Etch characteristics of maskless oxide/nitride/oxide/nitride (ONON) stacked structure using CHF-based gas.

Oxide/Nitride/Oxide/Nitride (ONON; SiO/SiN/SiO/SiN) stacked structure is widely used in the 3D vertical structure of semiconductor cells. Previously, to form a 3D cells, photoresist (PR) was patterned and repeatedly trimmed on the top of ONON after the etching of one ON layer. Due to the time-consuming process of etching layer-by-layer of ON layer, two-step etch processing using CF-based or CF-based gases composed of maskless ONON stack feature etching and followed one ON layer-by layer etching by PR trimming in the ONON stack feature are employed these days.

Screening major depressive disorder using vocal acoustic features in the elderly by sex.

Background: Vocal acoustic features are potential biomarkers of elderly depression. Previous automated diagnostic tests for depression have employed unstandardized speech samples, and few studies have considered differences in voice reactivity. We aimed to develop a voice-based screening test for depression measuring vocal acoustic features of elderly Koreans while they read a series of mood-inducing sentences (MIS).

Driving-Related Adverse Events in the Elderly Men: A Population-Based Prospective Cohort Study.

Objective: This study estimated the incidence of driving-related adverse events and examined the association of cognitive function with the risk of future driving-related adverse events in the elderly Korean male population.

Methods: We analyzed 1,172 male drivers aged 60 years or older in the Korean Longitudinal Study on Cognitive Aging and Dementia (KLOSCAD). Using the data from Korean National Police Agency, we classified the participants into three groups: safe driving (drove for 2 years after baseline without a traffic accident or repeated violations), driving cessation (stopped driving), and risky driving (one or more traffic accidents or repeated violations).

Low Diastolic Blood Pressure and Cognitive Decline in Korean Elderly People: The Korean Longitudinal Study on Cognitive Aging and Dementia.

Objective: Cardiovascular diseases are representative risk factors for the onset of cognitive decline. The purpose of this study was to confirm the relationship between diastolic blood pressure and cognitive function in elderly people in Korea.

Methods: Data from subjects who were enrolled in the prospective Korean Longitudinal Study on Cognitive Aging and Dementia were used in this study.

Normal-But-Low Serum Folate Levels and the Risks for Cognitive Impairment.

Objective: This study aimed to examine the association between normal-but-low folate levels and cognitive function in the elderly population using a prospective cohort study.

Methods: We analyzed 3,910 participants whose serum folate levels were within the normal reference range (1.5-16.

Overview of the Korean Longitudinal Study on Cognitive Aging and Dementia.

Objective: Due to an unprecedented rate of population aging, South Korea is facing a dementia epidemic. For this reason, the Korean Longitudinal Study on Cognitive Aging and Dementia (KLOSCAD) was launched in 2009 with support from the Korean Health Industry Development Institute to investigate the epidemiology, biopsychosocial risk factors, and outcomes of dementia and dementia-related conditions.

Methods: The KLOSCAD is the first nationwide multi-center population-based prospective cohort study.

Gait Variability Can Predict the Risk of Cognitive Decline in Cognitively Normal Older People.

Background: The aim of this study was to investigate the association of gait speed and gait variability, an index of how much gait parameters, such as step time, fluctuate step-to-step, with risk of cognitive decline in cognitively normal elderly individuals. While high gait variability is emerging as an early indicator of dementing illnesses, there is little research on whether high gait variability predicts cognitive decline in cognitively normal elderly who have no evidence of cognitive impairment.

Methods: In this 4-year prospective cohort study on 91 community-dwelling cognitively normal elderly individuals without cerebral ischemic burden or Parkinsonism, we evaluated gait speed and step time variability using a tri-axial accelerometer placed on the center of body mass, and diagnosed mild cognitive impairment (MCI) according to the International Working Group on MCI.

Effects of lifetime cumulative ginseng intake on cognitive function in late life.

Background: We investigated the effects of lifetime cumulative ginseng intake on cognitive function in a community-dwelling population-based prospective cohort of Korean elders.

Methods: Community-dwelling elders (N = 6422; mean age = 70.2 ± 6.

Sleep and cognitive decline: A prospective nondemented elderly cohort study.

Objective: To investigate sleep disturbances that induce cognitive changes over 4 years in nondemented elderlies.

Methods: Data were acquired from a nationwide, population-based, prospective cohort of Korean elderlies (2,238 normal cognition [NC] and 655 mild cognitive impairment [MCI]). At baseline and 4-year follow-up assessments, sleep-related parameters (midsleep time, sleep duration, sleep latency, subjective sleep quality, sleep efficiency, and daytime dysfunction) and cognitive status were measured using the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index and Consortium to Establish a Registry for Alzheimer's Disease Assessment, respectively.

Efficacy of the Ubiquitous Spaced Retrieval-based Memory Advancement and Rehabilitation Training (USMART) program among patients with mild cognitive impairment: a randomized controlled crossover trial.

Background: Spaced retrieval training (SRT) is a nonpharmacological intervention for mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and dementia that trains the learning and retention of target information by recalling it over increasingly long intervals. We recently developed the Ubiquitous Spaced Retrieval-based Memory Advancement and Rehabilitation Training (USMART) program as a convenient, self-administered tablet-based SRT program. We also demonstrated the utility of USMART for improving memory in individuals with MCI through an open-label uncontrolled trial.

Multimodal Cognitive Enhancement Therapy for Patients with Mild Cognitive Impairment and Mild Dementia: A Multi- Center, Randomized, Controlled, Double-Blind, Crossover Trial.

We developed and evaluated the effect of Multimodal Cognitive Enhancement Therapy (MCET) consisting of cognitive training, cognitive stimulations, reality orientation, physical therapy, reminiscence therapy, and music therapy in combination in older people with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) or mild dementia. This study was a multi-center, double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled, two-period cross-over study (two 8-week treatment phases separated by a 4-week wash-out period). Sixty-four participants with MCI or dementia whose Clinical Dementia Rating was 0.

Impacts of Illiteracy on the Risk of Dementia: A Global Health Perspective.

Despite its significance as a contributing factor for late-life dementia risk, illiteracy is frequently underappreciated in the management of dementia. In this study, we estimated the proportion of dementia cases attributable to illiteracy using the population attributable fraction (PAF), and calculated to what extent the monetary cost of dementia could be saved in the future by reducing illiteracy from the South Korean, Latin American, South Asian/Middle Eastern, and African populations. We collected necessary data from the 2011 United Nations Human Development Report and prevalence studies conducted in these regions.