VIRTUAL LEARNING NETWORKS IN SMALL TOURISM BUSINESSES A THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK

Much of tourism development is predicated on the successful working of organisations and their competitive alignment in the form of partnerships or networks. Specifically, national and international research studies acknowledge the importance of small firm network-centred learning, where an integral part of this learning process is the complete network of relationships of the small firm owner-manager. Despite their importance in the context of small business development, networks, both physical and virtual, have been relatively neglected as an area of academic study, particularly in the tourism context. This paper focuses on virtual learning networks (VLN) among small tourism businesses, and seeks to establish a conceptual frame within which VLNs can be studied from a small firm perspective. A comprehensive review of the literature on VLNs is presented, drawing from traditional learning theories and their adoption into a virtual standpoint. The review also draws from networking philosophy and relational capital domains. Previous research suggests a number of factors including collaboration, trust, and reciprocity as indicators for the building of social capital in order to increase participation levels among network members. The approach to learning, its theories and behavioural analysis are a predominant focus in the examination of existing literature. A conceptual framework is presented identifying the elements (trust, commitment and reciprocity) necessary for building social capital as a means for effective collaboration among members within a small firm virtual network. The research goal is to suggest factors for consideration by managers and national support agencies (including Fáilte Ireland in the tourism context) when establishing small business virtual networking operations. Further research includes the operationalisation of this conceptual model in the Irish tourism sector

Identification of seven new prostate cancer susceptibility loci through a genome-wide association study

Prostate cancer (PrCa) is the most frequently diagnosed male cancer in developed countries. To identify common PrCa susceptibility alleles, we have previously conducted a genome-wide association study in which 541, 129 SNPs were genotyped in 1,854 PrCa cases with clinically detected disease and 1,894 controls. We have now evaluated promising associations in a second stage, in which we genotyped 43,671 SNPs in 3,650 PrCa cases and 3,940 controls, and a third stage, involving an additional 16,229 cases and 14,821 controls from 21 studies. In addition to previously identified loci, we identified a further seven new prostate cancer susceptibility loci on chromosomes 2, 4, 8, 11, and 22 (P=1.6×10−8 to P=2.7×10−33)

Mapping the human genetic architecture of COVID-19

The genetic make-up of an individual contributes to the susceptibility and response to viral infection. Although environmental, clinical and social factors have a role in the chance of exposure to SARS-CoV-2 and the severity of COVID-191,2, host genetics may also be important. Identifying host-specific genetic factors may reveal biological mechanisms of therapeutic relevance and clarify causal relationships of modifiable environmental risk factors for SARS-CoV-2 infection and outcomes. We formed a global network of researchers to investigate the role of human genetics in SARS-CoV-2 infection and COVID-19 severity. Here we describe the results of three genome-wide association meta-analyses that consist of up to 49,562 patients with COVID-19 from 46 studies across 19 countries. We report 13 genome-wide significant loci that are associated with SARS-CoV-2 infection or severe manifestations of COVID-19. Several of these loci correspond to previously documented associations to lung or autoimmune and inflammatory diseases3,4,5,6,7. They also represent potentially actionable mechanisms in response to infection. Mendelian randomization analyses support a causal role for smoking and body-mass index for severe COVID-19 although not for type II diabetes. The identification of novel host genetic factors associated with COVID-19 was made possible by the community of human genetics researchers coming together to prioritize the sharing of data, results, resources and analytical frameworks. This working model of international collaboration underscores what is possible for future genetic discoveries in emerging pandemics, or indeed for any complex human disease