Species assortment and biodiversity conservation in homegardens of Bahir Dar City, Ethiopia

Biodiversity in urban gardens can play a vital role in the fight against hunger and diet-related health problems. A study was undertaken to assess the species composition and diversity of homegardens in Bahir Dar City. Interviews were administered to 178 sample households residing in 7 Sub-cities covering 12 former kebeles, and inventories made on fruit species in gardens and types of other higher plant and livestock species recorded. The plant component was found to be dominant with 58 higher plant species of various use; 17 fruit (28.8%), 12 miscellaneous-use (20%), 11 vegetable (18.6%), 11 medicinal (18.6%) and 8 spices/condiments (13.6%). The most abundant perennial plant species was mango (20.8%) followed by guava (13.4%), avocado (11.6%), papaya (11.2%) and Persian Lilac (9.9%). Especially, the City gardens were found to offer a unique opportunity for preservation of medicinal & aromatic plants. There however appears a competition and substitution between horticultural and other crops like Chat in the outer city gardens. Generally, the study revealed that the urban gardens are a storehouse of biodiversity including species that run the risk of disappearance in the natural habitat. It is suggested that City development planning considers urban gardening so as to create a biodiversity-friendly gardens that offer a wide range of ecosystem services

Soil Characterization and Classification: A Hybrid Approach of Computer Vision and Sensor Network

This paper presents soil characterization and classification using computer vision & sensor network approach. Gravity Analog Soil Moisture Sensor with arduino-uno and image processing is considered for classification and characterization of soils. For the data sets, Amhara regions and Addis Ababa city of Ethiopia are considered for this study. In this research paper the total of 6 group of soil and each having 90 images are used. That is, form these 540 images were captured. Once the dataset is collected, pre-processing and noise filtering steps are performed to achieve the goal of the study through MATLAB, 2013. Classification and characterization is performed through BPNN (Back-propagation neural network), the neural network consists of 7 inputs feature vectors and 6 neurons in its output layer to classify soils. 89.7% accuracy is achieved when back-propagation neural network (BPNN) is used

Cost-Effectiveness of Saxagliptin Compared With Glibenclamide as a Second-Line Therapy Added to Metformin for Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus in Ethiopia

Background. Metformin is a widely accepted first-line pharmacotherapy for patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). Treatment of T2DM with glibenclamide, saxagliptin, or one of the other second-line treatment agents is recommended when the first-line treatment (metformin) cannot control the disease. However, there is little evidence on the additional cost and cost-effectiveness of adding second-line drugs. Therefore, this study aimed to estimate the cost-effectiveness of saxagliptin and glibenclamide as second-line therapies added to metformin compared with metformin only in T2DM in Ethiopia. Methods. This cost-effectiveness study was conducted in Ethiopia using a mix of primary data on cost and best available data from the literature on the effectiveness. We measured the interventions’ cost from the providers’ perspective in 2019 US dollars. We developed a Markov model for T2DM disease progression with five health states using TreeAge Pro 2020 software. Disability-adjusted life year (DALY) was the health outcome used in this study, and we calculated the incremental cost-effectiveness ratio (ICER) per DALY averted. Furthermore, one-way and probabilistic sensitivity analysis were performed. Results. The annual unit cost per patient was USD 70 for metformin, USD 75 for metformin + glibenclamide, and USD 309 for metformin + saxagliptin. The ICER for saxagliptin + metformin was USD 2259 per DALY averted. The ICER results were sensitive to various changes in cost, effectiveness, and transition probabilities. The ICER was driven primarily by the higher cost of saxagliptin relative to glibenclamide. Conclusion. Our study revealed that saxagliptin is not a cost-effective second-line therapy in patients with T2DM inadequately controlled by metformin monotherapy based on a gross domestic product per capita per DALY averted willingness-to-pay threshold in Ethiopia (USD 953).publishedVersio

Evaluation of vetch species and their accessions for agronomic performance and Nutritive value in the Central Highlands of Ethiopia

Twenty accessions of five vetch species were evaluated for agronomic and nutritional attributes at Holetta and Ginchi in the central highlands of Ethiopia during 2009 main cropping season. The experiment was conducted in randomized complete block design with three replications. Most measured parameters revealed significant

Assessing Livestock Water Productivity in Mixed Farming Systems of Gumara Watershed, Ethiopia

A monitoring study was carried out in Gumara watershed, upper Blue Nile basin, with the objective of evaluating livestock water productivity (LWP) using a life cycle assessment method. Sixty two smallholder farmers were selected for the study implemented between November 2006 and February 2008. Data on crop and livestock production were collected to allow assessment of livestock water productivity. Study sites were situated in three different rainfed mixed crop/livestock farming systems; barley/potato based system (BPS), tef/finger-millet based system (TMS), and rice/noug based system (RNS). LWP was found to be significantly lower (p < 0.01) in RNS (0.057 USD m−3 water) than in TMS (0.066 USD m−3 water) or in BPS (0.066 USD m−3 water). Notably, water requirement per kg live weight of cattle increased towards the lower altitude area (in RNS) mainly because of increased evapo-transpiration. As a result, 20% more water was required per kg live weight of cattle in the low ground RNS compared to BPS situated in the upstream parts of the study area. Cattle herd management that involved early offtake increased LWP by 28% over the practice of late offtake. Crop water productivity expressed in monetary units (0.39 USD m−3 water) was higher than LWP (0.063 USD m−3 water) across the mixed farming systems of Gumara watershed. Strategies for improving LWP, from its present low level, could include keeping only the more productive animals, increasing pasture productivity and linking production to marketing. These strategies would also ease the imbalance between the existing high livestock population and the declining carrying capacity of natural pasture.Peer Reviewe

Analyzing the Representational Aspect of Gender in Learning English as a Foreign Language: The Case of Grades 7 and 8 Students’ Textbooks in Ethiopian Context

The purpose of this study was to analyze the representational aspect of gender in learning English as a foreign language in the case of grade 7 and 8 students’ textbooks. The study used a descriptive survey research design involving a mixed approach (quantitative and qualitative methods). To collect data, content analysis was primarily employed. The data were analyzed quantitatively using frequencies and percentages and qualitatively using narrations. The study found out that males occur with 59.8% but females with 40.2% in grade 7 students’ textbook, and males with 57.5% but females with 42.5% in grade 8 students’ English language textbook. Moreover, it was uncovered that males appear first with 67.3% and females with 32.7% in grade 7 students’ textbook, and males with 61.1% but females with 38.9% in grade 8 students’ conversational tasks in their textbook. Accordingly, it can be concluded that EFL students’ textbooks in the Ethiopian context dominantly embed males more than females both in representations and orders of occurrence as the major acting characters in dialogical situations. Thus, it is pedagogically implied that curriculum developers and textbook designers should harmoniously consider gender representation while designing learning materials

Analyzing the Representational Aspect of Gender in Learning English as a Foreign Language: The Case of Grades 7 and 8 Students’ Textbooks in Ethiopian Context

The purpose of this study was to analyze the representational aspect of gender in learning English as a foreign language in the case of grade 7 and 8 students’ textbooks. The study used a descriptive survey research design involving a mixed approach (quantitative and qualitative methods). To collect data, content analysis was primarily employed. The data were analyzed quantitatively using frequencies and percentages and qualitatively using narrations. The study found out that males occur with 59.8% but females with 40.2% in grade 7 students’ textbook, and males with 57.5% but females with 42.5% in grade 8 students’ English language textbook. Moreover, it was uncovered that males appear first with 67.3% and females with 32.7% in grade 7 students’ textbook, and males with 61.1% but females with 38.9% in grade 8 students’ conversational tasks in their textbook. Accordingly, it can be concluded that EFL students’ textbooks in the Ethiopian context dominantly embed males more than females both in representations and orders of occurrence as the major acting characters in dialogical situations. Thus, it is pedagogically implied that curriculum developers and textbook designers should harmoniously consider gender representation while designing learning materials

Anticholinergic burden among in-patients : a cross-sectional study on prevalence, determinants, and impact on mortality in Ethiopia

Acknowledgements The authors express their sincere gratitude to the University of Gondar for their invaluable support throughout the research process. Special appreciation is extended to the study participants for their active involvement.Peer reviewe

Podoconiosis and soil-transmitted helminths (STHs): double burden of neglected tropical diseases in Wolaita zone, rural southern Ethiopia

Background Both podoconiosis and soil-transmitted helminth (STH) infections occur among barefoot people in areas of extreme poverty; however, their co-morbidity has not previously been investigated. We explored the overlap of STH infection and podoconiosis in Southern Ethiopia and quantified their separate and combined effects on prevalent anemia and hemoglobin levels in podoconiosis patients and health controls from the same area. Methods and Principal Findings A two-part comparative cross-sectional study was conducted in Wolaita zone, southern Ethiopia. Data were collected from adult patients presenting with clinically confirmed podoconiosis, and unmatched adult neighborhood controls living in the same administrative area. Information on demographic and selected lifestyle factors was collected using interviewer-administered questionnaires. Stool samples were collected and examined qualitatively using the modified formalin-ether sedimentation method. Hemoglobin level was determined using two different methods: hemoglobinometer and automated hematology analyzer. A total of 913 study subjects (677 podoconiosis patients and 236 controls) participated. The prevalence of any STH infection was 47.6% among patients and 33.1% among controls (p<0.001). The prevalence of both hookworm and Trichuris trichiura infections was significantly higher in podoconiosis patients than in controls (AOR 1.74, 95% CI 1.25 to2.42, AOR 6.53, 95% CI 2.34 to 18.22, respectively). Not wearing shoes and being a farmer remained significant independent predictors of infection with any STH. There was a significant interaction between STH infection and podoconiosis on reduction of hemoglobin level (interaction p value = 0.002). Conclusions Prevalence of any STH and hookworm infection was higher among podoconiosis patients than among controls. A significant reduction in hemoglobin level was observed among podoconiosis patients co-infected with hookworm and ‘non-hookworm STH’. Promotion of consistent shoe-wearing practices may have double advantages in controlling both podoconiosis and hookworm infection in the study area