: health is my capital: a qualitative study of access to healthcare by Chinese migrants in Singapore.

BACKGROUND: Since the 1970s, Singapore has turned into one of the major receiving countries of foreign workers in Southeast Asia. Over the years, challenges surrounding access to healthcare by Chinese migrant workers have surfaced globally. This study aims to explore the experiences of Chinese migrants accessing primary and secondary/tertiary healthcare in Singapore, and the opportunities for overcoming these barriers. METHODS: We conducted 25 in-depth interviews of 20 Chinese migrants and five staff from HealthServe, a non-governmental organization serving Chinese migrants in Singapore from October 2015 to January 2016. Interviews were transcribed and analysed inductively adopting thematic analysis. RESULTS: Chinese migrants in Singapore who were interviewed are mainly middle-aged breadwinners with multiple dependents. Their concept of health is encapsulated in a Chinese proverb "", meaning "health is my capital". Health is defined by them as a personal asset, needed to provide for their families. From their health-seeking behaviors, six pathways were identified, highlighting different routes chosen and resulting outcomes depending on whether their illness was perceived as major or minor, and if they sought help from the private or public sector private or public sector. Key barriers were identified relating to vulnerabilities during the migration process, during their illness, when consulting with healthcare providers, and during repatriation. A transactional doctor-patient culture in China contrasts with the trust migrants place in Singaporean's public health system, perceived as equitable and personable. However, challenges remain for injured migrants who sought help from the private sector and those with chronic diseases. CONCLUSIONS: Policy recommendations to increase patient autonomy enabling choice of healthcare provider and provide for non-work related illnesses are suggested. Partnerships between migrant advocacy organizations and various stakeholders such as hospitals, government agencies and employers can be strengthened

Compatibility of the Omnican (R) Pen Needles with Insulin Pens, Humapen (R) and Novopen (R)

This study was carried out to assess accuracy of Omnican (R) insulin pen needles (29G and 30G) by measuring the weight of insulin delivered in each of 10 depressions of the plunger comparing these using other pen-injectors (Humapen (R) and Novopen (R) for each gauge. We found that the needle-to-needle variation was not statistically significant when the needles were used to dispense insulin using either of the insulin pens (Humapen (R) and Novopen (R). HumaPen (R) insulin pen was found to deliver the insulin closer to set target volume using either gauge (29G and 30G) of the Omnican (R) needles in some of the insulin ranges used in this study

The Effect of Rivals When Firms Emerge from Bankruptcy

Studies on the announcement effects of bankruptcy filings have found that when a firm files for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection its shareholders suffer significant losses. A recent paper extends these findings by investigating the announcement effect on rival companies, while another examines the equity performance of firms emerging from bankruptcy. We combine these two lines of inquiry by examining the effect on rivals when a firm emerges from the protection of Chapter 11. We find both significant negative stock market returns and significant negative revisions in analysts’ earnings forecasts for rivals of successfully reorganized companies.</jats:p

The Intra-industry Effects of Chapter 11 Filings: Evidence from Analysts’ Earnings Forecast Revisions

Shareholders suffer huge losses when firms they own file Chapter 11. Interestingly, even shareholders of rival companies experience statistically significant losses. We examine how the bad news associated with a bankruptcy filing is transferred to the filing firm’s rivals. Using revisions in analysts’ earnings forecasts as a proxy for changes in expected future cash flows, we find that after a bankruptcy filing the market revises downward its cash flow expectations for rivals. Regression analysis confirms a positive relation between changes in expected cash flow and stock market reactions. These findings are consistent with our hypothesis that bad news associated with bankruptcy filings are transferred to rivals through reductions in expected future cash flows</jats:p

An inorganic capping strategy for the seeded growth of versatile bimetallic nanostructures

Metal nanostructures have attracted great attention in various fields due to their tunable properties through precisely tailored sizes, compositions and structures. Using mesoporous silica (mSiO2) as the inorganic capping agent and encapsulated Pt nanoparticles as the seeds, we developed a robust seeded growth method to prepare uniform bimetallic nanoparticles encapsulated in mesoporous silica shells (PtM@mSiO2, M = Pd, Rh, Ni and Cu). Unexpectedly, we found that the inorganic silica shell is able to accommodate an eight-fold volume increase in the metallic core by reducing its thickness. The bimetallic nanoparticles encapsulated in mesoporous silica shells showed enhanced catalytic properties and thermal stabilities compared with those prepared with organic capping agents. This inorganic capping strategy could find a broad application in the synthesis of versatile bimetallic nanostructures with exceptional structural control and enhanced catalytic properties