Co-worker Social Support and Organisational Identification: does ethnic self-identification matter?

© 2019, Emerald Publishing Limited. This accepted manuscript is deposited under the Creative Commons Attribution Non-commercial International Licence 4.0 (CC BY-NC 4.0). Any reuse is allowed in accordance with the terms outlined by the licence, here: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/. To reuse the AAM for commercial purposes, permission should be sought by contacting [email protected] purpose of this paper is to investigate the role of socially supportive relationships between co-workers in fostering organisational identification (OID). Adopting a Social Identity Theory perspective, the study investigates how employees’ ethnic self-identification (ESI) may influence co-worker social support (CWSS)–OID relationship depending on whether they are indigenes or non-indigenes.Design/methodology/approachRegression analysis was used to examine the relationship between CWSS (independent variable) and OID (dependent variable) at different levels of ESI (moderator variable). Data were collected from 1,525 employees from public and private employers in Nigeria.FindingsFindings supported a positive relationship between CWSS and OID that is moderated by an employee’s ESI. Specifically, the study finds that ESI matters in the strength of CWSS–OID relationship such that the relationship is weaker for indigenes compared to non-indigenes.Practical implicationsAs organisations develop policies that increase the representation of various ethnic groups or other forms of social identities at work, there is need to create an environment that fosters socially supportive relationships among co-workers.Originality/valueThis study contributes to the literature by adding a level of boundary conditions to the overall findings that workplace relationships are important for OID. The study also addresses how employees of different ethnic groups are influenced by the ethnicity of the context prevailing where an organisation is located.Peer reviewedFinal Accepted Versio

Postcondition-preserving fusion of postorder tree transformations

Tree transformations are commonly used in applications such as program rewriting in compilers. Using a series of simple transformations to build a more complex system can make the resulting software easier to understand, maintain, and reason about. Fusion strategies for combining such successive tree transformations promote this modularity, whilst mitigating the performance impact from increased numbers of tree traversals. However, it is important to ensure that fused transformations still perform their intended tasks. Existing approaches to fusing tree transformations tend to take an informal approach to soundness, or be too restrictive to consider the kind of transformations needed in a compiler. We use postconditions to define a more useful formal notion of successful fusion, namely postcondition-preserving fusion. We also present criteria that are sufficient to ensure postcondition-preservation and facilitate modular reasoning about the success of fusion

Serotoninergic control of adrenal zona glomerulosa function

A clearer understanding of the physiological mechanisms controlling aldosterone secretion is likely to be of major importance in appreciating the significance of the abnormalities found in patients with conditions such as essential hypertension.Although angiotensin II, adrenocorticotrophic hormone (ACTH) and potassium are considered to be the major physiological regulators of aldosterone secretion, serotonin (5-hydroxytryptamine, 5HT) is a potent stimulus for aldosterone secretion both in vivo and in vitro in man and the rat. However, the physiological and pathophysiological role of serotonin in the control of mineralocorticoid secretion remains unclear. Unlike the cardiovascular and central nervous system (CNS), where specific serotonin receptors have been identified and categorised into the 5HT-|a, 5HT-ib. 5HTic, 5HTich 5HT2 and 5HT3 sub-types, specific receptors for serotonin in the adrenal zona glomerulosa and the second messenger system to which they are coupled, have yet to be formally characterised. To resolve this, the effects of the selective serotonin receptor antagonists ketanserin (5HT2), methysergide (5HT1/2). mesulergine (5HT-|C/2), cyanopindolol (5HT1 a/ib) and ICS 205/930 (5HT3) have been studied on the aldosterone response to serotonin in isolated rat adrenal zona glomerulosa cells. The specificity of the antagonists was also investigated by observing the effects of the drugs on the aldosterone response to angiotensin II, ACTH and potassium. The signal transduction mechanism for serotonin in the zona glomerulosa was studied by measuring cyclic AMP and phosphatidylinositol (PI) turnover and comparing the results with those of angiotensin II and ACTH, which act through phospholipase C and adenylate cyclase respectively. In addition, the role of calcium was investigated using the chelating agent EGTA, the calcium channel inhibitors verapamil and nifedipine, the intracellular calcium channel blocker TMB-8, and the calmodulin antagonist trifluoperazine (TFP). Transmembrane calcium flux in response to serotonin was also studied directly by radiolabelled calcium influx experiments.Serotonin produced a dose-dependent increase in cyclic AMP and aldosterone secretion, whilst PI turnover was unaffected. The cyclic AMP and aldosterone responses to serotonin were inhibited by mesulergine, methysergide and ketanserin. The aldosterone response to angiotensin II, but not ACTH or potassium, was also inhibited by these antagonists. Cyanopindolol and ICS 205/930 produced a small inhibition of serotonin stimulated aldosterone and cyclic AMP secretion, but had no effect on the aldosterone response to the other agonists. The presence of EGTA, verapamil, nifedipine, TMB-8 and TFP also significantly inhibited aldosterone secretion in response to serotonin. Radiolabelled calcium influx was stimulated by serotonin and this could be blocked by verapamil.In addition to the in vitro studies, two in vivo studies were also carried out. The effect of acute serotonin enhancement was studied in rats with indwelling arterial cannulae. This experimental model avoided the use of anaesthetics which can activate the renin-angiotensin system (RAS). Plasma aldosterone was measured prior to and after administration of the immediate precursor to serotonin, 5-hydroxytryptophan (5HTP). Aldosterone was elevated 45 minutes after administration of 5HTP, and this could be blocked, though not completely, by pretreatment with both dexamethasone and captopril. The inhibitory effect of captopril could be reversed by co-administration of angiotensin II. The effect of chronic serotonin enhancement on adrenal zona glomerulosa growth was studied in rats given 5HTP for periods of up to 2 weeks. 5HTP increased the width of the zona glomerulosa, although the effect was less than that observed with sodium depletion. No changes were detected in plasma renin activity (PRA), angiotensin II, corticosterone or aldosterone and the trophic effect could not be reversed by chronic treatment with captopril or dexamethasone.In conclusion, the aldosterone response to serotonin in the zona glomerulosa appears to be mediated predominantly by 5HT₁꜀ / 5HT₂ like receptors which modulate the steroid response to angiotensin II and, in contrast to other serotonin responsive tissues, couple to the adenylate cyclase second messenger system, in addition, influx of extracellular calcium, which may act cooperatively with cyclic AMP to activate the cascade mechanism resulting in steroidogenesis, is necessary for the action of serotonin. In vivo it appears that a number of different mechanisms mediate the acute and chronic actions of serotonin. Acutely, serotonin activates the hypothalamo-pituitary adrenal axis and the renin-angiotensin system, both of which require to be intact for the full aldosterone response, although angiotensin II appears to act purely in a permissive capacity. It is also likely that there is a direct action of serotonin on the adrenal cortex. In contrast, chronic serotonin enhancement has no effect on the renin-angiotensin system, the hypothalamo-pituitary adrenal axis or steroidogenesis, although zona glomerulosa growth is stimulated, most probably by a direct action of serotonin, although the possibility that serotonin could stimulate the production of another growth factor(s), cannot be excluded at this stage. Therefore, chronically, there appears to be an "escape" from continued mineralocorticoid augmentation by an as yet unidentified mechanism.The specific interaction between serotonin, the angiotensin II receptor, the renin-angiotensin system and the hypothalamo-pituitary adrenal axis may be important regulatory components of mineralocorticoid secretion, and any disturbance in this fine balance may lead to alterations in steroid secretion. Further studies are required to investigate more fully the importance of serotonin in the physiology and pathophysiology of the adrenal cortex

How many Formula One races would it take to raise the temperature of the Earth by 1°C?

This paper investigates the number of Formula One races it would take to raise the Earth’s global temperature by one degree Celsius. This was done by calculating the carbon dioxide emissions of a Formula One Grand Prix and then comparing it to carbon dioxide ppm levels and corresponding global temperatures. It was calculated that 6.54x10¹⁰ races would need to take place to raise the temperature of the Earth by 1°C, which is the equivalent of 3,100,000,000 years

“Mirror Organization: Toward Establishing a Link between Representative Bureaucracy and Employee Ownership Perception

Public sector organizations within multi-ethnic settings are facing the challenge of ethnic tension. One of the measures adopted globally to mitigate these tensions in the public sector is the implementation of representative bureaucracies that mirror ethnic composition within society. Although this measure has been successful to some extent, studies suggest that there is increasing tension arising from ethnic discrimination. This review paper charts a new course in psychological ownership perception and representative bureaucracy theories by attempting to establish a link between ethnic representation and employee’ ownership perception. Propositions based on a critical review of existing literature are presented to enable further empirical investigations

ACTH and polymorphisms at steroidogenic loci as determinants of aldosterone secretion and blood pressure

The majority of genes contributing to the heritable component of blood pressure remain unidentified, but there is substantial evidence to suggest that common polymorphisms at loci involved in the biosynthesis of the corticosteroids aldosterone and cortisol are important. This view is supported by data from genome-wide association studies that consistently link the CYP17A1 locus to blood pressure. In this review article, we describe common polymorphisms at three steroidogenic loci (CYP11B2, CYP11B1 and CYP17A1) that alter gene transcription efficiency and levels of key steroids, including aldosterone. However, the mechanism by which this occurs remains unclear. While the renin angiotensin system is rightly regarded as the major driver of aldosterone secretion, there is increasing evidence that the contribution of corticotropin (ACTH) is also significant. In light of this, we propose that the differential response of variant CYP11B2, CYP11B1 and CYP17A1 genes to ACTH is an important determinant of blood pressure, tending to predispose individuals with an unfavourable genotype to hypertension