Journal of Advanced Sport Technology
No. 201, 2018

Cardiorespiratory fitness tests have been always paramount and comprehensive evaluator for the different fitness levels. However, these are sophisticated techniques, time consuming, and usually expensive. Design and manufacture of various sport equipments, especially in the field of cardiorespiratory fitness have exceptional importance. The aim of the present study was to design and manufacture a portable multifunction device for estimating the cardiorespiratory fitness for the Step Tests. 110 physically active young men (age: 18 to 22 years) have been chosen and divided into 11 experimental (Strand-Rhyming, Billi-Mirwald, Techomesh, Cotton, Queens, McArdle, East-Michigan, Hodkins-Scobik, OSU, YMCA, Harvard step test) groups and each group performed a test by the device. Microcontroller-based hardware was designed and programmed with the Basic language. In this device, 11 different standard step test programs designed. In order to assess the agreement of the instrument during the different step tests, the estimated value obtained by the designed device and the routine method (manual procedure and calculations). To assess the reliability of estimated values in different tests, the test-retest method was implemented. Results of statistical method using Bland-Altman and Intraclass Coefficient Correlation (ICC) showed that estimated cardiorespiratory fitness using designed device has very high agreement to the criterion (P≤0.001). According to the results, it can be concluded that designed multifunction device can be used as an accurate portable alternative system for estimating cardiorespiratory fitness in Step Tests.

Administration of proper tools and scientific approaches in sport talent identification will lead to rapid detection of sport talents for championships. These methods may prolong the duration of athletic success as well as providing their maximum efficacy in worldwide competitions. The investigations in this field are mostly based on defining effective parameters in talent identification or determining the norms of elite players.

The aim of this study is designing a smart model in volleyball talent identification based on main and weighted criteria resulted from analytic hierarchy process of anthropometrical, biomechanical, psychological, physiological and technical variables based on fuzzy logic.

In this investigation, important criteria were selected via analytic hierarchy process of anthropometrical, biomechanical, psychological, physiological and technical variables. The norms of the elite volleyball players in the range of 14-16 years old in these variables were used throughout this study (as the comparison index). Thereafter, a smart model was designed based on fuzzy logic using MATLAB software.

The 14-16 years old volleyball player record in the previously mentioned variables were consider as input data After comparing these records with the norms of elites, the players were categorized into different groups (output): Unmatched, Semi-matched, Matched, Brilliant and Rare. Discussion and

The parameters including height and upper extremity length (anthropometrics), agility and power (biomechanics), self-confidence and motivation (psychology), special endurance (aerobic and anaerobic; physiology), spike and serve (techniques) were shown to be the main and weighted criteria by analytic hierarchy process. Our smart model analyzed these variables in comparison with elite norms and made a specific result of player’s talents. This model of talent identification could be a reliable and useful method for selection of future volleyball stars in young population.

This study aimed to develop a device capable of converting human treadmill for the rat’s exercise space on with all the conditions of rodent’s treadmills, so that the cost of studies would be reduced.

Technical and Experimental Information:

Specification of the device :1)Running space: 15 × 52 × 10 cm. 2)50 v Shock panel separately for each device. 3) The width of devise is 80 cm. 4) The length of devise is 60 cm. 5) Separate roof for each line. 6) Adjustable to treadmills with different width. Twelve Wistar rats in three groups exercised on this new rodent’s treadmill in order to evaluate the performance of the device. To standardize rodent’s (or you can always say rat’s treadmill) treadmill compartment, the device, in this study, were tested totally for 50 hours and its problems were resolved, and as a result, a rat treadmill compartment was developed. With respect to the novelty of the device and design, researchers registered the device and obtained the invention registry certificate from industrial Intellectual property center of Iran state organization for registration of deeds and properties. (Registry number: 029656 A.89; date: 02.03.2014).

The designed device can be placed on any human treadmill, and it is connected to the body of the treadmill due to the preserving Aluminum base installed on every four corner so the device can stand firm and stable. Based on the width of the device, it can have 3 to 5 lines, each of which benefits from a separate roof and shock panel. All these conditions may provide a standard environment for exercising rat.

Using treadmill and cycle ergometers are the best methods of endurance training and choosing best training intensity is very crucial in endurance exercise training. According to more than one decade of our research experiences, it is possible to determine optimum personal training intensity based on estimation of person's anaerobic threshold. A hardware and software has been developed to monitor the heart rate and control the treadmill speed and slope. Software provided utilities to record the individual information (e.g. name, age, gender, weight and maximum and resting heart rate) and graphical curves of treadmill (speed, slope, work, power) and real-time heart rate. In this method, heart rate was used to draw the heart rate-time curve during an exhaustive graded maximal intensity exercise to find the best treadmill speed and slope in his/her anaerobic threshold. In this study, ten male athletes (19.3±1.7 years; 88.50±4.43 kg; 182.0±3.7 cm) recruited. Validity and reliability of this method have been evaluated by gas analysis every 5 seconds to determine anaerobic threshold and compare it with the Heart Rate Deflection Point (HRDP) calculated by the software on a standard Treadmill protocol during two sessions with one week rest. Bland-Altman and Intraclass Correlation Coefficients (ICC) was used to find any agreement between the two methods and Test-Retest was used to prove the reliability of the method. There was a very high agreement between two methods (±1.96; 95% CI = -16.5 to +37.5 b/min) and calculate anaerobic threshold had a positive and significant correlation (r=0.932; p<0.001). Feasibility of design a hardware and software and validity and reliability of estimated individual anaerobic threshold ascertained. It is a reasonably low price hardware and software recommendable to implement in future treadmill manufacturing.

The aim of this study was to assess the muscle architectural parameters in skill and non-skilled Karate players.

For this purpose 30 Karate players were assigned into skill (mean age of 22.03 ± 1.25 years, mean height of 1.76 ± 3.47 m and mean weight of 63.0 ± 1.01 kg) and non-skilled (mean age of 20.08 ± 2.04 years, mean height of 1.73 ± 1.44 m and mean weight of 59.01 ± 3.25 kg) groups. Muscle thickness, pennation angle and fascicle length in 50%, 60% and 70% of biceps and triceps length sites was measured using ultrasonography images. Independent t-test was used for data analysis.

The results of independent sample t-test showed there was a significant differences between Muscle thickness of triceps in skill and non-skilled Karate players (p
0.05). There was also a significant differences between pennation angle of triceps in skill and non-skilled Karate players (p
0.05). Other results of this study showed there was a significant differences between fascicle length of triceps and also between muscle thicknesses of biceps in two groups (p
0.05).

it seems practicing karate at high levels can cause changes in muscle architecture parameters and with impress some parameters associated with length and muscle tension, provide areas for improving motor function in karate special techniques.

In recent years there has been a great advancement in molecular biology techniques, which enabled the researches on influence of genetics on human performances in particular athletic performance. The role of genetic in sport has been discussed and ethical issue is considerable for every one that uses this technology to enhance sport performance. Talent identification, injury susceptibility and success in this field are the positive role but there is challenge to detect gene cheating. This report is a big question for technology developer to understand the end of this field and preventing any abuse of science in gene doping.