Učinak intervalnog treninga, aerobnog treninga i treninga otpornosti te konzumiranog dodatka spiruline na razine UCP-1, TRPV1 i HOMA-IR u bijelom masnom tkivu štakora sa šećernom bolesti.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of high-intensity interval, aerobic, and resistance training, and spirulina supplement consumption on the levels of Uncoupling Protein-1 (UCP1), Transient Receptor Potential Vanilloid (TRPV1) and Homeostatic Model Assessment for Insulin Resistance (HOMA-IR) in the white adipose tissue of diabetic rats. A total of 42 male rats with diabetes type II were randomly assigned into seven groups as follows: aerobic training (n=6), resistance training (n=6), interval training (n=6), aerobic training combined with supplementation (n=6), resistance training combined with supplementation (n=6), interval training combined with supplementation (n=6) and control (n=6) groups. The training groups carried out the training (8 weeks/5 days) on a rodent treadmill and ladder. The paired sample t-test and one-way ANOVA were employed for data analysis. The three kinds of training, with and without supplementation, significantly reduced mass, glucose, insulin, and insulin resistance. In the three supplementation-combined training groups the difference on the HOMA-IR index was significant; however, the decline was larger in the resistance training with supplementation group. The concentration of UCP-1 and TRPV1 proteins significantly increased in all training groups, with and without supplementation. Nonetheless, the significant increase in the UCP-1 levels in the interval training with supplementation group was more than in the other groups. Furthermore, the TRPV1 protein levels were higher in the resistance training with supplementation group. Eight weeks of training, with and without Spirulina supplementation, reduced insulin resistance and gave rise to significant changes in UCP-1 and TPRV1 concentrations.Svrha istraživanja bila je utvrditi učinak treninga s intervalom visokog intenziteta, anaerobnog treninga, treninga otpornosti i konzumiranja dodatka spiruline na razine nevezanog proteina-1 (UCP1), vaniloidnog potencijalnog prijelaznog receptora (TRPV1) te na procjenu homeostatskog modela za rezistenciju na inzulin (HOMA-IR) u bijelom masnom tkivu štakora sa šećernom bolesti. Ukupno 42 muška štakora sa šećernom bolesti tipa II nasumično su raspoređena u sedam skupina kako slijedi: aerobni trening (n = 6), trening otpornosti (n = 6), intervalni trening (n = 6), aerobni trening kombiniran s dodatkom spiruline (n = 6), trening otpornosti kombiniran s dodatkom spiruline (n = 6), intervalni trening kombiniran s dodatkom spirulina (n = 6) i kontrolna skupina (n = 6). Trening (8 tjedana/5 dana) je proveden na pomičnoj traci i ljestvama za glodavce. Za analizu podataka korišteni su t-test za parne uzorke i jednosmjerna ANOVA. Tri vrste treninga, sa i bez dodataka spiruline, znakovito su smanjile masu, glukozu, inzulin i rezistenciju na inzulin. U tri skupine s kombiniranim treningom i dodatkom spiruline razlika u indeksu HOMA-IR bila je znakovita, međutim pad je bio veći u skupini treninga otpornosti s dodatkom spiruline. Koncentracija proteina UCP-1 i TRPV1 znakovito se povećala u svim skupinama s treningom, sa i bez dodataka spiruline. Pri tome, povećanje razina UCP-1 u skupini koja je imala trening s intervalnom visokog intenziteta i dodatak spiruline bilo je znakovito više nego u drugim skupinama. Nadalje, razine proteina u TRPV1 bile su više u skupini s treningom otpornosti i dodatkom spiruline. Osam tjedana treninga, sa i bez dodatka spiruline, smanjilo je inzulinsku rezistenciju i dovelo do znakovitih promjena u koncentracijama UCP-1 i TPRV1

Awareness about Alzheimer's Disease and the Prevalence of its Preventive Behaviors among Elderly Referred to Health Centers in Tehran, 2012

Background: Alzheimer's disease is a chronic progressive disease disturbing cognitive, perceptual and behavioral functioning of elderly and affects their quality of life. The aim of this study was to determine the awareness and performance of elderly referred to health centers of Tehran 6th district in regard to Alzheimer's disease and its prevention. Methods: This was a descriptive and analytical cross-sectional study in which the awareness and performance of 363 elderly visiting the health centers of Tehran 6th district in regard to Alzheimer's disease was evaluated. Data were collected through a researcher-made questionnaire including 28 questions. The reliability and validity of the questionnaire were evaluated and the questionnaires were completed by trained persons. Data were analyzed using descriptive and analytic statistical methods and through SPSS16 software. Results: Mean age of subjects was 69.7 (SD=7.1) years. From all, 201 ones (55.4%) had the necessary knowledge about Alzheimer’s disease and its prevention and 105 ones (28.9%) had good preventive behavior. Mean score of preventive behavior was 1.0 (SD=0.9) in males and 1.3 (SD=1.2) in females that shows significant difference between the two sexes. Conclusion: Based on the obtained results that show inadequate performance of subjects, implementing health educational programs is necessary to improve the performance of elderly in control of Alzheimer’s disease. Keywords: Alzheimer’s disease, Elderly, Knowledge, Preventive behavior

Developing a Model of Potential Tourists’ Image of Iran as Tourist Destination

The purpose of this study first is to develop a model to measure Iran’s Image from the perspective of those who have not visited Iran and then to investigate the effects of some factors such as Macro image of the destination, tourists’ motivation for travelling to Iran and marketing communication activities of the destination on the dimensions of the destination image. In the research, a mixed approach was adopted. The statistical populations of both quantitative and qualitative studies include members of Couch surfing and Linked-in social networks. For this purpose, a sample of 74 potential tourists were participated in the qualitative study and 520 ones were participated in the quantitative study. In order to identify the dimensions of the destination image, the content analysis technique was employed. The participants of the quantitative study were selected through a convenient sampling method. In order to identify the dimensions of the destination image exploratory factor analysis was applied. The research data were analyzed through confirmatory factor analysis in the AMOS software. The findings showed that Macro image of Iran, tourists’ motivation for traveling to Iran and marketing communication activities of the destination affect the dimensions and overall image of Iran. Destination image in turn affects the tourists’ intention to visit Iran

Application of Response Surface Methodology to Optimize Malachite Green Removal by Cl-nZVI Nanocomposites

Disposal of effluents containing dyes into natural ecosystems pose serious threats to both the environment and its aquatic life. Malachite green (MG) is a basic dye that has extensive industrial applications, especially in aquaculture, throughout the world. This study reports on the application of the central composite design (CCD) under the response surface methodology (RSM) for the optimization of MG adsorption from aqueous solutions using the clinoptilolite nano-zerovalence iron (Cl-nZVI) nanocomposites. The sorbent structures produced are characterized by means of scanning electron micrograph (SEM), energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS), and vibrating sample magnetometer (VSM). The effects of different parameters including pH, initial MG concentration, and sorbent dosage on the removal efficiency (R) of MG were studied to find the optimum operating conditions. For this purpose, a total of 20 sets of experiments were designed by the Design Expert.7.0 software and the values of removal efficiency were used as input response to the software. The optimum pH, initial MG concentration, and sorbent dosage were found to be 5.6, 49.21 mg.L-1, and 1.43 g.L-1, respectively. A high MG removal efficiency (57.90%) was obtained with optimal process parameters. Moreover, a desirability value of 0.963 was obtained for the optimization process

ANALYSIS OF THE CENTRALIZED SUPPLY CHAIN DYNAMICS BY SETTING OPERATIONAL PARAMETERS

This study aimed to determine the importance of ordering parameters, measure their impact on supply chain dynamics in terms of total cost and the bullwhip effect when these parameters change simultaneously in the supply chain and provide a model for effective supply chain management. Response surface methodology was used for data collection in the context of the dynamic system model to determine the importance and effects of ordering parameters on supply chain dynamics. In this way, after designing a centralized supply chain model (all supply chain members followed the same ordering pattern) using a system dynamics approach, different combinations of ordering parameter levels were implemented using the response surface methodology in the supply chain model. The results were analyzed using ANOVA to determine the significance and intensity of the effects of parameters on supply chain dynamics. The results showed that the expected time for receiving the goods at the specified levels had no significant effect on total cost and bullwhip effect; i.e., when ordering, this parameter could be used more flexibly with the most negligible effect on supply chain dynamics. On the other hand, to achieve a stable supply chain (simultaneously reducing total cost and bullwhip effect), adjusting the amount of safety stock and the work-in-process was necessary to its maximum level

Crystallinity and Gas Permeability of Poly (Lactic Acid)/Starch Nanocrystal Nanocomposite

The present work seeks to determine the impact of weight percentage (wt%) of grafted starch nanocrystals (g-SNCs) on the oxygen and water vapour permeability of poly (lactic acid), PLA. Changes in the oxygen and water vapour permeability of PLA due to changes in PLA’s crystalline structures and lamellar thickness were quantified. To this end, 3, 5, and 7 wt% of g-SNC nanoparticles were blended with PLA using the solvent casting method in order to study impact of g-SNC nanoparticles on crystallization behaviour, long spacing period, melting behavior, and oxygen and water barrier properties of PLA nanocomposites. This was achieved by wide-angle X-ray diffraction (WAXD), small-angle X-ray diffraction (SAXD), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), and oxygen and water vapour permeability machine. The results of the WAXD and SAXD analysis show that the addition of 5 wt% g-SNC in PLA induces α crystal structure at a lower crystallization time, while it significantly increases the α crystal thickness of PLA, in comparison to neat PLA. However, when g-SNC concentrations were altered (i.e., 3 or 7 wt%), the crystallization time was found to increase due to the thermodynamic barrier of crystallization. Finally, the oxygen and water vapour permeability of PLA/SNC-g-LA (5 wt%) nanocomposite film were found to be reduced by ∼70% and ~50%, respectively, when compared to the neat PLA film. This can lead to the development of PLA nanocomposites with high potential for applications in food packaging

Optimal human ovarian follicle isolation: A review focused on enzymatic digestion.

The damage or depletion of ovarian reserves due to aging or cancer treatment can increase the need for fertility preservation techniques. One of the most common ways of supporting fertility in prepubertal girls and women who require immediate cancer treatment is through ovarian tissue cryopreservation and re-transplantation following cancer treatment. However, a more appropriate method should be employed in diseases such as leukemia, where malignant cells may be present in cryopreserved tissue, instead of ovarian tissue transplantation. Human ovarian follicle isolation for culture or the use of artificial ovaries for their growth can decrease the risk of reintroducing cancer cells into these individuals. Here we review the methods for the isolation of human ovarian follicles