The results of this study suggest that graphic displays may enhance the detection of acute changes in patient physiologic status during anesthesia administration. This research also demonstrates the importance of assessing performance on clinical devices by studying actual users rather than random subjects. Further research is required to elucidate the display elements and characteristics that best support different aspects of the anesthesiologist's monitoring tasks.

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In this study, we report the effects of sleep loss upon circadian rhythm parameters analyzed by the cosine curve fitting (cosinor) method. Rhythm alterations are described as reductions in rhythm strength, increases in individual variations producing an increase in the 95% confidence limits, and reductions in rhythm amplitude. Subjects worked continuously at tasks for 45 h with time-of-day cues. Circadian cycles in physiological and mood variables remained intact, but rhythms in some task performance measures no longer showed significant 24-h/cycle activities. The relationship between oral-temperature, mood, and pulse rhythms continued undisturbed during the continuous work period; however, the performance linkage to oral temperature was lost. These findings direct attention to individual difference in susceptibility to continuous work periods and suggest that 24-h rhythms in some performance and physiological measures perhaps are more readily responsive to an altered wake/sleep cycle than other circadian rhythms. Humans are temporally organized by internal oscillatory processes to live in harmony with the environment. These internal temporal systems are coordinated with environmental events, such as the light-dark cycle, and appear to facilitate organismic survival. Being in temporal harmony with one's environment is perhaps a major criterion for health, well-being, performance effectiveness, and longevity. Research has shown that the biological bases of such organization are located in the brain and develop over time through maturation and experience. These time-keeping processes have been modeled as a set of endogenous oscillators with varying periodicities and sensitivities to environmental synchronizers (Monk et al., 1985). Both psychological and physiological variables show the influence of endogenous oscillators by exhibiting predictable, rhythmic fluctuations over the 24-h day. Because these rhythms have been described with a recognizable frequency, usually one cycle in 24 ± 4 h, they are classified as circadian rhythms. A criterion that an observed rhythm belongs to a truly endogenous circadian activity is that it continues as a rhythm for two or more cycles after prolonged sleep loss and elimination of any environmental cues or synchronizers (Halberg et al., 1971). Some biochemical, physiological, and psychological variables show persistent rhythms after disturbed sleep or short sleep depriva

Englund, C. E. (1979). Human chronopsychologqy An autorhythmometric study of circadian periodicity in learning, mood and task performance. Unpublished dissertation, United

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