ABSTRACT
A self-assembled nanocomposite of lamellar BiOBr covalently bonded with conductive network of dispersive one-dimensional carbon nanotubes (1D CNT) and two-dimensional reduced graphitic-like flakes (2D GF) had been in situ constructed using one-pot facile solvothermal technique. Through self-assembly, BiOBr/CNT/GF (BiOBr/CG) displayed three-dimensional architectures in which a strong interfacial contact interaction and covalent banding between BiOBr nanostructures and CNT/GF network appeared. Furthermore, visible-light-driven catalytic activity of BiOBr/CG for RhB dye degradation was superior to that of pure BiOBr or BiOBr/C. Interestingly, the photodegradation activity of the BiOBr/CG nanocomposite could be improved further by subsequent facile annealing treatment, in which the annealed BiOBr/CG-DS had degraded almost 97.9% of RhB dye within only 100 min of visible-light irradiation. Moreover, analysis of the photodegradation mechanism revealed that the repression of electron-hole recombination in the nanocomposites, with sufficient covalent interfacial contact with CNT/GF as effective electron collecting and transferring system, were responsible for the outstanding photocatalytic performance. This effect, in turn, led to the continuous generation of O2- and OH reactive oxygen species for the degradation of RhB dye, which was verified by active species trapping and ESR spectra.
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: The aim of this study was to explore the relationship between diabetes and depression and investigate the effects of comorbid diabetes and depression on healthcare utilization. METHODS: The study sample included 10,179 Korean adults aged ≥ 45 years. The presence of diabetes was assessed by asking participants if the participants had ever been diagnosed with diabetes. Depression was measured using the 10-item Center for Epidemiological Studies-Depression scale. Healthcare utilization was assessed by self-report. Multiple logistic regression analyses were performed. RESULTS: Diabetes was positively associated with depression after controlling socioeconomic and health variables. Diabetic patients who had low socioeconomic status, who were obese, who were smokers, and who had higher numbers of chronic diseases had a higher depression risk. Diabetes and depression was associated with increased healthcare utilization. People with both diabetes and depression had significantly increased odds of multiple physician visits, multiple hospital admissions, and prolonged hospitalization compared with individuals with neither diabetes nor depression. Patients with both diabetes and depression had greater odds of multiple hospital admissions than patients with diabetes alone. CONCLUSIONS: We found a positive association between diabetes and depression. Depression in persons with diabetes is associated with increased multiple hospital admissions. More research is warranted to clarify an association between co-occurring depression with diabetes and increased healthcare utilization.
ABSTRACT
We propose an optical structure for a vertical alignment (VA) liquid crystal (LC) cell with a wide viewing angle. The proposed LC cell consists of an A-plate and two C-plates for optical compensation. Optical compensation and optimization to eliminate off-axis light leakage in the entire visible wavelength range are performed on a Poincaré sphere using the Stokes vector and the Muller matrix method. After optimizing the wavelength dispersion of the retardation films that are used, we prove that the proposed VA LC cell can improve the viewing angle and contrast ratio by calculating optical characteristics, particularly in diagonal directions.