
 Possibilities for compositional tailoring of Norway spruce (Picea abies
 L. Karst.) wood using a hydrophobic oil impregnation process

ZusammenfassungImpregnation with hydrophobic oils offers non-toxic options for preserving Norway spruce (Picea abies L. Karst) wood that could potentially be used to tailor the properties
 of wood products, especially those used in exposed conditions. The objective of this study was to quantify
 the effects of the water-filled porosity and density of Norway spruce wood and treatments (applied to set
 the wood’s water contents at desired test levels) prior to impregnation with the linseed oil derivative
 Linogard by the Linotech process on its oil retention. Retention of oil differed significantly between
 tissue types. Dried specimens always retained less oil than corresponding undried or rewetted specimens.
 Furthermore, water-filled porosity and density had significant effects on oil retention levels within tissue
 types, allowing linear regression equations to be developed that gave good predictions of oil retention
 parameters for different tissues, with R2 values ranging from 0.66 for mature
 heartwood to 0.85 for mature sapwood. Thus there is scope to use hydrophobic oil impregnation processes
 for producing compositionally tailored wood materials with specified properties.

Impregnation of Norway spruce (Picea abies L. Karst.) wood by hydrophobic oil and dispersion patterns in different tissues
Summary Wood from Norway spruce ( Picea abies L. Karst.) is biologically degraded in exposed conditions. It also has anatomical features that make it diffi cult to impregnate with preservatives by currently available industrial processes. In the study reported here, we used the new Linotech process to impregnate Norway spruce wood with hydrophobic linseed oil and then quantifi ed its uptake and dispersal in anatomically distinct wood tissues. We also investigated the effects of the wood moisture content on the results of the impregnation. Samples (500 × 25 × 25 mm) were taken from 15 trees in a coniferous forest in northern Sweden (64° 10 ׳ N, 160 – 320 m a.s.l.). The parameters for the Linotech process were 2 – 3 h treatment time at 0.8 – 1.4 MPa and 60 – 140°C. To determine the level of uptake, the linseed oil was extracted from the impregnated wood using methyl-tertiarybutyl-ether. The uptake was quantitatively analysed by comparing X-ray microdensitometry values obtained following impregnation both before and after oil removal. In earlywood, initial moisture content had an obvious effect on the impregnation result. Six times more oil was taken up when the moisture content was greater than ~ 150 per cent than when it was less than 30 per cent. Theoretical calculations, based on density levels, suggest that the water-fi lled porosity of the wood (water volume divided by porosity volume) was positively correlated with the linseed oil uptake, and more strongly correlated in earlywood than in latewood. There were also signifi cant differences in uptake between different wood tissues; heartwood/mature wood and heartwood/juvenile wood showed 10 – 20 per cent weight increases due to linseed oil uptake, compared with 30 – 50 per cent in sapwood/mature wood. Examination by scanning electron microscopy confi rmed these uptake patterns. The moisture content after impregnation was about 5 per cent, irrespective of the Linotech process parameters, tissue type and initial moisture content. In conclusion, the impregnation process used here results in high levels of well-dispersed linseed oil uptake and should facilitate drying.
The Role of Democratic Politics in Transforming Moral Convictions into Law
Professor Michael Perry's new book, Morality, Politics, and Law, is an ambitious attempt to address the extent to which moral and religious beliefs in a pluralistic society, such as ours, can legitimately influence law. He departs from the common opinion in legal circles that moral beliefs are a matter of taste or "values," and defends an older conception that it is possible to attain moral "knowledge." ' He also departs from the "liberal political-philosophical project," 2 which claims that it is possible (and desirable) for governments to steer a neutral course between competing moral understandings of the good. This, he suggests, is an illusion, and a disguise for the imposition of a particular moral structure without opportunity for open deliberation and reflection. Professor Perry brings some refreshing common sense to these riddles of moral philosophy. His "naturalist" approach has obvious roots in Aristotle-not a bad place to begin thinking about ethics. His dismissal of