Soil Erosion Estimation and Watershed Prioritization in Kulfo Watershed, Ethiopia

Soil loss by runoff is a severe and continuous environmental and infrastructural problem in Kulfo watershed. Deforestation and improper cultivation have resulted in accelerated soil erosion.  Information on soil loss is essential to support agricultural productivity and watershed management. Thus, study was aimed to estimate and map the soil loss by using GIS and RUSLE techniques raster format in GIS environment. Topographic map of 1:250,000 scale. Aster Digital Elevation Model (DEM) of 30 m spatial resolution. Digital soil map of 1:250.000 scales, fifteen years rainfall records of six stations nearby watershed and land sat imagery (ETM+) with spatial resolution of 30m were used to derive RUSLE's soil loss parameter. The RUSLE parameters were analyzed and superimposed using raster calculator in the geo-processing tools in ArcGIS10.2 environment to estimate and map the annual soil loss of the study area. The result showed that the mean annual soil loss of the watershed range from none significant (0 tons ha-1y-1) to highly sever (253.38 ton ha-1y-1). The mean annual soil loss of the whole watershed was 88.57 tons ha-1y-1. The total annual soil loss in the watershed was 3,862,077 ton per year from 39900 ha of land. The soil erosion affected is spatially situated in the upper steepest slope part and middle part of the watershed. This area where acrisols with high soil Erodibility character are dominant  Hence, Slope gradient and length followed by soil Erodibility factors were found to be the main factors of soil erosion .The morphological character also the determinant factor for soil and water conservation practice. Thus, sustainable soil and water conservation practices should be adopted in the most sever area of the watershed. Keywords: Geographical Information System, Erosion, RUSLE, watershed prioritization DOI: 10.7176/JNSR/10-1-01 Publication date: January 31st 202

Diatom community structure in relation to physico-chemical factors in a tropical soda Lake Shala and inflowing hot-springs, Ethiopia

Diatoms are highly diverse and versatile, with members growing under different environmental conditions including extreme environments. Although diatom communities in some extreme environments have been investigated recently, little is known about their community structure within the hot springs of soda lakes in Ethiopia. The study aimed to assess the diversity and distribution of diatoms from Lake Shala and inflowing hot springs in relation to physico-chemical variables. Water and diatom samples were collected from Lake Shala and three inflowing hotsprings. The mean pH, temperature, EC, salinity, TDS, DO, NO3-+NO2-, NH3+NH4+, SRP, TP and SiO2 were significantly different among the stations. The significant variations in these factors could be attributed to their heterogeneous geological characteristic and the hydrology of the study area.  A total of 45 diatom taxa were identified, with the highest species observed in Shala Hora Mid Hotspring sites (37) and the lowest in Shala Gike Hotspring (29). Diatom community structure was also examined and it was found that the diatom community of Lake Shala and inflowing hotsprings are highly influenced by environmental water conditions. Characteristic taxa including Anomoeoneis sphaerophora, Nitzschia spp., Rhomboids gibberula, R. gibba, R. acuminata, R. operculata, Navicula spp. and Frustulia rhomboids, showed a wide tolerance to pH, salinity, EC, TDS, temperature, nitrogen and phosphate. RDA analysis found a number of discriminating taxa and salinity, conductivity, pH, DO SRP and temperature were key factors that accounted for a significant variation in the diatom community structure

Tumor Lysis Syndrome in Patients with Hematological Malignancies

Tumor lysis syndrome is a metabolic complication that may follow the initiation of cancer therapy. It commonly occurs in hematological malignant patients particularly non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma and acute leukemia due to chemotherapy or spontaneously. It is characterized by a biochemical abnormality such as hyperuricemia, hyperkalemia, hyperphosphatemia, and hypocalcemia and its clinical outcome is directly related to these biochemical abnormalities. Prevention and treatment of tumor lysis syndrome depend on immediate recognition of patients at risk. Therefore, identifying patients at risk and prophylactic measures are important to minimize the clinical consequences of tumor lysis syndrome. Patients with low risk should receive hydration and allopurinol. On the other hand patients with high risk should receive hydration and rasburicase in an inpatient setting. It is important to start therapy immediately, to correct all parameters before cancer treatment, to assess risk level of patients for TLS, and to select treatment options based on the risk level. In this review a comprehensive search of literatures was performed using MEDLINE/PubMed, Hinari, the Cochrane library, and Google Scholar to summarize diagnostic criteria, incidence, predicting factors, prevention, and treatment options for tumor lysis syndrome in patients with hematological malignancies

Knowledge, Attitude and Practice Regarding Blood Donation among Graduating Undergraduate Health Science Students at the University of Gondar, Northwest Ethiopia

BACKGROUND: Blood transfusion is one of the most essential needs to manage patients suffering from various medical conditions. Nowadays, voluntary blood donors are the only source of blood in the blood banks. There is a great need to create awareness among the population at large and students about blood donation to maintain a regular blood supply. Health Science students can be used as best model to lead this initiative. Hence, the aim of this study was to assess the knowledge, attitude and practice regarding blood donation among graduating undergraduate Health Science students.METHODS: A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted among graduating undergraduate Health Science students at University of Gondar using structured pre-tested self-administered questionnaire. Stratified sampling technique was employed to select study participants. A total of 225 students participated in the study. Data was entered into and analyzed using SPSS software version 20. Mean score was used to categorize the knowledge and attitude. Binary logistic regression model was fitted to identify factors associated with knowledge, attitude and practice regarding blood donation.RESULT: Among 255 undergraduate Health Science graduate students, 123(48.2%) and 202(79.2%) had adequate knowledge about and positive attitude regarding blood donation, respectively. About 12.5% of them had ever donated blood before. Age ≥25 years was significantly associated with practice of blood donation (AOR=4.33; 95%CI: 1.60, 11.76).CONCLUSION: Although the majority of the students had positive attitude regarding blood donation, blood donation practice was low. Age was found to be significantly associated with blood donation practice. Targeted strategies should be designed to increase awareness of health science students about blood donation. Strategies which encourage the students to donate blood voluntarily should also be designed. KEYWORDS: Knowledge, attitude, practice, blood donatio

Pastoralists do plan! Community-led land use planning in the pastoral areas of Ethiopia

This paper consolidates a set of case studies which document how pastoralists plan land and resource use in pastoral and agro-pastoral areas of Ethiopia. These case studies are drawn from the regional states of Afar, Somali, Southern Nations, Nationalities, and Peoples (SNNP), Oromia, and Gambella. They describe not only why, how, and when pastoralists plan, but also the management and governance structures that control planning processes and the later implementation of the plans. By doing this, the paper provides guidance on how best such planning processes can be supported, and how they can be integrated with and/or built on by other planning processes such as those led by government

Fisheries in Lake Tinishu Abaya (Ethiopia) could be managed using dietary nature of Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus L. 1757)

Lake Tinisu Abaya is home to some fish species. The lake’s native fish species include Barbus and Tilapia zilli. Tilapia fish (Oreochromis niloticus L.) were stocked in Lake Tinishu Aabaya in 1997. This study aimed to investigate the feeding behaviors of O. niloticus in Lake Tinishu Abaya to develop an appropriate fisheries management approach in the lake. 428 O. niloticus fish samples (2.5 to 30.9 cm and 1.1 to 475 g) were collected to calculate the diet composition. Out of the total of 428 gut contents examined, 55 (12.85%) were found to be empty and 373 (87.15%) to be containing one or more food items. The diet behavior of the stocked fish in the study lake revealed that phytoplankton (39.5% by volume) and macrophytes (25.81% by volume) were the most noteworthy food items followed by detritus (14.39%) and zooplankton (12.95%). With increasing fish size, the importance of phytoplankton, macrophytes, and detritus increased while the contribution of zooplankton, insects, and other foods with an animal origin decreased. Seasonal variation in the diet composition of fish was evident (t-test; p < 0.05). Macrophytes, zooplankton, and detritus were the dominating food items during the wet season, while phytoplankton predominated during the dry season. This study demonstrated that O. niloticus had phytoplanktivores that primarily consumed phytoplankton and that the seasons and fish size had a significant impact on their feeding preferences. The diet of O. niloticus in Lake Tinishu Abaya comprised foods with both plant and animal origins. It concludes that the dietary habit of O. niloticus in the lake is, generally, the omnivorous type

Current fishery status in Ethiopian reservoirs: challenges and management

Ethiopia is branded as the Water Tower of Africa because of its abundant inland water bodies that may be used sustainably to boost the economy. This review article’s goal is to examine the current status and future potential of Ethiopia’s fisheries, with a special focus on reservoirs. There are 200 known fish species (194 native, 40 endemic, and 11 exotic) in in Ethiopia’s inland water. Ethiopia’s fish production has increased by a factor of more than five in the past three decades (3,500 tons in 1983 to 15,681 tons in 2000 and 18,058 tons in 2010). However, fish produced in reservoirs is too low (8,059 t/year). The current fish harvests from reservoirs are significantly below the predicted potential yield, accounting for only 35% of the calculated fish production capacity. In this review, 14 potential reserves were revealed. A total of 48 fish species have been reported in these, of which 26 species (or around 54%) are present in Alwero reservoir. 19 of the 48 species that have been officially recognized belong to the Cyprinidae family and made up nearly 40% of the fish population in Ethiopian reservoirs. There has been, however, a decline in the productivity of Ethiopia’s reservoir fish. Hence, actively start fishing in the numerous reservoirs that have been neglected yet, link the potential of fisheries and the benefits of the fish farming supply chain, let’s begin building several other reservoirs similar to the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam and beginning mechanized-based fish harvesting

Notes on the ecology of Ethiopian Bush-crow Zavattariornis stresemanni

We used the focal sampling method to conduct a behavioural study of the endemic Ethiopian Bush-crow Zavattariornis stresemanni in the Yabelo-Mega area of southern Ethiopia. We found that feeding rates were lower in areas with low sward height and low numbers of trees. This was particularly concerning given the degradation of natural habitat in this area

Magnitude of Anemia in Geriatric Population Visiting Outpatient Department at the University of Gondar Referral Hospital, Northwest Ethiopia: Implication for Community-Based Screening

Objective. This study is aimed at assessing the magnitude and its associated factors of anemia in geriatric population visiting outpatient department at the University of Gondar referral hospital, northwest Ethiopia. Method. A cross-sectional study was conducted among elder patients in Gondar town, North Gondar District, in May 2013. A total of 200 randomly selected geriatric population participated in the study. Summary statistics were computed and presented in tables and figure. Both bivariate and multivariable binary logistic regression were fitted to identify associated factors. A P value < 0.05 was considered as statistically significant. Result. The median age of the study participants was 65 years (Interquartile range (IQR): 8 years). The prevalence of anemia in the geriatric patients was 54.5% (n=109), of which 61.5% (n=67) were males. Mild type anemia was predominant, 55.96% (n=61). Geriatric patients with an elevated erythrocyte sedimentation rate (AOR = 9.04, 95% CI: 4.2–19.7) and who are vegetarians (AOR = 2.2, 95% CI: 1.03–4.71) were at high risk of developing anemia. Conclusion. The magnitude of anemia was high in geriatrics. Mild anemia was the predominant type. Vegetarians and geriatrics with elevated erythrocyte sedimentation rate were more likely to develop anemia. Hence, early diagnosis and management of anemia have paramount importance to prevent adverse outcomes in geriatrics