Biomass and soil carbon stocks in different forest types, Northwestern Ethiopia

Attempts to mitigate global climate change have brought forestry into focus. Forests absorb carbondioxide from the atmosphere, alleviate global warming and contribute for rural livelihoods. To realize these benefits, there is a need to conserve the existing forests and establish new forests by using different restoration techniques. Information is scarce in Ethiopia on the carbon stock efficiency of the different forest types. Therefore, this study focused on comparing biomass and soil carbon stock potential of a natural forest, exclosure and Eucalyptus plantation. Primary and secondary data were collected and analysed using allometric equations. The results of this study stated that the total mean carbon stock for exclosure was 131.6 ± 45.5 t ha−1, for plantation 160.1 ± 35.8 t ha−1 and for natural forest 195.3 ± 58.3 t ha−1. The carbon stocks in each pool exhibited distinct patterns between the forest types. The above ground, below ground and soil organic carbon stock, increased in the natural forests and plantation, while the litter carbon stock showed decreasing towards the exclosure. Generally, the total natural forests store high amount of carbon and can play an important role in climate change mitigation. The carbon pool variation between different forest types was significant at (P < .05); however, there was no significance difference between forest types by aboveground and belowground biomass. From the main findings of this study, it is possible to conclude that climate change mitigation measures should consider expanding exclosure with the same priority as conserving natural forest and increasing plantation forests

The role of medical data in efficient patient care delivery: a review

Kasaw Adane,1 Mucheye Gizachew,2 Semalegne Kendie3 1Unit of Quality Assurance and Laboratory Management, School of Biomedical and Laboratory Sciences, University of Gondar, Ethiopia; 2School of Biomedical and Laboratory Sciences, Department of Medical Microbiology, University of Gondar, Gondar, Ethiopia; 3School of Sociology and Social Work, Department of Social Work, University of Gondar, Gondar, Ethiopia Background: Implementing accurate data management systems ensure safe and efficient transfer of confidential health care data. However, health care professionals overlooked their important tasks of medical data processing. Hence, using high-quality electronic health record (EHR) applications in health care is important to minimize medical errors. Therefore, this review tries to indicate the roles of EHR in advancing quality health care service provisions. Methods: The keywords identified were EHR, EMR, medical data processing, medical data retention, medical data destruction, health care, and patient care, and a few related terms with different combinations. PubMed (National Library of Medicine), Google Scholar, and Google search engine were used to search for articles from those databases. Searching was done using boolean words &ldquo;AND&rdquo;, &ldquo;OR&rdquo;, and &ldquo;NOT&rdquo; using all [All fields] and [MeSH Terms] searching strategies. Results: Articles were screened using the title, checked by their abstract, and the remaining related full-text materials were included or excluded by two individuals deciding its eligibility. Finally, 73 materials issued from 2013&ndash;2018 were used for qualitatively synthesizing and reconciling the idea to produce this review article. Conclusion: Poor medical data processing systems are the key reasons for medical errors. Employing standardized data management systems reduce errors and associated sufferings. Therefore, using electronic tools in the health care institution ensures safe and efficient data management. Therefore, it is important to establish appropriate medical data management systems for efficient health care delivery. Keywords: electronic medical data, health care data, medical data processin

Effects of the Ghana school feeding programme on enrolment, attendance and drop-out rate in basic schools in Savelugu-Nanton District: Effects of the Ghana school feeding programme on enrolment, attendance and drop-out rate in basic schools in Savelugu-Nanton District

For reasons of its geographical location, colonial legacies and cultural practices, the Savelugu-Nanton District is characterised by high illiteracy rate, poverty and low school attainments. The Savelugu-Nanton District was a beneficiary district during the five year piloting of the Ghana School Feeding Programme. The objectives of the study were to examine the effectiveness of the implementation processes of the GSFP and assess the effect of the policy on school attainments in the beneficiary schools and to suggest recommendations towards improving its management. The study employed triangulation. Survey instruments were administered on a study sample of 53 respondents selected purposively from the GSFP institutional set up and major stakeholders. Survey reports and content analysis of published records were used to examine the policy implementation processes. Four schools were selected through probability sampling and Analysis of Variance was used to compare intervention effects on school attainments. The study revealed irregular funding, poor collaboration and participation by the major stakeholders and the non compliance with the selection criteria for beneficiaries and an irregular school feeding. The programme produced no effect on enrolment and attendance except for drop-oat numbers. The study concluded that the implementation processes were not so effective and therefore, failed to achieve any influence on school attainments in the study area. The study recommended to government to involve key stakeholders to reformulate the policy through Parliament into a statute and set standards for management and stakeholder participation. The new statute must incorporate budgetary funding

Ecological modernization and water resource management: a critique of institutional transitions in Ghana

Published online: 05 Feb 2015Ghana is endowed with surface and ground water resources. These resources prior to the colonial era were managed by traditional societies through various conventional methods embedded in their cosmovision. However during the colonial and postcolonial regimes, in response to climate change, economic globalization, and population pressure, there has been a conscious shift from customary water management systems towards paradigms cast in the contemporary mould (legislation, policies, and institutions). These modern approaches have been shown over the years to be insufficient in ensuring water sustainability. This insufficiency manifests itself in the increasing water scarcity through anthropogenic-induced water resources degradation and severe climatic variability. Using content analysis, this paper reviews this transition, first to fully understand the intricacies of the evolution and second to draw lessons for better water resources management in Ghana. This paper contends that although Ghana’s water related institutions, laws, and policies are undergoing significant reforms, implementation and practice remains embedded in weak ecological modernization (EM). Institutionalizing a narrow conception of EM will only perpetuate ‘organized irresponsibility’ and permit the continued production of ecological problems, leaving open the question of whether modernization is compatible with ecological sustainability. Though customary water management approaches are not entirely devoid of limitations, simply branding them as obsolete may obviate an important vehicle for water sustainability. In the spirit paradigmatic complementarity, ecosystem-friendly indigenous approaches must be integrated with contemporary management systems for the long term goal of sustainability.Gerald Atampugre, De-Valera N. Y. M. Botchway, Kobina Esia-Donkoh, Stephen Kendi