A brief social-belonging intervention in the workplace: evidence from a field experiment

Brief interventions that strengthen an individual’s sense of social belonging have been shown to improve outcomes for members of underrepresented, marginalized groups in educational settings. This paper reports insights based on an attempt to apply this type of intervention in the technology sector. Adapting a social-belonging intervention from educational psychology, we implemented a quasi-random field experiment, spanning twelve months, with 506 newly hired engineers (24% female) in the R&D function of a west coast technology firm. We did not find a statistically significant effect of the treatment on a core attainment outcome—bonus relative to base salary—that exhibited a significant gender gap, with women receiving proportionally lower bonuses than men. We did not find anticipated gender gaps in promotion rates or social network centrality, and we also did not find a statistically significant effect of the treatment for women on these outcomes. Drawing on meaningful differences between educational versus workplace settings, we identify four theoretical moderators that might influence the efficacy of social-belonging interventions adapted from educational settings into the workplace. Finally, based on the limitations of our study design, we provide four recommendations that future researchers might adopt.Accepted manuscrip

Developing a QFD-Based design-integrated structural analysis methodology

This thesis was submitted for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy and awarded by Brunel University.Design of the mechanical components greatly depends on their expected structural performances. In modern design applications these performances are quantified by computer-based analysis and occasionally confirmed by experimental measurements or theoretical calculations. The dependency of the mechanical product to the structural analysis process is more significant under the product’s multi-functionality aspect that requires analyses for a variety of Variable Input Parameters, to obtain various structural responses and against more than one failure or design criterion. Structural analysis is known as the expert field, which requires an upfront investment and facilitation to be implemented in commercial design environment. On the other hand, the product design process is a systematic and sequential activity that put the designer in the central role of decision making. Lack of mutual understanding between these two disciplines reduces the efficiency of the structural analysis for design. This research aims to develop an integrated methodology to embed the structural analysis in the design process. The proposed methodology in this research combines the benefits of state-of-the-art approaches, early simulation and Validation and Verification practice, towards the specified aim. Moreover the novelty of the proposed methodology is in creative implication of Quality Function Deployment method to include the product’s multi-functionality aspect. The QFD-Based Design Integrated Structural Analysis methodology produces a reliable platform to increase the efficiency of the structural analysis process for product design purpose. The application of this methodology is examined through an industrial case-study for the telescopic cantilever boom, as it appears in Access platforms, and Cranes products. Findings of the case-study create a reliable account for the structural performance in early stages of the design, and ensure the functionality of the proposed methodology.This research programme was funded by KTP organisation

A parametric multiclass Bayes error estimator for the multispectral scanner spatial model performance evaluation

The author has identified the following significant results. The probability of correct classification of various populations in data was defined as the primary performance index. The multispectral data being of multiclass nature as well, required a Bayes error estimation procedure that was dependent on a set of class statistics alone. The classification error was expressed in terms of an N dimensional integral, where N was the dimensionality of the feature space. The multispectral scanner spatial model was represented by a linear shift, invariant multiple, port system where the N spectral bands comprised the input processes. The scanner characteristic function, the relationship governing the transformation of the input spatial, and hence, spectral correlation matrices through the systems, was developed

A New Species of the Rare Genus Anguillonema Fuchs, 1938 (Nematoda: Hexatylina, Sphaerularioidea) with Its Molecular Phylogenetic Study

Abstract: Anguillonema amolensis n. sp. is described and illustrated based on its morphological, morphometric, and molecular characters. The new species is characterized by its 575 to 820 mm long and wide body (body width at vulva = 30 to 59 mm), irregularly ventrally curved after fixation, five to six lines in lateral fields, 6.0 to 7.5 mm long stylet with small rounded knobs, pharynx lacking median bulb, pharyngo-intestinal junction anterior to nerve ring and excretory pore, females with monodelphic-prodelphic reproductive system, 15 to 19 mm long conical tail with broad rounded tip, and males absent. The new species is compared with two known species of the genus, Anguillonema poligraphi and A. crenati. Molecular phylogenetic studies of the new species using partial sequences of small subunit (SSU) rDNA revealed that it forms a clade with an unidentified nematode species and two species of the genus Howardula. In phylogenetic analyses using partial sequences of the 28S rDNA (D2-D3 segment), the new species formed a monophyletic group with species belonging to two genera Howardula and Parasitylenchus

Image watermarking based on the space/spatial-frequency analysis and Hermite functions expansion

International audienceAn image watermarking scheme that combines Hermite functions expansion and space/spatial-frequency analysis is proposed. In the first step, the Hermite functions expansion is employed to select busy regions for watermark embedding. In the second step, the space/spatial-frequency representation and Hermite functions expansion are combined to design the imperceptible watermark, using the host local frequency content. The Hermite expansion has been done by using the fast Hermite projection method. Recursive realization of Hermite functions significantly speeds up the algorithms for regions selection and watermark design. The watermark detection is performed within the space/spatial-frequency domain. The detection performance is increased due to the high information redundancy in that domain in comparison with the space or frequency domains, respectively. The performance of the proposed procedure has been tested experimentally for different watermark strengths, i.e., for different values of the peak signal-to-noise ratio (PSNR). The proposed approach provides high detection performance even for high PSNR values. It offers a good compromise between detection performance (including the robustness to a wide variety of common attacks) and imperceptibility