Research Symposium-2015
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Item Analyze the Histamine level in various positions of the Histamine developed Tuna fish(Uva Wellassa University of Sri Lanka, 2015) Kalubowila, K.S.H.; Liyanage, N.P.P.; Perera, A.Sea food processing industry is a high income generating field in Sri Lanka and it brings high foreign exchange to the country. Big eye tuna (Thunnus obesus) and yellow fin tuna (Thunnus albacares) are the major tuna types which are exported by Sri Lanka to the international market. (FAO, 2014).However the presence of Histamine is the problematic factor inTuna fish processing industry which leads the industry to many health issues and income losses. Histamine is a chemical compound created from histidine and enteric bacteria are capable of transforming histidine to histamine by the enzyme decarboxylase. Once histamine is formed, it cannot be not destroyed by freezing, cooking, smoking, curing or canning. Histamine level of more 2012).Histamine level varies position of the tuna fish body. Hence this research was carried out to identify and analyze the Histamine level in various positions of the Histamine developed tuna fish. Methodology Survey was done to select the positions of taking samples from tuna fish. 15 fresh fish processing companies were selected and questionnaire was given. Three positions were selected based on the questionnaire filled by the fish processing companies. Three positions of the tuna fish were selected, beneath the pectoral fin of the fish, near the belly area and the tail end respectively and thirty tuna fish were subjected to Histamine test individually. ELISA method and histaminevertox test kit were used to analyze the histamine levels in the tuna fish.Sample preparation, sample extraction, sample dilution and Histamine testing are the major steps done in ELISA method. Collected data were analyzed by using Minitab 17 software.Highest mean values and variance values were taken from those positions. Non parametric Mann-Whitney test was done to find out the significant different among positions. Results and Discussion Highest mean values and variance values were taken from those positions. High Histamine was recorded in the belly area due to the most of the bacteria which responsible for converting Histidine to Histamine, lived in the gut of tuna fish. Through poor post-harvest techniques, low hygiene practices, bad catching method, bad killing methods and bad handling methods could expose the gut material to the fish muscles and so enteric bacteria easily release the Histidine decarboxylase enzyme to Histidine free specific amino acid and then forming Histamine (Koohdaret al., 2010).This reaction cannot be stopped and can only be controlled. Usually low histamine levels could be observed from gilled and gutted fish because gilled and gutted fish had low probability to contaminate by histamine forming enteric bacteria (Ebrahimet al., 2012).Very low Histamine level was recorded in the tail area because effect of enteric bacteria which lived in the tail was very low because of that ability to bacterial contamination also very low and histamine also very low.Item Bolster entrepreneurial attitudes and intention among post- graduates in India(Uva Wellassa University of Sri Lanka, 2015) Pretheeba, P.; Ponnmani, R.There is a huge increase in youth unemployment compared to adult unemployment in many regions and persistently high throughout the world (ILO, 2013). Unfortunately, majority of youth labor force prevail in developing economies, where Asia takes the lead. Being the second largest country, huge number of youth domiciliate in India next to China. Large number of youth in India experiences the challenge of structural and frictional unemployment. The latest unemployment figures released by Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation showed a remarkable unemployment in India continued to rise. The entrepreneurship is one of the best career options to relieve from the challenges of unemployment. It plays a vital role in creating new, competitive markets and businesses which lead to job creation and have a multiplying effect on the economic development of the country (Christy & Dassie, 2000; Saini, 2001; UNDP, 2001; Lumpkin & Dress, 1996). Cognize the prominence of entrepreneurship, policy makers in India introduce several schemes to reduce the level of unemployment. Yet, the young generation in India recedes to take-up entrepreneurship as their career option. Becoming an owner of an enterprise could be an alternative for a young person who has an entrepreneurial mindset but needs a person to possess some basic requirements like skills, attitudes and knowledge. Individuals could exhibit varied level of skills, attitudes and knowledge, based on their education, personal traits, environmental and social influences. Hence there is link between education, personal traits, and entrepreneurial behaviour. Thus this research is aimed at providing additional insights and understanding of the relationship between educational differences, entrepreneurial attitude, intention and entrepreneurial behavior. This can help to develop interventions that will enable the individuals to channelize their efforts towards venture initiation. Methodology The empirical analysis has been carried-out on a sample of final year postgraduate students from science and humanities fields of study, during academic year 2013-2014 from non-autonomous colleges in India. The sample size consists of 701 postgraduate students from the various colleges affiliated to Bharathiar University which represents 77% response rate from the total of 900 in the targeted fields of studies. Study used stratified random sampling method to select the sample respondents for the questionnaire. The questionnaire consisted of two parts. The first part consist demographic profile of the respondents. Second part consisted of questions eliciting information about Entrepreneurial Intention, Entrepreneurial attitude and Entrepreneurial Behavior. The survey instrument was based on a five point Likert scale to determine the extent of the agreement or disagreement with the statements. the relationship between entrepreneurial attitudes, intention and behavior and the differences among respondents’ behavior towards entrepreneurial activity according to their domain of specialty variation. Results and Discussion The structural regression model is presented in Figure1. The model is formulated in AMOS, notation using Achievement, Innovation, Self-esteem, personal control, commitment, risk-taking, attitude, feasibility, desirability, motivation, inclination and aspiration for the observed variables, f1 to f12 for the error terms associated with the observed variables, and latent variables are known as entrepreneurial attitude, entrepreneurial intention and entrepreneurial behavior. The model on entrepreneurial behavior among postgraduate students.Item Effect of vulcanizing and antioxidant systems on aged tensile properties of MicrOptic gloves(Uva Wellassa University of Sri Lanka, 2015) Ekanayake, E.A.S.L.; Withanage, N.S.; Jayabodhi, P.A.P.N.MicrOptic glove is a powder free surgical glove which is made out from the natural rubber latex. Thin nature of MicrOptic glove facilitate exceptional dexterity and tactile sensitivity and at the same time outstanding strength and barrier protection (Ansell Medical GBU, 2014).Aged tensile properties of the glove cannot be maintained in a stable level due to the thin nature of the glove. Natural rubber vulcanizates can be given adequate heat-aging resistance by a suitable choice of vulcanization and by using ammine or phenolic antioxidants (Morton, 2010). The study was conducted to disclose the effect of vulcanizing system, antioxidant system and their combined effect on aged tensile properties of MicrOptic glove. Materials and Methodology The study was carried out centralizing to Ansell Lanka (Pvt) Ltd, EPZ - Biyagama. Aged tensile test was done at Quality Control (QA) laboratory at Ansell Lanka (Pvt) Ltd. Nine trials with different treatments were conducted during this study. 0.5 pphr elementary sulphur(V1), 0.25 pphr elementary sulphur with 0.5 pphr sulphur donor compound (V2) and 0.25 pphr elementary sulphur with 1.0 pphr sulphur donor compound (V3) were utilized as three different vulcanizing systems in MicrOptic formula. 1.5 pphr primary antioxidant (A1), 1.0 pphr primary antioxidant with 0.25 pphr secondary antioxidant (A2) and 1.0 pphr primary antioxidant with 0.5 pphr secondary antioxidant (A3) were utilized as three different antioxidant systems in MicrOptic formula. All the dispersions of vulcanizing agents and antioxidants were made by using laboratory scale ball mill. Nine glove compounds with three replicates were produced according to MicrOptic glove formula except the vulcanizing agent and antioxidant system. Vulcanizing agents and antioxidant were added according to the treatment combinations.The compounded latex was kept for 36 hours to obtain optimum degree of crosslinks. 65 - 75 % toluene swelling index (TSI) was used as optimum degree of crosslinks.Sample gloves are made under laboratory conditions.Clean former was heated up to 65 ºC by using an oven and then former was dipped in a MicrOptic glove coagulant solution at 65 ºC with constant time of 22 seconds. Coagulant solution was dried by using an oven and heated up to 55 ºC. Then former was dipped in latex solution with constant time of 23 seconds and bead of the glove made by manually. After that gloves were leached in hot water (70 ºC) for 2 minute. Finally, formers with gloves were cured at 120 ºC for 35 minutes. Aged tensile properties (ATP) such as force at break (FB), elongation at break (EB) and 500 % modulus (MOD) were measured according to the BS EN 455-2:2000 standards. Factor factorial in complete randomized design was conducted and data obtained from aged tensile properties were subjected to analysis of variance (ANOVA) using the general linear model procedure of MINITAB 16. Significant means of treatments were separated using the least significant difference (LSD) (P< 0.05) test. Results and Discussion The study revealed that the effect of vulcanizing system on force at break, elongatio n at break and 500 % modulus were significant (p < 0.05). Also combine effect of vulcanizing system and antioxidant system on force at break, elongation at break and 500 % modulus were significant(p < 0.05).Further, this study disclosed, the effect of antioxidant system on elongation at break was significant (p < 0.05). However, effect of antioxidant system on force at break and 500 % modulus were not significant at 5% significant level.Item Impact of financial leverage on firm performance: with special reference to manufacturing sector in Sri Lanka(Uva Wellassa University of Sri Lanka, 2015) Amarawansha, T.G.A.H.C.; Kulathunga, K.M.M.C.B.Capital structure plays a crucial role in enhancing performance of firms, by helping financial manager to select optimal mix of debt and equity to give required rate of return for shareholders. Generally, due to great cost of capital within the equity and tax advantage of debt, leverage consider as the optimal solution for a company, to gain financial resources. Therefore research is going to identify impact of financial leverage to the performance of firms within Sri Lankan context. According to the Akhtar et.al (2012) leverage is consider as proportions of borrowing funds from outside sources. Through past decades, various theories set the foundation to optimize the debt financing usage in organizations. Warne and Rasoolpur (2013), mention that the greater use of debt will increases the net return to the equity shareholders. Moreover, Akthar et.al (2012) stated that leverage may enhance the profit after taxes; due to lower interest rates .Then eventually the higher earnings of firm will result to the higher earnings per share and then these higher dividend payout ratios which may increase the firm’s performance. Duties of owners (shareholders) and managers are different in every organization. Due to that, management is more concern about personal gains. This may cause conflict situations within organizations. For that debt finance act as a control tool to restrict the opportunistic behavior of managers. On the other hand, Usage of debt is tradeoff between risk and return. Risk of the firm increase simultaneously with increasing leverage and leads towards liquidations and takeovers. Moreover, unbalanced debt will cause to financial distress cost and bankruptcy cost. Therefore, this research aims to investigate this scenario within manufacturing industry in Sri Lanka. Accordingly, objectives of research were concluded, to examine the relationship of firm performance with short term debt (STDA), long term debt (LTDA) and total debt (TDA) respectively. Methodology Research was conducted regarding the Colombo Stock Exchange and population consists with manufacturing industry in Sri Lanka. 30 companies were used for the analysis. Data was collected through secondary data sources such as annual reports of companies through 5 years. Further, leverage was measured by using Long -Term Debt Ratio (LTDA), Short- Term Debt Ratio (STDA), Total Debt Ratio (TDA) which were used by Musiegaeth.al (2013) and Abort (2008). Firm performance proxy by Return on assets (ROA), Return on equity (ROE) and Gross pro fit margin (GPM) developed by Musiegaeth.al (2013) and Khan (2012). Data was analyzed by using Descriptive analysis, Correlation coefficient method and Regression analysis.Item Factors influencing on online hotel reservation: With special reference to Galle District(Uva Wellassa University of Sri Lanka, 2015) Edirimanna, E.M.S.D.; Damunupola, D.A.K.A.The increasing competitiveness in the global tourism market encourage tourism industry stakeholders to investment further in promotion, resources, knowledge and quality maintenance in order to achieve a satisfactory growth. As a result of that, online purchasing has gained great significance over the past few years. Presently, online room booking has been adopted by many hoteliers and it has become one of the leading decision making tool in the accommodation sector. However, Sri Lankan hotels have been relatively slow in adapting to internet resources due to the high preference of using traditional methods of room reservation by hotel patrons. According to Internet Travel Hotel Booking Statistics (2013) internet is the ease at which one can research and book travel plans. Further, internet travel booking revenue has grown by more than 73% over the past five years. These figures indicate, people willingness to book online. Further, online hotel reservation system offers a ‘win-win’ situation for both guest and the service provider. Thus, currently, many people consider about the various advantages such as price, convenience, etc and tend to make online room bookings. Therefore, it is important to identify the key factors for consuming via online and it would be helpful for tourism stakeholders to design their products more attractively to cater the upcoming demands. This paper attempts to analyze the factors influencing on online hotel reservation. Further, it examines the online booked guest profile and their internet usage behavior to identify the key motivation factors to reserve online and also examines the relationship between intention to reserve online and reasons for using online bookings. Study carried out in star class hotels in Galle district, Sri Lanka. The findings of this research would be beneficial for the hospitality sector marketers and policy formulators in designing and implementing technology based services. Methodology All local and foreign tourists’ were considered for the sample and 66 numbers of tourists’ who reserved online rooms were selected for the study from Galle District star class hotels. The star classified hotels were selected according to the Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority accommodation classification guide book. And Quota sampling Technique was used in order to calculate the number of tourists from each hotel while convenience sampling technique was applied to select respondents. The questionnaire which included closed ended questions and Five Likert scale questions was distributed and Cronbach’s alpha reliability test was used to test the reliability of questions. The same questionnaire was used as the primary data collecting tool. Books, articles and internet were used to collect secondary sources data. The collected primary data were analyzed in a quantitative approach using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) 21, Microsoft Excel and Minitab 15. Statistical techniques which were used in data analyzing were namely descriptive analysis, exploratory factor analysis and correlation to examine the factors. Results and Discussion The guest profile analysis revealed 68 percent male and 31.8 percent female made online hotel reservations. Further, 33.3 percent of the value taken by 20-29 years old age category. And that age category represent as the mainstream who made online room bookings. Further, 25.8 percent tourists were in 30 -39 age group, 16.7 percent tourists were in 20 -29 age group, 6.1 percent tourists were in 60 and over age group and 4.5 percent tourists were belongs to the 20 and less age category. However, it has found that online hotel reservations are mainly done by single guests. And 48.5 percentage.37.9 percentage were represented by married people and 13.6 percentage were divorced guests. Moreover, t60.6 percentage, the majority guests responded that they have completed up to bachelor level education. Primary or secondary school completed people percentage was 13.6 and Diploma holders got 21.2 percentages and only 4.5 percentages represented for master and doctoral level degree holders. However, 80.3 percentage, the majority of the people who made online hotel reservation were foreign tourists. And only 19.7 percentage were local tourists. 42.4 percentage mentioned they were origin from European region and accordingly .28.8 percentage represented by Western Europe, East Asia got 27.3 percentages and 1.5 percentage represented form North America. According to the occupation categories there were 25.8 percentage professionals. Further, 15.2 percentage were educationalists and retired people, scientist and technician got 1.5 percentage accordingly. Moreover, the Businessman represemted for 13.6 percentage, and executive represented 18.2 percentage and and 24.2 percentage represente by people who are engaging in other occupations. 75 percentages , majority of the tourists’ belongs to the LKR 50,000 and above income category. All the other categories were represent as 8.1 percentage. 90.7 percentage , majority of the foreign tourists’ belong to the US$ 800 and above income category. And only 3.7precentage of foreign tourists belong to US$ 400 - 600 category and 5.6 percentages of foreign tourists belongs to US$601 -800 category and none of the foreign tourists belong to US$400 income category. In addition, .30.3 percentage respond as they are travelling with spouse. Travel with spouse and children were 22.7 percentage. And 6.1 percentage were respond as they are travelling alone and 1.5 percentage respond they travel with business colleagues. Further, study examine the internet usage behavior of people who made online hotel reservations. It was revealed that easy internet access at work, at home as well as with the mobile devices as a percentage it was 54.55. Further, 19.70 percentages mentioned they have internet access at home only. And 13.64 percentage respond they have internet access both at work and at home . Only, 6.06 percentage indicate they have only the home and mobile access. Further, 3.03 percentage indicate only mobile access while1.52 percent had both at work and mobile access and at work only. It has found that, majority 90.9 percent tourists who made online hotel bookings are connected with the internet for more than five years’ time period. And 6.1 percentages indicate they used internet for 3- 4 year and 3.0 percentages indicate internet usage is limited to 1-2 years times. Further, it has found that, majority people are using internet more than 21 hours per week as a percentage it was 47.. And 25.8percent of people used internet 14-21 hours per week. 1Further, 8.2 percent of people used internet 7 -14 hours per week. While 9.1 percent use the internet for less than 7 hours per week. Out of 66 tourists 86.4 percent tourists have made online hotel bookings previously also and 13.6 percentage of tourist haven’t done previous online hotel bookings. When examine Customers’ reasons for using the internet for hotel room reservations and it has found that, mainly the below factors influence them for reserving online. The credibility has accounted for 63.187% of variance and it was the most influenced factor to reserve online. Quick response, and safety regulated are some of the key factors belongs to the credibility factor. “Credibility” was the most important factors influence on online hotel reservation which indicate 40.305% of the variance (eigenvalue is 5.240).The relationship analysis of factors influencing on-line hotel reservation and intention to make reservation via on–line reflected convenience, price, user friendly and safety regulated and those factors were extremely positive. On the other hand transaction reflected weak positive relationship.Item Investigating the factors that influenced the excess use of pesticides by the vegetable farmers in Badulla and Nuwara-Eliya districts(Uva Wellassa University of Sri Lanka, 2015) Perera, M. T. D. C.; Mahindarathne, M. G. P. P.Pesticides are the results of modern technology and synthetic organic poisons used to exterminate specific organisms by inhibiting certain vital functions. They are applied predominately to kill or control weeds, insect pests and animals. Pesticides are widely used because of ease of application, high efficiency, temporary economic return and etc. (Nagenthirarajah and Thiruchelvam, 2008). When pesticides are help to farmers to get high production, massive usage of pesticides have been reported in many of commercial cultivations in whole around the world (Wilson and Tiddsell, 2001). Similar to many developing countries, pesticide related issues in Sri Lanka have become a major concern in the present day context. Majority of cases have been occurred due to the excessive usage of pesticides. Excess uses of pesticides have severe effects on environment and human health that may lead to an immediate and long term effects. Therefore it is important to identify the factors effect on excess use of pesticides which can help to overcome the intensive use of pesticides over the years in vegetable cultivation. In this context, the objectives of the study were (i) To investigate the farmers’ level of awareness in use of pesticides and (ii) To investigate the factors that cause to excess use of pesticides. Methodology The research was carried out in up country vegetable growing areas of Badulla and Nuwara Eliya district. Bandarawela, Welimada and Nuwara-Eliya Divisional Secretariat divisions were selected as the study area. Stratified random sampling technique was used to select 600 vegetable farmers from Nuwara-Eliya, Walimada and Bandarawela Divisional Secretariat divisions. Information were collected from farmers based on a semi structured pre-tested questionnaire. Both descriptive statistical method and binary logistic regression technique were used to analyze the data. Minitab 15 Statistical Software was used to get the output of binary logistic analysis.Item Property variation of centrifuged latex at different maturity stages in glove manufacturing(Uva Wellassa University of Sri Lanka, 2015) Iddamalgoda, I.D.H.C.; Withanage, N.S.; Weerawansa, N.R.; Atthanayaka, A.P.; Kumara, P.H.S.In the glove manufacturing industry, quality of the centrifuged latex is highly concerned. Properties of the centrifuge latex can be deviate from the acceptable level with the maturity. Therefore study of the variation of both chemical and physio mechanical properties of centrifuge latex with the maturity is very much important for the manufacturers of latex products ( Riyajan, 2009). Normally it is not possible to obtain the required amount of field latex for the centrifugation due to the rainy season in the country. But the manufactures of latex gloves have to maintain their production without discarding any order of the buyers. To overcome this problem, manufacture has to concentrate an alternative way for the glove manufacturing. Therefore low matured latex is also used in some extent while mixing with the matured latex during the compounding. Main objective is to determine the usage of low maturity latex (before 21 days maturity) for the production of house hold glove manufacturing while studying the properties of centrifuged and compounded latex at different maturity stages. Methodology: Centrifuged latex was obtained from the Centrifuge unitof Lalan Rubbers pvt Ltd at Warakapola. Freshly produced centrifuged latex was selected to conduct the research activities. Different maturity periods were set as treatments for research study and seven treatments were applied to get results. During this experiment, changes of both chemical and physiomechanical properties of centrifuged latex were evaluated at different maturity stages. Experiment was started after 5 days maturity of centrifuged latex and continued up to 65 days maturity periods.Item A Study on the Tourist Attractions in Colombo City(Uva Wellassa University of Sri Lanka, 2015) Weerasingha, G.B.I.Colombo is the most populous city in Sri Lanka, with the population of 2,309,809 in 2012. Especially Colombo City is being developed including all the infrastructure facilities such as new star class hotels, residencies, restaurants, entertaining areas, gardens, shopping complexes, and transportation modes opening vast attractions for both domestic and foreign tourists. In cultural tourism both ancient and modern cultural aspects are attracted by the tourists. Colombo City the hub of Sri Lanka has been extremely blended with colonial, traditional, historical and even modern tangible and intangible heritages. The major objective of this research was to identify the foreign tourists’ perception regarding Colombo city as a tourist destination. The research focused on tourists’ motivations for visiting the city, major attractions and visitor satisfaction on the services and facilities related to travel and hospitality industry. Being a heritage city mixed with both ancient heritages and modern life style the city of Colombo has something to offer for anyone. Methodology The research was conducted to identify the tourists’ perception on the tourist attractions in Colombo city. Observation method was carried out with field observations, interviews and questionnaires. Some of the major cultural attractions at Colombo City were selected as the field to conduct the survey. The research sample was included 100 of foreign tourists who were randomly selected at various modern cultural attractions located in Colombo City including Floating Market, Liberty Arcade Square, Majestic City Complex, Liberty Plaza, Galle Fort Court, Galle Face Green, Race Court, ODEL shopping mall, Casinos, Tourist Hotels etc. 100 foreign tourists were given structured questionnaires which were entirely based on the visitor motivation, visitor satisfaction, visitor facilities, and tourist attractions in the city. Most of the tourists were individually interviewed to collect qualitative data regarding the visitors’ perception on the cultural attractions located at Colombo City. During the research both qualitative and quantitative data were gathered and they have been analyzed hereafter. Result and Discussion The foreign tourists are interviewed with structured questionnaires for getting their perception about the cultural attractions. Foreign tourists’ motivation to visit Colombo City was observed and the following figure illustrates various motivations with different scales to visit the city. (See Figure 1) Most of the foreigners are arriving at Colombo for the Business purposes including business conferences, trade exhibitions, meetings and other business related purposes. Still Colombo city, being the major commercialized city in the island bears priority in MICE tourism. Leisure purposed foreign tourists are recorded as 23% and they are highly attracted by the luxurious accommodation facilities and hospitalities service offered at the star class hotels in Colombo city and its periphery. Night life of the city has been attracted by 15% while 12% of tourists are arriving at Colombo with the purpose of shopping. Their major attractive shopping destinations were Majestic City, Liberty Plaza, Unity Plaza, Arcade Square, House of Fashion and Cool Planet. 17% of tourists are arriving at the city with educational purposes based on researches and academic purposes. They had mentioned in their comments that rather than the modern attractions or leisure based locations they are strongly attracted by the locations and sites where they can observe culture, history and arts, including the places such as Colombo National Museum, National Art Gallery, Colonial buildings at the city etc.Item A study on microbial contaminations, sources and preventive measures in salted butter production in a commercial dairy plant(Uva Wellassa University of Sri Lanka, 2015) Wickramanayaka, T.D.G.; Abeyrathne, E.D.N.S.Dairy fat spreads are milk products relatively rich in fat in the form of a spreadable emulsion principally of the type of water-in-milk fat that remains in solid phase at a temperature of 20 °C (Codex Standard for Dairy Fat Spreads, 2006). There are two kinds of butter as sweet cream and ripened-cream. Sweet cream butter may or may not contain salt (Fernandes, 2008). To overcome the high demand of butter, a reputed dairy company in Sri Lanka engages in manufacturing salted butter. However, finish product frequently contain high microbial load before releasing to the packing which leads to quick rancidity. Consequently, it has become a problem to the company to obtain a profit. Therefore, this research was carried out to assess microbiological quality at different production steps to determine the sources of microbial contamination in salted butter production. Methodology A preliminary study was carried out to identify possible sample collection points including swab sampling points during production process. Samples were collected from raw cream, before and after pasteurization, after aging, during churning, final product, and wash water of butter granules and the churner. Swab samples were collected from cream and aging vats, hands of permanent workers (randomly), and inside and outside of the churner. Time and temperature during storage of cream in the cream vat, pasteurization and aging were recorded. Sample collection procedure was repeated for every batch up to identification of the contamination points. Quality of samples was evaluated by performing microbiological tests (total colony count, Coliform and fecal Coliform). According to the test results, contamination points were identified and microbiological (E. coli, yeast, and moulds), chemical (free fatty acid level of the final products) and physical (foreign matter observed from naked eye) properties were further analyzed. Entire tests were conducted in triplicate according to the analytical testing procedure of company. Data were finally analyzed by mean value comparison using Microsoft Excel 2013. Further, analyzed data were compared with the standards (SLS 279:1988). Results and Discussion According to the preliminary analysis, raw cream was stored for 4-5 hours at 7-8 °C in a cream vat. Mean total colony count in raw cream of seven batches was ranged from 110×10 to 127×10 cfu/g and Coliform and fecal Coliform bacteria were detected in all samples tested. After pasteurization (95 °C, 20 minutes), mean total colony count of all samples were lower than 10 cfu ⁄g and after aging (5-7 °C, 12 hours) (Table 01). Coliform and fecal Coliform bacteria were detected in all samples tested however, after pasteurization and aging, Coliform and fecal Coliform bacteria were not detected in any of the samples.Item Effect of Black Tea adulteration on quality parameters of Black Tea(Uva Wellassa University of Sri Lanka, 2015) Priyadharshana, N.L.V.N.; Herath, H.M.S.K.; Jayathilake, M.A.N.Black tea is produced by withering, rolling, fermentation and drying from the tender shoots of varieties of the species Camellia sinensis (L.) (ISO 3720, 2011). Black tea adulteration is a particularly massive problem because of the universality of its consumption (Kariyawasam, 2014). Since black tea is a pure beverage material, it should be free from extraneous matter, added colouring matter and harmful substances (FSSAI, 2011). But sugar, ferrous sulphate and sodium bicarbonate are added majorly to black tea during manufacturing to improve colour of tea particles and weight of tea (Deshappriya, 2013; Kariyawasam 2014). The current study was carried out at Sri Lanka Tea Board to investigate the effect of major adulterants on quality parameters of black tea. Materials and Methods Black tea manufacturing was carried out in Uva medium black tea manufacturing factory following general requirements and steps (withering, rolling, fermentation and drying). 50% sugar, 10% sodium bicarbonate and 10% ferrous sulphate solutions in mass fraction were treated separately to first dhools as adulterants after rolling and kept it for fermentation. Those adulterated black tea samples and pure black tea samples were analysed for quality parameters such as, total polyphenol content, moisture content, total ash, water soluble ash, alkalinity of water soluble ash, water extract, total plate count, total liquor colour and brightness. These quality parameters were analysed in accredited analytical laboratory at Sri Lanka Tea Board according to the ISO 14502-1: 2005 for total polyphenol content of black tea, ISO 1573: 1980 for loss in mass at 103 C (moisture content), ISO 1575: 1987 for total ash, ISO 1576: 1988 for water soluble ash and water insoluble ash, ISO 1578: 1975 for alkalinity of water soluble ash, ISO 1574: 1980 for water extract, SLS 516-1: 1991/ ISO 4833: 2003 for total plate count, spectrophotometric method described by Roberts, and Smith (1963) for determination of total colour and brightness of black tea. The data were statistically analyzed with ANOVA using Minitab statistical package. Mean comparisons with control level (pure black tea) and multiple mean comparison were performed by Dunnett simultaneous test and Tukey simultaneous test using General Linear model at 5 % significance level. Results and Discussion Externally added sugar, sodium bicarbonate and ferrous sulphate significantly (p<0.05) affected on total polyphenol content, total ash, water soluble ash, alkalinity of water soluble ash, water extract, total colour, brightness and total plate count except on moisture content. According to the Figure 1, the highest total polyphenol content (14.38 %) was recorded by pure black tea while the lowest (8.81 %) was given by ferrous sulphate adulterated black tea. It was lower than the ISO 3720 limit (9 %) which may be due to formation of Fe-Polyphenol complex during fermentation stage. High concentration of ferrous result in localized formation of iron polyphenols complex in made tea (Venkatesan et al., 2006). The total polyphenol content in sodium bicarbonate and ferrous sulphate adulterated black tea samples were significantly lower (p<0.05) compared to pure black tea sample whereas mean difference of sugar adulterated black tea sample was not significant (p>0.05). Total ash, water soluble ash, water extract values recorded by all three adulterated black teas were within the ISO 3720 limits while alkalinity (3.26 %) of sodium bicarbonate adulterated black tea was beyond the ISO 3720 limit (1-3 %). The alkalinity of sodium bicarbonate adulterated black tea sample was significantly higher (p<0.05) than pure black tea. The alkalinity of sugar and ferrous sulphate adulterated black tea samples were significantly lower (p<0.05) than pure black tea. The highest total colour (6.07 %) was observed in ferrous sulphate adulterated black tea while giving the lowest brightness (13.54 %) due to the lowest polyphenol content. Total polyphenol content is positively correlated with brightness which is responsible for tea liquor quality (Kottawa-Arachchi et al., 2011). Total colour for sugar and ferrous sulphate adulterated black tea samples were significantly higher (p<0.05) compared to pure black tea while the total colour for sodium bicarbonate adulterated black tea sample was significantly lower (p<0.05) than pure black tea. Brightness values for all adulterated black tea samples were significantly lower (p<0.05) than pure black tea. TPP - total polyphenol content, MO - moisture content, TA - total ash, WSA - water soluble ash, ALK - alkalinity, WE - water extract, TC - total colour, BRI - brightness.Item Firm level entrepreneurship and firm performance: with special reference to the hotel industry in Sri Lanka(Uva Wellassa University of Sri Lanka, 2015) Katugampala, S.D.; Weerakoon, W.M.P.G.C.According to the central bank of Sri Lanka, country has been experiencing a higher economic growth over the past few years and is still growing at a healthy rate due to improvements of few key performing industries such as hotel industry and such industries need to be more entrepreneurial at the firm level and have strong strategic outlook to face competition and rapid growth. Firm level entrepreneurship (FLE) has been defined using various terminologies such as strategic posture, corporate entrepreneurship (CE) and entrepreneurial orientation (EO) and this term measures the extent to which a firm is entrepreneurial (Davis, 2007). EO and CE are two commonly used constructs of FLE (Hosseini et al., 2012).EO includes the entrepreneurial tendency of top management of a firm, (Hosseini et al., 2012)and CE is identified as actual entrepreneurial actions of the firm (Mokaya, 2012). Both CE and EO lead to have higher levels of firm performance (FP) Hosseini et al., (2012). However, as to Hosseini et al, (2012) and Fis and Cetindamar (2009) FLE it is not only the entrepreneurial intensity of the top management personals but also the actual entrepreneurial actions undertaken by the firm although many researches had related either EO or CE with FP in their researches. Thus, it seems that conceptualizing FLE by using either EO or CE creates a blind picture of entrepreneurship phenomenon. Therefore, the objectives of this study were to assess the level of FLE, EO and CE of the firms in the Sri Lankan hotel sector to identify the relationship between FLE and FP. Thus, EO was conceptualized as innovativeness, risk taking, proactiveness, competitive aggressiveness and autonomy (Lumpkin & Dess, 1996) and CE was conceptualized as management support, work discretion, rewards, time availability and organizational boundary (Kuratko et al.,2007). Moreover, FP was measured in terms of the perceptual measurements on market share growth, ROI growth, sales growth and cash flow growth. Methodology The population of this study was Colombo district hotels those have got registered under Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority (SLTDA) and that included 40. However, only 37 firms responded making the response rate of 92.5 percent. Data was collected by using a structured questionnaire and CE was measured by using Corporate Entrepreneurship Assessment Instrument - CEAI (Kuratko et al., 1990) and EO was measured by using self-developed questionnaire. The reliability of questionnaire was measured by using Cronbach’s Alpha and the results confirmed that all the constructs were well above the acceptable level of 0.7 and hence executed for data collection. In assessing the level of EO and CE of the firms, mean, standard deviation and percentages were used while in order to identify the relationship between EO & CE and FP, a multiple linear regression was employed and can be specified as: FP = β0 + β1 EO+β2CE +ε. Results and discussion The average levels of CE and EO were 3.607 and 4.11 respectively confirming a higher level of EO with compared to CE. However, the difference standard deviation further evident that it is a slight difference. Nevertheless, as to the Table 1, majority of the firms (60%) was at the high level of CE while 86% of the firms were demonstrating a high level of EO. Interestingly, a negligible level of firms was at the low level of CE (3%) and EO (Nill) implying that the Colombo District hotels are seemingly maintaining a fair level of high CE and EO level. The statistically significant (P<0.01) strong positive correlation values of CE (0.715) and EO (0.688) confirmed that there is a positive association between CE & EO and FP. Regression assumptions of Normality, Homoscedasticity (Pattern-less scatter), Multicolinearity (Table 2-c) and Auto-correlation (Table 2-a) were checked and got confirmed that data meet all the blue properties.Item Stock handling and analyzing system for multi-purpose Co-operative society, Eheliyagoda(Uva Wellassa University of Sri Lanka, 2015) Senadheera, S.P.T.P.; Thambawita, D.R.V.L.B.The multi-purpose co-operative society is one of the largest business bodies around the area which has number of regional shops (around 40) throughout the division which are controlled by the head office situated at Eheliyagoda. This multi-purpose co-operative society offers large verities of consuming goods to fulfill the needs of the consumers around the area. In order to cope with this particular customer demand, a specific stock handling mechanism is needed. This stock handling mechanism should be run by the main store complex as the base under the co-operative supervision of a store manager and the head office authorities while regional shops playing an important role. With the existing manual stock handling procedure, it is difficult to maintain the stock details and to communicate between the store complex, head office and the regional shops. As an example, if a regional shop manager wants to tally the consumer demand information, he/she needs to do it manually and needs to come to the main store complex in order to handover the consumer demand information and then the store keeper has to carry his/her reports to the head office. In this context proper application is needed to integrate the regional shop manager, store keeper and the head office authorities in stock handling procedure. After receiving the customer demand report, the head office authorities need to look for the suppliers from whom that particular goods can be bought for a fair price. This is also a time wasting and exhausting task. In this context, they need an effective mechanism to call prices for the required goods hence they can decide the optimal supplier to be reached which means this system can help the co-operative society to build a strong links with external suppliers.. Methodology In order to cope with above mentioned short comings, a proposed system has come up with two solutions. The first one is the desktop software application which helps the internal parties (regional shop managers, store manager, head office authorities) to integrate each other for effective stock handling procedure. The other solution is the web application which helps to call prices from the external suppliers and ultimate to build some strong links with external parties. Data collection, Result and Discussion The data collection was done by an advanced discussion and a smooth study. nThe advanced discussion covered the entire process flow of multi-purpose co-operative society, Eheliyagoda. The authorities have pointed out the weak links/vacuums which are generally can be seen their process flow. That was really a complex one comparing to a general scope of a final year project of a bachelor’s degree. The fact that has been pointed out by them was the requirement of an effective procedure of stock handling. There are specific forms can be seen in order to use in their stock handling process flow. These forms helped greatly to draft the Skelton of the system and carry it on. According to the drafted system, four roles can be understood. They are; I. II. III. IV. Regional shop managers. Store keeper. Head office authorities. External suppliers. The proposed system comprises with a desktop application to integrate regional shop manager, store keeper and the head office and the web application integrate the firma and the external suppliers in order to call prices. Java, PHP, CSS3, HTML5, javascript have been used to develop the system. Apart from that, NetBeans was the Integrated Development Environment while notepad++ has been used as the text editor.Item Patterns of fresh fruit consumption of households in Kurunegala(Uva Wellassa University of Sri Lanka, 2015) Abeysinghe, A.M.I.P.; Hettiarachchi, I.C.; Sivashankar, P.; Mahaliyanaarachchi, R.P.Agriculture is the most common vocation of the Sri Lankan. Different varieties of fruits are cultivated in Sri Lanka’s varied agro-climatic regions. Fruits play a major role in the well-being of consumers. Consumption of fruits contributes to an increase in the nutritional level of people. The food pyramid developed by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) recommends, 2-4 servings of fruits per day (Life clinic international, 2010). According to MRI the daily per capita requirement of fruits for a balanced diet should be 30‐40 g (edible portion), which is approximately equivalent to 25‐40 kg fresh fruit per head per year. However, Sri Lanka’s per capita consumption of fruits and vegetables remains far below the required average daily intake (Ceylon Chamber of Commerce, 2010). In the process of enhancing fruit consumption, it is very useful to consider the needs, preferences and behavior of consumers. The main objective of this study is to find demand for different fruit types and the factors that influence households consuming of different fruit types. Methodology A deductive research approach was followed. Survey strategy was used as a research strategy. Primary Data were collected through an interviewer administered questionnaires and most research questions had descriptive purposes. Before collecting data pilot test was used to identify the problems while responding to the questionnaires. Kurunegala District in North Western Province, was selected as the research area. It consists of 30 Divisional Secretariats, 1610 Grama Niladari Divisions and 4476 total Villages (Department of Census and Statistics, 2009). Kurunegala district has 412,897 households (District Statistical Branch, Kurunegala). The sample size was about 153 households which are from Kurunegala District. The stratified random sampling technique was used as sampling method to select households Types of fresh fruit consumption among different households and consumption frequency of different fruit types were analyzed by descriptive analysis. Chi-square Test was the statistical analytical tool applied in identification of consumption pattern of across various household groups. Microsoft Excel and Minitab 14.0 Software programs were used to analyze the data. Results and Discussion Results reveal that there is no significant difference between three types of locality groups (urban, semi urban and rural) when they are consuming fruits. But rural residents had low expenditure on fruits compared to the urban and semi-urban resident, due to varieties of local fruit available in their home garden. Banana, papaw, mangoes and pineapple are the major fruits consumed in the Kurunegala District. The majority of the respondent did not intake fruit as daily consuming food. In Household fruit consumption, those who do not consume fruits daily, consume fruits around 3-4 days per week. In the study household banana consumption was 3 days per week while papaya, mango, and pineapple are consumed 2-3 days in a week. According to the food pyramid developed by USDA, Kurunegala district household’s fruit consumption is lower. Relationship between Social, Economic Characteristics and Fruit consumption Studies prove that age, gender, household size, income, occupation, education level, marital status significantly affects household fruit consumption (Whichelow and Prevost, 1996; Mirmiran et al., 2009; Billson, 1999). The data were in line with previous findings from the USDA, that the major factors affecting fruits consumptions were income, age and education of consumers (Biing, 2004). Table 01, shows there are significant relationships between marital status, occupation, education level, income with household fruit consumption at the 0.05 significance level. At the same time, there were no significant relationship between gender, household size and age towards household fruit consumption at the 0.05 significance level. Therefore, in this study, household income, occupation, marital status, and education level have a significant relationship with household fruit consumption and age, household size and gender did not significantly affect the household fruit consumption.Item Construction of apparatus for production of carbon nanotubes (CNTs)(Uva Wellassa University of Sri Lanka, 2015) Senevirathna, K.L.C.D.; Kumarasinghe, A.R.Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) are rolled up cylinders of graphene sheets [1]. There are two main types of of carbon nanotubes, namely, multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) and single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) [2]. The unique nearly one dimensional structure of CNTs results in many attractive properties, which has led to many interesting applications. There are mainly three major techniques to produce CNTs. They are arc discharge, chemical vapor deposition (CCVD) and laser ablation. Though scientists are researching more economic ways to produce these structures, CNTs produced using different techniques have different properties. Due to inexpensiveness and being able to perform even in open air, arc-discharge technique has attracted attention in the production of CNT. In arc discharge, a vapor is created by an arc discharge between two carbon electrodes with or without a catalyst. Nanotubes self-assemble from the resulting carbon vapor. Both SWCNT and MWCNTs can easily be obtained by this technique simply by with or without the inclusion of a metal catalyst particle into anode. However, although arc-discharge produces large quantity of CNTs, the product is contaminated with other carbon materials, hence requiring lots of purification. Further nanotubes tend to be short with random sizes and direction when produced via arc-discharge route. In this work, we describe the development of apparatus for arc-discharge to produce CNTs using carbon electrodes made using high purity a rare variety of natural vein graphite. Methodology In order to produce carbon nanotubes, the first step is the construction of arc-discharging set-up. Here we describe the construction of an arc-discharge unit at UWU using home-built parts. The Instrument consists of mainly three parts. First part is the vacuum chamber. Second parts are the cathode and anode holders. Anode holder is fixed in position and the cathode holder can move up and down (or back and forth) by using a stepper motor. Another main part is the control unit. Control unit controls the steeper motor which drives the two electrodes in a controlled manner inside the vacuum. Next important step is the preparation of rod shaped graphite from > 99% pure as-received vain graphite lumps followed by purification of carbon nanotubes and characterizing those using suitable techniques such as SEM, TEM and Raman.Item Improvement of productivity of soft dough biscuits by regulating temperature and quantity of the palm olein(Uva Wellassa University of Sri Lanka, 2015) Bandara, K.W.A.; Wijesinghe, W.A.J. P.; Samarasinghe, J.M.S.C.Biscuit is a small baked product made principally from flour, sugar and fat (Sonia et al., 2007). According to the type of the dough biscuits can be categorized as soft dough and hard dough biscuits. Analysis and quantification of the quality, for the purpose of controlling its parameters and acting on it in real time, remain the prime objectives of the biscuit industry. Palm olein is widely used in food manufacturing industry due to its good resistance to oxidation and formation of breakdown products at frying temperatures and longer shelf life of finished products.Usage of palm olein to build up the specific quality on soft dough biscuits is a major concern in the manufacturing plant. In order to maintain the given specification currently add high amount of oil to the dough. Addition of high amount of olein will increase the cost of production. As well palm olein temperatures also contribute to the quality characteristics of final output. Therefore prime objective of this study is to investigate the impact of the palm olein temperature and quantity on soft dough biscuits (Milk Shorties) without compromising the quality of biscuits thereby reducing the cost of production. Materials and Methods Two factors, palm olein quantity and palm olein temperature and their combinations were used to test the effect for the final biscuit quality. In order to study the influence of temperature regulation (34 °C, 32 °C and 30 °C) and the amount of the incorporated palm olein ( 56 kg, 54 kg, 52 kg and 50 kg) on the biscuit characteristics; twelve different treatments were conducted. Palm olein temperature was regulated by using the oil heating system in mixing area. Moreover, all twelve treatments were subjected to similar conditions until biscuits were packed.Samples were collected from three dough of each combination by using simple random sampling method. There were three replicates per each twelve treatments.All treatments were subjected to detect the objective quality characteristics such as raw weight, baked weight, baked height, moisture content (Infra-red moisture analyzer), pH, hardness, total fat content (Soxhlet extraction method) and packet weight. Out of the twelve treatments the best treatment was chosen for the sensory evaluation by 30 untrained panelists. Results and Discussion The effect on twelve different treatments for biscuit quality parameters shown in the Table 1. According to the results with the reduction of amount of palm olein the raw weight, baked weight, moisture content and total fat content of biscuits were gradually decreased while increased the baked height and the hardness of the biscuits.Weight and height were found to be quite sensitive to the sugar and fat levels of the biscuits (Cronin and Preis, 2000). As well results showed that the amount of palm olein significantly influenced final quality of biscuit(Dunken, 2000). According to the research results, treatment combination which included 54 kg of palm olein at 32 °C temperature was the best treatment among all other twelve treatments combinations. Because the biscuits produced from this treatment have the same quality of Milk Shorties biscuits available in the market. Sensory attributes of colour and taste showed that biscuit produced with reduced amount of palm olein (54 kg) was not perceived when tested by sensory panel. Moreover sensory evaluation results showed that overall consumer acceptability of designated sample and formulated sample are much more similar. Therefore T5 treatment, compromised with 54 kg of palm olein, with 32 C of temperature was selected as the best treatment by the sensory evaluation and the product had raw weight 56.33 g, baked weight 47.09 g, baked height 60.9 mm, moisture content 2.62 % (db), pH 7.07, hardness 10.97 N, total fat content 15.54 % and packet weight 365.4 g. This treatment combination is important to improve the productivity of the milk shorties biscuit and reduce the cost of production. Thereby increase the profit. Value to reduce the 2 kg of palm olein (per dough) in annum is Rs. 2.8 million.Item Phytoremediation potential of Brassica juncea Ac. 1774 for mitigation of Cu (II) and As (V)(Uva Wellassa University of Sri Lanka, 2015) Herath, H.M.S.D.; Wijesekara, K.B.Phytoremediation is an emerging technology that employs the use of higher plants to clean up contaminated environments. Use of plants to extract toxic metals from contaminated soil and water, has emerged as a cost-effective, environment-friendly clean up alternative. In Sri Lanka large areas of soil and water contain high levels of heavy metals such as Cd, Cu, Co, Ni and Zn and other pollutants (Dissanayake et al., 2002). Members of the Brasicaceae are promising candidates for phytoextraction of metals (Kumar et al. (1995, Weerakoon and Somaratne, 2009).Sri Lanka has genetically diverse mustard (B. juncea (L.) Cazen) germplasm of over sixty accessions (PGRC Catalogue, 1999) and their true phytoextarctive potentials are yet to be determined. Most of the previously reported research on phytoremediation has conducted in vivo using soil to establish plants. Use of soil which is a highly heterogeneous medium could not unveil the true phytoremediation potential of plants due to micro-variations in the composition of soil. Hence, this study was performed in vitro and the plants were grown in well-defined plant tissue culture media where all other physical parameters such as light intensity and relative humidity were kept constant. The main objectives of this study was to investigate the maximum accumulation level of copper Cu (II) and Arsenic As (V) by in vitro raised plants of Brassica juncea Ac:1774 which has already been identified as a hyper- accumulator of Cr (VI) and multiple metal bio-accumulator (Wijethunghe et al., 2010). Methodology Authenticated seed samples of Brassica juncea (Indian mustard) of AC: 1774 was obtained from the Plant Genetic Recourses Centre (PGRC) at Gannoruwa, Sri Lanka. Seeds were surface sterilized by rinsing with a 10% solution of commercial bleach for 5 min followed by rinsing with 70% ethanol solution for 2 min and three times through washings with sterilized distilled water. Sterilized seeds were briefly dried on filter papers and cultured on solid MS (Murashige and Skoog, 1962) media. One week old seedlings were transferred on to a wick placed in liquid MS media in 15 cm culture tubes supplemented with 0, 50, 150, 200 ppm Cu (II) and 0,5, 15, 25 ppm As (V) separately. Seedlings were allowed to grow for three weeks in this medium. After that plantlets were removed, washed with tap water and dried in an oven. Dried platelets were grounded separately to obtain a fine powder which was acid digested following dry-ash-method and the accumulated heavy metal concentration for each sample was determined using Atomic Absorption Spectrometer (Varian, Australia). Each treatment had three replicates within an experiment and each experimented was repeated three times. Result and Discussion Plants of Brassica juncea Ac:1774 demonstrated relatively a high bioaccumulation of two heavy metals tested, As (V) and Cu (II). For As (V) the maximum tolerance level was 25 ppm while for Cu (V) it was 150 ppm (Fig 1 and 2). Plants showed a significantly (p≤ 0.05) higher Cu (II) toleranc e than As (V). At high concentrations plants showed signs of necrosis and retarded growth due to toxic effects of As (V). There was no significant effect by replication (Table 1 and 2) and this provides evidence that by growing plants in vitro, plant to plant variations as well as environmental effects could be kept at a minimum levels. Sings of toxicity was shown by plants after two to three days from transfer to MS media supplemented with high concentrations of heavy metals. The effect of AS (V) was prominent and physiological breakdown of plants is so fast. It has been reported that Arsenate replaces phosphate when taken up by plants that disrupts the production of ATP which results in sudden cell death. Also arsenic is inhibitory towards cell function because it reacts with sulfhydryl enzymes and disrupts their activity (Luongo and Ma, 2005).Item Magnesium rechargeable cells based on PVdF gel polymer electrolyte(Uva Wellassa University of Sri Lanka, 2015) Jayathilake, Y.M.C.D.; Perera, K.S.; Vidanapathirana, K.P.Gel polymer electrolytes (GPEs) have received a keen interest as an excellent substitute for liquid electrolytes due to anticipation of several advantages such as no leakage, no corrosion and easy preparation. They are basically consisting of a salt solvent mixture encapsulated in a suitable polymer matrix (Osman, et al. 2012). Due to the satisfactory conducting and mechanical properties, they have been extensively considered as suitable electrolytes for various applications such as rechargeable cells (Kumar et al, 2003) super capacitors (Tripathi et al, 2013) and electrochromic devices (Wu et al, 2012). Plentiful of investigations have been carried out on applications with Li based GPEs but now attention has been focused towards other cation based GPE mainly due to some problems associating with lithium. As such non lithium based devices have come forward getting more interest. Use of magnesium in place of lithium would be very convenient as it possesses various important characteristics such as low cost, substantial abundance, more stability than lithium and low toxicity (Pandey et al, 2011). This paper reports about employing a magnesium based GPE in a magnesium rechargeable cell. Methodology Polyvinylidenefluoride (PVdF), Ethylene carbonate (EC), Propylene carbonate (PC) and Magnesium trifluromethane sulfonate (MgTf) purchased from Aldrich were used as received. Appropriate amounts of EC, PC and MgTf were mixed by magnetically stirring for about 2 hours. Required amount of PVdF was added and stirring was continued for another 10 minutes. Then, the mixture was heated at 120 C for 30 minutes. The resultant homogenous hot mixture was pressed in between two well cleaned glass plates to obtain a thin GPE film. A circular pellet of GPE was sandwiched in between two stainless steel (SS) electrodes and it was loaded inside a brass sample holder which is sealed by means of an O ring. Diameter and thickness of the sample were measured using a micrometer screw gauge. AC Impedance data were gathered by using Metrohm Autolab M101 impedance analyzer in the frequency range 0.01 Hz - 0.1 MHz. Temperature was varied from room temperature to 60 C by placing the sample holder inside a Sibata glass tube furnace. Cyclic Voltammetry studies were performed by placing an electrolyte sample in between two Mg electrodes. Three electrode electrochemical setup with a working electrode, a counter electrode and a reference electrode was employed for the study. Scan rate used was 5 mV/s. A cathode having Polypyrrole (PPy) polymerized in the presence of Dodecylbenzenesulfonate (DBS) was prepared as reported before (Perera et al, 2008). The cells in the configuration, Mg / GPE / PPy : DBS were assembled and their charge discharge behavior was monitored. Cells were subjected to charge and discharge between the potential values 0.5 V and 2.0 V. They were first discharged galvanostatically and then charged galvanostatically. When the required potential has reached, further potentiostatic charge was done till the current drops to 10%.Item Effect of graphite derivatives on mechanical and functional properties of nitrile rubber nano composite(Uva Wellassa University of Sri Lanka, 2015) Rajapaksha, P. C.; Alakolanga, A.G.A.W.; Weerawansha, A.N.; Rathnayake, U.N.The conducting polymers and polymeric composites have attracted considerable attention in recent years because of their breadth applications in advanced technologies, for example, in antistatic coatings, electromagnetic shielding. For all applications, elastomers are reinforced with fillers to promote their performance by incorporating materials such as silica, clay, carbon blacks, etc. Graphite is a layered material with high aspect ratio in its exfoliated state; it is also considered as one of the strongest materials per unit weight and has unique functional properties such as good electrical and thermal conductivities, and good lubricating properties. In other side graphene have recently received significant attention due to its outstanding electronic, mechanical and thermal properties. NBR-based Nano composite was prepared and mechanical and functional properties were studied. The dispersion of the filler in the polymer matrix was studied using the Transmitted light metrological microscope. Methodology Two different experimental trials (Preparation of NBR/Graphite composite and NBR/Graphene Nano composite) with different treatments (Phr levels) were conducted during this study. Nitrile rubber composites were prepared accordance with Brabender Plasticorder (Model: PL-2000; 26 manufacturers: ArtisanTM Technology Group).Item Preliminary study on mangrove diversity in Irakkandy lagoon, Trincomalee(Uva Wellassa University of Sri Lanka, 2015) Krishnanantham, K.; Jayamanne, S.C.; Seneviratne, Y. B. M. C. J.The term ‘mangrove’ describes both the ecosystem and the plant families that have developed specialized adaptations to live in the tidal environment (Tomlinson, 1986). Preliminary study on diversity of the mangrove stands at Irakkandy lagoon (Trincomalee) was investigated to document the status of the mangrove forest and the mangrove distribution in relation to the soil salinity variation. Due to the past two decades war dilemma and present developmental activities increase the pressure on mangrove ecosystem at an alarming rate Eastern region of Sri Lanka. In addition, Tsunami has collectively contributed to the destruction of mangroves at large in the Eastern province. In this backdrop, this research aims to analyse the diversity of mangrove in the Irakkandy lagoon which further attempts to provide some suggestions to protect mangrove and its ecosystem. Methodology Fifteen transect lines were laid perpendicular to the shore in different sites of the lagoon and sampling was conducted from May 2014 to July 2014 at selected locations. The precise locations were determined by portable GPS unit (ETREX 10) and hydro physico-chemical parameters of each site were recorded over high tide and low tide. Whilemeasuring the mangrove diversity, Temperature and pH were checked using Multiple Test Kit (Thermo scientific) and turbidity was measured using Turbidity meter (Hach model (2100q)) in Nephelometric Turbidity Units (NTU). Salinity was measured using a Refrectrometer (Erma Hand Refractometer, Salinity: 0-100) in units parts per thousand (ppt). Data on floristic composition was identified using standard identification keys. Moreover height of the species was measured by Suunto Clinometer. Three soil samples were collected along the transect line of each site from the edge of the lagoon to end of the mangrove existence. Soil salinity was calculated according to Gibbs, 2000. Shannon-Wiener diversity index and Pielou’s eveness index incorporated in the Primer software version 6.1.2 and Minitab ver.16 used for data analysis and statistical analysis. Results and Discussion Five different true mangrove species and nine mangrove associate plants were identified from the study site. Avicennia marina was the dominant species with Height (H) of 1.392.54m followed by Lumnitzera racemosa (3.131.92m), Excoecaria agallocha (3.282.662 m), Rhizophora apiculata (3.28 4.79m) and Heritiera littoralis was found as rare species with Height of (5.27 2.21m) respectively.Item Development of garment leather from Yellowfin tuna (Thunnus albacares) skin(Uva Wellassa University of Sri Lanka, 2015) Eakanayake, E.M.B.S.; Jayamanne, S.C.; Wickramasinghe, W.Leather is defined as hide or skin with its original fibrous structure more or less intact, tanned to prevent putrefaction (Covington, 2009). Due to tanning, skins that have been processed to prevent putrefaction retain its characteristics such as flexibility and toughness. Hides and skins from cattle, buffalo, sheep, pig, goat, horse, crocodile, snake and fish are used for leather production. When considering the fish leather, fish skins are used for production of leather after tanning and re-tanning processes. Texture of fish leather depends on pocket size of the scales. Presently, carp, pacific salmon, bass, sturgeon, shark, tuna, catfish, salmon, tilapia and several other fish species are taken for leather production. Garment leather is tanned with chrome and treated with softeners. The quality of the garment leather should be thin enough to use on garments and it should feels softer and smoother than any other types of leather. These types of leathers are made from the top-grain of a hide. Good stitch tensile strength and light weight are some other characters of garment leathers. Cow hide and skins from deer, pig and lamb are commonly used for garment leather manufacturing. But there is a potential to develop garment leather from fish skin similar to other garment leathers. The present study was carried out to add value to waste generated during the Yellowfin tuna (Thunnus albacares) fish processing and promote a fish leather production in Sri Lanka through developing garment type leather using discarded skins. At present, hides and skins from cattle, buffalo, sheep and goat are used for leather production. In addition, fish species including carp, pacific salmon, shark, tuna, catfish and tilapia are taken for leather production in the world. The objectives of this study were to find out the best fat liquor percentage to obtain maximum softness of chrome-tanned Yellowfin tuna fish leather and to find out the best tanning method for garment leather production from Yellowfin tuna skin. Methodology The current study was carried out at the tannery of Ceylon Leather Product PLC (CLP), Mattakkuliya. Tuna skins were collected from the processing factory of Jay Sea Food (Pvt) Ltd in Ja-Ela. Two experiments were carried out to find out best fat liquor concentration and best tanning method. In experiment 1, yellowfin tuna skins were treated with 33% basic chromium sulphate and five different concentrations (12%, 14%, 16%, 18% and 20%) of fat liquors (on weight of pelt). In experiment 2, yellowfin tuna skins were treated with four different tanning methods (Full chrome tanning, full vegetable tanning and two types of semi chrome tanning methods - vegetable tanned skins directly tanned with chrome and vegetable tanned skins tanned with chrome after stripping with NaHCO3). Before initiating the experiments pre-trial was conducted to find out the optimum conditions for liming. Six pieces of raw skins were immersed in solutions of 0.25%, 0.5% and 1% Na2S, 6% Ca(OH)2 and 200% water (on weight of skins). One day after, skins were taken out and scales and flesh were removed. Then, skins were kept for another 5 days in a new 6% Ca(OH)2 solution. Weight and the physical conditions (scale pockets, colour and plumpness) of the skin were observed daily. After identifying the optimum conditions for liming 40 skins were subjected to 8 production process steps (liming, de-liming, pickling, tanning, basifying, fat-liquoring, fixing, drying and dying). Experiment 1 was done in fat-liquoring step and experiment 2 was done in tanning step. Then, the dried leathers were dyed and waxed. Finally softness, feel, tensile strength, tear strength and stitch tear strength were measured in developed leathers. Physical evaluation was done to check softness and feel by ten expertise. Tensile strength, tear strength and stitch tear strength were done using universal testing machine. This experiment was designed according to Complete Randomized Design (CRD). The collected data were analyzed using Friedman test and one-way ANOVA in MINITAB 16 and SPSS 22 statistical analyzing software to find out the significant difference between treatments. Mean separation was done using pairwise comparison.