Factors influencing consideration of dental specialisation: a survey of current dental students at the University of Western Australia

Aim. At present, little research exists regarding factors that influence dental students and recent graduates to pursue specialist training. Through the provision of a questionnaire, the study investigated student's perceptions of dental specialities and factors impacting specialisation.Methods. Questionnaires (n=65) were undertaken by Doctor of Dental Medicine students in year three (n=34) and four (n=31) through paper means. An analysis was undertaken of the knowledge of speciality courses, speciality preferences and the main motivating and deterring factors influencing specialisation.Results. A response rate of 70% was observed, revealing that 13% of all participants correctly identified the speciality courses available in Western Australia, with 6% of students wanting to specialise in the long term. Altruistic factors were most motivating and financial most deterring when considering specialisation. Speciality preferences also varied between cohorts.Conclusions. Findings highlight that a small proportion of students want to pursue specialisation and the majority of students are unaware of the speciality courses available in Western Australia. This emphasises the need for greater exposure and education in dental specialties. Further research is advised in this field to better understand factors involved in the pathway to dental specialisation and how to encourage specialisation

Assessing the impact of banks’ high-tech investments on efficiency. What is the actual relationship direction?

This paper analyses whether there is any relationship between the efficiency level achieved by Euro Area banking groups and their attitude toward high-tech investments proxied by high-tech patents. We measure banking efficiency via Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA). The period considered is the decade between 2012 and 2021. The results obtained show that there is a generally negative relationship between the two topics under investigation. The evidence obtained justifies the importance of an appropriate level of attention by regulators since increasing levels of technological innovation pursued through significant growth in intangible assets, could negatively affect the overall financial system efficiency

Probing quantum field theory particle mixing and dark-matter-like effects with Rydberg atoms

Abstract We analyze the oscillations of Rydberg atoms in the framework of quantum field theory and analyze the analogy with flavor mixing and oscillations. We reveal a non trivial vacuum energy which has the equation of state analogous to that of cold dark matter. This energy is formally similar to that expected for mixed neutrinos and affects the thermal capacity of the gas. Therefore, deflection of the thermal capacity of Rydberg atoms could prove the condensate structure of vacuum for mixing fermions and open new scenarios in the study of the dark components of the universe. We also derive new Rabi oscillation formulae which are, in principle, testable experimentally

The Very Low Head Turbine for hydropower generation in existing hydraulic infrastructures: State of the art and future challenges

The Very Low Head turbine (VLHT) is an axial flow turbine developed for heads below 4.5 m and flow rates up to 30 m3/s. In this work, the state of the art, the technological advancements and the scientific gaps were discussed and generalized, with a special focus on design, ecological behavior, costs, performance at different flows, heads and rotational speeds. The flow field and the hydraulic behavior under different configurations (e.g. in presence of cavitation and with an upstream obstacle) were described, with the aim of deriving engineering suggestions. Results of ecological tests were generalized (fish survival rate is more than 90%) by using the blade strike model, proposing an expeditious method for a preliminary appraisal of the ecological impact on downstream migrating fish. Despite the hundreds of installations worldwide, especially in existing barriers, some scientific gaps need to be better addressed yet, e.g., the influence of the number of blades and axis inclination on the efficiency, the influence of flow, head and rotational speed on the flow field and a quantification of the head losses through the trash rack above the runner

Assessing the Vulnerability of Monterey Bay Area Seniors to COVID-19

This paper assesses the vulnerability of seniors residing in the Monterey Bay Tri-County Region to the COVID-19 pandemic. Due to weakened immune systems, seniors are the most at-risk members of our community to COVID-19, and have a death rate that is three times higher than the overall death rate to COVID-19. Using standard ambulance response times from each hospital throughout the area, our objective is to determine what proportion of Tri-County seniors aged 65 and over, including those who are in nursing homes, are living independently, and cannot afford health care, were within an adequate travel time to the hospital. Additionally, we want to know which county is the most underprepared for a potential COVID-19 surge among its senior population. Using ArcGIS Online and Desktop, we addressed our research question by performing drive-time analysis on all Tri-County hospitals, determining the proportion of seniors and nursing homes that were within or outside the drive-time areas. We then compared the results to the number of active COVID-19 cases in each county. Our findings indicate that Monterey County had the most seniors and nursing homes completely outside of the hospital service zones, as well as the highest number of COVID-19 cases. Additionally, Santa Cruz County had the most seniors without health insurance living outside of the service zones, a figure that seems to agree logically with the astronomical cost of living in the area. We conclude that while Monterey County is by far the most at-risk, underprepared, and in need of resources, Santa Cruz could also have a potential problem with large proportions of uninsured (and homeless) seniors who are unable to access desperately needed medical attention