Inter-Laminar Strain Energy Continuity In Orthotropic Face Sandwich And Composite Plate Analysis Using Improved Higher-Order Theory

The main goal of this paper is, to suggest improved higher order refined theory to the analysis of perfectly bonded stack sandwich and composite laminates with usual type lamination configurations. The analysis incorporates continuous flexural and in-plane displacements in the interface. Furthermore, the transverse shear stress is continuous and also constrained with the Lagrange multiplier technique by introducing new fourteen unknown variables. The unknown variables expressed in terms of interfacial strain energy; assuming the interfacial strain energy is continuous throughout the thickness of the laminate. To determine the newly introduced flexural and in-plane unknowns’ variables, total potential energy (TPE) is minimized using varational calculus. The numerical results are compared with existing reliable published papers. In general, the aforementioned approach is sufficient enough to analyze sandwich and laminate structures with the required accuracy

Soil test crop response based phosphorous calibration study on maize at Abay Choman district, Horo Guduru Wollega zone, Oromia region, Ethiopia

Soil test crop response-based P calibration study can give farmers more economic use of fertilizers and better soil management practices. In a view of this, the trial was done in the Abay Choman district on ten experimental farmers’ fields in the first year of the experiment (2018/19 cropping season) to determine the economic rate of N and on twenty farmers’ fields in the second and third years of the experiment (2019/20 and 2020/21 cropping season respectively) to determine phosphorus critical level and requirement factor. In the first year of the experiment, the treatments were combined in factorial with four levels of phosphorus (0, 10, 20, 40 kg/ha) and four levels of nitrogen (0, 46, 92 and 138 kg/ha). While experiments in the second and third years of the experiment were six levels of Phosphorus 0, 10, 20, 30, 40 and 50 kg/ha. The treatments were laid out as a randomized complete block design (RCBD) with three replications. Representative soil samples were taken before planting and analyzed. Experimental sites that have a pH of < 5.5 were amended using the lime application before the setup of the experiment. Soil test results of the study sites before planting indicated that pH values of most soils were strongly acidic (<5.5) and available phosphorus of experimental soil ranged from 3.22 to 13.62 pp. The main effects of both N and P significantly influenced the mean grain yield of maize, but their interaction was not significant with a grand mean of 76.53 qt/ha during the N determination trial. Economic analysis using partial budget analysis showed 92 kg/ha of N was economically optimal for the production of maize in the Abay Choman district. The study also showed that P- the critical value (12 ppm) and P- the requirement factor (10.55 Kg P/ha) were determined for the phosphorus fertilizer recommendation in the study area. Thus, the farmers in the area might be advised to use soil test crop response-based fertilizer recommendations to increase the productivity of maize in and around the study district

Cigarette smoking prevalence and associated factors among college students, Amhara, Ethiopia

Introduction: tobacco is the only legal drug that kills many of its users when used exactly as intended by the manufacturers. It is estimated that of the 1.1 billion smokers worldwide, nearly 80% of them live in low and middle-income countries. This trend increases in college and university students with most smokers starting to smoke during adolescent. The aim of this study is to assess cigarette smoking prevalence and associated factors among a select group of college of teachers´ education students. Methods: a cross-sectional study was conducted. Multistage sampling was used to select 605 study participants from across the eight departments of the Injibara College of Teachers´ Education. Each subject was selected by simple random sampling technique after proportional allocation to each class. EpiData version 4.2 was used for data entry and Stata version 14 was used for data cleaning and analysis. Variables with p-value < 0.2 in bi-variable analysis were selected for multi-variable analysis. Adjusted odds ratio (AOR) with 95% confidence interval (CI) was reported to show the strength of association. Results: the current prevalence of cigarette smoking is 6.8% amongst the Injibara College of Teachers´ Education students. Males [AOR: 2.84 (95% CI: 1.13, 7.14)], divorced marital status [AOR: 7.27 (95% CI: 1.23, 42.85)], food source in hostel [AOR: 11.62 (95% CI 3.23, 41.71)] and exposure to family/other smokers [AOR: 6.17 (95% CI: 2.17, 16.06)] were statistically significant factors for cigarette smoking. Conclusion: the prevalence of cigarette smoking was relatively low. Male, marital status, source of food, and exposure to family/other smokers were identified associated factors. Policy makers and health regulatory body are strongly encouraged to consider this evidence and the associated factors for smoking in their efforts to develop and implement tobacco control laws

A combined model of child malnutrition and morbidity in Ethiopia using structural equation models

Abstract Malnutrition and morbidity are substantial problems in Ethiopia and are still pervasive and persistent. Despite this, there has been scant research on the coexistence of malnutrition and morbidity indicators. Moreover, previous studies were based on all data records of measurements from manifest data. Thus, this study aims to identify the correlates and coexistence of child malnutrition and morbidity within this country. Cross-sectional data which is collected by Ethiopia Demographic and Health Survey were used. The generalized structural equation models were used to examine the association between child malnutrition, morbidity, and potential risk factors. The generalized structural equation models help to provide latent effects of child malnutrition and morbidity within a combined modeling framework. In addition, the generalized structural equation models make it possible to analyze malnutrition as a mediator of the association between selected risk factors and latent variable morbidity. The data analysis was done using SPSS AMOS and R software. The analysis indicated that children born to nourished mothers (AOR = 0.71, 95% CI 0.68–0.75), born to enough birth space between 24 and 47 months and (AOR = 0.93, 95% CI 0.88–0.99), 48 months and above (AOR = 0.71, 95% CI 0.65–0.76), being from middle-income households (AOR = 0.85, 95% CI 0.78–0.91), high-income households (AOR = 0.66, 95% CI 0.61–0.72), from mother with primary or secondary (AOR = 0.79, 95% CI 0.75–0.85) and higher education level (AOR = 0.57, 95% CI 0.41–0.78) were less affected by malnutrition. It also revealed that a child born second to third (AOR = 0.87, 95% CI 0.77–0.99), fourth and higher (AOR = 0.88, 95% CI 0.79–0.99) and children from a husband-educated higher level (AOR = 0.76, 95% CI 0.64–0.89) were less likely to be ill. Children who breastfeed (AOR = 0.98, 95% CI 0.80–0.99), from nourished mothers (AOR = 0.96, 95% CI 0.94–0.097), from middle income (AOR = 0.97, 95% CI 0.96–0.99), high-income households (AOR = 0.94, 95% CI 0.93–0.96), birth spacing 24–47 months (AOR = 0.99, 95% CI 0.98–1.00) and 48 months and above (AOR = 0.96, 95% CI 0.94–0.97) were indirectly affected by morbidity via malnutrition. This investigation has revealed that childhood malnutrition and morbidity remain major child health challenges in Ethiopia with demographic, socioeconomic, maternal, child, and geographic variables playing significant roles. Efforts to resolve these issues need to take these factors into account. Therefore, malnutrition and morbidity prevention should include encouraging birth spacing, mother education programs, and breastfeeding practices

Adsorptive removal of malachite green dye from aqueous solution using Rumex abyssinicus derived activated carbon

Abstract The potential for malachite green dye saturated effluent to severely affect the environment and human health has prompted the search for effective treatment technologies. Thus, this study was conducted with the goal of developing activated carbon from Rumex abyssinicus for the adsorptive removal of malachite green dye from an aqueous solution. Unit operations such as drying, size reduction, impregnation with H3PO4, and thermal activation were used during the preparation of the activated carbon. An experiment was designed considering four main variables at their respective three levels: initial dye concentration (50, 100, and 150 mg/L), pH (3, 6, and 9), contact period (20, 40, and 60 min), and adsorbent dosage (0.05, 0.01, and 0.15 g/100 mL). Optimization of the batch adsorption process was carried out using the Response Surface methodology's Box Behnken approach. The characterization of the activated carbon was described by SEM for surface morphology with cracks and highly porous morphology, FTIR for multi-functional groups O–H at 3506.74 cm−1 and 3290.70 cm−1, carbonyl group stretching from aldehyde and ketone (1900–1700 cm−1), stretching motion of aromatic ring C=C (1543.12 cm−1), stretching motion of –C–H (1500–1200 cm−1), vibrational and stretching motion of –OH (1250.79 cm−1), and vibrational motion of C–O–C (1049.32 cm−1), pHpzc of 5.1, BET for the specific surface area of 962.3 m2/g, and XRD for the presence of amorphous structure. The maximum and minimum dye removal efficiencies of 99.9% and 62.4% were observed at their respective experimental conditions of (100 mg/L, 0.10 mg/100 mL, pH 6, and 40 min) and (100 mg/L, 0.15 mg/100 mL, pH 3, and 20 min), respectively. Langmuir, Freundlich, Toth, and Koble-Corrigan models were used to evaluate the experimental data, in which Koble-Corrigan model was found to be the best fit with the highest value of R2 0.998. In addition to this, the kinetic studies were undertaken using pseudo-first-order, pseudo-second-order, intraparticle diffusion, and Boyd models, and as a result, the pseudo-second-order model proved to have a better fit among the kinetic models. The kinetics and isotherm analysis revealed that the nature of the adsorption to be homogenous and monolayer surfaces driven by chemosorption. Furthermore, the thermodynamics study revealed the nature of adsorption to be feasible, spontaneous, and endothermic. On the other hand, the reusability study depicted the fact that the adsorbent can be utilized for five cycles with a negligible drop in the removal efficiencies from 99.9 to 95.2%. Finally, the low-cost, environmentally benign, and high adsorption capacity of the adsorbent material derived from Rumex abyssinicus stem could be used to treat industrial effluents

Incidence and geographic distribution of retinoblastoma in Ethiopia

Abstract Introduction Retinoblastoma is the most frequent intraocular malignancy of the eye in children, occurring in early childhood. Based on global estimates, Ethiopia is expected to observe over 200 new retinoblastoma cases per year, however without a cancer registry, this number is difficult to confirm. Therefore, the goal of the study was to determine the incidence and geographic distribution of retinoblastoma in Ethiopia. Methods A retrospective medical chart review of clinically diagnosed new retinoblastoma patients between January 1, 2017 - December 31, 2020, in four public Ethiopian tertiary hospitals was performed. The incidence of retinoblastoma was calculated by a birth-cohort analysis. Results There were 221 retinoblastoma patients observed in the study period. The incidence of retinoblastoma was found to be 1 in 52,156 live births. Incidence varied among different regions of Ethiopia. Conclusion The incidence of retinoblastoma observed in this study is likely an underestimate. It is possible that patients were undercounted because they were seen outside of the 4 main retinoblastoma treatment facilities included in this facility, or they experienced barriers to accessing care. Our study suggests a need for a nationwide retinoblastoma registry and more retinoblastoma treatment centers in the country

Latrine Utilization and Associated Factors Among Rural Households in Southwest Ethiopia: Risk, Attitude, Norms, Ability, and Self-Regulation Behavioral Model

Background: Consistent latrine utilization remains a challenge in most rural areas of poor and middle-income countries including Ethiopia. Therefore; the objective of this study was to determine the magnitude of latrine utilization and its associated factors among rural households in open defecation-free declared (ODF) and non-ODF kebeles, Southwest Ethiopia, 2022. Methods: A community-based comparative cross sectional study design was employed from May 16 to June 14, 2022 among 682 (341 ODF and 341 non-ODF) rural households which were selected by multistage systematic random sampling technique. Data were collected by face to face using a pretested structured questionnaire and an observational checklist through Open data kit. SPSS version 26 was used to analysis the data and separate logistic regression models; ODF and non-ODF were run to identify the associated factors. P -values <.05 with 95% CI were set as statistical significant. Result: The overall magnitude of latrine utilization in the study area was 67.1% (95% CI: 63.71, 70.49). Latrine utilization was higher in ODF declared households (71.6%) than in non-ODF households (62.5%). In ODF; Graduated as model households [AOR = 5.1, 95% CI: 2.14, 12.84], visited by health extension works (HEWs) [AOR = 3.5, 95% CI: 1.67, 7.25], and latrine with privacy [AOR = 3.0, 95% CI: 1.37, 6.65] and also in non-ODF; households visited by HEWs [AOR = 2.9, 95% CI: 1.34, 6.06], latrine with privacy [AOR = 2.5, 95% CI: 1.24, 5.07], positive attitude [AOR = 3.2, 95% CI: 1.52, 6.59], and descriptive norm [AOR = 2.7, 95% CI: 1.27, 5.53] were significantly associated with latrine utilization. Conclusion: This study found that rural households declared as ODF utilize their latrine higher than non-ODF. Constructing latrine without privacy, lack of follow up, Attitude and societal norms were factors that limited the utilization of latrine and the sustainability of ODF. Therefore, health extension follow-up, latrine construction with privacy, normative and persuasive behavior change approach should be encouraged

Anemia and Contributing Factors in Severely Malnourished Infants and Children Aged between 0 and 59 Months Admitted to the Treatment Centers of the Amhara Region, Ethiopia: A Multicenter Chart Review Study

Background. Anemia among severely malnourished children is a double burden that could make the treatment outcome of severe acute malnutrition (SAM) more unfavorable. The burden and the factors are, however, uncovered among children in the Amhara region. Therefore, the study was aimed at determining the prevalence of anemia and identifying contributing factors in severely malnourished children aged between 0 and 59 months admitted to the treatment centers of the Amhara region referral hospitals. Methods. A facility-based cross-sectional study was conducted that included 1,301 infants and children, who developed SAM and were admitted to the three referral hospitals of the Amhara region. Data were extracted using a data extraction checklist. The binary logistic regression analysis was employed to show an association between the dependent and independent variables. Multicollinearity was assessed using the variance inflation factor (VIF) and no problem was detected (overall VIF = 1.67). The presence of association was declared based on the p-value (≤0.05), and the adjusted odds ratio with its respective 95% confidence interval was used to report the direction, as well as the strength of association. Results. About 41.43% (95% CI: 38.78%–44.13%) of severely malnourished infants and children have developed anemia, of which around half (47%) of them were under six months old. Rural residence (AOR = 1.56; 95% CI: 1.14–2.12) and HIV infection (AOR = 2.00; 95% CI: 1.04–3.86) were significantly associated with higher odds of anemia. Furthermore, being exclusively breastfed (AOR = 0.57; 95% CI 0.39–0.83) remarkably reduced the likelihood of anemia. Conclusions. This data confirms that anemia among severely malnourished infants and children is a public health problem in the Amhara region. Infants younger than six months were at a higher risk of anemia. Being a rural resident and contracting HIV infection have elevated the occurrence of anemia, whereas being exclusively breastfed decreased the risk. Therefore, the study gives an insight to policymakers and planners to strengthen the existing exclusive breastfeeding practice. Strategies being practiced to prevent HIV transmission and early detection, as well as treatment, should also be strengthened. Furthermore, mothers/caretakers of infants and children residing in the rural areas deserve special attention through delivering nutrition education

Prevalence of intestinal parasitic infection and its associated factors among primary school students in Ethiopia: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

IntroductionIntestinal parasitic infection are a major public health concern affecting both children and adolescents in Ethiopia. The aim of this systematic review and meta-analysis was to determine pooled prevalence and associated factors of intestinal parasitic infection in this target group.MethodWe systematically retrieved available articles on the prevalence of intestinal parasitic infection following database searches using PubMed, Scopus, Cochrane Library, and Science Direct between March 1 and May 27, 2020. Two authors independently extracted all relevant data using a standardized Microsoft Excel data extraction form. Heterogeneity among included studies was assessed with the Higgins I2 tests. The pooled estimates and associated factors were assessed with a random-effects model using Stata/se Version 14.ResultWe retrieved 30 eligible articles with a pooled sample size of 14,445 primary school children with response rate of 97.8%. Entamoeba spp (16.11%), Ascaris lumbricoides (13.98%), hookworm (12.51%) and Giardia lamblia (9.98%) are the top causes of intestinal parasitic infection among primary school children in Ethiopia. The pooled prevalence for at least one intestinal parasitic infection was 46.09 (95% CI: 38.50, 53.68). Heterogeneity was assessed by doing subgroup analysis by study province/region. Thus, the highest prevalence of 66.6% (95% CI: 55.5, 77.7) occurred in Tigray region, which was followed by Southern Nations, Nationalities, and Peoples' Region at 50.8% (95% CI: 33.1, 68.5). No latrine availability (OR = 4.39: 2.50,7.73), no fingernail hygiene (OR = 2.37: 1.67, 3.35), open defecation (OR = 1.67:1.64,4.36), no formal maternal education (OR = 2.02: 1.18,3.47), rural residence (OR = 1.88: 1.46, 2.41), no habit of wearing shoes (OR = 2.66: 1.79, 3.96), non-pipe source of drinking water (OR = 1.99: 1.42,2.76), no regular hand washing practices (OR = 3.45:1.85,6.47), and no habit of washing fruits and vegetables (OR = 1.59:1.01,2.49) were associated with parasitic infection.ConclusionsThe prevalence of intestinal parasitic infection was high (46%). Attention should be given to promoting personal hygiene, latrine utilization, wearing shoes, avoiding eating raw food, creating awareness for those mothers who lack formal education. Moreover, future research ideally will expand on the topic by conducting research in regions which have no prior research