Robert Root‐Bernstein
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View article: An art-science perspective on artificial intelligence creativity: From problem finding to materiality and embodied cognition
An art-science perspective on artificial intelligence creativity: From problem finding to materiality and embodied cognition Open
Current large language models, image generators and discovery engines fuel fears that artificial intelligence systems will replace human-driven creativity. However, analysing AI systems from the perspective of creative process reveals sign…
View article: Capsaicin (But Not Other Vanillins) Enhances Estrogen Binding to Its Receptor: Implications for Power Sports and Cancers
Capsaicin (But Not Other Vanillins) Enhances Estrogen Binding to Its Receptor: Implications for Power Sports and Cancers Open
Capsaicin (CAP), the pain-inducing compound in chili peppers, exerts its effects mainly through the transient receptor potential vanilloid channel 1 (TRPV1), which mediates pain perception and some metabolic functions. CAP has also been de…
View article: Coinfections increase the risk of HIV acquisition, AIDS progression, and therapy and prophylaxis failure: a review
Coinfections increase the risk of HIV acquisition, AIDS progression, and therapy and prophylaxis failure: a review Open
Few people exposed to human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) become infected. Among those infected, the rate of progression to full-blown acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) and susceptibility to various opportunistic infections varies w…
View article: T-Cell Receptor Sequences Identify Combined Coxsackievirus–Streptococci Infections as Triggers for Autoimmune Myocarditis and Coxsackievirus–Clostridia Infections for Type 1 Diabetes
T-Cell Receptor Sequences Identify Combined Coxsackievirus–Streptococci Infections as Triggers for Autoimmune Myocarditis and Coxsackievirus–Clostridia Infections for Type 1 Diabetes Open
Recent research suggests that T-cell receptor (TCR) sequences expanded during human immunodeficiency virus and SARS-CoV-2 infections unexpectedly mimic these viruses. The hypothesis tested here is that TCR sequences expanded in patients wi…
View article: ‘Evolutionary poker’: an agent‐based model of interactome emergence and epistasis tested against Lenski's long‐term <i>E. coli</i> experiments
‘Evolutionary poker’: an agent‐based model of interactome emergence and epistasis tested against Lenski's long‐term <i>E. coli</i> experiments Open
A simple agent‐based model is presented that produces results matching the experimental data found by Lenski's group for ≤50,000 generations of Escherichia coli bacteria under continuous selective pressure. Although various mathematical mo…
View article: SARS-CoV-2 and Its Bacterial Co- or Super-Infections Synergize to Trigger COVID-19 Autoimmune Cardiopathies
SARS-CoV-2 and Its Bacterial Co- or Super-Infections Synergize to Trigger COVID-19 Autoimmune Cardiopathies Open
Autoimmune cardiopathies (AC) following COVID-19 and vaccination against SARS-CoV-2 occur at significant rates but are of unknown etiology. This study investigated the possible roles of viral and bacterial mimicry, as well as viral-bacteri…
View article: Clostridia and Enteroviruses as Synergistic Triggers of Type 1 Diabetes Mellitus
Clostridia and Enteroviruses as Synergistic Triggers of Type 1 Diabetes Mellitus Open
What triggers type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM)? One common assumption is that triggers are individual microbes that mimic autoantibody targets such as insulin (INS). However, most microbes highly associated with T1DM pathogenesis, such as c…
View article: From Co-Infections to Autoimmune Disease via Hyperactivated Innate Immunity: COVID-19 Autoimmune Coagulopathies, Autoimmune Myocarditis and Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome in Children
From Co-Infections to Autoimmune Disease via Hyperactivated Innate Immunity: COVID-19 Autoimmune Coagulopathies, Autoimmune Myocarditis and Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome in Children Open
Neutrophilia and the production of neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs) are two of many measures of increased inflammation in severe COVID-19 that also accompany its autoimmune complications, including coagulopathies, myocarditis and mult…
View article: “Sea Water” Supplemented with Calcium Phosphate and Magnesium Sulfate in a Long-Term Miller-Type Experiment Yields Sugars, Nucleic Acids Bases, Nucleosides, Lipids, Amino Acids, and Oligopeptides
“Sea Water” Supplemented with Calcium Phosphate and Magnesium Sulfate in a Long-Term Miller-Type Experiment Yields Sugars, Nucleic Acids Bases, Nucleosides, Lipids, Amino Acids, and Oligopeptides Open
The standard approach to exploring prebiotic chemistry is to use a small number of highly purified reactants and to attempt to optimize the conditions required to produce a particular end product. However, purified reactants do not exist i…
View article: T Cell Receptor Sequences Amplified during Severe COVID-19 and Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome in Children Mimic SARS-CoV-2, Its Bacterial Co-Infections and Host Autoantigens
T Cell Receptor Sequences Amplified during Severe COVID-19 and Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome in Children Mimic SARS-CoV-2, Its Bacterial Co-Infections and Host Autoantigens Open
Published hypervariable region V-beta T cell receptor (TCR) sequences were collected from people with severe COVID-19 characterized by having various autoimmune complications, including blood coagulopathies and cardiac autoimmunity, as wel…
View article: Complementary Sets of Autoantibodies Induced by SARS-CoV-2, Adenovirus and Bacterial Antigens Cross-React with Human Blood Protein Antigens in COVID-19 Coagulopathies
Complementary Sets of Autoantibodies Induced by SARS-CoV-2, Adenovirus and Bacterial Antigens Cross-React with Human Blood Protein Antigens in COVID-19 Coagulopathies Open
COVID-19 patients often develop coagulopathies including microclotting, thrombotic strokes or thrombocytopenia. Autoantibodies are present against blood-related proteins including cardiolipin (CL), serum albumin (SA), platelet factor 4 (PF…
View article: Novel Apparatuses for Incorporating Natural Selection Processes into Origins-of-Life Experiments to Produce Adaptively Evolving Chemical Ecosystems
Novel Apparatuses for Incorporating Natural Selection Processes into Origins-of-Life Experiments to Produce Adaptively Evolving Chemical Ecosystems Open
Origins-of-life chemical experiments usually aim to produce specific chemical end-products such as amino acids, nucleic acids or sugars. The resulting chemical systems do not evolve or adapt because they lack natural selection processes. W…
View article: Biased, Bitopic, Opioid–Adrenergic Tethered Compounds May Improve Specificity, Lower Dosage and Enhance Agonist or Antagonist Function with Reduced Risk of Tolerance and Addiction
Biased, Bitopic, Opioid–Adrenergic Tethered Compounds May Improve Specificity, Lower Dosage and Enhance Agonist or Antagonist Function with Reduced Risk of Tolerance and Addiction Open
This paper proposes the design of combination opioid–adrenergic tethered compounds to enhance efficacy and specificity, lower dosage, increase duration of activity, decrease side effects, and reduce risk of developing tolerance and/or addi…
View article: Co-Evolution of Opioid and Adrenergic Ligands and Receptors: Shared, Complementary Modules Explain Evolution of Functional Interactions and Suggest Novel Engineering Possibilities
Co-Evolution of Opioid and Adrenergic Ligands and Receptors: Shared, Complementary Modules Explain Evolution of Functional Interactions and Suggest Novel Engineering Possibilities Open
Cross-talk between opioid and adrenergic receptors is well-characterized and involves second messenger systems, the formation of receptor heterodimers, and the presence of extracellular allosteric binding regions for the complementary liga…
View article: COVID‐19 coagulopathies: Human blood proteins mimic SARS‐CoV‐2 virus, vaccine proteins and bacterial co‐infections inducing autoimmunity
COVID‐19 coagulopathies: Human blood proteins mimic SARS‐CoV‐2 virus, vaccine proteins and bacterial co‐infections inducing autoimmunity Open
Severe COVID‐19 is often accompanied by coagulopathies such as thrombocytopenia and abnormal clotting. Rarely, such complications follow SARS‐CoV‐2 vaccination. The cause of these coagulopathies is unknown. It is hypothesized that coagulop…
View article: Pneumococcal and Influenza Vaccination Rates and Pneumococcal Invasive Disease Rates Set Geographical and Ethnic Population Susceptibility to Serious COVID-19 Cases and Deaths
Pneumococcal and Influenza Vaccination Rates and Pneumococcal Invasive Disease Rates Set Geographical and Ethnic Population Susceptibility to Serious COVID-19 Cases and Deaths Open
This study examines the relationship of pneumococcal vaccination rates, influenza, measles-mumps-rubella (MMR) diphtheria-tetanus-pertussis vaccinations (DTP), polio, Haemophilus influenzae type B (Hib), and Bacillus Calmette–Guerin (tuber…
View article: Innate Receptor Activation Patterns Involving TLR and NLR Synergisms in COVID-19, ALI/ARDS and Sepsis Cytokine Storms: A Review and Model Making Novel Predictions and Therapeutic Suggestions
Innate Receptor Activation Patterns Involving TLR and NLR Synergisms in COVID-19, ALI/ARDS and Sepsis Cytokine Storms: A Review and Model Making Novel Predictions and Therapeutic Suggestions Open
Severe COVID-19 is characterized by a “cytokine storm”, the mechanism of which is not yet understood. I propose that cytokine storms result from synergistic interactions among Toll-like receptors (TLR) and nucleotide-binding oligomerizatio…
View article: Possible Cross-Reactivity between SARS-CoV-2 Proteins, CRM197 and Proteins in Pneumococcal Vaccines May Protect Against Symptomatic SARS-CoV-2 Disease and Death
Possible Cross-Reactivity between SARS-CoV-2 Proteins, CRM197 and Proteins in Pneumococcal Vaccines May Protect Against Symptomatic SARS-CoV-2 Disease and Death Open
Various studies indicate that vaccination, especially with pneumococcal vaccines, protects against symptomatic cases of SARS-CoV-2 infection and death. This paper explores the possibility that pneumococcal vaccines in particular, but perha…
View article: Possible Cross-Reactivity Between SARS-CoV-2 Proteins, CRM197 and Proteins in Pneumococcal Vaccines May Protect Against Symptomatic SARS-CoV-2 Disease and Death
Possible Cross-Reactivity Between SARS-CoV-2 Proteins, CRM197 and Proteins in Pneumococcal Vaccines May Protect Against Symptomatic SARS-CoV-2 Disease and Death Open
Various studies indicate that vaccination, especially with pneumococcal vaccines, protects against symptomatic cases of SARS-CoV-2 infection and death. This paper explores the possibility that pneumococcal vaccines in particular, but perha…
View article: Anosmia-hyposmia and dysgeusia in COVID-19 may be due to SARS-CoV-2 protein mimicry of olfactory receptors
Anosmia-hyposmia and dysgeusia in COVID-19 may be due to SARS-CoV-2 protein mimicry of olfactory receptors Open
Background: Anosmia-hyposmia and dysgeusia are common symptoms of mild-to-moderate COVID-19 cases. They are usually, but not always, reversible and the cause is unknown. Methodology: Proteonomic similarity searching (BLAST) was used to tes…
View article: Glutathione and Glutathione-Like Sequences of Opioid and Aminergic Receptors Bind Ascorbic Acid, Adrenergic and Opioid Drugs Mediating Antioxidant Function: Relevance for Anesthesia and Abuse
Glutathione and Glutathione-Like Sequences of Opioid and Aminergic Receptors Bind Ascorbic Acid, Adrenergic and Opioid Drugs Mediating Antioxidant Function: Relevance for Anesthesia and Abuse Open
Opioids and their antagonists alter vitamin C metabolism. Morphine binds to glutathione (l-γ-glutamyl-l-cysteinyl-glycine), an intracellular ascorbic acid recycling molecule with a wide range of additional activities. The morphine metaboli…
View article: Possible Cross-Reactivity Between SARS-CoV-2 Proteins, CRM197 and Proteins in Pneumococcal Vaccines May Protect Against Symptomatic SARS-CoV-2 Disease and Death
Possible Cross-Reactivity Between SARS-CoV-2 Proteins, CRM197 and Proteins in Pneumococcal Vaccines May Protect Against Symptomatic SARS-CoV-2 Disease and Death Open
Various studies indicate that vaccination, especially with pneumococcal vaccines, protects against symptomatic cases of SARS-CoV-2 infection and death. This paper explores the possibility that pneumococcal vaccines in particular, but perha…
View article: Cross-Reactivity Between SARS-CoV-2 Proteins and Proteins in Pneumococcal Vaccines May Protect Against Symptomatic SARS-CoV-2 Disease and Death
Cross-Reactivity Between SARS-CoV-2 Proteins and Proteins in Pneumococcal Vaccines May Protect Against Symptomatic SARS-CoV-2 Disease and Death Open
A significant inverse correlation exists between rates of pneumococcal vaccination, at both national and local levels, and symptomatic cases of SARS-CoV-2 infection and death. No correlations exist to BCG, Hib, diphtheria-tetanus-pertussis…
View article: Synergistic Activation of Toll-Like and NOD Receptors by Complementary Antigens as Facilitators of Autoimmune Disease: Review, Model and Novel Predictions
Synergistic Activation of Toll-Like and NOD Receptors by Complementary Antigens as Facilitators of Autoimmune Disease: Review, Model and Novel Predictions Open
Persistent activation of toll-like receptors (TLR) and nucleotide-binding oligomerization domain-containing proteins (NOD) in the innate immune system is one necessary driver of autoimmune disease (AD), but its mechanism remains obscure. T…
View article: Why Infants Rarely Die of COVID-19 and Morbidity and Mortality Rates Vary by Location: Pneumococcal and Hib Vaccinations as Possible Means to Mitigate Future Pandemics
Why Infants Rarely Die of COVID-19 and Morbidity and Mortality Rates Vary by Location: Pneumococcal and Hib Vaccinations as Possible Means to Mitigate Future Pandemics Open
Two conundrums have puzzled COVID-19 investigators: 1) morbidity and mortality is rare among Infants and young children and 2) rates of morbidity and mortality exhibit very large variances across nations, locals and even within cities. The…
View article: Why Infants Rarely Die of COVID-19 and Morbidity and Mortality Rates Vary by Location: Pneumococcal and Hib Vaccinations as Possible Means to Mitigate Future Pandemics
Why Infants Rarely Die of COVID-19 and Morbidity and Mortality Rates Vary by Location: Pneumococcal and Hib Vaccinations as Possible Means to Mitigate Future Pandemics Open
Two conundrums have puzzled COVID-19 investigators: 1) morbidity and mortality is rare among Infants and young children and 2) rates of morbidity and mortality exhibit very large variances across nations, locals and even within cities. The…