Modelling of Impact Falling Ball Test Response on Solid and EngineeredWood Flooring of Two Eucalyptus Species

In this study, dynamic hardness tests on solid and engineered wood flooring specimens of Eucalyptus globulus Labill. and Eucalyptus grandis W. Hill ex Maiden hardwoods were performed because nowadays, these fast-growing hardwoods are still scarcely employed for this use. Furthermore, another two examples of hardwood commonly applied on wood flooring, Quercus robur L. and Hymenaea courbaril L., were also tested. To compare their properties, a dynamic impact hardness test based on the impact of steel balls, with several diameters, and drop heights was developed. Accordingly, 120 solid wood flooring specimens and 120 engineering wood flooring specimens were producing with these four hardwood species. Dynamic impact tests were made with three steel balls of different diameters (30–40–50 mm), and they were carried out from five different drop heights (0.60–0.75–0.90–1.05–1.20 m). The impact of the steel ball drew the size of the footprint on the surface and this mark was measured with a digital caliper for both dimensions, diameter and depth, as footprint diameter (FD) and indentation depth (ID). Data from 3000 samples, corresponding to 120 different individual groups (4 species × 3 ball diameters × 5 drop height × 2 floor type) were analyzed. Results indicated that the variability of ID (CV between 19.25–25.61%) is much greater than the values achieved for FD (CV between 6.72–7.91%). Regarding the fast-growing hardwood species tested, E. globulus showed a similar behavior to traditional hardwood applied on wood flooring in Europe, Q. robur, and it could be a promising growth in the flooring industry. However, E. grandis showed the worst values compared to traditional hardwood in all test configurations.Laboratorio de Investigaciones en Mader

Candidates in Astroviruses, Seadornaviruses, Cytorhabdoviruses and Coronaviruses for +1 frame overlapping genes accessed by leaky scanning

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Overlapping genes are common in RNA viruses where they serve as a mechanism to optimize the coding potential of compact genomes. However, annotation of overlapping genes can be difficult using conventional gene-finding software. Recently we have been using a number of complementary approaches to systematically identify previously undetected overlapping genes in RNA virus genomes. In this article we gather together a number of promising candidate new overlapping genes that may be of interest to the community.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Overlapping gene predictions are presented for the astroviruses, seadornaviruses, cytorhabdoviruses and coronaviruses (families <it>Astroviridae</it>, <it>Reoviridae</it>, <it>Rhabdoviridae </it>and <it>Coronaviridae</it>, respectively).</p

Comments on environmental impact of radiofrequency fields from mobile phone base stations

This article is an answer to the review paper from Verschaeve (2014). This review paper attempted to dismiss every study that shows negative effects of microwave radiation on living organisms. His conclusions are not supported by scientific data and are mostly based on his claims for “inaccurate” dosimetry. This issue is not the case, especially in studies employing real and not simulated exposures by mobile telephony (and related technologies) antennas, since this type of radiation is of highly varying nature, and its levels – regardless of any dosimetry – are simply the same with those exposing daily billions of users. © 2016 Taylor &amp; Francis Group, LLC

Molecular characteristics and bioactivity of humic acids isolated from vermicomposts.

Vermitechnology is an effective composting method which transforms different residual biomasses into nutrient rich organic fertilizer. In fact, the mature vermicompost is a renewed organic source suitable to provide humic substances with high biological activity. The chemical characteristics of humic acids isolated from different vermicomposts, produced with cattle manure, sugarcane bagasse, sunflower cake from seed oil extraction and filter cake from sugarcane factory, were accessed by thermochemolysis and 13C solid state NMR spectroscopy. More than 200 different molecules were found and were possible to identify chemical markers on humic acids according the nature of organic source. The large hydrophobic character of humic extracts and the preservation of altered lignins derivatives confer to HAs the ability to induce lateral root emergence in maize seedlings