Social representations of world history were assessed using the open-ended questions, “What are the most important events in world history?” and “Who are the most influential persons in world history in the last 1,000 years?”Data from six Asian and six Western samples showed cross-cultural consensus. Historical representations were (a) focused on the recent past, (b) centered around politics and war, and (c) dominated by the events of the World Wars and (d) the individual Hitler, who was universally perceived as negative. (e) Representations were more Eurocentric than ethnocentric.(f) The importance of economics and science was underrepresented.(g) Most cultures nominated people (more than events) idiosyncratic to their own culture. These data reflect power relations in the world and provide resources and constraints for the conduct of international relations. The degree of cross-cultural consensus suggests that hybridity across Eastern and Western cultures in the representation of knowledge may be underestimated.

Social representations of history were investigated using surveys among university populations of ethnic Malays, Chinese, and Indians in Singapore and Malaysia. Representations of history and historical leaders tended to be hegemonic or consensual, showing low levels of conflict across ethnicity and nationality, even regarding the separation of these two nations. Tendencies towards in-group favoritism and ontogeny were slight, but statistically significant on some measures. National and ethnic identity were positively correlated, with ethnic identity stronger than national identity in Malaysia, and strongest among Malays in Malaysia. National identity was strongest among Chinese in Malaysia, followed by Chinese in Singapore. Results of regression analyses on national identity suggest that ethnicity is more sensitive in Malaysia than in Singapore. Results are interpreted through the frameworks provided by social representations theory and social identity theory. It is argued that hegemonic representations of history are associated with positive correlations between national and ethnic identity.

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Objective:The purpose of this study was to investigate compliance, awareness and practices of infection control procedures among senior dental students at the College of Dentistry, University of Sharjah, United Arab Emirates.Materials and Methods:The study comprised of 119 subjects of 4th and 5th year dental students. A questionnaire was developed with 25 open and closed-ended questions related to barrier techniques, vaccination status, infection control practices and awareness. This was distributed among the senior dental students and completed upon signing the consent form. Each questionnaire was coded to ensure the confidentiality of responses.Results:The questionnaire was distributed among 223 senior dental students at the University of Sharjah of which only 119 students (53%) responded. Compliance with the use of protective barriers was high with the exception of protective eye wear, utilized by a mere 27% of students. There was a significant difference between 4th and 5th year dental students’ attitudes (P < 0.05) regarding the treatment of patients with infectious diseases. Compared with 44.4% of the 5th year students, 68.5% of the 4th year students did not mind treating patients with infectious diseases. Owing to this, 61.9% of the 5th year students suffered from non-sterile percutaneous and mucous membrane exposures compared with 44.6% of the 4th year students (P < 0.05).Conclusions:Efforts are needed to improve attitudes, implement information and motivate students in the correct and routine use of infection control measures. With all infection control protocols already implemented in dental schools, the challenge remains on improving compliance with infection control recommendations.

Objective:An important determinant of job satisfaction and life fulfillment is the quality of life (QOL) of the individuals working in a particular field. Currently, in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), there is limited research pertaining to the QOL of dentists. The main objective of this study was to assess QOL of dentists in the UAE.Materials and Methods:The World Health Organization (WHO) QOL-BREF questionnaire (the World Health Organization abbreviated instrument for QOL assessment), which assesses QOL in physical, psychological, social, and environmental domains, was found to be a suitable instrument for use. A total of 290 questionnaires were distributed to general dental practitioners and specialists working in the private sector. The response rate was 46%. The completed questionnaires were coded and analyzed using the SPSS IBM software version 21.Results:QOL of specialists was significantly better than general practitioners (GPs) on all domains of the WHOQOL-BREF (P < 0.05). Married dentists had better QOL than singles on the social and environmental domains. Furthermore, specialists reported significantly better QOL compared to GPs after adjustment for sex, age, and marital status (P < 0.05) in the psychosocial and environmental domains.Conclusions:Among dentists who work in the UAE, QOL can be affected by several factors, one of them being whether dentist is a GP or a specialist.