98047 research outputs found
Sort by
Two novel SNPs rs1736952 and rs17354984 are highly associated with uveitis in ankylosing spondylitis
No full textBackground:
Noninfectious anterior uveitis shares genetic factors, including HLA-B27, with ankylosing spondylitis (AS). The aim of this study was to identify significant single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) associated with noninfectious anterior uveitis in AS patients, which may help predict help predict the risk of developing this condition and provide deeper insights into its genetic basis.
Methods:
A genome-wide association study (GWAS) was conducted using the genomic data of 468 AS patients, including 90 with noninfectious anterior uveitis and 378 without it, from the Taiwan Precision Medicine Initiative. This study identified relevant genes using SnpXplorer and developed a polygenic risk score (PRS) model to identify AS patients with an increased risk of noninfectious anterior uveitis. Biological pathways were analyzed via Enrichr-KG and various databases.
Results:
GWAS revealed two novel SNPs, rs1736952 and rs17354984, with p values <5 × 10−8, and 74 SNPs with p values <1 × 10−4. The associated genes were involved mainly in antigen presentation, interferon signaling, immune regulation pathways, ciliary movement, and neurodegeneration. An optimal PRS model was constructed using 19 SNPs, achieving an area under the curve (AUC) of 0.907.
Conclusion:
Our results revealed that two novel and significant SNP loci, rs1736952 and rs17354984, are strongly associated with noninfectious anterior uveitis in patients with AS. However, their roles in uveitis and other immune disorders warrant further investigation.補正完畢TW
Medical potential of indegenous medicinal plants in the Central Highland of Vietnam
No full text補正完畢國際Ho Chi Minh, VietnamVN
Co-Production as a Driver of Promotive and Prohibitive Voice Through Positive Affect and Creative Self-Efficacy in Professional Sport Organizations
No full textObjectives:
Professional sport organizations operate in dynamic, high-stakes environments where employees’ discretionary voices, promotive suggestions and prohibitive warnings, critically influence innovation, operational efficiency, and stakeholder satisfaction. Drawing on Social Cognitive Theory (SCT) and Service-Dominant Logic (SDL), this study examines how employee co-production influences positive affect, creative self-efficacy, and promotive and prohibitive voice behaviors. We aim to identify the affective and cognitive pathways linking co-production to these distinct forms of voice and to determine which antecedents are necessary and sufficient for their emergence.
Theoretical Background and Literature Review:
SCT highlights how mastery experiences and observational learning build the psychological resources necessary for proactive behavior, while SDL reconceptualizes employees as active value co-creators whose voluntary contributions of ideas, knowledge, and effort become integral to service and operational processes. Integrating these perspectives, we propose that co-production, voluntary collaboration in service and operational processes, directly engenders two internal states: positive affect (pleasurable emotions) and creative self-efficacy (belief in one’s innovative capacity). Positive affect broadens cognitive flexibility and fosters resilience, while creative self-efficacy sustains persistence and initiative. These affective and cognitive resources are hypothesized to drive promotive voice (constructive suggestions) and prohibitive voice (risk-related concerns) in professional sport contexts.
Methodology:
We surveyed 243 full-time employees from 17 professional sport organizations. Constructs were measured via validated scales (Ranjan & Read, 2016; Diener et al., 2010; Paek et al., 2022; Liang et al., 2012). Partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) was used to test hypothesized relationships. Combined importance–performance map analysis (cIPMA), which integrates importance–performance map analysis and necessary condition analysis (NCA), was then applied to assess the relative importance, performance, and minimum thresholds of antecedents in predicting promotive and prohibitive voice behaviors.
Results/Findings and Discussion:
PLS-SEM showed that co-production positively predicted positive affect (β = 0.288, p < 0.001), creative self-efficacy (β = 0.239, p < 0.001), promotive voice (β = 0.268, p < 0.001), and prohibitive voice (β = 0.211, p < 0.01). Positive affect enhanced creative self-efficacy (β = 0.435, p < 0.001) but did not directly affect voice behaviors. Creative self-efficacy was the sole direct driver of both promotive (β = 0.421, p < .001) and prohibitive voice (β = 0.410, p < 0.001). cIPMA identified creative self-efficacy as the most important yet lowest-performing predictor for both voice types. NCA revealed that creative self-efficacy and positive affect must exceed critical thresholds to elicit voice behaviors, with co-production additionally necessary for promotive voice.
Conclusion:
This study advances understanding of voice behavior in professional sport organizations by integrating SCT and SDL to reveal sequential affective–cognitive pathways from co-production to employee voice. Enhancing positive affect and creative self-efficacy above critical thresholds is crucial for fostering both promotive and prohibitive voice, while participatory co-production practices are particularly essential for generating constructive suggestions (i.e., promotive voice). These findings offer sport managers actionable strategies, such as co-creative workshops and affect-supportive feedback, to cultivate psychologically enriching, value-creating climates that encourage discretionary employee communication.補正完畢國際Taipei, TaiwanTW
Dissolution of aluminum hydroxide to provide Al and to neutralize acidity for the removal and recovery of fluoride through cryolite crystallization
No full textDissolution of aluminum hydroxide (Al(OH)3(s)) was investigated for providing Al and at the same time neutralizing the acidity generated in the recovery of fluoride through the crystallization of cryolite. The alkalinity provided by the dissolution of Al(OH)3(s) combined with Na2CO3 reduces the total treatment cost for fluoride recovery by 45%, compared to when other aluminum salts were used. In this study, two types of aluminum hydroxide having different degrees of crystallinity of 61.53% and 25.57%, denoted as crystalline Al(OH)3(s) (CAH) and amorphous Al(OH)3(s) (AAH), respectively, were investigated. The results showed that the dissolution of AAH was very efficient but an excess amount of AAH adsorbed the freshly formed
complexes, impairing the purity of cryolite. On the other hand, the dissolution of the CAH was mostly dependent on the time, the Al dosage, and the initial pH of the solution. Upon reaching equilibrium, the dissolved Al to the initial F molar ratio reached 2/6. With the mixed volume ratio of 1:1 between the raw HF solution and the HF solution being equilibrated with CAH initially, the removal of F reached 96% and the cryolite formation was positively confirmed based on the XRD analysis of the resulting solid.補正完畢TW
The antimicrobial properties of silver nanoparticles in Bacillus subtilis are mediated by released Ag+ ions
No full textThe superior antimicrobial properties of silver nanoparticles (Ag NPs) are well-documented, but the exact mechanisms underlying Ag-NP microbial toxicity remain the subject of intense debate. Here, we show that Ag-NP concentrations as low as 10 ppm exert significant toxicity against Bacillus subtilis, a beneficial bacterium ubiquitous in the soil. Growth arrest and chromosomal DNA degradation were observed, and flow cytometric quantification of propidium iodide (PI) staining also revealed that Ag-NP concentrations of 25 ppm and above increased membrane permeability. RedoxSensor content analysis and Phag-GFP expression analysis further indicated that reductase activity and cytosolic protein expression decreased in B. subtilis cells treated with 10–50 ppm of Ag NPs. We conducted X-ray absorption near-edge structure (XANES) and extended X-ray absorption fine structure (EXAFS) analyses to directly clarify the valence and fine structure of Ag atoms in B. subtilis cells placed in contact with Ag NPs. The results confirmed the Ag species in Ag NP-treated B. subtilis cells as Ag2O, indicating that Ag-NP toxicity is likely mediated by released Ag+ ions from Ag NPs, which penetrate bacterial cells and are subsequently oxidized intracellularly to Ag2O. These findings provide conclusive evidence for the role of Ag+ ions in Ag-NP microbial toxicity, and suggest that the impact of inappropriately disposed Ag NPs to soil and water ecosystems may warrant further investigation.補正完畢US
Antimicrobial effects of zero-valent iron nanoparticles on gram-positive Bacillus strains and gram-negative Escherichia coli strains
No full textBackground
Zero-valent iron nanoparticles (ZVI NPs) have been used extensively for the remediation of contaminated soil and groundwater. Owing to their large active surface area, they serve as strong and effective reductants. However, the ecotoxicity and bioavailability of ZVI NPs in diverse ecological media have not been evaluated in detail and most studies have focused on non-nano ZVI or Fe0. In addition, the antimicrobial properties of ZVI NPs have rarely been investigated, and the underlying mechanism of their toxicity remains unknown.
Results
In the present study, we demonstrate that ZVI NPs exhibited significant toxicity at 1000 ppm against two distinct gram-positive bacterial strains (Bacillus subtilis 3610 and Bacillus thuringiensis 407) but not against two gram-negative strains (Escherichia coli K12 and ATCC11634). Specifically, ZVI NPs caused at least a 4-log and 1-log reductions in cell numbers, respectively, in the two Bacillus strains, whereas no change was detected in the two E. coli strains. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, X-ray absorption near-edge, and extended X-ray absorption fine structure spectra confirmed that Bacillus cells exposed to ZVI NPs contained mostly Fe2O3 with some detectable FeS. This finding indicated that Fe0 nanoparticles penetrated the bacterial cells, where they were subsequently oxidized to Fe2O3 and FeS. RedoxSensor analysis and propidium iodide (PI) staining showed decreased reductase activity and increased PI in both Bacillus strains treated with a high (1000 ppm) concentration of ZVI NPs.
Conclusion
Taken together, these data show that the toxicity of ZVI NPs was derived from their oxidative properties, which may increase the levels of reactive oxygen species and lead to cell death.補正完畢GB