Clinical factors that influence chorionic villus sampling sample size.

Purpose: Our primary objective was to characterize clinical and procedural factors affecting sample size in chorionic villus sampling (CVS).

Methods: This retrospective, single-site cohort study included singleton pregnancies undergoing transabdominal (TA) and transcervical (TC) CVS between 2020 and 2023. Prenatal and maternal data were obtained from the electronic medical record.

A distributed subcortical circuit linked to instrumental information-seeking about threat.

Daily life for humans and other animals requires switching between periods of threat- and reward-oriented behavior. We investigated neural activity associated with spontaneous switching, in a naturalistic task, between foraging for rewards and seeking information about potential threats with 7T fMRI in healthy humans. Switching was driven by estimates of likelihood of threat and reward.

Conservation benefits of a large marine protected area network that spans multiple ecosystems.

Marine protected areas (MPAs) are widely implemented tools for long-term ocean conservation and resource management. Assessments of MPA performance have largely focused on specific ecosystems individually and have rarely evaluated performance across multiple ecosystems either in an individual MPA or across an MPA network. We evaluated the conservation performance of 59 MPAs in California's large MPA network, which encompasses 4 primary ecosystems (surf zone, kelp forest, shallow reef, deep reef) and 4 bioregions, and identified MPA attributes that best explain performance.

An integrated photonic engine for programmable atomic control.

Solutions for scalable, high-performance optical control are important for the development of scaled atom-based quantum technologies. Modulation of many individual optical beams is central to applying arbitrary gate and control sequences on arrays of atoms or atom-like systems. At telecom wavelengths, miniaturization of optical components via photonic integration has pushed the scale and performance of classical and quantum optics far beyond the limitations of bulk devices.

Sustainability in Reconstructive Breast Surgery: An Eco-audit of the Deep Inferior Epigastric Perforator Flap Pathway.

Background: The deep inferior epigastric perforator (DIEP) flap provides an effective and popular means for autologous breast reconstruction. However, with the complexity of the pathway, the environmental impact of the pathway has yet to be evaluated.

Methods: A retrospective analysis of 42 unilateral DIEPs at a single reconstructive center was performed.