Suicide rates differ when comparing older adults by specific age groups (e.g. Shah et al., 2016) and they have different socio-demographic and clinical characteristics (Koo et al., 2017). In order to prevent suicide in older adults, these should not be treated as a homogenous group.

Transmission electron backscatter diffraction (t-EBSD) was used to investigate the effect of dealloying on the microstructure of 140-nm thin gold foils. Statistical and local comparisons of the microstructure between the nonetched and nanoporous gold foils were made. Analyses of crystallographic texture, misorientation distribution, and grain structure clearly prove that during the dealloying manufacturing process of nanoporous materials the crystallographic texture is enhanced significantly with a clear decrease of internal strain, whereas maintaining the grain structure.

Background. The elderly population size is growing worldwide due increased life expectancy and decreased mortality in the elderly. This has lead to an increase in the number of centenarians, and their numbers are predicted to increase further. Little is known about suicide rates in centenarians.

Methods. Data on the number of suicides (ICD-10 codes, X60–84) in centenarians of both gender for as many years as possible from 2000 were ascertained from three sources: colleagues, national statisics office websites and e-mail contact with the national statistics offices of as many countries as possible. The number of centernarians for the corresponding years was estimated for each country using data provided by the United Nations website.

Results. Data were available from 17 countries. The suicide rate was 57 (95% confidence interval 45–69) per 100, 000 person years in men and 6.8 (95% confidence interval 5.1–8.5) per 100,000 person years in women.

Conclusions. Suicide rates were sufficiently large amongst centenarians for there to constitute a public health concern given the anticipated rise in the centenarian population and the paucity of data on risk and protective factors for suicide in this age group.

Australia is one of the world's foremost mining nations. While the economic and employment benefits of the mining industry are well documented, potentially negative aspects of mining industry employment are less understood. It has been suggested that mining industry workers may be more likely than workers in other occupations to experience relationship problems and work-family stress, but there is very little empirical study examining this proposal. Data from the nationally representative Household, Income, and Labour Dynamics in Australia (HILDA) survey were used to compare males employed in the Australian mining industry with males working in other occupations, on indices of relationship quality and work-family balance, as well as mental and emotional health. Employment in the resources sector was not associated with poorer outcomes on these measures, relative to other occupations. These results suggest that hypothesised connections between mining industry employment and relationship/family stress require careful examination.

This paper is concerned with the internal distributed control problem for the 1D Schrödinger equation, i ut(x,t) = −uxx+α(x) u+m(u) u, that arises in quantum semiconductor models. Here m(u) is a non local Hartree–type nonlinearity stemming from the coupling with the 1D Poisson equation, and α(x) is a regular function with linear growth at infinity, including constant electric fields. By means of both the Hilbert Uniqueness Method and the contraction mapping theorem it is shown that for initial and target states belonging to a suitable small neighborhood of the origin, and for distributed controls supported outside of a fixed compact interval, the model equation is controllable. Moreover, it is shown that, for distributed controls with compact support, the exact controllability problem is not possible.

Objective – To test the psychometric properties of the Italian version of the WHOQOL-BRIEF (e.g., construct and internal validity, concorrent validity with the MOS SF-36 and test-retest reliability). The WHOQOL-BRIEF is a 26-items self-report instrument which assesses four domains assumed to represent the Quality Of Life (QOL) construct: physical domain, psychological domain, social relationships domain and environment domain, plus two facets for assessing overall QOL and general health. Methods – Data have been collected in three sites (Bologna, Modena and Padua), located in the North of Italy, in the framework of the international WHOQOL project. According to the study design, the sample had to include about 50% males and 50% females, 50% of subjects below and 50% above the age of 45, all in contact with various health services. A subsample has been re-interviewed after 2-3 weeks in order to study test-retest reliability. After the WHOQOL-BRIEF, most subjects have also been administered the MOS-SF36 in order to test the concurrent validity between these two instruments. Results – The instrument was administered to 379 subjects (1/6 healthy and 1/6 sick), chosen to be representative of a variety of different medical conditions. Seventy patients, wTio displayed stable health conditions, have been reassessed after 2-3 weeks to study test-retest reliability. The WHOQOL-BRIEF domains has shown good internal consistency, ranging from 0.65 for the social relationships domain to 0.80 for the physical domain; it has been able to discriminate between in- and out-patients and between the two age groups considered in the present study (<45, ≥45 years). Only physical and psychological domains were found to discriminate between healthy and ill subjects. No gender differences in the mean scores for the four domains were found. Concurrent validity between the WHOQOL-Brief and the MOS-SF-36 was satisfactory, and specific for the physical and psychological health domains. Test-retest reliability values were also good, ranging from 0.76 for the environment domain to 0.93 for the psychological domain. Conclusions – This study shows that the WHOQOL-BRIEF is psychometrically valid and reliable, and that it is also potentially useful in discriminating between subjects with different health conditions in clinical settings.

Given the uncontested role of psychiatric illnesses in both fatal and non-fatal suicidal behaviours, efforts are continuously made in improving mental health care provision. In cases of severe mental disorder, when intensified treatment protocols and continuous supervision are required due to individual's impaired emotional, cognitive and social functioning (including danger to self and others), psychiatric hospitalisation is warranted. However, to date there is no convincing evidence that in-patient care prevents suicide. In fact, quite paradoxically, both admissions to a psychiatric ward and recent discharge from it have been found to increase risk for suicidal behaviours. What elements in the chain of well-intentioned approaches to treating psychiatric illness and suicidality fail to protect this vulnerable population is still unclear. The same holds true for the identifications of factors that may increase the risk for suicide. This editorial discusses current knowledge on this subject, proposing strategies that might improve prevention.

Background. While recent studies have found problem-solving impairments in individuals who engage in deliberate self-harm (DSH), few studies have examined repeaters and non-repeaters separately. The aim of the present study was to investigate whether specific types of problem-solving are associated with repeated DSH.

Method. As part of the WHO/EURO Multicentre Study on Suicidal Behaviour, 836 medically treated DSH patients (59% repeaters) from 12 European regions were interviewed using the European Parasuicide Study Interview Schedule (EPSIS II) approximately 1 year after their index episode. The Utrecht Coping List (UCL) assessed habitual responses to problems.

Results. Factor analysis identified five dimensions – Active Handling, Passive-Avoidance, Problem Sharing, Palliative Reactions and Negative Expression. Passive-Avoidance – characterized by a pre-occupation with problems, feeling unable to do anything, worrying about the past and taking a gloomy view of the situation, a greater likelihood of giving in so as to avoid difficult situations, the tendency to resign oneself to the situation, and to try to avoid problems – was the problem-solving dimension most strongly associated with repetition, although this association was attenuated by self-esteem.

Conclusions. The outcomes of the study indicate that treatments for DSH patients with repeated episodes should include problem-solving interventions. The observed passivity and avoidance of problems (coupled with low self-esteem) associated with repetition suggests that intensive therapeutic input and follow-up are required for those with repeated DSH.