The recognition that women are not in a fixed position but are dynamic and active in any of the processes of migration and post-migration adjustment helps us to see the complexity of women's participation in migration. Using life history interviews, three Sri-Lankan womens' migration experiences are examined for the ways in which personal networks were utilized in various phases of the migration process and how social and human capital was transformed in the post-migration adjustment process. Though in some instances the data did not fully support Boyd's (1989) predictions of the ways in which personal networks affect migration, overall, both Boyd's and Kopijn's (1998) statements that social capital is transmitted and transformed in the migration process are supported. The analysis indicates that all three women were successful in their post migration adjustment in that they were able to retain a strong sense of identity while adopting new practices in the United States. / Graduation date: 2004

Corrosion of concrete sewer crowns will cost the County Sanitation Districts of Los Angeles County approximately $150 million for repairs to their deteriorating sewage system. Other parts of the country are experiencing similar problems. Crown corrosion is induced by microbial oxidation of reduced sulfur to sulfuric acid, which attacks the concrete. Bacteria, of the genus Thiobacillus are generally responsible for catalyzing these reactions. Thiobacillicollected from sewers were used to establish stoichiometry and biochemical aspects of sulfide oxidation. Metals inhibition was studied among the same cultures. Thiobacilli collected from extremely corroded sewers possess a greater tolerance for metals than those from lightly corroded areas. Acidophilic isolates grow at greater rates and oxidize sulfide more efficiently than non-acidophiles. Chemical inhibitor studies indicated that S(-II) oxidation is tightly linked to respiration by T. thiooxidans. It is doubtful that initial steps in bacterially catalyzed S(-II) oxidation are linked to oxidative phosphorylation.

Chemical inhibition of acid production by acidophilic thiobacilli was tested using a variety of metals and chelators (alone and in combination) including Hg(II), Ag(I), Co(II), Mo(VI), Cu(II), Zn(II), Cd(II), EDTA and NTA. When tested individually, Hg(II) and Ag(I) showed toxic effects at concentrations of 10-5 M and below; Cd(II), Zn(II) and NTA were noninhibitory at millimolar concentrations. Combination experiments showed both synergistic and antagonistic effects on chemical toxicities. Antagonism was apparent in experiments involving Cu(II)-EDTA, Cu(II)-Fe(III) and Cu(II)-Co(II). Synergism was apparent in experiments involving simultaneous addition of Mo(VI), Cu(II), Co(II) and Zn(II). In general, inhibitors either completely blocked or delayed the onset of acid production. In those cases where delayed reactions were observed, acid production began following an acclimation period on the order of days to weeks. Acclimation and metals speciation experiments suggest that adaptation events are due to biologically dependent changes in inhibitor speciation.

This study attempts to find out the role expectations of the city managers in the policy processes of urban government by using the survey research method. Fourteen managers from Los Angeles , California, and eight managers from Utah selected at random were administered a questionnaire with ten specific statements about a city manager's role in urban· politics. The main hypothesis of the thesis was: The policy role expectations of the city managers in Los Angeles County, California, and in the State of Utah differ because of: 1. the rise of the political boss or the mayor; 2. the discretionary powers given to the city managers; 3. the types of education the city managers have had; 4. the size of the city population; and 5. geographical and environmental differences. The data reveal that these variables , viz., advanced education,mayoral election, the discretionary powers given to the city managers, types of education , and the size of the city population and the differences of geography and environment are crucial factors that affect the role expectations of the city managers in the two areas selected for study. In Los Angeles County, California, the city managers tend to take a strong stand on initiation and participation in policy processes, whereas, in the State of Utah the city managers were content to abide by the mandates of the council. The concept of policy-administration dichotomy did not seem to bother the Los Angeles County city managers and they tended to feel it was out-moded and not practical in a complex situation of today's cities.

In 2010, the L.A. Times newspaper used the test results of Los Angeles County elementary students to assess and rank the elementary teachers. They then published the results on their website. Publicly ranking teachers in this manner has important implications on the careers of the teachers being ranked. It is, therefore, important that any model claiming to rank teachers be as accurate as possible. It seems plausible that a teacher's ability to help a student depends upon that student's prior academic ability. Some teachers might be better at teaching gifted students while others might be better at teaching remedial students. The L.A. Times did not account for this in their model. This paper looks at the results of allowing teacher effect to vary with prior student ability and how that interaction affects the relative rankings of the individual teachers. To assess this, the same Value-Added model the L.A. Times used is employed, with the exception that teacher effect is allowed to vary with the prior abilities of the students. New teacher ranks are then calculated and compared with the ranks calculated by the L.A. Times. The results of this analysis show a relatively small number of rank changes between the two models. In general, allowing teacher effect to vary results in a 5% to 12% change in the rankings of both the Math and Reading teachers relative to the L.A Times model. Other research on the same data has resulted in a 20% to 55% change in the rankings of the Math teachers and a 40% to 65% change in the rankings of the Reading teachers relative to the L.A. Times model. Although ranking teachers is a popular idea for determining the distribution of funding, the model shown in this paper as well as the other models reviewed, illustrate that a change in the model results in a change in the rankings of the teachers. A model that allows teacher effect to vary with prior student ability results in a better model fit than a model that does not. Whether or not this is a good thing is hard to say. Two examples are provided in this paper. One shows a teacher whose rank appears to be artificially inflated by this model and the other shows a teacher whose rank appears to be artificially lowered by this method. Although the fit of the model proposed by this paper is better than the model used by the L.A. Times, it does not result in radical changes in the rankings of the teachers. Rather, it seems that teacher rankings are sensitive to the particular model used and there are countless numbers of valid models. For this reason it is not wise to release such sensitive information to the public. It is probably true that the weak teachers are ranked relatively low in this analysis and that the truly good teachers are ranked relatively high. However, these rankings should only be used as one part of a larger metric to rank teachers and too much weight should not be placed on them for the purposes of rewarding or penalizing teachers due to the sensitivity of the model specification. / text

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My dissertation is an ethnographic analysis of a public high school in Southeast Los Angeles County. My research analyzes three issues that make major contributions to issues of race and gender within anthropology. First, my ethnography examines the linkages between the prison and public education systems. Second, I argue that as a means to control the movement of black bodies on campus, the public education system denies black students access to traditional spaces of black cultural autonomy. Third, I address the manner in which the public education system constructs and reinforces a particular type of deviant black masculinity with respect to black male youth. Building upon the school-to-prison pipeline scholarship, my dissertation examines the micro-processes by which public education as a state structure facilitates the movement of black male bodies into the labyrinth of the prison system. However, departing from the body of literature, I detail how the public education structure is an ideological and pragmatic extension of the organizational logic of prison. / text

The purpose of this study was to examine participants' perceptions on the effectiveness of the "Parents in Partnership" program (PIP) of the Los Angeles County Department of Children and Family Services. Parents in Partnership (PIP) is a collaborative effort between the Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS) and parent partner paraprofessionals toward facilitation of safe reunification and permanency through education, support and mentoring of birth parents. The program's sole goal is the timely and safe reunification of children and their families. Face-to-face interviews were conducted with fourteen participants in the PIP program. Both mentors and mentees were interviewed.

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The objective of this study was to improve treatment provided to multi-cultural families in the welfare system by improving training and awareness in regards to cultural sensitivity.