Cargo/Logistics Airlift System Study (CLASS), Executive Summary

The current air cargo system is analyzed along with advanced air cargo systems studies. A forecast of advanced air cargo system demand is presented with cost estimates. It is concluded that there is a need for a dedicated advance air cargo system, and with application of advanced technology, reductions of 45% in air freight rates may be achieved

Cargo/Logistics Airlift System Study (CLASS), Volume 2

Air containerization is discussed in terms of lower freight rates, size and pallet limitations, refrigeration, backhaul of empties, and ownership. It is concluded that there is a need for an advance air cargo system as indicated by the industry/transportation case studies, and a stimulation of the air cargo would result in freight rate reductions

Cargo/Logistics Airlift System Study (CLASS), Volume 1

Current and advanced air cargo systems are evaluated using industrial and consumer statistics. Market and commodity characteristics that influence the use of the air mode are discussed along with a comparison of air and surface mode on typical routes. Results of on-site surveys of cargo processing facilities at airports are presented, and institutional controls and influences on air cargo operations are considered

Mast Cell Regulation of the Immune Response

Mast cells are well known as principle effector cells of type I hypersensitivity responses. Beyond this role in allergic disease, these cells are now appreciated as playing an important role in many inflammatory conditions. This review summarizes the support for mast cell involvement in resisting bacterial infection, exacerbating autoimmunity and atherosclerosis, and promoting cancer progression. A commonality in these conditions is the ability of mast cells to elicit migration of many cell types, often through the production of inflammatory cytokines such as tumor necrosis factor. However, recent data also demonstrates that mast cells can suppress the immune response through interleukin-10 production. The data encourage those working in this field to expand their view of how mast cells contribute to immune homeostasis

Not Just Efficiency: Insolvency Law in the EU and Its Political Dimension

Certain insolvency law rules, like creditors’ priorities and set-off rights, have a distributive impact on creditors. Distributional rules reflect the hierarchies of values and interests in each jurisdiction and, as a result, have high political relevance and pose an obstacle to reforming the EU Insolvency Regulation. This paper will show the difficulty of reform by addressing two alternative options to regulate cross-border insolvencies in the European Union. The first one is the ‘choice model’, under which companies can select the insolvency law they prefer. Although such a model would allow distressed firms to select the most efficient insolvency law, it would also displace Member States’ power to protect local constituencies. The choice model therefore produces negative externalities and raises legitimacy concerns. The opposite solution is full harmonisation of insolvency law at EU level, including distributional rules. Full harmonisation would have the advantage of internalising all externalities produced by cross-border insolvencies. However, the EU legislative process, which is still based on negotiations between states, is not apt to decide on distributive insolvency rules; additionally, if harmonisation includes such rules, it will indirectly modify national social security strategies and equilibria. This debate shows that the choice regarding power allocation over bankruptcies in the EU depends on the progress of European integration and is mainly a matter of political legitimacy, not only of efficiency

Enamel Caries Detection and Diagnosis:An Analysis of Systematic Reviews

Detection and diagnosis of caries-typically undertaken through a visual-tactile examination, often with supporting radiographic investigations-is commonly regarded as being broadly effective at detecting caries that has progressed into dentine and reached a threshold where restoration is necessary. With earlier detection comes an opportunity to stabilize disease or even remineralize the tooth surface, maximizing retention of tooth tissue and preventing a lifelong cycle of restoration. We undertook a formal comparative analysis of the diagnostic accuracy of different technologies to detect and inform the diagnosis of early caries using published Cochrane systematic reviews. Forming the basis of our comparative analysis were 5 Cochrane diagnostic test accuracy systematic reviews evaluating fluorescence, visual or visual-tactile classification systems, imaging, transillumination and optical coherence tomography, and electrical conductance or impedance technologies. Acceptable reference standards included histology, operative exploration, or enhanced visual assessment (with or without tooth separation) as appropriate. We conducted 2 analyses based on study design: a fully within-study, within-person analysis and a network meta-analysis based on direct and indirect comparisons. Nineteen studies provided data for the fully within-person analysis and 64 studies for the network meta-analysis. Of the 5 technologies evaluated, the greatest pairwise differences were observed in summary sensitivity points for imaging and all other technologies, but summary specificity points were broadly similar. For both analyses, the wide 95% prediction intervals indicated the uncertainty of future diagnostic accuracy across all technologies. The certainty of evidence was low, downgraded for study limitations, inconsistency, and indirectness. Summary estimates of diagnostic accuracy for most technologies indicate that the degree of certitude with which a decision is made regarding the presence or absence of disease may be enhanced with the use of such devices. However, given the broad prediction intervals, it is challenging to predict their accuracy in any future "real world" context

Measurement of utilities associated with parenteral support requirement in patients with short bowel syndrome and intestinal failure

PURPOSE: Short bowel syndrome (SBS) is the main cause of intestinal failure. Intravenous supplementation (parenteral support [PS]) helps patients regain health but can affect patients' health-related quality of life (HRQoL). The value of health states associated with the number of days on PS per week is unknown in the United Kingdom. The objectives of the present study were to develop health state vignettes for SBS and PS, and to estimate health state utilities by using the time trade-off (TTO) technique. METHODS: Vignettes were developed and reviewed through various processes. Eight states described the impact of 0 days (weaned off PS) through to 7 days on PS; each state comprised the conditions, symptoms, treatments, and impacts related to EuroQol-5 dimensions. A sample of the UK general public viewed each state in interviews; they provided ratings using a visual analog scale and utility scores using the TTO. Participants completed background questionnaires. FINDINGS: One hundred participants rated and valued each health state. Visual analog scale and utility scores showed a steady decline for the health states associated with increasing numbers of days on PS. With "full health" equivalent to a utility score of 1, the most burdensome state was "7 days on PS" (mean [SD] utility score, 0.36 [0.35]), whereas weaned off ("0 days on PS") showed the least burden (0.82 [0.22]). IMPLICATIONS: More days of PS are perceived by members of the public to have an increasing negative impact on HRQoL. Therapies aimed at reducing the number of days on PS may be beneficial for improving patients' HRQoL

Controls on Dissolved Cobalt in Surface Waters of the Sargasso Sea: Comparisons with Iron and Aluminum

Dissolved cobalt (dCo), iron (dFe) and aluminum (dAl) were determined in water column samples along a meridional transect (∼31°N to 24°N) south of Bermuda in June 2008. A general north-to-south increase in surface concentrations of dFe (0.3-1.6 nM) and dAl (14-42 nM) was observed, suggesting that aerosol deposition is a significant source of dFe and dAl, whereas no clear trend was observed. for near-surface dCo concentrations. Shipboard aerosol samples indicate fractional solubility values of 8-100% for aerosol Co, which are significantly higher than corresponding estimates of the solubility of aerosol Fe (0.44-45%). Hydrographic observations and analysis of time series rain samples from Bermuda indicate that wet deposition accounts for most (\u3e80%) of the total aeolian flux of Co, and hence a significant proportion of the atmospheric input of dCo to our study region. Our aerosol data imply that the atmospheric input of dCo to the Sargasso Sea is modest, although this flux may be more significant in late summer. The water column dCo profiles reveal a vertical distribution that predominantly reflects nutrient-type behavior, vs. scavenged-type behavior for dAl, and a hybrid of nutrient- and scavenged-type behavior for dFe. Mesoscale eddies also appear to impact on the vertical distribution of dCo. The effects of biological removal of dCo from the upper water column were apparent as pronounced sub-surface min. (21 ± 4 pM dCo), coincident with maxima in Prochlorococcus abundance. These observations imply that Prochlorococcus plays a major role in removing dCo from the euphotic zone, and that the availability of dCo may regulate Prochlorococcus growth in the Sargasso Sea

Hippocampal Volume Reduction in Congenital Central Hypoventilation Syndrome

Children with congenital central hypoventilation syndrome (CCHS), a genetic disorder characterized by diminished drive to breathe during sleep and impaired CO2 sensitivity, show brain structural and functional changes on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans, with impaired responses in specific hippocampal regions, suggesting localized injury