University of Hohenheim

About: University of Hohenheim is a education organization based out in Stuttgart, Germany. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Population & Soil water. The organization has 8585 authors who have published 16406 publications receiving 567377 citations.

Problematic computer game use among adolescents, younger and older adults.

Abstract: AIMS: Playing digital games has been associated with forms of addictive behavior. Past research on the subject has often been criticized on theoretical and empirical grounds, mainly due to measurement or sampling issues. The present study aims to overcome these two limitations, and presents data from a representative study in Germany using an already established instrument for measuring problematic game use. DESIGN: Large-scale, representative study using a computer-assisted telephone survey. SETTING: Germany. PARTICIPANTS: N = 580 adolescents between 14 and 18 years of age, N = 1866 younger adults between 19-39 years, and N = 1936 older adults aged 40 and older (overall N = 4382). MEASUREMENTS: Problematic game use was measured with the Gaming Addiction Short Scale (GAS), which covers seven criteria including salience, withdrawal and conflicts. Additionally, differential aspects of personality, as well as gaming behavior were measured. FINDINGS: Only seven respondents (0.2%, 95%-CI [0.1, 0.3]) met all criteria of the GAS Scale. In contrast, 3.7% (95%-CI [3.2, 4.3]) of the respondents can be considered problematic users, meeting at least half of these conditions. The percentage of problematic gamers among adolescents is above average (7.6%, 95%-CI [5.6, 10.1]). High GAS scores are associated with aggression, low sociability and self-efficacy, and lower satisfaction with life. Additionally, these scores correspond with intensive use and preferences for certain gaming genres across all age groups. CONCLUSIONS: Following Gaming Addiction Short Scale criteria, gaming addiction is currently not a widespread phenomenon among adolescents and adults in Germany. Gaming Addiction Short Scale scores are associated with intensive use, as well as certain problematic aspects of individuals' personalities and social lives. Language: en

Genomic signatures of evolutionary transitions from solitary to group living

Abstract: The evolution of eusociality is one of the major transitions in evolution, but the underlying genomic changes are unknown We compared the genomes of 10 bee species that vary in social complexity, representing multiple independent transitions in social evolution, and report three major findings First, many important genes show evidence of neutral evolution as a consequence of relaxed selection with increasing social complexity Second, there is no single road map to eusociality; independent evolutionary transitions in sociality have independent genetic underpinnings Third, though clearly independent in detail, these transitions do have similar general features, including an increase in constrained protein evolution accompanied by increases in the potential for gene regulation and decreases in diversity and abundance of transposable elements Eusociality may arise through different mechanisms each time, but would likely always involve an increase in the complexity of gene networks

Virulence systems of Pseudomonas syringae pv. tomato promote bacterial speck disease in tomato by targeting the jasmonate signaling pathway

Abstract: Pseudomonas syringae pv. tomato strain DC3000 (Pst DC3000) causes bacterial speck disease on tomato. The pathogenicity of Pst DC3000 depends on both the type III secretion system that delivers virulence effector proteins into host cells and the phytotoxin coronatine (COR), which is thought to mimic the action of the plant hormone jasmonic acid (JA). We found that a JA-insensitive mutant (jai1) of tomato was unresponsive to COR and highly resistant to Pst DC3000, whereas host genotypes that are defective in JA biosynthesis were as susceptible to Pst DC3000 as wild-type (WT) plants. Treatment of WT plants with exogenous methyl-JA (MeJA) complemented the virulence defect of a bacterial mutant deficient in COR production, but not a mutant defective in the type III secretion system. Analysis of host gene expression using cDNA microarrays revealed that COR works through Jai1 to induce the massive expression of JA and wound response genes that have been implicated in defense against herbivores. Concomitant with the induction of JA and wound response genes, the type III secretion system and COR repressed the expression of pathogenesis-related (PR) genes in Pst DC3000-infected WT plants. Resistance of jai1 plants to Pst DC3000 was correlated with a high level of PR gene expression and reduced expression of JA/wound response genes. These results indicate that COR promotes bacterial virulence by activating the host's JA signaling pathway, and further suggest that the type III secretion system might also modify host defense by targeting the JA signaling pathway in susceptible tomato plants.