One- and Two-Dimensional Moisture Profiles in Red Oak

Differential moisture losses during the early stages of drying are critical to the development of stresses that result in checking and associated degrade. This research was conducted to determine the shape of the moisture profiles in flat sawn red oak (Quercus sp.) under several different conditions early in drying. In addition, both one- and two-dimensional profiles were compared graphically and statistically to determine if moisture loss from the narrow (nearly radial) surfaces was significant. The results indicate that the moisture profiles are continuous and nearly parabolic after one day of drying under mild or severe conditions. The one- and two-dimensional profiles were essentially the same when compared both graphically and statistically, which indicates that moisture losses from the narrow faces can be neglected when developing drying models for flat sawn red oak having a width at least four times its thickness

Technical Note: Equilibrium Moisture Content of Norway Spruce at Low Pressure

The EMC of Norway spruce (Picea abies) was determined at various levels of temperature and RH under low pressures. EMC corresponded to temperature and RH and was strongly related to vapor pressure inside the chamber. The amount of air present in the vacuum chamber did not significantly affect the EMC. The Hailwood-Horrobin model can be used to estimate the EMC of wood under vacuum, although it is about 2-3% MC less than the actual EMC of wood during initial desorption

A method of calculating internal stresses in drying wood

Information reviewed and reaffirmed 1965. Original report dated October 1958

Fatal COVID-19 outcomes are associated with an antibody response targeting epitopes shared with endemic coronaviruses

The role of immune responses to previously seen endemic coronavirus epitopes in severe acute respiratory coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection and disease progression has not yet been determined. Here, we show that a key characteristic of fatal coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outcomes is that the immune response to the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein is enriched for antibodies directed against epitopes shared with endemic beta-coronaviruses, and has a lower proportion of antibodies targeting the more protective variable regions of the spike. The magnitude of antibody responses to the SARS-CoV-2 full-length spike protein, its domains and subunits, and the SARS-CoV-2 nucleocapsid also correlated strongly with responses to the endemic beta-coronavirus spike proteins in individuals admitted to intensive care units (ICU) with fatal COVID-19 outcomes, but not in individuals with non-fatal outcomes. This correlation was found to be due to the antibody response directed at the S2 subunit of the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein, which has the highest degree of conservation between the beta-coronavirus spike proteins. Intriguingly, antibody responses to the less cross-reactive SARS-CoV-2 nucleocapsid were not significantly different in individuals who were admitted to ICU with fatal and non-fatal outcomes, suggesting an antibody profile in individuals with fatal outcomes consistent with an original antigenic sin type-response