Diminutives and plurals of Dutch nouns

In Dutch dictionaries, nouns appear with their plural and their diminutive.This reflects the intuition among native speakers that a noun normally has thesetwo related forms. Traditionally, the plural is considered inflectional whereasthe diminutive belongs to word formation. In his Parallel Architecture (PA),Jackendoff (2002) does not distinguish word formation and inflection. Here Iargue that the Dutch contrast does not support this view. I first present pluraland diminutive as categories, then briefly introduce PA, before proposinganalyses of the plural and diminutive in Dutch

Computer-Assisted Language Learning and the Revolution in Computational Linguistics

For a long period, Computational Linguistics (CL) and Computer-Assisted Language Learning (CALL) have developed almost entirely independently of each other. A brief historical survey shows that the main reason for this state of affairs was the long preoccupation in CL with the general problem of Natural Language Understanding (NLU). As a consequence, much effort was directed to fields such as Machine Translation (MT), which were perceived as incorporating and testing NLU. CALL does not fit this model very well so that it was hardly considered worth pursuing in CL. In the 1990s the realization that products could not live up to expectations, even in the domain of MT, led to a crisis. After this crisis the dominant approach to CL has become much more problem-oriented. From this perspective, many of the earlier differences disadvantaging CALL with respect to MT have now disappeared. Therefore the revolution in CL offers promising perspectives for CALL

Low levels of follicle-stimulating hormone receptor-activation inhibitors in serum and follicular fluid from normal controls and anovulatory patients with or without polycystic ovary syndrome

In patients with normogonadotropic anovulation, either with or without polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), factors interfering with FSH action may be involved in arrested follicle development. The aim of this study is to assess whether factors inhibiting FSH receptor activation are elevated in serum or follicular fluid from anovulatory patients, as compared with regularly cycling women. For this purpose, a Chinese hamster ovary cell line, stably transfected with the human FSH receptor, has been applied. FSH-stimulated cAMP secretion in culture medium was measured in the presence of serum or follicular fluid. Chinese hamster ovary cells were stimulated with a fixed concentration of FSH (3 or 6 mIU/mL) to mimic FSH levels in serum or follicular fluid. Samples were added in concentrations ranging from 3-90% vol/vol to approach protein concentrations occurring in serum or follicular fluid. In the presence of 10% vol/vol serum from regularly cycling women (n = 8), FSH-stimulated cAMP production was inhibited to 42 +/- 2% (mean +/- SEM of 2 experiments, each performed in duplicate) of cAMP production in the absence of serum, whereas a similar cAMP level (up to 38 +/- 4% of the serum-free level) was observed at higher concentrations of serum (30-90% vol/vol). The inhibition of FSH-stimulated cAMP production in the presence of serum samples from normogonadotropic anovulatory patients, without (n = 13) or with (n = 16) PCOS, was similar to controls. Follicular fluid samples (n = 57) obtained during the follicular phase in 25 regularly cycling women and follicular fluid samples (n = 25) from 5 PCOS patients were tested in a slightly modified assay system. In the presence of 10 or 30% (vol/vol) follicular fluid, FSH-stimulated cAMP levels were decreased to 68 +/- 2% and 55 +/- 2% (mean +/- SEM of a single experiment in triplicate) of the cAMP levels in the absence of follicular fluid, respectively. There was no correlation between the degree of cAMP inhibition and follicle size, steroid content (androstenedione or estradiol concentrations), or menstrual cycle phase. Furthermore, no differences in inhibition were found, comparing PCOS follicles with size- and steroid content-matched follicles obtained during the normal follicular phase. It is concluded that inhibition of FSH receptor activation by proteins present in serum or follicular fluid is constant (60 and 40%, respectively) and independent from the developmental stage of the follicle, either during the normal follicular phase or in patients with normogonadotropic anovulation. Inhibition of FSH recepto

Biomarker Discovery In Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) Using Epithelial Lining Fluid:A Proteomic Approach

RATIONALE Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) is the third most frequent disease worldwide with increasing mortality. Cigarette smoking is the principle risk factor and 15-20% of smokers develop COPD. Epithelial Lining Fluid (ELF) covers the internal part of the airways and can be collected during bronchoscopy. ELF appears to be well-suited for proteomic analysis, since it contains a higher concentration of proteins (150-300 μg /mL) than other lung fluids and can be obtained from different locations of the lungs. No comprehensive proteomic analysis of human ELF has been performed to date, which makes ELF a highly interesting fluid for biomarker discovery in COPD. AIM To discover proteins that change in abundance in ELF from COPD patients versus healthy controls using a quantitative proteomics approach. METHODS The ELF proteome from COPD patients and healthy controls was studied by 1D polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis in the presence of SDS followed by in-gel tryptic digestion to establish the methodology and assess the feasibility of such an approach. Approximately 40 gel slices were obtained from each lane of the gel (corresponding to one patient). Digested samples were analyzed by nanoChip-LC-MS/MS using an ion trap. We performed a quantitative pilot study of ELF from 4 COPD patients and 4 healthy controls (table 1) to test for statistically significant differences in protein levels. ELF samples were digested by trypsin, labeled with stable isotope-containing reagents (iTRAQ®, 8-plex) and processed by strong cation-exchange chromatography followed by nanoLC-MS/MS. In order to validate the results, a second quantitative analysis of an independent sample set (4 COPD vs 4 healthy) using the same methodological approach was done. RESULTS The 1D electrophoretic approach resulted in more than 300 identified proteins. Most of the identified proteins were present in both COPD and healthy samples, although some proteins were only identified either in healthy control or in COPD samples. The quantitative studies showed that a number of proteins was significantly different between ELF of COPD patients and controls, including 4 up-regulated proteins in common in both studies. CONCLUSIONS This is the first study in ELF of COPD patients and healthy controls in which such a large number of proteins has been identified. The obtained results show the feasibility of this proteomic approach and the possibility to discover proteins that are differentially expressed in ELF of COPD patients and controls. We are currently validating these proteins further by western blot and immunohistochemistry

Mesenchymal Stromal Cells to Regenerate Emphysema:On the Horizon?

Mesenchymal stem or stromal cells (MSCs) are multipotent cells that play a pivotal role in various phases of lung development and lung homeostasis, and potentially also lung regeneration. MSCs do not only self-renew and differentiate into renew tissues, but also have anti-inflammatory and paracrine properties to reduce damage and to support tissue regeneration, constituting a promising cell-based treatment strategy for the repair of damaged alveolar tissue in emphysema. This review discusses the current state of the art regarding the potential of MSCs for the treatment of emphysema. The optimism regarding this treatment strategy is supported by promising results from animal models. Still, there are considerable challenges before effective stem cell treatment can be realized in emphysema patients. It is difficult to draw definitive conclusions from the available animal studies, as different models, dosage protocols, administration routes, and sources of MSCs have been used with different measures of effectiveness. Moreover, the regrowth potential of differentiated tissues and organs differs between species. Essential questions about MSC engraftment, retention, and survival have not been sufficiently addressed in a systematic manner. Few human studies have investigated MSC treatment for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, demonstrating short-term safety but no convincing benefits on clinical outcomes. Possible explanations for the lack of beneficial effects on clinical outcomes could be the source (bone marrow), route, dosage, frequency of administration, and delivery (lack of a bioactive scaffold). This review will provide a comprehensive overview of the (pre)clinical studies on MSC effects in emphysema and discuss the current challenges regarding the optimal use of MSCs for cell-based therapies

The Legend of Saint Aūr and the monastery of Naqlūn : the Copto-Arabic texts

The legend of St. Aūr contained in the Naqlūn homily deals with the foundation history of the church of the archangel Gabriel at the monastery of Naqlūn in the province of Fayyum in Egypt. The origins of this still existing monastery date back to the fifth century. After its composition in the eleventh century, the text remained in use till the present and spread all over Egypt and Ethiopia. Apart from the central date, 26 Ba’ūna, the text contains a number of other dates which reflect the liturgical calendar in use at Naqlūn. Moreover, four other homiletic texts and a hymn were identified, each related to the monastery of Naqlūn in a different way, forming evidence of the rich literary tradition that developed at this site from the eleventh century onwards. The texts recall into memory the great saints from earlier periods, such as St. Antony, the father of monasticism, and Samuel of Qalamūn, and link Naqlūn with several other monastic sites in the neighbourhood, giving Naqlūn a place in the history of Egyptian monasticism. The Middle Arabic language of all five texts, its style and its contents, are characteristic of Copto-Arabic hagiographic literature of the Middle Ages.Middle Eastern Studie

Lexicographic and logical definitions for terms

Definitions are a central concept in terminology. The original idea of definition stems from logic. Logical definitions are based on a set of necessary and sufficient conditions which determine a precise borderline of a concept. However, natural meanings are prototype-based, so that they do not have natural borderlines. In dictionaries, we find definitions that characterize the prototype. Therefore, they are generally not adequate as logical definitions. In terminology, this creates a tension. Dictionaries cannot be seen as a description of the vocabulary of a language, but should be interpreted as a source of information about the use of words. Logical definitions only have a role when they are supported by an authority. In domains in which rules have to be enforced, terms that determine the interpretation of a rule should have a logical definition supported by the domain-specific authority. In domains relating to empirical science, terms that are used in the evaluation of theories and theoretical claims should also have logical definitions. To what extent a generally accepted logical definition is achievable in such domains depends on the existence of a body that is generally accepted as the authority in the relevant domain

Wortbildung in elektronischen Lernerwörterbüchern

In diesem Beitrag werde ich versuchen, einige allgemeine Überlegungen zur Darstellung der Wortbildung in elektronischen Lernerwörterbüchern mit theoretischen Einsichten zum Wesen des Spracherwerbs, der Lexikographie sowie der Wortbildung zu verbinden

Wnt5a induces ROR1 to complex with HS1 to enhance migration of chronic lymphocytic leukemia cells.

ROR1 (receptor tyrosine kinase-like orphan receptor 1) is a conserved, oncoembryonic surface antigen expressed in chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL). We found that ROR1 associates with hematopoietic-lineage-cell-specific protein 1 (HS1) in freshly isolated CLL cells or in CLL cells cultured with exogenous Wnt5a. Wnt5a also induced HS1 tyrosine phosphorylation, recruitment of ARHGEF1, activation of RhoA and enhanced chemokine-directed migration; such effects could be inhibited by cirmtuzumab, a humanized anti-ROR1 mAb. We generated truncated forms of ROR1 and found its extracellular cysteine-rich domain or kringle domain was necessary for Wnt5a-induced HS1 phosphorylation. Moreover, the cytoplamic, and more specifically the proline-rich domain (PRD), of ROR1 was required for it to associate with HS1 and allow for F-actin polymerization in response to Wnt5a. Accordingly, we introduced single amino acid substitutions of proline (P) to alanine (A) in the ROR1 PRD at positions 784, 808, 826, 841 or 850 in potential SH3-binding motifs. In contrast to wild-type ROR1, or other ROR1P→︀A mutants, ROR1P(841)A had impaired capacity to recruit HS1 and ARHGEF1 to ROR1 in response to Wnt5a. Moreover, Wnt5a could not induce cells expressing ROR1P(841)A to phosphorylate HS1 or activate ARHGEF1, and was unable to enhance CLL-cell motility. Collectively, these studies indicate HS1 plays an important role in ROR1-dependent Wnt5a-enhanced chemokine-directed leukemia-cell migration