Wool Samples Research Articles

Seasonal Variability in Transcript Expression of Type I and Type II Keratins in Wool Follicles of Lustrous Fleece-Producing Magra Sheep

ABSTRACT Magra sheep reared around the Bikaner area of Rajasthan, India is famous for producing lustrous fleece as compared to other wool-producing native sheep breeds. Three clips of Magra wool, namely, February, July, and October months of the year are showing variations in luster and gross appearance. Present work has been conducted to unravel seasonal variations, in transcript expression patterns in major type I and type II keratin genes, that occur in wool follicles of lustrous wool-producing Magra sheep. Wool samples randomly collected were graded in high and low luster by Gloss 60° values. Wool follicles of the sheep with low (gloss 60° values; < 2.5) and high (gloss 60° values; > 2.5) luster were used for the analysis of type I and type II keratin transcripts. The results of Quantitative PCR had shown up-regulated expression of keratin genes in high-lustrous sheep as compared to low-lustrous sheep. K32, K40, and K82 transcript expression differed significantly (P ≤ .05) between high- and low-lustrous sheep. Nucleotide sequence analysis of the K40 and K82 genes revealed five and four non-synonymous mutations, respectively. From the present study, it can be speculated that the higher amount of keratin protein may play a crucial role in determining the luster property of the wool.

Grazing lambs on pastures regrown after wildfires did not significantly alter metal content in meat and wool

Wildfires can drastically change rangeland by depositing ash contaminated with metals that are not part of normal diets. This can pose health threats to humans and animals. This risk, along with alterations of essential minerals in livestock grazing on regrowth on burnt lands, is not well known. To better understand this, our study investigated metal concentrations in water, soil, plant forage, and meat and wool of sheep grazing on the regrowth of burned lands. We compared metal concentrations in sheep grazed on regrowth to stored meat samples from grazing sheep a year prior to the wildfire. Lead, mercury, arsenic, molybdenum, cadmium, beryllium, cobalt and nickel were not detected above reporting limits in meat, wool or water samples. Contamination from chromium and thallium was detected in three of 26 meat samples from sheep grazed on regrowth. These metals were not detected in 22 stored meat samples from sheep the year before. Copper concentrations found in the meat of animals grazing regrowth was lower than in animals grazing unburned pastures; it is important to monitor copper concentrations in grazing animals to avoid diseases associated with copper deficiency.

Investigation of Some Physical and Morphological Characteristics of Wool of Malya Sheep

ABSTRACT The goal of this research was to investigate the wool properties of Malya sheep raised in Central Anatolia of Turkiye. In the investigation, a total of 90 head wool samples were collected, including 30 heads from the same herd’s adults (2.5 years and older), yearlings (1–1,5 years), and lambs (4–6 months). Fleece samples were collected from the shoulder, rib and rump areas of animals of all age groups. In these examples, the properties of length, fineness, elasticity and tenacity were determined. At the end of the study, the average greasy fleece weight was 2.2 ± 0.09 kg, the diameter was 25.7 ± 0.35 µ in lambs, 25.3 ± 0.27 µ in yearling, 26.7 ± 0.26 µ in adults; the average fleece length was 38.8 ± 1.05 mm in lambs, 70.1 ± 1.46 mm in yearlings, 62.3 ± 1.29 mm in adults. As a result, it was determined that the fleece of Malya sheep almost had the desired quality and characteristics in the textile industry. Therefore, scientific studies should be conducted to improve the properties of fleece. It would be appropriate to take permanent steps in cooperation with Public Institutions and Civil Society Organizations to produce, collect and process wool.

Изучение влияния загрязнения кормов ртутью и мышьяком на безопасность продукции животноводства

A review of some aspects obtaining environmentally friendly livestock products studies under the conditions of agricultural territories technogenic pollution of for the case of high levels of mercury and arsenic in the agrosphere is presented. The mercury and arsenic toxic effects of on the farm animals physiological state and productivity when taken with the diet, even in small quantities, have been confirmed. The simultaneous analysis of wool, blood and urine animals samples expediency for the presence of mercury and arsenic in order to predict the possible consequences of exposure to these toxicants on the animal organism and determine the environmental safety level of the products obtained is noted. The importance of the public health risk assessing from present in food toxicants impact is emphasized. The conclusion about the predicting the possible mercury and arsenic content of in food raw materials of animal origin problem relevance and the need to ration their intake with the diet in order to obtain animal products that meet sanitary and hygienic requirements is made.

Using an eco-friendly deep eutectic solvent for waterless anti-felting of wool fibers

Anti-felting or felting resistance process is a major finishing process for woolen goods which guarantees the dimensional stability of the product in washing and cleaning procedures mainly by covering or removing the scales from the surface of the wool fibers. Today, about 90 percent of anti-felting operations are carried out in a water-based chlorination process which releases tons of chlorine-containing discharge into the environment. Here we introduced deep eutectic solvents (DESs) as green substitutes for non-environmentally friendly sodium hypochlorite for getting anti-felting properties on woolen goods. Response surface methodology (RSM) based on four factors and in three levels, using Box-Behnken design (BBD) was used for designing the experiments and optimizing effective parameters in the anti-felting process of wool fibers using DESs. It was found that a special DES called Reline which is a mixture of choline chloride and urea in a 1:2 M ratio can successfully work as a green anti-felting agent and non-aqueous reaction medium. The shrinkage percentage of the Reline (DES) treated wool was 10% and very close to the 8.56% shrinkage seen on the hypochlorite-treated wool sample compared to more than 32% shrinkage observed on untreated fibers. Reline exhibited better preservation of the physicochemical and mechanical properties of the fibers causing only a 6.04% reduction in the breaking load of wool fibers compared to the hypochlorite-treated sample with a 24.86% reduction in breaking load of fibers. Anti-felted wool using the new Reline agent exhibit much better whiteness and lower yellowness compared to the chlorine-treated fibers. Microscopical observations, reflectance spectrophotometry, and tensile measurements all confirmed the superiority and numerous advantages of using Reline as a green anti-felting agent instead of polluting chlorinated chemicals. Reline usage as a green chemical encompasses other benefits such as reduced water consumption, reduced effluent, and more importantly DES recyclability and reuse.

Valorization of Pelargonium graveolens L’Hér. Hydrodistillation Solid Waste as Natural Dye for Wool Fabrics

ABSTRACT The huge amount of solid waste produced during the hydrodistillation of Pelargonium graveolens L’Hér. is a serious environmental hazard. The aim of this research is to reduce this environmental pollution and to valorize this waste by using its extract as a natural dye. Extracts were used for dyeing wool samples. The dyed fabrics showed shades ranging between brown and beige. By using the Minitab 19 Software, a definitive screening design was used to optimize the dye extraction process. The studied extraction process parameters were pH, temperature, and extraction time. The main studied responses were the color strength and the polyphenol, flavonoid, and condensed tannin contents (mg.g−1). Based on the photochemical study and the UV–vis absorption spectra, it was found that the polyphenol content varies between 4.144 and 7.567 mg.g−1. For the tannin content, the highest value was equal to 120.967 mg.g−1. To optimize the colorant extraction process, the K/S was also measured by the spectrocolorimeter. Process optimum conditions were of 11, 100°C, and 65 min, respectively, for pH, temperature, and extraction time. The optimum K/S value was equal to 115.15. Therefore, the solid waste hydrodistillation of Pelargonium graveolens can be an interesting choice for the natural dyeing of textile fabrics.

Accumulation of heavy metals and arsenic by living organisms at the waste dump of a gold processing plant

The soil samples were taken from different depths, as well as plant samples and tissue and wool samples of small mammals Talpa europaea to study the ecological situation in the conditions of Novotroitsk tailing dump, the dumping site of Novotroitsk gold-arsenic deposits. For comparison, samples of plants, tissues, and wool of animals from background areas of the Kabanka River and Demarino village were obtained. The greatest interest was to determine the content of arsenic and heavy metals such as cadmium, copper, lead, and zinc in the samples. All samples from the tailing dump showed multiple exceedances of arsenic and heavy metals. On average, there was 1,286 times more arsenic in the soil than is allowed by health standards. It was noted that the accumulation of heavy metals and arsenic in plants is uneven and depends on the taxonomic affiliation and part of the plant, but exceeding the background levels were found in all samples. In animals, the highest concentrations of arsenic were found in wool; body organs – liver, exceeding the background values 181.3-273.9. There was also a noticeable accumulation of lead and copper in the liver. Thus, the ecology of the tailing dump area is in a depressed state, and comprehensive reclamation measures are needed.

Correlation between the concentration of chemical elements in wool and the quantitative and qualitative characteristics of the semen in Holstein bulls

The effect of concentrations of 25 chemical elements in wool on the quantitative and qualitative characteristics of sperm was studied in Holstein sires (n = 55), age 3-4 years, in the conditions of JSC "Nevskoye" by breeding work in Leningrad region. Wool samples were collected from the top of the withers and determined by the AES-ISP method. The interrelation of quantitative and qualitative characteristics of the sperm was revealed with two chemical elements: calcium and aluminum. Thus, as the calcium concentration in wool increases from 604±194.8 mg/kg to 3690±460.3 mg/kg, the volume of native sperm increases by 55.8% (P?0.01), spermatozoa activity increases by 0.14 points (Р?0.05), diluted semen yield – by 95.1% (Р?0.01), number of frozen doses – by 82.6% (Р?0.05). An increase in aluminum concentration from 1.89 mg/kg to 8.46 mg/kg is accompanied by a decrease in the concentration of spermatozoa by 20.4% (P?0.001), activity - by 0.21 points (P?0.05), number of frozen doses - by 55.4% (P?0.01).

Topping of naturally dyed wool fabrics with different natural dye sources

AbstractWool fabrics can be dyed with synthetic dyes and even with natural dyes. To present a different aspect to the coloration of wool, the current study was focused on a topping process (ie, the dyeing of wool that was already dyed) with different natural dye sources. For this purpose, the fabrics that were already dyed with a natural dye source were once again dyed with two different natural dyes. In bottom dyeing (bottoming), fabrics were dyed with hops (Humulus lupulus L.) in the presence of different mordanting agents. Then the dyed, washed and dried samples were once again dyed (topping) with two different natural dye sources. For topping, powdered madder and acorn were tested in direct dyeing of wool samples. Finally, the colour changes were analysed with the use of a spectrophotometer. The study demonstrates that such a process (ie, bottoming with hops in the presence of different mordanting agents and then topping with madder or acorn) can be a way of obtaining different shades and colours with sufficient/good fastness values by natural dyeing.

Providing UV Protection Features for Woolen Fabric Using Buckthorn Dye

ABSTRACT In recent years, many different properties of natural dyestuffs that do not harm the environment and human have been discovered as a result of the search for dyestuffs. Buckthorn based dyes can be considered in this respect, and so they were tested in this study. The berries and leaves of the buckthorn bush trees were used. While dyeing the fabric, along with the dyeing process, other properties that can be added have been investigated. Wool fabrics with no metal salts and with five different metal salts were dyed with natural dye sources at 100°C for 1 hour. After dyeing, all samples were dried at room temperature. Then, the dyed wool samples’ CIE L*a*b* and color efficiency values (K/S) were determined from the obtained colors to show the usability of buckthorn in dyeing. Color fastness to washing, rubbing, perspiration, and light fastness of the samples were also tested, and results were determined in the range of 3–5 points. The T% values between 0.08 and 0.35 for UVA and between 0.09 and 0.18 for UVB were observed in all trials. It has been determined that fabrics treated with buckthorn berries/leaves can provide a protective feature against the harmful rays of the sun.

New progress in the extraction and identification of Mexican cochineal (Dactylopius coccus) in fresh dyed wool and dyed wool with artificially accelerated aging and color description

AbstractThe main purpose of this study was to determine if a method developed in the laboratory by HPLC‐ESI‐QToF was able to identify the characteristic compounds of the Mexican cochineal (Dactylopius coccus) in freshly dyed wool fiber and following an artificially accelerated aging process. Wool fibers were dyed with various formulations of popular interest (red‐orange, Mexican red, cochineal red, and purple). These formulations are currently used by indigenous communities in the south of Mexico. Some dyed wools were aged in an UV chamber, in order to simulate the deterioration that a fiber dyed in a previous time could have. Notable results were the identification of the main component, carminic acid, and the respective biomarkers of the Mexican cochineal (dcII, dcIV, and dcVII) with a small amount of sample and in a short time, in three of the four formulations before and after aging, thus providing a method that can probably be used for conservation purposes of cultural heritage. It was concluded that when alum is used as a mordant and as a carbonate pH fixer, the fixation of cochineal on the wool is not very strong. This is one of the few works where Mexican cochineal has been studied, simulating the deterioration due to the passage of time in wool samples of different colors with the same natural dye. As a way of describing the color more objectively, the color was measured with the CIE L*A*B* scale in the four formulations of interest, in recently dyed and artificially aged wool.

Microfade Testing of Fourteen Natural Dyes on Wool: A Comparison of Five Mordants

ABSTRACT Microfade testing (MFT) was used to examine standardized wool samples dyed with 14 natural historic dyes, each prepared with five different mordants, to determine whether the lightfastness and colourimetric properties of these dyes vary as a function of the mordant. The addition of mordants changed the original colour of the dyes as well as potential patterns corresponding to ΔL*, Δa*, and Δb* such that the variation of lightfastness ranges from 0.25–0.70 units of Blue Wool Equivalence (BWE). Disregarding the effect of mordants, MFT showed that all dyes have lightfastness equivalent to BW3, indicating that they belong in the category of ‘high sensitivity to light’. All dye-mordant combinations vary in lightfastness, such that even the least lightfast dye will have a mordant combination that is more lightfast than the most lightfast dye combined with a mordant that renders it less lightfast. The effect of mordants varies by dye: while one dye may demonstrate a difference in lightfastness of 0.56 units of BWE between the least and most lightfast mordant combination, another may show little or no difference (as low as 0.07 units of BWE). Overall, alum based mordants tend to produce the least lightfast combinations, followed by tin and iron, with copper and chromium producing the most lightfast combinations. This paper shows that there are no simplistic patterns of lightfastness between mordant-dye combinations with these 14 natural dyes. Identifying both dye and mordant is useful to better estimate the lightfastness of a dyed textile.

Antibacterial Activity of Copper Particles Embedded in Knitted Fabrics.

The composition and antibacterial properties of copper particles synthesized by a very simple reduction method were studied. For the preparation of particles in knitted fabrics, copper(II) sulfate was used as a precursor and ascorbic acid as a reducing natural agent. X-ray diffraction analysis showed the crystalline nature of the obtained particles. The round or oval particles and their agglomerates in knitted fabrics consisted of copper with traces of copper(I) oxide—cuprite. The element maps and energy dispersive X-ray spectra showed a high content of copper in the samples. The samples of wool and cotton knitted fabrics with copper particles had excellent antibacterial activity against gram-positive Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) and gram-negative Escherichia coli (E. coli) bacterial strains. The maximum zones of inhibition were 19.3 mm for S. aureus and 18.3 mm for E. coli using wool knitted fabric and 14.7 mm and 15.3 mm using cotton knitted fabric, respectively. The obtained results showed that the modified wool and cotton fabrics are suitable for use as inserts in reusable masks due to their noticeable and long-term activity against pathogenic bacteria.

Performance of tapping washing in comparison with hand washing and front-loading machine washing for knitted wool sweaters

Wool fiber is widely used for clothing in our daily life due to its excellent physical and mechanical properties. However, in the daily laundry process, wool products can shrink severely by strong mechanical action in a warm and moist environment due to the fiber surface scales. Aiming to overcome the difficulty of washing delicate clothes such as wool and silk, Panasonic Intellectual Property Management Co. Ltd. invented a new washing machine for delicate clothes, based on tapping actions. The washing performance of wool sweaters in tapping washing is compared with that of hand washing and gentle and normal machine washing. The results show that tapping washing always gives wool sweaters the best appearance, dimensional stability and mechanical property up to 10 washing cycles. The changes in appearance and mechanical properties of wool sweaters are mainly due to the rate of felting shrinkage. By comparing the magnitude, duration, number of mechanical actions and direction of the forces acting on the fabric in tapping washing, hand washing and gentle machine washing, it can be concluded that the direction of forces acting on the fabric has a significant effect on wool fabric felting shrinkage, and unidirectional force has less effect on felting shrinkage than multidirectional forces. Tapping washing can give the lowest felting rate to wool samples because the forces in tapping washing on all parts of the fabric have a similar direction.

An enhanced optical micro-fading device

This paper introduces a new set-up for the determination of colour change on cultural heritage objects, referred to herein as a stereo-microfading tester. The system uses high quality optics through the implementation of a stereo-microscope as its central element. This technology enables new developments such as incorporation of high quality imaging systems, and separation of fading and colour measurement processes. This paper describes this new micro-fading set-up and evaluates its performance against traditional devices based on the measurement of blue wool standards. The results show a correlation between the fading performance obtained on different devices while highlighting a significant variability inherent to the blue wool samples

Сomparison of the main methods of clinical and laboratory diagnostics of dermatophytosis

Relevance. A number of methods are used to diagnose dermatophytosis in the practice of doctors, but their effectiveness varies. The aim of the study was to compare different methods of clinical and laboratory diagnosis of dermatophytosis.Methods. 54 clinical hair samples taken from small pets were examined for the presence of dermatophytes. Diagnostics was carried out using a Wood lamp, direct microscopy, fluorescent microscopy with calcofluor, and by sowing on nutrient environment — Saburo and DTM.Results. When sowing, 16 dermatophytes were isolated from 54 wool samples. The efficiency of the “DTM-Expert” environment was 100%. 13 (81.3%) dermatophytes grew on the Saburo environment, of which 2 crops were heavily contaminated with mold fungi. In the study of wool with the help of Wood’s lamp, 62.5% (10 out of 16) ofpositive samples were detected. False positive —16.7% (9 out of 54). Using direct microscopy, dermatophytoses were confirmed only in 56.3% (9 out of 16) ofcases. False positive results — 7.4% (4 out of 54). Microscopy with calcofluor revealed the causative agent in 15 cases, which is 93.8%. At the same time, there were 5 (9.3%) false positive results.

Physicochemical Analysis, Elemental and Amino Acid Composition of Wool and Silk

The ash content of wool and silk was determined by burning the corresponding samples. The elemental composition of wool and silk was determined by ICP-mass spectral analysis, 26 macro- and microelements were found. Phosphorus has the maximum content in wool and silk samples, magnesium has the minimum content for wool, and potassium for silk. Chromato-mass spectrometry revealed 17 amino acids in wool and silk samples. Wool is characterized by a high content of phenylalanine, glycine, tyrosine, while silk is characterized by a high content of serine, glycine and threonine. Wool and silk proteins are also balanced in terms of nonessential amino acids. The analysis of the obtained IR spectra of proteins from wool and silk is carried out, absorption bands for the corresponding groups are marked. The corresponding vibrations of the amino groups of the carbonyl group are shown, which have an essential role in the structure of proteins.

ЕКСПЕРИМЕНТАЛЬНІ ДОСЛІДЖЕННЯ ТЕПЛОПРОВІДНОСТІ ТЕПЛОІЗОЛЯЦІЙНИХ МАТЕРІАЛІВ ІЗ МІНЕРАЛЬНОЇ ВАТИ

According to the analysis of domestic and foreign literature sources, it is noted that reducing energy consumption to create an optimal microclimate of buildings involves reducing heat loss through external enclosing structures. Construction of new buildings and thermal modernization of existing ones is carried out with the use of different properties of thermal insulation materials, passport data of manufacturers on their characteristics need to be clarified in determining the energy efficiency of buildings. Mineral wool was selected for experimental studies of thermal insulation material used to improve the thermal insulation shell. The energy efficiency of mineral wool was studied using an installation with a climate chamber with a homogeneous heat flux over the cross-sectional area of ​​the sample. To register the change in the amount of heat flux, thermocouples were used, which are located at different points of the climate chamber with a sample of mineral wool. Data on the change in temperature during the observation period before the stabilization of the heat flux was determined by the automatic registration unit. The change in time of the temperature regime at different points of the mineral wool sample is obtained. The thermal conductivity, which characterizes the efficiency of the thermal insulation material made of mineral wool, was calculated according to the known Fourier formula for stationary thermal regime from the values ​​of the temperature difference in the characteristic cross sections of the sample. The discrepancy between the values ​​of thermal conductivity of the investigated sample and the passport data of thermal conductivity of mineral wool provided by its manufacturer is revealed.

Intra- and Inter-sample Variation in Wool Cortisol Concentrations of Australian Merino Lambs Between Twice or Single Shorn Ewes

Stress in Merino sheep can cause a reduction in the quantity and quality of fine wool production. Furthermore, it has been found that environmental stress during pregnancy can negatively affect the wool follicles of the developing fetus. This study was part of a larger field investigation on the effects maternal shearing frequency on sheep reproductive and productivity outcomes. For this study, we investigated the intra- and inter- sample variation in wool cortisol levels of weaner lambs. We conducted two experiments, the first was to determine the intra- and inter- sample variation in wool samples taken from the topknot of weaned lambs, and the other aim was to determine any difference between maternal shearing treatment (single or twice shearing) on absolute wool cortisol levels of weaned lambs. In the first experiment, topknot wool was collected from 10 lambs, and each sample was further divided into four subsamples, leading to a total of 40 wool subsamples. For the second experiment, we collected the topknot from the 23 lambs produced by the shearing frequency treatment ewes (once or twice shorn). The samples were then extracted and analyzed using a commercially available cortisol enzyme-immunoassay in order to determine the concentration of cortisol in each of the samples. Statistical analysis for the first experiment showed that there was no significant difference between the subsamples of each topknot wool sample taken from each lamb (p = 0.39), but there was a statistical difference between samples (p &amp;lt; 0.001), which was to be expected. In the second experiment, there was a significant difference between the lambs born to the one shearing and two shearing treatments (p = 0.033), with the lambs of the twice sheared ewes having higher average wool cortisol levels [2.304 ± 0.497 ng/g (SE); n = 14] than the ones born to once shorn ewes [1.188 ± 0.114 ng/g (SE), n = 8]. This study confirms that the topknot wool sampling can be a reliable method adapted by researchers for wool hormonal studies in lambs. Second, ewes shorn mid-pregnancy gave birth to lambs with higher cortisol concentrations than ewes that remained unshorn during pregnancy. This result warrants further investigation in a controlled study to determine if maternal access to nutrition (feed and water) may impact on the HPA-axis of lambs.

Development of molecular detection methods of Bovicola ovis from sheep fleece

The sheep body louse (Bovicola ovis) commonly referred to as sheep lice are small chewing ectoparasites of sheep. Infection results in significant economic costs to the Australian sheep industry due to reduced wool quality caused by chronic itching from sheep rubbing and biting fleece. Treatment relies on use of insecticides; however, resistance has developed against pyrethroid and other insect growth regulator lousicides. There is urgent need to develop cost-effective lice management to reduce the use of insecticides, with the application of insecticidal treatments only applied when an infestation is detected. However, the current detection method relies on fleece parting for detection of B. ovis which is highly dependent on the skill of the inspector, the number of sheep examined, and the prevalence and severity of the infestation. To improve B. ovis detection, a highly sensitive (5 × 10−8 ng/μL) and specific multiplex quantitative PCR which simultaneously detects sheep lice and sheep DNA was developed. In addition, a B. ovis loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) assay was developed for field use. The B. ovis LAMP (Bov-LAMP) assay was optimized to reliably detect B. ovis from wool samples down to 5 × 10−6 ng/μL, with time to positive (Tp) < 10 min. Both assays demonstrate high sensitivity and specificity, enabling rapid identification of B. ovis DNA from sheep fleece samples and have the capacity to be used for ongoing management and surveillance of B. ovis in Australian sheep flocks.