The entrepreneurial culture value patterns and business practices of small and medium enterprises in Sri Lanka based on selected case studies

Entrepreneurial cultural values of Small Medium Entrepreneurs play an important role in the development of entrepreneurs/lip development. This paper is to study the entrepreneur value patterns and their business practices in Sri Lanka. This is a descriptive study and the analysis is qualitative based on Ten Textile and Jewelry- Trades in the City of Colombo and for the data collection a structural questionnaire was administered and personal inten'icws were conducted. It was found that the entrepreneurial cultural value system and their business practices are different from that of western entrepreneurs. The common business related practices found to be seen personalized leadership, centralized decision making, reluctant to delegate authority, informal recruitment policy, specific local market orientation, not using modern financial facilities and direct supervisions are based on their entrepreneurial values such as low initiatives, low risk tolerance, low level openness, medium level conflict tolerance and medium level supportiveness. However, the successful entrepreneurs' business practices such as benevolent authoritarian leadership, decentralized decision making, delegating authority to others, and expanding their local markets are highly influenced by their loyalty, medium openness, initiatives and risk tolerance and high conflict tolerance. Besides the researcher has found that there is a link between the background factors and the value systems of entrepreneurs. Therefore it gives new idea for the futureEntrepreneurial cultural values of Small Medium Entrepreneurs play an important role in the development of entrepreneurs/lip development. This paper is to study the entrepreneur value patterns and their business practices in Sri Lanka. This is a descriptive study and the analysis is qualitative based on Ten Textile and Jewelry- Trades in the City of Colombo and for the data collection a structural questionnaire was administered and personal inten'icws were conducted. It was found that the entrepreneurial cultural value system and their business practices are different from that of western entrepreneurs. The common business related practices found to be seen personalized leadership, centralized decision making, reluctant to delegate authority, informal recruitment policy, specific local market orientation, not using modern financial facilities and direct supervisions are based on their entrepreneurial values such as low initiatives, low risk tolerance, low level openness, medium level conflict tolerance and medium level supportiveness. However, the successful entrepreneurs' business practices such as benevolent authoritarian leadership, decentralized decision making, delegating authority to others, and expanding their local markets are highly influenced by their loyalty, medium openness, initiatives and risk tolerance and high conflict tolerance. Besides the researcher has found that there is a link between the background factors and the value systems of entrepreneurs. Therefore it gives new idea for the futureEntrepreneurial cultural values of Small Medium Entrepreneurs play an important role in the development of entrepreneurs/lip development. This paper is to study the entrepreneur value patterns and their business practices in Sri Lanka. This is a descriptive study and the analysis is qualitative based on Ten Textile and Jewelry- Trades in the City of Colombo and for the data collection a structural questionnaire was administered and personal inten'icws were conducted. It was found that the entrepreneurial cultural value system and their business practices are different from that of western entrepreneurs. The common business related practices found to be seen personalized leadership, centralized decision making, reluctant to delegate authority, informal recruitment policy, specific local market orientation, not using modern financial facilities and direct supervisions are based on their entrepreneurial values such as low initiatives, low risk tolerance, low level openness, medium level conflict tolerance and medium level supportiveness. However, the successful entrepreneurs' business practices such as benevolent authoritarian leadership, decentralized decision making, delegating authority to others, and expanding their local markets are highly influenced by their loyalty, medium openness, initiatives and risk tolerance and high conflict tolerance. Besides the researcher has found that there is a link between the background factors and the value systems of entrepreneurs. Therefore it gives new idea for the future researchers

Focusing and Diffraction of Light by Periodic Si Micropyramidal Arrays

This research was devoted to modeling of the optical properties of Si micropyramids aimed at designing optimal structures for applications as light concentrators in mid-wave infrared (MWIR) focal place arrays (FPAs). It is shown that completely different optical properties of such structures can be realized using two types of boundary conditions (BCs): i) periodical and ii) perfectly matched layer. The first type (periodical BC) allowed us to describe the Talbot effect under plane wave coherent illumination conditions. This effect was experimentally demonstrated in the proposed structures. The second type (perfectly matched layer BC) allows describing the optical properties of individual micropyramids concentrating or focusing light on the photodetector. The optimal geometries of micropyramids required for maximizing the intensity of photonic nanojets emerging from their truncated tips are determined.Comment: 4 pages, 5 figures, GOMACTech 202

Annex 16 : automated traffic monitoring for complex road conditions

Recent advancements in computer vision and machine learning techniques have made traffic monitoring systems highly effective in well structured traffic conditions such as highways. But these systems struggle in handling complex and irregular conditions that exist in developing countries, due to lack of infrastructure and regulation. This research breaks down the problem into different sub-tasks such as vehicle detection, vehicle tracking, and vehicle recognition, then combines each process into one pipeline that can be used for traffic monitoring. Implementing the final pipeline involves improving and aggregating existing techniques. Results demonstrate the potential of these techniques for automated traffic monitoring

Electroplating of CdTe thin films from cadmium sulphate precursor and comparison of layers grown by 3-electrode and 2-electrode systems

Electrodeposition of CdTe thin films was carried out from the late 1970s using the cadmium sulphate precursor. The solar energy group at Sheffield Hallam University has carried out a comprehensive study of CdTe thin films electroplated using cadmium sulfate, cadmium nitrate and cadmium chloride precursors, in order to select the best electrolyte. Some of these results have been published elsewhere, and this manuscript presents the summary of the results obtained on CdTe layers grown from cadmium sulphate precursor. In addition, this research program has been exploring the ways of eliminating the reference electrode, since this is a possible source of detrimental impurities, such as K+ and Ag+ for CdS/CdTe solar cells. This paper compares the results obtained from CdTe layers grown by three-electrode (3E) and two-electrode (2E) systems for their material properties and performance in CdS/CdTe devices. Thin films were characterized using a wide range of analytical techniques for their structural, morphological, optical and electrical properties. These layers have also been used in device structures; glass/FTO/CdS/CdTe/Au and CdTe from both methods have produced solar cells to date with efficiencies in the region of 5%–13%. Comprehensive work carried out to date produced comparable and superior devices fabricated from materials grown using 2E system

Electrostatic deposition of graphene in a gaseous environment: A deterministic route to synthesize rolled graphenes?

The synthesis of single-wall carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) of desired diameters and chiralities is critical to the design of nanoscale electronic devices with desired properties.1-6 The existing methods are based on self-assembly, 7-16 therefore lacking the control over their diameters and chiralities. The present work reports a direct route to roll graphene. Specifically, we found that the electrostatic deposition of graphene yielded: (i) flat graphene layers under high vacuum (10-7 Torr), (ii) completely scrolled graphene under hydrogen atmosphere, (iii) partially scrolled graphene under nitrogen atmosphere, and (iv) no scrolling for helium atmospheres. Our study shows that the application of the electrostatic field facilitates the rolling of graphene sheets exposed to appropriate gases and allows the rolling of any size graphene. The technique proposed here, in conjunction with a technique that produces graphene nanoribbons (GNRs) of uniform widths, will have significant impact on the development of carbon nanotube based devices. Furthermore, the present technique may be applied to obtain tubes/scrolls of other layered materials

Charge transfer equilibria in ambient-exposed epitaxial graphene on (0001¯) 6 H-SiC

Article discussing research on charge transfer equilibria in ambient-exposed epitaxial graphene on (0001) 6 H-SiC

Charge transfer equilibria in ambient-exposed epitaxial graphene on (0001) 6 H-SiC

Article discussing research on charge transfer equilibria in ambient-exposed epitaxial graphene on (0001) 6 H-SiC

MscS-like mechanosensitive channels in plants and microbes

The challenge of osmotic stress is something all living organisms must face as a result of environmental dynamics. Over the past three decades, innovative research and cooperation across disciplines have irrefutably established that cells utilize mechanically gated ion channels to release osmolytes and prevent cell lysis during hypoosmotic stress. Early electrophysiological analysis of the inner membrane of Escherichia coli identified the presence of three distinct mechanosensitive activities. The subsequent discoveries of the genes responsible for two of these activities, the mechanosensitive channels of large (MscL) and small (MscS) conductance, led to the identification of two diverse families of mechanosensitive channels. The latter of these two families, the MscS family, consists of members from bacteria, archaea, fungi, and plants. Genetic and electrophysiological analysis of these family members has provided insight into how organisms use mechanosensitive channels for osmotic regulation in response to changing environmental and developmental circumstances. Furthermore, determining the crystal structure of E. coli MscS and several homologues in several conformational states has contributed to our understanding of the gating mechanisms of these channels. Here we summarize our current knowledge of MscS homologues from all three domains of life and address their structure, proposed physiological functions, electrophysiological behaviors, and topological diversity

Tropical and subtropical Asia's valued tree species under threat

Tree diversity in Asia's tropical and subtropical forests is central to nature-based solutions. Species vulnerability to multiple threats, which affects the provision of ecosystem services, is poorly understood. We conducted a region-wide, spatially explicit vulnerability assessment (including overexploitation, fire, overgrazing, habitat conversion, and climate change) of 63 socio-economically important tree species selected from national priority lists and validated by an expert network representing 20 countries. Overall, 74% of the most important areas for conservation of these trees fall outside of protected areas, with species severely threatened across 47% of their native ranges. The most imminent threats are overexploitation and habitat conversion, with populations being severely threatened in an average of 24% and 16% of their distribution areas. Optimistically, our results predict relatively limited overall climate change impacts, however, some of the study species are likely to lose more than 15% of their habitat by 2050 because of climate change. We pinpoint specific natural forest areas in Malaysia and Indonesia (Borneo) as hotspots for on-site conservation of forest genetic resources, more than 82% of which do not currently fall within designated protected areas. We also identify degraded lands in Indonesia (Sumatra) as priorities for restoration where planting or assisted natural regeneration will help maintain these species into the future, while croplands in Southern India are highlighted as potentially important agroforestry options. Our study highlights the need for regionally coordinated action for effective conservation and restoration