Prevalence of sleep disorders and their impact on academic performance in medical students/University of Duhok

Full-time students experiencing high levels of stress due to a high bulk of teaching materials and academic performance demands are the most susceptible population class for different types of sleep disorders. The current study examined the prevalence of sleep disorders and their impacts on academic performance of a random sample of medical college students. In this regard, a random sample of 316 medical students of a large public university in Iraq participated in a cross-sectional study. The participants completed the SLEEP-50 self-reported questionnaire and questions about socio-demographic factors. The variables set included sleep apnea, insomnia, narcolepsy, restless legs syndrome, circadian rhythm sleep disorder, sleepwalking, nightmares, grade point average, and some socio-demographic characteristics. The study showed that to some extent, the students suffer from different types of sleep disorders with no substantial difference between males and females. Students with worse level of sleep disorders had a lower grade point average compared with those with normal sleep patterns (p = 0.001). The study confirmed that students with sleep disorders had poorer academic performance at college.

     

Chronotype,class times,and academic achievement of university students

Numerous studies over the years have documented an effect of human chronotypes on physiological and psychological processes. Studies evaluating the impact of an individual’s chronotype on his/her academic achievement have indicated that morning chronotypes have an academic advantage over evening chronotypes. However, these studies did not account for the time of day in which the participants were being evaluated. The goal of the present study was to examine whether morning chronotypes do have an academic advantage over evening chronotypes when the time of day of classes and exams is taken into consideration. We obtained morningness–eveningness scores and course grades from 207 university students who took classes (and exams) at different times of the day. We confirmed that morning chronotypes attain better grades than evening chronotypes, although the association is weak (r² = 0.02). The difference persisted even after the time of day of classes and exams was taken into consideration. This is probably due to the fact that evening chronotypes are generally more sleep deprived than morning chronotypes as a result of the early schedule of most schools, which can impair their performance both early and late in the day.     

Maladjustment to Academic Life and Employment Anxiety in University Students with Irritable Bowel Syndrome

The present study tested our hypothesis that university students with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) may experience less satisfactory academic lives than those of students without IBS. We also verified the hypothesis that university students with IBS might have higher employment anxiety than students without IBS might. We conducted a cross-sectional study of 1,686 university students. Presence or absence of IBS was assessed via the Rome III Questionnaire. Two original items were used to evaluate academic life. The prevalence rates of IBS with diarrhea, IBS with constipation, mixed IBS, and unsubtyped IBS in the study population were 5%, 2%, 10%, and 3%, respectively. Regarding academic life, the proportions of participants who experienced maladjustment and employment anxiety were 29% and 50%, respectively. After adjusting for age, sex, and faculty, the odds ratios for maladjustment and employment anxiety were significantly higher in students who screened positively, relative to those who screened negatively, for IBS (OR, 1.62; 95% CI, 1.24–2.21; OR, 2.16; 95% CI, 1.68–2.81, respectively). In conclusion, maladjustment and anxiety over future employment were higher in university students with IBS relative to those without.     

Chronotype preferences of college students from varied altitude backgrounds in Ethiopia

ABSTRACT

The purpose of this study was to compare chronotype preferences of college students from high- and low-altitude backgrounds living in a tropical setting of Ethiopia. Chronotype (morningness–eveningness) is a preference for a given time of day for physical or mental activities. The present cross-sectional study employed Horne and Osteberg Morningness-Eveningness Questionnaires to evaluate chronotype preferences. The chronotype preference of 264 male college students from varied altitude backgrounds indicated significant differences (p < 0.001). Our findings confirm our hypothesis, of the prevalence of M-types dominant chronotype among college students at low than high altitude. However, we did not confirm our second hypothesis, since students from high-altitude backgrounds were generally I-type dominant chronotype. Similarly, students’ academic performances from low- compared to high-altitudes backgrounds also indicated significant differences (p < 0.003). Better academic performances were seen in students with I-type chronotype orientations from high altitudes.     

Class Start Times,Sleep, and Academic Performance in College: A Path Analysis

Path analysis was used to examine the relationship between class start times, sleep, circadian preference, and academic performance in college-aged adults. Consistent with observations in middle and high school students, college students with later class start times slept longer, experienced less daytime sleepiness, and were less likely to miss class. Chronotype was an important moderator of sleep schedules and daytime functioning; those with morning preference went to bed and woke up earlier and functioned better throughout the day. The benefits of taking later classes did not extend to academic performance, however; grades were somewhat lower in students with predominantly late class schedules. Furthermore, students taking later classes were at greater risk for increased alcohol consumption, and among all the factors affecting academic performance, alcohol misuse exerted the strongest effect. Thus, these results indicate that later class start times in college, while allowing for more sleep, also increase the likelihood of alcohol misuse, ultimately impeding academic success. (Author correspondence: sonyper@stlawu.edu)     

Evaluating the efficacy of a student-centered active learning environment for undergraduate programs (SCALE-UP) classroom for major and non-major biology students

During the 2012–2013 academic year the University of North Dakota (UND) piloted the use of a Student Centered Active Learning Environment for Undergraduate Programs (SCALE-UP) classroom. Genetics, a 300 level class for Biology majors, and Concepts of Biology, an introductory course for non-majors were two of the classes piloted. Here, we examine the effects of this transition on overall academic performance, grade distribution, exam question performance classified by Bloom’s Taxonomy, student performance by quartile, and University Student Assessment of Teaching (USAT) surveys. Comparisons are made to historical data from a lecture-based setting to examine the effects of switching from an instructor-centered to a learner-centered format. Following the transition, both courses showed a higher proportion of students receiving an A/B/C grade and a concomitant decrease in D/F/W grades, and students continued to have positive perceptions about themselves, the course and the instructor. Paradoxically, both courses experienced a concerning decrease in performance by lower quartile students on comparable exam questions.     

Hounds and Homesickness: The Effects of an Animal-assisted Therapeutic Intervention for First-Year University Students

Transitioning from high school to university can prove to be a for midable challenge for many first-year students, with many experiencing home sickness. Given that students who experience homesickness are more likely than their non-homesick cohorts to drop out of university, universities have a vested interest in supporting students during their first-year transition. Programs that provide opportunities for human–animal interactions on campus are gaining popularity as one way of increasing students’ wellbeing. The current study examined the effects of an 8-week animal-assisted therapy (AAT) program on first-year university students’ wellbeing. An initial feasibility study (n = 86) was conducted that provided opportunities for students to interact, in small groups, with trained therapy dogs and their volunteer handlers. Results indicated that this program reduced participants’ levels of homesickness and increased their satisfaction with life. An experimental study was then conducted utilizing a similar 8-week group AAT program. Participants (n = 44) were assigned to either a treatment condition (i.e., the AAT program) or to a no-treatment condition (akin to a wait-list control). At the end of the eight weeks, participants in the AAT program reported greater reductions in homesickness and greater increases in satisfaction with life than did those in the no-treatment condition. From beginning to end of the program, participants in the treatment group evidenced reductions in homesickness and increases in satisfaction with life and connectedness to campus, while participants in the no-treatment condition evidenced an increase in homesickness and no changes in satisfaction with life and connectedness to campus. Results of both the feasibility study and the experimental study support the use of AAT programs to increase the wellbeing of first-year university students experiencing homesickness.     

Comparison of sleep and chronotype between senior and undergraduate university students

ABSTRACT

The university programs for seniors provide a third age perspective in lifelong learning with classes and recreational facilities, and enable students to share their experiences and knowledge. A good sleep quality promotes better cognitive functioning and serves to protect against age-related cognitive declines. Central nervous system reorganization takes place during sleep, and although the influence of sleep quality on memory is not clear, circadian rhythm disorders affect alertness and individual performance. Physiological change during aging need to be clarified to better understand how university might help students. The aim of the present study was to evaluate for the first time the chronotype, the sleep quality and their relationship in senior university students and to compare them with those of undergraduate students. The Morningness–Eveningness Questionnaire (MEQ) and the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) were used. The results indicated that approximately 50% of the participants were good sleepers. This percentage was equal in the senior and undergraduate students. The results showed that undergraduate students tended toward eveningness while senior students tended toward morningness. Among the undergraduate students, evening type chronotypes had a tendency toward higher PSQI scores and this affected their daytime function scores, while it did not in the senior students, in whom worsening sleep quality was associated with disturbances such as going to the bathroom and nocturnal awakening. This information would be useful for designing environmental interventions to optimize sleep/work cycles for decreasing age-associated changes in memory in senior students and for improving the academic achievements of undergraduate students.     

Association between circadian preference and academic achievement: A systematic review and meta-analysis

The association between circadian preference and academic achievement has been assessed through a systematic review and meta-analysis. The literature searches retrieved 1647 studies; 31 studies, with a total sample size of 27?309 participants, fulfilled the inclusion criteria and were included in the meta-analysis. With reference to all these 31 studies, before running the meta-analysis, the sign of the correlation between the investigated variables was set in a way that a positive correlation showed that eveningness was related to worse academic performance. The meta-analysis yielded a small overall effect size of 0.143 (CI [0,129; 0,156]) under a fixed effects model (Z?=?20.584, p?<?0.001, I^2?=?72.656; Q?=?109.715) and of 0.145 (CI [0.117; 0.172]) under a random effects model (Z?=?10.077, p?<?0.001). A random effects model with a grouping variable (participants) revealed 15 studies based on school pupils and 16 on university students. The random model showed a higher effect size in school pupils (0.166, CI from 0.127 to 0.206) compared to university students (0.121, CI from 0.080 to 0.163). Self-report measures of grades revealed a stronger effect size (0.171; CI: 0.137 to 0.206; N?=?20) compared to objective measures (0.093; CI: 0.047 to 0.140; N?=?19). Overall, the present results suggest that evening orientation is associated with a worse academic performance, both in school pupils and university students; for the first time, it has been shown that such relationship changes over time, being weaker in university students.     

Does genetic background moderate the association between parental education and school achievement?

This study was conducted with a purpose to examine whether the T102C polymorphism of the serotonin receptor 2A (HTR2A) gene moderates the association between parental education and children's school achievement across nine compulsory school years. The study was carried out in a population‐based sample of Finnish students (aged 9, 12 and 15 years, n = 982). It was found that the HTR2A gene was not related to the school achievement at any school level, but moderated the association between maternal education and the children's grade point averages. The T/T genotype carriers benefited most from high‐maternal education, and suffered from a low one more than the carriers of the other variants of the HTR2A gene. The present finding may at least partly answer the important question why academic outcomes of environmental interventions vary even at the same intelligence levels of the students.     

Do density‐driven mating system differences explain reproductive incompatibilities between populations of a placental fish?

Matrotrophy, the provisioning of embryos between fertilization and birth, creates the potential for conflict between mothers and embryos over the level of maternal investment. This conflict is predicted to drive the evolution of reproductive isolation between populations with different mating systems. In this study, we examine whether density‐driven mating system differences explain the patterns of asymmetric reproductive isolation observed in previous studies involving four populations of the matrotrophic least killifish, Heterandria formosa. Minimum sire number reconstructions suggested that two populations characterized by low densities had lower levels of concurrent multiple paternity than two populations characterized by high densities. However, low levels of genetic variation in the low‐density populations greatly reduced our probability of detecting multiple mating in them. Once we took the lower level of genetic variation into account in our estimations, high levels of multiple paternity appeared the rule in all four populations. In the population where we had the greatest power of detecting multiple mating, we found that multiple paternity in H. formosa typically involves multiple sires contributing to offspring within the same brood instead of different fathers contributing to distinct, simultaneously provisioned broods. Paternity was often skewed towards one sire. Our results suggest that differences between H. formosa populations in the levels of multiple paternity are not sufficient to explain the reproductive isolation seen in previous studies. We suggest that other influences on maternal–foetal conflict may contribute to the pattern of reproductive isolation observed previously. Alternatively, the asymmetric reproductive isolation seen in previous studies might reflect the disruption of maternal–foetal coadaptation.     

The associations between social-media use and academic performance among undergraduate students in biology

Recent studies have been conducted in regards to the use of social- media by students and how it can impact his/her academic performance. However, much of this research has been focused on how to use social-media websites in the classroom to facilitate student learning. Therefore, we aimed to address how the use of social-media can be either beneficial or detrimental to undergraduate students, with respect to their academic performance. We distributed a survey to 234 participants, all attending the same four-year university. Throughout the survey, the students self-reported their grade point average (GPA), study habits, and social-media use. We established that female students use social-media websites more often than their male peers, and using a Pearson’s correlation, we found that GPA negatively correlated with the number of social-media websites to which students subscribe (p < 0.05). Furthermore, we found that using more social-media websites correlated positively with the amount of time students spend using social-media platforms on a daily basis. Although previous studies indicate that social-media websites should be incorporated into the classroom, our results suggest that this addition may have negative effects on the study habits and academic performance of undergraduate students, particularly those within the field of biological sciences.     

The extended relationship between child cardiovascular risks and academic performance measures

Objective: To examine the relationship between children's overweight status and other cardiovascular risk fitness factors and academic performance among fifth‐grade students. Research Methods and Procedures: Using a sample of 968 fifth‐grade students (50.7% boys; mean age = 10.6 years), children's cardiovascular risks (BMI, blood pressure, acanthosis nigricans) and fitness measures were compared with their mean group performance scores across four subscales (mathematics, reading/language arts, science, and social studies) of a statewide standardized academic performance test. Results: Of this sample, 39% were either at risk for being overweight or were already overweight; slightly over one half were of normal weight. Initial findings revealed a significant relationship between children's weight category and their reading/language arts, mathematics, and science test scores even after controlling for a proxy of socioeconomic status. When additional cardiovascular risk and fitness measures were included in the model, however, children's BMI status had no association. Instead, a composite fitness index, children's blood pressure, sex, and proxy of socioeconomic status were significantly associated with children's academic test scores. Discussion: This study expanded our understanding of the connection between children's overweight risks and academic performance by examining the impact of other cardiovascular risk factors such as high blood pressure and measures of fitness. These findings support the development and implementation of childhood cardiovascular risk surveillance programs that evaluate not only children's overweight risks but also their fitness, risk for type 2 diabetes, and/or high blood pressure by showing a relationship between some of these risks and children's academic test performance.     

University health sciences students rating for a blended learning course framework

ObjectivesOnline teaching methods are used to identify the effectiveness of blended learning. The present study aimed to evaluate the attitudes and satisfaction of health sciences students in Saudi Arabia towards blended learning.MethodsThe study used mixed research approach by recruiting students from academic year 2017–2019. Phenomenography technique were used to examine the qualitative data for research.ResultsThe instrument was a valid measurement outcome for blended learning courses. Students generally preferred team-based learning rather than face-to-face lectures, which serves as a collaborative learning pedagogy. A high positive attitude and motivation was revealed among the students with respect to the blended model in teaching the research course.ConclusionThe attitude and satisfaction of students seemed to play a vital role in teaching and learning outcomes. Moreover, it was found that the e-learning tools provided flexible learning environment to the students, regardless of location and time zone.     

Class start times, sleep, and academic performance in college: a path analysis

Path analysis was used to examine the relationship between class start times, sleep, circadian preference, and academic performance in college-aged adults. Consistent with observations in middle and high school students, college students with later class start times slept longer, experienced less daytime sleepiness, and were less likely to miss class. Chronotype was an important moderator of sleep schedules and daytime functioning; those with morning preference went to bed and woke up earlier and functioned better throughout the day. The benefits of taking later classes did not extend to academic performance, however; grades were somewhat lower in students with predominantly late class schedules. Furthermore, students taking later classes were at greater risk for increased alcohol consumption, and among all the factors affecting academic performance, alcohol misuse exerted the strongest effect. Thus, these results indicate that later class start times in college, while allowing for more sleep, also increase the likelihood of alcohol misuse, ultimately impeding academic success.     

Ataques de nervios in the Puerto Rican diagnostic interview schedule: The impact of cultural categories on psychiatric epidemiology

This paper examines the effect of the cultural category ataques de nervios on responses to the Puerto Rican Diagnostic Interview Schedule (DIS), a Spanish version of structured psychiatric diagnostic interview developed for the NIHM Epidemiologic Catchment Area study. An ataque de nervios scale was created from the Somatization items of the DIS to explore the effect of this culturally meaningful category of distress on responses to a standard psychiatric interview. Analysis of 1,513 cases from a representative sample of the island of Puerto Rico indicated that people reporting ataque symptoms fit the social characteristics described for ataques sufferers in the ethnographic literature. Qualitative data indicated that Puerto Ricans were reporting ataques de nervios in the panic section of the DIS. Questions are raised about the validity of the somatization and panic sections of the DIS in cross-cultural research with Hispanics.     

国际基因工程机器大赛高中赛道发展概况

国际基因工程机器大赛(international genetically engineered machine competition,简称iGEM竞赛)是合成生物学国际顶级大学生学术竞赛。iGEM竞赛赛况及项目成果受到Science、Nature、Scientific American、The Economist、英国广播公司(BBC)等顶级学术期刊或国际媒体的关注,具有广泛的国际影响力。吸引了来自世界40多个国家和地区的队伍参赛。2011年起开始有高中队参赛,参赛队伍数量逐年增加,高中生日益成为推动iGEM竞赛及合成生物学发展的重要力量之一,iGEM竞赛也成为培养中学生核心素养的重要平台。基于2017–2021年全球高中队参赛情况,本文总结了高中队赛道规则、选题倾向及获奖情况,进一步分析iGEM竞赛对高中生核心素养培养的意义,探究全球高中参赛队伍的发展趋势,为未来高中参赛队伍建设提供理论参考。     

Oh,you're racist? I've got a cure for that!

It has recently been discovered that the beta blocker drug, propranolol, can potentially reduce implicit racial bias among its users. By acting upon the affective conditions associated with implicit racial bias functioning at the non-conscious and pre-conscious levels, researchers have expressed excitement about the potential of propranolol and similar drugs to decrease implicit racial attitudes, and, thus, potentially decrease racism. This study and others like it not only provide indications of an affective component to modern-day racism, but, more importantly, an epistemological shift in the meaning of racism within academia from a social and cultural problem to a medical problem. In this article, we examine this shift in academic discourse towards a pathologization of racism and the implications of this on the sociological study of race and racism.     

Variation in chronic radiation exposure does not drive life history divergence among Daphnia populations across the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone

Ionizing radiation is a mutagen with known negative impacts on individual fitness. However, much less is known about how these individual fitness effects translate into population‐level variation in natural environments that have experienced varying levels of radiation exposure. In this study, we sampled genotypes of the freshwater crustacean, Daphnia pulex, from the eight inhabited lakes across the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone (CEZ). Each lake has experienced very different levels of chronic radiation exposure since a nuclear power reactor exploded there over thirty years ago. The sampled Daphnia genotypes represent genetic snapshots of current populations and allowed us to examine fitness‐related traits under controlled laboratory conditions at UK background dose rates. We found that whilst there was variation in survival and schedules of reproduction among populations, there was no compelling evidence that this was driven by variation in exposure to radiation. Previous studies have shown that controlled exposure to radiation at dose rates included in the range measured in the current study reduce survival, or fecundity, or both. One limitation of this study is the lack of available sites at high dose rates, and future work could test life history variation in various organisms at other high radiation areas. Our results are nevertheless consistent with the idea that other ecological factors, for example competition, predation or parasitism, are likely to play a much bigger role in driving variation among populations than exposure to the high radiation dose rates found in the CEZ. These findings clearly demonstrate that it is important to examine the potential negative effects of radiation across wild populations that are subject to many and varied selection pressures as a result of complex ecological interactions.     

Exploring the Relationships among Epistemological Beliefs, Nature of Science, and Conceptual Change in the Learning of Evolutionary Theory

We explored the relationship between epistemological beliefs and nature of science in a college biology course. One hundred thirty-three college students participated in the research. Exploratory factor analysis with 29 Nature of Science (NOS) items yielded three aspects of NOS: empirical, tentative, and sociocultural nature of scientific knowledge. Pearson r correlations suggested that students who have immature epistemological beliefs are more likely to also have immature beliefs of nature of science. In addition, students’ epistemological beliefs significantly correlate with their conceptual change but their beliefs about nature of science did not. The research is significant in that it provides empirical evidence explaining the relationship between students’ epistemological beliefs and nature of science as well as the relationships between epistemological beliefs and conceptual change in evolution theory.