Abstract: Disclosed are compositions and methods for delaying or preventing idiopathic preterm birth.

Abstract: A medication adherence system and corresponding medication box for improving medication adherence. The system includes the medication box, which is transparent and has a machine-readable marker, such as a QR code, on or beneath the floor thereof. The marker is capable of being scanned and read through the transparent bottoms of individual chambers. Data embedded in the marker includes, but is not limited to, the user's medication plan, the date and time when the medication is to be ingested, and instructions for recording the date and time when the marker is scanned and read. The underlying software program/application processes this information and provides an indication as to the user's compliance with the medication plan.

Abstract: A system and method of protecting against control-flow attacks provides two complementary, transparent, and strong security policies for the RTL design at a hardware level. The approach performs static analysis of controller, followed by lightweight instrumentation, such that CFI is enforced in-place and at runtime. The modified controller follows conservative CFG with the help of a monitor.

Abstract: A public key generated by each user of a plurality of users is used to encrypt the contacts for that user. The results are sent to a server by each user. The key generated by each user is then distributed to every other user in the system, and each recipient encrypts their contacts with the keys. The result of these encryptions for all contacts for all recipients is then received by the server, and the server computes an encrypted computation of equality of two contacts and sends all computations back to the original user. The user can use the homomorphic property of the crypto protocol (e.g., a private key) to determine a set of users that are matched as contacts with the other users. The binary results are returned to the server, and the server computes a graph using the results.

Abstract: Ketone supplementation, such as through use of precursors of beta-hydroxybutyrate (BHB) and acetoacetate (AcAc), increased blood levels of ketone bodies, increases blood flow and wound closure in ischemic young and aged fisher rats significantly earlier compared to standard diet in aged rats. In vitro experiments with ketone bodies demonstrate decreased mitochondrial and cytosolic ROS in young and aged primary human dermal fibroblasts (PHDF). Ketone bodies increased migration in young and aged PHDFs.

Abstract: In accordance with some embodiments, systems, methods, and media for processing and representing multivariate sensor information gathered from multiple sources are provided. In some embodiments, the method comprises: receiving a data sequences from respective sources; identifying a shortest data sequence that corresponds to a first interval; calculating, for pairs of data sequences, a similarity value over the first interval; forming a first segment of a representative data sequence that is a weighted combination of the data sequences over the first interval based on similarity values associated with the data sequences; truncating at least a subset of data sequences to exclude elements corresponding to the first interval; identifying a shortest data sequence corresponding to a second interval; forming a second segment of the representative data sequence based on similarity values associated with the data sequences; and concatenating the first segment and the second segment of the representative data sequence.

Abstract: Described herein are compositions and methods to cryopreserve sporozoites. In some aspects, the method can include the step of placing harvested salivary glands containing sporozoites into an insect-based medium.

Abstract: In one embodiment, a system for monitoring heart rate variability including an electrode configured to be placed against a user’s chest and generate heart beat data and a data collection and processing device that receives the heart beat data from the electrode, the data collection and processing device being configured to execute a heart rate variability program configured to continually determine the user’s heart rate variability in real time based upon the heart beat data and to determine whether or not the user is in physiological distress based upon the determined heart rate variability.

Abstract: A method of treating cancerous tumors is presented herein. The method includes injecting an effective dose of a plasmid encoded for IL-12, B7-1 or IL-15 into a cancerous tumor and subsequently administering at least one high voltage, short duration pulse to the tumor. The electroporation pulses may be administered at least 700V/cm for a duration of less than 1 millisecond. The intratumor treatments with electroporation may be administered in at least a two-treatment protocol with the time between treatments being about 7 days. The intratumor treatments with electroporation may be administered in a three-treatment protocol with a time of four days between the first and second treatments and a time of three days between the second and third treatments. It was found that the intratumor treatments using electroporation not only resulted in tumor regression but also induced an immune memory response which prevented the formation of new tumors.

Abstract: Systems and methods for automated stereology are provided. A method can include providing an imager for capturing a Z-stack of images of a three-dimensional (3D) object; constructing extended depth of field (EDF) images from the Z-stack of images; performing a segmentation method on the EDF images including estimating a Gaussian Mixture Model (GMM), performing morphological operations, performing watershed segmentation, constructing Voronoi diagrams and performing boundary smoothing; and determining one or more stereology parameters such as number of cells in a region.

Abstract: The present invention concerns non-human animals with cells having a genome that is lacking the entire E3 ubiquitin ligase (Ube3a) gene (including all isoforms and alternative promoters). These animals are useful for modeling Angelman Syndrome. The invention also includes methods for assessing the effect of an agent, such as potential therapeutics, on an animal model by exposing the animal or cells, tissues, or organs isolated therefrom, to an agent of interest.

Abstract: Perovskite oxides and catalysts containing the perovskite oxides are provided for the thermochemical conversion of carbon dioxide to carbon monoxide. The perovskite oxides can exhibit large carbon monoxide production rates and/or low carbon monoxide production onset temperatures as compared to existing materials. Reactors are provided containing the perovskite oxides and catalysts, as well as methods of use thereof for the thermochemical conversion of carbon dioxide to carbon monoxide.

Abstract: A system and method of propagating signal links by using artificial neural networks and a relay link selection protocol to predict an optimal signal path. The artificial neural networks used in the method classify training and testing datasets into sufficient signal strengths and insufficient signal strengths, such that paths are evaluated for predicted propagation links, such that the strongest propagation link can be selected. Specifically, a multilayer perceptron method is used to identify and characterize new link candidates using the path loss parameter or the received signal strength, such that optimal links can be selected and updated.

Abstract: Provided herein are synthetic P. vivax antigens, antibodies and pharmaceutical formulations and vaccines thereof. Also provided herein are methods of treating and/or preventing Plasmodium infection and/or disease by administering the synthetic P. vivax antigens, antibodies and pharmaceutical formulations and vaccines thereof.

Abstract: Disclosed herein is a method to isolate and cultivate the lung microbiome obtained from bronchoalveolar lavage. The disclosed method involves lung microbiome culturomics based on three different media for both aerobic and fastidious anaerobic bacteria. The disclosed method allows for amplification of the lung microbiome, which can be used, for example, for subsequent testing of antibiotic sensitivity, drug resistance, or for lung microbiome transplantation.

Abstract: The present disclosure is directed to antithrombotic nanoparticles and methods of treating necrotizing enterocolitis.

Abstract: In some implementation, a system for identifying malicious attacks on a convolutional neural network (CNN) model includes a target computing system that performs classification of objects using a CNN model, and an attack identification computing system that identifies an injected neural attack. The attack identification computing system can be configured to generate, based on the CNN model and associated parameters, an ecosystem of CNN models by modifying original weights of the parameters associated with the CNN model; update the original weights of the parameters with the modified weights; store, in a secure data store, the updated weights of the parameters; generate, based on the updated weights, an update file for the CNN model; update, using the update file, the CNN model; and transmit the updated CNN model to a targeting computing system configured to detect neural attacks by an attacker computing system based on the updated CNN model.

Abstract: An energy harvesting roadway that includes a plurality of road segments and a power storage device electrically coupled to the plurality of road segments. Each of the plurality of road segments can include a surface asphalt layer, a first conductive asphalt layer located under the surface asphalt layer, a piezoelectric-based asphalt layer located between the first conductive layer and a second conductive layer located above a base asphalt layer. The piezoelectric-based asphalt layer can include a plurality of rigid piezoelectric elements and an insulating filler.

Abstract: The embodiments present a new class of content masking defenses against the Portable Document Format (PDF) standard. The defenses can identify attacks that cause documents to appear different than the underlying content extracted from the documents. A content masking defense method can include identifying a content masking attack by scanning a document file to extract a character code of a character appearing in the file. Next, the character is rendered based on a font that is embedded in the document file. Optical character recognition can be performed on the rendering, and a content masking attack can be identified based on a comparison of a result of the optical character recognition against the character code of the character.