Wood pre-treatments a short review

Pre-treatments to improve wood durability, as well as their impact on Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) are important aspects to take into account in the first phase of a project. The objective of this paper is to study the effects pre-treatments have on durability of wood when compared with the possibility of reusing wood components over their entire life cycle. Studies on how artificial/natural processes change the mechanical, physical and chemical properties of wood are undertaken in different scientific fields. The biology of wood studies the chemical and natural processes that affect it. The study is often focussed on the biochemistry and molecular composition of wood, and analyses how the various chemical processes (both natural and otherwise) affect the characteristics of the material, determining the decay of performance and the deterioration of the components. Material engineering studies the mechanical modifications of parameters (e.g. modulus of elasticity, modulus of rupture) without considering the implication that pre-treatment choices have in the building process. In this article we provide a review of the most important pre-treatments for improving wood properties (e.g. strength, water absorption, etc.) compared with processing times and LCA parameters. In particular, we started with a literature review to gather an overall understanding about the different processes that can be applied to improve material durability, and propose a preliminary pre-treatment classification. Durability can be defined as the material’s capability to ensure adequate values of performance and functional levels over its entire lifetime. As known, wood has undesirable reactions to atmospheric agents if it’s not sufficiently protected. There are different pre-treatments that can change its physical, chemical, or mechanical properties. These processes can be applied alone or in combination [1] and are subdivided into: Thermal pre-treatments Chemical pre-treatments Mechanical pre-treatments Thermal pre-treatments use high temperature steam (up to 230 °C) or hot water (up to 180 °C) [5]. Laboratory tests show that these processes increase the dimensional stability of wood and resistance to moisture variations. In particular, these results were widely observed in wood panels (OSB, MDF, WPC). It is also observed that these wood preservation techniques prevent or at least reduce the possibility of attacks by biological agents such as insects and fungi [3]. A drawback of this process is a decrease in the mechanical properties of wood. Different laboratory tests have shown how both the modulus of elasticity (MOE) and modulus of rupture (MOR) steadily decrease after the thermal pre-treatment. Chemical pre-treatments can be applied on the external layer of the material, or by means of long lasting impregnation of the components. Chemical treatments are usually administered on wood to prevent performance reduction, improve water resistance, reduce the effects of ultraviolet radiation, or decrease flammability [6][7].The property of the material to absorb chemical treatments is related to material’s hydrophilicity. Treated wood must be non-toxic and recyclable at the end of its service-life [3]and this property is not always guaranteed with all chemical treatments. Mechanical pre-treatments are used to reduce the internal moisture. Different tests were performed in China and Japan, to investigate the relation between compression rate and moisture content. There is no clear evidence of how the compression ratio, compression direction, and compression speed affect the decrease of moisture content and mechanical properties. The speed of compression should influence the efficiency of processing, and the final moisture content [8].The tests show that the material undergoes no substantial decrease of both MOE and MOR parameters. In conclusion, besides providing indications about the different pre-treatment methods, this paper will also assess their impact on the environment. In this study we want to propose an innovative approach to understand both the advantages and disadvantages of the described treatment procedures, thus providing a novel contribution in the field of construction and wood design

Home and healthcare. The prospect of home adaptation through a computational design decision-support system

This paper presents an ongoing research to define the framework of a computational design approach based on the idea of spatial analysis and spatial synthesis to implement multicriteria evaluations and provide evidence of the performance of the design alternatives in the specific case of home adaptation for healthcare at home. The European health systems place among the priority objectives the strengthening of the provision of healthcare at home to guarantee the aging in place of elderly people and to limit, at the same time, the unnecessary use of resources. Therefore, existing homes must provide adequate safety, comfort, and accessibility features to ensure a high quality of life for the care receivers and facilitate the caregivers' tasks. To address the complexity of the requirements to be met, we propose a spatial decision support system (SDSS) to implement multi-criteria assessments to ergonomic design problems at a spatial scale of apartment homes. The system is intended to streamline and assist designers and homeowners in planning interventions for home adaptations for healthcare. Such design problems can be formulated as decision problems with costs and benefits modeled within constraints of validity and quality criteria/objectives. Concerning the specific field of study, the system evaluates the degree of compliance with the accessibility and visibility quality criteria of each design alternative. The reiteration of the evaluation mechanism allows for the classification and supports the selection of satisfactory technical solutions identified with an informed and well-balanced trade-off between the relevant quality criteria

Access City Award. Azioni e soluzioni per città inclusive e accessibili Access City Award. Actions and solutions for inclusive and accessible cities

Il tema dell’inclusività riferito al progetto delle città nelle sue componenti pubbliche o di uso pubblico (spazi aperti, aree verdi, servizi, mobilità, residenze sociali) si pone, nell’ambito delle politiche per un nuovo welfare urbano, tra le questioni indubbiamente più rilevanti. In una prospettiva di equità, sicurezza, qualità ed efficienza, le condizioni di marginalità che caratterizzano oggi le periferie delle città richiedono programmi di rigenerazione urbana e riequilibrio territoriale integrati, interdisciplinari e mirati, che offrano approcci, strumenti e metodologie in linea con i cambiamenti sociali, culturali ed economici in atto. Con particolare riferimento al tema dell’accessibilità, quale fattore fondamentale di inclusività ed equità sociale, l’European Access City Award è il premio ricevuto (dal 2010 ad oggi) da 49 città europee con oltre 50.000 abitanti che hanno saputo applicare strategie virtuose, garantendo pari opportunità di mobilità e di accesso ai servizi a tutti i cittadini. L’intento è incentivare altre città europee ad adottare politiche e strategie d’intervento organiche e pianificate, attuate in coerenza agli obiettivi di inclusività e accessibilità nei settori dei trasporti e infrastrutture, ambiente costruito e spazi pubblici, informazione, comunicazione e nuove tecnologie ITC. A partire dall’esperienza di alcune città vincitrici del premio, il contributo intende fornire attraverso casi-studio alcuni spunti, suggerimenti e riflessioni sulle modalità possibili per implementare l'inclusività e l'accessibilità, delineando soluzioni e buone prassi. In coerenza con il programma dell'INU "città accessibili" si intende dimostrare la praticabilità e la replicabilità di alcune azioni premiate, attraverso l’osservazione critica delle strategie di pianificazione, programmazione ed attuazione dei progetti, includendo gli esiti di valutazioni post utilizzo effettuate con il coinvolgimento attivo di cittadini con difficoltà ed enti di Terzo Settore

Social Housing: wood prefabrication techniques

Student housing, a particular and quite significant part of social housing, and innovation in processing and production of industrial building components made of a material (wood) not adequately inquired: two fields of research that have been explored for a long time allowing here to share and compare experiences gained thus far. By a selection of samples of wooden student housing in Europe we have documented the performances of this material and we have underlined, at the same time, through what happens abroad, the need of an organic national social housing plan that can meet an unsatisfied demand and boost the construction industry during this particular stage of economic crisis

Welfare urbano e progettazione inclusiva. Access City Award e le soluzioni premiate. Urban welfare and inclusive planning. Access City Award and award-winning solutions.

The topic of inclusiveness, referred to the design of public areas of cities is one of the most relevant issue in the field of policies for a new urban welfare. The European Access City Award, with its specific reference to accessibility as a fundamental factor for inclusiveness, is the award granted to 56 European cities from 2010 until now. Starting from the experience of some awarded cities, the purpose of this paper is to provide ideas, suggestions and considerations on the possible ways to implement inclusiveness and accessibility, by outlining solutions and good practices

What game we are playing: the psychosocial context of problem gambling, problem gaming and poor well-being among Italian high school students

Gambling and gaming are not infrequent among adolescents and preventing low-risk youth from becoming at-risk appears to be a priority of public health strategies. Greater scrutiny of the risk and protective factors in the relationships and community of young people appears crucial in steering prevention initiatives adequately. This study aimed to explore the role of the qualities of relational networks (i.e. family functioning, perceived social and class support), family and peer approval and view of the social environment in predicting problem gambling, problem gaming and overall well-being among adolescents. High-school students aged 14–18 years (N: 595; female: 68,7%) completed a survey including the target variables. A multivariate multiple regression analysis was performed to examine the role of socio-demographic characteristics and psychosocial predictors on gaming, gambling, and well-being. Multivariate multiple regressions identify a common core underpinning problem gambling, gaming and poor well-being but also the distinct roles of psychosocial variables: being male, with low parental monitoring, and an anomic view of the social environment all predict problem gambling and gaming, which were also found to be associated. Low social support predicts problem gambling but not problem gaming; poor family functioning predicts problem gaming but not problem gambling. All the target psychosocial variables, except approval of gambling, predict poor well-being. On the whole the findings suggest the need to look more closely at the way adolescents, their system of activity and their culture participate in constructing the meaning of gambling and gaming activities and their impact on adolescents’ well-being, so that future studies and strategies can more effectively examine the relational dynamics in which problem gambling and gaming develo

Regeneration of shared self-managed spaces: the case study of Tor Bella Monaca in Rome

In metropolitan suburbs, due to lacking administrative decisions, residents, spontaneously organized in groups, occupy disused spaces to rebuild social relationships and revitalize the urban texture. In order to define design criteria based on user experience, a group of urbanists, engineers, architects, anthropologists and sociologists, is currently undertaking a study, with Rome Universities “Sapienza” and “Tor Vergata”, on a sample of buildings in the Tor Bella Monaca neighborhood in Rome. The first phase of social observation of ‘daily practices’ was followed by the elaboration of metadesign tests, in order to define renovation options to be provided to ATER. The findings, though limited to 30% of the settlement, enable researchers to replicate the work methodology

A confirmatory composite analysis for the Italian validation of the interactions anxiousness scale: a higher-order version

This study examined the factor structure and model specifications of the Interaction Anxiousness Scale (IAS) with confirmatory composite analysis (CCA) using partial least squares-structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) with a sample of Italian adolescents (n=764). The CCA and PLS-SEM results identified the reflective nature of the IAS sub-scale scores, supporting an alternative measurement model of the IAS scores as a second-order reflective–reflective model

Time-dependent metabolic disorders induced by short-term exposure to polystyrene microplastics in the Mediterranean mussel Mytilus galloprovincialis.

Abstract In the modern society, plastic has achieved a crucial status in a myriad of applications because of its favourable properties. Despite the societal benefits, plastic has become a growing global concern due to it is persistence and bioavailability as microplastics (MPs) to aquatic biota. In order to provide mechanistic insights into the early toxicity effects of MPs on aquatic invertebrates, a short-term (up to 72 h) exposure to 3 µm red polystyrene MPs (50 particles/mL) was conducted on marine mussels Mytilus galloprovincialis, selected as model organism for their ability to ingest MPs and their commercial relevance. The use of protonic Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (1H NMR)-based metabolomics, combined with chemometrics, enabled a comprehensive exploration at fixed exposure time-points (T24, T48, T72) of the impact of MPs accumulated in mussel digestive glands, chosen as the major site for pollutants storage and detoxification processes. In detail, 1H NMR metabolic fingerprints of MP-treated mussels were clearly separated from control and grouped for experimental time-points by a Principal Component Analysis (PCA). Numerous metabolites, including amino acids, osmolytes, metabolites involved in energy metabolism, and antioxidants, participating in various metabolic pathways significantly changed over time in MP-exposed mussel digestive glands related to control, reflecting also the fluctuations in MPs accumulation and pointing out the occurrence of disorders in amino acid metabolism, osmotic equilibrium, antioxidant defense system and energy metabolism. Overall, the present work provides the first insights into the early mechanisms of toxicity of polystyrene MPs in marine invertebrates

Environmental microplastics (EMPs) exposure alter the differentiation potential of mesenchymal stromal cells

Humans are exposed to environmental microplastic (MPs) that can be frequent in surrounding environment. The mesenchymal stromal cells are a heterogeneous population, which contain fibroblasts and stromal cells, progenitor cells and stem cells. They are part of the stromal component of most tissue and organs in our organisms. Any injury to their functions may impair tissue renewal and homeostasis. We evaluated the effects of different size MPs that could be present in water bottles on human bone marrow mesenchymal stromal cells (BMMSCs) and adipose mesenchymal stromal cells (AMSCs). MPs of polyethylene terephthalate (MPs-PET) (<1 μm and <2.6 μm) were tested in this study. PET treatments induced a reduction in proliferating cells (around 30%) associated either with the onset of senescence or increase in apoptosis. The AMSCs and BMMSCs exposed to PET showed an alteration of differentiation potential. AMSCs remained in an early stage of adipocyte differentiation as shown by high levels of mRNA for Peroxisome Proliferator Activated Receptor Gamma (PPARG) (7.51 vs 1.00) and reduction in Lipoprotein Lipase (LPL) mRNA levels (0.5 vs 1.0). A loss of differentiation capacity was also observed for the osteocyte phenotype in BMMSCs. In particular, we observed a reduction in Bone Gamma-Carboxy glutamate Protein (BGLAP) (0.4 for PET1 and 0.6 for PET2.6 vs 0.1 CTRL) and reduction in Osteopontin (SPP1) (0.3 for PET 1 and 0.64 for PET 2.6 vs 0.1 CTRL). This pioneering mesenchymal cell response study demonstrated that environmental microplastic could be bioavailable for cell uptake and may further lead to irreversible diseases