A Syntax-first Approach to High-quality Morphological Analysis and Lemma Disambiguation for the TüBa-D/Z Treebank

Proceedings of the Ninth International Workshop on Treebanks and Linguistic Theories. Editors: Markus Dickinson, Kaili Müürisep and Marco Passarotti. NEALT Proceedings Series, Vol. 9 (2010), 233-244. © 2010 The editors and contributors. Published by Northern European Association for Language Technology (NEALT) http://omilia.uio.no/nealt . Electronically published at Tartu University Library (Estonia) http://hdl.handle.net/10062/15891

Cx43 promotes endothelial cell migration and angiogenesis via the tyrosine phosphatase SHP-2

The gap junction protein connexin 43 (Cx43) is associated with increased cell migration and to related changes of the actin cytoskeleton, which is mediated via its C-terminal cytoplasmic tail and is independent of its channel function. Cx43 has been shown to possess an angiogenic potential, however, the role of Cx43 in endothelial cell migration has not yet been investigated. Here, we found that the knock-down of Cx43 by siRNA in human microvascular endothelial cells (HMEC) reduces migration, as assessed by a wound assay in vitro and impaired aortic vessel sprouting ex vivo. Immunoprecipitation of Cx43 revealed an interaction with the tyrosine phosphatase SHP-2, which enhanced its phosphatase activity, as observed in Cx43 expressing HeLa cells compared to cells treated with an empty vector. Interestingly, the expression of a dominant negative substrate trapping mutant SHP-2 (CS) in HMEC, via lentiviral transduction, also impaired endothelial migration to a similar extent as Cx43 siRNA compared to SHP-2 WT. Moreover, the reduction in endothelial migration upon Cx43 siRNA could not be rescued by the introduction of a constitutively active SHP-2 construct (EA). Our data demonstrate that Cx43 and SHP-2 mediate endothelial cell migration, revealing a novel interaction between Cx43 and SHP-2, which is essential for this process

A new dynamical modeling of the WASP-47 system with CHEOPS observations

Among the hundreds of known hot Jupiters (HJs), only five have been found to have companions on short-period orbits. Within this rare class of multiple planetary systems, the architecture of WASP-47 is unique, hosting an HJ (planet-b) with both an inner and an outer sub-Neptunian mass companion (-e and -d, respectively) as well as an additional non-transiting, long-period giant (-c). The small period ratio between planets -b and -d boosts the transit time variation (TTV) signal, making it possible to reliably measure the masses of these planets in synergy with the radial velocity (RV) technique. In this paper, we present new space- and ground-based photometric data of WASP-47b and WASP-47-d, including 11 unpublished light curves from the ESA mission CHaracterising ExOPlanet Satellite (CHEOPS). We analyzed the light curves in a homogeneous way together with all the publicly available data to carry out a global N-body dynamical modeling of the TTV and RV signals. We retrieved, among other parameters, a mass and density for planet -d of Md = 15.5 ± 0.8 M⊕ and ρd = 1.69 ± 0.22 g cm−3, which is in good agreement with the literature and consistent with a Neptune-like composition. For the inner planet (-e), we found a mass and density of Me = 9.0 ± 0.5 M⊕ and ρe = 8.1 ± 0.5 g cm−3, suggesting an Earth-like composition close to other ultra-hot planets at similar irradiation levels. Though this result is in agreement with previous RV plus TTV studies, it is not in agreement with the most recent RV analysis (at 2.8σ), which yielded a lower density compatible with a pure silicate composition. This discrepancy highlights the still unresolved issue of suspected systematic offsets between RV and TTV measurements. In this paper, we also significantly improve the orbital ephemerides of all transiting planets, which will be crucial for any future follow-up

A full transit of v2 Lupi d and the search for an exomoon in its Hill sphere with CHEOPS

The planetary system around the naked-eye star v2 Lupi (HD 136352; TOI-2011) is composed of three exoplanets with masses of 4.7, 11.2, and 8.6 Earth masses (M⊕). The TESS and CHEOPS missions revealed that all three planets are transiting and have radii straddling the radius gap separating volatile-rich and volatile-poor super-earths. Only a partial transit of planet d had been covered so we re-observed an inferior conjunction of the long-period 8.6 M⊕ exoplanet v2 Lup d with the CHEOPS space telescope. We confirmed its transiting nature by covering its whole 9.1 h transit for the first time. We refined the planet transit ephemeris to P = 107.1361−0.0022+0.0019 days and Tc = 2459009.7759−0.0096+0.0101 BJDTDB, improving by ~40 times on the previously reported transit timing uncertainty. This refined ephemeris will enable further follow-up of this outstanding long-period transiting planet to search for atmospheric signatures or explore the planet’s Hill sphere in search for an exomoon. In fact, the CHEOPS observations also cover the transit of a large fraction of the planet’s Hill sphere, which is as large as the Earth’s, opening the tantalising possibility of catching transiting exomoons. We conducted a search for exomoon signals in this single-epoch light curve but found no conclusive photometric signature of additional transiting bodies larger than Mars. Yet, only a sustained follow-up of v2 Lup d transits will warrant a comprehensive search for a moon around this outstanding exoplanet

The atmosphere and architecture of WASP-189 b probed by its CHEOPS phase curve

Context. Gas giants orbiting close to hot and massive early-type stars can reach dayside temperatures that are comparable to those of the coldest stars. These ‘ultra-hot Jupiters’ have atmospheres made of ions and atomic species from molecular dissociation and feature strong day-to-night temperature gradients. Photometric observations at different orbital phases provide insights on the planet’s atmospheric properties. Aims. We aim to analyse the photometric observations of WASP-189 acquired with the Characterising Exoplanet Satellite (CHEOPS) to derive constraints on the system architecture and the planetary atmosphere. Methods. We implemented a light-curve model suited for an asymmetric transit shape caused by the gravity-darkened photosphere of the fast-rotating host star. We also modelled the reflective and thermal components of the planetary flux, the effect of stellar oblateness and light-travel time on transit-eclipse timings, the stellar activity, and CHEOPS systematics. Results. From the asymmetric transit, we measure the size of the ultra-hot Jupiter WASP-189 b, Rp = 1.600−0.016+0.017 RJ, with a precision of 1%, and the true orbital obliquity of the planetary system, Ψp = 89.6 ± 1.2deg (polar orbit). We detect no significant hotspot offset from the phase curve and obtain an eclipse depth of δecl = 96.5−5.0+4.5 ppm, from which we derive an upper limit on the geometric albedo: Ag < 0.48. We also find that the eclipse depth can only be explained by thermal emission alone in the case of extremely inefficient energy redistribution. Finally, we attribute the photometric variability to the stellar rotation, either through superficial inhomogeneities or resonance couplings between the convective core and the radiative envelope. Conclusions. Based on the derived system architecture, we predict the eclipse depth in the upcoming Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) observations to be up to ~165 ppm. High-precision detection of the eclipse in both CHEOPS and TESS passbands might help disentangle reflective and thermal contributions. We also expect the right ascension of the ascending node of the orbit to precess due to the perturbations induced by the stellar quadrupole moment J2 (oblateness)

Laser scanning microscopy for control of skin decontamination efficacy from airborne particulates using highly absorbent textile nanofiber material in combination with PEG‐12 dimethicone

Background The decontamination of the skin is indispensable if airborne particulate contaminants deposit on the skin surface. Skin washing can have adverse effects as by skin rubbing the particles can be transferred deeply into the hair follicles, where they can be entrapped for a period of more than 10 days. Thus, alternative skin decontamination strategies are necessary. Materials and Methods For imaging the contaminants in the skin, sodium fluorescein-labeled soot particles of submicron size (approximate to 600 nm) were visualized using laser scanning microscopy. Results In the present ex vivo pilot study on porcine ear skin, it was shown that sodium fluorescein-labeled soot particles of submicron size (approximate to 600 nm) could be efficiently removed from the skin with highly absorbent textile nanofiber material, whose efficacy could be further increased by spraying the contaminated skin area with the viscous fluid PEG-12 dimethicone before textile application. Conclusion In case of skin contamination with particulates, the contact washing should be avoided due to rubbing particles deeply into the hair follicles, where they can accumulate for a long time and induce negative consequences. Efficient skin decontamination could include pretreatment of skin surface with the viscous fluid PEG-12 dimethicone and subsequent application of highly absorbent textile nanofiber material

Egr-1 induces DARPP-32 expression in striatal medium spiny neurons via a conserved intragenic element.

DARPP-32 (dopamine and adenosine 3\u27, 5\u27-cyclic monophosphate cAMP-regulated phosphoprotein, 32 kDa) is a striatal-enriched protein that mediates signaling by dopamine and other first messengers in the medium spiny neurons. The transcriptional mechanisms that regulate striatal DARPP-32 expression remain enigmatic and are a subject of much interest in the efforts to induce a striatal phenotype in stem cells. We report the identification and characterization of a conserved region, also known as H10, in intron IV of the gene that codes for DARPP-32 (Ppp1r1b). This DNA sequence forms multiunit complexes with nuclear proteins from adult and embryonic striata of mice and rats. Purification of proteins from these complexes identified early growth response-1 (Egr-1). The interaction between Egr-1 and H10 was confirmed in vitro and in vivo by super-shift and chromatin immunoprecipitation assays, respectively. Importantly, brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), a known inducer of DARPP-32 and Egr-1 expression, enhanced Egr-1 binding to H10 in vitro. Moreover, overexpression of Egr-1 in primary striatal neurons induced the expression of DARPP-32, whereas a dominant-negative Egr-1 blocked DARPP-32 induction by BDNF. Together, this study identifies Egr-1 as a transcriptional activator of the Ppp1r1b gene and provides insight into the molecular mechanisms that regulate medium spiny neuron maturation

Simitthus / Chimtou, Tunesien. Die Arbeiten der Jahre 2016 bis 2018

The ancient town of Simitthus (today Chimtou, Tunisia), known for its important quarries of yellow Numidian marble (giallo antico), has been the object of archaeological research conducted jointly by the Tunisian National Heritage Institute and the German Archaeological Institute in Rome since 1965. This report presents a short overview on the activities at Chimtou in 2016–2018, which were primarily dedicated to publishing the results of the excavations conducted in the 1980s accompanied by measures of capacity building and site management