Microwave-assisted and ultrasound-assisted extraction assays were used to isolate total flavonoids (TF) from Osmanthus fragrans flowers. The effects of the solid-liquid ratio, ethanol concentration, microwave power, microwave extraction time, ultrasonic power and ultrasonic extraction time on the yield of TF were studied. A sequential combination of microwave- and ultrasound-assisted extraction...

After technical textiles and functional textiles, also smart textiles came into force a few years ago. The term ‘smart textiles’ covers a broad range. The application possibilities are only limited by our imagination and creativity. This paper gives an overview of the functions that can be achieved by smart textiles in general. In vehicles as well, smart textiles can introduce new features. Two...

A brief account of various paths used in the development of ink-jet printing for textiles has been reported. Thi s technology has achieved considerable success till the production stage and a lot of R&D work is being done to improve it further. It is a clean and environment-friendly process that reduces printing duration and costs by increasing productivity of pre-production in printing process...

First.?A peculiar physiological effect that I met with first in 1862, has not, as far as I know, been observed or published. It occurred in the person of a medical officer, who had served in India about eighteen years. Always fond of gardening, he had purchased a new house ; and, with his usual energy, laid out his compound in the most tasteful manner, with green plots of grass and numerous flo...

Bees, like humans, can continue to see a surface from its color even when the scene's global illuminant changes (which is a phenomenon called color constancy). It is not known, however, whether they can also generate color-constant behavior in more natural complex scenes that are lit by multiple lights simultaneously, conditions in which most computational models of color constancy fail. To tes...

ZnO nanostructures were manipulated, via a low-temperature solution process, from pure nanorod arrays to complex nanostructures of microflowers on nanorod arrays with adjusted quantities of flowers. We proposed the mechanism of local dissolution-driven growth to rationally discuss the novel growth process. These nanostructures were used as photoanodes in dye-sensitized solar cells. Compared to ...

This article presents a facile approach for the preparation of durable and robust superhydrophobic textiles by simply dip coating in a nanocomposite solution of fluoro-free organosilanes. The superhydrophobic textiles exhibit good water repellency and excellent mechanical, chemical and environmental stability.

Greenhouse is a kind of agricultural building structure with glass or plastic roof, where the vegetables or flowers can grow well year round by controlling the inside climatic environment. Fig. 1 shows commercial multispan greenhouses in China. The closed environment of a greenhouse has its own unique requirements, compared with outdoor production. Pests and diseases, and extremes of heat and h...

The objective of this study was to determine the spectral characteristic of nectar-producing flowers visited by nectarivorous birds in urban areas. This study was carried out in the central area of the city of Taubaté, in the northeast of the State of São Paulo. The sample areas included green areas, such as squares and parks, and the vegetation of streets and avenues. Twelve plant species were...