Growth of youth-owned MSEs in Ethiopia: characteristics, determinants and challenges

The study examines the factors that influence the growth of youth-owned MSEs in Ethiopia using a sample survey of 909 operators which were selected through a multi-stage random sampling techniques. The result of the cross-tabulated descriptive statistics showed that the personal attributes, firm characteristics, inter-firm cooperation and policy predictability affected the growth of the MSE operators. Growth rate was also influenced by the diverse and heterogeneous character of the youth-owned MSEs. Unlike many other studies, the findings of this study reveal that the average growth rates of microenterprises are much lower than the small enterprises. Female-owned firms registered relatively lower growth rate compared to their male counterpart. The results obtained from the regression indicate that among the personal attributes of youth MSE owners: education, sole ownership form of business organization, small enterprise category, experience in similar business, and gender (male MSE owners) are significant variables which positively influence the growth of the youth operators. Out of the firm-level attributes, access to training before starting business, social networking and access to loan are statistically significant variables which negatively affect growth rate. On the other hand, access to product markets, future plan of the enterprises, saving culture, size of start-up capital and current capital are found as significant variables influencing the growth of youth-owned MSEs. The predictability of policies and inter-firm cooperation are also found to be significant variables affecting growth and expansion of youth-owned MSEs. Since the growth rate of microenterprises and women-owned enterprises are lower, the study suggests revisiting the current support program by crafting tailored interventions. Moreover, although inter-firm cooperation and policy predictability affect the growth of youth-owned MSEs, due focus should be given to improve social networking and building the trust and confidence of the operators on government policies and strategies.Keywords: Youth-owned micro and small enterprises (MSEs), Growth rate of firm

Integrating in-situ data with satellite-derived products to assess surface-groundwater interactions and sustainability of groundwater resources in semi-arid environment

In arid and semi-arid regions, water scarcity is nowadays a primary challenge, because of continuously increasing spatio-temporal rainfall variability and high evapotranspiration, both implying a decline of freshwater resources. Moreover, it is expected that this problem will worsen with the ongoing climate change. It is therefore important an in-depth investigations of the spatio-temporal surface-groundwater (SW-GW) interactions and sustainability of groundwater resources, which can be optimally realized through application of an integrated hydrological models (IHMs). This study proposes an approach to integrate satellite-derived products with in-situ measurements to assess the spatio-temporal SW-GW interactions and sustainability of groundwater resources in the data scarce Zamra catchment (ZC), northern Ethiopia. The research approach consists of four study chapters (chapter2-5). Chapter 2 focusses on the integration of daily satellite rainfall with in-situ rainfall. The study demonstrated that the Geographically Weighted Regression approach, could substantially reduce the daily biases between satellite and in-situ rainfall products in topographically complex areas, indicating further validation and improvement can be achieved by increasing in-situ gauge network and eventually considering more accuracy-effective explanatory variables. Chapter 3 focusses on the spatio-temporal estimate of interception loss (EI), characterized by various land use types and the overall estimated EI demonstrated high spatial and temporal variability, ranging on annual basis from zero at bare lands to 30% in forested areas. Chapter 4 focusses on derivation of PET as the product of RS-based, FAO-Penman-Monteith ETo and NDVI-based land use land cover factor (Kc). The NDVI-based Kc demonstrated high spatio-temporal variability, ranging from ~0.15 (bare land) to ~1.4 (forest), which resulted in higher PET values than the bias-corrected RS-based ETo in locations where Kc >1 and vice versa (i.e. in locations where Kc <1), which underlined substantial difference between ETo and PET. Chapter 5 focusses on IHM assessment of the spatio-temporal variability of SW-GW interactions and on sustainability of groundwater resources in the hydrologically complex ZC. RS approaches to estimate driving forces (Chapter 2-4) were applied as inputs of the MODFLOW 6 IHM (MOD6-IHM). The calibrated MOD6-IHM, showed high spatio-temporal water fluxes variability in the ZC, largely influenced by high spatio-temporal rainfall variability, in which the only source of water input. Throughout the MOD6-IHM solution, that rainfall (P) was partitioned into the two dominant sinks, evapotranspiration (ET=53.2% of P) and stream outflow (q= 46% of P). As the net recharge (1.6% of P) constrains groundwater resources sustainability, the issue of sustainability of ZC groundwater resources is crucial considering their future utilization for agricultural purposes

Physiological Adaptation of Animals to the Change of Environment: A Review

Animals living in different ecologies of the world have for several decades and for every moment of the day developed means for coping their environment as a matter of survival. Consideration must be given to effects and adaptive mechanisms for different environmental change. The concept of fitness of farm animal extends from ability to survive now and withstand environmental demands in future, to ability to produce sufficiently to justify cost of domestication. Homeostasis, physiological, biological and genetic adaptations are concepts in understanding the means by which animal cope with their environment. The concept of energy balance forms the central pivot which tilts the environmental change in different directions for animal to respond. Effective responses of animals to environmental change often result in depressed productivity even in attempt to apply mechanisms to ward off the pervading change of environmental condition. The responsibility of the producer is to understand these concepts in the management of the stock for survival and higher productivity by controlling the overbearing influence of the environmental change. Mammals are not only able to survive in arid environments, but they are able to thrive due to a wide array of adaptations. These adaptations allow the mammals to maintain a balance between thermoregulation and water balance.  Mammals use evaporative cooling techniques to maintain a constant body temperature, while at the same time they use behavioral adaptations to reduce heat load and water loss.  Many mammals do not need to ingest water to survive. Instead, they get it from the food they eat.  Nasal counterflow, concentrated urine, and dry faeces also reduce the amount of water an animal loses.  All these adaptations and more, play an important role in the animal’s ability to conquer the change of environment. Keywords: Physiological adaptation, homeotherm, and hyperthermi

Use of Different Non Protein Nitrogen Sources in Ruminant Nutrition: A review

Review was carried out on the use of different nitrogen sources in ruminant nutrition. Non-protein nitrogen (or NPN) is a term used in animal nutrition to refer collectively to components such as urea biuret uric acid and a number of other ammonia compounds which are not proteins but can be converted into proteins by microbes in the ruminant stomach. Urea is a simple compound that contains 46.7 percent of nitrogen compared to 16 percent for most proteins. There is no question but that urea and other non protein nitrogen substances can be fed safely to ruminants to replace part of the dietary protein. When urea with feed sources enters the rumen, it is rapidly dissolved and hydrolyzed into ammonia by bacterial urease. The amount of urea included in concentrate mixtures for cattle or sheep should not exceed 3 percent and usually the addition of 1 to 1.5 percent will prove adequate. In the total ration, the amount of urea should not exceed 1 percent. At these levels of intake, urea has proved an effective for growing and fattening beef cattle and for dairy cattle  Urea may cause toxicity and even death in ruminants if it is fed inadequately mixed with other feeds or in too large a dose. The toxic signs can easily be recognized. The slow-release of nitrogen from biuret is better matched to the energy in the diets of cattle consuming low-quality forages, thus improving the utilization of forage and reducing the metabolic cost of eliminating excess nitrogen in urea-based diets. Dried poultry waste (DPW) contains an contains true protein and high amount of NPN in the form of rumen degradable uric acid. Uric acid can be utilized by rumen microbes for protein production. Poultry manure can safely be supplemented to ruminant animals for considerable increase in performance. Keywords: Non protein nitrogen , urea, biuret, poultry mannur

Oral Health Knowledge, Practices and Attitude among Parents/Caretakers of Children with Heart Disease on Follow up at Tikur Anbessa Hospital

Background: Infective endocarditis is one of the most dreaded complications of structural heart disease. Poor oral hygiene has been implicated in the predisposition to infective endocarditis. The objective of this study is to assess the knowledge and practice of oral hygiene among parents of children with heart disease.Method: A cross sectional study using examiner administered questionnaire was used to obtain information on the oral health knowledge and practice of parents/caregivers of children with heart disease attending the pediatric cardiology clinic at Tikur Anbessa specialized Hospital. The study was conducted from April 1 to August 15, 2014.Results: A total of 384 caretakers of children participated in the study. About two-third (255) of the caretakers were informed on the importance of oral hygiene. Even though majority of the participants 317(82.6%) were aware about the benefits of tooth brushing, only 108(28.1%) reported using tooth brush and paste. The reason for not brushing teeth among the majority of caretakers (198, 71.7%) was that they did not think it was necessary. Lack of availability was mentioned by 53(19.2%) caretakers and unaffordability was mentioned by15 (5.4%).Caretakers’ knowledge on dental carries was also unsatisfactory. The role of the caretakers in the supervision of their children’s oral hygiene was also poor with only 19(4.9%) caretakers reportedly brushing their children’s teeth and 126(32.8%) watching and advising while the rest reportedly never cared, 89 (23.2%), or only gave advice but never watched, 150 (39.1%).Conclusion: This study has shown that the knowledge, attitude and practice of caretakers of children with heart disease on dental care to be poor. Many participants were not informed on the importance of oral hygiene on the prevention of infective endocarditis. Thus educating caretakers on the importance of regular tooth brushing habit, oral hygiene and regular preventive dental visit to reduce the risk of complication of the cardiac condition is recommended. [Ethiop. J. Health Dev. 2018; 32(2):82-87]Key words: oral health, children, heart disease

Flows, congruences, and factorizations

In this paper we study connections between flows and left congruences on the universal flow. It is shown that in the case of minimal flows such congruences admit a factorization in which the factors correspond to distal and proximal properties of the flow. © 1994

Assessing Teachers’ Perception on Integrating ICT in Teaching-Learning Process: The Case of Adwa College

Rapid growth and improvement in ICT have led to the diffusion of technology in education. The purpose of this study is to investigate teachers’ perception on integrating ICT in teaching-learning process. The research questions sought to measure teachers’ software usage as well as other instructional tools and materials, preferences for professional development on information gathering and support, factors that encourage teachers’ usage of technology, teachers’ perceptions of self-efficacy and barriers that teachers faced during technology utilization in teaching-learning process. A population of 72 teachers at Adwa College participated in this survey. The result on hardware and software usage shows that majority of teachers in the college are unable to use hardware in teaching learning process due to mainly shortage of resources. Teachers who cannot use ICT as instructional tool are 55.6 percent higher than those who can use it.  This indicates that most teachers in the college are not integrating ICT in the course they teach. In regard the information and support services, there is no equal support service by the technical support units.  Adwa College is found as poor by most of the teachers in preparing ICT trainings. The mean of the factors that encourage technology ranged from 2.72 to 2.99 which indicate that encouraging technology is important to apply ICT in teaching-learning process. Moreover, the mean for the perception of teachers about ICT usage ranged from 4.28 to 4.79 shows that Adwa College teachers have strong positive perception to use ICT in teaching-learning process. Pearson correlation (r=0.412) shows that there is significant relationship between teachers’ perception towards ICT integration into Teaching-learning process and the factors that encourage ICT usage. This indicates that the teachers’ perception towards ICT integration into teaching-learning process increases if ICT usage is encouraged and vice versa. The results of the correlation for the  relationship between teachers’ perception toward ICT usage to increase quality of courses they teach and their productiveness due to ICT usage is also found as significant (r=0.615). This indicates that the teachers’ productiveness is realized if ICT is integrated to the course they teach. However, majority of the teachers pointed out that one of the barriers to technology implementation is lack of teachers’ technical knowledge and shortage of resources. This shows that equipping the college with ICT is not enough for attaining educational change. Therefore, the college should critically focus to integrate ICT in each course to make courses interactive and easily understandable by their students. Key words: Adwa, Barriers, Diffusion of technology, Hardware and Software, ICT, Integration, Perceptions

Assessment of Sexual Assault Among Women in Assendabo Town, Oromiya Region, South West Ethiopia

BACKGROUND: Violence against women is increasingly being recognized as important human rights, development and health issue however it is difficult to know its magnitude in Ethiopia. The objective of this study is therefore to assess the magnitude of sexual assault among women in Assendabo town. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted on a sample of 323 women 10 years and above. Data was collected by trained female interviewers using structured questionnaire and entered into computer, tabulation and summarization was done using SPSS. RESULTS: Twenty-six (8.0%) of the respondents were lifetime sexual assault victims and 5 (1.5%) of the respondents were victims of sexual assault in the last one-year prior to data collection. Of lifetime sexual assault victims, majority 19 (73.1%) were victims of rape and five (19.2%) of the victims had encountered sexual assault more than once with mean age at first sexual assault was 15 year. Unwanted pregnancy, unsafe abortion and STD were the major problems reported as consequences of the assault. Thirty-three (10.2%) of the respondents and 21 (80.8%) of the victims prefer to keep quite about the event due to fear of associated social stigma. Most of the respondents, 282 (87.3%), knew the act of rape is punishable by law and 146 (45.2%) respondents believed that penal code of Ethiopia on rape that states maximum of 10 years imprisonment for the act of rape is inadequate. CONCLUSION: sexual assault is an important health and social problem-affecting women. Hence there is a need for more concerted efforts to be made in creating awareness among women to prevent the crime and encourage reporting among victims. Moreover medical care and psychological support should be strengthened to treat consequences of sexual assault.Ethiop J Health Sci. Vol. 14, No. 1 January 200

Explorations in Ethiopian Linguistics: complex predicates, finiteness and interrogativity

Explorations in Ethiopian Linguistics brings together twelve contributions on linguistic problems at the interface of morphosyntax and semantics/pragmatics in Semitic, Cushitic and Omotic languages of Ethiopia. The first section of the volume consists of two articles on interrogativity in Amharic and Baskeet. Their main concern is the morphosyntax and use of yes/no and content questions, and the morphology of interrogative pronouns. The second section assembles four chapters dealing with complex predicates in Amharic, Koorete, Zargulla and Xamtanga. They point out the semantic/pragmatic differences between complex predicates and their monoverbal counterparts, the morphosyntactic properties of the component verbs, and the differences between complex predicates and multi-clausal constructions. The six contributions of the third section are dedicated to issues of finiteness in Libido and various Ethiosemitic languages including Amharic, Gəʿəz, Gurage languages and Tigrinya. The studies show that a high degree of linguistic variability occurs in finiteness marking in these languages. In discussing verb forms that are neither fully finite nor fully infinite they provide further support for the hypothesis that finiteness should be considered a relational - scalar rather than an absolute - binary category. Most articles are based on presentations made at the 18th International Conference of Ethiopian Studies held from 29 October until 2 November 2012 in Dire Dawa, Ethiopia, and, thus, reflect recent research trends in the description of Ethiopian languages

Comparative studies on two culture methods for hookworm species identification

Abstract: Ninety stool specimens obtained from patients referred to the National Research Institute of Health and found to reveal hookworm ova were cultured using the Test Tube Filter Paper and the Charcoal methods with a view to recover and identify the third stage larvae. Infective larvae were harvested in a total of 88(97.8%) specimens, 79(87.8%) of which were detected by both methods. Only 5(5.6%) and 4(4.4%) were exclusively detected by the Test Tube and Charcoal methods, respectively. Except in one specimen where filariforms of both species (Necator americanus and Ancylostoma duodenale) were encountered, N.americanus was dominant. Both methods exhibited no significant difference (P > 0.05) in the development capacity of third stage larvae. The importance of culturing hookworm species in relation to the understanding of species dominance and the merits and demerits of both methods are discussed.[Ethiop. J. Health Dev.1995;9(3):189-191