Sexual and Reproductive Health Services Utilization among Wolaita Sodo University Students, Ethiopia: A Mixed Method Approach

Background. Youths have been facing different sexual and reproductive health problems such as HIV infections and unplanned pregnancies. Therefore, this study aimed to assess reproductive health services utilization and their associated factors among Wolaita Sodo University students in Wolaita Sodo, Ethiopia. Methods. We conducted an institutionally-based mixed-method study among 759 regular undergraduate university students. Multistage random sampling and purposive sampling techniques have been used to recruit students for the quantitative and qualitative studies, respectively. A pretested self-administered questionnaire was used to collect the data. A logistic regression model was used for quantitative data analysis, whereas thematic analysis was used for qualitative data. We used open-code software-assisted qualitative data analysis. The statistical significance was declared at a P value less than 0.05. Results. We found that 378 (49.8%) (95% CI: 46.20–53.34) of respondents had utilized sexual and reproductive health services within the 12 months preceding the current survey. Being a first-year student (AOR = 1.57, 95% CI: 1.01–2.46), having ever had sexual intercourse (AOR = 5.12, 95% CI: 3.31, 7.96), participating in peer-to-peer discussion (AOR = 1.46, 95% CI: 1.02–2.02), and having ever had sexual transmitted infection syndrome (AOR = 3.91, 95% CI: 1.41–10.85) have increased the odds of using sexual and reproductive health services. Conclusion. Sexual and reproductive health services utilization among university students was inadequate and affected by several factors. Therefore, strengthening peer support networks and addressing the gap in services were highly recommended.

Factors associated with risky sexual behaviour among secondary and preparatory students in Wolaita Sodo town, Southern Ethiopia; Institution based cross-sectional study

Background: Young people in Ethiopia aged between 18 and 24 who have had sex before age 18 has increased from 35% in 2005 to 40% in 2016 among women and from 9% to 12% among men.Objectives: This study aimed to assess the prevalence and factors associated with risky sexual behavior among secondary and preparatory students in Wolaita Sodo town, Wolaita zone, Southern Ethiopia; 2020.Methods: A school-based cross-sectional study was conducted from February 4 to 25, 2020. Multistage sampling was employed to select a random sample of 830 study participants from 2 randomly selected secondary and preparatory schools. Bivariate and multivariate logistic regression analysis was used to examine the relationship between the outcome variables and independent variables.Result: Among the 306 participants who reported ever having sex, 196 (24.7%) engaged in risky sexual behaviors. Factors significantly associated with risky sexual behavior were; ever used alcohol, ever smoked cigarettes, parent monitoring, and having sexually active close friend/s.Conclusion: Substantial proportion of study participants engaged in risky sexual behavior calling for more interventions on school student’s addictive behaviors. Parents should have frequent, open and informative discussions about substance use and the associated problems with their adolescents. Keywords: Students; risky sexual behavior; factors; Ethiopia.

Magnitude of post-operative mortality and associated factors among patients who underwent surgery in Wolaita Sodo teaching and referral hospital, SNNPR region, Ethiopia

Background: Each year 4.2 million people around the world die within 30 days of surgery and postoperative deaths account for 7.7 % of all deaths. So this study aimed to asses’ magnitude of postoperative mortality and associated factors among patients who underwent surgery in Wolaita Sodo University Teaching referral Hospital.Method: Retrospective cross sectional design was carried out from April 15-30 2019. Card review was done on 384 participants by using Systematic sampling technique. Entered to Epi Data; exported to SPSS for analysis. Variables with p-value < 0.25 in bivariate analysis were entered to multivariate logistic regression. Statistical significance is determined at p-value < 0.05.Results: The magnitude of postoperative mortality was 5.7%. Using surgical check list (AOR= 0.18; 95% CI 0.05 to 0.61), having comorbid condition (AOR= 4.45; 95% CI 1.39 to 14.19), and don’t having blood transfusion (AOR= 0.07; 95% CI 0.02 to 0.22) and general anesthesia (AOR= 4.37; 95% CI 1.17 to 16.30) are factors of post-operative mortality.Conclusion: The magnitude of postoperative mortality was high. Surgical check list, comorbidity, blood transfusion and general anesthesia are factors. The hospital should encourage using of surgical check list and work on comorbid patients to decrease the mortality. Keywords: Magnitude; mortality; surgery; post-operative; Wolaita.

Length of stay in the emergency department and its associated factors among pediatrics patients attending at Wolaita Sodo University Teaching and Referral Hospital, Southern, Ethiopia, 2021.

Background Pediatrics emergency department length of stay; is the time between emergency department arrival and discharge, admission, or referred. Globally, there is a rising in the need for emergency department visits, which is very high in pediatric patients causing a longer length of stay, which is a global challenge and the bottle neck of hospitals that increase the risk of patients, morbidity, mortality, and reduce satisfaction. Objective This study aimed to assess the length of stay and its associated factors in the pediatric emergency department, Wolaita Sodo University Hospital, 2021. Methods An institution-based cross-sectional study was conducted from March 15 to May 15/ 2021. A Systematic sampling technique was used to select 422 study participants. Semi-structured interviewer-administered questionnaires and chart reviews were used to collect the data. The data were entered in Epi Data version 4.6 and analyzed with SPSS version 26. Descriptive statistics were applied to describe the prevalence, pediatrics, emergency department length of stay with a 95% confidence interval. Bi-variable and multivariable logistic regression analysis were used to identify the factors associated with length of stay and the significant level was declared at p-value ≤ 0.05 on AOR and 95% confidence interval Results The proportion of prolonged pediatric emergency department length of stay was 79.70% (95% CI; 75.7, 83.6). Night time arrival [AOR = 3.19, 95% CI (1.14, 8.98)], weekend arrival [AOR=4.25 95% CI (1.63,11.12], ordered imaging study [AOR = 2.82 95% CI (1.49,5.35)], not got ordered medication in the hospital [AOR = 2.05 95% CI (1.04,4.03)] orange triage category [AOR = 4.01, 95% CI (1.60,10.05)], and duration of pain 13-24 hours[AOR = 0.29, 95% CI (0.89,0.98)], were significantly associated with length of stay Conclusion The proportion of prolonged pediatrics emergency department length of stay was high. To decrease the length of stay, it is better to support the investment of resources on solving these benchmarks.

Improvement of the Voltage Profile and Loss Reduction in Distribution Network Using Moth Flame Algorithm: Wolaita Sodo, Ethiopia

Voltage stability and line losses are inevitable issues even in modern power systems. There are several techniques that emerged to solve problems in the power system to provide quality and uninterrupted supply to customers. The algorithms used in this paper to determine the appropriate location and size of the Static Var Compensator (SVC) in the Distribution Network (DN) are Moth Flame Optimization (MFO) and Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO). The objective function is defined to minimize voltage deviation and power loss. The burning problem of voltage stability improvement current scenario is because of a rise in electricity demands in all sectors. Paramount duties of power engineers are to keep the system stable and maintain voltage magnitude constant even during peak hours. The results were checked with the aid of MATLAB on Wolaita Sodo radial distribution of 34 bus data networks. The potential use of SVC is key to solve distribution system power quality issues and estimating the advantage of the installation. The results obtained from the test system were compared with PSO results. This comparison was done to know the computational time of proposed techniques. The performance of the MFA based SVC was superior in distribution system and highlighted the importance of device.

Reviewer Acknowledgements

Applied Economics and Finance (AEF) would like to acknowledge the following reviewers for their assistance with peer review of manuscripts for this issue. Many authors, regardless of whether AEF publishes their work, appreciate the helpful feedback provided by the reviewers. Their comments and suggestions were of great help to the authors in improving the quality of their papers. Each of the reviewers listed below returned at least one review for this issue.Reviewers for Volume 8, Number 6 Albert Henry Ntarmah, Jiangsu University, GhanaAndualem Ufo Baza, Wolaita Sodo University, EthiopiaMarco Muscettola, Independent Researcher-Credit Risk Manager, ItalyOmer Allagabo Omer Mustafa, Sudan Academy for Banking and Financial Sciences., SudanRajeev Rana, APB Govt. P.G. College, IndiaRomeo Victor Ionescu, Dunarea de Jos University, RomaniaSebastian Schich, Organisation for Economic Coopertaion and Development (OECD), FranceY. Saidi, M’sila University, Algeria Nikki GibbsEditorial AssistantOn behalf of,The Editorial Board of Applied Economics and FinanceRedfame Publishing9450 SW Gemini Dr. #99416Beaverton, OR 97008, USAURL: http://aef.redfame.com

Reviewer Acknowledgements

Applied Economics and Finance (AEF) would like to acknowledge the following reviewers for their assistance with peer review of manuscripts for this issue. Many authors, regardless of whether AEF publishes their work, appreciate the helpful feedback provided by the reviewers. Their comments and suggestions were of great help to the authors in improving the quality of their papers. Each of the reviewers listed below returned at least one review for this issue.Reviewers for Volume 8, Number 5 ALI DARUB KASSAR, Univ. of Baghdad, IraqAndrey Kudryavtsev, The Max Stern Yezreel Valley Academic College, IsraelAndualem Ufo Baza, Wolaita Sodo University, EthiopiaIan McFarlane, University of Reading, UKMarco Muscettola, Independent Researcher-Credit Risk Manager, ItalyPayal Chadha, University of Wales Prifysgol Cymru, KuwaitRajeev Rana, APB Govt. P.G. College, IndiaRichard Nguyen, Alliant International University, USASebastian Schich, Organisation for Economic Coopertaion and Development (OECD), FranceVictoria Cociug, Academy of Sciences of Moldova, MoldovaZi-Yi Guo, Wells Fargo Bank, N.A., USA Nikki GibbsEditorial AssistantOn behalf of,The Editorial Board of Applied Economics and FinanceRedfame Publishing9450 SW Gemini Dr. #99416Beaverton, OR 97008, USAURL: http://aef.redfame.com

International Conference on Physics and Energy 2021(ICPAE 2021)

PREFACE This special issue includes the proceedings of the First International Conference on Physics and Energy 2021 (ICPAE 2021), which was held during 21st April 2021 at RanBal Research Institute (RBRI) in Kancheepuram, Tamilnadu, India. ICPAE 2021 provided a platform to experts, researchers, scholars, and academicians across the globe to exhibit their recent innovative research results and the most recent trends in the diverse fields of Physics and Energy. The first edition of ICPAE 2021 was represented by many potential authors. The program comprised of three plenary and four Invited lectures and eighty oral presentations covering emerging fields of Physics and Energy. The organizing committee sincerely acknowledges the support and continuous encouragement from Shri. E. Santhanam, Smt. S. Selvambal [Patrons-RBRI], Prof. P. Anandhi [Conference Chair] and Prof. P. Kumaran [Conference Secretary], Wolaita Sodo University, Ethiopia. Also, the organizing committee would like to express thanks to Dr. D.S. Vijayan, Associate Professor/Dept. of Civil Engineering, Aarupadai Veedu, Paiyanoor, Chennai, India, for rendering his support to the publishing committee. We are grateful to the advisory committee and technical review committee (National/International) for their valuable suggestions and contributions in organizing the mammoth scientific event. The first edition of the ICPAE 2021 proceedings includes fifty six papers eventually accepted after a careful peer-review process accomplished on the presented articles. The organizers sincerely thank to the guest editors and all the reviewers for their great efforts in bringing out the high standard scientific publication. The organizers of the conference are indebted to the publisher of Journal of Physics: Conference Sries (IOP Publisher), for giving consent to publish these papers under the special issue category. Conference Secretary Dr.P. Kumaran M.E., Ph.D Wolaita Sodo University, Ethiopia Guest Editors Guest Editors Dr. S. Harikrishnan M.E, Ph.D Professor & Head Department of Mechanical Engineering Kings Engineering College Irungattukottai, Chennai – 602117, India Dr.P. Anandhi M.Tech., Ph.D Associate Professor Department of Electronics and Communication Engineering P.B. College of Engineering Irungattukottai, Chennai – 602117, India Advisory Committee, Technical Review Committee (International Members), Technical Review Committee (National Members) are available in the pdf