Background: Despite progress in reducing neonatal mortality rates in Ethiopia, the country still has a high neonatal mortality rate compared with the global average. Primary hospitals are critical in delivering basic neonatal care, particularly in rural areas. However, data on neonatal mortality and contributing factors in these settings are scarce. This study aimed to determine the survival status and predictors of neonatal mortality among neonates admitted to Bichena Primary Hospital, Northwest Ethiopia.
Methods: A retrospective cohort study was conducted among 638 neonates admitted to the Bichena Primary Hospital neonatal intensive care unit from January 1, 2021, to April 30, 2023. Neonates were selected via a consecutive sampling method. Data were collected from medical records using a pretested checklist. A Kaplan-Meier survival curve was used to estimate the neonatal survival time, and a Cox proportional hazard regression model was used to identify independent predictors of neonatal mortality.
Results: Of the 638 neonates followed, 21.5% died during the study period. The overall incidence rate of death was 66.69 per 1,000 neonate days. Hypothermia, birth injury, perinatal asphyxia, preterm birth, maternal history of abortion, low birth weight, and neonatal hypoglycemia were independent predictors of neonatal mortality.
Conclusion and recommendation: The study found a high rate of neonatal mortality, exceeding rates reported in other regions of Ethiopia. Most predictors were preventable and treatable. Therefore, early identification of obstetric complications, immediate interventions and postnatal care are crucial to reduce neonatal mortality and enhance overall neonatal outcomes.
Keywords: Ethiopia; neonate; predictors; primary hospitals; survival status.

Increasing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and environmental issues have heightened the demandfor renewable energy sources (RES) and prompted a swift transition to electric vehicles (EVs) in thetransportation sector. This shift underscores the need to address the challenges of electricity supplyand continuity for electric vehicle charging stations (EVCS). This study aims to determine the mostsuitable hybrid systems to ensure the electricity supply to EVCSs in the Çukurova region of Adana,Turkey. Six different scenarios involving components such as photovoltaic (PV) panel, wind turbine(WT), biomass generators (BG), electrolyzer (Elz), hydrogen tank (HT), fuel cell (FC), batteries (Bat),inverter (Inv), and the grid were analyzed using HOMER Pro microgrid analysis tool version 3.14.2software. The optimization results indicated that the most feasible system was Scenario 4, comprisingthe PV, BG, Elz, HT, FC, Inv, and grid components. This scenario’s total net present cost (NPC) was$611,283.50, with a levelized cost of energy (LCOE) of $0.0215. The annual energy productionand consumption were 1,507,169 kWh and 1,420,714 kWh, respectively. The fact that the energygenerated from exceeds the energy sourced from the grid reduces the payback period of the system.These findings highlight the economic and sustainable potential of renewable hybrid systems forenhancing the performance of EVCS in solar-rich regions.Keywords: Energy cost efficiency, Renewable energy integration, Electric vehicle charging stations, Hybridsystems, Optimization, Energy sustainability

Sweet potato (Ipomoea batatas L.) holds significant promise in addressing economic challenges and malnutrition issues. However, various factorsin Ethiopia impede its production and consumption. This review investigates sweet potato potential as a versatile solution for nutritionalchallenges in Ethiopia. Although the global yield of sweet potato reaches 14 tons/ha, in Ethiopia, it stands at approximately 8.1 tons/ha. In Africa,sweet potato is known as the 'poor person’s crop' and is primarily grown on a small scale by women for subsistence. Sweet potatoes are rich inessential nutrients such as vitamins C and E, B vitamins, iron, zinc, potassium, and fiber. Additionally, in Ethiopia, sweet potato leaves are utilizedas food, animal feed, and traditional medicine. Notably, they contain high levels of lutein (ranging from 38-51 mg/100 g), surpassing those foundin kale (38 mg/100 g) and spinach (12 mg/100 g). Leaves encompass protein (25%−37%), carbohydrate (42%−61%), crude fat (2%−5%), fiber(23%−38%), ascorbic acid (60−200 mg/100 g), and carotene (60−120 mg/100g). Malnutrition is continued as a major hurdle for millions ofEthiopians. Currently, stunting, wasting, and vitamin A deficiency (VAD) stand as the primary factors contributing to premature mortality inEthiopia. Despite the country's considerable potential for sweet potato cultivation and utilization, both yields and consumption remainremarkably low. Lack of clean planting materials, pests and diseases, knowledge gap, and poor market system are the key challenges of sweetpotato production in Ethiopia. Hence, to ease the malnutrition problems in Ethiopia, sweet potato production and utilization should be adept in abroader range.

Abstract Background: Hospitals usually encounter human, capital, and financial resource constraints which alerts the efficient use of allocated resources more than ever. Health system managers are required to identify inefficient hospitals and the drivers of the inefficiencies. Although there are multiple studies examining the efficiency of public hospitals in East Africa, their findings are often variable and inconsistent. Therefore, this study aimed to review published articles on technical efficiency of public hospitals in East African countries. Methods: A systematic search of published articles on the technical efficiency of public hospitals was employed using Pubmed, Cochrane library, and google scholar and thirteen studies were included to this review. The studies were described in terms of their publication year, sample size, inputs and outputs used in the efficiency analysis, and the technical efficiency levels. Finally, we assessed their quality and estimate the mean technical efficiency using meta-analysis. Results: The technical efficiency score of public hospitals varied across countries in east Africa which ranged from 0.64 ± 0.34 in Tanzania to 0.99 ± 0.03 in Ethiopia. The mean technical efficiency was 0.82 (95% CI = 0.56, 1.07) for primary hospitals and 0.88 (95% CI = 0.82, 0.95) for secondary level hospitals. Technical efficiency of public hospitals was negatively correlated with the number of hospitals (the sample size) and positively correlated with the number of inputs and outputs included in the efficiency analysis. Conclusions: This review revealed that the technical efficiency of public hospitals in east Africa requires an improvement. To enable effective and efficient hospital management and improvement in hospital efficiency, health man-agers and policymakers must identify the drivers of hospital inefficiency. Systematic reviews on public hospital efficiency, which are currently rare in Africa, should be conducted on a much larger scale in order to create more, and validated information for use in policy-making. Trial registration: This review protocol was registered and approved by the international prospective register of systematic reviews with a Protocol ID: CRD42023444729. Keywords: Technical efficiency, Hospitals, Data envelopment analysis, East Africa, Systematic review

ntroduction: Cognitive impairment is a medical condition caused by neurodegeneration, marked by a gradualdecline in neurological, motor, psychological, and cognitive domain functions, as well as daily activities. Itprimarily affects individuals with conditions such as Alzheimer’s disease, stroke, HIV/AIDS, diabetes mellitus,cancer, epilepsy, dementia, and other chronic illnesses, as well as older adults. While some individual studieshave explored the effects of cognitive impairment, there is a lack of nationwide research to provide a compre-hensive understanding of its burden among individuals with chronic diseases.Objective: To assess the pooled prevalence of cognitive impairment and its associated factors among individualswith chronic diseases in Ethiopia.Methods: Several databases were examined to find available articles. The data were extracted and sorted inMicrosoft Excel before being exported to STATA/MP 17.0 for analysis. A random-effects Der Simonian-Lairdmodel with a 95 % confidence interval was used to pool the data. Cochrane I2 statistics and Egger’s test wereused to evaluate heterogeneity and publication bias, respectively. To determine the cause of heterogeneity,subgroup analysis was performed. A log-odds ratio was utilized to illustrate the association between cognitiveimpairment and its associated factors. P-values less than 0.05 were considered statistically significant.Result: This study included 22 individual articles comprising a total of 6818 participants. The overall prevalenceof cognitive impairment among individuals with chronic diseases was 44.43 % (95 % CI: 37.76–51.10). Studiesconducted in Addis Ababa reported a higher prevalence of 50.89 % (95 % CI: 34.59–67.19). Similarly, researchfocusing on older adults indicated the highest prevalence, at 57.58 % (95 % CI: 28.78–86.39). Participants whoare unable to read and write were 3.82 times more likely to experience cognitive impairment compared to thosewho had completed primary education (AOR = 3.82; 95 % CI: 2.97–4.91).Conclusion: This review found a high prevalence of cognitive impairment among Ethiopians with chronic dis-eases, especially in older adults and those in Addis Ababa. Illiteracy significantly increased the risk. Thesefindings highlight the need for targeted cognitive screening and integration of cognitive care into chronic diseasemanagement.
Keywords: Cognition, Cognitive impairment, Associated factors, Ethiopia

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Agricultural financing plays a critical role in enhancing crop productivity and fostering rural development, particularly in agrarian economies. This study aims to empirically investigate the impact of agricultural financing on the crop productivity of smallholder farmers and assess its implications on income inequality. To achieve this objective, a mixed research approach was adopted, integrating both qualitative and quantitative methodologies. An explanatory research design was employed to explore the causal relationship between access to agricultural financing and crop output. Primary data were collected from a sample of 800 crop-producing households using structured questionnaires, interview schedules, and focus group discussions, selected through simple random sampling. Secondary data were obtained through document reviews from relevant institutional sources. The data were analysed using descriptive statistics and econometric modelling techniques, specifically Propensity Score Matching (PSM), to estimate the Average Treatment Effect on the Treated (ATT). A binary logit model was used to identify the determinants of access to agricultural financing. The results revealed that age, seed cost, labor cost, tractor access (as a proxy for infrastructure), education level, and farming experience significantly influenced whether a household received agricultural financing. Conversely, variables such as plant protection, fertilizer use, and landholding size were found to have an insignificant effect. The covariate balancing indicators and balance plots confirmed that the matching algorithms were successful in reducing selection bias, with mean standardized bias decreasing by up to 77.5% and pseudo R² values dropping significantly post-matching. The common support condition was also satisfied, ensuring the reliability of the PSM estimates. The PSM results confirmed that agricultural financing had a statistically significant and positive impact on crop productivity. On average, farmers with access to financing produced ETB 3,942.53 to ETB 6,251.01 more per season compared to those without access, depending on the matching algorithm used (NNM-1, NNM-5, and KBM). The study concludes that agricultural financing significantly enhances crop productivity but may unintentionally exacerbate income inequality. It recommends targeted financial inclusion strategies to ensure equitable access to credit. Furthermore, it advocates for practical, hands-on training programs tailored to farmers‘ realworld needs, rather than theoretical lectures. Such capacity-building initiatives should focus on improving technical expertise, efficient input utilization, and financial literacy, thereby maximizing the benefits of agricultural financing for sustainable rural development. Keywords: Agricultural Financing, Crop Productivity, Propensity Score Matching, Logit, Gini

In the absence of a recommended optimal seed rate and nitrogen-phosphorous (NP) fertilizers application for a spe-cific area, achieving maximum bread wheat productivity becomes challenging. To address this issue, this field experi-ment was conducted to evaluate the effect of seed and NP fertilizer rates on growth, yield, and yield components ofbread wheat (Triticum aestivum L.). Factorial combinations of four levels of seed rates of bread wheat (100, 120, 150, and200 kg ha−1 ) and four levels of NP fertilizers rates (64–46, 87–46, 96–69, and 119–69 kg ha−1 of N and P 2 O 5 ) werelaid down in randomized complete block design with three replications. The remaining necessary agronomic practicesand crop management activities were undertaken uniformly. The data presented in this dataset article includes pheno-logical, growth, yield, and yield component parameters that were collected timely following their standard methods andprocedures. All the collected data were subjected to analysis of variance (ANOVA) which was carried out using theSAS version 9.0 software computer program’s General Linear Model (GLM) procedure [1]. the residuals were evalu-ated, as described in Montgomery [2], to confirm the normal distribution and homogeneous variance model assump-tions on the error terms for each response variable. The independence assumption is upheld due to the randomization ofthe sixteen (16) treatment combinations within each block. In cases where a treatment effect was found to be significant,a multiple means comparison was conducted at a 5% significance level using Fisher’s LSD method to create letter group-ings. Additionally, correlation analysis was carried out using the Pearson correlation procedure in SAS. This dataset articleprovides insights into how seed rate and NP fertilizer rates impact bread wheat productivity, as well as the economic viability of optimal seed rate and NP fertilizer rates on bread wheat productivity. The information presented can serve as a valuable resource for researchers looking to examine thesupplementary data and methods in detail, potentially lead ing to new research avenues. Furthermore, it has the potential to foster collaborations and enhance the credibility of the current research data within the scientific community, making it accessible for wider use.
Keywords: Bread wheat, Burie district, Dataset, Grain yield, Seed rate, NP fertilizers, Partial budget analysis

Maize is produced throughout the world and it is also a pri-mary staple food crop in many developing countries. Thefield experiment was conducted during the main rainy sea-son of 2018 in Burie district to study the effects of types andgrowth stages of seedlings on the growth and yield of trans-planted maize (Zea mays L.). Factorial combinations of twotypes of seedlings (bare rooted and poly bagged); five lev-els of seedling’s growth stages (seedlings of 1, 2, 3, 4, and5 true leaf/ves) and one control (direct seeded) were laiddown in randomized complete block design with three repli-cations. Data on phenological, vegetative growth and yield-related parameters were collected following standard meth-ods and procedures. All data were subjected to analysis ofvariance using SAS software, and mean separation for sig-nificant treatments was done by LSD. Both main effects af-fected the number of grains cob−1 , grain, and stover yieldhighly significantly and days to 50% silking very highly signif-
icantly. Types of seedlings affected days to 50% tasselling sig-nificantly; and days to 90% physiological maturity and plantheight highly significantly. In addition, types of seedlingsaffected the number of cobs plant−1 , cob length, numberof grains row−1 and biomass yield, very highly significantly.Seedlings’ growth stages had a very highly significant effecton days to 50% tasseling and days to 90% physiological ma-turity. The number of cobs plant−1 , cob length, number ofgrains row−1 and biomass yield were also highly significantlyaffected by seedlings’ growth stages. The interaction effectwas highly significant on the number of cobs plant−1 , grain,and stover yield and very highly significant on the harvest in-dex. The highest (10.7t ha−1 ) grain yield of maize was foundfrom the transplantation of polybagged seedlings at four trueleaf stages. Although it is difficult to conclude based on oneseason and one location research trial, transplanting of poly-bagged seedlings at four true leaf stages gave superior grainyield. This treatment combination also gave the highest netbenefit with an acceptable range of marginal rate of return.Therefore, transplanting polybagged seedlings at four trueleaf stages is economically feasible and can be recommendedtentatively for Burie District. However; it’s also advised to re-peat the study in areas having terminal moisture stress formaize production.
Keywords: Bare root, Growth stage, Polybagged, Seedling, Transplanting

The evolving engagement of the Gulf States in the Horn of Africa has become an emerging determinant of the region’s current and future security landscape. The United Arab Emirates’ (UAE) active presence in the political economy of Ethiopia, following the Ethiopia–Eritrea peace deal, brings existing and potential security threats to Ethiopia and the wider Horn region. This study mainly tried to glean the political and security threats posed by the UAE’s active presence in Ethiopia since 2018. This study employed a qualitative research approach with an exploratory research design. The primary and secondary data were thoroughly consulted. The study argues that, given Ethiopia’s age-old dispute with Egypt and Sudan—strategic, historical and religious alliance with the UAE over Nile River utilisation—the UAE is unlikely to be Ethiopia’s strategic partner. The study also finds that the theocratic and undemocratic state experiences of the UAE, coupled with the de-institutionalised nature of bilateral relations, put the UAE at odds with Ethiopia’s long-range national interests. The rival advent of Gulf States in the region also exposed Ethiopia and the Horn of Africa states to potential proxy wars.Keywords: Gulf States, security, threats, UAE, Ethiopia

ABSTRACT Food security remains a critical global challenge, with millions of people suffering from hunger and malnutrition. Agricultural Multi-Purpose Cooperatives (AMPCs) are intended to improve food security by enhancing access to inputs, markets, and services. This study examines the impact of AMPCs on rural household food security in West Gojjam using ordinal logistic regression. Out of a total sample size of 1,122 rural households, 1,068 were included in the analysis. The study employed a cross-sectional research design. The findings revealed that, out of the 1,068 households surveyed, 45.3% were food secure, 22.6% were mildly food insecure and 32.1% were food insecure. Overall, 54.7% experienced some level of food insecurity, highlighting the need for improved food access and support interventions. The multiple ordinal logistic regression analysis revealed that factors such as female-headed households, large household size, smaller landholdings, lack of livestock ownership, absence of non-farm income, limited irrigation access, lack of credit, lack of Market Access, and no use of agricultural inputs significantly increase the likelihood of rural household food insecurity. Based on the results, it is recommended to focus on supporting female-headed households, reducing household size through family planning, improving land access, increasing livestock ownership, promoting non-farm income opportunities, enhancing irrigation access, providing credit, strengthening market linkages, and ensuring the widespread use of agricultural inputs to improve food security. Keywords: Agricultural cooperatives, food security, rural households, West Gojjam, Ethiopia, ordinal logistic regression.