# gst: the role of turbulence in the formation of self-organizing patterns

<< What part of the 'self' is responsible for the 'organization?' That role is performed by the unstable modes ('control modes') which alter the position and stability of the local equilibria that drive the time-evolution of the system >> Jacob Halatek

<< These turbulences (..) do not result in the complete loss of order (..) precisely the opposite occurs. When we destabilize the system, we observe that turbulence develops relatively rapidly. But upon further perturbation, the system undergoes a transition in which it is far from equilibrium, but nevertheless clearly ordered and non-turbulent >> Erwin Frey

Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich. Pattern formation - the paradoxical role of turbulence.
Feb 19, 2018.

https://m.phys.org/news/2018-02-pattern-formationthe-paradoxical-role-turbulence.html  

Jacob Halatek, Erwin Frey. Rethinking pattern formation in reaction- diffusion systems. Nature Physics. doi: 10.1038/s41567-017-0040-5. Feb 19, 2018.

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41567-017-0040-5

# behav: cockroaches, more about

AA have found << that not only do cockroaches have unique individual personalities, but their differences can also have an impact on group dynamics >>

AA << suggests that varying degrees of personality differences in individuals is likely part of what allows cockroaches to adapt to new surroundings so easily. Brave individuals may forge a new path, while those that are shy remain behind, safe, should a nasty fate await those who venture out >>

Bob Yirka. Study shows cockroaches have individual personalities that impact group dynamics. Feb 4, 2015.

https://m.phys.org/news/2015-02-roaches-individual-personalities-impact-group.html

<< Many studies on collective behaviour underestimate the role of individual personality and, as a result, personality is rarely analysed in the context of collective dynamics. Here, [AA] show evidence of sheltering behaviour personality in a gregarious insect (Periplaneta americana), which is characterized by a collective personality at the group level >>

Isaac Planas-Sitja, Jean-Louis Deneubourg, et al.  Group personality during collective decision-making: a multi-level approach. Proc. R. Soc. B 2015; 282 20142515. doi: 10.1098/rspb.2014.2515. Feb 4, 2015.

http://rspb.royalsocietypublishing.org/content/282/1802/20142515

Also

# s-behav: the beetle Carabaeus lamarcki, dancer and sky analyzer. May 14, 2016.

http://flashontrack.blogspot.it/2016/05/s-behav-beetle-carabaeus-lamarcki.html

Also

http://flashontrack.blogspot.it/search?q=cockroach

# brain: cockroaches, a spatial representation of the olfactory space

AA were able << to show - for the first time - the existence of a spatial representation of the olfactory space in the brain of a cockroach >>

University of Konstanz. Spatial perception of odorants in cockroaches. Feb 19, 2018.

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2018/02/180219103904.htm

AA << identified 12 types of pheromone-responsive projection neurons (..), each with spatially tuned receptive field >>

Hiroshi Nishino, Masazumi Iwasaki, et al. Spatial Receptive Fields for Odor Localization. Current Biology 2018; 28 (4): 600 - 608.e3. doi: 10.1016/j.cub.2017.12.055.  Feb 8, 2018.

http://www.cell.com/current-biology/fulltext/S0960-9822(17)31688-3

# evol: cockroaches, the most detailed information about their evolutionary history

<< As a widespread group of insects with a fossil record dating back 300 My, cockroaches provide an ideal model for testing hypotheses of vicariance through plate tectonics versus transoceanic dispersal >>

AA << analyses provide evidence that both vicariance and dispersal have played important roles in shaping the distribution and diversity of these insects >>

Thomas Bourguignon, Qian Tang, et al.  Transoceanic Dispersal and Plate Tectonics Shaped Global Cockroach Distributions: Evidence from Mitochondrial Phylogenomics. Molecular Biology and Evolution. doi: 10.1093/molbev/msy013. Feb 06,  2018.

https://academic.oup.com/mbe/advance-article-abstract/doi/10.1093/molbev/msy013/4827068

Oxford University Press. Cockroach ancient geographic and genomic history traced back to last supercontinent. Feb 6, 2018

https://m.phys.org/news/2018-02-cockroach-ancient-geographic-genomic-history.html 

# chem: how to quickly wrap droplets with a splash to stabilize emulsions

<< Whether an object has a regular or irregular shape, wrapping it with a thin film can be challenging >>

Deepak Kumar, Joseph D. Paulsen, et al.  Wrapping with a splash: High-speed encapsulation with ultrathin sheets. Science. 2018; 359 (6377): 775 - 8. doi: 10.1126/science.aao1290. Feb 16, 2018.

http://science.sciencemag.org/content/359/6377/775

<< The quick and simple solution Kumar [Deepak Kumar] has found is a huge advance, and once he mastered it and identified the most important parameters, he found he could get adventurous and make different shapes. "We show that we have made cubes and a tetrahedron, for example" >>

<< If you want to add complexity, you could put a layer or a pattern on the inside of the wrapping, or you could add a window to make it slightly leaky. Once you know how to do the technique, it's not fussy. >>

University of Massachusetts Amherst. Physicists speed up droplet-wrapping process. Feb 15, 2018.

https://m.phys.org/news/2018-02-physicists-droplet-wrapping.html

# soc: just only one #POTUS Donald's (chaotic) tweet to change the course of California's 2018 elections, by John

<< Well, there's a guy who was supported by 76% of the party's voters in the PPIC survey. That would be Trump. And he's got an effective way to ensure a chosen candidate gets a ton of free attention. Yes, a presidential tweet. >>

<< The flip side, of course, is that an embrace from Trump could turn off millions of otherwise persuadable California voters. But for a party with limited options, firing up the voters you already have may be better than doing nothing at all. >>

John Myers. How one Trump tweet could change the course of California's 2018 elections. Feb 18, 2018.

http://www.latimes.com/politics/la-pol-ca-road-map-trump-endorsement-republicans-governor-20180218-story.html

https://twitter.com/latimes/status/965137674112774145

<< His tweets have the power to shape international relations, send stock prices up — or down — and galvanize the American public. >>

Everything President Trump has tweeted (and what it was about)

http://www.latimes.com/politics/la-pol-updates-everything-president-trump-has-tweeted-and-what-it-was-about-2017-htmlstory.html

# chem: strange labyrinth structures when a crystal is split in two

<< what happens when the periodic pattern [of a ionic crystal] comes to an abrupt end? >>

<< If one splits a cubic crystal along a certain direction, one can end up with only positive or only negative charges at the surface. Such a situation would be highly unstable >>

<< Strangely though, by raising the temperature of the surface slightly, the islands break apart and the atoms form a labyrinth of jagged lines >>

<< The labyrinth structures are not only beautiful ... >>

Vienna University of Technology. Strange things happen when a crystal is split in two. Feb 2, 2018.

https://m.phys.org/news/2018-02-strange-crystal.html 

Martin Setvin, Michele Reticcioli, et al. Polarity compensation mechanisms on the perovskite surface KTaO3(001). Science. 2018; 359 (6375): 572 - 5. doi: 10.1126/science.aar2287. Feb 2, 2018.

http://science.sciencemag.org/content/359/6375/572

# epidem: they fall from the sky

<< Aerosolization of soil-dust and organic aggregates in sea spray facilitates the long-range transport of bacteria, and likely viruses across the free atmosphere. >>

The << results provide an explanation for enigmatic observations that viruses with very high genetic identity can be found in very distant and different environments. >>

Isabel Reche, Gaetano D’Orta, et al. Deposition rates of viruses and bacteria above the atmospheric boundary layer. The ISME Journal.
doi: 10.1038/s41396-017-0042-4. Jan 29,  2018.

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41396-017-0042-4

University of British Columbia.  Viruses - lots of them - are falling from the sky. Feb 6, 2018.

https://m.phys.org/news/2018-02-viruseslots-themare-falling-sky.html

# astro: we have to escape with a speed of 550 km/s

<< When a rocket is launched into space, it is thrown out with a speed of 11 km/s to overcome the Earth's gravitational pull [..] Our home galaxy, the Milky Way, is over a trillion times heavier than our tiny planet Earth so to escape its gravitational pull we have to launch with a speed of 550 km/s. >> Prajwal Kafle.

International Centre for Radio Astronomy Research. Milky Way ties with neighbor in galactic arms race. Feb 14, 2018.

https://m.phys.org/news/2018-02-milky-ties-neighbor-galactic-arms.html  

FonT

intrigante il video che simula la collisione- fusione

# lang: language is learned in brain circuits that preexist humans

AA << study provides strong evidence that language—indeed both first and second language—is learned, in specific ways, by general-purpose neurocognitive mechanisms that preexist Homo sapiens >>

<< our substantial knowledge of the general-purpose mechanisms, from both animal and human studies, may also apply to language >>

Phillip Hamrick, Jarrad A G Lum,  Michael T Ullman. Child first language and adult second language are both tied to general-purpose learning systems. PNAS. doi: 10.1073/pnas.1713975115. Jan 29, 2018.

http://www.pnas.org/content/early/2018/01/25/1713975115

Georgetown University Medical Center. Language is learned in brain circuits that predate humans. Jan 30, 2018.

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2018/01/180130094713.htm

# brain: controlling consciousness

<< There is current controversy regarding the role of prefrontal versus posterior cortices in consciousness. >>

AA << demonstrate that cholinergic stimulation of prefrontal cortex, but not parietal cortical areas, restored wakefulness in rats >>

AA << conclude that cholinergic mechanisms in prefrontal cortex can control the level of consciousness. >>

Dinesh Pal, Jon Dean, et al. Differential role of prefrontal and parietal cortices in controlling level of consciousness. bioRxiv. doi: 10.1101/262360. Feb 8, 2018.

https://www.biorxiv.org/content/early/2018/02/08/262360

https://twitter.com/biorxivpreprint/status/961721894352445440

# game: chaotic effects of crosstalk injection in social dilemmas

<< In the theory of repeated games, it is a tacit assumption that the various games that a person plays simultaneously have no effect on each other. [AA] introduce a general framework that allows us to analyze “crosstalk” between a player’s concurrent games. In the presence of crosstalk, the action a person experiences in one game can alter the person’s decision in another. >>

Johannes G. Reiter, Christian Hilbe, et al. Crosstalk in concurrent repeated games impedes direct reciprocity and requires stronger levels of forgiveness. Nature Communications 2018; 9 (555). doi: 10.1038/s41467-017-02721-8. Feb 7, 2018.

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-017-02721-8  

Researchers develop the first model to capture crosstalk in social dilemmas. Institute of Science and Technology,  Austria. Feb 8, 2018.

https://m.phys.org/news/2018-02-capture-crosstalk-social-dilemmas.html

FonT

percio' si usano "ambiguita'", "pettegolezzo", "fake news" per direzionare, disorientare,  colpevolizzare, isolare individui, gruppi, moltitudini ...

Also

# n-soc: fake news, by slow or/and fast catalysis, everyday, everywhere, in all ages.

https://flashontrack.blogspot.it/2017/02/n-soc-fake-news-by-slow-orand-fast.html

Also

<< Il ruolo sociale del pettegolezzo e' immenso. [..] Il pettegolezzo e' una inquisizione continua e reciproca, uno spionaggio e una sorveglianza di tutti da parte di tutti, a tutte le ore del giorno e della notte. >>

Tarde, Gabriel. Ecrits de psychologie sociale. Cit. Prigogine, Ilya. La Nuova Alleanza. Milano: Longanesi & C., 1979,  pp.147-149. Trad. Morchio, Renzo.

# web: Facebook, every mistake you can imagine, by Mark

<<  "Over the years, I've made almost every mistake you can imagine," the Facebook co-founder said on his personal page >>

Zuckerberg acknowledges 'mistakes' as Facebook turns 14. Feb 5, 2018.

https://m.phys.org/news/2018-02-zuckerberg-acknowledges-facebook.html

FonT
non ho letto il post di Mark Zuckerberg perche' non sono mai (qui si sottolinea "mai") stato iscritto a Facebook;  certo e' che dopo questo post il sospetto declina in certezza:  la moltitudine dei suoi utenti giovandosi di tali servizi non sembra messa molto bene  ... mah

# evol: the rare art of surviving: the case of Actinopterygians ray-finned fishes

<< Actinopterygians (ray-finned fishes) successfully passed through four of the big five mass extinction events of the Phanerozoic >>

<< Many researchers have assumed that the Permo-Triassic mass extinction (..) and end-Triassic extinction (..) had little impact on actinopterygians, despite devastating many other groups. >>

Fiann M. Smithwick, Thomas L. Stubbs. Phanerozoic survivors: Actinopterygian evolution through the Permo-Triassic and Triassic-Jurassic mass extinction events.  Evolution. 2018; 72 (2): 348 - 62. doi: 10.1111/evo.13421. Feb 2, 2018

http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/evo.13421/abstract

University of Bristol. The resilience of ray-finned fishes. Feb 5, 2018.

https://m.phys.org/news/2018-02-resilience-ray-finned-fishes.html 

# web: about ghostly followers: the real Jessica

<< The real Jessica [..] is a Minnesota teenager with a broad smile and wavy hair. [..] But on Twitter, there is a version of Jessica that none of her friends or family would recognize. >>

<< The accounts that most resemble real people [..] reveal a kind of large-scale social identity theft. At least 55,000 of the accounts use the names, profile pictures, hometowns and other personal details of real Twitter users, including minors, according to a Times data analysis. >>

<< By some calculations, as many as 48 million of Twitter’s reported active users - nearly 15 percent - are automated accounts designed to simulate real people, though the company claims that number is far lower. >>

Nicholas Confessore, Gabriel JX  Dance, Richard Harris, Mark Hansen.  The Follower Factory. Jan 27, 2018.

https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2018/01/27/technology/social-media-bots.html

<< A big chunk of those "likes," "retweets," and "followers" lighting up your Twitter account may not be coming from human hands. According to new research from the University of Southern California and Indiana University, up to 15 percent of Twitter accounts are in fact bots rather than people. >>

Michael Newberg. As many as 48 million Twitter accounts aren't people, says study. March 10, 2017.

https://www.cnbc.com/2017/03/10/nearly-48-million-twitter-accounts-could-be-bots-says-study.html

Onur Varol, Emilio Ferrara, et a. Online Human-Bot Interactions: Detection, Estimation, and Characterization. arXiv: 1703.03107.v2 Mar 27, 2017.

https://arxiv.org/pdf/1703.03107.pdf

Allie Nicodemo. Why buy social bots? For 'illusion of popularity,' researcher says. Jan 30, 2018

https://m.phys.org/news/2018-01-social-bots-illusion-popularity.html

# ecol: first census of Zanzibar Red Colobus monkey

AA << present the first systematic assessment of the population, demography and distribution of the Endangered Zanzibar red colobus Piliocolobus kirkii, in Unguja in the Zanzibar archipelago >>

AA << estimate the total population comprises 5,862 individuals in 342 groups (mean group size 17.12); 3.4 times the mean of all previous estimates >>

<< The results indicate that P. kirkii is resilient and thriving far better than assumed >>

Tim RB Davenport, Said A Fakih, et al.  Zanzibar's  endemic red colobus Piliocolobus kirkii: first systematic  and total assessment  of population, demography and distribution. Oryx, 1-9. doi: org/10.1017/S003060531700148X. Dec 07, 2017

https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/oryx/article/zanzibars-endemic-red-colobus-piliocolobus-kirkii-first-systematic-and-total-assessment-of-population-demography-and-distribution/F084062464F9C99208E5F7E8CB155880

Wildlife Conservation Society. Hope for one of the world's rarest primates: First census of Zanzibar Red Colobus monkey. Dec 14, 2017.

https://m.phys.org/news/2017-12-world-rarest-primates-census-zanzibar.html

# gene: inducing pluripotent stem cells from mice skin cells using CRISPR tech.

<< In a scientific first, researchers at the Gladstone Institutes turned skin cells from mice into stem cells by activating a specific gene in the cells using CRISPR technology. The innovative approach offers a potentially simpler technique to produce the valuable cell type and provides important insights into the cellular reprogramming process. >>

Gladstone Institutes. Researchers create first stem cells using CRISPR genome activation. Jan 18, 2018.

https://m.phys.org/news/2018-01-stem-cells-crispr-genome.html

AA << study generated authentic iPSCs [induced pluripotent stem cells] with CRISPR activation through precise epigenetic remodeling of endogenous loci and shed light on how targeted chromatin remodeling triggers pluripotency induction. >>

Peng Liu, Meng Chen, et al. CRISPR-Based Chromatin Remodeling of the Endogenous Oct4 or Sox2 Locus Enables Reprogramming to Pluripotency. Cell Stem Cell. 2018; 22 (2): 252 - 61.e4

http://www.cell.com/cell-stem-cell/fulltext/S1934-5909(17)30501-5

# gst: an intriguing model of pulsating dissolution

<< The reaction of crystalline material with fluids is of relevance for natural and technical processes. A basic assumption has been that the reaction products are continuously released from the crystal surface. New experimental and analytical results show something fundamentally different: Material is released in a series of reaction pulses. >>

Cornelius Fischer, Andreas Luttge. Pulsating dissolution of crystalline matter. PNAS 2018; 115 (5) 897-902. doi: 10.1073/pnas.1711254115. Jan 30, 2018.

http://www.pnas.org/content/115/5/897

Helmholtz Association of German Research Centres. Study: Pulsating dissolution found in crystals. Jan 17, 2018.

https://m.phys.org/news/2018-01-pulsating-dissolution-crystals.html