scholarly journals Public Visual Preference for Dead Wood in Different Types of Landscape

Forests ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
pp. 44
Author(s):  
Ling Qiu ◽  
Na Yu ◽  
Yanan Gao ◽  
Tian Zhang ◽  
Tian Gao
Keyword(s):  
Green Space ◽  
Dead Wood ◽  
Positive Influence ◽  
Urban Environments ◽  
Natural Environments ◽  
Recreational Facility ◽  
Different Types ◽  
Related Group ◽  
Questionnaire Surveys ◽  
Group B

Although dead wood is considered to be one of the most reliable indicators for measuring the level of biodiversity, it was still seemingly unpopular with the public. In order to identify the public’s preferences for dead wood and explore the driving factors for it, this study investigated academic-related group and layman group preferences for a variety of forms of dead wood in different types of environment through the use of questionnaire surveys. The results showed: (a) The participants preferred the urban natural environments with dead wood, especially the layman group; (b) the existence of dead wood in semi-open/semi-closed green space and blue space was most likely to be appreciated; (c) the participants most liked the dead wood with a peculiar shape in the semi-open/semi-closed and the closed green space, and a regular shape in the open green space; (d) the information of landscape appreciation had the greatest positive influence on public’s dead wood preference, followed by the information of recreational facility and ecological education, and the information of “leading the way” was the least; (e) the present findings serve to provide a practical guidance for future optimal planning of urban environments from urban biodiversity and human recreation aspects.

scholarly journals The Effects of Urban Natural Environments on Preference and Self-Reported Psychological Restoration of the Elderly

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (2) ◽  
pp. 509
Author(s):  
Ling Qiu ◽  
Qujing Chen ◽  
Tian Gao
Keyword(s):  
Green Space ◽  
Environmental Design ◽  
The Elderly ◽  
Urban Environments ◽  
Green Spaces ◽  
Photo Elicitation ◽  
Natural Environments ◽  
The World ◽  
Different Types ◽  
Aging Populations

The world is facing the challenge of aging populations. Urban natural environments, including green spaces and blue spaces, have been demonstrated to have great benefits to the mental restoration of the elderly. However, the study of the specific characteristics of urban environments that are popular and the most restorative for the elderly is still lacking. Photo elicitation as visual stimuli was utilized to explore the differences in preference and psychological restoration of the elderly through the perception of the eight perceived sensory dimensions (PSDs) in different types of urban environments. The results showed that: (1) The respondents had different perceptions of the eight PSDs in the different urban natural environments. Blue space and partly-closed green space were more preferred by the elderly, and also had more psychological restorative effects on the elderly. (2) There was no significant correlation between the number of highly perceived PSDs and preference, as well as between the number of highly perceived PSDs and psychological restoration. However, there was a significant correlation between preference and psychological restoration. (3) Partly-closed green space with more Serene and Refuge qualities, and blue space with more Serene, Refuge and Prospect properties were optimal characteristics for psychological restoration of the elderly. In addition, open green space with more Prospect, Serene and Social qualities, and closed green space with more Space, Refuge and less Nature properties could also increase psychological restoration of older adults. These findings can provide useful guidelines for restorative environmental design for the elderly in the future.

scholarly journals Impact of urban green spaces, native tree species and seasons on soil pH in Kaunas, Lithuania

2019 ◽  
Vol 25 (2) ◽  
pp. 257-262 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lina Straigytė ◽  
Tadas Vaidelys ◽  
Remigijus Žalkauskas ◽  
Michael Manton
Keyword(s):  
Soil Ph ◽  
Tree Species ◽  
Betula Pendula ◽  
Green Space ◽  
Urban Environments ◽  
Green Spaces ◽  
Tilia Cordata ◽  
Acer Platanoides ◽  
Urban Green Spaces ◽  
Different Types

Tree growth is sensitive to soil pH in urban areas and is often higher than in rural forest. However, there are knowledge gaps on how soil pH and alkalization are affected by urban environments and seasonal climate as well as the cascading effects on tree species. In order to fulfill these gaps, we analyzed the soil pHCaCl of four common native deciduous tree species: Acer platanoides, Tilia cordata, Quercus robur and Betula pendula in five different types of urban green spaces in Kaunas city municipality (Lithuania). The results show that soil pH in urban environments with Betula pendula sites were most alkaline (pH 7.04), whereas the soil pH of urban environments with Acer platanoides (pH 6.7) and Tilia cordata (pH 6.8) were most acidic. The soil pH of street tree greeneries was alkaline, while soils of peri-urban forests and large urban parks were acidic. Differently to natural conditions in peri urban forests the soil pH level drop down by 0.5 is observed during spring-autumn period in broad street greeneries with largest urban pressure. The variation in soil pH of the different types of green space and tree species shows that city planner should consider the unique conditions of all green space to maximize their potential for human well-being.

scholarly journals Effects of exposure to immersive videos and photo slideshows of forest and urban environments

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Fariba Mostajeran ◽  
Jessica Krzikawski ◽  
Frank Steinicke ◽  
Simone Kühn
Keyword(s):  
Research Question ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Urban Environments ◽  
Natural Environments ◽  
Jail Inmates ◽  
Forest Environment ◽  
Main Research ◽  
Head Mounted Display ◽  
Sense Of Presence ◽  
Hospital Patients

AbstractA large number of studies have demonstrated the benefits of natural environments on people’s health and well-being. For people who have limited access to nature (e.g., elderly in nursing homes, hospital patients, or jail inmates), virtual representations may provide an alternative to benefit from the illusion of a natural environment. For this purpose and in most previous studies, conventional photos of nature have been used. Immersive virtual reality (VR) environments, however, can induce a higher sense of presence compared to conventional photos. Whether this higher sense of presence leads to increased positive impacts of virtual nature exposure is the main research question of this study. Therefore, we compared exposure to a forest and an urban virtual environment in terms of their respective impact on mood, stress, physiological reactions, and cognition. The environments were presented via a head-mounted display as (1) conventional photo slideshows or (2) 360$$^{\circ }$$ ∘ videos. The results show that the forest environment had a positive effect on cognition and the urban environment disturbed mood regardless of the mode of presentation. In addition, photos of either urban or forest environment were both more effective in reducing physiological arousal compared to immersive 360$$^{\circ }$$ ∘ videos.

scholarly journals Being a Patient Representative Is More Work Than Being a Patient Advocate—Done Right, It Is Also Likely to Be More Effective

2021 ◽  
Vol 28 (2) ◽  
pp. 1017-1019
Author(s):  
Richard Wassersug
Keyword(s):  
Health Outcomes ◽  
Background Knowledge ◽  
Positive Influence ◽  
Patient Advocate ◽  
Different Types ◽  
Health Related ◽  
Patient Representative

For a patient to be effective as a “patient representative” within a health-related organization, work and more than just accepting an honorific title is required. I argue that for a patient to be most effective as a patient representative requires different types of background knowledge and commitment than being a “patient advocate”. Patients need to be cautious about how, when, and where they take on an official role of either an “advocate” or “representative”, if they truly want to be a positive influence on health outcomes.

scholarly journals Diversity of Listeria Species in Urban and Natural Environments

2012 ◽  
Vol 78 (12) ◽  
pp. 4420-4433 ◽  
Author(s):  
Brian D. Sauders ◽  
Jon Overdevest ◽  
Esther Fortes ◽  
Katy Windham ◽  
Ynte Schukken ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Urban Areas ◽  
Environmental Samples ◽  
Nearest Neighbor ◽  
Allelic Diversity ◽  
Urban Environments ◽  
Source Tracking ◽  
Natural Environments ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Molecular Source ◽  
Listeria Seeligeri

ABSTRACTA total of 442Listeriaisolates, including 234Listeria seeligeri, 80L. monocytogenes, 74L. welshimeri, 50L. innocua, and 4L. marthiiisolates, were obtained from 1,805 soil, water, and other environmental samples collected over 2 years from four urban areas and four areas representing natural environments.Listeriaspp. showed similar prevalences in samples from natural (23.4%) and urban (22.3%) environments. WhileL. seeligeriandL. welshimeriwere significantly associated with natural environments (P≤ 0.0001),L. innocuaandL. monocytogeneswere significantly associated with urban environments (P≤ 0.0001). Sequencing ofsigBfor all isolates revealed 67 allelic types with a higher level of allelic diversity among isolates from urban environments. SomeListeriaspp. andsigBallelic types showed significant associations with specific urban and natural areas. Nearest-neighbor analyses also showed that certainListeriaspp. andsigBallelic types were spatially clustered within both natural and urban environments, and there was evidence that these species and allelic types persisted over time in specific areas. Our data show that members of the genusListerianot only are common in urban and natural environments but also show species- and subtype-specific associations with different environments and areas. This indicates thatListeriaspecies and subtypes within these species may show distinct ecological preferences, which suggests (i) that molecular source-tracking approaches can be developed forListeriaand (ii) that detection of someListeriaspecies may not be a good indicator forL. monocytogenes.

scholarly journals Cognitive Restoration from Nature Across Multiple Exposure Types - A Meta-Analysis Delineating the Effects of Test Order and Affect

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cecilia Stenfors ◽  
Stephen Charles Van Hedger ◽  
Kathryn E Schertz ◽  
Francisco Calvache Meyer ◽  
Karen Smith ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Digit Span ◽  
Meta Analysis ◽  
Urban Environments ◽  
Order Effects ◽  
Natural Environments ◽  
Repeated Testing ◽  
Directed Attention ◽  
Beneficial Effects ◽  
Unpublished Studies ◽  
Test Order

Interactions with natural environments and nature-related stimuli have been found to be beneficial to cognitive performance, in particular on executive cognitive tasks with high demands on directed attention processes. However, results vary across different studies.The aim of the present study was to perform a meta-analysis of all our published and unpublished studies testing the effect of different interactions with nature versus urban/built control environments, on an executive test with high demands on directed attention: the backwards digit span (BDS) task. Specific aims were to evaluate the effect of nature versus urban environment interactions on BDS across different exposure types (e.g. being in real environments, or viewing videos, images, or listening to sounds) and disentangle the effects of testing order (i.e. practice with repeated testing) and the role of affective changes on BDS performance. We also reviewed the literature and compared and contrasted our meta-analysis with results from other studies. Results from our meta-analysis comprising 12 studies (N=567 participants) showed significant environment-by-time interactions with beneficial effects of nature compared to urban environments on BDS performance. This effect was magnified after parceling out initial practice effects on the BDS. Changes in positive or negative affect did not mediate the beneficial effects of nature on BDS performance. These results mirrored effects that we reviewed from outside of our laboratories. Uncontrolled and confounding order effects may explain some of the inconsistent findings in the literature. In all, these results highlight the robustness of the effects of natural environments on cognition when confounding order effects have been considered, and also provide a more nuanced account of when a nature intervention will be most effective.

scholarly journals Comparison of Fracture Resistance of Teeth Presenting non-carious Cervical Lesions, Restored with Different Composite Materials

2020 ◽  
Vol 57 (1) ◽  
pp. 299-305
Author(s):  
Ruxandra Margarit ◽  
Livia Alice Tanasescu ◽  
Dana Bodnar ◽  
Camelia Gabriela Ion ◽  
Mihai Burlibasa ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Composite Materials ◽  
Fracture Resistance ◽  
Mean Value ◽  
P Value ◽  
Cervical Lesions ◽  
Nano Composite ◽  
Commercial Grade ◽  
Different Types ◽  
Group A ◽  
Group B

The aim of our study was to compare the fracture resistance of teeth presenting non-carious cervical lesions restored with different types of esthetic composite materials. 20 extracted unspoiled maxillary first molars were mechanically cleaned and immersed in saline solution containing 0.1% thymol at 4�C for a period of 48 hours. Cervical cavities with a cervical-occlusal diameter of 2 mm and a mesial-distal diameter of 3mm were filled with ormocer, flow nano-composite, nano-composite and compomer. Fracture resistance was tested with a universal loading machine (Lloyd Instruments), with a maximum force of 5 kN and a crosshead speed of 1.0 mm/min; the authors used NEXYGEN Data Analysis Software and ANOVA method. For the group A (commercial grade ormocer), the smallest load that determined the sample failure was 650 N and the highest load was 1050 N, the mean value being 858 N � 150.89 N. For the group B (commercial grade flow nano-composite), the smallest load is 530 N, the highest load is 800 N, mean value being 654 N � 112.6 N. For the group C (commercial grade nano-composite), the smallest load is 680 N, the highest load is 1200 N, mean value being 926 N � 209.35 N. For the group D (commercial grade compomer), the smallest load is 1100 N, highest load is 1250N, mean value being 1180 N � 62.04 N. A p value of 0.000311 (p[0.05) shows that there are significant differences between the four groups. Conclusions. The best fracture resistance of teeth presenting non-carious cervical lesions, restored with different types of esthetic composite materials is assured by the compomer, followed by the nano-composite, which proved to be superior to ormocer. The flow nano-composite gives the lowest fracture resistance.

Providing an Attractive Environment for People to Engage in Health Activities

2016 ◽  
Vol 4 (2) ◽  
pp. 38-54
Author(s):  
Hung-Pin Hsu
Keyword(s):  
Green Space ◽  
Green Spaces ◽  
Natural Environments ◽  
Forest Park ◽  
Active Service ◽  
Taipei City ◽  
Use Of Social Media ◽  
The City ◽  
Depth Interviews

Parks and green spaces have been allocated for city residents to offer them healthier natural environments. However, people living in cities may have less opportunity to engage with the natural environment since parks seem to be passive locations of activity. We investigated how to proactively enhance the attraction of green space to improve people's health. First, we surveyed how 683 city residents were engaged in physical activities. From them, 30 people were recruited for depth interviews. Results showed that the park environment and the health activities that feature ‘inner-attraction' could enhance the frequency and persistence of the city residents to engage in healthy activities. We also evaluated the service experience and attraction of 40 users in a 3-month program in the Daan Forest Park of Taipei City in Taiwan. Using the culture probes method, we found that the experience cycle and the use of social media enhanced the park's inner and inter attraction, and that the role of the park was transformed from a passive green space provider to an active service operator.

scholarly journals Assessing the Coverage of Urban Green Space in Butwal Sub-Metropolitan City, Nepal: A GIS based Approach

2018 ◽  
Vol 15 ◽  
pp. 77-86
Author(s):  
Mahendra Singh Thapa ◽  
Gokul Poudel
Keyword(s):  
Green Space ◽  
Urban Environments ◽  
Green Spaces ◽  
Landsat 8 ◽  
Urban Green ◽  
Urban Green Spaces ◽  
Metropolitan City ◽  
Object Oriented Approach ◽  
Materialistic Values ◽  
Urban Places

Urban green spaces are integral part of urban infrastructure. Green spaces can offer a number of benefits ranging from inner spiritual to outer materialistic values. Available green spaces in particular area especially in urban places need to be identified and located properly with scientific way and means so that we can use those places in emergency caused by natural or human induced hazards. This study has tried to measure the green space available for people dwelling in Butwal Sub-Metropolitan City of Nepal. An attempt was made to quantify green spaces in urban environments from Landsat 8 OLI imageries using object-oriented approach and field verification. The study concluded that the total green space available in Butwal Sub-Metropolitan City is 86.37 km2 i.e., around 86% of total municipal area and per capita green space is around 623 m2.

scholarly journals Mental Health & Resiliency: Designing Participatory Nature Dependent Environments and Communities for a Sustainable Future

2018 ◽  
Vol 11 (3) ◽  
pp. 234 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jacqueline Beam ◽  
Nawari O. Nawari ◽  
Bill Tilson
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Urban Planning ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Close Contact ◽  
Community Planning ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Mental Health Research ◽  
Urban Environments ◽  
Relationship Building ◽  
Natural Environments

Sustainable design trends have historically wended down a road that supports the idea of densely populated urban planning as a strategy for mitigating sprawl. Creation of dense urban areas aims at the reduction of carbon emissions. However, studies show that densely populated areas often come with a panacea of mental health, resiliency, and quality of life ails for a community.The following research explores the possibility of combining densely populated design approaches with ancient community planning methods that encourage relationship building: close contact with natural environments and social interchange. Community planning that also creates a day to day contact with nature could be a crucial strategy for both sustaining healthy ecosystems and the development of sustainable communities. The potential for integrating dependence upon nature within built urban environments, as well as the possibility of positive place-making by harvesting nature dependent cultural and social assets in communities and neighborhoods, is, therefore, a wealthy area worthy of exploration.To explore these areas, mental health research on the effects of nature on the brain, as well as the three leading determinants of social, environmental and economic well-being, worldwide, and the founding cultures of these determinants were reviewed. Resilient indigenous groups and case studies of the happiest nation, of Norway and two leading environmentally sustainable and resilient countries, Costa Rica, Cuba, and New Mexico are examined. The paper provides recommendations for improving mental health and resilience by integrating strategies for nature and community needs in urban planning and built environments design.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document