Effect of low temperature plasma treatment on wool fabric properties

Low temperature plasma (LTP) treatment was applied to wool fabric with the use of a non-polymerizing gas, namely oxygen. After the LTP treatment, the fabric properties including low-stress mechanical properties, air permeability and thermal properties, were evaluated. The low-stress mechanical properties were evaluated by means of Kawabata Evaluation System Fabric (KES-F) revealing that the tensile, shearing, bending, compression and surface properties were altered after the LTP treatment. The changes in these properties are believed to be related closely to the inter-fiber and inter-yarn frictional force induced by the LTP. The decrease in the air permeability of the LTP-treated wool fabric was found to be probably due to the plasma action effect on increasing in the fabric thickness and a change in fabric surface morphology. The change in the thermal properties of the LTP-treated wool fabric was in good agreement with the above findings and can be attributed to the amount of air trapped between the yarns and fibers. This study suggested that the LTP treatment can influence the final properties of the wool fabric.     

Probabilistic tomography maps chemical heterogeneities throughout the lower mantle

We obtained likelihoods in the lower mantle for long-wavelength models of bulk sound and shear wave speed, density, and boundary topography, compatible with gravity constraints, from normal mode splitting functions and surface wave data. Taking into account the large uncertainties in Earth's thermodynamic reference state and the published range of mineral physics data, we converted the tomographic likelihoods into probability density functions for temperature, perovskite, and iron variations. Temperature and composition can be separated, showing that chemical variations contribute to the overall buoyancy and are dominant in the lower 1000 kilometers of the mantle.     

Ralstonia solanacearum causing potato bacterial wilt: host range and cultivars’ susceptibility in Rwanda

Members of the Ralstonia solanacearum species complex (RSSC), causing potato bacterial wilt or brown rot, are highly contagious and there are no known cultivars with durable resistance to the pathogen. This study hypothesized (a) that crops intercropped or rotated with potato, plants in the same family, and plants grown in the neighbouring fields can host the pathogen and they can be potential sources of primary inoculum, and (b) that potato cultivars currently multiplied by the public tissue culture laboratory in Rwanda are less susceptible to the pathogen. Fourteen plant species and potato, and nine potato cultivars were tested for susceptibility to an RSSC phylotype II strain under greenhouse conditions. The bacteria induced symptoms on potato, tomato, tree tomato, sweet pepper, and eggplant only. Among the plant species with symptoms, potato, tomato, and tree tomato wilted completely. There was a significant difference in days to symptom expression and to complete wilting (p < .0001). While all tested potato cultivars were found to be susceptible, the number of days to first symptom expression, days to complete wilting, area under the disease progress curve (AUDPC), and the number and weight of harvested tubers varied considerably. Cultivars Cruza, Kinigi, and CIP-58 were less susceptible whereas the cultivars Gikungu, Kirundo, and Victoria were highly susceptible. There is a strong need to search for other sources of resistance. The results indicate that some plant species that might serve as a reservoir of the bacterium should be avoided in the vicinity of potato crops.     

A comprehensive study of silicone-based cosmetic textile agent

In recent years, textile materials have also found applications in the cosmetic field as more and more commercial cosmetic textile agents are now available in the market. In this paper, one commercially available cosmetic textile agent (CTA) for skin caring benefits was used for making the cosmetic textiles. Systematic characterization methods were established to assess their performance in terms of material identification, fabric performance properties as well as biological safety and biological response to human skin. The experimental results showed that after the treatment of cosmetic textile agent, the fiber surface was covered with a thin layer of smooth material, thereby contributing several alterations to fabric properties and providing a better hand feel to human body. The durability of cosmetic textile was considerably satisfactory with respect to the abrasion resistance and washing cycles. The experimental results also illustrated that the cosmetic textiles might probably enhance the replacement of cells with the newly regenerated ones in the skin structure of human body, and thus provided a more efficient turning-over and replacement of skin components.     

Evaluation of ingredient effects on extruded starch-based foams using a supersaturated split-plot design

The aim of this study was to use a supersaturated split-plot design to identify the significant effects of ten ingredients, each at two levels, and two levels of screw speed on selected properties of starch-based packaging foams. Supersaturated designs are special types of fractional factorial designs that allow for evaluating many factors with a minimal amount of experimental material. Rice starch foams were prepared with a twin-screw extruder. The ingredients used were α-cellulose (fiber), potato starch, poly(lactic acid), polystyrene, glycerol, sodium chloride, talc, sodium bicarbonate, citric acid and moisture content of the feed. The properties studied were radial expansion ratio, unit density, bulk spring index, bulk compressibility and Young's modulus. The results showed that the ingredients identified to have significant effects on the properties were the high levels of talc, citric acid, moisture content and the low level of fiber. Low screw speed was found to have greater effect on the properties of the foams than did the high screw speed. It was concluded that the supersaturated split-plot design was successful in identifying the significant ingredients and screw speed that should be used to further investigate the extrusion of starch-based packaging foams.     

有机质对土壤中氯吡脲吸附-解吸行为的影响

为了明确氯吡脲在土壤中的迁移转化行为及有机质对该过程的影响,采用振荡平衡法研究氯吡脲在有机质含量不同的2种土壤中的吸附-解吸行为。结果表明:拟二级动力学能够最好地拟合吸附动力学过程,且R²为0.9999。在2种土壤中氯吡脲的吸附解吸等温线均呈非线性,Freundlich方程可以对吸附解吸数据有着较好的拟合,且高有机质土壤的吸附容量远大于低有机质土壤,但解吸过程中存在迟滞现象。通过比较表明,有机质存在时以有机质吸附为主,无机矿物吸附很弱,且有机质能够显著增加氯吡脲的吸附容量。同时,高有机质土壤解吸过程存在显著的迟滞行为,平均为0.6273,而在低有机质土壤中迟滞系数存在负值,表明有机质能够加强对氯吡脲的固定,降低其继续迁移转化的风险。     

Primary sarcoma of the ribs in a large, mixed breed dog

A 9-year-old, 30-kg, neutered male, mixed breed dog was referred for en bloc resection of a tentatively diagnosed costal chondrosarcoma. Light microscopic examination of the excised mass confirmed osteosarcoma. Adjuvant chemotherapy with 4 treatments with carboplatin was initiated. There have been no signs of metastases 5 months postsurgery.     

Bayesian analysis of plant disease prediction

Rule-based systems for the prediction of the occurrence of disease can be evaluated in a number of different ways. One way is to examine the probability of disease occurrence before and after using the predictor. Bayes's Theorem can be a useful tool to examine how a disease forecast (either positive or negative) affects the probability of occurrence, and simple analyses can be conducted without knowing the risk preferences of the targeted decision makers. Likelihood ratios can be calculated from the sensitivity and specificity of the forecast, and provide convenient summaries of the forecast performance. They can also be used in a simpler form of Bayes's Theorem. For diseases where little or no prior information on occurrence is available, most forecasts will be useful in that they will increase or decrease the probability of disease occurrence. For extremely common or extremely rare diseases, likelihood ratios may not be sufficiently large or small to substantially affect the probability of disease occurrence or make any difference to the actions taken by the decision maker.