DNA barcoding and metabarcoding reveal labeling accuracy and species substitution in squid and surimi from Los Angeles markets

Accurate species identification of seafood remains a persistent challenge in local and global marketplaces. This is particularly true for processed products that obscure diagnostic features. Here, we conduct a dual-molecular investigation into frozen squid and imitation crab products sold at American, Asian, and Hispanic grocery stores in Los Angeles, California, to assess label integrity under current U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA) guidance. Forty-eight squid samples from 13 retailers underwent DNA barcoding and yielded high percentage matches to 10 species across six genera. Despite broad labeling as ‘squid’, all samples matched FDA Acceptable Market Names with a 0 % mislabeling rate. In contrast, DNA metabarcoding of 43 imitation crab products revealed an average of six detected species per sample, with only 72 % of samples containing at least one package listed seafood ingredient. Gadus chalcogrammus (Alaska pollock) and Doryteuthis gahi (Patagonian squid) were the most frequently detected species, with the former often included as a listed ingredient and the latter never listed. 95 % of imitation crab products contained at least one undeclared species, including detection of endangered shark species and squid species prone to illegal fishing. Our results illustrate a high labeling fidelity for single species packaged squid, yet a discrepancy between legal labeling allowances and actual product composition for blended species surimi. Based on our findings, we encourage refining and the addition of routine DNA-based surveillance of blended seafood products to improve labeling credibility, consumer confidence, and supply chain integrity

The Tale of Two Forests: Oak Management in Memphis’s Urban Forested Natural Areas

Management for oak (Quercus spp.) recruitment is difficult for many urban forested natural area managers (Piana et al., 2021a). A common theme in species composition of urban forested natural areas is dominance of oaks in the overstory with little to no oak regeneration (Pregitzer et al., 2019; Fahey et al., 2012). Developing urban silvicultural techniques that promote oak restoration that are also feasible at varying scales and socially acceptable has presented a challenge to managers (Piana et al., 2021b). The Memphis Botanic Garden and Overton Park Conservancy are combining their management and research efforts to improve understanding and management of oak recruitment in urban forested natural areas of the region

The Distance Between Us

The Distance Between Us examines the long-distance relationship between Grace and Henry through voicemails between the two while they are away at school. This short play, inspired by The Last Five Years, tells this couple\u27s story on opposite timelines. The only time their calls connect is in the middle, when brutal honesty and the reality of their situation forces them to ask themselves: is the distance proving to be too much

The AI Con: How to Fight Big Tech’s Hype and Create the Future We Want

Dr. Alex Hanna is Director of Research at the Distributed AI Research Institute (DAIR). A sociologist by training, her work centers on the data used in new computational technologies, and the ways in which these data exacerbate racial, gender, and class inequality. She also works in the area of social movements, focusing on the dynamics of anti-racist campus protest in the US and Canada. She holds a BS in Computer Science and Mathematics and a BA in Sociology from Purdue University, and an MS and a PhD in Sociology from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Is artificial intelligence going to take over the world? Have big tech scientists created an artificial lifeform that can think on its own? Is it going to put authors, artists, and others out of business? Are we about to enter an age where computers are better than humans at everything?The answer to these questions, we respond: is “no,” “they wish,” “LOL,” and “definitely not.” This kind of thinking is a symptom of a phenomenon known as “AI hype.” Hype looks and smells fishy: It twists words and helps the rich get richer by justifying data theft, motivating surveillance capitalism, and devaluing human creativity in order to replace meaningful work with jobs that treat people like machines. In this talk, I discuss our book The AI Con, (coauthored with Dr. Emily M. Bender), which offers a sharp, witty, and wide-ranging take-down of AI hype across its many forms. We show you how to spot AI hype, how to deconstruct it, and how to expose the power grabs it aims to hide. Armed with these tools, you will be prepared to push back against AI hype at work, as a consumer in the marketplace, as a skeptical newsreader, and as a citizen holding policymakers to account. Together, we expose AI hype for what it is: a mask for Big Tech’s drive for profit, with little concern for who it affects. This session is moderated by Courtney Block and Frans Albarillo.https://digitalcommons.lmu.edu/irdl-speakerseries-2025/1000/thumbnail.jp

Standing Before the ICJ: A Novel Framework for Erga Omnes Partes

This paper explores the concept of legal standing before the International Court of Justice (“ICJ” or “the Court”) in contentious cases and the legal theories that states may invoke to establish their entitlement to submit claims relating to specific subject matters. The concept of standing in international law requires a party to demonstrate a sufficient legal interest in the subject matter of their case. Three primary theories potentially provide such an interest for states parties to multilateral treaties: legal injury from the respondent state’s violation of an obligation owed to the applicant state, obligations erga omnes partes created by the treaty regime and owed to all parties collectively, and obligations erga omnes derived from general international law and owed to the world community. For erga omnes partes, the paper introduces a novel two-step framework for identifying obligations erga omnes partes under multilateral treaties, requiring (1) ascertaining the treaty’s core object and purpose and (2) evaluating whether the underlying treaty mechanics reflect a “common interest” in the object and purpose shared by all states parties. Applying this framework across various treaties, the paper illustrates treaties that clearly possess a common interest versus those where such interest is questionable or absent. The analysis highlights the importance of the ICJ not overexpanding the doctrine of erga omnes partes to avoid deterring multilateral treaty participation and ensure the continued fairness and legitimacy of international adjudication

Balancing Employee Voice, Coaching, and Termination: An Ignatian Lens on Managing with Respect and Dignity

In attending a Jesuit university as a Management and Leadership major, I have wondered: How do Ignatian principles, such as maintaining respect and dignity for others, intersect with managerial roles in the real world? This led to my research questions 1) Where do employee voice and coaching intersect with Ignatian management and leadership principles? 2) Would managers’ use of Ignatian principles within a performance improvement process either prevent the need to terminate an employee or at least create a termination process that helps employees to experience a sense of respect and dignity? 3) Are managers who received a Jesuit education more likely to terminate employees with respect and dignity than those who have not? I began with a literature review, developed these research questions and an interview script, and then interviewed five managers. I focused on the limited management literature that analyzes Ignatian values and principles within management and leadership. I identified overlaps with the employee voice literature. Thus suggesting that when managers provide coaching, performance management, and consider alternatives such as reassignment before reaching the decision to terminate, an employee can experience more positive outcomes related to their well-being and fair treatment. Additionally, manager interviews suggested that their exposure to Ignatian values has, to some extent, informed their management values and priorities. These findings provide current and future managers with an insight on how to incorporate Ignatian principles into their termination process in order to help employees leave the organization knowing their respect and dignity were prioritized