# s-food-behav: a case of deranged cannibals that devour their offspring ...

<< The major consumption of corn leads to infanticide among the Great hamster, a rodent threatened in Alsace, according to a recent study highlighting "problems related to monoculture" >>

Marlowe Hood. Corn turning French hamsters into deranged cannibals: research. Jan. 27, 2017

https://m.phys.org/news/2017-01-corn-french-hamsters-deranged-cannibals.html

<< maize-based diets cause high rates of maternal infanticides in the European hamster, a farmland species on the verge of extinction in Western Europe. Vitamin B3 supplementation is shown to effectively restore reproductive success in maize-fed females >>

Mathilde L. Tissier, Yves Handrich, et al. Diets derived from maize monoculture cause maternal infanticides in the endangered European hamster due to a vitamin B3 deficiency. Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences. Publ. 18 Jan. 2017.  DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2016.2168

http://rspb.royalsocietypublishing.org/content/284/1847/20162168

# s-ai: AI perform better than 75% of

<< A Northwestern University team has developed a new visual problem-solving computational model that performs in the 75th percentile for American adults on a standard intelligence test >>

AI system performs better than 75 percent of American adults on standard visual intelligence test.  Could shrink the gap between computer and human cognition.  Jan. 20, 2017

http://www.kurzweilai.net/ai-system-performs-better-than-75-percent-of-american-adults-on-standard-visual-intelligence-test

Andrew Lovett, Kenneth Forbus. Modeling visual problem solving as analogical reasoning. Psychol. Review, 2017; 124 (1): 60 DOI: 10.1037/rev0000039

http://psycnet.apa.org/?&fa=main.doiLanding&doi=10.1037/rev0000039

# s-behav: like a Shakespearean band of brothers

<< in-group favoritism and out-group prejudice may rest on more ancient origins than has been presumed >>

<< Chimpanzees are like a band of brothers in the Shakespearean spirit of Henry the Fifth's St. Crispin day speech >>

Oxytocin enhances social affiliation in chimpanzee groups. Dec. 27, 2016

http://m.phys.org/news/2016-12-oxytocin-social-affiliation-chimpanzee-groups.html

Liran Samuni, Anna Preis, et al. Oxytocin reactivity during intergroup conflict in wild chimpanzees. Dec. 27, 2016 doi: 10.1073/pnas.1616812114  Jan. 10, 2017 vol. 114 no. 2 268-273

http://m.pnas.org/content/114/2/268.abstract

# s-gst: lastly, they indicate the generality of that

<< Lastly, [AA] indicate the generality of this phenomenon by demonstrating suppression of chaotic oscillations by coupling to a common hyper-chaotic system. These results then indicate the easy controllability of chaotic oscillators by an external chaotic system, thereby suggesting a potent method that may help design control strategies. >>

Sudhanshu Shekhar Chaurasia, Sudeshna Sinha. Suppression of chaos through coupling to an external chaotic system. 2 Jul 2016.

https://arxiv.org/abs/1607.00462

also: https://arxiv.org/find/all/1/all:+AND+suppression+chaos/0/1/0/all/0/1

# s-cells: disassembling to create undifferentiated (stem) entities

AA << have  published a study demonstrating how specialized proteins are  able to  change  the identity, or cellular  characteristics,  of skin cells and  create induced  pluripotent  stem cells, which have  the ability to turn into  any cell type  in  the  body. >>

Mirabai Vogt-James. Study pinpoints how skin cells' identity can be disassembled to create stem cells. Jan 20, 2017.

https://m.phys.org/news/2017-01-skin-cells-identity-disassembled-stem.html

<< Oct4, Sox2, Klf4, and cMyc (OSKM) reprogram somatic cells to pluripotency. >>

Constantinos Chronis, Petko Fiziev, Bernadett Papp et al. Cooperative Binding of Transcription Factors Orchestrates Reprogramming. Cell (2017). DOI: 10.1016/j.cell.2016.12.016 Publ. Jan.19, 2017

http://www.cell.com/cell/abstract/S0092-8674(16)31730-5

# s-acad: null results also to be published

<< Translational Behavioral Medicine, a major scientific behavioral medicine journal, now publishes research studies that have null results. >>

<< Some in the scientific community view null results research as a failure because, by its very definition, a null result means what you expected would happen in your study did not happen. >>

<< But Translational Behavioral Medicine (TBM) Editor-in-Chief Suzanne Miller-Halegoua, PhD, disagrees with that assessment. >>

Lindsay Bullock. Null results research now published by major behavioral medicine journal. Jan 3, 2017

https://scienmag.com/null-results-research-now-published-by-major-behavioral-medicine-journal/

http://www.springer.com/medicine/journal/13142

# s-evol: an ancient marine subtle cracking: the retroviral lineage from early Paleozoic

AA << phylogenetic  analyses  suggest  that  this  major  retroviral  lineage, and  therefore  retroviruses  as  a  whole,  have  an  ancient  marine origin  and  originated  together  with,  if  not  before,  their  jawed vertebrate  hosts  >450  million  years  ago  in  the  Ordovician  period, early  Palaeozoic  Era. >>

Pakorn  Aiewsakun,  Aris  Katzourakis. Marine  origin  of  retroviruses  in  the early  Palaeozoic  Era. Nature  Communications 8 , Article  number:  13954  (2017) doi :10.1038/ncomms13954. 10  Jan. 2017.

http://www.nature.com/articles/ncomms13954

# s-ageing: epigenetic regulation of ageing

<< In  vitro  cellular reprogramming through the expression of the four transcription factors OCT4, SOX2, KLF4 and MYC (OSKM) has been shown to ameliorate age-associated cellular phenotypes, including gene  expression  profiles,  telomere length and oxidative stress >>

Kim Baumann. Forever young. Nature Reviews Molecular Cell Biology. Publ online 5 Jan 2017; doi:10.1038/nrm.2016.176

http://www.nature.com/nrm/journal/vaop/ncurrent/full/nrm.2016.176.html

# n-trade: 'free' global trade (with gov central command) does not hurt; do not worry, west ...

Jane Cai, Wendy Wu. Don't blame globalisation for world's ills, Xi Jinping tells Davos. Publ. 17 Jan., 2017 5:23pm

http://m.scmp.com/news/china/economy/article/2062840/watch-xi-jinping-live-davos

# s-evol: just three traits to explain, by Tereza & John

AA << found that just three traits explained most variation in diversification and species numbers among phyla: the most successful phyla have a skeleton (either internal or external), live on land (instead of in the ocean), and parasitize other organisms. >>

<< Other traits, including those that might seem more dramatic, had surprisingly little impact on diversification and species numbers: evolutionary accomplishments such as having a head, limbs, and complex organ systems for circulation and digestion don't seem to be primary accessories in the evolutionary "dress for success."  >>

<< "Parasitism isn't correlated with any of the other traits, so it seems to have a strong effect on its own," said Wiens [John Wiens]. >>

How to be winner in the game of evolution. Jan. 13, 2017

https://m.phys.org/news/2017-01-winner-game-evolution.html

Tereza Jezkova, John J. Wiens. What Explains Patterns of Diversification and Richness among Animal Phyla? The American Naturalist (2017). DOI: 10.1086/690194

http://www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/10.1086/690194

# n-trade: they are wasting time and money to save, by Albert

<<  Italy is in the midst of a serious banking crisis, but the government is wasting both time and money trying to save the country's struggling lenders >>

<< the sector's mountains of bad loans are only a symptom , not the cause of Italy's problems >>

<< Italy is totally moribund >>

Société Générale strategist Albert Edwards.

Sara Sjolin. Permabear Edwards: 'Waste of time' to save Italian banks. Publ. Jan 13, 2017 2:45 am

http://www.marketwatch.com/story/permabear-edwards-waste-of-time-to-save-italian-banks-2017-01-12

More:

<< le banche italiane sono rischiose come quelle di Turchia, Thailandia, Irlanda e Brasile e (..)  il loro livello di rischio è superiore a quello delle banche polacche e spagnole >>

<< stiamo parlando di uno stock intorno ai 260 miliardi >> Mirko Sanna, S&P.

Laura Naka Antonelli. Banche italiane, S&P: “rischiose come quelle di Brasile e Turchia”. 13 Gen 2017

http://www.wallstreetitalia.com/banche-italiane-sp-rischiose-come-quelle-di-brasile-e-turchia/

# n-trade: 'unexpected' chaotic rally for George

<< Billionaire hedge-fund manager George Soros lost nearly $1 billion as a result of the stock-market rally spurred by Donald Trump's surprise presidential election >>

Gregory Zuckerman, Juliet Chung. Hedge Funds. Billionaire George Soros Lost  Nearly $1 Billion in Weeks  After Trump Election. Jan. 13, 2017  4:10  a.m.  ET

http://www.wsj.com/articles/billionaire-george-soros-lost-nearly-1-billion-in-weeks-after-trump-election-1484227167

<< Questa volta invece Soros è stato vittima della "sindrome Brexit": prigioniero anche lui della convinzione che le vittorie populiste affondano i mercati. Non sempre è così. O almeno non subito. >>

Federico Rampini. Finanza Usa, Soros sbaglia su Trump e perde un miliardo di dollari. 13 Gennaio 2017

http://www.repubblica.it/economia/finanza/2017/01/13/news/soros_trump-155929113/

More:

"Donald", in:

http://flashontrack.blogspot.it/

# s-evol: the paradox of speciation

<< the paradox of speciation: a gradual, continuous process that ultimately leads to distinct biological entities >>

Genome study reveals 'gray zone' of animals transitioning from one species to two. Dec. 27, 2016.

http://m.phys.org/news/2016-12-genome-reveals-gray-zone-animals.html

AA << show  that  the  "grey zone"  of  speciation — the  intermediate  state  in  which  species  definition  is controversial — spans  from  0.5%  to  2%  of  molecular  divergence,  with  these thresholds  being  independent  of  species  life  history  traits  and  ecology. >>

Roux C, Fraisse C, et al. Shedding Light on the Grey Zone of Speciation along a Continuum of Genomic Divergence. PLoS Biol 2016; 14(12): e2000234. Publ. Dec. 27, 2016. DOI: 10.1371/journal.pbio.2000234

http://journals.plos.org/plosbiology/article?id=10.1371/journal.pbio.2000234

# n-soc: the next step of a "liquid society": Jia Jia, they will love "her" ...

<<  "You are a handsome man," she [Jia Jia] complimented one, but when asked later if she has a boyfriend, replied, "I prefer to stay single." >>

<< The humanoid robot 'Jia Jia' was created by a team of engineers from the University of Science and Technology of China >>

<<  "In 5-10 years there will be a lot of applications for robots in China," Chen [Chen Xiaoping] said >>

<< Jia Jia is not quite there yet, but Chen sees a bright future for her kind in China >>

Chinese humanoid robot turns on the charm in Shanghai. Jan. 9, 2017

https://m.phys.org/news/2017-01-bionic-woman-chinese-robot-charm.html

more about "liquid society": Zygmunt Bauman. "Liquid modernity". Polity Pr (2000).

https://www.amazon.it/Liquid-Modernity-Zygmunt-Bauman/dp/0745624103

FonT: un funambolico ipotetico scenario  potrebbe animarsi nella forma di ipotetica Entita' AI "Jia Jia", attraente, dolce, morbida, flessuosa, sempre presente nel reale, intima assistente personale di ipotetico Donald, a suo tempo gia' compiutamente crackata da un assolutamente ipotetico "Vladimir-lui-senz'altro-sa-come-si-fa" ...

# s-ethno: Bushmen revisited, by @scienmag

<< Change begins at the end of your comfort zone >> @scienmag 8 Gen 2017 18:00

https://mobile.twitter.com/scienmag/status/818276109561331712

# s-ecol: a solitary Chemist against a "Cockroach Inverse Wave" hypothesis

<< La soglia minima per “bocciare” un dipendente è fissata a quota 50 punti, mentre a Genchi (dottor Gioacchino Genchi, chimico) era stata assegnata una valutazione di 58,01: in pratica mancavano i presupposti legali a supporto dell’ incredibile sanzione inibitoria, per il semplice fatto che il dipendente non aveva demeritato neanche nel punteggio che gli era stato assegnato dai suoi superiori. >>

Lino Buscemi. Sicilia, “sull’isola la matematica è relativa: lo strano caso del dottor Genchi”. F. Q. 7 Gen 2017

http://www.ilfattoquotidiano.it/2017/01/07/sicilia-sullisola-la-matematica-e-relativa-lo-strano-caso-del-dottor-genchi/3299042/

<< percio' e in definitiva se (beninteso, se e solo se) costui evitera' (#1) sara' per svista di dis tratto (#2) e non per altro ... >> Anonymous, XX e.V.

(#1): azzeramento
(#2): burocrate

# e-qubit: quantum algorithm(s) ready to leap out

<< I tell my students that 2017 is the year of braiding. >> Leo Kouwenhoven

Davide Castelvecchi. Quantum computers ready to leap out of the lab in 2017. Nature. Volume: 541,  Pages: 9–10 Date publ.: 05 Jan. 2017 DOI:  doi :10.1038/541009a

http://www.nature.com/news/quantum-computers-ready-to-leap-out-of-the-lab-in-2017-1.21239

FonT: quando "the (qubit) year of braiding" sara' realta', i sistemi di crittografia entreranno in stati di  ampia e risonante fibrillazione, immagino ...

# s-brain: 'silent' macaques

<< the evolution of human speech capabilities required neural changes rather than modifications of vocal anatomy. Macaques have a speech-ready vocal tract but lack a speech-ready brain to control it >>

Macaque monkeys have the anatomy for human speech, so why can’t they speak? Dec. 14, 2016

http://www.kurzweilai.net/macaque-monkeys-have-the-anatomy-for-human-speech-so-why-cant-they-speak

W. Tecumseh Fitch, Bart de Boer, Neil Mathur and Asif A. Ghazanfar. Monkey vocal tracts are speech-ready. Science Advances.  09 Dec 2016: Vol. 2, no. 12, e1600723
DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.1600723

http://advances.sciencemag.org/content/2/12/e1600723

# s-astro: exploring the sea of ‘noise’ to understand intricacies

<< Rather than trying to filter out the signal “noise” from stars around which exoplanets are orbiting, (AA) studied all of the signal information together to understand the intricacies within its structure >>

Jim Shelton. Searching a sea of ‘noise’ to find exoplanets — using only data as a guide.  Dec. 20, 2016

http://news.yale.edu/2016/12/20/searching-sea-noise-find-exoplanets-using-only-data-guide

Sahil Agarwal, Fabio Del Sordo and John S. Wettlaufer. Exoplanetary Detection by  multifractal spectral analysis. Publ. 2016  Dec.  20, 2016. The  Astronomical  Journal, Volume  153, Number  1;  doi 10.3847/1538-3881/153/1/12

http://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.3847/1538-3881/153/1/12

# s-behav: soon we'll love the way Japan loves ...

<< Japan has a long ongoing love affair with humanoid robots >>

<<  It involves the concept 'The Uncanny Valley' (translated from 'Bukimi no Tani Genshō'), which was coined by Japanese robotics professor Masahiro Mori in 1970. It means that there is a correlation between how human a robot's appearance and actions are and how we view them >>

<< In Buddhism or Animism, everything has a spiritual aspect, including machines >>

Marc Prosser. Soon We'll All Love Robots the Way Japan Loves Robots. Oct 20, 2016.

http://singularityhub.com/2016/10/20/soon-well-all-love-robots-the-way-japan-loves-robots