Improving the photo-stability of high performance aramid fibers by sol-gel treatment

Although high performance fibers possess higher thermal resistant properties, they show very low sunlight stability. In this paper, a new sol-gel treatment method was used to enhance their light-resistant properties. Their mechanical property retention ratios (tenacity, extension, modulus) of fibers treated with titanium hydrosol were higher than those of the original Kevlar®129, PBO, and Kermel® fibers after light irradiation. Moreover, Kermel® fiber showed the highest improvement among the three kinds of fibers.     

Evaluation of the contact coolness of fabric using infrared thermogram imagery

This study develops a method to evaluate the contact coolness of fabric using the infrared thermal image of a small test specimen. By using infrared thermal images of 7 types of fabrics developed as cool fabric, the average temperature difference on the surface of the human palm and a heating plate, with and without fabric was measured and this was used for the scale of the ability of the fabric to cool by touch. By comparing the average temperature differences with the Qmax of a fabric, absorption coolness, subjective contact coolness, and correlations were investigated. More heat is transmitted via fabric when the Qmax value is higher and average temperature difference of thermogram image is smaller, which means the coolness perceived by the skin becomes stronger. Fabric with a small average temperature difference in infrared thermal imaging had a high Qmax value and it was evaluated as having strong coolness in subjective evaluation too. However, it was found that there was no relationship between average temperature differences and absorption coolness. Therefore, it can be concluded that the evaluation of fabrics’ coolness using infrared thermal image is useful when evaluating contact coolness at the point of physical contact. In addition, by comparing the methods using the palm and heating plate, the method using the palm showed higher correlation with Qmax (-.828, p<0.05). Therefore, we confirmed that evaluating the coolness of small test specimens using an infrared thermal camera and the palm is effective.     

Effects of DTAC on the warmth retention of down fiber based on response surface method

The warmth retention of down is improved through grafting DTAC (dodecyl trimethyl ammonium chloride) onto the natural fiber. The effect of DTAC concentration (A), temperature (B), and time (C) on the warmth retention was studied using the response surface method to obtain the optimal experimental formula and models. The optimum process conditions are A: 17.1 %, B: 38.91 °C, C: 61.37 min and the predicted warmth retention rate is 80.4 %. Verified by experiments, the actual result is 80.34 %, and the fitting degree is 99.92 %. The results show that the warmth retention rate of the treated down increased by 5.98 % compared to raw down. The filling power significantly increased by 21.85 %, and the graft modification had no effect on the turbidity of the down. No obvious changes were detected using SEM. This explains that the DTAC was successfully grafted onto the down fiber and the modification did not damage the down.     

Manufacture and filtration of the PM<Subscript>2.0</Subscript> of microfiber warp-knitted mesh fabrics dealing with tourmaline

Tourmaline can enhance filtering efficiency to PM_2.0 of microfiber warp-knitted mesh fabric. In this paper, microfiber warp-knitted mesh fabrics were designed with different mesh structures and mass fraction of tourmaline solution respectively. The effect of tourmaline concentration on filtering efficiency of fabrics was investigated. After the tourmaline solution, the strength of mesh fabrics and durability of tourmaline’s conglutination to the mesh fabrics were explored at the same time. The results shown that the filtering efficiency of microfiber warp-knitted mesh fabrics dealing with tourmaline was resentful. Breaking strength of fabrics decreases with increasing mass fraction of tourmaline solution. The resistant efficiency of fabrics and tourmaline adhesive on the mesh fabrics were still stable along with the increasing mass fraction of tourmaline.     

Impregnation of zinc oxide mediated chitosan nano-composites on polyester fabric for performance characteristics

Present study dealt with the fabrication of chitosan/zinc oxide nano-composites (CZNCs) using a facile preparation method. The structural features of nano-composites were investigated by using advanced analytical techniques. The developed nano-composites exhibited hexagonal structural pattern with an average particle size of about 51 nm. The developed CZNCs were dispersed in 2-propanol and applied on polyester by using the pad-dry-cure method. The treated fabric specimens were characterized for surface, functional and textile properties including antibacterial activity and (ultra violet) UV- blocking. The nano-composite treated polyester fabric exhibited durable antibacterial, UV- blocking and textile properties with fair whiteness index.     

Stabilization of Preliminary Anaerobically Digested Slurry in Post-Storage: Dynamics of Chemical Characteristics and Hygienic Quality

Dynamics of chemical characteristics and hygienic quality, particularly nutrients, heavy metals, and bacterial pathogens, were investigated along the storage of anaerobically digested slurry derived from chicken and pig manure. The average total solid (TS) content decreased by 3.6 and 24.1%, while soluble chemical oxygen demand (SCOD) decreased by 23.7 and 31.4%, in chicken manure- and pig manure-digested slurries storage, respectively. A rapid increase in NH₄ ⁺-N concentration from 1600 to 4800 mg/L in chicken manure-digested slurry and from 1200 to 1700 mg/L in pig manure-digested slurry was noted, particularly during the first 10 days of storage. A positive correlation between TS and content of heavy metals (Cu, Zn, Cr, and Pb) in the digested slurry was clearly shown. These metals are mainly associated with suspended particles and tend to be settled in the bottom during the storage process. Increasing attention should be paid to the land application of these bottom-settled digestates with higher TS content. The number of total coliforms and Escherichia coli in the both digested slurries decreased continuously during the whole storage period. The higher reduction rate observed during the storage of chicken manure-digested slurry may be due to the higher content of NH₄ ⁺-N, which may cause the inhibition of gram-negative bacteria. The results of this study provides a better understanding of the storage process of anaerobically digested slurry, which could benefit the digested slurry further utilization as agriculture fertilizer.     

Molecular characterization of melanin-concentrating hormone (MCH) in <Emphasis Type="Italic">Schizothorax prenanti</Emphasis>: cloning,tissue distribution and role in food intake regulation

Melanin-concentrating hormone (MCH) is a crucial neuropeptide involved in various biological functions in both mammals and fish. In this study, the full-length MCH cDNA was obtained from Schizothorax prenanti by rapid amplification of cDNA ends polymerase chain reaction. The full-length MCH cDNA contained 589 nucleotides including an open reading frame of 375 nucleotides encoding 256 amino acids. MCH mRNA was highly expressed in the brain by real-time quantitative PCR analysis. Within the brain, expression of MCH mRNA was preponderantly detected in the hypothalamus. In addition, the MCH mRNA expression in the S. prenanti hypothalamus of fed group was significantly decreased compared with the fasted group at 1 and 3 h post-feeding, respectively. Furthermore, the MCH gene expression presented significant increase in the hypothalamus of fasted group compared with the fed group during long-term fasting. After re-feeding, there was a dramatic decrease in MCH mRNA expression in the hypothalamus of S. prenanti. The results indicate that the expression of MCH is affected by feeding status. Taken together, our results suggest that MCH may be involved in food intake regulation in S. prenanti.     

A Nonlinear Mixed-Effects Model for Multivariate Longitudinal Data with Dropout with Application to HIV Disease Dynamics

The main challenge in biomedical and clinical studies which involve collection of longitudinal data is the premature withdrawal of the subjects from the study resulting in incomplete data. Standard statistical analysis approaches usually give biased estimates of the model parameters if the mechanisms that led to dropout are ignored. In this discussion, we consider nonlinear mixed-effects models for multivariate longitudinal data in the presence of subject dropout. We present techniques for estimation of model parameters. These procedures are applied to estimate the parameters in the HIV dynamic system using routine observational data from an HIV clinic.     

Limits to agricultural growth in the Sistan Closed Inland Delta,Iran

The Sistan Delta in Iran is located at the end of a closed basin with nearly 100% of the supply coming from Afghanistan. This supply is supporting irrigated agriculture in the area and is the source for the lake system around the delta. These Hamoun lakes are ecological very valuable wetlands; a number of them are registered as Ramsar sites. The Iranian government tries to improve the living conditions of the people in the area, among others by providing infrastructure for irrigated agriculture. Further development of the irrigated area will mean less water for the Hamouns with resulting lower average water coverage of the lakes. This will not only endanger the ecosystem that the Hamouns support but also the livelihoods of the people that depend on the goods and services that the lakes provide. This paper describes a study that has been carried out to support decision making on potential development schemes in the delta. The non-availability of data from Afghanistan requires the development of various tools and the use of remote sensing techniques to enable to make estimates for the river flow that Iran can expect from Afghanistan. An IWRM approach has been used for the balancing of interests involved. Some preliminary conclusions are described.