# life: to save Western lifestyle from a catapulting collapse (caused by one or two Wuhan "achoo") use a techno mask (e.g. "cowboy" or "burqa" techno masks)

<< WHEN YOU LOOK at photos of Americans during the 1918 influenza pandemic, one feature stands out above all else: masks.  (..)  Newspapers published instructions for sewing masks at home. >>

<< After the 1918 pandemic, the prophylactic use of masks among the general public largely fell out of favor in America and much of the West. The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has almost never advised healthy people to wear masks in public to prevent influenza or other respiratory diseases. In the past few months, with medical supplies dangerously diminished, the CDC, US surgeon general Jerome Adams, and the World Health Organization have urged people not to buy masks, paradoxically claiming that masks are both essential for the safety of health care workers and incapable of protecting the public from Covid-19. >>

<< Recently, some experts have disputed this contradictory advice. They propose that widespread use of masks is one of the many reasons why China, Japan, South Korea, and Taiwan have controlled outbreaks of coronavirus much more effectively than the US and Europe. "Of course masks work," sociologist Zeynep Tufekci wrote in a New York Times editorial. "Their use has always been advised as part of the standard response to being around infected people." Public health expert Shan Soe-Lin and epidemiologist Robert Hecht made a similar argument in the Boston Globe (..) Last week, George Gao, director-general of the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, said that America and Europe are making a "big mistake" by not telling the public to wear masks during the ongoing pandemic. >>

<< N95s (N95 mask) are so-named because they filter out 95 percent of particles with a diameter of 0.3 microns, (..) Particles 0.3 microns wide are just the right size to ride a stream of air through a filter’s fibrous maze, but it is still possible to thwart them with enough twists and turns.>>

<< the bacterium that causes anthrax is 0.8 microns wide and 1.4 microns long, whereas influenza viruses and coronaviruses are usually between 0.08 and 0.12 microns. But microbes expelled from someone’s respiratory tract are rarely naked: the droplets they travel in range in size from 0.6 to more than 1,000 microns. >>

<< Although surgical masks are not tightly sealed like N95s, the filters they contain are still a major impediment to microbes. The CDC and other health agencies often say that surgical masks catch only spurts of bodily fluids and very large respiratory droplets, and that they cannot filter tiny infectious particles. But this is simply not true. >>

<< Because so many trials find only a marginal benefit or none at all, some health agencies have decided against recommending masks to the general public. But the inconsistency of randomized trials does not negate the robust physical evidence that masks block respiratory droplets and microbes.  >>

<< "To be honest, it’s common sense," says Tang (virologist Julian Tang). "If you put something in front of your face, it’s going to help more than not." If enough people wear masks at least somewhat correctly at least some of the time, the overall benefits could be dramatic. A 2011 review of high-quality studies found that among all physical interventions used against respiratory viruses-including handwashing, gloves, and social distancing-masks performed best, although a combination of strategies was still optimal. >>

It's Time to Face Facts, America: Masks Work. Official advice has been confusing, but the science isn't hard to grok. Everyone should cover up. Wired. Ideas. March 30, 2020.

https://www.wired.com/story/its-time-to-face-facts-america-masks-work/

Also 

a funky, immediate approach of the sneezing from Wuhan (a relative safe barrier - this device is NOT a filter) FonT.  Mar 20, 2020

https://flashontrack.blogspot.com/2020/03/life-funky-immediate-approach-of.html

Also

climate change plus Zika, then a behavioral transition, hat burqa- like everywhere ... FonT.  Mar13, 2016.

https://flashontrack.blogspot.com/2016/03/s-epidemiol-climate-change-plus-zika.html

Also

keyword 'virus' in FonT

https://flashontrack.blogspot.com/search?q=virus

keyword 'virus' in Notes (quasi- stochastic poetry)

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

keyword 'snake' in FonT

https://flashontrack.blogspot.com/search?q=snake

keyword 'bat' in FonT

https://flashontrack.blogspot.com/search?q=bat

# evol: the feathered dinosaur may have been one of the last surviving raptors

<< A new feathered dinosaur that lived in New Mexico 67 million years ago is one of the last known surviving raptor species, >>

<< Dineobellator notohesperus adds to scientists' understanding of the paleo-biodiversity of the American Southwest, offering a clearer picture of what life was like in this region near the end of the reign of the dinosaurs. >>

<< Jasinski (Steven Jasinski) and his coauthors gave the species its official name, Dineobellator notohesperus, which means "Navajo warrior from the Southwest," in honor of the people who today live in the same region where this dinosaur once dwelled. >>

New feathered dinosaur was one of the last surviving raptors. University of Pennsylvania. Mar 26, 2020.

https://m.phys.org/news/2020-03-feathered-dinosaur-surviving-raptors.html

Steven E. Jasinski, Robert M. Sullivan,   Peter Dodson. New Dromaeosaurid Dinosaur (Theropoda, Dromaeosauridae) from New Mexico and Biodiversity of Dromaeosaurids at the end of the Cretaceous. Sci Rep 10, 5105. doi: 10.1038/s41598-020-61480-7. Mar 26, 2020.

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-020-61480-7

# gst: hyperuniform- disordered platforms to create, detect and manipulate light

AA << introduced a hyperuniform-disordered platform to realize near-infrared photonic devices to create, detect and manipulate light. >>

Thamarasee Jeewandara. Hyperuniform disordered waveguides and devices for near infrared silicon photonics. Phys.org. Jan 13, 2020. 

https://m.phys.org/news/2020-01-hyperuniform-disordered-waveguides-devices-infrared.html

AA << show that the hyperuniform-disordered platform enables improved  compactness, enhanced energy efficiency, and better temperature  stability compared to the silicon  photonics devices based on rib and  strip waveguides. >>

Milan M. Milosevic, Weining Man, et al. Hyperuniform disordered waveguides and devices for near infrared silicon photonics. Sci Rep 9, 20338. doi: 10.1038/s41598-019-56692-5. Dec 30, 2019.

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-019-56692-5

# life: a bizarre role of reversal within a hypothetical POTUSrace game; now playing: 'generous' Donald vs 'predator' Covid-19

<< Always good to make sure: Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin, the lead negotiator for President Donald Trump on this package, was asked Wednesday morning if the President would sign the agreement. Mnuchin: "Absolutely, absolutely." >>

Phil Mattingly. Congress on track to pass the largest emergency aid deal in US history. CNN. Updated 1403 GMT (2203 HKT) Mar 25, 2020.

https://edition.cnn.com/2020/03/25/politics/coronavirus-stimulus-bill-state-of-play/index.html

Kevin Breuninger. Trump wants direct payments of $1,000 for adults, $500 for kids in coronavirus stimulus bill, Mnuchin says. Mar 19, 2020 09:30 AM ETD

https://www.cnbc.com/2020/03/19/coronavirus-trump-wants-payments-of-1000-for-adults-500-for-kids.html

Also 

#life; #POTUSrace; a bizarre hypothesis of that game, a (not real, theoretical) 'generous' Charlie vs. a (not real, theoretical) 'predator' Donald ... Jun 12, 2016.  

15:53  Feb 24, 2020.

https://twitter.com/flashontrack/status/1231955346534682626

never boring with chaos and tit-for-tat theories. FonT. Jun 12, 2016.

https://flashontrack.blogspot.com/2016/06/s-gst-never-boring-with-chaos-and-tit.html

# gst: apropos how to manage misfolding (proteins)

<< Proteins are made up of chains of amino acids and during their formation they must fold to acquire an appropriate shape enabling them to perform their functions. However, when cells are subjected to stress or harm, such as high temperatures, some of the proteins may not fold properly. >>

<< There are three ways to solve the problem. The first option is to try to fix the folding in order to regain function, but this can be tricky because if stress conditions continue, the proteins continue unfolding. A second way is to destroy proteins that have not properly folded by way of machinery called proteasomes. But, in this study we reveal that the dominant route in yeast is a third option consisting of the formation of aggregates to protect misfolded proteins from degradation, >> Elena Hidalgo.

The strategy of cells to deal with the accumulation of misfolded proteins is identified. Universitat Pompeu Fabra. 

 Barcelona.  Feb 21, 2020.

https://m.phys.org/news/2020-02-strategy-cells-accumulation-misfolded-proteins.html

Margarita Cabrera, Susanna Boronat, et al. Chaperone-Facilitated Aggregation of Thermo-Sensitive Proteins Shields Them from Degradation during Heat Stress. Cell Reports. Vol 30, Issue 7, P2430-2443.E4. Feb 18, 2020. 

https://www.cell.com/cell-reports/fulltext/S2211-1247(20)30102-9

# gst: monkeyflower Mimulus code, with a simple spot generator inside

<< Many organisms exhibit visually striking spotted or striped pigmentation patterns. Developmental models predict that such spatial patterns can form when a local autocatalytic feedback loop and a long-range inhibitory feedback loop interact. At its simplest, this self-organizing network only requires one self-activating activator that also activates a repressor, which inhibits the activator and diffuses to neighboring cells. >>

Baoqing Ding, Erin L. Patterson, et al. 

Two MYB Proteins in a Self-Organizing Activator-Inhibitor System Produce Spotted Pigmentation Patterns. Current Biology.  Vol 30, Issue 5, P802-814.E8.  Mar 9, 2020.

https://www.cell.com/current-biology/fulltext/S0960-9822(19)31700-2

<< Patterns are everywhere in nature, not just color patterns but even how leaves are arranged on a stem, really anything with periodicity. Explaining these patterns could be similar in principle and that is what we're hoping to do, >> Yaowu Yuan

More clues for how the monkeyflower got its spots. University of Connecticut. Feb 20, 2020. 

https://m.phys.org/news/2020-02-clues-monkeyflower.html

# life: a funky, immediate approach of the sneezing from Wuhan (a relative safe barrier - this device is NOT a filter)

if (of course, if and only if) the problem is to save Western civilization from autocatalytic noise (and subsequent psychic, behavioral, political, economical, cultural catapulting collapse) caused by 1,2 sneezing of Wuhan, here a funky, immediate approach;

you have to get it: 

(1) thiny film (e.g. one piece of a thin film roll, made by polyethylene, used to wrap food);

(2) pocket cotton handkerchief  (like the ones used by cowboys, like those popping out of the pocket of the jackets that italian Prime Minister wears, perhaps wider);

(3) scotch tape (transparent adhesive tape);

below the assembly (1-3 minutes to compose it, two or 'n' times a day); 

This device is relatively safe even if your interlocutor spits in your mouth (in that  case, to protect the eyes you remember that you also need protective glasses and any earplugs, disposable gloves ...);

you can get more security by spraying - on the outside of the handkerchief - a mixture of alcohol, hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) and distilled water (the composition indicated by the WHO,  without glycerol);  cfr Guide to Local Production:  WHO-recommended Handrub Formulations  (reagents for formulation 1) Revised April 2010  

https://www.who.int/infection-prevention/tools/hand-hygiene/handrub-formulations/en

doc.pdf

https://www.who.int/gpsc/5may/Guide_to_Local_Production.pdf

With this device you can travel around the city, on buses, on trains, ... in relative safety, yours and your neighbors; 

instead of film roll for food you could use a waterproofing spray but the cost is high and the chemical one is probably toxic for human

Also

keyword 'virus' in FonT

https://flashontrack.blogspot.com/search?q=virus

keyword 'virus' in Notes (quasi- stochastic poetry)

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

keyword 'snake' in FonT

https://flashontrack.blogspot.com/search?q=snake

keyword 'bat' in FonT

https://flashontrack.blogspot.com/search?q=bat

# gst: global dust storms from waves in thin air.

<< Mars has a very thin atmosphere, with nearly one hundredth the density of ours on Earth, and gravity pulls with little more than one third of the strength we feel on our planet. As a result, dust storms can go global. >>

Waves in thin air with broad effects. Instituto de Astrofísica e Ciencias do Espaco. Mar 17, 2020.

https://m.phys.org/news/2020-03-thin-air-broad-effects.html

G.Gilli,  F.Forget, et al. Impact of Gravity Waves on the Middle Atmosphere of Mars: A Non‐Orographic Gravity Wave Parameterization Based on Global Climate Modeling and MCS Observations. Journal of Geophysical Research: Planets. Volume 125, Issue 3.  doi: 10.1029/2018JE005873. Feb 7, 2020.

https://agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1029/2018JE005873

# life: Snake Plissken movies revisited, the chaotic escape from Milan, Paris, ...

 "Call me Snake",  the furious chaotic escape of probably conscious "guests",  'cause of 1,2 initial long-range Wuhan sneezing.

<< Everyone we know in Paris who was able to leave the city have done so. >>  

Henry Samuel. Parisian mother on 

escaping the coronavirus lockdown.  Mar 17, 2020

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2020/03/17/dont-know-would-have-done-parisian-mother-escaping-coronavirus/

Also 

"Call me Snake", by Snake Plissken

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Snake_Plissken

Also

keyword 'snake' in FonT

https://flashontrack.blogspot.com/search?q=snake

keyword 'snake' in Notes (quasi-stochastic poetry)

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

# life: apropos of "herd immunity" ... ,

Apropos of  "herd immunities" ..., 

here a subtle, bizarre convergence with a specific traditional medical behavior, clearly annotaded in the field of ethnomedicine: the "saliva healers"

keyword "saliva" in Notes  (quasistochastic-poetry)

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

keyword "saliva" in FonT

https://flashontrack.blogspot.com/search?q=saliva

keyword "herd | flock immunity" in NCBI

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/m/pubmed/?term=%22Herd+immunity%22

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/m/pubmed/30273325/?i=2&from=%22flock%20immunity%22

Also:  "pruneto di sputo" in  "aqa (any question answered)". May 21, 2005

(quasistochastic-poetry)

https://inkpi.blogspot.com/2005/05/1781-aqa-any-question-answered.html

Also: "dall'orli frangiati di sopratoniche".   in "a pain-suppressive effect".  Nov 14, 2006. (quasistochastic-poetry).

https://inkpi.blogspot.com/2006/11/2086-pain-suppressive-effect.html

# gst: apropos of 'reprogrammed by a virus' (2), the case of 'virocells'

<< If it looks like a duck and quacks like a duck, so the adage goes, it must be a duck. But if the duck gets infected by a virus so that it no longer looks or quacks like one, is it still a duck? >>

Viruses reprogram cells into different virocells. DOE/Joint Genome Institute. 

 Feb 11, 2020.

https://m.phys.org/news/2020-02-viruses-reprogram-cells-virocells.html

<< Ocean viruses are abundant and infect 20–40% of surface microbes. Infected cells, termed virocells, are thus a predominant microbial state. Yet, virocells and their ecosystem impacts are understudied, thus precluding their incorporation into ecosystem models. >>

AA << investigated how unrelated bacterial viruses (phages) reprogram one host into contrasting virocells with different potential ecosystem footprints. >>

<< Ecologically, this work suggests that one cell, infected versus uninfected, can have immensely different metabolisms that affect the ecosystem differently. >>

Howard-Varona C, Lindback MM, et al. Phage-specific metabolic reprogramming of virocells. ISME J. doi: 10.1038/s41396-019-0580-z. Jan 2, 2020.

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41396-019-0580-z

Also

keyword 'virus' in FonT

https://flashontrack.blogspot.com/search?q=virus

keyword 'virus' in Notes (quasi- stochastic poetry)

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

# gst: apropos of 'transitions', liquid-liquid transitions within a one- component system

<< For a long time, the liquid state of pure substances was believed to be a continuous state in which the component atoms or molecules are all equivalent. However, it has now been widely shown that there can be multiple phases within liquids, even those containing only one component. >>

AA << have devised a model based on two factors that describe the ordering of the liquid; the density, and the local organization of the liquid atoms or molecules at a particular point. >>

<< Our Ginzburg-Landau-type model evaluates the system using two order parameters; one that is conserved-density; and one that is not- local structural order (..) What we found was that the growth of the liquid domain we studied was affected by density changes that cause hydrodynamic fluctuations. >> Kyohei Takae.

<< It was shown that when the density changes as a result of the phase transition, hydrodynamic flow is induced leading to changes in both the rate of domain growth and the long-range interaction between the domains. Hydrodynamic interaction was therefore found to be critical to LLT (liquid-liquid transitions) and the pattern evolution and kinetics. >>

But what about flow? The effect of hydrodynamics on liquid-liquid transitions. University of Tokyo. Feb 10, 2020.

https://phys.org/news/2020-02-effect-hydrodynamics-liquid-liquid-transitions.html

Kyohei Takae, Hajime Tanaka. Role of hydrodynamics in liquid–liquid transition of a single-component substance. PNAS. 117 (9) 4471-4479. doi: 10.1073/pnas.1911544117. Mar 3, 2020.

https://www.pnas.org/content/117/9/4471

Also

more on the weirdness of water, "T" and "non-T" Tetrahedral arrangements. Feb 5, 2020. 

https://flashontrack.blogspot.com/2020/02/chem-more-on-weirdness-of-water-t-and.html

Also

keyword 'transition/al' in FonT

https://flashontrack.blogspot.com/search?q=transition

https://flashontrack.blogspot.com/search?q=transitional

keyword 'transizione/i' in Notes (quasi-stochastic poetry)

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

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

keyword 'transizionale/i' in Notes (quasi-stochastic poetry)

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

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

# behav: the pulsating, probabilistic approach among parrots (Nestor notabilis)

<< Parrots can learn to choose based on probability, making them the first animal outside of the great ape family that uses statistical modelling in their decision-making process, >>

<< What was most surprising is that they can integrate social or physical information into their probabilistic judgements, >> Amalia Bastos.

Parrots get probability, use stats to make choices: study.  Mar 3, 2020.

https://m.phys.org/news/2020-03-parrots-probability-stats-choices.html

Amalia P. M. Bastos, Alex H. Taylor. Kea show three signatures of domain-general statistical inference. Nature Communication. Volume 11, Article number: 828. Mar 3, 2020.

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-020-14695-1

Also 

<< Insects are able to solve basic numerical cognition tasks >>

Hannes Rapp, Martin Paul Nawrot, Merav Stern. Numerical Cognition Based on Precise Counting with a Single Spiking Neuron. iScience. Volume 23, Issue 2, 100852. doi: 10.1016/j.isci.2020.100852. Jan 21, 2020.

https://www.cell.com/iscience/fulltext/S2589-0042(20)30035-3

Quantifying objects: Bees recognize that six is more than four.  University of Cologne. Mar 2, 2020.

https://m.phys.org/news/2020-03-quantifying-bees.html

# gst: the sounds that occur when a soap bubble pops.

<< The popping sound of a bursting soap bubble is acquired using microphone arrays and analyzed using spherical harmonics decomposition. >>

the << acoustic emission originates mainly from the capillary stresses exerted by the liquid soap film on the air and that it quantitatively reflects the out-of-equilibrium evolution of the flowing liquid film. (..) the acoustic signature of violent events of physical or biological origin could be used to measure the forces at play during these events. >>

Adrien Bussonniere, Arnaud Antkowiak, et al. Acoustic Sensing of Forces Driving Fast Capillary Flows. Phys. Rev. Lett. 124, 084502 Feb 27, 2020.

https://journals.aps.org/prl/abstract/10.1103/PhysRevLett.124.084502

Bob Yirka. Measuring the sound of a soap bubble popping. Phys.org. Mar 2, 2020.

https://m.phys.org/news/2020-03-soap.html

# gst: apropos of 'fleeting (transient) interactions'

AA << captured highly transient interactions between transcription factors-proteins that control gene expression-and target genes in the genome and showed that these typically missed interactions have important practical implications. >>

<< Our approaches to capturing transient transcription factor-target interactions genome-wide can be applied to validate dynamic interactions of transcription factors for any pathway of interest in agriculture or medicine, >> Gloria Coruzzi. 

Biologists capture fleeting interactions between regulatory proteins and their genome-wide targets. New York University. Mar 2, 2020.

https://m.phys.org/news/2020-03-biologists-capture-fleeting-interactions-regulatory.html

José M. Alvarez, Anna-Lena Schinke, et al. Transient genome-wide interactions of the master transcription factor NLP7 initiate a rapid nitrogen-response cascade. Nat Commun 11, 1157. doi: 10.1038/s41467-020-14979-6. Mar 2, 2020

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-020-14979-6

# life: they used birds to think about and to predict the future.

<< People around the world and throughout history have used birds to think about and predict the future. >>

<< In the Kalahari, southern Africa, !Xõ hunters carefully watch the black-faced babblers after an antelope hunt for signs of where their wounded prey may be. >>

Felice Wyndham. How birds are used to reveal the future. Feb 26, 2020.

https://theconversation.com/how-birds-are-used-to-reveal-the-future-130844

Ethno-ornithology World Atlas

https://ewatlas.net/collection/birds-tell-people-things

Here are some examples ...

'journalists' birds ...

<< Hummingbirds can bring good or bad news. If someone flies nearby you have to say, "You're going to give me good news!" (It's a saying that comes from the Yshir).>>

https://ewatlas.net/digital-heritage/ti%C3%ADnta-polytmus-guainumbi

'ecologist / protester' birds ...

<< If this bird sings at night it warns that white people will be deforesting soon. >>

https://ewatlas.net/digital-heritage/guidob%C3%B3-leptotila-verreauxi

'climatologist' birds ...

<< If one has a gócoco in the house, and the bird digs for a dust bath, it means that the cold weather is coming. It indicates that the weather will be a very rainy and very cloudy weather, but if it sings loud it is warning that the sun will soon rise. >>

https://ewatlas.net/digital-heritage/g%C3%B3coco-chunga-burmeisteri

<< When this bird approaches the Ayoreo village or if you see it in a dive, the noise of its wings warns that a lot of rain will come soon; maybe floods. >>

https://ewatlas.net/digital-heritage/jaac%C3%B3-cairina-moschata

<< This bird announces rain: if it sings in the morning it will rain in the afternoon - she cries because she does not want her nest to get wet. This bird needs high woods and leaves of trees to eat. She is a young lady and she likes young people and always accompanies people every day. >>

https://ewatlas.net/digital-heritage/ngongo%C3%B3-crypturellus-undulatus

<< It may be a warning that if it burns there may be storms or strong winds. >>

https://ewatlas.net/digital-heritage/pi%C3%A1-vireo-olivaceus

<< It says "ti ti ti ti ti ti ti." Warn if the south wind that brings the cold will blow soon. >>

https://ewatlas.net/digital-heritage/totita-hemitriccus-margaritaceiventer-todirostrum-cinereum

Also

keyword 'bird' in FonT

https://flashontrack.blogspot.com/search?q=bird

# gst: continuous, (not intermittent, perpetual) tremors and slips ...

<< Applying deep learning to seismic data has revealed tremor and slip occur at all times—before and after known large-scale slow-slip earthquakes—rather than intermittently in discrete bursts, as previously believed. Even more surprisingly, the machine learning generalizes to other tectonic environments, including the San Andreas Fault. >>

Machine learning reveals earth tremor and slip occur continuously, not intermittently. Los Alamos National Laboratory.  Feb 27, 2020.

https://m.phys.org/news/2020-02-machine-reveals-earth-tremor-intermittently.html

<< Slow earthquakes cyclically load fault zones and have been observed preceding major earthquakes on continental faults as well as subduction zones. Slow earthquakes and associated tremor are common to most subduction zones, taking place downdip from the neighboring locked zone where megathrust earthquakes occur. In the clearest cases, tremor is observed in discrete bursts that are identified from multiple seismic stations. By training a convolutional neural network to recognize known tremor on a single station in Cascadia, we detect weak tremor preceding and following known larger slow earthquakes, the detection rate of these weak tremors approximates the slow slip rate at all times, and the same model is able to recognize tremor from different tectonic environments with no further training. >>

Bertrand Rouet-Leduc, Claudia Hulbert, et al. Probing Slow Earthquakes With Deep Learning. Geophysical Research Letters. Volume 47, Issue 4. doi: 10.1029/2019GL085870. Jan 23, 2020.

https://agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1029/2019GL085870