Simultaneous Fixation of Wrinkle-Free Finish and Reactive Dye on Cotton Using Response Surface Methodology

Abstract

In printing and resin finishing of cotton fabrics, the curing step is involved twice, firstly for fixation of reactive dye and secondly for the fixation of resin for proper cross-linking. In developing country like Pakistan, where cotton is a major portion of textile exports, the elimination of one fixation stage is economical and advantageous. This study dealt with the simultaneous fixation of wrinkle-free finish (resin) and reactive dye printing for cost effectiveness. The processed route of treatment imparted a maximum dry crease recovery angle of 230° and color strength up to 89.89%. The produced fabrics were characterized using crocking fastness (dry and wet), color strength sum %, color fastness to laundry, crease recovery angle, and wrinkle recovery by appearance method. Response surface optimizer gave good composite desirability value (0.08300) with color strength % of up to 73.73 and dry crease recovery angle up to 218°.

Keywords

resin reactive printing simultaneous DCRA

The history of cotton dates back to ancient times, and Pakistan stands fourth in global rankings with respect to cotton production (Malik & Ahsan, 2016). About 7.8 million acres of land in Pakistan were cultivated with cotton in the fiscal year 2015–2016; the crop holds up to 10% share in the country’s gross domestic product (Rehman et al., 2016). For the purpose of dyeing and printing cellulosic substrates, reactive dyes are the first choice due to their many advantages over other available dyestuffs. Thus, a large amount of reactive dyes are applied to cellulosic materials—more than 80,000 tons annually (Hessel, Allegre, Maisseu, Charbit, & Moulin, 2007).

There are various types of finishes available on the market to make cotton fabric iron- or wrinkle-free, among them citric, maleic, and butanetetracarboxylic acids. Additionally, dimethylol dihydroxy ethylene urea (DMDHEU) has widely been used to restrict the slippage of chains, imparting a wrinkle-free effect (Yao, Wang, Ye, & Yang, 2013). When it comes to dyeing the cellulosic fabrics, reactive dyes are preferred colorants due to their various advantages including wide gamut and requirement of alkaline pH for fabric fixation (Khatri, Peerzada, Mohsin, & White, 2015).

The reactive printing and wrinkle-free finishes require basic and acidic environments for fixation and cross-linking, respectively. These processes require proper conditions to complete their functions, and it would be economical if these two processes could somehow be combined. Asim, Kausar, and Mahmood (2013) reported a dry crease recovery angle (DCRA) of up to 140° by single-stage curing of reactive dye prints and resins. Interestingly, it has also been reported that the concentration of wrinkle-free finish does not significantly influence the DCRA (Asim & Mahmood, 2011). There are very limited data available on the simultaneous fixation of reactive dye prints and wrinkle-free finishes on the cotton fabric. Although various finishes have been combined to reduce energy and cost, like wrinkle-free and flame retardants (Uddin, 2013), less consideration has been given to a combined reactive printing and finishing process. This could be due to the opposite requirement of pH fixation levels. The purpose of this study was to optimize conditions to achieve the maximum DCRA and fabric color strength through simultaneous processes of printing and finishing, which could be a vital step for the textile industry.

Materials and Method

Materials

Fabric

The plain-woven, bleached cotton fabric (100%) used in this study was sourced from a local textile industry and had the following construction properties: 25 × 24/64 × 60 (where 25 is the warp count, 24 is the weft count, 64 is ends per inch, and 60 is picks per inch), with a surface density of 125 g/cm².

Chemicals

The DMDHEU-based, wrinkle-free finish Reaknitt EC and Cotoblanc PCS, a washing-off agent for reactive dyes, were supplied by CHT Pakistan. Analytical-grade magnesium chloride, sodium hexametaphosphate, acetic acid, and sodium bicarbonate were purchased from Sigma-Aldrich (USA). Drimarene red K4BL (a reactive dye) was supplied by Archroma, Pakistan (Clariant). Commercial-grade urea and sodium alginate were also sourced from a local printing industry and used as received.

Method

Routes

There were two routes available for the simultaneous fixation of reactive dye and wrinkle-free finish on cotton fabric. In the first, the fabric was printed, dried, and the finish recipe padded on the printed fabric before simultaneous curing. In the second, the fabric was first padded with the finish recipe, dried, and printed with the reactive dye recipe. Then, the fabric was cured to have simultaneous fixation. The route in which the fabric was first printed gave rise to color bleeding and sharpness flaws when dipped in the finish recipe; thus the second route, in which the fabric was padded with resin and dried first before printing, was chosen for this study.

Wrinkle-Free Formulation

The required concentration (in g/L) of Reaknitt EC was added to distilled water at room temperature and stirred homogeneously for mixing at 100 rpm. Then, the required quantity of magnesium chloride (in g/L) was added to the above formulation as a catalyst, and the contents were stirred. Just prior to application, the pH value of the liquid was adjusted with 1% (v/v) acetic acid solution when required. The fabric was padded with the above mentioned recipe with the help of a padder (Model VPM 250-A, Tsuji Dyeing Machine Manufacturing Company, Japan). The fabric was dried on a lab scale stenter machine (OPT-1, Tsuji Dyeing Machine Manufacturing Company).

Print Paste Formulation

Sodium alginate (100 g/kg), urea (10 g/kg), sodium hexametaphosphate (10 g/kg), and sodium bicarbonate (20 g/kg) were added in water to make 1 kg of the stock paste formulation with a viscosity of 45–50 dPa (adjusted with the addition of distilled water when required). Drimarene red dye (15 g/kg) was added in the stock paste and stirred homogenously to form a smooth printing paste just before printing to avoid dye hydrolysis under basic conditions.

Application of Wrinkle Finish and Printing Paste

The fabric was first padded with the resin recipe and dried at different temperatures, as per the design of experiment (DOE) given in Table 2. Then, the fabric was printed with the printing paste using an automatic flat-bed printing machine (Model-SP-300AR, Tsuji Dyeing Machine Manufacturing), dried, and cured on the stenter machine at temperatures described in DOE (Table 2) to achieve a simultaneous fixation of the reactive dye and wrinkle-free finish. Then, the fabric was washed thoroughly with a hot liquid containing 1–2 g/L of Cotoblanc PCS to wash off the unfixed reactive dyes efficiently. The samples then were washed with cold water and finally dried at 60°C.

Response Surface Methodology (RSM)

RSM is a statistical tool that optimizes the response of input variables on the output, and it has widely been used in textiles and other industries (Azeem et al., 2015; Mohana, Shrivastava, Divecha, & Madamwar, 2008; Siddique et al., 2017; Tanyolac, 2008; Zarei, Niaei, Salari, & Khataee, 2010). Box Behnken is a statistical tool used in RSM that takes a center point reading based on two extreme points chosen by the user.

For the optimization of the process and to remove all factors and interactions that are not significant, a backward elimination step was introduced. First, the optimum amount of resin application with respect to the strength loss of cotton fabric was selected by applying 50, 100, and 150 g/L of resin, as it is well known that the application of this material causes decreased fabric strength (Khatri et al., 2015); for instance, while about 17% of tensile strength loss was observed at 100 g/L of Reaknitt EC resin—which could be attributed to the low formaldehyde formulations (Mukthy, Yousuf, & Anwarul, 2014)—up to 40% of tensile strength loss was observed at 150 g/L of resin. Thus, we finalized 100 g/L of resin finish for further experiments.

For the printing process, 15 g of drimarene red dye per kilogram of stock paste were used for all samples. The dyeing and finishing depended on pH value, drying time, drying temperature, curing temperature, and curing time. These factors and their high and low levels are mentioned in Table 1.

Table 1.

Factors and Levels.

Factor	pH	Drying Time (Min)	Drying Temperature (°C)	Curing Time (Min)	Curing Temperature (°C)
Level
High	7	6	80	3	180
Low	5	2	60	1	160

Crocking Fastness

The treated fabric was tested for both wet crocking fastness (WCF) and dry crocking fastness (DCF) using a Roaches Crockmeter (Advanced Dyeing Solutions, United Kingdom) under an American Association of Textile Chemists and Colorists (AATCC 08) (colorfastness to crocking: Crockmeter method) Crockmeter. After testing, the fabric was compared with the gray scale for rating.

Crease Recovery Angle

To determine the crease recovery angle of treated fabrics, the AATCC 66 method (wrinkle recovery (WR) of woven fabrics: recovery angle) was employed, using a GatesLab crease recovery angle tester (Gk-10, France).

Percent (%) Strength Sum

The average strength of dye on fabric is also called the % strength sum, a different scale used in data color tables in various software. An X-rite spectrophotometer (7000A, ColorEye, USA) was used to measure the color values. The average % strength of the printed fabric sample was calculated using Equation 1:

\begin{array}{l} % Strength sum = (color value sample \div color value sum of standard) \times 100 . \end{array}

WR Testing: Appearance Method

AATCC 128 (WR of fabrics: appearance method) was used to check the WR by appearance method. T rating ranges from WR 1 to 5, where 5 is the best result and 1 a very poor rating.

Results and Discussions

All characterizations were performed from three different positions of the treated fabric. For a simultaneous process, the effect of each parameter on final product properties, like color strength, crease recovery angle, and crocking fastness, is crucial. As the printing and finishing processes require different pH levels for fixation, a proper balance of conditions to achieve the maximum color strength and crease recovery angle is the key to success. The average results of % strength sum and DCRA are shown in Table 2.

Table 2.

Box Behnken Design for Simultaneous Fixation of Resin and Reactive Dye.

Sr. No	pH	Drying Temperature (°C)	Drying Time (min)	Curing Temperature (°C)	Curing Time (Min)	DCRA	Color Strength (%)	DCF	WCF
1	5	60	4	170	2	190 ± 2	60.08 ± 0.38	4 ± 0.00	4 ± 0.58
2	7	60	4	170	2	180 ± 1	63.96 ± 2.09	4 ± 0.00	4 ± 0.29
3	5	80	4	170	2	184 ± 2	53.12 ± 3.01	3.5 ± 0.50	3 ± 0.29
4	7	80	4	170	2	180 ± 2	64.91 ± 6.68	4 ± 0.50	3 ± 0.00
5	6	70	2	160	2	170 ± 1	67.38 ± 0.72	4.5 ± 0.50	3.5 ± 0.50
6	6	70	6	160	2	175 ± 4	69.63 ± 7.89	4.5 ± 0.00	3 ± 0.50
7	6	70	2	180	2	172 ± 2	62.99 ± 1.57	4 ± 0.50	3.5 ± 0.29
8	6	70	6	180	2	178 ± 1	65.56 ± 2.89	4 ± 1.00	3 ± 0.29
9	6	60	4	170	1	160 ± 4	45.91 ± 0.9	4.5 ± 0.00	3 ± 1.00
10	6	80	4	170	1	165 ± 3	51.27 ± 1.28	3.5 ± 0.50	3 ± 0.00
11	6	60	4	170	3	180 ± 3	60.67 ± 1.53	4 ± 0.29	3 ± 0.00
12	6	80	4	170	3	176 ± 0	60.87 ± 2.03	4 ± 0.00	3.5 ± 0.50
13	5	70	2	170	2	190 ± 1	58.73 ± 4.17	3.5 ± 0.29	3 ± 0.29
14	7	70	2	170	2	180 ± 2	68.92 ± 2.12	4 ± 0.00	3 ± 0.29
15	5	70	6	170	2	184 ± 3	66.64 ± 2.94	4 ± 0.50	3 ± 0.00
16	7	70	6	170	2	174 ± 3	69.69 ± 2.02	4.5 ± 0.29	4 ± 0.29
17	6	70	4	160	1	160 ± 3	55.41 ± 1.45	4 ± 0.58	3.5 ± 0.29
18	6	70	4	180	1	200 ± 5	50.11 ± 0.09	3.5 ± 0.29	3.5 ± 0.00
19	6	70	4	160	3	190 ± 2	67.88 ± 3.43	4 ± 0.29	4 ± 0.50
20	6	70	4	180	3	210 ± 9	70.77 ± 2.25	4.5 ± 0.29	3 ± 0.00
21	6	60	2	170	2	200 ± 5	61.97 ± 2.51	4 ± 0.29	4 ± 0.29
22	6	80	2	170	2	186 ± 5	68.22 ± 1.14	4 ± 0.50	3 ± 0.29
23	6	60	6	170	2	186 ± 5	72.25 ± 1.08	4 ± 0.29	3 ± 0.29
24	6	80	6	170	2	195 ± 5	75.21 ± 0.77	4.5 ± 0.29	3.5 ± 0.29
25	5	70	4	160	2	180 ± 3	61.01 ± 1.96	4 ± 0.00	3 ± 0.00
26	7	70	4	160	2	172 ± 3	63.33 ± 0.84	4 ± 0.29	3 ± 0.29
27	5	70	4	180	2	210 ± 4	59.95 ± 0.97	4 ± 0.29	3.5 ± 0.29
28	7	70	4	180	2	205 ± 1	71.89 ± 1.57	4 ± 0.50	3 ± 0.29
29	6	70	2	170	1	180 ± 7	60.61 ± 0.61	3.5 ± 0.50	3.5 ± 0.29
30	6	70	6	170	1	187 ± 6	61.12 ± 0.92	4 ± 0.29	3.5 ± 0.50
31	6	70	2	170	3	195 ± 4	62.21 ± 1.37	4 ± 0.00	3 ± 0.29
32	6	70	6	170	3	215 ± 8	67.77 ± 4.39	4 ± 0.29	3 ± 0.50
33	5	70	4	170	1	200 ± 7	57.31 ± 2.32	4 ± 0.50	3 ± 0.29
34	7	70	4	170	1	190 ± 7	59.82 ± 2.05	3.5 ± 0.50	4 ± 0.50
35	5	70	4	170	3	235 ± 15	73.54 ± 1.82	4.5 ± 0.29	3.5 ± 0.87
36	7	70	4	170	3	230 ± 11	89.86 ± 1.93	4.5 ± 0.29	4 ± 0.50
37	6	60	4	160	2	195 ± 5	61 ± 1.94	4 ± 0.76	4 ± 0.29
38	6	80	4	160	2	200 ± 5	64.3 ± 2.61	3 ± 0.50	3 ± 0.29
39	6	60	4	180	2	227 ± 17	68.6 ± 1.88	3 ± 0.29	3 ± 0.29
40	6	80	4	180	2	225 ± 10	68.99 ± 1.12	4 ± 0.29	3.5 ± 0.29
41	6	70	4	170	2	200 ± 1	66.56 ± 0.46	4.5 ± 0.58	3 ± 0.50
42	6	70	4	170	2	202 ± 2	66.55 ± 3.01	4 ± 0.00	3 ± 0.58
43	6	70	4	170	2	196 ± 2	66.51 ± 0.36	4.5 ± 0.29	3 ± 0.58
44	6	70	4	170	2	198 ± 3	66.61 ± 0.28	3.5 ± 0.29	3.5 ± 0.29
45	6	70	4	170	2	207 ± 3	65.99 ± 2.23	4 ± 0.00	3 ± 0.00
46	6	70	4	170	2	203 ± 5	65.39 ± 3.11	4.5 ± 0.29	3.5 ± 0.29

Note. DCRA = dry crease recovery angle; DCF = dry crocking fastness; WCF = wet crocking fastness.

Effect of Variables on Outputs

By using Minitab 17 (statistical software), a backward elimination process removed statistically insignificant variables from the list, based on p values when the Box Behnken DOE was analyzed (p ≥ .05 are considered nonsignificant).

Effect of parameters on DCRA

Factor levels that affected the DCRAs of simultaneous resin and reactive dye-printed cotton fabric are given in Figure 1.

Figure 1.

Main effect plot of variables on dry crease recovery angle.

Crease recovery angles increased alongside curing temperature and time, from 160°C to 180°C and 1 to 3 min, respectively. From p values, it was observed that the curing time (p = .002) had a stronger influence on DCRA than the curing temperature (p = .003). A similar increasing trend in WR angle with an increase in curing time (from 2 to 2.5 min) has been reported in the literature (Yang & Kan, 2015). The drying time had a positive influence on DCRA when it was increased from 2 to 4 min, but a decrease in DCRA was noted with further increase in drying time from 4 to 6 min. The phenomena could be due to the negative effect of overdrying, which might have hindered hydrochloric acid (HCL) formation during curing; the role of the catalyst magnesium chloride is to produce HCL during curing, which triggers cross-linking of resin with fabric. The simultaneous effect of two different parameters on a single response has been represented in surface graphs (Figure 2 and 3).

Figure 2.

Surface plot of dry crease recovery angle versus curing time and temperature.

Figure 3.

Surface plot of dry crease recovery angle versus drying time and curing temperature.

When curing temperature was increased from 160°C to 180°C, and curing time was increased from 1 to 3 min, the DCRA values increased from 160° to 180° and from 180° to 220°, respectively, as shown in Figure 2. The curing time influenced the DCRA more than curing temperature did.

The surface plot of DCRA versus curing temperature and drying time is shown in Figure 3. It was noted that as the drying time increased from 2 to 4 min, the DCRA values increased from 170° to 180°, while DCRA values decreased as drying time was further increased (up to 6 min). The negative impact of overdrying for the said purpose was discussed earlier in relation to the acidic conditions required during curing. It has been reported that for simultaneous fixation of easy care finish and reactive dye on cotton fabric, a 135°C curing temperature provided optimum results (Asim, Mahmood, & Siddiqui, 2012). However, at a low curing temperature, the fabric would require more time for the proper fixation of finish. This is not feasible industrially, but the issue of production loss could potentially be solved by raising the temperature to 180°C (as found in this work), keeping in mind that the product would show lower color strength. Furthermore, DCRA improved compared to previously reported results (Asim et al., 2012), which could be due to the increased curing temperature as the resin was cross-linked properly, giving rise to the advantage of increased values of DCRA but also the disadvantage of reduced color strength sum %.

Effect of parameters on color strength %

Reactive dye printing requires a basic pH for the fixation of dyestuff on cellulosic fibers. It is well known that an acidic pH is required in finishing, which is why the main effect plot for DCRA and color strength showed different parameters having high impacts on their respective outcomes. The value of pH was not a statistically significant factor for DCRA, but for color fixation, pH showed significant interactions. The main effect plot of statistically significant parameters is shown in Figure 4. Here, with respect to p values, the curing time had a more prominent influence on the color strength (p = .000) than pH level did (p = .005).

Figure 4.

Main effect plot for color strength %.

Greater color strength was achieved when the pH value increased from 5 to 7, which might be due to the fact that at pH 5, the acetic acid possibly reacted with the alkali that was added in the print paste formulations, resulting in less alkali available for dye fixation during the upcoming curing process. But, as the pH value of the finishing recipe approached 7 (neutral), there was more alkali available than at pH 5 or 6, which promoted the dye fixation reaction and enhanced the color strength of the reactive dyed fabric. As the curing time was increased from 1 to 2 min, there was a sharp increase in color strength, but when the curing time was further increased from 2 to 3 min, the color strength increased only marginally. It can be said that in the first 2 min, the major part of dye was fixed, resulting in less dye available for fixation during next time span (2-3 min).

From the surface plot shown in Figure 5, it was observed that at pH value 7 and curing time 3 min, the maximum color strength % was achieved. At a constant value of curing time, when pH was changed from 5 to 7, the color strength increased, but not as much as at a constant pH value when curing time was increased from 1 to 3 min. This might be due to the proper curing time, which favored the dye–fiber bond formation. It is well known that a well-fixed dyestuff provides less unfix dye removal in washing off and thus gives better color strength.

Figure 5.

Surface plot of color strength % versus curing time and pH.

Effect of parameters on dry and WCF

The main effect plot of variables on DCF is given in Figure 6. Only curing time had a positive effect on the DCF of simultaneously resin finished and reactive dye-printed fabrics. As the curing time increased from 1 to 3, the crocking fastness improved significantly, as shown in Figure 6. Both drying time and curing temperature had negative effects on DCF. Their increased values gave poor results, which could be due to the fact that at 180°C, the DCRA increased because of the proper cross-linking of resin, which affected the ongoing dye fiber fixation step. When the drying temperature was increased, the DCF also decreased, which could be due to the fast reaction of acetic acid with alkali (as added printing paste) at increased temperatures, resulting in less alkali (as explained earlier).

Figure 6.

Main effect plot for dry crocking fastness.

Figure 7 is representative of the surface plot of DCF versus curing time and temperature, indicating that as the curing temperature is fixed and curing time is increased from 1 to 3, DCF values increased. For a constant curing time, an increase in curing temperature led to a decrease in DCF values, due to rapid cross-linking of the resin. The interaction of curing time and drying temperature on DCF is shown in Figure 8. It can be seen that decreasing the drying temperature favors the improvement in DCF of fabric; on the other hand, curing time had a more significant influence on DCF than drying time did. Keeping the drying time fixed, an increase in curing time led to increased fastness to crocking. It can be seen in Figure 8 that the best results could be achieved if the drying temperature is reduced (i.e., 60°C for 3 min), while increasing the curing time from 1 to 3 min.

Figure 7.

Surface plot of dry crocking fastness versus curing time and temperature.

Figure 8.

Surface plot of dry crocking fastness versus curing time and drying temperature.

In the case of WCF, the significant parameters that affected it were drying time, drying temperature, and curing temperature. All three parameters had a negative influence on the WCF of the fabric samples. The negative effect was of the following order: drying temperature > curing temperature > drying time (as shown in Figure 9).

Figure 9.

Effect of parameters on wet crocking fastness.

Interestingly, as shown in the main effect plot (Figure 9), all the main factors had a negative effect on WCF when increased. As the drying temperature was increased from 60°C to 80°C, the WCF decreased sharply. The same decreasing trend was observed when curing temperature was increased from 160°C to 180°C and drying time was increased from 2 to 6 min. Drying temperature had the highest influence on WCF, followed by curing temperature and drying time. The influence of drying temperature on WCF could be attributed to the neutralization of available alkali with increased time and drying temperature (acid base reaction). When curing temperature was increased, the WCF also decreased, which could be due to the cross-linking of resin, presenting an interruption in dye fixation. Thus, the dye might be present on the surface of fabric, imparting poor WCF. The interaction of drying time and drying temperature on WCF of the fabric is shown in Figure 10. As the temperature of drying was increased up to 80°C, the WCF dropped significantly. But interestingly, when temperature was fixed at 80°C and drying time increased, better WCF could be achieved.

Figure 10.

Surface plot of wet crocking fastness versus drying time and temperature.

The role of drying time could be related to the volatile nature of acetic acid. As the hold time increased, the acid evaporated completely and had a smaller effect on WCF. Similarly, when curing temperature was reduced at a drying temperature of 60°C, greater values of WCF could be achieved. On the other hand, increasing curing temperature led to increased cross-linking of resin, which resulted in poor dye penetration into the fabric and consequently caused poor WCF due to available dyestuff on the surface of fabric, as shown in Figure 11.

Figure 11.

Surface plot of wet crocking fastness versus curing and drying temperature.

WR testing: Appearance method

The overall WR rating was from 2 to 3, and was checked for only those samples that showed good results with respect to color strength and DCRA. The normal (conventional route treated) fabric had a 3–4 rating, which was not achieved during the simultaneous printed and finished fabric’s testing. The better results of the conventional route could be attributed to the fact that the simultaneous process provided less favorable conditions to cure in one go as compared to the conventional process treated fabric.

Response Optimizer Using RSM

The set of responses was jointly optimized by the identification of proper input variables provided targeted or maximized responses by the variation of inputs. The composite desirability value ranged from 0 to 1, where 1 is ideal and 0 indicates one of the variables is not among acceptable limits. The response optimizer conditions are given in Figure 12.

Figure 12.

Response optimizer setting for desirable results.

The response optimizer tool indicated a color strength of about 73% and DCRA around 218° when DCF and WCF were targeted at 4 and 3, respectively, as shown in Figure 12. The gray scale rating value of 4 for DCF and 3 for WCF are acceptable in the industry. The composite desirability value was 0.8300, which is close enough to 1; thus, we learned that a pH of 7, drying temperature of 68.59°C, drying time of 4.12 min, curing temperature of 180°C, and curing time of 3 min provide the optimum response. We obtained better DCRA results (218°) than were previously reported (160°; Asim et al., 2012), but less color strength was achieved, which might be due to the class and concentration of reactive dye used or some other variation in parameters.

Conclusion

In this study, a reactive dye and wrinkle-free finish (resin) were combined successfully with acceptable results of DCRA and color strength of reactive dye. Both processes require different conditions for fixation, which were applied simultaneously to save cost and energy. Optimizing the two opposite parameters simultaneously, a DCRA of up to 218° and color strength of up to 73% were achieved with good dry crocking and acceptable WCF. The process could be used for industrial applications with some limitations, as compared to the conventional method (first printing then finishing), both color strength and DCRA were less. Reduced production time and highly efficient energy conservation could lead to better saving.

Footnotes

Declaration of Conflicting Interests

The author(s) declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

Funding

The author(s) received no financial support for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

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