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Preparation of the surface is just as important when a powder coating is to be applied as with any other method of finishing. In the case of a metallic surface it should be first cleaned so that any corrosion products, heat treatment scale, oil, grease or any other foreign matter is removed and then, preferably, chemically treated so that it is converted to a non‐metallic coating.

BASF is to erect plant in Ludwigshafen for the production of 90,000 tons of acrylic acid a year from propylene. The capital investment costs are estimated at about DM 100 million, including those for the necessary infrastructure measures.

The purpose of this paper is to identify common issues among commercial body size charts, and to propose a sizing improvement methodology without changing the number of sizes in the range. One goal is to equalize the number of people accommodated by each size within the range, and to propose a way to evaluate the effectiveness of the improvement.

The proposed method consists of three phases: (Phase I) identify target population; (Phase II) analysis of existing size charts; and (Phase III) improvement of the initial size chart. Phase III is the key process, which includes repeated manipulation of intersize intervals of the three primary measurements (chest, waist and hip) for improved consistency of overall and interior accommodate rates among the three measurement categories. A program was developed in RStudio® to generate trials and side-by-side bar plots for visualization of the differences in accommodate rates.

The main issue in commercial body size charts observed is the inconsistency of the interior accommodation rates among measurement categories. Some other issues include: lack of important measurements, failure to provide ranges and gaps between measurement ranges of adjacent sizes.

This paper proposed a complete work flow to improve body size charts to fix the common issues. The method integrates historic size information and new anthropometric information extracted from a national-scale sizing database (e.g. SizeUSA). The study also brought association of the secondary body measurements with primary measurements without using linear regression. Hence, information from body size charts can be more efficiently used in acquiring other size information.

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the distribution of dwelling airtightness test results for a developer, between 2007 and 2011. The changes in airtightness test results over time are discussed, and links between the airtightness test results and the construction technique are investigated.

A data set of airtightness test results was statistically analysed by applying probabilistic model of the distribution and using Bayesian parameter estimation techniques.

The inferred background distributions, those estimated to describe dwelling performance before secondary sealing, suggest an improvement in airtightness between 2008 and 2011, the mode decreases from 5.46±0.09 m³/m²h to 4.12±0.07 m³/m²h with a corresponding shift in practice towards a more target-driven approach. The most airtight dwellings are constructed from reinforced concrete frame, followed by “traditional” (dry lined masonry), timber frame and lightweight steel frame.

This study is limited by the size of the available data set (901 dwellings), and by the fact that the data set contains a larger proportion of flats to houses; however, the metadata has enabled the exploration of the link between construction practices and airtightness.

Developers need better guidance surrounding how to meet more stringent airtightness requirements through improvements to the primary air barrier, with incentives and support to deliver changes in practice. Furthermore, if a large number of dwellings undergo secondary sealing, this may have implications for the long-term efficiency of the dwelling stock.

This analysis investigates two issues that have not previously been studied on a significant number of dwellings: the changes to the distribution of airtightness results over time and the link between construction methods and airtightness.

The purpose of this study was to explore body shapes among overweight and obese men and examine fit issues based on the current ASTM sizing standards related to the categorized body shapes.

The SizeUSA data and the additional data extracted using the ImageTwin (TC2-19) software were used. To categorize body shapes, principal component (PC) analysis with varimax rotation, hierarchical cluster analysis for an elbow method and K-mean cluster analysis were employed. Comparing the categorized body shapes and ASTM sizing charts, a cross-tabulation was performed to test associations between fit analyses for top and bottom for the body shape groups. Furthermore, an analysis of variance and pairwise comparison were performed to identify differences in mean values of size drops between two body parts across the different body shape groups.

Using a three-dimensional (3D) body scanning technology and 3D virtual avatars, three body shapes for overweight and obese men emerged: Rectangle-curvy, bottom hourglass-hip tilt and top hourglass-straight shapes. Further, overweight and obese male consumers are not likely to find a perfect fit from apparel companies who developed their sizing charts based on the men's and big men's ASTM standards. Notably, the big men's ASTM sizing standard did not work for most overweight and obese men the United States.

Despite the notable increase in the US population that is overweight and obese, most overweight and obese men have had fit problems due to the differences in their body shapes as compared to the standardized body shape used in the current sizing system. The results of this study suggest apparel companies who are targeting overweight and obese male consumers in the United States updating their sizing systems in order to solve fit problems.

Mr. Cutter commences his classic “Rules” with a statement of the objects some or all of which a catalogue is intended to compass. I have put these objects in the form of “wants,” confining them, it will be observed, to the catalogue considered merely as a finding list I may go to the catalogue, then, with any of the following half‐dozen wants:—

The purpose of this study was to categorize the whole body shapes of overweight and obese females in the US and examine apparel fit based on the current ASTM sizing standards related to the body shapes categorized.

Body scan data from 2,672 subjects were used. To categorize their whole body shapes using 97 body measurements, principal component analysis with varimax rotation, a hierarchical cluster analysis and K-means cluster analysis were used. To compare the ASTM sizing standards for plus sizes (curvy and straight) and missy sizes (curvy and straight), five body parts (bust, under bust, waist, top hip, hip) using the formula for fit tolerance (measurement plus half of the interval) were compared with the ASTM sizing standards to determine the size appropriate for each body part.

Five whole body shapes among overweight and obese females in the US were categorized: Rectangle-curvy; parallelogram-moderately curvy; parallelogram-hip tilt; inverted trapezoid-moderately curvy and inverted trapezoid-hip tilt. When the body measurements in each body shape were compared with the current ASTM sizing systems for both misses and plus sizes, four-fifths or more of overweight and obese female adults in the US would find it difficult to obtain a perfect fit for both tops and bottoms.

Identifying whole body shapes among overweight and obese women in the US contributes significantly, as it will help apparel companies that target the markets of larger women develop a new sizing system. This study is the first attempt to analyze fit by comparing the ASTM sizing charts with body measurements in each body shape group. Further, the study contributes to the body-related literature by filling gaps in missing whole BS categories among overweight and obese females.

One of the most modern and best equipped factories of its type in the country has just been completed at St. Helens, Lancashire, by Ashdowns Ltd., a subsidiary of Pilkington Bros. Ltd., to enable the company to devote itself to recent developments in the growing plastics industry. At its opening the company threw the factory open to the press.

The purpose of the present study was to improve the fit of women’s bifurcated garments by developing an equation that can predict the crotch length accurately by using a few basic body measurements. This equation could provide a simple mass-customization approach to the design of bifurcated garments.

Demographic characteristics and easy-to-record body measurements available in the size USA database were used to predict the crotch length. Different methodologies including best subset regression, lasso regression and principal components regression were experimented with to identify the most important predictor variables and establish a relationship between the significant predictors and crotch length.

The lasso regression model provided the highest accuracy, required only five body dimensions and dealt with multicollinearity. The preliminary pattern preparation and garment fit tests indicated that by utilizing the proposed equation, patterns of customized garments could be successfully altered to match the crotch length of the customer, thereby, improving the precision and efficiency of the pattern making process.

Crotch length is a crucial measurement as it determines bifurcated garment comfort as well as aesthetic fit. The crotch length is usually estimated arbitrarily based on non-scientific methods while drafting patterns, and this increases the likelihood of dissatisfaction with the fit of the lower-body garments. The present study suggested an algorithm that could predict crotch length with 90.53% accuracy using the body dimensions height, hips, waist height, knee height and arm length.

The Equal Pay Act 1970 (which came into operation on 29 December 1975) provides for an “equality clause” to be written into all contracts of employment. S.1(2) (a) of the 1970 Act (which has been amended by the Sex Discrimination Act 1975) provides: