Browsing by Author "Kulathunga, A"

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Open Access
Love and Marriage in the Eyes of Gen Z: A Qualitative Exploration
(Faculty of Humanities and Sciences, SLIIT, 2024-12-04) Kulathunga, A; Abeysinghe, N
Love and marriage are two interconnected concepts which serve as pillars of society. However, marriage rates are declining, and the percepti on of love changes with the newer generati ons. This study aims to explore the percepti on of love among Gen Zers in Sri Lanka and to understand the implicati ons of these percepti ons on marriage. A total of 11 parti cipants who belong to Generati on Z (age 18-26) were included in this study. Focus group and in-depth interviews were conducted to elicit the views on the related topic elements. This data was analysed using themati c analysis to identi fy the common themes presented within the data. Five main themes were constructed to explain the key ideas presented by the parti cipants. Namely: Views on love, Relati onship expectati ons and breakups, Views on marriage, marriage rates, and Role of culture. The results emerged showed that love is a crucial factor in marriage, especially in the newer generati ons because it has become a primary moti vator towards marriage in contrast to past generati ons where marriage was considered a social obligati on. However, the percepti on towards love has changed in the new generati ons, resulti ng in a decrease in marriage rates. This research off ers valuable insights into the evolving concepts of love and marriage in newer generati ons, emphasising the need for further explorati on to understand its broader implicati ons to the society.
Open Access
Optimization of VISSIM Driver Behavior Parameter Values Using Genetic Algorithm
(Creative Commons Attribution, 2023-02-13) Gunarathne, D; Amarasingha, N; Kulathunga, A; Wicramasighe, V
Modeling effective vehicular traffic is a highly contested topic, especially in developing countries like Sri Lanka, which has a wide range of driving conditions. VISSIM microsimulation software is currently used by Road Development Authority (RDA) and relevant authorities to perform traffic management solutions in Sri Lanka. However, it is required to do modifications to the existing driver behavior parameter values to effectively reflect the realistic traffic conditions observed in the real-world in the simulated model. The main purpose of this study is to calibrate the VISSIM driver behavior parameter values using a genetic algorithm (GA). The methodology and results of the VISSIM model’s sensitivity analysis and calibration, which was developed for the Malabe three-legged signalized intersection, are presented in this study. A sensitivity analysis was used to find the most sensitive driver behavior parameters. Using the multi-objective GA optimization tool in the MATLAB software's optimization toolbox, the optimum driver behavior parameter values for these identified most sensitive driver behavior parameters were determined. The findings revealed that GA optimization is effective in reducing the difference between observed and simulated results.