Cuticular damage to African–American hair during relaxer treatments – A microfluorometric and SEM Study

Citation: IFSCC Magazine, 11 (2008) (2) 131–137 Abstract: In earlier publications [1,2,3 we discussed several in‐depth studies of characterization and quantification of damage done to European dark brown hair fibres by photochemical and cosmetic‐chemical oxidation (bleaching) and reduction (perming) processes. These earlier studies established considerable changes in surface chemistry such as an increase in acidity and hydrophilicity. We discussed in detail the breakdown of the lipid domains (delipidation) of the outer ^®‐layer of the exposed scale faces and generation of anionic (sulphonic acid) groups (acidification) on the hair surface caused by these oxidative and reduction processes. The goal of this current study is to characterize and quantify the level of chemical and physical changes in the surface of African–American hair caused by various »lye‐based« and »no‐lye« relaxer treatments [4]. This study attempts to establish which product delivers the best »hair straightening« performance while resulting in the least chemical and physical changes in the hair surface. We again use a microfluorometric technique with the help of the cationic fluorochrome Rhodamine B to detect, map and quantify relaxer‐induced changes in the surface chemistry of human hair fibre. In addition, we also use SEM at various magnifications to highlight relaxer‐induced changes in the physical nature of the hair surface. We attempt to associate the level of increase in fluorescence intensity, which represents an increased level of delipidation/acidification of the hair surface, with the damage level to the hair topography, and thus, determine the least damaging cosmetic chemical process. Damage to the physical nature of the hair topography as observed by SEM shows a clear difference between treatments involving lab‐made relaxer solutions and commercial relaxer systems. Keywords: African‐American hair, commercial relaxer systems, microfluorometry, relaxer‐induced surface changes/damage, physical nature, surface chemistry, relaxer solutions, SEM, +lye‐based1/2 and +no‐lye1/2 relaxers,     

Influence of the ripening environment on the development of finger drop in bananas

‘Finger drop’, which is the dislodgement of individual banana ‘fingers’ from the bunch during ripening and marketing, was shown to be related to the conditions during fruit ripening. At high ripening temperatures fruit are generally softer than those ripened at temperatures of 20°C or lower when they reach eating ripeness. This is reflected in the strength of the fruit pedicel and can result in their having a strength sufficiently low that the fruit can easily be dislodged in handling and transport during marketing. However, ripening at very high temperatures (40°C) did not result in development of finger drop, but fruit ripened at this temperature were unmarketable. No consistent effects of ripening humidity were shown on the development of finger drop. Prolonged exposure of fruit to ethylene gas during ripening could increase finger drop in certain circumstances. Possible reasons as to how finger drop might be related to the ripening physiology of the fruit are discussed, and recommendations are made for further studies.     

Evidence-based food choice: the need for new measures of food effects

Nutrition information panels are intended to help consumers to make healthy food choices, but often they do not achieve this goal because food composition data does not reflect functionality. This article focuses on the development of evidence-based measures of food effects to complement terms such as ‘dietary fibre’, ‘sugars’, ‘carbohydrate’, ‘complex carbohydrate’, and ‘glycaemic index’, which are not dependable guides to physiological effects that they are often presumed to predict. It discusses the development of data sets for dietary management of distal colonic bulk, postprandial glycaemia, and in vivo soluble dietary fibre, using the criteria: importance of health end-point, relevance of markers of the end point, adequacy of current indices, characteristics required of relevant indices, and practical units for consumers. With increasing numbers of functional foods entering the market place there is a need for new data to enable food marketing to be controlled and foods to be chosen on the basis of efficacy rather than composition.     

中国纺织服装企业的“后奥运伐谋”

话题:奥运能否成为纺织服装企业回春的转机?奥运之年,中国经济由2001年北京申奥成功后的高歌猛进转为多变之秋。为防范经济转向过热、缓解CPI攀升压力,中国政府一改已经实施近十年的稳健货币政策,正式推行从     

有机食品产业——前景广阔的“新大陆”

<正> 在5月29日至31日于上海光大会展中心成功举办的中国国际有机食品博览会(BioFach China)上,有机食品行业展示了一派欣欣向荣的景象。随着生活水平的提高和健康意识的增强,消费者对食品的安全和健康提出了愈来愈高的期望,这也使得有机食品成为了食品行业中的一颗新星。作为高品质食品的代表,有机食品的价格是国内常规食品的3～5倍,是食品行业中不折不扣的"新贵",而因为具有健康、天然、环保等     

装饰艺术理念与现代设计

今天,人们日益重视设计理念对于设计的影响,设计理念已成为装饰艺术设计的一个重要组成部分。设计师只有真正理解设计理念的含义,才能熟练掌握设计的基本语言,并将设计理念贯穿于设计始终。     

市场要从娃娃抓起

<正> 在婴幼儿食品市场,得渠道者得天下。 2002年国内婴幼儿食品消费总量达到了10万吨左右,生产总值上千亿元。在此基础上,2003年还将维持20％~30％的增长。这块巨大的蛋糕,引来国内外众多企业跑马圈地。渠道大战一触即发。     

桉木化学浆不同浓度打浆纤维形态的差异性研究

打浆是造纸过程非常重要的一个环节,影响打浆质量效果的因素很多,打浆浓度作为首要因素,对成浆纤维特性具有一系列重要影响。不同浓度下打浆纤维形态不同,而不同打浆度不同纤维形态的纤维却可以抄造出同样物理性能或性能接近的纸张。本研究以桉木化学浆为对象,研究打浆浓度与纸浆纤维形态、成纸性能的关系,论述以打浆浓度和纤维形态预测纸浆抄造性能的可行性。     

Fashion marketing

This issue of Textile Progress provides a critical literature review and reflection relating to academic research in the field of fashion marketing. As the topic has not been reviewed before in Textile Progress, the paper takes the concepts of marketing and fashion in turn, exploring the literature from its origins to the present day and then considers how and why these two concepts have become merged to form a discrete academic research theme.

The exploration of marketing includes a discussion of the origins of the marketing concept which emerged in the 1950s alongside the growth in mass consumerism. The paper discusses the ubiquitous ‘marketing mix’ theory and explains how research in marketing shifted its focus in the 1980s and 1990s as new paradigms developed, and their applicability to the marketing concept were debated.

The concept of fashion is considered in terms of the context of historical research on fashion, for example, from the sociological or psychological perspective, and how the concept of fashion can be considered both academically and commercially.

The review then goes on to evaluate the concept of fashion marketing as a discrete area for academic research, arguing that it has distinct theoretical perspectives from those of pure ‘marketing’ or ‘fashion’ theory, and culminating in a review of contemporary research in the field of fashion marketing, specifically that relating to fast fashion and ‘digital’ fashion marketing.     

危机:打个喷嚏就过去了吗?

在国内很多企业家感觉,百年不遇的经济危机也没什么了不起,我们这里打了个喷嚏过去了,没有经过百年不遇的调整和痛苦,我们居然度过了百年不遇的危机,这里是不是有一点问题?     

Rioja: a specific and efficient economic model for wine region organization

Rioja is the premier Spanish region for fine wine production. As it is an ‘Appellation d'Origine Contrôlée' (DOCa), it belongs to the European legislative framework. But it has also adopted many new world methods, especially calling on modern marketing and communication tools. Furthermore, the interprofessional organization and big bodegas have implemented an efficient synergy between corporate brands and the local territorial brand ‘Rioja'.     

中国绿色食品网络营销模式的检视与构建

以互联网为技术基础的网络营销模式具有不受地域限制以及信息传播的便捷和廉价等特征,在互联网日益普及的今天,对绿色食品的营销起着越来越大的作用。通过对中国绿色食品营销模式的检视可以发现,虽然绿色食品的网络营销在中国已经有了很大的发展。但是,仍然存在互联网技术不发达、法制建设不健全、网络营销手段单一,以及绿色食品本身价格高、结构不合理等问题。因此,有必要通过加强互联网的基础建设、网络营销的法制建设、政府的扶持力度,以及充分利用各种网络营销渠道、开发成本低廉、适销对路的绿色食品等针对性措施,以保证中国绿色食品网络营销模式的顺利构建。     

How cosmetic science can contribute to the improvement of society

The only constant in life is change and living in South Africa I certainly have witnessed major change during my life, particularly as our country was transformed from being governed by the Apartheid regime to a democratically elected government. In order to share my ideas of how cosmetic science can contribute to the improvement of society, I would like to address three issues. The first part of my essay will discuss some of the recent changes in the society we live in and how these changes have affected our need for cosmetics. Secondly I will discuss the developments in cosmetic science that will be necessary to cope with these changes and finally, the kind of developments in cosmetic science will be necessary in order for them to improve our society. Of course, not all people in our world share the same norms and values and I will therefore consider a global acceptance of and adherence to the declaration of human rights as the ultimate improvement. On such a level, it should be realized from the beginning that the influence cosmetic science can have on society is very limited compared to that of, for instance, political leaders of our world. Cosmetic science, however, does make a contribution, although it is only a small step in the process of improving the world we live in, but according to Confucius the longest journey begins with the first step. Therefore, let the journey begin… This essay won the 2006 Maison G. de Navarre Young Scientist Prize that is awarded for either the first or second paper in cosmetic science or a specially written essay on a topic selected by the 2005–2006 IFSCC President for an author of 35 years or younger. This Prize was awarded to Megan Jones during the Openings Ceremony of the 24^th IFSCC Congress »Integration of Cosmetic Sciences«, Osaka, Japan on 16 October 2006. The purpose of the Maison G. de Navarre Young Scientist Prize is to stimulate young cosmetic scientists to write scientific papers/essays. The prize covers all expenses to attend the first IFSCC Congress or Conference that is held after the prize was awarded.     

让所有人都兴奋起来——浅谈贯穿业务链的市场营销

<正>谈到市场营销,你首先想到的是什么?是提升知名度,制造热点,还是促进销售?姚明是不是推进品牌的火箭?超女是不是互动营销的平台?现在,企业进行营销活动的投资和频率都越来越多,有些取得了令人瞩目的效果,有些则如同夜空礼花,放过也就过去了。用好有限的资源,令营销真正对品牌推广和产品销售起作用是值得每一个企业考虑的问题。我们不妨从一个产品需要走过的旅程看起,在这个业务链中,影响一个产品能否成功的因素很多。在企业的上游,供应商的质量保证、成本控制和资源支持,产品的设计开发等,决定着产品是否能够在品质、数量、速度方面满足企业和市场的需要,是否具     

“中华”牌卷烟市场投放评价体系设计及其应用研究

卷烟货源投放合理性的评估是烟草企业做好精准营销的关键环节。本文在评价体系基础上,设计出用于评价投放效果的指标体系,并以中华牌卷烟在4个不同市场的营销数据进行实证分析,以阐述评价投放合理性的方法及对提高品牌实际投放效果的意义。      

“PLEASE PASS THE CHICKEN TITS”: RETHINKING MEN AND COOKING AT AN URBAN FIREHOUSE

Women, for centuries, have been the primary cooks and nurturers in most cultures. Men rarely represent family primary food providers. My interest in this study lies in what happens when men who are not food professionals develop into this role of primary cooks for a group of people; in this case, the men of an urban firehouse. Men in this scenario perform in roles typically ascribed to both men and women, and when a woman is involved, her presence is mitigated. I found that the men created a unique food system, and while each brought intact a value system and ethnic heritage to the table, these packages became negotiated, most powerfully in the kitchen and at meals. I was interested in how these men performed in roles that, in our mass consciousness and popular culture, we often ascribe to women. How do they shop, cook, and eat? How do they feel about what they are doing? How and why do they choose to cook? What issues do they face with regard to their identity as men, and how does this influence their food choices, cooking, and eating? Firehouse cooks perform domesticity by relying on multiple versions of masculinity at home and in the fire station.     

Heterogeneous preferences with respect to food preparation time: Foodies and quickies

Time scarcity is an important driver for food choices. Despite this, little research has been conducted on the preferences of consumers and their willingness to pay for reduced food preparation times. We have explored consumer preferences with respect to saving time in cooking, using a payment card technique with an online survey on a sample of German (486 in number) and Italian (494) consumers. Our findings differ from those of other studies on the same context of daily duties, such as commuting, which note a general willingness to pay for time-saving. Indeed, latent class analysis shows three segments: the ‘quickies’, who are willing to pay a premium for saving time; the ‘foodies’, who receive utility in cooking; and the ‘indifferent’, for whom the time needed to prepare meals is not a choice factor. Profiling within our sample indicates that Italians, young people, and large families show a higher willingness to pay for saving time in cooking. Consumer heterogeneity calls on convenience food producers for targeted marketing strategies to create value, from product development to communication and distribution.     

Sugar and Soluble Solids Changes in Refrigerated Sweet Corn (Zea mays L)

Three sweet corn (Zea mays L) genotypes, one cultivar each, were tested for sugar and soluble solids changes at 6°C for 5 days. Genotypes and cultivars were sugary (su), ‘Silver Queen’; sugary enhanced (se), ‘Incredible’ and super sweet (sh 2), ‘How Sweet It Is.’ Fructose, glucose, sucrose, maltose, total sugars and °Brix were measured. Sucrose predominated. Generally, °Brix, fructose, glucose and sucrose decreased and maltose increased, sh 2 had lowest °Brix and highest sucrose and total sugars, and su had highest °Brix and lowest sucrose and total sugars, su consisted of 3.8% total sugars (DWB); se, 7.2% and sh 2, 10.9%. Overall correlation coefficient between °Brix and total sugars was ?0.99.     

Use of High-Intensity Ultrasound to Increase the Efficiency of Imazalil in Postharvest Storage of Citrus Fruits

Imazalil (IMZ) plays a key role in the storage and marketing of Citrus fruits. It represents a very important tool in the fight against postharvest pathogens and is an efficient system for reducing economic losses due to the development of rots from Penicillium digitatum and Penicillium italicum. However, the current technologies employed to apply the fungicide by drenching, spraying, or dipping are ever much less suitable and progressive restrictions by law limit the residue level on the fruit and in the waste-water. A critical analysis of the factors affecting imazalil efficacy in postharvest preservation of Citrus fruit suggests that ultrasound could be useful to overcome these drawbacks. Data obtained confirmed a faster and deeper uptake of the fungicide in mandarins and lemons when the fruits were dipped in sonicated imazalil mixtures compared to the un-sonicated ones, allowing reduction of the dose of application and duration of the treatment. Indeed dipping for 1 min in 500 mg?L^?1 IMZ sonicated mixture produced in mandarins the same residue level of dipping for 5 min in 1,000 mg?L^?1 IMZ mixture without ultrasound. Moreover, imazalil concentration in fruit after sonication did not exceed the maximum residue limit allowed by the law. Sonication did not affect the chemical parameters, weight loss, and rind color of the fruit. No damage on the fruit surface was observed after scanning electron microscopy analyses of the rind of sonicated fruit. The data obtained open new interesting perspectives in the development of new postharvest treatment technologies for Citrus fruit.     

Evaluation of the Nanostructure of Pectin,Hemicellulose and Cellulose in the Cell Walls of Pears of Different Texture and Firmness

The nanostructure of polysaccharides is supposed to determine properties such as stiffness or diffusivity of cell walls and their functionality for various tailored properties of food. However, at present, a relation of these nano-properties with sensory texture and firmness remains to some degree unknown. In this work, water (WSP), calcium chelator (CSP) and sodium carbonate (DASP) soluble pectins, hemicellulose and cellulose, extracted from cell walls of two pear cultivars ‘Xenia’ and ‘Conference’ at their harvest times, were studied. An atomic force microscope and image analysis were used to evaluate diameter and branching of the molecules. Sensory texture of ‘Xenia’ was considered as better and its firmness (87 N) was higher than ‘Conference’ (76 N). WSP molecules were present as short molecules with a height of about 0.5 nm for both cultivars. A chain-like and branched CSP fraction had diameter of about 0.3–0.4 nm for both cultivars with a pronounced contribution of molecules with diameter of about 1 nm for ‘Xenia’, which had also higher branching index. DASP revealed similar regular structures for both cultivars however the network was much denser for ‘Xenia’. A rod-like hemicellulose molecules had length of about 20–400 nm and diameter of 1 nm for ‘Xenia’ and 1–4 nm for ‘Conference’. Cellulose diameter for both cultivars was about 23 nm. This study showed that less degraded, thicker and more branched pectin molecules were associated with higher firmness and more favourable texture. Hemicellulose provided a positive contribution to texture when they were thinner and more flexible.