Longitudinal perspective on cryptocurrency trading and increased gambling problems: a 3 wave national survey study.

OBJECTIVES: Cryptocurrency trading has gained popularity over the last few years. Trading is facilitated by online platforms that enable 24/7 trading. Cryptocurrency trading is potentially attractive to gamblers, and it may increase their gambling problems. Furthermore, cryptocurrency trading might be a particularly harmful activity for those gambling offshore. We investigated whether cryptocurrency trading predicts excessive gambling over time. We also analyzed how cryptocurrency trading combined with offshore gambling is associated with excessive gambling. STUDY DESIGN: This was a population-based longitudinal survey study. METHODS: We surveyed a sample of Finnish people aged 18-75 years (N = 1022, 51.27% male) at three time points in 6-month intervals: April 2021 (T1), October to November 2021 (T2), and April to May 2022 (T3). Of the original T1 respondents, 66.80% took part in T2 and T3. Outcome measure was excessive gambling using the Problem Gambling Severity Index, and the predictor was cryptocurrency trading. We adjusted models for onshore and offshore gambling online, excessive gaming (Internet Gaming Disorder Test), excessive internet use (Compulsive Internet Use Scale), excessive alcohol use (Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test), and sociodemographic background factors. We used multilevel regression models to investigate within-person and between-person effects. RESULTS: Cryptocurrency trading has increased in popularity over time. Within-person changes in cryptocurrency trading predicted increased excessive gambling. Excessive gambling was also generally more common among cryptocurrency traders. The full model that was adjusted for the number of confounding factors showed that cryptocurrency trading had a within-person effect on excessive gambling. Of the confounding factors, offshore online gambling, excessive gaming, and excessive internet use had within-person effects on excessive gambling. Offshore and onshore online gamblers and excessive gamers showed more excessive gambling than others. Those participants who were both cryptocurrency traders and offshore gamblers showed significantly higher rate of excessive gambling than others. CONCLUSIONS: Cryptocurrency trading is a risky activity and associated with a higher rate of excessive gambling over time. Such activity is especially risky among offshore online gamblers, who could view cryptocurrency trading as another form of gambling or as a way to make money for gambling. Policymakers and counselors should be aware of the risks of cryptocurrency trading.

Gambling and online trading: emerging risks of real-time stock and cryptocurrency trading platforms.

OBJECTIVES: Online platforms enable real-time trading activities that are similar to those of gambling. This study aimed to investigate the associations of traditional investing, real-time stock trading, and cryptocurrency trading with excessive behavior and mental health problems. STUDY DESIGN: This was a cross-sectional population-based survey. METHODS: The participants were Finnish people aged 18-75 years (N = 1530, 50.33% male). Survey asked about monthly regular investing, real-time stock-trading platform use, and cryptocurrency trading. The study had measures for excessive behavior: gambling (Problem Gambling Severity Index), gaming (Internet Gaming Disorder Test), internet use (Compulsive Internet Use Scale), and alcohol use (Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test). Psychological distress (Mental Health Inventory), perceived stress (Perceived Stress Scale), COVID-19 anxiety, and perceived loneliness were also measured. Background factors included sociodemographic variables, instant loan taking, and involvement in social media identity bubbles (Identity Bubble Reinforcement Scale). Multivariate analyses were conducted with regression analysis. RESULTS: Within the sample, 22.29% were categorized into monthly regular investors only, 3.01% were investors using real-time stock-trading platforms, and 3.59% were cryptomarket traders. Real-time stock-trading platform use and cryptocurrency trading were associated with younger age and male gender. Cryptomarket traders were more likely to have an immigrant background and have taken instant loans. Both real-time stock-trading platform use and cryptomarket trading were associated with higher excessive behavior. Cryptomarket traders especially reported higher excessive gambling, gaming, and internet use than others. Cryptomarket traders reported also higher psychological distress, perceived stress, and loneliness. CONCLUSIONS: Regular investing is not a risk factor for excessive behavior. However, rapid online trading platforms and applications were significantly more commonly used by participants reporting excessive behavior and mental health problems. The strong association between cryptomarket trading and excessive behavior in particular underlines the need to acknowledge the potential risks related to real-time trading platforms.

Ectomycorrhizal fungi increase the vitality of Norway spruce seedlings under the pressure of Heterobasidion root rot in vitro but may increase susceptibility to foliar necrotrophs.

We tested if root colonisation by ectomycorrhizal fungi (EMF) could alter the susceptibility of Norway spruce (Picea abies) seedlings to root rot infection or necrotic foliar pathogens. Firstly, spruce seedlings were inoculated by various EMF and challenged with Heterobasidion isolates in triaxenix tubes. The ascomycete EMF Meliniomyces bicolor, that had showed strong antagonistic properties towards root rot causing Heterobasidion in vitro, protected spruce seedlings effectively against root rot. Secondly, spruce seedlings, inoculated with M. bicolor or the forest humus, were subjected to necrotrophic foliar pathogens in conventional forest nursery conditions on peat substrates. Botrytis cinerea infection after winter was mild and the level of needle damage was independent of substrate and EMF colonisation. Needle damage severity caused by Gremminiella abietina was high in seedlings grown in substrates with high nutrient availability as well as in seedlings with well-established EMF communities. These results show that albeit M. bicolor is able to protect spruce seedlings against Heterobasidion root rot in axenic cultures it fails to induce systemic protection against foliar pathogens. We also point out that unsterile inoculum sources, such as the forest humus, should not be considered for use in greenhouse conditions as they might predispose seedlings to unintended needle damages.

Female Baltic herring Clupea harengus allocate resources from growth to reproduction in poor feeding conditions.

The trade-off between somatic growth and reproduction in the female Baltic herring Clupea harengus was investigated from 1984 to 2002. During the study period, growth decreased, as a consequence of decreasing salinity and weakening of feeding conditions. Production of muscle and ovarian tissue decreased in repeat spawners, but investment in reproduction took an increasing amount of the total production of new tissues. This suggested that a shift in allocation to reproduction takes precedence over body growth in the reproductive strategy of C. harengus. The process also indicated one possible mechanism leading to dwarf forms in fish populations.

Selective predation and habitat shift in a copepod species - support for the predation hypothesis.

In studying the relevance of the predation hypothesis as an explanation for the vertical migration of zooplankton two predictions were tested: 1) The egg sacs of Eurytemora are sufficient to cause different predation pressure in food selection experiments with visually hunting planktivores as predators and ovigerous vs. non-ovigerous Eurytemora females as prey. 2) If copepods avoid predation by vertical migration, there should occur differences in the vertical distribution pattern of ovigerous and non-ovigerous females according to selective predation. The results showed that, when ovigerous and non-ovigerous females were presented to predators, a significant preference for ovigerous females was found in high densities of prey. No preference was found in experiments with males vs. non-ovigerous females and at low copepod densities. In a field study we found that non-ovigerous females distributed throughout the water column preferred the deeper parts. Ovigerous females were also abundant in deeper waters but almost totally avoided the surface layer above 20 m. Thus our results support the predation hypothesis when the adaptive value of vertical migration is considered.On the basis of our results we deduced testable predictions on the evolutionary effects of predation: 1) In heavily foraged communities there is strong coevolution among the prey to resemble each other in terms of which are critical in selective predation. 2) If the carrying of an egg sac is considered as parental care, it is likely that parental care occurs more seldom in environments with high predation.

A field study of prey selection in planktivorous fish larvae.

The food selection of larval fish was studied from field samples collected in two areas that differ in productivity. In the area where planktonic primary and secondary production was high the fish larvae showed a tendency to specialise and they selected the largest prey species available as food; in the area of lower production fish were generalists and they fed equally on all size classes.Abundance of prey was found to be one of the decisive factors in the prey selection of planktivorous fish larvae. Large prey species (calanoids) were selected when their absolute abundance was high but when their abundance was low, small-sized cladocerans were preferred. Visibility and stage of life history were also assumed to affect the mode of selection.