Magnetic Resonance Microimaging of Liquid Water Distribution in Sugar Maple Wood Below Fiber Saturation Point

Magnetic resonance (MR) microimaging was used to determine the distribution of liquid water in sugar maple wood (Acer saccharum Marsh.). Two moisture desorption tests were applied using saturated salt solutions at 21°C. Desorptions were accomplished between 58 and 96% RH starting from the full saturation state and from the FSP. Each moisture sorption condition at equilibrium was associated with a MR microimaging scan. Signal intensity (represented by false colors in the MR images) allowed visualization of the concentration of liquid water distributed into the wood structure. In most cases, the presence of liquid water was noticed in samples coming from the full saturation state at moisture contents below FSP. This result shows the coexistence of liquid and bound water even at moisture contents below the FSP. The remaining liquid water in the wood appears to be located principally in the lumina of the least accessible libriform fibers

EFFECTS OF LOG POSITION IN THE STEM AND CUTTING WIDTH ON SIZE DISTRIBUTION OF BLACK SPRUCE CHIPS PRODUCED BY A CHIPPER-CANTER

Fifteen stems of black spruce (Picea mariana (Mill.) B.S.P.) coming from the Abitibi-Témiscamingue region, were cross-cut into three sections: bottom, middle, and top logs. Logs were fragmented producing three faces with a chipper-canter using three cutting widths (CW) of 12.7, 19.1, and 25.4 mm. Chip dimensions were assessed by thickness, width, and length (Domtar and Williams classifications). Knot characteristics [total knot number (TKN) and area (TKA)] were assessed in the three cant faces. Growth ring attributes [earlywood density, latewood density (LWD), ring density, earlywood proportion, ring width and rings per mm (R/mm)], mechanical properties (shear, splitting, modulus of elasticity (MOE) and modulus of rupture in bending), and basic density were evaluated on samples obtained within each CW area. The results showed that most of these wood attributes were affected by the log position in the stem and/or CW. The weighted mean chip thickness (WCT) and chip size distributions were significantly affected by the log position and CW. WCT increased as CW increased. WCT variation with height could be principally associated to the number and size of knots within the stem. However, the presence of higher taper in the bottom logs produced thicker chips. Multiple linear regressions showed that CW, TKN, LWD, and TKA were significant predictors of WCT. Moreover, chip thickness distribution was affected primarily by TKA, cutting height and LWD, while the width and length distribution was mainly affected by R/mm, TKN and MOE. Chip size variation is to some point determined by knot characteristics, bending properties, growth ring width, and wood density of the raw material. These results showed the potential benefits of classifying logs in woodyards and better controlling the raw material attributes in sawmills. If the CW is combined with the knowledge of the raw material, chip dimensions can be adjusted using other fragmentation parameters to increase chip size uniformity

EFFECT OF TOOL TIP RADIUS ON RING DEBARKER PERFORMANCE OF FROZEN AND UNFROZEN BLACK SPRUCE LOGS

The effects of the tool tip radius on debarking quality of unfrozen and frozen black spruce logs were studied. The power, energy consumption and torque on frozen conditions were also studied. A proto-type one-arm ring debarker was used. The experiment consisted of debarking logs using three tool tip radii (40, 180, and 300 µm) for each temperature (-20°C and +20°C). The rotational and feed speeds, tip overlap, and rake angle were kept constants. Debarking quality was evaluated by two criteria: the proportion of bark remaining on log surfaces and the amount of wood in bark residues (WIB). Log characteristics, used as covariates, ie dimensions, eccentricity, bark thickness, knot features, bark/wood shear strength (BWSS), basic densities and moisture contents of sapwood and bark were measured, as well as total removed material after debarking. The results showed that tool tip radius had a significant effect on debarking quality of frozen and unfrozen logs. The proportion of bark on log surfaces increased and the amount of WIB decreased as tip radius increased. At the same applied radial force, a wider tip radius showed a shallower tip penetration leaving bigger regions of bark on the log surfaces. In contrast, a narrower tip radius showed a deeper tip penetration resulting in important wood fiber tear-out. The bark thickness and inner bark MC also affected debarking quality. The mean power, mean torque, and energy consumption increased as the tip radius decreased. However, this effect will depend on the choice of the applied radial force during debarking. Motor performance was also affected by the total removed material, log diameter, and BWSS. Overall, the results highlight the importance of choosing an adequate combination of tool tip radius and applied radial force to obtain the most profitable debarking quality with an efficient energy consumption

WOOD PROPERTIES OF NINE ACETYLATED TROPICAL HARDWOODS FROM FAST-GROWTH PLANTATIONS IN COSTA RICA

The treatment of acetylation on tropical woods is influenced by their different levels of permeability and how these affect the weight percentage gain (WPG) in acetylated wood. The objective of the current study was to identify the effect of acetylation on the thermal stability, color, physical properties, hygroscopic and dimensional stability, wetting rate, and durability of nine tropical species of woods used for the commercial reforestation in Costa Rica. Study results showed that WPG varied from 2.2% to 16.8%. Positive significant correlations were observed between WPG and pre-exponential factors in TGA analysis and two parameters of dimensional and hygroscopic stability, whereas a negative correlation was observed with water absorption. In species with a WPG of over 10% (Vochysia ferruginea, V. guatemalensis, Cordia alliodora, and Enterolobium cyclocarpum) the thermal stability, wetting rate, hygroscopic stability, and resistance to biological attack showed an increase while swelling, and water absorption decreased. For these species, the best behaviors were obtained with an acetylation time of 2.5 hours and WPG values of over 10%. The same properties of wood in species with a WPG under 5% were found to be less affected by the different acetylation times and showed little difference in relation to untreated wood. Finally, the analysis showed that the dimensional stability obtained was attributed to the reduction of the absorptive capacity of the acetylated wood

Effect of the thermal treatment on the chemical components, sorption, and shrinkage properties of Tectona grandis juvenile wood

The effect of thermal treatment on the chemical components, equilibrium moisture content (EMC), and shrinkage of teak juvenile wood was studied. Heartwood and sapwood samples were thermally-treated at 180 ºC and 200 ºC. Extractive, Klason lignin, holocellulose, and α-cellulose contents, as well as pH on untreated and thermally-treated woods, were determined. The EMC was reached at five relative humidity (RH) levels using saturated salt solutions: 86 % (KCl), 76 % (NaCl), 58 % (NaBr), 33 % (MgCl2), and 0 % (P2O5). Linear and volumetric shrinkages were calculated for all EMCs. The ratio of sorption (S), coefficient of shrinkage (h), and fiber saturation point (FSP) were also determined. Thermally-treated wood exhibited lower holocellulose and α-cellulose contents than untreated wood and increased acidity due to degradation of the hemicelluloses. The thermal treatment reduced the EMC of heartwood and sapwood. However, sapwood was more sensitive to RH variations than heartwood regardless of the treatment. Thermally-treated woods had higher hygroscopic and dimensional stabilities, and lower FSP than untreated wood. The thermal treatment did not affect radial shrinkage of the heartwood between 33 % and 86 % RH. Heartwood was more sensitive to the effect of the thermal treatment on shrinkage and degradation of cell wall polymers compared to sapwood

Identificación de riesgos por desastres naturales en las cuencas hidrográficas Matasnillo (Panamá) y Goascorán (Honduras), y su relación con el cambio climático utilizando Tecnologías de Información Geográfica

Honduras and Panama are characterized by intense and long-last in grain fall, storms, severe electrical shock, floods, wildfires, marine tubes, tsunamis, episodes of the presence of El Niño, La Niña and spills of hazardous substances. On the other hand, Global climate change model syndicate that both countries are subject to severe changes, such as increased temperature, drought, more intense precipitation, more frequent storms and rising average sea level. This work is carried out under the University Program for Comprehensive Disaster Risk Management and Adaptation to Climate Change in Central America (PRIDCA) coordinated by the Central American University Council (CSUCA) and funded by the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (COSUDE)- and where the National Autonomous University of Honduras and the International Maritime University of Panama, through an inter-university project decided, from the perspective of scientific and technological research, to develop strategies and actions to reduce risks of natural disasters in watersheds Rivers Matasnillo, Gulf of Panama, and the Goascorán River basin, Gulf of Fonseca, Honduras; and the relationship of climate change further comprising a transverse axis of involvement and owner ship of the process by the key players in the study areas, through the development of a methodology that enables the identification, analysis and classification of risk product identifying threats and vulnerabilities in the basins selected through the application of GIS technologies, as well as developing proposals and recommendations to minimize risks identified as high based on depth threat.Honduras y Panamá están caracterizados por precipitaciones intensas y de larga duración, tormentas, fuertes descargas eléctricas, inundaciones, incendios de masas vegetales, trompas marinas, tsunamis, episodios de la presencia de El Niño, La Niña y de derrames de sustancias peligrosas. El presente trabajo se desarrolla en el marco del Programa Universitario para la Gestión Integral del Riesgo de Desastres y Adaptación al Cambio Climático en Centroamérica(PRIDCA) coordinado por el Consejo Superior Universitario Centroamericano y financiado por la Agencia Suiza para el Desarrollo y la Cooperación -COSUDE-, y donde la Universidad Nacional Autónoma de Honduras y la Universidad Marítima Internacional de Panamá a través de un proyecto interuniversitario han decidido desde una perspectiva de investigación científica y tecnológica, establecer estrategias y acciones para la reducción de riesgos de desastres naturales en las cuencas hidrográficas de los Ríos Matasnillo, Golfo de Panamá, y la cuenca del Río Goascorán, Golfo de Fonseca, Honduras; y la relación del cambio climático que además comprenda un eje transversal de involucramiento y apropiación del proceso por parte de los actores claves en las zonas de estudio, mediante el desarrollo de una metodología que facilite la identificación, el análisis y la clasificación de riesgos producto de la identificación de amenazas y vulnerabilidades en el área de las cuencas seleccionadas a través de la aplicación de tecnologías de Información Geográfica, elaborando además propuestas y recomendaciones para minimizar riesgos identificados como altos en base a profundidad de la amenaza

Parasitismo Natural de Spodoptera frugiperda (Smith) (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae), en cuatro departamentos de Paraguay

  The impact produced by natural enemies on culture pests is a very important factor to be taken into account when evaluating control methods. In this contaxt, the characteristic fauna of a region and its influence on a particular pest are very relevant data. This paper records the occurrence of parasitoids naturally associated with the fall army worm, Spodoptera frugiperda (Smith, 1797), in Paraguay, and their percentual impact, calculated from rearing larvae of the host collected during the period 2015 – 2016 in the departments of Caaguazú, Alto Paraná, Canindeyú and Itapúa. The parasitoids recorded were: Dissomphalus spp. (Hymenoptera: Bethylidae), Exasticolus fuscicornis Cameron (Hymenoptera: Braconidae), Ophion spp. (Hymenoptera: Ichneumonidae), Archytas spp. (Diptera: Tachinidae) and Winthenia spp. (Diptera: Tachinidae).  El impacto que los enemigos naturales producen sobre las plagas de cultivos es un factor importante a tener en cuenta en el momento de evaluar los métodos de control a ser aplicados. En este contexto, la fauna propia de una región y su influencia sobre una plaga en particular son datos relevantes. Este articulo reporta la ocurrencia de parasitoides asociados de manera natural al gusano cogollero Spodoptera frugiperda (Smith, 1797), en el Paraguay, y su impacto porcentual, calculado en la base de cría de larvas del hospedero colectados durante el período 2015 - 2016 en los departamentos de Caaguazú, Alto Paraná, Canindeyú e Itapúa. Los parasitoides reportados fueron: Dissomphalus spp. (Hymenoptera: Bethylidae), Exasticolus fuscicornis Cameron (Hymenoptera: Braconidae), Ophion spp. (Hymenoptera: Ichneumonidae), Archytas spp. (Diptera: Tachinidae) y Winthenia spp. (Diptera: Tachinidae

Detection of kinase domain mutations in BCR::ABL1 leukemia by ultra-deep sequencing of genomic DNA

The screening of the BCR::ABL1 kinase domain (KD) mutation has become a routine analysis in case of warning/failure for chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) and B-cell precursor acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) Philadelphia (Ph)-positive patients. In this study, we present a novel DNA-based next-generation sequencing (NGS) methodology for KD ABL1 mutation detection and monitoring with a 1.0E−4 sensitivity. This approach was validated with a well-stablished RNA-based nested NGS method. The correlation of both techniques for the quantification of ABL1 mutations was high (Pearson r = 0.858, p < 0.001), offering DNA-DeepNGS a sensitivity of 92% and specificity of 82%. The clinical impact was studied in a cohort of 129 patients (n = 67 for CML and n = 62 for B-ALL patients). A total of 162 samples (n = 86 CML and n = 76 B-ALL) were studied. Of them, 27 out of 86 harbored mutations (6 in warning and 21 in failure) for CML, and 13 out of 76 (2 diagnostic and 11 relapse samples) did in B-ALL patients. In addition, in four cases were detected mutation despite BCR::ABL1 < 1%. In conclusion, we were able to detect KD ABL1 mutations with a 1.0E−4 sensitivity by NGS using DNA as starting material even in patients with low levels of disease.Tis project was funded in part by CRIS CANCER FOUNDATION

Preference for biological motion is reduced in ASD: implications for clinical trials and the search for biomarkers.

BACKGROUND: The neurocognitive mechanisms underlying autism spectrum disorder (ASD) remain unclear. Progress has been largely hampered by small sample sizes, variable age ranges and resulting inconsistent findings. There is a pressing need for large definitive studies to delineate the nature and extent of key case/control differences to direct research towards fruitful areas for future investigation. Here we focus on perception of biological motion, a promising index of social brain function which may be altered in ASD. In a large sample ranging from childhood to adulthood, we assess whether biological motion preference differs in ASD compared to neurotypical participants (NT), how differences are modulated by age and sex and whether they are associated with dimensional variation in concurrent or later symptomatology. METHODS: Eye-tracking data were collected from 486 6-to-30-year-old autistic (N = 282) and non-autistic control (N = 204) participants whilst they viewed 28 trials pairing biological (BM) and control (non-biological, CTRL) motion. Preference for the biological motion stimulus was calculated as (1) proportion looking time difference (BM-CTRL) and (2) peak look duration difference (BM-CTRL). RESULTS: The ASD group showed a present but weaker preference for biological motion than the NT group. The nature of the control stimulus modulated preference for biological motion in both groups. Biological motion preference did not vary with age, gender, or concurrent or prospective social communicative skill within the ASD group, although a lack of clear preference for either stimulus was associated with higher social-communicative symptoms at baseline. LIMITATIONS: The paired visual preference we used may underestimate preference for a stimulus in younger and lower IQ individuals. Our ASD group had a lower average IQ by approximately seven points. 18% of our sample was not analysed for various technical and behavioural reasons. CONCLUSIONS: Biological motion preference elicits small-to-medium-sized case-control effects, but individual differences do not strongly relate to core social autism associated symptomatology. We interpret this as an autistic difference (as opposed to a deficit) likely manifest in social brain regions. The extent to which this is an innate difference present from birth and central to the autistic phenotype, or the consequence of a life lived with ASD, is unclear

State of the climate in 2018

In 2018, the dominant greenhouse gases released into Earth’s atmosphere—carbon dioxide, methane, and nitrous oxide—continued their increase. The annual global average carbon dioxide concentration at Earth’s surface was 407.4 ± 0.1 ppm, the highest in the modern instrumental record and in ice core records dating back 800 000 years. Combined, greenhouse gases and several halogenated gases contribute just over 3 W m−2 to radiative forcing and represent a nearly 43% increase since 1990. Carbon dioxide is responsible for about 65% of this radiative forcing. With a weak La Niña in early 2018 transitioning to a weak El Niño by the year’s end, the global surface (land and ocean) temperature was the fourth highest on record, with only 2015 through 2017 being warmer. Several European countries reported record high annual temperatures. There were also more high, and fewer low, temperature extremes than in nearly all of the 68-year extremes record. Madagascar recorded a record daily temperature of 40.5°C in Morondava in March, while South Korea set its record high of 41.0°C in August in Hongcheon. Nawabshah, Pakistan, recorded its highest temperature of 50.2°C, which may be a new daily world record for April. Globally, the annual lower troposphere temperature was third to seventh highest, depending on the dataset analyzed. The lower stratospheric temperature was approximately fifth lowest. The 2018 Arctic land surface temperature was 1.2°C above the 1981–2010 average, tying for third highest in the 118-year record, following 2016 and 2017. June’s Arctic snow cover extent was almost half of what it was 35 years ago. Across Greenland, however, regional summer temperatures were generally below or near average. Additionally, a satellite survey of 47 glaciers in Greenland indicated a net increase in area for the first time since records began in 1999. Increasing permafrost temperatures were reported at most observation sites in the Arctic, with the overall increase of 0.1°–0.2°C between 2017 and 2018 being comparable to the highest rate of warming ever observed in the region. On 17 March, Arctic sea ice extent marked the second smallest annual maximum in the 38-year record, larger than only 2017. The minimum extent in 2018 was reached on 19 September and again on 23 September, tying 2008 and 2010 for the sixth lowest extent on record. The 23 September date tied 1997 as the latest sea ice minimum date on record. First-year ice now dominates the ice cover, comprising 77% of the March 2018 ice pack compared to 55% during the 1980s. Because thinner, younger ice is more vulnerable to melting out in summer, this shift in sea ice age has contributed to the decreasing trend in minimum ice extent. Regionally, Bering Sea ice extent was at record lows for almost the entire 2017/18 ice season. For the Antarctic continent as a whole, 2018 was warmer than average. On the highest points of the Antarctic Plateau, the automatic weather station Relay (74°S) broke or tied six monthly temperature records throughout the year, with August breaking its record by nearly 8°C. However, cool conditions in the western Bellingshausen Sea and Amundsen Sea sector contributed to a low melt season overall for 2017/18. High SSTs contributed to low summer sea ice extent in the Ross and Weddell Seas in 2018, underpinning the second lowest Antarctic summer minimum sea ice extent on record. Despite conducive conditions for its formation, the ozone hole at its maximum extent in September was near the 2000–18 mean, likely due to an ongoing slow decline in stratospheric chlorine monoxide concentration. Across the oceans, globally averaged SST decreased slightly since the record El Niño year of 2016 but was still far above the climatological mean. On average, SST is increasing at a rate of 0.10° ± 0.01°C decade−1 since 1950. The warming appeared largest in the tropical Indian Ocean and smallest in the North Pacific. The deeper ocean continues to warm year after year. For the seventh consecutive year, global annual mean sea level became the highest in the 26-year record, rising to 81 mm above the 1993 average. As anticipated in a warming climate, the hydrological cycle over the ocean is accelerating: dry regions are becoming drier and wet regions rainier. Closer to the equator, 95 named tropical storms were observed during 2018, well above the 1981–2010 average of 82. Eleven tropical cyclones reached Saffir–Simpson scale Category 5 intensity. North Atlantic Major Hurricane Michael’s landfall intensity of 140 kt was the fourth strongest for any continental U.S. hurricane landfall in the 168-year record. Michael caused more than 30 fatalities and $25 billion (U.S. dollars) in damages. In the western North Pacific, Super Typhoon Mangkhut led to 160 fatalities and$6 billion (U.S. dollars) in damages across the Philippines, Hong Kong, Macau, mainland China, Guam, and the Northern Mariana Islands. Tropical Storm Son-Tinh was responsible for 170 fatalities in Vietnam and Laos. Nearly all the islands of Micronesia experienced at least moderate impacts from various tropical cyclones. Across land, many areas around the globe received copious precipitation, notable at different time scales. Rodrigues and Réunion Island near southern Africa each reported their third wettest year on record. In Hawaii, 1262 mm precipitation at Waipā Gardens (Kauai) on 14–15 April set a new U.S. record for 24-h precipitation. In Brazil, the city of Belo Horizonte received nearly 75 mm of rain in just 20 minutes, nearly half its monthly average. Globally, fire activity during 2018 was the lowest since the start of the record in 1997, with a combined burned area of about 500 million hectares. This reinforced the long-term downward trend in fire emissions driven by changes in land use in frequently burning savannas. However, wildfires burned 3.5 million hectares across the United States, well above the 2000–10 average of 2.7 million hectares. Combined, U.S. wildfire damages for the 2017 and 2018 wildfire seasons exceeded $40 billion (U.S. dollars)