Developing an Alternative Math Assessment Tool Using Speech Recognition

The world today is now in the era of Information Technology. The development of ICT-based processes specifically in the area of assessment in school is now visible. Project LISTEN (Literacy Innovation that Speech Technology ENables) is an inter-disciplinary research project at Carnegie Mellon University to develop a novel tool to improve literacy – an automated Reading Tutor that displays stories on a computer screen, and listens to children read aloud. This study does not provide right or wrong answers for they let the user evaluate the answer. The main objective of this study is to develop an Alternative Math Assessment Tool for Preschoolers using Speech Recognition. These software aims to assist teachers in the review of Math lessons for preschooler using speech recognition. The development of the system utilizes the System Development Cycle approach that includes data gathering to identify system’s expected functionalities, designing the system using Use-Case Diagram, integration of JSAPI for Voice Recognition, using Synthesizer software for reading the questions out loud, a graphical display of teacher representation and a graphical display for every questions in the review. Along in the development of this assessment tool is the implementation of the system. The system was developed using Java Programming language. It also uses MySql database to store data for preschooler, review questions and text answers. In the conduct of the review digital microphone and a speaker is needed. The developed system is capable of creating questions for a particular review, activating a review for the preschooler to take, and record the preschooler’s scores at every end of the review. The system also includes graphical display of questions. In the conduct of the review, the system was able to read out loud the questions, and a 5-second time span for the pupil to answer the review questions. The system will listen and the feedback from the study will display the correctly uttered answer. User testing results indicates an 83% correct response of system against the correct uttered answer of the preschooler.

Biochemical Analysis and Genetic Polymorphism of Angiogenic Factors and Inflammatory Markers in Pakistani Patients With Age-Related Macular Degeneration

Age related macular degeneration (AMD) is an ophthalmic disease with complex aetiologyand is considered to be one of the major reasons of blindness in aged population. Inflammatory processes are suggested to play an important role in AMD pathogenesis and its progression. The present cross sectional and case-control study was carried out to investigate the role of inflammatory markers and angiogenic growth factors in AMD pathogenesis. Diagnosis was done through slit lamp examination, OCT and FFA. Normotensive and non-diabetic subjects aged ≥50 years diagnosed with AMD were selected. Age matched healthy individuals with no symptoms of AMD were selected as controls. Serum lipids, apolipoprotein E (ApoE), leptin, HTRA1, interleukin 6 (IL-6), IL-8, vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), C-reactive protein (CRP) and complimentary factor H (CFH) were determined in patients and controls. Genotype analyses of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in IL-6 gene (rs1800795; rs1800796; rs1800797); IL-8 gene (rs4073; rs2227306; rs2227543); VEGF gene (rs3025039; rs699947) and CRP gene (rs1205; rs1130864) were done through restriction fragment length polymorphism. Data were computed through SPSS version 18.0 (Chicago, Illinois, USA) and Graph Pad Prism (GraphPad Software, San Diego, California, USA). Data sets were compared between control and AMD patients through student’s t-test. Genotype and allele frequencies were compared through χ 2 . Significance level was p<0.05. Since the data were obtained from a sample population, to reduce heterogeneity of error, Box-Cox transformation algorithm was applied. Multivariate analysis of variance (M-ANOVA) was applied on the transformed data to investigate association of serum levels of IL-6, IL-8, VEGF and CRP with AMD. Transformed data showed elevated serum levels of IL-8 (p<0.015) and VEGF (p<0.0108) and reduced ApoE (p<0.032) in AMD patients compared to control subjects. Serum VEGF levels were significantly raised (p<0.0001) in wet AMD patients compared to the dry AMD patients. The IL-6 levels were significantly high in patients with genotype GG for rs4073(p<0.0001). IL-8 levels were significantly high in patients with genotype GG for rs2227543(p<0.002). Significantly high VEGF levels were observed in patients xwith genotype TT for rs3025039(p<0.038). CRP levels did not change significantly with respect to genotype forrs1205 and rs1130864. The study concludes that inflammatory markers and angiogenic growth factors are significantly altered in AMD pathogenesis. Significant findings of the present study which are pertinent to mention is that altered levels of inflammatory markers and angiogenic factors are related to the genetic polymorphism for IL-6, IL-8 and VEGF genes. However, SNPs in relation to CRP were not related to serum CRP levelsin AMD patients.