New Trajectory of Islamic Extremism in Northern Nigeria: A Threat-Import Analysis of Shiite’s Uprising

Since the division of the Muslim Brotherhood in Nigeria during the 80s, Nigerian Muslims experiences series of infighting. Such internal disputes culminate into the birth of several sects that either accepts or oppose the Nigerian state. More so, the two main divisions of the Muslim Brotherhood are the Saudi Arabia sponsored Izala (Movement for the removal of innovation and re-establishment of Sunna in Islam) Sunnist movement and the Shiite’s Islamic Movement of Nigeria (IMN) which is backed by Iran. Between 1979 and 1999 the IMN engaged in series of armed clashes with the Nigerian forces.  In this article, we analyse how the December 2015 faceoff and the simultaneous crackdown on the IMN could trigger the movement into the campaign of violence against the Nigerian state. We used the framing theory to explain how the Shiites may perceive the Sunni/Shiite divide as well as the actions of the Nigerian state against it. Framing theory is inadequately examined in explaining group violence. Hence, this study adopts the IMN as a case evidence to underscore the relevance of framing in explaining why groups adopt violence. Keywords: Shiite, Sunni, Nigeria, Framing, Radicalisation Violenc

The Influence of Distributed Leadership on Effective School Governance and Improved School Performance A Study Conducted in Two Private Schools in the UAE

The purpose of this research is to identify the impact of Distributed Leadership (DL) on school governance, leading to an improvement in the overall school performance. This study was conducted in two private schools in the UAE. The review of related literature helped to understand the concept of distributed leadership and its impact on governance, school performance, and organizational hierarchy. The data was collected using a mixed method using surveys and interviews. The data was analyzed using descriptive analysis and moderated regression analysis. The conclusion reached was that DL has a positive impact on the relationship between governance and performance. It was also found that DL was being applied in both schools at varying levels, and each had areas that needed improvement. The most important implication was the connection of DL to governance and performance. The findings offer relevant insights for schools studied, as well as for similar schools

Early maturation processes in coal. Part 1: Pyrolysis mass balances and structural evolution of coalified wood from the Morwell Brown Coal seam

In this work, we develop a theoretical approach to evaluate maturation process of kerogen-like material, involving molecular dynamic reactive modeling with a reactive force field to simulate the thermal stress. The Morwell coal has been selected to study the thermal evolution of terrestrial organic matter. To achieve this, a structural model is first constructed based on models from the literature and analytical characterization of our samples by modern 1-and 2-D NMR, FTIR, and elemental analysis. Then, artificial maturation of the Morwell coal is performed at low conversions in order to obtain, quantitative and qualitative, detailed evidences of structural evolution of the kerogen upon maturation. The observed chemical changes are a defunctionalization of the carboxyl, carbonyl and methoxy functional groups coupling with an increase of cross linking in the residual mature kerogen. Gaseous and liquids hydrocarbons, essentially CH4, C4H8 and C14+ liquid hydrocarbons, are generated in low amount, merely by cleavage of the lignin side chain

Cultural Identity and Social and Emotional Wellbeing in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Children

Connection with Country, community, and culture lies at the heart of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples’ health and wellbeing. Although there is some evidence on the role of cultural identity on the mental health of Indigenous adults, this relationship is relatively unexplored in the context of Indigenous Australian children. Robust empirical evidence on the role of cultural identity for social and emotional wellbeing is necessary to design and develop effective interventions and approaches for improving the mental health outcomes for Indigenous Australian children. Drawing on data from the Longitudinal Study of Indigenous Children (LSIC), we explore social and emotional wellbeing in Indigenous Australian children and assesses whether cultural identity protects against social-emotional problems in Indigenous children. The results show that Indigenous children with strong cultural identity and knowledge are less likely to experience social and emotional problems than their counterparts. Our work provides further evidence to support the change from a deficit narrative to a strengths-based discourse for improved health and wellbeing of Indigenous Australian children

Experimental pulse technique for the study of microbial kinetics in continuous culture

A novel technique was developed for studying the growth kinetics of microorganisms in continuous culture. The method is based on following small perturbations of a chemostat culture by on-line measurement of the dynamic response in oxygen consumption rates. A mathematical model, incorporating microbial kinetics and mass transfer between gas and liquid phases, was applied to interpret the data. Facilitating the use of very small disturbances, the technique is non-disruptive as well as fast and accurate. The technique was used to study the growth kinetics of two cultures, Methylosinus trichosporium OB3b growing on methane, both in the presence and in the absence of copper, and Burkholderia (Pseudomonas) cepacia G4 growing on phenol. Using headspace flushes, gas blocks and liquid substrate pulse experiments, estimates for limiting substrate concentrations, maximum conversion rates Vmax and half saturation constants Ks could rapidly be obtained. For M. trichosporium OB3b it was found that it had a far higher affinity for methane when particulate methane monooxygenase (pMMO) was expressed than when the soluble form (sMMO) was expressed under copper limitation. While for B. cepacia G4 the oxygen consumption pattern during a phenol pulse in the chemostat indicated that phenol was transiently converted to an intermediate (4-hydroxy-2-oxovalerate), so that initially less oxygen was used per mole of phenol.