Effect of previous-winter mortality on the association between summer temperature and mortality in South Korea.

BACKGROUND: It has recently been postulated that low mortality levels in the previous winter may increase the proportion of vulnerable individuals in the pool of people at risk of heat-related death during the summer months. OBJECTIVES: We explored the sensitivity of heat-related mortality in summer (June-August) to mortality in the previous winter (December-February) in Seoul, Daegu, and Incheon in South Korea, from 1992 through 2007, excluding the summer of 1994. METHODS: Poisson regression models adapted for time-series data were used to estimate associations between a 1 °C increase in average summer temperature (on the same day and the previous day) above thresholds specific for city, age, and cause of death, and daily mortality counts. Effects were estimated separately for summers preceded by winters with low and high mortality, with adjustment for secular trends. RESULTS: Temperatures above city-specific thresholds were associated with increased mortality in all three cities. Associations were stronger in summers preceded by winters with low versus high mortality levels for all nonaccidental deaths and, to a lesser extent, among persons ≥ 65 years of age. Effect modification by previous-winter mortality was not evident when we restricted deaths to cardiovascular disease outcomes in Seoul. CONCLUSIONS: Our results suggest that low winter all-cause mortality leads to higher mortality during the next summer. Evidence of a relation between increased summer heat-related mortality and previous wintertime deaths has the potential to inform public health efforts to mitigate effects of hot weather

Acoustic measurements of cohesive sediment transport: Suspension to consolidation

This dissertation aims at utilizing the acoustic approach to measure cohesive sediment behaviors including (1) suspension, (2) settling, (3) deposition and (4) consolidation. The first two processes were attempted to interpret by means of backscattered signal analysis, while the last two processes were done by echo signal analysis. The acoustic instruments used in this study include Acoustic Doppler Velocimeter (ADV), Pulse Coherent Acoustic Doppler Profiler (PC-ADP) and Micro-Chirp system. Used sediments are pure kaolinite and in-situ sediments collected from Mai Po and Clay Bank. 5-MHz ADV was used to estimate the suspended sediment concentration (SSC) and settling velocity (ws). For a limited range of SSC, the time-averaged backscatter wave strength can be well correlated with the SSC. Backscattered signals would be sometimes too noisy due to high amplification ratio, high sampling rate and small sampling volume, and thus, a moving average was used to yield the instantaneous changes of SSC. The measurement of ws with Clay Bank sediment showed that turbulence can increase ws, up to one order larger than that for calm water. When turbulence is stronger than a limit, however, it contributes to the decrease in ws. For the measurement of SSC profile, the performance of 1.5 MHz PC-ADP was evaluated. Clay Bank sediment showed a higher correlation coefficient between range-corrected volume scattering (SSC) and backscattered signal within a limited SSC range (ca. \u3c 10 g/L). On the other hand, kaolinite showed a much smaller range of SSC for linear correlation. This different response might be attributed to the fact that the acoustic response is primarily controlled by the SSC and particle size in suspension at a given frequency. This study suggests that PC-ADP is a potential instrument to reveal the high-resolution (about 1.6 cm) SSC profiles near the bed, if the sediment is sufficiently large. Annular flume experiments with Mai Po sediment were conducted to address a debatable issue regarding the critical shear stress for deposition (tau cd). The direct observation from the flume bottom suggests that tau cd does exist, and that the deposition only occurs when the local bed shear stress (taub) is less than taucd. The changes of deposit length and SSC under the simulated tidal cycles demonstrate that deposition can happen only at tidal decelerating phases with a recognizable tau cd. This study further proves that both taub (a hydrodynamic parameter) and taucd (a sediment parameter) are the main controlling parameters for determining cohesive sediment deposition. A non-intrusive acoustic technique and a signal-processing protocol were developed to estimate the bulk density at consolidating sediment interface. Using high-frequency (300-700 KHz) Chirp acoustic waves, laboratory measurements were carried out in a consolidation tank filled with clay-water mixtures. Because the acoustic echo strength is proportional to the difference in acoustic impedance, and the sound speed in water is close to that in clay, the approximation of bulk density could be successfully presented. The acoustic wave reflectivity increased with increasing the bulk density at the water-sediment interface, which are well correlated with the consolidation status

Education\u27s Loss of the Public: An Archival Exploration of American Public Schools\u27 Diminishing Social Returns and the Emerging Utility of Social Entrepreneurship

The literature presented in the following pages explores the shortcomings of the American public education system in the context of creating long-term, sustainable social change. Using financial illiteracy and its relationship to low quality of life as an entry point, the first section exposes public schools’ shortcomings as agents of social change by delving into the hardships endured by the original public school promoters of the 19th century, the pitfalls of President George W. Bush’s 2001 enactment of No Child Left Behind, and the shortcomings of the financial literacy programming that found traction in urban schools following the subprime lending crisis. These examples render the public education system unfit to address social change, at which point the paper segues into a discussion of social enterprise and the new field’s demonstrated potential to capture social value. After a brief historical exploration of social innovation which examines some values and principles of this “fourth sector,” successful ventures and failed social organizations are scrutinized in the penultimate chapter. The comparisons made ultimately argue in favor of social entrepreneurship’s fitness, on both a structural and ideological level, in addressing the complex social, environmental, and cultural issues of our time

The Impact of Effective Supply Chain Practices, Real Estate Price and Government Budget on Economic Growth: The Case of Vietnam

In the context of global supply chain value, it has greatly contributed to the trade volumes, government budget utility, and promotion for economic growth. Vietnam has been as one of the fastest-growing economies in the Asian Pacific and the world with a robust 7 percent since economic reforms in 1986 till present. At the same time, the real estate market has been an enabler of economic activity by improving housing demands and enhancing economic performance. In particular, the real estate market has also been opened up for foreigners since 2015, who can buy or invest in a property in the country. This paper focuses on exploring the dynamic relationship between real estate prices, government budget, and economic growth in the case of an emerging economy. Using quarterly data covering in the period of Q1/2008 to Q4/2018 with approximately 44 observations and applying the Autoregressive Distribution Lagged (ARDL) approach, results reveal that, in both the short-run and long-run, economic growth is highly affected by fluctuations of the present, and past economic growth. Besides, there exists a long-run relationship between government budget and economic growth. Regarding real estate prices and their impact on economic growth, this study could not find any findings in this relationship in both the short and long run. The recommendations indicate that the trends of global supply value chains can strongly support economic growth in the long run

Tetra(chlorido/iodido)(1,10-phenanthroline)platinum(IV) hemi[di(chlorine/iodine)]

The asymmetric unit of the title compound, [PtCl3.66I0.34(C12H8N2)]·0.5(Cl0.13I1.87), contains a neutral PtIV complex and one half of a halogen molecule. The PtIV ion is six-coordinated in a distorted octa­hedral environment by two N atoms of the 1,10-phenanthroline ligand and Cl or I atoms. The refinement of the structure and the EDX analysis indicate that the compound is a solid solution in which there is some substitution of Cl for I and vice versa. The chemical formula of the pure state of the compound would have been [PtCl4(C12H8N2)]·0.5I2. In the analysed crystal, two Cl atoms are partially (ca 25% and 9%) replaced by I atoms, and the I2 mol­ecule has a minor component modelled as ICl. As a result of the disorder, the different trans effects of the N and Cl/I atoms are not distinct. The complex displays inter­molecular π–π inter­actions between the six-membered rings, with a centroid–centroid distance of 3.771 (4) Å. There are also weak intra­molecular C—H⋯Cl hydrogen bonds

6,12-Dihydro­dipyrido[1,2-a:1′,2′-d]pyrazinium bis­(perchlorate)

In the title compound, C12H12N2 2+·2ClO4 −, the dihedral angle between the two outer pyridine rings of the dication is 44.8 (1)°. In the crystal, weak intermolecular C—H⋯O hydrogen bonds occur

4,11-Diaza-1,8-diazo­niacyclo­tetra­decane bis­(pyridine-2-carboxyl­ate) dihydrate

The asymmetric unit of the title compound, C10H26N4 2+·2C6H4NO2 −·2H2O, consists of half of a doubly protonated 1,4,8,11-tetra­azacyclo­tetra­decane (cyclam) dication, a pyridine-2-carboxyl­ate anion and a solvent water mol­ecule. The complete dication is generated by a crystallographic centre and adopts an endodentate conformation which may be influenced by intra­molecular N—H⋯N hydrogen bonding. The carboxyl­ate group of the anion appears to be delocalized on the basis of the C—O bond lengths [1.257 (2) and 1.250 (2) Å]. In the crystal structure, the components are linked by inter­molecular N—H⋯O, N—H⋯N and O—H⋯O hydrogen bonds