Capacitive mixing for the extraction of energy from salinity differences: Survey of experimental results and electrochemical models

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attachment of polymer chains on plasma treated surfaces experiments and modeling

Deposition of linear polymers, such as polyethylene glycol (PEG), on a plasma-treated surface has been studied experimentally and theoretically by means of Monte Carlo (MC) simulations. Acrylic acid is deposited on a silicon wafer in the presence of argon at a pressure of 10?Pa by applying 30?W external power. Active carboxyl sites are obtained having a surface number density of ~2?sites?nm?2. A homogeneous PEG solution is brought into contact with the treated surface (over 24?h) and a thin film of attached PEG chains is formed. Two different PEGs having molecular weights of 3000 and 5000?g?mol-1, respectively, are considered. The corresponding thin film widths, W, are measured, yielding W(3000)=4.3?3.1?nm and W(5000)=8.8?1.8?nm. For the MC simulations, the linear polymers are modeled as an ensemble of self-avoiding walks of length N (number of monomers) on a simple cubic lattice, executing worm-like or reptation dynamics, which can become attached at an active carboxyl site on the surface. The numerical results for the film widths are in good agreement with the experimental findings. We find that less than 20% of active sites are effectively occupied by attached chains, corresponding to less than 5% of the total available surface sites. Scaling arguments predict universal power-law dependences of the film density, ?(N), as a function of polymer length, i.e. ?(N)~c/N?, with c5?g?cm-3 and ?0.6. The model also predicts a dependence of the prefactor c on the density of carboxyl active sites

Photon correlation spectroscopy with incoherent light

Photon correlation spectroscopy (PCS) is based on measuring the temporal correlation of the light intensity scattered by the investigated sample. A typical setup requires a temporally coherent light source. Here, we show that a short-coherence light source can be used as well, provided that its coherence properties are suitably modified. This results in a "skewed-coherence" light beam allowing that restores the coherence requirements. This approach overcomes the usual need for beam filtering, which would reduce the total brightness of the beam.Comment: 4 pages, 4 figure

Justify your alpha

Benjamin et al. proposed changing the conventional “statistical significance” threshold (i.e.,the alpha level) from p ≤ .05 to p ≤ .005 for all novel claims with relatively low prior odds. They provided two arguments for why lowering the significance threshold would “immediately improve the reproducibility of scientific research.” First, a p-value near .05provides weak evidence for the alternative hypothesis. Second, under certain assumptions, an alpha of .05 leads to high false positive report probabilities (FPRP2 ; the probability that a significant finding is a false positive

The psychological science accelerator’s COVID-19 rapid-response dataset

In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Psychological Science Accelerator coordinated three large-scale psychological studies to examine the effects of loss-gain framing, cognitive reappraisals, and autonomy framing manipulations on behavioral intentions and affective measures. The data collected (April to October 2020) included specific measures for each experimental study, a general questionnaire examining health prevention behaviors and COVID-19 experience, geographical and cultural context characterization, and demographic information for each participant. Each participant started the study with the same general questions and then was randomized to complete either one longer experiment or two shorter experiments. Data were provided by 73,223 participants with varying completion rates. Participants completed the survey from 111 geopolitical regions in 44 unique languages/dialects. The anonymized dataset described here is provided in both raw and processed formats to facilitate re-use and further analyses. The dataset offers secondary analytic opportunities to explore coping, framing, and self-determination across a diverse, global sample obtained at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, which can be merged with other time-sampled or geographic data

In COVID-19 Health Messaging, Loss Framing Increases Anxiety with Little-to-No Concomitant Benefits: Experimental Evidence from 84 Countries

The COVID-19 pandemic (and its aftermath) highlights a critical need to communicate health information effectively to the global public. Given that subtle differences in information framing can have meaningful effects on behavior, behavioral science research highlights a pressing question: Is it more effective to frame COVID-19 health messages in terms of potential losses (e.g., "If you do not practice these steps, you can endanger yourself and others") or potential gains (e.g., "If you practice these steps, you can protect yourself and others")? Collecting data in 48 languages from 15,929 participants in 84 countries, we experimentally tested the effects of message framing on COVID-19-related judgments, intentions, and feelings. Loss- (vs. gain-) framed messages increased self-reported anxiety among participants cross-nationally with little-to-no impact on policy attitudes, behavioral intentions, or information seeking relevant to pandemic risks. These results were consistent across 84 countries, three variations of the message framing wording, and 560 data processing and analytic choices. Thus, results provide an empirical answer to a global communication question and highlight the emotional toll of loss-framed messages. Critically, this work demonstrates the importance of considering unintended affective consequences when evaluating nudge-style interventions

A global experiment on motivating social distancing during the COVID-19 pandemic

Finding communication strategies that effectively motivate social distancing continues to be a global public health priority during the COVID-19 pandemic. This cross-country, preregistered experiment (n = 25,718 from 89 countries) tested hypotheses concerning generalizable positive and negative outcomes of social distancing messages that promoted personal agency and reflective choices (i.e., an autonomy-supportive message) or were restrictive and shaming (i.e., a controlling message) compared with no message at all. Results partially supported experimental hypotheses in that the controlling message increased controlled motivation (a poorly internalized form of motivation relying on shame, guilt, and fear of social consequences) relative to no message. On the other hand, the autonomy-supportive message lowered feelings of defiance compared with the controlling message, but the controlling message did not differ from receiving no message at all. Unexpectedly, messages did not influence autonomous motivation (a highly internalized form of motivation relying on one’s core values) or behavioral intentions. Results supported hypothesized associations between people’s existing autonomous and controlled motivations and self-reported behavioral intentions to engage in social distancing. Controlled motivation was associated with more defiance and less long-term behavioral intention to engage in social distancing, whereas autonomous motivation was associated with less defiance and more short- and long-term intentions to social distance. Overall, this work highlights the potential harm of using shaming and pressuring language in public health communication, with implications for the current and future global health challenges

Justify your alpha

In response to recommendations to redefine statistical significance to p ≤ .005, we propose that researchers should transparently report and justify all choices they make when designing a study, including the alpha level