Public Policies and Public Resale Housing Prices in Singapore

In Singapore, the public resale housing market is an active second-hand housing market, whereby previously subsidised new public housing units were being transacted at market prices. In contrast to the private housing price determinants that have been identified in the international literature, the prices of public resale housing in Singapore are largely determined by public policies rather than by economic variables. This paper provides some empirical evidence on how and to what degree public housing policies affected the price dynamics of public resale housing in Singapore during the 1990s. The findings have additional implications of the wider consequences of public policies on the prices of private housing units.Public, resale, housing, policies, prices, Singapore

The association of types of training and practice settings with doctors’ empathy and patient enablement among patients with chronic illness in Hong Kong

Background: The increase in non-communicable disease (NCD) is becoming a global health problem and there is an increasing need for primary care doctors to look after these patients although whether family doctors are adequately trained and prepared is unknown. Objective: This study aimed to determine if doctors with family medicine (FM) training are associated with enhanced empathy in consultation and enablement for patients with chronic illness as compared to doctors with internal medicine training or without any postgraduate training in different clinic settings. Methods: This was a cross-sectional questionnaire survey using the validated Chinese version of the Consultation and Relational Empathy (CARE) Measure as well as Patient Enablement Instrument (PEI) for evaluation of quality and outcome of care. 14 doctors from hospital specialist clinics (7 with family medicine training, and 7 with internal medicine training) and 13 doctors from primary care clinics (7 with family medicine training, and 6 without specialist training) were recruited. In total, they consulted 823 patients with chronic illness. The CARE Measure and PEI scores were compared amongst doctors in these clinics with different training background: family medicine training, internal medicine training and those without specialist training. Generalized estimation equation (GEE) was used to account for cluster effects of patients nested with doctors. <b>Results</b> Within similar clinic settings, FM trained doctors had higher CARE score than doctors with no FM training. In hospital clinics, the difference of the mean CARE score for doctors who had family medicine training (39.2, SD = 7.04) and internal medicine training (35.5, SD = 8.92) was statistically significant after adjusting for consultation time and gender of the patient. In the community care clinics, the mean CARE score for doctors with family medicine training and those without specialist training were 32.1 (SD = 7.95) and 29.2 (SD = 7.43) respectively, but the difference was not found to be significant. For PEI, patients receiving care from doctors in the hospital clinics scored significantly higher than those in the community clinics, but there was no significant difference in PEI between patients receiving care from doctors with different training backgrounds within similar clinic setting. Conclusion: Family medicine training was associated with higher patient perceived empathy for chronic illness patients in the hospital clinics. Patient enablement appeared to be associated with clinic settings but not doctors’ training background. Training in family medicine and a clinic environment that enables more patient doctor time might help in enhancing doctors’ empathy and enablement for chronic illness patients

MOOC Videos-Derived Emotions

MOOC, the acronym for Massive Open Online Course, is a relatively new medium for online course delivery that affords open access and mass participation of learners. Nevertheless, the high drop-out rate of MOOC learners remains as a challenge. Videos are extensively used as a medium of instruction in Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) and emotions play an important role in learning. This raises the question on how emotions relate to the various types of MOOC video. Thus, this paper examines the emotions derived by different types of commonly used MOOC videos. The study reveals that Picture in Picture, Text Overlay, Khan Style Tablet Capture, Screencast, and Animation video types in MOOCs are able to induce positive emotions and thus, should be leveraged by MOOC developers

A review of philosophical assumptions in management research

Epistemology, a branch of philosophy, examines and contributes as a theory of knowledge by considering the nature and definition of knowledge as being truth within certain limitations while ontology defines the nature of being, entities that can exist and their categories in groups, hierarchies, or divisions. The main aim of this paper is to embrace on the pre-understanding of epistemology and ontology, regardless of their schools of thought as it will provide them the proper guidance and a philosophical dualist perspective. Four domains of epistemic assumptions have been identified but one is incoherent due to the mismatch between epistemology and ontology. Though each epistemic assumption has its own interpretation in management research, there is no particular domain that can be considered right or wrong, perfect or imperfect. A proper and effective research design is the major concern in management research, where the researcher’s epistemic and methodological self-directed actions or reflexivity may put an essence in it

Is induction of very rapid sustained VT significant in patients with syncope?

Review of: Santos Rego, M. A. (Ed.) (2016). A investigación educativa en Galicia 2002-2014. Vigo: Galaxia. 518 pp. ISBN: 978-84-9865-697-8. Depósito legal: VG 253-2016.This is a work that gathers the main contributions to educational research in Galicia between 2002 and 2014. They listed the main point made research, doctoral theses, books, chapters of books/monographs, articles published in relation to the main areas and core themes related to education as psychology and education, learning disabilities, developmental disorders, educational technology, teacher training, theoretical, philosophical and sociological foundations of education; teaching, school organization and educational innovation... This is a work/book aimed at anyone interested in educational issues in different areas and with the aim of adapting education to social needs Galicia today. Reseña de: Santos Rego, M. A. (Ed.) (2016). A investigación educativa en Galicia 2002-2014. Vigo: Galaxia. 518 pp. ISBN: 978-84-9865-697-8. Depósito legal: VG 253-2016.Se trata de la obra que recoge las principales aportaciones a la investigación educativa en Galicia entre los años 2002 y 2014. Se relacionan las principales investigaciones realizadas, las tesis doctorales leídas,  los libros, capítulos de libros/monografías, artículos publicados en relación con las principales áreas y núcleos temáticos relacionados con la educación como, entre otras, la psicología y la educación, las dificultades de aprendizaje, trastornos del desarrollo, tecnología educativa, formación de profesores, fundamentos teóricos, filosóficos y sociológicos de la educación; didáctica,  organización escolar e innovación educativa… Es una obra dirigida a toda persona interesada por los temas educativos en sus diferentes ámbitos y con el objetivo de adecuar la educación en Galicia  a las necesidades sociales en la actualidad

Sexual Functioning of Gynecological Cancer Patients: A Literature Review

Background: According to the World Health Organization, cervical, uterine and ovarian cancers were the third, sixth and eighth most common cancers in women worldwide. Unlike other physiological side effects of cancer treatment, sexual problems in gynecological cancer survivors do not tend to resolve after first few years of cancer treatment. However, women who experience sexual dysfunction do not discuss the problem openly with their healthcare professionals.Objective: The objectives of this literature review are to identify, summarize and critically appraise current literatures investigating the sexual functioning and sexual health needs of gynecological cancer patients, as well as to identify the communication between gynecological cancer patients and healthcare professionals.Design: A thorough analysis of the literatures on the topic of sexual functioning of gynecological cancer patients.Data sources: EBSCO host (Medline, CINAL Plus and Academic Search Alumni Edition) and Ovid Technology (British Nursing Index).Review methods: A comprehensive search was conducted in the named data sources from 2003 to 2014 to identify English articles with the keywords “ovarian cancerâ€, “uterine cancerâ€, “cervical cancerâ€, “gynecological cancerâ€, “sexual functioningâ€, “sexuality†and “sexual health needsâ€. Two authors assessed all identified articles independently for inclusion in the review.Results: A total of eight studies were included in the review. All studies focused on the sexual functioning of gynecological cancer patients. Four of them assessed their sexual health needs and one evaluated the communication between the patients and healthcare professionals. The findings indicated that gynecological cancer patients experienced sexual dysfunction after the diagnosis and treatment of the disease. Uncertainty of the side-effects of cancer treatment on bodily functions led to misunderstanding and misconceptions on sexual functioning. Communication, in general, was found to be insufficient between gynecological cancer patients and healthcare professionals.Conclusion: Sexual functioning after the diagnosis and treatment of gynecological cancer requires special attention and care. Appropriate interventions should be developed to meet the patients’ needs. As most of the studies investigating the sexual functioning of gynecological cancer patients were carried out in Western countries, implications for research on this issue in different cultural background is suggested

Short-chain fatty acid concentrations in the incidence and risk-stratification of colorectal cancer:a systematic review and meta-analysis

BACKGROUND: The beneficial role of gut microbiota and bacterial metabolites, including short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs), is well recognized, although the available literature around their role in colorectal cancer (CRC) has been inconsistent. METHODS: We performed a systematic review and meta-analysis to examine the associations of fecal SCFA concentrations to the incidence and risk of CRC. Data extraction through Medline, Embase, and Web of Science was carried out from database conception to June 29, 2022. Predefined inclusion/exclusion criteria led to the selection of 17 case-control and six cross-sectional studies for quality assessment and analyses. Studies were categorized for CRC risk or incidence, and RevMan 5.4 was used to perform the meta-analyses. Standardized mean differences (SMD) with 95% confidence intervals (CI) were calculated using a random-effects model. Studies lacking quantitation were included in qualitative analyses. RESULTS: Combined analysis of acetic, propionic, and butyric acid revealed significantly lower concentrations of these SCFAs in individuals with a high-risk of CRC (SMD = 2.02, 95% CI 0.31 to 3.74, P = 0.02). Additionally, CRC incidence was higher in individuals with lower levels of SCFAs (SMD = 0.45, 95% CI 0.19 to 0.72, P = 0.0009), compared to healthy individuals. Qualitative analyses identified 70.4% of studies reporting significantly lower concentrations of fecal acetic, propionic, butyric acid, or total SCFAs in those at higher risk of CRC, while 66.7% reported significantly lower concentrations of fecal acetic and butyric acid in CRC patients compared to healthy controls. CONCLUSIONS: Overall, lower fecal concentrations of the three major SCFAs are associated with higher risk of CRC and incidence of CRC. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12916-022-02529-4