, instead it
will report the scenario with graphical
information, supporting media, and real-time
GPS location. This system ensures that the
anonymity of the user will be protected and he/she
will not get any retaliation and negative
impressions. The government’s sole purpose is to
eradicate dengue outbreaks and improper
garbage disposal in Sri Lanka, necessitating
information regarding the ignorant but not the
details of the informer. The system is an Android
application developed with Java and Firebase,
establishing a centralized system to report the
Dengue breeding sites and improper waste
management nationwide. Government
administrators monitor the automated system,
ensuring informer details are used solely for data
storage. The prototype has been tested with
several user groups and demonstrates a positive
impact in the society
Instant messenger (IM) adoption in the organizational setting; empirical evidence of the communication means for knowledge creation and group performance
Get PDFPurpose: the primary aim of this study is two-fold, (a) measuring the effect of
Instant Messenger adoption on team performance, lastly (b) examining the
mediating effect of irritation, knowledge creation and quality content on team
performance.
Design/methodology/approach: A quantitative research approach was used to
test the hypothesis. This study developed a structured questionnaire and
distributed it to the target population. Simple random sampling was used to select
respondents. Structural Equation Modelling (SEM) was used to analyze the data.
Findings: Results indicated that IM adoption significantly affects content quality
and knowledge creation. Results also confirmed the negative effect of irritation
on knowledge creation and quality content resulting from IM adoption, which
eventually diminishes the team’s performance.
Practical implications: Results indicated that it is better to create knowledge
about the instant messenger, implement that knowledge, and transfer that
knowledge to every member of the team. So eventually, it will help to adopt
instant messenger in that particular organization.
Research limitations: A quantitative technique was used in this study.
Experimental research would give a better picture of the effect of IM adoption.
Originality value: This study extended the knowledge of Media Synchronicity
Theory in the context of Instant messenger
Morbidity variations in Jaffna society - a pre-Covid scenario against – regional disparity and socio-economic status
No full textSainthamaruthu coastal lagoon is situated at the southern end of Kalmunai Municipal Council, which is one of the potential resources for waterfront development in Kalmunai and represents a typical geographical feature in the eastern part of Sri Lanka. However, due to various anthropogenic activities lagoon faces a threat of pollution. Identification of water pollutants in a lagoon is vital for conservation and sustainable utilization. The present study aimed to examine the spatiotemporal variations of surface water quality of Sainthamaruthu lagoon and to evaluate pollution levels of the lagoon concerning physicochemical water quality parameters. Data were collected biweekly in 2022 where the precise location of each location was recorded using a portable GPS unit. Samples were collected using clean high-density plastic bottles. The pH, water temperature, electric conductivity (EC), salinity, Total Dissolved Solids (TDS), Dissolved Oxygen (DO), Biological Oxygen Demand (BOD), Total Solids (TS), Total Suspended Solid (TSS), turbidity, hardness, and alkalinity were tested and data were analyzed statistically to interpret the results. The results showed that the spatial variation in every location was fluctuating in all parameters with increasing and decreasing trends and temporal variation of all parameters have shown significant (p < 0.05) differences within the studied period except for turbidity, DO, TS, and alkalinity. This study concludes that the Sainthamaruthu lagoon has been polluted and measures should be taken to prevent the pollution for sustainable use of the lagoon in the future
The day-of-the-week effect in the Colombo Stock Exchange: new evidence on pandemic and economic crisis
Get PDFThe stock market is an essential component of any economy, and the
day-of-the-week effect has been a topic of interest for researchers for several
years. This study aims to examine the day-of-the-week effect in the Colombo
Stock Exchange, focusing on analyzing how the effect has changed during the
pandemic and economic crisis.
Design/methodology/approach: The study employed the ordinary least squares
(OLS) regression model, using a dummy variable for each day of the week. The
study utilized daily data from January 2006 to December 2022. The sample was
divided into subsamples of normal and crisis periods. The normal subsample
covers January 2006 to December 2019, while the crisis subsample covers
January 2020 to December 2022. Additionally, the crisis subsample was further
divided into a pandemic and economic crisis period, covering January 2020 to
December 2021 and January 2020 to December 2022, respectively.
Findings: The results indicate that the Monday and Tuesday effects are negative,
while the Thursday and Friday effects are positive. The Wednesday effect is not
statistically significant. During the pandemic, the negative effect of Monday and
Tuesday weakened, while the Thursday effect strengthened. During the economic
crisis, the negative effect of Tuesday and the positive effect of Friday weakened,
while the Thursday effect remained significant.
Practical implications: The findings of this study have practical implications for
investors and policymakers in the CSE. Investors may use this information to
adjust their investment strategies by taking advantage of the observed day-of-the week effect. Policymakers may use this information to design policies that
mitigate the negative impact of the day-of-the-week effect on the stock market.
Originality value: This study provides new insights on the day-of-the-week
effect in the Colombo Stock Exchange during the pandemic and economic crisis,
contributing to the existing literature and informing investors and policymakers.
Research limitations: The study employs a simple OLS regression model, and
more sophisticated models may yield different results
The impacts of selected imported commodities on maritime transportation cost in Sri Lanka
Get PDFInsurance and freight costs are terms used in international trade and apply only to goods
shipped by sea. Sri Lanka Customs is the oldest department involved in the import of
goods into Sri Lanka. The purpose of this study is to identify the factors affecting the
shipping costs of various types of essential commodities imported into Sri Lanka. Daily
data for the period 2020 to 2021 were obtained from the National Valuation Database
Unit of Sri Lanka Customs to examine the relationship between factors (such as
distance between two ports, supply quantity of commodities, origin city, and type of
packaging) and transport costs using multiple linear regression model. Based on the
results of this study, the distance between two ports has a positive and significant effect
on the maritime transport cost of imported goods, while the supply quantity of
commodities and most of the origin cities (India, Thailand, USA, and Vietnam) have a
negative and significant effect on the maritime transport cost of imported goods.
However, some types of packaging (butt and carton) have a significant positive and
negative effect on maritime transport cost of imported goods respectively. The fitted
multiple regression model is very helpful for Sri Lanka to understand the factors
affecting the import of goods and reduce unnecessary expenditure
Time series approach for modeling and forecasting rice imports in Sri Lanka
Get PDFRice import forecasts are helping to farmers cope with the decline in paddy production.
Also, forecast the amount of rice imported by consumers, as this indirectly indicates the
amount of local production. The main objective of this study is to develop a time series
model to forecast rice imports in Sri Lanka. Autoregressive moving average (ARMA)
and Exponential generalized autoregressive conditional heteroscedasticity (EGARCH)
models were applied to monthly data collected from Sri Lanka Customs for the period
January 2001 to July 2021 and validated the model using data from August 2021 to July
2022. Mean absolute error (MAE) and Mean squared error (MSE) were employed to
examine the accuracy of forecasting. Based on the results of this study, the ARMA (1,0)
and EGARCH (1,1) models were identified as possible models for rice import
forecasting. However, ARMA (1,0) model is not suitable for forecasting rice imports
due to the presence of heteroscedasticity. Therefore, the EGARCH (1,1) model was
selected as the best model for forecasting. In addition, the rice import forecast for the
next 6 months shows that the volume of rice imports will decrease. The MAE and MSE
for the fitted model are 2.447 and 9.082 respectively. This model needs to be updated
time to time to account for constantly changing data for future forecasts
Awareness of copyright infringement among undergraduates of the state universities in Sri Lanka
Get PDFCopyright infringement characterized by the unauthorized use of copyrighted material without
creators' or authors' consent, constitutes a breach of economic and exclusive rights. This issue is
pervasive in higher education institutions in Sri Lanka, manifested through theft, piracy, reuse, and
plagiarism among degree-seeking students. This study explores copyright infringement awareness
among undergraduates at state universities in Sri Lanka, employing primary and secondary data.
Primary data were collected through Self-Administered Questionnaires (SAQ) distributed to 356
participants across academic years 2016/2017 to 2019/2020, encompassing general and honors
degree programs, selected via Random Sampling Method (RSM). Data analysis, facilitated by SPSS
(Version-26), yielded insights presented in tabular format. Results revealed that 58.1% of
participants were unaware of copyright infringement as academic dishonesty, as well as the Sri
Lankan government-enforced Intellectual Property Act No.36 of 2003, aimed at protecting
intellectual property. Additionally, 77.4% acknowledged copyright infringement as a forbidden act
within their religions (Islam, Buddhism, Christianity, and Hinduism Moreover, the main factors that
lead to copyright infringement of study samples were a lack of awareness of copyright law (38%),
costly textbooks (64.6%), and fear of lower semester grades (77.4%). These findings hold
implications for academia, libraries, university administration, and policy-making, prompting
proactive measures against future copyright violations. Researchers anticipate that these results will
significantly contribute to future investigations in this area.The Indonesian Journal of Socio-Legal Studie
The effects of monetary shocks in Sri Lankan economy
Get PDFMonetary policy tools change from one country to another based
on their legal and fiscal status. It is necessary to have models to
understand monetary variables affecting the country's economy. This research study aims to evaluate the monetary variable shocks which affect the Sri Lankan economy. Five
Structural Vector Autoregressive models called generic model,
bank lending model, money effect model, exchange rate model
and composite model were generated to evaluate the impacts of
Sri Lankan Economy by the monetary variables Gross Domestic
Product, Consumer Price Index, Reserve Money, Commercial
Bank Loan, Money Supply, Bank Rate and Exchange Rate. It
was found that, necessary action to be taken to implement
appropriate monetary policies to keep gross domestic product in a
progressive path. And keeping gross domestic product in a
progressive path will lead Sri Lankan currency to appreciate
against US dollar. Implementation of strong monetary policies to
monitor bank rates and commercial bank loans closely will lead
progressive economic growth
Teaching English grammar at the undergraduate level: a generative syntactic approach
Get PDFThis paper presents a model of teaching English grammar at
the undergraduate level based on the Government and Binding theory of
syntax proposed by Chomsky (1981-). The model covers sentence
construction in terms of Argument structure of the verb, predicate type and
complement selection, and teaching the lexical categories of noun, verb,
adjective, adverbs. While presenting these phenomena in the light of the
aligned syntactic framework, how each of these different grammatical
phenomena can be taught is also illustrated in the form of teaching points
and activities. Thus, each theoretical description is supplemented by
instructions for teachers for its practical application in the ELT classroom.
Since this is a presentation of a teaching model, to be experimented with
undergraduate learners, it does not constitute an exact empirical study, and
hence the lack of references to methodological steps and tools.
Nevertheless, it attempts to answer the research question ‘how the insights
of theoretical linguistics, mainly generative syntax, can be applied in the
writing of a pedagogical grammar for undergraduate learners’ in a broader
perspective