title: Questionnaire-Derived Sleep Habits and Academic Achievement in First Year University Students

authors: Driller, Matthew W.

subjects: grades

abstract: This study aimed to determine the effect of sleep quantity and quality via the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) on students' academic achievement in their first year of university study. In this cross-sectional study, 193 students (102 female, 91 male, mean ± SD; age = 19.3 ± 2.9 y) from an undergraduate Health degree in New Zealand completed the PSQI four weeks prior to the end of the semester in their first year of university study. Results from three core subjects in the first semester were averaged and correlations between the PSQI and academic success were evaluated using Spearman's rho (ρ). The group were also trichotomized using a PSQI global score of ≤5 as the threshold for "good" sleepers (n = 62, 32%), a score of 5-8 for "moderate" sleepers (n = 63, 33%) and a score ≥8 to characterize "poor" sleepers (n = 68, 35%). Overall, students averaged 7 h 37 min of self-reported sleep duration with an average bedtime of 22:55 p.m. and wake time of 8:01 a.m. There was a significant, small inverse relationship between academic performance and bedtime (p = 0.03, ρ = -0.14), with those going to bed earlier having superior academic success. The trichotomized data demonstrated no significant differences in academic performance between students with poor, moderate and good sleep quality (p = 0.92). Later bedtimes were associated with lower academic performance in a group of first year university students. However, there were no other relationships observed between academic success and self-reported sleep quality or quantity as determined by the PSQI. Enhancing awareness of the impact of sleep timing on academic success should be prioritized and strategies to improve sleep hygiene should be promoted to university students.

text: Questionnaire-Derived Sleep Habits and Academic Achievement in First Year University Students This study aimed to determine the effect of sleep quantity and quality via the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) on students' academic achievement in their first year of university study. In this cross-sectional study, 193 students (102 female, 91 male, mean ± SD; age = 19.3 ± 2.9 y) from an undergraduate Health degree in New Zealand completed the PSQI four weeks prior to the end of the semester in their first year of university study. Results from three core subjects in the first semester were averaged and correlations between the PSQI and academic success were evaluated using Spearman's rho (ρ). The group were also trichotomized using a PSQI global score of ≤5 as the threshold for "good" sleepers (n = 62, 32%), a score of 5-8 for "moderate" sleepers (n = 63, 33%) and a score ≥8 to characterize "poor" sleepers (n = 68, 35%). Overall, students averaged 7 h 37 min of self-reported sleep duration with an average bedtime of 22:55 p.m. and wake time of 8:01 a.m. There was a significant, small inverse relationship between academic performance and bedtime (p = 0.03, ρ = -0.14), with those going to bed earlier having superior academic success. The trichotomized data demonstrated no significant differences in academic performance between students with poor, moderate and good sleep quality (p = 0.92). Later bedtimes were associated with lower academic performance in a group of first year university students. However, there were no other relationships observed between academic success and self-reported sleep quality or quantity as determined by the PSQI. Enhancing awareness of the impact of sleep timing on academic success should be prioritized and strategies to improve sleep hygiene should be promoted to university students.

year: 2021-12-28

title: Synthesis and Characterisation of Cycloaurated Gold(III) Complexes with Bidentate (O,O), (N,S) and (S,S) Chelating Ligands

authors: Smith, Tiffany Sharee

subjects: Cycloaurated Gold(III) Complexes

abstract: The reaction of C,N-coordinated gold(III) dihalides; BpAuCl₂ (Bp = 2 benzylpyridyl), AnpAuCl₂ (Anp = 2 anilinopyridyl) and TypAuCl₂ (Typ = 2 tolylpyridyl) with catecholate ligands in hot methanol and trimethylamine produced metallacycles with structural isomers of the general formula (C,N)Au{O,O}. Similarly, BpAuCl₂ and AnpAuCl₂ were reacted with thiourea ligands to form complexes giving high yield and good purity with the general formula (C,N)Au{PhNCSNR₂}+, by means of the addition of BPh₄- for precipitation. X-ray crystal structures of the compounds [AnpAu{PhNCSNMe₂}]BPh₄ and [AnpAu{PhNCSNCy₂}]BPh₄ confirmed the coordination of the thiourea to the gold centre through the N and S atoms. In both cases the geometry around the gold atom is square-planar with complex [AnpAu{PhNCSNCy₂}]BPh₄ showing a slightly more puckered conformation than [AnpAu{PhNCSNMe₂}]BPh₄ due to the sterically bulky cyclohexyl groups attached. Some thiourea derivatives were tested against P388 murine leukaemia cells with complex [AnpAu{PhNCSNHPh}]BPh₄ showing promising anti-tumour activity.

When thiourea ligands were replaced by dithiophosphinate and dithiophosphate ligands the reaction proceeded at room temperature without the need for the presence of a base. Relatively low yields of impure metallacycles with the general formula (C,N)Au{S₂PR₂}+ were obtained on the addition of BPh₄- or BF₄-. Attempts to improve purity by varying batches of starting materials, anion and solvents used were unsuccessful. X-ray crystal data from a single crystal of [(C,N)Au{S₂PPh₂}]BPh₄ shows the reduction of gold(III) to gold(I) forming a known polymeric gold(I) dithiophosphinate complex. In order to extend this study the synthesis of complexes with the general formula R₂PS₂AuCl₂ was attempted, but no new compounds were characterised.

Where possible, all new compounds reported in this thesis were characterised by ES-MS, IR, NMR, melting point and micro-elemental analysis.

text: Synthesis and Characterisation of Cycloaurated Gold(III) Complexes with Bidentate (O,O), (N,S) and (S,S) Chelating Ligands The reaction of C,N-coordinated gold(III) dihalides; BpAuCl₂ (Bp = 2 benzylpyridyl), AnpAuCl₂ (Anp = 2 anilinopyridyl) and TypAuCl₂ (Typ = 2 tolylpyridyl) with catecholate ligands in hot methanol and trimethylamine produced metallacycles with structural isomers of the general formula (C,N)Au{O,O}. Similarly, BpAuCl₂ and AnpAuCl₂ were reacted with thiourea ligands to form complexes giving high yield and good purity with the general formula (C,N)Au{PhNCSNR₂}+, by means of the addition of BPh₄- for precipitation. X-ray crystal structures of the compounds [AnpAu{PhNCSNMe₂}]BPh₄ and [AnpAu{PhNCSNCy₂}]BPh₄ confirmed the coordination of the thiourea to the gold centre through the N and S atoms. In both cases the geometry around the gold atom is square-planar with complex [AnpAu{PhNCSNCy₂}]BPh₄ showing a slightly more puckered conformation than [AnpAu{PhNCSNMe₂}]BPh₄ due to the sterically bulky cyclohexyl groups attached. Some thiourea derivatives were tested against P388 murine leukaemia cells with complex [AnpAu{PhNCSNHPh}]BPh₄ showing promising anti-tumour activity.

When thiourea ligands were replaced by dithiophosphinate and dithiophosphate ligands the reaction proceeded at room temperature without the need for the presence of a base. Relatively low yields of impure metallacycles with the general formula (C,N)Au{S₂PR₂}+ were obtained on the addition of BPh₄- or BF₄-. Attempts to improve purity by varying batches of starting materials, anion and solvents used were unsuccessful. X-ray crystal data from a single crystal of [(C,N)Au{S₂PPh₂}]BPh₄ shows the reduction of gold(III) to gold(I) forming a known polymeric gold(I) dithiophosphinate complex. In order to extend this study the synthesis of complexes with the general formula R₂PS₂AuCl₂ was attempted, but no new compounds were characterised.

Where possible, all new compounds reported in this thesis were characterised by ES-MS, IR, NMR, melting point and micro-elemental analysis.

year: 2012

title: Distributed agent-centric system for indigenous data sovereignty

authors: Noovao, Setephano

subjects: holochain

abstract: The sovereignty of indigenous data is a key issue facing indigenous communities. Holochain, a distributed ledger technology, has the potential to address some of the challenges indigenous communities face with respect to data sovereignty. The purpose of this thesis is to critically evaluate the feasibility of using holochain technology to support indigenous data sovereignty. This paper first explores the literature on holochain technology, examining its underlying architecture and features. The research employs a three-phase design science research methodology, conducting an experiment to explore the integration of a decentralized application, holochain, with a prominent cloud service provider. The first phase concentrates on emulating real data-sharing platforms that may utilize data at its disposal, following the principles of indigenous data sovereignty, where a centralized platform could be hosted on a cloud computing service with multiple services in operation. The second phase involves developing a holochain application guided by the principles of indigenous data sovereignty. The final phase seeks to combine the established centralized platform from the first phase with the outcomes of the holochain application from the second phase to experimentally assess whether both technologies can create a data sovereignty solution that aligns with the needs of indigenous data sovereignty. The results of the experiment will provide a solid foundation for understanding the current state of the field and identifying areas where holochain can potentially offer solutions. Furthermore, the results of our research indicate that holochain shows significant promise in tackling the issue of indigenous data sovereignty, although there are considerable limitations that must be addressed and resolved to achieve improved results.

text: Distributed agent-centric system for indigenous data sovereignty The sovereignty of indigenous data is a key issue facing indigenous communities. Holochain, a distributed ledger technology, has the potential to address some of the challenges indigenous communities face with respect to data sovereignty. The purpose of this thesis is to critically evaluate the feasibility of using holochain technology to support indigenous data sovereignty. This paper first explores the literature on holochain technology, examining its underlying architecture and features. The research employs a three-phase design science research methodology, conducting an experiment to explore the integration of a decentralized application, holochain, with a prominent cloud service provider. The first phase concentrates on emulating real data-sharing platforms that may utilize data at its disposal, following the principles of indigenous data sovereignty, where a centralized platform could be hosted on a cloud computing service with multiple services in operation. The second phase involves developing a holochain application guided by the principles of indigenous data sovereignty. The final phase seeks to combine the established centralized platform from the first phase with the outcomes of the holochain application from the second phase to experimentally assess whether both technologies can create a data sovereignty solution that aligns with the needs of indigenous data sovereignty. The results of the experiment will provide a solid foundation for understanding the current state of the field and identifying areas where holochain can potentially offer solutions. Furthermore, the results of our research indicate that holochain shows significant promise in tackling the issue of indigenous data sovereignty, although there are considerable limitations that must be addressed and resolved to achieve improved results.

year: 2024