Developing common competencies for Southeast Asian general dental practitioners

Objectives Current policy in Southeast Asian dental education focuses on high-quality dental services from new dental graduates and the free movement of dental practitioners across the region. The Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Dental Councils has proposed a set of ‘Common Major Competencies for ASEAN General Dental Practitioners’ to harmonize undergraduate dental education. This paper discusses how ASEAN competencies were developed and established to assist the development of general dental practitioners with comparable knowledge, skills and attitudes across ASEAN. Methods The competencies were developed through four processes: a questionnaire about current national oral health problems, a 2-round Delphi which sought agreement on competencies, a panel discussion by representatives from ASEAN Dental Councils, and data verification by the representatives after the meeting. Numeric data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and qualitative data were analyzed thematically. Key themes of the ASEAN competencies were compared with the competencies from USA, Canada, Europe, Australia, and Japan. Results Thirty-three competency statements, consistent with other regions, were agreed. Factors influencing the ASEAN competencies and their implementations include: oral health problems in ASEAN, new knowledge and technology in dentistry, limited institutional resources, underregulated dental schools, and uneven distribution of dental practitioners. Conclusions The ASEAN competencies are the foundation for further development in ASEAN dental education including: policy development, curriculum revision, quality assurance, and staff development. Collaboration amongst stakeholders is essential for the successful harmonization of ASEAN dental education

Customer values and CSR image in the banking industry.

ABSTRACT: The authors analyse the role that collectivism and novelty seeking play in the formation process of corporate social responsibility (CSR) image in the Spanish banking industry. Two multisampling analyses of a structural equation model are performed on a sample of 1124 customers. The findings of the article allow the authors to anticipate CSR image based on (i) the congruence between the company and its CSR initiatives, (ii) the attribution of motivations for the company to implement CSR and (iii) corporate credibility in developing CSR initiatives. The findings also show that collectivists and innovative customers process information differently to individualists and conservative customers

The development of a stakeholder-based scale for measuring corporate social responsibility in the banking industry.

ABSTRACT: Research on corporate social responsibility (CSR) has notably increased in recent years and many scales for measuring CSR image have been developed in academic literature. Due to the contextual character recognized in the implementation of CSR strategies, in this paper a new scale based on stakeholder theory is developed to evaluate customers’ perception regarding the CSR performance of their banking service providers. The proposal of reliable measurement tools for evaluating customers’ perception is especially relevant for companies because of their significant role in influencing the design and implementation of corporate strategies. Results demonstrate the reliability and validity of this new scale in two different samples. In the banking industry, CSR includes corporate responsibilities toward customers, shareholders, employees, society, and all legal and ethical requirements of banking institutions. Nevertheless, different kinds of banking institutions have specific CSR images, which reveal different strategic approaches to CSR

Determination of the mechanical properties of enamel, dentine and cementum by an ultra micro-indentation system

Tese de mestrado em Comunicação e Jornalismo apresentada à Faculdade de Letras da Universidade de CoimbraAcadémicos de vários países e regiões do mundo têm-se dedicado a estudos sobre o Serviço Público de Rádio e Televisão (SPRT). No entanto, até hoje, pouco se sabe sobre o caminho que o SPRT tem seguido em Macau, sobretudo no que concerne ao universo em língua portuguesa do território. Mesmo a Universidade de Macau, instituição que publicou alguns trabalhos que entram na esfera dos média de serviço público, não foi além de uma análise ao trabalho da televisão pública de Macau, deixando de lado uma discussão sobre a rádio ou o serviço público em língua portuguesa. Macau tem, especialmente nos últimos 12 anos, sofrido um desenvolvimento exponencial que levanta duas questões sobre os média de serviço público, nomeadamente qual o caminho que a operadora de rádio e televisão do território, a Teledifusão de Macau (TDM), deve seguir; e como pode a cultura portuguesa sobreviver no SPRT de um território maioritariamente chinês e com uma roupagem cada vez mais internacional. É nesta segunda questão que centrámos o objeto desta dissertação. O mercado dos média local é, proporcional ao tamanho da região, isto é reduzido, e a grande parte dos órgãos sobrevive com o apoio do governo, que os subsidia. Macau tem um território de 29.5 quilómetros quadrados e mais de 607 mil e quinhentos habitantes. No caso da TDM, esta operadora de SPTR é dependente do financiamento do governo da RAEM. O Executivo tem definido objetivos para que, enquanto prestadora de serviço público, a TDM salvaguarde a diversidade cultural e as características únicas da região. Porém, estará a estação a conseguir cumprir este desígnio, principalmente os seus canais portugueses, através de uma difusão da cultura e língua portuguesas? Com este trabalho, propusemo-nos justamente a procurar uma resposta a essa indagação e concluímos que a TDM mantém viva a herança histórica portuguesa, que, entretanto, se tornou parte da identidade de Macau, essencialmente através da disseminação da língua de Camões aos ouvintes e telespectadores. Não o faz de um modo completamente consciente, tal obrigação não está definida no contrato de concessão do serviço público e tampouco as grelhas dos dois canais portugueses da TDM são desenhadas com a finalidade dos conteúdos satisfazerem as expetativas do público natural de Portugal a viver no território. Não obstante, consideramos importante contextualizar o panorama jornalístico em Macau, através de uma breve análise aos órgãos de comunicação social, com particular incidência sobre os portugueses. Concluídos esses passos, consideramos estarem reunidas as condições para nos debruçarmos sobre o estudo do SPRT no território, e mais concretamente da prestadora desse serviço, a TDM, no caminho que poderá ter trilhado na preservação de uma cultura, a portuguesa, que é partilhada por uma minoria da população. Esta análise será então elaborada à luz de teorias e exemplos sobre os SPRT e o estudo empírico, que sustenta as conclusões, inclui ainda a análise das grelhas tanto do Canal Macau como da Rádio Macau.Scholars around the world have studied Public Service Broadcasting (PSB). However, little is known about how the PSB has developed in Macau, especially with respect to Portuguese universe in the territory of the Special Administered Region of Macau (Macau SAR or, hereafter, the territory). The University of Macau has published some works within the topic of public service media; however, those did not move beyond an examination of the work of Macau's public television channel (TDM, from the Portuguese Teledifusão de Macau) and did not engage in a discussion on the radio or the public service in Portuguese. Over the last 12 years, Macau has enjoyed an exponential development that raised two issues on media public service: on the one hand which way the TDM must follow (as the radio and television operator in the territory), on the other, how can Portuguese culture survive within the SPRT, in a mainly Chinese territory and with an increasingly international coverage. This second question introduces the focus of this dissertation. The local media market is proportional to the size of the region: this is reduced and many of the actors in such market survive thanks to subsidies from the Government. Macau has an area of 29.5 square kilometers and just over 607.500 inhabitants (according to Census, 2013). In the case of TDM, this PSB operator is totally dependent on funding from the Government of the Macau SAR. Given the role of the TDM as a provider of public service, the Government has set goals for TDM to safeguard cultural diversity and the unique features of the region. However, will TDM be able to fulfill this purpose through dissemination of the Portuguese culture and language, especially in its Portuguese-speaking channels? With this work, it is proposed exactly to answer this question, and it is concluded that TDM keeps the portuguese inheritance alive, yet part of the Macau’s identity, essentially because it broadcasts in Camões language to a small audience. Not conscientiously, considering it is not printed in the broadcasting agreement nor the programming of the two portuguese channels demonstrates a purpose to satisfy the expectations of a portuguese descent audience. Nevertheless, it is considered important to contextualize the framework for media in Macau through a short presentation, which has a special focus on the channels that speak the language of Camões. This will set the scene for exploring the PSB in the territory and more specifically the service provider (TDM), through a path into the preservation of the Portuguese culture which is shared by a minority of the population. This analysis will be presented in view of theories and examples of media public service and in the end, informational grids from both Macau Channel and Radio Macau will substantiate the findings

Determination Of The Mechanical Properties Of Enamel Dentine And Cementum By An Ultra Micro-Indentation System

Dissertação de mestrado em Farmácia (Química Farmacêutica Industrial), apresentada à Faculdade de Farmácia da Universidade de CoimbraA malária ou paludismo é um dos problemas de saúde pública com mais importância em todo o mundo. Em 2011 causou a morte a 655.000 pessoas das quais a maioria atingiu crianças com menos de 5 anos. Apesar de as estatistas indicarem que esta doença está controlada, nos últimos anos temos vindo a assistir a um aumento de resistência aos fármacos utilizados no combate a este flagelo. Daí surge a necessidade de criar novas estratégias que ajudem a erradicar esta doença. Uma das novas apostas que têm sido estudas, envolve esteroides, como por exemplo os ácidos biliares. No presente estudo usamos derivados do colestano, nomeadamente os oxiesterois. Estes podem resultar da auto-oxidação ou por reações enzimáticas do colesterol. Os oxiesterois desempenham várias funções importantes em ligação com o colesterol e de acordo com o volume deste que podem originar imunossupressão, aterosclerose, apoptose, necrose, inflamação e no desenvolvimento de cálculos biliares. Neste trabalho é feito um resumo sobre a história da malaria, caraterização do parasita, terapêutica utilizada, fatores que condicionam a erradicação da malaria, caracterização dos oxiesterois e suas funções e caracterização de fármacos híbridos. Durante este trabalho são exploradas diferentes reações com vista à síntese de fármacos híbridos antimaláricos que possuem um núcleo esteroide e um grupo 1,2,4,5-tetraoxano nomeadamente 5α-colestano-1,2,4,5-tetraoxa-adamantano e 5α-colestano-1,2,4,5- tetraoxa-etilciclohexanocarboxilato e a sua caraterização por espectroscopia de ressonância magnética nuclear. Também foi efetuada a síntese em quatro passos do intermediário 5 α-hidroxi-6β- metoxicolestan-3-ona necessário à preparação dos compostos: 5α-Hidroxi,6β- metoxicolestanona-1,2,4,5-tetraoxa-adamantano e 5α-Hidroxi,6β- metoxicolestanona-1,2,4,5-teraoxa-etilciclohexanocarboxilato. Numa análise exploratória também foram realizadas reações de preparação de híbridos, quer no derivado do di-hidroperóxido, quer da molécula hibrida final usando o triflato de bismuto.Malaria or paludism is one of the most important health problems worldwide. In 2011 caused the death of 655,000 people, most of them in children under 5 years. Although the static indicates that disease is controlled in recent years we have seen an increase of resistance to drugs used to fight this calamity. Hence the need for new strategies to help eradicate this disease. One of the new approaches studied steroid, bile acids. In the present study colestane derivatives will be used, namely oxysterols. These may result from auto-oxidation of cholesterol or them enzymatic reactions. The oxysterols perform various important functions in connection with cholesterol and according to its volume can lead to immunosuppression, atherosclerosis, apoptosis, necrosis, inflammation and the development of gallstones. In this thesis, a summary about the history of malaria, the parasite characterization, the therapy used, factors that regulate the eradication of malaria, characterization of oxysterols and their functions and characterization of hybrid drugs, is presented. During this work the synthesis of hybrid antimalarial drugs that have a steroid nucleus and a 1,2,4,5-tetraoxane group including 5α-colestan-1,2,4,5-tetraoxa-adamantane and 5α- tetraoxane-1,2,4,5-cholestane-etylciclohexanocarboxilate and their characterization by nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy. The synthesis of intermediate 5α-hydroxy-6β-methoxycholestan-3-one required for preparation of the compounds: 5,6-oxygenated cholestane 1,2,4,5-tetraoxacyclohexane and 5,6-oxygenated cholestane-1,2,4,5-tetraoxaadamantane. An exploratory analysis was also performed using reactions with bismuth triflate to prepare the hybrids molecule