Physiological Arousal, Information Processing, Performance and Expertise in Expected and Unexpected Abnormal Flight Events: An Empirical Investigation.

Aviation accident reports indicate that preventable incidents are developing into tragedies with pilots responding incorrectly to well-trained events e.g. engine failures. Recent research suggests that startle (an autonomic response to an acute stimulus with a sudden onset), following unexpected abnormal flight events is impacting pilot performance, leading to accidents. The present study was designed to investigate whether a simulated unexpected abnormal flight event can lead to startle. Information processing and performance differences between expected and unexpected flight events were also measured. Furthermore, the influence of expertise on arousal, information processing and performance in these events was investigated. Two studies were conducted. The first study employed university students recruited through the University of Otago Psychology Database. The second study employed general aviation pilots recruited through social media advertising. Students and pilots flew a series of flights in a fixed-base flight simulator including four experimental flights which included an unexpected or an expected, engine failure or aerodynamic stall. During the flights, heart rate, eye-tracking, and flight data were recorded. Increased heart rate and larger pupil dilation during the unexpected engine failure indicated the presence of startle in pilots. During the unexpected engine failure pilots showed a disrupted information processing strategy that indicated attentional tunnelling. Whereas, during the unexpected stall the information processing patterns indicated lack of recognition. During the unexpected events performance was impaired when compared to the expected events. However, poor performance was not associated with higher levels of arousal. In a third comparative study, data from novice (university students), intermediate (student and private licenced) and expert (commercial licenced) pilots were compared to investigate the effects of expertise. Information processing, arousal, and performance did not differ significantly over the three levels of expertise. This research supports a recently formulated theory on startle and surprise and has implications for successful training

Physiological Arousal, Information Processing, Performance and Expertise in Expected and Unexpected Abnormal Flight Events: An Empirical Investigation.

Aviation accident reports indicate that preventable incidents are developing into tragedies with pilots responding incorrectly to well-trained events e.g. engine failures. Recent research suggests that startle (an autonomic response to an acute stimulus with a sudden onset), following unexpected abnormal flight events is impacting pilot performance, leading to accidents. The present study was designed to investigate whether a simulated unexpected abnormal flight event can lead to startle. Information processing and performance differences between expected and unexpected flight events were also measured. Furthermore, the influence of expertise on arousal, information processing and performance in these events was investigated. Two studies were conducted. The first study employed university students recruited through the University of Otago Psychology Database. The second study employed general aviation pilots recruited through social media advertising. Students and pilots flew a series of flights in a fixed-base flight simulator including four experimental flights which included an unexpected or an expected, engine failure or aerodynamic stall. During the flights, heart rate, eye-tracking, and flight data were recorded. Increased heart rate and larger pupil dilation during the unexpected engine failure indicated the presence of startle in pilots. During the unexpected engine failure pilots showed a disrupted information processing strategy that indicated attentional tunnelling. Whereas, during the unexpected stall the information processing patterns indicated lack of recognition. During the unexpected events performance was impaired when compared to the expected events. However, poor performance was not associated with higher levels of arousal. In a third comparative study, data from novice (university students), intermediate (student and private licenced) and expert (commercial licenced) pilots were compared to investigate the effects of expertise. Information processing, arousal, and performance did not differ significantly over the three levels of expertise. This research supports a recently formulated theory on startle and surprise and has implications for successful training

Severity of Omicron (B.1.1.529) and Delta (B.1.617.2) SARS-CoV-2 infection among hospitalised adults: A prospective cohort study in Bristol, United KingdomResearch in context

Summary: Background: There is an urgent public health need to evaluate disease severity in adults hospitalised with Delta and Omicron SARS-CoV-2 variant infections. However, limited data exist assessing severity of disease in adults hospitalised with Omicron SARS-CoV-2 infections, and to what extent patient-factors, including vaccination, age, frailty and pre-existing disease, affect variant-dependent disease severity. Methods: A prospective cohort study of adults (≥18 years of age) hospitalised with acute lower respiratory tract disease at acute care hospitals in Bristol, UK conducted over 10-months. Delta or Omicron SARS-CoV-2 infection was defined by positive SARS-CoV-2 PCR and variant identification or inferred by dominant circulating variant. We constructed adjusted regression analyses to assess disease severity using three different measures: FiO2 >28% (fraction inspired oxygen), World Health Organization (WHO) outcome score >5 (assessing need for ventilatory support), and hospital length of stay (LOS) >3 days following admission for Omicron or Delta infection. Findings: Independent of other variables, including vaccination, Omicron variant infection in hospitalised adults was associated with lower severity than Delta. Risk reductions were 58%, 67%, and 16% for supplementary oxygen with >28% FiO2 [Relative Risk (RR) = 0.42 (95%CI: 0.34–0.52), P 5 [RR = 0.33 (95%CI: 0.21–0.50), P  3 days [RR = 0.84 (95%CI: 0.76–0.92), P < 0.001]. Younger age and vaccination with two or three doses were also independently associated with lower COVID-19 severity. Interpretation: We provide reassuring evidence that Omicron infection results in less serious adverse outcomes than Delta in hospitalised patients. Despite lower severity relative to Delta, Omicron infection still resulted in substantial patient and public health burden and an increased admission rate of older patients with Omicron which counteracts some of the benefit arising from less severe disease. Funding: AvonCAP is an investigator-led project funded under a collaborative agreement by Pfizer