Investigating the human-water dynamics leading to increased drought and flood risk in Kitui, Kenya. - Barendrecht, Marlies; Weesie, Ruben; Matanó, Alessia; Mazzoleni, Maurizio; Loon, Anne F. Van (2024)
During the past decades, the county of Kitui in Kenya, has experienced severe droughts. Both rain seasons have failed for several years in a row. While the region is known for its aridity and the droughts it experiences, the region also experiences regular flooding. Both drought and flood events have had devastating impacts, leading to widespread water and food insecurity. In this study, we developed a system-dynamics model to investigate the interplay between drought and flood risk and how this is influenced by human-water interactions. We model the system’s hydrology, as well as drought and flood impacts and human actions and adaptation. We aim to estimate model parameters using hydrological and impact data and fit the model to the case study areas. The fitted model is used to investigate changes in drought and flood risk over the years and how these vary across three different case study areas. We investigate how both climatic drivers and human actions and responses to the changing environment influence drought and flood risk. This analysis provides insights into the main drivers of drought and flood risk and the model allows for an exploration of the policies and measures that could be implemented to reduce risk in the future.
openalex: W4392581855
Keywords: openalex:import

African monsoon changes in the Late Cenozoic from the climate modelling perspective - Boateng, Daniel; Mutz, Sebastian G. (2024)
Africa's climate underwent significant hydroclimate changes in the Late Cenozoic. For instance, the repeated phases of aridification across the continent played a crucial role in shaping the region’s biodiversity and hominid evolution. Consequently, understanding the historical climate variations in the region becomes essential for reconstructing its paleoenvironment and paleobiological history. Moreover, past climates can be used as analogues for potential future climates and thus help us understand the implications of future climate scenarios. The precipitation seasonality and variability in the region are predominantly driven by the African monsoons, which exhibit intricate climate dynamics controlled by both regional and large-scale atmospheric teleconnections. However, due to the complexity of these dynamics and teleconnections, even state-of-the-art General Circulation Models (GCMs) still struggle to accurately reconstruct its past climate variability and provide reliable future projections. Here, we simulate the response of the African monsoons to different late Cenozoic paleoenvironmental changes, such as atmospheric CO2 concentration (pCO2), orbital forcing, palaeogeography, vegetation, and orography (including the topographic evolution of the East African Rift System (EARS)). We performed time-specific simulations with a high-resolution setup of the GCM ECHAM5-wiso and the paleoenvironmental boundary conditions for the Middle Miocene climate optimum (MMCO; 16.9-14.7 Ma), Middle Miocene climate transition (MMCT; 14.7-13.8 Ma), Mid-Pliocene (MP; ~3 Ma), the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM; ~21 ka), the Mid-Holocene (MH; ~6 ka), and the pre-industrial (PI; the reference year 1850). Furthermore, we conducted topographic sensitivity experiments of the EARS under the MMC and MMCT conditions to understand the role of tectonics in the evolution of Africa’s climate and atmospheric dynamics. We focused our analysis on disentangling the thermodynamic effects (e.g., water vapour content changes) and dynamic effects (e.g., Hadley circulation) on the monsoon changes and associated atmospheric dynamics (e.g., African Easterly Jet, Somalia Jet, Tropical Easterly Jets, low-level westerlies). Overall, the study provides an overview of hydroclimate and climate dynamics changes over Africa for the past 20 Ma, contributing to the understanding of the feedback between changes in pCO2, orbital forcing, and tectonic events that are relevant for improving future climate prediction.
openalex: W4392603485
Keywords: openalex:import

Morocco’s Earthquake Risk Management: A Multi-Criteria Decision-Making Approach and Implications for the Recent Japan Earthquake - Bouramdane, Ayat-Allah (2024)
Effective management and communication of earthquake risks is crucial for enhancing societal preparedness and resilience. This study investigates earthquake management strategies using Multi-Criteria Decision-Making (MCDM), specifically the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP). The focal earthquake event driving this investigation occurred on September 8, 2023, at 11:11 PM local time. With a magnitude of 6.8, the seismic incident had its epicenter approximately 72 km southwest of Marrakech within the Al Haouz province.A comprehensive assessment is conducted on ten distinct earthquake management strategies in Morocco. These encompass building codes and construction standards (S1), early warning systems (S2), public education and awareness (S3), land use planning (S4), emergency response plans (S5), international cooperation (S6), research and monitoring (S7), infrastructure resilience (S8), community preparedness (S9), and insurance and financial preparedness (S10). The evaluation involves a thorough examination against a set of criteria encompassing aspects such as effectiveness in risk reduction (C1), cost-effectiveness (C2), inclusivity and social equity (C3), adaptability and flexibility (C4), environmental impact (C5), compliance with standards and insurance uptake (C6), interagency collaboration (C7), and data utilization (C8).The resulting criteria weights underscore their relative importance, with C1 deemed highly significant (30%), C2 and C3 moderately important (20% and 15%, respectively), and C4, C5, C6, C7, and C8 holding lesser significance (ranging from 10% to 5%).Performance scores are assigned to rank the earthquake management strategies, revealing that A2 attains the highest score (0.45), followed by A4 (0.43), A10 (0.42), A9 (0.41), A3 (0.4), A8 (0.39), A7 (0.38), A6 (0.37), and A5 (0.35). A1 achieves a moderate score (0.32), providing valuable insights for decision-making in earthquake risk reduction.This research underscores the pivotal role of early warning systems in earthquake management, emphasizing the significance of timely alerts, community engagement, and financial preparedness within Morocco's comprehensive risk reduction strategy. The study advocates for data-driven decision-making to enhance preparedness, response capabilities, and mitigation measures. Moreover, this research holds implications for recent seismic events, such as the magnitude 7.6 earthquake in Japan on January 1, 2024.
openalex: W4392599494
Keywords: openalex:import

Hydro-electrical potential at risk und climate change: the case of Lake Malawi basin and the Shire River in Malawi / Southeast Africa - Bronstert, Axel; Mtilatila, Lucy; Vormoor, Klaus (2024)
The hydroelectrical potential is derived from the hydraulic head and the available water discharge. In certain hydroclimatic regions, the water discharge is only a small part of the regional precipitation and the water cycle. This is particularly true when evaporation accounts for a large proportion of the regional water balance. Such conditions prevail, for example, in the catchment area of Lake Malawi and the Shire River in Malawi in south-east Africa. The country produces over 95% of its electricity from hydropower plants in the Shire River. This river is the outlet of Lake Malawi. Our study examines the sensitivity of regional water resources and hydropower generation to climate change, covering various aspects: Processing of rainfall, runoff and evaporation data for this tropical region, with particular attention to data scarcity. Hydrological simulation of the water balance and water level of Lake Malawi as well as runoff. Calculation of possible hydropower generation in the Shire River. Performing scenario calculations for climate change conditions and associated sensitivity analyses. The most important results of these analyses are Between 1970 and 2013, meteorological droughts have increased in intensity and duration. This can be attributed to a decrease in precipitation and an increase in temperatures and evaporation rates. The hydrological system of Lake Malawi reacts to meteorological droughts with a time lag (up to 24 months), so that hydrological droughts can be predicted up to 10 months in advance by meteorological drought parameters. Despite the uncertainties in the regional climate projections, it is clear that the water level of Lake Malawi, as a residual of the catchment water balance, is very sensitive to changes in precipitation and evaporation. The discharge from the lake is a direct function of the lake's water level, and the combination of the projected decrease in precipitation and increase in temperature leads to a significantly lower flow in the Shire River. This suggests a future decline in annual hydropower production of between 1 % and 2.5 % (2021-2050) and 5 % and 24 % (2071-2100) Some projections even result that the outflow of Lake Malawi would temporarily dry up and the country's electricity supply would be interrupted. It is shown that regional evaporation and its changes are the key variable for assessing future water availability. This process is characterized by a particularly high degree of uncertainty. The example of Lake Malawi basin shows that a careful hydro-climatic analysis is required to assess such sensitive hydro-systems. Global-scale analyses do not have sufficient predictive power and explanatory potential.
openalex: W4392604463
Keywords: openalex:import

Building Drought Resilience: Earth Observation for Groundwater Management in Botswana - Cantoni, Èlia; Revilla-Romero, Beatriz; Paltán, Homero; Rodrı́guez, Diego J.; Paganini, Marc (2024)
Botswana is one of the world’s most drought-prone countries, with multiple, multi-year droughts recorded since the 1950s. Drought frequency in Botswana has increased progressively passing from a single drought during the 80s to recording six droughts from 2006 to 2016. The country faces critical challenges in ensuring a sustainable water supply for its growing population and its agricultural, mining and industrial sectors. Groundwater is the lifeline of Botswana, accounting for approximately 80% of the country's total water supply, with this percentage increasing in Western Botswana and rural areas, where most villages and the mining industry are entirely dependent on groundwater. This reliance is undermined by recurring droughts, low and unreliable rainfall, the overexploitation of groundwater resources, and the limited operational hydrological data monitoring network in recent years. A collaboration between GMV and the World Bank, through the European Space Agency (ESA) Global Development Assistance (GDA) thematic area of Water Resources, is implementing Earth Observation-based services for groundwater quantification, monitoring, and resilient groundwater resources management in Botswana. Firstly, an initial groundwater recharge assessment was conducted by calculating the potential groundwater recharge at national scale for the 2003-2023 period. More specifically, the soil moisture balance was calculated using CHIRPS (precipitation) and MODIS (potential evapotranspiration) as inputs at daily resolution. The results show low annual potential recharge values, with a clear aridity gradient from southwest to northeast and a strong seasonality where most of recharge occurs between December and February. Secondly, the Global Land Data Assimilation System (GLDAS) datasets (NASA) have been used to evaluate the groundwater availability and storage variations across Botswana through the study period. GLDAS is a modelling system which combines satellite and field station measurements to generate uniform land surface models (LSMs) outputs. The resulting groundwater storage variations display similar gradients and seasonal patterns than those observed with the potential groundwater recharge as well as large interannual variability. These data are then used to identify hotspots of ongoing significant groundwater through trend extractions and the calculation of the GRACE groundwater drought index (GGDI) among other indicators. Results from this study will be used to communicate groundwater and drought conditions with relevant local stakeholders. Thus, these findings support the development of comprehensive groundwater and water security strategies in Botswana. Further work will be undertaken to contrast these results with catchment-scale groundwater recharge estimations and investigating the correlation between groundwater resources with other elements of the water cycle (e.g., rainfall, runoff) as well as large-scale circulation patterns. This work also evidences the way that bringing in earth observation products and land assimilation systems supports the design of resilient policies in countries with data scarcity and challenging climatic conditions.
openalex: W4392582180
Keywords: openalex:import

Identification of Source Faults of Large Earthquakes in the Turkey-Syria Border Region Between AD 1000 and the Present, and their Relevance for the 2023 Mw 7.8 Pazarcık Earthquake - Carena, Sara; Friedrich, Anke; Verdecchia, Alessandro; Kahle, Beth; Rieger, Stefanie; Kübler, Simon (2024)
The February 6th, 2023, Mw 7.8 Pazarcık earthquake in the Turkey-Syria border region raises the question of whether such a large earthquake could have been foreseen, as well as what is the maximum possible magnitude (Mmax) of earthquakes on the East Anatolian fault system and on continental transform faults in general. To answer such questions, knowledge of past earthquakes and of their causative faults is necessary. Here, we integrate data from historical seismology, paleoseismology, archeoseismology, and remote sensing to identify the likely source faults of fourteen Mw ≥ 7 earthquakes between AD 1000 and the present in the region. We conclude that, based on the historical seismic records of the region, the 2023 Mw 7.8 Pazarcık earthquake was foreseeable in space and time, but not in size. Mmax for the EAF is likely ~ 8.2, with the limit rupture length being the distance between the Karliova and Amik triple junctions. The 2023 earthquake may not have reached Mmax simply by a fortuitous combination of factors: if the 2020 Elȃziǧ earthquake had not happened where and when it did, would the 2023 rupture have continued propagating towards the northeast? This is a question that could be answered by combining Coulomb stress models and dynamic rupture models. If nothing else, what we have learned from the 2023 Mw 7.8 Pazarcık earthquake is that segmentation of continental transform faults is not relevant for calculating Mmax, because some earthquakes can jump across segment boundaries. Such earthquakes are so infrequent, however, that they are difficult to study, and therefore hard to foresee.
openalex: W4392588421
Keywords: openalex:import

Droughts influence changes in human settlement patterns in Africa - Ceola, Serena; Mård, Johanna; Baldassarre, Giuliano Di (2024)
Human displacements due to climate and weather extremes are dramatically increasing worldwide, mainly across areas where extreme events interact with high vulnerability and low adaptive capacity, such that they are now recognized as a primary humanitarian challenge of the 21st century. Human mobility from droughts is multifaceted and depends on environmental, political, social, demographic and economic factors. Although droughts cannot be considered as the single trigger, they significantly influence people's decision to move. Yet, the ways in which droughts influence patterns of human settlements have remained poorly understood. Here we explore the relationships between drought occurrences and changes in the spatial distribution of human settlements across 50 African countries for the period 1992–2013. Since long-term yearly data on human displacements are not consistently available for the entire African continent, we employ both country-based and spatially explicit data sets as reliable proxies. We base our continental study on urban population data and nighttime lights, as a proxy for the spatial and temporal distribution of human settlements. For each country, we evaluate annual relative urban population and human distance to rivers. To identify drought years, we extract annual drought occurrences from two indicators, the international disaster database EM-DAT and the standardized precipitation evapotranspiration index (SPEI-12) records. We then compute human displacements as variations in human distribution between adjacent years, which are then associated with drought (or non-drought) years. We finally examine the consistency between drought occurrences and changes in human settlement patterns to identify macroscopic trends at the continental scale. Our results show that drought occurrences across Africa are often associated with (other things being equal) human mobility toward rivers or cities. In particular, we found that human settlements tend to get closer to water bodies or urban areas during drought conditions, as compared to non-drought periods, in 70%–81% of African countries. This large-scale trend clearly highlights that the occurrence of drought events, although not being the single driving factor, significantly influences human mobility. By interpreting this outcome from a broader perspective, which includes consecutive drought-to-flood events, adverse consequences might occur. An increased human presence in urban areas and close to rivers may result into an increased human exposure to floods, and thus leading to a potentially increased flood risk. Therefore, further investigations are foreseen and encouraged to better understand the interplay between human mobility and climate change in order to increase the resilience of vulnerable areas and population to hydrological extreme events and support the development of sustainable and effective planning strategies for the near future.
openalex: W4392580363
Keywords: openalex:import

Coseismic slip distribution of the 2023 earthquake doublet in Turkey and Syria from joint inversion of Sentinel-1 and Sentinel-2 data: An iterative modeling method for mapping large earthquake deformation - Chen, Jianlong; Zhou, Yu (2024)
Interferometric synthetic aperture radar (InSAR) decorrelation that creates great challenges to phase unwrapping has been a critical issue for mapping large earthquake deformation. Some studies have proposed a “remove-and-return model” solution to tackle this problem, but it has not been fully validated yet, and therefore has rarely been applied to real earthquake scenarios. In this study, we use the 2023 Mw 7.8 and 7.6 earthquake doublet in Turkey and Syria as a case example to develop an iterative modeling method for InSAR-based coseismic mapping. We first derive surface deformation fields using Sentinel-1 offset tracking and Sentinel-2 optical image correlation, and invert them for an initial coseismic slip model, based on which we simulate InSAR coseismic phase measurements. We then remove the simulated phase from the actual Sentinel-1 phase and conduct unwrapping. The simulated phase is added back to the unwrapped phase to produce the final phase measurements. Comparing to the commonly-used unwrapping method, our proposed approach can significantly improve coherence and reduce phase gradients, enabling accurate InSAR measurements. Combining InSAR, offset tracking and optical image correlation, we implement a joint inversion to obtain an optimal coseismic slip model. Our model shows that slip on the Çardak Fault is concentrated on a ~100 km segment; to both ends, slip suddenly diminished. On the contrary, rupture on the East Anatolian Fault Zone propagated much longer as its geometry is fairly smooth. The iterative coseismic modeling method is proven efficient and can be easily applied to other continental earthquakes.
openalex: W4392600150
Keywords: openalex:import

Soil-crop long-term feedback matters to assess climate change impact on maize yield in Sub-Saharan Africa - Couëdel, Antoine; Falconnier, Gatien N.; Adam, Myriam; Cardinael, Rémi; Boote, Kenneth J.; Justes, Éric; Ruane, Alexander C.; Smith, Ward; Whitbread, Anthony; Corbeels, Marc (2024)
Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) faces significant food security risks, primarily due to low soil fertility leading to low crop yields. Climate change is expected to worsen food security issues in SSA due to a combined negative impact on crop yield and soil fertility. A common omission from climate change impact studies in SSA is the interaction between change in soil fertility and crop yield. Integrated soil fertility management (ISFM), which includes the combined use of mineral and organic fertilizers, is expected to increase crop yield but it is uncertain how this advantage is maintained with climate change. We explored the impact of scenarios of change in soil fertility and climate variables (temperature, rainfall, and CO2) on rainfed maize yield in four representative sites in SSA with no input and ISFM management. To do so, we used an ensemble of 15 calibrated soil-crop models. Reset and continuous simulations were performed to assess the impact of soil fertility vs climate change on crop yield. In reset simulations, SOC, soil N and soil water were reinitialized each year with the same initial conditions. In continuous simulations, SOC, soil N and soil water values of a given year were obtained from the simulation of the previous year, allowing cumulative effects on SOC and crop yields. Most models agreed that with current baseline (no input) management, yield changed by a much larger order of magnitude when considering declining soil fertility with baseline climate (-39%), compared with considering constant soil fertility but changes in temperature, rainfall and CO2 (from -12% to +5% depending on the climate variable considered). The interaction between change in soil fertility and climate variables only marginally influenced maize yield (high agreement between models). The model ensemble indicated that when accounting for soil fertility change, the benefits of ISFM systems over no-input systems increased over time (+190%). This increase in ISFM benefits was greater in sites with low initial soil fertility. We advocate for the urgent need to account for soil-crop long-term feedback in climate change studies to avoid large underestimations of climate change and ISFM impact on food production in SSA.
openalex: W4392579883
Keywords: openalex:import

THE EFFECT OF EDUCATIONAL PROJECT ON LEARNERS LEARNING OUTCOME IN TWELVE YEARS BASIC EDUCATION SCHOOLS: A CASE OF SCHOOL FEEDING PROGRAM AS IMPLEMENTED IN RUBAVU DISTRICT, RWANDA - Doris, Uwababyeyi; Isaac, Malpartida (World journal of education and humanities (Print), 2024)
The purpose of this study is to help students, parents, secondary teachers, school’s kitchen managers and Head teachers to master the methods and their role in encouraging learners to take lunch at school; especially improve student’s learning outcomes in twelve years’ basic education. The objectives are to assess the influence of food ratios and the timing of the meals on learning outcomes in Twelve Years basic education schools of Rubavu district, to assess the influence of food quality on learning outcomes in twelve years basic education schools of Rubavu district and. The study employed a descriptive research design Questionnaires to enable the researcher to bring out the details of the exact situation on the ground. This study was being done at 4 twelve years basic education located in the Rubavu district targeting 2112 students. Therefore, 336 respondents were the target population of this study and the composition of the participants. To validate and ensure reliability of the questionnaire, a test retest was conducted in a space of two weeks between the test’s correlation coefficient using SPSS version 22.0 (V. 22.0) was established and after which necessary adjustments on the content and its reliability was ensured before the main study. In this way, sampling technique was a simple purposive sampling technique was employed in this study, where every participant was given an equal and independent chance to participate. Recommendations of the study were: Government has to mobilize more stakeholders or non-government organization to orient their funds in the implementation of school feeding program, Parents must participate in school feeding program rather than thinking that this program should only be sponsored by government, Government has to develop continuous professional development that are related to the effective implementation of school feeding program and Government should make monitoring and evaluation of school feeding program because some of the school do not put more effort in its implementation.
openalex: W4392756481
Keywords: openalex:import

Potential Utilization of Multi-Parametric Earthquake Precursory Signatures in Support of LAIC Mechanism: A case study on Turkey- Syria Earthquake (6th Feb, 2023). - Dutta, Bimal Raj; Malik, Javed N. (2024)
Disastrous earthquakes are a permanent threat to every second resident of our planet causing a massive loss of lives and property. Understanding the nature of earthquake precursory signatures and related hazard mitigation has immense potential for scientific advancement as well as for societal benefits. To study these multidisciplinary and complicated precursory signatures, several models have been proposed in favor of the Lithosphere- Atmosphere- Ionosphere- Coupling (LAIC) mechanism by earlier workers. The major objective of this study is to investigate the short-term perturbations in land surface temperature (LST), atmospheric air temperature (AT), atmospheric relative humidity (ARH), and in ionospheric vTEC prior to the destructive shallow sheeted Turkey-Syria earthquake (Mw 7.8, Depth 10 Km, Intensity IX) on 6th February 2023 and its major aftershocks (Mw 7.5, 6.8, 6, 6). Earthquakes of such large magnitude causes synchronization changes, not only in the atmospheric parameters but also in the ionospheric TEC. The GPS and GNSS (IGS) derived ionospheric TEC data are now being used extensively to investigate seismo-ionospheric perturbations over and near the epicentral regions of earthquakes over the last two decades. To identify the perturbation in the LST and atmospheric parameters (AT and RH), we have studied the spatio-temporal variation of MODIS (Terra) derived LST data and MERRA 2 (NASA) derived atmospheric temperature and relative humidity at 2 meter height. The Terra-MODIS derived LST differential time series reveals a prominent increase ~ 6-16 ⁰C from 18th to 26th Jan, 2023 around the epicentral region. Moreover, the hourly varying atmospheric parameters (AT, RH) have shown significant and synchronous deviations from 18th Jan to 26th Jan. The highest positive (+ve) deviation in the AT is found to be 10.33 ⁰C and the lowest negative (-ve) anomaly in the RH is found to be 45.67% on 19th Jan. The observed atmospheric anomalies are identified with respect to the constructed bounds using past 5 years hourly data (m ± 2σ). The temporal variation of ionospheric vTEC of the nearest grid point, derived from both GNSS (IGS) and GPS receivers shows a series of prominent –ve anomalies from 25th Jan to 1st Feb about 5-12 days prior to the main shock. After ruling out possible contributions due to the solar terrestrial environment with respect to F10.7 Scale and Ap index, it is found that the evolved TEC anomaly is seismogenic in origin. In order to visualize the TEC anomaly in spatio-temporal domain, we have plotted 2D latitude-longitude time (LLT) maps of different epochs during those anomalous days (Max anomaly~ -15 TECu on 28th Jan at UTC 11th and 12th hour). Considering the nearest plate boundary, spatial extent of TEC conjugates and TEC gradient we have determined the probable epicenter which showed very promising correlation in comparison to actual epicenter. This multi parametric spatio-temporal analysis of the pre-seismic signature will produce some beneficial insight to understand the LAIC mechanism in detail and somehow be able to save so many lives.
openalex: W4392596674
Keywords: openalex:import

Past, Present, and Future Impacts of Climate Change and Variability on Flood Hazards in Sub-Saharan Africa - Ekolu, Job; Dieppois, Bastien; Tramblay, Yves; Eden, Jonathan; Sidibé, Moussa; Villarini, Gabriele; Moulds, Simon; Slater, Louise; Grimaldi, Stefania; Salamon, Peter; Camberlin, Pierre; Pohl, Benjamin; et al. (2024)
Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) is strongly affected by flood hazards, which endanger human lives and disrupt economic stability. It is therefore critical to further understand the potential impact of climate change and variability on historical and future flood hazards in SSA. To do so, we first reconstructed a complete 65-yearlong daily streamflow, presenting over 600 stations distributed throughout SSA. Using this new dataset, we found that historical trends in flood frequency, duration, and intensity were strongly modulated by decadal to multidecadal variability. We then identified internal modes of climate variability in the Pacific and Indian Oceans as primary drivers of decadal variations in flood occurrence in southern and eastern Africa. Meanwhile, decadal sea-surface temperature anomalies (SSTa) over the eastern Mediterranean region and the North Atlantic were primarily driving decadal trends in floods occurring over western and central Africa. Using 12 climate model large ensembles from the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project Phases 5 and 6 (CMIP5 and 6), we also found such decadal variations in SSTa in the Mediterranean Atlantic, Pacific, and Indian oceans could modulate the occurrence of flood hazards by up to 50% in SSA during the 21st century. Finally, combining bias-corrected CMIP6 data and the open-source hydrological model LISFLOOD, we examine the potential impact of climate change on future trends affecting the intensity, frequency, and duration of floods in West Africa. This study therefore enabled us to compare for the first time the relative importance of climate change and climate variability on future changes affecting flood hazards in SSA.
openalex: W4392579570
Keywords: openalex:import

The effect of social support on attitudes towards inclusive education and self‐efficacy among pre‐service special education teachers in Egypt - Elwakil, Fayrouz Ramadan (Journal of Research in Special Educational Needs, 2024)
Abstract The primary socializing agents have been found to play a key role in shaping teachers' attitudes. In the realm of inclusive education (IE), one of the most extensively researched themes is teachers' attitudes regarding inclusion. Contrary to a plethora of attitudinal studies that are solely concentrating on describing teacher attitudes, the present study sought to investigate the perceived social support (PSS) perceptions of pre‐service special education teachers in terms of their attitudes towards inclusive education and their self‐efficacy beliefs (TSE). The population of this correlational research design study consists of 525 pre‐service special education teachers from six different colleges of education in Egypt's northern, central and southern big cities. Using a correlation technique and structural equation modeling (SEM) analysis, the research data were analysed. The findings revealed that the PSS scales' sub‐dimensions indicate having a significant and positive relationship with TSE as well as attitudes towards IE. In addition, research revealed that pre‐service special education teachers' PSS significantly predicted their TSE beliefs and attitudes towards IE. The study's findings reflect crucial implications for teacher education policymakers in addressing pre‐service teachers' needs of professional learning programmes that should include a career development stage targeted at generating socially supportive role models.
openalex: W4392589135
Keywords: openalex:import

A new planning strategy for integrating surface water and groundwater management to face climate change impacts in the Dar Es Salaam Plain, Tanzania (Africa). - Filippi, F.; Sappa, Giuseppe (2024)
Groundwater is considered worldwide an important and resilient reserve of freshwater for human needs. The increasing demand, combined with climate change impacts, is leading to a remarkable quali-quantitative decay of water resource, especially in many megacities of the Global South, where the rapid urban growing pushed to environmental critical issues as the case of seawater intrusion for coastal aquifers. At the same time, the uncontrolled urbanization without a territorial planning favors the runoff and places ever greater areas in hydraulic danger, increasing the risk of flooding in currently inhabited areas. Dar es Salaam, in Sub-Saharan Africa, is one of these cases: a city of more than 4 million of inhabitants, with a population growth rate of about 5 per cent per year. A high dependence on natural resources ecosystems is mainly due to hybrid rural-urban livelihoods. The urban pressure on the aquifer caused a serious threat on water quality and quantity due to saline intrusion along the coastline, with depletion of groundwater levels and contamination of pumping wells. Moreover, the increasing risk of water scarcity and flooding due to climate change is threatening the local community, with an increasing need for adaptation measures. Catchment imperviousness of Mbezi River basin increased by 41% (2003-16), causing floods, erosion, land and marine pollution. A new vision needs to integrate the groundwater management strategies, already proposed in the context of the “Adapting to Climate Change in Coastal Dar es Salaam” (ACC-DAR) project, with surface water management too. Aim of this feasibility study is to outline a strategy for a sustainable water management in the Dar Es Salaam territory, through the planning of MAR (Managed Aquifer Recharge) solutions in specific areas. This approach could be helpful to solve or, at least, mitigate the impact of both flooding and groundwater overexploitation in the area, allowing to support stakeholders and public government in implementing local policies and proposing a more sustainable use of the resource.
openalex: W4392604235
Keywords: openalex:import

An Integrated Modelling Approach to Support Sustainable Water Resources Management and Climate Change Adaptation for Irrigated Agriculture in the Nile Delta, Egypt. - Gomaa, S. S.; Fleskens, Luuk; Nunes, João Pedro; Badr, Marmar (2024)
Climate change dominates the nexus between water resources management needed for farm farmland irrigation and food security insurance. The challenge increases when the population proliferates and the demand for food and water rises. This study will explore how climate change may affect food production and water use in the Nile Delta, Egypt, through higher temperatures and sea level rise. It also aims to investigate the best management practices (BMPs) that can be used to tackle these issues. In the Delta, where irrigated agriculture is practiced, sea level rise is a major potential impact of climate change since it significantly impacts the salinity of the water and soil. Furthermore, higher temperatures directly influence evapotranspiration, a crucial component of crop yields and water balance. To determine this interdisciplinary nexus between climate, water, and food, integrated hydro/hydrogeological and crop models will be created by calibrating and simulating the current baseline situation. For that purpose, a basic crop model will be merged with the coupled SWAT_MODFLOW hydro(geo)logical simulation software. Additionally, a range of forecasting scenarios will be run to represent the impact of multiple climate change scenarios. The outcomes of operated scenarios will be evaluated regarding socioeconomic and environmental aspects to support the decision-making process and define how far the BMPs can be implemented on ground in this study area.
openalex: W4392596352
Keywords: openalex:import

Spatial prediction of borehole yield in southern Mali using machine learning classifiers - Gómez‐Escalonilla, Víctor; Diancoumba, Oumou; Traoré, Dasso Yolande; Montero, Elena Paulino; Martín-Loeches, Miguel; Martínez‐Santos, Pedro (2024)
Groundwater plays a vital role in drinking water supply, food security and ecosystem services. Approximately 2.5 billion people worldwide rely exclusively on groundwater to meet their daily needs, while hundreds of millions of farmers depend on groundwater resources to sustain their livelihoods. Groundwater potential mapping based on machine learning (ML-GPM) can be used to support groundwater exploration, planning and management practices. Most ML-GPM studies aim to predict a positive or negative outcome, that is, to identify areas of high or low groundwater potential. This work takes this conventional bivariate outcome approach one step further by predicting borehole yields and applying a multiclass approach. The method is illustrated through an application over a study area of 21,000 km2, including the administrative region of Bamako and the municipalities of Kati and Kangaba in the Koulikoro region of southern Mali. Logistic Regression, Gradient Boosting and Extra Trees classifiers were trained on an imbalanced multiclass database of 483 boreholes and 20 explanatory variables. The explanatory variables include information on lithology, geomorphology, soil, land use/land cover, topography, drainage and slope-related variables and rainfall, among others. All models returned prediction scores between 0.80 and 0.87. The most important variables include elevation, vegetation cover, basement depth and geology. The alluvial sediments of the Niger river banks, especially in the southern and northern sectors, are clearly associated with the most productive class. In contrast, the Mandingue plateau has the lowest groundwater potential. The piedmont areas present an intermediate groundwater perspective. These maps could be used to inform water supply policy at a regional scale.
openalex: W4392600042
Keywords: openalex:import

Implementation of Coding and Robotics in South African Public Schools, Fostering Teachers' Self-Directed Learning - Gorrah, Averil; Papers, Francois (2024)
This study utilizes a scoping review of literature to explore the implementation of coding and robotics and its potential to foster and enhance teachers' self- directed learning skills through the implementation of coding and robotics within the South African educational context. This chapter presents a comprehensive synthesis of scholarly articles, reports, and studies published from 2013 to 2023. The study further aims to provide an extensive examination of the current status quo of coding and robotics implementation, as well as the possibilities that arise for professional development as well as the development of self-directed learning skills, also identifying gaps that will guide further studies in this field and later produce a systematic literature review. This scoping review utilizes a methodical and rigorous methodology to identify the current body of literature, discern significant themes, and provide a concise summary of the results.
openalex: W4392180068
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Exploring Drought Monitoring in Morocco: A Review of Remote Sensing and Machine Learning Techniques - Goumi, Said El; Namous, Mustapha; Elaloui, Abdenbi; Krimissa, Samira; El-alaouy, Nafia (2024)
The challenges of climate change and water scarcity in Morocco highlight the need for Remote Sensing (RS) and Machine Learning (ML) for drought monitoring. Droughts pose socio-economic and environmental challenges and have significant impacts on the country's agriculture-based economy and water management strategies. This study provides a comprehensive review of advanced RS technologies and ML algorithms, with a focus on their effectiveness in monitoring and forecasting drought conditions. RS provides extensive spatial coverage and captures important data on factors such as vegetation health, soil moisture, and precipitation trends, which are crucial for early detection and response to droughts. Incorporating ML algorithms significantly improves the precision and efficiency of drought prediction models, aiding in the development of comprehensive drought indices and forecasting models for agricultural planning and effective water resource management. The study evaluates various RS methods utilized in Morocco, including the analysis of satellite imagery and vegetation indices such as NDVI, and assesses ML techniques like support vector machines (SVM) and artificial neural networks (ANN) for predicting drought-induced agricultural impacts. The combined use of these technologies provides a holistic approach to drought monitoring, enabling timely interventions to assist communities affected by drought. However, the study also highlights challenges in areas such as data availability, model validation, and associated costs. To effectively manage drought risks, the paper recommends that Moroccan policymakers and stakeholders leverage these technological advancements while emphasizing the importance of continuing research, interdisciplinary collaboration, and capacity building in these areas. Key words: Drought,remote sensing, machine learning, climate change, Morocco
openalex: W4392596216
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Paleoarchean volcanic stratigraphy and geochemistry of the mafic-ultramafic Kromberg Formation type-section, Barberton greenstone belt, South Africa. - Grosch, Eugene; Ndlela, Sibusisiwe; Murphy, David T.; McLoughlin, Nicola; Trubač, Jakub; Sláma, Jiří (2024)
In this study, the c. 3.334 Ga Kromberg Formation of the Onverwacht Group, in the south-eastern limb of the Onverwacht Anticline in the Barberton greenstone belt (South Africa) is investigated. Various geodynamic models have been proposed for the evolution of the Kromberg Formation, but detailed geochemical constraints on the mafic-ultramafic sequence are sparse. The objectives are to constrain the Paleoarchean mantle source characteristics and geodynamic setting for the Kromberg mafic-ultramafic rocks, placed in the context of recent high-resolution field mapping data. To study the protolith volcanic rocks, sampling has been conducted to avoid areas affected by deformation-related alteration. In addition, screening for alteration due to Archean seawater silicification has also been conducted. In conjunction with major, trace and rare earth element data, this study presents the first whole-rock Lu-Hf isotope analyses of mafic-ultramafic rocks of the Paleoarchean Kromberg Formation type-section in the Barberton greenstone belt (Grosch et al., 2022). Three compositionally distinct volcanic rock types are identified namely Group 1 metabasalts, Group 2 metabasalts and komatiitic metabasalts. The geochemistry of these rock types will be presented, and a possible geodynamic setting on the early Earth will be explored. Grosch, E.G., Ndlela S., Murphy D., McLoughlin N., Trubac J., Slama J., (2022) Geochemistry of mafic-ultramafic rocks of the 3.33 Ga Kromberg type-section, Barberton greenstone belt, South Africa: Implications for early Earth geodynamic processes. Chemical Geology 605, 120947
openalex: W4392598425
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Attributed and projected climate change impacts on maize yield in Cameroon as mediated by heat-tolerance adaptation - Jansen, Lennart; Undorf, Sabine; Gornott, Christoph (2024)
Sub-Saharan Africa is projected to be exposed to substantial climate change hazards, especially in its agricultural sector, so adaptation will be necessary to safeguard food security. However, tropical and subtropical maize production regions approach critical temperature thresholds in the growing season already in today’s climate, and climate change might already be contributing to this. Projecting future, and attributing already observed, yield impacts due to anthropogenic climate change under adaptation assumptions can thus provide valuable context to future adaptation needs. No adaptation impact studies currently exist for heat-tolerance of maize in West Africa, let alone one that combines projections and counterfactual historical simulations to this effect. Here, we report on a study in which we focus on maize in Cameroon to model the effect and potential of crop-varietal heat-tolerance adaptation. We use climate reanalysis data (mainly W5E5), historical and counterfactual bias-corrected and downscaled CMIP6-DECK and -DAMIP simulations along with ISIMIP3a data, and future projections from CMIP6/ISIMIP3b. The two climate change scenarios SSP1-2.6 and SSP3-7.0 were analysed for 2020-2100 and historical simulations for 1984-2014. The process-based crop model APSIM was run in a spatially disaggregated, grid-based approach as to represent Cameroon’s diverse agro-ecological zones. The impact of heat tolerance adaptation in maize was assessed by parametrising one unadapted baseline variety and one synthetic heat-tolerant variety in APSIM and comparing yield outcomes. Yields are substantially higher for the heat-tolerant variety. Either variety experience similar losses in the projected future compared to now, increasing with climate change scenario and time. Impacts on maize yield are dominantly attributed to heat stress. Already observed climate change impacts compared to counterfactual climate further indicate that adaptation to present-day climate can be considered climate change adaptation beyond development.
openalex: W4392588010
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An inclusive assessment framework for exploring climate-resilient nutrition security in sub-Saharan Africa - Jennings, Stewart; Challinor, Andrew J.; Macdiarmid, Jennie I.; Pope, Edward; Crocker, Thomas D.; Anderson, Weston; King, Richard; Whitfield, Stephen J.; Sarku, Rebecca; Chomba, Christian; Nawiko, Masiye; Rutting, Lucas; et al. (2024)
Achieving climate-smart nutrition security in sub-Saharan Africa is an urgent challenge due to increasing climate risks to agricultural production, population growth and food price volatility This necessitates an integrated evidence base that takes into account not only future food system modelling but wider academic expertise and stakeholder knowledge and the plausible and desirable transformations that these information streams can provide. Accordingly, we use the integrated Future Estimator for Emissions and Diets (iFEED) to explore scenarios of food system transformation towards nutrition security. iFEED integrates climate, crop and land use modelling to explore scenarios of relevance to the policy landscape, as informed by stakeholders, assessing the adequacy of energy and nutrient supplies to meet dietary requirements at a population level. Our results show that calories are not always sufficient at the population level in extremely hot and dry years by mid-century in Zambia, even when maximising food production on available land. The majority of micronutrients also remain below population requirements. An alternative scenario where crops for population level nutrition security are prioritised shows that there are larger calorie shortfalls in extremely hot and dry years, although more micronutrient requirements are met than in the production-focused scenario. Both scenarios show benefits, and we point to ways forward that address the challenges to achieving climate-resilient nutrition security in the region. We also introduce our latest thinking on a new inclusive assessment framework that aims to expand iFEED to incorporate bottom-up disruptive seeds work and top-down modelling across spatial scales to deliver socially-equitable nutrition security in Kenya.
openalex: W4392582582
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Review of: "Raising Adaptive Capacity to Climate Change in Energy and Food Sectors of Egypt" - Lange, Manfred A. (2024)
openalex: W4392600876
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Climate risk analysis for adaptation planning in Zambia’s agricultural sector - Laudien, Rahel; Chemura, Abel; Cronauer, Carla; Heckmann, Tim; Gleixner, Stephanie; Gornott, Christoph; Murken, Lisa; Tomalka, Julia (2024)
Climate change and climate extremes increasingly threaten agricultural production and thereby pose a serious risk to agricultural livelihoods, particularly in the Global South. In support of adaptation planning, science-based information on projected climate impacts and sound information on the suitability of adaptation options is needed. This study provides a comprehensive analysis of current and future climate-related risks in Zambia – a country that is highly vulnerable to climate change due to its geographic location and the strong socio-economic dependency on agriculture. Using data from ten Global Climate Models (GCMs) under two climate change scenarios (SSP1-RCP2.6 and SSP3-RCP7.0), we analyze future trends in climatic conditions and model their impacts on agricultural yields and crop suitability. Moreover, the study evaluates two adaptation options to promote climate-resilience in the agricultural system i.e. 1) conservation agriculture and 2) a climate and agricultural extension service called PICSA (Participatory Integrated Climate Services for Agriculture). The evaluation includes biophysical, economic, financial and gender aspects to provide comprehensive and usable information that can inform adaptation policies on the ground. The study was co-designed together with stakeholders from Zambian governmental institutions, civil society, academia, the private sector, practitioners and development partners. Results show the strongest negative impacts of climate change in South Western Zambia where the strongest increases in temperature and dry conditions are projected. The projected impacts underline the need for strong adaptation efforts: 1) Conservation agriculture can buffer climate impacts in the near term and even increase sorghum yields by 25 to 31% in drought-prone areas in Zambia. It can play a vital role in adapting to increasingly extreme and dry climatic conditions. 2) The PICSA approach proved to be a highly economically beneficial adaptation option with each USD invested generating between 3.6 and 3.8 USD in benefits. In addition, the study reflects on lessons learned from interdisciplinary and stakeholder-driven research – focusing not only on the Zambian context, but also on climate risk analyses that were conducted in Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Ethiopia, Ghana, Madagascar, Niger and Uganda.
openalex: W4392603029
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Africa Multi-Hazard Early Warning and Early Action System for Strengthening Resilience to Natural Hazards - Libertino, Andrea; Alfieri, Lorenzo; Poletti, Laura; Testa, Nicola; Masoero, Alessandro; Gabellani, Simone; Massabò, Marco; Ouma, Jully; Amdihun, Ahmed; Nshimirimana, Godefroid; KiriwaiJ, John Mathias; Ambukeje, Lusajo; et al. (2024)
The Africa Multi-Hazard Early Warning and Action System for Disaster Risk Reduction (AMHEWAS for DRR) is a joint effort, led by the African Union Commission (AUC) in coordination with Regional Economic Communities and Member States and with the technical and scientific support of UNDRR and CIMA Foundation, aimed at strengthening Africa's resilience to natural hazards. This comprehensive system encompasses a multi-scale approach, spanning from continental to regional and national levels, to enhance early warning capabilities and promote effective disaster risk management strategies. On the continental scale, AMHEWAS operates through a network of Situation Rooms. These interconnected hubs facilitate real-time information exchange, coordination of response efforts, and dissemination of advisories on potential threads and related impacts to national institutions. To ensure standardized operational procedures across the continent, AMHEWAS has established unified standard operating procedures, ensuring consistent application protocols and methodologies. Central to AMHEWAS' approach is the Continental Watch (CW), an impact-based forecast bulletin for rain, wind and flood hazards, that synthesizes insights from automated impact-based forecast systems. The CW provides timely and actionable information to decision-makers across the continent, enabling proactive measures to mitigate potential disaster impacts. Ongoing disasters can trigger Disaster Situation Reports (DSRs), co-produced by the AUC with the affected Regional Economic Communities (RECs) and the national AMHEWAS stakeholders, for informing disaster risk reduction (DRR) efforts and ensuring timely and appropriate responses to emergencies. AMHEWAS integrates risk data and forecasting products from global and regional authoritative sources to produce advisories as a combination of hazards, exposure, vulnerability and national copying capacity. Based on the possible expected impacts in the next 5 days, advisories are issued with a threshold-based mechanism with 4 levels of activation of the system. High level is related with the potential of the estimated impacts to overcome the capacity of the countries, while for lower advisories the effects are expected to be managed by national or subnational authorities. The potential impacts are estimated with an innovative automatic approach, that involves the overlap of the forecasted hazards, with layers of exposed elements, taking into consideration the lack of copying capacity derived from the INFORM database. In order to maximize the robustness of the forecasts AMHEWAS adopts a multimodel approach. As regards wind and rain, the forecast is carried out considering the combination of different meteorological global models. As regards flood, the reference model is GLOFAS, combined for the Great Horn of Africa region with the results of the impact-based flood forecast system FloodPROOFS East Africa (FPEA). FPEA is an operational system based on open-source technologies that employs an impact-based approach, integrating weather forecasting, hydrology and hydraulic modeling, as well as risk assessment to provide accurate and actionable flood forecasts up to five days in advance. Given its cross-border nature, the system allows for a comprehensive approach to large-scale hydrological assessment, easily scalable in an operational framework on a national scale. AMHEWAS is working on further integration of regional forecasting products from WMO specialized centers and national level, in order to improve the risk knowledge and information products generated.
openalex: W4392599631
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The Tail End of Migration: Assessing the Climate Resilience of Migrant Households in Ethiopia - Link, Ann-Christine; Hoffmann, Roman (2024)
Climate change is associated with increasing frequencies and intensities of extreme weather events. These can, directly and indirectly, shape human (im)mobility. While most research on migration in the context of climate change focuses on climate as a migration driver in origin areas, there is a gap in knowledge on the role of migration for climate resilience in the destination areas. This paper studies differences in resilience (resistance and recovery) to climatic shocks between migrant and non-migrant households in Ethiopia, a country that is highly exposed and vulnerable to climate change. We use longitudinal data from the Living Standards Measurement Study (LSMS) conducted by the World Bank to construct a comprehensive Well-Being Index, which is used to analyze the impacts of climatic shocks and identify households that are more or less able to resist and recover from shocks. We use fixed effect panel regression approaches to model the impacts of climatic shocks on well-being over time for migrant and non-migrant households. Further explorative mediation analyses yield insights into mechanisms explaining differences between households. We find that migrant households have an overall lower climate resistance as they experience double as high well-being impacts when exposed to climatic shocks compared to non-migrant households. Climatic shocks significantly reduce the food security of all affected households and, in addition, negatively impact access to basic infrastructures and health for migrant households. Mediation analyses suggest that these differential climatic impacts are mainly driven by characteristics of migrant-origin regions, including poverty. Migrant households originating from less prosperous regions still face disadvantages even if they now reside in more prosperous regions. This contrasts the experience of non-migrant households whose resilience benefits from increased prosperity in their region of residence. While migrant households show a lower resistance to climate shocks, they recover faster from climatic shocks, which can be associated with diversified livelihoods and remittances that take time to unfold. This research is highly relevant to policy as it improves the understanding of underlying factors shaping differential vulnerability to climate change impacts and supports targeted interventions to increase the resilience of affected households.
openalex: W4392616156
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Understanding of ‘generalist medical practice’ in South African medical schools - Mabuza, Langalibalele Honey; Moshabela, Mosa (African Journal of Primary Health Care & Family Medicine, 2024)
Background: In South Africa, medical students are expected to have acquired a generalist competence in medical practice on completion of their training. However, what the students and their preceptors understand by ‘generalist medical practice’ has not been established in South African medical schools.Aim: This study aimed to explore what the students and their preceptors understood by ‘generalist medical practice’.Setting: Four South African medical schools: Sefako Makgatho Health Sciences University, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Walter Sisulu University and the University of the Witwatersrand.Methods: The exploratory descriptive qualitative design was used. Sixteen focus group discussions (FGDs) and 27 one-on-one interviews were conducted among students and their preceptors, respectively. Participants were recruited through purposive sampling. The inductive and deductive data analysis methods were used. The MAXQDA 2020 (Analytics Pro) software was used to arrange data, yielding 2179 data segments.Results: Ten themes were identified: (1) basic knowledge of medicine, (2) first point of contact with all patients regardless of their presenting problems, (3) broad field of common conditions prevalent in the community, (4) dealing with the undifferentiated patient without a diagnosis, (5) stabilising emergencies before referral, (6) continuity, (7) coordinated and (8) holistic patient care, necessitating nurturance of doctor–patient relationship, (9) health promotion and disease prevention, and (10) operating mainly in primary health care settings.Conclusion: The understanding of ‘generalist medical practice’ in accordance with internationally accepted principles augurs well in training undergraduate medical students on the subject. However, interdepartmental collaboration on the subject needs further exploration.Contribution: The study’s findings can be used as a guide upon which the students’ preceptors and their students can reflect during the training in generalist medical practice.
openalex: W4392581234
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High-resolution drought monitoring with Sentinel-1: A case-study over Mozambique - Massart, Samuel; Vreugdenhil, Mariëtte; Hahn, Sebastian; Sanjeevamurthy, Pavan Muguda; Villegas-Lituma, Carina; Wagner, Wolfgang (2024)
Droughts are characterized by periods of below-average precipitation leading to an imbalance in the hydrological cycle and reduced water availability.In the last decades, higher average temperatures and shifts in annual rainfall patterns have increased the frequency, intensity, and length of droughts across the globe. With the majority of its population living in rural areas and a high economic dependency on rain-fed agriculture, Mozambique is particularly vulnerable to droughts, as water shortages have devastating environmental, agricultural, and economic impacts. Therefore, monitoring droughts in Mozambique is key to developing early warning systems and adequate planning for drought impact mitigation. In this study, we propose a novel approach to retrieve a drought index at a kilometer-scale resolution based on surface soil moisture (SSM) products derived from Sentinel-1 (S1) and ASCAT. First, both SSM products are processed over the Mozambican region using a change detection method (Sentinel-1 sampled at 1km and ASCAT at 6.25km) and compared to SSM from ERA5-Land. Then, by combining the long-term ASCAT data record with the high spatial resolution of Sentinel-1, we generate a monthly kilometer-scale drought index for the period 2016 to 2023 over six study areas located in South-central Mozambique (Chokwé, Mabote, Massinga, Buzi, Muanza and Govuro). The S1-ASCAT indicator is then evaluated against state-of-the-art drought indices based on precipitation data (Standardised precipitation index from CHIRPS (Rainfall Estimates from Rain Gauge and Satellite Observations)) and vegetation data (Normalized difference vegetation index from the Copernicus Global Land Service. This study explores the potential of high-resolution SSM based on active microwave remote sensing to monitor agricultural droughts. Our results show that a drought indicator based on Sentinel-1 and ASCAT can temporally and spatially capture sub-regional drought patterns over Mozambique.
openalex: W4392600419
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Analyzing Hydro-Meteorological Droughts Using SSPs Scenarios (Case Study: Kasungu, Malawi) - Mirzadeh, Seyed Jafar; Chikabvumbwa, Sylvester Richard (2024)
Due to the impacts of climate change and global warming, Malawi has experienced severe droughts in recent years. Hydro-meteorological drought prediction has been underexplored in Malawi and Southern Africa. This study investigates key CMIP6 climate scenarios to characterize hydro-meteorological droughts in the Kasungu Agricultural Development Division (ADD). The objective is to assess and predict hydro-meteorological droughts in Central Malawi using a multi-model ensemble from eight CMIP6 models across four SSPs (Shared Socioeconomic Pathways) scenarios. The research emphasizes the importance of understanding drought evolution under future climate scenarios for effective water resource management, enhanced drought preparedness, and comprehensive adaptation plans. The study calculates the Standardized Precipitation Index (SPI), Standardized Precipitation Evapotranspiration Index (SPEI), and Palmer Drought Severity Index (PDSI). Results suggest an increased likelihood of moderate and mild droughts in the mid-term of the 2020–2029 period in the region. All three meteorological droughts indicate a significant rise in dry conditions. Under SSP1-2.6 and SSP5-8.5, ADD rainfall is projected to decrease by 1.8% and 4.3%, respectively, with more extremely dry conditions under SSP5-8.5. Dry regime frequency is expected to rise for all stations under SSP5-8.5. The findings reveal robust changes in drought characteristics under higher emissions scenarios in Kasungu ADD. Agriculture experts, policymakers, and engineers must comprehend historical and future drought patterns for effective drought mitigation in the region. Similar studies using other CMIP6 models can be conducted in ADD to compare results, ensuring a comprehensive understanding of drought dynamics.
openalex: W4392590075
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Empowering Students' Life Skills and Financial Education through Curriculum Renewal and Pedagogical Training - Evidence from The Gambia - Miyamoto, Tomohisa; Laat, Joost de; Jawara, Hamidou; Schöpfer, Paul (2024)
openalex: W4392855316
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Empowering Students' Life Skills and Financial Education through Curriculum Renewal and Pedagogical Training - Evidence from The Gambia - Miyamoto, Tomohisa; Laat, Joost de; Jawara, Hamidou; Schöpfer, Paul (2024)
openalex: W4392862651
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Magnetic fabric, anisotropy of magnetic susceptibility (AMS), and inferred flow directions of dikes from Fogo Volcano, Cape Verde. - Moreira, M.; Madeira, José; Mata, João; Silva, Pedro; Ramalho, Ricardo S.; Silveira, António (2024)
Fogo Island is an active volcano with at least 28 eruptions since 1460, the latest of which in 2014-2015. It is formed by a major conical and asymmetrical Quaternary strato-volcano with a summit depression (Chã das Caldeiras), within which a 1 km-tall cone rises to 2829 m, the maximum elevation of the island. The 8 km-wide Chã das Caldeiras is truncated by a large eastward flank collapse. Morphologically this depression is formed by two intersecting calderas, a northern and a southern one, separated by a spur (Monte Amarelo). The depression is surrounded on the north, west and south by an almost vertical wall (Bordeira) that reaches a maximum height of 1000 m. More than 500 dikes and sills, with widths ranging between 0.5m to 8m are exposed crosscutting the Bordeira wall, most of them broadly radial.We studied 34 dikes along the base of Bordeira. The mean orientations of the dikes show two convergence areas. One, poorly constrained, located in the northern caldera, east of the Monte Amarelo spur, and another, well defined, broadly in the centre of southern caldera. These two convergence points are inferred as the origin of most of the radial dikes and suggest two distinct magmatic centres, which collapsed to form the calderas.Magnetic susceptibility (MS) of the 34 studied dikes is lower than 140×10-3 SI units, without any noticeable systematic differentiation between the MS of the dikes of the different sectors.Most of the dikes/margins (79%) show “Normal Magnetic Fabric”, defining an interpretable imbrication angle between the magnetic foliation plane (MFP) and dike margin. This behaviour shows that magnetic fabric (MF) orientation at the time of intrusion and late stages of cooling, was controlled by the dynamics of the magma flow. Just a few dikes mostly located in the intersection of the calderas display Intermediate or Inverse MF.Thermo-magnetic k(T) analysis shows titanomagnetite as main magnetic carrier with compositions varying between Ti-rich to Ti-poor. Some samples show multiple magnetic phases identified by different Curie temperatures. Hysteresis measurements show that most of the samples fall in the PSD region with some samples showing a SD characteristic. This is consistent with the Intermediate and/or Inverse MF, observed in some margins, suggesting coexisting mixtures of inverse (SD grains) and normal (PSD and MD grains), magnetic fabrics.Considering only the normal magnetic fabric margins (with usually triaxial or oblate AMS ellipsoid) and using the model of the imbrication of the MFP we obtain in 39 margins (57%), a reliable result that enables to infer a direction and sense of the magmatic flow. Results indicate an outward and mostly horizontal to near-horizontal flow, suggesting shallow magmatic sources. A few dikes show margins with asymmetric (“scissored”) magnetic fabrics which may indicate strike-slip shearing along the dike in the last phases of magma cooling.This research has been funded by the Portuguese Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia (FCT) I.P./MCTES through national funds (PIDDAC) – (https://doi.org/10.54499/UIDB/50019/2020), UIDP/50019/2020 (https://doi.org/10.54499/UIDP/50019/2020) and LA/P/0068/2020 (https://doi.org/10.54499/LA/P/0068/2020). This work is a contribution to project GEMMA (Ref. PTDC/CTA-GEO/2083/2021)
openalex: W4392579259
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Human Rights Education: Exploring the Safety of Teachers in South African Secondary Public Schools - Mpindo, Ernest; Mphojane, Constance (E-Journal of Humanities, Art and Social Sciences, 2024)
This paper examined the extent and nature of safety for teachers in their different school settings and further underscored the importance of safety for teachers in the school context. The current school environment is violent owing to the increasing lack of teachers’ ability to maintain order in schools due to the uncertain alternatives to corporal punishment. This creates a hostile learning environment that weakens the teachers’ position of power and prohibits them from using their authority and fulfilling their duty to provide learners with compassionate monitoring. A qualitative interpretivist research paradigm was used in this study employing Critical Emancipatory Research (CER) as a research framework. A CER framework aims to strengthen the liberating, enlightening, emancipating, and empowering democratic values of equality and justice among the researcher and the participants in the research setting. A team of four teachers, a principal, and the School Governing Body (SGB) member from each school were purposively sampled to apply the principles of PAR in Lejweleputswa District in the Free State Province in South Africa. A focused group was employed to answer the following questions: What are the perceptions of secondary school teachers regarding their safety in the school setting? To what extent does learners’ violent behaviour threaten teachers’ safety at schools? And, how can teachers be assisted to change their minds regarding Human Rights Education as a tool for peaceful education? Data was analysed thematically. The findings of this research showed that teachers do not feel safe at their workplace, they fear both learners and parents who most of the time come to humiliate them physically and emotionally in front of their learners. The study contributes to a debate on the safety of teachers in schools for professional development. Keywords: Human Rights Education, Teacher-Learner Relationships, Teachers’ Safety, Parental Involvement.
openalex: W4392600060
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Climate change effects of adaptation on annual and perennial crop yields in Uganda - Mulinde, Catherine; Twinomuhangi, Revocatus; Kato, Edward; Majaliwa, J. G. M. (2024)
Climate change impacts are expected to negatively affect crop productivity in several agricultural systems and agro-ecological zones of Africa, where the majority of the rural people derive their livelihood from rain-fed agriculture. In Uganda, mountainous and lake ecosystems are dominant growing areas for major annual and perennial crops, but are more susceptible to future changes in climate. This is likely to deteriorate agricultural livelihoods of these ecosystems through declining productivity of various crops. This study assessed the near-term future climate change effects of selected adaptation practices on yields of annual and perennial crops in coffee growing agro-ecological zones of Uganda. Based on a Cobb-Douglas logarithmic production function, the study examined whether future climate would increase crop productivity through the influence of adaptation practices at current and increased adoption levels in the near-term under RCP8.5 and RCP4.5 for five climate regimes. The study results showed that rainfall changes, particularly wetter conditions (cool-wet and hot-wet climate regimes) are expected to be the most damaging to coffee, banana, maize and beans yields than temperature changes with drier conditions (including ensemble mean, cool-dry and hot-dry) under various altitude gradients. Hence, current adaptation practices have significant potential to reduce crop yield losses especially if future climate becomes drier than wetter in the near-term. The study therefore, recommends that there is a need for further research to identify complementary adaptation practices e.g. through bioengineering, soil loss control and water draining efficiency technologies; that would boost positive crop productivity effects of current adaptation practices, as they are not sufficient on their own in the near-term future even with enhanced adoption rates. Also, plant breeding programs should focus on generating crop varieties that are drought tolerant but can also perform well in volatile hydrological conditions; and those that are more suitable for the various altitudinal changes in climate.
openalex: W4392589151
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Game-based learning: addressing curriculum gaps in water management education in Ugandan schools - Nalumenya, Brian; Matteo, Rubinato; Kennedy, Michael; Jade, Catterson (2024)
Increased urbanisation and inadequate awareness have affected the availability and subsequent use of freshwater resources in Uganda. Education can play a crucial role in providing support to and training for students on sustainable water use, both at home and at school. Thus, this research assesses the current state of Ugandan education on this subject, by identifying the water-related topics currently featured in the curriculum at different class levels, using questionnaires distributed in four schools. An initial trip to Uganda was made in June-July 2022 (see. Figure 1) to visit schools, deliver questionnaires and gain a deeper understanding of the Uganda National Curriculum on water resources. Two of the schools are located in urban areas, and the other two in rural areas. The locations were specifically selected in an effort to ascertain how students in urban and rural areas behave towards and manage water usage and resources due to the differing context in location. Three separate questionnaires were designed for collecting responses from primary school pupils, secondary school students and teachers. Descriptive and thematic analysis were adopted to analyse the results. The results revealed that water sustainability topics are delivered in the science curriculum at primary level, as opposed to geography at secondary level, suggesting that there is discontinuity of water-related topics within different taught subjects. Furthermore a lack of integrated practical teaching was discovered within the courses currently taught in Ugandan schools. Therefore, in order to contribute to this knowledge-gap, three games, namely i) Water Conservation Snakes and Ladders (WCSL), ii) Water Awareness Quartet Cards (WAQC) and iii) Water Pollution Puzzle (WPP) were designed with the aim to create new material that can be utilised by schools to increase awareness of students on water resource management. A second trip was made to Uganda in July-August 2023 to four additional schools where students were introduced to and able to test the appropriateness of the games as and engaging tool for learning (Figure 2). The impact of the games on student learning was measured by analysing pre-test and post-test questionnaire responses. The average score between a pre-test and a post-test of WAQC increased by 25% and it was the highest average score compared to 18% in WCSL and 14% in WPP. This indicates that the games significantly improved student learning on topics linked with the management and use of water resources. Furthermore, the results revealed that more water-related topics should be included in lower primary level Social studies lessons. An academic year in Uganda for example, runs from January to December and is divided into three (I, II and III) academic terms and it was found that in the academic term II, water-related topics are missing in primary three, four, five and six in the Science lessons. Finally, this study recommends that the Ugandan government integrate game-based learning as a teaching approach in Ugandan schools to increase student awareness of water resource management. Evidence shows that this teaching technique can positively shape knowledge and practice for school students.
openalex: W4392597407
Keywords: openalex:import

High-resolution spatiotemporal measurement and city-scale modelling of air and noise pollution in Accra Ghana: sensors, deep learning, and street-view imagery - Nathvani, Ricky; Clark, Sierra; Alli, Abosede S.; Doreswamy-Gowda, Vishwanath; Wang, Jiayuan; Bräuer, Michael; Nimo, James; Moses, Josephine Bedford; Baah, Solomon; Hughes, Anne; Agyei‐Mensah, Samuel; Bennett, James E.; et al. (2024)
Air and noise pollution are significant emerging environmental health hazards in African cities, with potentially complex spatial and temporal patterns. Limited local data are a major barrier to the formulation and evaluation of policies to reduce air and noise pollution.We designed and carried out an innovative 3-year measurement campaign to characterise air and noise pollution and their sources at high-resolution within the Greater Accra Metropolitan Area (GAMA), Ghana. Our design used a combination of fixed (3 year-long, n=10) and rotating (week-long over 1 year, n =136) sites, selected to represent a range of land uses and source influences. We collected data on PM2.5, black carbon (BC), nitrogen oxides (NOx), weather variables, noise pollution, along with street level time-lapse images with cameras. To do this, we strategically deployed low-cost, low-power, lightweight monitoring devices in an integrated station that was robust, socially unobtrusive, and able to function in the West African coastal climate. We used spatiotemporal land use regression models to predict PM2.5, NO2, BC and noise pollution across the city in high spatial resolution, and state-of-the-art methods in deep learning to predict pollution levels in high temporal resolution by training classification algorithms on 2 million time-lapse images captured at street level with corresponding pollution measurements. Most measurement sites recorded air pollution and noise levels above the WHO health-based guidelines. Spatiotemporal LUR models achieved good out of sample R2’s of 0.51-0.54 (noise), 0.58 – 0.83 (PM2.5), 0.78 - 0.80 (NO2) and 0.79 – 0.88 (BC). From the deep learning image-based analysis, the classification (prediction) accuracy of noise levels in space and time was higher (40-70%) than PM2.5 (30-55%), due to the localised nature of noise source emissions, and the fine-grained nature of our classes, which distinguish between small changes than previous studies. Our approach to monitoring and modelling air and noise pollution can be scaled up in other SSA cities to fill critical data gaps, and is already being successfully piloted in Kigali, Rwanda. The exposure surfaces developed with the LUR models are now supporting ongoing epidemiological studies assessing the impact of exposure to air and noise on birth outcomes and child health and development in Accra. Street view imagery are an increasingly available resource in cities around the world (from CCTV; Google Street View), and results from our deep learning image-based analysis show that the time lapsed images are a uniquely informative source of data for predicting high resolution temporal change in exposure, simultaneously with the presence or absence of potential determinants, though integrating with high spatial resolution remains a challenge.
openalex: W4392580128
Keywords: openalex:import

Determinants of Small-Scale Farmers’ Participation in Social Capital Networks to Enhance Adoption of Climate Change Adaptation Strategies in OR Tambo District, South Africa - Nhliziyo, Nobukhosi; Mushunje, Abbyssinia (Agriculture, 2024)
Globally, climate change remains one of the most pressing challenges, and it is also an obstacle to the fundamental achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals. The purpose of the study was to examine the determinants of small-scale farmers’ participation in social capital networks to enhance adoption of climate change adaptation strategies. Multistage and purposive sampling were used to carry out the study. A cross-sectional research design was used to carry out the study and structured questionnaires were used as a data collection tool. The data collected were analyzed using descriptive statistics, the Binary Logit model, and the Ordered Logit model. The findings of the study show that gender, household size, age, marital status, education, and employment status affect a farmer’s participation in social capital networks. The results also show that household size, employment status, and income level affect the extent of participation in social networks. As the paper is the first to look at the determinants of the participation of farmers in social capital networks in Eastern Cape, the results are of paramount importance to policy formulators in order to formulate policies that will encourage farmers to join localized farmer-based social capital networks to adopt climate change adaption measures.
openalex: W4392596281
Keywords: openalex:import

An integrated approach for generating rich city-wide air pollution data in growing Sub-Saharan African cities: Implementing transferable protocol in Kigali, Rwanda - Nimo, James; Kubwimana, Jean Remy; Umutoni, Chantal; Karekezi, Pacifique; Gahungu, Paterne; Ezzati, Majid; Hughes, Allison; Arku, Raphael E. (2024)
Cities in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) are undergoing significant economic and urban expansion. The rapid urban growth is shaping land use, housing, transportation, and energy for household and commercial use. Consequently, air pollution from diverse local and regional sources and with complex space-time patterns has emerged as a major environmental health concern for cities in SSA. Yet, limited city-scale data are a barrier to climate and health impact assessment as well as policy formulation and evaluation to reduce air pollution. We are implementing and testing the transferability of Pathways to Equitable Health Cities measurement protocol for Accra in Kigali, Rwanda. The protocol is designed to generate rich environmental pollution data in SSA cities. Both Accra and Kigali are representative of the rapid urbanization and economic transformation that are happening across SSA. We have assembled and integrated multiple low-cost, low-power, lightweight sensors that have been validated in prior studies to measure integrated and real-time fine particulate matter (PM2.5), black carbon (BC), and oxides of nitrogen (NO2 and NO) concentrations at city-scale. Initiated in November 2022, our year-long measurement campaign utilizes a network and combination of ‘fixed’ (n=10) and ‘rotating’ (n =120) monitoring sites. The sites represent variety of land uses and emission sources, including background, road traffic, commercial, industrial and residential areas, and neighbourhood socioeconomic classes. The fixed sites are monitored continuously for one year to capture temporal (annual and seasonal) patterns, whereas the rotating sites are monitored for one week (in groups of four per week) to capture spatial variations in the pollutant concentrations. In addition to the air pollutants, we are also collecting data on environmental noise and weather variables (i.e. temperature, relative humidity and wind speed/direction) to aid in the analyses. The Kigali initiative is being implemented in partnership with AIMS-Rwanda and the Rwanda Environment Management Authority (REMA) to promote capacity building within the government. Planned analyses involve the use state-of-the-art models, including spatial statistics, deep/machine learning approaches, to capture highly resolved temporal and spatial variations as well as socioeconomic inequalities in pollution levels across Kigali city and to identify sources and their relative contributions. The data form the basis of future climate change and air pollution forecasting and health impact assessment as well as policy evaluation and emission reduction scenarios in the city.
openalex: W4392596057
Keywords: openalex:import

A Thin Line between Education and Certification: A Battle of PhD Supervision in South African Universities - Ntshangase, Mohammed Xolile; Mboweni, Hopi (E-Journal of Humanities, Art and Social Sciences, 2024)
This study sought to critically review and demystify the postgraduate research supervision in South African universities. There is unnecessary discrimination among scholars concerning the certification of lecturers in South African universities. Some lecturers are not recognized as academically fit to supervise doctoral students even when there is evidence that they have the capacity to supervise doctoral research. While there is a lack of recognition of some lecturers with regard to doctoral research supervision, others support this lack of recognition with the argument that it is not fair for doctoral research to be supervised by a lecturer who is still a doctoral candidate. However, this paper argued that it is irrational to think that all lecturers with no PhD completely lack knowledge about academic research. This becomes more irrational if the lecturer in question has some published research works and has shown the skill through conference presentations. Against this backdrop using analytic theory, this study sought to challenge the status quo of how doctoral research is perceived in universities. This study utilized a conceptual desktop form of qualitative research and all sources used are adequately acknowledged. At the core of this paper, the researcher sought to appeal for co-supervision as recognition of those lecturers who are still pursuing their PhDs but already show the capacity to contribute to doctoral research supervision. In its entirety, this desktop conceptual research study found that the lack of recognition in South African universities is a neglect of upcoming researchers and it is recommended that lecturers who are upcoming researchers be involved in postgraduate/ doctoral research supervision. This study’s contribution is to motivate collaboration in doctoral supervision and mentorship for lecturers who are upcoming scholars in South African universities. Keywords: Doctoral Research, Lack of Lecturer’s Recognition, Universities Irrationality, Academic Experience
openalex: W4392584622
Keywords: openalex:import

Climatic and environmental impacts of the ~74 ka Youngest Toba Tuff volcanic eruption in Indonesia as evidenced from the sediment record of Lake Chala (Tanzania/Kenya) - Park, Jinheum; Wolff, Christian; Verschuren, Dirk; Leng, Melanie J.; Lacey, Jack H.; Daele, Maarten Van; Lane, Christine S.; Martin-Jones, Catherine; Vidal, Céline; Oppenheimer, Clive; Barker, Philip A. (2024)
The ~74 ka Youngest Toba Tuff (YTT) eruption of Mount Toba in Indonesia is considered to be the largest volcanic eruption during the last 2.6 Ma. Its impact on global climate regimes and ecosystems, especially in tropical regions, is important due to possible consequences for the evolution and dispersal of early modern humans. In this study, we utilise the high-quality lake-sediment record from Lake Chala (Tanzania/Kenya), recovered by the ICDP DeepCHALLA project, to reconstruct the climatic and environmental impacts of the YTT in eastern equatorial Africa. Previous work identified a cryptotephra layer that was geochemically correlated to the YTT. In this study, focusing on the section of finely laminated sediments lying directly below and above the YTT layer, we compile high-resolution data from thin-section optical microscopy, geochemistry and fossil diatom assemblages in order to trace changes in climatic, local lake-system and wider environmental conditions immediately before and after the YTT event. Most proxy analyses were conducted at annual or higher temporal resolution, which is rare for late-Pleistocene palaeo-records. Our results reveal changes in regional hydroclimate following the YTT eruption, possibly coupled with volcanically induced changes in the El Niño–Southern Oscillation dynamics. Further, the precise location of the YTT layer within varved Lake Chala sediments provides new information on the season of the YTT eruption.
openalex: W4392584752
Keywords: openalex:import

Recent Advances in Earthquake Monitoring in Madagascar - Rakotoarisoa, Andriniaina Tahina; Razafindrakoto, Hoby N. T. (2024)
Earthquakes are acknowledged as a potent force of nature that can cause substantial harm to populations and result in widespread damage. Therefore, having a seismic public alerting system is crucial for swiftly broadcasting warnings to the public and relevant risk agencies in the event of an earthquake. The system will send instantaneous notifications to users, allowing them to quickly implement protective measures for risk agencies, as well as offer feedback on individuals’ situations during the earthquake. In this regard, this study aims to build a wrapper for near-real-time earthquake monitoring. Our development includes four steps: (1) improvement of earthquake detection using PhaseNet (Zhu & Beroza, 2018) with PhasePApy (Chen & Holland, 2016) and the Rapid Earthquake Association and Location (REAL, Zhang et al., 2019) for picks association, (2) earthquake location refinement using the HYPOINVERSE program (Klein, 2002), (3) event classification with the CNN classification method, and (4) rapid earthquake notification through email and a locally designed application called SeismicBox2 for smartphones that include earthquake information and USGS shakemap. We conduct testing and validation of the system using earthquake data from Madagascar (archive and near-realtime)
openalex: W4392581477
Keywords: openalex:import

Assessment of heat exposure under a high-end climate change scenario and projected population scenario around Africa’s Lake Victoria region. - Ramon, Delphine; Heaviside, Clare; Brousse, Oscar; Simpson, C.; Amuron, Irene; Jjemba, Eddie; Walle, Jonas Van de; Thiery, Wim; Lipzig, Nicole Van (2024)
Recent global temperature increases and extreme heat events have raised concerns about their impact on health. The area surrounding Lake Victoria, accommodating over 45 million people and ranking among Africa's most densely populated regions, faces rapid population growth and urbanization, set to double its population by 2050 compared to 2022 for most countries in the region. Global-scale projections indicate a potential amplification in heat stress, reaching levels up to 200 times the current rates under high-end scenarios, with the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Uganda facing the most pronounced impacts. Children born in this area in 2020 may face about 1.4 times more heatwaves than their counterparts elsewhere. The combination of population growth and intensifying heat renders the region around the Lake Victoria particularly susceptible to future heat stress. This research investigates the impacts of climate and population changes on heat exposure and heat stress in the region surrounding Lake Victoria. We analyze how dangerous heat stress by the end-of-the century could change under the ensemble mean climate change signal of the high-end SSP5-8.5 climate change scenario compared to the recent past. Furthermore, we evaluate to what extent and where the population could be affected by dangerous heat stress by these changes. Climate model simulations performed with the COSMO-CLM regional climate model at 0.025° are used, forced with ERA-5 data, applying a pseudo global warming approach for the end-of-century run. Dangerous heat stress is assessed based on categories of heat index and humidex heat stress metrics. Results indicate a substantial rise in dangerous heat stress across the region. By the 2080s, up to 122 million people (i.e. 44% of the projected population) may experience dangerous heat stress for over 5% of the year (i.e. ~18 days), in contrast to an estimated 1 million people (i.e. 1% of the population) in 2010. Moreover, around 28% of the population (i.e. ~78 million people) might face such dangerous heat for 15% of the time (i.e. ~55 days) by the 2080s. The inhabitants most exposed to dangerous heat stress are notably clustered along the northern shores of Lake Victoria and the southern region, including their urban areas. These findings emphasize the urgent need to address the escalating threat of dangerous heat stress in this region.
openalex: W4392603532
Keywords: openalex:import

Precipitation over Madagascar: Assessment of observed datasets and CMIP6 HighResMIP models for further analysis of drought and its impact on vegetation - Randriatsara, Herijaona Hani‐Roge Hundilida; Holtanová, Eva (2024)
Understanding historical evolution and future projections of drought are crucial for Madagascar, which experiences drought almost every year. Not only it contributes to the economic development of the area but it also helps to mitigate direct and indirect impacts of drought on human’s lives and natural ecosystems. To begin with, it is crucial to use accurate datasets for assessing drought in order to get reliable findings. However, Madagascar lacks reliable station datasets. Here, we present the first evaluation of performance of available observed precipitation datasets over the country: gridded precipitation datasets from gauge-based, reanalysis and satellite estimates. Among the 15 analyzed datasets, CHIRPS (Climate Hazards Group Infrared Precipitation with Station data version 2) and ERA5 (European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts reanalysis fifth generation- Land dataset) the lowest biases compared to the rest. Thus, they are used as the reference for evaluating the performance of CMIP6 HighResMIP simulations. The assessment employs diverse methods, accompanied by the use of the Taylor skill score for ranking the overall performance of the models. The results show that EC-Earth3P-HR, ECMWF-IFS-HR, ECMWF-IFS-LR and HadGEM3-GC31-MM perform the best. The evaluated precipitation datasets are used in current ongoing research of recent drought evolution and its impact on vegetation over Madagascar. Preliminarily results show that the SPI (Standard Precipitation Index) exhibit decreasing trend for all chosen SPI scales (SPI3, SPI6 and SPI12). This indicates that the occurrence of drought over Madagascar has amplified within the study period of 1981 to 2022. Eventually, the evaluation of future projections of drought over the Island would be the next goal to be tackled in order to provide bases for planning appropriate measures in lessening the impact of drought, building effective adaptation strategies and structuring climate change policies.
openalex: W4392594862
Keywords: openalex:import

Illuminating eruptions, fluid pathways and melt storage with seismo-(acoustic) tremor at Oldoinyo Lengai volcano, Tanzania - Reiss, Miriam; Massimetti, Francesco; Campus, Adele; Rümpker, Georg; Laizer, Amani; Kazimoto, Emmanuel Owden (2024)
Oldoinyo Lengai volcano is a strato-volcano in the eastern part of the East African Rift system and as such, a curious end member of a young magmatic segment: it is the only volcano worldwide that currently erupts carbonatitic lava. Known to alternate between large explosive (ash) and smaller effusive eruptions, we analyze volcanic tremor from Oldoinyo Lengai during a renewed phase of eruptive but non-explosive activity beginning in late 2018, which we recorded with a seismo-acoustic network between March 2019 - June 2020 with the SEISVOL (Seismic and Infrasound Networks to Study the Volcano Oldoinyo Lengai) project. We focus on two different aspects of our data set, which are the very first observations of seismo-(acoustic) tremor at this peculiar volcano. First, we analyze one year of data at a co-located seismic and infrasound station about 200 m below the summit together with satellite InfraRed thermal data and reconstruct different phases of volcanic activity (varying styles of extrusive activity, in particular spattering, degassing, activity from a lava pond, intrusive activity, and the construction of hornitos) and the evolution of crater morphology. We characterize the near-constant but highly variable tremor by analyzing its seismic amplitude, duration, recurrence, dominant seismic frequency and harmonics. Frequency gliding occurs frequently and over short (minutes to hours) to long time scales (hours to days). Seismic and acoustic wavefields correlate well for stronger eruptive sequences but are only partially coherent which suggests that high-frequency seismic tremor (up to 25 Hz) may be caused by the low viscosity of the carbonatitic melt. Second, we focus on a selected number of seismic network stations to locate stronger tremors using the network-covariance matrix and a raytracing approach. While many tremors locate in the shallowest part of the edifice of Oldoinyo Lengai, supporting our previous analysis that much of the tremor is caused by eruptions, tremors are also located in the crust to depths of ~15 km. Most importantly, strong (gliding/harmonic) tremor seems to be connected to a migration of tremor depths which mostly locate in rock volumes not associated with seismicity. This suggests we may be able to use tremor to study melt and fluid pathways in the mushy part of a volcanic plumbing system. Overall, our study provides important insights into the eruption dynamics, as well as melt transport and storage of this peculiar volcano.
openalex: W4392580046
Keywords: openalex:import

Resolving volcanic from anthropogenic metal input to modern lake Elmenteita, Kenya - Rosca, Carolina; Kübler, Simon; Muiruri, Veronica; Junginger, Annett (2024)
Lake Elmenteita located in the central Kenyan Rift System is a shallow (ca. 1 m deep on average), hyper-saline and alkaline playa lake of international bio-ecological importance, as emphasized by its classification as RAMSAR site (2005) and UNESCO world heritage site of “outstanding universal value” (2011). Unusually high rainfall and anthropogenic influence (deforestation, agriculture, sewage loading) are current drivers of changes in water level, composition and quality as well as the dramatic decline in riparian habitats. Identifying individual sources of both, elemental nutrients (P, N, Mg, Si, Zn) and potentially toxic elements (heavy metals, e.g., Cs, Mo, Pb, Sb, Cu) to the lake is imperative for ecosystem monitorization and development of biodiversity conservation strategies. Here, we present dissolved element concentrations in water samples collected in July 2022 from the 1) central, 2) northern (discharge of rivers Kariandusi and Mereroni), and 3) southern (dominated by tectonically modulated volcanic hot-springs) part of the lake, as well as from 4) river Mereroni and 5) an additional hot-spring in the eastern part of the catchment. Data was acquired in the field and at the laboratories of the Isotope Geochemistry Group, Tübingen University. Results show compositional differences between hot springs and riverine influx (e.g., Cs: 0.03 ng/g Mereroni river vs. 3.3 ng/g S-hot springs), and also between Mereroni river water and northern shore waters (e.g., Sb: 0.063 ng/g Mereroni river vs. 0.92 ng/g N-shore; Cu: 0.925 ng/g Mereroni river vs. 27.3 ng/g N-Shore). Accompanied by observed compositional heterogeneities within the lake itself, our findings suggest that several sources and processes govern the elemental influx and distribution. Using geochemical indices, we will propose elemental dispersion vectors, main sources, and in-lake processes with the aim to unfolding the impact of recent anthropogenic signals from volcano-tectonic elemental origins to the lake.
openalex: W4392578805
Keywords: openalex:import

Analysis of Aerosol Pollution over North-Western Nigeria - Sa’id, Rabia Salihu; Hussain, S. Nazeer (2024)
This paper analyzes the optical properties and air mass trajectory of aerosol pollution over North-West (NW) Nigeria. The paper studied the Aerosol Optical Depth (AOD), Angstrom Exponent (AE), Single Scattering Albedo (SSA) and air mass trajectory analysis of aerosols pollution over NW Nigeria from 2018 to 2022. For this purpose, the use of satellite products from Ozone Monitoring Instrument (OMI), the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS), and back trajectories of air movements calculated using the Hybrid Single Particle Lagrangian Integrated Trajectory Model (HYSPLIT) were employed. AOD values were found to reach peak values (~1 at 500 nm) across the years in the study except in 2020, which, showed a steep decline in AOD values during the period. It is surmised that the decline might have been due to the lock down due to Covid19 when vehicular movement that generate particulate matter and black carbon, construction that generate dust plumes were minimal. Analysis of the optical characteristics of the aerosols studied, supported the observation that the pollution consists of mainly Saharan dust and anthropogenic aerosols with a well-defined seasonal cycle. This assumption was confirmed by HYSPLIT backward trajectories and MODIS images. Keywords: MODIS, Aerosol Optical Depth, Single Scattering Albedo, Angstrom Exponent, Ozone Monitoring Instrument, HYSPLIT.
openalex: W4392627608
Keywords: openalex:import

CMIP6 climate scenarios for climate adaptation studies in Zambia - Sahana, Venkataswamy; Panjwani, Shweta; Amarnath, Giriraj (2024)
This study investigates provincial-level extreme weather conditions over Zambia using the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project (CMIP6) climate projections for various emission scenarios from 25 Global Climate Models (GCMs). Taylor diagram analysis is performed to identify the best-performing GCMs by evaluating precipitation and temperature variables with the observed datasets for the baseline period (1950-2014). Earlier studies have investigated the changes in precipitation and temperature variables alone. This study investigates the trends in Annual Precipitation, Annual temperature (mean, maximum and minimum) as well as Standardized Precipitaion Evapotranspiration Index (SPEI) for the near future (2021-2060) and far future (2061-2100) using Sen’s Slope Estimator. While all the projected climate scenarios depict an increasing trend in the mean temperatures for both near and far future periods, upto 4˚C increase is expected at the end the 21st century under the worst-case scenario-SSP5-8.5. An overall decrease (upto -65 mm) in precipitation is expected in the near future and far future periods across the country, expect the North-eastern provinces. Corroborating with such a spike in climate conditions, the SPEI decreases by -1.16, -0.95, -0.86, -0.83 (near future, 2021-2060) and -1.36, -1.75, -1.98 and -1.99 (far future, 2061-2100) for SSP1-2.6, SSP2-4.5, SSP3-7.0, SSP5-8.5 respectively. Larger changes in SPEI is observed in Western, Southern, Northwestern and Lusaka provinces in both near and far future indicating worst drought conditions. The outcome from the present study provides a basis for undertaking provincial-level adaptation and mitigation measures under the evolving climate and framing policy interventions to combat climate change.
openalex: W4392595665
Keywords: openalex:import

The effect of commercial export farms on drought risk and adaptation of agropastoral communities in the drylands of Kenya - Streefkerk, Ileen; Aerts, Jeroen; Bruijn, Jens de; Hassaballah, Khalid; Odongo, Rhoda A.; Schrieks, Teun; Wasonga, Oliver; Loon, Anne F. Van (2024)
Drought poses a thread in the already existing water challenges in dryland regions. Drought hazard and risk are, however, not merely a natural phenomenon. Instead they are shaped and influenced by human behaviour and interventions. This raises questions about how to distribute the limited available water in an equitable manner, especially in drought prone areas such as drylands where water is key to people’s livelihood and fragile ecosystems. In the Horn of Africa Drylands (HAD) conflict over water and vegetation is prominent. On top of that, large-scale land acquisitions (LSLAs) are increasing the competition of water, putting local communities at increased risk. A key impact of increasing LSLA's is the decrease in water and land availability for vulnerable agropastoral communities. For such communities, drought adaptation is key to reduce drought risk, especially under climate change. Despite these recent studies, there is still a lack of research that includes the influence of upstream-downstream dynamics on drought risk and adaptation behaviour with a focus on the impacts of agropastoralists. This study, therefore, further develops an agent-based model (ADOPT-AP) to investigate how upstream large scale commercial farms influence downstream drought risk and adaptation of agropastoralists. We apply and test the ADOPT-AP model for the Ewaso N’giro north catchment in Kenya. Main novelties of our method are the ability to capture heterogeneous and dynamic drought-human interactions (including different water users) in a spatially-explicit manner. After the model has been calibrated and validated, we test how commercial exporting farms affect drought risk and impact of downstream communities by simulating different scenarios. We show for various drought periods how both drought characteristics (soil moisture, discharge and groundwater levels) and impacts (milk production, crop production, distance to water) differ among the scenarios.
openalex: W4392596605
Keywords: openalex:import

Local biophysical impacts of idealized land-cover and land management changes on climate extremes in the semi-arid West African Savannas - Sy, Souleymane; Bliefernicht, Jan; Arnault, Joël; Olsesegun, Christiana; Fersch, Benjamin; Spangenberg, Ines; Guug, Samuel; Seydou, Abdel Nassirou Yahaya; Oussou, Francis E.; Waongo, Moussa; Sawadogo, Windmanagda; Rummler, Thomas; et al. (2024)
The West African savannas region is currently undergoing extensive agricultural intensification due to rapid population growth. Those anthropogenic land cover changes (LCC) can have significant impacts at regional and seasonal scales but also on extreme weather events to which human, natural and economical systems are highly vulnerable. However, the effects of LCC on extreme events remain either largely unexplored at regional/local scale and/or without consensus. To address this issue, we investigate the biophysical impacts of idealized land use and land management changes (LCLMCs) scenarios on climate extremes in the semi-arid West African Savannas region. This analysis is conducted using high-resolution land-cover change experiments (at 3 km) covering the period from 2011 to 2023. These experiments utilize the fully coupled WRF-Hydro system, which incorporates surface and subsurface lateral flow while describing the vegetation dynamically. The local effects of idealized LCLMCs scenarios are derived through a comparison of multiple land-use and afforestation scenario-based simulations, reflecting a specific LCC transition, occurring over the Sudan Savanna of Burkina Faso and Ghana. Analyzing 20 extreme weather indices, we find, on average, that LCC robustly lessens regional extreme rainfall by 8% for the number of wet days (R1mm) and by 7% for the heavy rainfall (R10mm) more than mean rainfall conditions (up to 2 times more). LCC can impact regional rainfall extremes 4 times more than temperature extremes on average and intensifies dry days. Afforestation options, such as the conversion of grassland to evergreen broadleaf forest or evergreen needleleaf forest, tend to mitigate the biophysical LCC-induced warming effect and lower the associated occurrence of temperature extreme events. Conversely, opposite effects can be observed under savannas-based afforestation options, likely due to their associated large sensible heat fluxes compared to grassland and cropland. The study investigates the underlying biophysical drivers behind these opposing effects. We stress here that fully coupled modeling frameworks incorporating all aspects of land-use change and local positive feedback between the terrestrial hydrological system and the overlying atmosphere are needed to better evaluate land-based mitigation and adaptation strategies.
openalex: W4392602806
Keywords: openalex:import

Local biophysical impacts of idealized land-cover and land management changes on climate extremes in the semi-arid West African Savannas - Sy, Souleymane; Bliefernicht, Jan; Arnault, Joël; Olsesegun, Christiana; Fersch, Benjamin; Spangenberg, Ines; Guug, Samuel; Seydou, Abdel Nassirou Yahaya; Oussou, Francis E.; Waongo, Moussa; Sawadogo, Windmanagda; Rummler, Thomas; et al. (2024)
The West African savannas region is currently undergoing extensive agricultural intensification due to rapid population growth. Those anthropogenic land cover changes (LCC) can have significant impacts at regional and seasonal scales but also on extreme weather events to which human, natural and economical systems are highly vulnerable. However, the effects of LCC on extreme events remain either largely unexplored at regional/local scale and/or without consensus. To address this issue, we investigate the biophysical impacts of idealized land use and land management changes (LCLMCs) scenarios on climate extremes in the semi-arid West African Savannas region. This analysis is conducted using high-resolution land-cover change experiments (at 3 km) covering the period from 2011 to 2023. These experiments utilize the fully coupled WRF-Hydro system, which incorporates surface and subsurface lateral flow while describing the vegetation dynamically. The local effects of idealized LCLMCs scenarios are derived through a comparison of multiple land-use and afforestation scenario-based simulations, reflecting a specific LCC transition, occurring over the Sudan Savanna of Burkina Faso and Ghana. Analyzing 20 extreme weather indices, we find, on average, that LCC robustly lessens regional extreme rainfall by 8% for the number of wet days (R1mm) and by 7% for the heavy rainfall (R10mm) more than mean rainfall conditions (up to 2 times more). LCC can impact regional rainfall extremes 4 times more than temperature extremes on average and intensifies dry days. Afforestation options, such as the conversion of grassland to evergreen broadleaf forest or evergreen needleleaf forest, tend to mitigate the biophysical LCC-induced warming effect and lower the associated occurrence of temperature extreme events. Conversely, opposite effects can be observed under savannas-based afforestation options, likely due to their associated large sensible heat fluxes compared to grassland and cropland. The study investigates the underlying biophysical drivers behind these opposing effects. We stress here that fully coupled modeling frameworks incorporating all aspects of land-use change and local positive feedback between the terrestrial hydrological system and the overlying atmosphere are needed to better evaluate land-based mitigation and adaptation strategies.
openalex: W4392602806
Keywords: openalex:import

Knowledge, attitudes, and practices of health professions students on mentorship: a cross-sectional study at a sub-Saharan African medical school - Tamale, Elvis; Atuhairwe, Irene; Ssemwogerere, Arnold; Muhimbura, Brian; Atimango, Lorna; Malinga, Paddy Derrick; Mulungi, Jonathan; Ssekitto, Joseph; Naigaga, Josephine; Kintu, Timothy Mwanje; Masood, Kiran Mitha; Ohuruogu, Victor; et al. (Discover Education, 2024)
Abstract Background Mentoring involves the informal conveyance of knowledge, social capital, and support, as perceived by the recipient to be pertinent to aspects of work, career, and personal or professional development. Students pursuing health-related courses need access to mentorship and its benefits during their formative academic and career states. However, in Sub-Saharan Africa, many institutions have not fully embraced this despite the benefits of mentorship. Aim The primary purpose of this study was to assess medical students’ knowledge about mentorship and explore their attitudes and practices toward mentorship. Methodology We held an online cross-sectional study utilizing a pre-tested self-reported questionnaire targeting health professional students in the faculty of medicine, Mbarara University of Science and Technology (MUST). The collected data were coded and summarized using descriptive statistics and thematic analysis. Results Two hundred eighty-three (283) students participated in this study. Of this group, 79.9% were aware of mentorship, 61% were willing to commit 1–2 h a week for mentorship, and Zoom was the preferred mode of communication; 98.2% expressed the need for a structured student-led hybrid mentorship program. Conclusion Mentorship at Mbarara University of Science and Technology was considered beneficial by health professions students in the Faculty of Medicine. Recommendation Future studies should explore accessibility to mentorship and the effectiveness of existing mentorship processes.
openalex: W4392592689
Keywords: openalex:import

How do climate models represent wind resources in Southern Africa and predict their future changes? - Tang, C. Q.; Morel, Béatrice (2024)
As intermittent meteorological resources become increasingly vital in our energy system, it is crucial to better understand how a changing climate may affect weather variability and, in turn, influence future wind energy production. This study evaluates the performance of climate models in reproducing wind resources over Southern Africa (SA), and in assessing potential impacts of climate change. An ensemble of climate simulations is evaluated over SA, which includes simulations from three Regional Climate Models (RCM; i.e., CCLM4, RegCM4, and REMO2009) that participated in the Coordinated Regional Downscaling Experiment program over Africa (CORDEX-Africa) at a horizontal resolution of approximately 25 km, and the coarser-resolution ones from their four driving General Circulation Models (GCMs; i.e., HadGEM2-ES, MPI-ESM-LR, MPI-ESM-MR, and NorESM1-M) from the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project Phase 5 (CMIP5). The simulated wind is first compared to the reference datasets, derived from ground-based measurements and reanalyses, during 2000-2023 at 3-hour intervals, covering both surface and hub-height (100 m) levels. The performances of both RCMs and GCMs are quantified and compared in terms of their representation of wind resource characteristics, including the mean wind speed and its spatio-temporal variability at hourly-to-annual timescales. Then wind energy potential and capacity factors are also derived for the wind resource assessment in SA, where direct observational data is limited. Finally, the potential impact of climate change on the 100-meter wind energy potential in SA is assessed based on this ensemble of climate projections, up to 2099, under the RCP2.6 and RCP8.5 scenarios. This study helps to understand the performance difference between regional and global models in simulating wind resources and provides insight into how changing climate conditions might affect wind energy production over the long term in SA.
openalex: W4392580971
Keywords: openalex:import

Frictional properties of the fault hosting aftershocks of the 2014 Orkney earthquake (M5.5), South Africa, and proposal of a new drilling project PROTEA to probe the heart of the earthquake - Yabe, Yasuo; Ogasawara, Hiroshi; Durrheim, Raymond (2024)
The ICDP-DSeis (Drilling into Seismogenic zones of M2.0 – M5.5 earthquakes in deep South African gold mines) project recovered rock samples from a fracture zone that hosted the aftershocks of the 2014 Orkney earthquake (M5.5). The fracture zone was formed in an altered lamprophyre dike (Lamprophyre, hereafter) intruded into the Crown Formation (local name of altered basaltic andesite). One of the DSeis holes intersected another dike (named the Onstott dike) ~300 m east of the Lamprophyre. A fissure containing ancient (1.2 Ga) hypersaline brine rich in DOC (dissolved organic carbon) was found in the Onstott dike. The formation and metamorphism of these dikes are discussed in Ogasawara et al. (EGU24). This study describes the frictional properties of Lamprophyre that motivated us to propose a new drilling project PROTEA.The southern shallowest section of the fault intersected by the DSeis hole did not slip significantly during the Orkney earthquake mainshock, but hosted high aftershock activity. This implies that the fault intersected by the DSeis hole was stable frictionally and decelerated coseismic slip to halt the dynamic propagation of the mainshock rupture. Thereafter, the fault transitioned to an unstable state and produced aftershocks. The recovered rocks revealed the Lamprophyre did not contain any quartz and was rich in talc, biotite, amphibole, and calcite. Loss of drilling water into the fault zone suggested that the pore pressure in the fault zone was low (<6 MPa, water head pressure in the borehole). Consequently, sliding-rate step tests were conducted under wet (saturated, but without pore pressure) condition using the powdered samples to investigate evolution of the frictional property with increasing sliding distance. The friction coefficient of Lamprophyre was ~0.3, much lower than that of the Crown Formation (~0.7). The friction coefficients of both lithologies were almost independent of sliding distances. Lamprophyre showed rate-strengthening behavior irrespective of sliding distance. Acoustic emission (AE) activity, which mimics aftershock activity, in the Lamprophyre gouge became higher with increasing sliding distance. This implies a hierarchical evolution of frictional property of Lamprophyre. These experimental results explain the spatial coincidence of the mainshock rupture termination and high aftershock activity.The weakness of Lamprophyre may enable the formation of a fault in Lamprophyre. However, its rate-strengthening behavior would prevent the nucleation and spontaneous propagation of the rupture on a fault in Lamprophyre. Frictional properties, the stress state, the pore pressure, and/or lithology around the hypocenter should differ from those in the aftershock zone. Therefore, we propose a new drilling project PROTEA (Probing the heart of an earthquake and life in the deep subsurface) to drill a hole targeting the hypocenter and the strong motion source of the Orkney earthquake. It will explore the frictional properties, stress state, pore pressure, and lithology that enabled the nucleation and the initiation of the dynamic rupture, as well as the radiation mechanism of strong motions. PROTEA will drill multiple holes intersecting the Onstott dike, not only to elucidate locality and universality of ecosystems that exist in the fissure brine, but also to investigate the interaction between seismicity and microbial activity.
openalex: W4392586468
Keywords: openalex:import

Mapping micro-seismicity around a nuclear power station in stable South Africa through machine learning - Zyl, Wade van; Quiros, D. A.; Sloan, Alastair (2024)
Ground motion caused by near-source seismic waves from shallow earthquakes can be dangerous to vital infrastructure such as nuclear power plants. South Africa is a stable continental region (SCR), however significant seismicity is known to occur. Nearby Cape Town, and the Koeberg Nuclear Power Station, historical sources record an earthquake with a potential magnitude of 6.5 in 1809. On September 29th, 1969 the magnitude 6.3 Ceres-Tulbagh earthquake affected an area less than 100 kilometers of the Koeberg Nuclear Power Station. These events emphasize the need to take the potential seismic hazard in this area seriously. Previous research has shown that the source zones of historic and even prehistoric SCR earthquakes are frequently related with enhanced microseismicity over hundreds or even thousands of years. This study seeks to investigate possible source zones for the 1809 event, and possible sources of future damaging earthquakes, by establishing whether earthquakes can be detected on regional structures. To accomplish these goals, we deployed 18 3-component seismographs over a 40-by-35-kilometer area near the Koeberg Nuclear Power Station. The network, which covered the Colenso fault zone, was also near the postulated Milnerton fault, the Ceres-Tulbagh region, and the Cape Town area. The network recorded for three months between August and October 2021. We looked for seismicity around known structures, like the Colenso fault, using supervised machine learning algorithms like PhaseNET, traditional STA/LTA algorithms, and manual inspection in addition to unsupervised machine learning algorithms such as Density-based spatial clustering of applications with noise (DBSCAN) and Bayesian Gaussian Mixture Models (BGMMs). We found 35 occurrences dispersed throughout our research area. These events appear to be organized into three broad groups, the first being an offshore cluster outside of the study region, and the second being a scattered cluster between the Colenso fault system and the postulated Milnerton Fault. The third concentrates on the Colenso Fault system, implying that it may be active. Additional results from our research show that traditional methods like STA/LTA are far less accurate at detecting micro-seismic events than manual inspection of waveform data and machine learning (i.e., where the unsupervised and supervised machine learning algorithms get combined to form an earthquake identification tool).
openalex: W4392590056
Keywords: openalex:import

Challenges faced by learners with multiple disabilities at a resource school in the Oshana region of Namibia - Ambili, Johanna; Haihambo, Cynthy K.; Hako, Anna Niitembu (British Journal of Special Education, 2024)
Abstract Upon attaining freedom from the South African regime in 1990, Namibia adopted a constitution according to which access to education is a fundamental right. Before the Salamanca Statement in 1994 and Namibia's consequent ratification thereof, education in Namibia was mainly divided into two distinct streams: general education and special education. Post‐Salamanca, there has been a slight shift in the provision of education for learners with special educational needs in that special education was, and mainly continues to be, offered in special schools, now called resource schools; in special classes and units attached to regular schools; and in mainstream classrooms with an inclusive education orientation. Learners with severe to profound special educational needs are mainly educated in resource schools, and this remains the preferred option for most parents and communities of children with severe to profound special needs. The resource schools are constructed for a specific set of disabilities, such as sensory, physical or intellectual disabilities. They are assumed to be well‐equipped with material and personnel resources that enable staff to respond effectively to the needs of their learners. Most, if not all, the resource schools in Namibia were built a long time ago, to serve a specific population of learners. However, some learners present with a range of disabilities and barriers to learning that could be beyond the original scope of the specific school. Consequently, more and more teachers in resource schools report that they observe daily how learners struggle to function in schools in which the infrastructure and resources can barely accommodate their complex needs. This is mainly because of the diversity and comorbid conditions of these learners. This research focused on the challenges encountered by learners with multiple disabilities in a resource school for learners with sensory disabilities. The study followed a qualitative approach, with an intrinsic case study design. Purposive, criterion sampling procedures were employed to select the participants. Data were collected through semi‐structured, face‐to‐face, in‐depth interviews, complemented by observation. The main findings of the study are that learners with multiple disabilities faced challenges associated with the physical infrastructure of the school (accessibility), the inability of staff to respond effectively to their needs, a lack of teaching and learning resources (leading to their exclusion from certain learning activities), as well as a poorly structured curriculum that undermines their multiple disabilities. The research reveals that there is limited agency and acknowledgement of the complex needs of children with multiple disabilities. The study concludes that learners with multiple disabilities need to access a curriculum that is cognisant of their needs and receive the quality education that they deserve, as set out in the Sector Policy on Inclusive Education. In addition to the curriculum, the school environment should be welcoming and stigma‐free, to enable learners to experience a sense of belonging, love and security. We recommend an audit of the needs of learners with multiple disabilities in order to create a conducive learning and socialisation environment for them. Furthermore, the government could invest in renovating old buildings, as well as adjusting infrastructure to the complex needs of learners, so that resource schools can become more inclusive by identifying and responding to the needs of all learners.
openalex: W4392561269
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Agriculture and Climate Change: A Socio-Economic Dynamics of Climate-Smart Practices in Oubritenga Province, Burkina Faso - Compaore, Christian; Compaoré, Emmanuel; Ouédraogo, Mathieu; Thiombiano, Boundia Alexandre; Toé, Patrice (2024)
The issue of farmers' resilience to climate and natural resource degradation remains a major concern in Sahelian countries, including Burkina Faso. The aim of this study is to analyze the dynamics of farming practices in the province of Oubritenga in Burkina Faso, highlighting similarities and differences in climate-smart practices. To do this, a mixed method (qualitative and quantitative) was used, combining surveys, individual interviews and focus groups. The results indicate that these practices were disseminated and adopted in Oubritenga province well before the 1980s, and that they have evolved in terms of adoption rates and improvements in recent years through research. The practices mentioned include sustainable land management (SLM), water and soil conservation practices/soil defense and restoration (WSC/SDR). Rural households are responding by adopting and reinforcing climate-smart farming practices that are considered more sustainable in the face of climate shock, soil degradation and greenhouse gas mitigation. It should be noted that other agricultural practices and techniques have been disseminated and adopted over time, in connection with mechanization and the promotion of technical production itineraries. This is a body of endogenous knowledge that coexists with technical production itineraries aimed at respecting the balance between nature and the well-being of living beings by integrating a sustainable land and environmental management system.
openalex: W4392814178
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Effect of work stress on service delivery of health workers in University of Benin Teaching Hospital, Benin City Nigeria - Enabunene, Osazee Israel; Chukwuemeka, Emma (Journal of Policy and Development Studies, 2024)
The study examined work stress and service delivery among health workers in University of Benin Teaching Hospital Benin City. The study adopted descriptive research method. Data were collected through questionnaire, focus group discussion guide, in depth interview and secondary sources. The study revealed that work overload has nexus with service delivery of the health workers of University of Benin Teaching Hospital. The study recommended among other things that University of Benin Teaching Hospital (UBTH) should deploy more student doctors in their residency programmes who would be closely supervised by their superiors in order to reduce the workload on existing doctors in their provision of health services. The work schedule for medical and health workers at the University of Benin Teaching Hospital (UBTH), should be made more flexible to accommodate the peculiarities in female medical personnel, especially married women, nursing mothers and those that are pregnant. The government should do better in the disbursement and payment of hazard allowances to medical and health workers in order to encourage their selfless services to God and humanity through the provision of quality healthcare services.
openalex: W4392808558
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Moroccan EFL Teachers’ Perception of 21st-Century Skills in Moroccan Public Schools - Enmiri, Fatima (International journal of linguistics, literature and translation, 2024)
This study aims to investigate Moroccan EFL teachers’ perceptions of the use of 21st-century skills in public school classes. Fifty-one Moroccan teachers from both middle school and high school participated in a survey to collect data. The results showed that Moroccan EFL teachers agreed that 21st-century skills are a positive plus in students’ competencies. The data analysis was done statistically using an online survey that was sent to them through emails and WhatsApp groups. Teachers’ responses showed the importance of 21st-century skills on students’ performance and autonomy, as well as learning and acquiring knowledge in a manner distinct from the conventional approach.
openalex: W4392552432
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Towards Climate Resilience: A Comprehensive Study on Eco-Friendly Alternatives for Single-Use Plastic Sheets in Somalia - Farah, Abdikadir Issa (International Journal of Environmental Protection and Policy, 2024)
This research critically examines the recent policy intervention by the Somali government, focusing on the prohibition of single-use plastic sheets. The primary aim is to safeguard the environment and enhance public safety, aligning with global efforts to address plastic pollution and promote sustainable practices. The government's proactive approach urges manufacturers to explore alternative materials that prioritize community well-being and minimize environmental impact. This research, in response to the government's call for action, seeks to contribute comprehensive strategies that complement existing efforts. One key facet of the proposed initiatives involves research and development to identify and promote eco-friendly substitutes for single-use plastic sheets. This includes investigating materials with minimal environmental impact throughout their lifecycle. By encouraging innovation in materials science, the study aims to support the government's commitment to sustainable practices and reduce dependence on harmful substances. In addition to material innovation, the research emphasizes the importance of awareness campaigns to educate the public about the environmental and social implications of plastic usage. Community awareness is crucial for fostering a collective understanding of the need for change and garnering support for the government's policies. This aspect of the study aims to develop targeted communication strategies to engage diverse segments of the population and promote a culture of responsible consumption. Furthermore, the research advocates for the implementation of recycling programs to manage existing plastic waste effectively. Developing robust waste management infrastructure is essential for ensuring that discarded plastic materials are recycled efficiently, reducing their impact on the environment. Recognizing the economic aspects of the transition, the research proposes incentives for businesses that adopt sustainable materials. These incentives can include financial support, tax breaks, or preferential treatment in government procurement processes. By aligning economic interests with ecological responsibility, the study aims to facilitate a smooth transition and encourage widespread adoption of sustainable practices. Through a comprehensive analysis of various initiatives, the research aims to provide actionable insights for policymakers. Recommendations will be formulated to guide the government in implementing effective measures that align with its commitment to environmental sustainability and the overall safety of the Somali population. In conclusion, this research aspires to contribute practical strategies for Somalia, balancing economic interests with ecological responsibility. By fostering a harmonious coexistence between human activities and the environment, the study aims to support the government's vision of a resilient and sustainable future.
openalex: W4392813790
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Internationalisation of Higher Education in Ethiopia: A Strategic Process? - Gonfa, Dejen K.; Gibbons, Pat; Sugrue, Ciaran; Kuma, Berhanu (Journal of Studies in International Education, 2024)
The internationalisation of higher education (IHE) has become a central agenda of Ethiopia's higher education institutions (HEIs). However, there is a dearth of information on whether IHE is an intentional and integrated endeavour. A framework is developed to investigate how strategic the internationalisation process is in public universities in Ethiopia, focusing on intentionality and integration. Data were collected using a survey from eleven public universities, semi-structured interviews with twenty-one key informants, as well as document analysis. The findings reveal striking similarities across universities in how IHE has been undertaken. Though there are promising indicators that IHE is becoming an intentional process, little attention is given to integrating IHE into institutions’ purpose, functions, and delivery. To maximise the benefits of IHE, universities need to establish educational systems aligned with their designations (research, applied science, comprehensive, and science and technology), integrate IHE into these systems, and continuously manage it across all HEIs.
openalex: W4392593780
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Insights to the Damaging Effects of August 7, 2020 (Mw 5.0) Mila Earthquake and Seismic Hazard Analysis of Northeast Algeria - Hamidatou, Mouloud; Hallal, Nassim; Lebdioui, Saad; Agius, Matthew; Sawires, Rashad (Research Square (Research Square), 2024)
Abstract Here, we present a seismic hazard evaluation for the August 7, 2020 (Mw 5.0) Mila earthquake that occurred in northeast Algeria. The study addresses the environmental factors that could contribute significantly to the highly damaging impact of this event. The following aspects were included in an interdisciplinary methodology that was adopted: the earthquake catalog, the coseismic geologic impacts with respect to the Environmental Seismic Intensity (ESI) scale standards, and estimations of peak ground acceleration values based on both probabilistic and deterministic seismic hazard approach. A comprehensive study of main and secondary impacts was performed for three districts (El-Kherba, Grareme-Gouga, and Azzeba), to obtain a good seismic intensity assessment. A PSHA- and DSHA based hazard analysis for the region concluded that the unique intensity values were related to the Modified Mercalli Intensity (MMI) and PGA distributions. Our work shows that the considered hazard estimation processes can result in very diverse values of the PGA distributions. Furthermore, PGA values frequently deviate significantly from macroseismic intensity levels derived using the ESI scale. As a result, the combination of the environmental factors attached to the hazard assessments seems to be necessary to obtain an additional accurate seismic assessment. In the final phase, seismic hazard assessment methods were applied to obtain the estimated damage distributions at the risky locations for 50 years of exposure time. The results show the importance of taking precautions to reduce earthquake casualties in vulnerable old urban centers. This work proposes a probable methodology for conducting site-specific hazard and vulnerability estimations to mitigate earthquake hazards and support risk reduction measures.
openalex: W4392558500
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Review of: "Raising Adaptive Capacity to Climate Change in Energy and Food Sectors of Egypt" - Islek, Fulya (2024)
openalex: W4392559906
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Public-Private Partnership and Early Childhood Education in Kasese District, Uganda - Kategaya, Raymond Mwesigye; Adyanga, Akena Francis; Ocan, Johnson (East African journal of education studies, 2024)
The article’s main purpose was to investigate the relationship between public-private partnership (PPP) and early childhood education in Kasese District, Uganda. The main objectives of the study were to establish the role played by public-private partnerships in making certain that children develop numerical skills and expressive communication abilities. The study was conducted through an Ex Post Facto design study design. The target population of the study was stakeholders for early childhood education in Kasese District, Western Uganda. To ensure fair representation, research subjects were selected from each stratum of stakeholders. The scholar thus used stratified and, later on, random sampling techniques. The sample selected had 312 respondents from an estimated total number of 1.417 ECD stakeholders in Kasese District. Primary data was collected by administering a questionnaire that was designed on a 5-point Likert Scale, ranging from strongly agree to strongly disagree. Face-to-face interviews and an observation checklist were also used in the collection of data. Data collected was presented and analysed with frequency distribution and percentages while the corresponding hypothesis was tested with Chi-square statistic at 0.05 alpha levels. It was found the PPP in ECDs helped in the improvement of numeracy among children. For instance, stakeholders’ work helped in improving children’s counting of fingers on one hand or even copying and drawing shapes amongst young ones. Similarly, respondents indicated that Policy Guideline Formulation due to PPP led children to sort objects by colour and shape. Also, results showed that PPP in ECD enhanced communication ability whereby children were able to put up two words together as per caregiver guidance. It also led a child to pay attention to a simple story being narrated and thereafter answer questions from the account. Similarly, it was also found that Institutional Factors for PPP supported expressive ability in children in that they were in a position to follow a simple command. Besides, the availability of suitable Home Environment Factors was also found to promote communication ability in children. Thus, the study concluded that public-private partnership plays a part in ensuring that children develop numerical concepts. It was also concluded that public-private partnership plays a role in making certain that children develop expressive communication abilities
openalex: W4392553452
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Primary School Pupils’ Awareness of Physical and Sexual Violence in Tanzania - Kimaro, Jerome; Biswalo, Upendo Paul (Journal of Research Innovation and Implications in Education, 2024)
Children who have experienced physical and sexual violence are at risk for a variety of physical, mental, behavioural, and social issues that can lead to drug abuse and academic failure. However, how children perceive physical and sexual violence is unknown. This study, therefore, explores primary school pupils’ awareness of physical and sexual violence in the three selected schools in Moshi district, in Kilimanjaro region, Tanzania. This study employed a mixed approach whereby interviews and questionnaires were used as data collection tools. Random sampling technique was utilized to select 92 students from three primary schools as the study's sample unit, while a purposeful sampling technique was employed to select 12 key informants (6 teachers and 6 parents) from the total population. The findings have revealed that pupils had limited knowledge of the physical and sexual violence they faced. However, some participating schools employed various approaches to enable students to become aware about physical and sexual violence. The approaches included interactive seminars and age-appropriate educational materials. The study’s findings can help to design intervention strategies to end sexual and physical violence against students in primary schools in Tanzania and to improve their wellbeing
openalex: W4392500984
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Climate change adaptation by smallholder farmers in Southern Africa: A bibliometric analysis and systematic review. - Kori, Dumisani Shoko; Kelso, Clare; Musakwa, Walter (Environmental Research Communications, 2024)
Abstract Climate change adaptation research is currently a policy priority. For smallholder farmers, it provides opportunities for resilience building. The research area is growing rapidly and calls to synthesize existing data have been made. Existing work forms a basic picture of the trends in the research area. However, it is limited in scope and methodological approaches used. This work synthesizes climate change adaptation research on smallholder farmers in Southern Africa. It gives an overview of past and current directions of climate change adaptation research using a combination of bibliometric analysis techniques and the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis. Results show a steady growth in research, a disproportionate distribution of research and weak research collaboration among Southern African countries. Diverse methodologies are in use but a combination of approaches is rare. Co-occurrence of keywords show recognizable strides in research ranging from adaptation to mitigation linkages to the influence of climate change impacts on adaptation and livelihood outcomes. Strengthened research collaboration between countries in Southern Africa should be advocated for. This would help develop viable, appropriate and localized adaptation solutions. Equitable allocation of funding is pertinent to ensure uniform research activity and adaptation action across the region. A combination of research approaches is needed to push forward adaptation research on smallholder farmers in Southern Africa.
openalex: W4392564751
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How Do Arable Crop Farmers’ Adapt to Climate Change? New Evidence from Nigeria - Orgu, Kenneth Chima; Success, Esiobu Nnaemeka; Sander, Bjoern Ole; Ali, Jauhar; Romasanta, Ryan R.; Murugaiyan, Varunseelan; Chinatu, Nwaiwu Juan; Chukwunonso, Adikaibe Paschal; Ekpereka, Ruby Patrick; Mag, Emeruwa Azuoma; Ndidi, Akande Stella; Ifeoma, Chiemeka Cabrin; et al. (Asian journal of agricultural extension, economics and sociology, 2024)
In Nigeria, climate change is not a new phenomenon and arable crop production is vulnerable to climate change. Arable crop farmers have always responded to climate change with local strategies believed to be climate-smart. Arable crop farmers' knowledge of climate change is an important step in understanding any action to be taken to reduce its effect. However, empirical studies on the link between climate change and crop farmers’ adaptation strategies are still relatively scanty in the area. This presents a dearth in research. Therefore, our paper examined how arable crop farmers adapt to climate change using cross-sectional data obtained through a structured focused group discussion and questionnaire from 120 arable farmers across critical farming communities in Imo State, Nigeria. We utilized multistage and purposive sampling procedure in the selection of arable crop farmers. The reason we utilized purposive sampling procedure was to select areas with high intensity of arable crop farmers and farming. Data collected was analyzed using descriptive statistical tools and mean (x̄) score analysis. Our result shows that the mean age was 42.00 years. Greater proportions (73.00%) were female. The average farm size was 1.45 hectares. Vegetables (100.00%), maize (99.17%), cassava (98.33%) and rice (96.67%) were among the crops produced in the area. The result confirmed the incidence of climate change in the area and farmers perceived rightly the direction of the change, which includes declining crop yields (x̄ = 3.00; σ = 0.50), increased in new pests and diseases infestation (x̄= 2.88; σ = 0.58); unstable decrease and increase in temperature and rainfall (x̄=3.63, σ = 0.83) among others. Our study further shows that the major climate change adaptation measures farmers practiced were diversification of livelihood (99.17%) and changing planting/harvesting dates (97.50%). Farmers identified inadequate information (99.17) and inadequate climate change adaptation fund (98.33%) among others as the barriers they faced in adapting to climate change in the area. We recommend that, since arable crop farmers are members of cooperatives, they are encouraged to take advantage of their strength to collectively project a common demand in obtaining funds and other necessary inputs in adapting to climate change in the area. Finally, our study also suggests that the agricultural extension service system should be strengthened so as to provide farmers with stable and right early warning signs which will be critical in minimizing risks of climatic threats in the area.
openalex: W4392551058
Keywords: openalex:import

Exploring Impact of Climate Change on Poultry Production in Nigeria - Osuji, Emeka Emmanuel; Onyeneke, Robert Ugochukwu; Nkwocha, Geoffrey Amanze; Olaolu, Michael Olatunji (Agricultural Research, 2024)
openalex: W4392554001
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Education in Syria: hidden victim of the conflict of weapon of war? - Sakbani, Nisreen Al; Beaujouan, Juline (Journal of Peace Education, 2024)
openalex: W4392591482
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Disability Research in Zambia: A Scoping Review - Scherer, Nathaniel; Banda-Chalwe, Martha; Chansa, Tamara; Nseibo, Kofi; Seketi, Queen Elizabeth; McKenzie, Judith; Smythe, Tracey (Scandinavian Journal of Disability Research, 2024)
Background: Globally, people with disabilities experience exclusion from health, education, employment, and other aspects of daily life. Evidence on lived experience across key life areas (such as education, health, and employment) is necessary to promote disability-inclusive policy and practice, but there is often limited evidence from sub-Saharan Africa and there is no current synthesis in Zambia. Objectives: This scoping review aimed to synthesise evidence relevant to the lived experience of people with disabilities in Zambia across key life areas, in order to support national disability policy and practice. Method: MEDLINE, Embase, Web of Science, CINAHL, PsycInfo, Global Health, Africa-Wide Information and grey literature sources were searched from database inception until June 2023, although after the database search, we included only articles published from 2007, after adoption of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. Articles of any study design that were relevant to disability in Zambia were included, although prevalence studies were excluded to keep the focus on lived experience. Search results were independently screened by two reviewers, first by title/abstract, then by full text. Study characteristics and key findings were extracted, with findings narratively synthesised across key topic areas, such as health, education, and family support. Results: From 10,327 search results, 122 articles were included. Over a third of included articles focused on education for children with disabilities (n = 41, 34%) and the majority were conducted in Lusaka Province (n = 73, 60%). The included research demonstrated a number of challenges experienced by people with disabilities in Zambia that impinge on their human rights, including inaccessible environments, stigma and discrimination, and limited support. Evidence is relatively limited in some key areas, including healthcare and employment, and there is need for up-to-date research. Conclusions: People with disabilities in Zambia experience daily challenges. There is need for action to improve disability inclusion in Zambia in line with the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.
openalex: W4392576070
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Review of: "Influence of Meta-cognition, Self-efficacy, and Self-regulated Learning on Students’ Achievement in Biology in Ibadan, Nigeria" - Tsai, Meng Chun (2024)
openalex: W4392557980
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Arabic Language Impact on EFL Learners’ Speaking Competence: The Case of Algerian First Year Bachelor Students at Kasdi Merbah University-Ouargla - Yahia, Fatima (Turkish academic research review, 2024)
The present paper examines the impact of Arabic language on EFL learners (Algerian) speaking competence. Arab students encounter numerous obstacles in developing their L2 speaking skills. Their limited exposure to English, both in and out of the classroom, impedes their ability to achieve fluency and proficiency in speaking. In the Algerian case, students’ background of learning foreign languages is affected by both their standard Arabic and various local dialects that differ completely from one region to another. In this regard, serious linguistic obstacles may exist due to differences between Arabic and English morphology, phonology, syntax, and orthography so that the teaching process would not be an easy task, especially for beginners. In the light of this, the current study raises the problem of how Arabic language can affect EFL learners’ speaking competency. It aims at highlighting their common errors, raising the Algerian (Arab) students’ consciousness about the impact of their Arabic background on their fluency in English, and developing their competence of speaking through detecting the appropriate methods and techniques of addressing the challenges and difficulties of communicating in the target language. A descriptive type of research was followed via attending and observing sessions of oral expression with first year students (a group of 37 learners) at the University of Kasdi Merbah in Ouargla-Algeria. Via adopting a quantitative approach, a questionnaire was administered to 150 students from the same level to assess their speaking competence and common errors sources. The findings indicate that the Algerian learners’ Arabic background reduces their fluency in English as a result of linguistic, phonological, syntactic, and cultural differences.
openalex: W4393338699
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Suicide Among Rural Primary School Learners in Zimbabwe: An Epidemic in Need of Mitigation (Futurity Education, 2024)
The alarming rise of suicide cases among rural primary school students in Zimbabwe has become a major concern, as there is a significant lack of research on the root causes of suicide and effective prevention methods. This article aimed to address that gap by exploring Zimbabwe rural primary learners' perspectives on the factors driving them to engage in suicide and possible interventions by the Government of Zimbabwe and other stakeholders in order to curb this troubling trend. This qualitative study, drawing upon socio-cultural theory, held focus groups with 12 learners from the Mahoto rural area in Masvingo North Constituency. The aim was to understand the lived experiences and factors that contributed to suicidal thoughts among primary school learners. Through thematic analysis, key patterns were identified. This research on suicide among rural primary school students in Zimbabwe filled a crucial gap in the literature and held both theoretical and practical implications. The unique context of suicide within this demographic in a rural setting warrants further investigation. By shedding light on the factors contributing to this epidemic, the study can inform targeted interventions and mitigation strategies, ultimately leading to the protection and well-being of vulnerable young learners in Zimbabwe's rural areas. Early research indicates that many rural primary school students who lack access to counseling may be at risk of academic difficulties and even premature death by suicide. This highlights the need for Zimbabwe's Government through Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education to urgently deploy professional counsellors to provide professional counselling to learners. By amplifying the voices of marginalised rural learners who have been directly impacted by the suicide epidemic, this study aimed to develop practical solutions to prevent further tragedies and improve the mental health of Zimbabwean rural learners.
openalex: W4392634011
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Patterns and drivers of the above- and below-ground carbon stock in Afromontane forest of southern Ethiopia: implications for climate change mitigation - Ahmed, Shemsu; Lemessa, Debissa (Tropical Ecology, 2024)
openalex: W4392509975
Keywords: openalex:import

Hydrological investigation of climate change impact on water balance components in the agricultural terraced watersheds of Yemeni highland - AL-Falahi, Ali Hamoud; Saddique, Naeem; Spank, Uwe; Pluntke, Thomas; Gebrechorkos, Solomon H.; Mauder, Matthias; Bernhofer, Christian (Theoretical and Applied Climatology, 2024)
Abstract Hydrological models serve as valuable instruments for assessing the impact of climate change on water resources and agriculture as well as for developing adaptation measures. In Yemen, climate change and variability are imposing a significant impact on the most important sectors such as agriculture and economy. The current study evaluates the influence of future climate on hydrology and water balance components in Yemen’s highlands using a semi-distributed physical-based hydrologic model Soil Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) and employing high-resolution climate projections. The SWAT was calibrated and verified using observed streamflow data from 1982 to 2000 in three large catchments. Ground data from 24 stations and statistically downscaled future climate data for the period 2010–2100 under RCP2.6 and RCP8.5 are used. SWAT performance was assessed using multiple statistical methods, which revealed the commendable performance of SWAT during the calibration (average NSE = 0.80) and validation (NSE = 0.72) periods. The outcome indicates an increase in future seasonal and annual rainfall, maximum temperature, and minimum temperature in the 2020s and the 2080s under both RCP2.6 and RCP8.5 scenarios. This projected increase in the rainfall and the local temperature will result in increased averages of surface runoff, evapotranspiration, soil water, and groundwater recharge in the representative three catchments up to 6.5%, 21.1%, 7.6%, and 6.4%, respectively. Although, the projected increase in the water balance components will benefit the agriculture and water sector, specific adaptation measures will be crucial to mitigate potential flood impacts arising from the increased precipitations as well as to minimize the consequences of the increased temperature. Likewise, demand for supplementary irrigation is expected to increase to offset the higher evapotranspiration rates in the future.
openalex: W4392514605
Keywords: openalex:import

Sexual Victimization among female Secondary School Students in South-South Zone of Nigeria - Atah, Cletus Akpo; Usani, Joseph Ofem (Mediterranean journal of social sciences, 2024)
The purpose of this study was to examine sexual victimization among female secondary school students in the south-south geopolitical zone of Nigeria. To achieve this aim, four (4) research questions and four (4) null hypotheses were formulated and tested. A survey research design was adopted for the study, and data were collected using a researcher-designed questionnaire that contained 33 items. A total of three thousand, two hundred and eighty (3280) secondary school students responded to the instrument. The data gathered were analyzed using the mean and standard deviation to answer research questions, and an independent t-test and an ANOVA were used to test the hypothesis at the 0.05 level of significance. Findings from this study, among others, revealed that female secondary school students in the study area are sexually victimized. This sexual victimization of these secondary school students has affected them psychologically, socially, and physically in terms of their academic pursuits and how they relate to others in the school environment and society at large. Based on the findings of the study, it was recommended that the federal and state governments pass a law that could bring to book all the perpetrators of sexual victimization, and the victims of sexual victimization should be able to report anyone who has attempted to victimize them.

Received: 10 January 2023 / Accepted: 25 February 2024 / Published: 6 March 2024
openalex: W4392518545
Keywords: openalex:import

Unraveling secondary school girls’ dropout in Rural Malawi through self-determination - Banda, Lazarus Obed Livingstone; Banda, Jane Thokozani; Banda, Chigonjetso Victoria (Research Square (Research Square), 2024)
Abstract Contextualized within global efforts to advance sustainable development, research into the dropout rates of rural secondary school girls in low-income nations gains profound relevance. Through Self-determination theory, and motivated by Sustainable Development Goals 4 and 5, the study examines the psychological needs impacting female students' motivation to drop out of school. Through semi-structured interviews, observations, and document analysis, it delineates the adverse effects of compromised autonomy, competence, and relatedness attributed to systemic challenges within educational institutions, pedagogical practices, and familial settings. The findings underscore the criticality of enhancing the educational engagement and retention of girls, pinpointing educator absenteeism, peer ridicule, parental indifference, stringent parenting, economic hardships, and alternative career aspirations as pivotal to understanding dropout dynamics. The recommendations for bolstering girls' perceptions are imperative for fostering conducive learning environments for sustained educational participation. Our emphasis on targeted interventions and the call for comprehensive future research resonate with the SDGs' overarching framework, advocating for evidence-based policies and practices that can drive sustainable development across multiple domains. This study contributes to the academic discourse on educational retention and provides actionable insights for stakeholders towards the realization of the SDGs, highlighting the interconnectedness of educational attainment, gender equality, and sustainable development.
openalex: W4392510567
Keywords: openalex:import

Analysis of Gender Representations in Recommended Biology Textbooks Used by Senior School Students in Nasarawa State, Nigeria - Bello, Ganiyu; Adeoye, Gabriel Ademakinwa; Bello, Zakariyau Adebayo (Qeios, 2024)
The controversy and inconsistent reports on gender difference in students’ performance in Biology are yet to abate. As part of the contributions to address the challenge, this study was designed to analyze gender representations in recommended biology textbooks used by senior school students in Nasarawa State, Nigeria. Seven Biology textbooks were purposively selected and analyzed in the study, while four research questions were raised and answered. The instrument used for data collection was a proforma designed by the researchers and used to record the identified masculine, feminine, and gender neutral words, colours, pictures, and diagrams. Findings indicated that the selected Biology textbooks contained 39.1%, 32.5%, and 28.4% gender neutral, masculine, and feminine words, respectively. Also, findings revealed that the selected Biology textbooks contained 51.7%, 48.1%, and 0.4% gender neutral, feminine, and masculine colours, while 99.1%, 0.6%, and 0.3% gender neutral, feminine, and masculine pictures and diagrams were observed in the selected Biology textbooks. In addition, findings indicated that there was no gender balance in the textbooks considered in the study. The study concluded that all the selected Biology textbooks contained gender representation in words, colours, pictures, and diagrams that were imbalanced in representations. It was therefore recommended that Biology textbook authors should revisit their textbooks and amend the observed inequality in gender representations to avoid the promotion of gender bias and partiality among the upcoming generations.
openalex: W4392501742
Keywords: openalex:import

Exploring Ubuntu Philosophy as a Foundation for Holistic School Social Work in South Africa - Boboyi, Asanda (Research in social sciences and technology, 2024)
This conceptual paper examines the integration of Ubuntu philosophy into school social work practice in South Africa, proposing a transformative framework rooted in interconnectedness, compassion, and community. Drawing from critical social work theories, cultural humility, and restorative justice, the study explores the potential benefits of incorporating Ubuntu in addressing the diverse needs of students. Key findings highlight the positive impact on academic outcomes, community cohesion, and the creation of a more culturally responsive educational environment. The study emphasizes the importance of cultural competence, community engagement, and restorative practices in shaping interventions. Significantly, the study contributes to a growing body of literature on culturally responsive social work practices, providing insights that can inform transformative approaches to school social work in South Africa and potentially beyond.
openalex: W4392556084
Keywords: openalex:import

Prevalence of and Influential Factors for Waterpipe Smoking among School-Attending Adolescents in Bissau, Guinea-Bissau - Einarsdóttir, Jónína; Baldé, Aladje; Jandi, Zeca; Boiro, Hamadou; Gunnlaugsson, Geir (Adolescents, 2024)
The marketing of sweetened and flavoured tobacco in the early 1990s resulted in an upsurge in waterpipe smoking (WPS), mainly among young people and women. Here, we estimate prevalence rates among school-attending adolescents aged 14–19 (girls 52%) for a lifetime experience of WPS and within the last 30 days (WPS < 30 days) and identify influential factors for such smoking in Bissau, Guinea-Bissau. A random sample (N = 2039) was drawn from a class-based register created for 16 schools in Bissau; attending students in June 2017 were invited to respond to a locally adapted Planet Youth questionnaire. Descriptive statistics, odds ratio with 95% confidence interval, and multinomial logistic regression analysis were used to identify influential factors for WPS. The prevalence rates for a lifetime experience of WPS and within < 30 days were high, 17.7% and 15.0%, respectively, with no significant gender difference. For both groups, a multinomial logistic regression analysis identified attending higher grades in school, use of alcohol and being a victim of sexual violence as significant, influential factors. The overlapping of influential factors suggests preventive work against substance abuse should focus on less stigmatising behaviour, such as WPS and firmer implementation of the Framework Convention of Tobacco Control (FCTC).
openalex: W4392518445
Keywords: openalex:import

Analysis of Human Insecurity and School Dropout among Secondary School Girls in Nigeria: A Spatio-Sectoral Approach - Ibor, Uguru W.; Silas, J.; Ukoje, J. E.; Ubana, A. E. (Mediterranean journal of social sciences, 2024)
It is well established that human security is intricately related to access to education, food and human dignity. However, almost 8 years after the launch of the National Strategy to End Child Marriage and Twenty-five years of the introduction of the Universal Basic Education (UBE) programme in Nigeria, girl children are either denied access to education or enroll, but drop out of school. The aim of this study is to determine how human insecurity relate to girl-child school dropout in Nigeria. The study utilized data from National Bureau of Statistics and National Population Commission, Abuja. The data covered the 36 states of Nigeria including the Federal Capital Territory in 2021. ArcGIS software was used to evaluate the spatial pattern of girl child school dropout, while frequencies, tables, simple percentages and Ordinary Least Square techniques were used for analyses at p<0.05. The results showed that female school attendance in lower secondary school was highest in south-east (20.3%) and lowest in North-west (16. 4.%). The geopolitical zones with the highest girl child school dropout were Northwest (56.8%), North East (50.2%) and North-central (30.6%). Meanwhile, the North West in which female school attendance was low had the highest girl child school dropout. Girls’ child school dropout was significantly explained by 64% of the variation in girl child marriage, wealth quintile of households, food insecurity and feeling of safety (R2 = 0.644425, p<0.05). Girl-child marriage was a significant factor influencing girls school dropout in Nigeria (1.216; p<0.05). There was a weak positive relationship between the proportion of girls attending lower secondary school and feeling of safety (0.047890; p>0.4045). The study concludes that girl child school dropout varies across the states of Nigeria and closely related to socioeconomic and cultural factors. These findings have implications for designing school retention strategies.

Received: 29 January 2023 / Accepted: 29 February 2024 / Published: 6 March 2024
openalex: W4392518556
Keywords: openalex:import

Unilateral visual impairment and blindness in school children – prevalence and aetiology in Saki-East LGA of Oyo State, Nigeria - Ibukun, Folahan Adesola; Ugalahi, Mary Ogbenyi; Bekibele, CO (Eye, 2024)
openalex: W4392519151
Keywords: openalex:import

English additional language undergraduate students’ engagement with the academic content in their curriculum in a South African speech-language and hearing training program - Khoza-Shangase, Katijah; Mubiayi, Kalenga P. (Frontiers in Education, 2024)
Background The emergence of the Speech-Language and Hearing (SLH) professions in South Africa took place during the era of racial segregation. Consequently, the culture and language of these professions have predominantly reflected the minority White population, even in SLH training programs. English has remained the language of learning and teaching (LOLT) in most South African tertiary institutions, with a strong Western cultural influence. Given the increasing diversity in these institutions, a mismatch between the language of instruction and that of English Additional Language (EAL) students poses academic challenges for this population, prompting the need for this study. Aim This study aims to investigate the learning and social experiences of EAL undergraduate students enrolled in South African SLH training programs, with a specific focus on exploring their engagement with academic content in the curriculum. Methods A cross-sectional online survey design was employed, and a total of 24 EAL students participated in the study. Descriptive and thematic analysis methods were utilized for data analysis. Results The findings revealed that EAL students encountered academic challenges primarily related to their proficiency in the LOLT, which were most pronounced in lectures and examinations, while being relatively less pronounced in assignments. Complementary use of indigenous languages, simplification of complex terminology and self-employed strategies to cope in response to the existing academic language challenges are highlighted. These findings underscore the significance of addressing pedagogical approaches, language policies, and curriculum transformation towards a more Afrocentric perspective. Conclusion The study highlights the academic difficulties faced by EAL students in South African SLH training programs. The implications for future interventions in this context are highlighted. The findings emphasize the need for pedagogical reforms, language policy considerations, and curriculum transformation that embraces Afrocentric perspectives. Addressing these issues is crucial to ensure equitable educational experiences and support the success of EAL students in the SLH field.
openalex: W4392515743
Keywords: openalex:import

English instruction experiences of native South African speech-language and/or hearing (SLH) undergraduate students: An exploratory study - Khoza-Shangase, Katijah; Mubiayi, Kalenga P. (Journal of Psychology in Africa, 2024)
This study explored the experience of English as an instruction medium by South African Speech-Language and Hearing (SLH) students whose first language is not English (African language speakers). A purposive sample of 24 female students for whom English was an additional language were informants (60.9% in the third year of study and 30.1% in second year; 79.2% audiology and 20.8% speech-language pathology enrolled; 41.7% native IsiZulu speaking, 12.5% Afrikaans, 12.5% Sepedi, 12.5% Setswana, and the rest Sesotho, Southern Sotho, and IsiXhosa speaking). The students completed an online survey on their learning and social experiences in a South African SLH training programme. Descriptive and thematic analysis yielded findings to suggest: (i) fear of mockery, humiliation, and of being perceived as inferior; (ii) being overlooked and less valued contributions; (iii) missing the themes of discussions during lectures; and (iv) issues of accent getting in the way of self-confidence and leading to reduced participation overall. These findings suggest that undergraduate students experience English as an additional language to present significant challenges related to feelings of being undervalued which would hamper their academic and clinical training experiences. Our findings underscore the need for proactive and systematic interventions within SLH programmes to address these challenges and create a more inclusive and supportive learning environment for these students.
openalex: W4392518485
Keywords: openalex:import

Under the Southern Cross: Helen Keller, disability politics, and apartheid South Africa - Kriegel, Lara; Lichtenstein, Alex (Postcolonial Studies, 2024)
openalex: W4392509276
Keywords: openalex:import

Self-reported experience of Outreach activities amongst undergraduate Oral Health students at a University in South Africa - Kruger, C P; Nkambule, Ntombizodwa Rosemary; Bhayat, Ahmed (South African Dental Journal, 2024)
Outreach activities (OAs) are structured learning experiences, combining intentional learning goals with services to underserved communities. Oral health students participated on the Phelophepa Train (PT) and school-based programmes (SBPs) as part of their OAs. To evaluate the self-reported experiences of OA amongst undergraduate oral health students. Cross-sectional which included final year dental (N=62) and oral hygiene students (N= 13) registered in 2019. Information was obtained using a modified, self administered questionnaire which included the number and type of procedures performed; work-related limitations,personal work benefits, academic development and civic responsibility. The response rate was 93% (N=65) and students performed more procedures on the train compared to the SBP. Most common procedures undertaken by dental students were screening (64%) and restorations (56%) for oral hygiene students it was screenings (92%) and examinations, fissure sealants and screenings 39% on the train and 31% at SBPs. The most common challenges on both the train and SBPs were inadequate materials (74%) and (41%), poor infection control (15%) and (41% and defective equipment (31%) and (38%) respectively. Although students performed a variety of clinical services they reported to have faced a number of challenges. The majority of students reported that OAs exposed them to the needs of the communities and encouraged them to improve their independence and accountability towards patients.
openalex: W4392559971
Keywords: openalex:import

Plasma metabolite profiling for S. haematobium biomarkers of infection in pre-school aged children in Shamva District, Zimbabwe - Midzi, Herald; Naicker, Thajasvarie; Vengesai, Arthur; Choto, Emilia T.; Muchesa, P.; Kasambala, Maritha; Mduluza‐Jokonya, Tariro L.; Muleya, Victor; Nyagumbo, Elliot; Kapanga, Donald Tafirenyika; Mabaya, Lucy; Mutapi, Francisca; et al. (Frontiers in tropical diseases, 2024)
Background Metabolomics approaches are indispensable tools in infection biomarker discovery efforts as they shed light on the underlying pathophysiological mechanisms of disease. In this study, we analysed plasma metabolites that can be used as biomarkers of urogenital schistosomiasis in pre-school aged children below the age of five. Methods A case-control study was conducted involving 82 pre-school aged children that were age- and sex-matched. Urine samples were collected for three consecutive days to detect S. haematobium infection using urine filtration. Blood samples were also collected and processed to obtain plasma. Beckman Coulter AU480 chemistry analyser and commercial metabolite kits were used for profiling biomarkers in plasma samples. Descriptive statistics and MetaboAnalyst tool, were used for metabolite analysis. For the determination of diagnostic efficiency of plasma biomarkers, the area under the curve (AUC) was calculated from receiver operating characteristic curves at 95% CI. Results Succinic acid, glucose-6-phosphate, phosphatidylcholine, alanine and creatinine levels in plasma were significantly associated with urogenital schistosomiasis (p<0.005) at the population level. Significant increase in concentration at 1.5-fold change (FC) threshold was highest for glucose-6-phosphate with FC value of 2.02 followed by creatinine, albumin and phosphatidylcholine. Creatinine was significantly downregulated with a FC value of 1.98. Of the six dysregulated metabolic pathways, glucose and sucrose metabolism were predominantly affected. Glucose-6-phosphate had the highest AUC (0.81), sensitivity (88.85%) and specificity (90.37%). Phosphatidylcholine and succinic acid also had AUC values greater than 0.7. Conclusion Urogenital schistosomiasis affects the energy-related metabolic pathways in pre-school aged children. Glucose-6-phosphate was identified as a potential indicator of infection at the population level. Furthermore, we recommend intensive validation of schistosome metabolite biomarkers.
openalex: W4392508855
Keywords: openalex:import

Analyzing the Institutionalization of Free and Open Source Software Adoption in Tanzanian Higher Education Institutions - Namayala, Phesto; Kondo, Tabu S.; Mselle, Leonard J. (Journal of ICT Systems, 2024)
Free and open-source software (FOSS) are viable alternatives to pricey proprietary software due to their low total cost of ownership (TCO). They are predicted to have a bright future because of their advanced technologies in service delivery. Despite the availability of FOSS adoption studies, public discourse as well as information and communication technology (ICT) policies, FOSS applications are inadequately adopted in Tanzanian Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) due to lack of institutionalization. This finding poses a need for examining the institutionalization status. Institutionalization occurs when FOSS adoption and use becomes a standard practice. This study analyses the institutionalization of FOSS adoption by examining the national and selected universities’ ICT policies and observing the evolution of public discourse towards FOSS by examining multiple articles. The study adopted a systematic literature review and was guided by an analytical framework that triangulated new institutional theory, the underlying concept of organizing vision, and rhetorical diffusion theory. The findings show that, although there are sporadic use of FOSS in some Tanzanian HEIs, FOSS adoption is generally not institutionalized. As a result, the study recommends adjustments in preparation of ICT policies, making adoption of FOSS part of organizational strategic plans for them to enjoy decision-makers’ support.
openalex: W4392516327
Keywords: openalex:import

Evaluation of vulnerable zones to water pollution in the lower Soummam alluvial aquifer, Bejaia, Algeria - Ouyahia, Nadia; Saou, Abdelhamid; Maza, Mustapha; Bouchraki, Faiza (Water Policy, 2024)
Abstract Understanding the critical relationship between the Soummam River and its alluvial aquifer is crucial for the protection of this vital water resource. The approach is based on monitoring the spatial and temporal evolution of physico-chemical parameters and identifying their origin through correlation with the geology and piezometry of the alluvial aquifer; this will be achieved using differential gauging and hydrogeochemical tracing. This will provide valuable information for the management and protection of this precious water resource. The case study focuses on the alluvial aquifer of the lower Soummam Valley in Bejaia, Algeria, where a unique natural barrier upstream creates a close hydraulic relationship between the river and the aquifer. This allows for water exchange, which we investigated through 2 sampling campaigns (high and low water) at 32 water points (boreholes, wells and stations). By tracking the movement of special chemical tracers in both the Soummam River and the underlying alluvial aquifer, this study confirms a direct hydraulic connection between them. This means that water can flow from the river into the aquifer, highlighting the potential risk of water pollution. This has helped us to identify areas where pollution from the river could seep into the groundwater, threatening the drinking water supply.
openalex: W4392517858
Keywords: openalex:import

What are the impacts of climate change on sustainable food production, food demand, and population numbers in Sub-Saharan Africa? A systematic review - Tesfay, Solomon (Food journal, 2024)
Introduction: Climate change is a global phenomenon that is one of the key issues our globe faces in the twenty-first century to feed nine to ten billion people sustainably by 2050. It is a common and dynamic phenomenon caused by complex and interconnected physical, environmental, and human elements. Because it relies on agriculture and natural resources, warmer baseline conditions, low precipitation, and limited ability to adapt, Sub-Saharan Africa is regarded as the most vulnerable to the effects of climate change. Climate change affects and contributes significantly to food and agriculture. Sub-Saharan Africa is a rapidly developing region with a population of over 900 million people and a diverse ecological, meteorological, and cultural variety. It boasts the world's youngest and fastest-increasing population, and it is the only region where the rural population, particularly rural youth, will continue to expand past 2050. Methods: My systematic searches were based on past review methods, which included using database platforms or bibliographic databases such as Web of Science, Scopus, CAB abstracts, Science Direct, and JSTOR. I also ran a Google Scholar search. My searches were all restricted to Sub-Saharan Africa. As a result, I gathered all search results and reviewed all articles retrieved using preset inclusion criteria. I found over 50 publications, including key FAO and World Bank reports, that answered the highlighted problems. All articles were screened twice (title and abstract, then full-text), with consistency checks at each stage. Relevant publications were read critically, and meta-data and quantitative data were extracted and entered into a database. All included studies were reported narratively, and those that matched the meta-analysis requirements were presented descriptively. Review Findings: More than 80% of the research agreed that climate change and its implications are current problems in Sub-Saharan Africa. The majority of them forecast predicted changes in population numbers in Sub-Saharan Africa and the related demand for food, as well as examine major climate changes and explain how these changes may affect food production. Food demand in Sub-Saharan Africa is increasing due to socioeconomic and population growth. To increase food security and demand in the face of predicted demographic, economic, and environmental changes, aggressive measures are required. Although international food demand is expected to climb by 60% by 2050 compared to 2005/2007, the increase in Sub-Saharan Africa would be substantially bigger. Food prices in many Sub-Saharan African nations are rising faster than household incomes and other economic prospects. Food demand typically rises with urbanization as the population shifts from rural, presumably food-producing, to urban, primarily for food consumption. Conclusions: Sub-Saharan Africa has been identified as the most susceptible not only because of its significant exposure to severe climate change but also because many of its inhabitants cannot respond to or adapt to the effects of climate change. Over 90% of agriculture in Sub-Saharan Africa is rain-fed, and subsistence is neither technically nor financially robust enough to mitigate the negative effects of climate change, with little room for adaptation. As a result of this analysis, Sub-Saharan Africa is confirmed to be the most vulnerable region to climate change. As a result, governments and development organizations should focus on developing and implementing policies and programs that encourage farm-based adaptation techniques, and then they should be implemented and disseminated with farmers' participation.
openalex: W4392518844
Keywords: openalex:import

What are the impacts of climate change on sustainable food production, food demand, and population numbers in Sub-Saharan Africa? A systematic review - Tesfay, Solomon (Food journal, 2024)
Introduction: Climate change is a global phenomenon that is one of the key issues our globe faces in the twenty-first century to feed nine to ten billion people sustainably by 2050. It is a common and dynamic phenomenon caused by complex and interconnected physical, environmental, and human elements. Because it relies on agriculture and natural resources, warmer baseline conditions, low precipitation, and limited ability to adapt, Sub-Saharan Africa is regarded as the most vulnerable to the effects of climate change. Climate change affects and contributes significantly to food and agriculture. Sub-Saharan Africa is a rapidly developing region with a population of over 900 million people and a diverse ecological, meteorological, and cultural variety. It boasts the world's youngest and fastest-increasing population, and it is the only region where the rural population, particularly rural youth, will continue to expand past 2050. Methods: My systematic searches were based on past review methods, which included using database platforms or bibliographic databases such as Web of Science, Scopus, CAB abstracts, Science Direct, and JSTOR. I also ran a Google Scholar search. My searches were all restricted to Sub-Saharan Africa. As a result, I gathered all search results and reviewed all articles retrieved using preset inclusion criteria. I found over 50 publications, including key FAO and World Bank reports, that answered the highlighted problems. All articles were screened twice (title and abstract, then full-text), with consistency checks at each stage. Relevant publications were read critically, and meta-data and quantitative data were extracted and entered into a database. All included studies were reported narratively, and those that matched the meta-analysis requirements were presented descriptively. Review Findings: More than 80% of the research agreed that climate change and its implications are current problems in Sub-Saharan Africa. The majority of them forecast predicted changes in population numbers in Sub-Saharan Africa and the related demand for food, as well as examine major climate changes and explain how these changes may affect food production. Food demand in Sub-Saharan Africa is increasing due to socioeconomic and population growth. To increase food security and demand in the face of predicted demographic, economic, and environmental changes, aggressive measures are required. Although international food demand is expected to climb by 60% by 2050 compared to 2005/2007, the increase in Sub-Saharan Africa would be substantially bigger. Food prices in many Sub-Saharan African nations are rising faster than household incomes and other economic prospects. Food demand typically rises with urbanization as the population shifts from rural, presumably food-producing, to urban, primarily for food consumption. Conclusions: Sub-Saharan Africa has been identified as the most susceptible not only because of its significant exposure to severe climate change but also because many of its inhabitants cannot respond to or adapt to the effects of climate change. Over 90% of agriculture in Sub-Saharan Africa is rain-fed, and subsistence is neither technically nor financially robust enough to mitigate the negative effects of climate change, with little room for adaptation. As a result of this analysis, Sub-Saharan Africa is confirmed to be the most vulnerable region to climate change. As a result, governments and development organizations should focus on developing and implementing policies and programs that encourage farm-based adaptation techniques, and then they should be implemented and disseminated with farmers' participation.
openalex: W4392518844
Keywords: openalex:import

Review of: "Influence of Meta-cognition, Self-efficacy, and Self-regulated Learning on Students’ Achievement in Biology in Ibadan, Nigeria" - Urrizola, Amaia (2024)
openalex: W4392509810
Keywords: openalex:import

Exploring educators’ and students’ perspectives on harnessing indigenous knowledge and practices in social work education modules development in Nigerian universities - Agbawodikeizu, Patricia Uju; Ekoh, Prince Chiagozie; Onuh, Samuel C.; Onalu, Chinyere (Social Work Education, 2024)
Social work education modules are contested to be dominated by Western pedagogy and perspectives. Recent discourses on indigenizing social work education in Africa focused on promoting social work education curricula that will be context-specific and largely reflect indigenous knowledge and practices. This study explored the views of social work educators and students on how indigenous knowledge and cultural practices can be utilized in developing social work education modules to achieve effective education that will be responsive to the peculiar needs and social problems of contemporary Nigeria. We interviewed eight social work educators and 12 social work students from two universities in Nigeria. Findings reveal the ongoing integration of local content into social work modules and the non-inclusion of local stakeholders in the modules’ review processes. Also revealed was a lack of Nigerian research-informed module development. The students voiced concern about the nonuse of information from their fieldwork reports and experiences in the curricula informing their learning. We recommend using responsive local content and learnings from Nigerian social work research and students’ fieldwork reports in social work curricula, engaging local stakeholders, and including students’ representatives in curriculum development/review processes for more efficient education and training.
openalex: W4392472506
Keywords: openalex:import

School leadership training transfer in Ghana: Views of successful basic school leaders - Ampah-Mensah, Alfred (Educational Management Administration & Leadership, 2024)
Various professional development activities including training workshops are organised annually for school leaders. However, there have been questions as to whether participants in training workshops do necessarily implement lessons learnt from such workshops in their schools. This study reports lessons from school leaders who were adjudged to have been successful in implementing lessons from a British Council Connecting Classrooms training workshops for school leaders in Ghana. Adopting a qualitative phenomenological case study research approach using interviews, the study explored what school leaders perceived to be the factors that contributed to their successful implementation of lessons from the training workshops. The study found that when the focus of the workshop met participants needs, engagement of workshop participants in action planning, attending the workshop together with teachers and School Improvement Support Officers, follow-up visits by workshop trainers and organisers, creating of a platform for workshop participants to share experiences, and the organisation of a post-workshop reflective experience and successful stories sharing conference got them to commit to implementing lessons from the workshops. It is therefore recommended that organisers of training workshops for school leaders should incorporate these activities in their organisation of training workshop to achieve the intended impact.
openalex: W4392468064
Keywords: openalex:import

Human Health Impacts of Urban Air Pollution in Cameroon - ANDIGEMA, ANGYIBA; Cyrielle, NGNOTOUOM NGNOKAM Tania (2024)
It is concerning that Cameroon's urban centers are experiencing an alarming rise in air pollution as a result of urbanization, population growth, industrial activity, and transportation emissions. We examined the causes, health impacts, research methodology, case studies, and government measures to address the urgent issue of air pollution in Cameroon's urban regions. We have emphasized how Cameroon's air pollution levels have significantly increased as a result of causes like population expansion, urbanization, industrial emissions, and automobile exhaust A thorough discussion of the negative health impacts of extended exposure to air pollution is included, with special attention to the sensitivity of the old and young. These effects include respiratory disorders, cardiovascular ailments, and early mortality. We emphasized the pressing need for all-encompassing strategies to address air pollution, such as increased public awareness campaigns, stronger emissions regulations, the development of renewable energy sources, and better waste management. The techniques employed in studies on air pollution, like as epidemiological research and air quality monitoring, are also explained to provide light on the unique health dangers that Cameroonian urban dwellers must contend with. We emphasized in our conclusion the significance of joint efforts by legislators, medical professionals, and the general people to reduce air pollution and protect public health in Cameroon in order to create a cleaner and healthier future. In order to protect public health in the future, it is imperative that Cameroon's air pollution be addressed.
openalex: W4392514465
Keywords: openalex:import

English for Medical Purposes: The Need for the Application of a Hybrid-Teaching Environment in Tunisian Medical Institutions - Chaari, Imen (International Journal of Linguistics and Translation Studies, 2024)
This paper is a review article that deals with the field of English for Medical Purposes. The objective of this piece of research is to show that based on various studies on medical discourse, it can be said that there is a continuum of hybrid Medical Englishes. As a result of this plurality, teachers of English in medical schools are supposed to take this variable into consideration. The first part of the article is a theoretical part that refers to research in the domain of English for Specific purposes and the domain of English for Medical Purposes. The theoretical part also mentions the different types of medical discourse. The second part is supposed to give the rationale or the conclusion that can be drawn from the theoretical part.
openalex: W4392761941
Keywords: openalex:import

The disappearing generation and climate change: evidence from Zimbabwe - Chiba, Moffat (Alternative (Ngā Pae o te Māramatanga (Organization)), 2024)
The passing on of key elderly members of communities is presenting new challenges on the well-being of the natural environment as their disappearance signifies the end of Indigenous Knowledge that had protected the ecological environment. Using 60 in-depth interviews situated in 2 rural settlements in the Shamva District of Zimbabwe, complemented by documents on climate change literature, the article demonstrates that the dying of elderly community members is contributing to climate change. With unprecedented levels of migration globally in the absence of Indigenous Knowledge transfer, the continued survival of this important body of knowledge is seriously threatened and this is also greatly contributing to climate change. An end to the free-market economy has been proposed as a solution to address the global problem of climate change. However, the inclusion of Indigenous Knowledge into the education curriculum, including its digitalisation, may go a long way in climate change adaptation and mitigation.
openalex: W4392756717
Keywords: openalex:import

Consanguinity, complex diseases and congenital disabilities in the Souss population (Southern Morocco): a cross-sectional survey - Dahbi, Noura; Khair, Abderrazak El; Cheffi, Khadija; Habibeddine, Lamiaa; Talbi, Jalal; Hilali, Abderraouf; Ossmani, Hicham El (Egyptian Journal of Medical Human Genetics, 2024)
Abstract Background Several studies showed that the perpetuation of consanguinity increases homozygosity and homogenizes the population's gene pool. This allows the expression of recessive deleterious mutations and increases the prevalence of genetic disorders and birth defects. Despite the reported negative health effects, consanguinity is still practiced in Morocco. This study aimed to evaluate the prevalence and socio-demographic determinants of consanguinity in the Souss region and to assess the association of this type of union with congenital disabilities and complex diseases. To meet this aim, a survey based on a cross-sectional approach was conducted between January 2019 and January 2020 among 520 randomly selected participants in the Souss region. Results The findings revealed a high prevalence of consanguinity of 28.46%, with first-cousin unions accounting for 16.15% of all marriages. According to multivariate logistic regression analysis, early age at first marriage, men’s occupation, endogamy, and parental consanguinity were predictive factors for consanguineous unions in the study population. Moreover, the results revealed a significant association between consanguinity and the incidence of physical disabilities (OR = 3.753; [95% CI 1.398–10.074]), mental retardation (OR = 5.219; [95% CI 1.545–17.631]), deafness-mutism (OR = 4.262; [95% CI 1.004–18.089]) and cardiovascular diseases (OR = 2.167; [95% CI 1.036–4.530]). However, no significant association was found between consanguinity and diabetes, cancer, asthma, epilepsy, and psychiatric disorders. Conclusion Overall, our results suggest a high practice of consanguinity in the Souss population, associated with social, economic, and cultural factors. Consanguineous unions were associated with a high incidence of mental retardation, physical disabilities, deafness-mutism, and cardiovascular diseases. In this population, where marriage between relatives is highly preferred, awareness programs are not sufficient, and genetic studies on consanguinity-related diseases are necessary to provide specific premarital screening and thus increase the efficiency of genetic counseling.
openalex: W4392469241
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Hegemonic masculinity and institutional betrayal: an oppressive silencing of the feminist ear in Burkina Faso secondary schools - DeCrosta, Lauren; Spear, Anne (Gender and Education, 2024)
openalex: W4392458444
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Code Switching in Moroccan Nursing Education: Exploring Pedagogical Functions and Professors’ Attitudes - Elbouchti, Mohammed; Jamai, Abdeslam (International Journal of Linguistics and Translation Studies, 2024)
Adopting Code switching (CS) in education still constitutes a topic of controversial debate across multilingual societies. While some consider it a pedagogical tool that helps learners attain academic knowledge comprehensively, others claim that it is regarded as a sign of imperfect control of language. Within the Moroccan context, only a few rigorous studies have approached CS from a pedagogical perspective as this study is the first to explore its use in nursing education. Thus, this paper aims to measure how frequently CS is used, its functional roles, and professors' attitudes towards deploying it in the Higher Institute of Nursing Professions and Technicians of Health (HINPTH). The study deploys a mixed research design where data are collected through a survey questionnaire distributed to 27 professors. For a full understanding, the survey data are paired with a thematic analysis of findings from a previously conducted study with students within the same institute to ease the interpretation of attitudes and experiences voiced by professors. The findings have revealed that the majority of respondents hold positive attitudes toward CS pedagogical functions in understanding content while some warn against its undesirable learning outcomes. Practically, it is recommended that CS should be judicious and purposeful in its use.
openalex: W4392474507
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Preliminary Geospatial and In Situ Reconnaissance of the 8 September 2023 Moroccan Atlas Earthquake Damage - González-Rodrigo, Beatriz; Navas-Sánchez, Laura; Ayuga, Juan Gregorio Rejas; Hernández-Rubio, Orlando; Oterino, Belén Benito (Buildings, 2024)
This research investigates the post-earthquake performances of structures in four rural villages in the Moroccan Atlas, emphasizing common construction system characteristics and design flaws that render buildings susceptible to seismic events. Village selection was based on a prior multispectral satellite-image study, proving effective for planning high-impact, post-earthquake field campaigns. The significance of this research resides in on-site data collection, facilitating the physical assessment of earthquake-induced damage and identification of inherent vulnerabilities in construction systems. The constructions in the study area exhibited structural design deficiencies, inadequate construction techniques, and urban modifiers, leading to damage extensively documented in the literature, as well as less-documented unique damage. Predominant seismic-design shortcomings in the study area included subpar material quality, insufficient earthquake-resistant design, and unskilled labor. In situ data were complemented by a global geospatial approach using differential synthetic aperture radar interferometry with Copernicus Sentinel 1 data. Once calibrated the proposed methodology with field data, the analysis of remote sensing processing results, allow assessing the damages in other earthquake-affected areas, including those not visited in the field but also impacted by the seismic event.
openalex: W4392454546
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Evaluating Test-Retest Reliability of Language Tests in Moroccan Tertiary Education - Kasri, Anouar Mohamed El; Larouz, Mohammed; Maliki, Moulay Sadik; Yousfi, Brahim El (International Journal of Linguistics and Translation Studies, 2024)
Reliability is an essential element of assessment principles, and various methods were developed to measure language tests' reliability, including test-retest. This method is widely discussed in the literature; however, no studies investigating test-retest reliability have been published in Morocco. Therefore, the present study evaluated the test-retest method in the Departments of English Studies in the Moroccan Faculties of Letters and Humanities. One thousand seven hundred and seventy-two semester one students from three Moroccan universities took the grammar, paragraph writing, spoken English, and study skills tests on two occasions. The data consisting of students' scores in these modules were analyzed using descriptive statistics and reliability test analysis. The findings showed that variance among students and between test and retest scores was highly significant (p=0.001), and revealed that faculty, modules, and their interaction significantly affected the difference between test and retest scores. The implications of these results and the perspectives are discussed in the text.
openalex: W4392474591
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Collaboration to Increase Cultural Relevance for African American English Speakers With Disabilities - Kelley, Mya H.; Evans, Imani; Chow, Jason C. (TEACHING Exceptional Children, 2024)
Students with disabilities who are speakers of African American English (AAE) can face barriers and challenges in the classroom. There is the potential for negative perceptions of AAE and a lack of understanding of dialectal differences to impact student expectations and outcomes. School leadership must prepare educators to implement strategies to support students with these intersecting identities, yet research indicates that educators often need more preparation. Speech-language pathologists (SLPs) are one special education discipline with specialized training and skills to meet student needs at the intersection of disability and linguistic diversity. Today, policymakers and school leaders call on educators to be CR practitioners. This article presents a CR framework and provides recommendations for educators collaborating with SLPs within the five framework themes. By leveraging partnerships with SLPs, educators can increase their cultural relevance and more effectively support educational outcomes for students with disabilities who are speakers of AAE.
openalex: W4392461643
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Influence of Student Councils’ Socio-Demographic Dynamics on Management of Secondary School Students’ Discipline in Kenyenya Sub-County, Kenya - Mekenye, Justus Omae; Chui, Mary Mugwe (East African journal of education studies, 2024)
Although student councils are known to be vital in assisting school administration in management of student discipline, their presence in leadership has not fully controlled cases of student indiscipline. This study sought to examine the influence of student councils’ socio-demographic dynamics on management of secondary school students’ discipline in Kenyenya Sub-County, Kenya. The study was based on the Social Cognitive Learning Theory (SCLT), Trait Theory of Leadership (TTL) and the Red-Hot-Stove Theory (RHST) and employed descriptive survey design. The study utilized interview guide designed for SCDE to collect primary data. There were questionnaires for principals, deputy principals, teachers and Student Council Leaders (SCL) to collect both qualitative and quantitative data. A sample size of one hundred and twenty-six (126) respondents corresponding to thirty per cent (30%) of the target population (422) was used to select 13 principals, 13 deputy principals, 86 teachers and 13 students’ council leaders. This study adopted a multi-stage sampling approach where stratified sampling was used to select schools while simple and purposive sampling was used to select respondents. The data was analysed based on the study objectives. Descriptive statistics were used to analyse quantitative data and the results were presented in form of frequencies, percentages, means, and standard deviations using tables, graphs, and charts. Qualitative data were analysed thematically based on the research objectives. The findings of this study indicate that the selected student councils’ socio-demographic dynamics had infinitesimal influence on management of student discipline. The study therefore recommended that the ministry of education develop policies on how learners will vet their council leaders focusing on their selected leadership dynamics
openalex: W4392461084
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An Investigation of the Impact of Teachers’ Corrective Feedback on Students’ Spoken Errors: The Case of Moroccan High School Teachers - Menyani, Nourreddine; Merabti, Marwa (International Journal of Linguistics and Translation Studies, 2024)
The pursuit of best practices and the promotion of excellence and effective performance in the teaching process are the ultimate goals of the educational endeavour. Throughout this process, teachers’ feedback is crucial and helps to improve students’ performance. The current study attempted to look at the topic of feedback in the learning of second languages. The main goals of this study were to find out how well-informed teachers were about the value of feedback in second language acquisition, to investigate the types of feedback teachers use to correct their students’ spoken errors, and finally to assess teachers’ knowledge of the various types of feedback that can be used in EFL classrooms to foster learning. A survey was administered to 20 English instructors from Moroccan high schools as a sample because of the quantitative nature of the study. ‘SPSS’ was used to analyse the data obtained from the survey. The results showed that English teachers in Moroccan high schools have a sufficient level of knowledge about feedback because they employ various feedback strategies, using them in accordance with the requirements of the learning context and, most importantly, considering the psychology of learners before responding to their incorrect statements. Numerous pertinent pedagogical implications were raised by these findings.
openalex: W4392474517
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Fifty-year seasonal variability of East African droughts and floods recorded in Central Afar lake sediments (Ethiopia) and their connections with ENSO - Mologni, Carlo; Revel, Marie; Chaumillon, Éric; Malet, Emmanuel; Coulombier, Thibault; Sabatier, Pierre; Brigode, Pierre; Gwenael, Hervé; Develle, Anne‐Lise; Schenini, Laure; Messous, Medhi; Davtian, Gourguen; et al. (2024)
Abstract. Understanding past and present hydro-system feedbacks to global ocean-atmospheric interactions represents one of the main challenges to preventing droughts, extreme events and related human catastrophes in the face of global warming, especially in arid and semiarid environments. In eastern Africa, the El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) was identified as one of the primary drivers of precipitation variability affecting water availability. However, the northern East African Rift System (EARS) still suffers from ENSO climate teleconnection and the underrepresentation of predictive models because of the scarcity of local-to-regional historical or palaeo-data. In this paper, we provide a 50-year seasonal flood/drought chronicle of the Awash River catchment from the study of laminated sediment from Gemeri and Afambo lakes (Central Afar region, Ethiopia), with the aim of reconstructing the magnitude of regional hydro-climatic events. Pluri-centimetric micro-laminated lithogenic facies alternating with pluri-millimetric carbonate-enriched facies are investigated in both lakes. We couple dating methods including radiocarbon, short-lived radionuclides, palaeomagnetic field variations and varve counting on both lake deposits to build a high-resolution age model and to discuss the regional hydro-sedimentary dynamics of the Awash River over the last ~700 years, with a focus on the last fifty years. Using a multiproxy approach, we observe that following a multi-centennial enhanced hydrological period, the two lakes experienced a gradual decrease in river load inflow since 1979 CE, attaining extreme drought and high evaporative conditions between 1991 and 1997 CE. In 2014, the construction of a dam and the improvement of agricultural hydraulic management in the lower Awash River plain impacted the erodibility of local soils and the hydro-sedimentary balance of the lake basins, as evidenced by a disproportionate sediment accumulation rate. Comparison of our quantitative reconstruction with i) lake water surface evolution expressed in Km2, ii) the interannual Awash River flow rates expressed in mm/yr, and iii) the El Niño 3.4 model highlights the intermittent connections between ENSO SST anomalies, regional droughts and hydrological conditions in the northern EARS.
openalex: W4392465282
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Supplementary material to "Fifty-year seasonal variability of East African droughts and floods recorded in Central Afar lake sediments (Ethiopia) and their connections with ENSO" - Mologni, Carlo; Revel, Marie; Chaumillon, Éric; Malet, Emmanuel; Coulombier, Thibault; Sabatier, Pierre; Brigode, Pierre; Gwenael, Hervé; Develle, Anne‐Lise; Schenini, Laure; Messous, Medhi; Davtian, Gourguen; et al. (2024)
openalex: W4392465569
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Teachers’ Extrinsic Motivation on Quality Education in Nyamasheke District, Rwanda - Murwanashyaka, Prosper; Bikorimana, Donard; Berabose, Valentine; Tuyishimire, Laurien; Turatsinze, Jean Bosco; Tuyizere, Gratien (East African journal of education studies, 2024)
The quality education has been an issue in education sector over many years. However, today’s competition for global market requires quality education as a key (Suresh & Kumaravelu, 2017). A teacher is the key pillar to the education achievements in all spheres of the learning. Quality education cannot be achieved unless the teacher is really motivated (Jusuf, 2005). This study investigated the perception of teachers on extrinsic motivation to quality education and evaluated the ways of motivating teachers for quality education. The data collection methods used were questionnaires, and interviews. The sample size was 128 respondents composed of 88 teachers, 20 Deputy Head Teachers in Charge of Studies (DOS), and 20 Head teachers (HTs) from 20 schools in Nyamasheke District from different educational levels (nursery, primary, and secondary schools) of public schools. The sampling procedures was purposive, and stratified sampling. The sample of teachers was obtained using Yamane's (1967) formula. The research was guided by McClelland's Need for Achievement Theory. Data were presented through graphs, tables, and percentages and were analysed by using Microsoft Excel. This research has demonstrated that a teacher who is extrinsically motivated contributes a lot to quality education. This is due to the fact that a motivated teacher is punctual, well prepared and complete teaching documents, giving and marking assignments, participating in institutional and professional events and self-discipline. The study found that teachers wish to be motivated extrinsically in three main ways such as building a conducive working environment for them, salary and allowances, and appreciable students' outcomes. Finally, this research demonstrated that a conducive working environment takes a higher level in ways of motivating teachers with 56%. This includes owning houses, securing their children’s education and having strong health insurance. Salary and allowances takes 31% while appreciable students' outcomes takes 13%. The study recommend that government and education stakeholders should help teachers to own housing and secure their children education for quality education
openalex: W4392470832
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A collaborative development initiative to strengthen Midwifery Education in Somalia - Muxamuud, Xabiibo; Mohamed, Fadumo; Adan, Abdirisak Khalif; Tukale, Abdikadir Saleiman; Viberg, Nina; Nor, Hassan W.; Adem, Rage; Erlandsson, Kerstin; Lindgren, Helena (Somali health action journal, 2024)
Galkayo University, in an ongoing partnership with Benadir University and the Karolinska Institutet, reports on the co-creation of a mentorship program for midwifery educators at Galkayo University. This program was initiated in Spring 2023 with the aim of sharing experiences on midwifery education between educators from Sweden and Somalia—both countries with long traditions of midwifery care. By leveraging the expertise of Swedish and Somali midwifery educators, the mentorship program seeks to bridge gaps in knowledge and skills, ultimately contributing to better midwifery education and care in both Somalia and Sweden. This commentary describes the significance of the program and its potential for impact if scaled up after contextualization.
openalex: W4392473253
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The effect of an e-intervention on intellectual disability stigma among Nigerian and Kenyan internet users: a comparative randomised controlled trial - Odukoya, Deborah; Chege, Winfred; Scior, Katrina (Frontiers in Psychiatry, 2024)
Introduction The negative consequences of stigma for the wellbeing of people with disabilities have raised public and global health concerns. This study assessed the impact of an e-intervention to reduce intellectual disability (ID) stigma among Nigerian and Kenyan internet-users. Method Participants aged 18+ and citizens of Nigeria and Kenya were recruited through online advertising. Qualtrics, a web survey platform, randomly assigned (1:1) participants to watch either a short experimental or control film, while masked to their assignment. The experimental film featured education about ID and indirect contact. The control film was on an unrelated topic. Their attitudes were measured on three dimensions (affect, cognitions and behaviour) at three time points (baseline, post intervention and one-month follow-up). Between October 2016 and April 2017, 933 participants were randomised, 469 to the experimental condition and 464 to the control condition. Of these, 827 (89%) provided pre-and post-intervention data but only 287 (31%) were retained at follow-up. Results An intent-to-treat analysis revealed that participants in the experimental but not the control condition showed a positive shift in their attitudes towards people with ID over time. Their willingness to interact with people with ID increased post-intervention. Discussion A brief intervention that integrates education and indirect contact can make an effective contribution to efforts to reduce stigma faced by people with ID in Africa. Trial registered with the ISRCTN trial registry (number ISRCTN92574712).
openalex: W4392467433
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Cultural significance of elderly guidance in shaping learner discipline management: A case of two secondary schools in Nigeria. - Onaolapo, Akinlolu Ademola; Makhasane, Sekitla Daniel (Interdisciplinary journal of sociality studies, 2024)
: Learner indiscipline is a problem in schools worldwide, including Nigeria, which has caused uproar in school management. The problem of indiscipline in Nigerian secondary schools is examined through the lens of the Ubuntu, which is considered appropriate as it allows for an indigenous approach to addressing learner indiscipline. The study adopts an interpretive paradigm within a qualitative framework, focusing on the role of elderly advice in learner discipline management in selected secondary schools in Ado Ekiti, Nigeria. A case study research design was employed to gain an in-depth understanding of the phenomenon and management of learner discipline in two different secondary schools. The research involves six heads of department as participants, offering an in-depth exploration of their perspectives and experiences related to the guidance provided by elders in shaping disciplinary practices. The collected data is analysed using thematic analysis. The study reveals the cultural significance of teacher-elderly guidance on learner discipline, the impacts of such guidance on discipline strategies, and the challenges and opportunities in integrating teacher-elderly guidance into education. This study contributes to scholarship by contextualising the significance of teacher-elderly guidance as a unique way of managing learner discipline in secondary schools
openalex: W4392459080
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School Principalship Leadership and Management in Integrated Muslim Schools in South Africa: An Investigation - Pilo, Aliesa Sadaus; Jaarsveld, Leentjie van; Challens, Branwen H. (Leadership and Policy in Schools, 2024)
openalex: W4392460830
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Revisiting Food Price Volatility in Nigeria: Climate Change or Terrorism? - Udeaja, Elias A.; Isah, Kazeem (Energy research letters, 2024)
We offer new insights into the volatility dynamics of food prices based on the increasing vulnerability of farming activity to climate change and terrorism in Nigeria. We employ a Generalized Autoregressive Conditional Heteroscedasticity framework with Mixed Data Sampling (GARCH-MIDAS) to distinguish between realized and exogenously induced food price volatility. We hypothesize and confirm the relative significance of terrorism’s impact on food price volatility in Nigeria. Our results show that terrorism, and not climate change, predominantly induces volatility in Nigeria’s food prices.
openalex: W4390848099
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Improvement of Expansive Soil using Volcanic Ash and Lime Additives in the Southern Parts of Addis Ababa City, Ethiopia (Research Square (Research Square), 2024)
Abstract The presence of expansive subgrade soil in road construction causes a series of damage events because of its susceptibility to differential settlement, low load bearing capacity, high compressibility, cracking and low strength. In this study, the use of volcanic ash alone (with a concentration ranging from 10%-40%) or as an enhancement to lime (5%) was investigated. To evaluate the effects of these additives on expansive subgrade soil stabilization, laboratory tests, namely, Atterberg’s limits, compaction, the California bearing ratio (CBR), the CBR-swell and unconfined compressive strength (UCS) tests, were conducted on natural and stabilized soils. Chemical tests to characterize the stabilizer, volcanic ash, were also carried out. Laboratory test results revealed that the addition of volcanic ash alone has an insignificant effect on the geotechnical properties of expansive subgrade soil. However, a significant improvement in the index and engineering properties of expansive subgrade soil was observed when the treatment was performed with a combination of lime (5%) and volcanic ash (10–40%). The test results revealed that the liquid limit, plasticity index, OMC, linear shrinkage and CBR swell values decreased, whereas the CBR increased as the percentage of volcanic ash increased from 0–40%. The maximum dry density and unconfined compressive strength increased up to a certain percentage; however, a further increase in volcanic ash content resulted in a decrease in these parameters. This research showed that these two additives can be used together to enhance expansive subgrade soil properties and that the treated soil can meet the minimum requirement of the ERA pavement manual specification for use as a subgrade material in road construction.
openalex: W4392368204
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From the Classroom to the African Newsroom: How Journalism Education Can Bridge the Gap between the Classroom and the Shrinking Newsroom - Adjin-Tettey, Theodora Dame (African Journalism Studies, 2024)
Throughout the development of journalism, several groups have made efforts to gain access to voice and advance specific agendas. The current evolutionary phase of journalism has witnessed the democratization of the origination and distribution of journalistic content and has propelled unparalleled content diversity and interactivity and a transition from communality of audience membership to individuality. This unprecedented phase has also brought on certain challenges to journalism as a practice and business, some of which are revenue loss to digital giants, misinformation, dwindling trust in mainstream media, shifting eyeballs to digital platforms and the withering of size and influence of mainstream news outlets. Consequently, journalism graduates now enter a job market that is largely low paying, is increasingly mediated by technology, is rapidly converging, and is experiencing a change in work cultures. In the midst of the rapid evolutions, one of the major concerns is how journalism and media studies schools can respond to this rapidly transforming environment for journalism practice. Through the autoethnography method of enquiry, this paper, thus, reflects on some of the current trends and makes proposals as to how journalism training schools can respond to current realities.
openalex: W4392373336
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Multidimensional determinants of academic performance: Insights from undergraduate students in Moroccan universities - Alj, Zakaria; Bouayad, Anas (Journal of Technology and Science Education, 2024)
This research investigates the multifaceted determinants of academic performance in a large-scale study of 5,092 undergraduate students across diverse Moroccan universities. We delved into demographic, academic, psychological, societal, and lifestyle factors, providing a comprehensive analysis of potential influencers on academic success. These dimensions were identified as significant predictors of academic performance, as gauged by the students' Grade Point Average (GPA). The findings reveal the intricate and interconnected nature of these factors and their cumulative influence on a student's academic trajectory. Our study emphasizes the necessity for a holistic approach that integrates not only traditional academic strategies, but also psychological support, balanced lifestyle practices, and effective societal engagement. Our research underscores the rich interplay among these variables and offers a profound understanding of their collective impact on academic performance. The derived insights could be instrumental for educators, policymakers, and researchers striving to create strategies that amplify student success. While acknowledging the inherent limitations of the study, we believe the results serve as a pivotal guidepost in the ongoing quest to optimize student academic outcomes and overall well-being.
openalex: W4392376877
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Magma recharge at Manam volcano, Papua New Guinea, identified through thermal and SO2 satellite remote sensing of open vent emissions - Cotterill, Adam; Nicholson, Emma; Kilburn, Christopher R. J.; Hayer, Catherine (Research Square (Research Square), 2024)
Abstract Manam is one of the most frequently active volcanoes in Papua New Guinea and is a top contributor to global volcanic volatile emissions due to its persistent open vent degassing. Here, we present a multi-year time series (2018-2021) of thermal and SO 2 emissions for Manam from satellite remote sensing, which we interpret in the context of open vent feedbacks between magma supply, reservoir pressure, and outgassing. We classify the time series into four phases based on the varying SO 2 flux and observe a transient, yet substantial, increase in time-averaged SO 2 flux from background levels of ~0.6 kt day -1 to ~4.72 kt day -1 between March and July 2019. We also identify a transition from temporally-coupled to decoupled gas and thermal emissions during this period which we explain in the context of a magma recharge event that supplied new, volatile-rich magma to the shallow plumbing system beneath Manam. We infer that the arrival of this recharge magma triggered the series of eruptions between August 2018 and March 2019. These explosive events collectively removed 0.18 km 3 of degassed residual magma and signalled the onset of a renewed period of unrest that ultimately culminated in a major eruption on 28 June 2019. We quantify the magnitude of “excess” degassing at Manam after the removal of the inferred residual magma. SO 2 emissions reveal that ~0.18 km 3 of magma was supplied but only ~0.08km 3 was erupted between April 2019 and December 2021. We highlight how multi-parameter remote sensing observations over months to years enables interpretation of open vent processes that may be missed by short duration campaign measurements.
openalex: W4392367519
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Knowledge, Attitude and Practice of Emergency Contraceptive Among Female Preparatory School Students in Awsi Resu Zone(01), Afar, Ethiopia, 2023 - Ettisa, Demelash Lemmi; Hora, Abdulhakim; Aliyi, Omer; Lemi, Gedemu (Qeios, 2024)
BACKGROUND: Students in preparatory schools are more likely to engage in risky sexual behavior, which may lead to a rise in untended pregnancies, unsafe abortions, and STIs. Many of these unplanned pregnancies can be avoided using emergency contraception. Therefore, this study was aimed at assessing the knowledge, attitude, and practice of emergency contraceptives. OBJECTIVES: To assess the knowledge, attitude, and practice of emergency contraception among preparatory school students of Awsiresu zone (01) in Afar, Ethiopia. Methods: A school-based cross-sectional study was conducted in selected preparatory schools in Awsi Resu Zone, Afar, Ethiopia, from October 20 to November 8, 2023, among 419 female students who were selected using the systematic random sampling method. A semi-structured questionnaire was developed and entered into the Kobo toolbox. Data were collected by five female public health officer students using interview-administered methods. A one-day discussion was held among group members and data collectors on how to obtain consent and collect complete data. The collected data was exported to SPSS window version 26 for analysis, and a descriptive analysis was performed for all variables. RESULT: Three hundred ten (74.0%) of the students said that they have heard about emergency contraceptives. 57.7% of the students had a positive attitude towards emergency contraceptives. One hundred (32.3%) of the students said that EC is recommended as a regular contraceptive method, and another one hundred forty-one (50.2%) students said that EC can prevent STIs. Among the ten respondents who had used emergency contraceptives, six (60%) used regular contraceptives. CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS: The study findings showed that most of the respondents who had ever heard of emergency contraception had good knowledge and a positive attitude, despite some respondents having misunderstandings about emergency contraceptives. Therefore, the Afar Health Bureau should distribute educational materials such as brochures, posters, and flyers that teach about emergency contraception and arrange programs on a regular basis to provide accurate information concerning the utilization of emergency contraception.
openalex: W4392381019
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Effect of Climate Change on Conifer Plant Species, Juniperus procera, and Podocarpus falcatus, in the Case of Ethiopia: Critical Review Using Time Series Data - Gebirehiwot, Hana Tamrat; Kedanu, Alemayehu Abera; Adugna, Megersa Tafese (2024)
The Juniperus procera and Podocarpus falcatus tree species are the only indigenous conifer plants that Ethiopia has and dominantly found in dry Afromontane forests of the country. However, dry Afromontane forests are threatened by climate change. The objective of this study is to analyze the effect of climate change on the regeneration and dominance of the J. procera and P. falcatus tree species in Ethiopia. The regeneration status classes and importance value index score classes analysis was done along the time series. This study revealed that J. procera had a fair regeneration status, while P. falcatus exhibited an alternate regeneration status between fair and good. Not regenerating regeneration status was recorded in 2006–2010 and 2016–2020 time series for J. procera, while in 2011–2015 and 2021–2023 for P. falcatus. Regarding the importance value index score of the species, J. procera had the top three throughout the all-time series except in 2011–2015 which had the lowest importance value index score, whereas P. falcatus had the top three importance value index score status from 2016 to 2023 time series. Safeguarding these conifer species from the negative effects of climate change relies on the attention of all responsible bodies.
openalex: W4392518973
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Assessing sand dams for contributions to local water security and drought resilience in the semi-arid eastern Shashe catchment, Zimbabwe - Lazurko, Anita; Lautze, Jonathan; Hussey, Stephen W.; Muzarabani, Celine; Ngwenya, Nobubelo; Ebrahim, Girma Yimer (Regional Environmental Change, 2024)
Abstract Climate change is increasing the frequency and severity of droughts in semi-arid regions. Small-scale water storage can help build drought resilience, particularly in rural areas with no access to formal water infrastructure. Sand dams, which store water by capturing water in sand-filled ephemeral rivers during the wet season, are one promising storage option. While emerging studies indicate tentative evidence of their benefits, the focus on resilience is under-addressed. This study evaluates the impact of sand dams on resilience to climate variability and changes through a participatory case study approach in the Shashe catchment, a semi-arid catchment shared by Botswana and Zimbabwe. Participatory research was conducted via site inspections, focus group discussions, and interviews at 20 sand dams utilized by 19 villages across the Zimbabwean portion of the Shashe catchment. The results show that sand dams significantly improved local water availability, most notably with a significant increase in the number of months per year that water could be collected from the dam site ( mean = 6.5 months before, to mean = 10.9 months after construction, p < 0.05 ). This increase is also reflected in drought years ( mean = 5.8 months before, to mean = 9.6 months after construction, p < 0.05 ). Sand dams also contribute to the adaptive capacity of communities via key benefits such as diversification of livelihood activities, improved health and hygiene, and reduced erosion in the surrounding area due to increased vegetation. In sum, the study demonstrates clear benefits to communities facing drought, supporting calls to elevate sand dams on the development agenda.
openalex: W4392379332
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Readiness for new ventures in South Africa through entrepreneurship education: a reflective thematic approach - Lose, Thobekani; Cheteni, Priviledge (Cogent Business & Management, 2024)
The purpose of this research is to investigate what factors affect students’ readiness to start their own businesses once they graduate from university. A case study approach was conducted with an emphasis on an undergraduate degree program at a South African university. Data was collected through semi-structured interviews with 15 program participants and analysed using a reflective theme analysis method. Our findings suggest that the experiential learning methodology employed at the university increases students’ levels of self-efficacy in the realm of entrepreneurship, i.e. their belief in their own abilities to create and run successful firms. They look at the benefits of going into business for themselves with optimism. However, our findings suggest that certain students may lack the confidence to take initiative to try entrepreneurship.\The major implication of these findings is that student readiness for entrepreneurship ventures is influenced by a multitude of factors which are beyond training. It is recommended that students participating in entrepreneurship programmes given support after graduation to realise their goals.
openalex: W4392375302
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Supervision of Doctoral Students with Disabilities in South Africa: Issues, Trends and Reflections for Best Practice - Nkomo, Duduzile (Asian journal of education and social studies, 2024)
The supervision of doctoral research is enmeshed in confounding experiences across multidisciplinary domains of knowledge and contexts. The situation seems more complicated if it involves doctoral students with disabilities in African educational landscapes. In relation to this, the paper discusses issues and trends that are prevalent in the supervision of doctoral students with disabilities in some South African institutions of higher learning. Further deliberations on evolving issues in the supervision of this group of students in a transforming educational system are made, respectively. The author also interrogates the influence of attitudinal factors in the supervision process, challenges experienced by supervisors and lastly makes suggestions for reflective practice.
openalex: W4392370240
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Local communities’ adaptation strategies for reducing vulnerabilities to climate change in cocoa-forest dominated landscapes in Ghana - Oduro, Kwame Antwi; Obeng, E.A.; Abukari, H.; Guuroh, Reginald Tang; Andoh, Jewel; Mensah, Ebenezer; Acquah, Stella Britwum; Owusu-Ansah, M.; Nibenang, M.; Obiri, B.D.; Louman, Bastiaan (GeoJournal, 2024)
openalex: W4392381314
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Correction: Shikwambana et al. Enhancing the Resilience and Adaptive Capacity of Smallholder Farmers to Drought in the Limpopo Province, South Africa. Conservation 2022, 2, 435–449 - Shikwambana, Sydney; Malaza, Ntokozo; Ncube, Bongani (Conservation, 2024)
The authors would like to make the following corrections to their published paper [...]
openalex: W4392381147
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Access to basic education: A literature review of challenges facing children living with visual impairment in Sub-Saharan Africa - Sukati, V. N. (British Journal of Visual Impairment, 2024)
Visual impairment is a serious public health challenge that impacts on the social, economic, and educational opportunities of affected children, particularly those in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). Most countries in SSA fail to address education barriers emanating from poorly formulated education policies and implementation that directly or indirectly discriminate against children living with visual disabilities, particularly those from rural backgrounds. Therefore reviewing education policies and legislative laws about their pertinence and execution appears paramount. An extensive literature search was conducted using PubMed, Cochrane, Medline, and EBSCOhost databases as well as official websites including technical reports, policy documents and/or frameworks. The literature search used the following keywords in various combinations ‘access to basic education’, ‘challenges to accessing basic education’, and ‘visual impairment among children in Sub-Saharan Africa’. The literature reviewed geographically covers a SSA perspective on the following aspects: (1) visual impairment among children in SSA, (2) the lack of access to basic education for visually impaired children, (3) shortage of specialised skills in basic education for visually impaired children, (4) violations of good practice and discrimination in accessing basic education, and (5) possible solutions to the challenges experienced by children with visual impairments in SSA. Visually impaired children need to be recognised as part of their communities and should have the same rights to education as other citizens. All necessary measures should be made available for them to have fulfilling lives, including appropriate educational facilities.
openalex: W4392369668
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Review of: "Influence of Meta-cognition, Self-efficacy, and Self-regulated Learning on Students’ Achievement in Biology in Ibadan, Nigeria" - Ullah, Irfan (2024)
openalex: W4392377413
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Retrospective Performance Analysis of a Shaking-Forecast Based Early-Warning Method for the 2023 Türkiye-Syria Mw 7.8 Earthquake - Zollo, Aldo; Rea, Raffaele; Colombelli, Simona; Elia, Luca (Research Square (Research Square), 2024)
Abstract Recently developed earthquake early warning systems rely on the idea of combining the measured ground motion and the source parameter estimate to issue an alert based on the ground shaking prediction at sites where high potential damage is expected. Here we apply a P-wave, shaking-forecast method that can track and alert in real-time the area where peak ground motion is expected to exceed a user-set threshold during the earthquake. The system performance in providing a fast and reliable warning during the Mw 7.8, February 6 Turkey-Syria earthquake is investigated by the real-time simulated playback of the near-source hundred accelerograms. With an instrumental intensity threshold I_MM=IV an alert issued 10-20 seconds after the event origin, results in 95% of successful warning (positive and negative) and lead-times of 10-60 seconds within the potential damage zone. Setting a higher intensity threshold requires larger alert times (50-60 seconds) to achieve 90% of successful warning and overall shorter lead-times. Our simulation shows that the P-wave predicted, strong-shaking zone can be rapidly detected only 20 seconds after the mainshock nucleation. As the time increases, it well delineates the NE-SW bi-lateral rupture development as inferred by kinematic source models.
openalex: W4392372541
Keywords: openalex:import

Technological literacy in using Learning Management System among students in higher education institutions Tanzania: the case of two selected universities - Chasubuta, Aines Rodrick; Ndibalema, Placidius; Loisulie, Paul (Educational Technology Quarterly, 2024)
This paper aims to test the predictive power of facilitative conditions and technological literacy skills in using the Learning Management System (LMS) for learning in a Tanzanian university setting. The paper adopts a qualitative approach in which data were analysed using the linear regression model after securitising for multicollinearity, linearity, normality of data, homoscedasticity, and measurement reliability. The study’s findings indicate that the environmental context had more predictive power for technological literacy among students than the technological and organisational context. The paper provides insights to educational practitioners in HLIs to strengthen their systems so that the technological learning environment aligns with the student's technological literacy development needs. The findings also highlight the need for university authorities to adopt new technological innovations that could be used to enhance students’ digital literacy skills development and be able to cope with 21st-century skills. By examining the level of technological literacy, the research can shed light on the potential barriers students face in using LMS and point out some areas where interventions are needed. This, in turn, can enhance educational outcomes by improving students’ digital skills and their ability to engage with online learning resources.
openalex: W4392343320
Keywords: openalex:import

Technological literacy in using Learning Management System among students in higher education institutions Tanzania: the case of two selected universities - Chasubuta, Aines Rodrick; Ndibalema, Placidius; Loisulie, Paul (Educational Technology Quarterly, 2024)
This paper aims to test the predictive power of facilitative conditions and technological literacy skills in using the Learning Management System (LMS) for learning in a Tanzanian university setting. The paper adopts a qualitative approach in which data were analysed using the linear regression model after securitising for multicollinearity, linearity, normality of data, homoscedasticity, and measurement reliability. The study’s findings indicate that the environmental context had more predictive power for technological literacy among students than the technological and organisational context. The paper provides insights to educational practitioners in HLIs to strengthen their systems so that the technological learning environment aligns with the student's technological literacy development needs. The findings also highlight the need for university authorities to adopt new technological innovations that could be used to enhance students’ digital literacy skills development and be able to cope with 21st-century skills. By examining the level of technological literacy, the research can shed light on the potential barriers students face in using LMS and point out some areas where interventions are needed. This, in turn, can enhance educational outcomes by improving students’ digital skills and their ability to engage with online learning resources.
openalex: W4392343320
Keywords: openalex:import

Social Demographics and Effective Management of Suicidal Thoughts among Adolescent Learners in Malawi: A Quasi Experimental Study, Southern Malawi - Kuyokwa, John; Banda, Diexe Maluwa; Chiziwa, Symon; Mgala, Nertha Semphere (Journal of humanities and social sciences studies, 2024)
The high percentage of psycho-social challenges like suicidal thoughts among adolescents is a global health threat. The main purpose of this study was to explore an effective way of managing suicidal thoughts among adolescents in Zomba, Malawi. A non-equivalent group quasi-experimental study design guided the study. 317 adolescent learners from two secondary schools were targeted, and a quantitative method was utilized. The study observed psycho-social service deficiencies within the secondary schools. The prevalence of suicidal thoughts was 26%. The intervention at the study site was able to reduce the prevalence of suicidal thoughts by 1.7% [26% (before intervention) to 24% (after intervention)]. Control Site: the prevalence increased by 6% [8% (before intervention) to 14% (after intervention)]. The study observed suicidal thoughts are prevalent among adolescent learners, and there are psycho-social service gaps. The study findings will help relevant stakeholders to be aware of the suicidal thoughts that adolescent learners are experiencing in secondary schools and how to manage them.
openalex: W4392342621
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Understanding the Determinants of ‘Shared Control’ in Early Childhood Education in Ghana - Nyamekye, Ernest (Journal of Innovation and Research in Primary Education, 2024)
Developing children who are autonomous learners and able to contribute constructively to decision-making, forms part of the reasons why the Ghana Education Service, in the year 2019, introduced the Standards-based curriculum for basic education in Ghana. Teachers were, thus, tasked to adopt the constructivist instructional philosophy to help realize this educational goal. Using a sequential mixed method, this research involved basic schools in the Sunyani-west municipal of Ghana as cases. The current study investigated the practice of shared control as a way of developing children’s autonomous learning abilities. The results of the study indicate that teachers hardly allowed learners to contribute to the management and planning of instruction. Teachers’ perception of the learners’ limited cognitive ability, policy constraints (lesson planning system, examination-driven nature of the curriculum), and some socio-cultural factors significantly contributed to the minimal practice of shared control during instruction. Further results show that the GES, ironically, worked against the possibility of ensuring shared control. Recommendations have, therefore, been offered for the consideration of policymakers and curriculum implementers.
openalex: W4392342817
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Finding the nexus between associative mechanisms and cocoa Farmer resilience against natural hazards in Ghana - Tham-Agyekum, Enoch Kwame; Kyei, Felix; Bakang, John-Eudes Andivi; Tuffour, Henry Oppong; Mensah, Winnefred; Assan, Elsie (Sustainable Environment, 2024)
Existing literature has acknowledged the vulnerability of cocoa farming to various natural hazards but there is a notable dearth of research comprehensively exploring the specific associative mechanisms that cocoa farmers employ to tackle these challenges. Employing a quantitative research approach, the investigation draws on data collected from a sample of 384 cocoa farmers who were selected using the multi-stage sampling technique. The findings reveal that religious groups are the most available associative mechanisms (86.98%) while cooperative societies emerge as a widely used associative mechanism among cocoa farmers (Mean = 4.16). The prevalence of diseases and pests (91.9%), and drought (70.3%) pose substantial threats to cocoa cultivation. In enhancing the resilience of cocoa farmers against natural hazards, associative mechanisms serve as a linchpin by providing access to timely information (Mean = 4.11). Farmers’ biggest challenge in their associative mechanisms is ‘limited support and recognition from the government or policy framework’ (Mean rank = 7.24). The insights gleaned from the research underscore the crucial role of associative mechanisms, particularly cooperative societies, in bolstering the resilience of cocoa farmers. The ability of these mechanisms to serve as conduits for information dissemination, resource pooling, and collaborative problem-solving is highlighted as instrumental in mitigating the adverse impacts of natural hazards. In this light, the study advocates for the continued support and fortification of associative mechanisms as a strategic approach to enhancing cocoa farmer resilience in the face of prevalent and emerging natural challenges.
openalex: W4392372198
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Contribution of USAID Soma Umenye to the Performance of Learners of Kinyarwanda Language in Lower Primary Schools: A Case of Public and Government Aided Schools of Musanze District, in Northern Province, Rwanda (Journal of education, 2024)
This study aimed at determining the contribution of Usaid Soma Umenye to the performance of learners of Kinyarwanda language in lower primary schools. The objectives were to assess the contribution of providing trainings to teachers and school leaders to the performance of learners in Kinyarwanda language, to assess the contribution of learning and teaching materials provided to the performance of learners in Kinyarwanda language, to assess the contribution of assessments and research to the performance of learners in Kinyarwanda language, to examine the contribution of parents’ involvement and their role to the performance of learners in Kinyarwanda language in Musanze District, primary schools. The study used correlation research design in which it used both quantitative and qualitative data collection to collect data from 100 participant as a sample out of 824 study population. The sample was drawn from three (3) primary schools located in Muhoza, Nkotsi and Kinigi Sectors of Musanze District. The data was gathered using questionnaire with a Likert scale with closed items and the interview guide was used to collect views from participant on how they think about materials provided, training and contribute to their learning outcomes in Kinyarwanda language in their respective schools. The data gathered analyzed using statistical package of social studies (SPSS) to establish frequencies, Analysis of variance (ANOVA), carrying out linear and multiple regression and correlation to analyze the effect between variables. The findings indicate a strong, positive, and significant association between the dependent variable and all the independent variables, with correlations of 70.3%, 51.9%, and 52.6%, respectively. This strong positive correlation suggests that as the levels of provided trainings, learning and teaching materials, and conducted assessments and research increase, learners' performance in Kinyarwanda also increases. Importantly, all the independent variables (provided trainings, learning and teaching materials, and conducted assessments and research) demonstrate significant relationships with learners' performance, with a probability value (P-value) of 0.000, which is below the 0.01 level of significance. The following recommendations are proposed for implementation by relevant authorities and institutions: Ensure availability of up-to-date Kinyarwanda language textbooks, workbooks, and supplementary materials that align with the curriculum and encourage Soma Umenye, a program focused on improving literacy and numeracy in Rwanda, to conduct research specifically on Kinyarwanda language teaching and learning. Keywords: Providing training, learning, and teaching materials, learners performance
openalex: W4392346917
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The Effect of Educational Project on Learners Learning Outcome in Twelve Years Basic Education Schools: A Case of School Feeding Program as Implemented in Rubavu District, Rwanda (Journal of entrepreneurship & project management, 2024)
The purpose of this study is to help students, parents, secondary teachers, school’s kitchen managers and Head teachers to master the methods and their role in encouraging learners to take lunch at school; especially improve student’s learning outcomes in twelve years’ basic education. The objectives are to assess the influence of food ratios and the timing of the meals on learning outcomes in Twelve Years basic education schools of Rubavu district, to assess the influence of food quality on learning outcomes in twelve years basic education schools of Rubavu district and to assess the influence of required materials in serving the food on learning outcomes in twelve years basic education schools of Rubavu district. The study employed a descriptive research design Questionnaires and interviews to enable the researcher to bring out the details of the exact situation on the ground. This study was be done at 4 twelve years basic education located in the Rubavu district targeting 2112 students. Therefore, 336 respondents were the target population of this study and the composition of the participants. To validate and ensure reliability of the questionnaire, a test retest was conducted in a space of two weeks between the test’s correlation coefficient using SPSS version 22.0 (V. 22.0) was established and after which necessary adjustments on the content and its reliability was ensured before the main study. In this way, sampling technique was a simple purposive sampling technique was employed in this study, where every participant was given an equal and independent chance to participate. Recommendations of the study were: Government has to mobilize more stakeholders or non-government organization to orient their funds in the implementation of school feeding program, Parents must participate in school feeding program rather than thinking that this program should only be sponsored by government, Government has to develop continuous professional development that are related to the effective implementation of school feeding program and Government should make monitoring and evaluation of school feeding program because some of the school do not put more effort in its implementation.
openalex: W4392347034
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Comprehensive Analysis of Rainfall Variability in Urban Maiduguri, Nigeria: Implications for Climate Resilience and Sustainable Development - Abatcha, Ibrahim; Mustapha, Adetoun; Barkindo, Abdulsalam (International Journal of Enviornment and Climate Change, 2024)
Climate variability, including its effects on precipitation and atmospheric conditions, is a critical aspect of Earth’s dynamic climate system. The increasing frequency of extreme weather events worldwide necessitates a thorough understanding of climatic changes. To address the scarcity of localized climatic studies, this research focuses on Maiduguri, the capital of Borno State in northeastern Nigeria. This study aimed to assess the rainfall variability of urban Maiduguri, with the objectives of investigating rainfall patterns, examining trends, and evaluating variability. The study utilized 31 years of rainfall data from the Nigerian Meteorological Agency, spanning from 1992 to 2023. The data was statistically analyzed using the Coefficient of Variation, Rainfall Anomaly Index (RAI), Sen slope, and the Mann-Kendall trend test. The findings indicate that the minimum annual rainfall in Maiduguri is 292.7 mm, the maximum is 838.2 mm, and the mean annual rainfall is 519.34 mm. These values provide essential insights into the range and central tendency of Maiduguri’s annual rainfall, contributing to a comprehensive understanding of the region’s climatic conditions. Moreover, August stands out as the month with the highest mean value of 196.66 mm, indicating the peak of the rainy season. The Total Annual Rainfall Trend in Maiduguri shows a significant positive Sen’s Slope value obtained from the Mann-Kendall test (z-statistic = 2.773, p-value = 0.005), suggesting an increasing trend in monthly rainfall. The calculated Sen’s Slope of 172.000 highlights the peak rainfall during the core months of the rainy season. This indicates a moderate level of rainfall variability (CV = 28.3%), accompanied by notable fluctuations in the Rainfall Anomaly Index (RAI) during critical months. The Mann-Kendall trend test suggests potential shifts in precipitation patterns. This research serves as a foundation for informed decision-making by local authorities, urban planners, and environmental stakeholders.
openalex: W4392347818
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Review of: "Influence of Meta-cognition, Self-efficacy, and Self-regulated Learning on Students’ Achievement in Biology in Ibadan, Nigeria" - Adekiya, Adewale (2024)
openalex: W4392348597
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AN INVESTIGATING OF YEMEN EFL LEARNERS’ WRITING PROPLEMS - Al-Marrani, Yahya Mohammed (International Journal of Research on English Teaching and Applied Linguistics (Online), 2024)
This study attempts to investigate the writing problems encountered by Yemeni EFL learners. The sample of the study comprised 70 undergraduate students from Sana’a University. The data were collected using a questionnaire to identify Yemeni EFL Learners’ Writing Problems. The results of the study indicated that students have some crucial problems when writing a paragraph or an essay. The results showed that the participants faced difficulty in planning or outlining the points before writing a paragraph or an essay. Furthermore, they faced difficulties in developing a good topic sentence for a paragraph and a thesis statement for an essay, writing supporting sentences to support the topic sentence, organizing ideas together in a unified and coherent manner, and writing a concluding sentence/concluding paragraph that summarizes the points of a paragraph or an essay. The study proposed some recommendations and suggestions to help Yemeni EFL learners to overcome their writing problems.
openalex: W4392756496
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School Culture and its Implication on the Education of Pupils at the Kordiabe R/C Junior High School in the Shai-Osudoku District, Greater Accra, Ghana - Joshua, Akon M.; Qian, Xusheng; Zhang, Xinyu (International Journal of Research Publication and Reviews, 2024)
This study explores the impact of school culture on the education of pupils at Kordiabe R/C Junior High School in the Shai-Osudoku District, Greater Accra, Ghana.School culture encompasses the values, beliefs, norms, and practices that characterize the school environment and influence teaching, learning, and student outcomes.Using a qualitative research approach, data were collected through interviews, observations, and document analysis to understand the prevailing school culture at Kordiabe R/C Junior High School and its implications on pupil education.The findings reveal that the school's culture, shaped by its history, community context, leadership practices, and teacher-student relationships, significantly impacts pupils' academic performance, behavior, and overall educational experience.The study suggests that fostering a positive school culture through collaborative leadership, inclusive practices, and community engagement can enhance the education of pupils at Kordiabe R/C Junior High School and similar educational settings.
openalex: W4392920436
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Best Practices and Challenges of Conflict Management Education and Training in Cameroon - Liam, Lucas (Journal of conflict management, 2024)
Purpose: To aim of the study was to analyze best practices and challenges of conflict management education and training in Cameroon
Methodology: This study adopted a desk methodology. A desk study research design is commonly known as secondary data collection. This is basically collecting data from existing resources preferably because of its low cost advantage as compared to a field research. Our current study looked into already published studies and reports as the data was easily accessed through online journals and libraries.
Findings: Best practices in conflict management education involve fostering communication skills, empathy, and active listening, alongside promoting collaborative problem-solving and cultural sensitivity. Challenges include overcoming resistance to change, addressing power imbalances, sustaining engagement, and adapting to diverse learning styles and contexts. Successful training requires integrating theory with practical skills and ongoing support.
Unique Contribution to Theory, Practice and Policy: Social learning theory, cognitive dissonance theory & adult learning theory (andragogy) may be used to anchor future studies on best practices and challenges of conflict management education and training in Cameroon. Practice encompasses the application of knowledge, skills, and techniques derived from theory to real-world situations or contexts. Policy refers to a set of guidelines, rules, or directives established by an organization, institution, or governing body to govern behavior, decision-making, and practices within a specific context.
openalex: W4392350184
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Assessment of Climate Change Financing Mechanisms in Cameroon: A Comprehensive Review - Lueong, Lovees Ahfembombi; Tume, Suiven John Paul (Journal of Geography, Environment and Earth Science International, 2024)
Climate change is a development challenge, particularly for developing countries like Cameroon, characterised by heightened vulnerability due to socio-economic structures and reliance on climate-sensitive sectors. Mitigation and adaptation measures are imperative, making financing mechanisms a central focus of international cooperation. This review examines the intricate landscape of climate change financing in Cameroon, providing an in-depth understanding of existing mechanisms, their effectiveness, and the challenges hampering optimal implementation. The study scrutinizes diverse funding sources, encompassing international climate funds, bilateral agreements, and national budget allocations. Key challenges, including fragmented approaches, accessibility issues, and alignment with national development goals, are identified. The study underscores the critical importance of coordination, capacity building, and strategic alignment in navigating the complex climate financing landscape. By systematically addressing these challenges, Cameroon can enhance the utilization of climate finance, ensuring tangible benefits for local communities and substantial contributions to sustainable development goals.
openalex: W4392347239
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Review of: "Influence of Meta-cognition, Self-efficacy, and Self-regulated Learning on Students’ Achievement in Biology in Ibadan, Nigeria" - Monika, Monika (2024)
openalex: W4392348699
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Social Variables and Maladaptive Behaviours among Secondary School Students in Akwa Ibom State, Nigeria - Nseabasi, Asukwo Sunday; James, Samuel Francis; Inyang, Anietie Bello (AKSU Journal of Social Sciences, 2024)
The study examined Social variables and Maladaptive behaviour of public senior secondary school students in Akwa Ibom State, Nigeria Three research questions were formulated and three hypotheses were stated in their null form and tested with appropriate statistics at a .05 level of significance. The descriptive survey design was adopted for the study. The population of the study comprised 54,216 senior secondary two (SS2) students in all 235 public secondary schools in Akwa Ibom State, Nigeria. Nwana’s sampling formula was used to select 20% of students from nineteen (9) public secondary schools. The researcher made use of a questionnaire entitled (FVSDBTQ) to obtain data from respondents. The instrument was validated by experts in the sociology of Education and Measurement and Evaluation from the Department of Educational Foundations, Guidance and Counseling, University of Uyo, Uyo. Cronbach Apha analysis for internal consistency reliability of the instrument yielded a coefficient of .96. Research questions were answered using mean and standard deviation while the hypotheses were tested using independent t-test and ANOVA. The study revealed that social variables differ in terms of the maladaptive behaviour of secondary school students in Akwa Ibom State, Nigeria. The independent t-test and ANOVA of the hypotheses indicated significant differences in students’ maladaptive behaviour based on family discipline, family emotional climate and parent-child relationship. It was, therefore, concluded that social variables differ significantly based on students’ maladaptive behaviour in Akwa Ibom State, Nigeria. The researcher made some useful recommendations which include: parents should also take the discipline of their children seriously; parents should show a good example for their children to emulate and parents should also develop a healthy relationship with their children to help them develop good moral behaviour among other recommendations.
openalex: W4392383348
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Guidelines for sustainable conservation of Kigelia africana based on ecological niche modelling under climate change in Benin, West Africa - Yamontché, Charlotte; Houètchégnon, Towanou; Gouwakinnou, Gérard Nounagnon; Ouinsavi, Christine (Modeling earth systems and environment (Print), 2024)
openalex: W4392348498
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Dynamics of teaching practice in South Africa: A nexus between theory and practice - Zondo, Sindiswa S.; Adu, Emmanuel O. (Interdisciplinary journal of education research, 2024)
Teaching practice is organized to prepare student-teachers by providing skilled supervision, practical experience, mentoring and support, collaborative learning, and insightful practice. However, it has been found that when student teachers embark on teaching practice, they find it hard to put into practice the theoretical knowledge they have acquired in teacher training institutions. The study aimed to explore how this program is organized to equip student-teachers with skills for handling learners' academic needs in schools, the challenges encountered by student-teachers during teaching practice and possible solutions. For this interpretive, qualitative case study research, two universities were purposively sampled and in each of the universities, three university supervisors and four student teachers were selected. Semi-structured interviews and observations were used as data collection tools. The findings indicated that even though teaching practice is a well-organized programme, challenges were noted. The findings indicated that to a certain degree, teaching practice appears to be fragmented, thus ineffective in assisting student-teachers, and this was evident from the student-teacher’s inability to cope with teaching tasks. Conflicts between teachers and school managers, overcrowded classrooms, misbehaving learners, and unavailability of resources emerged as challenges. The study also reported a gap between theory and practice as student teachers failed to integrate theoretical knowledge with practice. The study recommended a close relationship between teacher training institutions and schools so that when students embark on teaching practice, they can relate to the real complexities of teaching in schools, thus this will bring about the implementation of theory to practical teaching experience.
openalex: W4392346536
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Analysis of the relationship between the general budget deficit and the trade balance deficit in Sudan for the period2000-2022 (Testing the Keynesian disability hypothesis and ricardian equivalence) (Journal of Scientific Development for Studies and Research, 2024)
The study aimed to know the internal deficit (the general budget) and its relationship to the external deficit (the trade balance) statistically significant between the general budget deficit and the trade balance deficit in Sudan during the period 2000-2022. There is also a one –way causal relationship that goes from the general budget deficit to the trade balance in Sudan during the study period . the study used the descriptive approach to deficit concepts related to the general budget deficit ,the trade balance and theories .explaining the deficit and the quantitative approach was used to build a standard model the measure and analyze the relationship between the general budget deficit ,and the results of the study showed matching the Keynesian point of view with the existence of a causal relationship in two directions that goes from the budget deficit to the trade balance deficit and vice versa , and the rejection of the Ricardian equivalence hypothesis that says there is no relationship between the two deficits.
openalex: W4392034595
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EDUCATION: African Union (Africa Research Bulletin: Political, Social and Cultural Series, 2024)
openalex: W4392662489
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ETHIOPIA: Between War and Drought (Africa Research Bulletin: Economic, Financial and Technical Series, 2024)
openalex: W4392619423
Keywords: openalex:import

ETHIOPIA: Between War and Drought (Africa Research Bulletin: Economic, Financial and Technical Series, 2024)
openalex: W4392619423
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Feeding Management of Small Ruminants as A Strategic Tool to Mitigate The Negative Impact of Climate Changes in Arid Regions of Egypt: A Case Study of Assaf Sheep - Abdallah, Sabry; Rahman, Habibar; Mohamed, M. I.; Abedo, A. A.; Salman, Fatma M.; Shoukry, M. M. (Egyptian Journal of Veterinary Science, 2024)
openalex: W4388614633
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Response of plant species to impact of climate change in Hugumbrda Grat-Kahsu forest, Tigray, Ethiopia: implications for domestication and climate change mitigation - Abrha, Haftu; Soro, Doudjo; Ongoma, Victor; Hagos, Haftom; Birhane, Emiru; Gebresamuel, Girmay; Manaye, Ashenafi (Trees, Forests and People, 2024)
This study aimed to predict distribution and Total Carbon Stock (TCS) dynamics of Acacia abyssinica, Carissa edulis, and Juniperus procera in the Hugumbrda Grat-Kahsu National Forest in current (1970-2000) and future climate scenarios (2021-2100). Bioclimatic, soil, and elevation data were used for modeling using Maxent, with model accuracy evaluated using Area Under the Curve (AUC), Kappa test and True Skill Statistic (TSS). Significant differences were observed in distribution of species between current and future periods under Shared Socioeconomic Pathways (SSPs) of SSP2-4.5 and SSP5-8.5 scenarios. The main contributing predictors of the species distribution were temperature seasonality, altitude, and precipitation of the warmest quarter. All species were projected to shift to higher altitudes in the future. Acacia abyssinica's current potential distribution (42.9%) could expand to 77.1-99.2% (SSP2-4.5) and 63.8-72.9% (SSP5-8.5). Carissa edulis could extend from 54.2% to 89.5-100% (SSP2-4.5) and 77.1-87.9% (SSP5-8.5). Juniperus procera's might increase from 63.8% to 91.8-99.7% (SSP2-4.5) and 78-88.1% (SSP5-8.5). The projected future climate is expected to result in an expansion of new suitable areas for all three species. The TCS estimates per km2 were 169 (Acacia abyssinica), 46 (Carissa edulis), and 1381 ton (Juniperus procera). In SSP2-4.5, Acacia abyssinica's TCS could rise from 25,688 to 59,319 tons, Carissa edulis from 8,832 to 16,284 tons, and Juniperus procera from 312,106 to 487,493 tons. In SSP5-8.5, projections indicated 43,602 tons (Acacia abyssinica), 14,306 tons (Carissa edulis), and 430,872 tons (Juniperus procera). The study concludes by recommending the strategic planting of these species in both current and future suitable areas to enhance ecosystem services and ensure their sustained existence in the face of changing climates.
openalex: W4390651084
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Controls of groundwater mineralization assessment in a mining catchment in the Upper West Region, Ghana: Insights from hydrochemistry, pollution indices of groundwater, and multivariate statistics - Abu, Mahamuda; Zango, Musah Saeed; Kazapoe, Raymond Webrah (Innovation and Green Development, 2024)
Natural and anthropogenic activities have proven to be the main sources of contaminants in groundwater. Hence, the need for continuous evaluation of the controlling factors of groundwater mineralization for monitoring purposes. The study assessed the controls of the groundwater mineralization in the Julie gold belt of the Upper West Region of Ghana using hydrochemistry, pollution index of groundwater (PIG), percentage of pollution index (PPI), factor analysis, and a multivariate linear regression model. TDS ​> ​HCO3− ​> ​NO3− ​> ​Ca2+ ​> ​Mg2+ ​> ​Na+ ​> ​Cl− ​> ​SO42− ​> ​K+ ​> ​CO32− ​> ​F− are the trends in the abundance of the hydrochemical parameters and are generally within WHO acceptable limits, with the exception of F− and NO3− contents in 5 and 32 communities, respectively. Waters containing Mg2+, Na+, HCO3−, and SO42− evolved into Mg–HCO3–Na–SO4. The PIG indicated pollution levels of 73.3% and 26.7% from mineral dissolution and agricultural activities, respectively, from the PPI values. From the indices, shallow meteoric water (r2 ​> ​1 values), factor analysis, and regression model approaches, anthropogenic activities, and mineral dissolution are the main controlling factors for the groundwater chemical composition in the area.
openalex: W4386775674
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Drought impact on peri-urban farmers’ mental health in semi-arid Ghana: The moderating role of personal social capital - Abunyewah, Matthew; Okyere, Seth Asare; Mensah, Seth Opoku; Erdiaw‐Kwasie, Michael Odei; Gajendran, Thayaparan; Byrne, Mitchell K. (Environmental Development, 2024)
openalex: W4389974923
Keywords: openalex:import

Christian eco-theology and urban climate adaptation in the Yorubaland, Nigeria - Adedeji, Joseph Adeniran; Lenz, Roman (Urban forestry & urban greening (Internet), 2024)
The relationship between various Traditions of Christian Eco-theology (TCE) on urban green spaces and implications on climate adaptation in African context remains blurred in the literature. This study assesses the meanings given to urban green spaces and perceptions of different TCE on climate adaptation with a view to identifying how the duos could guide climate policies. Onsite cross-sectional ethnographic interviews of forty-three key informants were carried out in fifteen Christian denominations in three South-western Nigeria Yoruba cities of Ile-Ife, Osogbo, and Abeokuta. Content analysis of interview responses was carried out. Thematic results suggest the followings: climate change denials; divine Sovereignty on climate issues and eco-spirituality; eco-theological approaches to urban climate adaptation; human capacity for climate adaptation strategies; and human 'dominion over nature'. These mechanisms are framed as policy guidelines for climate adaptation.
openalex: W4391036850
Keywords: openalex:import

How do sensemaking and climate change education affect climate engagement at the grassroots level? A study of five communities in Southeastern Ghana - Adobor, Henry (Climatic Change, 2024)
Abstract This study aims to explore how climate change education and sensemaking can lead to climate engagement and adaptive behavior at the grassroots level. The research focuses on five rural communities in Ghana and seeks to answer three key questions related to how people understand and respond to climate change issues. One strength of the study is the use of sensemaking as an organizing framework, which allows for a nuanced understanding of how people at the grassroots level make sense of complex environmental issues like climate change. The study findings suggest that sensemaking was a critical factor in how people noticed and made meaning of the climate crisis, and that deliberative tools like storytelling, conversation, and listening were important tools for facilitating this process. We also found that climate educators needed to address existing misconceptions before framing climate change issues in terms of science and impact on livelihoods. Linking climate change to rural livelihoods resonated more with people than science, and a strategy of guiding communities to recognize the need for adaptive behavior through individual and collective sensemaking was important. The emphasis on linking climate change to rural livelihoods rather than science is an important finding, as it suggests that approaches that emphasize the impact of climate change on local communities and their ability to adapt may be more effective than purely scientific arguments.
openalex: W4392555198
Keywords: openalex:import

Digital Technology as a Tool for Changing Learning Space for Workers’ Training in Nigeria - Akinyooye, Funmilola Elizabeth (European Journal of Contemporary Education and E-Learning, 2024)
Workers are essential part of the organisational system because they represent the human capital resources that drive all other factors or parts of the system in a bid to achieve the organizational goal. In order to keep the workers abreast of changes and to ensure acquisition of requisite skills needed for optimal performance, there is always the need to engage the workers in training and retraining from time to time. Organization of trainings for workers come in different forms and types. There could be on the job training where workers are exposed to learning components while on duty at work. There could also be organization of training outside the workplace when workers take time off to undergo trainings which will help in additional skill acquisition. Facilitators used for workers training can either be internal or external facilitators depending on the needs and choice of organisers. However, with the emergence of technology and the recent occurrence like the world pandemic which nearly stopped all activities even at the workplace, there have been many evolutions on how activities at workplace can be carried out. This is also inclusive of training process which can afford the workers the opportunity to learn and improve their skills inspite of the limitations prevalent in the world. One would then think of exploring digital training for workers in Nigeria. This paper looks at the need for a change of learning space for Nigerian workers, opportunities in digital training, challenges of digital technology at the workplace for training and some suggestions on how to maximize the benefits for training Nigerian workers.
openalex: W4393040586
Keywords: openalex:import

Teachers’ Attitudes towards Using Computer and Mobile Assisted Language Learning at Upper Primary Level in Kyso Subcounty: Kitui County, Kenya - al., Deborah Kalima Mutua et (Journal for research scholars and professionals of English language teaching, 2024)
openalex: W4393113273
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The Effect of an Education Program on School Children Oral Health in Khartoum, Sudan - Albani, Galal Faisal Abdulqader Abdulla; Abdelgadir, Widad Ibrahim; Mohamed, Amal M.; Yousif, Magda; Mustafa, Amna Mohammed Ali; Almkiy, Egbal A; Mohammed, Khadiga; Mohamed, Eman F; Alghamdi, Fahad; Ahmed, Raga Muawia Mukhtar; Hakami, Manal; Dinar, Niemat; et al. (Journal of multidisciplinary healthcare, 2024)
openalex: W4392706419
Keywords: openalex:import

Lowland Smallholders’ livelihood vulnerability to Climate change-induced hazards in Southern Ethiopia - Albore, Asfaw; Zenebe, Amanuel; Tesfay, Girmay; Abadi, Nigussie (Environmental Challenges, 2024)
openalex: W4393130168
Keywords: openalex:import

Designing the Future of Medical Education: The EPA Framework as a Catalyst to Inform Family Planning and Reproductive Health Fellowship Training Program in Ethiopia Medical Education: An Exploratory Sequential Mixed Method Study - Amare, Equlinet Misganaw; Siyoum, Mekdim Tadesse; Abubeker, Ferid A.; Tufa, Tesfaye; Hailemeskel, Azeb Tamrat (Advances in medical education and practice, 2024)
openalex: W4392754859
Keywords: openalex:import

PAPER VOLCANOES LAB: ENGAGING YOUNG CHILDREN WITH EARTH SCIENCE IN KENYA. WHAT WE HAVE ACCOMPLISHED SO FAR - Amici, Stefania; Bertoli, Anny; Ng’asike, John Teria; Tesař, Marek; Sulpizio, Roberto; Eleman, Simon; Emase, Peter (INTED proceedings, 2024)
openalex: W4392708390
Keywords: openalex:import

Seniors Improved the Documentation of Junior Physicians’ Medical Records in a Teaching Hospital in Ethiopia - Arega, Balew; Minda, Abraham; Admasu, Andualem; Teshome, Ayele; Tewabe, Elias; Kibret, Alemu Kassaw; Mamo, Dawit; Agunie, Asnake (Clinical audit, 2024)
Background: Complete medical documentation is an integral part of health system quality and safe patient care.However, this is compromised during duty hours while the physician is tired, high patient-to-physician ratio, and a lack of senior physician guidance from junior doctors.This quality improvement project aimed to improve medical documentation duty hours for admitted patients through the senior physician's audit feedback strategies.Methods: This quality improvement project was undertaken to improve the medical documentation of junior physicians for patients admitted during duty hours.We did it through the senior physician-led audit feedback system and by integrating the project tasks into senior physicians' workflow.A collective group of project members teams, duty-assigned senior physicians, internal medicine residents, medical interns, nursing team, internal medicine, quality personnel, internal medicine department heads, and clinical vice provost.Quality improvement methods were used to test the role of the senior physician in improving the medical records documentation and maintaining the improvements obtained.Results: The medical record documentation improved from 73% to 96.4% before and after implementing the improvement interventions, respectively.It was effectively maintained for six months (97.2%).The senior physician-led audited feedback strategies increased the clinical audit score by 24%. Conclusion:The senior physician found to improve the junior physician's medical record documentation of hospitalized patients during duty hours.The project also showed successful integration of the intervention into the routine clinical workflow.
openalex: W4392966095
Keywords: openalex:import

Local multilevel governance arrangements for climate change planning and management in Kumasi, Ghana - Asibey, Michael Osei; Appiah-Kusi, Frederick; Kissiwaa, Naomi Agyei; Bilson, Maxwell Adu; Abdulai, Abdul-Salam Jahanfo (Environmental Science & Policy, 2024)
Institutions play crucial roles in addressing and building resilence to climate risks. Whereas planning for and addressing climate change issues through multilevel goverence (MLG) has become inevitable, there has been a disparity in the attention given to different levels of MLG. The focus of MLG research has predominantly centered around supranational and national levels, with limited empirical studies on subnational MLG governance; hence, this research. This study thus focuses on the city of Kumasi (specifically, Kumasi Metropolitan Area) in Ghana as a case study to examine the role of MLG at the subnational level in climate change planning and management. Seven relevant climate change and local/city planning agencies were sampled purposively for appropriate data. It was clearly revealed that these actors who operate at various levels and jurisdiction, address climate challenges in accordance with their respective primary responsibilities. While such MLG arrangement exists for addressing climate change in the city of Kumasi, there are many challenges that derail effective collaboration and any meaningful outcome within such governance framework. The collaboration among the authorities involved in planning and managing climate change action in Kumasi remains weak coupled with overlaps in their formal roles and responsibilities. Additionally, there is no evidence of any meaningful action being undertaken within such governance arrangement to address climate change contrary to the expectation that MLG should have enhanced interactions in terms of planning for climate change. The study recommends that the MLG framework should encourage learning across different levels and facilitate interactions among various organizations, promoting innovation in climate adaptation and mitigation initiatives.
openalex: W4391092687
Keywords: openalex:import

Globalization in Lifelong Gender Inclusive Education for Structural Transformation in Africa - Asongu, Simplice A.; BouanzaPeter, Jean R.F.K.; Agyemang-Mintah (Economic systems ( Print), 2024)
The present study examines the relevance of globalization in lifelong gender inclusive education for structural transformation. The focus of the research is on 41 countries in Africa using data from 2004 to 2021. The generalized method of moments (GMM) is employed to assess the problem statement within the remit of interactive regressions. Gender inclusive lifelong learning is measured as gender inclusive education acquired during the three levels of education, notably: primary, secondary and tertiary inclusive education stages. Total globalization and corresponding components (social, economic and political dynamics) are employed as moderators. The attendant sub-components of economic (i.e., trade and financial) and social (i.e., interpersonal, informational and cultural) globalization are also employed for robustness purposes. The hypotheses that globalization and gender inclusive lifelong learning individually influence structural transformation are not validated. Furthermore, the hypothesis that globalization dynamics moderate lifelong gender inclusive education to promote structural transformation is also not validated. Clarification as to why the hypotheses are not validated is provided. Policy implications are discussed.
openalex: W4393282239
Keywords: openalex:import

Factors Influencing Career Interests and Choices of High School Adolescents in Tamale, Northern Ghana - Atangongo, Barnabas; Teye‐Kwadjo, Enoch; Larry-Afutu, Joana (International Journal for the Advancement of Counselling, 2024)
openalex: W4392353746
Keywords: openalex:import

The 2015 earthquake swarm in the Fentale volcanic complex (FVC): A geohazard risk for Ethiopia's commercial route to the Djibouti port. - Ayele, Atalay; Luckett, Richard; Baptie, Brian; Whaler, Kathy (Journal of African Earth Sciences, 2024)
We investigate rare seismicity in the neighborhood of the Fentale volcano, main Ethiopian rift that occurred in spring 2015 using data recorded by the Ethiopian Seismic Station Network. Over 1350 earthquakes are located and a seismic swarm is observed to the northeast of Fentale volcano, with the largest earthquake having a magnitude of 4.3 ML. Several VT (volcano-tectonic) and LP (long-period) events are observed in the swarm, indicating that it is induced by magmatic intrusion, consistent with dike-induced deformation in the same area inferred from satellite geodesy. The seismic activity commenced at about 40 km depth and migrated southwestward as it shallowed, towards Fentale volcano, suggesting that the dike feeding system might be influenced by the magma rich Afar Depression further to the northeast rather than the adjacent Fentale volcano. An earlier cluster of seismicity in the same area was recorded by a temporary deployment of seismic stations that ran from November 2001 to January 2003; extensive clusters of less well recorded seismic activity in the region occurred in June 1989, January–February 1981, October–November 2003, and 2004. Such frequent seismicity at the Fentale Volcanic Complex coupled with the adjacent fast-growing Lake Basaka poses an eminent and significant risk to Ethiopia's access to Djibouti port, its most important commercial route. This should be a wakeup call to concerned stakeholders to take precautionary measures by developing risk management and rapid response strategies.
openalex: W4392911611
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Estimating plastic waste generation using supervised time-series learning techniques in Johannesburg, South Africa - Ayeleru, Olusola Olaitan; Fajimi, L. I.; Onu, Matthew Adah; Nyam, Tarhemba Tobias; Dlova, Sisanda; Ameh, Victor Idankpo; Olubambi, Peter Apata (Heliyon, 2024)
Abstract In recent times, many investigators have delved into plastic waste (PW) research, both locally and internationally. Many of these studies have focused on problems related to land-based and marine-based PW management with its attendant impact on public health and the ecosystem. Hitherto, there have been little or no studies on forecasting PW quantities in developing countries (DCs). The key objective of this study is to provide a forecast on PW generation in the city of Johannesburg (CoJ), South Africa over the next three decades. The data used for the forecasting were historical data obtained from Statistics South Africa (StatsSA). For effective prediction and comparison, three-time series models were employed in this study. They include exponential smoothing (ETS), Artificial Neural Network (ANN), and the Gaussian Process Regression (GPR). The exponential kernel GPR model performed best on the overall plastic prediction with a determination coefficient (R^2) of 0.96, however, on individual PW estimation, ANN was better with an overall R^2 of 0.93. From the result, it is predicted that between 2021 to 2050, the total PW generated in CoJ is forecasted to be around 6.7 megatonnes with an average of 0.22 megatonnes/year. In addition, the estimated plastic composition is 17,910 tonnes PS per year; 13,433 tonnes PP per year; 59,440 tonnes HDPE per year; 4478 tonnes PVC per year; 85,074 tonnes PET per year; 34,590 tonnes LDPE per year and 8955 tonnes other PWs per year.
openalex: W4393165607
Keywords: openalex:import

Geo-demographics and source of information as determinants of climate change consciousness among citizens in African countries - Azeez, Razaq Olugbenga; Rampedi, Isaac Tebogo; Ifegbesan, Ayodeji Peter; Ogunyemi, Abiodun (Heliyon (Londen), 2024)
Abstract Climate change constitutes one of the greatest threats to human health globally and there have been increasing interests in understanding the dynamics of climate change consciousness particularly in in less industrialised countries of Africa. Research on cross-country, sub-regional and continent differences in climate change consciousness are rare especially in sub-Saharan Africa. Thus, to complement the existing body of literature, this study was conducted on cross-national predictors of public climate change consciousness. Data from the Afrobarometer round 7 for thirty-four [34] Afrr [34] African countries, collected between 2017 and 2020, were used to investigate the influence of geographical, socio-demographics, and source of information on public consciousness of climate change. Statistical analyses of t-test, ANOVA and multiple regression were conducted to test the formulated hypotheses. Results showed a low level of climate change consciousness (CCC) among participants. Radio news was the major source of information for the sampled African citizens. There were significant differences in the CCC of male and female as well as between urban and rural respondents. Significant differences were also found among the sub-regions, educational levels, age groups and occupations. Sources of information and demographic variables significantly influenced the level of CCC among participating citizens. Educational attainment was the single most potent predictor of climate change consciousness. The study recommends that African citizens need capacity building on climate change awareness and initiatives which would assist in mitigating the effects of climate change.
openalex: W4392962370
Keywords: openalex:import

The Preferred Learning Styles of Clinical Medical Students at the Imo State University, Orlu, South East Nigeria - Azike, Jerome Emeka; Enwere, Oguamanam Okezie (Journal of advances in medicine and medical research, 2024)
Students have preferences in the way they internalize information. The VARK – an acronym for Visual, Aural, Read/Write and Kinesthetic questionnaire, tests students choices for preferred mode of internalizing information. The VARK questionnaire were administered to 400 level and 600 level medical students, a total of 123 of them participated in the study. Majority of them 89.4% preferred the multimodal mode of information reception while 10.56% were unimodal. A further analysis of the multimodals showed that females generally were quadmodal in their preferred sensory reception while the males were mainly trimodal.
Overall, as regards individual VARK component, Kinesthetic was more common (29.8%) among males (31.6%) while Read/write was more common among the females (29.6%).
openalex: W4392386281
Keywords: openalex:import

Conceptualisation of violence and discipline among students, teachers, and parents in Nyarugusu Refugee Camp, Tanzania - Barongo, Vivien; Kiwale, Zenais; Shayo, Elizabeth H.; Fabbri, Camilla; Turner, Ellen; Bakari, Mtumwa; Mubyazi, Godfrey M.; Rodrigues, Katherine; Devries, Karen (Child Abuse & Neglect, 2024)
Little academic research has been conducted on how people conceptualise ‘violence’ and ‘discipline’, especially in humanitarian settings. This may limit the transferability of violence prevention interventions. This paper examines the understanding of violence and discipline concepts among students, teachers, and parents in the Nyarugusu Refugee Camp in Tanzania. A qualitative study was undertaken as part of the larger trial testing the effectiveness of the EmpaTeach intervention to prevent physical violence from teachers to students implemented in 27 schools in Nyarugusu Refugee Camp. Data from baseline and midline surveys in control schools that did not receive the intervention informed this paper where a total of 14 in-depth interviews (eight with students and six teachers) and six focus group discussions (two with teachers and four with parents from the Parent Teacher Association) were analyzed. Both audio recordings from in-depth interviews and focus group discussions were transcribed verbatim, and translated from Kiswahili to English (Congolese) and Kirundi to English (Burundian). Translated data were verified and coded using thematic analysis based on the views of students, teachers, and parents. Participants revealed that the same behavioural acts could be differentially classified as violence or discipline. Violence was understood in relation to the consequences of acts, which could include physical or psychological harm, or other harms which were seen as detrimental to children's futures and life chances, particularly adolescent pregnancy. Sexual acts without consent were also seen as violence. In contrast, discipline was understood according to intent, and perceived acts done towards students to correct bad behaviour. Results imply that education about the harmful consequences of behavioural acts intended as discipline, may be important for violence prevention interventions and that framing interventions in terms of positive child development could help change discipline strategies in schools.
openalex: W4391197571
Keywords: openalex:import

Examining the Effect of Perceived Social Support on Student Mental Health in Somaliland - Başarı, Şengül; Çerkez, Yağmur; İşlek, Didem and Osman, A. Arnold (Revista Romaneasca pentru Educatie Multidimensionala, 2024)
The aim of this study, conducted in Somaliland, was to explore the relationship between perceived social support and students' mental health, specifically focusing on stress, anxiety, and depression. This research has been conducted in a correlation quantitative design. In the context of the challenges and opportunities university students face, this research sheds light on the vital role of psychological well-being. In Somaliland, where official health statistics are scarce and mental health is often overlooked, this investigation addresses an important gap in understanding. This study, conducted in Hargeisa, delved into the impact of perceived social support on students' mental health. Employing a correlational quantitative design, data was collected from 366 students in both public and private universities using Google Forms. The findings unveiled a robust, albeit inverse, relationship between perceived social support and stress, anxiety, and depression levels among students. One crucial recommendation stemming from this research is the inclusion of mental health education and awareness activities in the curricula of all educational levels. These findings underscore the pressing need to prioritize mental well-being in educational institutions, setting a foundation for students to thrive academically and socially. In a world where academic pressures and social dynamics continue to evolve, nurturing the mental health of university students is an investment in their future success and overall well-being.
openalex: W4392354461
Keywords: openalex:import

Review of: "Raising Adaptive Capacity to Climate Change in Energy and Food Sectors of Egypt" - Bedasa, Yadeta (2024)
openalex: W4392366086
Keywords: openalex:import

Pharmaceutical Pollution in an Ethiopian Rift Valley Lake Hawassa: Occurrences and Possible Ecological Risks - Bekele, Daniel; Fick, Jerker; Tilahun, Girma; Dadebo, Elias; Gebremariam, Zinabu (Environmental challenges, 2024)
Most information on the occurrences of active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) in natural water bodies comes from developed nations, leaving developing countries like Ethiopia understudied. This study examines the presence and potential ecological risks of APIs in Lake Hawassa, a tropical freshwater lake in the Ethiopian Rift Valley. The study analyzed 36 APIs from 11 therapeutic classes of human medications in water and sediment samples. The risk quotient (RQ) method was used to assess ecological risks to aquatic organisms. Forty-five composite samples of water and sediment were collected from five sites during three sampling events. The samples were analyzed in the Chemistry laboratory at the University of Umeå, Sweden using the ultrahigh-performance liquid chromatography mass spectrometer (UHPLC-MS/MS) method. The results indicated that 16 APIs were detected in the water samples and three in the sediment. Ciprofloxacin, artesunate, mefloquine, fluconazole, and tramadol were the most frequent APIs detected in the analyzed water samples. The concentration of ciprofloxacin was the highest of all the APIs, detected with RQ > 1, indicating high risk to the aquatic biota in the Lake Hawassa ecosystem. Similarly, diclofenac, and sulfonamide in water, lorazepam, mefloquine, and lumefantrine in sediments, occurred at concentrations that could cause a medium risk (RQ > 0.1) to the aquatic biota. The occurrence of the APIs in the Lake Hawassa ecosystem affirms early warning, and the Antibiotics may create Antibiotic-resistant genes posing a public health threat. Therefore, it is crucial to implement systems for gathering unused medications and monitoring waste disposal and sewage treatment in the study area. Despite the limited research on APIs in the region where this study was conducted, our findings are highly valuable for understanding APIs in freshwater ecosystems worldwide. Our results align with global concerns about APIs, making them a valuable tool for creating universally applicable guidelines.
openalex: W4393282686
Keywords: openalex:import

Influence of E-Learning on Pharmacy Students' Learning During the COVID Pandemic: A Survsey Among Pharmacy Students in Morocco - Benomar, Abdelhafid; Chefchaouni, Ali Cherif; Rahali, Younes; Alaoui, Yassir El (Annales Pharmaceutiques Françaises, 2024)
Purpose : Online learning, or e-learning, has grown exponentially in recent years, not least because the COVID-19 pandemic has forced many educational establishments to adopt distance learning modalities. In the field of pharmacy, where the acquisition of theoretical and practical knowledge is essential, the adoption of e-learning has attracted particular interest. The aim of this study is to analyze the feedback received by pharmacy students from different faculties in the country following the introduction of new learning methods during the Covid pandemic. Methods : The study was carried out using a "Google forms" questionnaire, which was sent to students at the country's faculties of pharmacy. The questionnaire included various points, such as a description of the population, preferred mode of distance learning of lectures among students and satisfaction with e-learning. Results: The study involved 176 respondents, 65.9% of whom were women. Around 50% of respondents use e-learning tools more than 6 times a week for educational purposes. 70% of respondents are satisfied with their e-learning experience, but only 43.2 believe that e-learning has a positive effect on their academic results. 47% of respondents considered the quality of teaching to be the major shortcoming of e-learning, followed by distraction (32%) and the questionable credibility of the diploma (20%) Conclusion: E-learning has significant potential to transform teaching and learning in pharmacy, and its thoughtful integration can bring lasting benefits to students. Objectif : L'apprentissage en ligne, ou e-learning, a connu une croissance exponentielle ces dernières années, notamment en raison de la pandémie de COVID-19 qui a contraint de nombreuses institutions éducatives à adopter des modalités d'apprentissage à distance. Dans le domaine de la pharmacie, où l'acquisition de connaissances théoriques et pratiques est essentielle, l'adoption de l'e-learning a suscité un intérêt particulier. L'objectif de cette étude est d'analyser les retours des étudiants en pharmacie de différentes facultés du pays suite à l'introduction de nouvelles méthodes d'apprentissage pendant la pandémie de Covid. Méthodes : L'étude a été réalisée à l'aide d'un questionnaire "Google Forms" envoyé aux étudiants des facultés de pharmacie du pays. Le questionnaire comprenait divers points, tels qu'une description de la population, le mode préféré d'apprentissage à distance des cours parmi les étudiants et la satisfaction à l'égard de l'e-learning. Résultats : L'étude a impliqué 176 répondants, dont 65,9% étaient des femmes. Environ 50% des répondants utilisent des outils d'e-learning plus de 6 fois par semaine à des fins éducatives. 70% des répondants sont satisfaits de leur expérience d'e-learning, mais seulement 43,2% estiment que l'e-learning a un effet positif sur leurs résultats académiques. 47% des répondants considèrent la qualité de l'enseignement comme le principal inconvénient de l'e-learning, suivi par la distraction (32%) et la crédibilité douteuse du diplôme (20%). Conclusion : L'e-learning a un potentiel significatif pour transformer l'enseignement et l'apprentissage en pharmacie, et son intégration réfléchie peut apporter des avantages durables aux étudiants.
openalex: W4392379840
Keywords: openalex:import

Smallholder farmers' vulnerability to climate change and variability: Evidence from three agroecologies upper Blue Nile, Ethiopia - Berhanu, Assefa Abelieneh; Ayele, Zewdu; Dagnew, Dessalegn C.; Melese, Tadele; Fenta, Abeje B.; Kassie, Koyachew Enquahone (Heliyon, 2024)
Abstract This study delves into the profound impact of climate change on agriculture in Ethiopia, particularly the vulnerabilities faced by smallholder farmers and the resulting implications for poverty. Focusing on three distinct agroecologies, namely: highland, midland, and lowland zones. The study employed a robust methodology, combining a cross-sectional survey, spatial-temporal trend analysis using GIS, and the development of an overall vulnerability index through the balanced weighted average method. The study, encompassing 646 households, combines data from a variety of sources and analytical tools like the vulnerability index, ArcGIS 10.8, and ERDA's IMAGINE 2015. Utilizing the LVI-IPCC scale, the study shows that climate change is an immediate vulnerability in all agroecological zones. It identifies highland areas as the most sensitive and exposed regions, while lowland households are found to be the most vulnerable in terms of overall vulnerabilities. The research reveals specific challenges faced by communities, such as inadequate health facilities and insufficient food and water supplies in both highland and lowland agroecosystems. Additionally, our investigation has observed a significant alteration in land use practices, specifically the shift from communal grazing land to private cultivation and plantations, emphasizing eucalyptus. This alteration enhances the ecosystem's vulnerability to climate disturbances. The study suggests targeted interventions, such as advocating for sustainable land-use practices, afforestation, and adopting climate-smart agriculture practices. It is important to implement policy measures that prioritize conserving and restoring shrubland, grazing land, and natural forests to ensure both long-term socio-economic and ecosystem resilience. The study's nuanced insights are instrumental in understanding the diverse challenges posed by climate change in Ethiopian agriculture, supporting informed policymaking and sustainable interventions.
openalex: W4393098805
Keywords: openalex:import

Entrepreneurial attitude: Gender differences in moroccan university students - Biedma‐Ferrer, José María; Río, Miguel Ángel Montañés-Del; Virues, Carmen; Sánchez, José Manuel (The International Journal of Management Education, 2024)
Higher education institutions play an important role in fostering a positive student attitude towards entrepreneurship. Entrepreneurial attitude concerns one's predisposition to look favourably or unfavourably upon starting a business. Previous studies discuss whether gender might affect this attitude. The aim of this paper is to supplement the scant, Morocco-based studies by exploring whether gender influences students' entrepreneurial attitudes, taking into account their marital status and level of education. A non-parametric statistical analysis is applied to a sample of 549 Moroccan students and the results show that gender affects their entrepreneurial attitudes. Female students show a higher entrepreneurial attitude than male students, especially when they are single and at the bachelor level. These findings have practical implications for higher education institutions and policy makers.
openalex: W4388962438
Keywords: openalex:import

The potential value of seasonal drought forecasts in the context of climate change: A case study of the African elephant conservation sector - Black, Emily; Boult, Victoria L.; Hirons, Linda; Woolnough, Steven J. (Meteorological applications (Print), 2024)
Abstract This study investigates meteorological drought in sub‐Saharan Africa within the context of elephant conservation. Prolonged drought significantly impacts elephants, leading to increased mortality rates and heightened human–elephant conflicts. We assess both the anticipated 21st century changes in impact‐relevant meteorological drought metrics and the efficacy of existing forecasting systems in predicting such droughts on seasonal time scales. The climate change element of our study uses the 6th Coupled Model Intercomparison Project (CMIP6) ensemble to evaluate projected change in 3‐month Standardized Precipitation Index (SPI3). We then carry out a quantitative assessment of seasonal forecast skill, utilizing 110 years of precipitation hindcasts generated by the European Centre for Medium Range Forecasting (ECMWF) system. Our findings indicate that persistent drought is projected to become more frequent over the 21st century in southern Africa, where the majority of elephants reside. Analysis of seasonal hindcasts indicates that, while the forecasts have greater skill than climatology, they remain highly uncertain. Previous work suggests that it may be possible to reduce this uncertainty by contextualizing forecasts within specific climate regimes. However, even with improved forecast skill, effective action hinges on the alignment of forecasts with the practical needs of conservation practitioners. Over the next decades, a co‐production approach will be critical for leveraging seasonal forecasts for climate change adaptation within the conservation sector.
openalex: W4393238542
Keywords: openalex:import

Intelligent solutions in education: How inclusive the Moroccan Digital Classrooms project is for different social groups - Boudine, Hommane; Bentaleb, Meriem; Soulaymani, Abdelmajid; Karfa, Driss El; Tayebi, Mohamed (Journal of autonomous intelligence, 2024)
The global changes caused by the health crisis of the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic have significantly impacted education all over the world. Schools today have had to adopt distance learning models using digital tools to ensure the continuity of educational systems in different circumstances. For this reason and to ensure the continuity of education even in the event of future disruptions in Morocco (war, pandemic, natural disaster...). The Minister of National Education for Preschool and Sport has unveiled an initiative to establish digital classrooms within the educational institutions of the Kingdom. This innovative pedagogical approach, grounded in the utilization of digital tools, is specifically designed to bolster the instruction of science subjects, (Mathematics, Physics, and Life and Earth Sciences). This digital educational transformation has emerged as a highly suitable mode of learning, catering to a diverse array of social groups, including individuals with disabilities and refugees. The primary objective of this research is to assess the influence of digital classrooms on the performance of science educators operating within the Rabat Sale Kenitra region. The intention is to gauge how this technological implementation has affected their teaching methods and overall effectiveness. Furthermore, this study seeks to gauge the progression of this educational transformation and advocate for the wider adoption of digital pedagogy, extending its incorporation into the instructional strategies of other subjects. The ultimate goal is to promote inclusivity and level the playing field for all learners, ensuring equal educational opportunities for every student.
openalex: W4392346844
Keywords: openalex:import

Target Language Culture Teaching and Learning in Moroccan Universities: Approaches and Challenges - Bouqetyb, Tariq; ELKARFA, Abderrahim (Journal of English language teaching and applied linguistics, 2024)
The present study has two main purposes. The first purpose is to investigate students’ and teachers’ attitudes towards target language culture learning and teaching. The second purpose is to identify the challenges that may hinder the effective learning and teaching of the target language culture course. It was conducted with 200 students and 6 teachers from two Moroccan universities (Sidi Mohammed Ben Abdellah and Mohammed First Universities). To collect data, we made use of two data collection methods, namely the questionnaire and the interview. The major results of the study showed that both students and teachers had positive attitudes towards the target language culture course (U.S & British Culture course). The results also showed that the majority of students are not satisfied with both the content and the methodology used in the course. Based on the results, it was clear that the lack of technology and the lack of including some cultural aspects that students perceive to be important to know are among the most serious challenges that hamper achieving the effective learning outcomes of British and U.S Culture courses at the level of the university. It is hoped that the findings of this study will contribute to the improvement of the teaching practices related to target language culture teaching and learning in Moroccan universities.
openalex: W4392354303
Keywords: openalex:import

Target Language Culture Teaching and Learning in Moroccan Universities: Approaches and Challenges - Bouqetyb, Tariq; ELKARFA, Abderrahim (Journal of English language teaching and applied linguistics, 2024)
The present study has two main purposes. The first purpose is to investigate students’ and teachers’ attitudes towards target language culture learning and teaching. The second purpose is to identify the challenges that may hinder the effective learning and teaching of the target language culture course. It was conducted with 200 students and 6 teachers from two Moroccan universities (Sidi Mohammed Ben Abdellah and Mohammed First Universities). To collect data, we made use of two data collection methods, namely the questionnaire and the interview. The major results of the study showed that both students and teachers had positive attitudes towards the target language culture course (U.S & British Culture course). The results also showed that the majority of students are not satisfied with both the content and the methodology used in the course. Based on the results, it was clear that the lack of technology and the lack of including some cultural aspects that students perceive to be important to know are among the most serious challenges that hamper achieving the effective learning outcomes of British and U.S Culture courses at the level of the university. It is hoped that the findings of this study will contribute to the improvement of the teaching practices related to target language culture teaching and learning in Moroccan universities.
openalex: W4392354303
Keywords: openalex:import

Impact of lead and zinc heavy metal pollution on the growth and phytoremediation potential of Sulla carnosa in Sebkha el Kalbia, Tunisia - Bouzidi, Amal; Krouma, Abdelmajid (Environmental Science and Pollution Research, 2024)
openalex: W4392352997
Keywords: openalex:import

Can Financial Incentives to Firms Improve Apprenticeship Training? Experimental Evidence from Ghana - Brown, George H.; Hardy, Morgan; Mbiti, Isaac; McCasland, Jamie; Salcher, Isabelle (The American economic review, 2024)
We use a field experiment to test whether financial incentives can improve the quality of apprenticeship training. Trainers (firm owners) in the treatment group participated in a tournament incentive scheme where they received a payment based on their apprentices’ rank-order performance on a skills assessment. Trainers in the control group received a fixed payment based on their apprentices’ participation in the assessment. Performance on the assessment was higher in the treatment group. Two years later, treated apprentices scored 0.15σ higher on a low-stakes oral skills test and earned 24 percent more in total earnings, driven by higher self-employment profits. (JEL D22, D82, J24, J31, M53, O12)
openalex: W4392263547
Keywords: openalex:import

Local sources of vulnerability to climate change and armed conflicts in East Africa - Cappelli, Federica; Costantini, Valeria; D’Angeli, Mariagrazia; Marin, Giovanni; Paglialunga, Elena (Journal of Environmental Management, 2024)
While socioeconomic and institutional factors are crucial in explaining the onset and evolution of conflicts, recent research suggests that climate change is a further indirect driver acting as a “threat multiplier”. This paper focuses on the concept of vulnerability to both climate change and conflicts to explain why some locations are more likely to engage in armed conflicts than others in the presence of a similar level of exposure to climatic changes. In particular, by means of a Spatial Autoregressive Model, we identify a set of local-specific vulnerability factors that increase conflict risk in East Africa. We employ a georeferenced database with a resolution of 25 × 25 km, covering the period 1997–2016. Results from our analysis provide some interesting insights: first, climate change does not increase conflict risk per se, but only in the presence of pre-existing vulnerabilities. Second, resource access and socioeconomic factors play a key role in driving the climate-conflict nexus especially in urban areas. In particular, vulnerability is increased whenever power is not distributed in such a way as to ensure an equitable distribution of resources. Overall, our findings suggest that, by addressing vulnerability factors that prevent adaptive capacity and an equitable distribution of resources, societies may benefit in terms of both diminished conflict risk and alleviation of climate change impacts.
openalex: W4392298428
Keywords: openalex:import

Submicron aerosol pollution in Greater Cairo (Egypt): A new type of urban haze? - Christodoulou, Aliki; Bezantakos, S.; Bourtsoukidis, Efstratios; Stavroulas, Iasonas; Pikridas, Michael; Oikonomou, Konstantina; Iakovides, Minas; Hassan, Salwa K.; Boraiy, Mohamed; El-Nazer, Mostafa; Wheida, Ali; Abdel-Wahab, M.; et al. (Environment international, 2024)
Greater Cairo, the largest megacity of the Middle East North Africa (MENA) region, is currently suffering from major aerosol pollution, posing a significant threat to public health. However, the main sources of pollution remain insufficiently characterized due to limited atmospheric observations. To bridge this knowledge gap, we conducted a continuous 2-month field study during the winter of 2019–2020 at an urban background site, documenting for the first time the chemical and physical properties of submicron (PM1) aerosols. Crustal material from both desert dust and road traffic dust resuspension contributed as much as 24 % of the total PM1 mass (rising to 66 % during desert dust events), a figure not commonly observed in urban environments. Our observations showed significant decreases in black carbon concentrations and ammonium sulfate compared to data from 15 years ago, indicating an important reduction in both local and regional emissions as a result of effective mitigation measures. The diurnal variability of carbonaceous aerosols was attributed to emissions emanating from local traffic at rush hours and nighttime open biomass burning. Surprisingly, semi-volatile ammonium chloride (NH4Cl) originating from local open biomass and waste burning was found to be the main chemical species in PM1 over Cairo. Its nighttime formation contributed to aerosol water uptake during morning hours, thereby playing a major role in the build-up of urban haze. While our results confirm the persistence of a significant dust reservoir over Cairo, they also unveil an additional source of highly hygroscopic (semi-volatile) inorganic salts, leading to a unique type of urban haze. This haze, with dominant contributors present in both submicron (primarily as NH4Cl) and supermicron (largely as dust) modes, underscores the potential implications of heterogeneous chemical transformation of air pollutants in urban environments.
openalex: W4393237806
Keywords: openalex:import

Inclusive climate resilient transport challenges in Africa - Cinderby, Steve; Haq, Gary; Opiyo, Romanus; Muhoza, Cassilde; Ngabirano, Amanda; Wasike, Yusuf; Mwamba, Daniel; Cambridge, Howard (Cities, 2024)
Delivering sustainable and inclusive low-carbon transport is a critical to reducing greenhouse gas emissions and achieving the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. Yet transport infrastructure is vulnerable to the effects of climate change in low-income countries in Africa. This paper explores the status of inclusive mobility and climate-resilient transportation in Africa, focusing on the perceptions and importance amongst key stakeholders, their incorporation into existing practices, and the priority given to making transport more inclusive and climate resilient. A nested scale approach was used that included an online continental survey of 136 respondents from 17 African countries; 2 country-level Focus Group Discussions in Uganda and Zambia; and city-level semi-structured interviews with key stakeholders in Lusaka and Kampala using the Delphi method. In addition, an online spatial questionnaire (Maptionnaire) was used to locate where infrastructure improvements were needed, and two city workshops held in Lusaka and Kampala. Providing more active travel infrastructure was a priority for both government and non-governmental groups. This is not connected to climate resilience but to immediate priorities of road safety and health. Our surveys highlighted that climate resilience and inclusive mobility policies are in place, but poor implementation and lack of transparency were undermining outcomes. Upgrading existing infrastructure was more cost-effective and workable than developing new robust alternatives. Lack of knowledge exchange was limiting agencies efforts to tackle this growing challenge. The paper underscores the need to raise awareness of relevant options to improve the climate resilience of transport infrastructure and expand accessible mobility solutions to tackle issues of inclusion and equity in African cities.
openalex: W4389750186
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Prenatal Household Air Pollution Exposure and Childhood Blood Pressure in Rural Ghana - Daouda, Misbath; Kaali, Seyram; Spring, Emma; Mujtaba, Mohammed; Jack, Darby; Prah, Rebecca Kyerewaa Dwommoh; Colicino, Elena; Tawiah, Theresa; Gennings, Chris; Osei, Musah; Janević, Teresa; Chillrud, Steven N.; et al. (Environmental Health Perspectives, 2024)
openalex: W4392984642
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Trauma surgery training at a South African level 1 trauma centre: challenges and opportunities - Davis, O. C. M.; Gnaegi, C; Oosthuizen, George (Bulletin of The Royal College of Surgeons of England, 2024)
We look at two perspectives detailing the differences in open surgical training opportunities in the UK and South Africa.
openalex: W4392387371
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A comparative study of Machine Learning and Deep Learning methods for flood forecasting in the Far-North region, Cameroon - Dtissibe, Francis Yongwa; Ari, Ado Adamou Abba; Abboubakar, Hamadjam; Njoya, Arouna Ndam; Mohamadou, Alidou; Thiaré, Ousmane (Scientific African, 2024)
Flood crises are the consequence of climate change and global warming, which lead to an increase in the frequency and intensity of heavy rainfall. Floods are, and remain, natural disasters that result in huge loss of lives and material damage. Flood risks threaten all countries of the globe in general. The Far-North region of Cameroon has suffered of flood crises on several occasions, resulting in significant loss of human lives, infrastructural and socio-economic damage, with the destruction of homes, crops and grazing areas, and the halting of economic activities. The models used for flood forecasting in this region are generally physical-based, and produce unsatisfactory results. The use of artificial intelligence based methods for flood forecasting in order to limit its consequences is a way to be explored in the Far-North region of Cameroon. The aims of the present research work is to design and compare the performance of Machine Learning and Deep Learning based models such as one dimensional Convolutional Neural Network, Long and Short Term Memory and Multi Layer Perceptron for short-term and long-term flood forecasting in the Far-North region of Cameroon. The models designed take as input the temperature and rainfall time series recorded in this region. Performance criteria used for evaluating models are Nash–SutcliffeEfficiency, Percent Bias, Coefficient of Determination and Root Mean Squared Error. As the results of the design and performance comparison of the models, the best model for short-term flood forecasting is the LSTM model , and the best model for long-term flood forecasting is still the LSTM model. The best models obtained from the comparisons have satisfactory performance and good generalization capabilities, as reflected by the performance criteria. The results of our research work can be used for implementation of floods warning systems and for definition of an effective and efficient flood risk management policies in order to make the Far-North region of Cameroon more resilient to flood crises.
openalex: W4390278080
Keywords: openalex:import

Hydro-sediment responses to management options under current and future climate change scenarios in Maybar watershed, South Wollo Zone, Ethiopia - Egigu, Muluken Lebay; Moges, Awdenegest; Addis, Hailu Kendie (Environmental Challenges, 2024)
Climate change coupled with inappropriate land use management is a serious environmental challenge in the highland part of Ethiopia. The aim of this study was to investigate hydro-sediment responses to management options under current and future climate change scenarios in Maybar watershed, Northern Ethiopia. We employed soil and water assessment tool (ArcSWAT 2012.10_7.24) for hydrologic modeling and CORDEX-climate data under RCP 4.5 and RCP 8.5 emission scenarios for climate projections. Soil map was prepared by digitizing soil characterization map of the watershed generated by Weigel in 1986. DEM data with 2m spatial resolution was obtained from water and land resource center and land use classification was done through digitization of google earth images. Better agreement between calibrated SWAT simulation and observed variables was achieved. Delta change bias correction method was employed to improve the climate simulation in reproducing the observed climate variables. We found a considerable increase in annual precipitation by 18.71% and 22.33% for RCP 4.5 and RCP 8.5, respectively compared with the current climate conditions. Climate change induced hydro-sediment results were observed to be consistent with predicted precipitation. Under the current climatic conditions, average sediment yield at the sub-basin scale varies from negligible (under terrace complementation) to approximately more than 50 t ha−1yr−1 with a basin average of 32 t ha−1yr−1 (under no-terrace conditions). The implementation of management alternatives gets the dry season's hydrological behavior of the catchment improved and climate change induced sediment yield reduction. Generally, the information could possibly support decision makers and planners to implement best-fitted management options and thereby reduce current and expected aggressive sediment loss situations.
openalex: W4392930497
Keywords: openalex:import

Impacts of climate change on rice yields in the Nile River Delta of Egypt: A large-scale projection analysis based on CMIP6 - Elsadek, Elsayed; Zhang, Ke; Hamoud, Yousef Alhaj; Mousa, Ahmed; Awad, Ahmed; Abdallah, Mohammed; Shaghaleh, Hiba; Hamad, Amar Ali Adam; Jamil, Mubashrah; Elbeltagi, Ahmed (Agricultural Water Management, 2024)
Climate change directly affects crop yields, which would cause more future food security crises. Ensemble global climate models (GCMs) combined with crop growth models are an effective method to project such impacts. In the current study, five criteria were used to pick out ten GCMs. Three types of efficiency criteria, namely root-mean-squared error (RMSE), Pearson’s correlation coefficient (R), Nash-Sutcliffe efficiency coefficient (NSE), and bias (BISA) between predicted and observed temperature and precipitation, were used to evaluate and select the better-performing of the GCMs for the baseline period (1981–2010). Then, AquaCrop-GIS, driven by the downscaled projected climate data from the selected GCMs, was used to predict rice yields in the Nile River Delta (NRD) region under two Shared Socioeconomic Pathways (SSP) scenarios (SSP2–4.5 and SSP5–8.5) and four prediction periods (2021–2099). Four statistical indicators, namely, prediction error (Pe), normalized RMSE (RMSEn), index of agreement (Dindex), and coefficient of determination (R2), were used to evaluate the performance of AquaCrop-GIS. Our results showed that five GCMs, including the BCC-CSM2-MR, CMCC-ESM2, INM-CM5–0, MRI-ESM2–0, and UKESM1–0-LL, had better performances in simulating temperature and precipitation (0.81 ≤ RMSE ≤ 4.77, 0.30 ≤ NSE ≤ 0.97, and 0.57 ≤ R ≤ 0.99). In addition, AquaCrop-GIS showed excellent accuracy in simulating rice yields and predicted that, without CO2 effects, rice yields would increase by 2.19% and 4.23% under SSP2–4.5 and by 0.72% and 0.30% under SSP5–8.5 during the 2030s and 2050s, respectively. However, in the 2070s and 2090s, rice yields would decline by 7.20% and 9.0% under SSP2–4.5 and by 23.34% and 34.24% under SSP5–8.5 during the 2070s and 2090s, respectively. With CO2 effects, rice yields would rise by 14.49%, 24.97%, 15.96%, and 16.93% under SSP2–4.5 and by 14.33%, 26.22%, 8.06%, and 1.61% under SSP5–8.5 during the 2030s, 2050s, 2070s, and 2090s, respectively. Regardless of uncertainties and limitations, our findings are beneficial for farmers and policymakers to develop appropriate management strategies to improve rice yields in Egypt.
openalex: W4390848029
Keywords: openalex:import

Impact of the climate change on the site suitability for solar farms: Case study of Cameroon - Elvis, W. K.; Meukam, Pierre (Renewable Energy, 2024)
It is widely agreed that in the coming decade the Earth's climate will undergo significant changes, which will considerably affect the ecosystems and populations in various ways. In this study, the climate change impact on the suitability of the recommended sustainable locations for siting solar PV facilities in Cameroon is assessed based on the downscaled climate projections and the geographic information system integrated with a multi-criteria decision-making technique. Spatial tools are used to identify the potential locations by extracting the constraint areas. The analytical hierarchy process is applied to weigh the criteria (climate, orography and vegetation) and calculate a land suitability index (LSI) to evaluate potential sites. Based on the Coordinated Regional Downscaling Experiment, the change in LSI towards the end of century is assessed considering two climate change scenarios, one optimistic and the other pessimistic. Results show that 13.7% of the study area is suitable for installing utility-size PV power plants with the highly suitable areas located mainly in the Extreme-North region of Cameroon. Under the RCP2.6 and RCP8.5 climate change scenarios, a very slight change in LSI (−5% ≤ LSI ≤ 5%) is projected for most of the potential sites across the country.
openalex: W4392615865
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Analgesic Self-medication Among Patients With Chronic Musculoskeletal Pain in a South African Chiropractic Teaching Clinic: A Cross-sectional Study - Engelbrecht, D. J.; Thandar, Yasmeen; Venketsamy, Yomika (Journal of Chiropractic Medicine, 2024)
openalex: W4392682439
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Rainfall trends and spatiotemporal patterns of meteorological drought in Menna watershed, northwestern Ethiopia - Enyew, Fekadie Bazie; Wassie, Simachew Bantigegn (Heliyon, 2024)
Abstract Understanding the spatiotemporal patterns of drought is crucial for planning, disaster preparedness, vulnerability assessment, impact evaluation, and policy formulation to mitigate drought-induced effects. The purpose of this study was to assess rainfall trends and spatiotemporal patterns of meteorological drought using geospatial techniques in Menna watershed. The Climate Hazards Group InfraRed Precipitation with Stations (CHIRPS) rainfall, and station-based observed rainfall were the datasets used. The station-based rainfall was used to confirm the accuracy of CHIRPS rainfall data. The Mann-Kendall (MK) test and Sen's slope estimator were utilized to assess trends and ascertain the extent of change. To characterize meteorological droughts, percent of normal (PN), standardized anomaly index (SAI), and standardized precipitation index (SPI) were computed during the crop growing seasons (2000–2022). The validation result confirmed a strong agreement between the observed and CHIRPS rainfall data (R2 = 0.88). Based on the MK test, an increasing trend has been observed in annual (3.7 mm/year) and belg (3.4 mm/year) rainfall, which was significant at p < 0.05. But the kiremt season was slightly decreasing (−0.7 mm/year). The PN, SAI, and SPI values detected that 2002, 2004, 2009, 2011, 2014, 2015, and 2019 were drought years in the area. Even only 1.4, 0.2, and 0.5% of the watershed were free from drought in 2009, 2014, and 2015, respectively, due to extremely high rainfall deficiency. Conversely, 2001, 2010, and 2016 were notable for having the highest amounts of rainfall compared to the other years. Generally, the region could be classified as an area highly susceptible to meteorological drought in northwestern Ethiopia. There was no even a single year free from drought in the entire study period. To that extent, about 86% of it had repeatedly encountered extreme rainfall deficit (7–23 times) during the study period. Thus, the population has always been repeatedly smashed down by the frequent droughts. To tackle existing challenges and mitigate upcoming risks, continual droughts monitoring and implementation of efficient early warning systems are vital for the region.
openalex: W4392630445
Keywords: openalex:import

Climate change vulnerability-foreign direct investment linkage: Why climate change preparedness matters in Sub-Saharan Africa - Fagbemi, Fisayo; Oke, Dorcas Funmilola (Research in Economics, 2024)
The sensitivity of Foreign direct investment (FDI) inflows to the level of a region’s vulnerability to climate risks somewhat substantiates the argument that return potentials fundamentally determine FDI location decisions. This makes climate change vulnerability a great challenge to sustainable economic development efforts across the globe, particularly in developing regions. Hence, panel data of 35 sub-Saharan African (SSA) countries between 2006 and 2020 were employed to examine the effect of climate change vulnerability and preparedness on FDI, as well as the exploration of the interaction effect of both climate change indicators on the latter. With the use of Fixed Effects (FE) and Dynamic Two– Step System Generalized Method of Moments (GMM) estimation, findings indicate that FDI inflows could be adversely impacted by climate vulnerability. This strengthens the understanding that as SSA countries become more vulnerable to climate change, inward FDI in the region may be lowered. However, climate preparedness found not to have a negative impact on FDI. Results are consistent with the view that when countries embrace strong innovation support and improved regulatory standards, responsible international investments could be promoted. In addition, the empirical evidence obtained from the interaction of climate vulnerability and readiness reveals that climate preparedness matters in climate vulnerability-FDI nexus, suggesting the increasing relevance of effective climate governance and innovative characteristics of economies in stimulating FDI attraction. It is, therefore, suggested that to mitigate the adverse effect of climate vulnerability on FDI inflows, SSA should actively take measures that would strengthen its economic, governance and social environment.
openalex: W4391242943
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Spatio-temporal modeling of climate change impacts on drought forecast using Generative Adversarial Network: A case study in Africa - Ferchichi, Ahlem; Chihaoui, Mejda; Ferchichi, Aya (Expert Systems with Applications, 2024)
Drought is an extreme weather event, affecting the ecological conditions of vegetation and agricultural productivity, poses challenges for millions of people in Africa, and its long-term prediction is definitely important. Accurate drought forecasting is a challenging subject due to its dependence on different climatic variables, and its spatio-temporal, nonstationary and non-linear characteristics. In particular, Deep Learning technologies have achieved excellent results in long-term time series forecasting. Thus, this study proposes a Generative Adversarial Networks (GAN) model which combines Convolutional Neural Network (CNN) and Long Short-Term Memory (LSTM) network for drought forecasting in Africa. This approach focuses on how the future spatio-temporal variations of drought will vary under climate change effects using multivariate remote sensing data over Africa from 1999–2022. We considered hydrological, meteorological and vegetation spectral factors for GAN as model input variables. The study assessed agricultural drought using the soil moisture index (SMI) as a response parameter. Experimental results confirmed the reliability of the proposed model for forecasting agricultural drought. Compared to existing deep learning models, the proposed GAN based CNN-LSTM model achieved the lowest RMSE, MAPE, and MAE values of 1.008, 0.009, and 0.739, respectively. The findings demonstrate that the proposed model can be used as a reliable forecasting method that helps to estimate drought in arid and semi-arid regions.
openalex: W4387763661
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‘The Trees are the Clothes of the Church’: Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church-Forests as Spiritual Spaces of Resilience against Climate Change? - Fischer, Moritz (Studies in World Christianity, 2024)
In times of ecological crises, Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo church-forests are, as many suggest, sacred spaces of resilience and restoration. The need for community forest management and sustainable use of natural resources is said to be based on an ‘eco-theology of Edenic forests’ so, we ask, What can be said about conceptually defined entanglements between the theological perspective on so-called forest-churches and the ecologically oriented perspective that applies to so-called church-forests? What is the history and the present self-understanding of this phenomenon? Does it have a global dimension? How does a sacred text like Śənä Fəṭrät, with its theocentric theology and its reference to biblical testimony, create ‘sacred spaces’ in nature? The socio-ethical dimension of these church-forests is of high concern. For this, with an interdisciplinary focus, I refer to results given by existing research on the interrelations of oriental-orthodox theology, including its miaphysite Christology. Such an understanding includes reference to church architecture, biology, sociology, and on forestry in those areas of forest-churches. So we want to understand the specific religious and cultural significance of Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo church-forests. The relevance of these unique sacred groves cannot easily be compared to examples in other religions. But we may at least draw conclusions from other forms of Christianity and religiosity and their interpretation of common biblical and dogmatic traditions referring to the ‘creation of God’.
openalex: W4392601535
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Land Degradation, Desertification & Environmental Sensitivity to Climate Change in Alexandria and Beheira, Egypt. - Ganzour, Shimaa K.; Abou-Kota, Mohamed E.; Hassaballa, Hoda; Elhini, Maha (Egyptian Journal of Soil Science, 2024)
openalex: W4389553747
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An Investigation of English Language Students' Awareness of Perceptual Learning Style Preferences: Four Public Ethiopian Universities in Focus - Gencha, Mulu Geta (Research Square (Research Square), 2024)
Abstract This study was conducted to determine the perceptual learning style preferences (PLSP) that the graduating TEFL students followed while learning the English language in the 2022–2023 academic year. People have diversified ways of perceptions, stages of motivation, and attitudes toward learning. They are different from each other in their preferences for acquiring knowledge consistently. The study was aimed to know the kinds and the strategies of PLSP students in the English language with MA Post-graduating classes. It focused on Reid's theory on visual, auditory, kinesthetic, tactile, individual, and group learning styles. As the primary sources of data were the subjects' insights into the learning process, the focus was on the actions that the learners consciously employed to facilitate learning. For the numerical interpretation of data, which were tabulated in a 5-point Likert Scale, percentage and overall mean were used to show the proportion of the participant's response to the close-ended questions. To elaborate on students' awareness of their PLSP, the documents from the questionnaire were tabulated and analyzed quantitatively and qualitatively. The findings indicated that the universities' DELL Post-graduating students' Visual Learning, Auditory Learning, and group learning styles got a preference from the learners to a great extent; whereas, tactile learning styles, Kinesthetic learning, and Individual learning styles were less favored. From these findings, a few recommendations, understanding the importance of learning styles, taking care for effective teaching styles, wide-ranging flexible instructional planning, and using a diversity of teaching aids, have been forwarded Keywords: Auditory, group, individual, kinesthetic, tactile, visual.
openalex: W4392363494
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ARE HISTORICALLY DISADVANTAGED RURAL SCHOOLS IN SOUTH AFRICA CAPACITATED TO ENGENDER A CULTURE OF SOCIAL JUSTICE AMONGST THEIR LEARNERS? - Gqeba, Nokuzola; Gqeba, Livingstone Malinge (INTED proceedings, 2024)
openalex: W4392707658
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Students of the World: Global 1968 and Decolonization in the Congo by Pedro Monaville (review) - Hardick, Emily (Africa Today, 2024)
Reviewed by: Students of the World: Global 1968 and Decolonization in the Congo by Pedro Monaville Emily Hardick BOOK REVIEW of Monaville, Pedro. 2022. Students of the World: Global 1968 and Decolonization in the Congo. Durham, NC: Duke University Press. 368 pp. $107.95 (cloth), $29.95 (paper). Pedro Monaville's meticulous new book, Students of the World: Global 1968 and Decolonization in the Congo, follows the ever-widening scope of student activists' global imaginations as they navigated the political shocks of the 1960s in Congo/Zaire—independence from Belgium; the assassination of Patrice Lumumba, the first prime minister; the resulting Congo Crisis; and finally the military coup and rise of Mobutu's repressive regime in 1965—events that "internationalized Congolese politics" (44) through foreign intervention and opened up new horizons of possibility beyond the classroom for student activists. This book is not only a history of student political organization but also "the history of a particular disposition" (15) of young Congolese nationalists (largely men), who kept alive anticolonial, emancipatory ideals by channeling their international leftist affiliations into national activism and revolution well beyond the independence era. For Congolese students, Monaville argues, decolonization was thus a "pedagogy of the world" (209) after years of anxious Belgian colonial repression. The students positioned themselves into global politics through a "future-oriented sensibility" (3), which looked beyond the strict geography of Congo and toward becoming the titular "students of the world." Although drawing from Jean-François Bayart's (2000) concept of extraversion, this book carefully notes students' choices about to whom and where their outward gaze was oriented. "The global," it explains, was shifting with the very alliances Congolese students sought abroad, making them "world makers at a time when the question of the world was highly debated" (10). The book thus weds recent scholarship, which has attended to Africa's role in the global 1960s and the Cold War, with scholarship on Congolese youth and education, such as a study by Charles Tshimanga (2001) and a volume edited by Isidore Ndaywel è Nziem (2018). The subjects at the center of this book sent letters, published literature, studied abroad, and sought to involve themselves and Congo into global politics and global politics into Congo. Monaville's use of archives reflects the worldliness of his subjects, who traveled extensively as they sought international affiliations and forged affective relationships centered on aspirations of decolonization. The bibliography includes more than one hundred referenced interviews, demonstrating the extent of Monaville's efforts to [End Page 98] understand the attitudes of Congolese students, who became increasingly radicalized over the 1960s. Monaville weaves these plural histories into nine chapters, organized into four cohesive parts, each of which is introduced via an "interlude" that focuses on specific anecdotes, interviews, or life histories—a narrative choice that allows the author's interview work and interviewees' own personalities to remain maximally visible through a complicated history of intertwined student groups. Part one focuses on postal correspondence as a source base, using the emblematic figure of Patrice Lumumba, a former postal employee, in chapter 1 to argue that Congolese, with limited mobility and access to education under Belgian rule, "understood correspondence as a way to learn" (26) via distance-learning courses and epistolary relationships with foreign intellectuals. When educating themselves on politics through such international correspondence, as chapter 2 shows, students likewise came to see political struggle as "unbounded by national frontiers" (44). The second section of the book examines the opening of Lovanium, Congo's first university, in 1954 and the development of student subjectivities therein. Although the university fostered a distinctly colonial sense of elitism, it was a "dense point of connectivity" (86) between regions and across the urban-rural divide, allowing a cosmopolitan student culture to emerge on the outskirts of Kinshasa, one that demanded the elite rewards of colonial education and positioned students and graduates as experts as Congo moved toward independence (chapters 3 and 4). The third section follows the progression of student politics from this relatively elitist, apolitical stance to a more radical, leftist-leaning one, inspired by the assassination of Lumumba, as well as the Lumumbist Kwilu Rebellion that followed, when the Congo Crisis opened the...
openalex: W4393097919
Keywords: openalex:import

Does culture empower inclusive finance? Empirical investigation into small business in Cameroon - Hikouatcha, Prince; Foka, Alain Gilles Tagne; Kountelejouo, Carine Laguarta Tindang; Mfokue, Hervé Mboyou (Heliyon, 2024)
Abstract The issue of culture is becoming ever more interesting, especially when interconnected with other business factors like finance. Although intriguing, the relationship between culture and finance has long been neglected. Unlike existing research, this article aims at assessing the impact of culture on financial inclusion and financial literacy among Cameroonian small business managers. In this quantitative investigation, the indices are built using Principal Component Analysis (PCA), and the estimation is done using Ordinary Least Squares (OLS). The data used is from a research survey on 161 small enterprises in the cities of Douala, Bafoussam, Foumban, Foumbot, and Dschang. The findings demonstrate that organizational culture, in contrast to its social component, is positively and strongly associated with financial literacy and financial inclusion. Additionally, firm and manager variables like age, turnover variation, and education level significantly explain these financial variables. Thus, it is essential to promote organizational culture in Cameroonian businesses.
openalex: W4392961417
Keywords: openalex:import

Walter Leal Filho, Nicholas Oguge, Desalegn Ayal, Lydia Adeleke and Izael da Silva (Eds.) (2021) African Handbook of Climate Change Adaptation. Springer Nature - Hindley, Jane (International Journal for Crime, Justice and Social Democracy, 2024)
Jane Hindley reviews African Handbook of Climate Change Adaptation by Walter Leal Filho, Nicholas Oguge, Desalegn Ayal, Lydia Adeleke and Izael da Silva (Eds.)
openalex: W4392283243
Keywords: openalex:import

Investigating how social context moderates the relationship between intentions and behaviors in student entrepreneurship: Case of Tunisian students - Inoubli, Chiheb Eddine; Gharbi, Lamia (The International Journal of Management Education, 2024)
Entrepreneurial intentions are fundamental in the entrepreneurial process, yet their transformation into actual behavior isn't guaranteed, as supported by existing evidence. While research concerning the intention-behavior dynamic in entrepreneurship is limited, findings from other fields consistently highlight a robust intention-behavior correlation. Our study aims to construct a model that dissects how contextual factors, operating at various levels, influence the shift from entrepreneurial intentions to concrete actions. This investigation is underpinned by data collected from surveys conducted among 500 Tunisian university graduates. Within this framework, we examine how immediate influencers (like family and friends) and broader environmental factors (such as the university's entrepreneurial ecosystem and prevailing national norms) impact the career choices of these graduates. Importantly, our research makes a noteworthy contribution to the burgeoning literature focused on the nexus between intentions and actions in entrepreneurship. As a result of this study, we conclude that contextual factors play a more significant role in mediating the relationship between intention and entrepreneurial behavior.
openalex: W4389902074
Keywords: openalex:import