Development of an objective fabric pilling evaluation method. II. Fabric pilling grading using artificial neural network

An objective pilling evaluation method has been developed using image analysis and artificial neural network. Pilling parameters obtained in the previous study were used as the input values for neural network. A total of 9 data sets including 5 standard grades and 4 interpolated intermediate grades were used for training the network. Nine samples were prepared to verify the validity of the trained network in comparison with the subjective evaluation results. 18 woven and 12 knitted samples were tested to investigate the effect of the fabric structure on the performance of the network. Finally, 55 woven fabric samples were tested to evaluate the performance of the newly developed method and it was proven to be suitable for the evaluation of pilling grade especially for woven fabrics.     

Development of a platform for realistic garment drape simulation

An integrated platform for garment drape simulation system has been developed. In this system, garment patterns from conventional two-dimensional CAD systems can be assembled into a three-dimensional garment on a parametrically resizable realistic human body model. A fast and robust particle-based physical calculation engine has been developed for garment shape generation. Then a series of geometric and graphical techniques were applied to create realistic impressions on simulated garments. This system can be used as the rapid prototyping tool for garments in the future quick-response system.     

Glycol Chitosan-Based Fluorescent Theranostic Nanoagents for Cancer Therapy

Theranostics is an integrated nanosystem that combines therapeutics with diagnostics in attempt to develop new personalized treatments with enhanced therapeutic efficacy and safety. As a promising therapeutic paradigm with cutting-edge technologies, theranostic agents are able to simultaneously deliver therapeutic drugs and diagnostic imaging agents and also monitor the response to therapy. Polymeric nanosystems have been intensively explored for biomedical applications to diagnose and treat various cancers. In recent years, glycol chitosan-based nanoagents have been developed as dual-purpose materials for simultaneous diagnosis and therapy. They have shown great potential in cancer therapies, such as chemotherapeutics and nucleic acid and photodynamic therapies. In this review, we summarize the recent progress and potential applications of glycol chitosan-based fluorescent theranostic nanoagents for cancer treatments and discuss their possible underlying mechanisms.     

Placotylene A,an Inhibitor of the Receptor Activator of Nuclear Factor-κB Ligand-Induced Osteoclast Differentiation,from a Korean Sponge Placospongia sp.

A new inhibitor, placotylene A (1), of the receptor activator of nuclear factor-κB ligand (RANKL)-induced osteoclast differentiation, and a regioisomer of placotylene A, placotylene B (2), were isolated from a Korean marine sponge Placospongia sp. The chemical structures of placotylenes A and B were elucidated on the basis of 1D and 2D NMR, along with MS spectral analysis and revealed as an iodinated polyacetylene class of natural products. Placotylene A (1) displayed inhibitory activity against RANKL-induced osteoclast differentiation at 10 μM while placotylene B (2) did not show any significant activity up to 100 μM, respectively.     

Preparation of poly(vinyl alcohol)/ZrO2 composite nanofibers via co-axial electrospinning with higher ZrO2 particle content

Poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA)/zirconium oxide (ZrO₂) composite nanofibers with a skin-core structure were prepared and the effect of ZrO₂ particle content on uniform web formation was investigated. The optimized polymer concentration, tip to collector distance, and applied voltage for electrospinning were 11 wt%, 12 cm, and 20 kV, respectively. Skin-core PVA/ZrO₂ composite nanofibers containing up to 12 wt% ZrO₂ were successfully prepared, but it was difficult to obtain PVA/ZrO₂ composite nanofiber webs via conventional electrospinning. Increasing the amount of ZrO₂ caused the morphology of the PVA/ZrO₂ composite nanofibers to become a non-uniform nanoweb with irregular nanofiber diameters. While it was difficult to obtain a uniform nanofiber web containing a content of ZrO₂ over 6 wt% for conventional electrospinning, a more uniform nanofiber web could be obtained at up to 9 wt% ZrO₂ using a skin-core dual nozzle. More uniform webs could also be obtained when ZrO₂ was in the skin rather than the core.     

Effect of polystyrene mixing on mechanical properties and structural changes in melt spinning

To increase the spinning speed of poly(trimethylene terephthalate) (PTT) fibers, polystyrene (PS) was selected as an additive polymer in the PTT matrix. Mixing of the immiscible PS with PTT led to an increase in spinning speed up to 5,500 m/min. PS was employed to improve the extensibility of the matrix PTT in the spinning process as it can prevent PTT molecular orientation. Experimental results show that the mixing of PS achieved this. The elongation at break of spun fibers increased with the amount of PS. PS addition prevented fiber orientation, especially amorphous orientation, and improved drawability, and as such, increased spinning speed up to 5,500 m/min.     

Effect of solvent and blended polymer on electrical conductivity of PEDOT:PSS/polymer blended nanofibers

Poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene)/poly(styrene sulfonate) (PEDOT:PSS) and polyethylene oxide (PEO) (or polyvinyl alcohol (PVA)) blended electrospun nanofibers were prepared in the presence of dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) and ethylene glycol (EG). The effects of added solvents (DMSO and EG) and blended polymers (PEO and PVA) on electrical conductivity and current-voltage (I-V) response were investigated. Electrical conductivity was dependent on both the additional solvent and blended polymers. PEDOT:PSS/PEO blended nanofibers showed a much higher electrical conductivity than PEDOT:PSS/PVA. EG blended PEDOT:PSS/PEO blended nanofibers showed much higher electrical conductivity than DMSO. The PEDOT:PSS/PEO/EG blended nanofibers web showed the highest value in I-V response.     

Basic study on the two-tone color dyeing of PET and PVC wig fibers by carrier dyeing method

PET or PVC wig fibers are usually colored by the dope dyeing method in which the pigment or color master batch is mixed before the spinning process. However, the colored fibers need to be dyed again to obtain a two-tone color along the longitudinal fiber direction. In this study, PET and PVC fibers were dyed by the carrier dyeing method using a disperse dye, and the dyeing behavior was investigated. The fiber was dyed at various carrier and dye concentrations. The dye uptake increased with increasing carrier concentration or dye concentration. The saturation of the dye uptake was observed in each case. No change of the glass transition temperature (T_g) was observed in the 1st run of the DSC thermogram, however, a decrease in the value of T_g was observed in the 2nd run performed after the 1st run sample was quenched and re-measured. The reduction in the value of T_g implies that the carrier acted as a plasticizer in the fiber and enhanced the segmental mobility of the polymer chains. The dyeing temperature and carrier concentration were varied and the diffusion coefficients of the dye and activation energy were measured. The activation energy was increased at a higher carrier concentration, because the carrier acted as a plasticizer and lowered the energy barrier to the penetration of the dye molecule into the polymer chains.     

Analysis of Variation in Anthocyanin Composition in Korean Coloured Potato Cultivars by LC-DAD-ESI-MS and PLS-DA

Anthocyanin concentration and composition and the effect of steaming and baking on these were evaluated in tubers of Korean red- and purple-fleshed potato cultivars and breeding clones using liquid chromatography with diode array detection and electrospray ionization-mass spectrometry (LC-DAD-ESI-MS). Twenty-six anthocyanins were isolated, of which 24 were identified. Remarkably, five cis isomers were identified, of which four, viz., cis-petanin, cis-peonanin, petunidin 3-cis-caffeoylrutinoside-5-glucoside, and petunidin 3-cis-feruloylrutinoside-5-glucoside, are reported for the first time. Moreover, pelargonidin 3-p-coumaroylrutinoside-5-glucoside (pelanin), peonidin 3-p-coumaroylrutinoside-5-glucoside (peonanin) and petunidin 3-p-coumaroylrutinoside-5-glucoside (petanin) were identified as the principal anthocyanins. We found that the total anthocyanin content of coloured potatoes was decreased by steaming and baking compared with the raw state. In addition, we performed partial least square discriminant analysis (PLS-DA) to discriminate between the analyzed anthocyanins. Cis isomers seemed to play a vital role as a biomarker in the PLS-DA model based on the type of processing and colour of the tubers.     

Effect of sericin blending on molecular orientation of regenerated silk fiber

The use of regenerated silk fiber is limited due to its inferior mechanical properties in spite of high potential in a wide variety of applications. Many studies have been conducted in order to improve the mechanical properties of the regenerated silk materials, but no one has so far suggested an obvious solution. Meanwhile, some reports showed evidence that structural development of silk protein can be manipulated by physical interactions between silk fibroin (SF) and silk sericin (SS) during the regeneration process, especially in recrystallization process of SF. Such a hypothesis suggests a promising clue to enhance the mechanical properties of silk-based materials. Therefore, in this study, we tried to elucidate how SS can promote developing the molecular chain orientation of SF, resulting in an improvement of mechanical properties of regenerated silk fiber during spinning process. The tensile properties of the regenerated silk fiber were significantly improved compared to those of pure SF fiber when a proper amount of SS was blend with SF; both tenacity and breaking elongation increased by approximately 30 % and 70 % at three fold draw ratio, respectively. Quantitative analysis of X-ray diffraction and Herman’s orientation coefficient confirmed that such an improvement of tensile property was mainly caused by an increase of molecular orientation induced by sericin during the drawing process.