Rotary wing operations in a CBRN Environment

http://www.dtic.mil/cgi-bin/GetTRDoc?AD=ADA498147&Location=U2&doc=GetTRDoc.pdf

Rotary Wing Operations in a CBRN Environment
EWS Contemporary Issue Paper
Submitted by Captain A.C. Gonzalez
to
Major W.C. Stophel, CG 3
25 February 2008

Noise dosimetry survey of Land Force

http://www.dtic.mil/cgi-bin/GetTRDoc?AD=ADA494787&Location=U2&doc=GetTRDoc.pdf


Eric Drolet, Sharon M. Abel ; DRDC TR 2008-062; Defence R&D Canada –
Toronto.

This noise survey assessed the noise exposure sustained by combat arms personnel during a military exercise at Canadian Forces Base (CFB) Petawawa in 2006. Participants were asked to wear personal noise dosimeters during various basic operations (Raid, Convoy and Infantry Rehearsal Operations). Exposure beyond the allowed limit was documented in some operations (Raid and Convoy). Despite exposures beyond suggested limits, no hearing protection was worn or made available to the soldiers during the entire duration of the military operation.

Simulator Sickness in the Flight School XXI TH - 67 Flight Motion Simulator

http://www.dtic.mil/cgi-bin/GetTRDoc?AD=ADA498150&Location=U2&doc=GetTRDoc.pdf


USAARL Report No. 2009-06

Julie M. Bass
Catherine M. Webb
David M. Johnson
Amanda M. Kelley
Christopher R. Martin
Robert M. Wildzunas

In 2005, the U.S. Army debuted the TH-67 Creek flight motion simulator (FMS). Comments from the first class to use the devices indicated an unusually high number of instructor pilots (IPs) and student pilots (SPs) experienced severe simulator sickness (SS). To investigate the potential problem, a pre-study was conducted using the Simulator Sickness Questionnaire (SSQ) to collect data from three, 5-day class cycles from 73 IPs and 129 SPs. Based on an analysis of these data, along with operator comments, recommendations to reduce SS were provided. The post study was conducted one year later to test the effectiveness of the recommendations at reducing the SS symptoms. SSQ data were collected on 25 IPs and 50 SPs, over one, 3-day class cycle. After the recommendations were implemented, there was a significant reduction in SSQ scores in both IPs and SPs for three of the four SSQ subscales. Overall, IPs reported significantly greater SS than SPs across all four SSQ subscales. The implementation of the recommendations, which were based on previous findings, reduced SS in the TH-67 FMSs.

Efficacy of Armodafinil for Maintaining Vigilance Among Navy Air Traffic Controllers Eight to Twelve Hours

http://www.dtic.mil/cgi-bin/GetTRDoc?AD=ADA500821&Location=U2&doc=GetTRDoc.pdf


Efficacy of Armodafinil for Maintaining Vigilance Among Navy Air Traffic Controllers Eight to Twelve Hours Post-Dose
Phillips, Jeffrey B; Simmons, Rita G; Stompolis, Melissa; Arnold, Richard D; Apr 12, 2009; 40 pp.; In English; Original contains color illustrations
Report No.(s): AD-A500821; NAMRL-09-18; No Copyright; Avail.: Defense Technical Information Center (DTIC)


This study is designed to measure the efficacy of armodafinil as a fatigue countermeasure during military air traffic control (ATC) operations. ATC operations require extended periods ofsustained attention without room for error. Military ATC crews accommodate shift schedules unique to demands of military operations which often exceed FAA regulations. Armodafinil, a
slow-release form of modafinil, improves wakefulness and alertness without affecting normal sleep patterns making it an ideal fatigue counteragent for militaryATC operations. Methods: Forty-eight US Navy and Marine CorpsATC students participated.
Subjects were assigned to a treatment (150 mg armodafinil) or placebo condition (identical nonactive pills). Double-blinding was used to prevent demand characteristics. Subjects reported at 0800 for dosing, followed by their normal work day (0800-1530). Subjects reported at 1600 for the performance portion of the study. Subjects performed 3 successive 10-minute blocks of the Psychomotor Vigilance Task (PVT) once an hour for 4 hours. Subjects completed questionnaires every thirty minutes including: a symptom profile to document adverse events, the Brief Fatigue Inventory (BFI) to measure fatigue, the Karolinska Sleepiness Scale (KSS) to assess subjective sleepiness, and the Global Rating Questionnaire (GRQ) to measure subjective cognitive workload. Results: Analysis of PVT data showed that participants assigned to the treatment condition experienced significantly fewer lapses of attention than participants assigned to the placebo condition f (11,26) = 2.64, p .05, ?2 = .53. No significant effects were detected for the subjective measures of fatigue, sleepiness, or workload.
Conclusion: A single dose of armodafinil (150mg) appears to significantly reduce the number of attention lapses experienced by participants eleven hours post-dose.
Air Traffıc Controllers (Personnel); Dosage; Navy; Workloads (Psychophysiology)

Public Health Preparedness

http://www.rand.org/pubs/technical_reports/2009/RAND_TR719.pdf

Public Health Preparedness and Response to Chemical and Radiological Incidents

Tom LaTourrette, Lynn E. Davis, David R. Howell,
Preethi R. Sama, David J. Dausey

Public health emergencies may arise directly or indirectly from a wide variety of events, including emerging diseases, natural disasters, industrial accidents, and terrorist attacks. One area that has not been examined in much detail is public health emergency preparedness for incidents involving the release of chemical orradiological agents. As part of RAND’s continuing research into public health emergency preparedness, this report characterizes the public health
service’s role in preparing for and responding to such incidents, describes practices in use by local public health departments, and identifies functional areas of public health emergency preparedness and response for chemical and radiological incidents that may warrant further practice development.
The research described in this report was prepared for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response and conducted within the RAND Health Center for Public Health Preparedness. In response to a realization both within the United States and abroad that public health is inextricably intertwined with security, RAND Health has woven together a unique group of researchers with the multidisciplinary skill sets to address these emerging challenges.