Aviat Space Envir Md
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Aviat Space Envir Md · Jun 2007
Clinical TrialSupplemental oxygen and hyperbaric treatment at high altitude: cardiac and respiratory response.
The most effective treatment for high altitude sickness is prompt descent. However, rapid descent is sometimes impossible and alternative solutions are desirable. Supplemental oxygen at ambient pressure and hyperbaric oxygen in a hyperbaric tent have both been demonstrated to improve symptoms and increase arterial oxygenation (SaO2) in those with high altitude sickness; however, their use in combination has not previously been described in a controlled study. ⋯ In healthy, well-acclimatized subjects the combination of hyperbaric exposure and supplemental oxygen has a noteworthy effect on physiological parameters at high altitude. Awareness of this knowledge may enhance the treatment of patients with life-threatening high altitude sickness.
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Aviat Space Envir Md · Jun 2007
Historical ArticleThis month in aerospace medicine history--June 2007.
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Aviat Space Envir Md · May 2007
ReviewAugmenting team cognition in human-automation teams performing in complex operational environments.
There is a growing reliance on automation (e.g., intelligent agents, semi-autonomous robotic systems) to effectively execute increasingly cognitively complex tasks. Successful team performance for such tasks has become even more dependent on team cognition, addressing both human-human and human-automation teams. Team cognition can be viewed as the binding mechanism that produces coordinated behavior within experienced teams, emerging from the interplay between each team member's individual cognition and team process behaviors (e.g., coordination, communication). ⋯ Toward this end, we present a preliminary theoretical framework illustrating how the design and implementation of automation technology may influence team cognition and team coordination in complex operational environments. Integrating constructs from organizational and cognitive science, our proposed framework outlines how information exchange and updating between humans and automation technology may affect lower-level (e.g., working memory) and higher-level (e.g., sense making) cognitive processes as well as teams' higher-order "metacognitive" processes (e.g., performance monitoring). Issues surrounding human-automation interaction are discussed and implications are presented within the context of designing automation technology to improve task performance in human-automation teams.
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Aviat Space Envir Md · May 2007
ReviewMarkers for enhancing team cognition in complex environments: the power of team performance diagnosis.
Team cognition has been identified as a key component to achieve mission goals in dynamic, team-based, stressful, distributed and multicultural operations. Effective team performance in complex environments requires that team members hold a shared understanding of the task, their equipment, and their teammates. ⋯ Therefore, the purpose of this article is fourfold: I) to present a brief account of team cognition; 2) to develop the concept of performance diagnosis and present SBT as an approach to the performance diagnosis of team cognition; 3) to present a set of illustrative behavioral markers of team cognition; and 4) to explicate how these elements (performance diagnosis, team cognition, and SBT) can be leveraged to increase training effectiveness through the development of performance profiles--a rich, detailed, and informative set of metrics--and cognitive and behavioral indicators or illustrative markers of team cognition. Research needs are discussed in terms of realizing the potential of this approach in operational and embedded training contexts.
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Aviat Space Envir Md · May 2007
ReviewStress, mental health, and cognition: a brief review of relationships and countermeasures.
Today's network-centric battlefield environment is highly stressful and cognitively demanding. Many warfighters are feeling overwhelmed and end up being medically evacuated from theater due to mental health problems [i.e., post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and depression]. ⋯ Stress disorders and depression predominate among the psychiatric causes for medical evacuation. This review paper discusses stress theories as they pertain to warfighting, the types of stress and stress disorders most prevalent on modern battlefields, the relationships among stress, psychiatric disease, and cognitive performance, and potential methods to decrease some types of stress-related acute and chronic disorders (i.e., virtual-reality stress inoculation training).