Early Secondary Succession in Bottomland Hardwood Forests of Southeastern Virginia

Addressing the need for reference sites that permit wetland managers to evaluate the relative success of wetland restoration efforts, this project examines the early successional properties of a chronosequence of 17 forested wetlands that have been clear-cut and allowed to naturally revegetate. Ordinations performed on the data using CANOCO software indicated three general types of communities—one dominated by bald cypress (Taxodium distichum) and water tupelo (Nyssa aquatica), one dominated by black willow (Salix nigra), and one with a species composition similar to that of a mature stand of bottomland hardwoods. These divisions were correlated with the percentage of stems originating as coppice on stumps leftover from the clear-cut. In particular, the bottomland hardwood stands were regenerating predominantly as coppice, while the cypress/tupelo and black willow stands were regenerating primarily as seedlings. As indicated by the earlier development of overstory basal area, coppice sites were also regenerating much faster. The hydrology of a site also exhibited a strong impact on the rate of regeneration, with the semipermanently to permanently flooded portions of sites often exhibiting little or no regeneration. The results indicate that, because of the overwhelming reliance on coppice sprouts as the main source of stems and the concomitant enhanced rates of regeneration, certain vegetative parameters of clear-cut bottomland hardwood stands would not be effective benchmarks by which to judge the relative success of creation and restoration efforts.     

Behavioral Factors as Predictors of Motor Vehicle Crashes in Young Drivers

Gains in reducing mortality and morbidity from motor vehicle crashes can be achieved by understanding the behavioral factors that contribute to the elevated risk of motor vehicle-related injury and death. This study investigates the incidence, along with the effect of driver and behavioral factors, on the likelihood of motor vehicle crashes. Seventeen year old newly licensed drivers (n = 1277) in Perth, Western Australia, were recruited and followed over the first 12 months of driving. Using Cox proportional hazard analysis, driver and behavioral factors were assessed to determine whether they predicted the likelihood of a crash in the first 12 months of driving. The crash incidence rate was higher for males (1R = 4.6/10,000 driving days) than females (IR = 3.9/10,000 driving days). Multivariate analysis indicated that drivers who reported to have driven daily prior to obtaining their learners permit (L-plates) were at an increased risk of motor vehicle crash. A twofold increase in motor vehicle crash was apparent among drivers considered to be confident-adventurous drivers compared to low to moderate levels of driver confidence-adventurousness (HR = 2.04, 95% CI = 1.29-3.21). The research indicates that a driver's perception of their confidence and adventurousness in the road environment plays a part in the causal pathway leading to a motor vehicle crash. This research points to the need for preventive strategies that focus not only on knowledge and skill acquisition, but also the driver's perception in preparing young people for our roads.     

Response of the Head,Neck and Torso to Pendulum Impacts on the Back

Pendulum impacts on the back were conducted to determine human head, neck and torso biomechanics. Eight unembalmed cadavers were subjected to 23.4 kg pendulum impacts at 4.4 m/s and 6.6 m/s at T1 and T6. Twenty-four tests were conducted with accelerometers on the pendulum, spine, torso, and head in the WSU 3-2-2-2 array. High-speed photography was taken. Impact displaces the torso forward, deflects the chest, displaces and rotates the head, and extends the neck. Average responses and corridors were determined for head kinematics and chest force-deflection. The head-neck response occurs in two phases. First, the head displaces upwards and rearwards 30—40 mm with respect to the torso along a 45° trajectory. Head rotation is 1O°-15° with essentially no neck moment, but high neck compression forces. Second, the head rotates from 10°-15° to 40°-55° starting with a rapid rise in neck moment and displaces 80–100 mm rearward. Anterior cervical fractures correlate with neck tension. Rib fractures correlate with impact force and chest deflection. This study provides chest bio-mechanical responses for rear impacts resulting in head displacement and rotation, neck extension and cervical-thoracic injury.