Theories are tools with which we critically analyze society‟s structure and understand experiences that are not our own. When theories no longer describe the narratives that they claim, we must update them. This thesis proposes to do just that. The trans theories of J. Halberstam and Jay Prosser will be analyzed using ten autobiographies written by self-identified FTM transsexuals and transmen. Prosser and Halberstam are two well-known theorists in the field of trans theory. J. Halberstam approaches FTM transsexuality from the perspective of a lesbian feminist, who has an understanding of transgender butch individuals. Jay Prosser writes from the perspective of being a FTM transsexual himself. I chose publications by these theorists because they had sections that focused specifically on FTM narratives, and they both used at least two of the autobiographies I use and they were published the same year. Therefore, I found them to be two theoretical frameworks that could be compared on several different levels. The publication dates of the ten narratives range from the 1970s to the early 2000s. Applicability of the theories will be measured by comparing them to what the autobiographers say about their lives. The tool of analysis will be five focus areas that are represented, to some degree, in each narrative. They are: Trying to fit into female roll/body/world; Discovering one is Trans/Coming Out; Acquiring Hormones and Sexual Reassignment Surgery; Trying to Establish/Re-establish a Confident Identity; and Romantic/Sexual Relationships.. I will discuss how helpful each theory is in accordance with these narratives. The aim of this thesis is to assess how well each theorist addresses the issue of transsexual identity. The field of transsexual research is still new and developing, there are many interesting parts of these narratives that can be delved into further. I will conclude by proposing a new trans theoretical view point that would better help one to understand the process of female-to-male transition. What one should take away from this thesis is that despite differences in sex and gender formation, these people are, like the rest of the world, trying to create an identity that they not only feel comfortable with as a representation of themselves, but also one that they can be proud of.

Remotely-controlled technologies are no longer limited to military applications, such as unmanned military airborne weapons or explosive diffuser robots. Nowadays we can see more and more of remotely controlled devices used as medical equipment, toys, and so forth. One of the most recent areas of interest is robotic telepresence, also known as Mobile Robot Presence (MRP), which provides the ability to interact socially and professionally with other people and even objects in remote locations. One of the known issues with using remotely-controlled devices is the cognitive overload which their operators (pilots) experience and MRP pilots are no exception. However, despite vast research on different ways to address this in military or medical scenarios, little has been done regarding MRPs. This thesis study aims to make a contribution in closing that gap by suggesting a method, developing a prototype implementing it; then conducting an empirical assessment of the method and the prototype as a part of a broader study on MRP, supported by Swedish Research Council. I have suggested a method comprised of a Secondary-task (ST) method and Subjective Rating Scales (SRS), in which the latter act as an evaluation method for the former. Both of them were used in an overarching study in search for the best control device amongst four chosen devices. I collected and analyzed secondary task performance data (e.g. response time, error rates), subjective user ratings, explicit rankings, and observations recordings. My analysis of the collected data shows that using a monitoring and response face recognition secondary task is a plausible method for the assessment of MRP pilot’s cognitive load.

La scoliose idiopathique de l’adolescence constitue la déformation tridimensionnelle de la colonne vertébrale la plus couramment rencontrée chez les adolescents. Cette condition a fait l’objet de plusieurs études quant à ses facteurs étiologiques, ses facteurs de risque de progression et ses approches thérapeutiques. Les études démontrent que l’étiologie de cette pathologie serait multifactorielle, regroupant entre autres des causes génétiques, hormonales, mécaniques et neuromusculaires. Malgré le fait qu’il soit difficile de prédire quelles sont les déformations qui progresseront, certains facteurs tels que l’âge et le sexe du patient, l’âge du début de la ménarche, le type et la sévérité de la déformation ainsi que la maturité osseuse (signe de Risser) ont fait l’objet de nombreuses études et représentent par le fait même des critères de référence utilisés pour estimer cette probabilité. La scoliose idiopathique a souvent été considérée comme une condition non douloureuse, faisant en sorte que peu d’études se sont arrêtées à évaluer les douleurs au dos chez les patients affligés de cette pathologie. On retrouve donc, au cours des vingt dernières années, seulement une dizaine d’études qui ont spécifiquement évalué ce phénomène. Parmi ces études, on note une grande hétérogénéité des facteurs d’inclusion, des définitions des douleurs au dos, de la période de prévalence et des instruments de mesure utilisés, rendant difficile la détermination de cette prévalence. Considérant la relation entre les douleurs exprimées chez les adolescents et celles chez les adultes, ainsi que les coûts sociétaux associés à ces douleurs, il serait important d’obtenir un portrait plus exact de l’ampleur de la douleur chez cette clientèle. ii Les objectifs généraux de cette thèse visaient à (objectif 1) mettre à jour les connaissances relatives à la prévalence des douleurs au dos chez les adolescents avec une scoliose idiopathique (SI), à (objectif 2) vérifier s’il existe une relation entre la sévérité de la déformation, sa localisation et la présence de douleurs au dos chez ces patients, à (objectif 3) valider à nouveau l’aspect psychométrique du questionnaire SRS-22fv et enfin à (objectif 4) explorer une possible prise en charge alternative des patients avec scoliose idiopathique de l’adolescence (SIA) exprimant des rachialgies. La première étude rétrospective que nous avons effectuée a permis d’évaluer de quelle façon les douleurs exprimées par plus de 300 patients étaient rapportées dans les dossiers et d’établir la prévalence de ces douleurs chez ces derniers. De plus, cette étude a évalué le type de prise en charge recommandée lorsque des douleurs étaient mentionnées au dossier. Cette étude a permis de confirmer que près de 50 % des patients avec SIA exprimaient de la douleur au dos et que la majorité de ces derniers (80 %) n’avaient aucune prise en charge de celle-ci. La deuxième étude prospective que nous avons réalisée a évalué les douleurs au dos chez plus de 500 adolescents avec scoliose idiopathique de l’adolescence. Plus de 68 % de ces patients rapportaient la présence de douleurs au dos. Pour les régions thoraciques et lombaires, les douleurs étaient positivement associées avec la sévérité de la scoliose, alors que le port du corset avait un effet modérateur sur la douleur. La troisième étude incluse dans la présente thèse visait à (objectif 3) vérifier la validité de contenu et de construit de la version canadienne-française du questionnaire SRS- 22, soit le SRS-22fv, rempli par les patients recrutés lors de la deuxième étude. Ce iii questionnaire est couramment rempli par les patients scoliotiques. Notre étude a bénéficié d’un échantillon de 352 patients qui ont entièrement répondu au questionnaire SRS-22fv. L’analyse découlant de notre étude nous a menés à produire une version abrégée du SRS-22 contenant 18 éléments, avec une meilleure consistance interne ainsi qu’une variance explicative supérieure, soit 63,3 % pour le SRS-18fv, comparativement à 47,4 % pour le SRS-22fv. La dernière étude que nous avons menée (objectif 4) met en lumière une option de prise en charge alternative des patients avec scoliose exprimant ou non des douleurs au dos. En effet, les manipulations vertébrales font partie des options de traitements couramment utilisées chez les adolescents sains. Une grande incertitude demeure toutefois quant à l’utilisation de cette approche thérapeutique chez les patients avec scoliose idiopathique de l’adolescence. Cette étude a permis de confirmer qu’il y a un manque de données probantes dans ce domaine. Les résultats de cette thèse permettent de mieux comprendre le phénomène de la douleur au dos chez les adolescents avec scoliose idiopathique. Ces douleurs semblent plus prévalentes qu’initialement estimées, et il s’avère qu’un lien semble probable entre l’intensité des douleurs ressenties et la localisation de la courbe, ainsi qu’avec la sévérité de la scoliose chez ces adolescents. / Adolescent idiopathic scoliosis is a three-dimensional spinal deformity. This pathology is the most common spinal deviation encountered in adolescents and has been thoroughly researched over the past few decades regarding its aetiological factors, its risk of progression and management. It is now commonly accepted that the aetiology of adolescent idiopathic scoliosis is multifactorial and includes, among other things, genetic, hormonal, mechanic, and neuromuscular factors. Though predicting which deviation will progress remain challenging, certain factors such as the age of the patient at presentation, its gender, bone maturity (Risser sign), menarchal status, and the severity of the spinal deformity are now widely accepted as factors that may provide some guidance to estimate this probability. Adolescent idiopathic scoliosis has often been considered as a non-painful pathology, and this is perhaps why researchers have failed to assess back pain in this population more systematically. Only a few studies have been published over the last two decades on this subject. Among those studies, inclusion criteria are widely heterogeneous, as is the working definition of back pain, how the prevalence period was estimated, and which outcome measure was relied upon to assess back pain in this population. Because of this, the determination of back pain prevalence in scoliosis patients remains challenging. Considering the relationship between adolescent and adult spinal pain, and the high societal cost associated with this condition, it would be appropriate to obtain a clearer picture of this condition in this population. v The primary objectives of this thesis were to (objectif 1) update the current knowledge of back pain prevalence in adolescent idiopathic scoliosis patients, to (objectif 2) ascertain if a relationship was present between the severity and localisation of the scoliosis and the back pain, too (objectif 3) reassess the psychometric properties of the SRS-22fv questionnaire, and to (objectif 4) explore an alternative back pain management for those patients. The first retrospective study included in this thesis assessed back pain prevalence in 300 adolescent idiopathic scoliosis patients. It also looked at how pain was reported and if pain management was recommended for patients reporting back pain. This study confirmed that back pain was a prevalent condition in this population and that in the vast majority of those reporting back pain, there was no kind of management recommended. The second prospective study assessed back pain prevalence in more than 500 adolescent idiopathic scoliosis patients. Point prevalence of back pain was close to 68 %. For the thoracic and lumbar regions, the pain was positively associated with the severity of the scoliosis and bracing, prescribed to stabilise or prevent the curve progression, had a protective effect. Data collected in the previous study were employed to validate the most commonly utilised outcome measure in adolescent idiopathic scoliosis, the SRS-22. The SRS-22 is a measurement instrument used to ascertain the quality of life and pain in scoliotic patients. The third article includes a report on analyses done regarding the validation of the SRS- 22fv. Complete data were available for 352 adolescents. The study demonstrated that a briefer version (18 items) had a better internal consistency and explained a greater proportion of the variance thus 63,3 % instead of 47,4 % for the SRS-22fv. vi The last study included in this thesis looked at an alternative treatment for the management scoliotic patients with or without back pain. This modality of spinal manipulation is a treatment that healthy adolescents commonly utilised. However, it was found that the rate of utilisation remains unclear within adolescent idiopathic scoliosis patients. A literature review revealed the need to have better-designed studies to assess the efficacy of spinal manipulation in this population adequately. The acquired knowledge throughout this thesis leads us to a better comprehension and understanding of back pain in adolescent idiopathic scoliosis patients. Back pain appears to be more prevalent than initially estimated and a relationship seems to be present between the level of pain intensity and the scoliosis localisation and severity in patients suffering from this pathology.

Contemporary laser research involves the development of spectroscopic techniques to understand the microscopic structural aspects of a simple molecular system in chemical and materials to more complex biological systems such as cells. In particular, Raman spectroscopy, which provides bond specific information, has attracted considerable attention. Further with the advent of femtosecond (fs) laser, the recent trend in the field of fs chemistry is to develop nonlinear Raman techniques that allow one to acquire vibrational structural information with both fs temporal resolution as well as good spectral resolution. Among many advanced nonlinear Raman techniques, the development of fs Stimulated Raman scattering (SRS) has gathered momentum in the recent decade due to its ability to (1) provide vibrational structural information of various system including fluorescent molecules with good signal to noise ratio and (2) circumvent the limitation imposed on the spectral resolution by the necessary pulse durations according to the energy-time uncertainty principle where ‘K’ is a constant that depends on the pulse shape) unlike in the case of fs normal resonance Raman spectroscopy. We have developed a technique named “Ultrafast Raman loss spectroscopy (URLS)” that is analogues to SRS, but is more advantageous as compared to SRS and has the potential to be an alternative if not competitive tool as a vibrational structure elucidating technique. The concept and the design of this novel technique, URLS, form the core of the thesis entitled “Ultrafast Raman Loss Spectroscopy (URLS)”. Chapter 1 lays the theoretical groundwork for ultra-short pulses and nonlinear spectroscopy which forms the heart of URLS. It presents a detailed discussion on the basis behind the elementary experimental problems associated with the ultra-short laser pulses when they travel through a medium, the characterization of these ultrashort pulses as well as various non-linear phenomena induced within a medium due to the propagation of these pulses. Chapter 2 focuses on the concept of SRS which resulted into the foundation of URLS. It illustrates the theoretical as well as the experimental aspects of SRS and demonstrates the sensitivity of SRS over normal Raman spectroscopy. Chapter 3 introduces the conceptual and the technical basis which ensued into the development of URLS while Chapter 4 demonstrates its application and efficiency over its analogue SRS. URLS involves the interaction of two laser sources, viz. a picosecond (ps) pulse and a fs white light (WL), with a sample leading to the generation of loss signal on the higher energy (blue) side with respect to the wavelength of the ps pulse unlike the gain signal observed on the lower energy (red) side in SRS. These loss signals are at least 1.5 times more intense than SRS signals. Also, the very prerequisite of the experimental protocol for signal detection to be on the higher energy side by design eliminates the interference from fluorescence, which appears on the red side. Thus, the rapid data acquisition, 100% natural fluorescence rejection and experimental ease ascertain “Ultrafast Raman Loss Spectroscopy (URLS)” as a unique valuable structure determining technique. Further, the effect of resonance on the line shape of the URLS signal has been studied which forms the subject of discussion in Chapter 5. The objective of the study is to verify whether the variation of resonance Raman line shapes in URLS could provide an understanding of the mode specific response on ultrafast excitation. It is found that the URLS signal’s line shape is mode dependent and can provide information similar to Raman excitation profile (REP) in the normal Raman studies. This information can have impact on the study of various dynamical process involving vibrational modes like structural dynamics and coherent control. Chapter 6 demonstrates the application of URLS as a structure elucidating technique for monitoring ultrafast structural and reaction dynamics in both chemical and biological systems using α-terthiophene (3T) as the model system. The objective is to understand the mechanism of the molecular structure dependent electronic relaxation of the first singlet excited state, S1, of α-terthiophene using fs URLS. The URLS data along with the ab-initio calculations indicate that the electronic transition is associated with a structural rearrangement from a non-planar to a planar configuration in the singlet manifold along the ring deformation co-ordinate. The experimental findings suggest that the singlet state decays exponentially with a decay time constant ( 1/e) of about 145 ps and this decay could be assigned to the intersystem crossing (ISC) pathway from the relaxed S1 state to the vibrationally hot triplet state, T1*. Lastly, Chapter 7 summarizes the entire thesis and presents some possible future prospects for URLS. Considering the advantages of URLS, it is proposed that URLS can be exploited [1] to determine the structure of any fluorescent/non-florescent condensed materials and biological systems with a very good spectral resolution (10- 40 cm-1); [2] to obtain the vibrational signature of weak Raman scattering molecules and vibrational modes with relatively small Raman cross-section owing to its high detection sensitivity with good signal to noise ratio; [3] for performing fs time-resolved study by introducing an additional fs pulse for photo-excitation of the molecule and using URLS to probe the excited state dynamics with good temporal (fs) and spectral (10-40 cm-1) resolution; and lastly, [4] the high chemical selectivity of URLS and the fact that the signal is generated only within the focal volume of the lasers where all the beams overlap can be utilized for developing this method into a microscopy for labeled-free effective vibrational study of biological samples. Consequently, it is hoped that this technique, “Ultrafast Raman Loss Spectroscopy (URLS)”, would be a suitable alternative to other nonlinear Raman methods like coherent anti-Stokes Raman spectroscopy (CARS) that has made major inroads into biology, medicine and materials.

Följande studie handlar om feedbackorienterad terapi på Familjerådgivningen. Syftet var att mäta parens upplevda förändring av livstillfredsställelse för att se om samtalen på Familjerådgivningen gör skillnad och om förändringen enligt skattningsinstrumenten ORS och SRS överensstämde med skattningen av klimatet i parrelationen/familjen samt om det fanns några könsskillnader. Undersökningsgruppen omfattades av 29 par, som sökte hjälp på Familjerådgivningen i södra Dalarna, i Mora och i Linköping under tiden januari 2016 till maj 2016. Paren fyllde i skattningsinstrumentet ORS (som mäter förändring) i början av varje samtal och SRS (som mäter alliansen) i slutet av varje samtal. Familjerådgivaren använde sig av den feedback som gavs och korrigerade behandlingen därefter. Vid första och tredje samtalet fyllde paren i skattningsinstrumentet "Familjeklimat". Resultatet efter tre samtal visade en liten förbättring av livstillfredsställelse för både män och kvinnor vilket överensstämde med skattningen av klimatet i familjen där närheten förbättrades och kaos minskade. / The following study is about feedback informed treatment in family councelling. The purpose was to measure the couples experienced change in life satisfaction, to see if treatment sessions of family councelling makes a difference and change according to the estimation instruments ORS and SRS and is consistent with the estimate of the atmosphere in the couple´s relationship/family atmosphere and if there were any gender differences. The study group included 29 couples who sought help at the Family councelling in southern Dalarna, Mora and Linköping during the period of January 2016 to May 2016. The couples filled in the instrument ORS (measuring change) at the beginning of each session and SRS (measuring alliance) at the end of each session. The family councellor used the received feedback and corrected treatment accordingly. In the first and third session the couples filled in the "Family climate" instrument. The outcome after three sessions showed a small improvement in the life satisfaction for both men and women which were consistent with the estimate of the atmosphere and the climate in the family. The vicinity improved and chaos decreased.

Les délétions et les duplications délétères (Variations de nombre de copies, CNV) sont identifiés dans environ 11% des individus référés dans des cliniques du neurodéveloppement pédiatrique. Certains CNVs récurrents ont été formellement associés avec des troubles du neurodéveloppement, mais la majorité des CNVs sont non-récurrents et donc trop rares pour être évalués par des études d’association. Dans cette optique, nous avons récemment développé une nouvelle approche pour estimer l’effet des CNVs non-documentés sur le quotient intellectuel non-verbal (QINV) et nous visons étendre cette approche pour l’appliquer sur une mesure de traits autistiques. Nous avons identifié les CNVs dans deux cohortes d’autisme du Simons Simplex Collection (SSC) et du MSSNG, dans leurs apparentés de premier-degré, dans une cohorte du neurodéveloppement et dans une population générale. Des modèles statistiques intégrant les scores des gènes inclus dans les CNVs ont été utilisés pour expliquer leur effet sur l’intelligence générale et sur la réciprocité sociale. Les délétions et les duplications diminuent le QINV et l’effet des duplications est 3 fois inférieur à celui des délétions. L’effet différentiel est aussi observé pour la réciprocité sociale avec un ratio d’altération de 2:1 pour les délétions et les duplications et cet effet est principalement expliqué par le QINV. Les estimés de notre modèle pour l’intelligence générale et la réciprocité sociale concordent bien avec des observations déjà publiés. Nos modèles entraînés sur des CNVs couvrant >4,500 gènes suggèrent que l’effet des CNVs sur la cognition et la réciprocité sociale est dû à leurs propriétés polygéniques. Ces modèles pourront aider dans l’interprétation des CNVs en clinique. / Deleterious deletions and duplications (copy number variations, CNVs) are identified in up to 11% of individuals referred to neurodevelopmental pediatric clinics. However, only few recurrent CNVs have been formally associated with neurodevelopmental disorders because the majority are too rare to perform individual association studies. We recently developed a new framework to estimate the effect size of undocumented CNVs on non-verbal intelligence quotient (NVIQ) and sought to extend this approach to another score measuring autistic traits. We identified CNVs in an autism sample from the Simons Simplex Collection (SSC) and MSSNG, in their first-degree relatives, in a neurodevelopmental cohort and in individuals from an unselected population. Statistical models integrating scores of the genes encompassed in the CNVs were used to explain their effect on general intelligence and on social responsiveness. Deletions and duplications decreased NVIQ and the effect of duplications was three-fold smaller than deletions. There was also a differential effect on social responsiveness: the ratio of the impairment conferred by deletions and duplications was 2:1 and this effect was mainly driven by NVIQ. Models estimates for general intelligence and social responsiveness were consistent with previously published observations. Our models, trained on CNVs encompassing >4,500 genes, suggest highly polygenic properties of CNVs with respect to cognition and social responsiveness. These models will help interpreting CNVs identified in the clinic.

<p dir="ltr">Cancer biological mechanisms are a vastly researched area in the field, yet they are not well understood in the various contexts in which cancer is found. Cancerous tumors often exist in harsh, stressful environments for normal cells, but cancer cells can thrive in these conditions. The tumor microenvironment (TME) typically has low oxygen levels (hypoxia), high acidity, and low nutrition. Exposure to the TME leads to many metabolic changes in the cells, enabling cancer to continue proliferating and migrating. However, these metabolic changes are not well understood, especially at the single-cell level. The ability to monitor cells in real time to determine the physical characteristics they undergo is critical to understanding the impact of these metabolic changes. Conventional methods focus on determining the genomic and proteomic changes in large numbers of cells, which may be overlooked if the changes are homogeneous across samples. In this work, we demonstrate the power of using multiple imaging techniques in combination with biochemical methods to visualize metabolic changes and determine the causes in various cancer cells under extreme hypoxia conditions.</p><p dir="ltr">The changes in the microtubule network that occur under hypoxia at the single-cell level are not widely researched. The use of confocal fluorescence microscopy can determine microtubule polymerization in conjunction with eGFP-transfected EB3, a protein that assists in microtubule polymerization. We have determined that hypoxic HeLa cells produce finger-like protrusions when exposed to hypoxia that help with cell migration and, ultimately, cancer cell metastasis. The formation of these protrusions is facilitated by localized mitochondria activities in the protrusions.</p><p dir="ltr">The metabolic changes in lipid droplets (LDs) under hypoxia at the single-cell level remain an elusive topic. The use of stimulated Raman spectroscopy (SRS) and coherent anti-Stokes Raman scattering (CARS) can determine the quantity and spatial-temporal distribution of LDs in cancer cells. We have found that LDs redistribute to the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) and increase in intensity in hypoxic MIA PaCa-2 and A549 cells. Time-lapse CARS microscopy revealed a release-accumulate process of these LDs on ER in hypoxia. We also studied the impact of carbon sources on LD formation and found that MIA PaCa2 cells prefer direct lipid uptake while glucose is also essential to reduce lipotoxicity. The use of hyperspectral stimulated Raman scattering (hSRS) also reveals that the content of the LDs changes to include less cholesteryl ester and a decrease in lipid saturation level.</p><p dir="ltr">Collectively, these findings shed new light on the understanding of cytoskeleton dynamics and lipid metabolism in hypoxic conditions. The discoveries made within this research would lead to better treatment strategies for effective treatment of hypoxia-resistant cancer cells.</p>

Der Vortrag stellt Idee und Grundlagen der Berechnung von Schockantwortspektren dar. Er zeigt, wie man exemplarisch für einen Halbsinusstoß das Schockantwortspektrum in der PTC FEM-Software Creo Elements / Pro Mechanica berechnen kann. Die Schockantworten eines Ein- und Zweimassenschwingers werden sowohl zeitaufgelöst als auch über die dynamische Stoßanalyse berechnet. Die modalen Superpositionsmethoden "Absolute Summe" und "SRSS" (Square Root of the Sum of the Squares - geometrischer Mittelwert) werden vorgestellt. Als reales Beispiel werden Schockanalysen für verschiedene Halbsinusimpulse mit einem Wärmebildgerät der Firma Carl Zeiss Optronics GmbH durchgeführt und mit einer zeitaufgelösten Analyse verglichen. Abschließend wird auf die Erzeugung von Antwortspektren für die Substrukturauslegung eingegangen. / The presentation explains idea and fundamentals of shock response spectra analysis. With help of the PTC FEM-software Creo Elements / Pro Mechanica the shock response spectra (SRS) for an exemplary half sine shock is calculated. The shock response of a one-mass and a two-mass oscillator are analyzed per dynamic time as well as per dynamic shock analysis. The modal superposition methods "absolute sum" and "SRSS" (Square Root of the Sum of the Squares) are explained. The method is applied for different half sine shocks on a realistic example: A thermal imaging system of the company Carl Zeiss Optronics GmbH. Finally, the creation of response spectra for global-local analysis is explained.

Raman spectroscopy involves change in the polarizability of the molecular system on excitation and is based on scattering process. Spontaneous Raman scattering is a two photon process, in which the input light initiates the excitation, which then leads to an emission of another photon due to scattering. It is extensively used to understand molecular properties. As spontaneous Raman scattering is a weak process, the detection of these weak Raman photons are rather difficult. Alternatively, resonance Raman (RR) scattering is another technique where the excitation wavelength is chosen according to the material under study. The excitation wavelength is chosen to be within the absorption spectrum of the material under study. RR spectroscopy not only provides considerable improvement in the intensity of the Raman signal, but also provides mode specific information i.e. the modes which are Franck-Condon active in that transition can be observed. There are reports on RR studies of many systems using pulsed light as an excitation source. It is necessary to use at least two pulsed laser sources for carrying out the time resolved RR spectroscopy. A single pulse source for excitation would lead to compromise either with temporal or spectral resolution which is due to the uncertainty principle. If an excitation pulse has pulse width of ~100 femtoseconds then the spectral resolution will be ~ 150 cm-1. It is clear now that for improving the temporal and spectral resolution simultaneously, usage of single pulse for Raman experiments (spontaneous scattering) is not adequate. The usage of multiple laser pulses may provide the way out to improve the resolutions. Nonlinear spectroscopy in a broad view helps in understanding the structural and dynamical properties of the molecular systems in a deeper manner. There are a number of techniques as a part of nonlinear spectroscopy that have emerged in due course to meet different requirements and to overcome some difficulties while understanding the molecular properties. Stimulated Raman (SRS) gain, coherent anti-Stokes Raman scattering (CARS) and the inverse Raman spectroscopy are a few to mention as third order nonlinear spectroscopic techniques which give the similar kind of information about the molecular systems. Stimulated Raman scattering is a more general process involved in nonlinear Raman processes. SRS involves at least two laser pulses and the difference in their frequencies should match with the vibrational frequency of the molecule. The polarization has to be matched between the Raman pump and the Raman probe pulses. We have developed a new nonlinear Raman technique in our laboratory named as ultrafast Raman loss spectroscopy (URLS) using the principles of nonlinear Raman scattering. It involves the Raman pump (~ 1 picosecond (ps) or ~ 15 cm-1spectral resolution) and Raman probe as a white light continuum (100 fs) whose frequency components ranges from 400-900 nm. The laser system consists of Tsunami which is pumped by a Millennia laser and Spitfire-Pro, a regenerative amplifier which is pumped by an Empower laser. Tsunami provides a 100 fs, 780 nm centered, 80 MHz and ~6 nJ energy laser pulses. The Tsunami output is fed into Spitfire to amplify its energy and change the repetition rate to 1 KHz. The pulse length of the input pulse is preserved in amplification. The output of amplifier is split into two equal parts; one part is used to pump the Optical Parametric Amplifier (OPA) in order to generate wavelengths in the range 480-800 nm. The output of the OPA is utilized to generate Raman pump which has to be in ps in order to get the best spectral resolution. A small portion of the other part of amplifier output is utilized to generate white light source for the Raman probe. The remaining part of the amplifier output is used to pump TOPAS to generate wavelengths in the ultraviolet region. URLS has been applied to many molecular systems which range from non-fluorescent to highly fluorescent. URLS has been demonstrated to be very sensitive and useful while dealing with highly fluorescent systems. URLS is a unique technique due to its high sensitivity and the Raman loss signal intensity is at least 1.5-2 times higher as compared to the Raman gain signal intensities. Cresyl violet perchlorate (CVP) is a highly fluorescent system. URLS has been applied to study CVP even at resonance excitation. Rhodamine B has also been studied using URLS. Spontaneous Raman scattering is very difficult to observe experimentally in such high quantum yield fluorescent systems. The variation in the lineshapes of the Raman bands for different RP excitation wavelengths in URLS spectra shows the mode dependent behavior of the absorption spectrum. The experimental observation of variation in the lineshape has been accounted using theoretical formalism. The thesis is focused on discussing the development of the new nonlinear Raman spectroscopic technique URLS in detail and its applicability to molecular systems for better understanding. A theoretical formalism for accounting the uniqueness of URLS among the other nonlinear Raman techniques is developed and discussed in various pictorial representations i.e. ladder, Feynman and closed loop diagrams. A brief overview of nonlinear spectroscopy and nonlinear Raman spectroscopy is presented for demonstrating the difference between the URLS and the other nonlinear Raman techniques.

Der Vortrag stellt Idee und Grundlagen der Berechnung von Schockantwortspektren dar. Er zeigt, wie man exemplarisch für einen Halbsinusstoß das Schockantwortspektrum in der PTC FEM-Software Creo Elements / Pro Mechanica berechnen kann. Die Schockantworten eines Ein- und Zweimassenschwingers werden sowohl zeitaufgelöst als auch über die dynamische Stoßanalyse berechnet. Die modalen Superpositionsmethoden "Absolute Summe" und "SRSS" (Square Root of the Sum of the Squares - geometrischer Mittelwert) werden vorgestellt. Als reales Beispiel werden Schockanalysen für verschiedene Halbsinusimpulse mit einem Wärmebildgerät der Firma Carl Zeiss Optronics GmbH durchgeführt und mit einer zeitaufgelösten Analyse verglichen. Abschließend wird auf die Erzeugung von Antwortspektren für die Substrukturauslegung eingegangen. / The presentation explains idea and fundamentals of shock response spectra analysis. With help of the PTC FEM-software Creo Elements / Pro Mechanica the shock response spectra (SRS) for an exemplary half sine shock is calculated. The shock response of a one-mass and a two-mass oscillator are analyzed per dynamic time as well as per dynamic shock analysis. The modal superposition methods "absolute sum" and "SRSS" (Square Root of the Sum of the Squares) are explained. The method is applied for different half sine shocks on a realistic example: A thermal imaging system of the company Carl Zeiss Optronics GmbH. Finally, the creation of response spectra for global-local analysis is explained.