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 SEATED-SINGLE-ARM-ROW AS A POST-ACTIVATION POTENTIATION EXERCISE TO ENHANCE POWER OUTPUT DURING KAYAKING ON AN ERGOMETER

This study investigated if the seated-single-arm-row (SSAR) could be used as a post-activation-potentiation-exercise (PAPE) during warm up to induce enhanced power output during kayaking on an ergometer. Ten well-trained kayakers (4 females, 6 males) performed three repetitions of the SSAR at 91% one-repetition maximum as the PAPE. Participants were assessed for their peak and average power output while performing 14 maximal effort strokes on a kayak ergometer; to simulate a race start; with versus without PAPE as a warm up, at three-minute intervals up to 18 minutes. Mean peak power with PAPE was found to be approximately 6% higher (1172.5 vs 1106.8 W) compared with no PAPE, t(9)=2.61, p=0.03. No differences in mean average power were found. Six out of the 10 kayakers registered higher mean peak and average power in one of their experimental trials compared with their control trial. These kayakers could be positive responders to PAPE. The SSAR performed during warm up enabled kayakers to increase their peak power output when paddling on an ergometer, but did not result in higher average power output. The utility of the SSAR as a PAPE to enhance overall power output when paddling on an ergometer, with the perspective of applying this technique to enhance performance during on-water kayaking, requires further investigation

How Do Institutional Investors Interact With Sell-Side Analysts?

This paper examines how institutional investors interact with sell-side analysts (hereafter, SSAs) in Korean stock market. In particular, we examine the role of institutional investors as a more sophisticated mechanism which incorporates sell-side analysts’ stock recommendation, target price, and earnings forecast more rapidly than individual investors do. Moreover, we examine whether institutional investors differentiate the quality of sell-side analysts’ information. By using a sample of 1,421 firm-year observations in Korean stock market during 2001–2011, we find that the change of institutional investor’s ownership has a significantly positive association with the level of equity value estimates based on SSAs’ earnings forecasts relative to stock prices and their stock recommendation which are considered as SSAs’ indicator of stock market’s mispricing. In addition, we find that only when SSAs provide more accurate earnings forecasts, institutional investors incorporate SSA’s information into their stock trading. Thus, we conclude that institutional investors in Korean stock market contribute to the enhancement of stock market efficiency by incorporating SSAs’ information into their stock trading more rapidly than individual investors. Our findings add to the literature by shedding a light on the unobserved interaction among more sophisticated stock market participants, such as institutional investors and sell-side analysts

Moral Expertise, Marginalisation, & Deference

In this dissertation, I make the broad case against overestimating the moral epistemic capacities of adult moral agents, and the demands placed upon them to figure things out for themselves, morally speaking. This work is split into three chapters. In Chapter 1, ‘Moral Expertise & Experience’, I argue that moral expertise in some moral sub-domain, or one’s competence at forming moral knowledge in response to morally relevant features within that moral sub-domain, is typically generated through experience with the concrete world. I reject the claim that moral philosophers are the best candidates for being moral experts, and that imagination provides us an equally good path towards moral expertise as experiences does. In Chapter 2, \u27Moral Expertise on Oppression\u27, I argue that oppressed group members are often in a better position to become a moral expert with respect to the type of oppression experienced by that group. For instance, women are in a better position to become moral experts with respect to the moral sub-domain of sexism, as opposed to men. In Chapter 3, ‘Virtuous & Worthy Moral Deference’, I vindicate the practice of deference to second-hand moral testimony, and agents who defer, in the face of what I call the ‘reasons unresponsiveness observation’. This is because in certain contexts, it’s important for them to be motivated by a concern for doing the right thing in itself. Pure moral deference, practiced in the right way, can allow us to exercise virtues, and act with moral worth

Intergenerational Transmission of Religion: Does Mother's Working Behaviour Make a Difference?

Master'sMASTER OF SOCIAL SCIENCE

Genetic Identification and Mass Propagation of Economically Important Seaweeds

Seaweeds are a primary source of hydrocolloids, which can be processed into various food additives, cosmetics, and pharmaceuticals. The inability of current commercial seaweed farming projects to meet industrial demands is underscored by a plethora of challenges, which include the lack of high-quality germplasm with the desired cultural characteristics. This chapter describes the current trends in commercial seaweed production and the potential technological advances in production methods and genetic selection strategies, which can be applied to raise the productivity of seaweed farms. Molecular markers have become increasingly relevant to the selection of a diverse range of wild varieties for domestication, and this augurs well for strain identification. The development of high-density linkage maps based on molecular markers offers an avenue for the implementation of molecular breeding strategies based on quantitative trait loci (QTLs). Concurrently, productivity of existing varieties can be enhanced by the analysis of exogenous factors known to affect the growth and survival of tissue-cultured seedlings. The application of photobioreactors for tissue culture is another important development, which will be digressed upon. In addition to this, quality control which focuses on the comparison of chemical and physical qualities of the tissue-cultured and conventional cultivated seaweeds will become increasingly relevant to the development of industry standards for sustainable seaweed production to fulfill the increasing demands of seaweed-related industries

Differential and Joint Effects of Metformin and Statins on Overall Survival of Elderly Patients with Pancreatic Adenocarcinoma: A Large Population-Based Study.

Background: Published evidence indicates that individual use of metformin and statin is associated with reduced cancer mortality. However, their differential and joint effects on pancreatic cancer survival are inconclusive.Methods: We identified a large population-based cohort of 12,572 patients ages 65 years or older with primary pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) diagnosed between 2008 and 2011 from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER)-Medicare-linked database. Exposure to metformin and statins was ascertained from Medicare Prescription Drug Event files. Cox proportional hazards models with time-varying covariates adjusted for propensity scores were used to assess the association while controlling for potential confounders.Results: Of 12,572 PDAC patients, 950 (7.56%) had used metformin alone, 4,506 (35.84%) had used statin alone, and 2,445 (19.45%) were dual users. Statin use was significantly associated with improved overall survival [HR, 0.94; 95% confidence interval (CI), 0.90-0.98], and survival was more pronounced in postdiagnosis statin users (HR, 0.69; 95% CI, 0.56-0.86). Metformin use was not significantly associated with overall survival (HR, 1.01; 95% CI, 0.94-1.09). No beneficial effect was observed for dual users (HR, 1.00; 95% CI, 0.95-1.05).Conclusions: Our findings suggest potential benefits of statins on improving survival among elderly PDAC patients; further prospective studies are warranted to corroborate the putative benefit of statin therapy in pancreatic cancer.Impact: Although more studies are needed to confirm our findings, our data add to the body of evidence on potential anticancer effects of statins. Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev; 26(8); 1225-32. ©2017 AACR

Longitudinal Associations of Leisure-Time Physical Activity and Cancer Mortality in the Third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (1986–2006)

Longitudinal associations between leisure-time physical activity (LTPA) and overall cancer mortality were evaluated within the Third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES III; 1988–2006; n = 15,535). Mortality status was ascertained using the National Death Index. Self-reported LTPA was divided into inactive, regular low-to-moderate and vigorous activity. A frequency-weighted metabolic equivalents (METS/week) variable was also computed. Hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) were calculated for overall cancer mortality in the whole sample, by body mass index categories and insulin resistance (IR) status. Nonsignificant protective associations were observed for regular low-to-moderate and vigorous activity, and for the highest quartile of METS/week (HRs range: 0.66–0.95). Individuals without IR engaging in regular vigorous activity had a 48% decreased risk of cancer mortality (HR: 0.52; 95% CI: 0.28–0.98) in multivariate analyses. Conversely, nonsignificant positive associations were observed in people with IR. In conclusion, regular vigorous activity may reduce risk of cancer mortality among persons with normal insulin-glucose metabolism in this national sample