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The purpose of this study is to improve the mechanical properties and reduce the stiffness/harshness of fabric associated with the pigment dyeing of textiles.

The fabric was pigment dyed with the addition of three different softeners and binders. The fabric was then analyzed to have improved textile properties by measuring tear strength, bending length, crocking and washing fastness tests.

The conventional route of pigment dyeing (without any softener) imparted poor mechanical and rubbing fastness. The softener-added recipe provided better mechanical, rubbing and washing fastness, and the stiffness values were oppressed as well.

Because of reduced stiffness, increased fastness and mechanical properties, the use of softener with pigment dyeing can improve the market values and satisfaction of the dyed fabrics. The finished product would also have better life and endurance. The process can be modified easily to have a better end-product with a negligible cost addition in industrial process, as softeners are cheap and used in low (10-20 g/l) in industrial settings without affecting the required shades.

This is the first report, to the best of the author’s knowledge, on the optimization of pigment dyeing of PC fabric with the addition of Helizarin and perapret softeners in dyeing bath.

Quality assessment of textile products is of prime concern to intimately meet consumer demands. The dilemma faced by textile producers is to figure out the stability among quality criteria and efficiently deal with target specifications. Hence, the basic devotion is to attain the optimum value product which entirely satisfies the views and perceptions of consumers. Selection of best fabric among several alternatives in the presence of contradictory measures is a disputing problem in multicriteria decision-making.

In the current study, the analytic hierarchy process (AHP) and preference ranking organization method for enrichment evaluation (PROMETHEE) are proficiently used to solve the problem in selection of branded woven shawls. AHP method verifies comparative weights of the criteria selection, while the ranking of fabric alternatives grounded on specific net-outranking flows is executed through PROMETHEE II method.

The collective AHP and PROMETHEE approaches are applied for the useful accomplishment of grading of branded shawls based on multicriteria weights, used for effective selection of fabric materials in the textile market.

In the apparel industry, fabric and garment manufacturers often rely on hit-and-trial methods, leading to significant wastage of valuable resources and time, in achieving the desirable fabric qualities. The implementation of the findings can assist apparel manufacturers in streamlining their fabric selection processes based on multiple criteria. By adopting this method, industry players can make informed decisions, ensuring a balance between quality standards and consumer expectations, thereby enhancing both product value and market competitiveness.

The methods of Visual PROMETHEE and AHP are assimilated to offer a complete method for the selection and grading of fabrics with reference to multiple selection criteria.

Physical activity is an eminent practice for the maintenance of physical and mental health. Physical fitness always enables students to perform their various tasks efficiently specifically in academic performance. Student health is a principal factor for the performance of all kinds of activities particularly in academic performance. This study aimed to evaluate physical activity among university students and the factors for being inactive.

A questionnaire was designed and distributed among the students via WhatsApp, Skype and email, however, some responses were collected physically to maintain the quality of data. The questionnaire was categorized into demographic factors, current physical activity status and reasons for physical inactivity. Each section was further divided into questions and total 24 questions were asked from each individual for evaluation of inactiveness.

The finding of this research explored that enormous number of students are doing part time jobs and unable to find enough time for relaxation. The research was limited and evaluated limited factors and explored that 60.6% of students had less time for entertainment and this is only 2 h for this 60.6% of students. Among all factors of physical activity walking was preferable for 48.34% of the students. Students want to participate in healthy activities. Moreover, students are unable to perform physical exercise due to busy schedules of jobs (47.02%), part-time job burden (15.89%), study burden (35.10%) and poor health conditions (1.32%).

This study concluded that higher percentage of students have stress of limited resources and under this stress condition they are unable to take a balanced diet which they considered cost-effective. They did not perform maximum in their academic and daily activities and did not participate in sports activities. It was also observed that institutions did not provide a sufficient platform for physical activity for students. The research shows the factors which affect the student’s academic performance as being physically inactive. Evaluation of results explored that numerous students have limited resources during their career development and their attention remain diverted to overcome their limited resources which keep them physically unfit. The findings also explored that physically inactive students have heavy study and job burden which is not overcome and analyzed by their institutions.

This paper aims to develop bilayer woven fabrics with different picking sequences with enhanced comfort without any change in the constituent materials.

Six bilayer woven fabrics were produced on Dobby loom with 3/1 twill weave using micro-polyester yarn. Three different picking sequences, i.e. single pick insertion (SPI), double pick insertion (DPI) and three pick insertion (3PI), were used in both face and back layers. The effect of picking sequence on air permeability (AP), volume porosity, thermal resistance and overall moisture management capability (OMMC) of the samples were analyzed.

The results showed that 3PI–3PI picking sequence gives the highest OMMC, AP and thermal resistance in bilayer woven fabrics and the least results exhibited by SPI–SPI picking sequence.

This research uses a bilayer woven system that develops channels and trapes the air causing higher thermal resistance; therefore, applicable for winter sports clothing rather than for summer wear. Developed bilayer woven fabrics can be used in winter sportswear to improve the comfort of the wearer and reduce fatigue during activity.

Authors have developed bilayer fabrics by changing the picking sequences, i.e. SPI, DPI and 3PI of weft yarns in both layers and compared their thermo-physiological comfort properties.

This paper aims to investigate the feasibility of potassium permanganate (KMnO₄) as an efficient discharging agent for indigo-dyed denim fabrics and identification of key variables for its cost-efficient implication.

Response surface methodology, which is a statistical technique for the optimization of process variables, was used to study the effect of three key variables, i.e. KMnO₄ concentration, printing paste pH and reaction time on whiteness and strength of discharged printed fabric. Regression models were developed to predict response variables, i.e whiteness, tensile strength and tear strength of discharge printed denim.

It was found that some captivating discharge printing effects could be produced using appropriate KMnO₄ concentration, printing paste pH and reaction time without any significant loss in the fabric strength.

This study highlights the practical implication of KMnO₄ to be used as a safe and effective discharging agent under different conditions and to optimize the parameters using statistical analysis to ensure minimum loss in textile properties. The use of denim has evolved over the decades from a rough and tough workwear to highly fashionable apparel. Various dry and wet processing techniques have been introduced in recent years for the value-addition of denim – discharge printing is one of them. As lab to bulk reproducibility requires some sort of experience and adjustments in main parameters, the practical feasibility on the bulk scale should be adjusted in advance by means of the lab scale experimentation.

The KMnO₄ oxidation process is considered eco-friendly because manganese dioxide, which is formed when permanganate is reduced, can be recycled. Thus, the use of KMnO₄ can be considered as an eco-friendly safe process for the discharging of indigo dyes.

This paper aims to explore the value of geographic diversification in the context of deglobalization, drawing evidence from a quasi-natural experiment – the Brexit referendum that took place on 23 June 2016 in the UK.

This study applies an event study methodology to estimate the impact of the Brexit vote on a cross-section of firms with varying levels of geographic diversification – undiversified UK firms, UK firms with significant operations in the European Union (EU) and globally diversified UK firms. This study deploys a Heckman two-stage regression approach to address sample selection bias.

This study finds that undiversified UK firms experienced negative cumulative abnormal returns (CARs) around the Brexit referendum. The value of UK firms with majority sales within the UK declined by 0.9 percentage points, on average, in the three days centred on the Brexit referendum. In contrast, UK firms that are globally diversified, with the majority of sales within the EU are unaffected, while diversified firms in the rest of the world generated positive CARs of 1.8 percentage points over the same period. These results are robust to firm characteristics, selection bias and alternative measures of CARs and diversification.

This study is subject to some limitations that open avenues for future work. There are a few available proxies of diversification and further work on developing other proxies is much needed. Further work may also examine the long-term impact of diversification on UK firms. This study considered Brexit as a quasi-natural experiment, and this study could be applied to other deglobalization events like COVID-19 and can enhance the generalizability of diversification strategy in the deglobalized world. Findings may stimulate future work to explore how another form of diversification – product diversification has affected firm returns around Brexit. Finally, this study has focused on the UK as its base case. It may be interesting to corroborate the findings by exploring the impact of Brexit on European firms, who hitherto Brexit, had some operations in the UK.

This work offers some insights for policymakers and regulators around the impact of deglobalization on local firms. Findings suggest that these trends significantly negatively impact the most vulnerable firms (smaller firms with less global reach), while their larger counterparts with significant global reach might be insulated. This finding is important for determining the nature of support needed by different firms in times of deglobalization. The work also offers insights to managers of firms operating in countries where there are real prospects of deglobalization. Specifically, the work highlights the importance of geographic diversification when free movement of goods, services and people is restricted.

This study shows that a certain group of globally diversified firms earned significantly higher returns from the prospect of the UK leaving the EU, thereby highlighting the value of geographic diversification in a time of deglobalization.

This study proposes a novel measure for management’s horizon (short-termism or myopia vs long-termism or hyperopia) derived from easily obtainable firm-level accounting and stock market performance data. The authors use the measure to explore the impact of managements’ horizon on firms’ investment efficiency.

The authors rely on two commonly used but uncorrelated measures of management performance: accounting performance (return on capital employed, ROCE) and stock market performance (average abnormal return, AAR). The authors combine these measures to develop a multidimensional framework for performance, which classifies firms into four groups: efficient (high accounting and high market performance), poor (low accounting and low market performance), myopic (high accounting and low market performance) and hyperopic (low accounting and high market performance). The authors validate this framework and deploy it to explore the relationship between horizon and firms’ investment efficiency.

In validation tests, the authors show that management myopia (hyperopia) explains firms’ decision to cut (grow) research and development investments. Further, as expected, myopic (hyperopic) firms are associated with significantly more (less) accrual and real earnings management. The empirical tests on the link between horizon and investment efficiency suggest that myopic managers cut new investments while their hyperopic counterparts grow the same. Ultimately, the authors find that myopia (hyperopia) exacerbates(mitigates) the over-investment of free cash flow problem.

The authors introduce a framework for assessing management’s horizon using easily obtainable measures of performance. The framework explains inconsistencies in prior empirical research using different measures of performance (accounting versus market). The authors demonstrate its utility by showing that the measure explains decisions around research and development investment, earnings management and firm investments.

The primary goal of this study is to look at the behavioral factors that influence an individual's decision to invest in the Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX).

Existing behavioral finance theories serve as a foundation for hypotheses. Further hypotheses were investigated by disseminating questionnaire results from a number of individual Pakistani investors. Brokerage and asset management fund managers were also questioned in semi-structured interviews. The obtained data were analyzed using statistical package for the social sciences, and latent variables were identified using the structural equation model (SEM) and an asset management operating system (AMOS).

Individual investor investment decisions in the PSX are influenced by five behavioral factors: herding, market, prospect, overconfidence and gambler fallacy and anchoring-ability bias. The majority of the variables have a modest impact; however, the market component has a significant impact. Only three behavioral elements, herding, prospect and heuristic, are found to influence investment performance among the behavioral factors stated above. Heuristic habits have been discovered to have the greatest positive impact on investment performance.

This study is one of the few in Pakistan that looked at the factors that influence stock investment decisions using behavioral finance. Prior research has only considered the effects of a restricted number of behavioral characteristics on Pakistani individual investors; however, this study seeks to use a whole collection of behavioral factors to examine their impacts on Pakistani individual investors.

The focus of the study remains on the individual investor, whereas the impact of institutional investors on investment behavior could bring different outcomes.

This is among the few studies that investigated the impact of cognitive factors on investment decisions in the context of Pakistan and will help policy makers, opinion makers and individuals.

A natural dye is extracted from turmeric and used to dye cotton at different dyeing conditions. Then the fastness properties of the dyeings with different dyeing techniques are compared. The dye is found to have good saturation and rubbing fastness, but poor washing and light fastness properties on cotton, when applied without any mordant. When dyeing is implemented with mordants, washing and light fastness properties show improvement while rubbing fastness exhibits deterioration.

Finally, comparative studies between natural and synthetic reactive dyes reveal that the natural dye has the potential to act as a co-partner with reactive dyes with a few compromises.

This paper presents recently published resources on library instruction and information literacy. It provides an introductory overview and a selected annotated bibliography of publications covering various library types, study populations and research contexts. The selected bibliography is useful to efficiently keep up with trends in library instruction for busy practitioners, library science students and those wishing to learn about information literacy in other contexts.

This article annotates 424 English-language periodical articles, monographs, dissertations, theses and reports on library instruction and information literacy published in 2021. The sources were selected from the EBSCO platform for Library, Information Science, and Technology Abstracts (LISTA), Education Resources Information Center (ERIC), Scopus, ProQuest Dissertations and Theses, and WorldCat, published in 2021 that included the terms “information literacy,” “library instruction,” or “information fluency” in the title, abstract or keywords. The sources were organized in Zotero. Annotations summarize the source, focusing on the findings or implications. Each source was categorized into one of seven pre-determined categories: K-12 Education, Children and Adolescents; Academic and Professional Programs; Everyday Life, Community, and the Workplace; Libraries and Health Information Literacy; Multiple Library Types; and Other Information Literacy Research and Theory.

The paper provides a brief description of 424 sources and highlights sources that contain unique or significant scholarly contributions.

The information may be used by librarians, researchers and anyone interested as a quick and comprehensive reference to literature on library instruction and information literacy within 2021.