# chem: an "auxetic" stretching property: it becomes thicker as it is stretched

AA << discovered a new non-porous material that has unique and inherent "auxetic" stretching properties. >>

<< There are materials in nature that exhibit auxetic capabilities, such as cat skin, the protective layer in mussel shells and tendons in the human body.  (..) When we stretch conventional materials, such as steel bars and rubber bands they become thinner. Auxetic materials on the other hand get thicker. >>

A bit of a stretch... material that thickens as it's pulled. University of Leeds. Dec 4, 2018.

https://m.phys.org/news/2018-12-bit-material-thickens.html

D. Mistry, S. D. Connell, et al. Coincident molecular auxeticity and negative order parameter in a liquid crystal elastomer. Nature Comm. Volume 9, Article number: 5095. Dec 4, 2018.

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-018-07587-y

# behav: oxytocin, effects on social behavior (in Capuchin monkeys)

<< In highly social species, like primates, oxytocin plays an important role in cooperation, and in the formation and maintenance of social relationships. >>

AA << investigate the relationship between oxytocin and affiliative behaviors in socially‐housed captive capuchin monkeys (Sapajus [Cebus] apella) [..] oxytocin concentrations increased after subjects engaged in grooming or fur‐rubbing. >>

<< In addition, [AA] found that fur‐rubbing influenced affiliative behaviors, both during and after a social fur‐rubbing bout. While individuals spent more time in contact and proximity while fur‐rubbing, immediately following the fur‐rubbing event (15–30 min afterwards) all affiliative behaviors decreased. >>

<< Overall, these results support a critical role for oxytocin in affiliative behaviors that maintain and strengthen social relationships in capuchin monkeys, and highlight the complexity of the interactions among oxytocin, affiliative behaviors, and social bonding. >>

Marcela E. Benitez, Meghan J. Sosnowski, et al. Urinary oxytocin in capuchin monkeys: Validation and the influence of social behavior. American Journal of Primatology. 2018; 80 (10). doi: 10.1002/ajp.22877.

https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/ajp.22877

Anna Varela. Oxytocin linked to social bonding in gregarious capuchin monkeys. Georgia State University.
Dec 5, 2018.

https://m.phys.org/news/2018-12-oxytocin-linked-social-bonding-gregarious.html   

# ai-bot AI (co)creators of storytelling ... they don't cry during sad stories, but they could tell when you will

<< “Wow,” you think. “Maybe machines will replace human storytellers, just like self-driving cars could take over the roads.” >>

<< Was it possible, [AA] team asked, that machines could identify common emotional arcs in video stories-the typical swings of fortune that have characters struggling through difficult times, triumphing over hardship, falling from grace, or declaring victory over evil? If so, could storytellers use this information to predict how audiences might respond? These questions have resonance for anyone involved in video storytelling, from amateurs posting on YouTube to studio executives. >>

AI in storytelling: Machines as cocreators. MIT. Dec. 11, 2017.  (via McKinsey & Company: Media & Entertainment).

https://www.media.mit.edu/articles/ai-in-storytelling-machines-as-cocreators/

Also

# s-ai: artists and machine intelligence interactions: the Ross' conjecture . Jun 13, 2016.

https://flashontrack.blogspot.com/2016/06/s-ai-artists-and-machine-intelligence.html

# s-ai: A.I. Benjamin: "you'll sell your blood to live" ... Jun 11, 2016.

https://flashontrack.blogspot.com/2016/06/s-ai-benjamin-sell-your-blood-to-live.html

# ai: artificial intelligence AlphaGo becomes its own teacher. Oct 23, 2017.

https://flashontrack.blogspot.com/2017/10/ai-artificial-intelligence-alphago.html

# geo: strange waves from Mayotte

<< On the morning of November 11, just before 9:30 UT, a mysterious rumble rolled around the world. The seismic waves began roughly 15 miles off the shores of Mayotte, a French island sandwiched between Africa and the northern tip of Madagascar. The waves buzzed across Africa, ringing sensors in Zambia, Kenya, and Ethiopia. They traversed vast oceans, humming across Chile, New Zealand, Canada, and even Hawaii nearly 11,000 miles away. >>

<< Yet many features of the waves are remarkably weird-from their surprisingly monotone, low-frequency “ring” to their global spread. >>

Maya Wei-Haas. Strange waves rippled around the world, and nobody knows why. Nov28, 2018.

https://www.nationalgeographic.com/science/2018/11/strange-earthquake-waves-rippled-around-world-earth-geology/

# gst: predicting tornadoes 3 weeks in advance

<< While meteorologists and computer models do reasonably well in forecasting severe thunderstorm activity up to a week in advance, their forecasts are less reliable in the 2‐ to 5‐week time frame. >>

AA << develop a technique that can accurately forecast severe thunderstorm activity in this time frame by using knowledge of the current state of weather in the tropics (the Madden ‐ Julian Oscillation). >>

Anne Manning. Researchers rise to challenge of predicting hail, tornadoes three weeks in advance. Colorado State University. Nov 29, 2018.

https://m.phys.org/news/2018-11-hail-tornadoes-weeks-advance.html

Cory F. Baggett, Kyle M. Nardi, et al.  Skillful Subseasonal Forecasts of Weekly Tornado and Hail Activity Using the Madden‐Julian Oscillation. Journal of Geophysical Research: Atmospheres. Nov 12, 2018 doi: 10.1029/2018JD029059

https://agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1029/2018JD029059  

The Madden–Julian oscillation

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Madden%E2%80%93Julian_oscillation

# acad: oops! a database of more than 18,000 retracted scientific papers and conference abstracts has been released

<< Nearly a decade ago, headlines highlighted a disturbing trend in science: The number of articles retracted by journals had increased 10-fold during the previous 10 years. >>

<<  It is not a perfect window into the world of retractions. Not all publishers, for instance, publicize or clearly label papers they have retracted, or explain why they did so. And determining which author is responsible for a paper's fatal flaws can be difficult. >>

Jeffrey Brainard, Jia You. What a massive database of retracted papers reveals about science publishing's 'death penalty'. Science. Oct. 25, 2018

https://www.sciencemag.org/news/2018/10/what-massive-database-retracted-papers-reveals-about-science-publishing-s-death-penalty

Searchable database of more than 18,000 retracted papers and conference abstracts dating back to the 1970s

http://retractiondatabase.org/RetractionSearch.aspx?

the blog Retraction Watch, by Ivan Oransky and Adam Marcus.

https://retractionwatch.com/

# game: cooperation and trust; cooperative behaviors (mediated by MDMA) without gullibility

<< Social decision-making is fundamental for successful functioning, and can be affected in psychiatric illness and by serotoninergic modulation. The Prisoner's Dilemma (PD) is the archetypal paradigm to model cooperation and trust. However, the effect of serotonergic enhancement is poorly characterised, and its influence on the effect of variations in opponent behaviour unknown. >>

<< MDMA [3,4-Methyl​ene dioxy​ methamphetamine ] increased cooperative behaviour when playing trustworthy opponents. Underlying this was a change in brain activity of regions linked to social cognition. [AA]  findings highlight the context-specific nature of MDMA's effect on social decision-making. >>

Anthony S Gabay, Matthew J Kempton, et al. MDMA increases cooperation and recruitment of social brain areas when playing trustworthy players in an iterated Prisoner's Dilemma. Journal of Neuroscience.  Nov 19,  2018, 1276-18. doi: 10.1523/JNEUROSCI.1276-18.2018.

http://www.jneurosci.org/content/early/2018/11/16/JNEUROSCI.1276-18.2018

MDMA makes people cooperative, but not gullible.  King's College London. Nov 19, 2018.

https://m.medicalxpress.com/news/2018-11-mdma-people-cooperative-gullible.html

MDMA  [3,4-Methyl​ene dioxy​ methamphetamine ]

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