Predicting Individual Physiological Responses During Marksmanship Field Training Using an Updated SCENARIO-J Model
Abstract
SCENARIO-J is a thermoregulatory model developed by Kraning and Gonzalez at the U.S. Army Research Institute of Environmental Medicine (USARIEM) written in the Java program language. Previous field studies suggested that the model needed an adjustment of initial core temperature (T(sub cr)) for individual variation and a metabolic rate (M) correction during downhill movements. This study evaluated the updated version of the model incorporating these new features, using a dataset collected during U.S. Marine Corps (USMC) marksmanship training at Quantico, VA Individual anthropometrics, physiological, and environmental time series data were obtained from 4 males (age: 27 +/- 1 yr; height: 177 +/- 7 cm; weight: 77.3 +/- 8.1 kg: body fat: 15.8 +/- 3.8%, X +/- 1 SD) over 4 days of infantry field marksmanship training at Quantico, VA. This study focused on 2 h of shooting practice, then 30-min marching including uphill and downhill movements in a moderately hot environment (air temperature 29.8 +/- 0.5 C; dew point: 21 + 0.5 C). The predicted and observed heart rate (HR) and T(sub cr) measurements were compared by Root Mean Square Deviations (RMSD). Overall, the updated features of the current model significantly improved predictions of physiological measures, particularly for downhill marching in the heat. Prediction errors were reduced by 60% for HR and 25% for T(sub cr) during marching. However, the model consistently under-predicted both HR and T(sub cr) during marksmanship training, indicating that a greater solar effect or non-thermal factors may have required higher M during these periods. Better M estimates are required for slow movements, such as marksmanship, of subjects who experience heat exposure. Improved input for M should result in more accurate simulations of physiological status and better risk assessment, thereby educing heat injuries and improving performance of deployed military personnel.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Aug 01, 2004
- Accession Number
- ADA426244
Entities
People
- Larry G. Berglund
- Mark J. Buller
- Miyo Yokota
- Reed W. Hoyt
- William R. Santee
Organizations
- United States Army Research Institute of Environmental Medicine