Study on the strength retention of technical cord yarn

This research studies the factors which influence the tensile strength of tire cords. Five yarn samples are made by changing the spinning conditions and viscosity to get various physical properties. Different twisting methods are introduced and the yarns are twisted under different processing conditions for each twisting process. With the experimental results, various analyses are performed to find the important factors in retaining strength after the twisting process. SEM and optical microscopic photographs are taken along with some measurements to assist the analysis.     

Aroma finishing of PET fabrics with PVAc nanoparticles containing lavender oil

A durable aroma finishing for PET fabric was carried out by adopting poly(vinyl acetate) (PVAc) nanoparticles containing lavender oil (LO) in core. Relatively small size of PVAc nanoparticles (ca. 244 nm of mean particle diameter) was expected to resist the frictional destruction of the particles, which is frequently observed in cases of microcapsules. PVAc nanoparticles containing LO in core were prepared by emulsification-diffusion method and their application as an aroma releasing agent for PET fabrics was assessed through the observation of releasing profiles of LO in ethanol for experimental acceleration. Melamine-formaldehyde (MF) microcapsules containing LO were also prepared and treated on fabrics for comparison. PVAc nanoparticles treated on PET fabric showed higher initial releasing amount, which was ascribed to the enhanced surface area. After 2 days of releasing, PET fabric treated with PVAc nanoparticles showed slower and more stable releasing profile and reached about 12 ppm of cumulative release after 16 days, which was under two thirds of that with MF microcapsules. PVAc nanoparticles can be used as an agent for durable aroma finishing of PET fabrics.     

The mechanical properties and abrasion behavior of warp knitted fabrics for footwear

The abrasion behavior of three kinds of warp knitted fabrics, which are normally used for upper sole of footwear, was evaluated. We measured the changes of mechanical and structural properties of each sample as abrasion cycle increased. Each sample showed similar trends in compression and surface properties but there were significant differences in abrasion rate among the samples. The mechanical properties showed remarkable differences with directions. The frictional coefficient (MIU) of fabric surface increased at the beginning of abrasion and decreased as abrasion cycles increased. The weight and thickness of the fabric linearly decreased with abrasion cycles. The surface roughness (SMD) and the compressional resilience (RC) decreased as abrasion cycles increased while compressional energy (WC) increased.     

Antioxidant activities of Korean rice wine concentrates

The antioxidant activities of six Korean rice wine (KRW) concentrates were measured by 2, 2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical scavenging activity and lipid/malonaldehyde (MA) assays. In the DPPH assay, the antioxidant activities of the KRW concentrates, including Maesilju (MSJ), Kookhwaju-1 (KHJ-1), Kookhwaju-2 (KHJ-2), Gugijaju (GGJ), Sasamju (SSJ), and Sogokju (SGJ), were 40%, 66%, 64%, 35%, 35%, and 63%, respectively. Furthermore, the concentrates inhibited the formation of MA from cod liver oil by 49%, 83%, 75%, 82%, 89%, and 90%, respectively, according to the lipid/MA assay. The sample wines were also analyzed for pH, titratable acidity, soluble solids (°Bx), and reducing sugars. The antioxidant activities of volatile extracts of the KRWs extracted by a solvent assisted flavor evaporation (SAFE) apparatus were evaluated by aldehyde/carboxylic acid assay. The volatile extracts of MSJ, KHJ-1, KHJ-2, GGJ, SSJ, and SGJ inhibited the oxidation of hexanal by 97%, 99%, 90%, 90%, 50%, and 51%, respectively. Among the nonvolatile extracts of KRWs, KHJ-2 showed the highest inhibitory effect on MA formation.     

Influenza virus neuraminidase inhibitory activity of phlorotannins from the edible brown alga Ecklonia cava

Influenza A virus infections continue to pose a major threat to humans and several animal species. Neuraminidase (NA) is one of the most promising targets for the development of drugs against influenza viruses because of its critical role in the viral life cycle. During the course of a search for NA inhibitors from edible natural sources, we found that the ethyl acetate layer of ethanol extracts of Ecklonia cava showed extremely high NA-inhibitory activity (72.1% inhibition at 30 μg/mL). Bioactivity-guided fractionation of the ethyl acetate layer yielded five phlorotannins, identified as phloroglucinol (1), eckol (2), 7-phloroeckol (3), phlorofucofuroeckol (4), and dieckol (5). The inhibitory activities of these compounds (1-5) against NAs from group-1 (A/Bervig_Mission/1/18 [H1N1], A/PR/8/34 [H1N1]) and group-2 (A/Hong Kong/8/68 [H3N2], A/Chicken/Korea/MS96/96 [H9N2]) influenza A were evaluated to determine potencies and kinetic behavior. Analyses using various in vitro influenza A virus NA assays showed that all five phlorotannin derivatives were selective NA inhibitors. Of the phlorotannins, phlorofucofuroeckol (4) exhibited the most potent inhibitory activities toward group-1 NAs (IC?? values, 4.5 and 14.7 μM), whereas dieckol (5) potently inhibited group-2 NAs. Kinetic analyses indicated that compounds 1-5 were all noncompetitive. Notably, these noncompetitive inhibitors synergized with oseltamivir to enhance the NA-inhibitory effects of oseltamivir.     

Rapid detection of plum pox virus by reverse transcription recombinase polymerase amplification

Journal of Plant Diseases and Protection - Plum pox virus (PPV) is one of the most destructive viral pathogens infecting stone fruit trees worldwide. As PPV causes a viral disease that requires...     

Removal of static electricity on polyimide film surface by O2 or Ar cold plasma etching

Cold plasma of O₂ or Ar was irradiated on hydrophobic Kapton surface to attenuate or remove the electrostatic potential. A measurement on charge dissipation speed clarifies the obscure effect of plasma. These consequences reveal that O₂ plasma etching is more effective than Ar plasma. After 30 days, the dissipation speed of accumulated charge on initially etched sample has not changed under summar season.     

The fabrication and characterization of the photovoltaic cells composed of polydiacetylene and fullerene

Propargyl alcohol was coupled to 2,4-hexadiyne-1,6-diol (HDD) and crystallized in the process of ultraviolet irradiation-induced topochemical polymerization. The HDD polymer crystals were used as one component in the fabrication of organic photovoltaic cells, in combination with fullerene as the electron acceptor. The various structures of the produced photovoltaic cells included bilayer, trilayer, and bulk heterojunction structures. Their photovoltaic properties were analyzed in relation to crystal structure, electrochemical properties, and band structure of the HDD polydiacetylene polymers.     

Pretreatment of diesel-contaminated hydrophobic soil using surfactant and sodium hexa-metaphosphate (Na-HMP) to improve infiltration of aqueous phase remedial agents in unsaturated soil

Journal of Soils and Sediments - The remediation of diesel-contaminated hydrophobic soil is difficult due to the inability of aqueous phase remedial agents to infiltrate the soil. This novel...     

Electrokinetic remediation of heavy metal-contaminated soils: performance comparison between one- and two-dimensional electrode configurations

Journal of Soils and Sediments - Electrokinetic (EK) soil remediation is significantly affected by the electrode configurations. Therefore, this study was conducted to compare the performance of...