Obama’s “executive orders” on guns are not executive orders at all, and their impact is likely to be limited

President Obama’s unilateral directives on gun control issued last week have been praised by his supporters and described as “imperial overreach” by his detractors. Despite this approval and opprobrium, Joshua Kennedy argues that the measures announced by Obama are not “executive orders”, but are simply a collection of suggestions, requests, and minor rulemaking steps which do little to contradict existing laws, and may well be discarded or changed before they can be implemented

Executive orders are not always effective, and presidential attempts to gain control of agencies has the potential to backfire

This week has brought the news that House Speaker John A. Boehner is planning a lawsuit against President Obama over his use of executive orders after months of concerns from Republicans over what they term Obama’s ‘imperial presidency’. But are the executive orders issued by the president actually acted upon by the agencies meant to carry them out? Using twenty years of data on executive orders, Joshua Kennedy finds that, on average, any given executive order has only a 2.5 percent probability of being implemented. He finds that the president can increase this probability by naming the agency involved and if the agency is headed by an ideological friend. He also warns that if the president appoints agency staff on the basis of their politics, rather than competence, then they may risk ending up with less competent management, which will drag down their implementation of executive orders

Doctor of Philosophy

dissertationThis work is a study of the optical properties of single-wall carbon nanotubes (SWNTs) using continuous wave (CW) modulation spectroscopy and resonant Raman scattering. SWNTs comprise a nanoscale, quasi-1D system in which the electrons are strongly interacting, resulting in the photo-generation of excitons. Our optical studies have revealed the behavior of these excitons under a number of di fferent perturbations to the system. We have used absorption, reflectance, electro-absorption (EA), photo-induced absorption (PA), charge-induced absorption (CIA), and resonant Raman scattering (RRS) on films of SWNTs. Our EA results provide strong evidence for the dominance of excitons in the optical absorption spectra of SWNT films. The absence of Franz-Keldysh oscillations and the presence of a derivative-like structure of the EA spectra indicate that the oscillator strength goes to the generation of excitons and not to interband electronic transitions. Furthermore, some of the photo-generated excitons are long-lived due to charge trapping in individual tubes within bundles, and this leads to a PA spectrum that is extraordinarily similar to the EA signal. When SWNTs are electrochemically doped we see that the exciton absorption is bleached due to k-space fi lling and screening of the excitons by the modi ed local dielectric, while there is very little shift in the exciton transition energies due to band-gap renormalization. Simultaneously the infrared absorption, which is due to Drude free-carriers absorption, is enhanced. A similar behavior is observed in the case of direct charge injection. The RRS of doped SWNT samples shows a frequency shift of many of the Raman-active modes that is commensurate with the macroscopic actuation observed in nanotube-based electrochemical devices. This indicates that doping-induced changes in the lattice are connected with softening and sti ening of the vibrational modes. Our results impact many proposed technologies that exploit the unique prop-erties of SWNTs. Displays, batteries, and even photovoltaics that incorporate nanotubes are already in development. The performance and robustness of these devices could be improved when our results are taken into account

Volcanic Impact on Stratospheric Chlorine Chemistry and Perchlorate Formation: Evidence from Ice Cores

Perchlorate, suspected to be chemically formed in both the troposphere and stratosphere, has been recently measured in Arctic snow and ice cores. These comprise both discontinuous snow and ice cores from the Canadian Arctic and a continuous record of perchlorate was compiled from an analysis of Greenland ice cores. While the background perchlorate concentration typically is very low, a few spikes in concentration coinciding with deposition of volcanic sulfate were observed in the Greenland record, suggesting that perchlorate levels in the atmosphere may be impacted by volcanic eruptions. As of yet, no work has been done to investigate the connection between volcanic eruptions and perchlorate formation. It was not known 1) whether the volcanic perchlorate response is limited to samples collected in Greenland, 2) if the volcanic perchlorate response is just limited to certain eruptions, 3) what factors influence the magnitude of the response, and 4) what chemistry drives the volcanic perchlorate response. In this work, detailed analysis and careful examination of the data collected from Antarctic, Alaskan, and Greenland ice cores show no seasonal oscillation during nonvolcanic periods prior to the 1980s, indicating a relatively small role for stratospheric photochemical production pathways in the Arctic during these times. The development of a strong seasonal oscillation in perchlorate concentration in snow since 1980 corresponds with a drastic increase in stratospheric organic chlorine throughout the late 20th century, indicating that the relative contribution of stratospheric photochemical processes to the perchlorate deposition in the Arctic has increased as a result of increased stratospheric organic chlorine. Correlation of annual perchlorate flux with mean annual ozone abundance in recent decades suggests that the abundance of both ozone and perchlorate are influenced by stratospheric chlorine. The analysis of ice cores from the South Pole containing the sulfate fallout from several large volcanoes revealed that volcanic perchlorate response is not restricted to the Arctic and occurs in the Antarctic as well. The large flux of perchlorate deposition during periods perturbed by volcanic eruptions relative to background levels in snow during nonvolcanic periods indicate volcanism is a significant source of perchlorate in the environment. Perchlorate formation and deposition in response to some eruptions easily exceed decades of perchlorate deposition during nonvolcanic periods. The flux of sulfate is highly correlated with the flux of perchlorate during volcanically perturbed periods in the stratosphere, indicating that the impact of volcanic aerosol on stratospheric chlorine chemistry results in increased formation of perchlorate. Examination of proposed perchlorate chemistry and formation mechanisms leads to the conclusion that chlorine activation is likely the key process. Volcanic eruptions enhance perchlorate formation through injections of aerosol-forming sulfur, promoting formation of chlorine radicals and other important perchlorate intermediates. Unlike sulfate, perchlorate in snow experiences post-depositional change. The main characteristic of that change is probably diffusion in the firn column. The perchlorate response in ice cores exhibits what appears to be high effective diffusivity relative to sulfate. The diffusivity for perchlorate is modeled based upon the perchlorate response of the 1912 eruption of Katmai and estimated to be about 10-5 m2 yr-1. Comparison of volcanic perchlorate response signals in ice cores from multiple time periods and sampling locations support diffusion in the firn layer

Public opinion and understanding of the impact of electric vehicles:a UK experience

The UK Government places pressure on the automotive industry to reduce carbon emissions by prioritising the manufacture of alternative fuel vehicles. Hence, electric vehicles (EVs) are a priority for the automotive industry given they emit minimal carbon emissions compared to petrol and diesel vehicles. Despite the continued improvement in the manufacture of EVs, issues regarding the viability and affordability of the vehicles influence the market for EVs. This paper explores opinions regarding (i) the viability and environmental impact of EVs as a replacement for petrol/diesel vehicles; (ii) the affordability of EVs; and (iii) knowledge and familiarity of the use of EVs. 130 respondents to a questionnaire, along with interviews with participants within the automotive industry inlcuding an owner of an EV, generally supported literature on the study of EVs. Findings of this research identified that views relating to the viability of EVs focussed on range anxiety, charging speeds and battery life. Views relating to the affordability of EVs are influenced by the initial purchase price of the vehicle, along with costs associated with the battery and charging point. Finally, it is clear that consumers with greater knowledge about EV technologies are more likely to embrace EVs

RESILENCY AND FATHERLESS HOUSEHOLDS

Fatherlessness is a complex and prevailing issue in society associated with many vulnerabilities and unfavorable outcomes. This study seeks to describe and identify the contributing factors to resilience among individuals who were raised in fatherless homes. Findings from this research would contribute to the body of knowledge that focuses on promoting resiliency and would specifically provide insight on contributing factors to resiliency that can help mitigate the negative consequences of fatherless homes

The effects of charge injection in single-wall carbon nanotubes studied by charge-induced absorption

Journal ArticleWe studied direct charge injection in a heterogeneous film of single-wall carbon nanotubes using the technique of charge-induced absorption. We found that the injected charges screen the excitons in the semiconducting tubes, reducing their binding energy and transferring oscillator strength from the exciton transitions to free carriers. These effects parallel those of the electrochemical doping in the same samples

Humanism in the Age of COVID-19: Renewing Focus on Communication and Compassion

The global COVID-19 pandemic has become one of the largest clinical and operational challenges faced by emergency medicine, and our EDs continue to see increased volumes of infected patients, many of whom are not only ill, but acutely aware and fearful of their circumstances and potential mortality. Given this, there may be no more important time to focus on staff-patient communication and expression of compassion.However, many of the techniques usually employed by emergency clinicians to provide comfort to patients and their families are made more challenging or impossible by the current circumstances. Geriatric ED patients, who are at increased risk of severe disease, are particularly vulnerable to the effects of isolation.Despite many challenges, emergency clinicians have at their disposal a myriad of tools that can still be used to express compassion and empathy to their patients. Placing emphasis on using these techniques to maximize humanism in the care of COVID-19 patients during this crisis has the potential to bring improvements to ED patient care well after this pandemic has passed

Clinical Features and Management of Chronic Chikungunya Arthritis

Chikungunya virus is a single-stranded RNA alphavirus transmitted to humans by Aedes species mosquitos, causing an acute illness known as chikungunya fever with maculopapular rash, headache, polyarthritis/arthralgias, and gastrointestinal symptoms. Up to half of affected patients develop a chronic disabling arthritis following resolution of the acute infection, which can last for months or even years. The pathophysiology of chronic chikungunya arthritis remains controversial; it may result from a dysregulated immune response or be caused by persistent viral infection. Treatment for patients with chronic chikungunya arthritis remains investigational. Limited data suggests that immunosuppressive therapies such as methotrexate and TNF alpha inhibitors may be beneficial, though randomized clinical trials are needed

Information Technology and Service Delivery of County Governments in Western Kenya Region

The inappropriateness in use of public monies has been cited as a major distractor towards achievement of development goals enshrined in our constitution. It has been largely attributed to the procurement practices adopted. The main objective of this study was to determine effects of information technology on service delivery of County governments in western Kenya region. The target population for this study entailed 228 officers who were categorized into chief officers, Directors, Finance officers and procurement officers. This study employed stratified random sampling towards picking a sample of 174 respondents. Information technology from the findings of this study had a significant effect on the delivery of services among counties in western Kenya region. Particularly, as Information technology changes by one unit, service delivery changes by 0.309 units units (β2=0.309, P<0.05). The F value obtained df (1,161) =84.947, P<0.05, that gave support to the goodness of fit of the model in adducing variance in the dependent variable. It meant too that Information Technology is a useful predictor of service delivery. This study therefore recommended that County Governments should view and treat information technology as a critical component and resource since its application in procurement activities improves delivery of services