1,720,964 research outputs found
Reassessing green exercise research:unveiling methodological gaps and pathways for progress
No full textThe present review critically assesses the nexus between physical activity, nature exposure and health benefits by analysing environmental measures in green exercise research. A Cochrane-inspired review of systematic studies exposes methodological gaps, emphasising the scarcity of long-term research and the lack of rigorous designed studies. It calls for more robust, varied research designs and improved environmental metrics. The findings advocate for longitudinal research to better comprehend the mental and physical health benefits of exposure to nature. Embracing an ecological-dynamic perspective is recommended to advance our understanding of the intricate connections between activity, environment, and well-being.</p
Natural images and hypoxia: a study on the effects of exposure to natural images in simulated high-altitude conditions.
No full textA high mountain environment is characterized by a decrease in the ambient partial pressure of oxygen (hypoxia), representing a stressful condition capable of altering cognitive functions and emotional states (Ruffini & Cera, 2020). Previous studies have shown that exposure to nature is associated with greater well-being (Bowler, 2010) and promotes recovery from stressful events (Berto, 2014). This contribution aims to examine the psychological and physiological effects of exposure to nature in a controlled laboratory setting, and its potential role as a moderator of the negative effects of hypoxia. In a randomized within-subjects design, participants are shown images of natural or urban environments for 10 minutes while exposed to a normoxia (i.e., air oxygen pressure at sea level) or hypoxia (i.e., air oxygen pressure at 4200 m altitude) laboratory condition. Measures of emotional states are collected before (T1) and after exposure to the images (T2). At the same time, physiological indices (e.g., heart rate, heart rate variability, blood pressure, and ventilatory response) are monitored for the entire experiment duration. Preliminary results on a partial sample confirm the effect of hypoxia on emotional states, with higher levels of negative emotions and lower levels of positive emotions in the hypoxia condition. Finally, natural images appear to moderate this effect; results show a reduction in negative emotions and an increase in positive emotions in both conditions (I.e., normoxia and hypoxia). The potential implications of our findings will be discussed
Assessing recovery after high-intensity anaerobic exercise: a comparison between physiological and psychological measures
No full textDrawing from established theories in environmental psychology, including Stress
Reduction Theory and Attention Restoration Theory, which underscore the restorative
potential of natural environments, we seek to understand the e>ects of restorative
environments on athletic performance and health.
This study will assess the reliability of psychological measures compared to
physiological measures, examining the influence of exposure to restorative natural
environments on athlete recovery following anaerobic exercise through a mixed
design. Data collection is still ongoing in three di>erent countries: Italy, Spain and
Denmark.
Participants engage in anaerobic exercise on stationary bikes and are then exposed to
a 3-minute video showing either a restorative natural environment or an urban non-
restorative environment. The restorativeness of both videos was previously assessed
on a di>erent sample. Pre and post-exercise measures encompass muscular,
metabolic, and autonomic indices to comprehensively assess physiological
responses. Psychological measures include core a>ect, perceived e>ort, state
anxiety, psychological restoration and perceived restorativeness of the environment.
Through rigorous experimental design and meticulous data collection, this study aims
to elucidate whether exposure to restorative natural environments yields discernible
impacts on physiological markers of recovery in athletes.
Findings from this investigation will contribute to clarifying the e>ectiveness of
psychological and physiological measures within the framework of studying the
restorativeness benefits of natural environments on wellbeing and mental health.
Furthermore, novel insights into the potential physiological benefits of restorative
environments within the context of athletic recovery offer valuable implications for
sports science and performance optimisation strategies
Evaluating the benefits of green exercise: A randomized controlled trial in natural and built environments assessed for their restorative properties
Full text linkExercising in natural environments (green exercise, GE) has been shown to offer significant physiological and psychological health benefits compared to urban or indoor environments. This study evaluated the restorative effects of a 1-h light-to-moderate intensity exercise session across three environments: natural (G), urban (U), and indoor (I).Using a randomized crossover design, 25 male participants (M = 26.3, SD = 4.3) completed a 1-h walk at 6 km/h in each setting. Psychological outcomes, including perceived restorativeness (PRS), restoration (ROS), emotional states, enjoyment, and behavioral intentions, were assessed with validated questionnaires. Physiological measures (cortisol, heart rate, heart rate variability) were collected pre- and post-intervention.Results showed that G environment consistently elicited greater relaxation, higher positive emotions, and lower negative emotions compared to U and I. Restoration outcomes (PRS, ROS), enjoyment and intentions to exercise were significantly higher in G, while perceived exertion was lower in G compared to I. Physiologically, cortisol levels, heart rate, and heart rate variability differed by environment, with G promoting a more favorable recovery profile than U and I. No interaction effects were observed for physiological measures, suggesting consistent recovery patterns over time.These findings highlight the restorative and stress-relieving potential of GE, emphasizing its role in enhancing mental well-being and supporting physical activity adherence. The study underscores the importance of natural environments as a resource for promoting health and well-being, while also identifying the need for further research to clarify the nuanced differences between urban and natural setting
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
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