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Comparison Of Three Angle Of Attack (Aoa) Indicators: A Usability Study, Camilo Jimenez

Doctoral Dissertations and Master's Theses

Angle of Attack (AOA) is an important aeronautical concept used to understand the performance status of an aircraft during different flight stages. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has indicated the importance of developing and encouraging the use of affordable AOA based systems to increase inflight safety. Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University's flight department decided to install AOA indicators in its fleet of Cessna 172S, to increase safety and to help student pilots better understand this important concept. This paper presents a review of AOA, visual display design principles, and usability. This experimental study examined three different AOA indicators provided by the …

Patient Safety In The Cardiac Operating Room: Human Factors And Teamwork: A Scientific Study From The American Heart Association, Joyce A. Wahr, Richard L. Prager, J. H. Abernathy Iii, Elizabeth A. Martinez, Eduardo Salas, Patricia C. Seifert, Robert C. Groom, Bruce D. Spiess, Bruce E. Searles, Thoralf M. Sundt Iii, Juan A. Sanchez, Scott A. Shappell, Michael H. Culig, Elizabeth H. Lazzara, David C. Fitzgerald, Vinod H. Thourani, Pirooz Eghtesady, John S. Ikonomidis, Michael R. England, Frank W. Selke, Nancy A. Nussmeier

Publications

The cardiac surgical operating room (OR) is a complex environment in which highly trained subspecialists interact with each other using sophisticated equipment to care for patients with severe cardiac disease and significant comorbidities. Thousands of patient lives have been saved or significantly improved with the advent of modern cardiac surgery. Indeed, both mortality and morbidity for coronary artery bypass surgery have decreased during the past decade. Nonetheless, the highly skilled and dedicated personnel in cardiac ORs are human and will make errors. Refined techniques, advanced technologies, and enhanced coordination of care have led to significant improvements in cardiac surgery outcomes.

Investigation Of Videogame Flow: Effects Of Expertise And Challenge, Jolie G. Gascon

Doctoral Dissertations and Master's Theses

The number of participants in this expertise and videogame flow test totaled 80 from multiple target locations. Participants engaged in various levels of the videogame SuperMario Bros. Twenty experts and twenty novices experienced the easier level of World 1-2 while the other twenty experts and novices were exposed to the more difficult level World 6-1. After gameplay, participants completed a modified survey measuring flow. This survey, along with overall percentage game score, was analyzed. A significant interaction was found between game level (challenge level) and skill levels in perceived immersion, with significant main effects for expertise in perceived skill, for …

The Effects Of Sensor Performance As Modeled By Signal Detection Theory On The Performance Of Reinforcement Learning In A Target Acquisition Task, Nate Quirion

Doctoral Dissertations and Master's Theses

Unmanned Aerial Systems (UASs) today are fulfilling more roles than ever before. There is a general push to have these systems feature more advanced autonomous capabilities in the near future. To achieve autonomous behavior requires some unique approaches to control and decision making. More advanced versions of these approaches are able to adapt their own behavior and examine their past experiences to increase their future mission performance. To achieve adaptive behavior and decision making capabilities this study used Reinforcement Learning algorithms. In this research the effects of sensor performance, as modeled through Signal Detection Theory (SDT), on the ability of …

The Effects Of Acute Psychosocial Stress On Cognitive Performance, Anne I.S. Gray

Doctoral Dissertations and Master's Theses

The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of acute psychosocial stress on cognitive performance. Psychosocial stress evolves from the perceived presence of a social evaluative threat and results in the activation of the home hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis. As part of this reaction the stress hormone cortisol is secreted into the blood stream, ultimately crossing the blood-brain barrier, where it can have profound effects on various aspects of cognition. A review of the literature reveals that that attention, working memory, spatial judgment and cognitive processing efficiency are particularly susceptible to stress induced changes in performance level. A test battery …

The Identification And Classification Of Flow Disruptions In The Operating Room During Laparoscopic Cholecystectomy And Open Hernia Repair Procedures, Sacha N. Duff

Doctoral Dissertations and Master's Theses

The operating room is one of the most complex work environments in healthcare; it is estimated that at least 7% of adverse events due to medical error occur in the operating room. Flow disruptions are events that cause a "break" in the primary surgical task, or the loss of any team member's situational awareness. An empirical link between flow disruptions and surgical errors in the OR has been established; therefore, identifying and classifying the specific flow disruptions present during different types of procedures should facilitate the development of evidence-based interventions. The goal of this study was to identify and classify …

Moral Development In The Military: The Efficacy Of Rotc Morality Training At The Sophomore Level, Paul A. Gillett

Doctoral Dissertations and Master's Theses

The Reserve Officers Training Corps (ROTC) is an accessions program designed to produce quality commissioned Officers for operational units, in support of strategic Department of Defense (DoD) objectives. The traditional program length of 4 years coincides with the average number of years required to obtain a baccalaureates degree in the United States, in part because a degree is required for program completion. The program goals are to develop candidates physically, mentally, and morally in order to ensure they can be entrusted with the highest levels of leadership required of a US citizen.

This study aimed at assessing the moral development …

Aviation Weather And Decision Making: A Human Factors Perspective, Beth Blickensderfer, Jessica Cruit, Michael Vincent

Aviation Weather Training Research

• A History of Decision Making Research
• Pilot Decision Making
• Future Research Directions

A Naturalistic Study Of Long-Term Working Memory Capacity For Meaningful Visual And Auditory Stimuli, Joseph M. Jaworski

Doctoral Dissertations and Master's Theses

The purpose of this study was to explore long-term working memory in experts in an information-rich, dynamic domain. Of particular interest were strategies experts use to enhance long-term working memory capacity when working with verbal versus aural information. Three air traffic control instructors participated in four complex air traffic control scenarios, two radar scenarios in which information was presented visually and two non-radar scenarios in which information presentation was purely aural. Participants recalled traffic situation information at two points during and at the end of each scenario. Recall data for each scenario type were assessed in terms of evidence about …

Effects Of Pack Weight On Endurance Of Long-Distance Hikers, Anthony T. Thomas

Doctoral Dissertations and Master's Theses

Hikers attempting long-distance trails, like the Appalachian Trail, load their backpacks down with gear that may exceed ideal limits on pack weight. Hikers pack clothing to deal with changing weather conditions, sleeping bags, tents, tarps, cooking gear, food, water and other accessories to compensate for the lack of comfort in the remote wilderness. These heavy weights may affect hikers' ability to walk in comfort and result in physical injuries such as ankle sprains, knee pain, muscular fatigue, and soft tissue damage. Heavy pack weights can cause injuries and possibly prevent hikers from completing long distance hikes.

This study evaluated pack …

Comparison Of Voice And Text Atc Communications In The Cockpit For Esl Pilots, Shannon Marie Cummings

Doctoral Dissertations and Master's Theses

Throughout the course of any flight, pilots and air traffic control (ATC) are in constant radio communication regarding the position and route of the aircraft. Effective pilot-ATC communication helps to increase safety by increasing the situation awareness of both the pilot and controller. In the current pilot-ATC communication system, auditory messages are sent back and forth between the pilot and controller. The nature of these auditory messages makes them highly susceptible to memory and information processing limitations. This effect is magnified when dealing with pilots who have learned English as a second language (ESL) as people have more difficulty processing …

Spatial Cognition Differences Between Men And Women In Spatial Cue Environments During Flight Simulation, Heidi Crystal Kim

Doctoral Dissertations and Master's Theses

Ground reference maneuvers are an important component of pilot training. In order to perform these maneuvers, pilots rely on cues from the environment to determine where their aircraft is in relation to objects on the ground. This process requires a high degree of spatial cognition, which refers to the cognitive processes used to orient oneself in space. Two factors that can influence spatial cognition in the context of aviation ground reference maneuvers are the availability of spatial cues and the biological sex of the pilot. Research suggests spatial cues aid in the identification of potentially dangerous objects. In the context …

Pre-Exposure Training As A Means To Reduce Vection Induced Symptoms Of Motion Sickness, Nicholas James Stapleton

Doctoral Dissertations and Master's Theses

The focus of this study was designed to empirically examine the effect of inducing mild motion sickness as an ameliorative to a more severe motion sickness exposure. Twenty-seven participants were selected for this study based upon their susceptibility to motion sickness, that is, only people who were determined to be motion susceptible were tested. All participants were exposed to a motion sickness-inducing environment. Eighteen participants were trained to adapt to motion sickness by exposure to a milder motion sickness-inducing environment, ending either 6 hours or 24 hours prior to the more severe motion test environment.

Participants during the pre-exposure experimental …