Preventing Health Damaging Behaviors in Male and Female Army Recruits

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Preventing Health Damaging Behaviors in Male and Female Army Recruits
January 2010


Cherrie B. Boyer, Ph.D.; Mary-Ann Shafer, M.D.

Health damaging behaviors of young military personnel are reflections of health problems facing all young people in the U.S. Military life presents opportunities and challenges that may both protect and place young troops at risk for health damaging behaviors. Challenges for maintaining a healthy armed force include high rates of sexually transmitted infections (STIs), unintended pregnancies (UIPs), misuse of alcohol/substances, and personal sexual violence defined as violence within one’s personal (dating or marital) relationships. The common thread through these negative health outcomes is volitional behavior. Such behaviors do not only result in illness or injury, but also negatively impact performance of military duties and threaten military readiness. Despite military leadership in setting standards and policies regarding professional behavior and universal health care for preventing and eliminating such negative health outcomes, many health problems remain. Building on our previous military research, we plan to develop and evaluate a cognitive-behavioral, skills-building intervention to prevent and
reduce young troops' risk for STIs, UIPs, alcohol/substance misuse, and personal sexual violence. This research also seeks to establish the best training practices for educating young troops about health issues that impact military performance and readiness. Finally, it will have direct implications for health promotion and disease prevention education strategies designed to
reach military men and women early in their careers.

NANOTECHNOLOGY

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NANOTECHNOLOGY
Nanomaterials Are Widely Used in Commerce, but EPA Faces Challenges inRegulating Risk
May 2010

GAO-10-549


Why GAO Did This Study
Highlights
Accountability Integrity Reliability
May 2010
NANOTECHNOLOGY
Nanomaterials Are Widely Used in Commerce, but EPA Faces Challenges in Regulating Risk
Highlights of GAO-10-549, a report to Chairman, Committee on Environment and Public Works, U.S. Senate Nanotechnology involves the ability to control matter at the scale of a nanometer—one billionth of a meter. The world market for products that contain nanomaterials is expected to reach $2.6 trillion by 2015. In this context, GAO (1) identified examples of
current and potential uses of nanomaterials, (2) determined what is known about the potential
human health and environmental risks from nanomaterials, (3) assessed actions EPA has taken to better understand and regulate the risks posed by nanomaterials as well as its authorities to do so, and (4) identified approaches that other selected national authorities and actions U.S. states have taken to address the potential risks associated with nanomaterials.
GAO analyzed selected laws and regulations, reviewed information on EPA’s Nanoscale Materials
Stewardship Program, and consulted with EPA officials and legal experts to obtain their
perspectives on EPA’s authorities to regulate nanomaterials.

Conservative management of uncomplicated mechanical neck pain in a military aviator

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Conservative management of uncomplicated mechanical neck pain in a military aviator


Bart N. Green, DC, MSEd
Andrew S. Dunn, DC, MEd, MS
LCDR Solomon M. Pearce, D
Claire D. Johnson, DC, MSEd


Fighter jet aviators are exposed to large tensile, axial compression, and shear forces when flying, especially during aerial combat maneuvers (ACM).1 Non-radicular neck pain arising from mechanical structures in the neck (somatic
pain) is a common outcome of exposure to high gravitational (G) forces.2 The weight of the helmet and oxygen mask and the various non-neutral head postures assumed
when observing for enemy aircraft contribute to this problem. 1 Spinal disorders can result in disability3 and conditions that may disqualify pilots from flight duties.4 Thus, neck pain in the fi ghter jet aviator population has a negative impact on work performance, productivity, and is a threat to combat readiness.5 In addition to non-steroidal anti-infl ammatory drugs (NSAIDs) and short courses of analgesics, the US Navy Aeromedical Reference and Waiver Guide and the US Air Force Waiver Guide recommend mobilization exercises and manipulative therapy
in the management of mechanical non-radicular spine pain.6,7 Despite recommendations by these guides and the high prevalence of neck pain,8 we could fi nd no published
studies that describe the use of manual therapy, spinal manipulation, or spinal mobilization and therapeutic exercise for managing mechanical neck pain in aviators. In this article we present the case of a jet fighter aviator with uncomplicated mechanical neck pain who had a favorable response to conservative interdisciplinary management using manual therapy and therapeutic exercise

A Public Health Approach to Injury Prevention

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A Public Health Approach to Injury Prevention
A Process to Identify Military Injury Prevention Priorities Based on Injury Type and Limited Duty Days


Bruce A. Ruscio, DrPH, Bruce H. Jones, MD, MPH, Steven H. Bullock, DPT, SCS, MA, ATC,
Bruce R. Burnham, DVM, MPH, Michelle Canham-Chervak, PhD, MPH,
Christopher P. Rennix, ScD, MS, CIH, Timothy S. Wells, DVM, PhD, MPH,
Jack W. Smith, MD, MMM


Background: Injuries, one of the leading public health problems in an otherwise healthy military
population, affect operational readiness, increase healthcare costs, and result in disabilities and
fatalities. This paper describes a systematic, data-driven, injury prevention– decision making process to rank potential injury prevention targets.
Methods: Medical surveillance and safety report data on injuries for 2004 were reviewed. Nonfatal injury diagnoses (ICD-9-CM codes) obtained from the Defense Medical Surveillance System were ranked according to incident visit frequency and estimated limited duty days. Data on the top fıve injury types resulting in the greatest estimated limited duty days were matched with hospitalization and Service Safety Centers’ accident investigation data to identify leading causes. Experts scored andranked the causes using predetermined criteria that considered the importance of the problem, preventability, feasibility, timeliness of intervention establishment/results, and ability to evaluate. Department of Defense (DoD) and Service-specifıc injury prevention priorities were identifıed.
Results: Unintentional injuries lead all other medical conditions for number of medical encounters, individuals affected, and hospital bed days. The top ten injuries resulted in an estimated 25 million days of limited duty. Injury-related musculoskeletal conditions were a leading contributor to days of limited duty. Sports and physical training were the leading cause, followed by falls.
Conclusions: A systematic approach to injury prevention– decision making supports the DoD’s
goal of ensuring a healthy, fıt force. The methodology described here advances this capability.
Immediate follow-up efforts should employ both medical and safety data sets to identify and monitorinjury prevention priorities.
(Am J Prev Med 2010;38(1S):S19 –S33) Published by Elsevier Inc. on behalf of American Journal of Preventive
Medicine

Dietary Supplements and Military Divers: a synopsis for Undersea Medical Officers

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Dietary Supplements and Military Divers: a synopsis for Undersea Medical Officers

Edited by: Patricia A. Deuster and Rita G. Simmons


Authors: Patricia Deuster, Steven Maier, Vincent Moore,
Jamie Paton, Rita Simmons, and Kenneth Vawter
Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences
January 2004

The variety, availability, sales and use of dietary supplements (DS) remain poorly
understood by the mainstream medical community, but the potential for use and abuse of DS cannot be taken lightly by undersea medical officers (UMO). Despite the indisputable pharmacologic effects many of these over-the-counter (OTC) products exert, the use of DS is generally overlooked by clinicians. DS information is not covered in much depth, if at all, in medical education, and physicians are not trained in this area. As such, many may feel uncomfortable with their lack of familiarity regarding the ever-increasing supplement pharmacopoeia.
Peer-reviewed scientific research and evidenced-based information are often limited.
Moreover, because the general public and active duty community perceive these natural substances as harmless, the products often do not come to the attention of physicians at all. Less than half of all users of DS consult a physician or a practitioner about alternative products (Aeromed)
Whereas the literature on DS use is limited, research specific to use of DS under
extreme environments is even sparser: virtually no studies have been conducted in hyperbaric/undersea environments. Due to the physiologic and psychological challenges of these extreme environments, military and civilian restrictions on the use of most medications in aviation and diving are quite specific and very strict. Because DS are not regulated by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) as drugs, specifics regarding their use have not been addressed in diving regulations. To date, US Navy divers are not required to disclose their use of supplements, nor has
it been common practice for UMOs or civilian equivalents to inquire about such use. However,considerable risks are expected with the use of many DS that are currently marketed. The safety and efficacy of most DS are not known for environments encountered routinely by the military diver. The purpose of this manual is to allow the UMOs to become familiar with common DS and make appropriate clinical decisions in light of the physical and psychological stressors of the hyperbaric environment.

Review of Efforts to Develop a Low-Luminance-Level Disability Glare Tester

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Review of Efforts to Develop a Low-Luminance-Level Disability Glare Tester

USAARL 2009-18

Melvyn E. Kalich
Lisa J. Lewis
Alejandra Mora
Lisa M. Lont-Dueringer
Gina M. Bissette
Heber D. Jones

This report describes USAARL's efforts to develop a disability glare tester that could be used for predicting night vision problems resulting from post refractive surgery, particularly for U. S. Army aviators. The nature & complexity of the problem are reviewed, along with current methods for assessing disability glare. The best current techniques focus on measuring & evaluating the effects
of forward scatter in the eye. While elegant, forward scatter measurements alone do not reliably predict night vision problems due to aberrations induced by refractive surgery. Low-level efforts to develop a procedure that can predict night vision problems resulting from aberrations induced by refractive surgery have been pursued at USAARL for many years. The latest efforts focus on developing hybrid procedures that use an alternating spot threshold, with &d without a pupil-sparing glare annulus & pedestal, & a single spot threshold combined with a single-spot increment threshold procedure to obtain an indication of both blur & intraocular
forward scatter. Further refinement & testing of these techniques is necessary to determine the efficacy of the approaches.

Subtle Cognitive Effects of Moderate Hypoxia

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Subtle Cognitive Effects of Moderate Hypoxia

Hewett, Kate J.
Curry, Ian P.
Rath, Edna
Collins, Stephanie M.

USAARL 2009-17

Increasing worldwide concern over the effects of moderate altitude exposure on aircrew performance in unpressurized aircraft recently prompted efforts to formulate international standards for the use of supplementary oxygen. The purpose of this study was to assess the impact of low to moderate levels of hypoxic hypoxia on the performance of aircrew personnel. Fifty subjects were exposed in a randomized controlled fashion to 45-min exposures at each altitude (sea level, 8000, 10,000, 12,000 and 14,000 ft) simulated by the ROBD. During the latter part of the exposure the subjects completed the CogScreen®-HE to measure their cognitive performance. Saturation of Peripheral Oxygen (SpO2) analysis showed that although the subjects did become hypoxic (p<001), there was not statistically significant change in reaction time (p=.781), accuracy (p=.152), or throughout (p=.967) with
increasing altitude. The results indicate that healthy individuals aged 19 to 45 years do not experience significant cognitive deficit, as measured by the CogScreen®-HE, when exposed to moderate levels of hypoxia for exposure times of 45 min at various altitudes.

Analysis of Brain Cancer Risk Among AFSOC and Conventional C-130 Aircrew

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Analysis of Brain Cancer Risk Among AFSOC and Conventional C-130 Aircrew

AFRL-SA-BR-TR-2010-0005

Brett R. Nishikawa, Maj, USAF, MC, FS
Paul A. Sjoberg, Col, USAF, BSC

Between 2006 and 2009, seven cases of primary brain cancer, including two deaths, were reported among Air Force Special Operations Command (AFSOC) C-130 crewmembers. Of particular concern was crew status on the MC-130 models (particularly the MC-130P) as an apparent common factor among the cases. This prompted AFSOC to request that the USAF Epidemiology Consult Service evaluate the potential risk posed by C-130s or by modified AFSOC-specific C-130s on the development of brain cancer. Brain cancer is a very rare event and has few known risk factors. The only known environmental risk for developing brain cancer is exposure to extremely high doses of ionizing radiation, as seen with atomic bomb detonations and with extreme doses of therapeutic radiation used to treat childhood cancers several decades ago. The vast majority of brain cancers are random occurrences with no identifiable cause. Some earlier studies suggest a higher incidence of brain cancer among career aviators, although more recent studies have not found an increased incidence. Studies of military aviators specifically have not found an increase in brain cancer attributable to flying. The cases reported from AFSOC appear to be related to chance and not to any particular exposure risk. Population-based evaluation of tumor registry and mortality data revealed no increased risk for brain cancer associated with flying or with C-130 models specifically. Formal assessment of nonionizing radiation exposure levels in selected C-130 model cockpits may be considered, although the results of such an evaluation would not alter the conclusions of this investigation.

Preliminary Validation of a Readiness-to-fly Assessment Tool for Use in Naval

http://www.dtic.mil/cgi-bin/GetTRDoc?AD=ADA522106&Location=U2&doc=GetTRDoc.pdf

http://www.dtic.mil/cgi-bin/GetTRDoc?AD=ADA522106&Location=U2&doc=GetTRDoc.pdf

Preliminary Validation of a Readiness-to-fly Assessment Tool for Use in Naval Aviation

Chandler, Joseph F., Arnold, Richard D., Phillips, Jeffrey B., Lojewski, Renee A., Horning, Dain S.,

NAMRL 10-22


Fatigue is the most frequently cited physiological factor contributing to the occurrence of US Naval Aviation Class A flight mishaps. Accordingly, the Naval Safety Center (NSC) has identified the need for a quickly-administered individualized fatigue assessment tool to determine a pilot or aircrew member’s readiness to fly. The Naval Aerospace Medical Research Laboratory conducted validation research on Flight Fit – a series of computer administered cognitive tasks sensitive to fatigue, and PMI FIT 2000 – a physiological test of oculometric properties linked to fatigue, for their potential to serve as individualized fatigue detection tools. Performance on both assessments was observed in concordance with performance on a suite of industry standard fatigue-sensitive measures (e.g., the Psychomotor Vigilance Test) at regular intervals over 25 hours of continual wakefulness in naval aviators. Results indicate significant group and individual differences related to fatigue for several aspects of both measures, and suggest that with appropriate adjustments, both Flight Fit and PMI FIT 2000 could serve as valid real-time readiness-to-fly assessment tools in Naval Aviation squadrons. Follow-on studies to determine the exact nature of these adjustments and usability of the tools in their current form are discussed

A Manual for the Performance of Protective Equipment Fit-Mapping

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A Manual for the Performance of Protective Equipment Fit-Mapping

Hyeg Joo Choi, Gregory F Zehner, Jeffrey A Hudson

AFRL-RH-WP-SR-2010-0005


This fit mapping manual is intended to offer detailed up-to-date guidance for preparing, performing and analyzing fit evaluations for most types of clothing and protective equipment. The term "Fit Mapping" is used to differentiate it from the traditional fit testing that has been conducted primarily for determining an accommodation rate and verification of requirements. This manual addresses: 1) definition of the "Fit Criteria (Concept of fit)" for a test item, 2) performing a fit evaluation, 3) analysis of the results, and finally, how to apply these results to the manufacturing process. Therefore, this fit mapping manual offers the basic knowledge needed to evaluate various types of equipment by presenting a step by step procedure.

Prevention of Low Back Pain in the Military:

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Prevention of Low Back Pain in the Military:
A Randomized Clinical Trial
June 2009

Steven George for

U.S. Army Medical Research and Materiel Command
Fort Detrick, Maryland 21702-5012


The third year of the Prevention of Low Back Pain in the Military (POLM) clinical trial was successful. The research team was able to complete all Year 3 tasks in a timely fashion. Study recruitment was completed in the previous year, so follow-up data collection was the primary goal of Year 3. The study website (https://polm.ufl.edu) continued to be the platform for follow-up data collection during Year 3. The research team reported 3 platform presentations at a national physical therapy conference. In addition POLM related manuscripts were accepted for publication in Mil Med, Eur Spine J and Med Sci Sports Exerc. Our preliminary
analyses suggest that the education intervention reduced negative beliefs about low back pain, while the core stabilization exercise program did not adversely affect sit-up performance, and in fact, was associated with a small improvement in sit-up performance. These data provide important short term evidence to support our hypotheses related to long term prevention of low back pain.

United States Air Force School of Aerospace Medicine Laser Injury Guidebook

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United States Air Force School of Aerospace Medicine
Laser Injury Guidebook

AFRL-SA-BR-SR-2008-0002

Clark, Patrick, J, Lieutenant Colonel, USAF, BSC
Gooch, John, M, Lieutenant Colonel, USAF, MC, SFS
Ivan, Douglas, MD
Tredici, Thomas J., MD
Tutt, Ronald, C, Major, USAF, BSC

The primary purpose of the laser injury guidebook is to provide guidelines and instructions for flight surgeons dealing with potential laser beam exposures in aircrew and ground personnel. The intent is to provide an evaluation and initialmanagement process to assess and respond to laser beam exposures where ocular and ocular adnexal injury may have occurred. Subjects covered in detail include the laser beam exposure threat in the HR aviation environment, and the role of the flight surgeon in the management of laser beam exposures. Specifically, history, external examination, near visual acuity testing, far visual acuity testing, Amsler grid testing, pupils evaluation, streoposis evaluation, color vision, slit lamp, dilation fundoscopy and vitreoretinal hemorrhage are covered in detail. A point of contact list is provided as well as a suggest list of supplies and equipment. A laser beam incident questionnaire is included, as well as an Amsler grid test, laser injury brief and general flow chart.

Optimizing Operational Physical Fitness

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RTO TECHNICAL REPORT TR-HFM-080

Optimizing Operational Physical Fitness


The revised spectrum of NATO missions requires a new approach to operational physical fitness.
Specifically, a new necessity to define, assess, evaluate and optimize physical capability by setting appropriate criteria and methodologies was identified by an exploratory team that met in Spain in 2002. As a result of the exploratory meeting, HFM-080/Research Task Group 019 on “Optimizing Operational Physical Fitness” was established “to determine the requirement for physical fitness for military personnel in order to prepare military personnel for physical task requirements, to prevent physical overburdening, and to reduce injuries.” (Annex VIII AC/323 (HFM)A/9). In order to optimize the physical capacity of soldiers by setting appropriate criteria and evaluation methodologies, members of HFM-080 reviewed mission essential task lists (METL) and types of missions undertaken by NATO forces in the past and present. The physical demanding tasks of digging, marching and manual materials handling were identified by members as being the key common tasks performed in recent and current NATO missions (humanitarian, peace-keeping, conflict resolution, counter-terrorism, etc.). As well, the identification of these common tasks was derived from a review of other pertinent
military documents. HFM-080 members agreed that the common physically demanding military tasks of marching, digging, and manual materials handling would each be described in individual chapters, and in terms of intensity and duration, physiological requirements, testing to predict performance, and training to improve performance. A chapter of this report is dedicated to summarizing the research being conducted on an evidence based job analysis and methodology to determine the physical requirements of special military occupations (Special Operation Forces – Austrian Army). In addition, factors outside the training realm that influence performance on these military tasks are summarized. These factors are either individual (intrinsic) or environmental (extrinsic) characteristics. The intrinsic factors considered are age,
gender, body dimensions, and genetics. The extrinsic factors that considered are effects of nutrition (including hydration), heat, cold, altitude, clothing, and extended operations. An Appendix on preemployment screening tests and active duty testing of Common Military Task (CMT) performance used by various NATO countries was compiled and included in this Report, which will provide information for Staff Officers and serve as a reference.

24/7 Operational Effectiveness Toolset: Mishap Investigation Interface

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24/7 Operational Effectiveness Toolset: Mishap Investigation Interface

Douglas R. Eddy , James C. Miller, Cory Welch, Richard Smith, and Samuel L. Moise

AFRL-RH-BR-TR-2009-0031

This report describes the Mishap Investigation Interface of the 24/7 Operational Toolset, a World Wide Web-based fatigue analysis software product. The toolset was based upon the Sleep, Activity, Fatigue, and Task Effectiveness (SAFTE™; Hursh et al., 2004). The SAFTE™ model predicts cognitive performance level based upon sleep, circadian rhythm, and sleep inertia. This specific interface of the toolset was designed to aid in the determination of whether aviation and ground mishaps may have causes rooted in or exacerbated by mental fatigue. The interface design approach was iterative, involving several meetings among subject matter experts (SMEs), interface software designers and evaluators. The first meeting was for the purpose of requirements analysis, in which the designers elicited task information from the SMEs. The second meeting included a walk-through of storyboarded and preliminary software, in which the SMEs provided feedback to the designers and evaluators. The final meeting was for the purpose of an "inspection evaluation" of the interface by the SMEs and evaluators. This interface was based upon task analyses of mishap investigators who also served as our SMEs. The requirements analysis revealed how fatigue related information is entered into the report of an Air Force Safety Investigation Board. A task analysis revealed how safety investigators accomplish their investigation. The report begins with a general review of mishap investigation and proceeds to the roles played by our SMEs in determining the effects of fatigue. The walk-through and inspection evaluation processes indicated that most of the requirements of potential users were met reasonably well and that potential users were able to operate the interface reasonably easily. The report ends with recommendations and suggestions for incorporating a fatigue-assessment decision aid into the mishap investigation process

Operational Risk Management of Fatigue Effects II

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Operational Risk Management of Fatigue Effects II

AFRL-RH-BR-TR-2009-0030

James C. Miller, Douglas R. Eddy

This report describes our second attempt to use a quantitative, applied model of fatigue and well-accepted fatigue countermeasures in the context of operational risk management (ORM). The report discusses ORM in terms of the identification of fatigue hazards, assessment of fatigue risks, analysis of fatigue-risk control measures, possible fatigue-risk control decisions, implementation of fatigue risk controls, and the supervision and review of the fatigue ORM process. It builds upon and extends a previous fatigue ORM effort (2005) by combining the occurrence of five specific fatigue indicators with fatigue model predictions of cognitive performance effectiveness (PE). The five indicators were the amount of sleep in the last 24 hours, the cumulative sleep debt, the number of hours awake since the last major sleep period, time of day, and the amount of jet lag or shift lag. In the standard Air Force ORM method, the risk associated with a potential mishap is measured in terms of the probability that a mishap will occur and the potential severity of that mishap. The Fatigue-Performance Assessment System software should automate this process in such a manner as to augment other, required AF ORM documents.

A Metagenomic Analysis of Microbial Contamination in Aviation Fuels

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2009
Masters Thesis by Jerrod P. McComb

Microbial contamination in aviation fuel arises due to the impracticality of keeping fuel tanks sterile and the inevitable presence of water from condensation. Microbial contaminants in aviation fuels are a concern because of their potential to degrade the fuel, accelerate corrosion within the fuel tank, and threaten flight safety. This research aids in mitigating those problems by comprehensively characterizing the microbial communities affecting aviation fuels. Advances in molecular biological techniques have allowed for the identification of microorganisms which were not identified by the traditional culture-based methodologies used in previous studies. This study employed a molecular method known as 16S rDNA gene analysis to describe the microbial communities in aviation fuel. The microbial communities in JP-8, Jet A, and biodiesel were evaluated at the phylum and genus levels of taxonomy. The JP-8 community was found to be much richer than both the Jet A and biodiesel community. The biodiesel community was found to be a subset of the JP-8 community. A small subset of microorganisms was found to exist across all three fuels while the majority of identified microorganisms were endemic to a single fuel type. Rarefaction analysis showed that further sampling is likely to reveal additional diversity.

An Evaluation of the Effectiveness of U.S. Naval Aviation Crew Resource Management Training Programs

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An Evaluation of the Effectiveness of U.S. Naval Aviation Crew Resource Management Training Programs: A Reassessment for the Twenty-First Century Operating Environment

Douglas W. Jones

This thesis describes a multi-faceted evaluation of the U.S. Naval Aviation Crew Resource Management (CRM) program. CRM training is used to instruct naval aviators in safety critical, non-technical behaviors. Reactions were evaluated by using a single item from command safety climate questionnaires (n=51, 570 observations over nine years). Attitudes were assessed using a 37-item survey (364 responses). Knowledge was evaluated using a 10-item multiple-choice test (123 responses). Finally, the causes of naval aviation mishaps from fiscal years 1997-2007 (238 mishaps) were examined to identify how many were attributed to failings related to CRM concepts. It was found that aviators perceived CRM training to be useful, had positive attitudes towards concepts addressed in the training, and the level of knowledge was constant across rank and aircraft type. Nevertheless, human error still accounts for more than 80% of all mishaps in naval aviation, and over 65% of those are attributed to at least one failure in CRM. As
human error continues to plague naval aviation, routine evaluations of CRM’s effectiveness are critical to ensure it is achieving its goal to “improve mission effectiveness by minimizing crew preventable errors, maximizing crew coordination, and optimizing risk management” (CNO, 2001).

ANTHROPOMETRIC SURVEY (ANSUR) II PILOT STUDY:

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ANTHROPOMETRIC SURVEY (ANSUR) II PILOT STUDY:
METHODS AND SUMMARY STATISTICS

Steve Paquette, Claire Gordon, and Bruce Bradtmiller

TECHNICAL REPORT
NATICK/TR-09/014

Virtually every Army materiel system in use was designed and/or sized using a database of anthropometric information that is 20 years old. It was based on the Army Anthropometric Survey (ANSUR), which was conducted in 1988 on only Active Duty Soldiers. However, more than one-half of today’s fighting forces are National Guard and Reserve component troops. A pilot study (ANSUR II) was recently undertaken to (1) assess anthropometric change since 1988
within the Active Army; (2) to assess anthropometric differences among Army Active, Reserve, and National Guard components; and (3) to provide guidance on whether a further, more comprehensive survey and an update of the current ANSUR database are needed. This report provides measurement methods and summary statistics for 25 body measurements made on 2811 male and 651 female soldiers in the pilot study. The anthropometric change since 1988 and
tests of component differences are presented in a separate technical report. The subjects were weighted by component, sex, age, and racial/ethnic group to match Total Army demographics as of March 2007 in order to provide interim design guidance on Total Army body size distributions as of March 2007

ANALYSIS OF NAVY FLIGHT SCHEDULING METHODS USING FLYAWAKE

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ANALYSIS OF NAVY FLIGHT SCHEDULING METHODS
USING FLYAWAKE
THESIS

Ryan P. Beshany
September 2009

Sleep-related fatigue has negative effects on both human performance and decision making. Pilots are particularly vulnerable to these adverse effects due to the environment and operational requirements, which entails both long and irregular duty cycles.
The Air National Guard received funding from Office of the Secretary of Defense, Defense Safety Oversight Council to create FlyAwake, a software application that predicts aircrew fatigue based on circadian cycles. FlyAwake uses the Sleep, Activity, Fatigue, and Task Effectiveness (SAFTE) Model and calculates predicted effectiveness. Recently, contract modifications have permitted integration with U.S. Navy’s Sierra Hotel Aviation Readiness Program (SHARP) as an Operational Risk Management (ORM) tool. Naval Aviation does not currently use fatigue
modeling as part of operational flight scheduling, and it is the intent of this thesis to provide a proof of concept analysis of FlyAwake for Commander, Navy Air Forces (CNAF).
In order to validate FlyAwake, flight schedules from February 2008 were collected from the Helicopter Antisubmarine Squadron Light Four Two (HSL-42) SHARP database. A statistical analysis compared fatigue levels of aircrew using conventional scheduling methods against those with fatigue modeling, and showed improved fatiguebased performance effectiveness with the utilization of FlyAwake.

Enhanced Tools and Techniques to Support Debris Management in Disaster Response Missions

http://www.dtic.mil/cgi-bin/GetTRDoc?AD=ADA508559&Location=U2&doc=GetTRDoc.pdf
Enhanced Tools and Techniques to Support Debris Management in Disaster Response
Missions

ERDC/EL TR-09-12
U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center nvironmental Laboratory
May 2009
Mike Channell, Mark R. Graves, Victor F. Medina, Agnes B. Morrow, and Dennis Brandon

Debris management is a critical function of disaster response activities. Debris can represent a serious health hazard in its own right, can hamper emergency response, and, by clogging streams and waterways, promote flooding. During an actual disaster, time is a limiting factor for
the formulation and testing of improved debris management approaches. The time to improve management and technical approaches is before disasters strike. This report proposes that research can be effective in improving emergency response regarding debris management. This study investigated three aspects of debris management: debris management in stream beds, hazardous aspects of debris, and the use of geospatial measurements and techniques to improve management. The state of the practice for each was established. Areas of research opportunities were then identified and discussed. This document can serve as a framework for a
debris management research focus area, which will provide guidance for emergency management organizations and profession

Locus of Control, Risk Orientation, and Decision Making Among

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Locus of Control, Risk Orientation, and Decision Making Among U.S. Army Aviators

David R. Hunter (Artis, LLC)
John E. Stewart (U.S. Army Research Institute)

Technical Report 1260
October 2009
United States Army Research Institute
for the Behavioral and Social Sciences

This report was developed under the Small Business Innovative Research Program Phase I. The goal of the research was to develop a set of web-based prototype scales that would assess hazardous events, locus of control, safetyrelated attitudes, and risk orientation among U.S. Army Aviators. New measurement scales with an Army focus were developed that were modeled after civilian scales. These scales were: Army Hazardous Events Scale, Army Locus of Control Scale, Army Safety Attitudes Scale, and Army Aviation Scenarios Scale. In four surveys the scales were administered to samples of Army Aviators and their responses were used to conduct a preliminary evaluation of the scales. All the scales were found to exhibit good psychometric reliability and several of the sub-scales from the measures were significantly correlated with self-reported accident involvement.

Overcoming Information Overload in the Cockpit

http://www.dtic.mil/cgi-bin/GetTRDoc?AD=ADA506356&Location=U2&doc=GetTRDoc.pdf

Overcoming Information Overload in the Cockpit

MAJ Tom Deveans, M.S.


ORCEN Technical Report: DSE-TR-0904
DTIC: ADA506356

The survey was designed in three parts in order to establish a hierarchy of information require-
ments for pilots given aircraft type, mission, and situation. The survey results are too numerous to report here, but hopefully we were able to capture the desired data. The state-of-the-art survey of intuitive display technologies focused, for the most part, on tactile technologies. In the end, the most viable solutions werethose offered by the Tactile Situation Awareness System, a newly developed soft-actuator technology whose primary advantages were the quality of the tactor signal, simplicity, and exibility, and the addition of 3D audio. The alternative heads up display symbology survey results showed a way to create an optimal symbology layout based on the concepts of learned habit patterns and a concept called Layout Appropriateness, in which the "appropriateness" of a given layout is computed by weighing the cost of a sequence of actions by how frequently the sequence is performed. The final part of the study involving the use of a non-human in the loop discrete event simulation to compare workloads in the current cockpits, and ones designed with new technologies, showed beyond doubt that the implementation of intuitive display technologies significantlyreduces both the overall and individual resource workload on pilots and copilots alike.

Vection and Motion Thresholds as a Function of Contrast

http://www.dtic.mil/cgi-bin/GetTRDoc?AD=ADA509828&Location=U2&doc=GetTRDoc.pdf
Vection and Motion Thresholds as a Function of Contrast

Frederick Patterson; Yancy York


NAMRL-09-32

Background/Introduction. Vection can be defined as a sensory-spatial illusion t hat creates false sensations of self motion, in either linear or angular directi ons. Although false perceptions of self motion are common, visual characteristi cs linked to this type of illusion are not fully understood. Vection can be strongly influenced by various physical aspects, such as optical velocity
of the visual stimulus, spatial frequency, and field of view. Although previous research documents how perceived motion can be influenced by several variables associated with visual contrast, they do not provide insight into the relationship between color variation and onset of vection illusion. Since very little is known about the relationship between visual contrast thresholds and susceptibility to vection, and even less is known about the impact of color variations on self motion illusions; it was deemed beneficial to further evaluate this topic from a qualitative perspective. Method. This study was conducted on 20 aviator candidates awaiting flight training. A Visual Vestibular Sphere Device (VVSD) was used to elicit the illusion of self-motion (vection) while subjects viewed the moving VVSD surround through a window that allowed visual contrast to be varied; this method led to the determination of contrast thresholds for the detection of surround motion and the onset of vection. The objective was to determine the effect of color saturation altered visual contrast on detection of surround motion and vection.
Results. The threshold for detection of vection was 2.5% contrast. A similar contrast threshold was obtained for detection of surround motion; however, surround motion was reported sooner than vection at a given contrast. Above threshold, lower contrast stimuli were associated with longer latencies to onset of vection and lower ratings of vection strength (realism of the
illusion) at the time of onset of vection. Conclusions. Vection was triggered readily at very low levels of visual contrast. It appeared that as long as the observers could detect any surround motion, they reported vection. Nevertheless, the vection illusion was stronger and was elicited faster under conditions of high contrast.

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

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


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

USAARL 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.

Law Enforcement Head-Borne Personal Protective Equipment Hearing Attenuation

http://www.dtic.mil/cgi-bin/GetTRDoc?AD=ADA498436&Location=U2&doc=GetTRDoc.pdf

Law Enforcement Head-Borne Personal Protective Equipment Hearing Attenuation
Li, Qi; Haijeck, Joshua; and Burchfield, Tom

ECBC-CR-103
April 2009

Test methods were developed to quantify and assess the effects of personal protection equipment (PPE) on hearing. The tests use a head and torso simulator that is able to don PPE and employs advanced acoustic, signal processing, and measurement techniques. The tests measure localization and speech intelligibility effects of PPE. The methods also assess the effects of noise generated by PPE fabric and/or electro/mechanical noise. Localization effects are evaluated in terms of the Head-Related Transfer Function (HRTF). Speech intelligibility is
evaluated using the Speech Transmission Index (STI). Results show that HRTF and STI scores are significantly altered with various PPE and PPE-created noise.

Performance Sustainment of Two Man Crews during 87 Hours of Extended Wakefulness with Stimulants and Napping

http://www.dtic.mil/cgi-bin/GetTRDoc?AD=ADA498120&Location=U2&doc=GetTRDoc.pdf

USAARL 2009-04

Performance Sustainment of Two Man Crews during 87 Hours of Extended Wakefulness with Stimulants and Napping

Patricia LeDuc, Terri Rowe, Christopher Martin, Ian Curry, Robert
Wildzunas, Elmar Schmeisser, Arthur Estrada, Julie Bass, Lisa Palacio,
Tiffany Rouse, Lisa Dueringer, and Lana Milam

Thirty-two pilots each completed twenty-two simulated flights and other evaluations during 87 hours of sustained operations. General results are that dextroamphetamine and modafinil similarly attenuated numerous sleep loss problems. While caffeine had some benefits preventing performance declines, changes in performance often mimicked those seen in the placebo group. The benefits of all three stimulants were most noticeable from 0200 until 1000 when the fatigue from sleep deprivation was greatest. The most consistent drug effects were seen on physiological measures and self-reported mood, but a number of performance effects were seen as well. These data are compared to previous flight simulator studies of dexedrine and modafinil with respect to dose effects on operator performance as well as the need to examine the resilience and vulnerability of team behavior as a fatigue countermeasure. These findings strongly suggest that stimulant medications can assist the warfighter in maintaining acceptable levels of judgment
and decision making, as well as crew coordination, when combat requirements dictate long periods of sleep deprivation

Molecular Design of Novel Poly(urethane-urea) Hybrids as Helmet Pads for Ballistic and Blast Trauma Mitigation

http://www.dtic.mil/cgi-bin/GetTRDoc?AD=ADA496122&Location=U2&doc=GetTRDoc.pdf

Molecular Design of Novel Poly(urethane-urea) Hybrids as Helmet Pads for Ballistic and Blast Trauma Mitigation

Alex J. Hsieh, Joshua A. Orlicki, and Rick L. Beyer

March 2009
ARL-TR-4764

Polyurethane (PU) and poly(urethane urea) (PUU) based foams are currently being used as helmet pad materials. The U.S. Army still has a critical need for more efficient foam pad materials and designs that will provide warfighters with improved survivability against blast-induced traumatic brain injuries. Recent work has shown that tailoring the microphase-separated morphology is critical in controlling the high strain-rate mechanical deformation of bulk PU and PUU elastomers. In this work we focused on molecular influence and have successfully synthesized select model PU and PUU elastomers incorporating triptycene moieties. Adding triptycene-1,4 hydroquinone resulted in a 9 °C increase in the soft segment glass transitiontemperature compared to hydroquinone-containing PU. The 1,4-diaminotriptycene modified PUUs revealed improved tensile modulus and flow stress, which correlated well with the rubbery plateau modulus data determined from dynamic mechanical analysis and with the interdomain-correlation data from the small-angle X-ray scattering measurements.

A FATIGUE CHECKCARD FOR MISHAP INVESTIGATIONS

http://www.dtic.mil/cgi-bin/GetTRDoc?AD=ADA498520&Location=U2&doc=GetTRDoc.pdf
A FATIGUE CHECKCARD FOR MISHAP INVESTIGATIONS
James C. Miller
AFRL-HE-BR-TR-2005-0071

Investigators of workplace and transportation accidents and incidents seldom have the instruments or expertise required to determine whether or not human fatigue might have contributed to the mishap. The Fatigue Checkcard and its associated protocol were designed as a screening tool to fill this need. Briefly, using the Checkcard, the investigator may generate a
score based upon seven simple observations: Length of pnor wakefulness, amount of prior sleep for the preceding 72 hours, time of mishap, number of night shifts in preceding 30 days, time zone change and days in zone, types of human errors associated with mishap, and estimated physical exertion across the work period of interest. If the score is above a criterion level shown on the card, then the investigator should contact a fatigue expert for additional help with the
investigation. The Fatigue Checkcard was designed in part using the U.S. Department of Defense Sleep, Activity, Fatigue, and Task Effectiveness (SAFTE) applied model, implemented as the FAST1M software. The SAFTE applied model integrated the effects of length of prior wakefulness, amount of sleep and circadian rhythm. This Fatigue Checkcard and its associated protocol were provided as the response to an Eagle Look recommendation made by the Inspector General of the Air Force and approved by the Air Staff.