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. 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.

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.

The energy retrofit of existing buildings has always been a challenging task to accomplish. The example of the Swecohuset building, proves how an integrated approach design between architectural and energetic aspects as well as the use of well-known and efficient technologies are key aspects to achieve the energy-saving goal. This work, in the first part describes the Swecohuset retrofit process, along with the reasons behind the choices which have led to the current result of a reduction by 2/3 of the energy need for space conditioning purposes. Then, in the second part, after a brief focus on the passive aspects which characterize the current energy performance of the building, it is carried out a feasibility analysis of an EWIS (external wall insulation system) by studying its interaction with a complex system as an optimization problem, with the main purpose of understanding the basis of the BPO and explore further building potentialities. / SIRen

Supersymmetrische Feldtheorien können durch eine nicht-lineare und nicht-lokale Transformation der bosonischen Felder charakterisiert werden, der Nicolai-Abbildung. Sie bildet das wechselwirkende Funktionalmaß so auf das Maß der zugehörigen freien Theorie ab, dass die Jacobi-Determinante gleich dem Produkt der fermionischen Determinanten ist. Wir untersuchen die Nicolai-Abbildungen des 2-dimenionalen Wess-Zumino Modells und der N=1 sowie N=4 super Yang-Mills Theorien. Wir geben einen konstruktiven Beweis für die Existenz der Nicolai-Abbildung in diesen Theorien. Der Beweis beinhaltet die Herleitung des infinitesimalen Generators der inversen Abbildung, dem R-Operator. Wir benutzen diesen Operator, um die Nicolai-Abbildung im 2-dimensionalen Wess-Zumino Modell bis zur fünften Ordnung in der Kopplung zu berechnen. In der N=1 super Yang-Mills Theorie führen wir die Begriffe der on- bzw. off-shell Nicolai-Abbildungen ein. Die on-shell Abbildung existiert in d=3,4,6 und 10 Dimensionen aber nur für die Landau Eichung. Wir bestimmen sie bis zur vierten Ordnung. Die off-shell Abbildung existiert nur in d=4 Dimensionen aber für allgemeine Eichungen. Wir berechnen sie in der axialen Eichung bis zur zweiten Ordnung. Für die N=4 super Yang-Mills Theorie geben wir den R-Operator an und zeigen, dass man die N=4 Nicolai-Abbildung durch dimensionale Reduktion aus der N=1 Abbildung erhält. Inverse Nicolai-Abbildungen bilden Quantenkorrelationsfunktionen bosonischer Observablen auf freie Korrelationsfunktionen ab. Daher gestatten sie eine Quantisierung supersymmetrischer Theorien ohne die Verwendung von Fermionen oder Geistern. Wir benutzten diese Eigenschaft, um den Vakuum-Erwartungswert der Maldacena-Wilson Geraden bis zur sechsten Ordnung zu berechnen. Im zweiten Teil dieser Arbeit bestimmen wir die explizite Form aller Felder im 1/2-BPS Energie-Impuls-Tensor Multiplet in N=4 super Yang-Mills. Dieses Multiplet enthält den R-Symmetrie Fluss und den Energie-Impuls-Tensor. / Supersymmetric field theories can be characterized by the existence of a non-linear and non-local transformation of the bosonic fields, the Nicolai map. It maps the interacting functional measure to that of a free theory such that the Jacobian determinant of the transformation equals the product of the fermionic determinants. In this thesis, we study the Nicolai maps of the 2-dimensional Wess-Zumino model, N=1 super Yang-Mills and N=4 super Yang-Mills. We give a constructive proof for the existence of the Nicolai map in these theories. The proof includes the derivation of the infinitesimal generator of the inverse Nicolai map, called the R-operator. We use this operator to compute the Nicolai map of the 2-dimensional Wess-Zumino model up to the fifth order in the coupling. In N=1 super Yang-Mills, we introduce the notion of on- and off-shell Nicolai maps. The on-shell Nicolai map of N=1 super Yang-Mills exists in d=3,4,6 and 10 dimensions but is constrained to the Landau gauge. We compute this map up to the fourth order. The off-shell Nicolai map exists only in d=4 dimensions but for general gauges. We compute it in the axial gauge up to the second order. In N=4 super Yang-Mills, we give the R-operator and show that the Nicolai map can be obtained from the Nicolai map of 10-dimensional N=1 super Yang-Mills by dimensional reduction. Inverse Nicolai maps map quantum correlation functions of bosonic observables to free correlation functions. Hence, Nicolai maps allow for a fermion (and ghost) free quantization of supersymmetric (gauge) theories. We apply this property to compute the vacuum expectation value of the infinite straight line Maldacena-Wilson loop in N=4 super Yang-Mills to the sixth order. Thus extending the previous perturbative result by one order. In the second part of this thesis, we derive the explicit field content of the 1/2-BPS stress tensor multiplet in N=4 super Yang-Mills, which contains the R-symmetry current and the energy-momentum tensor.

Pre-mRNA splicing is an important level in posttranscriptional gene regulation that is essential for accurate protein synthesis and generating protein diversity. The abundance of cryptic splice sites and long intronic DNA sequences makes their splicing a complex one. The identification of correct exons and introns needs additional information in the form of splicing regulatory elements (SREs) along with canonical splice signals. The interplay among these SREs and the trans factors (which bind to SREs) gives the identity to introns and exons which in turn leads to precise pre-mRNA splicing. Previous studies from our laboratory showed, that when expressed in mammalian cells from an expression vector, PDGF-B ORF was re-spliced at 4/5 exon junction with the downstream SV40 splice acceptor site in the vector. However, deletion of the 66-nt PDGF-B 3’ UTR region resulted in about 25% reduction in re-splicing. Sequence analysis of this region revealed presence of binding sites for splicing factors ASF/SF2 and SRp55, and an AU-rich element (ARE), mutation each of which affected re-splicing partially. In mammals, AREs are commonly found in the 3’UTR of mRNAs encoding proteins involved in diverse functions and are involved in selective mRNA degradation. Several ARE binding proteins are crucial for ARE’s function. Since mutation of the single ARE in the 3’UTR region altered the re-splicing efficiency, the role of AU-rich elements and ARE-binding proteins (AU-BPs) in modulation of splicing was investigated using siRNAs against AU-BPs, BRF1, hnRNPD, HuR, GAPDH and TTP. Down regulation of expression of these factors indeed affected the level of re-spliced product. We have studied the interactions between the full-length splicing factors (U1-70K and U2AF35) and the AU-BPs (BRF1, hnRNPD and HuR) as well as among the AU-BPs using three different assay methods: Yeast-two hybrid, co-immunoprecipitation and pull down assays. Our study has revealed that the BRF1 interacts with U1-70K and U2AF35 as well as the other AU-BPs hnRNPD and HuR but with different affinities. We have also analyzed the ability of AU-BPs to interact with SR proteins SRp20 and 9G8. We did find strong interaction of BRF1 with SRp20 and 9G8. Generation of a large number of nested deletion mutants of all the proteins allowed us to identify the interaction regions on the surface of BRF1, U1-70K, hnRNPD, U2AF35 and HuR. The results of Y2H analyses were further confirmed by pull down assay using purified interacting regions. It was found that a single region from aa 181-254 in BRF1 interacts with multiple partners i.e., splicing factors and the AU-BP hnRNPD. However, the RNA-binding zinc-finger domain from residue 120-181 independently interacts with HuR. Further, the multiple protein interacting region (MPIR) (aa 181-254) in BRF1 exhibits different affinities towards its interacting partners with that for U1-70K and hnRNPD being stronger than that for U2AF35 and HuR. This observation suggests that BRF1 activity can be modulated by interaction with different partners at different sites. U1-70K interacted only with BRF1 among the proteins tested in this study and this interaction appears to be RNA independent .This could have implications in splice site selection and RNA stability since BRF1 has been shown to promote RNA degradation. While the Arg/Glu-rich C-terminal region in U1-70K is sufficient for its interaction with BRF1, U2AF35 requires both the zinc-finger 2 and the arg/Gly/Ser-rich C-terminal regions for its association with BRF1. hnRNPD also interacts with multiple partners that include BRF1, HuR and U2AF35 using the N-terminal region that harbors a Ala-rich domain. The interaction of hnRNPD with HuR is RNA dependent while with BRF1 and U2AF35, it is RNA independentt. Further, its interaction with all the partners is equally strong. This suggests that hnRNPD could exert differential influence depending on the context of its interaction and abundance of the interacting partner. HuR, primarily known as an mRNA stabilizing factor, interacts with both BRF1 and hnRNPD with equal affinity involving the hinge region, the interaction with the former being RNA-independent and the later being RNA-dependent. This differential RNA-dependent and independent interactions with the two AU-BPs using a single interacting domain suggests a balancing act of HuR on the activities of BRF1 and hnRNPD. These interactions can further be differentially modulated by posttranslational modifications on one or all of the interacting partners depending on the physiological status of the cell. We have also analyzed the multiple protein complexes formed in absence of cellular RNA. Though we are unable to see direct protein-protein interaction between HuR and U1-70K in Yeast two hybrid analysis, we could detect the presence of U1-70K in HuR immunoprecipitate. It appears that U1-70K associates with HuR via BRF. We also detected the presence of HuR in U1-70K complexes which could be due to its association with BRF1. We are unable to find hnRNPD and U2AF35 in these complexes indicating that they may have been excluded. In anti-U2AF35 immunoprecipitates, we detected the presence of U1-70K as well as hnRNPD but no HuR. This may be due to RNase treatment as hnRNPD and HuR interactions are RNA dependent. Our findings that AU-rich elements in conjunction with AU-BPs function as intronic splicing modulators or enhancers, reveal hitherto unidentified new players in the poorly understood complex mechanisms that mediate alternative splicing. The possibility of dynamic nature of the interactions among splicing factors and AU-BPs mediated by post-translational modifications provide a basis for rapid cellular responses to changing environmental cues through generation of differentially spliced mRNAs and corresponding protein products that differ in their stability and hence their relative abundance. Our results also unfold enormous possibilities for future investigations on interactions among the many splicing factors and AU-BPs, and in understanding these complex interactions in modulation of pre-mRNA splicing, mRNA translation and degradation. The finding of coupling of AU-BPs to splicing machinery could further lead to better understanding of the mechanism of AU-BP-mediated targeting of mRNAs to processing bodies and ultimate degradation of the mRNAs.

The subject of my thesis is the technological phase biogas plant. I focused in detail on the buildings SO01 - Hala income and treatment of raw materials and SO02 - Operating building a cogeneration unit. The concreting, formwork and reinforcement substructure object SO01 I developed technological prescription. Furthermore, my work includes a technical report on the structural and technological project, construction situation, time and financial planning, study, implementation of major technological stages, construction machinery, crane assessment, project site equipment, plan for securing material resources for SO01, inspection and test plan, plan OSH and itemized budget.

In dieser Arbeit betrachten wir zwei Ansätze zur Untersuchung von Korrelationsfunktionen in eindimensionalen konformen Feldtheorien mit Defekten (dCFT1), insbesondere solche, die durch 1/2-BPS-Wilson-Linien-Defekte in den drei- und vierdimensionalen superkonformen Theorien definiert sind, die für die AdS/CFT-Korrespondenz relevant sind. Zunächst verwenden wir den analytischen konformen Bootstrap, um zwei Beispiele von Defektkorrelatoren auszuwerten. Der Vier-Punkt-Korrelator des Verschiebungs-Supermultipletts, das auf der 1/2-BPS-Wilson-Linie in der ABJM-Theorie eingefügt ist, wird bis zur dritten Ordnung in einer starken Kopplungsexpansion berechnet und reproduziert die expliziten Witten-Diagramm-Berechnungen erster Ordnung. Anschließend wird der Fünf-Punkt-Korrelator von 1/2-BPS-Operatoren, die auf der 1/2-BPS-Wilson-Linie in N=4 Super-Yang-Mills eingefügt sind, untersucht und in einer starken Kopplungsexpansion bis zur ersten Ordnung gebootstrapped. Anschließend werden die CFT1-Daten extrahiert, die bestätigen, dass das Mischen von Operatoren die anomale Dimension erster Ordnung nicht beeinflusst. Der zweite Ansatz betrachtet die allgemeine Struktur von Korrelatoren in effektiven Theorien in AdS2. Es werden alle skalaren n-Punkt-Kontakt-Witten-Diagramme für externe Operatoren mit ganzzahligem konformem Gewicht berechnet. Effektive Theorien in AdS2, die durch eine Wechselwirkungslagrange mit einer beliebigen Anzahl von Ableitungen definiert sind, werden dann betrachtet und mit Hilfe eines neuen Formalismus der Mellin-Amplituden für 1d-CFTs bis zur ersten Ordnung gelöst. Schließlich wird die diskretisierte Wirkung der Cusped-Wilson-Linie als alternative Möglichkeit zur Gewinnung nicht-perturbativer Daten vorgestellt: durch die Gitterfeldtheorie. / In this thesis, we consider two approaches to the study of correlation functions in one-dimensional defect Conformal Field Theories (dCFT1), in particular those defined by 1/2-BPS Wilson line defects in the three- and four-dimensional superconformal theories relevant in the AdS/CFT correspondence. In the first approach, we use the analytic conformal bootstrap to evaluate two examples of defect correlators. The four-point correlator of the displacement supermultiplet inserted on the 1/2-BPS Wilson line in ABJM theory is computed to the third order in a strong-coupling expansion and reproduces the explicit first-order Witten diagram calculations. The CFT1 data are then extracted from this correlator, and the operator mixing is solved at first order. Consequently, all-order results are derived for the part of the correlator with the highest logarithm power, uniquely determining the double-scaling limit. Then, the five-point correlator of 1/2-BPS operators inserted on the 1/2-BPS Wilson line in =4 super Yang-Mills are studied. The superblocks are derived for all channels of the OPE, and the five-point correlator is bootstrapped to first order in a strong coupling expansion. The CFT1 data are then extracted, confirming that operator mixing does not affect the first-order anomalous dimension. The second approach considers the general structure of correlators in effective theories in AdS2. All scalar n-point contact Witten diagrams for external operators of integer conformal weight are computed. Effective theories in AdS2 defined by an interaction Lagrangian with an arbitrary number of derivatives are then considered and solved to first order using a new formalism of Mellin amplitudes for 1d CFTs. Finally, the cusped Wilson line discretised action is presented as an alternative way to obtain non-perturbative data: through Lattice Field Theory.