On-line over in-line? An analysis of e-banking trends in Singapore

This project seeks to determine the progress of this “click and mortar” revolution in Singapore. Besides an evaluation of bank websites, a survey and interviews with banks were then conducted for analysis and evaluation purposes

A conceptual model for car park network system.

With rising levels of car ownership and usage, searching for a parking space has become increasingly difficult for drivers, especially in city-centres with limited land space. The drivers’ choice of car park and the route they take to reach it are the outcomes of highly complex decision processes. To influence such choices, an important mean is to provide drivers with information. Thus we propose a Car Park Network system which provides real-time parking information to drivers through a centralized database. It is a two-way communication system for exchange of information between the operators and the end-users. The system also offers other applications such as reservation function, payment processing, car park navigation and reports and statistics. Hence, it allows end-users to make informed decisions, brings convenience, saves time and money and reduces frustration. At the same time, the car park operators can, with minimal costs, enhance their quality of service, ensure competitiveness, anticipate demand and earn additional revenue. However, as this system is sophisticated and complex, there are many potential challenges and further research needs to be done on certain area.BUSINES

Bank settlement plan Singapore

A BSP is a payment and settlement system between travel agents and airlines. It is certainly an effective payment system, greatly minimising the contacts between travel agents and airlines. Industry support for this new system is reflected in the accreditation of 163 agents from the mere fwe agents when it was first introduced on 16 October 1991. 'This project discusses the operations of BSP Singapore, its benefits especially to agents and airlines and the possibility of applying its concepts to the shipping industry. In due course, we hope that this study will serve as an useful reference, providing interested parties with a basic waking knowledge of BSP Singapore.BUSINES

Bank settlement plan Singapore

A BSP is a payment and settlement system between travel agents and airlines. It is certainly an effective payment system, greatly minimising the contacts between travel agents and airlines. Industry support for this new system is reflected in the accreditation of 163 agents from the mere fwe agents when it was first introduced on 16 October 1991. 'This project discusses the operations of BSP Singapore, its benefits especially to agents and airlines and the possibility of applying its concepts to the shipping industry. In due course, we hope that this study will serve as an useful reference, providing interested parties with a basic waking knowledge of BSP Singapore.BUSINES

Medication-related issues associated with adherence to long-term tyrosine kinase inhibitors for controlling chronic myeloid leukemia: a qualitative study

Purpose: Poor adherence to tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) could compromise the control of chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) and contributes to poorer survival. Little is known about how medication-related issues affect CML patients’ adherence to TKI therapy in Malaysia. This qualitative study aimed to explore these issues. Patients and methods: Individual face-to-face, semistructured interviews were conducted at the hematology outpatient clinics of two medical centers in Malaysia from August 2015 to January 2016. CML patients aged ≥18 years who were prescribed a TKI were invited to participate in the study. Interviews were audio-recorded, transcribed verbatim, and thematically analyzed. Results: Four themes were identified from 18 interviews: 1) concerns about adverse reactions to TKIs, 2) personal beliefs regarding the use of TKIs, 3) mismanagement of TKIs in daily lives, and 4) financial burden in accessing treatment. Participants skipped their TKIs due to ineffective emesis control measures and perceived wastage of medication from vomiting. Participants also modified their TKI therapy due to fear of potential harm from long-term use, and stopped taking their TKIs based on belief in curative claims of traditional medicines and misconception about therapeutic effects of TKIs. Difficulty in integrating the dosing requirements of TKIs into daily lives led to unintentional skipping of doses, as well as the risk of toxicities from inappropriate dosing intervals or food interactions. Furthermore, financial constraints also resulted in delayed initiation of TKIs, missed clinic appointments, and treatment interruptions. Conclusion: Malaysian CML patients encountered a range of medication-related issues leading to a complex pattern of nonadherence to TKI therapy. Further studies should investigate whether regular contact with patients to improve understanding of treatment rationale, to elicit and address patients’ concerns about adverse reactions, and to empower patients with skills to self-manage their medications might promote better adherence to TKIs and improve CML patients’ outcome

Lipid-Polymer Hybrid Nanoparticles Enhance the Potency of Ampicillin against Enterococcus faecalis in a Protozoa Infection Model

[Image: see text] Enterococcus faecalis (E. faecalis) biofilms are implicated in endocarditis, urinary tract infections, and biliary tract infections. Coupled with E. faecalis internalization into host cells, this opportunistic pathogen poses great challenges to conventional antibiotic therapy. The inability of ampicillin (Amp) to eradicate bacteria hidden in biofilms and intracellular niches greatly reduces its efficacy against complicated E. faecalis infections. To enhance the potency of Amp against different forms of E. faecalis infections, Amp was loaded into Lipid-Polymer hybrid Nanoparticles (LPNs), a highly efficient nano delivery platform consisting of a unique combination of DOTAP lipid shell and PLGA polymeric core. The antibacterial activity of these nanoparticles (Amp-LPNs) was investigated in a protozoa infection model, achieving a much higher multiplicity of infection (MOI) compared with studies using animal phagocytes. A significant reduction of total E. faecalis was observed in all groups receiving 250 μg/mL Amp-LPNs compared with groups receiving the same concentration of free Amp during three different interventions, simulating acute and chronic infections and prophylaxis. In early intervention, no viable E. faecalis was observed after 3 h LPNs treatment whereas free Amp did not clear E. faecalis after 24 h treatment. Amp-LPNs also greatly enhanced the antibacterial activity of Amp at late intervention and boosted the survival rate of protozoa approaching 400%, where no viable protozoa were identified in the free Amp groups at the 40 h postinfection treatment time point. Prophylactic effectiveness with Amp-LPNs at a concentration of 250 μg/mL was exhibited in both bacteria elimination and protozoa survival toward subsequent infections. Using protozoa as a surrogate model for animal phagocytes to study high MOI infections, this study suggests that LPN-formulated antibiotics hold the potential to significantly improve the therapeutic outcome in highly complicated bacterial infections