Browsing by Subject "Clothing"
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Item An exploratory analysis of textile fabric soil content through ozone reaction(2013-05) Rajaganesh, Shamini; Krifa, MouradCleanliness is one of the most essential virtues needed for a healthy lifestyle. While there have been several attempts made to characterize the cleanness of food, water and air by quality monitoring, there has been very little attention given to the cleanness characterization of clothing. Clothing worn next to the skin is easily contaminated by solid particles and fluid substances picked up from the surrounding environment and the skin surface. The fluid contamination could be either aqueous or oily in nature. Human sweat and sebum are one of the major constituents of oily organic soils found in worn clothing. Studies show that oily organic contaminations tend to remain in the clothing even after laundering, thereby creating malodors. While there are several industry established standards to evaluate visible solid contamination such as dust, dirt and colored stains, measuring the amount of invisible oily contaminations has been difficult. Moreover, many of the cleanness evaluation methods are subjective. This exploratory research aimed at measuring the level of sweat and sebum soiling in textile fabrics. Due to the affinity of ozone towards the unsaturated components of sebum, the feasibility of using the reaction rates of ozone as a metric to quantify the level of organic soiling in clothing was tested. The fabrics selected for this study were representative of the commonly used fiber composition in activewear and innerwear. The sweat and sebum used for fabric soiling were synthetic in nature. The fabric swatches were soiled with synthetic sebum at two extreme levels of soiling (0.3% and 1% of the fabric weight). A lab built four-chamber ozonation equipment was used for the experimentation with ozone. The reactivity of ozone with the soiled fabrics was measured in terms of ozone concentrations in ppb. The data obtained was plotted against time and the slopes were recorded. The plots showed a significant difference in the slopes indicating that the rate of ozone reactivity varied with the level of soiling. The slopes were steeper for higher levels of soils, particularly in the cotton samples. There was also a marked difference in the reaction rates between the cotton and polyester fabrics at the same level of soiling. The results obtained from the study fulfilled the hypothesis and looks promising for developing an objective method of measuring cleanness of clothing. Moreover, an adjunct qualitative study was conducted to assess the sensitivity of the human odor sensor to acknowledge the difference in the level of soiling through sensory analysis. The results from the study substantiated the need for an objective method of cleanness measurement.Item Good Girl/Bad Girl(2013-05) Aylward, Kaitlyn Marie; Mickey, Susan E.Good Girl/Bad Girl asks women to define the good girls and bad girls in respect to their clothing. Participants are women who live in either New Mexico or Texas and identify as one or more of the following groups: New Mexican, Mexican, Native American, Sorority women, and Cowgirls. Participants with interviewed and photographed in their homes and places of work. Good Girl/Bad Girl was exhibited during the 2013 The Co-op Presents the Cohen New Works Festival. A selection of twenty-one images were displayed in addition to audio from the interviews.Item p-Dichlorobenzene and naphthalene : emissions and related primary and secondary exposures in residential buildings(2013-05) Guerrero, Priscilla Annette; Corsi, Richard L.p-Dichlorobenzene (p-DCB) and naphthalene are compounds classified as Group C carcinogens according to the USEPA. Sources of p-DCB and naphthalene include moth repellents and deodorizers typically used in closets, garment bags, and toilet bowls found in pure form. In this study, laboratory, closet, and garment bag experiments were used to determine emission rates of p-DCB and naphthalene from consumer products (closet air freshener, toilet bowl deodorizer, and moth repellent). Emission rates varied considerably between products that contain p-DCB, primarily due to product packaging, and were generally suppressed when the product was used in a closed closet or garments bag, relative to products placed in well-ventilated chambers. Experimental mass emission rates were used in conjunction with a well-mixed reactor model to predict indoor p-DCB and naphthalene concentrations for a range of reasonable residential scenarios. Results suggest that exposures under worst-case scenarios could lead to excess lifetime cancer risks of greater than 20,000 in a million (2%) for those who use consumer products that are pure p-DCB, a risk that dwarfs any reported environmental cancer risks over large segments of the US population. Since such products are typically used where clothing is kept, significant chemical adsorption onto clothing is possible following sublimation from the solid product. Chamber experiments were used to determine the amount of p-DCB and naphthalene mass that adsorbs onto selected clothing materials made of cotton, polyester, or wool. Cloth specimens were kept inside a chamber through which an air stream containing p-DCB or naphthalene was passed for one month. After this time, p-DCB or naphthalene were chemically extracted from the cloth specimens. Polyester was determined to be the most adsorbent material, while cotton was the least adsorbent for each chemical. Equilibrium partition coefficients of 0.01 m³/g for p-DCB and 0.02 m³/g for naphthalene were determined experimentally for wool. Desorption rates were determined in both laboratory chambers and a closet in a test house. Results suggest prolonged persistence of p-DCB and naphthalene on polyester and wool, e.g., half-lives of 12 to 20 days after a moth repellent is removed from the clothes storage environment. An exposure scenario was also carried out to compare the inhalation and dermal exposure risks associated with contaminated clothing.Item This Emotional Closet : women's relationships with clothing(2015-05) O'Bannion, Mercedes Bron; Mickey, Susan E.; Isackes, Richard; Buchanan, JasonClothes are objects presented in society to be experienced and translated by others. This thesis identifies three female stereotypes found in literature: mother, virgin, and whore. By addressing the historical and social context that exist in American culture, I can begin to explain how these three stereotypes are dependent upon appearance perception. In exploring the identities that clothing can communicate, I hope to contribute an understanding of the phenomenological aspects in everyday dressing. This thesis will also discuss how my research informed my choices in the development and creation of an immersive theatrical experience, This Emotional Closet.Item White ladies : defining myself through the language of costume(2016-05) Day, Andrea Jeannine; Mickey, Susan E.; Buchanan, Jason; Isackes, RichardAs an artist who studies costume, I am fascinated by the way that people represent their personalities through their clothing choices. Clothing creates a sign system that indicates to outsiders details about self-expression, insecurities, and perspective. In this project, I studied my own self-expression through clothing by creating an art installation consisting of self-portrait photography. The self-portraits consist of four fictitious characters, which are each representations of four different versions of my potential future self. Each character contains specific characteristics derived from my own personality. The characters are named, “The Artist,” “The Hermitess,” “The Hobbyist,” and “Real Estate Mom.” Each of the characters was created using clothing, accessories, makeup, posture, expression, and physical location. Through the creation of each of these characters, I analyzed my own personality traits and how they express the way that I represent myself through clothing. Through this process, I learned to find a better voice and understanding for my artistic choices.