Examining Participant Dosage and Skill Utilization Associated with Receipt of a Perinatal Depression Preventive Intervention.

This study assessed participant, facilitator, and program-level characteristics associated with intervention dosage among women receiving an evidence-based perinatal depression preventive intervention, Mothers and Babies (MB). We also explored how intervention dosage affected the use and maintenance of core skills taught in the six-session group-based intervention. We conducted a secondary analysis of data from a cluster-randomized controlled trial in which 679 women enrolled in home visiting (HV) programs received MB prenatally.

Testing the effects of a prenatal depression preventive intervention on parenting and young children's self-regulation and functioning (EPIC): protocol for a longitudinal observational study.

Background: Perinatal depression is a pervasive public health concern that disproportionately affects low-income women and can have negative impacts on parenting and child developmental outcomes. Few interventions focus on preventing perinatal depression. Previous studies suggest that Mothers and Babies is efficacious in preventing the worsening of depressive symptoms and the onset of postpartum depression.

Spatial coherence in 2D holography.

Holography is a long-established technique to encode an object's spatial information into a lower-dimensional representation. We investigate the role of the illumination's spatial coherence properties in the success of such an imaging system through point spread function and Fourier domain analysis. Incoherent illumination is shown to result in more robust imaging performance free of diffraction artifacts at the cost of incurring background noise and sacrificing phase retrieval.

Evaluating performance of covariate-constrained randomization (CCR) techniques under misspecification of cluster-level variables in cluster-randomized trials.

Covariate constrained randomization (CCR) is a method of controlling imbalance in important baseline covariates in cluster-randomized trials (CRT). We use simulated CRTs to investigate the performance (control of imbalance) of CCR relative to simple randomization (SR) under conditions of misspecification of the cluster-level variable used in the CCR algorithm. We use data from a Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI)-funded CRT evaluating the Mothers and Babies (MB) intervention (AD-1507-31,473).

Comparing the effectiveness of home visiting paraprofessionals and mental health professionals delivering a postpartum depression preventive intervention: a cluster-randomized non-inferiority clinical trial.

To determine whether pregnant women receiving the Mothers and Babies group-based intervention exhibited greater depressive symptom reductions and fewer new cases of major depression than women receiving usual community-based services, and to examine whether groups run by paraprofessional home visitors and mental health professionals yielded similar depressive symptom reductions and prevention of major depression. Using a cluster-randomized design, 37 home visiting programs were randomized to usual home visiting, Mothers and Babies delivered via home visiting paraprofessionals, or Mothers and Babies delivered via mental health professionals. Baseline assessments were conducted prenatally with follow-up extending to 24 weeks postpartum.

Cost Savings and Reduced Health Care Utilization Associated with Participation in a Digital Diabetes Prevention Program in an Adult Workforce Population.

Background: Though in-person delivery of the Diabetes Prevention Program (DPP) has demonstrated medical cost savings, the economic impact of digital programs is not as well understood.

Objective: This study examines the impact of a digital DPP program on reducing all-cause health care costs and utilization among 2027 adult participants at 12 months.

Methods: A longitudinal, observational analysis of health care claims data was conducted on a workforce population who participated in a digital diabetes prevention program.

Comparing Fidelity Outcomes of Paraprofessional and Professional Delivery of a Perinatal Depression Preventive Intervention.

Mothers and Babies (MB), a perinatal depression preventive intervention, has proven effective in decreasing depressive symptoms and preventing onset of major depression. An ongoing cluster-randomized trial is comparing the effectiveness of the six-session MB group intervention led by paraprofessionals versus mental health professionals. Twenty percent of all audio-recorded intervention sessions were randomly selected for fidelity checks.

Choosing an imbalance metric for covariate-constrained randomization in multiple-arm cluster-randomized trials.

Background: In cluster-randomized controlled trials (C-RCTs), covariate-constrained randomization (CCR) methods efficiently control imbalance in multiple baseline cluster-level variables, but the choice of imbalance metric to define the subset of "adequately balanced" possible allocation schemes for C-RCTs involving more than two arms and continuous variables is unclear. In an ongoing three-armed C-RCT, we chose the min(three Kruskal-Wallis [KW] test P values) > 0.30 as our metric.

Fermi Level Manipulation through Native Doping in the Topological Insulator BiSe.

The topologically protected surface states of three-dimensional (3D) topological insulators have the potential to be transformative for high-performance logic and memory devices by exploiting their specific properties such as spin-polarized current transport and defect tolerance due to suppressed backscattering. However, topological insulator based devices have been underwhelming to date primarily due to the presence of parasitic issues. An important example is the challenge of suppressing bulk conduction in BiSe and achieving Fermi levels ( E) that reside in between the bulk valence and conduction bands so that the topologically protected surface states dominate the transport.

Gas-lens effect in kW-class thin-disk lasers.

We unveil a gas-lens effect in kW-class thin-disk lasers, which accounts in our experiments for 33% of the overall disk thermal lensing. By operating the laser in vacuum, the gas lens vanishes. This leads to a lower overall thermal lensing and hence to a significantly extended power range of optimal beam quality.

Single-frequency 3D synthetic aperture imaging with dynamic metasurface antennas.

Through aperture synthesis, an electrically small antenna can be used to form a high-resolution imaging system capable of reconstructing three-dimensional (3D) scenes. However, the large spectral bandwidth typically required in synthetic aperture radar systems to resolve objects in range often requires costly and complex RF components. We present here an alternative approach based on a hybrid imaging system that combines a dynamically reconfigurable aperture with synthetic aperture techniques, demonstrating the capability to resolve objects in three dimensions (3D), with measurements taken at a single frequency.

Phaseless computational ghost imaging at microwave frequencies using a dynamic metasurface aperture.

We demonstrate a dynamic metasurface aperture as a unique tool for computational ghost imaging at microwave frequencies. The aperture consists of a microstrip waveguide loaded with an array of metamaterial elements, each of which couples energy from the waveguide mode to the radiation field. With a tuning mechanism introduced into each independently addressable metamaterial element, the aperture can produce diverse radiation patterns that vary as a function of tuning state.

Kerr lens mode-locked Yb:CALGO thin-disk laser.

We demonstrate the first Kerr lens mode-locked Yb:CaGdAlO (Yb:CALGO) thin-disk laser oscillator. It generates pulses with a duration of 30 fs at a central wavelength of 1048 nm and a repetition rate of 124 MHz. The laser emits the shortest pulses generated by a thin-disk laser oscillator, equal to the shortest pulse duration obtained by Yb-doped bulk oscillators.

Extreme ultraviolet light source at a megahertz repetition rate based on high-harmonic generation inside a mode-locked thin-disk laser oscillator.

We demonstrate a compact extreme ultraviolet (XUV) source based on high-harmonic generation (HHG) driven directly inside the cavity of a mode-locked thin-disk laser oscillator. The laser is directly diode-pumped at a power of only 51 W and operates at a wavelength of 1034 nm and a 17.35 MHz repetition rate.

Prognostic Factors in Typical and Atypical Pulmonary Carcinoids.

Background: Typical and atypical carcinoids represent approximately 2% of all lung tumors. Survival of patients with typical bronchial carcinoids, unlike the survival of patients with most lung tumors, is generally long but dependent on stage. We report the findings of the Ochsner Medical Center/Louisiana State University (LSU) Health Sciences Center neuroendocrine tumor (NET) program.

Lengthening of knee flexor muscles by percutaneous needle tenotomy: Description of the technique and preliminary results.

Background: Knee flexion contractures occur frequently in non-ambulatory, aged persons and persons with central nervous system lesions, rendering positioning and nursing care difficult. There are often risks associated with surgical interventions.

Objective: To evaluate the effectiveness of percutaneous needle tenotomy to lengthen the knee flexor muscles and improve passive function.

Modelocking of a thin-disk laser with the frequency-doubling nonlinear-mirror technique.

We demonstrate a frequency-doubling nonlinear-mirror (NLM) modelocked thin-disk laser. This modelocking technique, composed of an intracavity second harmonic crystal in combination with a dichroic output coupler, offers robust operation decoupled from cavity stability (as in semiconductor saturable absorber mirror (SESAM) modelocking) combined with an ultrafast saturable loss and high modulation depth (as in Kerr-lens modelocking (KLM)). With our NLM diode-pumped Yb:YAG thin-disk laser we achieve 21 W of average power at 323-fs pulse duration, which is an order of magnitude shorter than the previously obtained duration with the same technique in bulk lasers.

Peak-power scaling of femtosecond Yb:LuO thin-disk lasers.

We present a high-peak-power SESAM-modelocked thin-disk laser (TDL) based on the gain material Yb-doped lutetia (Yb:LuO), which exceeds a peak-power of 10 MW for the first time. We generate pulses as short as 534 fs with an average power of 90 W and a peak power of 10.1 MW, and in addition a peak power as high as 12.

High-power Yb:GGG thin-disk laser oscillator: first demonstration and power-scaling prospects.

We present the first demonstration of a thin-disk laser based on the gain material Yb:GGG. This material has many desirable properties for the thin-disk geometry: a high thermal conductivity, which is nearly independent of the doping concentration, a low quantum defect, low-temperature growth, and a broadband absorption spectrum, making it a promising contender to the well-established Yb:YAG for high-power applications. In continuous wave laser operation, we demonstrate output powers above 50 W, which is an order of magnitude higher than previously achieved with this material in the bulk geometry.

Oxide-Free Actuation of Gallium Liquid Metal Alloys Enabled by Novel Acidified Siloxane Oils.

Electrowetting and electrocapillarity of liquid metals have a long history, and a recent explosion of renewed interest. Liquid metals have electromagnetic properties and surface tensions (>500 mN/m) that enable new forms of reconfigurable devices. However, the only nontoxic option, gallium alloys, suffer from immediate formation of a semirigid surface oxide.