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.
2010
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Wood protection is mainly based on chemical protection of wood. The disposal of wood preservative treated material causes restrictions in its later use or recirculation into the eco-cycle. A new protective system, electro-osmotic pulsing technology on wood, called PLEOT, is tested in a fungi test and in soil contact. Mass loss and moisture content of Scots pine sapwood samples was calculated after testing and an element analysis was performed on the sample powder. The results show that PLEOT- protected samples have nearly no mass loss after 4, 8 and 12 weeks of exposure to Coniophora puteana in laboratory trials. The samples protected with PLEOT showed lower moisture content but trace elements of metals in the samples after basidiomycete test compared to untreated samples. It is concluded, that neither the resulted wood moisture content nor the transferred metal ions in the PLEOT samples contribute to large amounts to the wood protection effect. Furthermore, the PLEOT system might give a protection for wood in soil contact. Further research on the mode of action as well as further tests including field tests are under planning.
Authors
Christian Guido BrucknerAbstract
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2009
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A range of studies the last decade has shown that modified wood can provide excellent protection against a range of wood deteriorating organisms, including decay fungi. However, we still lack information about why the modified wood is protected from microbial attack. An understanding of the mechanisms utilized by decay fungi when exposed to modified wood is important for further optimisation of new modified wood products. Several hypotheses have been put forward, but they still need testing. The aim of this study was to summarize our earlier studies using molecular methods as a tool for better understanding of the mode of action of decay fungi in furfurylated wood. The studies include laboratory and field evaluations of decay colonisation patterns and gene expression....
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The molecular composition of plant residues is suspected to largely govern the fate of their constitutive carbon (C) in soils. Labile compounds, such as metabolic carbohydrates, are affected differently from recalcitrant and structural compounds by soil-C stabilisation mechanisms. Producing 13C-enriched plant residues with specifically labeled fractions would help us to investigate the fate in soils of the constitutive C of these compounds. The objective of the present research was to test 13C pulse chase labeling as a method for specifically enriching the metabolic carbohydrate components of plant residues, i.e. soluble sugars and starch. Bean plants were exposed to a 13CO2-enriched atmosphere for 0.5, 1, 2, 3 and 21 h. The major soluble sugars were then determined on watersoluble extracts, and starch on HCl-hydrolysable extracts. The results show a quick differential labeling between water-soluble and water-insoluble compounds. For both groups, 13C-labeling increased linearly with time. The difference in δ13C signature between water-soluble and insoluble fractions was 7% after 0.5 h and 70% after 21 h. However, this clear isotopic contrast masked a substantial labeling variability within each fraction. By contrast, metabolic carbohydrates on the one hand (i.e. soluble sugarsRstarch) and other fractions (essentially cell wall components) on the other hand displayed quite homogeneous signatures within fractions, and a significant difference in labeling between fractions: δ13C=414±3.7% and 56±5.5%, respectively. Thus, the technique generates labeled plant residues displaying contrasting 13C-isotopic signatures between metabolic carbohydrates and other compounds, with homogenous signatures within each group. Metabolic carbohydrates being labile compounds, our findings suggest that the technique is particularly appropriate for investigating the effect of compound lability on the long-term storage of their constitutive C in soils.
Authors
Tove Maria Østensvik Kaj Bo Veiersted Petter Dahl NilsenAbstract
Aim The purpose of this paper was to describe and evaluate different aspects of muscle activity patterns associated with musculoskeletal discomfort/pain. Method Surface electromyography (sEMG) of the right upper trapezius and the right extensor digitorum muscles was conducted continuously during one working day in 19 male forest machine operators driving harvesters, 20 driving forwarders and 20 researchers at the Forest Research Institute. Perceived discomfort/pain in the right side of the neck and the right forearm was rated morning, noon and afternoon with Borg’s CR-10 scale. Static, median and peak levels of muscle activity were analyzed and the number and total duration of EMG gaps (muscular rest) were calculated. Sustained low-level muscle activity (SULMA) was defined as continuous muscle activity above 0.5% of the maximal EMG activity quantified into 10 periods of predetermined duration intervals from 1.6 to 5 s up to above 20 min. The number of SULMA periods is presented within each interval and as cumulative periods above the already determined levels. The operators handled control levers seated in a fixed position while the researchers performed mainly PC work and other varied tasks. Results A positive correlation was found between discomfort/pain in the right upper trapezius muscle region in the afternoon and cumulative SULMA periods above 10 min duration, and a negative correlation to cumulative SULMA periods also including the short durations. No specified patterns were found for discomfort/pain in the right extensor digitorum or for the other EMG measurements. All EMG measurements distinguished to some extent between the occupational groups, especially between machine operators driving harvesters and researchers. Conclusions Number of SULMA periods longer than 10 min per hour was positively correlated, and predominantly short periods were negatively correlated, to complaints in the neck region. This seems promising in order to find duration limits for sustained low-level muscle activity as a risk factor for musculoskeletal disorders.
Authors
A. Lehtinen B. Andersson Vinh Hong Le Ragnhild Nærstad M. Rastas E. Ketoja A. O. Hannukkala Arne Hermansen B. Nielsen J. G. Hansen J. YuenAbstract
No abstract has been registered