Fundamentalism versus Liberalism

"I have had a couple of opportunities to attend international academic seminars on “fundamentalism’” one as it relates to ethics (in its diversity) and the other as it is implied in the church and theology. It is intriguing, at least from an African point of view, that “fundamentalism”, as opposed to liberalism, is portrayed as the sole challenge, if not threat, in the West. What is evident is that liberalism is rarely put under serious scrutiny or silently endorsed, it certainly is not considered as a challenge. Understandably, this might partially be triggered by the anxiety that is triggered by the recent rise of various forms of extremisms. However, raising a few questions is of utmost importance with regards to this mode of conceptualisation. [...]" (Part of the Introduction, p.35)

Religion, politics and the dilemma of modernising Ethiopia

Ethiopia is an old society often confronted with new ideas and foreign values. As a result, social changes and modernisation were important contentious points especially in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Some wanted change and progress at the expense of indigenous values, specifically cultural and political independence, while others opted for a more cautious approach. Inasmuch as Ethiopia’s context was one in which the church and the state were accustomed to seeing themselves as two sides of the same coin, the discourse of modernisation had both a political and religious flavour to it. This article therefore aims to examine the volatile dynamics between religion (especially the Protestant churches of the ‘southern peripheries’) and the Marxist regime in modernising Ethiopia. Specifically, the article intends to explore how state-church relations transformed social thinking in Ethiopia. I begin by sketching the historical background and proceed to unravel the dilemma of modernisation. In the final part, I discuss how Protestantism contributed to modernising three aspects of social structure: the understanding of the human person, state-church relations and social organisation.http://www.hts.org.zaam2018Science of Religion and Missiolog

Assessment of Effective Coverage of Voluntary Counseling and Testing Services in Major Health Facilities of Jimma Zone, South Ethiopia

BACKGROUND: Coverage assessment of Voluntary Counseling and Testing (VCT) service is useful to measures the health system effort or performance of health service delivery function and to influence decisions. The objective of this study was to assess effective coverage level for Voluntary Counseling and testing services in major health facilities of Jimma Zone.METHODS: Health institution based cross-sectional quantitative and qualitative study on health facilities that provide voluntary Counseling and testing services.RESULTS: The over all HIV/AIDS service package indicators availability coverage were 45.5% across the zone. The over all coverage for target population were 1.3%. The primary health care centers served only 18% of total registered Voluntary Counseling and Testing service users. Out of total positive serostatus clients, only 5% received condom. The coverage for post result counseling was 98.7% for all tested clients. Seventy-four (1.3%) of clients who were tested for HIV did not returned to know their results. CONCLUSION: This study demonstrated that effective coverage of Voluntary Counseling and Testing service was very low based on the providers view and records available. Thus we recommended that the services has to be strengthened, supervised and monitored to have a better achievement and improving the coverage status in addition to scaling up the services in the Zone.KEYWORDS: Effective coverage, availability, utilization, quality, VCT service

Assessment of Effective Coverage of HIV Prevention of Pregnant Mother to Child Transimission Services in Jimma Zone, South West Ethiopia

BACKGROUND: Coverage assessment of prevention of Pregnant Mother to Child Transmission (PMTCT) of HIV service is useful to measure the health system effort or performance of health service delivery function and to influence decisions. The objective of this study was to assess effective coverage level for prevention of Pregnant Mother to Child Transmission services in Jimma University Hospital.METHODS: Health institution based cross-sectional quantitative and qualitative study was conducted on prevention of Pregnant Mother to Child Transmission of HIV services.RESULTS: Out of total 1904 pregnant women who received at least one antenatal care service, 1472 (77.3%) were covered with PMTCT service in 2005 in Jimma University Hospital. The overall PMTCT service coverage for the target group in the Jimma Zone was 1.1 %. The prevalence of positive HIV blood test among pre counseled women was 101 (6.9%). Of all HIV positive pregnant women 62(61.3%) were taking Neverapine at home.CONCLUSION: From the data obtained, it was observed that PMTCT service coverage was low. Thus, we recommended that the services to be strengthened, for a better achievement and optimizing coverageKEY WORDS: Effective coverage, availability, utilization, continuity, quality, PMTCT, service

Influence of Harvesting Stages, Drying Structures and Drying Durations on Physical Quality Characters of Korarima (Aframomum Corrorima (Braun) P.C.M. Jansen) Capsules in Ethiopia

Korarima (Aframomum corrorima) is indigenous spice to Ethiopia used as raw material for consumption. It faces market challenges, due to its inferior quality. Its inferior quality is due to inappropriate harvesting stages, drying structures and durations. Hence, the study was conducted to examine physical quality issues. The experiment consisted of harvesting stages (Mature Green, Mature Semi-red and Mature deep Red), drying structures (Cement, Ground and Wire mesh bed) and drying durations (10, 15 and 20 days) laid out in 3*3*3 factorial arrangement using Completely Randomized Design with three replications. Data were recorded and subjected to Analysis of Variance.  Interaction of the parameters significantly affected quality of dried capsules. The highest values, for average weight of single dried capsule (9.526g) and dry weight recovery of dried capsule (41.301%) were obtained from mature green capsules and mature deep-red capsules, respectively, both dried on wire mesh for 10 days. The maximum capsule diameter (2.769cm) and maximum seed diameter (5.27mm) were both recorded from mature deep-red capsules dried on wire mesh for 10 days. Therefore, for maintaining better physical quality of the dried capsules, mature deep red capsules dried on wire mesh for 10 days can be recommended. Keywords: Aframomum corrorima, Korarima, Capsules, Harvesting stage, Physical, Qualit

Assessment of Smart Mechatronics Applications in Agriculture: A Review

Smart mechatronics systems in agriculture can be traced back to the mid-1980s, when research into automated fruit harvesting systems began in Japan, Europe, and the United States. Impressive advances have been made since then in developing systems for use in modern agriculture. The aim of this study was to review smart mechatronics applications introduced in agriculture to date, and the different areas of the sector in which they are being employed. Various literature search approaches were used to obtain an overview of the current state-of-the-art, benefits, and drawbacks of smart mechatronics systems. Smart mechatronics modules and various networks applied in the processing of agricultural products were examined. Finally, relationships in the data retrieved were tested using a one-way analysis of variance on keywords and sources. The review revealed limited use of sophisticated mechatronics in the agricultural industry in practice at a time of falling production rates and a dramatic decline in the reliability of the global food supply. Smart mechatronics systems could be used in different agricultural enterprises to overcome these issues

Undernutrition among Institutionalized School-age Orphans in Harari Regional State, Eastern Ethiopia:A Cross-sectional Study

Background: Although orphans are at increased risk of undernutrition, studies assessing prevalence of undernutrition are limited to orphans residing with their relatives or on street. This study was conducted to assess magnitude of undernutrition and its associated factors among institutionalized school-age orphans in Harari Regional State, eastern Ethiopia. Methods: An institution based cross-sectional study was conducted among all school-age (6-12 years) orphans living in all orphan centers in Harari Regional State, eastern Ethiopia. Data were collected by using a structured pretested questionnaire supplemented with anthropometric measurements. Data were entered using EpiData 3.1 and analyzed using SPSS 22. Logistic regression models were fitted to identify factors associated with undernutrition. Statistical significance was declared at P-value Results: A total of 265 orphans residing in all orphan centers in the region were included. The prevalence of stunting, wasting, and underweight were 15.8% (95% CI: 11.9, 20.7), 10.9% (95% CI: 7.7, 15.3), and 8.7% (95% CI: 4.3, 10.5), respectively. Staying in orphan center for 6 to 10 years (AOR = 6.2; 95% CI: 2.6, 15.10), having recent illness (AOR = 3.9; 95% CI: 1.4, 10.4), and being aged 10 to 12 years (AOR = 11.2; 95% CI: 3.5, 35.4) were significantly associated with stunting whereas having recent illness (AOR = 4.3; 95% CI: 1.4, 7.3) and being aged 6 to 7 years (AOR: 10.4; 95% CI: 3.2, 33.6) were significantly associated with wasting. Underweight was more likely (AOR: 8.9; 95% CI: 2.7, 29.5) among children with recent illness. Conclusions: Almost 1 in 6, 1 in 9, and 1 in 11 institutionalized school-age orphans in Harari Regional State were stunted, wasted, and underweight respectively. Younger children and those with recent illness were more likely to be undernourished. Underlying reasons for undernutrition among orphans being cared in orphan centers should be further explored

Combined application of macro and micro nutrients and Rhizobium inoculation to nodulation and yield response of chickpea (Cicer Arietinum L.) at Halaba Woreda, Southern Ethiopia

The effects of combining the application of recently introduced blended fertilizer with Rhizobium inoculation on chickpea nodulation and productivity are not being studied in Halaba special woreda. Hence, the application of blended fertilizer and rhizobium inoculation for chickpea production under rain-fed conditions at Halaba Special District, Southern Ethiopia is crucial. Factorial combination of eight fertilizers (Control, NP, NPS, NPSB, NPSB+K, NPS+Zn, NPSB+Zn and NPSB+K+Zn) and inoculation and without inoculation of rhizobium biofertilizer was used as an experimental factor laid out in a randomized complete block design with three replications. Fertilizer application significantly influenced crop phenology, nodulation, growth parameters, yield and yield components, except number of seeds pod-1 and harvest index. Maximum days to 50% flowering (48.33) and 95% physiological maturity (112.3) were obtained on NPSB+K and without fertilizer treatment respectively. The Highest number of nodules (23.25), nodules dry weight (0.13 g), number of branches plant-1 (17.64) and plant height (43.34 cm) were recorded on NPSB, NPSB+K+Zn, NPSB+Zn and NPS+Zn respectively. Similarly, the higher number of pods plant-1(61.6), and hundred seed weight (28.0 g) were observed for blended fertilizer treatments of NPSB+K and NPS+Zn respectively. Maximum grain yield (1.85 ton ha-1) was obtained for blended fertilizer of NPSB+K application with an increment 57.9% over control treatment. Rhizobium inoculation increased the number of nodules plant-1 (23.29), nodules dry weight (0.11 g), number of branches plant-1 (17.70), number of pods plant-1 (59), number of seeds pod-1 (1.17) and hundred seed weight (27.7 g). Maximum grain yield (1.84 ton ha-1) was recorded on rhizobium inoculated and it increased chickpea grain yield by 33.3% over uninoculated. Regarding the economic feasibility of fertilizers greater net benefits with acceptable MRR 1802, 866 and 257 were recorded for blended fertilizers of NPS, NPS+Zn and NPSB, respectively. Given the fact that the three fertilizers had statistically similar grain yields, the blended fertilizer NPS is a better choice among the three alternatives. Similarly, a higher net benefit with acceptable MRR (4189%) was recorded for Rhizobium inoculation. Therefore, blended fertilizer; NPS and Rhizobium inoculation were found to be relevant and recommended for chickpea production in the study area

Trends of Hydroclimate Variables in the Upper Huai River Basin: Implications of Managing Water Resource for Climate Change Mitigation

The present study attempted to investigate the trends of mean annual temperature, precipitation, and streamflow changes to determine their relationships in the upper Huai river basin. The Mann–Kendall (MK), Sen's slope test estimator, and innovative trend detection (ф) (ITA) methods were used to detect the trends. According to the findings, average annual precipitation shows a descending trend (ф = −0.17) in most stations. An increasing trend was found only in Fuyang station (ф = 1.02). In all stations, the trends of mean annual temperature (ф = 0.36) were abruptly increased. During the past 57 years, the mean air temperature has considerably increased by 12°C/10a. The river streamflow showed a dramatic declining trend in all stations for the duration of the study period (1960–2016) (ф = −4.29). The climate variability in the study region affects the quantity of the streamflow. The river streamflow exhibits decreasing trends from 1965 onwards. The main possible reason for the declining stream flow in the study area is the declining amount of precipitation on some specific months due to the occurrence of climate change. The outcomes of this study could create awareness for the policymakers and members of the scientific community, informing them about the hydroclimatic evolutions across the study basin, and become an inordinate resource for advanced scientific research

Aberrant driving behaviors as mediators in the relationship between driving anger patterns and crashes among taxi drivers: An investigation in a complex cultural context

Objective: Taxis have become an integrated component of Qatar’s urban transportation network due to their convenience, comfort, and flexibility. Qatar has seen an uptick in the demand for professional taxi drivers. Most Qatari taxi drivers come from developing countries with poor awareness of road safety; therefore, they regularly engage in aberrant driving behavior, leading to traffic violations and crashes. For taxi rides to be safer, it is essential to determine the association between driving aberration and road traffic crashes (RTCs), with an emphasis on the underlying factors that trigger these behaviors. Methods: To this end, we collected the data from taxi drivers relying on standard questionnaires, namely the Driving Anger Scale (DAS) and the Driver Behavior Questionnaire (DBQ), together with the real crash data of the same taxi drivers obtained from the police department. We relied on factor analysis to identify the main factors of these tools and then structural equation modeling to predict their causal relationship with RTCs. Results: The results indicated that the component of DAS, namely “illegal driving”, triggered all dimensions of aberrant driving behaviors, whereas hostile gestures had a positive correlation with lapses. In addition, the factor “error” was identified as a significant direct predictor, while the factor “illegal driving” was identified as a significant indirect predictor for RTCs. Regarding demographic characteristics, professional driving experience was found to be negatively associated with RTCs. Conclusion: Driving aberration mediated the impact of driving anger on RTCs. The findings from this study could help road safety practitioners and researchers better understand these relations. In addition, these results could also be very helpful for driving instructors to train taxi drivers in a way to cope with provoking situations.Open Access funding provided by the Qatar National Library. This study was made possible by the internal grant award [QUCG-CENG-21/22-2] from Qatar University