The Scientific World Journal最新文献

Smallholder farmers in Ethiopia face significant challenges in accessing reliable agricultural information due to limited extension services, inadequate infrastructure, low literacy levels, and restricted access to digital tools. These barriers negatively impact farm productivity. This study investigates the effect of agricultural information utilization on wheat productivity in the East Gojjam Zone of the Amhara Region. Data were collected through a cross-sectional survey of 403 wheat-producing households. To address potential selection bias, a propensity score matching (PSM) model was applied, incorporating variables such as farmer mobility, access to extension services, availability of farm inputs, proximity to markets, and exposure to electronic media. The findings reveal that farmers who accessed and effectively used agricultural information achieved an average wheat yield increase of 19.675% per hectare compared to nonusers. This result underscores the crucial role of information access in improving productivity, particularly when supported by better mobility, strong extension services, reliable input supply, market accessibility, and media connectivity. Based on these insights, the study recommends strengthening the agricultural extension system, improving input supply chains, enhancing rural market infrastructure, expanding access to electronic media, and promoting cooperative-based information dissemination as key strategies to support sustainable agricultural development in Ethiopia.

Bacterial infections, particularly those caused by Gram-positive bacteria like vancomycin-resistant enterococci (VRE) and methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), are a growing concern. This review highlights the potential of the Streptomyces genus in producing novel antibacterial compounds against Gram-positive bacteria. The study was carried out following the guidelines of the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis (PRISMA). To gather relevant literature on novel anti-Gram-positive bacteria compounds produced by Streptomyces, a web search was conducted using several databases, including Scopus, PubMed, ScienceDirect, and Google Scholar, covering the period from January 2013 to mid-2024. The search terms employed in this study included "Streptomyces," "antimicrobial/antibacterial activity," "compounds," and "Gram-positive bacteria." Consequently, a total of 248 Streptomyces-derived compounds were featured across the 96 eligible studies. These compounds include 100 polyketides (58 aromatic polyketides, 30 macrolides, and 12 other polyketides), 72 peptides (67 nonribosomal peptides [52 typical cyclic peptides and 15 lipopeptides] and 5 ribosomal peptides), 23 terpenoids, five polyketides-terpenoids, six alkaloids, 12 phenazines, 11 nucleoside antibiotics, and 19 other compounds belonging to distinct chemical classes. The results emphasize that Streptomyces is an unlimited source of naturally occurring compounds with various structural variations that can occasionally have targeted action against a range of pathogenic Gram-positive bacteria.

Introduction: Over the past few decades, particularly following the Chernobyl incident, awareness of the importance of safety culture has increased significantly. Traditionally, safety culture has been assessed using questionnaires, with results often influenced by employees' psychological states. Therefore, the present study evaluates safety culture through an audit-based approach, employing performance indicators grounded in Edgar Schein's model. Materials and Methods: To identify the key factors contributing to the safety culture index, Edgar Schein's model was applied. Relevant indicators were derived across three levels: artifacts, espoused values, and basic assumptions. The fuzzy analytic hierarchy process (FAHP), combined with expert evaluations, was used to determine the relative importance of these criteria. Finally, the company's safety culture index was quantitatively assessed using guide tables and the weighted contribution of each factor. Results: Then, 10 indicators were identified across the three levels of Schein's model: quality of documentation and procedures, employee involvement, management of professional competence, change management, organizational learning, openness and communication, prioritization of safety, managerial knowledge, safety perspectives, and attitudes toward mistakes. According to the FAHP results, prioritization of safety had the highest weight (0.157), while quality of documentation and procedures had the lowest weight (0.026) in the safety culture index. Discussion: An audit-based approach proves more effective than questionnaire methods for quantitatively assessing safety culture.

Soil erosion remains a critical environmental and agricultural challenge in Ethiopia, particularly in highland areas such as the Soro District of Central Ethiopia, where land degradation directly threatens agricultural productivity and rural livelihoods. This study was undertaken to better understand the key factors influencing smallholder farmers' adoption of soil and water conservation practices, along with their perceptions of soil erosion and its impacts. The study employed a mixed methods approach, combining household surveys, focus group discussions, and field observations to gather both quantitative and qualitative data from a representative sample of smallholder farmers. Descriptive analysis, principal component analysis, and probit regression models were used to analyze the collected data. Probit regression analysis revealed that factors such as sex, education, size of farmland, interactions with extension services, participation in conservation training, and household income all played a significant and positive role in encouraging the adoption of soil and water management practices. In contrast, soil fertility was found to have a negative effect on the uptake of soil and water conservation techniques. Farmers perceived damaged conservation structures, soil loss, and farmland fragmentation as key consequences of severe soil erosion. While most farmers recognize soil erosion as a major threat to their land, adoption rates of sustainable practices remain uneven due to economic, institutional, and knowledge-based constraints. The study underscores the importance of integrating local perceptions into policy frameworks and promoting participatory approaches to enhance the uptake of conservation practices. These insights contribute to the design of more effective and context-specific land management strategies aimed at ensuring long-term environmental sustainability and agricultural resilience in the region.

BSL-3 laboratories are fundamental for the safe handling of infectious microorganisms that require high-containment measures. Through a literature review, this work was aimed at highlighting the importance of these laboratories in supporting research and public health responses, especially during health emergencies. The review presents an overview of the global distribution of BSL-3 facilities, the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on laboratory investments, and future perspectives on their role in national development. It was observed that the pandemic exposed limitations in laboratory capacity, leading many countries to operate in suboptimal environments, underscoring the need for strict biosafety standards and preparedness infrastructure. This review also identifies disparities in global BSL-3 capacity-particularly in low- and middle-income countries-and examines the Brazilian context, where the absence of a unified regulatory framework hinders progress. By synthesizing international trends and Brazil's recent initiatives, including the development of its first BSL-4 laboratory, this work contributes to understanding the challenges and opportunities for strengthening biosafety infrastructure in support of equitable pandemic preparedness.

Introduction: Aging impacts masticatory and swallowing functions due to muscle atrophy, neural degeneration, and reduced endurance. This study evaluated age-related differences in masticatory muscle function using the 6-min mastication test (6MMT) with surface electromyography (SEMG). Methodology: The study included two groups: healthy young adults (18-35 years) and healthy older adults (60 years and above). Muscle activity of the masseter and submental muscles was recorded using electrodes during mastication. Participants were instructed to chew bubble gum in synchronization with a metronome set at 80 bpm, with verbal reinforcement provided every minute. Results: Results revealed significant age-related differences in the masseter muscle for all parameters and in the submental muscle for peak values. Older adults demonstrated reduced masticatory muscle performance, attributed to sarcopenia, neural degeneration, and increased noncontractile tissue. Within-group analysis showed progressive changes in submental muscle mean average and power values over the 6-min task, reflecting fatigue, while no significant differences were observed in masseter muscle parameters in healthy young adults, possibly due to a warm-up effect or compensatory motor unit recruitment. Conclusion: The study demonstrated that masseter muscle activity significantly declines with age, with large effect sizes observed for all the parameters. Additionally, fatigue-related reductions in submental muscle parameters were observed across both age groups. These findings suggest that age-related and task-induced fatigue differentially affect masticatory muscles, highlighting the need for tailored interventions to support oral function in older adults.

Mental health disorders remain a significant global burden, and access to timely mental healthcare remains limited. Community pharmacies, given their accessibility to the public, are well-positioned for early mental health screening. Here, we aimed to assess pharmacy students' knowledge, attitudes, and perceived barriers in this regard. The study was conducted via a printed questionnaire, and a total of 211 students, with a mean age of 23.3 ± 3.32 years, participated, including males (35.55%) and females (64.45%). Most students agreed that they are familiar with common mental health disorders (44.08%) and the roles of pharmacists in mental healthcare (38.39%), but were neutral in terms of their ability to identify signs and symptoms (43.13%), awareness of mental health screening tools (32.7%), and confidence in their ability to perform screening (28.44%), with males reporting higher awareness and confidence (p < 0.05) than females. In terms of attitudes, the majority strongly agreed that mental healthcare is essential (50.24%), and most agreed that pharmacists are well-positioned for mental health screening (40.28%) and that screening can improve patient outcomes (39.81%), reduce stigma (37.44%), and should be a routine pharmacy practice (30.81%). The overall score of self-perceived knowledge was 59%, while that for positive attitude was 69%. Lastly, the participants moderately agreed on several potential barriers, including time constraints, lack of pharmacist training or education, lack of sufficient privacy, patient reluctance to share and communicate, and stigma toward mental illness among pharmacists, with agreement scores ranging from 53.25% to 64.75%. The results indicate a low level of perceived knowledge, moderately positive attitudes, and relative awareness of the potential barriers, suggesting a need for improved awareness and education in this regard.

[This retracts the article DOI: 10.1100/2012/793606.].

Background: Livelihood diversification is widely recognized as a vital strategy for improving food security among smallholder rural households. However, achieving meaningful diversification remains a challenge due to various socioeconomic and institutional constraints. This study investigates the impact of livelihood diversification on food security in the West Gojjam Zone of Ethiopia. Methods: A cross-sectional research design was employed using primary data collected from 390 randomly selected smallholder farmers through a multistage sampling technique. Binary logistic regression was used to identify factors influencing livelihood diversification, while Propensity score matching (PSM) was applied to estimate its causal impact on food security. Robust standard errors were reported to address potential heteroscedasticity, and diagnostic tests confirmed no major multicollinearity or model misspecification issues. Key Results: Among the sampled households, 108 engaged in livelihood diversification. Regression results revealed that education (+15.4%) and household size (+5.9%) significantly increased the likelihood of diversification, whereas access to irrigation (-35.7%), livestock ownership (-2.9%), and credit access (-12.08%) negatively affected it. PSM analysis confirmed a positive and statistically significant impact of diversification on food security, increasing daily kilocalorie intake by 118-136 kcal. Conclusion/Policy Implications: The findings suggest that livelihood diversification significantly enhances food security among smallholder farmers. Therefore, policies should promote diversification through expanded irrigation infrastructure, vocational training (TVET and universities), and support for activities such as animal fattening, dairy farming, and beekeeping. Extension services and microfinance institutions should be mobilized to provide technical and financial support focused on diversified farming strategies.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1155/2024/9799127.].