Antagonistic Effect of Native Bacillus Isolates against Black Root Rot of Faba Bean

Faba bean (Vicia faba L.) is one of the most important pulse crops grown in eastern Africa. Black root rot (Fusarium solani) is known to cause great yield losses in faba bean, especially in the highlands of Ethiopia. The objective of this study was to evaluate the biological control ability of native Bacillus species on the basis of their antagonistic effects against F. solani. The study was conducted in vitro and in a greenhouse. All tested Bacillus isolates significantly (P<0.05) reduced radial mycelial growth of the pathogen. Seven bacterial isolates restricted growth of the pathogen to <14 mm diameter, and showed 39-44% efficacy over the positive control. Isolate BP048 was the most effective, with 43.6% efficacy. The lowest inhibitory effects, 15.5 and 27.8%, were recorded from isolates BS083 and BS0102, respectively. The culture filtrate of the bacterial isolates also inhibited F. solani spore germination. In vivo, the isolates significantly reduced severity of black root rot on artificially inoculated faba bean seedlings. The antagonist Bacillus isolates kept black root rot severity low with more than 50% disease suppression, compared to the untreated control.Keywords: Ethiopia, Fusarium solani, Vicia faba

Poverty and inequality – but of what - as social determinants of health in Africa?

Background: Many African economies have achieved substantial economic growth over the past recent years, yet several of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) including those concerned with health, remain considerably behind target. This paper examines whether progress towards these goals is being hampered by existing levels of poverty and income inequality. It also considers whether the inequality hypothesis of Wilkinson and Pickett1 applies to population health outcomes in African states.Methods: Correlation analysis and scatter plots were used to assess graphically the link between variations in health outcomes, level of poverty and income inequality in different countries. Health status outcomes were measured by using four indicators: infant and under-five (child) mortality rates; maternal mortality ratios; and life expectancy at birth. In each of the 52 African nations, the proportion of the population living below the poverty line is used as an indicator of the level of poverty and Gini coefficient as a measure of income inequality. The study used a comprehensive review of secondary and relevant literature that are pertinent in the subject area. The data datasets obtained online from UNICEF2 and UNDP3 (2009) used to test the research questions. World Health Organization the three broad dimensions to consider when moving towards better population health outcome through Universal Health Coverage and the Social Determinants of Health framework reviewed to establish the poverty and income inequality link in African countries population health outcomes.Results: The study shows that poverty is strongly associated with all health outcome differences in Africa (IMR, cc = 0.63; U5MR, cc = 0.64; MMR, cc = 0.49; life expectancy at birth, cc = -0.67); income inequality with only one of the four indicators (IMR, cc = 0.14; U5MR, cc = 0.07; MMR, cc = 0.22; life expectancy at birth, cc = -0.49), whereas income inequality is associated with one of the four indicators.Conclusion: The study shows that tackling poverty should be the immediate concern in Africaas a means of promoting better health for all. There is a question mark over whether the findings of Wilkinson and Pickett1 on the relationship between income inequality and health apply to Africa. The reasons for this question mark are discussed. More research is needed to investigate whether the inequality results found in this study are replicated in other studies of African health.Keywords: Health inequalities, poverty, income inequality, MDGs, social determinants of health, Afric

Carcass Yield and Quality of Pork from Pigs Fed Graded Levels of Fig (Ficus sur) Fruits Mixed with Maize Grain

Twenty growing Yorkshire piglets of 27.8±1.4kg (mean ± SD) average initial weight were used to investigate the effect of feeding different proportions of ground Ficus sur fruits (FSF) mixed with ground maize grain (MG) on carcass yield and quality attributes. The experiment was conducted in randomized complete block design (RCBD) with four treatments and five replications per treatment. The treatment diets were: 100% FSF and 0%MG represented as (100FSF), 67% FSF and 33% MG (67FSF), 33% FSF and 67% MG (33FSF) and 0% FSF and 100% MG (0FSF). For all treatments protein supplement (NSC+SBM) was given to provide about 18% CP to make the ration isonitrogenous. Except for the slaughter weight, which significantly (P<0.05) increased with increase in MG level in the diets, all other carcass measurements and primal cuts did not differ (P>0.05) among the treatments. However, lungs (P=0.012) and gastro intestinal tract (GIT) (P=0.001) among the viscera organs were varied. None of the quality attributes of the pork significantly differed (P>0.05) in color, taste, flavor, juiciness, tenderness and texture among the treatments. This indicates that similar quality pork can be produced by feeding FSF as those fed with MG. It is, therefore, concluded that substitution of MG with FSFs in the diets of pigs can result in comparable carcass yield and quality attributes

Utilization and Determinants of Postnatal Care Services in Ethiopia: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

BACKGROUND: Postnatal care use is vital in saving mother and newborn lives which is a continuum of care for maternal, neonatal and child health. This reviewaimed to determine the utilization and determinants of postnatal care use in Ethiopia.METHODS: PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, and Embase databases were searched on June 25, 2017. The study screening, data extraction and quality assessment were done independently by two reviewers. Effect sizes were pooled using a random-effectsmodel.RESULTS: Nine articles were included in the review. The pooled estimate for utilization of the service was 32% (95% CI: 21%, 43%). The pooled results of determinants of postnatal care use was statistically significant among those mothers who had ability to make decisions (1.89; 1.25, 2.54), had a history of antenatal care utilization (2.55; 1.42, 3.68), received more than two antenatal care visits (1.84; 1.28, 2.40), and received the service from skilled service provider (3.16; 1.62, 4.70). It was also found that mothers who gave birth in health faciliteis (2.13; 1.14, 3.12), had middle monthly income, richer, were from urban areas, and had knowledge of obstetric danger signs were significantly associated with increased odds of postnatal care use.CONCLUSION: Utilization of the services is low in Ethiopia. Antenatal care utilization, skilled service provider, being from urban area and delivery in health facility had a significant effect on postnatal care utilization. More rigorous studies are needed to identify determinant with the causal association to postnatal care utilization. The review was registered on PROSPEROCRD42017060266

Electrolytes and Interphases in Sodium-Based Rechargeable Batteries: Recent Advances and Perspectives

For sodium (Na)-rechargeable batteries to compete, and go beyond the currently prevailing Li-ion technologies, mastering the chemistry and accompanying phenomena is of supreme importance. Among the crucial components of the battery system, the electrolyte, which bridges the highly polarized positive and negative electrode materials, is arguably the most critical and indispensable of all. The electrolyte dictates the interfacial chemistry of the battery and the overall performance, having an influence over the practical capacity, rate capability (power), chemical/thermal stress (safety), and lifetime. In-depth knowledge of electrolyte properties provides invaluable information to improve the design, assembly, and operation of the battery. Thus, the full-scale appraisal of both tailored electrolytes and the concomitant interphases generated at the electrodes need to be prioritized. The deployment of large-format Na-based rechargeable batteries also necessitates systematic evaluation and detailed appraisal of the safety-related hazards of Na-based batteries. Hence, this review presents a comprehensive account of the progress, status, and prospect of various Na+-ion electrolytes, including solvents, salts and additives, their interphases and potential hazards

Measuring Hidden Support for Physical Intimate Partner Violence: A List Randomization Experiment in South-Central Ethiopia

Understanding how and why physical intimate partner violence (IPV) persists in high-risk communities has proven difficult. As IPV is both sensitive and illegal, people may be inclined to misreport their views and experiences. By embedding a list randomization experiment (LRE), which increases respondent privacy, in a survey of 809 adult Arsi Oromo men and women in rural south-central Ethiopia, we test the reliability of direct questioning survey methods (e.g., used in the Demographic and Health Surveys) for measuring attitudes that underpin the acceptability of IPV. Participants were randomly assigned versions of the survey in which they were asked either directly or indirectly about the acceptability of wife-beating. By comparing responses across these surveys, we identify the extent to which views are being misreported using direct questioning methods, as well as identifying the "true" predictors of continued support for wife-beating. Indirect questioning reveals that almost one third of the sample believe that wife-beating is acceptable. Adults (particularly men) who are less educated (50% endorsement). These individuals, however, are also more inclined to hide their approval when asked directly by an interviewer. That we find high but underreported support for wife-beating among some members of the community demonstrates a clear need to encourage a more open dialogue, to prevent violence toward women remaining undetected and thus unchanged. This finding also raises questions about the accuracy of traditional direct questioning for capturing information on IPV attitudes and norms. Of relevance to policy, we find that wife-beating is entirely absent only among adults with higher levels of education, living in households where decision making is shared between couples.Wellcome Trust Seed AwardMinisterio de Educación, Cultura y Deport

Empowerment training to support service user involvement in mental health system strengthening in rural Ethiopia:a mixed-methods pilot study

BACKGROUND: Increased service user involvement is recommended to improve weak mental health systems in low-and middle-income countries (LMICs). However, involvement is rarely implemented and interventions to support involvement are sparse. In this study we evaluated the acceptability, feasibility and perceived outcomes of an empowerment and training program for service users and health professionals to facilitate service user involvement in mental health system strengthening in rural Ethiopia. METHODS: REducing Stigma among HealthcAreProvidErs (RESHAPE) is a training curriculum for service users, their caregivers and aspirational health workers, which uses PhotoVoice methodology, to prepare them in participation of mental health systems strengthening in LMICs. We delivered the RESHAPE training augmented with empowerment content developed in Ethiopia. The interactive face-to-face training was delivered to service users and caregivers (over 10 days), and health professionals (1 day) separately. The study was an uncontrolled, convergent mixed-methods design. The quantitative data consisted of process data, satisfaction questionnaire, and a retrospective pre-test survey. Qualitative data included exit and follow-up in-depth interviews with the service users. Descriptive statistics were performed for quantitative data, and qualitative data were thematically analysed. The findings were integrated through triangulation for convergent themes following analysis. RESULTS: Twelve service users, 12 caregivers and 18 health professionals were enrolled, and completed the training. Participants valued the content and delivery process; the standard of the training program met their expectations and participation led to positive gains in understanding about mental illness, stigma, service-user involvement and human rights. The qualitative findings identified positive impacts, including increased self-confidence, sense of empowerment, social - and perceived therapeutic benefits. CONCLUSIONS: We found that the RESHAPE training with added content for Ethiopia, delivered using the PhotoVoice methodology, is feasible, acceptable and of value to develop and implement training programmes which can empower service users to be involved in mental health system strengthening in this setting. Further study to assess the impact on health systems strengthening is warranted

Understanding Mental health stigma and discrimination in Ethiopia: A qualitative study

Background Stigma is significantly impacted by cultural and contextual value systems. People with mental health conditions frequently have to deal with the condition itself and the associated stigma and discrimination. Contextual understanding is essential to design measures and interventions. Objective This study aimed to explore the experiences and perceptions of people with mental health conditions, their families and key stakeholders. Method A qualitative method used to understand mental health-related stigma and its local contexts. Sixteen participants, including service users, caregivers, service providers and health service administrators, were interviewed. Result People with mental health conditions and their caregivers experienced various forms of stigmatization which is linked to attributions about the causality of the illness, overt manifestations of mental health condition leading to easy identification and functional impairments that adversely affect participation. Social contact, lived experiences sharing and training of service providers are relevant intervention strategy to address stigma. Implication Stigma and exclusion are prominent in the experiences of people with mental health conditions and their caregivers in this rural Ethiopian setting. Measurement of stigma and the development of interventions should consider how stigma is socially constructed. Anti-stigma interventions need to be implemented alongside expanded local access to mental healthcare.</p

Geostatistical methods for modelling non-stationary patterns in disease risk

One of the tenets of geostatistical modelling is that close things in space are more similar than distant things, a principle also known as “the first law of geography”. However, this may be questionable when unmeasured covariates affect, not only the mean of the underlying process, but also its covariance structure. In this paper we go beyond the assumption of stationarity and propose a novel modelling approach which we justify in the context of disease mapping. More specifically, our goal is to incorporate spatially referenced risk factors into the covariance function in order to model non-stationary patterns in the health outcome under investigation. Through a simulation study, we show that ignoring such non-stationary effects can lead to invalid inferences, yielding prediction intervals whose coverage is well below the nominal confidence level. We then illustrate two applications of the developed methodology for modelling anaemia in Ethiopia and Loa loa risk in West Africa. Our results indicate that the non-stationary models give a better fit than standard geostatistical models yielding a lower value for the Akaike information criterion. In the last section, we conclude by discussing further extensions of the new methods