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Accurate, sensitive, and rapid screening of performance-enhancing drugs, including glucocorticoids, is critical to combat doping in animal racing sports. Samples of urine, saliva, and serum are usually used for random screening of controlled substances; however, they tend to provide only acute usage and doping information. Hair testing has the potential to detect long-term drug use in racing animals. In the present study, commercially available ELISA-kits were used to rapidly screen and analyze various natural and synthetic glucocorticoids in the hair of camels. The four glucocorticoids that were screened using the competitive ELISA were hydrocortisone, dexamethasone, flumethasone, and methylprednisolone. However, comparison of the results obtained using the ELISA method with our previously published LC-MS/MS assay did not show a good correlation. The results obtained with the ELISA analysis of hair samples of 27 different camels showed that this technique consistently yielded significantly higher levels of glucocorticoids compared with the LC-MS/MS assay. This is an interesting finding and suggests that commercially available ELISA tests may overestimate the amount of glucocorticoids present in camel hair, perhaps due to specificity and cross-reactivity issues.

In this paper we have gathered and put into context all accessible sources regarding one-hump (dromedary—Camelus dromedarius) or two-hump Bactrian camels (Camelus bactrianus) in the Carpathian Basin. Reviewed sources and empirical statements have pointed out the growing European demand for camel meat and milk. These species are capable of grazing overexploited and bush-encroached pastures, besides producing valuable fibre in the form of camel hair, and be used in the tourism business as well. Because of anatomical and physiological adaptations, both species are capable of digesting rough fibre and vegetation unused by other livestock species. Therefore, camels are the ideal choice for pasture rehabilitation, especially in shrublands and overgrown areas. Both species are flexible browsers in extensive grazing systems due to their adaptation to steppe regions. Dromedaries are more suited to dry hot ecosystems while Bactrian camels are more adapted to a cold and wetter environment. Dromedary and Bactrian camel cross-breeding practices present modern solutions for introducing these species into pasture-based livestock farming. Dromedary genetic dominance increases milk production with lower milk fat. Bactrian genes deliver higher wool production and more resilient calves. Beyond the agricultural and conservation functions, the ethnographical and cultural roles are also important in Hungarian folklore.

Keratin, a fibrous protein, that is available from a variety of animal sources as a constituent of hair, nails, horns, hoofs, wool and feathers, has applications in pharmaceutics, cosmetics and as a fertilizer. Like many naturally-derived biomaterials, the intrinsic biological activity and biocompatibility of keratin render this polymer a potential candidate for applications in medicine, and for the fabrication of scaffolds for tissue engineering. While several sources of keratin can be considered, the bioactivity of the keratins obtained can be quite different. In this study we discuss the processing and characterization of keratin from camel hair and goat cashmere. Specifically, the camel hair and cashmere were dissolved in an ionic liquid (1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium chloride), and the characteristics of the soluble and insoluble keratin were evaluated. The structure and properties of the raw material, soluble, and insoluble keratin were studied. Compared to the starting material, the soluble keratin showed chemical changes viz. decrease of cysteine, and minor structural changes. Preliminary in vitro biological properties performed by a lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) assay and scratch test showed good bioactivity in keratin from both sources. In particular, cell migration was observed to be faster when cells were cultured in the presence of soluble keratin extracted from camel hair and cashmere.

The article presents the results of evaluating The article presents the results of evaluating the pigmentation of camel hair in camel farms in the South-Western region of Kazakhstan using the traditional visual method and EPR spectrometry the pigmentation of camel hair in camel farms in the South-Western region of Kazakhstan using the traditional visual method and EPR spectrometry.

The aim of this project was to develop and validate a new test for the analysis of glucocorticoids in camel hair and to use the new test to analyse hair samples from a variety of camel breeds in sports and racing applications. These findings could be of importance when evaluating racing camels for suspected doping offenses or for injury and disease control. Camel hair samples were collected from 30 non-racing dromedary camels along with 3 racing camels in Al Ain, UAE and were decontaminated, pulverised, sonicated, and extracted prior to analysis. A liquid chromatographic-mass spectrometric method was employed to determine the levels of glucocorticoids in the hair samples. The 4 drugs of interest, namely hydrocortisone, dexamethasone, flumethasone and methylprednisolone, and an internal standard were quantified in camel hair samples. All 4 of the glucocorticoids were detected in camel hair samples with concentrations ranging between 31 and 935 pg/mg for hydrocortisone, 8-59 pg/mg for dexamethasone, 0.7-1034 pg/mg for flumethasone and 5-66 pg/mg for methylprednisolone in non-racing camels. One of the racing camels displayed high concentrations of hydrocortisone (1130 pg/mg), flumethasone (2576 pg/mg), methylprednisone (1156 pg/mg) and dexamethasone (29 pg/mg). The authors believe this is the first report of a test for corticosteroids in camel hair. The new test has been validated according to Food and Drug Administration (FDA) guidelines. This new hair test could be useful for further studies in doping control, toxicological studies, pharmacological studies and other clinical applications in camel health, injury, and disease.

The camel coat can be divided into upper and lower layers based on the external shape. The upper layer is sparse and upright coarse wool; the lower layer is thick wool, which is mainly composed of camel cashmere mixed with small amount of coarse hair. This chapter introduces the basic characteristics of camel hair, such as morphological structure, microstructure, fiber type, and density. Then it introduces the process characteristics of camel wool, the net wool rate, camel hair grades, the photometric and thermodynamic properties of camel cashmere. Finally it gives some camel cashmere and hair products. All contents try to give detailed experimental data and images and insist on giving a more comprehensive and scientific explanation for camel hair.

Although luxury animal fibres, excluding silk, represent far less than 0.1% of global fibre production of 100 million tons (10 x 1010 kg), they play a very significant role in the luxury, high-value-added end of the market, notably the apparel market, being renowned for their special and mostly unique features, notably comfort and softness. This chapter covers the production, properties, processing and end-uses of the various luxury animal fibres, with the exclusion of silk, with the main focus on the down (undercoat) fibres of those animals with two fibre coats.

Statement of problem Whether using tap water to rinse off debris will make a clinical difference to the surface detail of a gypsum cast is unknown. In addition, how best to remove debris from the cast is unknown. Purpose The purpose of this in vitro study was to evaluate the efficiency of different methods of cleaning a gypsum cast after trimming and the effect of short-term exposure to tap water on the surface quality of the cast. Material and methods A die fitting American National Standards Institute/American Dental Association specification 25 (International Standards Organization specification 6873) for dental gypsum products was embedded in a Dentoform with the machined lines positioned at the same level as the occlusal surface of the posterior teeth. A flat plate was used to ensure that the plane of occlusion for the die was at the same position as the posterior teeth. Forty polyvinyl siloxane impressions of the Dentoform were made and poured with vacuum-mixed improved Type IV dental stone. Each cast was inspected for the accurate reproduction of the lines. The base of the 2-stage pour was trimmed with a cast trimmer with water, and surface debris was removed by rinsing by hand under tap water for 10 seconds, by brushing the cast with a soft toothbrush for 10 seconds, or by resoaking the cast and using a soft camel hair brush in slurry water for 10 seconds. The amount of debris was evaluated on a scale of 1 to 4, and the quality of the 20-μm line was evaluated on a scale of 1 to 4 under ×15 magnification. The nonparametric Kruskal-Wallis ranks test was used to identify significant differences among the different cleaning methods (α=.05). Results Results of the Kruskal-Wallis and Kruskal-Wallis Z-value tests demonstrated that all cleaning methods produced cleaner casts than were observed for uncleansed controls ( P P ≤.901). The ability to see the quality of a 20-μm line ( P =.974) was not statistically different among the groups. Conclusions Rinsing the cast under flowing tap water and brushing, or hand washing under flowing tap water, or using a soft camel hair brush in slurry water for 10 seconds had no noticeable effects on the quality of a 20-μm line, and all 3 methods resulted in a clean cast.

For thousands of years, animal hairs have been merely considered as textile fibers with outstanding performances such as excellent elasticity and thermal insulation. Only recently, we have obtained indications that animal hair may be a smart natural material which displays shape memory (SM) effects responsive to four types of stimuli: heat, water, redox agents and UV-light. These smart functions of animal hair are found to be the result of its three structural components: crystals, and hydrogen (HB) and disulfide (DB) bonds among its intra- and inter-macromolecules. In this paper, camel hair was employed as one typical animal hair to investigate the SM abilities under four types of stimuli, in which the HBs were analyzed by Fourier Transform Infrared spectroscopy and the DBs by Raman spectroscopy, while the Tg and crystal structure of camel hair were determined using differential scanning calorimetry and X-ray diffraction. The shape fixation and recovery ratios were determined using an Instron tensile tester with an environmental chamber. It was discovered that the crystals in hair remain intact under the four stimuli, indicating their role as netpoints for hair SM. Under the stimuli of water and heat, the DBs of hair were characterized as unchangeable, whereas the HBs were found to vary under dry and wet conditions, indicating the roles of DBs as netpoints and HBs as switch units. For UV-light, HBs and crystals were found to be invariable and DBs were converted into thiol groups under a UV stimulus. With a redox agent containing reductant ions and aqueous molecules, it was found that DBs and HBs both worked as switch units and crystals acted as netpoints. Thus, the SM mechanism of animal hair was modelled through a twin-netpoint-switch structure. Beneficially, this natural insight can help to inspire applications for making synthetic materials with smarter functions for more environmental adaptability and impactful applications.

As conventional bleaching under alkaline conditions is chemically damaging to protein fibers, a three-stage protective bleaching process in neutral ethanol&ndash, water mixtures was proposed for camel hair using mordanting with ferrous salts, oxidative bleaching with hydrogen peroxide, and reductive bleaching with sodium hydrosulfite. The aim of this work was to improve the whiteness degree of camel hair without substantial tenacity loss. In addition, the roles of ethanol during the bleaching treatment were also examined by characterizing the fibers using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, and X-ray diffraction. The whiteness degree and mechanical properties of camel hair bleached in the neutral ethanol&ndash, water system were significantly superior to those of fibers bleached by a conventional method. SEM images showed no visible cracks on the scales of fibers bleached in the ethanol&ndash, water system, whereas large grooves were observed on fibers bleached in aqueous solution. TEM images confirmed the positive influence of ethanol on the mordanting process, and FTIR spectra suggested that ethanol reduced the breakage of hydrogen bonds in the fibers during the oxidative bleaching process. These findings indicate the potential of this protective bleaching method for application to a broad range of other natural protein fibers.

There is a group of animal fibers known as luxury fibers. These are mohair, cashmere, camel hair, lama, alpaca, vicuna, guanaco, angora, yak, and quivit. In this study, the effects of demographical variables such as gender, education, age, sector, and income on the recognition and usage of luxury fibers in Thrace Region of Turkey were investigated. In order to analyze the obtained data, crosstabulation and chi-square statistical methods are used. According to the experimental results it can be said that the most commonly known and used luxury fibers are cashmere, mohair, and angora. The most important (37.6%) reason for participants to use luxury fibers is their warm feeling. On the other hand the most important (approx. 30%) reason for participants not to use them is that they do not have sufficient information about these fibers. It was determined that the most commonly (37.8%) used textile product made of luxury fibers is outerwear. Furthermore, it was found out that approximately 75% of participants accept paying more for garment containing luxury fibers because of their high quality.

Felting is a unique attribute of animal fibres used for the production of a range of industrial and apparel textiles. Felting can be an adverse attribute as a consequence of dimensional shrinkage during laundering. As there is little objective information regarding the feltability of rare animal fibres or the factors which may affect felting three investigations were undertaken. A survey (n = 114) of the feltability of cashmere from different origins of production, cashgora, quivet, camel hair, llama, guanaco, bison wool, cow fibre and yak wool quantified the large variation between and within these fibre types. Cashmere from some origins and cashgora produced higher feltball density than the other fibres. Different nutritional management of cashmere goats (n = 35) showed that cashmere grown by poorly fed goats had a lower propensity to felt compared with cashmere grown by better fed goats. A consequence of the progressive blending of cashmere (n = 27) with a low propensity to felt superfine wool (high fi...

The aim of present study was to find out the effects of blending camel kid hair with chokla wool on performance of yarn and fabric. Camel hair was blended with chokla wool in three ratios viz. 25: 75, 75:25, and 50:50 on khadi hand spinning system. Knitted fabric samples were prepared on circular hand knitting machine. Properties of yarn and knitted fabric were evaluated. It was found that blending of chokla wool with camel hair improves strength of yarn. Performance of CH75:C25 knitted fabric was found better in terms of strength, abrasion resistance, warmth and knitting performance in comparison to other blends.

In Brazil, approximately 8 million goats are used mainly for milk and meat production, and 91% of this amount is located in the Northeast of the country. However, the use of animals for the production of textile fibers has not yet been carried out. This study is the first record of cashmere in goats born in that region, through morphological and physical characterization of the fiber. Such a discovery was not expected since cashmere is commonly found in animals predominantly living in countries with cold and mild temperatures. The identification of cashmere from animals born in semi-arid climate is of great importance for both the textile industry and also for the Brazilian producers. Five herds of goats of Saanen and Savannah breeds were investigated, totaling 150 animals. Combing during the month of June 2015 (winter) provided the fiber samples. Samples were evaluated using scanning electron microscopy to properly characterize the fiber (to check the absence of medulla, fiber thickness and other physical properties), and software IMAGEJ was used to obtain the mean fiber diameter. The cashmere found for the two breeds had a mean diameter of 11.00 ± 0.2 µm and a 16% coefficient of variation with characteristics consistent with cashmere according to the Cashmere and Camel Hair Manufacturers Institute.

The evaluation of the textile potential of the camel (Camelus dromedarius) underhair is a field of investigation that has been approached only a few times, as indicated by the low number of articles in literature. This is most probably due to the scarcity of this fibre and the problems with the dehairing process of unsorted fibres of dromedary. Aiming at a better economic exploitation of the quantity of fibrous matter in the fleece of Tunisian dromedary, a project of valorization of these fibres was launched. The objective of this study was to analyze the physical and mechanical properties of dromedary hair. Results indicate that it has exceptional textile potential. Also, the factors age and area have a significant effect on all parameters of control (fibre diameter, fibre length, tenacity, and strain), and the interaction between these two factors is not negligible. So simplified models, based on the analysis of variance, define the selection procedure of these fibres according to various facto...

Nature exhibits an abundance of structural materials in the form of protein fibres, which have attained remarkable levels of efficiency and performance through evolutionary selection. Alpha keratin fibres (hairs, wools, quills, and other mammalian appendages), together with fibroin fibres such as silks and spiders webs, are all highly extensible fibrous proteins for which the mechanical properties are of primary importance both to the animal from which they originate and their ultimate application by man. Similarly, the collagens are highly inextensible, fibrous proteins that form the major component of mammalian skin and connecting structures such as tendons. In this chapter, natural protein fibres such as wool, silk, and specialty hair fibres such as cashmere, mohair, and camel hair fibres are discussed with reference to their structure and physical properties. Various applications of these fibres are also discussed in brief.

The powder technique for detecting latent fingerprints involves the application of a finely divided formulation to the fingermark impression, generally with a glass-fibre or a camel hair brush. The powder gets mechanically adhered to the sweat residue defining the ridge pattern. The furrows which are devoid of the fingerprint residue, do not adhere the powder onto them. The final outcome is that the powder formulation sticks to the ridges, but is easily blown off the furrows. Since the powder is normally coloured, the ridge pattern becomes visible and the latent print is said to have developed.

The ferrous mordanting process used for bleaching pigmented fibers has been improved. The serious problems of discoloring and excessive damaging of bleached fibers associated with the deposition of iron during the mordant bleaching process are resolved. All mordanting parameters are critical for successful bleaching of pigmented fibers. When used at a specific temperature and a specific time during mordanting, a reagent (reductive agent or acid) capable of stabilizing the mordant bath (during treatment) produces the most complete reaction of melanin with the iron, while not allowing the iron to be deposited on the keratin. Thus, in the subsequent bleaching process, maximum whiteness is achieved with less damage in terms of the mordanting. Sodium bisulfite can be used as an auxiliary, i.e., at the initial 4.0 pH of the bath, and acetic acid and citric acid can also be applied during mordanting without causing discoloration and excessive damage. The optimum conditions for mordanting are 20°C and 15 minutes when sodium bisulfite is used, and 60°C and 15 minutes with a stabilizer of acetic acid or citric acid. The improved process is, in all respects, superior to conventional processes, with no need for after-treatment with a reducing agent.

Camel hairs might be hoped as very excellent fibers for garments as like cashmeres considering their fineness, softness, warmth, and lightness. But they have been used only as thick and coarse fabrics for overcoats or blankets because they hardly be spun into the thin and smooth threads.Usually, animal hair fibers can be spun into the threads by virtue of their crimps and D. F. E of cuticles. And these two factors must be well balanced, for instance, the larger crimp force of fibers must be accompanied with the lager D. F. E. It was found that the crimp force of camel hairs was as large as wool, much larger than cashmere, notwithstanding the D. F. E was smaller than others. Therefore, it may be happened that the each camel hair curls up when the hair was drawn a comb through on the carding machine or the combing machine. Chemical analysis showed that the S-content or cystin content of the camel hairs is lower than those of the others. And the electron-micrographs showed that the bilateral structures, which are the sources of the crimp force, of the camel hairs are not so clear as those of the others.From these data and the scanning electron micrographs observation, we supposed the presence of gelatinous adhesives on the surfaces of camel hairs covering the cuticle-edges and enlarging the crimp forces.

Summary Bean (Phaseolus vulgaris) leaves were inoculated with a conidial suspension of Elsinoe phaseoli by spraying, by applying a 10 μl drop, by a cotton wool technique or by using a camel hair brush. Spray application resulted in a uniform distribution of lesions over the leaf surface and gave consistent levels of infection between repetitions. Drop application allowed good control of the amount of inoculum applied. Although brush or cotton wool techniques gave high levels of infection it was not possible to control the amount of inoculum. Only immature tissues were susceptible to infection. Five cultivars were inoculated with two isolates and disease was scored on the basis of numbers of lesions and lesion type (scab severity). The small white cvs PAN 181 and Teebus were the most resistant; lesions were small and generally fewer than on the large-seeded red speckled sugar bean cvs Umlazi and Umvoti. The value of the different inoculation techniques in studies on bean scab is discussed.

Animal hair is a good biomonitoring tool for heavy metals assessment and reflects the content of heavy metals in the forage and soil. Heavy metals Fe, Mn, Co and Ni as well as toxic metals Cd and Pb were determined in goat, sheep and camel hair, forage and soil collected from four different environmental urban and rural regions. These regions are Aswan city farms, Allaqi desert pasture, Kalabsha farms and Halaiub desert pasture at far south of Egypt. The results reveal that sheep hair contains the highest levels of Fe and Mn (879 and 55 microg/g, respectively), camel hair contains the highest Pb, whereas for goat Cd and Ni were the highest. Heavy metal concentrations in the studied hair reflect the presence of these metals in the surrounding forage and soil and vary from one area to another, and give knowledge of pollution in the area. Correlation statistics analysis and cluster analysis show a good and significant value between metals in hair and plants.