Introduction: Older adults are at disproportionate risk of serious disease and mortality due to the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. Further, the global response to the lockdown has rendered older adults particularly vulnerable to loneliness and social isolation due to the physical distancing and shelter in place mandate. We hypothesized that both these factors would lead to an increase in geriatric mental health problems during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Material and Methods: We undertook a clinical audit of all geriatric patients (above 60 years of age) attending the psychiatry emergency services at a tertiary care hospital. This audit was conducted over a period of 52 days dating from the cessation of non-essential services at the hospital as part of the national response to the COVID-19 pandemic (lockdown).

We used descriptive statistics to summarize the number, age, sex, presenting complaint and diagnoses of our patients. We further compared the average number of geriatric patients attending the psychiatry emergency services in the hospital during the lockdown to that of geriatric patients attending the same in the year before the lockdown.

Results: A total of 112 geriatric patients attended the psychiatry emergency services during the lockdown period. Of these, 62 were male and 50 female. The average number of geriatric patients attending the emergency services daily during this period (μ1 2.15) was significantly higher (z 5.36, p ≤ 0.01) than the average number of patients attending the emergency services in the year preceding the lockdown (μ2 1.34).

The most common presenting complaint was agitation in the preceding weeks. The most common diagnoses were late onset schizophrenia spectrum disorders followed by affective disorders and major neurocognitive disorders.

Discussion: The COVID-19 pandemic and the global response to the same constitute life events for older adults. They may contribute to biological, psychological and social risk factors for mental health problems in older adults during this period. The increase in geriatric patients attending our emergency services, despite an increase in restrictions on mobility which act as barriers in the pathway to care, is worrying. Under stimulation in older adults during this period may contribute to an increase in agitation.

Introduction: Extreme heat events due to climate change are becoming increasingly frequent and severe, and may have an impact on human health. Administrative database studies using International Classification of Diseases 10th revision codes (ICD-10) are powerful tools to measure the burden of acute heat illness (AHI) in Canada. We aimed to assess the validity of the coding algorithm for emergency department (ED) encounters for AHI in our region. Methods: Two independent reviewers retrospectively abstracted data from 507 medical records of patients presenting at two EDs in Ontario between May-September 2015-2018. The Gold Standard definition of an AHI is chart-documented heat exposure with a heat related complaint, such as syncope while working outdoors on a hot day. To determine ICD coding algorithm positive predictive value (PPV), records that were previously coded as ICD-10 heat illnesses were compared to the Gold Standard for AHI. To determine sensitivity (Sn), specificity (Sp) and negative predictive values (NPV), the Gold Standard was compared to randomly selected records. A total of 326,702 ED visits were included in study period with 208 having an ICD-10 code related to heat illness. Sample size calculation demonstrated a need to manually review 62 previously coded heat illnesses and 931 random cases, of which 50 and 474 have been reviewed, respectively. In both abstractions, 20% of cases underwent a blinded duplicate review. Results: In our review of 474 random records, 2 cases were identified as AHI but without an appropriate ICD-10 code, 445 were not AHIs, and no cases had been identified as having an AHI ICD-10 inappropriately applied. In our review of 50 previously coded heat illnesses, 34 were found to be appropriately coded and 16 inappropriately coded, as AHI ICD-10. Average patient age and gender of heat illness vs non-heat illness ED presentations were 32 and 48 years of age and 49% and 64% male, respectively. The leading complaint in AHI was heat stroke/exhaustion (39%), followed by headaches (15%), dizziness (9%), shortness of breath (9%) and syncope/presyncope (6%). 76% of all heat illness presentations presented following a period of physical exertion. Conclusion: Final calculation of Sn, Sp, PPV, NPV for the algorithm will occur upon completion of the review. Preliminary results suggest that ICD-10 coding for AHI may be applied correctly in the ED. This study will help to determine if administrative data can accurately be used to measure the burden of heat illness in Canada.

The humble pendulum is often invoked as the archetype of a simple, gravity driven, oscillator. Under ideal circumstances, the oscillation frequency of the pendulum is independent of its mass and swing amplitude. However, in most real-world situations, the dynamics of pendulums is not quite so simple, particularly with additional interactions between the pendulum and a surrounding fluid. Here we extend the realm of pendulum studies to include large amplitude oscillations of heavy and buoyant pendulums in a fluid. We performed experiments with massive and hollow cylindrical pendulums in water, and constructed a simple model that takes the buoyancy, added mass, fluid (nonlinear) drag and bearing friction into account. To first order, the model predicts the oscillation frequencies, peak decelerations and damping rate well. An interesting effect of the nonlinear drag captured well by the model is that, for heavy pendulums, the damping time shows a non-monotonic dependence on pendulum mass, reaching a minimum when the pendulum mass density is nearly twice that of the fluid. Small deviations from the model’s predictions are seen, particularly in the second and subsequent maxima of oscillations. Using time-resolved particle image velocimetry (TR-PIV), we reveal that these deviations likely arise due to the disturbed flow created by the pendulum at earlier times. The mean wake velocity obtained from PIV is used to model an extra drag term due to incoming wake flow. The revised model significantly improves the predictions for the second and subsequent oscillations.

We present results on the global and local characterisation of heat transport in homogeneous bubbly flow. Experimental measurements were performed with and without the injection of ${\sim}2.5~\text{mm}$ diameter bubbles (corresponding to bubble Reynolds number $Re_{b}\approx 600$) in a rectangular water column heated from one side and cooled from the other. The gas volume fraction $\unicode[STIX]{x1D6FC}$ was varied in the range 0 %–5 %, and the Rayleigh number $Ra_{H}$ in the range $4.0\times 10^{9}{-}1.2\times 10^{11}$. We find that the global heat transfer is enhanced up to 20 times due to bubble injection. Interestingly, for bubbly flow, for our lowest concentration $\unicode[STIX]{x1D6FC}=0.5\,\%$ onwards, the Nusselt number $\overline{Nu}$ is nearly independent of $Ra_{H}$, and depends solely on the gas volume fraction $\unicode[STIX]{x1D6FC}$. We observe the scaling $\overline{Nu}\,\propto \,\unicode[STIX]{x1D6FC}^{0.45}$, which is suggestive of a diffusive transport mechanism, as found by Alméras et al. (J. Fluid Mech., vol. 776, 2015, pp. 458–474). Through local temperature measurements, we show that the bubbles induce a huge increase in the strength of liquid temperature fluctuations, e.g. by a factor of 200 for $\unicode[STIX]{x1D6FC}=0.9\,\%$. Further, we compare the power spectra of the temperature fluctuations for the single- and two-phase cases. In the single-phase cases, most of the spectral power of the temperature fluctuations is concentrated in the large-scale rolls/motions. However, with the injection of bubbles, we observe intense fluctuations over a wide range of scales, extending up to very high frequencies. Thus, while in the single-phase flow the thermal boundary layers control the heat transport, once the bubbles are injected, the bubble-induced liquid agitation governs the process from a very small bubble concentration onwards. Our findings demonstrate that the mixing induced by high Reynolds number bubbles ($Re_{b}\approx 600$) offers a powerful mechanism for heat transport enhancement in natural convection systems.

Three upland rice species, viz. Oryza sativa, Oryza glaberrima and an O. sativa × O. glaberrima interspecific hybrid, were grown in Ghana, harvested, and field cured under open (wet) and within ventilated but rainproof containers (dry) conditions for 5 weeks. Seeds from both environments were assessed weekly for physical, physiological and pathological quality. The relationships between air temperature and relative humidity, and seed moisture content (MC) and water activity differed between curing environments but within curing environments, relationships between seed MC and water activity were comparable among species. Prolonged field curing resulted in structural damage evidenced by the formation of multiple cracks in the endosperm; these were more frequent in wet cured seeds. Diverse fungal species were isolated from wet (22 species) and dry (23 species) cured seeds with a number of soil-borne species in the wet environment. Curing environment did not influence levels of fungal infection in O. glaberrima seeds but dry curing was associated with higher levels of fungal infection in O. sativa and O. sativa × O. glaberrima. Seed germinability in all the three species was higher in the dry cured seeds although vigour was relatively lower than wet cured seeds. Field curing the seeds of these three species within a dry environment could potentially improve subsequent seed viability, aid in moisture management and minimize structural damage to the endosperm; however, research on how fungal infection could be curbed under such conditions is needed.

Acute respiratory infections cause significant morbidity and mortality accounting for 5.8 million deaths worldwide. In Australia, influenza-like illness (ILI), defined as cough, fever and fatigue is a common presentation in general practice and results in reduced productivity and lost working days. Little is known about the epidemiology of ILI in working-age adults. Using data from the ASPREN influenza surveillance network in Australia (2010–2013) we found that working-age adults made up 45.2% of all ILI notifications with 55% of samples positive for at least one respiratory virus. Viruses most commonly detected in our study included influenza A (20.6%), rhinovirus (18.6%), influenza B (6.2%), human meta-pneumovirus (3.4%), respiratory syncytial virus (3.1%), para-influenza virus (2.6%) and adenovirus (1.3%). We also demonstrated that influenza A is the predominant virus that increases ILI (by 1.2% per month for every positive influenza A case) in working-age adults during autumn–winter months while other viruses are active throughout the year. Understanding the epidemiology of viral respiratory infections through a year will help clinicians make informed decisions about testing, antibiotic and antiviral prescribing and when the beginning of the ‘flu season’ can be more confidently predicted.

Neubert, Mainert, Kretzschmar, and Greiff (2015) argue that the variable and dynamic nature of new job roles requires employees to demonstrate skills such as complex problem solving (CPS) or collaborative problem solving (ColPS). We argue that assessing CPS and ColPS in place of traditional assessment would be criterion deficient. We argue that traditional personnel assessments are important even for 21st century jobs. In this commentary we attempt to (a) highlight the contribution of currently assessed individual predictors and job skills in relation to personnel selection and (b) discuss how those traditional assessments can inform performance even in dynamic environments, such as those experienced in team-based work.

The compression and decompression behaviors of graphite oxide have been investigated using in situ Raman measurements in a diamond-anvil cell at room temperature. The so-called G band (in-plane E2g mode ∼1600 cm-1) was followed to 49 GPa during compression and back to ambient under decompression. The Raman frequency of the G band increases sublinearly with increasing hydrostatic pressure, eventually nearly flattening out at the highest pressure measured. This trend is reversed upon decompression, fully recovering to the ambient spectrum. The increased broadening suggests a reversible disordering of the structure without significant sp2-sp3 rehybridization under pressure.

In this investigation, transparent TiO2 nanotube arrays prepared on a FTO substrate are employed as 1D nanostructures providing elongated direct pathways for electron transport and collection in solid-state dye-sensitized solar cell (SDSC). Donor-antenna (D-A) dyes provide an exciting route for improving the light harvesting efficiency in dye sensitized solar cells owing to their high molar extinction coefficients and the effective spatial separation of charges in the charge-separated state. Hence in this study we fabricated SDSC devices with different thicknesses of transparent TiO2 nanotube array electrodes sensitized with Ru-(II)-donor-antenna dye and spiro-OMeTAD as a hole conductor. At AM 1.5 G, 100 mW/cm2 illumination intensity, a power conversion efficiency of 1.94% was achieved when the TiO2 nanotubes are initially subjected to TiCl4 treatment. Furthermore, a linear increase in the cell current without loss in fill factor is observed for increasing length of TiO2 nanotubes. The structural and morphological characteristics of the transparent TiO2 nanotube arrays as well as the optimal conditions for the fabrication of SDSCs with transparent TiO2 nanotubes on FTO glass are reported.

Sixty per cent of the global elderly population live in low-and middle-income countries, and this proportion was expected to rise to 70% by 2010 (International Institute of Ageing, 2001; Ferri et al, 2005). The 2001 Indian census found over 70 million people aged 60 years or more (considered senior citizens according to the Indian National Policy on Older Persons). Most of those senior citizens live with younger family members and are dependent on them for financial and social support. Hence, any physiological and psychological changes in the older family members affect the younger supportive members as well.

During a surveillance study (2003–2005) in a cattle market in Kolkata city, state of West Bengal, Eastern India, 34 (13·0%) of 260 calves with diarrhoea were positive for group B rotaviruses (GBR) by RNA electrophoresis in polyacrylamide gels. Analysis of the partial VP7 gene sequence of 28 of the 34 GBR strains revealed maximum identities (97·7–99·5% at nucleotide level and 97·8–100% at amino-acid level) with the novel bovine GBR ‘Kolkata strains’ reported in an earlier surveillance study (1·5%, n=192, 2001–2002) from the same cattle market, and shared low identities of 73·7–78·9% and 80·8–89·6%; 62·6–66·2% and 59·8–65·4%; 58·9–62·2% and 48·6–54·9% at nucleotide and amino-acid level with other bovine, human, and murine GBR. The GBR-infected calves were traced to districts in neighbouring states of West Bengal. Therefore, the present study reports a rapid increase in prevalence (13·0% in 2003–2005 against 1·5% in 2001–2002) of novel GBR strains among calves with diarrhoea, and provides evidence for interstate transmission of GBR.

Background. There is considerable debate regarding the clinical issues surrounding the wish to hasten death (WTHD) in the terminally ill. The clinical factors contributing to the WTHD need further investigation among the terminally ill in order to enhance understanding of the clinical assessment and treatment needs that underlie this problem. A more detailed understanding may assist with the development of appropriate therapeutic interventions.

Method. A sample of terminally ill cancer patients (N=256) recruited from an in-patient hospice unit, home palliative care service and a general hospital palliative care consulting service from Brisbane Australia between 1998–2001 completed a questionnaire assessing psychological (depression and anxiety), social (family relationship, social support, level of burden on others) and the impact of physical symptoms. The association between these factors and the WTHD was investigated.

Results. A high WTHD was reported by 14% of patients. A discriminant function analysis revealed that the following variables were associated with a high WTHD (P<0·001): higher levels of depressive symptoms, being admitted to an in-patient hospice setting, a greater perception of being a burden on others, lower family cohesion, lower levels of social support, higher levels of anxiety and greater impact of physical symptoms.

Conclusions. Psychological and social factors are related to a WTHD among terminally ill cancer patients. Greater attention needs to be paid to the assessment of psychological and social issues in order to provide appropriate therapeutic interventions for terminally ill patients.

This report describes the case history of two male siblings with sensorineural hearing loss and an enlarged vestibular aqueduct (EVA). Sibling 1 presented with a history of intermittent self-limiting ataxia and hearing loss at the age of 25 months and sibling 2 presented with a similar history at the age of 18 months. MRI showed an enlarged endolymphatic duct and sac bilaterally in both children. Perchlorate discharge tests were positive in both infants leading to a diagnosis of Pendred syndrome. A number of conditions associated with EVA are discussed with a view to devising management strategies.