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This study investigates an under-rated and not widely recognized traditional agroforestry practice carried out by smallholders in the highlands of Ethiopia. The purposeful retaining of indigenous trees on farmers’ croplands is recognized as separate from other agroforestry practices. Farmers cultivate indigenous trees for a variety of benefits, including livelihoods, ecosystem services and the existence of scenic and economically valued birds. The adoption of farmland agroforestry has been driven by similar household-level variables that explain the adoption of many other agroforestry practices. However, in contrast to other agroforestry practices farmland agroforestry is not a management priority for farmers, an observation that appears due to a lack of appreciation of naturally occurring trees. Because agroforestry on farmland is declining, interventions are required that improve extension services, availability of indigenous tree seedlings and credit, support reliable legal frameworks and land titles, and foster the processing and value adding of tree products suitable for higher value uses.

Understanding the magnitude and drivers of land cover change is key to designing effective natural resource management interventions and restoring degraded landscapes. We analyzed land cover change from 1995 to 2015 in Fagita Lekoma District in northwestern Ethiopia using Landsat images and found that forest cover increased by 1.2% per year, while areas covered by cropland decreased by 1% per year. The increase in forest cover is mainly attributable to increased planting of Acacia decurrens. The expansion of A. decurrens plantations could be attributed to its potential to provide short-term economic benefits. This indicates that economic activities that generate short-term benefits may strongly influence the selection of land uses in the study area. Planting of A. decurrens generates job opportunities for the landless and enables farmers to diversify their livelihoods. It rarely restricts other agricultural practices, as farmers are able to grow cereals between the trees in the first 2 years following the establishment of an A. decurrens plantation. This enhances the efficient utilization of farmlands and diversifies agricultural products. Providing training to farmers on silvicultural practices and presenting alternative tree species are crucial to enhance their benefits and sustain charcoal production in such mountainous regions. Studies are required to understand how the observed land cover change affects land productivity, landscape, and biodiversity.

In most mammalian species including cattle, heat stress has detrimental effects on ovarian function through disturbing estradiol production and viability of granulosa cells. However, effect of heat stress and underlying cellular defense mechanisms of bovine granulosa cells is not fully understood. Here, we aimed to investigate the effect of heat stress on granulosa cells function and the associated defense mechanism. For this an in vitro granulosa cell model was used to investigate the role of elevated temperature (41 °C) on granulosa cell functions at 24 h and 48 h exposure compared to the control cultured at 37 °C. The results showed that reactive oxygen species level was higher in cells under 41 °C at 24 h compared to control. In response to increased reactive oxygen species level, the expression of NRF2 and its antioxidant genes, CAT and PRDX1 were higher in bovine granulosa cells exposed to heat stress. Interestingly, heat stress markedly increased expression of endoplasmic reticulum stress marker genes; GRP78 and GRP94, in cultured bovine granulosa cells at 24 h, and higher protein accumulation of GRP78 accompanied by increased expression of apoptotic genes, BAX and CASPASE-3. Moreover, heat stress significantly decreased the bovine granulosa cells proliferation, which was supported by decreased in the expression of proliferation marker gene PCNA. All in all heat stress induce reactive oxygen species accumulation, apoptosis and reduced proliferation, which trigger the NRF2 mediated oxidative stress and endoplasmic reticulum stress response by bovine granulosa cells.

Although wetlands are known to provide vital ecosystem services, the current state of wetlands in Ethiopia in terms of their ecosystem service components remains poorly understood. Wetlands located in the UNESCO Lake Tana Biosphere Reserve have been highly degraded, but possess highly valuable resources. Therefore, this study sought to assess the major ecological states and identify the main ecosystem services (ESs), along with local people's perceptions of wetland management. Nine wetlands were selected from pristine/reference, agricultural and urban land uses of the Lake Tana area. Numerous ESs were identified, categorized into four main ecosystem services, analyzed using a conceptual model adopted for this purpose, and their ecological conditions were assessed using a range of methods. The results revealed that the provisioning and cultural services were found to surpass the regulatory and supporting services of wetlands in agricultural and urban types, as compared to wetlands located in pristine areas. Although most of the local residents positively viewed wetland regulation and supporting services, weak policy and decision support such as wetland use planning, investment interventions and communal land ownership, and poor development of diversified livelihood were found to pose major challenges to sustainable utilization of wetland resources. The range of plant species diversity among the impaired wetlands was observed to be related to the degree of disturbance, with urban and agricultural wetlands being highly degraded as compared to pristine wetlands. Moreover, these impaired wetlands were found to be invaded by upland and exotic weeds, out-competing the socioeconomically and ecologically important native species.

We presenta relation betweenTsallis’s entropy and generalizedKerridge inaccuracywhich is called generalizedShannon inequalityand is well-known generalization ininformation theoryand then give its application in coding theory. The objective of the paper is to establish a result on noiseless coding theorem for the proposed mean code length in terms of generalized information measure of orderξ.

Background Coronavirus disease 19 (COVID-19) is a newly emerging pandemic affecting more than 120 million people globally. Compliance with preventive practices is the single most effective method to overcome the disease. Although several studies have been conducted regarding COVID-19, data on healthcare provider’s adherence to COVID-19 preventive practices during childbirth through direct observation is limited. Therefore, this study aimed to assess healthcare provider’s adherence to COVID-19 preventive practices during childbirth in northwest Ethiopia. Methods A multicenter study was conducted at hospitals in northwest Ethiopia among 406 healthcare providers from November 15 /2020 to March 10 /2021. A simple random sampling technique was employed to select the study subjects. Data were collected via face-to-face interviews and direct observation using a structured questionnaire and standardized checklist respectively. EPI INFO version 7.1.2 and SPSS 25 were used for data entry and analysis respectively. Binary logistic regression analyses were undertaken to identify associated factors. The level of significance was decided based on the adjusted odds ratio (AOR) with a 95% confidence interval at a p-value of ≤ 0.05. Results The proportion of healthcare providers having good adherence to COVID-19 preventive practices during intrapartum care was 46.1% (95% CI: 41.2, 50.9). Healthcare providers who had job satisfaction (AOR = 3.18; 95% CI: 1.64, 6.13), had smartphone and/or computer (AOR = 2.75; 95% CI: 1.62, 4.65), ever received training on infection prevention (AOR = 3.58; 95% CI: 2.20, 5.84), earned higher monthly income (AOR = 2.15; 95% CI: 1.30, 3.57), and worked at health facility in the urban area (AOR = 1.72; 95% CI: 1.07, 2.77) had a significant association with adherence to COVID-19 preventive practices. Moreover, the most commonly mentioned barriers for not adhering to the preventive practice of COVID-19 were crowdedness of the delivery room, non-availability of personal protective equipment, and shortage of alcohol or sanitizer. Conclusion The healthcare provider’s adherence to COVID-19 preventive practices was low. Hence, stakeholders need to pay special attention to increase healthcare provides’ job satisfaction. In addition, the provision of continuous training on infection prevention would be helpful. Furthermore, personal protective equipment, alcohol, and sanitizer supply must be provided for healthcare providers.

Background The immediate postpartum period is the most critical time for both the mother and the newborn. However, it is the most neglected part of the maternal continuum of care, and evidence in this regard was scarce in Ethiopia. Therefore, this study aimed to assess the healthcare provider’s adherence to immediate postpartum care guidelines and associated factors in hospitals of Gondar province. Methods A multicenter observational cross-sectional study was conducted among 406 healthcare providers from 15th November 2020 to 10th March 2021. Data were collected through face-to-face interviews and direct observation using a structured questionnaire and standardized checklist respectively. Data was entered into EPI INFO 7.1.2 and analyzed by SPSS version 25. Both bivariable and multivariable logistic regression analyses were carried out. The level of significance was declared based on the adjusted odds ratio (AOR) with a 95% confidence interval (CI) at a p-value of ≤ 0.05. Results Overall, 42.4% (95% CI: 37.5, 47.2) of healthcare providers had complete adherence to immediate postpartum care guidelines. Having birth assistant (AOR = 1.87; 95% CI: 1.10, 9.67), being married (AOR = 1.59; 95% CI: 1.15, 3.31), availability of postpartum care guidelines at the maternity ward (AOR = 2.39; 95% CI: 1.44, 3.98), received basic emergency obstetric and newborn care (BEmONC) training (AOR = 2.1; 95% CI: 1.2, 3.6), monthly income of ≥ 10001 Ethiopian birr (AOR = 3.55; 95% CI: 1.30, 9.67), and work experience of ≥ 6 years (AOR = 0.15; 95% CI: 0.06, 0.38) were significantly associated with healthcare providers adherence to immediate postpartum care guidelines. Conclusion This study indicated that health worker’s adherence to immediate postpartum care guidelines was low. Hiring adequate health workers, availing postpartum guidelines at the maternity ward, improving the salary and education opportunities for healthcare workers of healthcare workers, and provision of BEmONC training will have a great role in improving healthcare provider’s adherence to immediate postpartum care guidelines.

Background Respectful maternity care is one of the facilitators of women's access to maternity healthcare services. However, it has been evidenced that maternal healthcare services are compromised during the pandemic of coronavirus disease 19 (COVID-19). Moreover, there was a dearth of evidence on healthcare provider's adherence to respectful maternity care guidelines through direct observation. Hence, this study intended to assess healthcare provider's adherence to respectful maternity care guidelines during COVID-19 in northwest Ethiopia. Methods A multicenter observational cross-sectional study was conducted at hospitals in northwest Ethiopia from November 15th/2020 to March 10th/2021. A simple random sampling technique was employed to select 406 healthcare providers. Data were collected through face-to-face interviews and direct observation using a structured questionnaire and standardized checklist respectively. The data were entered into Epi Info 7.1.2 and exported to SPSS version 25 for analysis. A binary logistic regression model was fitted. Both bivariable and multivariable logistic regression analyses were undertaken. The level of significance was claimed based on the adjusted odds ratio (AOR) with a 95% confidence interval (CI) at a p-value of ≤0.05. Results The proportion of healthcare providers adhering to respectful maternity care guidelines during COVID-19 was 63.8% (95% CI: 59.1, 68.4). Job satisfaction (AOR = 1.82; 95% CI: 1.04, 3.18), professional work experience of 3–5 years (AOR = 2.84; 95% CI: 1.74, 4.6) and ≥6 years (AOR = 2.21; 95% CI: 1.11, 4.38), and having education parallel to work (AOR = 0.33; 95% CI: 0.21, 0.51) have an independent statistical significant association with adherence to respectful maternity care guidelines. Conclusion In this study, six out of ten healthcare providers had good adherence to respectful maternity care guidelines. Ensuring health worker's job satisfaction and providing education opportunities by the government would improve healthcare provider's adherence to respectful maternity care standards.

The traditional significance of livestock to rural communities in Ethiopia has resulted in intense pressures on available grazing areas, resulting in vegetation loss, reduced infiltration and increased runoff, greater erosion and land degradation. Unfortunately, the uptake of sustainable land management (SLM) practices in communal grazing land is constrained by a lack of land tenure security. Recently the International Fund for Agricultural Development, working with the Government of Ethiopia, has invested in the capacity of local administrations, to improve land demarcation and the issuance of both individual and community land certificates. This is concurrent with the promotion of improved SLM, particularly zero grazing of communal lands, known by communities as Exclosures. This pilot study reports the biophysical changes observed in four different Exclosures in the Amhara region compared to adjacent communal lands. Irrespective of age, it was found that vegetative cover, biodiversity levels and...

Background. Uterine rupture is tearing of the uterine wall during pregnancy or delivery. It may extend to partial or whole thickness of the uterine wall. It is usually a case where obstetric care is poor. In extensive damage, death of the baby and sometimes even maternal death are evident.Objective. This study assesses associated factors and outcome of uterine rupture at Suhul General Hospital, Tigray Region, Ethiopia, 2016.Methodology. A case-control study was conducted by review of data from September 2012 to August 2016. A total of 336 samples were studied after calculating by EPI-INFO using proportion of multiparity (53%) and ratio of 1 : 2 for cases and controls, respectively. Analysis was done using SPSS version 20. Bivariate and multivariate logistic regression was applied withp<0.05.Result. ANC, grand multiparity, malpresentation, and obstructed labor had association, but previous cesarean delivery was not significant. Perinatal mortality was 105 (93%) versus 13 (5.8%) in cases and controls, respectively. Anemia was highest for both groups (53.7% versus 32.1%).Conclusion. Majority of uterine rupture is attributed to prolonged or obstructed labor. Cases of uterine rupture had prompt management preventing maternal mortality, but burden of perinatal death is still high.

Summary: Background: We re-examined the participants of a clinical trial four years after enrolment to identify which of the two most commonly used eyelid surgery procedures to treat the blinding stage of trachoma (trachomatous trichiasis, TT), the posterior Lamellar Tarsal Rotation (PLTR) and Billamelar Tarsal Rotation (BLTR), gives better results in the long-term. Methods: A randomised, controlled, single masked clinical trial was done in Ethiopia. At baseline, adults (aged >18 years with upper lid unoperated TT were recruited from a community-based screening. Participants were randomly assigned (1:1), to either BLTR or PLTR surgery, stratified by surgeon. At 4 years an independent assessor masked to allocation examined the trial participants’ eyes using the same procedures as for the baseline and earlier follow-ups. The primary outcome was the proportion of individuals who had recurrence (postoperative TT, PTT) at the 4-year examination, or a history of repeat surgery in the 4-year period. The intervention effect was estimated by logistic regression, controlled for surgeon as a fixed effect in the model. The trial is registered with the Pan African Clinical Trials Registry (number PACTR201401000743135). Findings: 1000 participants with TT were enrolled, randomly assigned, and treated (501 in the BLTR group and 499 in the PLTR group) between Feb 13, 2014, and May 31, 2014. At year 4, 943 (94.3%) participants were re-examined (471, PLTR; 472, BLTR) and included in the primary outcome analysis. PTT had developed in 169/943 (17•9%) study eyes, among which 129 (76•3%) had minor trichiasis (≤5 lashes touching the eye). PTT was significantly more frequent at 4-year in the BLTR arm (105/472 [22•2%]) than the PLTR arm (64/471 [13•6%]), adjusted OR 1•82 (95% CI, 1•29–2•56); p = 0•0006, with 8•6% (95%CI 3•8–13•5) risk difference. Interpretation: The PLTR surgical procedure had superior long-term outcomes to the BLTR with significantly lower risk of PTT supporting the current WHO guideline that the PLTR should be the procedure of choice for training new surgeons in the programmatic management of TT. Keywords: Trachoma, Trichiasis, Ethiopia, Surgery, Postoperative, Recurrence

Background: Suicidal ideation and attempts are highly prevalent among medical students compared to the general population and negatively impacts the quality of life, physical, and mental well being of students. However, research into suicidal ideation and attempts among medical students in low and middle-income countries are limited. Therefore, this study aimed to explore the suicidal ideation and attempts and associated factors among medical students in Ethiopia. Methods : An institution based cross-sectional study was conducted on 393 medical students from March to June 2019 at the University of Gondar in Ethiopia. A simple random sampling technique used to get study units by their identification card. Suicidal ideation and attempts were assessed by using World Health Organization Composite International Diagnostic Interview (CIDI) to assess lifetime suicidal ideation and attempt during medical school. Data were collected using self-administered questionnaires. Bi-variable and multivariable logistic regression analyses were used to identify associated factors between suicidal ideation and attempts with the explanatory variables at P-value

The cladoceran fauna of Ethiopia (East Africa) was analyzed based on original sampling data, obtained during activity of the Joint Ethio-Russian Biological Expedition. In total, we found 63 species of Cladocera in Ethiopian water bodies: 26 species of Chydoridae, 18 species of Daphniidae, 6 of Moinidae, 5 of Macrothricidae, 5 of Sididae, 2 of Ilyocryptidae and 1 of Bosminidae. The highest cladoceran diversity (39 taxa) was marked in the mountainous Lake Tana; some of them are typical only for this lake. Diverse lakes, rivers and temporary pools have lower species diversity (24 taxa in total). Water bodies of Bale Mountains are characterized by significantly low cladoceran diversity and high proportion of endemic taxa which are still waiting for detailed description. In general, Ethiopia is inhabited by typical tropical cladocerans with broad distribution ranges, cosmopolitan, circumtropical and Afrotropical-Palearctic species, as well as endemic taxa for Africa and Ethiopian high mountains regions. A cladoceran collection created as a result of our work will be a base for future taxonomic and ecological studies in Ethiopia.Keywords/phrases: Africa, Biodiversity, Cladocera, Morphology, Taxonomy

The largest lake species flock within cyprinids comprises of 16`Lake Tana (Ethiopia) Labeobarbus species differing in ecology, morphology, and sites of reproduction. Most of them migrate to rivers for spawning and head down to the lake after spawning. During 2005−2015, species composition of Lake Tana barbs was studied in five rivers and their tributaries including those so far not sampled. Our observations revealed that several species, earlier considered to spawn in the lake, were found to be riverine spawning. Results confirm the occurrence of spatio-temporal segregation in barbs‟ reproduction as previously reported as a mechanism enhancing reproductive isolation between closely related Lake Tana barbs. However, considerable overlap both in space and time of spawning in different barb species recorded in this study indicates that spatio-temporal segregation is far from complete. Breeding behavior of Tana barbs was also studied in nature and in the laboratory. Species-specific differences were revealed in the pre-mating behavior of different barb species. It is proposed that barbs participate in reproductive isolation enhancing the effects of space-temporal segregation.Keywords/phrases: Breeding behavior, Labeobarbus, Lake Tana, Reproductive isolation, Spatio-temporal segregation

This paper presents results on the investigation of physical and chemical characteristics and macrozoobenthos in the Bahir Dar Gulf of Lake Tana in 2013−2014. Significant changes in the physico-chemical characteristics of water, local sites of nutrients’ pollution and seasonal peculiarities of characteristics, linked to the precipitation level were identified. A total of 21 species of macrozoobenthos were registered. Among the six study sites “Infranz river mouth” was found to be most diverse and abundant in macrozoobenthos community. This is probably due to the presence of ample organic matter, which is imported from river catchment, as well as additional microhabitats due to diverse vegetation development. The species diversity, similarity and total number and biomass of macrozoobenthos from the six sites of Bahir Dar Gulf are discussed.Keywords/phrases: Abundance, Ethiopia, Lake Tana, Macrozoobenthos, Species richness, Water chemistry

Upper Blue Nile basin (UBNB) is the water tower of Ethiopia and downstream countries. It contributes significant moistures to the surrounding atmosphere. However, the contribution of the moisture from the basin to the precipitation in the area is not well documented. Therefore, this paper is aimed at seasonal variation of upper Blue Nile basin moisture budget and the global moistures in the role of temporal and spatial precipitation variability. To this end, we used European Centre for Medium-range Weather Forecast (ECMWF) data from 1979-2017. The UBNB moisture contributed precipitation in the central parts of the study area during the summer season, while in spring; it contributed in southern part of the study area. Northwest part of the study area got precipitation from the basin moistures during autumn season. The recycling ratios for four seasons (summer, autumn, spring and winter) were 9.70%, 16.33%, 19.01%, and 35.30% respectively. The maximum amount of precipitation is extracted from the local moistures during winter season. The annual average value of recycling ratio was found 20.11%. Hence, we concluded that UBNB moisture budget had lesser contribution of precipitation over the study area. It rather contributed a significant precipitation to the neighboring countries such as Egypt and Sudan. Further studies on moisture budget are required to explain this phenomenon in the context of Ethiopia.

The main purpose of this study was to study the Ecosystem functionality in purifying municipal wastewater. Three drainage lines were selected to determine the efficiency of ecosystem in purifying waste water. The water quality parameters considered for this study were dissolved oxygen, total dissolved solids, biological oxygen demand, pH, conductivity, nitrate, phosphate, and ammonia. Pollutant load concentration flowing along to the three drainage lines and contributions to the Blue Nile river pollution were determined for the months March to May 2018. The load of BOD, TDS, and electrical conductivity, pH, nitrate, phosphate, and ammonia were reduced by 58.10%, 54.33%, 53.50%, 13.55%, 52.28%, and 75.20% respectively. The average concentration load of dissolved oxygen for canals #1 and #2 were enhanced by 70% while for Blue Nile river course it is reduced by 18%. Although the natural ecosystem show significant amount of reduction in chemical pollutants, the concentration in some parameters were still above the standard which requires enhancement of the ecosystem. Most water quality parameters of effluents at the Blue Nile river(Downstream) except BOD and DO were with within levels set by international standards for effluents to be discharged to surface water and FAO maximum permissible level set for waste water to be used for irrigation purposes. To reverse the adverse outcomes of effluents, treating wastes and preservation of the ecosystem is beneficial.

Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (OFDM) signaling is highly applicable in wireless communications, like 4G cellular networks, as it has better performance in a fading environment. However, OFDM signal has large Peak-to-Average Power Ratio (PAPR) which leads to signal distortion in the electronic components of the OFDM system transmitter. As a result, PAPR reduction techniques are used in OFDM systems. Selected Mapping (SLM) scheme is one method of reducing PAPR of OFDM signals. In this paper, we have demonstrated the PAPR reduction capability of SLM through simulation on MATLAB. In addition, we have shown the computational complexity incurred in using SLM to reduce PAPR. It is shown that the PAPR reduction capability of OFDM increases with increase in the number of candidate OFDM symbols. However, this is achieved at the cost of increased computational complexity, where the complexity also linearly with the number of candidate OFDM symbols.

The rapid growth of wireless communication system has put pressure on radio spectrum usage. Due to the widely used fixed spectrum access, spectrum utilization is very low. In order to overcome this problem, cognitive radio (CR), which leads the way for dynamic spectrum access capability is necessary. CR listens to the channel and enables to access unused spectrum of the primary user (PU). The detection decision would be done by either a single secondary user (SU) or by multiple SUs cooperating with each other.

Reducing CO2 emissions and carbon (C) sequestration have paramount importance to reverse climate change-induced challenges. Natural forests have great potential to sequester more C; hence, participatory forest management (PFM) has been practiced in Ambiki Remnant Natural forest (ARNF). Despite this, there are limitations of quantitative baseline data to evaluate the effect of PFM on C stock. This study was conducted at ARNF in Guangua district to estimate the aboveground biomass (AGB) and belowground biomass (BGB) and C stock of the forest.47 circular sample plots were established through systematic grid distance (500m) having 314m2area. Inventory on diameter at breast height (≥ 5 cm) and Height (m) for 33 species (630 trees) was conducted. AGB of each species was calculated using the recommended allometric equation and BGB was calculated as 27% of the AGB. C stocks of the forest were also calculated as 50% of the biomass. As a result, AGB and BGB of the forest was 226.56 ton/ha and 61.2 ton/ha and the AGC and BGC was also 113.28 ton/ha and 30.59 ton/ha, respectively. Of which, 39.9%, 20.24%, 18.6%, and 19.67% were contributed by Albizia schimperiana, Prunus africana, Croton macrostachys, and others respectively. Our result was lower compared to that of other forests and gained by a few species. Even though, it could be used as baseline information to know additive C via PFM practice in the forest. Furthermore, assisted natural regeneration and integrated management approaches are needed to enrich forest species and sequester more C in short period., Abyssinia Journal of Science and Technology, Vol. 3 No. 2 (2018)

Background Maternal deaths remain high in Ethiopia mainly due to poor maternal health service utilization. Despite men are the chief decision-makers and economically dominant in Ethiopia, the impact of their involvement on maternal health services utilization is not clear. This study aimed to assess the association between male involvement and women’s use of institutional delivery, and factors influencing male partners’ involvement in institutional delivery. Methods A community based cross-sectional study was conducted between March and May, 2019. A total of 477 married men who have children less than one year of age were interviewed. Face-to-face interviews using a pre-tested and structured questionnaire were used for data collection. Bivariate and multiple logistic regressions were carried out. SPSS version 23 was used for data analysis. Results Overall 181 (37.9%) husbands/partners were involved in institutional delivery for the most recent child birth. Male partners involvement in institutional delivery was strongly associated with an increased odds of attending institutional delivery by spouse [AOR: 66.2, 95% CI: 24.8, 177.0]. Education [AOR: 0.33, 95% CI: 0.18–0.59], knowledge on maternal health [AOR: 1.67, 95% CI: 1.11–2.50], favourable attitude towards institutional delivery [AOR: 1.83, 95% CI: 1.23–2.71], and no fear while supporting spouse [AOR: 2.65, 95% CI: 1.28–5.50] were positively associated with male partners involvement in institutional delivery. Conclusion Male partner’s involvement in institutional delivery was inadequate. This study reported a significant beneficial impact of male involvement on maternal health through improved utilisation of institutional delivery. Therefore, maternal health interventions should target husbands as consumers of maternal health services, and healthcare/government policies that isolate or discourage men from having active engagement in maternal health should be improved.