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Child under-nutrition is a major public health concern in developing countries including Ethiopia. Poor quality diet is the major determinant factor contributing to child undernutrition. Pulse crop production and consumption can improve children's nutrient quality and dietary diversity. This study aimed to compare the nutritional status and child health, dietary intake, and wealth index of preschool children among pulse crop producer and non-producer families in Ethiopia. The study hypothesized that children living in families who grew pulses and consumed pulses (rather than selling their crop) would have better nutritional status due to availability of this protein-rich food source. A cross-sectional survey was conducted to determine demographic background, child feeding and caring practice and varieties and amount of pulse crop produced at the household level. A simple random sampling technique was used to select a sample of 432 children aged 24-59 months from central Ethiopia the Data was entered to SPSS v 20, WHO Anthro-plus software used to calculate the anthropometry indices, child dietary intake, level of chickpea production and consumption and wealth index, were computed using logistic regression. Chickpea (cicer arietinum L) was produced by 55.3% of the participants. Most (60.7%) of the children from chickpea producer families were high pulse consumers whereas only 15.5% of children from non-producers were high chickpea consumers (the difference in proportion is significant at p-value Key words: chickpea, preschool children, chickpea consumption, chickpea production, nutritional status, INTRODUCTION Nutrition plays an important role in growth and development of children, where a healthy diet enhances physical and mental abilities [1]. Malnutrition in children is the determinant factor for [...]

Abstract Tyrosine-protein kinase Src plays a key role in cell proliferation and growth under favorable conditions, but its overexpression and genetic mutations can lead to the progression of various inflammatory diseases. Due to the specificity and selectivity problems of previously discovered inhibitors like dasatinib and bosutinib, we employed an integrated machine learning and structure-based drug repurposing strategy to find novel, targeted, and non-toxic Src kinase inhibitors. Different machine learning models including random forest (RF), k-nearest neighbors (K-NN), decision tree, and support vector machine (SVM), were trained using already available bioactivity data of Src kinase targeting compounds. The performance evaluation of these models demonstrated SVM as the best model, which was further utilized to shortlist 51 highly potent compounds by screening an FDA-approved library of 1040 drugs. Molecular docking and molecular dynamic simulation were subsequently employed to evaluate the binding affinity and stability of the proposed compounds. Orlistat, acarbose and afatinib were identified as the potent leads, demonstrating stable conformations and stronger interactions, validated by root mean square deviation (RMSD), root mean square fluctuation (RMSF), radius of gyration (RoG), and hydrogen bond analyses. Molecular Mechanics/Generalized Born Surface Area (MMGBSA) analysis validated their binding affinities by providing comparably lower binding free energies for orlistat (− 33.4743 ± 3.8908), acarbose (− 19.5455 ± 5.4702), and afatinib (− 36.4944 ± 5.4929) than the control, dasatinib (− 13.7785 ± 5.8058). Finally, toxicity analysis revealed orlistat and acarbose as the possible safer therapeutics by eliminating afatinib as it showed significant toxicity concerns. Our investigation supports the advance computational methods utilization in the field of drug discovery and suggest further experimental validation of proposed inhibitors of Src kinase for their safer use against inflammatory diseases. The ultimate aim of this study is to advance the development of effective treatments for inflammatory diseases, linked with Src overexpression.

Yemsa, an Omotic language spoken in Ethiopia, has received limited attention in linguistic research, particularly with regard to its adverbial clauses. The lack of a comprehensive description of Yemsa’s adverbial clauses hinders our understanding of the language’s structure and its place in the Afroasiatic language family. This study aims to provide a detailed analysis of the structure and function of adverbial clauses in Yemsa, exploring their forms, functions, and subordinate markers. The research is based on a corpus of spoken and written Yemsa data, collected through fieldwork and supplemented by existing literature. A descriptive approach is employed to analyze the data, focusing on the morphological and syntactic properties of adverbial clauses. The study reveals that Yemsa adverbial clauses exhibit a range of characteristics, including dependent-person suffixes, temporal markers, and bound morphemes that connect them to main clauses. The analysis identifies five types of adverbial clauses in Yemsa: temporal, locative, manner, reason, and purpose. The findings also show that Yemsa treats aspects in adverbial clauses similarly to main clauses, with the perfective aspect remaining unmarked and the imperfective aspect marked. This research contributes significantly to our knowledge of Yemsa and the Omotic language family, providing new information about the structure and function of adverbial clauses, which is valuable for developing linguistic pedagogical materials for Yemsa. The study’s results have implications for linguistic theory, language pedagogy, and language documentation, highlighting the importance of descriptive research on understudied languages. The study’s methodology and findings can serve as a model for future research on other languages, promoting a more comprehensive understanding of linguistic diversity and complexity.

Introduction: Focused cardiac ultrasound (FoCUS) has emerged as a valuable tool in emergency and critical care medicine, allowing for rapid assessment of cardiac function and structure at the bedside. This rapid diagnostic technique holds particular promise in resource-limited settings like Ethiopia, where access to standard echocardiography may be limited and delayed. However, the accuracy of FoCUS interpretation is highly dependent on the operator's skills and expertise. To inform the design of effective interventions, the study aimed to assess the accuracy of FoCUS interpretation and associated factors among senior Emergency Medicine residents at two large referral teaching hospitals in Ethiopia. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted from October to December 2023 among 80 residents at Tikur Anbessa Specialized Hospital and St. Paul's Hospital Millennium Medical College. To assess diagnostic accuracy, 15 pre-selected cardiac ultrasound videos (normal and pathological cases) were selected from American College of Emergency Physicians website and the PoCUS Atlas, and accurate interpretation was defined as correctly answering at least 12 out of 15 readings. A binary logistic regression model was fitted to identify significant factors at the 5% level of significance, where significant results were interpreted using adjusted odds ratio (AOR) with 95% confidence interval (CI). Result: The overall accuracy in interpreting FoCUS findings was 47.5% (95% CI: 38.8–60.0%), with highest for collapsing Inferior Vena Cava (91.3%) and standstill (90.0%), and lowest for Regional Wall Motion Abnormality of Left Ventricle (46.3%). Residents who received training (AOR=4.14, 95%CI:1.32–13.04, p = 0.015), perceived themselves as skilled (AOR=4.81, 95%CI=1.06–21.82, p = 0.042), and felt confident in acquiring and interpretation (AOR=3.16, 95%CI=1.01–9.82, p = 0.047) demonstrated significantly higher accuracy. Conclusion: The study identified a low overall accuracy in FoCUS interpretation, with accuracy improving with training and better perceived skill and confidence. Training programs with simulation, continuous education, and mentorship are crucial to enhance these critical skills.

This study aimed to investigate faculty and academic leaders' conceptions of competence and competence-based education. Data were collected from 22 participants (18 males and 4 females). These participants played faculty, academic leadership, and both roles simultaneously. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews, which necessitated them to define competence and competence-based education. We used the inductive content analysis method and a deductive one to analyze the data. Ten categories emerged. Iterative reading of these categories revealed that they could be grouped under three principal categories identified in the literature: competence and behavioristic-functionalism, competence and integrated occupationalism, competence and situated professionalism, and an indistinct category. The three principal categories also disclosed the participants' conceptions of competence-based education. Frequency counts of the prevalence of categories revealed competence and integrated occupationalism as the leading category, while competence and behavioristic-functionalism was the least prevalent. The emergence of 10 categories and three principal categories essentially highlighted the inconsistencies that prevailed in the conceptions of competence and competence-based education, which will affect practice in the study context.

There is increasing recognition of the importance of learning contexts in science education. However, learning contexts are rarely articulated in terms of what they constitute and are often framed by educators and textbooks with limited inputs from students. Unless properly articulated, contexts become anything and everything, thereby losing their relevance for practical aspects of science teaching and learning. In this study, we examined secondary school students' perceptions of learning contexts as they relate to their science learning and determined aspects of contextualising science education. We recruited 418 secondary school students (Grades 10 and 11) from eight schools in Bahir Dar, Ethiopia, to respond to a survey that has both closed and open-ended items. We used exploratory factor analysis to analyse the quantitative element of the survey and determine aspects of contextualising science teaching and learning. We also used open-coding and constant comparison to analyse students' qualitative descriptions of learning contexts with the goal of determining students' understanding of the concept as it relates to their science learning. Results from the factor analysis revealed four factors--"agency and discourse, inquiry and processes, everyday life and community engagement" and "customising" as aspects of contextualisation from students' perspective. The results from the qualitative element reinforced those quantitative findings. Overall, results underscore the importance of contextualising as well as questioning the purpose of science education, especially, but not limited to, in low- and middle-income countries. The study has implications for learning design and fostering learner agency in science education.

Using a holistic, interpretive qualitative ethnographic approach, this study explored the pedagogical practices of traditional educational systems in Ethiopia and their implications for contemporary education practices. Qualitative data (ethnographic observations, informal interactions and semi structured interviews) were gathered over a 3-month period. Interview data from 17 participants and observations of classrooms were collected in three traditional Qene (poetry) church schools. Observations provided insight into the teaching and learning methods, assessment and evaluation practices, classroom organisation and management, teacher student interaction, school environment and daily life of students in Qene church schools. The data were analysed using thematic descriptive narration based on themes created by the basic questions of the study. Central findings indicated that Qene church schools have their own indigenous pedagogical practices such as Qene 'Qotera', 'Negera' and 'Zerefa' that involve various collaborative and independent learning strategies. The findings also indicated that the practices of cooperative learning, reflective learning, critical interpretation, argumentative oral defence, differentiated instruction, authentic formative oral assessment, and scaffolding are central to the Qene education system. We conclude that Qene schools' pedagogical practices provide valuable insights for the pedagogical practice.

The challenges faced by today’s agronomists, plant breeders, and their managers encompass adapting sustainably to climate variability while working with limited budgets. Besides, managers are dealing with a multitude of issues with different organizations working on similar initiatives and projects, leading to a lack of a sustainable impact on smallholder farmers. To transform the current food systems as a more sustainable and resilient model efficient solutions are needed to deliver and convey results. Challenges such as logistics, labour, infrastructure, and equity, must be addressed alongside adapting to increasingly unstable climate conditions which affect the life cycle of transboundary pathogens and pests. In this context, transforming food systems go far beyond just farmers and plant breeders and it requires substantial contributions from industry, global finances, transportation, energy, education, and country developmental sectors including legislators. As a result, a holistic approach is essential for achieving sustainable and resilient food systems to sustain a global population anticipated to reach 9.7 billion by 2050 and 11.2 billion by 2100. As of 2021, nearly 193 million individuals were affected by food insecurity, 40 million more than in 2020. Meanwhile, the digital world is rapidly advancing with the digital economy estimated at about 20% of the global gross domestic product, suggesting that digital technologies are increasingly accessible even in areas affected by food insecurity. Leveraging these technologies can facilitate the development of climate-smart cultivars that adapt effectively to climate variation, meet consumer preferences, and address human and livestock nutritional needs. Most economically important traits in crops are controlled by multiple loci often with recessive alleles. Considering particularly Africa, this continent has several agro-climatic zones, hence crops need to be adapted to these. Therefore, targeting specific loci using modern tools offers a precise and efficient approach. This review article aims to address how these new technologies can provide a better support to smallholder farmers.

Carrot (Daucus carota L.) is one of the most important root crops grown worldwide and in Ethiopia. However, its production and productivity are low due to a lack of improved varieties and unbalanced fertilizer rates, among other factors. The field experiment was, therefore, conducted to improve the productivity of carrot varieties through blended fertilizer rates at the horticulture demonstration site of the College of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences, University of Gondar. Treatment consisted of NPSB nutrient levels (0:0:0:0, 21.3:15.3:2.80:0.04, 42.6:30.6:5.60:0.08, 64:46:8.41:0.12, 85.3:61.2:11.2:0.16, and 106.7:76.7:14.03:0.20 kg ha−1), which were laid out in a randomized complete block design with three replications. Data were collected on crop phenology, growth and root yield (marketable, unmarketable, and total root yield) parameters and subjected to analysis of variance using SAS computer software version 9.4. As described in Montgomery, the residuals were examined to verify the normal distribution and homogeneous variance model assumptions on the error terms for each response variable. Because the twelve treatment combinations were randomized within each block, the independence assumption is valid. When a treatment effect was significant, multiple means comparison was performed at a 5% level of significance using the least significant difference (Fisher's LSD) method to generate letter groupings, and correlation analysis was performed using the Pearson correlation procedure found in SAS. This dataset article, therefore, gives information about the effects of NPSB on the productivity of carrot varieties. The experiment also determines the optimal NPSB fertilizer rate for maximizing carrot root yield in comparable agro-ecological regions, offering valuable insights for researchers to analyze and potentially sparking new research directions. This data can foster collaborations and enhance the visibility of research within the scientific community, enabling widespread access for further exploration and application in related fields.

IntroductionThe traffic air pollution caused by transportation is a growing global problem that contributes to millions of deaths each year. Despite its importance, information on pollutant concentration is limited in many developing cities, especially in Ethiopia. This study aimed to determine the concentration levels and spatial and temporal variations of traffic air pollutants in Hawassa and to investigate the influence of metrological parameters on the concentration of traffic air pollutants.MethodsA real-time monitoring system of Aero-Qual Series 300/500 was used to monitor pollutants, and 24 monitoring sites were included on both heavy and low-traffic volume roads. The study monitored morning and afternoon times over 24 days to comprehensively characterize the temporal variations.ResultsThe results showed that the mean PM2.5 concentration on heavy- and low-traffic volume roads was 161.6 ± 26.1 μg/m3 and 95 ± 14.2 μg/m3, respectively, whereas the PM10 concentration was 178.7 ± 20.3 μg/ m3 and 102.3 ± 17.6 μg/m3, respectively. Similarly, the mean NO2 concentrations on roads with heavy and low traffic volumes were 86.4 ± 14.4 μg/m3 and 61.7 ± 14.2 μg/m3, respectively. Significantly higher, concentrations were recorded on traffic light roads, followed by main asphalt roads, for both types of traffic air pollutants. The ratio of PM2.5/PM10 was higher (0.924), in which the pollution sources attributed to anthropogenic sources. Kendall’s tau-b correlation analysis suggested that Meteorological parameters (temperature and relative humidity) were positively correlated with traffic air pollutants. Likewise, stepwise multiple linear regression analysis confirms that the concentrations of traffic air pollutants had a positive relationship with metrological parameters.ImplicationsThe findings of this study therefore showed the need for regular air quality monitoring of the urban areas to copping out the adverse public health impacts. And, it highlighted an urgent need for long-term monitoring of traffic air pollution and the development of emission control programs that can be readily implemented to decrease the emissions from anthropogenic sources. Also, it brings a sense of collaboration among stakeholders to tackle the effects of air pollution by providing an inclusive and sustainable development agenda for Hawassa.

Overweight and obesity are body mass index (BMI) for age Z-score > +1SD and > +2SD, respectively. Despite its largest contribution to overweight/obesity, there is little attention in our country about fast-food consumption. Hence, this study aimed to assess the prevalence of overweight/obesity and its association with fast-food consumption among adolescents in Southern Ethiopia. From 14 June 2022 to 15 July 2022, a cross-sectional study design was conducted using a structured questionnaire and anthropometric measurements, with a sample size of 563. The data were coded, cleaned, and imported into EPI-INF version 7.2 before being exported to SPSS version 25 for analysis. All variables with p-values less than or equal to 0.25 in bivariate logistic regression were candidate variables for multivariable logistic regression. The response rate of this study was 97%. Based on BMI, the combined prevalence of overweight/obesity was 6.0% (95% CI: 4.2–8.4%). Adolescents who are female, come from high-income families, and eat fast-food frequently are more likely to be overweight or obese. Future health initiatives aimed at lowering the prevalence of overweight and obesity in adolescents should pay special attention to female adolescents and those from high-income families.

IntroductionWork-related burnout is a state of severe physical and mental fatigue and exhaustion resulting from unmanaged prolonged work stress. Kindergarten teachers are at higher risk of work-related burnout compared to other teaching professionals, due to their dual roles as both caregivers and educators for young children. The demands and stresses of these combined responsibilities, coupled with factors such as low salaries, contribute to an increased risk of burnout in this population. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate work-related burnout prevalence and associated factors among kindergarten teachers in Dessie City, Northeast Ethiopia.MethodsAn institution-based, cross-sectional study was conducted in March and April of 2024. A sample of 422 kindergarten teachers was recruited using simple random sampling techniques. A standardized, self-administered Copenhagen Burnout Inventory was utilized to measure work-related burnout. We used EpiData V4.6 and SPSS V26 for data entry and analysis, respectively. A bivariable logistic regression analysis (p-value < 0.2) was performed to find factors associated with work-related burnout. Variables found significant in the bivariable analysis were then exported into a multivariable logistic regression model to identify statistically significant variables at a p value < 0.05 and a 95% confidence interval.ResultsThe response rate was 95% (401/422). 97.5% of the participants were female, and the participants’ mean (standard deviation) age was 28.5 years (SD ± 5.8). In the past 6 months, the total prevalence of WRB was 39.7% [95% CI (34.8, 44.6)]. Work–family conflicts [AOR: 2.81; 95% CI (1.77, 4.45)], working conditions [AOR: 1.63; 95% CI (1.03, 2.56)], perceived stress [AOR: 1.91; 95% CI (1.21, 3.01)], job dissatisfaction [AOR: 1.75, 95% CI (1.10, 2.79)], and kindergarten type [AOR: 1.66; 95% CI (1.02, 2.68)] were factors significantly associated with WRB.ConclusionAccording to this study, a significant number of kindergarten teachers were affected by burnout due to their working nature. To address this issue, interventions focused at reducing work–family conflicts, increasing job satisfaction, and improving the school environment are necessary to support teachers’ well-being, benefiting both young students and the broader educational landscape.

Groundwater is an invaluable natural resource that sustains human life and supports the economic development of nations. However, its unsustainable utilization has emerged as a critical issue, particularly in developing countries. This study investigates the groundwater potential of the Chemoga watershed to address these challenges. Conventional groundwater assessments have typically relied on labor-intensive and time-consuming field surveys, which are resource-demanding and often fail to provide accurate estimates due to the inherent complexity of groundwater systems. In response, this research utilizes geospatial and analytic hierarchy process (AHP) techniques to assess groundwater potential in the Chemoga Watershed, aiming to overcome these challenges. Eight critical biophysical and environmental factors: geology, slope, rainfall, land use/land cover (LULC), soil type, elevation, lineament density, and drainage density were selected for analysis using Saaty’s AHP methodology. Data was gathered from satellite imagery, existing thematic maps, local water offices, and national meteorological agencies. The integration of these thematic maps was performed through a weighted overlay analysis using ArcGIS 10.8, which resulted in the delineation of groundwater potential zones (GWPZ). The model was validated by cross-referencing the generated GWPZ with existing data from dug wells and boreholes. The results reveal five groundwater potential zones: very high (0.73%), high (24.39%), moderate (43.38%), poor (31.25%), and very poor (0.25%). The most suitable zones are in the south, southeast, and southwest of the watershed, particularly near Debre Markos Town. These high-potential zones were validated with a significant 81.5% match to ground truth data from shallow wells. The findings of this study provide crucial insights for decision-makers, enabling the formulation of more effective groundwater management strategies. By identifying cost-effective and suitable well sites, this research contributes to ensuring a sustainable water supply for Debre Markos Town.