The "Jihadi Wolf" threat. The evolution of terror narratives between the (cyber-)social ecosystem and self-radicalization "ego-system"

The research conducted by the ECTC Advisory Group on Online Terrorist Propaganda between October 2016 and April 2017 was presented in the 1st ECTC Conference on Online Terrorist Propaganda (10-11 April 2017) and resulted in the following publication

Quality in primary health care services in sub-Sahara Africa: right or privilege?

The Primary Health Care (PHC) system has been the foundation for the operation of the health system in most of Sub-Sahara Africa following the Alma Ata Declaration in 1978. Quality of care is an important determinant of health services utilization, and is a health outcome of public health importance. It is known that the perception of the users about the quality of service offered in a health facility is a determinant of patient's choice of provider and willingness to pay for the services. This paper discusses quality of primary health care services with focus on perspectives of the users and the need for a user driven and business minded delivery of PHC services in Sub-Sahara African nations.Keywords: Quality of care, Primary health care , PHC, Sub-Sahara, Afric

Advances in Arts and Aesthetics: Paradigm of Michael Olusegun Fajuyigbe’s Pottery Sculpture

Through the ages, artists have explored art and aesthetics to interpret issues, beautify environment, and document history and social advancements. This paper examines the evolvement of forms, including the content, context and meanings, in the pottery sculpture created by Michael Olusegun Fajuyigbe. It also discusses the relationship between the formal characteristics of art objects and their significance as rooted in the Yoruba philosophy and aesthetics. Interviews and relevant literature are employed in data collection, while analysis of works follows the descriptive method in art historical studies. Seven works are purposively selected and analysed to gain a better insight into the aesthetics of his art forms. The study reveals that art often speaks the language of its creator, and that every artist reflects his age and cultural environment while the average observer finds it difficult to construe the intricacies entrenched within the art forms produced by the artist. However, the analysis of selected works conveys pottery sculpture as carriers of values and information; thereby drawing viewers’ attention to inherent aesthetic pleasure and meanings. The paper concludes that art is a window to the artist’s world; and is interpretative of the environment and experiences the artist has lived. It submits therefore that like Fajuyigbe, contemporary academic potters should strive towards achieving a balance between aesthetics and form for a sustained relevance of pottery in contemporary Nigerian art. Keywords: Art; Pottery Sculpture; Aesthetics; Yoruba Values; Symbolism

Between desire and distaste: perception of persons near and above retirement age in South Western, Nigeria towards old people's homes

Background: Due to urbanization, modernization and financial constraints, there has been older people abuse and neglect. Study assessed the level of awareness about old peoples' homes, willingness to retire therein and factors influencing such among persons near and above retirement age.Methodology: A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted in Ikeja and Lagos Mainland Local government areas (LGA), Lagos state, Nigeria among 385 people aged ≥50years selected via a multi-stage sampling technique. Data collection tool was a pre-tested semi-structured interviewer administered questionnaire and SPSS version 17.0 soft-ware was used for data analysis with level of statistical significance set at p-value <0.05Results: There was high level of awareness (68.1%) and willingness to retire into old peoples' homes (69.9%) by the respondents. Participation in religious activities alone was significantly associated with both awareness (p<0.001) and willingness to retire therein (p<0.001). Neither sex nor age of respondents significantly predicted willingness to retire into old people's homes. Respondents with perception of old age as a period of economic insecurity (p=0.47), loneliness (p=0.08), with old people's home as places meant for the sick (p=0.32) were less likely to retire into old people's homes than those who perceived it as a period of relaxation (p<0.001).Conclusion: There's a fairly high level of awareness about old people's homes and willingness to retire into same in order to receive better care and enjoy companionship among respondents in the LGA studied. . However, there's need for proper stakeholder engagement and improved strategies to increase demand for old people's homes.Keywords: Awareness, Willingness to retire, Elderly, Old People's Home

Factors Influencing Consumer Purchase Intention: A Study of Bookstores in Kurdistan Region of Iraq

Background problems: Due to the weakness of the banking system infrastructure, there is no online bookstore or E-commerce business in Kurdistan. Many customers complain about the problem of the parking facility, most of the bookstore locations have not enough parking space nearby for the customers to be able to visit the bookstores and spend quite enough time to search for books and buying them. Main objective: So, the researcher has decided to study the impact of social media marketing on customer purchase intention toward bookstores in Kurdistan region. Research methods: The sample of the study consists of 300 respondents of which 231 are males, and 69 are females. The instrument of the study is adapted from previously established studies. The first part of the survey was designed to investigate respondents’ demographics, whereas, the second part focused on the independent and dependent variables of the study. Finding: The results showed that all the independent variables significantly influenced customer purchase intention toward bookstores in Kurdistan. Contribution: The findings of the study implied valuable contribution in two aspects. Theoretically, the study findings showed evidence for the establishment of TAM. In terms of managerial implication, the study provided a practical recommendation for the practitioners. The research findings come to validate SMM as a potential promotional strategy for bookstores in the region. Conclusion: So, bookstore marketers need to include social media marketing to their promotional strategy and improve social media marketing skills which can give advantage for the bookstores

MYOSTATIN GENE SEQUENCE AND ITS MORPHOMETRIC IMPLICATIONS IN HELMETED GUINEA FOWL BREEDS

Various methods and tools have been utilized to establish genetic variability in poultry production which remains a platform for genetic improvement of poultry species. Although, myostatin gene sequences of some poultry species have been fully sequenced on various exons, that of guinea fowl is yet to gain the needed attention making the guinea fowl database incomplete. The genetic enhancement of guinea fowls would increase the production potentials of the species as well as providing data on their genetic differences, which is critical for strategic breeding plans and genetic improvement. The study aimed to explore the polymorphisms of the gene encoding for myostatin in helmeted guinea fowl using Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms. Ten matured guinea fowls were randomly selected for DNA assay. A 640bp fragment of myostatin gene was amplified using genomic DNA extracted from the blood. Production traits of sixty birds of three plumages were measured using standard procedures. Blood samples were taken by wing venepuncture and the samples were subjected to DNA amplification and electrophoresis to determine genetic polymorphisms of the myostatin gene on several sites. Morphometric data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and oneway ANOVA. Body weight ranged from 1.35 to 2.67kg while head lengths were 4.00cm, 4.80cm, and 5.00cm for white, pearl, and exotic guinea fowls, respectively. Morphologically, exotic guinea fowl was superior in all production traits than their counterparts except for neck length. Averagely, pearl guinea fowls showed better performance than white guinea fowls. Nucleotide diversity among the guinea fowl sequence was 0.02887, which is quite low. This suggests that guinea fowl sequences are quite closely related, due to indiscriminate interbreeding among domestic guinea fowl that reduced nucleotide diversity. The study, therefore, recommends sequencing of the whole genome of helmeted guinea fowl, which is yet to be established. This will allow the improvement of the birds and the genetic database. Keywords: Myostatin, Polymorphism, Sequence, Morphometric, Helmeted Guinea Fowl

A non-functioning left kidney from renal tuberculosis: a case report

This is a 25-year old petty trader with 2-year history of recurrent left flank pains, an uneventful pregnancy, a ballotable tender, irregular left kidney and a renal sonogram suggestive of chronic pyelonephritis with intra-renal abscesses. Intravenous urogram showed a non-functioning left kidney. She had a left nephrectomy with histology showing focal segmental glomerulosclerosis with extensive areas of necrosis, acute on chronic inflammation with formation of foreign body and Langerhans type giant cells suggestive of renal tuberculosis. She made an uneventful recovery with stable renal function

Isolation and Structural Determination of Bioactive Metabolites Produced by a Soil Bacterium, Arthrobacter sp. TAJX1902

As antimicrobial resistance persistently disrupts the treatment of microbial infection, identifying novel drugs with novel modes of action is critical to getting ahead of resistance. The primary goal of this project is to extract and identify novel chemical products produced by Arthrobacter sp. TAJX1902, particularly antimicrobial metabolites. Although underexplored, Arthrobacter sps. have been shown to produce bioactive compounds of great versatility; one such is a depsipeptide with quorum-sensing inhibitory activity.1 In this research, Arthrobacter sp. TAJX1902 isolated from a soil sample showed inhibitory activity against a filamentous indicator-type bacterium and a violacein-producing Janthinobacterium sp. A. sp. TAJX1902 was cultured using rich medium broth and agar and extracted with solvents of varying polarity. Characterization of purified bioactive compounds from A. sp. TAJX1902 was done via spectroscopic techniques, including 1D and 2D-NMR spectroscopy, FTIR, and GCMS analysis. The A. sp. TAJX1902 was found to produce pyrrolo[1,2-a]pyrazine-1,4-dione,hexahydro-3-(2-methylpropyl), and five other bioactive cyclic dipeptides (CDP)