An e-readiness assessment tool for local authorities: a pilot application to Iraq

Measuring e-readiness is vital to embrace e-government successfully. Sophistication of available tools and lack of capacity at municipal level makes it important to consider e-readiness assessment tools for municipalities. This study proposes a tool for measuring e-readiness in municipalities and it was conducted in two Iraqi governorates. Data was collected, for this studay, quantitatively and qualitatively relying on questionnaires for public internet users and government employees, and IDIs. Several aspects were investigated and then used in the tool that was designed to qualify for the use of local officials in Iraq as a pilot case for developing countries. Indicators were categorized into three groups, infrastructure, human resources, and government and management. Measuring e-readiness in municipalities is a trade off between simplicity with acceptable level of information and sophistication with accurate information. The proposed tool relies on collecting data easy to find and access to meet the condition of simple and reliable use by officials in local governments. This is expected to help these officials to identify issues to focus in development of community aspects to raise e-readiness and reap the benefits of e-government

Prevalence of Thalassemia Carrier Among Premarital Screening Attendants

Background: Premarital screening is an important tool in the prevention process for groups of hemoglobinopathy disorders, combining with raising awareness and carrier screening premarital screening plays a pivotal rule in prevention of thalassemia. Aim of study: to throw alight on prevalence of thalassemia among couples intend to marriage. Patients and methods:  Descriptive cross sectional study conducted in diwanyia teaching hospital in premarital screening center, in period from 1st march to 1st june 2023. The study recruited data from above center to getting information about premarital counseling persons. Results: The study was enrolled 21574 couple attendant premarital screening centers. Mean age for women 24±3.6 years and for men 27±6.2. The prevalence carrier for thalassemia in our study was 1.94% during one year of screening test in four centers of governorate; in which 419 person appear positive for screening for thalassemia. Male Thalassemia carrier was 213 and female 206. Conclusion : Premarital screening is important step in the prevention of thalassemia, but it is not enough alone to get rid of these important disorders, a lot of hard work needed to reach to lower rate of new cases incidence

Assessment of factors associated with incomplete immunization among children aged 12-23 months in Ethiopia

Magister Public Health - MPHEthiopia has achieved its target for Millennium Development Goal 4 by recording 69 %reduction in its under-five mortality. The proportion of fully immunized children in Ethiopia has increased from 14 % in 2000 to 24 % in 2011. Though progress has been made, about 3 out of 4 children still remain incompletely immunized. The purpose of this study is to determine the socio-demographic and socioeconomic factors associated with incomplete immunization among children aged 12-23 months in Ethiopia. This study is based on secondary analysis of the 2011 Ethiopia Demographic and Health Survey. Information on 1,889 mothers of children aged 12–23 months were extracted from the children dataset. Records from vaccination cards and mothers’ self-reported data were used to determine vaccine coverage. The association between child immunization status and determinants of non-utilization of immunization services was assessed using bivariate and multivariate analyses. The findings of this study showed that the prevalence of incompletely immunized children is 70.9%. Children of mothers from the poor (AOR = 2.27; 95 % CI: 1.34 – 3.82) wealth quintile were more likely to be incompletely immunized. Children of mothers from Affar (AOR = 15.80; 95 % CI: 7.12 – 35.03), Amhara (AOR = 4.27; 95 %CI: 2.31 – 7.88), Oromiya (AOR = 8.10; 95 % CI: 4.60 – 14.25), Somali (AOR = 4.91;95 % CI: 2.65 – 9.10), Benishangul-Gumuz (AOR = 4.20; 95% CI: 2.34 – 7.57),Southern Nations Nationalities and Peoples’ (AOR = 4.76; 95 % CI: 2.53 – 8.94), Gambela (AOR = 7.75; 95 % CI: 3.68 – 16.30) and Harari (AOR = 3.22; 95 % CI: 1.77 –5.89) regions were more likely to be incompletely immunized. Mothers with inadequate exposure to media (AOR = 1.60; 95% CI: 1.21 – 2.14), who are not aware of community conversation programme (AOR = 1.80; 95% CI: 1.40 – 2.32) and who attended no antenatal care (AOR = 2.21; 95% CI: 1.72 – 2.83) were more likely to have incompletely immunized children. Despite efforts to increase rates of childhood immunization, the proportion of children with incomplete immunization in Ethiopia is considerably high. Therefore, targeted interventions at the identified socio-demographic factors are needed to increase immunization rates

The effects of globalization on African Economic Development: The Nigerian experience

The growing global economy which was fastened mostly by international trade and technology has no doubt crated a global dual phenomenon where regions continued to experience  economic development at the expense of others. This paper argued that though third world countries of Africa are fully incorporated into global capitalist economy, the benefit of this inescapable global phenomenon is not evenly distributed.  Secondary sources of data were used as essential methodology for this work. With the help of Marxist theory of political economy and review of literature, the paper further posited that Nigeria economy in the current wind of globalization remains the clienteleeconomy in the competitive global market. The country remained an exporter of raw materials and importer of finished products thus, making the country potential market for foreign investors. The work therefore recommended economic diversification and control of activities of Multi-national Corporation to checkmate their penchant for flouting state laws especially in employment, developing local workplace and neglect of the environment among others

Submandibular Sialolithiasis in a 9-year-old child: case report

Sialolithiasis rarely occurs in children; it is observed more commonly in adults. Various treatment modalities for sialolithiasis have been reported in literature; we report the case of 9 years old child, with no particular pathological history. For 4 years, he had a tumefaction of the left submandibular region, associated with painful blocking episodes of salivation and an increase in the size of the tumefaction (accentuated during meals). clinical examination found a slight painless tumefaction of the left sub-mandibular region, with no pus or blood outflow, no endobuccal expression and no palpable calculi ultrasound examination shows a heterogeneous left submandibular gland, discreetly vascularized by Doppler, with multiple calculi. the patient was operated by cervical approach, a submandibularectomy was performed after detachment of the musculocutaneous flaps, preservation of the artery and the facial vein and the lingual nerve, and dissection of the submandibular canal. Anatomo-pathological study was performed and it showed macroscopically a yellowish enclosed calculus of 3mm of great axis. Microscopically, it shows a salivary glandular tissue with no signs of malignity, in this article, clinical findings, etiologies and different treatment approaches were reviewedComment: 5 pages, 2 figure

An overview of anti-diabetic plants used in Gabon: Pharmacology and Toxicology

© 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.Ethnopharmacological relevance: The management of diabetes mellitus management in African communities, especially in Gabon, is not well established as more than 60% of population rely on traditional treatments as primary healthcare. The aim of this review was to collect and present the scientific evidence for the use of medicinal plants that are in currect by Gabonese traditional healers to manage diabetes or hyperglycaemia based here on the pharmacological and toxicological profiles of plants with anti-diabetic activity. There are presented in order to promote their therapeutic value, ensure a safer use by population and provide some bases for further study on high potential plants reviewed. Materials and methods: Ethnobotanical studies were sourced using databases such as Online Wiley library, Pubmed, Google Scholar, PROTA, books and unpublished data including Ph.D. and Master thesis, African and Asian journals. Keywords including ‘Diabetes’ ‘Gabon’ ‘Toxicity’ ‘Constituents’ ‘hyperglycaemia’ were used. Results: A total of 69 plants currently used in Gabon with potential anti-diabetic activity have been identified in the literature, all of which have been used in in vivo or in vitro studies. Most of the plants have been studied in human or animal models for their ability to reduce blood glucose, stimulate insulin secretion or inhibit carbohydrates enzymes. Active substances have been identified in 12 out of 69 plants outlined in this review, these include Allium cepa and Tabernanthe iboga. Only eight plants have their active substances tested for anti-diabetic activity and are suitables for further investigation. Toxicological data is scarce and is dose-related to the functional parameters of major organs such as kidney and liver. Conclusion: An in-depth understanding on the pharmacology and toxicology of Gabonese anti-diabetic plants is lacking yet there is a great scope for new treatments. With further research, the use of Gabonese anti-diabetic plants is important to ensure the safety of the diabetic patients in Gabon.Peer reviewedFinal Accepted Versio

A multi-site assessment of knowledge of Ebola virus disease among health workers in south-west Nigeria

Objective: Nigeria may have been certified free from Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) by the World Health Organization, but not without its aftermath on many, especially among health workers who came in contact with the infected during the West African outbreak in 2014.This study was conducted among health workers in three tertiary hospitals in South-West Nigeria. It aimed at assessing their knowledge of EVD in a bid to forestall future contagion from patients.Method: 600 consenting participants selected through two-stage sampling method were involved in the study. Primary data was retrieved through self-administered questionnaire.Results: Majority (84.0%) of the participants knew that EVD can be contacted through blood and bodily fluid of an infected person, (78.0%) knew that EVD can be prevented by avoiding contact with an infected person, while (76.0%) identified bleeding from orifices as one of the signs of EVD. However, (6.0%) of the participants did not know how EVD can be prevented.Conclusion: Result showed that participants have average knowledge of EVD and therefore, are not adequately informed of EVD. The study recommended wider dissemination of adequate information on EVD among health workers in tertiary hospitals to forestall future contagion of the infection from patients.Keywords: Knowledge, EVD, Contagion, Outbreak, Prevention, Bleedin

Crustal shortening and vertical strain partitioning in the Middle Atlas Mountains of Morocco

Copyright 1998, American Geophysical Union. See also: http://www.agu.org/pubs/crossref/1998/98TC01439.shtml; http://atlas.geo.cornell.edu/morocco/publications/gomez1998.htmThe NE-SW trending Middle Atlas Mountains of Morocco are obliquely oriented within the late Cenozoic regional stress field, resulting in deformation that is partitioned into strike-slip faulting and thrust-related folding. In the central Middle Atlas, thrusting is confined to a 20 km wide fold belt between two relatively rigid crustal blocks that are obliquely converging. We suggest that in addition to strain partitioning observed in plan view, a partitioning of deformation between the upper and lower crust may be necessary to reconcile estimated crustal thickening and horizontal shortening within the fold belt. Cross-section balancing based on field observations demonstrates a relatively modest amount of Cenozoic horizontal shortening (~ 4.7 km) normal to the fold belt producing 800 m of structural relief. Yet, the geophysical data suggest this contraction has not produced a significant crustal root beneath the fold belt; that is, the belt does not appear to be isostatically compensated. Assuming all horizontal shortening was accommodated by crustal thickening beneath the fold belt implies much greater thickening than is suggested by constraints on the preshortened crustal thickness. It thus appears that thickening does not accommodate all of the contraction. We suggest one possible solution: The upper crust shortens by thickening (faulting and folding), whereas the lower crust deforms laterally

Logistics planning strategies for seasonal traffic management

Background: Seasonal urban traffic, driven by holidays, tourism, and weather conditions, poses significant challenges to logistics planning by exacerbating congestion and disrupting supply chains. Addressing these issues requires advanced forecasting techniques and integrated management strategies. This study explores the use of Exponential Triple Smoothing (ETS) forecasting to model traffic variations and develop practical strategies for managing seasonal urban traffic.Methods: A 23-year dataset (July 2000–July 2023) capturing monthly traffic volumes for heavy goods vehicles (HGVs), cars with trailers, and buses was analysed. ETS was applied to a conceptual scenario designed to demonstrate the application of real-world traffic data. This scenario illustrates how forecasting techniques can be used to analyse traffic trends and assess the impact of seasonal variations. Forecast accuracy was evaluated using Mean Absolute Percentage Error (MAPE) and Root Mean Square Error (RMSE) to validate the reliability of the ETS model within the context of the KC Bridge scenario.Results: The forecasts revealed significant seasonal peaks in leisure traffic and steady growth in HGV volumes, with total traffic projected to exceed the sustainable threshold of 100,000 vehicles/month by 2025 during peak periods. Post-COVID variability in traffic patterns highlighted the challenges of using exceptional data for planning. Recommendations include dynamic toll pricing, infrastructure upgrades, and predictive scheduling to mitigate congestion and optimise logistics operations.Conclusions: By integrating ETS forecasts with strategic interventions, this study provides actionable insights for urban logistics and infrastructure planning. The KC Bridge case study provides a conceptual framework for addressing seasonal traffic challenges, offering replicable strategies for sustainable urban transportation systems