Direct Presentation Is Sufficient for an Efficient Anti-Viral CD8+ T Cell Response

The extent to which direct- and cross-presentation (DP and CP) contribute to the priming of CD8+ T cell (TCD8+) responses to viruses is unclear mainly because of the difficulty in separating the two processes. Hence, while CP in the absence of DP has been clearly demonstrated, induction of an anti-viral TCD8+ response that excludes CP has never been purposely shown. Using vaccinia virus (VACV), which has been used as the vaccine to rid the world of smallpox and is proposed as a vector for many other vaccines, we show that DP is the main mechanism for the priming of an anti-viral TCD8+ response. These findings provide important insights to our understanding of how one of the most effective anti-viral vaccines induces immunity and should contribute to the development of novel vaccines

On the typology and the worship status of sacred trees with a special reference to the Middle East

This article contains the reasons for the establishment of sacred trees in Israel based on a field study. It includes 97 interviews with Muslim and Druze informants. While Muslims (Arabs and Bedouins) consider sacred trees especially as an abode of righteous figures' (Wellis') souls or as having a connection to their graves, the Druze relate sacred trees especially to the events or deeds in the lives of prophets and religious leaders. A literary review shows the existence of 24 known reasons for the establishment of sacred trees worldwide, 11 of which are known in Israel one of these is reported here for the first time. We found different trends in monotheistic and polytheistic religions concerning their current worship of sacred trees

Diabetic ketoacidosis

Diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA) is the most common acute hyperglycaemic emergency in people with diabetes mellitus. A diagnosis of DKA is confirmed when all of the three criteria are present — ‘D’, either elevated blood glucose levels or a family history of diabetes mellitus; ‘K’, the presence of high urinary or blood ketoacids; and ‘A’, a high anion gap metabolic acidosis. Early diagnosis and management are paramount to improve patient outcomes. The mainstays of treatment include restoration of circulating volume, insulin therapy, electrolyte replacement and treatment of any underlying precipitating event. Without optimal treatment, DKA remains a condition with appreciable, although largely preventable, morbidity and mortality. In this Primer, we discuss the epidemiology, pathogenesis, risk factors and diagnosis of DKA and provide practical recommendations for the management of DKA in adults and children

Hybrid Control for Autonomous Spacecraft Rendezvous Proximity Operations and Docking

A hybrid control methodology is presented for autonomous rendezvous, proximity operations and docking of a pair of spacecraft. For the theoretical development of the control algorithms, the dynamics of the spacecraft are modeled using the Clohessy-Wiltshire-Hill equations, which result in a linear system of relative motion equations. Only in-plane motion is considered, resulting in a two-dimensional system, and the control input is the acceleration vector of the active spacecraft, constrained by a maximum thrust value. Individual controllers are designed for different phases of the of approach and transitions are governed by a hybrid supervising algorithm. The hybrid control algorithm is implemented both in MATLAB, using a simplified dynamic model, as well as in actual spacecraft flight code and tested in a high-fidelity spacecraft simulation test environment

Model-Checking CSP-OZ Specifications with FDR

CSP-OZ is a formal method integrating two different specifications formalisms into one: the formalism Object-Z for the description of static aspects, and the process algebra CSP for the description of the dynamic behaviour of systems. The semantics of CSP-OZ is failure divergence taken from the process algebra side. In this paper we propose a method for checking correctness of CSP-OZ specifications via a translation into the CSP dialect of the model checker FDR

Security Patterns Modeling and Formalization for Pattern-based Development of Secure Software Systems

International audiencePattern-based development of software systems has gained more attention recently by addressing new challenges such as security and dependability. However, there are still gaps in existing modeling languages and/or formalisms dedicated to modeling design patterns and the way how to reuse them in the automation of software development. The solution envisaged here is based on combining metamodeling techniques and formal methods to represent security patterns at two levels of abstraction to fostering reuse. The goal of the paper is to advance the state of the art in model and pattern-based security for software and systems engineering in three relevant areas: (1) develop a modeling language to support the definition of security patterns using metamodeling techniques; (2) provide a formal representation and its associated validation mechanisms for the verification of security properties; and (3) derive a set of guidelines for the modeling of security patterns within the integration of these two kinds of representations