Background: Lunge exercises are lower extremity rehabilitation and strengthening exercises for patients and athletes. Most studies have shown the effectiveness of the forward and backward lunge exercises for treating patellofemoral pain and anterior cruciate ligament injuries (by increasing lower extremity muscle activity) and improving kinematics. Objects: However, it is not known how the two different lunge movements affect trunk muscle activities in healthy individuals. The purpose of this study was to investigate the electromyographic activity of the rectus abdominis and erector spinae muscles during forward and backward lunge exercises in healthy participants. Methods: Twelve healthy participants were recruited. Electromyographic activity of the rectus abdominis and erector spinae was recorded using surface electrodes during forward and backward lunges, and subsequently normalized to the respective reference voluntary isometric contractions of each muscle. Results: Activity of the erector spinae was significantly higher than that of the rectus abdominis during all stages of the backward lunge (p < 0.05). The activity of the erector spinae was significantly greater during the backward than forward lunge at all stages (p < 0.05). Conclusion: Backward lunging is better able to enhance trunk motor control and activate the erector spinae muscles.

We identified cdf based on screening of the Arabidopsis cDNA library for functional suppressors of the AtBI-1 (a gene described to suppress the cell death induced by Bax gene expression in yeast). The cdf was located on Chr. V and was composed of 5 exons and 4 introns. It encodes a protein of 258 amino acid residues with a molecular weight of 28.8 kDa. The protein has 3 transmembrane domains in the C-terminal region. The cdf has one homologue, named cdf2, which was found in Arabidopsis. Like cdf, cdf2 also induced growth defect in yeast. The effect of the cell growth defect factor was somewhat lower than Bax. cdf could arrest the growth of yeast. Its localization to the nucleus was essential for the suppression of yeast cell proliferation. Morphological abnormality of intracellular network, which is a hallmark of AtBI-1, was attenuated by expression of cdf.

In this study, nano-sized indium oxide powder with the average particle size below 100 nm is fab-ricated from the indium chloride solution by the spray pyrolysis process. The effects of the reaction temperature, the concentration of raw material solution and the inlet speed of solution on the properties of powder were studied. As the reaction temperature increased from 850 to , the average particle size of produced powder increased from 30 to 100 nm, and microstructure became more solid, the particle size distribution was more irregular, the intensity of a XRD peak increased and specific surface area decreased. As the indium concentration of the raw material solution increased from 40 to 350 g/l, the average particle size of the powder gradually increased from 20 to 60 nm, yet the particle size distribution appeared more irregular, the intensity of a XRD peak increased and spe-cific surface area decreased. As the inlet speed of solution increased from 2 to 5 cc/min., the average particle size of the powder decreased and the particle size distribution became more homogeneous. In case of the inlet speed of 10 cc/min, the average particle size was larger and the particle size distribution was much irregular compared with the inlet speed of 5 cc/min. As the inlet speed of solution was 50 cc/min, the average particle size was smaller and microstructure of the powder was less solid compared with the inlet speed of 10 cc/min. The intensity of a XRD peak and the variation of specific area of the powder had the same tendency with the variation of the average par-ticle size.