A rich diversity of wild medicinal plant resources is distributed in China, but the breeding of new plant varieties of Chinese medicinal plants started late and the breeding level is relatively weak. Chinese medicinal plant resources are the foundation for new varieties breeding, and the plant variety rights(PVP) are of great significance for the protection and development of germplasm resources. However, most Chinese medicinal plants do not have a distinctness, uniformity, and stability(DUS) testing guideline. The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs has put 191 plant species(genera) on protection lists, of which only 30 are medicinal species(genera). At the same time, only 29 of 293 species(genera) plants in the Protection List of New Plant Varieties of the People\'s Republic of China(Forest and Grass) belong to Chinese medicinal plants. The number of PVP applications and authorization of Chinese medicinal plants is rare, and the composition of variety is unreasonable. Up to now, 29 species(genera) of DUS test guidelines for Chinese medicinal plants have been developed. Some basic problems in the breeding of new varieties of Chinese medicinal plants have appeared, such as the small number of new varieties and insufficient utilization of Chinese medicinal plant resources. This paper reviewed the current situation of breeding of new varieties of Chinese medicinal plants and the research progress of DUS test guidelines in China and discussed the application of biotechnology in the field of Chinese medicinal plant breeding and the existing problems in DUS testing. This paper guides the further application of DUS to protect and utilize the germplasm resources of Chinese medicinal plants.

Morningness-eveningness refers to individual differences in the sleep-wake cycle. Research indicates that morningness-eveningness is associated with the Big Five (neuroticism, extraversion, openness to experience, agreeableness, conscientiousness) and the Big Two (alpha-stability, beta-plasticity) personality factors. However, the latter has not yet been tested within the multidimensional approach to morningness-eveningness. In the present study, we have adapted the Morningness-Eveningness-Stability-Scale improved (MESSi) to Polish (https://osf.io/rcxb5) to explore the associations between its subscales (morning affect, eveningness, distinctness) and the Big Two personality traits in a sample of 1106 participants (559 women and 547 men) aged 18 to 55 (M = 36.26, SD = 9.90). In bivariate correlations, morning affect was positively related to alpha-stability and beta-plasticity, distinctness was correlated negatively with alpha-stability and beta-plasticity, while eveningness was positively correlated only with beta-plasticity. Furthermore, the confirmatory factor analysis supported the original three-factor structure of the Polish version of MESSi, while the associations with affect and the symptoms of depression and anxiety attested to its validity. Overall, the present study provides the first evidence for the associations between MESSi subscales and the Big Two personality traits, as well as shows a good fit of the three-factor structure of MESSi in the Polish population.

Eveningness has been associated with poor sleep quality and depression. However, chronotype has also been shown to be a multidimensional construct, not limited to a merely morningness-eveningness orientation. It has also been proposed that other factors may also mediate the relationship between chronotype and its mental health sequelae. This pilot study explores the role of rumination as a mediator between chronotype and sleep quality, chronotype and depressive symptoms.
A sample of 144 participants completed The Morningness-Eveningness-Stability-Scale Improved (MESSi), Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), Rumination-Reflection Questionnaire (RRQ) and Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale (CES-D)). The results were tested using Spearman\'s rank correlation coefficient, multiple linear regression and the Sobel test.
Rumination was linked to poor sleep quality and increased depression. Morning affect and Distinctness (i.e. rigidity, or the subjective amplitude of the circadian rhythm) correlated with rumination. Rumination was a partial mediator of the associations between Morning Affect and sleep quality, Morning Affect and depression.
Rumination may play a role in the association between chronotype (particularly Morning Affect and Distinction) and sleep quality and depression. The recognition of this association might serve as a basis for clinical psychoeducational and therapeutic programs targeting both adjustment of the circadian rhythm and rumination as a psychopathological sign.

To evaluate the application potential of high-density SNPs in rice distinctness, uniformity, and stability (DUS) testing, we screened 37,929 SNP loci distributed on 12 rice chromosomes based on whole-genome resequencing of 122 rice accessions. These SNP loci were used to analyze the DUS testing of rice varieties based on the correlation between the molecular and phenotypic distances of varieties according to UPOV option 2. The results showed that statistical algorithms and the number of phenotypic traits and SNP loci all affected the correlation between the molecular and phenotypic distances of rice varieties. Relative to the other nine algorithms, the Jaccard similarity algorithm had the highest correlation of 0.6587. Both the number of SNPs and the number of phenotypes had a ceiling effect on the correlation between the molecular and phenotypic distances of varieties, and the ceiling effect of the number of SNP loci was more obvious. To overcome the correlation bottleneck, we used the genome-wide prediction method to predict 30 phenotypic traits and found that the prediction accuracy of some traits, such as the basal sheath anthocyanin color, glume length, and intensity of the green color of the leaf blade, was very low. In combination with group comparison analysis, we found that the key to overcoming the ceiling effect of correlation was to improve the resolution of traits with low predictive values. In addition, we also performed distinctness testing on rice varieties by using the molecular distance and phenotypic distance, and we found that there were large differences between the two methods, indicating that UPOV option 2 alone cannot replace the traditional phenotypic DUS testing. However, genotype and phenotype analysis together can increase the efficiency of DUS testing.

The aim of the present study was to adapt the Morningness-Eveningness-Stability Scale improved (MESSi) to the Spanish adolescent population, testing its factor structure and construct validity. The participants were 725 adolescents (52.9% girls; M = 14.8, SD = 1.99) who completed the MESSi, the Morningness Eveningness Scale of Children (MESC), questions about sleep habits adapted from the School Sleep Habits Survey, and self-reported academic performance. The psychometric results support a three-factor model with the factors of morning affect, eveningness, and distinctness, which show good internal consistency. The pattern of correlations between MESSi and the other measures was in the expected direction. The MESC correlated positively with morning affect and negatively with eveningness, whereas distinctness was uncorrelated. Boys reported higher morningness, whereas girls reported higher distinctness. Eveningness was negatively related to academic performance. Overall, the results support the validity and reliability of the Spanish adolescent version of the MESSi.

Assessing morningness-eveningness preferences (chronotype), an individual characteristic that is mirrored in daily mental and physiological fluctuations, is crucial given their overarching influence in a variety of domains. The current work aimed to investigate the best factor structure of an instrument recently presented to asses this characteristic: the Morningness-Eveningness-Stability-Scale improved (MESSi). For the first time, the originally proposed three-factor structure was pitched against a uni- and a two-factor solution. Another novelty was to establish that the best-fitting model would be invariant in relation to sex and age, two variables that influence chronotype. A Confirmatory Factor Analyses on the data obtained from a sample of 2096 German adults (age: 18-76; M = 25.5, SD = 7.64) revealed that the originally proposed three-factor structure of the MESSi - Morning Affect, Eveningness, and Distinctness - was the only one to achieve acceptable fit indicators. Furthermore, each scale obtained good internal consistency. In order to assess age invariance, following the literature on development and chronotype, our sample was divided into three age groups: 18-21 years, 22-31 years, and 32 years or older. Full measurement invariance of the three-factor model was found for sex and age. Regarding differences between sexes, females did not differ significantly from males in Morning Affect, but scored significantly lower on Eveningness and higher on Distinctness; this last result has been consistent across validation studies of the MESSi. With respect to age differences, the oldest group scored lower on Eveningness and Distinctness in comparison with the other two age-groups; the intermediate group (age: 22-31) scored lower on Morning Affect when compared to both the younger and older age groups. Additionally, both Eveningness and Distinctness were negatively correlated with age. This latter relation has been consistently reported in other validation studies. Our results reinforce the idea that the MESSi assesses three different components of chronotype in a reliable manner and that this instrument can be used to explore sex and age differences.

This work reports the initial psychometric characterization of the Morningness-Eveningness-Stability-Scale improved (MESSi) for Portuguese young-adults (N = 466). A confirmatory factor analysis confirmed a three-factor model (i.e. Morning Affect, Eveningness and Distinctness) in our data, as originally proposed. Furthermore, construct validity evidence in relation to external variables (i.e. morningness/eveningness and satisfaction with life), as well as adequate reliability (i.e. internal consistency and test-retest reliability), were found. Finally, sex-based invariance and between-sex differences were investigated for the three subscales, as were correlations with age. Results point to the suitability of the MESSi for multi-cultural research on relevant and multiple aspects of chronotype.

The aim of this study was to provide validity for the Spanish version of the Morningness-Eveningness-Stability Scale - improved (MESSi), a novel evolved assessment of circadian typology which considers the subjective phase and amplitude by morning affect (MA), eveningness (EV) and distinctness (DI; subjective amplitude) sub-scales. Convergence validity of the MESSi with the reduced Morningness-Eveningness Questionnaire (rMEQ) and relationships with the General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-12) and sensitivity to reward and punishment (SR and SP) were analyzed. Two different Spanish samples, young undergraduate students (n = 891, 18-30 years) and adult workers (n = 577, 31-65 years) participated in this study. Exploratory structural equation modeling (ESEM) of MESSi displayed acceptable fit of a three-factors measurement model. Percentiles of the MA, EV and DI sub-scales were obtained for students and adults. The MESSi showed good convergence validity with the rMEQ scores, with a higher correlation coefficient between MA, EV and lower with DI sub-scales. In both, young students and adult workers, MA was negatively related with the GHQ-12 and SP, but the percentage of explained variance (6% and 3%) was lower than the positive correlations between DI, the GHQ-12 and SP (20% and 13%). Morning types presented higher MA and lower EV scores than the other two typologies in both students and adult workers, whereas only differences in DI were found among students (lowest in evening type). Candidates to psychological symptoms and mental disorders (\"true cases\"), with the clinical cut-off criteria of the GHQ-12, showed lower MA and higher DI in students, whereas only DI was higher for \"true cases\" among adults. These results supported that subjective amplitude is a factor related to, but also differentiated of, morningness-eveningness (preferred time for a certain activity). The measure of amplitude might be more important than circadian phase in health consequences.

The aim of the present study was to conduct the preliminary adaptation of the Morningness-Eveningness-Stability-Scale improved (MESSi) to Spanish population, testing its factor structure and construct validity. Participants were 261 adults (65% women; M = 31.4, SD = 12.01) who filled out measures of Morningness-Eveningness (MESSi and CSM), sleep habits, personality traits, positive and negative affect, and subjective level of alertness during the day. Psychometric results supported a three factorial model with the factors Morning Affect, Eveningness and Distinctness (RMSEA = .072). The factors showed good internal consistence (α = 0.72-0.85). The pattern of correlations between MESSi and the other measures were in the expected direction (low to moderated size effects). Morning Affect was positively predicted by morning chronotype (R 2 = .64), Eveningness was negatively predicted by age and positively by evening chronotype (R 2 = .41), and Distinctness was negatively predicted by sex (women reported higher DI than men) and age (R 2 = .08). This study provides evidence for the factor structure of a new measure of Morningness-Eveningness based on a rigorous psychometric evaluation.

The Ease of Language Understanding model (Rönnberg et al., 2013) predicts that decreasing the distinctness of language stimuli increases working memory load; in the speech domain this notion is supported by empirical evidence. Our aim was to determine whether such an over-additive interaction can be generalized to sign processing in sign-naïve individuals and whether it is modulated by experience of computer gaming. Twenty young adults with no knowledge of sign language performed an n-back working memory task based on manual gestures lexicalized in sign language; the visual resolution of the signs and working memory load were manipulated. Performance was poorer when load was high and resolution was low. These two effects interacted over-additively, demonstrating that reducing the resolution of signed stimuli increases working memory load when there is no pre-existing semantic representation. This suggests that load and distinctness are handled by a shared amodal mechanism which can be revealed empirically when stimuli are degraded and load is high, even without pre-existing semantic representation. There was some evidence that the mechanism is influenced by computer gaming experience. Future work should explore how the shared mechanism is influenced by pre-existing semantic representation and sensory factors together with computer gaming experience.