Recent Trends in the Earnings of New Immigrants to the United States

This paper studies long-term trends in the labor market performance of immigrants in the United States, using the 1960-2000 PUMS and 1994-2009 CPS. While there was a continuous decline in the earnings of new immigrants 1960-1990, the trend reversed in the 1990s, with newcomers doing as well in 2000, relative to natives, as they had 20 years earlier. This improvement in immigrant performance is not explained by changes in origin-country composition, educational attainment or state of residence. Changes in labor market conditions, including changes in the wage structure which could differentially impact recent arrivals, can account for only a small portion of it. The upturn appears to have been caused in part by a shift in immigration policy toward high-skill workers matched with jobs, an increase in the earnings of immigrants from Mexico, and a decline in the earnings of native high school dropouts. However, most of the increase remains a puzzle. Results from the CPS suggest that, while average entry wages fell again after 2000, correcting for simple changes in the composition of new immigrants, the unexplained rise in entry wages has persisted.

Disturbance associated with bait-collection for sandprawns (Callianassa kraussi) and mudprawns (Upogebia africana): Long-term effects on the biota of intertidal sandflats

The sandprawn Callianassa kraussi and the mudprawn Upogebia africana are used extensively as fish bait in southern Africa. A holistic analysis of disturbance associated with experimental prawn-collecting was undertaken to determine its repercussions upon the sediment and associated macrofaunal, meiofaunal, microbial and microalgal communities. Patterns of recovery were examined for 18 months following the disturbance. The recovery of both C. kraussi and U. africana was far more protracted than predicted, taking 18 months for completion. Sedimentary compaction, associated with the removal of prawns, could account for these prolonged recoveries. Both C. kraussi and U. africana suffered greater depressions of population densities (ca. 70%) than would have been expected from the proportions removed (ca. 10% and 46% respectively). This suggests that disturbance and sedimentary compaction have greater effects than the removal of sand- and mudprawns per se. One month after the disturbance of C. kraussi, chlorophyll levels increased above control levels and remained elevated for a further 2–3 months. In contrast, the removal of U. africana resulted in nett decreases in chlorophyll levels for approximately one month following the disturbance. A short-lived decline in bacterial numbers was apparent following the removal of C. kraussi but not U. africana. Meiofaunal numbers declined immediately after disturbance of both C. kraussi and U. africana, but this depression was followed by explosive increases and then a return to control levels. The macrofauna was slower to recover and, after initial reductions of numbers, biomass and species richness, still showed signs of depression 18 months after the disturbance. Three response patterns were apparent: species which were immediately reduced by the treatments and were also slow to recover; species which appeared to have their recruitment suppressed relative to the control; and species which were unaffected by the treatment. Only a single macrofaunal species, the hermit crab Diogenes brevirostris, benefited from the disturbance. Similar trends were observed following the harvesting of both C. kraussi and U. africana

Recent Trends in the Earnings of New Immigrants to the United States

This paper studies long-term trends in the labor market performance of immigrants in the United States, using the 1960-2000 PUMS and 1994-2009 CPS. While there was a continuous decline in the earnings of new immigrants 1960-1990, the trend reversed in the 1990s, with newcomers doing as well in 2000, relative to natives, as they had 20 years earlier. This improvement in immigrant performance is not explained by changes in origin-country composition, educational attainment or state of residence. Changes in labor market conditions, including changes in the wage structure which could differentially impact recent arrivals, can account for only a small portion of it. The upturn appears to have been caused in part by a shift in immigration policy toward high-skill workers matched with jobs, an increase in the earnings of immigrants from Mexico, and a decline in the earnings of native high school dropouts. However, most of the increase remains a puzzle. Results from the CPS suggest that, while average entry wages fell again after 2000, correcting for simple changes in the composition of new immigrants, the unexplained rise in entry wages has persisted.

Maternal Yolk Steroids: A Potential Compensatory Mechanism for Red-winged Blackbirds (Agelaius phoeniceus) In North Dakota

Many of the suggested management techniques directed at reducing blackbird breeding populations fail to incorporate the underlying mechanisms regulating populations. Theoretically, removal of individuals from the breeding population should lower the breeding densities and presumably reduce recruitment. However, compensatory responses might occur with decreased breeding densities, but no empirical data are available to test this hypothesis. Much of the underlying compensatory theory is based on differential allocation of resources to reproduction vs. self maintenance at different breeding densities, mainly in the form of depensatory effects of resource limitation on growth and survival. However, as the breeding density in an area changes, social interactions among individuals also change (Whittingham and Schwabl 2002; Pilz and Smith 2004). Recent research has shown maternally derived steroid hormones present in eggs offer a potential compensatory mechanism by which adult social interactions affect offspring growth and survival (Schwabl 1996a; Schwabl 1996b). Gaining insight into the underlying mechanisms regulating red-winged blackbird populations will allow for more effective and efficient management techniques. This study focuses on the effects of density and social interactions on nesting female red-winged blackbirds and the effects of maternally derived yolk steroids on offspring survival

Stock Assessment of Queensland East Coast black jewfish (Protonibea diacanthus), Australia, with data to December 2021

Black jewfish (Protonibea diacanthus) are caught on the east coast of Queensland by commercial, recreational, charter and Indigenous fishers. The fishery is focused around Central Queensland, and has recently experienced a large shift in commercial effort and gear types. The species was historically considered a byproduct species within the inshore net fishery, but has now become a targeted line caught species. In Australia, black jewfish are found from Exmouth Gulf in Western Australia, north and east across Northern Australia, to the east coast of Queensland. Research suggests that stocks cover hundreds of kilometres. This is the first stock assessment of the Queensland East Coast stock. The stock assessment was conducted on calendar years and included input data through to December 2021. Eight model scenarios were run, covering different combinations of recreational dead catch and population steepness (productivity parameter). Base case (preferred) scenario results suggested that biomass declined gradually from the 1940s to the 1980s and has increased slightly since then. The spawning stock level at the beginning of 2022 for base-case scenarios was estimated to be between 56% and 99% with a median estimate of 79%. The estimates from other scenarios ranged from 80% to 92%. Despite high uncertainty around the exact level of biomass, the model outputs indicate that the biomass is probably at or above the target reference point of 60% unfished biomass

Interventions to prevent hypothermia in extremely preterm low-weight infants undergoing cardiac catheterisation

BACKGROUND: In January 2019, a new device called the Amplatzer Piccolo Occluder was approved by the US Food and Drug Administration for percutaneous closure of patent ductus arteriosus in infants weighing more than 700 g and of postnatal age more than 3 days. Premature low-weight infants are predisposed to hypothermia when transported outside of the thermo-neutral environment. At our institution, 90% of extremely preterm low-weight infants developed transient moderate hypothermia in the cardiac catheterisation suite. METHODS: We conducted a study testing multiple hypotheses aimed at preventing hypothermia in the cardiac catheterisation suite. Interventions included increasing ambient room temperature, reducing exposure to cold environment and reducing overall time spent in the remote location. The primary outcome was the proportion of patients who developed transient hypothermia at the start of the procedure in the cardiac catheterisation suite. The secondary measures included mean core body temperature at four different instances, as well as anaesthesia time, procedure time and radiation exposure. RESULTS: During the study period, 10 patients were enrolled in each group. The postintervention group saw a reduction in transient hypothermia from 90% to 40% (absolute risk reduction 50%, p=0.02). Data analysis showed an improvement in mean core body temperature (35.4°C vs 36.4°C, p\u3c0.01) as well as a smaller percentage drop in temperature (4% vs 1.3%, p\u3c0.01) between the two groups, both of which were statistically significant. The anaesthesia time, procedure time and radiation exposure reduced between the two groups. CONCLUSION: The application of the interventions reduced hypothermia in this high-risk population. The implementation of a protocol with collaboration of a multidisciplinary team is indispensable in providing optimal care to extremely preterm infants

Assessing lifetime stressor exposure in sport performers:Associations with trait stress appraisals, health, well-being, and performance

Research has found that greater lifetime stressor exposure increases the risk for mental and physical health problems. Despite this, few studies have examined how stressors occurring over the entire lifespan affect sport performers’ health, well-being, and performance, partly due to the difficulty of assessing lifetime stressor exposure. To address this issue, we developed a sport-specific stress assessment module (Sport SAM) for the Stress and Adversity Inventory (STRAIN) and then analyzed the instrument’s usability, acceptability, validity, and test-retest reliability. Furthermore, we examined whether trait-like tendencies to appraise stressful situations as a challenge or threat mediated the association between lifetime stressor exposure and health, well-being, and performance. Participants were 395 sport performers (M(age) = 22.50 years, SD = 5.33) who completed an online survey. Results revealed that the Sport SAM demonstrated good usability and acceptability, good concurrent validity in relation to the Adult STRAIN (rs = 0.23 to 0.29), and very good test-retest reliability (r(icc) = 0.87 to 0.89). Furthermore, the Sport SAM was significantly associated with symptoms of depression (β = 0.21 to 0.24, ps ≤ .001) and anxiety (β = 0.13 to 0.19, ps ≤ .012), and general physical (β = 0.24 to 0.27, ps = ≤ 0.001) and mental (β = 0.23 to 0.32, p ≤ .001) health complaints. Finally, we found that associations between total lifetime non-sport and sport-specific stressor severity and health were mediated by trait stress appraisals. Consequently, these findings may help practitioners better identify sport performers who are at risk of developing stress-related health problems

Toward Automation of the Supine Pressor Test for Preeclampsia

Preeclampsia leads to increased risk of morbidity and mortality for both mother and fetus. Most previous studies have largely neglected mechanical compression of the left renal vein by the gravid uterus as a potential mechanism. In this study, we first used a murine model to investigate the pathophysiology of left renal vein constriction. The results indicate that prolonged renal vein stenosis after 14 days can cause renal necrosis and an increase in blood pressure (BP) of roughly 30 mmHg. The second part of this study aimed to automate a diagnostic tool, known as the supine pressor test (SPT), to enable pregnant women to assess their preeclampsia development risk. A positive SPT has been previously defined as an increase of at least 20 mmHg in diastolic BP when switching between left lateral recumbent and supine positions. The results from this study established a baseline BP increase between the two body positions in nonpregnant women and demonstrated the feasibility of an autonomous SPT in pregnant women. Our results demonstrate that there is a baseline increase in BP of roughly 10-14 mmHg and that pregnant women can autonomously perform the SPT. Overall, this work in both rodents and humans suggests that (1) stenosis of the left renal vein in mice leads to elevation in BP and acute renal failure, (2) nonpregnant women experience a baseline increase in BP when they shift from left lateral recumbent to supine position, and (3) the SPT can be automated and used autonomously

Inpatient child mortality by travel time to hospital in a rural area of Tanzania.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the association, if any, between child mortality and distance to the nearest hospital. METHODS: The study was based on data from a 1-year study of the cause of illness in febrile paediatric admissions to a district hospital in north-east Tanzania. All villages in the catchment population were geolocated, and travel times were estimated from availability of local transport. Using bands of travel time to hospital, we compared admission rates, inpatient case fatality rates and child mortality rates in the catchment population using inpatient deaths as the numerator. RESULTS: Three thousand hundred and eleven children under the age of 5 years were included of whom 4.6% died; 2307 were admitted from <3 h away of whom 3.4% died and 804 were admitted from ≥ 3 h away of whom 8.0% died. The admission rate declined from 125/1000 catchment population at <3 h away to 25/1000 at ≥ 3 h away, and the corresponding hospital deaths/catchment population were 4.3/1000 and 2.0/1000, respectively. Children admitted from more than 3 h away were more likely to be male, had a longer pre-admission duration of illness and a shorter time between admission and death. Assuming uniform mortality in the catchment population, the predicted number of deaths not benefiting from hospital admission prior to death increased by 21.4% per hour of travel time to hospital. If the same admission and death rates that were found at <3 h from the hospital applied to the whole catchment population and if hospital care conferred a 30% survival benefit compared to home care, then 10.3% of childhood deaths due to febrile illness in the catchment population would have been averted. CONCLUSIONS: The mortality impact of poor access to hospital care in areas of high paediatric mortality is likely to be substantial although uncertainty over the mortality benefit of inpatient care is the largest constraint in making an accurate estimate