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martedì 18 settembre 2018

# acad: oops! half of all EU trials are non-compliant

<< Of 7274 trials where results were due, 49.5% (95% confidence interval 48.4% to 50.7%) reported results. >>

<< Compliance with the European Commission requirement for all trials to post results on to the EUCTR [EU Clinical Trials Register] within 12 months of completion has been poor, with half of all trials non-compliant. >>

Ben Goldacre, Nicholas J DeVito, et al. Compliance with requirement to report results on the EU Clinical Trials Register: cohort study and web resource. BMJ 2018;362:k3218. Sep 12, 2018.

https://www.bmj.com/content/362/bmj.k3218

<< "chaos, rather than malice" is behind academics’ poor reporting of trial results. >> Ben Goldacre

Inga Vesper. Europe’s academics fail to report results for 90% of clinical trials. But nearly 70% of industry-sponsored trials report their results within a year of ending. Nature doi: 10.1038/d41586-018-06676-8 Sep 13, 2018.

https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-018-06676-8

domenica 16 settembre 2018

# brain: seeing "ghosted" images

<< the human eye and brain are together capable of seeing "ghosted" images >>

<< it is possible to create ghost images with a technique using light to make an image without reflecting it off the original object. The technique is called "ghosting," >>

Bob Yirka. Human eye capable of seeing 'ghosted' images. Sep 4, 2018

https://m.phys.org/news/2018-09-human-eye-capable-ghosted-images.html

<< Computational ghost imaging relies on the decomposition of an image into patterns that are summed together with weights that measure the overlap of each pattern with the scene being imaged. These tasks rely on a computer. Here [AA] demonstrate that the computational integration can be performed directly with the human eye. >>

Alessandro Boccolini, Alessandro Fedrizzi, Daniele Faccio. Ghost imaging with the human eye. arXiv:1808.05137 [q-bio.NC] Aug 13, 2018.

https://arxiv.org/abs/1808.05137

sabato 15 settembre 2018

# behav: a small fish (the cleaner wrasse L. dimidiatus) passes self-awareness test

AA << show that the cleaner wrasse fish, Labroides dimidiatus, passes through all phases of the mark test: (i) social reactions towards the reflection, (ii) repeated idiosyncratic behaviours towards the mirror (contingency testing), and (iii) frequent observation of their reflection. >>

Masanori Kohda, Hatta Takashi, et al.  Cleaner wrasse pass the mark test. What are the implications for consciousness and self-awareness testing in animals?  BioRxiv  doi: 10.1101/397067 Aug 21, 2018

https://www.biorxiv.org/content/early/2018/08/21/397067

<< Since the 1970s, a test developed by Gordon Gallup has been the gold standard for testing for self-awareness - researchers make a mark on a creature's face and introduce a mirror. If the animal makes some attempt to touch or remove the mark, they are deemed to have self-awareness. Since the test first came into use, only a few animals have ever passed the test. Besides humans, the list currently includes chimpanzees, bonobos, orangutans, dolphins, elephants and pigeons. >>

Bob Yirka. Small fish passes classic self-awareness test. Sep 4, 2018.

https://m.phys.org/news/2018-09-small-fish-classic-self-awareness.html

venerdì 14 settembre 2018

# gst: how to detect a sinkhole

<< It comes as quite a shock when the ground beneath your feet, your house or your field suddenly disappears leaving a hole. [..] We call these sinkholes, and they are a global problem. >>

<< These voids may eventually come to the surface over time as the roof progressively collapses. These collapses can be gradual, or can happen suddenly, with surface depressions appearing overnight without warning. >>

Peter Styles, Jamie Pringle. How to detect a sinkhole - before it swallows you up. Keele University. Sep 4, 2018.

https://theconversation.com/how-to-detect-a-sinkhole-before-it-swallows-you-up-101543

giovedì 13 settembre 2018

# zen: "walking doesn't get the respect it deserves"

<< Walking is one of the things that distinguishes us from all other animals and, according to a Harvard Medical School Review, "walking doesn't get the respect it deserves". >>

<< Our genome has been evolving over millennia and we still have the same genomes as our hunter-gather ancestors who were active and not obese. >> Anthony Hannan.

Jill Margo. Science shows how walking keeps the brain developing deep into old age.

https://www.afr.com/lifestyle/health/science-shows-how-walking-keeps-the-brain-developing-deep-into-old-age-20180820-h147re

Also

Kinhin

https://it.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kinhin

sabato 8 settembre 2018

# gst: even repulsive interactions generate solitons

<< Solitons are nonspreading wave packets that exist in a wide range of real-world systems, including water waves, sound, DNA, optics, and so on. >>

<< Two or more solitons can bind together to form a soliton molecule with dynamics similar to matter molecules, such as vibration, synthesis, and dissociation. >>

<< Formation processes for three types of soliton molecules were studied: ground-, excited-state, and a new one termed an intermittent-vibration soliton molecule. While it is generally believed that attractive interactions of solitons are responsible for the formation of soliton molecules, the authors found that soliton interactions are not limited to attractive interactions. Counterintuitively, even repulsive interactions can lead to the formation of soliton molecules, >>

John Wallace. Investigation with a femtosecond fiber laser finds new type of soliton ‘molecule’. Aug 01, 2018.

https://www.laserfocusworld.com/articles/print/volume-54/issue-08/newsbreaks/investigation-with-a-femtosecond-fiber-laser-finds-new-type-of-soliton-molecule.html

<< For closely‐separated bound solitons, soliton interactions display wide diversities in repeated measurements, including soliton attraction, repelling, collision, vibration, and annihilation. For well‐separated bound solitons, repulsive interactions dominate the soliton interactions. >>

Junsong Peng, Heping Zeng. Build‐Up of Dissipative Optical Soliton Molecules via Diverse Soliton Interactions. Laser & Photonics Reviews 2018, 12, 1800009.

https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1002/lpor.201800009 

Also "soliton" in:

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

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