How breaking a sweat affects mood: The mediating role of self-efficacy between physical exercise and emotion regulation ability.

OBJECTIVE: This study investigates the association between physical exercise and emotion regulation abilities among college students, introducing self-efficacy as a mediating variable to analyze the pathway mechanism through which physical exercise affects emotion regulation abilities. METHODS: A cross-sectional study design was employed, utilizing a stratified random sampling method to survey three colleges in Jiangsu Province, China. Physical Activity Rating Scale, Physical Activity Self-efficacy Scale, and Emotional Intelligence Scale were used to measure the college student population. Regression analysis and mediation tests assessed whether self-efficacy mediates the relationship between physical exercise and college students' emotion regulation abilities. A total of 5,430 valid questionnaires were collected. RESULTS: The distribution of college students' physical activities was 77.0% for low, 13.1% for medium, and 9.3% for high levels. Physical activities were significantly and positively correlated with self-efficacy and emotional management abilities (r = 0.298,0.105;P<0.01), and self-efficacy was significantly and positively correlated with emotional management abilities (r = 0.322, P<0.01). Situational motivation and subjective support under self-efficacy were 0.08 and 0.255, respectively, and the adjusted R2 was 0.107. Self-efficacy played a fully mediating role between physical activities and emotional management abilities, with a total effect value of 0.032. The values of the direct and indirect effects were 0.003 and 0.029, accounting for 8.95% and 90.74% of the total effect, respectively. CONCLUSION: The physical exercise behavior of college students is primarily characterized by low intensity. Physical exercise among college students can positively predict their ability to regulate emotions. Self-efficacy fully mediates the relationship between physical exercise and emotion regulation ability among college students. College students can indirectly influence their ability to regulate emotions through physical exercise and self-efficacy.

Influence of physical exercise on negative emotions in college students: chain mediating role of sleep quality and self-rated health.

Background: Negative emotions in college students are a significant factor affecting mental health, with suicide behaviors caused by negative emotions showing an annual increasing trend. Existing studies suggest that physical exercise is essential to alleviate negative feelings, yet the intrinsic mechanisms by which it affects negative emotions have not been fully revealed. Objective: Negative emotions in college students represent a significant issue affecting mental health. This study investigates the relationship between physical exercise and negative emotions among college students, incorporating sleep quality and self-rated health (SRH) as mediators to analyze the pathway mechanism of how physical exercise affects students' negative emotions. Methods: A cross-sectional study design was utilized, employing online questionnaires for investigation. The scales included the Physical Activity Rating Scale-3 (PARS-3), the Depression Anxiety Stress Scales-21 (DASS-21), the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), and the 12-Item Short Form Health Survey (SF-12), resulting in the collection of 30,475 valid questionnaires, with a validity rate of 91%. Chain mediation tests and Bootstrap methods were applied for effect analysis. Results: The proportions of university students engaged in low, medium, and high levels of physical exercise were 77.6, 13.1, and 9.3%, respectively. The proportions of students experiencing "very severe" levels of stress, anxiety, and depression were 4.5, 10.9, and 3.6%, respectively. Physical exercise was significantly positively correlated with self-rated health (r = 0.194, p < 0.01), significantly negatively correlated with sleep quality (r = -0.035, p < 0.01), and significantly negatively correlated with stress, anxiety, and depression (r = -0.03, p < 0.01; r = -0.058, p < 0.01; r = -0.055, p < 0.01). Sleep quality was significantly negatively correlated with self-rated health (r = -0.242, p < 0.01). Mediation effect testing indicated that sleep quality and self-rated health partially mediated the relationship between physical exercise and negative emotions, with total effect, total direct effect, and total indirect effect values of -1.702, -0.426, and - 1.277, respectively. Conclusion: College students primarily engage in low-intensity physical activity. Sleep quality and self-rated health mediate the impact of physical exercise on students' negative emotions. A certain level of physical activity can directly affect students' emotional states and indirectly influence their negative emotions via sleep and self-rated health. Regular engagement in physical activities primarily positively impacts emotional states by enhancing mood stability and overall emotional resilience.

Influence of moderate-to-high intensity physical activity on depression levels: a study based on a health survey of Chinese university students.

OBJECTIVE: The study aims to examine how moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) affects the severity of depression symptoms among Chinese college students. Additionally, it seeks to analyze the mediating mechanisms involving self-rated health and general self-efficacy. METHODS: The study utilized data from the 2023 Chinese College Health Tracking Survey and employed multiple linear regression and structural equation modeling techniques to investigate the impacts of MVPA on depression levels and its underlying mediating mechanisms among college students. The primary cohort comprised 49,717 enrolled college students from 106 universities in China. RESULTS: A total of 41,620 valid questionnaires were collected (response rate: 83.7%), with females accounting for 58.6%. In the past month, approximately 30.2% of college students engaged in MVPA. Self-rated health (B = - 0.282, P < 0.001) and general self-efficacy (B = - 0.133, P < 0.001) significantly influenced college students' depression scores. Even after controlling for other variables, participating in MVPA remained significantly associated with reduced depression scores (B = - 0.062, P = 0.002). The results of the structural equation model showed that MVPA not only directly decreased college students' depression scores but also indirectly reduced the likelihood of depression occurrence by improving their physical health status and general self-efficacy. CONCLUSION: The lack of physical activity among Chinese college students is evident. Engaging in MVPA can reduce the likelihood of depression among college students. MVPA achieves this reduction by enhancing college students' general self-efficacy and improving their physical health. The factors influencing depression levels among college students are multifaceted. For future interventions targeting college students' mental health, comprehensive approaches that incorporate behavioral and psychological factors should be emphasized.

Stress events and stress symptoms in Chinese secondary school students: gender and academic year characteristics of the relationship.

Objective: To explore the relationship between stress events and stress symptoms and their gender and academic year characteristics in Chinese secondary school students. Methods: 4,995 secondary school students were investigated by the Adolescent Self-rating Life Events Checklist (ASLEC) and the Calgary Symptoms of Stress Inventory (C-SOSI). Results: First, there were significant differences in all dimensions and total scores of stress events and stress symptoms between boys and girls in secondary school and between junior high school students and senior high school students. Second, the dimensions and total scores of stress events in secondary school students are positively correlated with the dimensions and total scores of stress symptoms. Third, the influence of punishment on the stress symptoms of secondary school boys is the most obvious, and the influence of punishment, adaption, relationship stress, and learning stress on the stress symptoms of secondary school girls is the most obvious. The influence of punishment on the stress symptoms of junior high school students is the most obvious, and the influence of punishment and relationship on the stress symptoms of senior high school students is the most obvious. Conclusion: Stress events and stress symptoms of Chinese secondary school students have significant differences in gender and academic year. The same stress event has different influence mechanisms on the stress symptoms of Chinese secondary school students of different genders and different academic years.

The relationship between fundamental motor skills and physical fitness in preschoolers: a short-term longitudinal study.

Purpose: Physical fitness and fundamental motor skills are two important aspects for the healthy development of preschoolers. Despite the growing interest in clarifying their relationship, the scarcity of longitudinal studies prevents us from understanding causality. Method: This study employed a cross-lagged model with two time points to investigate the bidirectional relationship between these two aspects. A total of 174 preschoolers (54.0% girls) from 3 to 6 years old (M = 3.96 ± 0.47) were surveyed, they were recruited by convenience from two kindergartens in Beijing, China, and their physical fitness (via CNPFDSM-EC) and fundamental motor skills (via TGMD-3) were tracked over a period of 6 months. Results: The findings revealed a bidirectional predictive effect. The predictive strength of flexibility was found to be lower than other physical fitness aspects, while locomotor skills demonstrated a higher predictive strength than object control skills. Conclusion: This study indicates that physical fitness and fundamental motor skills mutually enhance each other in young children, and both should be emphasized in preschool sports education.

Could parental awareness of DBR influence youth off-campus sports? Test of a conditional process model.

BACKGROUND: The "Double Reduction" policy published in China provides a new opportunity to increase youth sports. Based on the perspective of parents' influence on their children, this study aimed to explore the impact of parental awareness of the "Double Reduction" policy on youth off-campus sports. METHODS: This study was conducted empirically through a nationwide sample survey to analyze the relationship between parental awareness of the "Double Reduction" policy, parental education anxiety, and parental attitudes toward children's participation in sports and youth off-campus sports to construct and verify a conditional process model. RESULTS: Parental awareness of the "Double Reduction" policy had a significant positive impact on their children's off-campus sports (ß = 0.103, SE = 0.018, P < 0.01), but had a significant negative impact on parental education anxiety (ß = -0.305, SE = 0.032, P < 0.01) which showed a significant negative effect on their children's off-campus sports (ß = -0.114, SE = 0.011, P < 0.01) and played a significant intermediary role between parental awareness of the "Double Reduction" policy and children's off-campus sports (ß = 0.031, 95%CI: 0.020 ~ 0.044). All dimensions of parental education anxiety showed different characteristics with only academic achievement anxiety (ß = 0.034, 95%CI: 0.021 ~ 0.047), parent-child interaction anxiety (ß = 0.027, 95%CI: 0.014 ~ 0.038), and learning attitude anxiety (ß = 0.024, 95%CI: 0.015 ~ 0.033) presenting significant mediating effects. The interaction between parental education anxiety and parental attitudes toward children's sports significantly positively impacted youth off-campus sports (ß = 0.008, SE = 0.001, P < 0.01). The moderating role of parental attitudes toward their children's participation in off-campus sports, indicating it was significant (95%CI: 0.005 ~ 0.011) along the pathway of parental awareness of the "Double Reduction" policy to parental education anxiety to youth off-campus sports. CONCLUSIONS: Parental awareness of the "Double Reduction" policy has a positive impact on youth off-campus sports. Parents' anxiety about their children's academic achievement, parent-child interaction anxiety, and learning attitude anxiety mediate in the process model. Parental attitudes toward sports can magnify the relationship between their education anxiety and youth off-campus sports.

The impact of COVID-19 on students' anxiety and its clarification: a systematic review.

Introduction: Since the emergence of COVID-19 in 2019, every country in the world has been affected to varying degrees. Long-term psychological pressure and anxiety will inevitably damage the physical and mental health of students. This study aimed to examine the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on students who experienced stress and anxiety and to clarify which intervention was more effective. Methods: A comprehensive literature search was conducted between January 2020 and December 2022 using online databases such as PubMed, Web of Science, Scopus, and Google Scholar by using the following keywords in combination: "COVID-19," "stress," "anxiety," "depression," and "intervention." The retrieved literature was screened and reviewed. Results: A total of 2,924 articles were retrieved using subject and keyword searches. After screening through the titles and abstracts, 18 related studies were retained. Their review revealed that: (1) most studies did not use medication to control stress and anxiety; (2) the standard methods used to reduce stress and anxiety were religion, psychological counseling, learning more about COVID-19 through the media, online mindfulness courses, improving sleep quality, and physical exercise; (3) the most effective interventions were physical activity and raising awareness about COVID-19 through the media and online mindfulness programs. However, some studies show that physical activity cannot directly relieve psychological stress and anxiety. Conclusion: Limited interventions are effective, but learning more about COVID-19 and using active coping strategies may help reduce stress and anxiety. The implications of COVID-19 are also discussed.

Mechanism and implications of pro-nature physical activity in antagonizing psychological stress: the key role of microbial-gut-brain axis.

Appropriate physical activities and a biodiversity-rich environment are conducive to the relief of psychological stress, and pro-nature physical activities are a combination of the two, which has good application potential in antagonizing psychological stress, but the intervention mechanism is still unclear. The microbiota-gut-brain axis is cyclically associated with psychological stress, and psychological stress can affect the microbiota through the gut-brain pathway, and conversely, the microbiota can also affect the psychological stress-induced symptoms. It is suggested that the microbe-gut-brain axis may provide a new perspective and target for the treatment of psychological stress-related diseases. Pro-nature physical activity can improve the number of Firmicutes, short-chain fatty acids, Akkermansia bacteria, and the gut-brain barrier and further affect the HPA axis, BDNF, and serotonin pathways of gut-brain two-way communication, thereby maintaining the body's homeostasis and reducing antagonistic psychological stress. According to the comprehensive influence of physical activities on the microbiota-gut-brain axis, a "green + exercise prescription hypothesis" in line with the holistic medical concept is revealed, which is expected to be effective in the prevention, alleviation, and treatment of irritable bowel syndrome and neurodegenerative diseases. It provides new means for treating psychological stress-related diseases such as mental disorders and mood disorders. In addition, it enlightens the construction of green infrastructure that is conducive to the diversified contact of microorganisms in outdoor physical activities venues and induces healthy interaction between the human body and the microbial population in the natural ecology. However, the current research is still in its early stages, and the intervention effect and mechanism of pro-nature physical activities need further demonstration in the future.

Effects of wildfire disturbance on forest soil microbes and colonization of ericoid mycorrhizal fungi in northern China.

Wildfires affect forest succession and restoration by changing the community structure of soil microorganisms. Mycorrhizal formation is essential for plant growth and development. However, the driving mechanism of their natural succession after wildfire is still unclear. In this study, we examined the community structure of soil bacteria and fungi along a time series of natural recovery after wildfires in the Greater Khingan Range of China (2020 fires, 2017 fires, 2012 fires, 2004 fires, 1991 fires, and unburned). By exploring the effects of wildfire on plant traits, fruit nutrition, colonization of mycorrhizal fungi and its influencing mechanism. The results show that natural succession after wildfires significantly changed the community composition of bacteria and fungi, with ß diversity having a greater impact but less impact on the α diversity of microorganisms. Wildfires significantly changed plant traits and fruit nutrient content. The changes in colonization rate and customization intensity of mycorrhizal fungi were caused by increased MDA content and soluble sugar content and increased MADS-box gene and DREB1 gene expression in lingonberry (Vaccinium vitis-idaea L.). Our results showed that the soil bacterial and fungal communities in the boreal forest ecosystem changed significantly during wildfire recovery and changed the colonization rate of lingonberry mycorrhizal fungi. This study provides a theoretical basis for the restoration of forest ecosystems after wildfires.

The impact of adolescents' health motivation on the relationship among mental stress, physical exercise, and stress symptoms during COVID-19: A dual moderation model.

Objective: Many Chinese teenagers are experiencing high mental stress levels due to epidemic-related restrictions and closures. Mental stress can induce numerous associated symptoms, and physical exercise is considered to buffer mental stress. However, it remains unclear whether health motivation regulates the relationships among mental stress, physical exercise, and stress symptoms. This study examined whether mental stress events during the epidemic can predict stress symptoms, whether physical exercise can buffer mental stress, and whether the mental stress buffer effect is enhanced when health motivation regarding physical exercise is high. Methods: In total, 2,420 junior high school students (1,190 boys and 1,230 girls; 826 seventh-grade students, 913 eighth-grade students, and 681 ninth-grade students) from nine provinces nationwide were selected to investigate mental stress events, symptoms, health motivation, and physical exercise in adolescents. The hypothesis was tested with a multiple regression analysis. Results: A positive relationship between adolescent mental stress events and stress symptoms was observed, and an interactive relationship was found among health motivation, physical exercise, and mental stress factors. Specifically, the mental stress-buffering effect of physical exercise was significant only when health motivation was high. Conclusion: In the post-epidemic period, the influence of mental stress events on stress symptoms in adolescents was found to be buffered by physical exercise only in terms of high health motivation. This result highlighted the role of health motivation in the buffering effect of physical exercise on mental stress during an epidemic.

Cloning and Expression Analysis of Onion (Allium cepa L.) MADS-Box Genes and Regulation Mechanism of Cytoplasmic Male Sterility.

Flower organ development is one of the most important processes in plant life. However, onion CMS (cytoplasmic male sterility) shows an abnormal development of floral organs. The regulation of MADS-box transcription factors is important for flower development. To further understand the role of MADS-box transcription factors in the regulation of cytoplasmic male sterility onions. We cloned the full-length cDNA of five MADS-box transcription factors from the flowers of onion using RACE (rapid amplification of cDNA ends) technology. We used bioinformatics methods for sequence analysis and phylogenetic analysis. Real-time quantitative PCR was used to detect the expression patterns of these genes in different onion organs. The relative expression levels of five flower development genes were compared in CMS onions and wild onions. The results showed that the full-length cDNA sequences of the cloned MADS-box genes AcFUL, AcDEF, AcPI, AcAG, and AcSEP3 belonged to A, B, C, and E MADS-box genes, respectively. A phylogenetic tree construction analysis was performed on its sequence. Analysis of MADS-box gene expression in wild onion and CMS onion showed that the formation of CMS onion was caused by down-regulation of AcDEF, AcPI, and AcAG gene expression, up-regulation of AcSEP3 gene expression, and no correlation with AcFUL gene expression. This work laid the foundation for further study of the molecular mechanism of onion flower development and the molecular mechanism of CMS onion male sterility.

The influence of parental awareness of the "Chinese double reduction" policy on junior high school students' extracurricular physical exercise.

Objective: In this study, we aimed to explore the relationship between parental cognitive awareness (criticality, disruption and novelty cognition) of DBR, educational anxiety, and attitudes toward students' physical exercise and students' extracurricular physical exercise so as to construct and verify a conditional process model. Methods: We adopted a stratified random cluster sampling approach and conducted a nationwide questionnaire survey with 2,700 junior high school students and their parents across 9 provinces, municipalities and autonomous regions. Results: Parents generally had a certain degree of cognitive awareness of DBR. Criticality cognition and disruption cognition had a significant positive impact on junior high school students' extracurricular physical exercise (ß = 0.24, p < 0.01; ß = 0.04, p < 0.05), but the effect of novelty cognition was not significant (ß = -0.04, p = 0.06). Parents' educational anxiety played a significant mediating role in parents' cognition of DBR and students' extracurricular physical exercise (criticality cognition: ß = 0.10, 95% CI: 0.03-0.06; disruption cognition: ß = 0.37, 95% CI: 0.31-0.42). Parents' attitude toward students' exercise also played a significant positive moderating effect in the mediation model (criticality cognition: ß = 0.014, 95% CI: 0.002-0.031; disruption cognition: ß = 0.010, 95% CI: 0.007-0.013). Conclusion: Parents' novelty, disruption, and criticality cognition of DBR have different effects on parents' education anxiety and students' extracurricular physical exercise, in which parental educational anxiety mediates the influence of DBR cognition on students' extracurricular physical exercise, while attitudes toward students' extracurricular physical exercise positively moderates the mediating effect.

Experimental study of transcranial pulsed current stimulation on relieving athlete's mental fatigue.

Objective: To explore the effect of independently developed transcranial pulsed current stimulation (tPCS) on alleviating athlete's mental fatigue. Methods: A total of 60 college athletes were randomly divided into the active stimulation group (current intensity:1.5 mA, lasting for 15 min) and the sham stimulation group. Subjective questionnaires, behavior test, and functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) test were conducted before and after the experiment. Two-way ANOVA with repeated measures was used to compare the differences in mental fatigue indexes before and after the two experimental conditions. Results: After 7 days of exercise training, there was a significant difference in the main effect of the time factor in all indexes of the two groups (p < 0.05). The scores of rated perceived exertion (RPE) scale, positive and negative affect schedule (PANAS), critical flicker frequency (CFF), and reaction time (RT), in the tPCS treatment group, were better than those in the sham stimulation group (p < 0.05). After 7 days of exercise training, all the subjects had different degrees of athlete's mental fatigue; the subjects in the active stimulation group have a good evaluation of the tPCS developed by the research group without adverse actions. Conclusion: tPCS intervention can improve emotional state, reduce the subjective evaluation of fatigue, improve behavioral levels such as attention and reaction time and increase cerebral prefrontal blood flow and oxygen supply.

Biodegradation of polyethylene by Meyerozyma guilliermondii and Serratia marcescens isolated from the gut of waxworms (larvae of Plodia interpunctella).

The widespread use of polyethylene (PE) causes a large amount of indigestible plastic waste. Waxworms (the larvae of Plodia interpunctella) can eat PE, but the degradation principle of PE under the action of intestinal microorganisms is still unclear, especially the insufficient research on key degradable PE strains. In this study, we fed waxworms with PE. Two strains with high PE degradation efficiency were isolated and purified, and the effects of single and microbial consortia on PE degradation were evaluated by water contact angle (WCA), FTIR, GC-MS, SEM and RT-qPCR. The results showed that Meyerozyma guilliermondii ZJC1 (MgZJC1) and Serratia marcescens ZJC2 (SmZJC2) could degrade PE. However, the degradation efficiency of the microbial consortium was higher, and the weight loss rate of PE was 15.87 %. In addition, the PE degradation products of MgZJC1 were C9H10O, C20H15NO, C28H44O3 and C16H32O2, and the PE degradation products of SmZJC2 were C16H18O, C14H18N2O7 and C31H48O6. The PE degradation products of the microbial consortium were C11H24, C19H10O, C15H32, C14H30, C16H34, C25H52 and C27H56. RT-qPCR results showed that SmZJC2 promoted PE degradation by upregulating the expression of multiple genes, such as multicopper oxidase genes (PiSm-CueO). MgZJC1 responded to carbon deficiency by upregulating the expression of multiple genes, such as key enzyme genes in the tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle. This study can be used to develop an efficient microbial consortium for PE degradation and provide a basis for the reuse of PE waste. It can also provide a research basis for the joint degradation of PE by microbial consortia composed of bacteria and fungi.

Lingonberry (Vaccinium vitis-idaea L.) Interact With Lachnum pygmaeum to Mitigate Drought and Promote Growth.

The application of Ericoid mycorrhizal (ErM) fungi is considered to be an important strategy for increasing plant yield and drought resistance. In this study, we isolated and identified two ErM fungi that can promote the growth of lingonberry. We tried to understand the potential of these two ErM fungi to promote the growth of lingonberry and the strategies to help plants cope with water shortage. The use value of ErM fungi was evaluated by inoculating Oidiodendron maius FC (OmFC) or Lachnum pygmaeum ZL6 (LpZL6), well-watered (WW) and severe drought stress (SDS). The results showed that the mycelium of LpZL6 was denser than that of OmFC, and both ErM fungi significantly increased the biomass of lingonberry stems and roots. They also significantly increased the chlorophyll content by 65.6 and 97.8%, respectively. In addition, inoculation with LpZL6 fungi can improve drought resistance, promote root growth and increase root wet weight by 1157.6%. Drought reduced the chlorophyll content and soluble sugar content of lingonberry but increased significantly after inoculation with LpZL6. Inoculation with LpZL6 decreased lingonberry's malondialdehyde (MDA) content but increased the superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity. Overall, these results indicated that the successful coexistence of ErM fungi and lingonberry alleviated the adverse effects of drought stress through higher secondary metabolites and photosynthetic pigment synthesis.

Comparative transcriptome analysis of dioecious, unisexual floral development in Ribes diacanthum pall.

Ribes diacanthum Pall. (Grossulariaceae), a species with dioecious, unixsexual flowers, has great economic and medicinal value and is widespread in northeastern China. After the initiation of intact floral organs, male flowers develop an abnormal stigma, and female flowers develop fading stamens incapable of pollination. To explore the genes governing dioecious unisexual floral development in R. diacanthum, we used high-throughput sequencing to obtain transcriptome data for male and female inflorescences and analyzed expression patterns of candidate genes at various developmental stages of male and female flowers. The combined transcriptomic data were successfully assembled into 72,791 transcripts (N50 = 1467) and 48,600 unigenes (N50 = 1378); 62% of the unigenes were annotated by NR, Swissprot, KEGG, GO and COG database based on orthology. Analysis of the differentially expressed genes (DEGs) showed that 2785 annotated genes were differentially expressed, and significantly more genes were male-biased than were female-biased in expression in the inflorescences. Both male and female flowers were found to be complete hermaphroditic flowers during early floral development; sex determination was a late event. Several MADS-box genes such as comp53946_c0 (putative AGL11) might be directly correlated with the establishment of sexual dimorphism. The sex-specific transcripts and genes identified may regulate coordinated events during floral development and be involved in the molecular regulation of dioecious, unisexual floral development in R. diacanthum. The transcriptome from the male and the female inflorescences will provide a valuable reference for further functional research on the development of dioecious, unisexual flowers.