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The University of Lagos is one of Nigeria's premiere Universities, established in 1962 with core values emphasizing commitment to quality academic learning and character, integrity, continuous improvement of staff professionalism and competence, as well as a strong commitment to cutting-edge research. In 2012, the University established the Research and Innovation Office, which was subsequently restructured into two offices: the Research Management Office, and the Innovation and Technology Transfer Office, for more efficient functioning. Over the years, the Office has provided enormous support to over 1,700 academic faculty and researchers for cutting-edge research built on a multi-disciplinary approach. This paper provides a detailed discussion of the strategies employed by the Research Management Office to promote multi-disciplinary research from inception to date, the results of efforts to promote collaboration across the currently existing wealth of diversity in academic and research disciplines among researchers in over 12 faculties of the University, the successes recorded, and the challenges faced. The paper further makes recommendations for the advancement of these strategies, and suggestions for pragmatic solutions to challenges experienced while drawing practical and applicable lessons from international best practices for supporting multi-disciplinary research.

The increased level of competition in the current business climate required the implementation of processes and systems to guarantee a sustainable organisational competitive advantage for the benefit of stakeholders. This research evaluates the association between product innovation and manufacturing firms’ sustainable competitive advantage, determine the effect of process innovation on manufacturing firms’ sustainable competitive advantage, examine the influence of administrative innovation on manufacturing firms’ sustainable competitive advantage and ascertain the joint relationship between product, process, and administrative innovation on manufacturing firms’ sustainable competitive advantage. Descriptive research design was adopted and a sample size of 131 manufacturing firms was used for the analysis. Data were collected using a questionnaire and analysed using regression analysis with the aid of SPSS Version 25. The findings showed that product innovation (β = .524, p < .005) process innovation (β = .417, p < .005) and administrative innovation (β = .488, p < .005) significantly influenced firm sustainable competitive advantage, individually and jointly. The research concludes that manufacturing organisations should prioritise innovation in their strategic plans. This study suggests ongoing product improvement through process and administrative adjustments and a culture of innovation and experimentation to find new sources of competitive advantage and create sustainable value.

Effective keyboarding skills are essential for success in office management roles. However, concerns remain about the declining practical mastery of keyboarding among Office Technology and Management (OTM) students in polytechnics in Southwest Nigeria. This study examines the effectiveness of cooperative learning strategies in addressing this issue. Using a quasi-experimental design with a 3x2x2 factorial matrix, 325 ND I OTM students were exposed to three instructional strategies (cooperative learning, gamification, and conventional demonstration), with two moderating variables (gender and locus of control). The results reveal a significant effect of the instructional strategy on keyboarding achievement (F(2,225) = 48.731, p < 0.05), with cooperative learning demonstrating notable effectiveness. Neither gender (F(1,209) = 0.986, p > 0.05) nor locus of control (F(2,255) = 0.426, p > 0.05) showed a significant impact on achievement. These findings suggest that integrating cooperative learning strategies with conventional methods can enhance the keyboarding skills of OTM students, contributing to their overall growth in office technology and management.

Abstract Pulmonary cryptococcosis is an uncommon invasive fungal infection of the lungs seen in immunocompromised individuals but increasingly reported among the immunocompetent. We report a rare case of pulmonary cryptococcosis in an immunocompetent host highlighting its unique clinical and radiological presentation. Clinical trial number: Not applicable.

Abstract Background Hypertension remains a major global health challenge, including in low- and middle-income countries. In Rwanda, a lack of adequate information and healthcare services impacts healthcare-seeking behaviors, contributing to undiagnosed hypertension in rural areas. Therefore, the need to determine its prevalence and associated factors. Methods A cross-sectional study was conducted with 393 adults in the Ndera Sector, of Rwanda’s Gasabo District, through a multistage sampling technique. Data was gathered using the WHO STEP-wise approach to non-communicable disease risk factor surveillance (STEPS) questionnaire; physical examination was done to determine blood pressure and body-mass index (BMI), after which the data collected was analyzed using SPSS. Newly diagnosed hypertension was determined when on two different intervals, systolic blood pressure readings was > 140 mmHg, and/or the diastolic blood pressure readings was > 90 mmHg, in the absence of previous hypertension diagnosis. Results The overall prevalence of hypertension among patients at Ndera sector was 15%, all of which were newly diagnosed. The mean (SD) age of the participants was 37 (13.7) years and half (53%) were women. The mean systolic blood pressure for men was 124.3 mmHg compared to 120.9 mmHg for women (p = 0.043, 95%CI: 0.12–6.74). Women had a significantly higher mean BMI (26.0) compared to men (22.8) (p

Abstract Communication systems are greatly hampered by many disruptive noises in powerline communication systems (PLC), which come with strong interference, resulting in the malfunction of PLC systems. Hence, there is a need to model noise and its effect on communication systems. This paper presents noise modelling and mitigation techniques for indoor broadband powerline communication systems. To model the PLC noise, frequency domain measurements employing the GSP‐930 spectrum analyser were carried out to determine the noise frequency response in the frequency range of 1–30 MHz. The results obtained were plotted. While the analytical model for the noise model is presented, furthermore, noise mitigation techniques for multiple input multiple output PLC (MIMO‐PLC) systems in the form of spatial modulation PLC systems have been proposed. The SM‐PLC system employs the indices of the individual transmit lines to increase the data rate, as opposed to the traditional MIMO‐PLC systems, where the symbol to be transmitted is transmitted by duplicating the symbol across all lines. The proposed system uses the maximum likelihood (ML) detector at the receiver to obtain estimates of the transmitted symbols. The simulation results of the SM‐PLC system are compared with the already existing MIMO‐PLC system and show a significant improvement of ≈6 dB and 5.2 dB in signal‐to‐noise ratio (SNR) at a bit error rate of 10(−5) for spectral efficiencies of 4 bits per channel use (bpcu) and 6 bpcu, respectively. On comparison of the SM‐PLC system having a combination of additive white Gaussian noise and impulse noise at the receiver, the SM‐PLC system outperformed the traditional MIMO‐PLC by 3.5 and 3.8 dB in SNR for 4 and 6 bpcu, respectively.

This paper presents a formative assessment for the implementation of mobile portable chest X-ray (PDX) machines for tuberculosis (TB) contact tracing in the Oyo and Osun states, Nigeria. This descriptive qualitative study was carried out in eight local government areas, and 24 focus group discussions and 30 key informant interviews were conducted using a four-stage sampling technique to select participants. Validated transcribed notes were entered and analyzed using Nvivo. The respondents’ ages ranged from 17 to 85 years, with a mean age of 42.08 ± 14.9 years, and 4.0% had a postgraduate degree. The majority of government officials stated that deploying the PDX machine for screening at the community level is the best means for implementation because it will offer a level of proximity convenience to the TB contacts and assuage concerns about the cost of transportation to the health facility. In addition, it was suggested that TB community screening should be carried out with screening for other health conditions such as high blood pressure and diabetes. This portable X-ray machine intervention, therefore, should be implemented at the community level for contact tracing to allow more TB contacts living with the index patient to be screened without proximity and transportation constraints.

Abstract Designing a good vehicle for functional ingredients is the major focus of this study. Small molecular weight peptides (

Research question: What are the effects of auditors’ characteristics on timeliness of financial reporting among listed family-owned firms in Nigeria? Motivation: Timely issuance of audited annual financial report is highly desirable to various stakeholders against top management insider trading on the accounting information of which family-owned listed firms is highly prone to involve. Idea: This study examined the effect of auditor’s characteristics on timeliness of listed family-owned firms in Nigeria. Specifically, the study investigated the extent at which auditor’s type; audit opinion; audit fee; auditor’s tenure; and joint audit affect timeliness of financial statements of listed family-owned businesses in Nigeria. Data: The data used and evaluated covered a period from 2012 to 2021, and were drawn from 47 listed family-owned firms in Nigeria. The secondary data were obtained from MachameRatio database. Tools: Both descriptive statistics and partial least square regression analyses were performed. Findings: The robust test performed revealed that Big-4 audit firms, audit opinion and audit tenure have positive effect, while audit fee and joint audit impound negative effect, on timeliness of financial statements of listed family-owned firms in Nigeria. However, the result is statistically significant for audit opinion, audit tenure and audit fee. Contribution: The implication of the findings is that audit opinion and audit tenure enhance timely issuance of the financial reports of listed family-owned firms in Nigeria. This study’s contributions to the body of knowledge include exploring the position of auditor’s features on timeliness of financial statements of listed family-owned firms in Nigeria which extant studies have scarcely investigated. The study recommended that listed family-owned firms in Nigeria should engage auditors for longer audit tenure among others.

Abstract One of the ways to increase the participation and penetration of renewable energy resources is to bring down the cost of these abundant resources for easy implementation and affordability. In this paper, a generalized reduced gradient (GRG) non‐linear optimization algorithm is implemented to solve a tri‐objective optimal design and sizing of a low‐cost hybrid mix consisting of a photovoltaic (PV) power plant, biomass power plant (BPP), and battery energy system for water pumping load applications in the University of Johannesburg, South Africa considering four different hybrids of biomass‐battery, PV‐battery, PV‐biomass, and PV‐biomass‐battery. The optimization model considers available energy and battery state of charge while minimizing least cost of energy (LCOE), carbon dioxide emission (tCO2eq), and loss of power supply probability (LPSP) including carbon tax incentive and penalty. The results when compared against particle swarm optimization (PSO) show the superiority of GRG over PSO with an optimal combination of PV‐biomass‐battery mix with optimal size of the PV power plant as 360.50 kW, the BPP 181.08 kW, and the battery size of 6,553.60 kWh giving a minimal optimal LCOE, CO2 emission and LPSP of 0.018 $/kWhr (with carbon tax), and 0.016 $/kWhr (without carbon tax), 28,067.73tCO2eq tCO2eq, and 1.7%, respectively. These values give a competitive advantage compared to the unit cost and values of CO2 emission and LPSP currently in the literature.

This study investigates the characterization of Fanibi Laterite and the efficiency of froth flotation to beneficiate nickel from its host rock sourced in Akure, Ondo State, Nigeria. A sample of the laterite was obtained and characterized by the use of an X-ray fluorescence Spectrometer (XRFS), X-ray diffractometer (XRD), and Scanning electron microscope with Energy dispersive spectroscope (SEM/EDS). The ore was comminuted to its liberation size of -125 + 90 µm. The froth flotation process was done using Sodium hydroxide and Hydrogen tetraoxosulphate (VI) acid as hydrogen potential (pH) modifier within the range of 4,5,7,9 and 10. However, other reagents are sodium oleate as the collector, potassium dichromate as the depressant, and oleic acid as the frother. The froth and depressed obtained were dewatered and characterized using XRFS. The result revealed that the ore contained 35.65% Si, 8.24% Al, 10.87% Fe, and 0.07% Nickel. It also included some other associated minerals such as Zn, Mg, Ti, Co, and Mo in trace form of less than 1 %. XRD analysis reveals nickel as nickel iodate. The result reveals nickel assays of 0.14, 0.20, 0.15, 0.25, and 0.12%, while their recoveries are 70.82, 67.80, 86.70, 98.04, and 86.98%, respectively. The optimum nickel recovery of 98.04% was attained at a pH of nine (9). It was concluded that froth flotation could successfully beneficiate Fanibi laterite ore for nickel. At the same time, other minerals such as Titanium, Molybdenum, Tin, and Tungsten were present to be extracted for Metallurgical applications.

This study quantified the volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in the Omi-Asoro Stream located in Ilesa town, Nigeria, to understand their sources and health risks to humans. The VOCs were measured in 2023 according to the US EPA equilibrium headspace method using a gas chromatograph (GC) and detected by a flame ionization detector (FID). Their human health risk assessments via ingestion and dermal contact were also estimated. The results showed that dissolved oxygen (DO) ranged 0.5–4.8 mg/L. Chemical oxygen demand (COD) was exceptionally high (March: 181.3 ± 45.5 mg/L; July: 180.7 ± 25.7 mg/L) in the industrial waste discharge area. Twenty-two and eighteen sets of VOCs were detected in March and July, respectively. 1,2-dibromo-3-chloropropane (DBCP) was the predominant VOC in the stream accounting for 18% (March) and 19% (July). DBCP, 1,2-dichlorobenzene+nbutylbenzene (oDCB+bBZ) and hexachlorobutadiene+1,2,4-trichlorobenzene (HCBD+TCB) were ubiquitous in the stream with 100% detection frequency. Disinfectants/fumigants, cleaning agents, industrial solvents, agrochemicals and plastic materials were the main sources of the VOCs. No individual VOC posed a non-carcinogenic risk (HI) in both months of the study. However, the total HI via ingestion route in March posed a non-carcinogenic health risk to children (HIsum = 1.03). BDCM, TeCA, TCP and pDCB posed a high carcinogenic risk to humans via ingestion with values in the range of (0.00219–5.07) × 10−2 for both months. TCP also posed a high carcinogenic risk (range of 10−4) via dermal contact to humans. The highly impaired water quality of the stream was due to industrial, agricultural and other anthropogenic activities.

Drilling water-sensitive shale formations often leads to wellbore instability, resulting in drilling problems because of the clay's high-water affinity. To solve this problem, different nanoparticles (NPs), such as nanosilica, have been used to formulate water-based muds with potassium chloride (KCl-WBM). Nevertheless, the unmatched pore size of shale pores when using nanosilica fails to completely prevent shale swelling and dispersion. This study discusses the effects of KCl-WBM with sodium dodecyl sulphate-treated nanohydroxyapatite (nHAp/SDS) on shale swelling inhibition through various laboratory techniques. These techniques encompass the linear swell meter (LSM), the dynamic linear swell meter (DLSM), hot-rolling dispersion, suspension stability, and pore structure characterization of shale. The rheological and filtration characteristics of nHAp/SDS and compatibility tests were also studied, and the results were compared with those of nanosilica and KCl-WBM. At all concentrations, the performance of the nHAp/SDS test fluids surpassed that of nanosilica. When compared with KCl-WBM system at 10 cP and 25 °C, the nHAp/SDS and nanosilica concentrations increased the plastic viscosity by 20–90 % and 10–70 %, respectively. The inhibitory effect of nHAp/SDS surpasses that of conventional KCl-WBM and inorganic nanosilica. By adding 2.0 wt% nHAp/SDS to KCl-WBM, the shale swelling decreased from 10.1 to 4.7 % (a 53.4 % reduction). Nanosilica also reduced the swelling to 6.1 % (a 39.6 % reduction) during the LSM test at 25 °C. Under the DLSM test conditions, the shale swelling increased due to the activation of the clay platelet site at an increased temperature of 80 °C. For instance, between 25 and 80 °C, the DLSM test revealed that the shale plug height expanded from 6.1 to 9.8 % for 2.0 wt% nanosilica, 4.7–7.6 % for 2.0 wt% nHAp/SDS, and 10.1–18.8 % for KCl-WBM. Furthermore, the recovery rate of hot-rolled shale plugs with KCl-WBM increased from 89.8 to 96.2 % for nHAp/SDS and 76.6 to 88.8 % for nanosilica from the initial rates of 52.1–63.3 % between 65 and 120 °C. The contact angle results showed that nHAp/SDS is hydrophobic, reducing shale-water attraction. Moreover, the 12 nm nanosilica matches nanopore sizes to partially block shale pores. This research found that nHAp/SDS has the potential to improve wellbore stability.

This study was carried out to investigate how financial literacy and entrepreneurial traits determine the profitability of SMEs in Ogun State, Nigeria. It is used a descriptive survey to obtain a structured description of the population and understand the impact of financial literacy and entrepreneurial traits on SME profitability in Ogun State. The sample consists of 1,005 SME entrepreneurs selected from 15 local government areas across the three senatorial districts of Ogun State. Five LGAs (three urban and two rural) were purposely selected from each of the three senatorial districts in Ogun State. Descriptive statistics and multiple regression analysis were used in analysing the data. Our findings reveal a low level of SME profitability. The study also found that financial literacy and entrepreneurial traits significantly contribute to SMEs’ profitability in Ogun State. Based on the findings and conclusion, it was recommended, amongst others, that awareness should be created among SME entrepreneurs on the relevance of financial literacy and entrepreneurial skills through training programs in order to equip them with the financial literacy skills necessary for business operations.

This qualitative paper develops an understanding of False Performance as a negative form of workplace behaviour which has received scant attention. According to the quantitative literature, which measures False Performance using the Organisational Charlatan Scale (OCS), false performers are incompetent employees who deliberately portray themselves as better able to perform in a job role than they know themselves to be capable. In this study, False Performance was explored in United Kingdom public-sector organisations for the first time, using novel focus-group methodology and grounded theory. Eight focus groups (n = 51) were conducted to explore employees’ perceptions and experiences of False Performance, with a focus on job interviews and performance appraisals. Using NVivo for analysis, five categories emerged: Co-Worker Perceptions of False Performance in the Workplace, False Performance in Interview/Appraisal Settings, The Impact of Trust on the False Performer, The Effect of False Performance on Co-Worker Morale, and Preventing False Performance in the Workplace. The results support the literature review that False Performance is a new and negative addition to the taxonomies of job performance. Human resources (HR) managers are, therefore, urged to prevent and reduce False Performance via well-designed selection processes and performance appraisals, thereby improving co-worker trust amongst employees.

This study explores the realm of political persona construction and narrative persuasion through the analysis of Barack Obama's autobiography, The Audacity of Hope: Thoughts on Reclaiming the American Dream. It utilizes Walter Fisher's narrative paradigm theory to analyze how Obama's autobiography strengthened his political image during the 2008 presidential campaign. Using the thematic narrative method of analysis, this paper examines the presence of two key components of Fisher's narrative paradigm - narrative coherence and narrative fidelity - within Obama's campaign autobiography. It investigates how these elements contributed to convincing the American electorate of Obama's leadership qualities, his embodiment of a quintessential representation of citizenship, and his advocacy for the fundamental ideas and beliefs that support his proposed policy agenda. This research highlights the intricate relationship between persona construction and narrative persuasion in the context of Obama's campaign autobiography. It underscores the effectiveness of narrative coherence and fidelity in shaping a compelling political image and influencing public perception. The study challenges the notion that the coordinated stable persona strategy, which played a crucial role in establishing Barack Obama's influential political image, may yield different results in the aftermath of the Trump and Brexit eras (Marshall & Henderson, 2016). In conclusion, the study provides a nuanced exploration of the constantly evolving landscape of political persona-building strategies in American politics.