Place In Singapore Research Articles

Dr. Oliver Dreesen

Dr. Dreesen is a Senior Principal Investigator and Head of the Laboratory for Cell Aging at the Agency for Science，Technology & Research（A*STAR）in Singapore. He served as President of the Skin Research Society（Singapore）from 2019-2021 and was Chair of the Japan-Singapore Skin Research Conference that took place in Singapore from April 10-12，2019.

MSR4P&S 2022 Workshop Summary

The 1st edition of the workshop on Mining Software Repositories for Privacy and Security (MSR4P&S 2022) was held virtually on November 18th, 2022, co-located with the 30th ACM Joint Meeting on European Software Engineering Conference and Symposium on the Foundations of Software Engineering (ESEC/FSE 2022), which took place in Singapore. MSR4P&S received a total of five submissions from diverse geographic locations, which were all included in the program after a rigorous peer-review process. The program also featured a keynote by M. Ali Babar on the quality of data mined for security research. This report summarises the event and insights stemming from the keynote and presentations in the workshop's two sessions.

Message from the Editor-in-Chief and from the Associate Editor-in-Chief

Welcome to the November 2022 issue of the IEEE Transactions on Visualization and Computer Graphics (TVCG). This issue contains selected papers accepted at the IEEE International Symposium on Mixed and Augmented Reality (ISMAR). The conference took place in Singapore from October 17-22,2022 in hybrid mode.

Language policy ambivalence

This article focuses on historicising Singaporean English/Singlish and tracing its genealogy as a demotic language to understand the changing relationship between Singlish and the Singaporean state. It takes as an entry point a recent infomercial-style music video featuring the well-known fictive Singlish-speaking character Phua Chu Kang that was released by the Singaporean government in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic. It encouraged residents to get vaccinated for their own protection and was widely circulated across mainstream news media as well as other platforms. Mining the character of Phua Chu Kang, previously fiercely criticised by the government for speaking Singlish, the article historicises Singlish and its shifting place in Singapore’s cultural politics and language policy. It demonstrates how the language has shifted from a previous position as a state antagonist to a demotic language now actively mobilised by the state. In so doing, it updates extant understandings of Singlish in relation to language policy and culture in Singapore where antagonism has given way to a relationship of ambivalence with the state. More broadly, it also highlights the instrumental value of mobilising a demotic language for its persuasive potential within speech communities that have an affinity for it.

Inscribing place in Singapore: Instagram depictions of hauntedness

In this article we examine the construction and circulation of images of a purportedly haunted house in Singapore’s folklore, Istana Woodneuk, through Instagram. Analyzing a corpus of 960 Instagram images, we first identify 14 tropes and then two overarching themes – haunted-place making and subversive imaging. We make three main points in this article. Firstly, we argue that the creation of Istana Woodneuk Instagram posts can be understood only against the backdrop of national anxieties about the constraint and control of land and history. Secondly, and relatedly, we posit that the bottom-up creation and collective sharing of these posts is an assertion of young Singaporean identity against a larger state narrative. Istana Woodneuk, in its ambiguity and hauntedness, along with Instagram’s affordances, gives young Singaporeans a unique unregulated space for escape from “reality” and control. Thirdly, we argue that these Instagram posts blend frivolity and thoughtlessness with resistance and self-expression, where personal stories weave into a larger communal narrative that offers bottom-up alternatives to the state sponsored “Singapore Story.” This intersection between Istana Woodneuk as a space, in contrast to other state-defined delineated places of death, and the infrastructural properties of Instagram are crucial to the construction of this larger narrative.

Update of the World Stroke Organization Activities.

Update of the World Stroke Organization Activities.

Preface

The 5th International Conference on Mechanical, Aeronautical and Automotive Engineering (ICMAA 2021) which would have taken place in Singapore, from February 26-28, 2021, will instead be held virtually due to the precaution taken to minimizing the COVID-19 risk. The safety and well-being of all conference participants is our first and top priority, while we strive to offer many scholars and researchers this long-awaited conference to conduct academic exchanges with their peers.The COVID-19 virus has made our life very challenging, but we want to reiterate that there are no barriers to science, as we continue to do our research works via modern technical means. The ICMAA 2021 has selected Zoom as the virtual platform. Each presenter will be given a 15-minute talk and followed by a short discussion afterward. Before the conference, all of the authors were encouraged to submit a video as a backup in case of unexpected technical problems.The submitted papers were reviewed by leading scientists in the areas of Mechanical, Aeronautical and Automotive Engineering, and evaluated in accordance with their originality, innovation, technical merit and applicability. This year, the ICMAA 2021 program consists of many high-quality articles coming from several different countries around the world.We are grateful to the authors and the participants, as they are the key components for making possible this excellent forum to exchange research results and ideas. We also would like to express our sincere gratitude to our colleagues who have kindly volunteered their time and effort in the paper review. Special thanks go to the conference organizers and session chairs for their devotions in developing a strong technical program and enjoyable virtual experiences. It is our hope that the proceedings of ICMAA 2021 will result in increased collaboration among researchers in the fields and help in facilitating fruitful cross-disciplinary ideas.As always, we look forward to your continuing support of this and future ICMAA. Finally, we wish all of you good health and every success!Conference Chairs of ICMAA2021Prof. KHOO Boo Cheong, National University of Singapore, SingaporeProf. Jia-Yush Yen, National Taiwan University of Science and Technology, TaiwanList of Conference Committees are available in this pdf.

Near-falls in Singapore community-dwelling older adults: a feasibility study

BackgroundA near-fall is defined as a loss of balance that would result in a fall if sufficient balance recovery manoeuvres are not executed. Compared to falls, near-falls and its associated balance recovery manoeuvres have been understudied. Older adults may not recognise a near-fall or identify the use of their balance recovery manoeuvres to prevent a fall. The consensus on the methods to collect near-fall data is lacking. The primary objective of this study was to determine the feasibility of recruitment and retention. Secondary objectives were to establish evidence that Singapore community-dwelling older adults can identify near-falls and associated balance recovery manoeuvres. Texting and calling methods were explored as reporting methods.MethodsThis study took place in Singapore (September to October 2019). Participants were healthy, community-dwelling adults aged 65 or older. Recruitment was done through poster advertisement, and all participants gave informed consent. Participants attended a briefing session and reported their near-fall or fall incidence over 21 days using either daily texting or calling. The primary outcome measures were the recruitment rate, retention rate, preferred modes for data reporting and ability to report near-falls or falls. Secondary outcomes included the self-reported incidence of falls and near-falls.ResultsThirty older adults were recruited in 5 weeks. All participants completed the study. They understood near-fall concepts and were able to report the occurrence and relevant balance recovery manoeuvres used to prevent a fall. 87% (26/30) chose to text while 13% (4/30) selected calling as their reporting method. One actual fall (0.16%) out of 630 responses was reported. Thirty-six incidents (5.7%) of near-falls were recorded. Sixteen participants (53.3%) experienced near-falls and half of this group experienced two or more near-falls. The use of reach-to-grasp strategy (36%), compensatory stepping (52.8%), and other body regions (11.2%) were used to prevent the fall.ConclusionsThe study provided evidence that studying near-falls in Singapore community-dwelling older adults is feasible and can be applied to a large-scale study. Recruitment and retention rates were good. Older adults were able to identify near-falls and balance recovery manoeuvres. Both texting and calling were feasible reporting methods, but texting was preferred.Trial registrationClinicalTrials identifier: NCT04087551. Registered on September 12, 2019

Massacre or Genocide? Redefining the Sook Ching

Sook Ching is a Chinese term meaning “purge through cleansing.” Operation Sook Ching took place in Singapore from February 21 to March 4, 1942. It was a military operation carried out by the Japanese with the intent of executing anti-Japanese Chinese men between the ages of 18 and 50. Ultimately, it is impossible to know exactly how many people were killed; the official Japanese figure is 5,000, while unofficial estimates reach as high as 50,000. Men were called into screening centers where disorganized screening procedures determined if they were anti-Japanese. The Sook Ching’s legacy lives on as one of the greatest tragedies in Singapore’s history. The intent of this paper is to argue for a redefinition of the Sook Ching as a genocide rather than a massacre. The cornerstones of this research are the United Nations’ Genocide Convention and contemporary sources discussing the crime. This research is important because it sets a precedent of accountability, as well as acknowledging the crimes the Japanese committed during the Second World War. This thesis will discuss the Sook Ching, its legacy, and the steps required to address the incident and right the wrongs that occurred. It will also examine the racial and political environment that set the stage for the tragedy, as well as the scars it left behind.

An incomplete megastructure: the Golden Mile Complex, global planning education, and the pedestrianised city

New experiments were taking place in Singapore from the early 1960s onwards, as pedagogies and practices of urban design were being circulated among global experts and multiple stakeholders. New attitudes towards modernisation and urban renewal were developed then. Post-war humanist ideals of ‘social’ Brutalist architecture and revisionist attitudes towards high modernism and the overdevelopment of automobile infrastructure coursed through Singapore’s Golden Mile Complex (GMC). This was a project that attempted to address the problems of increased density and economic imperatives in the urban realm. This article focuses on the GMC as a contested site and as a built megastructure, in an effort to chart a new relationship between architecture, urban design, and the missed opportunity to develop a pedestrianised city. Designed by William S.W. Lim and the Design Partnership (DP), the GMC was an experiment in pedestrianised urbanism that differed from what had emerged in the original centres of invention and intellectual discourse in Singapore. Partly coinciding with the GMC’s design conception and construction, the period between 1962 and 1973 raised warnings against the ‘bulldozer addicts’ of urban renewal. It also witnessed the socially levelling roles of shopping, alternative models of urban circulation, and the emergence of extra-large architectural forms. This was also a short period of democratic debate and experimentation with mixed-use typologies and strata-title private ownership in the increased commercialisation of the city, fuelled by Singapore’s ambition to become a global city. The need to attract global capital and private consumerist functions made polarising demands on the development around the GMC. Alongside its aggressive urban renewal, Singapore was also keen to gain social legitimacy through its public housing programmes. The circulation of globally relevant pedagogies in urban design and planning formed the backdrop to an incomplete conception and realisation of an avant-garde megastructure specific to an Asian discourse of urban densification.

Impact on Growing Diversity & Multi-Cultural Counseling at Work Place in Singapore: A Review

Globalization has contributed to the growth of a culturally diverse workforce in the world, including Singapore. The prevailing influx of foreign talents and immigrants in the last decade has led to growing diversity and multi-cultural trends in the workplace. There is a growing need to develop tools that could help in the operationalization of multicultural competencies so as to help counselors develop the awareness, knowledge and skills needed to build culturallysensitive working alliance and adopt culturally appropriate interventions in counseling.

FORMATION OF VALUE ORIENTATIONS OF PRESCHOOL AGE CHILDREN: SINGAPORE - UKRAINE, COMPARATIVE ASPECT

The article is devoted to a comparative analysis of the formation of values of preschool age children in Singapore and Ukraine. The authors note that, in line with social challenges in the world, Singapore has focused on the features of successful reform of the education system in general and the preschool sector in particular. The reasons of expediency of carrying out analytical comparative research in the field of reforming of preschool education of Singapore and Ukraine are covered. An analytical review of the content of reforming Singapore's educational system in the context of studying the issue of value orientations in preschool children of Ukraine and Singapore has been made by foreign and Ukrainian scholars. And also some aspects of educational changes that have taken place in Singapore at all educational levels, and in Ukraine only in secondary education institutions. The qualitative changes necessary for the formation of a holistic value approach to the organization of the educational process in the preschool education institutions of Ukraine are highlighted: the implementation of learning through play aimed at developing not only the intellectual but also the emotional sphere and laying the foundations for the formation of key skills of the 21st century through free play and teachers' democratic approach to personality formation. The problems of reforming Singapore's preschool education and the peculiarities of public policy in addressing them are revealed. The approach of preschool education of both countries to the free play of children with the purpose of forming social competences and values of communication is analyzed. The advantages of Ukrainian preschool education in social education of preschool children are identified and changes that need to be consolidated at the legislative level are necessary for the development of key values of children. The main ones are: the creation and implementation of national programs for preschool institutions and teacher training courses / institutes. The requirements for the formation of motivation of preschool teachers and training of pedagogical workers in Ukraine, capable to provide the process of development of critical and creative thinking of preschool children on the basis of the principle of lifelong learning and upbringing through the play of personality with holistic value orientation, are distinguished.

Visiting the ‘Liverpool of the East’: Singapore's place in tours of Empire

This article explores the idea of Singapore's repute as the ‘Liverpool of the East’ and the depictions of Britain's maritime empire in Asia. It does so via two important cruises related to the British Empire. The first is the Royal Tour of 1901 and the second cruise was the Empire Cruise of 1923 to 1924. By examining the reception afforded to both royal and naval visitors, this article argues that we have insights into what it meant for Singapore as a port city in a British maritime and imperial network. This article explores how Singapore was depicted as a maritime hub through these tours and concludes with a reflection that similar descriptions still hold a place in modern descriptions of Singapore.

An Introduction to the Singapore Convention on Mediation – Perspectives from Singepore

At the 51st Session of the United Nations (UN) Commission on International Trade Law (UNCITRAL) on 25th June 2018, the final draft of the Convention on the Enforcement of International Settlement Agreements (the ‘Convention’) was recommended for submission to the UN General Assembly for its consideration, and the corresponding Model Law was adopted. A resolution to name the Convention the ‘Singapore Convention on Mediation’ was also approved. This concluded three years of vigorous debate in UNCITRAL Working Group II (Dispute Settlement) with participation by 85 member States and 35 international governmental and non-governmental organisations. The UN General Assembly has adopted the Convention on 20th December 2018. The Convention will come into force once it is ratified by at least three member states. A signing ceremony for this first UN Convention on mediation is anticipated to take place in Singapore in August 2019.

Private prosecution in Singapore: understanding locus standi and measures in place to minimise abuse

In Singapore, as is the case with other commonwealth countries, the general rule is that once any offence has been committed, it is for the state to prosecute the alleged offender. This explains why Article 35(8) of the Constitution provides that ‘[t]he Attorney-General shall have power, exercisable at his discretion, to institute, conduct or discontinue any proceedings for any offence’. Article 35(8) is reinforced by section 11 of the Criminal Procedure Code, which provides that ‘[t]he Attorney-General shall be the Public Prosecutor and shall have the control and direction of criminal prosecutions and proceedings under this Code or any other written law’. However, as is the case with other commonwealth countries, the public prosecutor in Singapore does not have an exclusive right to prosecute. In some circumstances other government agencies or private individuals may institute and have instituted prosecutions. The purpose of this article is to discuss the issues of locus standi to institute a private prosecution and the measures in place in Singapore to minimise abusing the right to institute a private prosecution. In discussing these issues, the author, where necessary, compares the Singapore position with that of other commonwealth jurisdictions and makes recommendations on how legislation could be amended in Singapore to address some of the challenges.

Speculative Investors and Transactions Tax: Evidence from the Housing Market

This paper examines the impact of a policy change in transaction tax on speculators. The policy intervention took place in Singapore’s housing market; it effectively raised the transaction cost in a segment favored by short-term speculators. Relative to the unaffected control sample, we find that the rise in transaction cost, equivalent to a two- to three-percentage-point increase in transaction tax, reduced speculative trading in the treatment segment by 75% and raised its price volatility by 18%. It also significantly reduced price informativeness. We further show that the results are likely due to a relatively greater withdrawal by informed speculators than by destabilizing speculators following the transaction cost increase.This paper was accepted by Amit Seru, finance.

Nature of turbulence, dissipation, and heating in space plasmas: From Alfvén waves to kinetic Alfvén waves

AbstractThe nature of turbulence, dissipation, and heating in plasma media has been an attractive and challenge problem in space physics as well as in basic plasma physics. A wide continuous spectrum of Alfvénic turbulence from large MHD‐scale Alfvén waves (AWs) in the inertial turbulence regime to small kinetic‐scale kinetic AWs (KAWs) in the dissipation turbulence regime is a typical paradigm of plasma turbulence. The incorporation of current remote observations of AWs in the solar atmosphere, in situ satellite measurements of Alfvénic turbulence in the solar wind, and experimental investigations of KAWs on large plasma devices in laboratory provides a chance synthetically to study the physics nature of plasma turbulence, dissipation, and heating. A session entitled “Nature of Turbulence, Dissipation, and Heating in Space Plasmas: From Alfvén Waves to Kinetic Alfvén Waves” was held as a part of the twelfth Asia Oceania Geosciences Society Annual Meeting, which took place in Singapore between 2 and 7 August 2015. This special section is organized based on the session.

Must Art Have a ‘Place’? Questioning the Power of the Digital Art-Scape

Must Art Have a ‘Place’? Questioning the Power of the Digital Art-Scape

Identifying critical leadership styles of project managers for green building projects

In recent years, green building construction has been earning a significant place in Singapore's construction industry. The success of a green building project is inevitably associated with the leadership of the project manager. This study attempts to identify the leadership characteristics and styles of project managers in Singaporean green building projects. Conducting a questionnaire survey with 30 project managers experienced in green construction, this study identified 13 leadership characteristics, among which ‘strive for work performance and productivity’ was ranked top. Additionally, the 13 characteristics were categorized into two groupings: (1) directive and task-oriented leadership and (2) relationship-oriented leadership. The results indicated that the leadership style of the project managers was more towards directive and task-oriented leadership but did not overlook their relationships with subordinates. Therefore, this study provides an understanding of leadership characteristics and styles of project managers in green building projects for both practitioners and researchers.

‘Germany Has Become Mohammedan’: Insurgency, Long-Distance Travel, and the Singapore Mutiny, 1915

The mutiny that took place in Singapore in February 1915 is usually dismissed as a footnote in the history of empire. One reason why it is marginalized is because the mutiny does not conform to a politics that seeks the formation of an independent territorial nation-state as its inevitable conclusion. This article returns to that initial moment of insurgency to argue that the mutiny offers a unique window into the political imaginaries of British Indian soldiers, seen as military migrant workers. A close reading of soldiers’ letters against the Rowlatt Committee's Sedition Report suggests a politics of equality and emancipation uncontaminated by the desire for national liberation. Two kinds of insurgency thus become visible: international space as an unsettled zone of attraction and desire and a nascent political subjectivity that rejects the disciplines of imperial military labor. The primary causes of these transformations, I argue, are the insurgent effects of long-distance travel.