Search

Excellent antibacterial properties and self cleaning performance have been reported for rayon fibers containing titanium oxide silica complex photocatalyst. However, when these fibers are dyed, photocatalysis may also decompose the dye. In this study, a direct dye and a reactive dye were used to dye these fibers in order to examine the dye fading of the dyed these fibers. First, the dyed these fibers were subjected to UV irradiation in air. Neither the direct dye nor the reactive dye faded at all and the color hue of the dyed these fibers was very stable to ultraviolet light. Subsequently, the dyed these fibers were subjected to UV irradiation in water. Although both dyes were found to fade, the direct dye faded more readily than the reactive dye. The difference was more pronounced when these fibers were dyed in light colors. The difference was believed to show up because cellulose molecules making up rayon fibers bond with direct dye molecules through hydrogen bonds whereas cellulose molecules bond with reactive dye molecules through covalent bonds. Finally, to examine the photocatalytic function of the dyed rayon fibers containing titanium oxide silica complex photocatalyst, the dyed these fibers were subjected to UV irradiation while immersed in an methylene blue aqueous solution. Methylene blue underwent dye decomposition, showing that the dyed these fibers maintained an adequate photocatalytic function. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Wasted Green tea leaves were ground by different methods and papers containing the ground wasted Green tea leaves were prepared. The ground wasted Green tea leaves and the papers containing the ground wasted Green tea leaves were subjected to Scanning Electron Microscopy for morphological observation. The observation revealed that a mass-colloider ground wasted Green tea leaves to very thin films. As the clearance of the mass-colloider was widened from 40 µm to 150µm, the ground wasted Green tea leaves somewhat increased in thickness and turned into partially folded structures. In addition, after ground, the wasted Green tea leaves showed spiral vessels and vascular bundles extended into coil shapes by shear at the grinding. In contrast, wasted Green tea leaves ground with a bali mill were lumps ranging a few to 400 µm in size. The ground wasted Green tea leaves were used to prepare papers containing wasted Green tea leaves, which were observed. The observation revealed that papers containing wasted Green tea leaves ground with the mass-colloider had a layered structure in which the thin films of wasted Green tea leaves were layered in tight adhesion with networks of pulp fibers. In contrast, papers containing wasted Green tea leaves ground with the ball mill had a coarse structure in which lumps of the wasted Green tea leaves were buried in the network of pulp fibers. In addition, the papers containing wasted Green tea leaves ground by the two different methods were examined for tensile strength and bursting strength. The examination revealed little differences resulting from the different grinding methods, the mass-colloider and the ball mill, or from difference in the clearance of the mass-colloider. The result showed that the mechanical properties were mainly controlled by the pulp fibers in the papers containing wasted Green tea leaves and the wasted Green tea leaves made little contribution to the mechanical properties. On the other hand, papers containing wasted Green tea leaves were lower in stiffness than 100wt% pulp papers; especially papers containing wasted Green tea leaves ground with the ball mill were very soft. Furthermore, an examination of papers containing wasted Green tea leaves for permeability revealed that papers containing wasted Green tea leaves ground with the ball mill had much higher permeability than 100wt% pulp papers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: The study was a non-randomized, parallel-group comparison to evaluate the efficacy of a community-based weight reduction program with exercise and diet modification for overweight adults using existing community health services., Methods: The study population consisted of 1,115 community-dwelling people who underwent annual health checkups in 2002 and were screened by exclusion criteria (age> 65, body mass index (BMI) < 24.2). They received a mail request to select one of two courses; a usual single-session health instruction course (control group) or a 9-month weight management course (intervention group). Forty six patients registered in the intervention group, and fifty patients in the control group. The analyzed sample consisted of 76 participants (9 males and 67 females) excluding dropouts from November 2002 to July 2003. Intervention included monthly classes (2 hours per class, 9 classes) consisting of an individual support program for behavioral change and a community support program for continuation after the class. The control group participants received conventional instructions based on their health status., Results: No significant inter-group differences were observed at baseline, except in age and height of females. The mean BMI decreased from 27.2 (SD = 2.8) kg m(-2) to 25.3(3.1) kg m(-2) in the intervention group, and 26.4 (1.7) kg m(-2) to 26.1(1.7) kg m(-2) in the control group. Repeated measures analysis of variance showed significant time and group interaction adjusted for gender and age. The proportion showing maintenance and action in stage of exercise behavior increased in the intervention group (31% to 60%), but remained stable in the control group (45% to 48%) . The proportion showing maintenance and action in stage of diet behavior increased in the intervention group (24% to 80%), but remained stable in the control group (29% to 26%)., Conclusion: Community-based weight reduction programs may be effective to facilitate change in exercise and diet behavior for body weight reduction in overweight adults.

Regioselectively substituted alkylcellulose ethers having long alkyl side chains, 6-O- (6C18), 2,3-di-O- (23C18), and tri-O-octadecyl-cellulose (triC18) were successfully synthesized. The key step of these syntheses was removal of the residual alkylation reagent by an isothermal crystallization procedure to isolate and purify the compounds, since a physical entanglement between the long alkyl side chains in the cellulose derivatives and the reagent had caused difficulty in obtaining the purified derivatives. After the monolayers from these cellulose ethers were fabricated on a water surface, they were deposited on substrates by a vertical dipping method to be Langmuir-Blodgett (LB) monolayers. During the compression process of each monolayer, a surface pressure (pi)-area (A) isotherm behaved in a different way. Atomic force microscopy (AFM) was employed to interpret changes of the surface topography of the obtained LB monolayers depending on the surface pressure. The compressed 23C18 LB monolayer was observed to be more homogeneous than other samples. On the basis of the LB monolayer thickness estimated by AFM as well as X-ray reflection measurements, the 23C18 LB monolayer was assumed to possibly possess the vertical arrangement of an up-ordering of all the alkyl side chains on the individual glucose ring against the water surface. In other words, with increase in the surface pressure, the usual conformation of a 2(1) screw of cellulose backbone may be changed into an unusual conformation with a certain phi-psi dihedral angle resulting in 1-fold axis without a symmetry element. These results suggest that the formation of such compressed LB monolayers was strongly influenced by the hydrophobic interaction among the distribution of the long alkyl side chains in the anhydroglucose unit and further lack of inter- and/or intramolecular hydrogen bonds engaged in cellulose ethers, and as a result, those effects may even change the main chain conformation.