Eucalyptus camaldulensis is commonly planted on farmland in highland Ethiopia because of its high economic proftability.However, the expansion of woodlot plantations has led to a decline in crop growth and yield, which negatively afects foodsecurity. To address this issue, this study aimed to examine the efects of Eucalyptus camaldulensis woodlot expansion on cropproduction and food security in South Achefer. Data were collected from 180 respondents using a three-stage sampling techniquefor the four kebeles in the district. Te survey data were analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics, and a binary logitregression model using SPSS software version 24. Tis study found that most households (87%) perceived a rapid increase inEucalyptus woodlot expansion. Te allocation of more land for Eucalyptus woodlot expansion was positively and signifcantlyafected by family size, landholding size, total annual income, and availability of unproductive land. Additionally, the studyrevealed that Eucalyptus woodlots highly compete with nearly all grown crops for nutrients and moisture. Tis causes a reductionin yield from one to four quintals compared to the normal crop grown far from the Eucalyptus tree. Approximately three-fourths(71%) of the sampled farmers did not obtain stable food annually and were considered food insecure. To alleviate food insecurity,this study suggests that stakeholders should focus on improving livelihood alternatives rather than expanding Eucalyptuswoodlots.Keywords: access; availability; binary logistic regression; stability; utilization; woodlot

Abstract: The egg quality measurements were undertaken as egg weight loss (%), shell thickness,Haugh unit, yolk height, yolk width, yolk index and albumen height. The non-sprayed chickeneggs showed a higher weight loss percentage of 3.07% within 15 days of storage. However, itwas shown to be lower the weight loss of 0.48% when sprayed. Even though a progressivedecrease in yolk height, albumen height, yolk index and Haugh unit values were shown as thestorage period advances, sprayed eggs which resulted to be greater within each storage periodthan non-sprayed eggs. Non- sprayed eggs stored for 15, 10, 5, and 0 day had a Haugh unit valueof 52.42±2.66, 73.29±6.44, 77.51±3.88 and 85.72 ± 2.85, respectively. Whereas, Haugh unitvalues were shown as 82.43±4.31, 82.90 ±4.43, 84.73 ±3.25 and 85.52±6.37 respectively whichrecorded after spraying. There were significant differences (P < 0.05) in moisture percentage, fatand protein content among non-sprayed eggs kept for different storage period. But percentage ofash and carbohydrate were unaffected. There was gradually decreased in the percentage ofmoisture, fat and protein content as the storage period advances.Keywords: Haugh unit, Albumen height, Fat, Protein, Ash, Carbohydrate

Industries are among the largest global consumers of water, with a significant portion beingconverted into industrial wastewater. Paint factories, in particular, are major contributors toenvironmental lead pollution, releasing lead (II) through untreated effluents. Exposure to lead (II)poses serious health risks, including carcinogenic effects, neurological disorders, blood-relatedcomplications, and damage to vital organs such as the liver, kidneys, and lungs. While exten-sive research has focused on lead (II) removal from synthetic wastewater, limited studies haveaddressed the application of these methods to real industrial wastewater. This study aimed toevaluate the efficiency of Noug stalk activated carbon in removing lead (II) from paint factoryeffluent under optimized conditions. Laboratory experiments were conducted to assess the per-formance of Noug stalk activated carbon in treating wastewater from a paint factory. Statisticalanalysis using Statistical Package for Social Sciences version 20 was employed, with a pairedsample t-test determining the significance of differences in lead (II) concentrations before andafter treatment, considering a p-value of

Given the Amharic language has a lot of perplexing terminology since it features duplicate homophone letters,fidel’s ሀ, ሐ, and ኀ (three of which are pronounced as HA), ሠ and ሰ (both pronounced as SE), አ and ዐ (bothpronounced as AE), and ጸ and ፀ (both pronounced as TSE). The WSD (Word Sense Disambiguation) model, whichtackles the issue of lexical ambiguity in the context of the Amharic language, is developed using a deep learningtechnique. Due to the unavailability of the Amharic wordnet, a total of 1756 examples of paired Amharicambiguous homophonic words were collected. These words were ድህነት(dhnet) and ድኅነት(dhnet), ምሁር(m’hur)and ምሑር(m’hur), በአል(be’al) and በዢል(be’al), አቢይ (abiy) and ዐቢይ(abiy), with a total of 1756 examples.Following word preprocessing, word2vec, fasttext, Term Frequency-Inverse Document Frequency (TFIDF), andbag of words (BoW) were used to vectorize the text. The vectorized text was divided into train and test data. Thetrain data was then analysed using Naive Bayes (NB), K-nearest neighbour (KNN), logistic regression (LG), de-cision trees (DT), random forests (RF), and random oversampling technique. Bidirectional Gate Recurrent Unit(BiGRU) and Bidirectional Long Short-Term Memory (BiLSTM) improved to 99.99 % accuracy even with limiteddatasets.
Key Words: Amharic language, Homophone, Machine learning, Deep learning, Bidirectional, BiLSTM, BiGRU, TFIDF, BoW, Word embedding, Amharic word sense disambiguation

Background Ethical dilemmas in emergency and critical care nursing often involve complex decision-makingthat impacts patient outcomes, emotional well-being of healthcare providers, and team dynamics. Understandingthese dilemmas and the decision-making processes involved is crucial for improving nursing practices and patientoutcomes in this context.Objective This study aims to explore the ethical dilemmas and decision-making processes of emergency and criticalcare nurses, using the Four Box. Method ethical decision-making framework.Methods A multi-method qualitative approach was employed, incorporating in-depth individual interviews(IDI), focus group discussions (FGD), and case studies to capture diverse perspectives. Data were collected from28 nurses working in emergency and critical care settings at Tibebe Ghion Specialized Hospital and Felege HiwotComprehensive Specialized Hospital through purposive sampling. The interviews and focus groups were audiorecorded, transcribed verbatim in Amharic, translated into English, and entered into OpenCode software for analysis.Inductive thematic analysis method was applied to analyze the data.Results The study revealed several key ethical dilemmas faced by nurses, including balancing patient autonomywith beneficence, and the allocation of limited resources during crises, opioid administration for pain managementvs. respiratory depression, and conflicts regarding informed consent. Nurses reported emotional and professionalimpacts from these dilemmas, contributing to moral distress, burnout, and ethical fatigue. Nurses emphasizedthe importance of interdisciplinary collaboration and structured decision-making frameworks to navigate thesechallenges. However, the lack of consistent access to ethics consultations and peer support during critical momentswas noted as a significant barrier.Conclusion and recommendation Nurses encounter complex ethical dilemmas that impact their emotional well-being and job satisfaction. Effective decision-making requires applying ethical principles, adhering to guidelines,and consulting peers. The study reveals the need for improved support systems, including more frequent and
comprehensive ethics training, better access to ethics consultations, and structured frameworks to guide decision-making in high-pressure situations.Clinical trial registration The study is not a clinical trial, a clinical trial number is not applicable.Keywords Ethical dilemma, Decision making, Emergency and critical care, Nursing

AbstractIntroduction Despite the existence of numerous blood donation centers globally, there remains a significant gapbetween the demand and supply of blood. In Ethiopia, replacement blood donation is more common than voluntarydonation. The National Blood Bank of Ethiopia collects approximately 200,000 units of blood each year, while thedaily requirement is 18,000 units. Donors’ knowledge and attitudes are vital for ensuring a steady blood supply. Thissystematic review and meta-analysis sought to evaluate the knowledge and attitudes of Ethiopian residents regardingblood donation and the factors influencing them.Methods Relevant research articles were identified through searches of various databases. Data extraction andorganization were performed using Microsoft Excel, and the data were then analyzed using STATA/MP 17.0. Aweighted inverse variance random-effects model with a 95% confidence interval was employed to pool the data.Heterogeneity was examined with the Galbraith plot and Cochrane I² statistics. To identify sources of heterogeneity,meta-regression, subgroup analysis, and sensitivity analysis were conducted. Publication bias was assessed usingEgger’s test and managed with trim and fill analysis. The adjusted odds ratio was calculated to explore the relationshipbetween knowledge and attitudes towards blood donation, with a significance threshold of p < 0.05.Results The pooled prevalence of favorable attitudes towards blood donation was 65.95%. Moderators such as studyyear (p = 0.72), publication year (p = 0.877), and sample size (p = 0.291) were not significant, indicating they did notcontribute to heterogeneity. Studies from Northern Ethiopia reported the highest prevalence of favorable attitudes at69.95%, while research on healthcare workers also indicated a high proportion of favorable attitudes at 69.29%. Therewas a significant association between knowledge and attitudes towards blood donation (AOR = 2.03).Conclusion The pooled prevalence of favorable attitudes towards blood donation was 65.95%, with the highestlevels observed in Northern Ethiopia and among healthcare workers. A significant association between knowledgeand positive attitudes towards blood donation was found. To enhance attitudes towards blood donation, increasingpublic awareness and education about the importance and safety of donating blood is crucial.Keywords Blood, Blood donation, Knowledge, Attitude, Systematic review, Meta-analysis, Ethiopia

the main purpose of this study was to explore the social and cultural challenges andcoping strategies of women experiencing infertility in Bichena town, ethiopia. thisstudy followed a qualitative research approach and a descriptive phenomenologicaldesign. this study applied a purposive sampling technique and selected 30 samples.through in-depth interviews, focus group discussions and key informant interviewswere used. thematic analysis was employed for data analysis. the findings revealed thatwomen experiencing infertility were challenged by social challenges; the major socialcomponents were isolation, stigma, family and social pressure, marital instability, andlow social status. Women experiencing infertility were also challenged by culturalfactors. Missing cultural rituals, trouble in asking newborn mothers, not considering fullwomen or motherhood, and missing the value of children were the major culturalchallenges of women experiencing infertility. Women experiencing infertility also useda variety of coping strategies, such as religious, traditional, medical, and informalfosterage. the study concluded that women experiencing infertility in the study areawere challenged by social and cultural factors that made their lives bitter and useddifferent coping strategies to manage their ongoing problems. this study has theoreticalimplications for current literature knowledge and practical implications.
KEYWORDS: Coping strategies; women experiencing infertility; cultural challenge; social challenge

Background: People in Sekela District, like others in Ethiopia, have a long tradition of using medicinal plants totreat human and livestock ailments. However, medicinal plants and their associated indigenous knowledge arecurrently under threat. Thus, the study was carried out to compile ethnobotanical knowledge about medicinalplants in the district.Methods: A total of 352 informants from six study sub-districts (328 general and 24 key informants) were selectedrandomly and purposefully. Individual interviews, focus group discussions, guided field walks, and marketsurveys were used to acquire ethnobotanical data using semi structured interview questions. The informantconsensus factor (ICF), fidelity level, preference ranking, direct matrix ranking, medicinal use, and Analysis ofVariance were used.Results: A total of 121 medicinal plants belonging to 106 genera and 55 families were documented. The Aster-aceae family had the most species with 11 (9 %), followed by Lamiaceae with 8 (6.6 %), while leaves were themost utilized part with 56 (37 %). The majority of the remedies were made as a concoction (32, 17 %) anddelivered orally (98, 57 %). There was a statistically significant difference in indigenous knowledge on medicinalplants among genders, ages, marital status, educational levels, and occupations (p ˂ 0.05). The dermatologicaldisease categories had the highest ICF (0.92) in human ailments.Conclusion: The study revealed that Sekela District is rich in medicinal plants for treating human and livestockailments, and has indigenous knowledge to utilize these resources effectively. However, overgrazing, agriculturalexpansion, and improper harvesting techniques threaten medicinal plants. This signals the need to make sig-nificant efforts to raise public awareness about their conservation and sustainable use.
Keywords: Ailments; Ethnobotany; Indigenous knowledge; Sekela; Traditional medicinal plants

Background: People in Sekela District, like others in Ethiopia, have a long tradition of using medicinal plants totreat human and livestock ailments. However, medicinal plants and their associated indigenous knowledge arecurrently under threat. Thus, the study was carried out to compile ethnobotanical knowledge about medicinalplants in the district.Methods: A total of 352 informants from six study sub-districts (328 general and 24 key informants) were selectedrandomly and purposefully. Individual interviews, focus group discussions, guided field walks, and marketsurveys were used to acquire ethnobotanical data using semi structured interview questions. The informantconsensus factor (ICF), fidelity level, preference ranking, direct matrix ranking, medicinal use, and Analysis ofVariance were used.Results: A total of 121 medicinal plants belonging to 106 genera and 55 families were documented. The Aster-aceae family had the most species with 11 (9 %), followed by Lamiaceae with 8 (6.6 %), while leaves were themost utilized part with 56 (37 %). The majority of the remedies were made as a concoction (32, 17 %) anddelivered orally (98, 57 %). There was a statistically significant difference in indigenous knowledge on medicinalplants among genders, ages, marital status, educational levels, and occupations (p ˂ 0.05). The dermatologicaldisease categories had the highest ICF (0.92) in human ailments.Conclusion: The study revealed that Sekela District is rich in medicinal plants for treating human and livestockailments, and has indigenous knowledge to utilize these resources effectively. However, overgrazing, agriculturalexpansion, and improper harvesting techniques threaten medicinal plants. This signals the need to make sig-nificant efforts to raise public awareness about their conservation and sustainable use.
Keywords: Ailments; Ethnobotany; Indigenous knowledge; Sekela; Traditional medicinal plants

Background: Hepatitis B virus (HBV) is highly infectious and poses significant global health challenges. Healthcare workers (HCWs) are particularly at risk of HBV infection due to occupational exposure through contact with infected blood or body fluids. To mitigate this risk, hepatitis B vaccination is recommended for all healthcare workers and is administered in three doses at 0, 1, and 6 months, aiming to reduce exposure and provide immunity against the virus. However, the effectiveness of the HBV vaccine remains uncertain in the study area.
Objective: This study aimed to evaluate hepatitis B vaccine efficacy and factors affecting vaccine effectiveness among healthcare workers in all Hospitals of East Gojjam Zone Amhara Region, North West Ethiopia
Materials and Methods: A hospital-based cross-sectional study was conducted among 422 healthcare workers from March 25, 2024, to November 30, 2024. Simple random sampling technique was used to recruit the study participants. Total sample size was allocated proportionally to each hospital. Socio-demographic and clinical data were collected using a pretested structured questionnaire. Moreover, venous blood samples (4–5 ml) were collected from the study participants, and serum samples were analyzed to measure and detect the concentrations of anti-hepatitis B surface antigen (anti-HBs), hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg), and anti-hepatitis B core antibody (anti-HBc) using a sandwich enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Additionally, hepatitis B virus DNA (HBV DNA) was assessed using real-time polymerase chain reaction (qPCR). Data were analyzed using SPSS software version 25. Logistic regression model with 95% CI was used to show the statistical association. P value < 0.05 was considered as statistically significant.
Results: The overall sero-prevalence of HBsAg among all study participants was 23/422 (5.5%) (95% CI: 3.0-8.0). In multivariable logistic regression, blood transfusion (AOR: 16.5, 95% CI: 1.53, 29.24) (P<0.011) and dental extraction (AOR: 13.5, 95% CI: 3.99, 45.57) (P<0.000) were significantly associated with HBsAg positivity. In addition, the overall sero-reactivity of anti-HBc was 30/422 (7.1%) (95% CI: 5.0-10.0). Injectable medication (AOR: 4.3, 95% CI: 1.73, 10.72) (P<0.002) was significant determinant for anti-HBc sero-positivity. Furthermore, of fully vaccinated healthcare workers, 346/422 (82.0%) (95% CI: 78.0- 86.0 %) of them were sero-protected (had anti-HBs titer ≥ 10 mIU/ml). The paradoxical sero-positivity of HBsAg and anti-HBs among fully vaccinated healthcare workers was 16(4.6%). Moreover, among HBsAg-positive individuals, HBV DNA was detected in 17 (73.9%) of them.
Conclusions and recommendations: The study identified intermediate HBV seroprevalence among vaccinated healthcare workers, indicating suboptimal vaccine efficacy. These findings emphasize the necessity of monitoring post-vaccination anti-HBs antibody levels to address gaps in protection.
Keywords: Hepatitis B vaccine effectiveness, Healthcare workers, Hospitals