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This study primarily investigated the effect of gua sha plate thickness on hand fatigue incurred through the sustained gripping of a gua sha plate. A total of 25 participants were recruited and five gua sha plates of various thicknesses were tested. The participants’ subjective and objective fatigue scores after they completed the assigned tasks using the plates were collected and analyzed. The results revealed that the fatigue associated with the usage of thick gua sha plates was considerably less than the fatigue associated with the usage of a thin gua sha plate. The gua sha plate thickness was also significantly and inversely correlated with the participants’ thumb–index web size. Because of the limited range of plate thickness in this study, the results must be further verified. However, these preliminary results and methods serve as a reference for selecting and designing gua sha plates, as well as for conducting subsequent relevant studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Design is a powerful weapon for modern companies so it is important to have excellent designers in the industry. The purpose of this study is to explore the learning problems and the resources that students use to overcome problems in undergraduate industrial design studio courses. A survey with open-type questions was conducted to collect data. Participants in this study were 189 undergraduate industrial design students from three universities, and two coding schema were formulated for analysing the data. The results demonstrated that the most difficult design tasks included concept generation, design presentation, and design research. The learning resources used to solve the learning problems included four categories: people, object, method, and environment. This information will increase the understanding of the learning process of students and provide a reference for teaching and the setting of learning resources in industrial design education. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cadmium (Cd) is one of the most toxic heavy metals in aquatic ecosystem which affects fish health and aquaculture. In the present study, we examined the bioaccumulation of Cd in the gonads of tilapia via dissolved and dietary routes. We evaluated the subchronic effects of Cd on the histology of gonads, steroid hormone levels and sex-related gene expressions in tilapia. In addition, we also studied maternal transfer of Cd. Our results indicated that Cd was accumulated significantly in both ovary and testis from both exposure routes. Histopathological analysis showed that Cd induced ovary and testis injuries. Estradiol levels were significantly increased in dissolved Cd exposed female fish. In addition, the Cd exposure displayed different effects on gene expressions in gonads. In females, the estrogen receptor (ERα) was stimulated in dissolved Cd-exposed fish at 70.32 and 143.78 μg/L for 30 days and in fish at 143.78 μg/L for 60 days. Vitellogenin expression was significantly down-regulated in the ovary of dissolved Cd-exposed fish. In testis, GR expression was elevated after 60 days of dissolved Cd and dietary exposure. Furthermore, Cd level was significantly higher in the eggs than that in the fry. Our results demonstrated that both dissolved and dietary Cd exposures affected gonad development by altering steroid hormone levels and sex-related gene expressions in tilapia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A facile colloidal synthesis of CuInGaSe (CIGS) nanocrystals was successfully performed using a simple heating method. These nanocrystals were prepared by employing glycerol as a main solvent and oleylamine (OLA) as a complexing agent. X-ray diffraction showed that CuInSe with a chalcopyrite structure was formed by using a volume content of OLA as small as ~30 %. No variation was found in the compound phase between samples synthesized in a mixed solvent with 30 % OLA and in 100 % OLA-added solvent. Transmission election microscopy confirmed the crystal structure and showed a particle sizes below 20 nm. Energy-dispersive X-ray analysis (EDS) confirmed the chemical composition of these samples. And UV-Vis spectroscopy investigated the band gap of CIGS nanoinks. Furthermore, we used this method to prepare CIGS nanocrystals with different band gap energies by varying the In/Ga ratio of the reactants. Therefore, this green and economic route proposed has the potential for large-scale synthesis of CIGS nanocrystals, which is beneficial to low-cost photovoltaic application. Graphical abstract: XRD patterns and TEM images of CuInSe nanocrystals, obtained for samples synthesized with pure OLA and with mixed solvent.[Figure not available: see fulltext.] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aims: We systematically investigated the effect of combined use of low-intensity pulsed ultrasound (LIPUS) and bone mesenchymal stem cells C3H10T1/2 on bone-defect healing.Methods: C3H10T1/2 cells were first induced into a stationary phase by incubation with low fetal bovine serum (5 ml/l) for five days and then sonicated with LIPUS for ten minutes once every day for five consecutive days. The same LIPUS treatment combined with C3H10T1/2 cells, which were incubated in regular fetal bovine serum (10 ml/l) were used to aid femoral fracture healing in Sprague-Dawley rats during four consecutive weeks. C3H10T1/2 cell proliferation activity was detected by MTT assay. Cell-cycle changes were determined, and cell proliferation index was calculated using flow cytometry. Bone reparation was evaluated by X-ray imaging and hematoxylin and eosin (H&E) staining during the healing process.Results: LIPUS promoted C3H10T1/2 cell proliferation, the mechanism of which was possibly the up-regulation of Bmi-1 gene expression. At the end of week two after combined use of LIPUS and C3H10T1/2, the femoral gap was reduced on X-ray images. According to H&E staining results, new bone had homogeneous and similar density compared with normal surrounding bone after combined use of LIPUS and C3H10T1/2. At the end of week four, bone defects could not be observed by X-ray in all four groups and repaired bone substance in all four groups could be observed by H&E staining.Conclusions: LIPUS treatment effectively promotes C3H10T1/2 cells to enter the growth/split phase from the stationary phase. This process enhances cell proliferation, which consequently promotes bone-defect healing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]