Securing guarantees : how nuclear proliferation can strengthen great power commitments

The number of states with nuclear weapons has grown at a much slower rate than many predicted during the early years of the Cold War. Yet the reasons for this slow rate of proliferation are not well understood. What is maintaining the (predominantly non-nuclear) status quo? Other work takes external threats and the credibility of security guarantees as given, but I show how nuclear proliferation can shape and be shaped by both. This approach allows me to show how the decisions of proliferators, their allies, and their adversaries are intertwined. This leads to a previously unexplored effect of proliferation: in addition to the defensive and deterrent capability of nuclear weapons, nuclear possession can also cause great powers to tighten their alliance commitments. Great powers therefore have incentives to dissuade nuclear pursuit through threats of sanctions when they are capable of imposing them and through heightened security guarantees when they cannot.Governmen

Examining the Association Between Interviewer and Respondent Speaking Pace in Telephone Interviews

Telephone interviewers are typically trained to speak at a pace of two words-per-second to enhance respondent cognitive processing. Although interviewer speaking pace varies across different question characteristics such as question length and complexity, the pace at which respondents answer questions in a telephone survey and whether pace varies by question characteristics has received scant attention. Furthermore, although there is a longstanding hypothesis that the speed at which interviewers ask questions influences the speed of respondent replies and that this in turn influences the quality of answers provided by respondents, few empirical studies directly examine the relationship between interviewer speaking pace and respondent speaking pace. This thesis examines the association between question-level interviewer and respondent speaking pace among the first two conversational turns in telephone interviews. Given lack of replication of how question characteristics are associated with the pace of interviewer question administration in previous research, I start by examining whether question linguistic and cognitive complexity, question sensitivity, and the position of the question in the interview are related to the pace of interviewer question administration. I additionally examine whether question linguistic and cognitive complexity, question sensitivity, respondent familiarity, and the position of the question in the interview are related to the pace of respondent initial replies to questions. Finally, I examine whether interviewer speaking pace predicts respondent speaking pace and if this relationship is moderated by question complexity. Using behavior coded transcripts from the Work and Leisure Today 2 Survey (AAPOR RR3=7.1%), I find that on average, interviewers speak at a pace of 3.15 (95% CI=3.136, 3.154) words-per-second and respondents reply at a pace of 1.33 (95% CI=1.319, 1.335) words-per-second. Interviewers ask linguistically complex questions at both a slower and a faster pace (depending on the indicator for question linguistic complexity), and respondents reply to linguistically complex questions faster than to questions that are not as linguistically complex. No other question characteristics are associated with interviewer or respondent speaking pace. Furthermore, interviewer question-asking pace is a significant positive predictor for respondent pace (b=0.13, p=0.006). The relationship between interviewer and respondent speaking pace is significantly moderated by question linguistic complexity. Advisor: Kristen Olso

Identifying systems barriers that may prevent bereavement service access to bereaved carers: A report from an Australian specialist palliative care service

Background: Bereavement follow up is an integral element of palliative care. However, little is known about the systems that link bereavement services with bereaved carers. Aim: To map how effectively a specialist palliative care service linked bereavement service to bereaved carers. Methodology: A retrospective medical audit, using process mapping was undertaken within one Australian specialist palliative care service to identify the systems that linked bereavement services to a consecutive cohort of palliative care decedents (n=60) next of kin. Results: Bereavement records were located for 80% of decedents. Nearly all (98%) had a nominated next of kin, with just over half (54%) of those nominated contacted by bereavement services. Incomplete or missing contact details was the main reason (75%) that the bereavement service was unable to contact the decedents’ next of kin. Conclusion: Having access to a designated bereavement service can ensure that bereaved next of kin are contract routinely and in a timely way. However the effectiveness of this type of service is dependent upon the bereavement service having access to all relevant contact information. There are numerous opportunities to refine and strengthen the recording of palliative care next of kin details to optimize follow up

The Invisible Wall: Title 42 and its Impact on Haitian Migrants

The Haitian Bridge Alliance, the Quixote Center and UndocuBlack have written this Report to offer the voices and hardships of Haitian migrants, mostly families, who have been expelled under the Title 42 policy. The Report provides the narratives of seven Haitian families who were apprehended at the U.S. Mexico border within the last year and were subject to expulsion to Haiti or Mexico under the Title 42 policy. Two additional narratives are included of Haitians who entered the United States before March 2020, but who were recently removed. This Report shows how Haitian migrants flee violence, instability and persecution in Haiti, travel a long and treacherous journey to the U.S.-Mexico border seeking safety and security in the United States, only to be abused by ICE and CBP officers and - under the Title 42 policy - summarily expelled back to the country they fled without even access to a lawyer or the opportunity to seek asylum or other protection.The authors offer nine recommendations, first and foremost, that the Title 42 policy be revoked immediately. Other recommendations include that ICE and CBP follow public health experts' advice by adopting a wide range of safety measures to mitigate public health risks to border agents. Lastly, the authors recommend that asylum processing be resumed while releasing migrants to shelter in place with their loved ones in the United States rather than detaining them

Leaving in Droves from the Orange Groves: The NepaliBhutanese Refugee Experience and the Diminishing of Dignity

Refugee situations can pose a threat to dignity due to the loss of land and livelihood. This chapter however argues that dignity is dynamic, and that autonomy and normalcy can play a role in restoring dignity at different stages of the refugee experience. We begin by exploring two theoretical dignity dichotomies, and then examine autonomy and normalcy as two of dignity’s overlooked antecedents. We proceed to the case of Nepali-Bhutanese refugees, and show how dignity, rather than remaining in a steady state, waxes and wanes over time. Before concluding we offer some thoughts as to how dignity can be restored in the post-resettlement context

An Assessment of the Attractiveness of the U.S. Fresh Orange and Grapefruit Industry

Agribusiness,

Moral distress in critical care and emergency department nurses

Moral distress is a phenomenon that occurs when a person is unable to carry out what they believe is the ethically appropriate action due to various external constraints. This literature review seeks to explore the interventions that are most effective in reducing moral distress in critical care and emergency department nurses who have experienced moral distress in practice

Design of a Process to Implement an Annual Community Fundraiser for Sprout Up

Sprout Up—in San Luis Obispo—is currently a non-profit organization that teaches free environmental science education to first and second graders around the San Luis Obispo area. Due to recent circumstances, Sprout Up will soon be losing its non-profit status, and therefore they will be losing their funding as well. Their problem is that they need a stable annual fundraiser that will help the organization continue to provide free services to local elementary schools as a Cal Poly club rather than a non-profit. Multi-criteria analysis techniques were used to determine what would be the best solution to their problem and found that hosting an annual Gala would be the most beneficial. Using Industrial Engineering tools, a design was created for a process to implement the annual community fundraising event for Sprout Up. The Gala prototype event was held at Santa Rosa Park on May 13th from 3pm to 7pm, and raised roughly $1,200 for the organization. The recommendation is to continue to perform the event annually with changes to the facility layout and starting the project earlier to give more time for fundraising