Cut-off Mark Research Articles

Comparison of Inter-Incisor Distance as a Predictor of Difficult Intubation in Men and Women-A Prospective Observational Study.

Most of the studies on difficult intubation and laryngoscopy focused on American and European populations. However, Indians have distinct anthropometric characteristics compared to these populations. This study aims to determine the gender difference in inter-incisor distance (IID) cut-off marks to assess the ease of intubation in the Indian population. A prospective observational study was conducted on 516 patients scheduled for elective surgery under general anesthesia with endotracheal intubation. Preoperative assessments included IID, thyromental distance, neck circumference, sternomental distance (SMD), thyrohyoid distance, mentohyoid distance, and modified mallampatti grading. Intubation difficulty scores (IDSs) were assessed during intubation. The optimal cut-off values of inter incisor gap and difficult intubation were analyzed by receiver operating characteristic curve analysis. The total cohort was grouped into males (Group 1 [n = 258]) and females (Group 2 [n = 258]). Males had a significantly higher mean age (P = 0.04) and weight (P = 0.00) than females. Difficult intubation incidence was 16.3% of males and 6.2% of females. Increased IID (P = 0.039), decreased SMD (P = 0.046), and males (P = 0.002) are identified as predictors of difficult intubation.IID and IDS showed greater specificity than sensitivity, with significant cut-off values of 4.25 and 1.50, respectively. The cut-off value of IID did not show a significant difference in gender variation. Despite the low IID in females, intubation difficulties were not observed compared to males.

Assessment of the Scholastic Performance and Cognitive Functions in Malnourished Children of Primary and Secondary Class Students

Abstract Background: Malnutrition is the consequence of a combination of deficiencies in protein, carbohydrates, and micronutrients. It includes undernutrition, overnutrition, and micronutrient deficiencies. Malnutrition is associated with both structural and functional pathology of the brain and reflects in poor scholastic performance and less cognitive functions in children. Aim: The aim of the study was to assess the scholastic performance and cognitive functions in malnourished children of primary and secondary classes studying in a school. Methodology: The study was conducted on 375 school children of primary and secondary classes. The nutritional status was assessed using the World Health Organization growth charts and classified based on their weight, height, and body mass index with malnutrition considered with values <−2 standard deviation for the age group. The scholastic performance was assessed using the school annual examination records and classified as good or poor scholastic performance with cutoff mark criteria of 50%. The cognitive function was assessed using the child mini–mental state examination (MMSE) test with the mean score for the age group. The scholastic performance and cognitive function were compared between the normal and malnourished groups. The variables were compared with respect to age, gender, standard, and P value obtained to see its significance. The variables were compared between the two groups in each class and test results were obtained. The correlation between each of the variables was also done. Results: Malnourished children were more in the primary classes (30%) than the secondary classes (13.2%). The scholastic performance in the normal group was increased than the malnourished group in both primary and secondary classes. The cognitive function based on the child MMSE score was also more in the normal group than in the malnourished group in both primary and secondary classes. There was a positive correlation between scholastic performance and cognitive function. Conclusion: The study results showed that the scholastic performance and cognitive function were decreased in the malnourished group than the normal group in both primary and secondary classes, implying that malnutrition affects the functionality of the brain and can cause long-term effects like poor cognition.

Creating educational podcasts as an expository methodology for active learning and its relationship with satisfaction: A comparative study with live oral presentations

ABSTRACT The educational podcast is a didactic resource requiring specific planning to create a digital audio file with educational content. These podcasts promote meaningful learning and stimulate cognitive skills. This study aimed to analyze the effectiveness of educational podcasts in increasing students’ satisfaction and performance in content acquisition compared to live oral presentations. An experimental methodology was used, involving 148 students from the University of Zaragoza (2022-2023). Students were divided into two groups: one used podcasts, and the others gave live oral presentations. They assessed both types of presentations using an evaluation rubric and collaborated on content development. Data on academic performance, satisfaction, ratings, gender, age, and admission cut-off marks were collected for statistical analysis. Both groups reported high satisfaction, with in-class presentations deemed slightly more appropriate. Exam performance was similar across groups. Collaborative, student-centered learning increased satisfaction, but intra-group conflicts prevented clear distinctions between the methodologies.

AN ASSESSMENT OF THE DIETARY PATTERNS OF ADOLESCENT MALES IN UDENU LOCAL GOVERNMENT AREA, ENUGU STATE

Dietary pattern refers to quantities, variety, or combination of different foods and drinks in diets, and the frequency with which they are consumed. The study is a quantitative descriptive survey using a self-administered structured questionnaire among 369 adolescent male students across the public secondary schools in Imilike and Ezimo communities, Udenu L. G. A. of Enugu state. Using six research questions, the study assessed the consumption of locally consumed foods, processed or convenient foods, beverages, frequency of meal consumption and dietary choices outside the home. Descriptive statistics (Mean and Standard deviation) were used to analyze data, accepting results with a mean cutoff mark of 2.5. Results were presented with tables in frequencies and percentages. The result showed that 88.1% of the respondents consumed locally prepared meals, 69.1% consumed convenient foods, 72.19% consume alcoholic beverages while 33.3% do not consume coffee and carbonated drinks. The findings also showed that 80% of the adolescents have poor food group combination habit, 60% skipped meals while 80% consumed junks like pies, chips and buns. The study results have a huge health implication for the respondents. Unguarded consumption of processed foods, alcoholic beverages and carbonated drinks is unhealthy and may increase the risk of obesity and non-communicable diseases such as hypertension in later years.

A Step-by-Step Guide to Selecting an Optimal Cut-Off Value Based on the Receiver Operating Characteristic and Youden Index in Methods Designed to Diagnose Lyme Disease.

Detection tools designed to diagnose complex diseases such as Lyme Borreliosis require an optimal cutoff point to distinguish the healthy from the diseased. The chapter will provide a practical guide to selecting an optimal cutoff mark by creating the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) in Microsoft Excel. To guide the creation of a ROC graphical plot, we will use example data from an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) measuring anti-human immunoglobulin G (IgG) against whole-cell Borrelia lysates. Herein, the ROC method will demonstrate that an optical density (OD) value from ELISA with the highest Youden Index (J) is an optimal cutoff value to differentiate positive and negative IgG immune responses in human serum samples.

Knowledge, attitudes and practices associated with giardiasis among cattle handlers in Jere, Borno State, Northeastern Nigeria

This study was designed to assess the level of knowledge, attitudes and practices (KAP) of cattle handlers (cattle owners, cattle attendants and veterinarians) concerning giardiasis in Jere Local Government Area (LGA) of Borno State, Northeastern Nigeria. Using a pre-validated questionnaire, 278 cattle handlers from six wards of Jere were interviewed, with a 84% (n = 252) response rate. The majority of the respondents were aged 27–38 years (62.3%), male (93.7%) and Muslim (96%). Regarding the control and prevention of giardiasis, 31.3%, 44.8% and 31.3% of the cattle handlers had good knowledge, attitudes and practices, respectively. The overall mean scores of 59.5%, 64.8% and 64.1% for knowledge, attitudes and practices were significantly (p < 0.05) lower than the ≥ 75% cut-off mark set for a good KAP score on giardiasis. Furthermore, there was a moderate, positive and significant (p < 0.05) correlation between the knowledge score and the attitudes and practices scores. The handlers’ knowledge and attitudes had significant associations (p < 0.05) with their levels of education and years of experience, signifying that high levels of education and years of experience were associated with improved awareness of giardiasis among cattle handlers. The study concluded that there is a potential risk of cattle handlers being infected with Giardia lamblia based on their overall suboptimal levels of knowledge, attitudes and practices toward giardiasis observed in the study area. Raising awareness among cattle handlers about the public health implications of giardiasis in the study area was recommended.

Effectiveness of Alternative Assessment Tools used in EiS-SULAM Projects for Sustainable Communities in Engineering Programme

Service-Learning Malaysia-University for Society (SULAM) approach integrates theory and practice to expose students to real-world community problems and develop their higher-order thinking skills (HOTs). However, there is a lack of research on alternative assessment tools used to evaluate SULAM projects in engineering programs. This study focuses on the assessment tools used for the Engineers in Society (EIS) course integrated with SULAM (EiS-SULAM) and their effectiveness. A questionnaire survey was administered to 462 civil engineering students who took the EiS-SULAM course during the October 2020, March 2021, and October 2021 semesters. Of the 462 students, 165 responded to the questionnaire, resulting in a response rate of 36%. The students' perspectives were triangulated with the direct attainment of the program outcomes for the course based on the assessments used. The results showed that all students met the 50% cut-off mark for the EiSSULAM course, satisfying the EAC Standard 2020 criterion. The study highlights that the four assessment tools used in the EIS course are effective, but there is a room for improvement. The students suggested the need for financial support from the university, improvements to the assessment tools, facilities such as internet, conducive environment to enhance their learning experience, and additional support from lecturers/advisors highlighting the importance of quality guidance and mentorship for student success. The study's findings could help improve engineering assessment instruments to enhance the students’ skill sets related to sustainable community. However, the use of purposive sampling may limit the generalizability of the results to other engineering programmes or institutions. The results suggest that the EIS-SULAM course is effective in developing students' HOTs and achieving essential skill sets for societal well-being. In conclusion, this study provides valuable insights into the effectiveness of assessment tools in SULAM projects for engineering programmes and its potential to develop the essential skill sets required for community and societal well-being. Future research could explore the effectiveness of SULAM in different engineering programmes and institutions using different sampling methods. In addition, promising avenue for future research is the integration of Artificial Intelligence (AI), such as ChatGPT, in the development of assessment prompts for engineering courses. This research could focus on creating AI-powered prompts aligned with course and program outcomes to enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of student evaluation.

¿Existe igualdad de condiciones para el acceso al Grado de Medicina en España?

IntroductionThe aim of this article is to investigate whether the binomial equality of competences-opportunities to enter medical schools in Spain is fulfilled. Material and methodsFor this purpose, 38 public universities were considered, together with the criteria of the University Entrance Exams, the weighting criteria of the university districts, the places offered, and the cut-off marks from 2017/2018 to 2021/2022, identifying four groups of university districts: A1, A2, B1, B2. ResultsThe result shows that students with the same level of competence have a different evaluation depending on where they have taken the PAU and in which district they apply. Thus, the nominal evaluation of a student can vary by 2.80 points out of 14, which largely determines access to the Bachelor's Degree in Medicine. Applying homogeneous criteria, the cut-off marks of all the faculties in Spain are recalculated. ConclusionThrough the discussion it is concluded that the university districts where the greatest effort is required to enter medical school are those in group B2 (Catalonia, Galicia and the Balearic Islands), followed by A2 (most of the Autonomous Regions), B1 (Basque Country), B1 (Valencia) and A1 (Madrid, Aragon and Navarre). This study helps to reach a consensus on homogeneous criteria for access to the Bachelor's Degree in Medicine.

Study of serum beta HCG and liver function test in hypertensive disorder of pregnancy

Introduction: One of the most prevalent medical conditions during pregnancy is hypertensive disorders of pregnancy (HDP), which is also one of the leading causes of maternal and perinatal morbidity and mortality globally. This study was carried out to correlate the elevated liver function test (LFT) and serum beta HCG observed in the early second trimester with the increased maternal and foetal morbidity and mortality associated with HDP. Material and Method: The Rajkiya Manila chikitchalay JLN Medical college Ajmer's department of obstetrics and gynaecology conducted this hospital-based observational study. 375 pregnant women with a gestational period longer than 20 weeks were used in the correlation study between LFT and beta HCG and HDP, with 250 pregnant women with HDP serving as the study group and 125 pregnant women without hypertension serving as controls. Serum-HCG levels and LFT were tested and their levels in the two groups were compared. Results: In the 25-year-old age group and younger, severe pre-eclampsia was observed. In hypertension cases, the likelihood of developing severe preeclampsia was 78%. The incidence was 88 percent in patients with elevated LFTs. The maternal mean serum levels of Beta-HCG in the HDP study group (51161.08±30038.21 IU/L) were greater than those in the control group with normal blood pressure (17603.23±16748.21 IU/L). The mean blood levels of non-severe preeclampsia were 36417.32±23876.74 IU/L and severe preeclampsia were 60030.34±28771.31 IU/L. Higher amounts were seen in early-onset preeclamptic moms compared to late-onset preeclamptic mothers, which was statistically significant (p<0.001). 32077 IU/L was the cut-off mark for beta-HCG with a sensitivity of 65% and a specificity of 86% for predicting HDP.Conclusions: HDP women have greater serum levels of beta-HCG than normotensive women. Increased severity of hypertensive disorders during pregnancy is linked to higher levels of beta-HCG. Due to its low sensitivity and difficulties in determining the cut-off value, serum beta-HCG has limited application as a diagnostic test. In contrast to severe pre-eclampsia with normal LFTs, detection of elevated LFTs in cases of severe pre-eclampsia is a risk group linked to a higher rate of feto-maternal problems.

The development of a tool to identify skilled meditators among meditation practitioners - ‘The University of Colombo Intake Interview to identify Skilled Meditators for scientific research (UoC-IISM)’

Introduction: Buddhist-derived meditation is a well-known phenomenological practice that enhances overall wellbeing of individuals. However, broad- and less-rigorous criteria in recruiting suitable meditation practitioners affect the reliability of results obtained through meditation research. Objectives: To develop an instrument to identify skilled meditators among meditation practitioners, in order to use it in scientific research including medical research conducted to understand the physiological, psychological, social, and environmental effects of meditation Methods: Extensive literature reviews, interviews and focus group discussions with experts in a number of related fields were utilized in developing the instrument. Judgmental validation of the generated items was ensured through establishing their face, content and consensual validity. Internal consistency reliability and factor structure of the scale were explored to analyse its psychometric properties. Cut-off marks were determined to develop a scoring system for the instrument. Results: Twenty-five items were categorized under five sections (A, B, C1, C2, D) that addressed six factors: duration of the meditation practice, details of the meditation practice, peripheral awareness, stable attention, and alertness and emotional stability. Three further qualitative items were added under section E. An exploratory factor analysis process resulted in a two-factor structure between the Likert-scale items as theoretically expected. Scores to identify ‘skilled meditators’ were determined as: Section C1&gt;7 (fall-back score; 7-9, ideal score; 10-12), Section C2&gt;14 (fall-back score; 14-16, ideal score; 17-20) and Section D&gt;25 (fall-back score; 25-29, ideal score; 30-35). Conclusions &amp; Recommendations: The overall findings reveal the UoC-IISM to be a valid and reliable tool to be used in identifying skilled meditators, among meditation practitioners, for scientific research in the Sri Lankan context. The instrument explores six factors through its 28 items and the importance of using a combination of these factors is discussed.

Answering Multiple-Choice Questions in Which Examinees Doubt What the True Answer Is among Different Options

This research explores the results that an examinee would obtain if taking a multiple-choice questions test in which they have doubts as to what the true answer is among different options. This problem is analyzed by making use of combinatorics and analytical and sampling methodologies. The Spanish exam through which doctors become medical specialists has been employed as an example. Although it is difficult to imagine that there are candidates who respond randomly to all the questions of such an exam, it is common that they may doubt over what the correct answer is in some questions. The exam consists of a total of 210 multiple-choice questions with 4 answer options. The cut-off mark is calculated as one-third of the average of the 10 best marks in the exam. According to the results obtained, it is possible to affirm that in the case of doubting over two or three of the four possible answers in certain group questions, answering all of them will in most cases lead to obtaining a positive result. Moreover, in the case of doubting between two answer options in all the questions of the MIR test, it would be possible to exceed the cut-off mark.

Assessment of Antibody levels amongst Health Care Workers vaccinated with two doses of COVID vaccine 6 months ago in a Hospital of Kolkata, West Bengal: Is there any Need for a Third dose (Booster Dose) of COVID Vaccine?

Background: Vaccines can prevent the adverse effects, even if the virus is contracted. The first group to receive the doses included the healthcare workers. While data shows that two vaccine shots are largely effective at protecting against severe Covid-19, data on the benefit of booster shots is currently unclear. To establish whether a booster dose would offer significantly increased protection, experts first need to understand the level of antibodies and other immune defences needed to prevent severe illness and death from Covid-19.&#x0D; Objectives: To conduct a study to see the clinical exposure profile of the doctors who had taken both doses of vaccines 6 months and before from COVID vaccination centre of BelleVue Clinic, Kolkata and to analyse the antibody levels of the doctors who had been vaccinated with two doses of vaccine 6 months ago and before.&#x0D; Methodology: An observational, descriptive, cross-sectional, hospital based study was conducted in the Bellevue Clinic of Kolkata, West Bengal in the span of 6 months from September 2021 to January 2022 taking the health care workers of the clinic as participants. The persons were called for an antibody testing on prefixed scheduled dates. The persons who gave consent were provided with pre-designed validated questionnaire. A total of 130 health care workers including doctors, nurses, housekeeping and administrators gave consent to participate. Blood was collected from them and antibody test was conducted by COVID specific antibody testing kits (Product V 74339 - Access S variants ARS CoV -2 IgG (1st IS) Reagent Kit (200 tests/kit).&#x0D; Results: The study was carried out the Pathology department of Bellevue Clinic, Kolkata. The data was analyzed and results showed 80% of the persons whose titre came below the cutoff mark were males. The health care workers belonging to age group 40-60 years were the maximum having lower antibody titres followed by those above 60 years of age. Doctors were the persons who were mostly having lower levels of antibody titres followed by nurses. This may be due to the maximum exposure to the Covid patients that their antibody titre weaned off early. This shows that those who had direct exposure to patients had much higher antibody titres.&#x0D; Conclusion: The study opened up a wide angle to the antibody levels of the covid vaccinated health care workers. The results will help the future researchers to develop different means for a Covid free or a normal healthy life based on this data.

Design of an Innovative Assessment Instrument Integrating Service-Learning Malaysia University for Society Approach for Engineers in Society Course during Covid19 Pandemic

Service-Learning Malaysia-University for Society (SULAM) has served as a learning experience in Malaysia for the past few years, merging theories and practices to expose students to real-world community problems. SULAM was developed as a cutting-edge teaching and learning technique in Malaysia's higher education institutions (HEIs). Alternative assessment is one of the instruments for evaluating students' work in a real-world environment. It can also help students develop their higher-order thinking skills (HOTs), particularly at engineering HEIs. However, there is a dearth of research on SULAM in engineering programmes, particularly in terms of the assessment instruments utilised in achieving the essential skill sets for societal well-being. This study improves on the ordinary way of assessment by creating a unique alternative assessment instrument for the Engineers in Society (EIS) course integrated with SULAM (EIS-SULAM) to analyse the expected outcomes and evaluate its success. The EIS-SULAM course and its curricula were assessed in this study through document analysis and the creation of an assessment instrument by subject matter experts. The assessment instrument was used by 415 respondents utilising a purposive sampling of civil engineering students taking the EIS-SULAM course during the February–July 2020 semester (starting of Covid19 Pandemic) to determine its usefulness in measuring students' skill sets. The students submitted 90 projects using the Google Classroom platform and were assessed by three (3) lecturers using a syndicated marking method to assure fairness and uniformity in the report's marking. The results show that the student's grades are distributed normally, with around 20% of the 415 students receiving A+, A, and A- grades, 70% receiving B+, B, and B- grades, and 10% receiving C+ and C grades. Overall, all students met the 50% cut-off mark for the EIS-SULAM course, which satisfies the EAC Standard 2020 criterion. It is envisaged that the findings of this study will be used to improve engineering assessment instruments to increase societal well-being.

Vietnamese Version of Cornell Scale for Depression in Dementia at an Outpatient Memory Clinic: A Reliability and Validity Study

Background: In Vietnam, there has been, currently, no standardized tool for depression assessment for people with dementia (PWD). Cornell Scale for Depression in Dementia (CSDD) is a widely studied and used scale for PWD worldwide. Objectives: The aim of this study was to standardize the Vietnamese version of the CSDD (V-CSDD) in depression assessment in PWD through reliability and validity examination. Methods: V-CSDD was rated in terms of reliability and validity with gold standard regarding “major depressive episode” and “major depressive-like episode” of DSM-5. Cronbach’s α, ICC, exploratory factor analysis (EFA), and receiver operating characteristic analysis were performed. Results: V-CSDD was found to have a high internal consistency reliability (Cronbach’s α = 0.80), inter-rater reliability at sound ranking (ICC = 0.89; 95% CI = 0.81–0.94), maximum cut-off mark of 13 (sensitivity = 70%, specificity = 92%), and EFA, which suggested that V-CSDD may comprise 5 factors. Conclusions: Results indicate the V-CSDD to be a reliable and valid assessment and to be beneficial in classifying and diagnosing depression in dementia outpatients in clinical contexts.

An audit of contrast extravasation in patients undergoing contrast enhanced CTs at radiology department in a tertiary care hospital in Pakistan.

To audit the radiology department of a health facility, focusing on contrast extravasations management pre- and post-implementation of a standard protocol. The audit was conducted at the Radiology Department of Shifa International Hospital, Islamabad, Pakistan and comprised reported computed tomography contrast extravasation incidents from January 2017 to December 2019 in the retrospective phase before the implementation of a standard protocol. Post-implementation, re-audit was done prospectively to assess compliance from January 2020 to May 2021. Overall score of >80% was chosen arbitrarily as a qualifying standard for adequate documentation. Of the 49 total cases, 26(53%) related to the first phase and 23(47%) to the second. In the first phase, 2(20%) of the 10 parameters cleared the cut-off mark; 'study performed' 25(96%) and 'limb assessment by technician' 26(100%). In the second phase, 2(20%) parameters failed to clear the cut-off mark; site of cannula/extravasation' 18(78.3%) and 'volume of contrast' 15(65%). Lack of early identification and appropriate management, especially in cases of large-volume extravasation, may result in significant morbidity.

An investigation into the success rates of third-year Accounting conversion students en route to becoming a Chartered Accountant (South Africa)

Stellenbosch University students who graduated with a Bachelor of Commerce in Management Accounting or a Bachelor of Commerce in Financial Accounting may convert to a Bachelor of Accounting by completing a conversion year. The purpose of the conversion year is to meet the Bachelor of Accounting Honours admission requirements, which puts students on course to become a Chartered Accountant (South Africa). No previous research has investigated the success rates of these conversion students; therefore, current prospective third-year conversion students have no frame of reference to make an informed decision regarding whether or not to attempt the conversion year. The research reported in this paper sought to analyse the results of third-year conversion students to conclude on their success rate of being admitted to the Bachelor of Accounting Honours programme and their success rate in obtaining a Bachelor of Accounting Honours degree. A quantitative research method was applied and it was found that 37% of the third-year conversion students met the Bachelor of Accounting Honours admission requirements at the first attempt and only 19% of the third-year conversion students managed to obtain their Bachelor of Accounting Honours degree in the minimum amount of time. Receiver operating curve analyses were also done to predict optimal cut-off marks to meet the Bachelor of Accounting Honours admission requirements and to obtain this degree in the minimum amount of time.

An investigation into the success rates of students with no prior accounting knowledge in obtaining a professional accounting degree

Several South African universities do not require students to have completed Accounting at secondary school level in order to enrol for a degree in Accounting. At Stellenbosch University such students with no prior Accounting knowledge can still graduate and receive a Bachelor of Accounting degree (which is the first step of many towards becoming a CA (SA)) within the minimum time frame of three years given that an Accounting conversion examination is passed at the beginning of their second academic year. The literature on student performance where students have no prior Accounting knowledge focuses predominantly on first-year Accounting students. Limited studies have been expanded beyond the first academic year to investigate these students’ academic career up to their final year and whether such students obtain a professional degree in Accounting. The main objective of the research reported in this article was to analyse the results of first-year conversion students (with no prior Accounting knowledge) in order to report on their success rate towards obtaining a Bachelor of Accounting degree within the minimum time of three years. In order to meet this objective, a quantitative research method was applied. It was found that half of the population was successful in obtaining their professional degree in Accounting within three years and 81 per cent of the conversion students eventually obtained their professional degree in Accounting (irrespective of time). This finding suggests that Accounting as a subject at secondary school is not necessarily essential in order to obtain a professional degree in Accounting. Receiver operating curve analyses were also done to predict optimal cut-off marks for Accounting subjects in order to obtain the desired degree within three years. These predictions, together with the actual marks obtained by the identified population, should be welcomed by prospective conversion students who now have more data available for decision-making.

Re-Defining the Population-Specific Cut-Off Mark for Vitamin A Deficiency in Pre-School Children of Malawi.

Retinol Binding Protein (RBP) is responsible for the transport of serum retinol (SR) to target tissue in the body. Since RBP is relatively easy and cheap to measure, it is widely used in national Micronutrient Surveys (MNS) as a proxy for SR to determine vitamin A status. By regressing RBP concentration against SR concentration measured in a subset of the survey population, one can define a population-specific threshold concentration of RBP that indicates vitamin A deficiency (VAD). However, the relationship between RBP and SR concentrations is affected by various factors including inflammation. This study, therefore, aimed to re-define the population-specific cut-off for VAD by examining the influence of inflammation on RBP and SR, among pre-school children (PSC) from the 2015–16 Malawi MNS. The initial association between RBP and SR concentrations was poor, and this remained the case despite applying various methods to correct for inflammation. The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends the threshold of 0.7 µmol/L to define VAD for SR concentrations. Applying this threshold to the RBP concentrations gave a VAD prevalence of 24%, which reduced to 10% after inflammation adjustments following methods developed by the Biomarkers Reflecting Inflammation and Nutritional Determinants of Anemia (BRINDA). Further research is required to identify why SR and RBP were poorly associated in this population. Future MNS will need to account for the effect of inflammation on RBP to measure the prevalence of VAD in Malawi.

Analysis of Exertion with Relative Grading Mechanism in Academics Using Computational Technique

Evaluation process is an integral part of academic system in order to monitor the performance of students from many perspectives. Since, recent past lots of methodological changes has been taken places in evaluation process from traditional one. Many experts from concerned domain claims the superiority of one method over other but still dilemma continue with reference to optimum or appropriate method. In this connection even very recently being used to a maximum extent in Indian context too is the “Grade Method”. However, even “Grade Method” is also not completely free from certain controversies. That is, though grades were initially meant to serve various pedagogical purposes, grading systems remain controversial and hotly debated when those doesn’t give recompensing results. Some argued that grades are psychologically harmful. Thus, given certain limitations of existing methods in some respect, the current study has been undertaken in order to address few issues associated with minimum passing grade and cut-off mark for highest grade - resulting out of relative grading, Therefore, in this article, through mathematical computation we propose acceptable ranges for the parameters mean and standard deviation-respectively to have appropriate mechanism and hence can make evaluation process more effective and applicable in various conditions.

DRLDO A Novel DRL based De obfuscation System for Defence Against Metamorphic Malware

In this paper, we propose a novel mechanism to normalise metamorphic and obfuscated malware down at the opcode level and hence create an advanced metamorphic malware de-obfuscation and defence system. We name this system as DRLDO, for deep reinforcement learning based de-obfuscator. With the inclusion of the DRLDO as a sub-component, an existing Intrusion Detection System could be augmented with defensive capabilities against ‘zero-day’ attack from obfuscated and metamorphic variants of existing malware. This gains importance, not only because there exists no system till date that use advance DRL to intelligently and automatically normalise obfuscation down even to the opcode level, but also because the DRLDO system does not mandate any changes to the existing IDS. The DRLDO system does not even mandate the IDS’ classifier to be retrained with any new dataset containing obfuscated samples. Hence DRLDO could be easily retrofitted into any existing IDS deployment. We designed, developed, and conducted experiments on the system to evaluate the same against multiple-simultaneous attacks from obfuscations generated from malware samples from a standardised dataset that contain multiple generations of malware. Experimental results prove that DRLDO was able to successfully make the otherwise undetectable obfuscated variants of the malware detectable by an existing pre-trained malware classifier. The detection probability was raised well above the cut-off mark to 0.6 for the classifier to detect the obfuscated malware unambiguously. Further, the de-obfuscated variants generated by DRLDO achieved a very high correlation (of ≈ 0.99) with the base malware. This observation validates that the DRLDO system is actually learning to de-obfuscate and not exploiting a trivial trick.