International Scientific and Academic Research Publisher

This study investigated on Constructivist Classrooms and their Impact on students’ academic achievement in Geography in Secondary Schools in Bamenda Urban Municipality in Cameroon North West Region. Three specific objectives and hypotheses guided the study. The study adopted the descriptive survey design.  Eight hundred and fifty-four (854) form four students from three functional public secondary schools in Bamenda Urban Municipality constituted the population of the study. Two hundred and seventy-two (272) form four geography students were selected to form a sample of the study. Data was collected using structured questionnaire. The results show that lecture-illustrative teaching and cooperative learning methods have significantly positive effects on students’ academic achievement in Geography as indicated by a p values of 0.000. Also our findings show that the discussion teaching method has no significant positive effect on students’ academic achievement in Geography as indicated by a p value of 0.065. We therefore conclude that constructivist classrooms improve students’ academic achievement in geography. It is therefore, recommended that geography teachers should use diverse teaching methods to teach lessons in geography in order to improve students’ academic achievement.

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.