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Microplastic contamination is ubiquitous across the globe, even in remote locations. Still, the sources and pathways of microplastics to such locations are largely unknown. To investigate microplastic contamination in a semi‐remote location, we measured microplastic concentrations in nine oligotrophic lakes within and around the International Institute for Sustainable Development—Experimental Lakes Area in northwestern Ontario, Canada. Our first objective was to establish ambient concentrations of microplastics in bottom sediments, surface water, and atmospheric deposition in semi‐remote boreal lakes. Across all lakes, mean shallow and deep sediment microplastic concentrations, near‐surface water microplastic concentrations from in situ filtering, and dry atmospheric microplastic deposition rates were 551 ± 354 particles kg−1, 177 ± 103 particles kg−1, 0.2 ± 0.3 particles L−1, and 0.4 ± 0.2 particles m−2 day−1, respectively. Our second objective was to investigate whether microplastic contamination of these lakes is driven by point sources including local runoff and direct anthropogenic inputs or nonpoint sources such as atmospheric deposition. Lakes were selected based on three levels of anthropogenic activity—low, medium, and high—though activity levels were minimal across all study lakes compared with highly populated areas. Whereas a positive correlation would indicate that point sources were a likely pathway, we observed no relationship between the level of anthropogenic activity and microplastic contamination of surface water. Moreover, the composition of microplastics in surface water and atmospheric deposition were similar, comprising mostly polyester and acrylic fibers. Together, these results suggest that atmospheric deposition may be the main pathway of microplastics to these remote boreal lakes. Environ Toxicol Chem 2024;43:999–1011. © 2024 The Authors. Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of SETAC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The interface compatibility between the surfaces of nylon 66 (PA66) fiber and the acrylic rubber (AR) is the key factor to improve the mechanical properties of the composite materials. In this study, Lewis acid (CaCl2) was firstly used to reduce the crystallinity of PA66 fiber, and then a bioinspired polydopamine (PDA) function coating was constructed on the PA66 fiber surface to act as a bridge to introduce an epoxy‐functionalized silane layer (KH560). After that, the modified PA66 fiber was introduced in the CuSO4 coordination crosslinked AR composites to further increase the mechanical performances of AR. Results showed that Lewis acid could significantly reduce the surface crystallinity of PA66 fiber, the PDA coating has successfully coated the fiber surface. And SEM results showed, the interfacial compatibility between the fiber and rubber was obviously improved. Compared with the unmodified PA66 fiber filled AR composites, the tensile strength, modulus and hardness of the modified PA66 fiber filled AR composites were increased by 95%, 49%, and 16% respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this investigation, an engineered loop-bonded nonwoven fabric was developed using recycled cotton and recycled acrylic blended fibers with polyester thread for warping in Arachne stitch bonding machine by varying the fabric weight, blend ratio, and course spacing in different levels of treatment combinations. Acrylic and cotton fibers were extracted by recycling weft knitted cut pieces (garment waste). The developed loop-bonded nonwoven fabrics were tested for its abrasion resistance, water penetration resistance in hydrostatic pressure, and air permeability behavior. The air permeability decreased with the increase in cotton content in the blending composition, thickness, stitch density, and fabric weight. The abrasion resistance increased with the increase in thickness, fabric weight, and thread density with optimum level. The investigated cotton/acrylic blended nonwoven have attractive properties for its better absorbency, lower electrostatic charge generation, superior comfort, disposability and sanitation value, faster drying properties, better durability, a highly-desirable luxurious soft hand, improved thermal resistance, air permeability and moisture vapor transmission, higher productivity, lower production costs and shorter production cycles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] Silicon (Si) is attracted much attention due to its outstanding theoretical capacity (4200 mAh/g) as the anode of lithium-ion batteries (LIBs). However, the large volume change and low electron/ion conductivity during the charge and discharge process limit the electrochemical performance of Si-based anodes. Here we demonstrate a foldable acrylic yarn-based composite carbon nanofiber embedded by Si@SiO x particles (Si@SiO x -CACNFs) as the anode material. Since the amorphous SiO x and carbon (C) coating on the outside of the Si particles can provide a double buffer for volume expansion while reducing the contact between the Si core and the electrolyte to form a thin and stable solid electrolyte interface (SEI) film. Simultaneous in-situ electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (in-situ EIS) and galvanostatic intermittent titration technique (GITT) tests show that SiO x and C have higher ion/electron transport rates, and in addition, using acrylic fiber yarn and Zn(Ac) 2 as raw materials reduces the manufacturing cost and enhanced mechanical properties. Therefore, the half-cell can achieve a high initial Coulombic efficiency (ICE) of 82.3% and a reversible capacity of 1358.2 mAh/g after 180 cycles. It can return to its original shape and remain intact after four consecutive folds, and the soft-pack full battery can also light up LED lights under different bending conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Comfort is an aspect and is considered as one of the important characteristics of clothing. Generally, the comfort properties can be distinguished into three categories, viz., thermo-physiological comfort, sensorial comfort, and psychological comfort. Thermo-physiological comfort of a fabric is determined by the ability of the fabric to transmit heat, air, and moisture from the skin to the atmosphere. Fabric made of synthetic fibers has convincing comfort properties when compared with the fabrics made of natural fibers like cotton, silk, wool, etc. When natural fibers are compared with synthetic fibers, synthetic fibers are hydrophobic in nature and provides less comfort to the wearer. Hence, in this research work, an attempt has been made to study the thermo-physiological comfort properties of herbal finished woven fabrics made from synthetic fibers coated with neem and bermudagrass. Herbal finishes were applied on the woven fabrics made from 100% polyester and blends of 50:50 polyester, acrylic fibers. These finished fabrics were tested and analyzed for durability and essential thermo-physiological comfort properties. Based on the test results and analysis it was found that significant improvements in the moisture-related properties and moderate decrease in the thermal conductivity of the synthetic fabrics with neem and bermudagrass herbal finish. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene (UHMWPE) fibers grafted with acrylic acid and acrylamide were successfully prepared by means of 60Co γ-ray pre-irradiation grafting. UHMWPE fiber adsorbent containing dithiocarboxylic, amide and carboxylic groups was obtained by dithiocarboxylic reaction. Mass gain rate showed that the maximum grafting rate of acrylamide reached 300% when acrylamide was grafted onto UHMWPE fibers modified with acrylic acid, which was far more than when acrylamide was grafted alone. The results of adsorption performance test for Cu(II) ions exhibited that the prepared UHMWPE fiber adsorbent has excellent Cu(II) ions adsorption capacity. The maximum adsorbed Cu(II) ions amount to 341 mg g−1 (initial concentration of 400 mg L−1, time of 6 h). Moreover, the highest removal ratio of Cu(II) ions can reach 99.9%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • Two-stage N-PDA was firstly used to co-treat acrylic fiber wastewater and sewage. • N-SBR achieved efficient nitrification under refractory organic stress (ARE=100 %). • PDA-UASB exhibited robust PDA by organic carbon source from domestic sewage. • NRE was up to 87 % to co-treat sewage and acrylic wastewater (66.3 and 91.7 mg/L). • The relative abundance of Candidatus Brocadia increased from 0.6 to 5.4 %. Acrylic fiber (AF) wastewater is characterized by high levels of ammonia nitrogen, refractory organic compounds, and toxic substances, making biological nutrient removal challenging. Conventional biological treatment technologies are often ineffective due to the complex composition, high toxicity, and low C/N ratios of AF wastewater. In this study, a two-stage nitrification-partial denitrification/anammox (N-PDA) process was firstly developed for the combined treatment of AF wastewater and domestic sewage, which integrated nitrification-SBR(N-SBR) and partial denitrification/anammox-UASB (PDA-UASB). The N-SBR achieved stable nitrification (ARE=100 %, HRT=4.2 h) with increasing ratios of AF wastewater, while the PDA-UASB utilized organic carbon from domestic sewage to simultaneously remove nitrate (91.7 mg/L) and ammonium (66.3 mg/L) through the PDA pathway (HRT=11.3 h). After 200 days, the relative abundance of Candidatus Brocadia increased from 0.6 to 5.4 %, ensuring robust nitrogen removal performance. The system achieved effluent ammonium and total nitrogen concentrations below 1.0 mg/L and 15.0 mg/L, respectively, with a total nitrogen removal rate of 87 %. This study demonstrates the N-PDA process as an efficient, energy-saving, and cost-effective solution for treating AF wastewater without the additional organic carbon sources, enhancing nitrogen removal efficiency and operational stability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this research work, nonwoven developed for thermal insulator fabric using reclaimed cotton and virgin acrylic blend in stitch bonding machine by cross laying fibers during web preparation using Arachne stitch bonding machine. Here, fiber cotton and acrylic were selected for the production of nonwoven thermal insulation because of their comparatively lower cost, availability, better thermal stability, for its attractive physical and mechanical properties. Different blending ratios, weight, and stitch density were taken into consideration as the main factors have focussed during nonwoven fabric development. The developed nonwoven fabrics were investigated for its air permeability, thermal, and tensile properties. The tensile strength of the developed fabric increases in the machine direction (555.3 N) than cross direction (412.33 N) whereas elongation percentage increases in the cross direction (91.1%) than machine direction (41.36%). In addition, the thermal conductivity of the developed fabrics was reduced by 33.33% by decreasing the fabric thickness and increasing bulk density. Major applications of the developed nonwoven are thermal insulators in the form of stitch-bonded nonwoven fabrics are blanket and sleeping rugs, automobiles, shoe covers, carpets, building insulators, and industrial process equipment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A novel, hybrid polymer composite wherein hydrophilic nanocrystalline cellulose (NCC) and hydrophobic lignin particles are reinforced into hydrophobic acrylic fiber based polyacrylonitrile (PAN) matrix is fabricated by the spin-casting technique. The discrete and synergetic influence of NCC and lignin on the PAN matrix was compared and studied on the basis of the assessment of the tensile properties of the composite films. It was observed that incorporation of NCC and lignin in the ratio of 50:50 into the PAN matrix enhanced its tensile strength and Young's modulus by 55% and 223% respectively. Individual comparison of FTIR spectra was performed to understand the structural aspects of neat PAN and PAN composite films incorporated with NCC, lignin, and blends of NCC and lignin. Further, the composite films were assessed for physical properties such as density, viscosity, and contact angle. The impact of NCC and lignin loading on the surface morphology of the PAN matrix has been evaluated using SEM imaging tool. The thermal stability behaviour of the neat PAN film and PAN composite film was comprehended using TG analysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This work presents a novel approach for imaging the visible emissions from plasmas in pulsed power experiments using high-resolution plastic optical fibers. The diagnostic consists of a 2 mm diameter core commercial cable constructed of 13 000 individual acrylic fibers. The fibers are fused together to create a single high-resolution bundle. Different designs were investigated to cover a wide range of resolutions and fields of view (3–700 µm and 0.05–45 mm, respectively). The system was tested on the 1-MA Mykonos accelerator at Sandia National Laboratories and successfully imaged visible emission from a hybrid x-pinch target. Diagnostic development and preliminary results are presented. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hybrid composite specimens were produced with stainless steel-acrylic (SSA) and carbon fiber reinforcement in order to achieve ductile behavior compared to CF reinforced epoxy composites. Laminated composites containing CF and SSA fabrics in with different ply configurations were manufactured using vacuum infusion method. In addition, CF fabric was used in two different ply orientations (0–45°). In both the flexural and tensile test results, composites having CF oriented at 0° showed higher strength and modulus but lower strain than composites having CF oriented at 45°. When the number of carbon fiber layers increased, the composites showed high strength and modulus, but low strain. Increasing the number of SSA significantly increased the flexural and tensile strains of laminated composites. After the mechanical tests, the fracture surfaces of the specimens were examined with an optical microscope and matrix cracks, fiber breakage, fiber pull-out and delamination failures were observed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Experimental-and-informational technology for studying tubular structures of rocket-and-space equipment made of carbon plastic under the action of internal overpressure was developed in this study. A comparative assessment of the tightness and strength of structures made of six types of polymer composite materials, in particular, modified by treatment with high-energy plasma flows of dielectric barrier discharge fibers in acrylic acid (C3H4O2) and allylamine (C3H7N) media was performed. The applicability of modification treatment of composite polymeric materials was proved, which allows an increase in their strength characteristics by up to 25% compared with the original material. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The development of aqueous rechargeable zinc‐iodine (Zn‐I2) batteries is still plagued by the polyiodide shuttle issue, which frequently causes batteries to have inadequate cycle lifetimes. In this study, quaternization engineering based on the concept of "electric double layer" is developed on a commercial acrylic fiber skeleton ($1.55–1.7 kg−1) to precisely constrain the polyiodide and enhance the cycling durability of Zn‐I2 batteries. Consequently, a high‐rate (1 C–146.1 mAh g−1, 10 C–133.8 mAh g−1) as well as, ultra‐stable (2000 cycles at 20 C with 97.24% capacity retention) polymer‐based Zn‐I2 battery is reported. These traits are derived from the strong electrostatic interaction generated by quaternization engineering, which significantly eliminates the polyiodide shuttle issue and simultaneously realizes peculiar solution‐based iodine chemistry (I−/I3−) in Zn‐I2 batteries. The quaternization strategy also presents high practicability, reliability, and extensibility in various complicated environments. In particular, cutting‐edge Zn‐I2 batteries based on the concept of derivative material (commercially available quaternized resin) demonstrate ≈100% capacity retention over 17 000 cycles at 20 C. This work provides a general and fresh insight into the design and development of large‐scale, low‐cost, and high‐performance zinc‐iodine batteries, as well as, other novel iodine storage systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, to mimic the hydrophilic character of cotton, the industrially prominent polyacrylonitrile (PAN) fibers were enriched by polar OH-groups via the graft copolymerization technique. For this purpose, the grafting of the 2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate (HEMA) was ensured in the high graft yields (∼95%). The effects of polymerization conditions such as the solvent selection, initiator type and concentration, monomer concentration, polymerization temperature, and time were investigated for the highest graft yield, where the fiber's dimensional stability is preserved. The changes in the structural, thermal, and morphological properties of PAN-g-HEMA fibers were executed by ATR-FTIR, 1H-NMR, TGA, and SEM techniques. Depending on the modified fibers' grafting yields, the changes in the tensile strength, elongation at break, moisture, and water retention properties were investigated. It was obtained that the moisture absorption of PAN fiber (2%) reached 15.7% after grafting (95% graft yield). The dyeability of the modified fibers was studied with a direct dye (Direct Black 38), which is conventionally employed for cellulose dyeing, by monitoring with the L*a*b* color measurements and K/S color strength. 0.049 g of dye was adsorbed by 1 g of PAN-g-HEMA fiber containing 68% of HEMA at pH 11 for 120 min. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper reports the morphological, physical, chemical, mechanical and thermal properties of untreated and various chemically treated natural fibers extracted from the petioles of the Phoenix sp. plants. The outcome of morphological analysis revealed that the treated Phoenix sp. fibers have tiny protrusions on its surface which promotes the mechanical interlocking between fiber and matrix. The physical and chemical analysis ensured that the chemical treatments had a positive impact. The chemical functional groups present in the Phoenix sp. fibers were confirmed through FTIR analysis. The improvement in crystallinity index values of treated fibers was confirmed through X-ray diffraction analysis. The fiber treated with acrylic acid exhibited the highest tensile strength and tensile modulus of 466.35 MPa and 9.26 GPa, respectively. The thermal stability of the Phoenix sp. fiber was examined through thermogravimetric analysis and it revealed that the treated fibers have better thermal stability. The above results concluded that the Phoenix sp. fiber is an appropriate reinforcement material for preparing polymer matrix composites. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The current research endeavor explores the durability, thermal, mechanical and morphological properties of untreated and various chemically treated rattan fibers to find its potential as reinforcement in fabrication of advanced composite materials. The extracted rattan fibers were gone through various chemical treatments (i.e alkali and acrylic acid). The most important limitation of plant fibers use is low material durability. So the durability of treated rattan fibers has been investigated in three different mediums. Here the results of experiments on rattan fibers were presented. From the results, it is observed that acrylic acid–treated fibers are found to retain higher percentages of their initial strength than all other fibers, after the specified period of exposure in the various mediums. Further, their characterization was done using Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) studies. Hence, acrylic acid–treated fibers can be a good potential candidate for reinforcement in polymeric matrices for the fabrication of advanced composite for different structural applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Acrylie fiber was prepared by wet spinning with sodium thiocyanate, and the effects of temperature, time and shrinkage on fiber properties during densification were studied. The results show that the optimum densification temperature of acrylic fiber is 110℃ and the densification time is about 90 s. A certain shrinkage rate should be given in the densification process to improve the densification effect. With the increase of fiber shrinkage during densification, the density of the densified fiber increases, the orientation degree decreases, the specific strength at break decreases and the elongation at break increases. After densification, the cross section of the fiber changes from coarse to fine, which indicates that the inhomogeneity in the fiber is eliminated and the structure becomes dense during densification. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Magnetic composites with nickel nanoparticles synthesized by the method of the electrical explosion of wire were prepared with acrylic copolymer containing 95 wt.% of butylacrylate and 5 wt.% of methacrylic acid. Two series of composites were made with Ni content covering the range from 5 to 90 wt.% and differing in the degree of aggregation. In one series of composites, the aggregates were irregularly shaped globules with dimensions varying in 1-40 μlm range. In the other, chain-like fragments were observed. As expected, the saturation magnetization value of the composites showed a linear dependence on concentration but the coercive field was slightly higher for the aggregated case for a given concentration. Microwave absorption studies of the composites showed both strong zero field absorption and ferromagnetic resonance (FMR). The FMR results were different for the two types of samples; however, each set can be explained by taking into account the distribution of local magnetic fields due to random positions of the particles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Laser Doppler Flowmetry (LDF) is a non-invasive technique for the assessment of tissue blood flow, but increased reproducibility would facilitate longitudinal studies. The aim of the study was to assess the interday reproducibility of Laser Doppler Flowmetry (LDF) at rest, at elevated local temperatures, and with the use of the vasodilator Methyl Nicotinate (MN) in six interconnected protocols for the measurement of the blood supply to the microvascular bed of the gingiva. Ten healthy volunteers were included. Interweek LDF measurements with custom-made acrylic splints were performed. Six protocols were applied in separate regions of interest (ROI): 1; basal LDF, 2; LDF with thermoprobe 42 °C, 3; LDF with thermoprobe 45 °C, 4; LDF with thermoprobe 42 °C and MN, 5; LDF with thermoprobe 45 °C and MN and 6; LDF with MN. Intra-individual reproducibility was assessed by the within-subject coefficient of variation (wCV) and the intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC). Basal LDF measurements demonstrated high reproducibility with wCV 11.1 in 2 min and 10.3 in 5 min. ICC was 0.9 and 0.92. wCV after heat and MN was 4.9–10.3 and ICC 0.82–0.93. The topically applied MN yielded increased blood flow. This is the first study evaluating the reproducibility of basal LDF compared to single or multiple vasodilatory stimuli in gingiva. Multiple collector fibers probe and stabilizing acrylic splints are recommended. Vasodilatory stimulation showed a tendency toward higher reproducibility. Furthermore, MN yields vasodilation in gingiva. • This study provides feasible protocols for future longitudinal studies of gingival microcirculation. • A high intra-individual basal LDF reproducibility can be achieved with multiple collector fibers probe and acrylic splint. • A tendency of higher reproducibility was seen when vasodilatory stimulation was applied, • Methyl Nicotinate can be used as a simple method to achieve vasodilation on gingiva [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Granular porous sorbents were normally used for heavy metals removal from water. To search for the new commercial sorbent and treatment strategy, an organic acrylic amine fiber (AAF) and phosphorus loading inorganic-organic AAF (P-AAF) were prepared and used for lead (Pb) removal from water. A new strategy of inorganic-organic coupling technology was proposed for Pb removal, based on the hypothesis of surface-induced precipitation mechanism. The AAF showed a Pb adsorption capacity of 417 mg/g from the Langmuir fitting, while the column filtration technology was further applied to measure the adsorption edge and applications. Effects of different initial Pb concentrations, hydraulic retention time, and co-existing P were considered in the filtration experiments. The presence of 0.8 mg/L P in water significantly improved the Pb breakthrough point from 15,000 to 41,000 bed volumes of water spiked with 85 µg/L Pb, while the P-AAF fixed bed showed better removal of Pb than AAF SEM/EDX and XRD spectra were employed for determining the surface functional groups and the formation of surface-induced precipitation of pyromorphite (Pb 5 (PO 4) 3 OH) on AAF. This study verified the application of AAF sorbent for Pb removal and the enhanced effect of coating P on AAF, thus improved our fundamental understanding and application of the surface chemistry process of Pb with P. Image, graphical abstract [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Acrylonitrile (AN), which is widely utilized in the manufacture of plastics, acrylamide, acrylic fibers, and resins, is also one of main components of cigarette smoke (CS). In this study, we examined the effects of AN on the cell viability and apoptosis of JEG-3 and BeWo human choriocarcinoma cancer cell lines. A cell viability assay confirmed that AN decreased the cell proliferation of JEG-3 and BeWo cells in a dose-dependent manner. Additionally, Western blot assay revealed that protein expression of cyclin D and cyclin E decreased, while protein expression of p21 and p27 increased in response to AN treatment for 48 hr. The changes in reactive oxygen species (ROS) levels in JEG-3 and BeWo cells exposed to AN were also measured by a dichlorofluorescein diacetate (DCFH-DA) assay, which revealed that ROS levels increased in response to AN treatment for 48 hr. Moreover, western blot assay confirmed that AN treatment of JEG-3 and BeWo cells for 4 hr promoted the expression of phosphorylated eukaryotic initiation factor 2 alpha protein (p-eIF2a), C/EBP homologous protein (CHOP) and caspase 12, which are known to be involved in ROS-mediated endoplasmic reticulum stress (ER-stress)-related apoptosis. Overall, the protein expression of p53 and Bax (a pro-apoptosis marker) increased, while the expression of Bcl-xl (an anti-apoptotic marker) decreased and the number of apoptotic cells increased in response to AN treatment for 48 hr. Taken together, these results suggest that AN has the potential to induce apoptosis of JEG-3 and BeWo human choriocarcinoma cancer cells by activating ROS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Novel adsorption Algal polymer composite membrane composed of acrylic fiber wastes and grinded marine algae; Sargassum dentifolium was newly prepared using inversion precipitation technique. The adsorption of uranium and thorium from their waste solution was evaluated. The results indicated that the sorption capacities for U and Th were 62 and 59.4 (mg g−1), respectively, within short time. Adsorption experimental data demonstrated that both metal ions were well fitting with Langmuir isotherm and pseudo-second order kinetics model. The reusability of the composite membrane indicates the stability and efficiency of it in U and Th removal from waste solution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A method employing 137Cs sorption to copper hexacyanoferrate (Cu2[Fe(CN)6])-coated fibers for determining 137Cs activity in seawater is presented in this paper. The Cu2[Fe(CN)6]-coated fibers were packed into a PVC cartridge and used to treat 300 L of seawater, exhibiting a 137Cs sorption efficiency of above 99%. The Cu2[Fe(CN)6]-fiber samples containing 137Cs were subsequently dried and placed into a 500 mL Marinelli beaker to determine the activity concentrations by gamma spectrometry. This method was applied to seawater of the Phuoc Dinh and Vinh Hai coastal areas in Ninh Thuan province, Vietnam. The activity concentrations of 137Cs in the surveyed areas ranged from 1.14 to 1.44 Bq/m3. The activities of 137Cs in the seawater samples of this work were compared with those observed in seawater on the coasts of Vietnam and other countries along the South China Sea. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Multi-channel mechanomyography (MMG) signals were acquired from the forearm when the subjects were performing eight classes of hand movements related to rehabilitation training. Ten time domain (TD) features and wavelet packet node energy (WPNE) features were extracted from each channel of MMG, and the hand movements were classified by support vector machine (SVM), extreme learning machine (ELM), linear discriminant analysis (LDA) and K -nearest neighborhood (KNN) and the classifying results of three methods of collecting MMG (sensors directly on skin, sensors on cotton fabric and sensors on acrylic fiber) were compared. When all TD features were selected and SVM was adopted as the classifier, the total recognition rates of hand movements were 94.0%, 93.9% and 93.6%, respectively, of three collection methods. Using ELM can obtain similar results as SVM, with the recognition rates of 94.3%, 94.3% and 94.1%, respectively, better than using LDA (88.5%, 88.6% and 88.0%) or KNN (88.9%, 89.4% and 89.0%). For each algorithm, using TD features can acquire the highest recognition rates. Once the feature set and the classifier were selected, the total recognition rates were almost equally among three collection methods (especially for some feature sets, the differences are smaller than 1%). The results confirmed that satisfactory effects could be acquired even when the MMG was collected from sensors on fabrics with specific material, thus indicating that MMG has a unique potential value for developing wearable devices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Montefibre Carbon, based in Spain, recently unveiled an innovative 80K precursor that aims to become the new industry standard large-tow SP 1 sp carbon fiber (LTCF SP 2 sp ) for highvolume, cost-sensitive mass markets like automotive and wind energy applications. An additional barrier to the commercial deployment of large-tow precursor fibers that Montefibre cites is the current lack of capability to package these fibers so that they can be efficiently and reliably used by carbon fiber and composites manufacturers. [Extracted from the article]

Acrylic fiber can be chemically converted to an amidoxime and carboxylate containing chelating adsorbent by a two-step synthesis method for extraction of uranium from seawater. A portion of the nitrile groups in the fiber is first converted to amidoxime using hydroxylamine followed by conversion of another portion of the nitrile groups to carboxylate with NaOH. At an optimized ratio of amidoxime/carboxylate (about 1 : 1), the chelating fiber in real seawater shows a higher uranium adsorption capacity and shorter saturation time compared with similar high-surface-area chelating fibers developed recently using a radiation-induced grafting method. The saturation capacity of uranium is estimated to be 7.73 grams per kilogram of the adsorbent at 20 °C and the half-saturation time is about 15.7 days. The fiber shows a vanadium/uranium ratio of about 1 in real seawater tests. The low vanadium adsorption capacity of the fiber is attributed to the branched-chain amidoxime groups formed by the specified amidoximation process. This simple and low-cost synthesis method can be scaled up to mass produce the chelating fiber for recovering metals from various aquatic environments including production of uranium from seawater. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Polymers are popular materials as an additive to improve the performance of hot mix asphalt (HMA). To this aim, acrylic latex was chosen to improve the performance of asphalt mixture. In this study, it was investigated that the performance of hot mix asphalt with acrylic latex additive in three percentages (1%, 2% and 3%). Design bitumen contents were determined for all acrylic latex additive. Indirect Tensile Strength and moisture susceptibility of acrylic latex added HMA was conducted using test procedure of AASHTO T283. According to the results, design bitumen contents were increased by acrylic latex. Although the bitumen content was increased, both the indirect tensile (IDT) strength and the moisture resistance were improved by acrylic latex. Best performance was obtained by 3% acrylic latex additive. It is suggested that the percentage of acrylic latex would be increased for further researches. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A weak-base adsorption fiber, acrylic amine fiber (AAF), was prepared for removal and recovery of phosphate from water. The adsorption properties of the AAF for phosphate and effects of co-existing ions were investigated using batch and column filtration experiments, scanning electron microscope, and Fourier transform infrared techniques. Experimental results showed that AAF had a high phosphate adsorption capacity of 119 mg/g at pH 7.0. The effects of calcium, sulfate, carbonate, nitrate, and fluoride showed that sulfate and calcium inhibited phosphate adsorption. However, AAF showed higher binding affinity toward phosphate than sulfate. Column filtration results showed that AAF could filter 1420 bed volumes of tap water containing 1.0 mg-P/L of phosphate. The saturated AAF could be regenerated using 0.5 mol/L hydrochloric acid solution and reused. After desorption, phosphate was recovered through precipitation of hydroxyapatite (Ca 5 (PO 4) 3 OH). The easy of regeneration, good adsorption performance, and the fiber morphology of AAF make it an attractive alternative for phosphate recovery from multiple water sources. Unlabelled Image [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • Labile oxygen (O lab) is generated in mullite by the introduction of Al-O 4. • O lab activates ozone via an unusual surface peroxide pathway to generate O lab -O*. • Atrazine can be efficiently degraded by catalytic ozonation over Mullite-O lab. • Mullite-O lab is promising for future non-biodegradable wastewater treatment. The aluminosilicate-based heterogeneous catalysts hold great promise for industrial catalytic ozonation; however, the lack of exploration into novel active sites and mechanism studies has impeded their development. In this work, we demonstrate that labile oxygen (O lab) can be generated in mullite (mullite-O lab) by the introduction of extra Al-O 4 tetrahedral units. In our experiments, mullite-O lab exhibits excellent performance in terms of catalytic ozone activation, with a degradation rate of 87.4 % within 15 min for nonbiodegradable atrazine, corresponding to a high quasi-first-order rate constant (k , 0.112 min−1), while the degradation constant is close to 0 for mullite without O lab. Operando Raman and density functional theory (DFT) simulations further reveal that O lab activates ozone via a novel surface peroxide pathway to generate surface O lab -O* species with a high oxidizing ability. The mullite-O lab is stable with an average Al3+ leaching of 0.339 ppm during cycling, meeting the effluent discharge standard of the total Al. Moreover, we achieve the kilogram synthesis of mullite-O lab , which shows promising activity in the catalytic ozonation of acrylic fiber wastewater, with the chemical oxygen demand (COD) and total organic carbon (TOC) removal rates of 46.0 %±4.8 % and 24.9 %±2.8 % for 5 cycles. This work is the first to demonstrate the role of O lab in ozone activation and provides an advanced mullite-O lab catalyst for future nonbiodegradable wastewater treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The environmentally friendly dyeing of textiles combining regular photonic crystals (PCs) has shown remarkable promise for application. However, the surface is rough and undulating and contains many harnesses due to full-curved structure of yarns. All these factors increase the difficulty of assembling colloidal microspheres into regular PCs on yarns. Therefore, relevant studies on the preparation methods and fundamental theories for constructing bionic structural colors on conventional flexible yarns are few. This study contains two main parts: first, regular PC-based yarns were produced by the dip coating method with poly (styrene–butyl acrylate–methacrylate) (P(St–BA–MAA)) as building block. Specifically, the softness and surface flatness of acrylic yarns were improved using silicone-modified polymer solution and cationic acrylate solution. The results indicated that assembling of PC with vivid structural color was easier when the base color of yarns was black and the concentration of P(St–BA–MAA) colloidal microspheres was about 60 wt%. Second, the self-assembling mechanism of microspheres on acrylic yarns was further studied by untwisting and slicing. The results showed that colloidal microspheres would fill the surfaces and voids of the outer fibers of acrylic yarns to form regular PCs, and they would also enter the inner fibers of yarns by capillary forces. However, the structure of yarns was tight inside and loose outside due to twisting and other reasons. Therefore, the colloidal microspheres had more difficulty entering the fibers on the inner side of the yarn to form an ordered PC structure when the fibers were closer to the yarn axis. The PC-based colored yarn also remained bright after the rubbing test. The color phase of the structured colored yarns based on PC could be adjusted as well by regulating the particle size and the observation angle. The prepared structured colored yarns were woven into fabrics, which were named yarn-structure colored fabrics. This research provides theoretical support and technical guidance for the preparation and practical application of flexible structured colored yarns based on PC. [Display omitted] • Photonic crystal structured color flexible yarns with bright colors were prepared. • The process and behavior of colloidal microspheres self-assembly on acrylic yarns was deduced by untwisting and slicing. • The prepared photonic crystal-based structured colored yarns can be woven as yarn-structure colored fabric. • The prepared photonic crystal-based structural color yarns had good color rubbing fastness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Synthetic garments pose significant environmental and human risks, which are further increased by the presence of synthetic dyes. As synthetic fibers cannot be eliminated, steps need to be taken in order to improve their sustainability. The paper presents a sustainable and cleaner microwave (MW)-assisted process of dyeing acrylic knitted fabrics with natural dyes based on curcumin extracted from turmeric powder (TP). The process is a novelty because it leads to fluorescent acrylic fabrics. The curcumin was extracted from TP, with or without 0.1 mL solvent. Based on the absorption curves in the ultraviolet–visible domain, the analysis indicates that 100 g of TP contains 3.6 g of pure curcumin. The factors influencing the MW-assisted extraction are presented and discussed. The eco-friendly dyeing was performed in the presence of MW, using only freshly extracted dyes, no additives. The research investigates the effects of the concentration of natural dyes (5–20%), presence of solvents, dyeing time (2–15 min), temperature gradient and nature of the textile support on color intensity (K/S) and CIELab measurements. Spectroscopy analyses highlight the effects of the MW treatment on the Melana and Dralon L samples and on two pretreated samples subjected to grafting and saponification. The presence of MW modifies the internal structure of the fibers, while the chemical pretreatments generate chemical modifications/functionalizations. The advantages of the cleaner MW-assisted process refer to the ease of application, eco-friendly process, shorter duration, low consumption of chemicals, leading to uniform dyeing and high fluorescence, to a level that was never before obtained with natural dyes. The use of natural dyes improves the sustainability of the process in terms of recycling. Image 1 • Sustainable, cleaner microwave-assisted processes: curcumin extraction and dyeing. • Studied factors: duration, liquor ratio, curcumin concentration, polar solvents. • Eco-friendly dyeing leading to uniform color and high fluorescence of samples. • Fluorescence depends on the nature of the solvent and type of acrylic fibers. • Advantages: easy to apply, shorter times, low consumption chemicals, better quality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A commercial textile-grade acrylic fiber was modified with guanidine hydrochloride for the preparation of low-cost carbon fibers. Thermal behavior of the modified acrylic fiber was studied by simultaneous differential scanning calorimetry and thermogravimetric analysis, and the effect of guanidine hydrochloride on the thermal stabilization of acrylic fiber was investigated by Fourier transform infrared spectrometry and densimetry. The results indicated that guanidine hydrochloride could initiate the cyclization reaction of nitrile groups at lower temperature and promote the thermal stabilization of acrylic fiber. Compared with the carbon fibers prepared from the original acrylic fiber, the tensile strength and tensile modulus of the carbon fibers prepared from the modified acrylic fiber had been increased by about 72% and 34%, respectively. The guanidine hydrochloride-modified acrylic fiber was expected to be a practical low-cost carbon fiber precursor. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A new diurea-type gelator was synthesized from 2-isocyanoethyl acrylate and 4′-diaminodiphenylmethane, which formed supramolecular gel in acetonitrile driven by hydrogen bonds. The xerogel fibers with a smooth lamellar structure were used as templates and monomer source in fabricating polymer microtubes via reversible addition-fragmentation chain transfer polymerization. Because of a very low solubility of the gelator, the polymerization in toluene gave no insoluble product. As suitable amount of methanol was used together with toluene, the polymerization was conducted successfully to obtain ribbon-like polymer tubes with smooth surface. Based on which, acrylic acid was further used as a co-monomer to form carboxyl-functionalized polymer tubes. The resulting products were characterized by multiple techniques. Compared with the ordinary polymer tubes, the carboxyl-functionalized polymer tubes exhibited much improved adsorption capability for methylene blue (MB) at pH 7 and the absorbed MB molecules could be released in both acidic water and acidic ethanol. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simultaneous effects of stabilization degree, activation temperature and activation stretching on the adsorption and mechanical properties of acrylic-based activated carbon fibers (ACFs) were studied. ACFs were prepared by the stabilization of the acrylic fibers with different conditions; subsequently, they were impregnated in the KOH solution and activated at three different temperatures under three distinct imposed stretches. Tensile strength index, aromatization index, elemental analysis and density were used to evaluate the degree of the stabilization of the oxidized acrylic fibers prior to activation. The optimum conditions that led to the fabrication of high iodine adsorption and tensile strength ACFs were the stabilization degree of 56.2%, the activation temperature of 800 °C, and the stretching of 1%. The experimental iodine number and tensile strength of ACFs in the mentioned conditions were about 865 mg/g and 423 MPa, respectively. The results of the BET analysis for the optimized sample showed a surface area of 561 m2/g with an average pore diameter of 2.7361 nm. Moreover, the obtained ACFs were well characterized by X-ray diffraction, Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy, scanning electron microscope and CCL 4 adsorption test. Simultaneous improvement in the tensile strength and the adsorption capacity could make them suitable for possible high performance applications. Unlabelled Image • ACFs were prepared by stabilization and chemical activation of acrylic fibers. • Simultaneous enhancement in tensile strength and adsorption capacity were achieved. • Stabilization degree and activation temperature were the significant parameters. • Iodine number and tensile strength in optimized sample were 865 mg/g and 423 MPa. • A surface area of 561 m2/g with an average pore diameter of 2.7361 nm was achieved. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract This article presents the behaviour under fire of a specific ultra-high performance concrete (UHPC) called BCV. Several compositions with synthetic additions such, as polypropylene (PP) fibres and powder or acrylic (PAN) fibres, are mixed to produce these specimens. As a first step, a blowtorch test on prismatic specimens shows that small PP fibres are more efficient in resisting fire. Next, scanning electron microscopic observations after heating reveal significant behavioural differences between PP fibres and PAN fibres during their vaporisation process. Lastly, a mercury intrusion porosimetry investigation following a heating cycle at 350°C indicates that concrete porosity is not a sufficient parameter for determining whether or not a given material composition is resistant to fire spalling. A critical factor dependent on pore size distribution, is proposed herein; its threshold value, i.e. under which the material exhibits a very high probability of being prone to fire spalling, is also estimated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A single treatment that makes textiles multifunctional is very attractive to the textile chemical processors. In this study, multifunctional acrylic fibers were produced by in situ forming silver (Ag) nanoparticles at various concentrations of Ag and trisodium citrate (TSC). The exhaustion of silver into acrylic fibers and the reduction of Ag to Ag nanoparticles were carried out at 90 °C, well above the glass transition temperature ( T g ) of this fiber in water. The effect of the concentration of Ag, Ag to TSC ratio, pH, and reaction time on the color strength, ultraviolet (UV) radiation absorption, surface electrical resistance and mechanical properties of the treated fibers were systematically investigated. It was found that if the concentration of Ag was less than 1% on the weight of acrylic fibers or the Ag to TSC ratio was less than 1:2, no color was produced. The color strength and UV radiation absorption capacity of the treated acrylic fibers increased with an increase in the concentration of Ag, and Ag to TSC ratio, and also with a decrease in the pH. On the other hand, the surface resistance of the treated acrylic fibers decreased with an increase in the concentration of Ag and a decrease in the treatment pH. The treated fibers showed excellent antibacterial activity, UV radiation absorption capacity, and also very good antistatic properties along with an excellent colorfastness to washing. Moreover, the developed treatment is highly durable to washing as after 20 washes the treated fibers lost their antibacterial activity only marginally. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Errandi silk has a potential of emerging as "A silk of the new millennium". The experimental finding provides information on physical properties as well as subjective evaluations of Errandi silk-A crylic union fabrics with twill and herringbone weave. The count and diameter of errandi silk fibre were higher than acrylic fibre and in case of woven fabrics, herringbone weave were found to have maximum value in cloth covers, weight and thickness. A comparative subjective evaluation was done based on fabric quality by the panel of 100 respondents. 100 per cent respondent opined that all the woven samples have good appearance, soft in hand and smooth in texture. It was observed that cent percent of respondents found errandi-acrylic blended union fabrics with twill and herringbone weaves were high in lustre. The costs of blended yarns and the cost of union fabrics of different proportion were got reduced in comparison to that of 100 per cent errandi-silk yarn (Rs.3000.00/kg) and controlled errandi silk fabrics (Rs.985.00/mt.). Based on the aesthetic properties such as handle, appearance, texture and lustre and considering the cost of twill and herringbone errandi-acrylic fabrics were suitable for production of fashionable wear. Thus, the newly designed Errandi silk with Acrylic union fabrics are unique, a new venture for the textile industry and Ericulturists. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Acrylic fiber is one of three important synthetic fibers in the world. The disposal and reuse of large number of waste acrylic fibers from fabric manufacturers or waste recovery is an urgent economic and environmental issue. Here, a porous carbon was derived from waste acrylic fibers via pre-oxidized, carbonization and KOH activation. Furthermore, we adopted melamine as nitrogen source to dope the porous carbon materials. When used as the anode of lithium ion batteries, this nitrogen-doped porous carbon shows high reversible capacity of ca. 1200 mA h g −1 after 50 cycles at 0.1 A g −1 . Reversible capacities of 550 and 370 mA h g −1 are obtained at higher current densities of 1 and 5 A g −1 after 500 cycles, respectively. The outstanding electrochemical performance are a result of its large mesopore volume, high-level N-doping (especially, pyridinic-N), large quantity of edge defects, and three-dimensional hierarchical porous architecture. This paper demonstrates that the reuse of waste industrial acrylic fibers as energy storage materials is a promising method for both energy and environmental fields. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The application of two different kinds of carboxylic monomers, monobutyl itaconate (MBI) and β-carboxyethyl acrylate (β-CEA), in acrylic pressure sensitive adhesive (PSA) latexes is presented in this article. The hydrophilic-lipophilic balance (HLB) values of carboxylic monomers were calculated to determine their water solubility, which was further confirmed by their partition coefficients between organic and water phases. Influences of the functional monomers on particle size and zeta potential of the latexes, as well as on water resistance, thermal stability, gel content, sol molecular weight (M w , M n ) and adhesive properties of the polymer were investigated in this work. In addition, the application of commonly used methacrylic acid (MAA) was also determined as a benchmark. The results indicated that for equiweight amounts of acid comonomer, latex particle sizes fall in the order: MBI > MAA > β-CEA, depending on water solubility of the corresponding monomer. Besides, the latex film prepared with MBI showed the best water resistance when compared with other two counterparts. Results also indicated that the PSA prepared with β-CEA exhibited the highest gel content among the three acid monomers. Moreover, the thermal stability of the three carboxylated polymers follow the order P(n-BA+MAA) > P(n-BA+β-CEA) > P(n-BA+MBI). Finally, the effects of carboxylic monomers on the adhesive properties of the PSAs were also evaluated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Industrially pre-oxidized acrylic fibres were used to prepare activated carbon fibres (ACF). The results obtained show that pre-oxidation was effective in increasing the carbon yield during carbonization and reducing the reactivity of the char with CO 2 during activation, making it possible to obtain ACF with high pore volumes, up to 1.15 cm 3  g −1 , with BET area of 2064 m 2  g −1 , even without a prior laboratory stabilization step. By controlling the activation temperature over the range 700–1000 °C and the activation time over the range 15–4320 min it was possible to obtain a range of materials varying from those which contained mainly ultramicropores, with a high capacity for the capture of CO 2 , up to others with a broader distribution of pore sizes extending up to 4 nm. An interesting aspect of the results was the observation that the volume of ultramicropores was practically constant for different activation times and temperatures up to 900°C. The importance of different processes which may contribute towards the development of porosity during activation is considered in the light of the results obtained. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The use of pristine graphene (pG) based on solution processed coating technologies is often limited by their poor dispersibility in water and organic solvents which prevents to achieve the best performing properties of pG in coating applications. To address these limitations, we developed a dispersant-free coating approach of pG based on their intrinsic solid-lubricity and interlayer electrostatic interactions. The “rotating drum” method was established to provide suitable conditions for electrostatic deposition of pG-powder which is demonstrated on two model substrates with granular and fibril morphologies (urea and acrylic fibers) to improve their physical and electrical properties. The results showed that the pG coating enables to minimize moisture induced caking tendency of commercial urea prills at a relative humidity (RH) of 85% (higher than critical humidity) exhibiting greater moisture rejection ability (∼2 times higher than uncoated urea) and to improve their anti-abrasive properties. The pG-powder coating applied on nonconductive acrylic fibers provides a stable conductive layer (∼0.8 ± 0.1 kΩ/sq) which made them suitable for using in wearable electronics, sensors and electromagnetic interference (EMI) shielding. The developed coating method for pG-powder based on “rotating drum” is generic, simple, eco-friendly, low-cost, and scalable for broad range of coating applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The dyeing rate of acrylic and polyester tends to start at 100 °C. and carriers are also used frequently to enhance the rate. I lerein. the acrylic, polyester and polyester/acrylic blend of woven fabrics were dyed at different temperatures and by keeping the additional parameters constant. The ultimate effect of dyes-uptake observed favourable regarding colour fastness properties. With the increase in temperature, the variation in shrinkage was highly predicted. A significant effect was analysed by increasing the temperature of the dye through the fibre. The colour fastness of the dyed samples was also evaluated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the present study, eight self-thermochromic fluorans ( STC1-STC8 ) were synthesized, and their reversible thermochromic properties were investigated without the use of a color developer. This work demonstrated the role of the phenol group on ring c on the thermochromic reversibility of the fluorans. Furthermore, the two-component mixtures that contained fluorans and methyl stearate were used to examine the thermochromic behaviors of the fluorans with steady heating and cooling rates. The thermochromic properties of the fluorans were evaluated using solid-state UV-Vis, reflectance and FT-IR spectroscopic techniques. DFT calculations were conducted to justify the optical behaviors of the fluorans in their spirolactam forms ( STC1-STC8 ) and cationic forms ( STC1+- STC8+ ). Finally, STC1 was successfully microencapsulated and applied in acrylic fiber to use as thermal indicators. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Coconut shell fiber-reinforced polypropylene (PP/CSP) biocomposites were prepared by using hand lay-out technique with different fractions of the modified fibers. Before proceeding to fabrication method, fibers were made compatible by chemical modification with acrylic acid. The interaction of acrylic modified coconut shell fibers with PP matrix was studied by using Fourier transforms Infrared spectroscopy. The morphology of chemically modified coconut fibers and coconut shell fibers reinforced polypropylene biocomposites were studied by using field emission scanning electron microscope. Due to strong interfacial interaction between PP and CSP, mechanical properties were improved. It was found that the tensile strength, elongation at break and loss modulus, rigidity of PP bio-composites were investigated as compared with that of virgin PP matrix. The thermal properties of the fabricated biocomposites were investigated by using thermogravimetric analysis. The semi-ductile properties of the fabricated PP biohybrids were confirmed through erosion ring test. POLYM. COMPOS., 38:2852-2862, 2017. © 2015 Society of Plastics Engineers [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Acrylic based soft liners are cost effective, yet are inferior in durability as compared to silicone based liners. Hence, this study was conducted to evaluate if the softness and surface integrity of acrylic based soft liner can be maintained by using different surface treatment agents. Aim: To comparatively evaluate the effects of Varnish, Monopoly and Kregard surface treatment agents on the surface integrity and softness of acrylic based soft liner at baseline, at one month and after three months. Materials and Methods: A total of 37 participants who required conventional maxillary dentures were selected according to the determined inclusion and exclusion criteria of the study. In the maxillary denture on the denture bearing surface, eight palatal recesses (5 mm x 3 mm) were made and filled with acrylic based soft liner (Permasoft). The soft liners in these recesses were given surface treatment and divided as control (uncoated), Varnish, Monopoly and Kregard groups. The hardness and surface integrity were evaluated with Shore A Durometer and Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) respectively at baseline, one month and three months interval. Surface integrity between groups was compared using Kruskal-Wallis test. Intergroup comparison for hardness was done using ANOVA and Tukey's HSD post-hoc tests. Results: Amongst all the groups tested, surface integrity was maintained in the Kregard group, as compared to control, Varnish and Monopoly groups for all three time intervals (p< 0.001). Kregard treated samples also demonstrated significantly higher softness at all the time intervals (p<0.001). Conclusion: Surface treatment with Kregard demonstrated better surface integrity and softness at all the time intervals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]