bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Beyond Chainmail: Computational Modeling of Discrete Interlocking Materials
Authors: Tang Pengbin , Coros Stelian , Thomaszewski Bernhard
Published: July 2023

We present a method for computational modeling, mechanical characterization, and macro-scale simulation of discrete interlocking materials (DIM)---3D-printed chainmail fabrics made of quasi-rigid interlocking elements. Unlike conventional elastic materials for which deformation and restoring force are directly coupled, the mechanics of DIM are governed by contacts between individual elements that give rise to anisotropic deformation constraints. To model the mechanical behavior of these materials, we propose a computational approach that builds on three key components. (
a
): we explore the space of feasible deformations using native-scale simulations at the per-element level. (
b
): based on this simulation data, we introduce the concept of strain-space boundaries to represent deformation limits for in- and out-of-plane deformations, and (
c
): we use the strain-space boundaries to drive an efficient macro-scale simulation model based on homogenized deformation constraints. We evaluate our method on a set of representative discrete interlocking materials and validate our findings against measurements on physical prototypes.
Differentiable Stripe Patterns for Inverse Design of Structured Surfaces
Authors: Montes Maestre Juan Sebastian , Du Yinwei , Hinchet Ronan , Coros Stelian , Thomaszewski Bernhard
Published: July 2023

Stripe patterns are ubiquitous in nature and everyday life. While the synthesis of these patterns has been thoroughly studied in the literature, their potential to control the mechanics of structured materials remains largely unexplored. In this work, we introduce Differentiable Stripe Patterns---a computational approach for automated design of physical surfaces structured with stripe-shaped bi-material distributions. Our method builds on the work by Knöppel and colleagues [2015] for generating globally-continuous and equally-spaced stripe patterns. To unlock the full potential of this design space, we propose a gradient-based optimization tool to automatically compute stripe patterns that best approximate macromechanical performance goals. Specifically, we propose a computational model that combines solid shell finite elements with XFEM for accurate and fully-differentiable modeling of elastic bi-material surfaces. To resolve non-uniqueness problems in the original method, we furthermore propose a robust formulation that yields unique and differentiable stripe patterns. We combine these components with equilibrium state derivatives into an end-to-end differentiable pipeline that enables inverse design of mechanical stripe patterns. We demonstrate our method on a diverse set of examples that illustrate the potential of stripe patterns as a design space for structured materials. Our simulation results are experimentally validated on physical prototypes.
Recursive Control Variates for Inverse Rendering
Authors: Nicolet Baptiste , Rousselle Fabrice , Novak Jan , Keller Alexander , Jakob Wenzel , Müller Thomas
Published: July 2023

We present a method for reducing errors---variance and bias---in physically based differentiable rendering (PBDR). Typical applications of PBDR repeatedly render a scene as part of an optimization loop involving gradient descent. The actual change introduced by each gradient descent step is often relatively small, causing a significant degree of redundancy in this computation. We exploit this redundancy by formulating a gradient estimator that employs a
recursive control variate
, which leverages information from previous optimization steps. The control variate reduces variance in gradients, and, perhaps more importantly, alleviates issues that arise from differentiating loss functions with respect to noisy inputs, a common cause of drift to bad local minima or divergent optimizations. We experimentally evaluate our approach on a variety of path-traced scenes containing surfaces and volumes and observe that primal rendering efficiency improves by a factor of up to 10.
Sag-Free Initialization for Strand-Based Hybrid Hair Simulation
Authors: Hsu Jerry , Wang Tongtong , Pan Zherong , Gao Xifeng , Yuksel Cem , Wu Kui
Published: July 2023

Lagrangian/Eulerian hybrid strand-based hair simulation techniques have quickly become a popular approach in VFX and real-time graphics applications. With Lagrangian hair dynamics, the inter-hair contacts are resolved in the Eulerian grid using the continuum method, i.e., the MPM scheme with the granular Drucker-Prager rheology, to avoid expensive collision detection and handling. This fuzzy collision handling makes the authoring process significantly easier. However, although current hair grooming tools provide a wide range of strand-based modeling tools for this simulation approach, the crucial sag-free initialization functionality remains often ignored. Thus, when the simulation starts, gravity would cause any artistic hairstyle to sag and deform into unintended and undesirable shapes.

This paper proposes a novel four-stage sag-free initialization framework to solve stable quasistatic configurations for hybrid strand-based hair dynamic systems. These four stages are split into two global-local pairs. The first one ensures static equilibrium at every Eulerian grid node with additional inequality constraints to prevent stress from exiting the yielding surface. We then derive several associated closed-form solutions in the local stage to compute segment rest lengths, orientations, and particle deformation gradients in parallel. The second global-local step solves along each hair strand to ensure all the bend and twist constraints produce zero net torque on every hair segment, followed by a local step to adjust the rest Darboux vectors to a unit quaternion. We also introduce an essential modification for the Darboux vector to eliminate the ambiguity of the Cosserat rod rest pose in both initialization and simulation. We evaluate our method on a wide range of hairstyles, and our approach can only take a few seconds to minutes to get the rest quasistatic configurations for hundreds of hair strands. Our results show that our method successfully prevents sagging and has minimal impact on the hair motion during simulation.
Materialistic: Selecting Similar Materials in Images
Authors: Sharma Prafull , Philip Julien , Gharbi Michaël , Freeman Bill , Durand Fredo , Deschaintre Valentin
Published: July 2023

Separating an image into meaningful underlying components is a crucial first step for both editing and understanding images. We present a method capable of selecting the regions of a photograph exhibiting the same material as an artist-chosen area. Our proposed approach is robust to shading, specular highlights, and cast shadows, enabling selection in real images. As we do not rely on semantic segmentation (different woods or metal should not be selected together), we formulate the problem as a similarity-based grouping problem based on a user-provided image location. In particular, we propose to leverage the unsupervised DINO [Caron et al. 2021] features coupled with a proposed Cross-Similarity Feature Weighting module and an MLP head to extract material similarities in an image. We train our model on a new synthetic image dataset, that we release. We show that our method generalizes well to real-world images. We carefully analyze our model's behavior on varying material properties and lighting. Additionally, we evaluate it against a hand-annotated benchmark of 50 real photographs. We further demonstrate our model on a set of applications, including material editing, in-video selection, and retrieval of object photographs with similar materials.
Fluid Cohomology
Authors: Yin Hang , Nabizadeh Mohammad Sina , Wu Baichuan , Wang Stephanie , Chern Albert
Published: July 2023

The
vorticity-streamfunction
formulation for incompressible inviscid fluids is the basis for many fluid simulation methods in computer graphics, including vortex methods, streamfunction solvers, spectral methods, and Monte Carlo methods. We point out that current setups in the vorticity-streamfunction formulation are insufficient at simulating fluids on general non-simply-connected domains. This issue is critical in practice, as obstacles, periodic boundaries, and nonzero genus can all make the fluid domain multiply connected. These scenarios introduce nontrivial cohomology components to the flow in the form of harmonic fields. The dynamics of these harmonic fields have been previously overlooked. In this paper, we derive the missing equations of motion for the fluid cohomology components. We elucidate the physical laws associated with the new equations, and show their importance in reproducing physically correct behaviors of fluid flows on domains with general topology.
Learning Physically Simulated Tennis Skills from Broadcast Videos
Authors: Zhang Haotian , Yuan Ye , Makoviychuk Viktor , Guo Yunrong , Fidler Sanja , Peng Xue Bin , Fatahalian Kayvon
Published: July 2023

We present a system that learns diverse, physically simulated tennis skills from large-scale demonstrations of tennis play harvested from broadcast videos. Our approach is built upon hierarchical models, combining a low-level imitation policy and a high-level motion planning policy to steer the character in a motion embedding learned from broadcast videos. When deployed at scale on large video collections that encompass a vast set of examples of real-world tennis play, our approach can learn complex tennis shotmaking skills and realistically chain together multiple shots into extended rallies, using only simple rewards and without explicit annotations of stroke types. To address the low quality of motions extracted from broadcast videos, we correct estimated motion with physics-based imitation, and use a hybrid control policy that overrides erroneous aspects of the learned motion embedding with corrections predicted by the high-level policy. We demonstrate that our system produces controllers for physically-simulated tennis players that can hit the incoming ball to target positions accurately using a diverse array of strokes (serves, forehands, and backhands), spins (topspins and slices), and playing styles (one/two-handed backhands, left/right-handed play). Overall, our system can synthesize two physically simulated characters playing extended tennis rallies with simulated racket and ball dynamics. Code and data for this work is available at https://research.nvidia.com/labs/toronto-ai/vid2player3d/.
Orientable Dense Cyclic Infill for Anisotropic Appearance Fabrication
Authors: Chermain Xavier , Zanni Cédric , Martínez Jonàs , Hugron Pierre-Alexandre , Lefebvre Sylvain
Published: July 2023

We present a method to 3D print surfaces exhibiting a prescribed varying field of anisotropic appearance using only standard fused filament fabrication printers. This enables the fabrication of patterns triggering reflections similar to that of brushed metal with direct control over the directionality of the reflections. Our key insight, on which we ground the method, is that the direction of the deposition paths leads to a certain degree of surface roughness, which yields a visual anisotropic appearance. Therefore, generating dense cyclic infills aligned with a line field allows us to grade the anisotropic appearance of the printed surface. To achieve this, we introduce a highly parallelizable algorithm for optimizing oriented, cyclic paths. Our algorithm outperforms existing approaches regarding efficiency, robustness, and result quality. We demonstrate the effectiveness of our technique in conveying an anisotropic appearance on several challenging test cases, ranging from patterns to photographs reinterpreted as anisotropic appearances.
Differential Operators on Sketches via Alpha Contours
Authors: Myronova Mariia , Neveu William , Bessmeltsev Mikhail
Published: July 2023

A vector sketch is a popular and natural geometry representation depicting a 2D shape. When viewed from afar, the disconnected vector strokes of a sketch and the empty space around them visually merge into
positive space
and
negative space
, respectively. Positive and negative spaces are the key elements in the composition of a sketch and define what we perceive as the shape. Nevertheless, the notion of positive or negative space is mathematically ambiguous: While the strokes unambiguously indicate the interior or boundary of a 2D shape, the empty space may or may not belong to the shape's exterior.

For standard discrete geometry representations, such as meshes or point clouds, some of the most robust pipelines rely on discretizations of differential operators, such as Laplace-Beltrami. Such discretizations are not available for vector sketches; defining them may enable numerous applications of classical methods on vector sketches. However, to do so, one needs to define the positive space of a vector sketch, or the
sketch shape.

Even though extracting this 2D sketch shape is mathematically ambiguous, we propose a robust algorithm,
Alpha Contours
, constructing its conservative estimate: a 2D shape containing all the input strokes, which lie in its interior or on its boundary, and aligning tightly to a sketch. This allows us to define popular differential operators on vector sketches, such as Laplacian and Steklov operators.

We demonstrate that our construction enables robust tools for vector sketches, such as As-Rigid-As-Possible sketch deformation and functional maps between sketches, as well as solving partial differential equations on a vector sketch.
3D Gaussian Splatting for Real-Time Radiance Field Rendering
Authors: Kerbl Bernhard , Kopanas Georgios , Leimkuehler Thomas , Drettakis George
Published: July 2023

Radiance Field methods have recently revolutionized novel-view synthesis of scenes captured with multiple photos or videos. However, achieving high visual quality still requires neural networks that are costly to train and render, while recent faster methods inevitably trade off speed for quality. For unbounded and complete scenes (rather than isolated objects) and 1080p resolution rendering, no current method can achieve real-time display rates. We introduce three key elements that allow us to achieve state-of-the-art visual quality while maintaining competitive training times and importantly allow high-quality real-time (≥ 30 fps) novel-view synthesis at 1080p resolution. First, starting from sparse points produced during camera calibration, we represent the scene with 3D Gaussians that preserve desirable properties of continuous volumetric radiance fields for scene optimization while avoiding unnecessary computation in empty space; Second, we perform interleaved optimization/density control of the 3D Gaussians, notably optimizing anisotropic covariance to achieve an accurate representation of the scene; Third, we develop a fast visibility-aware rendering algorithm that supports anisotropic splatting and both accelerates training and allows realtime rendering. We demonstrate state-of-the-art visual quality and real-time rendering on several established datasets.
Seeing Photons in Color
Authors: Ma Sizhuo , Sundar Varun , Mos Paul , Bruschini Claudio , Charbon Edoardo , Gupta Mohit
Published: July 2023

Megapixel single-photon avalanche diode (SPAD) arrays have been developed recently, opening up the possibility of deploying SPADs as generalpurpose passive cameras for photography and computer vision. However, most previous work on SPADs has been limited to monochrome imaging. We propose a computational photography technique that reconstructs high-quality color images from mosaicked binary frames captured by a SPAD array, even for high-dyanamic-range (HDR) scenes with complex and rapid motion. Inspired by conventional burst photography approaches, we design algorithms that jointly denoise and demosaick single-photon image sequences. Based on the observation that motion effectively increases the color sample rate, we design a blue-noise pseudorandom RGBW color filter array for SPADs, which is tailored for imaging dark, dynamic scenes. Results on simulated data, as well as real data captured with a fabricated color SPAD hardware prototype shows that the proposed method can reconstruct high-quality images with minimal color artifacts even for challenging low-light, HDR and fast-moving scenes. We hope that this paper, by adding color to computational single-photon imaging, spurs rapid adoption of SPADs for real-world passive imaging applications.
Semantics and Scheduling for Machine Knitting Compilers
Authors: Lin Jenny , Narayanan Vidya , Ikarashi Yuka , Ragan-Kelley Jonathan , Bernstein Gilbert , Mccann James
Published: July 2023

Machine knitting is a well-established fabrication technique for complex soft objects, and both companies and researchers have developed tools for generating machine knitting patterns. However, existing representations for machine knitted objects are incomplete (do not cover the complete domain of machine knittable objects) or overly specific (do not account for symmetries and equivalences among knitting instruction sequences). This makes it difficult to define correctness in machine knitting, let alone verify the correctness of a given program or program transformation. The major contribution of this work is a formal semantics for knitout, a low-level Domain Specific Language for knitting machines. We accomplish this by using what we call the
fenced tangle
, which extends concepts from knot theory to allow for a mathematical definition of knitting program equivalence that matches the intuition behind knit objects. Finally, using this formal representation, we prove the correctness of a sequence of rewrite rules; and demonstrate how these rewrite rules can form the foundation for higher-level tasks such as compiling a program for a specific machine and optimizing for time/reliability, all while provably generating the same knit object under our proposed semantics. By establishing formal definitions of correctness, this work provides a strong foundation for compiling and optimizing knit programs.
UniTune: Text-Driven Image Editing by Fine Tuning a Diffusion Model on a Single Image
Authors: Valevski Dani , Kalman Matan , Molad Eyal , Segalis Eyal , Matias Yossi , Leviathan Yaniv
Published: July 2023

Text-driven image generation methods have shown impressive results recently, allowing casual users to generate high quality images by providing textual descriptions. However, similar capabilities for editing existing images are still out of reach. Text-driven image editing methods usually need edit masks, struggle with edits that require significant visual changes and cannot easily keep specific details of the edited portion. In this paper we make the observation that image-generation models can be converted to image-editing models simply by fine-tuning them on a single image. We also show that initializing the stochastic sampler with a noised version of the base image before the sampling and interpolating relevant details from the base image after sampling further increase the quality of the edit operation. Combining these observations, we propose UniTune, a novel image editing method. UniTune gets as input an arbitrary image and a textual edit description, and carries out the edit while maintaining high fidelity to the input image. UniTune does not require additional inputs, like masks or sketches, and can perform multiple edits on the same image without retraining. We test our method using the Imagen model in a range of different use cases. We demonstrate that it is broadly applicable and can perform a surprisingly wide range of expressive editing operations, including those requiring significant visual changes that were previously impossible.
Security Regimes: Transnational and Imperial Entanglements
Authors: Al-Bulushi Samar , Ghosh Sahana , Grewal Inderpal
Published: July 2023

This article reviews key theoretical and methodological contributions that anthropologists have made to the study of what we call security regimes. While anthropologists have been instrumental in denaturalizing discourses of security, much of the existing literature on who security actors are or where their work and force are to be found remains focused on the masculinist frontlines and visibly spectacular instances of security state power. We adopt a transnational feminist lens to rethink what we understand security regimes to be and where they are to be found by drawing attention to the multiscalar sites (e.g., home, family, kinship, intimacy) and technologies of rule (e.g., affect, aesthetics, discourse) through which security regimes are constituted, expanded, and challenged. The final section of the review examines methodological and ethical challenges, which are made more complex by the changing profile of the multiply racialized, gendered, nationalized, and classed researchers of security regimes.
Biological Normalcy
Authors: Wiley Andrea S.
Published: July 2023

Contesting ideas about what is “normal” human behavior or biology is a core contribution of anthropology. In efforts to provide more inclusive views of what it means to be human, anthropologists challenge judgments about diverse ways of being, which include assumptions about what it means to be normal. Meanings of the term normal encompass the descriptive (statistical) and the evaluative (normative), i.e., judgments about a given characteristic. In biomedicine, “healthy” is often the value ascribed to normal, but embedded in healthy are biases that derive from particular cultural and historical contexts. Here I review how the term normal is understood and used in anthropological and related studies of human biology and biological variation. I propose the biological normalcy framework for understanding how the statistical and normative meanings of normal mutually inform each other and their consequences for human population biology. Several examples provide illustrations of the framework.
The Invisible Labor and Ethics of Interpreting
Authors: Kunreuther Laura , Rao Sonya
Published: July 2023

In this review, we call for heightened attention to the labor of interpreters to think more reflexively about our own professional ethics and the paradoxes of global capitalism within which both interpreters and anthropologists work. Like other forms of communicative labor, interpretation is often devalued, unrecognized, and uncompensated—a form of invisible labor. Professional language ideologies, some paradoxically perpetuated by the profession itself, contribute to interpreters’ invisibility in their workplaces. Global and multilingual organizations depend on ideologies of transparency and the assumption that language transmission is easy; examining interpreters’ labor ethnographically troubles these assumptions. Interpreters also confront an ethical tension in their position that mirrors a tension in anthropology: namely, between ideals of professional neutrality and analytic distance versus intentional advocacy. The study of interpreters offers ways to critically assess anthropologists’ own professional practices and dig deeply into the contradictions of global capitalism.
Sunset Yellow Electrochemical Sensor Based on a Molecularly Imprinted Poly-Glycine Film-Decorated Pencil Graphite Electrode
Authors: Setiyanto Henry , Hani Sabtin Maulidiyah , Saraswaty Vienna , Noviandri Indra , Rusli Handajaya , Rahayu Ria Sri , Azis Muhammad Yudhistira , Mufti Nandang
Published: July 2023

In this paper, a simple and selective molecularly imprinted polymer film-based electrochemical sensor is made by electropolymerizing glycine in the presence of Sunset yellow (SY) as a template. The thin film electro-polymerization was characterized by cyclic voltammetry and square wave voltammetry. The optimization of important parameters, the removal of Sunset yellow from the developed electrode, analytical performance, and the analysis of a real sample are described. The results showed that the developed sensor is highly selective in the presence of interferents such as sodium chloride, glucose, benzoic acid, lemon yellow and tartrazine up to a 200-fold higher concentration. Under optimized conditions, the linear dynamic range was found to range from 2 to 100 μM, with LOD and LOQ values of 0.753 μM and 2.48 μM respectively. When the proposed sensor was used for the evaluation of a real sample (tomato sauce), a similar result was observed in comparison to high performance liquid chromatography evaluation, indicating the good reliability of our modified sensor. In summary, our proposed sensor is promising for the detection of SY in food products.
Continuously Activated Function of Aluminum in Galvanic Micro Arrays in Contact with Water
Authors: Shrestha Rekha Goswami , Kawakita Jin
Published: July 2023

Galvanic coupled arrays of Aluminum (Al) and Gold (Au) aligned in microgap has displayed high accuracy and sensitivity towards detection of invisibly small water droplets. With Al in moisture sensing chip, 1) formation of Al2O3 layer around Al and 2) decay of Al electrode with time, may interfere its overall activity. In this study, a continuous activation of Al electrode on the sensor chip was performed and investigated through electrochemical evaluation, output current measurement, and SEM observations. Further pH in its vicinity was simulated for ∼2 years. The results showed that a sensing chip exhibits almost steady output current throughout the period. At relatively high current density of 1.25 × 10−6 A.cm−2, obtained in the short circuit, anodic reaction on the Al electrode generates protons. This production of protons reduces the pH to ∼4, where Al2O3 and Al3+ formed on its surface could get dissolved. In addition, Al consumption in 100 ms, i.e. the time for one closed circuit corresponds to 2.26 × 10−17 g.A−1 s−1, which is negligible. The SEM images confirmed unchanged morphology of Al electrodes. The results support the long-term stability of accurate and sensitive sensor chip with galvanic array of Al and Au electrodes.
Charge Transfer Kinetics of the Ti(IV)/Ti(III) Redox Couple in the Cesium Chloride-Cesium Fluoride Melt with Addition of Alkaline Earth Metal Cations
Authors: Vetrova D. A. , Kuznetsov S. A.
Published: July 2023

The electrochemical behavior of the Ti(IV)/Ti(III) redox couple in the CsCl-CsF(10 wt%)-K2TiF6 melt was studied by cyclic voltammetry. The diffusion coefficients of the Ti(IV) complexes were calculated using the Randles-Sevcik equation. The standard rate constants of charge transfer for the Ti(IV)/Ti(III) redox couple in the CsCl-CsF(10 wt%)-K2TiF6 melt without and with additions of alkaline Earth metal cations (Mg2+, Ca2+, Sr2+, Ba2+) were determined. It was found that the rate constants of charge transfer increase with increasing ionic potential of the addition, reaching a maximum value for complexes with outer-sphere cations of magnesium, and this dependence is rectilinear. The activation energies of the charge transfer process in melts with additions of alkaline Earth metal cations were calculated and these values are significantly lower than the activation energy of the initial system CsCl-CsF(10 wt%)-K2TiF6. The kinetic parameters of the Ti(IV)/Ti(III) redox couple in chloride-fluoride melts with different second coordination sphere composition of the complexes were compared.
Exercise training induces depot-specific remodeling of protein secretion in skeletal muscle and adipose tissue of obese male mice
Authors: Montgomery Magdalene K. , De Nardo William , Watt Matthew J.
Published: July 2023

The present study examines the effects of exercise training on protein secretion from fast-twitch and slow-twitch muscle as well as visceral and subcutaneous adipose tissue of obese mice. Although exercise training leads to substantial remodeling of protein secretion from fast-twitch muscle, adipose tissue is completely refractory to exercise regulation.
Mixed Convective Heat Transfer Analysis by Heatlines on a Lid‐Driven Cavity Having Heated Wavy Wall Containing Tilted Square Obstacle
Authors: Ali Md. Yousuf , Alim M. A. , Karim Md. Mashud
Published: July 2023

The current problem studies the mixed convective heat transport by heatlines in lid‐driven cavity having wavy heated walls with two diamond‐shaped obstacles. The left and right vertical walls are both cold, whereas the top wall is adiabatic, and the bottom wavy wall is heated. The relevant governing equation has been calculated through using the finite element method as well as the Galerkin weighted residual approach. The implications of the Reynolds number (10 ≤ Re ≤ 500), Richardson number (0.01 ≤ Ri ≤ 10), Hartman number (0 ≤ Ha ≤ 100), Prandtl number (0.015 ≤ Pr ≤ 10), Undulations number (1 ≤ N ≤ 4), and inner diamond shape obstacle are depicted by the streamlines, isotherms, and the heatlines. The convection heat transfer is observed to be fully developed at a high Prandtl number, whereas heat conduction happens at poor Pr. In particular, the undulations number has the greatest effect on the streamlines and isotherm contrast to a flat area. The Nusselt numbers increase as the Reynolds and Prandtl numbers rise as well. The isotherm, streamlines, heatlines, Nusselt number, and fluid flow are shown graphically for several relevant dimensionless parameters. The result demonstrates that a single oscillation of a heated wall with such a poor Richardson number is optimal heat transport in the cavity. The presence of undulations minimizes the cavity area; the case N = 3 makes quicker fluid motions and better heat transfer in the present research. Additionally, the interior obstacle size reduces the amount of space it takes up within the wavy cavity, and it was observed that the obstacle with diamond size D = 0.15 is better than that with any other size.
Morphological Analyses of Effects of Endodontic Irrigant Solutions Using a Root Canal Model and an Immersion Model
Authors: Kawanishi Yuzo , Maezono Hazuki , Shimaoka Tsuyoshi , Kitatani Takumi , Naito Katsuaki , Sotozono Maki , Klanliang Kittipit , Takahashi Yusuke , Hayashi Mikako
Published: July 2023

Objective. This study aimed to compare an experimental model simulating clinical root canal irrigation (root canal model) with a conventional experimental model immersing dentin sample to irrigants (immersion model) to evaluate removal of the smear layer and decalcification of the root canal dentin using sodium hypochlorite (NaOCl) and two different concentrations of ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA) solution. Materials and Methods. Forty-five single-rooted extracted human teeth were prepared using a Ni–Ti rotary file. EDTA, NaOCl, and citric acid were used in the root canal models and the immersion models. After the irrigation protocol, root canal surfaces were observed under scanning electron microscopy. Residual smear and decalcification of the root canal dentin were evaluated objectively by measuring the percentage of the area occupied by visible dentin tubules, the number of visible dentin tubules, and the mean area of a visible single dentin tubule. Results. Root canal and immersion models with the same irrigation protocol showed significantly different results for smear residues and decalcification of root canal dentin. In the root canal model, neither different EDTA concentrations nor the order of EDTA and NaOCl applications significantly impacted smear residues or decalcification of root canal dentin. Furthermore, no erosion of the root canal dentin surface was observed in any experimental groups in the root canal model using EDTA and NaOCl compared to intact dentin. Conclusions. Experimental design affected results for residual smear layer and decalcification of root canal dentin. The order of EDTA and NaOCl use and the concentration of EDTA did not affect results. EDTA and NaOCl irrigation did not cause erosion in the root canal model in this study.
Sign-Changing Solutions for Kirchhoff-Type Problems with Variable Exponent
Authors: Chu Changmu , Yu Ying
Published: July 2023

This paper is devoted to study a class of Kirchhoff-type problems with variable exponent. By means of the perturbation technique, the method of invariant sets for the descending flow and necessary estimates and the existence of infinitely many sign-changing solutions to this problem are obtained.
Table S4 from Predicted Proteome Association Studies of Breast, Prostate, Ovarian, and Endometrial Cancers Implicate Plasma Protein Regulation in Cancer Susceptibility
Authors: Gregga Isabelle , Pharoah Paul D. P. , Gayther Simon A. , Manichaikul Ani , Im Hae Kyung , Kar Siddhartha P. , Schildkraut Joellen M. , Wheeler Heather E.
Published: July 2023

Table S4. PWAS meta-FDR<0.05 proteins with endometrial cancer associations.
Table S3 from Predicted Proteome Association Studies of Breast, Prostate, Ovarian, and Endometrial Cancers Implicate Plasma Protein Regulation in Cancer Susceptibility
Authors: Gregga Isabelle , Pharoah Paul D. P. , Gayther Simon A. , Manichaikul Ani , Im Hae Kyung , Kar Siddhartha P. , Schildkraut Joellen M. , Wheeler Heather E.
Published: July 2023

Table S3. PWAS meta-FDR<0.05 proteins with ovarian cancer associations.
Data from Combined CDK4/6 and ERK1/2 Inhibition Enhances Antitumor Activity in NF1-Associated Plexiform Neurofibroma
Authors: Flint Alyssa C. , Mitchell Dana K. , Angus Steven P. , Smith Abbi E. , Bessler Waylan , Jiang Li , Mang Henry , Li Xiaohong , Lu Qingbo , Rodriguez Brooke , Sandusky George E. , Masters Andi R. , Zhang Chi , Dang Pengtao , Koenig Jenna , Johnson Gary L. , Shen Weihua , Liu Jiangang , Aggarwal Amit , Donoho Gregory P. , Willard Melinda D. , Bhagwat Shripad V. , Clapp D. Wade , Rhodes Steven D.
Published: July 2023

AbstractPurpose:
Plexiform neurofibromas (PNF) are peripheral nerve sheath tumors that cause significant morbidity in persons with neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1), yet treatment options remain limited. To identify novel therapeutic targets for PNF, we applied an integrated multi-omic approach to quantitatively profile kinome enrichment in a mouse model that has predicted therapeutic responses in clinical trials for NF1-associated PNF with high fidelity.
Experimental Design:
Utilizing RNA sequencing combined with chemical proteomic profiling of the functionally enriched kinome using multiplexed inhibitor beads coupled with mass spectrometry, we identified molecular signatures predictive of response to CDK4/6 and RAS/MAPK pathway inhibition in PNF. Informed by these results, we evaluated the efficacy of the CDK4/6 inhibitor, abemaciclib, and the ERK1/2 inhibitor, LY3214996, alone and in combination in reducing PNF tumor burden in Nf1flox/flox;PostnCre mice.
Results:
Converging signatures of CDK4/6 and RAS/MAPK pathway activation were identified within the transcriptome and kinome that were conserved in both murine and human PNF. We observed robust additivity of the CDK4/6 inhibitor, abemaciclib, in combination with the ERK1/2 inhibitor, LY3214996, in murine and human NF1(Nf1) mutant Schwann cells. Consistent with these findings, the combination of abemaciclib (CDK4/6i) and LY3214996 (ERK1/2i) synergized to suppress molecular signatures of MAPK activation and exhibited enhanced antitumor activity in Nf1flox/flox;PostnCre mice in vivo.
Conclusions:
These findings provide rationale for the clinical translation of CDK4/6 inhibitors alone and in combination with therapies targeting the RAS/MAPK pathway for the treatment of PNF and other peripheral nerve sheath tumors in persons with NF1.
Data from A prognostic model based on residual cancer burden and tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes on residual disease after neoadjuvant therapy in HER2+ breast cancer
Authors: Miglietta Federica , Ragazzi Moira , Fernandes Bethania , Griguolo Gaia , Massa Davide , Girardi Fabio , Bottosso Michele , Bisagni Alessandra , Zarrilli Giovanni , Porra Francesca , Iannaccone Daniela , Dore Leocadia , Gaudio Mariangela , Santandrea Giacomo , Fassan Matteo , Lo Mele Marcello , De Sanctis Rita , Zambelli Alberto , Bisagni Giancarlo , Guarneri Valentina , Dieci Maria Vittoria
Published: July 2023

Abstract
Purpose: We aim to evaluate the prognostic significance of tumor-infiltrating lymphocyte on residual disease (RD-TIL) in HER2+ breast cancer (BC) patients who failed to achieve pathologic-complete response (pCR) after anti-HER2+chemotherapy (CT)-based neoadjuvant treatment (NAT). We assessed the feasibility of combining the prognostic information provided by residual cancer burden (RCB) and RD-TILs into a composite score (RCB+TILs). Experimental Design: HER2+ BC patients treated with CT+anti-HER2-based NAT at three institutions were retrospectively included. RCB and TILs levels were evaluated on hematoxylin and eosin-stained slides from surgical samples according to available recommendations. Overall survival (OS) was used as an outcome measure. Results: 295 patients were included, of whom 195 had RD. RCB was significantly associated with OS. Higher RD-TILs were significantly associated with poorer OS as compared to lower RD-TILs (15% cutoff). In multivariate analysis, both RCB and RD-TIL maintained their independent prognostic value. A combined score, RCB+TIL, was calculated from the estimated coefficient of RD-TILs and the RCB index in a bivariate logistic model for OS. The RCB+TIL score was significantly associated with OS. The C-index for OS of the RCB+TIL score was numerically higher than that of RCB and significantly higher than that of RD-TILs. Conclusions: We have reported an independent prognostic impact of RD-TILs after anti-HER2+CT NAT, which might underlie an imbalance of the RD microenvironment towards immunosuppressive features. We provided a new composite prognostic score based on RCB+TIL, which was significantly associated with OS and proved to be more informative than the isolated evaluation of RCB and RD-TILs.
Phase 1 Study of JNJ-64619178, a Protein Arginine Methyltransferase 5 Inhibitor, in Advanced Solid Tumors
Authors: Vieito Maria , Moreno Victor , Spreafico Anna , Brana Irene , Wang Judy S. , Preis Meir , Hernández Tatiana , Genta Sofia , Hansen Aaron R. , Doger Bernard , Galvao Vladimir , Lenox Laurie , Brown Regina J. , Kalota Anna , Mehta Jaydeep , Pastore Friederike , Patel Bharvin , Mistry Pankaj , Gu Junchen , Lauring Josh , Patel Manish R.
Published: July 2023

Purpose:

In this first-in-human, Phase 1, open-label, multicenter study, we evaluated JNJ-64619178, a selective and potent PRMT5 inhibitor, in patients with advanced malignant solid tumors or non-Hodgkin lymphomas (NHL). The primary objective was to evaluate the safety and to identify a recommended Phase 2 dose (RP2D) of JNJ-64619178.

Patients and Methods:

Adult patients with treatment-refractory advanced solid tumors or NHL and measurable disease received escalating doses of JNJ-64619178 following two schedules (Schedule A: 14 days on/7 days off; Schedule B: every day on a 21-day cycle). Safety, pharmacokinetics (PK), pharmacodynamics (PD), and clinical activity were evaluated.

Results:

Ninety patients received JNJ-64619178. Thrombocytopenia was identified as the only dose-limiting toxicity. JNJ-64619178 showed dose-proportional PK and robust target engagement, as measured by plasma symmetric dimethylarginine, across all dose levels. The objective response rate was 5.6% (5 of 90). Patients with adenoid cystic carcinoma (ACC) had an ORR of 11.5% (3 of 26) and a median progression-free survival of 19.1 months.

Conclusions:

JNJ-64619178 demonstrated manageable dose-dependent toxicity and preliminary evidence of antitumor activity in ACC and other tumor types. Plasma exposure was dose dependent, and target inhibition was maintained with intermittent and continuous dosing. On the basis of safety, clinical activity, PK, and PD findings, two provisional RP2Ds were selected: 1.5 mg intermittently and 1.0 mg once daily. Aside from ACC, clinical benefit was limited, and biomarkers to enrich for responsiveness to PRMT5 inhibition will be needed for further development.
Prognostic Markers of DNA Methylation and Next-Generation Sequencing in Progressive Glioblastoma from the EORTC-26101 Trial
Authors: Kessler Tobias , Schrimpf Daniel , Doerner Laura , Hai Ling , Kaulen Leon D. , Ito Jakob , van den Bent Martin , Taphoorn Martin , Brandes Alba A. , Idbaih Ahmed , Dômont Julien , Clement Paul M. , Campone Mario , Bendszus Martin , von Deimling Andreas , Sahm Felix , Platten Michael , Wick Wolfgang , Wick Antje
Published: July 2023

Purpose:

The EORTC-26101 study was a randomized phase II and III clinical trial of bevacizumab in combination with lomustine versus lomustine alone in progressive glioblastoma. Other than for progression-free survival (PFS), there was no benefit from addition of bevacizumab for overall survival (OS). However, molecular data allow for the rare opportunity to assess prognostic biomarkers from primary surgery for their impact in progressive glioblastoma.

Experimental Design:

We analyzed DNA methylation array data and panel sequencing from 170 genes of 380 tumor samples of the EORTC-26101 study. These patients were comparable with the overall study cohort in regard to baseline characteristics, study treatment, and survival.

Results:

Of patients' samples, 295/380 (78%) were classified into one of the main glioblastoma groups, receptor tyrosine kinase (RTK)1, RTK2 and mesenchymal. There were 10 patients (2.6%) with isocitrate dehydrogenase mutant tumors in the biomarker cohort. Patients with RTK1 and RTK2 classified tumors had lower median OS compared with mesenchymal (7.6 vs. 9.2 vs. 10.5 months). O6-methylguanine DNA-methyltransferase (MGMT) promoter methylation was prognostic for PFS and OS. Neurofibromin (NF)1 mutations were predictive of response to bevacizumab treatment.

Conclusions:

Thorough molecular classification is important for brain tumor clinical trial inclusion and evaluation. MGMT promoter methylation and RTK1 classifier assignment were prognostic in progressive glioblastoma. NF1 mutation may be a predictive biomarker for bevacizumab treatment.
Preclinical Development of Brain Permeable ERβ Agonist for the Treatment of Glioblastoma
Authors: Pratap Uday P. , Tidwell Michael , Balinda Henriette U. , Clanton Nicholas A. , Yang Xue , Viswanadhapalli Suryavathi , Sareddy Gangadhara R. , Liang Dong , Xie Huan , Chen Yidong , Lai Zhao , Tekmal Rajeshwar R. , McHardy Stanton F. , Brenner Andrew J. , Vadlamudi Ratna K.
Published: July 2023

Glioblastoma (GBM) is the most prevalent and aggressive type of adult brain tumors with low 5-year overall survival rates. Epidemiologic data suggest that estrogen may decrease brain tumor growth, and estrogen receptor beta (ERβ) has been demonstrated to exert antitumor functions in GBM. The lack of potent, selective, and brain permeable ERβ agonist to promote its antitumor action is limiting the therapeutic promise of ERβ. In this study, we discovered that Indanone and tetralone-keto or hydroxyl oximes are a new class of ERβ agonists. Because of its high activity in ERβ reporter assays, specific binding to ERβ in polar screen assays, and potent growth inhibitory activity in GBM cells, CIDD-0149897 was discovered as a possible hit by screening a library of compounds. CIDD-0149897 is more selective for ERβ than ERα (40-fold). Treatment with CIDD-0149897 markedly reduced GBM cell viability with an IC50 of ∼7 to 15 μmol/L, while having little to no effect on ERβ-KO cells and normal human astrocytes. Further, CIDD-0149897 treatment enhanced expression of known ERβ target genes and promoted apoptosis in established and patient-derived GSC models. Pharmacokinetic studies confirmed that CIDD-0149897 has systemic exposure, and good bioavailability in the brain. Mice tolerated daily intraperitoneal treatment of CIDD-0149897 (50 mg/kg) with a 7-day repeat dosage with no toxicity. In addition, CIDD-0149897 treatment significantly decreased tumor growth in U251 xenograft model and extended the survival of orthotopic GBM tumor-bearing mice. Collectively, these findings pointed to CIDD-0149897 as a new class of ERβ agonist, offering patients with GBM a potential means of improving survival.
Supplementary Tables 1-2, Supplementary Figures 1-7 from TRIM50 Inhibits Gastric Cancer Progression by Regulating the Ubiquitination and Nuclear Translocation of JUP
Authors: Hu Jiajia , Huang Runjie , Liang Chengcai , Wang Yingnan , Wang Min , Chen Yanxing , Wu Chenyi , Zhang Jinling , Liu Zekun , Zhao Qi , Liu Zexian , Wang Feng , Yuan Shuqiang
Published: July 2023

Supplementary Tables 1-2, Supplementary Figures 1-7
Supplementary Table 1 from TRIM50 Inhibits Gastric Cancer Progression by Regulating the Ubiquitination and Nuclear Translocation of JUP
Authors: Hu Jiajia , Huang Runjie , Liang Chengcai , Wang Yingnan , Wang Min , Chen Yanxing , Wu Chenyi , Zhang Jinling , Liu Zekun , Zhao Qi , Liu Zexian , Wang Feng , Yuan Shuqiang
Published: July 2023

The primer sequences used.
Supplementary Table 3 from Hierarchical Phosphorylation of HOXB13 by mTOR Dictates Its Activity and Oncogenic Function in Prostate Cancer
Authors: Chen Yonghong , Dufour Catherine R. , Han Lingwei , Li Ting , Xia Hui , Giguère Vincent
Published: July 2023

Supplementary Table 3. List of reagents, plasmids, antibodies, and human RT-qPCR primers used in this study.
Supplementary Table 1 from Hierarchical Phosphorylation of HOXB13 by mTOR Dictates Its Activity and Oncogenic Function in Prostate Cancer
Authors: Chen Yonghong , Dufour Catherine R. , Han Lingwei , Li Ting , Xia Hui , Giguère Vincent
Published: July 2023

Supplementary Table 1. RNA-seq analysis of LNCaP HOXB13 KD cells rescued with HOXB13 WT, HOXB13 phospho-deficient mutant 3A, or empty vector (EV) control ± R1881 for 24h.
Supplementary Figure 2 from Hierarchical Phosphorylation of HOXB13 by mTOR Dictates Its Activity and Oncogenic Function in Prostate Cancer
Authors: Chen Yonghong , Dufour Catherine R. , Han Lingwei , Li Ting , Xia Hui , Giguère Vincent
Published: July 2023

Supplementary Figure 2. HOXB13 additional phosphorylation at S31 is still dependent on mTOR activity.
Data from TRIM50 inhibits gastric cancer progression by regulating the ubiquitination and nuclear translocation of JUP
Authors: Hu Jiajia , Huang Runjie , Liang Chengcai , Wang Yingnan , Wang Min , Chen Yanxing , Wu Chenyi , Zhang Jinling , Liu Zekun , Zhao Qi , Liu Zexian , Wang Feng , Yuan Shuqiang
Published: July 2023

Abstract
Gastric cancer (GC) is one of the most frequent cancers in the world. Emerging clinical data show that ubiquitination system disruptions are likely involved in carcinoma genesis and progression. However, the precise role of ubiquitin (Ub)-mediated control of oncogene products or tumor suppressors in GC is unknown. Tripartite motif-containing 50 (TRIM50), an E3 ligase, was discovered by high-output screening of ubiquitination-related genes in tissues from GC patients to be among the ubiquitination-related enzymes whose expression was most downregulated in GC. With two different databases, we verified that TRIM50 expression was lower in tumor tissues relative to normal tissues. TRIM50 also suppressed GC cell growth and migration in vitro and in vivo. JUP, a transcription factor, was identified as a new TRIM50 ubiquitination target by mass spectrometry and coimmunoprecipitation experiments. TRIM50 increases JUP K63-linked polyubiquitination mostly at the K57 site. We discovered that the K57 site is critical for JUP nuclear translocation by prediction with the iNuLoC website and further studies. Furthermore, ubiquitination of the K57 site limits JUP nuclear translocation, consequently inhibiting the MYC signaling pathway. These findings identify TRIM50 as a novel coordinator in GC cells, providing a potential target for the development of new GC treatment strategies.
Implications: TRIM50 regulates GC tumor progression, and this study suggests TRIM50 as a new cancer target.