Adaptive Neuro-Fuzzy Control Approach for a Single Inverted Pendulum System

The inverted pendulum is an under-actuated and nonlinear system, which is also unstable. It is a single-input double-output system, where only one output is directly actuated. This paper investigates a single intelligent control system using an adaptive neuro-fuzzy inference system (ANFIS) to stabilize the inverted pendulum system while tracking the desired position. The non-linear inverted pendulum system was modelled and built using MATLAB Simulink. An adaptive neuro-fuzzy logic controller was implemented and its performance was compared with a Sugeno-fuzzy inference system in both simulation and real experiment. The ANFIS controller could reach its desired new destination in 1.5 s and could stabilize the entire system in 2.2 s in the simulation, while in the experiment it took 1.7 s to reach stability. Results from the simulation and experiment showed that ANFIS had better performance compared to the Sugeno-fuzzy controller as it provided faster and smoother response and much less steady-state error

Indoor air quality (IAQ) in educational institutions: a review on risks of poor IAQ, sampling strategies, and building-related health symptoms

Health and academic achievement of students from every level of education are affected by the provision of good Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) since the students spend more than 5 hours of a day in school on average. Hence, this paper discusses on issues related to IAQ studies in maintaining a healthy level in educational institution. The presence of indoor pollutants such as VOCs, CO2, and other hazardous elements were assessed in terms of its effects on students’ well-being and health. This paper also examines commonly reported health problems related to poor IAQ such as sick building syndrome (SBS) and asthma. Every measurements and consideration regarding IAQ provision comes with different techniques and strategies, which were highlighted regarding its relative importance and frequency of use by different researchers. The review suggested substitution of natural-based products for indoor cleaning agents and installation of air ventilation and purification systems for a more acceptable indoor air quality

Comparison of 16S rRNA Gene Quantification with Selected Inflammatory Markers and Culture Method in Septic Arthritis

This study aims to determine the types of causative organism, the utility of synovial procalcitonin (PCT), C-Reactive Protein (CRP) and bacterial 16S rRNA gene-based RT-PCR and their comparison with conventional culture results in patients with clinically-suspected SA. A total of 38 patients were recruited in this cross-sectional study for performing synovial PCT and CRP assay, and bacterial gDNA quantification via RT-PCT. Records of culture results, WBC count, ESR, blood CRP, and antibiotic administration were obtained. Gross appearance and viscosity determination are significantly associated with the bacterial load. This study documents Acinetobacter radioresistens and Klebsiella pneumoniae bacteria as causative pathogens of SA in Malaysia. CRP and ESR showed a significant role in diagnosing SA. Reasons for finding no concordance between conventional culture methods and 16S rDNA RT-PCR as well as synovial PCT were comprehensively reviewed. Gross appearance and viscosity showed a significant relationship with the bacterial load. RT-PCR is useful in patients treated with antimicrobial therapy with negative culture results.RT-PCR has speed and accuracy compared to conventional culture. Awareness of Klebsiella pneumoniae and Acinetobacter radioresistens as causative bacteria should be prompted among clinicians particularly at local, regional as well as international levels. Developing guidelines for including 16S rRNA gene RT-PCR and introducing Digital PCR and next-generation sequencing to detect and identify bacterial species in diagnosing SA is recommended

Prevalence and Risk Factors of Intestinal Parasitism in Rural and Remote West Malaysia

Intestinal parasitic infections (IPIs) are among the most prevalent human afflictions; these infections still have major impact on the socioeconomic and public health of the bottom billion of the world's poorest people. Although Malaysia has a thriving economy, IPIs are still very much prevalent and causing major health problems among the poor and in deprived communities especially in rural and remote areas. A comprehensive study is paramount to determine the current prevalent and factors closely linked to IPIs so that effective control measures can be instituted. In view of this, we conducted this study to provide detailed data of the existing status of IPIs among 716 participants living in rural and remote areas in Peninsular Malaysia. The establishment of such data is beneficial for the public health service to justify and facilitate the reassessment of control strategies and policies in terms of reducing intestinal parasitism. With effective control measures in place, these communities (especially children) will have a greater opportunity for a better future in terms of health and educational achievement and eventually will be at par socially and economically with urban communities in Malaysia

Analysis of sequence variations in low-density lipoprotein receptor gene among Malaysian patients with familial hypercholesterolemia

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Familial hypercholesterolemia is a genetic disorder mainly caused by defects in the low-density lipoprotein receptor gene. Few and limited analyses of familial hypercholesterolemia have been performed in Malaysia, and the underlying mutations therefore remain largely unknown.</p> <p>We studied a group of 154 unrelated FH patients from a northern area of Malaysia (Kelantan). The promoter region and exons 2-15 of the LDLR gene were screened by denaturing high-performance liquid chromatography to detect short deletions and nucleotide substitutions, and by multiplex ligation-dependent probe amplification to detect large rearrangements.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>A total of 29 gene sequence variants were reported in 117(76.0%) of the studied subjects. Eight different mutations (1 large rearrangement, 1 short deletion, 5 missense mutations, and 1 splice site mutation), and 21 variants. Eight gene sequence variants were reported for the first time and they were noticed in familial hypercholesterolemic patients, but not in controls (p.Asp100Asp, p.Asp139His, p.Arg471Gly, c.1705+117 T>G, c.1186+41T>A, 1705+112C>G, Dup exon 12 and p.Trp666ProfsX45). The incidence of the p.Arg471Gly variant was 11%. Patients with pathogenic mutations were younger, had significantly higher incidences of cardiovascular disease, xanthomas, and family history of hyperlipidemia, together with significantly higher total cholesterol and low density lipoprotein levels than patients with non-pathogenic variants.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Twenty-nine gene sequence variants occurred among FH patients; those with predicted pathogenicity were associated with higher incidences of cardiovascular diseases, tendon xanthomas, and higher total and low density lipoprotein levels compared to the rest. These results provide preliminary information on the mutation spectrum of this gene among patients with FH in Malaysia.</p

Defining the causes of sporadic Parkinson's disease in the global Parkinson's genetics program (GP2)

The Global Parkinson’s Genetics Program (GP2) will genotype over 150,000 participants from around the world, and integrate genetic and clinical data for use in large-scale analyses to dramatically expand our understanding of the genetic architecture of PD. This report details the workflow for cohort integration into the complex arm of GP2, and together with our outline of the monogenic hub in a companion paper, provides a generalizable blueprint for establishing large scale collaborative research consortia

Multi-ancestry genome-wide association meta-analysis of Parkinson?s disease

Although over 90 independent risk variants have been identified for Parkinson’s disease using genome-wide association studies, most studies have been performed in just one population at a time. Here we performed a large-scale multi-ancestry meta-analysis of Parkinson’s disease with 49,049 cases, 18,785 proxy cases and 2,458,063 controls including individuals of European, East Asian, Latin American and African ancestry. In a meta-analysis, we identified 78 independent genome-wide significant loci, including 12 potentially novel loci (MTF2, PIK3CA, ADD1, SYBU, IRS2, USP8, PIGL, FASN, MYLK2, USP25, EP300 and PPP6R2) and fine-mapped 6 putative causal variants at 6 known PD loci. By combining our results with publicly available eQTL data, we identified 25 putative risk genes in these novel loci whose expression is associated with PD risk. This work lays the groundwork for future efforts aimed at identifying PD loci in non-European populations

Socializing One Health: an innovative strategy to investigate social and behavioral risks of emerging viral threats

In an effort to strengthen global capacity to prevent, detect, and control infectious diseases in animals and people, the United States Agency for International Development’s (USAID) Emerging Pandemic Threats (EPT) PREDICT project funded development of regional, national, and local One Health capacities for early disease detection, rapid response, disease control, and risk reduction. From the outset, the EPT approach was inclusive of social science research methods designed to understand the contexts and behaviors of communities living and working at human-animal-environment interfaces considered high-risk for virus emergence. Using qualitative and quantitative approaches, PREDICT behavioral research aimed to identify and assess a range of socio-cultural behaviors that could be influential in zoonotic disease emergence, amplification, and transmission. This broad approach to behavioral risk characterization enabled us to identify and characterize human activities that could be linked to the transmission dynamics of new and emerging viruses. This paper provides a discussion of implementation of a social science approach within a zoonotic surveillance framework. We conducted in-depth ethnographic interviews and focus groups to better understand the individual- and community-level knowledge, attitudes, and practices that potentially put participants at risk for zoonotic disease transmission from the animals they live and work with, across 6 interface domains. When we asked highly-exposed individuals (ie. bushmeat hunters, wildlife or guano farmers) about the risk they perceived in their occupational activities, most did not perceive it to be risky, whether because it was normalized by years (or generations) of doing such an activity, or due to lack of information about potential risks. Integrating the social sciences allows investigations of the specific human activities that are hypothesized to drive disease emergence, amplification, and transmission, in order to better substantiate behavioral disease drivers, along with the social dimensions of infection and transmission dynamics. Understanding these dynamics is critical to achieving health security--the protection from threats to health-- which requires investments in both collective and individual health security. Involving behavioral sciences into zoonotic disease surveillance allowed us to push toward fuller community integration and engagement and toward dialogue and implementation of recommendations for disease prevention and improved health security