University of Tübingen

About: University of Tübingen is a education organization based out in Tübingen, Germany. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Population & Immune system. The organization has 40555 authors who have published 84108 publications receiving 3015320 citations. The organization is also known as: Eberhard Karls University & Eberhard-Karls-Universität Tübingen.

Single-cell genomics identifies cell type-specific molecular changes in autism.

Abstract: Despite the clinical and genetic heterogeneity of autism, bulk gene expression studies show that changes in the neocortex of autism patients converge on common genes and pathways. However, direct assessment of specific cell types in the brain affected by autism has not been feasible until recently. We used single-nucleus RNA sequencing of cortical tissue from patients with autism to identify autism-associated transcriptomic changes in specific cell types. We found that synaptic signaling of upper-layer excitatory neurons and the molecular state of microglia are preferentially affected in autism. Moreover, our results show that dysregulation of specific groups of genes in cortico-cortical projection neurons correlates with clinical severity of autism. These findings suggest that molecular changes in upper-layer cortical circuits are linked to behavioral manifestations of autism.

Land use intensification alters ecosystem multifunctionality via loss of biodiversity and changes to functional composition

Abstract: Global change, especially land-use intensification, affects human well-being by impacting the delivery of multiple ecosystem services (multifunctionality). However, whether biodiversity loss is a major component of global change effects on multifunctionality in real-world ecosystems, as in experimental ones, remains unclear. Therefore, we assessed biodiversity, functional composition and 14 ecosystem services on 150 agricultural grasslands differing in land-use intensity. We also introduce five multifunctionality measures in which ecosystem services were weighted according to realistic land-use objectives. We found that indirect land-use effects, i.e. those mediated by biodiversity loss and by changes to functional composition, were as strong as direct effects on average. Their strength varied with land-use objectives and regional context. Biodiversity loss explained indirect effects in a region of intermediate productivity and was most damaging when land-use objectives favoured supporting and cultural services. In contrast, functional composition shifts, towards fast-growing plant species, strongly increased provisioning services in more inherently unproductive grasslands.

Probing the ATIC peak in the cosmic-ray electron spectrum with H.E.S.S.

Abstract: The measurement of an excess in the cosmic-ray electron spectrum between 300 and 800 GeV by the ATIC experiment has - together with the PAMELA detection of a rise in the positron fraction up to 100 GeV - motivated many interpretations in terms of dark matter scenarios; alternative explanations assume a nearby electron source like a pulsar or supernova remnant. Here we present a measurement of the cosmic-ray electron spectrum with H.E.S.S. starting at 340 GeV. The H.E.S.S. data with their lower statistical errors show no indication of a structure in the electron spectrum, but rather a power-law spectrum with spectral index of 3.0 +- 0.1 (stat.) +- 0.3 (syst.) which steepens at about 1 TeV.

Reliabilität und Validität des revidierten Beck-Depressionsinventars (BDI-II)

Abstract: Das Beck-Depressionsinventar (BDI) wurde 1996 einer Revision (BDI-II) unterzogen mit dem Ziel, ein Selbstbeurteilungsinstrument zur Beurteilung der Depressionsschwere, orientiert an den Depressionskriterien nach DSM-IV, verfugbar zu haben. Im vorliegenden Beitrag werden psychometrische Gutekriterien zum deutschsprachigen BDI-II berichtet. Das BDI-II wurde ins Deutsche ubersetzt und in Studien an depressiven Patienten und Gesunden eingesetzt. Die Inhaltsvaliditat des BDI-II wurde durch Anlehnung an DSM-IV verbessert. Die interne Konsistenz der Skala ist zufrieden stellend (α≥0,84), die Retestreliabilitat liegt bei r≥0,75 in nichtklinischen Stichproben. Die Zusammenhange zwischen BDI-II und konstruktnahen Skalen sind hoch, solche mit symptomfernen Personlichkeitsskalen niedrig. Das BDI-II diskriminiert gut zwischen unterschiedlichen Schweregraden der Depression und ist anderungssensitiv. Das deutsche BDI-II weist gute psychometrische Kennwerte in klinischen und nichtklinischen Stichproben auf. Die revidierte Fassung des BDI kann nun zur Erfassung der selbstbeurteilten Schwere einer Depression und zur Dokumentation des Verlaufs depressiver Symptomatik unter Behandlung die alte Version ablosen.