Frewayni\u27s Garden: Preserving Tigrayan Culture During a Period of Ethnocide

The recent and ongoing genocidal war in Tigray, Ethiopia, has witnessed the destruction and looting of countless historical religious sites, ancient manuscripts, and artifacts, leaving Tigray’s remaining cultural heritage extremely vulnerable. Such cultural loss erases a shared understanding across generations, robbing them of their history and identity. My work contributes to the safeguarding of Tigray’s cultural heritage and collective memory, informed by literature on cultural preservation efforts in post-war societies, and a series of interviews with Tigrayans in the diaspora and in Ethiopia. The outcome of this thesis is embodied in a series of distinct jebenas, traditional Tigrayan clay coffee pots, featuring near-field communication (NFC) technology—the same technology that enables wireless card payments. The NFC chip in the jebenas links to an online Tigrayan archive, created within the format of an interactive garden. Each coffee pot is also entirely functional, and can withstand high amounts of heat and water. Coffee is ceremonious in the Tigrayan household, representing a time of togetherness and intergenerational cultural exchange. Each unique jebena’s form represents a different time, place, or piece of history, directing viewers to its specific story in the garden via the NFC interface. Frewayni’s Garden is inspired by the community gardens Tigrayan refugees have created in Sudan since being displaced by the war, poetically symbolizing new life, beauty, and healing after pain. In this way, I illustrate how cultural heritage can be preserved, and passed down using the latest technology within traditional Tigrayan objects

Sorghum Landrace Collections from Cooler Regions of the World Exhibit Magnificent Genetic Differentiation and Early Season Cold Tolerance

Citation: Maulana, F., Weerasooriya, D., & Tesso, T. (2017). Sorghum Landrace Collections from Cooler Regions of the World Exhibit Magnificent Genetic Differentiation and Early Season Cold Tolerance. Frontiers in Plant Science, 8, 12. doi:10.3389/fpls.2017.00756Cold temperature is an important abiotic stress affecting sorghum production in temperate regions. It reduces seed germination, seedling emergence and seedling vigor thus limiting the production of the crop both temporally and spatially. The objectives of this study were (1) to assess early season cold temperature stress response of sorghum germplasm from cooler environments and identify sources of tolerance for use in breeding programs, (2) to determine population structure and marker-trait association among these germplasms for eventual development of marker tools for improving cold tolerance. A total of 136 sorghum accessions from cooler regions of the world were phenotyped for seedling growth characteristics under cold temperature imposed through early planting. The accessions were genotyped using 67 simple sequence repeats markers spanning all ten linkage groups of sorghum, of which 50 highly polymorphic markers were used in the analysis. Genetic diversity and population structure analyses sorted the population into four subpopulations. Several accessions distributed in all subpopulations showed either better or comparable level of tolerance to the standard cold tolerance source, Shan qui red. Association analysis between the markers and seedling traits identified markers Xtxp34, Xtxp88, and Xtxp319 as associated with seedling emergence, Xtxp211 and Xtxp304 with seedling dry weight, and Xtxp20 with seedling height. The markers were detected on chromosomes previously found to harbor QTLs associated with cold tolerance in sorghum. Once validated these may serve as genomic tools in marker-assisted breeding or for screening larger pool of genotypes to identify additional sources of cold tolerance

Women in conflict and indigenous conflict resolution among the Issa and Gurgura clans of Somali in Eastern Ethiopia

This article tries to show the impacts of conflict on women, the role of women in conflict and indigenous conflict resolution, and the participation of women in social institutions and ceremonies among the Issa and Gurgura clans of the Somali ethnic group. It explores the system of conflict resolution in these clans, and women’s representation in the system. The primary role of women in the formation of social capital through marriage and blood relations between different clans or ethnic groups is assessed. The paper focuses on some of the important elements of the socio-cultural settings of the study community that are in one way or another related to conflict and indigenous conflict resolution mechanisms. It also examines the positive aspects of marriage practices in the formation of social capital which strengthens friendship and unity instead of enmity.

The Pattern of Cardiac Diseases at the Cardiac Clinic of Jimma University Specialised Hospital, South West Ethiopia

BACKGROUND: Rheumatic heart disease is the commonest cardiac disease in most sub-Saharan African countries, followed by hypertensive heart disease which is rising along with the other non-communicable diseases. However the pattern in our setting is not known. This study aimed to determine the pattern of cardiac diseases among adult patients on follow-up at the cardiac follow-up clinic of Jimma University Specialized Hospital. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted on cardiac patients who are newly enrolled to the cardiac follow up clinic of Jimma university specialized hospital during a five year period from 2003 to 2008. Out of the total 837 cases that were newly enrolled to the clinic in the five year period, 781 patients who had complete record about etiologic diagnosis were included in the study. The data were collected using structured record review checklist. The collected data were then analyzed using SPSS for windows version 12.0. RESULTS: Rheumatic heart disease was the diagnosis in 256 (32.8%) of the cardiac cases on follow-up followed by hypertensive heart disease and cardiomyopathy accounting for 189 (24.2%) and 158 (20.2%) of cases, respectively. Among Rheumatic heart disease patients; male to female ratio was 0.86:1 and the mean age was 31.4 years. One hundred ninety three (75.4%) of the cases with rheumatic heart disease had echocardiographic report that showed valve(s) involvements of pure MS in 99 (51.3%) and combined MS, MR in 49 (25.4%). Overall, hypertension contributed for a total of 241 (30.9%) of cardiac patients that included 189 (24.2%) hypertensive heart disease and 52 (6.7%) as one major risk factor for ischemic heart disease. CONCLUSION: Rheumatic, hypertensive and cardiomyopathic heart diseases accounted for more than three-quarters of cardiac diseases in the study population. This study highlighted the need for further study to determine the burden at community setting

Determination of Water Requirement and Crop Coefficient for Sorghum (Sorghum bicolor L.) at Melkassa, Ethiopia

Knowledge of crop evapotranspiration (ETc), the combined process of evaporation and plant transpiration, is important in agriculture for  scheduling farm  operations and designing and managing irrigation and drainage systems. Development of crop coefficient (Kc) can enhance crop evapotranspiration (ETc) estimates in specific crop growth stages. However, locally determined Kc information is not available for many important crops in Ethiopia. This research was, therefore, conducted to determine growth stage specific Kc and crop water use for sorghum (Sorghum bicolor L.) var. Gambella-1107 at the Melkassa Agricultural Research Center which is located in a semi arid climate zone in Ethiopia. Drainage type lysimeter was used to measure Gambella-1107 crop water use under water balance system on a clay loam soil and local weather data were used to determine the reference  evapotranspiration (ETo). Crop coefficient was developed from measured ETc and ETo calculated using weather data. The growth stages of the crop were assessed as the seasonal change of plant height (pH), leaf area (LA) and leaf area index (LAI). The yield obtained was 5.3 t ha-1 and the measured LAI were 0.2, 4.2, 4.9 and 1.6 at the initial, development, midseason and late season stages, respectively. The maximum LAI was achieved when the plants reach their maximum height at mid-season stage with high crop evapotranspiration due to leaf enlargement that increases transpiration. The measured ETc values were 53.8, 138.5, 214.4, and 94.0 mm during the initial, development, midseason and late-season stages, respectively, and the seasonal total value was 500.7 mm. The calculated Kc values for the crop were 0.45, 0.83, 1.18 and 0.78 during the initial, development, mid-season and late-season stages, respectively. These values were greater than those reported in FAO publication for  sorghum varieties which could be a result of soil, climate and crop genetic differences. This suggests the need for developing site-specific Kc values for proper irrigation management

Responding to the maternal health care challenge: The Ethiopian Health Extension Program

Background: Responding to challenges in achieving Millennium Development Goals (MDG), the Ethiopian government initiated the Health Extension Program in 2003 as part of the Health Sector Development Program (HSDP) to improve equitable access to preventive, promotive and select curative health interventions through paid community level health extension workers.Objective: To explore Ethiopia’s progress toward achieving MDG 5 that focuses on improved maternal health through the Health Extension Program.Methods: This paper reviews available survey data and literature to determine the feasibility of reaching the targets specified for MDG 5 and for HSDP.Important findings: Achieving the set targets is a daunting task despite reaching the physical targets of two health extension workers per kebele. The 2015 MDG target for the Maternal Mortality Ratio (MMR) is 218 while the 2005 MMR estimate is 673. The HSDP target is 32% skilled birth attendant use by 2010 but only about 12% use was found in the four most populated regions of the country in 2009.Conclusions: Accelerating progress towards these targets is possible through the Health Extension Program at the worker level through improved promotion of family planning and specific maternal interventions, such as misoprostol for active management of third stage of labor, immediate postpartum visits, and improved coordination from community to referral level. [Ethiop. J. Health Dev. 2010;24 Special Issue 1:105-109

Antiparasitic Activity of Tea Tree Oil (TTO) and Its Components against Medically Important Ectoparasites: A Systematic Review

Ectoparasites are pathogens that can infect the skin and cause immense pain, discomfort, and disease. They are typically managed with insecticides. However, the fast-emerging antimicrobial resistance and the slow rate of development of new bio-actives combined with environmental and health concerns over the continued use of neurotoxic insecticides warrant newer and alternative methods of control. Tea tree oil (TTO), as an alternative agent, has shown remarkable promise against ectoparasites in recent studies. To our knowledge, this is the first systematic review to assess preclinical and clinical studies exploring the antiparasitic activity of TTO and its components against clinically significant ectoparasites, such as Demodex mites, scabies mites, house dust mites, lice, fleas, chiggers, and bed bugs. We systematically searched databases, including PubMed, MEDLINE (EBSCOhost), Embase (Scopus), CENTRAL, Cochrane Library, CINAHL, ScienceDirect, Web of Science, SciELO, and LILACS in any language from inception to 4 April 2022. Studies exploring the therapeutic activity of TTO and its components against the ectoparasites were eligible. We used the ToxRTool (Toxicological data reliability assessment) tool, the Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI) critical appraisal tools, and the Jadad scale to assess the methodological qualities of preclinical (in vitro and in vivo) studies, non-randomised controlled trials (including cohort, case series, and case studies), and randomised controlled trials, respectively. Of 497 identified records, 71 studies were included in this systematic review, and most (66%) had high methodological quality. The findings of this review revealed the promising efficacy of TTO and its components against ectoparasites of medical importance. Most importantly, the compelling in vitro activity of TTO against ectoparasites noted in this review seems to have translated well into the clinical environment. The promising outcomes observed in clinical studies provide enough evidence to justify the use of TTO in the pharmacotherapy of ectoparasitic infections

Infrastructure governance in the post-networked city: state-led, high-tech sanitation in Addis Ababa’s condominium housing

Ethiopia’s mass-scale subsidized housing delivery programme has driven the rapid expansion of middle-income, mid-rise settlements on the outskirts of Addis Ababa, requiring the provision of infrastructure to newly developed areas. In the case of the Kotari housing project, established sanitation systems were deemed inappropriate for the site, resulting in the deployment of novel technology, a Membrane Bioreactor (MBR). Such decentralised technologies contribute to the heterogenous infrastructure configurations which characterise Addis Ababa’s sanitation landscape, reflected not only in material configurations but also in how they are governed. In this paper, we use the concept of ‘infrastructure interfaces’ as an analytical device to identify the key material connection points in the system. Working across scales, we scrutinise the governance arrangements at these critical junctures: the household, the block, the condominium, and the city. Our analysis challenges established understandings of infrastructural heterogeneity driven by the private sector, either through financialized elite infrastructures or informal survivalist practices. In Kotari, the state is the driver and the target is the lower middle class. Centring the state in these infrastructure configurations provides nuance to our understanding of how heterogeneity emerges. Our methodological approach accounts for governance at various scales, providing fresh insights into the relationality of infrastructure, particularly the human/technology interface and infrastructural failures. The case shows the importance of transcending binary readings of infrastructure configurations, such as on/off grid, state/private and formal/informal. Future work on the post-network city must go beyond simply denigrating or valorising alternative modes of service delivery

Spatio-temporal expression patterns of Arabidopsis thaliana and Medicago truncatula defensin-like genes

Plant genomes contain several hundred defensin-like (DEFL) genes that encode short cysteine-rich proteins resembling defensins, which are well known antimicrobial polypeptides. Little is known about the expression patterns or functions of many DEFLs because most were discovered recently and hence are not well represented on standard microarrays. We designed a custom Affymetrix chip consisting of probe sets for 317 and 684 DEFLs from Arabidopsis thaliana and Medicago truncatula, respectively for cataloging DEFL expression in a variety of plant organs at different developmental stages and during symbiotic and pathogenic associations. The microarray analysis provided evidence for the transcription of 71% and 90% of the DEFLs identified in Arabidopsis and Medicago, respectively, including many of the recently annotated DEFL genes that previously lacked expression information. Both model plants contain a subset of DEFLs specifically expressed in seeds or fruits. A few DEFLs, including some plant defensins, were significantly up-regulated in Arabidopsis leaves inoculated with Alternaria brassicicola or Pseudomonas syringae pathogens. Among these, some were dependent on jasmonic acid signaling or were associated with specific types of immune responses. There were notable differences in DEFL gene expression patterns between Arabidopsis and Medicago, as the majority of Arabidopsis DEFLs were expressed in inflorescences, while only a few exhibited root-enhanced expression. By contrast, Medicago DEFLs were most prominently expressed in nitrogen-fixing root nodules. Thus, our data document salient differences in DEFL temporal and spatial expression between Arabidopsis and Medicago, suggesting distinct signaling routes and distinct roles for these proteins in the two plant species