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Publication Determination of strategic adaptation actions for public housing in Singapore(2011-07) Teo, E.A.L.; Lin, G.; BUILDINGAlthough building adaptation finds it significant in combating building deterioration and delivering building sustainability, what level of adaptation a building shall receive always seems puzzling to property portfolio managers. This research aims to provide policy makers with a theoretical approach to choose strategically desired adaptation actions for buildings. Personal interviews with policy makers in Singapore public housing sector gave rise to the construction of an Attribute-Action database; this database was used to derive an Attribute-Action Matrix, which consists of a set of preference values for each adaptation action (i.e. retaining, renovating and rebuilding). This approach was then applied to a real public residential building in Singapore. The results show that the total preference values for the actions of retaining, renovating and rebuilding are 157.849, 111.609, and 90.575, respectively; the action of retaining with minor maintenance of building facades is found to be the most desired adaptation strategy for the case building, because compared with the other two, retaining has the maximum total preference value. The presented approach would therefore extend the understanding of how strategic adaptation actions can be made for existing buildings that require adaptation. Lessons learnt in Singapore public housing context may be useful for many other cities in face of similar problems. © 2011 Elsevier Ltd.Publication Risk factors and midwife-reported reasons for episiotomy in women undergoing normal vaginal delivery(2013-12) Wu, L.C.; Malhotra, R.; Allen Jr., J.C.; Lie, D.; Tan, T.C.; Østbye, T.; DUKE-NUS GRADUATE MEDICAL SCHOOL S'POREPurpose: In Singapore, a developed Asian nation, a relatively high proportion of women undergo episiotomy. We assess risk factors and midwife-reported reasons for episiotomy among women undergoing normal vaginal deliveries (NVDs) conducted by midwives and ascertain the association between episiotomy and degree of perineal tear. Methods: Participants included 77 midwives from a high-volume delivery unit in Singapore. The study had three sequential phases: (1) medical record review of women undergoing NVDs conducted by midwives over a 1-month period to document the proportion with episiotomy; (2) focus group discussions with midwives to form a checklist of reasons for episiotomy; (3) checklist-based documentation of midwife-reported reasons for episiotomy and data collection on maternal, neonatal, practice and midwife factors, and degree of perineal tear among women undergoing NVDs conducted by midwives over a 2-month period. Risk factors for episiotomy were assessed through logistic regression. Results: Primiparity, advanced maternal age, Indian ethnicity, higher birth weight and older midwife age were associated with episiotomy. The most common midwife-reported reason for episiotomy among primiparous women was primiparity (55.1 %), and among multiparous women was fetal distress (20.0 %) and poor maternal effort (20.0 %). All women with episiotomy sustained at least a second-degree perineal tear versus 27.1 % among women without episiotomy. Conclusion: Most midwife-reported reasons for episiotomy were not congruent with international practice guidelines. Women without episiotomy have lesser tears than those with episiotomy. Practice protocols and educational programs are needed to change episiotomy practice. © 2013 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg.Publication Do socioeconomic effects on health diminish with age? A Singapore case study(2007) Jatrana, S.; Chan, A.; SOCIOLOGYPublication Skin cancer trends among Asians living in Singapore from 1968 to 2006(2009-09) Sng, J.; Koh, D.; Siong, W.C.; Choo, T.B.; CENTRE FOR MOLECULAR EPIDEMIOLOGY; EPIDEMIOLOGY & PUBLIC HEALTHBackground: The incidence rates of skin cancers in Caucasian populations are increasing. There is little information on skin cancer trends in Asians, who have distinctly different skin types. Objective: We sought to study skin cancer incidence rates and time trends among the 3 Asian ethnic groups in Singapore. Methods: We analyzed skin cancer data from the Singapore Cancer Registry from 1968 to 2006 using the Poisson regression model. Results: There were 4044 reported cases of basal cell carcinoma, 2064 of squamous cell carcinoma, and 415 of melanoma. Overall skin cancer incidence rates increased from 2.9/100,000 in 1968 to 1972 to 8.4/100,000 in 1998 to 2002, declining to 7.4/100,000 in 2003 to 2006. Among older persons (≥60 years), basal cell carcinoma rates increased the most, by 18.9/100,000 in Chinese, 6.0/100,000 in Malays, and 4.1/100,000 in Indians from 1968 to 1972 to 2003 to 2006. Squamous cell carcinoma rates among those aged 60 years and older increased by 2.3/100,000 in Chinese and by 1/100,000 in Malays and Indians. Melanoma rates were constant for all 3 races. Skin cancer rates among the fairer-skinned Chinese were approximately 3 times higher than in Malays and Indians, who generally have darker complexions. Limitations: Although appropriate population denominators were used, lack of data from 2007 could have affected the results for the last time period, which comprised 4 instead of 5 years. Conclusion: Incidence rates of skin cancer in Singapore increased from 1968 to 2006, especially among older Chinese. © 2009 American Academy of Dermatology, Inc.Publication Tourism and heritage conservation in Singapore(1995) Teo, P.; Huang, S.; GEOGRAPHYPublication NPD in manufacturing companies - Use of surveys to determine overall status in a country or region, and changes over time(2004) Bauly, J.A.; DEAN'S OFFICE (ENGINEERING)This paper reports on two surveys done in 1999 and 2002 by questionnaires posted to approximately 1300 manufacturing companies in a number of defined industry category groups in a specific geographical region, namely Singapore. This was to determine information about new product development (NPD), and the level of sophistication of it, in companies carrying out mass or batch production, and the changes - if they could be detected -over the 3 years between the two surveys. Besides yielding data on the important subject of the NPD going on in the country's manufacturing companies, the overall project was also an exercise on the use and effectiveness of those types of surveys. It is argued that such NPD data actually constitute predictive metrics for the region's future manufacturing business sustainability. Thus, for example, the small but useful increases over the 3 years actually suggested by the work - despite the difficult trading climate of that time - is very encouraging for Singapore. This paper describes the methodology used and comments on its effectiveness as well as outlining some of the main findings of the surveys. © 2004 IEEE.Publication Affordability of cancer treatment for aging cancer patients in Singapore: An analysis of health, lifestyle, and financial burden(2013-12) Chan, A.; Chiang, Y.Y.; Low, X.H.; Yap, K.Y.-L.; Ng, R.; PHARMACYBackground: With the expected rise in newly diagnosed cancer cases among the elderly in Singapore, the affordability of cancer treatments, particularly of targeted therapies, will be a growing concern for patients. This study examines the perspectives of aging cancer patients on the financial burden of their cancer treatments. Methods: A single-center, prospective study was conducted in the largest ambulatory cancer center in Singapore. Older (50 years old and above) cancer patients receiving treatment were recruited. Patients completed three sets of self-reporting tools assessing their (a) demographics and lifestyles, (b) health-related quality of life, and (c) perceptions of cancer treatment costs. The association between targeted therapy utilities and their perceived financial burden was evaluated using a multivariable logistic regression. Results: Five hundred and sixteen patients were included in the study. The majority of the respondents (69.6 %) were between 50 and 64 years old. The majority were Singaporeans (97.7 %), belonged to the ethnic Chinese group (88.4 %), and most were female (59.1 %). The users of targeted therapies were 2.92 times more likely to perceive that the amount of cash that they spent on cancer treatment was more than expected and 2.52 times more likely to have difficulty paying for cancer treatments. Fortunately, the majority of the respondents (70.6 %) found their existing financial schemes helpful in reducing the necessary out-of-pocket expenses. Conclusions: Although aging cancer patients feel that the financial schemes in Singapore have helped them tremendously, the general perception is that they require further help to offset their out-of-pocket expenses. This is especially true for users of targeted therapies and those who have a poorer health status. © 2013 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg.Publication Incidence of cymbidium mosaic and odontoglossum ringspot viruses and their significance in orchid cultivation in Singapore(1994-05) Wong, S.M.; Chng, C.G.; Lee, Y.H.; Tan, K.; Zettler, F.W.; BOTANYA survey of cymbidium mosaic virus (CyMV) and odontoglossum ringspot virus (ORSV) in orchids cultivated in Singapore was conducted during 1988-1991. Of the 12 genera from four major commercial orchid farms, 54.6% of the plants were infected with CyMV, 4.0% with ORSV, and 14.2% with both CyMV and ORSV. Among the 29 genera from the orchid nursery of Botanic Gardens, 34.5% were infected with CyMV, 0.3% with ORSV, and 8.3% with both CyMV and ORSV. From the 13 orchid genera cultivated in tissue-culture flasks in the tissue culture laboratory of the Botanic Gardens, 50.5% were infected with CyMV, none with ORSV alone, and 0.5% with both CyMV and ORSV. These findings emphasize the need to implement a virus-free certification programme that would greatly enhance the management of these two prevalent viruses in the Singapore orchid industry. © 1994.Publication Buyer-seller relationships in the PCB industry(2005) Lau, G.T.; Goh, M.; MARKETING; DECISION SCIENCESPurpose - Prior research has suggested that the key to industrial purchasing success lies in the time development and maintenance of long-term relationships between buyers and sellers. Good relational exchanges can lead to higher product quality and better coordination with the suppliers. As such, the purpose of this article is to explain how the change of these relationships over time is critical to successful purchasing, especially in understanding the factors that influence the relational change. Design/methodology/approach - Three mini case studies are presented as an attempt to capture the subtle development of buyer-seller relationships in the Asian printed circuit board industry. The approach used in this paper is to treat the relationship development as a process through time using Ford's model from 1980. Ford's model is appropriate as it allows the examination of time effects in relationships, factors influencing the change and the implications of having close linkages. Findings - Initial results suggest that technological, social, time and actual distances, other than the quality of the relationships, can impact relationship development. Originality/value - The results of this study suggest that buyers should consider carefully the influence of the geographical proximity of suppliers. As such, buyers could seek the services of personnel or departments who are more attuned to the supplier's local culture. © Emerald Group Publishing Limited.Publication Real estate market cyclical dynamics: The prime office sectors of Kuala Lumpur, Singapore and Hong Kong(2014) Ho, K.H.D.; Addae-Dapaah, K.; REAL ESTATEPurpose: The purpose of this paper is to help us understand the real estate cycle and offers an analysis using a vector auto regression (VAR) model. The authors study the key international cities of Hong Kong, Kuala Lumpur and Singapore. The authors find four key outcomes. One, the real estate cycle is generally different from the underlying business cycle in local markets for the cities studies. Two, the real estate cycle is more exaggerated in the construction and development areas than in rents and vacancies. Three, the vacancy cycle tends to lead the rental cycle. And four, new construction completions tend to peak when vacancy is also peaking. The authors believe that future research should try to help understand the linkages that drive these outcomes. For example, are rigidities in the local permit and construction markets responsible for the link between construction peaks and vacancy peaks? Design/methodology/approach: Real estate market cyclical dynamics and its estimation via VAR model offers an insightful set of practical and empirical models. It affirms a comprehensive theoretical underpinning for analysing the prime office and residential sectors of the capitol cities of Kuala Lumpur, Singapore and Hong Kong in the fast developing Asia region. Its unrestricted form also provides an effective and insightful way of modelling real estate market cyclical dynamics utilising only real estate market indicators, furnished by real estate market data providers. Findings: The office rental VAR model for Singapore (SOR), KL (KOR) and HK (HOR) show good fits. In the HOR model, rents and vacancies are negatively signed and significant for certain lagged relationships with other variables and with rents themselves. The office CV VAR model for Singapore (SOCV), KL (KOCV) and HK (HOCV) show good fits. In the HOCV model, capital values (CVs) and initial yields are negatively signed and significant for certain lagged relationships with other variables and with CVs themselves. Impulse response functions specified for seven years to mirror a medium-term real estate market cycle "die out" to zero for the stationary VAR models that are estimated for the endogenous variables. The accumulated responses asymptote to some non-zero constant. Practical implications: The VAR model offers a complete and meaningful dynamic system of solely real estate variables for international real estate investors and policy makers in decision making. Its unrestricted form offers an effective and insightful way of modelling real estate market cyclical dynamics utilising only real estate market indicators, which can be reliably provided by a dedicated real estate information and consultancy provider of international standing. Originality/value: The theoretical model offers a complete dynamic model system of the real estate space market, comprising a unique system of six linked equations that denote the relationship among supply, demand, construction, vacancy and rent over time, inclusive of price response slopes and lags. The VAR model enables the investigation of the effect of the lagged values of all the variables concerned. It also enables the explicit and rigorous quantitative forecasts of say rents and CVs when the rest of the variable can be forecasted beforehand. © Emerald Group Publishing Limited.