Zhixiong Fang’s research while affiliated with Central China Normal University and other places

Among the fitness and body shaping exercises of Chinese women, swimming has become an increasingly popular sporting activity. Swimsuits are fundamental to participation in this sport and paramount to achieving the wearers' aim of participation. A survey of 3348 Chinese women showed that body fit is central to the purchase of a swimsuit, whether one piece or two piece, with the two-piece swimsuit proving the most popular in terms of comfort. This survey revealed that the comfort of a swimsuit is relative to the design variables of the swimsuit style, the material/body cover factor and, informed by the female form, body size and body shape. This is particularly pertinent in both the right and left anterior mammary regions and also the left lateral mammary region for the female wearer to stay comfortable during swimming when she moves in the water. This study investigated the factors that affect the comfort of women wearing swimsuits when they swim. The two-piece swimsuit was considered the most comfortable. It was also found that swimsuits negatively affect women's chest area. These results present important considerations for swimsuit manufacturers.

During space missions, astronauts live in a confined technological environment, completely isolated and deprived of the variety and variation found in the environment on Earth. This circumstance has a strong impact on the psycho-physiological states of the crew. Particularly in light of the plans for long-duration missions, new research needs to be carried out. The goal of this study, conducted at Xiangtan Central Hospital in China, was to test whether multicolour lighting can improve people’s psychological state in an isolated and confined environment over a period of seven days. Twenty participants (10 male and 10 female) were randomly divided into two groups: one group that was exposed to multicolour lighting and a control group, which was exposed to a static, monotonous white interior. The participants’ psychological state was recorded on the first day, the fourth day, and the seventh day. The results of the control group showed that the participants’ negative emotions and anxiety continued to increase over time, whereas the group randomly exposed to multicolour lighting that changed every three hours did not show any significant increase in negative emotions and anxiety. Moreover, the random change of light colour in the isolated environment appeared to help the participants increase their sense of surprise, thereby counteracting monotony. Finally, during this experiment, it was observed that when people who are accustomed to being connected to social networks were deprived of this, they experienced insomnia and unaccustomed reactions, in particular on the first days of deprivation. This article contributes to future space exploration and to social and psychological support of life in isolated and confined environments.