How Significant and Effective are North Korea`s “Market Reforms”?

( John Mckay ) 연세대학교 동서문제연구원 2005 Global economic review Vol.34 No.1

THE FOOD CRISIS IN THE DPRK: PROSPECTS FOR POLICY REFORM

John Mckay 통일연구원 2002 International journal of korean unification studie Vol.11 No.2

The desperate food situation that has existed in North Korea since at least 1995 has caused enormous human suffering and has had a devastating impact on the country’s economy. It appears that the last two harvests have been something of an improvement over previous years, but there is still widespread hunger. The World Food Program predicts that there will be many more deaths form malnutrition and related illnesses unless greater levels of food aid are forthcoming. However there are signs of donor fatigue in the international aid community, and the recent admissions by North Korea of the continuation of its nuclear weapons program is making many governments reluctant to give further assistance. This paper considers the evidence, scattered as it is, on the extent and impact of the food crisis, and presents estimates of the extent of food aid still needed. The degree to which this crisis has acted as a catalyst for policy reform in the agricultural and food marketing system, but also more broadly in the economy as a whole, is particularly important. The recent initiatives to introduce more market oriented policy reforms are considered in terms of their effectiveness and their impact on the food situation. It is argued that any temptation to use the current famine as a tool to gain concessions on its nuclear and missile programs should be avoided as it is likely to be counter-productive. It would be more constructive for the international community to engage North Korea through a continuation of food assistance, but in the longer term it is very important to assist in the reconstruction and reform of the agricultural system to allow a greater degree of future self-sufficiency. The desperate food situation that has existed in North Korea since at least 1995 has caused enormous human suffering and has had a devastating impact on the country’s economy. It appears that the last two harvests have been something of an improvement over previous years, but there is still widespread hunger. The World Food Program predicts that there will be many more deaths form malnutrition and related illnesses unless greater levels of food aid are forthcoming. However there are signs of donor fatigue in the international aid community, and the recent admissions by North Korea of the continuation of its nuclear weapons program is making many governments reluctant to give further assistance. This paper considers the evidence, scattered as it is, on the extent and impact of the food crisis, and presents estimates of the extent of food aid still needed. The degree to which this crisis has acted as a catalyst for policy reform in the agricultural and food marketing system, but also more broadly in the economy as a whole, is particularly important. The recent initiatives to introduce more market oriented policy reforms are considered in terms of their effectiveness and their impact on the food situation. It is argued that any temptation to use the current famine as a tool to gain concessions on its nuclear and missile programs should be avoided as it is likely to be counter-productive. It would be more constructive for the international community to engage North Korea through a continuation of food assistance, but in the longer term it is very important to assist in the reconstruction and reform of the agricultural system to allow a greater degree of future self-sufficiency.

Australia, Korea and APEC : Prospects for Middle Power Initiatives

Mckay, John 경희대학교 아태지역연구원 2001 아태연구 Vol.5 No.-

Unlimited Liability

Mckay, John S. Korea Society of Air Space Law and Policy 1994 한국항공우주정책·법학회지 Vol.6 No.-

Clearly there are many legal arguments and criticisms surrounding the proposals for change in the Warsaw Convention and the need for a radical review. The question remains is unlimited liability the answer or should there be some other form of supplemental compensation and if so, what limits should be applicable. It does seem that the adopted limits of the Convention are seen by many as the first line of defence, which, dependent on political and cultural differences, the legal interpretation of contractual wording and the legal system globally have resulted in enormous differences in compensation paid whether or not the Convention limits were imposed. An example of this is in the United States, which highlights the significance of the problem in that domestic travellers without Convention Limits can, through the American legal system, obtain compensation in the multi-million dollar area for a death claim, whereas a passenger t1ying internationally would in the first instance be subject to Convention Limits. expensive legal action through litigation. To date, we can advise that insurers have not charged additional premium for unlimited liability coverage. Insurance rates as we have stated are hardening considerably. To date, average rate increases have been plus 56% for aircraft hull and plus 45% for liabilities. Insurers last year suffered global losses of around US $ 1.1 Billion against a premium income of US $ 800,000. The target premium income for 1993 is believed to be in the region of US $1.4 Billion.

항공운송인의 무한책임제도

John S Mckay 한국항공우주법학회 1994 한국항공우주정책·법학회지 Vol.6 No.-

Clearly there are many legal arguments and criticisms surrounding the proposals for change in the Warsaw Convention and the need for a radical review. The question remains is unlimited liability the answer or should there be some other form of supplemental compensation and if so, what limits should be applicable. It does seem that the adopted limits of the Convention are seen by many as the first line of defence, which, dependent on political and cultural differences, the legal interpretation of contractual wording and the legal system globally have resulted in enormous differences in compensation paid whether or not the Convention limits were imposed. An example of this is in the United States, which highlights the significance of the problem in that domestic travellers without Convention Limits can, through the American legal system, obtain compensation in the multi-million dollar area for a death claim, whereas a passenger flying internationally would in the first instance be subject to Convention Limits. expensive legal action through litigation. To date, we can advise that insurers have not charged additional premium for unlimited liability coverage. Insurance rates as we have stated are hardening considerably. To date, average rate increases have been plus 56% for aircraft hull and plus 45% for liabilities. Insurers last year suffered global losses of around US $1.1 Billion against a premium income of US $ 800,000. The target premium income for 1993 is believed to be in the region of US $1.4 Billion.

Myelography in the Assessment of Degenerative Lumbar Scoliosis and Its Influence on Surgical Management

George McKay,Peter Alexander Torrie,Wendy Bertram,Priyan Landham,Stephen Morris,John Hutchinson,Roland Watura,Ian Harding 대한척추신경외과학회 2017 Neurospine Vol.14 No.4

Objective: Myelography has been shown to highlight foraminal and lateral recess stenosis more readily than computed tomography (CT) or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). It also has the advantage of providing dynamic assessment of stenosis in the loaded spine. The advent of weight-bearing MRI may go some way towards improving assessment of the loaded spine and is less invasive, however availability remains limited. This study evaluates the potential role of myelography and its impact upon surgical decision making. Methods: Of 270 patients undergoing myelography during 2006-2009, a period representing peak utilisation of this imaging modality in our unit, we identified 21 patients with degenerative scoliosis who fulfilled our inclusion criteria. An operative plan was formulated by our senior author based initially on interpretation of an MRI scan. Subsequent myelogram and CT myelogram investigations were scrutinised, with any additional abnormalities noted and whether these impacted upon the operative plan. Results: From our 21 patients, 18 (85.7%) had myelographic findings not identified on MRI. Of note, in 4 patients, supine CT myelography yielded additional information when compared to supine MRI in the same patients. The management of 7 patients (33%) changed as a result of myelographic investigation. There were no complications of myelography of the total 270 analysed. Conclusion: MRI scan alone understates the degree of central and lateral recess stenosis. In addition to the additional stenosis displayed by dynamic myelography in the loaded spine, we have also shown that static myelography and CT myelography are also invaluable tools with regards to surgical planning in these patients.

Cardiac Phenotyping of SARS-CoV-2 in British Columbia: A Prospective Echo Study With Strain Imaging

Jeffrey Yim,Michael Y.C. Tsang,Anand Venkataraman,Shane Balthazaar,Ken Gin,John Jue,Parvathy Nair,Christina Luong,Darwin F. Yeung,Robb Moss,Sean A Virani,Jane McKay,Margot Williams,Eric C. Sayre,Puran 한국심초음파학회 2023 Journal of Cardiovascular Imaging (J Cardiovasc Im Vol.31 No.3

BACKGROUND: There is limited data on the residual echocardiographic findings including strain analysis among post-coronavirus disease (COVID) patients. The aim of our study is to prospectively phenotype post-COVID patients. METHODS: All patients discharged following acute COVID infection were systematically followed in the post-COVID-19 Recovery Clinic at Vancouver General Hospital and St. Paul’s Hospital. At 4–18 weeks post diagnosis, patients underwent comprehensive echocardiographic assessment. Left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) was assessed by 3D, 2D Biplane Simpson’s, or visual estimate. LV global longitudinal strain (GLS) was measured using a vendor-independent 2D speckle-tracking software (TomTec). RESULTS: A total of 127 patients (53% female, mean age 58 years) were included in our analyses. At baseline, cardiac conditions were present in 58% of the patients (15% coronary artery disease, 4% heart failure, 44% hypertension, 10% atrial fibrillation) while the remainder were free of cardiac conditions. COVID-19 serious complications were present in 79% of the patients (76% pneumonia, 37% intensive care unit admission, 21% intubation, 1% myocarditis). Normal LVEF was seen in 96% of the cohort and 97% had normal right ventricular systolic function. A high proportion (53%) had abnormal LV GLS defined as < 18%. Average LV GLS of septal and inferior segments were lower compared to that of other segments. Among patients without pre-existing cardiac conditions, LVEF was abnormal in only 1.9%, but LV GLS was abnormal in 46% of the patients. CONCLUSIONS: Most post-COVID patients had normal LVEF at 4–18 weeks post diagnosis, but over half had abnormal LV GLS.

Processing, structure and thermal conductivity correlation in carbon fibre reinforced aluminium metal matrix composites

Miranda, Alberto Torres,Bolzoni, Leandro,Barekar, Nilam,Huang, Yan,Shin, Jesik,Ko, Se-Hyun,McKay, Brian John Elsevier 2018 Materials & Design Vol.156 No.-

<P><B>Abstract</B></P> <P>Al matrix composites reinforced with Cu-coated pitch-based carbon fibres (Al/Cu-CFs) were fabricated, using a novel combination of rheocasting and equal channel angular extrusion (ECAE) techniques, in order to exploit the thermal conductivity (<I>K</I>) of the material. Rheocasting allowed the introduction and dispersion of Cu-CFs within the Al<SUB>3</SUB>Mg matrix. The subsequent ECAE processing reduced the porosity of the composites from 3 to 0.03% and induced a high degree of fibre alignment within the matrix, although considerable damage to the fibres occurred during this processing step. After 6 ECAE passes, in which the billet orientation remained constant, the composite with the highest degree of fibre alignment show a thermal conductivity (<I>K</I>) improvement of ~20% with respect to the rheocast composite. The improvement is due to porosity reduction, improved fibre alignment and forced intimate contact of clean CF surfaces with the matrix.</P> <P><B>Highlights</B></P> <P> <UL> <LI> Al/CFs composites TC increased by 19.6% using a novel combination of processing techniques (Rheocasting + ECAE). </LI> <LI> ECAE can be used to align fibres within the Al matrix and maximise the TC of the Al/CF composites. </LI> <LI> It is the first time that this combination of processing has been demonstrated to improve TC. </LI> <LI> Theoretical models are in agreement with experimental findings. </LI> </UL> </P> <P><B>Graphical abstract</B></P> <P>[DISPLAY OMISSION]</P>