Circadian Preference and Thinking Styles: Implications for School Achievement

Research has shown that thinking styles could have an influence on academic achievement. Previous studies have described that evening types are usually right-thinkers who tend to be creative and intuitive, whereas morning types tend to be left-thinkers who prefer verbal and analytic strategies in processing information. However, these studies have been realized among undergraduates, who have more freedom to choose their time schedules according to their circadian preference than adolescents or adult workers. On other hand, the relationship between thinking styles and circadian preference has not been analyzed considering school achievement. The present study aims (1) to investigate the relationship between circadian preference, that is, behavioral differences in circadian rhythmic expression, and thinking styles, referring to the preference toward information processing typical of the right versus the left cerebral hemisphere; and (2) to test the implications for self-reported school achievement. A sample of 1134 preadolescents and adolescents (581 girls; mean?±?SD age: 12.1?±?1.47, range: 10–14?yrs) completed the Morningness-Eveningness Scale for Children (MESC) as measure of circadian preference (morning, neither, or evening types), the Hemispheric Preference Test (HPT), conceived as a tool to measure thinking styles (right-, balanced-, and left-thinkers), and self-reported school achievement. Results indicated a greater percentage of left-thinkers among morning types and a greater percentage of right-thinkers among evening types. No differences were found among balanced-thinkers and neither types. Morning types and left-thinkers reported the highest subjective level of achievement, followed by evening types and left-thinkers, and morning types and right-thinkers. Evening types and right-thinkers reported the lowest subjective level of achievement. Finally, multivariate regression analysis indicated that age, left hemisphere and morning preferences accounted for 14.2% of total variance on self-reported achievement.     

A twin-study of genetic contributions to morningness–eveningness and depression

Circadian rhythms are associated with the preference for sleep–wake timing, also known as morningness–eveningness (ME). Both circadian rhythms and ME are influenced by genetic factors. Studies show an association between eveningness and depression. This study investigates the heritability of ME and whether ME and depression share common genetic influences. Study participants (n?=?1237) were from the Vietnam Era Twin Study of Aging, a longitudinal study of aging with a baseline in midlife. Participants received the Morningness–Eveningness Questionnaire (MEQ) and the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression (CES-D) Scale as part of an extensive neurocognitive and psychosocial assessment. MEQ correlations between members of twin pairs were 0.41 (95% CI 0.31–0.49) for monozygotic (MZ) twins and 0.28 for dizygotic (DZ) twins (95% CI 0.19–0.41). CES-D correlations were 0.38 (95% CI 0.28–0.46) for MZ twins and 0.24 (95% CI 0.14–0.36) for DZ twins. Greater eveningness (i.e. lower MEQ scores) was significantly related to more depression symptoms (phenotypic correlation?=??0.15 (95% CI ?0.21 to ?0.09). In the best fitting model, the heritability estimates are 0.42 for the MEQ and 0.37 for the CES-D. A significant genetic correlation of ?0.21 indicated that ME and depression share a significant amount of their underlying genetic variance. The genetic covariance between ME and depression accounted for 59.1% of the phenotypic correlation. Of the CES-D sub-scales, Depressed Mood and Interpersonal Difficulties were significantly heritable, while only Well-Being had a significant genetic correlation with ME. ME and depression are both heritable (ME 0.42, depression 0.37) and share common genetic factors, suggesting an overlap in etiology and the relevance of circadian rhythms to depression. Further study of this relationship may help elucidate etiological factors in depression and targets for treatment.     

Absence of morningness alleles in non-European populations

ABSTRACT

In spite of suspected circadian differences between different ancestral groups, most human studies have used individuals of European descent. This also applies to three recent genome-wide association studies (GWAS), which pinpointed a number of chronotype loci. We investigated the distribution of these hits in different 1000 Genomes populations. We found 6 out of the 41 alleles previously identified by GWAS in European participants (in the genes RGS16, PER2 and AK5 and between the genes APH1A and CA14) to be absent from some non-European population groups. This highlights the need for ancestral diversity in circadian research and may reflect differences affecting the phenotype of individuals of East Asian ancestry.     

Japonica cultivars' susceptibility to the rice water weevil Lissorhoptrus oryzophilus (Coleoptera: Curculionoidea: Brachyceridae)

Italy is the largest rice‐producing country in the European Union. In Italy, only japonica cultivars are listed in the Italian National Register. Almost all of the rice production is concentrated in the Po Valley, where the rice water weevil Lissorhoptrus oryzophilus Kuschel was first detected and settled. This study investigated the performance of this pest in terms of feeding, reproduction and plant injury on 10 rice cultivars chosen among the most widely grown in Italy. No‐choice experiments were conducted to evaluate the plant susceptibility to larval attack and to find out how cultivars can influence the adult leaf area consumption. The results gave evidence of different types of attack depending on the density of the insect (0.6 adults/plant vs. 0.9 adults/plant), the cultivar type and climatic conditions. Different cultivars with the same level of infestation gave different results in terms of productivity. Production was significantly affected by the larval presence in 4 of the 10 cultivars tested. A different population structure reflected a different damage severity. Statistically different values for total adult leaf area consumption were found according to adult female age and to the cultivar.     

Association Between Moringness‐Eveningness Preference and Mental/Physical Premenstrual Symptoms in Japanese Females 12 to 31 Years of Age

This study investigates the relationship between circadian typology, i.e., morningness‐eveningness (M‐E) preference, and the occurrence and severity of premenstrual mental and physical symptoms among 154 young Japanese female university students (range, 18 to 31 yrs; mean±S.D., 20.69±3.69 yrs) and 417 junior high school students (range, 12 to 15 yrs; mean±S.D., 14.29±0.67 yrs) living in an urban or suburban area of Kochi prefecture. Female university students experienced melancholy mood more frequently than did males, and the female university students who frequently became melancholy were more evening‐typed than those who did not experience melancholy. Female university students who experienced frequent fluctuations in mood and/or menstrual pain were more evening‐typed than those who were not so affected. M‐E preference of junior high school students was not correlated with stability of mood or frequency of menstrual pain. In urban areas, however junior high school students who had very stable menstrual cycles were significantly more morning‐typed than those whose menstrual cycles were not stable. In suburban areas, the bedtimes of female junior high students who had stable menstrual cycles were significantly earlier than those whose menstrual cycle duration was not stable. A physiological relationship between the circadian system, M‐E, and attributes of the menstrual cycle seems to be present in adolescent female Japanese junior high school students.     

Semi-field demographic performance of the invasive planthopper,Orosanga japonica (Hemiptera: Ricaniidae) on two host plants

Orosanga japonica Melichar (Hemiptera: Ricaniidae) is an invasive polyphagous pest in Iran. The planthopper damaged host plants by sap-sucking and egg laying on new twigs. This study aimed to determine the life table parameters of O. japonica on Rubus ulmifolius Schoot (elm leaf blackberry) and Melia azedarach L. (chinaberry) under field conditions in Rudsar (North of Iran) during 2019–2020. The collected life history data were analyzed based on age-stage, two-sex life table theory. The results showed that the incubation period of O. japonica was too long (≈ 270 days) on both host plants. The nymphs emerged from mid-May 2020. The planthopper had five nymphal stages under field conditions. The nymphal duration was 41.39 ± 0.56 days and 38.13 ± 0.62 days on R. ulmifolius and M. azedarach, respectively. The total preadult survival rates were 53.2% and 51.7% on R. ulmifolius and M. azedarach, respectively. Based on the results, a significant shorter total developmental time was observed on M. azedarach. When adults emerged in late July, they laid eggs after 26.05 days and 26.75 days on R. ulmifolius and M. azedarach, respectively. The fecundity on M. azedarach (131.69 egg/female) was significantly higher than that on R. ulmifolius. However, the life table parameters were all not significantly different on the two host plants. The intrinsic rate of increase (r) were 0.0097 ± 0.0005 day⁻¹ and 0.0105 ± 0.0006 day⁻¹ on R. ulmifolius and M. azedarach, respectively. Generally, these findings could be helpful to establish an efficient management strategy for this exotic pest.     

Functional significance of Micraspis discolor (F.) (Coccinellidae: Coleoptera) in rice ecosystem

Coccinellids are key predators that are conserved and augmented in agricultural ecosystems, to achieve biological control of pests. Actual quantification of field predation has not been attempted for many of the beneficial coccinellids. Numerous reports show coccinellids as opportunistic, feeding on a variety of food material in addition to their preferred prey. Micraspis discolor is the most abundant species of coccinellid in rice ecosystems and touted as a biocontrol option for brown planthopper (BPH), Nilaparvata lugens (Stal), a key pest of rice. However, it has been reported as both entomophagous and phytophagous. Native polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (PAGE) was used to separate esterases from whole‐body homogenates of Micraspis and its prey viz., green leafhopper (GLH) Nephotettix virescens (Distant), BPH N. lugens, whitebacked planthopper (WBPH) Sogatella furcifera (Horvath), aphid Rhopalosiphum padi L., thrips, Haplothrips sp., and pollen. Field‐collected beetles showed a range of bands, some corresponding with pollen and GLH, while others were different from prey offered, indicating a wider range of prey spectrum than envisaged. Feeding preference studies confirmed a preference for pollen and GLH in no‐choice (H = 20.724; P = 0.001) and multiple‐choice tests (H = 20.52; P < 0.001) and a significant preference for pollen over all insects offered in the paired‐choice test (t = 5.099; P = 0.007). The abundance of adult M. discolor in rice at flowering phase does not correspond to prey abundance in the field but rather reflects an inclination to pollen feeding more than entomophagy.     

The influence of different aphid prey species on the biology and life table parameters of Propylaea japonica

The influence of three aphid prey species – Aphis craccivora Koch, Megoura viciae Buckton and Rhopalosiphum maidis (Fitch) – on the biology of Propylaea japonica (Thunberg) was studied under laboratory conditions. The development, survivorship, longevity, reproduction and life table parameters of P. japonica differed significantly among different treatments. The shortest developmental period of P. japonica (from first-instar larvae to adult) was observed on A. craccivora, whereas the longest was observed on M. viciae. The highest survivorship was observed on A. craccivora, and the lowest survivorship was observed on M. viciae. The highest sex ratio, fecundity and the shortest pre-oviposition period were observed when A. craccivora was used as prey. The longevities of P. japonica females and males did not differ significantly when reared on different aphid species. The highest values of net reproductive rate, intrinsic rate of increase and finite rate of increase were observed on A. craccivora. The results suggest that A. craccivora is a suitable prey for P. japonica among the three aphid species tested and can serve as a diet for the mass rearing of P. japonica under laboratory conditions for possible use in integrated pest management.