Evolutionary multi-objective optimal control of combined sewer overflows

This paper presents a novel multi-objective evolutionary optimization approach for the active control of intermittent unsatisfactory discharges from combined sewer systems. The procedure proposed considers the unsteady flows and water quality in the sewers together with the wastewater treatment costs. The distinction between the portion of wastewater that receives full secondary treatment and the overall capacity of the wastewater treatment works (including storm overflow tanks) is addressed. Temporal and spatial variations in the concentrations of the primary contaminants are incorporated also. The formulation is different from previous approaches in the literature in that in addition to the wastewater treatment cost we consider at once the relative polluting effects of the various primary contaminants in wastewater. This is achieved by incorporating a measure of the overall pollution called the effluent quality index. The differences between two diametrically opposed control objectives are illustrated, i.e. the minimization of the pollution of the receiving water or, alternatively, the minimization of the wastewater treatment cost. Results are included for a realistic interceptor sewer system that show that the combination of a multi-objective genetic algorithm and a stormwater management model is effective. The genetic algorithm achieved consistently the frontier optimal control settings that, in turn, revealed the trade-offs between the wastewater treatment cost and pollution of the receiving water

DECODING THE NEXUS BETWEEN SOCIOECONOMIC FACTORS AND POVERTY ALLEVIATION IN THE NORTHERN PROVINCE OF SRI LANKA

The economic downturn due to the catastrophic Civil War that lasted for 30 years followed by unstable governance, and the pandemic outbreak has made it difficult for Sri Lanka to achieve the sustainable development goal [SDG No.01] of No Poverty (World Health Organization [WHO], 2015). Poverty undermines the stability of a nation and weakens its economy, politics, and social well-being. The Civil War that existed in Sri Lanka has affected the economic stability and the social well-being of the households in war-torn regions. The objective of this study is to investigate the poverty dynamics in a developing economy that has been impacted by Civil War and to ascertain the extent to which socioeconomic factors influence poverty alleviation in such an economy. This study employed a self-administered questionnaire to collect data from 300 farming households located in the Thunukai Divisional Secretariat Division of Mullaitivu District in the Northern Province. The findings of Ordinary Least Square and the Probit Models demonstrate that the availability of sufficient land enriched with long-term crops, sufficient water availability, technological advancement in agriculture, balanced gender participation in agricultural activities, and a substantial increase in farming expenditure play a crucial role in alleviating poverty within the households. The theoretical recommendations were provided to optimize the use of the identified predictors in the model estimation such as the reinstatement of community development practices, reformation and redevelopment of the local industries that improve the economic overhead and the involvement of communal activities in the vulnerable areas of society to rebuild the social overhead. Keywords: Poverty, Agriculture, Poverty Measures, Land Management, Poverty Alleviatio

Improving Foreign Language TeachingLearning in Exolingual Learning Contexts

In the globalised world today, more and more people aspire to becomemultilinguals. However, most people acquire their target foreign languages in theirnative countries, without having ever visited a place where those languages are used inday-to-day communication. Such learners, whom we name „exolingual‟ learners in thispaper (as opposed to „endolingual‟ learners who acquire languages in learning contextswhere their target language is spoken outside the classroom), have a greater risk offalling short of achieving their objective. Many reasons for such failures could be linkedto obstacles which are inherent to exolingual language learning contexts. However, inthe field of acquisitional linguistics, foreign language acquisition is often studiedalongside first and second language acquisition, that is, under language acquisition inendolingual learning contexts.Our objective in doing this study was to research into an exolingual context offoreign language learning and to precisely identify obstacles linked with such learningcontexts. In order to do this, we opted to study a particular exolingual context of foreignlanguage learning: namely the context of foreign language learning in Sri Lanka. Theselected target foreign language being French, the methods of research includedobservations of French classes, studying of French text books used in those foreignlanguage classes and discussions with students and teachers of French.At the conclusion of the study, we discovered how little the contexts ofendolingual and exolingual language learning have in common. Except for targeting acommon language in its fundamental form, endolingual and exolingual languagelearning situations differ largely from each other when we consider their classroom,social, cultural and academic set ups; teaching and learning methods, techniques andmaterial; learner motivation, objectives, etc. As an obvious consequence, the outcomeof the teaching/learning process in the two different learning situations too is hardly thesame.Key words: Foreign languages, Teaching/learning, Endolingual/exolingual contexts

Development of an integrated BIM and lean maturity model

The level of Building Information Modelling (BIM) and Lean adoption has been rapidly increased. The benefits of integrating these two approaches have also been identified. However, to achieve the maximum benefits of the interaction of these two approaches, there needs to be assessment tools to analyse their performances collectively. Because understanding and analysing the performances of these approaches would provide value to the entire project in terms of lessons learned, more value generation, and continuous improvements. Therefore, this paper aims to propose an integrated BIM and Lean Maturity Model based on reviewing the literature around current maturity models. This paper proposes an Integrated BIM and Lean Maturity Model named “IDEAL” which could serve as a basis in terms of assessing the performances of the projects implementing BIM and Lean together

Ownership Structure, Firm Size and the Operational Risk Management of Domestic Commercial Banks in Sri Lanka

Purpose: The banking sector is a crucial player in any economy, often affected by economic and social crises. Thus, it is vital to identify the intrinsic weaknesses of banks to manage their operational risk. The recent COVID-19 pandemic also severely affects the global financial sector, irrespective of the development status. Accordingly, this study is an attempt to find out the evidence on operational risk management and its relationship with bank size and ownership structure of the banking sector in one of the developing countries in the world, Sri Lanka. Design/Methodology/Approach: Financial data of eight out of thirteen commercial banks in Sri Lanka were analyzed over 13 years using panel data regression analysis. Sri Lankan banks' operational risk management practices are measured by excess capital (over the required minimum capital for operational risk). Deposits plus advances are used to calculate the size of a bank. Findings: It is revealed a significant positive relationship between firm size and operational risk management. A significant relationship between the ownership and excess capital held by banks for managing operational risk is also identified. This result leads to the conclusion that the larger commercial banks hold higher excess capital over the required minimum as per Basel accords. Moreover, government-owned banks are recognized to have more excess capital for operational risk management. Implications: Given the high amount of losses from bad loans and the central bank's implementation of Basel III regulations, the study has implications for Sri Lankan banks. Originality: When considering Sri Lankan context there can be found only a little amount of evidence on operational risk management practices and its relationship with size and ownership