bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The Arabidopsis AtOPT3 Protein Functions in Metal Homeostasis and Movement of Iron to Developing Seeds
Authors: Stacey Minviluz G. , Patel Ami , McClain William E. , Mathieu Melanie , Remley Melissa , Rogers Elizabeth E. , Gassmann Walter , Blevins Dale G. , Stacey Gary
Published: December 2007

The Arabidopsis thaliana AtOPT3 belongs to the oligopeptide transporter (OPT) family, a relatively poorly characterized family of peptide/modified peptide transporters found in archebacteria, bacteria, fungi, and plants. A null mutation in AtOPT3 resulted in embryo lethality, indicating an essential role for AtOPT3 in embryo development. In this article, we report on the isolation and phenotypic characterization of a second AtOPT3 mutant line, opt3-2, harboring a T-DNA insertion in the 5′ untranslated region of AtOPT3. The T-DNA insertion in the AtOPT3 promoter resulted in reduced but sufficient AtOPT3 expression to allow embryo formation in opt3-2 homozygous seeds. Phenotypic analyses of opt3-2 plants revealed three interesting loss-of-function phenotypes associated with iron metabolism. First, reduced AtOPT3 expression in opt3-2 plants resulted in the constitutive expression of root iron deficiency responses regardless of exogenous iron supply. Second, deregulation of root iron uptake processes in opt3-2 roots resulted in the accumulation of very high levels of iron in opt3-2 tissues. Hyperaccumulation of iron in opt3-2 resulted in the formation of brown necrotic areas in opt3-2 leaves and was more pronounced during the seed-filling stage. Third, reduced AtOPT3 expression resulted in decreased accumulation of iron in opt3-2 seeds. The reduced accumulation of iron in opt3-2 seeds is especially noteworthy considering the excessively high levels of accumulated iron in other opt3-2 tissues. AtOPT3, therefore, plays a critical role in two important aspects of iron metabolism, namely, maintenance of whole-plant iron homeostasis and iron nutrition of developing seeds.
Sucrose Transporter StSUT4 from Potato Affects Flowering, Tuberization, and Shade Avoidance Response
Authors: Chincinska Izabela A. , Liesche Johannes , Krügel Undine , Michalska Justyna , Geigenberger Peter , Grimm Bernhard , Kühn Christina
Published: December 2007

Sucrose (Suc) transporters belong to a large gene family. The physiological role of SUT1 proteins has been intensively investigated in higher plants, whereas that of SUT4 proteins is so far unknown. All three known Suc transporters from potato (Solanum tuberosum), SUT1, SUT2, and SUT4, are colocalized and their RNA levels not only follow a diurnal rhythm, but also oscillate in constant light. Here, we examined the physiological effects of transgenic potato plants on RNA interference (RNAi)-inactivated StSUT4 expression. The phenotype of StSUT4-RNAi plants includes early flowering, higher tuber production, and reduced sensitivity toward light enriched in far-red wavelength (i.e. in canopy shade). Inhibition of StSUT4 led to tuber production of the strict photoperiodic potato subsp. andigena even under noninductive long-day conditions. Accumulation of soluble sugars and Suc efflux from leaves of transgenic plants are modified in StSUT4-RNAi plants, leading to modified Suc levels in sink organs. StSUT4 expression of wild-type plants is induced by gibberellins and ethephon, and external supply of gibberellic acid leads to even more pronounced differences between wild-type and StSUT4-RNAi plants regarding tuber yield and internode elongation, indicating a reciprocal regulation of StSUT4 and gibberellins.
Molecular Dissection of Variation in Carbohydrate Metabolism Related to Water-Soluble Carbohydrate Accumulation in Stems of Wheat
Authors: Xue Gang-Ping , McIntyre C. Lynne , Jenkins Colin L.D. , Glassop Donna , van Herwaarden Anthony F. , Shorter Ray
Published: December 2007

Water-soluble carbohydrates (WSCs; composed of mainly fructans, sucrose [Suc], glucose [Glc], and fructose) deposited in wheat (Triticum aestivum) stems are important carbon sources for grain filling. Variation in stem WSC concentrations among wheat genotypes is one of the genetic factors influencing grain weight and yield under water-limited environments. Here, we describe the molecular dissection of carbohydrate metabolism in stems, at the WSC accumulation phase, of recombinant inbred Seri/Babax lines of wheat differing in stem WSC concentrations. Affymetrix GeneChip analysis of carbohydrate metabolic enzymes revealed that the mRNA levels of two fructan synthetic enzyme families (Suc:Suc 1-fructosyltransferase and Suc:fructan 6-fructosyltransferase) in the stem were positively correlated with stem WSC and fructan concentrations, whereas the mRNA levels of enzyme families involved in Suc hydrolysis (Suc synthase and soluble acid invertase) were inversely correlated with WSC concentrations. Differential regulation of the mRNA levels of these Suc hydrolytic enzymes in Seri/Babax lines resulted in genotypic differences in these enzyme activities. Down-regulation of Suc synthase and soluble acid invertase in high WSC lines was accompanied by significant decreases in the mRNA levels of enzyme families related to sugar catabolic pathways (fructokinase and mitochondrion pyruvate dehydrogenase complex) and enzyme families involved in diverting UDP-Glc to cell wall synthesis (UDP-Glc 6-dehydrogenase, UDP-glucuronate decarboxylase, and cellulose synthase), resulting in a reduction in cell wall polysaccharide contents (mainly hemicellulose) in the stem of high WSC lines. These data suggest that differential carbon partitioning in the wheat stem is one mechanism that contributes to genotypic variation in WSC accumulation.
Gibberellin Regulates Pollen Viability and Pollen Tube Growth in Rice
Authors: Chhun Tory , Aya Koichiro , Asano Kenji , Yamamoto Eiji , Morinaka Yoichi , Watanabe Masao , Kitano Hidemi , Ashikari Motoyuki , Matsuoka Makoto , Ueguchi-Tanaka Miyako
Published: December 2007

Gibberellins (GAs) play many biological roles in higher plants. We collected and performed genetic analysis on rice (Oryza sativa) GA-related mutants, including GA-deficient and GA-insensitive mutants. Genetic analysis of the mutants revealed that rice GA-deficient mutations are not transmitted as Mendelian traits to the next generation following self-pollination of F1 heterozygous plants, although GA-insensitive mutations are transmitted normally. To understand these differences in transmission, we examined the effect of GA on microsporogenesis and pollen tube elongation in rice using new GA-deficient and GA-insensitive mutants that produce semifertile flowers. Phenotypic analysis revealed that the GA-deficient mutant reduced pollen elongation1 is defective in pollen tube elongation, resulting in a low fertilization frequency, whereas the GA-insensitive semidominant mutant Slr1-d3 is mainly defective in viable pollen production. Quantitative RT-PCR revealed that GA biosynthesis genes tested whose mutations are transmitted to the next generation at a lower frequency are preferentially expressed after meiosis during pollen development, but expression is absent or very low before the meiosis stage, whereas GA signal-related genes are actively expressed before meiosis. Based on these observations, we predict that the transmission of GA-signaling genes occurs in a sporophytic manner, since the protein products and/or mRNA transcripts of these genes may be introduced into pollen-carrying mutant alleles, whereas GA synthesis genes are transmitted in a gametophytic manner, since these genes are preferentially expressed after meiosis.
Minichromosome Analysis of Chromosome Pairing, Disjunction, and Sister Chromatid Cohesion in Maize
Authors: Han Fangpu , Gao Zhi , Yu Weichang , Birchler James A.
Published: December 2007

With the advent of engineered minichromosome technology in plants, an understanding of the properties of small chromosomes is desirable. Twenty-two minichromosomes of related origin but varying in size are described that provide a unique resource to study such behavior. Fourteen minichromosomes from this set could pair with each other in meiotic prophase at frequencies between 25 and 100%, but for the smaller chromosomes, the sister chromatids precociously separated in anaphase I. The other eight minichromosomes did not pair with themselves, and the sister chromatids divided equationally at meiosis I. In plants containing one minichromosome, the sister chromatids also separated at meiosis I. In anaphase II, the minichromosomes progressed to one pole or the other. The maize (Zea mays) Shugoshin protein, which has been hypothesized to protect centromere cohesion in meiosis I, is still present at anaphase I on minichromosomes that divide equationally. Also, there were no differences in the level of phosphorylation of Ser-10 of histone H3, a correlate of cohesion, in the minichromosomes in which sister chromatids separated during anaphase I compared with the normal chromosomes. These analyses suggest that meiotic centromeric cohesion is compromised in minichromosomes depending on their size and cannot be maintained by the mechanisms used by normal-sized chromosomes.
A framework to integrate the enterprise domain ontology and organizational change application domain
Authors: Joseph George , George Asha
Published: December 2007

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to provide a generalized framework that illustrates the potential for the resources, events and agents (REA) model to integrate business strategy and information systems planning. The essential point of connection, the business process, enables the REA to form a complementary platform to integrate strategic change information to support change strategies.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper uses a case study to illustrate application of the framework.

Findings

The framework illustrates how the expanding ontology and semantic granularity and scalability features of the REA enterprise domain ontology, support mapping a range of change strategies structured using Venkataraman's change framework.

Research limitations/implications

This paper is exploratory in nature. The method uses existing case information, but the nature of the work does not lend itself to the traditional descriptive approach.

Practical implications

Integration of business strategy and information systems planning is critical for organizational success. Poor integration between change initiatives and systems poses a challenge in implementing change strategies. Conceptual models that support change initiatives provide users an effective medium to use domain knowledge to support change strategies.

Originality/value

The paper integrates existing concepts in the REA model (with some modification to the process view of the REA to adapt to multiple change initiatives). To the authors’ knowledge, there are no other papers that have offered a generalized framework for conceptualizing change initiatives of different levels.
Testing static tradeoff against pecking order models of capital structure in Japanese firms
Authors: Zhang Rongrong , Kanazaki Yoshio
Published: December 2007

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to test static tradeoff against pecking order models of capital structure in Japanese firms.

Design/methodology/approach

The static tradeoff and pecking order models are tested on a sample of 1,325 non‐financial Japanese firms between 2002 and 2006.

Findings

Empirical results prove that both models can explain some part of the capital structure. The static tradeoff model shows that firm leverage is affected by several determinants, and the pecking order model displays similar movements between net debt retired and financial surplus. However, both models have shortcomings. The static tradeoff model fails to explain the negative correlation between profitability and firm leverage, and the pecking order model fails to explain the low deficit coefficient.

Originality/value

The paper, because of the inconsistent results in prior studies, tests static tradeoff against pecking order models, with the data of Japanese firms.
An examination of Australian gold mining firms’ exposure over the collapse of gold price in the late 1990s
Authors: Fang Victor , Lin Chien‐Ting , Poon Warren
Published: December 2007

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to examine the exposures of Australian gold mining firms in the highly volatile period from 1995 to 2000. This period has been characterized by significant changes in gold price due to bulk sale of gold by collective central banks. Specifically, the paper aims to investigate several firm‐specific factors that are hypothesized to carry substantial influence on gold beta.

Design/methodology/approach

To estimate gold beta, we use the following multifactor model: Rg,t = α + βg GPRt + βx FXRt + βm Rm,t + εt, where Rg,t is the return on the gold stock Index at time t, GPRt is the gold price return denominated in US dollar at time t, FXRt is the foreign exchange return of Australian dollar in terms of US dollar at time t, Rm,t is the market return at time t, and εt is the random error term at time t.

Findings

The paper finds that the values of gold beta are consistently greater than one, implying the sensitive nature of firms’ stock returns to gold price changes. This also suggests that investors holding gold mining stock would receive higher percentage increases in stock returns from a percentage increase in gold price returns, as opposed to investors holding gold bullion. Furthermore, these values have changed substantially over time with significant changes in gold price volatility. The most important and consistent relationship that we find is the impact of firms’ hedging behavior on their respective gold betas. This is consistent with Tufano's study. It implies that firms, which hedge a greater proportion of their gold reserves, are less sensitive to movements in gold prices. The finding therefore supports the risk management theory that hedging increases shareholder's wealth. However, cash operating costs, cash reserves and the level of gold production seem to influence very little on the firms’ exposure to gold price changes.

Originality/value

This study is of interest and important to the stock mining companies and investors because the extent of the effect of gold price movements on the stock returns of gold mining companies has significant impacts on returns for both firms and investors especially in their risk management and investment decisions, respectively.
Strategic responses to institutional pressures, and success in achieving budget targets
Authors: Frezatti Fábio , Braga de Aguiar Andson , José Rezende Amaury
Published: December 2007

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to provide an integrated model to understand and act on the institutionalization process into a company.

Design/methodology/approach

Additional to the conceptual development, survey method was applied in a single entity, through a structured questionnaire covering the management group of a multinational company.

Findings

High potential to explain why some non‐institutionalized cases happen and the importance to treat the strategic responses.

Research limitations/implications

Model was applied only in one single entity. Futures researches may treat it in a more representative sample.

Practical implications

The active approach required by the entity to involve and reinforce the institutionalization process.

Originality/value

Integration of Tolbert and Zucker's approach with Oliver's and practical perspective of usage.
THE MECHANISM OF SEAM PUCKER IN STRUCTURALLY JAMMED WOVEN FABRICS
Authors: Stylios G. , Lloyd D.W.
Published: December 2007

The present work has shown that the cause of seam pucker in structurally jammed fabrics is mainly due to the sewing tensions of the sewing threads and that the fabric instead of trying to take up a more jammed configuration, as believed so far, tries to resist jamming and in doing so, buckles out of the fabric plane. The proposed mechanism of seam pucker is based on quantitative and qualitative studies of fabric and thread properties in relation to sewing. The stitch can be regarded as an Euler column consisting of three springs representing a lockstitch seam; a compressed spring in the middle representing the fabric, and two stretched springs either side of it representing the needle and bobbin threads. If the bending and compressional loads are high compared to the bending and compressive stiffness of the fabric, buckling will occur. If the column is stiff by comparison with these loads, then the critical load for the column will not be exceeded and buckling will not occur.
FABRIC MECHANICAL AND PHYSICAL PROPERTIES RELEVANT TO CLOTHING MANUFACTURE —
Authors: Mahar T.J. , Dhingra R.C. , Postle R.
Published: December 2007

The mechanical properties of fabric longitudinal extension and compression, shear and bending have an important influence on the performance of fabrics during tailoring and also on the performance of garments during use. Fabrics are overfed or underfed in tailoring during the sewing operations in such a way that longitudinal compression and extension are allowed in the fabric plane in order to produce the three‐dimensional shape or fullness of the garment. Fabric buckling or puckering at the seams should not occur, or if it does, should be removed during subsequent steam pressing operations. An experiment is described to measure the maximum limit of overfeeding that is possible during seaming without the subsequent formation of seam puckers. The relationships are studied between the maximum degree of overfeed, the bias angle between the feed direction and the fabric warp or weft, fibre type and fabric mechanical properties, especially fabric formability defined as the product of fabric bending rigidity and fabric longitudinal compressibility. When fabrics are extended or compressed longitudinally at a bias angle to the warp or weft direction during seaming in order to produce garment fullness, the warp and weft threads are rotated relative to each other in such a way that a local shear deformation is applied to the fabric adjacent to the seam‐line. Measurements are reported of the variations in the local shear angle along the shoulder seam‐line of a men's jacket and the measured values are related to the high degree of overfeed required in the bias direction in this area of the garment. Finally, hygral expansion measurements for wool fabrics and yarns unravelled from the fabrics are measured and compared for six different wool fabrics.
A THEORETICAL AND EXPERIMENTAL STUDY OF THE THERMAL INSULATION OF CLOTHING IN WINDY CONDITIONS
Authors: Fan J. , Keighley J.H.
Published: December 2007

A theoretical model for the study of the thermal insulation of clothing in windy conditions is presented. In this model, the trunk of a human body is approximated to as an internally temperature‐controlled hollow cylinder. The clothing assembly covering on the cylindrical body consists of two parts, an outer wind resistant fabric and an inner porous fibrous material. The numerical solution derived agrees well with the experimental findings performed on a cylindrical togmeter in a wind tunnel. It appears that air penetration and changes in clothing geometry caused by compression, expansion or fluctuation of the assembly are two essential mechanisms which cause the wind‐induced reduction in thermal insulation. The effects of wind velocity, air permeability of the outer fabric and inner porous fibrous material, are examined and discussed.
A CASE STUDY AND DEFINITION OF MODULAR MANUFACTURING
Authors: Carrere Carol G. , Little Trevor J.
Published: December 2007

Like most industries that adopt a reactive manufacturing strategy, the clothing industry changes only when external forces dictate that the current approach or strategy will no longer satisfy the prevailing business environment. This paper presents a case study of the modular manufacturing system and discusses the underlying premises that support the success of modular manufacturing both in the formative stages and during sustained operation. A review of the known origins of modular manufacturing illustrates how this production system can be used to advantage for clothing manufacture. Modular is the apparel industry's attempt to optimise the social and technical components of a Sociotechnical System (STS). No single solution fits all products/tasks in fully optimising STS, given different technologies, environment and people, etc. Consistent with the requirements for STS, the authors have formed five conclusive statements regarding the characteristics of modular manufacturing for apparel.
FABRIC MECHANICAL AND PHYSICAL PROPERTIES RELEVANT TO CLOTHING MANUFACTURE —
Authors: Mahar T.J. , Ajiki I. , Postle R.
Published: December 2007

In Part 1 of this series of papers, we investigated the importance of fabric overfeed in the sewing operations during tailoring. It was also shown how fabric bending rigidity, formability, shear and hygral expansion are important in clothing manufacture. The present paper is concerned with the measurement and experimental study of seam balance, breaking elongation and bending properties of seams. The aim is to evaluate quantitatively the consumption of sewing thread and the relationship between the degree of fabric overfeed during sewing and the curvature of the seam in the garment. Balanced seams have much higher breaking elongation and more symmetrical bending properties than unbalanced seam structures. A natural curvature and curling couple result from fabric overfeed during sewing. The value of the curvature is time‐dependent because of fabric viscoelastic effect and also depends on the level of fabric overfeed, the tensile and longitudinal compressive module of the component fabrics and the structure of the seamed composite. The natural curvature of the seam may be derived quantitatively from the relative lengths of overfeed fabrics using a modified theory for a bimetallic themostatic strip.
PROSPECTS FOR COMPUTER INTEGRATED MANUFACTURE (CIM) IN THE CLOTHING INDUSTRY
Authors: Harlock S.C.
Published: December 2007

An overview of the current state of Computer Inte‐grated Manufacture (CIM) in the clothing industry is presented. A modular CIM system is proposed to link the various activities involved in the design, manufacture and retailing of apparel and an assess‐ment is made of the extent to which the CIM system can be currently achieved and the further developments necessary for full implementation.
A TECHNIQUE FOR IDENTIFICATION OF SEAM PUCKER DUE TO FABRIC STRUCTURAL JAMMING
Authors: Stylios G. , Lloyd D.W.
Published: December 2007

In garment manufacture, causes of sewability problems have to be identified so that remedial actions can be applied. In the case of seam pucker, establishing the cause of the problem is not easy because many different variables can produce the same fault. Existing methods of identifying seam pucker due to structural jamming are tedious, time consuming and inefficient. A technique of producing structural jamming pucker in test seams and eliminating other causes of pucker has been established. This technique involves the attachment of a simple device onto the L and M sewability tester or in principle to any sewing action simulator. The device has proved to be a simple and cheap method of producing specimens for the assessment of structural jamming pucker.
PRINCIPLES OF ELECTROADHESION IN CLOTHING ROBOTICS
Authors: Monkman G.J. , Taylor P.M. , Farnworth G.J.
Published: December 2007

With the growing need of automation for garment assembly in the clothing industry comes the requirement for a compete range of textile handling devices. Robotics offers the flexibility needed to compete in a market where change in style and fashion can be both rapid and unpredictable. The actual physical mechanisms involved in the use of electrostatic attraction of clothing fabrics as a robot gripping technique are discussed. Following an outline of the underlying principles, experimental results are presented for a range of materials tested using electroadhesive surfaces. A selection of robot gripper configurations are provided together with a discussion of their relative merits.
RATIONAL EXPLOITATION OF FABRIC ROLLS IN APPAREL CUTTING TECHNOLOGY
Authors: Knez Blaz
Published: December 2007

This paper reports work undertaken for the rational exploitation of fabric rolls in order to be able to arrange cutting layers of fabric without leftovers or with a minimum and/or useful leftover. A computer program called “The Optimat Program”, based on theoretical and experimental considerations shown here, has been developed and used for the arrangement of cutting layers from a production fabric for men's jackets. It is concluded that such a program can bring about a considerable saving in materials during the cutting and spreading process in garment manufacture.
MULTI‐OBJECTIVE PRODUCTION PLANNING MODEL FOR A GARMENT FACTORY
Authors: Tabucanon M.T. , Estraza M.D.E.
Published: December 2007

Production planning requires that consideration be given to the various aspirations of management, customers and workers. These multiple goals, however, tend to be conflicting in nature. A multiple goal model structure is formulated for a garment factory based on the objectives of the company including minimisation of lateness, maximisation of revenue, minimisation of production cost, and minimisation of overtime. The model was applied using real data obtained from the subject company and was run using the Sequential Linear Goal Programming (SLGP) algorithm implemented with the use of the MPSX package in an IBM computer. Sensitivity analysis was performed to give insights to the decision makers concerning trade‐offs that exist among the conflicting objectives.
PREDICTION OF SEAM PUCKER IN GARMENTS BY MEASURING FABRIC MECHANICAL PROPERTIES AND GEOMETRIC RELATIONSHIPS
Authors: Stylios G. , Lloyd D.W.
Published: December 2007

Seam pucker can only be assessed subjectively, by using photographic standards, since instrumental techniques have so far failed to produce accurate results. A low cost means of predicting the degree of pucker has been provided, by correlating measured values of fabric and thread mechanical properties and geometrical relationships with the degree of pucker obtained in the seams. These properties were experimentally measured, for a set of commercial lightweight woven fabrics, and when their values were suitably plotted, three distinct clusters were obtained which, when compared with fabric grading, were found to correspond to severe, critical and acceptable seam pucker. The most important properties were found to be fabric and thread bending, fabric shear, fabric thickness and weight, and certain fabric geometrical parameters using Peirce geometry. The various methods of plotting these properties provide, within the test set of fabrics, a means of predicting the tendency of a fabric to exhibit structural jamming seam pucker.
DEVELOPING AN EDUCATIONAL CAD SYSTEM FOR GARMENT DESIGN
Authors: Jo J.S. , Harlock S.C.
Published: December 2007

The development of an educational CAD system for the design of flat patterns for female apparel is described. The philosophy used in the development of the system is explained, together with the structure of the system which includes on‐line help files, demonstration programs and tutorials with assignments to assist the novice user.
FABRIC MECHANICAL AND PHYSICAL PROPERTIES
Authors: Bassett R.J. , Postle R.
Published: December 2007

In the first three parts of this series of papers, methods were described by which the basic fabric mechanical properties important in clothing manufacturing operations may be measured and analysed. The fabric mechanical properties such as fabric tensile, shear, bending and longitudinal compression properties, have been related to fabric overfeeding during sewing and the natural curvature and curling couple of seamed fabric assemblies. The present paper describes work which was carried out with the aim of elucidating the relationships between the constitutive laws governing fabric extension, shear and bending, and the behaviour of the fabric in the three dimensionally deformed states in which the fabric is found during making‐up and end‐use. These deformed states involve strains in the plane of the fabric, and also bending out of the fabric plane. The fabric is approximated by a network of rod elements, aligned for convenience along the fabric constructional directions. The experimental results for a piece of woven fabric forced to conform to a spherical surface agree well with the theoretical calculations. The results also show that when a woven fabric is pulled onto a doubly curved surface by biaxial tensile stresses, equal in both directions, the fabric conforms to the surface mainly by shearing.
A FABRIC MANIKIN FOR ASSESSING THE THERMAL INSULATION OF CLOTHING
Authors: Fan J. , Keighley J.H.
Published: December 2007

This article introduces a new technique for the design and construction of manikins used for the assessment of thermal insulation clothing. In such a manikin, the skin is made of waterproof fabrics, and heated water circulates inside the body. This manikin is considerably cheaper to construct than any existing copper manikin and it can be easily used for routine tests for outdoor and military garments. Detailed considerations in the design and construction of such a fabric manikin are presented here.
POSITIONING OF TEXTILES
Authors: Högfors C. , Edberg B.
Published: December 2007

General shell equations of motion applicable to the structures of arbitrary topology are derived. The formulation is co‐ordinate‐free and local equations suitable for computation are easily written down for arbitrary choices of co‐ordinate systems.
DEVELOPING AN EDUCATIONAL CAD SYSTEM FOR GARMENT DESIGN USING CADDS 4X
Authors: Jo J.S. , Harlock S.C.
Published: December 2007

Part 1 of this article gave an overview of the computer‐aided design system. This part describes the software program developed as part of the system. Examples are given to illustrate application of the software in the design and grading of flat patterns.
FABRIC OBJECTIVE MEASUREMENT TECHNOLOGY
Authors: Postle R.
Published: December 2007

The continuing development of the textile and clothing manufacturing industries depends in no small measure on the successful implementation of reliable objective methods for the specification, prediction and control of fabric quality and performance attributes. In the last decade, we have seen several notable examples of fabric design and development, and production and quality control in textile processing and clothing manufacture in terms of fabric objective measurement technology. The quality and performance characteristics of fabrics are related to their low stress mechanical, surface and dimensional properties. The experimental errors involved in the measurement of these properties are known to be much smaller than the errors involved in subjective assessment of fabric quality attributes, especially those made by individual judges. We may define the concept of fabric objective measurement as a necessary and sufficient set of instrumentally measurable parameters which are required to specify the fabric quality, tailorability and clothing performance. In this way, fabric objective measurement technology provides a “fingerprint” of the fabric quality, tailorability and performance implying that any two fabrics will generally differ at least to some extent in their objectively measurable characteristics. Fabric objective measurement technology therefore provides the key for scientific and engineering principles to be used for fabric specification and design as well as process control. The most important consequence of the introduction of fabric objective measurement technology will be the promotion of technological communication between various sectors of the textile and clothing industry, research and development workers and all other sectors of industry (e.g. fibre producers, retailing, merchandising, machinery manufacturers) concerned with fibres, textiles and clothing.
OBJECTIVE MEASUREMENT OF FABRIC MECHANICAL PROPERTY AND QUALITY:
Authors: Kawabata S. , Niwa Masako
Published: December 2007

Textiles as clothing material must fit the human body and senses. This fitting is an important performance of the textiles besides the utility performance of textiles such as fabric strength. For many years, the performance concerning this fitness has been evaluated subjectively by hand judgement. The fabric property judged in such a way is called fabric handle. Instead of the subjective method, the objective evaluation system of fabric handle has been developed. The system is introduced firstly. In this objective method, the handle is evaluated based on the fabric mechanical and surface properties measured by the KESF instrument. The mechanical parameters of fabric measured by the instrument are useful not only for the fabric handle evaluation but also for textile and apparel engineering through the direct use of the parameters. The applications of the objective measurement of fabric handle and properties to textile and apparel engineering are introduced.
SHOPFLOOR PERFORMANCE METRICS FOR THE APPAREL INDUSTRY
Authors: Peck John C. , Pargas Roy P. , Khambekar Prashant K. , Dharmaraj Satish K.
Published: December 2007

In a typical apparel plant, there may be hundreds of machines, hundreds of employees and thousands of bundle subassemblies all simultaneously active. It is the responsibility of the manager to optimise through‐put and/or make efficient use of employee and machine resources and/or keep work‐in‐process inventory levels low. Ideally, to be able to deal with this complexity of scheduling, a manager would like to be presented with a handful of numbers which indicate how the plant is operating. A set of performance metrics which provide a manager with information concerning plant performance are identified and quantified. A mathematical analysis of many factors which concern plant performance are presented. The metrics enable a large amount of information to be condensed to summary form so that performance of an operational plan can be easily understood and lead to swift evaluation of that plan. The set contains about 70 metrics which the manager is free to interpret according to his/her operational goals.
PERCEPTION OF TEXTURE, VISUALLY AND TACTUALLY:
Authors: Laughlin Joan
Published: December 2007

The texturalcentric model of visual and tactile response to textural fabric surfaces was used to extract characteristics that could be used to build a construct definition of texture perception. Using multidimensional scaling analysis permitted subjects to provide numeric judgements of fabrics rather than using words with the individual's historic definition of those terms or without knowledge of some terms. Two hundred and forty subjects (50 per cent male, 50 per cent female) provided visual, tactile, or visual and tactile ratings of similarities of fabrics. The 47 fabrics were used in two administrations to ascertain cross‐validation. Data were analysed using M‐D SCAL Version 5M. Dimensions or characteristics of fabric were statistically analysed and named using bipolar adjectives: rough to smooth, plane to depth, irregular to regular surface units, shiny to matt, fine to coarse, light weight to heavy weight, simple to complex, small units to large units, open to compact, and soft to bumpy‐rough.
USE OF PERMANENTLY PRESSURE‐SENSITIVE CHEMICAL ADHESIVES IN ROBOT GRIPPING DEVICES
Authors: Monkman G.J. , Shimmin C.
Published: December 2007

Recent advances in both robotic technology and polymer chemistry have yielded techniques and materials capable of handling textile fabrics without excessive engineering complexity or fear of damage to the fabric. Chemical adhesives have often been used in the past for fabric manipulation but due to some serious constraints inherent in most adhesives the technology has been largely relegated to the use of consumable adhesive tapes. Many of the problems previously encountered have now been overcome by the use of polymer gum materials which have extremely long tack lifetimes. This has led to the development of a number of gum unit end effectors (GUE) for the purposes of fabric handling, manipulation and ply separation.
ORDER OF MAGNITUDE OF COMPRESSIVE ENERGY OF SEAMS AND ITS EFFECT ON SEAM PUCKER
Authors: Amirbayat J. , McLaren Miller J.
Published: December 2007

The balance between four different types of energies involved in a seam and their relative magnitudes which can result in seam instability is focused on. Experimental results for seams with and without overfeeding are presented, which agree with the theoretical analysis.
DISCRETE‐EVENT SIMULATION OF TROUSER MANUFACTURING
Authors: Rosser Pamela S. , Sommerfeld Jude T. , Tincher Wayne C.
Published: December 2007

A discrete‐event simulation of a utility trouser manufacturing plant is described. The simulation model, written in the GPSS/PC language, was validated with operating data from a large plant with a nominal production capacity of 40,000 pairs of men's denim trousers per week. Specifically, the simulation results closely agreed with key plant operating figures, such as production rate, number of work stations, work‐in‐process inventory and residence time in production.
PREDICTION OF SEAM PUCKER OF SHINGOSEN FABRICS WOVEN WITH MICRO DENIER FIBRES
Authors: Niwa Masako , Yamada Yoko
Published: December 2007

Shingosen fabrics (new synthetic‐fibre fabrics) have been accepted by consumers because of their new handling properties and are rapidly becoming popular as material for women's dresses. Seam puckering, however, is becoming a serious problem in the sewing process for these fabrics, especially those fabrics woven with micro denier fibres. An investigation was carried out to correlate seam puckering with fabric mechanical properties and also with penetration force of sewing needles. The results are: (1) When sewing is carried out normally, the seam pucker of shingosen fabrics is well predicted by the “seam‐pucker prediction equation” which has been derived for men's suit fabrics, based on fabric weight and mechanical parameters derived by tensile, bending and shearing fabric properties. (2) The case that a sewing needle breaks woven yarns and makes holes (sewing eyes) in fabric is observed often in the sewing of high dense weave woven by micro denier fibres. In this case, the seam pucker is reduced because of less restriction of yarn movement through the holes. (3) A new prediction equation for seam pucker of shingosen fabrics is derived on the basis of sewing experiments with shingosen instead of the men's suiting equation. The prediction ability of this new equation is higher than that of men's suiting.
AUTOMATIC SPONGING:
Authors: Ito Kitoshi
Published: December 2007

A new sponging system is introduced. The mechanical and dimensional stability properties are tested before the sponging by using KESF and the HESC103A steam‐press shrinkage test. Based on the fabric data, the optimum sponging line is selected from four lines. The sponging conditions such as steam temperature, steam flow rate, and speed of processing are decided by a computer based on the fabric data and the control signal is sent to the appropriate sponging machine. After sponging, fabrics are again measured for the mechanical and shrinkage properties for the final confirmation of the information as service to customers. This information is useful for the process control in suit manufacturing factories. This automatic system eliminates operator error in the sponging condition decision. It fits well with difficulties caused by large variations of fabric type.
SEAM PUCKER IN LIGHTWEIGHT SYNTHETIC FABRICS:
Authors: Stylios G. , Sotomi J.
Published: December 2007

Although fabric properties can be related to seam pucker, the aesthetic judgement is still left to subjective assessment which is based on ranking the stitched fabric samples by judges having compared them with photographic standards. The development of a new measuring procedure which is based on computer vision is reported. This procedure is objective and is focused on the aesthetic property of the seam assembly. This work has been used in conjunction with objective measurement of fabric properties for predicting seam pucker and sewing machine dynamics for optimisation of sewing machinery settings and for the manufacture of lightweight synthetic materials.
DISCRIMINATING THE SILHOUETTE OF LADIES' GARMENTS BASED ON FABRIC MECHANICAL PROPERTIES
Authors: Ayada Masako , Miki Motoko , Niwa Masako
Published: December 2007

The method of the discrimination of the type and silhouette of ladies' garments was studied. Material samples of ladies' garments which had been judged good in appearance and comfort were collected. They were classified first into nine groups according to type and second each group was divided into two groups by silhouette (tight and loose fit). Basic mechanical properties of these fabric samples were determined by the KES‐measuring system. The result is as follows. Several equations for discriminating the type and silhouette of ladies' garments were derived on the basis of the basic mechanical parameters which determine the formability, elastic potential and drapability of the make‐up appearance of men's suits, these being bending, shearing property and fabric weight. These equations were able to be simplified by reducing the number of parameters to four in order to make the practical application of the equations easier.
THE FEASIBILITY OF IMPROVING THE MARKER MAKING PROCESS
Authors: Jacobs‐Blecha Charlotte , Riall William
Published: December 2007

Reports the results of a study undertaken to determine the technical and economic feasibility of improving the state‐of‐the‐art in marker making systems for the apparel industry. The study concentrates on three primary areas: an assessment of the current state of the art in marker making software; an extensive literature search; analysis of the cutting stock problem and its application to the marker making problem; and other approaches to solving the marker making problem. Explores the economic viability of increasing marker making automation. Conclusions and recommendations are presented.
AN INVESTIGATION ON THE EFFECTS OF BODY MOTION, CLOTHING DESIGN AND ENVIRONMENTAL CONDITIONS ON THE CLOTHING THERMAL INSULATION BY USING A FABRIC MANIKIN
Authors: Fan J. , Keighley J.H.
Published: December 2007

The effects of body motion, clothing design and environmental conditions on the thermal insulation of clothing systems were investigated by using a newly developed fabric manikin. The manikin was covered with four typical clothing systems, and the changes of thermal insulation of these clothing systems and the heat lost from the clothed manikin were examined under various walking speeds (0–1.2 km/hr), wind velocities (0–2.2 m/s), and ambient temperature (—20°C–20°C) inside an environmental chamber. Out of this work, better understanding of the reduction of thermal insulation, owing to the combined effects of body motion and wind, are achieved. Also, the work showed the significant effect of ambient temperature on the effective clothing thermal insulation and the advantage of using aluminium foil in the construction of clothing for use in cold environments. Finally, the work revealed the fact that body motion can have a very significant effect on the clothing thermal insulation even though body activity is low. This explains why people, when they feel cold, like to increase their activity level in order to increase heat production rather than reduce their activity level to reduce the heat lost.
Compression Behaviour of Stacked Woven Fabrics
Authors: Price A.L. , Clapp T.G.
Published: December 2007

Understanding the behaviour of fabric in bulk form is necessary for the optimum design of automated material handling systems. Considers the bulk behaviour of stacks of cut fabric parts; the objective is to predict the bulk behaviour of stacks under compression. Uses a single ply fabric compression model developed by De Jong, Snaith and Michie to develop a compression model for stacked fabric.
Automatic Manipulation of Fabric in the Czechoslovak Garment Industry
Authors: Havelka Antonín , Kus Zdenêk
Published: December 2007

Examines the problems involved in mechanically lifting a cut piece of fabric from stacked layers, successfully separating the single piece, and transferring it to a precisely defined position. Grasping heads of four main types (or a combination) are commonly used: mechanical, pneumatic, adhesive and electrostatic. Describes experimental testing of mechanical heads operating with needles for different types of fabrics. Additional equipment (brushes on the edge of the cut fabric layer) always increased taking‐off reliability, as did additional pressure plates up to a certain mass.
A Simulation of Drycleaning of Pigskin Apparel
Authors: Kadolph Sara J. , Kunz Grace I. , Stout Shari A. , Horne Lena
Published: December 2007

First of two papers which investigate the factors that influence drycleaning performance of commercially available pigskin apparel. Examines two drycleaning solvents and two drycleaning treatments on two colours of pigskin suede and two interlinings. Latent defects were found related to hide selection and processing which may affect apparel performance and consumer satisfaction. When the bond between leather and interlining was permanent, variation in shrinkage was reduced but distortion of garment parts may occur because of differential shrinkage. Pilling of one interlining was so severe it would interfere with overall performance of garments. Manufacturer's recommendation for selection of interlining was not a reliable predictor of performance.
A Practical Approach to the Apparel Production‐planning and Scheduling Problem
Authors: Chen C. , Racine R. , Swift F.
Published: December 2007

Considers the daily production‐scheduling problem in the “make‐to‐order” apparel‐manufacturing industry and presents a solution procedure for the problem based on the simulated annealing technique. The development is aimed at the quick generation of a feasible solution and the improvement on the solution.
The Impact of Operator Efficiency on Apparel Production Planning
Authors: Racine R. , Chen C. , Swift F.
Published: December 2007

Illustrates the need for incorporating time‐phased operator efficiency levels in apparel production plans. Presents a list of factors which predict how long it will take an operator to learn a sewing operation. Describes prediction models which use these factors to estimate time‐phased operator performance under different conditions.
Advanced Automation for Shirt‐collar Manufacturing
Authors: Paul Frank W. , Dixon Marvin W.
Published: December 2007

Summarizes the work conducted on the research and development of machinery to automate the turning and pressing of collars and their automated assembly to the shirt‐collar bands sponsored by the Defense Logistics Agency. This research and development has involved the conceptualization, design and development of proof‐of‐concept shirt‐collar turning and pressing processes based on “double‐point turning and pressing” and their systems integration into a robot‐assisted apparel workstation. The work has also involved a second activity to understand, design and develop technology which can temporarily fold and crease single‐ply shirt‐collar bands for continuous automated assembly of shirt collars and collar‐bands. This work has involved the understanding of the folding and creasing properties of various apparel fabrics, the evaluation of two technology approaches for accomplishing this task, and the attachment machine control technology for high‐speed collar and collar‐band joining.