Airway microbiome-immune crosstalk in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease

Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) has significantly contributed to global mortality, with three million deaths reported annually. This impact is expected to increase over the next 40 years, with approximately 5 million people predicted to succumb to COPD-related deaths annually. Immune mechanisms driving disease progression have not been fully elucidated. Airway microbiota have been implicated. However, it is still unclear how changes in the airway microbiome drive persistent immune activation and consequent lung damage. Mechanisms mediating microbiome-immune crosstalk in the airways remain unclear. In this review, we examine how dysbiosis mediates airway inflammation in COPD. We give a detailed account of how airway commensal bacteria interact with the mucosal innate and adaptive immune system to regulate immune responses in healthy or diseased airways. Immune-phenotyping airway microbiota could advance COPD immunotherapeutics and identify key open questions that future research must address to further such translation

Ecologies of innovation among small and medium enterprises in Uganda as a mediator of entrepreneurial networking and opportunity exploitation

This paper examines the mediating effect of ecologies of innovation on the relationship between entrepreneurial networking and opportunity exploitation among small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in Uganda. The study design was a cross-sectional survey, data were analysed using SPSS and Analysis of Moment Structure on a sample of 228 SMEs. The mediated model provides support for the hypothesis that ecologies of innovation partially mediate the relationship between entrepreneurial networking and opportunity exploitation. This confirms that the presence of ecologies of innovation significantly acts as a conduit in the association between entrepreneurial networking and opportunity exploitation. The practical implications are that opportunity exploitation can be understood and predicted through ecologies of innovation, entrepreneurial networking can also predict opportunity exploitation directly. Business owners and managers need to fully understand and utilise the ecologies of innovation to exploit opportunities effectively. Social implications, a deeper understanding of how entrepreneurial networking and ecologies of innovation affect employee relations will not be fully realised until employers create a platform for rational thinking, creativity and learning about this interaction. This study utilises social network theory to extend the existing research on opportunity exploitation

Journal of Public Procurement : Volume 11 Number 1 Spring 2011

CONTENTS Psychological Climate, Catharsis, Organizational Anomie, Psychological Wellness and Ethical Procurement Behaviour in Uganda's Public Sector J. M. Ntayi, A. Ahiauzu and S. Eyaa Economic and Political Determinants of Public Procurement Corruption in Developing Countries: An Empirical Study from Uganda B. C. Basheka Recent Reforms to Promote Social Responsibility Procurement in East Asian States: A Comparative Analysis D. S. Jones Examining the Merits of Municipal Police Contracting R. W. Schwester A Detailed Analysis of the Relationship between Contract Administration Problems and Contract Types B. Davison and R. J. Sebastianiv, 126 hlm.; 23 cm