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Socio-economic shocks have been the sources of burden to smallholder farmers, and the recent COVID-19 pandemics, can be termed a shock that could lead to distortions in the operations of the commodity value chain. The study, therefore, examined the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on income and access to economic input such as labour, seeds, fertilisers, herbicides, before and during the COVID-19 pandemic. The study was carried out in Kano State, Nigeria. Multi-stage sampling technique was employed in the selection of 260 respondents comprising producers (115), marketers (60), processors (46) and transporters (29). Primary data were collected from stakeholders in tomato value chain through the use of a structured questionnaire. Data collected were analysed using descriptive statistics. Findings revealed that tomato value chain in Kano State, Nigeria, is male-dominated. The average age of stakeholders ranged between 43 years (transporters) and 51 years (processors). Results further revealed a significant relationship in income of marketers' pre- and during COVID-19 pandemic. However, non-significant relationship was observed in the income of producers, processors and transporters prior and during COVID-19 pandemic. There was also no significant difference in the economic value of seeds, manure and fertiliser before and during COVID-19 pandemic. The most important constraints to the producers were the high cost of farm chemical procured while the marketers were confronted with high cost of transportation. The processors were faced with high processing cost and transporters experienced request for undue levies by market authorities. The study recommends that mechanism be devised to improve availability of inputs to producers and dissemination of adequate market information to stakeholders in the tomato value chain regularly to improve contribution of the commodity to food security and economic development.

Medical diagnosis and treatment constitute a network of inter‐related processes. The conventional method of medical diagnosis and treatment of diseases involves a state space search of the medical knowledge of diseases and patient history, which could be combinatorially explosive. This paper presents a report on the experimental study of an intelligent, interactive, user‐friendly, knowledge‐based system which performs a stepwise analysis of a patient's complaints, filtering cognitive and emotional elements to be able to make inferences. It applies both forward and backward chaining in making inferences concerning the management of disease. A case study of the system is carried out using some tropical diseases. It is believed that the system will serve as a useful contribution towards tropical medical informatics.

This chapter focused on presenting the result of the Delphi study from the questionnaire distributed to the experts. The Delphi technique was used for modelling the construction supply chain management (CSCM) practice in the fourth industrial revolution (4IR) era. The technique was also used to predict the supply chain management's (SCM) possible trends in the construction industry. A total of 15 experts were selected for this study based on their working experience. The Delphi study also validated the gaps (organisational culture and 4IR component) identified from the existing CSCM model. The findings from the Delphi study revealed that organisational culture has a significant impact on the practice of CSCM in the 4IR era. Regarding adopting the 4IR component for the CSCM in Nigeria, the Delphi study revealed that smart management and virtualisation are the most adopted. Unfortunately, the cyber-physical system, the heartbeat of the 4IR, is yet to be fully implemented for CSCM practice in the Nigerian construction industry.

The purpose of this study is to examine the relationship and pricing effects of physical infrastructure on house rents using the hedonic technique.

Primary data are derived through a questionnaire survey and secondary data from existing literature. Sampling data on 211 detached residential buildings with a range of physical infrastructure attributes within Lekki Phase 1 area of Lagos are analysed with the hedonic regression technique.

Results reveal significant impacts and a range of price premium estimates of physical infrastructure on house rents in the study area.

The study suggests a nouvelle and contextualized approach for sustainable infrastructure delivery, improvement and maintenance. Appropriate pricing will help to guide and support physical infrastructure development and sustainability. When tailored in line with market support, achievable pricing can be attained in setting land-based user charges and tariffs for cost recovery on projected developments and reform. Results from empirical market evidence also provide demand and viability indicators that offer invaluable blueprints, by which governments, policy/decision makers, investors, town-planning authorities and other stakeholders can take sustainable decisions based on priority, in the face of budgetary constraints – a significant characteristic of the Nigerian economy.

This paper aims to examine the impact of coastline on the rental value of residential property in proximity to the coastline, using the hedonic pricing model from two perspectives. First, Model 1A–C accounted for estimating the influence of coastal amenities while controlling for other housing attributes influencing rent. Second, Model 2A–C accounted for the interaction between coastal amenities/disamenities and other housing attributes influencing rent.

A survey approach was adopted for the data collection process. For both models, property values were measured in proximity to coastline using 0–250 m, 251–500 m and 0–500 m.

Findings revealed that property rental value increases as we move away from the coastline when disamenities are not controlled. The results suggested that for a mean-priced home (N2,941,029 or $8,170) at the mean distance from the coastline (301.83 m), a 1% increase in distance from the coastline would result in a 0.001% or N9.77 ($0.03) increase in rental value.

The implication to real estate valuers is that varying premiums should be considered when valuing a property depending on the distance to the coastline while considering other housing attributes.

This research introduces a novel approach to the hedonic model for determining property values in proximity to coastal environment by estimating the influence of coastal amenities while controlling for other housing attributes influencing rent, on the one hand, and accounting for the interaction between coastal amenities/disamenities and other housing attributes influencing rent, on the other.

The purpose of this study is to examine the buyers’ preferences influencing the purchase of privately developed affordable housing in Kolkata and to determine whether unsold houses result from misalignment with these preferences.

The literature review and user-opinion survey identified 119 independent variables that indicate buyers’ preferences. A questionnaire survey of 383 households in affordable housing units from 32 housing complexes in Kolkata recorded buyers’ preferences and satisfaction against the independent variables grouped under five levels of characteristics. The product weights of variables derived from the rank sum method and percentage satisfaction give the Utility Score. Multivariate regression and univariate linear regressions were conducted to determine the significance of each Level of characteristics and each variable, identifying the significant variables that would affect the sale of affordable houses.

The multivariate regression analysis has indicated that 68.56% of the variation in the percentage of unsold houses was explained by the five utility scores, which affirms that misalignment with buyers’ preferences significantly affects the sale of privately developed affordable houses. Furthermore, building and neighbourhood-level utility show the highest significance as predictors, while city-level and miscellaneous utility have moderate significance, but housing complex-level utility lacks statistical significance.

This study addresses a research gap in privately developed affordable housing in Kolkata, enhancing understanding of buyer preferences in this segment.

We set out to carry out a case-control evaluation of psychological distress and emotional pain among adult attendees of a Nigerian dental clinic. A total of 201 subjects, made up of 101 dental patients (test group) matched with age and sex with 100 normal subjects (controls), was recruited into the study. All participants completed a designed socio-demographic questionnaire. General Health Question naire and Psyche ache Assessment Schedule were also administered to assess psychological distress based on cut-off scores ?3 and emotional pain based on cut-off scores ?28 respectively. The mean ages of study and control group were 33 (±12) and 36 (±13) years respectively, and both study and control groups were not significantly different in all the assessed socio-demographic parameters. Overall, 21.8% (n=22) of the subjects had psychological distress, while only 7% of the control group had psychological distress. This difference was statistically significant (P=0.003). Similarly, there was significant difference in the experience of psyche ache (unbearable psychological pain) as over a third of the dental patients (37.6%, n=38) had emotional pain, while only 13% of the controls experienced psych ache (P<0.001). In this study, the burden of psychological distress and emotional pain was many-fold in dental patients when compared with the controls.

The purpose of this paper is to assess the effect of urban regeneration and renewal activities initiated by the Osun State Government in Nigeria on the rental values of commercial properties in Osogbo, the state capital between 2008, before the urban renewal programme through 2017, after the urban renewal programme had been completed.

Primary data utilised for this study were collected from all the Estate Surveying and Valuation firms involved in the formal management of commercial properties in Osogbo, Osun-State, Nigeria. Information on the types of urban infrastructure renewed and rental values of 63 commercial properties from 2008 to 2017 were obtained from the sampled estate surveying and valuation firms practicing in the study area. Data were analysed using descriptive statistics, analysis of variance and Duncan post hoc test.

The findings showed that physical urban infrastructure such as roads, drainages, water supply and wastes disposal have been upgraded in the study area. Also, the study established that the urban regeneration programme had significant impact on the rental values of commercial properties in Osogbo, arising from the statistically significant difference (F(7, 600) = 22.264, p<0.000) between and within annual rental values of commercial properties in the study area. The annual rental values of the commercial properties also exhibited considerable variation based on the Duncan post hoc test.

The findings from this study indicate that urban regeneration programme by the Osun state Government has significantly increased the investment performance of commercial properties in the study area. Hence, while investors could achieve higher returns on investment by venturing into commercial property investment, revenue could also be generated for government through the collection of property taxes in the study area.

This study is one of the few studies that have analysed the effect of urban regeneration programme on commercial property values from the perspective of an emerging African economy, using data from Osun State, Nigeria.

The purpose of this study is to examine the involvement of communities – geographical or geopolitical units, which identifies culture, interest and ethnicity – in construction health and safety (H&S) and the implications. This stems from the unexamined hence poorly understood roles of many stakeholders in the construction H&S management and regulatory regime in Nigeria.

Interviews with contractors and key informants and a survey of contractors were conducted. Descriptive and inferential statistics and thematic analysis were used.

There is evidences of community interventions: negotiating with contractors on H&S issues; strongly stipulating that H&S measures are adopted and implemented; and enforcing H&S through both violent and non-violent means. These have no legal backing. There is a relationship between the locations of the projects, urban area and rural area, and six community intervention variables. The study also reveals that among the implications of community interventions in H&S are contractors contextualising H&S in these communities and the tension between parties in construction projects. Again, there is a relationship between the location of the projects and six of the implications including the tension between communities and contractors and between contractors and clients.

In adequately addressing construction safety, health and environment issues in Nigeria, geographic location and socio-cultural consideration are pertinent, a point for policymakers, communities and contractors.

The study draws attention to the geographic location and socio-cultural explanations for the differences in the H&S management, performance and attitudes of contractors in Nigeria. This is the first study that examines the involvement of communities in H&S and the implications.