Hawassa University

The main aim of this study was to examine the effects of dialogue journal writing on the writing performance of EFL first-year students at Hawassa University. Two intact classes were randomly selected from the Social Science stream to participate in the study. A quasi-experimental pretest-posttest control group design was employed. After administering a pre-test to both the experimental and comparison groups at the onset of the intervention and after checking their comparability, the two groups were randomly assigned to experimental and comparison conditions. Following thirteen calendar weeks of intervention using dialogue journal writing for the experimental group and the conventional method for the comparison group, a post-test was administered to both groups. To analyze the data, both descriptive statistics (mean and standard deviation) and inferential statistics, including a one-way MANOVA and paired samples t-test, were employed, with data analyzed using SPSS version 26. The findings of the study revealed that the intervention significantly improved the experimental group students' writing performance as a combined dependent variable, with a moderate effect size. A follow-up ANOVA indicated that the intervention significantly improved all aspects of writing, including content, organization, vocabulary, and language use (with a modest effect size). However, the treatment did not significantly improve the experimental group's writing performance in terms of mechanics, although they scored a higher mean (M = 2.93) than the comparison group (M = 2.82). Therefore, EFL university instructors are encouraged to integrate dialogue journal writing into their writing classes to enhance students' writing performance. • Examines the impacts of dialogue journal writing on students' writing performance. • Reveals significant improvement for the experimental group after the treatment. • Suggests adopting dialogue journal writing in EFL writing instruction.

ABSTRACT This paper presents a study on the development of a deep learning-based methodology for rapidly predicting the floor response spectrum (FRS) of multi-story buildings. The proposed approach aims to accurately predict both elastic and inelastic floor response spectra using surrogate-modelling techniques, significantly reducing the computational cost compared to traditional physics-based time-history analyses. Advanced deep learning techniques, such as bidirectional long short-term memory (Bi-LSTM) networks and Transformers are employed. These models are trained on datasets derived from numerical simulations as well as structural health monitoring data collected from real earthquake events. To develop and validate the models, numerical simulations conducted via OpenSees generate datasets comprising FRS data from 16 multi-story buildings modelled as simplified MDOF systems and 10 buildings modelled with detailed finite element representations. A total of 1030 ground motions are considered. In addition, FRS data from 96 multi-story buildings obtained from real earthquake events are incorporated into the model development process. The model’s performance is thoroughly evaluated using metrics, including root mean square error (RMSE), mean absolute error (MAE), mean squared error (MSE), and the coefficient of determination (R2). The proposed surrogate model achieves an accuracy of 0.95, demonstrating its effectiveness in predicting the FRS of multi-story buildings.

Neurosurgical patients frequently require intensive postoperative care. However, data on the factors influencing their outcomes in low-resource environments are limited. This study aimed to identify the predictors of mortality among neurosurgical patients admitted to the Surgical Intensive Care Unit at the Tikur Anbessa Specialized Hospital, Ethiopia. A retrospective cohort study was conducted between January 1, 2024, and January 1, 2025. All neurosurgical patients admitted to the surgical Intensive Care during the study period were reviewed. Patient outcomes were categorized as death during Intensive Care Unit stay or discharge or transfer with clinical improvement. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was performed using SPSS version 27, and variables with p < 0.05 were considered statistically significant. A total of 140 neurosurgical patients were included, with an overall ICU mortality rate of 23% (n = 32). Emergency surgery (AOR = 7.4; 95% CI: 1.26-13.97; p = 0.027), intraoperative blood loss > 1000mL (AOR = 4.0; 95% CI: 1.96-5.29; p = 0.044), lack of continuous postoperative monitoring (AOR = 3.5; 95% CI: 1.93-13.15; p = 0.044), and ICU complications (AOR = 7.8; 95% CI: 1.92-13.49; p = 0.004) were independently associated with increased mortality. 23% Of the neurosurgical patients admitted to the SICU died during the ICU stay. Mortality was independently associated with emergency surgery, significant intraoperative blood loss, lack of continuous postoperative monitoring, and the occurrence of ICU-related complications.

Abstract The study examined the implications of substituting conventional cobb500 broiler feed with dried cereal-origin solid food waste (DCOSFW). It emphasized the nutritional, economic and environmental benefits of utilizing non-conventional poultry feed. A factorial experimental design was employed to assess the physicochemical properties and fatty acid profiles of meat from broilers fed varying percentages of DCOSFW (0%, 4%, 8%, 12%, and 16%) in both grower and finisher diets. Key findings revealed significant variations in protein content, ranging from 19.79 to 23.72 g/100 g, and fat content from 1.4 to 2.14 g/100 g in the biceps femoris muscle of birds fed 8% DCOSFW (T2). Lipid content varied between 1.73% and 1.96% in males and 1.04% to 2.35% in females. The breast muscle exhibited notable differences in fatty acid composition, with linoleic acid percentages between 29.5% and 34.8%, arachidonic acid from 2.5% to 4.5%, monounsaturated fatty acids ranging from 24.5% to 27.4%, omega-6 fatty acids at 34.69% to 38.98%, omega-3 at 1.48% to 3.44%, and polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) between 36.7% and 40.8%. Additionally, the PUFA to saturated fatty acid (SFA) ratios varied from 0.98 to 1.29. These results suggest that replacing up to 20% of maize grain with DCOSFW can positively influence the physicochemical characteristics and fatty acid profiles of broiler meat, advocating for its adoption as a sustainable feed alternative, particularly in Ethiopian poultry production.

Objective: Exosomes (Exo) have emerged as a promising alternative strategy for treatment of bone defects. The efficacy of exosomes derived from the donor cells is largely influenced by the condition under which the cells are cultured. Recently, exosomes derived from osteogenically induced MC3T3-E1 cells stimulated with SPX (spexin) (OM-Exo-SPX) have shown to promote cell viability, osteoblast differentiation and matrix mineralization in vitro. Therefore, the aim of this study is to explore the effect of OM-Exo-SPX and exosomes derived from osteogenically induced MC3T3-E1 cells (OM-Exo) in bone regeneration. Methods: The mean size and surface protein markers of OM-Exo-SPX and OM-Exo were evaluated using nanoparticle tracking analysis (NTA) and western blot, respectively. Exosome-mediated matrix mineralization was assessed by alizarin red S (ARS) staining. In vivo bone regeneration efficacy of OM-Exo-SPX and OM-Exo was determined using micro-computed tomography (Micro-CT), hematoxylin and eosin (H&E) staining and Masson’s Trichrome staining. Results: SPX markedly increased the release of exosomes from osteogenically induced MC3T3-E1 cells compared to SPX untreated group (p < 0.05). Matrix mineralization effect of OM-Exo-SPX (10 µg/mL) was the highest compared with OM-Exo (10 µg/mL) (p < 0.01) and exosomes untreated group (p < 0.001). Micro-CT, H&E staining and Masson’s Trichrome staining revealed that OM-Exo-SPX (10 µg/µL) significantly promoted bone regeneration compared with OM-Exo and control group. Similarly, OM-Exo displayed more new bone formation at the defect site compared with the control group. Conclusion: Overall, the study discloses OM-Exo-SPX improves in vivo bone regeneration in a calvarial defect model. It also underscores the promise of OM-Exo-SPX as new approach for bone regeneration.