SLIIT International Conference on Advancements in Sciences and Humanities [SICASH] 2022
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Publication Embargo Siblings of Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder: Behavioural and Emotional adjustment and the Influence of Family Factors on Adjustment(Faculty of Humanities and Sciences, SLIIT, 2022-09-15) Fernando, M.J.TChildren with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) have unique characteristics, which are expected to have an impact on members of the family. However, research concerning the effects of ASD on family members has focused predominantly on ASD’s impact on parents and less on its impact on siblings, especially in the context of Sri Lanka. This research attempts to address this gap and advance the understanding of the Behavioral and Emotional (B&E) adjustment of siblings of children with ASD. The study utilized a quantitative research design using a sample of 80 mothers of children with ASD, selected using convenient sampling from hospitals and institutions located in the Colombo and Gampaha districts. Mothers completed a Demographic Questionnaire, Socio-Economic Status Questionnaire, Parental Stress Scale, and Strength and Difficulties Questionnaire. The study found that B&E adjustment of the majority of the siblings was within the ‘Normal’ range (54%), which shows that siblings were well adjusted behaviorally and emotionally. However, closer to half of the siblings (46%) either had a risk (i.e., scored within the ‘Borderline’ range) or were experiencing adjustment difficulties (i.e., scored within the ‘Abnormal’ range). When siblings were analyzed according to the domains of the SDQ, the majority scored within the ‘Borderline’ range for peer problems, which indicates that siblings are at risk for peer problems. Additionally, the study found that out of all the selected family factors, Maternal Stress due to rearing a child with ASD and ASD severity was positively associated with sibling B&E adjustment difficulties.Publication Embargo A Fly in the Ointment; Undue Liability on E-commerce Platforms(Faculty of Humanities and Sciences, SLIIT, 2022-09-15) Rajaguru, KTrade is now largely internet-centric, meaning internet is the medium through which most commercial transactions take place in today’s (information) economy. E-commerce has not only provided a greater market, but it also has changed the way businesses operate. This is indeed a platform economy. E-commerce is considered one of the main drivers of recent economic and social developments globally. In Sri Lanka e-commerce is emerging and in its infancy. The industry is currently expected to be operating within the margin of the law and selfregulated. In the absence of a separate law for e-commerce, e-commerce platforms (ecommerce marketplaces) meaning digital storefronts that connect sellers and customers to transact online, are exposed to a higher risk of being unreasonably penalized by applying the existing laws without mitigation. On the other hand, the platform users are left in a desperate situation with no remedy for harm caused. This article explores the responses of advanced jurisdictions such as China, the EU and the USA which are giant e-commerce markets, regarding platform liability. This study concludes that facilitating a business-enabled environment with holistic and innovative strategies that are aligned with social and economic status of the country with a businessfriendly legal landscape that matches the reality of the industry is imperative.Publication Embargo Violation of Human Dignity through Online Harassment: A Case for Stronger Protection of Privacy in Sri Lanka(Faculty of Humanities and Sciences, SLIIT, 2022-09-15) Harasgama, K; Jayamaha, SHuman dignity, a concept widely discussed philosophical, political and legal spheres, has gained importance with its recognition under the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, as a foundation of human rights. Dignity is understood to be inherent in humans. Scholars observe dignity to be twofold; firstly, dignity by reason of humans having the capacity to rationalize and secondly humans as social animals having a sense of self-worth and social standing. Human Dignity, therefore, is universally recognized so as human rights in general. On the contrary, Privacy is just another right and does not command a wide and equal standing in every society. Privacy relates to the personal space; be it bodily, informational, territorial or communicational within which a person expects to be free from scrutiny. Privacy refers to the limit to which one desires to expose himself to others. It is understood that privacy is one element which contributes to the notion of dignity. Privacy violations will therefore lead to the degradation of human dignity. This is illustrated in cases of online harassment as publication of intimate, sexually explicit video/images of individuals, impersonating victims, and defaming or insulting victims in public categorically invade the privacy of individuals thus violating their human dignity. Sri Lanka has a piecemeal approach to protecting privacy, which is scattered around various statutes and case law, and is of limited scope. Upholding dignity, therefore, is challenged although the Sri Lankan Constitution and case law identify dignity as foundational. Hence, it is argued that a state which is concerned with upholding the dignity of its citizens should be equally concerned about protecting the privacy of those citizens.Publication Embargo Right to Information vs. Right to Protect Personal Data: A Guidance from the Decisions of the USA & the European Court of Justice.(Faculty of Humanities and Sciences, SLIIT, 2022-09-15) Rajapakse, R.L.W.Right to Information (RTI) and right to privacy (RTP) are two basic rights of people in a democratic country. Since personal data consists of a main element of privacy, the right not to disclose one's personal data to a third party is an essential part of the RTP. The citizens of Sri Lanka have had the right of obtaining information that is in the custody of public authorities since 2017 under the RTI Act. When deciding whether requested information will be disclosed or not, the public authority will have to consider the exceptions stipulated in the said Act, including the exception of privacy. However, with the enactment of the Personal Data Protection (PDP) Act in 2022 in Sri Lanka, it is crucial to consider the impact of the said Act on the RTI Act. Under the above context, this research explored the overlapping provisions of these two legislations and the decisions of the USA & the European Court of Justice in similar matters. This research study utilized the qualitative methodology where the researcher studied, analyzed, and synthesized a variety of materials gathered through primary and secondary sources to formulate a conclusion and come up with the study results. Finally, the research revealed that the PDP Act has put the additional liability on the public authorities when considering information requests under the RTI Act. Further, the research has identified some guidance from the decided cases of the USA & the European Court of Justice regarding overlapping provisions.Publication Embargo Care of an Adult Patient who underwent a Series of Surgical Interventions for Psoas Abscess Complications with Haemophilia: Case Report(Faculty of Humanities and Sciences, SLIIT, 2022-09-15) Sepalika, H.M.S; Dinuka, M.D.; Dasanayaka, C.D.K.Introduction: Psoas abscess is a collection of pus in the Iliopsoas muscle compartment. Haemophilia is an inherited congenital bleeding disorder with a lack of clotting factors. Patients with haemophilia commonly bleed in joints and muscles and experience delayed wound healing. Case Report: A 50-year-old individual was admitted to the medical ward with fever and abdominal pain with the diagnosis of Haemophilia A and with regular treatments for 37 years. Subsequently he was diagnosed with an infected psoas abscess which was not cured even with IV antibiotics. The patient underwent a series of surgical procedures including drainage of infected hematoma, vacuum dressing application, exploratory laparotomy, sigmoid colon resection and end-to-end anastomosis. Currently, the patient is experiencing delayed wound healing, ongoing septicaemia, nutritional deficiency, psychological defects, and socio-economic issues. There were many treatment strategies used for treating this patient including intravenous (IV) antibiotics, transfusion of clotting factors, blood transfusion, and surgical, psychological, and nutritional interventions. However, compassionate holistic nursing care was provided to this patient for his psychological stability. Conclusion: Infections, delayed healing, prolong hospitalization, psychological distress and nutritional deficit were identified as complications of chronic HaemophiliaA. Maximum effort was madeto relievethe patient’s pain, psychological defects, nutrition,and knowledge Using a holistic approach was very important in providing effective and, compassionate care. Collaborative care with the patient’s family members created a trustworthy relationship that promoted continuity of care and the psychological wellbeing of the patient.Publication Embargo Towards a Tailor-Made Legal Structure for Social Enterprises in Sri Lanka(Faculty of Humanities and Sciences, SLIIT, 2022-09-15) Jayathilaka, K.M.M.M.Social enterprises provide effective solutions to social, economic, and environmental problems using business methods and the power of the marketplace. Social enterprises straddle the legal divide between for-profits and nonprofits, as they seek to generate wealth while making a strong social impact. Therefore, many countries around the globe have introduced specific legal forms for social entrepreneurs to house their entities and thereby enabling them to fully realise their aspiration of ‘do well by doing good’. This research tests whether there is sufficient demand and the appropriate contextual setting in Sri Lanka to justify the introduction of a tailor-made legal form for social enterprises. This research serves the twofold objective of identifying difficulties encountered by social enterprises when operating within the parameters prescribed by existing for-profit and non-profit legal structures and proposing methods to overcome these barriers to establish a thriving social enterprise sector. To that end, primary sources such as statutes and secondary sources such as Hansard reports, consultation papers on amendments to statutes, research papers and journal articles were used. To discover, from a pragmatic perspective, challenges faced by social enterprises in the current legal landscape and solutions to create a favourable legal environment, semi-structured interviews with social entrepreneurs, experts in the field of social entrepreneurship, corporate lawyers and relevant government officers/agencies were conducted based on purposive sampling. Research findings reveal that introduction of a specific legal format for social enterprises is the panacea for all barriers, in particular inability to manage unique governance needs, limited access to finance, lack of recognition, legitimacy and deprivation of identity etc. that hinder this sector from reaching new heights.Publication Embargo In Vitro Antibacterial Activity of Sulphur Nanoparticles as a Possible Application to Control Bacterial Blight Caused by Xanthomonas spp. in Anthurium(Faculty of Humanities and Sciences, SLIIT, 2022-09-15) Peiris, S.E; Malwattage, G; Ratnayake, R. D; Seneviratne, K .L; Peiris, C.NAnthurium blight is caused by Xanthomonas spp. which is regarded as the most threatening disease to the anthurium industry worldwide. Therefore, the current study was carried out to determine whether the application of sulphur nanoparticles (SNPs) is a possible solution for treating anthurium cultivars infected with Xanthomonas spp. The bacterium Xanthomonas was isolated using standard methods and a single bacterial colony was isolated using nutrient agar. The colonies were identified as Xanthomonas spp as they were gram-negative, motile rods due to the colony characters like yellow color because of the xanthin produced. The symptoms appeared in the pathogenicity test which was carried out by injecting purified Xanthomonas sp. into disease free anthurium plants confirmed the identification of the bacterial strain. Time-kill assay was conducted using Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli and isolated Xanthomonas spp to investigate the behavior of SNPs. The results showed that suspension treated with 1g of SNPs for 30 minutes inhibited growth of Staphylococcus aureus colonies showing mean number of 7.92 CFU/ml compared to the control (mean number of colonies 9.09 CFU/ml ) treatment following 12 hours incubation. However, Escherichia coli, and isolated gram-negative rods (Xanthomonas spp) did not show positive influence for SNPs when compared to the control treatment. Therefore, further investigation is required to reach firm conclusions about this matter because the antimicrobial activity of SNPs varies depending on the type of target microorganisms, method and solvent used to dissolve SNPs.Publication Embargo Envisioning Biocentrism in the Great Derangement: Climate Change and the Unthinkable(Faculty of Humanities and Sciences, SLIIT, 2022-09-15) Shyamala, C.G.For several decades, ecological concerns have been addressed in several academic political, and social forums and the rounds of discussions seem irresolute in arriving at a conclusive decision about curbing environmental degradation. Literary expressions have echoed geo-political, socio-economic, religious and cultural concerns to raise consciousness on a plethora of aspects related to interconnectivities framed and formed. In this context, the relationship of artists, and litterateurs to the environment is significant in that it calls for reconsiderations, reflections and responses that posit the need for connectivity to collectively address pertinent issues. This paper argues that Amitav Ghosh, in The Great Derangement: Climate Change and the Unthinkable (2016) advocates a biocentric vision of the universe and he interrogates the efficacy of political, social and economic policies framed globally that have been neither eco-friendly nor triggered the environmental cause, and these predict the Anthropocene. Moreover, the role of writers is insubstantial to contribute to the protection of the environment. While pointing out to this grave lacuna within academia, he also calls for a substantive move to address not only this shortcoming but also garner the efforts of leaders, policy makers, businessmen and scientists. The endeavour should be to dive into the nadir of the factors that accelerate the rate at which the destruction of the environment is taking place for fear that the proposition may be deferred.Publication Embargo The Use of Audio and Audio-visual Materials for Teaching Process Descriptions and Identification of Errors: A Study with Tertiary Level Students(Faculty of Humanities and Sciences, SLIIT, 2022-09-15) Wijesuriya, K.G.; Dissanayake, D.M.M.S.The use of multimedia as a teaching aid could motivate students in learning and improve their writing skills. The objectives of the study are to assess the impact of audio-visual and audio materials in the lesson on second language learners’ writing skills and to analyse errors in the writings. Forty Engineering undergraduates in their first term at CEFR (Common European Framework of Reference) B1 level in proficiency were randomly divided into two comparison groups: Audio-visual Group and Audio Group; to teach them to write a brief description of an industrial process using Audio-visual and Audio materials. The marks of the immediate and post-tests were analysed using independent sample t-test whereas errors in their writings were categorized based on Surface Strategy Taxonomy. The findings depicted that both Audio-visual and Audio materials have contributed to writing effective process descriptions. While the mean of the Audio group was numerically higher than that of the Audio-visual group in both immediate and posttests, the independent sample t-test confirmed that the difference was not statistically significant. Neither of the modes has been demonstrated superior to the other. Moreover, error analysis based on Surface Structure Taxonomy depicted that over 50% of errors committed by students in both groups were errors of Misformation. Further, second, 29 third and the fourth frequent number of errors were found in the Omission category, Misordering Category, and Addition category respectively for both groups. Therefore, a mixture of Audio-visual and Audio materials could be recommended in writing tasks pertaining to process descriptions.Publication Embargo Mediation and the Myth of Enforceability(Faculty of Humanities and Sciences, SLIIT, 2022-09-15) Gunathilaka, W.A.S.W; Jayamaha, SMediation is a trending alternative dispute resolution mechanism despite some of its alleged shortcomings. One such is that the mediated outcome lacks enforceability, which is not the case in real life. Whereas various jurisdictions have expressly dealt with this alleged issue, in the absence of any explicit provision for the same, a mediation settlement agreement could also be enforced in a Court of law, by treating it as a regular contract. The presence of the highest form of autonomy in the mediation process makes its settlement agreement qualified at the outset to be considered as a contract. More pertinently, offer; acceptance; consideration; intention to create a legally binding relationship; legality and capacity as fundamental requisites of a legally enforceable contract is often seen to be present in a mediation settlement agreement, thus allowing it to be enforceable as a contract between the parties who have freely entered into such agreement to settle their dispute. It is therefore accurate to conclude that the unenforceability of a mediated outcome is a myth even where there is no specific provision to that effect.Publication Embargo A Study on Mindfulness among the Prospective Teachers(Faculty of Humanities and Sciences, SLIIT, 2022-09-15) Bhuvaneswari, M.S.; Jayanthy, A.CMindfulness is an emotional well-being, relative freedom from anxiety and disabling symptoms, and a capacity to establish constructive relations and cope with ordinary demands and stress of life. Mental hygiene is to save man from complexes and inner conflicts and to prepare him for such a living in which his natural diseases and social beliefs are properly adjusted and he may develop the capacity of facing complex situations as well. Mental sickness and for their convenience, the science of Mindfulness and facilities for psychology and treatment have been developed. There is no significant difference between Prospective teachers Male and Female in their Mindfulness, with reference to the dimensions of Realistic perception, Autonomy, and Environmental mastery.Publication Embargo The Factors which Potentially Led to Victorian Duplexity in R.L.Stevenson’s ‘The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde’ and Oscar Wilde’s ‘The Importance of Being Earnest’(Faculty of Humanities and Sciences, SLIIT, 2022-09-15) Jayasinghe, M.KThe treatment of the theme of duality, a distinctive feature of the Victorian period of literature and the possible reasons for it emerging at that time, are studied in this paper using R.L.Stevenson’s The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde and Oscar Wilde’s play The Importance of Being Earnest. The concept of duality derives from the Latin word duo, meaning two. It applies quite often to two elements, one different from the other and in opposition to each other. This theory being applied to men of the Victorian period, it unmasks the dual face of their behaviour demonstrated in the works concerned. One wonders whether this duality could have largely originated from their desire for escapism from societal norms or moral hypocrisy: a psychological phenomenon. To respond to these questions, an understanding of the Victorian period and also the story lines of the literary works are essential. The qualitative research approach used in the study enables a brief narrative analysis of the works which enlightens us on the plot and the characters. The issue as to whether Victorian societal duality results from the constraints brought about by the moral standards of society or the rapid changes sweeping across the population during that time is discussed here.Publication Embargo Commercialization of Dracaena Sanderiana (Lucky Bamboo) as a Foliage Crop in Hambanthota District of Sri Lanka(Faculty of Humanities and Sciences, SLIIT, 2022-09-15) Anuruddi, H.I.G.K.; Fonseka, D.L.C.K.Dracaena sanderiana is an in-demand cut foliage plant belongs to family Agavaceae. Dracaena varieties are commercially produced in export-oriented large scale plantations in Sri Lanka. The crop is mainly cultivated in the wet zone due to the favourable growth conditions which enhance the export quality characteristics of the plant. The climatic conditions in the dry zone is also favourable for its growth under appropriate conditions. But the supply of the crop still falls short of the demand. A survey was conducted to identify possibilities of introducing Dracaena as a future commercial foliage to the Hambantota district. Randomly selected 40 flower growers from selected divisional secretariat divisions (DSD) in Hambantota were interviewed administrating a pre-tested questionnaire during early 2022. Data were subjected to a percentage analysis while descriptive statistical methods were used to represent the results using Microsoft Excel. According to the survey, bulk of them (60%) continue floriculture business as a full time employment. Middle aged women work in floriculture enterprises in large numbers. The majority of responders (70%), are willing to incorporate Dracaena as a fresh floriculture produce for their nurseries. Fifty percent of them have additional land with natural shade up to 0.25 acres, which is possible to utilize for Dracaena cultivation with proper intervention. Sixty percent of them stated that they prefer to train on value addition of Dracaena plants by knitting. Fifteen percent (15%) of them possess shade net houses and other infrastructure in place. An export-oriented Dracaena producer society in Beliatta DSDs is ready to impart its knowledge and offer advice to novice producers. The need of marketing the products collectively to reduce transportation costs is understood by the respondents. The initial investments on growth structures and irrigation pose a significant challenge. A majority of growers (70%) anticipate receiving financial assistance from the government. A lack of awareness of the crop, low availability of planting materials, high transportation costs along with high prices of fertilizer and fungicides in the markets were other challenges. It is necessary to provide finance support, trading facilities, production aid, and awareness and training initiatives to introduce D. sanderiana as a lucrative crop for the Hambantota district.Publication Embargo To Leave or not to Leave: Attitudes of the Undergraduates towards Speaking in an Online ESL Classroom(Faculty of Humanities and Sciences, SLIIT, 2022-09-15) Peiris, A.ECovid 19 pandemic has affected all sectors in Sri Lanka including education. Online delivery mode was integrated into tertiary education in most of the universities to meet the new challenges. Facilitators of the English as a second language (ESL) classes use effective strategies and platforms to improve English language(L2) proficiency of the students. Improving speaking of the learners in such online ESL classes is challenging. ESL facilitator commonly experienced that some students leave the meeting when they are assigned to do a group activity or a speaking activity. Hence, it is vital to study the attitudes of the students towards speaking in an online class to help them improve speaking. A questionnaire was distributed among the first year, first and second semester students in a non-state university, and one hundred twenty-eight responses were collected. The results of the quantitative data were analysed using the percentages of the responses. As revealed, the main reason to avoid ESL lectures is irregular power cuts. On the other hand, the learners have not clearly identified the importance of L2 speaking. The majority use L2 only for oral exams/ assignments, and some prefer the recording. The decision to leave the online lecture when there are speaking activities is rooted mainly from psychological factors, and then secondly from linguistics factors. With proper guidance the students may change their attitudes towards L2 speaking, and their 47 decision to leave the online lecture would be less.Publication Embargo Case Report: High-Pressure Chronic Retention (HPCR) of an Elderly Female and Ongoing Care following Permanent Urinary Catheter Placement(Faculty of Humanities and Sciences, SLIIT, 2022-09-15) Wijayarathne, G. H. P. D. S; Kumarasinghe, M. S; Dasanayake, C. D. K.Chronic Urinary Retention is defined as a condition of the urinary bladder in which the residual urine after a normal void exceeds 300ml. High-Pressure Chronic Retention (HPCR) differs from chronic urinary retention with four characteristics as follows, late-onset anuresis, a tense painless palpable bladder, hypertension, and bilateral hydronephrosis with hydroureter which leads to uraemia and death (Goonawardena & Sivapriyan, 2004). A 79-year-old socially active lady has been diagnosed with type II diabetes mellitus, presented with frequency, urinary incontinence, dribbling, and urgency for three years reluctant to seek proper medical assistance by rationalizing her thoughts that this condition was normal with her advanced age. As nurses, it is important to initiate care systematically: addressing the informationseeking behaviour of clients with permanent urinary catheters, encourage them to express their feeling and concerns on this condition, provision of necessary knowledge on the management, care, and long-term follow up on permanent catheterization of patients with HPCR and family. This would relieve patients’ anxiety, and dissatisfaction, and leads to enhance patients’ quality of life during their advanced age. Further, evidence and updated clinical nursing guidelines are needed on long-term care and follow-up for this unique clinical entity of elderly women.Publication Embargo Educational Technology Implications for Enhancing Reading Comprehension(Faculty of Humanities and Sciences, SLIIT, 2022-09-15) Sunitha, S.; Jayanthy, A .C.Reading comprehension has always been a requirement for success in many facets of the educational system and in the majority of adult spheres of participation, since writing systems have been invented. In both the educational and therapeutic fields, the greater accessibility of technologies and web-based resources can be a truly valuable assistance for creating training exercises that can also be completed remotely. Studies that have looked at the effectiveness of technology for children with reading comprehension issues can be found in recent literature. The current study presents information on a technological tool for improving reading comprehension on 40 secondary school pupils. The students were trained to read, to spell with proper stress, idioms and phrases and also comprehension for understanding. These all were taught with the help of technology. The findings have both clinical and educational implications as they suggest the possibility to promote reading comprehension with a suitable technology.Publication Embargo A Study of L2 Motivational Self System: A Comparison between First Year Students Following Engineering Local and Foreign Degrees in a Non-State Campus(Faculty of Humanities and Sciences, SLIIT, 2022-09-15) Gunawardhana, D.R.L2 motivation is vital to enhance L2 learning experience of L2 learners. The L2 Motivational Self System can be considered as one innovative solution through research advocating possible selves that act as future guides to motivate learners to improve their language fluency to that of an ideal fluent speaker. There is inadequate L2 motivational self-system research conducted in non-state institutes of higher education in Lankan context. Hence, the present research was administered to evaluate the L2 motivational self-system comprising of Ideal L2 self, Oughtto L2 self, and L2 Learning experience among first-year students following local and foreign engineering degree programs offered in a nonstate institute of higher education. The hypothesis for the present study is whether there is a significant difference in the Ideal L2 self, Ought-to L2 self, and L2 Learning Experience for first-year students following the engineering local and foreign degree programs. The sample selected was 62 students following foreign degrees and 212 students following local engineering degree programs. A questionnaire with 40 statements to test the 3 components of the theory was given to students following local and foreign engineering degrees. The data were evaluated with the 2 sample T-test. It was found that all 3 components of the L2 motivational self-system have significant values. In conclusion, students following the foreign degree programs have higher ideal L2 selves than those following local degree programs.Publication Embargo Perceptions of People with Mental Disorders about Their Mental Health Condition; An Exploratory Study(Faculty of Humanities and Sciences, SLIIT, 2022-09-15) Wimaladhamma, KThis exploratory study was conducted to explore how people who have been diagnosed with mental disorders perceive their mental health condition, and their descriptions of lived experience of it. It also explored how their mental health condition might influence how they perceive themselves, their relationships, and how they engage the world around them through their activities. Sixteen participants (16) with a diagnosis of a mental disorder were the sample. The participants of the study were taking medication for the diagnosed mental disorder from a period of a minimum of six (06) months up to fortyseven (47) years. The data were collected at the Psychiatric Clinic, the General Hospital (Teaching), Kandy. The data were interpreted using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA). It was identified that all the participants defined and understood mental health and mental illness through their lived experiences of mental illness. It was also identified that most of the participants experience some element of unhappiness or dissatisfaction because of their mental illness. However, the participants' positive self-esteem has played an important role in adjusting to the identity with the mental illness. The participants also valued the physical and psychological support they receive from their family members and others when they deal with their mental illness. Emotional support was highly valued by almost all the participants. It is expected that the generated knowledge of this research would help mental health professionals to work with families to construct an enabling view of the person with the illness and move away from treating them as helpless and irresponsible.Publication Embargo Modeling Weekly Covid Data in Europe and Sri Lanka: Time Series Approach(Faculty of Humanities and Sciences, SLIIT, 2022-09-15) Jayakody, J. A. P. ANovel Corona Virus, commonly known as COVID-19 has become a global threat affecting more than 200 countries up to date. Still a vaccine that can assure of hundred percent prevention has not been discovered. All the countries are currently following WHO guidelines such as lockdowns and social distancing. This study was conducted to develop ARIMA models for COVID-19 data in Europe and Sri Lanka and validate the models. For both these regions, number of COVID-19 cases were collected considering for a period of one year in which the first real wave happened. ACF and PACF plots were used to identify the stationarity, and out of the results possible ARIMA models were developed for the two regions separately. For Europe, the best fitted model was ARIMA (0, 2, 1) and for Sri Lanka, the best fitted model was ARIMA (1,1,0). The models were evaluated using AIC criteria. The errors of the models were found to be white noise. The forecasted values that were obtained from the model showed an increase of cases in Europe and a constant flow in Sri Lanka.Publication Embargo The Legal Debate on the Commercial Use of Personal Data - A Discussion of the Eu Gdpr Precedent(Faculty of Humanities and Sciences, SLIIT, 2022-09-15) Senanayake, H.R.CAlthough the adoption of the Personal Data Protection Act No. 9 of 2022 in Sri Lanka marked a significant milestone in the commercial use of personal data, the regulation of data use is often debated among international policymakers due to the inherent controversy of the subject. This is especially seen in the European Union (EU) which has a stringent data protection scheme. In light of this legal debate, the discussion in this study centres around the key concern of appropriate regulation and balancing between two competing rights, namely, the freedom to commercially utilise user data in the digital economy, and the protection of the right to privacy and protection from unlawful processing of personal data of the consumer/user. Such an academic conversation is engaged in by deliberating on the legal implications of commercial use of personal data. To this end, the essay will first examine the existing legal systems for commercially processing personal data with specific attention to the European Union (EU) General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) of 2016 and the associated case law. Next, the essay will discuss three concerns on the present protectionist trajectory of the law, and its impact on the dual role of the law in the digital economy, i.e. as a facilitator of lawful commercial use of personal data and a guardian of privacy rights of data subjects. Thereafter, the essay will discuss three concerns on the present protectionist trajectory of the law, and its impact on the dual role of the law in the digital economy, i.e., as a facilitator of lawful commercial use of personal data and as a guardian of privacy rights of data subjects. The legal analysis is centralised on the EU personal data protection regime because it is a microcosm of development in general data protection law, which is widely accepted as a global persuasive precedent on the regulation of transnational commercial use of personal data.