Digital Commons Network^™

Environmental Refugees? Rethinking What’S In A Name, Elizabeth Keyes

All Faculty Scholarship

The phrase “environmental refugee” summons a compelling image of someone forced to relocate due to climate change. The phrase has been used effectively to raise awareness of such diverse problems as the rising sea levels that are submerging some Pacific islands, as well as the increased impact of natural disasters like hurricanes and earthquakes which cause a mixture of temporary and permanent migration. As climate change accelerates, and its human costs become ever clearer, it is completely appropriate and necessary to respond to these migrations, and a number of international initiatives are underway to do so.

As these initiatives go …

The Harm Of Child Removal, Shanta Trivedi

All Faculty Scholarship

When the state proves or even merely alleges that a parent has abused or neglected a child, family courts may remove the child from the parent’s care. However, research shows separating a child from her parent(s) has detrimental, long-term emotional and psychological consequences that may be worse than leaving the child at home. This is due to the trauma of removal itself, as well as the unstable nature of, and high rates of abuse in, foster care. Nevertheless, the child welfare system errs on the side of removal and almost uniformly fails to consider the harms associated with that removal. …

Menstrual Justice, Margaret E. Johnson

All Faculty Scholarship

Menstrual injustice is the oppression of menstruators, women, girls, transgender men and boys, and nonbinary persons, simply because they menstruate. Acts of menstrual injustice occur every day in the United States. The narrative of menstruation is that it is a taboo, shameful, and that menstruators are dirty, impure, even dangerous. Menstruation has been shunned generally from public discourse as a result. This narrative negatively impacts menstruators. Menstruators are essentialized as women, often of means, excluding transgender men and nonbinary persons, and menstruators who experience poverty or are young. Menstruating workers, especially low-wage workers, are harassed, penalized, or fired for heavy …

Amateur Regulation And The Unmoored United States Olympic And Paralympic Committee, Dionne L. Koller

All Faculty Scholarship

n the wake of the USA Gymnastics sexual abuse scandal and Women’s National Soccer Team’s claim for pay equity, members of Congress have proposed legislation that would reform the United States Olympic and Paralympic Committee (USOPC) through amendments to its governing statute, the Ted Stevens Olympic and Amateur Sports Act. While an important step in the right direction, the proposed reforms fail to address deeper, more urgent questions about the USOPC, the sport National Governing Bodies (NGBs) it recognizes, and the meaning of the Olympic and Amateur Sports Act. This Article explores those issues by explaining that the USOPC’s quasi-governmental …

An Examination Of The Lethality Assessment Program (Lap): Perspectives On Implementation, Helpseeking, And Victim Empowerment, Margaret E. Johnson

All Faculty Scholarship

The Lethality Assessment Program (LAP) aims to empower law enforcement officers to screen victims of domestic violence for potential lethality and connect them to service providers. This research surveyed domestic violence victims seeking legal services (n = 141) to assess whether LAP receipt is associated with greater rates of self-protective measures, service use, or empowerment, and to examine victims’ perspectives on the LAP process. Findings indicate no relationship between receipt of the LAP and use of self-protective measures or victim empowerment, mixed evidence between receipt of the LAP and service utilization, and room for improvement regarding how law enforcement …

Religious Issues In Child Welfare Cases, Rebecca Stahl

All Faculty Scholarship

No abstract provided.

The Difference In Being Poor In Red States Versus Blue States, Michele E. Gilman

All Faculty Scholarship

While the United States continues to recover from the 2008 Great Recession, the country still faces unprecedented inequality as increasing numbers of poor families struggle to get by with little assistance from the government. Holes in the Safety Net: Federalism and Poverty offers a grounded look at how states and the federal government provide assistance to poor people. With chapters covering everything from welfare reform to recent efforts by states to impose work requirements on Medicaid recipients, the book avoids unnecessary jargon and instead focuses on how programs operate in practice. This timely work should be read by anyone who …

The Ideal Collaborative Partner: A Tribute To Jana Singer, Jane C. Murphy

All Faculty Scholarship

Collaboration has been defined as a “pervasive, long-term relationship in which participants recognize common goals and objectives, share more tasks, and participate in extensive planning and implementation.” I feel most fortunate to have had a collaborative partnership with Jana Singer for almost three decades. I am fortunate because such relationships are uncommon among legal scholars, given the “individualistic culture” of law schools and law professors. Even more unusual, I found in Jana a scholarly partner with all the qualities of the ideal collaborator: strong intellect, enthusiasm, curiosity, generosity, and humility. Since the early days of our academic careers, Jana and …

Tax Treatment Of Legal Fees Under 2017 Tax Cuts And Jobs Act, Fred B. Brown

All Faculty Scholarship

This article describes the deductibility of legal fees for federal income tax purposes after the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, and provides a recommendation for reforming the current rules.

Addressing Teacher Shortage: A Historical Policy Study On Teacher Credentialing In California, Liza Moritz Mastrippolito

LMU Theses and Dissertations

Teacher education enrollment has decreased 74% since 2013. Simultaneously, attrition rates have increased, with 20-50% of new teachers quitting within the first five years. These combined factors have brought California into a new teacher shortage, necessitating fast-track pathways to credentialing. Fast tracks and lowering of requirements often result in teachers not being prepared to teach as they begin their careers, and as data illustrates, children in high-poverty communities of color are those who are predominantly taught by non-credentialed teachers. This dissertation is a historical policy study on how educational policies enacted in California to address shortage have affected the supply …

Critical Bicultural Masculinities: Reframing Community College Success Among Latino Immigrant Male Students, Rene Lozano Esquivel

LMU Theses and Dissertations

By employing critical narratives, this qualitative study examined the lives of Latino male immigrants and their educational experiences in the California community college system. Seven Latino male immigrants matriculated at a community college participated in the study. The study utilized Critical Bicultural Theory and Latino Masculinity Theory frameworks to analyze the male students’ narratives. Findings speak of their unique racialized and gendered experiences as they navigate their community college educational experiences. This study contributes to the field by identifying what Latino immigrants need to co-construct their own educational success in a way that employs their strong familial and cultural knowledge. …

Pastoral Care, Mission, Tradition And Community: Alumnae Perceptions Of A Catholic Female Single-Sex High School, Samuel Torres

LMU Theses and Dissertations

This qualitative study examined the experiences of Saint Mary’s High School alumnae from the freshman class of 1949 through the graduating class of 2010 in order to identify what has sustained the school over the decades. Years after graduation, alumnae held memories of their school experiences that resulted in personal and long-lasting qualities that continue to have significant impacts on individuals and the institution. Data was gathered through written journals and interviews. The Appreciative Inquiry (AI) model was used to analyze the context of alumnae experiences. Using the AI model, multiple categories arose as positive notables mentioned by the participants. …

We Wear The Mask: Stories Of The Black Girl Middle School Experience In Predominantly White, Elite, Independent Schools, Tina B. Evans

LMU Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation examined the experiences of Black middle school girls who attend predominantly white, elite, independent schools in the Greater Los Angeles area. Using Critical Race Theory, Black Identity Theory, and Black Feminism Theory as a conceptual framework, this qualitative research explored the role of race, class, gender, and parental support as contributing factors to the development of participants’ racial consciousness. Utilizing timeline interviews and critical narratives to explore the lived histories of each student and parent participant, data analysis included content coding based on themes that emerged throughout the narrative examination. An analysis of the narratives of student participants …

Beyond Colonizing Epistemicides: Toward A Decolonizing Framework For Indigenous Education, Samuel B. Torres

LMU Theses and Dissertations

American schooling and Indigenous peoples share a coarse relationship mired by devastating periods of forced removal, indoctrination, and brutal assimilation methods. Over the course of more than a century of failed education policy—though often veiled in good intentions—Indigenous peoples have yet to witness a comprehensive Indigenous education program that fundamentally honors the federal trust responsibility of the United States government. On the contrary, with a contemporary approach of apathy, invisibility, and institutionalization, it is not difficult to see the legacy of settler colonialism continuing to wield its oppressive influence on Indigenous communities. Wolfe’s (2006) claim that “invasion is a structure, …

Impact, Implementation, And Insights Of Peace Education: A Case Study Of The M.A. In Peace Studies And Conflict Transformation Program At The University Of Rwanda, Sarah M. Doerrer

LMU Theses and Dissertations

Higher education is arguably critical for healing and stabilization in postconflict contexts, by developing leaders who value peace and have the skill sets to achieve it in various sectors. A rapidly growing body of literature concludes that peace education in particular has great potential to transform postconflict communities, both in higher education and at other levels of schooling. Yet there exists little rigorous analysis of the decisions faced by educational leaders responsible for implementing such programs, particularly those in postconflict settings where the needs are uniquely challenging.

This qualitative investigation documented the M.A. in Peace Studies and Conflict Transformation program, …

Culturally Responsive School Leadership In Catholic Education: Practices To Improve Tuition Assistance And Community Outreach For Latino Families, Michel-Anthony Castillo

LMU Theses and Dissertations

Recent demographic trends indicate that the number of young Latino Catholics in the United States is increasing. In response, educators and researchers have examined the Catholic school experience of Latino families as a means to provide meaningful support for this growing constituency amid broader enrollment declines and related challenges of fiscal viability. Within this context, this study examined the leadership practices of Catholic secondary school leaders in relation to the development of tuition assistance policies and community outreach efforts intended to serve Latino families. Utilizing a theoretical frame consisting of Catholic Social Teaching (CST) and Culturally Responsive School Leadership (CRSL), …

Talking About Whiteness: The Stories Of Novice White Female Educators, Stephanie Goodman

LMU Theses and Dissertations

In the United States, the largest group of educators, historically and presently, are white middle-class women, yet there is a rising population of racially diverse students creating a persistent dissonance and disconnect between the culture of the white teacher and their students. In this study, I sought to discover how the racial identity development of novice white female educators evolved, given their common participation in the Teach for America program. Using the conceptual frameworks of critical race theory, critical feminist theory, and the body of scholarship in critical whiteness studies, I conducted a critical narrative inquiry of eight novice white …

Medication Safety In Emergency Medical Services: Approaching An Evidence-Based Method Of Verification To Reduce Errors, Paul Misasi, Joseph R. Keebler

Publications

Lack of verification is often cited as a root cause of medication errors; however, medication errors occur in spite of conventional verification practices and it appears that human factors engineering (HFE) can inform the design of a more effective method. To this end, an HFE-driven process was designed and implemented in an urban, Midwestern emergency medical service agency. Medication error data were collected over a 54-month period, 27 months before and after implementation. A decrease in the average monthly error rate was realized for all medications administered (49.0%) during the post-intervention time period. The average monthly error rate for fentanyl, …

Transforming The Professional Flight Program Curriculum: Justification, Process, And Future Development, Julius Keller, Flavio A. C. Mendonca, Brian G. Dillman, Michael Suckow

Publications

According to the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), by 2036 the aviation sector will need 620,000 new pilots, 125,000 new air traffic controllers, and 1.3 million aircraft maintenance personnel (ICAO, 2018);

Pilots seeking a first officer position (a common entry-level position at Part 121 air carriers) are required to possess an Airline Transport Pilot (ATP) Certificate and 1,500 hours of total flight time;

There are some exceptions!

Support from administration

Quantity vs Quality;

How can flight faculty improve student learning and job readiness?

A Satellite Assessment Of Environmental Controls Of Phytoplankton Community Size Structure, Colleen B. Mouw, Audrey B. Ciochetto, James A. Yoder

Graduate School of Oceanography Faculty Publications

Phytoplankton play a key role as the base of the marine food web and a crucial component in the Earth's carbon cycle. There have been a few regional studies that have utilized satellite‐estimated phytoplankton functional type products in conjunction with other environmental metrics. Here we expand to a global perspective and ask, what are the physical drivers of phytoplankton composition variability? Using a variety of satellite‐observed ocean color products and physical properties spanning 1997–2015, we characterize spatial and temporal variability in phytoplankton community size structure in relation to satellite‐based physical drivers. We consider the relationships globally and by major thermal …

A Global 3‐D Ocean Model For Pcbs: Benchmark Compounds For Understanding The Impacts Of Global Change On Neutral Persistent Organic Pollutants, Charlotte C. Wagner, Helen N. Amos, Colin P. Thackray, Yanxu Zhang, Elizabeth W. Lundgren, Gael Forget, Carey L. Friedman, Noelle E. Selin, Rainer Lohmann, Elise M. Sunderland

Graduate School of Oceanography Faculty Publications

Human activities have released large quantities of neutral persistent organic pollutants (POPs) that may be biomagnified in food webs and pose health risks to wildlife, particularly top predators. Here we develop a global 3‐D ocean simulation for four polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) spanning a range of molecular weights and volatilities to better understand effects of climate‐driven changes in ocean biogeochemistry on the lifetime and distribution of POPs. Observations are most abundant in the Arctic Ocean. There, model results reproduce spatial patterns and magnitudes of measured PCB concentrations. Sorption of PCBs to suspended particles and subsequent burial in benthic marine sediment is …

Trophic Position And Foraging Ecology Of Ross, Weddell, And Crabeater Seals Revealed By Compound-Specific Isotope Analysis, Emily K. Brault, Paul L. Koch, Daniel P. Costa, Matthew D. Mccarthy, Luis A. Hückstädt, Kimberly Goetz, Kelton W. Mcmahon, Michael G. Goebel, Olle Karlsson, Jonas Teilmann, Tero Härkönen, Karin Hårding

Graduate School of Oceanography Faculty Publications

Ross seals Ommatophoca rossii are one of the least studied marine mammals, with little known about their foraging ecology. Research to date using bulk stable isotope analysis suggests that Ross seals have a trophic position intermediate between that of Weddell Leptonychotes weddellii and crabeater Lobodon carcinophaga seals. However, consumer bulk stable isotope values not only reflect trophic dynamics, but also variations in baseline isotope values, which can be substantial. We used compound-specific isotope analysis of amino acids (CSI-AA) to separate isotopic effects of a shifting baseline versus trophic structure on the foraging ecology of these ecologically important Antarctic pinnipeds. We …

Major Shifts In Nutrient And Phytoplankton Dynamics In The North Pacific Subtropical Gyre Over The Last 5000 Years Revealed By High-Resolution Proteinaceous Deep-Sea Coral Δ15N And Δ13C Records, Danielle S. Glynn, Kelton W. Mcmahon, Thomas P. Guilderson, Matthew D. Mccarthy

Graduate School of Oceanography Faculty Publications

The North Pacific Subtropical Gyre (NPSG) is the largest continuous ecosystem on Earth and is a critical component of global oceanic biogeochemical cycling and carbon sequestration. We report here multi-millennial-scale, sub-decadal-resolution records of bulk stable nitrogen (δ¹⁵N) and carbon (δ¹³C) isotope records from proteinaceous deep-sea corals. Data from three Kulamanamana haumeaae specimens from the main Hawaiian Islands extend the coral-based time-series back ∼5000 yrs for the NPSG and bypass constraints of low resolution sediment cores in this oligotrophic ocean region. We interpret these records in terms of shifting biogeochemical cycles and plankton community structure, with a …

The Concept Of Essential Use For Determining When Uses Of Pfass Can Be Phased Out, Ian T. Cousins, Gretta Goldenman, Dorte Herzke, Rainer Lohmann, Mark Miller, Carla A. Ng, Sharyle Patton, Martin Scheringer, Xenia Trier, Lena Vierke, Zhanyun Wang, Jamie C. Dewitt

Graduate School of Oceanography Faculty Publications

Because of the extreme persistence of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) and their associated risks, the Madrid Statement argues for stopping their use where they are deemed not essential or when safer alternatives exist. To determine when uses of PFASs have an essential function in modern society, and when they do not, is not an easy task. Here, we: (1) develop the concept of “essential use” based on an existing approach described in the Montreal Protocol, (2) apply the concept to various uses of PFASs to determine the feasibility of elimination or substitution of PFASs in each use category, and …

Passive Sampling Of Persistent Organic Pollutants In Four Coastal Aquatic Systems Of Puerto Rico: A Pilot Study, Carlos J. Rodríguez-Sierra, David Adelman, Šimon Vojta, Imar Mansilla-Rivera, Rainer Lohmann

Graduate School of Oceanography Faculty Publications

Little is known about the presence and effects of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and organochlorine pesticides (OCPs) in Puerto Rico’s waters. Four coastal aquatic systems were investigated using low-density polyethylene passive sampling for PCBs and OCPs in water and its overlying air. The highest total freely dissolved and gaseous concentrations of PCBs were found in Guánica Bay, with 4000 pg/L and 270 pg/m³, respectively. Five OCPs were detected, mainly in water, with greatest concentrations (pg/L) in Guánica Bay: α-HCH (7400), p,pʹ-DDE (390), aldrin (2000), dieldrin (420), and endrin (77). The compound α-HCH was also measured at elevated water concentrations …

Poly- And Perfluoroalkyl Substances In Seawater And Plankton From The Northwestern Atlantic Margin, Xianming Zhang, Rainer Lohmann, Elsie M. Sunderland

Graduate School of Oceanography Faculty Publications

The ocean is thought to be the terminal sink for poly- and perfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) that have been produced and released in large quantities for more than 60 years. Regulatory actions have curbed production of legacy compounds such as perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS) and perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), but impacts of regulations on PFAS releases to the marine environment are poorly understood. Here, we report new data for 21 targeted PFAS in seawater and plankton from the coast, shelf, and slope of the Northwestern Atlantic Ocean. We find strong inverse correlations between salinity and concentrations of most PFAS, indicating that ongoing continental …

Air-Soil Diffusive Exchange Of Pahs In An Urban Park Of Shanghai Based On Polyethylene Passive Sampling: Vertical Distribution, Vegetation Influence And Diffusive Flux, Ying Liu, Shuya Xie, Lirong Zheng, Tongtong Li, Yajie Sun, Limin Ma, Zhifen Lin, Peter Grathwohl, Rainer Lohmann

Graduate School of Oceanography Faculty Publications

Compared with dry and wet deposition rates, air-soil exchange fluxes cannot be directly measured experimentally. Polyethylene passive sampling was applied to assess transport directions and to measure concentration gradients in order to calculate diffusive fluxes of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) across the air-soil interface in an urban park of Shanghai, China. Seven campaigns with high spatial resolution sampling at 18 heights between 0 and 200 cm above the ground were conducted in 2017–2018. Air-to-soil deposition was observed, e.g. for phenanthrene, and soil-to-air volatilization for high molecular weight compounds, such as benzo[b]fluoranthene. Significant linear correlations between gaseous PAH concentration …

Microbial Selection And Survival In Subseafloor Sediment, John B. Kirkpatrick, Emily A. Walsh, Steven D'Hondt

Graduate School of Oceanography Faculty Publications

Many studies have examined relationships of microorganisms to geochemical zones in subseafloor sediment. However, responses to selective pressure and patterns of community succession with sediment depth have rarely been examined. Here we use 16S rDNA sequencing to examine the succession of microbial communities at sites in the Indian Ocean and the Bering Sea. The sediment ranges in depth from 0.16 to 332 m below seafloor and in age from 660 to 1,300,000 years. The majority of subseafloor taxonomic diversity is present in the shallowest depth sampled. The best predictor of sequence presence or absence in the oldest sediment is relative …

The Significance Of Microbial Symbionts In Ecosystem Processes, Roxanne A. Beinart

Graduate School of Oceanography Faculty Publications

It is increasingly accepted that the microbial symbionts of eukaryotes can have profound effects on host ecology and evolution. However, the relative contribution that they make directly to ecosystem processes, like energy and nutrient flows, is less explicitly acknowledged and, in many cases, only poorly constrained. Here, I explore the idea that, in some habitats, host-associated microbes may have an outsized role in ecosystem processes relative to functionally equivalent free-living microbes due to key aspects of the physiology, ecology, and evolution of symbiotic interactions. My research quantifying symbiont metabolism has shown that microbial symbionts have the potential to make a …

Divergent Trophic Responses Of Sympatric Penguin Species To Historic Anthropogenic Exploitation And Recent Climate Change, Kelton Mcmahon, Chantel I. Michelson, Tom Hart, Matthew D. Mccarthy, William P.P. Patterson, Michael J. Polito

Graduate School of Oceanography Faculty Publications

The Southern Ocean is in an era of significant change. Historic overharvesting of marine mammals and recent climatic warming have cascading impacts on resource availability and, in turn, ecosystem structure and function. We examined trophic responses of sympatric chinstrap (Pygoscelis antarctica) and gentoo (Pygoscelis papua) penguins to nearly 100 y of shared environmental change in the Antarctic Peninsula region using compound-specific stable isotope analyses of museum specimens. A century ago, gentoo penguins fed almost exclusively on low-trophic level prey, such as krill, during the peak of historic overexploitation of marine mammals, which was hypothesized to have …