Hiring and Learning in Online Global Labor Markets

This paper uses data from freelancer.com – an online platform that allows employers and freelancers to search for, and match with, each other – to study the effect of freelancers’ country of origin on their likelihood to be hired. Having to rely on a relatively small number of characteristics, employers use the freelancer’s country of origin to infer the expected service’s quality. This setting also allows me to document how employers’ experience in past hires affects their behavior in current hires. I find that freelancers from developing countries are less likely to be hired when they have no individual reputation, and as individual reputation becomes better this country effect disappears. I show that following a good match with a freelancer, employers are more likely to hire freelancers from the good match’s country. These these findings are consistent with statistical – rather than purely taste-based – discrimination

The large-scale removal of mammalian invasive alien species in Northern Europe

Peer reviewedPublisher PD

Seasonal changes in a sandy beach fish assemblage at Canto Grande, Santa Catarina, South Brazil

Copyright © 2004 Coastal Education and Research Foundation (CERF).Neste trabalho realizaramse amostragens, com uma rede de praia, de modo a estudar a comunidade de peixes de substrato arenoso na enseada de Canto Grande, Santa Catarina, Brasil. As amostragens realizaramse em intervalos de 3 horas durante períodos de 24 h, numa base bimensal, entre Abril de 1996 e Fevereiro de 1997. Verificouse existir uma variação sazonal no número de espécies, densidade de peixes e biomassa, tendo os valores mais elevados ocorrido em Fevereiro (38 espécies, 257.6 peixes 1000 mˉ², 2286.4 g 1000 mˉ²). Recolheuse um total de 67 espécies, pertencentes a 56 géneros e a 33 famílias, sendo a comunidade dominada por sete espécies pertencentes a três famílias: Atherinella brasiliensis (Atherinidae); Brevoortia pectinata, Harengula clupeola e Sardinella brasiliensis (Clupeidae); Anchoviella lepidontostole, Cetengraulis edentulus e Lycengraulis grossidens (Engraulidae). Tanto a diversidade de espécies (H′) como a equitabilidade (J′) foram médias a elevadas ao longo do ano devido à baixa dominância. A maior mudança na estrutura da comunidade ocorreu entre os meses de Inverno (Julho e Agosto) e as outras estações. Nenhuma das espécies dominantes pode ser classificada como residente. Os principais predadores foram Pomatomus saltator (Inverno) e Trichiurus lepturus (Verão). A maior parte das espécies observadas foram ou peixes juvenis ou espécies pelágicas de pequeno tamanho e fortemente gregárias.ABSTRACT: A shallow-water fish assemblage, over a soft, sandy bottom, at Canto Grande, Santa Catarina, Brazil, was sampled with a beach seine. Sampling was undertaken at 3 h intervals over 24 h on a bimonthly basis between April 1996 and February 1997. There was a seasonal variation in the number of species, density of fishes and biomass with the highest values in February (38 species, 257.6 fish 1000 mˉ², 2286.4 g 1000 mˉ²). A total of 67 species, belonging to 56 genera and 33 families were collected and the assemblage was dominated by seven species belonging to three families: Atherinella brasiliensis (Atherinidae); Brevoortia pectinata, Harengula clupeola and Sardinella brasiliensis (Clupeidae); Anchoviella lepidontostole, Cetengraulis edentulus and Lycengraulis grossidens (Engraulidae). Species diversity (H′) and equitability (J′) were medium to high throughout the year due to the low dominance. The largest change in the assemblage structure occurred between winter months (July and August) and the other seasons. None of the dominant species can be classified as a resident. Main predators were Pomatomus saltator (winter) and Trichiurus lepturus (summer). Most of the species observed were either juvenile fish or small pelagic and strongly gregarious species

Risk management to prioritise the eradication of new and emerging invasive non-native species

Robust tools are needed to prioritise the management of invasive non-native species (INNS). Risk assessment is commonly used to prioritise INNS, but fails to take into account the feasibility of management. Risk management provides a structured evaluation of management options, but has received little attention to date. We present a risk management scheme to assess the feasibility of eradicating INNS that can be used, in conjunction with existing risk assessment schemes, to support prioritisation. The Non-Native Risk Management scheme (NNRM) can be applied to any predefined area and any taxa. It uses semi-quantitative response and confidence scores to assess seven key criteria: Effectiveness, Practicality, Cost, Impact, Acceptability, Window of opportunity and Likelihood of re-invasion. Scores are elicited using expert judgement, supported by available evidence, and consensus-building methods. We applied the NNRM to forty-one INNS that threaten Great Britain (GB). Thirty-three experts provided scores, with overall feasibility of eradication assessed as ‘very high’ (8 species), ‘high’ (6), ‘medium’ (8), ‘low’ (10) and ‘very low’ (9). The feasibility of eradicating terrestrial species was higher than aquatic species. Lotic freshwater and marine species scored particularly low. Combining risk management and existing risk assessment scores identified six established species as priorities for eradication. A further six species that are not yet established were identified as priorities for eradication on arrival as part of contingency planning. The NNRM is one of the first INNS risk management schemes that can be used with existing risk assessments to prioritise INNS eradication in any area

Using structured eradication feasibility assessment to prioritize the management of new and emerging invasive alien species in Europe

Prioritizing the management of invasive alien species (IAS) is of global importance and within Europe integral to the EU IAS regulation. To prioritize management effectively, the risks posed by IAS need to be assessed, but so too does the feasibility of their management. While the risk of IAS to the EU has been assessed, the feasibility of management has not. We assessed the feasibility of eradicating 60 new (not yet established) and 35 emerging (established with limited distribution) species that pose a threat to the EU, as identified by horizon scanning. The assessment was carried out by 34 experts in invasion management from across Europe, applying the Non‐Native Risk Management scheme to defined invasion scenarios and eradication strategies for each species, assessing the feasibility of eradication using seven key risk management criteria. Management priorities were identified by combining scores for risk (derived from horizon scanning) and feasibility of eradication. The results show eradication feasibility score and risk score were not correlated, indicating that risk management criteria evaluate different information than risk assessment. In all, 17 new species were identified as particularly high priorities for eradication should they establish in the future, whereas 14 emerging species were identified as priorities for eradication now. A number of species considered highest priority for eradication were terrestrial vertebrates, a group that has been the focus of a number of eradication attempts in Europe. However, eradication priorities also included a diverse range of other taxa (plants, invertebrates and fish) suggesting there is scope to broaden the taxonomic range of attempted eradication in Europe. We demonstrate that broad scale structured assessments of management feasibility can help prioritize IAS for management. Such frameworks are needed to support evidence‐based decision‐making

Genome-wide Analyses Identify KIF5A as a Novel ALS Gene

To identify novel genes associated with ALS, we undertook two lines of investigation. We carried out a genome-wide association study comparing 20,806 ALS cases and 59,804 controls. Independently, we performed a rare variant burden analysis comparing 1,138 index familial ALS cases and 19,494 controls. Through both approaches, we identified kinesin family member 5A (KIF5A) as a novel gene associated with ALS. Interestingly, mutations predominantly in the N-terminal motor domain of KIF5A are causative for two neurodegenerative diseases: hereditary spastic paraplegia (SPG10) and Charcot-Marie-Tooth type 2 (CMT2). In contrast, ALS-associated mutations are primarily located at the C-terminal cargo-binding tail domain and patients harboring loss-of-function mutations displayed an extended survival relative to typical ALS cases. Taken together, these results broaden the phenotype spectrum resulting from mutations in KIF5A and strengthen the role of cytoskeletal defects in the pathogenesis of ALS.Peer reviewe

Outcomes from elective colorectal cancer surgery during the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic

This study aimed to describe the change in surgical practice and the impact of SARS-CoV-2 on mortality after surgical resection of colorectal cancer during the initial phases of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic