Search

Abstract Background Cognitive frailty (CF) is an emerging concern among older persons, particularly within lower socioeconomic statuses (SES) populations. Currently, there is limited evidence on the potential reversibility of CF through multi-domain interventions within this demographic. This study aimed to investigate the effectiveness of the WE-RISE™ multi-domain intervention in addressing the potential reversibility of CF among community-dwelling older persons of lower SES, the intervention effects on multiple health dimensions, and to determine if WE-RISE™ is of low cost. Methods This 24-week randomised controlled trial included 55 community-dwelling older persons of lower SES with CF, who were randomised into either the WE-RISE™ intervention group (n = 27), or the control group receiving usual care (n = 28). The WE-RISE™ intervention comprised of 12 weeks of instructor led, community-based intervention, followed by 12 weeks of WE-RISE™@Home. CF status, cognitive and physical function, nutrition, disability, health-related quality of life, exercise self-efficacy and depression were assessed at baseline, 12th and 24th weeks. Changes in CF status was analysed descriptively, while intervention effects were analyzed with split plot ANOVA. The cost of the WE-RISE™ intervention was calculated using activity-based costing. Results At baseline, all participants in both the intervention and control groups (100%) were classified as CF. Following 12 weeks of the WE-RISE™ intervention, 74.1% of participants in the experimental group no longer met the criteria for cognitive frailty, with 63% maintaining this improvement at 24 weeks. In contrast, the CF status of participants in the control group remained largely unchanged, with only 10.7% showing improvement at 12 weeks and falling to 3.6% at 24 weeks. Significant intervention effects were observed for cognition, physical function, body composition, disability, health-related quality of life and self-perceived exercise self-efficacy (p

Abstract Background Cognitive frailty is a dual geriatric syndrome that is preventable with lifestyle changes. Lifestyle changes are influenced by literacy level. However, the association between limited health literacy (HL) and cognitive frailty (CF) is yet to be discovered. Objectives This study aims to determine the association between HL and CF among older adults. Methods Data was collected between April 2021 to March 2022 in this cross-sectional study. Citizens aged 60 years and older who can understand Malay and English were selected through purposive sampling from the AGELESS Trial screening sample frame. HLS-M-Q18 was administered to determine HL and CDR, and Fried’s Criteria were used to assess the CF status. Results A total of 757 participants were included in the analysis. 68.2% of the total participants had a limited HL level. The prevalence of CF among older adults with limited HL was 48.2% as compared to those with adequate HL (28.2%) (p

Abstract Objective In this study, we aimed to assess the synergistic effects of cognitive frailty (CF) and comorbidity on disability among older adults. Methods Out of the 1318 participants from the Malaysian Towards Useful Aging (TUA) study, only 400 were included in the five-year follow-up analysis. A comprehensive interview-based questionnaire covering socio-demographic information, health status, biochemical indices, cognitive and physical function, and psychosocial factors was administered. Binary logistic regression analysis was employed to estimate the independent and combined odd ratios (ORs). Measures such as the relative excess risk due to interaction (RERI), the attributable proportion of risk due to the interaction, and the synergy index were used to assess the interaction between CF and comorbidity. Results Participants with CF (24.1%) were more likely to report disability compared to those without CF (10.3%). Synergistic effects impacting disability were observed between CF and osteoarthritis (OA) (OR: 6.675, 95% CI: 1.057–42.158; RERI: 1.501, 95% CI: 1.400–1.570), CF and heart diseases (HD) (OR: 3.480, 95% CI: 1.378–8.786; RERI: 0.875, 95% CI: 0.831–0.919), CF and depressive symptoms (OR: 3.443, 95% CI: 1.065–11.126; RERI: 0.806, 95% CI: 0.753–0.859), and between CF and diabetes mellitus (DM) (OR: 2.904, 95% Confidence Interval (CI): 1.487–5.671; RERI: 0.607, 95% CI: 0.577–0.637). Conclusion These findings highlight the synergism between the co-existence of CF and comorbidity, including OA, HD, DM, and depressive symptoms, on disability in older adults. Screening, assessing, and managing comorbidities, especially OA, HD, DM and depressive symptoms, when managing older adults with CF are crucial for reducing the risk of or preventing the development of disability.

Objective: This study delves into the intriguing connection between knee osteoarthritis and diabetes in Malaysia. Specifically, the exacerbation of knee osteoarthritis in the presence of diabetes in terms of symptoms, physical performance, physical activity, psychological status, social participation, and quality of life was discussed. Design: This cross-sectional study recruited adults aged 50 and above by convenient sampling and grouped them into: knee osteoarthritis-diabetes-, knee osteoarthritis+diabetes-, knee osteoarthritis-diabetes+, and knee osteoarthritis+diabetes+. Subjects/Patients: Of 436 recruited participants, 261 (59.8%) participants reported knee osteoarthritis. Methods: Handgrip strength, Timed Up and Go test, 6 Meter Walk Test, and 5 Times Sit to Stand Test were measured using standardized procedures. Six questionnaires were administered for the remaining parameters. Results: Across groups, there were significant differences: 6 Meter Walk Test (p = 0.024), Timed Up and Go test (p = 0.020), and 5 Times Sit to Stand Test (p

Purpose: To develop a brief screening tool consisting of twelve items that can be self-administered for rapid identification of older adults at risk of cognitive frailty (CF), named as Cognitive Frailty Screening Tool (CFST). Patients and methods: A total of 1318 community-dwelling individuals aged 60 years and above were selected and assessed for cognitive frailty using a set of neuropsychology batteries and physical function tests. A binary logistic regression (BLR) was used to identify predictors of CF to be used as items in the screening tool. A suitable cut-off point was developed using receiver operating characteristic analysis. Results: Twelve items were included in the screening tool, comprising of gender, education years, medical history, depressive symptoms and functional status as well as lifestyle activities. The area under the curve (AUC) was 0.817 (95 % CI:0.774–0.861), indicating an excellent discriminating power. The sensitivity and specificity for cut-off 7 were 80.8 % and 79.0 %, with an acceptable range of positive predictive value (PPV) (73.3 %) and negative predictive value (NPV) (85.2 %) for screening tools. Concurrent validity of CFST score with standard cognitive and frailty assessment tools shows a significant association with the total score of CFST with low to moderate correlation (p

Background: Despite the availability of various clinical practice guidelines (CPGs) offering evidence-based recommendations, there exists a global diversity in physiotherapy practices for managing patients with non-specific low back pain (NSLBP). In this review, we aim to critically appraise and map the current evidence regarding physiotherapy management for patients with NSLBP. Methods: A search strategy was formulated and searched in MEDLINE, Scopus, EBSCOhost, PEDro and Google Scholar between 2013 and 2023 in English. Critical appraisal was performed using International Centre for Allied Health Evidence (iCAHE) guideline checklist. Results: A total of 12 CPGs met the selection criteria were synthesised. Exercise therapy, physical activity and manual therapy were consistently recommended for patients with NSLBP across most guidelines, irrespective of symptom duration. Cognitive-behavioural therapy was frequently advised for those with chronic NSLBP. However, notable absences of recommendations for electrotherapy, mechanical traction, bed rest, and lumbar corsets in NSLBP management. Moreover, emerging treatments such as shock wave therapy and cognitive-functional therapy were not extensively addressed in the guidelines. Conclusion: Multimodal and active forms of physiotherapy management were predominantly recommended in most of the guidelines. However, there is a clear necessity for updated CPG that effectively integrate biopsychosocial approaches into the management of patients with NSLBP.

Objective This study explored the perceived benefits, barriers, and recommendations of telerehabilitation for musculoskeletal disorders among physiotherapists in Malaysia. Methods This study employed an exploratory qualitative methodology to gather the perceptions of government-employed physiotherapists in Malaysia regarding the benefits, barriers, and recommendations for telerehabilitation in treating musculoskeletal disorders. The researchers conducted semistructured focus group discussions (FGDs) via Google Meet, which were recorded, transcribed, and analyzed using thematic analysis. Results Five FGDs were conducted with 24 participants, 37.5% of whom had prior experience with telerehabilitation. The data analysis returned three main themes: (1) perceived benefits, (2) barriers, and (3) recommendations. Four subthemes were derived from perceived benefits: (1a) saving time and money, (1b) convenience, (1c) clients responsible for their treatment, and (1d) alternatives for infectious diseases. Perceived barriers revealed three subthemes: (2a) technology, (2b) organization, and (2c) personal barriers. Finally, participants provided recommendations for improving telerehabilitation services, including training programs to facilitate greater acceptance of this modality. Conclusion The findings of this study offer crucial insights into the evolving landscape of telerehabilitation in Malaysia. These findings revealed a greater prevalence of barriers to enablers among Malaysian physiotherapists, potentially influenced by varying experience levels. Despite the prevailing lack of experience among participants, this research underscores the significance of identifying barriers and enablers in implementing telerehabilitation with participants offering recommendations for integrating telerehabilitation into their practices. This study provides clear insights and a roadmap for stakeholders aiming to shape the future of telerehabilitation among physiotherapists in Malaysia.

Abstract We report on the existence of two phosphatidic acid biosynthetic pathways in mycobacteria, a classical one wherein the acylation of the sn-1 position of glycerol-3-phosphate (G3P) precedes that of sn-2 and another wherein acylations proceed in the reverse order. Two unique acyltransferases, PlsM and PlsB2, participate in both pathways and hold the key to the unusual positional distribution of acyl chains typifying mycobacterial glycerolipids wherein unsaturated substituents principally esterify position sn-1 and palmitoyl principally occupies position sn-2. While PlsM selectively transfers a palmitoyl chain to the sn-2 position of G3P and sn-1-lysophosphatidic acid (LPA), PlsB2 preferentially transfers a stearoyl or oleoyl chain to the sn-1 position of G3P and an oleyl chain to sn-2-LPA. PlsM is the first example of an sn-2 G3P acyltransferase outside the plant kingdom and PlsB2 the first example of a 2-acyl-G3P acyltransferase. Both enzymes are unique in their ability to catalyze acyl transfer to both G3P and LPA.

Introduction: Cardiorespiratory fitness has an inverse relationship with cognitive impairment and frailty in older adults. Direct assessment of maximal oxygen consumption (VO2 max) is the gold standard to assess cardiorespiratory fitness. However, it is costly and requires a laboratory setting. Therefore, VO2 max estimation among older adults with cognitive frailty (CF) will allow the assessment of aerobic capacity, which is commonly overlooked due to the complexity of the test. Aim: This study aims to determine the use of one of three physical performance tests (2-minute step, 2-minute walk, and 1-minute sit to stand) to effectively estimate cardiorespiratory fitness among older adults with CF. Methods: In this cross-sectional study, community-dwelling individuals aged 60 years old and above in Klang Valley were screened for CF. The participants performed three physical performance tests (2-minute walk, 2-minute step, and 1-minute sit to stand) followed by treadmill-based maximal exercise testing on another day. Results: A total of 32 older adults with cognitive frailty (mean age; SD: 67.1;4.7 years) participated in this study. Nearly half of them had hypertension (43.5 %), hypercholesterolemia (43.5 %), and multimorbidity (47.8 %). Among the endurance tests performed, only the 2-minute walk test independently predicted VO2 max by sex-specific with men (R2 = 0.58, p = 0.03) and women (R2 = 0.34, p = 0.01). The 2-minute walk test had good agreement with VO2 max (ICC = 0.77, 95 % CI: −3.1–2.4). Conclusion: The 2-minute walk test is a valid tool for estimating cardiorespiratory fitness among older adults with CF. However, it should be further tested across a larger population.

Blanching is the primary treatment given to potato tubers before any other processing but has a differential impact on its starch content quality parameter. The present study aimed to evaluate the effect of three different blanching methods, i.e., water (100 °C for 5, 10, 15 min), steam (100 °C for 10, 15, 20 min) and microwave (640 W for 1, 3, 5 min) with different time-temperature combinations on nutritionally essential starch fractions of five potato processing cultivars (Kufri Chipsona 1, Kufri Chipsona 3, Kufri Chipsona 4, Kufri Himsona and Kufri Frysona). The total starch content in the raw samples ranged from 17.92 g/100 g to 69.27 g ̸ 100 g. All the blanching treatments caused a significant reduction of starch content, and 5 min water blanching treatment was standardized for optimum total starch content. Rapidly Digestible Starch content decreased as processing time was increased in all the treatments with maximum degradation by water blanching for 15 min. Slowly Digestible Starch content enhanced with an increase in processing time. The levels of the starch fractions varied depending on blanching methods. Blanching significantly influenced the various starch fractions in potatoes.

Objective The research aimed to study digital divide by determining the usage of digital technology among older adults with cognitive frailty (CF) in Malaysia. Methods The dataset was obtained from the AGELESS trial screening phase conducted from October 2021 to March 2022, involving 476 community-dwelling Malaysian older adults (67.7 years old ± 6.1). Digital technology usage was assessed and CF was determined using Fried's criteria and Clinical Dementia Rating. A binary logistic regression was used to determine the sociodemographic factors associated with digital technology use among older adults with CF. Results The findings suggest a digital divide between older adults with CF and robust in Malaysia. CF individuals (72.1%) were less likely to utilise digital technology, mainly smartphone than robust older adults (89.6%). More than 70% of older people owned social media on their smartphones, namely, WhatsApp. The most frequent online activities in both groups were family interaction and obtaining current news. CF older adults were less likely to play games on their smart devices. Usage of digital technology was more common among male, younger age, attained formal education more than 6 years, had a higher monthly household income, and robust participants. Conclusions The usage of digital technology was inversely related to CF status. CF older adults were less likely to integrate digital technology into their daily living compared to robust even though they were familiar with it. The use of digital technology should be reinforced among female, advanced age, widowers/divorcees without formal education and those from lower- or middle-income statuses, and cognitively frail older people.

BackgroundWhile the potential of physical performance tests as screening tools for sarcopenia is evident, limited information on relevant reference values for sarcopenia detection. In this study, we aimed to establish the prospective relationship between physical performance tests, including time up and go (TUG), functional reach (FR), gait speed (GS), and hand grip strength (HGS) with five-year sarcopenia risk and to determine suitable cut-off values for screening activities.MethodThis was a prospective study utilizing data from the Malaysian Elders Longitudinal Research (MELoR) study, which involved community-dwelling older adults aged 55 years and above at recruitment. Baseline (2013–2015) and wave 3 (2019) data were analyzed. Sarcopenia risk was determined using the strength, assistance walking, rising from a chair, climbing stairs, and falls (SARC-F) tool, with SARC-F ≥ 4 indicating sarcopenia. Baseline physical performance test scores were dichotomized using ROC-determined cut-offs.ResultData were available from 774 participants with mean age of 68.13 (SD = 7.13) years, 56.7% women. Cut-offs values for reduced GS, TUG, FR, and HGS were: 11.5 s (74.2%; 57.2%),

The advancements in distributed generation (DG) technologies such as solar panels have led to a widespread integration of renewable power generation in modern power systems. However, the intermittent nature of renewable energy poses new challenges to the network operational planning with underlying uncertainties. This paper proposes a novel probabilistic scheme for renewable solar power generation forecasting by addressing data and model parameter uncertainties using Bayesian bidirectional long short-term memory (BiLSTM) neural networks, while handling the high dimensionality in weight parameters using variational auto-encoders (VAE). The forecasting performance of the proposed method is evaluated using various deterministic and probabilistic evaluation metrics such as root-mean square error (RMSE), Pinball loss, etc. Furthermore, reconstruction error and computational time are also monitored to evaluate the dimensionality reduction using the VAE component. When compared with benchmark methods, the proposed method leads to significant improvements in weight reduction, i.e., from 76,4224 to 2,022 number of weight parameters, quantifying to 97.35% improvement in weight parameters reduction and 37.93% improvement in computational time for 6 months of solar power generation data.

Background & objectives: Nanotechnology, an emerging field, has acquired considerable attention for the control of vectors. The present study aimed to synthesize, characterize copper sulfide- and eucalyptus oil-based hybrid nanoemulsions and investigate their larvicidal potential against Aedes aegypti by studying larvicidal bioassay, morphological aberrations, histopathological alterations, biochemical analysis and evaluation of risk assessment in non-target organisms. Methods: Hybrid nanoemulsions were prepared by mixing aqueous copper sulfide nanoparticles (CuSNPs) with non-polar eucalyptus oil in five ratios (1:1, 1:2, 1:3, 1:4 and 1:5) by sonication, screened and characterized using Transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Larvicidal activity was recorded and toxicity values were calculated by log-probit method. Morphological, histological and biochemical changes were examined in Aedes aegypti larvae after treatment. Nanohybrids were also tested under simulated conditions and against non-target organism. Results: The nanohybrid ratio of 1:5 was found to be stable after thermodynamic stability tests. TEM studies revealed average size of 90±7.90 nm with globular shape. LC50 and LC90 toxicity values of prepared CuSNPs were calculated out to be 5.00 and 5.81ppm after 24 hours treatment. Effective concentration of prepared nanohybrid (6.5ppm) tested under simulated conditions showed maximum larvicidal mortality after 48 hours of exposure. No toxicity towards the Mesocyclops spp. was observed after treatment of these nanohybrids even up to 21 days. Interpretation & conclusion: Copper sulfide based hybrid nanoemulsions were found to show efficient larvicidal property which can be used for the formulation of ecofriendly bio-larvicide against Aedes aegypti.

The emergence of cyber-physical smart grid (CPSG) systems has revolutionized the traditional power grid by enabling the bidirectional energy flow between consumers and utilities. However, due to escalated information exchange between the end-users, it has posed a greater challenge to the cyber security mechanisms for the communication networks at the cyber and physical planes. To address these challenges, we propose a Bayesian approach integrated with deep convolutional neural networks (CNN-Bayesian). While, the Bayesian component is used to discriminate cyber-physical intrusions from the normal events in the binary and multi-class events. CNN layers are utilized to handle the high-dimensional feature space prior to the intrusions classification task. The proposed method is validated using real-time Industrial control systems (ICS) dataset against the standard deep learning-based classification methods such as recurrent neural networks (RNN) and long-short term memory (LSTM). From the experimental results, it can be inferred that the proposed CNN-Bayesian method outperforms the existing benchmark classification methods to discriminate intrusions in CPSG systems using evaluation metrics such as accuracy, precision, recall, and $F1$ -score.

Abstract Energy forecasting plays a vital role in mitigating challenges in data rich smart grid (SG) systems involving various applications such as demand‐side management, load shedding, and optimum dispatch. Managing efficient forecasting while ensuring the least possible prediction error is one of the main challenges posed in the grid today, considering the uncertainty in SG data. This paper presents a comprehensive and application‐oriented review of state‐of‐the‐art forecasting methods for SG systems along with recent developments in probabilistic deep learning (PDL). Traditional point forecasting methods including statistical, machine learning (ML), and deep learning (DL) are extensively investigated in terms of their applicability to energy forecasting. In addition, the significance of hybrid and data pre‐processing techniques to support forecasting performance is also studied. A comparative case study using the Victorian electricity consumption in Australia and American electric power (AEP) datasets is conducted to analyze the performance of deterministic and probabilistic forecasting methods. The analysis demonstrates higher efficacy of DL methods with appropriate hyper‐parameter tuning when sample sizes are larger and involve nonlinear patterns. Furthermore, PDL methods are found to achieve at least 60% lower prediction errors in comparison to other benchmark DL methods. However, the execution time increases significantly for PDL methods due to large sample space and a tradeoff between computational performance and forecasting accuracy needs to be maintained.

Objective This scoping review aimed to identify the design and usability testing of a telerehabilitation (TR) system, and its characteristics and functionalities that are best-suited for rehabilitating adults with chronic diseases. Methods Searches were conducted in PubMed, EBSCO, Web of Science, and Cochrane library for studies published between January 2017 and December 2022. We followed the Joanna Briggs Institute guidelines and the framework by Arksey and O’Malley. Screening was undertaken by two reviewers, and data extraction was undertaken by the first author. Then, the data were further reviewed and discussed thoroughly with the team members. Results A total of 31 results were identified, with the core criteria of developing and testing a telerehabilitation system, including a mobile app for cardiovascular diseases, cancer, diabetes, and chronic respiratory disorders. All developed systems resulted from multidisciplinary teams and employed mixed-methods research. We proposed the “input-process-output” framework that identified phases of both system design and usability testing. Through system design, we reported the use of user-centered design, iterative design, users’ needs and characteristics, theory underpinning development, and the expert panel in 64%, 75%, 86%, 82%, and 71% of the studies, respectively. We recorded the application of moderated usability testing, unmoderated testing (1), and unmoderated testing (2) in 74%, 63%, and 15% of the studies, respectively. The identified design and testing activities produced a matured system, a high-fidelity prototype, and a released system in 81.5%, 15%, and 3.5%, respectively. Conclusion This review provides a framework for TR system design and testing for a wide range of chronic diseases that require prolonged management through remote monitoring using a mobile app. The identified “input-process-output” framework highlights the inputs, design, development, and improvement as components of the system design. It also identifies the “moderated-unmoderated” model for conducting usability testing. This review illustrates characteristics and functionalities of the TR systems and healthcare professional roles.

Abstract Background Dengue and chikungunya are two mosquito-borne viruses transmitted by the mosquito, Aedes aegypti, and are responsible for great public health concerns in India. The present study tested the effect of Daphnia magna, a freshwater cladoceran, on the growth and pupation of Ae. aegypti larvae. Results Ae. aegypti third instar larvae and adult, D. magna, were introduced in the ratios 1:1, 1:2 and 1:3 into beakers and placed in an illuminated BOD incubator at a temperature of 26 ± 1 °C. The delay in the duration of larval stages (the time taken from third instar stage until their emergence as adults) was measured. The emergence of adults was delayed for 3–4 days in the treatments where the ratio of D. magna was thrice the number of Ae. aegypti larvae. The L3 larval stage was found to be more prone to mortality than later instars, with 51.66% larval mortality. The sex ratio of males to females emerged was only 5:5 in the 1:3 ratio. Body size of both males and females was significantly reduced in all the treatment sets in the ratios: 1:1, 1:2 and 1:3 when compared with the control set. Longevity of adult was also reduced from 8–15 to 4–7 days in the case of males, and in the case of females it was reduced from 14–25 to 5–9 days in the treatment set when Daphnia was introduced thrice the number of Aedes larvae. Conclusions Our study provides evidence that D. magna affects the growth and pupation of Aedes larvae and consequentially the life history parameters that affect the fitness of the population.

IntroductionAging is associated with physiological changes in multiple systems in the body and may impact the transportation choices of older adults. In this study, we examine the associations between biopsychosocial factors and the transportation choices of Malaysian older adults.MethodsOne hundred and nineteen (119) older adults, aged 60 and above, living in Klang Valley, Malaysia were recruited for this cross-sectional study. Participants were interviewed face-to-face to obtain sociodemographic data, health status (whether there were and, if yes, the number of comorbidities), outdoor mobility and transportation patterns, Instrumental Activity Daily Living (IADL) status and cognitive function. Participants’ physical performance (dominant handgrip strength, 10-m walk, and timed up and go tests), hearing threshold (pure tone audiometry), and vision function (visual acuity, contrast sensitivity) were measured. Transportation patterns of older adults were categorized into three groups, that is, flexible (using public transport and/or private vehicles), using only private vehicles and restricted (relying on others or walking).ResultsFurther information is needed to enable such older adults as older women, those with comorbidities and poorer functional status to access transportation, especially to meet their health care needs.DiscussionThe majority (51%) of participants were in the ‘using only private vehicles’ group, followed by the ‘flexibles’ (25%) and the ‘restricted’ (24%). Factors significantly associated with the restricted transportation group were: (a) being female (AdjOR 15.39, 95% CI 0.86–23.39, p

Corn leaves were collected after harvesting corn and the fibers were extracted by water retting. The fibers were subjected to alkali treatment in order to enhance the mechanical as well as handle properties. The physico-mechanical properties of the retted and alkali-treated corn leaf fibers were analyzed using various analytical and statistical methods. The change in chemical composition due to alkali treatment was determined using Fourier transmission infrared spectroscopy and chemical composition analysis. Results inferred that 15 days retting gives better quality of fibers. The alkali treatment resulted in the removal of lignin, fats, and waxes as well as the disintegration of individual fibers from the retted fiber bunch. Bundle strength, elongation, and moisture properties were found to improve after chemical treatment. The study shows that corn leaf fiber has good potential in technical textile applications.

Background & objectives: Transmission of dengue virus by Aedes aegypti mosquito is one of the major global health concerns. The present study was aimed to explore the larvicidal potential of oil extracted from kinnow peel waste to be used as an efficient, economic and safe agent against Ae. aegypti. Methods: Kinnow peel oil was extracted and its five concentrations at 40, 50, 60, 70 and 80 ppm were tested against 4th instar larvae of Ae. aegypti. Larval mortality (%) and LC50 and LC90 values of toxicity were determined followed by evaluation of the residual activity effect of its leftover effective concentration on larval mortality, development and emergence. Effect of storage (2, 4 and 6 months) on larvicidal potential of kinnow peel oil was also determined. Results: Out of the tested concentrations, 70 ppm of kinnow peel oil was found to be the effective concentration against 4th instar larvae of Ae. aegypti. LC50 and LC90 toxicity values were 47.26 and 61.56 ppm, respectively. No residual activity effect in terms of larval mortality was found, however a significant delay in development (L4 to adult) was observed after placing new larvae in the leftover effective oil concentration. No effect of storage on larvicidal potential of 2, 4 and 6 months old kinnow peel oil in comparison to freshly extracted oil was observed. Interpretation & conclusion: Kinnow peel oil proved to have a good potential as a biolarvicide against Ae. aegypti and could be used as an effective and eco-friendly mosquito control agent in the future.

Although the multi-layer perceptron (MLP) neural networks provide a lot of flexibility and have proven useful and reliable in a wide range of classification and regression problems, they still have limitations. One of the most common is associated with the optimization algorithm used to train them. The most commonly used training method is stochastic gradient descent with backpropagation (or backpropagation for short) because it is mathematically tractable (given that the activation functions are differentiable). However, backpropagation is not guaranteed to find the globally optimal set of weights and biases. As a result, the MLP is often incapable of obtaining a desirable solution to the problem. Clonal selection algorithms (CSA) are optimization procedures that effectively explore a complex and large space to find values near the global optimum. Consequently, CSA can be used to solve the problem of training MLP networks. This paper presents a novel implementation of CSA for training MLP architectures to solve real-world problems such as breast cancer diagnosis, active sonar target classification, wheat classification, and flower classification. The CSA is used to find the optimal weights and biases that will significantly increase the classification accuracy of the MLP. The performance of our proposed approach is compared with other popular training methods: genetic algorithm (GA), ant colony optimization (ACO), particle swarm optimization (PSO), Harris hawks optimization (HHO), moth-flame optimization (MFO), flower pollination algorithm (FPA), and backpropagation (BP). The comparison is benchmarked using five classification datasets: Iris Flower, Sonar, Wheat Seeds, Breast Cancer Wisconsin, and Haberman’s Survival. Comparative study results illustrate the improvements in MLP performance gained by using CSA over other training methods, and hence it can be considered a competitive approach to training MLP networks when solving real-world applications in various disciplines.

Introduction: Cardiovascular health contributes significantly to the incidence of cognitive impairment. Prior to conducting exercise-related intervention, it is crucial to explore cardiovascular health blood parameters that have been commonly used as guidance for the purpose of monitoring. Information on the effectiveness of exercise on cardiovascular-related biomarkers is lacking, especially among older adults with cognitive frailty. Therefore, we aimed to review existing evidence on cardiovascular-related blood parameters and their changes following exercise intervention among older adults with cognitive frailty.Methods: A systematic search was conducted on PubMed, Cochrane, and Scopus databases. Related studies involving only human and full text in either English or Malay language were selected. Types of impairment were limited to cognitive impairment, frailty, and cognitive frailty. Studies were restricted to randomized controlled trial and clinical trial design studies. For charting purposes, all variables were extracted and tabulated. Trends in types of parameters studied were explored.Results: A total of 607 articles were screened, and the final 16 were included in this review. Four cardiovascular-related blood parameter categories were extracted: inflammatory, glucose homeostasis, lipid profile, and hemostatic biomarkers. The common parameters monitored were IGF-1 and HbA1c, glucose, and insulin sensitivity in some studies. Out of the nine studies on inflammatory biomarkers, exercise interventions showed a reduction in pro-inflammatory markers, namely, IL-6, TNF-α, IL-15, leptin, and C-reactive protein and an increase in anti-inflammatory markers, namely, IFN-γ and IL-10. Similarly, in all eight studies, glucose homeostasis-related biomarkers had improved with exercise intervention. The lipid profile was tested in five studies, with four studies showing improvements with exercise intervention via a decrease in total cholesterol, triglycerides, and low-density lipoprotein and an increase in high-density lipoprotein. A decrease in pro-inflammatory biomarkers and an increase in anti-inflammatory biomarkers were demonstrated with multicomponent exercise, including aerobic exercise in six studies and aerobic exercise on its own in the remaining two studies. Meanwhile, four out of six studies that yielded improvements in glucose homeostasis biomarkers involved only aerobic exercise and the remaining two studies involved multicomponent with aerobic exercise.Conclusion: The most consistent blood parameters studied were glucose homeostasis and inflammatory biomarkers. These parameters have been shown to improve with multicomponent exercise programs, particularly with the inclusion of aerobic exercise.

The jackfruit seed has excellent nutritional food value which can help to produce healthy and nutritious food products. In this study, wheat flour was partially replaced by jackfruit seed flour (JSF) for the formulation of waffle ice cream cones. The amount of wheat flour added in the batter on the basis of amount of added JSF. The JSF was added after optimization using response surface methodology in a batter formulation for waffle ice cream cones. The waffle ice cream cone was made from 100% wheat flour, was considered as control, and used to compare JSF supplemented waffle ice cream cones. Substitution of wheat flour with JSF has affected the nutritional and sensorial attributes of waffle ice cream cone. In regard to its protein content, ice cream permeability hardness, crispness, and overall acceptability. The protein content was increased (14.55%) after the addition of jackfruit seed flour up to 80% from control. The cone was supplemented with 60% of JSF resulted to the higher values of crispiness and overall acceptability as compared to other waffle ice cream cones. As the JSF have high value in water/oil absorption capacities, therefore it could be utilized into other value-added food products as whole or partial replacement of wheat flour.

Abstract Background Cognitive frailty, a combination of physical frailty and cognitive impairment, is associated with functional decline in older adults. However, there is limited information if cognitive frailty predicts the incidence of falls, injuries, and disability. In this study, we aimed to determine the ability of cognitive frailty in predicting the incidence of falls, injuries and disability among multi-ethnic older adults in Malaysia at 5 years follow-up. Methods In this prospective cohort study, a total of 400 participants aged 60 years and above were successfully followed up at 5 years. Participants’ socio-demographic, medical history, psycho-social, physical, cognitive and dietary intake information was obtained. Cognitive frailty was defined as comorbid physical frailty (> 1 Fried criteria) and mild cognitive impairment (Petersen criteria). Univariate analysis was performed for all variables, followed by hierarchical binary logistic regression (BLR) analysis to identify the ability of CF in predicting the incidence of falls, injuries, and disability. The significant value was set at p

Abstract Background Online learning is an attractive option for educators, especially as means of overcoming the challenges posed by the global pandemic. Although it is best to evaluate student readiness prior to commencement of an online course, to ensure successful development and delivery of student-centric teaching and learning strategies, readiness towards online learning among physiotherapy undergraduates is unknown. The main aim of this study was to examine physiotherapy undergraduates’ readiness towards online learning. Methods In this cross-sectional study, participants were selected through a combination of total population and convenience sampling. The Student Online Learning Readiness questionnaire was distributed among physiotherapy undergraduates from two public and two private universities in Malaysia to investigate their technical, social and communication competencies. Information about device characteristics were obtained to evaluate their equipment readiness. Descriptive and group comparisons were conducted using independent t-test, and analysis of variance with p 80% possessed smartphones and laptop) level of equipment readiness. Institution and gender had no significant effect on the level of readiness (p > 0.05). Year 1 and 2 had significantly higher levels of social competencies with instructor compared to final year physiotherapy undergraduates (p

Introduction: The natural course of Hepatitis C Virus (HCV) infection is influenced by a number of host and viral variables. Interleukin 28B (IL28B) is a kind of interleukin. A Single Nucleotide Polymorphism (SNP) designated as rs12979860 was reported to predict viral clearance with and without treatment. Subjects with the GG (favourable) IL28B rs12979860 genotype were more likely to clear the infection spontaneously and respond well to therapy. These findings imply that people who have the “favourable” GG genotype have a lower viral burden than those who have the “unfavourable” AA genotype. Aim: To determine the effect of IL28B SNP rs12979860 genotype on HCV viral load in Kolar population, Karnataka, India. Materials and Methods: The present study was a case-control study which was carried out in Department of Microbiology, Sri Devaraj Urs Medical College, Kolar, Karnataka, India. Subjects were enrolled from Department of Medicine of R.L. Jalapa Hospital and Research Centre, teaching hospital of Sri Devaraj Urs Medical College between November 2020 to March 2021. A total of 248 patients were taken of which 124 were HCV antibody-positive and 124 were controls. The effect of IL28B rs12979860 SNP on HCV viral load and clearance among HCV-infected patients were examined. Detection and quantification of HCV-RNA was determined by Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction (RT-PCR). IL28B rs12979860 genotyping was performed using PCR and Restriction Fragment Length Polymorphism (RFLP) technique and specific primers. Statistical analysis was done by using open Epi tool. The frequency, percentage and Chi-square test were used to analyse categorical variable. A p-value

Abstract Background Falls are one of the major causes of mortality and morbidity in older adults. However, despite adoption of prevention strategies, the number of falls in older adults has not declined. The aim of this study was to examine fall awareness behaviour and its associated factors among Malaysian community dwelling older adults. Methods A total of 144 community dwelling older adults (mean age of 70.69 ± 4.3 years) participated in this study. Physical performance were assessed using timed up and go (TUG), gait speed (GS), chair stand and hand grip tests. Fall Awareness Behaviour (FaB) and Fall Risk Assessment Questionnaires (FRAQ) were administered to assess behaviour and fall prevention knowledge respectively. Results Stepwise linear regression analysis showed that the practice of fall awareness behaviour (R2 = 0.256) was significantly associated with being male [95% C.I: 2.178 to 7.789, p

Abstract Background Falls incidence rate and comprehensive data on factors that predict occasional and repeated falls from large population-based studies are scarce. In this study, we aimed to determine the incidence of falls and identify predictors of occasional and recurrent falls. This was done in the social, medical, physical, nutritional, biochemical, cognitive dimensions among community-dwelling older Malaysians. Methods Data from 1,763 Malaysian community-dwelling older persons aged ≥ 60 years were obtained from the LRGS-TUA longitudinal study. Participants were categorized into three groups according to the presence of a single fall (occasional fallers), ≥two falls (recurrent fallers), or absence of falls (non-fallers) at an 18-month follow-up. Results Three hundred and nine (17.53 %) participants reported fall occurrences at an 18-month follow-up, of whom 85 (27.51 %) had two or more falls. The incidence rate for occasional and recurrent falls was 8.47 and 3.21 per 100 person-years, respectively. Following multifactorial adjustments, being female (OR: 1.57; 95 % CI: 1.04–2.36), being single (OR: 5.31; 95 % CI: 3.36–37.48), having history of fall (OR: 1.86; 95 % CI: 1.19–2.92) higher depression scale score (OR: 1.10; 95 % CI: 1.02–1.20), lower hemoglobin levels (OR: 0.90; 95 % CI: 0.81-1.00) and lower chair stand test score (OR: 0.93; 95 % CI: 0.87-1.00) remained independent predictors of occasional falls. While, having history of falls (OR: 2.74; 95 % CI: 1.45–5.19), being a stroke survivor (OR: 8.57; 95 % CI: 2.12–34.65), higher percentage of body fat (OR: 1.04; 95 % CI: 1.01–1.08) and lower chair stand test score (OR: 0.87; 95 % CI: 0.77–0.97) appeared as recurrent falls predictors. Conclusions Having history of falls and lower muscle strength were predictors for both occasional and recurrent falls among Malaysian community-dwelling older persons. Modifying these predictors may be beneficial in falls prevention and management strategies among older persons.

This paper aims to automatically design optimal LSTM topologies using the clonal selection algorithm (CSA) to solve text classification tasks such as sentiment analysis and SMS spam classification. Designing optimal topologies involves determining the best configuration of hyperparameters that will give the best performance. The current state-of-the-art LSTM topologies are often designed using trial and error approaches which are incredibly time-consuming and require domain experts. Our proposed method, referred to as CSA-LSTM, is evaluated using the Large Movie Review Dataset (IMDB). Furthermore, to verify the robustness of the hyperparameters discovered by CSA for the IMDB dataset, we have used them for the other datasets, viz. the Twitter US Airline Sentiment and the SMS Spam Collection. Additionally, the discovered hyperparameters for the LSTM are combined with pre-determined convolutional neural network (CNN) layers to achieve the same or better results to fast the training time and fewer trainable parameters. For further verification and evaluation of the generalization ability and effectiveness of the proposed approach, it is compared with four machine learning algorithms widely used for text classification tasks: (1) random forest (RF), (2) logistic regression (LR), (3) support vector machine (SVM), and (4) multinomial naive Bayes (NB). The results of our experiments show that the LSTM topologies automatically designed by our CSA method are less expensive, reusable and outperform the machine learning algorithms and other models in the literature evaluated on the same three datasets. Through our proposed method, LSTM’s best topology can be self-determined without any human intervention, making CSA-based algorithms a promising approach to automatically design optimal LSTM topologies that provide the best performance for a given task.

Rambouillet wool fiber was scoured and treated with transglutaminase (TG) enzyme for different concentrations and duration at neutral pH at 45°C. The physical, mechanical, dyeing, and antimicrobial properties of the wool fiber before and after enzymatic treatment were evaluated as per standard methods. Results inferred that TG enzyme-treated wool fiber sample showed improvement in softness, luster, and tensile strength in comparison with scoured wool fiber. It is found that 0.5% TG enzyme treatment at 45°C for 60 min at pH 7 was an optimum condition. Scanning electron microscope images also confirmed the flattened and smooth scales of wool fiber after enzymatic treatment.

Falls is a common and debilitating condition among the older population, intensifying the need to educate older persons about falls. Technology advancement enables effective and efficient delivery of falls education to the older population. However, there is paucity of information on the perception of Malaysian older population on falls and their preferred website characteristics such as font size, design, layout, colour, navigation, and use of graphics or videos. Physiological changes in vision, cognition and psychomotor skills can affect how the older persons use the website. As Malaysia is a multicultural country, the needs of the website characteristics and falls perception of older persons may differ greatly. The aim of this study was to explore the perceptions of the older persons about falls and their desired website characteristics. Twenty-five community-living older persons (n = 25) of age 60 years and above were involved in the focus group discussions. NvivoTM software was used for data management and thematic analysis was undertaken. Emerging themes included 'Perceptions of falls in older persons', 'Actions taken when falls occurred', 'Perceived prevention strategies for falls' and 'End user requirements for falls educational website'. Falls were perceived as both an avoidable and a non-avoidable incident. Although the participants mentioned physical activity and home hazard modifications as strategies to prevent falls, they mainly discussed self-initiated precautionary approaches in falls prevention. Regarding desired website characteristics, the participants emphasized on easily readable text, appealing design, clear information, use of images/videos, and simple website navigation. Special requirements for colour selection and multi-language options were also raised. The delivery of falls education through website can be made possible by understanding the perception of older persons about falls and their requirements for the website. This is especially important as ethnic and cultural influences may play a role on their perceptions about falls and desired website characteristics.

Convolutional neural networks (CNN) have transformed the field of computer vision by enabling the automatic extraction of features, obviating the need for manual feature engineering. Despite their success, identifying an optimal architecture for a particular task can be a time-consuming and challenging process due to the vast space of possible network designs. To address this, we propose a novel neural architecture search (NAS) framework that utilizes the clonal selection algorithm (CSA) to automatically design high-quality CNN architectures for image classification problems. Our approach uses an integer vector representation to encode CNN architectures and hyperparameters, combined with a truncated Gaussian mutation scheme that enables efficient exploration of the search space. We evaluated the proposed method on six challenging EMNIST benchmark datasets for handwritten digit recognition, and our results demonstrate that it outperforms nearly all existing approaches. In addition, our approach produces state-of-the-art performance while having fewer trainable parameters than other methods, making it low-cost, simple, and reusable for application to multiple datasets.

BackgroundRecent falls prevention guidelines recommend early routine fall risk assessment among older persons. ObjectiveThe purpose of this study was to develop a Falls Screening Mobile App (FallSA), determine its acceptance, concurrent validity, test-retest reliability, discriminative ability, and predictive validity as a self-screening tool to identify fall risk among Malaysian older persons. MethodsFallSA acceptance was tested among 15 participants (mean age 65.93 [SD 7.42] years); its validity and reliability among 91 participants (mean age 67.34 [SD 5.97] years); discriminative ability and predictive validity among 610 participants (mean age 71.78 [SD 4.70] years). Acceptance of FallSA was assessed using a questionnaire, and it was validated against a comprehensive fall risk assessment tool, the Physiological Profile Assessment (PPA). Participants used FallSA to test their fall risk repeatedly twice within an hour. Its discriminative ability and predictive validity were determined by comparing participant fall risk scores between fallers and nonfallers and prospectively through a 6-month follow-up, respectively. ResultsThe findings of our study showed that FallSA had a high acceptance level with 80% (12/15) of older persons agreeing on its suitability as a falls self-screening tool. Concurrent validity test demonstrated a significant moderate correlation (r=.518, P

Aim : The goal is to explore available evidence and provide greater clarity to what is described as psychosocial intervention to improve cognitive function among older population with MCI as well as identifying areas for future research. Methods : An electronic literature search of PubMed, Cochrane, Ebscohost, Medline, Scopus, and gray resource was conducted to find articles published in English language between 2010 and September 2020. This review focused on research undertaken using randomized clinical trials study design. We extracted information regarding the publication date, geographical location, study setting, intervention mechanism, type of cognitive measurement used, and outcome of the studies. References of this literature were also reviewed to ensure comprehensive search. Result : Out of 240 potential records found, a total of 27 articles were identified following the first round of screening and deletion of duplicates. Full-text article reviews and analysis in the second round of screening narrowed the selection down to four articles. Another three relevant articles obtained from references were also included making a total of seven articles in the final analysis. Findings : Psychosocial intervention strategies for improvement of cognitive function, done in various setting all over the globe, covered a range of approaches including art therapy, visual art therapy, therapeutic writing therapy, reminiscence activity, and cognitive behavioral approach. Most were conducted in weekly basis within 1-to-2-hour duration of session. Cognitive function of older adult in psychosocial intervention group was significantly improved in two studies. Three studies showed no significant improvement at all in the cognitive function, and another one reported success in improving cognitive function over time in the intervention group than in control group. One study did not describe the interaction effect. Different types of cognitive measurement also were used to quantify different domains of cognitive function in the reviewed studies. Conclusion : The idea of using psychosocial intervention for improving cognitive function has begun to increasingly accepted recently. Findings from the limited studies are encouraging, although the outcome of the cognitive function was mixed. Large-scale and longer duration of psychosocial intervention with bigger sample size is warranted for future studies.

Abstract Background Limited information is available from longitudinal studies regarding the predictors and incidence of MCI in older Asian adults. Thus, a community-based longitudinal study was conducted to determine the incidence of MCI among multi-ethnic older adults in Malaysia. The role of health and lifestyle as predictors of MCI was also examined. Methods Analysis of data obtained from the Towards Useful Aging (TUA) study (2014–2016), wave 1 (baseline) and wave 2 (1½ years of follow-up) was conducted. For the baseline, comprehensive, interview-based questionnaires were administered to 1227 subjects who were 60 years old and above. MCI is a unique transitional state between normal ageing and dementia. MCI characteristics include a decline and disturbance of cognition, minimal impairment of complex activities, ability to perform regular daily functions, and absence of dementia. The incidence of MCI was assessed using comprehensive neuropsychological batteries. The study then performed a logistic regression analysis to examine the effect of each possible predictor of MCI. This analysis began with univariate analyses and a separate review of the effect of every variable. Binary logistic analyses followed hereafter. Results During the follow-up after 1½ years, 179 (14.6%) of the participants who did not exhibit MCI at baseline were observed to have developed MCI. Among the participants who did not exhibit MCI at baseline, the incidence rate was 10.5 per 100 person-years. Male sex and lack of engagement in mental activities were predictors of MCI among participants without MCI at baseline. Conclusion After the 1½-year follow-up, the incidence rate for MCI was considerably high among the respondents. Being male and being less engaged in mental activities were predictors of the occurrence of MCI. Mental activities need to be promoted for the prevention of MCI incidence among older adults.

Abstract Background Poverty at old age is associated with poor dietary habit, nutritional status and higher rates of chronic diseases and psychosocial problems. However, there is limited information about this matter according to urban and rural settings. The aim of this study was to identify dietary, nutritional, physical and cognitive factors associated with poor socioeconomic status (SES) among older adults according to urban and rural settings in Malaysia. Methods An analysis was conducted among 2237 older adults who participated in a longitudinal study on aging (LRGS TUA). This study involved four states in Malaysia, with 49.4% from urban areas. Respondents were divided into three categories of SES based on percentile, stratified according to urban and rural settings. SES was measured using household income. Results The prevalence of low SES was higher among older adults in the rural area (50.6%) as compared to the urban area (49.4%). Factors associated with low SES among older adults in an urban setting were low dietary fibre intake (Adj OR:0.91),longer time for the Timed up and Go Test (Adj OR:1.09), greater disability (Adj OR:1.02), less frequent practice of caloric restriction (Adj OR:1.65), lower cognitive processing speed score (Adj OR:0.94) and lower protein intake (Adj OR:0.94). Whilst, among respondents from rural area, the factors associated with low SES were lack of dietary fibre intake (Adj OR:0.79), lower calf circumference (Adj OR: 0.91), lesser fresh fruits intake (Adj OR:0.91), greater disability (Adj OR:1.02) and having lower score in instrumental activities of daily living (Adj OR: 0.92). Conclusion Lower SES ismore prevalent in rural areas. Poor dietary intake, lower fitness and disability were common factors associated with low in SES, regardless of settings. Factors associated with low SES identifiedin both the urban and rural areas in our study may be useful inplanning strategies to combat low SES and its related problems among older adults.

Resistance to antibiotics hampers the treatment of infectious diseases such as tuberculosis (TB). Here, Farhat et al. perform genome-wide association testing for minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of 12 anti-TB drugs in whole-genome sequenced clinical M. tuberculosis isolates and identify 13 genomic loci.

Abstract Background Promoter motifs in Entamoeba histolytica were earlier analysed using microarray data with lower dynamic range of gene expression. Additionally, previous transcriptomic studies did not provide information on the nature of highly transcribed genes, and downstream promoter motifs important for gene expression. To address these issues we generated RNA-Seq data and identified the high and low expressing genes, especially with respect to virulence potential. We analysed sequences both upstream and downstream of start site for important motifs. Results We used RNA-Seq data to classify genes according to expression levels, which ranged six orders of magnitude. Data were validated by reporter gene expression. Virulence-related genes (except AIG1) were amongst the highly expressed, while some kinases and BspA family genes were poorly expressed. We looked for conserved motifs in sequences upstream and downstream of the initiation codon. Following enrichment by AME we found seven motifs significantly enriched in high expression- and three in low expression-classes. Two of these motifs (M4 and M6) were located downstream of AUG, were exclusively enriched in high expression class, and were mostly found in ribosomal protein, and translation-related genes. Motif deletion resulted in drastic down regulation of reporter gene expression, showing functional relevance. Distribution of core promoter motifs (TATA, GAAC, and Inr) in all genes revealed that genes with downstream motifs were not preferentially associated with TATA-less promoters. We looked at gene expression changes in cells subjected to growth stress by serum starvation, and experimentally validated the data. Genes showing maximum up regulation belonged to the low or medium expression class, and included genes in signalling pathways, lipid metabolism, DNA repair, Myb transcription factors, BspA, and heat shock. Genes showing maximum down regulation belonged to the high or medium expression class. They included genes for signalling factors, actin, Ariel family, and ribosome biogenesis factors. Conclusion Our analysis has added important new information about the E. histolytica transcriptome. We report for the first time two downstream motifs required for gene expression, which could be used for over expression of E. histolytica genes. Most of the virulence-related genes in this parasite are highly expressed in culture.

In this paper, an explainable intelligence model that gives the logic behind the decisions unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) makes when it is on a predefined mission and chooses to deviate from its designated path is developed. The explainable model is on a visual platform in the format of if-then rules derived from the Sugeno-type fuzzy inference model. The model is tested using the data recorded from three different missions. In each mission, adverse weather, conditions and enemy locations are introduced at random locations along the path of the mission. There are two phases to the model development. In the first phase, the Mamdani fuzzy model is used to create rules to steer the UAV along the designated mission and the rules of engagement when it encounters weather and enemy locations along and near its chosen mission. The data are gathered as UAV traverses on each mission. In the second phase, the data gathered from these missions are used to create a reverse model using a Sugeno-type fuzzy inference system based on the subtractive clustering in the data. The model has seven inputs (time, x-coordinate, y-coordinate, heading direction, engage in attack, continue mission, and steer UAV) and two outputs (weather conditions and distance from the enemy). This model predicts the outputs regarding the weather conditions and enemy positions whenever UAV deviates from the predefined path. The model is optimized with respect to the number of rules and prediction accuracy by adjusting subtractive clustering parameters. The model is then fine-tuned with ANFIS. The final model has six rules and root mean square error value that is less than 0.05. Furthermore, to check the robustness of the model, the Gaussian random noise is added to a UAV path, and the prediction accuracy is validated.

This paper proposes and develops a fuzzy evolutionary system based on the Grey Wolf Optimizer (GWO) algorithm to evolve Mamdani fuzzy rules that give a knowledge base for accurate classification of data set. GWO takes inspiration from nature and is modeled after the hunting behavior of the grey wolves as they move around within a pack taking cues from the leader alpha, beta, and delta wolves until they find the best position to encircle and attack the prey. The algorithm is mapped onto the data specific rule base structure of the fuzzy systems. A grammar template in the form of fuzzy rules is designed, and then the GWO algorithm is used to evolve the fuzzy rules which classify the datasets. The algorithm will generate meaningful rules that make sense of data in easy to comprehend fuzzy rules. The algorithm was extensively tested on 15 datasets. GWO was compared with the standard Particle Swarm Optimizer (PSO) algorithm in generating a similar type of rules and comparing the accuracy of these two sets of rules in data classification. It was noted that the GWO algorithm converges in a lesser number of iterations and in a shorter time as compared to PSO and achieves the best accuracy.

Following the rapid increase of the aging population, health promotion and prevention of physical disability and dementia in older persons are essential for healthy aging. For example, there may be a potential to prevent or reverse cognitive frailty, the co-existence of both physical frailty and cognitive impairment in older persons. However, evidence-based interventions targeting the prevention or potential reversibility of cognitive frailty among community dwelling older adults are scarce. In this paper, we described the rationale, development and delivery of a multi-domain intervention comprising multi-component physical exercise prescription, cognitive training, dietary counseling and promotion of psychosocial support, called the WE-RISE trial. The aim of WE-RISE intervention is to potentially reverse cognitive frailty. This is a two-armed, single blinded, randomized controlled trial conducted over a duration of 6 months, at senior citizen activity centers within the Klang Valley, Malaysia. Ambulating, community dwelling older adults aged 60 years and above with cognitive frailty are randomized into two groups; (1) intervention group: which receives an instructor based “WE-RISE” intervention for the first 3 months, and then a home-based “WE-RISE at Home” intervention for the following 3 months; (2) control group: usual care with no modifications to their daily routine. Primary outcome is cognitive frailty status and secondary outcome include physical function, cognitive performance, nutritional status, psychosocial status and quality of life which are obtained during baseline screening and subsequent follow ups at 3rd and 6th month. Description of the intervention is done using the template for intervention description and replication (TIDieR) checklist. This trial protocol has received approval from Research Ethics Committee of Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM PPI/111/8/JEP-2018-558) and the Department of Social Welfare Malaysia (MyResearch Reference: JKMM 100/12/5/2: 2018/405). Trial registration number: ACTRN12619001055190.

Knee osteoarthritis (KOA) is closely related with ageing, physical disability and functional dependency. The course of KOA is considered progressive and irreversible. Engagement with self-management may, however, minimize the impact of KOA. To be fully engaged with self-management activities, knowledge about KOA is a prerequisite. There is limited empirical data on older adults' understanding on KOA and their information needs about KOA. Therefore, the aims of this study were to explore older adults' knowledge about KOA and their perspectives on the information required to enable self-management. Three focus groups were conducted with 16 older adults with KOA. The sample consisted of three men and thirteen women with the mean age 73.2 years (range from 61 to 89). Thematic content analysis revealed two themes which were understanding about KOA and information needed about KOA. Participants' knowledge about KOA varied between individuals with many expressing that they needed more information about KOA. A targeted strategy is needed to educate older adults about KOA in order to support and prepare them for self-management.

BACKGROUND: Health Science graduates are increasingly in demand for improving and providing life services among the ageing population. Having substantial knowledge and positive attitude towards ageing will be a key step towards better care giving. However, to date there is limited published literature regarding knowledge and attitude towards ageing among health science students in Malaysia. The objective of our study was to assess knowledge and attitudes towards ageing among health science students. METHODOLOGY: A total of 786 (120 male, 666 female) health science undergraduates participated in this study. This cross-sectional study was conducted using Palmore’s Facts on Aging Quiz I (FAQ I) and Kogan’s Attitudes towards Older People (KAOP) to assess knowledge of ageing and attitudes towards older adults respectively. RESULTS: Majority of students in clinical (69.6%) and non-clinical programmes (65.6%) showed moderate knowledge towards ageing. More than two-third of students in clinical (77.2%) and non-clinical programs (75.8%) demonstrated a slightly positive attitude towards ageing. A significant moderate positive correlation (r=.308, p< 0.05) was found between knowledge of ageing and attitudes towards older adults. Clinical type of programme (t = -1.97, p

Legumes are a good source of bioactive components, besides being nutrient dense. These components have antioxidant properties and have a protective role against free radicals. Legumes like cowpeas are usually consumed after certain processing, so the present study was intended to assess antioxidant property of selected four cultivars of cowpea after going through various thermal (autoclaving, microwave, boiling, and roasting) and non-thermal (soaking and fermentation) processings. Thermal processing reduced total phenolic content (TPC), total flavonoid content (TFC), and ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP) in all cultivars with respect to antioxidant activity of raw cultivars, while DPPH scavenging activity increased after all thermal treatments excluding few thermal processings. Non-thermal processing revealed increase in TPC, DPPH scavenging activity, and FRAP values, while TFC content showed a decreasing trend. A moderately high correlation between TPC and DPPH scavenging activity was observed in both kinds of thermal treatments indicating the role of phenolic compounds for antioxidant activity. It was concluded from the study that fermentation processing has promising effects on retention and enhancement of antioxidant activity of cowpea cultivars.

Background: Malaysia is experiencing an increase in the percentage of older people who have a higher life expectancy. However, information regarding the prevalence and risk factors of frailty is scarce for Malaysian older adults. The aim of this cross-sectional study is to determine the prevalence and risk factors of frailty among multi-ethnic community dwellings for older adults in Malaysia. Methods: A total of 473 older adults aged 60 years and above (210 men and 263 women) were randomly selected from 10 different areas in the Klang Valley of Malaysia. The respondents were screened at selected community centres; their frailty status was defined using Fried's criteria. Respondents were assessed for their physical functional status using selected parameters of a senior fitness test and other physical performance tests regarding their activities in daily life. Anthropometric measurements, cognitive function and symptoms of depression were also assessed for each respondent. Results: The prevalence of frailty was 8.9% and of pre-frailty was 61.7%, with women having a higher prevalence compared to men (p