Quantitative and Molecular Genetic Variation in Captive Cotton-Top Tamarins (Saguinus oedipus)

Most genetic surveys of captive and endangered populations are carried out with single gene characters bearing no direct relationship to life history or other features for which genetic variation needs to be maintained. Quantitative genetic estimates of heritable variation for life-history traits may be a more direct and appropriate measure of genetic variation for some conservation purposes. Furthermore, recent theoretical and empirical results indicate that genetic variation measured on these two levels may not be concordant. We analyzed heterozygosity at 41 allozyme loci and heritability for body weight in captive cotton-top tamarins ( Saguinus oedipus ) from the Marmoset Research Center of the Oak Ridge Associated Universities in order to compare these two levels of genetic variation. Cotton-top tamarins are a highly endangered species native to Colombia. Many animals currently reside in research facilities and zoological parks. A total of 106 animals were used in the isozyme survey, while data on 364 animals contributed to the quantitative genetic study of body weight. We found a very low average heterozygosity ( H = 1%) for this colony. Body weight was moderately and significantly heritable ( h ² = 35%). This heritability is within the normal range for natural animal populations. The finding of biologically significant levels of heritability in a population with abnormally low allozyme heterozygosity illustrates the point that low levels of allozyme heterozygosity should not be taken as an indication of overall lack of genetic variation in important quantitative characters such as life-history traits. Genetic variation required for adaptation of species to future environmental challenges can exist despite low levels of enzyme heterozygosity.     

Road Traffic and Nearby Grassland Bird Patterns in a Suburbanizing Landscape

An extensive road system with rapidly increasing traffic produces diverse ecological effects that cover a large land area. Our objective was to evaluate the effect of roads with different traffic volumes on surrounding avian distributions, and its importance relative to other variables. Grassland bird data (5 years) for 84 open patches in an outer suburban/rural landscape near Boston were analyzed relative to: distance from roads with 3000–8000 to >30,000 vehicles/day; open-habitat patch size; area of quality microhabitat within a patch; adjacent land use; and distance to other open patches. Grassland bird presence and regular breeding correlated significantly with both distance from road and habitat patch size. Distance to nearest other open patch, irrespective of size, was not significant. Similarly, except for one species, adjacent land use, in this case built area, was not significant. A light traffic volume of 3000–8000 vehicles/day (local collector street here) had no significant effect on grassland bird distribution. For moderate traffic of 8000–15,000 (through street), there was no effect on bird presence although regular breeding was reduced for 400 m from a road. For heavier traffic of 15,000–30,000 (two-lane highway), both bird presence and breeding were decreased for 700 m. For a heavy traffic volume of ≥30,000 vehicles/day (multilane highway), bird presence and breeding were reduced for 1200 m from a road. The results suggest that avian studies and long-term surveys near busy roads may be strongly affected by traffic volume or changes in volume. We conclude that road ecology, especially the effects extending outward >100 m from roads with traffic, is a sine qua non for effective land-use and transportation policy.     

Evaluation of geometrically personalized THUMS pedestrian model response against sedan–pedestrian PMHS impact test data

Objective: Evaluating the biofidelity of pedestrian finite element models (PFEM) using postmortem human subjects (PMHS) is a challenge because differences in anthropometry between PMHS and PFEM could limit a model's capability to accurately capture cadaveric responses. Geometrical personalization via morphing can modify the PFEM geometry to match the specific PMHS anthropometry, which could alleviate this issue. In this study, the Total Human Model for Safety (THUMS) PFEM (Ver 4.01) was compared to the cadaveric response in vehicle–pedestrian impacts using geometrically personalized models.

Methods: The AM50 THUMS PFEM was used as the baseline model, and 2 morphed PFEM were created to the anthropometric specifications of 2 obese PMHS used in a previous pedestrian impact study with a mid-size sedan. The same measurements as those obtained during the PMHS tests were calculated from the simulations (kinematics, accelerations, strains), and biofidelity metrics based on signals correlation (correlation and analysis, CORA) were established to compare the response of the models to the experiments. Injury outcomes were predicted deterministically (through strain-based threshold) and probabilistically (with injury risk functions) and compared with the injuries reported in the necropsy.

Results: The baseline model could not accurately capture all aspects of the PMHS kinematics, strain, and injury risks, whereas the morphed models reproduced biofidelic response in terms of trajectory (CORA score = 0.927 ± 0.092), velocities (0.975 ± 0.027), accelerations (0.862 ± 0.072), and strains (0.707 ± 0.143). The personalized THUMS models also generally predicted injuries consistent with those identified during posttest autopsy.

Conclusions: The study highlights the need to control for pedestrian anthropometry when validating pedestrian human body models against PMHS data. The information provided in the current study could be useful for improving model biofidelity for vehicle–pedestrian impact scenarios.     

Size and spatial structure in deep versus shallow populations of the Mediterranean gorgonian <Emphasis Type="Italic">Eunicella singularis</Emphasis> (Cap de Creus,northwestern Mediterranean Sea)

In the Western Mediterranean Sea, the gorgonian Eunicella singularis (Esper, 1794) is found at high densities on sublittoral bottoms at depths from 10 to 70 m. Shallow colonies have symbiotic zooxanthellae that deeper colonies lack. While knowledge of the ecology of the shallow populations has increased during the last decades, there is almost no information on the ecology of the deep sublittoral populations. In October and November 2004 at Cap de Creus (42°19′12″ N; 03°19′34″ E), an analysis of video transects made by a remotely operated vehicle showed that shallow populations (10–25 m depth) were dominated by small, non-reproductive colonies, while deep sublittoral populations (50–67 m depth) were dominated by medium-sized colonies. Average and maximum colony heights were greater in the deeper populations, with these deeper populations also forming larger patch sizes and more extensive regions of continuous substrate coverage. These results suggest that shallow habitats are suitable for E. singularis, as shown by the high recruitment rate, but perturbations may limit or delay the development of these populations into a mature stage. This contrasts with the deep sublittoral habitats where higher environmental stability may allow the development of mature populations dominated by larger, sexually mature colonies.     

Experimental investigation of the effect of occupant characteristics on contemporary seat belt payout behavior in frontal impacts

Objective: The goal of this study was to investigate the influence of the occupant characteristics on seat belt force vs. payout behavior based on experiment data from different configurations in frontal impacts.

Methods: The data set reviewed consists of 58 frontal sled tests using several anthropomorphic test devices (ATDs) and postmortem human subjects (PMHS), restrained by different belt systems (standard belt, SB; force-limiting belt, FLB) at 2 impact severities (48 and 29 km/h). The seat belt behavior was characterized in terms of the shoulder belt force vs. belt payout behavior. A univariate linear regression was used to assess the factor significance of the occupant body mass or stature on the peak tension force and gross belt payout.

Results: With the SB, the seat belt behavior obtained by the ATDs exhibited similar force slopes regardless of the occupant size and impact severities, whereas those obtained by the PMHS were varied. Under the 48 km/h impact, the peak tension force and gross belt payout obtained by ATDs was highly correlated to the occupant stature (P =.03, P =.02) and body mass (P =.05, P =.04), though no statistical difference with the stature or body mass were noticed for the PMHS (peak force: P =.09, P =.42; gross payout: P =.40, P =.48). With the FLB under the 48 km/h impact, highly linear relationships were noticed between the occupant body mass and the peak tension force (R² = 0.9782) and between the gross payout and stature (R² = 0.9232) regardless of the occupant types.

Conclusions: The analysis indicated that the PMHS characteristics showed a significant influence on the belt response, whereas the belt response obtained with the ATDs was more reproducible. The potential cause included the occupant anthropometry, body mass distribution, and relative motion among body segments specific to the population variance. This study provided a primary data source to understand the biomechanical interaction of the occupant with the restraint system. Further research is necessary to consider these effects in the computational studies and optimized design of the restraint system in a more realistic manner.     

Detailed and reduced chemistry for hydrogen autoignition

Reaction-rate parameters are given for the detailed chemistry of gas-phase hydrogen combustion, involving 21 reversible elementary steps. It is indicated that, when attention is restricted to specific combustion processes and particular conditions of interest, fewer elementary steps are needed. In particular, for calculating autoignition times over a wide range of pressures for temperatures between about 1000 and 2000 K, five irreversible elementary steps suffice, yielding a remarkable reduction in complexity. It is explained that, from a mathematical viewpoint, in terms of global reaction-kinetic mechanisms, the hydrogen–oxygen system in principle comprises only six overall steps. Rational reduced chemical mechanisms for hydrogen combustion therefore necessarily must have fewer than six overall steps. For autoignition over the range of conditions specified above, ignition times can be determined accurately by considering, in addition to an elementary initiation step and an elementary termination step, at most three overall steps for reaction intermediaries, which reduce to two for very fuel-lean conditions and to one for stoichiometric or fuel-rich conditions. The resulting reductions can simplify computations that need to be performed in risk analyses for hydrogen storage and utilization.     

Estimate of the Area Affected Ecologically by the Road System in the United States

Abstract: In view of an extensive road system, abundant and rapidly growing vehicular traffic, and a scattered literature indicating that some ecological effects of roads extend outward for > 100 m, it seems likely that the cumulative ecological effect of the road system in the United States is considerable. Two recent studies in The Netherlands and Massachusetts ( U.S.A.) evaluated several ecological effects of roads, including traffic noise effects, and provide quantitative evidence for a definable "road-effect zone." Based on the approximate width of this asymmetric convoluted zone, I estimate that about one-fifth of the U.S. land area is directly affected ecologically by the system of public roads. I identify a series of assumptions and variables suggesting that over time this preliminary estimate is more likely to rise than drop. Several transportation planning and policy recommendations, ranging from perforating the road barrier for wildlife crossings to closing certain roads, offer promise for reducing this enormous ecological effect.     

Hedgerows and hedgerow networks in landscape ecology

Hedgerows originated and coexist with agriculture. Their internal structure and species diversity vary widely with origin (planted, spontaneous, or remnant), farming practices in adjacent fields, and the refined art of hedgerow management. Most hedgerow species are forest-edge species, and apparently none is limited to hedgerows. Wide hedgerows composed of trees and shrubs appear to function as corridors for movement of many plants and animals across a landscape. The reduction of crop loss, by dampening pest population fluctuations with hedgerow predators, remains a hypothesis for study.Field microclimate downwind of a hedgerow is modified about 16 times the hedgerow height (h) for evaporation, and approximately 28 h for wind speed. A turbulent wind pattern with harsher microclimate is present at 6–8 h if a second hedgerow is nearby downwind. Zones of higher crop productivity at 3- to 6-h downwind, and 2- to 6-h upwind of a second hedgerow may be expected. Overall, we expect little short-term difference in farm-field production with or without hedgerows.Evidence suggests that hedgerow networks, and especially their mesh size (of fields), exert a major control on many major landscape fluxes. Such fluxes include animal populations, wind speed, evapotranspiration and soil desiccation, soil erosion and nutrient runoff, species movement along network lines, and movement of field species across the network. In a relatively short period, the hedgerow ecosystem, with no unique species, has attained a metastable equilibrium, which is regulated by enormous human inputs.More than 20 economic roles of hedgerows are pinpointed. The roles, providing resources and protection of resources, are poorly known quantitatively. We conclude that hedgerows perform diverse functions for society and the farmer that are both economically and ecologically significant.     

Road traffic and nearby grassland bird patterns in a suburbanizing landscape

An extensive road system with rapidly increasing traffic produces diverse ecological effects that cover a large land area. Our objective was to evaluate the effect of roads with different traffic volumes on surrounding avian distributions, and its importance relative to other variables. Grassland bird data (5 years) for 84 open patches in an outer suburban/rural landscape near Boston were analyzed relative to: distance from roads with 3000–8000 to >30,000 vehicles/day; open-habitat patch size; area of quality microhabitat within a patch; adjacent land use; and distance to other open patches. Grassland bird presence and regular breeding correlated significantly with both distance from road and habitat patch size. Distance to nearest other open patch, irrespective of size, was not significant. Similarly, except for one species, adjacent land use, in this case built area, was not significant. A light traffic volume of 3000–8000 vehicles/day (local collector street here) had no significant effect on grassland bird distribution. For moderate traffic of 8000–15,000 (through street), there was no effect on bird presence although regular breeding was reduced for 400 m from a road. For heavier traffic of 15,000–30,000 (two-lane highway), both bird presence and breeding were decreased for 700 m. For a heavy traffic volume of ≥30,000 vehicles/day (multilane highway), bird presence and breeding were reduced for 1200 m from a road. The results suggest that avian studies and long-term surveys near busy roads may be strongly affected by traffic volume or changes in volume. We conclude that road ecology, especially the effects extending outward >100 m from roads with traffic, is a sine qua non for effective land-use and transportation policy.