The cocoon of the commercial silkworm Bombyx mori is used as a model natural nonwoven composite to formulate a model for structural properties of nonwoven composites. The model is based upon open cell foam structures for the intrinsic undamaged elastic properties using the component materials in the cocoon, combined with the effect of gradual loss of connectivity in the interfiber bonding as th...

"Peritonitis fibrosa incapsulata", first described in 1907, is a condition characterized by encasement of the bowel with a thick fibrous membrane. This condition was renamed as "abdominal cocoon" in 1978. It presents as small bowel obstruction clinically. 35 cases of abdominal cocoon have been reported in the literature over the last three decades. Abdominal cocoon is more common in adolescent ...

African wild silkmoth, Gonometa postica Walker (Lepidoptera: Lasiocampidae), were reared indoors in order to examine the influence of rearing conditions on the structure and properties of silk cocoon shells and degummed fibers by using a scanning electron microscope, an Instron tensile tester, and a thermogravimetric analyzer. The cocoons reared indoors showed inferior quality in weight, length...

Cocoon related characteristics are economically important traits in the silkworm, Bombyx mori L. (Lepidoptera: Bombycidae). In this study a genetic linkage map was developed that identified QTL controlling the cocoon weight, cocoon shell weight, and cocoon shell percentage using 161 amplified fragment length polymorphism (AFLP) markers. Twenty PstI/TaqI primer combinations were employed to geno...

Background. Abdominal cocoon, or sclerosing encapsulating peritonitis, is a rare condition characterized by partial or total encasement of small bowel and mesentery by a thick fibrocollagenous sack that looks like a cocoon. Within the sack, bowel loops are drawn together causing intestinal obstruction.Case presentation. We report on a 57-year-old female patient who developed a very unusual comp...

The abdominal cocoon is a rare cause of intestinal obstruction that is usually diagnosed at the time of laparotomy. It is usually of unknown origin, although at times, it may be seen secondary to a variety of conditions. Tuberculosis is an infrequently implicated cause of abdominal cocoon, and has only occasionally been reported previously in the Literature. This paper presents our experience w...