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.     

Union dyeing of the photografted PET/wool blend fabrics with dimethylaminopropyl methacrylamide

Dimethylaminopropyl methacrylamide (DMAPMA) was grafted onto PET/wool blend fabrics by continuous UV irradiation. Union dyeing of the photografted fabrics was investigated using three reactive dyes of α-bromoacrylamide reactive groups. The influence of grafting yield, DMAPMA concentration, NaCl amount, pH value, and dyeing temperature on the dyeability was evaluated. The dyeability of both PET and wool components was improved significantly by the DMAPMA photografting and successive reactive dyeing. Although the dyeability of the PET component in the blend substantially was improved with higher grafting, equal dyeability between PET and wool was difficult to achieve due to more facile grafting and higher reactivity of the wool component compared with the modified PET component. However, the color fastness of the PET/wool blend fabric was excellent for all three colors. This study may offer a way to achieve union dyeing of PET/wool blend fabrics.     

Antioxidant Effect of Dietary Supplement Withania somnifera L. Reduce Blood Glucose Levels in Alloxan-Induced Diabetic Rats

The phenolic compounds and flavonoids were determined from the extracts of Withania somnifera root (WSREt) and leaf (WSLEt). The WSREt has 28.26 mg/g total phenolic compounds and 17.32 mg/g flavonoids, whereas WSLEt has 5.4 mg/g total phenolic compounds and 5.1 mg/g flavonoids. The WSREt, WSLEt and glibenclamide were orally administered daily to diabetic rats for 8 weeks. After the treatment, the levels of urine sugar, blood glucose, liver glycogen, and antioxidants like vitamin C and E in plasma and superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS), glutathione peroxidase (GPx), glutathione-S-transferase (GST) and reduced glutathione (GSH) in liver, kidney and heart were determined. Diabetic rats showed a significant (p < 0.05) elevation in glucose and TBARS and a significant (p < 0.05) reduction in glycogen, vitamin C and E, SOD, CAT, GPx, GST, and GSH levels when compared to normal control rats. Administration of WSREt, WSLEt and glibenclamide to diabetic rats restored the levels to normal. In the light of aforesaid facts, it is suggested that the presence of phenolic compounds including flavonoids in W. somnifera root and leaf extracts and their antioxidant activity may play a vital role in reduction of blood glucose level in alloxan-induced diabetic rats.     

Three AFLP markers tightly linked to the genic male sterility <Emphasis Type="Italic">ms</Emphasis><Subscript><Emphasis Type="Italic">3</Emphasis></Subscript> gene in chili pepper (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Capsicum annuum</Emphasis> L.) and conversion to a CAPS marker

Genic male sterility (GMS) has long been used as a tool for hybrid seed production in chili pepper (Capsicum annuum L.). We developed DNA markers linked to the GMS ms ₃ gene in a segregating population using bulked segregant analysis (BSA) and amplified fragment length polymorphism (AFLP) techniques. The segregating population was subjected to BSA-AFLP with 512 primer combinations. Three AFLP markers (Eagg/Mccc₂₇₆, Eagc/Mctt₁₇₈, and Ecag/Mtgc₂₀₄) were identified as tightly linked to the ms ₃ locus. Among them, we converted the AFLP marker Ecag/Mtgc₂₀₄ to the cleavage amplified polymorphic sequence (CAPS) marker, named GMS3-CAPS, based on sequencing analysis of internal and flanking regions for the markers between male-fertile and sterile plants. This marker will be useful for pepper breeding using the GMS system.     

Breeding of tetra null soybean (Glycine max) for lipoxygenase,kunitz trypsin inhibitor,lectin, and 7S α' subunit proteins

Soybean seed includes various bioactive substances. Also, they contain a variety of antinutritional factors including lipoxygenase, Kunitz trypsin inhibitor (KTI), lectin, and 7S α' subunit proteins. The genetic removal of these proteins will improve the nutritional value of soybean seed. The objective of this research was to breed new soybean with tetra recessive alleles (lox1lox2lox3/lox1lox2lox3‐ti/ti‐le/le‐cgy1/cgy1) for lipoxygenase, KTI, lectin, and 7S α' subunit proteins. Seven parents were used to breed tetra null strain. SDS‐PAGE and Western blot analysis were used to determine the presence or absence of lipoxygenase, 7S α' subunit, KTI, and lectin proteins in mature seed. Tetra null soybean line has a purple flower, determinate growth habit, tan pod, and yellow seed coat colour. Stem height of the breeding line was 62.3 cm. The 100‐seed weight of the breeding line was 27.1 g and yield (t/ha) was 2.84. This is the first soybean strain with lox1lox2lox3/lox1lox2lox3‐ti/ti‐le/le‐cgy1/cgy1 genotype (absence of lipoxygenase, KTI, lectin, and 7S α' subunit proteins).     

Injection molding of vertebral fixed cage implant

A vertebral cage is a hollow medical device which is used in spine surgery. By implanting the cage into the spine column, it is possible to restore disc and relieve pressure on the nerve roots. Most cages have been made of titanium alloys but they detract the biocompatibility. Currently PEEK (polyether ether ketone) is applied to various implants because it has good properties like heat resistance, chemical resistance, strength, and especially biocompatibility. A new shape of vertebral cage is designed and injection molding of PEEK is considered for production. Before injection molding of the cage, it is needed to evaluate process conditions and properties of the final product. Variables affecting the shrinkage of the cage are considered, e.g., injection time, packing pressure, mold temperature, and melt temperature. By using the numerical simulation program, MOLDFLOW, several cases are studied. Data files obtained by MOLDFLOW analysis are used for stress analysis with ABAQUS, and shrinkage and residual stress fields are predicted. With these results, optimum process conditions are determined.     

Epoxidized polybutadiene as a thermal stabilizer for poly(3-hydroxybutyrate). II. Thermal stabilization of poly(3-hydroxybutyrate) by epoxidized polybutadiene

Epoxidized polybutadiene (EPB) was prepared by polybutadiene (PB) withm-chloroperbenzoic acid (MCPBA) in homogeneous solution. EPB was blended with poly(3-hydroxybutyrate) (PHB) up to 30 wt% by solution-precipitation procedure. The thermal decomposition of PHB/EPB blends was studied by thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and differential thermal analysis (DTA). The thermograms of PHB/EPB blends contained a two-step degradation process, while that of pure PHB sample exhibited only one-step degradation process. This degradation behavior of PHB/EPB blends, which have a higher thermal stability as measured by maximum decomposition temperature and residual weight, is probably due to crosslinking reactions of the epoxide groups in the EPB component with the carboxyl chain ends of PHB fragments during the degradation process, and the occurrence of such reactions can be assigned to the exothermic peaks in their DTA thermograms.     

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.     

A molecular dynamics simulation on the self-assembly of ABC triblock copolymers. 3. Effects of block composition in asymmetric triblock copolymers

The self-assembly of asymmetric ABC triblock copolymers in the ordered structure is investigated using an isothermal-isobaric molecular dynamics simulation. Unlike symmetric ABC triblock copolymers, more fascinating morphologies are observed in asymmetric ones because of a larger difference of incompatibility between the components. Various modes of self-assembly in assymmetric ABC triblock copolymers are also observed depending on the block composition. When the composition of block A is changed from 0.125 to 0.25 at the samef _B =0.25, the morphological transition from the “cylinder in cylinder” to “cylinders at cylinder” structure is observed in the simulation. In the case of ABC triblocks withf _B =0.5, a lamellar-type structure is changed to a cylinder-type structure with increasing the length of block A. When the mid-block length increases further tof _B =0.625, the “spheres on cylinder” structure is observed in both the A₁₀B₅₀C₂₀ and A₂₀B₅₀C₁₀ triblocks. From these results, the phase diagram of ABC triblock copolymers can be constructed. Dedicated to Professor Won-Jei Cho on the occasion of his retirement.     

Differential effects of treadmill exercise on calretinin immunoreactivity in type 2 diabetic rats in early and chronic diabetic stages

In this study, we investigated the effects of treadmill exercise on calretinin (CR), a marker of early postmitotic neurons, immunoreactivity in the dentate gyrus (DG) of Zucker diabetic fatty (ZDF) rats, before or after diabetes onset, and Zucker lean control (ZLC) rats. For this study, 6-week-old ZLC and prediabetic ZDF rats, and 22-week-old ZLC and ZDF rats were exercised on the treadmill. Sedentary ZLC and ZDF rats of the same age were used as exercise experiment controls. The exercised prediabetic ZDF rats did not show diabetes onset, while the sedentary prediabetic ZDF rats showed significantly increased blood glucose levels. The exercised diabetic ZDF rats exhibited a decrease in their blood glucose levels compared to the sedentary diabetic ZDF rats, but the levels were still above 20 mmol/l. ZLC rats of both ages were in the normoglycemic range. CR immunoreactivity was detected throughout the DG, including the subgranular zone and the polymorphic layer. Diabetic rats exhibited a significant decrease in the number of CR-immunoreactive cells and fibers in the DG. Exercise in the prediabetic ZDF rats significantly increased the number of CR-immunoreactive cells and fibers in the subgranular zone of the DG. In the ZLC and ZDF rats of chronic diabetic phase, exercise increased CR-immunoreactive neurons in the hilar region. These results suggest that diabetes significantly reduces the number of postmitotic CR-immunoreactive neurons and the intensity of immunoreactivity and that exercise increases these CR-related parameters in a diabetic stage-dependent manner.