Reflective Functioning Research Articles

Examining the Connection Between Attachment and Risk for Psychopathology in Adolescents : A Comprehensive Review

The foundation of attachment theory is the notion that early relationships – such as the one between a child and primary caregiver – play a crucial role in patterns of emotional regulation, interpersonal behaviors and adult functioning. This review explores how attachment styles are associated with psychopathology in adolescents by systematically assessing research studies up to May 2024. Studies have shown that insecure attachment styles are risk factors for adaptation and psychopathology in adolescence, including anxiety disorders, dissociative disorders, borderline personality disorder, conduct disorder and substance use. Securely attached adolescents have better mental health outcomes. Longitudinal studies have also confirmed that early attachment affects later psychopathology. Insecure infant attachment is linked to depression, suicidality, substance use and dissociation in adolescents. Emerging attachment-based interventions – including, for example, Attachment-Based Family Therapy (ABFT) – have demonstrated promise in treating adolescent mental health by targeting attachment disorganization level. Ultimately, working on reflective functioning, parental sensitivity and emotion regulation skills can help adolescents repair their attachments. Even in light of these findings, attachment does not appear as straightforwardly explanatory as one might expect, given the developmental importance of attachment entering a new stage. Attachment researchers should consider participants’ experiences of early attachment, in light of patterns of change during individual development, as well as in light of a family systems perspective – for instance, understanding that some adolescents who become disaffected from their families have parents who tend to be dismissive of their emotional needs. All of these could help in effective prevention and treatment of adolescent psychopathology.

Electronic and optical characteristics of CaLiX3 (X = Cl, Br, I) perovskite compounds using the Tran–Blaha modified Becke–Johnson potential

We present the results of a comprehensive investigation using the full-potential linearized augmented plane wave approach to analyze the structural characteristics, electronic structures, and optical spectra of the perovskite compounds CaLiX3 (X = Cl, Br, or I). Various functionals were employed to simulate the exchange–correlation interactions. The calculated equilibrium structural parameters, obtained using the generalized gradient approximation, are consistent with the existing findings in the literature. The computed electronic structures reveal that the Tran–Blaha modified Becke–Johnson potential significantly enhances the bandgap. For all CaLiX3 compounds studied, we predicted an indirect bandgap. Additionally, we observed a gradual decrease in the bandgap as the atomic size of the X element increases. The electronic states constituting the various energy bands were evaluated by computing the partial and total densities of states. In addition, we computed a variety of optical spectra, including the complex dielectric function, absorption coefficient, refractive index, extinction coefficient, reflectivity, and electron energy loss function. The results demonstrate that a decrease in the bandgap leads to an increase in the zero-frequency limit of the dielectric function ε(0). The origins of the peaks and structures in the optical spectra were identified.

Analyzing the compatibility and optimization of organic and Al2CdX4 chalcogenides materials as charge transport layers for planar and inverted MASnI3 perovskites

Perovskite solar cells (PSCs) are greatly affected by charge transport layers' (CTLs) capacity to maintain stability and efficiency. By combining various CTLs with perovskites, one may create an electric field and energy band alignment that is completely unique. The optoelectrical characteristics of PSC are significantly altered by them. For perovskites, finding the correct CTL is of the utmost importance. The CH3NH3SnI3 PSC is shown here using a SCAPS-1D model with four CTLs. Organic and Al2CdX4 chalcogenide CTLs have been investigated because to their environmentally acceptable nature, electric/thermal conductivity, chemical stability, and carrier mobility. Both the planar (n-i-p) and inverted (p-i-n) configurations are used to analyze the PSCs. A methodical strategy has been used to examine the CTLs' compatibility with the active layer, as well as their impact on the electric field, recombination at heterojunctions, band alignment, absorption, transmissivity, and quantum efficiency in both designs. Optimizing the design for layer thickness and doping has been done to further boost the efficiency. It has also been researched how PSC performance is affected by temperature, reflection, flaws, and job functions. Results show that Alq3 (Al(C9H6NO)3) does better in a planar environment, but Al2CdSe4 does better in an inverted environment. All the CTLs depicts better compatibility with MASnI3 active layer and gives good results generally in both PSC configurations. This research illustrates that strategic selection and alignment of CTLs can substantially elevate PCE with the best-performing n–i–p structure is Alq3/Per/Al2CdTe4 with PCE of 28.16 %, while the best p–i–n is Alq3/Per/Al2CdSe4 and PEIE/Per/Al2CdSe4 with PCE of 24.39 % each.

UAS‐based multispectral imaging for detecting iron chlorosis in grain sorghum

AbstractThis study uses a small unmanned aircraft system equipped with a multispectral sensor to assess various vegetation indices (VIs) for their potential to monitor iron deficiency chlorosis (IDC) in a grain sorghum (Sorghum bicolor L.) crop. IDC is a nutritional disorder that stunts a plants’ growth and causes its leaves to yellow due to an iron deficit. The objective of this project is to find the best VI to detect and monitor IDC. A series of flights were completed over the course of the growing season and processed using Structure‐from‐Motion photogrammetry to create orthorectified, multispectral reflectance maps in the red, green, red‐edge, and near‐infrared wavelengths. Ground data collection methods were used to analyze stress, chlorophyll levels, and grain yield, correlating them to the multispectral imagery for ground control and precise crop examination. The reflectance maps and soil‐removed reflectance maps were used to calculate 25 VIs whose separability was then calculated using a two‐class distance measure, determining which contained the largest separation between the pixels representing IDC and healthy vegetation. The field‐acquired data were used to conclude which VIs achieved the best results for the dataset as a whole and at each level of IDC (low, moderate, and severe). It was concluded that the MERIS terrestrial chlorophyll index, normalized difference red‐edge, and normalized green (NG) indices achieved the highest amount of separation between plants with IDC and healthy vegetation, with the NG reaching the highest levels of separability for both soil‐included and soil‐removed VIs.

Teaching of reflection in higher education: a narrative review.

Healthcare professional students (HCPs) are encouraged to utilise reflection during and after their study programmes as a part of their life-long learning skill and professional competencies. However, the way in which the concept of reflection is taught and its' influence students' capacity to reflect have not been fully explored. This narrative review aimed to explore how the concept of reflection is taught in higher education and how the teaching of reflection influences HCP students' capacity to reflect. Articles that were published during 2014-2024 within three databases, PubMed, CINAHL and ERIC were searched. 1929 articles were eligible for screening. 93 articles were further assessed for eligibility. 18 articles were included. The included articles were geographically well-distributed in both the Global North and Global South countries, indicating universal interest in the topic. Eight articles had qualitative study designs; six had quantitative designs and four had mixed-method designs.Conceptually, the teaching of reflection could be categorised as a spectrum, ranging from: i) structured format (reflective templates or debriefing); ii) semi-structured format (physical/virtual small group discussions, video recordings, AI generative arts, in-verse reflection and concept mapping) and iii) flexible and creative (art-based pedagogy or narratives).All included articles indicated students actual and perceived better understanding of reflection. This claim is supported both quantitatively and qualitatively via either validated instruments or narratives and themes based on students' textual outputs. This review identified several teaching methods that help facilitating students' capacity to reflect. Findings are unable to recommend the most efficient way to teach reflection since it depends on students' progress in their programmes. However, a more relational approach to teaching of reflection is recommended. Students might begin their reflective journey with a structured format of teaching of reflection then gradually move to less-rigid format of the teaching to empower students' autonomy.

Investigating structural and optoelectronic properties of Cr-substituted ZnSe semiconductors

The optoelectronic and structural characteristics of the Zn1−xCrxSe (0 ≤ x ≤ 1) semiconductor are reported by employing density functional theory (DFT) within the mBJ potential. The findings revealed that the lattice constant decreases with increasing Cr concentration, although the bulk modulus exhibits the opposite trend. ZnSe is a direct bandgap material; however, a change from direct to indirect electronic bandgap has been seen with Cr presence. This transition is caused by structural alterations by Cr and defects forming, which results in novel optical features, including electronic transitions. The electronic bandgap decreases from 2.769 to 0.216 eV, allowing phonons to participate and improving optical absorption. A higher concentration of Cr boosts infrared absorption and these Cr-based ZnSe (ZnCrSe) semiconductors also cover a wider spectrum in the visible range from red to blue light. Important optical parameters such as reflectance, optical conductivity, optical bandgap, extinction coefficient, refractive index, magnetization factor, and energy loss function are discussed, providing a theoretical understanding of the diverse applications of ZnCrSe semiconductors in photonic and optoelectronic devices.

A systematic first-principles investigation of the structural, electronic, mechanical, optical, and thermodynamic properties of Half-Heusler ANiX (ASc, Ti, Y, Zr, Hf; XBi, Sn) for spintronics and optoelectronics applications.

This paper is the first to look at the structural, electronic, mechanical, optical, and thermodynamic properties of the ANiX (ASc, Ti, Y, Zr, Hf; XBi, Sn) half-Heusler (HH) using DFT based first principles method. The lattice parameters that we have calculated are very similar to those obtained in prior investigations with theoretical and experimental data. The positive phonon dispersion curve confirm the dynamical stability of ANiX (ASc, Ti, Y, Zr, Hf; XBi, Sn). The electronic band structure and DOS confirmed that the studied materials ANiX (ASc, Ti, Y, Zr, Hf; XBi, Sn) are direct band gap semiconductors. The investigation also determined significant constants, including dielectric function, absorption, conductivity, reflectivity, refractive index, and loss function. These optical observations unveiled our compounds potential utilization in various electronic and optoelectronic device applications. The elastic constants were used to fulfill the Born criteria, confirming the mechanical stability and ductility of the solids ANiX (ASc, Ti, Y, Zr, Hf; XBi, Sn). The calculated elastic modulus revealed that our studied compounds are elastically anisotropic. Moreover, ANiX (ASc, Ti, Y, Zr, Hf; XBi, Sn) has a very low minimum thermal conductivity (Kmin), and a low Debye temperature (θD), which indicating their appropriateness for utilization in thermal barrier coating (TBC) applications. The Helmholtz free energy (F), internal energy (E), entropy (S), and specific heat capacity (Cv) are determined by calculations derived from the phonon density of states.

Trauma-related symptoms in adolescents: the differential roles of sexual abuse and mentalizing.

Major gaps remain in our knowledge regarding childhood sexual abuse (CSA) related symptoms in adolescent psychiatric inpatients, as well as potential resilience factors like mentalizing. CSA is a risk factor for the early emergence of borderline personality features, posttraumatic stress, and sexual concerns. Mentalizing, which involves the capacity to understand our reactions and that of others in psychological terms, is a resilience factor for self and interpersonal functioning. The aim of this study was to address knowledge gaps by examining the contributions of CSA and mentalizing in a latent factor composed of borderline personality features, posttraumatic stress, and sexual concerns in a sample of adolescent psychiatric inpatients. We hypothesized that CSA and mentalizing would independently explain the variance in this latent factor. Participants were 273 adolescents aged 12-17 recruited from an adolescent inpatient psychiatric clinic. They completed the Reflective Function Questionnaire for Youth (RFQ-Y), the Trauma Symptom Checklist for Children (TSCC), and the Borderline Personality Features Scale for Children (BPFS-C). CSA was assessed using the Child Attachment Interview (CAI), the Computerized Diagnostic Interview Schedule for Children (C-DISC), as well as the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire (CTQ). 27.5% of adolescent psychiatric inpatients reported CSA. CSA and mentalizing were independently associated with a latent factor consisting of posttraumatic stress, borderline personality features, and sexual concerns. CSA explained 5.0% and RF explained 16.7% of the variance of the latent factor. When we consider both the unique and the shared contribution of CSA and mentalizing, the model explained 23.0% of the variance of this factor. CSA and mentalizing independently explained variance in a latent factor constituted of borderline personality features, posttraumatic stress, and sexual concerns. The direct effect of mentalizing was stronger and mentalizing explained comparatively more variance of trauma-related symptoms in adolescent psychiatric inpatients. The findings are consistent with the theory that mentalizing is an internal resilience factor in adolescent psychiatric inpatients. By implication, clinical interventions focused on promoting the development of mentalizing, such as Mentalization Based Treatment, may palliate mental health difficulties manifested by adolescent psychiatric inpatients including those associated with CSA.

UIN Bandung Community Service: Fun Learning Boosts Student Motivation at SDN Mekarbakti, Mekarsari Village

The Community Engagement Program (KKN) of UIN Bandung in 2023 was organized and implemented based on Community Empowerment (Sisdamas), with a focus on fostering Religious Moderation in villages, tailored to community needs and the academic backgrounds of participating students. Through the Fun Learning method, the initiative aimed to boost student learning motivation at SDN Mekarbakti, Mekarsari Village, Bandung Regency. By integrating Participatory Action Research and qualitative research approaches, the implementation of Fun Learning methods, including educational games, arts and creativity activities, group discussions, and class projects, proceeded through four structured cycles: citizen meetings and social reflection, community organizing and social mapping, participation planning, action, monitoring, and evaluation. The results of community empowerment demonstrated a significant boost in student participation, interest in learning, academic performance, and positive feedback from teachers and parents. They assessed that this learning approach was more effective in enhancing student motivation than conventional methods, aligning with various contemporary theories and research findings.

Petroleum system assessment of the Beni Suef Basin, Western Desert, Egypt

Within the northwestern Desert of Egypt, the Beni Suef Basin is one of the most significant hydrocarbon basins. After over 50 years of exploration and production, the main challenge today is to locate new areas that are prolific to oil and gas production. The study aims to identify potential drilling locations by integrating geochemical methods, 1D and 2D basin modelling, well log analysis, seismic interpretation, and hydrocarbon migration pathways. Results show that the Lower Kharita shale contain both oil and gas generating kerogen with generating potential that ranges from fair to very good. The source rocks within the Lower Kharita are mature (main oil window) and have a transformation ratio of up to 60% based on 1D basin modeling. The modelled 2D vitrinite reflectance map showed that hydrocarbon generation occurred at depths greater than 10850 ft (3306 m) with vitrinite reflectance values greater than 0.65% in both the northern and southern parts of the Beni Suef Field. Two main reservoirs were studied. The lower Bahariya and upper Kharita reservoirs are composed of well to moderately sorted sandstone. The subsurface structural maps, reservoirs, source, and charge modeling maps have been constructed to show the migration pathways and accumulation areas. There are three accumulation areas identified. The first accumulation area is located in the high structure up-dip section of the major normal fault, and migration direction is from northwest. The second and third accumulation areas are located in the low structure and down-dip from the normal fault, with migration of hydrocarbons from southeast. The latter two areas should be tested by drilling in the future.

The Relationship between Parental Stress and Child’s Behavioral Problems with the Moderating Role of Maternal Reflective Functioning: A Descriptive Study

The Relationship between Parental Stress and Child’s Behavioral Problems with the Moderating Role of Maternal Reflective Functioning: A Descriptive Study

Socially isolated, but not lonely in lockdown: Exploring the role of reflective functioning as a protective factor in the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic in Germany

IntroductionLoneliness is a pressing public mental health issue. So far, there has been a paucity of investigations focused on the individual differences modulating this subjective feeling in the face of difficult circumstances, e.g., the COVID-19 pandemic. As such, the present study aimed to investigate the role of mentalization; given that the construct comprises reflection abilities that might be particularly relevant to the pandemic's interpersonal challenges. MethodsA survey representative of the German population was conducted from May to June 2020 (N = 2503). We examined mentalization, operationalized as reflective functioning (RF) and measured using the Mentalization Questionnaire (MZQ), both as a protective factor against loneliness on its own and as a moderator of the association of social isolation with loneliness. ResultsOf the overall sample, 822 (32.8 %) individuals reported social isolation. Worse RF was moderately associated with higher levels of loneliness (r = 0.433, p < .001). A linear regression model (controlling for sociodemographic characteristics and general personality pathology) confirmed this positive association, but also indicated an interaction effect of RF and social isolation in the statistical prediction of loneliness. Stratified models showed that RF was a comparatively weaker statistical predictor of loneliness among the socially isolated. DiscussionThis representative population study expanded our knowledge about the factors shaping loneliness in the population. RF emerged as a potentially modifiable protective influence. Further research needs to clarify the mechanisms through which it mitigates loneliness. LimitationsThe cross-sectional design does not give insight into the temporal association of RF and loneliness.

Interplay of Dyadic Consensus, Reflective Functioning, and Perinatal Affective Difficulties in Modulating Fear of COVID-19 among First-Time Mothers: A Mediation Analysis.

The COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated fears and anxieties, potentially influencing maternal perinatal mental health. This study addresses a gap in the literature on fear of COVID-19 in pregnant women, aiming to identify contributing factors. Participants were 401 primiparous women with an average age of 34 years (SD = 4.56) who were recruited through the National Health System during birth support courses. They completed a series of self-reported instruments via an online survey, providing information on their levels of reflective functioning, dyadic consensus, perinatal maternal affectivity, and fear of COVID-19. Pearson's correlation and mediation analysis via a generalized linear model were implemented to analyze the collected data. The relationship between dyadic consensus and fear of COVID-19 was significant and negative. Furthermore, a significant parallel mediation involving perinatal maternal affectivity and reflective functioning was found to the extent that, when these factors were inserted into the model, the direct association between dyadic consensus and fear of COVID-19 became non-significant (total mediation). The results highlight the importance of dyadic adjustment in alleviating maternal COVID-19 fear, emphasizing interventions promoting couple functioning, mentalization, and addressing affective difficulties. Such approaches are vital for supporting expecting mothers during challenging times like the COVID-19 pandemic.

Envisaging intergenerational spaces for co-creating creative writing: developing reflective functioning for positive mental health

ABSTRACT In this paper, we take an ecological view of children’s development to argue that preventive interventions should move beyond separating the microsystems of school and home to create new intergenerational spaces for nurturing mental wellbeing. Using the 5A’s theory of creativity, we draw upon our experiences of creative writing to explore how intergenerational spaces that facilitate co-creating creative writing between parents and carers and their children as actors develop reflective functioning, secure attachment and promote positive mental health. This original idea is explored further with experts from diverse landscapes of practice through a World Café and focus group discussion. Thematic analysis of these discussions conceptualises intergenerational spaces as complex, contradictory and dynamic: addressing potential barriers to actor participation caused by the microsystems of school and home; creating emotional and physical security; being underpinned by pedagogical freedom and structure; involving the writing of different artefacts for competing audiences. For those, including schools, looking beyond performativity and neoliberalism to promote positive mental health in more holistic ways, this paper offers a useful starting point for thinking about what intergenerational spaces that facilitate co-creating creative writing might look like.

First-principles study of electronic, mechanical, and optical properties of M3GaB2 (M = Ti, Hf) MAX phases

Integrating ceramic and metallic properties in MAX phases makes them highly desirable for diverse technological applications. In this study, through first-principles density functional theory (DFT), we investigated the physical properties of two new 312 MAX compounds, M3GaB2 (M = Ti, Hf). Chemical stability is confirmed via formation energy assessment, while mechanical stability is established by determining elastic stiffness constants. A thorough analysis of mechanical behaviors includes bulk modulus, shear modulus, Young's modulus, and hardness parameters. M3GaB2 demonstrates elastic constants and moduli closely aligned with other 312 carbides. Understanding the electronic band structure and density of states (DOS) sheds light on metallic properties, with anisotropy in electrical conductivity clarified through energy dispersion analysis. Investigation of photon interaction with titled compounds, including dielectric constants (real and imaginary parts), refractive index, absorption coefficient, photoconductivity, reflectivity, and energy loss function, has been carried out. The potential of M3GaB2 borides as a coating to reduce solar is evaluated based on the reflectivity spectra. These findings deepen our understanding of material properties and suggest diverse applications for M3GaB2 in various technological domains.

Minding mentalizing - convergent validity of the Mentalization Breakdown Interview.

Mentalizing difficulties are central to borderline personality disorder (BPD), have severe consequences, and are an explicit focus in mentalization-based treatment. The significance of mentalizing capacity as a predictor or mediator of change is however still uncertain due to a scarcity of research. The Mentalization Breakdown Interview (MBI) was developed as a time saving tool for studying psychotherapy processes and outcome in borderline pathology. This study aimed to investigate the convergent validity of reflective functioning (RF) ratings based on the MBI (MBI-RF) by a comparison with the gold standard, i.e., RF assessments based on the Adult Attachment Interview (AAI-RF). A secondary aim was to investigate how MBI-RF relates to core symptoms of BPD, levels of functional impairment and symptom distress compared with AAI-RF. Forty-five patients with BPD or significant BPD traits were included. MBI-RF and AAI-RF were rated using the Reflective Functioning Scale. Levels of MBI-RF and AAI-RF and the correlation between the measures were calculated, as well as their associations with the Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale, Levels of Personality Functioning-Brief Form 2.0, Work and Social Adjustment Scale, Patient Health Questionnaire, Depression, Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7, self-harm, suicide attempts, and PD diagnostics. The correlation between MBI-RF and AAI-RF was 0.79 (p<0.01), indicating high convergent validity. There were few significant associations between MBI-RF and AAI-RF and clinical measures. The study provides support for the convergent validity of the MBI as a BPD-focused RF assessment method. The MBI has the potential as a time saving, reliable and valid method to be applied in treatment research on patients with borderline pathology. The results indicate that measures of MBI-RF and AAI-RF are different from clinical symptoms. ClinicalTrials.gov ID NCT04157907.

First-principles predictions of structure, half-metallic antiferromagnetism, optoelectronic, and elastic properties of double perovskites A2TaNiO6 (A = Ca, Sr, and Ba) for energy harvesting

In this article, the electronic, half-metallic antiferromagnetism, and optical characteristics of A2TaNiO6 (A = Ca, Sr, and Ba) double perovskites have been investigated by using WIEN2k code with the GGA + PBEsol approximation. The cubic phase structures were optimized with minimum ground state energy. The electronic attributes showed a semiconductor nature for spin-up channels and a metallic nature for spin-down channels, indicating half-metallicity. Magnetic properties have demonstrated the magnetic moments and antiferromagnetic nature of the studied perovskites. The optical response was assessed by examining dielectric function, absorption coefficient, reflectivity, and energy loss function. Higher values of these parameters in the energy range of 2–4 eV suggest their potential for optoelectronics. Mechanical properties have been also investigated which demonstrated that these compounds have outstanding mechanical stability, anisotropy, mechanical strength, and ductility. The collective results reveal the importance of the analyzed compounds as promising candidates for spintronics, photovoltaics in space, UV-photodetectors, and other UV-based optoelectronic applications.

Design and Validation of a Mentalization Promoting Program for Parents of a Child with Type 1 Diabetes and its Effectiveness on Parents' Reflective Functioning and the Child's Emotional-Behavioral Problems: A Single-Subject Study

Aim: This research was conducted with the aim of designing and validating the Mentalization promoting program for parents of a child with type 1 diabetes and investigating its effectiveness on parents' reflective Functioning and emotional-behavioral problems of the child. Methods: A mixed method was used in this research. In the qualitative part, the mentalization problems of 18 children with T1D and 22 of their parents were extracted through the analysis of interviews with the method of transcendental phenomenology, and three general themes,18 main sub-themes and 50 sub-themes were obtained. Then, based on these themes and within the framework of the concepts of mentalization theory, a program to promote the mentalization of parents with a child with type 1 diabetes was designed. After confirming the content validity based on the CVI, with a semi-experimental method and a single-subject design of the type (A-B) with different subjects, 5 parents of children with diabetes who met the criteria for entering the research, were selected with a purposeful sampling method and participated in the program. The effectiveness of this program was assessed in four phases (baseline, during intervention, after intervention and follow-up) using the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL) and the Parental Reflective Functioning Questionnaire (PRFQ) and indicators of program goals. Then data was checked based on visual analysis indicators. Results: The final outcome of this phenomenological study is the extraction of three general themes, including the underlying factors of breakdowns in mentalizing, types of common mentalizing problems, and the consequences of breakdowns in mentalizing which became the basis for design the program to promote the mentalization of parents with a child with type 1 diabetes The results showed that the designed program, while having sufficient validity, was effective in increasing the parents reflective Functioning and reducing the emotional-behavioral problems of the child, and this effectiveness continued in the follow-up phase. Conclusion: Considering the validity of this program and its effectiveness, it is suggested that this program be widely implemented to help improve the physical and mental health of children with diabetes and their families, and also for children with other chronic diseases should also be adapted.

Vacuum instability in QED with an asymmetric x step: New example of an exactly solvable case

We present a new exactly solvable case in strong-field QED with a one-dimensional step potential (x-step). The corresponding x-step is given by an analytic asymmetric with respect to the axis x reflection function. The step can be considered as a certain analytic “deformation” of the symmetric Sauter field. Moreover, it can be treated as a new regularization of the Klein step field. We study the vacuum instability caused by this x-step in the framework of a nonperturbative approach to strong-field QED. Exact solutions of the Dirac equation used in the corresponding nonperturbative calculations are represented in the form of stationary plane waves with special left and right asymptotics and identified as components of initial and final wave packets of particles. We show that in spite of the fact that the symmetry with respect to positive and negative bands of energies is broken, the distribution of created pairs and other physical quantities can be expressed via elementary functions. We consider the processes of transmission and reflection in the ranges of the stable vacuum and study physical quantities specifying the vacuum instability. We find the differential mean numbers of electron-positron pairs created from the vacuum, the components of current density and energy-momentum tensor of the created electrons and positrons leaving the area of the strong field under consideration. Besides, we study the particular case of the particle creation due to a weakly inhomogeneous electric field and obtain explicitly the total number, the current density and energy-momentum tensor of created particles. Unlike the symmetric case of the Sauter field the asymmetric form of the field under consideration causes the energy density and longitudinal pressure of created electrons to be not equal to the energy density and longitudinal pressure of created positrons. Published by the American Physical Society 2024

Retinex decomposition based low‐light image enhancement by integrating Swin transformer and U‐Net‐like architecture

AbstractLow‐light images are captured in environments with minimal lighting, such as nighttime or underwater conditions. These images often suffer from issues like low brightness, poor contrast, lack of detail, and overall darkness, significantly impairing human visual perception and subsequent high‐level visual tasks. Enhancing low‐light images holds great practical significance. Among the various existing methods for Low‐Light Image Enhancement (LLIE), those based on the Retinex theory have gained significant attention. However, despite considerable efforts in prior research, the challenge of Retinex decomposition remains unresolved. In this study, an LLIE network based on the Retinex theory is proposed, which addresses these challenges by integrating attention mechanisms and a U‐Net‐like architecture. The proposed model comprises three modules: the Decomposition module (DECM), the Reflectance Recovery module (REFM), and the Illumination Enhancement module (ILEM). Its objective is to decompose low‐light images based on the Retinex theory and enhance the decomposed reflectance and illumination maps using attention mechanisms and a U‐Net‐like architecture. We conducted extensive experiments on several widely used public datasets. The qualitative results demonstrate that the approach produces enhanced images with superior visual quality compared to the existing methods on all test datasets, especially for some extremely dark images. Furthermore, the quantitative evaluation results based on metrics PSNR, SSIM, LPIPS, BRISQUE, and MUSIQ show the proposed model achieves superior performance, with PSNR and BRISQUE significantly outperforming the baseline approaches, where (PSNR, mean BRISQUE) values of the proposed method and the second best results are (17.14, 17.72) and (16.44, 19.65). Additionally, further experimental results such as ablation studies indicate the effectiveness of the proposed model.