Stock price reaction to earnings announcement: the case of an emerging market

In an efficient stock market stock prices instantaneously and accurately adjust to new information. This paper conducts an event study analysis on an emerging market namely the Karachi Stock Exchange (KSE) by investigating the stock price reaction to public announcement of quarterly after tax profit by listed firms. By employing 5 year data on stock prices from January 2004 to August 2008 for 114 non financial firms we found that there is no abnormal return post earnings announcement. Moreover the study provides evidence that there is a bigger element of surprise in bad news than in good news as the market reaction to bad news is stronger.Event Study, Earnings Announcement, Emerging Markets

Stock price reaction to earnings announcement: the case of an emerging market

In an efficient stock market stock prices instantaneously and accurately adjust to new information. This paper conducts an event study analysis on an emerging market namely the Karachi Stock Exchange (KSE) by investigating the stock price reaction to public announcement of quarterly after tax profit by listed firms. By employing 5 year data on stock prices from January 2004 to August 2008 for 114 non financial firms we found that there is no abnormal return post earnings announcement. Moreover the study provides evidence that there is a bigger element of surprise in bad news than in good news as the market reaction to bad news is stronger

Dundee Ready Educational Environment Measure Tool for Evaluating the Educational Environment: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this systematic review was to study the literature evaluating the educational environment by using DREEM tool and compute overall mean DREEM score by using Meta-analysis. Further, variation in DREEM score was also studied by distributing studies into different time periods. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A systematic literature search was performed using PubMed and Web of Science databases, followed by review and analysis. All the studies which used DREEM as a tool, published from 1997 to December 2015 were included. Heterogeneity between the studies was assessed by I2-coefficient and Q-statistics. Where significant heterogeneity existed random effect, model was used. Egger’s symmetric test and Begg’s funnel plot was used to study possibility of publication bias. The PRISMA Guideline for systematics review was used. RESULTS: Out of 128 published DREEM studies, 43 passed the criteria and included in analysis. Overall mean DREEM score through Meta-analysis was 2.426 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 2.34-2.52). Studies were divided into two groups for analyzing the time effect. Mean score of the studies published during 1997 to 2009 (group 1) was 2.5 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 2.35-2.64) and for the studies from 2010 to 2015 (group 2) was 2.39 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 2.29-2.5). CONCLUSION: Overall DREEM score was more towards positive side than negative. Current review revealed that DREEM has not been used as predictor for achievement of any medical college instead it can be used to predict high and low achievers in a medical school. This review can signify DREEM to be suitable and consistent tool showing learning environment of institute and student’s prerequisites

Prevalence, Comparison, and Determinants of Smoking among Young Schoolchildren in Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

BACKGROUND: Smoking is one of the most serious health issues among all age groups, particularly in children globally including the Gulf region. However, there are little data about the prevalence in public and private schools and determinants of smoking among adolescents in Saudi Arabia. AIM: The purpose of this study was to estimate the prevalence, compare, and determine smoking habits among male children in public and private schools. METHOD: This cross-sectional study was conducted in Dammam city, KSA. The data were collected from 866 male children studying in public and private schools. Sample was calculated through stratified random sampling. The modified “Global Youth Tobacco Survey (GYTS)” was used to collect information. RESULTS: The total number of children recruited was 866 (223 from private and 643 from public schools). The mean age of children studied was 14.20 ± 1.03 years in both groups. The result shows that overall 27.8% of children tried to smoke cigarette both in public and private schools. The prevalence of smoking is higher in public schools’ children than in private schools (30% vs. 21%; p = 0.005). In addition, wrong perception of comfortable feeling after smoking, easy access to cigarettes, parent’s addiction, and smoking in front of children are the determining factors. CONCLUSION: This study suggests that the prevalence of cigarettes smoking among children exists in considerable proportion. It is higher in public schools children. The health and education authorities should take urgent steps to encounter this major health issue

Oral health-related interdisciplinary practices among healthcare professionals in Saudi Arabia: Does integrated care exist?

Background There is a bidirectional relation between oral and general health, therefore collaboration between healthcare providers is needed. This study investigated current interdisciplinary practices (IDP) and the associated factors among healthcare professionals in Saudi Arabia. Methods A cross-sectional study was conducted in the Eastern Saudi Arabia recruiting four groups of health professionals (nurses, physicians, pediatricians and Ear-Nose and Throat (ENT) specialists). A validated, self-administered questionnaire was distributed online and shared through social media platforms. The questionnaire explored predisposing factors (demographics) and facilitating factors (knowledge, attitudes, attendance of oral health training and source of knowledge) associated with IDP. Results A total of 1398 health professionals were recruited. Participants showed fair oral health knowledge (7.1 ± 2.1) and attitudes (22.2 ± 3). Three-fourths (74.6%) reported always providing oral health education (OHE) to their patients, more than half (59.6%) reported always conducting an oral health screening (OHS), two-thirds (66.7%) reported responding to patients’ questions about oral health or conditions and 58.7% reported referring patients to dentists. Pediatricians and physicians had greater odds of IDP compared to other health professionals. Source of oral health knowledge (Ministry of Health (MOH) and formal education) was significantly associated with increased odds of IDP. Participants with good oral health knowledge had greater odds of responding to patients’ oral health question as well as have more referral practices. Conclusion The results reveal a discrepancy between participants' IDP, knowledge, and attitudes. Incorporating dental component to medical curricula, continuous education and training programs targeting health professionals through Ministry of Health should be considered.publishedVersio

Oral health-related interdisciplinary practices among healthcare professionals in Saudi Arabia: Does integrated care exist?

Background: There is a bidirectional relation between oral and general health, therefore collaboration between healthcare providers is needed. This study investigated current interdisciplinary practices (IDP) and the associated factors among healthcare professionals in Saudi Arabia.Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted in the Eastern Saudi Arabia recruiting four groups of health professionals (nurses, physicians, pediatricians and Ear-Nose and Throat (ENT) specialists). A validated, self-administered questionnaire was distributed online and shared through social media platforms. The questionnaire explored predisposing factors (demographics) and facilitating factors (knowledge, attitudes, attendance of oral health training and source of knowledge) associated with IDP.Results: A total of 1398 health professionals were recruited. Participants showed fair oral health knowledge (7.1 ± 2.1) and attitudes (22.2 ± 3). Three-fourths (74.6%) reported always providing oral health education (OHE) to their patients, more than half (59.6%) reported always conducting an oral health screening (OHS), two-thirds (66.7%) reported responding to patients' questions about oral health or conditions and 58.7% reported referring patients to dentists. Pediatricians and physicians had greater odds of IDP compared to other health professionals. Source of oral health knowledge (Ministry of Health (MOH) and formal education) was significantly associated with increased odds of IDP. Participants with good oral health knowledge had greater odds of responding to patients' oral health question as well as have more referral practices.Conclusion: The results reveal a discrepancy between participants' IDP, knowledge, and attitudes. Incorporating dental component to medical curricula, continuous education and training programs targeting health professionals through Ministry of Health should be considered.</p

Is It Mum or the Dad? Parental Factors That Influence the Use and Acceptance of Fluoride Varnish among Parents in Eastern Saudi Arabia

Objective. To investigate parental factors that influence knowledge, use, and acceptance of fluoride varnish (FLV) application. Methods. This cross-sectional study was conducted during December 2021. A multistage sampling technique was used to recruit parents with children aged 3 to 6 years and residing in Eastern Saudi Arabia, excluding those working in the dental field. The questionnaire consisted of four parts: demographics, knowledge, previous experience, and acceptance of FLV and was pilot-tested and distributed online using social media. Results. A total of 623 parents responded to the survey. Only 36.9% of parents had good FLV knowledge with dentists being the main source of information. Gender, educational level, family income, being in the medical field, and source of knowledge were factors that significantly (P<0.05) influenced parental knowledge. Only 24.6% of the parents applied fluoride varnish to their children before, of whom only 29% were satisfied with the experience. Parent’s FLV knowledge, view of dental visits, satisfaction with previous experience, perception of children’s oral health, and willingness to reapply FLV were factors that significantly (P<0.05) influenced FLV use. Working in the medical field, perception of dental visits, and the source of knowledge were factors that significantly (P<0.05) influenced the parent’s acceptance to apply FLV. While lack of knowledge about fluoride benefits (15%) was the main reason for parental refusal to apply FLV. Conclusions. The current study highlights the lack of knowledge and application of FLV among parents. There were more factors influencing mothers’ acceptance of FLV application compared to fathers. Age, educational level, working in the medical field, perception, and patterns of dental visits were some of the identified factors. Dentists played a major role in parental knowledge and FLV acceptance. In a country with high caries prevalence, preventive programs such as FLV education and application are crucial

Effect of Concrete Admixtures on Structural Properties and Corrosion Resistance of Steel Reinforcements

Concrete structural properties are compromised largely due to corrosion susceptibility of steel reinforcements. This results in weakening and eventual failure of structures. Several strategies have been employed in past to control corrosion and increase mechanical strength of concretes, in particular for structural applications. In this study, fly ash and polypropylene fibers were utilized as the admixtures for preparation of concrete blocks with variable water-cement (w/c) ratios i.e. 0.45, 0.5 and 0.65. Three different grades of cements were selected in this study namely OPC 43, OPC 53 and sulfate resistant one. Also, two different steel alloys were used i.e. ASTM-615 and ASTM-706, since both of them are very common reinforcement materials (rebars). The curing time of 56 consecutive days was employed before testing and characterization. The results suggest remarkable improvement in the mechanical properties of blocks upon the incorporation of admixtures. However, rebars exhibited highest corrosion rate in the presence of OPC 43 cement at w/c ratio of 0.65

Enamel Remineralization Competence of a Novel Fluoride-Incorporated Bioactive Glass Toothpaste—A Surface Micro-Hardness, Profilometric, and Micro-Computed Tomographic Analysis

This study aimed to analyze the enamel remineralization efficacy of a novel fluoridated bioactive glass (F-BG) toothpaste compared to a standard fluoride toothpaste. Seventy-two enamel blocks (N = 72) were divided into groups of twenty-four blocks according to the toothpaste exposure—group 1: brushed with distilled water, group 2: brushed with fluoride toothpaste (ColgateTM), and group 3: brushed with F-BG toothpaste (BioMinFTM). Pre-brushing, enamel blocks were demineralized using 6 wt.% citric acid (pH = 2.4). Tooth brushing was performed using a mixture of respective toothpaste and artificial saliva (AS), and each enamel block received 5000 linear strokes. The samples were assessed for surface micro-hardness (to estimate Vickers hardness number, VHN), surface roughness (Ra), and volume loss/gain using micro-computed tomography (micro-CT). The highest increase in the VHN was noticed for group 3 (117.81) followed by group 2 (61.13), and all the intragroup comparisons were statistically significant (p &lt; 0.05). Demineralization increased the Ra values, and a decrease was observed post-remineralization for all the groups. The maximum Ra decrease was observed for group 3 (−223.2 nm) followed by group 2 (−55.6 nm), and all the intragroup comparisons were again statistically significant (p &lt; 0.05). Micro-CT investigation revealed that the enamel volume decreased after demineralization and increased after remineralization among all groups. The F-BG toothpaste showed greater enamel surface micro-hardness (increased VHN), smoother surface (low roughness), and better volume restoration (remineralization) in comparison to the fluoride toothpaste

Oral health-related interdisciplinary practices among healthcare professionals in Saudi Arabia: Does integrated care exist?

Background There is a bidirectional relation between oral and general health, therefore collaboration between healthcare providers is needed. This study investigated current interdisciplinary practices (IDP) and the associated factors among healthcare professionals in Saudi Arabia. Methods A cross-sectional study was conducted in the Eastern Saudi Arabia recruiting four groups of health professionals (nurses, physicians, pediatricians and Ear-Nose and Throat (ENT) specialists). A validated, self-administered questionnaire was distributed online and shared through social media platforms. The questionnaire explored predisposing factors (demographics) and facilitating factors (knowledge, attitudes, attendance of oral health training and source of knowledge) associated with IDP. Results A total of 1398 health professionals were recruited. Participants showed fair oral health knowledge (7.1 ± 2.1) and attitudes (22.2 ± 3). Three-fourths (74.6%) reported always providing oral health education (OHE) to their patients, more than half (59.6%) reported always conducting an oral health screening (OHS), two-thirds (66.7%) reported responding to patients’ questions about oral health or conditions and 58.7% reported referring patients to dentists. Pediatricians and physicians had greater odds of IDP compared to other health professionals. Source of oral health knowledge (Ministry of Health (MOH) and formal education) was significantly associated with increased odds of IDP. Participants with good oral health knowledge had greater odds of responding to patients’ oral health question as well as have more referral practices. Conclusion The results reveal a discrepancy between participants' IDP, knowledge, and attitudes. Incorporating dental component to medical curricula, continuous education and training programs targeting health professionals through Ministry of Health should be considered