Abstract: Provided herein are compositions, systems, and methods comprising effector proteins and uses thereof. These effector proteins are shown to be active with guide RNAs and may be characterized as CRISPR-associated (Cas) proteins. Various compositions, systems, and methods of the present disclosure leverage the activities of these effector proteins for the modification, detection, and engineering of nucleic acids.

Abstract: Methods, systems, and apparatus, including computer programs encoded on a storage device, for triggering an alarm during a sensor jamming attack. In one aspect, a monitoring system sensor unit is disclosed that includes a sensor, a communication unit configured to communicate with a monitoring system using a range of frequencies, and a jamming detection unit. The jamming detection unit may include a processor and a computer storage media storing instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to perform operations. The operations include detecting a sensor jamming event, selecting a different form of communication other than the range of radio frequencies for the communication unit to communicate with the monitoring system, and providing, to the communication unit, an instruction to communicate with the monitoring system using the form of communication, wherein the communication unit may communicate, to the monitoring system using the form of communication, the sensor data.

Abstract: This disclosure provides modulators of Cystic Fibrosis Transmembrane Conductance Regulator (CFTR) having core structure (I), pharmaceutical compositions containing at least one such modulator, methods of treatment of CFTR mediated diseases, including cystic fibrosis, using such modulators and pharmaceutical compositions, combination pharmaceutical compositions and combination therapies employing those modulators, and processes and intermediates for making such modulators.

Abstract: A downhole turbine includes a plurality of fins. The plurality of fins have an exit angle that exerts a tangential force on the fin, which imparts a torque on a hub. The fins have an adjustable exit angle that changes in response to changes in the properties of a drilling fluid. The changing exit angle changes the tangential force, which changes the torque on the hub.

Abstract: A fluid heating system for heating a production fluid using a thermal transfer fluid, the production fluid being contained in a vessel includes an electric blower configured to receive ambient air and electrical input power and to provide output source air, a combustion system configured to receive the source air from the electric blower and to receive fuel and to provide the thermal transfer fluid, a heat exchanger configured to receive the thermal transfer fluid from the combustion system and configured to provide heat exchange from the thermal transfer fluid to the production fluid, and to provide output exhaust gas, and wherein the electric fan provides a predetermined volume flow rate of the output source air at a predetermined blower efficiency such that the fluid heating system has a Bulk Heat Flux of at least about 14.7 kBTU/Hr/ft2 and a Pressure Drop of at least about 0.7 psi.

Abstract: Described herein are improved thermoplastic composites, which demonstrate excellent physical properties, such as yield strength, ultimate tensile strength, toughness, elongation, and, optionally, superior tunable biodegradability when compared to known thermoplastics. The composite comprises minimally a thermoplastic polymer, at least one phenolic compound, and, optionally, a filler.

Abstract: Methods and systems of enabling a non-interfering mode in a telematics device are provided. The method may be used to prevent interference between a telematics device and a diagnostic tool connected to the same vehicle communications bus. When a diagnostic tool is detected, the telematics device enables a non-interfering mode. Advantageously, the operation of diagnostic tools such as emissions testing diagnostic tools, is not disrupted.

Abstract: Disclosed are apparatuses, systems, and techniques that may use machine learning for determining transmitted signals in communication systems that deploy orthogonal frequency division multiplexing. A system for performing the disclosed techniques includes receiving (RX) antennas to receive RX signals, each RX signal received over a respective resource element of a resource grid. Individual resource elements of the resource grid are associated with different radio subcarriers and/or data symbols. The RX signals include a combination of a plurality of transmitted (TX) streams. The system further includes a processing device to process the RX signals using one or more neural network models to determine TX data symbols transmitted via the plurality of TX streams.

Abstract: Methods and apparatus for manufacturing a microfluidic arrangement are disclosed. In one arrangement, a continuous body of a first liquid is provided in direct contact with a first substrate. A second liquid covers the first liquid. A separation fluid, immiscible with the first liquid, is propelled through at least the first liquid and into contact with the first substrate along all of a selected path on the surface of the first substrate. First liquid that was initially in contact with all of the selected path is displaced away from the selected path. The first liquid is divided to form sub-bodies of first liquid that are separated from each other. For each of one or more of the sub-bodies, a sub-body footprint represents an area of contact between the sub-body and the first substrate, and all of a boundary of the sub-body footprint is in contact with a closed loop of the selected path surrounding the sub-body footprint.

Abstract: Systems, methods, and corresponding non-transitory computer readable media describe a proposed system adapted as a platform governing the loading of data in a multiparty secure computing environment. In the multiparty secure computing environment described herein, multiple parties are able to load their secure information into a data warehouse having specific secure processing adaptations that limit both access and interactions with data stored thereon.

Abstract: Systems and methods of indirectly illuminating a step surface of a vehicle running board are provided. A running board may include an upper step surface and at least one lighting element provided at an inboard underside of the running board to directly illuminate the undercarriage of the vehicle and a ground surface below the running board. The lighting element may be configured to direct light to a reflecting element provided at the undercarriage for reflecting light provided by the at least one lighting element to indirectly illuminate the upper step surface of the running board. Associated vehicles including the running board are provided. Associated methods are also provided.

Abstract: An association metric for record attributes associated with cardinalities that are not necessarily the same is used for training and/or applying an entity resolution (ER) model. A pair of records includes (a) a first record indicating a first set of values for a first attribute and (b) a second record indicating a second set of values for a second attribute. Each of the first set of values and each of the second set of values are compared to determine individual association metrics. A first-level reduction operation is applied to subsets of the individual association metrics to determine reduced association metrics. A second-level reduction operation is applied to the reduced association metrics to determine an association metric, for the pair of records, for training and/or applying an ER model.

Abstract: According to an embodiment, a method includes identifying, by a first network component, data and determining a security level from a plurality of security levels associated with the data. The method also includes determining an encryption scheme from a plurality of encryption schemes to apply to the data and applying, using a Quantum Resistant Ledger (QRL), the encryption scheme to the data to generate encrypted data. The method further includes communicating the encrypted data to a second network component.

Abstract: A system for processing data within a Trusted Execution Environment (TEE) of a processor is provided. The system may include: a trust manager unit for verifying identity of a partner and issuing a communication key to the partner upon said verification of identity; at least one interface for receiving encrypted data from the partner encrypted using the communication key; a secure database within the TEE for storing the encrypted data with a storage key and for preventing unauthorized access of the encrypted data within the TEE; and a recommendation engine for decrypting and analyzing the encrypted data to generate recommendations based on the decrypted data.

Abstract: A method for training a three-dimensional model face animation model from speech, is provided. The method includes determining a first correlation value for a facial feature based on an audio waveform from a first subject, generating a first mesh for a lower portion of a human face, based on the facial feature and the first correlation value, updating the first correlation value when a difference between the first mesh and a ground truth image of the first subject is greater than a pre-selected threshold, and providing a three-dimensional model of the human face animated by speech to an immersive reality application accessed by a client device based on the difference between the first mesh and the ground truth image of the first subject. A non-transitory, computer-readable medium storing instructions to cause a system to perform the above method, and the system, are also provided.

Abstract: A computer implemented system for controlling access to data associated with an entity includes a data storage device having a computer memory, and one or more processors. The one or more processors are configured for: storing a secret key associated with the entity in a computer memory associated with the entity; upon receiving entity data, storing the entity data in the computer memory; and upon receiving an access grant signal, enabling communication of information relating to the entity data.

Abstract: A float switch assembly for use in actuating a switch to operate a pump to control the level of a fluid in a tank. A float switch assembly for operating a pump to control the level of a fluid in a tank based in part on the angle of the float switch caused by the varying fluid level. A system for controlling a level of a fluid in a tank, the system including a pump fluidly coupled to the tank and configured to pump the fluid from the tank to lower the level of the fluid in the tank.

Abstract: An optical wireless communication (OWC) unit for transmitting and/or receiving data installable in a further device comprises at least one transmitter device for transmitting modulated light comprising an OWC signal of said data and/or at least one receiver device for receiving modulated light comprising an OWC signal representative of said data, wherein the at least one receiver device comprises at least one detector. The OWC unit further comprises analogue electronic circuitry for processing electronic signals and at least one power connection and/or at least one data connection for connection to a power source and/or processing resource of the further device. The OWC unit is operable to provide OWC communication under control of said further device and/or so as to transmit data from/provide data to said further device. The OWC unit is for use in an OWC system having an analogue bandwidth greater than or equal to 80 MHz.

Abstract: Replicas may be added to a multi-leader replica group for a data set. A new replica may be added to a group of replicas by copying a version of the data set according to a point in time to the new replica. As updates may occur at different ones of the replicas when the new replica is added, updates that occurred at a source replica for the snapshot and other replicas may be replicated by the different replicas according to the point in time at which the snapshot is created without blocking updates at any of the replicas in the replica group.

Abstract: Provided herein are compositions, systems, and methods comprising effector proteins and uses thereof. These effector proteins are shown to be active with guide RNAs and may be characterized as CRISPR-associated (Cas) proteins. Various compositions, systems, and methods of the present disclosure leverage the activities of these effector proteins for the modification, detection, and engineering of nucleic acids.