Levels of Information Processing in a Fitts law task (LIPFitts)

State-of-the-art flight technology has restructured the task of human operators, decreasing the need for physical and sensory resources, and increasing the quantity of cognitive effort required, changing it qualitatively. Recent technological advances have the most potential for impacting a pilot in two areas: performance and mental workload. In an environment in which timing is critical, additional cognitive processing can cause performance decrements, and increase a pilot's perception of the mental workload involved. The effects of stimulus processing demands on motor response performance and subjective mental workload are examined, using different combinations of response selection and target acquisition tasks. The information processing demands of the response selection were varied (e.g., Sternberg memory set tasks, math equations, pattern matching), as was the difficulty of the response execution. Response latency as well as subjective workload ratings varied in accordance with the cognitive complexity of the task. Movement times varied according to the difficulty of the response execution task. Implications in terms of real-world flight situations are discussed

Memory and subjective workload assessment

Recent research suggested subjective introspection of workload is not based upon specific retrieval of information from long term memory, and only reflects the average workload that is imposed upon the human operator by a particular task. These findings are based upon global ratings of workload for the overall task, suggesting that subjective ratings are limited in ability to retrieve specific details of a task from long term memory. To clarify the limits memory imposes on subjective workload assessment, the difficulty of task segments was varied and the workload of specified segments was retrospectively rated. The ratings were retrospectively collected on the manipulations of three levels of segment difficulty. Subjects were assigned to one of two memory groups. In the Before group, subjects knew before performing a block of trials which segment to rate. In the After group, subjects did not know which segment to rate until after performing the block of trials. The subjective ratings, RTs (reaction times) and MTs (movement times) were compared within group, and between group differences. Performance measures and subjective evaluations of workload reflected the experimental manipulations. Subjects were sensitive to different difficulty levels, and recalled the average workload of task components. Cueing did not appear to help recall, and memory group differences possibly reflected variations in the groups of subjects, or an additional memory task

Air traffic control by distributed management in a MLS environment

The microwave landing system (MLS) is a technically feasible means for increasing runway capacity since it could support curved approaches to a short final. The shorter the final segment of the approach, the wider the variety of speed mixes possible so that theoretically, capacity would ultimately be limited by runway occupance time only. An experiment contrasted air traffic control in a MLS environment under a centralized form of management and under distributed management which was supported by a traffic situation display in each of the 3 piloted simulators. Objective flight data, verbal communication and subjective responses were recorded on 18 trial runs lasting about 20 minutes each. The results were in general agreement with previous distributed management research. In particular, distributed management permitted a smaller spread of intercrossing times and both pilots and controllers perceived distributed management as the more 'ideal' system in this task. It is concluded from this and previous research that distributed management offers a viable alternative to centralized management with definite potential for dealing with dense traffic in a safe, orderly and expeditious manner

Decay estimates for variable coefficient wave equations in exterior domains

In this article we consider variable coefficient, time dependent wave equations in exterior domains. We prove localized energy estimates if the domain is star-shaped and global in time Strichartz estimates if the domain is strictly convex.Comment: 15 pages. In the new version, some typos are fixed and a minor correction was made to the proof of Lemma 1

Evaluating suicide prevention gatekeeper training designed to identify and support people from asylum-seeking and refugee backgrounds

Background: Suicide-related behaviours and individual risk factors for suicide differ between ethnicities and demonstrate additional variation based on voluntary and forced migration. People forcibly displaced by violence and conflict, such as those seeking asylum and refugees, are likely to face stressors that can increase suicide risk. Research into evidenced-based suicide prevention strategies among people from asylum-seeking and refugee backgrounds is scarce. However, early, contextually-appropriate, identification and intervention may be a promising way to facilitate support for people in these groups. This research proposes that a contextually-responsive gatekeeper training is an appropriate strategy to increase the identification and support for people from asylum-seeking and refugee backgrounds. Methods: The present article relates to the statistical findings of a larger mixed-method study used to validate and refine a contextually-responsive gatekeeper training program. The qualitative results of this research will be published separately. The outcome measures - knowledge about suicide in multicultural contexts, attitudes towards suicide and prevention, and self-efficacy to intervene were measured quantitatively, adopting a similar pre- and post-training procedure used in previous training evaluations. Using Generalised Estimating Equations, statistical comparisons were made between three identical self-report surveys completed by participants across three consecutive time points - pre-training, immediately post-training, and three months following training completion - known in this investigation as time-point zero (T0), time-point one (T1), and time-point two (T2). Lastly, during the T2 follow-up, additional open-ended questions were included to understand which areas of training they feel prepared them effectively and how the program could have better prepared them to intervene. Results: A total of 28 participants took part in the study. Quantitative analysis indicated the program's capacity to exert a significant favourable and lasting influence on knowledge about suicide and self-efficacy to intervene. In addition, follow-up measurements suggest that the content delivered to participants transferred effectively into real-world suicide prevention behaviours. Conclusions: Findings suggest that tailored suicide prevention training can have a significant influence on knowledge about suicide in multicultural contexts, self-efficacy to intervene in a crisis, and that course content translates effectively into real-world suicide prevention behaviour. Modifying training practices, based on feedback from contextually-experienced attendees, appears to be a pivotal factor in promoting the support of people from asylum-seeking and refugee backgrounds

“If You Are Old Enough to Die for Your Country, You Should Be Able to Get a Pinch of Snuff”: Views of Tobacco 21 Among Appalachian Youth

Background: Multiple strategies have been utilized in attempts to decrease the prevalence of youth tobacco use. One strategy, raising the minimum legal sale age (MLSA) of tobacco products to 21, known as Tobacco 21, has recently gained popularity. Tobacco 21 legislation targets youth tobacco use by obstructing two main sources of youth tobacco products: stores and older friends. Although these sources are the most common for youth across the nation, regional differences have not been explored. Further, youth perspectives about raising the tobacco MLSA have not been considered. Youth may help identify potential challenges to implementing tobacco control measures, as well as suggest alternatives for intervention, thus helping to shape successful tobacco control policies. Study Aim: This study aimed to 1) examine youth perspectives on raising the tobacco minimum legal sale age to 21 and 2) identify common sources of tobacco products among middle and high school students living in rural, low-income Appalachian communities. Methods: A cross-sectional survey about perceptions and use of tobacco products was conducted with students in the Appalachian regions of Kentucky and North Carolina (N=426). Questions were asked concerning perspectives on the effect of Tobacco 21 implementation. Descriptive statistics characterized participants by Tobacco 21 perspectives. Participants were given the opportunity to further expand upon their opinions in an open-ended format. Results: The majority (58.7%) of participants responded that the same number of youth would use tobacco if the legal purchase age were raised, followed by responses that fewer would use (28.9%) and more would use (12.4%). Significant differences emerged based on tobacco use status (p\u3c.05), friends’ tobacco use (p\u3c.001), and whether participants identified family members as sources of youth tobacco products (p=.047). When given the opportunity to expand upon their views concerning the implementation of Tobacco 21 laws in their communities, many respondents cited poor enforcement of tobacco MLSAs at stores, continued access to tobacco products from family members and friends, and the overall abundance of tobacco in their communities as potential barriers to the successful implementation. Conclusion: Fewer than one-third of participants believed that Tobacco 21 legislation would succeed in reducing the prevalence of youth tobacco use. Perspectives on the effect of Tobacco 21 legislation were related to personal tobacco use, exposure to tobacco users, and beliefs that family members provide tobacco products to youth. Open-ended responses identify potential obstacles in implementing Tobacco 21 legislation in Appalachia. Future research should attempt to include youth perspectives when designing and implementing tobacco control policies and examine family members as sources of tobacco products for youth

Q of the Earth

Regional body wave and surface wave studies indicate that there is a low-Q upper mantle layer underlying a high-Q lithosphere. Great circle surface wave attenuation is used to refine the Q structure of the upper mantle and to demonstrate that these features are consistent with the global data. Body wave results are used to constrain the average Q of various regions of the mantle and core and the Q gradient in the lower mantle. Normal mode data are used to test the hypotheses that bulk dissipation is not required in the mantle and that the inner core has low Q. Both hypotheses are consistent with the data. The data are also consistent with a smooth increase of Q with depth over most of the lower mantle and a low-Q zone at the base of the mantle. The radial modes require bulk dissipation somewhere in the earth, probably in the inner core. A series of parametric models is presented which illustrate the sensitivity of the attenuation data to major features of the Q distribution

An Earth Model Based on Free Oscillations and Body Waves

Several recent inversion studies have clearly indicated the lack of resolving power of the normal mode data set and the possible trade-offs among the various parameters. These studies have also shown that the final model is as dependent on the starting model as on the data set. It is therefore important to incorporate body wave data into any inversion scheme not only to gain resolution but also to reduce trade-offs between density and velocity. An earth model based on special studies of the structure of the mantle and core is inverted to be consistent with both body wave data and a representative set of normal mode observations (437 modes). The resulting model has a 40-km-thick upper mantle lithospheric lid terminating at 61 km, with high density (3.5 g/cm^3) and seismic velocities (8.38 and 4.71 km/s), a pronounced upper mantle low-velocity zone (LVZ) of 180-km thickness, and transition regions of rapid velocity increase at 375–425, 500–550, and 650–675 km. There are also anomalous gradients between 700 and 1200 km. This model, C2, is slow by about 0.6 and 2–4 s for P and S waves, respectively, in comparison with body wave solutions which have a greater continental bias. The major features of the upper mantle can be explained by partial melting (LVZ) and the successive transformation of an olivine-pyroxene mantle to β spinel, γ spinel, and garnet and further phase changes below 750 km. In addition to the radial inhomogeneities in the upper mantle there is evidence for inhomogeneity at the base of the mantle, the top of the core, and the regions on each side of the outer core-inner core boundary

A Comparison of a Brain-Computer Interface and an Eye Tracker: Is There a More Appropriate Technology for Controlling a Virtual Keyboard in an ALS Patient?

The ability of people affected by amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), muscular dystrophy or spinal cord injuries to physically interact with the environment, is usually reduced. In some cases, these patients suffer from a syndrome known as locked-in syndrome (LIS), defined by the patient’s inability to make any move-ment but blinks and eye movements. Tech communication systems available for people in LIS are very limited, being those based on eye-tracking and brain-computer interface (BCI) the most useful for these patients. A comparative study between both technologies in an ALS patient is carried out: an eye tracker and a visual P300-based BCI. The purpose of the study presented in this paper is to show that the choice of the technology could depend on user´s preference. The evaluation of performance, workload and other subjective measures will allow us to determine the usability of the systems. The obtained results suggest that, even if for this patient the BCI technology is more appropriate, the technology should be always tested and adapted for each user.Universidad de Málaga. Campus de Excelencia Internacional Andalucía Tech