Browsing by Author "Vithanage, D"

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    The Effect of Text Difficulty on Types of Miscues among Proficient, Average and Below Average Readers
    (Faculty of Humanities and Sciences, SLIIT, 2022-09-15) Van Gramberg, V.T; Vithanage, D
    The aim of this study was to understand the differences in the type of miscues among proficient, average and below average readers as text difficulty increases. It was hypothesised that the percentage of semantic and syntactic cues made by proficient in comparison to average and below average readers will increase as the text difficulty increases. The lack of available literature with regard to reading errors facilitated the designing of this study which could serve as a base to design remedial instruction and intervention tools. A quasi-experimental design was used to investigate this relationship. A sample of hundred and three students (N=103) were recorded while reading four levels of passages with increasing difficulty and miscues were analysed according to the three cueing system. The first level passage was a tested grade appropriate passage which was used to determine if the reader was proficient, average or below average based on their accuracy scores. Results revealed that there was no significant difference across the three cueing system and reading ability. However, it was observed that readers rely on the grapho phonics cueing system when encountered with a difficult word. The findings of this study can be used to design reading instruction and remedial systems
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    Geo-enabled FOSS tool supports for immediate flood disaster response planning
    (IEEE, 2014-12-22) Ramanayake, K; Vithanage, D; Hettiarachchi, N; Rathnayake, G; Rajapaksha, S, K; Fernando, N
    —Flood is a major natural hazard occur recurrently in Sri Lanka. Allocating victims to camps and provide medical facilities are two main activities at the immediate response phase of a flood and use of manual methods delayed this process. This project developed a geoenabled application to support immediate response planning, mainly focusing on allocation victims to IDP camps, provide medical facilities, and supporting access avoiding already blocked roads based on administrative divisions of the affected area. Capacities and facilities in camps and hospitals are matched against the needs of the victims. It identifies the blocked roads, alternative routes to reach resource centers, camps and hospitals and provide navigation guidance. The tool can be used after a flood disaster, assuming basic demographic data and the current flood affected area data are available. The tool is developed as a plug-in for QGIS, a free and open source desktop Geographic Information System software. The tool is verified with sample data related to “Kaluthara” area. It is intended to integrate with InaSAFE disaster response support tool at a later stage.
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    PublicationOpen Access
    Identification of Antibiotic-Resistant Bacteria in Processed Meat Products Available in Local Markets from Five Selected Localities in Sri Lanka
    (Department of Applied Sciences. Faculty of Humanities and Sciences,SLIIT, 2025-10-10) Jayakody, U; Vithanage, D
    This study focused on identifying antibiotic-resistant bacteria in processed meat products available in Sri Lankan local markets, considering the potential risks caused by inappropriate packaging and storage conditions. Five processed meat samples were purchased from five localities in Sri Lanka and examined on Luria-Bertani (LB) agar medium using both homogenised and direct culture techniques. The Kirby-Bauerdisc diffusion method was used in the Antibiotic Sensitivity Test (ABST) to determine how bacteria responded to various antibiotics. Samples that were improperly packaged revealed the presence of antibiotic-resistant bacterial strains, exhibiting resistance to both ampicillin and amoxicillin, while ciprofloxacin sensitivity was observed in every tested bacterium. DNA was extracted from the antibioticresistant bacteria. Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus sp. were confirmed using Polymerase Chain Reaction(PCR) and agarose gel electrophoresis. Although PCR identified many isolates, it was unable to confirm two bacterial species; after additional DNA sequencing analysis, these two unidentified organisms were determined as Enterobacter sp. and Psychrobacter piechaudii. These results demonstrate the significance of appropriate packaging in avoiding the foodborne transmission of bacteria that are resistant to antibiotics.The study additionally indicates that to improve food safety and decrease antibiotic overuse, public awareness and stronger regulations are required. This study improves the understanding of how antibiotic resistance can spread through regularly consumed food products, which helps protect public health.