Distinction of mental health between salesman and R&D in high-tech enterprise: a fNIRS study.

Employees in enterprises face numerous challenges due to the severe employment situation and job pressure. Sales personnel and research and development (R&D) personnel in companies are particularly susceptible to mental health issues due to the unique nature and complexity of their work. This study aims to explore the psychological health issues among sales personnel and R&D personnel in high-tech enterprises. Twenty-four R&D personnel (23 males and 1 female) and twenty-six sales personnel (25 males and 1 female) were recruited. The participants' psychological health conditions were assessed using the Symptom Checklist-90 (SCL-90) and verbal fluency tasks combined with functional near-infrared spectroscopy (VFT-fNIRS), while their work stress level was evaluated using the Personal Stress Questionnaire (PSQ) and Personal Resources Questionnaire (PRQ). The results indicated significantly higher brain activities in the right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex and bilateral Broca's areas of the R&D group compared to the sales group. The R&D group had significantly lower scores in the total score and multiple dimensions of SCL-90, such as somatization, obsession-compulsion, depression, anxiety, hostility, and paranoia. In addition, the R&D group exhibited significantly lower psychological and physical tension reactions compared to the sales group in PSQ. Based on the PRQ, the R&D group obtained significantly higher scores in self-care compared to the sales group. In conclusion, the mental health status of the R&D group is better than that of the sales group, the difference in self-care may be the most important factor leading to the difference in work stress and mental health of the two groups, VFT-fNIRS might be used to assist in detecting the mental health status of employees.

Corrigendum: Impact of background music on reading comprehension: influence of lyrics language and study habits.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2024.1363562.].

Research on the Mechanism and Propagation Characteristics of Combustion and Explosion of Natural Gas/Ammonia/Hydrogen Mixed Gas Fuel.

The addition of ammonia and hydrogen into natural gas fuel is an effective method to reduce carbon emissions. This study aims to investigate the effect of adding ammonia and hydrogen on the mechanism of natural gas combustion and emission characteristics. Based on a self-developed mixed gas deflagrate experimental platform, the deflagrate characteristics, emission characteristics, and chemical reaction kinetics mechanism of mixed gas fuels under different composition ratios (natural gas 0-100%, hydrogen 10-85%, and ammonia 0-100%) were studied. The results indicate that the propagation of the deflagration shock wave can be categorized into an initial stage (L < 3 m) and a development stage (L > 3 m) based on the observed trend of shock wave intensity variation with distance. The intensity of the deflagration shock wave for the mixed gases increases monotonically as the hydrogen content ratio rises. In contrast, the impact of the ammonia content ratio on the shock wave intensity exhibits a distinct pattern that varies with changes in the equivalence ratio and hydrogen content ratio. In terms of carbon emissions per unit of heat value produced by the fuel, adding hydrogen to natural gas proves to be more effective at reducing carbon emissions than adding ammonia. When the ammonia content ratio is 50% and the hydrogen content ratio is 40%, the combustion performance of the mixed gas fuel is similar to that of natural gas, but its carbon emissions are lower than 30% of natural gas, making it a new type of mixed fuel with potential application value; the interaction between reflected pressure waves and flames is the main reason for the fluctuation of deflagrate shock wave pressure; ammonia lowers the temperature of the reaction system by reducing the concentration of OH radicals.

Modulation of dlPFC function and decision-making capacity by repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation in methamphetamine use disorder.

This study explores the impact of repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) on decision-making capabilities in individuals with methamphetamine use disorder (MUD), alongside potential underlying psychological mechanisms. Employing the Iowa Gambling Task (IGT) and computational modeling techniques, we assessed the decision-making processes of 50 male MUD participants (24 underwent rTMS treatment, 26 received no treatment) and 39 healthy controls (HC). We compared pre- and post-rTMS treatment alterations in the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (dlPFC). Results revealed inferior performance in the IGT among the MUD group, characterized by aberrant model parameters in the Value-Plus-Perseverance (VPP) model, including heightened learning rate, outcome sensitivity, and reinforcement learning weight, alongside diminished response consistency and loss aversion. RTMS treatment demonstrated efficacy in reducing craving scores, enhancing decision-making abilities, and partially restoring normalcy to certain model parameters in the MUD cohort. Nonetheless, no linear relationship between changes in model parameters and craving was observed. These findings lend support to the somatic marker hypothesis, implicating the dlPFC in the decision-making deficits observed in MUD, with rTMS potentially ameliorating these deficits by modulating the function of these brain regions. This study not only offers novel insights and methodologies for MUD rehabilitation but also underscores the necessity for further research to corroborate and refine these findings. Trial Registration www.chictr.org.cn Identifier: No. ChiCTR17013610.

Benzoylaconine Protects Skeletal Muscle Against Ischemia-Reperfusion Injury Through Activation of IF1-Dependent AMPK/Nrf2 Axis.

Background: Aconitum carmichaelii (Fuzi) has been conventionally used to cure a variety of ailments, such as pain, cold sensations, and numbness of limb muscles (Bi Zheng) in China. Our prior investigations identified Benzoylaconine (BAC) as a bioactive alkaloid derived from Aconitum carmichaelii, with other studies also demonstrating its significant pharmacological potential. Purpose: This study aimed to explore the potential of BAC as a protective agent against skeletal muscle ischemia-reperfusion (I/R) injury and to elucidate the underlying mechanisms. Methods: In vivo models involved subjecting Sprague-Dawley rats to I/R through femoral artery ligation followed by reperfusion, while in vitro models utilized C2C12 cells subjected to hypoxia/reoxygenation (H/R). CCK-8 assay was used to assess cell viability. TUNEL staining and flow cytometric analysis were used to measure cell apoptosis. Biochemical assay was used to assess skeletal muscle injury and oxidative stress. Immunofluorescence and Western blot were performed to determine protein levels. Results: BAC effectively protected muscle tissue from I/R injury, enhancing cell viability (p<0.01), elevating SOD levels (p<0.05), and reducing CK (p<0.01), LDH (p<0.01), ROS (p<0.01), MDA (p<0.01), and apoptosis-related molecules in vivo and in vitro (p<0.05, p<0.01). Mechanistically, BAC increased the expression of IF1, phosphorylated AMPK, facilitated the translocation of nuclear Nrf2, and induced the expression of HO-1 (p<0.01). Notably, AMPK inhibitor Compound C significantly hindered the ability of BAC to ameliorate H/R-induced cell injury (p<0.05), oxidative stress(p<0.01), and apoptosis (p<0.05), as well as promote Nrf2 nuclear translocation (p<0.01). Moreover, silencing of IF1 with siRNA abolished BAC-induced activation of AMPK/Nrf2 axis (p<0.01). Conclusion: Our study provides novel evidence supporting the potential of BAC as a myocyte-protective agent against I/R injury, and we establish a previously unknown mechanism involving the activation of the IF1-dependent AMPK/Nrf2 axis in mediating the protective effects of BAC.

Impact of background music on reading comprehension: influence of lyrics language and study habits.

Numerous studies have explored the effects of background music on reading comprehension, however, little is known about how native language (L1) lyrics and second language (L2) lyrics in background music influence reading comprehension performance for college students. The present study used a mixed experimental design to examine the effects of listening habits (between-participants variable: non-listeners or listeners), music type (between-participants variable: L1 (Mandarin) pop music, L2 (English) pop music or no music) and text language (within-participants variable: L1 or L2) on reading comprehension of college students in East China. A total of 90 participants (50 females) were screened into non- listeners (n = 45) and listeners (n = 45), and then were randomly assigned to one of three groups: Mandarin pop music group (n = 30), English pop music group (n = 30) and no music group (n = 30). The results showed that reading comprehension performance was negatively affected by music with lyrics compared to the no music condition. Furthermore, Chinese/English reading comprehension was reduced more by pop music in the same language as the written texts. As expected, non-listeners were more negatively affected by music with lyrics than listeners. For both listeners and non-listeners, average reading comprehension accuracy rates were the lowest in the condition of music with native language lyrics. Overall, our research findings indicate that listening to pop music with lyrics reduces reading comprehension performance. However, listening to background music cause much less distraction if the students commonly listen to music while reading. The current study supports the duplex-mechanism account of auditory distraction.

The analysis of complete genome sequence and comparative genomics of Vibrio parahaemolyticus LF1113 in Hainan.

Vibrio parahaemolyticus is a Gram-negative, halophilic and polymorphic coccobacillus. It is world-widely distributed and has resulted in great economic losses since its first appearance. In this study, a pathogenic strain was isolated from diseased pearl gentian grouper and identified as V. parahaemolyticus based on the sequencing results of 16S rDNA gene. In order to gain a comprehensive understanding of this isolation, the whole genome sequencing was conducted. Phylogenetic analysis of the complete genomes of 16 Vibrio species showed that LF1113, ATCC17802, ATCC33787, 2210633, FORC 004, and 160807 were the most closely related. Animal experiments demonstrated that the isolated LF1113 strain was pathogenic in a fish model. This study is the first study to describe the complete genome sequence of a V. parahaemolyticus isolate, which infected pearl gentian grouper from an outbreak in a fish factory farm in Hainan. The results will expand our understanding of genetic characteristics, pathogenesis, diagnostics and disease prevention of V. parahaemolyticus, and lay the foundation for further study.

Inter-brain neural mechanism and influencing factors underlying different cooperative behaviors: a hyperscanning study.

Cooperative behavior is a vital social interaction which plays a vital role in improving human survival and reproduction. However, few empirical studies have examined the differences between cooperative behaviors and the underlying neural substrates. In the present study, the brain activity of familiar dyads of the same sex was measured using functional near-infrared spectroscopy during three cooperative tasks (cooperative button-press, tangram, and Jenga tasks). We also measured the dyads' empathic abilities and personality traits to investigate the relationships between individual characteristics and neural markers. The results showed that first, there were significant differences in intra-brain activation and inter-brain synchronization among different cooperative tasks in three dimensions: social cognition, behavioral response, and cognitive processing. Second, male participants require stronger intra-brain activation to achieve the same inter-brain synchronization level as women in cooperative tasks. Third, when performing cooperative tasks involving high cognitive demands, Big Five Neuroticism may be an important predictor of neural activation in female participants. Inter-brain synchronization plays an important role in the frontal and temporoparietal junctions during interpersonal cooperation. Furthermore, this study demonstrates that mutual prediction theory is crucial for understanding the neural mechanisms of cooperative behavior.

Effects of Thermal-Strain-Induced Atomic Intermixing on the Interfacial and Photoluminescence Properties of InGaAs/AlGaAs Multiple Quantum Wells.

Quantum-well intermixing (QWI) technology is commonly considered as an effective methodology to tune the post-growth bandgap energy of semiconductor composites for electronic applications in diode lasers and photonic integrated devices. However, the specific influencing mechanism of the interfacial strain introduced by the dielectric-layer-modulated multiple quantum well (MQW) structures on the photoluminescence (PL) property and interfacial quality still remains unclear. Therefore, in the present study, different thicknesses of SiO2-layer samples were coated and then annealed under high temperature to introduce interfacial strain and enhance atomic interdiffusion at the barrier-well interfaces. Based on the optical and microstructural experimental test results, it was found that the SiO2 capping thickness played a positive role in driving the blueshift of the PL peak, leading to a widely tunable PL emission for post-growth MQWs. After annealing, the blueshift in the InGaAs/AlGaAs MQW structures was found to increase with increased thickness of the SiO2 layer, and the largest blueshift of 30 eV was obtained in the sample covered with a 600 nm thick SiO2 layer that was annealed at 850 °C for 180 s. Additionally, significant well-width fluctuations were observed at the MQW interface after intermixing, due to the interfacial strain introduced by the thermal mismatch between SiO2 and GaAs, which enhanced the inhomogeneous diffusion rate of interfacial atoms. Thus, it can be demonstrated that the introduction of appropriate interfacial strain in the QWI process is of great significance for the regulation of MQW band structure as well as the control of interfacial quality.

Effectiveness of kumquat decoction for the improvement of cough caused by SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variants, a multicentre, prospective observational study.

BACKGROUND: Kumquat decoction is a traditional Chinese medicine formula and has been widely used to alleviate the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19)-related cough in China. However, the effectiveness and safety of kumquat decoction remain unclear. PURPOSE: To assess the effectiveness and safety of kumquat decoction for COVID-19-related cough. STUDY DESIGN: A multicentre, prospective observational study. METHODS: We enrolled consecutive patients with mild-to-moderate COVID-19 from December 31, 2022, to January 3, 2023, during the Omicron phase in Yangshuo County, China. The primary outcome was the time from study baseline to sustained cough resolution by the last follow-up day on January 31, 2023. The effectiveness was evaluated by Cox proportional hazards models based on propensity score analyses. The secondary outcomes were the resolution of cough and other COVID-19-related symptoms by Days 3, 5, and 7. RESULTS: Of 1434 patients, 671 patients were excluded from the analysis of cough resolution. Among the remaining 763 patients, 481 (63.04%) received kumquat decoction, and 282 (36.96%) received usual care. The median age was 38.0 (interquartile range [IQR] 29.0, 50.0) years, and 55.7% were women. During a median follow-up of 7.000 days, 68.2% of patients in the kumquat group achieved sustained cough resolution (93.77 per 1000 person-days) compared to 39.7% in the usual care group (72.94 per 1000 person-days). The differences in restricted mean survival time (RMST) (kumquat decoction minus usual care group) for cough resolution were -0.742 days (95% CI, -1.235 to -0.250, P = 0.003) on Day 7. In the main analysis using propensity-score matching, the adjusted hazard ratio (HR) for cough resolution (kumquat decoction vs. usual care group) was 1.94 (95% CI, 1.48 to 2.53, P < 0.001). Similar findings were found in multiple sensitivity analyses. In addition, the use of kumquat decoction was associated with the resolution of cough, and a stuffy nose on Days 5 and 7, as well as the resolution of sore throat on Day 7 following medication. CONCLUSION: In this study among patients with COVID-19-related cough, receiving kumquat decoction was associated with an earlier resolution of cough symptoms.

A glimpse into social perception in light of vitality forms.

The American psychoanalyst and developmental psychologist Daniel Stern's idea of vitality forms might suggest a new solution to explain how other minds are intensely expressed in their actions. Vitality forms characterize the expressive style of actions. The effective perception of vitality forms allows people to recognize the affective states and intentions of others in their actions, and could even open the possibility of properties of objects that are indicated by the given actions. Currently, neurophysiological studies present that there might be a neural mirror mechanism in the dorso-central insula (DCI), middle cingulate cortex (MCC), and other related cerebral areas, which serve to preferably perceive and deliver vitality forms of actions. In this article, possible types of vitality forms related to other minds, which have been brought to particular attention in recent years, have been collected and discussed in the following four areas: (1) Vitality forms on understanding non-verbal intention, (2) on understanding verbal intention, (3) vitality forms as grounding social cognition, and (4) as grounding social emotion. These four areas, however, might refer to an entirety of a binary actor-observer communicative landscape. In this review, we try to simplify the analysis by relying on two fundamental dimensions of criteria: first, the idea of vitality forms is conceived as the most basic way of observing subsequent higher-order dimensions of action, that is, understanding intention in the style of action. Thus, in the first two subsections, the relationships between vitality forms and their roles in understanding non-verbal and verbal intention have been discussed. Second, vitality forms could also be conceived as background conditions of all the other mental categories, that is, vitality forms can ground cognition and emotion in a social context. In the second dimension, the existence of social cognition or emotion depends on the existence of the stylistic kinematics of action. A grounding relation is used to distinguish a ground, that is, vitality forms, and its grounded mental categories. As relating with the domain of social perception, in this review, it has been discussed vitality forms possibly could ground social cognition and social emotion, respectively.

High-frequency repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation of the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex may reduce impulsivity in patients with methamphetamine use disorders: A pilot study.

Background: Individuals who use methamphetamine (MA) for a long period of time may experience decreased inhibition and increased impulsivity. In order to reduce impulsivity or improve inhibitory control ability, high-frequency repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (HF-rTMS) has attracted much attention of researchers. Recent studies on addiction have shown that rTMS can stimulate different brain regions to produce different therapeutic effects. Recent work also suggests that HF-rTMS over right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) does not affect the impulsivity of patients with alcohol use disorder; while HF-rTMS over left DLPFC could improve the impulsivity of patients with alcohol use disorder and cigarette smokers. However, it should be noted that empirical studies applying HF-rTMS over left DLPFC of patients with MA use disorders (MAUD) (to evaluate its effect on impulsivity) are still lacking. Methods: Twenty-nine patients with MAUD underwent five sessions of HF-rTMS on the left DLPFC per week for 4 consecutive weeks. The cue-induced craving and stop-signal and NoGo task were assessed pre-rTMS and post-rTMS (at the end of the 4-week rTMS treatment). In addition, 29 healthy controls were recruited. There was no rTMS intervention for the controls, the performance of the stop-signal and NoGo task was evaluated on them. Results: In total, HF-rTMS of the left DLPFC significantly decreased MA-dependent patients' cue-induced craving and stop-signal reaction time (SSRT). For SSRT, the pre-test of experimental group was significantly higher than the score of control group. In the experimental group, the pre-test score was significantly higher than the post-test score. For Go and stop-signal delay (SSD), the pre-test scores of the experimental group was significantly lower than the scores of the control group. No significant difference was found between the pre-test and the post-test scores of the experimental group. Conclusion: Add-on HF-rTMS of left DLPFC may be an effective intervention for reducing impulsivity and cue-induced craving of patients with MAUD. Future research with a control group of MAUD that does not undergo the treatment is needed to confirm the effectiveness.

Intermittent Theta Burst Stimulation vs. High-Frequency Repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation in the Treatment of Methamphetamine Patients.

Background and Aims: In this brief report, we compare the effectiveness and safety of intermittent theta burst stimulation (iTBS) and conventional 10 Hz repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) in patients with methamphetamine use disorder (MAUD). Our study suggests that iTBS would also reduce drug craving in patients with MAUD just as the 10 Hz; thus, there may be no difference in treatment effects between these two methods. Methods: In total twenty male methamphetamine (MA) addicts were randomly assigned to iTBS (n = 10) or 10 Hz (n = 10) groups for 12 treatments. Cue-evoked cravings, anxiety, depression, and withdrawal symptoms were measured at baseline before the first treatment, and post-tests after days 10, 15, and 20. Results: The results showed that iTBS and 10 Hz treatment had similar effectiveness in reducing cue-induced craving in male addicts for MA. Both 10 Hz and iTBS improved withdrawal symptoms of patients with MAUD. Conclusions: Intermittent theta burst stimulation may be similar in effectiveness as 10 Hz in treating patients with MAUD. The clinical usefulness of rTMS could be improved substantially because of the increase in its capacity, cost, and accessibility. Importantly, the effectiveness of rTMS in the treatment of patients with MAUD is not yet proven, and should be tested in the large double-blind sham-controlled studies.

Hypoxia responsive nano-drug delivery system based on angelica polysaccharide for liver cancer therapy.

Based on the tumor hypoxic microenvironment and the new programmed cell death mode of combined ferroptosis, an angelica polysaccharide-based nanocarrier material was synthesized. The polymer contains hydrophilic angelica polysaccharide (ASP) that is linked by azobenzene (AZO) linker with ferrocene (Fc), and then the side chain was covalently modified with arachidonic acid (AA). It was postulated that the polymer micelles could work as an instinctive liver targeting drug delivery carrier, owing to the existence of ASP with liver targeting. Moreover, the aim was to engineer hypoxia-responsive polymer micelles which was modified by AA, for selective enhancement of ferroptosis in solid tumor, via diminishing glutathione (GSH) under hypoxia. Finally, we synthesized the amphiphilic polymer micelles AA/ASP-AZO-Fc (AAAF) by self-assembling. The structure of AAAF was confirmed by 1H-NMR and FT-IR. Then, we exemplified the hydrophobic medication curcumin into polymer micelles AAAF@Cur, which has smooth and regular spheres. In vitro release test affirmed that AAAF@Cur can achieve hypoxia response to drug release. In addition, a series of cell experiments confirmed that hypoxia could enhance cell uptake and effectively improve the proliferation inhibitory activity of HepG2 cells. In conclusion, AAAF, as an effective cell carrier, is expected to develop in sensitizing ferroptosis and anti-tumor.

Transient reaction process and mechanism of cornstarch/air and CH4/cornstarch/air in a closed container: Quantitative research based on experiments and simulations.

Both dust/air explosion and flammable gas/dust/air explosion are common forms of energy release. Experiments and simulation models with a multi-step chemical reaction mechanism were used to study the intensity parameters and mechanism of the CH4/air explosion, cornstarch/air explosion and CH4/cornstarch/air explosion in a closed container. Results showed that the peak overpressure, maximum flame temperature, and average flame propagation speed of the stoichiometric CH4/air explosion reach 0.84 MPa, 2614 K and 3.5 m/s, respectively. The optimal concentration of cornstarch explosion is 750 g/m3, and its peak overpressure, maximum flame temperature and average flame propagation speed are 0.76 MPa, 2098 K and 1.77 m/s, respectively. For a three-components system, adding methane can significantly increase the explosive intensity and combustion performance of cornstarch. The explosive intensity parameters (peak overpressure, maximum flame temperature, average flame propagation speed) of a certain concentration of cornstarch first increase and then decrease with the increase of methane concentration. The maximum explosion intensity parameters of a three-components system with a certain concentration of lean-methane/air are higher than that of single-phase, but always lower than that of the stoichiometric methane/air. Moreover, the mutual coordination of dust and combustible gas in energy release and the mutual competition mechanism in oxygen consumption are described.

Contamination assessment, health risk evaluation, and source identification of heavy metals in the soil-rice system of typical agricultural regions on the southeast coast of China.

To quantitatively assess heavy metal accumulation and potential ecological and human health risks as well as analyze the sources of metals in a typical soil-rice system located on the southeast coast of China, 120 topsoil samples and corresponding rice grain samples were collected across the study area. The concentrations of As, Cd, Pb, Cr, Hg, Zn, Cu, and Ni were analyzed. The results revealed that Hg, Cd, and Cu were the main pollutants in soils. Besides, according to geo-accumulation value of Hg, 18.3% of samples were at or above moderate contamination levels. Additionally, the soil was in moderate ecological risk from combined heavy metal pollution, and 49.7% and 27.0% of this risk could be attributed to Hg and Cd pollution, respectively, due to their high toxic-response factors. For the rice samples, Cd content showed the highest biological accumulation coefficient value (40.8%) in rice grains and was slightly greater than its maximum allowable value (MAV) (0.2 mg/kg) in 7.5% of samples, whereas the other metals were all lower than their corresponding MAVs. Heavy metal exposure (especially As exposure) via rice consumption causes significant carcinogenic and non-carcinogenic risks to adults, and non-carcinogenic risk to children, while the carcinogenic risk to children was at tolerable level. Greater rice consumption might be responsible for the greater health risk to adults than children. Natural sources (loaded heavily with Cr and Ni) such as lithogenic components and soil parent materials, agricultural activities (loaded heavily with Cd, Cu, and Zn), especially excessive use of pesticides and fertilizers, and industrial activities (loaded heavily with Hg, Pb, and As) including vehicle emissions, coal combustion, and those of the textile and chemical industries were identified as the main sources. Effective regulations should be enforced to guarantee the safety of farm produce and protect ecological and human health in the study area.

Noninvasive brain stimulation of addiction: one target for all?

Noninvasive brain stimulation includes repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) and transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS), and emerges as a prospective approach for addiction treatment in clinical practices. The dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) is regarded as the most effective stimulation target, giving its important position in controlling cue-elicited drug craving and initiating drug abuse. In this paper, through literature searches (e.g. Pubmed, Google Scholar), 34 studies (2003-2021) were identified examining the effect of rTMS, tDCS on cravings, and consumption of substance use disorders, including tobacco, alcohol, opioids, and stimulants. We summarize the main methods, designs, and effects of rTMS or tDCS that are delivered to the DLPFC on different types of addiction. We conclude that targeting DLPFC might be effective for all types of drug addiction.