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Heatwaves can be a common occurrence in Australia, and the public health impacts can be severe. Heat warnings and interventions are being adopted widely to reduce the preventable health impacts. This study examines the effects of heatwaves on morbidity and mortality in different climatic regions in the state of South Australia, to inform the targeting of heat warnings according to regional needs. Heatwaves were defined using the excess heat factor (EHF), an index based on mean daily temperature indices that quantifies heatwave severity relative to the local climate. In all regions, there were increases in morbidity (daily rates of ambulance call-outs and heat-related emergency presentations and hospital admissions) on heatwave days compared to non-heatwave days, which increased with heatwave severity. This study demonstrates that a consistent measure for heatwave severity, based on EHF, can be used to underpin public health warnings for climatically diverse areas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The incidence of kidney diseases from communicable and non-communicable causes is expected to increase globally — especially in low and middle-income countries — as a consequence of global warming. As this increase could lead to overburdening of health-care systems, action is crucial to minimize the negative impacts of climate change on kidney health. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The excess heat factor (EHF) is being adopted nationally for heatwave forecasting in Australia, but there is limited research utilizing it as a predictor for heat-related morbidity from diseases of the urinary system (urinary diseases). In this study, the incidence of eight temperature-prone specific urinary disease categories was analyzed in relation to the EHF. Daily data for maximum and minimum temperature and data for metropolitan hospital emergency department presentations and inpatient admissions for urinary disease were acquired in Adelaide, South Australia, from 1 July 2003 to 31 March 2014. An increased incidence for urolithiasis, acute kidney injury (AKI), chronic kidney disease, and lower urinary tract infections was associated with the EHF. Using the Australian national heatwave definition with the EHF, emergency department presentations increased on heatwave days compared to non-heatwave days for total urinary disease (IRR 1.046, 95% CI 1.016–1.076), urolithiasis (IRR 1.106, 95% 1.046–1.169), and acute kidney injury (AKI) (IRR 1.416, 95% CI 1.258–1.594). Likewise, inpatient admissions increased for total urinary disease (IRR 1.090, 95% CI 1.048–1.133) and AKI (IRR 1.335, 95% CI 1.204–1.480). The EHF is a reliable metric for predicting heat-induced morbidity from urinary disease. Climate change-related elevations in temperature can increase morbidity from urinary disease, especially AKI and urolithiasis. Diseases of the urinary system should be highlighted when providing public health guidance during heatwaves indicated by the EHF. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The application of organic photovoltaic (OPV) cells to drive off-grid microelectronic devices under indoor light has attracted broad attention. As organic semiconductors intrinsically have less ordered intermolecular packing than inorganic materials, the relatively larger energetic disorder is one of the main results that limit the photovoltaic efficiency of the OPV cells at low carrier density. Here, we optimize the alkyl chains of non-fullerene acceptors to get suppressed energetic disorder. We find the optimal acceptor DTz-R1 with the shortest alkyl chain has the strongest crystalline property and lowest energetic disorder. As a result, over 26% efficiency is recorded for the 1 cm2 OPV cells under a light-emitting diode illumination of 500 lux. We also fabricate a 100 cm2 cell device and get a PCE of 23.0%, which is an outstanding value for large-area OPV cells. These results suggest that modulation of the energetic disorder is of great importance for further improving the efficiency of OPV cells, especially for indoor applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Few studies have examined the attributable fraction (AF) of temperature to mortality and Years of Life Lost (YLL), especially in developing countries. This study aims to explore the short-term effect of the cold and hot temperatures on the cause-specific YLL and mortality, discover the attributable contributions from the temperature variations, and identify the vulnerable populations in Weifang, China. Daily registered death information and meteorological data over the period 2010–2016 were obtained in Weifang, a northern Chinese city. Generalized additive Poisson and Gaussian regression models were used to assess the impacts of temperatures on both mortality and YLL, explore the AF of the temperature variations on mortality, after adjusting for other covariates. Both hot and cold temperatures have had significant negative impacts on cause-specific mortality counts and YLL, with heat presented an acute and short effect and the cold temperatures had delayed effects and lasted for several days. In terms of the attributable fraction calculations, the contributions from cold effects was higher than that of hot effects on non-accidental, cardiovascular, and respiratory deaths (YLL 10.88 vs. 1.23%, 19.58 vs. 1.71%, and 14.47 vs. 3.05%; mortality 13.97 vs. 1.65%, 19.20 vs. 1.59%, and 14.89 vs. 3.09%), respectively. The elderly and women and people with low education level were the most vulnerable. The findings will provide important scientific evidences and policy implications for developing adaptation strategies to reduce the adverse effect of cold and hot exposure in Weifang, in terms of resource allocation, healthcare workforce capacity building, and community health education, especially for the vulnerable groups. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Heatwaves, or extended periods of extreme heat, are predicted to increase in frequency, intensity and duration with climate change, but their impact on occupational injury has not been extensively studied. We examined the relationship between heatwaves of varying severity and work-related injuries and illnesses. We used a newly proposed metric of heatwave severity, the Excess Heat Factor (EHF), which accounts for local climate characteristics and acclimatization and compared it with heatwaves defined by daily maximum temperature.Methods: Work-related injuries and illnesses were identified from two administrative data sources: workers' compensation claims and work-related ambulance call-outs for the years 2003-2013 in Adelaide, Australia. The EHF metrics were obtained from the Australian Bureau of Meteorology. A time-stratified case-crossover regression model was used to examine associations between heatwaves of three levels of severity, workers' compensation claims, and work-related ambulance call-outs.Results: There was an increase in work-related ambulance call-outs and compensation claims during low and moderately severe heatwaves as defined using the EHF, and a non-significant decline during high-severity heatwaves. Positive associations were observed during moderate heatwaves in compensation claims made by new workers (RR 1.31, 95% CI 1.10-1.55), workers in medium-sized enterprises (RR 1.15, 95% CI 1.01-1.30), indoor industries (RR 1.09, 95% CI 1.01-1.17), males (RR 1.13, 95% CI 1.03-1.23) and laborers (RR 1.21, 95% CI 1.04-1.39).Conclusions: Workers should adopt appropriate precautions during moderately severe heatwaves, when the risks of work-related injuries and illnesses are increased. Workplace policies and guidelines need to consider the health and safety of workers during heatwaves with relevant prevention and adaptation measures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The extreme heat wave in Australia in 2009 resulted in significantly increased number of daily deaths. The circumstances that lead to deaths during extreme heat have not been explored before in Australia. This study aims to identify the individual and community risk factors for deaths during this extreme heat wave in Adelaide. A matched case-control study was conducted. Cases were those who died in the Adelaide metropolitan area during the heat wave period. For each case, two community controls were randomly selected, matched by age and gender. Face-to-face or telephone interviews were conducted to collect data of demographic information, living environment, social support, health status and behavioural changes during the heat wave. Descriptive analysis, as well as simple and multiple conditional logistic regressions were performed. In total, 82 deaths and 164 matched community controls were included in the analysis, with a median age of 77.5 (range 26.6-100.7). The multiple logistic regression model indicated that, compared with controls, the risk of death during the heat wave was significantly increased for people living alone (AOR = 42.31, 95 % CI 2.3, 792.8) or having existing chronic heart disease (AOR = 22.4, 95 % CI 1.7, 303.0). In addition, having air conditioning in bedrooms (AOR = 0.004, 95 % CI 0.00006, 0.28) and participating in social activities more than once a week (AOR = 0.011, 95 % CI 0.0004, 0.29) indicated significant protective effects. We have identified factors that could significantly impact on the likelihood of deaths during heat waves. Our findings could assist in the development of future intervention programs and policies to reduce mortality associated with a warmer climate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We reported a simple hydrothermal method to fabricate Au nanoparticles-decorated ZnO nanorods (ZnO-NRs) using aligned ZnO-NRs arrays as a template. Via changing the concentration of HAuCl aqueous solution, the size and density of Au nanoparticles (NPs) on the surface of ZnO-NRs could be readily tuned. The photoluminescence of Au-NPs decorated ZnO-NRs were investigated, in order to optimize the configuration of the Au-NPs decorated ZnO-NRs system realizing the maximum band emission. Due to a synergistic effect of the adjacent Au NPs and ZnO-NRs and efficiently coupled localized surface plasmon resonance (SPR) excitation, an optimized sample employing Au NPs with 15-nm size showed best catalytic efficiency. We have proposed a mechanism that is the electron transfer from surface-plasmon-stimulated \Au NPs to the conduction band of ZnO-NRs. These results demonstrate that Au NPs can significantly enhance the charge separation by extracting electrons from the photoexcited ZnO and consequently improve the photocatalytic activity of the composites. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nanostructured hollow Sn-Cu multi-phase composite nanoparticles anode that contains Sn and CuSn was synthesized via galvanic replacement reaction using Sn nanoparticles as a sacrificial template. The sacrificial oxidation of Sn and simultaneous reduction of Cu on the surface because of the redox potential difference is proposed to account for the formation of hollow Sn-Cu nanostructures. The structural evolution of the Sn-Cu hollow nanoparticle, in the process of galvanic replacement and structure, composition changes during charge/discharge processes were studied based on scanning electron microscope, X-ray powder diffraction, transmission electron microscopy, and energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy investigations. The electrochemical properties of the samples were evaluated by galvanostatic discharge-charge cycling, cyclic voltammetry, and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy. Compared with solid Sn-Cu nanoparticles, hollow Sn-Cu nanoparticles showed better capacity retention. The improved electrochemical performance may be attributed to the stable hollow structure and the combination of CuSn. The facile solution-based process and excellent cycling stability show great potential of the multi-phase Sn-Cu hollow composite nanoparticles as an anode material for lithium-ion batteries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]