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The Mn 3d electronic-structure change of the LiMn2O4 cathode during Li-ion extraction/insertion in an aqueous electrolyte solution was studied by operando resonant soft X-ray emission spectroscopy (RXES).

A 93-year-old woman was transferred to our hospital for lightheadedness. She had had Takotsubo cardiomyopathy for seven years. Transthoracic apical four-chamber echocardiography showed a large apical aneurysm. Pulsed-wave Doppler echocardiography at the left ventricular (LV) basal obstruction showed flow directed from the apex to the base during systole and isovolumic relaxation time. The patient was therefore diagnosed with mid-ventricular obstructive cardiomyopathy with a large apical aneurysm and paradoxical flow. The present case suggests that Takotsubo cardiomyopathy may become mid-ventricular obstructive hypertrophic cardiomyopathy without change in its structure.

The satellite REIMEI was launched in August 2005, this is one of the first satellites to use Li-ion batteries. REIMEI is a small scientific satellite designed for carrying out aurora observations using three different cameras. The main scientific mission of the satellite ended in 2013. More than 14 years have passed, and the batteries have experienced over 78,100 charge/discharge cycles. REIMEI remains in operation with a new mission dedicated to analyzing its Li-ion battery. In this work, we present a durability analysis for the REIMEI battery based on telemetry data.

Commercially available 18650 Li-ion cells were exposed to charge-discharge cycling at 0°C using two different charging protocols: constant current-constant voltage (CC-CV) and constant current (CC). The effect of the charge process protocol on the Li-ion cell performance is shown and analyzed. After exposing the cells to low temperature charging, a high voltage plateau appeared at the beginning of the discharge. This high voltage plateau is related to the occurrence of lithium plating during the charging process. Interestingly, the intensity of the observed high voltage plateau decreased with cycling. In addition, the Li-ion cells that were charged using a CC protocol exhibited a larger capacity fade in comparison to those that were charged using a CC-CV protocol. Furthermore, electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) measurements were carried out during cycling. It was shown that the internal impedance of the cells increased with charge-discharge cycling, indicating the formation of an interphase layer during low temperature cycling.

Erythrosine B (EB) dye molecules were embedded in a transparent ZnO semiconductor film, aiming at fabricating an organic/inorganic chromic material. A red-coloured, 3.4 μm thick ZnO film was obtained through a chemical bath deposition method conducted at a low temperature of 90 °C. The EB dye was confirmed to be distributed uniformly inside the ZnO film. Spectroelectrochemical measurement was performed using a three-electrode system with the EB/ZnO film employed as the working electrode. The red colour of the film started to disappear at an applied potential of −0.9 V in a negative scan of cyclic voltammetry. The decolourized film slowly became coloured again at +1.9 V and above in a positive scan. The electrochemically decolourized film was also coloured under fluorescent lighting without applying the potential. Because the EB dye dissolved in water did not show such a reversible colour change, the observed electro/photochromism is attributed to the EB/ZnO hybrid structure where the organic molecules are electronically functionalized by the metal oxide semiconductor.

IntroductionGiven an increasing use of dipeptidyl peptidase-4 (DPP-4) inhibitors to treat patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus in the real-world setting, we conducted a prospective observational study (Japan-based Clinical Research Network for Diabetes Registry: J-BRAND Registry) to elucidate the safety and efficacy profile of long-term usage of alogliptin.Research design and methodsWe registered 5969 patients from April 2012 through September 2014, who started receiving alogliptin (group A) or other classes of oral hypoglycemic agents (OHAs; group B), and were followed for 3 years at 239 sites nationwide. Safety was the primary outcome. Symptomatic hypoglycemia, pancreatitis, skin disorders of non-extrinsic origin, severe infections, and cancer were collected as major adverse events (AEs). Efficacy assessment was the secondary outcome and included changes in hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c), fasting blood glucose, fasting insulin and urinary albumin.ResultsOf the registered, 5150 (group A: 3395 and group B: 1755) and 5096 (3358 and 1738) were included for safety and efficacy analysis, respectively. Group A patients mostly (>90%) continued to use alogliptin. In group B, biguanides were the primary agents, while DPP-4 inhibitors were added in up to ~36% of patients. The overall incidence of AEs was similar between the two groups (42.7% vs 42.2%). Kaplan-Meier analysis revealed the incidence of cancer was significantly higher in group A than in group B (7.4% vs 4.8%, p=0.040), while no significant incidence difference was observed in the individual cancer. Multivariate Cox regression analysis revealed that the imbalanced patient distribution (more elderly patients in group A than in group B), but not alogliptin usage per se, contributed to cancer development. The incidence of other major AE categories was with no between-group difference. Between-group difference was not detected, either, in the incidence of microvascular and macrovascular complications. HbA1c and fasting glucose decreased significantly at the 0.5-year visit and nearly plateaued thereafter in both groups.ConclusionsAlogliptin as a representative of DPP-4 inhibitors was safe and durably efficacious when used alone or with other OHAs for patients with type 2 diabetes in the real world setting.

We analyzed the Fe 3d electronic structure in LiFePO4 /FePO4 (LFP/FP) nanowire with a high cyclability by using soft X-ray emission spectroscopy (XES) combined with configuration-interaction full-multiplet (CIFM) calculation. The ex situ Fe L2,3 -edge resonant XES (RXES) spectra for LFP and FP are ascribed to oxidation states of Fe2+ and Fe3+ , respectively. CIFM calculations for Fe2+ and Fe3+ states reproduced the Fe L3 RXES spectra for LFP and FP, respectively. In the calculations for both states, the charge-transfer energy was considerably larger than those for typical iron oxides, indicating very little electron transfer from the O 2p to Fe 3d orbitals and a weak hybridization on the Fe-O bond during the charge-discharge reactions.

Al doping into LiMn2O4 is one of the well-known methods to improve the cycle performance of the LiMn2O4 cathode. We carried out soft X-ray emission spectroscopy (XES) for LiMn2O4 and LiAl0.2Mn1.8O4 to elucidate the relationship between the Mn 3d electronic structures and cycle performances. After the first cycle, the XES spectra of LiAl0.2Mn1.8O4 are almost unchanged compared to the initial state. In contrast, charge-transfer excitation for the XES of LiMn2O4 is significantly reduced, indicating that the Mn 3d-O 2p hybridization in LiMn2O4 should be easily weakened by charge-discharge. In LiAl0.2Mn1.8O4, the Mn-O bond becomes more stable due to the decrease of Mn3+ ions with Jahn-Teller distortion by Al3+ doping, resulting in the improved cycle performance.

Background Short-term treatment for people with type 2 diabetes using a low dose of the selective endothelin A receptor antagonist atrasentan reduces albuminuria without causing significant sodium retention. We report the long-term effects of treatment with atrasentan on major renal outcomes.Methods We did this double-blind, randomised, placebo-controlled trial at 689 sites in 41 countries. We enrolled adults aged 18-85 years with type 2 diabetes, estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) 25-75 mL/min per 1.73 m(2) of body surface area, and a urine albumin-to-creatinine ratio (UACR) of 300-5000 mg/g who had received maximum labelled or tolerated renin-angiotensin system inhibition for at least 4 weeks. Participants were given atrasentan 0.75 mg orally daily during an enrichment period before random group assignment. Those with a UACR decrease of at least 30% with no substantial fluid retention during the enrichment period (responders) were included in the double-blind treatment period. Responders were randomly assigned to receive either atrasentan 0.75 mg orally daily or placebo. All patients and investigators were masked to treatment assignment. The primary endpoint was a composite of doubling of serum creatinine (sustained for >= 30 days) or end-stage kidney disease (eGFR = 90 days, chronic dialysis for >= 90 days, kidney transplantation, or death from kidney failure) in the intention-to-treat population of all responders. Safety was assessed in all patients who received at least one dose of their assigned study treatment. The study is registered with ClinicalTrials. gov, number NCT01858532.Findings Between May 17, 2013, and July 13, 2017, 11 087 patients were screened; 5117 entered the enrichment period, and 4711 completed the enrichment period. Of these, 2648 patients were responders and were randomly assigned to the atrasentan group (n=1325) or placebo group (n=1323). Median follow-up was 2.2 years (IQR 1.4-2.9). 79 (6.0%) of 1325 patients in the atrasentan group and 105 (7.9%) of 1323 in the placebo group had a primary composite renal endpoint event (hazard ratio [HR] 0.65 [95% CI 0.49-0.88]; p=0.0047). Fluid retention and anaemia adverse events, which have been previously attributed to endothelin receptor antagonists, were more frequent in the atrasentan group than in the placebo group. Hospital admission for heart failure occurred in 47 (3.5%) of 1325 patients in the atrasentan group and 34 (2.6%) of 1323 patients in the placebo group (HR 1.33 [95% CI 0.85-2.07]; p=0.208). 58 (4.4%) patients in the atrasentan group and 52 (3.9%) in the placebo group died (HR 1.09 [95% CI 0.75-1.59]; p=0.65).Interpretation Atrasentan reduced the risk of renal events in patients with diabetes and chronic kidney disease who were selected to optimise efficacy and safety. These data support a potential role for selective endothelin receptor antagonists in protecting renal function in patients with type 2 diabetes at high risk of developing end-stage kidney disease. Copyright (C) 2019 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Summary Hepatitis C-associated osteosclerosis (HCAO), a very rare disorder in which an extremely rapid bone turnover occurs and results in osteosclerosis, was acknowledged in 1990s as a new clinical entity with the unique bone disorder and definite link to chronic type C hepatitis, although the pathogenesis still remains unknown. Affected patients suffer from excruciating deep bone pains. We report the 19th case of HCAO with diagnosis confirmed by bone biopsy, and treated initially with a bisphosphonate, next with corticosteroids and finally with direct acting antivirals (DAA: sofosbuvir and ribavirin) for HCV infection. Risedronate, 17.5 mg/day for 38 days, did not improve the patient’s symptoms or extremely elevated levels of bone markers, which indicated hyper-bone-formation and coexisting hyper-bone-resorption in the patient. Next, intravenous methylprednisolone pulse therapy followed by high-dose oral administration of prednisolone evidently improved them. DAA therapy initiated after steroid therapy successfully achieved sustained virological response, but no additional therapeutic effect on them was observed. Our results strongly suggested that the underlying immunological alteration is the crucial key to clarify the pathogenesis of HCAO. Bone mineral density of lumbar vertebrae of the patient was increased by 14% in four-month period of observation. Clarification of the mechanisms that develop osteosclerosis in HCAO might lead to a new therapeutic perspective for osteoporosis. Learning points: HCAO is an extremely rare bone disorder, which occurs exclusively in patients affected with HCV, of which only 18 cases have been reported since 1992 and pathogenesis still remains unclear. Pathophysiology of HCAO is highly accelerated rates of both bone formation and bone resorption, with higher rate of formation than that of resorption, which occur in general skeletal leading to the diffuse osteosclerosis with severe bone pains. Steroid therapy including intravenous pulse administration in our patient evidently ameliorated his bone pains and reduced elevated values of bone markers. This was the first successful treatment for HCAO among cases reported so far and seemed to propose a key to solve the question for its pathogenesis. The speed of increase in the bone mineral content of the patient was very high, suggesting that clarification of the mechanism(s) might lead to the development of a novel therapy for osteoporosis.

Objectives The aim of this study was to evaluate the prevalence of peri-implant disease and analyze risk indicators in Japanese subjects with ≥3 years of implant function. Material and methods Five hundred and forty-three subjects treated with 1,613 implants were evaluated. Information was collected about the patients' physical and dental history, as well as implant details. Peri-implant evaluation included probing depth, bleeding on probing (BoP), suppuration (Sup), and keratinized tissue width. Bone loss was calculated from intra-oral radiographs taken after 1 year and more than 3 years of function. Implants were classified into three groups: healthy, peri-implant mucositis (BoP without bone loss), and peri-implantitis (BoP and/or Sup with bone loss >1 mm). These data were analyzed by multivariable multinomial logistic regression. Results The prevalence of peri-implant mucositis and peri-implantitis at the subject level was 23.9% and 15.8%, respectively. An association was found between peri-implant mucositis and plaque control record (PCR) >20% and keratinized tissue width 20%, smoking, insertion in the maxilla, and keratinized tissue width Conclusions Within the limitations of this study, the prevalence of peri-implant diseases was elucidated in a Japanese population. Peri-implant mucositis was associated with poor oral hygiene and less keratinized tissue. Poor oral hygiene, smoking, insertion in the maxilla, and less keratinized tissue were risk indicators for peri-implantitis.

We analyzed the Fe 3d electronic structure in LiFePO

We report a fabrication of transparent ZnO thick films by a chemical bath deposition using zinc acetate ethanolic–aqueous solutions with cetyltrimethylammonium chloride (CTAC). In this system, CTAC plays a particular role in nucleation and crystal growth of ZnO, and the micrometer-thick ZnO films formed on ZnO-buffered glass substrates. The resultant ZnO thick films show a high transmittance of around 80% in the visible region. An orientation of ZnO nuclei formed on the substrates in the early stage is different from a c-axis orientation of the ZnO-buffer layer, and the resultant ZnO thick films also show the unusual orientation. The detailed information on the orientation of these ZnO films was analyzed based on X-ray diffraction (XRD) 2θ/θ scan measurements at angles between in-plane and out-of-plane geometries. According to the results, the c-axis of ZnO is tilted at around 40–50° with respect to the film normal, and the micrometer-thick ZnO films exhibit the (112)-plane orientation by adjusting the CT...

We developed an electrochemical in situ cell for soft x-ray emission spectroscopy (XES) to accurately investigate the redox reaction and electronic structure of transition metals in the cathode materials for Li–ion battery. The in situ cell consists of a Li–metal counter electrode, an organic electrolyte solution, and a cathode on a membrane window which separates the liquid electrolyte from high vacuum and can pass the incoming and emitted photons. In this study, the Mn 3d electronic structure of LiMn2O4 thin-film electrode was clarified by the operando XES. At the charged state, the XES spectrum changed significantly from the open-circuit-voltage (OCV) state, suggesting oxidation of the Mn3+ component through Li–ion extraction. Upon discharge up to 3.0 V vs. Li/Li+, the XES spectrum almost returned to its profile at the OCV state with small difference, indicating the valence change of Mn: Mn3.6+ → Mn4+ → Mn3.3+ corresponding to the OCV, charged, and discharged states. Keywords: Li–ion battery, LiMn2O4, Operando, In situ, Soft x-ray emission spectroscopy

Al doping into LiMn

A key challenge in processing carbon nanotubes and their composites for large-scale applications is aggregation. Cation-π stacking interactions have been discovered to disperse heavily entangled single-walled carbon nanotube (SWNT) bundles in ionic liquids (ILs). In this work, we found that a dispersible, silky single-layer graphene (SLG) can be readily gathered together to form a crosslinked gel after entrapping sufficient IL molecular via the likely noncovalent interaction. By incorporating the dispersed SWNTs into the gathered SLG gel synchronously, we prepared solid, finely crosslinked SWNTs-SLG films, assisted by an avenue of 2-step extraction to remove the IL completely. The gel-derived SWNTs-SLG complex film was applied as a support material of oxygen cathodes for Li-O2 batteries. It exhibited a remarkable improved cycleability in comparison to made of SWNTs and SLG alone due to the finely crosslinked feature. Decorated SWNTs and SLG can also form gel-derived complexes via the same process to construct support-catalyst complexes. A SWNTs-SLG film loaded with Ru nanoparticles exhibited not only catalytic effects, but also the ability to suppress the side reactions, and hence stabilized the whole Li-O2 battery. Our research introduces a gel-derived, high-dispersed processing of carbon nanotube-graphene complexes and demonstrates their favorable applications on Li-O2 batteries.

Crystal-superfluid interface of 4He in aerogel was shown to advance smoothly in a high temperature creep growth region above 0.6 K. In this report, we focused on the shape of the growing interface in the region and attempted to analyze the roughness of interfaces. The growth of rough interfaces is very common in nature and is known to often follow a scaling law; roughness usually increases with time and saturates in the later stage. We measured the roughness w(t) defined as the standard deviation of the interface height as a function of time t. It was found that w(t) in 98 % porosity aerogel initially increased with t and decreased after a particular time in the later stage. The abrupt reduction of roughness in the end of crystallization is unusual if it is intrinsic in the crystallization in aerogel.

Quantifying the transport properties of ions in electrolytes is important to evaluate the performance of lithium ion batteries. For example, the limiting current in an electrolyte is governed by the ion transport. The transport properties of ions are mainly characterized by diffusion coefficient (D) and transference number (t). D and t were usually obtained from nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) [1] and electrochemical experiments [2]. In an NMR measurement, the self-diffusion coefficient of each ion can precisely be determined. However, this technique can be used only for NMR active species and it is sometimes difficult to use due to the high cost. In contrast, electrochemical methods are advantageous in regards to the relative simplicity of the setup and the wide applicability to sample species. To the best of our knowledge, there is no single-step electrochemical measurement method to obtain D and t simultaneously. Thus, in this study, we developed this method. An equivalent electric circuit model of an experimental setup was proposed and the time course of ionic current was obtained by solving the time-dependent one-dimensional diffusion equation. The solution resistance and inverse electromotive force were considered in the boundary conditions. The blocking characteristics was also considered on the surface of a metal lithium electrode only for the anions. Initially, the ion concentration was uniform throughout the electrolyte. The time course of ionic current was calculated from the time evolution of ion concentration profiles in the electrolyte. Electrochemical measurement was also conducted by applying a constant voltage of 10 mV to the parallel-plate cell consisting of Li metal electrodes and 5 mM-electrolyte (LiClO4 salt was dissolved in dehydrated propylene carbonate; PC) at 25 °C. The diffusion coefficient (D) and transference number (t) of the electrolyte were obtained by fitting the analytical solution of the time course of ionic current to the transient current measured under potentiostatic condition. The fitting range was 0.08–1.0 s. From the curve fitting, D = 5.02 × 10-6 cm2 s-1 and t_ = 0.67 (anionic transference number) were obtained. Regarding D, the measured value of 2.6 × 10-6 cm2 s-1 was reported for 1 M LiClO4–PC electrolyte [3]. Although the electrolyte concentrations were not identical, these two values were comparable to each other. However, as the electrolyte concentration increased, the analytical solution of the time course of ionic current poorly reproduced the measured one. This suggests that the effect of strong interactions between ions should also be considered on the transport model at high electrolyte concentrations [4]. References [1] C. Capiglia et al., J. Power Sources, 81, 859 (1999). [2] J. Xu et al., J. Electrochem. Soc., 143, L44 (1996). [3] M. W. Verbrugge et al., J. Electroanal. Chem. 367, 123 (1994). [4] J.O.'M. Bockris et al., Modern Electrochemistry, vol. 1, Ionics, second ed., Plenum, New York and London, 1998 (Chapters 3).

4He crystals in a 96% porosity aerogel were grown by pressurization at 0.85 K; however, liquid pockets remained uncrystallized, even with application of a further overpressure, due to the absence o...

The phase boundary between the quantum solid and the liquid phases of $^{4}\mathrm{He}$ is strongly modified in a porous material. However the phase diagram at very low temperatures remains unexplored. We have used a variable-volume experimental cell with optical access to visualize the crystallization of $^{4}\mathrm{He}$ in silica aerogels with independent control of the pressure and temperature. The onset of crystallization was investigated in two aerogel samples with differing porosity both by pressurization at constant temperature and by cooling at constant pressure. With isothermal pressurization we have established a low-temperature phase diagram for each aerogel, and we find that the equilibrium crystallization pressure is reduced with increasing aerogel porosity. Crystals also began to grow in the aerogel on cooling at fixed pressure below an onset temperature ${T}_{\mathrm{grow}}$. We found that below this temperature the crystallization rate increased with decreasing temperature. The aerogel in our cell was surrounded by bulk crystals of $^{4}\mathrm{He}$, and surprisingly ${T}_{\mathrm{grow}}$ was found to be widely distributed when the surrounding bulk crystals were repressurized. In this experimental arrangement, crystallization within the aerogel on cooling requires mass flow from these exterior bulk crystals and is strongly influenced by the disordered structure at the interface between the bulk solid and the helium within the aerogel.

Using a variable volume cell, we were able to crystallize 4He in aerogels at a constant temperature. The entire crystallization process was monitored visually owing to the transparency of the aerogel. Two different crystallization processes of 4He in aerogels were observed: creep at high temperatures and avalanche at low temperatures. In a 96 % porosity aerogel, we noticed that 4He remained liquid in some parts of the cell even though other parts of the aerogel were completely crystallized. Once such a situation was formed, the application of additional pressure did not further crystallize the liquid. This is presumably because a supply path of 4He atoms from the bulk crystal was blocked by the crystals in the aerogel. This leftover liquid, however, was found to begin to crystallize via avalanches when cooled below a particular temperature. If the crystallization pressure in aerogel is temperature independent at low temperatures as the bulk crystallization pressure, the crystallization by cooling is rather unusual. Possible explanations would be a decrease of the crystallization pressure in aerogel in the low temperature region, or the supersolidity of crystals in aerogel playing some role in mass transport.

Crystallization of 4He in aerogels of 90 and 96% porosities shows a dynamical phase transition at around 600 mK due to the competition between thermal fluctuation and disorder: crystals grow via creep at high temperatures and via avalanche at low temperatures. In a very high porosity 99.5% aerogel, however, the transition had not been observed in our previous publication (Nomura et al. in Phys. Rev. Lett. 101:175703, 2008). We improved the spatial resolution of the video image and found that the 99.5% aerogel did have the transition at around 200 mK, which is much lower than those of the lower porosities. The avalanche size is significantly smaller in the 99.5% aerogel. The reduction in the transition temperature and avalanche size may be the consequence of weaker disorder for the crystallization in the very high porosity aerogel.

The fabrication of single crystalline Li 0.44 MnO 2 nanowires for the positive electrode of lithium ion battery is reported. The single crystalline Li 0.44 MnO 2 nanowires are obtained by lithium exchange reaction of Na 0.44 MnO 2 nanowires with high aspect ratio. The Li 0.44 MnO 2 nanowires indicate both the large specific capacity of around 250 mAh g −1 (1.5–4.5 V vs. Li/Li + ) and the good high current density property for the positive electrode of lithium ion battery.

Previously, we reported the fabrication of Na0.44MnO2 and LiMn2O4 single crystalline nanowire structure. Moreover, these electrodes showed good high rate property as lithium ion battery, because the nanostructure electrode is suitable for high rate lithium ion battery. Especially, the fabrication of LiMn2O4 single crystalline nanowire was very interesting results because the synthesis of 1-dimesional single crystal structure of LiMn2O4 is very difficult based on cubic crystal structure without anisotropic structure. The LiMn2O4 single crystalline nanowire was obtained thorough the self template method using Na0.44MnO2 nanowire. In this paper, we report the fabrication of Na0.44MnO2 and LiMn2O4 single crystalline nanowire structure and the property of lithium ion battery as review paper.

A triaxial LiFePO4 nanowire with a multi wall carbon nanotube (VGCF:Vapor-grown carbon fiber) core column and an outer shell of amorphous carbon was successfully synthesized through the electrospinning method. The carbon nanotube core oriented in the direction of the wire played an important role in the conduction of electrons during the charge-discharge process, whereas the outer amorphous carbon shell suppressed the oxidation of Fe2+. An electrode with uniformly dispersed carbon and active materials was easily fabricated via a single process by heating after the electrospinning method is applied. Mossbauer spectroscopy for the nanowire showed a broadening of the line width, indicating a disordered coordination environment of the Fe ion near the surface. The electrospinning method was proven to be suitable for the fabrication of a triaxial nanostructure.

We report the fast charge–discharge Li ion battery based on the nanostructural controlled Na 0.44 MnO 2 wires with high aspect ratio. The good fast charge–discharge property is observed because the single crystalline Na 0.44 MnO 2 nanowires have a high electronic conductivity as electrode active materials of lithium ion battery due to the one-dimensional single crystalline nanowire. Moreover, such nanosize structure could reduce the required lithium diffusion length in the active materials to the several tens of nanometer, also reduce the effective specific current density by high surface area, and increase the stability of cycle performance by the one-dimensional single crystalline structure.

A method was developed for preparing perpendicular TiO2 nanosheet films from titanate nanosheet films produced on a titanium metal sheet by hydrothermal treatment with aqueous urea. The method is based on the consideration of some important points relating to the thermodynamics of nucleation and crystal growth. The resulting anatase TiO2 nanosheet films showed a specific superhydrophilicity without the need for any prior UV irradiation.

In this paper, the corrosion phenomenon occurred on the polycrystalline gold substrates has been for the first time observed by in situ quartz crystal microbalance (QCM) method for adsorption of alkanethiol monolayers, which may be attributed to thiol-induced dissolution of gold during the adsorption process in the presence of oxygen. It is evident from the image of many corrosive defects or holes produced on the surface of gold grains by using atomic force microscopy (AFM). The kinetic equation on corrosion rate of gold dissolved in the organothiol solution has been obtained. The gold corrosion rate at fast stage can be estimated to be 9.2 × 1011 Au atoms cm-2 s-1.

A practical farm work planning is important for agricultural production corporations to manage the farming work systematically and efficiently. Since the farm work planning corresponds to a NP hard scheduling problem, a satisfactory and rational farm work planning is difficult to be generated by conventional approaches. This paper proposes a new concept of applying the Petri net and simulated annealing (SA) algorithm to develop a farm work planning for the agricultural production corporations. The necessary data for farm work planning including the data of farming process and changes of uncertainties is recorded by a cellular phone equipped with a GPS (Global Positioning System) function and an Internet connection. Petri net mathematically and graphically describes the farming process, and simulates the farming activation and resource allocation. The marking that is one of properties of Petri net facilitates mastering the farming progress and the online status of the farmland and resources. According to the formulation of farming process, we developed the SA algorithm to obtain high-quality solutions approximated to the optimum solution for the farm work planning. In the experimental evaluation on the simulation data between the SA algorithm and conventional local search algorithm, the scheduled length by the SA algorithm was much shorter than that by the local search algorithm. The result revealed that the SA algorithm had high superiority to generate high-quality solution for the farm work planning.

The remote voltage generation was successfully realized by the sono-electrochemical process. It was resulted from the formation of surface oxygen species and subsequent oxidation of adsorbed poisoning species over the platinum surface under the irradiation of ultrasound. The irradiation of ultrasound effectively oxidized the carbon monoxide on the platinum, which could be a new option for the removal of carbon monoxide. Under the irradiation of ultrasound (frequency = 100 kHz), we obtained the static voltage of 50 mV in the methanol solution, 40 mV in the ethanol solution, and 100 mV in the glucose solution. The voltage could be controlled by the selection of organics, change of frequency and time of application. Our results bring out a unique application of the ultrasound as the removal of carbon monoxide and remote voltage generation devices, and sensors. This may also have an immense potential in biomedical applications. Keywords: Voltage generation, Sonochemical process, Ultrasound, CO oxidation

Pr-substituted Bi4Ti3O12 (BPT, Bi4-xPrxTi3O12, x=0.1-0.4) polycrystalline thick films with a-/b-axes orientations and thickness of 2-3 μm were grown on sputter-grown IrO2 layers by chemical solution deposition method for developing lead-free piezoelectric film microdevices. Electric-field-induced strains measurements were performed by double-beam laser displacement meter and longitudinal strain of e=0.25 % under 400 kV/cm and piezoelectric coefficient d33=63 pm/V at 10 Hz were observed in BPT thick film of x=0.1 with a-/b-axes mixed orientations. The value of strain closely related to spontaneous polarization and monotonously decreased with increasing x. Microstructures of 3 μm-thick BPT films were fabricated by photolithography and dry etching processes with several tens micrometers in size.

Nd-substituted Bi4Ti3O12 (BNT) polycrystalline thin films with preferred a-/b-axes orientations were grown on sputter-grown IrO2(101) layers by chemical solution deposition method. After optimizing the heat treatment conditions, insulating characters and ferroelectric properties in 250-nm-thick BNT thin films with a-/b-axes orientations were investigated at room temperature. Low leakage current density of J=10-7~10-8 A/cm2 at 100 kV/cm and fair value of remnant polarization (2Pr=31 μC/cm2 at 400 kV/cm) were measured even though the Bi2O2 blocking layer aligned parallel to the film normal.

Thin, semiconducting BaTiO 3 ceramic wires prepared in the present study exhibited reversible stress-induced, nonlinear current-voltage characteristics across several grain boundaries. A remarkable change in resistance with the application (by the three-point bending method) of only ∼1% tensile deformation indicated that the BaTiO 3 wires may have potential as stress-sensing devices. Resistance in the BaTiO 3 wires both increased and decreased with increasing tensile stress parallel to the electric fields, far below the ferroelectric transition temperature, T c ; in Sr-substituted wires near T c , on the other hand, resistance only increased. Detailed studies of the patterns and fluctuation of polarization at grain boundaries could be meaningful, because stress-sensing characteristics may be induced by changes in the relative angle between polarization vectors of adjacent grains.

Definite increases in the Curie point (TC) of undoped and lanthanum- (La-) doped (

Nd-substituted Bi4Ti3O12 (BNT) polycrystalline thin films with preferred a-/b-axes orientations were grown on sputter-grown IrO2(101) layers by chemical solution deposition method. After optimizing the heat treatment conditions, insulating characters and ferroelectric properties in 250-nm-thick BNT thin films with a-/b-axes orientations were investigated at room temperature. Low leakage current density of J=10-7~10-8 A/cm2 at 100 kV/cm and fair value of remnant polarization (2Pr=31 μC/cm2 at 400 kV/cm) were measured even though the Bi2O2 blocking layer aligned parallel to the film normal.

(001)-/(100)-oriented epitaxial PZT films and fiber-textured PZT films with a thickness of 2 μ m were deposited on (100) c SrRuO3//(100)SrTiO3 and (111)Pt/TiO2/SiO2/(100)Si substrates, respectively, by metalorganic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD). Crystal structure and the electrical properties were compared for epitaxial PZT films with those of fiber-textured ones, which had the same out-of-plane orientation but different in-plane orientation. The constituent phase change from the single phase of tetragonal PZT, mixture phases of tetragonal and rhombohedral ones and the single phase of rhombohedral one for both films when the Zr/(Zr + Ti) ratio increased. The out-of-plane lattice parameter of (001)- and (100)-axes of PZT films were almost the same value for both films. This indicates the residual strain in the PZT films was almost the same. Dielectric constant (ϵ r) took the maximum value around the MPB composition for (001)-/(100)-oriented fiber-textured films but was almost independent of the Zr/(Zr ...