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The removing of oil from waste silk is carried out widely by microbial fermentation. However, it is difficult to remove the oil completely. In this study, surfactants were used to enhance microbial oil removing. In seven of the surfactants that were tested, 0.1% of the anionic surfactants inhibited the growth of bacteria and 0.1% of the nonionic surfactants partially inhibited the growth of bacteria. When only the surfactant was used to remove oil, all of the tested surfactants helped remove oil from the waste silk and treatment that added 0.1% AEO-9 gave the lowest oil content.

When surfactants were combined with bacteria to remove oil, the oil content was further reduced and the lowest oil content was obtained by combining AEO-9 and bacteria. The optimum conditions for oil removing by combining AEO-9 with bacteria were pH8.0, temperature 40°C, 4% (v/v) inoculum size and 3 days incubation time. Compared with untreated silk, silk treated by combining surfactants with bacteria resulted in a decrease in oil content and improvement in appearance. Scanning electron micrographs showed that treated samples had a clean surface.

Currently, textile industrialists have to consider the sensory aspect in their design and manufacturing specifications. To describe the sensory quality of products, sensory evaluation does exist and is widely used in the food and cosmetics areas. These methodologies have been successfully transposed to tactile evaluation of textile fabrics for different textile materials: plain weave fabrics with different post‐treatments and non‐woven are used for medical gowns and drapes. In our study, we have asked our trained panel composed of nine assessors to score a list of already defined sensory attributes for different knitted fabrics made of silk/cotton blends. The spinning parameters which have been changed are the type of silk fibre (three types), blending techniques – intimate and draw frame blending – and the silk content. All these parameters can more or less influence the tactile perception of the final knitted fabric. In this paper, the results of our analysis are presented and discussed in order to answer questions such as: “Are these two fabrics different?”, “What kind of difference is there?” or “What are the sensory characteristics of these fabrics?”. The concrete steps of the evaluation will be presented and specifically the training and performance analysis of the panellists who were obliged to adapt their evaluation procedures to small knitted samples. The protocols used to carry out fabrics description and comparisons when all assessors cannot evaluate all the products under study will also be detailed.

The purpose of this paper is to explore and investigate the mechanical as well as bacterial characteristics of chemically treated waste natural fiber inserted three-dimensional structures (NFi3DS) produced with fused filament deposition (FFD) for biomedical applications.

In this work, a novel approach has been used for developing the customized porous structures particularly for scaffold applications. Initially, raw animal fibers were collected, and thereafter, the chemical treatment has been performed for making their wise utility in biomedical structures. For this purpose, silk fiber and sheep wool fibers were used as laminations, whereas polylactic acid was used as matrix material. A low-cost desktop time additive manufacturing setup was used for making the customized and porous parts by considering type of fiber, number of laminates, infill density and raster angle as input parameters.

The results obtained after using design of experimental technique highlighted that output characteristics (such as dimensional accuracy, hardness, three-point bending strength and bacterial test) are influenced by input parameters, as reported in the obtained signal/noise plots and analysis of variance. Optimum level of input parameters has also been found through Taguchi L9 orthogonal array, for single parametric optimization, and teaching learning-based algorithm and particle swarm optimization, for multiple parametric optimization. Overall, the results of the studies supported the use of embedded structures for scaffold-based biomedical applications.

Presently, NFi3DS were produced by using the hand-lay-based manual approach that affected the uniform insert’s distribution and thickness. It is advised to use the automatic fiber placement system, synced with a three-dimensional printer, to achieve greater geometrical precision.

As both natural fibers and polymer matrix used in this work are well established for their biological properties, hence the methodology explored in this work will help the practitioners/academicians in developing highly compatible scaffold structures.

The present work defines a new practice where the researchers can use natural fibers to reduce the cost associated with fabrication of customized scaffold prints.

The development of natural fiber embedded FFD-based structures is not yet explored for their feasibility in biomedical applications.

This paper aims to analyze relative contribution of intensive margin (IM) and extensive margin (EM) to growth in India's agricultural exports for the period 2001 to 2020. It also analyses the determinants of IM and EMs through a standard gravity model.

The study uses export data from United Nations Comtrade, which is accessed through World Integrated Trade Solution (WITS) software. Data for the period 2001 to 2020 were compiled for analysis using the Harmonized System (HS) of commodity classification system at the six-digit level. This study decomposed the contribution of IM and EM in the growth of Indian agricultural trade by using Hummels and Klenow's approach. After performing the export decomposition analysis, the authors analyze the factors influencing IM and EM by using the Tobit regression model and Poisson pseudo-maximum-likelihood (PPML) method of estimation.

The EM grew at 1.24% per annum, while the intensive margin (IM) increased by 0.23%. The contribution of growth at the EM increased from 58.8% in 2001 to 70.2% in 2020. Export growth along the IM was relatively high for animal products and agricultural raw materials, while growth at the EM was an important contributor to the export growth of horticultural and processed agricultural products. There was a positive and significant effect of the free trade agreement (FTA) on export margins.

More disaggregated commodity-specific studies on value chain analysis would provide valuable insights into the issues hindering exports and realizing the untapped export potential.

There is a scarcity of holistic and recent studies illustrating the role of IM and EMs in agricultural trade growth, covering a large number of commodities and geographies associated with Indian agricultural trade. The study would be helpful to the stakeholders in facilitating informed policy decisions.

The microspinning technology has generally been used for cotton in the case of small scale spinning test methods (50 gram fibres). One type of silk fibre waste -pierced cocoonprepared previously as short silk fibre with cut length of 35 mm is blended with cotton fibre to obtain further data concerning two blending techniques in this microspinning, and to compare pure and blended yarns. The intimate (before carding and drawframe blending as well as the roll settings in the drawing system are being examined. The silk content was changed at 0/100, 25/75 and 50/50 ratio for a yarn count of 30 tex. The physical properties, the irregularity and the fibre arrangement as terms of the Index of Blending Irregularity and the Migration Indices of the blended yarns have been studied. In addition, the effects of the blending techniques as well as those of the silk content have been brought to the fore.

This paper aims to focus on the optimisation of dyeing recipe for dyeing of silk fabric with semisynthetic azo dyes synthesised by chemical modification of areca nut extract.

The response surface model (Box–Behnken design) was used to establish the relation between the parameters of dyeing such as time, temperature and material to liquor ratio. Their output responses in terms of colour strength (K/S values) are reported. Their relationship was tested for predictability and the experimental values and found to match closely, which confirms the model suitability.

Dyed fabrics were tested for their fastness properties such as wash, rub and lightfastness. The results of the fastness tests indicate that modified dyes have good dyeability towards silk fabric. The dyed fabrics were also tested for ultraviolet protection factor and antimicrobial activity, which showed very promising results.

Banned amine testing was done, which confirms the absence of banned amine in synthesised dyes, which indicates the potential of its sustainability. Also, such an approach of modification of natural dyes as semi-synthetic dyes can be surely considered to be a step towards its widespread acceptability and further commercialisation.

Recent liberalization of the world's textile and apparel trade policies and the consequent changes in trade patterns posited threats to smaller textile‐ and apparel‐exporting nations, including Thailand. Thus it is important to understand how the new trade environment affects the competitiveness of Thailand's apparel industry. This study seeks to provide insights into how Thailand's apparel industry has responded to increasingly fierce global competition by drawing on Porter's theory of The Competitive Advantage of Nations.

To assess the competitiveness of the Thai industry, the study triangulated data from various sources, including secondary statistics, media reports, and relevant industry publications. In‐depth, semi‐structured interviews were also conducted, and participants included key executives from Thailand's apparel industry, government officials, and academics. The interviews were conducted at various locations in three Thai provinces: Bangkok, Nonthaburi, and Samutsakorn, over a two‐week period.

Findings revealed the existence of four determinants supporting the Thai apparel industry: basic v. specialized factors; sophisticated and demanding consumer market; the presence of interdependent economic agents; and strategies and structure of Thai companies and domestic rivals. These four determinants are identical to the “diamonds” outlined in Porter's theory of The Competitive Advantage of Nations and a new source of competitiveness. Furthermore, the Thai government was found to play an important role, by providing support to enhance the global competitiveness of Thai companies.

The study is among the first to attempt to provide insights into the competitive national advantage of the Thai apparel industry. Based on the findings, the outlook is positive for the continued success of Thailand's apparel industry in the global arena.

The trade cost is a significant factor which restricts the trade potential between two nations. This paper aims to make a measurement of agricultural bilateral trade costs of China.

Based on Novy model, this paper makes a measurement of agricultural bilateral trade costs before and after China joining the WTO (1995‐2007).

This paper finds that China's agricultural trade costs with its five major trade partners have not got a pronounced downward trend during 1995‐2007. In ascending order, these are: Malaysia, the USA, Japan, Brazil and Argentina in 2007. Otherwise, there is an obvious corresponding relationship between the trade potential and costs of agricultural products, which is that high costs lead to inadequate trade. With a simple regression, distance and free trade agreement are found to be main factors influencing agricultural trade costs.

Based on the revised gravity model, this paper especially calculates the agricultural bilateral trade costs before and after China joining the WTO, which expands the understanding of trade costs in an industrial perspective. It can prove the agricultural market opening extent, and also help us to learn more about how China participates in the division of the world farm produce market.

In this paper, we examine the comparative advantage of Korea and China while focusing on their technology level. The three digit SITC (Standard International Trade Classification) data is classified by technology level and the revealed comparative advantage (RCA) is derived from 1992-2009 by using UN COMTRADE data. For careful interpretation of the comparative advantage and technology levels, we also examined intra-industry trade and unit values of bilateral Korea-China trade, and semi-conductor industry technology. We found that the revealed comparative advantage has moved from low technology products to high technology products in Korea. China still maintains a comparative advantage in low technology products such as textiles and clothing, but at the same time, China’s high and medium-high technology products have recently gained a comparative advantage. The perception that China only has a comparative advantage for labor intensive products with low technology should be changed based on our analysis. However, China’s advancement in technology should not be overestimated. When comparing the unit value of basic materials of Korea’s and China’s exports, we found that Korea’s export product prices are on average higher than that of China’s, although the gap is reducing. A wider technology gap between Korea and China still exists in the semi-conductor industry, which is one of the most advanced high technology industries throughout the world.

In recent years, oil spill pollution has become one of the main problems of environmental pollution. Recovering oil by means of sorbent materials is a very promising approach and has acquired more attention due to its high cleanup efficiency. Compared to synthetic fibrous sorbents, the use of natural fibers in oil spill cleanups offers several advantages including environmental friendliness, degradable features and cost-effectiveness. Therefore, studies on developing sorbents using natural fibers for oil spill cleanup applications have become a research hotspot.

This paper reviews the work conducted by several researchers in developing oil sorbents from fibers such as cattail, nettle, cotton, milkweed, kapok, populous seed fiber and Metaplexis japonica fiber. Some featured critical parameters influencing the oil sorption capacity of fibrous substrates are discussed. Oil sorption capacity and reusability performance of various fibers are also discussed. Recent developments in oil spill cleanups and test methods for oil sorbents are briefly covered.

The main parameters influencing the oil sorption capacity of sorbents are fiber morphological structure, fiber density (g/cc), wax (%), hollowness (%) and water contact angle. An extensive literature review showed that oil sorption capacity is highest for Metaplexis japonica fiber followed by populous seed fiber, kapok, milkweed, cotton, nettle and cattail fiber. After use, the sorbents can be buried under soil or they can also be burned so that they can be vanished from the surface without causing environmental-related issues.

This review paper aims to summarize research studies conducted related to various natural fibers for oil spill cleanups, fiber structural characteristics influencing oil sorption and recent developments in oil spill cleanups. This work will inspire future researchers with various knowledge backgrounds, particularly, from a sustainability perspective.