International Scientific and Academic Research Publisher

This research proposes a quantitative evaluation of residential design inequality and housing affordability within public sector employee housing schemes in Lagos State, Nigeria. Despite substantial government investment in staff housing programmes under the Lagos State Staff Housing Board, persistent affordability gaps and design disparities suggest that intended beneficiaries—particularly low- and middle-income civil servants—remain underserved. The study adopts a cross-sectional survey design grounded in the positivist paradigm, targeting residents across selected public sector housing estates in Lagos State. Using structured questionnaires, data will be collected from household heads in six local government areas with high concentrations of public sector employee housing. Stratified random sampling will yield approximately 500 valid responses, representing a population of 1,148 dwelling units across 48 estates. Quantitative data will be analysed using descriptive statistics, Pearson correlation, multiple regression, and the Price-to-Income Ratio to assess affordability thresholds and design satisfaction indices. The research contributes a novel Design-Affordability Equity Framework that integrates residential design evaluation with affordability metrics, offering an empirically grounded model for assessing whether public housing schemes achieve equitable outcomes. Findings will inform policy recommendations for the Lagos State Staff Housing Board, the Ministry of Housing, and federal housing agencies, promoting evidence-based interventions that align housing design and pricing with the actual income realities of public sector workers. The study addresses a critical gap in the literature on residential design inequality in Nigeria's public housing sector, where design quality and affordability are typically examined in isolation rather than as interconnected dimensions of housing equity (Akinola et al., 2024; Oyedele, 2026).

A hybrid regenerator is made by combining mesh matrices of different sizes in a single unit. The porous matrix, which has a larger hydraulic diameter, is placed at the warm end, while the dense matrix, which has a smaller hydraulic diameter, is placed at the cold end. In this study, a three-mesh hybrid regenerator is analyzed to reduce heat loss and improve overall performance. Special attention is given to the effect of mesh size on heat transfer and regenerator effectiveness. The performance of the three-mesh hybrid regenerator is compared with that of a homogeneous regenerator. The results show that a properly designed hybrid regenerator can achieve higher effectiveness and better thermal performance. The three-mesh hybrid regenerator performs better than both the two-mesh hybrid regenerator and the simple homogeneous regenerator. This improvement is mainly due to the gradual and more uniform decrease in hydraulic diameter along the regenerator, which helps improve heat transfer and reduce heat loss.

The study examined the physicochemical parameters of selected fish pond in Asaba, Delta State using standard methods.  Water samples were collected and analyzed for physical and chemical properties and heavy metal levels. The results showed that water temperature ranges from (24.0 – 32°C), dissolved oxygen (3.20 – 7.60mg/l), and nutrient levels (1.20 – 98.8mg/l) varied significantly between seasons. Most ponds had high levels of turbidity and suspended solids that exceeded international standards. Heavy metals such as cadmium (0.28 – 0.34 mg/l), lead (0.03 – 0.04 mg/l), chromium (0.09 – 0.12 mg/l), and iron (8.56 – 10.42 mg/) were found at levels above World Health Organization limits, with iron being particularly high in all ponds. This study reveals that fish ponds in Asaba, Oshimili LGA are significantly contaminated with heavy metal residue, posing health risks to both fish and humans who consume them. The study high lights the need for better management practices. Regular monitoring of water quality, responsible use and testing of water source and improved pond management are recommended to protect both the aquaculture industry and public health in Delta State.

Diabetic foot ulcers (DFUs) are among the most debilitating complications of diabetes mellitus and are associated with recurrent infection, prolonged hospitalization, lower-limb amputation, substantial healthcare expenditure, and increased mortality. Their management is increasingly complicated by polymicrobial infection, microbial biofilm formation, and the emergence of multidrug-resistant organisms, including methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, extended-spectrum β-lactamase-producing Enterobacterales, carbapenem-resistant organisms, and multidrug-resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Biofilm formation further promotes chronicity by limiting antimicrobial penetration, facilitating bacterial persistence and horizontal gene transfer, and protecting microorganisms from host immune responses. These challenges underscore the importance of antimicrobial stewardship, including appropriate wound sampling, culture-directed treatment, de-escalation of broad-spectrum antibiotics, avoidance of antimicrobial therapy in clinically uninfected ulcers, and optimization of treatment duration. This review synthesizes current evidence on the pathogenesis and microbiology of DFUs, mechanisms of biofilm-associated antimicrobial resistance, antimicrobial stewardship strategies, and the potential role of medicinal plants as complementary wound-management agents. Particular attention is given to Azadirachta indica (neem) and Moringa oleifera, whose phytochemical constituents demonstrate antimicrobial, antibiofilm, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and wound-healing activities. Neem may inhibit bacterial adhesion, quorum sensing, efflux mechanisms, and biofilm development, while moringa-derived compounds may disrupt microbial membranes, inhibit bacterial enzymes and biofilm formation, and promote tissue regeneration. Despite promising experimental evidence, clinical translation remains constrained by limited standardization of plant extracts, insufficient topical safety data, variability in extraction methods and concentrations, and a paucity of rigorous clinical trials in patients with DFUs. Neem and moringa therefore represent promising adjunctive candidates rather than established replacements for conventional DFU management. Future research should prioritize standardized formulations, toxicity assessment, mechanistic antibiofilm studies, dose optimization, and well-designed clinical trials to establish their efficacy and safety.

Coal resources in southeastern Nigeria occur across contrasting geological settings and exhibit substantial variation in rank, petrographic composition, mineral matter, moisture, volatile matter, ash yield and energy potential. This study presents an integrated geological, mineralogical and energy assessment of Ihioma lignite in the Orlu area of Imo State and the better-established sub-bituminous coal resources of the Enugu area, southeastern Nigeria. The assessment combines published geological and stratigraphic evidence with reported proximate, ultimate and mineralogical data for Ihioma lignite and published petrographic and physicochemical information for Enugu coal. Ihioma occurs within the Tertiary sedimentary succession of the Anambra Basin and represents a lower-rank coal resource than the Lower Maastrichtian coal of the Mamu Formation. Published analysis of an Ihioma lignite sample reported moisture of 6.0%, ash of 4.0%, volatile matter of 38.5% and fixed carbon of 51.5%, together with reported carbon, hydrogen, nitrogen and oxygen concentrations of 64.6%, 4.0%, 1.064% and 2.0%, respectively. Hematite was identified as the principal mineral phase, with quartz and albite among the subordinate minerals. The reported low sulphur content is potentially advantageous for thermal utilization, although broader sampling is required before regional conclusions can be made. Enugu coal, by contrast, belongs predominantly to the sub-bituminous range of the Lower Maastrichtian Mamu Formation. Earlier rank studies identified a progressive decrease in rank from Enugu toward northern coalfields, with Enugu samples reaching sub-bituminous A rank. Published studies further indicate that the Mamu Formation accumulated in a paralic to deltaic depositional system characterised by repeated alternation of sandstone, siltstone, mudstone, carbonaceous shale and coal. The contrasting rank and mineralogical characteristics of Ihioma and Enugu demonstrate that southeastern Nigerian coal resources cannot be treated as a homogeneous fuel. Ihioma lignite may have potential for low- to medium-temperature thermal applications, briquetting, industrial heat and selected non-fuel uses, whereas the higher-rank Enugu coal presents a stronger case for conventional thermal and metallurgical evaluation. Nevertheless, commercial development should be preceded by systematic drilling, proximate and ultimate analyses, petrography, trace-element characterisation, calorific-value determination, ash-fusion testing, washability studies and environmental baseline assessment. The study concludes that the greatest opportunity for southeastern Nigerian coal lies in resource-specific beneficiation and diversified utilization rather than indiscriminate combustion.