# gst-chem: cascade reactions to generate complexity by triggering new chemical bonds from simple parent substances

<< organic chemists can synthesize substances of almost any complexity — vitamins, proteins, terpenes, etc. To do this, they often use cascade reactions, sequences of several chemical transformations in the course of which new chemical bonds are formed >>

<< cascade reactions are a powerful tool for rapidly increasing molecular complexity, that is, for obtaining complex compounds from simple parent substances >>

AA << have developed a new chemical reaction to synthesize a whole class of yet unexplored substances – diazabicyclo [3.2.1] octanes. These compounds are used in drug development >>

Scientists report a new cascade reaction. Nov 15, 2017

https://m.phys.org/news/2017-11-scientists-cascade-reaction.html

Dmitry V. Osipov, Irina V. Melnikova, et al. Synthesis of 8-substituted 1,5-diazabicyclo[3.2.1]octane derivatives via double aza-Michael addition of homopiperazine to 3-trifluoroacetyl-4H-chromenes.  Journal of Fluorine Chemistry. 2017; 202: 71-5.  doi: 10.1016/ j.jfluchem.2017.09.006  Sep 14, 2017.

http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0022113917303676

# gst: levitation in a temperature gradient: the two liquids don't mix

<< A drop or two of cold cream in hot coffee can go a long way toward improving one's morning. But what if the two liquids didn't mix? >>

AA << have now explained why under certain conditions a droplet of liquid should not coalesce with the liquid surface below. If the droplet is very cold, and the bath sufficiently hot, then the droplet should "levitate" on the bath's surface, as a result of the flows induced by the temperature difference >>

<< If you study that process mathematically, you can show the way in which temperature is changing in the droplet over time is exactly with this power law of 2/3 that we observed in our experiments >> Michela Geri.

Jennifer Chu. Study explains how droplets can 'levitate' on liquid surfaces. Nov 15, 2017

https://m.phys.org/news/2017-11-droplets-levitate-liquid-surfaces.html

Michela Geri, Bavand Keshavarz, et al. Thermal delay of drop coalescence.
Journal of Fluid Mechanics. 2017; 833  doi: 10.1017/jfm.2017.686  Nov 8, 2017.

https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/journal-of-fluid-mechanics/article/thermal-delay-of-drop-coalescence/CB55985D6ADC2251BA5EA94C8021C18F#

# gst: inside self-organization; "swarmalators", when both synchronization and swarming occur together

<< Strogatz and O'Keeffe [Steven H. Strogatz and Kevin P. O’Keeffe], used the curious mating ritual of male Japanese tree frogs as inspiration for their exploration of "swarmalators" - their term for systems in which both synchronization and swarming occur together >>

Tom Fleischman. Mathematician's study of 'swarmalators' could direct future science. Nov 17, 2017

https://m.phys.org/news/2017-11-mathematician-swarmalators-future-science.html

<< Synchronization occurs in many natural and technological systems, from cardiac pacemaker cells to coupled lasers >>

<< A complementary form of self-organization occurs among swarming insects, flocking birds, or schooling fish >>

AA << explore systems in which both synchronization and swarming occur together. Specifically, [AA] consider oscillators whose phase dynamics and spatial dynamics are coupled >>

Kevin P. O’Keeffe, Hyunsuk Hong,  Steven H. Strogatz. Oscillators that sync and swarm.  Nature Comm 2017; 8 (1504).  doi: 10.1038/s41467-017-01190-3  Nov 15, 2017

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-017-01190-3

FonT

<< Amico, qualunque  cosa suonerai . . . >>  Jelly Roll Morton. cit.: 2113 - soniche a ramulo. Jan 28, 2007

http://inkpi.blogspot.it/2007/01/2113-soniche-ramulo.html

# acad: oops! sometimes scientific results are published which other researchers cannot reproduce ...

<< Ioannidis [John P. A. Ioannidis], an expert in statistics, medicine and health policy at Stanford University, has done more than anyone else to ring the alarm bells on science's quality control problems: scientific results are published which other researchers cannot reproduce >>

Andrea Saltelli. Opinion: Science's credibility crisis will get worse before it can get better. The Conversation. Nov 9, 2017

https://m.phys.org/news/2017-11-opinion-science-credibility-crisis-worse.html

https://theconversation.com/sciences-credibility-crisis-why-it-will-get-worse-before-it-can-get-better-86865

AA << investigate two critical dimensions of the credibility of empirical economics research: statistical power and bias >>

AA << survey 159 empirical economics literatures that draw upon 64,076 estimates of economic parameters reported in more than 6,700 empirical studies. Half of the research areas have nearly 90% of their results under-powered >>

<< nearly 80% of the reported effects in these empirical economics literatures are exaggerated; typically, by a factor of two and with one-third inflated by a factor of four or more >>

Ioannidis John PA, Stanley TD, Doucouliagos Hristos.  The Power of Bias in Economics Research. The Economic Journal. 2017; 127: F236–65 doi: 10.1111/ecoj.12461 Oct 24, 2017

http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/ecoj.12461/full#

# acad: around p-hacking, when writing in a blog may be accidentally dangerous

<< Brian Wansink didn’t mean to spark an investigative fury that revisited his entire life's work >>

<< But his blog post accidentally highlighted some questionable research practices that caused a group of data detectives to jump on the case >>

the << practice of "p-hacking" — hunting for significant p-values in statistical analyses — is one of the many questionable research practices responsible for the replication crisis in the social sciences >>

<< people who work in fields that are kind of on the periphery of (..) have told me that most of their colleagues aren't even aware there's a problem yet >> Nicholas Brown

Cathleen O'Grady. "Mindless Eating,"or how to send an entire life of research into question. April 24, 2017

https://arstechnica.com/science/2017/04/the-peer-reviewed-saga-of-mindless-eating-mindless-research-is-bad-too/

# gene: knockdown of a single gene, the generation of a third eye (in scarabaeid beetles)

<< The creation of three-eyed beetles through a new technique (..) provides scientists a new way to investigate the genetic mechanisms responsible for the evolutionary emergence of new physical traits >>

Kevin Fryling. Biologists create beetle with functional extra eye. Nov 13, 2017

https://m.phys.org/news/2017-11-biologists-beetle-functional-extra-eye.html

AA << report the ectopic induction of complex and functional organs, compound eyes, by down-regulation of a single transcription factor through RNAi, a technique known to work well across a broad taxonomic range >>

AA << results show that knockdown of a single gene is sufficient for the middorsal head to acquire the competence to ectopically generate a functional compound eye-like structure >>

Eduardo E. Zattara, Anna L. M. Macagno, et al. Development of functional ectopic compound eyes in scarabaeid beetles by knockdown of orthodenticle. PNAS. 2017; 114 (45): 12021–6

http://m.pnas.org/content/114/45/12021

# behav: apropos pulsatile interferences

<< Grooming interactions benefit groomers, but may have negative consequences for bystanders >>

AA << tested the impact of dominance rank and social relationships on grooming intervention likelihood and outcome in two sympatric primate species, Western chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes verus) and sooty mangabeys (Cercocebus atys atys) >>

<< bystanders in both species appear to monitor grooming interactions and intervene based on their own dominance rank and social relationships, as well as triadic awareness of the relationship between groomers >>

Alexander Mielke, Liran Samuni, et al. Bystanders intervene to impede grooming in Western chimpanzees and sooty mangabeys. Royal Society Open Science. doi: 10.1098/rsos.171296  Nov 8, 2017

http://rsos.royalsocietypublishing.org/content/4/11/171296

Chimpanzees and sooty mangabeys interfere with other group members' relationships. Nov 8, 2017

https://m.phys.org/news/2017-11-chimpanzees-sooty-mangabeys-group-members.html