The buffer role of meaning in life in hopelessness in women with borderline personality disorders

Meaning in life has been found to be a protective factor against suicidal ideation. The aim of this study was to investigate whether meaning in life can moderate and buffer the association between suicide risk factors and hopelessness in women with borderline personality disorders. One hundred twenty-four women diagnosed with borderline personality disorder completed self-report measures of suicide risk factors, hopelessness, and meaning in life. The main result from this study was that meaning in life moderated the association between suicide risk factors and hopelessness. Meaning in life is an important variable in the prevention and treatment of risk of suicide in women with borderline personality disorder

Dialectical behavioural therapy for oppositional defiant disorder in adolescents: a case series

Aplicación de la terapia dialéctica comportamental al trastorno negativista desafiante en adolescentes: una serie de casos. Antecedentes: el trastorno negativista desafiante (TND) se caracteriza por un patrón consistente de conductas oposicionistas hacia las figura de autoridad, irritabilidad y dificultades de regulación emocional. El TND en adolescentes presenta sintomatología común con el trastorno límite de la personalidad (TLP). Un programa de tratamiento que se ha mostrado eficaz para el tratamiento de trastornos caracterizados por dificultades graves en la regulación emocional como el TLP es la terapia dialéctica comportamental (DBT). El objetivo de este trabajo es mostrar una serie de casos en los que se aplica la DBT a dos adolescentes diagnosticadas de TND, con comorbilidad psiquiátrica y conductas parasuicidas. Método: se aplicó el programa de entrenamiento en habilidades de la DBT y sesiones de terapia individual. Resultados: los resultados indican una disminución de las conductas impulsivas, desadaptativas de regulación del afecto, autolesiones, ingresos hospitalarios, síntomas depresivos y de la ira. También se produjo una mejora del estado de ánimo y el afecto positivo. Conclusión: estos resultados sugieren que la DBT puede ser una alternativa para el tratamiento del TND en adolescentes con comorbilidad psiquiátrica y conductas parasuicidas.Background: Oppositional defiant disorder (ODD) is characterised as a recurrent pattern of defiant behaviour towards authority figures, irritability and difficulties in regulating emotions. ODD in adolescents presents similar symptomatology to borderline personality disorder (BPD). A treatment programme that has been shown to be effective for treating problems related to emotion dysregulation such as BPD is dialectical behavioural therapy (DBT). The aim of this article is to outline a case series in which we applied DBT to two adolescents diagnosed with ODD, in addition to psychiatric comorbidity and parasuicidal behaviours. Method: We applied a training programme of 24 sessions in DBT skills, along with individual therapy. Results: The results showed a decrease in impulsive behaviours, maladaptive behaviours to regulate affect, self-mutilation behaviour, number of hospitalisations, anger and depressive symptoms. The data also showed an increase in positive emotions. Conclusion: These results suggest that DBT can be an alternative for the treatment of ODD in adolescents with psychiatric comorbidity and parasuicidal behaviours

Effectiveness of cognitive behavioral therapy supported by virtual reality in the treatment of body image in eating disorders: One year follow-up

Postprint de l’autorBody image disturbance is a significant maintenance and prognosis factor in eating disorders. Hence,existing eating disorder treatments can benefit from direct intervention in patients’ body image. No controlled studies have yet compared eating disorder treatments with and without a treatment component centered on body image. This paper includes a controlled study comparing Cognitive Behavioral Treatment (CBT) for eating disorders with and without a component for body image treatment using Virtual Reality techniques. Thirty-four participants diagnosed with eating disorders were evaluated and treated. The clinical improvement was analyzed from statistical and clinical points of view. Results showed that the patients who received the component for body image treatment improved more than the group without this component. Furthermore, improvement was maintained in post-treatment and at one year follow-up. The results reveal the advantage of including a treatment component addressing body image disturbances in the protocol for general treatment of eating disorders. The implications and limitations of these results are discussed below

Jarlskog-like invariants for theories with scalars and fermions

Within the framework of theories where both scalars and fermions are present, we develop a systematic prescription for the construction of CP-violating quantities that are invariant under basis transformations of those matter fields. In theories with Spontaneous Symmetry Breaking, the analysis involves the vevs' transformation properties under a scalar basis change, with a considerable simplification of the study of CP violation in the scalar sector. These techniques are then applied in detail to the two Higgs-doublet model with quarks. It is shown that there are new invariants involving scalar-fermion interactions, besides those already derived in previous analyses for the fermion-gauge and scalar-gauge sectors.Comment: 12 pages, Latex, no figure

El sentido de la vida como variable mediadora entre la depresión y la desesperanza en pacientes con trastorno límite de la personalidad

El trastorno límite de la personalidad (TLP) está asociado a una alta incidencia de suicidio. Las pensamientos y creencias positivas pueden actuar como amortiguadores que protegen a la persona de cometer el suicido, a pesar de la existencia de importantes factores de riesgo, como la depresión y la desesperanza. Varios estudios han encontrado una fuerte relación entre bajos niveles de sentido de la vida y el riesgo de suicidio. El objetivo del presente estudio es analizar el papel mediador del sentido de la vida entre la depresión y la desesperanza. Participaron 80 personas con TLP. Los resultados nos indican que el sentido de la vida mostro un efecto de mediación parcial entre la depresión y la desesperanza. El 61% del efecto total de la depresión sobre la desesperanza fue mediado por el sentido de la vida. Estos resultados apoyan que el sentido de la vida actúa como amortiguador de estos factores de riesgo para el suicidio. Es importante tener en cuenta el sentido de la vida en la evaluación y el tratamiento de las pacientes con TLP.Borderline personality disorder (BPD) is associated with high incidence of suicide. Positive thoughts and beliefs can act as buffers that protect people against eventual suicide, despite the existence of important risk factors for suicide. Several studies have found a strong relationship between low levels of meaning in life and suicide risk. The aim of this research is to analyze the mediating role of meaning in life in the relationship between the risk factor depression and hopelessness. 80 patients with BPD participated. The results indicate that the meaning of life showed partial mediation effect between depression and hopelessness, 61% of the total effect of depression on hopelessness was mediated by the meaning of life. The results of this study confirm the hypothesis and indicate that meaning in life is a buffering factor for the risk of suicide. This result emphasizes the importance of meaning in life in the assessment and treatment for patients with BPD

Morphometric Discriminant Analysis of isolated chondrichthyan scales for palaeoecological inferences: the Middle Triassic of the Iberian Chain (Spain) as a case of study

Palaeontological studies on exosqueletal disarticulated remains of chondrichthyans have focused on teeth and only less interest has been paid to scales due their limited taxonomic and systematic significance. However, classical works linking the morphology and the function of the squamation in extant sharks suggest that, despite their limited taxonomic value, the study of isolated scales can be a useful tool for palaeoenvironmental and palaeoecological inferences. Following this idea, we have analyzed the fossil record of shark scales from two Middle Triassic sections of the Iberian Chain (Spain), identifying different functional types by means of a morphometric discriminant analysis. From a total of 1136 isolated chondrichthyan scales, 25% were identified as abrasion resistant scales, 62% as drag reduction scales and 13% as scales of generalized functions. The elevated proportion of abrasion resistant scales suggests that this chondrichthyan palaeocommunity was highly dominated by benthic sharks that lived over a hard sea floor. However, one of the stratigraphical levels studied (He-20), presents statistically significant differences from the others, showing a lower percentage of abrasion resistant scales and a larger percentage of drag reduction scales. This level can be linked with storm episodes that could introduce remains of bentho-pelagic or pelagic forms in the inner platform.. Finally, partial correlation analysis between relative abundances of functional scale types and tooth-based taxa from the same sections provide positive correlation between teeth of Hybodus and Pseudodalatias and drag reduction scales, and teeth of Prolatodon and abrasion strength scales.Los estudios paleontológicos de restos desarticulados de condrictios se han centrado en los dientes, no prestando prácticamente interésal estudio de sus escamas debido a su limitada importancia taxonómica y sistemática. Sin embargo, algunos trabajos clásicos que hanrelacionado su morfología y función en base al estudio de la escamación de tiburones actuales, sugieren que, a pesar de su limitado valortaxonómico, el estudio de las escamas aisladas puede ser una herramienta útil para obtener inferencias paleoambientales y paleoecológicas.Siguiendo estas ideas, se ha analizado el registro fósil de escamas de tiburón de dos secciones del Triásico Medio de la Cordillera Ibérica(España), identificando diferentes tipos funcionales por medio de un análisis morfométrico discriminante. De un total de 1.136 escamasaisladas de condrictios, el 25% de ellas fueron identificadas como escamas resistentes a la abrasión, el 62% como de reducción de la friccióncon el agua y el 13% de las escamas como de función generalizada. La elevada proporción de las escamas resistentes a la abrasión sugiereque esta paleocomunidad de condrictios estaba claramente dominada por tiburones bentónicos que habitaban sobre un sustrato rocoso. Sinembargo, uno de los niveles estratigráficos estudiados (He-20), presenta diferencias estadísticamente significativas con los demás, mostrandoun porcentaje más bajo de escamas resistentes a la abrasión y un porcentaje mayor de las escamas de reducción de la fricción con elagua. Este nivel se relaciona con episodios de tormenta que pudieron haber introducido los restos de formas bento-pelágicas o pelágicasen la plataforma interna. Por último, el análisis de correlación parcial entre la abundancia relativa de los tipos funcionales de escamas ytaxones en basado dientes de las mismas secciones proporcionan una correlación positiva entre los dientes de Hybodus y Pseudodalatias yescamas de reducción de la fricción con el agua, y dientes de Prolatodon y escamas resistencia a la abrasión

Towards an industrial synthesis of diaminodiphenylmethane (DADPM) using novel delaminated materials: A breakthrough step in the production of isocyanates for polyurethanes

Delaminated materials ITQ-2, ITQ-6 and ITQ-18 are very efficient catalysts of zeolitic nature for the synthesis of diamino diphenyl methane (DADPM), the polyamine precursor in the production of MDI for polyurethanes. The exfoliation process results in excellent accessibility of their active sites to reactant molecules as well as fast desorption of products. These catalysts present higher activity and slower rates of deactivation than their corresponding zeolites. Moreover, the topology of the delaminated structure imposes a precise control of the isomer distribution, offering an additional flexibility in the synthesis of DADPM. By optimizing the process conditions it is possible to achieve final DADPM crude under industrial production specifications with ITQ-18. This catalyst represents a real chance for replacing HCl in the industrial production of DADPM.The authors thank Huntsman Polyurethanes and CICYT (MAT2006-14274-C02-01), Project Prometeo from Generalitat Valenciana, Project MULTICAT (Consolider-Ingenio 2010) and Fundacion Areces for financial support.Botella Asuncion, P.; Corma Canós, A.; Carr, RH.; Mitchell, CJ. (2011). Towards an industrial synthesis of diaminodiphenylmethane (DADPM) using novel delaminated materials: A breakthrough step in the production of isocyanates for polyurethanes. Applied Catalysis A: General. 398(1):143-149. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apcata.2011.03.026S143149398