Worldwide, 450 million people are estimated to have a mental health problem. Therefore this study set out with the aim to fill the gap in research on how to raise happiness and subjective well-being amongst adolescents. The sample of the study consisted of 90 students ranging from 16 - 19 years of age. They were randomly assigned to one of two methods; BPS (Best Personal Self) or nostalgia. Each group was then given varying instructions on a task they would perform on a daily basis, with tests taken on the first and last day of the study. The tests consisted of questions from the PANAS (Positive and Negative Affect Scale) and the SWLS (Satisfaction with Life Scale), which would determine the different methods short- and long-term effect on the participants happiness and subjective well-being. A control group was used to compare the results of the test groups. The results indicated nostalgia as being the most effective way to raise short-term well-being amongst adolescents, which raised interesting questions for future studies.

Background: Patients with borderline personality disorder (BPD) suffer from instability of their relationships, their affectivity and their identity. The purpose of the study was to investigate negative affects and identity disturbance in patients with BPD and in patients without personality disorder using questionnaire data and interview data. Sampling and Methods: Twelve patients with BPD and 12 patients with major depressive disorder without any personality disorder were assessed with the Structured Interview of Personality Organization (STIPO) and questionnaires (Inventory of Personality Organization, Beck Depression Inventory, State-Trait Anxiety Inventory). They were compared with respect to the frequency of negative affective verbal expressions using computerized content analysis methods. Results: BPD patients showed higher levels of anxiety, depression and identity diffusion in the questionnaires than major depressive disorder patients without personality disorder. However, they did not report more negative affective expressions in the interview. Patients with identity disturbance of both groups showed higher values of negative mood in the questionnaires, but less anger, less anxiety and less affective intensity in the interview. Conclusion: The preliminary findings indicate that patients with identity disturbance show high levels of negative affects in questionnaires but only few negative affects in the interview situation. More studies are needed to enhance the understanding of negative affects and identity disturbance in BPD. / Dieser Beitrag ist mit Zustimmung des Rechteinhabers aufgrund einer (DFG-geförderten) Allianz- bzw. Nationallizenz frei zugänglich.

Over the years stress has been a term lacking one clear and specific definition. In general, the term stress has been used mostly as an explanation of a response or reaction to a stressor. A stressor can be of both physiological and behavioral character. The experience of stress can occur both due to a real or a perceived stressor. In this literature review, the concept of stress is viewed with insights from biological, psychological, and social perspectives. The stress response is described biologically with the central nervous system (CNS), the brain, and the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis. Social and psychological stress are concepts related to how stress is perceived by the mind and due to social surroundings which is described in relation to social support, self-efficacy, the locus of control and cognitive appraisal. Dealing with stress can be done through coping which refers to the individual capacity to handle a stressor and has generally been divided into two categories, active/passive coping and problem-focused/emotion-focused coping. Depending on the individual resources to cope with a stressor and the ability to decrease the stress response when needed, the long-term effects of stress can therefore vary between individuals. It has been found that positive coping (known as reducing stress) can increase the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) volume and decrease anxiety and depression. The prefrontal cortex (PFC), the hippocampus, and the amygdala are closely linked to the ACC and affect emotions, learning, and memory related to the stress response.

La solution des équations d'Einstein–Maxwell décrivant le trou noir le plus général a été découverte par Plebański et Demiański en 1976. Cette thèse accomplit plusieurs étapes en vue d'intégrer une généralisation de cette solution en supergravité jaugée N = 2. Le contenu bosonique de cette dernière comprend la métrique assortie de champs de jauge et de deux types de champs scalaires (appelés scalaires-vecteurs et hyperscalaires); cela implique qu'il est beaucoup plus compliqué de trouver une solution générale et l'on doit se restreindre à des classes particulières de solutions ou bien utiliser des algorithmes pour générer des solutions.Dans la première partie de cette thèse nous approchons ce problème grâce à la première stratégie en nous restreignant aux solutions BPS.Dans un premier temps nous étudions les jaugeages abéliens qui impliquent les hyperscalaires afin de comprendre quelles sont les conditions nécessaires pour obtenir des vides N = 2 adS4 ainsi que des géométries de proche-horizon associées à des trous noirs statiques.Par la suite nous décrivons une solution générale et analytique pour des trous noirs (extrémaux) 1/4-BPS qui possèdent une masse, une charge de NUT, des charges dyoniques et des champs scalaires non-triviaux dans le contexte de la supergravité N = 2 jaugée à la Fayet–Iliopoulos.Dans la seconde partie nous obtenons une extension de l'algorithme de Janis-Newman afin de prendre en compte tous les champs bosoniques de spin inférieur à 2, les horizons topologiques et le cas des autres dimensions.Ainsi cela met à disposition tous les outils nécessaires pour appliquer cet algorithme à la supergravité (jaugée ou non). / The most general black hole solution of Einstein–Maxwell theory has been discovered by Plebański and Demiański in 1976.This thesis provides several steps towards generalizing this solution by embedding it into N = 2 gauged supergravity.The (bosonic fields of the) latter consists in the metric together with gauge fields and two kinds of scalar fields (vector scalars and hyperscalars); as a consequence finding a general solution is involved and one needs to focus on specific subclasses of solutions or to rely on solution generating algorithms. In the first part of the thesis we approach the problem using the first strategy: we restrict our attention to BPS solutions, relying on a symplectic covariant formalism. First we study the possible Abelian gaugings involving the hyperscalars in order to understand which are the necessary conditions for obtaining N = 2 adS4 vacua and near-horizon geometries associated to the asymptotics of static black holes.A preliminary step is to obtain covariant expressions for the Killing vectors of symmetric special quaternionic-Kähler manifolds. Then we describe a general analytic solutions for 1/4-BPS (extremal) black holes with mass, NUT, dyonic charges and running scalars in N = 2 Fayet–Iliopoulos gauged supergravity with a symmetric very special Kähler manifold. In the second part we provide an extension of the Janis–Newman algorithm to all bosonic fields with spin less than 2, to topological horizons and to other dimensions. This provides all the necessary tools for applying this solution generating algorithm to (un)gauged supergravity, and interesting connections with the N = 2 supergravity theory are unravelled.

La mesure du bisphénol-S (BPS) et de son glucurono-conjugué (BPSG) dans l’urine peut être utilisée pour la biosurveillance de l’exposition dans les populations. Cependant, cela nécessite une connaissance approfondie de la toxicocinétique de ces composés alors qu’à ce jour, il existe peu de données à cet effet chez l’humain. L’évolution dans le temps du BPS et du BPSG a été évaluée dans des matrices biologiques accessibles et représentatives comme l`urine et le sang de volontaires exposés par voie orale et cutanée. Suite à l’approbation du comité d’éthique de la recherche de l’Université de Montréal, six volontaires ont été exposés par voie orale à une dose deutérée de BPS-d8 de 0,1 mg/kg de poids corporel. Un mois plus tard, 1 mg/kg pc de BPS-d8 ont été appliqués sur 40 cm2 de l’avant-bras puis lavés 6 h après l’application. Des échantillons de sang ont été prélevés avant le dosage et à des intervalles de temps fixes sur une période de 48 h après traitement ; des collectes urinaires complètes ont été recueillies avant l’exposition et à des intervalles préétablis sur 72 h après dosage. Après exposition par voie orale, les profils temporels des concentrations plasmatiques de BPS-d8 et de BPSG-d8 évoluaient en parallèle et ont montré une apparition et une élimination rapides. Les valeurs maximales de BPS-d8 et BPSG-d8 dans le plasma ont été atteintes en moyenne (± écart-type [ET]) à 0,7 ± 0,1 et 1,1 ± 0,4 h après le dosage et les demi-vies d’élimination apparentes (moyenne ± ET) (t ½) de 7,9 ± 1,1 et 9,3 ± 7,0 h ont été calculées à partir de la phase terminale, respectivement. La fraction de BPS-d8 atteignant la circulation systémique inchangée (c’est-à-dire la biodisponibilité) a en outre été estimée à 62 ± 5 % en moyenne (± ET) et la clairance plasmatique systémique à 0,57 ± 0,07 L/kg pc/h. Toujours après exposition orale, les profils temporels des taux d’excrétion urinaire évoluaient aussi de manière parallèle aux concentrations plasmatiques et étaient similaires pour tant pour le composé parent que le métabolite. Le pourcentage moyen (± ET) de la dose administrée récupérée dans l’urine sous forme de BPS-d8 et BPSG-d8 au cours de la période de 72 h après le dosage était de 1,72 ± 1,3 et 54 ± 10 %. Après application cutanée, les niveaux plasmatiques étaient inférieurs à la limite inférieure de quantification (LLOQ) à la plupart des points dans le temps. Cependant, les valeurs maximales étaient atteintes entre 5 et 8 h selon les individus, suggérant un taux d’absorption plus lent par rapport à l’exposition orale. De même, des quantités limitées de BPS-d8 et de son conjugué, estimées en pourcentage de dose, de l’ordre 0,004 ± 0,003 et 0,09 ± 0,07 %. En somme, cette étude a fourni une plus grande précision sur la cinétique du BPS chez l’humain. Ces données seront utiles pour développer un modèle toxicocinétique pour une meilleure interprétation des données de biosurveillance. Pour la voie orale, le taux d’absorption apparent similaire du BPS-d8 et BPSG-d8 après une exposition par voie orale suggère que les formes libres et conjuguées du BPS atteignent la circulation sanguine systémique à peu près dans le même intervalle de temps. Ceci indique un effet de premier passage hépatique, c’est-à-dire une conjugaison du BPS-d8 dans le foie avant d’atteindre la circulation systémique. Néanmoins, malgré l’effet de premier passage, la biodisponibilité du BPS-d8 et donc la forme active non conjuguée du BPS dans le sang est relativement élevée. Celle-ci est en fait largement plus importante que celle du BPA. Le BPS libre s’est aussi avéré avoir a un temps de résidence plasmatique plus long que le BPA. Pour la voie cutanée, les données ont montré que le BPS atteignait rapidement la circulation sanguine systémique et était donc rapidement absorbé par peau. Par contre, son élimination du corps semble être plus lente après exposition cutanée comparativement à son élimination après exposition orale. Par ailleurs, malgré le fait que le BPS serait rapidement absorbé au niveau de la peau, la fraction d’absorption cutanée était très faible par rapport à la fraction d’absorption orale. / The measurement of bisphenol-S (BPS) and its glucurono-conjugate (BPSG) in urine may be used for the biomonitoring of exposure in populations. However, this requires a thorough knowledge of their toxicokinetics. The time courses of BPS and BPSG were assessed in accessible biological matrices of orally and dermally exposed volunteers. Under the approval of the Research Ethics Committee of the University of Montreal, six volunteers were orally exposed to a BPS-d8 deuterated dose of 0.1 mg/kg body weight (bw). One month later, 1 mg/kg bw of BPS-d8 were applied on 40 cm2 of the forearm and then washed 6 h after application. Blood samples were taken prior to dosing and at fixed time periods over 48 h after treatment; complete urine voids were collected pre-exposure and at pre-established intervals over 72 h postdosing. Following oral exposure, the plasma concentration–time courses of BPS-d8 and BPSG-d8 over 48 h evolved in parallel and showed a rapid appearance and elimination. Average peak values (±SD) were reached at 0.7 ± 0.1 and 1.1 ± 0.4 h postdosing and mean (±SD) apparent elimination half-lives (t½) of 7.9 ± 1.1 and 9.3 ± 7.0 h were calculated from the terminal phase of BPS-d8 and BPSG-d8 in plasma, respectively. The fraction of BPS-d8 reaching the systemic circulation unchanged (i.e. bioavailability) was further estimated at 62 ± 5% on average (±SD) and the systemic plasma clearance at 0.57 ± 0.07 L/kg bw/h. Plasma concentration–time courses and urinary excretion rate profiles roughly evolved in parallel for both substances, as expected. The average percent (±SD) of the administered dose recovered in urine as BPS-d8 and BPSG-d8 over the 0–72 h period postdosing was 1.72 ± 1.3 and 54 ± 10%. Following dermal application, plasma levels were under the lower limit of quantification (LLOQ) at most time points. However, peak values were reached between 5 and 8 h depending on individuals, suggesting a slower absorption rate compared to oral exposure. Similarly, limited amounts of BPS-d8 and its conjugate were recovered in urine and peak excretion rates were reached between 5 and 11 h postdosing. The average percent (±SD) of the administered dose recovered in urine as BPS-d8 and BPSG-d8 was about 0.004 ± 0.003 and 0.09 ± 0.07%, respectively. This study provided greater precision on the kinetics of this contaminant in humans and, in particular, evidenced major differences between BPA and BPS kinetics with much higher systemic levels of active BPS than BPA, an observation explained by a higher oral bioavailability of BPS than BPA. These data should also be useful in developing a toxicokinetic model for a better interpretation of biomonitoring data. Overall, this study provided greater precision on the kinetics of this contaminant in humans. These data will be useful in developing a toxicokinetic model for a better interpretation of biomonitoring data. For the oral route of exposure, the apparent similar absorption rate of BPS-d8 and BPSG-d8 after oral exposure suggests that free and conjugated forms of BPS reach the systemic blood circulation at about the same time interval. This indicates a first-pass effect in the liver, i.e. a conjugation of BPS-d8 in the liver before reaching the systemic circulation. Nevertheless, despite the first-pass effect, the bioavailability of BPS-d8 and therefore the proportion of unconjugated active form of BPS reaching the systemic bloodstream is relatively high. It is actually much higher than that of BPA. Free BPS was also found to have a longer plasma residence time than BPA. For the dermal route of exposure, data show that BPS quickly reaches systemic blood circulation and is therefore rapidly absorbed by skin. On the other hand, its elimination from the body appears to be slower after dermal exposure compared to its elimination after oral exposure. Furthermore, despite the fact that BPS is rapidly absorbed through the skin, the dermal absorption fraction was very small compared to the oral absorption fraction.

Bakgrund: Borderline personlighetsstörning (BPS) har en bred symtombild som främst karaktäriseras av en känslomässig instabilitet hos individen. Flertalet förklaringar till uppkomsten finns men de allra flesta grundar sig i en otrygg uppväxt. Inom patientgruppen är det vanligt med suicidala handlingar samt ett aktivt självskadebeteende utan avsikt att avlida. Syfte: Denna studie siktade till en ökad insyn och förståelse för hur patientgruppen upplevde det att leva med diagnosen BPS samt hur de upplevde att de blir bemötta inom vården.Metod: Litteraturstudien genomfördes med en kvalitativ ansats. Åtta stycken vetenskapliga artiklar svarade mot underliggande studies syfte. Resultat: Analysen resulterade i följande kategorier: Att få diagnosen BPS, ett liv i utanförskap, att sträva efter hälsa och värdighet, att ha städig kontakt med vården, att uppleva sig stämplad, att ha relationer till specifika andra samt att önska sig specialiserad vård, delaktighet, tid, tillgång och kontinuitet. Slutsats: För att kunna ge patientgruppen adekvat vård samt bygga goda vårdrelationer är det av yttersta vikt att vårdpersonalen har kunskap kring patientgruppens livsvärld. Genom en ökad kunskap och förståelse är förhoppningen att minska missförstånd, bristande kommunikation samt känslan av maktlöshet i relationen mellan vårdpersonalen samt patientgruppen, vilket i sin tur kan reducera patientgruppens upplevelse av att vara stämplad. / Background: Borderline personality disorder (BPD) has a broad symptomatology mainly characterized by emotional instability. There is several explanations for the rise but the vast majority are based in an insecure upbringing. Within the patient group it is common with suicidal acts and active self-injury without the intent to die.Objective: This study aimed to greater transparency and understanding of how the patient group experienced it to live with a diagnosis of BPD and how they felt that they were treated within the care system.Method: The literature review was conducted with a qualitative approach. Eight scientific papers responded to the underlying studies purpose.Results: The analysis resulted in the following categories: Getting diagnosed with BPD, a life of alienation, to strive for health and dignity, to have steady contact with health care, to experience themselves as stamped, to have relationships with specific others and also to wish for specialized care, participation, time, availability and continuity.Conclusion: In order to give the patient group adequate care and build good relationships it is of the utmost importance that health professionals have knowledge of the patient groups life world. Through increased knowledge and understanding, the hope is to reduce misunderstandings, lack of communication and the sense of powerlessness in the relationship between the nursing staff and the patient group, which in turn may reduce the patient group experience of being stamped.

In this review, we focused on putatively interesting biomarkers of interstitial cystitis/bladder pain syndrome (IC/BPS) in relation to the etiopathology of this disease. Since its etiopathology is still under discussion, the development of novel biomarkers is critical for the correct classification of the patients in order to open personalized treatment options, on the one hand, and to separate true IC/BPS from the numerous confusable diseases with comparable symptom spectra on the other hand. There is growing evidence supporting the notion that the classical or Hunner-type IC (HIC) and the non-Hunner-type IC (NHIC) are different diseases with different etiopathologies and different pathophysiology at the full-blown state. While genetic alterations indicate close relationship to allergic and autoimmune diseases, at present, the genetic origin of IC/BPS could be identified. Disturbed angiogenesis and impairment of the microvessels could be linked to altered humoral signaling cascades leading to enhanced VEGF levels which in turn could enhance leucocyte and mast cell invasion. Recurrent or chronic urinary tract infection has been speculated to promote IC/BPS. New findings show that occult virus infections occurred in most IC/BPS patients and that the urinary microbiome was altered, supporting the hypothesis of infections as major players in IC/BPS. Environmental and nutritional factors may also influence IC/BPS, at least at a late state (e.g., cigarette smoking can enhance IC/BPS symptoms). The damage of the urothelial barrier could possibly be the result of many different causality chains and mark the final state of IC/BPS, the causes of this development having been introduced years ago. We conclude that the etiopathology of IC/BPS is complex, involving regulatory mechanisms at various levels. However, using novel molecular biologic techniques promise more sophisticated analysis of this pathophysiological network, resulting in a constantly improvement of our understanding of IC/BPS and related diseases.

In my master's tehsis I'm dealin with the methods used for non-invasive blood pressure measurement. For realization of a virtual blood pressure meter in LabVEW I have chosen the oscillometric method. Algorithm determining systolic and diastolic blood pressure is based on the relatively easy detection of maximum amplitude oscillations (corresponds with a mean arterial pressure), when thelimiting valuesof blood pressure are in a specific ratio with a maximum amplitude of oscillation. In LabVIEW was solved loading of signal from the measure card and processing pressure curve into a form suitable for the detection of the peak oscillations. The program calculates the limits of arterial pressure and mean heart rate too. Linking the virtual device with the blood pressure sensor Vernier BPS-BTA then makes up komplex for capturing the blood pressure via oscillatory method.

Die Borderline-Persönlichkeitsstörung (BPS) ist eine schwere psychiatrische Störung, die durch tiefgreifende Probleme in Emotionsregulation und zwischenmenschlichen Beziehungen gekennzeichnet ist. In der vorliegenden Dissertation wurde die Beziehung zwischen Leitsymptomen der BPS und kognitiven Fähigkeiten, die für die Bewältigung eines gut funktionierenden Alltags notwendig sind (Aufmerksamkeit, adäquate Belohnungsverarbeitung), untersucht. Weiter wurde für zukünftige Untersuchungen der interpersonellen Instabilitäten und Empathiefähigkeit ein neues Stimulus Set zur Erforschung von sozialer Kognition im Alltag erstellt: die ToMenovela. Mittels fMRT-Untersuchungen konnte gezeigt werden, dass das Ausmaß an selbstberichteter Ängstlichkeit positiv mit der Verarbeitung von emotionalen, ablenkenden Reizen in konfliktbehafteten Bedingungen korreliert. Dies ist ein Hinweis darauf, dass Patientinnen möglicherweise eine erhöhte unbewusste Verarbeitung von irrelevanten Informationen haben, die emotional negativ besetzt sind. Weiter wurde gezeigt, dass das Ausmaß von selbstberichteter Impulsivität negativ mit der neuronalen Signatur der Erwartung von (vermeidbaren) aversiven Konsequenzen korreliert. Dieser Befund steht im Einklang mit dem bei BPD bekannten Phänomen von riskanten Entscheidungen oder selbstschädigendem Verhalten. Die dritte Studie stellt die ToMenovela vor, eine Sammlung von 190 emotional aufgeladenen Photographien mit hoher ökologischer Validität, die von einem fiktiven Freundeskreis handeln. Fragestellungen zur 1. und 3.-Person-Perspektive sowie affektiven und kognitiven Theory of Mind sind durch die Komposition der Fotos möglich. Die Bilder wurden von einer gesunden Kontrollgruppe nach emotionaler Valenz bezüglich der 6 Basis-Emotionen nach Ekman (Freude, Trauer, Wut, Angst, Überraschung, Ekel) bewertet, und stehen nun für den experimentellen Einsatz in der Empathie- und Emotionsforschung, auch über das BPS-Klientel, hinaus zur Verfügung. / Borderline personality disorder (BPD) is a severe mental health disorder characterized by severe problems in emotion regulation and interpersonal relationships. In this dissertation, the relation between core symptoms of BPD and two cognitive abilities that are necessary for a well-functioning daily life, attention and adequate reward processing, were investigated. Furthermore, a new stimulus set for the investigation of social cognition in daily life that is suitable for future research on relational instabilities and trait empathy was generated: the ToMenovela. Using fMRI, it could be shown that self-reported trait anxiety and neural BOLD-response correlated positively during conflict processing in an experimental flanker task with emotional distractors. These results indicate that patients might exhibit more pronounced implicit processing of irrelevant negative emotional information. In a second study, using a reward paradigm, a negative relationship was observed between self-reported impulsivity and neural signature of loss anticipation. This result is in line with recent findings on BPD patients’ tendency towards disadvantageous, risky choices or self-harming decisions. The third publication introduces the ToMenovela, a new stimulus set for the assessment of social interaction in daily life. The ToMenovela presents a set of 190 emotionally charged pictures of a fictitious circle of friends with high ecological validity. The stimulus set is suitable for experimental designs on 1st and 3rd person perspectives, as well as for affective and cognitive Theory of Mind tasks. The stimulus set was rated by healthy control subjects according to emotional valence with respect to Ekman’s basic emotions (happiness, sadness, anger, fear, surprise and disgust) and is available for further use in experiments on empathy and emotions within and beyond the context of research on BPD.

<p>String theory is a unified framework for general relativity and quantum mechanics, thus being a theory of quantum gravity. In this thesis we discuss various aspects of quantum gravity for particular systems, having in common the existence of horizons. The main motivation is that one major challenge in theoretical physics today is in trying to understanding how time dependent backgrounds, with its resulting horizons and space-like singularities, should be described in a controlled way. One such system of particular importance is our own universe.</p><p>We begin by discussing the information puzzle in de Sitter space and consequences thereof. A typical time-scale is encountered, which we interpreted as setting the thermalization time for the system. Then the question of closed time-like curves is discussed in the combined setting where we have a rotating black hole in a Gödel-like universe. This gives a unified picture of what previously was considered as independent systems. The last three projects concerns $c=1$ matrix models and their applications. First in relation to the RR-charged two dimensional type 0A black hole. We calculate the ground state energy on both sides of the duality and find a perfect agreement. Finally, we relate the 0A model at self-dual radius to the topological string on the conifold. We find that an intriguing factorization of the theory previously observed for the topological string is also present in the 0A matrix model.</p>