http://hdl.handle.net/1893/2670 This community contains the ePrints and eTheses produced by the Faculty's staff and students. Wed, 07 Oct 2026 18:04:48 GMT 2026-10-07T18:04:48Z http://hdl.handle.net/1893/38381 Title: Legacy impacts of the pandemic on the recruitment of new participants at parkrun in Scotland Author(s): Gilburn, Andre S Abstract: The COVID-19 pandemic reduced physical activity during lockdown and had legacy impacts differentially affecting specific demographics. Key knowledge gaps remain in relation to the legacy impacts on rural communities which can require specific health intervention plans. Active leisure events like parkrun promote community exercise. Participation at parkrun was lower when events resumed after lockdown with disproportionate losses of females and those in deprived areas. It is unclear how the pandemic impacted recruitment at parkrun. This study compared the demographics of new participants at parkrun events in Scotland in the years before and after the pandemic. The study found a significant reduction in new participants, with more populated areas more resilient to losses, suggesting rural communities are engaging in more crowd avoidance post- pandemic. The age of new participants declined post- pandemic and the gender ratio shifted towards males. Prior to the pandemic the finishing time of new participants had been slowing, as parkrun became more inclusive, but the pandemic reversed this trend resulting in disproportionate losses of the least fit. The study also suggests the pandemic could have introduced a new barrier to engaging in physical activity, fear of catching COVID, which disproportionately affected women in rural communities. Sat, 05 Sep 2026 00:00:00 GMT http://hdl.handle.net/1893/38381 2026-09-05T00:00:00Z http://hdl.handle.net/1893/38380 Title: Management of invasive alien plants in forests: A global perspective Author(s): Keen, Lizzie; Hardwick, James; Novoa, Ana; Gómez, Rocío; Willby, Nigel J; Mill, Aileen C; Pattison, Zarah Abstract: 1. Forests are critical to the provision of goods and services. They experience many threats including the presence of invasive alien plants (IAPs) which can impact native biodiversity and ecosystem functioning. However, there is a lack of synthesis around outcomes and costs of managing IAPs in forests. 2. We conducted a systematic review to identify (i) where IAP management is reported globally, (ii) which IAP species are being managed, (iii) which methods are being used and (iv) which are the most effective, relative to a control or baseline condition, at managing IAPs in forests. 3. Studies assessing outcomes of IAP management in forests were conducted in 26 countries. The United States dominated the evidence base, accounting for 61% of included studies, covering the widest range of IAP species. This likely reflects a combination of extensive forest cover, high IAP prevalence, and research infrastructure and investment. 4. Across 192 studies, 623 combinations of species and management treatments were studied. Chemical application was most popular (41% of methods) and generally had a high success rate. Most methods had mixed outcomes, with the use of animals for grazing being the most varied. Low replication across treatments made it difficult to draw firm conclusions about management effectiveness. 5. Only 15% of included studies evaluated the effect of seasonal timing on management outcomes, despite evidence from these studies that seasonality can influence success. Furthermore, only 6% of studies reported management costs, and reporting was inconsistent among those that did. 6. Synthesis and applications. This review exposes urgent and critical knowledge gaps in forest IAP management, which need addressing to meet global targets for biodiversity and forest health. These gaps include highly uneven global research effort, narrow species focus, limited method replication, overlooked seasonal effects, and inconsistent cost reporting. A strong legacy of using chemical methods may also be deterring efforts to develop non-chemical approaches. Immediate action is needed to develop standardised methodologies and reporting channels to close these gaps and thus aid informed choice of management options by practitioners. Wed, 01 Jul 2026 00:00:00 GMT http://hdl.handle.net/1893/38380 2026-07-01T00:00:00Z http://hdl.handle.net/1893/38379 Title: Cross-cultural variation in eye contact comfort Author(s): Sorokowska, Agnieszka; Rokosz, Marta; Kowal, Marta; Misiak, Michał; Malecki, Wojciech P; Sorokowski, Piotr; Roberts, Craig Abstract: Eye contact is one of fundamental components of nonverbal communication, yet affective evaluations of direct gaze are complex and highly context-dependent. Cultural background appears to play a crucial role in shaping the interpretation and social function of gaze behaviors, likely leading to significant cross-cultural variation in preferences for eye contact. However, cross-cultural empirical research on eye contact comfort remains limited. The present study addresses this gap using a large and diverse sample of 10,387 participants (aged 18–73) from 51 study sites, who reported their comfort with direct eye contact when interacting with strangers, acquaintances, and close others. In line with expectations, individuals report feeling most comfortable making eye contact with close others, followed by acquaintances, and finally strangers. Beyond geosocial factors such as socioeconomic status, Human Development Index, and climate, our analyses identify collectivism and gender equality as important predictors of eye contact comfort. These findings suggest that cultural variation in gaze behavior is more multifaceted than commonly assumed and cannot be reduced to simple regional dichotomies. Although the present study is exploratory and based on self-reported assessments of eye contact comfort, it provides one of the first large-scale cross-cultural examinations of this construct and generates novel, testable hypotheses regarding the cultural and socioecological foundations of gaze behavior. Overall, the findings highlight the need to consider both individual-level and contextual variables when examining nonverbal communication across societies and provides a unique, large-scale dataset documenting global variation in eye contact comfort. Wed, 23 Sep 2026 00:00:00 GMT http://hdl.handle.net/1893/38379 2026-09-23T00:00:00Z http://hdl.handle.net/1893/38378 Title: Invasive non-native plants indirectly destabilise riverbanks Author(s): Hardwick, James; Hackney, Christopher; Law, Alan; Pattison, Zarah Abstract: Invasive Non-Native Plant species (INNPs) establishment along rivers continues to accelerate globally, with potential consequences for riverbank stability, ecosystem functions and services. Riverbank stability is dependent on the balance between destabilising forces (e.g., shear stress) and stabilising influences (e.g., sediment cohesion and native vegetation reinforcement). However, disturbance driven INNPs invasions are attributed to decreasing riverbank stability through outcompeting and replacing native vegetation. One such INNPs, Impatiens glandulifera (Himalayan Balsam), has been linked to increased riverbank erosion over winter owing to an annual post summer phenological dieback. Yet the impact of I. glandulifera on riverbank stability remains unknown. Here we show that I. glandulifera invasion indirectly amplifies seasonal reductions in riverbank shear strength. We found, using piecewise Structural Equation Modelling, that previous summer I. glandulifera cover indirectly influences riverbank shear strength via suppression of overwinter native vegetation cover, promoting the formation of bare ground. Riverbank shear strength was ~ 30% lower over winter in invaded compared to uninvaded sites. Our results demonstrate how an annual INNPs can amplify expected seasonal decreases in riverbank stability because of a seasonal phenological feedback. INNPs influence on riverbank stability has key implications for ecosystem function and services. As invaded riverbanks may be more vulnerable to erosion leading to morphological changes and downstream habitat degradation from increased sediment loading. Furthermore, these findings have management implications with potentially additional intervention measures required to mitigate reduced riverbank stability during INNPs removal activities. Thu, 01 Jan 2026 00:00:00 GMT http://hdl.handle.net/1893/38378 2026-01-01T00:00:00Z