State of the art of industrial wood protection in Portugal

This work intended to give a perspective of industrial wood protection in Portugal. A survey was made of the companies treating wood mainly for use classes 3 and 4 such as autoclave treatments with biocides and wood modification procedures. Currently there are 23 companies with 33 production plants with an autoclave installed for wood preservation by impregnation. There are also two companies producing modified wood by thermal treatment. Most of the plants are located in the central and northern regions of Portugal. The leading preservation chemicals used in Portugal are Tanalith E and Celcure brands. The main wood species used in all companies is Pinus pinaster from local producers. The products commercialized by the treating companies are diverse: pre-fabricated houses, garden furniture and playgrounds, decks, poles, stakes, and sawn wood. Modified wood producers sell mostly decks and cladding. Considerable changes are expected in the next few years due to the requirements of European Directives and the typical constraints of the Portuguese market.

Autoethnography : critical appreciation of an emerging art

In this article, the author discusses how she applied autoethnography in a study of the design of hypermedia educational resources and shows how she addressed problematic issues related to autoethnographic legitimacy and representation. The study covered a 6-year period during which the practitioner’s perspective on the internal and external factors influencing the creation of three hypermedia CD-ROMs contributed to an emerging theory of design. The author highlights the interrelationship between perception and reality as vital to qualitative approaches and encourages researchers to investigate their reality more fully by practicing the art of autoethnography.