University College Cork

About: University College Cork is a education organization based out in Cork, Ireland. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Population & Context (language use). The organization has 12056 authors who have published 28452 publications receiving 958414 citations. The organization is also known as: Coláiste na hOllscoile Corcaigh & National University of Ireland, Cork.

Genome-wide association study identifies eight risk loci and implicates metabo-psychiatric origins for anorexia nervosa

Abstract: Characterized primarily by a low body-mass index, anorexia nervosa is a complex and serious illness1, affecting 0.9-4% of women and 0.3% of men2-4, with twin-based heritability estimates of 50-60%5. Mortality rates are higher than those in other psychiatric disorders6, and outcomes are unacceptably poor7. Here we combine data from the Anorexia Nervosa Genetics Initiative (ANGI)8,9 and the Eating Disorders Working Group of the Psychiatric Genomics Consortium (PGC-ED) and conduct a genome-wide association study of 16,992 cases of anorexia nervosa and 55,525 controls, identifying eight significant loci. The genetic architecture of anorexia nervosa mirrors its clinical presentation, showing significant genetic correlations with psychiatric disorders, physical activity, and metabolic (including glycemic), lipid and anthropometric traits, independent of the effects of common variants associated with body-mass index. These results further encourage a reconceptualization of anorexia nervosa as a metabo-psychiatric disorder. Elucidating the metabolic component is a critical direction for future research, and paying attention to both psychiatric and metabolic components may be key to improving outcomes.

Characterizing Value as an Experience: Implications for Service Researchers and Managers

Abstract: Within contemporary discourse around service-dominant logic, phenomenologically (experientially) determined value has been placed at the center of value discussion. However, a systematic characterization of value in the experience has not been presented to date. In this article, the authors outline four theoretical propositions that describe what value in the experience is, which are then illustrated using a narrative data set. The propositions consider both lived and imaginary value experiences and posit that current service experiences are influenced by previous and anticipated service experiences. The article contributes to the service literature by characterizing value in the experience as an ongoing, iterative circular process of individual, and collective customer sense making, as opposed to a linear, cognitive process restricted to isolated service encounters. The authors recommend that service researchers should consider the use of interpretive methodologies based on the four theoretical propositi...

Isolation of 2,4-Diacetylphloroglucinol from a Fluorescent Pseudomonad and Investigation of Physiological Parameters Influencing Its Production

Abstract: Pseudomonas sp. strain F113 was isolated from the rhizosphere of sugar beets and shown to inhibit a range of plant pathogenic fungi by producing an antibioticlike compound. An antibiotic-negative mutant strain, F113G22, was generated by transposon mutagenesis. This mutant has lost the ability to inhibit both bacterial and fungal microorganisms on high-iron medium. The antibioticlike compound was subsequently identified as 2,4-diacetylphloroglucinol (DAPG), and a high-pressure liquid chromatographic assay was developed for to detect it quantitatively in growth culture media and soil. The growth temperature had a direct bearing on DAPG production by strain F113, with maximum production at 12 degrees C. The iron concentration, pH, and oxygen had no influence on DAPG production by strain F113 under the assay conditions used. However, a low ratio of culture volume to surface area available to the microbe in the growth container was critical for optimum DAPG production. Different types of carbon sources influenced DAPG production by strain F113 to various degrees. For example, sucrose, fructose, and mannitol promoted high yields of DAPG by strain F113, whereas glucose and sorbose resulted in very poor DAPG production.

Towards standards for human fecal sample processing in metagenomic studies

Abstract: Technical variation in metagenomic analysis must be minimized to confidently assess the contributions of microbiota to human health. Here we tested 21 representative DNA extraction protocols on the same fecal samples and quantified differences in observed microbial community composition. We compared them with differences due to library preparation and sample storage, which we contrasted with observed biological variation within the same specimen or within an individual over time. We found that DNA extraction had the largest effect on the outcome of metagenomic analysis. To rank DNA extraction protocols, we considered resulting DNA quantity and quality, and we ascertained biases in estimates of community diversity and the ratio between Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria. We recommend a standardized DNA extraction method for human fecal samples, for which transferability across labs was established and which was further benchmarked using a mock community of known composition. Its adoption will improve comparability of human gut microbiome studies and facilitate meta-analyses.