Investigating the braiding parameters and their effects on the mechanical and frictional properties of silk sutures

In this research work, the simultaneous effects of braided sutures made up of silk filament were studied with respect to parameters such as filament twist (0-6 Twist/inch), braiding angle (28.8°–34.8°) and braid structure (1/1, 1/2 and 2/2) on tensile strength, elongation, bending stiffness and friction were investigated by using response surface methodology. The influence of independent and dependent values has been studied using the categorical central composite design of experiments. The optimum conditions for enhanced handling characteristics of braided silk suture were 3.7 twist /inch of silk filament twist level, at a 28.8°braid angle, and a 1/2 braided structure. The handling characteristics of the suture can be enhanced by choosing suitable braiding parameters.

The potential for increasing the productivity of Indonesian silk farmers

Natural silk is one of the sources of livelihood for rural Indonesians. However, due to the Covid-19 pandemic, natural silk production has been affected. During the pandemic, the community implements health protocols such as keeping physical distance and physical contact. Meanwhile, the natural silk business is a labor-intensive business that involves a lot of labor, so a strategy is needed in order that silk farmers could continue running their productive business to meet the necessities of life. This paper aims to provide information on the potential for the economic increase of Indonesian silk farmers through sericulture technological applications. The research used desk study, descriptive qualitative, and quantitative methods with the study locations in Sulawesi, Gorontalo, and Java Provinces. The results of the study show that the technology input through the mulberry hybrid and silkworm hybrids can increase farmers’ cocoon production by 21.4% - 36.4% with an increase of silk filament production by 75.4% -358.8% per silkworm box. In addition, the use of mulberry hybrids and standard silkworm rearing room is also a potential for silk farmers to increase the number of silkworms raised with the same resource capital in the form of land ownership area and number of family labor. The application of sericulture technology is indispensable as one of the solutions in increasing the productivity of silk farmers in the pandemic era hence a sustainable socialization of technology is needed.

Minimally Invasive Elective Surgery as a Treatment of Bowel Invagination in a Peutz-Jeghers Syndrome Case

We present a case of a 24-year-old woman with Peutz-Jeghers syndrome, recurrent colic abdominal pain, and lower gastrointestinal bleed for the last 5 years. Colonoscopy showed hamartomas without any dysplasia. In the enteral magnetic resonance imaging, a distal jejunum and ileum invagination, secondary to hamartomas was detected. The patient was referred to the Surgery Department and despite few symptoms, elective surgery was proposed. By laparoscopic surgery approach, the entire bowel was carefully revised, 3 intussusceptions and bowel volvulus were found, 2 in jejunum and 1 in ileum, causing incomplete obstruction and intestinal dilatation, with a diameter of 6 cm. These intussusception areas were marked with a silk filament, after achieving devolvulation and disinvagination. A 5-cm laparotomy was done, to externalize the entire bowel, to explore it manually, to verify the absence of other lesions, and locate silk points. By longitudinal enterotomies on the antimesenteric intestinal border where silk filaments were located, the polyps were removed through their stalk, and the enterotomies were transversely closed. Postoperative evolution was favorable, starting oral tolerance on the fourth day and being discharged from the hospital on the seventh day. Eight months later, the patient was asymptomatic with a better quality of life.

Sericulture Industry

India has a huge potential for sericulture development unlike other agro industries since sericulture is a unique agro-based industry comprising of several components such as mulberry cultivation, silkworm rearing, silk reeling and other connected activities. Each of these components appear to be independent but closely linked with one another having intricacies of their own. The major activities of these components comprises of mulberry food-plant cultivation to feed the silkworms which spin silk cocoons and reeling the cocoons for unwinding the silk filament for manufacturing silk goods, subjecting them to the process of degumming, bleaching, dyeing, weaving and printing. Thus sericulture industry provides employment to approximately 7.85 million in rural and semi urban areas in India. Of these, a sizeable number belongs to the economically weaker sections of the society, including women. In addition to this, India has the unique credibility of producing all the five known commercial silk viz., mulberry, tropical tasar, oak tasar, eri and muga of which muga with its golden yellow glitter is unique and prerogative of India. Though silk is a luxury item, it is produced by the rural populace and purchased by urban rich, causing money to flow from urban to rural. It also prevents rural people to migrate to urban areas. The United Nation's recent endeavor “Millennium Development Goals” has an eight point programme to make our earth more healthy wealthy and free from inequalities by 2015. Sericulture being a rural and women friendly business aligns well with many of these ideas which are explained in detail in the chapter.

Controlling of bacterial and fungal diseases that contaminating mulberry silkworm, Bombyx mori by using some plant extracts

Background Mulberry silkworm, Bombyx mori L. is one of the most economically important insect because its production of silk which interfere with many important industries. Diseases of the silkworm, B. mori such as viral, bacterial, fungal and protozoan pathogens seriously affect their cocoon production. Bacterial and fungal pathogens independently cause the highest cocoon loss, so the use of botanicals is considered an important strategy to control diseases of silkworm. Results The artificially infected silkworm, B. mori larvae with Bacillus thuriengiensis when treated with concentrations of 2 and 3% of black seed and basil leaves extracts increased significantly larval weight and decreased larval mortality. In addition, 3% basil leaves extract and 1% of black seed increased pupal weight. Cocoon weight and cocoon shell weight increased significantly by 3% basil leaves extract treatment. All tested concentrations of black seed extract increased the silk ratios of the resulted cocoons as compared to the infected control. For technological parameters, all tested extracts at 3% concentration caused the highest silk filament length; meanwhile control larvae recorded the highest silk filament weight and size. Regarding the mulberry silkworm, B. mori artificially infested with conidial solution of Beauveria bassiana when treated with all concentrations of the tested plants showed an enhancement in larval weight, pupal weight, cocoon weight, cocoon shell weight, silk filament length, and filament weight and reduced the larval mortality percentage. The highest silk filament size were recorded for the control group. Conclusions Tested concentrations of Morus alba, Ocimum basilicum leaves extracts and Nigella sativa seeds extract have suppressed the bacterial and fungal disease spread when used three times through both 4th and 5th larval instars. Moreover, the biological characters and technological traits enhanced by using of these extracts, so it can be used in sericulture for improving cocoon crop quality and quantity.

Statistical characteristics for the defect occurrence of raw silk

In order to consider different defects that occur during the computer simulation of raw silk size series, it is necessary to find out the statistical characteristics for the defect occurrence of raw silk. Under the newest International Organization for Standardization standard for electronic testing of raw silk, the defects are classified into small slubs, big slubs, thick places, thin places, and small imperfection elements. By analyzing some probability distributions that happen during the silk reeling process and the formation of the defects, the study proposed that Pólya distribution may fit better than Poisson distribution in describing the number of defects formed in a certain length of silk filament. To verify this theoretical deduction experimentally, the defects for 15 lots of raw silk were tested every 1000 meters using an electronic tester for raw silk; each time 12 skeins were tested together and each test was repeated from 13 to 17 times. A goodness-of-fit test method for Poisson and Pólya distributions was deduced, which was used to analyze the statistical characteristics for the defects except for small imperfection elements. The results showed that when using the capacitive sensor, the defects of big slubs, small slubs, and thick places had a Pólya distribution with a weak spreading characteristic; the thin places were a combination of independent Pólya distributions, and each subclass of thin places took Pólya distribution; when using the optical sensor, all the defects had a Pólya distribution, which was in line with the theoretical deduction.

Sericulture Industry

India has a huge potential for sericulture development unlike other agro industries since sericulture is a unique agro-based industry comprising of several components such as mulberry cultivation, silkworm rearing, silk reeling and other connected activities. Each of these components appear to be independent but closely linked with one another having intricacies of their own. The major activities of these components comprises of mulberry food-plant cultivation to feed the silkworms which spin silk cocoons and reeling the cocoons for unwinding the silk filament for manufacturing silk goods, subjecting them to the process of degumming, bleaching, dyeing, weaving and printing. Thus sericulture industry provides employment to approximately 7.85 million in rural and semi urban areas in India. Of these, a sizeable number belongs to the economically weaker sections of the society, including women. In addition to this, India has the unique credibility of producing all the five known commercial silk viz., mulberry, tropical tasar, oak tasar, eri and muga of which muga with its golden yellow glitter is unique and prerogative of India. Though silk is a luxury item, it is produced by the rural populace and purchased by urban rich, causing money to flow from urban to rural. It also prevents rural people to migrate to urban areas. The United Nation's recent endeavor “Millennium Development Goals” has an eight point programme to make our earth more healthy wealthy and free from inequalities by 2015. Sericulture being a rural and women friendly business aligns well with many of these ideas which are explained in detail in the chapter.

Influence of Supplementation of Zea Mays Flour on the Growth and Economic Traits of Silkworm, Bombyx Mori L.(PFD)

<div><p><em>Studies were carried out on the impact of supplementation of Zea mays flour on silkworm Bombyx mori belonging to double hybrid variety (PFD). The 3^rd,4^th 5^th instars larvae were feed with leaves supplemented with different concentrations of Zea mays flour. Maximum larval weight was observed in 5^th instar larvae in 10% Treatment (4.59±0.31g ) and 5% Treatment (3.98±0.23g ) as compared to the control (3.13± 0.14g ).Mulberry leaves treated with Zea mays flour protein (10%)fed larvae recorded a maximum cocoon weight (2.32±0.07g), pupal weight (1.53±0.12g) shell weight (0.42±0.02g) , shell ratio (24.55±0.62%) silk filament length (851.11±6.94m) silk filament weight (0.51±0.04g). Shell ratio in this treatment (10%) showed an increase of 18.38 % over control filament length 21.64% . Larvae fed with mulberry leaves enriched with Zea mays flour protein showed significant enchancement in economic characters of Bombyx mori was traced. </em></p></div>