Relationship between wearer prickle response with fibre and garment properties and Wool ComfortMeter assessment

The prickle evoked by 48 knitted fabrics was assessed by wearers under a defined evaluation protocol. The relationship between the average wearer prickle score and known properties of constituent fibre, yarns and fabrics and fabric evaluation using the Wool ComfortMeter (WCM) was determined using linear modelling. After log transformation, the best model accounted for 87.7% of the variance. The major share of variation could be attributed to differences between mean fibre diameter (MFD) and WCM values. Low prickle scores were linearly associated with lower MFD, lower WCM and lower yarn linear density. There was an indication that yarn twist affected prickle scores and that fabrics composed of cotton evoked less prickle. Measures of fibre diameter distribution or coarse fibre incidence and other fabric properties were not significant. The analysis indicates that wool garments can be constructed to keep wearer assessed prickle to barely detectable levels and textile designers can manipulate a range of parameters to achieve similar wearer comfort responses.

Associations between the physiological basis of fabric-evoked prickle, fiber and yarn characteristics and the Wool ComfortMeter value

The association between the incidents counted by the measurement wire of the Wool ComfortMeter (WCM) and the previously published neurophysiological basis for fabric-evoked prickle have been investigated for lightweight knitted woolen fabrics. The fiber lengths and diameters capable of triggering the fabric-evoked prickle sensation were calculated using Euler’s buckling formula, and it is suggested that fibers as fine as 10 mm are capable of triggering the prickle response if they have a short enough free length protruding from the surface. Good agreement was found between the sensory assessed human prickle sensation and the wearer prickle response predicted using the WCM outputs, especially when the latter were transformed using Stevens’s Psychophysical Power Law.

Neurocognitive effects of multivitamin supplementation on the steady state visually evoked potential (SSVEP) measure of brain activity in elderly women

OBJECTIVE: Growing evidence suggests that dietary supplementation with selected micronutrients and nutraceuticals may have the potential to improve cognition in older adults. Fewer studies have investigated the effects of these substances on brain activity. METHODS: This study was a randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial, conducted to explore the effects of 16 weeks supplementation with a combined multivitamin, mineral and herbal formula on the steady state visually evoked potential (SSVEP) measure of brain electrical activity. Participants were elderly women aged between 64 and 79 years, with subjective memory complaints. Baseline and post-treatment SSVEP data was obtained for 22 participants in the multivitamin group and 19 in the placebo group. A spatial working memory delayed response task (DRT) was performed during the recording of the SSVEP. RESULTS: The results revealed that when compared to placebo, multivitamin supplementation delayed SSVEP latency during retrieval, interpreted as an increase in inhibitory neural processes. Behavioural performance on the DRT was not improved by the multivitamin, however improved performance accuracy was associated with increased midline central SSVEP latency. There were no multivitamin-related effects on SSVEP amplitude. CONCLUSION: These findings indicate that in the elderly, multivitamin supplementation may enhance neural efficiency during memory retrieval.