Thesis (M.Sc.(Agric.))(Animal Science)--University of Pretoria, 2004. / Title from opening screen (viewed March 27, 2006). Includes summaries in English and Afrikaans. Includes bibliographical references.

The cashmere industry is an important sector in Mongolia, and it has the potential to contribute to the growth of the economy and poverty alleviation. It provides income and employment for over a third of the population, and raw cashmere and cashmere products are the Mongolia¡¦s third largest official export products after copper and gold. Mongolia is the world¡¦s second largest producer of raw cashmere, producing over 20 percent of world supply next to the neighboring country China. Nevertheless, 55.9% of the raw cashmere is used for manufacturing finished and semi-finished products, the capacity utilization rate remains low at all stages of processing, and processing firms are losing their competitiveness. Firstly, through the review of related literature, this study finds out the key issues of cashmere industry in Mongolia. Then, based on Michael Porter¡¦s Diamond Model with AHP method, this study develops a hierarchical framework including a goal, criteria, sub-criteria, and alternatives affecting the competitiveness of cashmere industry. Secondly, this study intended to develop questionnaires for experts including CEOs and managers from cashmere industry, government organizations, and research institutions. The main purpose is to find out the relations among the factors, and give them their weights of importance, and it points out its further competitive advantages of Cashmere Industry. As a result, 25 responses were received at the end of the survey. The collected data from the survey was analyzed through the AHP approach. We have calculated a composite weight to each factor and put the factors in order based on the weight that each factor has got. Our study suggests that the cashmere industry in Mongolia should further upgrade its working efficiency in order to create a more sustainable advantage. In addition, our results further confirm that a government can play a significant role in creating competitive advantages. Finally, on the basis of the above results, we proposed several policy recommendations for relevant organizations in order to help cashmere industry upgrade their competitiveness by increasing the capacity of producing more value added products.

No description available.

Zugl.: Hohenheim, Univ., Diss., 2005

Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of Adelaide, Dept. of Animal Sciences, 1990. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 246-280) and index.

Thesis (M. For. Sc.)--University of Canterbury, 2006. / Typescript (photocopy). Includes bibliographical references (leaves 170-175). Also available via the World Wide Web.

This research details an investigation into processes employing laser technology to create design-led three-dimensional textiles. An analysis of historical and contemporary methods for making three-dimensional textiles categorises these as processes that construct a three-dimensional textile, processes that apply or remove material from an existing textile to generate three-dimensionality or processes that form an existing textile into a three-dimensional shape. Techniques used in these processes are a combination of joining, cutting, forming or embellishment. Laser processing is embedded in textile manufacturing for cutting and marking. This research develops three novel processes: laser-assisted template pleating which offers full design freedom and may be applied to both textile and non-textile materials. The language of origami is used to describe designs and inspire new design. laser pre-processing of cashmere cloth which facilitates surface patterning through laser interventions in the manufacturing cycle. laser sintering on textile substrates which applies additive manufacturing techniques to textiles for the generation of three-dimensional surface patterning and structures. A method is developed for determining optimum parameters for laser processing materials. It may be used by designers for parameter selection for processing new materials or parameter modification when working across systems.

Thesis (M. For. Sc.)--University of Canterbury, 2006. / Title from PDF title page (viewed on Feb. 9, 2008). Includes bibliographical references (leaves 170-175). Also issued in print.

This study examined the differences in the chemical composition, particularly fatty acids, of the lipid extracted from the fibre of bucks, does and castrated goats. The study provides a more detailed understanding of the chemical composition of buck fibre lipid and how it varies throughout the year, and also details the effect of body region and nutrition on the production and chemical composition of lipid from buck fibre. Lipid was extracted with either petroleum ether (non-polar) or chloroform/methanol azeotrope (polar) and analysed by gas chromatography and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. The more polar solvent system extracted larger amounts of lipid and more of each individual fatty acid. The following buck specific ethyl branched fatty acids were identified: 2-ethylhexanoic, 4-ethylhexanoic, 2-ethyloctanoic, 4-ethyloctanoic, 6-ethyloctanoic, 2-ethyldecanoic, 4-ethyldecanoic, 2-ethyldodecanoic, 6-ethyldodecanoic, 4-ethyldodecanoic, 2-ethyltetradecanoic, 6-ethyltetradecanoic, 4-ethyltetradecanoic, 2-ethylhexadecanoic and 4-ethyloctadecanoic acids. Of these buck specific fatty acids only 4-ethylhexanoic (T), 4-ethyloctanoic, 4-ethyldecanoic, 4-ethyldodecanoic, 6-ethyldodecanoic (T), 4-ethyltetradecanoic, 2-ethylhexadecanoic (T) and 4-ethylhexadecanoic acids have been previously identified or tentatively identified (T) in buck fibre extracts. This shows that the chemical composition of buck fibre lipid is more complex than previously reported, and that it may be more difficult than previously thought to artificially duplicate the odour of the buck. Buck fibre samples had lower average concentrations of 2-methylpropanoic, 2-methylbutanoic, iso-pentadecanoic, anteiso-pentadecanoic, iso-hexadecanoic, anteiso-heptadecanoic, iso-octadecanoic and anteiso-nonadecanoic acids as compared with fibre samples from does, spayed does, or wethers that were castrated at one month of age. The reduced concentrations of these fatty acids in buck fibre extracts were likely to be due to the synthesis of ethyl branched derivatives of iso and anteiso fatty acids. Buck fibre samples had higher concentrations of benzoic acid as compared with fibre samples from does, spayed does, or wethers that were castrated at one month of age. The significance of these results is that non buck specific fatty acids may also make a contribution to the odour of bucks. When fibre samples were collected at various times throughout the year, it was found that the bucks had increased amounts of lipid and ethyl branched fatty acids in fibre samples shorn from March to September, as compared with fibre samples shorn in November and January. The increase in the amount of lipid and ethyl branched fatty acids corresponded with both the rutting period of the buck and the period when the buck odour was increased. This suggests that ethyl branched fatty acids could be pheromones. The variation in lipid content and fatty acid composition was also examined between fibre samples collected from different body regions of the buck during April, as alterations in sebaceous gland activity around the neck during rutting have been reported. It was found that the average amount of lipid in the neck region of the bucks was not statistically higher than the average amounts in the midside and hind regions. However, the ethyl branched fatty acid concentrations were statistically higher in the fibre from around the neck as compared with the fibre from the other body regions, which is consistent with the odour of the buck being most pronounced around the head and neck region. The lipid content and composition of fibre samples from bucks fed high and low quality diets (lucerne and pangola grass, respectively) was examined to determine the effect of nutrition on buck specific components. The high quality diet increased the amount of lipid and ethyl branched fatty acids in fibre samples collected in April from the neck, midside and hind regions, as compared with fibre samples from the corresponding body regions from bucks fed the low quality diet. Thus it may be possible for the pheromone levels of bucks to be increased by simply providing them with good nutrition. The lipid content and ethyl branched fatty acid concentrations of fibre samples increased earlier in the year for the lucerne fed bucks as compared with the pangola grass fed bucks. The lucerne fed bucks had increased concentrations of ethyl branched fatty acids in fibre samples shorn during December to June (6 months) whereas the pangola grass fed bucks had increased concentrations of ethyl branched fatty acids in fibre samples shorn during April to August (4 months). These observations show that good nutrition can result in both the earlier production of ethyl branched fatty acids and an extended period when ethyl branched fatty acids are produced. This suggests that nutrition can be used to manipulate pheromone levels in the buck. The period when the ethyl branched fatty acids were increased corresponded with the period when the plasma luteinizing hormone (LH) and testosterone concentrations, odour and sebaceous gland volume of the bucks were increased, which supports the assumption that ethyl branched fatty acids are involved in odour production and act as pheromones.

Includes bibliographical references (leaves 246-280) and index. Deals with the domestication of the goat and the history of the cashmere industry; investigates fibre physiology and production in general; and gives a detailed account of skin histology and fibre production of goats with particular reference to the cashmere-bearing animal; followed by research related to cashmere fibre production