Analysis of electron-ion mixing in ion engines Final report, 30 Apr. 1964 - 30 Jun. 1965

Computer program for analysis of electron-ion mixing in ion engin

The Human Rights Movement and the Prevention of Evil: The Need to Look Inward as Well as Out

The modern human rights movement began as a response to great evil perpetrated by individuals and nations against others during and preceding World War II. The movement has been dedicated to protecting the rights of individuals by confronting evil and holding nations accountable should efforts to prevent it fail. This article contends that while the human rights movement is good at confronting evil “out there,” it has failed in important ways to recognize flaws within itself. In particular, it displays a hubris that shows itself in two ways. First, the movement has embraced a utopian expansion of rights to be protected. We assume that if we simply identify something as a fundamental human right, that right will be promoted and enforced. Second, the movement has a Utopian view of the bodies created to enforce human rights. The assumption is that if we set up an organization with a noble purpose, it will achieve noble aims. Both assumptions are false. And by operating on these false assumptions, the movement endangers itself and its ability to protect fundamental human rights. The article explores these assumptions and then offers suggestions for how the human rights movement can, with humility and proper expectations, better confront evil and protect human rights

Structural Characterization of Poly(heterocycles) Formed Using Oxidative Methods

This research focused on elucidation of structural information for conducting polymer systems using matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS). The structure of conducting polymer systems has been found to directly influence their physical properties. Poly(pyrrole) and poly(thiophene) are two of the most widely studied conducting polymers due to their high electrical conductivity, stability in the doped state, low toxicity, and current/potential applications. The purpose of this research was to apply MALDI-TOF MS to heterocyclic conducting polymers, specifically those of pyrrole and thiophene, to investigate structural properties of these polymers, with the specific aim of determining end group and molecular weight dependence on polymerization conditions. The common synthesis route of chemical oxidation was used for the production of poly(3-hexylthiophene) and it was demonstrated that solvent and monomer-to-oxidant ratio strongly influence the composition of the polymer, specifically halogen content and size. More specifically, it was demonstrated that the end groups of the polymer synthesized in nitromethane could be changed from hydrogen to chlorine by simply changing the monomer-to-oxidant ratio. This is important because studies on 3-hexylthiophene oligomers indicate that chlorine substituents do affect their optical properties. A red shift in the λmax was observed for thiophene oligomers with chlorine substituents versus pristine thiophene oligomers. A proposed mechanism was outlined to further describe the polymerization as well as chlorine substitution process in these polymers, during oxidative polymerization with FeCl3. For the first time, MALDI-TOF MS was successfully used to characterize soluble pyrrole polymers. The pyrrole polymers studied were much more structurally complicated than the thiophene polymers. One reason for this is that they are more susceptible to nucleophilic substitution than the thiophene systems. Unlike the thiophene polymers, manipulation of the polymerization parameters did not lead to formation of pristine pyrrole polymer lacking chlorine and/or oxygen substitution, under the conditions used here. Also, it was observed from the MALDI-TOF MS analysis that hydrogen loss is a characteristic of these substituted pyrrole polymers, and it occurs regardless of the location of the side chain

Applications of the Combinatorial Nullstellensatz on bipartite graphs.

The Combinatorial Nullstellensatz can be used to solve certain problems in combinatorics. However, one of the major complications in using the Combinatorial Nullstellensatz is ensuring that there exists a nonzero monomial. This dissertation looks at applying the Combinatorial Nullstellensatz to finding perfect matchings in bipartite graphs. The first two chapters provide background material covering topics such as linear algebra, group theory, graph theory and even the discrete Fourier transform. New results start in the third chapter, showing that the Combinatorial Nullstellensatz can be used to solve the problem of finding perfect matchings in bipartite graphs. Using the Combinatorial Nullstellensatz also allows for a vice use of matroid intersection to find the nonzero monomial. By also applying the uncertainty principle, the number of perfect matchings in a bipartite graph can be bound. The fourth chapter examines properties of the polynomials created in the use of the Combinatorial Nullstellensatz to find perfect matchings in bipartite graphs. Many of the properties of the polynomials have analogous properties for the transforms of the polynomials, which are also examined. These properties often relate back to the structure of the graph which gave rise to the polynomial. The fifth chapter provides an application of the results. Since finding a nonzero monomial can be difficult and the polynomials created in this dissertation give polynomials with such a nonzero monomial the application shows how certain polynomials can be rewritten in terms of the matching polynomials. Such a rewriting may permit an easy method to find a nonzero monomial so that the Combinatorial Nullstellensatz can be applied to the polynomial. Finally, the fifth chapter concludes with some open problems that may be areas of further research

Reforming International Investment Law for Climate Change Goals

To achieve global climate change mitigation and adaptation goals under the Paris Agreement, international investment law should enable and expedite the transition away from high-emission investment toward low-emission investment. Existing international investment agreements (IIAs) providing for investor–state dispute settlement (ISDS) fail to advance climate goals and can effectively hinder states’ climate action. In this chapter, I discuss the implementation of two main policy options for climate-oriented reform of international investment law – termination of climate-unfriendly IIAs and negotiation of climate-friendly ones – at various governance levels, ranging from unilateral to multilateral action. Given the mounting risks and impacts of IIAs and ISDS, as well as the lack of evidence that they encourage foreign investment flows, terminating IIAs or withdrawing from them appears to be the most effective reform option. States seeking to conclude new climate-friendly treaties or to amend existing IIAs must ensure that the treaties legally distinguish between low-emission and high-emission investments. Climate-friendly IIAs must not hinder climate action (‘do no harm’), by denying treaty protections to high-emission investments, limiting their establishment and expansion, removing incentives such as fossil fuel subsidies, and requiring investments to be made responsibly. In addition, IIAs should leverage the potential contribution of foreign investment to climate goals (‘do good’), by incentivising, promoting, facilitating, and protecting low-emission investments only, and by supporting a just transition to a low-emission world. In line with broader efforts to reform international investment law, climate-aligned IIAs should also exclude or circumscribe controversial provisions (fair and equitable treatment [FET], legitimate expectations, indirect expropriation, and most-favoured-nation [MFN], to name a few), prohibit treaty-based challenges to climate policy measures, and deny substantive rights and access to treaty-based dispute settlement mechanisms to high-emission investments. Climate-unfriendly investors would instead need to rely on substantive rights and procedural avenues based on domestic laws