| 1. |
- Brown, A., et al.
(författare)
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Kepler Observations of Starspot Evolution, Differential Rotation, and Flares on Late-Type Stars
- 2011
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Ingår i: American Astronomical Society Meeting Abstracts #218.
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Konferensbidrag (refereegranskat)abstract
- The Kepler satellite is providing spectacular optical photometric light-curves of unprecedented precision and duration that routinely allow detailed studies of stellar magnetic activity on late-type stars that were difficult, if not impossible, to attempt previously. Rotational modulation due to starspots is commonly seen in the Kepler light-curves of late-type stars, allowing detailed study of the surface distribution of their photospheric magnetic activity. Kepler is providing multi-year duration light-curves that allow us to investigate how activity phenomena – such as the growth, migration, and decay of starspots, differential rotation, activity cycles, and flaring – operate on single and binary stars with a wide range of mass and convection zone depth. We present the first results from detailed starspot modeling using newly-developed light-curve inversion codes for a range of GALEX-selected stars with typical rotation periods of a few days, that we have observed as part of our 200 target Kepler Cycle 1/2 Guest Observer programs. The physical properties of the stars have been measured using high resolution optical spectroscopy, which allows the Kepler results to be placed within the existing framework of knowledge regarding stellar magnetic activity. These results demonstrate the powerful diagnostic capability provided by tracking starspot evolution essentially continuously for more than 16 months. The starspots are clearly sampling the stellar rotation rate at different latitudes, enabling us to measure the differential rotation and starspot lifetimes. As would be expected, stars with few day rotation show frequent flaring that is easily seen as ”white-light” flares in Kepler light-curves. We compare the observed flare rates and occurrence with the starspot properties. This work contains results obtained using the NASA Kepler satellite and from the Apache Point Observatory, the MMT (using NOAO community access time), and the Hobby-Eberly Telescope. Funding is provided by NASA Kepler grants NNX10AC51G and NNX11AC79G.
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| 2. |
- Van Eylen, Vincent, et al.
(författare)
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Masses and compositions of three small planets orbiting the nearby M dwarf L231-32 (TOI-270) and the M dwarf radius valley
- 2021
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Ingår i: Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society. - : Oxford University Press (OUP). - 0035-8711 .- 1365-2966. ; 507:2, s. 2154-2173
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- We report on precise Doppler measurements of L231-32 (TOI-270), a nearby M dwarf (d = 22 pc, M = 0.39 M, R = 0.38 R), which hosts three transiting planets that were recently discovered using data from the Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS). The three planets are 1.2, 2.4, and 2.1 times the size of Earth and have orbital periods of 3.4, 5.7, and 11.4 d. We obtained 29 high-resolution optical spectra with the newly commissioned Echelle Spectrograph for Rocky Exoplanet and Stable Spectroscopic Observations (ESPRESSO) and 58 spectra using the High Accuracy Radial velocity Planet Searcher (HARPS). From these observations, we find the masses of the planets to be 1.58 ± 0.26, 6.15 ± 0.37, and 4.78 ± 0.43 M, respectively. The combination of radius and mass measurements suggests that the innermost planet has a rocky composition similar to that of Earth, while the outer two planets have lower densities. Thus, the inner planet and the outer planets are on opposite sides of the 'radius valley'-a region in the radius-period diagram with relatively few members-which has been interpreted as a consequence of atmospheric photoevaporation. We place these findings into the context of other small close-in planets orbiting M dwarf stars, and use support vector machines to determine the location and slope of the M dwarf (Teff < 4000 K) radius valley as a function of orbital period. We compare the location of the M dwarf radius valley to the radius valley observed for FGK stars, and find that its location is a good match to photoevaporation and core-powered mass-loss models. Finally, we show that planets below the M dwarf radius valley have compositions consistent with stripped rocky cores, whereas most planets above have a lower density consistent with the presence of a H-He atmosphere.
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| 3. |
- Haak-Frendscho, M, et al.
(författare)
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Histidine decarboxylase expression in human melanoma.
- 2000
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Ingår i: Journal of Investigative Dermatology. - : Elsevier BV. - 0022-202X .- 1523-1747. ; 115:3, s. 345-52
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Histamine has been implicated as one of the mediators involved in regulation of proliferation in both normal and neoplastic tissues. Histidine decarboxylase, the only enzyme that catalyzes the formation of histamine from L-histidine, is an essential regulator of histamine levels. In this study, we investigated the gene and protein expression of histidine decarboxylase in melanoma. Reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction and in situ hybridization studies of WM-35, WM-983/B, HT-168, and M1 human melanoma cell lines both resulted in positive signals for histidine decarboxylase messenger RNA. A polyclonal chicken antibody was developed against human histidine decarboxylase and protein expression was confirmed by western blot analysis of the cell lysates, revealing a predominant immunoreactive band at approximately 54 kDa corresponding to monomeric histidine decarboxylase. Protein expression of histidine decarboxylase was also shown by flow cytometric analysis and strong punctate cytoplasmic staining of melanoma cell lines. Moreover, both primary and metastatic human melanoma tissues were brightly stained for histidine decarboxylase. When compared with the very weak or no reactions on cultivated human melanocytes both western blot and immunohistochemical studies showed much stronger histidine decarboxylase expression in melanoma cells. These findings suggest that expression of histidine decarboxylase is elevated in human melanoma.
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