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The addition of silicalite-1 nanoparticles (0.2–20 wt%) increased slightly the crystallization temperature of HDPE with silicalite-1 content, at 20 wt% loading by ca. 2.5 °C, but it had little effect on the melting temperature. The nanocomposites displayed a little higher onset degradation temperature than pure polymer by 7–11 °C. The WAXD profiles showed that the intensity of diffraction peaks for HDPE was decreased with increasing silicalite-1 content from 5 wt% but that the peak position of every crystal plane did not shift in the presence of silicalite-1 nanoparticles. The incorporation of the nanoparticles increased the melt viscosity of HDPE with silicalite-1 content. It also increased both storage ( G ′) and loss modulus ( G ″). In the so-called Cole–Cole plot, pure HDPE showed a single master curve whose slope was 1.37, while the nanocomposites with 10 and 20 wt% silicalite-1 exhibited the inflection in the low frequency range before which the slopes were 1.22 and 1.02, respectively. Much more accelerated crystallization behavior under shear was observed with silicalite-1 content at the isothermal crystallization temperature of 125 °C than at 120 °C.

The purpose of the present study was to investigate the variations in histochemical characteristics of muscle samples segregated according to metabolic rates (MR) and pork quality attributes. A total of 231 crossbred Duroc x (Yorkshire x Landrace) pigs was evaluated. Samples of the LM were taken to evaluate histochemical characteristics, postmortem MR, and meat quality. Samples were classified into fast, normal, and slow MR groups based on muscle pH at 45 min and R-value. Drip loss and lightness (L*) were used to assign samples to 1 of 4 quality classes. Pale, soft, and exudative pork belonging in the fast group had the greatest (P < 0.05) percentage of type IIb fibers, and RSE (reddish-pink, soft, and exudative) pork belonging in the fast group had a similar tendency. Additionally, RFN (reddish-pink, firm, and nonexudative) pork belonging in the normal group showed a lower (P < 0.05) percentage of type IIb fibers than PSE or RSE, regardless of MR, and DFD pork had the lowest (P < 0.05) percentage of type IIb fibers. In general, the fast-glycolyzing PSE pork with the lowest pH at both 45 min and 24 h had greater percentages of type IIb fibers than the fast-glycolyzing RFN pork. There were more fiber-type composition differences between quality classes in pork undergoing a fast rate of metabolism compared with pork undergoing a normal rate of metabolism. It can be concluded that muscle histochemical characteristics are associated with early postmortem MR, the extent of glycolysis, and, thereby, pork quality; however, these effects are limited to the pigs exhibiting a fast glycolytic rate.

A crystallization monitoring system using a quartz crystal oscillator was implemented in the cooling crystallization of dilute lauric acid solutions for the investigation of the nucleation process of the solute. In addition, the microscopic observation of the oscillator surface was conducted to examine the number and size of yielded nuclei, and the observed results and the resonant frequency variation of the oscillator were analyzed to explain the nucleation process. The change of the resonant frequency indicated the beginning moments of emulsification and nucleation of lauric acid near the oscillator surface. The experimental results show that the average crystal size was raised from 139 to 238 nm and the nucleation rate was reduced as the solution concentration increased from 0.05 to 0.25 g/L. When the solution temperature lowers, the crystal grows more rather than new nuclei form in the high concentration solution. The estimated crystal mass from microscopic observation ranges between 18% and 28% of that from the frequency measurement. It was also demonstrated that the proposed monitoring device is useful to investigate the crystallization process in dilute solutions, which often requires large analytical instruments.

This study examined the effect of dietary alpha-tocopheryl acetate on lipid and cholesterol oxidation in retail packed chicken meat during refrigerated storage. Male broiler chicks were randomly assigned to five pens containing 30 chicks each, which was subjected to one of five dietary treatments (0, 50, 100, 200, or 400 IU of alpha-tocopheryl acetate/kg diet). Five different levels of alpha-tocopherol were supplied to the chicks from 3 to 6 weeks. After 42 d of feeding all the broilers were slaughtered, and the carcasses were packed in polyethylene bags individually, bags similar to those used in the retail trade, and stored for 12 d at 4 degrees C. Growth performance and fatty acid composition were not affected by the dietary alpha-tocopherol levels. The alpha-tocopherol content in breast and thigh muscles increased as the level of dietary alpha-tocopherol increased. The supplementation with 200 or 400 IU of alpha-tocopherol was more effective in reducing the level of lipid oxidation (P0.05) and total cholesterol oxidation products (P0.05). Therefore, an increase in the dietary alpha-tocopherol level from 200 to 400 IU/kg feed causes major improvements in the oxidative stability of chicken meat during refrigerated storage.

Gelation behavior of the solutions of poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA), whose syndiotactic diad content was 52% and weight-average molecular weight of PVA ranged from 89,000 to 186,000, in dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) was investigated in terms of shear rate, concentration, and molecular weight of the polymer. To trace time-dependent gelation behavior, a programmed time sweep experiment was carried out by repeating the following procedure 3 times; 10 min of measurement followed by 5 min relaxation. All of the PVA solutions in DMSO exhibited time-dependent rheological responses, particularly under low shear rate of 2 rad/s, indicative of the formation of physical structures. At high shear rate of 200 rad/s the rheological responses were independent of time. Referring to Winter's view on gelation, a weak shear produced a soft gel structure whereas a strong shear produced an irreversible strong gel. Gelation was more affected by molecular weight than by concentration over the period of shearing. At low frequency, relaxation time was increased with time, and then leveled off after prolonged shearing. At high frequency, however, little change of relaxation time was noticed. They can be interpreted as a consequence of formation of three-dimensional gel structure through the polar interactions by hydroxyl groups whose strength was dependent on shearing conditions. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 101: 465–471, 2006

To identify the effect of blend ratios of syndiotacticity-rich poly(vinyl alcohol) (s-PVA)/atactic PVA (a-PVA) having similar number-average degrees of polymerization (Pn)s of 4000 and degrees of saponification (DS)s of 99.9% on the rheological properties of s-PVA/a-PVA/water solutions, water-soluble s-PVA and a-PVA with different syndiotactic diad contents of 58.5 and 54.0%, respectively, were prepared by bulk copolymerization of vinyl pivalate and vinyl acetate (VAc) and solution polymerization of VAc, followed by saponifying the corresponding copoly(vinyl pivalate/vinyl acetate) and poly(vinyl acetate). The blend ratios played a significant role in rheological behavior. Over the frequency range of 10−1–102 rad/s, s-PVA/a-PVA blend solutions with larger s-PVA content show more shear thinning at similar (Pn)s and (DS)s of polymer, suggesting that PVA molecules are more readily oriented as s-PVA content increases. Yield stress is higher for s-PVA/a-PVA blend solutions with larger s-PVA content at similar (Pn)s and (DS)s of polymer. This indicates that more domains with internal order are produced at larger s-PVA content in s-PVA/a-PVA blend solutions. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 102: 3934–3939, 2006

The presence of silver nanoparticles (0.01-5 wt.-%) increased the crystallization temperature of isotactic poly(propylene) (iPP) (e.g., a 5 wt.-% content increases the temperature by ca. 7 °C) and produced a sharper crystalline peak. It had little effect on the melt rheology of the nanocomposites. The shear-induced crystallization behavior of iPP was accelerated with increasing Ag content and imposed frequency. In addition, the promoting effect of Ag nanoparticles on the overall crystallization behavior was more notable at 140 °C than at 130 °C. The wide-angle X-ray diffraction scans of iPP nanocomposites with 5 wt.-% Ag crystallized at 130 °C clearly presented another peak at a 20 value of 15.8°, which corresponded to a β-form crystal. The nanocomposites with 5 wt.-% Ag crystallized at 130 °C gave double melting peaks at 154 and 166 °C. On the other hand, the samples crystallized at 140 °C produced two melting peaks at 166 and 172 °C. The introduction of as much as 0.1 wt.-% of Ag nanoparticles increased both the tensile strength and elongation at break, but subsequent further addition caused a decrease. In addition, iPP nanocomposites with more than 1 wt.-% Ag exhibited a higher modulus than pure iPP.

Conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) production from linoleic acid (LA) was characterized, in a relationship to biohydrogenation (BH), with mixed rumen bacteria obtained from three cows fed a high concentrate diet (HCD; 630 g/kg) or a high forage diet (HFD; 770 g/kg) for 5 weeks. Mixed rumen bacteria were incubated with LA in a rumen fluid medium under various conditions. Rumen bacteria from cows fed HCD were more active (P

Carcass weight and backfat thickness are primary yield grading factors. Insulin-like growth factor (IGF)-I/-II, transforming growth factor β1 (TGF-β1), and epidermal growth factor (EGF) regulate the proliferation and differentiation of cells including adipocytes. Also, interleukin (IL)-2/-6, cortisol, and dehydroepiandrosterone-sulfate (DHEA-S) are known to be related to muscle growth and fat depth. However, the relationships between endocrine factors and carcass grade have not been studied. Therefore, this study aimed to measure the concentrations of endocrine factors in serum and muscle, and to investigate the relationship of endocrine factors with carcass grade. A total of 60 crossbred gilts (Duroc×Yorkshire×Landrace) were used. Blood from the jugular vein was collected at antemortem (7 days before slaughter) and postmortem periods, and M. Longissimus was collected at 45 min and 24 h after slaughter. The concentrations of IGF-I/-II, EGF, TGF-β1, IL-2/-6, cortisol and DHEA-S were analyzed by radioimmunoassay (RIA) or enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). In general, IGF and EGF concentrations in serum and muscle of grade A carcasses were found to be higher than those of grade C carcasses at antemortem and postmortem periods, whereas the pattern of TGF-β1 concentration was reversed. In particular, the concentrations of muscle IGF-I (24 h postmortem) and serum TGF-β1 (antemortem) were significantly different between grades A and C (p

To investigate the effects of introducing the iron compound on the carbonization behavior polyacrylonitile (PAN)-based electrospun nanofibers were carbonized with or without iron(III) acetylacetonate (AAI) over the temperature range of 900–1500 °C in nitrogen atmosphere. The morphological characteristics of the carbon nanofibers were investigated using X-ray diffractometer (XRD), Raman spectroscopy, field emission scanning electron microscopy, and transmission electron microscopy. The electrical conductivity of the carbon nanofiber web was measured by four-point probe method. The iron catalyst had a profound effect on the crystal structure of the carbonized nanofiber. In the presence of AAI the nanofibers carbonized at 1300 °C developed graphite structure, which could be obtained at the temperature higher than 2000 °C in the absence of the catalyst. The in-plane size of the graphite crystals ( L a ) was measured to be about 6.5 nm by Raman spectroscopy and the (0 0 2) spacing by XRD was 0.341 nm.

This study examined the effects of supplemental dietary selenium on growth performance, lipid oxidation, and color stability of broiler chicks. Male broiler chicks (Arbor Acres, 1 d old, total 900 chicks) were randomly assigned to 6 pens containing 30 chicks each, corresponding to each of 6 dietary treatments. Six different diets were supplied to the chicks from 3 to 6 wk of age. After 42 d of feeding, all the broilers were slaughtered conventionally at a slaughtering plant. The carcasses were packed in polyethylene bags in a manner similar to that used for retail trade and stored for 12 d at 4 degrees C. Body weight and feed efficiency were not affected by dietary selenium levels, and no adverse effect on growth was observed during the experimental period. The dietary selenium and alpha-tocopherol levels did not affect surface meat color or level of metmyoglobin accumulation. Lipid stability was improved by supplementation with 100 IU of alpha-tocopherol (P < 0.05). Dietary selenium supplementation at 8 ppm in combination with 100 IU of alpha-tocopherol, however, was more effective in reducing lipid oxidation compared with 100 IU of alpha-tocopherol/kg feed only (P < 0.05). Supplementation with 100 IU of alpha-tocopherol affected cholesterol oxidation product levels on d 7 and 12, but selenium supplementation did not have an additional effect on the reduction of cholesterol oxidation products. Therefore, an increase in the dietary selenium from 1 to 8 ppm revealed only minor improvements in the oxidative stability of chicken meat during refrigerated storage.

A low-cost infrared temperature sensor module is developed for the detection of a concealed groove in an aluminum plate. The module, consisting of five infrared temperature sensors in a row, is used to scan the surface of the sample plate to measure the temperature variation while moving horizontally. A two-dimensional conduction equation is formulated and numerically solved to compare computational outcome with experimental results. The measurement results demonstrate temperature decrease at the position of the groove, which is also shown from the numerical solution of temperature distribution. Though the temperature measurement with the proposed sensor module is not stable near to the top and bottom of the plate, a distinctive temperature variation at the concealed groove shows the application possibility of the module to the detection of defects in a metal plate.

Polyacrylonitrile (PAN)/zinc oxide (ZnO) nanocomposites were prepared by solution mixing in dimethylacetamide, followed by film casting, and their physical properties were investigated. The heating scan of differential scanning calorimetry displayed only a single crystallization peak (Tc) without a melting peak, regardless of the presence of ZnO. The incorporation of ZnO nanoparticles decreased Tc by 13°C, and increased the heat of crystallization by 18%. Further, it greatly improved the thermal stability of PAN, even at the ZnO content as low as 0.1 wt %. The nanocomposites showed the UV transmittance peak at 365 nm, whose intensity was increased as ZnO content was increased. The presence of ZnO did not produce new peak nor shift the peaks with respect to PAN in wide angle X-ray diffraction pattern. Introduction of a small amount of ZnO nanoparticles did not have notable effect on the tensile properties. However, 5 wt % loading of the nanoparticles increased the tensile modulus of PAN by 14.5% and decreased elongation at break dramatically. PAN nanocomposites with 5 wt % ZnO did not show any plateau region in stress–strain curve. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 99: 1854–1858, 2006

Effects of ferrite nanoparticles (0.1-20 wt %) on the rheological and other physical properties of nylon-66 were investigated. The presence of ferrite nanoparticles less than 1 wt % increased the crystallization temperature (To) by 4.2 °C with ferrite content, but further addition decreased T c . The onset temperature of degradation was increased by 7.3 °C at only 0.1 wt % loading of ferrite, after which the thermal stability of nylon-66 was decreased with ferrite content. The incorporation of ferrite nanoparticles more than 5 wt % increased the dynamic viscosity (η') with the loading level. Further, it produced notably shear thickening behavior in the low frequency, after which high degree of shear thinning was followed with ferrite content. In the Cole-Cole plot, the nanocomposites with ferrite lower than 5 wt % presented a single master curve, while further addition gave rise to a deviation from the curve. The relaxation time (λ) was increased with ferrite content and the difference of λ between nylon-66 and its nanocomposite was greater at lower frequency. The tensile strength was a little increased up to 1 wt % loading, after which it was decreased with increasing the loading level. In addition, the introduction of the nanoparticles increased tensile modulus and decreased the ductility with ferrite content.

Polymer composites based on a thermotropic liquid-crystalline polymer (TLCP) and poly(butylene terephthalate) (PBT) were prepared using a melt blending process. Polymer composites consisting of bulk cheap polyester with a small quantity of expensive TLCP are of interest from a commercial perspective. The interactions between the PBT chains and the flexible poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) units in the TLCP phase resulted in an improvement in the compatibility of PBT/TLCP composites. TLCP droplets deformed and fragmented into smaller droplets in the PBT/TLCP composites, which resulted in TLCP fibrillation through the effective deformation of the TLCP droplets. The nucleation activities of the PBT/TLCP composites increased by adding even a small amount of the TLCP component.

This paper discusses the preparation of microporous fibrous membranes from PVdF solutions with different polymer contents, using the electrospinning technique. Electrospun PVdF-based fibrous membranes with average fiber diameters (AFD's) of 0.45–1.38 μm have an apparent porosity and a mean pore size (MPS) of 80–89% and 1.1–4.3 μm, respectively. They exhibited a high uptake of the electrolyte solution (320–350%) and a high ionic conductivity of above 1 × 10 −3 s/cm at room temperature. Their ionic conductivity increased with the decrease in the AFD of the fibrous membrane due to its high electrolyte uptake. The interaction between the electrolyte molecules and the PVdF with a high crystalline content may have had a minor effect on the lithium ion transfer in the fibrous polymer electrolyte, unlike in a nanoporous gel polymer electrolyte. The fibrous polymer electrolyte that contained a 1 M LiPF 6 -EC/DMC/DEC (1/1/1 by weight) solution showed a high electrochemical stability of above 5.0 V, which increased with the decrease in the AFD The interfacial resistance ( R i ) between the polymer electrolyte and the lithium electrode slightly increased with the storage time, compared with the higher increase in the interfacial resistance of other gel polymer electrolytes. The prototype cell (MCMB/PVdF-based fibrous electrolyte/LiCoO 2 ) showed a very stable charge–discharge behavior with a slight capacity loss under constant current and voltage conditions at the C/2-rate of 20 and 60 °C.

Toll-like receptor 2 (TLR2) is a key mediator of the immune response to mycobacterial infections, and mutations in TLR2 have been shown to confer susceptibility to infection with mycobacteria. This study investigated the profiles of cytokines, such as interferon (IFN)-gamma, interleukin (IL)-10, IL-12 and tumour necrosis factor (TNF)-alpha in response to Mycobacterium leprae in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) with the TLR2 mutation Arg677Trp, a recently reported polymorphism that is associated with lepromatous leprosy. In leprosy patients with the TLR2 mutation, production of IL-2, IL-12, IFN-gamma, and TNF-alpha by M. leprae-stimulated PBMC were significantly decreased compared with that in groups with wild-type TLR2. However, the cells from patients with the TLR2 mutation showed significantly increased production of IL-10. There was no significant difference in IL-4 production between the mutant and wild-type during stimulation. Thus, these results suggest that the TLR2 signal pathway plays a critical role in the alteration of cytokine profiles in PBMC from leprosy patients and the TLR2 mutation Arg677Trp provides a mechanism for the poor cellular immune response associated with lepromatous leprosy.

Poly(butylene succinate-co-butylene 2-ethyl-2-methyl succinate) (PBSEMS) random copolymers were prepared with different comonomer compositions. The effects of shearing and comonomer content on the crystallization behavior of these copolymers were investigated at 80 °C. The thermal and morphological properties of the resulting samples were also discussed. The copolymers showed a longer induction time and a slower crystallization rate with increasing comonomer content. The promoting effect of shear on the overall crystallization behavior was more notable for those copolymers containing more 2-ethyl-2-methyl succinic acid (EMSA) units. The melting temperature of ‘as-prepared’ poly(butylene succinate) (PBS) was ca. 115 °C, while that of the copolymers varied from 112 to 102 °C. Higher comonomer contents in the copolymers gave rise to lower melting temperatures and broader melting peaks. In addition, the isothermally crystallized samples showed multiple melting endothermic behavior, the extent of which depended on the comonomer content. The copolymers showed different wide-angle X-ray diffraction (WAXD) patterns from that of neat PBS, depending on the comonomer content and shear applied during crystallization. With increasing comonomer content, the copolymers crystallized without shearing, showing the shifting of a diffraction peak to a higher angle, while those crystallized under shear did not show any peak shift. Copyright © 2004 Society of Chemical Industry

Effect of Silica Nanoparticle on the Quiescent and the Shear Induced Crystallization Behaviors of Poly(trimethylene terephthalate)

We added surface-modified silica nanoparticles to poly(ethylene 2,6-naphthalate) (PEN) to investigate their effect on the mechanical properties on the PEN nanocomposite material. The torque and total torque values of the composites decreased in the silica nanoparticle composites. The tensile modulus of the composites reinforced with unmodified silica nanoparticles increased upon increasing the silica content, while the tensile strength and elongation decreased accordingly. In contrast, stearic acid-modified, silica nanoparticle reinforced PEN composites exhibited an increase in elongation and a decrease in tensile modulus upon addition of the silica nanoparticles because the stearic acid that had adsorbed onto the surface of the silica nanoparticle in multilayers could act as a plasticizer during melt compounding. Stearic acid modification had a small effect on the crystallization behavior of the composites. We calculated theoretical values of the tensile modulus using the Einstein, Kerner, and Nielsen equations and compared these values with the experimental data obtained from the composites. The parameters calculated using the Nielsen equation and the Nicolais- Narkis model revealed that the interfacial adhesion between silica nanoparticles and the PEN matrix could be improved.

The characteristic rheological responses of solutions of atactic poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) in dimethyl sulfoxide were investigated in terms of the concentration and molecular weight. The syndiotactic dyad content and weight-average molecular weight of PVA were 52% and 85,000–186,000, respectively. On a modified Cole–Cole plot, the solutions did not give a single master curve with a slope of 2 but gave various curves with slopes of less than 2. Furthermore, the slope slightly decreased with increasing concentration. The deviation from the master curve indicated that the solutions were rheologically heterogeneous, despite optical transparency. Among the PVA solutions, the 14 wt % solutions exhibited very unusual rheological behavior. The loss tangent changed with the shear rate and produced three distinct regions, which indicated a shear-induced phase transition. With respect to Winter's view on gelation, the 14 wt % solutions underwent a double sol–gel transition as the shear rate increased over the frequency range of 0.05–500 rad/s. However, the molecular weight did not have such noticeable effects on the rheological behavior over the concentration range of 10–14 wt %. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 42: 1451–1456, 2004

Two organic solvent systems containing equimolar ratio of water but different association strenght, 8/2 by wt mixture of dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) and water and 86.7/13.3 by wt mixture of N -methyl morpholine N -oxide and water (NMMO monohydrate), were chosen and the rheological properties of polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) solutions in the solvents were investigated and compared. The associated state of water in the solvent systems had a significant effect on the rheological properties of the solutions. In dilute concentration regime, NMMO monohydrate gave higher intrinsic viscosity than DMSO/water although two solvents gave similar values of the Mark–Houwink exponent. More noticeable difference was observed on the viscosity curve in high concentration regime. DMSO/water exhibited near a Bingham behavior and gave much lower power-law index than NMMO monohydrate. On the logarithmic plot of storage modulus (G′) against loss modulus (G″), both solutions exhibited slight decrease in slope with increasing concentration. Of two solvent systems DMSO/water gave lower values of slope than NMMO monohydrate. In addition, NMMO monohydrate gave tan δ greater than one at low frequency whereas DMSO/water gave tan δ much less than one over the entire frequency range examined. Further, the frequency to cause gelation was decreased with increasing concentration in the case of NMMO monohydrate. This indicates that PVA/DMSO/water system is more heterogeneous because weakly bonded water molecules produce hydrogel structure.

The linear and star-shaped poly(L-lactic acid) (PLLA) with similar molecular weight were prepared and their physical properties such as thermal properties, rheological properties, and crystallization behavior in quiescent and dynamic states were compared. The differential scanning calorimetry showed that the linear PLLA gave higher glass transition, melting, and crystallization temperatures than the star-shaped one. In dynamic crystallization, the linear PLLA gave longer induction time and longer overall crystallization time than the star-shaped one, although the former gave higher rate of crystallization in quiescent crystallization. However, wide-angle X-ray diffractometer(WAXD) analysis revealed that the linear and star-shaped PLLA developed the same crystal structure and application of shear had little effect on crystal structure. As predicted, the linear PLLA gave higher crystallinity than the star-shaped PLLA. In the dilute solutions, the linear PLLA exhibited higher intrinsic viscosity than the star-shaped one. In the concentrated solutions, the star-shaped PLLA gave higher values of dynamic viscosity, storage, and loss moduli than the linear one. Further, the former exhibited more noticeable shear thinning behavior and greater dependence of rheological properties on temperature than the latter. For both PLLA melts, the modified Cole–Cole plot gave slope less than 2. Of two PLLA polymers the star-shaped PLLA gave smaller slope than the linear one. In addition, the former showed greater change of the slope with temperature than the latter. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 42: 939–946, 2004

Copolymers of methyl methacrylate (MMA) and fluoroacrylate (FA), with different FA content (0–100 wt %), were prepared by bulk polymerization. The chemical structure was identified by 1H-NMR and other physical properties were measured by DSC, Abbe refractometer, X-ray diffractometry, polarized optical microscopy, and DMA. The copolymers were confirmed as random copolymers by Fineman–Ross analysis and first-order Markov statistics. Increasing the FA content from 0 to 100 wt % decreased the refractive index from 1.492 to 1.368. Copolymers with FA content higher than 70 wt % crystallized and led to low transparency and poor thermal properties. On the other hand, copolymers with FA content lower than 70 wt % was thermally stable (Tg was as high as 60°C) and transparent. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 93: 2082–2089, 2004

This article describes the molecular weight effect of atactic poly(vinyl alcohol) (a-PVA) on the rheological properties of 7.5, 10.0, and 12.5 g/dL solutions of a-PVA with number-average degrees of polymerization (Pn) of 4000 and 1700 in dimethylsulfoxide/water mixture. a-PVA with a Pn of 1700 solutions exhibited almost Newtonian flow behavior, whereas high molecular weight a-PVA, with a Pn of 4000 solutions, exhibited shear-thinning behavior. On the plot of storage and loss moduli of a-PVA with a Pn of 1700 solutions, the dynamic storage modulus of a-PVA, with a Pn of 1700 solutions, was smaller than the dynamic loss modulus over the frequency range of 10−1 to 102 rad/s. However, the dynamic storage modulus of a-PVA, with a Pn of 4000 solutions, was smaller than the dynamic loss modulus in the sol state and, in the postgel state, the dynamic storage modulus became larger than the dynamic loss modulus, indicating the evolution of viscoelastic solid properties. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 93: 41–46, 2004

A series of poly(butylene succinate-co-butylene 2-methyl succinate)s were prepared through variations in the molar fraction of succinic acid to 2-methyl succinic acid, and the effects of methyl substitution on the shear-induced crystallization, nonisothermal crystallization behavior, dynamic rheological properties, crystal morphology, and mechanical properties were investigated. Introducing 2-methyl succinic units reduced the melting temperature and crystallization temperature; this indicated that the substituted units retarded crystallization of the polymer. The Avrami exponents, estimated by modified Avrami plots, ranged from 2.1 to 3.5 and were a little diminished by the substitution. The substitution also reduced the rate of crystallization under shear. However, the effect was diminished with an increasing shear rate because most polymer chains were more regularly arranged at higher shear rates. Dynamic experiments in the solid state revealed that the peak on a plot of the loss tangent against the temperature became sharper at higher contents of the substituted unit, and the peak temperature, the glass-transition temperature, was reduced as the content of 2-methyl succinic acid increased. Wide-angle X-ray diffraction patterns showed that there was little effect of the 2-methyl succinic acid unit on the crystal morphology. The toughness of the polymer was abruptly increased up to 350% at the expense of the tensile modulus. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 42: 1759–1766, 2004

Polymethylphenylsilsesquioxane (PMPSQ–OH) and trimethylsilyl end-blocked PMPSQ (PMPSQ–EC) were prepared. The thermal decomposition behavior of these polymers was studied by thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) and FT-Raman spectroscopy. Hydroxyl-functionalized polystyrene (PS–OH) was also prepared by anionic living polymerization. Thin hybrid films of PMPSQ/PS–OH with various blend ratios were obtained by spin-coating on freshly cleaned glass. The surface morphology of the hybrid films was investigated by atomic force microscopy (AFM). In 80/20 PMPSQ/PS–OH hybrid film, the PS–OH component produced a very uniformly dispersed phase. This hybrid film contained small domains of PS–OH whose size ranged from 60 to 80 nm. As the content of PS–OH was increased, the domain morphology coarsened and phase inversion took place around 50 wt %. In the phase-inversed system, the PMPSQ-rich phase was uniformly distributed in the PS–OH-rich continuous phase. In addition, temperature-dependent dielectric properties of PMPSQ/PS–OH hybrids were investigated. Relaxation of the hybrids was observed with an increasing content of the PS–OH component due to the amorphous glass transition behavior of PS–OH. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 90: 2801–2812, 2003

Cellulose-g-poly(vinyl alcohol) (cellulose-g-PVA) copolymers, which contain vinyl alcohol(VA) content 13, 36, and 47 wt%, were prepared, and the effects of introducing the copolymers on the fibrillation of lyocell fibers were investigated. Five wt% copolymer to cellulose was added to 13 wt% cellulose solution in N-methyl morpholine N-oxide (NMMO) monohydrate and lyocell fibers were produced by dry jet-wet spinning of cellulose/cellulose-g-PVA blend solutions. Variation of VA content had little effect on crystal structure and mechanical properties of lyocell fibers. However, the birefringence of the fibers decreased with increasing VA content. In the case of lyocell fibers containing the copolymer with VA content 47 wt%, microfibril structure in the cross-section of fractured fibers disappeared. The VA group of the copolymers thus interrupts the orientation of cellulose chains due to strong hydrogen bonding. Fibers containing the copolymers gave less fibrillation than lyocell fibers, which became more noticeable at higher VA content. Addition of copolymers proved effective for the control of fibrillation of lyocell fiber.

Interleukin-12 receptor beta 1 ( IL12RB1), interleukin-12 receptor beta 2 ( IL12RB2), and interferon gamma receptor 1 ( IFNGR1) perform important roles in the host defense against intracellular pathogens such as Mycobacteria. Several mutations within their genes have been confirmed as associated with increased susceptibility to mycobacterial infection. However, the association between mutations of the IL12RB1, IL12RB2, and IFNGR1 encoding genes and lepromatous leprosy has not been studied. This study screened for polymorphisms within IL12RB1, IL12RB2, and IFNGR1 encoding genes in the Korean populations using polymerase chain reaction (PCR)/single-strand conformation polymorphism (SSCP) DNA sequencing assay, and an association study was performed using the missense mutations of 705 A/G (Q214R), 1196 G/C (G378R), 1637 G/A (A525T), and 1664 C/T (P534S) of the IL12RB1, 83 G/A (V14M), and 1443 T/C (L467P) for the IFNGR1 encoding genes. There were no differences in the genotype and allele frequencies of IL12RB1 and IFNGR1 genes between 93 lepromatous leprosy patients and 94 control subjects. In conclusion, missense mutations of 705 A/G (Q214R), 1196 G/C (G378R), 1637 G/A (A525T), 1664 C/T (P534S) of the IL12RB1, 83 G/A (V14 M), and 1443 T/C (L467P) of the IFNGR1 encoding genes have no association with the susceptibility to lepromatous leprosy in the Korean population.

Various crimped lyocell fibers are spun from isotropic dopes of cellulose solutions in N-methyl morpholine N-oxide (NMMO) monohydrate with different compositions of hard wood and softwood pulp (IPS lyocell fibers). The physical properties of IPS lyocell fibers treated with NaOH aqueous solutions are compared with those of commercially available Tencel lyocell fibers, which are obtained by anisotropic phase spinning. WAXD reveals that pulp composition has little effect on crystalline structure, and IPS lyocell fibers yield a crystalline structure almost the same as that of Tencel fibers (cellulose II structure). Alkali treatments affect physico-mechanical properties such as compaction and tensile proper ties. Mercerization with 10 wt% NaOH solution causes the largest weight loss and the highest degree of swelling. Lyocell fibers show a notable decrease in tensile strength when treated with strong alkali solutions higher than 7.5 wt%. In addition, IPS lyocell fibers with more softwood content display less reduction in tensile properties after strong alkali treatments.

Syndiotacticity-rich poly(vinyl alcohols) (s-PVAs) with various syndiotactic dyad (S-dyad) contents were prepared by the copolymerization of vinyl pivalate and vinyl acetate with various monomer feed ratios, which was followed by the saponification of copoly(vinyl pivalate/vinyl acetate) to investigate the effect of the stereosequences of s-PVA on the rheological properties of s-PVA/water solutions. Through a series of experiments, we identified that the syndiotacticity had a profound influence on the rheological properties of s-PVA/water solutions. Over a frequency range of 10−1 to 102 rad/s, s-PVAs with higher S-dyad contents showed larger values of complex viscosity and storage modulus and more shear thinning at similar molecular weights and degrees of saponification of the polymer, suggesting that poly(vinyl alcohol) molecules were stiffer and more readily oriented as syndiotacticity increased. All the yield stresses of s-PVA represented positive values, and s-PVAs with higher syndiotacticity showed higher yield stresses. This suggests that as syndiotacticity increased, more pseudostructures were present in s-PVA/water solutions. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 88: 1858–1863, 2003

The relationship between the degree of ester-interchange reactions and the physical properties in the melt blending of poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) and polycaprolactone (PCL) was investigated in terms of the blending time. 1H-NMR and 13C-NMR spectra confirmed that poly(ethylene terephthalate caprolactone) copolyesters were generated and became dominant at a blending time of more than 15 min, and this result may be related to the degree of the thermal decomposition of PCL. The spectra disclosed the effect of the blending time on the block characteristics of the ethylene terephthalate (ET) and caprolactone (CL) units of the copolyesters. The melting temperatures and heats of fusion assigned to the ET units in the copolyesters decreased with the blending time. However, the melting peak of the CL units disappeared when the blending time exceeded 20 min. For the CL block, the number of the average repeating units (5) proved to be the least critical value for crystallization. The crystallinity of the copolyesters was most notably reduced with a blending time up to 20 min. The total organic carbon (TOC) content of the copolyesters, a quantitative measure of biodegradability, increased steeply with the blending time up to 20 min. However, the TOC content increased slowly during extended blending. This agrees well with the recognized fact that the accession and penetration of lipase into copolyesters initiate in the amorphous region of the polymer. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 88: 131–138, 2003

Calorie restriction (CR) is known to extend lifespan and has anti-oxidative properties that lead to physiological and biological resistance against diseases and stress. This chapter reviews the molecular mechanisms of CR’s anti-inflammatory actions during aging. The crux of CR’s ability to attenuate age-related chronic inflammation is related to its power to maintain redox status by modulating oxidative stress during aging. Here, for better molecular insights, key transcription factors such as FoxO, Nrf2, and PPARs induced by CR are described for their modulation of the age-related inflammation response. In addition, recent analyses by systems biology on chronic inflammation, age-related pro-inflammatory gene activation, and CR’s suppression produced evidence identifing various target genes, target molecules, and their networks. The wide implication of the proinflammatory process under pathophysiological conditions are further detailed in this chapter by including autophagic activity and the activation of the recently recognized inflammasome, a component of key innate immunological defenses and ER stress . This chapter summarizes the evidence that CR suppresses molecular inflammation through the proper maintenance of redox status, NF-κB signaling, inflammasome activation, ER stress, and insulin sensitivity, which in turn lead to the intervention of aging processes and age-related diseases.

The purpose of our study is to identify epigenetic markers that are differently expressed in the stomach adenocarcinoma (STAD) condition. Based on data from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA), we were able to detect an age-related difference in methylation patterns and changes in gene and miRNA expression levels in young ( n = 14) and old ( n = 70) STAD subjects. Our analysis identified 323 upregulated and 653 downregulated genes in old STAD subjects. We also found 76 miRNAs with age-related expression patterns and 113 differentially methylated genes (DMGs), respectively. Our further analysis revealed that significant upregulated genes ( n = 35) were assigned to the cell cycle, while the muscle system process ( n = 27) and cell adhesion-related genes ( n = 57) were downregulated. In addition, by comparing gene and miRNA expression with methylation change, we identified that three upregulated genes ( ELF3, IL1β, and MMP13) known to be involved in inflammatory responses and cell growth were significantly hypomethylated in the promoter region. We further detected target candidates for age-related, downregulated miRNAs (hsa-mir-124-3, hsa-mir-204, and hsa-mir-125b-2) in old STAD subjects. This is the first report of the results from a study exploring age-related epigenetic biomarkers of STAD using high-throughput data and provides evidence for a complex clinicopathological condition expressed by the age-related STAD progression.

A series of poly(ethylene terephthalate/polycaprolactone) (PET/PCL) copolyesters were prepared by adding PCL with a weight-average molecular weight of 40,000 to the PET oligomer during polycondensation, and the composition and physical properties of the copolymers were investigated. In the case of copolyesters containing caprolactone (CL) units less than 26 mol %, the melting and crystallization temperatures were decreased with increasing CL content. They exhibited wide-angle X-ray diffraction (WAXD) patterns similar to PET. However, the variation of d-spacing on the WAXD pattern suggested that a small amount of CL could be included into the crystal of ethylene (ET) because of strong hydrogen bonding between crystallizable ET blocks. In the copolyesters containing CL components higher than 38 mol %, they exhibited thermal behavior and WAXD patterns typical of amorphous random copolymers. The copolyester composition has a decisive effect on the rheological properties. The copolyesters with CL contents higher than 38 mol % exhibited a viscosity behavior similar to Bingham fluid, although the copolyesters with CL contents lower than 26 mol % exhibited a Newtonian flow behavior similar to PET. In addition, the value of the loss tangent of the copolyester melts notably decreased with an increasing CL content, and the bulk exhibited rubberlike behavior. © 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 40: 2552–2560, 2002

To identify the effect of degree of saponification (DS) of syndiotactic poly(vinyl alcohol)s (s-PVA)s having similar tacticity and molecular weight on the rheological properties of s-PVA/water solution, four kinds of (s-PVA)s with assigned (DS)s, from 93.1 to 97.5%, were prepared by copolymerization of vinyl pivalate (VPi) and vinyl acetate (VAc), followed by saponifying the corresponding copoly(VPi/VAc). The DS played a significant role in rheological behavior. Over the frequency range of 10−1 to 102 rad/s s-PVA with higher DS shows more shear thinning at similar molecular weight and tacticity of polymer, suggesting that PVA molecules are more readily oriented as DS increases. This may provide indirect evidence of the spontaneous in situ orientation of s-PVA molecules at the late stage of saponification. Yield stress is higher for s-PVA with higher DS at similar molecular weight and tacticity of s-PVA. This indicates that more domains with internal order are produced at higher saponification. These facts result from increase in stiffness of s-PVA molecules with proceeding the saponification reaction. © 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 86: 463–467, 2002

Three different modes of rheological properties were measured on 11 and 13 wt % solutions of cellulose in N-methyl morpholine N-oxide (NMMO) monohydrate, in which concentration range lyocell fibers of much reduced fibrillation are preferably produced. The dynamic rheological responses revealed that the Cox–Merz rule did not hold for these cellulose solutions. Both cellulose solutions showed a shear thinning behavior over the shear rate measured at 85, 95, 105, and 115°C. However, 13 wt % solution gave rise to yield behavior at 85oC. The power law index ranged from 0.36 to 0.58. First normal stress difference (N1) was increased with lowering temperature and with increasing concentration as expected. Plotting N1 vs shear stress (τω) gave almost a master curve independent of temperature and concentration, whose slope was about 0.93 for both cellulose solutions over the shear rate range observed (τω > 500 Pa). In addition, the cellulose solutions gave high values of recoverable shear strain (SR), ranging from 60 to 100. © 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 86: 216–222, 2002

The molecular weight (MW) of polycaprolactone (PCL) component had a profound effect on the ester interchange reactions during melt blending with poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET). Utilization of lower MW of PCL component gave rise to higher degree of ester interchange reactions, and it could reduce mixing time required for generating a copolyester. The thermal properties and crystalline structure of resultant copolyesters were depended on the degree of ester interchange reactions by varying MW of PCL. It converted the morphology of copolyesters to a continuous single phase, suggesting formation of more random copolyester. Further, the substitution of PCL with low MW (Mw: 1250) as third component in melt blends of PET and PCL with high MW(Mw: 80000) led to higher degree of ester interchange reactions as well.

This article describes the physical properties of lyocell fibers spun from an isotropic cellulose spinning dope in N-methyl morpholine N-oxide (NMMO) monohydrate (IPS lyocell fibers). Wide angle x-ray diffraction (wAxD) experiments on the crimped fibers exhibit little difference in the crystal structure of IPS and Tencel lyocell fibers: both fibers reveal a cellulose II structure. However, the IPS lyocell fibers have a lower tensile modulus than Tencel by about 12.5%, although they have a similar tensile strength. Wetting and subsequent drying shift the loss tangent values higher, which is more remarkable for the IPS lyocell fibers dried under tension. Further, the IPS lyocell fibers dried under tension have a sharper α-transition peak than the fibers dried without tension. The IPS lyocell fibers exhibit excellent wet tensile strength: 90% of tensile strength is retained after wetting twice in distilled water. In addition, the IPS lyocell fibers show good chemical stability to acids and alkalis, except for an extremely strong alkali—pH 14. Mercerization of the IPS lyocell fibers in the buffer solution of pH 14 notably decreases the tensile modulus but increases elongation.

The structure and resultant mechanical properties of fibers in the dry-jet wet spinning process of cellulose solutions in N-methylmorpholine-N-oxide (NMMO) hydrates were investigated in terms of molecular weight of cellulose, concentration, and hydration number (n) of NMMO hydrate. The value of n had an effect on the crystallization behavior of the cellulose solution system, which influenced the resultant fiber structure. Increasing cellulose concentration and decreasing the value of n retarded crystallization because of the increased interactions between cellulose and NMMO hydrate. Reducing the value of n from 1 to 0.72 produced more highly oriented cellulose fibers. However, incorporating n-propyl gallate, an antioxidant, had little effect on the fiber structure. When n=0.72 a double crystallization behavior was observed in the fiber spinning process irrespective of molecular weight of cellulose and concentration over the experimental ranges examined. It should be noted that such a double crystallization took place in the absence of foreign additives. The double crystallization behavior was more noticeable when the aspect ratio of spinning nozzle was greater. The double layer structure had a positive effect on the mechanical strength.

The objectives of this study were to examine the effect of early short-term temperature conditioning on metabolic rate and calpain/calpastatin system and to compare variations in metabolic rate and calpain/calpastatin system between Hanwoo and Holstein beef. Longissimus thoracis et lumborum of the right carcass from 3 Hanwoo and 3 Holstein bulls were removed within 30 min of exsanguinations, cut into three pieces, and then temperature conditioned until 3 h postmortem (PM) at 2, 16, and 30°C, respectively. Rigor values (R-values; R248, R250, and R258), pH, muscle temperature, glycogen content, µ- and m-calpain activities, and calpastatin acitivity were measured at 1, 3, 9, and 24 h PM, respectively. Hanwoo beef had higher muscle temperature, faster metabolic rate at early PM stage in R-values, and lower µ-calpain activity than Holstein beef (p 0.60; p

Background Asians have among the highest incidence of type 2 diabetes (T2DM) in the world, partly due to low β-cell function, causing them to rapidly develop T2DM when insulin resistant. This study tested the hypothesis that genetic polymorphisms are responsible for the low β-cell function and that dietary factors interact with the genes to exacerbate their risk of T2DM. Methods We selected 10 genetic variants of 5 genes involved in insulin secretion (CDKAL1, KCNQ1, IDE, HHEX, and ABCA1) from the genome-wide association studies to calculate the genetic risk scores (GRSs) in 8842 Korean adults in the Ansan/Ansung cohort in the Korean Genome Epidemiology Study. The genetic risk score were divided into low, medium, and high groups, and the association between T2DM and the genetic risk score was measured using logistic regression. We also analysed the interaction between the genetic risk score and the nutrition intakes. Results The individual genetic variants were positively associated with T2DM even when adjusted for covariates. Individuals with medium and high genetic risk score had higher T2DM risk by 1.68 and 2.17 folds compared to those with the low genetic risk score after adjusting for covariates. The increased risk was mainly associated with lower HOMA-B, an indicator of insulin secretion capacity, but not HOMA-IR, an indicator of insulin resistance. Subjects with high carbohydrate intakes and a medium genetic risk score did not have a higher risk of T2DM, and the risk was partially mitigated in the high genetic risk score group. Conclusion Seventy-two percent of the Korean population had either medium or high genetic risk scores for impaired insulin secretion, which approximately doubled their risk of type 2 diabetes, and the risk was exacerbated by consuming a low carbohydrate Western-style diets.

The main contribution of this work is an algorithmic compensation of joint torque ripple signals in harmonic drive for joint torque sensing from measuring the deformation of flex spline in the harmonic drive. When an external force is applied to a robot, the flex spline of harmonic drive undergoes an elastic deformation. However, such a deformation is not easy to measure by strain gauges on the flex spline because whose signals are corrupted by a periodic vibration which is "torque ripple" caused by reducing operation of the harmonic drive. We perform order analysis and design a filter to eliminate the torque ripple without using many strain gauges. As the order sampling normalizes the frequency characteristic, our method outperforms the filters with fixed cutoff frequency with manageable computational expense. Moreover, the effect of misalignment of the strain gauges is minimum unlike other methods. The experimental evaluation is provided using a robotic manipulator which has the proposed harmonic drive joint torque sensor.

The hydration number (n) of NMMO hydrates has a significant effect on the rheological properties and phase of the cellulose solutions in the hydrates. The physical properties of the lyocell fibers spun from the cellulose solutions in NMMO hydrates with different values of n were investigated relative to the phase of the solution dope. NMMO hydrate with n = 1.1 could not fully dissolve cellulose, resulting in a heterogeneous solution. NMMO hydrate with n = 0.72 produced a mesophase solution that exhibited a good spinnability. When NMMO hydrates with n = 0.72 and 1.0 were used, the lyocell fiber spun from 15 wt % solution dope gave higher tensile strength than that spun from 12 wt % solution dope. NMMO hydrate with n = 1.0 produced a lyocell fiber whose tensile strength was slightly affected by spin–draw ratio but the tensile strength of the lyocell fiber prepared from NMMO hydrate with n = 0.72 was monotonically increased with increasing spin–draw ratio. Further, the latter gave higher birefringence. The lyocell fiber spun from 15 wt % solution in NMMO hydrate with n = 0.72 produced finely fibrillated structures. When treated with sonic wave the lyocell fiber prepared from 15 wt % cellulose (DPw940) solution in NMMO hydrate with n = 0.72 yielded the most serious fibrillation on the fiber surface. © 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 83: 981–989, 2002

Both good tensile properties and good resistance to thermal shrinkage are prerequisites for tire cord applications. For these purposes, poly(ethylene-2,6-naphthalene dicarboxylate) (PEN) filaments were prepared by multistep zone annealing (MSZA) spinning with a specially devised system. The melting temperature of the PEN filaments so obtained was slightly increased with an increasing total draw ratio. All the filaments exhibited a sharp melting peak around 270°C, but glass-transition behavior was barely visible via differential scanning calorimetry. Rheovibron experiments showed α relaxation in the vicinity of 175°C. Increasing the draw ratio above 4 did not increase the birefringence value much, but it did lead to increases in the tensile properties. The PEN filaments consisted exclusively of α-form crystals. The PEN filaments showed excellent resistance to thermal shrinkage, which was less than 1% even with heating to 140°C. In the MSZA spinning process, increasing the degree of hot drawing proved more effective than increasing the degree of cold drawing for obtaining PEN filaments with better dimensional stability at elevated temperatures. © 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 83: 916–922, 2002

High molecular weight linear and branched poly(butylene adipate)s (PBAs) were prepared, and crystallization behavior and rheological properties were investigated. PBAs showed multiple melting behavior. Increasing molecular weight retarded the crystallization rate and increased the induction time for crystallization. Introducing branches to the polymer led to similar results. The Avrami exponent (n) for the linear and branched PBAs were 3.79–4.39 and 2.09–3.64, respectively. The Mark-Houwink exponent of the PBAs was 0.554. Unlike general-purpose polyesters, high molecular weight PBAs did not exhibit a Newtonian flow region. High molecular weight PBAs exhibited gel-like rheological properties, producing high elasticity. The slopes of a log-log plot of storage modulus (G′) vs. loss modulus (G″) ranged from 1.75 to 1.17, and the slope decreased with increasing molecular weight. For comparable molecular weights, the branched PBAs had higher viscosity and G′ than the linear polymers.

The combined effects of low voltage electrical stimulation (LVES) and temperature conditioning during early postmortem (PM) ageing on glycolytic rates and calpains activities of Korean native cattle (Hanwoo) were determined. M. longissimus was taken after splitting course, divided into three pieces and temperature conditioned at 2, 16, and 30°C for 3 h PM. The PM glycolytic rates, calpains and calpastatin activities were measured at 1, 3, 9, and 24 h PM. Although both LVES and the 30°C treatment accelerated glycolytic rates and resulted in improved enzyme activities, LVES was more effective for the improvement of enzyme activities than the 30°C treatment. Among tested Rigor-values (R-value; R(248), R(250), and R(258)), R(258) showed the highest correlation with pH (r=0.814, P0.01), glycogen content (r=0.784, P0.01) and μ-calpain (r=0.838, P0.01) and selected as a suitable parameter to predict glycolytic rate. The high correlation coefficients between μ-calpain activity and metabolic rate parameters suggest that the change in the enzyme activity is closely related to glycolytic rates. The LVES in combination with the 30°C treatment until 3 h PM was the best treatment to accelerate the glycolytic rate and to improve the calpains activities in Hanwoo tissue.