The location model proposed in the past is a predictive discriminant rule that can classify new observations into one
of two predefined groups based on mixtures of continuous and categorical variables. The ability of location model to
discriminate new observation correctly is highly dependent on the number of multinomial cells created by the number
of categorical variables. This study conducts a preliminary investigation to show the location model that uses maximum
likelihood estimation has high misclassification rate up to 45% on average in dealing with more than six categorical
variables for all 36 data tested. Such model indicated highly incorrect prediction as this model performed badly for
large categorical variables even with large sample size. To alleviate the high rate of misclassification, a new strategy
is embedded in the discriminant rule by introducing nonlinear principal component analysis (NPCA) into the classical
location model (cLM), mainly to handle the large number of categorical variables. This new strategy is investigated
on some simulation and real datasets through the estimation of misclassification rate using leave-one-out method. The
results from numerical investigations manifest the feasibility of the proposed model as the misclassification rate is
dramatically decreased compared to the cLM for all 18 different data settings. A practical application using real dataset
demonstrates a significant improvement and obtains comparable result among the best methods that are compared. The
overall findings reveal that the proposed model extended the applicability range of the location model as previously it
was limited to only six categorical variables to achieve acceptable performance. This study proved that the proposed
model with new discrimination procedure can be used as an alternative to the problems of mixed variables classification,
primarily when facing with large categorical variables.
We report a case of a 54-year-old man with severe HTG which did not respond to conventional anti lipid therapies. He was treated with intravenous insulin and concurrent dextrose infusions which led to a dramatic reduction in serum triglyceride levels.
Objective: To report the use of Paliperidone in an adolescent with bipolar disorder primarily concerning its effectiveness and safety. Method: We present a case report of an adolescent with atypical presentation of bipolar disorder. The problem was complicated by poor liver function and poor compliance. Progress of the patient was recorded. Results: The patient showed dramatic improvement after 2 weeks on Paliperidone and has achieved the best level of functioning after almost 4 years on other treatment. Conclusion: The usage of Paliperidone was effective and safe in an adolescent with atypical bipolar disorder.
Leptospirosis is an emerging infectious disease of global significance, and is endemic in tropical countries, including Malaysia. Over the last decade, a dramatic increase of human cases was reported; however, information on the primary vector, the rat, and the Leptospira serovars circulating among the rat population is limited. Therefore, the present study was undertaken to isolate Leptospira and characterise the serovars circulating in the urban rat populations from selected main cities in Peninsular Malaysia.
Dengue incidence has grown dramatically in recent decades and become a global incidence especially in the
urban area. Ministry of Health (MOH) Malaysia reported that the number of dengue cases since January
2014 until June 2014 was 38. 411 cases which was higher compared to the number reported in year 2013 (10,
910 cases). The objective of the study was to determine the knowledge and preventive practices of dengue
among residents in Flat Pandan Indah, Ampang Selangor. A cross sectional study design with convenience
sampling method was adopted in this study. A total of 298 respondents living in Flat Pandan Indah were
recruited based on the inclusion criteria. A validated questionnaire that measures knowledge and preventive
practices of dengue was completed by respondents. More than half of the respondents had scored 61.7%
with good knowledge regarding dengue. However, 50.3% of the respondents had a limited extent of dengue
practice. Almost all of the respondents (95.6%) reported that television or radio as the main source for
information on dengue. The common preventive measures used by the respondents were cleaning the
house (n=148, 49.7%), eliminating standing water around the house (n=123, 41.3%) and covering water
containers in the home (n=120, 40.a3%). There was no correlation between dengue knowledge and
preventive practice score (p = 0.109). The study revealed that majority of the respondents had good
knowledge regarding dengue but the practices to prevent dengue are poor. Thus, health education program
focusing on dengue prevention practices should be done on the community members in the future.
Caesarean section (c-section) rates have been increasing dramatically in the past decades around the world. This increase has been attributed to multiple factors such as maternal, socio-demographic and institutional fac-tors. Therefore, this study examines the impact of maternal, socio-demographic and relevant characteristics on caesar-ean delivery in the northern region of Bangladesh.