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Urban growth has increasingly drawn much attention of erudite scholars due to its central role in achieving a sustainable urbanization. Despite this awareness, studies on urban growth have continued to dwell on the traditional method of presenting geographical Information, which has proved to be slow and inadequate. The purpose of this paper is to adopt a Geographical Information System (GIS) in assessing the spatial pattern and the physical planning problems associated with the expansion of Ore township between 1964 and 2002. Moreover, the study tends to serve as baseline study for subsequent studies on medium‐sized and nodal towns.

The study utilized data from secondary sources such as Landsat‐TM, February, 1986, Landsat ETM+, December, 2002; Topographical map of Ore 1964 and population census data of Ore 1991. The study employed ILWIS Academic 3.2 GISsoftware to process the imageries. Coordinates extracted from the topographical map in UTM were used to georeference the enhanced and filtered images upon which supervised classification was performed, followed by error matrix operation and ground truthing to ensure high level accuracy. This results in six domains, namely, built‐up, forest reserve, farmland, secondary forest roads and water bodies, which were analyzed on temporal basis. Predictive model was used.

The study found that Ore township occupied an area of 1.2 km² in 1964, expanded to 11.3 km² in 1986 and 13.2 km² in 2002 respectively. The prediction showed a possible expansion of 55.33 km² by 2027. The results further revealed physical planning problems generated by these expansions – housing, inadequate waste disposal system, encroachment into agricultural lands, inadequate health facilities and poor drainage system. From field survey, 62 percent of 125 residential housing units sampled disposed refuse themselves, while 20 percent have no organized refuse collection and 18 percent dispose through other means. This suggests the vulnerability of inhabitants to health risks and environment problems.

Urban growth data are useful in evaluating environmental impacts, delineating growth boundaries, developing land use zoning plans and estimating the expansion rate of a town to advise the government towards proper planning and distribution of utilities. These can be achieved through the adoption of GIS approaches to information gathering and analysis for regular monitoring and evaluation of development plans. Although it is capital intensive, it is worthwhile.

The use of GIS and remotely‐sensed data integrated with population census data and topographical map data has demonstrated the capability inherent in the new tools, GIS and remote sensing, to generate to some extent base line data for the town planners, in order to proactively channel the urban development in an appropriate direction, particularly the medium‐sized and nodal towns that are somewhat neglected.

The adoption of nature-based solutions (NBS) for resilient cities has been receiving concern because of global threats of climate variation and a bid to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals 2030. NBS promotes a healthy environment and discourages land loss. NBS applications have been researched, especially in developing nations; however, there is a lack of evidence on their roles, impediments and drivers in southern Nigerian cities. Therefore, this study aims to systematically review the applicability of NBS for resilient urban residences (RUR) in southern Nigeria. Also, it proposes strategies for addressing environmental issues via a framework that will support future studies.

Southern Nigeria's riparian settlements are vulnerable to climate variability's devastating effects. A systematic review of literature on NBS for RUR resilience was conducted, sourcing 29 papers included in the study from 2004 to 2023 using Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses from Google Scholar, Scopus and Web of Science databases in November 2023.

The review identified three themes: NBS's role in fostering urban resilience, impediments to its application and drivers for resilient RUR, with five roles, eight impediments and eight drivers identified in the literature.

This study explores literature on environmental drivers for practitioners promoting NBS, suggesting a qualitative research approach for advanced studies. However, the systematic review-based recommendations maintain the robustness of the NBS application for RUR in southern Nigeria, despite the need for advanced studies.

This study outlines the five roles, eight impediments and eight drivers for promoting the application of NBS in southern Nigeria. This study noted that NBS can improve urban residential precincts, maintain residents' quality of life, purify air, regulate temperature and reduce glare, urban heat and land loss. The findings can be used by environmental and construction practitioners, clients, academics and policymakers to promote NBS applications in Nigeria. Adapting NBS should be a basic consideration in residential property planning and design for building plan approval.

To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this systematic review analysis is the first to explore NBS application in Southern Nigeria RUR, offering flexible strategies to advance NBS in the Nigerian locale.

Aside from oil, the Nigerian economy is largely agrarian, which is rain-fed. Hence the criticality of understanding climate change and its impact on agricultural output is more pressing than ever. This is in line with Sustainable Development Goal 13 which is to take urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts. Regardless, Nigeria has in the past five decades experienced a significant increase in temperature, in the range of 10 to over 30 degree Celsius. Therefore, managing the effect of climate change on agricultural output now has the colouration of a developmental challenge.

In light of this, this study gives due consideration to the impact of climate change on agricultural output between the years 1986 and 2015. For the purpose of analysis, descriptive statistics, unit root test and the ordinary least square (OLS) estimation technique were employed.

Findings from the study reveal that the average annual rainfall, temperature and forest area positively influence agricultural output, whereas drought, floods and agricultural nitrous oxide (N₂O) emissions have negative impact on agricultural output. The study suggests the need for a regulatory framework and also an explicit national agricultural policy essential to offset the negative effects of climate change especially on agricultural output.

As Nigeria look to diversify her economy which relied on oil, agriculture is among the alternative sector hoping to drive her economic growth, therefore, it is pertinent to examine the current output in the sector given the effects of climate change.

The purpose of this paper is to develop a method for better analyzing the utility and impact of new technologies on smart cities. The authors have designed a tool that will evaluate new technologies according to a three-pronged scoring system that considers the impact on physical space, environmental issues and city residents. The purpose of this tool is to be used by city planners as part of a strategic approach to the implementation of a smart city initiative in order to reduce unnecessary public spending and ensure the optimal allocation of city resources.

The information and communication technologies that manage and transform twenty-first century cities must be reviewed, analyzing their impact on new social behaviors that shape the spaces and means of communication, developing a new methodology and setting the basis for an analysis matrix to score the different and technologies that affect a smart city environment.

Traditional technological scenarios have been challenged, and smart cities have become the center of urban competitiveness. A lack of clarity has been detected in the way of describing what smart cities are, and the authors try to establish a methodology for urban policy makers to do so. As a dynamic process that affects several aspects, researchers are encouraged to test the proposed solution further.

After a review of the state-of-the-art, the authors found that there are no existing systems for assessing smart city strategies regarding new, evolving technologies. The methodology attempts to design a simple tool to bring urban developers and policy makers closer to the technology and to have an instrument with which to compare different alternatives before choosing one.

Helped by new technologies, citizens are the ones who have the power to define new urban scenarios. For this reason the methodology the authors propose must have citizens and their needs as the ultimate reference, considering all the social, physical and environmental effects on people before selecting a new technology for urban strategies.

This paper fulfills an identified need to study how new technologies could affect urban scenarios before being applied, developing an analysis system in the form of a matrix to be used by urban planners and policy makers to decide how best to use them.

Despite their significant economic impact, small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) remain underrepresented in public procurement. While previous research has identified the barriers facing SMEs in public procurement markets, a knowledge gap still exists on how these barriers influence one another in a specific context.

This study developed a hierarchical structural model that reveals the contextual interrelationships between 14 notable barriers to SME involvement in public procurement, based on evidence from the publicly funded healthcare sector in the UK. The data were analyzed using interpretive structural modeling (ISM) and matrix impact of cross-multiplication applied to categorization (MICMAC).

The results systematically classify barriers based on their hierarchical relationships, offering a robust theoretical foundation for understanding their nature and interconnections.

The findings can help scholars, government administrators and politicians in government-funded healthcare systems determine the most influential barriers to SME involvement and their causes, enabling them to build viable remedies.

This is the first empirical study to examine the relationship between the barriers to SMEs' public health procurement, using evidence from the public health procurement context.

This paper aims to focus on concerns unique to international medical graduates (IMGs) and doctors from global majority groups pursuing a career in psychiatry in the UK. It specifically addresses challenges affecting the differential attainment of IMGs in passing the Clinical Assessment of Skills and Competencies (CASC) examination – the final assessment for attaining Membership of the Royal College of Psychiatrists, affording entry to specialty training programmes.

Reflections are provided on learning from a CASC examination preparatory course specifically developed for IMGs in psychiatry, particularly those from global majority groups. The rationale for the course is set out as well as some of the challenges in designing and developing the course.

By reflecting on the experience of developing the course, the intersection of medical education, differential attainment and cultural disparities in training is addressed, alongside the role of group practice in exam preparation and support tailored to the needs of IMGs from global majority groups.

The reflections provided illuminate possible means of innovation to support the progression of IMGs and doctors from global majority backgrounds in the CASC, as a high stakes examination in medical training, and to support action to improve overall outcomes for this community in the field of psychiatry.

This study investigated the influence of social media on marital stability of married adults in Ilorin metropolis. Descriptive survey design was adopted for the study. Influence of Social Media on Marital Stability Questionnaire was used to obtain relevant information for this study. The instrument was validated and the test re-test method was employed to determine the reliability and it yielded a coefficient of 0.81. Multistage sampling procedure was used in selecting 200 respondents for the study. One research question was raised while four null hypotheses were postulated and tested at 0.05 level of significance. Percentage and weighted means were used to analyze the descriptive analysis while t-test and Analysis of Variance were used to test the postulated hypotheses at 0.05 level of significance. The findings of the study revealed that social media influenced marital stability of married adults by causing marital distraction, negligence of marital roles and responsibilities, creating conflict among spouses, encouraging marital infidelity among others. There was no significant difference in the influence of social media on marital stability of married adults in Ilorin metropolis based on gender while there were significant differences in the influence of social media on marital stability of married adults in Ilorin metropolis based on length of years in marriage, age and highest educational attainment. It was therefore recommended that married people should reduce their exposure to social media but rather be more committed to their marital relationship.

Sadaqah, a form of Islamic charity, was widely used to mitigate the adverse consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic on people’s socio-economic conditions and well-being. However, the extent to which Sadaqah served the intended purpose remains unclear. Therefore, this study aims to explore the perceived effects of Sadaqah on the situational poverty and well-being of tertiary education students in Malaysia during the pandemic. The findings of this study could provide valuable insights into whether and how Sadaqah can address situational poverty and well-being challenges during COVID-19-type emergencies.

This study surveyed students at three Islamic universities in Malaysia. A total of 288 complete and valid responses were collected and analysed. The study used the Kruskal Wallis test to examine the relationship between students’ socioeconomic status and their odds of receiving Sadaqah. The chi-square test was used to estimate Sadaqah’s perceived effect on students’ well-being. The repeated measure analysis of variance was used to examine the effect of Sadaqah on the situational poverty and well-being of the respondents.

The pandemic starkly magnified the situational poverty of students from underprivileged backgrounds and the well-being struggles of those from high-income households. Many students reported pandemic-induced financial and physical well-being issues, including difficulties meeting medical and food expenses. This underscores the pressing need for comprehensive support. However, the Sadaqah received by the students did not cover essential expenses such as rent, tuition and medical bills. This lack of comprehensive support could be a critical factor in Sadaqah’s limited impact on addressing situational poverty and enhancing the well-being of the students.

This study revealed Sadaqah’s limitations in addressing situational poverty during COVID-19-type emergencies and identified promising avenues for improvement. The findings underscore the need for a more comprehensive approach to Sadaqah, which could significantly enhance the well-being of its recipients. This insight could potentially inform policy and practice, inspiring hope for a more effective approach in the future.

One of the greatest obstacles confronting the journalism profession in the discharge of their duties is the indiscriminate physical and digital threat being experienced by journalists all over the world, particularly within sub-Saharan Africa. The continuous attacks facing journalists in Africa, most especially during election times, violate their fundamental human rights. Journalists play a major role in the dissemination of information before, during and after an election. Unfortunately, elections in many African States are characterised by uncertainty, due to the possibility of election-related violence, which has led to the killing and disappearance of many journalists.

The study adopts a qualitative research approach involving a descriptive survey design. A purposive sampling of 20 respondents is adopted across various media organisations in Nigeria.

The study explores the role and importance of journalists during an election. It also examines the consequences of electoral violence on journalists and the discharge of their duties. It further assesses the role of the state authority in the protection of life and the safety of journalists during the election period. Finally, the study posits that a guard against the threat against journalists such as killings, ill-treatment and other interferences during and after the election period is essential and should be taken as a collective responsibility of all the various stakeholders in the community and nations.

The study assesses the various threats to the journalism profession, especially during the election period.

This study aims to develop a hierarchical model that uncovers the relationships between challenges confronting Africa's organ transplant supply chain systems.

Eleven challenges (variables) were identified after a comprehensive review of the existing literature. The contextual interactions among these variables were analysed from the perspectives of health-care stakeholders in two sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) countries (Nigeria and Uganda), using Delphi-interpretive structural modelling-cross-impact matrix multiplication applied to classification (MICMAC) techniques.

The findings reveal that weak regulatory frameworks, insufficient information systems and a lack of necessary skills make it challenging for critical actors to perform the tasks effectively. The interaction effects of these challenges weaken organ supply chains and make it less efficient, giving rise to negative externalities such as black markets for donated organs and organ tourism/trafficking.

This paper establishes a solid foundation for a critical topic that could significantly impact human health and life once the government or non-profit ecosystem matures. The MICMAC analysis in this paper provides a methodological approach for future studies wishing to further develop the organ supply chain structural models.

The study provides valuable insights for experts and policymakers on where to prioritise efforts in designing interventions to strengthen organ transplantation supply chains in developing countries.

This study is one of the first to empirically examine the challenges of organ transplant supply chains from an SSA perspective, including theoretically grounded explanations from data collected in two developing countries.