tag:beta.briefideas.org,2005:/trending?page=35Journal of Brief Ideas: Ideas from the last week2019-03-20T10:18:59Ztag:beta.briefideas.org,2005:Idea/6042019-03-20T10:18:59Z2019-06-02T06:01:15ZSurround Sound Pickup for String Instrumentshttps://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.3236952This idea describes an innovation in the field of organology, or the science of musical instruments. It is [generally assumed](https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=1&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=2ahUKEwit8pHNupDhAhXCThUIHYkuDAMQFjAAegQIARAC&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.springer.com%2Fcda%2Fcontent%2Fdocument%2Fcda_downloaddocument%2F9781461405566-c1.pdf%3FSGWID%3D0-0-45-1276554-p174127065&usg=AOvVaw3T9enf9kitXvmK_4sbCBTa) that the strings of string instruments, when they are struck or plucked, vibrate in one dimension, which is (so to speak) vertically. In reality, strings vibrate in two dimensions, both vertically and horizontally, so that they rotate. [Hideyuki Nomura](https://www.researchgate.net/publication/281263851_Theoretical_analysis_of_two-dimensional_vibration_of_single_piano_string_using_equivalent_mechanical_circuit_models) describes the rotation of a piano string, while [Pàmies-Vilà et al](http://www.cs.ioc.ee/~dima/publications/Line-cam-Pamies-Vila2014.pdf) describe the rotation of a guitar string. [Taofledermaus]( https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=39&v=6sgI7S_G-XI ... https://sites.google.com/site/shmguitarstrings/) offers a high-speed video of two-dimensional vibration in guitar strings. Consider now that it is possible to design a pickup with [magnetic](https://patents.google.com/patent/US2896491A/en) or [Hall-effect](https://patents.google.com/patent/US4182213A/en) transducers, which is capable of detecting both vertical and horizontal vibration, and with that, the rotation of strings. Thus, as one possibility, the rotation of strings may be amplified and transferred to rotation around a room. This may be efficiently delivered to the listener through [Dolby 5.1 or 7.1](https://www.diffen.com/difference/5.1_Surround_Sound_vs_7.1_Surround_Sound) surround sound. According to the [BBC](http://www.bbc.com/future/story/20190307-the-electric-spark-that-changed-the-guitar-forever), guitarist Keith Richards proposes that there are 'lots of ways to rethink how pickups are designed and used'. If a surround sound pickup were realised, moving from one to two dimensions may be the most significant leap in pickup technology since its dawn.Scarborough, Thomastag:beta.briefideas.org,2005:Idea/6002019-03-02T17:55:38Z2019-06-02T06:01:15Zname preferences: general vs specific, causation vs correlationhttps://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.3236950I suspect that there is a correlation between areas of the US where carbonated beverages are called soda vs pop and areas where Coke is preferred over Pepsi. Is this correct? If so, what might cause it? Beverage companies using their preferred general term as they expand out from their HQ?
And can this be generalized to other examples of specific names vs general names? For example, does the use of lightning bug vs firefly correlate with terms used for insects, or for interesting things (cool, rad, ...)?Katz, Daniel S.tag:beta.briefideas.org,2005:Idea/5582019-01-26T22:43:45Z2019-06-02T06:01:15ZToward Developing a Comprehensive Theory of Immunology for Guiding Future Immunological Researchhttps://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.3236946Concluding my research in plant and comparative immunology, I theorized that immunity is fundamentally the genetic program’s ability to resist change and maintain homeostasis. All immunological phenomena are governed not by molecular discontinuities mediated by receptor-ligand interactions—known as Continuity Theory—but more specifically by discontinuities that ultimately disrupt the program’s stability. Immunity is the program’s ability to stabilize—to resist natural selection—as replication perpetuates existence. Perceived this way, immunity may be considered the program’s intrinsic predisposition toward adaptation, with evolution originating as the interplay between immunity and natural selection.
Requisite for biological life is the genetic program’s abilities of replication and stability under environmental forces. Polymerization/replication coexists with the reverse reaction of depolymerization/de-replication. Genetic code strand variants formed through imperfect replication might interfere with the parent molecule’s stability; therefore, parent molecules may—as a form of resistance—catalyze the depolymerization of interfering progeny. Progeny resistant to this degradation could persist and outcompete inferior, less stable replicants. To test this hypothesis and support the aforementioned theory, we must conduct experiments involving competition among identical self-replicating ribozymes occupying finite space and resources, and analyze the resultant spectrum, respective concentration, 3D structure, and catalytic capabilities of ribozyme variants formed over time.Zampogna, Giuliotag:beta.briefideas.org,2005:Idea/5412018-12-08T00:07:27Z2018-12-09T06:01:18ZAutoLab: Can an AI Replace Human Data Collectors?https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.2092676Can an autonomous AI conduct experiments on real humans in a lab safely and efficiently? With [Automated Laboratory (AutoLab)](https://devpost.com/software/autolab#updates), our open-source ubiquitous computing project, we will do just that. Imagine a Star Trek-like computer infused into a lab room. Participants enter the smart lab by activating an electronic lock, converse naturally with an AI during the study, and are compensated digitally. This will greatly speed up and standardize data collection in the health and social sciences. Currently, unpaid and overworked assistants must spend inordinate time and money to collect data. This results in human errors that waste tax dollars, lost time that could be spent on more creative tasks, and small datasets that limit generalizability to the larger population.
Typical human experiments in the socio-behavioral and health sciences span 1-2 hours and need one more hour to prep and manage data. For sample sizes of 50-200, this requires at least 100-600 hours for one study (~ $2,000-12,000 tax dollars annually). Not long ago, statistical/visualization software, word processors, and communication tools advanced science by standardizing tasks, reducing errors, increasing speed, and fostering more creative pursuits. Ubiquitous computing can do the same by collecting large datasets from human subjects in social and health science labs 24/7/365.Patel, Puravtag:beta.briefideas.org,2005:Idea/5402018-12-06T15:41:28Z2018-12-07T06:01:26ZDementia is a Hydra: Care v. Cure.https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.2008569Care versus cure is the current dilemma within dementia research. Is it ethical to prioritise resources to find a cure? Is this even possible? What is the projected timeframe? Clinical trials are long, costly procedures and bringing a drug to market in a responsible and affordable way is challenging.
Considering the Hydra analogy, dementia is an umbrella term for many diseases - a multifarious beast. For every question or issue tackled, another appears. For example, there is a tendency for dementia to be diagnosed at advanced stages, once symptoms present more severely. Delayed diagnosis is especially prevalent among black, minority and ethnic groups. Despite the best intentions of earlier detection, definitive diagnostic tools are still unavailable.
However there are opportunities, particularly with interdisciplinary researchers, clinicians, volunteers and politicians working together to improve everyday dementia care. This may indicate a shifting tide towards improved psychosocial approaches alongside medicalised views of dementia. Technologies may help to understand how people with dementia perceive their environment and to identify potential influences on their participation and enjoyment of everyday life. In doing so, we can ensure the surrounding environment is more accessible and liveable for all of us.Gaber, Sophietag:beta.briefideas.org,2005:Idea/5332018-11-16T17:41:35Z2018-11-24T06:00:55ZGeographic Isolation and Pork Barrel Projectshttps://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.1495248In The Political Economy of Benefits and Costs: A Neoclassical Approach to Distributive Politics (Journal of Political Economy, 1981), Weingast, Shepsle and Johnsen lay out the costs and benefits of geographically earmarked pork barrel spending. In their analysis, government spending that goes to out-of-district factor owners does not provide a political benefit to the legislator who brought spending to her home district since out-of-district factor owners cannot vote in the member's district who got the funding. Other things being equal, legislators should want as much of government spending to go to in-district factor owners. This suggests that more rural areas that are geographically isolated should have more pork barrel spending because the returns to their legislator are larger per dollar spent, ceteris paribus. Hall, Joshuatag:beta.briefideas.org,2005:Idea/4922018-10-07T01:20:40Z2018-10-09T06:00:43ZThe Effect of Smoking Bans on Exercising by Non-smokershttps://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.1451933Smoking bans have shown to have many effects, some intended, some unintended, like Adams and Cotti's (2008, Journal of Public Economics) finding that smoking bans led to more fatal accidents from drunk driving. The mechanism is that smokers were driving farther to find bars located in areas where smoking was allowed. While considerable attention has been played to the positive effects of smoking bans on non-smokers health from not being exposed to second-hand smoke, not much attention has been paid to other ways smoking bans might influence non-smoker health. For example, to the extent non-smokers were frequenting bars less because of smoke, smoking bans should lead to higher bar attendance by non-smokers. Higher bar attendance can be associated with higher levels of alcohol use and decreases in other activities positively related to health, such as exercise. The Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) might have the data that would let researchers look at the effect of smoking bans on exercise levels by non-smokers to see if going out is a substitute for working out. Hall, Joshuatag:beta.briefideas.org,2005:Idea/4902018-10-05T16:12:43Z2018-10-09T06:00:43ZStonehenge A Neolithic Beacon: Design Imitates Star https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.1451927When lit from within with one large fire or multiple fires, and observed from above, the standing stones that comprise Stonehenge split the light rays creating a radiating effect similar in appearance to a star.
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Neolithic People did not know what stars were and may have related to them as fires in the sky. Stonehenge may have been created by the Neolithic to call attention to their existence and position, with their own star shaped fire, big enough to be seen by perceived celestial neighbors. Contemporary civilizations do the same with satellites.
Additionally, the ringing of the stones may have also served to catch attention through sound.
This explains the size of Stonehenge, gives purpose to the lintels, and accounts for the foreign remains at the site, as a beacon that large would indeed attract curious people from nearby lands. The fires would also provide opportunity to cremate remains and incorporate ritual. The lunar based motifs present in their art support a preoccupation with the sky.
Neumann, Ericatag:beta.briefideas.org,2005:Idea/4882018-09-19T06:52:52Z2018-09-20T06:01:04ZSocial Jailbreak: a social media aggregator designed to circumvent social media monopolieshttps://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.1421986**Social Jailbreak** (SJB) describes a proposed viral application that would allow social media users to communicate beyond the limits imposed by social media monopolies. Several platforms (e.g. Hootsuite) and some social networks (mainly Friendica) merge their users' different newsfeeds that they have on other networks, to put them back in control and at the center of their entire online presence. Unfortunately, [the most popular social network](https://www.statista.com/statistics/272014/global-social-networks-ranked-by-number-of-users/) has [disallowed the importation](https://hyp.is/_uNnqLvVEeiorDdKMLuEfQ/www.makeuseof.com/tag/manage-social-feeds-hootsuite/) of personal newsfeeds.
One way to durably escape such social jails is to provide users a technical method to seamlessly share their soon-to-be jailed publications with others. While it is against the terms of social jails to export personal newsfeeds, personal contents can be published outside of the social jail *before* being fed to the social jail, and exchanged through the SJB parallel network, and if all the users appearing in each other's personal newsfeed have installed SJB (in a single click), they will all be able to consult and rearrange their newsfeed from outside any social jail. It will then be possible to merge all social contents (including forum messages, comments left anywhere, etc.).
Social Jailbreak would allow users to train their own algorithms, that would sort contents from those different sources in creative, emancipatory and non-mercantile ways (see MIT's [Gobo](https://www.media.mit.edu/projects/gobo/overview/)), thus breaking the spell of social jails.
Gouanvic, Perigtag:beta.briefideas.org,2005:Idea/4672018-06-26T23:46:54Z2018-06-27T06:01:26ZCros-IP: A Novel Co-immunoprecipitation Method for Characterising Direct/Indirect Protein Interactions.https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.1298748Co-immunoprecipitation (co-IP) is considered the gold standard in vitro technique for characterising protein-protein interactions. However, the technique is limited by the inability to differentiate direct/indirect interactions of proteins. This publication presents a novel IP technique named ‘Cros-IP’ (Figure 1: Protocol Flow Diagram) that has been validated by experiments (data not shown). Antibody immobilised to beads containing Protein A/G is incubated with cell lysate/protein mixture, and spun/washed using the conventional co-IP method, with the exception that the tris-based buffers should be replaced by phosphate-based buffers due to the presence of a primary amine on the tris compound. After unbound (non-interacting) proteins in the cell lysate have been thoroughly washed away, the beads-antibody-protein complex is incubated with the protein crosslinker disuccinimidyl suberate (DSS) for 2 hours on ice. The protein complex is then eluted using a sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS)-based buffer. This technique takes advantage of the considerably inconsistent crosslinking rate of DSS, with a series of crosslinked protein products expected to be formed. The product consisting the antigen (target protein) crosslinked with interacting proteins (Figure 1, Product B) can be used to characterise the sequence of protein interactions of an in vivo protein complex via SDS-PAGE/Western blotting and/or mass spectrometry characterisation.Su, Shih-Ping