Contrasting the Impacts of Combat and Humanitarian Assistance/Disaster Relief Missions on the Mental Health of Military Service Members

Abstract

We study the differential impacts of combat and humanitarian assistance/disaster relief (HA/DR) missions on the mental health of U.S. Marine Corps members. The deployment experiences of any individual Marine are plausibly random conditional on the observable characteristics which are used to assign Marines into units. Leveraging this exogenous variation, we compare the incidence of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and suicide deaths among Marines who deployed to either Operation Enduring Freedom/Operation Iraqi Freedom (OEF/OIF) or HA/DR missions between 2001 and 2011. We find that the hazard of PTSD is close to eight times higher among Marines returning from OEF/OIF compared to those never deployed, and just 1.33 times higher among those returning from HA/DR (and never participated in OEF/OIF). Those returning from OEF/OIF missions are 1.81 times more likely than those never deployed to die by suicide when they were still active duty, and the hazard increases to almost 3 after they have left the military. In contrast, we find no difference in the hazards of suicide death between those that deployed to only HA/DR missions and non-deployed Marines.     

BEYOND DECLARATIONS OF INTENT

This essay explores the obligations arising from the United Nations Convention against Transnational Organised Crime, signed in Palermo, Italy at the end of 2000. It also discusses the initiatives required to prepare the legal system and related infrastructure of Zimbabwe for its implementation. Zimbabwe joined more than 120 other countries in signing the Palermo convention, but has not yet ratified it. The ratification would enshrine the latest initiatives to develop effective strategies against transnational organised crime. The Palermo convention makes demands on the laws and institutions of states parties which could enhance their capacity to confront organised crime. Ratification signifies competence to implement the prescribed obligations, which can only occur after introducing suitable domestic laws, and adopting the necessary administrative mechanisms. The required reforms are bound to have certain policy and legislative implications for Zimbabwe. Regional initiatives complementary to the Palermo convention are expected to catalyse positive changes in Zimbabwe's response mechanisms.     

分布式灾难恢复系统

分布式灾难恢复系统采用客户层、服务层和管理层3部分组织形式,完成数据的网络备份和恢复,并提供管理功能。系统通过构建分布式远程备份体系结构,采用ACE(自适配通信环境)面向对象构架,线程池和反应器编程模式,实现了网络互连、事件驱动程序设计,完成了备份计划制订、数据备份、数据恢复3个阶段各个模块的功能。     

废旧轮胎压缩试验与数值模拟

为更好地将废旧轮胎应用于落石灾害防护领域,对不同型号的废旧轮胎进行了单向重复压缩试验,并对单个轮胎分别进行了2个相互垂直方向上的重复压缩试验,利用LS-DYNA软件模拟了废旧轮胎的压缩试验过程。结果表明:废旧轮胎具有明显的弹性特征和被重复利用的性质,能够重复承受较大变形且割线刚度降低较小;一个方向上被压缩过的废旧轮胎沿圆周方向旋转90°后再进行压缩,其割线刚度几乎能够恢复到初始状态;废旧轮胎的有限元简化模型较为合理,在落石灾害防护领域有着广阔的应用前景。     

论消防抢险救援中受益人补偿机制的建立

在新的社会形势下，消防部队已经承担日益繁重的灭火及抢险救援任务，这是《消防法》和《公安消防部队执勤条令（试行）》明确赋予消防部队的权力和职责，但是，消防部队在履行这种职责时经常导致权利（力）冲突，并致使当事人权利受损。目前在消防行政补偿尚难以充分实现的情形下，可以尝试建立受益人补偿机制，对受损权利进行必要救济。     

黄葛增压站噪声治理工艺措施

为解决黄葛增压站内4台室外整体式天然气压缩机组造成的噪声污染问题,结合生产运行要求、周边环境状况、噪声源分布及噪声特性,综合吸声、隔声、消声、阻尼减振、通风和泄压等技术,采用半密闭式降噪厂房和阻抗复合排气消声器等治理措施。治理后厂界噪声从64.2～72.1 dB(A)降至49.7～55.0 dB(A),距厂房最近厂界25 Hz声压值从97.9 dB降至84.2 dB,排气消声器出口噪声从84.3 dB(A)降至72.6 dB(A)且25Hz声压值从124.7 dB降至97 dB。厂界噪声达到GB 12348—2008《工业企业厂界环境噪声排放标准》3类要求,中、低频噪声强度减弱,解决了厂界噪声超标和噪声扰民问题。同时,为整体式天然气压缩机组噪声治理开辟了一条新途径,为日后降噪厂房和阻抗复合排气消声器广泛应用奠定了实践基础,为压缩机组噪声治理设计积累了宝贵经验。     

Humanitarian response to hurricane disasters: Coordinating flood‐risk mitigation with fundraising and relief operations

To alleviate flooding, caused by hurricanes, governments build structural barriers called levees. In addition, relief providers such as the nongovernmental organizations and charities raise funds, and procure and deliver supplies (food, water, and medicines) for humanitarian relief. The strategy for managing disasters must, therefore, weigh the costs and benefits of building levees as well as procuring and delivering supplies. We use a three‐stage decision making framework to study how the investment in levee capacity can be integrated with supply procurements, fundraising, and rapid response. One of our major findings is that a large fundraising cost discourages postdisaster funding, implying relatively large investments in levee and prepositioned supplies. That notwithstanding, a large social value (of saving life) can tilt the balance in favor of postdisaster funding. If the levee capacity increases, funding for predisaster procurement is reduced without affecting postdisaster funding. For a sufficiently large increase in capacity, however, postdisaster response becomes superfluous. We also find that hurricane uncertainty motivates levees with large capacity. In contrast, levee‐failures motivate levees with small capacity.     

我国应建立与社会发展相适应的灾害防控体系

针对我国灾害防控体系的建设现状，立足经济社会发展实际需要，从实证的角度对灾害防控体系现状进行客观分析，指出必须时刻突出人的主体地位，从构建和谐社会和改善民生的角度进行研究，提出建立与社会发展相适应的灾害防控体系的根本主张。     

地震灾害救援行动要点探讨

从地震灾害特点入手，分析了公安消防部队在参加地震灾害救援中所面临的困难，着重研究了公安消防部队参加地震灾害救援时的行动要点和搜救被埋压人员原则与技术。     

地形图应用的教学内容及教学要点探讨

《地图学》是一门技术性强，应用广的学科，地图应用是《地图学》教学的重要内容，本文分析了地图应用教学存在的问题，并明确地图应用的具体教学内容与实践训练方法，通过这一方法培养学生应用地图基本能力，更为学生后续课程的学习和以后从事地学等相关工作打下坚实的基础。