Forward Integration into Global Value Chains and Pollution Haven Hypothesis in Somalia

This study investigates whether Somalia’s forward integration into global value chains (GVCs) sets it up as a pollution haven, while controlling for the effects of gross domestic product, renewable energy, urban population and trade openness. Annual time-series data set for the period 1992-2018 is analyzed via dynamic least squares regression analysis. The empirical results show that a percentage rise in the domestic value added of Somalia’s exports causes an increase of 0.274% in CO2 emissions. The study outcome therefore reveals that forward integration into global value chains significantly aggravates environmental pollution in the country. This is in confirmation of the study hypothesis that Somalia may be serving as a pollution haven because of the relatively lax environmental policies that permit the inflow of pollution-intensive foreign direct investments. It may also be due to the dominance of primary commodities in its exports which places it at the beginning of the GVC spectrum. A number of policy recommendations are provided

Identity management systems at UNHCR : from paper registration to biometric data management

This report examines the evolution of registration operations as coordinated by humanitarian organizations to serve the needs of refugee populations. It begins with an historical overview of registration by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), previewing an expectation that aid groups address identification demands during refugee operations. It then looks at the evolution of data requested of refugee populations, addressing the normalization of biometric data collection without meaningful governance through procedural documentation. A case study centered on registration in the Dadaab refugee complex then frames biometric data within its use by UNHCR and the Kenyan government to decrease the number of persons identified as refugees. This report concludes with brief recommendations on the creation, verification, and management of identification records by humanitarian organizations as conforming to principles that center the biometric rights of refugees.InformationPublic Affair

Online Recruitment Application

The purpose of this thesis was to develop an online recruitment application through which two ends can meet. The ends are freshly-graduated jobseekers and employers. This project introduces the best possible ways possible how a jobseeker can apply for a job and view his/her applied jobs through the system. At the same time the system provides the employers with a channel to post their vacancies in their efforts of hunting new employees and checking if there is any application to their posted jobs. apply for jobs. The following four major parts were designed and implemented. Firstly, the analysis phase the overall direction of the project was identified. Secondly, the design of the graphical user interface was implemented. Thirdly, a MySQL database that connects and communicates with spring boot was built to store all required data. Finally, Thymeleaf which is a modern server-side java templete engine was written to display the data in a human-friendly way to the users of this application. The core features of this application for employers are posting jobs, editing jobs, deleting jobs and viewing applications. Other core features for jobseekers are viewing listed jobs in the system and applying for available jobs. In this application almost any employer can post a job online, the process is clear, easy to understand, less timewasting and user-friendly. Conversely, the process is very simple for jobseekers too, it makes quick and painless to apply for jobs

A Relational Framework between Survey Topic, Sponsor, and Socially Desirable Responding: An Online Survey Experiment

Research in survey methodology indicates that survey attributes, such as topic and sponsor influence survey participation and data quality. This paper primarily aims to examine whether such attributes influence socially desirable responding in an online survey setting, a setting which is less studied in the literature than face-to-face interview settings with regards to social desirability. To achieve this aim, it empirically tests the effects of survey topic, survey sponsor, introduction interest, and perceived topic sensitivity on socially desirable responding (SDR) across a range of items in a questionnaire. The survey experiment is based on a convenience sample of higher education students who filled out an online self-administered questionnaire, which also included a short version of the Marlowe-Crowne SDR scale. The findings showed that the tendency to SDR does not significantly differ by survey topic and sponsor. However, it varies by introduction interest, and intriguingly, more interested respondents demonstrated a higher tendency to SDR. Also, the tendency to SDR marginally differed by the perceived topic sensitivity

The development of ALICE-tRNA-sequencing and its use in exploring the role of tRNAs in translational control

Sustaining proliferative signalling and loss of translational control is arguably the most fundamental trait of cancer cells, enabling tumour growth and metastatic dissemination. Transfer RNAs (tRNAs) have long been considered abundant “housekeeping” RNAs, functioning to decipher the universal genetic code. However, exhaustive analyses have implicated tRNA participation in a host of regulatory networks including the cellular stress response and protein synthesis. Recent findings suggest that the expression of tRNAs for synonymous codon usage is dependent on the differentiation/proliferation status of the cell and are coordinated with changes in translation. Although the molecular mechanisms that govern these changes are yet to be elucidated, cellular tRNA composition potentially introduces an additional layer of translational control. tRNAs are the most post-transcriptionally modified RNA species, with well over 50 unique modifications identified in eukaryotes. Consequently, isoacceptor identification and the measuring of the tRNA pool using next generation sequencing has long been an area of interest, with many attempts being made in literature. Using the Escherichia coli dealkylating enzyme AlkB and the novel tRNA high throughput sequencing methodology ALICE-tRNA-seq, we have developed a methodology that can accurately measure relative tRNA pools in vitro and in vivo. We show how other published tRNA sequencing protocols show bias towards tRNA sub populations, with our method showing a more realistic distribution across all tRNAs. We also show relative distribution changes in cellular and genetically modified mouse models of cancer, opening up a high resolution approach to establish the role of tRNAs in translational control and cell fate decisions

Forward Integration into Global Value Chains and Pollution Haven Hypothesis in Somalia

This study investigates whether Somalia’s forward integration into global value chains (GVCs) sets it up as a pollution haven, while controlling for the effects of gross domestic product, renewable energy, urban population and trade openness. Annual time-series data set for the period 1992-2018 is analyzed via dynamic least squares regression analysis. The empirical results show that a percentage rise in the domestic value added of Somalia’s exports causes an increase of 0.274% in CO2 emissions. The study outcome therefore reveals that forward integration into global value chains significantly aggravates environmental pollution in the country. This is in confirmation of the study hypothesis that Somalia may be serving as a pollution haven because of the relatively lax environmental policies that permit the inflow of pollution-intensive foreign direct investments. It may also be due to the dominance of primary commodities in its exports which places it at the beginning of the GVC spectrum. A number of policy recommendations are provided

Optimal economic dispatch for carbon capture power plants using chaos-enhanced cuckoo search optimization algorithm

Accelerated global demand for low carbon operation of power systems have stimulated interest in Low Carbon Technologies (LCTs). The increased deployment of LCTs within power systems is fundamental to the emission abatement of power system. Carbon Capture Power Plant (CCPP) technology has a good potential for future low carbon emission. Existing Economic Dispatch (ED) formulations do not consider the flexibly-operated CCPPs. Flexible operation of Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) units transforms conventional power plants in such a way that emission output and power output could be separately controlled. The resulting CCPPs have to be optimized in order to take advantage of the incentives available in both power and carbon markets. This thesis proposes an improved mathematical modelling for flexible operation of CCPPs. The developed work possesses simple and practical variables to appropriately model the flexible operation control of the CCPPs. Using this proposed model a new emission-oriented ED formulation is developed. With this new formulation, the thesis also proposes the concept of decoupling the emission and economic outputs and then quantifies its significance for power system operations. In addition to that, a new Metaheuristic Optimization Technique (MOT) named as Chaos-Enhanced Cuckoo Search Optimization Algorithm (CECSOA) has been developed to improve global optimum result for ED problem. The algorithm has been tested using standard test systems with varying degrees of complexity. The results proved that the CECSOA is superior to the existing techniques in terms of ability to obtain global optimal points and the stability of the solutions obtained. Simulation results also showed the possibility of $1.09 million of annual operational cost savings based on a practical power system located in the Greek island of Crete by applying this methodology in comparison with conventional techniques such as Genetic Algorithm. Further results showed that for a carbon price of 20$/tCO2 and a 60% of system capacity utilization, total emission of a power system is reduced by 10.90% as compared to a “business-as-usual” scenario. In terms of optimal ED for CCPPs, results showed that for carbon prices as low as (~ 8 – 10 $/tCO2), it is economically viable to operate a post-combustion CCS unit

Effectiveness of Inventory Control Methods in Improving Efficiency In Beverage Industry: A Case Study of Coastal Bottlers Ltd Mombasa, Kenya

This study aims to assessing the effectiveness of inventory control methods in increasing efficiency in the beverage industry. The selected case study is the COASTAL BOTTLERS Ltd, a regional processing plant that produces packages and distributes COCA COLA brands, soft drinks in the entire coast region and neighboring district. The study identifies objectives, which focus on identifying the inventory methods employed by the COASTAL BOTTLERS ltd, identifying problems encountered as a result of using these methods, and finally suggesting ways of improving inventory methods in order to improve the company’s efficiency and profitability. Inventory management has become a source of competitive advantage in recent year; good inventory management can increase efficiency of operations and profitability. By employing good inventory management techniques, companies can have low stock-outs, which means that the customers orders are fulfilled on time and this increases customer loyalty which in turn increase the sales of company. In addition, good inventory management ensures that the company spends less on warehousing and reduces the chances of goods getting spoilt in the stores. With good inventory system, it will be quick to trace items in the warehouse and ensures that less space is used to store good, this reduces cost. In addition automated inventory reduces the need for more staff in stores. All this contribute to saving costs of operations and increased profitability. Therefore, good inventory method improves efficiency. The study used a case study technique. Three types of questionnaires were designed; questionnaires for the employees, questionnaires for the vendor, and the questionnaire for the consumers. This was complimented with observation and interviews. The study was carried out in Magongo, Mikindani area and the Coastal Bottlers plant in Mombasa. In addition descriptive statistics was used to analyze the data, this included use of pie charts, bar charts, and histograms. The findings showed that the company employs a hybrid approach in its inventory control, the main emphasis is on a pull model where it uses just in time and KANBAN inventory control method, and it also employs economic order quantity and materials requirement planning. The main triggers of restocking are stock-outs and departmental requisition. COASTAL BOTTLERS Ltd has a high frequency of stock-outs; stock-outs are the major indicators of effectiveness of inventory control methods. This means that the consumers’ orders are not fulfilled on time and popular brands are always hard to find in the market. These is caused by poor inventory system in the companies operations. The phenomenon of poor inventory control method could endanger the company and cause the company to loss its customers and its market share. The company should develop a comprehensive inventory control policy, train its staff on the importance of coordination among departments. Another area of training should be on customer care management and market intelligence so as to improve market responsiveness

NATURAL COMPOUNDS FROM DJIBOUTIAN MEDICINAL PLANTS AS INHIBITORS OF COVID-19 BY IN SILICO INVESTIGATIONS

Objective: The new coronavirus type SARS-Cov 2 (severe acute respiratory syndrome), which appeared in autumn 2019 in China, became a global pandemic in a few months. In this work, we looked for the potential anti SARS-Cov 2 of the compounds isolated from three Djiboutian medicinal plants, namely Acacia seyal, Cymbopogon commutatus, and Indigofera caerulea. Methods: We carried out a molecular docking with nine biomolecules, β-Sitosterol, Quercetin, Catechin, Lupeol, Rutin, Kaempferol, Gallic acid, Piperitone and Limonene on three target sites which are SARS-CoV-2 main protease (Mp), SARS-CoV-2 receptor-binding domain (RBD) and human furin protease. These targets are chosen because of their role in the process of penetration of the virus into human cells and its multiplication. Moreover, the predictions of pharmacokinetic parameters as well as toxicological properties have been determined using an online bioinformatics tool named SwissADME and AdmetSAR respectively. Results: The phenolic compounds have a very good affinity on these three target sites with binding energies of up to-9.098 kcal/mol for rutin on SARS-CoV-2 Mp, much better than the two reference drugs hydroxychloroquine (-5.816 kcal/mol) and remdesivir (-7.194 kcal/mol). Except for β-Sitosterol, the tested biomolecules have weak toxicity. Conclusion: These natural compounds can be used against covid 19 pending In vitro and In vivo evaluations