Determination of Wage Rate in the Labour Market in Sri Lanka

Wage/ Salary is the main income source of a majority of employed population inSri Lanka. However their wage is a function of a number of inputs such as age, sex,education and experience.Literature reveals that human capital accumulation is animportant determinant of individual‟s earnings capacity and employment prospects, andtherefore, plays an important role in determining the travel and distribution of income insociety. Hence, it is important to identify how far the education of employees hasdetermined wage rate. Labor market experience also plays a significant role in wagedetermination of employees.Labor force in Sri Lanka is employed in different professions or occupations invarious sectors or industries. Salaries or wages of these employees differ vertically aswell as horizontally. The causes for different ials are explained under the theoryof wage determination. However, in order to understand this problem in the contextof a country, an empirical study is needed. Therefore, this study focused oninvestigating how the wage rate of employees is determined in the Sri Lanka labormarket. The internationally recognized classical human capital earning function whichwas introduced by Jacob Mincer highlights the significance of education and experiencein wage determination.In order to study the wage determination, a sample was selected from the SriLanka labor force survey conducted by the Department of Census and Statistics. Thedispersion of conditional wage rate of the total sample, and the sub-samples areinvestigated by running quintile regressions of Mincerian wage equation with a view toaddressing the link between schooling and rate of return to education and wageinequality.In the Sri Lanka labor market, level of education is the most significant factorfor wage determination and the substitutability of experience for education is low. Inaddition, the rate of return to education increases over the wage distribution in anoverwhelming majority of wage groups.Key words: Wage Determination, Human capital, Level of education, Experience,Mincer mode

An Empirical Study of Selected Challenges in Online Education; A Special Focus on G.C.E. (Advanced Level) Students in the Colombo District of Sri Lanka

The 21st century can be known as an era in which the universe has become one village with the rapid advancement in internet-based information and communication technology. Consequently, online methods were used to develop education opportunities widely in the distance learning process. Though many researchers have paid attention to the challenges and opportunities of online education in schools and universities, researchers have paid less attention to online education in the Sri Lankan school system. However, Sri Lankan schools were trending towards online education due to the challenges of the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020. As a result, this study aims to identify the factors affecting online education usage and the challenges of online education by advanced-level students in the Colombo district. The advanced-level students in the Colombo district were the target population of this study. The sample was selected from Padukka, Hanwella, and Homagama Secretarial divisions under multistage cluster sampling, and the data was collected from 312 students using a questionnaire. Further, the independent sample t-test, Analysis of Variance and Structural Equation Model, was used to identify the self-determining factors. Consequently, social, communication, technical, demographic, and economic factors identified online education usage variables. Finally, this study suggested implementing Learning Management Systems and providing teachers and students with sufficient knowledge about online education. Overall, this study provided an opportunity to identify the challenges teachers and students face in online education and reduce time consumption and cost of the teaching and learning process. DOI: http://doi.org/10.31357/fhss/vjhss.v08i02.0

Towards Digital Thinking and Practices: Experiences of Sri Lankan Teachers and Students

Commonwealth Digital Education Leadership Training in Action (C-DELTA), an open and free online programme of the Commonwealth of Learning, provides a framework to foster digital education. The Open University of Sri Lanka implemented an intervention during 2020-2021 to promote digital education in Sri Lankan secondary schools, through the adoption of C-DELTA. This paper presents how C-DELTA supported developing digital thinking and practices among teachers and students, challenges faced and supports received by them, and impacts of the intervention. Participants’ experiences were captured through questionnaire surveys, concept maps, focus group interviews, reflective stories, and video narratives. The findings revealed that the intervention has enhanced developing digital learning skills of teachers and students, and changing their thinking and practices, yet, amid various challenges. While the implementation of C-DELTA in schools has been slow during the COVID-19 pandemic, the pandemic itself has shown the significance of improving digital literacy and digital practices

Compartmental Genomics in Living Cells Revealed by Single-Cell Nanobiopsy

The ability to study the molecular biology of living single cells in heterogeneous cell populations is essential for next generation analysis of cellular circuitry and function. Here, we developed a single-cell nanobiopsy platform based on scanning ion conductance microscopy (SICM) for continuous sampling of intracellular content from individual cells. The nanobiopsy platform uses electrowetting within a nanopipette to extract cellular material from living cells with minimal disruption of the cellular milieu. We demonstrate the subcellular resolution of the nanobiopsy platform by isolating small subpopulations of mitochondria from single living cells, and quantify mutant mitochondrial genomes in those single cells with high throughput sequencing technology. These findings may provide the foundation for dynamic subcellular genomic analysis

Effect of organic bio-polymer on bio-mineralization of CaCO3

Organic matrix in the biogenic CaCO3 has a significant influence on the CaCO3 crystal growth, its polymorphs and morphology. In this research, effect of the cationic and anionic organic bio-polymers on the crystallization of CaCO3 was investigated in microbial induced carbonate precipitation (MICP) process. In the current study, poly-L-lysine and poly-glutamate were used as cationic and anionic biopolymers, respectively. Urea hydrolysis by ureolytic bacteria Pararhodobacter sp. led to CaCO3 formation in the presence of Ca2+ ions. The reaction was conducted with the addition of the polymers under different conditions. After oven-drying precipitation, the amount of precipitate was measured and morphology of the precipitate was analyzed by using scanning electron microscope. Bell-shaped curve was obtained in the relationship between the amount of the precipitate and the poly-L-lysine concentration. However, amount of precipitate remained approximately constant with the increase of the poly-glutamate concentration. In the presence of poly-L-lysine, morphology of the crystals changed from well-developed rhombohedral crystals to ellipsoidal shaped aggregates. But in poly-glutamate addition, polyhedral and spherical crystals are predominant

Artificial Fusion Protein to Facilitate Calcium Carbonate Mineralization on Insoluble Polysaccharide for Efficient Biocementation

Biomineralization is a process of mineral formation in living organisms. Compared with nonbiogenic minerals, biominerals can be defined as organic–inorganic hybrid materials that have excellent physical and optical properties. In the current study, an artificial protein mimicking the outer shell of crayfish, composed of CaCO3, chitin, and proteins, was developed to facilitate organic–inorganic hybrid material formation by precipitation of calcium carbonate on the chitin matrix. The fusion protein (CaBP-ChBD) was constructed by introducing a short-sequence calcite-binding peptide (CaBP) into the chitin-binding domain (ChBD). Calcium carbonate precipitation experiments by enzymatic urea hydrolysis revealed that a significant increase in the CaCO3 formation was achieved by adding CaBP-ChBD. Also, CaCO3 was efficiently deposited on chitin particles decorated with CaBP-ChBD. Most interestingly, CaBP-ChBD would improve the performance in sand solidification more efficiently and sustainably in the process of biocementation technique. The developed recombinant protein could be used for the sustainable production of organic–inorganic green materials for engineering applications

Integrated modeling framework to evaluate conjunctive use options in a canal irrigated area

In canal irrigated areas, where interactions between surface water and groundwater are high, the conjunctive management of surface water and groundwater can play a significant role in improving water availability in time and space, thereby promoting more equitable distribution of water while maintaining long-term availability of groundwater resources. Achieving a harmonious balance between the use of surface water and groundwater requires careful consideration of the associated benefits, impacts, and trade-offs. In this study, a simple, integrated framework was developed and implemented to characterize and quantify interactions between surface water and groundwater in a canal irrigated area; this framework was used to evaluate the impacts of alternative levels of conjunctive use under varying climate and cropping conditions. Applying the model to a case study area of the Srisailam Right Branch Canal project in Andhra Pradesh, India, indicated that regulating canal supplies to optimum levels can prompt sustainable groundwater use and save up to 48% of allocated canal water; these water savings could be reallocated elsewhere within the irrigated area to promote equity

A Formal Verification Methodology for DDD Mode Pacemaker Control Programs

Pacemakers are safety-critical devices whose faulty behaviors can cause harm or even death. Often these faulty behaviors are caused due to bugs in programs used for digital control of pacemakers. We present a formal verification methodology that can be used to check the correctness of object code programs that implement the safety-critical control functions of DDD mode pacemakers. Our methodology is based on the theory of Well-Founded Equivalence Bisimulation (WEB) refinement, where both formal specifications and implementation are treated as transition systems. We develop a simple and general formal specification for DDD mode pacemakers. We also develop correctness proof obligations that can be applied to validate object code programs used for pacemaker control. Using our methodology, we were able to verify a control program with millions of transitions against the simple specification with only 10 transitions. Our method also found several bugs during the verification process