Avoidance-motivational intensity modulated the effect of negative emotion on working memory.

Although many studies have explored the association between negative emotion and working memory, the findings remain controversial. The present study investigated the role of avoidance-motivational intensity in modulating the effect of negative emotion on different processes (maintenance versus manipulation) of verbal and spatial working memory. Two experiments employed the modified delayed match-to-sample paradigms to separate the two processes of verbal and spatial working memory under different emotional states, respectively. In Experiment 1, participants were asked to perform the delayed match-to-sample task with or without reordering the characters (manipulation process of verbal working memory). In Experiment 2, mental rotation was used as the manipulation process of spatial working memory. The results showed that negative emotion only affected the manipulation process, but not the maintenance process. Relative to neutral and low avoidance-motivated negative conditions, the manipulation processes of both types of working memory were impaired under the high avoidance-motivated negative condition. No significant difference was observed between low avoidance-motivated negative condition and neutral condition. Our results are discussed in relation to efficiency processing theory and motivational dimensional model of affect. We conclude that negative emotional states with high avoidance-motivational intensity impair the manipulation process of verbal and spatial working memory.

Autophagy inhibition restores CD200 expression under IL-1ß microenvironment in placental mesenchymal stem cells of fetal origin and improves its pulmonary fibrosis therapeutic potential.

BACKGROUND: Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) are promising remedies for various inflammatory disease including pulmonary fibrosis (PF). However, the properties of MSCs in PF pathological microenvironment remain unclear. In this study, the efficacy of autophagy in placental mesenchymal stem cells of fetal origin (fPMSCs) in either IL-1ß treatment or BLM induced pulmonary fibrosis mice model was examined. METHODS: The characteristic of fPMSCs was identified by morphological observation, flow cytometry and differentiation potential. In vitro experiments, fPMSCs were stimulated with IL-1ß, to mimic inflammatory microenvironment of pulmonary fibrosis. The immunosuppressive properties and autophagic function in fPMSCs treated with IL-1ß were evaluated by both macrophage cells THP-1 activation and the expression of CD200 situation, autophagy marker and MAPK signaling pathway. The in vivo anti-fibrotic activity of fPMSCs interfering autophagy was evaluated by using BLM induced pulmonary fibrosis mice model. RESULTS: fPMSCs belonged to CD73+CD90+CD105+/CD14- CD34-CD45-HLA-DR- cells, and capable differentiation to adipogenic, osteogenic and chondrogenic cells. In addition, immunoinhibitory activity of fPMSCs for macrophage was restrained by IL-1ß treatment in CD200 dependent manner. Suppression of autophagy by sh-Atg5 lentivirus increased the expression of CD200 and ratio of CD200 positive fPMSCs, and enhanced fPMSCs immunosuppression for THP-1 activation. Mechanistically, IL-1ß induced autophagy regulated by p38 signaling cascade. In vivo, autophagy inhibition induced by Atg5 knockdown in fPMSCs resulted in strengthening antifibrotic effects on PF mice model. CONCLUSIONS: Collectively, autophagy derived from inflammatory microenvironment hampered the immunoinhibitory properties of MSCs. Based on this, adjustment of autophagy may be a valid approach to facilitate their immunomodulatory and anti-fibrotic efficacy.

Education and subjective well-being in Chinese rural population: A multi-group structural equation model.

PURPOSES: This study aimed to explore the effect of education on subjective well-being (SWB) of Chinese rural dwellers who just shook off poverty in 2019 and to investigate the mediating role of social support and moderating role of age on the association. METHODS: Social support rating scale (SSRS) and General Well-Being Schedule (GWBS) were administrated among 1094 Chinese rural dwellers from Anqing, Anhui Province, China. Structural equation modeling (SEM) and multi-group SEM were performed to examine the mediating role of social support and moderating role of age in the link between education and SWB, respectively. RESULTS: The findings indicated that social support fully mediated the relationship between education and SWB in rural residents. Age moderated the indirect relationship between education and SWB (first stage moderation model) such that the effect of education on social support would be strengthened with aging process. CONCLUSIONS: The results add to our understanding of the protective role of education in SWB among Chinese rural dwellers, and shed new light on the potential mechanisms underlying the association between education and SWB with respect to the mediating role of social support and moderating role of age.

Resilience and Anxiety Among Healthcare Workers During the Spread of the SARS-CoV-2 Delta Variant: A Moderated Mediation Model.

INTRODUCTION: The B.1.617.2 (Delta) variant of SARS-COV-2 has caused a surge in COVID-19 cases worldwide, placing a great burden on the health care system under the zero-tolerance epidemic prevention policy in China. The present study aimed to investigate the prevalence of anxiety among health care workers during the spread of the SARS-CoV-2 Delta variant, and to discuss the mediating role of positive coping style between resilience and anxiety, and the moderating role of general self-efficacy. METHOD: Connor-Davidson Resilience scale (CD-RISC), Generalized Anxiety Disorder Scale (GAD-7), General Self-efficacy Scale (GSES) and Simplified Coping Style Questionnaire (SCSQ) were used in this cross-sectional study among 390 healthcare workers in Jiangsu Province, China. Mackinnon's four-step procedure was applied to test the mediation effect, and Hayes PROCESS macro was conducted to examine the moderated mediation model. RESULTS: The prevalence of anxiety among Chinese healthcare workers during the spread of the SARS-CoV-2 Delta variant was 41.8%. Male, unmarried, childless and younger subjects reported higher levels of anxiety. Positive coping partially mediated the effect of resilience on anxiety among healthcare workers and the indirect effect was stronger with the increase of general self-efficacy. CONCLUSIONS: Anxiety was prevalent among healthcare workers during the spread of SARS-CoV-2 Delta variant. This research sheds new light on the potential mechanism underlying the association between resilience and anxiety and provides new insight into the prevention of anxiety among healthcare workers during the spread of the SARS-CoV-2 Delta variant.

Novel strategy for membrane biofouling control in MBR with nano-MnO2 modified PVDF membrane by in-situ ozonation.

In this study, ozonation catalyst nano-MnO2 blended polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) membrane was fabricated via phase inversion method and applied to membrane bioreactors (MBR), and then coupled with in-situ ozonation to study the anti-biofouling performance and reveal its mechanism. Results showed that, compared with pristine PVDF membrane (MBR_M0), 0.75 wt% and 1.00 wt% nano-MnO2 modified PVDF membrane (MBR_M0.75 and MBR_M1.00) could mitigate the membrane biofouling rate. Meanwhile MBR_M1.00 coupled with in-situ ozonation could increase the membrane cleaning cycle to 1.5 and 2.7 times, compared with MBR_M0 and MBR_M0.75 without in-situ ozonation. The possible mechanisms included that the nano-MnO2 modification coupled with in-situ ozonation directly removed the biofouling on the membrane surface, improved the hydrophilicity of the membrane surface and enhanced the chemical oxidation and biodegradation of membrane biofouling contaminants in the sludge mixture. The results of this work provide a new strategy for the control of membrane biofouling in MBR to treat industrial wastewater.

Ozone oxidation of 2,4,6-TCP in the presence of halide ions: Kinetics, degradation pathways and toxicity evaluation.

2,4,6-Trichlorophenol (2,4,6-TCP) is extensively consumed in industrial production and may cause environmental damages. The effect of halide ions on the decomposition of 2,4,6-TCP has often been overlooked. In this study, the bromide ion was found to have a stronger negative impact on 2,4,6-TCP degradation than chloride ion in the O3 system, and led to the formation of adsorbable organic halogens (AOX). Kinetic modeling demonstrated that the concentration of various radicals was largely depended on the solution pH, and stronger basicity not only contributed to the mineralization of 2,4,6-TCP, but also inhibited the formation of halogenated by-products. Combining the intermediate identification and quantum chemical calculation, the degradation pathways of 2,4,6-TCP during ozone oxidation process were proposed. The toxicity test and ECOSAR simulation demonstrated that the acute toxicity of some 2,4,6-TCP degradation intermediates was relatively higher than their parent compound. With high concentrations of halide ions, the ozone-treated solution showed greater toxicity than the originator 2,4,6-TCP solution. These results illustrate that the ozone treatment of the halide-containing wastewater may cause potential ecological hazards and its application needs to be more cautious.

NO3- photolysis-induced advanced reduction process removes NO3- and 2, 4, 6-tribromophenol.

Reductive processes are an important type of pollutant removal technology, particularly for organic halogens. NO3- is an anion and pollutant that is commonly present in wastewater. In this study, a novel advanced reduction process (ARP) induced by NO3- photolysis was developed to remove 2,4,6-tribromophenol (TBP) and NO3-. The UV/NO3-/formate acid (FA) process achieved NO3- removal and improved the debromination of TBP (initial TBP concentration = 0.1 mM) (up to 97.8%), however, their coexistence adversely affected the reductive removal of each component. Acidic conditions (pH 3 in this study) benefited the removal of NO3- and the debromination of TBP. Cl- promoted NO3- removal in UV/NO3-/FA, however, it decreased the debromination effect of TBP by 27.8%. Humic acid, a typical dissolved organic matter, suppressed NO3- removal, TBP degradation and debromination under all experimental conditions. Methyl viologen significantly inhibited the performance of ARP, and this verified the role of CO2•- in this ARP. Insufficient reduction and over-reduction of NO3- were observed under different conditions and a greater amount of NH4+ was formed under the influence of TBP. The data also indicated that as much as 80% of the removed NO3- was converted to NO2-, and this is noteworthy. Due to the reductive radicals generated from the oxidation of FA, both oxidative and reductive products of TBP were detected in the effluent. The results of this study provide a potential technology for the reductive removal of organic halogens from NO3--rich wastewater.

The Mediating Role of Loneliness Between Social Support and Depressive Symptoms Among Chinese Rural Adolescents During COVID-19 Outbreak: A Comparative Study Between Left-Behind and Non-left-behind Students.

Introduction: The COVID-19 pandemic has greatly impacted people's life across the globe. In a public health crisis, rural adolescents are more prone to mental health problems. The current study aimed to investigate the prevalence of depressive symptoms among Chinese rural adolescents during the COVID-19 outbreak, and examine the association between perceived social support and depressive symptoms and its underlying mechanisms. Method: Perceived Social Support Scale, UCLA Loneliness Scale, Patient Health Questionnaire-9 were administrated to 826 rural adolescents from Anhui Province, China, amid the COVID-19 crisis. Mackinnon's four-step procedure was employed to examine the mediating effect, while Hayes PROCESS macro was utilized to test the moderated mediation model. Results: The results showed the rate of depressive symptoms among rural adolescents in China was 77.6% during the outbreak of COVID-19. Female left-behind students and non-left-behind students from disrupted families experienced more depressive symptoms (all P < 0.05). Loneliness mediated the association between perceive social support and depressive symptoms and the indirect effect was stronger in left-behind adolescents in comparison to non-left-behind adolescents during the COVID-19 pandemic. Conclusion: Depressive symptoms are extremely prevalent among Chinese rural adolescents during the COVID-19 outbreak, and perceived social support plays a protective role against depressive symptoms. Chinese rural adolescents, especially left-behind students, could benefit from the interventions aimed at enhancing the perceived social support and reducing loneliness during the COVID-19 pandemic.

[Distribution Characteristics of Antibiotics and Antibiotic Resistance Genes in Wastewater Treatment Plants].

Antibiotics and antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) are highly concerning emerging polltants. Wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) are considered to be one of the most important anthropogenic sources of antibiotics and ARGs in the environment. Six WWTPs of a city were selected to investigate the antibiotics and ARGs in the influents and effluents, respectively. In total, 73 kinds antibiotics belonging to 7 classes were detected in WWTPs. The total concentration of those antibiotics ranged between 490.2-2288.6 ng·L-1, and ofloxacin, maprofloxacin, and roxithromycin were the most frequently detected antibiotics in the influents. A dramtic difference was observed in the antibiotic removal efficiency among the WWTPs, and the total antibiotic concentration in the effluents ranged between 260.2-1464.3 ng·L-1. Macrolides and quinolones are the main classes in the effluents, and the antibiotic concentration in the effluents was higher than that in the influents. Ten kinds of ARGs were detected in the WWTPs. Among these, sul Ⅰ was the most widely prevalent with an absolute abundance of 2.4×105-5.4×106 copies·mL-1. No significant difference in ARG abundance was observed between industrial wastewater and domesic wastewater. Furthermore, the correlation between ARG abundance and antibiotic concentrations weakened after treatment in the WWTPs.

Rapid Room-Temperature Preparation of Hierarchically Porous Metal-Organic Frameworks for Efficient Uranium Removal from Aqueous Solutions.

The effective removal of uranium from an aqueous solution is a highly valuable process for the environment and health. In this study, we developed a facile and rapid method to synthesize hierarchically porous Cu-BTC (RT-Cu-BTC) using a cooperative template strategy. The as-synthesized RT-Cu-BTC exhibited hierarchically porous structure and excellent thermostability, as revealed by X-ray powder diffraction, Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, and thermogravimetric analysis. Compared with conventional metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) and zeolites, the obtained RT-Cu-BTC exhibited enhanced adsorption capacity (839.7 mg·g-1) and high removal efficiency (99.8%) in the capture of uranium (VI) from aqueous solutions. Furthermore, the conditions such as adsorbent dose, contact time, and temperature in adsorption of uranium (VI) by RT-Cu-BTC were investigated in detail. The thermodynamics data demonstrated the spontaneous and endothermic nature of the uranium (VI) adsorption process. The Langmuir isotherm and pseudo-second-order models could better reflect the adsorption process of uranium (VI) onto RT-Cu-BTC. In addition, the as-synthesized RT-Cu-BTC showed excellent stability in removing uranium (VI) from an aqueous solution. This work provides a facile and rapid approach for fabricating hierarchically porous MOFs to realize a highly efficient removal of uranium (VI) from aqueous systems.

Reduction of AOX in pharmaceutical wastewater in the cathode chamber of bio-electrochemical reactor.

A bio-electrochemical reactor (BER) operating at different cathode potentials ranging from -300 to -1000 mV (vs standard hydrogen electrode, SHE) was used to reduce adsorbable organic halogens (AOX) in pharmaceutical wastewater. Cathode polarization enriched the electron donor of the biological system. Thus, the AOX removal efficiency in the BER improved from 59.9% to 70.2%, and the AOX removal rate increased from 0.87 to 1.17 mg AOX/h when the cathode potential was reduced from -300 to -1000 mV with the addition of methyl viologen, a known redox mediator. The decrease of the cathode potential was also beneficial for methane production, and the inhibition of the methanogenic process enhanced the AOX removal. Additionally, cathode coulombic efficiency analysis demonstrated that the proportion of electrons used for AOX reduction decreases with decreasing potential, from 37.6% at -300 mV to 17.3% at -1000 mV, although the AOX removal efficiency improves.

AOX contamination in Hangzhou Bay, China: Levels, distribution and point sources.

The parameter AOX (adsorbable organic halogens) indicates the total amount of organic halogens in an environment. Seawater and surface sediment samples from 12 sample sites in the Hangzhou Bay (HZB), China, were analyzed for AOX to investigate its contamination status. In this study, the AOX concentration ranged from 140.6 ±â€¯45.6 µg/L to 716.1 ±â€¯62.3 µg/L in seawater of the HZB, and from 11.3 ±â€¯2.4 mg/kg to 112.7 ±â€¯7.2 mg/kg in the sediment. Ocean currents, fluvial currents and the Yangtze River exerted profound influences on the distribution of AOX in the HZB. The point sources around the HZB, represented by wastewater treatment plants, discharged at least 645.4 t AOX into the HZB every year, most of which was generated by industrial activities rather than the human daily activities.

AOX contamination status and genotoxicity of AOX-bearing pharmaceutical wastewater.

Adsorbable organic halogens (AOX) are a general indicator for the total amount of compounds containing organically bonded halogens. AOX concentrations and components were investigated along the wastewater treatment process in four large-scale pharmaceutical factories of China, and genotoxicity based on the SOS/umu test was also evaluated. The results showed that AOX concentrations in wastewater of four factories ranged from 4.6 to 619.4mg/L, which were high but greatly different owing to differences in the raw materials and products. The wastewater treatment process removed 50.0%-89.9% of AOX, leaving 1.3-302.5mg/L AOX in the effluents. Genotoxicity levels ranged between 2.1 and 68.0µg 4-NQO/L in the raw wastewater and decreased to 1.2-41.2µg 4-NQO/L in the effluents of the wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs). One of the main products of factory I, ciprofloxacin, was identified as the predominant contributor to its genotoxicity. However, for the other three factories, no significant relationship was observed between genotoxicity and detected AOX compounds.

Oxidation of AOX and organic compounds in pharmaceutical wastewater in RSM-optimized-Fenton system.

Adsorbable organic halogens (AOX) and total organic carbon (TOC) removal efficiencies in pharmaceutical wastewater treated by Fenton process under response surface methodology (RSM) optimized conditions were studied. High regression coefficient value R(2) (R(2) = 0.9680, 0.9040 for AOX and TOC removal efficiency, respectively) and low value coefficient of variation (2.21%, 2.04% for AOX and TOC, respectively) of the quadratic model indicated that the model was accurate in predicting the experimental results. The desirability function was used to optimize AOX and TOC removal efficiencies simultaneously. The optimal pH, Fe(2+) concentration, molar ratio of H2O2/Fe(2+) and reaction time were found to be 3.3, 19.05 mM, 20.16 and 2.2 h, respectively, and 91.78% AOX and 75.01% TOC were removed under these conditions, which was validated. Furthermore, gas chromatography-mass spectrometer (GC-MS) results revealed that 28 out of 33 kinds of organic compounds, including 11 kinds of AOX were completely removed by the Fenton process while one new AOX compound, 4,5,6,7-tetrachlorophthalide, was produced which was the result of the carbonyl of 4,5,6,7-tetrachloro-1,3-isobenzofurandione being attacked in the Fenton reaction. These results indicated that analysis of organics was important since new AOX compounds could be produced in Fenton process despite the value of AOX decreasing.

Adsorption of Arsenate on Iron Oxides as Influenced by Humic Acids.

Humic acid (HA) and iron oxides (FeOs) commonly coexist, and their interactions alter their ability to adsorb pollutants in the environment. The influences of HA on arsenate [As(V)] adsorption on FeOs were investigated on the preformation of complexes and their coexistence with As(V) in solution. The results indicated that HA could be strongly adsorbed on FeOs, and the adsorption capacity (, mg g HA-C) followed the sequence goethite (7.73) > ferrihydrite (3.14) > hematite (2.25) with a desorption rate <1%. The HA adsorbed existed uniformly on the FeOs surfaces in spot form and did not change the x-ray diffraction (XRD) patterns of FeOs. The formation of FeOs-HA complexes altered As(V) adsorption with a reduced adsorption capacity, prolonged reaction kinetics, and enhanced adsorption strength. The As(V) adsorption on both FeOs and FeOs-HA complexes decreased with increasing pH (2.5-9) or decreasing ionic strength (0.2-0 M). The coexistence of HA in solution linearly decreased the As(V) adsorption on FeOs. Thus, our results demonstrated two impact pathways of HA on As(V) adsorption on FeOs: (i) blockage or occupation in the surface sites of FeOs if HA preformed complexes with FeOs and (ii) a competition to the surface sites of FeOs when HA coexisted with As(V) in the solution.