Cargo Area Research Articles

MOBILE ANESTHESIA UNIT FOR IMPLANTING RADIOTRANSMITTERS IN BIRDS IN THE FIELD

We designed a mobile anesthesia unit for surgically implanting radio transmitters in birds in the field. This minimizes the amount of time individuals undergoing the procedure are kept from their normal activities. Two units were designed and tested. In 2000, we successfully implanted radio transmitters in 40 white-winged doves in Kingsville, Texas, using a surgical unit carried in the bed of a truck. In 2002, we successfully implanted 39 white-winged doves in Waco, Texas, using a surgical unit carried in the cargo area of a minivan. The success of both trials indicates this method has great potential for use for numerous avian species while minimizing impacts to individuals being studied.

A general model for predicting brown tree snake capture rates

AbstractThe inadvertent introduction of the brown tree snake (Boiga irregularis) to Guam has resulted in the extirpation of most of the island's native terrestrial vertebrates, has presented a health hazard to small children, and also has produced economic problems. Trapping around ports and other cargo staging areas is central to a program designed to deter dispersal of the species. Sequential trapping of smaller plots is also being used to clear larger areas of snakes in preparation for endangered species reintroductions. Traps and trapping personnel are limited resources, which places a premium on the ability to plan the deployment of trapping efforts. In a series of previous trapping studies, data on brown tree snake removal from forested plots was found to be well modeled by exponential decay functions. For the present article, we considered a variety of model forms and estimation procedures, and used capture data from individual plots as random subjects to produce a general random coefficients model for making predictions of brown tree snake capture rates. The best model was an exponential decay with positive asymptote produced using nonlinear mixed model estimation where variability among plots was introduced through the scale and asymptote parameters. Practical predictive abilities were used in model evaluation so that a manager could project capture rates in a plot after a period of time, or project the amount of time required for trapping to reduce capture rates to a desired level. The model should provide managers with a tool for optimizing the allocation of limited trapping resources. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Pickup truck use in the National Personal Transportation Survey

To guide interventions to prevent injuries to pickup-truck occupants, we characterized pickup truck ownership, drivers and use in the 1995 National Personal Transportation Survey, which collects travel data from the civilian noninstitutionalized population of the US. SUDAAN software was used to account for the complex nature of the sample. Pickup truck ownership was more common in households with more vehicles, in rural households, in households living in single family homes and mobile homes, and in middle-income households. Among US regions, pickup truck ownership was highest among households in the mountain west. Pickup truck ownership was greater in households with two adults, whether or not children or youths were present, but this was largely due to the number of vehicles in these households. Driving a pickup on the sample day was more frequent among men, among drivers with less education and among full-time workers. A higher proportion of trips to work, work-related trips, longer trips and trips with fewer people were by pickup truck. Seat belt use was lower among pickup truck drivers than drivers of other vehicles. For only 0.5% of households (those with three or more members and a pickup truck as their only vehicle), restrictions on travel in cargo areas might be burdensome. Restrictions on cargo area travel, strengthening existing seat belt laws and social marketing strategies might increase the safety of pickup truck occupants.

Children in pickup trucks. American Academy of Pediatrics. Committee on Injury and Poison Prevention.

Pickup trucks have become increasingly popular in the United States. A recent study found that in crashes involving fatalities, cargo area passengers were 3 times more likely to die than were occupants in the cab. Compared with restrained cab occupants, the risk of death for those in the cargo area was 8 times higher. Furthermore, the increased use of extended-cab pickup trucks and air bag-equipped front passenger compartments creates concerns about the safe transport of children. The most effective preventive strategies are the legislative prohibition of travel in the cargo area and requirements for age-appropriate restraint use and seat selection in the cab. Parents should select vehicles that are appropriate for the safe transportation needs of the family. Physicians have an important role in counseling families and advocating public policy measures to reduce the number of deaths and injuries to occupants of pickup trucks.

Fatalities to occupants of cargo areas of pickup trucks

We sought to describe the fatalities to occupants of pickup truck cargo areas and to compare the mortality of cargo area occupants to passengers in the cab. From the Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS) files for 1987–1996, we identified occupants of pickup trucks with at least one fatality and at least one passenger in the cargo area. Outcomes of cargo area occupants and passengers in the cab were compared using estimating equations conditional on the crash and vehicle. Thirty-four percent of deaths to cargo occupants were in noncrash events without vehicle deformation. Fifty-five percent of those who died were age 15–29 years and 79% were male. The fatality risk ratio (FRR) comparing cargo area occupants to front seat occupants was 3.0 (95% Confidence Interval [CI]=2.7–3.4). The risk was 7.9 (95% CI=6.2–10.1) times that of restrained front seat occupants. The FRR ranged from 92 (95% CI=47–179) in noncrash events to 1.7 (95% CI=1.5–1.9) in crashes with severe vehicle deformation. The FRR was 1.8 (95% CI=1.4–2.3) for occupants of enclosed cargo areas and 3.5 (95% CI=3.1–4.0) for occupants of open cargo areas. We conclude that passengers in cargo areas of pickup trucks have a higher risk of death than front seat occupants, especially in noncrash events, and that camper shells offer only limited protection for cargo area occupants.

Developing a Model Law Restricting the Transporting of Passengers in the Cargo Areas of Pickup Trucks

Pickup trucks have become increasingly popular in the United States, accounting for about one in five vehicles involved in fatal motor-vehicle crashes. A critical factor in these deaths is the practice of carrying passengers in truck cargo areas, which are not designed for this purpose. Each year approximately 200 deaths occur to occupants riding in the back of pickup trucks. Over half the states have laws dealing with preventable injury problem, but these laws vary widely and most are too limited to be effective. We have reviewed existing laws, as well as crash injury data, and we have developed and recommend a model bill. The bill focuses on intended use, restricting passengers to only those portions of a vehicle designed for human transport. We have also conducted and report on a survey of legislative sponsors of pickup truck legislation.

Four legs or two: Up front with you— Preventing tragedies by keeping children and pets out of the cargo areas of pickup trucks

Four legs or two: Up front with you— Preventing tragedies by keeping children and pets out of the cargo areas of pickup trucks

Trapping strategies for deterring the spread of Brown Tree Snakes from Guam

The accidental introduction of the Brown Tree Snake Boiga irregularis to Guam has resulted in the extirpation of most of the island's native terrestrial vertebrates, has presented a health hazard to infants and children, and also has produced an economic problem. Prevention of its dispersal through Guam's cargo traffic to other Pacific islands has become a high environmental priority. Trapping around ports and other cargo staging areas is central to an integrated pest management programme designed to deter dispersal of the species. In this study, perimeter trapping of forested plots characteristic of those found in port areas was found to be the most effective trap placement strategy, although trap lines cut through the plot interior or placed along a single plot boundary were also effective. Snake removal potentially can be modelled using an exponential decay over time, providing the manager with a planning tool. Population recovery of Brown Tree Snakes in trapped plots was found to be slow in the fragmented forested habitats found around ports.

Temperature Patterns in Commercial Egg Transport Vehicles

Egg transport vehicles operating from two locations in Florida were wired with up to thirty sensors gathering ambient temperature data as frequently as 15 sec in order to characterize temperature patterns in both warehouse delivery and store-door delivery settings during the parked and mobile phases.Using the new ambient-air egg storage regulation temperature of 45°F as a benchmark, the seven warehouse runs had the lowest average percentage of time at or below temperature standard. There was also considerable average front to back and side to side variation due to the refrigerated air discharge location. Vertical plan measurement differences were less than 10%.Store-door runs generally had higher compliance rates than warehouse runs, but experienced problems cooling the centerline of the truck, particularly in the front. Due to frequent door openings and the fact that this unit discharged air into the cargo area directly out of the cooling unit, compliance was highest in the front at the sides of the truck and lower toward the rear.

Children Riding in the Back of Pickup Trucks: A Neglected Safety Issue

Motor vehicle-related trauma is the leading cause of death in children in the United States. All states have pediatric restraint requirements for passenger vehicles to help prevent these deaths and injuries. Only a few states, however, possess safety laws or restrictions for passengers who ride in the back of pickup trucks. A retrospective review of medical records for a 40-month period revealed 40 patients whose injuries were a direct result of being a passenger in the cargo area (bed) of a pickup truck. Their injuries and other pertinent data are discussed. Representatives from the Highway Safety Commission of each state were surveyed about their specific highway safety laws. The responses revealed that all states and the District of Columbia have child restraint requirements for passenger automobiles, 34 states have adult restraint laws, but only 17 states have any type of restriction for passengers riding in the back of pickup trucks. Seventy-one percent of the states with pickup truck regulations include only the preschool-age child. Data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration concerning pickup trucks and passenger fatality are presented and discussed.

Tsuen Wan reclamation, transport complex and by-pass : Butler, D R Highways TranspV33, N1, Jan 1986, P9–15

Tsuen Wan is being developed as one of Hong Kong's new towns with a planned population of nearly 1 m. The optimum scheme for the by-pass for Tsuen Wan involved the formulation by reclamation from the sea of about 30 ha of land; the construction of an integrated transport complex; a ferry pier and a marine cargo area; a pumping station; as well as the construction of the by-pass itself, a dual carriageway road continuously elevated for a distance of about 2 km together with ancillary roads, culverts and drains. The paper briefly describes the planning, programming, design and construction of this integrated project. (Author/TRRL)

Evaluation of Aerosols for Quarantine Control of Three Tephritid Flies, 1979

Abstract Tests were conducted to find an effective adulticide for treatment in aircraft cabins and hold to prevent accidental transport of three tephritid flies from Hawaii to the U.S. mainland. Initial tests were con-ducted in transport trailers with caged flies. Colony-reared melon flies and Mediterranean and Oriental fruit flies were immobilized and counted in a cold room, and their sexes were determined. Ten of each sex for each species were placed in 0.45-liter paper cans with 7 mesh/crrr nylon screen on both ends. Sugar cubes and water-saturated sponges were placed on each cage before and after treatment. Five cages were placed in standard positions at three dif-ferent levels: floor, 1.5 m high on walls, and ceiling. In four tests three additional cages of flies were released inside the trailer just before treatment. Because only d-phenothrin was registered for use in aircraft, four tests were conducted with this formulation with caged flies in ten positions in the cargo areas in each of two C-141 and in eleven positions in the cabins of two DC-10 aircraft. All exposure periods were 30 min. In trailers the rear doors were closed for the first 10 min and opened for the remaining 20 min; in the aircraft, the first 10 min were without ventilation and the final 20 min were with it. The three insecticides selected for the study, d-phenothrin, permethrin, and S-5602, are synthetic pyrethroids with relatively low mammalian toxicity. All were formulated as self-propellant aerosols in dichlorodifluoromethane (F-12)- Aerosols were released along the entire length of the test space. Proper doses were obtained by spraying for a prescribed time based on release-rate and weighing and re-spraying as necessary. Knockdown counts were made immediately after the 30 min exposure period, and mortality counts were made 48 hr posttreatment.