• Journal of Powder Materials
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• v.16 no.3
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• pp.203-208
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• 2009

$Y_2O_3$:Eu red phosphor was prepared by microwave synthesis. The crystal phase, particle morphology, and luminescent properties were characterized by XRD, SEM, and spectrofluorometer, respectively. The prepared $Y_2O_3$:Eu particles had good crystallinity and strong red emission under ultravioletet excitation. The crystallite size increased with calcination temperature and satuarated at $1200^{\circ}C$. The primary particle size initially formed was varied from 30 to 450 nm with microwave-irradiation (MI) time. It was found that the emission intensity of $Y_2O_3$:Eu phosphor strongly depends on the MI time. In terms of the emission intensity, it was recommended that the MI time should be less than 15 min. The emission intensity of $Y_2O_3$:Eu phosphor prepared by microwave syntehsis strongly depended on the crystallite size of which an optimal size range was 50-60 nm.

• Journal of Construction Engineering and Project Management
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• v.1 no.2
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• pp.28-36
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• 2011

Risk management is popularly and widely used in various industries to handle uncertainty that can negatively affect their businesses. While in the current Information-Technology oriented age, software packages are designed to assist in carrying out risk management processes, the construction industry does not seem to have software that is tuned to its specific characteristics and processes. Therefore, this study first explores the types of software that are commonly used for risk management in the Singapore construction industry. Also, using one-sample t-test, it is tested if the software programs used in the construction industry have effectively catered the needs of the users. For the analysis, a survey questionnaire was developed and the representatives from 34 companies participated in the survey. Furthermore, this study also makes use of the current risk management framework defined in ISO31000 to design a risk management software algorithm that can suit the needs for the Singapore construction industry. The results from this study will contribute to identifying strategic areas, in terms of use of risk management software, on which the industry needs to focus, ultimately enhancing their performance of risk management.

• Journal of Mechanical Science and Technology
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• v.15 no.12
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• pp.1869-1875
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• 2001

The paper presents computational and flow visualization results on a centrifugal blood pump. 4 impeller designs were tested at a rotational speed of 2000 rpm using blood analog as working fluid. All impellers have seven blades but of different geometry (Impellers A3, A4, B2 and R7). Flow visualization within the impeller passages was conducted using an image de-rotation system. A pair of large scale vortices was found within the blades of impeller R7 while a single vortex was found in most of the passages of backward facing impellers (Impellers A3, A4 and B2). To establish the effects of blade geometry on blood cells, CFD was used to simulate the blade to blade flow to provide an estimate of the maximum shear stress. The results showed that though most of the stresses within the blade passages are below a threshold level of 150 N/m$^2$for extensive erythrocyte damage to occur, there are some regions near to the leading edge of the pressure side where the shear stresses a abode threshold level.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society for Agricultural Machinery Conference
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• 2000.11b
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• pp.413-422
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• 2000

Samples of banana were dried in a two-stage heat pump dryer capable of producing stepwise control of the inlet drying air temperature while keeping absolute humidity constant. Two stepwise air temperature profiles were tested. The incremental temperature step change in temperature of the drying air about the mean air temperature of 30 $^{\circ}C$ was 5 $^{\circ}C$. The total drying time for each temperature-time profile was about 300 minutes. The drying kinetics and color change of the products dried under these stepwise variation of the inlet air temperature were measured and compared with constant air temperature drying. The stepwise air temperature variation was found to yield better quality product in terms of color of the dried product. Further, it was found that by employing a step-down temperature profile, it was possible to reduce the drying time to reach the desired moisture content.

• Molecules and Cells
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• v.21 no.3
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• pp.389-394
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• 2006

Human seven-in-absentia (SIAH)-interacting protein (SIP) is a component of the E3 ligase complex targeting beta-catenin for destruction. Arabidopsis has one SIP protein (AtSIP) with 32% amino acid sequence identity to SIP. To investigate the functions of AtSIP, we isolated an atsip knockout mutant, and generated transgenic plants overexpressing AtSIP. The growth rates and morphologies of the atsip and transgenic plants were indistinguishable from those of wild type. However, atsip plants were more susceptible to Pseudomonas syringae infection, and the transgenic plants overexpressing AtSIP were more resistant. Consistent with this, RNA blot analysis showed that the AtSIP gene is strongly induced by wounding and hydrogen peroxide treatment. In addition, when plants were infected with P. syringae, AtSIP was transiently induced prior to PR-1 induction. These observations show that Arabidopsis AtSIP plays a role in resistance to pathogenic infection.

• Journal of Industrial and Engineering Chemistry
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• v.67
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• pp.175-186
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• 2018

Carbon nanomaterials (CNMs), particularly carbon nanotube and graphene-based materials, are rapidly emerging as one of the most effective adsorbents for wastewater treatment. CNMs hold great potential as new generation adsorbents due to their high surface to volume ratio, as well as extraordinary chemical, mechanical and thermal stabilities. However, implementation of pristine CNMs in real world applications are still hindered due to their poor solubility in most solvents. Hence, surface modification of CNMs is essential for wastewater treatment application in order to improve its solubility, chemical stability, fouling resistance and efficiency. Numerous studies have reported the applications of functionalized CNMs as very promising adsorbents for treating organic and inorganic wastewater pollutants. In this paper, the removal of organic dye and phenol contaminants from wastewater using various type of functionalized CNMs are highlighted and summarized. Challenges and future opportunities for application of these CNMs as adsorbents in sustainable wastewater treatment are also addressed in this paper.

• Archives of Plastic Surgery
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• v.48 no.3
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• pp.338-343
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• 2021

Purpura fulminans is a serious condition that can result in severe morbidity in the pediatric population. Although autologous skin grafts remain the gold standard for the coverage of partial- to full-thickness wounds, they have several limitations in pediatric patients, including the lack of planar donor sites, the risk of hemodynamic instability, and the limited graft thickness. In Singapore, an in-house skin culture laboratory has been available since 2005 for the use of cultured epithelial autografts (CEAs), especially in burn wounds. However, due to the fragility of CEAs, negative-pressure wound therapy (NPWT) dressings have been rarely used with CEAs. With several modifications, we report a successful case of NPWT applied over a CEA in an infant who sustained 30% total body surface area full-thickness wounds over the anterior abdomen, flank, and upper thigh secondary to purpura fulminans. We also describe the advantages of using NPWT dressing over a CEA, particularly in pediatric patients.

• Journal of Audiology & Otology
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• v.25 no.1
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• pp.8-13
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• 2021

Background and Objectives: In 2013, the Singapore government reviewed and expanded the Senior Mobility Fund (SMF) to provide subsidy for assistive devices, including hearing aids (HA). While SMF has improved accessibility to HA, its impact on HA acquisition has not been determined. The study aims to elucidate the influence of SMF on HA acquisition and the relationship between financial funding and compliance to HA use. Subjects and Methods: Retrospective review of 643 patients seen between January 2017 to January 2018 at the earnose and throat specialist outpatient clinic, who were referred for a hearing aid evaluation. Of the 643 patients, 109 patients with baseline hearing handicap (HH) scores recorded, and no formal diagnosis of cognitive impairment were included. The patients were grouped according to SMF eligibility and clinical data were obtained. Results: The odds ratio for acquiring HA was significantly higher with SMF, regardless of HH scores. When looking at actual degree of hearing loss (DHL), HA uptake was significantly higher in the least severe of DHL categories. There is no relationship between SMF and compliance to HA use. However, HH score is positively correlated with data log in regression analyses. Conclusions: SMF appears to influence HA acquisition. Especially in financially funded patients with low self-perceived HH, the benefits of HA may be underappreciated given the few hours of HA use. Further studies are warranted to investigate the impact of financial funding on outcomes of HA users to help policy planners and clinicians be prudent in the utilization of SMF.

• Korean Journal of Audiology
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• v.25 no.1
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• pp.8-13
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• 2021

Background and Objectives: In 2013, the Singapore government reviewed and expanded the Senior Mobility Fund (SMF) to provide subsidy for assistive devices, including hearing aids (HA). While SMF has improved accessibility to HA, its impact on HA acquisition has not been determined. The study aims to elucidate the influence of SMF on HA acquisition and the relationship between financial funding and compliance to HA use. Subjects and Methods: Retrospective review of 643 patients seen between January 2017 to January 2018 at the earnose and throat specialist outpatient clinic, who were referred for a hearing aid evaluation. Of the 643 patients, 109 patients with baseline hearing handicap (HH) scores recorded, and no formal diagnosis of cognitive impairment were included. The patients were grouped according to SMF eligibility and clinical data were obtained. Results: The odds ratio for acquiring HA was significantly higher with SMF, regardless of HH scores. When looking at actual degree of hearing loss (DHL), HA uptake was significantly higher in the least severe of DHL categories. There is no relationship between SMF and compliance to HA use. However, HH score is positively correlated with data log in regression analyses. Conclusions: SMF appears to influence HA acquisition. Especially in financially funded patients with low self-perceived HH, the benefits of HA may be underappreciated given the few hours of HA use. Further studies are warranted to investigate the impact of financial funding on outcomes of HA users to help policy planners and clinicians be prudent in the utilization of SMF.

• Journal of Conservation Science
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• v.38 no.1
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• pp.1-13
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• 2022

Colour consistency is an important consideration when selecting pigments used on works of art. In this study, we analyse the colour difference between two sets of synthetic blue glass pigments acquired at least 8 years apart from the same manufacturer in Japan. The old pigment set (unused, dry powder with four different grain sizes) appears faded compared to the new set. These pigments are made available for artistic use, commonly in Nihonga or Japanese paintings. Raman spectroscopy and SEM-EDS results characterize these pigments as cobalt aluminate spinels dissolved in leaded glaze, a special class of complex coloured inorganic pigments that is not well-understood in the field of conservation. Colour difference between the old and new pigments with four different grain sizes were quantified by analysing photomicrographs with image analysis software. Blue pigments with coarse and extremely fine grains showed significant colour change compared to pigments with medium and fine grain sizes. The high occurrence of crystallites in the finer grains give a final colour that is bluer and lighter. Possible causes for the colour difference including manufacturing methods and storage environment are discussed.