Spillover effects of reminder nudges in complex environments.

We present an experiment on the immediate and lasting effects of reminder nudges in a complex environment. In the study, 1,542 subjects face a setting where, within a brief time frame, they have to pay attention to and perform multiple actions in a computer game. The experiment investigates i) the effect of reminders on the reminded actions and their spillovers on nonreminded actions; ii) spillovers between multiple nudges when the number of reminded actions is increased; and iii) intertemporal spillovers from having been exposed to reminders on actions after reminders are withdrawn.

A rapid classification tool for deformities in Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) embryos.

Deformities in fish embryos are important for their survival in later life stages. However, a consistent way to refer to and classify salmonid embryo deformities does not exist. Expanding on reports of alevin deformities, we developed a classification tool for distinguishing the deformities observed in a collection of preserved Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) embryos.

Food safety related efficacy beliefs, behaviors, beliefs in myths, and the effects of educational online interventions: Data from an online survey experiment with 1,973 consumers from Norway and the UK.

Data were collected in a randomized controlled trial of a game-based online intervention aimed at fostering awareness of food safety and risk-reducing behavior among consumers. 1,973 participants from the UK and Norway, aged 18-89 years, were assigned to (i) a control condition, or (ii) exposed to a brief information video, or (iii) in addition played an online game (two different conditions). In all conditions, participants answered a pre- and post-survey with seven days in between.

Constructing a non-additive non-interacting kinetic energy functional approximation for covalent bonds from exact conditions.

We present a non-decomposable approximation for the non-additive non-interacting kinetic energy (NAKE) for covalent bonds based on the exact behavior of the von Weizsäcker (vW) functional in regions dominated by one orbital. This (CA) seamlessly combines the vW and the Thomas-Fermi functional with a switching function of the fragment densities constructed to satisfy exact constraints. It also makes use of ensembles and fractionally occupied spin-orbitals to yield highly accurate NAKE for stretched bonds while outperforming other standard NAKE approximations near equilibrium bond lengths.

Non-additive non-interacting kinetic energy of rare gas dimers.

Approximations of the non-additive non-interacting kinetic energy (NAKE) as an explicit functional of the density are the basis of several electronic structure methods that provide improved computational efficiency over standard Kohn-Sham calculations. However, within most fragment-based formalisms, there is no unique exact NAKE, making it difficult to develop general, robust approximations for it. When adjustments are made to the embedding formalisms to guarantee uniqueness, approximate functionals may be more meaningfully compared to the exact unique NAKE.

The Importance of Being Inconsistent.

We review the role of self-consistency in density functional theory (DFT). We apply a recent analysis to both Kohn-Sham and orbital-free DFT, as well as to partition DFT, which generalizes all aspects of standard DFT. In each case, the analysis distinguishes between errors in approximate functionals versus errors in the self-consistent density.

Partition-DFT on the water dimer.

As is well known, the ground-state symmetry group of the water dimer switches from its equilibrium C-character to C-character as the distance between the two oxygen atoms of the dimer decreases below R∼2.5 Å. For a range of R between 1 and 5 Å, and for both symmetries, we apply Partition Density Functional Theory (PDFT) to find the unique monomer densities that sum to the correct dimer densities while minimizing the sum of the monomer energies.

Accurate Reference Data for the Nonadditive, Noninteracting Kinetic Energy in Covalent Bonds.

The nonadditive, noninteracting kinetic energy (NAKE) is calculated numerically for fragments of H, Li, Be, C, N, F, and Na within partition density functional theory (PDFT). The resulting fragments are uniquely determined, and their sum reproduces the Kohn-Sham molecular density of the corresponding XC functional. We present the NAKE of these unique fragments as a function of internuclear separation and compare the use of fractional orbital occupation to the usual PDFT ensemble method for treating the fragment energies and densities.

Fragment-based treatment of delocalization and static correlation errors in density-functional theory.

One of the most important open challenges in modern Kohn-Sham (KS) density-functional theory (DFT) is the correct treatment of systems involving fractional electron charges and spins. Approximate exchange-correlation functionals struggle with such systems, leading to pervasive delocalization and static correlation errors. We demonstrate how these errors, which plague density-functional calculations of bond-stretching processes, can be avoided by employing the alternative framework of partition density-functional theory (PDFT) even using the local density approximation for the fragments.

Density-based partitioning methods for ground-state molecular calculations.

With the growing complexity of systems that can be treated with modern electronic-structure methods, it is critical to develop accurate and efficient strategies to partition the systems into smaller, more tractable fragments. We review some of the various recent formalisms that have been proposed to achieve this goal using fragment (ground-state) electron densities as the main variables, with an emphasis on partition density-functional theory (PDFT), which the authors have been developing. To expose the subtle but important differences between alternative approaches and to highlight the challenges involved with density partitioning, we focus on the simplest possible systems where the various methods can be transparently compared.

Mercury export to the Arctic Ocean from the Mackenzie River, Canada.

Circumpolar rivers, including the Mackenzie River in Canada, are sources of the contaminant mercury (Hg) to the Arctic Ocean, but few Hg export studies exist for these rivers. During the 2007-2010 freshet and open water seasons, we collected river water upstream and downstream of the Mackenzie River delta to quantify total mercury (THg) and methylmercury (MeHg) concentrations and export. Upstream of the delta, flow-weighted mean concentrations of bulk THg and MeHg were 14.

Fragment occupations in partition Density Functional Theory.

The exact ground-state energy and density of a molecule can in principle be obtained via Partition Density Functional Theory (PDFT), a method for calculating molecular properties from Kohn-Sham calculations on isolated fragments. For a given choice of fragmentation, unique fragment densities are found by requiring that the sum of fragment energies be minimized subject to the constraint that the fragment densities sum to the correct molecular ground-state density. We investigate two interrelated aspects of PDFT: the connections between fragment densities obtained via different choices of fragmentation, for which we find "near-additivity", and the nature of their corresponding fragment occupations.

Molecular binding energies from partition density functional theory.

Approximate molecular calculations via standard Kohn-Sham density functional theory are exactly reproduced by performing self-consistent calculations on isolated fragments via partition density functional theory [P. Elliott, K. Burke, M.

Assessing the potential leukemogenic effects of 50 Hz magnetic fields and their harmonics using an animal leukemia model.

To answer the still unresolved question of the possible leukemogenic effects of extremely low frequency magnetic fields (ELF-MFs) and of their harmonics on the incidence of B acute lymphoblastic leukemia in children, we used an animal model to explore the possible co-initiating or co-promoting effects of ELF-MFs on the development of leukemia. We used a rat model in which B acute lymphoblastic leukemia is chemically induced by a nitrosurea derivative. From the onset of the chemical treatment, the animals were also exposed to ELF-MFs (100 microT, sinusoidal 50 Hz MFs), with or without harmonics.

Impairment of lymphocyte function in head-injured rats: effects of standard and immune-enhancing diets for enteral nutrition.

Background: The metabolic response to head injury (HI) is characterized by a dysimmunity which may be a risk factor of a septic state. The use of immune enhancing diets (IEDs) could be a promising approach to improve immune functions. The aim of the study was to investigate the consequences of HI on lymphocyte function and to determine the effects of an enteral IED comparatively to a standard enteral nutrition.

Using a human visual system model to optimize soft-copy mammography display: influence of veiling glare.

Rationale And Objectives: This project evaluated human observer performance and that of a human visual system model (JNDmetrix) to assess whether the veiling glare of a digital display influences observer performance during soft-copy interpretation of mammographic images for the detection of masses.

Materials And Methods: A set of 160 mammographic images, half containing a single mass, was processed to simulate four levels of veiling glare: none, comparable to a medical grade monochrome curved-screen cathode ray tube (CRT) display, double that of the CRT and quadruple that of the CRT. The images were shown to six observers in a randomized presentation order on a liquid crystal display (LCD) that had essentially no veiling glare.

A new model of pre-B acute lymphoblastic leukemia chemically induced in rats.

Objective: Although B acute lymphoblastic leukemia (B-ALL) is the most common leukemia among children, no chemically inducible model of this leukemia has yet been described in vivo.

Methods: Leukemia was chemically induced in male WKAH/Hkm rats by a nitrosourea derivative, N-butylnitrosourea (BNU), an alkylating agent, administered orally 5 days a week for 24 weeks. Development of leukemia was monitored by clinical observation, follow-up of blood parameters, and appearance of blast cells in peripheral blood samples.

On-axis and off-axis viewing of images on CRT displays and LCDs: observer performance and vision model predictions.

Rationale And Objectives: Although cathode-ray tube (CRT) displays typically are used for softcopy display of radiographs in the digital reading environment, liquid crystal displays (LCDs) currently are being used as an alternative. LCDs have many desirable viewing properties compared with a CRT, but significant image degradation can occur with off-axis viewing. This study compares observer performance and predictions from a human visual system model for on-axis and off-axis viewing for CRT displays versus LCDs.

Use of a human visual system model to predict observer performance with CRT vs LCD display of images.

This Project evaluated a human visual system model (JNDmetrix) based on just noticeable difference (JND) and frequency-channel vision-modeling principles to assess whether a Cathode ray tube (CRT) or a liquid crystal display (LCD) monochrome display monitor would yield better observer performance in radiographic interpretation. Key physical characteristics, such as veiling glare and modulation transfer function (MTF) of the CRT and LCD were measured. Regions of interest from mammographic images with masses of different contrast levels were shown once on each display to six radiologists using a counterbalanced presentation order.

Using a human visual system model to optimize soft-copy mammography display: influence of MTF compensation.

Rationale And Objectives: The investigators developed an efficient method for optimizing cathode ray tube (CRT) monitor performance for digital mammography, based on the correlation between the performance of human observers and the performance of a mathematical computer model of the human visual system. The investigators examined observer performance on soft-copy display of mammographic images that were either unprocessed or processed to compensate for modulation transfer function (MTF) deficiencies in the CRT display. The results were used to validate the human visual system model.

Effects of surround motion on receptive-field gain and structure in area 17 of the cat.

Modulation of responses elicited by moving bars within the classical receptive fields (CRF) of cat area 17 neurons were studied as a function of the direction and velocity of drifting gratings in the surrounds. Several different types of modulation were observed; collectively, the responses of most cells, both simple and complex, were strongly modulated by surround motion. None of these cells appear to signal relative velocity between the CRF and its surround.

Role of iron in tumor cell protection from the pro-apoptotic effect of nitric oxide.

F2The host defense against tumor cells is in part based upon the production of nitric oxide (NO) by activated macrophages. However, carcinogenesis may involve mechanisms that protect tumor cells from NO-mediated apoptosis. In the present study, we have assessed the effects of exogenous NO on the proliferation and survival of human liver (AKN-1), lung (A549), skin (HaCat), and pancreatic (Capan-2) tumor cell lines, compared with normal skin-derived epithelial cell cultures.

Can 50 Hz magnetic fields alter iron metabolism and induce anaemia?

Unlabelled: PURPOSE. Some changes in tissue iron concentration have been reported in animals exposed to electromagnetic fields. In other studies, variations in the haemoglobin level were occasionally observed.