The influence of fiber diameter, fabric attributes and environmental conditions on wetness sensations of next-to-skin knitwear

This study investigated the relationships between the sensations of sweaty, damp, muggy and clingy, as assessed by human response from wearer trial garment assessment, and fiber type, fiber, yarn and fabric properties and instrumental fabric measurements of next-to-skin knitwear. Wearer trial assessment of 48 fabrics followed a strict 60 minute protocol including a range of environmental conditions and levels of exercise. Adjusted mean weighted scores were determined using linked garments. Instrumental fabric handle measurements were determined with the Wool HandleMeter (WHM) and Wool ComfortMeter. Data were analyzed using forward stepwise general linear modeling. Mean fiber diameter (MFD) affected the sweaty, damp, muggy and clingy sensation responses accounting for between 23.5% and 56.2% of the variance of these sensations. In all cases, finer fibers were associated with lower sensation scores (preferred). There were also effects of fiber type upon sweaty, muggy and clingy scores, with polyester fiber fabrics having higher scores (less preferred) compared with fabrics composed of wool, particularly for peak sweaty scores in hot and active environments. Attributes such as fabric density, yarn linear density, knitting structure and finishing treatments, but not fabric thickness, accounted for some further variance in these attributes once MFD had been taken into account. This is explained as finer fibers have a greater surface area for any given mass of fiber and so finer fibers can act as a more effective sink for moisture compared with coarser fibers. No fabric handle parameter or other attribute of fiber diameter distribution was significant in affecting these sensation scores.

Contribution of objective and subjective attributes to the variation in the whiteness and brightness of commercial mohair sale lots

Colour properties are measured prior to the sale of merino wool as they are of commercial importance when greasy wool is sold and when wool is dyed. With the paucity of knowledge of the colour properties of commercial mohair, this study aimed to identify and quantify the factors affecting the brightness (Y) and yellowness (Y-Z) values of commercial lots of Australian mohair. The research database comprised 520 sale lots (>500,000 kg mohair), which had tristimulus tests, and was sold during the period 2001–2009. Mohair was subjectively classed and sale lots objectively tested using international standard methods for mean fibre diameter (MFD, μm), fibre diameter coefficient of variation (%), International Wool Testing Organization (IWTO) clean wool base (IWTO yield, %w/w), vegetable matter (VM, %w/w) and the tristimulus values X, Y and Z (T units). The tristimulus values of Australian mohair were affected by the objective measurements of MFD, VM%, the subjective classing of stain, cotting, kemp and length and by the year and selling season. Variation in Y was more easily predicted with 90.5% of variance explained by the best model compared with variation in Y-Z, where the best model explained 51.6% of the total variance. Visually assessed properties of the mohair were very important in separating mohair of different Y properties, accounting for almost 80% of the total variance, but were far less important in accounting for the variance in Y-Z, accounting for about 9–10% of the total variance. The most important effects on the Y of mohair were associated with subjectively determined fault categories determined before the sale of mohair. In particular, stain fault explained about two-thirds of the variance in brightness of mohair sale lots. Stained mohair had much lower brightness than mohair free of stain but stain fault explained very little of the variation in yellowness of mohair sale lots. The extent of the differences in tristimulus values between seasons and years were not large for Y but were more important for yellowness (Y-Z), and these effects are likely to be of commercial importance. Generally, brightness decreased and yellowness increased as MFD increased up to about 30 μm. Both cotting and kemp fault were associated with reduced brightness and increased yellowness. The effects of VM% on tristimulus values were small. IWTO yield was associated with changes in tristimulus values, but in the best model, IWTO yield was not a significant determinant. This study indicates that commercial Australian fleece (nonfaulted) mohair was essentially white. Faulted mohair on the other hand exhibited poorer colour characteristics. The mohair subjectively identified as stained prior to sale comprised all the mohair which would be regarded as not white, and this investigation indicates that the effect of staining is on the brightness of mohair rather than the Y-Z measurement. Unlike the situation with merino wool, there was little relationship between the naturally occurring contaminants, as measured by the IWTO washing yield, and either Y or Y-Z.

Because it takes a village to fund the answers: Crowdfunding University Research

Whichever way you look at it, online crowdfunding is ramifying. From its foundations supporting creative industry initiatives, crowdfunding has branched into almost every aspect of public and private enterprise. Niche crowdfunding platforms and models are burgeoning across the globe faster than you can trill “kerching”. Early adopters have been quick to discover that in addition to money, they also get free market information and an opportunity to develop a relationship with their market base. Despite these evident benefits, universities have been cautious entrants in the crowdfunding space and more generally in the emerging ‘collaborative economy’ (Owyang, 2013). There are many cultural and institutional legacies that might explain this reluctance. For example, to date universities have achieved social (and economic) distinction through refining a set of exclusionary practices including, but not limited to, versions of gatekeeping, ranking and credentialing. These practices are reproduced in the expected behaviors of individual academics who garner social currency and status as experts, legislators and interpreters (Osborne, 20014: 435). Digitalization and the emergent knowledge and collaboration economies, have the potential to disrupt the academy’s traditional appeals to distinction and to re-engage universities and academics with their public stakeholders. This chapter will examine some of the challenges and benefits arising from public micro-funding of university-based research initiatives during a period of industrial transition in the university sector.Broadly then this chapter asks; what does scholarship mean in a digital ecosystem where sociality (rather than traditional systems for assessing academic merit) affords research opportunity and success? How might university research be rethought in a networked world where personal and professional identities are blurred? What happens when scholars adopt the same pathways as non-scholars for knowledge discovery, development and dissemination through use of emerging practices such as crowdfunding. These issues will be discussed through detailed exploration of a successful pilot project to crowdfund university research; Research My World. This project, a collaboration between Deakin University and the crowdfunding platform pozible.com, set out to secure new sources of funding for the ‘long-tail’ of academic research. More generally, it aimed to improve the digital capacity of the participating researchers and create new opportunities for public engagement for the researchers themselves as well as the university. We will examine how crowdfunding and social media platforms alter academic effort (the dis-intermediation or re-intermediation of research funding, reduction of the compliance burden, opportunities for market validation and so on), as well as the particular workflows of scholarly researchers themselves (improvements in “digital presence-building”, provision of cheap alternative funding, opportunities to crowdsource non-academic knowledge). In addressing these questions, this chapter will explore the influence that crowdfunding campaigns have for transforming contemporary academic practices across a range of disciplinary instances, providing the basis for a new form of engagement-led research. To support our analysis we will provide an overview of the initiative through quantitative analysis of a dataset generated by the first iteration of Research My World projects.

Neighborhood environmental attributes and adults' sedentary behaviors: review and research agenda

OBJECTIVE: Physical activity recommendations are beginning to address sedentary behaviors - time spent sitting. Environmental and policy initiatives for physical activity might assist in addressing sedentary behaviors, but sedentary-specific innovations may be required. This review synthesizes current evidence on associations of neighborhood environmental attributes with adults' sedentary behaviors. METHODS: A search was conducted using three electronic databases (PubMed, Web of Science, and Transport Research Information Services). Relevant articles were assessed for their eligibility for inclusion (English-language articles with a quantitative examination of associations of neighborhood environmental attributes with adults' sedentary behaviors). RESULTS: Within 17 studies meeting inclusion criteria, associations of environmental attributes with sedentary behaviors were examined in 89 instances. Significant associations were found in 28% (n=25) of them; however, non-significant associations were found in 56% (n=50) of these instances. The most consistent association was for lower levels of sedentary behavior among residents of urban compared to regional areas. CONCLUSIONS: There is a modest but mixed initial evidence in associations of neighborhood environmental attributes with adults' sedentary behaviors. A research agenda required for this emerging field should include the development of more relevant conceptual models, measuring domain-specific sedentary behavior objectively, examining environments in close vicinity of and a larger area around home, and the use of prospective designs.

Another explanation of the mutual fund fee puzzle

This paper demonstrates that investor sentiment explains the recent puzzle of the negative relation between fees and before-fee performance of equity mutual funds. Using a composite proxy for investor sentiment, the puzzle can be explained stronger by investor sentiment, compared to the strategic fee-setting explanation discussed in the literature. More-sentiment driven investors would like to select more skilled fund managers, leading to a better future performance in short run. Additionally, when sentiment is high (low), it results in lower (higher) fees. Our results highlight the use of investor sentiment approach in determining mutual fund fees and performance.

Moderating effects of age, gender and education on the associations of perceived neighborhood environment attributes with accelerometer-based physical activity: the IPEN adult study

The study's purpose was to examine age, gender, and education as potential moderators of the associations of perceived neighborhood environment variables with accelerometer-based moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA). Data were from 7273 adults from 16 sites (11 countries) that were part of a coordinated multi-country cross-sectional study. Age moderated the associations of perceived crime safety, and perceiving no major physical barriers to walking, with MVPA: positive associations were only found in older adults. Perceived land use mix-access was linearly (positive) associated with MVPA in men, and curvilinearly in women. Perceived crime safety was related to MVPA only in women. No moderating relationships were found for education. Overall the associations of adults' perceptions of environmental attributes with MVPA were largely independent of the socio-demographic factors examined. These findings are encouraging, suggesting that efforts to optimize the perceived built and social environment may act in a socially-equitable manner to facilitate MVPA.

Attributes of effective business teachers: perceptions of students enrolled in highly rated units

This study employs a widely used attributes of effective teachers framework to guide the coding of written feedback of students (n =169) enrolled in highly rated (top 25 per cent) business units at a large Australian University. This framework also underpins the theoretical interpretation of the data. By focusing on student feedback about effective business teachers, the aim of this study is to identify the most important attributes of these teachers from the perspective of satisfied student. The data is part of a larger survey of student evaluations of teaching and units. Findings from the analysis of feedback from highly-satisfied students reveals that the top five attributes of effective business teachers are related to classroom performance – creative and interesting, knowledgeable, effective communicator, sensitive and persistent, and enthusiastic. The findings provide insights to teachers, students and university administrators. A recommendation for future research is provided.