Publications
NIBIOs employees contribute to several hundred scientific articles and research reports every year. You can browse or search in our collection which contains references and links to these publications as well as other research and dissemination activities. The collection is continously updated with new and historical material.
2018
Abstract
Finding efficient ways to decrease wood decay caused by fungi is an important issue in the timber construction. A possible way to avoid wood decay by fungi is by reducing the water content of wood, since water is a primary condition for fungal growth. Bulking of the wood cell wall by chemical reagents occupies the space where water normally occurs. This also improves the dimensional stability of the modified wood. The aim of the work was to react non-toxic reagents using a Maillard type of reaction in the wood cell wall. Wood was soaked in different aqueous solutions with a primary amine and a sugar as the main constituents. The wood was thereafter cured in an oven at 120°C. The preliminary results showed that the use of the Maillard reaction for wood modification is a promising method and is worth further research.
Authors
Jiska Joanneke van Dijk Graciela Rusch Hilde Karine Wam Paul Eric Aspholm Even Bergseng Vegard GundersenAbstract
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Authors
Sam Steyaert Shane Frank Stefano Puliti Rudy Badia Mie P. Arnberg Jack Beardsley Asle Økelsrud Rakel BlaalidAbstract
Cadaver decomposition islands around animal carcasses can facilitate establishment of various plant life. Facultative scavengers have great potential for endozoochory, and often aggregate around carcasses. Hence, they may disperse plant seeds that they ingest across the landscape towards cadaver decomposition islands. Here, we demonstrate this novel mechanism along a gradient of wild tundra reindeer carcasses. First, we show that the spatial distribution of scavenger faeces (birds and foxes) was concentrated around carcasses. Second, faeces of the predominant scavengers (corvids) commonly contained viable seeds of crowberry, a keystone species of the alpine tundra with predominantly vegetative reproduction. We suggest that cadaver decomposition islands function as endpoints for directed endozoochory by scavengers. Such a mechanism could be especially beneficial for species that rely on small-scale disturbances in soil and vegetation, such as several Nordic berry-producing species with cryptic generative reproduction.
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Authors
Francesca Giannetti Gherardo Chirici Terje Gobakken Erik Næsset Davide Travaglini Stefano PulitiAbstract
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Abstract
This study addresses changes in visual appearance of unpainted wood materials exposed outdoors. Specimens of Norway spruce (Picea abies) Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris), aspen (Populus tremula), acetylated Radiata pine (Pinus radiata) and DMDHEU-modified Scots pine sapwood were exposed facing south in Ås, Norway for 60 weeks. During this period, surface mould growth development and wasp attack were assessed visually. Development in lightness (L*) and the uniformity of the weather grey colour were assessed by image analysis. The mould rating of the tested wood materials developed in varying speed, but all specimens had reached the maximum rating after 42 weeks. Our results indicate that most specimens continued to darken after the specimens had reached maximum mould rating, and that evaluation of L* can provide additional information about the surface mould growth. Furthermore, our results indicate that most materials developed a less uniform appearance than what was initially, except from DMDHEU which obtained a more uniform appearance as a consequence of the weathering. This study also shows that wasp attack can give a lighter appearance of the wood by chewing off the top weathered layer. Different wood substrates were attacked in varying degree. Aspen was the substrate most severely attacked by wasps while the acetylated wood was not attacked at all during the 60 weeks of exposure.