Reflective Functioning Research Articles

A Dialectical Perspective on Reflective Function and the Concept of Compensation in Jung.

The construct of mentalization has a growing resonance in the theoretical and clinical spheres across different clinical and psychotherapeutic approaches, including that of analytical psychology. The aim of this paper is to relate the Reflective Function to the concept of Compensation, as it was re-invented by Jung (1914). Beginning with the original reading proposed by Jung in his work about the "interpretation of Daniel's interpretation" of Nebuchadnezzar's dream, the authors go so far as to propose that the interpretation of dreams can be a method for critical confrontation with oneself. In this perspective, the reflective function and the compensation principle can be considered as promoters of a critical (re)view of one's own assumptions/attitudes through confrontation with other points of view. This critical (re)view must be conducted first of all in the interior life of the person. In clinical practice, reflective function and the concept of compensation serve as essential tools for seeing differently and reshaping one's understanding of self and others. A brief "modern" clinical case is provided to illustrate the practical application and therapeutic value of this approach.

The role of parental mentalizing on the link between parental depression and child emotion regulation.

Parental depression has consistently been shown to impact child's emotion regulation (ER), with limited research on risk and protective factors, especially in preschoolers. Grounded in Morris and colleagues' model of emotion socialization, this study addresses this gap by examining the mediating and moderating roles of parental mentalizing (reflective functioning). We aimed to explore whether pre-mentalizing modes mediate the link between parental depressive symptoms and the child's ER tendencies and whether parental interest and curiosity and parental certainty about mental states can buffer this link. The study sample included 732 parents (91% females) of children aged 3-7 years. To assess parental mentalizing, the Parental Reflective Functioning Questionnaire was used. Child ER skills were assessed with the Emotion Regulation Checklist, and depression was assessed with the Patient Health Questionnaire. Findings demonstrated a negative link between parental depressive symptoms and children's ER skills, mediated by heightened parental pre-mentalizing modes. Contrary to expectations, parental interest and curiosity did not moderate this link, but parental certainty about mental states emerged as a protective factor, weakening the link between depressive symptoms and child ER skills. The results contribute to the understanding of ER development, particularly in the context of parental depressive symptoms, emphasizing parental mentalizing as a pivotal factor within this intricate dynamic.

Recognition of Ground Clutter in Single-Polarization Radar Based on Gated Recurrent Unit

A new method is proposed for identifying ground clutter in single-polarization radar data based on the gated recurrent unit (GRU) neural network. This method needs five independent input variables related to radar reflectivity structure, which are the reflectivity at current tilt, the reflectivity at the upper tilt, the reflectivity at 3.5 km, the echo top height, and the texture of reflectivity at current tilt, respectively. The performance of the new method is compared with that of the traditional method used in the Weather Surveillance Radar 1988-Doppler system in four cases with different scenarios. The results show that the GRU method is more effective than the traditional method in capturing ground clutter, particularly in situations where ground clutter exists at two adjacent elevation angles. Furthermore, in order to assess the new method more comprehensively, 709 radar scans from Nanchang radar in July 2019 and 708 scans from Jingdezhen radar in June 2019 were collected and processed by the two methods, and the frequency map of radar reflectivity exceeding 20 dBZ was analyzed. The results indicate that the GRU method has a stronger ability than the traditional method to identify and remove ground clutter. Meanwhile, the GRU method can also preserve meteorological echoes well.

Exploring the physical characteristics of chalcogenide SrZrS3 perovskite: Insights for photovoltaic use

AbstractIn this study, first-principle-based Density functional Theory (DFT) have been utilized to investigate the electronic, optical, mechanical and thermal properties of SrZrS3 for the solar cell application. Semiconducting nature of SrZrS3 was found via the investigation of electronic band structure and density of state (DOS). Electronic band structures reveal direct bandgap semiconductor properties with values 0.57 eV in Perdew-Burke-Ernzerhof functional (PBE) method, and 1.28 eV is in hybrid Functional (HSE06) method for SrZrS3, suggesting specific applications in photovoltaic (PV) cell. Significant constant such as absorption, reflectivity, refractivity, and loss function were also calculated to evaluate the optical properties of SrZrS3. The optical properties highlight the potential of SrZrS3 material for optoelectronic and photovoltaic applications. The Born stability criteria confirmed the mechanical stability of this compound. Furthermore, its minimum thermal conductivity (Kmin = 0.66 Wm−1 K−1) is adequate for maintaining performance without excessive heat buildup, making it suitable for high-efficiency solar cells. Graphical Abstract

Parental mentalization across cultures: Mind-mindedness and parental reflective functioning in British and South Korean mothers.

Differences in mind-mindedness and parental reflective functioning (PRF) were investigated in mothers and their 6-month-old infants from South Korea (N=66, 32 girls) and the United Kingdom (N=63, 26 girls). Mind-mindedness was assessed in terms of appropriate and non-attuned mind-related comments during infant-mother interaction; PRF was assessed using a questionnaire. British mothers commented more on infant desires and preferences, whereas Korean mothers commented more on cognitions and emotions, but there were no cultural differences in overall levels of mind-mindedness. For PRF, Korean mothers reported more certainty about their infants' mental states compared with their British counterparts, but there were no cultural differences in mothers' reported interest in their infants' mental states. Greater reported certainty about infants' mental states was positively related to self-reported parenting quality in both cultural groups, but this association was not seen for parenting quality as assessed observationally. Mind-mindedness and PRF were unrelated in both Korean and British mothers. Results are discussed in terms of the Korean concept of mother-infant oneness and the multi-dimensional nature of parental mentalization.

First principle calculations of structural, electronic, and optical properties of XSnO3 (X: Ca, Mg, Sr) perovskite oxides

The perovskite oxides XSnO3have garnered significant attention due to their potential applications in various fields, including electronics, photonics, and renewable energy technologies. This study presents a comprehensive theoretical investigation of the structural, electronic, and optical properties of XSnO3(X: Ca, Mg, Sr) compounds with density functional theory based on the full potential linearized augmented plane wave method. Our analysis begins with thoroughly examining the structural stability and lattice parameters of XSnO3compounds, revealing their robust perovskite crystal structures. These compounds' lattice constants, total energy, bulk modulus, and cohesive energy were determined. Subsequently, we delve into the electronic properties of XSnO3, elucidating their electronic band structures, density of states, and charge densities. The studied compounds are indirect bandgap semiconductors having band gaps in the visible range. Furthermore, our investigation extends to the optical properties of XSnO3, encompassing absorption spectra, refractive indices, energy loss function, reflectivity, extinction coefficient, and dielectric functions across a wide range of wavelengths. Overall, the excellent optical properties of these compounds make them suitable for optoelectronic applications.

Exploring photocatalytic and photovoltaic applications of chalcogenide Perovskites, ABS3 (A = Li, Na, K, Rb, Cs; B = Si, Ge, Sn): A First-Principles investigation using the HSE-06 hybrid functional

Unlike traditional semiconductors, chalcogenide perovskites offer a unique combination, merging the stability and safety of oxides with the tunability of halide semiconductors, making them particularly promising for photocatalytic and photovoltaic applications. This paper theoretically investigates the optoelectronic properties of the triclinic ABS3 (A = Li, Na, K, Rb, Cs; B = Si, Ge, Sn) perovskites using density functional theory with the HSE06 hybrid functional. The feasibility of synthesizing ABS3 materials was revealed using formation energy calculations. Band structure and density of state calculations confirm that all compounds under investigation are semiconductors exhibiting indirect bandgaps. These bandgaps increase with the ionic radius of the A-site cation, following the trend Li < Na < K < Rb < Cs. Additionally, the order of bandgap energies for the B-site elements is observed as Si > Sn > Ge. This trend emphasizes the significant influence of cation size on the electronic properties of perovskite materials. The investigated perovskites exhibit bandgaps between 1.67 and 3.55 eV, with a narrow difference (0.03–0.49 eV) between their indirect and direct gaps. We additionally compute various optical parameters (dielectric function, refractive index, extinction coefficient, optical conductivity, absorption coefficient, reflectivity, and energy loss function) across the 0–50 eV energy range. The valence and conduction band edge potentials of ABS3 perovskites were calculated to evaluate their potential applications in water splitting, carbon dioxide reduction, and photodegradation processes. The results of this study demonstrate that several ABS3 semiconductors exhibit promising characteristics that position them as efficient photocatalysts for these photocatalytic reactions. LiGeS3 and NaGeS3, in particular, are promising for solar cell applications.

Investigating the physical properties of the binary compound CdTe under different pressures using FP-LMTO method

The structural, electronic and optical properties of Cadmium Telluride (CdTe) are investigated at different pressures using the full potential linear muffin-tin orbital FP-LMTO method based on density functional theory (DFT), within the local density approximation LDA and the generalized gradient approximation GGA approximations were used to calculate the exchange-correlation potential. The ground state properties of CdTe compound were determined for diverse phases, and the band structure and optical parameters were calculated at pressures ranging from 0 GPa to 50 GPa. Optical parameters, including real part, imaginary part of the dielectric function, reflectivity, refractive index, extinction coefficient and energy loss function, were calculated for over an energy range from 0 eV to 13.6058 eV. The results were compared with available experimental and theoretical data, showing good agreement with earlier reported result. These particularities reveal that CdTe as favorable material for optoelectronic applications, as it exhibits together important electronic and optical responses under different pressure.

Theory of mind and emotion regulation in school‐aged children: Associations with parental reflective functioning

AbstractChildren's theory of mind (ToM) and emotion regulation (ER) have been associated with various parental factors. This study examined associations between ToM, ER, and dimensions of parental reflective functioning (RF) in children aged 7 to 12 years. A total of 95 children (M = 8.85 years, 51 girls, and 44 boys) and their mothers took part in the study. Children completed two higher‐order ToM tasks and mothers rated their own RF and children's ToM and ER. Analyses revealed unique effects of parental prementalizing modes (PM) on both task‐measured and parent‐reported ToM as well as on children's socially‐appropriate ER skills and their lability/negativity. Moreover, parents’ interest and curiosity about their children's mental states (IC) was uniquely associated with parent‐reported ToM and ER. The study also revealed bidirectional mediation effects, with ToM mediating the relationship between ER and both PM and IC, and ER mediating the relationship between ToM and both PM and IC.

LIDeepDet: Deepfake Detection via Image Decomposition and Advanced Lighting Information Analysis

The proliferation of AI-generated content (AIGC) has empowered non-experts to create highly realistic Deepfake images and videos using user-friendly software, posing significant challenges to the legal system, particularly in criminal investigations, court proceedings, and accident analyses. The absence of reliable Deepfake verification methods threatens the integrity of legal processes. In response, researchers have explored deep forgery detection, proposing various forensic techniques. However, the swift evolution of deep forgery creation and the limited generalizability of current detection methods impede practical application. We introduce a new deep forgery detection method that utilizes image decomposition and lighting inconsistency. By exploiting inherent discrepancies in imaging environments between genuine and fabricated images, this method extracts robust lighting cues and mitigates disturbances from environmental factors, revealing deeper-level alterations. A crucial element is the lighting information feature extractor, designed according to color constancy principles, to identify inconsistencies in lighting conditions. To address lighting variations, we employ a face material feature extractor using Pattern of Local Gravitational Force (PLGF), which selectively processes image patterns with defined convolutional masks to isolate and focus on reflectance coefficients, rich in textural details essential for forgery detection. Utilizing the Lambertian lighting model, we generate lighting direction vectors across frames to provide temporal context for detection. This framework processes RGB images, face reflectance maps, lighting features, and lighting direction vectors as multi-channel inputs, applying a cross-attention mechanism at the feature level to enhance detection accuracy and adaptability. Experimental results show that our proposed method performs exceptionally well and is widely applicable across multiple datasets, underscoring its importance in advancing deep forgery detection.

Caregivers' cognitions about infants' mental and emotional states

AbstractGiven the relevance of caregivers' perceptions, cognitions, and emotions about their child's mental states for caregiving behavior and children's development, researchers from multiple theoretical perspectives have developed constructs to assess caregivers' cognitions, resulting in a large but scattered body of literature. In this article, we highlight the conceptual overlap among and uniqueness of six constructs assessing caregivers' cognitions about their child at 36 months and younger: infant intentionality, mental representations, mind‐mindedness, parental embodied mentalizing, parental empathy, and parental reflective functioning. We define constructs, present approaches to measurement, and propose elements of importance that fall under the umbrella of caregivers' cognitions and that may be associated differentially with children's early cognitive and social–emotional development. We conclude with recommendations for researchers aiming to capture caregivers' cognitions about their child's mental states, whether focusing on one of the six reviewed constructs or on specific elements (e.g., awareness of the child's mind or accuracy of caregivers' perceptions of their child) under the umbrella of caregivers' cognitions.

Narratives of Mental Illness and Well-being: A 6-Week Course Aiming to Improve Medical Student Empathy and Resilience Through the Creative Arts.

Narratives of mental illness and well-being are difficult to communicate in medical education. The arts convey these narratives and may strengthen medical student capabilities. This study evaluated the efficacy of a 2021 6-week seminar-style course for medical students focused on five mental states through the lens of visual arts, film, and literature to impact student capabilities. Pre- and post-course administration of standardized rating scales, including the Jefferson Scale of Empathy Medical Students (JSE-S), the Groningen Reflection Ability Scale (GRAS), and the Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale (CD-RISC), measured course impact on medical student empathy, reflective functioning, and resiliency, respectively. Administration of these scales on a matched control group of students not enrolled in the course served for comparison. Pre- and post-course survey data demonstrates that the course improves at levels of statistical significance medical students' empathy (JSE-S score 77.50 SD = 15.76 improving to 93.80 SD 20.92, p = 0.0068, t = 4.19, df = 4) and resilience (CD-RISC score 65.83 SD = 14.36 improving to 78.60 SD = 10.92, p = 0.0137, t = 4.19, df = 4), but not reflective functioning (GRAS score 91 SD = 9.14 improving to 95.20 SD = 10.06, p = 0.1444, t = 1.81, df = 4). The control group showed no statistically significant differences pre- and post-course. Limitations notwithstanding, this study suggests that the analysis of film, literature, and visual art may improve medical students' empathy and resilience. Future studies may explore reproducibility among larger sample sizes at differing institutions and curricula as well as downstream effects on patient care and well-being.

Exploring the structural and electronic properties of N-doped Ti2C MXenes for novel applications in advanced materials and devices: A DFT study

MXenes, a category of two-dimensional transition metal carbides and nitrides, have attracted significant interest owing to their distinctive characteristics. This study utilizes Density Functional Theory (DFT) to examine the effects of nitrogen doping on the structural and electrical properties of Ti2C MXenes. N-doping induces significant alterations in the lattice structure and electronic properties, culminating in an elevated density of states at the Fermi level, indicating improved conductivity. Furthermore, optical characteristics such as reflectivity and loss function are affected by N-doping, resulting in a shift in the intensity of the reflectivity peak. The alterations provide N-doped Ti2C MXenes viable candidates for advanced applications in energy storage, catalysis, and electronic devices, facilitating future empirical and theoretical investigations in MXene-based materials.

Feasibility and cross-cultural validation of an adapted social skills group training programme (KONTAKTTM CHILD) for Chinese autistic children: a waitlist RCT protocol

IntroductionSchool-age autistic children commonly experience social communication and interaction challenges in their everyday lives. While international evidence suggests that social skills group training (SSGT) programmes can support autistic children, improving...

Reflectance mapping with microsphere-assisted white light interference nanoscopy

The characterisation of novel materials presents a challenge that requires new and original developments. To face some of these demands for making measurements at the nanoscale, a new microsphere-assisted white light interference nanoscope performing local reflectance mapping is presented. This technique presents the advantages of being non-destructive, full-field and label-free. A 145 μm diameter microsphere, glued to the end of an optical fiber, is inserted inside the white light interference microscope to improve the lateral resolution from 940 nm to 520 nm. The acquisition and the Fourier transform processing of a stack of interference images superimposed on the virtual image produced by the microsphere allows the extraction of the local reflectance over a wavelength range of 460 nm to 900 nm and a field of view of 8 μm in diameter. The enhancement in the lateral resolution of the reflectance is demonstrated through the spectral distinction of neighboring ripples on a laser-textured colored stainless-steel sample that cannot be resolved without the microsphere, on regions with a surface of 279 × 279 nm2 horizontally spaced 279 nm apart. Future improvements could potentially lead to a lateral resolution of reflectance measurement over a 100 nm diameter area in air, paving the way to sub-diffraction reflectance mapping.

Maternal alexithymia and caregiving behavior: the role of executive functioning -A FinnBrain Birth Cohort study.

The growing interest in parental cognition calls for research clarifying how cognition interacts with other parenting determinants to shape caregiving behavior. We studied the interplay between executive functioning (EF; cognitive processes that enable goal-directed thinking and behavior) and alexithymic traits (characterized by emotion processing/regulation difficulties) in relation to emotional availability (EA; the dyad's ability to share an emotionally healthy relationship). As EF has been reported to shape parents' ability to regulate thoughts and emotions during caregiving, we examined whether EF moderated the association between maternal alexithymic traits, and EA. Among 119 mothers with 2.5-year-olds drawn from the FinnBrain Birth Cohort, EF was measured with Cogstate tasks, alexithymic traits with the Toronto Alexithymia Scale (TAS-20), and caregiving with the Emotional Availability Scales (EAS). More alexithymic traits on the TAS-20 subscale Externally Oriented Thinking (EOT) were associated with poorer caregiving in a hierarchical regression analysis (ΔR2 = 0.05, p = .01). A marginally significant moderation effect was found when adding the EOTxEF interaction term to the model (ΔR2 = 0.03, p = .06). These associations weakened slightly when controlling for education level. Estimation of simple slopes and a Johnson-Neyman figure indicated a significant association between higher EOT and lower EAS, that increased in strength as EF decreased from the group mean level. The influence of cognitive alexithymic traits on EA could be especially pronounced among low EF parents, but further studies are needed to support and extend the findings. The potential role of parental reflective functioning in this context is discussed.

Presence and Impact of Adverse Childhood Experiences and Reflective Functioning on Aggression in Adults With Antisocial Behaviour.

This cross-sectional study investigated the relationship between the presence and impact of ACEs with both reactive and proactive aggression, and the possible moderating role of mentalization (operationalized as reflective functioning) in these expected relationships. Sixty-five inpatient and outpatient adults with any kind of antisocial behaviour completed the Dutch version of the Traumatic Experiences Checklist, the Reactive-Proactive Aggression Questionnaire, and the Adult Attachment Interview with the use of the Reflective Functioning Scale. Preliminary analysis showed a remarkably high level of ACEs, and a relatively high reported impact of these experiences. We found a positive relationship between the total presence of ACEs (including childhood maltreatment and adverse household factors), and both reactive and proactive aggression. We also found positive relationships between the experienced impact of these ACEs and both reactive and proactive aggression. Regarding childhood maltreatment in family of origin, we did not find a correlation between the presence of these experiences and respectively reactive and proactive aggression. However, we found a correlation between the impact of childhood maltreatment and reactive aggression. These results suggest that in addition to the cumulative experience of ACEs, the subjective burden of these experiences on individuals must not be underestimated in case of aggression. Additional moderation analysis showed no differences in these relationships in case of less developed versus medium-high developed reflective functioning. The findings substantiate the importance of early prevention and treatment programs with focus on ACEs to possibly reduce aggression.

Crystallization of antimony sulfide films on stainless steel substrates obtained by sequential chemical bath deposition

Antimony sulfide (Sb2S3) films have been typically deposited on glass substrates, however, there are a few reports about its deposition on stainless steel substrates. In this work, Sb2S3 was successfully deposited on stainless steel substrates for the first time using sequential chemical bath deposition (CBD) at 2 °C and thermally treated at 300 °C by 5 min in air. XRD and Raman spectroscopy analysis revealed that the as deposited Sb2S3 films exhibits an amorphous phase while the thermally treated has a polycrystalline nature with an orthorhombic structure. An increase in (002) crystalline plane was favored with the increases in deposition layers and was not observed an increase in the oxide phases. The optical band gap was calculated directly on stainless steel substrates by diffuse reflectance and Kubelka-Munk function, and was found a band gap of 2.36, 1.78, 1.71 and 1.75 eV for amorphous, 1 layer, 2 layers, and 3 layers, respectively. The SEM analysis revealed that the sequential deposition improves the surfaces of the Sb2S3 films on stainless steel substrates, and the atomic ratio measured by EDS is near to 1, however the properties of Sb2S3 films were not strongly affected. Our results suggest that the properties of Sb2S3 films on stainless steel substrates can be used for the development of flexible solar cells.

Study on the optical properties of Sm3+ doped bismuth silicate crystals based on first principles

Abstract This study systematically investigated the effect of Sm3+ doping on the optical properties of bismuth silicate (Bi4Si3O12, abbreviated as BSO) crystals using first principles calculations based on density functional theory (DFT). By calculating the dielectric function, reflectivity, absorption coefficient, refractive index, conductivity, and energy loss function of BSO crystals under different Sm3+ doping ratios, we found that moderate Sm3+ doping can increase the dielectric function of BSO crystals, and the real part of the dielectric function represents the material’s ability to respond to the electric field, that is, the macroscopic polarization degree. Therefore, moderate Sm3+ doping enhances the polarization ability of BSO crystals. Simultaneously doping an appropriate amount can effectively enhance the conductivity and light (visible and infrared) absorption ability of BSO crystals, and reduce the energy loss between electrons in BSO crystals, thereby improving their luminescence performance. Specifically, when the Sm3+ doping ratio is 1/6, the optical properties of BSO crystals are significantly improved. These findings not only enhance the understanding of the mechanism of optical performance changes in rare earth ion doped BSO crystals, but also provide a theoretical basis for the development of new rare earth doped optical materials.

A comparative study on the physical properties of Ba2XIO6 (X = Li, K) double perovskites alloys

This work concerns the study of the physical properties of Ba2XIO6 (X = Li, K) double perovskites alloys using first principles approach since the density functional theory implemented in Wien2k code. The exchange–correlation potential is treated by WC-GGA and mbJ-GGA. The negative formation enthalpy of both alloys confirms the dynamic stability. Further, the elastic constants reveal that these compounds are mechanically stable and can be synthesized experimentally. The bulk, shear moduli, Young, Poisson’s ratio, anisotropic factor, and Vickers hardness values for these materials are determined using the results of the elastic constants. The Young’s modulus 3D representation showed that the Ba2KIO6 material displays a strong anisotropy compared to Ba2LiIO6. Furthermore, the analysis of electronic band structures and the density of states reveal a semiconducting nature with direct band gaps of 2.340 eV, 4.213 eV 2.350 eV and 4.027 eV for Ba2LiIO6 and Ba2KIO6, respectively, using WC-GGA and TB-mBj-GGA. Moreover, optical functions: absorption, refractive index, reflectivity and loss function are obtained.