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This paper reports a qualitative study that investigates how five different video-based online prototypes impacted in-service music teachers' professional knowledge and their learning experiences. Through an examination of participants' posts and interviews, the findings showed that video-based professional development (PD) could impact teacher's pedagogical content knowledge as they afforded reflections that could change participants' thinking and provided a vicarious experience for music teaching. Situated in a forum, the video-based PD sessions allowed for co-construction of knowledge amongst participants. The findings also revealed challenges in participants' active and sustained participation. The findings are discussed with extant research on effective PD and video-based PD, and take cognisance of heutagogy. We discuss considerations for online video-based PD in terms of PD content design in presenting and exploiting the video material, how we could include the diverse and flexible ways of participation, and the role of the facilitator in providing a safe environment and encouraging multiple perspectives.

The purpose of this study was to examine and compare the creative musical identities of pre-service music education students in the United States and Singapore. The Creative Identity in Music (CIM) measure was utilized with both US and Singapore pre-service music teacher populations (n = 274). Items of the CIM relate to music-making activities often associated with creativity in music education in the literature, including composition, improvisation and popular music performance. Results suggest, similar to findings of previous research, that while both populations are similar in their degree of creative music-making self-efficacy and are similarly willing to allow for creativity in the classroom, Singaporean pre-service music teachers value the areas of creative identity and the use of popular music listening/performing within the learning environment to a significantly greater extent (p < 0.0001) than their US counterparts.

The purpose of this study was to investigate participant involvement in community wind bands through the lens of organizational theory to inform the music education profession about community wind bands as an "expressive" voluntary association with potential for lifelong participation. Twenty-eight informants were drawn from three community wind bands in the United States and four community wind bands in Singapore. Overall, responses between U.S. and Singapore informants shared many commonalities. Informants from both countries desired musical opportunities that aligned with their interests (incentives and commitment), viewed their participation as defined largely by the ensemble-conductor relationship (formal structures), and preferred rehearsing and performing under the direction of a competent and respectful conductor (leadership and authority). The diversity of bands from which informants were drawn points to the importance of an environment that supports a range of interests for lifelong participation.

The purpose of this study was to test the domain specificity of achievement goals across music, visual art, and sports specializations, as measured by Elliot's 2 × 2 achievement goal framework. Participants in the study were 103 volunteer student teachers from a teacher training institute in Singapore specializing in music, visual art, and physical education. Data were collected via self-report questionnaires that included measures of (a) the 2 × 2 achievement goal orientation constructs; (b) incremental and entity beliefs among the participants in music, visual art, and sports; and (c) participants' enjoyment, perceived competence, effort, and tension while being engaged in music, visual art, and sports. MANOVA analyses indicated that (a) achievement goals are domain-specific and are highest in participants' area of specialization; (b) implicit theories can be generalized across the three specializations, with higher incremental beliefs than entity beliefs reported across all specializations; and (c) enjoyment was highest for those who specialized in that particular area. Finally, mastery-approach goals positively predicted enjoyment in each specialization.

The purpose of the study was to investigate how university band students' (non--music majors) motivational goal orientations toward band and academics differ across participants from Singapore (n = 200) and the United States (n = 227) and examine how they relate to a suite of adaptive dispositions (i.e., flow, grit, and commitment) relevant for 21st-century learning. Data were gathered via a self-report questionnaire that measured achievement goal orientations toward academic major, individual and collective goal orientations toward band, flow during rehearsals, grit while practicing, and commitment to band. An unexpected lack of cross-cultural differences was found, with participants from both cultural groups reporting higher levels of motivation toward their major academic field compared to band, indicating that achievement domain rather than culture accounted for differences in motivational goal orientations. Results also suggest that the optimal motivational profile to cultivate in large ensemble is a combination of individual mastery-approach and collective performance-approach goals.

The purpose of this study was to examine the development of "21st Century Competencies" (21CC) through the secondary school band programme. The researcher used ethnographic research methods to document the lived musical experiences of students from a high performing secondary school band in Singapore, captured the voices of the participants through extensive focus group discussions and informal interviews, coded and analysed the data using the Singapore Ministry of Education's (MOE) 21CC framework. Findings provide empirical support for the MOE's initiatives to developing 21CC through music and the arts. Three interrelated themes--performance, peers, and patience--emerged as specific enablers of the school band to nurture 21CC. These enablers, however, may paradoxically be impediments for the development of 21CC; an awareness of how these enablers may sometimes be hindrances is necessary to optimize twenty-first century learning through the arts.

The persistence of young men in choral singing activity has been widely studied in North America, with emerging parallel research in Europe (Freer, 2013; Harrison & Welch, 2012). There has been little such research in Asia. This study, of 12 young men enrolled in Singapore's pre-university schools, collected both written narratives and drawn imagery to explore participants' musical identities, perceptions of choral singing, and reasons for continued or discontinued participation in choral music. The report details the analytical methods used for understanding the visual imagery (Kress & van Leeuwen, 2006). Four a priori hypotheses were developed based on relevant, existing literature (Bell, 2001). Findings of the study related to these hypotheses were as follows: 1) individual decisions to enrol in choral music were mediated by peer influence; 2) individual decisions to remain or withdraw from choral singing were influenced by the perception of both individual vocal skills and musical issues within the ensemble; 3) there was no stated relationship between choral music and either masculinity or sexuality; and 4) there was no stated impact of the adolescent changing voice on choral participation or self-perception as a singer.

The article offers information on guidelines released by the Association of Banks in Singapore for listings on the Singapore Exchange Securities Trading Ltd.

• Life cycle assessment of mineral carbonation technology finds net carbon abatement. • Suitable technology for carbon capture and utilisation of waste-to-energy CO 2 flue. • Technology produces solid carbonates for land reclamation, avoiding sand import. • Carbon abatement improves with serpentine sourced from geographically nearer regions. • Waste heat from other industries can be used to further improve carbon abatement. Carbon capture and utilization (CCU) is one of the key pathways to abate carbon emissions. In this paper, the carbon abatement potential of a CO 2 mineralization technology for CCU in Singapore is studied. Requiring mild reaction conditions, this technology uses 10 %–15 % (v/v) CO 2 flue from a waste-to-energy plant and serpentine mineral (Mg 3 Si 2 O 5 (OH) 4), to convert CO 2 into solid carbonates or sand, which can then be used for purposes such as land reclamation. To study its carbon abatement potential more holistically, the life cycle or net carbon emissions were analysed by employing life cycle assessment (LCA) methodology. The results show that the CO 2 mineralization technology abates 115.78 kg CO 2 -eq per tonne of CO 2 input. The results also indicate that the major sources of emissions are from the land and sea transportation of serpentine mineral feedstock, the thermal activation of the feedstock, and carbon capture processes. Possible ways to increase the carbon abatement potential of this technology were explored, which included the sourcing of serpentine mineral from nearer regional locations, electrification of land transport for shipping serpentine, use of waste heat for thermal activation, and use of renewable energy to power the processes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: To evaluate the indications, complications, and long-term outcomes with the use of a Gundersen flap for the treatment of various ocular surface conditions in an Asian population., Design: Retrospective case series., Study Subjects: Twenty-five eyes of 25 subjects who had undergone conjunctival flap surgery performed from 1999 to 2004 at the Singapore National Eye Centre., Methods: Review of case records for indications and outcomes of patients undergoing Gundersen flap surgery., Main Outcome Measures: Surgical success was defined as attainment of a stable ocular surface with resolution of symptoms and no flap retraction or dehiscence resulting in reexposure of the corneal surface. Complications to be noted included infection, progression of the inflammatory or infectious disease process beneath the flap, flap loss from epithelial ingrowth, and epithelial cyst formation., Results: Surgical success was achieved in all eyes. Intraoperative and postoperative complications were encountered in 6 patients (24%). One case had a buttonhole, 3 cases had partial flap retractions, and 2 had epithelial inclusion cysts., Conclusions: The Gundersen flap is still an important procedure and should be considered as a means of stabilizing globe integrity in the management of cases of severe ocular surface disease, particularly when visual potential is poor.

Purpose: The Singapore Corneal Transplant Study (SCTS) is a 16-year prospective study of 2100 consecutive corneal transplants performed between January 1991 and November 2006 in patients from Southeast Asia at a single tertiary center. The indications, complications, long-term survival rates, and risk factors for graft failure of penetrating keratoplasty (PK) performed in Asian eyes are reported., Design: Prospective cohort study., Participants: Of the 2100 corneal transplants, 1130 consecutive PKs were performed from January 1991 to December 2003. One graft per patient was selected, leaving 901 grafts for analysis., Methods: Data were obtained from the Singapore Eye Bank's SCTS database. Cases were classified into optical, therapeutic, and tectonic indications and 9 corneal disease groups. Twenty-four demographic, preoperative, intraoperative, and donor risk factors were subjected to Kaplan-Meier survival analysis, univariate analysis, and multivariate analysis by Cox proportional hazards regression modeling., Main Outcome Measure: Graft failure, defined as the irreversible loss of optical clarity., Results: Study patients were Asian, comprising Chinese (72.7%), Indian (11.54%), and Malay (11.1%) ethnicities (mean age, 56.65 years). The mean follow-up period was 36.8+/-35.5 months. Indications for surgery were optical (87.0%), therapeutic (8.1%), and tectonic (4.88%). Main diagnoses were pseudophakic/aphakic bullous keratopathy (23.4%), postinfectious scarring (12.9%), regrafts (12.4%), keratoconus (9.7%), and posttraumatic scarring (7.3%). Kaplan-Meier survival rates for optical grafts were 86.6%, 72.0%, 63.7%, and 52.0% at 1, 3, 5, and 10 years, respectively; survival rates for therapeutic grafts were 78.4%, 58.3%, and 37.3% at 1, 3, and 5 years, and those for tectonic grafts were 68.3% and 41.7% at 1 and 3 years. Endothelial rejection and late endothelial decompensation accounted for 50.51% of failures. Multivariate analysis revealed 9 predictors for graft failure: recipient gender, age, graft size, graft endothelial status, primary corneal disease, glaucoma, inflammation, perforation, and corneal vascularization., Conclusions: The long-term outcome for optical indications in Asian eyes follows a trend in endothelium-related attrition similar to that seen in the West. Tectonic and therapeutic keratoplasty for corneal infections and perforation, however, constitute a significant proportion of corneal transplantation performed in Asia and carry a graver prognosis in terms of graft survival.

Purpose: To determine the long-term outcome of the contralateral eye in Asian persons with a unilateral attack of acute primary angle closure (APAC)., Design: Cross-sectional observational case series., Participants: Seventy-nine individuals who were examined from 4 to 10 years after a unilateral episode of APAC at 2 Singapore hospitals., Methods: All subjects underwent a complete eye examination. The optic discs were graded clinically and photographically for the presence of glaucomatous optic neuropathy, and automated visual field tests were assessed for damage. All visual fields and optic nerve photographs (when available) underwent a second evaluation by a masked glaucoma specialist, who assessed whether the changes were compatible with glaucoma., Main Outcome Measures: Glaucomatous optic neuropathy, intraocular pressure (IOP), and visual impairment (defined as best-corrected visual acuity of worse than 6/12)., Results: Ninety of 138 eligible patients (65.2%) with APAC were examined, 79 with unilateral attacks. Subjects were predominantly Chinese (n = 68; 86%). There were 54 females (68%), and mean age was 68.5+/-8.9 years (standard deviation) at the time of APAC, with a mean duration of 6.3+/-1.5 years from the time of the APAC episode to the study examination. The contralateral eyes of 7 patients (8.9%) had definite or probable glaucoma, 2 of whom were felt to have glaucoma in that eye at the time of the attack. Three eyes had markedly cupped optic discs (cup-to-disc ratio > or = 0.9). Thirteen eyes (16.9%) had best-corrected vision worse than 6/12, due to cataract in almost half the cases. Only 1 eye had vision < 6/60, the cause of which was corneal decompensation. One other patient had only a central island remaining with vision of 6/12. Mean IOP of the study participants was 15.7+/-4.7 mmHg, with 6 subjects (7.6%) having undergone trabeculectomy., Conclusions: Definite or probable glaucoma was present at the time of diagnosis in 2 (2.5%) fellow eyes and developed in an additional 5 (6.5%) with a mean follow-up of 6 years. More than 80% of this cohort retained good vision in the contralateral eye, in contrast to the eye that underwent APAC. Unoperated cataract accounted for most of the visual impairment in this group.

Purpose: To assess the degree of visual field (VF) loss in subjects diagnosed with primary angle-closure glaucoma (PACG), and to compare the severity of such loss between those with symptomatic and asymptomatic disease., Design: Observational case series., Participants: Seventy-six consecutive subjects with PACG who presented at a Singapore hospital., Methods: Primary angle-closure glaucoma was defined as the presence of glaucomatous optic neuropathy and compatible VF loss associated with closed angles. There were 2 groups of subjects studied: group A consisted of those who presented with acute symptomatic angle closure, and group B consisted of those who were asymptomatic. Subjects underwent static automated threshold perimetry, and the first reliable VF was analyzed using the Advanced Glaucoma Intervention Study (AGIS) scoring system. The field tests were graded according to severity as mild, moderate, severe, and end-stage VF defects, based on AGIS scores of 0 to 5, 6 to 11, 12 to 17, and 18 to 20 respectively., Main Outcome Measures: Advanced Glaucoma Intervention Study scores of the first reliable threshold VF test., Results: The mean age of study subjects was 61.4+/-9.6 years (range: 33-84), and the majority of subjects were female (59%) and Chinese (91%). In group A (n = 40), most eyes had mild or moderate VF defects (23 eyes [57.5%]), whereas 7 eyes (17.5%) had end-stage defects. This was in contrast to group B (n = 36), in which the majority of eyes had end-stage VF loss (19 eyes [52.8%]), with only 5 eyes (13.7%) having mild VF defects. Mean AGIS scores were 9.1+/-7.6 for group A and 14.2+/-6.9 for group B (P = 0.004). Cup-to-disc ratio was a significant predictor for VF loss, but age, gender, and level of presenting intraocular pressure were not correlated with VF outcome., Conclusions: Eyes with asymptomatic PACG often present with severe to end-stage VF loss at the time of first presentation to hospital. In contrast, most PACG eyes with previous symptomatic angle closure present with mild or moderate VF defects. The visual morbidity of PACG may be related to the finding that the asymptomatic form of the disease is visually destructive.

Purpose: To study the long-term clinical course of North American chronic angle-closure glaucoma (CACG) patients with optic disc damage and visual field loss in the presence of an angle closed at least partially by peripheral anterior synechiae and to compare it with a similar group of Singaporean patients., Design: A retrospective, interventional case-control study series., Participants: Fifty-one patients (80 eyes) diagnosed with CACG with glaucomatous optic nerve head and visual field damage at a New York hospital from January 1990 through December 1994. All study eyes underwent laser peripheral iridotomy (LPI)., Methods: The presenting features, management, and subsequent long-term intraocular pressure (IOP) outcome were analyzed and compared with 65 Asian patients (83 eyes) from a Singapore hospital who were similarly diagnosed during the same period., Main Outcome Measures: The long-term outcome after LPI was assessed in terms of IOP and the requirement for additional therapy., Results: The mean presenting IOP was higher in the Singapore eyes (40 +/- 15 mmHg) compared with the New York eyes (31 +/- 12.5 mmHg). All 80 New York eyes (100%) and 78 of 83 Singapore eyes (94%) required further treatment to control IOP during follow-up. Of the eyes with a subsequent rise in IOP, 33 of 80 eyes (41.3%) compared with 34 of 83 eyes (41.0%) of the Singapore patients were controlled with additional topical medication. Of the New York eyes, 25 of 80 (31.3%) eventually underwent filtering surgery, compared with 44 of 83 (53.0%) in the Singapore study. The other 22 eyes (27.5%) in the New York group went on to additional laser procedures, peripheral iridoplasty, laser trabeculoplasty, or a combination thereof, after which IOPs were controlled and no surgery was required. There was no similar comparison for the Singapore group, because these eyes went directly on to surgery., Conclusions: Despite the presence of a patent LPI, most eyes with CACG presenting with elevated IOP and having both optic disc and visual field damage in both populations required further treatment to control IOP. Results in the American population are similar to that reported in Asian patients.