A research of subjective evaluations of the thermal comfort of business clothing evaluated in warm and slightly cold environment

This paper presents a study of subjective assessments of thermal comfort when wearing business clothing made from conventional textiles, such as wool and blends with wool and textiles combined with phase-change materials (PCMs), which are capable of providing adequate thermal physiological comfort to the wearer. The evaluation of thermal comfort was carried out on the basis of determining the subjective feeling of thermal comfort with the help of test subjects in a computer controlled climatic chamber, in artificially created warm and slightly cold environmental conditions, at ambient temperature of 25°C, 20°C, 15°C and 10°C. The impact of particular business clothing systems and varied environmental conditions on the wearer's subjective feeling of thermal comfort was determined with a questionnaire and an assessment scale of thermal comfort defined by standard ISO 10551:1995. For this purpose, an analysis of the subjective evaluation of thermal comfort, the desired thermal state, the acceptability of the current situation and their personal tolerance of the environment, was made before, during and after each experiment. The results of the research show that subjective evaluations of thermal comfort directly depend on environmental conditions, as well as clothing systems and activity levels. It was found that the test subjects felt most comfortable in the selected business clothing at an ambient temperature of 20°C and 15°C. It is also evident from the results that at an ambient temperature of 25°C, the persons in the selected clothing felt slightly uncomfortable, especially during and after walking when they felt hot. The test subjects felt uncomfortable also at an ambient temperature of 10°C, when they felt cold or slightly cold while wearing the analysed 3-layer clothing systems without an additional layer of clothing. This indicates that an additional layer of clothing, such as a coat is needed for performing adequate thermal comfort around and below 10°C.

A new and sustainable service to slow fashion brands

This paper explores the creation of an innovative clothing rental service, that is inspired by the ‘slow fashion movement’, and that focuses on the question: “are people willing to use second-hand clothing and/or leased when travelling?”. This is a rental service for the day-to-day and also business clothing. The creation and development of this service was possible through the use of a design thinking methodology: the 9 steps framework by Kees Dorst. Regarding its validation, it was achieved with a questionnaire with 430 responses. The paper culminates with the positive response to the problem.

Thermo-physiological comfort of business clothing incorporating phase change materials in a cold environment

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to investigate the thermo-physiological comfort of male business garments made of common textiles, as well as business clothing that contains phase change materials (PCMs) as a lining or outerwear material. In view of the fact that people wear business clothing throughout the whole day in different environmental conditions, this study investigate the effect of PCMs incorporated in male business clothing systems on the thermo-physiological comfort of the wearer under different cold environmental conditions. Design/methodology/approach The influence of particular business garments on the thermo-physiological comfort of the wearer during different physical activities and cold environmental temperatures was determined experimentally with the help of study participants, as a change of two physiological parameters: mean skin temperature and heart rate. A questionnaire and an assessment scale were also used in order to evaluate the wearer’s subjective feeling of comfort. In this investigation, all tests with study participants were performed under artificially created environmental conditions in a climate chamber at different cold environmental temperatures ranging from 10°C to −5°C with increments of 5°C, and different physical activities that simulate as closely as possible real life activities such as sitting and walking. Findings The results of the performed research work show that PCMs provide a small temporary thermal effect that is reflected in small increases or decreases in mean skin temperature during changes in activity. Furthermore, it was concluded that the small effect of PCMs in business clothing systems on the thermo-physiological comfort of the wearer in a cold environment, which is shown as a change of mean skin temperature when subjects walk on a treadmill and subsequently move to a sitting position, should not be ignored in a cold environment where low skin temperatures were measured. Practical implications The results of this study demonstrate that the physiological parameters of thermo-physiological comfort, in combination with subjective evaluation, provide valuable information for textile and clothing manufactures as well as scientists and engineers involved in the design and development of new products with thermal comfort as a quality criterion. Originality/value The investigation shows that different environmental conditions, activity levels and thermal properties of clothing systems have a considerable impact on the physiological parameters of the subjects and subjective assessment of thermal comfort in a cold environment, and that PCMs incorporated in business clothing systems provide a small temporary thermal effect that is reflected in small increases or decreases in mean skin temperature during changes in activity, such as when subjects walk on a treadmill and subsequently move to a sitting position.

Testing the impact of citizen characteristics and demeanor on police officer behavior in potentially violent encounters

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to investigate whether citizen characteristics (race/ethnicity and attire) or demeanor predicted how officers interacted in simulation scenarios that could turn violent. Design/methodology/approach Controlled-laboratory experiments were conducted during which police participants (n=50) responded to equivalent numbers of black, white, and Hispanic individuals in multiple branching video scenarios in a use-of-force simulator. Within these scenarios, the attire of on-screen individuals was varied (“street” or “business” clothing) as was their demeanor – individuals were either friendly or confrontational. Each scenario had the potential to end peaceably or turn violent, depending on how the officers treated people in the simulator. Findings Multi-level modeling revealed that neither the race/ethnicity nor the attire of on-screen individuals predicted how officers interacted with them. However, the demeanor of on-screen individuals did – officers were significantly more likely to verbally escalate and end up with a deadly outcome when faced with confrontational individuals (f=3.96; df=1, 558; p<0.05). Research limitations/implications These findings offer important new insight into how fairly officers interact with people during routine encounters that have the potential to turn violent, and what this means for perceptions of police legitimacy, procedural justice, and allegations of racial bias. Originality/value This is the first laboratory study to test the impact of citizen characteristics and demeanor on how officers escalate and de-escalate encounters.

Analisis Daya Saing SDM dalam Upaya Meningkatkan Prestasi Berusaha Pengusaha Industri Kecil di Kota Pekanbaru

The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of competitiveness towards achievements to strive in a small industrial town of Pekanbaru. Whole object of this study is the small industrial entrepreneurs registered in the city of Pekanbaru the number of 1,545 people spread on five business groups namely food industry business, clothing, chemicals and building materials , metals and electronics and handicrafts. Therefore, the relative amount of the population defined as 94 samples using proportional random sampling method. The variables studied consisted of three independent variables and the dependent variable. The independent variable is competitiveness and while the dependent variable was trying achievement. The method used in this study is a quantitative method. The instrument used for data collection in the form questionnaire Likert scale models. Discussion and hypothesis testing are conducted through the processing path analysis techniques using SPSS 17. The results showed that the effect on the competitiveness of small entrepreneurship in the industry by entrepreneurial achievements of trying to influence the small industrial city of Pekanbaru with coefficient of 0,555. competitiveness of trying to influence the achievement of small industries in the city of Pekanbaru with the influence of competitiveness on the achievement represented by the coefficient beruasha meaningful reasons for wanting to be successful because it has the potential to succeed as a capital for entrepreneurs trying to businesses gain increasing and also the products more efficient. Keywords :Competitiveness, Achievement Sought

A SUBJECTIVE EVALUATION OF THE THERMAL COMFORT OF CLOTHING EVALUATED IN COLD ENVIRONMENT

In this study, the thermal comfort of clothing was subjectively evaluated in cold environmental conditions. Different male business clothing systems, made of standard textiles (wool and wool-mixture), and materials that contain phase-change materials (PCMs), were developed. The research was performed with the help of test subjects in a computer controlled climatic chamber, in artificially created cold environmental conditions, at ambient temperatures of 10 °C, 5 °C and 0 °C, and with physical activity that is as reminiscent as possible of the real life situation of wearing clothes, such as sitting and walking on a treadmill. The impact of particular business clothing systems and varied cold environmental conditions on the wearer’s subjective feeling of thermal comfort was determined with a questionnaire and an assessment scale of thermal comfort defined by standard ISO 10551:2004. For this purpose, an analysis of the subjective evaluation of thermal comfort, the desired thermal state, the acceptability of the current situation and their personal tolerance of the environment, was made before, during and after each experiment. The results of the research show that subjective evaluations of thermal comfort directly depend on environmental conditions, as well as clothing systems. From this subjective evaluation it can be seen that in spite of lower mean skin temperatures the test subjects felt comfortable at an ambient temperature of 10 °C. It is also evident that the analysed clothing systems are not suitable for wearing below an ambient temperature of 0 °C, because the test subjects felt uncomfortable.

Influence of Phase-Change Materials on Thermo-Physiological Comfort in Warm Environment

The purpose of this research work is to investigate the influence of phase-change materials (PCMs) on thermo-physiological comfort of different male business clothing systems evaluated in warm environment. The impact of particular business clothing on the thermo-physiological comfort of the wearer during different physical activity and environmental conditions (between 25°C and 10°C with step of 5°C), artificially created in a climate chamber, was determined experimentally, as a change of three physiological parameters of a human being: mean skin temperature, heart rate, and the amount of evaporated and condensed sweat. A questionnaire and an assessment scale were also used before, during, and after each experiment in order to evaluate the wearer’s subjective feeling of comfort. The results of the performed research work show that male business clothing systems in combination with PCMs do not affect the thermal-physiological comfort of the wearer in warm environment significantly, except at an ambient temperature of 15°C, where clothing systems in combination with PCMs produce a small heating effect. Furthermore, it was concluded that clothing systems in combination with PCMs indicate a small temporary thermal effect that is reflected in a slight rising or lowering of mean skin temperature during activity changes.

Employment Clothing Practices and Attitudes of White-Collar Female Workers

The business clothing practices and attitude toward clothing of 313 white-collar female workers in a large state organization were investigated. The purposes of the present study were to investigate whether (1) there were significant differences in types of clothing chosen for work by managerial and nonmanagerial women, (2) there were correlations among types of clothing chosen and the attitudes toward employment clothing, career commitment, and apparel evaluative criteria, and (3) the factors contributed to the prediction of type of clothing chosen and clothing expenditures. Analysis yielded significant differences in the types of clothing chosen for work by those two groups and significant correlations between those types of clothing and clothing attitudes, and the apparel evaluative criteria. The multiple regression results indicated that the attitudes about clothing, price, career commitment, perceived new clothing needs, and age contributed to the prediction of employment clothing practices and expenditures.