75 research outputs found
The impact of regional jets on air service at selected US airports and markets
Regional jets, normally defined as jet aircraft introduced since 1993 with less than 100 seats, have been
thought to have significant impacts on air services at airports, for example, in improving service
frequency, allowing airlines to exploit niche markets and to feed hubs. Previous studies have focused
on regional jet deployment strategy and the overall situation and they suggest that deployment was
generally to larger cities first and, in addition, to locations east of the Mississippi. It has also been
suggested that smaller airports might lose service when regional jets replace turbo-props and that
carrier competition would increase, to the benefit of the consumer.
This paper aims to throw more light on these issues from the individual airportsâ point of view. Data on
changes in schedules from the Official Airline Guide (OAG) at a series of case study airports from
1994 to 2002 is used to examine, the impacts on new route development, market dynamics, carrier
competition and concentration and deployment status. In particular, the impact on smaller airports is
examined.
It is concluded, subject to the usual caveats on sample size, that there is little evidence of a uniform
impact on routes or airports. The aggregate picture often described by the industry and government is
shown to be a combination of highly dissimilar cases. A spectrum of effects is identified across
different types of airports and routes but some of the anticipated trends, such as hub bypassing, are not
observed. Some airports reaped significant benefits in terms of improved frequency and services to new
destinations, whilst others gained little
A tale of two cities: The impact of airline mergers and consolidation at London and New York
This paper considers the changes to airline networks, service patterns, and competition that have taken place as a result of recent airline mergers on both sides of the North Atlantic as well as through transatlantic alliances. Capacity, frequency and the competitive position are studied at London and New York with the use of schedule data within different markets in which measures of market concentration are evaluated. International Civil Aviation Organization data is employed to examine load factors on international routes, and UK Civil Aviation Authority data to consider the distribution of traffic between airports in London. It is shown that the effectiveness of the hubs has increased, with enhanced efficiency for surviving airlines, through fewer competitors, an enlarged network and greater control of capacity. Potential concerns are identified however, regarding passenger choice,pricing, and service options that suggest the industry is moving toward an oligopoly. Smaller cities are also seen to be the losers from consolidation with slot divestments favoring increased service in the dense markets, with many regional links being axed altogether. The paper supplements the literature on airline consolidation, with a particular focus on the two biggest markets in the worldâLondon and New Yorkâwhich demonstrate some similar but also some different issues. Both airline network impacts and choice, and service for local consumers are considered
Enhancing communication between dementia care staff and their residents: an arts-inspired intervention
Objectives: The arts are increasingly recognised as important and beneficial activities for people living with dementia. However, there is little peer-reviewed published research exploring arts-based learning for dementia care staff. In response, this paper explores (a) how dementia care staff describe forms of communication in care settings, and (b) the impact on communication following four sessions of âCreative Conversationsâ, an arts-based intervention for skills development. Method: Fourteen care homes received the intervention, delivered as 4âĂâ2âhour sessions. The intervention uses a range of activities (e.g. poetry, film, music, art making). Twentyâeight care staff were opportunistically sampled (mean age = 42.29), and provided pre-post qualitative data, obtained through interviews. Transcripts were analysed thematically. Results: At baseline, the dominant âtask-focussedâ nature of care work was described as a barrier to communication, challenging opportunities for developing meaningful relationships with residents. Post-intervention, three primary themes were identified regarding improving communication: (1) learning through the arts (secondary themes: simplicity and subtlety, innovation in communication, and strengthening the role of non-verbal communication), (2) Enhancing creative approaches to care (secondary themes: element of surprise, confidence to experiment and catalyst for communication) and (3) professional introspection (secondary themes: development of empathy, sharing knowledge and experiences and a new appreciation). Conclusions: The intervention validated staff skills and confidence, enabling meaningful interactions that could be creative, âin the momentâ, spontaneous and improvised. This arts-based intervention, which departs from formal education and fact-based learning may be particularly useful for the development of the dementia care workforce
The impact of curriculum hierarchies on the development of professional self in teaching: student-teachers of drama negotiating issues of subject status at the interface between drama and English
At the level of policy the relative âvalueâ of subjects is determined by their official curriculum designation, creating a hierarchy of learning within which particular subjects are categorised as optional to the educational experience of young people. This situation is well-illustrated by the marginalised position of drama in the National Curriculum for England and Wales in which drama appears as an adjunct to the âcoreâ subject English. Yet at school level drama has survived as a discrete and reasonably embedded subject. Drawing on questionnaire and interview data, I investigate the effects of this mismatch on the emergence of pedagogical content knowledge, linked to notions of professional self, in drama student-teachers at one university in the UK. Findings indicate that the student-teachers, whilst not entirely eschewing a less-regulated relationship between the two subjects, view the curriculum for English and its accompanying assessment regime as an inadequate host for drama. In addition, they regard teacher autonomy over curriculum content and pedagogy as indicative of a high degree of professional expertise. This suggests that a case can be made for re-evaluating the nature of the relationship between drama and English and its representation in policy-constructed curricula
Rapid disease progression in a patient with mismatch repair-deficient and cortisol secreting adrenocortical carcinoma treated with pembrolizumab
Context: Metastatic adrenocortical carcinoma (ACC) is an aggressive malignancy with a poor prognosis and limited therapeutic options. A subset of ACC is due to Lynch syndrome, an inherited tumour syndrome resulting from germline mutations in mismatch repair (MMR) genes. It has been demonstrated that several cancers characterised by MMR-deficiency are sensitive to immune checkpoint inhibitors that target PD-1. Here, we provide the first report of PD-1 blockade by pembrolizumab in a patient with Lynch syndrome and progressive cortisol-secreting metastatic ACC.
Case report: A 58-year old female with known Lynch syndrome who presented with severe Cushingâs syndrome was diagnosed with a cortisol-secreting ACC. Three months following surgical resection and adjuvant mitotane therapy the patient developed metastatic disease and persistent hypercortisolaemia. She commenced pembrolizumab, but her second cycle was delayed due to a transient transaminitis. Computed tomography performed after twelve weeks and 2 cycles of pembrolizumab administration revealed significant disease progression and treatment was discontinued. Seven weeks later, the patient became jaundiced and died rapidly with fulminant liver failure.
Conclusion: Treatment of MMR-deficient cortisol-secreting ACC with pembrolizumab may be ineffective due to supra-physiological levels of circulating corticosteroids, which may in turn mask severe drug-induced organ damage
Bone histomorphometric measures of physical activity in children from Medieval England
Objectives: Histomorphometric studies show consistent links between physical activity patterns and the microstructure underlying the size and shape of bone. Here we adopt a combined bone approach to explore variation in microstructure of ribs and humeri related to physical activity and historical records of manual labor in skeletal samples of children (n=175) from medieval England. The humerus reflects greater biomechanically induced microstructural variation than the rib which is used here as a control. Variation in microstructure is sought between regions in England (Canterbury, York, Newcastle), and between high- and low-status children from Canterbury.
Materials and Methods: Thin-sections were prepared from the humerus or rib and features of bone remodeling were recorded using high-resolution microscopy and image analysis software.
Results: The density and size of secondary osteons in the humerus differed significantly in children from Canterbury when compared to those from York and Newcastle. Amongst the older children, secondary osteon circularity and diameter differed significantly between higher and lower status children.
Discussion: By applying bone remodeling principles to the histomorphometric data we infer that medieval children in Canterbury engaged in less physically demanding activities than children from York or Newcastle. Within Canterbury, high-status and low-status children experienced similar biomechanical loading until around seven years of age. After this age low-status children performed activities that resulted in more habitual loading on their arm bones than the high-status children. This inferred change in physical activity is consistent with historical textual evidence that describes children entering the work force at this age
Cortical histomorphometry of the human humerus during ontogeny
Modeling and remodeling are two key determinants of human skeletal growth though little is known about the histomorphometry of cortical bone during ontogeny. In this study we examined the density and geometric properties of primary and secondary osteons (osteon area and diameter, vascular canal area and diameter) in sub-periosteal cortical bone from the human humerus (n=84) between birth and age 18 years. Sections were removed from the anterior midshaft aspect of humeri from skeletons. Age-at-death was reconstructed using standard osteological techniques. Analyses revealed significant correlation between the histomorphometric variables and age. Higher densities of primary osteons occurred between infancy and seven years of age but were almost completely replaced by secondary osteons after 14 years of age. The geometry of primary osteons was less clearly related to age. Secondary osteons were visible after two years of age, and reached their greatest densities in the oldest individuals. Osteon size was positively but weakly influenced by age. Our data implies that modeling and remodeling are age dependent processes that vary markedly from birth to adulthood in the human humerus
The Impact of the EUâUS Open Skies Agreement and the Resulting British Airway's Open Skies Initiative: Passenger Numbers in London, Amsterdam and Paris
Abstract The advent of the EUâUS Open Skies Agreement has been widely anticipated. A number of consequences have been predicted, for example, impacts on fares, passenger volumes, choice and consumer welfare. Airline costs are also predicted to fall as a result of increased competitiveness and increased cooperation among airlines. For the short period since the implementation of the Agreement, it is relatively easy to assess the supply-side changes that have been made, but more difficult to make wider judgements. This paper indicates the data that will be required to make these judgements and notes some methodological difficulties. Early estimates of the impact on passenger numbers are given using time series analysis focusing on London airports, in particular London Heathrow and airports served by British Airway's Open Skies Airline from Paris Orly and Amsterdam Schipol. Impact de l'accord Ciel Ouvert entre l'UE et les Ătats-Unis et de l'initiative Open Skies rĂ©sultante de British Airways: nombre de passagers Ă Londres, Amsterdam et Paris RĂ©sumĂ© L'avĂšnement de l'accord Ciel ouvert entre l'UE et les Ătats-Unis avait Ă©tĂ© trĂšs largement prĂ©vu, et on a prĂ©dit un certain nombre de consĂ©quences, notamment l'impact sur le prix des billets, sur les volumes de passagers, sur le choix pour les consommateurs et sur leur bien-ĂȘtre, entre autres. On prĂ©voit Ă©galement que les coĂ»ts des compagnies d'aviation devraient baisser, en consĂ©quence de l'augmentation non seulement de la compĂ©titivitĂ©, mais aussi de la concurrence entre les compagnies. A l'issue de la courte pĂ©riode qui s'est Ă©coulĂ©e depuis l'implĂ©mentation de l'Accord, il est relativement aisĂ© dâĂ©valuer les variations qui se sont produites du cĂŽtĂ© de l'offre, mais beaucoup plus difficile de formuler des opinions plus gĂ©nĂ©rales. La prĂ©sente communication indique les donnĂ©es qui seront requises pour formuler ces jugements, et souligne certaines difficultĂ©s sur le plan de la mĂ©thodologie. Des premiĂšres Ă©valuations de l'impact sur le nombre de voyageurs ont Ă©tĂ© avancĂ©es, sur la base d'analyses Ă sĂ©rie temporelle concentrĂ©es sur les aĂ©roports de Londres, notamment l'aĂ©roport Heathrow de Londres et les aĂ©roports desservis par la compagnie Open Skies de British Airway entre Paris Orly et l'aĂ©roport Schipol d'Amsterdam. El efecto del Acuerdo de Cielos abiertos entre la UE y EE.UU. y el resultado de la Iniciativa de Cielos abiertos de British Airways: nĂșmero de pasajeros en Londres, Ămsterdam y ParĂs Resumen El advenimiento del Acuerdo de Cielos abiertos entre la EU y EE.UU. era algo ampliamente esperado. Se han pronosticado muchas consecuencias, por ejemplo, los efectos sobre las tarifas, los volĂșmenes de pasajeros, las opciones y el bienestar de los consumidores. TambiĂ©n se ha pronosticado la caĂda de los costes de las aerolĂneas debido a una mayor competitividad y el incremento de la cooperaciĂłn entre las aerolĂneas. En el corto periodo de implantaciĂłn del Acuerdo, es relativamente fĂĄcil evaluar los cambios que se han dado en el lado de la oferta, sin embargo, es mĂĄs difĂcil realizar estimaciones mayores. Este trabajo indica que se necesitan datos para realizar estas estimaciones y hace referencia a algunas dificultades metodolĂłgicas. Los primeros estimativos del efecto sobre los nĂșmeros de pasajeros se han obtenido mediante anĂĄlisis de series de tiempo centrados en los aeropuertos de Londres, en particular, el de Heathrow, y en los aeropuertos atendidos por la AerolĂnea de Cielos abiertos de British Airways de Orly, en ParĂs, y Schipol, en Ămsterdam.EUâUS Open Skies, airline passenger numbers, data requirements, counterfactual, ARIMA models, C32, L51, L93,
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