Factors Affecting Academic Performance of Undergraduate Students at International Islamic University Chittagong (IIUC), Bangladesh

This study was conducted to examine different factors influencing socio-economic background and the academic performance of undergraduate students enrolled at International Islamic University Chittagong (IIUC) with a view to assessing their individual performances and improvements. The assessment covers comparative achievements of different faculties of IIUC-Shariah & Islamic Studies, Business Administration, Science & Engineering, Arts &Humanities and Laws. The data were collected from 200 undergraduate students from different faculties of International Islamic University Chittagong (IIUC) through separate structured questionnaire using the simple random sampling technique. For analysis, simple percentage and linear regression model were run to evaluate comparative importance of the factors. The result shows that over all CGPA of IIUC student is 3.25 (Out of 4.00). Regression results of academic performance of students have varied from faculty to faculty. The result also reveals that age, gender, past academic track, medium of education and absence in the classes have also influenced the academic performances of a student. The study has covered the period of academic year Autumn-2013 to Spring-2014. Keywords: Socio-economic Background, Regression, Faculties, IIUC, Bangladesh

Levels, Trends and Differentials of Natural Births and Cesarean Births in Chittagong, Bangladesh

The type of last delivery of a mother is vital as it has a significant impact on mother and child health. The percentage of cesarean or C-section births has increased alarmingly in Bangladesh. Births through C-section have complicated and unsafe when compared to normal deliveries although sometimes it is unavoidable. This study assessed the current scenario of cesarean births and natural births in the region of Chittagong, Bangladesh. A total of 569 mothers’ data have been collected by schedule methods from the different areas of Chittagong from October to December 2018. Descriptive Statistics, chi-square (χ2) test and binary logistic regression have been used to determine the performance of delivery status in Chittagong. Chi-square (χ2) test reveals that a number of factors are significantly associated with the performance of the delivery type. Binary logistic regression shows that only two factors ‘Delivery place’ and ‘Cost of last delivery’ have a significant effect on delivery status in Chittagong. Keywords: Delivery type; C-section; Natural birth; Chittagong; Bangladesh DOI: 10.7176/JHMN/69-04 Publication date: December 31st 201

Natural selection shapes the evolution of SARS-CoV-2 Omicron in Bangladesh

Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has evolved to give rise to a highly transmissive and immune-escaping variant of concern, known as Omicron. Many aspects of the evolution of SARS-CoV-2 and the driving forces behind the ongoing Omicron outbreaks remain unclear. Substitution at the receptor-binding domain (RBD) in the spike protein is one of the primary strategies of SARS-CoV-2 Omicron to hinder recognition by the host angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) receptor and avoid antibody-dependent defense activation. Here, we scanned for adaptive evolution within the SARS-CoV-2 Omicron genomes reported from Bangladesh in the public database GISAID (www.gisaid.org; dated 2 April 2023). The ratio of the non-synonymous (Ka) to synonymous (Ks) nucleotide substitution rate, denoted as ω, is an indicator of the selection pressure acting on protein-coding genes. A higher proportion of non-synonymous to synonymous substitutions (Ka/Ks or ω > 1) indicates positive selection, while Ka/Ks or ω near zero indicates purifying selection. An equal amount of non-synonymous and synonymous substitutions (Ka/Ks or ω = 1) refers to neutrally evolving sites. We found evidence of adaptive evolution within the spike (S) gene of SARS-CoV-2 Omicron isolated from Bangladesh. In total, 22 codon sites of the S gene displayed a signature of positive selection. The data also highlighted that the receptor-binding motif within the RBD of the spike glycoprotein is a hotspot of adaptive evolution, where many of the codons had ω > 1. Some of these adaptive sites at the RBD of the spike protein are known to be associated with increased viral fitness. The M gene and ORF6 have also experienced positive selection. These results suggest that although purifying selection is the dominant evolutionary force, positive Darwinian selection also plays a vital role in shaping the evolution of SARS-CoV-2 Omicron in Bangladesh