Evolving Political Discourse on Poverty Alleviation in Sri Lanka: Continuities and Discontinuities

There is a voluminous literature on poverty alleviation efforts of Sri Lanka. The present engagement with discourse on evolving political discourse on poverty alleviation touches a different aspect, i.e. instrumental utility of policy in keeping and maintaining the status quo. The study is based on examination of the content of public policies depending on the major strand of thought associated in different eras since colonial presence in Sri Lanka. It helps to identify the continuities and discontinuities of policy discourse. The discussion on the evolution of public policy on poverty alleviation revealed that issues of the poor has occupied a priority in the political agenda of the government whenever a political movement is active in politicizing the poor. However, the very objective of such policies were not aimed at empowering the poor but keeping them subordinated. The study concludes that poverty remains unresolved due to poverty of politics

Development of a simple sprinkler system designing and pump selection expert system (SSSDPS expert)

In Sri Lanka most of the micro-irrigation systems such as sprinkler irrigation systems are installed with the help of manual based decision making or in many cases without proper designing procedures. These systems do not perform to the expectations. The problems encountered are low water use efficiency due to losses and improper distributions. An expert system with all the design criteria could help non-technical and inexperienced irrigation system installers and farmers. Therefore, this study was done with the objective to develop an expert system for simple sprinkler irrigation system designing and pump selection for efficient water resource use in Sri Lanka. Needed data for the designing, such as crop data, soil data, pump data, pipe data and climatic information were collected from many published reports. Then crop water requirements and irrigation intervals were calculated using standard procedures. Irrigation block selection, lateral pipe selection and main line selection were done through a set of rules and conditional statements. The wxCLIPS was used to represent the knowledge, rules and conditional statements and to develop the Graphical User Interface of the expert system. The developed expert system (Simple Sprinkler System Designing Expert Systems- SSSDPS Expert) can be used easily by interacting with it. The interaction is by just selecting the inputs according to the user’s locality and providing simple information through text windows according to the land area. This system generates very accurate outputs and it is shown in the text window. The user can compare many alternate systems through simple interactions with the expert system as it is not taking much time to generate different designs

Ensemble cryo-EM uncovers inchworm-like translocation of a viral IRES through the ribosome

Internal ribosome entry sites (IRESs) mediate cap-independent translation of viral mRNAs. Using electron cryo-microscopy of a single specimen, we present five ribosome structures formed with the Taura syndrome virus IRES and translocase eEF2*GTP bound with sordarin. The structures suggest a trajectory of IRES translocation, required for translation initiation, and provide an unprecedented view of eEF2 dynamics. The IRES rearranges from extended to bent to extended conformations. This inchworm-like movement is coupled with ribosomal inter-subunit rotation and 40S head swivel. eEF2, attached to the 60S subunit, slides along the rotating 40S subunit to enter the A site. Its diphthamide-bearing tip at domain IV separates the tRNA-mRNA-like pseudoknot I (PKI) of the IRES from the decoding center. This unlocks 40S domains, facilitating head swivel and biasing IRES translocation via hitherto-elusive intermediates with PKI captured between the A and P sites. The structures suggest missing links in our understanding of tRNA translocation

The Nature of Sustainability Challenge in Small and Medium Enterprises and its Management

The term sustainability in the context of the business world refers to the ability of a company to survive and succeed in a dynamic, competitive, and challenging business environment. Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) must adapt to the changing environment and take appropriate measures to mitigate the change. To strike a balance between the triple bottom line – people, planet, and profit - by SMEs, reducing pollution and resource degradation, in the long run, is necessary. It is, therefore, required to understand the nature of challenges posed by the changing environment to the sustainability of SMEs. According to the existing literature, the challenges to sustainability include the ability to deal with economic and social change, engage in responsible and ethical business practices, efficient use of natural resources and protecting the environment, provide high-quality products and services, and develop metrics to determine if the company is meeting stakeholder needs. With this background, a systematic literature review was carried out to explore the insights of the existing knowledge on the nature of environmental sustainability challenges to small and medium enterprises and its management, particularly in the Asian context. Relevant papers were selected, followed by rigorous and extensive web searching based on the standard filtering approaches, and the sustainability challenges and their dynamic interactions in the context of SMEs are broadly discussed

Global Challenges and Survival Strategies of the SMEs in the Era of Economic Globalization: A Systematic Review

Globalization has presented new challenges for SMEs due to the increased competition, and as a result, the mortality rate of SMEs after a shorter period of commencement is relatively high. Accordingly, SMEs necessity to adopt survival strategies and strategic decisions to succeed in the business environment facing global challenges. This study attempted to critically review the existing literature on the global challenge for SMEs to identify the survival and succeeding strategies of SMEs in the current competitive business environment. Published reports in the field by the recognized multilateral organizations and seventy-five excellent research papers published by four recognized journal publishing companies: Emerald, Elsevier, Tayler & Francis, and MDPI were selected for inclusion in this review. Based on this review, it has been found that leading global challenges for SMEs in economic globalization include: global market competition, global financial and economic crisis, information communication technology, rise of Multinational Corporations, Transnational Corporations, changing profile of consumers and their preferences, trade dumping, international terrorism and religious conflicts, and trade wars. Further research could take on survival Strategies of SMEs in the industrial level to identify the sustainability-oriented specific policies. As well as a need for a stronger theoretical examination on survival strategies of SMEs in the global challenges

Development of a landfill clay liner using locally available expansive soil

Solid waste is a growing problem in urban areas of Sri Lanka and management of waste, both liquid and solid has become a critical environmental concern due to absence of engineered methods of disposing waste. Development of a simple engineered landfill facility utilizing locally available materials to suit landfill liner requirements is the most economical and the timely solution to this problem. In the present study, it was investigated the suitability of expansive soil which is commonly available in the south arid zone of Sri Lanka to use as clay liners in landfill facilities. The engineering properties of soil were improved by the addition of commercially available bentonite to build a low hydraulic conductivity barrier. Further, the long term effect of soil-leachate interaction on hydraulic conductivity of the suggested liner was studied. Results showed that the engineering properties of expansive soil can be improved by the addition of bentonite to meet the landfill liner requirements. However, the original engineering properties of soil-bentonite mixtures were significantly affected by the leachate interaction over a long period of time

Social Capital and SME: A Systematic Literature Review and Research Directions

This study aims to review past literature on social capital and SME. The paper systematically discusses the literature on social capital and SME between the years 1999 to 2020. The Scopus database was selected to make the literature search process transparent, and the literature survey used social capital and SME as keywords. The PRISMA 2009 helped the selection and exclusion process. During the literature classification, the final 33 articles were used to find the gap and future directions of social capital and SMEs. The results revealed literature on the methodology of the studies, Social capital and SME performance, innovation, and marketing capabilities and CSR-SME relationship. The systematic review recommends that future research may focus more on mixed methodology, the direct relationship between social capital and SME performance in less available research areas, the link between dynamic capabilities (innovation, marketing) of SMEs, social capital CSR-SME relationship, social capital, and family SMEs to remove the existing gaps in the available literature

Impact of group interactions on farmers' entrepreneurial behaviour

Group interactions form an important component among the many factors influencing the entrepreneurial behaviour of farmers. Understanding group interactions provides insights to foster entrepreneurial activities. Matale district, which is among the top 4 districts producing high amount of vegetables in the Sri Lanka was selected for the study. Two successful farmer organizations, one of them farming in both seasons (throughout the year), and the other farming only a single season per year, were selected for the study. Overall objective of the study was to examine the impact of group interactions on entrepreneurial behaviour of vegetable farmers. Stratified random sampling was used to select an overall sample of 60 vegetable farmers, having two samples consisting of 30 each from the two farmer organizations. Descriptive and inferential analyses were conducted using the SPSS software package. Results indicated a significant relationship between the group interactions and entrepreneurial behaviour of farmers. Study revealed effective entrepreneurial behaviour involving high planning ability, and decision making ability Majority of the farmers were at a moderate level of innovativeness, risk orientation, coordinating ability, opportunity seeking behaviour, self-confidence, achievement motivation, and cosmopolitanism. Group interactions were moderate at seasonal planning, and in selecting of crops. Group interactions were low in land preparation, pest and disease controlling, harvesting, irrigation water distribution, participating in training programmes, and selling. Entrepreneurial behaviour of farmers has enhanced with group interactions. The two farmer groups had significant differences in group interactions and entrepreneurial behaviour due to group characteristics. It is recommended to improve group interactions through awareness programmes, and small group formation activities