Surface Modification of Li(Ni0.6Co0.2Mn0.2)O2 Cathode Materials by Nano-Al2O3 to Improve Electrochemical Performance in Lithium-Ion Batteries.

Al2O3-coated Li(Ni0.6Co0.2Mn0.2)O2 cathode materials were prepared by simple surface modification in water media through a sol-gel process with a dispersant. The crystallinity and surface morphology of the samples were characterized through X-ray diffraction analysis and scanning electron microscopy observation. The Li(Ni0.6Co0.2Mn0.2)O2 cathode material was of a polycrystalline hexagonal structure and agglomerated with particles of approximately 0.3 to 0.8 µm in diameter. The nanosized Al2O3 particles of low concentration (0.06-0.12 wt %) were uniformly coated on the surface of Li(Ni0.6Co0.2Mn0.2)O2. Measurement of electrochemical properties showed that Li(Ni0.6Co0.2Mn0.2)O2 coated with Al2O3 of 0.08 wt % had a high initial discharge capacity of 206.9 mAh/g at a rate of 0.05 C over 3.0-4.5 V and high capacity retention of 94.5% at 0.5 C after 30 cycles (cf. uncoated sample: 206.1 mAh/g and 90.8%, respectively). The rate capability of this material was also improved, i.e., it showed a high discharge capacity of 166.3 mAh/g after 5 cycles at a rate of 2 C, whereas the uncoated sample showed 155.8 mAh/g under the same experimental conditions.

[A Prediction Model of Drug Misuse Behaviors in Community-Dwelling Older Adults].

PURPOSE: This study was designed to construct a model which explains drug misuse behaviors in community-dwelling older adults. METHODS: The design of this research is a cross-sectional study using structure equation modeling. The hypothetical model consisted of two types of variables: the exogenous variables of health status, cognitive ability, and negative emotion, and the endogenous variables of number of drugs, and drug misuse behaviors. The data collection was conducted from September 2 to September 21, 2013 through self-report questionnaires. Participants were 320 community-dwelling adults over the age of 65 living in J city. Data were analyzed with SPSS 21.0 program and Amos 18.0 program. RESULTS: The results of the model fitness analysis were satisfied. The predictor variables for the hypothetical model explained 62.3% of variance regarding drug misuse behaviors. Drug misuse behaviors were directly affected by health status, cognitive ability, negative emotion and number of drugs and indirectly affected by health status, and negative emotion through number of drugs. CONCLUSION: These findings indicate factors that should be used in developing effective nursing interventions for safe and proper drug use and the prevention of drug misuse behaviors in community-dwelling older adults.

Highly Sensitive H2S Sensor Based on the Metal-Catalyzed SnO2 Nanocolumns Fabricated by Glancing Angle Deposition.

As highly sensitive H2S gas sensors, Au- and Ag-catalyzed SnO2 thin films with morphology-controlled nanostructures were fabricated by using e-beam evaporation in combination with the glancing angle deposition (GAD) technique. After annealing at 500 °C for 40 h, the sensors showed a polycrystalline phase with a porous, tilted columnar nanostructure. The gas sensitivities (S = Rgas/Rair) of Au and Ag-catalyzed SnO2 sensors fabricated by the GAD process were 0.009 and 0.015, respectively, under 5 ppm H2S at 300 °C, and the 90% response time was approximately 5 s. These sensors showed excellent sensitivities compared with the SnO2 thin film sensors that were deposited normally (glancing angle = 0°, S = 0.48).

Waist circumference cutoff points for central obesity in the Korean elderly population.

The aim is to determine the appropriate cutoff values of waist circumference (WC) for an increased risk of the metabolic syndrome in the Korean elderly population. We analyzed the WC cutoff values of four groups divided according to sex and age with a total of 2,224 elderly participants aged 65 years old and above from the Fourth Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey using the receiver operating characteristic curve and multiple logistic regression. The WC cutoff values associated with an increased risk of metabolic syndrome were 89.6 cm for men and 90.5 cm for women for those who were 65 to 74 years old, and 89.9 cm for men and 87.9 cm for women for those who were 75 years old or older. WC cutoff points for estimating metabolic risk are similar in elderly men and women. Age-specific optimal WC cutoff points should be considered especially for elderly women in screening for metabolic syndrome.

Nonvolatile resistance switching on two-dimensional electron gas.

Two-dimensional electron gas (2DEG) at the complex oxide interfaces have brought about considerable interest for the application of the next-generation multifunctional oxide electronics due to the exotic properties that do not exist in the bulk. In this study, we report the integration of 2DEG into the nonvolatile resistance switching cell as a bottom electrode, where the metal-insulator transition of 2DEG by an external field serves to significantly reduce the OFF-state leakage current while enhancing the on/off ratio. Using the Pt/Ta2O5-y/Ta2O5-x/SrTiO3 heterostructure as a model system, we demonstrate the nonvolatile resistance switching memory cell with a large on/off ratio (>10(6)) and a low leakage current at the OFF state (∼10(-13) A). Beyond exploring nonvolatile memory, our work also provides an excellent framework for exploring the fundamental understanding of novel physics in which electronic and ionic processes are coupled in the complex heterostructures.

Sensitivity enhancement of nanostructured SnO2 gas sensors fabricated using the glancing angle deposition method.

0.5 wt.% Pd-catalyzed SnO2 thin-film gas sensors with microstructures controlled on a nanometer scale were fabricated by an e-beam evaporator using the glancing angle deposition (GAD) method. After annealing at 500 degrees C for 1 h, the sensors produced were polycrystalline with a nanoporous, tilted columnar microstructure. The gas-sensing properties of these SnO2 sensors were measured in the concentration range of 1 to 5 ppm NO2 at 250 degrees C and of 10 to 50 ppm C2H5OH at 400 degrees C, respectively. The sensors fabricated by e-beam evaporation in combination with the GAD method showed much higher sensitivities than normally prepared sensors and exhibited rapid response times. The gas sensitivity (S = R(gas)/R(air)) of the SnO2 sensor using the GAD method was 43.4 for 5 ppm NO2 and 0.08 for 10 ppm C2H5OH, respectively. These sensors showed excellent sensitivities compared to the normal thin film sensors (S = 2 for 5 ppm NO2 and 0.92 for 10 ppm C2H5OH). We consider that the nanostructured sensors produced using the GAD process could be used to detect various gases emitted by automobiles and industrial installations.