A Look Through a Broken Window: The Relationship Between Disorder and Toxicity on Social Networking Sites

Toxicity has increased on social networking sites (SNSs), sparking a debate on its underlying causes. While research readily explored eligible social factors, disorder induced by the very nature of SNSs has been neglected so far. The relationship between disorder and deviant behaviors could be revealed within the offline sphere. Incorporating the theoretical lens of the Broken Windows Theory, we propose that a similar mechanism is prevalent in the online context. To test the hypothesis that perceived disorder increases toxicity on SNSs, the study compares two subcommunities on Reddit dedicated to the same topic that differ in their perceived disorder. Sampling the toxicity scores via data collection and natural language processing yields the first evidence for our hypothesis. We further outline subsequent studies that aim to investigate further the phenomenon of how disorder-related factors contribute to toxic online environments

The giant diploid faba genome unlocks variation in a global protein crop

Publisher Copyright: © 2023, The Author(s).Increasing the proportion of locally produced plant protein in currently meat-rich diets could substantially reduce greenhouse gas emissions and loss of biodiversity1. However, plant protein production is hampered by the lack of a cool-season legume equivalent to soybean in agronomic value2. Faba bean (Vicia faba L.) has a high yield potential and is well suited for cultivation in temperate regions, but genomic resources are scarce. Here, we report a high-quality chromosome-scale assembly of the faba bean genome and show that it has expanded to a massive 13 Gb in size through an imbalance between the rates of amplification and elimination of retrotransposons and satellite repeats. Genes and recombination events are evenly dispersed across chromosomes and the gene space is remarkably compact considering the genome size, although with substantial copy number variation driven by tandem duplication. Demonstrating practical application of the genome sequence, we develop a targeted genotyping assay and use high-resolution genome-wide association analysis to dissect the genetic basis of seed size and hilum colour. The resources presented constitute a genomics-based breeding platform for faba bean, enabling breeders and geneticists to accelerate the improvement of sustainable protein production across the Mediterranean, subtropical and northern temperate agroecological zones.Peer reviewe

Chromosome-scale genome assembly provides insights into rye biology, evolution and agronomic potential

Rye (Secale cereale L.) is an exceptionally climate-resilient cereal crop, used extensively to produce improved wheat varieties via introgressive hybridization and possessing the entire repertoire of genes necessary to enable hybrid breeding. Rye is allogamous and only recently domesticated, thus giving cultivated ryes access to a diverse and exploitable wild gene pool. To further enhance the agronomic potential of rye, we produced a chromosome-scale annotated assembly of the 7.9-gigabase rye genome and extensively validated its quality by using a suite of molecular genetic resources. We demonstrate applications of this resource with a broad range of investigations. We present findings on cultivated rye's incomplete genetic isolation from wild relatives, mechanisms of genome structural evolution, pathogen resistance, low-temperature tolerance, fertility control systems for hybrid breeding and the yield benefits of rye-wheat introgressions.Peer reviewe

Shifting the limits in wheat research and breeding using a fully annotated reference genome

Introduction: Wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) is the most widely cultivated crop on Earth, contributing about a fifth of the total calories consumed by humans. Consequently, wheat yields and production affect the global economy, and failed harvests can lead to social unrest. Breeders continuously strive to develop improved varieties by fine-tuning genetically complex yield and end-use quality parameters while maintaining stable yields and adapting the crop to regionally specific biotic and abiotic stresses. Rationale: Breeding efforts are limited by insufficient knowledge and understanding of wheat biology and the molecular basis of central agronomic traits. To meet the demands of human population growth, there is an urgent need for wheat research and breeding to accelerate genetic gain as well as to increase and protect wheat yield and quality traits. In other plant and animal species, access to a fully annotated and ordered genome sequence, including regulatory sequences and genome-diversity information, has promoted the development of systematic and more time-efficient approaches for the selection and understanding of important traits. Wheat has lagged behind, primarily owing to the challenges of assembling a genome that is more than five times as large as the human genome, polyploid, and complex, containing more than 85% repetitive DNA. To provide a foundation for improvement through molecular breeding, in 2005, the International Wheat Genome Sequencing Consortium set out to deliver a high-quality annotated reference genome sequence of bread wheat. Results: An annotated reference sequence representing the hexaploid bread wheat genome in the form of 21 chromosome-like sequence assemblies has now been delivered, giving access to 107,891 high-confidence genes, including their genomic context of regulatory sequences. This assembly enabled the discovery of tissue- and developmental stage–related gene coexpression networks using a transcriptome atlas representing all stages of wheat development. The dynamics of change in complex gene families involved in environmental adaptation and end-use quality were revealed at subgenome resolution and contextualized to known agronomic single-gene or quantitative trait loci. Aspects of the future value of the annotated assembly for molecular breeding and research were exemplarily illustrated by resolving the genetic basis of a quantitative trait locus conferring resistance to abiotic stress and insect damage as well as by serving as the basis for genome editing of the flowering-time trait. Conclusion: This annotated reference sequence of wheat is a resource that can now drive disruptive innovation in wheat improvement, as this community resource establishes the foundation for accelerating wheat research and application through improved understanding of wheat biology and genomics-assisted breeding. Importantly, the bioinformatics capacity developed for model-organism genomes will facilitate a better understanding of the wheat genome as a result of the high-quality chromosome-based genome assembly. By necessity, breeders work with the genome at the whole chromosome level, as each new cross involves the modification of genome-wide gene networks that control the expression of complex traits such as yield. With the annotated and ordered reference genome sequence in place, researchers and breeders can now easily access sequence-level information to precisely define the necessary changes in the genomes for breeding programs. This will be realized through the implementation of new DNA marker platforms and targeted breeding technologies, including genome editing

Newsfeed Clutter as an Inhibitor of Sensemaking

As a central functionality of SNSs, the newsfeed is responsible for the way, how content is presented. This paper investigates the implications of current content presentation on Facebook, which has appeared to be a matter of users’ criticism. Leaning on the communication theory, we conceptualize clutter on a newsfeed as noise that hinders the receiver’s adequate message decoding (i.e., sensemaking). We further operationalize newsfeed clutter via perceived disorder, information overload, and system feature overload. Our participants browsed their Facebook newsfeed for at least 5 minutes. The follow-up survey results provide partial support for our hypotheses, with only perceived disorder significantly associated with lower sensemaking. These findings shed new light on user experience and underpin the importance of SNSs as communication systems, adding to the existent literature on the dark sides of social media

A Tale of Relevance in the Feed: Examining SNS Feeds as Social Information Retrieval Systems

Driven by advances in digitalization, the volumes of social information have increased beyond comparison. Social networking sites (SNSs) employ personalization algorithms to handle news feeds’ content. This paper conceptualizes SNS feeds as information retrieval systems and adopts the stratified model of relevance – developed in information science discipline for information retrieval systems – to examine user-feed interactions. Thereby, we propose a novel perspective for understanding SNS use. Furthermore, the relevance model guides the interpretation of our qualitative study’s results. Inductive coding of 192 participants’ responses yielded multiple factors influencing users’ relevance judgments. Three parties emerged as responsible for userperceived relevance on SNS: user (through interactions with own feed), personalization algorithm (how it is programmed), and other users (through their content sharing behaviors). Mapping these results on the stratified relevance model, we elaborate on the roles of users and the algorithm. We conclude with implications for research and practice to improve user-feed interactions

Understanding the Role of Newsfeed Clutter in Stereotype Activation: The Case of Facebook

Social networking sites (SNSs) have increasingly become scenes of deviant behaviors and adverse outcomes. Newsfeed - a central functionality of SNSs - delivers content but often calls for a high number of cognitive resources. Leaning on the S-O-R framework and applying the logic of meaning maintenance theory, we argue that users may experience clutter on the Newsfeed. We propose a novel research model to examine the role of clutter in inducing implicit stereotyping. Qualitative responses illustrate the salience of perceived clutter on the Facebook Newsfeed. Quantitative analysis suggests that perceived disorder is negatively related to stereotype activation measured by Implicit Association Test, and this link is mediated by information overload

Coming Back for More: The Effect of News Feed Serendipity on Social Networking Site Usage

Recent spikes in social networking site (SNS) usage times have launched investigations into reasons for excessive SNS usage. Extending research on social factors (i.e., fear of missing out), this study considers the News Feed setup. More specifically, we suggest that the order of the News Feed (chronological vs. algorithmically assembled posts) affects usage behaviors. Against the background of the variable reward schedule, this study hypothesizes that the different orders exert serendipity differently. Serendipity, termed as unexpected lucky encounters with information, resembles variable rewards. Studies have evidenced a relation between variable rewards and excessive behaviors. Similarly, we hypothesize that order-induced serendipitous encounters affect SNS usage times and explore this link in a two-wave survey with an experimental setup (users using either chronological or algorithmic News Feeds). While theoretically extending explanations for increased SNS usage times by considering the News Feed order, practically the study will offer recommendations for relevant stakeholders

Information as a Life Vest: Understanding the Role of Social Networking Sites for the Social Inclusion of Syrian Refugees

Upon arrival, refugees are in desperate need of information concerning the asylum process and governmental requirements. An increasing number of websites and mobile applications have been specifically developed to socially include refugees by informing t