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Synthetic Fibre

Definition

Fibre manufactured from regenerated cellulose (rayon, acetate) or polymer chemistry (nylon, polyester, acrylic, polypropylene, spandex, kevlar). Identified by birefringence, FTIR and pyrolysis GC-MS.

Related terms

Anagen / Catagen / Telogen
Hair growth phases. Anagen is the active growing phase (about 85 percent of scalp hairs), catagen the brief transition, telogen the resting...
Cortex
The middle, and largest, layer of the hair shaft. It contains cortical cells, pigment granules (melanin), and cortical fusi (air spaces). The...
Cuticle
The waxy, polymer layer covering the outer surface of leaf epidermal cells. It protects against water loss and herbivory but, forensically, it...
Follicular Tag
Translucent sheath tissue adhering to the root of a forcibly pulled hair. Contains nucleated epithelial cells from the inner root sheath and...
Medulla
The central canal of the hair shaft, which may be continuous, interrupted, fragmented, or absent. Medullary pattern and the medullary index (medulla...
Medullary Index
The ratio of the medulla diameter to the total hair shaft diameter. In companion animal hair identification, a medullary index above 0.5...
Natural Fibre
Fibre of biological or mineral origin. Animal (wool, silk, cashmere, mohair, alpaca), vegetable (cotton, jute, flax, hemp, sisal, coir) or mineral (asbestos;...

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