Evaluation and correction of solar irradiance in Somaliland using ground measurements and global reanalysis products.

Properly understanding solar irradiance can help accurately quantify the solar energy resource and guide sustainable development projects, particularly where measured solar data are scarce or suffer from detrimental data quality issues. This study aims to assess and improve solar global horizontal irradiance (GHI) data from a diverse range of global reanalysis datasets by utilizing measured data from two ground weather stations located in Somaliland. A comprehensive evaluation framework is employed, combining various statistical and regression error metrics, whereas bias correction methods are implemented.

A Single Multiplex PCR and Single-Nucleotide Extension Assay for the Detection of Common Thanatophoric Dysplasia I and II Mutations.

Mutation analysis provides confirmation of a clinical and radiological diagnosis of thanatophoric dysplasia types I and II (TD I and II). We developed a single multiplexed PCR and a single-nucleotide extension (SNE) assay to identify 14 common mutations causing 99% of TD I and TD II, including the challenging three adjacent mutations in the stop codon of exon 18 of the FGFR3 gene. The assay design also provides a solution for resolving SNE PCR product sizing using performance optimized polymer-7.

The unmet need for mental health support among persons with disabilities in Somalia: Principal correlates and barriers to access.

Disability and mental ill-health may be especially prevalent in Somalia, largely due to a protracted armed conflict and its consequent humanitarian crises. Little, if any, research to date, however, has simultaneously explored disability- and mental health-related factors in the Somali context. Using both descriptive and regression analytical techniques, we aimed to determine how increasing levels of functional impairment reported across different disability domains (i.

Assessment of wind energy resource in the western region of Somaliland.

As the population of Somaliland continues to grow rapidly, the demand for electricity is anticipated to rise exponentially over the next few decades. The provision of reliable and cost-effective electricity service is at the core of the economic and social development of Somaliland. Wind energy might offer a sustainable solution to the exceptionally high electricity prices.

Predicting the short and long term effects of food price inflation, armed conflicts, and climate variability on global acute malnutrition in Somalia.

Background: Malnutrition poses a substantial challenge in Somalia, impacting approximately 1.8 million children. This critical issue is exacerbated by a multifaceted interplay of factors.

Prevalence of anemia and associated factors among pregnant women at Hargeisa Group Hospital, Somaliland.

Background: Anemia remains a major global public health issue, affecting around 24.8% of the world's population in both developing and developed countries. Pregnant women in developing countries are particularly susceptible, with 38.

Natural disasters, deforestation, and emissions affect economic growth in Somalia.

This study ascertains the effect of natural disasters, deforestation, and emissions on economic growth in Somalia using annual time series spanning 1990-2018. Contrary to previous attempts, this study utilized the kernel regularized least squares (KRLS) technique, robust Granger causality in the presence of instabilities, and novel supremum right-tail Augment Dickey-Fuller unit root to test explosive behaviors in data series. While two date-stamped explosive behaviors are detected in economic growth (2003-2012, 2014-2016) and FDI (2004, 2016-2018), one explosive behavior is observed in capital formation (2010-2018) and population density (2010-2018).

Prevalence and associated factors of acute diarrhea among under-five children living in Hargeisa Internally Displaced Persons, Somaliland: a community-based cross-sectional study.

Introduction: in developing countries, diarrhea is a major cause of child death among those under five years old. Dehydration, malnutrition, delayed physical development and early childhood mortality are the major consequences of diarrheal diseases. In Somaliland, diarrheal diseases have been endemic and a major problem since 1994, with epidemics occurring annually.

Revising the essential package of health services through stakeholder alignment, Somalia.

Problem: The fragmented health sector in Somalia, burdened by financial challenges and an inadequate regulatory system, struggles to provide equitable essential health services to the entire population.

Approach: To revise an essential package of health services that stakeholders could support and that aligned with stakeholders' financial and technical resources, the federal health ministry invited all key stakeholders in 2020 to participate in the revision process of the essential package. The ministry distributed a concept note to invited stakeholders, describing the scope and purpose of the revision process of the essential package.

Institutionalisation Is a Vital Element for Fairness of Priority Setting in the Package Design if the Target is Universal Health Coverage Comment on "Evidence-Informed Deliberative Processes for Health Benefits Package Design - Part II: A Practical Guide".

The evidence-informed deliberative processes (EDPs) guide provides a practical framework for fair priority setting of the health benefits package (HBP) that countries can reasonably use. The steps presented in the EDPs are applicable for prioritising health services in designing HBP and are consistent with practical experience in countries. However, institutionalisation must be considered an element of fairness in the priority-setting process if the aim is to reach broader goals of a health system, such as universal health coverage (UHC).

Prevalence and factors associated with ever had road traffic accidents among drivers in Hargeisa city, Somaliland, 2022.

Road traffic accidents (RTAs) are a major cause of morbidity in Somaliland. This study aimed to determine the prevalence and factors associated with traffic-related incidents in Hargeisa city. A cross-sectional study was conducted between January and March 2022, utilizing a mixed approach involving quantitative and qualitative research approaches.

Building implementable packages for universal health coverage.

Since no country or health system can provide every possible health service to everyone who might benefit, the prioritisation of a defined subset of services for universal availability is intrinsic to universal health coverage (UHC). Creating a package of priority services for UHC, however, does not in itself benefit a population-packages have impact only through implementation. There are inherent tensions between the way services are formulated to facilitate criteria-driven prioritisation and the formulations that facilitate implementation, and service delivery considerations are rarely well incorporated into package development.

Accelerating the prevention, control and elimination of communicable diseases through integration and optimization of the support from Gavi and Global Fund: A vision for the Eastern Mediterranean Region.

Over the years, the Eastern Mediterranean Region (EMR) has faced a funding gap with respect to malaria, tuberculosis (TB), HIV, and vaccine-preventable diseases programmes. In the early 2000s, Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance (Gavi) and the Global Fund against AIDS, TB and Malaria (GFATM) became important financial contributors to these programmes. In 2000-2015, funding support from these two global health initiatives allowed progress.

Decision-making processes for essential packages of health services: experience from six countries.

Many countries around the world strive for universal health coverage, and an essential packages of health services (EPHS) is a central policy instrument for countries to achieve this. It defines the coverage of services that are made available, as well as the proportion of the costs that are covered from different financial schemes and who can receive these services. This paper reports on the development of an analytical framework on the decision-making process of EPHS revision, and the review of practices of six countries (Afghanistan, Ethiopia, Pakistan, Somalia, Sudan and Zanzibar-Tanzania).

Country readiness and prerequisites for successful design and transition to implementation of essential packages of health services: experience from six countries.

This paper reviews the experience of six low-income and lower middle-income countries in setting their own essential packages of health services (EPHS), with the purpose of identifying the key requirements for the successful design and transition to implementation of the packages in the context of accelerating progress towards universal health coverage (UHC). The analysis is based on input from three meetings of a knowledge network established by the Disease Control Priorities 3 Country Translation Project and working groups, supplemented by a survey of participating countries.All countries endorsed the Sustainable Development Goals target 3.

The relationship between environmental degradation, agricultural crops, and livestock production in Somalia.

Climate change is an imminent threat to both developing and developed countries. Various determinants of climate change have been discovered in the literature including, inter alia, the agriculture sector. To this end, this study models the role of agricultural crops - maize, sesame, sorghum, and wheat productions - and livestock production in environmental degradation in Somalia for the period of 1985 to 2017.

Evaluation of prediction models for the malaria incidence in Marodijeh Region, Somaliland.

Malaria is a major public health concern in tropics and subtropics. Accurate malaria prediction is critical for reporting ongoing incidences of infection and its control. Hence, the purpose of this investigation was to evaluate the performances of different models of predicting malaria incidence in Marodijeh region, Somaliland.

A Comprehensive Triple-Repeat Primed PCR and a Long-Range PCR Agarose-Based Assay for Improved Genotyping of Guanine-Adenine-Adenine Repeats in Friedreich Ataxia.

Friedreich ataxia is a rare autosomal recessive, neuromuscular degenerative disease caused by an expansion of a trinucleotide [guanine-adenine-adenine (GAA)] repeat in intron 1 of the FXN gene. It is common in the White population, characterized by progressive gait and limb ataxia, lack of tendon reflexes in the legs, loss of position sense, and hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. Detection and genotyping of the trinucleotide repeat length is important for the diagnosis and prognosis of the disease.

Postmortem CYP2D6 Genotyping and Copy Number Determinations Using DNA Extracted from Archived FTA Bloodstains.

Genetic characterization of CYP2D6 post-mortem may help explain drug involvement in cause of death. Here we describe methods for DNA extraction, CYP2D6 genotyping and copy number variation (CNV) testing using dried blood archived at autopsy with FTA® cards. Bloodstained cards (n=75) were obtained from the Utah Office of the Medical Examiner.

CFD analysis of laboratory scale phase equilibrium cell operation.

Unlabelled: For the modeling of multiphase chemical reactors or separation processes, it is essential to predict accurately chemical equilibrium data, such as vapor-liquid or liquid-liquid equilibria [M. Šoóš et al., Chem.

EIF2AK4 Mutations in Patients Diagnosed With Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension.

Background: Differentiating pulmonary venoocclusive disease (PVOD) and pulmonary capillary hemangiomatosis (PCH) from idiopathic pulmonary arterial hypertension (IPAH) or heritable pulmonary arterial hypertension (HPAH) is important clinically. Mutations in eukaryotic translation initiation factor 2 alpha kinase 4 (EIF2AK4) cause heritable PVOD and PCH, whereas mutations in other genes cause HPAH. The aim of this study was to describe the frequency of pathogenic EIF2AK4 mutations in patients diagnosed clinically with IPAH or HPAH.