Utilization of temperature kinetics as a method to predict treatment intensity and corresponding treated wood quality : durability and mechanical properties of thermally modified wood

Wood heat treatment is an attractive alternative to improve decay resistance of wood species with low natural durability. However, this improvement of durability is realized at the expense of the mechanical resistance. Decay resistance and mechanical properties are strongly correlated to thermal degradation of wood cells wall components. Mass loss resulting from this degradation is a good indicator of treatment intensity and final treated wood properties. However, the introduction of a fast and accurate system for measuring this mass loss on an industrial scale is very difficult. Nowadays, many studies are conducted on the determination of control parameters which could be correlated with the treatment conditions and final heat treated wood quality such as decay resistance. The aim of this study is to investigate the relations between kinetics of temperature used during thermal treatment process representing heat treatment intensity, mass losses due to thermal degradation and conferred properties to heat treated wood. It might appear that relative area of treatment temperature curves is a good indicator of treatment intensity. Heat treatment with different treatment conditions (temperature-time) have been performed under vacuum, on four wood species (one hardwood and three softwoods) in order to obtain thermal degradation mass loses of 8, 10 and 12%. For each experiment, relative areas corresponding to temperature kinetics, mass loss, decay resistance and mechanical properties have been determined. Results highlight the statement that the temperature curves’ area constitutes a good indicator in the prediction of needed treatment intensity, to obtain required wood durability and mechanical properties such as bending resistance and Brinell hardness.LERMaB is supported by the French National Research Agency through the Laboratory of Excellence ARBRE (ANR-12- LABXARBRE-01), the authors gratefully acknowledge this ai

Current situation facing the needs of the scenarios from the deliverables I2.1.1 and I2.2.1

In this document we present the main issues that we have to face in order to define a Software Product Line (SPL) for Broadcasting Systems. These issues were identified through requirement analysis and refactoring of SEDUITE which are described in two internal deliverables: a) D.2.2.1: Introduces the requirements (functional and non-functional) of a Broadcasting System by using a case study based on large gatherings (e.g., concerts, competitions, parties, etc.). b) D.2.1.1: Explains the definition of SEDUITE as a SPL by identifying the different assets and products that make part of it. In particular, from each deliverable different questions were raised. We use these questions to identify the issues that we need to face and to guide the redaction of this document. We classify the questions according to three main topics: (i) user assistance (cf. Section 2), (ii) building and evolution of the SPL (cf. Section 3) and (iii) kinds of variability (cf. Section 4) The questions from the D.2.2.1 deliverable are identified with I.x and those from D.2.1.1 with Q.x. In both cases, the 'x' represents the number of the question in the deliverable. Additionally, we include the results of two questionnaires intended for consumers of information (i.e., professor and students) from broadcasting system in academic institutions

SPLEMMA: A Generic Framework for Controlled-Evolution of Software Product Lines

International audienceManaging in a generic way the evolution process of feature- oriented Software Product Lines (SPLs) is complex due to the number of elements that are impacted and the heterogeneity of the SPLs regarding artifacts used to define them. Existing work presents specific approaches to manage the evolution of SPLs in terms of such artifacts, i.e., assets, feature models and relation definitions. Moreover stakeholders do not necessarily master all the knowledge of the SPL making its evolution difficult and error-prone without a proper tool support. In order to deal with these issues, we introduce SPLEmma, a generic framework that follows a Model Driven Engineering approach to capture the evolution of a SPL independently of the kind of assets, technologies or feature models used for the product derivation. Authorized changes are described by the SPL maintainer and captured in a model used to generate tools that guide the evolution process and preserve the consistency of the whole SPL. We report on the application of our approach on two SPLs: YourCast for digital signage systems, and SALOON, which enables generation of configurations for cloud providers

Haiti: coffee and mango production in a changing climate

Coffee and mango contribute significantly to Haiti’s agricultural gross domestic product and export revenues. Generating income valued at US$11 million in 2011, mango has become one of the country’s most important export commodities. In contrast, coffee exports steadily declined from$7 million to $1 million between 2000 and 2010, even though demand for high-quality Haitian coffee has actually increased on the global market. A recent study conducted by the International Center for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT) and Catholic Relief Services (CRS) revealed that future changes in temperature and rainfall patterns will have significant effects on the suitability of coffee and mango for production in Haiti. While mango will continue to be highly viable, coffee will become considerably less suitable for production at lower elevations. Changing climatic conditions could also lower quality and yields in current coffee-producing regions, such as Plaisance and Dondon in the North and Beaumont in the Southwest. To cope with the challenges that coffee and mango growers are likely to face, it will be important to promote the diversification of agricultural systems, introduce improved coffee varieties, offer financial incentives to adopt sustainable land use practices, build capacity among smallholders, and foster the sharing of expertise

Hygric properties of hemp bio-insulations with differing compositions

The paper presents the results of a laboratory investigation on the hygric properties of five hemp insulation materials commercially available in the UK. The hemp fibre content varies between 30% and 95% in the total fibre content of the insulation materials examined. The adsorption–desorption isotherm, moisture buffer value, vapour diffusion resistance factor and water absorption coefficient were determined for the insulation materials investigated. The results showed that the hygric properties of the hemp insulation materials could vary widely depending on the constituents and fibrous structure. The considerable differences noted in the hygric properties of the insulation materials examined could potentially influence their hygrothermal performance as part of a building thermal envelope