Journal Issue: Journal of Advances in Engineering and Technology (JAET)
Volume
Volume 03
Number
Issue i
Issue Date
2025-01
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
2950-7138
Journal Volume
Articles
Optimizing the Financial Risk Management Strategies in Water Supply Projects in Sri Lanka
(SLIIT, Faculty of Engineering, 2025-01) Senanayake, U. S; Wijesinghe, T.; Perera, B. K. C.; Jayasinghe, Y. M.
Infrastructure construction projects are considered highly susceptible to risks and uncertainties
due to their complicated designs, sizes, functions and structural complexities. Among the different types
of risks, the financial risks and the ability to manage them will have great implications for the cost
performance of the relevant infrastructure projects. Therefore, high attention is paid to the financial risk
management aspect of public infrastructure projects. In that concern, water supply infrastructure
projects share several characteristics in common with other infrastructure construction projects while
holding several other characteristics unique to themselves. Although many studies have been conducted
on financial risk management in building and infrastructure projects, observed scanty of studies that
address the financial risk management aspects of water supply projects in the Sri Lankan context.
Therefore, this study is meant to fill significant void in terms of developing a financial risk management
framework to address financial risk factors in Sri Lankan water supply projects. In carrying out this
study, a mixed methodology was followed under an exploratory sequential design. Accordingly, the
risk factors and risk management strategies identified in the reference literature were screened and
shortlisted for their applicability in designing water supply projects in Sri Lanka and were validated
through findings achieved at interviews with experts capable of highlighting new risk financial factors
and strategies unique to the water supply projects in Sri Lanka. Subsequently, the risk factors and
strategies identified in this process are mapped to develop a financial risk management framework for
implementation of water supply projects in Sri Lanka in the future.
Use of Ascorbic Acid Linker in Enhancing the Photovoltaic Performance of CdS/TiO2 Quantum Dot Sensitized Solar Cells
(SLIIT, Faculty of Engineering, 2025-01) Ajward, N.F.; Davisan, S.; Perera, V.P.S.
This study explores the use of ascorbic acid to enhance the photovoltaic performance of
CdS/TiO2 Quantum Dot Sensitized Solar Cells (QDSSCs). Ascorbic acid acts as a mild reducing agent,
donating electrons to Ti atoms on the TiO2 film, effectively filling oxygen vacancies known to act as
recombination centers for photogenerated charge carriers. By passivating these detrimental sites,
ascorbic acid facilitates improved carrier transport and reduces recombination, ultimately boosting
photocurrent and overall efficiency. QDSSCs fabricated via the Successive Ionic Layer Adsorption and
Reaction (SILAR) method were characterized using I-V measurements, Incident Photon to Current
Conversion Efficiency (IPCE), Impedance Spectroscopy (IS), and overall power conversion efficiency.
The optimized cell incorporated with ascorbic acid demonstrated a remarkable improvement compared
to the control, achieving a short circuit current density (Jsc) of 4.863 mA/cm², open circuit voltage (Voc)
of 446.1mV, efficiency of 1.368%, fill factor of 24.6%, and maximum power of 0.342mW.
Optimization of ascorbic acid absorption time and precursor concentrations resulted an impressive
68.26% enhancement in efficiency (from 0.813% to 1.368%) and increase in maximum power from
0.163 mW to 0.342 mW for 0.64 cm². cell. This study highlights the potential of ascorbic acid as a
simple and effective strategy for enhancing the performance of CdS/TiO2 QDSSCs, paving the way for
further developments in low-cost and efficient solar cell technologies.
Advancing Audio Surveillance in Simulated Environments: Real-World Soundscapes and Targeted Noise Detection through Enhanced Beamforming Techniques
(SLIIT, Faculty of Engineering, 2025-01) Stroud, S; Jones, K; Edwards, G; Robinson, C; Chandler-Crnigoj, S; Ellis, D
This paper introduces an innovative beamforming approach designed for audio surveillance,
executed through a virtual simulation of a real-world environment based at Liverpool John Moores
University. Our research is driven by the increasing requirement for sophisticated audio analysis
methods to isolate and enhance specific sounds within noisy environments for forensic analysis, for
example, in criminal court cases. By leveraging a time-delay beamforming algorithm, our work offers
a novel solution to discern and amplify targeted noises amidst complex soundscapes, a challenge
commonly encountered in urban surveillance and forensic audio analysis. Our approach's foundation
lies in utilising a carefully arranged, robust array of omnidirectional microphones, which are
instrumental in capturing a wide range of real-world sound signals. The core of our methodology
involves processing captured sounds using the proposed algorithm, followed by evaluating the system's
effectiveness in capturing the desired localised audio sources. This paper explores the system's
resilience against microphone array degradation, showcasing its robustness in scenarios of partial
system functionality. The experiments, grounded in the simulation of real-world acoustic environments,
demonstrate the algorithm's adeptness at managing sound reflections and reverberation, critical factors
in the realistic replication of urban soundscapes. It also considers the broader implications of our
findings, exploring the potential for adopting this technology in various domains beyond law
enforcement, including broadcast solutions, advanced audio engineering applications, and animal
conservation in the wild. In conclusion, this research showcases a creative approach to audio
surveillance and opens the door to numerous applications that can benefit from enhanced methods of
audio isolation and analysis. Our findings contribute to the ongoing discourse on developing advanced
surveillance technologies, offering insights that could help shape the future of audio processing and
analysis.
How Frequency and Harmonic Profiling of a ‘Voice’ Can Inform Authentication of Deepfake Audio: An Efficiency Investigation
(SLIIT, Faculty of Engineering, 2025-01) Williams, E.L; Jones, K.O; Robinson, J.C; handler-Crnigoj, S; Burrell, H; McColl, S
As life in the digital era becomes more complex, the capacity for criminal activity within the
digital realm becomes even more widespread. More recently, the development of deepfake media
generation powered by Artificial Intelligence pushes audio and video content into a realm of doubt,
misinformation, or misrepresentation. The instances of deepfake videos are numerous, with some
infamous cases ranging from manufactured graphic images of the musician Taylor Swift, through to the
loss of $25 million dollars transferred after a faked video call. The problems of deepfake are becoming
increasingly concerning for the general public when such material is submitted into evidence in a court
case, especially a criminal trial. The current methods of authentication against such deepfake evidence
threats are insufficient. When considering speech within audio forensics, there is sufficient
‘individuality’ in one’s own voice to enable comparison for identification. In the case of authenticating
audio for deepfake speech, it is possible to use this same comparative approach to identify rogue or
incomparable harmonic and formant patterns within the speech. The presence of deepfake media within
the realms of illegal activity demands appropriate legal enforcement, resulting in a requirement for
robust detection methods. The work presented in this paper proposes a robust technique for identifying
such AI-synthesized speech using a quantifiable method that proves to be justified within court
proceedings. Furthermore, it presents the correlation between the harmonic content of human speech
patterns and the AI-generated clones they produce. This paper details which spectrographic audio
characteristics were found that may prove helpful towards authenticating speech for forensic purposes
in the future. The results demonstrate that using specific frequency ranges to compare against a known
audio sample of a person’s speech, indicates the presence of deepfake media due to different harmonic
structures.
Optimization of Essential Oil Extraction Using Pomelo Peels as the Raw Material: A Process Study
(SLIIT, Faculty of Engineering, 2025-01) Perera, W.P.S. N; Arachchige, U.S.P.R; Koliyabandara, P.A
Essential oils are natural extracts known for their versatility, capturing widespread interest due
to their diverse applications and the increasing consumer preference for safe and efficient health
solutions. Their inherent natural properties make them valuable in various industries, including food,
pharmaceuticals, agriculture, and textiles. In that respect, this research focuses on optimizing essential
oil extraction using waste pomelo peels as the raw material. There two extraction methods, water
distillation and Soxhlet, were employed to investigate the feasibility of utilizing pomelo peels for
essential oil extraction. The main objectives that were meant to be achieved in this research included
comparing the efficiency of water distillation and Soxhlet extraction methods, optimizing the essential
oil extraction process by adjusting vital physical parameters, and determining the most effective pomelo
peels. The waste pomelo peels required for oil extraction were collected around the Colombo district
(Sri Lanka). Two distillation setups were used for water distillation: industrial-scale water distillation
and lab-scale water distillation apparatus. The investigations revealed that Fresh-Grind pomelo peels
exhibited notably higher efficiency for water distillation, with a yield of 0.8%. There the oil extraction
yield for the industrial and laboratory extraction setup was reported as 0.5% and 0.8%, respectively.
The Soxhlet experiments were conducted using various solvents: toluene, acetone, n-hexane, methanol
and acetonitrile. However, based on the experiment results, n-hexane emerged as the most effective,
yielding an efficiency of 7.1%. So, the Soxhlet extraction method was selected to optimize the process
followed in essential oil extraction by waste pomelo peels.
Description
Keywords
Service Quality, Passenger Expectations, Public Transportation, Bus Services, Suburban Mobility, Pneumonia Detection, Lung Disease Assessment, Chest X-Rays, Diagnostic Support System, Medical Imaging, Gas Sensing, Semiconductor Metal Oxides, Nanostructures, LPG Detection, Essential Oil Extraction, Pomelo Peels, Process Optimization, Deepfake Audio, Voice Authentication, Frequency Profiling, Harmonic Analysis, Audio Forensics, Audio Surveillance, Beamforming, Soundscape Analysis, Noise Detection, Photovoltaic Performance, CdS/TiO₂, Quantum Dot Solar Cells, Ascorbic Acid Linker, Financial Risk Management, Water Supply Projects, Infrastructure Management