Browsing by Author "Wijekoon, C"

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Biotive Molecules in Canadian Gooseberry and Blackcurrant
(Faculty of Humanities and Sciences,SLIIT, 2021-09-25) Wijekoon, C; Sura, S
Wild berry varieties are widely distributed in Canada and are mainly used by the indigenous population as food. Gooseberries and blackcurrants are the two tart berries with a strong taste that are used to make preserves such as jams, jellies, and wines. Fruits such as berries provide significant health benefits because of bioactive compounds and their high antioxidant properties. Phenolic compounds and fatty acids are the predominant bioactive metabolites present in these berries. Recently, researchers are more interested in exploring the fruits such as berries for functional properties that benefit human health. However, research evidence related to the profiling of bioactive molecules in these wild berries such as Canadian gooseberry and blackcurrant is limited. These traditional wild berries may help to address the issues related to indigenous populations’ food insecurity and chronic diseases. In this study, we assessed and compared the bioactive phenolic and fatty acid composition in these two berries using liquid and gas chromatography and mass spectrometry. The cyanidine glucoside, which is a polyphenolic anthocyanin present in blackcurrant is significantly higher compared to that in Canadian gooseberry. However, fatty acids such as oleic acid, linoleic, and alpha-linolenic acid, which are important in cardiovascular health, are present in both blackcurrant and gooseberry. Further characterization of these berries for antioxidant activity, bio-accessibility, and bioavailability studies will improve the value of these two types of wild berries to harness their full potential as a functional food.
Open Access
Influencing players to download new games: role of in-game pop-up advertisements
(Springer Nature, 2026-04-30) Vidanagama, S; Ulapane, N; Thilakarathna, D; Wijekoon, C; Wisenthige, K; Aluthwala, C
The utilization of pop-up advertisements in promoting online games has become increasingly prominent, particularly within freemium gaming models, where advertising serves as a critical revenue and acquisition mechanism. Despite their widespread adoption, limited empirical research has examined how specific advertisement attributes shape advertising value and subsequent player download intentions, especially in emerging digital economies. This study investigates the influence of four key pop-up advertisement attributes; informativeness, creativity, personalization, and credibility, on perceived advertising value and its effect on game download intention in the context of freemium games. Undergraduate game players who belong to the age category of 18–25 years, representing Generation Z were determined as the study sample. Randomly selected participants were asked to engage in a game-playing experience and respond to a structured survey afterward. A total of 386 responses were collected for the analysis and 12 individuals were interviewed after the analysis intending to validate the results. The results revealed that the considered ad characteristics; informativeness, creativity, personalization, and credibility have a significant impact on advertising value and the perceived advertising value significantly influences the player’s game download intentions. Subsequent qualitative interviews conducted with individual gamers validated the analyzed results. The qualitative findings corroborated the quantitative results, offering deeper insights into how gamers interpret and respond to in-game pop-up advertisements. This study contributes to the online gaming and digital advertising literature by empirically validating a model of advertising value in freemium gaming contexts. Practically, the findings provide actionable insights for marketers and game developers seeking to optimize pop-up advertisement design to enhance player engagement and increase game installations. Conducted within the Sri Lankan context, the study addresses a notable research gap in emerging digital markets and offers implications applicable to similar underexplored regions.