Adriana Gorea, Amy Dorie and Martha L. Hall
This study aims to investigate if engineered compression variations using moisture-responsive knitted fabric design can improve breast support in seamless knitted sports bras.
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to investigate if engineered compression variations using moisture-responsive knitted fabric design can improve breast support in seamless knitted sports bras.
Design/methodology/approach
An experimental approach was used to integrate a novel moisture-responsive fabric panel into a seamless knitted bra, and the resulting compression variability in dry versus wet conditions were compared with those of a control bra. Air permeability and elongation testing of between breasts fabric panels was conducted in dry and wet conditions, followed by three-dimensional body scanning of eight human participants wearing the two bras in similar conditions. Questionnaires were used to evaluate perceived comfort and breast support of both bras in both conditions.
Findings
Air permeability test results showed that the novel panel had the highest variance between dry and wet conditions, confirming its moisture-responsive design, and increased its elongation coefficient in both wale and course directions in wet condition. There were significant main effects of bra type and body location on breast compression measurements. Breast circumferences in the novel bra were significantly larger than in the control bra condition. The significant two-way interaction between bra type and moisture condition showed that the control bra lost compressive power in wet condition, whereas the novel bra became more compressive when wet. Changes in compression were confirmed by participants’ perception of tighter straps and drier breast comfort.
Originality/value
These findings add to the limited scientific knowledge of moisture adaptive bra design using engineered knitted fabrics via advanced manufacturing technologies, with possible applications beyond sports bras, such as bras for breast surgery recovering patients.
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Adriana Gorea, Fatma Baytar and Eulanda Sanders
The purpose of this research was to investigate the effect of knit fabric stitch patterns, as indicated by fabric thickness variations, on moisture responsiveness for different…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this research was to investigate the effect of knit fabric stitch patterns, as indicated by fabric thickness variations, on moisture responsiveness for different seamless knitted wool-based fabrics.
Design/methodology/approach
Forty fabrics were created on a Santoni Top-2 circular knitting machine by using combinations of jersey, tuck and float stitches in combinations of wool/Nylon, wool, and spandex yarns. Physical properties of the knit fabrics as well as changes in fabric thickness during dry, wet, after 30 min air-drying and after 60 min air-drying conditions were compared. Repeated measures ANOVA tests and bivariate correlation analysis were conducted.
Findings
The results indicated that changes in moisture conditions had a significant effect on fabric thickness, and these changes differed by stitch pattern groups. Float patterns and tuck/rib patterns showed a continued relaxation of fabric thickness through all conditions, but tuck stitches and rib stitches showed a thickness recovery. Wool swatches, unlike the wool/Nylon swatches, increased their average thickness in after 60 min air-drying condition compared to 30 min air-drying condition.
Originality/value
This research documents the moisture responsive properties for wool based yarns, as emerging natural functional materials for seamless knitting industry, with applications in garments for activewear as well as healthcare.
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Adriana Gorea and Sarah Megivern
The purpose of this study was to investigate the physical properties of a full-size range (S-XXL) of a commonly used brand of medical grade GCS, aimed to provide consistent leg…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this study was to investigate the physical properties of a full-size range (S-XXL) of a commonly used brand of medical grade GCS, aimed to provide consistent leg pressures across all sizes, assisting patients recovering from Achilles tendon rupture surgery.
Design/methodology/approach
This experimental study analyzed the fabric properties of a full-size range of GCS and evaluated their applied pressures on the Ankle and Calf levels of 14 patients recovering from Achilles tendon rupture surgery. ANOVA was run across multiple dependent variables, Density, Thickness, Weight, Air Permeability, Force, Elongation and Stiffness of stocking fabrics.
Findings
Results revealed significant effects for several factors. Sock Size had a significant main effect on Density, Thickness and Force. Level had a significant main effect on Weight, but no interaction effects were significant. Air Permeability was significantly influenced by its main effect and by its interaction with Sock Size. No significant main effects or interactions were found for Elongation. Both Sock Size and Level had significant main effects on Stiffness. The Pressure results showed that the Level variable had a significant effect on Pressure, explaining 40.4% of the variance in Pressure.
Research limitations/implications
Because of the chosen research approach, samples and participants, the research results may lack some generalizability.
Practical implications
The results highlight the inconsistent fabric properties across a size range of medical grade GCS, with the larger sizes having smaller differences between pressures on the Calf relative to Ankle than the smaller sizes.
Originality/value
This paper fulfils an identified need to study the size range of GCS and the material properties in relation to body pressures. Understanding these differences could help GCS manufacturers improve their sock sizing design process, resulting in more consistent pressure properties across sock sizes, and better therapeutic and recovery patient experience.
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Jenna Jacobson, Adriana Gomes Rinaldi and Janice Rudkowski
The paper aims to examine how employees influence their employer’s brand by applying Taylor’s (1999) six segment message strategy wheel in an employee influencer context.
Abstract
Purpose
The paper aims to examine how employees influence their employer’s brand by applying Taylor’s (1999) six segment message strategy wheel in an employee influencer context.
Design/methodology/approach
The research uses a content analysis of employees’ public social media posts – including captions and images – to analyze the message strategies employees use to promote their employers.
Findings
While ego and social were popular message strategies in both the images and captions, the findings evidence the varying message strategies employees use in text-based versus image-based messages. Four “imagined audiences” of employee influencers are identified: current customers, prospective customers, current employees and prospective employees.
Research limitations/implications
The research provides insight into how employees act as influencers in building their employer brand on social media.
Practical implications
A unique measurement tool is developed that can be used by companies and future researchers to decode employees’ online communications.
Originality/value
This research contributes to theory and practice in the following important ways. First, the research provides a modernization of an existing framework from an offline setting to an applied industry context in an online setting. Second, this research focuses on a subtype of social media influencer, the employee influencer, which is an underdeveloped area of research. Third, a unique measurement tool to analyze text-based and image-based social media data is developed that can be used by companies and future researchers to decode employees’ online communications.