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1 – 10 of over 1000Hiroyuki Ueda, Yoshimitsu Inoue, Mitsuo Matsudaira, Tsutomu Araki and George Havenith
The aim of this study is to explore the influence of the clothing ventilation in three body regions on the humidity of the local clothing microclimates under five work‐shirts…
Abstract
Purpose
The aim of this study is to explore the influence of the clothing ventilation in three body regions on the humidity of the local clothing microclimates under five work‐shirts immediately after the onset of sweating in light exercise.
Design/methodology/approach
The clothing microclimate ventilations were measured at chest, back and upper arm using a manikin. Separate wear trials were performed to determine the sweat production and the humidity of the clothing microclimate at the same locations as where the ventilation was measured during light exercise.
Findings
Every shirt shows the greatest value of ventilation index (VI) for the chest and the smallest one for the upper arm. The values of VI differ remarkably at the chest among the five shirts. Comfort sensation became gradually worse as the time passed after starting exercise. There was no significant difference among the clothing conditions in mean values of rectal temperature, local skin temperatures, microclimate temperatures, microclimate relative humidities and local sweat rates at three regions over 10 min after the onset of sweating. A relationship was observed between the ratio of the mean moisture concentration in the clothing microclimate to the mean sweat rate at the chest and the back and the VI.
Originality/value
The results suggest that clothing ventilation should be measured in different body regions in response to sweat rates in corresponding regions.
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Motahareh Mokhtari Yazdi, Mohammad Sheikhzadeh and Seyed Ehsan Chavoshi
The purpose of this paper is to identify and evaluate the potential cooling contribution provided by a phase change material cooling vest as part of the total heat exchange…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to identify and evaluate the potential cooling contribution provided by a phase change material cooling vest as part of the total heat exchange mechanism of the body and take in to account the negative side effects of wearing the cooling garments.
Design/methodology/approach
In this study, the three-part system of body-garment-environment has been simulated through the finite element method and the problem of heat exchange between these three parts has been solved with the help of computer modeling.
Findings
The results of this modeling showed that a large percentage of the cooling efficiency of cooling vest was neutralized by the negative effects of the vest that are weight, lack of breathability, and the effects on the thermal conductivity of the skin. Therefore, the net efficiency of the cooling vests resulted in a lower decrease in skin temperature compared to the state that the negative side effects were not included in the model.
Originality/value
Cooling power obtained with the help of cooling garments have been studied in previous studies using either human tests or manikins. But, what has been addressed less in previous studies relates to the negative effects of such equipment on the comfort of body, along with their cooling effect. So it is the first time witch the effect of side effects of such equipments are studied. Also modeling the real performance of cooling garments have not been done yet.
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Caroline J. Smith, Christiano A. Machado‐Moreira, Gijs Plant, Simon Hodder, George Havenith and Nigel A.S. Taylor
The purpose of this paper is to provide footwear designers, manikin builders and thermo‐physiological modellers with sweat distribution information for the human foot.
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to provide footwear designers, manikin builders and thermo‐physiological modellers with sweat distribution information for the human foot.
Design/methodology/approach
Independent research from two laboratories, using different techniques, is brought together to describe sweat production of the foot. In total, 32 individuals were studied. One laboratory used running at two intensities in males and females, and measured sweat with absorbents placed inside the shoe. The other used ventilated sweat capsules on a passive, nude foot, with sweating evaluated during passive heating and incremental exercise to fatigue.
Findings
Results from both laboratories are in agreement. Males secreted more than twice the volume of sweat produced by the females (p<0.01) at the same relative work rate. Both genders demonstrated a non‐uniform sweat distribution, though this was less variable in females. Highest local sweat rates were observed from the medial ankles (p<0.01). The dorsal foot sweated substantially more than the plantar (sole) areas (p<0.01). Sweating on the plantar side of the foot was uniform. Wearing shoes limited the increase in sweat production with increasing load, while the sweat rate of uncovered feet kept increasing with work and thermal load.
Practical implications
The observed variation in sweat rate across the foot shows that footwear design should follow the body mapping principle. Fabrics and materials with different properties can be used to improve comfort if applied to different foot surfaces. The data also demonstrate that foot models, whether physical (manikins) or mathematical, need to incorporate the observed variation across the foot to provide realistic simulation/testing of footwear.
Originality/value
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Agya Preet, Arunangshu Mukhopadhyay and Vinay Kumar Midha
Sweating is thermo-regulatory behaviour that occurs when a person performs vigorous activity even in cold climatic condition. One of important component of sweat is the presence…
Abstract
Purpose
Sweating is thermo-regulatory behaviour that occurs when a person performs vigorous activity even in cold climatic condition. One of important component of sweat is the presence of lactate. Based on climatic condition, age, gender, maturity and nature of activity level, the change in lactate concentration is inevitable. Hence, the present study is focussed on the impact of change in the lactate concentration on the moisture transmission behaviour through the clothing. The purpose of this paper is to investigate the impact of changing lactate concentration on the moisture vapour transmission behaviour through multi-layered clothing ensembles.
Design/methodology/approach
For the investigation, sweat solution representing male and female sweat were taken for present study. Two different multi-layered ensembles consisting of either spacer or fleece as middle layer were considered. The water vapour permeability and drying rate test were done at standard atmospheric conditions. After testing, ANOVA analysis was done in order to determine the most significant parameters.
Findings
Fabric structure (constituent layers) behaved differently when tested individually and as the layered component with different sweat solutions. Water vapour permeability of sweat solution with higher lactate concentration was lower as compared to sweat solution with lower lactate concentration. Individual layers showed higher rate of vapour permeability with sweat solution containing lower lactate concentration as compared to multi-layered ensembles. Role of PU coated nylon fabric was predominant in case of multi-layered ensembles. Difference in transmission of sweat solution was found higher in case of uni-directional stitched multi-layer spacer ensembles whereas marginal difference was observed in case of bi-directional seamed multi-layer spacer ensemble. Drying rate of sweat containing lower concentration of lactate was higher as compared to the other sweat solution for all the selected fabrics. Density of liquid and amount of the water available for drying influenced the drying behaviour and thus accounted for difference in drying rate of sweat solution differing in the lactate concentration. The contribution percentage of layers, i.e. type of structure was higher (nearly 93–96%) compared to that of solution type (3.3–4.9%) in case of individual layers whereas in the case of the multi-layer ensembles; type of seam had maximum contribution percentage (71–77%) followed by solution type (10–15%). Type of layers had least contribution percentage (nearly 7–9%).
Practical implications
The findings from the study are expected to be realistic and important in designing and development of cold weather garment ensemble for different gender type depending on their activity level especially in case of military personnel and those performing combat activities.
Originality/value
This experimental work based will provide the insight about the behaviour of actual sweat transmission through the layered fabric ensembles and ways to prevent the accumulation of moisture near to human skin surface by manufacturing suitable design structures (in terms of layering composition and seam patterns) per the morphology and requirement of specific consumers.
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Sally V. Russell and Stephanie Victoria
Purpose: In this chapter we examine the emotional experience and identity of sustainability change agents and advance understanding of their emotion management strategies. We…
Abstract
Purpose: In this chapter we examine the emotional experience and identity of sustainability change agents and advance understanding of their emotion management strategies. We explore how sustainability change agents experience, manage, and respond to the negative emotions that arise in the course of their jobs. Study Design: We took a mixed-method and multimodal approach to answer our research questions. Using a narrative approach, we collected data using in-depth narrative interviews and supplemented this with quantitative measurement of participants' heart rate and sweat response during the interviews. Findings: Our results confirm that sustainability change agency is an emotionally laden profession. Furthermore, we found that sustainability change agents use three different coping mechanisms including emotion-focused coping (EFC) (“rational avoiders”), problem-focused coping (PFC) (“committed go-getters”), and meaning-focused coping (MFC) (“green philosophers”). Originality: Our research shows that sustainability change agents experienced strong negative emotions in relation to their jobs and they employed one of the three coping styles: EFC, PFC, or MFC. We found that MFC was an isolated cognitive appraisal style, rather than a form of EFC. These findings provide a starting point for further work to help sustainability change agents avoid potential burnout and continue to contribute to the future health of the planet while at the same time maintain their personal well-being.
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Mayumi Uemae, Tomohiro Uemae and Masayoshi Kamijo
The purpose of this study was to investigate the psychological response to changes in temperature and humidity near the skin, and the psychological factors of thermal discomfort.
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this study was to investigate the psychological response to changes in temperature and humidity near the skin, and the psychological factors of thermal discomfort.
Design/methodology/approach
The experiments involved changing the temperature and humidity from a neutral to a hot-humid environment, and vice versa, every 30 min. The psychological response to temperature (which ranged from 24 to 40°C) and humidity (which ranged from 30 to 80% relative humidity) was investigated.
Findings
The sensory scores shifted according to the direction of the change in temperature and humidity. The environment seemed to be evaluated relatively, whereby the sensory perception was dependent on the prior thermal environment. The psychological response to changes in temperature and humidity near the skin tended to shift from simple situational perceptions, such as feeling hot, to stifling and uncomfortable perceptions, and finally to the perception of dullness. Examining the psychological components revealed that the uncomfortable feeling was affected by “stifling” and “sweaty” perceptions with increasing temperature, by “stifling”, “sweaty”, and “sticky” perceptions with decreasing temperature, by “stifling”, “dull”, “sticky”, and “hot” perceptions with increasing humidity, and by “sweaty”, “dull”, and “humid” perceptions with decreasing humidity.
Originality/value
This study identified the psychological response that accompanies changes in temperature and humidity near the skin, as well as the psychological components of discomfort associated with changes in temperature and humidity. These results provide insights into the microclimate and thermal comfort of clothing.
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WHAT a wonderful lady is Dr. Lillian Gilbreth. Whatever her age it can be discounted since years have little or no effect on one so youthful in spirit.
M. Manshahia and A. Das
Thermo physiological comfort is an important sportswear criterion in terms of sportsmen's comfort and performance. In this study, heat and mass transfer of active sportswear were…
Abstract
Thermo physiological comfort is an important sportswear criterion in terms of sportsmen's comfort and performance. In this study, heat and mass transfer of active sportswear were evaluated. Heat transmission was measured by thermal resistance; relative water vapour permeability was measured to assess moisture vapour transmission; air permeability was measured to determine air passage; and sweat response was measured by water absorption, specific flow rates and drying time. It was observed that the structural parameters of fabric and the cross-sectional shape of filaments significantly affected the comfort characteristics of knitted active sportswear.
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Nanouk Verhulst, Arne De Keyser, Anders Gustafsson, Poja Shams and Yves Van Vaerenbergh
The purpose of this paper is to discuss recent developments in neuroscientific methods and demonstrate its potential for the service field. This work is a call to action for more…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to discuss recent developments in neuroscientific methods and demonstrate its potential for the service field. This work is a call to action for more service researchers to adopt promising and increasingly accessible neuro-tools that allow the service field to benefit from neuroscience theories and insights.
Design/methodology/approach
The paper synthesizes key literature from a variety of domains (e.g. neuroscience, consumer neuroscience and organizational neuroscience) to provide an in-depth background to start applying neuro-tools. Specifically, this paper outlines the most important neuro-tools today and discusses their theoretical and empirical value.
Findings
To date, the use of neuro-tools in the service field is limited. This is surprising given the great potential they hold to advance service research. To stimulate the use of neuro-tools in the service area, the authors provide a roadmap to enable neuroscientific service studies and conclude with a discussion on promising areas (e.g. service experience and servicescape) ripe for neuroscientific input.
Originality/value
The paper offers service researchers a starting point to understand the potential benefits of adopting the neuroscientific method and shows their complementarity with traditional service research methods like surveys, experiments and qualitative research. In addition, this paper may also help reviewers and editors to better assess the quality of neuro-studies in service.
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Anurag Sharma, Arun Khosla, Mamta Khosla and Yogeshwara Rao M.
The purpose of this paper is to investigate the face processing responses of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) using skin conductance response (SCR) patterns and to…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to investigate the face processing responses of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) using skin conductance response (SCR) patterns and to compare it with typically developed (TD) children.
Design/methodology/approach
Two experiments have been designed to analyze the effect of face processing. In the first experiment, learned non-face (objects) vs unknown face stimuli have been shown and in the second experiment, familiar vs unfamiliar face stimuli have been shown to ten ASD and ten TD children and SCR patterns have been recorded, analyzed and compared for both the groups.
Findings
It has been observed that children with ASD were able to differentiate faces out of learned non-face stimuli and their SCR patterns were similar as TD children in the first experiment. In the second experiment, children with ASD were unable to recognize familiar faces from unfamiliar faces but TD children could easily discriminate between familiar and unfamiliar faces as their SCR patterns were different from children with ASD.
Research limitations/implications
The present study advocates that impairment in face identification exists in children with ASD. Hence, it can be concluded that in children with ASD face processing is present but they do not recognize familiar faces or it can be said that face familiarization effect is absent in children with ASD.
Originality/value
There are very few findings that used SCR signal as main analysis parameter for face processing in children with ASD, in most of the studies; Electroencephalography signal has been used as analysis parameter. Moreover, familiar and unfamiliar face processing with multiple stimuli used in present work adds novelty to the literature.
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