Factors Associated with Late Initiation of Antenatal Care among Pregnant Women Attending Antenatal Clinic at Public Health Centers in Kembata Tembaro Zone, Southern Ethiopia

The purpose of this study was to identify those factors associated with late initiation of antenatal care among pregnant women attending antenatal clinics in public health centers in Kembata Tembaro Zone, Ethiopia. A facility based cross-sectional study with supplement of qualitative data was carried out to collect data from 401 pregnant women who were attending antenatal care service at five randomly selected governmental health centres in Kembata Tembaro Zone from March 10 to May 8, 2012 .  Pretested and structured questionnaire was used to collect the data and data were entered onto a computer using Epi-info 3.5.1 statistical program then exported to SPSS Windows version 16.0 for further analysis. Binary descriptive statistics and multiple variable regressions were done.This study showed that prevalence of late entry to antenatal care was 68.6%. The mean timing was 5.5±1.8 months. Multivariate analysis revealed that age, maternal education, family income, parity, previous utilization of antenatal care and type of pregnancy remained significant factors influencing late booking. The findings of this study showed that most women book antenatal care late. This seems to be because antenatal care is viewed primarily as curative rather than preventive in the study population. Public enlightenment, health education coupled with women empowerment would be helpful in reducing the problem. In addition to that incorporation of the benefits of early booking in the routine antenatal care education

Motivation and Factors Affecting It among Health Professionals in the Public Hospitals, Central Ethiopia

BACKGROUND: Motivation is an individual’s degree of willingness to exert and maintain an effort towards organizational goals. This study assessed motivational status and factors affecting it among health professionals in public hospitals of West Shoa Zone, Oromia Region.METHOD: Facility based cross-sectional survey was employed. All health professionals who served at least for 6 months in Ambo, Gedo and Gindeberet hospitals were included. Self-administered Likert scale type questionnaire was used. Data were analyzed using SPSS version 20. Mean motivation calculated as percentage of maximum scale score was used. Bivariate and multiple linear regression analyses were done to see the independent effects of explanatory variables.RESULTS: The overall motivation level of health professionals was 63.63%. Motivation level of health professionals varied among the hospitals. Gindeberet Hospital had lower motivation score as compared to Ambo Hospital (B = -0.54 and 95% CI; -0.08,-0.27). The mean motivation score of health professionals who got monthly financial benefit was significantly higher than those who did not (B = 0.71 and 95% CI; 0.32, 1.10). Environmental factors had higher impact on doctors’ motivation compared to nurses’ (B = 0.51 and 95% CI; 0.10, 0.92). Supervisor-related factors highly varied in motivation relative to other variables.CONCLUSIONS: Motivation of health professionals was affected by factors related to supervisor, financial benefits, job content and hospital location. Efforts should be made to provide financial benefits to health professionals as appropriate especially, to those who did not get any such benefits. Officially recognizing best performance is also suggested.KEYWORDS: Motivation, Health Professionals, West Shoa, Hospital, Oromia, Ethiopi

Weathering of the Ethiopian volcanic province: a new weathering index to characterize and compare soils

© Walter de Gruyter Berlin/Boston 2015.Soil formation occurs through numerous physical and chemical weathering processes acting to alter the parent rock on the Earths surface. Samples of surface soils were collected over a range of elevations (2000-3600 m) from profiles directly overlying basaltic to more felsic parent rocks, over a region in NW Ethiopia. The soils were investigated to determine their chemical composition and X-ray diffraction was used to identify and quantify individual mineral phases. The data set was analyzed using non-parametric statistics (Spearmans Rank and Mann-Whitney U tests) to compare the soils forming over the two parent rocks. Principal component analysis (PCA) was used to identify the mineral alteration assemblage and formation during pedogenesis. The extent of alteration was quantified using several chemical weathering indices (Chemical Index of Alteration = CIA; Chemical Index of Weathering = CIW), including an index calculated by multivariate analyses of the soil chemical composition data (weathering W index). Further to this we devised and tested a new weathering index (Wmin) using multivariate analysis of the soil mineralogy, to estimate the extent of weathering and physico-chemical proprieties of the parent rock from which the soil formed. The soils present a fair to advanced stage of alteration, with abundant iron (Fe) oxides (up to 40 wt%) and phyllosilicates (up to 57 wt%), including kaolinite-smectite (K-S) mixed-layer phases. The K-S was composed of either 30-50% kaolinite or 94-98% kaolinite layers. Discrete kaolinite was also present. The bimodal K-S mineralogical composition is likely due to two precursor phases: feldspar for the kaolinite-rich K-S and volcanic glass for the smectite-rich K-S. K-S with intermediate composition (50-94% kaolinite) was rare, due to its instability. Statistical analysis showed significant differences between the chemical compositions of the soils developed on the two different parent volcanic compositions. The soils overlying the more felsic parent rocks were less altered than those overlying the flood basalt. When comparing the weathering indices calculated in this study, we conclude that while the CIA and CIW may be more readily determined, the W and Wmin indices can elucidate information on the composition of the original rock from which they formed. The W index is more sensitive to certain variables when compared with the newly derived mineralogical Wmin index; however the Wmin index takes into account mineral phases within the sample, which provides a more detailed interpretation of weathering rates than chemistry alone. In addition the Wmin index correlated with meteorological variables, such as elevation (and consequently temperature and precipitation), known to influence the degree of pedogenesis. The Wmin index can be used to enhance our understanding of the processes that occur during weathering processes to supplement information gained from traditional chemical weathering indices

Structure-Conduct-Performance of Cotton Market: The Case of Metema District, Ethiopia

The efficiency of cotton market chain that can have great influence on farm level supply of marketable cotton was evaluated for Metema District of Ethiopia, using structure-conduct-performance approach. Market concentration ratio (CR4) at District level was 49.76 percent and there were observed barriers to entry into the cotton market. These structural characteristics indicate oligopolistic structure of cotton market at the District level. Cotton market at ginneries and textile factories were highly oligopolized by two ginneries and three textile factories. Buying, selling, and pricing strategies, which are indicators of market conduct showed deviation of cotton market from competitive market norms. The performance of cotton market chain analyzed using Marketing Margins supplemented with analysis of costs incurred and gross profits generated for different market chain actors, showed poor performance of the chain. In the chain farmers are the most disadvantaged chain actor

Observation of resonant interactions among surface gravity waves

We experimentally study resonant interactions of oblique surface gravity waves in a large basin. Our results strongly extend previous experimental results performed mainly for perpendicular or collinear wave trains. We generate two oblique waves crossing at an acute angle, while we control their frequency ratio, steepnesses and directions. These mother waves mutually interact and give birth to a resonant wave whose properties (growth rate, resonant response curve and phase locking) are fully characterized. All our experimental results are found in good quantitative agreement with four-wave interaction theory with no fitting parameter. Off-resonance experiments are also reported and the relevant theoretical analysis is conducted and validated.Comment: 11 pages, 7 figure

Factors affecting cotton supply at the farm level in Metema District of Ethiopia

Current available records show that Ethiopia is receiving negligible benefits from its cotton and textile products export partly on account of low production at the farm level. Our objective was to study factors responsible for the low production. The factors affecting farm level marketable supply of cotton were analyzed using Robust OLS regression analysis. Results showed that size of land allocated for cotton, productivity per hectare and access to credit were significant factors affecting farm level marketable cotton supply. Based on the study, policy interventions required to increase the supply of cotton were suggeste

Ferromagnetic Behavior in Zinc Ferrite Nanoparticles Synthesized using Coprecipitation Technique

Zinc ferrite have been produced and used by humans since long time, however understanding of ZnFe2O4 as a nano structured materials is very useful in order to be used for technological applications. ZnFe2O4 structural, magnetic and electrical properties are different when synthesized using different techniques. Therefore, it would be interesting to investigate the structural and magnetic properties of ZnFe2O4 when in nanosize. In the present work nanocrystalline ZnFe2O4 was synthesized using coprecipitation technique. The structural and magnetic properties of ZnFe2O4 nanopowders were investigated using X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscope (SEM), dynamic light scattering (DLS), infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and vibrating sample magnetometer (VSM). The XRD of ZnFe2O4 nanoparticles showed the single phase spinel structure. The average particle size of ZnFe2O4 calculated from XRD was observed to be 45 nm. DLS measurements showed the average particle size to be 42 nm. Further, the phase formation of ZnFe2O4 was confirmed from the IR measurements. The IR spectra showed the bands corresponding to ZnFe2O4. We observed the room temperature ferromagnetic behavior in synthesized ZnFe2O4 nanoparticles which may be due to the random distribution of Zn2+ and Fe3+ at the tetrahedral (A) and octahedral [B] sites. In our future work, we want to investigate the defect induced magnetic properties of ZnFe2O4 nanoparticles which is likely to contribute for ferromagnetic behavior in this material

Physical and Proximate Characterization of Anchote (Coccinia abyssinica) Accessions Grown under Hawassa and Wondo Genet Conditions, Southern Ethiopia

This research was undertaken to investigate the effects of anchote accessions and growing areas on the physical and proximate composition of the roots. The physical properties were measured using standard measurements. The major and minor diameters as well as the root peel thickness were measured using a digital caliper. The proximate composition was assessed using standard methods. Both the physical properties (major and minor diameters, aspect ratio, root peel thickness, peel proportion to root and root densities) and proximate compositions of anchote roots were significantly influenced by accessions type and growing sites. Over all, better quality, in terms root peel thickness and peel to root ratio, were observed for the accessions grown at Hawassa. The anchote accessions grown at Wondo Genet site were observed to have higher levels of crude protein, crude fiber and gross energy than those grown at Hawassa. Higher ash content was associated to the accessions grown at Hawassa site. Keywords: Anchote, physical properties, aspect ratio, major diameter, minor diameter, root peel thickness, root density, proximate compositio