International Congress on Pathogens at the Human Animal Interface

IMPACT. 1: More than two-thirds of emerging infectious diseases around the globe today are of animal origin. -- 2. Diseases transmitted by food, water and of animal origin impose significant burdens and are major concerns worldwide. -- 3. ICOPHAI 2013 will take place in Porto de Galinhas, Brazil, August 14-17, 2013.OSU PARTNERS: College of Veterinary Medicine; College of Public Health; College of Medicine Food Animal Health Research Program; Public Health Preparedness on Infectious DiseasesCOMMUNITY PARTNERS: VPH-Biotech Global Consortium; Federal University of Paraiba; U.S. Agency for International Development; National Institute of Health; National Science Foundation; Int'l Centre for Genetic; Engineering and Biotechnology; United Nations UniversityPRIMARY CONTACT: Wondwossen Gebreyes ([email protected])Ohio State and its partners are organizing the "2nd International Congress on Pathogens at the Human- Animal Interface (ICOPHAI): One Health for Sustainable Development". The goals of the second congress, ICOPHAI 2013, are to bring together a diverse group of scientists from developing and industrialized countries of the world and stimulate interactions using the "One Health" concept; exchange scientific information on risk factors, current technological advances in diagnosis, vaccine development, as well as the limitations and gaps in knowledge on pathogens at the animalhuman interface and recommend priority areas for action

Human Capital Barriers to Technological Absorption and Innovation by Ethiopia’s Micro and Small Enterprises (MSEs)

Ethiopia’s private sector is dominated by micro and small enterprises (MSEs), many of them operating informally. Accordingly, a key challenge for the country’s science, technology and innovation (STI) policymakers is finding ways to ensure that these small businesses absorb external technological innovations in order to enhance their performance and allow for follow-on innovations. This policy objective has an access to knowledge (A2K) dimension, because Ethiopia’s STI policies and strategies stress the need for improved MSE access to public domain patent information as a means to improving technological absorption. However, research by the Ethiopian Intellectual Property Office (EIPO) has found that despite the efforts of the Ethiopian government to foster small-enterprise absorption of public domain technological information contained in patent documents, MSE take-up of such technology tends to be poor (Belete, 2013). In this piece, the author, former EIPO Director of Intellectual Property Policy and Planning, argues that the government’s emphasis needs to be on building human capital in MSEs, in order to improve their capacity to absorb patent information. This argument draws on literature linking technological absorption capacity to human capital levels, along with findings from an Ethiopian government survey of 3,000 MSEs (MUDC, 2013). The author recommends improved MSE collaboration with intermediary organisations such as the country’s Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) institutions and industry development institutes

Fine-needle aspiration of palpable breast lesions with histopathologic correlation

Abstract: Fine-needle aspiration biopsy of the breast has been used as a diagnostic step in the investigation of palpable breast lumps in the Department of Pathology, Tikur Anbessa Hospital, for more than 10 years. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the accuracy of fine-needle aspiration with histopathologic confirmation. A retrospective study was performed using records of fineneedle aspiration and biopsy results and request forms over four and half years. All women and men who had had fine-needle aspiration breast biopsy with histopathologic confirmation of the diagnosis were included. Fine-needle aspirations were interpreted as malignant, suspicious, or benign. Histopathologic diagnosis included incisional, excisional, and mastectomy specimen. A total of 244 patients fulfilled the criteria. Only eight (3.3%) of the specimens were inadequate for study. There were 52 total malignant fine-needle aspiration diagnoses, with only two falsepositive specimens. One was flbroadenoma and the other benign phylloides. There were 20 suspicious readings; 14 of these were malignant and six were false-suspicious specimens. Fibroadenoma, fibrocystic change, and papilloma were two each for the the six false suspicious specimens. Of the 164 lesions interpreted as benign, there were 10 false negative specimens. The test had 86% sensitivity, 95% specificity, 89% positive predictive value, and 94% negative predicitive value. Fine-needle aspiration is a sensitive and highly specific test that can be useful as an adjunct in the diagnosis of breast cancer. “Malignant†and “benign†interpretations are highly predictive but must be used only in the context of other diagnostic modalities. “Suspicious†“atypical†or “papillary†lesions require further investigation. [Ethiop. J. Health Dev. 1999;13(3):181-186

Effect of Land Use/Cover Changes on Ecological Landscapes of the Four Lakes of Central Rift Valley Ethiopia

The objective of this study was to analyze land use land cover (LULC) changes in the landscape of Central Rift Valley over a period of 30 years (1985–2015). Satellite images of Landsat5 TM (1985), (1995) and Landsat8 OLI (2015) were used. All images were classified using supervised classification technique with ERDAS-13. Change analysis was carried out using post classification comparison in GIS-10.3.1. Twelve LULCCs were successfully captured and the classification result revealed that intensive cultivated land (44.52%), mixed cultivation (18.31%), and woodlands (11.13%), open water (7.99%), large scale farming (7.50%) was dominant LULC types in 1985. In 2015, mixed cultivation (35.90%), large scale farming (14.87%), intensive cultivation (13.99%), open woodland (8.37%) and irrigated land (6.94 %) were the major LULC types followed by others. The change result shows that a rapid increase in irrigable land, large scale farming, and mixed cultivation 8.37%, 14.87%, and 35.90 % occurred between the 1985 and 2015 study period, respectively. Similarly, open water/lake decreased by 2.31%, during the 1985 and 2015 study periods. More specifically, Lake Abijata showed a progressive decline by 25.6%. Analysis of the 30-year change revealed that about 80.79% of the land showed major changes in LULC. Based on the DPSIR framework of analysis, an integrated land use and development planning and policy reform are suggested to encourage the ongoing and planned ecosystem restoration, degraded land rehabilitation, and biodiversity conservation intervention in the Ethiopia Central Rift Valley areas. However, further detailed investigation may be need prior to any recommendation to address the drivers and consequences of land use and land cover changes in the area. Keywords: CRV, ERDAS, GIS; Image; Landsat TM /Oli, Lake, LULC, R

Nursery propagation, field adaptation and carbon sequestration potential of Pistacia chinensis (Chinese Pistachio)

The study was conducted to assess appropriate means of nursery propagation and to evaluate field adaptation and carbon sequestration potential of Pistacia chinensis- a root stock for edible nut bearing pistachio. The trial was conducted at Debre Zeit and Wondo Genet in 2006. Matured seeds of the species with protective seed coats were sown on standard soil mixture (SSM) that comprised 3 % top soil, 2 % cow dung and 1 % sand and their germination was compared with seeds with protective seed pods that were sown on composted farm yard manure (FYM). Two independent experiments were conducted in completely randomized design with four replications, each replication containing one hundred pure viable seeds. Mean comparisons of germination percentages revealed highly significant differences between the treatments (seeds with protective seed coats sown on farm yard manure) and control groups (seeds with protective seed coats sown on standard soil mixture) at P<0.05. Thus, the most viable means of propagating Pistacia chinensis under the nursery conditions of Debre Zeit was sowing seeds with pods on farm yard manure. In a separate experiment, seeds without pods were also sown in replicates on standard soil mixture and their germination was compared with that of intact seeds (Seeds with their pods) sown on standard soil mixture. Mean comparisons of germination percentages for seeds without pods disclosed a highly significant decline as compared to the control groups i.e. intact seeds at P<0.05. Height and collar diameter of trees averaged 194.61cm and 4.82 cm for Debre Zeit and thus are found significantly different from their counterparts (141.1cm for height and 3.35cm for diameter) at Wondo Genet

One Health International Outreach (OHIO)

IMPACT. 1: Create awareness of the need for strong outreach to address global issues, such as fewer children dying of rabies or women getting screened and treated for cervical cancer. -- 2. Identify potential partners to strengthen and sustain outreach efforts, which can lead to: service-learning opportunities for OSU students; clinical training opportunities for OSU faculty and students with patients whose cases are more complex than those experienced here; research collaborations that could result in evidence-based care strategies, such as traditional herbs in patient care, safer water supplies, and better air quality; solutions for health challenges that can be scaled up to other countries; and improved health communication that leads to behavior change and healthier, happier, more productive lives.OSU PARTNERS: College of Dentistry; College of Engineering; College of Medicine; College of Nursing; College of Optometry; College of Pharmacy; College of Public Health; College of Social Work; College of Veterinary Medicine; Fisher College of Business; Office of International Affairs; School of Communications; School of Environment and Natural ResourcesCOMMUNITY PARTNERS: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; Ethiopian Public Health Institute; University of Gondar; Addis Ababa UniversityPRIMARY CONTACT: Wondwossen Gebreyes ([email protected])Our planet constantly faces major, complex health challenges, and it is essential to train future professionals to be able to effectively address these issues. One Health is a model system that addresses issues at the interface of health, agriculture and ecosystem. It also allows the establishment of mutually beneficial working systems across disciplines for effective control of global health issues. We will use rabies and cancer outreach partnerships in Ethiopia as model systems

The role of the Ethiopian human rights commission and office of ombudsman in the promotion and protection of human rights: the law and practice

Jimma Universit

Examining some of the raisons d 'etre for the Ethiopian anti-terrorism law

There has been a proliferation of counter-terrorism legislation around the world following 9/11, a turning point in the history of counter-terrorism. Ethiopia passed its anti-terrorism law in July 2009. This law and its application have been controversial since its promulgation. A debate on several issues relating to the law and its (mis)application was held in August 2013. Whether the law is needed at all was one of the contentious issues deliberated on. Proponents argue that the clear and present danger of terrorism in Ethiopia coupled with inadequacy of ordinary laws to deal with this reality necessitated the law. They also contend that the United Nations Security Council resolution 1373 (2001) requires Ethiopia to pass the law. Challengers dismiss these justifications as pretexts and maintain that the real reason for passing the law is to discipline dissent and crack down on opposition. This article scrutinizes the aforementioned justifications for the law and concludes that they are invalid

Predicting the Severity of Highway User Crashes on Public At-Grade Highway-Rail Crossings

Highway user-rail crashes have a significant effect on highway user safety rating. However, very little attention is garnished on the subject. An understanding of the factors contributing to the levels of injury severity is an important step toward making the transportation system safer and more reliable. The main goal of this thesis is to explore the impact of various factors involved in highway user crashes on Highway-Rail at Grade Crossings (HRGCs) and provide appropriate mitigation measures. The logistic regression modeling approach (specifically ordered and unordered logit models) was applied to predict the three levels of highway user crash severity on HRGC as a function of various factors involved. A comparison was also performed between the two logit models. The explanatory variables were obtained from the USDOT crossing inventory and HRGCs crash data. The study revealed that some variables such as type of crash circumstance type, pedestrian gender, adverse weather condition, train speed, vehicle speed, HRGC surface type, traffic volume and number of traffic lanes were found to be statistically significant factors contributing to highway user crashes on HRGC. In addition, ordered logit model were identified to be better in estimating the highway user crash severity level on HRGCs