Journal Issue: SLIIT Journal of Humanities & Sciences (SJHS)
Volume
Volume 03
Number
Issue i
Issue Date
2022
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
2815-0120
Journal Volume
SLIIT Journal of Humanities & Sciences (SJHS)
(Volume 03)
Articles
Identifying Ordinal Nature Inherited Proteins Associated with a Certain Disease
(Faculty of Humanities and Sciences, SLIIT, 2022-10-07) Samarawickrama, O.; Jayatillake, R.; Amaratunga, D.
Proteomic studies are studies of protein expression levels. They are growing swiftly with the steady improvement in technology and knowledge of cell biology. Since differentially expressed proteins have an influence on overall cell functionality, this improves discrimination between healthy and diseased states. Identifying prime proteins offers prospective insights for developing optimized and targeted treatments. This research involves analyzing data from an early-stage study of which the main purpose was to identify differentially expressed proteins. There are three progressively serious disease states (healthy to mild to severe) in this study. The analysis can be categorized into 2 stages as univariate and multi-protein analysis. The approach of the univariate analysis was to implement continuation ratio modeling considering one protein at a time to pick those that exhibit potential ordinality. Penalized continuation ratio modeling using lasso regularization incorporated with bootstrapping proteins was performed as the next stage to identify protein combinations that perform well together. Combining results of the univariate and multi-protein analyses identified 20 proteins that join forces to discriminate disease severity with an ordinal setting and 21 proteins that are effective each on its own.
In Vitro Evaluation of Antibacterial Activity of Copper and Sulfur Nanoparticles for Controlling Bacterial Blight Caused by Xanthomonas sp. in Anthurium andraeanum Lind.
(Faculty of Humanities and Sciences, SLIIT, 2022-10-20) Peiris, S. E.; Seneviratne, K. L.; Shashikala, R. P. A.; Peiris, Colin N.; Imalka, M. I.; Piumika, Y. P
Bacterial blight in Anthurium andraeanum Lind. which is caused by Xanthomonas sp. is regarded as the most threatening disease in the anthurium industry worldwide. Therefore, the current study was carried out to determine whether the application of copper nano particles (CuNPs) and sulfur nanoparticles (SNPs) is a possible solution to control the bacterial blight in anthurium. The bacterium Xanthomonas sp. was isolated using standard methods and a single bacterial colony was grown in nutrient agar (NA). The colonies produced in cultures were identified as Xanthomonas sp. as they were Gram-negative, motile rods with yellow colour due to production of xanthin. 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. Concentrations of 5, 15 and 25mg/100ml CuNPs and 50, 75 and 1000 mg in 100ml SNPs were mixed separately with isolated Xanthomonas sp. to investigate the behavior of two types of nano particles in destroying the bacterium. All three concentrations (5, 15 and 25 mg/100ml) of copper nanoparticles used in suspensions of the bacterium Xanthomonas sp. did not support any bacterial growth. In contrast, all three concentrations of SNPs in Xanthomonas sp. showed bacterial growth though it was less in 1000 mg /in 100ml compared to the control treatment. Hence it can be concluded that 5 mg/100 ml CuNPs is capable of destroying in vitro growth of Xanthomonas sp. bacterium which causes bacterial blight in Anthurium andraeanum.
Psychological Well-being among Primary Caregivers of Children with Invisible Disabilities in Sri Lanka
(Faculty of Humanities and Sciences, SLIIT, 2022-10-03) Mohamed, F. W.; De Silva, I. R. R
Caring for a child with invisible disabilities such as Autism Spectrum Disorder, Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder, speech impairments, and learning difficulties can be fulfilling whilst challenging the caregiver’s psychological well-being. As these children require special support and a diligent caregiving environment to thrive, primary caregivers have to take on additional roles to provide extra support for children with invisible disabilities while accommodating their professional and personal lives through the process. This research therefore analyzed psychological well-being related depression, anxiety, and stress between primary caregivers of children with invisible disabilities and primary caregivers of typically developing children in Sri Lanka. Data was gathered through an online survey of a sample of 75 primary caregivers between the ages of 23 – 56 years, which included 38 primary
caregivers of children with invisible disabilities and 37 primary caregivers of typically developing children. The DASS-21 was administered to measure depression, anxiety, and stress. The independent sample t-test was used to compare the mean between the two groups of caregivers. The results confirmed that there is no significant difference in the levels of depression , anxiety and stress between primary caregivers of children with invisible disabilities and primary caregivers of typically developing children. The implications of this study suggest, with the right support and experience, anxiety may reduce in primary caregivers. The necessity to pay attention and provide more social and family support to enhance the psychological well-being of caregivers can improve their efficiency in caregiving.
Impact of Health Beliefs on Preventative and Coping Behaviours in Sri Lankans with Chronic Illness during Covid-19
(Faculty of Humanities and Sciences, SLIIT, 2022-11-01) Weerasinghe, W. A. S. A.; Akuretiya, S.
Non-adherence to health regulations during the Covid-19 pandemic has been associated with health beliefs. The present study investigates the impact of these health beliefs on preventative health behaviours and coping behaviours. The research followed an ex-post facto survey design and convenience sampling was used to recruit a sample of 100 Sri Lankans with chronic illnesses. Data collection was carried out online using the Health Beliefs and Preventative Behaviour questionnaire and the Brief Cope Inventory. The multiple regression analyses reveals that the regression model with health beliefs of perceived barriers, perceived self-efficacy, and cues to action was a significantly useful predictor explaining 50% of the variance in preventative health behaviours. The findings revealed no significant associations between perceived severity, susceptibility, and benefits with preventative health
behaviours. Educational level and marital status moderate the relationship between self-efficacy, cues to action and preventative health behaviours. In fact, self-efficacy is positively and significantly correlated with adaptive coping but not significantly correlated with maladaptive coping behaviour. Overall, the findings highlight the utility of reducing barriers, enhancing self-efficacy, and promoting health literacy through education and provision of social support, especially spousal support, to foster adherence to preventative health behaviours.
Recruitment of Teachers and Strategies to Retain Them: A Study Conducted in International Schools in Sri Lanka
(Faculty of Humanities and Sciences, SLIIT, 2024-12-30) Shariffdeen, F. S.
Teacher recruitment procedures are one of the significant factors in providing effective and quality teacheing in schools. However, limited research has delved into how teachers are recruited in international schools. Hence, this study attempts to investigate the factors considered in teacher recruitment procedures and how teachers can be retained in the secondary section of international schools. A sample of 72 teachers from six leading international schools in Colombo was used to obtain relevant information. The study revealed that besides academic and professional qualifications, the six main traits that are considered during teacher recruitment are subject knowledge (80%), language skills (80%), firm personality (70%), voice projection (66%), teaching experience (45%) and teacherstudent interaction (35%).There is a shortage of qualified teachers in all streams, especially in the Arts
and Technology streams. Nevertheless, teacher turnover rates are also high in these two streams, 44% and 28% respectively. The four main reasons that were identified for teacher turnover are management interference (76%), strict rules and regulations (69%), lack of job security (56%) and overload of work (56%). The four main teacher retention strategies are financial incentives (30%), reducing workload (20%), flexibility and supportive (15%) and improving working conditions (15%). , It is recommended that management should rethink about the teacher recruitment and retention protocols by managing human resources more effectively.
Description
Keywords
Reference Ranges, Control Limits, Outliers, Teacher Recruitment, Teacher Retention, International Schools, Health Beliefs, Preventative Behavior, Coping Behavior, Chronic Illness, Psychological Well-Being, Primary Caregivers, Invisible Disabilities, Proteins, Disease, Antibacterial Activity, Nanoparticles, Bacterial Blight, Anthurium, ESL Classroom, Mobile Assisted Language Learning, Vocabulary Learning Strategies, IT Undergraduates, Technology Usage, Performance Assessment, ICT Teachers, Computer Programming, Secondary Education, Interactive Qualitative Analysis