Browsing by Author "Perera, C"

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item: Conference-Full-text
Adapting the standard forms of contract to minimize the contractual effects of COVID-19 on construction projects.
(2022-06-24) Perera, C; Palliyaguru, R; Sandanayake, YG; Gunatilake, S; Waidyasekara, KGAS
The construction industry is a major economic driver in Sri Lanka. However, the construction industry was significantly affected by the responses made by the Sri Lankan government to prevent the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic. The effects of those government responses on construction projects are diverse as time, cost, and qualityrelated impacts. These effects resulted in numerous contractual effects that were mostly to be dealt with reference to the provisions made in the standard forms of contracts such as ICTAD/SBD/02 and FIDIC 1999 in Sri Lanka. Since no similar pandemic has affected Sri Lanka at this magnitude before, neither ICTAD/SBD/02 nor FIDIC 1999 have been drafted giving due consideration to such exceptional circumstances. Furthermore, no studies that researched these kinds of aspects can be found in the existing literature. Hence, this research aims to explore the effects of the responses made by the Sri Lankan government to prevent the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic on the construction industry and the possible adaptations of standard forms of contracts to address the contractual implications of those effects to mitigate the effects on the contractual parties in both building and civil engineering projects. A desk review was carried out to identify the existing provisions of ICTAD/SBD/02 and FIDIC 1999 to overcome the effects of pandemic situations, and three case studies, including two building projects and one civil engineering project, were used for the empirical data collection. Representing contractors, consultants, and employers, twelve semi-structured interviews were conducted within the three case studies. The research findings reveal that a collaborative approach with cost and time-sharing is the best approach to address the effects of a pandemic situation. Furthermore, defining terminologies, developing transparency in contractual relationships, and establishing an equal assessment basis can all aid in the contractual development of the ICTAD/SBD/02. As a result, the study suggests improving documentation practices, developing guidelines for amicable settlement, and eliminating the adversarial effects of ICTAD/SBD/02 through an equal assessment process. Thus, this research contributes to the further development of ICTAD/SBD/02 while also improving Sri Lankan building and civil engineering projects by reducing contractual issues in future pandemics
item: Article-Full-text
Automated license plate recognition for resource-constrained environments
(MDPI, 2022) Padmasiri, H; Shashirangana, J; Meedeniya, D; Rana, O; Perera, C
The incorporation of deep-learning techniques in embedded systems has enhanced the capabilities of edge computing to a great extent. However, most of these solutions rely on high-end hardware and often require a high processing capacity, which cannot be achieved with resource-constrained edge computing. This study presents a novel approach and a proof of concept for a hardware-efficient automated license plate recognition system for a constrained environment with limited resources. The proposed solution is purely implemented for low-resource edge devices and performed well for extreme illumination changes such as day and nighttime. The generalisability of the proposed models has been achieved using a novel set of neural networks for different hardware configurations based on the computational capabilities and low cost. The accuracy, energy efficiency, communication, and computational latency of the proposed models are validated using different license plate datasets in the daytime and nighttime and in real time. Meanwhile, the results obtained from the proposed study have shown competitive performance to the state-of-the-art server-grade hardware solutions as well.
item: Thesis-Abstract
The Contribution of shared knowledge and information technology to manufacturing performance : a study among manufacturing, quality and R&D Groups in ...
(2014-08-01) Sampath, AK; Perera, C
Knowledge has been recognized long ago as an important asset for sustaining competitive advantage. Recently, many companies have identified the use of information technologies within an organization, as an important tool for managing or sharing organizational knowledge in order to improve business performance. This research tests a conceptual model that evaluates the contribution of Shared Knowledge and Information Technology to the Manufacturing Performance, through a study among Manufacturing and Quality groups in the Sri Lankan manufacturing industry. Theoretically, this research stands upon the 'knowledge-based theory of the firm' (Sveiby,, 1992) adapted by the rapidly growing knowledge-based services and knowledge-intensive industries. Survey data collected from 30 medium to large size industrial companies with a total of 60 manufacturing and quality groups, representing industrial sectors like ceramics, food and beverages, tyres, FMCG, chemical, electrical consumables, plastics, cables, tea etc., were analyzed to test the model. As Shared Knowledge and Information Technology (IT) are central points of the investigation, Knowledge Management (KM) and specific IT Systems for supporting collaboration and knowledge-based work has been focused. The aim of the research is to connect both Shared Knowledge and Information Technology to the Manufacturing Performance. Finally, conclusions are presented together with a reference to the research limitations and some managerial implications. Two main findings of the study -the contributions of (a) Shared Knowledge to the Manufacturing group performance, and (b) Information Technology to the Manufacturing group performance and Sharing Knowledge, are demonstrated. Manufacturing and Quality groups have the opportunity to increase shared knowledge and, in this manner, to positively affect Manufacturing Performance by developing Mutual Trust through IT-based communication, social interaction and common goal accomplishment.
item: Conference-Full-text
Determinants of integrated citizen-centric e-services in the public sector of Sri Lanka
(IEEE, 2022-07) Fernando, MDS; Perera, C; Rathnayake, M; Adhikariwatte, V; Hemachandra, K
This study aims to develop a conceptual model that could be adopted for the development of the existing e-government framework in Sri Lanka with the use of a more citizen-centred approach. Policy and Governance, E-government Service Quality, Information Technology Infrastructure and Organizational Commitment were identified as the most influential factors to implement a successful citizen-centred e-government framework. The study was carried out considering both users and nonusers of existing e-government services. As the findings unveiled, the most influential factor for existing users is the e-government service quality, whereas that of nonusers is the organizational commitment to the adoption of citizen-centred e-government services in Sri Lanka.
item: Thesis-Abstract
Factors influencing employee motivation : a case study in ceramic tile manufacturing industry in Sri Lanka
(2014-05-28) Kumarasinghe, WH; Perera, C
This research aims at providing employees and management members with the information that can be beneficial both personally and professionally. Every business enterprise has multiple objectives including of adequate profit for payment of a reasonable rate of return to the owners and for investment in business through satisfaction of customers, maintenance of a contended work force and creation of a public image. The basic job of management of any business is the effective utilization of available human resource, technological, financial and physical resource for their achievement of the business objectives. This research entitled as “Employee motivation” was done to find out the factors which will motivate the employees in tile manufacturing industry in Sri Lanka. The study undertakes various efforts to analyse all of them in great detail. The researcher in this research at the outset gives the clear idea of the entire department existing in the industry. From, the research the researcher was able to find out some of the important factors which motivate the employees. Factors like pay & benefits, interpersonal relationship, job security are very much affect the level of employee motivation. It is also clear from the study that the company is so eager in motivating their employees and their present effort fir it so far effective. The human resource can play an important role in the realization of the objectives. Employees work in the organization for the satisfaction of their needs. If the human resources are not properly motivated, the management will not be able to accomplish the desire results. Therefore, the human resources should be managed with utmost care to inspire, encourage and impel them to contribute their maximum for the achievement of the business objectives.
item: Article-Full-text
Forest sound classification dataset: FSC22
(Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute, 2023) Bandara, M; Jayasundara, R; Ariyarathne, I; Meedeniya, D; Perera, C
The study of environmental sound classification (ESC) has become popular over the years due to the intricate nature of environmental sounds and the evolution of deep learning (DL) techniques. Forest ESC is one use case of ESC, which has been widely experimented with recently to identify illegal activities inside a forest. However, at present, there is a limitation of public datasets specific to all the possible sounds in a forest environment. Most of the existing experiments have been done using generic environment sound datasets such as ESC-50, U8K, and FSD50K. Importantly, in DL-based sound classification, the lack of quality data can cause misguided information, and the predictions obtained remain questionable. Hence, there is a requirement for a well-defined benchmark forest environment sound dataset. This paper proposes FSC22, which fills the gap of a benchmark dataset for forest environmental sound classification. It includes 2025 sound clips under 27 acoustic classes, which contain possible sounds in a forest environment. We discuss the procedure of dataset preparation and validate it through different baseline sound classification models. Additionally, it provides an analysis of the new dataset compared to other available datasets. Therefore, this dataset can be used by researchers and developers who are working on forest observatory tasks.
item: Conference-Extended-Abstract
High impedance arcing fault detection in low voltage distribution network
(2010) Paththamperuma, RS; Perera, I; Perera, K; Perera, C; De Silva, N; Javatunga, U
Low voltage distribution network should be highly reliable with excellent security. For overhead feeders security is predominantly important. If an unrecognizable quantitative fault occurs at the overhead lines, the above requirement gets violated. Such a violating condition is the high impedance fault. Among all high impedance faults, downed wire problem is the mostly unsecured fault that can occur. Researchers are working on designing an economical protective relay agent for low voltage overhead feeders (400V line-line) to discriminate the fault with high probability of accuracy along with quick detection. The primary objectives of the protective relay agent are reliability and low cost. According to the field and lab experiments, it was found the fault current associated with audible and visible arcing which is significant at the peak region. In this paper, detection algorithm and design steps of a commercial device are described.
item: Conference-Abstract
The Impact of client involvement towards agile project success in Sri Lankan software industry
Perera, C; Perera, I
During the recent past, the software industry in Sri Lanka has developed rapidly. Every company that implements software products has the goal to deliver a quality product to the client. To achieve that goal, software companies use different processes, technologies and methods. Agile software development methodology has gained wide acceptance due to its flexibility and client involvement; Agile software development plan and process are inline according to the client’s desires and expectations. Hence one of the main factors for the success of an Agile project is the active client participation. Sri Lankan software industry heavily relies on outsourced projects where the client is often not physically present with the dev team. In this research, the client involvement level was examined in Sri Lankan software companies to evaluate its contribution to the success of Agile projects. The research further discusses the organizational culture to be maintained and how it contributes to having a better client relationship. The finding of the research will be beneficial for Sri Lankan software development companies to deliver successful software products.
item: Thesis-Abstract
Knowledge management in low technology manufacturing organizations : a case in apparel manufacturing
(3/28/2011) Perera, WVR; Perera, C
Knowledge Management (KM) is the process through which organizations generate value form knowledge based assets./ Most of the high technology industries apply KM principles and hence foster all kinds of innovation to improve the company's productivity and its mid and long term advantage Many researches have studied KM practices in high tech industries./ However there are no much studies carried out to study how KM practices are used or can be used in low tech industries In Sri Lankan context, the apparel industry is the leading industry in manufacturing and contribute a significant share of G.D.P Today in the free quota era, the Sri Lankan apparel industry' has to face the challenges in global market Therefore it is worthwhile to study how KM practices are used and how KM can contribute to improve the performance in apparel sector This research aims to study how these practices are presently used in the apparel sector to improve the performance in manufacturing. The research further identifies what kind of improvements can be done form the present KM practices so that they can enhance the organizational performance To analyze KM practices, two case studies have been carried out in selected reputed apparel manufacturing organizations. Data is collected through in-depth interviews with machine operators, supervisors, production executives and production mangers In addition to that, documentary analvsis, observations, informal conversations are carried out to gather information on KM practices in these companies. Based on the results of case study analysis, factors important for successful implementation of KM are analyzed and a model (named as '5 Factor Model') is proposed for KM in low tech manufacturing organizations
item: Article-Full-text
License plate recognition using neural architecture search for edge devices
(Wiley and Hindawi, 2021) Shashirangana, J; Padmasiri, H; Meedeniya, D; Perera, C; Nayak, SR; Nayak, J; Vimal, S; Kadry, S
The mutually beneficial blend of artificial intelligence with internet of things has been enabling many industries to develop smart information processing solutions. The implementation of technology enhanced industrial intelligence systems is challenging with the environmental conditions, resource constraints and safety concerns. With the era of smart homes and cities, domains like automated license plate recognition (ALPR) are exploring automate tasks such as traffic management and fraud detection. This paper proposes an optimized decision support solution for ALPR that works purely on edge devices at night-time. Although ALPR is a frequently addressed research problem in the domain of intelligent systems, still they are generally computationally intensive and unable to run on edge devices with limited resources. Therefore, as a novel approach, we consider the complex aspects related to deploying lightweight yet efficient and fast ALPR models on embedded devices. The usability of the proposed models is assessed in real-world with a proof-of-concept hardware design and achieved competitive results to the state-of-the-art ALPR solutions that run on server-grade hardware with intensive resources.
item: Article-Full-text
A Novel green approach to synthesize curcuminoid-layered double hydroxide nanohybrids: Adroit biomaterials for future antimicrobial applications
(1270-9638, 2021) Madhusha, C; Rajapaksha, K; Munaweera, I; de Silva, M; Perera, C; Wijesinghe, G; Weerasekera, M; Attygalle, D; Sandaruwan, C
Thermal instability, photodegradation, and poor bioavailability of natural active ingredients are major drawbacks in developing effective natural product-based antimicrobial formulations. These inherited issues could be fruitfully mitigated by the introduction of natural active ingredients into various nanostructures. This study focuses on the development of a novel green mechanochemical synthetic route to incorporate curcuminoids into Mg-Al-layered double hydroxides. The developed one-pot and scalable synthetic approach makes lengthy synthesis procedures using toxic solvents redundant, leading to improved energy efficiency. The hydrotalcite-shaped nanohybrids consist of surface and interlayer curcuminoids that have formed weak bonds with layered double hydroxides as corroborated by X-ray diffractograms, X-ray photoelectron spectra, and Fourier transmission infrared spectra. The structural and morphological properties resulted in increased thermal stability of curcuminoids. Slow and sustained release of the curcuminoids was observed at pH 5.5 for a prolonged time up to 7 h. The developed nanohybrids exhibited zeroth-order kinetics, favoring transdermal application. Furthermore, the efficacy of curcuminoid incorporated LDHs (CC-LDH) as an anticolonization agent was investigated against four wound biofilm-forming pathogens, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Staphylococcus aureus, methicillin-resistant Staphyloccocus aureus, and Candida albicans, using a broth dilution method and an in vitro biofilm model system. Microbiological studies revealed a 54−58% reduction in biofilm formation ability of bacterial pathogens in developed nanohybrids compared to pure curcuminoids. Therefore, the suitability of these green-chemically synthesized CC-LDH nanohybrids for next-generation antimicrobial applications with advanced dermatological/medical properties is well established.
item: Thesis-Abstract
Organizational awareness and factors affecting development of business domain knowledge of IT professionals in Sri Lankan offshore software organizations
Senanayake, DS; Perera, C; Nanayakkara, V
Offshore software development projects play a major role for the sustainability of Sri Lankan IT industry drawing high revenues to the country's economy and providing employment for youth. In a highly competitive global market, it is essential that Sri Lankan offshore software development organizations produce high quality, cost effective products and services meeting the expectations of overseas customers, in a timely manner. However, knowledge gaps between client and vendor affect negatively on software quality and client satisfaction. This characteristic of offshore development is a challenge faced by offshore vendors all over the world. Interorganizational knowledge transfer process, which will help to alleviate this problem to some extent, was researched in previous studies (McLaughlin, et w 2008). However, there is no empirical evidence in the area of offshore outsourcing software development in the Sri Lankan context. From the vendors' perspective, this study identified the factors, which impede the process of business domain knowledge transferring from client to IT professionals of Sri Lankan offshore software development vendors. The level of organizational awareness on the significance of building business domain knowledge of IT professionals and factors influencing building business knowledge of IT professionals of vendor organizations were also evaluated. A conceptual framework segmented into organizational and functional levels was used in this study to realise the objectives. A survey among different stakeholders of offshore software development organizations was carried out in 31 organizations in Sri Lanka. Data indicated a high organizational awareness level on the significance of building business domain knowledge of IT professionals. However, research findings revealed factors such as Perceived Cost of Business Domain Knowledge Transfer, Client Reluctance, Perceived Client Knowledge Deficiency and Inflexible Time Schedules would make a negative impact on building business domain knowledge of IT professionals. A project factor "Conceptual Novelty", has been found to be an enabler for the organizations to initiate the building up process of the business domain knowledge of IT professionals. in
item: Article-Full-text
PARROT: Interactive Privacy-Aware Internet of Things Application Design Tool
(2023) Alhirabi, N; Beaumont, S; Llanos, JS; Meedeniya, D; Rana, O; Perera, C
Internet of Things (IoT) applications typically collect and analyse personal data that is categorised as sensitive or special category of personal data. These data are subject to a higher degree of protection under data privacy laws. Regardless of legal requirements to support privacy practices, such as in Privacy by Design (PbD) schemes, these practices are not yet commonly followed by software developers. The difficulty of developing privacy-preserving applications emphasises the importance of exploring the problems developers face to embed privacy techniques, suggesting the need for a supporting tool. An interactive IoT application design tool – PARROT (PrivAcy by design tool foR inteRnet Of Things) – is presented. This tool helps developers to design privacy-aware IoT applications, taking account of privacy compliance during the design process and providing real-time feedback on potential privacy violations. A user study with 18 developers was conducted, comprising a semi-structured interview and a design exercise to understand how developers typically handle privacy within the design process. Collaboration with a privacy lawyer was used to review designs produced by developers to uncover privacy limitations that could be addressed by developing a software tool. Based on the findings, a proof-of-concept prototype of PARROT was implemented and evaluated in two controlled lab studies. The outcome of the study indicates that IoT applications designed with PARROT addressed privacy concerns better and managed to reduce several of the limitations identified. From a privacy compliance perspective, PARROT helps developers to address compliance requirements throughout the design and testing process. This is achieved by incorporating privacy specific design features into the IoT application from the beginning rather than retrospectively
item: Thesis-Abstract
Use of information technology in supply chain management in ceramic tile industry in Sri Lanka : a study of two major players
Keerthiratne, PBA; Perera, C
Currently, most of the companies attempt to find the ways to improve their flexibility, responsiveness and turn com petiveness by changing their operations strategy, method and technology which includes Information Technology (IT) in Supply Chain Management (SCM). Literature reveals that many organizations have managed to improve efficiency, responsiveness and reduce inventory level, overall cost by using IT in SCM. However, the level of IT usage for SCM in ceramic tiles industry is not known. Therefore, the research objectives were to identify the level of IT usage to facilitate SCM process and the potential barriers that affects the IT implementation and adoption for SCM in ceramic tile industry in Sri Lanka. Based on the user views and literature, a conceptual model was developed in order to meet research objectives. The qualitative and quantitative data collected from sixty three executives/managers in two major tile manufacturing companies, top thirty suppliers and thirty two dealers/distributors in tile industry through multiple questionnaires and direct interviews. The results of the exploratory interviews and the survey highlighted that both companies indicate super performance in terms of several best practices in SCM. However both companies demonstrated weakness in several areas. The majority of the weaknesses have arisen out of information related cause. Furthermore, it was identified that the level of overall IT adoption in both companies are not satisfactory level. These results lead to investigate the barriers that affect slow down IT adoption for SCM in ceramic tile industry in Sri Lanka. The finding reveal that technological barriers, organizational barriers and external barriers have been contributed towards the slow down IT implementation and IT adoption in SCM in ceramic tile industry in Sri