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Journal of Natural Sciences Research is a peer reviewed journal published by IISTE. The journal publishes original papers at the forefront of natural sciences research (life sciences, environemental and energy sciences, healthcare, animal and agriculture, etc). The journal is published in both printed and online versions. The online version is free access and download.

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Vol 15, No 1 (2024)

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Growing Importance of Natural Products Research

Pavel b. drasar.

1 Department of Chemistry of Natural Compounds, University of Chemistry and Technology, Technicka 5, 166 28 Prague, Czech Republic

Vladimir A. Khripach

2 Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry, National Academy of Sciences of Belarus, 5/2 Academician V. F. Kuprevich Street, BY-220141 Minsk, Belarus; yb.ten-sab.hcobi@hcapirhk

Natural products and preparations based on them play a stable and ever-increasing role in human and veterinary medicine, agriculture, in food and the cosmetic industry, and in other increasing numbers of fields. Their importance is based on the fact that they are mostly bound to renewable sources, which in fact makes them valuable within a circular economy, inter alia. At the same time, natural products give the origin of stereochemistry, optical activity, regioselectivity, chirality, and many other concepts and directions within science, development, and industry in a scope, which is indispensable. They serve as a constant powerful stimulus and model that inspires researchers to create new effective tools, similar to natural ones for controlling bioregulation mechanisms and solving practical problems. This was the reason for organizing this Special Issue aimed to underline current developments in all fields connected to natural products.

Hence, the Molecules Special Issue “Synthesis, Study and Utilization of Natural Products” brought in 15 papers, four reviews, and 11 full research communications.

The scope of the selected topics was rather broad, it showed the importance of the pegylated purpurin 18 for photodynamic therapy of cancer [ 1 ], it presented the anti-platelet aggregation activity study of ginkgolide-1,2,3-triazole derivatives [ 2 ], it showed that the overexpression of the melatonin synthesis-related gene SLCOMT1 improves the resistance of tomato to salt stress [ 3 ]. Another study revealed the effects of isosorbide incorporation into flexible polyurethane foams: reversible urethane linkages and antioxidant activity [ 4 ]. The synthesis and in vitro evaluation of caffeoylquinic acid derivatives as potential hypolipidemic agents [ 5 ] and the first total synthesis of varioxiranol A [ 6 ] were also presented. Another study introduced to the readers the preparation of polysaccharides from Ramulus mori , and their antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and antibacterial activities [ 7 ]. Studied were also the effect of enzymolysis on the performance of soy protein-based adhesive [ 8 ] and the study of new octadecanoid enantiomers from the whole plants of Plantago depressa [ 9 ]. Connected studies that combined the biological properties of another type of secondary metabolite described the biosynthesis of fluorescent β subunits of C-phycocyanin from Spirulina subsalsa in Escherichia coli , and their antioxidant properties [ 10 ] and presented the synthesis of the sex pheromone of the tea tussock moth based on a resource chemistry strategy [ 11 ].

Review articles described well the synthesis and anticancer activity of CDDO and CDDO-Me, two derivatives of natural triterpenoids [ 12 ], the advances in biosynthesis, pharmacology, and pharmacokinetics of pinocembrin, a promising natural small-molecule drug [ 13 ], as well as recent advances in the discovery and biosynthetic study of eukaryotic RiPP natural products [ 14 ]. Another review article addressed the issue of whether polyphenols could help in the control of rheumatoid arthritis [ 15 ].

Summing up, the current development in the chemistry of natural products proved to be so exciting that now Molecules itself organized recently several special issues oriented to this unfinished and fruitful field of the activity of the world chemical community. It is important to wish chemists and their friends in connected fields much enthusiasm and success in their work as it brings so many useful fruits and tools for all humankind.

Acknowledgments

The Guest Editor wish to thank all the authors for their contributions to this Special Issue, all the Reviewers for their work in evaluating the submitted articles and the editorial staff of Molecules for their kind assistance.

Conflicts of Interest

The author declares no conflict of interest.

Jump to main content

• College of Natural and Health Sciences

Mit McGlaughlin

Department chair and professor.

School of Biological Sciences Natural and Health Sciences

Contact Information

Email [email protected] Phone 970-351-2139 Fax 970-351-2335 Office Ross Hall, Room 1560 Office Hours M 10:30-11:30 W 1:00-2:00 or by appointment Mailing Address 501 20th Street, Greeley, CO 80639

• Ph.D.: Botany , Claremont Graduate University/Rancho Santa Ana Botanic Garden, Claremont, CA (2005)
• B.A.: Biology , Reed College, Portland, OR (1999)

Professional/Academic Experience

Dr. McGlaughlin  joined the faculty of UNC in the fall of 2008. His research is focused on using genetics to understand the nature of plant species, speciation, and conservation. Between 2005 and 2008 Dr. McGlaughlin worked as a Post Doctoral Fellow at the University of South Dakota, with Dr. Kaius Helenurm. His post doctoral research was focused on phylogeographic and conservation genetic studies with rare and endangered plants on the California Channel Islands. This research was predominantly funded by the US Navy in order to enhance management practices on the San Clemente Island bombing range. In 2005, Dr. McGlaughlin received his PhD in Botany from a joint program through Rancho Santa Ana Botanic Garden and Claremont Graduate University, working with Dr. Elizabeth Friar. His doctoral research examined patterns of diversification in a widespread member of the Hawaiian silversword alliance,  Dubautia laxa  (Asteraceae). While working at Rancho Santa Ana Botanic Garden he conducted numerous conservation genetic studies for resource management agencies in Southern California. In 1999 Dr. McGlaughlin received a BA from Reed College, working with Dr. Keith Karoly. As an undergraduate, he conducted conservation genetic research on the Pink Sand Verbena,  Abronia umbellata  (Nyctaginaceae). 

Classes Taught

• BIO 329 Field Botany
• BIO 330/530 Plant Systematics
• BIO 462/562 Conservation Biology
• BIO 465 Evolution
• BIO 526 Population Genetics
• BIO 539/539L Molecular Ecology
• BIO 572 Species and Speciation
• SCI 291 Scientific Writing

Research/Areas of Interest

     Plant phylogeography on the California Channel Islands; Adaptive evolution in the Hawaiian silversword alliance; Conservation Genetics; Plant Speciation; Colorado Botany; Conservation Biology.

Publications/Creative Works

Recent peer-reviewed research publications.

McGlaughlin, M.E. , Riley, L., Helenurm, K., Wallace, L. E. (2018). Does channel island Acmispon (Fabaceae) form cohesive evolutionary groups?  Western North American Naturalist: Papers from the 9 th California Islands Symposium 4th ed., vol. 78, pp. 739-757.

Riley, L., McGlaughlin, M.E. , Helenurm, K. (2018). Limited genetic variability in native buckwheats ( Eriogonum : Polygonaceae) on San Clemente Island.   Western North American Naturalist: Papers from the 9 th California Islands Symposium 4th ed., vol. 78, pp. 722-738. 

Smith, C., McGlaughlin, M.E. , Mackessy, S. (2018). DNA barcodes from snake venom: a broadly applicable method for extraction of DNA from snake venoms. BioTechniques , 65, 339-345.

Wallace, L. E., Wheeler, G. L., McGlaughlin, M.E. , Bresowar, G., Helenurm, K. (2017). Phylogeography and genetic structure of endemic Acmispon argophyllus and A. dendroideus (Fabaceae) across the California Channel Islands. American Journal of Botany, 104(5), 743-756.

Riley, L., M.E. McGlaughlin, and K. Helenurm. 2016. Narrow water barriers prevent multiple colonizations and limit gene flow among California Channel Islands wild buckwheats (Eriogonum: Polygonaceae). Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society 181: 246-268.

Riley, L., and M.E. McGlaughlin . 2016. Endemism in native floras of California’s Channel Islands correlated with seasonal patterns of aeolian processes. Botany 94: 65-72.

Bresowar, G.B. and M.E. McGlaughlin. 2015. Morphological And Genetic Discrepancies in Oreocarya paradoxa and its Gypsophile Sister Species, O. revealii (Boraginaceae): The Impact Of Edaphic Factors On Recent Diversification In The Colorado Plateau. American Journal of Botany 102: 1647-1658.

Fuller, R.S., S. Frietze, and M.E. McGlaughlin . 2015. Characterization of 13 microsatellite markers for Calochortus gunnisonii (Liliaceae) from Illumina MiSeq sequenceing. Applications in Plant Sciences 3(8): 1500051.

Schwabe, A.L., J. Ramp Neale, and M.E. McGlaughlin . 2015. Examining the genetic integrity of a rare endemic Colorado cactus ( Sclerocactus glaucus ) in the face of hybridization threats from a close and widespread congener ( Sclerocactus parviflorus ). Conservation Genetics 16: 443-457 .

M.E. McGlaughlin, L. Riley, M. Brandsrud, E. Arcibal, M.K. Helenurm, K. Helenurm. 2015. How much is enough? Minimum sampling intensity required to capture extant genetic diversity in ex situ seed collections: examples from the endangered plant Sibara filifolia (Brassicaceae). Conservation Genetics 16: 253-266 .

Dorman, H.E., M.E. McGlaughlin , and L.E. Wallace. 2014. Widespread variation in NSP1 , a gene involved in Rhizobium nodulation, across species of Acmispon (Fabaceae) from diverse habitats. Botany : 92: 571-578.

McGlaughlin, M.E. , L.E. Wallace, G.L. Wheeler, G.E. Bresowar, L. Riley, N.R. Britten, and K. Helenurm. 2014. Do the island biogeography predictions of MacArthur and Wilson hold when examining genetic diversity on the near mainland California Channel Islands? Examples from endemic Acmispon (Fabaceae). Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society 174: 289-304.

McGlaughlin, M.E. , and E.A. Friar. 2011. The role of geography in infraspecific diversification in a widespread member of the Hawaiian silversword alliance, Dubautia laxa (Asteraceae). Annals of Botany: 107: 357-370.

Friar, E.A., L.M. Prince, J.M. Cruse-Sanders, M.E. McGlaughlin , C.A. Butterworth, and B.G. Baldwin. 2008. Hybrid origin and genomic mosaicism of Dubautia scabra (Hawaiian Silversword Alliance; Asteraceae--Madiinae). Systematic Botany. 33: 589-597.

Recently presented papers and posters

• McGlaughlin, M.E ., L. Riley, and K. Helenurm. 2015. How much is enough? Minimum sampling intensity required to capture extant genetic diversity in ex situ seed collections: examples from the endangered plant Sibara filifolia (Brassicaceae). Botany 2015, Botanical Society of America Annual Meeting, Edmonton, Canada.
• Fuller, R.S. and M.E. McGlaughlin. 2015 The Role Of Glacial Oscillatory Demographic Changes In The Central And Southern Rocky Mountains In Shaping The Genetic Structure Of Gunnison’s Mariposa Lily.Botany 2015, Botanical Society of America Annual Meeting, Edmonton, Canada.
• Wills, B. and M.E. McGlaughlin . 2015. Resolving Taxonomic Synonymy of Phacelia submutica (DeBeque Phacelia) using ITS (nuclear) and ndhF (chloroplast) Sequences: Implications for Rare Plant Management. Botany 2015, Botanical Society of America Annual Meeting, Edmonton, Canada.
• McGlaughlin, M.E ., L.E. Wallace, and K. Helenurm. 2014. Conflicting evolutionary signal among genetic markers in the endemic Lotus (Fabaceae) of the California Channel Islands. Botany 2014, Botanical Society of America Annual Meeting, Boise, ID.
• Schwabe, A., Neale, J., and M.E. McGlaughlin . 2014. Hybridization or phenotypic plasticity? A genetic investigation of an endangered endemic Colorado cactus ( Sclerocactus glaucus ) in the face of hybridization threats from a widespread congener ( Sclerocactus parviflorus). Botany 2014, Botanical Society of America Annual Meeting, Boise, ID.
• Hubbard, A. , Neale, J., and M.E. McGlaughlin . 2014. Examination of Sclerocactus wetlandicus and Sclerocactus brevispinus genetic diversity and population structure in the Unita Basin, Utah. Botany 2014, Botanical Society of America Annual Meeting, Boise, ID.
• McGlaughlin, M.E. , and K. Helenurm. 2012. Gene flow and divergence in Leptosyne gigantea , Giant Tickseed, on the California Channel Islands. California Islands Symposia, Ventura, CA.
• Riley, L., M.E. McGlaughlin , K. Helenurm. 2012. Phylogeography of Eriogonum (Polygonacaea) endemic to the California Channel Islands. California Islands Symposia, Ventura, CA.
• McGlaughlin, M.E. , G. Bresowar, K. Helenurm, and L.E. Wallace. 2011. Isolation among islands as a driver of divergence in the endemic Lotus (Fabaceae) of the California Channel Islands. Botanical Society of America Annual Meeting, St. Louis, MO.
• Bresowar, G. and M.E. McGlaughlin . 2011. Phylogenetics of the genus Cryptantha subgenus Oreocarya (Boraginaceae): A western North American taxon. Botanical Society of America Annual Meeting, St. Louis, MO.

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Computer Science > Computation and Language

Title: realm: reference resolution as language modeling.

Abstract: Reference resolution is an important problem, one that is essential to understand and successfully handle context of different kinds. This context includes both previous turns and context that pertains to non-conversational entities, such as entities on the user's screen or those running in the background. While LLMs have been shown to be extremely powerful for a variety of tasks, their use in reference resolution, particularly for non-conversational entities, remains underutilized. This paper demonstrates how LLMs can be used to create an extremely effective system to resolve references of various types, by showing how reference resolution can be converted into a language modeling problem, despite involving forms of entities like those on screen that are not traditionally conducive to being reduced to a text-only modality. We demonstrate large improvements over an existing system with similar functionality across different types of references, with our smallest model obtaining absolute gains of over 5% for on-screen references. We also benchmark against GPT-3.5 and GPT-4, with our smallest model achieving performance comparable to that of GPT-4, and our larger models substantially outperforming it.

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arXivLabs: experimental projects with community collaborators

arXivLabs is a framework that allows collaborators to develop and share new arXiv features directly on our website.

Both individuals and organizations that work with arXivLabs have embraced and accepted our values of openness, community, excellence, and user data privacy. arXiv is committed to these values and only works with partners that adhere to them.

Have an idea for a project that will add value for arXiv's community? Learn more about arXivLabs .

Nine Science Terps Awarded 2024 National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowships

Nine current students and recent alums of the University of Maryland’s College of Computer, Mathematical, and Natural Sciences (CMNS) received prestigious  National Science Foundation (NSF) Graduate Research Fellowships , which recognize outstanding graduate students in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics.

Across the university, 22 current students and recent alums were among the 2024 fellowship winners announced by the NSF. The college’s nine awardees include four current graduate students and five recent alums.

CMNS graduate student recipients:

• Mikayla Greiner, biophysics
• Megan Ma, entomology
• Sadia Nourin (B.S. ’23, computer science; B.S. ’23, finance), computer science
• Emily Wisinski, atmospheric and oceanic science

CMNS alum recipients:

• Marcus Benyamin (B.S. ’17, mathematics ; B.S. ’17, chemical engineering)
• Kaitlyn Dold (B.S. ’22, chemistry )
• Katharina Krstic (B.S. ’22, chemistry )
• Siri Neerchal (B.S. ’21, mathematics ; B.S. ’21, history)
• Ashley Weiss (B.S. ’22, biological sciences )

NSF fellows receive three years of support, including a $37,000 annual stipend, a $16,000 cost-of-education allowance for tuition and fees, and access to opportunities for professional development.

The NSF Graduate Research Fellowship Program helps ensure the vitality of the human resource base of science and engineering in the United States and reinforces its diversity. The program recognizes and supports outstanding graduate students in NSF-supported science, technology, engineering, and mathematics disciplines who are pursuing research-based master’s and doctoral degrees at accredited U.S. institutions.

Since 1952, NSF has funded more than 60,000 Graduate Research Fellowships out of more than 500,000 applicants. At least 42 fellows have gone on to become Nobel laureates and more than 450 have become members of the National Academy of Sciences.

About the College of Computer, Mathematical, and Natural Sciences

The College of Computer, Mathematical, and Natural Sciences at the University of Maryland educates more than 8,000 future scientific leaders in its undergraduate and graduate programs each year. The college's 10 departments and six interdisciplinary research centers foster scientific discovery with annual sponsored research funding exceeding $250 million.

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March issue

This month we focus on physics education research, discover how dynamics can be classified by symmetry and topology, and learn that seesaw oscillations aid directional decision making for cells.

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Unlock the potential of a physics education, racial equity in physics education research.

• Geraldine L. Cochran
• Simone Hyater-Adams
• Ramón S. Barthelemy

Computing in physics education

• Marcos D. Caballero
• Tor Ole B. Odden

Epistemic agency as a critical mediator of physics learning

• Nam-Hwa Kang

Towards meaningful diversity, equity and inclusion in physics learning environments

• Alexandru Maries
• Chandralekha Singh

Gauge non-invariance due to material truncation in ultrastrong-coupling quantum electrodynamics

• Adam Stokes
• Ahsan Nazir

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Focus on physics education research

Using evidence-based approaches to improve the teaching of physics can help students achieve more and improve equity. In this Focus Issue, we survey the current state of this research field.

Nature Physics is a Transformative Journal ; authors can publish using the traditional publishing route OR via immediate gold Open Access.

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Critical thinking refers to deliberately scrutinizing and evaluating theories, concepts, or ideas using reasoned reflection and analysis. The act of thinking critically implies moving beyond simply understanding information, but questioning its source, its production, and its presentation in order to expose potential bias or researcher subjectivity. Applying critical thinking to investigating a research problem involves the act of challenging assumptions and questioning the choices and potential motives underpinning how the author designed the study and arrived at particular conclusions or recommended courses of action.

Mintz, Steven. "How the Word "Critical" Came to Signify the Leading Edge of Cultural Analysis." Higher Ed Gamma Blog , Inside Higher Ed, February 13, 2024; Van Merriënboer, Jeroen JG and Paul A. Kirschner. Ten Steps to Complex Learning: A Systematic Approach to Four-component Instructional Design . New York: Routledge, 2017.

Thinking Critically

Applying Critical Thinking to Research and Writing

Professors like to use the term critical thinking; in fact, the idea of being critical permeates much of academe writ large. In the classroom, the idea of thinking critically is often mentioned by professors when students ask how they should approach a research and writing assignment [other approaches your professor might mention include interdisciplinarity, comparative, gendered, global, etc.]. However, critical thinking is more than just an approach to research and writing. It is an acquired skill used in becoming a complex learner capable of discerning important relationships among the elements of, as well as integrating multiple ways of understanding applied to, the research problem. Critical thinking is a lens through which you holistically interrogate a topic.

Given this, thinking critically encompasses a variety of inter-related connotations applied to college-level research and writing * :

• Integrated and Multi-Dimensional . Critical thinking is not focused on any one element of the research design, but rather, is applied holistically throughout the process of identifying the research problem, reviewing of literature, applying methods of analysis, describing the results, discussing their implications, and, if appropriate, offering recommendations for further research. The act of thinking critically is non-linear [i.e., applies to going back and changing prior thoughts when new evidence emerges]; it permeates the entire research endeavor from contemplating what to write to proofreading the final product.
• Normative . This refers to the idea that critical thinking can be used to challenge prior assumptions in ways that advocate for social justice, equity, and inclusion in ways that are transformative and have lasting impact. In this respect, critical thinking can be a method for breaking out of dominant culture norms so as to produce research outcomes that illuminate previously hidden aspects of exploitation and injustice.
• Power Dynamics . Research in the social sciences often includes examining aspects of power and influence that shape social relations, organizations, institutions, and the production of knowledge. This involves how power operates, how it can be acquired, and how power and influence can be maintained. Critical thinking can reveal how societal structures perpetuate power in ways that marginalizes and oppresses group and within historical , political, economic, and cultural contexts.
• Reflection . A key aspect of critical thinking is practicing reflexivity; the act of turning ideas and concepts back onto yourself in order to reveal and clarify your own beliefs, assumptions, and perspectives. Being critically reflexive is important because it can reveal hidden biases you may have that could unintentionally influence how you interpret and validate information. The more reflexive you are, the better able and more comfortable you are about opening yourself up to new modes of understanding.
• Rigorous Questioning . Thinking critically is guided by asking questions that lead to addressing complex concepts, principles, theories, or problems more effectively and to help distinguish what is known from from what is not known [or that may be hidden]. In this way, critical thinking involves deliberately framing inquiries not just as research questions, but as a way to focus on systematic, disciplined,  in-depth questioning concerning the research problem and your positionality as a researcher.
• Social Change . An overarching goal of critical thinking applied to research and writing is to seek to identify and challenge sources of inequality, exploitation, oppression, and marinalization that contributes to maintaining the status quo. This way of thinking can help humanize the research problem, extending the scope of interpretive analysis beyond the boundaries of traditional approaches to understanding the topic.

In writing a research paper, the act of critical thinking applies most directly to the literature review and discussion sections of your paper . In reviewing the literature, it is important to reflect upon specific aspects of a study, such as, determining if the research design effectively establishes cause and effect relationships or provides insight into explaining why certain phenomena do or do not occur, assessing whether the method of gathering data or information supports the objectives of the study, and evaluating if the assumptions used t o arrive at a specific conclusion are evidence-based and relevant to addressing the research problem. An assessment of whether a source is helpful to investigating the research problem also involves critically analyzing how the research challenges conventional approaches to investigations that perpetuate inequalities or hides the voices of others.

Critical thinking also applies to the discussion section of your paper because this is where you interpret the findings of your study and explain its significance. This involves more than summarizing findings and describing outcomes. It includes reflecting on their importance and providing reasoned explanations why the research study is important in filling a gap in the literature or expanding knowledge and understanding about the topic in ways that inform practice. Critical reflection helps you think introspectively about your own beliefs concerning the significance of the findings but in ways that avoid biased judgment and decision making.

* Mintz, Steven. "How the Word "Critical" Came to Signify the Leading Edge of Cultural Analysis." Higher Ed Gamma Blog , Inside Higher Ed, February 13, 2024; Suter, W. Newton. Introduction to Educational Research: A Critical Thinking Approach. 2nd edition. Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE Publications, 2012

Behar-Horenstein, Linda S., and Lian Niu. “Teaching Critical Thinking Skills in Higher Education: A Review of the Literature.” Journal of College Teaching and Learning 8 (February 2011): 25-41; Bayou, Yemeserach and Tamene Kitila. "Exploring Instructors’ Beliefs about and Practices in Promoting Students’ Critical Thinking Skills in Writing Classes." GIST–Education and Learning Research Journal 26 (2023): 123-154; Butcher, Charity. "Using In-class Writing to Promote Critical Thinking and Application of Course Concepts." Journal of Political Science Education 18 (2022): 3-21; Loseke, Donileen R. Methodological Thinking: Basic Principles of Social Research Design. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage, 2012; Hart, Claire et al. “Exploring Higher Education Students’ Critical Thinking Skills through Content Analysis.” Thinking Skills and Creativity 41 (September 2021): 100877; Sabrina, R., Emilda Sulasmi, and Mandra Saragih. "Student Critical Thinking Skills and Student Writing Ability: The Role of Teachers' Intellectual Skills and Student Learning." Cypriot Journal of Educational Sciences 17 (2022): 2493-2510.Van Merriënboer, Jeroen JG and Paul A. Kirschner. Ten Steps to Complex Learning: A Systematic Approach to Four-component Instructional Design. New York: Routledge, 2017; Yeh, Hui-Chin, Shih-hsien Yang, Jo Shan Fu, and Yen-Chen Shih. "Developing College Students’ Critical Thinking through Reflective Writing." Higher Education Research & Development 42 (2023): 244-259.

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Better Sleep Can Reduce Worry and Rumination in Older Adults

People’s perceptions of their sleep also proves to have stronger associations with their worry and rumination than objective sleep quality monitored with a device.

It’s common knowledge that a good night’s sleep is restorative, but researchers at The University of Texas at Austin have found that it can also lessen worries and rumination the next day for older adults. The study is published in the April issue of the Journal of Psychosomatic Research . 

“This points to the critical role that sleep quality plays in emotional regulation in older adults,” said Zexi Zhou, a graduate researcher assistant in human development and family sciences and first author on the paper. “Good quality sleep, particularly REM sleep, appears to help older adults process their thoughts and emotions and reduce worry the next day.”

Worry and rumination could take many forms for the study participants, who were 65-89. We know from prior research that older adults worry about the future and ruminate about past events. Topics of worry can range from interpersonal tensions and financial strain to relationships and health issues. These types of persistent thoughts are often stressful and can contribute to health problems. 

The study found that older adults who overall experienced worry and rumination during the day were more likely to experience worse quality sleep that night.  Every morning, participants rated their sleep disturbances and the number of hours they slept the night before as well as how worried they were about things that might happen that day. And every evening, they reported their worry and rumination throughout the day. Participants also wore activity monitors to bed to track sleep quality. 

Surprisingly, researchers noted that how participants subjectively perceived their sleep quality was more indicative of their level of worry the next day, rather than their objective sleep quality measured by the monitors. 

“If someone believes they have had a poor night’s sleep, they may experience more worry and rumination, even though, according to the objective data, they had a better night’s sleep than they thought,” Zhou said. 

According to the National Institute on Aging, more than half of adults over 65 struggle with sleep quality because of physiological differences as we age. 

Researchers said understanding the connection between sleep and stress is critical to quality of life for older adults. 

“Worry and rumination can become a vicious cycle and a good night’s sleep can break that cycle,” Zhou said. 

Kira S. Birditt of the University of Michigan, Kate A. Leger of the University of Kentucky, and Karen L. Fingerman, professor of human development and family sciences at UT Austin, were also authors on the paper. The research was funded by the National Institute on Aging and the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development. 

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