Administrative Zones Research Articles

Gender Based Violence and Its Associated Effects on Female Students: The Case Gozamin and Nigus T/Haimanot Secondary Schools at East Gojjam Administrative Zone

Gender bade violence is one of the most prevalent human rights violations without considering social, economic, age, ethnicity and national boundaries which likely affects the health, dignity, security and autonomy of females. The study uncovered the customary social practices that can be the causes of GBV, explore the prevalence and its effects on female students’ academic achievement. The study employed cross sectional research design whereby mixed research approach was used. The study carried out at two secondary schools which are found at debre markos town. To take a representative sample the study employed multistage sampling techniques. The quantitative data was analyzed through descriptive statistics and the qualitative data analyzed through narrative analysis. 21.7% male and 78.3% female students within the range of 15-20 years were included in the study and the mean age of the respondents was 17.51. Among the total number of the study participants 58.3% faced different forms of GBV. 67.1% of GBV committed by outside school community, 19.5% schoolmates and 13.4% teachers and other staffs. From the total number of the respondents 39.2% have sexual partner. The mean age at which the respondents started first sexual intercourse was 16.49 years, and 52.9% of them make unsafe sex. 45.8% of the respondents are enable to negotiate when and how to make sex with their sexual partner. Age of the respondents’ and their tendency to be affected by GBV (n=120, r=0.327, p=0.000) have weak positive correlation. The age and their tendency to have more than one sexual partner at a time have weak negative correlation (n=120, r=-0.055). Among the sampled study participant 96.7% reported that friends or strangers pushed shook or threw something at them, 75% slapped, and 65.8% twisted their arms or pull their hair. Challenging such physical violence has its own challenge as the female students do not know the males and their address who are threatening them, lack of eye witness, and afraid to report.

Regeneration Status of Acacia Polyacantha and Boswellia Papyrifera Species in Shimelegir Forest, Jawi District, Ethiopia

The study focusing on regeneration status of “Gemarda Gerare”Acacia polyacantha and “Walia”Boswellia papyrifera (Del.)species which conducted in Shimelegir Forest, Jawi Woreda, Awi Administration Zone, Ethiopia from October, 2012 to February, 2014. The general objective of the study was to explore density and regeneration status of those species. A systematic sampling procedure was employed to generate the data like height and DBH of the tree. Accordingly, a total of 36 quadrants, each with the size of 25 m x 25 m at an interval of 350 m were laid out along the established transect line with between 500m apart. Two sub quadrants having size of 5 m x 2 m at two sides of every main quadrant to assess seedlings and saplings. Hipsometer and caliper were used to measure hight and DBH of the tree respectively. The data was processed and analysed by using Micriosoft excal 2008. The results show that the total density of Acacia polyacantha and Boswellia papyrifera was 24 and 56 Nha -1 respectively. The regeneration capacity of Acacia polyacantha displays an inverted “J” shape distribution with poor regeneration and good recruitment status and Boswellia papyrifera showed a bell shape population structure with poor regeneration and recruitment. Keywords: Acacia polyacantha, Boswellia papyrifera, Density, Regeneration, Shimelegir state forest.

Preparation and Utilization of Natural Aloe Vera to Enhance Quality of Mango Fruit

The main objective of this study was to see the effect of natural Aloe vera gel coating, and combined with citric acid treatments on shelf life and quality of mango during storage. Mango fruit is very perishable in nature and considerable postharvest quality defect is occurred during and after harvest. Postharvest loss on fruits especially mango fruit is common in Ethiopia especially areas like <i>North Shewa Administrative Zone, Shewa Robit, Ethiopia</i> due to hot and humid condition (16.5-31°C) and poor fruit harvesting transporting, handling and storage condition by farmers, wholesalers and consumers. Physico-chemical parameters such as weight loss, pH, moisture, titratable acidity and total soluble solids (TSS) of mango fruit was determined at 7 days interval during the storage period. The control fruits started deteriorated before 17 days and only few fruits survived up to 21 days, whereas, shelf life extended to 29 days for majority of aloe vera gel alone and with citric acid coated fruits. At the end of the storage period, uncoated mango fruits showed 22.04% loss in weight, whereas coated mango fruits with aloe vera gel and combination with citric acid was 8.6% and 7.6% by weight loss, respectively. Among the physico-chemical parameters, pH and TSS contents increased significantly (p ≤ 0.05), whereas total weight loss, moisture content and titratable acidity decreased during storage. The present work reveals that potential application of natural aloe vera (<i>Aloe debrana</i>) gel with citric acid coatings for enhancing the postharvest shelf life and maintaining quality of mango fruit.

Educational development of Shalikha

Shalikha is a local administrative zone by the Bangladesh government. It is a famous Upazila in Magura district. It comes from to the existence in the British period. To study in the education sector of the Upazila Shalikha is the main research paper where there will be shown what is the main condition of the educational department. It is seen to be back-warded because there are many causes to culprit to develop the bondage of the educational development of the Upazila Shalikha. Education is said that what is the developmental index of the improvement. Here are the people who are the twenty-four and eight percent that are littered. There is the female who the sixteen and eight percent that are littered. This study tries to prove that how can improve the whole educational development in this tracking area. The present educational system, which is to sustain how may sustain to develop the society and nation. The present picture is developed at a high rate that is enlisted to develop our socio-economical development to reshape our national educational development. Without education, Shalikha will not more develop. The present condition will show how the Shalikha inhabitants can improve their educational development. How many educational institutions in Shalika are there? To study this educational institution will prove that Shalikha will recreate a landmark to remake the national educational history. The institutions and the people who are engaged to develop the society, culture, religion, and economics of the Upazila Shalikha. The education system of Shalikha focuses on an aim to remake the developed nation that is enlisted into the national development. As a village Upazila, Shalikha will rename as a model Upazila. The education of it is running away to recall in a development in a novel way.

Potentials and Opportunities of Community Tourism Venture in the Wof- Washa Dry Afromontane Hotspot Forest, North Shewa Administrative Zone, Ethiopia

The Wof-Washa Dry Afromontane Hotspot Forest is one of the oldest proclaimed state forests in the central highlands of Ethiopia. The forest is endowed with mosaic of landscapes, natural and plantation forests, mosaic of cultures and traditions, the presence of historical site in the vicinity, variety of bird species, and the presence of different wild mammal species including the large body-sizedendemic gelada and Menelik’s bushbuck. All of these are top tourist attractions in the area. However, the forest is under serious human-and livestock-induced pressure that threatens the status of the natural biodiversity. The objective of this paper was to explore potentials and opportunities of community tourism venture in the Wof-Washa Dry Afromontane Hotspot Forest.To introduce and promote community-based ecotourism in the Wof-Washa Dry Afromontane Hotspot Forest, SUNARMA (i.e. Sustianable Natural Resources Management Association) has built tourist campsites at four different sites (namely: Kundi, Goshu-Meda, Mescha, and Liq-Marefya). Since Septermber 2017, domestic and foreign (i.e. international) tourists have started visiting the forest. For example, a total of 243 tourists so far visited the forest and about 97,386 ETB (i.e. equivalent to $ 3,536.91) was collected as a revenue from the visitng tourists. As per the agreement, the revenue was equally distributed to all members who belonged to the four community-based ecotourism cooperatives found around the forest. This suggests that introducing and promoting community-based conservation efforts that allow communities to derive economic benefits from ecotourism enhance forest conservation while at the same time providing an optimal solution to resource use conflicts. Ecotourism activity can also improve and diversify the incomes of the local people through creating job opportunities, such as tourist guiding services, souvenir selling, and horse renting all of which can help make community-based ecotourism economically viable in the Wof-Washa Dry Afromontane Hotspot Fores

Awi Migration, Adaptation, and Integration to Addis Ababa

In this article, I investigate the Awi ethnic group’s migration and integration into Addis Ababa. Through qualitative techniques of data collection both at places of migrant origin and destination, I explore migration and its causes through time, mechanisms of economic and social integration, and accompanying challenges. The findings show that the Awi are a relatively young migrant group in Addis Ababa. Their significant presence in the city started only after 1991, and their presence before this time was incidental. Economic, political, and social factors triggered their migration. Their economic adaptation mechanisms in Addis Ababa include church services, street hawking and cassette peddling, female domestic work, and other works in emerging sectors, such as construction. They use E dd ers, or community associations, churches, and intermarriage as social integration strategies within their own ethnic group and with other residents of Addis Ababa. The Awi, since 1991, still rely on the same livelihood strategies, and only few of them have succeeded in transforming their lives for the better. Livelihood and social integration challenges and the migrant responses to these challenges are discussed in this article. The Awi homeland is currently the Awi Nationality Administration Zone (ANAZ), which is geographically located in the Amhara region of Ethiopia. The population of ANAZ in 2015 was 1,198,756, of which the Awi are 60% and the remaining 40% are predominantly Amhara.

The impact of drought on sorghum production, and farmer's varietal and trait preferences, in the north eastern Ethiopia: implications for breeding

ABSTRACTPurpose: Sorghum [Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench] has been cultivated for centuries as a staple food crop for millions of people in sub-Saharan Africa and Asia. In Ethiopia a total of 4.34 million tons of sorghum is being produced per annum, predominantly in the arid and semi-arid areas. However, the yield and quality of sorghum is affected by a wide array of production constraints, notably severe and recurrent drought stress. The aim of this study were to determine the impact of drought on sorghum production and productivity over time and space, and to identify farmers’ trait preferences, production constraints and coping strategies when dealing with drought in north eastern Ethiopia.Materials and methods: Participatory rural appraisal (PRA) was employed in three administrative zones of north eastern Ethiopia. One Woreda from each Zone and two Kebeles from each Woreda were selected on the basis of sorghum area coverage, production, consumption and prior information on the intensity, duration and spatial coverage of drought. In each kebele, 30 respondents were selected for interview and 12 key informants were selected for group discussions and transect walk personal observations. Data collected from 180 respondents was subjected to statistical analysis and the information gathered from 72 key informants through focus group discussions and transect walk observations were used in discussing the results.Results and discussion: The present study found that productivity of sorghum was challenged by recurrent droughts, Striga infestation, insects, birds, diseases, a lack of varieties with farmers-preferred traits and high yield potential, limited policy support, a lack of improved seed system, poor sorghum production practices and application of crop input and poor soil fertility, in a decreasing order of importance. Among the listed sorghum production constraints, severe drought in the post-flowering stage was identified by most interviewed farmers as the leading constraint across the three study zones. Focus group discussions and transect walk observations held in each Kebele revealed that farmers’ had lost numerous valuable local landrace varieties due to extreme drought conditions over the years. A significant number of interviewed farmers preferred to grow high grain and biomass yielder medium-maturing sorghum varieties which can be sown at the normal planting time but which would escape post-flowering drought.Conclusion: Overall, sorghum breeding programme should be directed at developing farmers’ ideal sorghum varieties with high grain and biomass yield, adequate level of drought and Striga tolerance. In addition, development of farmer preferred medium-maturing sorghum varieties suitable for April planting should be strengthen to boost its productivity and to increase varietal adoption rate in the area.

Evidence-based practice among health professionals in hospitals of Northwest Ethiopia: a cross-sectional study.

Evidence-based practice (EBP) is a problem-solving approach to patient care based on the best available and valid evidence. It is accentuated to increase the quality of care and patient safety. EBP in clinical service is low in developing countries including Ethiopia. This study aimed at assessing EBP and associated factors among health professionals in North Gondar Administrative Zone hospitals, Northwest Ethiopia. Institution-based cross-sectional study was carried out from March to May 2015 in three hospitals in North Gondar Zone. A stratified simple random sampling technique was used to select 438 respondents. Trained data collectors collected data using a pre-tested, structured and self-administered questionnaire. The questionnaire included sociodemographic characteristics, level of knowledge, attitude and organizational factors. Data were entered using Epi Info version 7.0 and analysed using SPSS version 20.0. Bivariate and multivariable logistic regression analyses were undertaken to identify the associated factors. In total, 431 returned questionnaires were valid for the analysis making a response rate of 98.4%. Almost half, 53% (228) of study participants utilized EBP. EBP utilization was significantly associated with knowledge [adjusted odds ratio (AOR): 1.612, 95% confidence interval (CI) = (1.06-2.45)], Internet access [AOR: 1.831, 95% CI = (1.191-2.816)], training [AOR: 1.906, 95% CI (1.223-2.97)], and availability of enough time to apply EBP [AOR: 1.698, 95% CI = (1.122-2.57)]. This study depicts EBP utilization was insufficient. We observed that knowledge of EBP, training, Internet access and availability of time were significantly associated with utilizing EBP. Improving facilities Internet access, giving more time for EBP, and training health professionals about search strategies would improve EBP.

Contribution of the Guassa Community Eco-Lodge to the Conservation of Wild Mammals, Birds and Woody Plants in Menz-Gera Midir District, North Shewa Administrative Zone, Ethiopia

Contribution of the Guassa Community Eco-Lodge to the Conservation of Wild Mammals, Birds and Woody Plants in Menz-Gera Midir District, North Shewa Administrative Zone, Ethiopia

Temporal and spatial distribution of lumpy skin disease outbreaks in Ethiopia in the period 2000 to 2015

BackgroundLumpy skin disease (LSD) is an infectious viral disease of cattle caused by a virus of the genus Capripoxvirus. LSD was reported for the first time in Ethiopia in 1981 and subsequently became endemic. This time series study was undertaken with the aims of identifying the spatial and temporal distribution of LSD outbreaks and to forecast the future pattern of LSD outbreaks in Ethiopia.ResultsA total of 3811 LSD outbreaks were reported in Ethiopia between 2000 and 2015. In this period, LSD was reported at least once in 82% of the districts (n = 683), 88% of the administrative zones (n = 77), and all of the regional states or city administrations (n = 9 and n = 2) in the country. The average incidence of LSD outbreaks at district level was 5.58 per 16 years (0.35 year−1). The incidence differed between areas, being the lowest in hot dry lowlands and highest in warm moist highland. The occurrence of LSD outbreaks was found to be seasonal. LSD outbreaks generally have a peak in October and a low in May. The trend of LSD outbreaks indicates a slight, but statistically significant increase over the study period. The monthly precipitation pattern is the reverse of LSD outbreak pattern and they are negatively but non-significantly correlated at lag 0 (r = −0.05, p = 0.49, Spearman rank correlation) but the correlation becomes positive and significant when the series are lagged by 1 to 6 months, being the highest at lag 3 (r = 0.55, p < 0.001). The forecast for the period 2016–2018 revealed that the highest number of LSD outbreaks will occur in October for all the 3 years and the lowest in April for the year 2016 and in May for 2017 and 2018.ConclusionLSD occurred in all major parts of the country. Outbreaks were high at the end of the long rainy season. Understanding temporal and spatial patterns of LSD and forecasting future occurrences are useful for indicating periods when particular attention should be paid to prevent and control the disease.

Growth and biomass yield response of clover (&lt;i&gt;Trifolium decorum&lt;/i&gt;) to preceding crop and organic treatment in the highlands of Awi Administrative Zone, Ethiopia

Low soil fertility status is a dominant challenge in Ethiopian agriculture for decades. Organic amendment from different sources could help to rebuild the soil fertility status of the country. Hence, an experiment was conducted to evaluate the outcome of organic treatment and preceding crops on growth and biomass yield of clover. Four levels of organic treatments (V1= 0 t ha-1 FYM; V2 = 5 t ha-1 FYM; V3 = 2.5 t ha-1 FSB and V4 = 5 t ha-1 FYM +2.5 t ha-1 FSB) and two levels of crop rotation patterns (R1 = wheat - clover and R2 = potato-clover) were factorially arranged and laid out in a completely randomized block design (RCBD) with four replications. Plant height, number of tillers plant-1, number of nodules plant-1, root biomass plant-1 and above ground biomass of clover was recorded and analyzed using SAS system. The overall experimental results showed that only the main effect of organic amendment had a significant effect on the growth and biomass yield of clover. The highest total dry biomass (5.6 t ha-1) of clover was recorded at 5 t ha-1 FYM +2.5 t ha-1 FSB. The unfertilized control gave the lowest mean dry biomass (3.06 t ha-1) of clover compared to all other treatments. Thus, 5 t ha-1 FYM +2.5 t ha-1 FSB could be recommended for better biomass yield of clover. The finding could bridge the chronic green manure and livestock feed shortage of the district.Keywords: Clover, biomass yield, preceding crops, farmyard manure

Supply Chain Management of Antiretroviral Drugs In Public Health Facilities In Eastern Ethiopia

Objective : Present study is aimed at assessing the supply chain management (SCM) of drugs in selected public health facilities in Dire Dawa City Administration, Harari Region and Jigjiga Zone in Somali Region, Eastern Ethiopia. Methods: A systematic random sampling technique was employed to select the public health facilities from each of the corresponding study areas. Quantitative data were collected using both retrospective and prospective structured observational checklist and structured questionnaire. Data were analyzed using EPI INFO Version 3.5.1 and SPSS version 16.0. Results: A total of 384 HIV/AIDS patients (47.9% males and 52.1% females) were included in the study from three hospitals and seven health centers with mean age of 32.8 years (SD ± 11.9 years). Ninety percent of the health facilities dispensed the ARV drugs to patients when they came for resupply within 1-3 months. Only thirty percent of the health facilities had received all the ordered quantities of ARV drugs. Zidovudine/ Lamivudine/Nevirapine, Tenofovir/Lamivudine/Efavirenz and Zidovudine/ Lamivudine/Efavirenz combinations were the most commonly prescribed ARV regimens with 31.9%, 19.8% and 15.1%, respectively. Patients who used substances such as khat, cigarette and alcohol along with the ARV drugs were 4.6 times more likely to miss their proper daily dose usage as compared to those who did not use (AOR = 4.619 [95% CI: 2.069-10.313]). Conclusions: The patients should adhere to the right dose at the right time but the health facilities sometimes received not all the quantities of ARV drugs that they have ordered. Zidovudine containing ARV regimen was the most commonly prescribed regimen. Key words: Adherence, ARV Drugs, Drug Resistance, Supply Chain Management, HIV/AIDS Patients, HAART

Extensive legal exceptionalism, an administrative export-processing zone and urbanization in Mauritius

ABSTRACTAn analysis of the repercussions of the administrative Mauritian export-processing zone (EPZ), encompassing the territory of the whole main island of the Republic of Mauritius, for the trajectory of urbanization finds that unlike specific economic zones such as Shenzhen special economic zone, China, the Mauritian EPZ only had an historical impact on the urbanization of the main island. The correlates of current urbanization are unemployment, property, marginalization and foreign in-migration, reflecting general urbanization trends in the Global South. However, the island exhibits a highly fragmented urban fabric and differentiated rural areas, whose emergence is related to the history of the EPZ.

English

The present study was conducted with the objective to characterize the husbandry practices and phenotypic characteristics of mature Bati, Borana and Short-eared Somali goats kept under traditional management systems so that the information generated can be used in designing breeding programs. The study was covered five districts in four administrative zones of Ethiopia representing Bati (in Oromia Zone) and Kalu (in South Wollo Zone) for Bati goats; Yabello (in Borana Zone) for Borana goats and Shinille and Erer (in Siti Zone) for Short-Eared Somali goats. A total of 345 households interview was made and phenotypic measurements were taken on 601(468 females and 133 males) heads of adult goats with 4 pair of permanent incisors (PPI). However, because of difficulty of finding adequate number of 4PPI sample males, measurements were taken from 2PPI and above males. In this study, in number, goats accounted for 72.01, 50.93 and 47.38% of other livestock species in Siti, around Bati and Borana, respectively. The least square mean (&plusmn;SE) of goat flock size (44.02&plusmn;3.33) per household in Siti was significantly (p&lt;0.05) higher than those observed in Borana (23.08&plusmn;1.94) and Bati area (8.99&plusmn;0.59). The major challenges of goat rearing in the studied areas include feed and water shortage, disease incidence and recurrent drought with different order of prioritization. Plain brown (deep and light) (51.85%) coat color was the predominant coat color observed on Bati goats of both sexes. Meanwhile, plain white coat color was most frequently observed on Borana goats (71.54%) and only 36.27% in Short-eared Somali goats. Though most quantitative traits showed slightly higher average values in the Bati goats, differences with Borana goats were not significant (p&gt;0.05),whereas Short-eared Somali goats remained significantly (p&lt;0.05) lower for most of the body measurement characteristics. The canonical analysis done on phenotypic measurements also put Bati and Borana goats closer by discriminating Short-eared Somali goat populations. The similarities between Bati and Borena goats and significance divergence of Short-eared Somali goats in phenotypic measurements suggested that the need of further molecular characterization study to validate information from phenotypic characterization. Correlation coefficient was consistently highest between live weight and chest girth in both sexes across the goat populations. Hence, linear measurements could be valuable to estimate live body weight for those farm communities where sensitive weighing scales are not readily available. &nbsp; Key words: Ethiopia, husbandry practices, phenotypic characteristics, indigenous goats.

Genetic structure and relationships within and between cultivated and wild korarima [Aframomum corrorima (Braun) P.C.M. Jansen] in Ethiopia as revealed by simple sequence repeat (SSR) markers

BackgroundKorarima [Aframomum corrorima (Braun) P.C.M. Jansen] is a spice crop native to Ethiopia. Understanding the extent and partitioning of diversity within and among crop landraces and their wild relatives is among the first steps in conserving and measuring their genetic potential. The present study is aimed at characterizing the population genetic structure and relationships between cultivated and wild korarima in the southwestern part of Ethiopia.ResultsWe analyzed a total of 195 individuals representing seven wild and fourteen cultivated populations. Eleven polymorphic simple sequence repeat (SSR) markers were used. We observed a total of 53 alleles across the eleven loci and individuals. In total, 32 alleles were detected in the cultivated populations, whereas 49 alleles were detected in the wild populations. We found higher genetic diversity in wild populations than in the cultivated counterpart. This result implies the potential of wild korarima as a possible source for novel alleles contributing to the improvement of cultivated korarima. Analysis of molecular variance (AMOVA) showed significant but low differentiation between cultivated and wild korarima populations. Similarly, neighbour-joining and STRUCTURE analyses did not group cultivated and wild populations into two distinct clusters. The lack of clear differentiation between cultivated and wild populations could be explained by historical and contemporary gene flow between the two gene pools.ConclusionThe 11 SSR loci developed in this study could be employed to examine genetic diversity and population structure of korarima in other countries as well as other Aframomum species. From the five administrative zones considered in this study, the Bench-Magi and Sheka zone showed populations with high genetic diversity, and these populations could be used as a potential starting point for in-situ and ex-situ germplasm conservation and korarima improvement through breeding programs after proper agronomic evaluation.

SPATIAL AND TEMPORAL DYNAMIC OF URBAN GREEN AREAS IN NATAL/RN

Urban green areas are the coverage type that comes closest to the natural landscape. In this paper we aimed to evaluate three decades of spatio-temporal dynamic of green areas in the city of Natal and its administrative zones to answer how much green and urban coverage areas have changed, how much green area index has varied and when were such changes stronger. A remote sensing technique and a computer graphic program were used to convert, classify and extract information from Landsat satellite images from 1984, 1993, 2005 and 2015. Natal has lost 2/3 of its dense vegetation in the last three decades (currently ranging from 3% to 12 % of its administrative zone areas). The green area index of the city was reduced from 107 m² to 18 m² of green area per inhabitant. However, major administrative zones had even lower indices than 18 m² of green area per inhabitant. Changes in the coverage of vegetation and the green area index were stronger between 1984 and 1993. The results found out here are a first step to support decisions of stakeholders about land use and occupation in the city of Natal.

Zuid Midden Timor under the Dutch Control 1905-1942

This study is aimed at retracing the Dutch colonial government in South Middle Timor or Zuid Midden Timor in the beginning of 20th century. Intending to expand its controlled territories, to exploit the sandalwood trade and introduce Christianity, the colonial government then domiclied in Kupang entered the inland parts of Timor island, to be prescisely in Molo in 1905. The Ducth colonial government defeated the local meos (soldiers), the Molo meo, Amabuan meo and the Amanatun meo. These three regions were later formed as a governmental administration zone by the East Indies, equivalent to a landschaap and were later combined in an onderafdelling-level administration unit called Zuid Midden Timor, with Molo as its capital city. As the capital city, Molo housed all public administration affairs, markets and shops, which were all centered in Molo. Until the end of the Dutch control in 1942, the Dutch colonial government had left its influences in culture, education, social aspects and governmental politics.

Effective Urban Structure Inference from Traffic Flow Dynamics

Mobility in a city is represented as traffic flows in and out of defined urban travel or administrative zones. While the zones and the road networks connecting them are fixed in space, traffic flows between pairs of zones are dynamic through the day. Understanding these dynamics in real time is crucial for real time traffic planning in the city. In this paper, we use real time traffic flow data to generate dense functional correlation matrices between zones during different times of the day. Then, we derive optimal sparse representations of these dense functional matrices, that accurately recover not only the existing road network connectivity between zones, but also reveal new latent links between zones that do not yet exist but are suggested by traffic flow dynamics. We call this sparse representation the time-varying effective traffic connectivity of the city. A convex optimization problem is formulated and used to infer the sparse effective traffic network from time series data of traffic flow for arbitrary levels of temporal granularity. We demonstrate the results for the city of Doha, Qatar on data collected from several hundred bluetooth sensors deployed across the city to record vehicular activity through the city's traffic zones. While the static road network connectivity between zones is accurately inferred, other long range connections are also predicted that could be useful in planning future road linkages in the city. Further, the proposed model can be applied to socio-economic activity other than traffic, such as new housing, construction, or economic activity captured as functional correlations between zones, and can also be similarly used to predict new traffic linkages that are latently needed but as yet do not exist. Preliminary experiments suggest that our framework can be used by urban transportation experts and policy specialists to take a real time data-driven approach towards urban planning and real time traffic planning in the city, especially at the level of administrative zones of a city.

Retrospective assessment of the status and determinants of tuberculosis treatment outcome among patients treated in government hospitals in North Shoa Administrative Zone, Amhara Regional State, Ethiopia.

BackgroundOne of the specific targets of Directly Observed Treatment, Short-course detailed in the updated Global Plan (2011–2015) was to achieve a treatment success rate of 87% by 2015. This strategy was introduced to Ethiopia in 1995 to reach full coverage in 2005; however, by 2009, treatment had not been as successful as expected.ObjectiveThis study was conducted to determine treatment success rate and identify risk factors for tuberculosis (TB) treatment outcomes in North Shoa Administrative Zone, Amhara Regional State, Ethiopia.MethodsA retrospective cohort study was conducted on all TB patients (739) who registered for TB treatment from September 1, 2012 to August 31, 2014 at public hospitals in North Shoa Administrative Zone, Ethiopia. Data were gathered by using a pretested structured medical record checklist. Four data collectors and two supervisors were involved in gathering the data. The data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and logistic regression and were entered into Epi Info and analyzed by using the SPSS software package version 20.ResultsThis study revealed that the TB treatment success rate was 86.1% (169 [22.9%] cured and 467 [63.2%] completed). In addition, 22 (3%) of the study participants defaulted their treatment of which 19 (86.4%) withdrew during the intensive phase. The multiple logistic regression model revealed that the study year of treatment, sputum smear positivity at the second-month follow-up, history of treatment default, and subsequent hospitalization were significantly associated with the TB treatment outcome.ConclusionThe TB treatment success rate in the study area was low compared to that estimated by World Health Organization to achieve by 2015. Therefore, Federal Ministry of Health and Regional and Zonal Health Office have to strengthen the interventions on minimizing anti-TB treatment default rate through well-organized documentation, follow-up on TB patients, and awareness-creation programs.

Perceptions and attitudes of local people towards participatory forest management in Tarmaber District of North Shewa Administrative Zone, Ethiopia: the case of Wof-Washa Forests

IntroductionSince the last few decades, the government of Ethiopia has introduced and adopted participatory forest management (PFM) in different regions of the country. However, there is a lack of research dealing with perceptions and attitudes of local people towards PFM in Wof-Washa Forests (WWF). The aim of this study was to evaluate the perceptions and attitudes of local people towards PFM implemented in WWF. We hypothesized that the perceptions and attitudes of local people towards PFM differ with socio-economic variables, such as sex, age, level of education, family size, occupation type, annual income, length of duration of local residence, livestock, and land ownership.MethodsA structured questionnaire comprised of close- and open-ended questions was developed and administered to a total of n = 64 households to collect information on the perceptions and attitudes of local people towards PFM in WWF. Descriptive statistics and multiple linear regressions were used to analyze and interpret the data.ResultsThe results revealed that socio-economic variables had significant effects on the perceptions towards “the prevalence of the problems with the existing PFM system” (39% variance explained), “the concept of PFM” (30% variance explained), and “the presence of PFM practice” (11% variance explained). Majority of the respondents accepted the PFM program introduced in WWF in order to protect and manage the WWF. The study also revealed that socio-economic variables had significant effects on the attitudes towards “managing forests via participatory approach” (16% variance explained), “having the responsibility to protect the WWF” (40% variance explained), and “accepting the PFM practice” (54% variance explained). However, the findings suggested that there were some respondents who were yet unsure to fully accept the concept and practice of PFM.ConclusionsCreating public awareness about PFM is crucial to alleviate the problems of deforestation and reduce the unsustainable use of the WWF. As socio-economic variables that affect perceptions and attitudes of local people towards PFM may change over time, future research is crucial to consider the time dimension as possible factor while studying perceptions and attitudes of local people towards PFM.