Singaporeans and their past : the dynamics of historical consciousness and historymaking

University of Technology, Sydney. Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences.National surveys conducted in America, Australia and Canada since the mid 1990s suggest that 'a sense of history' is an essential part of everyday life. The surveys found that contrary to popular perceptions of historical apathy, people in these countries valued the past and are actively engaged in historical activities as part of their daily lives. These studies substantiate claims that historical consciousness, broadly understood as the relationship between people and their past, is ubiquitous and universal - everyone has some sense of the past. Yet, as this thesis will show, the specific ways people understand the past and the activities they engage in are not universal, but rather culturally and contextually bound; there are different 'senses' of history or types of historical consciousnesses. This thesis investigates historical consciousness in Singapore and how shifts in the Singaporean 'sense of history' are inextricably linked to its culture and context. I posit that historical consciousness in Singapore is moving away from traditional Asian forms of relating to the past - such as through the maintenance of rituals and celebration of festivals - towards a more critical form of historical consciousness that is less tradition-bound and one in which history can be discussed, critiqued and actively created by ordinary people. Yet Singaporeans continue to retain some links to traditional forms of history-making and reveal an endless capacity for adaptation that characterises Singapore society. In addition, a national or 'Singaporean' sense of historical consciousness has begun to emerge. My analysis suggests that ordinary Singaporeans are becoming more actively engaged in producing or 'making' not only their own history but national history in the public realm despite an environment where the government has traditionally dominated almost all aspects of public history. Through exploring history-making efforts in five specific areas - personal history, family history, history film and television, conservation of historic buildings and sites, and national myth and heroes - this thesis demonstrates that public history is a complex process of contestation and negotiation between different histories and history-makers. Singapore citizens are however better positioned to play a larger role in public history aided by technologies of the 21st century and gradually liberalised political environment. As history-makers they are able to expand the public understanding of history by offering alternative or oppositional histories to the dominant ones, and through their practices, they are paving the way for more democratic means of history-making

The impact of molecular biology on clinical neurology.

Advances in molecular biology have increased our understanding of both inherited and sporadic forms of neurological disease. In this review, the impact of these advances is discussed in relation to specific neurological conditions. These include the hereditary neuropathies and ataxias, Huntington's disease, and the muscular dystrophies, as well as Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, and motor neuron disease. Genetic channelopathies, such as familial hemiplegic migraine, are also described. Although knowledge in this area overall is still relatively scant, current advances in molecular biology have helped in the reclassification of some neurological disorders, thereby providing a further step towards the development of rational therapies to treat these conditions.published_or_final_versio

A seven-year professional development journey from learning Nature of Science (NOS) to teaching NOS

In the first section of the proposal, we provide some background of the science curricular reform in Hong Kong, in which the role of nature of science (NOS) has become more prominent. In relation to this, we summarise in the second section, our effort in the past decade in preparing science teachers to develop their students’ understanding of NOS. We then describe in the third section the design and implementation of a series of physics lessons by the second author, Lay, on the topic light wave which demonstrated a high level of NOS understanding and pedagogical competency of him. In the lessons, he made use of the historical development of the controversies about the nature of light to integrate teaching of related NOS ideas with the teaching of the key physics concepts in interference and diffraction of light, and application of electromagnetic wave. The NOS ideas embedded in historical episodes were covered in an interconnected manner: (1) contrasting subjectivity of science (theory-laden observation/inference/explanation, co-existence of more than one scientific models in explaining observations or natural phenomena, submission to authority in the scientific community) to objectivity of science (evidence based and empirical nature of science, scientists' conversion from the belief of particle model to wave model of light); (2) brief introduction of peer review process and its relationship to the establishment of scientific knowledge; (3) how an established scientific model may be replaced by another one. By referring to the detailed records of the professional training experienced by Lay and his own reflection of his experience at a number of incidents during his seven-year long journey of learning how to teach NOS, we come to identify several critical events and processes which prompted considerable advancement in his pedagogical content knowledge in teaching NOS, expansion of his teaching repertoire and uplifting his philosophy of science education. Specific linkages of his advancement in learning to teach NOS are connected to certain important and critical training components that he experienced since he first learned the term NOS in his teacher training education seven years ago. Though identifying important features which result in considerable growth of Lay in teaching NOS, we wish our experience can serve as good references for science educators in planning training programmes in enhancing teachers' confidence and competency in teaching NOS.postprintThe 11th International IHPST and 6th Greek History, Philosophy and Science Teaching Joint Conference, Thessaloniki, Greece, 1-5 July 2011

Update on the management of parkinson's disease

Parkinson's disease is a chronic disabling condition with specific histopathological findings. No cure is yet available although treatment response can be remarkable. Family physicians are often faced with problematic issues on diagnosis and therapy when managing patients with Parkinson's disease. Levodopa is still the mainstay of treatment but its long-term use can be associated with considerable side-effects. We advocate the use of dopamine agonists as de novo therapy in younger onset patients. The application of stereotactic functional surgery has great potential in the treatment of Parkinson's disease.published_or_final_versio

Indirect rotor field orientation vector control for induction motor drives in the absence of current sensors

Author name used in this publication: S. L. HoVersion of RecordPublishe

Analysis of indirect temperature-rise tests of induction machines using time stepping finite element method

Author name used in this publication: S. L. HoAuthor name used in this publication: W. N. Fu2000-2001 > Academic research: refereed > Publication in refereed journalVersion of RecordPublishe

Movement disorder clinic registry at Tung Wah Hospital

published_or_final_versio

An update on myasthenia gravis

Myasthenia gravis (MG) is an autoimmune disease characterised by autoantibodies against acetylcholine receptors at neuromuscular junctions, resulting in defective neuromuscular transmission. The characteristic features are fatigability and fluctuating weakness of skeletal muscles. It commonly presents with diplopia or unilateral ptosis, which are worse in the evenings. Respiratory muscle weakness may result in respiratory failure. MG is associated with various autoimmune diseases, and thymic hyperplasia or thymoma. An early diagnosis depends on a high index of suspicion, and is confirmed using tensilon test, and electromyography (EMG), and by a raised acetylcholine receptor antibody titre. Symptomatic treatment consists of cholinesterase inhibitors, corticosteroids and other immunosuppressants. Plasmapheresis or pooled intravenous human IgG (IVIgG) provides rapid but short-term relief for acute exacerbations. Thymectomy provides long-term control for patients with thymic hyperplasia, and is essential for thymomas.published_or_final_versio

Review of trigeminal neuralgia in a regional neurology clinic

published_or_final_versio

A New Low Radiation Wireless Transmission System in Mobile Phone Application Based on Magnetic Resonant Coupling

published_or_final_versio