Research Symposium-2010
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Item Host range and natural enemies of the newly reported mealybug species Phenacoccus solenopsis Tinsley 1898 (Hemiptera: Pseudococcidae), in the Batticaloa District(Uva Wellassa University of Sri Lanka, 2010) Prishanthini, M.; Vinobaba, P.Mealybugs are important plant sucking insect pests causing severe damages in a wide variety of plants and are one of the major threats to agriculture, horticulture and home garden crops. The cotton mealybug Phenacoccus solenopsis Tinsley was first reported in Sri Lanka in 2009 by the authors. This polyphagous exotic pest originated from USA and at present it is widely spread in The Eastern and Northern parts of Sri Lanka. The present study was conducted in randomly selected twenty five locations at Batticaloa district, during the period from June 2008 to March 2010 to identify different host plants harboured by this species, associated ant species and the natural enemies. In Batticaloa district Phenacoccus solenopsis was recorded from 30 plant species of 10 families including some important field crops and weeds. Plants from Malvaceae, Solanaceae, Amaranthaceae, Asteraceae and Verbenaceae were the most preferred hosts of this mealybug. It was found that natural control by means of natural enemies and weather factors play an important role in the abundance of this species in the region. In this study it was observed that, there was close association of ants with the mealybugs especially of the fire ants of genus Solenopsis. Six different species of ants associated with cotton mealybug were observed and among them four were identified. Apart from this, some natural enemies of mealybugs including predators and parasitoids were observed. This group includes predators as lacewing larvae, adult and larval lady bird beetles and tiny parasitic wasps. These natural enemies were observed to have a considerable role in the natural control of the cotton mealybugs. Key words: Exotic, Phenacoccus solenopsis, Natural control, Natural enemies, parasitoidItem Methodology of Knowledge Representation from Natural language(Uva Wellassa University of Sri Lanka, 2010) Koggalahewa, D.N.; Athauda, S.P.B.; Pilapitiya, S.U.; Tharanga, K.G.D.; Fonseka, O.A.R.K.Information available in different formats cannot be understood by a computer or a machine due to lack of a proper knowledge representation mechanism. It always requires more human effort in feeding the knowledge to the computers or the knowledge base. XML covers the basic level of knowledge representation, but is incapable of utilizing the concepts and semantics in a proper way. Onto_X is an effort made to automate the process of ontology construction from an annotated xml file or database. The annotation process is done by any natural language processing tool (apart from the system). The system requires an xml file as the input and converts it into ontology in owl format. The system is capable of generating the semantics over annotated content with owl components. Xml entities will be automatically mapped into the owl components such as classes, sub classes, instances and relationships. The conversion mechanism is totally automated inside the Onto_X since it assures all the co-relationships over the annotated content. The conversion process identifies the xml properties and assigns semantics with the integration of word-net 2.1 and owl properties over the parsed content. The system uses the protégé libraries for the conversion process. The most special feature in the conversion process is that it uses its own inference, without just mapping xml properties to owl. The system is capable of visualizing the mapped owl ontology and it allows the user to refine the content of the constructed ontology. The final outcome of the system is ontology in owl format, which is mapped from the xml file or a database. The research ensures a better knowledge representation mechanism and it will assure the creation of domain knowledge from the xml file. The expandability is high since it takes information from the base level. Key words: Information, Knowledge, Onto_X, Natural languageItem Success and Failures of English Language Teaching Methodologies in Sri Lanka: Case of English Language Teaching Unit (ELTU) of the University of Colombo(Uva Wellassa University of Sri Lanka, 2010) Gamage, U.P.Teaching English as a second language becomes a conspicuous issue of selection of and application of suitable methodologies, particularly for the language learners in non-English speaking environments. Though there are well developed methodologies for systematic teaching of second languages used in different parts of the world, it is quite understandable that the Sri Lankan second language teaching convention has not opted for using them methodically in class rooms. This hypothetical ground convinced us to do this study on the second language teaching methodologies with special reference to English Language Teaching Unit of the Colombo University (ELTUCU). The major objective of the study finds whether the teaching methodology used by the ELTUCU was success or failure. It was revealed by the study that the teaching methodology that has been used by the English Language Teaching Unit of the Colombo University does not deal with one selected theoretical approach, but with scattered practices, randomly picked from each and every other method of teaching languages. The very obvious fact is that this sample has given little recognition even to the prominent modern methods in the curriculum, so that most of the practices enact a conventional role leading to poor language acquisition by the learner. The very low achievement of students' goals and the inclusion of the students who already achieved the proficiency level prior to joining the program, further pointed to the lesser success of the methodologies used. Finally, the study concludes, with the empirical backing of the research, that the non-use of modern methods in the class room for teaching English would make little impact on non-native language learners, especially in the context of teaching English. Key words: Language, English, Speaking, Teaching methodologyItem Study on Incorporating the Expectations of Domestic Tourists into Sri Lankan Hotels with special reference to Ceylon Hotels Corporation(Uva Wellassa University of Sri Lanka, 2010) Pirithiviraj, J.C.D.After the end of the thirty years long civil war, business sector is recovering and in particular tourism is developing at an accelerated rate. Sri Lanka has been a popular destination for tourism from the colonial time and tourism industry generates a huge income to Sri Lanka. Though Sri Lanka has been successful in attracting foreign tourists and Sri Lankan hotels have accommodated the expectations of international tourists, performance of domestic tourism sector has been limited. Therefore main purpose of this study is to investigate why the Sri Lankan Hotels do not focus on catering to the expectations of local tourists. Hence findings of this study would be useful to the Sri Lankan hotel sector to develop policies to cater to the requirements of local tourists and thereby develop the domestic tourism. This research was limited to the tourists of Group Hotels of Ceylon Hotels Corporation PLC. Conceptual framework was developed taking four factors in to consideration; room rate, service quality, locations & environment and staff assistance which directly influence the expectations of tourists. Quantitative methodology was adopted and structured questionnaires were used for data collection. Questionnaires were distributed to 100 domestic tourists who visited group hotels of Ceylon Hotels Corporation PLC situated in the different regions of the country. Descriptive analysis was used for data analysis. Results showed that Sri Lankan tourists are mostly concerned about the affordability of room rates and quality of service. Finally it has been recommended to adopt cost leadership strategy to incorporate the expectations of local tourists thereby domestic tourism can be improved. Key words: Room rate, Service quality, locations & environment, Staff assistanceItem Designing of Eco-Tour Plans along the Up Country Rail-Track(Uva Wellassa University of Sri Lanka, 2010) Samaraweera, W.M.S.N.; Kulathunga, A.K.; Weerawansha, A.M.G.E.Most of the foreign tourists arrive in Sri Lanka mainly from western countries. Their average stay in the island is around two weeks due to their busy schedules and with limited spending capacities. Therefore, majority of them expects to spend their stay in most productive manner by covering many experiences during their stay here. However, due to poor infrastructure facilities and lack of information and awareness about the tourist attractions majority of them manage to cover only few areas and their stay is mostly unproductive in that sense. Therefore, this research aims at minimizing unproductive time during their stay in the Island and to come up with more productive and attractive tour plans thereby to increase the number of tourist attractions they can cover within one trip. As a case study Uva region was selected due to its diversity of tourist attractions. Furthermore, as a prime mode of transportation, railways were selected since there are many attractions scattered around up-country rail track in this region and this part of railway track is also famous among the foreign travelers due to the scenery and bio diversity etc. Mainly travelling process has been divided into different segments and possible delays have been identified. Tour plans are arranged minimizing the delays to match with local transport services time tables so that experiences and attractions can be maximized. This research was done in several phases. In the first phase, famous tourist's attractions were identified and closest railway stations to these sites were also identified. In the second phase, best possible tour planning was done by considering the accessibility from the respective railway stations and railway time tables. The prime objective was to introduce tour plans which effectively utilize time. In the third phase, drawbacks of the existing system were identified and possible suggestions are made in the third phase. In the fourth phase, an interactive tour planner with Decision Supporting System is designed and developed. Maps of this nature are very rare in local context. Finally based on the studies it can be seen that many attractions can be covered within limited time facilitating a productive holiday plan. Key words: Tour planning, Eco-tourism, Decision Support systemsItem Customer Relationship Management as a Tool for Customer Delightedness With Special Reference to Sales Personnel Behavior in Textile Shops in Badulla Region, Sri Lanka(Uva Wellassa University of Sri Lanka, 2010) Fernando, P.I.N.; Kulathunga, M.Customer Relationship Management (CRM) is to build profitable relationships with customers to keep their loyalty towards the organization. It plays a vital role in textile shops as winning the loyalty is much difficult with huge competition. Sales personnel behavior plays a vital role while shaping up the customer satisfaction to a particular textile shop. Sales person is the first person who talks with customer and provides "first impression" to buying decision. He is responsible for sales of either a single product or the entire range of an organization's product. The main objective of this study is to identify the relationship between sales person behavioral factors as CRM techniques to customer delightedness. Considering textile industry, eight sales personnel behavioral factors have been identified in relation to CRM practices in both negative and positive aspects. Primary data were collected through a survey by taking 50 customers who visited textile shops in Badulla urban area as the sample. Descriptive statistics and multiple- linear regression were used to analyze data by using mini-tab statistical package. Results revealed that the sales person behavior is also one of the key factors to keep customer loyalty, retention and delightedness. R-Square value has been calculated as 0.59 and it explains 59% of the total variation in customer delightedness by sales personnel behavioral factors. Four sales person behavioral factors highlighted as interference, freedom of choice, positive response to customers and farewell greeting have been identified as most effective in maintaining good CRM practice. Proper training on CRM, self respect regarding their own, motivation and attitude change of sales staff are the factors to be considered to improve customer relationship. Key words: Customer retention, Loyalty, CRM, Textile shopsItem A Study of Application of Marketing Strategy and Entrepreneurial Quality of Honey Collectors at War Affected Areas in Batticaloa District(Uva Wellassa University of Sri Lanka, 2010) Sutha, R.J.Main livelihoods of communities in war affected Batticaloa district are fishing, farming, livestock, poultry farming, honey collection, bush meat, etc. Honey collection in Batticaloa district's war affected areas is considered as a seasonal product. Therefore people who involve in the honey collection, also do bush meat, hunting and other collection of forest wood as their livelihood. Honey collectors at the war affected areas face difficulties in marketing their product. Even though they use several marketing strategies their attitude is always towards short-term objective fulfillment. The objectives of the research are to identify the existing situation of application of marketing strategies and entrepreneurial quality, and to identify possible recommendation for the improvement. Out of 6 war affected divisions, Vaharai division was selected by using convenient sampling technique. Data were collected through questionnaire from 50 households in selected division, and this was measured by five point likert scales. Application of marketing strategies (product, place, price, and promotion) and entrepreneurial quality of honey collector's data were summarized using descriptive statistics, graphs and tables. Through the findings the researcher realized that, honey collectors apply seasonality and equip cost of product in the product strategy, but branding, product development and value addition of the product are in almost disagree level that is 3.5Item Leadership and IT-Driven Organizational Change in the Sri Lankan context(Uva Wellassa University of Sri Lanka, 2010) Suraweera, T.; Rodrigo, E.P.E.; Samarathunga, H.M.G.L.; Wimalarathna, K.D.S.S.; Jayasekara, G.D.N.; Somarathne, K.M.M.S.This research investigates Information Technology (IT) driven organizational changes in Sri Lankan organizations by focusing on the leadership aspects. The main objective of this research is to identify which leadership styles are effective in ensuring the success of change management processes within IT project implementations. In order to achieve this, firstly the research conducts an in-depth investigation of the relationship between leadership and change management practices within organizations. Encapsulating the findings, a model is proposed to pinpoint the leadership style that should be adopted within the change management process of the organization. The research involved qualitative methods. Models by Goalman (2000), Kotter (1996), and Cooper and Zmud (1990) were consulted to build an initial framework surrounding leadership and change management practices. Using the Case Study method, in-depth interviews and document reviews were conducted for six leading Sri Lankan organizations which had undergone IT change. Analysis of results revealed that organizations are increasingly realizing the value of employing change management practices when introducing IT change to their organizations. The attention of leaders was found to be more focused on the culture, behaviours and attitudes of employees who are part of the change process than on the steps within the change process itself which are prescribed by change gurus. Eliminating people resistance has been treated with the highest priority based on the argument that effectiveness of change management processes is directly linked to winning over the people resource. Leadership styles were found to be practiced more from a public relations (PR) perspective to win the people over in the short term and thereby ensuring long term success. Key words: Leadership, Organizational Change, Information Technology, Change Management Process, Leadership Styles, Sri Lankan Context, IT Driven ChangeItem Change Management in the Context of ERP System Implementations(Uva Wellassa University of Sri Lanka, 2010) Suraweera, T.; Kumarapperuma, C.U.; Wijayasinghe, P.M.T.; Madhushani, P.L.B.; Jayathilaka, Y.C.P.; De Silva, G.H.K.Today's business organizations invest vast sums of money in Information Technology (IT) implementation projects in order to gain competitive advantage. The current organizational context indicates a wide spread adoption of Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) systems in spite of their increasing cost. However large number of ERP system implementation projects fail and poor change management practices associated have been identified as one of the major factors behind ERP project failures. This research focuses on exploring the role of change management in the context of ERP implementation projects in Sri Lankan business organizations. The primary objective of this research is to identify and fill the significant knowledge gap between change management and ERP implementation processes. The specific objectives of this research are threefold: to study the level of influence of change management in the process of ERP implementation, to identify how change management process influences ERP implementation process and to identify relationships between ERP implementation process and change management process. The case study methodology was adopted in this research since the focus of this study is on a contemporary phenomenon within its real life context. The findings of this study reveal that the ERP implementation process and change management process employed by the case study organizations notably deviate from theoretical framework due to contextual differences. The change management process is a continuous process as the enterprise systems are implemented in a modular basis and continue to improve in current turbulent business environment. The outcomes of this research would provide a guide in identifying the relationship between phases of change management and ERP system implementation processes and lead to increase the success rate of ERP implementation projects through effective change management practices. Key words: Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) systems, Change managementItem Development of an Intelligence System for Decision Making Process in Natural Resource Management(Uva Wellassa University of Sri Lanka, 2010) Partheepan, T.; Partheepan, K.Expert systems are part of a general category of computer applications known as artificial intelligence. An intelligence system is a computer program that simulates the judgment and behavior of a human or an organization that has expert knowledge and experience in a particular field. Typically, such a system contains a knowledge base containing accumulated experience and a set of rules for applying the knowledge base to each particular situation that is described to the program. It attempts to provide an answer to a problem. Everywhere in every domain relevant expertise is needed. The major problems in accessing a human expert in a particular field are unavailability and scarcity of real experts. Consultation may be very expensive and human expert may feel the repetitive job uninteresting. This paper describes the role of intelligence systems in the natural resource management and present the utility of prolog based intelligence system in the development of such a system. It is based on logic programming approach. Efficient natural resource management involves appropriate application of production and conservation practices for development of land and water resources. The technique of remote sensing has been applied to bring more land under cultivation, flood monitoring, etc. Development of an Intelligence system for natural resource management has been explored through presenting in details development of knowledge base for the visual image interpretation of standard false colour composite (FCC) image. Remote Sensing, Geographical Information System (GIS), Global Positioning System (GPS) and the information technology together provide the essential support for decision makers. Obviously, Expert systems have large impact and scope for the application of remote sensing techniques in the monitoring and management of natural resources. Key words: Intelligence System, Human Expert, Logic Programming, Land Use, Artificial Intelligence, Remote SensingItem Validity of Herzberg’s Two-Factor Theory to the Banking Sector Managers in Sri Lanka(Uva Wellassa University of Sri Lanka, 2010) Abeywardana, N.L.E.; Pushpamali, N.N.C.Many people have studied personnel issues in the workplace, and several management theories have been formed based on these studies. One prominent theory is Frederick Herzberg's Two-Factor Theory. Two factor theory stated that there are certain factors in the workplace that cause job satisfaction, while a separate set of factors cause job dissatisfaction. Herzberg's theory has been an impetus for much debate; numerous scholars question the validity of the theory itself (Rantz et al. (1996), Ruthankoon and Ogunlaga (2001), Bassett and Jones et al. (2005)). The objective of this study is to examine the validity of Herzberg's Two-Factor theory of motivation to the banking sector managers. This study also addressed the difference of job satisfaction and dissatisfaction of private and public sector employees and male and female employees. This is a qualitative study designed to assess factors relating to job satisfaction and dissatisfaction when banking sector employees' move from their jobs. Herzberg's Two-Factor theory was used as the theoretical foundation for the research. Since this study modified an already existing theory (Herzberg's Two-Factor theory), the basic research approach is deductive reasoning. The sample size of the study was randomly selected 100 mangers from banking sector in Sri Lanka. As the research instrument a questionnaire was used and collected data were analyzed using descriptive statistics techniques. Results revealed that managers rank salary as a motivating factor even though Herzberg reveals in his study that salary as a Hygiene factor. Ranking of motivation and hygiene factors of the study is contrary to the Herzberg's Two-Ffactor theory. There is no difference in ranking of factors between private sector and public sector managers and male and female managers. Key words: Two factor theory, Hygiene factors, Motivation factors, Managers in banking sector, Job satisfaction and job dissatisfaction.Item The Impact of Corporate Social Responsibility on Profitability of Banking Sector in Sri Lanka(Uva Wellassa University of Sri Lanka, 2010) Wijetunge, W.A.D.S.; Nanayakkara, K.G.M.The concept of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) has gradually become a leading issue in business sector today. Most of the private companies, specially the banks in private sector take a variety of initiatives all aimed at making sense of CSR. It signals that they have realized their responsibility towards the society. They are trying to achieve sustainable development through practicing this concept. Past studies conducted in various sectors in different countries also favored the hypothesis that there is a positive relationship between CSR and profitability. This study was an attempt to examine this in banking sector in Sri Lanka. The primary objective was to identify the impact of Corporate Social Responsibility on Profitability in Banking Sector, identifying them as the financial intermediaries who interact more with the general public. Banks have become an important component in service sector contributing 40% to the work force as well as 9% to the GDP (Commercial Bank Annual Report, 2009). Secondary objective was to examine whether the impact is significant or not. Data were collected from listed banks in the Colombo Stock Exchange (CSE). The analysis was based on non-parametric tests such as Chi-Square test, Correlation Coefficient and Coefficient of determination (R2) and simple statistical methods like percentages, tables and graphs. Data analysis revealed that there is a positive relationship of CSR on bank's profitability. It is further revealed that the impact is not significant. Key words: Corporate Social Responsibility, Profitability, Banking sector, Sustainable development, Colombo Stock Exchange, Gross Domestic ProductionItem Automated Cephalometric Analysis in Orthodontics Using Artificial Neural Network(Uva Wellassa University of Sri Lanka, 2010) Ariyarathna, G.D.W.M.; Karunananda, A.S.This work demonstrates the use of Neural Network approach, which is being developed to promote the automated identification and localization of cephelametric landmarks in orthodontics. Orthodontics is a specialty of dentistry that is concerned with the study and treatment of malocclusions (improper bites), which may be a result of tooth irregularity, disproportionate jaw improved bite (occlusion). Identification and localization of cephelametric landmarks has become an important clinical task in orthodontics. The conventional method of locating landmarks depends on manual tracing of the radiographic images. Since this is time consuming and error proven, the demand for completely automated analysis and diagnostic tasks has increased. In this respect, an intelligent cephalometric analysis is one of the main goals to be reached in orthodontics in near future. This work critically reviews four major problems in cephelametric analysis namely; precision of landmark identification and localization, enormous time consumption, human errors and need for continuous support from experts. We argue that, issue of lack of autonomated solutions for cephelametric analysis has been the main problem.Conventional approaches lack generality, adaptability and flexibility, since it is difficult for them to learn the environment changes and they do not provide facilities to automate the analysis process to improve the accuracy of landmark detection. There have been several previous attempts to automate cephalometric analysis with the use of hand crafted algorithms, mathematical or mtatistical models and artificial intelligence techniques such as neural networks, genetic algorithms and fuzzy logic. Nevertheless, in all cases accuracy was the same or worse than that of manual identification. Therefore this investigation aimed at proposing an Artificial Neural Network approach to computerize the cephalometric analysis. It is evident from the literature that, neural network approach can introduce very high level of autonomy and accuracy in modeling real world problems. The proposed system automates cephalometric analysis along four dimensions; image acquisition: capturing and scanning cephalograms, image processing and computer vision: image analyzing, edge detecting and extracting landmarks, ANN training: classifying landmarks according to their geometrical specifications and pinpointing the land marks by calculating the center of gravity in each cluster. The users of the system would be orthodontists. This system has been implemented as a desktop application which automatically analyzes the cephelametric land marks according to their geometrical classifications. Key words: Automated cephalometric analysis, Artificial neural networkItem Map Generation for an Autonomous Mobile Robot By Using Laser Range Finder(Uva Wellassa University of Sri Lanka, 2010) Arachchi, S.M.A.; Emaru, T.; Rowe, P.The purpose of an autonomous mobile robot is to operate without human intervention in the real world environment. A model of the surrounding physical environment of the robot; i.e a map is needed in order to execute meaningful tasks. This paper explains the techniques required to build a map for an autonomous mobile robot. A laser range finder was used to scan the surrounding environment, where the robot base moved around in a room. Iterative Closest Point method was applied to update a global map and to calculate a local map for the position of the robot. By using the data, distance to objects in the surrounding environment could be obtained in real time. Therefore this map details could be used by the robot to identify its surrounding environment. Maps are obtained in Cartesian coordinate frame. This method can be used in indoor operated wheel chairs or mobile robots to reach their desired location precisely and by avoiding the obstacles in the surrounding environment. Key words: Mapping, Iterative closest point method, Laser range finderItem Loss Reduction techniques for Distribution System with Evaluation of Loss and Voltage – A Case Study(Uva Wellassa University of Sri Lanka, 2010) Mufaris, A.L.M.; Hikam, K.M.M.; Hihaj, M.N.M.; Ferando, M.A.R.M.; Karunarathna, C.A.B.The objective of this paper is to present a methodology to evaluate losses and to minimize the distribution system losses. It proposes the techniques which can be used to minimize the losses in the distribution systems for improving the quality of the voltage under unbalanced conditions. First part of the analysis shows a case study for the evaluation of losses in a substation belonging to a typical electricity distribution system owned by the Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB) electricity utility in Sri Lanka. A methodology is developed to calculate the losses by determining the current with the consideration of the energy consumption data. Line diagram relevant to the substation taken for the case study was developed in Integrated Power System Analysis (IPSA) software package. Load flow analysis of the substation was conducted to determine the losses and the voltage at any location. In the second part, distribution losses were calculated by introducing different techniques i.e. phase balancing, substation relocation and feeder reconfiguration. It was found that the maximum loss reduction as well as substantial voltage improvement can be achieved by feeder reconfiguration. It can be concluded that the above proposed techniques can be used to reduce the distribution system with similar load characteristics. Key words: Loss Reduction Techniques, Voltage, Integrated Power System AnalysisItem The Removal of Hardness and Fluoride in Drinking Water by Electrocoagualtion(Uva Wellassa University of Sri Lanka, 2010) Padmasiri, J.P.; Jayawardhana, W.M.Hardness of water decreases its suitability for drinking as well as leads to industrial problems. On the other hand presence of excess fluoride in drinking water has effects on human health such as dental fluorosis and skeletal fluorosis. Also excess fluoride indirectly helps to develop a kidney disease known as chronic renal failure. In the developed world household units are available for the removal of hardness which are not affordable in countries of our region due to high capital. and maintenance cost involved. The objective of this study is to device a domestic water filter using locally available raw material thus reducing the cost to a great extent. Electro coagulation is used because of its simplicity. Six electrode plates of size 30 x10 cm and 5 mm thickness made of aluminum are dipped into the fluoride rich hard water in a 51 container. A current of 1 A is passed through for a period of 30 minutes while circulating the water. Thereafter water with the floc is allowed to settle overnight before filtration. After each operation it is necessary to clean the detachable electrodes well to get the optimum conditions. In Electro coagulation, aluminum (from anode) is electro chemically dissolved into the solution, reacting with the hydroxyl ion (from cathode) to form complexes of aluminum hydroxides and fluorides. In addition bicarbonates converted to carbonates deposit on the cathode. The Al hydroxides flocculate and coagulate the suspended solids purifying the water thus reducing hardness and fluoride. The percentage reduction of total hardness is in the range 40 to 50%, alkalinity 25 to 30% and fluoride 60 to 90%.The cost of the unit is Rs. 10,000/= and the maintenance cost is negligible. A vessel for settling the water and a normal water filter are also required for the complete operation. Key words: Removal of Hardness, Fluoride, ElectrocoagualtionItem Design, Fabrication, Development and Performance Evaluation of Four (4) Row Conical Drum Seeder for Lowland Paddy Cultivation(Uva Wellassa University of Sri Lanka, 2010) Balasooriya, B.M.C.P.; Bandara, M.H.M.A.As rice is the staple food of the country, it is the single most important crop in Sri Lanka. It occupies 34% of the total cultivated land. 1.8 million farmer families are engaged in rice cultivation. Rice cultivation in Sri Lanka is still labour intensive, although it is expensive, less efficient, ineffective and unattractive. Among the various activities in paddy cultivation, plant establishment is the least mechanized activity. Majority of farmers follow traditional manual broadcasting though it has many disadvantages. Despite the fact that transplanting is the best method of plant establishment, it is not feasible to introduce at this moment because lack of local technology and also due to high machinery cost which farmers cannot afford. Line seeders have been introduced by various institutes but not popular among farmers as they have shortcomings. Hence a drum seeder was designed, fabricated, developed and performance was evaluated in several stages in order to introduce line hill seeding eliminating shortcomings of existing paddy seeders. Key words: paddy seeders, Four Row Conical Drum SeederItem Effect of Habitat Alteration on Avifaunal Diversity of the Riparian Mangrove Ecosystems Associated with Nilwala River(Uva Wellassa University of Sri Lanka, 2010) Samarasekara, W.G.K.H.; Chandana, E.P.S.Conservation and management of riparian habitats for wild life and sustainable human use have become challenging tasks amidst the present day development activities and other human influences. Riparian habitats especially closer to the urban areas are severely influenced by garbage dumping. A mangrove ecosystem associated with Nilwala riparian system (Matara) has been recently transformed into a garbage dumping site. We have investigated the diversity and the abundance of avifauna at this dumping site and a Sonneratia dominated mangrove habitat associated with Nilwala River. Bird counts were obtained weekly in each habitat along transects for six months (March — September, 2009). Vegetation characters and diversity of each habitat were also investigated. The total number of species recorded at eastern and western areas of the dumping site and mangrove habitat were 33, 48 and 61 respectively. Shannon-Weiner Index calculated for bird diversity were 1.56 ± 0.06, 2.65 ± 0.03 and 2.77 ± 0.03 for eastern area and western area of the dumping site and mangrove ecosystem respectively. Cattle egrets, Crows, Mynahs and Lapwings were highly abundant at the dumping site while Sunbirds, Bulbuls, Barbets, Flower peckers and loras were abundant in the Sonneratia dominated mangrove habitat clearly indicating habitat bird species relationships. These results indicate the importance of the mangrove ecosystem in providing habitat for wider range of species. Bird diversity among the study sites correlated with the magnitude of the vegetation degradation at each site. Birds associated with the dumping site were threatened with fire, obnoxious gases and polythene. Species richness was correlated with the degree of transformation at the dumping site. There was no statistically significant correlation between the bird diversity and plant diversity indicating the other factors affecting the bird diversity .pattercis7:These data will be useful in conservation, and management of riparian and mangrove ecosystems. Key. Words: Nilwala River, Riparian habitats, Mangrove ecosystem, Garbage durtYping site,'VegeWtion, BirdsItem Value Addition of Coir Pith by Composting: A Comparison between Coir Pith Compost and Traditional Compost(Uva Wellassa University of Sri Lanka, 2010) Lavanya, S.; Vijitha, N.; Mahendran, S.Coir pith is a natural and renewable resource obtained from coconut husks. Though coir pith has a number of beneficial properties, its direct utilization as a manure is restricted owing to its high carbon: nitrogen (C:N) ratio (100-120:1) and lignin content (30%) which delays natural decomposition. Hence, a study was conducted at the Eastern University, Sri Lanka to convert the raw coir pith to composted coir pith and to analyze its properties and suitability as a manure. The coir pith compost was prepared by using coir pith, spawn of oyster mushroom (Pleurotus sajor caju) and cattle urine and allowed to decomposition. The samples of coir pith compost were analyzed for their properties such as moisture content, porosity, bulk density, particle density, pH, electrical conductivity, organic carbon, macro nutrients and Carbon : Nitrogen Ratio. They were compared with the properties of traditional compost. The results of this study revealed that certain properties of coir pith compost namely, moisture content and porosity were significantly higher than the traditional compost. The Potassium content, bulk density particle density and electrical conductivity of composted coir pith were significantly lower than the traditional compost. However, there were no significant differences in the Nitrogen, Phosphorus and pH of the coir pith compost and traditional compost. Composted coir pith had more Organic carbon than traditional compost. The Carbon: Nitrogen ratio of composted coir pith was reduced to favourable level but, remained higher than that of the traditional compost. Hence, it could be concluded that coir pith can be converted into a manure by composting. The value added final product has favourable physical and chemical properties to be used as organic manure. Key words: Coir pith compost, Properties, Traditional compostItem Microbial Enzymatic Degumming of Crude Soybean Oil (Lecitase Novo rom Aspergillus Orizae)(Uva Wellassa University of Sri Lanka, 2010) Prabhaharan, M.; Rakshit, S.K.Higher free fatty acid (acid value) and peroxide value generally reduce the edible oil quality. Removal of free fatty acid from crude edible oils can be done by chemical neutralization combined with physical refining like vacuum distillation. The latter method requires that the phosphatide (Gum) content less than 10 ppm. Here target level of gum removal (Degumming) was attempted by using microbial enzyme (Lecitase Novo) secreted by Aspergillus orizae combined with water degumming under optimum condition with mixing. The enzymatic degumming process was employed to reduce the level of phosphatide (P) to 10 ppm at six (6) hours of duration with mixing. A chemical degumming process was attempted with citric acid and sodium hydroxide, exhibiting a speeded in reduction of the gum level to less than lOppm in 2 to 3 hours of mixing, where the constant parameters crude oil one liter, 1.5% of water, 1.5% Buffer (0.05% citric acid 50% solution and 4M NaOH solution with neutral pH) mixing speed 1000 rpm with peddle type stirrer, viscosity of 0.0322 kg/m.s, density of 930 kg/m3, with constant temperature at 40 °C in water bath. Quality of edible oil mainly depended on properties such as phosphatide level, acid value and peroxide value. Crude soybean oil contains phosphatide 700 — 750 ppm, acid value 1.82% and peroxide value 5 meq/kg. After degumming process chemical and enzymatic degummed oils expressed that the value of phosphatide less than 10 ppm, acid value 4.55±0.46 and 3.64±0.23 peroxide value 10.5±0.5 and 12.5±0.7 respectively. The microbial phospholipase enzymes are an economically attractive in edible oil processing which exhibits some unique features while compared to chemical method. Key words: Enzymatic degumming, Crude soybean oil