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Adolescence is a remarkable period of brain development. Prenatal stress can increase the risk of various neuropsychiatric disorders. This research investigated neurochemical and behavioural changes in the offspring rats (especially adolescences) who were treated with repeated variable prenatal stress (PNS) during the third week of gestation. The study tested the concentration of brain‐derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), cluster of differentiation 68 (CD68), synaptotagmin‐1(Syt‐1), 5‐hydroxytryptamine (5‐HT), dopamine (DA), glucocorticoid receptors (GRs) and oestrogen receptors (ERs) in the PFC (prefrontal cortex). We also tested prepulse inhibition (PPI) of the acoustic startle reflex (ASR) (a measure of sensorimotor gating). The main results were as follows: PNS increased the BDNF and CD68 concentrations in adolescent females, and increased the Syt‐1 concentration in adolescent males. The increases in BDNF/CD68 concentration (in females) and Syt‐1/DA concentration (in males) with age were disturbed by PNS, and PNS changed the sex differences in CD68 concentration in adolescence and disturbed the sex differences in the Syt‐1 concentration (in adolescence) and DA concentration (in adults). In conclusion, we found that PNS lead to Sex‐dependent aberrant PFC development, and might accelerate the development of the adolescent PFC, and so that lessened the age difference (between adolescence and adulthood) and the sex difference. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Adolescence is a period of heightened susceptibility to anxiety disorders. Probiotic supplementation had a positive impact on reducing anxiety. The maternal microbiome plays an important role in child health outcomes and in the establishment of the offspring microbiome. Few studies have investigated the impact of gestational probiotic supplementation on the offspring's anxiety. Methods: The present study examined the impact of prenatal Lactobacillus helveticus NS8 supplementation (LAC) on Sprague Dawley rat offspring's anxiety‐like behavior. The behaviors tested in the present study include the elevated plus maze (EPM), the open field test (OFT), and prepulse inhibition (PPI). Analyses of variance were utilized. Results: (a) The performance of LAC adolescent rats in the EPM was similar to that in the OFT, both of which reflect that LAC caused an antianxiety effect in adolescent offspring rats and the antianxiety effect without sex differences; (b) LAC did not change performance in PPI and did not change the sex and age differences in PPI; and c. LAC decreased the body mass of rat offspring. Conclusion: Lactobacillus helveticus NS8 supplementation during gestation might have a moderate antianxiety effect in both males and females (especially adolescents) and be helpful for avoiding excessive body mass. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A set of poly(L-lactide)-poly(ϵ-caprolactone) diblock copolymers (AB) and poly(L-lactide)-poly(ϵ-caprolactone)-poly(L-lactide) triblock copolymers (ABA) with predictable molecular weights and relatively narrow distributions were synthesized by ring-opening polymerization of successively added ϵ-caprolactone (ϵ-CL) andL-lactide (LLA) using 4-methyl benzo-12-crown-4 imidazol-2-ylidene as catalyst. The effects of polymerization conditions, such as reaction time, temperature, monomer/catalyst molar ratio and monomer concentration on the copolymerization have been discussed in detail. The resulting copolymers were characterized by1H-NMR,13C-NMR, IR, GPC and DSC methods which confirmed the successful synthesis of block copolymers of LLA and ϵ-CL. Hydrolytic degradation of the polymers showed that the PLLA-PCL-PLLA copolymer exhibited faster degradation as compared with the PCL homopolymer in alkaline medium at 37°C. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this research, Ti/SnO 2 –RuO 2 stable anode was successfully prepared by thermal decomposition method, and low concentration cefotaxime sodium (CFX) was degraded by green and sustainable electrocatalytic oxidation technology. The electrocatalytic activity and stability of the Ti/SnO 2 –RuO 2 coating electrode were studied according to the polarization curve of oxygen and chlorine evolution. The effects of current density, initial concentration, pH, electrolyte concentration, and other technological parameters on the degradation efficiency were discussed. Orthogonal experiment results indicated that when the current density was 25 mA cm−2, concentration of electrolyte was 5 mM and the pH value was 7, the best CFX removal rate of 86.33% could be obtained. The degradation efficiency of electrocatalytic oxidation was discussed through electrochemical analysis. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy was used to analyze the different inlet and outlet stages before and after the degradation of CFX, and the possible degradation process was discussed. Therefore, the electrocatalytic oxidation of Ti/SnO 2 –RuO 2 electrode was a clean and efficient technology, which could be widely used in the treatment of CFX wastewater. [Display omitted] • SnO 2 and RuO 2 are used as dopant to DSA to the degradation of cefotaxime sodium. • Ti/SnO 2 –RuO 2 anode displays excellent stability and electrochemical activity. • ·OH and ClO− play a decisive role in the removal of cefotaxime sodium. • Cefotaxime sodium removal efficiency of 86.33% is reached. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The increase of water temperature caused by the thermal effect of cooling water discharged from power plants has become a major environmental problem, especially its influence on phytoplankton community. The change of water temperature usually reshapes the structure of phytoplankton community. A research combining phytoplankton community and thermal discharge of power plants was conducted to identify the potential influences. Results indicated the average annual water temperature of the reservoir increased gradually by 5–11 °C because of the thermal discharge. Through annual diversity analysis, 139 species or taxa from 6 phyla (i.e. , Bacillariophyta, Chlorophyta, Cyanobacteria, Euglenophyta, Dinoflagellata, and Cryptophyta) were found in different sampling sites, among which Bacillariophyta was the dominant community. Preliminary experimental results revealed the increasing temperature completely reshaped the phytoplankton community structure, especially during the cold season, and this was confirmed by the results of redundancy analysis. In addition, lots of thermophilic genera (i.e. , Synedra , Nitzschia , and Navicula) were detected at sampling station 1 (Spt1) and sampling station 2 (Spt2) where the effect of thermal discharge was the most obvious. The increase in biomass and cell count of Bacillariophyta was the result of thermal effect, especially in cold season. Besides, consequences also revealed some environmental parameters (i.e. , dissolved oxygen concentration, chlorophyll a concentration, and transparency) were affected by the thermal discharge. Chlorophyll a concentration exhibited a slow rising trend while dissolved oxygen concentration and transparency gradually decreased. [Display omitted] • Thermal discharge thoroughly reshaped the phytoplankton community structure. • Thermal effect increased the abundance of Bacillariophyta while weakening others. • Thermal effect on phytoplankton community was more notable in cold seasons. • Phytoplankton possess effective physiological mechanisms for varied temperature. Investigated to the effect of thermal discharge from a power plant on the aquatic environmental parameters and observed change in phytoplankton communities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Reclaimed water is widely concerned as an effective recharge of groundwater and surface water, but trace organic pollutants produced by traditional wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) would cause environmental pollution (water and soil) during infiltration. Therefore, the effects of reclaimed water containing ofloxacin (OFL) and ciprofloxacin (CIP) in antibiotics polluted natural soil (APNS) were investigated by simulating soil aquifer treatment systems (SATs). The experiment results showed that OFL and CIP in water were adsorbed and microbially degraded mainly at 30 cm, and the concentration of OFL and CIP in soil increased with depth, which were mainly due to the desorption from APNS. Concurrently, the change in replenishment water concentration also significantly affected OFL and CIP in pore water and soil. Although OFL and CIP inhibited the diversity of soil microbial community, they also promoted the growth of some microorganisms. As the dominant bacteria, Proteobacteria and Acidobacteriota can effectively participate in the degradation of OFL and CIP. The degradation effects of soil microorganisms on OFL and CIP were 45.48% and 42.39%, respectively, indicating that soil microorganisms selectively degraded pollutants. This experiment was carried out on APNS, which provided a reference for future studies on the migration of trace organic pollutants under natural conditions. • OFL and CIP adsorption degradation mainly occurred in the surface of ANPS. • The microorganism degradation of OFL and CIP were 45.28% and 42.39% in APNS. • OFL and CIP infiltration significantly affected the microbial community. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The portable power bank as an energy storage device has received tremendous attention while the limited capacity and periodical charging are critical issues. Here, a self-charging power system (SCPS) consisting of a 0.94(Bi 0.5 Na 0.5 )TiO 3 -0.06Ba(Zr 0.25 Ti 0.75 )O 3 /polyvinylidenefluoride (BNT-BZT/PVDF) composite film-based triboelectric nanogenerator (TENG) is designed as a wind energy harvester and an all-solid-state lithium-ion battery (ASSLIB) as the energy storage device. The optimized TENG can provide an output voltage of ≈400 V, a current of ≈45 µA, and a maximum power of ≈10.65 mW, respectively. The ASSLIB assembled by LiNiCoMnO 2 as the cathode, NiCo 2 S 4 as the anode, and Li 7 La 3 Zr 2 O 12 as the solid electrolyte can maintain a discharge capacity of 51.3 µAh after 200 cycles with a Coulombic efficiency of 98.5%. Particularly, an ASSLIB can be easily charged up to 3.8 V in 58 min using the wind-driven TENG, which can continuously drive 12 parallel-connected white light-emitting diodes (LEDs) or a pH meter. This work demonstrates the development of low-cost, high-performance and high-safety SCPSs and their large-scale practical application in self-powered microelectronic devices., (© 2022 Wiley-VCH GmbH.)