Accurately predicting vapor pressure is vital for various industrial and environmental applications. However, obtaining accurate measurements for all compounds of interest is not possible due to the resource and labor intensity of experiments. The demand for resources and labor further multiplies when a temperature-dependent relationship for predicting vapor pressure is desired. In this paper, we propose PUFFIN (Path-Unifying Feed-Forward Interfaced Network), a machine learning framework that combines transfer learning with a new inductive bias node inspired by domain knowledge (the Antoine equation) to improve vapor pressure prediction. By leveraging inductive bias and transfer learning using graph embeddings, PUFFIN outperforms alternative strategies that do not use inductive bias or that use generic descriptors of compounds. The framework's incorporation of domain-specific knowledge to overcome the limitation of poor data availability shows its potential for broader applications in chemical compound analysis, including the prediction of other physicochemical properties. Importantly, our proposed machine learning framework is partially interpretable, because the inductive Antoine node yields network-derived Antoine equation coefficients. It would then be possible to directly incorporate the obtained analytical expression in process design software for better prediction and control of processes occurring in industry and the environment.

Offshore wind farms are among the biggest machines we build--vast arrays of towers topped with slowly turning blades. They generate megawatts of power from their giant turbines, taking up miles of space. That means that, as green as they are, they still have an immense impact on the ecology around them, affecting birds, fish, and even the growth of kelp and other marine plants. Managing those turbines is a big issue. Instead, we need to consider them as part of a larger system, one that includes the environment they're part of.

For years, the answer was by hard graft, with rangers checking burrows and nests for birds and eggs, and observers forced to sit for hours at a time armed with clipboards and no little patience. But in a marriage of nature and cutting edge technology, the arduous task of establishing the puffin population on the Isle of May is being carried out using artificial intelligence, machine learning, and image recognition software. Those behind the project believe it could help minimise disruption to birds' breeding and feeding habits, particularly when faced with developments such as offshore windfarms. The initiative uses four cameras placed in stainless steel boxes at various points of the island in the Firth of Forth in order to capture live footage of the puffins. Each box has a condensation heater as well as a backup power supply.

Puffins use wooden sticks as tools to scratch, groom themselves and possibly dislodge ticks -- suggesting that the seabirds may be smarter than was thought. Tool use is rare behaviour for animals -- an activity largely confined to primates and perching birds when engaging in complex, often feeding-related, tasks. However, zoologists led from the University of Oxford have reported two sightings of puffin tool-use, one from Iceland and the other from Pembrokeshire, Wales. Puffins use wooden sticks as tools to scratch, groom themselves and possibly dislodge ticks -- suggesting that the seabirds may be smarter than was thought. Tool use is rare behaviour for animals.

It wasn't even April 1, but being the overachievers they are, Google had already started releasing its April Fools' Day announcements. Starting yesterday, we spotted a disco-clad pegman on Google Maps, a Google sock-finding app on Google's Australia blog, and a new "Flick" keyboard from Google Japan. There were also two Gmail hacks that rolled out: an emoji-powered smart reply feature and a "Send Mic Drop" option. The Gmail mic drop feature had a number of users up in arms after they unwittingly inserted a mic-dropping Minion gif into emails. By this morning, Google had disabled the prank and apologized for causing more headaches than laughs.