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Dissipation Physics and Absorption Features in Black Hole X-ray Binaries
Full text linkAs matter falls closer toward the center of the accretion disk it loses gravitational potential energy, part of which becomes radiation primarily in X-ray wavelengths. Accretion disk models often invoked to fit observed spectra predict relativistically smeared absorption features that are not present in data from black hole X-ray systems such as GX 339-4 and LMC-X3. Informed by recent local and global simulations, we conduct new disk structure and radiative transfer calculations with increased dissipation rates of gravitational potential energy into thermal energy in disk upper layers. We find a noticeable reduction of the absorption features compared to older models that did not incorporate simulation-based dissipation physics
Between Shelter & Ash: A Design Policy Atlas for Wildfire-Resiliency
Full text linkArchitectural design holds a powerful potential in the face of wildfire threats, yet remains underutilized in fire resilience strategies. This study will explore how design, at the level of the house, street, and community, can move beyond code compliance toward holistic protection. Through analysis of principal fire codes such as IWUIC, CBC Chapter 7A, and NFPA 1144, visual diagrams, precedent case studies, and original architecture proposals, the paper proposes a multiscale design framework that expands our understanding of resilience. It argues that while fire codes establish critical baselines, spatial planning, form, and materials must work in concert with social and ecological systems to achieve true resilience. Design is not a luxury or aesthetic exercise, but a necessary tool for survival and community defense in the age of climate change
BETWEEN SHELTER AND ASH: A PROCESS-BASED STUDY ON FIRE-RESILIENT RECOMMENDATIONS FOR WILDLAND-URBAN INTERFACE ZONES
Full text linkWith the intensifying threat of wildfires across California, evident in the destruction of over 16,000 structures during the 2025 Los Angeles fires, there is an urgent need to reconsider how residential structures are conceived in fire-prone zones. While existing building codes and guidelines have made notable progress in addressing wildfire risk, their predominant focus on “home hardening” often overlooks the potential of site planning, spatial configuration, and architectural design as agents of wildfire resilience. This study, conducted through the McNair Scholars Program under the mentorship of Professor Daniel Lopez-Perez, ultimately develops a Wildfire-Resilient Design Guide and three connective drawings through a process-based, multi-scalar analysis of current wildfire resilience recommendations. The research compares six interconnected layers of governance: (1) International: model standards such as the International Wildland-Urban Interface Code (IWUIC); (2) Federal: national frameworks like NFPA 1140/1144; (3) State: California-specific mandates including Title 24, Chapter 7A and CAL FIRE’s Fire Hazard Severity Zone mapping; (4) City: local zoning and permitting processes that may exceed state law; (5) IBHS: voluntary, performance-based standards from the Insurance Institute for Business & Home Safety; and (6) Wildland Fires: nonprofit-led climate science, hazard mapping, and fire modeling research that informs adaptive design strategies
The Missing Link: GINGOs, INGOs, and the Fractured Promise of Localization
Full text linkThis thesis examines collaboration gaps between international nongovernmental organizations (INGOs) and grassroots international nongovernmental organizations (GINGOs) in the localization agenda. While humanitarian and development work are often viewed separately, many organizations operate across both areas, shifting between emergency response and long-term engagement. For this research, “localization” refers to efforts aimed at addressing power imbalances and improving collaboration with local actors, especially in small island nations where vulnerabilities and capacities intersect. The study began as a comparative case design across Cabo Verde, Vanuatu, and Comoros but shifted to an explanatory approach after data constraints redirected the scope. Madagascar was added to deepen analysis of localization dynamics.
Using an explanatory approach, the research relied on semistructured interviews with GINGO, local NGO (LNGO), and INGO leaders working in small islands and at regional or global levels. It combined Bourdieu’s (1986) theory of capital and field with postcolonial critiques of development discourse (Escobar, 1995; Kapoor, 2008; Spivak, 1988) to explore how symbolic power, relational trust, and structural inequalities influence collaboration and legitimacy. Network governance theory (Provan & Kenis, 2008) offered perspective emphasizing trust-based coordination and distributed authority. Findings indicate that GINGOs, despite strong community ties and hybrid roles, are mostly excluded from strategic decision-making. INGOs maintain control over funding and agendas, while GINGOs depend on relational capital to gain visibility and access. Efforts toward localization remain mostly rhetorical, hiding persistent hierarchies behind narratives of inclusion. This research calls for collaboration grounded in mutual trust, shared decision-making, and leadership by those closest to affected communities
Impact of temperature on larval mortality and performance of the acorn barnacle Chthamalus fissus in San Diego, CA
Full text linkRising ocean temperatures and increasingly frequent marine heatwaves threaten the physiological performance and survival of marine larvae. This study quantifies the thermal tolerance, respiration, and swimming behavior of Chthamalus fissus cyprid larvae to establish a baseline for understanding their vulnerability under future climate scenarios. Larvae were collected from the Scripps Pier in La Jolla, CA and exposed to a range of temperatures (12–50°C, dependent on the experiment) to assess oxygen consumption, mortality, and swimming speeds. Oxygen consumption rates increased significantly with temperature, peaking at 30°C, with cyprids exposed to temperatures above 26°C showing significantly higher respiration rates than those below this threshold. The median lethal temperature (LT₅₀) was 40.2°C, indicating high acute thermal tolerance. However, swimming behavior declined above 26°C, with cyprids at 40°C exhibiting slower mean swim speeds. These results suggest that while C. fissus cyprids can survive short-term thermal extremes, their performance and potential for successful settlement may be compromised under prolonged or sublethal warming conditions. Future work can observe long term exposure impact of temperature on larval performance, population-level differences, and sublethal stress indicators such as heat shock protein expression to better predict the ecological consequences of local warming scenarios on this foundation species
Comment on Hurd and Moore
No full textIn their essay on “Wrongful Student Speech and Rightful Private University Responses to It,” Professors Heidi Hurd and Michael Moore (hereafter, Hurd & Moore) deepen the discussion by situating it in a general account of moral limits on freedom of expression and by noting connections to some of their own views on moral theory. The result is an excellent primer on freedom of speech, and more than just a primer. Their general views are shown to have plausible implications for tangled questions about what private university administrators ought to do in response to problematic examples of campus protest. That this is so provides some support for their general views.
Hurd & Moore ask all of the right questions as they proceed, and offer many plausible answers. This comment for the most part ignores areas of agreement and focuses on some of their answers that are controversial, and indeed implausible, calling for rejection. These concern matters of general moral theory and basic freedom of expression doctrine. At the end of this comment I offer an illustration of how these disagreements will show up in the analysis and assessment of how private university officials should respond to disruptive, unruly, and wrongful student speech.
This paper is part of a Symposium on “Free Speech Beyond The Constitution” published in 27 Journal of Contemporary Legal Issues (2025)
Ethnic Studies: October 2025
No full textHere are some department updates and a preview of our Spring 2026 course offerings!https://digital.sandiego.edu/ethn-newsletters/1014/thumbnail.jp
Exploring Undergraduate Understanding and Learning of Catholic Social Teaching in Catholic Higher Education
No full textSince the Second Vatican Council in the mid-1960s, Catholic higher education (CHE) has wrestled with its Catholic identity in a changing landscape and changing world (Gallin, 1996, 2000; Gleason, 1995; Morey & Piderit, 2006). A big component of this identity-recognition process is the continued evolution and inclusion of Catholic social teaching (CST) in the educational approach of CHE. Despite its importance, much evidence has suggested CST is underwhelmingly present in the education of contemporary CHE (Beyer, 2021; Galligan-Stierle, 2014; Hudson et al., 2018; Nickerson & Dammer, 2018; Reed-Bouley, 2016; Sullivan & Pagnucco, 2014; United States Conference of Catholic Bishops [USCCB], 2011; Whitmore, 2002). This single-instrument qualitative case study sought to understand how and where undergraduate students with at least 4th-year status learn about CST at a medium-size Catholic university in Southern California called West Coast Catholic University (WCCU), both in the classroom and through extra/cocurricular involvements, as well as to look at the perspectives of these students regarding the integration of CST at the university. This was done by answering the following research questions: (a) How do undergraduate students with at least 4th-year status at a medium-size Catholic university articulate their understanding of Catholic social teaching? (b) How and where do undergraduate students with at least 4th-year status at a medium-size Catholic university learn about Catholic social teaching, if at all, during their time in college? (c) What are the perspectives of undergraduate students with at least 4th-year status at a medium-size Catholic university regarding the integration of Catholic social teaching at the university? Data for this study was collected by distributing an open-ended questionnaire and conducting semistructured interviews. Fifty-two undergraduate students with at least 4th-year status filled out the questionnaire, and 11 of those students were interviewed. The findings revealed that students at WCCU largely had minimal knowledge of CST, they learned about CST in sporadic ways and in optional spaces, there was a perceived limited institutional emphasis of CST at WCCU, and there was the hope to prioritize and integrate CST more at the university. The findings highlighted that as Catholic colleges and universities continue to strengthen their identity in an evolving CHE environment, a focus on the teaching and embodiment of CST will need to be prioritized and embedded more fully in its educational approach
Building Peace from Afar: Women-Led Peacekeeping from the Diaspora (Case Study: Iran)
No full textThis case study examines how young Iranian women, at home and abroad, envision Iran’s futures, their role in change-making and the challenges they face. It shows how their aspirations reflect lived experiences and the limited civic spaces within which they champion change, and the difficult choices they face about leaving or staying, while their visions for Iran’s future transcend current insecurities, offering images of a more equitable society that may inspire meaningful, feminist-led transformation.https://digital.sandiego.edu/ipj-research/1118/thumbnail.jp
Defender la democracia: el liderazgo de las mujeres en la prevención y mitigación de la violencia electoral (Resumen ejecutivo)
No full textDesde 1999, las integrantes de Women Waging Peace han sido cuidadosamente seleccionadas para formar parte de una red mundial única en su género que trabaja para poner fin a los ciclos de violencia. Con más de 1000 mujeres promotoras de paz de más de 56 países y más de 30 áreas de especialización en la construcción de la paz, la red impulsa enfoques basados en datos empíricos para construir sociedades más inclusivas y pacíficas. La red está auspiciada por el Instituto Kroc para la Paz y la Justicia.
El informe anual Women Waging Peace sirve de guía para los responsables políticos y los financiadores, y se basa directamente en las recomendaciones y prioridades de las mujeres promotoras de paz de todo el mundo. Estas conclusiones han sido aportadas por promotoras de paz de distintos países, contextos de conflicto, tipos de trabajo de construcción de paz, de edades, orientaciones sexuales, niveles educativos, discapacidades y situaciones migratorias. Este informe aprovecha las perspectivas y experiencias de 106 mujeres promotoras de paz de 43 países para identificar las prioridades de construcción de la paz para 2025, reflexionar sobre los retos y logros de 2024 y ofrecer las siguientes recomendaciones sobre cómo los socios internacionales pueden apoyar mejor a las mujeres promotoras de paz que se dedican a prevenir y mitigar la violencia electoral.https://digital.sandiego.edu/ipj-research/1123/thumbnail.jp