Pte Ltd Research Articles

Recognising foreign solvent proceedings under the UNCITRAL Model Law on Cross-Border Insolvency: the Singaporean approach in Ascentra Holdings, Inc v SPGK Pte Ltd [2023] 2 SLR 421

To promote cooperation among stakeholders in different jurisdictions to facilitate coordinated insolvency proceedings, the United Nations Commission on International Trade Law (UNCITRAL) adopted the Model Law on Cross-Border Insolvency (MLCBI) in 1997. The MLCBI harmonises certain procedural aspects of the cross-border insolvency process, though states may choose to make modifications when adopting the MLCBI in their own legal systems. This was completed in Singapore in 2017, and the Singapore Model Law (SML) can now be found in the Third Schedule to the Insolvency, Restructuring and Dissolution Act 2018 (2020 Rev Ed) (IRDA 2018). One topic that has been the subject of much debate internationally is whether foreign solvent proceedings can be recognised under the MLCBI or the corresponding provisions in various jurisdictions: the Nevada Bankruptcy Court first answered this question in the affirmative, but this was explicitly rejected by the High Court of England and Wales (EWHC) in Re Sturgeon Central Asia Balanced Fund Ltd (in liquidation) (No 2) (Re Sturgeon). In Ascentra Holdings, Inc (in official liquidation) v SPGK Pte Ltd (Ascentra), the Singapore Court of Appeal (SGCA) held that foreign proceedings concerning solvent companies may be recognised under the SML. This commentary addresses the salient points of the SGCA's judgment and highlights the positive impact of this gradual harmonisation of the approaches taken in different jurisdictions to the MLCBI. Through a comparative analysis of the conflicting Re Sturgeon decision, three additional justifications based on the preparatory documents pertaining to the MLCBI, relevant authorities in the UK and a purposive reading of the MLCBI are provided for the approach in Ascentra. It is contended in closing that these reasons support the argument for definitively overruling the Re Sturgeon decision in the UK.

Efficient virtual machine placement in cloud computing environment using BSO-ANN based hybrid technique

Cloud computing has revolutionized the way businesses and individuals access and utilize computing resources. Efficient virtual machine placement is a critical aspect of optimizing resource utilization, reducing operational costs, energy consumption, service level agreement and minimum virtual machine migrations, execution time, and ensuring the overall performance of cloud services. This manuscript introduces a novel approach that combines the creative problem-solving capabilities of brainstorming with the computational power of Artificial Neural Networks (ANN) to address the virtual machine placement problem in cloud environments. In this study, we propose a hybrid technique that leverages the collective intelligence of human brainstorming to generate a diverse set of placement strategies. These strategies are then evaluated, refined, and optimized using an ANN model trained on historical cloud resource allocation workload logs. By integrating the human creative process with the data-driven predictive capabilities of ANN, our approach aims to overcome the limitations of traditional virtual machine placement algorithms, which often struggle to adapt to dynamic workloads and changing resource requirements. The manuscript provides a detailed description of the hybrid technique, including the process of brainstorming for generating placement strategies, data collection and preprocessing, ANN model development, and the integration of these components into an efficient placement system. We present experimental results demonstrating the effectiveness of our approach in optimizing resource allocation, improving service performance, and optimizing resource utilization, reducing energy consumption, service level agreement and minimum virtual machine migrations, reducing execution time compared to existing static, and meta-heuristic methods. The proposed Brain Storming with ANN based Hybrid Technique offers a promising solution for enhancing the efficiency of virtual machine placement in cloud computing environments. BSO-ANN outperforms the existing techniques using performance metrics (energy consumption(Kwh), execution time(ms), SLA violations, and number of migrations). It combines human ingenuity with data-driven insights to adapt to the ever-changing dynamics of cloud workloads. This manuscript contributes to the ongoing research in cloud resource management, offering a practical approach for cloud service providers and organizations to better utilize their resources and enhance the overall quality of cloud-based services. © 2012 Published by Elsevier Ltd. Selection and/or peer-review under responsibility of Global Science and Technology Forum Pte Ltd.

Music Similarity Ranking: Case Study Fairphonic

Fairphonic Pte Ltd is a technology company operating in the music sector. Fairphonic provides services to detect content on social media that is suspected of copyright infringement. Fairphonic utilizes audio features for the detection process. The current algorithm used by Fairphonic requires pairwise comparison, and the content to be compared is collected through a scraping process immediately after the process is run. Fairphonic has hundreds of thousands of music data in their database. Fairphonic desires a more scalable algorithm to compare an input music piece with the entire Fairphonic music catalog. This research uses features such as Harmonic Pitch Class Profile (HPCP), Chroma, and Rhythm Pattern. The study compares previously researched algorithms, namely binary similarity matrix, Euclidean distance, and similarity matrix profile. The results show that the combination of HPCP with the binary similarity matrix yields the highest Mean Average Precision of 0.989. Speed testing by performing comparisons 10 times shows that the combination of Chroma and the similarity matrix profile is 72% faster compared to the combination of HPCP with the binary similarity matrix. The author recommends the Chroma and similarity matrix profile algorithm for music similarity ranking due to its faster process.

Technology-Based Strategy to Improve Medication Compliance Among Patients With Schizophrenia Spectrum Disorders.

Non-compliance to medications remains a challenging problem in schizophrenia. Newer strategies with high feasibility and acceptability are always being researched. This study aimed to assess the effectiveness of technology-based intervention in improving medication compliance in individuals with schizophrenia. This was a prospective intervention study where participants were required to use the SuperMD smartphone application (Digital-Health Technologies Pte Ltd, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia) for a month. A change in the Medication Adherence Rating Scale-Malay Translation (MARS-M) and MalayTranslation of Drug Adherence Inventory-9 (MDAI-9) scores indicated a change in compliance and attitude to medication.Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS) was used to assess change in symptoms and insight. Medication compliance was also obtained from the SuperMD application.Paired T-test was used to evaluate the significance of changes in mean scores of research variables over the study period. Wilcoxon signed-rank test was used to analyze the subscale of MDAI-9 and the change in PANSS score. The Kruskal-Wallis test was used to determine the effect of the change of insight on the level of compliance with medication. There were 36 participants in this study.The results showed statistically significant improvement in compliance (0.65, p ≤ 0.01) but not in attitude towards medication (0.78, p = 0.065). There was also an improvement in PANNS score (-2.58, P ≤ 0.01). There was no significant change in insight (χ2(2) = 3.802, p = 0.15). Conclusion:The use of technology-based strategies like SuperMD is effective in improving medication compliance for individuals with schizophrenia.

Effect of different synbiotic administration methods on growth, carcass characteristics, ileum histomorphometry, and blood biochemistry of Cobb-500 broilers.

To combat enteric infections and antibiotic resistance in the poultry industry, researchers seek alternatives such as probiotics, prebiotics, and synbiotics as growth promoters. Synbiotics support probiotic growth through the supply of essential nutrients. The study's objectives were to assess the most effective delivery methods for synbiotics and evaluate their growth, histomorphometric, and hematological impacts on Cobb-500 broilers. Two studies, independently conducted, employed a completely randomized design. One hundred and eighty viable eggs in the first trial were assigned to three groups: Control (T1), sterile water (T2), and synbiotic in sterile water (T3). On the 21st day of hatching, hatchability, day-old body weights, and ileum samples for histomorphometric analysis were recorded. In the second trial, out of 500 viable eggs, 200 eggs were fed in ovo with synbiotics (PoultryStar® sol, Biomin Singapore Pte Ltd, Singapore) on 17.5 days and 300 were set aside without in ovo injection. The treatments were control (T1), in water synbiotic (T2), in ovo synbiotic (T3), combination of in ovo synbiotic and synbiotic in feed (T4), and synbiotic in feed only (T5). On 21 and 42 days, blood, ileum, and visceral organ samples were collected for laboratory analysis. Data on weight gain, daily feed intake, and water consumption were recorded for 42 days. The initial experiment's results revealed a decrease in hatchability, slight weight increase, and significant intestinal morphological changes with the use of an in ovo synbiotic. Applying synbiotic through various methods in the second trial yielded better growth results, lower blood cholesterol, and significantly longer (p < 0.05) villi on 21 days. Using the in ovo method to administer synbiotics lowered hatchability. Use of synbiotics with any method or in combination enhances growth, ileum structure, dressing yield, feed efficiency, and cholesterol levels in blood. Synbiotics enhance gut health and overall performance in broilers when used through diverse approaches.

Microelectronics firm harnesses environmental benefits of Memsift's MD technology

In Singapore, a microelectronics company is using membrane distillation (MD) technology developed by Memsift Innovations Pte Ltd for sustainable nickel recovery.

MicroRNA expression based on toxic Oligomeric Amyloid Beta and Burden of Cerebrovascular Disease

AbstractBackgroundMicroRNAs(miRNAs) form the most intensively characterised branch of non‐coding RNAs, with universal expression in a repertoire of biofluids and active regulatory roles in multiple biological pathways(Blount, Coursey, and Kocerha 2022). Therefore, any perturbance in miRNA expression produces pronounced biological effects, due to its pleiotropic nature(Blount, Coursey, and Kocerha 2022). A variety of miRNAs have been investigated in multiple dementia syndromes (Blount, Coursey, and Kocerha 2022). However, what remains to be evaluated is differential miRNA expression in dementia classified using the more toxic oligomeric amyloid beta(OAβ) as well as based on burden of cerebrovascular disease(CVD).MethodA cross‐sectional pilot study was conducted in a cohort of 24 research participants(Table 1), stratified on the basis of their plasma OAβ levels [Multimer Detection System based plasma OAβ analysis(PeopleBio Inc, South Korea)](Dominguez et al. 2022). T3 ‐ based MRI data was evaluated for CVD status ‐ White Matter Hyperintensity load, was scored using the Fazekas scale(Table 1). Blood plasma‐based expression profiling of 376 miRNAs was conducted using the ID3EAL™ PanoramiR miRNA Knowledge Panel(MiRXES Pte Ltd, Singapore) and normalised miRNA expression was defined via the delta‐delta(d) Ct method. MiRNA target interaction analyses was conducted using miRTarBase 9.0, revealing potential reactome pathways of interest(Huang et al. 2022).ResultMean age and MoCA scores are 60.05 and 25.42 respectively (Table 1). 10 miRNAs(upregulated : hsa‐miR‐42, hsa‐miR‐378c, hsa‐miR‐938; downregulated: hsa‐miR‐545‐3p, hsa‐miR‐449c‐5p, hsa‐miR‐657, hsa‐miR‐23c, hsa‐miR‐888‐5p, hsa‐miR‐599, hsa‐let‐7d‐5p) were significantly differentially expressed in OAβ positivity(Table 2). 6 miRNAs(upregulated: hsa‐miR‐513c‐5p, hsa‐miR‐592; downregulated: hsa‐miR‐98‐5p, hsa‐miR‐744‐5p, hsa‐let‐7d‐5p, hsa‐miR‐517‐5p were significantly differentially expressed in CVD(Table 2). Reactome pathways demonstrating putative biological relevance are the FOXO/p53 mediated transcriptional regulation (metabolism/senescence/neuronal genes),Caspase mediated inflammatory activation, Insulin/IGF‐1/PI3K/Akt/GSK3β mediated metabolic signalling, IL‐4/IL‐13 mediated immune(inflammatory) signalling, Nervous System/Axonal Development and WNT Signalling(Table 2).ConclusionFindings from this cross‐sectional pilot study, have revealed 16 miRNAs to be promising biomarker candidates within the OAβ positivity and CVD burden setting. Longitudinal study with larger sample size is on‐going to confirm and validate these findings.The authors wish to express their sincere gratitude to MiRXES Pte Ltd for their technical expertise and efforts towards the miRNA expression profiling and associated analyses.

Memsift to set up global engineering hub in India underscoring the country's potential as a centre for innovation

Memsift Innovations Pte Ltd's membrane technology continues to be used in a range of applications worldwide, as reported previously in the news. The company has now unveiled a plan to establish its first global engineering hub in India, realising the country's burgeoning potential as a centre for innovation. The move follows other recent activity in India, including working with a fibre producer to pilot membranes for resource recovery and forming a strategic partnership that aims to revolutionise manufacturing of its membranes. In other news, it has received the 2023 ‘Entrepreneurial Company of the Year Award’ from Frost &amp; Sullivan.

Workshop and International Company Visit: Export Opportunities for Aceh's Creative Economy Products

Collaboration with Faculty of Economics and Business Lecturers, Research Center for Communication Marketing, Tourism &amp; Creative Economy at Syiah Kuala University, Business Indonesia Singapore Association (BISA), and Cloud Retail PTE Ltd aims to overcome constraints in international market access, global understanding, and building robust business networks. Through training at Syiah Kuala University and a company visit to Cloud Retail PTE Ltd in Singapore, participants gain profound insights into product packaging, export licensing procedures, and distribution channels. The holistic training method, combining theory and practical experience, empowers participants to optimize their business potential in the creative economy and access the global market. Evaluation indicates enhanced participant understanding and readiness, with recommendations for strengthened collaboration, ongoing training, business network development, monitoring and evaluation, and advanced program development.

Mining industry project in India uses IDE Technologies’ WWTP

Singapore-based CleanEdge Water Pte Ltd has awarded IDE Technologies a contract to deliver a wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) for a mining industry project in Rajasthan, India.

Color Stability Assessment of Three Different Resin Composites After Polymerization with Two Different Light-Curing Units

Purpose: Despite improvements in resin composite structures, color stability remains a challenge, and esthetic problems are the most common factors in renewing restorations. This study aimed to evaluate the effects of two light-curing units on the color stability of three different resin composite materials during a six-month period.&#x0D; Materials &amp; Methods: Three different resin composites (Filtek Z550, Filtek Ultimate Flowable, Filtek Bulk Fill Restorative) with an A2 color shade were prepared for each combination of resin composite-curing unit (5x2mm) for a total of 30 specimens. Specimens were cured with either QTH Hilux Ultraplus (700mW/cm2) for 40 seconds or Radii Plus LED Curing Light (1400mW/cm2) for 20 seconds. For standardization of the amount of transmitted energy to the composite, all specimens received 28J/cm2. Color parameters were measured with a colorimeter (Minolta CR-321, Konica Minolta Sensing Pte Ltd, Singapore) after polymerization and at 24 hours, first week, first month, third month, and sixth month. Color changes(∆E) were calculated for the different storage periods. One-factor repeated three-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) was used to examine the changes in ΔE measurements over time for different fillers and devices.&#x0D; Results: Significant differences between composites and periods were observed in the color stability with polymerization either QTH or LED. Independently of the composites, there was no significant difference at the end of six months between QTH and LED units with a fixed energy density. The Filtek Z550 material showed the smallest and the Filtek Ultimate Flowable material showed the highest ∆E values at the end of the six months among the materials used.&#x0D; Conclusion: Clinically acceptable color changes were observed for all the materials at the end of six months.

Digital Strategy to Improve Client Acquisition in Mobile Advertising Company: Case Study of Tyrads Pte Ltd

This qualitative research study examines Tyrads, a mobile growth agency, and proposes a digital strategy to help the company gain a competitive advantage as a user acquisition solution. Through in-depth interviews with key stakeholders and analysis of Tyrads’ operations, the research provides insights and recommendations for Tyrads and other stakeholders in the mobile growth agency industry. In today’s digital landscape, mobile devices have become indispensable, enabling individuals to engage in various economic and societal activities. However, the increasing reliance on mobile devices has created a greater demand for effective user acquisition solutions. Tyrads, under the leadership of Zino Rost Van Tonningen, aims to address this demand as a mobile growth agency. Nonetheless, Tyrads faces the challenge of attracting clients and differentiating itself from established ad agencies and emerging ad tech companies. To overcome these challenges and gain a competitive edge, this research proposes a comprehensive digital strategy for Tyrads. The analysis yields key strategies recommended for implementation: Firstly, Tyrads should leverage digitized solutions and an operational backbone to streamline processes and enhance efficiency. Tyrads can optimize its operations and effectively manage client campaigns by embracing technology and digital tools. Secondly, forming strategic partnerships with non-gaming platforms is crucial for Tyrads’ expansion. These partnerships would grant access to diverse inventories and allow Tyrads to broaden its service offerings to finance, e-commerce, and travel clients. Addressing regulatory challenges, such as sandbox regulations and diminishing cookie tracking, is essential. Tyrads needs to manage first-party data and diversify its marketing strategies to adapt to changing regulations and ensure compliance. Furthermore, Tyrads should utilize its own-operated inventory, Tyr Rewards, and first-party data to develop targeted advertising products and solutions for non-gaming industries. This approach enables Tyrads to deliver personalized and effective campaigns to its clients. To enhance brand presence and attract new clients, Tyrads should invest in marketing outreach, events, and sponsorships. Proactive engagement with potential clients and establishing a strong brand presence will expand Tyrads’ reach in untapped markets. Additionally, continuous investment in AI and technology advancements is paramount. By staying at the forefront of technological innovation, Tyrads can maintain a competitive edge and adapt to evolving industry trends. Based on the analysis, the research proposes these strategies to Tyrads as recommendations. The insights and recommendations provided are intended to guide Tyrads in optimizing its digital strategies and provide valuable input to other stakeholders in the mobile growth agency industry. This research contributes to the knowledge base of mobile growth agencies by proposing actionable insights for Tyrads and other stakeholders seeking to gain a competitive advantage as user acquisition solutions. By tailoring the strategies to Tyrads’ specific context, the recommendations aim to assist the company in refining its digital approach, adapting to market dynamics, and thriving in the ever-evolving landscape of user acquisition solutions. This research also sets the groundwork for future research, opening avenues to explore digital strategies in the mobile marketing industry.

Patterns of care in the management of high-risk COPD in the US (2011–2019): an observational study for the CONQUEST quality improvement program

In this study, we compare management of patients with high-risk chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) in the United States to national and international guidelines and quality standards, including the COllaboratioN on QUality improvement initiative for achieving Excellence in STandards of COPD care (CONQUEST). Patients were identified from the DARTNet Practice Performance Registry and categorized into three high-risk cohorts in each year from 2011 to 2019: newly diagnosed (≤12 months after diagnosis), already diagnosed, and patients with potential undiagnosed COPD. Patients were considered high-risk if they had a history of exacerbations or likely exacerbations (respiratory consult with prescribed medication). Descriptive statistics for 2019 are reported, along with annual trends. In 2019, 10% (n=16,610/167,197) of patients met high-risk criteria. Evidence of spirometry for diagnosis was low; in 2019, 81% (n=1228/1523) of patients newly diagnosed at high-risk had no record of spirometry/peak expiratory flow in the 12 months pre- or post-diagnosis and 43% (n=651/1523) had no record of COPD symptom review. Among those newly and already diagnosed at high-risk, 52% (n=4830/9350) had no evidence of COPD medication. Findings suggest inconsistent adherence to evidence-based guidelines, and opportunities to improve identification, documentation of services, assessment, therapeutic intervention, and follow-up of patients with COPD. This study was conducted by the Observational and Pragmatic Research Institute (OPRI) Pte Ltd and was partially funded by Optimum Patient Care Global and AstraZeneca Ltd. No funding was received by the Observational & Pragmatic Research Institute Pte Ltd (OPRI) for its contribution.

Patent landscape review of non-invasive medical sensors for continuous monitoring of blood pressure and their validation in critical care practice.

Continuous non-invasive monitoring of blood pressure is one of the main factors in ensuring the safety of the patient's condition in anesthesiology, intensive care, surgery, and other areas of medicine. The purpose of this work was to analyze the current patent situation and identify directions and trends in the application of non-invasive medical sensors for continuous blood pressure monitoring, with a focus on clinical experience in critical care and validation thereof. The research results reflect data collected up to September 30, 2022. Patent databases, Google Scholar, the Lens database, Pubmed, Scopus databases were used to search for patent and clinical information. An analysis of the patent landscape indicates a significant increase in interest in the development of non-invasive devices for continuous blood pressure monitoring and their implementation in medical practice, especially in the last 10 years. The key players in the intellectual property market are the following companies: Cnsystems Medizintechnik; Sotera Wireless INC; Tensys Medical INC; Healthstats Int Pte LTD; Edwards Lifesciences Corp, among others. Systematization of data from validation and clinical studies in critical care practice on patients with various pathological conditions and ages, including children and newborns, revealed that a number of non-invasive medical sensor technologies are quite accurate and comparable to the "gold standard" continuous invasive blood pressure monitoring. They are approved by the FDA for medical applications and certified according to ISO 81060-2, ISO 81060-3, and ISO/TS 81060-5. Unregistered and uncertified medical sensors require further clinical trials. Non-invasive medical sensors for continuous blood pressure monitoring do not replace, but complement, existing methods of regular blood pressure measurement, and it is expected to see more of these technologies broadly implemented in the practice in the near future.

Data-driven digital twin method for leak detection in natural gas pipelines

Leak detection in natural gas pipelines is an extremely important and persistent problem in the oil and gas industry. The construction of accurate physical models of pipelines is limited by the high complexity, unavailable closed-form solution, and strict experienced personnel requirements. Moreover, industrial automation has the common problems of large amount of data with little information. This paper proposes a data-driven digital twin (DT) method for leak detection as a new paradigm solution to these challenges. From the perspective of knowledge-based data-driven, a DT pipeline learning and updating scheme based on normal data directly from operational data during the entity pipelines life-cycle is proposed to enhance DT adaptability. A DT-driven leak detection method is proposed, making effective use of data interaction and fusion of DT. The effectiveness and performance of the proposed approach is illustrated by deploying the DT pipeline in a simulated leak scenario of a real running natural gas pipeline. © 2012 Published by Elsevier Ltd. Selection and/or peer-review under responsibility of Global Science and Technology Forum Pte Ltd

Analysis of Cases of Theft of Product Packaging Trademark Names of PT. Sinde Budi Sentosa Against Wen Ken Drug Co (PTE) LTD

This article reviews the dispute over the Brand Cap Rhino and Cap Kaki Tiga. The background to this incident is the dispute over the Brand, between Budi Yuwono, from PT. Sinde Budi Sentosa, the owner of the Cap Badak Brand, and Wen Ken Drug Co., Pte Ltd, the owner of the Cap Kaki Tiga product, which had the initial Brand of the Cap Kaki Tiga refreshing solution. The dispute arose because of a lawsuit from Wen Ken Drug because Cap Rhino imitated Cap Kaki Tiga. The Cap Kaki Tiga brand was won by the Commercial Court and Budi Yuwono made an appeal to the Supreme Court and in the Supreme Court decision, Budi Yuwono won over Wen Ken Drug. (Pte) Ltd.

Identification of key opportunities for optimising the management of high-risk COPD patients in the UK using the CONQUEST quality standards: an observational longitudinal study.

This study compared management of high-risk COPD patients in the UK to national and international management recommendations and quality standards, including the COllaboratioN on QUality improvement initiative for achieving Excellence in STandards of COPD care (CONQUEST). The primary comparison was in 2019, but trends from 2000 to 2019 were also examined. Patients identified in the Optimum Patient Care Research Database were categorised as newly diagnosed (≤12 months after diagnosis), already diagnosed, and potential COPD (smokers having exacerbation-like events). High-risk patients had a history of ≥2 moderate or ≥1 severe exacerbations in the previous 12 months. For diagnosed patients, the median time between diagnosis and first meeting the high-risk criteria was 617 days (Q1-Q3: 3246). The use of spirometry for diagnosis increased dramatically after 2004 before plateauing and falling in recent years. In 2019, 41% (95% CI 39-44%; n=550/1343) of newly diagnosed patients had no record of spirometry in the previous year, and 45% (95% CI 43-48%; n=352/783) had no record of a COPD medication review within 6 months of treatment initiation or change. In 2019, 39% (n=6893/17,858) of already diagnosed patients had no consideration of exacerbation rates, 46% (95% CI 45-47%; n=4942/10,725) were not offered or referred for pulmonary rehabilitation, and 41% (95% CI 40-42%; n=3026/7361) had not had a COPD review within 6 weeks of respiratory hospitalization. Opportunities for early diagnosis of COPD patients at high risk of exacerbations are being missed. Newly and already diagnosed patients at high-risk are not being assessed or treated promptly. There is substantial scope to improve the assessment and treatment optimisation of these patients. This study is conducted by the Observational & Pragmatic Research International Ltd and was co-funded by Optimum Patient Care and AstraZeneca. No funding was received by the Observational & Pragmatic Research Institute Pte Ltd (OPRI) for its contribution.

A high accuracy measurement method based on vortex polar axis rotation phase-shifting interferometry (VPAR-PSI)

For higher precision phase shift measurement, based on the characteristics of vortex beam, the manuscript introduces phase shift directly through the polar axis rotation of the vortex beam. Compared to traditional grey-scale modulation, the proposed VPAR-PSI method introduces a phase-shifting directly instead of changing the grey-scale, which not only can largely reduce the deviation caused by traditional PSI phase modulation via grey-scale change, but also can effectively avoid the non-linearity between grey-scale and phase of traditional PSI. For verifying the effectiveness of the method proposed in this manuscript, a simulation experiment, sample experiment, and VPAR-PSI and PSI comparison experiment were conducted. The results show that the proposed VPAR-PSI has a high phase-shifting and demodulation accuracy, and can be well implemented to measurement of optical components. The comparative experimental show that compared to conventional PSI, the measurement results of VPAR-PSI have smaller envelope values (mean envelope reduction of 1.4202λ), smaller RMS and standard deviation (the values decreased by 0.3515, 0.3067, and the percentage decreases were 59.69%, 59.71% respectively), proving that the VPAR-PSI technique are more accurate and stable.© 2020 Published by Elsevier Ltd. Selection and/or peer-review under responsibility of Global Science and Technology Forum Pte Ltd.

The Notion of Mistake in Blockchain-Based Smart Contracts: An Analysis of B2C2 Ltd v Quoine Pte Ltd from a Comparative Perspective

Abstract The paper draws a comparative analysis on the doctrine of mistake in contract law between common law and civil law traditions, to explore the legal implications and ramifications of blockchain technology, as one form of dlt, and smart contracting. The case of B2C2 Ltd v. Quoine Pte Ltd is instrumental in portraying how an actual legal dispute may arise in smart contracting relationships, whereby little to no human intervention exists. By comparatively analysing the two legal systems, one may understand better the judgments delivered by the courts in Singapore, the historical common law background leading to such a decision as confirmed also in appellate stage, the consequences such a decision may possibly have on the adoption of similar smart contracting arrangements, and the possible approach under a civil law regime. The conclusions pinpoint some crucial observations relating to the legal approach courts may adopt and their consequences on such contracting arrangements.

Whole-genome-scale analysis of circulating SARS-CoV-2 during the first COVID-19 wave in an international tourist destination, Bali, Indonesia

Background: The emergence of severe acute respiratory syndromes coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) variants such as B.1.17 (alpha), B.1351 (beta), and B.1.617.2 (delta) have caused a significant rise in coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) cases worldwide. In response, the Indonesian government imposed restrictions on international and domestic travel, especially in areas with a high number of COVID-19 cases including Java Island and Bali. The aim of this study was to investigate the mutation patterns of indigenous SARS-CoV-2 strains in Bali. Methods: We conducted whole-genome sequencing on isolates collected from COVID-19-confirmed patients at the end of the first wave (January – March 2021). The sequencing was carried out at the 1st BASE Pte Ltd Laboratory (Singapore) using Oxford Nanopore Platform (GridION) using IDT ARTIC nCoV-2019 V3 Panel. The phylogenetic tree was constructed on MEGA 7.0 with hCoV-19/Wuhan/WIV04/2019 as the genomic reference. Results: Our data revealed that none of the isolates were variants of concern. Among the five lineages tracked, the viral isolates were most likely from B.1.466.2 (n=4). All viruses had D614G mutation in the spike protein with clade GH being most predominant (n=10) and followed by GR (n=1) and O (n=1). Additionally, mutations at NS3, NSP3, NSP12, and NSP6 were found. Conclusion: At the end of the first COVID-19 wave in Bali, variants of concern were not detected which could be attributed to the heavy mobility restrictions.