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At least 19 records

Efficacy of Climate Forcings in PDRMIP Models

Quantifying the efficacy of different climate forcings is important for understanding the real‐world climate sensitivity. This study presents a systematic multimodel analysis of different climate driver efficacies using simulations from the Precipitation Driver and Response Model Intercomparison Project (PDRMIP). Efficacies calculated from instantaneous radiative forcing deviate considerably from unity across forcing agents and models. Effective radiative forcing (ERF) is a better predictor of global mean near‐surface air temperature (GSAT) change. Efficacies are closest to one when ERF is computed using fixed sea surface temperature experiments and adjusted for land surface temperature changes using radiative kernels. Multimodel mean efficacies based on ERF are close to one for global perturbations of methane, sulfate, black carbon, and insolation, but there is notable intermodel spread. We do not find robust evidence that the geographic location of sulfate aerosol affects its efficacy. GSAT is found to respond more slowly to aerosol forcing than CO2 in the early stages of simulations. Despite these differences, we find that there is no evidence for an efficacy effect on historical GSAT trend estimates based on simulations with an impulse response model, nor on the resulting estimates of climate sensitivity derived from the historical period. However, the considerable intermodel spread in the computed efficacies means that we cannot rule out an efficacy‐induced bias of ±0.4 K in equilibrium climate sensitivity to CO2 doubling when estimated using the historical GSAT trend.

T B Richardson↗

Differential Drag Efficacy for Close Approach Remediation

Differential drag has become a viable alternative to propulsion for satellites to avoid collisions, but there is little guidance in the literature to aid mission designers in developing a differential drag capability that verifiably meets collision avoidance efficacy standards or requirements, if such requirements were to exist. This paper proposes a differential drag efficacy determination approach based on empirical conjunctions from the NASA Conjunction Assessment Risk Analysis historical database, focusing on energy dissipation rate and change in ballistic coefficient as the key satellite parameters correlated to efficacy. The data analysis informs the discussion toward adoption of recommended differential drag requirements. A case study is presented to walk through the process to determine efficacy of a proposed mission assuming several potential requirements.

conjunction remediation↗

Antimotion-sickness efficacy of scopolamine 12 and 72 hours after transdermal administration

The antimotion sickness remedy, transdermal therapeutic system-scopolamine, administered in this experiment was scheduled to deliver 1.0 mg of scopolamine over a period of 3 d, and this paper compares its efficacy 12 and 72 h after administration. In a double-blind study, six male college students were individually exposed to a standardized provocative test in a slow rotation room after six apparently identical treatments comprising four placebos and two medications. Efficacy was categorized as beneficial, inconsequential, or detrimental. None of the responses was detrimental. Following the first administration of the therapeutic system, there were four beneficial responses after 12 h but none was beneficial after 72 h. Following the second treatment regimen, there were four beneficial responses after 12 h and three beneficial responses after 72 h. Great individual differences were demonstrated, two subjects accounting for six beneficial responses and two accounting for only one beneficial response. The difference in efficacy after 12 and 72 h has practical and theoretical significance.

Graybiel, A.↗

Efficacy of compression of different capacitance beds in the amelioration of orthostatic hypotension

Orthostatic hypotension (OH) is the most disabling and serious manifestation of adrenergic failure, occurring in the autonomic neuropathies, pure autonomic failure (PAF) and multiple system atrophy (MSA). No specific treatment is currently available for most etiologies of OH. A reduction in venous capacity, secondary to some physical counter maneuvers (e.g., squatting or leg crossing), or the use of compressive garments, can ameliorate OH. However, there is little information on the differential efficacy, or the mechanisms of improvement, engendered by compression of specific capacitance beds. We therefore evaluated the efficacy of compression of specific compartments (calves, thighs, low abdomen, calves and thighs, and all compartments combined), using a modified antigravity suit, on the end-points of orthostatic blood pressure, and symptoms of orthostatic intolerance. Fourteen patients (PAF, n = 9; MSA, n = 3; diabetic autonomic neuropathy, n = 2; five males and nine females) with clinical OH were studied. The mean age was 62 years (range 31-78). The mean +/- SEM orthostatic systolic blood pressure when all compartments were compressed was 115.9 +/- 7.4 mmHg, significantly improved (p < 0.001) over the head-up tilt value without compression of 89.6 +/- 7.0 mmHg. The abdomen was the only single compartment whose compression significantly reduced OH (p < 0.005). There was a significant increase of peripheral resistance index (PRI) with compression of abdomen (p < 0.001) or all compartments (p < 0.001); end-diastolic index and cardiac index did not change. We conclude that denervation increases vascular capacity, and that venous compression improves OH by reducing this capacity and increasing PRI. Compression of all compartments is the most efficacious, followed by abdominal compression, whereas leg compression alone was less effective, presumably reflecting the large capacity of the abdomen relative to the legs.

Non-NASA Center↗

Role of physical countermaneuvers in the management of orthostatic hypotension: efficacy and biofeedback augmentation

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the efficacy of various physical countermaneuvers in reducing orthostatic hypotension and its associated symptoms and to assess the efficacy of biofeedback training in enhancing the effectiveness of physical countermaneuvers. MATERIAL AND METHODS: In nine study subjects with neurogenic orthostatic hypotension, four training sessions on physical countermaneuvers were performed after tilt-up, three with visual feedback on the effect of physical countermaneuvers on blood pressure and other cardiovascular variables. Blood pressure change and orthostatic symptoms during tilt-up were determined, as were the changes in total peripheral resistance, stroke index, and heart rate. RESULTS: The five female and four male patients had a mean age of 53 years and a mean duration of symptoms of 4.2 years. On an orthostatic symptom scale of 0 to 10, these patients had a mean symptom score of 7.3. The increment in systolic blood pressure was better for some maneuvers (such as leg crossing and a combination) than others (such as neck flexion and abdominal contraction). Three patterns of responses to biofeedback were found. Simple maneuvers such as squatting did not improve with training; visual feedback was needed for maneuvers such as thigh contraction, and performance declined without biofeedback; the third pattern, seen in maneuvers such as leg crossing, showed continued improvement with training, even without biofeedback. A survey at 3 to 4 months after training revealed continued use of physical maneuvers (3.8 +/- 3.1 per day), increased standing time with each episode of presyncopal symptoms (8.3 +/- 5.8 minutes), and continued global symptomatic improvement. Total peripheral resistance, but not heart rate or stroke index, showed significant regression with blood pressure improvement. CONCLUSION: Physical countermaneuvers are efficacious in reducing orthostatic hypotension, can be augmented by use of biofeedback, and may significantly improve the functional outcome. The major mechanism of improvement is an increase in total peripheral resistance, presumably by reducing the vascular capacitance.

NASA Program Space Physiology and Countermeasures↗

Efficacy of Antimicrobials on Bacteria Cultured in a Spaceflight Analogue

As humans travel in space, they will interact with microbial flora from themselves, other crewmembers, their food, and the environment. While evaluations of microbial ecology aboard the Mir and ISS suggest a predominance of common environmental flora, the presence of (and potential for) infectious agents has been well documented. Likewise, pathogens have been detected during preflight monitoring of spaceflight food, resulting in the disqualification of that production lot from flight. These environmental and food organisms range from the obligate pathogen, Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium (S. Typhimurium), which has been responsible for disqualification and removal of food destined for ISS and has previously been reported from Shuttle crew refuse, to the opportunistic pathogen Staphylococcus aureus, isolated numerous times from ISS habitable compartments and the crew. Infectious disease events have affected spaceflight missions, including an upper respiratory infection that delayed the launch of STS-36 and an incapacitating Pseudomonas aeruginosa urinary tract infection of a crewmember during Apollo 13. These observations indicate that the crew has the potential to be exposed to obligate and opportunistic pathogens. This risk of exposure is expected to increase with longer mission durations and increased use of regenerative life support systems. As antibiotics are the primary countermeasure after infection, determining if their efficacy during spaceflight missions is comparable to terrestrial application is of critical importance. The NASA Rotating Wall Vessel (RWV) culture system has been successfully used as a spaceflight culture analogue to identify potential alterations in several key microbial characteristics, such as virulence and gene regulation, in response to spaceflight culture. We hypothesized that bacteria cultured in the low fluid shear RWV environment would demonstrate changes in efficacy of antibiotics compared to higher fluid shear controls. This study investigated the response of three medically significant microorganisms grown in the RWV to antibiotics that could be used on spaceflight missions. Our findings suggest potential alterations in antibiotic efficacy during spaceflight and indicate that future studies on the antibiotic response require additional basic research using the RWV and/or true spaceflight. However, while this analogue has reinforced these potential alterations, the results suggest the best approach for applied forward work is evaluating an in vivo system during spaceflight, including human and rodent studies. The complex nature of the analysis for many antibiotics and organism suggests the best approach to determine in vivo responses during pharmaceutical treatment is evaluating an in vivo system during spaceflight.

Nickerson, CA↗

LEDs for Extraterrestrial Agriculture: Tradeoffs between Color Perception and Photon Efficacy

Growing food on extraterrestrial surfaces requires the development of efficient lighting technologies to provide photons for photosynthesis. Here we discuss the development and demonstration of LED panels with a high color fidelity index that can achieve a photon efficacy of 3.6 µmol of photons per joule of input electrical energy. As of June 2021, this is higher than commercial LED fixtures on Earth. This high efficacy makes LED technology a preferred option to solar fiber optics for extraterrestrial applications. Increasing the fraction of red LEDs and photons increases the efficacy but decreases the perception of color.

Bioregenerative↗

Improving Efficacy and Safety of Pharmacological Treatment Through Precision Medicine and Pharmacogenomics for Human Deep Space Exploration

INTRODUCTION: Future spaceflight will require increased crew medical autonomy as exploration class missions expanding duration and distance from Earth, especially for Mars missions. As mission duration increases, it will be even more essential to have appropriate amounts of effective medication to ensure the maintenance of crew health and performance. Conversely, mass and volume constraints will become more severe as future spaceflight expands beyond low Earth orbit, where resupply is difficult or becomes impossible. These constraints thus convey an urgency to further tailor medications included in the spacecraft formulary and increased examination of appropriate dosing regimens. BACKGROUND: Precision Health is an exciting area of cutting-edge research and medicine focused on maintaining an individual’s health and performance through in-depth understanding of an individual’s unique factors and molecular profiles. This approach can be adapted to better predict, monitor, and address physiological responses to the spaceflight environment. One example is the field of pharmacogenomics (PGX),the study of how the expressed genome impacts drug responses with the goal of prescribing the right dose of the right drug at the right time. Specifically, PGX testing provides valuable information on an individual’s precise allelic variations to guide physicians in making informed decisions on pharmaceutical choice and dosing to avoid adverse drug events and maximize pharmacological efficacy. The goal of this study was to evaluate which drugs in the current space pharmacy could be evaluated using PGX testing and to understand the potential impact on the health and wellness of the astronaut population. Additionally, we sought to evaluate clinically available FDA-approved PGX testing solutions to better understand its applicability. METHODS: A complete list of drugs onboard the International Space Station (ISS) was analyzed for risk and likelihood of drug failure and PGX actionability. This analysis encompassed both personal astronaut medications, including supplements and over the counter drugs (n=151) and ISS MedKit formulary medications (n=95). Duplicate medications and different formulations were removed, which resulted in 157 total drugs used in the subsequent analysis. A 5x5 risk assessment table was produced by examining the likelihood of drug failure compared to the consequence of drug failure. Likelihood of individual drug failure was defined by whether existing processes are sufficient to prevent adverse events, as ranked from 1 (very low, can easily be prevented) to 5 (very high, cannot be prevented) during a Mars mission. In contrast, the consequence of drug failure was defined by impact to safety, schedule, cost or technical and ranked from 1 (very low) to 5 (very high).A comprehensive assessment of commercially available PGX solutions is currently underway to evaluate specimen requirements, cost/benefit analysis (cost vs. number of alleles assessed), utility of variant analysis, relevance to inflight medication usage, quality of reporting in enabling clinical application, and ease of integration into electronic medical records. RESULTS: Risk assessments(LxC 5x5 table) indicated29medicationswere in the yellow or red zone driven predominantly by drug failure or safety concerns, with the remainder(n=128)of the medications in the green zone where risk is acceptable. We found that current PGX testing results could impact 21% of the total medications in the ISS MedKit and IMAK; of these, 9 medications currently have direct clinically actionable guidance available. Results of the clinical PGX solution evaluations as related to these medications will be presented. CONCLUSION: PGX testing has demonstrated clear benefits in terrestrial medicine and clinical environments for the selection of proper medications, avoiding adverse drug reactions, and maximizing drug efficacy. We propose that similar benefits would be bestowed on the astronaut and commercial spaceflight passenger population by performing preemptive pre-flight PGX testing to reduce risk of mission failure due to ineffective or toxic medications, improve targeting drug efficacy and safety, and further open the door to countermeasure research exploring PGX-related allelic variants. For example, PGX results could allow tailoring of specific medications at optimal doses more precisely to each individual astronaut, particularly in areas of space motion sickness, sleep aids, and analgesics. An additional benefit is that PGX results could provide information for better planning of the components of a space pharmacy for deep space missions to be more cost effective and more efficient in the utilization of limited pharmaceutical resources. Finally, while PGX testing of the astronaut corps is not currently conducted, this approach could provide immediate impact in support of mission success by reducing risks, optimizing astronaut performance, and providing valuable insights into long-term astronaut health. Such advancements in clinical decision making are important next steps in building dynamic individual risk profiles for astronauts, increasing crew autonomy and providing tailored countermeasures

Alice R W Tang↗

Improving Efficacy and Safety of Pharmacological Treatment Through Precision Health and Pharmacogenomics

INTRODUCTION: Future spaceflight will require increased crew medical autonomy as exploration class missions expand in duration and distance from Earth, especially for Mars missions. As mission duration increases, it will be essential to have appropriate amounts of effective medication to ensure the maintenance of crew health and performance. Conversely, mass and volume constraints will become more severe as future spaceflight expands beyond low Earth orbit, where resupply is difficult or becomes impossible. These constraints thus convey an urgency to tailor medications for individual crewmembers and further examine appropriate dosing regimens. BACKGROUND: Precision Health is an exciting area of medicine focused on maintaining an individual’s health and performance through in-depth understanding of an individual’s unique clinical and environmental history, genetic makeup, and molecular profiles. This approach can be adapted to better predict, monitor, and address physiological responses to the spaceflight environment. A subset of this field is pharmacogenomics (PGX), the study of how the expressed genome impacts drug responses with the goal of prescribing the right dose of the right drug at the right time. Specifically, PGX testing provides valuable information on an individual’s precise allelic variations to guide physicians in making informed decisions on drug choice and dosing to avoid adverse events and maximize efficacy. The study goal was to identify which current space pharmacy drugs could be evaluated using PGX testing and to understand the potential impact on the health and wellness of the astronaut population. Additionally, we sought to evaluate clinically available FDA-approved PGX testing solutions to better understand its applicability. METHODS: A complete list of drugs on the ISS was analyzed for risk and likelihood of drug failure and PGX actionability. This analysis encompassed both astronauts’ personal medications, including supplements and over the counter drugs (n=151) contained in the ISS medical accessory kit (IMAK), and ISS MedKit formulary medications (n=95). Duplicate medications and different formulations were removed, which resulted in a total of 157 drugs used in the subsequent analysis. A 5x5 risk assessment table was produced by examining the likelihood of drug failure compared to the consequence of drug failure (LxC). Likelihood of individual drug failure was defined by whether existing processes are sufficient to prevent ineffective treatment or impactful side effect events, as ranked from 1 (very low, can easily be prevented) to 5 (very high, cannot be prevented) during a Mars mission. In contrast, the consequence of drug failure was defined by impact to safety, schedule, cost, or technical criteria and ranked from 1 (very low) to 5 (very high). An assessment of PGX reference laboratories is currently underway to evaluate sample requirements, benefit analysis (cost vs. utility of allele variant analysis), relevance to inflight medication usage, quality of reporting in enabling clinical application, and ease of integration into electronic medical records. RESULTS: Risk assessments (LxC 5x5 table) indicated 128 medications were in the green zone where risk is acceptable, with the remaining 29 of the medications in the yellow or red zone driven predominantly due to drug failure or safety concerns. We found that current PGX testing results could impact 21% of the total medications in the ISS MedKit and IMAK; of these, 9 medications currently have direct clinically actionable guidance available. Results of the clinical PGX solution evaluations as related to these medications will be presented. CONCLUSION: PGX testing has demonstrated clear benefits in terrestrial medicine and clinical environments for the selection of proper medications, avoiding adverse drug reactions, and maximizing drug efficacy. We propose that similar benefits would be bestowed on the astronaut and commercial spaceflight passenger population by performing preemptive preflight PGX testing to reduce risk of mission failure due to ineffective or toxic medications, improve drug efficacy, and further open the door to countermeasure research. For example, PGX results could allow tailoring of specific medications at optimal doses more precisely to each individual astronaut, particularly in areas of space motion sickness, sleep aids, and analgesics. An additional benefit is that PGX results could provide information for better planning of the components of a space pharmacy for deep space missions to be more effective and efficient in the utilization of limited pharmaceutical resources. Finally, while PGX testing of the astronaut corps is not currently conducted, this approach could provide immediate impact in support of mission success by reducing risks, optimizing astronaut performance, and providing valuable insights into long-term astronaut health. Such advancements in clinical decision making are important next steps in building dynamic individual risk profiles for astronauts, increasing selection of the best treatment choice, and providing tailored countermeasures for individual crewmembers.

Pharmacogenomics↗

Experimental motion sickness - Efficacy of transdermal scopolamine plus ephedrine

A double-blind, placebo-controlled study compared the efficacy of transdermal therapeutic system-scopolamine administered alone and combined with ephedrine sulfate given orally in doses of 12.5, 25, and 50 mg. Eight normal male students were exposed to stressful accelerations in a slow-rotation room after receiving 10 apparently identical treatments comprising the four drugs and six placebos. Efficacy of the drug was defined in terms of the placebo range and categorized as beneficial, inconsequential, or detrimental. None of the effects was detrimental. Overall beneficial effects were 60% for transdermal therapeutic system-scopolamine (plus placebo) and 57% for the three transdermal therapeutic system-scopolamine plus ephedrine combinations.

Graybiel, A.↗

Transdermal scopolamine in the prevention of motion sickness - Evaluation of the time course of efficacy

This study evaluated the time course of efficacy of transdermal scopolamine in the prevention of motion sickness induced by exposure to coriolis stimulation in a rotating chair. We measured levels of efficacy, quantified side effects and symptoms, and determined inter- and intra-subject variability following use of transdermal scopolamine. The response to transdermal scopolamine was highly variable, although overall we recorded a 40 percent improvement in test scores 16-72 h after application of the transdermal system. This variability could not be explained solely by the levels of scopolamine present in the blood. The improvement was not due to the artifactual repression by scopolamine of selected symptoms of motion sickness. An unexpectedly high incidence of side effects was reported. It was concluded that the therapeutic use of transdermal scopolamine be evaluated individually and that individuals be cautioned that subsequent usage may not always be effective.

Homick, J. L.↗

Comparisons of luminaires: Efficacies and system design

Lighting designs for architectural (aesthetic) purposes, vision and safety, and plant growth have many features in common but several crucial ones that are not. The human eye is very sensitive to the color (wavelength) of light, whereas plants are less so. There are morphological reactions, particularly to the red and blue portions of the light spectrum but, in general, plants appear to accept and use light for photosynthesis everywhere over the PAR region of the spectrum. In contrast, the human eye interprets light intensity on a logarithmic scale, making people insensitive to significant differences of light intensity. As a rough rule, light intensity must change by 30 to 50% for the human eye to recognize the difference. Plants respond much more linearly to light energy, at least at intensities below photosynthetic saturation. Thus, intensity differences not noticeable to the human eye can have significant effects on total plant growth and yield, and crop timing. These factors make luminaire selection and lighting system design particularly important when designing supplemental lighting systems for plant growth. Supplemental lighting for plant growth on the scale of commercial greenhouses is a relatively expensive undertaking. Light intensities are often much higher than required for task (vision) lighting, which increases both installation and operating costs. However, and especially in the northern regions of the United States (and Canada, Europe, etc.), supplemental lighting during winter may be necessary to produce certain crops (e.g., tomatoes) and very useful to achieve full plant growth potential and crop timing with most other greenhouse crops. Operating costs over the life of a luminaire typically will exceed the initial investment, making lighting efficacy a major consideration. This report reviews tests completed to evaluate the efficiencies of various commercially-available High-Pressure Sodium luminaires, and then describes the results of using a commercial lighting design computer program, Lumen-Micro, to explore how to place luminaires within greenhouses and plant growth chambers to achieve light (PAR) uniformity and relatively high lighting efficacies. Several suggestions are presented which could encourage systematic design of plant lighting systems.

Albright, L. D.↗

The Relationship of Self-Efficacy and Complacency in Pilot-Automation Interaction

Pilot 'complacency' has been implicated as a contributing factor in numerous aviation accidents and incidents. The term has become more prominent with the increase in automation technology in modern cockpits and, therefore, research has been focused on understanding the factors that may mitigate its effect on pilot-automation interaction. The study examined self-efficacy of supervisory monitoring and the relationship between complacency on strategy of pilot use of automation for workload management under automation schedules that produce the potential for complacency. The results showed that self-efficacy can be a 'double-edged' sword in reducing potential for automation-induced complacency but limiting workload management strategies and increasing other hazardous states of awareness.

Prinzel, Lawrence J., III↗

Status and efficacy of countermeasures to physiological deconditioning from space flight

The recent biomedical investigations conducted on the Space Shuttle and Spacelab have provided a wealth of biomedical information, including the ability to test the efficacy of proposed countermeasures. This achievement was made possible by the ability to conduct mechanistic and control-interventive studies simultaneously with a large number of individuals over a relatively brief period and to compare these data with results obtained from the Skylab missions. Comparisons between short- and long-duration results were limited to establishing trends or extrapolating from short-duration missions. To date, we have evaluated several protocols involving the lower-body negative pressure (LBNP) device, the bicycle-ergometer, the treadmill and preparations for body-fluid replenishment. In many instances, the traditional means of applying these protocols were not sufficient to protect against space-related deconditioning. This paper will review current countermeasures and compare their efficacy to that of existing protocols. Results from in-flight and ground-based experiments will be presented to illuminate the recommended protocols and procedures.

short duration↗

Comparison of efficacy of ginger with various antimotion sickness drugs

Ginger and several other medications were compared with scopolamine and d-amphetamine for effectiveness in prevention of motion sickness. Methods: Double-blind techniques were used. The subjects were given the medications two hours before they were rotated in a chair making head movements until a symptom total short of vomiting was reached. Standardized N.A.S.A. techniques were used for speed of rotation and end-point of motion sickness. Results: The three doses of ginger were all at the placebo level of efficacy. Amitriptyline, ethopropazine and trihexyphenidyl increased the tolerated head movements but the increase was not statistically significant. Significant levels of protection were produced by dimenhydrinate, promethazine, scopolamine and d-amphetamine. Protection was further increased by combination of these latter drugs with d-amphetamine. Efficacy was greatest as the dose was increased. Conclusions: The medication of choice in this study was scopolamine 0.6 mg with d-amphetamine 10 mg. This combination provided good protection with acceptable side effects.

Non-NASA Center↗

Computational Modeling of Space Physiology for Informing Spaceflight Countermeasure Design and Predictions of Efficacy

MOTIVATION: Spaceflight countermeasures mitigate the harmful effects of the space environment on astronaut health and performance. Exercise has historically been used as a countermeasure to physical deconditioning, and additional countermeasures including lower body negative pressure, blood flow occlusion and artificial gravity are being researched as countermeasures to spaceflight-induced fluid shifts. The NASA Digital Astronaut Project uses computational models of physiological systems to inform countermeasure design and to predict countermeasure efficacy.OVERVIEW: Computational modeling supports the development of the exercise devices that will be flown on NASAs new exploration crew vehicles. Biomechanical modeling is used to inform design requirements to ensure that exercises can be properly performed within the volume allocated for exercise and to determine whether the limited mass, volume and power requirements of the devices will affect biomechanical outcomes. Models of muscle atrophy and bone remodeling can predict device efficacy for protecting musculoskeletal health during long-duration missions. A lumped-parameter whole-body model of the fluids within the body, which includes the blood within the cardiovascular system, the cerebral spinal fluid, interstitial fluid and lymphatic system fluid, estimates compartmental changes in pressure and volume due to gravitational changes. These models simulate fluid shift countermeasure effects and predict the associated changes in tissue strain in areas of physiological interest to aid in predicting countermeasure effectiveness. SIGNIFICANCE: Development and testing of spaceflight countermeasure prototypes are resource-intensive efforts. Computational modeling can supplement this process by performing simulations that reduce the amount of necessary experimental testing. Outcomes of the simulations are often important for the definition of design requirements and the identification of factors essential in ensuring countermeasure efficacy.

biomedical data↗

Establishing the Assurance Efficacy of Automated Risk Mitigation Strategies

Verification and validation of increasingly autonomous aviation systems is a major challenge. Traditional techniques for the assurance of high-confidence, safety-critical systems are not equipped to handle the complexity, uncertainty, and lack of predictability inherent in non-deterministic systems. Techniques such as run time monitoring, formal methods, and testing and simulation have been applied to some effect, but it is difficult to properly assess the success of such measures. The authors propose the concept of Assurance Efficacy to address this gap. Assurance Efficacy is seen as a parameter, criteria, or perspective by which to evaluate, identify and explore safety risk mitigation strategies and operational assurance architectures. Validation of the utility of this concept through flight testing is a first step in determining its potential role in assessing the overall safety of complex, increasingly autonomous systems that cannot be fully assured in the design phase.

system safety↗