1,721,042 research outputs found
The effects of yoga compared to active and inactive controls on physical function and health related quality of life in older adults:Systematic review and meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials
Full text linkBackground: Yoga has been recommended as a muscle strengthening and balance activity in national and global physical activity guidelines. However, the evidence base establishing the effectiveness of yoga in improving physical function and health related quality of life (HRQoL) in an older adult population not recruited on the basis of any specific disease or condition, has not been systematically reviewed. The objective of this study was to synthesise existing evidence on the effects of yoga on physical function and HRQoL in older adults not characterised by any specific clinical condition. Methods: The following databases were systematically searched in September 2017: MEDLINE, PsycInfo, CINAHL Plus, Scopus, Web of Science, Cochrane Library, EMBASE, SPORTDiscus, AMED and ProQuest Dissertations & Theses Global. Study inclusion criteria: Older adult participants with mean age of 60 years and above, not recruited on the basis of any specific disease or condition; yoga intervention compared with inactive controls (example: wait-list control, education booklets) or active controls (example: walking, chair aerobics); physical function and HRQoL outcomes; and randomised/cluster randomised controlled trials published in English. A vote counting analysis and meta-analysis with standardized effect sizes (Hedges’ g) computed using random effects models were conducted. Results: A total of 27 records from 22 RCTs were included (17 RCTs assessed physical function and 20 assessed HRQoL). The meta-analysis revealed significant effects (5% level of significance) favouring the yoga group for the following physical function outcomes compared with inactive controls: balance (effect size (ES) = 0.7), lower body flexibility (ES = 0.5), lower limb strength (ES = 0.45); compared with active controls: lower limb strength (ES = 0.49), lower body flexibility (ES = 0.28). For HRQoL, significant effects favouring yoga were found compared to inactive controls for: depression (ES = 0.64), perceived mental health (ES = 0.6), perceived physical health (ES = 0.61), sleep quality (ES = 0.65), and vitality (ES = 0.31); compared to active controls: depression (ES = 0.54). Conclusion: This review is the first to compare the effects of yoga with active and inactive controls in older adults not characterised by a specific clinical condition. Results indicate that yoga interventions improve multiple physical function and HRQoL outcomes in this population compared to both control conditions. This study provides robust evidence for promoting yoga in physical activity guidelines for older adults as a multimodal activity that improves aspects of fitness like strength, balance and flexibility, as well as mental wellbeing
Going Beyond Counting First Authors in Author Co-citation Analysis
Full text linkThe present study examines one of the fundamental aspects of author co-citation analysis (ACA) - the way co-citation
counts are defined. Co-citation counting provides the data on which all subsequent statistical analyses and mappings
are based, and we compare ACA results based on two different types of co-citation counting - the traditional type that
only counts the first one among a cited work's authors on the one hand and a non-traditional type that takes into
account the first 5 authors of a cited work on the other hand. Results indicate that the picture produced through this non-traditional author co-citation counting contains more coherent author groups and is therefore considerably clearer. However, this picture represents fewer specialties in the research field being studied than that produced through the traditional first-author co-citation counting when the same number of top-ranked authors is selected and analyzed. Reasons for these effects are discussed
Variations on the Author
Full text link“Variations on the Author” discusses two of Eduardo Coutinho’s recent films (Um Dia na Vida, from 2010, and Últimas Conversas, posthumously released in 2015) and their contribution to the general question of documentary authorship. The director’s filmography is characterized by a consistent yet self-effacing form of authorial self-inscription: Coutinho often features as an interviewer that rather than express opinions propels discourses; an interviewer that is good at listening. This mode of self-inscription characterizes him as an author who is not expressive but who is nonetheless markedly present on the screen. In Um Dia na Vida, however, Coutinho is completely absent form the image, while Últimas Conversas, on the contrary, includes a confessional prologue that moves the director from the margins to the center of his films. This article examines the ways in which these works stand out in the filmography of a director who offers new insights into the notion of cinematic authorship
Appropriate Similarity Measures for Author Cocitation Analysis
Full text linkWe provide a number of new insights into the methodological discussion about author cocitation analysis. We first argue that the use of the Pearson correlation for measuring the similarity between authors’ cocitation profiles is not very satisfactory. We then discuss what kind of similarity measures may be used as an alternative to the Pearson correlation. We consider three similarity measures in particular. One is the well-known cosine. The other two similarity measures have not been used before in the bibliometric literature. Finally, we show by means of an example that our findings have a high practical relevance.information science;Pearson correlation;cosine;similarity measure;author cocitation analysis
Dispelling the Myths Behind First-author Citation Counts
Full text linkWe conducted a full-scale evaluative citation analysis study of scholars in the XML research field to explore just how different from each other author rankings resulting from different citation counting methods actually are, and to demonstrate the capability of emerging data and tools on the Web in supporting more realistic citation counting methods. Our results contest some common arguments for the continued
use of first-author citation counts in the evaluation of scholars, such as high correlations between author rankings by first-author citation counts and other citation
counting methods, and high costs of using more realistic citation counting methods that are not well-supported by the ISI databases. It is argued that increasingly available digital full text research papers make it possible for citation analysis studies to go beyond what the ISI databases have directly supported and to employ more
sophisticated methods
koamabayili/VECTRON-author-checklist: VECTRON author checklist
No full textWe have done our best to complete the author checklist relating to the use of animals in the hut study. Note that the objective for the hut study was to evaluate the IRS treatment applications for residual efficacy against Anopheles mosquitoes, including the local An. coluzzii mosquito population. Cows were only used to attract mosquitoes into the huts and no tests were carried out directly on the cows. The author checklist is intended for use with studies where experiments are carried out on animals, which is why we have had such difficulty in completing this for the hut study, as many of the questions do not relate to how the cows were used
Analysis of Scottish health survey data to inform Scottish physical activity and sedentary behaviour policy and surveillance
Full text linkIn 2011, the United Kingdom (U.K.) physical activity (PA) guidelines were
updated. The adult moderate-to-vigorous intensity PA (MVPA) recommendation
changed to reflect that different frequency and intensity permutations lead to
equivalent health benefits. New recommendations were added for muscle
strengthening activities (MSA) and the reduction of sedentary time (ST). Those over
65 years were also recommended to undertake balance and co-ordination activities
(BCA). Despite these new additions, Scottish PA policy still concentrated on MVPA,
with considerable resources allocated to sport and some exercise activities.
Since 2012, the Scottish Health Survey (SHeS) has collected data relating to
these new recommendations annually, but few analyses have been undertaken.
This thesis contains the most comprehensive analyses of the 2012-15 SHeS PA and
ST data to date, and a review into whether the method produces valid and reliable
estimates. The aim of this thesis was to inform Scottish PA and sedentary behaviour
policy by producing research to support the incorporation of these new
recommendations and the promotion of non-sport-related MVPA policies. It also
aimed to inform any future developments to PA and ST surveillance in Scotland.
The first three studies of this thesis are cross-sectional analyses of the
updated recommendations for adults in Scotland. They present prevalence and
participation data in specific domains, activities, and behaviours by age and sex.
The main findings were that (1) sport was a minority contributor to the total MVPA of
adults in Scotland, regardless of sex, age, or activity status (never more than 20%),
(2) compliance with the MSA recommendation was approximately half that of the
MVPA recommendation (31% of men and 24% of women), and compliance with the
BCA recommendation amongst those over 65 years was very low (19% of older
men and 12% of older women), and (3) middle-aged adults in work reported a
comparable amount of weekday ST to adults over 75 years (7-8 hours per day).
The fourth study was a review of the available evidence into whether the PA
and ST estimates produced by the 2012-15 SHeS were valid and reliable. The
SHeS was found to be fit for purpose, but recommendations were made regarding
the analysis and interpretation of the data to minimise areas of concern. These were
(1) analyse MVPA data with and without the domain of occupational MVPA, (2)
make it clear that only sport and exercise activities can contribute to achieving the
MSA and BCA recommendations under the SHeS method, and (3) focus on the
comparisons between groups in relation to ST, rather than on the absolute values.
The fifth study used the findings from the previous four to inform the design
of a prospective cohort study that will investigate the joint effects of MVPA and total
ST on all-cause mortality, cardiovascular disease, cancer, and diabetes. This thesis
contains the results of the preliminary analyses. This study is designed to inform
policy by providing novel information on how the combination of these behaviours
affects health outcomes in a representative sample of Scottish adults.
There is clear evidence that this work has already informed policy and
surveillance. The work on the relative contribution of the domains of MVPA is
regularly cited in evidence briefings for the Scottish Government and the Scottish
Parliament. This has increased the awareness amongst key policy-makers that sport
is not a major contributor to the total MVPA of adults in Scotland. The work on MSA,
BCA, and ST was a catalyst for a proposal to include indicators relating to these
recommendations on the national PA monitoring framework. The work on MSA and
BCA has also been a key reference text in preparation for the next update to the
U.K. PA guidelines, stressing the need to consider surveillance at an early stage. In
summary, the novel analyses of SHeS data undertaken for this thesis have
demonstrably informed PA and sedentary behaviour policy and surveillance in
Scotland
Author-wise bibliometric analysis based on entropy.
No full textAuthor-wise bibliometric analysis based on entropy.</p
- …
