14 research outputs found

    Micropropagation of Saintpaulia at Singapore Botanic Gardens

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    Volume: 35Start Page: 73End Page: 8

    Asset growth and the cross-section of stock returns : evidence from Japan.

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    We test and observe in Japan‟s context a negative correlative between asset growth and abnormal returns. Contrary to previous research by Cooper, Gulen and Schill (2008), we do not observe significant alpha returns upon dividing sample firms into three categories based on market capitalization. Furthermore, the Fama and Macbeth (1973) regression is used to test if asset growth exhibits the same significance and dominance as a strong predictor in explaining the variability of stock returns. The predictive effects of asset growth shown in the US equity markets produce contrasting results when we conduct it in the Japan equity markets.BUSINES

    Lapsation of life insurance in Singapore : causes and remedies

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    This project was undertaken to look into the causes of lapsation of life insurance policies in Singapore. Factors influencing lapsation were identified and recommendations were made to mitigate the negative factors in order to improve the overall persistency of these policies .BUSINES

    Early controlled release of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor β/δ agonist GW501516 improves diabetic wound healing through redox modulation of wound microenvironment

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    Diabetic wounds are imbued with an early excessive and protracted reactive oxygen species production. Despite the studies supporting PPARβ/δ as a valuable pharmacologic wound-healing target, the therapeutic potential of PPARβ/δ agonist GW501516 (GW) as a wound healing drug was never investigated. Using topical application of polymer-encapsulated GW, we revealed that different drug release profiles can significantly influence the therapeutic efficacy of GW and consequently diabetic wound closure. We showed that double-layer encapsulated GW microparticles (PLLA:PLGA:GW) provided an earlier and sustained dose of GW to the wound and reduced the oxidative wound microenvironment to accelerate healing, in contrast to single-layered PLLA:GW microparticles. The underlying mechanism involved an early GW-mediated activation of PPARβ/δ that stimulated GPx1 and catalase expression in fibroblasts. GPx1 and catalase scavenged excessive H2O2 accumulation in diabetic wound beds, prevented H2O2-induced ECM modification and facilitated keratinocyte migration. The microparticles with early and sustained rate of GW release had better therapeutic wound healing activity. The present study underscores the importance of drug release kinetics on the therapeutic efficacy of the drug and warrants investigations to better appreciate the full potential of controlled drug release.Accepted versio

    Maritime domain protection in the Straits of Malacca

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    Includes supplementary materialHostile acts of maritime piracy and terrorism have increased worldwide in recent years, and the global impacts of a successful attack on commercial shipping in the Straits of Malacca make it one of the most tempting target locations for maritime terrorism. In an attempt to develop a system of systems to defeat and prevent terrorism in the Straits of Malacca, this study developed three significant commercial shipping attack scenarios (Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD) shipment, Ship As a Weapon (SAW), and Small Boat Attack (SBA)), and used a Systems Engineering Design Process (SEDP) to design alternative architectures that offered promising ways to defeat these attacks. Maritime Domain Protection (MDP) architecture alternatives combined five separate systems: a Land Inspection System, a Sensor System, a Command and Control, Communications, and Intelligence (C3I) System, a Response Force System, and a Sea Inspection System. Individual models for each system were developed and combined into overarching integrated architecture models to evaluate overall performance. The study results showed that solutions tended to be threat-specific, and current capabilities were mixed. While solutions were found to effectively reduce risk in all threat scenarios, these sometimes came at great expense. Alternatively, cost-effective solutions were also found for each scenario, but these sometimes gave limited performance
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