K. Rajagopal on making films for and on the ethnic minority in Singapore

This interview was motivated by an interest in exploring how Singapore film directors perceive the three major Chinese cinema awards, mainly the Golden Horse Awards (GHA), Hong Kong Film Awards (HKFA) and Golden Rooster Awards (GRA), and what they might signify for Singapore cinema, especially for a nation that is predominantly ethnic Chinese. Compared to the number of Singapore Chinese-language films produced in the last two decades, there have been considerably less Indian-language productions. K. Rajagopal’s A Yellow Bird (2016) alongside two other Tamil films, namely Eric Khoo’s My Magic (2008) and T. T. Dhavamanni’s Gurushetram: 24 Hours of Anger (2010) offer critical takes on the vicissitudes of Singapore Indians struggling with issues such as socioeconomic inequality and racial prejudice in a booming Chinese-majority city-state

Plasma Cardiac Troponin I Concentration and Cardiac Death in Cats with Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy

BACKGROUND: The use of cardiac biomarkers to assist in the diagnosis of occult and symptomatic hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) in cats has been established. There is limited data describing their prognostic utility in cats with HCM. HYPOTHESIS: Circulating concentrations of N‐terminal B‐type natriuretic peptide (NTproBNP) and cardiac troponin I (cTnI) predict cardiac death in cats with HCM. ANIMALS: Forty‐one cats diagnosed with HCM at a veterinary teaching hospital, between February 2010 and May 2011. METHODS: Prospective investigational study. Plasma samples were collected from cats diagnosed with HCM and concentrations of NTproBNP and cTnI were analyzed at a commercial laboratory. Echocardiographic measurements from the day of blood sampling were recorded. Long‐term outcome data were obtained. Associations with time to cardiac death were analyzed using Cox proportional hazards models. RESULTS: When controlling for the presence/absence of heart failure and echocardiographic measures of left atrial size and function, cTnI > 0.7 ng/mL was independently associated with time to cardiac death. In univariable analysis, NTproBNP > 250 pmol/L was associated with cardiac death (P = .023), but this did not remain significant (P = .951) when controlling for the effect of clinical signs or left atrial size/function. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL IMPORTANCE: Plasma concentration of cTnI (cutoff >0.7 ng/mL) is a predictor of cardiac death in cats with HCM that is independent of the presence of heart failure or left atrial dilatation

The role of markets in food availability and market integration among smallholder farmers: the case of Western Kenya [Poster]

Poster presented at Tropentag 2013. International Research on Food Security, Natural Resource Management and Rural Development. "Agricultural development within the rural-urban continuum". Stuttgart-Hohenheim (Germany), Sep 17-19 2013