SNATCH TECHNIQUE VALIDATION USING COMPUTATIONAL METHODS: A GENETIC ALGORITHM APPROACH

An analytical model based on a 6 degrees of freedom robotic manipulator is adopted to represent an individual athlete during weightlifting, snatch technique. The performance of an athlete is observed and the barbell trajectory of the lifter is considered as the lifting clue of our model. The inverse kinematics problem is solved using genetic algorithm. The results could be adopted in enhancing athletic performance through provision of an alternative weightlifting technique for the individual athlete. The performance of the athlete is compared with the generated motion. It is shown that the overall torque applied to the joints can be lessened by having the trunk horizontal angle constant during the first pull. The computational support of the technique is the main focus of the paper

THE IMPACT OF STABILITY AND COGNITIVE YOGA EXERCISES ON CERTAIN KINEMATICS OF GAITING AND LIFE QUALITY AMONG ACTIVE ELDER WOMEN

The purpose of this research was to discuss the effects of stability and cognitive yoga exercises on certain kinematics of gaiting and life quality among active elderly women. The population of this research includes 100 women aged between 61 and 88 years who inhabit in Karaj’s Kahrizak nursing home. Among the population, 30 individuals matched our research criterions and therefore, they were selected as the sample of the research in a random sampling method. The age of subjects ranged between 63 to 83 years. In addition, their height ranged between 139.5 to 160 cm and also their weight ranged between 48 to 88 kilograms. Kinematics of gaiting was evaluated beforehand to participation in exercise protocols. Afterwards, the subjects of the experimental group were administered 24 sessions of exercise and after the exercises, the kinematics of gaiting was measured again. On the other hand, the control group also undertook morning exercises under the supervision of the coach of the facility. The collected statistical data were processed with independent and dependent t-tests and also for the purpose of assuring a normal data distribution, the Shapiro test was performed at a confidence level of P= 0.05. Results indicated that after eight weeks of performing stability and cognitive yoga trainings, the lengths of the right and left paces and also the pace speed were significantly improved and increased among elderlies. The variables of life quality, stance time and swing time and pace frequency were also significantly increased among the experimental group. However, this increase was not significant compared with the control group.  Article visualizations

The antibacterial effects of the hydroalcoholic extracts of aloe vera and glycyrrhiza glabra against cariogenic bacteria invitro

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Medical treatment of tooth decay is associated with the possibility of allergic reactions and increased bacterial resistance to antibiotics. This study aimed to evaluate the phenolic compounds and antimicrobial effects of the hydroalcoholic extracts of Aloe vera and Glycyrrhiza glabra against four cariogenic bacteria in vitro. METHODS: In this empirical study, hydroalcoholic extracts of Aloe vera and Glycyrrhiza glabra were obtained using the percolation method. Then preparing standard strains of Streptococcus mutans, Streptococcus salivarius, Streptococcus sanguinis, Actinomyces viscosus. Antibacterial activity of extracts were determined by micro broth dilution method. Concentration of phenolic compounds, flavonols and flavonoid were determined using the optical density (OD) method. FINDINGS: In this study, total phenolic content and concentrations of flavonols and flavonoids were 3, 37 and 10 mg/g in the Aloe vera extract, respectively, while they were 36, 78 and 14 mg/g, respectively in the extract of Glycyrrhiza glabra. Regarding the frequency of cariogenic bacteria, MIC and MBC of the Glycyrrhiza glabra extract for Streptococcus mutans were 0.5 and 1 mg/ml, respectively, while they were 0.25 and 0.5 mg/ml for Streptococcus salivarius, 0.125 and 0.5 mg/ml for Streptococcus sanguinis, and 0.25 and 0.5 mg/ml for Actinomyces viscosus, respectively. Moreover, MIC and MBC of the Aloe vera extract were 4 and 16 mg/ml for Streptococcus mutans, 0.5 and 2 mg/ml for Streptococcus salivarius, 1 and 4 mg/ml for Streptococcus sanguinis, and 1 and 2 mg/ml for Actinomyces viscosus, respectively. MIC and MBC of Aloe Vera extract (4 and 16 mg/ml) was significantly higher than the Glycyrrhiza glabra extract (0.5 and 1 mg / ml) (p<0.05). CONCLUSION: According to the results of this study, the hydroalcoholic extract of Glycyrrhiza glabra exerted greater antibacterial effects against the studied bacteria compared to the Aloe vera extract due to the higher concentration of phenolic compounds. In addition, Streptococcus mutans showed higher resistance against the herbal extracts compared to the other bacteria. © 2016, Babol University of Medical Sciences. All rights reserved

The Comparison of Knee Joint Muscles Flexibility between Women with and without Radiographic Knee Osteoarthritis

Background: Approximately 60% of individuals above 50 years of age are affected by knee osteoarthritis (KOA). KOA is most commonly assessed through radiographic evaluation and classified using the Kellgren -Lawrence (KL) grading system with KL Grade 0 (KLG0) indicating a definite absence of radiographic KOA (RKOA) and KLG2 presenting a definite presence of RKOA. The current study compared knee joint muscle flexibility among three groups with KLG0, KLG2, and KLG3 RKOA. Methods: In this descriptive cross-sectional study, 94 KLG0, KLG2, and KLG3 knees on 57 women aged ≥40 years were examined. The flexibility of the quadriceps, hamstring, iliotibial band, adductor, and gastrocnemius muscles was compared. Results: Iliotibial band flexibility was lower in subjects with KLG3 RKOA than those with KLG2 (p 0.05). Conclusion: In patients with RKOA, the flexibility of the iliotibial band and quadriceps muscles may decrease as the disease progresses from KLG2 to KLG3. Moreover, quadriceps and iliotibial band flexibility may be lower in KLG3 compared to KLG0, with a lower likelihood of quadriceps flexibility in KLG2 compared to KLG0. These results suggest that quadriceps and iliotibial band stretching may be potentially important components of treatment

Attenuation Models for Estimation of Vertical Peak Ground Acceleration Based on PSO Algorithm for the North of Iran

Peak ground acceleration (PGA) is a critical parameter in ground-motion investigations, in particular in earthquake-prone areas such as Iran. In the current study, a new method based on particle swarm optimization (PSO) is developed to obtain an efficient attenuation relationship for the vertical PGA component within the northern Iranian plateau. The main purpose of this study is to propose suitable attenuation relationships for calculating the PGA for the Alborz, Tabriz and Kopet Dag faults in the vertical direction. To this aim, the available catalogs of the study area are investigated, and finally about 240 earthquake records (with a moment magnitude of 4.1 to 6.4) are chosen to develop the model. Afterward, the PSO algorithm is used to estimate model parameters, i.e., unknown coefficients of the model (attenuation relationship). Different statistical criteria showed the acceptable performance of the proposed relationships in the estimation of vertical PGA components in comparison to the previously developed relationships for the northern plateau of Iran. Developed attenuation relationships in the current study are independent of shear wave velocity. This issue is the advantage of proposed relationships for utilizing in the situations where there are not sufficient shear wave velocity data

Comparing the Timing of Electromyographic Activity of Selected Lumbar-Pelvic Muscles During a Cross-cutting Maneuver in Football Players With Athletic Groin Pain and Healthy Peers

Background and Aims Athletic groin pain (AGP) is one of the most common injuries among athletes. It causes the use of compensatory mechanisms to adjust pain and affects lumbar-pelvic and hip movements, which leads to prolonging the pain healing process. This study aims to compare the timing of electromyographic activity in selected lumbar-pelvic muscles during a cross-cutting maneuver in football players with AGP and healthy peers.Methods In this quasi-experimental study, 28 football players in the second division league of Iran participated in two groups of control (n=14) and AGP (n=14). The timing of electromyography activity in the gluteus medius, adductor longus, rectus abdominis, multifidus, and transverse abdominis/internal oblique during a cross-cutting maneuver was recorded bilaterally with a one-minute interval since the time of foot-ground contact in two groups.Results The time for the onset of activity in the gluteus medius muscle in the dominant foot (P=0.033) and in the multifidus muscle in the opposite foot (P= 0.023) for the AGP group was significantly delayed in compared to the control group; however, the rectus abdominis muscle in the dominant foot was activated significantly earlier and before the heel contact with the ground (P=0.001).Conclusion It seems that AGP changes the timing of electromyographic muscle activity in football players. These changes and compensatory mechanisms may put the athletes at the potential risk of lower limb injuries. It is recommended to find solutions to reduce the effects of AGP and the resulting changes

An EXPERIME TAL STUDY on the KI EMATICS of a SKILLED SERVICE in PLAYI G TE IS

ABSTRACT This paper studies the effective parameters of a skilled service in playing tennis and determines their relationship with skill deals. Effective service in tennis plays an important role in gaining more desirable result and the most important factor of success in getting scores depends on the player&apos;s skills in serving an effective service. The characteristics of a good service are the high speed of the ball and the precision of landing the ball. The several parameters affecting on these two characteristic in the service, are studied in this paper. Therefore, the Kinematic parameters of 8 Iranian professional tennis athletes of first division tennis league and also 8 non-professional Iranian athletes who exercise about 3 sessions a week were extracted. After land marking these athletes, by use of two high-frequency cameras, pictures were recorded when the tennis players were serving the services. The investigation on the results of these tests is performed by three dimensional motion analyses. The pictures are analyzed with the WinAnalyze software. Therefore, in this paper, the most important effective parameters in serving a successful service are detected

Freshwater snails as the intermediate host of trematodes in Iran: a systematic review

Freshwater snails, as the first intermediate hosts of trematodes, can cause health hazards in animals and humans. Recently, the World Health Organization has included Iran in a list of 6 countries known to have serious problems with fascioliasis. In addition, cercarial dermatitis is a job-related disease that is seen often in paddy workers, agricultural labourers, and fishermen in Iran, particularly in Mazandaran Province. Many studies have been conducted in Iran to survey larval trematodes in freshwater snails. However, to the best of our knowledge, no comprehensive data exist regarding infections in gastropods. Therefore, the aim of the present study was to estimate the types and prevalence of cercarial infections in snails in Iran. Electronic English-language and Persian-language databases were searched to identify 24 published articles reporting the prevalence of trematode infections in snails (9 species from 6 families) in various provinces of Iran. In total, 4.4% of gastropods were infected with the larval stages of trematodes. According to the studies reviewed in this meta-analysis‚ the highest infection prevalence was found in Radix auricularia (9.9%). Twelve larval species of trematodes were identified, and the highest prevalence of cercariae was found for Echinostomatidae cercariae (4.3%). Among the provinces explored, West Azerbaijan had the highest prevalence of infected snails (16.9%). The presence of trematodes in snails could pose a serious health problem in Iran. Thus, further studies are necessary to characterize these infections in other provinces

The effect of hydroalcoholic extracts of Zizipus vulgaris L. on burn healing

زمینه و هدف: از قدیم میوه عناب جهت ترمیم زخم سوختگی مورد استفاده قرار می گرفته است ولی این امر از نظر علمی مورد بررسی قرار نگرفته است. این مطالعه به منظور بررسی اثرات عصاره ی میوه ی عناب بر فرآیند التیام زخم سوختگی در موش Balb/c انجام شده است. روش بررسی: این مطالعه تجربی بر روی 40 سر موش Balb/c به وزن تقریبی 3±30 گرم انجام شد. پس از ایجاد زخم های سوختگی به مساحت 5/1سانتیمتر مربع و تایید سوختگی درجه دو موش ها در چهار گروه کنترل، تحت درمان با وازلین و تحت درمان با عصاره های 1 و 10 عناب تقسیم شدند. در گروه های تحت درمان، 1 گرم پماد روزی 2 بار، تا التیام کامل استعمال شد. سپس چهار گروه از نظر مساحت زخم و وضعیت هیستوپاتولوژی مقایسه شدند. یافته ها: بر اساس آزمون کروسکال والیس تفاوت معنی داری بین درصد بهبودی زخم در 4 گروه وجود داشت (001/0