"It's the Environment, Not Me": Experiences shared by transgender and gender diverse adults living in Texas.

Transgender and gender diverse people (TGD) experience elevated rates of behavioral health problems, including depression, anxiety, substance misuse, and suicidality. Minority stressors (e.g., discrimination and victimization) contribute to these poor health outcomes. A salient form of discrimination is the use of gender nonaffirming language, such as using incorrect pronouns or names, yet less is known about other environmental stimuli that may be reined as affirming or nonaffirming. A recent study uncovered the impact symbols (e.g., flags, stickers) may have on invoking positive or negative feelings among TGD youth in the Midwest. Our study further investigates this phenomenon with TGD adults in Texas. During Summer 2021, 3 researchers conducted audio-recorded semistructured focus groups and interviews with 11 participants who identified as transgender, gender nonconforming, or nonbinary. Interview topics included gender-affirming and nonaffirming language, positive and negative experiences, nonsupportive and supportive symbolism, and coping mechanisms. In this manuscript, we present findings regarding symbolism. Within our two primary themes, supportive and nonsupportive symbolism, subthemes emerged. Supportive symbolism includes flags and signage, written and oral language and communication, and representation of diversity. Nonsupportive symbolism includes extreme patriotism and religious symbols and highly gendered settings. Further, Texas-specific culture and a meter of safety were identified as being related to interacting with and observing an array of symbols. Symbolism can have a profound impact on someone's identity development, expression, emotions, coping mechanisms, and access to and engagement with social environments, exemplifying the importance of understanding geographic and cultural-specific mechanisms within environments TGD people occupy.

Parametric numerical study of the modulation transfer function in small-pitch InGaAs/InP infrared arrays with refractive microlenses.

We report on the modulation transfer function (MTF) in short-wave infrared indium gallium arsenide (InGaAs) on indium phosphide (InP) planar photodetector arrays. Our two-dimensional numerical method consists of optical simulations using the finite-difference time domain method and drift-diffusion simulations using the finite-element method. This parametric study investigates MTF dependence on pitch, the addition of refractive microlenses, the thickness of the InGaAs absorber, and the doping concentration of the InGaAs absorber. A focus is placed on the connection between the lateral diffusion of photogenerated holes in InGaAs and the MTF. It is found that the MTF of small-pitch arrays exhibit sub-ideal behavior due to pixel cross-talk resulting from a long minority carrier diffusion length. By incorporating monolithic microlenses with the InP substrate, the MTF response is improved for all pitches investigated, particularly for spatial frequencies near the respective cutoff frequencies. We also find a strong dependence of the MTF on the thickness and doping concentration in the absorbing region. Trends in dark current and quantum efficiency are reported.