This paper discusses elementary, and secondary (K-12) teachers’ perceptions of cross-reality (XR) tools for data visualization and use of sensor data from the built environment in classroom curricula. Our objective was to explore the use of sensor-informed XR in the built environment and civil engineering (BECE) field to support K-12...
Although there are continuous efforts aimed at increasing gender diversity, the forest sector is still largely perceived as a male dominated field, indicated by a persistent masculine image. As a result, women are still underrepresented. Utilizing interviews, we found that greater representation of women in the forest sector is considered...
Ten full-size (3.7×4.9m) plywood roof diaphragms were constructed using metal-plate-connected (MPC) common and hip wood trusses or joists, typical of single-family dwelling (SFD) construction. The specimens included three gable roof slopes of 33, 67, and 100%, a hip roof of 33% slope, and a flat roof, with a horizontal bottom...
The construction industry has relied heavily on wood and wood-based composites, such as oriented strand board (OSB) and plywood for timber frame construction. Therefore, it is highly imperative to categorize the response of wood-based composites when exposed to elevated temperatures for a sustained period of time. The essence of fire-resistant...
Seismic design of wood-frame single-family dwellings’ (WFSFD) lateral force–resisting systems requires determination of the stiffness of horizontal diaphragms and shearwalls. During design, sizes and locations of shearwall openings are often changed, altering shearwall stiffness and loads and requiring a significant redesign effort. Rigid and tributary area method analyses are examined...
This paper highlights the development of a rapid visual screening (RVS) tool to quickly identify, inventory, and rank residential buildings that are potentially seismically hazardous, focusing on single-family, wood-frame dwellings with plan irregularity. The SAPWood software was used to perform a series of nonlinear time-history analyses for 480 representative models,...
The forces exerted on light-frame wood buildings as a result of surge and waves are not fully understood. With a better understanding of these types of forces, it may eventually be possible to build coastal structures to better withstand the loads. In this paper, a recent two part experimental study...
Abstract: Three novel curing agents ( I , II , and III) were synthesized
from epichlorohydrin and ammonium hydroxide.
The combinations of soy flour (SF) with one of the curing
agents (SF- I , SF- II , and SF- III ) were investigated as adhesives
for making interior plywood. Water...
Wood and wood-based composites are being used extensively in single-family residential dwellings. Therefore, it is important to categorize their response when exposed to elevated temperatures for a sustained period of time. In fire-resistant design for wood structures, the main goal is to ensure that enough structural integrity is maintained, during...
Visual appeal of wood is as important as its
structural integrity in outdoor applications. Discoloration
and checking of wood favor the utilization of alternative
materials for outdoor cladding and decking. Lignin depolymerization
is one of the critical processes leading to
weathering. In the present paper, the potential of different
classes...
In this article, we present cradle-to-gate life-cycle inventory (LCI) data for wood fuel pellets manufactured in the Southeast United States. We surveyed commercial pellet manufacturers in 2010, collecting annual production data for 2009. Weighted-average inputs to, and emissions from, the pelletization process were determined. The pellet making unit process was...
Paleoclimate proxies based on the measurement of xylem cell anatomy have rarely been developed across the temperature range of a species or applied to wood predating the most recent millennium. Here we describe wood anatomy-based proxies for spring temperatures in central North America from modern bur oaks (Quercus macrocarpa Michx.)....
In the summer of 2009, a full-scale midrise wood-frame building was tested under a series of simulated earthquakes on the world's largest shake table in Miki City, Japan. The objective of this series of tests was to validate a performance-based seismic design approach by qualitatively and quantitatively examining the building's...
The assessment of losses during extreme events such as hurricanes is important for performance-based design of residential buildings. In this paper, a methodology for estimating the risk of debris impact, specifically roof sheathing panels, to windows as a result of hurricanes is introduced and applied to an illustrative example. The...
The goal was to determine local mechanical properties inside of oriented strand board (OSB) based on a realistic morphology-based finite element (FE) model and data acquired from a physical test performed on the same material. The spatial information and local grayscale intensity from CT-scans obtained from small OSB sample was...
This paper highlights the development of a rapid visual screening (RVS) tool to quickly identify, inventory, and rank residential buildings that are potentially seismically hazardous, focusing on single-family, wood-frame dwellings with plan irregularity. The SAPWood software was used to perform a series of nonlinear time-history analyses for 480 representative models,...
Student activities and instructor-made models are described to facilitate and encourage other instructors to develop their own appropriate activities and models for teaching the three-dimensional structure of wood.
The teaching activities include making several annual rings with straws pushed into clay, drawing wood’s structure onto a piece of paper that...
Transgenic down-regulation of the Pt4CL1 gene family encoding 4-coumarate:coenzyme A ligase (4CL) has been reported as a
means for reducing lignin content in cell walls and increasing overall growth rates, thereby improving feedstock quality for
paper and bioethanol production. Using hybrid poplar (Populus tremula 3 Populus alba), we applied this...
• Reduced lignin content in perennial crops has been sought as a means to
improve biomass processability for paper and biofuels production, but it is unclear
how this could affect wood properties and tree form.
• Here, we studied a nontransgenic control and 14 transgenic events containing
an antisense 4-coumarate:coenzyme...
Of 14 transgenic poplar genotypes (Populus tremula × Populus alba) with antisense 4-coumarate:coenzyme A ligase that were grown in the field for 2 years, five that had substantial lignin reductions also had greatly reduced xylem-specific conductivity compared with that of control trees and those transgenic events with small reductions in...
Given the fundamental importance of xylem safety and efficiency for plant survival and fitness, it is not surprising that these are among the most commonly studied features of hydraulic architecture. However, much remains to be learned about the nature and universality of conflicts between hydraulic safety and efficiency. Although selection...
We studied xylem anatomy and hydraulic architecture in 14 transgenic insertion events and a control line of hybrid poplar (Populus spp.) that varied in lignin content. Transgenic events had different levels of down‐regulation of two genes encoding 4‐coumarate:coenzyme A ligase (4CL). Two‐year‐old trees were characterized after growing either as free‐standing...
In the Pacific north-west, the Cascade Mountain Range blocks much of the precipitation and maritime influence of the Pacific Ocean, resulting in distinct climates east and west of the mountains. The current study aimed to investigate relationships between water storage and transport properties in populations of Douglas-fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii) and...
Premise of the study: The Pacific Northwest of North America experiences relatively mild winters and dry summers. For the
tall coniferous trees that grow in this region, we predicted that loss in the hydraulic conductivity of uppermost branches would
be avoided because of difficulty reversing accumulated emboli in xylem that...
• Compression wood has been shown to reduce stem permeability, but it is not known to what extent it affects leaf‐level processes. Here, we report whole‐plant hydraulic properties of Douglas‐fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii) seedlings induced to form varying amounts of compression wood.
• Seedlings were grown under three bending treatments to...
It would be valuable economically to know what are the biological triggers for formation of mature wood (currently of high value) and (or) what maintains production of juvenile wood (currently of low value), to develop silvicultural regimes that control the relative production of the two types of wood. Foresters commonly...
Innovativeness can help companies differentiate themselves, with the ultimate goal of securing survival and improving performance. Modern theories in organizational behavior look at innovation as something that starts with individual creativity but that is also affected by the work environment. Using one broad industry sector, the US forest products industry,...