The Importance of Humidity in the Relationship between Heat and Population Mental Health: Evidence from Australia

<div><p>Despite many studies on the effects of heat on mental health, few studies have examined humidity. In order to investigate the relationship among heat, humidity and mental health, we matched data from the Social, Economic and Environmental Factors (SEEF) project with gridded daily temperature and water vapour pressure data from the Australian Bureau of Meteorology. Logit models were employed to describe the associations among heat (assessed using temperature, °C), humidity (assessed using vapour pressure, hPa) and two measures of mental health, (i) high or very high distress (assessed using K10 scores ≥ 22) and (ii) having been treated for depression or anxiety. We found a one-unit increase in temperature and vapour pressure was associated with an increase in the occurrence of high or very high distress by 0.2% (<i>p</i> < 0.001, 99% CI: 0.1–0.3%) and 0.1% (<i>p</i> < 0.001, 99% CI: 0.0–0.3%) respectively. However, when humidity rose to the 99^<i>th</i> percentile of the sample, the estimated marginal effect of heat was more than doubled (0.5%, <i>p</i> < 0.001, 99% CI: 0.2–0.7%). Neither heat nor humidity was related to having been treated for depression or anxiety in the last month. Humidity compounds the negative association between hot weather and mental health and thus should be taken into account when reforming the health care system to respond to the challenge of climate change.</p></div

The associations between temperature (heat), vapour pressure (humidity) and mental health, Logit model for 53,144 adults aged over 45 from NSW, Australia.

<p>The associations between temperature (heat), vapour pressure (humidity) and mental health, Logit model for 53,144 adults aged over 45 from NSW, Australia.</p

Marginal effects of humidity on high or very high distress and on receiving treatment for depression or anxiety by temperature and their 99% confidential intervals, Logit model (Model 4), 53,144 adults aged over 45 from NSW, Australia.

<p>Marginal effects of humidity on high or very high distress and on receiving treatment for depression or anxiety by temperature and their 99% confidential intervals, Logit model (Model 4), 53,144 adults aged over 45 from NSW, Australia.</p

Marginal effects of heat on high or very high distress and on receiving treatment for depression or anxiety by humidity (vapour pressure) and their 99% confidential intervals, Logit model (Model 4), 53,144 adults aged over 45 from NSW, Australia.

<p>Marginal effects of heat on high or very high distress and on receiving treatment for depression or anxiety by humidity (vapour pressure) and their 99% confidential intervals, Logit model (Model 4), 53,144 adults aged over 45 from NSW, Australia.</p

Non-linear associations between temperature (heat), vapour pressure (humidity) and mental health, Logit model, 53,144 adults aged over 45 from NSW, Australia.

<p>Non-linear associations between temperature (heat), vapour pressure (humidity) and mental health, Logit model, 53,144 adults aged over 45 from NSW, Australia.</p

Proportions of respondents by socio-demographic characteristics and humidity status.

<p>Proportions of respondents by socio-demographic characteristics and humidity status.</p

Effect of Lime Addition to CaSO 4 Oxygen Carrier in Chemical Looping Combustion

<div><p>Abstract Chemical-looping combustion (CLC), which has the characteristic of greenhouse gas CO2 inherent separation, is a novel combustion technology. In this study, CLC experiments of methane using CaSO4 oxygen carrier with lime addition were carried out in a batched fluidized bed reactor, where the sample was exposed to alternate oxidizing and reducing conditions. The influences of temperature, calcium-to-sulphur ratio and lime particle size on the conversion of CaSO4 and sulfur capture were investigated and a suitable operation condition was determined. Under the optimal operation condition, a multi-cycle test was performed to evaluate the cyclic redox behavior of the lime-promoted CaSO4 sample. X-ray diffraction and a field emission scanning electron microscope were used to characterize the phase and surface morphology of the samples used. The results show that the addition of lime could improve the conversion rate of CaSO4 and the capture efficiency of sulfur-containing gases. The operation conditions of calcium-to-sulfur ratio 0.8, lime particle size of 180-250 μm and operation temperature of 900 °C turned out to be the optimal conditions. Besides, the average desulphurization rate of lime was up to 78.77% during the cyclic test.</p></div

Assessing medical professionalism: A systematic review of instruments and their measurement properties

<div><p>Background</p><p>Over the last three decades, various instruments were developed and employed to assess medical professionalism, but their measurement properties have yet to be fully evaluated. This study aimed to systematically evaluate these instruments’ measurement properties and the methodological quality of their related studies within a universally acceptable standardized framework and then provide corresponding recommendations.</p><p>Methods</p><p>A systematic search of the electronic databases PubMed, Web of Science, and PsycINFO was conducted to collect studies published from 1990–2015. After screening titles, abstracts, and full texts for eligibility, the articles included in this study were classified according to their respective instrument’s usage. A two-phase assessment was conducted: 1) methodological quality was assessed by following the COnsensus-based Standards for the selection of health status Measurement INstruments (COSMIN) checklist; and 2) the quality of measurement properties was assessed according to Terwee’s criteria. Results were integrated using <i>best-evidence synthesis</i> to look for recommendable instruments.</p><p>Results</p><p>After screening 2,959 records, 74 instruments from 80 existing studies were included. The overall methodological quality of these studies was unsatisfactory, with reasons including but not limited to unknown missing data, inadequate sample sizes, and vague hypotheses. <i>Content validity</i>, <i>cross-cultural validity</i>, and <i>criterion validity</i> were either unreported or negative ratings in most studies. Based on <i>best-evidence synthesis</i>, three instruments were recommended: Hisar’s instrument for nursing students, Nurse Practitioners’ Roles and Competencies Scale, and Perceived Faculty Competency Inventory.</p><p>Conclusion</p><p>Although instruments measuring medical professionalism are diverse, only a limited number of studies were methodologically sound. Future studies should give priority to systematically improving the performance of existing instruments and to longitudinal studies.</p></div

Flow diagram of the search and selection process.

<p>Flow diagram of the search and selection process.</p

Who is more likely to be obese or overweight among siblings? A nationally representative study in rural China

<div><p>Background</p><p>The aims of this study were to determine the association between sibling rank and childhood obesity among children ≤ 5 years of age in rural China, and to investigate the effect of child gender and the obesity status of other siblings on this association.</p><p>Methods</p><p>Data from the China Family Panel Studies, a nationally representative survey, was used for the analysis. Sibling rank was defined as the birth order of all children with the same biological mother. A total of 1116 children ≤ 5 years of age were divided into four groups: children without siblings, first-born children, second-born children, and third-born or younger children. For each child, the body mass index and standard deviation (BMI z score) was calculated according to WHO standards; children with BMI z scores > 2 were classified as obese or overweight (ObOw). Logistic regression models were used to estimate the association between sibling rank and ObOw status, and the possible influence of gender and ObOw status among other siblings.</p><p>Results</p><p>The second and third-born or younger children had a significantly higher risk of becoming ObOw than children without siblings (odds ratio [OR]: 1.32, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.07–1.63 and OR:1.38, 95% CI: 1.17–1.63, respectively). Specifically, female second-born children and male third-born or younger children had a significantly higher risk of ObOw (OR: 1.50, 95% CI: 1.11–2.01 and OR: 1.57, 95% CI: 1.07–2.32, respectively). Having an ObOw sibling increased the probability of being ObOw and the magnitude of the effect was larger if siblings were younger.</p><p>Conclusions</p><p>Sibling rank was shown to be associated with ObOw status among children 0–5 years of age in rural China. Our findings can help healthcare practitioners and authorities to identify children at risk of obesity. Future studies should focus on the mechanisms of this association.</p></div