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

Culture, Cognition, and Collaborative Networks in Organizations

This article examines the interplay of culture, cognition, and social networks in organizations with norms that emphasize cross-boundary collaboration. In such settings, social desirability concerns can induce a disparity between how people view themselves in conscious (i.e., deliberative) versus less conscious (i.e., automatic) cognition. These differences have implications for the resulting pattern of intra-organizational collaborative ties. Based on a laboratory study and field data from a biotechnology firm, we find that (1) people consciously report more positive views of themselves as collaborative actors than they appear to hold in less conscious cognition; (2) less conscious collaborative–independent self-views are associated with the choice to enlist organizationally distant colleagues in collaboration; and (3) these self-views are also associated with a person’s likelihood of being successfully enlisted by organizationally distant colleagues (i.e., of supporting these colleagues in collaboration). By contrast, consciously reported collaborative–independent self-views are not associated with these choices. This study contributes to our understanding of how culture is internalized in individual cognition and how self-related cognition is linked to social structure through collaboration. It also demonstrates the limits of self-reports in settings with strong normative pressures and represents a novel integration of methods from cognitive psychology and network analysis.PsychologySociolog

Prediction & Survival Rate Prostate Cancer Patient using Artificial Neural Network

Prostate cancer is that starts in the prostate gland. The prostate is a small, walnut sized structure that makes up part of a man’s reproductive system. It wraps around the urethra, the tube that carries urine out of the body. Prostate cancer is the most common cause of death from cancer in men over age 75. Prostate cancer is rarely found in men younger than 40.Current method of screening for prostate cancer carried out through blood test& presence of high PSA lead to a high percentage of false positive result which can be reduced by employing intelligent Artificial Neural Networks. The main aim of our research paper and the parallel undertaking of its practical implementation is to develop a mathematical model to improve prostate cancer detection and staging system and finally to present a deploy ready marketable solution based on the model which can be installed across various screening, centers,hospital and research organization

DETAILED STUDY ON THERAPEUTIC PROPERTIES, USES AND PHARMACOLOGICAL APPLICATIONS OF SAFFLOWER (CARTHAMUS TINCTORIUS L.)

Safflower (Carthamus tinctorius L.) belongs to the family Asteraceae. Safflower has been grown mainly for orange-red dye (carthamin) extracted from its flower used in food coloring and flavoring. Safflower seed oil is highly rich in linoleic acid (unsaturated fatty acid) which makes it highly suitable for human consumption. The whole plant of C. tinctorius possesses many pharmacological activities like antifibrosis, antidiabetic, antitumour, anti-inflammatory, hepatoprotective, antihperlipidemic, anticoagulant, and antioxidant activities. Regardless of it numerous uses, this crop is under the category of minor and neglected crop, therefore additional research work is required for its commercialization. The present review critically deals with botanical description, distribution, classification, uses, pharmacological activities and chemical constituents present in safflower

Social Capital Activation during Times of Organizational Change

This dissertation contributes to our understanding of how people build and use social capital – resources embedded in social relations – in organizational settings. Whereas the extant literature has tended to focus on the structure of interpersonal networks within organizations and the link to various indicators of individual attainment, this dissertation instead uncovers the dynamics of network action. I tackle two central questions: (1) During times of organizational change, how do organizational actors use the social resources accessible to them by virtue of their position in the structure? and (2) What organizational interventions can help people forge valuable new connections in the workplace? Core to this investigation is the concept of social capital activation – that is, the conversion of latent social ties into active relationships. Three empirical studies illuminate different facets of social capital activation during commonly experienced forms of organizational change: (1) an organizational restructuring; (2) large-scale transformations that create individual-level threat or opportunity; and (3) the introduction of a novel employee cross-training program. Because organizational change is often accompanied by significant shifts in resources and power, network activation choices in these periods can have significant consequences for individual attainment and organizational performance. I draw on unique data from three disparate settings – a global information services firm; a large health care organization; and a software development lab based in Beijing, China. Multiple research methods, including a large panel data set of archived electronic communications, qualitative interviews, experimental studies conducted with samples of working professionals, and a longitudinal field experiment, are used to identify how organizational actors marshal social resources through individual-level network activation choices. Findings from these studies contribute to research on: (1) organizational social capital; (2) the structural dynamics of organizational change; (3) ascriptive inequality in organizations; (4) cognition and social networks; and (5) workplace practices and network change

Anorectal balloon cell melanoma: a rare variant

Balloon cell melanoma is a rare presentation of malignant melanoma, usually on the skin, with less than 100 cases reported. Mucosal BCM is even rarer, with only one case of anorectal BCM reported in English literature. The diagnosis is based on the histopathologic findings of a tumor composed of large, foamy melanocytes, with or without pigmentation, and confirmed by immunohistochemical studies showing expression for melanocytic markers. The foam cell appearance of the tumor cells and the lack of melanin pigment lead to a diagnostic dilemma, mostly when presented at an unusual location. Herein, we report a case of balloon cell melanoma at the anorectal junction in a 73-year-old male patient complaining of constipation and bleeding per rectum. Surgical resection was performed with no evidence of recurrence after three years of close follow-up. We believe this case will raise awareness among the medical community to consider this tumor a differential diagnosis in rectal masses

IN VITRO ACCUMULATION OF CADMIUM CHLORIDE IN PAPAYA SEEDLING AND ITS IMPACT ON PLANT PROTEIN

Background: Carica papaya has wide range of applications in traditional medicine. It has high nutritional content and various medical applications. Objectives: In the present study, changes have been observed at the morphological, biochemical, antioxidation and protein level in Carica papaya L variety Pusa Dwarf by accumulation of cadmium chloride in vitro. Material and methods: Plants were treated with different concentrations (20ppm, 40ppm, 60ppm and 80ppm) of cadmium chloride, and examined changes in growth and protectively induced oxidative stress in relation to heavy metal in three weeks old seedlings. Protein profiling by SDS-PAGE was done to study the influence of severe heavy metal stress in Carica papaya L. variety Pusa Dwarf leaf and root explants. Result: Plant seedlings showed decrease in morphological characteristics like plant height, root and shoot length in response to increasing concentrations of heavy metal stress. Similarly carbohydrate content decreased in both leaves and roots while chlorophyll pigments (a+b) increased in leaf explants. Proline and polyphenolic compounds showed an increase in stressed plants compared to control. Conclusions: Plants undertake many adaptive mechanisms for their survival under metal stress which includes morphological as well as biochemical characters. Proline and polyphenolic compounds indicate the presence of excellent antioxidative ingredients to protect the induced by free radicals. Plant protein profiling supports the effect of heavy metal stress in papaya

What is cultural fit? From cognition to behavior (and back)

How people fit into social groups is a core topic of investigation across multiple sociological subfields, including education, immigration, and organizations. In this chapter, we synthesize findings from these literatures to develop an overarching framework for conceptualizing and measuring the level of cultural fit and the dynamics of enculturation between individuals and social groups. We distinguish between the cognitive and behavioral dimensions of fitting in, which previous work has tended to either examine in isolation or to conflate. Reviewing the literature through this lens enables us to identify the strengths and limitations of unitary—that is, primarily cognitive or primarily behavioral—approaches to studying cultural fit. In contrast, we develop a theoretical framework that integrates the two perspectives and highlights the value of considering their interplay over time. We then identify promising theoretical pathways that can link the two dimensions of cultural fit. We conclude by discussing the implications of pursuing these conceptual routes for research methods and provide some illustrative examples of such work.Published version2021-09-3