Finding Confidence, Balance, and Self-acceptance: a Clinician’s Guide to Treating Involuntary Celibates

Involuntary Celibates (incels) are a new and poorly understood population. In the field of psychology, very little research has been done on the population, and even fewer clinicians have successfully worked with clients from this group. This handbook was created in an attempt to outline the history, belief system, terminology, and common mental health problems of incels and their related groups. This information is distilled down and presented as a primer for anyone looking to understand this new population. Also, possible treatment recommendations are suggested and discussed in detail based on the particular psychological difficulties that incels often face

Approximating invariant densities of metastable systems

We consider a piecewise smooth expanding map of the interval possessing two invariant subsets of positive Lebesgue measure and exactly two ergodic absolutely continuous invariant probability measures (ACIMs). When this system is perturbed slightly to make the invariant sets merge, we describe how the unique ACIM of the perturbed map can be approximated by a convex combination of the two initial ergodic ACIMs.Comment: 19 pages, 6 figure

Competency-Based Education: A Framework for a More Efficient and Safer Aviation Industry

Aircraft design and reliability as well as pilots’ education and training have steadily and significantly improved in the last 20 years. Nevertheless, high-profile accidents still occur, even when the aircraft and related systems are operating adequately. Controlled flight into terrain, runway incursion accidents, and loss of control in flight are examples of mishaps in which inadequate decision-making, poor leadership, and ineffective communication are frequently cited as contributing factors. Conversely, the investigation of accidents (e.g., US Airways Flight 1549, in the U.S. on Jan. 15, 2009) and serious incidents (e.g., TAM Linhas Aereas Flight 3756 in Brazil on June 17, 2011) have shown that flight crews must be flexible and adaptable, think outside the box, and communicate effectively to cope with situations well beyond their individual expertise

Measuring Public Utilization Perception Potential of Unmanned Aircraft Systems

The integration of Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) into the National Air Space (NAS) in recent times has been met by mixed public responses. The paper establishes four constructs each of which encapsulates multiple backgrounds and concerns of the stakeholders: functional knowledge, utilization trust, operational integration support, and safety risk-benefits. The paper hypothesizes that these constructs can serve as underlying components for a research instrument namely, the Public Utilization Perception Potential (PUPP) which can be used to assess the opinions of the public on UAS integration into NAS. Responses from the public on items in a beta-tested survey instrument were analyzed for construct validity and reliability using Principal Axis Factoring (PAF). Four factors that suggest constructs underlying PUPP instrument were derived. Using Structural Equation Model (SEM) approach, a hypothesized measurement model of PUPP was further validated and the final measurement model showed good fit of the observed data based on the RMSEA goodness-of-fit index (0.034). The paper further assessed the strength of relationships between the underlying constructs of PUPP. The results suggest that approximately 65% and 27% of all respondents had partial and no knowledge, respectively, about UAS integration into the NAS. There was a statistically significant difference in the mean scores on safety-risk benefits on UAS among gender. Males were found to be more likely to patronize unmanned commercial passenger services compared to females. The results indicated a statistically significant difference in UAS knowledge and perceptions across educational levels. It was rather counter-intuitive as respondents with lower educational levels were found to be more knowledgeable about UAS compared to those of higher levels based on the results of this study. Investments in information resources and training by industry, government and academia may be helpful to improve UAS knowledge and perceptions among the public if any commercial utilization as a transport mode will be feasible. Future studies will replicate the study in countries other than the United States

Competency Based Education: A Framework for a More Efficient and Safer Aviation Industry

Aircraft design and reliability as well as pilots’ education and training have steadily and significantly improved in the last 20 years. Nevertheless, high-profile accidents still occur, even when the aircraft and related systems are operating adequately. Controlled flight into terrain, runway incursions accidents, and loss-of-control-in-flight are examples of mishaps in which inadequate decision-making, poor leadership, and ineffective communication are frequently cited as contributing factors. Conversely, the investigation of accidents (e.g., US Airways Flight 1549, in US, in 01/15/2009) and serious incidents (e.g., JJ 3756, in Brazil, in 06/17/2011) have indicated that flight crews have to be flexible and adaptable, think outside the box, and to communicate effectively in order to cope with situations well beyond their individual expertise. Conventional flight training requirements generally consider only the so-called “technical skills” and knowledge. Interestingly, pilot’s competencies in important areas, such as leadership, teamwork, resilience, and decision-making are not explicitly addressed. The aviation system is reliable but complex. Thus, it is unrealistic to foresee all possible aircraft accident scenarios. Furthermore, there are many organizational variables that could have a detrimental impact in the flight deck of an aircraft. To further improve flight training, the global aviation industry is moving toward Evidence Based Training (EBT). EBT provides rigorous assessment and assurance of pilot competencies throughout their training, regardless of the accumulated flight hours. EBT programs must identify, develop, and evaluate the competencies required to operate safely, effectively, and efficiently in a commercial air transport environment. Moreover, EBT needs to address the most relevant threats according to evidence collected in aircraft mishaps, flight operations, and training. There is some emergent empirical evidence showing that high-quality education and flight training have a greater impact on efficiency and safety than just the total flight hours accumulated by entry-level pilots. Advanced Qualification Programs are utilized in Part 121 operations. A similar model with the development and assessment of defined competencies can lead to better education and flight training outcomes in collegiate aviation. In keeping with this transition to a competency-based educational model, and given an understanding of the benefits of an EBT program for aviation safety and efficiency, the Purdue School of Aviation and Transportation Technology is redesigning its professional flight program. The benefits of this program will include: a. The establishment of advanced training processes that will enhance the acquisition of knowledge, skills, and abilities by the future professional pilot workforce that meet or exceed safety standards; b. Amplifying quality of education and flight training over flight hours; and c. Developing empirical data to inform decision-makers such as program leaders and regulators. The goal of this transformation process is to develop a competency-based program that will attend to academic and regulatory requirements, and that are in alignment with the major aviation stakeholders’ standards and recommendations. It is important to note that a competency-based degree will require graduates to demonstrate proficiency in competencies that are valued by the aviation and aerospace industries. Therefore, this will be beneficial for both the graduates as well as the industry