Abstract: Disclosed are methods and probiotic compositions for the treatment of a metabolic disease or disorder such as, e.g., obesity, type 2 diabetes, or fatty liver. In some embodiments, heat-inactivated Parabacteroides goldsteinii is enterically administered to a subject, such as a human patient, to treat the metabolic disease or disorder or to promote the development of warm microbiota to treat the metabolic disease or disorder. In some aspects, spermine or spermidine may be administered to a subject or used in vitro to promote the growth of microbiota that can be used for the treatment of a metabolic disease or disorder.

Abstract: A process of depositing a hydrophobic or superhydrophobic film on a surface of a substrate, effected by spraying onto the substrate's surface a solution comprising a fatty acid and an organic solvent, is provided. Substrates and articles-of-manufacturing containing the substrates, having a hydrophobic or superhydrophobic coating/film deposited thereon, obtainable or prepared by the process, are also provided. The process is usable for reducing a load of a pathogenic microorganism and/or for preventing biofilm formation on and/or in the substrates or articles-of-manufacturing containing same.

Abstract: A robotic device for performing intracranial procedures, comprising a baseplate for mounting on the subject's skull and a rotatable base element rotating on the baseplate. The rotatable base element has a central opening through which a cannulated needle can protrude such that it can rotate around an axis perpendicular to the baseplate. This cannulated needle is robotically controlled to provide motion into and out of the subject's skull. A flexible needle is disposed coaxially within the cannulated needle, and it is controlled to move into and out of a non-axial aperture in the distal part of the cannulated needle. Coordinated control of the insertion motion of the cannulated and flexible needles, and rotation of the combined cannulated/flexible needle assembly enables access to be obtained to a volume of a region of the brain having lateral dimensions substantially larger than the width of the cannulated needle.

Abstract: A method comprising: generating a pulsed laser beam comprised of non-interfering pulse-pairs having a phase difference, wherein the phase difference changes between each two consecutive cycles of the pulse-pairs; directing the pulsed laser beam at one or more optical resonators, wherein each of the one or more optical resonators is impinged by acoustic waves, to cause the pulsed laser beam to propagate through each of the one or more optical resonators, thereby interfering the pulse-pairs; and calculating shifts in a spectral response of each of the one or more optical resonators based on measuring the interference, wherein the shifts are indicative of a waveform of the acoustic waves.

Abstract: A system for training a quantized neural network dataset, comprising at least one hardware processor adapted to: receive input data comprising a plurality of training input value sets and a plurality of target value sets; in each of a plurality of training iterations: for each layer, comprising a plurality of weight values, of one or more of a plurality of layers of a neural network: compute a set of transformed values by applying to a plurality of layer values one or more emulated non-uniformly quantized transformations by adding to each of the plurality of layer values one or more uniformly distributed random noise values; and compute a plurality of output values; compute a plurality of training output values; and update one or more of the plurality of weight values to decrease a value of a loss function; and output the updated plurality of weight values of the plurality of layers.

Abstract: The present invention is directed to clay composites comprising at least one polycation attached to the clay surface and at least one aldehyde degrading microorganism and uses thereof for removal of aldehyde from aldehyde containing environments.

Abstract: The present invention provides a vapor-permeable flexible sensing platform unit comprising: a first porous membrane, wherein said membrane is substantially flexible and hydrophobic; and a volatile organic compounds (VOCs) sensor disposed on said membrane, the VOCs sensor comprising an electrode array and a conducting polymer porous film being in electric contact with said electrode array, wherein the VOCs sensor is insensitive to lateral strain. Further provided are a method of preparation of said platform unit and a lift-off, float-on (LOFO) method for the preparation of protonically doped polyaniline (PANI) thin films.

Abstract: Polymeric ion conductors composed of a polymeric matrix associated with an isoindolinium moiety represented by Formula I as described in the specification are provided. Anion conducting compositions comprising an anion conducting polymer associated with, or threaded within and having mechanically interlocked therearound, a cyclic moiety are also provided. lonomeric materials, including, for example, ion exchange membranes such as anion exchange membranes, made of the polymeric ion conductor and/or the anion conducting composition, and electrochemical systems and articles-of-manufacturing containing the polymeric ion conductor, the anion conducting composition or the ion exchange membrane are also provided.

Abstract: In a range imaging system, a passive optical system has a set of lenses and an optical mask that varies a point spread function of the set of lenses so as to encode in an optical field arriving from a scene range information for objects in the scene that are at least X meters from the mask, where X is at least 10. A digital light sensor receives the optical field, and an image processor processes signals receive signals from the sensor to decode the range information.

Abstract: A method of designing a radar, comprises receiving data pertaining to a set of reflected signals received from a distribution of objects by a respective set of receiving antennas at a respective set of locations, and feeding the data and the locations as training data to a machine learning procedure. The machine learning procedure calculates, simultaneously, a set of learned antenna locations and a set of learned parameters associating the signals with the objects, thereby providing a trained machine learning procedure parametrized by the set of learned parameters.

Abstract: Provided is an isolated population of human pluripotent stem cells comprising at least 50% human pluripotent stem cells characterized by an OCT4+/TRA1-60?/TRA1-81?/SSEA1+/SSEA4? expression signature, and novel methods of generating and maintaining same in a pluripotent, undifferentiated state a suspension culture devoid of cell clumps. Also provided are novel culture media, cell cultures and methods for culturing pluripotent stem cells in a suspension culture or a two-dimensional culture system while maintaining the cells in a proliferative, pluripotent and undifferentiated state. The novel culture media comprise interleukin 11 (IL11) and Ciliay Neurotrophic Factor (CNTF); bFGF at a concentration of at least 50 ng/ml and an IL6RIL6 chimera; or an animal contaminant-free serum replacement and an IL6RIL6 chimera. Also provided are methods for generating lineage-specific cells from the pluripotent stem cells.

Abstract: A compliant transmission system includes a rotatable wave generator and a sleeve fitted on the wave generator. The rotatable wave generator has an external surface including pattern extending both annularly and in a longitudinal direction. The sleeve is configured to be deformable and to be impressed on its outer surface with waves extending along the longitudinal direction during rotation of the pattern of the wave generator within the sleeve.

Abstract: In some aspects, mutant or variant Fc domains are provided that exhibit increased binding to FcRn and increased half-life after administration in vivo. The Fc domain may be comprised in a glycosylated or aglycosylated antibody. Methods for using the mutant or variant Fc domains or polypeptides comprising the mutant or variant Fc domains are also provided.

Abstract: The present invention relates to functional taste-improving composition comprising at least one taste-modifying protein (TMP), e.g., a sweet protein (SP) and at least one micropatching (MP) agent; and to uses thereof in the food and beverage industry.

Abstract: A method comprising: at a training stage, training a machine learning algorithm on a training set comprising: (i) Heart Rate Variability (HRV) parameters extracted from temporal beat activity samples, wherein at least some of said samples include a representation of a Ventricular Fibrillation (VF) event, (ii) labels associated with one of: a first period of time immediately preceding a VF event in a temporal beat activity sample, a second period of time immediately preceding the first period of time in a temporal beat activity sample, and all other periods of time in a temporal beat activity sample; at an inference stage, receiving, as input, a target HRV parameters representing temporal beat activity in a subject; and applying said machine learning algorithm to said target HRV parameters, to predict an onset time of a VF event in said subject.

Abstract: A method for estimating an information unit represented by DNA strands, the method includes (a) sequencing the DNA strands to provide noisy copies of an encoded version of the information unit; wherein the information unit comprises information unit elements; (b) neural network (NN) processing the multiple noisy copies by one or more NNs to provide a soft estimate of the encoded information unit; wherein the soft estimate comprises estimated encoded information unit elements and an encoded information unit elements estimated confidence parameter; and (c) decoding the soft estimate of the encoded information unit to provide a prediction of the information unit.

Abstract: The present invention provides a nanoparticle including: (a) an amphiphilic co-polymer including an ionizable polymer covalently bound to a hydrophobic domain; and a polynucleotide comprising 60 to 500 nucleobases. Further provided are compositions including the nanoparticle of the invention, and methods of using same.

Abstract: Embodiments of the invention relate to a corrole according to formula [I]; wherein R1, R2, and R3 are each independently H, —COOH, CF3, or a halide selected from the group consisting of F—, Cl—, Br— and I, with the proviso that R1, R2, and R3 can not all be CF3, and when the compound is of Formula II, wherein M is a metallic ion or an elemental ion selected from the group consisting of an elemental ion of group 13-16 in row 3 or above and boron, preferably selected from the group consisting of: Fe, Mn, Ga, P, Mo, Re, Co and Cu, or a salt thereof. Methods for treatment, catalysis, and detection using the compounds are also described.

Abstract: A method for converting heat to mechanical work including providing incoming heat transfer fluid (HTF) at a first temperature to a mixing chamber, providing incoming compressed gas at a second temperature to the mixing chamber, enabling the gas and the HTF to mix, producing a gas-and-HTF mix, enabling the HTF in the gas-and-HTF mix to heat the gas and isothermal expansion of the gas in the gas-and-HTF mix, limiting volume of the gas-and-HTF mix, thereby increasing pressure of the gas and causing acceleration of a flow of the gas-and-HTF mix, causing the gas-and-HTF mix to eject through a nozzle, thereby converting the heat of the HTF to kinetic energy, and using the kinetic energy to produce mechanical work. Related apparatus and methods are also described.

Abstract: Polymeric ion conductors composed of a polymeric or co-polymeric backbone which comprises a plurality of backbone units, a metal ligand attached to at least a portion of the backbone units, and a metal ion attached to the metal ligand are provided. The metal ligand can be an N-heterocyclic carbene ligand and the metal can feature low oxophilicity. lonomeric materials, including, for example, ion exchange membranes such as anion exchange membranes, made of the polymeric ion conductor, and electrochemical systems and articles-of-manufacturing containing the polymeric ion conductor or the ion exchange membrane are also provided.