Measurement of the Index of Refraction of a Flat Zinc Germanium Phosphide Wafer in the Infrared

We have developed and tested a novel application of interferometry to determine the absolute refractive index of individual infrared materials having flat and parallel surfaces without alteration of the sample in any way, and measured no for ZnGeP2

Content Validity of the Occupational Therapy Anticipatory Awareness Test: A Functional Cognitive Assessment for Adults with Neurological Conditions

Background: The development of assessments that measure functional skills is a priority in the profession. Anticipatory awareness (i.e., the ability to anticipate the difficulties that might be experienced in daily life situations) is a critical skill in occupational performance. There is a lack of assessments measuring anticipatory awareness. The Occupational Therapy Anticipatory Awareness Test (OTAAT) is a performance-based assessment tool developed for individuals with neurological conditions. This study aimed to determine the tool’s content validity. Methods: We recruited five experts to review whether the test items are essential for assessment and calculated the Content Validity Ratio (CVR). Open-ended questions allowed opportunity to provide feedback for tool revision. Results: Ten of the 14 items of the OTAAT were preserved. Eight out of the 14 items were rated as essential for measurement. Two of the 10 items were identified as useful but not essential. Following discussion, review of supporting literature, and analysis of qualitative feedback, the two emergent awareness items were kept. Four items were removed (strategy implementation and awareness of strategy use subdomains), as these were deemed not essential. Conclusion: This study determined preliminary content validity of the OTAAT. Future research should focus on establishing construct validity and test reliability

A Scoping Review of Self-Awareness Instruments for Acquired Brain Injury

Background: Self-awareness and insight are critical functions required to maintain safe and optimal participation in all daily life activities in a variety of environmental contexts. In the past two decades, occupational therapists have developed several psychometrically sound assessments designed to identify self-awareness and insight deficits in patients with neurological disorders. This scoping review identifies and evaluates key properties of such assessments to inform clinical practice. Method: Multiple electronic databases were searched using the key search terms of “self-awareness” and “self-awareness assessment,” and “insight” and “insight assessment.” Included studies were original primary sources from the peer-reviewed journals. Results: Nine assessments met the inclusion criteria: Assessment of Awareness of Disability, Awareness Interview, Awareness Questionnaire, Insight Interview, Patient Competency Rating Scale, Patient Competency Rating Scale for Neuro-Rehabilitation, Patient Distress Scale, Self-Awareness of Deficits Interview, and Self-Regulation Skills Interview. Each assessment is reviewed in detail regarding its purpose, administration time, format, type of awareness assessed, psychometric properties, and advantages and disadvantages. Conclusions: Although all nine assessments are psychometrically sound, some may hold more usefulness for occupational therapists depending on a variety of factors, including patient cognitive level and activity tolerance and clinical setting and time constraints

Application of Hertz Vector Diffraction Theory to the Diffraction of Focused Gaussian Beams and Calculations of Focal Parameters

Hertz vector diffraction theory is applied to a focused TEM00 Gaussian light field passing through a circular aperture. The resulting theoretical vector field model reproduces plane-wave diffractive behavior for severely clipped beams, expected Gaussian beam behavior for unperturbed focused Gaussian beams as well as unique diffracted-Gaussian behavior between the two regimes. The maximum intensity obtainable and the width of the beam in the focal plane are investigated as a function of the clipping ratio between the aperture radius and the beam width in the aperture plane

Selection of Post-Acute Care for Stroke Patients

Background: Significant variation exists in post-acute care for stroke survivors. This study examines referral practices of occupational and physical therapists for patients after acute stroke. Method: Occupational therapists (OTs) and physical therapists (PTs) were surveyed either electronically or in person at a national conference. The respondents selected the most appropriate referral for each of five case vignettes. The referral choices included Inpatient Rehabilitation Facility (IRF), Skilled Nursing Facility (SNF), Long-Term Acute Care Hospital (LTACH), home with home services, or home with outpatient services. Demographic data included practice location, setting, and duration. The respondents were also asked to rate how strongly 15 clinical factors influence their referral decisions. Results: The 33 OTs and 41 PTs favored similar referrals. Consensus was observed in four of the five cases. No differences were observed among the respondents based on practice location, practice setting, or number of years in practice and the referrals. Prognosis for functional improvement and pre-stroke functional status were identified as the most important factors influencing referral decisions. Conclusion: Further studies are needed to define areas of broad consensus as well as areas of disagreement, with subsequent efforts to clarify optimal treatment algorithms for patients who currently receive variable rehabilitative care

Projection of Diffraction Patterns for Use in Cold-Neutral-Atom Trapping

Scalar diffraction theory is combined with beam-propagation techniques to investigate the projection of near-field diffraction patterns to spatial locations away from the aperture for use in optically trapping cold neutral alkali-metal atoms. Calculations show that intensity distributions with localized bright and dark spots usually found within a millimeter of the diffracting aperture can be projected to a region free from optical components such as a cloud of cold atoms within a vacuum chamber. Calculations also predict that the critical properties of the optical dipole atom traps are not only maintained for the projected intensity patterns but also can be manipulated and improved by adjustment of the optical components outside the vacuum chamber

Vector Diffraction Theory of Refraction of Light by a Spherical Surface

Focusing of light by a curved surface is described using the vector Kirchhoff diffraction theory. The electromagnetic fields of a light beam incident as a plane wave on a curved surface separating two transparent media having different refractive indices are expressed as dimensionless double integrals. The integrals are evaluated for a few specific cases, and the three-dimensional distribution of irradiance near the focus is determined. The role of aberration in limiting the maximum achievable irradiance is studied. The distribution of the longitudinal components of the electric field in the focal region is also studied, and the region where the longitudinal fields maximize is determined