Exploring the transverse wicking behavior of mechanically robust warp super-elastic woven fabric for tight-fitting garments

The ability of a fabric to wick moisture away from the human body directly determines the moisture management ability of any given textile, and thereby has a great influence on the comfort offered by garments made from that textile. In this paper, the effects of tensile extension and liquid drop height on the transverse wicking behavior of a warp stretch woven fabric were systematically investigated. By virtue of the unique structure of the nylon/spandex air-covered warp yarn, the woven fabric has a denser and tighter surface, which facilitates its warp elastic stretchability beyond 60%. Furthermore, an acceptable cyclic tensile behavior at an extension of 30% was obtained, indicating the superior mechanical robustness of the fabric to a certain extent. The experimental results demonstrated that the transverse wicking performances of the fabric, including the wetting time and liquid spreading area, were dependent on the tensile extensions and the heights between the water droplet and the fabric surface. Specifically, the wetting time increased with an increase of tensile extension or a decrease of liquid drop height. The spreading area of the water droplet increases as a function of the wicking time, and it fits a power relation appropriately. In addition, the water vapor transmission behavior of our fabric during stretch was clarified. Such work is essential to get an in-depth evaluation of the wicking behavior of complex stretchable fabric structures.

The Combined Use of Remote Sensing and Wireless Sensor Network to Estimate Soil Moisture in Golf Course

In gardening, particularly in golf courses, soil moisture management is critical for maximizing water efficiency. Remote sensing has been used to estimate soil moisture in recent years with relatively low accuracies. In this paper, we aim to use remote sensing and wireless sensor networks to generate soil moisture indexes for a golf course. In the golf course, we identified three types of soil, and data was gathered for three months. Mathematical models were obtained using data from Sentinel-2, bands with a resolution of 10 and 20 m, and sensed soil moisture. Models with acceptable accuracy were obtained only for one out of three soil types, the natural soil in which natural vegetation is grown. Two multiple regression models are presented with an R2 of 0.46 for bands at 10 m and 0.70 for bands at 20 m. Their mean absolute error was lower than 3% in both cases. For the modified soils, the greens, and the golf course fairway, it was not feasible to obtain regression models due to the temporal uniformity of the grass and the range of variation of soil moisture. The developed moisture indexes were compared with existing options. The attained accuracies improve the current models. The verification indicates that the model generated with band 4 and band 12 is the one with better accuracy.

Quality assessment of baby wet wipes

A wet wipe is a commercial product made of a fibrous substrate impregnated with a lotion that often comes folded and individually wrapped for convenience. The present work relates to wet wipes’ composition to clean the baby’s body. Wet wipes were produced from two spunlace nonwoven fabrics consisting of polyester/viscose and a wetting solution. Objective performance evaluation was carried out to determine the efficiency of the wipes for manufacturing and end uses. The lotion formula comprising surfactants, a solubilizer, preservative compounds, perfumes, and mainly purified water is selected to deliver the intended benefits of a baby wet wipe. Besides, physical, mechanical characteristics, and moisture management parameters of the wet wipe fabrics were measured. Optimal lotion (oil–water emulsion) stirring conditions were illustrated using optical microscopy. Lotion foamability appears as an undesirable phenomenon upon the manufacturing of the wet wipe. A mixture design, an extreme vertices design, was used to study the influence of the compounds on the foam volume. The relative contribution of each compound in the lotion to generate bath foam was discussed. Because wet media are more effective than dry media for surface cleaning, the optimum wet pick-up ensuring the best wiping efficiency about of 83.2% was found to be about 3 g of lotion for 1 g of fabric. Assuming that a wipe sample could be performed in less than 3 min, it was also confirmed that the developed wipe remains effective with a moisture content of 242% and can be comparable with other commercial wipes.

Yield and vivipary of pecan nut (Carya illinoinensis[Wangenh.] K. Koch) in relation to soil moisture

Introduction: Viviparity in pecan nut (Carya illinoinensis [Wangenh.] K. Koch) has increased considerably. This genetic-environmental phenomenon can be controlled with soil moisture management and other quality variables.Objective: To determine the effect of soil moisture content on yield, nut size, kernel percentage and germinated nut on the tree.Materials and methods: Forty-year-old pecan nut trees were irrigated by 40 emitters with an output of 3.2 L∙h-1. From the phenological stage of shell hardening, irrigation time was 4, 6 and 8 h, corresponding to moisture levels of 0.257, 0.327 and 0.380 m3 of water per m3 of soil, at depths of 40 to 80 cm. Yield per tree, germinated nut percentage, fruit size and kernel percentage were evaluated during the production cycles of 2016 and 2017 production cycles.Results and discussion: During the two production cycles, when soil moisture level increased from 0.257 to 0.380 m3∙m-3, nut yield per tree, fruit length and diameter, and kernel percentage increased on average 23.8 %, 25.3 and 10 %, and 1.8 %, respectively; however, vivipary increased 11.2 %, which was reflected in the decrease of commercial pecan nut percentage. Treatments 0.327 and 0.380 m3∙m-3 had a similar effect (P > 0.05) on these variables.Conclusions: The lower moisture level (0.257 m3∙m-3), starting at the kernel filling stage, decreased vivipary and increased commercial kernel percentage.

Factors Affecting the Material Choice for Restoration in Posterior Teeth

Aim: To determine the factors affecting the selection of material of choice in posterior teeth. Methods: Descriptive cross-sectional study done June-December 2015 at Liaquat University of Medical and Health Sciences, Jamshoro. Individuals who refused to participate in the study were eliminated from the sample. Each dentist signed an informed consent form. Personal data were entered on a proforma/consent form. The data collection tool was a Proforma/Questionnaire with all required questions. Dentists were personally briefed on the study's objectives and the importance of their participation. Informed permission forms were gathered one week later. Not returning the questionnaires after two professional visits was deemed participant loss. The analysis employed descriptive statistics and SPSS version 17.0. Results: 200 people responded to the survey. 70% advised amalgam for posterior tooth repair, 28% recommended composite, and 2% recommended Glass Ionomer. In this study, 65% selected amalgam, 34% preferred composite, and 1% preferred glass ionomer. In this series, 60% of people selected amalgam, followed by composite (37%), and glass ionomer (3%). In this series, 60% chose amalgam, while 40% chose composite. No glass ionomer In this study, 55% of participants advocated composite, 40% recommended amalgam, and 5% recommended GIC. Patients' preferences impacted material selection for posterior restorations in this study: 55% chose amalgam, 35% composite, and 10% glass ionomer. Most participants (60%) picked composite for moisture management, followed by amalgam (35%), and GIC (5%). Conclusion: Most posterior teeth restorations involve amalgam fillings. Determinants include strength, durability, color match and dental structure preservation. Amalgam was connected to strength, while composite saved tooth structure. Keywords: Amalgam; Composite; Material Choice; Pakistani Dentists

Synthesis and Characterization of Nonwoven Cotton-Reinforced Cellulose Hydrogel for Wound Dressings

Hydrogels wound dressings have enormous advantages due to their ability to absorb high wound exudate, capacity to load drugs, and provide quick pain relief. The use of hydrogels as wound dressings in their original form is a considerable challenge, as these are difficult to apply on wounds without support. Therefore, the incorporation of polymeric hydrogels with a certain substrate is an emerging field of interest. The present study fabricated cellulose hydrogel using the sol–gel technique and reinforced it with nonwoven cotton for sustainable wound dressing application. The nonwoven cotton was immersed inside the prepared solution of cellulose and heated at 50 °C for 2 h to form cellulose hydrogel–nonwoven cotton composites and characterized for a range of properties. In addition, the prepared hydrogel composite was also loaded with titania particles to attain antibacterial properties. The Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and scanning electron microscopy confirmed the formation of cellulose hydrogel layers inside the nonwoven cotton structure. The fabricated composite hydrogels showed good moisture management and air permeability, which are essential for comfortable wound healing. The wound exudate testing revealed that the fluid absorptive capacity of cellulose hydrogel nonwoven cotton composite was improved significantly in comparison to pure nonwoven cotton. The results reveal the successful hydrogel formation, having excellent absorbing, antimicrobial, and sustainable properties.

UVC LED and Conducting Yarn-Based Heater for a Smart Germicidal Face Mask to Protect against Airborne Viruses

“Wear a mask. Save lives” is the slogan of WHO and all the government agencies over the world to the public. One of the most adopted prevention measures that can limit the spread of the airborne virus in the form of respiratory viral diseases, including the new strain of COVID-19, is wearing a proper mask. If the mask surface is heated to 65 to 70 °C, it could help potentially diminish any viruses or bacteria accumulated. The FAR-Ultraviolet -C (FAR-UV-C) dose for the influenza limit to 254 nm light is ~3 mJ/cm2/hour exposure is not harmful to the human skin and eyes. Here, we propose an intelligent mask served by FAR-UV-C and conducting a yarn-based heater that could potentially be activated in a controlled manner to kill the virus. The effective irradiation intensity for skin application would be under 0.1 µW/cm2. The exposure risk of UV-C is technically prevented by fabricating multi-layered fabrics with multiple functionalities. Along with experimental validation on bacterial filtration efficiency (BFE), tinker cad simulation for circuit design, and comsol multiphysics for temperature profile study, we probed Moisture Management Test (MMT) in addition with cytotoxicity risk by MTT Assay for survivability to ensure safer application potential. This novel proposed design with the germicidal combination of heating and FAR-UV-C models, described here, is promising in retaliating and combating any airborne viruses.

A climate-based moisture index approach for hygrothermal analysis in Australia

In Australia, one-third of new constructions are affected by condensation and about 50% of buildings suffer from mould risk, mainly due to inappropriate design and management strategies. Despite the potential structural damage and serious health hazards, there is a lack of preventive moisture management strategies at the legislative level. The first hygrothermal management provisions were adopted in the National Construction Code only in 2019, with very general indications that correlate the breathability of the membranes with the climate zone. However, the building code identifies only eight zones for the entire Australia, which were originally developed for thermal analysis and energy efficiency provisions. The result is a coarse climate grid that clusters locations with highly variable humidity conditions. This paper undertakes a semi-empirical approach to identify whether the current climate zones are suitable for hygrothermal purposes. This research represents the first step towards an Australian-specific moisture risks management framework, and it advances the discussion about the suitability of the current hygrothermal design and construction policy and practices. The outcomes reveal the highly variable moisture indices obtained for the different representative cities, affirming the inappropriate use of existing climate zone clustering for hygrothermal assessment purposes.