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Mathewos Mekonnen,1 Kumera Bekele,1 Kemal Jemal,1 Dejene Hailu,1 Bikila Tesfa,1 Teshale Mulatu2 1Department of Nursing, College of Health Sciences, Salale University, Fiche, Oromia, Ethiopia; 2Department of Midwifery, School of Nursing and Midwifery, College of Health and Medical Sciences, Haramaya University, Harar, Oromia, EthiopiaCorrespondence: Mathewos MekonnenDepartment of Nursing, College of Health Sciences, Salale University, P.O. Box 245, Fiche, Oromia, EthiopiaTel +251- 917-04-43-69Email matemek2010@gmail.comBackground: Oral rehydration therapy reduces mortality and morbidity due to diarrheal diseases. However, Oral rehydration therapy remains to be underused worldwide and particularly in low-income countries. This study aims to assess the prevalence of oral rehydration therapy use during diarrheal episode and associated factors among mothers of under-five children visiting public health facilities in North Showa zone, Oromia region, Ethiopia.Methodology: Institutional based cross-sectional study design was employed for one month in June 2020. A structured interview administered questionnaire was used to collect data. Data were entered into EPI-info 3.5.2 then transported to SPSS 21 version. Descriptive statistical analysis was done, and an association between dependent variables and independent variables were examined in logistic regression models.Results: The overall prevalence of oral rehydration therapy use during diarrheal episode was 51.5%. Maternal literacy [AOR= 2.175, 95% CI: (1.178, 4.015)], mothers occupation being farmer [AOR= 0.394, 95% CI: (0.203, 0.762)], post natal care visit [AOR= 2.565, 95% CI: (1.468, 4.480)] and good knowledge of oral rehydration therapy [AOR= 1.919, 95% CI: (1.132, 3.253)] were significantly associated with oral rehydration therapy use.Conclusion: In this study oral rehydration therapy use was moderate. Maternal literacy, good knowledge of oral rehydration therapy, maternal occupation being a farmer, and postnatal care visit were the independent predictors of oral rehydration therapy use. Therefore, programmers and stakeholders who are working on child health programs should design interventions that focus on factors deterring child oral rehydration therapy use during diarrheal episode morbidity and mortality.Keywords: diarrhea, oral, practice, rehydration solution, under-five children

Yitagesu Sintayehu, Assefa Desalew, Biftu Geda, Kasiye Shiferaw, Getahun Tiruye, Teshale Mulatu, Haymanot Mezmur Haramaya University College of Health and Medical Sciences, School of Nursing and Midwifery, Harar, EthiopiaCorrespondence: Yitagesu Sintayehu Email yitagesu.sintayehu@gmail.comBackground: Neonatal resuscitation is a means to restore life to a baby from the state of asphyxia. It is a single intervention of birth asphyxia. Over 1.2 million African babies are supposed to die in the first four weeks of their life and many of them in the first 24 hours of birth in Sub-Saharan Africa. The major cause of early neonatal death is neonatal asphyxia, which can be prevented by neonatal resuscitation. However, there is limited evidence on midwives’ and nurses’ knowledge of neonatal resuscitation in the study area. Therefore, this study aimed to assess the knowledge of midwives and nurses about neonatal resuscitation and its associated factors.Methods: This facility-based cross-sectional study was done on 427 midwives and nurses, who were selected using simple random sampling technique. Data were collected on facility type, availability of essential equipment, socio-demographic characteristics, working unit, professional experience, in-service training, and knowledge of neonatal resuscitation. First-degree holder midwives collected the data using a pre-tested face-to-face interviewer-administered questionnaire. Bivariate and multivariate logistic regression was used to analyze the association between the dependent and independent variables.Results: The study showed that 9.8% of the study participants had good knowledge about neonatal resuscitation. Factors significantly associated with knowledge of neonatal resuscitation were being trained on newborn resuscitation (AOR = 3.79, 95% CI: 1.73, 8.32), being unmarried (AOR = 2.36, 95% CI: 1.11, 5.02), holding bachelor sciences degree or above (AOR = 2.67, 95% CI: 1.11, 6.47), and working under West Hararghe health institutions (AOR = 0.30, 95% CI: 0.10, 0.88).Conclusion: The study participants had low knowledge of neonatal resuscitation. Being unmarried, holding bachelor sciences degree or above, being trained on neonatal resuscitation, and working under West Hararghe health institutions were factors associated with the knowledge of the study participants on neonatal resuscitation.Keywords: neonate, neonatal resuscitation, newborn, knowledge

Understanding climate science is essential for effective policy development, adaptation, mitigation, and risk management. Given the inherent limitations in climate models, this study evaluates the performance of CORDEX Africa regional climate models to simulate precipitation and temperatures over the Melka-Wakena catchment. To accomplish this, the performance evaluation utilizes techniques such as multi-metric weighted ranking to select top-1 (best individual model), specific multi-model ensembles (top-N ensemble), multi-model ensemble, and average hybrid (top-N ensemble with MME) approaches at various temporal scales. Also, Taylor diagrams and empirical cumulative distribution functions are other useful elements for model comparison visualization. This study finds that, top-3 ensemble (for temporal scale tasmin, monthly pr), top-7 ensemble (monthly and seasonal tasmax), average hybrid (top-1 with MME (daily pr and tasmax), HadGEM2ES_RACMO22T for seasonal and yearly pr), and HadGEM2ES_RCA4 for yearly tasmax) are preferable, with weighted scores of 0.29, 0.44, 0.22, 0.20, 0.35, 0.40, 0.39, 0.33, 0.45, 0.25, and 0.33, respectively. In short, RCA4 and RACMO22T efficiently mimic air temperatures and precipitation in the Melka-Wakena catchment. While ensemble approaches are generally more resilient and possible, single-best-performing model approaches can be quite effective for long-term periods. Finally, these studies have an important implication for improving climate change assessment, adaptation, and mitigation measures.

This study investigates the geotechnical factors influencing a recent landslide event in Gera Woreda, Ethiopia. The primary objective was to identify the soil properties contributing to landslide occurrence and understand the triggering mechanisms. Field investigations, soil sampling from both affected and unaffected areas, and subsequent laboratory characterization were conducted. The analysis revealed a dominance of fine-grained soils, such as clay and silt, which are susceptible to weakening upon saturation, thereby increasing landslide susceptibility. Rainfall is identified as the primary trigger for the landslide. Numerical stability assessments using the Limit Equilibrium Method (software, Slide™) and the Finite Element Method (software, PLAXIS®) were performed to assess the stability of the slopes. The stability analysis revealed a notable decrease in the factor of safety (FS) under rising groundwater levels. For example, the FS for Slope 1 decreased from 1.42 under dry conditions to 0.73 at a 2 m groundwater depth. Similarly, Slope 2's FS decreased from 2.06 to 1.18 under similar conditions. These results emphasize that rainfall is the primary trigger for landslides in the area. To address this, the study proposes surface drainage systems and the planting of Vetiver grass to improve slope stability. These findings provide critical insights for developing proactive mitigation strategies to protect local communities and infrastructure from landslide hazards.

Abstract Online digital market platform business model designers, marketers, and retailers can further expand their marketing strategies to draw in and keep customers to gain a competitive edge globally if they are aware of the elements influencing consumers' purchasing intentions. The purpose of this research is to identify the crucial variables impacting Addis Ababa University, Graduating Engineering Students’ desire to purchase on online digital market platforms, and narrow the research gap on determinants of online purchase intention of Ethiopian consumers. This study adopted a descriptive and inferential survey design, epistemology assumption, and employed the positivism research philosophy approach to test the research hypotheses. The primary study technique used to collect relevant data was a closed-ended 5-point Likert scale questionnaire. The information was gathered from 100 Ethiopian, Addis Ababa University, graduating engineering students. With the use of SPSS version 23 and SmartPLS version 3.0 software, the data were examined using descriptive statistics and the inferential partial least square structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) technique. The results of this study highlighted five useful decision-making elements that have an impact on the selected consumers' intention to buy on online digital market platforms including Website Design, Perceived Usefulness, Perceived Ease of Use, Trust, and Subjective Norms. The Practical Implication of this research is that with a clear understanding of the key determinants of consumers’ purchase intention on online digital market platforms; manufacturers, online marketers, and retailers can create effective market strategies, enhance technology, and make smart marketing choices that will help them gain global competitive advantage. This study is unique in that it uses a new conceptual research framework and the partial least square structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) technique to analyze relationships between determinant variables and consumers’ intention to purchase on online digital market platforms. The major finding of this research provides empirical evidence towards the key determinant variables of consumers’ purchase intention on online digital market platforms. The small sample size is one of the limitations to generalize the finding of this research. Future studies should focus on enlarging the sample size and assessing more determinant variables to get a generalizable result.

Landslides pose a significant threat to infrastructure, property, and human lives in many regions worldwide, including Chira town in Ethiopia. This study presents an integrated geotechnical and geophysical investigation aimed at identifying the contributing factors to landslides in Chira town, Ethiopia, with a focus on a recent landslide event. The methodology employed a combination of geotechnical and geophysical techniques to comprehensively analyze the landslide problem. The geotechnical investigation involved a detailed analysis of the soil characteristics in the area, including the composition of fine-grained soil and the determination of cohesion and angle of internal friction through triaxial testing. The geophysical investigation utilized electrical resistivity tomography to assess the subsurface soil profile. The findings revealed the presence of a massive basaltic tertiary volcanic rock layer underlying a very low resistivity layer of sticky clay soil. Through this study, it was established that rainfall, soil type, land use, elevation, and proximity to streams, slopes, and aspects were the main factors contributing to the landslide, accounting for 22.03%, 18.89%, 15.75%, 15.46%, 10.87%, 9.7%, and 7.5% of the overall influence, respectively. Based on these findings, the study proposes a range of interventions to enhance resilience against landslides, including surface drainage, the implementation of appropriate land use management practices, and the introduction of vetiver vegetation. The integration of geotechnical and geophysical methodologies provided a comprehensive understanding of the landslide problem in Chira town. The proposed interventions aim to inform future land use planning, infrastructure development, and disaster risk reduction efforts in the region. By expanding our knowledge of the mechanisms driving landslides, this study offers valuable insights that can be utilized in similar regions facing comparable geotechnical and geophysical conditions.

Industrialization and urbanization have run into situations where the construction of buildings is close to each other. This closeness arises due to the restricted available space in a practical construction manner. Such a situation was a reason for the cause of footing of the same and adjacent structures coming closer. This condition causes interference effects, soil-structure interaction, and the stress zone impact to behave differently other than the continuum soil media in the vicinity under the base of the foundation due to overlap stress distribution, which results in excessive foundation settlement. Therefore, the study aims to assess the interference effect of closely spaced footing on settlement variation. In this regard, comprehensive experimental soil properties were conducted using the American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) testing procedures to characterize soil behavior. The interference of two footings in the settlement is studied using 3D finite element analysis. The hardening soil was used to model the foundation soil medium using the Plaxis 3D program. Certain vital factors of two neighboring footings for differing maximum loads, distance, embedment ratio, soil layer, and groundwater level are discovered to impact overlapping footing influence. It is observed that the spacing between the footings increases, and the interference impact on the overlapping footings declines, reaching the isolated footing condition at spacing higher than five foundation footing dimensions and increasing when the spacing between the footings decreases.