A Mobile application for tracking and verification of cobalt ores in artisanal mines a case study of democratic republic of Congo

A Dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Degree of Master of Science in Mobile Telecommunications and Innovation (MSc. MTI)Tracking and verification of Cobalt in artisanal mines is enormously challenging in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Several artisanal mining companies have been disseminated throughout the country, some of these companies are involved in illegal exports and branding of Cobalt ores. Consequently, these unlawful activities are leaching a fifth of all Cobalt revenue away from the state budget. It is estimated that between 2013 and 2016, over $1.3 billion of payment by mining companies to Congo’s tax agencies never reached the national treasury. This research used an online questionnaire that was distributed to 95 mine inspectors and mining officers to give a comprehensive study of characteristics of a licit Cobalt ores bag, methods and technology currently used to track and verify Cobalt ores bags and how a mobile application for tracking and verification of Cobalt bags can be designed, developed and tested. Google analytics tools were used to collect data from respondents. The results were used to attain the system requirements and design of an Android application for tracking and verification of Cobalt ores in artisanal mines. Agile software development methodology was used because it allows iteration and gets the user involved in the entire process of development. The Android application was integrated with a back-end application which gives a synopsis of Cobalt ores bags legally extracted and vetted artisanal mines. Testing and validation was done on the final prototype by the potential users of the application. Mine inspectors, mining officers and ultimately the government tax collector agencies stand to gain by using the mobile application to ensure that a Cobalt ores bag has been extracted from a vetted artisanal mine. It allows the government to maximize the revenue from tax on Cobalt extracted from artisanal mines and minimize significantly the illegal exports and rebranding of Cobalt ores in artisanal mining sector. The proposed system achieved imposing results in terms of functionalities. Respondents stated that the system solved the problem related to tracking and verification of Cobalt ores in artisanal mines. 100 % of respondents were able to scan or generate the QR code. It crucial to note that if the system is adopted by the government through the Ministry of mines, illegal exportation and branding of Cobalt ores can be significantly reduced

Dissecting the Mechanism for the Selective Induction of Apoptosis in Transformed Cells by CAV Apoptin: a Dissertation

Most existing chemotherapeutics lack adequate specificity for transformed cells and therefore have high rates of collateral damage to normal tissue. Moreover, such therapies often depend on p53 to induce cell death and are ineffective on the large number of human cancers that have lost p53 function. The discovery of novel p53-independent cancer therapies is therefore of significant interest. The Chicken Anemia Virus protein Apoptin selectively induces apoptosis in transformed cells in a p53-independent manner while leaving normal primary cells unaffected. This selectivity is thought to be largely due to cell type-specific localization: in primary cells Apoptin is cytoplasmic, whereas in transformed cells the protein localizes to the nucleus. The basis for this cell type-specific localization remains to be determined. In this study, Apoptin is revealed to be a nucleo-cytoplasmic shuttling protein whose localization is mediated by an N-terminal nuclear export signal (NES) and a C-terminal nuclear localization signal (NLS). Both signals are required for cell type-specific localization, as Apoptin fragments containing either the NES or NLS fail to localize differently between transformed and primary cells. Significantly, cell type-specific localization can be rescued in trans by co-expression of the two separate fragments, which are able to interact through an Apoptin multimerization domain. Interestingly, this multimerization domain overlaps with the NES suggesting that these two activities may be functionally coupled in cytoplasmic retention in primary cell types. Factors present in transformed cells induce localization of Apoptin to the nucleus where a biochemically distinct, more soluble form of the protein exists. Using affinity-purification and mass spectroscopy it was found that, specifically in transformed cells, Apoptin is associated with APC1, a subunit of the anaphase-promoting complex/cyclosome (APC/C). The APC/C is required to establish a mitotic cell-cycle checkpoint, and its inhibition results in G2/M arrest and apoptosis. Expression of wild type Apoptin in transformed cells inhibits APC/C function and induces G2/M arrest and apoptosis, whereas Apoptin mutants that are unable to associate with APC1 have no effect. In p53 null cells, ablation of APC1 by RNA interference induces a G2/M arrest and apoptosis analogous to that observed following Apoptin expression. Furthermore, Apoptin was found to induce the formation of PML bodies and to recruit APC/C subunits to these nuclear structures suggesting a mechanism involving sequestration and subsequent inhibition of the APC/C. Thus, the results of this study clarify Apoptin cell type-specific localization behavior and explain the ability of Apoptin to induce apoptosis in transformed cells in the absence of p53. This study advances a newly emerging field of viral mechanisms of apoptosis involving G2/M arrest and APC/C modulation. The resultant p53-independent apoptosis suggests that the APC/C may be an attractive target for the development of anti-cancer drugs

Interreligious Violent Conflict Resolution: Discoursing Communal Violence between Christians and Moslems in Poso City, Indonesia

After the reformation occurred in 1998, the political situation in Indonesia became unstable. Military forces had been concentrated in the central government to maintain stability. Thus, the situation in Indonesia became vulnerable and easy to be provoked. During that period, various conflicts happened and escalated, such as ethnic and interreligious group conflicts. One of those conflicts occurred in Poso, considered one of the most violent conflicts in Indonesia after the reformation. It was an interreligious conflict between the Christian and Muslim groups in Poso, a city in Central Sulawesi. In this city, the interreligious conflict between these two groups took place a few times through some phases, involving both militant and violent groups. The conflict was eventually settled through the dialogue between two conflicting groups, each led by respected religious local figures. The government mediated the dialogue through one of the public officials who was respected in the country. In the last stage of Poso conflict resolution, Malino Declaration was set to end the conflict, and the military was sent to the city to keep the peace process, and the conflict perpetrators were sent to trial

Size Scaling in the Skull of North American Felids as Adaptations for Prey Acquisition

This comparative study explores the relationship between skull morphology and general body size among felids (house cat, lynx, puma), mustelids (minks, weasels, badgers), and canids (foxes, coyotes, wolves); with a focus on North American felids, as it relates to prey acquisition. Previous studies have focused on the evolution of the carnivore skull shape, which include the species examined in this study. Using measurement methods laid out by Radinsky (1981a; 1984), the size of skull components are compared to overall body size to determine the rate of scaling of skull features with body size. Statistical evaluations of skull measurements within and between the three selected North American carnivore groups allowed it to be determined which features scaled with body size; skull length, jaw length, and tooth row length. Additionally, some of these skull features showed significant correlation with the body size of possible prey, indicating there are limitations on prey size based on skull parameters related to bite strength. When compared against body size, measurements relating to the temporalis muscle didn’t fit the regression lines as well as other data, indicating that the temporalis doesn’t scale directly with body size which is a major component in bite strength differences related to prey size that can be taken. Across all families, the moment arm of the temporalis and the zygomatic arch width showed significant differences between species within a family. In most comparisons, temporal fossa width differences were also significant

Identity-Based Motivation: Implications for Intervention

Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/89932/1/oyserman__destin__2010.pd

Size Scaling in the Skull of North American Felids as Adaptations for Prey Acquisition

The purpose of this comparative study is to explore the correlation between skull morphology and prey acquisition among felids, mustelids (weasels, badgers, wolverines), and canids (wolves, foxes); with a focus on North American felids (house cat, lynx, puma). Previous studies have focused on the evolution of carnivores, which include the species to be examined in this study. Using the measurement methods laid out by Radinsky (1981a; 1984), the size of skull components are compared to overall body size to determine the rate of scaling of skull features with body size with statistical evaluations of skull measurements within and between the three selected North American carnivore groups. Additionally, these skull features will be correlated with the body size of possible prey to determine if there are limitations on prey size with ranges of skull parameters which may be indicative of bite strength

Determinasi Karakteristik Pemerintah Daerah Terhadap Opini BPK

The research objectives were to determine: 1). Effect of government size on BPK opinion 2). The influence of the level of regional dependence on the center on the BPK opinion, 3) The influence of level of prosperity on the BPK opinion, 4) The influence of the level of regional independence on the BPK opinion. The population in this study were districts and cities in Central Java for 2017 to 2019. The samples in this study used purposive sampling and logistic regression analysis methods. The test instrument used in this study used SPSS version 24. Partially, the size of government size has a negative and significant effect on BPK's opinion. The variables of the level of regional dependence on the central government and the level of prosperity have a positive and significant effect on BPK's audit opinion. Meanwhile, the level of regional dependence has a negative and insignificant effect on BPK's opinio

Investasi Pendidikan Melalui Keikutsertaan Bimbingan Belajar Online: Mampukah Mempengaruhi Hasil Belajar Siswa?

One form of household expenditure is in the form of education investment. Investment in education has a good impact on the future of children. Participation in online tutoring is one way for parents to support their child's education. This study aims to determine the effect of student participation in online tutoring on learning outcomes of economics subjects in class XI IPS SMAN 14 Surabaya. This study uses regression analysis techniques with dummy variables. This study resulted in a significant and positive effect of student participation in online tutoring on learning outcomes. The acquisition of student learning outcomes is greater when students participate in online tutoring compared to students who do not take online tutoring

Taking Stock of Ten Years of Research on the Relationship Between Assets and Children\u27s Educational Outcomes: Implications for Theory, Policy, and Intervention

This paper has two main goals. First, we provide a review of 38 studies on the relationship between assets and children’s educational attainment. Second, we discuss implications for Child Development Accounts (CDAs) policies. CDAs have been proposed as a potentially novel and promising asset approach for helping to finance college. More specifically, we propose that CDAs should be designed so that, in addition to promoting savings, they include aspects that help make children’s college-bound identity salient, congruent with children’s group identity, and that help children develop strategies for overcoming difficulties