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Low-quality cotton fibers are a low-value waste material within the cotton industry. Upcycling and transforming into high-value materials are highly desired. This study investigates upcycling fibers into hydrogel biosorbents and assesses their efficacy in dye adsorption. An effective gelation approach was employed via simply dropping droplets of suspension mixture of sodium alginate and fibers into acidic bath. Resulting composite hydrogel beads were utilized for dye removal. Composite beads successfully immobilized less than 70 wt% of fibers and achieved a significant improvement in thermal stability. Composite beads with 50 wt% fibers and alginate showed no decrease in methylene blue adsorption capacity. This outcome was unexpected considering the lower dye adsorption capacity of fibers than alginate, particularly notable since it indicated that reduced quantities of the more costly sodium alginate were sufficient to achieve comparable dye adsorption capacity. Mechanistic study unveiled that both the loose crosslinking structure and the electrostatic forces were responsible for the unexpected high adsorption capacity of 50% fiber-alginate. This study reports a promising, innovative and effective upcycle strategy for the first time that can transform fibers into high-value biosorbents without compromising dye adsorption capability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Plant hormones profoundly influence cotton growth, development, and responses to various stresses. Therefore, there is a pressing need for an efficient assay to quantify these hormones in cotton. In this groundbreaking study, we have established QuEChERS-HPLC‒MS/MS method, for the simultaneous detection of multiple plant hormones in cotton leaves, allowing the analysis and quantification of five key plant hormones. Results: Sample extraction and purification employed 0.1% acetic acid in methanol and C18 for optimal recovery of plant hormones. The method applied to cotton demonstrated excellent linearity across a concentration range of 0.05–1 mg·L−1, with linear regression coefficients exceeding 0.99. The limits of quantification (LOQs) were 20 μg·kg−1 for GA3 and 5 μg·kg−1 for the other four plant hormones. Recovery rates for the five plant hormones matrix spiked at levels of 5, 10, 100, and 1000 μg·kg−1 were in the range of 79.07% to 98.97%, with intraday relative standard deviations (RSDs) ranging from 2.11% to 8.47%. The method was successfully employed to analyze and quantify the five analytes in cotton leaves treated with plant growth regulators. Conclusion: The study demonstrates that the method is well-suited for the determination of five plant hormones in cotton. It exhibits excellent selectivity and sensitivity in detecting field samples, thus serving as a robust tool for in-depth research into cotton physiology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The lint percentage of seed cotton is one of the most important parameters for evaluating seed cotton quality and affects its price. The traditional measuring method of lint percentage is labor-intensive and time-consuming; thus, an efficient and accurate measurement method is needed. In recent years, classification-based deep learning and computer vision have shown promise in solving various classification tasks. Results: In this study, we propose a new approach for detecting the lint percentage using MobileNetV2 and transfer learning. The model is deployed on a lint percentage detection instrument, which can rapidly and accurately determine the lint percentage of seed cotton. We evaluated the performance of the proposed approach using a dataset comprising 66 924 seed cotton images from different regions of China. The results of the experiments showed that the model with transfer learning achieved an average classification accuracy of 98.43%, with an average precision of 94.97%, an average recall of 95.26%, and an average F1-score of 95.20%. Furthermore, the proposed classification model achieved an average accuracy of 97.22% in calculating the lint percentage, showing no significant difference from the performance of experts (independent-sample t-test, t = 0.019, P = 0.860). Conclusion: This study demonstrated the effectiveness of the MobileNetV2 model and transfer learning in calculating the lint percentage of seed cotton. The proposed approach is a promising alternative to traditional methods, providing a rapid and accurate solution for the industry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Drawing on ethnographic fieldwork in the central Indian cotton belt, I examine two historical moments: (1) the expansion of agrarian capitalism and absorption of market logics into the peasant household in the colonial period; and (2) changes in seed technology and gendered labor required for cultivating hybrid cotton in the postcolonial era. Through these transformations, cotton farmers have maintained a harvest ritual in the fields. Through a comparison of contemporary and historical versions of this ritual, a new theory of ritual emerges, one that displaces the primacy of the linguistic sign, instead considering the semiotic force of the image. Ritual, in this rendering, is not only a material archive of social history but also an aesthetic and creative practice through which women farmers sacralize their own labor. Amid transforming regimes of cash‐crop agriculture, the ritual situates regimes of cotton growing in the bodily and affective labor of the female farming body. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This analysis proposes an analytical method to trace the precise pathways through which impacts from a specific origin are disseminated worldwide and embodied in high‐income nations' consumption. Our methodological approach is based on a multi‐regional input–output model developed using EXIOBASE data for 2019. The model is extended with the structural path analysis (SPA) methodology, which allows us to trace and quantify the critical interactions in the impacts' dissemination process from their origin until reaching their destination as final demand in a specific industry and region. The SPA method is explored both in gross and net terms as complementary perspectives to disentangle the complexity of global value chains, which is the main contribution of our approach. The net assessment accounts just for interindustry transactions, whereas the gross analysis considers all steps of the value chain, even those occurring at an intraindustry level. In this work, we analyze a case study to expose the features of this proposal, which focuses on assessing the global reach of forced labor in the cotton industry in the two leading worldwide cotton producers. Textile global value chains are intricate and complex, making it hard to trace the negative social impacts linked to them. Therefore, a deeper understanding of how forced labor is disseminated worldwide until reaching developed nations is necessary to shed light on the social sustainability debate. Although this kind of forced labor seems to be a regional affair, our results show that more than 13% of the estimated forced workers are attributed to the European Union and the United States consumption, respectively, with apparel, footwear, and textiles as key goods embodying these workers. After analyzing the specific paths of dissemination linked to the fashion demand of the European Union and the United States, our key findings show the predominant role of the Chinese and Indian textile industries in most paths given the high number of intrasectoral transformations inside this sector. We also show that forced labor in the Chinese cotton industry is even more distant to the final consumer than usual unskilled labor, which is an additional obstacle to its traceability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Low-quality cotton fibers, often overlooked as low-value materials, constitute a marginalized waste stream in the cotton industry. This study endeavored to repurpose these fibers into mulch gel films, specifically exploring their efficacy in covering moisture-controlled soil beds. Through a meticulously designed series of processing methods, cellulose/glycerol film was successfully fabricated by regenerating cellulose hydrogels in N,N-dimethylacetamide/lithium chloride solutions, followed by plasticization in glycerol/water solutions and hot pressing. The film was then employed to cover soil beds for a duration of up to 252 days, followed by soil burial assessments. Despite expectations of degradation, the film maintained structural integrity throughout the soil covering period but underwent complete biodegradation after 80 days of soil burial, thereby completing a closed carbon cycle. Intriguingly, both tensile strength and modulus exhibited no diminishment but instead increased after soil covering, contrary to expectations given the usual role of degradation. Mechanistic insights revealed that the removal of glycerol contributed to the mechanical enhancement, while microbial activity predominately decomposed the amorphous regions in soil covering and targeted the crystalline portions in soil burial, elucidating the main biodegradation mechanisms. In summary, this study presents, for the first time, the potential of upcycling low-quality cotton fibers into high-value mulch gel films for agricultural practices within a closed carbon cycle. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Plastic contamination in cotton lint poses significant challenges to the U.S. cotton industry, with plastic wrap from John Deere round module harvesters being a primary contaminant. Despite efforts to manually remove this plastic during module unwrapping, some inevitably enters the cotton gin's processing system. To address this, a machine-vision detection and removal system has been developed. This system uses inexpensive color cameras to identify plastic on the gin stand feeder apron, triggering a mechanism that expels the plastic from the cotton stream. However, the system, composed of 30–50 Linux-based ARM computers, requires substantial effort for calibration and tuning and presents a technological barrier for typical cotton gin workers. This research aims to transition the system to a more user-friendly, plug-and-play model by implementing an auto-calibration function. The proposed function dynamically tracks cotton colors while excluding plastic images that could hinder performance. A critical component of this auto-calibration algorithm is the hand intrusion detector, or "HID", which is discussed in this paper. In the normal operation of a cotton gin, the gin personnel periodically have to clear the machine, which entails running a stick or their arm/hand under the detection cameras. This results in the system capturing a false positive, which interferes with the ability of auto-calibration algorithms to function correctly. Hence, there is a critical need for an HID to remove these false positives from the record. The anticipated benefits of the auto-calibration function include reduced setup and maintenance overhead, less reliance on skilled personnel, and enhanced adoption of the plastic removal system within the cotton ginning industry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

India is one of the world's largest producers and exporters of cotton, the major raw material for the textile industry, employing more than 4.5 crore people in the country. The present study aimed to analyse the impact of adverse trade in Indian cotton sector on labor and household income by employing Social Analysis Matrix based multiplier model and partial equilibrium model. Indian textile sector has strong backward linkages with primary input multiplier and household income multiplier of 4.13 and 3.44, respectively and, thus transmitting external impacts to the labour and household income. The sector has a higher multiplier effect of 10.17 on production activities, of which the impact on the cotton sector is 0.126. Fall in export and domestic demand for clothing and apparel in addition to movement restrictions around the world during the period 2020-2021, disrupted cotton supply chain and consequent fall in demand and price of the commodity. Simulations for the increase in carry-over stock and reduction in domestic consumption and cotton exports revealed that limiting the commodity's production and supply would retain the market equilibrium and increase the domestic price to the advantage of the farmers. The study reveals that dynamics in the Indian cotton sector trade significantly impacted labour and household income. Appropriate planning for areas under cotton cultivation and alternate procurement mechanisms during emergency situations would stabilise the Indian cotton economy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: This study aims to promote sustainability-based education in fashion design and merchandising program to enhance students' knowledge, skills and attitude about sustainability development, organizational responsibility and personal responsibility from the cotton industry perspective. Design/methodology/approach: To conduct this study, three learning components were considered: learning from experts, learning by doing and outreach activity. Sustainability-related topics were strategically incorporated in different courses for one year; project-based learning approach was adopted; and pre–posttest survey was conducted to study the impact of sustainability-based education on student learning outcome. Rand's principles-attributes matrix was applied to analyze the impact of sustainable education on student learning outcomes. Findings: The results of course projects indicated enhanced student's abilities on using use different types of cotton materials in product development, creative use of cotton in visual merchandising and development of business plans focused on sustainability. The two-group mean comparisons showed a significant positive impact on students' knowledge in cotton and sustainability, followed by students' skills and attitudes. Originality/value: In response to the lack of systematic approach to incorporate sustainability-related topics in textile and apparel design discipline, this study offered an opportunity to involve approximately 110 students in various sustainability-based teaching and learning projects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Based on a system analysis of the facility as a complex production and economic system, a multi-level hierarchical structure of an integrated management system for the main production of a cotton processing enterprise has been developed as the main task of corporate management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bemisia tabaci Gennadius (Homoptera: Aleyrodidae) is the most devastating insect-pest in cotton crop. It is vector of the cotton leaf curl virus (CLCV) and is responsible for huge losses to cotton industry in Pakistan and worldwide. It is mainly controlled by insecticides but the injudicious use of insecticides has resulted in insecticide resistance and population resurgence in addition to various harmful effects on the humans, non-target organisms and the environment. Transgenerational studies are very helpful to choose a best insecticidal option. In the current study, age-stage two-sex life table analysis was used to identify transgenerational effects of sublethal doses of afidopyropen. The adults of B. tabaci were treated with three concentrations of afidopyropen i.e., LC10, LC30 and LC50. The results indicated significant changes in the progeny i.e. the fecundity decreased in treated population; and female and male longevity of their progeny were more in control as compared to treated populations. Similarly, population parameters like intrinsic rate of growth (r), net reproductive rate (R0) and limiting rate of growth (λ) were significantly decreased in the treated adult progeny with values of 0.08–0.11, 4.85–7.46 and 1.09–1.12 per day, respectively. Based on the reduced biotic potential, afidopyropen can be suggested as an effective alternative option for the management of B. tabaci. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Verticillium wilt is one of the most crucial diseases caused by Verticillium dahliae that threatens the cotton industry. Statistical results showed that the return of cotton plants infected with V. dahliae to the field might be an essential cause of the continuous aggravation of cotton Verticilliumwilt. The correlation among the cotton plants infected with V. dahliae returning to the field, the occurrence of Verticillium wilt, and the number of microsclerotia in rhizosphere soil need further investigation. A potted experiment was carried out to explore the effects of the direct return of cotton plants infected with Verticillium dahliae to the field on the subsequent growth and Verticillium wilt occurrence in cotton. As a risk response plan, we investigated the feasibility of returning dung-sand (i.e., insect excreta) to the field, the dung-sand was from the larvae of Protaetia brevitarsis (Coleoptera: Cetoniidea) that were fed with the V. dahliae--infected cotton plants. The results demonstrated that the return of the entire cotton plants to the field presented a promotional effect on the growth and development of cotton, whereas the return of a single root stubble or cotton stalks had an inhibitive effect. The return of cotton stalks and root stubble infected with V. dahliae increased the risk and degree of Verticillium wilt occurrence. The disease index of Verticillium wilt occurrence in cotton was positively correlated with the number ofmicrosclerotia in the rhizosphere soil. The disease index increased by 20.00%, and the number of soil microsclerotia increased by 8.37 fold in the treatment of returning root stubble infected with V. dahliae to the field. No Verticillium wilt microsclerotia were detected in the feed prepared from cotton stalks and root stubble fermented formore than 5 days or in the transformed dungsand. There was no risk of inoculation with Verticillium wilt microsclerotia when the dung-sand was returned to the field. The indirect return of cotton plants infected with V. dahliae to the field by microorganism--insect systems is worthy of further exploration plan of the green prevention and control for Verticillium wilt and the sustainable development of the cotton industry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Industria Textila is the property of Institutul National de Cercetare-Dezvoltare pentru Textile si Pielarie and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Background: The cotton industry suffers significant yield losses annually due to Verticillium wilt, which is considered the most destructive disease affecting the crop. However, the precise mechanisms behind this disease in cotton remain largely unexplored. Methods: Our approach involved utilizing transcriptome data from G. australe which was exposed to Verticillium dahliae infection. From this data, we identified ethylene-responsive factors and further investigated their potential role in resistance through functional validations via Virus-induced gene silencing (VIGS) in cotton and overexpression in Arabidopsis. Results: A total of 23 ethylene response factors (ERFs) were identified and their expression was analyzed at different time intervals (24 h, 48 h, and 72 h post-inoculation). Among them, GauERF105 was selected based on qRT-PCR expression analysis for further investigation. To demonstrate the significance of GauERF105, VIGS was utilized, revealing that suppressing GauERF105 leads to more severe infections in cotton plants compared to the wild-type. Additionally, the silenced plants exhibited reduced lignin deposition in the stems compared to the WT plants, indicating that the silencing of GauERF105 also impacts lignin content. The overexpression of GauERF105 in Arabidopsis confirmed its pivotal role in conferring resistance against Verticillium dahliae infection. Our results suggest that WT possesses higher levels of the oxidative stress markers MDA and H2O2 as compared to the overexpressed lines. In contrast, the activities of the antioxidant enzymes SOD and POD were higher in the overexpressed lines compared to the WT. Furthermore, DAB and trypan staining of the overexpressed lines suggested a greater impact of the disease in the wild-type compared to the transgenic lines. Conclusions: Our findings provide confirmation that GauERF105 is a crucial candidate in the defense mechanism of cotton against Verticillium dahliae invasion, and plays a pivotal role in this process. These results have the potential to facilitate the development of germplasm resistance in cotton. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The COVID-19 pandemic has posed a significant impact on agriculture. Due to its importance in world trade and human life, the effects of the pandemic on the cotton economy were evaluated by using the data of important organizations such as the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the World Trade Organization, and International Cotton Advisory Committee in this study. With the Chow test, which measures of structural breaks, the effects of COVID-19 on cotton production and trade were examined. According to the Chow test results, the pandemic had no significant effect on cotton production, exports and imports in the People's Republic of China and Türkiye, while being highly influential on cotton production and exports in the U.S. and Brazil. Distinctively, in Pakistan, it had a significant impact on cotton production and import. It was observed that although the demand, trade and prices for cotton were descended, the cotton prices started to recover with the increase in demand in the third quarter of 2020. In June 2022, the highest peak in cotton prices was observed. As a conclusion, it is shown that cotton production and trade during the pandemic were affected in all countries except People's Republic of China and Türkiye. However, the marks of the effects of factors such as decreasing stocks, uncertainties in national economies, high inflation and increase in production costs on the cotton economy will be better understood in the coming years. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cotton is a significant raw material source for textiles, food, and other sectors, as well as a major influence in worldwide and national trade and industry. The primary goals of this research are to examine the cotton production and trade in which Türkiye plays a significant role in global production; to analyse international competitiveness; and to forecast the next ten years using data from 1961 to 2020. The Revealed Symmetric Comparative Advantage (RSCA) method will be employed to investigate its international competitiveness, and the Autoregressive Integrated Moving Average (ARIMA) Box-Jenkins model will be used to forecast the comparative advantage of the Turkish cotton industry. According to the findings, Türkiye ranks seventh in cotton production, but there was a 21% decrease in 2020 (1.8 million tonnes) compared to 2005 (2.3 million tonnes). When world cotton exports were examined, the USA, Brazil, and India came to the fore, while Türkiye ranked 14th with 87 thousand tonnes in 2020. When the observed cotton RSCA indices for Türkiye were examined, the results revealed no competitive advantage and no specialisation in cotton exports over time. While the RSCA index was 0.68 in 1980, it was down until -0.42 in 2010. In 2020, the RSCA index was -0.03. Furthermore, the forecasting analysis shows that the RSCA indices for cotton export will gradually decline due to periodic fluctuations, eventually falling to -0.18 by 2030. Consequently, the inadequacy of cotton production to meet consumption, as well as cotton imports, may be expressed as reasons for Türkiye's comparative disadvantage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aga favours cotton varieties over hybrids (p. 189-190), as do some farmers who desire to save seeds from season to season; seeds from hybrids typically do not breed true, leading to the expense of buying new seeds every year, though often with compensating characteristics farmers desire. Aniket Aga probes questions critical to our species: the vetting of authoritative knowledge of risks and benefits embedded in alternative technologies. COTTON: STATE FAILURE AND STEALTH SEEDS In puzzling contrast to China, India's public sector efforts to produce insect-resistant cotton failed. Three legal hybrid Bt cotton cultivars from MMBL were approved in 2002 and set the path dependency for cotton hybrids in the country (Chapter 6). [Extracted from the article]

Cotton is a cornerstone of global fiber markets, and many importing and exporting countries play important roles in the global cotton market. The US cotton sector has long been one of the world's largest. However, Brazil's cotton production has rapidly grown, and the country has become one of the leading cotton producers, accounting for an ever‐increasing share of world cotton production and trade. This meteoric rise has put Brazil's cotton sector in frequent competition with the United States over export sales and market share. We empirically investigate how the expansion of the Brazilian cotton sector has impacted the US cotton sector's position in world markets by quantifying the extent to which rising Brazilian production has caused reallocations of US exports. We also explore how the recent US–China trade war affected these market dynamics by assessing the impacts of China's retaliatory tariffs on US cotton. Our results show that Brazil's cotton production has caused a major disruption to US cotton exports, resulting in a significant reduction in US exports to large cotton importers such as China, Vietnam, and Pakistan, and that these trends were reversed (at least temporarily) by the US–China trade dispute. By illustrating how competitive forces and trade disputes have shaped recent market dynamics for this key commodity, our work adds to the growing literature examining the interplay between competition and trade policy in the global agricultural sector. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The impact of embedded location options on Indian agricultural commodity futures returns has not been investigated systematically, despite the available anecdotal evidence suggestive of significant impact. Any significant impact on futures returns translates directly to an impact on hedging effectiveness of the futures. This paper investigates whether the addition of a return term due to the location option helps in explaining futures returns better relative to cash market and storage returns alone for the Chana contract when using regression analysis. Relative importance analysis is used to assess the relative contributions of regressors, and regression coefficients are tested for significance. It is found that the adjusted coefficient of determination improves significantly on adding location option returns as a regressor, and its regression coefficient is significant for the majority of the contracts studied. Relative importance analysis of the regressors shows that location option, on average, accounts for 28% of the explained variability of excess futures. These results suggest that location option impacts futures prices and returns significantly and is a key reason for the poor hedging effectiveness of Indian agricultural commodity futures. These results guide exchanges, regulators and policymakers to reduce the impact of embedded location options by optimizing contract delivery specifications to make futures contracts more useful to hedgers such as farmer producer organizations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Plastic contamination in marketable cotton bales, predominantly from plastic wraps used in John Deere round module harvesters, poses a significant challenge to the U.S. cotton industry. Despite rigorous manual efforts, the intrusion of plastic into the cotton gin's processing system persists. We have developed a machine-vision detection and removal system aimed at mitigating this problem. This system employs inexpensive color cameras to detect plastic on the gin-stand feeder apron and subsequently removes it, reducing contamination. This system, built around low-cost ARM computers running Linux, comprises 30–50 machines and requires considerable effort to calibrate and tune. Moreover, its operation represents a technological challenge to typical cotton gin workers. This research presents a solution to this calibration operational hurdle by introducing an auto-calibration algorithm that has potential to simplify the system into a plug-and-play device. The auto-calibration system is designed to dynamically track the cotton color and utilizes frequency statistics to avoid plastic images that could compromise the system's performance if incorporated into the auto-calibration process. We detail the design of the auto-calibration algorithm, which is expected to significantly reduce the setup overhead and facilitate the system's continuous use. This innovation minimizes the need for skilled personnel and, therefore, is expected to expedite the system's adoption across the cotton ginning industry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Mustafa Kemal University Journal of Agricultural Sciences / Mustafa Kemal Üniversitesi Tarım Bilimleri Dergisi is the property of Mustafa Kemal University, Faculty of Agriculture and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The quality of cotton seed is of great significance to the production of cotton in the cotton industry. In order to reduce the workload of the manual sorting of cotton seeds and improve the quality of cotton seed sorting, this paper proposed an image-detection method of cotton seed damage based on an improved YOLOv5 algorithm. Images of cotton seeds with different degrees of damage were collected in the same environment. Cotton seeds of three different damage degrees, namely, undamaged, slightly damaged, and seriously damaged, were selected as the research objects. Labeling software was used to mark the images of these cotton seeds and the marked images were input into the improved YOLOv5s detection algorithm for appearance-based damage identification. The algorithm added the lightweight upsampling operator CARAFE to the original YOLOv5s detection algorithm and also improved the loss function. The experimental results showed that the mAP_0.5 value of the improved algorithm reached 99.5% and the recall rate reached 99.3% when the uncoated cotton seeds were detected. When detecting coated cotton seeds, the mAP_0.5 value of the improved algorithm reached 99.2% and the recall rate reached 98.9%. Compared with the traditional appearance-based damage detection approach, the improved YOLOv5s proposed in this paper improved the recognition accuracy and processing speed, and exhibited a better adaptability and generalization ability. Therefore, the proposed method can provide a reference for the appearance detection of crop seeds. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A shipwreck discovered in 2005 and subsequently studied in 2013 and 2017 is the remains of a copper-sheathed, early to mid-nineteenth-century sailing vessel. It appears to be of the type known as a "packet ship" that sank in the Gulf of Mexico in the area of Viosca Knoll sometime between 1830 and 1860. The site is a substantially intact, undisturbed wreck from a key period in the nineteenth-century development of the Gulf of Mexico. During this period, the Gulf became an important part of the American and global maritime economy, particularly in regard to the cotton and sugar trades from New Orleans and Mobile. The general commodities trade to those ports, and early to mid-nineteenth-century immigration by sea to the American Gulf especially linked the world to New Orleans. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present study was conducted with the aim to calculate growth rate and variability in area, production and productivity of cotton crop in India. The data on area, production and productivity was obtained from Agriculture at a glance. The study period was from 1980-2019 which was further divided into four decades and an overall period. Compound annual growth rate and coefficient of variation were used in the analysis. The results showed that positive significant growth in area (1.51 per cent), production (4.74 per cent) and productivity (3.17per cent) was observed in the overall period. Highest variability was found in production (59.57 per cent) followed by productivity (40.74 per cent) and area (21.11) from 1980 to 2019. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the article movement trajectory of the particles in dust-arrester intended for cleaning of perfected air in technological process of cotton cleaning industry was given. It is known that the composition of perfected air in cotton-cleaning industry is directly connected with efficiency of its cleaning. The percent mineral and organic material in the composition of cotton passion depends on the technological processes. Revision productivity using any vacuum cleaner instrument depends on the specifics of passion, not review their types. It is possible to say that, it depends on morphological characteristic of passion, on the form, chemical composition, density, comparative surface, adhesion, spilt and poring and moisture it. In existing technological process of primary cotton processing the perfected air with various components of dust particles is allocated. The air speed admitted info the camera of dust-arrester signifies in the cleaning process of dusty air. In details, the correlation between the speed of particle eddy and movement trajectory of these particles in the aggregate is not completely researched. In this regard, air purification from fibrous impurities is relevant. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A true history of industrial technology and innovation must factor in the history of labor and skill required to make a specific product. Mainstream perspectives on industrialization in Britain's cotton industry view technological change in spinning as motivated by productivity gains, facilitated by the fortuitous availability of high-quality, long-staple cotton. However, material evidence shows British cotton textiles advanced to match Indian cloth quality, suggesting that spinning machinery also evolved apace to achieve product quality. This article demonstrates that alongside the cotton staple, the spinner's skill and dexterity determined final cloth quality. The three main spinning machines were technically path dependent, with mechanized spinning of fine cotton based on the original Indian jersey wheel technology. Technological innovations mainly focused on improving product quality, with mechanization a means to bridge the British skill gap in cotton spinning. Histories of labor and skill are therefore at the heart of innovation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Two-dimensional (2D) and three-dimensional (3D) batch electrochemical degradation (ECD) of raw cotton industry wastewater (CIWW) was adopted using stainless steel (SS) and aluminium (Al) electrodes. ECD as a treatment option was aimed at removing priority quality parameters, viz. chemical oxygen demand (COD), colour, chloride, nitrate, etc. COD removal of 85 and 80% were achieved by using 3D SS and 2D SS electrodes operated at 6 V (0.9 A) for a maximum electrolysis time (ET) of 30 min. Similarly, 76 and 70% COD removal were achieved for 3D Al and 2D Al electrodes, respectively. Simultaneous colour removal in the 2D ECD system using SS and Al electrodes was low by 12 and 11% compared to the 3D ECD system. Water quality parameters, viz. total dissolved solids, chloride, nitrate, phosphates, and sulphate were also removed by 3D (SS and Al) and 2D (SS and Al) electrodes. Higher pollutant removal efficiencies were observed at 30 min ET for 3D SS electrodes compared to 2D SS, 3D Al, and 2D Al. Post-ECD slurry showed good settling characteristics for SS electrodes generating dense and sturdy flocs giving a low sludge volume index values for 2D SS electrodes compared to other electrode options. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Cotton Affair (1983-1989) was the largest purge in the post-Stalinist USSR. This episode, which occurred in the Uzbek periphery, grew out in a complex judicial and political imbroglio concerning the falsification of data on cotton production and the corruption that served to cover it up. The scandal rapidly overwhelmed the ruling class and expanded to other sectors, finding connections to the Moscow power centers. This season of mass purges and criminal prosecutions constitutes a relatively obscure episode of perestroika but one of great importance in late Soviet history by which we can interpret, from a local perspective, Andropov’s legacy in early Gorbachev policy, the extent of reform and change in the Soviet periphery, and how this triggered a crisis within the communist party of Uzbekistan and in relations with the Moscow center, accelerating the Soviet collapse. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the early XX century, Turkestan represented a remarkable model of economic modernization. Russian commercial banks and the local bourgeoisie welcomed the economic integration of the Central Asian periphery into the Russian Empire. Bukharan Jews had found their economic niche by the 1860s: they traded in cotton and acted as intermediaries between Turkestan cotton producers and Russian textile workers. However, the segregationist policy in the regional industry prohibited them to establish trading houses and, therefore, restricted their ability to obtain bank loans. Eventually, the liberal economic policy initiated by Prime Minister Sergei Yu. Witte facilitated the reorganization of Bukharan-Jewish enterprises. The patriarchal family businesses turned into modern trading and industrial companies, e.g., the Davydov Trading House, the Vadyaev Brothers, etc. The National Bank and the Russian Commercial Bank opened their outlets in the most important commercial and industrial centers of Turkestan, which was another important step towards economic modernization. This article focuses on the role of Russian commercial banks in the activities of Bukharan-Jewish business circles during the modernization of the Central Asian periphery of the Russian Empire in the early XX century. The Davydov Trading House was reorganized in 1906 and became a leader in the cotton trading market. It used the loans from Russian banks to build cotton ginning factories, breweries, and an internal network of seed-cotton suppliers. Unlike the Vadyaev Brothers, the Davidov family failed to create a stable family business model: in the summer of 1914, the Trading House and all its property were controlled by a committee board established by the major creditors from among the Russian commercial banks. In spite of the Great War, the board managed to save the Davydov Trading House from bankruptcy and modernized its operations.

Knowledge of cotton fiber length uniformity is important for the cotton industry. The accurate and reliable measurement of fiber length uniformity would allow cotton breeders to release new cotton varieties with improved fiber length variation. This knowledge would also help spinning mills to optimize their machine setup, which would improve yarn processing performance. Currently, the high volume instrument (HVI) is most commonly used to characterize the cotton fiber length variation. The HVI length measurement is based on the fibrogram principle. The HVI length measurement characterizes 2 points, 1.8% as the upper half mean length (UHML) and 7.8% span length as the mean length (ML) from the fibrogram, and reports UHML and uniformity index (UI). The ratio of ML to the UHML is used to calculate the UI and is expressed as a percentage. UI measurement does not represent the shorter fibers as the above two span lengths only represent the longest fibers within a sample. We propose to calculate the uniformity of the cotton fiber length using the complete fibrogram as an alternative. First, the area of the measured fibrogram curve is calculated. Second, the area of a theoretical mono-length fibrogram with a length equal to the maximum length of the fibers for the same sample is calculated. Finally, we calculate a new length uniformity as the ratio of the measured fibrogram area to the mono-length fibrogram area expressed as a percentage. Based on the results obtained using a set of 991 commercial samples, the new length uniformity shows promise. We also applied this new length uniformity to a set of 60 commercial-like samples and developed partial least square regression (PLSR) prediction models to predict yarn quality. The results obtained demonstrate that the new length uniformity predicts yarn quality better than the current UI. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Copyright of China Textile Leader is the property of China Textile Information Center and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Cotton is one of the most important strategic materials and cash crops. The planting area and output of cotton have been ranked among the top in the world. Among them, cotton planting has been one of the basic links in the whole process during production. The mechanization of cotton planting has been the key bottleneck to restricting the cotton industry at present. The reason can be that the mechanical planting of cotton can be utilized to improve the quality and efficiency of cotton production, and then enhance the competitive advantage of cotton production, which is directly related to the sustainable development of the national cotton industry. The cotton mechanization planting can be divided into the cotton live broadcast and transplanted seedlings. Most previous efforts were focused on the optimization of equipment structure, flow field simulation, and operation performance tests. The cotton planting mechanization technology and equipment system have begun to take shape during this time. Cotton planting mechanization should follow the development direction of precision agriculture for the promising goal of high yield, quality, and efficiency, indicating a major practical demand in the cotton industry. The development mode of the cotton industry can be changed to enhance the quality and efficiency, as well as the competitiveness of the international market. It is also the research focus of the whole process mechanization and scale of the cotton industry. In this review, the current situation and characteristics of cotton planting were summarized on the key technologies and equipment in China. There was a trend of westward expansion of the cotton area in the Yangtze River basin and the Yellow River basin, whereas, the northwest inland cotton area gradually served as the main body of cotton planting in China. Especially, the sowing area of cotton in Xinjiang increased the fastest, while the proportion of cotton gradually increased, and the cotton in Xinjiang was the backbone of national cotton production for the new main producing area. Two technologies of cotton planting mechanization were proposed to emphatically analyze the research status and trends during cotton seedling cultivation, transplanting, and cotton live streaming. Furthermore, the opportunities and challenges were summarized to combine with the background of precision agriculture and the production requirements of the cotton industry. The future research directions and suggestions were addressed to optimize the layout of cotton-producing areas, in order to improve the competitiveness of cotton production efficiency under the planting structure at a reasonable level. Moreover, the independent innovation ability and technology reserve can be expected to strengthen the independent research and development of the cotton industry. A scientific and reasonable system can be formed to promote the deep integration of agricultural machinery, agronomy, and credit under mechanized cotton seeding. Therefore, the allocation of resources can be optimized to comprehensively promote the green, high-quality, and sustainable development of cotton production. The finding can provide a strong reference for cotton planting mechanization and equipment innovation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cotton fiber provides the predominant plant textile in the world, and it is also a model for plant cell wall biosynthesis. The development of the single-celled cotton fiber takes place across several overlapping but discrete stages, including fiber initiation, elongation, the transition from elongation to secondary cell wall formation, cell wall thickening, and maturation and cell death. During each stage, the developing fiber undergoes a complex restructuring of genome-wide gene expression change and physiological/biosynthetic processes, which ultimately generate a strikingly elongated and nearly pure cellulose product that forms the basis of the global cotton industry. Here, we provide an overview of this developmental process focusing both on its temporal as well as evolutionary dimensions. We suggest potential avenues for further improvement of cotton as a crop plant. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the initial position in the process of roll ginning, the seed is drawn to the slot of the contact gap of the knife-drum due to the tension of the fibers. Subsequently, the seed is struck with a certain impulse. The separation of the fibers from the seed after the impact of the beater occurs sequentially, not simultaneously. As a result of theoretical and experimental studies, the optimum frequency of the shock pulse on the seed (f = 18-20) was found to be the most technologically successful in terms of providing the best quality indicators of seeds and fibers. Beating in the resonance mode allows to reduce the magnitude of the shock impulse on the seed, leading to a reduction in the degree of damage to the seeds. At this moment, the seeds at the end of the strand move only under the action of an elastic restoring force. The active part of the fiber bundle section in a dynamic process can be as little as 0.001 or less. The average value of the compliance coefficient for the raw cotton variety BA-440 was determined experimentally. This allowed to determine the stiffness coefficient of the volatiles indirectly. According to the parameters obtained, the dynamic state of the system practically falls into the region of parametric resonance, where the motion is unstable. This means that the damaged seeds at the end of the strand enlarge significantly after the impact of the beater, causing the seeds to separate from the fibers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Work-related musculoskeletal disorders (wMSDs) are common workplace health hazard among sewing, ironing and packing workers, which can be caused by the manual and repetitive work in the garment industry. This research evaluates and categories the risk variables for 63 people took part in the Musculoskeletal Disorders study for garment material protection. The primary goal of this research is to determine the prevalence of Musculoskeletal Disorders (MSDs) and to reduce their risk. The data were gathered using a questionnaire and an observational checklist, and the risk was calculated using the Rapid Entire Body Assessment (REBA) and Rapid Upper Limb Assessment (RULA) approach and human postures were captured by camera for analysis. Reported musculoskeletal symptoms occurring in sewing, packing, ironing are lower back pain (50%, 61.5%, 42.5%), knee (30%, 15.3%, 27.5%), wrist pain (20%, 23%, 20%), shoulder pain (40%, 46.15%, 27.5%) and neck pain (40%, 23%, 32.5%), respectively, and ironing workers reported calf pain of 52.5% were the most common sites of pain. It is critical that awkward posture, uncomfortable movements, prolonged standing, and other factors contributed to an increase in worker risk while protecting garments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Using data mining, the purpose of this study is to forecast and analyze the growth of the cotton cultivation industry and the policy financial support demands in the Aksu region. Data mining is a method for maximizing the value of data via the application of numerous algorithms. In contrast to conventional data mining, which adheres to specific algorithms, data mining employs a variety of analysis algorithms to analyze raw data, such as image and panel data, and produce accurate results. In this paper, we propose a data mining method that combines the semantic segmentation algorithm of remote sensing images with various nonlinear regression algorithms to predict the demand for policy-based financial support in a specific region based on a combination of multiple factors, including agricultural crop cultivation area, catastrophe analyses, agricultural price and inflation rates, etc. This paper intends to estimate and analyze actual data pertaining to the cotton cultivation industry in Aksu, and this methodology can further improve the policy-based financial inverse model. The methods presented in this paper can further improve countercyclical regulation of policy finance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Labor & Engenho is the property of Universidade Estadual de Campinas - Portal de Periodicos Eletronicos Cientificos and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Spinning industries in India are labor-intensive traditional industries that are crucial in attracting unskilled labor from rural areas. The hazards and risks associated with the spinning sector are severe in comparison to other industries, although they receive less attention. The majority of accidents do not result in legal repercussions. The workers are unaware of the necessity of health and safety procedures since they are illiterate. Also, owing of the difficulties in adopting OHS (occupational health and safety), the management does not place a high priority on promoting it. The spinning industries are involved with a number of safety and health concerns. This article aims to review each of these difficulties in connection to the spinning industries in India along with potential solutions to these challenges. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Gaziantep, which has hosted many civilizations in thousands of years of geography; has always been one of Turkey's leading cities. The Hışvahan, which is considered within the scope of the study, was used as a structure where cotton trade was carried out and passengers passing through the caravan route were hosted in the years when it was first built; it has been an important stop connecting the western regions of the country with the eastern and southeastern neighboring countries. However, it was inevitable that this building, which is important for urban culture, remained idle over time. In the study, it is aimed to shed light on the concept of re-functioning and its contributions and to reveal how it can contribute to the survival of structures that can be evaluated in the context of cultural heritage that is being lost. In the article; in the re-functioning process, the factors that shape the design, the physical location of the building, its relationship with its environment, the relationship between the old and the new function, and interior space interventions are mentioned; while determining these intervention methods, the problems in preserving the original features of the buildings and respecting their historical values were discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Central Asia exports large amounts of virtual water through agricultural trade, a key factor for overexploitation of water resources in the region. Most studies analyze Central Asia's virtual water outflows to the outside world, while ignore the agricultural trade within the region and the varying impacts of virtual water flows on the individual countries. In this study, the changes in virtual water flows embedded in trade with outside regions (external) and Central Asia countries (internal) were analyzed for the period 2000–2018 for wheat, cotton, and livestock. The results show that while Central Asia exported, respectively, 194.3 and 101.8 km3 of virtual water to the outside world through cotton and wheat trade, it imported 53.7 km3 of virtual water via livestock trade. Also, while cotton‐based virtual water outflows decreased, wheat‐based virtual water outflows increased. Total virtual water flows in internal trade reached 71.2 km3, with flow originating mainly from Kazakhstan and heading to other four countries through wheat trade.Kazakhstan was the largest net exporter of virtual water through wheat trade, Uzbekistan was the second‐largest net exporter through cotton trade. Green water (precipitation water used by crops) was dominant in virtual water flow related to wheat and blue water (surface water or groundwater used by crops) was dominant in virtual water flow related to cotton. Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan were most directly influenced by the virtual water trade. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Web 3.0 informational capitalism and authoritarianism challenge our assumptions about rhetorical circulation in relation to affect, labor, and capital forces, particularly in transnationally networked publics. A new model is needed in tandem with the robust ecological model to analyze the axiological dimension of transnational digital rhetorical circulation, i.e., how rhetorics produce and accumulate what types of value as they circulate digitally. Drawing on theories of rhetorical capital and communicative labor, this article proposes a theorization of rhetorics that circulate in digitally networked publics as an economy: the changing totality and relationships of rhetorical value produced and accumulated as a result of constant interactions among digital prosumers, technologies, labor, affect, commodities, and capital. The article also seeks to recontextualize the model of rhetorical economies in a transnational context with complex circulatory conditions. The author then reads the rhetorical economy of a Chinese nationalist cyber campaign in response to the Xinjiang cotton controversy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Occupational lung illness is a significant problem among textile factory workers. Occupational cotton dust exposure has been linked to lung involvement in many epidemiological studies of cotton industry workers. The maximum oxygen intake is one of the measures used to estimate functional capacity (VO2 max) of cardiopulmonary efficiency. The integration of the ventilatory, cardiovascular and neuromuscular system is necessary for attainment of VO2 max. Aim: To assess the VO2 max among women employees in cotton textile industry and to study the correlation between VO2 max and anthropometric parameters like Body Mass Index (BMI), Body Surface Area (BSA), fat percent (fat %) and Lean Body Mass (LBM). Materials and Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted from January 2021 to June 2021 at Nootan Medical College and Research Centre/Nootan General Hospital, Visnagar, Dt. Mehsana, North Gujarat, India, which included study and control group which comprised 50 female workers of cotton industry and 50 age matched females, respectively (n=50 each) who had never worked in the cotton industry or been exposed to cotton dust. The labourers of cotton industry were chosen from the Mehsana district's numerous cotton factories. Physical examinations (resting heart rate, resting systolic and diastolic blood pressure) and a standardised proforma were used to gather data. VO2 max and anthropometric measurements such as BMI, BSA, fat % and LBM were measured by standard procedure. The statistical analysis was done by using Student's t-test and Pearson correlation test. The correlation between BMI, BSA, fat percent and LBM with maximal oxygen consumption (VO2 max) was assessed by using Karl-Pearson's correlation with level of significance was considered statistically significant if p<0.05. Results: The mean value of VO2 max in study and control group was 35.62±0.34 mL/kg/min and 36.80±0.58 mL/kg/min, respectively. It was decreased significantly (p<0.001) in study group. The r-values of BMI, BSA, LBM and body fat % were 0.262, 0.132, 0.236, 0.224, respectively. In the present study correlation between BMI, BSA, LBM, body fat % with VO2 max was reported as weak positive correlation which was not statistically significant. Conclusion: VO2 max was significantly decreased in cotton industry workers compared to non exposed control subjects. More studies on the effects of cotton dust on VO2 max should be conducted in future in both genders. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The boll weevil, Anthonomus grandis Boheman (Coleoptera: Curculionidae), is an invasive alien species that can damage cotton plants and cause huge economic losses in the cotton industry. Currently, A. grandis is mainly distributed in the American continent. However, few studies have indicated the distribution and modification of its suitable global habitats after undergoing climate change. Based on the 339 distribution records of A. grandis and eight bioclimatic variables, we used the optimal MaxEnt model to predict the potential global distribution of A. grandis under the current (1970–2000) and future climatic scenarios (SSP5-8.5). The annual mean temperature (bio1) and isothermality (bio3) were the two most important bioclimatic variables, which indicates that the survival of A. grandis is extremely sensitive to temperature fluctuations. Under the current scenario, the highly suitable habitats were mainly distributed in America (the USA, Mexico, Brazil, Argentina, Paraguay, and Uruguay), Africa (South Africa, Ethiopia, and Mozambique), Asia (Pakistan, India, Thailand, Burma, and China), and Oceania (Australia). In future scenarios (SSP5-8.5), the potential suitable global habitats reached the highest level in America, Africa, Asia, and Oceania in the 2090s. Our study provides a meaningful reference for researchers, quarantine officers, and governments to devise suitable management control strategies for A. grandis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Revista de Economia e Sociologia Rural is the property of Sociedade Brasileira de Economia e Sociologia Rural and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Journal of Art History / Sanat Tarihi Dergisi is the property of Ege University and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Natural cotton fibers are inevitably mixed with long foreign matter (LFM) from the planting and ginning processes, which greatly deteriorate the quality of textile products. Therefore, how to design automated equipment that can efficiently remove LFM is very important for the cotton industry supply chain. Inspired by the comb-like gill rake structure of the carp (cyprinus carpio), a structural bionic method is first proposed for the development of automatic equipment. A series of key parameters of the proposed bionic design are presented and further optimized based on the orthogonal experimental design algorithm and the designed experimental automatic equipment through a sensitivity analysis between the factors (key parameters) and response (LFM removal efficiency). The design results show that the tooth length of the winding roller is the most significant factor effecting the response. Experimental results demonstrate that the designed modular comb-like winding device has great potential for application in the industrial cotton supply chain. Moreover, the structural bionic method is an applicable and promising method to develop this equipment compared with traditional design ideas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]