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The study examined the role of general and social self-efficacy on job readiness and career choices among youths with intellectual disabilities (ID) in Singapore. Forty-seven students were recruited, with an IQ ranging from 50 to 70. Results showed that general self-efficacy was moderately related to social self-efficacy, but highly related to job readiness. Three self-report instruments were administered, including: the General Self-Efficacy Scale-ID version, the Glasgow Social Self-Efficacy Scale, and the Job Readiness Scale-ID version. Students were also asked to indicate their career choices and provided their demographic characteristics through a semi-structured questionnaire. Research findings provided both special educators and vocational rehabilitation professional with information on the importance of self-efficacy and suggested for interventions aimed at developing students' self-efficacy to improve their job readiness.

In a bilingual environment such as Singaporean Chinese community, the challenge of maintaining Chinese language and sustaining Chinese culture lies in promoting the daily use of Chinese language in oral and written forms among children. Ample evidence showed the effect of the home language and literacy environment (HLE), on children's language and literacy abilities. This study examined Singaporean Chinese-English bilingual children's HLE and its influence on their Chinese oral and written language ability. Parents of seventy-six Chinese-English bilingual preschoolers completed a HLE survey. Children's Chinese oral and written language abilities were measured with age appropriate tasks. Results of the HLE survey revealed that, on the average, children's Chinese language and literacy related activities, either carried out independently or with parents, were not frequent, but correlated significantly with children's oral and written language ability. A set of regression analyses showed that, after controlling for family socioeconomic status (SES), children's language preference at home made a unique contribution, both to their Chinese language and literacy related activities and to their Chinese oral language ability. Similarly, children's Chinese language and literacy related activities were found to make unique contribution to their Chinese written language ability after the effect of family SES and language preference was accounted for, emphasizing the crucial aspects of home literacy activities for developing children's Chinese written language ability.

In a bilingual society like Singapore, home language environment (HLE) of Singaporean children is becoming increasingly concerned, especially for those who are yet to have formal education in schools. The reported rapid shift of family language has increased the tensions among families, schools and communities. This study examined some of the many facets of Singaporean Chinese preschoolers' HLE, and further discussed how these facets are related to children's Chinese language proficiency in oral and written forms. Three hundred and seventy-six Singaporean Chinese six-year olds completed Chinese oral and written language proficiency screening. Their parents completed a HLE survey. The findings revealed the possible trend of home language shift from Mandarin Chinese to English in the younger generation. Aside from home language use factors, the importance of other facets that form a rich language environment is also highlighted for children's language development.

In a multiracial and multilingual society where bilingualism is adopted as the cornerstone of education policy, mother tongue maintenance is a significant issue. An innovative initiative termed as "modular curriculum" was introduced in Singapore primary schools to cater to Chinese students, the major ethnic group, with varying Chinese language proficiencies. Surveys with teachers (N=107) found positive correlations of the modular curriculum, but negative correlations of traditional Chinese teaching, with support for oral communicative skills and the use of technology. Analysis of variance found that teachers with longer experiences of the modular curriculum were less inclined to using traditional approaches. The findings may serve as empirical evidence to help policy-makers consider teachers' needs and set proper pace for implementing the new curriculum with adequate support for both pre-service and in-service teacher training. (Contains 4 tables.)

Middle leaders are "recognised as a significant source in ensuring that quality education reaches out to pupils" (Low and Lim "1997", p. 77) for they are "the human link between national education policy as manifested in school-level strategic planning...and the teaching staff whose "field tactics" are used to implement such strategies" (Chew "2008", p. 135). This study investigated the leadership role of middle leaders in Singaporean primary schools, as seen from the perspectives of principals and vice principals. Principals' perceptions are important as they are the "ultimate school leader" (Hammersley-Fletcher and Brundrett "2008", p. 13) and "the extent of the middle leadership remit is delimited by the range and extent of tasks on offer and this is controlled by the head teacher" (Hammersley-Fletcher and Strain "2009", p. 5). This study used a hermeneutic phenomenological methodology (van Manen "1997") to examine the leadership role of middle leaders in Singapore primary schools. Semi-structured one-on-one interviews were used to collect data from 12 principals and vice principals. The interview data were analysed using an interpretational analysis system adapted from in Tesch ("1990", pp. 92-96). The purpose of this paper is to provide a rich description of the leadership role of middle leaders as perceived by the school leaders. Seven major themes were identified: (1) teaching and learning; (2) building vision and setting directions; (3) leading and managing teachers; (4) communicating; (5) continuing leadership development; (6) changing role; and (7) challenges. The findings reported in this paper corroborated with the findings presented in other studies of middle leadership (e.g. Adey and Jones "1998"; Blandford "1997"; Busher "2005"; Busher and Harris "1999"; Glover et al. "1999") and illustrated the complexity of the leadership role within the middle of the school hierarchy. The paper concludes with a discussion on the connections with the broader successful school leadership literature.

Investigates science teachers' views about their use of science instructional techniques in general, and the problem-solving teaching approach in particular. Focuses on difficulties faced by science teachers in implementing the problem solving teaching approach in the science classroom. Indicates teachers' concerns about covering the science syllabus for examinations and students' abilities and motivation. (Contains 30 references.) (Author/YDS)

Background: Left ventricular assist device (LVAD) associated infections (LVADIs) have substantial morbidity and mortality. We aim to describe the incidence and epidemiology of LVADIs in an Asian cohort. This is currently not well studied. Methods: We conducted a retrospective review of 52 patients who underwent LVAD implantation from 1 May 2009–31 December 2014 in National Heart Centre Singapore. LVADIs were defined based on definitions proposed by the International Society for Heart and Lung Transplantation. Results: There were 39 males and 13 females. Seventy-three percent had Heartmate II LVAD implant while 27% received Heartware HVAD. Eighty-one percent were implanted as bridge to heart transplantation, 19% as destination therapy. Forty-five episodes of LVADIs occurred in 25 patients. Overall LVADI incidence was 47.5 cases per 100 patient-years. Driveline infections (58%) were the commonest type of LVADI. The commonest causative organisms were coagulase-negative staphylococci (33%), Staphylococcus aureus (31%) and Corynebacterium species (19%). Twelve percent of patients with LVADI required surgical debridement and one patient required pump exchange due to pump pocket infection. All-cause mortality was 13%. Conclusions: The findings of our study add to the understanding and epidemiology of LVADIs, particularly in the Asian setting. This can contribute to the development of evidence based strategies to prevent and manage LVADIs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Supplemental digital content is available in the text. OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to explore patients' perceptions toward the nursing uniforms used in a hospital in Singapore and how different uniforms impact nurse-patient interactions. BACKGROUND: Nursing uniforms act as a form of nonverbal communication. However, implications of the increasing variety of nursing uniforms on patients' perceptions of nurses and nurse-patient interactions are unexplored. METHODS: An exploratory qualitative study design using semistructured interviews was adopted for the study. Twenty-one patients agreed to be interviewed. An audio recorder was used during data collection. The thematic analysis method was used for data analysis. RESULTS: Four major themes were identified: identity, subjectivity, suitability, and inconsequential. Nurses' uniform was regarded as a representation of identity. Suitability of the uniform for nurses was a main concern for patients. However, nurses' uniforms were inconsequential to nurse-patient interactions. CONCLUSION: Patients' perceptions of nurses' uniforms were highly subjective and have no substantial impact on nurse-patient interactions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As Southeast Asia has experienced haze crises in recent years, encouraging Singaporeans to take preventive measures against negative health outcomes during haze is a growing concern. This study examines how communication factors (i.e., attention to traditional media and new media, interpersonal discussion, and knowledge) can inform Singaporeans about haze and influence their risk perceptions and intentions to undertake self-protective measures. The web survey of 410 respondents shows that attention to traditional media, attention to new media, interpersonal discussion, knowledge, and risk perception are positively associated with intention to take preventive measures. However, only interpersonal discussion is related to risk perception. Theoretical as well as practical implications of the findings are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Aim The study aimed to: (i) evaluate the effectiveness of a multidisciplinary home-based medication review ( HBMR) program in reducing hospital admissions and emergency department ( ED) visits, cost of hospital admissions and length of stay ( LOS); and (ii) determine the prevalence of drug-related problems ( DRP) in elderly Singaporeans. Methods A retrospective observational study was carried out at an academic medical center in Singapore. Patients referred between 1 March 2011 and 31 December 2012 were included. Frequency of hospital admissions and ED visits, cost of hospital admissions, and LOS 6 months before and after HBMR, number of DRP, their categories, and their outcomes (i.e. resolved/ unresolved) were recorded. Results The analysis included 107 patients with a mean (SD) age of 75.6 years (7.6 years). HBMR resulted in a 41% reduction in risk for hospital admissions (Incidence rate ratio 0.59, 95% CI 0.47-0.73, P < 0.001). The same magnitude of reduction was observed for ED visits. The mean ( SD) cost of hospital admissions reduced from $16 957.77 ($16 118.35) before HBMR to $7488.76 ($12 773.40) after ( P < 0.001). Among 62 patients with hospital admissions before and after HBMR, the mean ( SD) LOS decreased from 26.5 days (22.4 days) to 17.6 days (17.8 days; P = 0.010). The team identified 525 DRP from 1353 medications reviewed. Of these, 34 (6.7%) and 174 (34.1%) were resolved with and without physician involvement, respectively. The most common DRP identified were failure to receive drug ( n = 163, 31.0%) and untreated indication ( n = 140, 26.7%). Conclusions The multidisciplinary HBMR program was associated with reduced ED visits, hospital admissions, LOS and costs in older adult Singaporeans with multiple DRP. Geriatr Gerontol Int 2017; 17: 302-307. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Oral anticoagulation with warfarin is the cornerstone therapy in atrial fibrillation (AF) for stroke prevention. Multi-disciplinary anticoagulation management services have been shown to be cost-effective in the United States, Hong Kong and Thailand, but the findings are not readily generalizable to Singapore's healthcare system. Objective This study aimed to evaluate the cost-effectiveness of pharmacist-managed anticoagulation clinic (ACC) compared with usual care (UC) for the management of older adults with AF receiving oral anticoagulation with warfarin. Setting Pharmacist-managed ACC in an academic medical centre. Method A Markov model with 3-month cycle length and 30-year time horizon compared costs and quality-adjusted life-years (QALYs) of ACC and UC from the patient's and healthcare provider's perspectives. Four pathways based on time in therapeutic range (TTR) were: ACC TTR < 70 %, ACC TTR ≥ 70 %, UC TTR < 70 % and UC TTR ≥ 70 %. A hypothetical cohort of 70-year-old Singaporean AF patients receiving warfarin was utilised. Local data from national disease registries, patient surveys and hospital databases were used. When local data was not available, published studies on Asian populations were utilized when available. One-way sensitivity analyses and probabilistic sensitivity analyses were performed to account for uncertainties. Costs and QALYs were discounted annually by 3 %. Main outcome measure Costs and QALYs of ACC and UC. Results Pharmacist-managed ACC was found to dominate UC in all comparisons. It improved effectiveness by 0.19 and 0.13 QALYs at TTR < 70 % and TTR ≥ 70 % respectively compared with UC. From the patient's perspective, ACC reduced costs by SG$1222.67 (€1110.24) for TTR < 70 % and SG$1008.16 (€915.46) for TTR ≥ 70 %. Similar trends were observed from the healthcare provider's perspective, with ACC reducing costs by SG$1444.79 (€1311.94) for TTR < 70 % and SG$1269.17 (€1152.46) for TTR ≥ 70 % compared with UC. The results were robust to variations of the parameters over their plausible ranges in one-way sensitivity analyses. Probabilistic sensitivity analyses demonstrated that ACC was cost-effective more than 79 % of the time from both perspectives at a willingness-to-pay threshold of SG$69,050 (€62,701) per QALY. Conclusion Pharmacist-managed ACC is more effective and less costly compared with UC regardless of the quality of anticoagulation therapy. The findings support the current body of evidence demonstrating the cost-effectiveness of ACC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background The aim of this study was to describe the prevalence and risk factors of symptomatic dry eye disease ( SDED) in Singapore. Methods A cross-sectional dry eye survey was carried out using the McMonnies dry eye questionnaire. Members of the public were interviewed at the 46 (out of 62) randomly-selected mass rapid transit ( MRT) stations and their vicinity. A total of 1,004 questionnaires were collected from participants aged between 15 and 83 years. Symptomatic dry eye disease ( SDED) was defined as at least one of five self-reported symptoms that were reported as often or constantly. Non-dry eye ( NDE) subjects were those with no related symptoms reported. Prevalence of symptomatic dry eye disease in the studied population and confidence interval ( CI) were calculated. Risk factors were also evaluated using logistic regression analysis at 95% CI. Results The prevalence for symptomatic dry eye disease was found to be 12.3 per cent with prevalence greater in females than males. Symptomatic dry eye disease was significantly associated with contact lens wear (odds ratio [ OR] 2.96, 95% CI: 1.81 to 4.83), those having had previous treatment for dry eye ( OR 2.09, 95% CI: 1.33 to 3.29), those taking medication ( OR 1.84, 95% CI: 0.99 to 3.44), those with unusual sensitivity of eyes ( OR 3.04, 95% CI: 1.92 to 4.83), constant mucous membrane dryness ( OR 4.11, 95% CI: 1.62 to 10.45) and irritation on waking ( OR 2.38, 95% CI: 1.34 to 4.22). Smoking was not found to be associated with symptomatic dry eye disease. Conclusion Singapore has a symptomatic dry eye disease prevalence of 12.3 per cent and was associated with contact lens wear, those who had previous treatment for dry eye, medication, those having unusual sensitivity of eyes, mucous membrane dryness and waking irritation. These new data will be of value to the eye-care community in Singapore and elsewhere. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examines a sample of 108 initial public offerings in Singapore between 1987 and 1993, and documents the effects of four channels of entrepreneurial communication, that is, retained ownership, audited report, auditor choice and underwriter choice on the valuation of new issues. Our results indicate that retained ownership and book value of equity are significantly and positively associated with the valuation of initial public offerings in Singapore. Underwriter choice and auditor choice are not significant in explaining the valuation of initial public offerings. Issues listed on the Main Board are valued higher than those on Sesdaq (Stock Exchange of Singapore Dealing and Automated Quotation). Firms choosing the auction system are valued higher than those choosing the fixed system. This paper provides evidence on the valuation of new issues in an emerging market in the Asia-Pacific region. The results are of interest to investors, investment bankers and companies seeking a listing on the Singapore Stock Exchange. We provide some insights on how new issues in the Singapore market are valued. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In a multiracial and multilingual society where bilingualism is adopted as the cornerstone of education policy, mother tongue maintenance is a significant issue. An innovative initiative termed as modular curriculum was introduced in Singapore primary schools to cater to Chinese students, the major ethnic group, with varying Chinese language proficiencies. Surveys with teachers (N=107) found positive correlations of the modular curriculum, but negative correlations of traditional Chinese teaching, with support for oral communicative skills and the use of technology. Analysis of variance found that teachers with longer experiences of the modular curriculum were less inclined to using traditional approaches. The findings may serve as empirical evidence to help policy-makers consider teachers' needs and set proper pace for implementing the new curriculum with adequate support for both pre-service and in-service teacher training. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim The concept of a pharmacist/advanced practice nurse ( APN)-led Rheumatology Monitoring Clinic ( RMC) is a novel service in Singapore; we therefore conducted a questionnaire survey of patient experience. Methods Patients attending the RMC were provided with a set of questionnaires. As a substudy, a separate questionnaire was given to the rheumatologists and therapists conducting the RMC. Results Of the 105 patients surveyed, a total of 97 (92.4%) patients were satisfied/strongly satisfied with the overall service, and none were dissatisfied; 96% felt that the pharmacists/ APNs provided clear, detailed information about their disease and medication, while 92% of patients were confident they knew what side-effects were possible. Ninety-two percent and 93% of patients were more likely to adhere to treatment, and were willing to come back for follow-up at the RMC, respectively. There was no difference in patient satisfaction in the average Likert summed scores, between the pharmacists and APNs. Age, gender, ethnicity and underlying disease did not exert any influence on the responses. All the rheumatologists surveyed were satisfied with the patients' management and the professionalism of the therapists. They opined that the RMC freed up time for them to see more complex cases. All the pharmacists/ APNs concurred that the referrals were appropriately selected. Conclusions We established the acceptability of a non-physician-led clinic in our local setting and highlighted the usefulness of having a routine clinic for monitoring medication toxicity and patient education. The RMC received positive feedback from patients, rheumatologists and allied health therapists, with a high degree of satisfaction among the respondents. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Singapore grouper iridovirus (SGIV) is an important pathogen isolated from grouper, Epinephelus tauvina, and characterized as a novel ranavirus. To better understand the function of viral structural genes involved in SGIV infection and virus–host interactions, a candidate gene, VP38 (ORF038L), was investigated in this study. SGIV VP38 was found to encode a 170-aa peptide containing an RGD motif, and it showed significant identity only to members of the genus Iridovirus, family Iridoviridae, except megalocytivirus. The VP38 gene was identified by temporal expression pattern analysis and drug inhibition assay as a late (L) gene. Immunofluorescence localization revealed that P38 was distributed predominately in the cytoplasm and that association of VP38 with viral factories increased at the late stage of SGIV infection. Consistent results from immunoelectron microscopy (IEM) and western blot analysis revealed that SGIV VP38 is a viral capsid protein. Furthermore, antibodies specific for SGIV VP38 exhibited substantial SGIV-neutralizing activity in vitro, suggesting that VP38 might play an important role in SGIV infectivity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper studies loan loss disclosures by banks in Hong Kong, Malaysia, and Singapore for the period 1993 through 2000. We find that unexpected loan loss provisions are positively related to bank stock returns and future cash flows. This indicates that Asian bank managers increase loan loss provisions to signal favorable cash flow prospects, and bank investors bid bank stock prices up when unexpected provisions are positive. These results are consistent with those obtained by Wahlen (1994) for US banks. We also examine the impact of the Asian financial crisis of 1997 on the loan loss variables. The results indicate that the association between the unexpected loan loss provisions and bank stock returns and future cash flows was significantly lower in the crisis years, relative to the non-crisis period. Evidently, discretionary loan loss provisions had no signaling value during the crisis. This suggests that macroeconomic uncertainty influenced the strategic behavior of Asian bank managers and investors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, we look at the effects of using different offering methods and examine whether the auction system is a better way of rationing IPOs in the sense of reducing the degree of underpricing. Preliminary findings show that IPOs offered via the auction system appear to have lower underpricing. However this is not confirmed by cross-sectional regression analysis. Results show that only the subscription rate is significantly associated with the degree of underpricing. The other variables such as the market of listing, the price earnings ratio at time of issue and the first day relative volume are not significantly related to the underpricing. The second part of the study compares fixed price initial public offerings (IPOs) listed on the Stock Exchange of Singapore Dealing and Automated Quotation System (SESDAQ), the second tier stock market in Singapore, with fixed price IPOs listed on the Main Board. The PE ratios at time of issue and subscription rates of SESDAQ IPOs are significantly lower than Main Board IPOs. Their initial market-adjusted returns are also lower but not significantly so. In the post-listing period, a different picture is seen. SESDAQ issues have significantly higher returns than Main Board IPOs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]