Quantum Optics and Photonics

Contains table of contents for Part II, table of contains for Section 1 and reports on three research projects.Charles Stark Draper LaboratoryJoint Services Electronics Program (Contract DAAL03-86-K-0002)National Science Foundation (Grant PHY 82-10369)U.S. Air Force - Office of Scientific Research (Contract F49620-82-C-0091)U.S. Air Force - Rome Air Development Cente

Quantum Optics and Photonics

Contains reports on nine research projects.U.S. Air Force - Office of Scientific Research (Contract F49620-82-C-0091)U.S. Air Force - Rome Air Development CenterJoint Services Electronics Program (Contract DAAG29-83-K-0003)National Science Foundation Grant (Grant PHY 82-710369

Quantum Optics and Photonics

Contains reports on five research projects.Joint Services Electronics Program (Contract DAALO3-86-K-0002)National Science Foundation (Grant PHY 82-10369)U.S. Air Force - Office of Scientific Research (Contract F49620-82-C-0091)U.S. Air Force - Rome Air Development Cente

Typologies of post-divorce coparenting and parental well-being, parenting quality and children’s psychological adjustment

First published online: 30 October 2015The aim of this study was to identify post-divorce coparenting profiles and examine whether these profiles differentiate between levels of parents’ well-being, parenting practices, and children’s psychological problems. Cluster analysis was conducted with Portuguese heterosexual divorced parents (N = 314) to yield distinct postdivorce coparenting patterns. Clusters were based on parents’ self-reported coparenting relationship assessed along four dimensions: agreement, exposure to conflict, undermining/support, and division of labor. A three cluster solution was found and replicated. Parents in the highconflict coparenting group exhibited significantly lower life satisfaction, as well as significantly higher divorce-related negative affect and inconsistent parenting than parents in undermining and cooperative coparenting clusters. The cooperative coparenting group reported higher levels of positive family functioning and lower externalizing and internalizing problems in their children. These results suggested that a positive coparenting alliance may be a protective factor for individual and family outcomes after parental divorce

Childbirth-related post-traumatic stress disorder symptoms and mother-infant neurophysiological and behavioral co-regulation during dyadic interaction: study protocol

BackgroundMother's childbirth-related posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms have a negative impact on mother and infant's behaviors during dyadic interactions which may increase mother-infant neurophysiological and behavioral co-regulation difficulties, leading to dysregulated mother-infant interactions. This study was specifically designed to analyze: (1) the sociodemographic and obstetric factors associated with mother's childbirth-related PTSD symptoms; (2) mother-infant neurophysiological functioning and behavioral co-regulation during dyadic interaction; (3) the impact of mother's childbirth-related PTSD symptoms on neurophysiological and behavioral mother-infant co-regulation during dyadic interaction; (4) the moderator role of previous trauma on the impact of mother's childbirth-related PTSD symptoms on neurophysiological and behavioral mother-infant co-regulation during dyadic interaction; and (5) the moderator role of comorbid symptoms of anxiety and depression on the impact of mother's childbirth-related PTSD symptoms on neurophysiological and behavioral mother-infant co-regulation during dyadic interaction.MethodsAt least 250 mothers will be contacted in order to account for refusals and dropouts and guarantee at least 100 participating mother-infant dyads with all the assessment waves completed. The study has a longitudinal design with three assessment waves: (1) 1-3 days postpartum, (2) 8 weeks postpartum, and (3) 22 weeks postpartum. Between 1 and 3 days postpartum, mothers will report on-site on their sociodemographic and obstetric characteristics. At 8 weeks postpartum, mothers will complete online self-reported measures of birth trauma, previous trauma, childbirth-related PTSD, anxiety, and depressive symptoms. At 22 weeks postpartum, mothers will complete online self-reported measures of childbirth-related PTSD, anxiety, and depressive symptoms. Mothers and infants will then be home-visited to observe and record their neurophysiological, neuroimaging and behavioral data during dyadic interactions using the Still-face Paradigm. Activation patterns in the prefrontal cortices of mother and infant will be recorded simultaneously using hyperscanning acquisition devices. Unadjusted and adjusted multilevel linear regression models will be performed to analyze objectives 1 to 3. Moderation models will be performed to analyze objectives 4 and 5.DiscussionData from this study will inform psychological interventions targeting mother-infant interaction, co-regulation, and infant development. Moreover, these results can contribute to designing effective screenings to identify mothers at risk of perinatal mental health problems and those who may need specialized perinatal mental health care

The Portuguese version of the Psychological Adjustment to Separation Test-Part A (PAST-A): a study with recently and non-recently divorced adults

Past research has demonstrated that divorced adults show more health problems and psychological distress than married adults. Considering the high prevalence rates of divorce among Western countries, new and robust measures should be developed to measure psychological distress after this specific transition in adulthood. The aim of this study was to adapt and validate a Portuguese version of the Psychological Adjustment to Separation Test-Part A (PAST-A; Sweeper and Halford in J Family Psychol 20(4):632–640, 2006). PAST-A is a self-report measure that assesses two key dimensions of separation adjustment problems: lonely-negativity and former partner attachment. Psychometric properties of the Portuguese version of PAST-A were assessed in terms of factor structure, internal consistency, and convergent and divergent validity, in an online convenience sample with divorced adults (N = 460). The PAST-A two-factor structure was confirmed by exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses, with each factor demonstrating very satisfactory internal consistency and good convergence. In terms of discriminant validity, the Portuguese PAST-A reveals a distinct factor from psychological growth after divorce. The results provided support for the use of the Portuguese PAST-A with divorced adults and also suggested that the explicative factors of the psychological adjustment to divorce may be cross-cultural stable. The non-existence of validated divorce-related well-being measures and its implications for divorce research are also discussed

Locking bandwidth of two laterally coupled semiconductor lasers subject to optical injection

We report here for the first time (to our knowledge), a new and universal mechanism by which a two-element laser array is locked to external optical injection and admits stably injection-locked states within a nontrivial trapezoidal region. The rate equations for the system are studied both analytically and numerically. We derive a simple mathematical expression for the locking conditions, which reveals that two parallel saddle-node bifurcation branches, not reported for conventional single lasers subject to optical injection, delimit the injection locking range and its width. Important parameters are the linewidth enhancement factor, the laser separation, and the frequency offset between the two laterally-coupled lasers; the influence of these parameters on locking conditions is explored comprehensively. Our analytic approximations are validated numerically by using a path continuation technique as well as direct numerical integration of the rate equations. More importantly, our results are not restricted by waveguiding structures and uncover a generic locking behavior in the lateral arrays in the presence of injection

The effect of parenting behaviours on adolescents' rumination: a systematic review of longitudinal studies

Rumination is an emotional regulation mechanism strongly associated with the development and maintenance of internalising psychopathology in adolescence and adulthood. Parenting behaviours (PBs) play a pivotal role in the development of rumination in children and adolescents. Nonetheless, the specific PBs that can either protect against or increase the risk of rumination development remain poorly understood. This systematic review aimed to explore the (1) temporal associations between PBs and adolescents’ rumination and (2) potential moderators influencing these associations. We conducted a comprehensive search across Web of Science, Scopus, PubMed, Academic Search Complete and Eric databases, adhering to PRISMA reporting guidelines. Out of 1,868 abstracts screened, 182 articles underwent full-text examination, with nine meeting the inclusion criteria for the systematic review. Overall, the studies indicated that PBs characterised by criticism, rejection and control were positively associated with the development of rumination in adolescents, whilst PBs marked by authoritative practises exhibited a negative association with rumination. Gender, temperament, environmental sensitivity and pubertal timing emerged as significant moderators in the effects of PBs on rumination. However, conclusions were limited due to the studies’ methodological heterogeneity. Future studies on PBs and rumination should address various dimensions of PBs and different moderators to identify factors that can modify the development of rumination across adolescence. Findings may inform family-based prevention programmes to promote emotion regulation in adolescents as a protective factor against internalising psychopathology across adulthood.Open access funding provided by FCT|FCCN (b-on). This study was supported by Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia - FCT (Portuguese Ministry of Science, Technology and Higher Education), under the grant HEI-LAB (UIDB/05380/2020). Raquel Costa was supported by the Social European Fund and Foundation for Science and Technology—FCT—under a Post-Doctoral Grant (SFRH/BPD/117597/2016)

Novel thermal annealing methodology for permanent tuning polymer optical fiber Bragg gratings to longer wavelengths

The Bragg wavelength of a polymer optical fiber Bragg grating can be permanently shifted by utilizing the thermal annealing method. In all the reported fiber annealing cases, the authors were able to tune the Bragg wavelength only to shorter wavelengths, since the polymer fiber shrinks in length during the annealing process. This article demonstrates a novel thermal annealing methodology for permanently tuning polymer optical fiber Bragg gratings to any desirable spectral position, including longer wavelengths. Stretching the polymer optical fiber during the annealing process, the period of Bragg grating, which is directly related with the Bragg wavelength, can become permanently longer. The methodology presented in this article can be used to multiplex polymer optical fiber Bragg gratings at any desirable spectral position utilizing only one phase-mask for their photo-inscription, reducing thus their fabrication cost in an industrial setting

History of mental health problems moderates the association between partner support during childbirth and women's mental health in the postpartum period

" Background: Partner support during childbirth is an important protective factor for women's perinatal mental health. However, its protective role in women experiencing vulnerabilities is largely unknown, namely in those with history of mental health problems. Aim: This study analysed (1) the association between partner support during childbirth and depressive, anxiety, and childbirth-related post-traumatic stress disorder symptoms in the postpartum period; and (2) the moderating role of previous diagnosis of mental health problems in those associations. Design: Cross-sectional study with 284 women. Methods: At 2 months postpartum, participants reported on sociodemographic, obstetric, and mental health-related data, partner support during childbirth, and depressive (Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale), anxiety (State Anxiety Inventory), and childbirth-related post-traumatic stress disorder (City Birth Trauma Scale) symptoms. Findings: More partner support during childbirth was associated with lower depressive, anxiety, and childbirth-related post-traumatic stress disorder symptoms. Previous diagnosis of mental health problems was associated with higher depressive, anxiety, and childbirth-related post-traumatic stress disorder symptoms and moderated the association between partner support during childbirth and depressive and anxiety symptoms. Higher partner support during childbirth was associated with lower depressive and anxiety symptoms, only in women without a previous diagnosis of mental health problems. Discussion: Findings suggest that partner support during childbirth can be a protective factor for women's postpartum mental health, particularly for women without a previous diagnosis of mental health problems. However, for those with a previous diagnosis of mental health problems, this support was not associated with symptoms. Conclusion: Women with a history of mental health problems may require additional support beyond that provided by their partners to prevent or mitigate postpartum mental health problems."This work was funded by the Foundation for Science and Technology—FCT (Portuguese Ministry of Science, Technology and Higher Education), under the grant HEI-LAB (UIDB/05380/2020; https://doi.org/10.54499/UIDB/05380/2020) and project 2022.01825.PTDC (http://doi.org/10.54499/2022.01825.PTDC). This research was funded by” la Caixa'' Foundation's Social Research Call 2023 under the project code LCF/PR/SR23/57000014. Funding was received in Portugal by the FSE and FCT – Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia, I.P. (Individual CEEC 2023.06934.CEECIND [RC]; Individual grant 2024.06405.BD [DT]; Individual grant 2024.03648.BD [DF]). The funders had no role in study design; in the collection, analysis, and interpretation of data; in the writing of the report; or in the decision to submit the article for publication. The authors have stated that they had no interests that might be perceived as posing a conflict or bias