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A controlled wear experiment which examined the wrinkle performance of lightweight wool fabrics is described. Six lightweight wool and wool blend fabrics were tailored into trousers and worn by six wearers in controlled ambient environments of 20°C, 40 per cent rh, and 25°C, 75 per cent rh, for two‐hour sessions. Black and white photographs were taken of the wrinkled garments at specific recovery times. These were assessed for wrinkling by ten observers using a scale that was defined in relation to two reference photographs. Fabrics were shown to have different wrinkle performance at the end of the wear sessions. Wearers contribute a large proportion of the variation seen in the overall assessments of the fabrics. The largest source of variation was due to the different ambient wear conditions during the wear session, highlighting the importance of this factor when considering wrinkling in wear.

The purpose of this paper is to consider the thermal‐physiological comfort performances of a sport shirt made of a polyester (PES) fabric with incorporated activated carbon. After having characterized the modified PES fabric in Part I, the results of a wear trial campaign are shown and discussed in this work.

The wear trials have been carried out under a controlled physical activity. A short‐and‐intense effort and an intermittent effort of milder intensity were carried out twice by each volunteer: once wearing a shirt made of the modified PES fabric and the other one wearing an analogous shirt made of a conventional PES fabric.

When sweating was moderate, the modified PES shirt was judged as more comfortable on the average. As the effort became harder, the modified PES fabric turned out to be less comfortable than the conventional one. In the final recovery stage, the conventional PES was still more comfortable than the modified PES. This behaviour was justified according to the findings of Part I: at the beginning, the prevailing effect was the adsorbing ability of carbon particles that buffer sweat impulses, giving the user a pleasant dry sensation. Then, when sweating became intense, the lower evaporative cooling of the modified PES fabric became the key factor governing the physiological comfort of the garment. This is confirmed by a slightly higher skin temperature measured during the modified PES fabric trials. Finally, a post‐exercise chill sensation was felt with the modified PES fabric, due to a longer drying time.

The paper presents a comprehensive study of the thermo‐physiological comfort of a fabric containing activated carbon particles.

This study aims to develop a sports bra with cosmetic microcapsules that supports the breasts and provides an aesthetically upright and lifted posture by using 28 days period.

A fitting process was carried out on provided seamless sports bras to determine the criteria that have to be improved considering the desired properties. The new sports bras were produced after the pattern design was developed; cosmetic microcapsules were applied to some of the bras and some were used as a control group to compare the real cosmetic effects. Female subjects tried the newly developed sports bras in a 28-day wear trial. Measurements were taken at certain periods during the wear trials, and the obtained data were analyzed statistically.

The findings of this study determined that the product provides a decrease in breast girth and increases skin moisture and nipple height after 28 days of regular use due to the effect of cosmetic ingredients released from microcapsules. A great majority of subjects found the breast lifting and supporting property of the sports bra successful and were satisfied with the new shape of the subjects' breasts.

Fitting studies were carried out directly on the female body, and the designed and developed encapsulating type sports bra has been transformed into a cosmetic textile product that gains also cosmetic properties. The cosmetic effects of the bra were investigated with wear trials. On the other hand, the nipple height measure term was defined for the first time and added to the literature within the scope of the study.

Antimicrobials may be incorporated into garments to protect the textiles, control malodour or to potentially reduce the spread of infection. Yet still not well understood is how antimicrobial-treated textiles may influence a person's resident microflora during wear, as limited in vivo testing has previously been carried out. The purpose of this paper is to assess whether normal skin microflora was altered as a result of contact with selected antimicrobial-treated fabrics.

Three selected antimicrobial-treated fabrics (i.e. Fabric 1: triclosan; Fabric 2: zinc pyrithione derivative; and Fabric 3: silver chloride and titanium dioxide) were placed on the forearm of participants (n=19). Bacterial counts obtained under treated and untreated fabrics following 24 hours of occlusion were compared. The antimicrobial efficacy of fabrics displayed in vitro was also compared with the activity displayed in vivo.

Two of the three fabrics (Fabrics 1 and 2) reduced bacterial populations on the skin following 24 hours occlusion compared to the matched control fabrics (Fabric 1: p<0.05; Fabric 2: p<0.001). Whereas, following occlusion with Fabric 3 bacterial populations were not significantly different than the matched control. The present study demonstrated that in vitro assessment of antimicrobial capacities of fabrics do not necessarily predict the effects of such fabrics during wear.

The paper highlights that in vivo studies are a necessary and important tool for understanding the interactions of an antimicrobial-treated fabric with the wearer's skin. As well, the new method developed can be used by other researchers to examine the potential impact on skin microflora due to contact with antimicrobial-treated textiles.

The reduction of wear by the use of sprayed surface coatings holds considerable potential at a time when Industry is becoming more conscious of the need to reduce its operating costs. Control of wear is unlikely to become a true science due to the arbitrary nature of the conditions that produce the effect and although no truly economic solution exists for completely preventing surface degradation, it can be minimized to acceptable limits. It is the purpose of this article to present an approach to the use of sprayed surface coatings in tribological situations. Common wear types are briefly described and the philosophy behind the protective surface layer in relation to surface geometry is outlined. The performance of sprayed coatings in adhesive and abrasive wear situations is evaluated and discussed. In addition, the use of sprayed deposits for lubricated bearing surfaces is considered as well as the application of low friction coatings by the spray method.

The diffusion of innovations paradigm suggests that stakeholders’ acceptance of a police innovation shapes how it spreads and impacts the larger criminal justice system. A lack of support by external stakeholders for police body-worn cameras (BWCs) can short-circuit their intended benefits. The purpose of this paper is to examine the perceptions of BWCs among non-police stakeholders who are impacted by the technology as well as how BWCs influence their daily work processes.

The authors conducted interviews and focus groups (n=41) in two US cities where the police department implemented BWCs. The interviewees range from courtroom actors (e.g. judges, prosecutors) to those who work with police in the field (e.g. fire and mental health), city leaders, civilian oversight members, and victim advocates.

External stakeholders are highly supportive of the new technology. Within the diffusion of innovations framework, this support suggests that the adoption of BWCs will continue. However, the authors also found the decision to implement BWCs carries unique consequences for external stakeholders, implying that a comprehensive planning process that takes into account the views of all stakeholders is critical.

Despite the recent diffusion of BWCs in policing, this is the first study to examine the perceptions of external stakeholders. More broadly, few criminologists have applied the diffusion of innovations framework to understand how technologies and other changes emerge and take hold in the criminal justice system. This study sheds light on the spread of BWCs within this framework and offers insights on their continued impact and consequences.

The purpose of this paper is to assess perceptions of body-worn cameras (BWCs) among citizens who had BWC-recorded police encounters, and to explore the potential for a civilizing effect on citizen behavior.

From June to November 2015, the authors conducted telephone interviews with 249 citizens in Spokane (WA) who had a recent BWC-recorded police encounter.

Respondents were satisfied with how they were treated during the police encounter and, overall, had positive attitudes about BWCs. However, only 28 percent of respondents were actually aware of the BWC during their own encounter. The authors also found little evidence of a civilizing effect but did document a significant, positive connection between awareness of the BWC and enhanced perceptions of procedural justice.

Authors only interviewed citizens who had encounters with officers wearing BWCs. However, variation in BWC awareness among citizens allowed the authors to construct a proxy “non-BWC condition” for comparison.

The pre-conditions necessary to produce a civilizing effect among citizens are complex and difficult to achieve. The intriguing relationship between BWC awareness and procedural justice suggests the technology may have the potential to improve police legitimacy.

The study is among the first to explore attitudes about BWCs among those who have their police encounters recorded, and results demonstrate high levels of support among this population. Findings bode well for continued adoption of BWCs in policing.

The study examined the effects of body-worn cameras (BWCs) on civilian complaints against police using a non-representative national sample of police organizations.

The empirical approach employed a staggered difference in differences design (DiD) that exploited the variation in the timing of adoption of BWCs by police agencies from 2007 to 2016. The study considered two scenarios: (1) a model without any explanatory variables; and (2) a model with explanatory variables. Furthermore, in each model the author two different comparison groups: (1) agencies that never adopted this technology and (2) agencies that adopted BWCs at a later time.

The model without explanatory variables suggest strong and statistically significant reductions in complaints. The simple average estimates show reductions in civilian complaints between 13% and 14%, depending on the model. This is the equivalent of an average reduction of about 30 civilian complaints per capita. The dynamic effects suggested that the length of exposure to BWCs matters in reducing civilian complaints, showing a significant reduction of 47% in civilian complaints. The models with explanatory variables also show slightly lower declines in civilian complaints.

The surge in the adoption of BWCs by police agencies sparked a parallel surge of studies examining their effectiveness on various outcomes. Most research to date has use experimental designs on a single police agency or a small group of agencies. Few studies have employed a large sample of agencies or periods longer than six to 12 months. Evidence on the effects of BWCs on a range of outcomes from larger multi-agency studies and longer periods of analysis will support the already robust specialized literature and inform policymakers about the effectiveness of this technology over time.

The aim of this study is to investigate wearing comfort of summer work uniforms judged by construction workers.

A total of 189 male construction workers participated in a series of wear trials and questionnaire surveys in the summer of 2014. They were asked to randomly wear two types of work uniforms (i.e. uniforms A and B) in the two-day field survey and the subjective attributes of these uniforms were assessed. Three analytical techniques, namely, multiple regression, artificial neural network and fuzzy logic were used to predict wearing comfort affected by the six subjective sensations.

The results revealed that fuzzy logic was a robust and practical tool for predicting wearing comfort in terms of better prediction performance and more interpretable results than the other models. Pressure attributes were further found to exert a greater effect than thermal–wet attributes on wearing comfort. Overall, the use of uniform B exhibited profound benefits on wearing comfort because it kept workers cooler, drier and more comfortable with less work performance interference than wearing uniform A.

The findings provide a fresh insight into construction workers’ needs for work clothes, which further facilitates the improvement in the clothing tailor-made design and the enhancement of the well-being of workers.

This study compared physical characteristics in four fabrics before and after a wear trial. The constructed fabrics were: 100 per cent pima cotton, 90–10 per cent pima cotton/wool, 80–20 per cent pima cotton/wool, and 70–30 per cent pima cotton/wool. The physical properties of breaking strength, stiffness, tear resistance, pilling resistance, and wrinkle recovery were compared between worn and unworn fabrics. Wear trial participants (n=20) were asked to assess fabric comfort and performance satisfaction during wear. Results of physical testing found significant differences among blend levels and before and after wearing and care treatment levels. Tear resistance, breaking strength, stiffness, and wrinkle recovery were affected by fibre content and care level. Contrary to the authors' hypothesis, consumer satisfaction was also affected by fibre content of the fabrics.