Three softwood species, spruce (Picea abies Karst.), fir (Abies alba Mill.), and larch (Larix decidua Mill.), and five hardwood species, oak (Quercus petraea Liebl.), ash (Fraxinus excelsior L.), beech (Fagus sylvatica L.), cherry (Prunus avium L.), and black locust (Robinia pseudoacacia L.) were treated at high temperatures under vacuum conditions with Termovuoto ® technology. All of the wood species were treated at different temperatures (from 160 to 220°C), different times (from 45 minutes to 5 hours), and under different pressure conditions (160, 210, and 330 mbar). The treated material was characterized in terms of mass loss, color changes, and equilibrium moisture content. Results showed dissimilar behavior of various wood species and their different sensitivities to treatment schedules. Consequently, the series of tests performed allowed a detailed characterization of the Termovuoto ® process and its effect on product quality.

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In this study, an internal drying stress sensor was developed based on a silicon micromachined pressure gauge inserted in a cylindrical Teflon shell. Teflon provides protection and works as a medium between the gauge and wood. In this configuration, the pressure gauge has unidirectional, axis-selective sensitivity. When inserted in a drill hole at a given depth in the wood, the sensor can directly measure the compressive stress produced by shrinkage in the diameter of the hole. Based on research in the last 5 years, a preindustrial version has been developed that has been tested in laboratory drying experiments. Results show that the trend of the stress during the drying process can be visualized, and critical points can be determined such as stress reversal time and the effect of the conditioning phase on the internal stress. The sensors thus have potential to be used in the drying control on industrial scale once the remaining problems are solved.

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RESUMENEste estudio comprende una valoración cuali-cuantitativa de las especies de aves asociadas ecológicamente a humedales del sur de la provincia de Santa Cruz, Argentina. Se trabajó en dos reservas naturales municipales con una rica diversidad de aves, la Reserva Costera Urbana en Río Gallegos y Reserva Natural Municipal Laguna Nimez en El Calafate. Se seleccionaron un total de 27 especies de aves posibles de observar entre ambas reservas por su potencial para ser aprovechadas para la práctica del aviturismo, ponderando de forma diferenciada entre quienes lo realizan de forma ocasional y profesional. ABSTRACTThis study includes a qualitative and quantitative assessment of the species of birds associated ecologically with wetlands in the south of the province of Santa Cruz, Argentina. We worked in two municipal natural reserves with a rich diversity of birds, Reserva Costera Urbana in Río Gallegos and Reserva Municipal Laguna Nimez in El Calafate. A total of 27 bird species were selected between the two reserves, because of their potential for birdwatching, weighing differently for recreational and professional birders. INTRODUCCIÓNEl uso de la fauna silvestre como recurso turístico se está transformando en uno de los principales ejes de desarrollo para muchos países. Uno de los segmentos que ha crecido especialmente, y en el cual Argentina posee recursos de alta calidad para su potenciación, es el ecoturismo y como una de sus motivaciones principales, la observación de aves silvestres en libertad. El turismo ornitológico es una especialidad en el ámbito del turismo de naturaleza y/o ecoturismo pues se realiza en el medio natural y además contribuye a la conservación de los hábitats, paisajes y biodiversidad (Domínguez González, 2009), siempre que se realice ordenadamente, sin afectar los hábitats y a las propias especies de aves observadas.Esta obra está bajo una Licencia Creative Commons Atribución-NoComercial-SinDerivar 4.0 Internacional. 78