A Comparison Between Students’ Performance In Multiple Choice and Modified Essay Questions in the MBBS Pediatrics Examination at the College of Medicine, King Khalid University, KSA

Objectives: To investigate the relation between the students' scores in MCQs and MEQs of the summative assessment in pediatrics at the College of medicine KKU. Introduction: Student assessment is the most difficult task in medicine since it is ultimately related to human life and safety. Assessment can take different types of formats with advantages and disadvantages and there is no single prescribed method of choice. Research Methods: This is a quantitative, observational retrospective study enrolling 50 students who completed the final MBBS examination in pediatrics in 2015.The medical students’ scores in MCQs and MEQs in the final MBBS pediatrics examination were collected and SPSS used for analysis. Results: 52% of the students scored A and B, 46% scored C and 2% scored D and nobody scored F. The mean percentage scores in MCQs, MEQs and the combined are75.03%, 79.99% and 76.68% respectively. The standard deviation (SD) for MCQs, MEQs and combined are 0.0753, 0.0763 and 0.0559 respectively.There are no significant differences in means and SD. The correlation (CR) between MCQs and MEQs is -1.73%. The CR between MCQs and MEQs for those who scored A and B is 7.38% which could indicate a weak but significant +ve CR (p value 0.017), (table3). For those who scored C inverse CR (-74.38%) was observed between MCQs and MEQs. Discussion: The main finding of this study was the weakly negative CR between students' performance on MCQs and MEQs. Good performance in MCQs is not necessary correlated with good performance in LEQs. This is not in agreement with Oyebola et al. and Moqattash et al findings, who reported positive CR in the performance of their students. The discrepancy observed in performance between MCQs and MEQs could be explained by the subjectivity and the difficulty in avoiding bias in setting and marking essay questions.   Key Words: multiple choice questions, Modified long essay questions, correlation

Evaluation of educational quality of pediatrics course 2 at the College of Medicine, King Khalid University by students

Aim: The purpose of this study is to determine the factors that could improve pediatrics teaching and outcomes from student feedback. Methods: King Khalid University (KKU) is one of the pioneer universities in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, which adopt traditional curriculum. Students who finished pediatrics 2 MBBS course were kindly requested to answer a well-structured 21 validated questions regarding the course in June 2015. SPSS version 22 (IBM) software was used for analysis; Chi-square test was applied to measure the significant differences among the responses; and the level of significance was 0.05, which means P < 0.05 shall be considered a significant defense. Results: Most of the students viewed the course as valuable, understood and viewed instructors as dynamic, energetic, enhanced presentations, enhanced discussion, friendly, made students feel welcome in seeking help/advice in or outside of class, accessible to students, and discussed current developments in the field. Examinations tested course content as emphasized by the instructor, with available facilities for the course and homework. On the other hand, a significant number of students think the course does not increase their interest in the subject, no clear explanation, proposed objectives inconsistent with actually taught. Students were encouraged to ask and to express themselves and students evaluation unfair. Conclusion: Students feedback gives good reflections regarding limitations of the traditional curriculum, gives recommendations to improvement

A Special Study of the Mixed Weighted Fractional Brownian Motion

In this work, we present the analysis of a mixed weighted fractional Brownian motion, defined by ηt:=Bt+ξt, where B is a Brownian motion and ξ is an independent weighted fractional Brownian motion. We also consider the parameter estimation problem for the drift parameter θ>0 in the mixed weighted fractional Ornstein–Uhlenbeck model of the form X0=0;Xt=θXtdt+dηt. Moreover, a simulation is given of sample paths of the mixed weighted fractional Ornstein–Uhlenbeck process

Assessing the suitability of pitaya plant varieties for cultivation in the arid climate of Saudi Arabia

Pitaya, sometimes called dragon fruit, is a tropical fruit crop that has become more well-known recently because of its distinct flavor and beneficial properties. However, it has only been cultivated in tropical and subtropical areas, and nothing is known about whether it can thrive in arid climates. This study considers various pitaya plant types' morphological, physiological, and agronomic aspects to assess their viability for cultivation in desert regions. This study investigated the growth and development of two cultivars of pitaya plants, S. undatus and S. costaricensis, in the Asir region of Saudi Arabia. Different fertilisation treatments were applied to determine the most effective approach for promoting growth and productivity. Results showed that the Klebak fertiliser, which contains marine algae rich in auxins and amino acids, was the most effective treatment for S. undatus. For S. costaricensis, the Klebak fertiliser was also effective, but treating tree leaves with volcanic stone was also beneficial. The volcanic stone helped to preserve moisture in the soil and promote good drainage, while the leaves provided important organic nutrients for growth. In addition, S. costaricensis was found to be more resistant and responsive to cultivation, likely due to its original habitat in the temperate climate of Mexico. These findings can help inform the cultivation of pitaya plants in similar climatic conditions. They may have implications for other areas seeking to promote the growth and productivity of this important crop

International Nosocomial Infection Control Consortiu (INICC) report, data summary of 43 countries for 2007-2012. Device-associated module

We report the results of an International Nosocomial Infection Control Consortium (INICC) surveillance study from January 2007-December 2012 in 503 intensive care units (ICUs) in Latin America, Asia, Africa, and Europe. During the 6-year study using the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC) U.S. National Healthcare Safety Network (NHSN) definitions for device-associated health care–associated infection (DA-HAI), we collected prospective data from 605,310 patients hospitalized in the INICC's ICUs for an aggregate of 3,338,396 days. Although device utilization in the INICC's ICUs was similar to that reported from ICUs in the U.S. in the CDC's NHSN, rates of device-associated nosocomial infection were higher in the ICUs of the INICC hospitals: the pooled rate of central line–associated bloodstream infection in the INICC's ICUs, 4.9 per 1,000 central line days, is nearly 5-fold higher than the 0.9 per 1,000 central line days reported from comparable U.S. ICUs. The overall rate of ventilator-associated pneumonia was also higher (16.8 vs 1.1 per 1,000 ventilator days) as was the rate of catheter-associated urinary tract infection (5.5 vs 1.3 per 1,000 catheter days). Frequencies of resistance of Pseudomonas isolates to amikacin (42.8% vs 10%) and imipenem (42.4% vs 26.1%) and Klebsiella pneumoniae isolates to ceftazidime (71.2% vs 28.8%) and imipenem (19.6% vs 12.8%) were also higher in the INICC's ICUs compared with the ICUs of the CDC's NHSN