Presence-generating arts systems

University of Technology, Sydney. Faculty of Engineering and Information Technology.In order to advance understanding about presence-generating art systems, artists, researchers and designers, working in the field of immersive environments, create experiences for people. These experiences involve the participant not only through the systems functionality (interaction) , but in a psychological way, employing the use of the senses. Designed sensorial experiences account for both the participant's experience and the system's functionality. A presence-generating art system facilitates engaging experiences for participants, as both system form and system content compliment each other. These three components; the participant, system form, and system content are reliant upon each other if the outcome is to produce presence-based engagements. Creating meaningful, engaging experiences is one method for generating the experience of presence. This work looks at the process of creating presence engagement by applying in design; previous research into presence, two models for creative engagement and designing low stress environments. It briefly explores participants' experiences of navigating a projected interface, using a stand alone eye-tracking device . This practicebased research project examines an interactive art system and how it use's levels of interactivity to engage participants through models for creative engagement, designed for gaining and sustaining attention. The work advances understanding about interaction and experience design, by evaluating participants experiences of the seven features designed to enhance the sense of presence. These features are: designing for creative engagement, the sensation of spatial presence, the experience of ecological validity, the use of naffatives, the use of colour and motion, audio and the system response time

On the role of lyrics in the music-exercise performance relationship

This is the post-print version of the final paper published in Psychology of Sport and Exercise. The published article is available from the link below. Changes resulting from the publishing process, such as peer review, editing, corrections, structural formatting, and other quality control mechanisms may not be reflected in this document. Changes may have been made to this work since it was submitted for publication. Copyright @ 2013 Elsevier Ltd.Objectives - To examine the role of lyrics on a range of psychological, psychophysical, and physiological variables during submaximal cycling ergometry. Design - Within-subject counterbalanced design. Method - Twenty-five participants performed three 6-min cycling trials at a power output corresponding to 75% of their maximum heart rate under conditions of music with lyrics, same music without lyrics, and a no-music control. Cycling cadence, heart rate, and perceived exertion were recorded at 2-min intervals during each trial. Positive and negative affect was assessed before and after each trial. Results - Participants cycled at a higher cadence towards the end of the cycling trials under music with lyrics. Main effects were found for perceived exertion and heart rate, both of which increased from min 2 through to min 6, and for affect: positive affect increased and negative affect decreased from pre- to post-trials. Conclusions - Participants pedalled faster in both music conditions (with and without lyrics) while perceived exertion and heart rate did not differ. The inclusion of lyrics influenced cycling cadence only at min 6 and had no effect on the remaining dependent variables throughout the duration of the cycling trials. The impact of lyrical content in the music–exercise performance relationship warrants further attention in order for us to better understand its role

The reflective practitioner: In creation of PEGASYS

This paper discusses the framework of a presence-generating art system (PEGASYS) in development as part of practice-based research. The interactive audio-visual panoramic computer-based system provides engagement with a natural terrain, incorporating site-specific performance and augmented characters made possible through the design, production and implementation of a tetradecagon (14 sided) camera plate. A gaze-based interface facilitates a biotechnological interaction that utilizes our ability to see in a human-computer orientation. The co-joining of eye-gaze technology with human strengths produces an outcome that facilitates engagements that can be deeply rewarding, embedding participants in new relationships with remote natural habitats

A narrative review on female physique athletes: the physiological and psychological implications of weight management practices

Physique competitions are events in which aesthetic appearance and posing ability are valued above physical performance. Female physique athletes are required to possess high lean body mass and extremely low fat mass in competition. As such, extended periods of reduced energy intake and intensive training regimens are used with acute weight loss practices at the end of the precompetition phase. This represents an increased risk for chronic low energy availability and associated symptoms of relative energy deficiency in sport, compromising both psychological and physiological health. Available literature suggests that a large proportion of female physique athletes report menstrual irregularities (e.g., amenorrhea and oligomenorrhea), which are unlikely to normalize immediately postcompetition. Furthermore, the tendency to reduce intakes of numerous essential micronutrients is prominent among those using restrictive eating patterns. Following competition, reduced resting metabolic rate, and hyperphagia, is also a concern for these female athletes, which can result in frequent weight cycling, distorted body image, and disordered eating/eating disorders. Overall, female physique athletes are an understudied population, and the need for more robust studies to detect low energy availability and associated health effects is warranted. This narrative review aims to define the natural female physique athlete, explore some of the physiological and psychological implications of weight management practices experienced by female physique athletes, and propose future research directions

A Nanosensor Toolbox for Rapid, Label-Free Measurement of Airway Surface Liquid and Epithelial Cell Function

Ciliated lung epithelial cells and the airway surface liquid (ASL) comprise one of the body's most important protective systems. This system is finely tuned, and perturbations to ASL rheology, ASL depth, ASL pH, the transepithelial potential, and the cilia beat frequency are all associated with disease pathology. Further, these apparently distinct properties interact with each other in a complex manner. For example, changes in ASL rheology can result from altered mucin secretion, changes in ASL pH, or changes in ASL depth. Thus, one of the great challenges in trying to understand airway pathology is that the properties of the ASL/epithelial cell system need to be assessed near-simultaneously and without perturbing the sample. Here, we show that nanosensor probes mounted on a scanning ion conductance microscope make this possible for the first time, without any need for labeling. We also demonstrate that ASL from senescence-retarded human bronchial epithelial cells retains its native properties. Our results demonstrate that by using a nanosensor approach, it is possible to pursue faster, more accurate, more coherent, and more informative studies of ASL and airway epithelia in health and disease

Quality control for next-generation liquefaction case histories

The Next-Generation Liquefaction (NGL) database is an open-source, global database of liquefaction and non-ground failure case-histories. The database is part of a multi-year research effort with the main goal of developing improved procedures to evaluate liquefaction susceptibility, triggering, and consequences. In NGL, a case-history is defined as the intersection of three components: (1) a site, (2) an earthquake event, and (3) post-earthquake observations. The NGL database hosts case-histories used to develop existing liquefaction models, as well as new data derived from recent earthquakes such as the 2010-2011 Canterbury earthquake sequence, the 2011 Tohoku-Oki earthquake, and the 2012 Emilia earthquake. The database also hosts lateral spread case-histories, and a substantial number of liquefaction sites characterized by the presence of co-located recording stations. All of the data present in the NGL database are reviewed by the NGL Database Working Group. The NGL formal vetting process is described for an example case-history

Effective silencing of ENaC by siRNA delivered with epithelial-targeted nanocomplexes in human cystic fibrosis cells and in mouse lung

Introduction Loss of the cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator in cystic fibrosis (CF) leads to hyperabsorption of sodium and fluid from the airway due to upregulation of the epithelial sodium channel (ENaC). Thickened mucus and depleted airway surface liquid (ASL) then lead to impaired mucociliary clearance. ENaC regulation is thus a promising target for CF therapy. Our aim was to develop siRNA nanocomplexes that mediate effective silencing of airway epithelial ENaC in vitro and in vivo with functional correction of epithelial ion and fluid transport. Methods We investigated translocation of nanocomplexes through mucus and their transfection efficiency in primary CF epithelial cells grown at air–liquid interface (ALI).Short interfering RNA (SiRNA)-mediated silencing was examined by quantitative RT-PCR and western analysis of ENaC. Transepithelial potential (Vt), short circuit current (Isc), ASL depth and ciliary beat frequency (CBF) were measured for functional analysis. Inflammation was analysed by histological analysis of normal mouse lung tissue sections. Results Nanocomplexes translocated more rapidly than siRNA alone through mucus. Transfections of primary CF epithelial cells with nanocomplexes targeting αENaC siRNA, reduced αENaC and βENaC mRNA by 30%. Transfections reduced Vt, the amiloride-sensitive Isc and mucus protein concentration while increasing ASL depth and CBF to normal levels. A single dose of siRNA in mouse lung silenced ENaC by approximately 30%, which persisted for at least 7 days. Three doses of siRNA increased silencing to approximately 50%. Conclusion Nanoparticle-mediated delivery of ENaCsiRNA to ALI cultures corrected aspects of the mucociliary defect in human CF cells and offers effective delivery and silencing in vivo

Toxic metal enrichment and boating intensity: sediment records of antifoulant copper in shallow lakes of eastern England

Tributyltin (TBT), an aqueous biocide derived from antifouling paint pollution, is known to have impacted coastal marine ecosystems, and has been reported in the sediment of the Norfolk and Suffolk Broads, a network of rivers and shallow lakes in eastern England. In the marine environment, the 1987 TBT ban has resulted in expanded use of alternative biocides, raising the question of whether these products too have impacted the Broads ecosystem and freshwaters in general. Here we examine the lake sediment record in the Norfolk and Suffolk Broads for contamination by copper (Cu) (as an active biocide agent) and zinc (Zn) (as a component of booster biocides), to assess their occurrence and potential for causing environmental harm in freshwater ecosystems. We find that, after the introduction of leisure boating, there is a statistically significant difference in Cu enrichment between heavily and lightly boated sites, while no such difference exists prior to this time. At the heavily boated sites the onset of Cu enrichment coincides with a period of rapid increase in leisure boating. Such enrichment is maintained to the present day, with some evidence of continued increase. We conclude that Cu-based antifouling has measurably contaminated lakes exposed to boating, at concentrations high enough to cause ecological harm. Similar findings can be expected at other boated freshwater ecosystems elsewhere in the world

Atypical chemokine receptor 1 on nucleated erythroid cells regulates hematopoiesis

Healthy individuals of African ancestry have neutropenia that has been linked with the variant rs2814778(G) of the gene encoding atypical chemokine receptor 1 (ACKR1). This polymorphism selectively abolishes the expression of ACKR1 in erythroid cells, causing a Duffy-negative phenotype. Here we describe an unexpected fundamental role for ACKR1 in hematopoiesis and provide the mechanism that links its absence with neutropenia. Nucleated erythroid cells had high expression of ACKR1, which facilitated their direct contact with hematopoietic stem cells. The absence of erythroid ACKR1 altered mouse hematopoiesis including stem and progenitor cells, which ultimately gave rise to phenotypically distinct neutrophils that readily left the circulation, causing neutropenia. Individuals with a Duffy-negative phenotype developed a distinct profile of neutrophil effector molecules that closely reflected the one observed in the ACKR1-deficient mice. Thus, alternative physiological patterns of hematopoiesis and bone marrow cell outputs depend on the expression of ACKR1 in the erythroid lineage, findings with major implications for the selection advantages that have resulted in the paramount fixation of the ACKR1 rs2814778(G) polymorphism in Africa

Repetitive Behavior in Rubinstein–Taybi Syndrome:Parallels with Autism Spectrum Phenomenology

Syndrome specific repetitive behavior profiles have been described previously. A detailed profile is absent for Rubinstein–Taybi syndrome (RTS). The Repetitive Behaviour Questionnaire and Social Communication Questionnaire were completed for children and adults with RTS (N = 87), Fragile-X (N = 196) and Down (N = 132) syndromes, and individuals reaching cut-off for autism spectrum disorder (N = 228). Total and matched group analyses were conducted. A phenotypic profile of repetitive behavior was found in RTS. The majority of behaviors in RTS were not associated with social-communication deficits or degree of disability. Repetitive behavior should be studied at a fine-grained level. A dissociation of the triad of impairments might be evident in RTS