Impact of Washing Process on the Physical Properties of Denim Fabric (Twill and Dobby)

The study was focused on investigating the impact of different washing processes (dark shade, medium shade, light shade) on various properties of denim fabric. Two different types of fabrics with twill and dobby weave constructions were produced from cotton, spandex, and polyester yarn, and different types of washing processes were applied. Dimensional stability, tensile strength, tearing strength, EPI and PPI, weight, colorfastness to rubbing, colorfastness to perspiration (acid and alkaline), and colorfastness to water was investigated and comparisons were made statistically between the before washed sample and after washed sample. It is found that the process result shows better tear and tensile strength in case of dark & medium shade wash than light shade wash. On the other hand, weight and EPI & PPI have shown better result for light wash than other wash. Colorfastness to rubbing, Colorfastness to water, and Colorfastness to perspiration (acid and alkaline medium) are similar. The shrinkage% is higher especially in the weft direction of the fabric for light wash than the dark wash.

Effect of Light-Emitting Diodes and Ultraviolet Irradiation on the Soluble Sugar, Organic Acid, and Carotenoid Content of Postharvest Sweet Oranges (Citrus sinensis (L.) Osbeck)

Mature ‘Hamlin’ sweet oranges (Citrus sinensis (L.) Osbeck) were irradiated using light-emitting diodes (LEDs) and ultraviolet (UV) light for six days after harvest. Based on evaluation of the basic ripening parameters of fruits, the contents of soluble sugars, organic acids, and carotenoids were analyzed (in pulps) on the sixth day by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). The results showed that LED and UV irradiation not only accelerated orange ripening but also caused significant changes in the soluble sugar, organic acid, and carotenoid content. Compared with fruit subjected to dark shade (DS) treatment, the total soluble sugar, fructose, and glucose contents increased significantly in UV-treated (UVA, UVB, and UVC) fruits, while the sucrose content increased remarkably in white light, UVB, and UVC-treated fruits (p < 0.05). UV treatment was associated with inducing the largest effect on the total soluble sugar content. Except for UVB, other types of light notably induced an accumulation of the total organic acid content, none but blue light and red light markedly induced citric acid accumulation (p < 0.05). Interestingly, only the red light and dark shade treatments had markedly positive effects in terms of inducing carotenoid accumulation, including the total carotenoid, isolutein, zeaxanthin, lutein, neoxanthin, all-trans-violaxanthin, phytofluene, cis-ζ-carotene, and β-carotene concentrations. Other light treatments had significantly negative effects on carotenoid accumulation (p < 0.05). Therefore, soluble sugar, organic acid, and carotenoid accumulation in sweet oranges vary depending on the levels of UV and LED irradiation. Appropriate light irradiation is a potentially effective way to maintain or improve postharvest fruit quality.

Protecting trapped animals from heat exposure: the influence of shading on temperature within small metal box traps

Animal research guidelines recognise that trapped animals can potentially be subjected to heat stress, but recommendations are limited to avoiding exposing traps to weather extremes. Intuitively, shading metal box traps should be beneficial in warm to hot climates. Temperatures inside metal box traps were measured within traps located in direct sunlight concurrently with ones covered with artificial shading. Additionally, comparisons were conducted in continuous shade cast by ground-cover vegetation, and in stippled sunlight under an artificial lattice. Deep continuous shade from vegetation was most effective and able to keep traps within 5°C of ambient. Artificial shading using dark shade cloth could actually elevate trap temperatures above that in uncovered traps when exposed to direct sunshine. Reflective foil insulation cover not only provided rain protection for traps but was the most effective shading method trialled for reducing both the rate at which traps heated after sunrise and the maximum temperature reached during the day when exposed to direct sunshine. The use of foil sleeves can provide an extra level of protection from excessive heat exposure to trapped animals, keeping trap temperatures as much as 15°C lower than unprotected traps.

Physicochemical Characteristics of Saudi Arabian Locally Produced Raw and Diluted Honeys and Their Relations to Antimicrobial Activity

The physicochemical characteristics and antibacterial activity of Saudi Arabia honeys were studied for the first time. The levels of free and total acidity, pH, ash and moisture content were in the range 1.6 ±0.17 - 15.1 ±0.1 meq/kg, 2.77 ± 0.06 - 5.37 ±0.04, 1.1 ±0.02 – 1.7 ±0.03 % and < 18.0 %, respectively. Lovibond comparator color scale (P, mm) of samples was ranged from water white (P=0.0-1.3), extra light Amber (P=38.14-46.57), light Amber (P=60.39-75.54), Amber (P=86.72-110.08), dark (P=142.39-348.44) and very dark shade (P= 541.84). Dark honeys showed excellent inhibitory effects against bacterial growth. Excellent correlation between color of raw and diluted (>10.0%m/v) honey and antimicrobial activity was noticed. Honey species from different floral sources posses’ strong antioxidant and anti bacterial activities and are scavengers of active oxygen species.

Influence of shade and irradiation time on the hardness of composite resins

This study tested the following hypotheses: 1. increasing light irradiation time (IT) produces greater values of superficial hardness on different depths (0 and 3 mm); and 2. a dark shade composite (A3) needs longer IT than a light shade composite (A1) to produce similar hardness. Disk-shaped specimens (n=24 per shade) were fabricated using a 3-mm-thick increment of composite resin (Z100). Specimens were randomly assigned to 3 groups (n=8) according to the IT (400 mW/cm2) at the upper (U) surface: A1-10 and A3-10: 10 s; A1-20 and A3-20: 20 s; A1-40 and A3-40: 40 s. Specimens were stored in black lightproof containers at 37ºC for 24 h before indentation in a hardness tester. Three Vickers indentations were performed on the U and lower (L) surfaces of each specimen. The indent diagonals were measured and the hardness value calculated. The results were analyzed statistically by ANOVA and Tukey's test (alpha=0.05). Statistically significant differences were found between U and L surfaces of each composite shade-IT combination (p=0.0001) and among the ITs of same shade-surface combination (p=0.0001), except between groups A1-20U and A1-40U, confirming the study hypothesis 1 and partially rejecting the hypothesis 2.

(294) The Effect of Heavy Metal Cadmium on Transgenic and Nontransgenic Petunia Plants

Heavy metal contamination in the ground and its effects on human health has been a major concern. The objective of this experiment is to determine how cadmium affects transgenic and nontransgenic (control) petunia plants. Initially, the petunia seed germination medium (SGM) was prepared, and petunia seeds were sterilized and cultured on the SGM medium. During the actual experiment, using 8-day-old germinated petunia, the SGM-Cd media containing four different concentrations (0, 50, 100, and 200 μM) of CdCl2 were prepared. Plant growth and survival rates in four concentrations of SGM-Cd media were recorded. Over 20 days of observations, the plants showed two distinct differences: color and growth. For the first few days, all of the plants grew very slowly, but the plants showed marked differences in growth and color at later days. On the final day, 22 Jan., the control plants on 0 μM of CdCl2 grew 4.2 cm, while the transgenic plant grew 2.4 cm and showed a dark shade of green color. The control plants on 50 μM grew 1.38 cm, while the transgenic plants grew 2.2 cm. The control plants on 100 μM grew 1.14 cm, while the transgenic plants grew a total of 1.7 cm. Both control and transgenic plants on 200 μM had similar growth of 0.94 cm and showed very light shade of green color. The hypothesis in this experiment was confirmed because CdCl2 impacted the growth of the control and transgenic plants by stunting the growth of the plant and changing its color. It is also demonstrated here that transgenic plants containing the heavy metal transport (HMT) gene can grow better than control because of the specific HMT gene that allowed the plant to uptake more CdCl2 into the central vacuole.

Assessment of Colour Differences in Silicone Hand and Digit Prostheses: Perceptible and Acceptable Thresholds for Fair and Dark Skin Shades

This study addresses the dilemma of initial clinical and social acceptance of a newly fabricated silicone prosthesis in relation to its colour match to the natural skin. This was achieved by derivation of specific colour difference thresholds defining perceptible and acceptable levels of colour sensitivity. Two separate sets of 10 fair and dark shade digit prosthesis samples were each fabricated with a stepped increase in colour difference (Δ E) against the baseline hand prosthesis. Ninety individuals with normal colour vision scores were selected as colour assessors. The colour difference of each prosthesis in the two series was evaluated visually against the baseline by the assessors, using defined scores. The thresholds for perceptible and acceptable colour difference determined in this study were Δ E = 0.8 and Δ E = 1.8 for the fair series and Δ E = 1.3 and Δ E = 2.6 for the dark series, respectively. The acceptable threshold values differed from the perceptible threshold values by Δ E = 1.0 for the fair-shade samples and Δ E = 1.3 for the dark-shade samples. This study demonstrated that subjective visual assessment is positively correlated with Δ E values computed from colorimetric measurements for both fair and dark-shade silicone samples (p<0.001). This results shows that human subjects with normal colour vision are capable of accurately assessing colour differences. These observations emphasize the importance of subjective feedback on colour by the patient, provided the latter has perfect colour-tested vision. The study also showed that human subjects were less sensitive to perceived colour differences in darker-shade than fairer-shade samples (p<0.001). This finding seems relevant in a clinical setting involving a multi-ethnic patient population.

PURIFICATION AND REUSE OF COLOURED TEXTILE WASTEWATER

Wastewater of baths after an exhaust dyeing of cotton knitted fabric with reactive dyestuffs, soaping and rinsing was investigated. It was found that the wastewater of rinsing baths after dyeing in a light shade, which had a small amount of dyes and electrolytes, could be used for dyeing or rinsing after dyeing in a dark shade. The dyes present in the wastewater can be removed by treatment with cross‐linked cationic starch (CCS) with a degree of substitution of about 0,3. In all cases wastewater must be filtered before reuse. Such a wastewater was used for dyeing of cotton knitted fabrics in a dark shade with a laboratory apparatus. It was found that the use of wastewater in the dyeing process was risky because in some cases the colour of coloured products did not satisfy colour standards. Filtered wastewater as well as that treated with CCS were used for rinsing after dyeing of cotton and viscose knitted fabrics in a dark shade with reactive dyestuffs in industrial‐scale experiments. The colour of dyed textiles satisfied colour standards, and the colour fastness to rubbing was good.