Correlation Analysis Between Time Awareness and Morningness-Eveningness Preference

Introduction: Time management skills are necessary for professionals to accomplish their goals and succeed in their career. The recent changes in the educational environment that were caused by the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) could be stressful and might affect the structure of faculty work. Aim: To evaluate the stress level among university personnel during the COVID-19 outbreak and its relation to their time management skills. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional web-based survey was conducted on a sample of 56 university professionals. Each participant filled a google form questionnaire consisting of Perceived Stress Scale (PSS) and Time Management Scale (TMS). The results were analysed using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) version 20.0. Results: A total of 56 responses were received from full-time faculty and staff with 60% response rate. The overall PSS (mean±SD) was 15.29±7.13, indicating a low level of stress among the professionals. The mean TMS of 37.98±7.63 indicates an average time management skills. Significant negative correlation was found between PSS and TMS (r=-0.371, p=0.005). A positive correlation was found between TMS and years of experience (r=0.278, p=0.038). Both PSS and TMS had insignificant association with age, gender and years of experience. Conclusion: The stress level during the COVID-19 outbreak is relatively low among the University professionals. The TMS has a negative correlation with the PSS; however, it improves with the increase in years of job experience.

The present study examined the relationship between social media use, time management, and decision-making styles. The sample consisted of 612 participants, including 513 women (83.8%) and 99 men (16.2%), who were university students and young adults. Data were collected using a personal information form (age, gender, social media usage time, and academic achievement), the Time Management Scale, and the Melbourne Decision-Making Questionnaire. In addition to these measures, differences were analyzed concerning age, gender, academic achievement, and duration of social media use. Descriptive statistics, independent samples t-tests, one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA), chi-square tests, and regression analyses were employed in data analysis. The results indicated that female participants scored significantly higher than males on overall time management, time planning, and time wasters subscales. In contrast, male participants obtained significantly higher scores on the time attitude subscale. Furthermore, the self-esteem and hypervigilance subscales of the decision-making scale differed by gender; female participants reported lower self-esteem and higher hypervigilance scores compared to their male counterparts. Academic achievement was positively associated with time management skills, such that higher academic performance predicted better time management. Social media use was negatively and significantly associated with overall time management and all its subscales. In contrast, it was positively associated with buckpassing, procrastinatory, and hypervigilance decision-making styles and negatively associated with the careful decision-making style. A positive relationship was also identified between overall time management and decision-making styles. Specifically, individuals with better time management skills demonstrated higher self-esteem and a tendency toward careful decision-making, whereas negative associations were observed with buckpassing, procrastinatory, and hypervigilance styles. Finally, longer durations of social media use significantly predicted lower self-esteem, careful decision-making, and higher levels of buckpassing, procrastinatory, and hypervigilance decision-making styles.

Generally considered as a prevalent occurrence in academic settings, procrastination was analyzed in association with constructs such as self-efficacy, self-esteem, anxiety, stress, and fear of failure. This study investigated the role played by self-regulated learning strategies in predicting procrastination among university students. To this purpose, the relationships of procrastination with cognitive and metacognitive learning strategies and time management were explored in the entire sample, as well as in male and female groups. Gender differences were taken into account due to the mixed results that emerged in previous studies. This cross-sectional study involved 450 university students (M = 230; F = 220; Mage = 21.08, DS = 3.25) who completed a self-reported questionnaire including a sociodemographic section, the Tuckman Procrastination Scale, the Time Management Scale, and the Metacognitive Self-Regulation and Critical Thinking Scales. Descriptive and inferential analyses were applied to the data. The main findings indicated that temporal and metacognitive components play an important role in students’ academic achievement and that, compared to females, males procrastinate more due to poor time management skills and metacognitive strategies. Practical implications were suggested to help students to overcome their dilatory behavior.

ABSTRACTThe circadian system is known to play a role in glucose metabolism. Chronotype reflects the interindividual variability in the phase of entrainment. Those with later chronotype typically prefer later times in the day for different activities such as sleep or meals. Later chronotype has been shown to be associated with metabolic syndrome, increased diabetes risk and poorer glycemic control in type 2 diabetes patients. In addition, “social jetlag”, a form of circadian misalignment due to a mismatch between social rhythms and the circadian clock, has been shown to be associated with insulin resistance. Other sleep disturbances (insufficient sleep, poor sleep quality and sleep apnea) have also been shown to affect glucose metabolism. In this study, we explored whether there was a relationship between chronotype, social jetlag and hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) levels in prediabetes patients, independent of other sleep disturbances. A cross-sectional study was conducted at the Department of Family Medicine, Ramathibodi Hospital, Bangkok, from October 2014 to March 2016 in 1014 non-shift working adults with prediabetes. Mid-sleep time on free day adjusted for sleep debt (MSFsc) was used as an indicator of chronotype. Social jetlag was calculated based on the absolute difference between mid-sleep time on weekdays and weekends. The most recent HbA1c values and lipid levels were retrieved from clinical laboratory databases. Univariate analyses revealed that later MSFsc (p = 0.028) but not social jetlag (p = 0.48) was significantly associated with higher HbA1c levels. Multivariate linear regression analysis was applied to determine whether an independent association between MSFsc and HbA1c level existed. After adjusting for age, sex, alcohol use, body mass index (BMI), social jetlag, sleep duration, sleep quality and sleep apnea risk, later MSFsc was significantly associated with higher HbA1c level (B = 0.019, 95% CI: 0.00001, 0.038, p = 0.049). The effect size of one hour later MSFsc on HbA1c (standardized coefficient = 0.065) was approximately 74% of that of the effect of one unit (kg/m2) increase in BMI (standardized coefficient = 0.087). In summary, later chronotype is associated with higher HbA1c levels in patients with prediabetes, independent of social jetlag and other sleep disturbances. Further research regarding the potential role of chronotype in diabetes prevention should be explored.

The influence of circadian rhythms on memory has long been studied; however, the molecular prerequisites for their interaction remain elusive. The hippocampus, which is a region of the brain important for long-term memory formation and temporary maintenance, shows circadian rhythmicity in pathways central to the memory-consolidation process. As neuronal plasticity is the translation of numerous inputs, illuminating the direct molecular links between circadian rhythms and memory consolidation remains a daunting task. However, the elucidation of how clock genes contribute to synaptic plasticity could provide such a link. Furthermore, the idea that memory training could actually function as a zeitgeber for hippocampal neurons is worth consideration, based on our knowledge of the entrainment of the circadian clock system. The integration of many inputs in the hippocampus affects memory consolidation at both the cellular and the systems level, leaving the molecular connections between circadian rhythmicity and memory relatively obscure but ripe for investigation.

The aim of this research was to test the validity and reliability of the Academic Time Management and Procrastination Scale (Won &Yun, 2018) for university stu dents. The study group for the research comprised a total of 361 university students, 224 women (62.0%) and 137 men (38.0%), with a mean age of 20.76 (standard deviation = 2.04), attending undergraduate level in a variety of faculties in Atatürk University during the 2021–2022 educational year. The results also showed that the values for goodness-of-fit indexes were acceptable. Within the scope of criterion-dependent validity studies for academic time management and procrastina t ion, negative correlations were present between general procrastination of students with the planning time dimension and monitoring time dimension, while there was a positive significant correlation with the procrastination dimension. Within the scope of reliability studies for the scale, internal consistency coefficients were α = .81 for the planning time subscale, α = .88 for the monitoring time subscale, and α = .88 for the procrastination subscale. In light of the findings obtained, the Academic Time Management and Procrastination Scale can be said to be a valid and reliable scale tool that can be used to measure the academic time management and procrastination levels of university students. Cite this article as: Odacı, H., Kınık, Ö., & Kaya, F. (2024). Adaptation of the academic time management and procrastination scale. HAYEF: Journal of Education, 21(2), 120-126.

The circadian clock is synchronized to the 24 h day by environmental light which is transmitted from the retina to the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN) primarily via the retinohypothalamic tract (RHT). Circadian rhythm abnormalities have been reported in neurodegenerative disorders such as Alzheimer's disease (AD). Whether these AD-related changes are a result of the altered clock gene expression, retina degeneration, including the dysfunction in RHT transmission, loss of retinal ganglion cells and its electrophysiological capabilities, or a combination of all of these pathological mechanisms, is not known. Here, we evaluated transgenic APP/PS1 mouse model of AD and wild-type mice at 6- and 12-month-old, as early and late pathological stage, respectively. We noticed the alteration of circadian clock gene expression not only in the hypothalamus but also in two extra-hypothalamic brain regions, cerebral cortex and hippocampus, in APP/PS1 mice. These alterations were observed in 6-month-old transgenic mice and were exacerbated at 12 months of age. This could be explained by the reduced RHT projections in the SCN of APP/PS1 mice, correlating with downregulation of hypothalamic GABAergic response in APP/PS1 mice in advanced stage of pathology. Importantly, we also report retinal degeneration in APP/PS1 mice, including Aβ deposits and reduced choline acetyltransferase levels, loss of melanopsin retinal ganglion cells and functional integrity mainly of inner retina layers. Our findings support the theory that retinal degeneration constitutes an early pathological event that directly affects the control of circadian rhythm in AD.

The effectiveness of light on the circadian clock is linked to its emotional value

Serotonin (5-HT) and 5-HT receptor agonists can modify the response of the mammalian suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN) to light. It remains uncertain which 5-HT receptor subtypes mediate these effects. The effects of 5-HT receptor activation on optic nerve-mediated input to SCN neurons were examined using whole-cell patch-clamp recordings in horizontal slices of ventral hypothalamus from the male mouse. The hypothesis that 5-HT reduces the effect of retinohypothalamic tract (RHT) input to the SCN by acting at 5-HT1B receptors was tested first. As previously described in the hamster, a mixed 5-HT(1A/1B) receptor agonist, 1-[3-(trifluoromethyl)phenyl]-piperazine hydrochloride (TFMPP), reduced the amplitude of glutamatergic excitatory postsynaptic currents (EPSCs) evoked by selectively stimulating the optic nerve of wild-type mice. The agonist was negligibly effective in a 5-HT1B receptor knockout mouse, suggesting minimal contribution of 5-HT1A receptors to the TFMPP-induced reduction in the amplitude of the optic nerve-evoked EPSC. We next tested the hypothesis that 5-HT also reduces RHT input to the SCN via activation of 5-HT7 receptors. The mixed 5-HT(1A/7) receptor agonist, R(+)-8-hydroxy-2-(di-n-propylamino) tetralin hydrobromide (8-OH-DPAT), reduced the evoked EPSC amplitude in both wild-type and 5-HT1B receptor knockout mice. This effect of 8-OH-DPAT was minimally attenuated by the selective 5-HT1A receptor antagonist WAY 100635 but was reversibly and significantly reduced in the presence of ritanserin, a mixed 5-HT(2/7) receptor antagonist. Taken together with the authors' previous ultrastructural studies of 5-HT1B receptors in the mouse SCN, these results indicate that in the mouse, 5-HT reduces RHT input to the SCN by acting at 5-HT1B receptors located on RHT terminals. Moreover, activation of 5-HT7 receptors in the mouse SCN, but not 5-HT1A receptors, also results in a reduction in the amplitude of the optic nerve-evoked EPSC. The findings indicate that 5-HT may modulate RHT glutamatergic input to the SCN through 2 or more 5-HT receptors. The likely mechanism of altered RHT glutamatergic input to SCN neurons is an alteration of photic effects on the SCN circadian oscillator.

QUASIMODO, a Novel GPI-Anchored Zona Pellucida Protein Involved in Light Input to the Drosophila Circadian Clock

Light is a prominent stimulus that synchronizes endogenous circadian rhythmicity to environmental light/dark cycles. Nocturnal light elevates mRNA of the Period1 (Per1) gene and induces long term state changes, expressed as phase shifts of circadian rhythms. The cellular mechanism for Per1 elevation and light-induced phase advance in the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN), a process initiated primarily by glutamatergic neurotransmission from the retinohypothalamic tract, was examined. Glutamate (GLU)-induced phase advances in the rat SCN were blocked by antisense oligodeoxynucleotide (ODN) against Per1 and Ca(2+)/cAMP response element (CRE)-decoy ODN. CRE-decoy ODN also blocked light-induced phase advances in vivo. Furthermore, the CRE-decoy blocked GLU-induced accumulation of Per1 mRNA. Thus, Ca(2+)/cAMP response element-binding protein (CREB) and Per1 are integral components of the pathway transducing light-stimulated GLU neurotransmission into phase advance of the circadian clock.

The circadian clock located in the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN) organizes autonomic and behavioral rhythms into a near 24 hr time that is adjusted daily to the solar cycle via a direct projection from the retina, the retinohypothalamic tract (RHT). This neuronal pathway costores the neurotransmitters PACAP and glutamate, which seem to be important for light-induced resetting of the clock. At the molecular level the clock genes mPer1 and mPer2 are believed to be target for the light signaling to the clock. In this study, we investigated the possible role of PACAP-type 1 receptor signaling in light-induced resetting of the behavioral rhythm and light-induced clock gene expression in the SCN. Light stimulation at early night resulted in larger phase delays in PACAP-type 1 receptor-deficient mice (PAC1(-)/-) compared with wild-type mice accompanied by a marked reduction in light-induced mPer1, mPer2, and c-fos gene expression. Light stimulation at late night induced mPer1 and c-fos gene expression in the SCN to the same levels in both wild type and PAC1(-)/- mice. However, in contrast to the phase advance seen in wild-type mice, PAC1(-)/- mice responded with phase delays after photic stimulation. These data indicate that PAC1 receptor signaling participates in the gating control of photic sensitivity of the clock and suggest that mPer1, mPer2, and c-fos are of less importance for light-induced phase shifts at night.

Daily timing of the mammalian circadian clock of the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN) is regulated by photic input from the retina via the retinohypothalamic tract. This signaling is mediated by glutamate, which activates SCN retinorecipient units communicating to pacemaker cells in part through the release of gastrin-releasing peptide (GRP). Efferent signaling from the SCN involves another SCN-containing peptide, arginine vasopressin (AVP). Little is known regarding the mechanisms regulating these peptides, as literature on in vivo peptide release in the SCN is sparse. Here, microdialysis-radioimmunoassay procedures were used to characterize mechanisms controlling GRP and AVP release in the hamster SCN. In animals housed under a 14/10-h light-dark cycle both peptides exhibited daily fluctuations of release, with levels increasing during the morning to peak around midday. Under constant darkness, this pattern persisted for AVP, but rhythmicity was altered for GRP, characterized by a broad plateau throughout the subjective night and early subjective day. Neuronal release of the peptides was confirmed by their suppression with reverse-microdialysis perfusion of calcium blockers and stimulation with depolarizing agents. Reverse-microdialysis perfusion with the 5-HT(1A,7) agonist 8-OH-DPAT ((±)-8-hydroxydipropylaminotetralin hydrobromide) during the day significantly suppressed GRP but had little effect on AVP. Also, perfusion with the glutamate agonist NMDA, or exposure to light at night, increased GRP but did not affect AVP. These analyses reveal distinct daily rhythms of SCN peptidergic activity, with GRP but not AVP release attenuated by serotonergic activation that inhibits photic phase-resetting, and activated by glutamatergic and photic stimulation that mediate this phase-resetting.

Circadian rhythm is an endogenous rhythm that persists in constant conditions with a period of nearly but not identical to 24 hr. Under natural conditions, the circadian clock is precisely entrained to the daily (24 hr) cycle, because environmental stimulus (especially light) induces a phase shift of the clock. In mammals, the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN) of the hypothalamus has been shown to be the primary pacemaker that drives daily rhythms of behavioral and physiological activity. Photic information is conveyed from the retina to the SCN directly by the retinohypothalamic tract (RHT) and indirectly by the geniculo-hypothalamic tract (GHT). The transmitter of the RHT is glutamate, while the GHT is GABA and neuropeptide Y. Serotonergic innervation from the median raphe and melatonin from the pineal body are likely to provide non-photic information to the SCN. Single gene mutations that dramatically alter circadian phenotype were found in the hamster (tau) and mouse (clock). Moreover, the homologous genes of the Drosophila clock gene, per, were found in mammals and the homologue of the mammalian clock was found in Drosophila. These data suggest that the some constitutes of the biological clock may be conserved between Drosophila and mammals, and a transcription-translation feedback loop involving some clock gene products may be a oscillator itself.

The retinal and anterior neural fold homeobox gene (Rax) controls development of the eye and the forebrain. Postnatal expression of Rax in the brain is restricted to the pineal gland, a forebrain structure devoted to melatonin synthesis. The role of Rax in pineal function is unknown. In order to investigate the role of Rax in pineal function while circumventing forebrain abnormalities of the global Rax knockout, we generated an eye and pineal-specific Rax conditional knockout mouse. Deletion of Rax in the pineal gland did not affect morphology of the gland, suggesting that Rax is not essential for pineal gland development. In contrast, deletion of Rax in the eye generated an anophthalmic phenotype. In addition to the loss of central visual pathways, the suprachiasmatic nucleus of the hypothalamus housing the circadian clock was absent, indicating that the retinohypothalamic tract is required for the nucleus to develop. Telemetric analyses confirmed the lack of a functional circadian clock. Arylalkylamine N-acetyltransferase (Aanat) transcripts, encoding the melatonin rhythm-generating enzyme, were undetectable in the pineal gland of the Rax conditional knockout under normal conditions, whereas the paired box 6 homeobox gene, known to regulate pineal development, was up-regulated. By injecting isoproterenol, which mimics a nocturnal situation in the pineal gland, we were able to induce pineal expression of Aanat in the Rax conditional knockout mouse, but Aanat transcript levels were significantly lower than those of Rax-proficient mice. Our data suggest that Rax controls pineal gene expression and via Aanat may modulate melatonin synthesis.