Parameterized Verification of Systems with Global Synchronization and Guards

Inspired by distributed applications that use consensus or other agreement protocols for global coordination, we define a new computational model for parameterized systems that is based on a general global synchronization primitive and allows for global transition guards. Our model generalizes many existing models in the literature, including broadcast protocols and guarded protocols. We show that reachability properties are decidable for systems without guards, and give sufficient conditions under which they remain decidable in the presence of guards. Furthermore, we investigate cutoffs for reachability properties and provide sufficient conditions for small cutoffs in a number of cases that are inspired by our target applications.Comment: Accepted at CAV 202

The interleukin (IL)-31/IL-31R axis contributes to tumor growth in human follicular lymphoma

Interleukin (IL)-31A binds to an heterodimer composed of IL-31 receptor A (IL-31RA) and Oncostatin M Receptor (OSMR). The IL-31/ IL-31R complex is involved in the pathogenesis of various skin diseases, including cutaneous T-cell lymphoma. No information is available on the relations between the IL-31/IL-31R complex and B-cell lymphoma. Here we have addressed this issue in follicular lymphoma (FL), a prototypic germinal center(GC)-derived B-cell malignancy. IL-31 enhanced primary FL cell proliferation through IL-31R-driven signal transducer and activator of transcription factor 1/3 (STAT1/3), extracellular signal–regulated kinase 1/2 (ERK1/2) and Akt phosphorylation. In contrast, GC B cells did not signal to IL-31 in spite of IL-31R expression. GC B cells expressed predominantly the inhibitory short IL-31RA isoform, whereas FL cells expressed predominantly the long signaling isoform. Moreover, GC B cells lacked expression of other IL-31RA isoforms potentially involved in the signaling pathway. IL-31 protein expression was significantly higher in surface membrane than in cytosol of both FL and GC B cells. IL-31 was detected in plasma membrane microvesicles from both cell types but not released in soluble form in culture supernatants. IL-31 and IL-31RA expression was higher in lymph nodes from FL patients with grade IIIa compared with grade I/II, suggesting a paracrine and/or autocrine role of IL-31/IL-31RA complex in tumor progression through microvesicle shedding

Early Devonian (Late Emsian) shark fin remains (Chondrichthyes) from the Paraná Basin, southern Brazil

This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License [Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International (CC BY-NC 4.0)]. The attached file is the published version of the article