@phdthesis{Nowak2020, author = {Nowak, Jacqueline}, title = {Devising computational tools to quantify the actin cytoskeleton and pavement cell shape using network-based approaches}, school = {Universit{\"a}t Potsdam}, pages = {123}, year = {2020}, abstract = {Recent advances in microscopy have led to an improved visualization of different cell processes. Yet, this also leads to a higher demand of tools which can process images in an automated and quantitative fashion. Here, we present two applications that were developed to quantify different processes in eukaryotic cells which rely on the organization and dynamics of the cytoskeleton.. In plant cells, microtubules and actin filaments form the backbone of the cytoskeleton. These structures support cytoplasmic streaming, cell wall organization and tracking of cellular material to and from the plasma membrane. To better understand the underlying mechanisms of cytoskeletal organization, dynamics and coordination, frameworks for the quantification are needed. While this is fairly well established for the microtubules, the actin cytoskeleton has remained difficult to study due to its highly dynamic behaviour. One aim of this thesis was therefore to provide an automated framework to quantify and describe actin organization and dynamics. We used the framework to represent actin structures as networks and examined the transport efficiency in Arabidopsis thaliana hypocotyl cells. Furthermore, we applied the framework to determine the growth mode of cotton fibers and compared the actin organization in wild-type and mutant cells of rice. Finally, we developed a graphical user interface for easy usage. Microtubules and the actin cytoskeleton also play a major role in the morphogenesis of epidermal leaf pavement cells. These cells have highly complex and interdigitated shapes which are hard to describe in a quantitative way. While the relationship between microtubules, the actin cytoskeleton and shape formation is the object of many studies, it is still not clear how and if the cytoskeletal components predefine indentations and protrusions in pavement cell shapes. To understand the underlying cell processes which coordinate cell morphogenesis, a quantitative shape descriptor is needed. Therefore, the second aim of this thesis was the development of a network-based shape descriptor which captures global and local shape features, facilitates shape comparison and can be used to evaluate shape complexity. We demonstrated that our framework can be used to describe and compare shapes from various domains. In addition, we showed that the framework accurately detects local shape features of pavement cells and outperform contending approaches. In the third part of the thesis, we extended the shape description framework to describe pavement cell shape features on tissue-level by proposing different network representations of the underlying imaging data.}, language = {en} } @phdthesis{Marquart2019, author = {Marquart, Arnim}, title = {Feedbacks between macropores and soil water infiltration in semi-arid savanna systems}, pages = {146}, year = {2019}, language = {en} } @phdthesis{Paraskevopoulou2019, author = {Paraskevopoulou, Sofia}, title = {Adaptive genetic variation and responses to thermal stress in brachionid rotifers}, pages = {IV, 177}, year = {2019}, abstract = {The importance of cryptic diversity in rotifers is well understood regarding its ecological consequences, but there remains an in depth comprehension of the underlying molecular mechanisms and forces driving speciation. Temperature has been found several times to affect species spatio-temporal distribution and organisms' performance, but we lack information on the mechanisms that provide thermal tolerance to rotifers. High cryptic diversity was found recently in the freshwater rotifer "Brachionus calyciflorus", showing that the complex comprises at least four species: B. calyciflorus sensu stricto (s.s.), B. fernandoi, B. dorcas, and B. elevatus. The temporal succession among species which have been observed in sympatry led to the idea that temperature might play a crucial role in species differentiation. The central aim of this study was to unravel differences in thermal tolerance between species of the former B. calyciflorus species complex by comparing phenotypic and gene expression responses. More specifically, I used the critical maximum temperature as a proxy for inter-species differences in heat-tolerance; this was modeled as a bi-dimensional phenotypic trait taking into consideration the intention and the duration of heat stress. Significant differences on heat-tolerance between species were detected, with B. calyciflorus s.s. being able to tolerate higher temperatures than B. fernandoi. Based on evidence of within species neutral genetic variation, I further examined adaptive genetic variability within two different mtDNA lineages of the heat tolerant B. calyciflorus s.s. to identify SNPs and genes under selection that might reflect their adaptive history. These analyses did not reveal adaptive genetic variation related to heat, however, they show putatively adaptive genetic variation which may reflect local adaptation. Functional enrichment of putatively positively selected genes revealed signals of adaptation in genes related to "lipid metabolism", "xenobiotics biodegradation and metabolism" and "sensory system", comprising candidate genes which can be utilized in studies on local adaptation. An absence of genetically-based differences in thermal adaptation between the two mtDNA lineages, together with our knowledge that B. calyciflorus s.s. can withstand a broad range of temperatures, led to the idea to further investigate shared transcriptomic responses to long-term exposure to high and low temperatures regimes. With this, I identified candidate genes that are involved in the response to temperature imposed stress. Lastly, I used comparative transcriptomics to examine responses to imposed heat-stress in heat-tolerant and heat-sensitive Brachionus species. I found considerably different patterns of gene expression in the two species. Most striking are patterns of expression regarding the heat shock proteins (hsps) between the two species. In the heat-tolerant, B. calyciflorus s.s., significant up-regulation of hsps at low temperatures was indicative of a stress response at the cooler end of the temperature regimes tested here. In contrast, in the heat-sensitive B. fernandoi, hsps generally exhibited up-regulation of these genes along with rising temperatures. Overall, identification of differences in expression of genes suggests suppression of protein biosynthesis to be a mechanism to increase thermal tolerance. Observed patterns in population growth are correlated with the hsp gene expression differences, indicating that this physiological stress response is indeed related to phenotypic life history performance.}, language = {en} } @phdthesis{Scianna2019, author = {Scianna, Bastian Matteo}, title = {The Italian war on the eastern front, 1941-1943}, series = {Italian and Italian American Studies}, journal = {Italian and Italian American Studies}, publisher = {Palgrave Macmillan}, address = {Cham}, isbn = {978-3-03026-523-6}, pages = {365}, year = {2019}, abstract = {The Italian Army's participation in Hitler's war against the Soviet Union has remained unrecognized and understudied. Bastian Matteo Scianna offers a wide-ranging, in-depth corrective. Mining Italian, German and Russian sources, he examines the history of the Italian campaign in the East between 1941 and 1943, as well as how the campaign was remembered and memorialized in the domestic and international arena during the Cold War. Linking operational military history with memory studies, this book revises our understanding of the Italian Army in the Second World War.}, language = {en} } @phdthesis{Lehmann2018, author = {Lehmann, Andreas}, title = {Variability in human life history traits}, school = {Universit{\"a}t Potsdam}, pages = {110}, year = {2018}, language = {de} } @phdthesis{Homeyer2018, author = {Homeyer, Marc S{\"o}ren}, title = {Photometrische Bestimmungen mittels eines modifizierten Sch{\"u}lerphotometers und naturwissenschaftliches Arbeiten im Seminarkurs}, address = {119, A 203}, year = {2018}, language = {de} } @phdthesis{Schuster2017, author = {Schuster, Isabell}, title = {Prevalence and Predictors of Sexual Aggression Victimization and Perpetration in Chile and Turkey}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:kobv:517-opus4-413897}, school = {Universit{\"a}t Potsdam}, pages = {285}, year = {2017}, abstract = {Background: Although sexual aggression is recognized as a serious issue worldwide, the current knowledge base is primarily built on evidence from Western countries, particularly the U.S. For the present doctoral research, Chile and Turkey were selected based on theoretical considerations to examine the prevalence as well as predictors of sexual aggression victimization and perpetration. The first aim of this research project was to systematically review the available evidence provided by past studies on this topic within each country. The second aim was to empirically study the prevalence of experiencing and engaging in sexual aggression since the age of consent among college students in Chile and Turkey. The third aim was to conduct cross-cultural analyses examining pathways to victimization and perpetration based on a two-wave longitudinal design. Methods: This research adopted a gender-inclusive approach by considering men and women in both victim and perpetrator roles. For the systematic reviews, multiple-stage literature searches were performed, and based on a predefined set of eligibility criteria, 28 studies in Chile and 56 studies in Turkey were identified for inclusion. A two-wave longitudinal study was conducted to examine the prevalence and predictors of sexual aggression among male and female college students in Chile and Turkey. Self-reports of victimization and perpetration were assessed with a Chilean Spanish or Turkish version of the Sexual Aggression and Victimization Scale. Two path models were conceptualized in which participants' risky sexual scripts for consensual sex, risky sexual behavior, sexual self-esteem, sexual assertiveness, and religiosity were assessed at T1 and used as predictors of sexual aggression victimization and perpetration at T2 in the following 12 months, mediated through past victimization or perpetration, respectively. The models differed in that sexual assertiveness was expected to serve different functions for victimization (refusal assertiveness negatively linked to victimization) and perpetration (initiation assertiveness positively linked to perpetration). Results: Both systematic reviews revealed that victimization was addressed by all included studies, but data on perpetration was severely limited. A great heterogeneity not only in victimization rates but also in predictors was found, which may be attributed to a lack of conceptual and methodological consistency across studies. The empirical analysis of the prevalence of sexual aggression in Chile revealed a victimization rate of 51.9\% for women and 48.0\% for men, and a perpetration rate of 26.8\% for men and 16.5\% for women. In the Turkish original data, victimization was reported by 77.6\% of women and 65.5\% of men, whereas, again, lower rates were found for perpetration, with 28.9\% of men and 14.2\% of women reporting at least one incident. The cross-cultural analyses showed, as expected, that risky sexual scripts informed risky sexual behavior, and thereby indirectly increased the likelihood of victimization and perpetration at T2 in both samples. More risky sexual scripts were also linked to lower levels of refusal assertiveness in both samples, indirectly increasing the vulnerability to victimization at T2. High sexual self-esteem decreased the probability of victimization at T2 through higher refusal assertiveness as well as through less risky sexual behavior also in both samples, whereas it increased the odds of perpetration at T2 via higher initiation assertiveness in the Turkish sample only. Furthermore, high religiosity decreased the odds of perpetration and victimization at T2 through less risky sexual scripts and less risky sexual behavior in both samples. It reduced the vulnerability to victimization through less risky sexual scripts and higher refusal assertiveness in the Chilean sample only. In the Turkish sample only, it increased the odds of perpetration and victimization through lower sexual self-esteem. Conclusions: The findings showed that sexual aggression is a widespread problem in both Chile and Turkey, contributing cross-cultural evidence to the international knowledge base and indicating the clear need for implementing policy measures and prevention strategies in each country. Based on the results of the prospective analyses, concrete implications for intervention efforts are discussed.}, language = {en} } @phdthesis{Behrens2018, author = {Behrens, Ricarda}, title = {Causes for slow weathering and erosion in the steep, warm, monsoon-subjected Highlands of Sri Lanka}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:kobv:517-opus4-408503}, school = {Universit{\"a}t Potsdam}, pages = {ix, 107, XXIV}, year = {2018}, abstract = {In the Highlands of Sri Lanka, erosion and chemical weathering rates are among the lowest for global mountain denudation. In this tropical humid setting, highly weathered deep saprolite profiles have developed from high-grade metamorphic charnockite during spheroidal weathering of the bedrock. The spheroidal weathering produces rounded corestones and spalled rindlets at the rock-saprolite interface. I used detailed textural, mineralogical, chemical, and electron-microscopic (SEM, FIB, TEM) analyses to identify the factors limiting the rate of weathering front advance in the profile, the sequence of weathering reactions, and the underlying mechanisms. The first mineral attacked by weathering was found to be pyroxene initiated by in situ Fe oxidation, followed by in situ biotite oxidation. Bulk dissolution of the primary minerals is best described with a dissolution - re-precipitation process, as no chemical gradients towards the mineral surface and sharp structural boundaries are observed at the nm scale. Only the local oxidation in pyroxene and biotite is better described with an ion by ion process. The first secondary phases are oxides and amorphous precipitates from which secondary minerals (mainly smectite and kaolinite) form. Only for biotite direct solid state transformation to kaolinite is likely. The initial oxidation of pyroxene and biotite takes place in locally restricted areas and is relatively fast: log J = -11 molmin/(m2 s). However, calculated corestone-scale mineral oxidation rates are comparable to corestone-scale mineral dissolution rates: log R = -13 molpx/(m2 s) and log R = -15 molbt/(m2 s). The oxidation reaction results in a volume increase. Volumetric calculations suggest that this observed oxidation leads to the generation of porosity due to the formation of micro-fractures in the minerals and the bedrock allowing for fluid transport and subsequent dissolution of plagioclase. At the scale of the corestone, this fracture reaction is responsible for the larger fractures that lead to spheroidal weathering and to the formation of rindlets. Since these fractures have their origin from the initial oxidational induced volume increase, oxidation is the rate limiting parameter for weathering to take place. The ensuing plagioclase weathering leads to formation of high secondary porosity in the corestone over a distance of only a few cm and eventually to the final disaggregation of bedrock to saprolite. As oxidation is the first weathering reaction, the supply of O2 is a rate-limiting factor for chemical weathering. Hence, the supply of O2 and its consumption at depth connects processes at the weathering front with erosion at the surface in a feedback mechanism. The strength of the feedback depends on the relative weight of advective versus diffusive transport of O2 through the weathering profile. The feedback will be stronger with dominating diffusive transport. The low weathering rate ultimately depends on the transport of O2 through the whole regolith, and on lithological factors such as low bedrock porosity and the amount of Fe-bearing primary minerals. In this regard the low-porosity charnockite with its low content of Fe(II) bearing minerals impedes fast weathering reactions. Fresh weatherable surfaces are a pre-requisite for chemical weathering. However, in the case of the charnockite found in the Sri Lankan Highlands, the only process that generates these surfaces is the fracturing induced by oxidation. Tectonic quiescence in this region and low pre-anthropogenic erosion rate (attributed to a dense vegetation cover) minimize the rejuvenation of the thick and cohesive regolith column, and lowers weathering through the feedback with erosion.}, language = {en} } @phdthesis{Berding2017, author = {Berding, Anja}, title = {Kurz-, mittel- und langfristige Effekte einer Schulung f{\"u}r Patienten mit chronisch entz{\"u}ndlichen Darmerkrankungen auf krankheitsbezogene {\"A}ngste und Gesundheitskompetenzen}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:kobv:517-opus4-401063}, school = {Universit{\"a}t Potsdam}, pages = {V, 118}, year = {2017}, abstract = {Menschen mit chronisch entz{\"u}ndlichen Darmerkrankungen (CED) leiden unter vielf{\"a}ltigen k{\"o}rperlichen und psychosozialen Einschr{\"a}nkungen. Wie auch bei anderen chronischen Erkrankungen k{\"o}nnten Patientenschulungen ihr psychisches Befinden verbessern (z.B. De Ridder \& Schreurs, 2001; Faller, Reusch \& Meng, 2011a; K{\"u}ver, Becker \& Ludt, 2008; Sch{\"u}ssler, 1998; Warsi, Wang, LaValley, Avorn \& Solomon, 2004). F{\"u}r CED liegen jedoch nur wenige Schulungsevaluationen vor (z.B. Bregenzer et al., 2005; Mussell, B{\"o}cker, Nagel, Olbrich \& Singer, 2003; Oxelmark, Magnusson, L{\"o}fberg \& Hiller{\aa}s, 2007), deren Aussagekraft i.d.R. durch methodische M{\"a}ngel eingeschr{\"a}nkt ist. Daher ist die Bedeutung von Schulungsprogrammen f{\"u}r CED-Betroffene weiterhin offen. {\"U}berdies gibt es f{\"u}r den deutschen Sprachraum noch keine Schulung, die zu psychischen Verbesserungen f{\"u}hrt. Aus diesem Grunde wurde ein 1,5-t{\"a}giges Wochenend-Seminar mit medizinischen und psychologischen Inhalten konzeptionalisiert, manualisiert und in der vorliegenden Studie evaluiert. Zur summativen Evaluation nahmen 181 ambulante CED-Patienten an einer prospektiven, multizentrischen, randomisierten, kontrollierten Studie mit vier Messzeitpunkten teil: vor (T1), zwei Wochen (T2) und drei Monate (T3) nach dem Seminar. Zur 12-Monatskatamnese (T4EG) wurde die Stabilit{\"a}t der Effekte in der Experimentalgruppe (EG; n = 86) {\"u}berpr{\"u}ft. Die Wartekontrollgruppe (n = 95) erhielt zun{\"a}chst die Standardbehandlung, also keine Patientenschulung, und konnte an dieser nach der dritten Datenerhebung ebenfalls teilnehmen. Kovarianzanalysen (ANCOVAs) mit Kontrolle f{\"u}r die jeweilige Ausgangslage wurden durchgef{\"u}hrt. Weitere Analysen legten eine Adjustierung f{\"u}r die Krankheitsaktivit{\"a}t zu T1 nahe, weshalb diese als zus{\"a}tzliche Kovariate in die ANCOVAs aufgenommen wurde. Krankheitsbezogene {\"A}ngste und Sorgen (PS-CEDE Gesamtwert zu T3; Krebs, Kachel \& Faller, 1998) fungierten als prim{\"a}rer Zielparameter. Zu den sekund{\"a}ren Zielkriterien geh{\"o}rten Progredienzangst und Angstbew{\"a}ltigung (PA-F-KF und PA-F; Mehnert, Herschbach, Berg, Henrich \& Koch, 2006 bzw. Dankert et al., 2003; Herschbach et al., 2005) sowie die Gesundheitskompetenzen Positive Grundhaltung, Aktive Lebensgestaltung und Erwerb von Fertigkeiten und Handlungsstrategien (heiQ; Osborne, Elsworth \& Whitfield, 2007; Schuler et al., 2013). Weitere sekund{\"a}re Zielparameter waren gesundheitsbezogene Lebensqualit{\"a}t (SF-12; Bullinger \& Kirchberger, 1998), Symptome einer Angstst{\"o}rung oder Depression (PHQ-4; Kroenke, Spitzer, Williams \& L{\"o}we, 2009; L{\"o}we et al., 2010), Wissen, der Umgang mit der CED bzw. von ihr ausgel{\"o}sten negativen Gef{\"u}hlen sowie die Zufriedenheit der Teilnehmenden mit dem Seminar. Von Interesse war außerdem, ob Geschlecht, Alter, Art, Dauer oder Aktivit{\"a}t der Erkrankung vor der Schulung einen Einfluss auf die genannten Variablen hatten und ob f{\"u}r sie differentielle Wirksamkeitseffekte bestanden. Dar{\"u}ber hinaus wurden krankheitsbezogene {\"A}ngste und Sorgen von ungeschulten Studienteilnehmern untersucht. Zwei Wochen und drei Monate nach der Schulung ließen sich im Vergleich von Experimental- und Kontrollgruppe signifikante, mittlere bis große Effekte auf krankheitsbezogene {\"A}ngste und Sorgen, Progredienzangst und deren Bew{\"a}ltigung sowie eine Positive Grundhaltung der CED gegen{\"u}ber erzielen (stets p ≤ .001). Außerdem kam es zu beiden Messzeitpunkten zu signifikanten, großen Interventionseffekten auf den Erwerb von Fertigkeiten und Handlungsstrategien im Umgang mit der Erkrankung, das Wissen um sie und den Umgang mit ihr (stets p < .001) sowie zu moderaten Effekten auf den Umgang mit CED-bedingten negativen Gef{\"u}hlen (T2: p = .001; T3: p = .008). Alle beschriebenen Effekte waren auch nach zw{\"o}lf Monaten noch stabil. F{\"u}r Aktive Lebensgestaltung, gesundheitsbezogene Lebensqualit{\"a}t sowie Angst- und Depressionssymptomatik konnten keine Schulungseffekte nachgewiesen werden. Die zus{\"a}tzliche Kontrolle f{\"u}r die Krankheitsaktivit{\"a}t zu T1 f{\"u}hrte zu keinen wesentlichen {\"A}nderungen in den Ergebnissen. Auch bei den Subgruppenanalysen hatte die Krankheitsaktivit{\"a}t keinen relevanten Einfluss auf die Wirksamkeit der Schulung. Gleiches gilt f{\"u}r Geschlecht, Alter, Art und Dauer der CED. Mit Ausnahme der Krankheitsaktivit{\"a}t deuteten dies bereits die zur Baseline durchgef{\"u}hrten t-Tests an, bei denen insgesamt nur sehr wenige signifikante, h{\"o}chstens moderate Unterschiede zwischen den einzelnen Subgruppen auftraten. Sowohl bei der formativen als auch der summativen Evaluation zeigte sich {\"u}berdies die hohe Zufriedenheit der Teilnehmenden mit der Schulung. Neben der Akzeptanz konnte außerdem die Durchf{\"u}hrbarkeit best{\"a}tigt werden. Die Auswertung der {\"A}ngste und Sorgen der Studienteilnehmenden lieferte zudem Hinweise f{\"u}r die Entwicklung und Modifikation von Interventionen f{\"u}r CED-Betroffene. Es l{\"a}sst sich festhalten, dass f{\"u}r die hier evaluierte Schulung f{\"u}r CED-Patienten ein Wirksamkeitsnachweis erbracht werden konnte und sie sehr positiv von den Teilnehmenden bewertet wurde. Sie f{\"u}hrte sowohl kurz-, mittel- als auch langfristig zu substantiellen Verbesserungen in psychischer Belastung, Selbstmanagement-F{\"a}higkeiten, der Bew{\"a}ltigung der Erkrankung sowie im Wissen und war gleichermaßen wirksam bei Betroffenen, die sich in Geschlecht, Alter, Art, Dauer oder Aktivit{\"a}t ihrer CED unterschieden.}, language = {de} } @phdthesis{Bezzenberger1991, author = {Bezzenberger, Tilman}, title = {Vorzugsaktien ohne Stimmrecht}, series = {Abhandlungen zum deutschen und europ{\"a}ischen Handels- und Wirtschaftsrecht}, journal = {Abhandlungen zum deutschen und europ{\"a}ischen Handels- und Wirtschaftsrecht}, number = {74}, publisher = {Heymanns}, address = {K{\"o}ln [u.a.]}, school = {Universit{\"a}t Potsdam}, pages = {XVI, 215}, year = {1991}, language = {de} }