# game: pulsating as a Toffoli gate: Parrondo's paradox with a three-state coin (heads, tails, and a side)

<< Parrondo's paradox - an apparent paradox in which two losing strategies combine to make a winning strategy - can emerge as a coin game with a single coin in the quantum realm, but only when the coin has three states (heads, tails, and a side) rather than the conventional two. >>

<< In the new study, [AA] have demonstrated a Parrondo's game using a three-state coin, which they represent with a qutrit, a quantum system with three states. >>

Lisa Zyga. Parrondo's paradox with a three-sided coin. Phys.org. July 11, 2018.

https://m.phys.org/news/2018-07-parrondo-paradox-three-sided-coin.html

Jishnu Rajendran, Colin Benjamin. Playing a true Parrondo's game with a three-state coin on a quantum walk. EPL. 2018; 122(4). June 28.

http://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1209/0295-5075/122/40004/meta

https://arxiv.org/abs/1710.04033

Also

"Toffoli gate"

# qubit: three-qubit operation with the Toffoli gate for scalable semiconductor quantum processors. Mar 4, 2018.

https://flashontrack.blogspot.com/2018/03/qubit-three-qubit-operation-with.html

FonT

quando lessi per la prima volta in bibliografia circa il "Parrondo Game"  mi venne in mente una strategia che avevo immaginato e piu' volte usato a suo tempo - da meta'  anni '70 a tutti gli anni '80 (e oltre) - composta da una sorta di "tit-for-tat stocastico" cioe' una strategia di gioco di  "cooperazione/ defezione" con decisioni di scelta pilotate da "lancio di moneta" all'interno di due (e poi anche tre) scenari riconducibili al tipo Parrondo ... in pratica la generazione di scenari senz'altro di  "frontiera", evolutivi,  immediatamente generabili all'interno di situazioni (se-si-puo-dire ... or, namely, "sire-die-soup") del tipo "standard", supposte "lineari".  Anzicheforse.

1668 - ramificata tinnula (di carmina fluitantia). Jun 9, 2005.

https://inkpi.blogspot.com/2005/06/1668-ramificata-tinnula-di-carmina.html

"charlie"

https://inkpi.blogspot.com/search?q=charlie

# brain: to defocus your thoughts

<< If you want more aha moments, you must first scour some relevant material to give your unconscious something to work on. Then, Schooler [Jonathan W. Schooler] recommends finding time for unfocused thinking. >>

Emma Young. How to hack your unconscious… to find your inner creativity. July 25, 2018.

https://www.newscientist.com/article/0-how-to-hack-your-unconscious-to-find-your-inner-creativity/

https://twitter.com/newscientist/status/1022244023350820865

Claire M. Zedelius, Jonathan W. Schooler. Mind wandering “Ahas” versus mindful reasoning: alternative routes to creative solutions. Front. Psychol. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2015.00834. June 17, 2015.

https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2015.00834/full

# phys: a holographic image of a black hole

<< by applying a magnetic field to a small, irregularly shaped graphene flake, the flake becomes a quantum hologram of a black hole. This means that the graphene flake recreates the spatial structure and characteristic properties of a black hole, but in a much smaller, lower-dimensional system. >>

<< The type of holographic duality illustrated by the SYK [Sachdev-Ye-Kitaev] model is particularly interesting because it exhibits some of the signature properties of black holes, such as non-zero residual entropy and quantum chaos propagation. >>

Lisa Zyga. Holographic image of a black hole proposed in a graphene flake. Phys.org. July 25, 2018.

https://m.phys.org/news/2018-07-holographic-image-black-hole-graphene.html

Anffany Chen, R. Ilan, F. de Juan, D. I. Pikulin, and M. Franz. Quantum Holography in a Graphene Flake with an Irregular Boundary. Phys. Rev. Lett. 121, 036403. July 18,  2018

https://journals.aps.org/prl/abstract/10.1103/PhysRevLett.121.036403

https://arxiv.org/abs/1802.00802 

# acad: when the academy pays the worst better

<< The vice-chancellors of some of the country’s worst performing universities are among the highest paid, a study has found. >>

<< In contrast, many of the heads of institutions with higher league table rankings are paid less. >>

Claire Duffin. How worst universities give their chiefs bumper salaries. Daily Mail. Jan 1, 2018.

https://www.pressreader.com/uk/daily-mail/20180101/281840054047672

Also

Susan Adams. The Highest-Paid CEOs Are The Worst Performers, New Study Says. Jun 16, 2014.

https://www.forbes.com/sites/susanadams/2014/06/16/the-highest-paid-ceos-are-the-worst-performers-new-study-says/#51fcef407e32

FonT

questa news la devo a mia moglie Tamara, anche lei curiosa e tenace  nomade di labirinti ...

# trade: job career quick transitions, from Silicon Valley to the Cannabis Marketplace

<< For decades, those looking to change the world arrived in Silicon Valley seeking the latest frontier: social media companies, gadget makers, delivery and transportation apps, e-commerce platforms. >>

<< But as the emerging markets of yesterday become today's stalwarts, a growing number of technology workers are migrating to an even newer sector-so new that it isn't legal at the federal level. >>

<<  The U.S. cannabis market is expected to grow to $75 billion in sales by 2030 from $10 billion, said Troy Dayton, chief executive of cannabis investment and market research firm Arcview. >>

<< Eaze, which aspires to be something of an Amazon for pot, has raised more than $50 million from tech investors such as DCM and Fresh VC. PAX Labs, whose cannabis vaporizers resemble Apple gadgets, has raised more than $100 million from Silicon Valley and institutional investors. And Baker Technologies, which is essentially a Salesforce for dispensaries, made it into 500 Startups' prestigious accelerator program in 2015. >>

Tracey Lien. They worked at Apple, Amazon and Lyft. Now they're working to get you stoned.  Los Angeles Times. July 17, 2018.

https://m.phys.org/news/2018-07-apple-amazon-lyft-theyre-stoned.html

FonT

quando uno scientist di talento (anche  fortunato) oppure una pulsiva AI oppure entrambi disegneranno la/una "magica stringa" fisiologica, priva di effetti collaterali di rilievo, anche questi lucrosi mercati a iniziativa piu' o meno individuale evaporeranno, io penso ...

"magic string" in:
https://flashontrack.blogspot.com/2018/07/pharma-ethno-drug-revisited-ayahuasca.html

# behav: social isolation vs. evolutionary dynamics

<< For some animals—such as beetles, ants, toads, and primates—short-term social isolation can be just as vital as social interaction to development and long-term evolution. In a review published July 17 in the journal Trends in Ecology & Evolution, two evolutionary biologists describe approaches for testing how an animal's isolation might impact natural selection and evolution. >>

Social isolation: Animals that break away from the pack can influence evolution. Cell Press. Jul 17, 2018.

https://m.phys.org/news/2018-07-social-isolation-animals-evolution.html

AA << suggest that the 'index of social isolation', the mismatch between actual and optimal social interaction experienced by individuals within a population, may play a key role in releasing cryptic genetic variation, adaptation rates, diversification patterns, and ecosystem-level processes. Evolutionary dynamics arising from social isolation could have significant impacts in applied settings such as conservation, animal breeding, control of biological invasions, and evolutionary resilience to anthropogenic change. >>

Nathan W. Bailey, Allen J. Moore.  Evolutionary Consequences of Social Isolation. Trends in Ecology & Evolution. doi: 10.1016/j.tree.2018.05.008. Jul 17, 2018.

https://www.cell.com/trends/ecology-evolution/abstract/S0169-5347(18)30120-4

# acad: oops! when a big research (MACH15 clinical study, funded by several million dollars) can go wrong

<< The National Institutes of Health plans to end funding to the Moderate Alcohol and Cardiovascular Health (MACH) trial. The decision is based on concerns about the study design that cast doubt on its ultimate credibility.  >>

NIH to end funding for Moderate Alcohol and Cardiovascular Health trial. Jun 15, 2018.

https://www.nih.gov/news-events/news-releases/nih-end-funding-moderate-alcohol-cardiovascular-health-trial   

<< last month, the National Institutes of Health took the unusual step of shutting down one of its own clinical trials - a $100 million dollar experiment gone wrong. The announcement followed an internal investigation, prompted by a dogged New York Times report, that uncovered inappropriate interactions between the alcohol industry (Anheuser-Busch InBev, Heineken, and others) and the NIAAA in the execution of MACH15. >>

Jeremy Samuel Faust. A Major Industry-Funded Alcohol Study Was Compromised. How Many Others Are Out There?  The most salient takeaway from the collapse of the MACH15 trial is that the conflicts of interest at its core are probably not as rare as we think. Jul 13, 2018

https://undark.org/article/mach15-alcohol-nih-industry-funding

# astro: after Florence, the binary nature of the near-Earth asteroid 2017 YE5, as dark as charcoal.

<< Near-Earth asteroid 2017 YE5 was discovered with observations provided by the Morocco Oukaimeden Sky Survey on Dec. 21, 2017. >>

<< On June 24 (..) they were able to confirm that 2017 YE5 consists of two separated objects. By June 26, both Goldstone and Arecibo had independently confirmed the asteroid's binary nature. >>

<< At its closest approach to Earth, the asteroid came to within 16 times the distance between Earth and the moon. >>

<< 2017 YE5 is likely as dark as charcoal. >>

Calla Cofield. Observatories team up to reveal rare double asteroid. Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Jul 13, 2018.

https://m.phys.org/news/2018-07-observatories-team-reveal-rare-asteroid.html  

Also

<< Asteroid Florence, a large near-Earth asteroid, will pass safely by Earth on Sept. 1, 2017, at a distance of about 4.4 million miles, (7.0 million kilometers, or about 18 Earth-Moon distances). Florence is among the largest near-Earth asteroids that are several miles is size; measurements from NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope and NEOWISE mission indicate it's about 2.7 miles (4.4 kilometers) in size. >>

Large asteroid to safely pass Earth on September 1. NASA. Aug 18, 2017.

https://m.phys.org/news/2017-08-large-asteroid-safely-earth-september.html

# gst: the 'memory' of a friction

<< Contrary to what you may have learned in high school, friction between two surfaces is not constant. For a wide range of materials and surface types, it increases with time, as microscopically uneven surfaces deform and come into closer contact. Experiments now find an additional wrinkle: friction can have a memory, meaning that it can depend not only on the current state of the interface but also on how it got there. The findings hint at connections between friction and the behavior of glasses and other disordered systems and, in the long run, may influence how scientists think about friction associated with earthquakes, industrial machinery, and micromachines. >>

David Lindley. Focus: Friction Remembers Its Origins. Physics 11, 55. Jun 1, 2018

https://physics.aps.org/articles/v11/55

# behav: compassionate ants

<< Open wounds are a major health risk in animals, with species prone to injuries likely developing means to reduce these risks. >>

AA << analysed the behavioural response towards open wounds on the social and individual level in the termite group-hunting ant Megaponera analis.  During termite raids, some ants get injured by termite soldiers (biting off extremities), after the fight injured ants get carried back to the nest by nest-mates. [AA] observed treatment of the injury by nest-mates inside the nest through intense allogrooming at the wound. Lack of treatment increased mortality from 10% to 80% within 24 h, most likely due to infections. >>

Erik T. Frank, Marten Wehrhahn, K. Eduard Linsenmair. Wound treatment and selective help in a termite- hunting ant. Proc Royal Soc B - Biol Sci. doi: 10.1098/rspb.2017.2457. Feb 14,  2018.

http://rspb.royalsocietypublishing.org/content/285/1872/20172457

Mike Jeffries. These ants have evolved a complex system of battlefield triage and rescue. The Conversation. Apr 17, 2018.

https://m.phys.org/news/2018-04-ants-evolved-complex-battlefield-triage.html

# ai-bot: actually, things could start to get out of control

<< It’s clear that companies have identified the value of bots and integrated them into their sales, customer service, and human resource processes. But now individuals are also starting to use them to navigate through the bot-heavy world of the internet, which leads to bot-bot interactions where humans are not involved anymore. >>

<<  If bots are now more efficient than people, they can get things done in a way humans can’t  - and we all know this. But when there’s also a bot on the other side, things start to get out of control. >>

Andreas Berger. Bot vs. Bot: Will the Internet Soon Be a Place Without Humans? Jul 07, 2018.

https://singularityhub.com/2018/07/07/bot-vs-bot-will-the-internet-soon-be-a-place-without-humans/

# lang: talking drums (manguare' drums) among Amazonian Bora people to compress and trasmit messages around 20km

<< The Boras use manguare' drums in two ways. One is the "musical mode," which is used to perform memorised drum sequences with little or no variation as part of rituals and festivals. The other is the "talking mode," which is used to transmit relatively informal messages and public announcements >>

Amazonian Bora people mimic the rhythm of their language for communication over large distances using drums. Max Planck Society. Apr 24, 2018.

https://m.phys.org/news/2018-04-amazonian-bora-people-mimic-rhythm.html

Frank Seifart, Julien Meyer, et al. Reducing language to rhythm: Amazonian Bora drummed language exploits speech rhythm for long-distance communication. Royal Soc Open Sci. doi: 10.1098/rsos.170354. Apr 25, 2018.

http://rsos.royalsocietypublishing.org/content/5/4/170354

# behav: prawns (P. elegans) have personalities; cautious crustaceans do better in the battle for food

<< Animal 'personality', the phenomenon of consistent individual differences in behaviour within populations, has been documented widely >>

AA << tested this idea, using rockpool prawns, Palaemon elegans, to test for a correlation between 'high-risk exploration' and the ability to monopolize a limited resource. >>

AA << found significant negative correlations between feeding duration and two 'risky' behaviours, such that individuals that took fewer risks fed more >>

<< alternative strategies for acquiring limited resources might thereby contribute to the maintenance of personality variation observed in wild populations. >>

Daniel K.Maskrey, Stephen J.White, et al. Who dares does not always win: risk-averse rockpool prawns are better at controlling a limited food resource. Animal Behaviour.  2018; 140: 187-197. doi: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2018.04.023. May 28, 2018.

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0003347218301416

Cautious prawns win battle for food. University of Exeter. June 1, 2018.

https://m.phys.org/news/2018-06-cautious-prawns-food.html

# ecol: the revegetation of Heroshah (Pakistan)

<< In 2015 and 2016 some 16,000 labourers planted more than 900,000 fast-growing eucalyptus trees at regular, geometric intervals in Heroshah- and the titanic task is just a fraction of the effort across the province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. >>

<< Heroshah and Swat plantations are part of the "Billion Tree Tsunami", a provincial government programme that has seen a total of 300 million trees of 42 different species planted across Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. >>

<< A further 150 million plants were given to landowners, while strict forest regeneration measures have allowed the regrowth of 730 million trees-roughly 1.2 billion new trees in total, the programme's management says. >>

Joris Fioriti. Green gold: Pakistan plants hundreds of millions of trees. June 26, 2018.

https://m.phys.org/news/2018-06-green-gold-pakistan-hundreds-millions.html    

# pharma: an ethno-drug revisited ... Ayahuasca, prelude of a "magic string" in neuropharmacology

To [AA] << knowledge, this is the first controlled trial to test a psychedelic substance in treatment-resistant depression. Overall, this study brings new evidence supporting the safety and therapeutic value of ayahuasca, dosed within an appropriate setting, to help treat depression. >>

Palhano-Fontes F, Barreto D, et al.  Rapid antidepressant effects of the psychedelic ayahuasca in treatment-resistant depression: a randomized placebo-controlled trial. Psychol Med. 2018 Jun 15:1-9. doi: 10.1017/S0033291718001356.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/29903051

<< Ayahuasca is a mixture of herbs, traditionally used for spiritual and therapeutic purposes. The main active ingredients are N,N-DMT, a potent psychedelic, and several molecules that inhibit the enzyme MAO. The MAO inhibitors serve to prevent the N,N-DMT from being broken down by the digestive system, allowing it to enter the bloodstream and cause hallucinations and other alterations of consciousness. >>

Ayahuasca, the Psychedelic Antidepressant? Neuroskeptic. June 17, 2018.

http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/neuroskeptic/2018/06/17/psychedelic-antidepressant-ayahuasca/

John Horgan. Yes, Make Psychedelics Legally Available, but Don't Forget the Risks. SciAm. July 6, 2018.

https://blogs.scientificamerican.com/cross-check/yes-make-psychedelics-legally-available-but-dont-forget-the-risks/

Also:

"magic string"

# pharma: waiting for new 'magic strings': psilocybin to treat depression. Oct 17, 2017.

https://flashontrack.blogspot.com/2017/10/pharma-waiting-for-new-strings.html

# s-brain: 70-years after; Dr. Albert revisited. Aug 22, 2016.

https://flashontrack.blogspot.com/2016/08/s-brain-70-years-after-dr-albert.html

# s-pharma-n-ethnomed: psilocybin. Dec 14, 2015.

https://flashontrack.blogspot.com/2015/12/s-pharma-n-ethnomed-psilocybin.html

# behav: reconciliation following conflicts in wolves compared to dogs

<< Highly cooperative social species are expected to engage in frequent reconciliation following conflicts in order to maintain pack cohesiveness and preserve future cooperation. >>

AA << provide evidence for reconciliation in captive wolves, which are highly dependent on cooperation between pack members, while domestic dogs, which rely on conspecific cooperation less than wolves, avoided interacting with their partners after conflicts. >>

Simona Cafazzo, Sarah Marshall-Pescini, et al. The effect of domestication on post-conflict management: wolves reconcile while dogs avoid each other. Royal Society Open Science. doi: 10.1098/rsos.171553.  July 4, 2018

http://rsos.royalsocietypublishing.org/content/5/7/171553 

Bob Yirka. Study suggests dogs have lost ability to reconcile after violent conflicts. July 4, 2018

https://m.phys.org/news/2018-07-dogs-lost-ability-violent-conflicts.html

# evol: defining 'species', a 'fuzzy art' in a fuzzy world ...

<< there are "n+1 definitions of 'species' in a room of n biologists." >> John S. Wilkins.

Susan Milius. Defining 'species' is a fuzzy art. A schoolroom word. A vital concept. A beast to define. Science News. 192 (8): 22. Nov 1, 2017.

https://www.sciencenews.org/article/defining-species-fuzzy-art

FonT

"n+1" or, maybe,  "n+m" ...

# evol: high-latitude and low surface temperatures cause the fastest rates of fish speciation

<< the fastest rates of speciation occur in species-poor regions outside the tropics, and that high-latitude fish lineages form new species at much faster rates than their tropical counterparts. High rates of speciation occur in geographical regions that are characterized by low surface temperatures and high endemism. >>

AA << results reject a broad class of mechanisms under which the tropics serve as an evolutionary cradle for marine fish diversity and raise new questions about why the coldest oceans on Earth are present-day hotspots of species formation. >>

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-018-0273-1

Daniel L. Rabosky, Jonathan Chang, et al. An inverse latitudinal gradient in speciation rate for marine fishes.
Nature. July 4, 2018. doi: 10.1038/s41586-018-0273-1

<< Our results are counterintuitive and unexpected, because we find that speciation is actually fastest in the geographic regions with the lowest species richness. (..) Extinction is the missing piece of this puzzle >> Daniel Rabosky

Frigid polar oceans, not balmy coral reefs, are species-formation hot spots. University of Michigan. July 4, 2018.

https://m.phys.org/news/2018-07-frigid-polar-oceans-balmy-coral.html

also

# s-evol: early life in cold ocean. March 20, 2016.

https://flashontrack.blogspot.com/2016/03/s-evol-early-life-in-cold-ocean.html