Remembering Anne Dunn (1950 - 2012)

When Ian Richards asked for a tribute to our extraordinary colleague, Anne Dunn, who passed away on July 1, 2012, after a long illness, it was hard to know where to begin. This is a very difficult farewell. Anne always seemed invincible, somehow bulletproof. She was a person of enviable vitality, a prodigious work ethic, and an unflappable can-do approach to life that inspired colleagues and students alike. News of her death came as a shock to many. Robbed of the chance to say goodbye, and thank you, we are left to mourn the passing of a remarkable broadcaster, journalism educator and media scholar who will be remembered for her academic leadership in the media and communications field, her bridge-building between industry and academe and her life-long commitment to public service broadcasting

Semantic systems in closely related languages

In each semantic domain studied to date, there is considerable variation in how meanings are expressed across languages. But are some semantic domains more likely to show variation than others? Is the domain of space more or less variable in its expression than other semantic domains, such as containers, body parts, or colours? According to many linguists, the meanings expressed in grammaticised expressions, such as (spatial) adpositions, are more likely to be similar across languages than meanings expressed in open class lexical items. On the other hand, some psychologists predict there ought to be more variation across languages in the meanings of adpositions, than in the meanings of nouns. This is because relational categories, such as those expressed as adpositions, are said to be constructed by language; whereas object categories expressed as nouns are predicted to be “given by the world”. We tested these hypotheses by comparing the semantic systems of closely related languages. Previous cross-linguistic studies emphasise the importance of studying diverse languages, but we argue that a focus on closely related languages is advantageous because domains can be compared in a culturally- and historically-informed manner. Thus we collected data from 12 Germanic languages. Naming data were collected from at least 20 speakers of each language for containers, body-parts, colours, and spatial relations. We found the semantic domains of colour and body-parts were the most similar across languages. Containers showed some variation, but spatial relations expressed in adpositions showed the most variation. The results are inconsistent with the view expressed by most linguists. Instead, we find meanings expressed in grammaticised meanings are more variable than meanings in open class lexical items

Evaluation of the accuracy of serum MMP-9 as a test for colorectal cancer in a primary care population

Background Bowel cancer is common and is a major cause of death. Meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials estimates that screening for colorectal cancer using faecal occult blood (FOB) test reduces mortality from colorectal cancer by 16%. However, FOB testing has a low positive predictive value, with associated unnecessary cost, risk and anxiety from subsequent investigation, and is unacceptable to a proportion of the target population. Increased levels of an enzyme called matrix metalloproteinase 9 (MMP-9) have been found to be associated with colorectal cancer, and this can be measured from a blood sample. Serum MMP-9 is potentially an accurate, low risk and cost-effective population screening tool. This study aims to evaluate the accuracy of serum MMP-9 as a test for colorectal cancer in a primary care population. Methods/Design People aged 50 to 69 years, who registered in participating general practices in the West Midlands Region, will be asked to complete a questionnaire that asks about symptoms. Respondents who describe any colorectal symptoms (except only abdominal bloating and/or anal symptoms) and are prepared to provide a blood sample for MMP9 estimation and undergo a colonoscopy (current gold standard investigation) will be recruited at GP based clinics by a research nurse. Those unfit for colonoscopy will be excluded. Colonoscopies will be undertaken in dedicated research clinics. The accuracy of MMP-9 will be assessed by comparing the MMP-9 level with the colonoscopy findings, and the combination of factors (e.g. symptoms and MMP-9 level) that best predict a diagnosis of malignancy (invasive disease or polyps) will be determined. Discussion Colorectal cancer is a major cause of morbidity and mortality. Most colorectal cancers arise from adenomas and there is a period for early detection by screening, but available tests have risks, are unacceptable to many, have high false positive rates or are expensive. This study will establish the potential of serum MMP-9 as a screening test for colorectal cancer. If it is confirmed as accurate and acceptable, this serum marker has the potential to assist with reducing the morbidity and mortality from colorectal cancer

Neuronal activation for semantically reversible sentences

Semantically reversible sentences are prone to misinterpretation and take longer for typically developing children and adults to comprehend; they are also particularly problematic for those with language difficulties such as aphasia or Specific Language Impairment. In our study, we used fMRI to compare the processing of semantically reversible and nonreversible sentences in 41 healthy participants to identify how semantic reversibility influences neuronal activation. By including several linguistic and nonlinguistic conditions within our paradigm, we were also able to test whether the processing of semantically reversible sentences places additional load on sentence-specific processing, such as syntactic processing and syntactic-semantic integration, or on phonological working memory. Our results identified increased activation for reversible sentences in a region on the left temporal–parietal boundary, which was also activated when the same group of participants carried out an articulation task which involved saying “one, three” repeatedly. We conclude that the processing of semantically reversible sentences places additional demands on the subarticulation component of phonological working memory

mzMatch-ISO: an R tool for the annotation and relative quantification of isotope-labelled mass spectrometry data

<p>Motivation: Stable isotope-labelling experiments have recently gained increasing popularity in metabolomics studies, providing unique insights into the dynamics of metabolic fluxes, beyond the steady-state information gathered by routine mass spectrometry. However, most liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry data analysis software lacks features that enable automated annotation and relative quantification of labelled metabolite peaks. Here, we describe mzMatch–ISO, a new extension to the metabolomics analysis pipeline mzMatch.R.</p> <p>Results: Targeted and untargeted isotope profiling using mzMatch–ISO provides a convenient visual summary of the quality and quantity of labelling for every metabolite through four types of diagnostic plots that show (i) the chromatograms of the isotope peaks of each compound in each sample group; (ii) the ratio of mono-isotopic and labelled peaks indicating the fraction of labelling; (iii) the average peak area of mono-isotopic and labelled peaks in each sample group; and (iv) the trend in the relative amount of labelling in a predetermined isotopomer. To aid further statistical analyses, the values used for generating these plots are also provided as a tab-delimited file. We demonstrate the power and versatility of mzMatch–ISO by analysing a 13C-labelled metabolome dataset from trypanosomal parasites.</p&gt

mzMatch-ISO: an R tool for the annotation and relative quantification of isotope-labelled mass spectrometry data

<p>Motivation: Stable isotope-labelling experiments have recently gained increasing popularity in metabolomics studies, providing unique insights into the dynamics of metabolic fluxes, beyond the steady-state information gathered by routine mass spectrometry. However, most liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry data analysis software lacks features that enable automated annotation and relative quantification of labelled metabolite peaks. Here, we describe mzMatch–ISO, a new extension to the metabolomics analysis pipeline mzMatch.R.</p> <p>Results: Targeted and untargeted isotope profiling using mzMatch–ISO provides a convenient visual summary of the quality and quantity of labelling for every metabolite through four types of diagnostic plots that show (i) the chromatograms of the isotope peaks of each compound in each sample group; (ii) the ratio of mono-isotopic and labelled peaks indicating the fraction of labelling; (iii) the average peak area of mono-isotopic and labelled peaks in each sample group; and (iv) the trend in the relative amount of labelling in a predetermined isotopomer. To aid further statistical analyses, the values used for generating these plots are also provided as a tab-delimited file. We demonstrate the power and versatility of mzMatch–ISO by analysing a 13C-labelled metabolome dataset from trypanosomal parasites.</p&gt

The quality of life of regional and remote cancer caregivers in Australia

Objective: This study compares the well-being of rural caregivers with that of the general population and explores the potential drivers of poorer outcomes. Method: Patient–caregiver dyads (n = 241) residing in regional or remote Queensland, Australia, reported on QoL, chronic illness, caregiver burden, depression, anxiety and stress. Caregiver outcomes were compared with population norms and patient outcomes. Multiple regressions were conducted to identify factors associated with poorer caregiver outcomes. Results: Caregivers reported lower mental health-related QoL (M = 0.436, 95% CI = 0.410–0.462) in comparison with age-matched population norms (M = 0.556, 95% CI = 0.532–0.580). No differences existed between caregiver and population norms for anxiety, stress and depression. Caregiver chronic illness and higher burden were associated with poorer mental and physical QoL, depression, anxiety and stress (η2s ranging from 0.03 to 0.30). These associations were slightly stronger for male caregivers when compared with female caregivers (η2s ranging from 0.03 to 0.08). Conclusion: It is vital that efforts are made to improve rural caregivers\u27 mental and emotional well-being. Interventions that support caregivers with chronic conditions reduce caregiver burden and take into consideration the unique experience of male caregivers will go some way to addressing this. Future research is needed to identify other drivers of health outcomes in this group