Andrew Gilbey

Pet ownership and human health: a brief review of evidence and issues

Research into the association between pet ownership and human health has produced intriguing, although frequently contradictory, results often raising uncertainty as to whether pet ownership is advisable on health grounds The question of whether someone should own a pet is never as simple as whether that pet has a measurably beneficial or detrimental effect on the owners physical health. The emotional bond between owner and pet can be as intense as that in many human relationships and may confer similar psychological benefits. Death of a pet can cause grief similar to that in human bereavement, whereas threat of loss of a pet may be met with blunt refusal and non-compliance with advice on health. We examine the current evidence for a link between pet ownership and human health and discuss the importance of understanding the role of pets in peoples lives. Research dating from the 1980s popularised the view that pet ownership could have positive benefits on human health. Benefits ranged from higher survival rates from myocardial infarction1; a significantly lower use of general practitioner services (prompting some researchers to speculate on considerable potential savings to health expenditure)2; a reduced risk of asthma and allergic rhinitis in children exposed to pet allergens during the first year of life3 4; a reduced risk of cardiovascular disease5; and better physical and psychological wellbeing in community dwelling older people.6 No studies have found significant social or economic differences between people who do or do not have pets that would adequately explain differences in health outcome, leading to the belief that pet ownership itself is the primary cause of the reported benefits. Although the research did much to raise awareness of the importance that people attach to their pets, recent studies have failed to replicate …

Operational efficiency of Asia–Pacific airports

Abstract Airports are important drivers of economic development and thus under tremendous pressure from emerging competitors. However, few studies have analysed the operational efficiency of Asia–Pacific airports. This study therefore evaluated the operational efficiency of 21 Asia–Pacific airports between 2002 and 2011. A two-stage method was used: Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) to assess airport efficiency, followed by the second-stage regression analysis to identify the key determinants of airport efficiency. The first-stage DEA results indicated that Adelaide, Beijing, Brisbane, Hong Kong, Melbourne, and Shenzhen are the efficient airports. The second-stage regression analysis suggested that percentage of international passengers handled by an airport, airport hinterland population size, dominant airline(s) of an airport when entering global airline strategic alliance, and an increase in GDP per capita are significant in explaining variations in airport efficiency.

Companion Animals and Loneliness: A Systematic Review of Quantitative Studies

ABSTRACT The aim of this systematic review was to evaluate quantitative studies of companion animals and human loneliness. Five electronic databases (PubMed, Medline, Web of Science, Academic Search Premier, Psychlnfo) were searched for articles on companion animals (including animal-assisted therapies [AAT]) and human loneliness. Searches were not limited to a particular language or timeframe. Three randomized controlled studies (RCTs), one controlled study, one prospective cohort study, two longitudinal, and 14 cross-sectional studies satisfied all inclusion criteria and were each evaluated independently by both authors according to standardized criteria, with disagreements resolved by discussion. All except one study was underpowered. The methodological quality of the three RCTs was low, as measured on the Jadad scale. Eleven studies reported positive findings, of which five related to service dogs. While none of the positive studies provided convincing evidence that companion animals help to alleviate loneliness, there was promising evidence that AAT may do this (although effects may be due to aspects of the therapy rather than the animal). As further cross-sectional studies are unlikely to improve understanding of the role of companion animals on human loneliness, we suggest that there is a need for rigorous and adequately powered RCTs.

Effect of Mild Hypoxia on Working Memory, Complex Logical Reasoning, and Risk Judgment

Mild hypoxia, typically equivalent to a pressurized aircraft cabin altitude of 2,438 m (8,000 ft), does not generally affect well-learned cognitive, vigilance, and perceptual-motor performance. Learning and novel and complex cognitive tasks involving multiple demands, however, might be impaired. This study evaluated whether complex cognition—as assessed by complex reasoning, multiple memory, and risk judgment—was impaired during mild hypoxia. Using a normobaric single-blind crossover design, 25 healthy nonsmoking male participants breathed normoxic (FiO2 = 0.206) or hypoxic air (FiO2 = 0.143) equivalent to 2,438 m for 2 hr and performed the following tasks at baseline, 30 min, and 90 min: (a) a complex logical reasoning task that assessed accuracy, response time, and a reasoning quality index for easy (nonconflict valid), difficult (nonconflict invalid), fairly difficult (conflict valid), and very difficult (conflict invalid) syllogisms; (b) a multiple memory test that assessed sentence judgment error, working memory span, and prospective memory; and (c) a simple vigilance psychomotor task that assessed the frequency and mean time that a disc was outside a target area and braking reaction time. They also completed a self-perceived risk judgement questionnaire near the end of each exposure. After 90 min, the mean change in working memory span for mild hypoxia (M = 0.9, SD = 4.6) was significantly less than for normoxia (M = 4.4, SD = 7.2). The reasoning quality index for conflict invalid syllogisms for mild hypoxia (M = 0.22, SD = 0.29) was marginally significantly less than for normoxia (M = 0.39, SD = 0.35). The chances of these findings occurring by chance cannot be discounted, but are small. Although this study suggests that mild hypoxia might impair working memory and complex logical reasoning involving difficult conflicts, further studies using more discerning tests of cognition are warranted.

Companion animal separation and loneliness

Abstract It is widely believed that companion animal ownership can help to alleviate loneliness. This study explored whether companion animal separation leads to increased levels of loneliness. Among new students who had been at university for three weeks, no evidence was found that companion animal separation was associated with increased levels of loneliness, irrespective of the self-reported “closeness” of the owner–companion animal relationship before separation. Because prior to leaving home companion animal owners and non-companion animal owners may have somehow differed, a comparable sample of companion animal owners and non-companion animal owners was tested immediately prior to the time of moving to university. No difference in loneliness was found due to companion animal ownership, irrespective of the self-reported degree of closeness of the relationship. As both samples may have been atypical, the impact of moving to university on loneliness was explored and a highly significant increase in loneliness was found. Overall, these findings suggest that companion animal separation does not contribute to the increase in loneliness observed when students leave home to start at university.

Could mild hypoxia impair pilot decision making in emergencies

The decreased pressure in the cabin of a pressurised aircraft (typically equivalent to ~8000 ft) reduces the oxygen level so that the blood oxygen saturation of all occupants falls from >97% (normoxia) at sea-level to below 92% (mild hypoxia). Although exposure to mild hypoxia does not affect well-learned cognitive and motor performance of aircrew, it has been proposed that it can affect the performance of some complex cognitive performance tasks involving multiple demands typical of emergency tasks that may have to be performed by pilots. In order to simulate some of these complex cognitive demands, 25 student volunteers participated in an experiment which assessed performance of complex logical reasoning and and multiple memory tasks before and after 2 hours of exposure to normoxia and mild hypoxia. Performance for the more difficult components of the complex reasoning task, especially involving conflict decisions, were marginally significantly degraded by mild hypoxia. Since the effects were only marginally significant future studies should investigate the effects of mild hypoxia on more subtle complex decision-making tasks.

The Development & Utilisation of Synthetic Flight Training Devices in New Zealand Flying Training Organisations

*† ‡ This paper examines the development and utilisation of Synthetic Flight Training Devices § within NZ Flying Training Organisations. The specific objectives of this study were to establish the degree of utilisation of synthetic flight training devices by flying training organisations within New Zealand; to outline the development and evaluation of a prototype PC Based Aviation Training Device that could be utilised for training ab-initio students; and to present the preliminary findings of a pilot study involving a comparative study of the effectiveness of a customised PC Based Aviation Training Device and a Civil Aviation Authority certified Flight Training Device at improving ab-initio pilot competencies in Visual Flight Rules procedures. The findings indicate that the majority of the large NZ Flying Training Organisations (i.e. training more than 20 students a year) incorporate synthetic Flight Training Devices and PC Based Aviation Training Device within their training programs. However there is very little standardisation of the hardware, software, and training programs amongst these flying training schools. For small Flying Training Organisations (less than 20 students a year) it is more problematic with less access to certified Flight Training Devices and PC Based Aviation Training Devices due to the high cost, complexity of equipment, and the lack of customised hardware and software. A prototype PC Based Aviation Training Device developed within the School of Aviation as part of a research project is an example of a relatively inexpensive device that could be effectively utilised by small Flying Training Organisations for Visual Flight Rules procedural training.

Efficacy of Low-Cost PC-Based Aviation Training Devices.

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Predicting Academic Success for Business and Computing Students

Various means to predict the success rate of students have been introduced by a number of educational institutions worldwide. The aim of this research was to identify predictors of success for tertiary education students. Participants were 353 students enrolled on Business and Computing programmes between 2009 and 2014, at a tertiary education provider in New Zealand. Enrolment data were used to determine the relationships between completion of the programme and prior academic achievement, age, ethnicity, gender, type of enrolment, and programme of study. These variables, as well as the overall GPA of the programme, were used to examine their relationship with the first year GPA. Results showed that pre-and post-enrolment data can be used for prediction of academic performance in ICT programmes. Based on the significance of some variables, tertiary education institutions can identify students who are likely to fail, these students can therefore be considered for additional support in the early stages of their study, in order to increase their chances of succeeding academically.

Effects of mild hypoxia in aviation on mood and complex cognition

Thirty six volunteer air force personnel were sequentially exposed in a randomized balanced order in a hypobaric chamber to 30 min of baseline (sea level) and mild hypoxia induced by a specified altitude (sea level, 8000 ft and 12,000 ft), followed immediately by breathing 100% oxygen from an oro-nasal mask. Mood and complex cognition were assessed. Analysis of variance indicated that mood (fatigue and vigour) remained the same at 8000 ft but fatigue was increased (p = 0.001) and vigour reduced (p = 0.035) at 12,000 ft and was restored by supplementary oxygen. Complex cognition was not significantly altered by the test conditions. The results of this study do not support prior evidence that mild hypoxia equivalent to either 8000 or 12,000 ft, impairs complex cognition, but suggests that some aspects of mood may be affected at 12,000 ft and can be restored by breathing 100% oxygen.