Aviation Weather Products in General Aviation: Interpretability and Usability Research Trends

As a result of advances in weather forecasting and technology, today’s General Aviation (GA) pilots have access to a wealth of aviation weather information. During pre-flight planning, GA pilots may access weather radar images, satellite pictures, winds, and forecast maps. During flight, pilots can access in-cockpit weather displays, as well as, handheld portable weather devices. Despite the increasing advancement and accessibility of weather displays, there is limited research addressing the interpretability of both in-cockpit and preflight weather displays. This is particularly concerning considering that preflight planning and poor product interpretability have been cited as possible contributing factors for GA weather related accidents. The purpose of this presentation is to describe and discuss the trends revealed from a series of studies that examined weather display interpretability (e.g., Blickensderfer et al., 2017; King et al., 2017; Ortiz et al., 2017). One important consideration of any display is its general interpretability or the ability of users (in this case GA pilots) to understand the significance of the information. Recently, our research team developed and validated an exam to assess pilots’ ability to interpret aviation weather product displays (Blickensderfer, Lanicci, Guinn, King, Ortiz, & Thomas, 2017). Overall, results indicated that most aviation weather displays have poor product interpretability. Further research was conducted using a larger and more generalizable sample (n = 837 pilots). Results of these studies indicated similar trends: Trend 1: Flight experience has a limited effect on pilots’ ability to interpret weather displays. The studies revealed that student pilots and non-instrument rated private pilots scored the lowest in interpreting aviation weather products. Interestingly, however, the scores of instrument rated pilots, commercial pilots, and flight instructors were still relatively moderate (below 80% correct on average). This would seem to indicate that flight experience may not have a direct correlation with the ability to interpret aviation weather products and aviation weather experience. Furthermore, the weather product displays’ learnability may be low. Trend 2: Pilots do not understand Weather Radar displays. Previous research warned that GA pilots may have difficulty interpreting weather radar correctly. In fact, results from Berringer and Ball (2004) suggested that pilots exhibited even more hazardous behavior with radar displays than without. The Blickensderfer et al. studies echo these results, as radar display interpretation scores ranged from 60-70%. Considering that radar products are widely used amongst GA pilots, poor interpretability scores might also provide insight into Visual Flight Rules(VFR) into Instrument Meteorological Conditions (IMC) incidents. Trend 3: Some categories of aviation weather products yielded higher scores than others. Interpretability scores on Winds Aloft were high. In contrast, scores on a variety of other weather products (including but not limited to METARs, Satellite, Ceiling Visbility Analysis, and Station Plots were quite low. For example, pilots struggled with METARs, a weather product that is considered fundamental to GA flight planning. The low interpretability scores on Satellite, CVA and Station Plots are even more troubling as these products appear in new overlaid displays (e.g., Defilippis et al., 2017). Trend 4: The interpretation scores align with results from usability assessments. Some prior research has assessed the usability of weather products. For example, Remy (2017) used a modified System Usability Scale to evaluate aviation weather products on the Aviation Weather Center website (Remy, 2017). The System Usability Scale (SUS) assesses perceived usability on a 10-item questionnaire, presented as a score out of 100. Scores below 68 are considered “below average.” The Remy (2017) results indicated that “winds and temperature aloft” received a usability score of 74, “enroute forecast” received a 68.63, and “adverse conditions” received a 64.13. These usability scores trended in the same direction as the previously reported interpretability scores (Blickensderfer, 2017), as that low-rated usability products also had low performance scores. Summary and Future Research GA flights that encounter hazardous weather typically end in fatalities. Recent research results indicate that pilots struggle to interpret aviation weather displays (Blickensderfer et al., 2017), which can result in an inadequate understanding of current and forecasted weather. Trends reveal that while student pilots and non-instrument rated private pilots fare the worst at display interpretation, even pilots with high flight hours as well as advanced flight certificates and ratings also struggle to interpret the displays. While some usability assessments have occurred, future research needs include additional usability analyses of the weather products and websites (e.g. the AWC website). Furthermore, the aviation weather displays may lack learnability, meaning that despite practice, pilots’ capability to interpret the displays remains low. Thus, future research should also assess the display learnability

Net Cost: How Much Do Students Really Pay for College?

Increasingly, the media, parents and students, and policy-makers are asking how much students must pay to attend college after financial aid is taken into account. We present four ways to calculate net cost and we discuss the merits and drawbacks of each net cost calculation. The results suggest that college remains affordable for most students

Adaptation to Cesarean Birth: Implementation of an International Multisite Study

The purpose of this column is to describe the implementation of an international multisite Roy adaptation model-based study of women’s perceptions of and responses to cesarean birth. The need for the study arose from the concern that women’s childbearing needs may not be met to their full satisfaction, especially if the infant is born by cesarean. Serendipity and networking played a part in the selection of four study sites in the United States (Boston, Milwaukee, Norfolk, Oklahoma City) and two in other countries (Finland, Australia). Data were collected by nursing students and staff nurses. Post-hoc consideration of the diversity of study sites revealed opportunities for examination of the influence of the contextual stimuli of culture and geographic region on the women’s adaptation to cesarean birth. Strategies used to foster integration of teaching, practice, and research are discussed

Evaluation of Operation IceBridge quick-look snow depth estimates on sea ice

We evaluate Operation IceBridge (OIB) ‘quick-look’ (QL) snow depth on sea ice retrievals using in situ measurements taken over immobile first-year ice (FYI) and multi-year ice (MYI) during March of 2014. Good agreement was found over undeformed FYI (-4.5 cm mean bias) with reduced agreement over deformed FYI (-6.6 cm mean bias). Over MYI, the mean bias was -5.7 cm but 54% of retrievals were discarded by the OIB retrieval process as compared to only 10% over FYI. Footprint scale analysis revealed a root mean square error (RMSE) of 6.2 cm over undeformed FYI with RMSE of 10.5 cm and 17.5 cm in the more complex deformed FYI and MYI environments. Correlation analysis was used to demonstrate contrasting retrieval uncertainty associated with spatial aggregation and ice surface roughness

An ecological study of the macro-invertebrate fauna of the Eerste River, Western Cape Province, South Africa

The Eerste River is situated in the south-western Cape Province, South Africa. Its upper reaches have a stony substratum, and can be divided into three physical/biotic zones: The Mountain Stream, Upper River and Lower River zones. Investigations of the abundance, biomass, species diversity and species composition of the benthic macro-invertebrates in the three zones were carried out in 1975/76. Spatial and temporal changes in these factors can be correlated with changes in the physico-chemical quality of the water. Abundance and biomass generally increased downstream, but were low below a dam construction-site, because of the blanketing effects of silt on the substratum. Seasonal changes in abundance and biomass differed in the three zones, but always included a peak in spring. The highest values of both were in the Lower River in summer, reflecting the build-up of organic pollutants there during times of low flow. Diversity of the Ephemeroptera, which was felt to be representative of a change in.diversity of the fauna as a whole, generally decreased downstream, with a major drop at the town of Stellenbosch, and another at a sewage-farm outfall. A misleading increase in diversity occurred, however, in the silt-laden waters below the dam site,. due to the fleeting occurrence of individuals of several different species. Composition of the fauna was typical of local rivers with mountain sources. Figures for abundance, biomass and calorific values of species are given in appendice

Evaluation of the personal health budget pilot programme

1. The personal health budget initiative is a key aspect of personalisation across health care services in England. Its aim is to improve patient outcomes, by placing patients at the centre of decisions about their care. Giving people greater choice and control, with patients working alongside health service professionals to develop and execute a care plan, given a known budget, is intended to encourage more responsiveness of the health and care system. 2. The personal health budget programme was launched by the Department of Health in 2009 after the publication of the 2008 Next Stage Review. An independent evaluation was commissioned alongside the pilot programme with the aim of identifying whether personal health budgets ensured better health and care outcomes when compared to conventional service delivery and, if so, the best way for personal health budgets to be implemented

Mitochondrial Pyruvate Carriers are not Required for Adipogenesis but are Regulated by High-Fat Feeding in Brown Adipose Tissue

© 2020 The Obesity Society. Objective: The objectives of this study were to assess the role of mitochondrial pyruvate carriers (MPCs) in adipocyte development in vitro and determine whether MPCs are regulated in vivo by high-fat feeding in male and female C57BL/6J mice. Methods: This study utilized small interfering RNA-mediated knockdown to assess the requirement of MPC1 for adipogenesis in the 3T3-L1 model system. Treatment with UK-5099, a potent pharmacological MPC inhibitor, was also used to assess the loss of MPC activity. Western blot analysis was performed on adipose tissue samples from mice on a low-fat diet or a high-fat diet (HFD) for 12 weeks. Results: The loss of MPC expression via small interfering RNA-mediated knockdown or pharmacological inhibition did not affect adipogenesis of 3T3-L1 cells. In vivo studies indicated that expression of MPCs was significantly decreased in brown adipose tissue of male mice, but not female, on an HFD. Conclusions: Although MPCs are essential for pyruvate transport, MPCs are not required for adipogenesis in vitro, suggesting that other substrates can be used for energy production when the MPC complex is not functional. Also, a significant decrease in MPC1 and 2 expression occurred in brown fat, but not white fat, of male mice fed an HFD

Unpaid carers of people with dementia and information communication technology: use, impact and ideas for the future

Objectives Several 100,000s of people living with dementia in the UK are cared for at home by a spouse or relative. Few studies have considered the ICT needs and experiences of unpaid carers. This study explores the types of ICT unpaid carers use, the ways they use ICT, the impact of ICT-use, and their ideas for how ICT could be more supportive of their role as a carer. Methods Six focus groups with 32 unpaid carers of people living with dementia discussed their experiences of – and barriers to – using ICT. Transcripts were analysed thematically according to three types of ICT (mainstream, accessible and formal) and five functions (supporting domestic tasks, care management, monitoring, communication and information and education). Results Participants predominantly used mainstream ICT devices such as laptops and smartphones and internet-enabled applications including videoconferencing and social media platforms to support their daily activities and assist them in their caring role. A few participants discussed using accessible devices such as memory clocks and formal telecare and care-phone services for care management and monitoring functions. Participants’ ideas for improvements centred on personalised communication applications that facilitate remote interactions and promote persons living with dementia’s independence. Others expressed concerns about the growing need to use ICT to access formal care services and the inadequacy of the ICT infrastructure in some care homes. Conclusions Unpaid carers mostly turn to readily available mainstream ICT to support their personal and care activities. Further research is required to understand the social impact of the increasing reliance of ICT across health, social and residential care service sectors. Improved cooperation between unpaid carers, technology developers and care services providers could align ICT development to the needs and experiences of families living with dementia and assist unpaid carers with identifying ICTs that optimally support their personal circumstances