Administrative, Infrastructural and Finance Related Factors Affecting Private Investment in Ethiopia: Evidence from East Gojjam Zone of Amhara Regional State

The aim of this paper is to identify the main factors related to administrative, infrastructure and market related issues affecting private investment activities in East Gojjam zone with the intention of providing valuable information about the investment environment of the zone to potential investors. Descriptive type of research design has been used in this study by giving more emphasis on qualitative data analysis method. On the other hand, quantitative research analysis has been used to provide numerical measurement and analysis of the magnitude and extent of the problem and trend of private investment in the Zone. The study used both primary and secondary data. Pre-designed self-administered questionnaire has been used to collect primary data. The outcome of this study revealed that, the major bottlenecks of investment in East Gojjam related to administrative and policy related factors include policy distortions and rent seeking, direct government involvement in some investment areas, corruption and dysfunction of the judiciary system, malpractices in granting licenses of investment activities, favoritism in tax revenue collection, arbitrary and inappropriate enforcement of business regulations, bureaucracy and policy implementation delay. Whereas, infrastructural factors affecting private investment include inadequate electric energy, poor water supply and transportation and communication problems. Shortage of foreign currency, fluctuations of exchange rates, access to credit in formal financial institutions, inadequate amount of loan, high interest rates, and bureaucracy of lending institutions to give loan are finance related factors affecting private investment in the study area. Keywords: Private Investment, East Gojjam DOI: 10.7176/EJBM/12-34-05 Publication date: December 31st 202

Fabrication and Characterization of Small Molecule Organic Solar Cells

With increasing price of natural gas and petroleum products and their environmental concerns, alternative energy sources are required i.e. renewable energy sources. Solar energy is the abundant form of renewable energy. In addition to that, the total amount of solar power that incident on earth for an hour can cover the world’s annual electric power demand. Hence capturing even fraction of this abundant power source is vital. The technologies used to capture solar power are the photovoltaic systems which, through the photovoltaic effect in semiconductors in the solar cells comprising the system; convert the energy in the photons of the sunlight directly to electric power. The system with silicon solar cells has high production cost because of which it has been difficult for the system to be in to grid parity. The best alternative that attracted the attention of many researchers in the world is to use organic solar cells. Unlike their inorganic counterparts; the organic solar cells are easy and cheap to fabricate, light weighted, flexible, the semiconductors are tuneable with respect to their functions, colourful, can absorb light in cloudy days and semitransparent. The amount of semiconductor material required is very small (i.e. in 100nm). Because of these, even with half efficiency of inorganic ones can make them economical. The other advantage is that they can be used in areas where silicon solar cells haven’t been used and properties like light weightiness, flexibility and colourfulness are required. This could be in the sports, agriculture, medical sector …. However, they have disadvantages: low efficiency and shorter life span due to degradation of the semiconductors. Some of the factors that determine performance of solar cell are the type of structure used for the active layer of the solar cell and its thickness. The two kinds of structures we used in the lab were the bi-layer and bulk-junction photoactive layer. The performance of the bulk-junction solar cells increase with thickness of the photoactive layer up to certain point due to high intimacy of contact between the donor and acceptor and from this point on wards the performance decreases as recombination starts to dominate the effect of the intimacy of contact. Comparison of the bi-layer and bulk-junction solar cells for certain thickness tells that the bi-layer has higher fill factor and open circuit voltage than the bulk-junction due to relatively low recombination and density of states. The efficiency of organic solar cells is increasing at higher rate recently as researches have been taking place even in big named companies. The degradation of the organic semiconductors is due to oxygen and water valour from air which can be avoided by encapsulation of the solar cells

Public Infrastructures and Livelihood Strategies: The Case of Rural Households in Kersa District, Jimma Zone

[EN] Public infrastructures: roads, agricultural extension services, electricity, ICT, protected water sources, irrigation, formal education centers, and formal health centers are essential for human-being in diversifying their livelihood strategies. The general objective of this study is to examine the possible effect of rural public infrastructures on the rural households’ livelihood strategies. The empirical assessments elsewhere in Ethiopia and the circumstances on the rural livelihood in association with public infrastructures have conferred the paucity of sociological research. This study used the pragmatist research philosophy that advocates ontological and epistemological mixes in an effort to minimize the gaps noted on the empirical knowledge. Accordingly, the research strategy employs the triangulation of quantitative and qualitative approaches. As mirror to the methodological triangulation, the analysis has followed a mixed design that combines descriptive and inferential techniques with the themes emerging through qualitative explorations. Cross-tabulation descriptive statistics and binary and multinomial logistic regression were employed. Consequently, the findings of the research revealed that public infrastructures have a significant influence on livelihood diversification strategies. Specifically, there were significant associations whereby households who have access to assume infrastructures did more likely engage in mixed livelihood diversification strategies than households who don’t have access to respective rural public infrastructures. The findings from qualitative data also emphasize indispensability of given public infrastructures for diversification of livelihood strategies. Thus, by including cultural elements of local people, responsible bodies should increase the required resources for the purpose of upgrading and managing public infrastructures particularly on all-weather roads.Above all, we would like to express our gratitude to Jimma University for its material support in general. We also thank the University for covering the financial expenses to carry out the fieldwork particularly. We are grateful for the time and information shared by the public institutions during the fieldwork. We owe special respect to Kersa Woreda offices of transportation, education, health, ICT, energy and water, and development and irrigation. We thank them for opening their doors and enabling me to access relevant data, archives and documents. Our special gratitude is also due to the respondents of household survey, key informants and interviewees. Finally, we are also grateful for all our friends who have suggested and commented for the successful accomplishment of this study.Nagesso, H.; Ayele, T.; Nigussie, B. (2018). Public Infrastructures and Livelihood Strategies: The Case of Rural Households in Kersa District, Jimma Zone. Multidisciplinary Journal for Education, Social and Technological Sciences. 5(2):73-96. doi:10.4995/muse.2018.10383SWORD739652Anderson E. Paolo de R. and Stephanie L. 2006. The Role of Public Investment in Poverty Reduction: Theories, Evidence and Methods. Overseas Development Institute, 111 Westminster Bridge Road London SE1 7JD UKAnderson P. and Shimokawa S. 2006. Rural Infrastructure and Agricultural Development. Paper prepared for presentation at the Annual Bank Conference on Development Economics, Tokyo, Japan, May 29-30, 2006Ashley C. and Carney D. 1999. Sustainable livelihoods: Lessons from early experience. London, UKAssefa H., Bienen D., and Ciuriak D. 2012. 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"Community Development through Hydroelectric Project: A Case Study of Gilgel Gibe III Hydroelectric Power Project in Ethiopia." International Journal of Community Development 1(1):19-34Marvasti, Amir B. 2002. Qualitative Research in Sociology: An Introduction. London: SAGE Publications.Mensah J., Bourdon H., and Latruffe L. 2014. "Infrastructure Access and Household Welfare in Rural Ghana." African Development Review 26(3):508-519. https://doi.org/10.1111/1467-8268.12107Mogues T, 2011. "The Bang for the Birr: Public Expenditures and Rural Welfare in Ethiopia." Journal of Development Studies 47(5):735-752. https://doi.org/10.1080/00220388.2010.509925Narayanamoorthy A. and Hanjra A. 2006. "Rural Infrastructure and Agricultural Output Linkages: A Study of 256 Indian Districts." Ind. Jn. of Agri. Economics 61(3)Phillips P. and Roth H. 2013. Infrastructure: Global Priorities and Global Insights. Urban land instituteSatish p. 2007. "Rural Infrastructure and Growth: An Overview." Ind. 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The Major Predictors for Prognosis of Tetanus Cases in Working Equines: Experience of Addis Ababa University, Ethiopia

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Epidemiology of camel contagious ecthyma and molecular detection of the pathogen in Arero district, Ethiopia

Even though camels (Camelus dromedarius) were traditionally believed to be resistant to most livestock diseases, research has demonstrated that they are susceptible to a large number of infectious agents. Based on the clinical appearance of typical lesions, camel contagious ecthyma (CCE), caused by a Parapoxvirus (PPV), is thought to be one of the most common viral diseases of camels in Ethiopia. A cross-sectional study was conducted from November 2013 to April 2014 in the Arero district of Borena Zone, Oromia Regional State of Ethiopia to investigate the epidemiological aspect of CCE and molecularly identify the causative agent. A polymerase chain reaction (PCR) based on B2L gene-specific primers of PPV was used for the confirmatory diagnosis of the CCE virus from the skin lesion of camels showing suspected clinical signs of CCE infection. Eighty-seven percent (87.0%) of camel owners reported the occurrence of CCE outbreaks in their herds in the past year (a year preceding the start of the study). The overall morbidity and mortality rates attributed to CCE were 20% (95% CI: 11– 36%) and 6.3% (95 % CI: 5.2 –7.6%), respectively. Younger camels had higher odds of becoming affected by CCE than adults [OR=3.44 (95 % CI: 2.29 –4.09)] and the difference was statistically significant. Confirmatory diagnosis of the suspected cases using conventional PCR generated the expected amplification product size of 1200bp for one of the samples. Therefore, the study confirms the presence and importance of CCE in Ethiopia and establishes the basis for further investigation

A multiple-imputation-based approach to sensitivity analyses and effectiveness assessments in longitudinal clinical trials.

It is important to understand the effects of a drug as actually taken (effectiveness) and when taken as directed (efficacy). The primary objective of this investigation was to assess the statistical performance of a method referred to as placebo multiple imputation (pMI) as an estimator of effectiveness and as a worst reasonable case sensitivity analysis in assessing efficacy. The pMI method assumes the statistical behavior of placebo- and drug-treated patients after dropout is the statistical behavior of placebo-treated patients. Thus, in the effectiveness context, pMI assumes no pharmacological benefit of the drug after dropout. In the efficacy context, pMI is a specific form of a missing not at random analysis expected to yield a conservative estimate of efficacy. In a simulation study with 18 scenarios, the pMI approach generally provided unbiased estimates of effectiveness and conservative estimates of efficacy. However, the confidence interval coverage was consistently greater than the nominal coverage rate. In contrast, last and baseline observation carried forward (LOCF and BOCF) were conservative in some scenarios and anti-conservative in others with respect to efficacy and effectiveness. As expected, direct likelihood (DL) and standard multiple imputation (MI) yielded unbiased estimates of efficacy and tended to overestimate effectiveness in those scenarios where a drug effect existed. However, in scenarios with no drug effect, and therefore where the true values for both efficacy and effectiveness were zero, DL and MI yielded unbiased estimates of efficacy and effectiveness

Clinico-pathological Diagnosis of Facioscapulohumeral Dystrophy in a 22-year-old Male

Background: Facioscapulohumeral dystrophy (FSHD) is a rare hereditary disease with a prevalence of 2.03–6.8 per 100,000 individuals. FSHD is the third most common type of muscular dystrophy after the Duchene muscular dystrophy and myotonic dystrophy. To the best of our knowledge, the current case report is the first to report probable FSHD case mainly diagnosed using clinico-pathological evidence from sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). Case Report: A 22-year-old right-handed male college student presented with progressive proximal muscular weakness associated with wasting. The weakness started from the bilateral facial muscles and progressively involved proximal upper and lower limbs muscles associated with scapular winging, waddling gait, and bilateral foot drops. His bulbar, sensory, autonomic, and cognitive systems were spared. Muscles EMG showed myopathic patterns and normal serum CK. Muscle biopsy from affected muscles showed variation in fiber size with groups of angular fibers, preserved fibers, and hypertrophic fibers with marked fibrosis and adipose tissue replacement with no apparent inflammation and necrosis which is consistent with pathological features of muscular dystrophy. Considering the clinical semiology, physical findings, EMG findings, and pathological findings diagnosis of FSHD of scapuloperoneal variant was made. The patient was managed with analgesics, nutritional advice, and ankle prosthesis for foot drops. Currently, the patient is in a similar condition with modest improvement in his musculoskeletal pain complaints. Conclusion: This case highlights the fact that a careful clinical evaluation with thorough utilization of diagnostic investigations available at our disposal may support the diagnosis of FSHD in resource-limited areas where the necessary genetic tests were not available. Keywords: facioscapulohumeral muscular dystrophy, dystrophy, clinico-pathology, sub-Saharan Afric

Predictors of time to death among preterm neonates admitted to neonatal intensive care units at public hospitals in southern Ethiopia:A cohort study

Background Although the survival of preterm neonates has improved, thanks to advanced and specialized neonatal intensive care, it remains the main reason for neonatal admission, death, and risk of lifelong complication. In this study, we assessed time to death and its predictors among preterm neonates admitted to neonatal intensive care units (NICU) at public hospitals in southern Ethiopia. Methods A hospital based retrospective cohort was conducted among preterm neonates admitted to NICU at public hospitals in west Guji and Borena zones, Oromia National Regional State, southern Ethiopia. Simple random sampling technique was used to select records of preterm neonates admitted to both major hospitals in the study area. Data on neonatal condition, obstetric information, and status at discharge were collected from admission to discharge by trained research assistant through review of their medical records. Kaplan Meir curve and Log rank test were used to estimate the survival time and compare survival curves between variables. Cox-Proportional Hazards model was used to identify significant predictors of time to death at p&lt;0.05. Result Of 510 neonates enrolled, 130(25.5%; 95% CI: 22-29) neonates died at discharge or 28days. The median survival time was 18 days with an interquartile range of (IQR = 6, 24). The overall incidence of neonatal mortality was 47.7 (95% CI: 40.2-56.7) per 1000 neonatal days. In the multivariable cox-proportional hazard analysis, lack of antenatal care (AHR: 7.1; 95%CI: 4-12.65), primipara (AHR: 2.3; 95% CI: 1.16-4.43), pregnancy complications (AHR: 3.4; 95% CI: 1.94-6.0), resuscitation at birth (AHR: 2.1, 95% CI: 0.28-0.77) and not receiving Kangaroo mother care (AHR: 9.3, 95% CI: 4.36-19.9) were predictors of preterm neonatal death. Conclusion Despite admission to NICU for advanced care and follow up, mortality of preterm neonates was found to be high in the study settings. Addressing major intrapartum complications is required to improve survival of neonates admitted to NICU.</p

Predictors of time to death among preterm neonates admitted to neonatal intensive care units at public hospitals in southern Ethiopia:A cohort study

Background Although the survival of preterm neonates has improved, thanks to advanced and specialized neonatal intensive care, it remains the main reason for neonatal admission, death, and risk of lifelong complication. In this study, we assessed time to death and its predictors among preterm neonates admitted to neonatal intensive care units (NICU) at public hospitals in southern Ethiopia. Methods A hospital based retrospective cohort was conducted among preterm neonates admitted to NICU at public hospitals in west Guji and Borena zones, Oromia National Regional State, southern Ethiopia. Simple random sampling technique was used to select records of preterm neonates admitted to both major hospitals in the study area. Data on neonatal condition, obstetric information, and status at discharge were collected from admission to discharge by trained research assistant through review of their medical records. Kaplan Meir curve and Log rank test were used to estimate the survival time and compare survival curves between variables. Cox-Proportional Hazards model was used to identify significant predictors of time to death at p&lt;0.05. Result Of 510 neonates enrolled, 130(25.5%; 95% CI: 22-29) neonates died at discharge or 28days. The median survival time was 18 days with an interquartile range of (IQR = 6, 24). The overall incidence of neonatal mortality was 47.7 (95% CI: 40.2-56.7) per 1000 neonatal days. In the multivariable cox-proportional hazard analysis, lack of antenatal care (AHR: 7.1; 95%CI: 4-12.65), primipara (AHR: 2.3; 95% CI: 1.16-4.43), pregnancy complications (AHR: 3.4; 95% CI: 1.94-6.0), resuscitation at birth (AHR: 2.1, 95% CI: 0.28-0.77) and not receiving Kangaroo mother care (AHR: 9.3, 95% CI: 4.36-19.9) were predictors of preterm neonatal death. Conclusion Despite admission to NICU for advanced care and follow up, mortality of preterm neonates was found to be high in the study settings. Addressing major intrapartum complications is required to improve survival of neonates admitted to NICU.</p