Background: Space is a harsh environment that affects the body in many ways. Humans venturing into the environment of space can have negative effects on the body. Objectives: This study focused on the effects of simulated microgravity on -endorphin receptor concentration. Methods: Rats (n = 16) were divided in two groups (n = 8/group), freely moving (control group) and Hindlimb Unloading. A rat-tail suspension model was used in experiment groups for 14 days to explore the effect of simulated microgravity on the -endorphin receptor concentration in the hippocampus, brain stem, and prefrontal cortex. Results: The results showed that the concentration of -endorphin receptor in the brain stem and prefrontal cortex, but not in hippocampus, was significantly higher in Hindlimb Unloading rats than controls. Conclusions: It is possible that simulated microgravity may increase the -endorphin receptor expression in the prefrontal cortex and brain stem in the rat.

Objective: Astronauts are exposed to a wide range of environmental stresses during spaceflights that reduce their immune responses and make them more susceptible to infections and malignancies. Exposure to a low dose of a certain stress induces an adaptive response, which leads to resistance to higher doses of the same or other types of stress. We designed this study to investigate the effect of radiofrequency electromagnetic field (RF-EMF)-induced adaptive response on immune system modulation in a mouse model of Hindlimb Unloading (HU) as a ground-based animal model of spaceflight conditions. Materials and Methods: In this experimental study, serum levels of T helper (Th)-mediated cytokines were determined by the multiplex cytometric bead assay in four groups of mice (n=10 per group): HU mice, RF-EMF-treated mice, HU mice pre-exposed to RF-EMF; and untreated controls. Mice were exposed to 2450 MHz RF-EMF with SAR 0. 478 W/ kg for 12 hours/day for three successive days. Results: Tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α ), interleukin-9 (IL-9) and IL-22 were significantly decreased in HU mice. Comparison between HU mice and RF-EMF-treated mice showed an opposite change in IL-6, while IL-9, IL-22, IFN-γ and TNF-α decreased in both groups. However, just interferon gamma (IFN-γ ) was significantly decreased in HU mice that were pre-exposed to RF-EMF compared to the control group. Conclusion: The effect of RF-EMF in elevating IL-6 and reducing IL-9 in opposite directions in HU mice suggest a modulating effect of RF-EMF on HU-induced changes in these cytokines, as Th2 and Th9 eventually returned to normal levels and balances in cytokine ratios were also restored in HU mice pre-exposed to RF-EMF.

In this paper, the researchers have investigated a Concatenated Robot Move (CRM) sequence problem and Minimal Part Set (MPS) schedule problem with different setup times for two-machine robotic cell. They have focused on simultaneous solving of CRM sequence and MPS schedule problems with different loading and Unloading times. They have applied a Simulated Annealing (SA) algorithm to provide a good solution rapidly. A domination rule has been developed and used in SA algorithm that strongly reduces the search space and increases speed and solution's quality of the algorithm. Numerical experiments indicate the results of the proposed SA from two points of view: quality of solution and consumed time.