PLOS ONE

Sakumo Lagoon, a small (1 km2) semi-open coastal lagoon in Ghana, lies between the cities of Accra and Tema. The lagoon and its surrounding wetland were designated a Ramsar Site in 1992, mainly because it served as a refuge for 66 local and migratory bird species. Its ecology, and the biology of its major fish species, notably the blackchin tilapia (Sarotherodon melanotheron) were thoroughly studied in 1971, when the lagoon was a diverse, mainly brackish ecosystem supporting a traditionally and well-managed fishery. In 2016-2017, another study found the lagoon mostly covered by floating vegetation and plastic waste. Finally, in 2024, a visual survey established that the floating vegetation had been almost completely replaced by terrestrial plants, with only a few square meters of garbage-strewn water in front of a culvert connecting the lagoon to the open sea. Several lagoons along the coast of Ghana have been similarly lost to urban sprawl and its various forms of pollution, but Sakumo Lagoon is a Ramsar Site, and its imminent disappearance should not remain undocumented.

Background: Training context may shape motivation, perceived effort, confidence, mood, and satisfaction during exercise, but evidence from real-world self-reported samples remains limited. This dataset includes 155 respondents and compares individuals who reported training mainly alone with those who reported training mainly in groups. Objective: To describe the sample, summarize questionnaire responses, and discuss an analytically appropriate framework for comparing perceived psychological and performance-related dimensions across training contexts. Methods: A cross-sectional observational study was conducted using questionnaire data exported to Excel from a convenience sample of physically active adults. Baseline variables included age group, sex, education, training history, weekly training frequency, and preferred training modality. Fourteen Likert-type items were recorded; however, the questionnaire structure was asymmetric, with the first seven items completed only by respondents training mainly in groups and the second seven available across the full sample, including 116 respondents training mainly alone and 39 training mainly in groups. Descriptive statistics were summarized as counts and percentages for categorical variables and as mean, standard deviation, median, and interquartile range for ordinal items. For inferential comparisons on comparable ordinal outcomes, the prespecified approach was the Mann-Whitney U test, with multivariable ordinal regression considered for adjusted analysis. Results: The final sample comprised 155 respondents, of whom 116 mainly trained alone and 39 mainly trained in groups. The distribution of training modality was therefore substantially unbalanced toward individual training. Across the seven items available in the full sample, median responses were generally centered around 3, suggesting moderate or neutral-to-mild agreement overall. Mean values for these items ranged approximately from 2.65 to 3.32, whereas group-specific items in the group-training block were generally higher, with means often above 4.0, although those items were not directly comparable across modalities because they were only completed in one subgroup. Accordingly, the most defensible interpretation is descriptive: the sample suggests broadly moderate perceived benefits of training context, but the questionnaire structure limits strong head-to-head causal or comparative claims.

ObjectivesFootball players between the ages of 13 and 16 were the subjects of this study to (i) compare skeletal age, growth hormone (GH), insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1), VO2max, countermovement jump (CMJ) performance, and playing time across four consecutive age groups (under-13 to under-16), and (ii) investigate correlations between these metrics within each age group. Designcross-sectional research study. MethodsThe U13, U14, U15, and U16 groups included 122 elite male youth football players (14.13 {+/-} 1.14 years; 169.39 {+/-} 9.82 cm; 55.56 {+/-} 10.10 kg). The Fels method was used to determine skeletal age. Anthropometric measures included height, weight, and sitting height. The CMJ and Yo-Yo (VO2max) tests were used to assess physical fitness. GH and IGF-1 were measured in blood samples. Pearson correlation and one-way ANOVA were used. ResultsAnthropometric assessment, skeletal age, VO2max, CMJ, IGF-1, football training, and minutes playing all showed significant group differences, with the U16 group demonstrating the highest values and the U13 group the lowest (p < 0.001). There were no significant differences in GH (p = 0.172). Although there were no consistent relationships between GH or IGF-1 and height or weight, these variables did correlate with other factors; however, these associations varied by group. ConclusionsAcross the under-13 to under-16 span, skeletal age, physical fitness, and IGF-1 increased progressively between age groups, whereas GH did not differ. The impact of biological maturation on performance was demonstrated by the fact that older, more experienced players performed better than younger ones. The absence of a between-group difference in GH, despite progressive changes in the other measures, points to maturity-driven adaptations rather than a uniform hormonal response.

Investigating Changes Detection in Land Use and Land Cover Analysis of Opencast Singareni Coal Mine Area Using Remote Sensing and GIS Techniques was the focus of the current investigation. Change Detection Analysis for Land Use Land Cover over a decade frequency (2005-2015) of cultivated soils surrounding OpenCast Coal Mine areas namely Ramakrishnapur, Srirampur and Medipalli of Telangana State.AWiFS data of IRS Resoursesat Satellite images of 2005 and 2015 were taken for the detection of temporal variation in Land use/ Land cover due to open cast coal mining.The ability of remote sensing techniques to produce precise spatiotemporal statistics of LULC and its changes in the typical coal mining region has been demonstrated, in open cast coal mining per year was the highest at Ramakrishnapur (@ 300 ha / year) followed by Srirampur (@ 150 ha / year) and Medipalli (@ 100 ha / year).At Ramakrishnapur with the onset of mining there was considerable decrease in agricultural land, shallow water bodies and deciduous forests i.e., conversion of these land uses to mining was evident. Whereas, at other two mining sites (Srirampur and Medipalli) conversion of scrubland followed by shallow water bodies, agriculture lands and deciduous forests into mining area was detected. However, the built-up land at all three-mining site was from cultivated lands and at Medipalli and Srirampur it was also contributed from scrubland. On the whole impact of open cast mining on deep water bodies was not detected. If the mining and surrounding regions continued and appropriate use of the land and water resources at hand, careful long-term planning is of utmost importance.

Accurate species identification is fundamental for understanding insect pest diversity and developing effective management strategies. Wheat aphids are among the most destructive insect pests worldwide, yet comprehensive molecular confirmation of species diversity in Bangladesh has been lacking. This study employed an integrative taxonomic approach combining DNA barcoding and morphological characterization to identify wheat aphid species collected from major wheat-growing regions of Bangladesh. Aphid specimens were sampled from 11 locations across four districts during the 2024-2025 wheat growing season. A partial fragment of the mitochondrial cytochrome C oxidase subunit I (COI) gene was amplified and sequenced, followed by BLAST analysis, phylogenetic reconstruction using the Maximum Likelihood method, genetic distance estimation, and detailed morphometric analyses. COI sequence analysis identified five wheat aphid species: Sitobion avenae, Rhopalosiphum padi, R. maidis, R. rufiabdominalis, and Hysteroneura setariae. Sitobion avenae was the predominant species, occurring across all surveyed regions. BLAST similarity ranged from 99.68% to 100%, confirming reliable species-level identification. Phylogenetic analysis grouped all specimens into five well-supported species-specific clades with strong bootstrap support (97-100%), corroborating molecular identification. Pairwise genetic distance analysis revealed very low intraspecific divergence (0.0-0.18%) and clear interspecific divergence (4.9-11.9%), indicating strong genetic discrimination among species. Morphological and morphometric analyses further distinguished the five species, with significant interspecific differences (P < 0.0001) observed for body length, antennal length, tubercle width, cauda length, and cornicle length. The concordance between molecular and morphological evidence demonstrates the robustness of the integrative taxonomic framework. This study provides the first comprehensive molecular and morphological characterization of wheat aphid species in Bangladesh, establishing a reliable baseline for biodiversity assessment, pest surveillance, insecticide resistance monitoring, and the development of evidence-based integrated pest management strategies to support sustainable wheat production amid changing agroecological conditions.

Obtaining, Evaluating, and Communicating Information is one of the eight Science and Engineering Practices in the National Research Council framework that underlies Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS). Scientific inquiry requires evaluation and communication of research findings. These skills are part of scientific inquiry itself. The goal of this study was to characterize the communication practices students used during Science and Engineering Fairs (SEFs). To examine these practices, we included the following question in our online anonymous and voluntary national high school SEF surveys carried out during 2021-22 and 2022-23, "What types of communication and presentation skills did you use in your science fair project?" The possible answers were literature review; research notebook; software to prepare tables, graphs, or images; written report; poster board preparation; PowerPoint presentation; and interview with the judges. Literature review and research notebook are part of developing research questions and data collection. Software to prepare tables, graphs, or images, and PowerPoint presentation contribute to analyzing research and developing a presentation. Written reports, poster board preparation, and interviews with the judges provide the opportunity to present the findings. Overall, 1789 students answered the question. The percentage of students utilizing these skills ranged from 17.3% doing a literature review to 67.6% preparing a poster board. On average, students indicated the use of three skills. Poster board preparation and interview with the judges were selected by students more than twice as frequently as literature review and research notebook. More positive SEF outcomes were associated with a greater number of skills used by students. Among the different skills, use of a research notebook showed the strongest association. In this paper, we present the findings and discuss implications regarding use of notebooks and other communication and presentation skills in students SEF experiences and engagement with scientific inquiry.

Introduction: Professionalism is a conceptualization of obligations, attributes, interactions, attitudes, and role behaviors required for professionals with individual clients and to the society as a whole. Despite there is a known effect of low professionalism of nurses on health care delivery system, the study determining professionalism and affecting factors in Ethiopia is limited in to a few numbers. Therefore this study was aimed to assess perceived level of professionalism and associated factors among nurses working in Hadiya Zone public hospitals, south Ethiopia. Methods: An institution based concurrent mixed cross sectional study was conducted from May 09 to June 09/2022. A total of 376 nurses were selected by using Computer generated Simple random sampling techniques for quantitative study whereas Purposive sampling technique was used to select qualitative study participants. Epi data version 4.6 was used to enter the data whereas Statistical package for social science version 25 was used for the analysis of quantitative data. Ordinal logistic regression model was used to identify effects of independents on outcome variable. Results: A total of 360 nurses participated in the study with a response rate of 95.7%. The overall low perceived professionalism among nurses working in Hadiya zone found to be 40.3%. Variables such as Educational status (AOR= 0.045 (0.021, 0.096), Sense of accomplishment (AOR= 3.21(1.85, 5.55), and participating in professional associations (AOR= 5.302(2.82, 9.96) were significantly associated with professionalism. Qualitative study finding showed Salary, training, upgrading education; undermining nursing profession, inadequate facilities were the raised influencing factors of professionalism. Conclusion: This study revealed that professionalism among nurses was low and the associated factors were; level of education, taking training, participating in professional organizations, and sense of accomplishment. Ethiopian nursing association and Ministry of Health should focus on developing nurses professionalism.

ObjectiveChoosing between TNBS/ethanol enema and DSS free-drinking water protocols for establishing rat ulcerative colitis(UC) models remains a practical challenge in preclinical research. Beyond confirming that both methods induce colitis, no prior study has quantified the independent contribution of enema procedural trauma to inflammatory readouts, reported sex-stratified cytokine responses, or formally linked model-specific immune profiles to human UC endotypes. MethodsTen SPF-grade SD rats(half male and half female) were allocated to a normal control, a procedure-matched saline enema control(anesthesia and enema without chemical agent), a TNBS group(100 mg/kg TNBS + 50% ethanol enema), and a DSS group(3% DSS free-drinking, 7 days). Endpoint assessments included body weight, colon length, macroscopic and histological scoring(modified Macpherson criteria, 0-10), and serum TNF- and IL-6 by ELISA. Post-hoc exploratory analyses included sex-stratified cytokine sub-analysis and coefficient of variation(CV%) for each readout. ResultsBoth model groups successfully induced UC(P<0.05 vs. controls for all endpoints). Critically, the procedure-matched saline enema control confirmed that colonic inflammation in the TNBS group was attributable to the chemical agent rather than mechanical trauma. TNBS induced significantly higher TNF-(90.2{+/-}10.5 vs. 73.5{+/-}9.8 pg/mL, P<0.05) and IL-6(66.5{+/-}8.3 vs. 53.2{+/-}7.6 pg/mL, P<0.05) than DSS,consistent with Th1-polarized vs. innate barrier-disruption immune endotypes, respectively. Coefficient of variation analysis indicated greater intra-group variability in TNBS versus DSS, reflecting the procedural dependency of enema-based models. ConclusionA procedure-matched control design is essential for valid TNBS-vs.-DSS comparisons and has been systematically underutilized in prior studies. Based on immune endotype alignment, TNBS is recommended for screening T-cell-targeted therapies and acute anti-inflammatory agents, while DSS is recommended for epithelial barrier repair and microbiome-modulating interventions. A model-selection decision framework derived from these data is provided to guide preclinical study design.

This study analyzed variation in the floristic composition of successional tropical dry forests (Bs-T) along a gradient of landscape transformation and environmental factors in the Colombian inter-Andean valleys. Using 45 permanent plots distributed across the Magdalena and Cauca river basins, floristic patterns were evaluated through analyses of diversity (Hill numbers), similarity (NMDS), and relationships with environmental variables (RDA). The results showed a clear floristic differentiation between watersheds, whereas the succession and transformation gradients were not significant in explaining compositional variation. The main variables associated with floristic composition were total annual precipitation, mean annual temperature, and edaphic properties (pH, texture, base content, and available phosphorus), showing that environmental and geomorphological heterogeneity is the main determinant of floristic patterns in these ecosystems. Although some plots exhibit structural features typical of late successional stages, floristic composition reflects species assemblages characteristic of early and intermediate stages, suggesting that Bs-T forests require periods exceeding 50 years to recover the typical composition of mature forests. Taken together, these results confirm that floristic variation in the inter-Andean valleys is primarily related to multiscale environmental gradients rather than to the direct effects of transformation or succession, highlighting the need to incorporate these factors into management, restoration, and conservation strategies for tropical dry forest.

The Southern Hemisphere is home to extensive forests of giant kelp (Macrocystis pyrifera), including in Argentina and the southern islands of Tierra del Fuego, which has been proposed as a potential climate refugium. This study presents the first regional time series of M. pyrifera canopy dynamics in Argentina using Landsat satellite imagery from 1985 to 2023. The forests analyzed support 247.61 km{superscript 2} of emergent canopy and are situated in the coastal waters of Argentina and a small portion of Chilean islands, with 4%, 28%, and 68% in the Chubut, Santa Cruz, and Tierra del Fuego A.e.I.A.S, respectively. The small portion of Chilean Islands are included as part of the Tierra del Fuego province analyses. Range limits were scrutinized, in part, using expert knowledge and multisatellite comparisons. Linear regression shows that between 1998 and 2023, 7.4% of kelp sites exhibited a significant trend in annual canopy area, with all observed significant trends in the positive direction. Partitioning by province boundaries, linear regression produces significant positive increases in kelp canopy area across all three provinces, although reassessment when longer temporal continuity is also warranted, where available. Observed seawater nitrate concentrations were high throughout the region (7-23 {micro}mol L-{superscript 1}), suggesting that nitrate availability was not a primary driver of canopy variability. However, positive relationships between kelp canopy and the Antarctic Oscillation suggest that regional climate variability--which alters sea surface temperature and other oceanographic conditions--may be exerting a strong influence on kelp dynamics in this region. These findings document relative stability of kelp forest area in Argentina over the most recent two and a half decades and provide preliminary evidence supporting possible increases in kelp area for the region.

Spatial overlap of domestic animals and wildlife can have positive effects such as increased biodiversity in some areas and reduction in forest fires but it can also have negative consequences such as pathogen spillover, vector and pathogen propagation into new areas among others. Thus, understanding the interactions between wildlife and domestic animals on shared landscapes is critical for conservation and management purposes. To investigate these cattle-wildlife interactions, we chose Buck Island Ranch (BIR) in southcentral Florida. We studied spatial overlap between Domestic Cattle (Bos Taurus) and multiple wildlife species such as Wild Boar (Sus scrofa), White-tailed Deer (Odocoileus virginianus), Rabbits (Sylvilagus spp) and others in pasture, semi-pasture, and hammock habitats/vegetation types at BIR. Five management blocks were selected that had pasture and hammock habitats and within each block we established matched pairs of 100m transects. Animal dung samples were surveyed and identified in 13 pairs of transects. We used Wilcoxon signed rank test to determine differences in dung counts between the habitats and calculated Simpson diversity index to analyze the differences in diversity between the habitat types. We found that there was greater dung count of white-tailed deer in hammock habitats compared to pastures (p=0.048) and greater diversity of wildlife in hammocks than pastures (p=0.028). Cattle dung was found in high density in both hammocks and pastures. These results indicate that hammocks are areas shared between cattle and wildlife at BIR and depending on the extent of direct and indirect contacts between these animals there can be a risk for pathogen spillover. We recommend further research on local land and cattle management practices that can facilitate the co-existence of livestock and wildlife.

The concept of "wild" is poorly defined when applied to non-human animals, despite its central role in conservation, wildlife management and environmental policy. Despite numerous attempts to define "wildness", the distinction between "wild" and "non-wild" remains inconsistently applied. A shared, empirically grounded understanding of wildness would strengthen communication, support policy and legislation, and clarify human attitudes towards wildlife and nature. We assessed whether a shared understanding of wildness exists within the research community. A total of 358 professionals from different fields completed an online survey comprising 44 wildness-related statements along established measures of attitude and acceptability toward wildlife (AATW) and nature-relatedness (NRS). . Exploratory Factor Analysis revealed six components (19 statements): Human-mediated animal availability, Urbanisation, Independence from humans, Human-wildlife perceived conflict, Individual history of wildness, and Feralisation. These factors explained 43.91% of the variance. Mediation analysis showed that urbanisation and human-wildlife perceived conflict shape nature-relatedness by influencing attitudes and acceptability towards wildlife. Respondents demographic and professional backgrounds influenced their conceptualisation of wildness. While there is a shared latent structure of wildness across fields, it is multidimensional. This has implications for developing working definitions applicable to research, policy and practice.

Background Oral care is a critical nursing intervention for mechanically ventilated patients in intensive care units (ICUs) and plays an important role in preventing ventilator-associated complications. However, variability in nurses' competency in oral care remains a concern, particularly in resource-limited settings. Objective To assess ICU nurses' competency in providing oral care to mechanically ventilated patients and determine factors associated with competency at Tenwek Hospital, Kenya. Methods An analytical cross-sectional study was conducted among ICU nurses at Tenwek Hospital. A total of 38 nurses were invited, and 35 participated, yielding a response rate of 92.1%. Data were collected using a structured questionnaire and an observational competency checklist. Descriptive statistics and inferential analysis, including chi-square tests and binary logistic regression, were performed using SPSS version 30. Statistical significance was set at p<0.05. Results ICU nurses demonstrated generally high competency in key oral care practices, including use of personal protective equipment (100%), suctioning before and after oral care (91.4%), and oral assessment (80.0%). However, gaps were identified in documentation of oral care (62.9%) and adherence to standardized protocols (65.7%). Formal oral care training was significantly associated with competency (OR=5.63, 95% CI: 1.78-17.81, p=0.002), as were professional qualification (p=0.030) and ICU experience (p=0.021). In multivariable analysis, oral care training (OR=3.01, p=0.006), ICU experience (OR=2.85, p=0.015), and availability of guidelines (OR=2.17, p=0.047) were independent predictors of competency. Conclusion ICU nurses at Tenwek Hospital demonstrate satisfactory competency in oral care for mechanically ventilated patients, although gaps remain in documentation and protocol adherence. Strengthening training, guideline availability, and institutional support systems is essential to improve consistency and quality of oral care practice. Keywords Intensive care unit; oral care; nursing competency; mechanically ventilated patients; ventilator-associated pneumonia; Kenya.

Background: Abortion is safe when carried out using a method recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO), appropriate to the pregnancy duration, and by someone with the necessary skills. lobally, around 73 million induced abortions take place each year. Around 95% of maternal deaths occur in developing countries due to childbirth and pregnancy-related complications. Methodology: A descriptive cross-sectional study was used for the study among the married reproductive (20-45 years) age women using a non-probability purposive sampling technique. A self-developed semi-structured questionnaire was used via face-to-face interview for data collection. The collected data were analyzed using SPSS 16.0 version descriptive and inferential statistics were used to find the association between variables. Results: The findings of the study show that among 118 respondents, nearly two-thirds (57.6%) of the respondents had adequate knowledge and less than half (42.4%) of the respondents had inadequate knowledge regarding safe abortion. The study further shows that there was a significant association between the level of knowledge regarding safe abortion and education status and education level with p-value <0.05. Conclusion: The study concludes that nearly two third of the respondents have adequate knowledge regarding safe abortion. Educational status significantly influenced their level of knowledge. Thus, we could provide correct knowledge, education, and enhance awareness to married women in the reproductive age group.

Rapid urbanization has intensified ecological degradation and threatened ecosystem sustainability in the Yangtze River Basin. This study proposes a Function-Structure-Dynamic (FSD) framework integrating ecological protection importance assessment, ecological security pattern (ESP) construction, and future land-use simulation to identify ecological restoration priorities in the Anhui section of the Yangtze River Basin. Ecologically important areas were identified by coupling ecosystem services and ecological vulnerability. MSPA, landscape connectivity analysis, resistance surface modeling, and circuit theory were applied to construct the ESP, while the PLUS model simulated land-use change and ecological risks in 2032. Results identified 37 ecological sources covering 6,901.39 km{superscript 2} and 84 ecological corridors with a total length of 916.80 km. Ecological pinch points, barrier areas, and 17 ecological warning areas were further delineated. Based on these findings, four ecological restoration zones were proposed with differentiated management strategies. The FSD framework effectively integrates ecological functions, spatial structure, and future dynamics, providing scientific support for ecological restoration and sustainable territorial spatial planning in rapidly urbanizing regions.

Research suggests that students realize a range of cognitive, affective, and motivation-related outcomes by participating in course-based undergraduate research experiences (CUREs). However, the overall effects of CUREs on student outcomes are unclear. We sought to address this knowledge gap by embarking on a meta-analysis of CURE studies using the Population, Intervention, Comparison/Control group, and Outcomes framework. We conducted a literature search to produce an analytic sample of 353 studies of the effects of CUREs instruction on undergraduates. We characterized the CUREs being studied in this sample, including their dose, duration, and design. We also examined each study to determine if outcomes were measured before and after the CURE and with a comparison or control group so that effects could be attributed to CURE. We found substantial limitations in studies of CUREs, which precluded meta-analysis. CUREs varied widely and were unevenly described, making it difficult to determine what could or should constitute CURE instruction as an intervention. Many outcomes were studied, often without a comparison or control group and with inconsistent measurement and reporting. Our results indicate that advancements are needed in the design and reporting of research on CUREs to gauge their effects on student outcomes. Highlight SummaryMany studies of CURE instruction aim to show effects on student outcomes. Yet, systematic review of these studies reveals limitations in study design, methods, and reporting that preclude meta-analysis and limit any cross-study conclusions.

Genetic gains for yield and yield-contributing traits are low or stagnant in sorghum especially under low soil moisture environments which have contributed to a yield gap of 3.0 in Africa. Exploring the extent of variation for yield-determining traits in sorghum will effective variety design to boost production in drought-stressed environments. Therefore, the objective of this study was to determine genetic variability, heritability and genetic gains for agronomic and physiological traits in sorghum under varying drought stress conditions to guide cultivar and trait selection for breeding. The study was conducted as a three-way factorial treatment structure involving a genetically diverse panel of two hundred and twenty-five (225) sorghum genotypes which were grown under three drought conditions [i.e., non-stressed (NS), pre-anthesis drought stress (PrADS), and post-anthesis drought stress (PoADS)] and two environments (e.g., field and glasshouse environments) using a 15 x 15 alpha lattice design in two replicates. Data were collected on agronomic and physiological traits, namely: days to anthesis (DA), days to maturity (DM), plant height (PH), stay-green (SG), seed weight (TKW), biomass yield (BM), harvest Index (HI), grain yield (GY), leaf area (LA), leaf chlorophyll content (SPAD) and stomatal conductance (SC) and subjected to various statistical analyses. Combined analysis of variance showed highly significant (P < 0.001) genotype, drought condition and environment, and their interactions for most traits under assessment. Genotypic coefficient of variation (GCV) was lower than phenotypic coefficient of variation (PCV) for all traits. Heritability in the broad-sense (H2) was moderate for GY (40%) under PrADS condition, but high under NS (60%) and PoADS (65%) conditions. Similarly, high genetic advance was recorded for traits with high heritability. GY positively and significantly correlated with HI under NS (r = 0.88), PrADS (r = 0.62) and PoADS (r = 0.61). Other agronomic and physiological traits poorly correlated with GY. The following genotypes were selected based on high grain yield and suitable agronomic and physiological traits under NS conditions; DAN YARA (5.7 t/ha and SC = 335.5) and JARWA (GY = 5.6 t/ha, SC = 326.3); under PrADS CSRO1 (GY = 2.9 t/ha, SC = 275.2) and ICNSL2014-021-1 (GY = 2.7 t/ha, SC = 268.2) and under PoADS conditions DANYAR BANA (GY = 4.2 t/ha, SC = 237.2) and DAN YARA (3.9 t/ha. SC = 330.0). The selected genotypes with the desirable traits are useful genetic resources for breeding high-performing sorghum hybrids to boost sorghum productivity in drought-prone areas in Africa.

Objective: A questionnaire on the knowledge, attitude and practice of ICU nurses regarding the management of blood oxygen saturation in patients with mechanical ventilation was compiled, and its reliability and validity were tested. Method: Drawing upon the knowledge-attitude-practice theory, the initial questionnaire draft was developed through literature review and consultation with Delphi experts. Employing convenience sampling, 32 nurses from the General ICU of Wuxi Second People's Hospital were surveyed between 1 August 2025 and 27 September 2025, enabling item screening and assessment of reliability and validity.The full version of the developed questionnaire is provided as Supporting Information (S1 File). All items are published under a CC BY 4.0 license, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited. Result: A questionnaire on the knowledge, attitude and practice of ICU nurses regarding the management of blood oxygen saturation in mechanically ventilated patients was finalised, comprising 26 items: 11 in the knowledge dimension, 6 in the attitude dimension and 9 in the behaviour dimension. The overall Cronbach's coefficient for the questionnaire was 0.88, with dimension-specific coefficients of 0.787, 0.722, and 0.781 respectively. The Spearman-Brown coefficient for the entire questionnaire was 0.967, while dimension-specific coefficients were 0.796, 0.666, and 0.728 respectively. The content validity index at the questionnaire level (S-CVI) was 0.886, and the item-level content validity index (I-CVI) ranged from 0.913 to 0.967. 0.728. The questionnaire's level content validity index (S-CVI) was 0.886, and the item level content validity index (I-CVI) ranged from 0.913 to 1.00. Conclusion: The questionnaire on knowledge, attitude and practice of blood oxygen saturation management in mechanically ventilated patients demonstrates good reliability and validity. It may serve as an assessment tool for intensive care unit nurses regarding their knowledge, attitude, and practices concerning blood oxygen saturation management in mechanically ventilated patients, thereby establishing a foundation for developing targeted intervention strategies in future practice.

Background: Hemorrhoids are among the most common anorectal disorders, yet traditional treatment practices remain widespread in Ethiopia. These remedies often involve corrosive chemicals, herbal preparations, or invasive procedures, and are associated with severe complications. Despite their prevalence, systematic evidence on outcomes and community perceptions is limited. Methods: A hospital?based cross?sectional study was conducted from December 30, 2024 to December 29, 2025 in Sidama, Ethiopia. A total of 450 patients diagnosed with hemorrhoids and managed across five government hospitals were enrolled. Structured questionnaires and medical record review were used to collect socio?demographic characteristics, clinical presentation, hospital management, traditional treatment practices, complications, and community perceptions. Descriptive statistics and independent sample t?tests were applied. Results: The mean age of participants was 35.2 years, with a predominance of males (63.1%) and urban residents (72%). Perianal pain (84%) and rectal bleeding (50%) were the most frequent symptoms. Independent samples t?test analysis demonstrated that patients who visited traditional healers were significantly older than those who did not (mean age 48.2 vs. 34.4 years; mean difference = 13.8 years, 95% CI: 8.8-18.8; p < 0.001). Hospital management, primarily hemorrhoidectomy (31.8%), achieved favorable outcomes, with 97.3% of patients improving. Twenty-eight patients (6.2%) reported using traditional healers, most commonly involving topical chemical applications (71.4%). Complications were frequent among traditional users, with 85.7% experiencing adverse outcomes such as persistent pain, anal stenosis, and perianal discharge. Despite these complications, community perceptions remained largely positive or neutral, influenced by family and peers. Conclusion: Traditional hemorrhoid treatment in Southern Ethiopia is associated with high complication rates, yet community perceptions remain favorable due to sociocultural influences. Hospital management demonstrates superior outcomes. Bridging the gap between biomedical care and community beliefs is essential to reduce morbidity and promote safe treatment .

Seagrass ecosystems are experiencing rapid global decline, and current seed-based restoration efforts are frequently hindered by severe early-life bottlenecks such as decapod predation and bioturbation. To bypass these ecological feedbacks, encasing Zostera marina seeds in protective clay matrices (seed balls) presents a promising, low-cost intermediate technology for scalable deployment. To refine this approach, a mesocosm experiment was conducted to evaluate the physical integrity, germination success, and early shoot development of Z. marina seeds across various clay formulations (fireclay, bentonite, and Kettering loam) and drying treatments. Seed balls were deployed either on the sediment surface or buried, and their performance was evaluated using a hurdle-style generalised additive modelling approach. Results indicated a clear trade-off between structural robustness and biological performance. While naked seeds (70.3% emergence) and buried fireclay balls (67.2% emergence) exhibited the highest overall emergence and post-emergence shoot length, surface-deployed seed balls formulated with higher proportions of bentonite and loam (e.g., 2:4:1 ratio) demonstrated the superior structural integrity necessary for resisting degradation during deployment. However, these denser matrices significantly reduced emergence probabilities and restricted shoot development compared to naked seeds. Formulations lacking loam (1:3) performed the poorest across all biological and structural metrics. Despite reduced emergence relative to buried treatments, surface-deployed seed balls still achieved high viability, outperforming typical field germination rates. Although further field-based refinement is required to test formulations under dynamic hydrodynamic and bioturbation pressures, seed balls offer a scientifically robust, scalable mechanism to bypass early-stage predation and support widespread seascape recovery.