Impact of Capital Structure on Profitability: Evidence from Star Category Hotels in Sri Lanka

This study examines the impact of the capital structure on the profitability of the 25 registered hotels in the Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority (SLTDA). The data on capital structure and profitability collected from audited annual reports (2011 to 2021), were analyzed using panel regression methodology and presented through descriptive statistics and models. Total debt to total assets, total debt to total equity and interest coverage ratio were used to measure the capital structure and return on assets and return on equity were used to measure the profitability of the firm. The study found no significant impact of debt to equity ratio and interest coverage ratio on the return on equity and return on asset. There is a significant impact of debt to asset and return on equity and the return on asset. These results concluded that there is an impact of capital structure on the profitability of the hotel industry in Sri Lanka.    © 2022 The Authors. Published by Department of Estate Management and Valuation, University of Sri Jayewardenepura   Key Words: Capital structure; Profitability; Registered Star Category Hotels in Sri Lank

Impacts of woody invader Dillenia suffruticosa (Griff.) Martelli on physical, chemical and biological properties of soil

Invasive alien species (IAS) cause irreversible changes to abiotic and biotic properties of ecological communities, hence become a worrying problem at the global scale. Para, (Dillenia suffruticosa (Griffith) Martelli. – Family - Dilleniaceae), that spread fast in low-lying areas in wet zone of Sri Lanka, is currently listed as a nationally important IAS that deserves attention in ecological studies. Thus, impact of this woody invader on physical, chemical and biological properties of soil was investigated. Five sampling sites were identified along a total distance of 46 km from Avissawella to Ratnapura. At each site, two adjacent plots (1 m x10 m each for D. suffruticosa present D+ and absent D-) were outlined.Soil physical, chemical and biological properties were determined using standard procedures and compared between D+ and D- by ANOVA using SPSS software. Rate of decomposition of D. suffruticosa leaves was also determined using the litter bag technique at 35% and 50% moisture levels. Above ground plant species richness was compared using Jaccard and Sorenson diversity indices. Particle size distribution was related to soil texture and D+ soil showed a much higher percentage of large soil particles. Further, higher % porosity together with lower bulk densities for almost all D+ sites was a clear indication that the soil was affected. The results for pH were always significantly lower for D+ than D- thus developing acidic soils whereas conductivity has been significantly high making soil stressed. Cation Exchange Capacity (CEC) in almost all the sites showed a significant drop with D+ further indicating that soils were highly disturbed due to the presence of this invasive plant. This was a remarkable finding to be concerned with as soil fertility/quality largely depends on CEC. Nitrate in the present study showed varied results. Significantly higher values in the phosphorous content of soil were reported in D+ soil in all the sites and this may be attributed to the high decomposition rates recorded and the chemical compounds present in D. suffruticosa leaves.The results obtained for microbial biomass were unexpected as no impact from D. suffruticosa was reported although both soil physical and chemical parameters indicated some degree of soil degradation. However, higher biomass values recorded for almost all the D+ sites together with significantly higher number of bacterial colonies could be related to the unexpectedly recorded higher Organic Carbon. When decomposition rate of D. suffruticosa leaves was considered, it was 0.014g/day and 0.011 g/day respectively at 35% and 50% moisture levels. This clearly shows that the leaves of this plant are highly susceptible for decomposition irrespective of moisture. It seems that decomposition rate is the main parameter that governs the microbial biomass despite of the negative impacts on the physical and chemical properties of soil by D. suffruticosa. Both the Jaccard and Sorenson indices indicated that D+ and D- sites were dissimilar with respect to above ground plant species richness. Thus, changes in soil properties due to the growth of invasive D. suffruticosa were identified and further studies are needed before concluding on the degree of soil deterioration

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

An audit of specimens received for superficial fungal studies to the Department of Microbiology, University of Ruhuna

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Determinants of online shopping among tertiary students in Ghana: An extended technology acceptance model

The increasing penetration rate of the internet and technology in the world is quickly promoting online shopping. This has been fueled by growing innovations in the telecommunication and financial sector in an attempt to depeen financial inclusion. Innovations such as mobile money payments systems by mobile telephony companies have contributed to the continuous growth in online shopping amidst and the new generation of consumers who desire richer experiences. This study sought to identify the determinants of online shopping behaviour among tertiary students through the lens of the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM). The study proposed a revised TAM that integrated perceived cost and perceived risk to investigate what determined students online shopping intention and actual use. The survey involved a sample of 580 undergraduate students. The statistical technique used was Structural Equation Modelling-Partial Least Squares (SEM-PLS). The results showed that effect of ease of use on usefulness was very significant as same has been predicted by the Technology Acceptance Model. Among the independent variables, perceived cost (PC) was found to be the most significant factor affecting actual use (AU) of online shopping among students, nonetheless, perceived cost (PC) had no significant effect on purchase intention (PI). Perceived risk (PR) had no significant effect on actual use (AU) however, had a significant effect on purchase intention (PI). The study recommends online sellers to make online shopping efficient and less costive with assured safety and security of transactions as well as the product itself. A set of shopping platform could even be created specifically to give discounts and other offers to students. It also recommends future studies to employ additional determining factors such as the type of product/service, convenience and personal/demographic and geographic factors as influential to students’ online purchasing behaviour. © 2019, © 2019 The Author(s). This open access article is distributed under a Creative Commons Attribution (CC-BY) 4.0 license

Retrospective evaluation of whole exome and genome mutation calls in 746 cancer samples

The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) and International Cancer Genome Consortium (ICGC) curated consensus somatic mutation calls using whole exome sequencing (WES) and whole genome sequencing (WGS), respectively. Here, as part of the ICGC/TCGA Pan-Cancer Analysis of Whole Genomes (PCAWG) Consortium, which aggregated whole genome sequencing data from 2,658 cancers across 38 tumour types, we compare WES and WGS side-by-side from 746 TCGA samples, finding that ~80% of mutations overlap in covered exonic regions. We estimate that low variant allele fraction (VAF < 15%) and clonal heterogeneity contribute up to 68% of private WGS mutations and 71% of private WES mutations. We observe that ~30% of private WGS mutations trace to mutations identified by a single variant caller in WES consensus efforts. WGS captures both ~50% more variation in exonic regions and un-observed mutations in loci with variable GC-content. Together, our analysis highlights technological divergences between two reproducible somatic variant detection efforts

Molecular dynamics simulation studies of the interactions between ionic liquids and amino acids in aqueous solution

Although the understanding of the influence of ionic liquids (ILs) on the solubility behavior of biomolecules in aqueous solutions is relevant for the design and optimization of novel biotechnological processes, the underlying molecular-level mechanisms are not yet consensual or clearly elucidated. In order to contribute to the understanding of the molecular interactions established between amino acids and ILs in aqueous media, classical molecular dynamics (MD) simulations were performed for aqueous solutions of five amino acids with different structural characteristics (glycine, alanine, valine, isoleucine, and glutamic acid) in the presence of 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium bis(trifluoromethyl)sulfonyl imide. The results from MD simulations enable to relate the properties of the amino acids, namely their hydrophobicity, to the type and strength of their interactions with ILs in aqueous solutions and provide an explanation for the direction and magnitude of the solubility phenomena observed in [IL + amino acid + water] systems by a mechanism governed by a balance between competitive interactions of the IL cation, IL anion, and water with the amino acids

Utilisation of an operative difficulty grading scale for laparoscopic cholecystectomy

Background A reliable system for grading operative difficulty of laparoscopic cholecystectomy would standardise description of findings and reporting of outcomes. The aim of this study was to validate a difficulty grading system (Nassar scale), testing its applicability and consistency in two large prospective datasets. Methods Patient and disease-related variables and 30-day outcomes were identified in two prospective cholecystectomy databases: the multi-centre prospective cohort of 8820 patients from the recent CholeS Study and the single-surgeon series containing 4089 patients. Operative data and patient outcomes were correlated with Nassar operative difficultly scale, using Kendall’s tau for dichotomous variables, or Jonckheere–Terpstra tests for continuous variables. A ROC curve analysis was performed, to quantify the predictive accuracy of the scale for each outcome, with continuous outcomes dichotomised, prior to analysis. Results A higher operative difficulty grade was consistently associated with worse outcomes for the patients in both the reference and CholeS cohorts. The median length of stay increased from 0 to 4 days, and the 30-day complication rate from 7.6 to 24.4% as the difficulty grade increased from 1 to 4/5 (both p < 0.001). In the CholeS cohort, a higher difficulty grade was found to be most strongly associated with conversion to open and 30-day mortality (AUROC = 0.903, 0.822, respectively). On multivariable analysis, the Nassar operative difficultly scale was found to be a significant independent predictor of operative duration, conversion to open surgery, 30-day complications and 30-day reintervention (all p < 0.001). Conclusion We have shown that an operative difficulty scale can standardise the description of operative findings by multiple grades of surgeons to facilitate audit, training assessment and research. It provides a tool for reporting operative findings, disease severity and technical difficulty and can be utilised in future research to reliably compare outcomes according to case mix and intra-operative difficulty

Properties of the Liquid-Vapor Interface of Acetone-Water Mixtures. A Computer Simulation and ITIM Analysis Study

Molecular dynamics simulations of the liquid-vapor interface of acetone-water mixtures of different compositions, covering the entire composition range have been performed on the canonical (N, V, T) ensemble at 298 K, using a model combination that excellently describes the mixing properties of these compounds. The properties of the intrinsic liquid surfaces have been analyzed in terms of the Identification of the Truly Interfacial Molecules (ITIM) method. Thus, the composition, width, roughness, and separation of the subsurface molecular layers, as well as self-association, orientation, and dynamics of exchange with the bulk phase of the surface molecules have been analyzed in detail. Our results show that acetone molecules are strongly adsorbed at the liquid surface, and this adsorption extends to several molecular layers. Like molecules in the surface layer are found to form relatively large lateral self-associates. The effect of the vicinity of the vapor phase on a number of properties of the liquid phase vanishes beyond the first molecular layer, with the second subsurface layer already part of the bulk liquid phase in these respects. The orientational preferences of the surface molecules are governed primarily by the dipole-dipole interaction of the neighboring acetone molecules, and hydrogen bonding interaction of the neighboring acetone-water pairs. (Figure Presented). © 2015 American Chemical Society

Climate Change Impacts on Rice Farming Systems in Northwestern Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka has achieved tremendous progress since 1950 in crop production and food availability. Yields grew at an impressive rate until leveling off in the mid-eighties. Sri Lanka's population is anticipated to grow in the coming decades, creating an ever-greater demand for food security on the household, sub-district, regional, and national scales.The agricultural sector in Sri Lanka is vulnerable to climate shocks. An unusual succession of droughts and floods from 2008 to 2014 has led to both booms and busts in agricultural production, which were reflected in food prices. In both instances, the majority of farmers and consumers were adversely affected.At present the rice-farming systems are under stress due to inadequate returns for the farmers and difficulty in coping with shocks due to climate, pests, and diseases, and prices for produce. There are government price-support mechanisms, fertilizer-subsidy schemes, and crop insurance schemes, but the levels of the supports are modest and often do not effectively reach the farmers