Caffeine has been suggested to act as a countermeasure against fatigue in military operations. In this randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study, the effect of caffeine on simulator flight performance was examined in 13 military pilots during 37 hours of sleep deprivation. Each subject performed a flight mission in simulator four times. The subjects received either a placebo (six subjects) or 200 mg of caffeine (seven subjects) 1 hour before the simulated flights. A moderate 200 mg intake of caffeine was associated with higher axillary temperatures, but it did not affect subjectively assessed sleepiness. Flight performance was similar in both groups during the four rounds flown under sleep deprivation. However, subjective evaluation of overall flight performance in the caffeine group tended to be too optimistic, indicating a potential flight safety problem. Based on our results, we do not recommend using caffeine pills in military flight operations.
Communication can be a flight safety factor especially during intense air combat exercises and other information-loaded flights. During these situations, communication should be clear and focused on the most essential information. So, training and technical improvements are necessary for better communication. High quality radio speech communication also improves operational effectiveness in military aviation.
In this study, the clay and heavy mineral analysis of ODP Site 911 sediments is used to investigate the sources and transport mechanisms (sea ice and oceanic currents) of sediments in the Arctic Ocean during the Mid to Late Pliocene (3.10–2.78 Myr) and upper Quaternary (800 kyr to the present). The time period between 3.10 and 3.00 Myr is characterized by a decreasing smectite and increasing illite content, which is interpreted as reflecting cooling conditions. At the beginning of the Mid‐Pliocene Global Warmth period at ∼3.00 Myr, the smectite content shows an abrupt increase. This change can also be seen as a drop in the amount of kaolinite and TOC. After 3.00 Myr the kaolinite and TOC values start to increase, probably indicating high rates of reworked glacially eroded matter. During the Pleistocene, smectite shows a lower and illite a higher fluctuation level compared with the Pliocene. This might be due to reigning glacial conditions during the Pleistocene, when the freshwater input was much lower than during the Pliocene. During the Pliocene, the fluctuating heavy minerals might reflect changes in freshwater input from the great Siberian rivers, which would have led to changes in the supply of terrigenous material delivered to the shelf by the rivers. The heavy mineral fluctuation also reflects changes in the amount of sea‐ice formation, which correlates with climate variations and the freshwater input from the continent. Based on the composition of the clay and heavy mineral groups in this study, the most likely transportation path is the Siberian branch of the Transpolar Drift.
Most military pilots hold a positive opinion on m-CEPs and are willing to recommend their use. Technical problems and discomfort issues are, however, relatively common.
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