Factors Affecting the Utilization of Antenatal Care among Married Women of Reproductive Age in Merca, Lower Shebelle, Somalia

Worldwide more than thousands of women and new born are at the danger of die from pregnancy and child delivery complications. Antenatal care (ANC)/ pregnancy care is the health care where expecting mothers and new born receive medical care or medical attention. The aim of this study is to examine factors affecting the utilization of antenatal care among married women of reproductive age in Merca, lower Shebelle, Somalia. Methodology: This is a descriptive cross-sectional and qualitative study design that was carried out from June to August 2022 and this study was carried out in Merca, district lower Shabelle, Somalia. Data were collected from 325 married women of reproductive age who have at least one child and more than living in Merca district. Result: Our study found that the magnitude of antenatal care uptake was 31.1% during the examined period. Very low utilization of antenatal care in Somali women is worrying in the face of high vulnerability of maternal complications. In terms of age diverse and utilization of antenatal care, women in younger age group 15 - 30 were more to utilize antenatal care services than with women in older age group 31 years above (p-value < 0.007). Our study also identified that there is association between level of education and level of utilization among women about antenatal care services (p-value < 0.001). In terms of level of awareness about antenatal care services, it is significantly associated with the level of utilization antenatal care (p-value < 0.001). Our study identified that the number of complaining complications related previous pregnancy that have no awareness about antenatal care services was higher than number of utilized antennal care awareness about antenatal care (p-value < 0.001). Based on these results, it is recommended to improve women’s awareness about antenatal care services by using health education program.

The Recurrence of Natural Disasters in Jowhar, Middle Shabelle Region, Somalia: The Causes and Impacts

Natural disasters usually involve a phenomenon with consequences that exceed the response capabilities of local communities and have a significant impact on the region’s socioeconomic development. Droughts, floods, and hurricanes are all natural disasters that jeopardize the environment and the lives of Somalis. Severe floods have devastated the south and central parts of the country multiple times, destroying infrastructure and homes and killing many vulnerable people. Droughts in the south and central parts of the country, particularly in the Middle Shebelle region, have killed a number of children and mothers. It also had a negative influence on crops and cattle. Objective of this study is to know the recurrence of Natural Disasters in Jowhar, Middle Shabelle region, Somalia: The Causes and Impacts. The Somali people are completely aware of natural disasters such as droughts and floods, and they are self-sufficient in dealing with the consequences of these disasters. Furthermore, the Somali government has not fully created environmental laws to protect and conserve the environment, and the majority of laws, rules, acts, and regulations are not used or administered effectively. We also found that the Somali government is not yet financially prepared to deal with these crises, and that there are no strategic plans in the central government or even state administrations to prevent or at least control these disasters from causing extreme harm to the community and the environment.

Dielectric and Magnetic Properties of Nano-Structure BiFeO<SUB>3</SUB>Doped with Different Concentrations of Co Ions Prepared by Sol-Gel Method

BiFe1-xCoxO3 (x = 0, 0.03, 0.05 and 0.1) symbolic as (BFO, BF3CO, BF5CO and BF10CO) in powder form has been prepared by sol-gel technique using ethylenediamine tetraacetic acid (EDTA) as a chelating agent. X-ray diffraction (XRD) and FTIR analysis showed rhombohedra distorted BiFeO3 structure with compressive lattice distortion induced by the Co substitution at Fe sites. The transmission electron microscope (TEM) shows irregular particles. The additive of cobalt oxide has led to grains refining giving the following crystallite sizes of 18 nm for BF5Co. The scanning electron microscope (SEM) study reveals that the samples morphology shows relatively uniform grain size distribution. The dielectric properties of BiFeO3 nano-particles in the frequency range of 1 up to 5 MHz at RT revealed that the A.C. conductivity of the prepared samples reaches its maximum value in BF5CO. By decreasing BiFeO3 particle size as a result of doping with different Co ion concentrations, an enhancement in magnetization and a simultaneous suppression in current leakage occurred. The remnant magnetization Mr of BiFe1-xCoxO3 (x = 0, 0.03, 0.05, 0.1) ceramics significantly enhanced, which provides potential applications in information storage.

Structural, Magnetic and Dielectric Properties of Fe-Co Co-Doped Ba_0.9Sr_0.1TiO₃Prepared by Sol Gel Technique

The structural, dielectric and magnetic properties of pure and Fe-Co co-doped Ba0.9Sr0.1TiO3, (Ba(1-x)SrxTiO3, where (x = 0.10) and (Ba0.9Sr0.1Ti(1-x-y)FexCoyO3), where (x = 0.1, y = 0) and (x = 0 and y = 0.10) and (x = 0.5, y = 0.5) in powder form, abbreviated as (BST) and (BST10FO), (BST10CO) and (BST5F5CO), respectively were prepared by a modified sol gel technique. Crystallization, surface morphology and electrical behavior of BST are improved by Fe3+ and Co2+ ions with optimized grain size. Phase identification by using X-ray diffraction and surface morphology will be studied by using transmission electron microscope (TEM) and scanning electron microscope imaging (SEM). Phase identification by using X-ray diffraction and surface morphology evaluation by using transmission electron microscope (TEM) and scanning electron microscope imaging (SEM) will be studied. The nano-scale presence and the formation of the tetragonal perovskite phase as well as the crystallinity were detected using the mentioned techniques. The dielectric properties of the prepared samples have been investigated as a function of temperature and frequency. The dielectric measurements are carried out in the frequency range of 42 Hz - 1 MHz, at temperature ranging between 25°C and 250°C. The results showed an abrupt decrease in the dielectric permittivity by increasing the frequency range. The magnetic hysteresis loop confirmed enhancement in the magnetization properties by co-doping with Fe3+-Co2+ ions. An increase in the saturation of the magnetization at room temperature was detected by decreasing the crystallite sizes of the prepared samples.

The Influence of Zn²⁺Ions Substitution on the Microstructure and Transport Properties of Mn-Zn Nanoferrites

The effect of Zn2+ ions on the microstructure and electrical properties of Mn1-xZnxFe2O4 (0.0 ≤ x ≤ 0.5 in steps of 0.1) through a solid state reaction has been investigated. The structural properties have been investigated using X-ray diffraction (XRD) technique. The XRD analysis confirms that all samples are in a single-phase cubic spinel structure. The experimental lattice parameter (aexp) was decreased with increasing Zn2+ ions substitution due to the smaller ionic radius of zinc content. The crystallite size (t) of samples was estimated by Scherrer’s formula and found in the range (90 - 115 nm). Dc electrical resistivity and Seebeck voltage coefficients were measured as a function of temperature using the two probe methods. The temperature variation of resistivity exhibits two breaks, each break referring to a change in the activation energy. The Curie temperature estimated from dc resistivity measurement decreases with increasing Zn2+ ions. Seebeck voltage coefficient measurements reveal n-type conduction for all samples.