Search

This study aimed to examine the impact of 12 weeks of aerobic interval, resistance and combined exercise on inflammatory markers of TNF-a, IFN-y, Metrnl and IL-4 in obese men. Forty-four individuals (35–55 years; body mass index (BMI): 30–40 kg/m2) voluntarily participated, and were randomly divided into four groups: aerobic interval exercise (n = 10) (5 × 3-min intervals at ∼40–80% peak heart rate), resistance exercise (n = 11) (2–3 sets, 8–20 repetitions at 40–80% one-repetition maximum), combined exercise (n = 12) (a combination of both aerobic and resistance exercises) and control (n = 11). The exercise protocol in all three groups was 12 weeks with a frequency of three sessions per week. IL-4 increased significantly in aerobic interval (P = 0.005), resistance (P = 0.005), and combined (P = 0.022) exercise groups. TNF-α decreased significantly only in the aerobic (P = 0.005) and combined (P = 0.012) groups, but it increased in the resistance group (P = 0.025). None of the exercise interventions resulted in a significant change in Meteorin-like protein (Metrnl) and IFN-γ levels (P > 0.05). The results suggest that aerobic and combined exercises may have more beneficial effects in improving the inflammatory status than resistance exercise alone in obese individuals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background. Cupping therapy is one of the treatments for myofascial pain that has not been sufficiently studied. This study aimed to compare the effects of cupping massage and exercise training on pain, disability and Fatigue severity in patients with trapezius myofascial syndrome. Patients and methods. Forty-four patients were randomly divided into two groups of cupping massage and conventional exercise training. The outcome measure included pain intensity, disability, and fatigue. The duration of intervention was 4 weeks (3 times a week) for both groups. The intervention included moving cup with negative pressure on the trapezius muscle for 5 minutes in each session in the cupping group and strengthening and stretching exercises for trapezius muscle in the exercise group. Questionnaires were completed and analyzed immediately after the last intervention session and three months later. Results. Immediately after the intervention and three months later, in both groups, pain, disability and fatigue severity were significantly reduced (P value < 0.01). These changes were significantly greater in the cupping group than in the exercise group (P value < 0.01). Conclusions. Massage cupping should be considered as a feasible, safe, fast, and effective method for patients with trapezius pain syndrome, also, can be combined with other rehabilitation programs in the treatment of myofascial pain and muscle strain. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

One of the important phenomena influencing the resistivity behavior of nanotubes based on the change of their radius is a physical effect called "pinch effect". In this paper, according to the experimental results, the electrical resistivity behavior of carbon nanotubes is modeled as a function of the radius in the radius range of 3–10 nm. The pinch effect is not observed for weak current, but if the radius of carbon nanotube is very small, this effect will be considerable and affects carbon nanotube resistivity. The deviations observed in ρ – R (resistivity as a function of nanotube radius) diagrams for individual carbon nanotube are justified with different parameters such as pinch effect phenomenon. The results show an acceptable theoretical model for the behavior of electrical resistivity relative to radius reduction. The theory diagram of the electrical resistivity behavior of carbon nanotubes in terms of radius reduction is predicted in very small radii. These results are consistent with the experimental results. It is consistent and generalizable. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Experimental results show that there are unpredicted phenomena in the resistivity behavior of nanotubes as a function of their diameter. In this paper, the electrical resistivity behavior of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) is modeled as a function of diameter (at constant temperature) based on nanotube chirality. The effect of overlap of chirality surfaces on the resistivity of individual CNTs has been investigated and showed that if the windows of hexagonal lattice of individual CNTs face each other, the CNT resistivity increases. This effect becomes weaker if the diameter of nanotube increases. The proposed theoretical model explains the behavior of electrical resistivity of CNTs as a function of their diameters caused by chirality surface overlapping effect, and the obtained results are compared with the experimental reports. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Quinoa (Chenopodium quinoa) is world-renowned for its nutritional and health benefits and its adaptability to different environments. Despite some research on quinoa cultivation, determining the appropriate planting date and density for different genotypes and regions needs to be studied. The main objective of this study was to determine the effects of planting date and planting density on quinoa seed yield in climatic conditions of Kermanshah. In this regard, field experiments were conducted during two growing seasons (2019-2020) at the research farm of Razi University, Kermanshah, Iran. The experiments were conducted as split-plot factorial in randomized complete blocks design with three replications. Three sowing dates (March 15th, April 15th, and May 15th) were assigned to the main plots, two planting densities (40 and 60 plants m-2), and three genotypes including Titicaca, Q29, and Red Carina as subplots. The results showed that the highest seed yield (2179.72 and 2267.39 kg ha-1) were achieved on April 15th, 2019 and May 15th, 2020, respectively. Sowing dates of April 15th in 2019 and May 15th in 2020 with a plant density of 60 plants m-2 and Titicaca genotype had the highest seed yield for quinoa in Kermanshah climatic conditions. The results showed that panicle length and biological yield had a positive and significant correlation with grain yield in all studied planting dates. There was a positive and significant correlation between grain yield and grain weight per plant, 1000-grain weight, and biological yield at both densities. The path analysis revealed that panicle length had the highest positive direct effect on seed yield followed by 1000-seed weight on the first sowing date in 2019 and 2020, while biological yield and panicle length had the highest positive direct effect on seed yield on the second and third sowing dates, respectively. This experiment showed that genotypes and planting dates are the most determining factors affecting quinoa growth, development, and yield compared with planting densities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]