Background: Early detection and appropriate treatment interventions for depressive symptoms in the elderly are important issues for healthcare systems. However, few studies to date have focused on understanding self-care strategies to manage depressive symptoms among elderly people worldwide. The purpose of this study was to explore self-care management strategies and risk factors for depressive symptoms among elderly outpatients in Taiwan.

Methods: A convenience sample of elderly persons (≥65 years old; N = 1054) was recruited from outpatient clinics of two hospitals in northern Taiwan.

Results: In our sample, the prevalence of depressive tendency was 16.3%. The majority of participants (70.1%) managed depressive symptoms with self-care strategies. The strategy most often used to relieve depressive symptoms was “take a walk.” The main information source for self-care strategies was self-learning. Depressive tendency in this sample was shown by logistic regression analysis to be significantly predicted by gender, marital status, perceived income adequacy, perceived health condition, stroke, and cancer.

Conclusion: Elderly people need to be made more aware of strategies to self-manage depressive symptoms. Healthcare providers can decrease/prevent the first risk factor for depressive symptoms (poor perceived health status) by improving elders’ perceived health and promoting their actual health. The second risk factor (poor perceived income adequacy) can be decreased/prevented by carefully assessing patients’ financial situation during clinic visits and providing suitable referral for further assistance.

This study presents the mechanical and electrical properties (including elastic modulus, yield strength and electrical resistance) of PDMS/CNTs nanocomposites. The elastic modulus and yield strength were determined from tensile tests. In addition, a high resistance meter was used to measure the electrical resistances of the PDMS/CNTs nanocomposites. The test specimens of nanocomposites were manufactured using the thermoforming method. There were two recipes used during the thermoforming process: 100 °C for 1 hour, and 150 °C for 15 minutes. The mixtures of PDMS and CNTs were stirred by ultrasonic instrument to prevent polymerization. A feeler gap was used to define the thickness of the specimens. Therefore, the thickness could be controlled within the range of ∼100 μm. Four different kinds of specimens were investigated, including pure PDMS, 1.0 wt%, 2.0 wt% and 4.0 wt% CNTs polymeric composites. As for the l00°C recipe, the elastic modulus of pure PDMS, 1.0 wt%, 2.0 wt%, and 4.0 wt% CNTs were 1.05MPa, 1.17MPa, 1.10MPa and 1.35MPa, respectively. A for the l50°C recipe, the elastic modulus of pure PDMS, 1.0 wt%, 2.0 wt% and 4.0 wt% CNTs were 1.32MPa, 1.42MPa, 1.43MPa, and 1.54MPa. The differences of electrical resistance of PDMS/CNTs nanocomposites at two different conditions and the microstructures composed of the mixtures are also described in this article.

Ferroelectric layered-perovskite BaBi2Ta2O9 has been successfully prepared through a novel process using BiTaO4 as a precursor. Heating the mixtures of BiTaO4 and BaCO3 at 900 °C without soaking results in the complete formation of the monophasic powder. In contrast, the conventional solid-state reaction requires soaking at 900 °C for 2 h to obtain the pure compound. Such prolonged heat treatment causes unfavorable growth of particles. In the new process, the formation of BaBi2Ta2O9 is markedly accelerated due to the suppression of the formation of a stable intermediate Ba5Ta4O15. In addition, this process yields submicron BaBi2Ta2O9 powder with significantly improved sinterability. Sintering at 1000 °C affords well-densified ceramics. On the other hand, heating at temperatures greater than 1100 °C causes BaBi2Ta2O9 to thermally decompose and form Bi2O3 and rod-like BaTa2O6. The formation of these rod-like grains results in the expansion of the matrix, thereby reducing the density.

The phase formation and microstructural development of SrBi2Ta2O9 thin films prepared via spin-coating using metalorganic solution on Pt/Ti/SiO2/Si substrates have been investigated in this study. The spun-on films started to crystallize from above 550 °C and were well crystallized at 800 °C. At higher than 850 °C a secondary phase having a pyrochlore structure was formed in the films. The analysis of EDS and SIMS confirmed that the interaction between the films and the titanium species which diffused outward from the titanium layer on substrates was the origin for the occurrence of the pyrochlore phase. In addition, varying the thickness of the coated films and platinum layers had remarkable influence on the formation amount of the pyrochlore phase.

The kinetics of formation, phase stabilities, and dielectric constants of Pb(Li1/4Fe1/4W1/2)O3 and BaTiO3-added Pb(Li1/4Fe1/4W1/2)O3 have been compared. The addition of 2 mol% BaTiO3 in Pb(Li1/4Fe1/4W1/2)O3 was confirmed to promote the complete formation of the perovskite phase at 700 °C. Also, the thermal stability of the perovskite phase was significantly enhanced, which resulted in an increase of the dielectric permittivity.

The addition of BaTiO3 to Pb(Ni1/3Nb2/3)O3 has been confirmed to vary the formation kinetics of the perovskite solid solutions of Pb(Ni1/3Nb2/3)O3-BaTiO3, and to suppress the generation of the pyrochlore phase. A semiquantitatively calculated reaction conversion verified that increasing the BaTiO3 content significantly accelerated the formation of the perovskite solid solutions. The formed solid solutions of Pb(Ni1/3Nb2/3)O3-BaTiO3 (up to 90 mol% of BaTiO3) exhibited a cubic symmetry at room temperature. The lattice parameter monotonously decreased with an increase in the BaTiO3 content. The structural stability of the perovskite phase was found to be enhanced by the addition of BaTiO3 as well. The formed solid solutions were able to maintain the perovskite structure without decomposition when heated up to 1250 °C. The frequency dependence of the apparent Curie temperature and the diffuseness of the dielectric peak of sintered specimens were increased with increasing the BaTiO3 content up to 50 mol%. Whereas with further addition, the relaxor characteristics in the specimens became obscure, associated with lower frequency dependence and less broadening of the dielectric maximum. The largest broadening of the dielectric peak occurred at x = 0.5, implying that this composition exhibited the most disordered structure, which is probably related to the most random arrangement of B-site cations in oxygen octahedran.