History education and 'Asian' values for an 'Asian' democracy: the case of Singapore

Where some of the papers in this volume deal with nation building in the democratising former East European states in the wider ideological context of liberal democratic thought, this paper aims to present a view of values and democracy from an alternative, ‘Asian’ perspective. South East Asian nations, such as Singapore, have attempted to articulate and practise forms of ‘Asian’ democracy as a response to, and in rejection of, Western liberal democratic models. In these countries, there is not so much a programme of reform and liberalization, as an attempt to evolve a form of democracy suited to an Asian society. To this end, efforts have been made by political leaders to articulate what ‘Asian’ values are, and some countries have also promoted sets of values that are considered to be congruent with their form of ‘Asian’ democracy. Singapore is an example of how a government has set about developing a form of ‘Asian’ democracy. By examining the history texts used in Singapore schools, and comparing the different contexts in which European and ‘Asian’ values are embedded and used, the paper shows that there is indeed a distinctive form of values and democracy that is taught. But, while this is referred to as ‘Asian’, there is in fact a lacuna in terms of the wider values framework and context, and children are in effect being socialised into accepting a rather passive conception of citizenship and a notion of democracy that are arguably distinctive to Singapore. What that Asia stands for is far too diverse, and perhaps there is also, on the part of Singapore and its political leaders, an inclination to make ‘Asian’ values in their own image, as it were

The politics of ESOL (English for Speakers of Other Languages) : Implications for citizenship and social justice

A number of countries in Europe, including the UK, have adopted language and citizenship tests or courses as a requirement for granting citizenship to immigrants. To acquire citizenship, immigrants to the UK must pass a test on British society and culture, or demonstrate progress in the English language. For those with an insufficient command of the language, there is the option in the UK of taking an English for speakers of other languages (ESOL) with citizenship course. These language and citizenship tests and courses are seen by governments as a way of encouraging immigrants to develop the competences believed necessary for social integration. Equally, these are seen as a means for immigrants to demonstrate their willingness to integrate. However, two types of criticisms have been made against compulsory tests and language programmes. The first questions the need for these. The second focuses on whether they are a genuine contribution to preparation for citizenship or whether these, in effect, constitute a gatekeeping mechanism, or otherwise lead to social injustice; related to this is the question of whether the emphasis on language as defining of nationhood and citizenship is a move away from multiculturalism towards a policy of assimilation. In addition, there are issues relating to funding. This paper presents the results of a study of a 'skills for life' ESOL course at a community college in London that is specifically intended to help immigrants seeking to qualify for British citizenship. An interview was carried out with staff involved in ESOL at the college, and a focus group discussion was conducted with a student group. The aim of the paper is to provide an account of the experiences of the students in the light of the criticisms that have made against compulsory tests and language programmes. We also examine the impact of policy changes, including funding cuts, on the college and students. Although we found the language and citizenship class to be a positive experience, we note inconsistencies and contradictions in policies and discourses around language. © 2010 Taylor & Francis

The relationship between civic attitudes and voting intention : an analysis of vocational upper secondary schools in England and Singapore

From 2009 to 2011, a team from the Centre for Learning and Life Chances in Knowledge Economies and Societies carried out a mixedmethods study of young people in England and Singapore. With regard to civic attitudes, the study showed that there was a greater sense of political self-efficacy and collective (school) efficacy in Singapore than in England. In addition, the group in Singapore scored higher on future voting relative to the group in England. Further, while both political self-efficacy and collective (school) efficacy were correlated with future voting in England, only the latter was correlated in the case of Singapore. For some, the results may seem counter-intuitive. The article reflects on these results, particularly those relating to democratic outcomes

1082 Free-breathing single-shot DENSE myocardial strain imaging using deformable registration

Free-breathing scans are often desirable in patients who find breath-holding difficult. We present a new approach for free-breathing myocardial strain imaging with displacement-encoding (DENSE) [1]. It acquires images with a single-shot sequence and removes respiratory motion using deformable registration

Redefining ‘Chinese’ L1 in SLP: Considerations for the assessment of Chinese bilingual/bidialectal language skills

This is the peer reviewed version made available following 12 month embargo from the date of publication (4 December 2015) in accordance with publisher policy. It has been published in final form at DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3109/17549507.2015.1081285.'Purpose: Language assessment of bilingual/bidialectal children can be complex. This is particularly true for speakers from China, who are likely to be bilingual and bidialectal at the same time. There has been, however, a lack of understanding of the diversity of Chinese languages as well as data on bidialectal children’s L1 syntactic development and the development of L1 bidialectal children’s L2 acquisition. Method: This paper provides information on the complexity of the language system for people from China. It will present illustrative examples of the expressive language outputs of bilingual and bidialectal children from the perspective of bilingual, bidialectal linguists and speech-language pathologists. Then it will outline why appropriate assessment tools and practices for identification of language impairment in bilingual Chinese children need to be developed. Result: Considerations include that Chinese bilingual children may differ in L2 performance because of lack of exposure in the target language or because of their varied L1 dialectal backgrounds, but not necessarily because of language impairment. Conclusion: When evaluating morphosyntactic performance of bilingual children, a series of reliable threshold indicators for possible language impairment is urgently needed for SLPs to facilitate accurate diagnosis of language impairment

Extremely sharp carbon nanocone probes for atomic force microscopy imaging

A simple and reliable catalyst patterning technique combined with electric-field-guided growth is utilized to synthesize a sharp and high-aspect-ratio carbon nanocone probe on a tipless cantilever for atomic force microscopy. A single carbon nanodot produced by an electron-beam-induced deposition serves as a convenient chemical etch mask for catalyst patterning, thus eliminating the need for complicated, resist-based, electron-beam lithography for a nanoprobe fabrication. A gradual, sputtering-induced size reduction and eventual removal of the catalyst particle at the probe tip during electric-field-guided growth creates a sharp probe with a tip radius of only a few nanometers. These fabrication processes are amenable for the wafer-scale synthesis of multiple probes. High resolution imaging of three-dimensional features and deep trenches, and mechanical durability enabling continuous operation for many hours without noticeable image deterioration have been demonstrated

Ennemi de guerre ou modèle asiatique ?

Cet article compare la manière dont les programmes d'histoire de Hong Kong et Singapour traitent du Japon, et plus particulièrementde son rôle dans la seconde guerre mondiale, depuis les années 1980. Il examine le statut du Japon en tant qu'« Autre » parrapport auquel ses anciennes victimes se définissent. Le Japon, s'il a été conspué comme agresseur transformant les Singapouriens envictimes, a également été salué comme un modèle économique et militaire digne d'émulation. En comparant les représentations de cepays dans les manuels scolaires d'histoire, et leur évolution, l'auteur montre comment les images du Japon ont été utilisées par les élitespolitiques de ces deux anciennes colonies britanniques pour construire deux types distincts d'identité « postcoloniale »

Self-reported illness among Boston-area international travelers: A prospective study

This is the Accepted Manuscript version and was published in final edited form as: Travel Med Infect Dis. 2016 ; 14(6): 604–613. doi:10.1016/j.tmaid.2016.09.009.BACKGROUND: The Boston Area Travel Medicine Network surveyed travelers on travel-related health problems. METHODS: Travelers were recruited 2009-2011 during pre-travel consultation at three clinics. The investigation included pre-travel data, weekly during-travel diaries, and a post-travel questionnaire. We analyzed demographics, trip characteristics, health problems experienced, and assessed the relationship between influenza vaccination, influenza prevention advice, and respiratory symptoms. RESULTS:Of 987 enrolled travelers, 628 (64%) completed all surveys, of which 400 (64%) reported health problems during and/or after travel; median trip duration was 12 days. Diarrhea affected the most people during travel (172) while runny/stuffy nose affected the most people after travel (95). Of those with health problems during travel, 25% stopped or altered plans; 1% were hospitalized. After travel, 21% stopped planned activities, 23% sought physician or other health advice; one traveler was hospitalized. Travelers who received influenza vaccination and influenza prevention advice had lower rates of respiratory symptoms than those that received influenza prevention advice alone (18% vs 28%, P = 0.03). CONCLUSIONS:A large proportion of Boston-area travelers reported health problems despite pre-travel consultation, resulting in inconveniences. The combination of influenza prevention advice and influenza immunization was associated with fewer respiratory symptoms than those who received influenza prevention advice alone

Travelers’ diarrhea and other gastrointestinal symptoms among Boston-area international travelers

INTRODUCTION: Travelers' diarrhea (TD) and non-TD gastrointestinal (GI) symptoms are common among international travelers. In a study of short-term travelers from Switzerland to developing countries, the most common symptom experienced was severe diarrhea (8.5%) followed by vomiting or abdominal cramps (4%).1 GI illnesses were the most frequently reported diagnoses (34%) among ill-returned travelers to GeoSentinel clinics.2 Of those returning to U.S. GeoSentinel clinics, acute diarrhea (30%) was the most common diagnosis.3 In one cohort of U.S. travelers, 46% reported diarrhea.4 GI illnesses can last from 2 days to weeks or longer,5 disrupting plans during travel or after returning home. Eighty percent of those who experienced diarrhea during travel treated themselves with medication and 6% sought medical care. METHODS: The Boston Area Travel Medicine Network (BATMN) is a research collaboration of travel clinics in the greater Boston area representing urban-, suburban-, academic-, and university-affiliated facilities. A convenience sample of travelers ≥ 18 years of age attending three BATMN clinics between 2009 and 2011 for pre-travel consultations completed pre-travel surveys, at least one survey weekly during travel, and a post-travel survey 2–4 weeks after return. Travelers were asked to complete a survey at the end of each week of their trip. Institutional review board approvals were obtained at all sites and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and participants provided written informed consent. Information collected included demographic and trip characteristics, vaccines and medications recommended/prescribed before travel, medications taken during travel, dietary practices during travel (consumption of tap water, ice in drinks, unpasteurized dairy products, and salads), symptoms experienced, and impact of illness during and after travel. Vaccinations, prescriptions, and travel health advice given during the pre-travel consultation were recorded by a clinician, and the remainder of the surveys were completed by the traveler. Data were entered into a password-protected database (CS Pro, U.S. Census Bureau, Washington, DC). RESULTS: We enrolled 987 travelers; 628 (64%) completed all three parts (pre-, during, and post-travel) and were included in the study. Comparison of the 628 to the 359 who did not complete all three parts (noncompleters) revealed no differences, except that completion rates were higher for white travelers than all other racial/ethnic groups (P < 0.001) and for older travelers (median age 47 years versus 32 years in noncompleters, P < 0.001).11 Of those 628 travelers, 208 (33%) experienced TD, 45 (7%) experienced non-TD GI symptoms, 147 (23%) experienced non-GI symptoms, and 228 (36%) did not experience any symptoms during or after travel. Of the 208 with TD, 140 (67%) reported diarrhea as their only symptom, whereas 33 (16%) also experienced nausea/vomiting, 23 (11%) abdominal pain, and 27 (13%) fever (Table 1). Of the 45 who reported non-TD GI symptoms, 21 (47%) experienced nausea/vomiting, 19 (42%) experienced constipation, and 10 (22%) experienced abdominal pain during or after travel (Table 2). Almost all travelers (99%) received advice about food and water precautions and diarrhea management during pre-travel consultation