Abstract: The present disclosure provides compositions and methods for treating Clostridium difficile infection (CDI) including primary and recurrent CDI. In particular, the compositions and methods described herein are capable of achieving a CDI clearance rate of at least 80% through a single oral dose of a pharmaceutical composition comprising a freeze-dried fecal microbiota preparation.

Abstract: A method includes determining, by a control system, from among a plurality of categories, a current category of an incoming wind approaching a wind turbine, and setting, by the control system, a yaw bias of the wind turbine based on the current category. In some examples, the plurality of categories includes two or more wind conditions, such as a first wind condition in which wind contacting an upper rotor of the wind turbine is veering and wind contacting a lower rotor of the wind turbine is veering, a second wind condition in which the wind contacting the upper rotor of the wind turbine is veering and the wind contacting the lower rotor of the wind turbine is backing, and so on.

Abstract: A device includes a substrate and at least one electrically conducting portion supported by the substrate, the at least one electrically conducting portion including a signal line and a ground plane electrically isolated from the signal line. The electrically conducting portion includes a layer of a first electrically conducting material and a layer of a metal oxide material including anodic aluminum oxide (AAO) and one or more nanowires (NW) of a second electrically conducting material each formed within a corresponding pore extending through the AAO from a first side of the layer to a second side of the layer of the metal oxide material opposite the first side.

Abstract: Articles and method of making articles including a solid porous material having a selenium nanomaterial bound to a surface of and within the solid porous material. The article may be a include no polymeric stabilizer or proteinaceous stabilizer. The solid porous material may be a sponge, a film, a fabric, a non-woven material, or a metal-organic framework (MOF), or a combination thereof. The article may be produced by treating a solid porous material with an aqueous selenous acid solution and heating the solid porous material to form the selenium nanomaterial on the surface of and within the solid porous material.

Abstract: Polymer electrolyte membranes (PEMs) that include co-continuous domains of a conductive phase and a crosslinked network phase. The conductive phase can include one or more polymers having glass transition temperatures below room temperature. The crosslinked network phase can be formed from at least one monofunctional monomer and at least one di- or greater functional monomer.

Abstract: A system includes a display and a processor coupled to the display. The processor determines a position of a vehicle relative to a road lane and causes the display to depict a set of position indicators to convey the position of the vehicle relative to the road lane. In one state, the set of position indicators include a plurality of empty shape outlines and at least one filled shape outline. The processor also determines a position of a hazard relative to the vehicle and causes the display to depict a set of hazard position indicators to convey the position of the hazard relative to the vehicle. In one state, the set of hazard position indicators include a plurality of empty shape outlines and at least one filled shape outline.

Abstract: A method includes storing a value in data storage so that a third party is prevented from accessing the value, retrieving the value and applying a first transform to the value to form a transformed value having a uniform distribution. Noise is added to the transformed value to form a sum and a second transform is applied to the sum to form a transformed sum having a uniform distribution. An inverse of the first transform is applied to the transformed sum to form a privatized value and the privatized value is provided to the third party.

Abstract: The invention provides antibiotic BPI Fold Containing Family A Member 2 (BPIFA2) peptides, compositions comprising a BPIFA2 peptide, hydrogels comprising a BPIFA2 peptide, nanofibrillar networks comprising a BPIFA2 peptide, and tissue scaffolds comprising BPIFA2 peptides. The peptide, compositions, hydrogels nanofibrillar networks and tissue scaffolds are useful for medical therapy in an animal.

Abstract: A system for Multi-Party Computation (MPC) includes a general-purpose programming language, an MPC processor, an MPC Instruction Set Architecture (ISA), and a compiler. The general-purpose programming language is used for writing an MPC application. The MPC processor executes the MPC application. The MPC ISA corresponds to the MPC processor. The compiler generates an intermediate representation for the MPC application and generates machine code for the intermediate representation by mapping and assembling MPC ISA instructions.

Abstract: In one aspect, a method of treating a subject having or at risk of having graft-versus-host disease (GvHD) generally includes administering to the subject a plurality of myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSCs) effective to ameliorate at least one symptom or clinical sign of graft-versus-host disease compared to a suitable control subject. In another aspect, a method of treating a tumor in a subject generally includes administering to the subject an anti-tumor therapy and co-administering to the subject an inflammasome inciting agent in an amount effective to increase inflammasome activation of MDSCs sufficiently to reduce suppressor function of the MDSCs.

Abstract: An example technique for treating a skin cancer condition includes administering a therapeutically effective amount of a p53-related protein kinase (PRPK) inhibitor to a patient having skin cancer or having a high risk of developing skin cancer. An example composition includes a therapeutically effective amount of a PRPK inhibitor for treating a skin cancer condition. An example composition includes a pharmaceutically effective amount of at least one anti-solar ultraviolet (anti-sUV) combination for preventing a skin cancer condition. The at least one anti-sUV combination is chosen from the combinations: avobenzone and octinoxate; octocrylene and zinc oxide; avobenzone, octocrylene, and titanium dioxide; or avobenzone, octocrylene, and zinc oxide.

Abstract: A valve includes an orifice plate including at least one orifice surrounded by an orifice plate seal surface, a seal plate, and an actuator. The seal plate includes a seal boss having a seal boss surface that faces the orifice plate, and a pocket that overlays the at least one orifice. The pocket includes a recessed surface that is surrounded by the seal boss surface and is displaced from the seal boss surface along an axis. The actuator is configured to move the seal plate relative to the orifice plate along the axis to transition the valve between open and closed states. The seal boss surface engages the orifice plate seal surface, surrounds the at least one orifice, and blocks a flow of fluid through the at least one orifice when the valve is in the closed state.

Abstract: A stent for a respiratory organ includes a bioabsorbable polyester copolymer. The bioabsorbable polyester copolymer is a polyester copolymer having residues of two kinds of ester bond forming monomers as main constituent units, and where the two kinds of ester bond forming monomers are referred to as monomer A and monomer B, respectively, an R value given by the following formula is 0.25 or larger and 0.99 or smaller: R=[AB]/(2[A][B]) 100. In the formula, [A] is a mole fraction (%) of monomer A residues in the polyester copolymer; [B] is a mole fraction (%) of monomer B residues in the polyester copolymer; and [AB] is a mole fraction (%) of structures (A-B and B-A) in which a monomer A residue and a monomer B residue are adjacent to each other in the polyester copolymer.

Abstract: Bioactive coatings that include a base and a protein associated with the base for actively promoting the removal of organic stains are provided. In aspects, bioactive coatings that are stabilized against inactivation by weathering are provided including a base associated with a chemically modified enzyme, and, optionally a first polyoxyethylene present in the base and independent of the enzyme. The coatings are optionally overlayered onto a substrate to form an active coating facilitating the removal of organic stains or organic material from food, insects, or the environment.

Abstract: This document relates to methods and materials for generating oilseed (e.g., pennycress) plants that have oil with reduced levels of polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) and/or increased levels of oleic acid. For example, oilseed plants having reduced expression levels of one or more polypeptides involved in fatty acid biosynthesis (e.g., fatty acid desaturase 2 (FAD2) and reduced oleate desaturation 1 (ROD1)), as well as methods and materials for making and using such oilseed plants are provided.

Abstract: The present disclosure provides methods of producing a preparation of fibroadipogenic progenitors (FAPs) from a cell mixture. In certain embodiments, the present disclosure provides a method of producing a preparation of human FAPs from a skeletal muscle biopsy sample for later use.

Abstract: A method of estimating in-cylinder pressure includes receiving a vibration signal from a vibration sensor mounted proximate a compression ignition (CI) engine, receiving angular position information for the CI engine, and determining in-cylinder pressure based on the angular position information and on a combustion component of the vibration signal.

Abstract: Systems and methods for adaptively controlling an electrical stimulation device, such as a closed-loop stimulation device, based in part on a Bayesian optimization of the operational parameters of the device are described. An adaptive dual control of the stimulation device can be provided. In a first control loop parameters are extracted from signals recorded from the subject by the stimulation device, and in a second control loop a Bayesian optimization is implemented with a hardware processor and memory to compute updated operational parameters for the stimulation device. As noted, the stimulation device is an electrical stimulation device, and may be a closed-loop stimulation device. Such devices can be used for deep brain stimulation (“DBS”), cardiac resynchronization therapy (“CRT”), and other electrophysiological stimulation applications.

Abstract: The present invention provides benzothiadiazine and chroman derivatives and particularly diazoxide and cromakalim derivatives for use in treating glaucoma, retinopathy, treating age related macular degeneration, treating, stabilizing and/or inhibiting blood and lymph vascularization, and reducing intraocular pressure by administering a pharmaceutically effective amount of a prodrug disposed in an ophthalmically acceptable carrier to the eye, wherein the prodrug specifically modulates a KATP channel to reduce an intraocular pressure.

Abstract: Garments having active and passive knitted rows can provide desired levels of compression. Garments made of active and passive knitted rows can provide dynamic levels of compression with respect to both location and over time to address a variety of conditions.