Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Resting Metabolic Rate in Female Rugby Players: Differences in Measured Versus Predicted Values

Supplemental Digital Content is Available in the Text. Abstract O'Neill, JERG, Walsh, CS, McNulty, SJ, Gantly, HC, Corish, ME, Crognale, D, and Horner, K. Resting metabolic rate in female rugby players: differences in measured versus predicted values. J Strength Cond Res 36(3): 845–850, 2022—This study investigated (a) the accuracy of resting metabolic rate (RMR) prediction equations in female rugby players and (b) factors that might explain poor prediction accuracy in some individuals. Resting metabolic rate was assessed in 36 female elite and subelite rugby players (age: 18–35 years, fat-free mass (FFM): 43–63 kg, fat mass %: 15–41%). After pretest standardization (24-hour exercise avoidance and 12-hour overnight fast), RMR was measured by indirect calorimetry and compared with predicted values determined by Harris-Benedict, Cunningham, Ten Haaf, Jagim and Watson equations. Body composition was assessed by air displacement plethysmography, muscle damage indicated by creatine kinase, and risk of low energy availability (LEA) by LEA in Females Questionnaire. Measured RMR was 1,651 ± 167 kcal·d−1. The Cunningham, Ten Haaf, and Watson (body mass) predicted values did not differ from measured (p > 0.05), while all other predicted values differed significantly (p < 0.001). Individually, prediction accuracy to within 10% varied widely depending on the equation used (range 44% [n = 16] to 86% [n = 31]). Three of the 5 individuals whose values were outside 10% of the measured value using the best performing Ten Haaf FFM equation could be explained by muscle damage or LEA. These measures may be useful to assist in understanding why measured RMR may be lower or higher than predicted in some athletes. Overall, the Ten Haaf equations showed the best accuracy, suggesting these equations may be most suitable for this population. The findings demonstrate the importance of considering the population studied when determining the most appropriate prediction equation to use.
Behavioral weather insurance: Applying cumulative prospect theory to agricultural insurance design under narrow framing

Experience across many countries shows that, without large premium subsidies, crop insurance uptake rates are generally low. In this article, we propose to use the cumulative prospect theory to design weather insurance products for situations in which farmers frame insurance narrowly as a stand-alone investment. To this end, we introduce what we call “behavioral weather insurance” whereby insurance contract parameters are adjusted to correspond more closely with farmers’ preferences. Depending on farmers’ preferences, we find that a stochastic multiyear premium increases the prospect value of weather insurance, while a zero deductible design does not. We suggest that insurance contracts should be tailored precisely to serve farmers’ needs. This offers potential benefits for both the insurer and the insured.
Steeping Preservation of Baby Corn

Baby sweet corn (Zea mays var. rugosa Bonaf.) is used in Asian cuisine and considered a specialty item outside of Asia. Dehusked baby corn, harvested at 2 and 4 days after silk emergence, was preserved in a steeping solution and packed in glass jars. The steeping solution used concentrations of acetic acid from 0.5% to 2.0% and sodium chloride from 2% to 8%. Baby corn ears were either not blanched or blanched for 2, 4, or 8 min. Blanched and unblanched samples were stored at room temperature and under refrigeration. Steeped baby corn was analyzed for total soluble solids (TSS), acidity, salt, texture, color, ash, total solids, sugars, and starch. Baby corn harvested within 2 days of silk emergence was found to be optimum for steeping preservation. Baby corn blanched for 4 min had better color retention and less salt and acid penetration than unblanched corn. The equilibrium concentration, as measured by TSS of the steeping solution, varied between 7.0 and 7.2 ˚Brix. Acetic acid was more effective in controlling microbes than was sodium chloride. The concentrations of TSS, acidity, total solids, salt, and ash content of ears were affected by concentration of acid and salt in the steeping solution. Even though baby corn can be preserved with 2% salt and 1% acid, the color and taste were detrimentally affected. The combination of 6% salt and 0.75% acid was found to be best for steeping preservation of baby corn as indicated by organoleptic factors.
SBH and the integration of complementary approaches in the mapping, sequencing, and understanding of complex genomes

A variant of sequencing by hybridization (SBH) is being developed with a potential to inexpensively determine up to 100 million base pairs per year. The method comprises (1) arraying short clones in 864-well plates; (2) growth of the M13 clones or PCR of the inserts; (3) automated spotting of DNAs by corresponding pin-arrays; (4) hybridization of dotted samples with 200-3000 [sup 32]P- or [sup 33]P-labeled 6- to 8-mer probes; and (5) scoring hybridization signals using storage phosphor plates. Some 200 7- to 8-mers can provide an inventory of the genes if CDNA clones are hybridized, or can define the order of 2-kb genomic clones, creating physical and structural maps with 100-bp resolution; the distribution of G+C, LINEs, SINEs, and gene families would be revealed. cDNAs that represent new genes and genomic clones in regions of interest selected by SBH can be sequenced by a gel method. Uniformly distributed clones from the previous step will be hybridized with 2000--3000 6- to 8-mers. As a result, approximately 50--60% of the genomic regions containing members of large repetitive and gene families and those families represented in GenBank would be completely sequenced. In the less redundant regions, every base pair is expected to bemore » read with 3-4 probes, but the complete sequence can not be reconstructed. Such partial sequences allow the inference of similarity and the recognition of coding, regulatory, and repetitive sequences, as well as study of the evolutionary processes all the way up to the species delineation. « less
Is there a role for tau glutathione transferases in tetrapyrrole metabolism and retrograde signalling in plants?

In plants, tetrapyrrole biosynthesis occurs in chloroplasts, the reactions being catalysed by stromal and membrane-bound enzymes. The tetrapyrrole moiety is a backbone for chlorophylls and cofactors such as sirohaems, haems and phytochromobilins. Owing to this diversity, the potential cytotoxicity of some precursors and the associated synthesis costs, a tight control exists to adjust the demand and the fluxes for each molecule. After synthesis, haems and phytochromobilins are incorporated into proteins found in other subcellular compartments. However, there is only very limited information about the chaperones and membrane transporters involved in the trafficking of these molecules. After summarizing evidence indicating that glutathione transferases (GST) may be part of the transport and/or degradation processes of porphyrin derivatives, we provide experimental data indicating that tau glutathione transferases (GSTU) bind protoporphyrin IX and haem moieties and use structural modelling to identify possible residues responsible for their binding in the active site hydrophobic pocket. Finally, we discuss the possible roles associated with the binding, catalytic transformation (i.e. glutathione conjugation) and/or transport of tetrapyrroles by GSTUs, considering their subcellular localization and capacity to interact with ABC transporters. This article is part of the theme issue ‘Retrograde signalling from endosymbiotic organelles’.
Retrograde signalling in a virescent mutant triggers an anterograde delay of chloroplast biogenesis that requires GUN1 and is essential for survival

Defects in chloroplast development are ‘retrograde-signalled’ to the nucleus, reducing synthesis of photosynthetic or related proteins. The Arabidopsis cue8 mutant manifests virescence, a slow-greening phenotype, and is defective at an early stage in plastid development. Greening cotyledons or early leaf cells of cue8 exhibit immature chloroplasts which fail to fill the available cellular space. Such chloroplasts show reduced expression of genes of photosynthetic function, dependent on the plastid-encoded polymerase (PEP), while the expression of genes of housekeeping function driven by the nucleus-encoded polymerase (NEP) is elevated, a phenotype shared with mutants in plastid genetic functions. We attribute this phenotype to reduced expression of specific PEP-controlling sigma factors, elevated expression of RPOT (NEP) genes and maintained replication of plastid genomes (resulting in densely coalesced nucleoids in the mutant), i.e. it is due to an anterograde nucleus-to-chloroplast correction, analogous to retention of a juvenile plastid state. Mutants in plastid protein import components, particularly those involved in housekeeping protein import, also show this ‘retro-anterograde’ correction. Loss of CUE8 also causes changes in mRNA editing. The overall response has strong fitness value: loss of GUN1, an integrator of retrograde signalling, abolishes elements of it (albeit not others, including editing changes), causing bleaching and eventual seedling lethality upon cue8 gun1. This highlights the adaptive significance of virescence and retrograde signalling. This article is part of the theme issue ‘Retrograde signalling from endosymbiotic organelles’.
The plastid transcription machinery and its coordination with the expression of nuclear genome: Plastid-Encoded Polymerase, Nuclear-Encoded Polymerase and the Genomes Uncoupled 1-mediated retrograde communication

Plastid genes in higher plants are transcribed by at least two different RNA polymerases, the plastid-encoded RNA polymerase (PEP), a bacteria-like core enzyme whose subunits are encoded by plastid genes (rpoA, rpoB, rpoC1 and rpoC2), and the nuclear-encoded plastid RNA polymerase (NEP), a monomeric bacteriophage-type RNA polymerase. Both PEP and NEP enzymes are active in non-green plastids and in chloroplasts at all developmental stages. Their transcriptional activity is affected by endogenous and exogenous factors and requires a strict coordination within the plastid and with the nuclear gene expression machinery. This review focuses on the different molecular mechanisms underlying chloroplast transcription regulation and its coordination with the photosynthesis-associated nuclear genes (PhANGs) expression. Particular attention is given to the link between NEP and PEP activity and the GUN1- (Genomes Uncoupled 1) mediated chloroplast-to-nucleus retrograde communication with respect to the Δrpo adaptive response, i.e. the increased accumulation of NEP-dependent transcripts upon depletion of PEP activity, and the editing-level changes observed in NEP-dependent transcripts, including rpoB and rpoC1, in gun1 cotyledons after norflurazon or lincomycin treatment. The role of cytosolic preproteins and HSP90 chaperone as components of the GUN1-retrograde signalling pathway, when chloroplast biogenesis is inhibited in Arabidopsis cotyledons, is also discussed. This article is part of the theme issue ‘Retrograde signalling from endosymbiotic organelles’.
Red and blue light differentially impact retrograde signalling and photoprotection in rice

Chloroplast-to-nucleus retrograde signalling (RS) is known to impact plant growth and development. In Arabidopsis, we and others have shown that RS affects seedling establishment by inhibiting deetiolation. In the presence of lincomycin, a chloroplast protein synthesis inhibitor that triggers RS, Arabidopsis light-grown seedlings display partial skotomorphogenesis with undeveloped plastids and closed cotyledons. By contrast, RS in monocotyledonous has been much less studied. Here, we show that emerging rice seedlings exposed to lincomycin do not accumulate chlorophyll but otherwise remain remarkably unaffected. However, by using high red (R) and blue (B) monochromatic lights in combination with lincomycin, we have uncovered a RS inhibition of length and a reduction in the B light-induced declination of the second leaf. Furthermore, we present data showing that seedlings grown in high B and R light display different non-photochemical quenching capacity. Our findings support the view that excess B and R light impact seedling photomorphogenesis differently to photoprotect and optimize the response to high-light stress. This article is part of the theme issue ‘Retrograde signalling from endosymbiotic organelles'.
Induction of chitinases and β‐l,3‐glucanases in Rhizoctonia solani‐infected rice plants: Isolation of an infection‐related chitinase cDNA clone

Extracts from several rice cultivars (Oryza saliva L. cvs IR58, 74586 and SC33) infected with the sheath blight pathogen Rhizoctonia solani, were analyzed to determine the isozyme distribution of chitinases (EC 3.2.1.14) and β-1,3-glucanases (EC 3.2.1.39). Upon infection by the fungal pathogen, two chitinases of 28 and 35 kDa and two β-1,3-glucanases of 30 and 32 kDa were shown to be induced in all cultivars. They resolved into multiple isozymes under nondenaturing electrophoretic conditions. Wounding, but not bacterial infection, resulted in the induction of these hydrolytic enzymes. Even though fungal infection resulted in induction of chitinases and β-glucanases in all cultivars, some cultivars that were moderately resistant to R. solani appeared to have higher levels of specific isozymes. A chitinase cDNA clone was identified by screening a library, prepared from RNA isolated from R. solani-infected rice plants, with an antibody to a bean chitinase. This cDNA encoded a 35-kDa chitinase which was significantly different in amino acid sequence from other rice chitinases described so far. Northern blot analysis of RNA from infected rice plants indicated that transcripts corresponding to this chitinase gene were induced upon fungal infection.
Protective Effect of Phyllanthus fraternus against Thioacetamide-Induced Mitochondrial Dysfunction

The effect of administration of thioacetamide on rat liver mitochondrial functions and the protective effect of an aqueous extract of Phyllanthus fraternus against thioacetamide-induced damage were studied. When rats were treated with thioacetamide, the rate of mitochondrial respiration was decreased significantly with both NAD+ linked and FAD linked substrates, and the respiratory control ratio, an index of membrane integrity and the P/O ratio, a measure of phosphorylation efficiency, decreased significantly. Also, there was a significant decrease in the activities of NADH dehydrogenase, succinate cytochrome c reductase, and cytochrome oxidase; whereas succinate dehydrogenase was not affected. A significant decrease was seen in membrane potential and in the level of mitochondrial ATP. There was a significant decrease in the levels of phosphatidylcholine, phosphatidylethanolamine, and cardiolipin by thioacetamide treatment. The lipid peroxide level increased significantly in thioacetamide-treated rats. Administration of P. fraternus prior to thioacetamide treatment relieved the inhibition of all the parameters studied, and brought down the lipid peroxide levels significantly in liver homogenates and mitochondria. This study shows that P. fraternus protects against thioacetamide-induced toxicity by its ability to suppress the elevated lipid peroxide levels in the mitochondrial membrane.
The unfolded protein response in hereditary haemochromatosis.

To cope with the accumulation of unfolded or misfolded proteins the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) has evolved specific signalling pathways collectively called the unfolded protein response (UPR). Elucidation of the mechanisms governing ER stress signallinghas linked this response to the regulation of diverse physiologic processes as well as to the progression of a number of diseases. Interest in hereditary haemochromatosis (HH) has focused on the study of proteins implicated in iron homeostasis and on the identification of new alleles related with the disease. HFE has been amongst the preferred targets of interest, since the discovery that its C282Y mutation was associated with HH. However, the discrepancies between the disease penetrance and the frequency of this mutation have raised the possibility that its contribution to disease progression might go beyond the mere involvement in regulation of cellular iron uptake. Recent findings revealed that activation of the UPR is a feature of HH and that this stress response may be involved in the genesis of immunological anomalies associated with the disease. This review addresses the connection of the UPR with HH, including its role in MHC-I antigen presentation pathway and possible implications for new clinical approaches to HH.
Towards A Design For Life: Redesigning For Reminiscence With Looked After Children

For 'looked-after' and adopted children, physical objects are often the only remaining link to their pasts; a portal to stories of former families, homes, and events. The act of reminiscence, known as 'life story work', can help children to process their pasts and overcome trauma. This paper describes the user-centred redesign of Trove, a digital and physical memory box for storing and curating stories about precious objects. We describe our redesign process, synthesising the insights from previous Trove evaluations with looked-after and adopted children, and three re-design workshops with 4 looked-after children at a therapeutic residential school. Our findings advocate for prioritisation of Trove's digital and physical security, the sustainability of its companionship, and the provision of multimedia storytelling to encourage the construction of identity narratives. Inspired by this, we present and discuss the redeveloped Trove, before analysing our participatory design approach with these complex and under-represented groups.
ModBot: A Tangible and Modular Making Toolkit for Children to Create Underwater Robots

Underwater robot is essential equipment for exploring the marine environment. It is important that children get exposed to these technologies as earlier as possible, especially there is a high demand for developing expertise and awareness in the underwater robot. Although examples of making toolkit for children currently exist, few focus specifically on integration with the water environment. In this paper, we explore the making toolkit, ModBot, which can be applied to the water environment. The hardware was developed using electronic, counterweight, and shape modules that can be manipulated to build underwater robots. The software application allows children to learn concepts and receive construction feedback. This paper presents the system design of ModBot, the design rationale, and a user study for the usability of ModBot. Our system is expected to spark children's interests and creativity of underwater robots, and foster their understanding of the water environment.
MUBS: A Personalized Recommender System for Behavioral Activation in Mental Health

Depression is a leading cause of disability worldwide, which has inspired the design of mobile health (mHealth) applications for disease monitoring, prediction, and diagnosis. Less mHealth research has, however, focused on the treatment of depressive disorders. Clinical evidence shows that depressive symptoms can be reduced through a behavior change method known as Behavioral Activation (BA). This paper presents MUBS; a smartphone-based system for BA, which specifically contributes a personalized content-based activity recommendation model using a unique list of validated activities. An 8-week feasibility study with 17 depressive patients provided detailed insight into how MUBS provided inspiration and motivation for planning and engaging in more pleasant activities, thereby facilitating the core components of BA. Based on this study, the paper discusses how recommender technology can be used in the design of mHealth technology for BA.
CHI 2020: Right Here, Right Now?

Over the last twenty years the CHI conference has grown substantially. However, with the reframing of climate change as a climate crisis, environmental concerns have become increasingly pervasive in the community. In 2019 CHI introduced a sustainability role and set a goal to make CHI more sustainable. In 2020 CHI is in Hawaii. This work looks back over the last two decades and estimates what are substantial and growing CO2 emissions from conference travel. First, it posits how, in the short term, potential environmental damage can be minimised. Second, and longer-term, it invites the community to reflect on research dissemination and how the conference experience may need to change. Author
Conversational Agents for Health and Wellbeing

Conversational agents have increasingly been deployed in healthcare applications. However, significant challenges remain in developing this technology. Recent research in this area has highlighted that: i) patient safety was rarely evaluated; ii) health outcomes were poorly measured, and iii) no standardised evaluation methods were employed. The conversational agents in healthcare are lagging behind the developments in other domains. This one-day workshop aims to create a roadmap for healthcare conversational agents to develop standardised design and evaluation frameworks. This will prioritise health outcomes and patient safety while ensuring a high-quality user experience. In doing so, this workshop will bring together researchers and practitioners from HCI, healthcare and related speech and chatbot domains to collaborate on these key challenges.
Interactive Multisensory Environments for Primary School Children

Interactive Multi-Sensory Environments (iMSEs) are room-sized interactive installations equipped with digitally enriched physical materials and ambient embedded devices. These items can sense users' presence, gestures, movements, and manipulation, and react by providing gentle stimulation (e.g., light, sound, projections, blowing bubbles, tactile feel, aromas) to different senses. Most of prior research on iMSEs investigates their use for persons with disabilities (e.g., autism). Our work focuses on the use of iMSEs in primary education contexts and for mixed groups of young students, i.e., children with and without disability. The paper describes the latest version of an iMSE called Magic Room that has been installed in two local schools. We report two empirical studies devoted to understand how the Magic Room could be used in inclusive educational settings, and to explore its potential benefits.