45,202 research outputs found

    Effects of Mindfulness Practice on Performance and Factors Related to Performance in Long-Distance Running: A Systematic Review

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    Fatigue, boredom, pain, performance anxiety, and negative thoughts are challenges characteristic of competitive running. One psychological technique that is gaining support and has been successfully implemented in sport is the practice of mindfulness. Where conventional psychological skills training interventions aim to change dysfunctional thoughts and emotions, mindfulness focuses on altering the relationship to physiological and psychological states. This could help in dealing with the demands of distance running but this has yet to be examined. This article was focused on reviewing mindfulness interventions on performance and performance-based factors in long distance running, assessing (a) mindfulness scores, (b) physiological performance-related factors, (c) psychological performance-related factors, and (d) performance outcomes. A search of relevant electronic databases yielded seven studies which met the inclusion criteria. The review provided some tentative support for the use of mindfulness interventions regarding: reducing competitive anxiety, attenuating immune responses to high-intensity running, and increasing state mindfulness. However, due to the methodological weaknesses of studies more research is required using high-quality randomized controlled trial designs

    Analysing user physiological responses for affective video summarisation

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    This is the post-print version of the final paper published in Displays. 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 @ 2009 Elsevier B.V.Video summarisation techniques aim to abstract the most significant content from a video stream. This is typically achieved by processing low-level image, audio and text features which are still quite disparate from the high-level semantics that end users identify with (the ‘semantic gap’). Physiological responses are potentially rich indicators of memorable or emotionally engaging video content for a given user. Consequently, we investigate whether they may serve as a suitable basis for a video summarisation technique by analysing a range of user physiological response measures, specifically electro-dermal response (EDR), respiration amplitude (RA), respiration rate (RR), blood volume pulse (BVP) and heart rate (HR), in response to a range of video content in a variety of genres including horror, comedy, drama, sci-fi and action. We present an analysis framework for processing the user responses to specific sub-segments within a video stream based on percent rank value normalisation. The application of the analysis framework reveals that users respond significantly to the most entertaining video sub-segments in a range of content domains. Specifically, horror content seems to elicit significant EDR, RA, RR and BVP responses, and comedy content elicits comparatively lower levels of EDR, but does seem to elicit significant RA, RR, BVP and HR responses. Drama content seems to elicit less significant physiological responses in general, and both sci-fi and action content seem to elicit significant EDR responses. We discuss the implications this may have for future affective video summarisation approaches

    Hallucinogens: mechanisms and medical complications

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    Thesis (M.A.)--Boston UniversityHallucinogens are drugs that alter consciousness by distorting primarily auditory and visual perception but they can affect any sensory system. Hallucinogens also affect judgment, orientation, memory, or emotion. Despite the profound alteration in perception, adverse effects are minimal and hallucinogens are not addictive. Hallucinogen use has its roots in shamanic practices of indigenous cultures and is even incorporated in today’s religions like the Native American Church. By putting a person in an altered state of consciousness, many religions believed that the user was able to see beyond the boundaries of reality and reach out to mythical beings. Hallucinogen use in scientific research was not popular until the 1950’s when Albert Hoffman discovered lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD). The discovery of drug encouraged further research into understanding its mechanisms and its relationship with mental diseases like schizophrenia. Unfortunately, the Comprehensive Drug Abuse Prevention and Control Act of 1970 significantly limited hallucinogenic research and human research for the last 42 years. However, animal research in the last 20 years has determined the importance of serotonergic mechanisms and more specifically the 5-HT2A receptors in mediating LSD’s hallucinogenic effects. Researchers continue to identify mechanisms of LSD action. In addition to serotonergic actions, LSD is active with dopaminergic and metabotropic glutamate receptors. PET scans and fMRI’s have also revealed the importance of the prefrontal cortical region and its interaction with other areas during a hallucinogenic state. The relationship between LSD and acute psychosis is also being explored via animal models. Although human clinical research is limited, recent research sees a much deeper relationship by linking LSD brain activity and neurotransmitter levels to psychotic behaviors. This further understanding of hallucinogens on a physiological and psychological level has led to possible psychotherapeutic areas of research in anxiety and substance abuse. This thesis describes a brief history of hallucinogenic research, the pharmacology and neuroanatomy of serotonergic hallucinogens, the acute and chronic adverse effects of serotonergic hallucinogens, the possible treatments for complications of hallucinogens, the epidemiology, the relationship between hallucinogens and schizophrenia, and possible therapeutic uses of serotonergic hallucinogens. With its minimal adverse effects in humans and its powerful influence on the human psyche, serotonergic hallucinogens are invaluable tools for understanding the human mind
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