The influence of music performance anxiety on career expectations of early musical career students: self-efficacy as a moderator.

Music performance anxiety (MPA) is recognized as a distinct emotional behavior rather than merely a motor control disorder and is influenced by specific conditioning experiences. This study investigates the interrelationships between MPA, self-efficacy, and future career expectations among music students within the Chinese context. The participants of this study were 340 high school students majoring in music education and performance, drawn from three music schools in China. Data were collected using several questionnaires: the MPA Inventory for Adolescents (MPAI-A), the Self-Efficacy Formative Questionnaire, and the Career Futures Inventory (CFI). The findings indicate that MPA is negatively associated with self-efficacy and future career expectations. Additionally, self-efficacy acts as a partial moderator between MPA and career expectations, suggesting that enhancing the self-efficacy of music students can boost their future career aspirations and mitigate the adverse effects of MPA. This research explores the complex relationships among MPA, self-efficacy, and future career expectations, emphasizing the importance of curriculum and pedagogical strategies in music schools. Music students with high levels of self-efficacy may exhibit more confidence and stable performances before audiences. According to the panel regression analysis, self-efficacy significantly positively influences career expectations. An appropriate educational environment and supportive pedagogical approaches to MPA can foster the early career development of musicians.

Extraction of Polysaccharides from Root of Pseudostellaria heterophylla (Miq.) Pax. and the Effects of Ultrasound Treatment on Its Properties and Antioxidant and Immune Activities.

The hydrophilic polysaccharides (PS) were isolated and purified from the tuberous roots of Pseudostellaria heterophylla. The extraction process of PS from Pesudostellariae radix was optimized by single-factor experiments and orthogonal design. The extract was purified by DEAE cellulose column to obtain the pure polysaccharide PHP. Then PHP was treated with different intensities of sonication to study the effect of sonication on PHP's characteristics and its biological activity in vitro and in vivo. The results of this study revealed that ultrasound treatment did not significantly change the properties of PHP. Further, with the increase of ultrasound intensity, PHP enhanced the proliferation and phagocytosis of macrophage RAW264.7. Meanwhile, it could also significantly improve the body's antioxidant activity and immune function. The results of this study demonstrated that PHP has the potential as a food additive with enhanced antioxidant and immune functions, and its biological activities could be enhanced by sonication.