Multiple categorization in resume screening: Examining effects on hiring discrimination against Arab applicants in field and lab settings

Debate exists as to what the more appropriate prediction is regarding the effects of multiple stigmatized group memberships on employment discrimination. The ethnic prominence (EP), multiple minority status (MMS), and subordinate male target hypotheses were assessed for the combined effects of ethnic group membership (Arabic), sex, social status, and job type on hiring evaluations. Two correspondence tests in the field (Study 1) and two experimental studies in the lab (Study 2) and in the field (Study 3) were conducted. Studies 1 and 2 showed evidence for the EP hypothesis when low‐status jobs were tested. The odds for rejection were four times higher for Arab than for Dutch applicants. Applicants' sex, socio‐economic status, and external client contact did not moderate findings (Study 1). The effect of applicants' ethnic group membership was further moderated by raters' motivation to control prejudice (Study 2). Study 3 showed evidence for the MMS hypothesis. We found double jeopardy against Arab women who applied for high‐status jobs when recruiters' prejudice was controlled. Study findings show that discrimination in resume screening may depend upon the particular intersection of applicant, job, and recruiter characteristics. We discussed implications for anonymous resume screening and research on evaluation of applicants possessing multiple stigmatizing characteristics. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

In situ net primary productivity and photosynthesis of Antarctic sea ice algal, phytoplankton and benthic algal communities

Primary production at Antarctic coastal sites is contributed from sea ice algae, phytoplankton and benthic algae. Oxygen microelectrodes were used to estimate sea ice and benthic primary production at several sites around Casey, a coastal area in eastern Antarctica. Maximum oxygen export from sea ice was 0.95 mmol O₂ m⁻² h⁻¹ (~11.7 mg C m⁻² h⁻¹) while from the sediment it was 6.08 mmol O₂ m⁻² h⁻¹ (~70.8 mg C m⁻² h⁻¹). When the ice was present O₂ export from the benthos was either low or negative. Sea ice algae assimilation rates were up to 3.77 mg C (mg Chl-a)⁻¹ h⁻¹ while those from the benthos were up to 1.53 mg C (mg Chl-a)⁻¹ h⁻¹. The contribution of the major components of primary productivity was assessed using fluorometric techniques. When the ice was present approximately 55–65% of total daily primary production occurred in the sea ice with the remainder unequally partitioned between the sediment and the water column. When the ice was absent, the benthos contributed nearly 90% of the primary production.     

Some observations on the terminology in co-operative environmental management

The notion of managing resources in partnership flourishes in natural resources literature. The terms partnership, collaboration, and co-management are associated with co-operative environmental management. Examining issues of definition reveals similarities, differences and, at times, imprecise use of the three terms. The potential for clarity prompts the proposal of a multi-dimensional model of co-operative environmental management. The model consists of three key dimensions. The first dimension reflects the extent power is shared among the actors and agencies involved in the agreement. The second dimension delineates who is involved in the management regime. Process, the final dimension, reflects the variety of ways in which co-management may function or proceed. The presented model highlights dimensions requiring attention by those working within co-operative environmental management. The model is valuable as it reflects the complexity and range of such arrangements in practice.     

Phytoremediation of petroleum hydrocarbons in tropical coastal soils II. microbial response to plant roots and contaminant

Goal, Scope and Background.  The goal of this study was to understand the interaction between plants and microorganisms during petroleum-hydrocarbon bioremediation in Pacific Islands coastal soils. Total bacteria and hydrocarbon-degrading microorganisms population dynamics were examined in the rhizospheres of tropical trees and shrubs, which were evaluated for their phytoremediation potential in a greenhouse experiment. The respective and combined effects of plant roots and diesel contaminant on the microbial populations were determined in relation to diesel fuel depletion. An increase in the size of the hydrocarbon-degrading populations of microbes, elicited by rhizodeposition, is generally regarded as conducive to an enhanced degradation of petroleum hydrocarbon polutants in veaetated soil. Conclusion  The results suggest the quality of the rhizodeposition is plant-dependent and governs the type of diesel-degrader populations that will be enhanced by a given plant. Recommendations and Outlook  In the proposed phytoremediation-benefit model plant roots maintain high levels of hydrocarbon de-graders in uncontaminated soil. When the root enters a contaminated zone of soil, those hydrocarbon degraders that prefer the contaminant would switch to the contaminant as a carbon source, effectively removing the hydrocarbons. If the root exudates and the contaminant are equally attractive to the hydrocarbon degraders, the contaminant degradation would be less effective.     

Integrating Bioassessment and Ecological Risk Assessment: An Approach to Developing Numerical Water-Quality Criteria

Bioassessment is used worldwide to monitor aquatic health but is infrequently used with risk-assessment objectives, such as supporting the development of defensible, numerical water-quality criteria. To this end, we present a generalized approach for detecting potential ecological thresholds using assemblage-level attributes and a multimetric index (Index of Biological Integrity—IBI) as endpoints in response to numerical changes in water quality. To illustrate the approach, we used existing macroinvertebrate and surface-water total phosphorus (TP) datasets from an observed P gradient and a P-dosing experiment in wetlands of the south Florida coastal plain nutrient ecoregion. Ten assemblage attributes were identified as potential metrics using the observational data, and five were validated in the experiment. These five core metrics were subjected individually and as an aggregated Nutrient–IBI to nonparametric changepoint analysis (nCPA) to estimate cumulative probabilities of a threshold response to TP. Threshold responses were evident for all metrics and the IBI, and were repeatable through time. Results from the observed gradient indicated that a threshold was 50% probable between 12.6 and 19.4 g/L TP for individual metrics and 14.8 g/L TP for the IBI. Results from the P-dosing experiment revealed 50% probability of a response between 11.2 and 13.0 g/L TP for the metrics and 12.3 g/L TP for the IBI. Uncertainty analysis indicated a low (typically 5%) probability that an IBI threshold occurred at 10 g/L TP, while there was 95% certainty that the threshold was 17 g/L TP. The weight-of-evidence produced from these analyses implies that a TP concentration > 12–15 g/L is likely to cause degradation of macroinvertebrate assemblage structure and function, a reflection of biological integrity, in the study area. This finding may assist in the development of a numerical water-quality criterion for TP in this ecoregion, and illustrates the utility of bioassessment to environmental decision-making.     

Treatment of contaminated soil with phosphorus and manganese oxide reduces lead absorption by Sprague-Dawley rats

This study was conducted to determine the extent of Pb absorption into young rats (Rattus norvegicus var. Sprague-Dawley) fed untreated Pb-contaminated soil or Pb-contaminated soil treated with two different sources of P and P + Mn oxide. Data were compared from an in vitro, physiologically based extraction test (PBET) with the animal data to support the validity of the in vitro test to assess bioavailable Pb from a treated Pb-contaminated soil. Soil with a total Pb concentration of 2290 mg kg(-1) was used. Rats were fed 19 different test diets for 21 consecutive days. The test diets represented 95 g AIN93G rat meal kg(-1) diet with varying proportions of silica sand or soil to provide low, medium, or high doses of Pb from either Pb acetate, treated, or untreated soil. Blood, liver, kidney, and bone Pb concentrations were examined. For all four tissues, Pb concentrations for the Pb acetate groups were significantly higher than concentrations for all the soil groups. In general, either triple superphosphate (TSP) or phosphate rock (PR) treatments resulted in significant reductions in tissue Pb concentrations compared with untreated soil. Blood and kidney Pb concentrations for the PR + Mn oxide group were significantly lower than those of the PR group at the low and high doses. Relative bioavailability of Pb, as measured in all tissues, was significantly reduced when comparing untreated with amended soil. Correlation between the in vitro and in vivo tests, based on bone and liver tissue, showed that the in vitro test is successful at predicting Pb bioavailability.     

Adsorption of cadmium on biosolids-amended soils

Debate exists over the biosolid phase (organic or inorganic) responsible for the reduction in phytoavailable Cd in soils amended with biosolids as compared with soils amended with inorganic salts. To test the importance of these two phases, adsorption isotherms were developed for soil samples (nine biosolids-amended soils and their five companion controls) and two biosolids samples from five experimental sites with documented histories of biosolids application. Subsamples were treated with 0.7 M NaClO to remove organic carbon. Cadmium nitrate was added to both moist soil samples and their soil inorganic fractions (SIF) in a 0.01 M Ca(NO3)2 solution at three pH levels (6.5, 5.5, and 4.5), and equilibrated at 22 +/- 1 degrees C for at least 48 h. Isotherms of Cd adsorption for biosolids-amended soil were intermediate to the control soil and biosolids. Decreasing pH did not remove the difference between these isotherms, although adsorption of Cd decreased with decreasing pH level. Organic matter removal reduced Cd adsorption on all soils but had little influence on the observed difference between biosolids-amended and control soils. Thus, increased adsorption associated with biosolids application was not limited to the organic matter addition from biosolids; rather, the biosolids application also altered the adsorptive properties of the SIF. The greater affinity of the inorganic fraction of biosolids-amended soils to adsorb Cd suggests that the increased retention of Cd on biosolids-amended soils is independent of the added organic matter and of a persistent nature.     

Modeling postfire conifer mortality for long-range planning

A model is presented for predicting mortality of conifers after wildfire. The model requires stand data inputs and is linked with a mathematical fire behavior model that calculates fireline intensity. Fraction of crown volume killed is calculated for each species in a stand based on mensurational data. Duration of lethal heat at the base of trees is calculated from fuel consumption and burning time values. Fraction of crown volume killed and the ratio of critical time for cambial kill to duration of lethal heat are independent variables in a function that calculates probability of mortality. The model produces reasonable estimates of stand mortality for fire and site characteristics found in the northern Rocky Mountains, USA. It has a broad resolution appropriate for use in fire management planning and has potential applications for coniferous forests throughout the United States.     

Nest sanitation through defecation: antifungal properties of wood cockroach feces

The wood cockroach Cryptocercus punctulatus nests as family units inside decayed wood, a substrate known for its high microbial load. We tested the hypothesis that defecation within their nests, a common occurrence in this species, reduces the probability of fungal development. Conidia of the entomopathogenic fungus, Metarhizium anisopliae, were incubated with crushed feces and subsequently plated on potato dextrose agar. Relative to controls, the viability of fungal conidia was significantly reduced following incubation with feces and was negatively correlated with incubation time. Although the cockroach's hindgut contained abundant β-1,3-glucanase activity, its feces had no detectable enzymatic function. Hence, these enzymes are unlikely the source of the fungistasis. Instead, the antifungal compound(s) of the feces involved heat-sensitive factor(s) of potential microbial origin. When feces were boiled or when they were subjected to ultraviolet radiation and subsequently incubated with conidia, viability was “rescued” and germination rates were similar to those of controls. Filtration experiments indicate that the fungistatic activity of feces results from chemical interference. Because Cryptocercidae cockroaches have been considered appropriate models to make inferences about the factors fostering the evolution of termite sociality, we suggest that nesting in microbe-rich environments likely selected for the coupling of intranest defecation and feces fungistasis in the common ancestor of wood cockroaches and termites. This might in turn have served as a preadaptation that prevented mycosis as these phylogenetically related taxa diverged and evolved respectively into subsocial and eusocial organizations.     

Changes in soil respiration across a chronosequence of tallgrass prairie reconstructions

Close relationships among climatic factors and soil respiration (R_s) are commonly reported. However, variation in R_s across the landscape is compounded by site-specific differences that impede the development of spatially explicit models. Among factors that influence R_s, the effect of ecosystem age is poorly documented. We hypothesized that R_s increases with grassland age and tested this hypothesis in a chronosequence of tallgrass prairie reconstructions in central Iowa, U.S.A. We also assessed changes in root biomass, root ingrowth, aboveground net primary productivity (ANPP), and the strength of soil temperature and moisture in predicting R_s. We found a significant increase in total growing season R_s with prairie age (R² = 0.79), ranging from 714 g C m^?2 in the youngest reconstruction (age 4) to 939 g C m^?2 in the oldest prairie (age 12). Soil temperature was a strong predictor of intra-seasonal R_s among prairies (R² = 0.78–0.87) but mean growing season soil temperature and moisture did not relate to total R_s. The increase in R_s with age was positively correlated with root biomass (r = 0.80) and ANPP (r = 0.87) but not with root ingrowth. Our findings suggest that growing season R_s increases with tallgrass prairie age, root biomass, and ANPP during young grassland development.