A synthetic, structural, magnetic, and spectral study of several [Fe[tris(pyrazolyl)methane]2](BF4)2 complexes: observation of an unusual spin-state crossover

Students' Emotional Well-Being, and Perceived Faculty Incivility and Just Behavior Before and During COVID-19

This research set out to measure the impact of the lockdown condition and social distancing imposed on higher education by the Israeli government during the COVID-19 period and the shift to online learning, on students’ emotional well-being, the way they perceived their teachers’ just behavior, and faculty incivility, compared to pre-pandemic conditions. An additional aim was to explore the set of connections among these factors. The total sample included 396 undergraduate students from three academic colleges. Data were gathered via three questionnaires: Positive/negative affect, Faculty Incivility, and Teacher Justice. Data were analyzed using Partial Least Squares-Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM). The main finding showed that students’ negative emotions were informed by the lockdown condition. This perceived negative affect had an impact on how the participants experienced social interactions with their faculty. Those who exhibited higher levels of negative affect perceived themselves as targets of faculty incivility. The same trajectory was detected with the way students experienced their teachers’ just behavior. Students who held negative emotions, partly because of the COVID-19 restrictions, also viewed their teachers’ behavior toward them as unjust. This study stresses the role of one’s emotional condition in instigating negative interpretations of social interactions. Directions for subsequent research and practical implications for promoting students’ well-being and civil and just communications in the learning environment are discussed.

Fostering Self-Regulated Learning in Online Environments: Positive Effects of a Web-Based Training With Peer Feedback on Learning Behavior

Although training in self-regulated learning (SRL) is effective in improving performance, human trainers can reach only a few people at a time. We developed a web-based training for potentially unlimited numbers of participants based on the process model of SRL by Schmitz and Wiese (2006). A prior study (Bellhäuser et al., 2016) observed positive effects on self-reported SRL and self-efficacy. In the present randomized controlled trial, we investigated an improved version of the web-based training, augmented by the application of peer feedback groups. Prospective university students in an online mathematics preparation course were assigned randomly to one of four experimental conditions: Group D (diary), group TD (training + diary), group TDP (training + diary + peer feedback group), and group C (control). Complete data was obtained for 136 participants (78.8% male; M = 19.8 years). The learning diary was intended to trigger goal setting, planning, and self-motivation in the morning and reflection in the evening. The web-based training consisted of three lessons (approximately 90 min each) with videos, presentations, self-tests, and exercises. In the peer feedback condition, participants were randomly assigned to groups of five persons each and used a bulletin board to discuss pre-defined topics related to the content of the web-based training. Outcome measures included a test of declarative SRL knowledge, an SRL questionnaire, a general self-efficacy scale, log file data, and a mathematics test. Results showed positive effects for the web-based training, particularly when combined with peer feedback on both SRL knowledge and SRL questionnaires, self-efficacy, and on objective time-investment, but not on the mathematics test. The learning diary did not exhibit positive effects. We conclude that additional peer-feedback seems to be a useful supplement to web-based trainings with comparably low organizational costs.

Mediating Role of Psychological Inflexibility as Transdiagnostic Factor in the Relationship Between Emotional Dysregulation and Sleep Problems With Symptoms of Emotional Disorders

This study aims to investigate the mediating role of psychological inflexibility as a transdiagnostic factor in the relationship between emotional dysregulation and sleep problems with symptoms of emotional disorders. A total of 500 subjects from three universities were selected by random multistage clustering, and they completed the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index, Difficulties in Emotional Regulation Scale, and Acceptance and Action Questionnaire–II, Inventory of Depression and Anxiety Symptoms. The results of correlation coefficients revealed that there is a positive and significant correlation among emotional dysregulation, sleep problems, and psychological inflexibility with emotional disorders. In addition, the results showed that psychological inflexibility acts as a transdiagnostic factor that mediates the relationship between emotional dysregulation and sleep problems with symptoms of emotional disorders. These findings illustrate how emotional dysregulation and sleep problems affect emotional disorders through psychological inflexibility.

The Validity and Reliability of the Short Form of the Five Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire in Japan

Background

A brief measure of dispositional mindfulness is important for applied research on mindfulness. Although short forms of the Five Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire (FFMQ), which measures the five aspects of mindfulness (i.e., observing, describing, acting with awareness, non-judging, and non-reactivity), have been developed worldwide, the validity and reliability of the Japanese version has not been examined. This study aims to examine the validity and reliability of the 24-item and 15-item versions of the FFMQ in Japan, which are the most widely used versions worldwide.

Methods

Online surveys were conducted for 889 adults in Japan through an online survey company using self-reported questionnaires including the FFMQ to confirm the factor structure and validity. To examine construct validity, we examined the relationship between the short form of FFMQ and mind wandering, interoceptive awareness, experiential avoidance, cognitive fusion, openness, neuroticism, self-compassion, depression, and anxiety, which have been theoretically or empirically shown to be related to mindfulness. In addition, 137 adults responded to the FFMQ again, after four weeks, for the test-retest reliability.

Results

The correlated five-factor and four-factor (excluding observing) models and the higher-order factor hierarchical model did not show sufficient goodness of fit, while the 24-item version showed acceptable fit when uncorrelated method factors loaded on by the positive and negative (reverse-scored) items were added. However, the 15-item version did not show acceptable fits for any of the models. Regarding reliability, the 24-item version showed acceptable values. In terms of the relationship between the original and the shortened version of the FFMQ, the 24-item version shared approximately 80% of the variance with the original one. In addition, although the wording effects of positive and negative items seemed to affect the correlations between the FFMQ and the other scales, the associations with related concepts were as predicted generally, supporting the construct validity of the short form of the FFMQ.

Conclusion

In Japan, the 24-item version of FFMQ showed acceptable validity and reliability similar to the original version, and we recommend that the 24-item version be used.

The Effectiveness of Eye Movement Desensitization for Post-traumatic Stress Disorder in Indonesia: A Randomized Controlled Trial

Objective

Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) may affect individuals exposed to adversity. Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) is an evidence-based trauma-focused psychotherapy for PTSD. There is still some debate whether the eye movements (EMs) are an effective component of EMDR. The primary aim of this study was to investigate the effectiveness of Eye Movement Desensitization (EMD) treatment in reducing PTSD symptoms compared to a retrieval-only active control condition. We also investigated whether PTSD symptom reduction was associated with reductions in depression and anxiety, and improvements in quality of life.

Methodology

Adult PTSD patients (n = 91) were recruited at public psychological services in Jakarta, Bandung and Cimahi, Indonesia. PTSD was diagnosed with the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-5 disorders (SCID-5). Participants were randomized into: EMD (n = 47) or retrieval-only (n = 44). EMD consisted of clinical history and treatment planning, preparation, assessment, EMs, closure, whereas retrieval-only consisted of the same elements except EMs. Data were collected at baseline (T0), 1-week post-treatment (T1), 1-month follow-up (T2), and 3-months follow-up (T3). Outcome measures included the PTSD Checklist for DSM-5 (PCL-5), Hopkins Symptoms Checklist-25 (HSCL-25), and the World Health Organization Quality of Life-BREF (WHOQoL-BREF). Data were analyzed with linear mixed model analysis in R Statistics.

Results

Although there were main effects of time indicating reductions for both EMD and retrieval-only in PCL-5 and HSCL-25 scores, and improvements in WHOQoL-BREF scores at T1, T2, and T3, no significant differences in PCL-5, HSCL-25, and WHOQoL-BREF total scores between the EMD and retrieval-only groups at T1, T2, and T3 were found (all group x time interaction p's > 0.005).

Conclusion

Within a clinical sample of PTSD patients in Indonesia, both EMD and retrieval-only was associated with reductions in symptoms of PTSD, anxiety and depression, and improvements in quality of life, although EMs did not add to the efficacy of the treatments. Further research to examine the underlying mechanisms of EMDR's effective treatment elements in clinical samples is needed.

Clinical Trial Registration

[www.ClinicalTrials.gov], identifier [ISRCTN55239132].

Romantic Attachment, Internalized Homonegativity, and Same-Sex Intimate Partner Violence Perpetration Among Lesbian Women in Italy

Same-Sex Intimate Partner Violence (SSIPV) among lesbian women has been underestimated until few decades ago. While the association between romantic attachment and SSIPV has been widely demonstrated, mechanisms that mediate this association and the complex relationships between romantic attachment, SSIPV, and SSIPV-specific risk factors have not been adequately investigated to date. The current study assessed the influence of romantic attachment on SSIPV perpetration among lesbian women, exploring the mediating role of internalized homonegativity within this association. Three hundred and twenty-five Italian lesbian women with a mean age of 30 years were recruited and completed the following self-report measures: the Experiences in Close Relationships-Revised (ECR-R), the Measure of Internalized Sexual Stigma, and the Revised Conflict Tactics Scale Short Form. The results showed a positive association between attachment anxiety, and general and psychological SSIPV perpetration. Similarly, attachment avoidance was positively related with general, psychological, and physical SSIPV perpetration. The association between romantic attachment, and general and psychological SSIPV was partially mediated by internalized homonegativity. These findings have theoretical implications and provide valuable information to implement services and interventions tailored for SSIPV, to date scarce and not effective.

Just Like a Woman: Gender Role Stereotypes in Forensic Psychiatry

The relationship between violence, gender and mental health is a complex one which is yet to be fully understood. Gender role stereotypes are social constructs that can powerfully influence and regulate human behaviour, including violence; and so it is likely that they also influence the nexus of violence management and mental health which is at the core of forensic psychiatry. In this article, we examine how gender role stereotypes might influence the practice of forensic psychiatry: specifically, in relation to women as violent offenders, as patients in secure psychiatric care and as clinicians working in forensic settings. We identify areas of development in women's forensic mental health services, and examine whether patriarchal influences and gender role stereotypes may have inadvertently impacted upon these changes. We also consider whether these changes may maintain pre-existing barriers to treatment for both men and women.

Clinical teachers' professional identity formation: an exploratory study using the 4S transition framework

OBJECTIVES

The aim of this study was to explore factors that may influence the formation of professional identity in clinical teachers, specifically during the transition period from practitioner to teacher.

METHODS

This was a descriptive qualitative study. We used Schlossberg's 4S framework to explore influential factors comprised of the following: situation, self, support, and strategies. This study was conducted in teaching hospitals of a relatively new private medical school in Bali, a province in Indonesia. The participants were 30 clinical teachers who were selected using a maximum variation sampling strategy based on length of work experience, gender, specific educational roles as coordinators, and clinical specialty. Data were derived from three focus-group discussions and 13 in-depth interviews. A thematic analysis method was used to analyse the data.

RESULTS

The thematic analysis revealed that 12 subthemes related to the 4S framework influenced the development of clinical teachers' identity. It was also shown that reflective ability and community of practice, which was included in the self and strategy factors, respectively, were the two most important factors during the transition period in the development of professional identity.

CONCLUSIONS

Factors, both within and outside the self, can either support or hinder the formation of professional identity in clinical teachers. We suggest that when faculty development programs are designed, these factors should be incorporated, such as including a community of practice as part of the formal faculty development programs and the development of a teaching portfolio that nurtures reflective practice.

Iron(II) Complexes Supported by Pyrazolyl-Substituted Cyclopentadienyl Ligands: Synthesis and Characterization

The preparation of bis(pyrazolyl)cyclopentadienyl iron complexes is described. Isopropyl substitution promotes solubility of the iron chloride complex that serves as a precursor to several derivatives through ligand exchange. Modification of...

Depression Mediates the Association Between Childhood Emotional Abuse and the Onset of Type 2 Diabetes: Findings From German Multi-Cohort Prospective Studies

BACKGROUND

The dysregulation of glucose homeostasis via mental health stress is increasingly acknowledged, whereby depression independently increases the risk of the onset of type 2 diabetes by up to 60%. Contributing mental health factors starting in early life have further been considered, indicating that exposure to childhood emotional abuse is associated with both depression and an increased onset of type 2 diabetes in adulthood. However, the potential role of depression within the emotional abuse and type 2 diabetes link remains unknown.

METHODS

Data were derived from community-dwelling participants in southern and northeastern Germany who participated in the longitudinal KORA-F4 and SHIP-3 studies. Multivariable logistic regression analyses adjusted for lifestyle, somatic, and psychological risk factors were used to investigate the association between childhood emotional abuse, assessed retrospectively by the Childhood Trauma Screener, and newly diagnosed type 2 diabetes cases, which were confirmed using a standard oral glucose tolerance test. The mediating role of depressive symptoms between childhood emotional abuse and type 2 diabetes was assessed by the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 and calculated by using the Sobel test for mediation.

RESULTS

A total of 2,973 (53.2% women, 46.8% men) participants with a mean age of 49.7 were included in the analyses, of whom 5.9% (7.1% women, 4.5% men) reported emotional abuse in childhood. Participants exposed to childhood emotional abuse had a 1.70 (1.12-2.56; p = 0.02) times higher odds of depression in the fully adjusted model than unexposed participants. During the 6.5-year follow-up period, 104 (3.5%) participants developed type 2 diabetes. Participants who were exposed to childhood emotional abuse had a 2.56 (1.31-4.98, p = 0.005) times higher odds of developing type 2 diabetes than unexposed participants. This association was significantly mediated by the increased odds of depression in participants with childhood emotional abuse (Sobel Test, 1.84, p = 0.06; Goodman Test, 1.91, p = 0.05).

CONCLUSION

The current results indicate that the increased likelihood of type 2 diabetes onset in participants who were exposed to childhood emotional abuse is significantly attributed to increased depression in adulthood.

Spin Crossover in New Iron(II) Coordination Compounds with Tris(pyrazol-1-yl)Methane

We review here new advances in the synthesis and investigation of iron(II) coordination compounds with tris(pyrazol-1-yl)methane and its derivatives as ligands. The complexes demonstrate thermally induced spin crossover accompanied by thermochromism. Factors that influence the nature and temperature of the spin crossover are discussed.

Selective Isomer Formation and Crystallization-Directed Magnetic Behavior in Nitrogen-Confused C-Scorpionate Complexes of Fe(O3SCF3)2

The complex [Fe(^HL*)₂](OTf)₂, 1, where ^HL* = bis(3,5-dimethylpyrazol-1-yl)(3-1H-pyrazole)methane, was prepared in order to compare its magnetic properties with those of the analogous parent complex, [Fe(^HL)₂](OTf)₂, that lacks methyl groups on pyrazolyl rings and that undergoes spin crossover (SCO) from the low spin (LS) to the high spin (HS) form above room temperature. It was anticipated that this new semibulky derivative should favor the HS state and undergo SCO at a lower temperature range. During this study, six crystalline forms of 1 were prepared by controlling the crystallization conditions. Thus, when reagents are combined in CH₃CN, an equilibrium mixture of cis and trans isomers is established that favors the latter below 311 K. The trans isomer can be isolated exclusively as a mixture of solvates, LS trans-1·2CH₃CN and HS trans-1·4CH₃CN, by cooling CH₃CN solutions to -20 °C with the former being favored at high concentrations and short crystallization times. Subsequently, vapor diffusion of Et₂O into CH₃CN solutions of pure trans-1·2CH₃CN gives solvate-free HS trans-1. Subjecting trans-1·2CH₃CN to vacuum at room temperature gives microcrystalline trans-1·CH₃CN, identified by elemental analysis and its distinct powder X-ray diffraction pattern. If an isomeric mixture of 1 is subject to room-temperature vapor diffusion, then a crystalline mixture of HS isomers cis-1 and trans-1 is obtained. Finally, slowly cooling hot acetonitrile solutions of isomeric mixtures of 1 to room temperature gives large prisms of HS co-1, a species with both cis and trans isomers in the unit cell. The complexes trans-1, trans-1·CH₃CN, cis-1, and co-1 undergo SCO below 250 K while trans-1·xCH₃CN (x = 2, 4) solvates do not undergo SCO before desolvation.

Iron(III) Azadiphenolate Compounds in a New Family of Spin Crossover Iron(II)–Iron(III) Mixed-Valent Complexes

A new family of mixed valent, double salt spin crossover compounds containing anionic FeIII and cationic FeII compounds i.e., [FeII{(pz)3CH}2][FeIII(azp)2]2·2H2O (4), [FeII(TPPZ)2][FeIII(azp)2]2]·H2O (5) and [FeII(TPPZ)2][FeIII(azp)2]2]·H2O·3MeCN (6) (where (pz)3CH = tris-pyrazolylmethane, TPPZ = 2,3,5,6, tetrapyridylpyrazine and azp2− = azadiphenolato) has been synthesized and characterised. This is the first time that the rare anionic spin crossover species, [FeIII(azp)2]−, has been used as an anionic component in double salts complexes. Single crystal structures and magnetic studies showed that compound 6 exhibits a spin transition relating to one of the FeIII centres of the constituent FeII and FeIII sites. Crystal structures of the anionic and cationic precursor complexes were also analysed and compared to the double salt products thus providing a clearer picture for future crystal design in double spin crossover materials. We discuss the effects that the solvent and counterion had on the crystal packing and spin crossover properties.

Iron(ii) tetrafluoroborate complexes of new tetradentate C-scorpionates as catalysts for the oxidative cleavage of trans-stilbene with H2O2

Iron(ii) complexes of two new tetradentate C-scorpionate ligands are characterized. Both catalyze stilbene cleavage using either H₂O₂ or a O₂/photocatalyst oxidant.

Paramagnetic Resonance of Cobalt(II) Trispyrazolylmethanes and Counterion Association

Paramagnetic resonance studies (EPR, ESEEM, ENDOR, and NMR) of a series of cobalt(II) bis-trispyrazolylmethane tetrafluoroborates are presented. The complexes studied include the parent, unsubstituted ligand (Tpm), two pyrazole-substituted derivatives (4Me and 3,5-diMe), and tris(1-pyrazolyl)ethane (Tpe), which includes a methyl group on the apical carbon atom. NMR and ENDOR establish the magnitude of ¹H hyperfine couplings, while ESEEM provides information on the coordinated ¹⁴N. The data show that the pyrazole 3-position is more electron rich in the Tpm analogues, that the geometry about the apical atom influences the magnetic resonance, and that apical atom geometry appears more fixed in Tpm than in Tp. NMR and ENDOR establish that the BF₄^- counterion remains associated in fluid solution. In the case of the Tpm^3,5Me complex, it appears to associate in solution, in the same position it occupies in the X-ray structure.

An iron(II) complex tripodally chelated with 1,1,1-tris(pyridin-2-yl)ethane showing room-temperature spin-crossover behaviour

The spin-crossover phenomenon is a reversible low- and high-spin transition caused by external stimuli such as heat. In the novel iron(II) complex salt tetraphenylphosphonium tris(thiocyanato-κN)[1,1,1-tris(pyridin-2-yl)ethane-κ³N,N',N'']ferrate(II), (C₂₄H₂₀P)[Fe(NCS)₃(C₁₇H₁₅N₃)], the Fe-N bond lengths are in the range 2.027 (2)-2.089 (2) Å, indicating that the specimen consists of comparable molar fractions of the low- and high-spin species at 296 K. A magnetic study confirmed that spin-crossover takes place at around 290 K.

Theoretical Study of Spin Crossover in 30 Iron Complexes

Iron complexes are important spin crossover (SCO) systems with vital roles in oxidative metabolism and promising technological potential. The SCO tendency depends on the free energy balance of high- and low-spin states, which again depends on physical effects such as dispersion, relativistic effects, and vibrational entropy. This work studied 30 different iron SCO systems with experimentally known thermochemical data, using 12 different density functionals. Remarkably general entropy-enthalpy compensation across SCO systems was identified (R = 0.82, p = 0.002) that should be considered in rational SCO design. Iron(II) complexes displayed higher ΔH and ΔS values than iron(III) complexes and also less steep compensation effects. First-coordination sphere ΔS values computed from numerical frequencies reproduce most of the experimental entropy and should thus be included when modeling spin-state changes in inorganic chemistry (R = 0.52, p = 3.4 × 10(-3); standard error in TΔS ≈ 4.4 kJ/mol at 298 K vs 16 kJ/mol of total TΔS on average). Zero-point energies favored high-spin states by 9 kJ/mol on average. Interestingly, dispersion effects are surprisingly large for the SCO process (average: 9 kJ/mol, but up to 33 kJ/mol) and favor the more compact low-spin state. Relativistic effects favor low-spin by ∼9 kJ/mol on average, but up to 24 kJ/mol. B3LYP*, TPSSh, B2PLYP, and PW6B95 performed best for the typical calculation scheme that includes ZPE. However, if relativistic and dispersion effects are included, only B3LYP* remained accurate. On average, high-spin was favored by LYP by 11-15 kJ/mol relative to other correlation functionals, and by 4.2 kJ/mol per 1% HF exchange in hybrids. 13% HF exchange was optimal without dispersion, and 15% was optimal with all effects included for these systems.

Accessing spin-crossover behaviour in iron(ii) complexes of N-confused scorpionate ligands

Scorpionates with a dislocated pyrazolyl have been prepared on a large scale to allow new variations in iron(ii) spin-crossover materials.

Structure:function relationships in molecular spin-crossover complexes

Spin-crossover compounds are becoming increasingly popular for device and sensor applications, and in soft materials, that make use of their switchable colour, paramagnetism and conductivity. The de novo design of new solid spin-crossover compounds with pre-defined switching properties is desirable for application purposes. This challenging problem of crystal engineering requires an understanding of how the temperature and cooperativity of a spin-transition are influenced by the structure of the bulk material. Towards that end, this critical review presents a survey of molecular spin-crossover compounds with good availability of crystallographic data. A picture is emerging that changes in molecular shape between the high- and low-spin states, and the ability of a lattice to accommodate such changes, can play an important role in determining the existence and the cooperativity of a thermal spin-transition in the solid state (198 references).