Structural system based on tensioned wood panels: experimental and numerical validation

Housing in modern societies is a priority need. In the countries of industrial development, there are very sharp contrasts with respect to the housing deficit, affecting the great majority of the families with lower economic resources that solve their problem through subhuman constructions, elaborated, mostly, with residues of construction and disassembly of old buildings, highlighting the importance of the economy, from the financial point of the house built on the architectural quality and comfort. The need to create new building systems based on wood for homes arises when considering the few existing alternatives in developing countries that guarantee an economic, massive and fundamentally sustainable construction. In this sense, this research aims to make a contribution to the implementation of new structural elements for the sustainable construction of wooden houses, which can be manufactured by low technology processes, allowing easy use and appropriation by the general population. The system is called TENSO-WOOD, which is conceived as a system of solid wood plates of Caribbean pine, developed by means of low technology processes that allow an easy appropriation by the population in general. This paper presents a frame structural system using tensioned wood panels as structural elements. It is a lightweight prefabrication system for the construction of two-storey wooden houses. The system consists of bolted wood elements, creating different structural panels such as beam and column. An experimental program was carried out, which allowed knowing the mechanical behavior of each panel of the frame structure. In addition, it permits to know their maximum stress and deformations. The numerical models were compared with the experimental tests to validate and calibrate some parameters in the simulations. Therefore, the numerical models can be able to compute the load capacity and deformation of the wooden elements, obtaining behavior curves.

Fermented fish products in South and Southeast Asian cuisine: indigenous technology processes, nutrient composition, and cultural significance

The cleaner production of biomass into value-added products via microbial processes adds uniqueness in terms of food quality. The microbe-mediated traditional process for transforming biomass into food is a sustainable practice in Asian food industries. The 18 fermented fish products derived through this process as well as the associated micro-flora and nutritional composition have been focused. This review aims to update the process of green conversion biomass into value-added food products for a more sustainable future. Fish products are classified based on the substrate and source of the enzymes used in fermentation, which includes the three types of technology processing discussed. According to the findings, these fermented fish contain a plethora of beneficial microbiota, making them a valuable source of probiotics that may confer nutritional and health benefits. Bacillus (12 products), Lactobacillus (12 products), Micrococcus (9 products), and Staphylococcus (9 products) were the most common bacterial genera found in 18 fermented fish products. Consuming fermented fish products is beneficial to human health due to their high levels of carbohydrate, protein, fat, and lactic acid. However, biogenic amines, which are produced by certain bacteria as a by-product of their catabolic activity, are a significant potential hazard in traditionally fermented fish.

More than technology: Experiences of Virtual Emergency Operations Centers (VEOCs) during the COVID-19 pandemic response in Canada

The COVID-19 pandemic has necessitated emergency management offices and organizations across Canada to activate their Emergency Operations Center (EOC) in a virtual capacity due to government restrictions limiting in-person activities and with the goal of reducing the spread of the virus. The aim of this exploratory research paper is to document the personal experiences of Canadian emergency management professionals working in a Virtual EOC (VEOC) environment during the COVID-19 response, including challenges and benefits they experienced, as well as lessons identified. Based on a sample of 81 emergency management professionals and using an inductive coding approach, the survey results illustrate both technological and nontechnological challenges and benefits. The findings highlight the need to incorporate three main elements into VEOC planning and operations: technology, processes, and people.

Telectronic Government and Process Innovation

This study aimed to identify and interpret the municipal public managers in the use of the electronic portal of the State of Rio Grande do Sul. Thus, the applied and quantitative research was carried out with 62 municipal managers from the municipalities of Rio Grande do Sul. As a result, it was observed that the electronic portal is seen as process innovation, which minimizes public administration and user spending, and enables process improvements for the citizen. It was also observed that the variables were grouped into three factors: technology, processes and interaction, with no variance between the groups by mesoregions. Finally, it was observed that there is a moderate positive correlation between Technology and Processes, Technology and Interaction, and Processes and Interaction.

Data Mining to Assess Organizational Transparency across Technology Processes: An Approach from IT Governance and Knowledge Management

Information quality and organizational transparency are relevant issues for corporate governance and sustainability of companies, as they contribute to reducing information asymmetry, decreasing risks, and improving the conduct of decision-makers, ensuring an ethical standard of organizational control. This work uses the COBIT framework of IT governance, knowledge management, and machine learning techniques to evaluate organizational transparency considering the maturity levels of technology processes applied in 285 companies of southern Brazil. Data mining techniques have been methodologically applied to analyze the 37 processes in four different domains: Planning and organization, acquisition and implementation, delivery and support, and monitoring. Four learning techniques for knowledge discovery have been used to build a computational model that allowed us to evaluate the organizational transparency level. The results evidence the importance of IT performance monitoring and assessment, and internal control processes in enabling organizations to improve their levels of transparency. These processes depend directly on the establishment of IT strategic plans and quality management, as well as IT risk and project management, therefore an improvement in the maturity of these processes implies an increase in the levels of organizational transparency and their reputational, financial, and accountability impact.

Editorial

This is the first issue of the Journal Teaching Engineering (JTE). The journal is published by the University of Porto and is dedicated to publishing novel, cutting-edge reports of broad interest to higher education, especially related to engineering. The journal provides a forum for scientists and engineers, physicists, and chemists to rapidly communicate on the most important topics in the field of teaching and education. Its comprehensive scope includes all articles related to the following topics: What is the nature of engineering thinking and knowledge; how people develop knowledge and competencies; institutional practices; engineering interdisciplinary and applied education; how society, in general, contributes to science and technology processes and products, and development and use of assessment methods, instruments, and metrics.