The need to reduce the dependency of chemicals on fossil fuels has recently motivated the adoption of renewable energies in those sectors. In addition, due to a growing population, the treatment and disposition of residual biomass from agricultural processes, such as sugar cane and orange bagasse, or even from human waste, such as sewage sludge, will be a challenge for the next generation. These residual biomasses can be an attractive alternative for the production of environmentally friendly fuels and make the economy more circular and efficient.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFNutrients
May 2023
Creatine has been used to maximize resistance training effects on skeletal muscles, including muscle hypertrophy and fiber type changes. This study aimed to evaluate the impact of creatine supplementation on the myostatin pathway and myosin heavy chain (MyHC) isoforms in the slow- and fast-twitch muscles of resistance-trained rats. Twenty-eight male Wistar rats were divided into four groups: a sedentary control (Cc), sedentary creatine supplementation (Cr), resistance training (Tc), and resistance training combined with creatine supplementation (Tcr).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFObjectives: To compare a standardized submaximal intensity (based on the rate of perceived exertion [RPE]) with the percentage of the average and peak torque during a familiarization session in individuals with different spinal cord injury (SCI) levels in gravity-resisted and gravity-assisted movements.
Methods: This was a cross-sectional study at a rehabilitation hospital. Thirty-six individuals stratified in tetraplegia (TP), high paraplegia (HP), and low paraplegia (LP) groups and 12 matched control participants (CG) were enrolled in the study.
In the past decade, several articles have proposed the use of an exergy perspective to analyze physiological systems of the human body under different physical conditions. Such a perspective focuses on the exergy transformations and the efficiency of the biological processes. This may aid the medical field in assessments of a patient's physical health by means of an index (exergy efficiency) based on the quality of the energy conversion in a given process within the human heart.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThis article focuses on studying the effects of muscle and fat percentages on the exergy behavior of the human body under several environmental conditions. The main objective is to relate the thermal comfort indicators with exergy rates, resulting in a Second Law perspective to evaluate thermal environment. A phenomenological model is proposed of the human body with four layers: core, muscle, fat and skin.
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