Hiring Algorithms in the Canadian Private Sector: Examining the Promise of Greater Workplace Equality

Private-sector employers are increasingly using hiring algorithms as a tool for screening job applicants, comparing qualifications, and ultimately determining which candidates should be selected. Within this context, hiring algorithms make no small promise: a hiring process that is not only more efficient and effective, but also more supportive of workplace equality. This promise rests largely on the notion that traditional human-driven models of hiring are beset by subjective biases and prejudices, whereas hiring algorithms, which are driven by hard data and objective evidence, can eliminate certain human biases and prejudices, thereby promoting workplace equality. But can hiring algorithms deliver on this promise? This article, which focuses on issue identification, argues that while hiring algorithms may, when used carefully, assist in mitigating certain hiring discrimination risks, their capacity to do so is not without limits, and they may in fact introduce certain concerns over systemic discrimination

Joint Analysis of Cluster Observations: II. Chandra/XMM-Newton X-ray and Weak Lensing Scaling Relations for a Sample of 50 Rich Clusters of Galaxies

We present a study of multiwavelength X-ray and weak lensing scaling relations for a sample of 50 clusters of galaxies. Our analysis combines Chandra and XMM-Newton data using an energy-dependent cross-calibration. After considering a number of scaling relations, we find that gas mass is the most robust estimator of weak lensing mass, yielding 15 +/- 6% intrinsic scatter at r500 (the pseudo-pressure YX has a consistent scatter of 22%+/-5%). The scatter does not change when measured within a fixed physical radius of 1 Mpc. Clusters with small BCG to X-ray peak offsets constitute a very regular population whose members have the same gas mass fractions and whose even smaller <10% deviations from regularity can be ascribed to line of sight geometrical effects alone. Cool-core clusters, while a somewhat different population, also show the same (<10%) scatter in the gas mass-lensing mass relation. There is a good correlation and a hint of bimodality in the plane defined by BCG offset and central entropy (or central cooling time). The pseudo-pressure YX does not discriminate between the more relaxed and less relaxed populations, making it perhaps the more even-handed mass proxy for surveys. Overall, hydrostatic masses underestimate weak lensing masses by 10% on the average at r500; but cool-core clusters are consistent with no bias, while non-cool-core clusters have a large and constant 15-20% bias between r2500 and r500, in agreement with N-body simulations incorporating unthermalized gas. For non-cool-core clusters, the bias correlates well with BCG ellipticity. We also examine centroid shift variance and and power ratios to quantify substructure; these quantities do not correlate with residuals in the scaling relations. Individual clusters have for the most part forgotten the source of their departures from self-similarity.Comment: Corrects an error in the X-ray luminosities (erratum submitted)---none of the other results are affected. Go to http://sfstar.sfsu.edu/jaco for an electronic fitter and updated quick data download link

Identity-Related Information Asymmetry: Exploring Responses to the “Faceless Other”

This paper will explore the following core question: What are the various ways in which a known subject may respond to the “faceless other,” and how do we navigate and explain that choice? I will proceed as follows: Parts I and II synthesize the literature on identity and anonymity in conflicts. Part I focuses on understanding the behavior of the “faceless other”, and Part II examines theories as to how the subject responds to the “faceless other.” In Part III, I argue that, when faced with IRIA, we typically adopt one of five common (though often ill-advised) responses. These are by no means exhaustive of the potential responses, but they broadly represent five common reactions to the IRIA dilemma. Which response is preferable will depend on the context of the conflict. Part IV introduces a sixth approach: embracing asymmetry. I will argue that embracing asymmetry is a far less common, but often more fruitful, response. Part V adds a final piece to the puzzle: culture. Part VI provides a conclusion

Assessing Self-Regulation in Grade 1 Writers: An Evaluation of the Reliability and Validity of the Interview on Self-Regulation in Early Writing

Few studies have considered the reliability and validity of the measures used to assess self-regulation in writing. The purpose of the current study was to evaluate the reliability and validity of the Interview on Self-Regulation in Early Writing, a novel task-specific measure designed to assess self-regulation in writing in Grade 1. This eight-item interview was designed to assess the planning, goal setting, strategy, self-statements, self-monitoring, coping, reviewing, and self-reinforcement aspects of self-regulation on separate transcription and composition dimensions. The data from 117 Grade 1 students were used to evaluate inter-rater reliability and the internal consistency of the scale. A principal components analysis (PCA) was used to examine the internal structure of the scale. Discriminant and predictive validity were also assessed. The Interview on Self-Regulation in Early Writing had excellent inter-rater reliability and good internal consistency once unreliable items were removed. The internal structure and discriminate and predictive validity analyses provided support for the validity of this measure. In sum, the current study provided evidence that supported the reliability and validity of the Interview on Self-Regulation in Early Writing. Further, it provided a description of self-regulatory writing behaviours writing in Grade 1 and filled a gap in the literature between content-neutral self-regulation in early childhood and subject-specific self-regulation in later grades

Evolution of the Red Sequence Giant to Dwarf Ratio in Galaxy Clusters out to z ~ 0.5

We analyze deep g' and r' band data of 97 galaxy clusters imaged with MegaCam on the Canada-France-Hawaii telescope. We compute the number of luminous (giant) and faint (dwarf) galaxies using criteria based on the definitions of de Lucia et al. (2007). Due to excellent image quality and uniformity of the data and analysis, we probe the giant-to-dwarf ratio (GDR) out to z ~ 0.55. With X-ray temperature (Tx) information for the majority of our clusters, we constrain, for the first time, the Tx-corrected giant and dwarf evolution separately. Our measurements support an evolving GDR over the redshift range 0.05 < z < 0.55. We show that modifying the (g'-r'), m_r' and K-correction used to define dwarf and giant selection do not alter the conclusion regarding the presence of evolution. We parameterize the GDR evolution using a linear function of redshift (GDR = alpha * z + beta) with a best fit slope of alpha = 0.88 +/- 0.15 and normalization beta = 0.44 +/- 0.03. Contrary to claims of a large intrinsic scatter, we find that the GDR data can be fully accounted for using observational errors alone. Consistently, we find no evidence for a correlation between GDR and cluster mass (via Tx or weak lensing). Lastly, the data suggest that the evolution of the GDR at z < 0.2 is driven primarily by dry merging of the massive giant galaxies, which when considered with previous results at higher redshift, suggests a change in the dominant mechanism that mediates the GDR.Comment: 20 pages, 15 figures. Accepted to MNRA

An Observation of Clostridium perfringens in Greater Sage-Grouse

Mortality due to infectious diseases is seldom reported in the Greater Sage-Grouse (Centrocercus urophasianus). A case of necrotic enteritis associated with Clostridium perfringens type A is described in a free-ranging adult male sage-grouse in eastern Oregon. Clostridial enteritis is known to cause outbreaks of mortality in various domestic and wild birds, and should be considered as a potential cause of mortality in sage-grouse populations.This is the publisher’s final pdf. The published article is copyrighted by Wildlife Disease Association and can be found at: http://www.wildlifedisease.org/wda/PUBLICATIONS/JournalofWildlifeDiseases.aspxKeywords: necrotic enteritis, Greater Sage- Grouse, Clostridium perfringens, Oregon, Centrocercus urophasianusKeywords: necrotic enteritis, Greater Sage- Grouse, Clostridium perfringens, Oregon, Centrocercus urophasianu

\u3ci\u3eParelaphostrongylus odocoilei\u3c/i\u3e in Columbia Black-Tailed Deer from Oregon

Documenting the occurrence of Parelaphostrongylus odocoilei has historically relied on the morphological examination of adult worms collected from the skeletal muscle of definitive hosts, including deer. Recent advances in the knowledge of protostrongylid genetic sequences now permit larvae to be identified. Dorsal-spined larvae (DSLs) collected in 2003–2004 from the lung and feces of six Columbian black-tailed deer (Odocoileus hemionus columbianus) from Oregon were characterized genetically. The sequences from unknown DSLs were compared to those from morphologically validated adults and larvae of P. odocoilei at both the second internal transcribed spacer (ITS-2) of ribosomal DNA and the mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase II gene. We provide the first unequivocal identification of P. odocoilei in Columbian black-tailed deer from Oregon. The broader geographic distribution, prevalence, and pathology of P. odocoilei are not known in populations of Oregon deer

Cosmological formation and chemical evolution of an elliptical galaxy

We aim at studying the effect of a cosmologically motivated gas infall law for the formation of a massive elliptical galaxy in order to understand its impact on the formation of the spheroids. We replace the empirical infall law of the model by Pipino & Matteucci with a cosmologically derived infall law for the formation of an elliptical galaxy. We constrast our predictions with observations. We also compare the obtained results with those of Pipino & Matteucci. We computed models with and without galactic winds: we found that models without wind predict a too large current SNIa rate. In particular, the cosmological model produces a current SNIa which is about ten times higher than the observed values. Moreover models without wind predict a large current SNII rate, too large even if compared with the recent GALEX data. The predicted SNII rate for the model with wind, on the other hand, is too low if compared with the star formation histories given by GALEX. Last but not least, the mean value for the [Mg/Fe] ratio in the dominant stellar population of the simulated galaxy, as predicted by the cosmological model, is too low if compared to observations. This is, a very important result indicating that the cosmological infall law is in contrast with the chemical evolution. A cosmologically derived infall law for an elliptical galaxy cannot reproduce all the chemical constraints given by the observations. The problem resides in the fact that the cosmologically derived infall law implies a slow gas accretion with consequent star formation rate active for a long period. In this situation low [Mg/Fe] ratios are produced for the dominant stellar population in a typical elliptical, at variance with observations.Comment: 8 pages, 6 figures, accepted for publication by A&