@phdthesis{Grigoli2014, author = {Grigoli, Francesco}, title = {Automated seismic event location by waveform coherence analysis}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:kobv:517-opus-70329}, school = {Universit{\"a}t Potsdam}, year = {2014}, abstract = {Automated location of seismic events is a very important task in microseismic monitoring operations as well for local and regional seismic monitoring. Since microseismic records are generally characterised by low signal-to-noise ratio, such methods are requested to be noise robust and sufficiently accurate. Most of the standard automated location routines are based on the automated picking, identification and association of the first arrivals of P and S waves and on the minimization of the residuals between theoretical and observed arrival times of the considered seismic phases. Although current methods can accurately pick P onsets, the automatic picking of the S onset is still problematic, especially when the P coda overlaps the S wave onset. In this thesis I developed a picking free automated method based on the Short-Term-Average/Long-Term-Average (STA/LTA) traces at different stations as observed data. I used the STA/LTA of several characteristic functions in order to increase the sensitiveness to the P wave and the S waves. For the P phases we use the STA/LTA traces of the vertical energy function, while for the S phases, we use the STA/LTA traces of the horizontal energy trace and then a more optimized characteristic function which is obtained using the principal component analysis technique. The orientation of the horizontal components can be retrieved by robust and linear approach of waveform comparison between stations within a network using seismic sources outside the network (chapter 2). To locate the seismic event, we scan the space of possible hypocentral locations and origin times, and stack the STA/LTA traces along the theoretical arrival time surface for both P and S phases. Iterating this procedure on a three-dimensional grid we retrieve a multidimensional matrix whose absolute maximum corresponds to the spatial and temporal coordinates of the seismic event. Location uncertainties are then estimated by perturbing the STA/LTA parameters (i.e the length of both long and short time windows) and relocating each event several times. In order to test the location method I firstly applied it to a set of 200 synthetic events. Then we applied it to two different real datasets. A first one related to mining induced microseismicity in a coal mine in the northern Germany (chapter 3). In this case we successfully located 391 microseismic event with magnitude range between 0.5 and 2.0 Ml. To further validate the location method I compared the retrieved locations with those obtained by manual picking procedure. The second dataset consist in a pilot application performed in the Campania-Lucania region (southern Italy) using a 33 stations seismic network (Irpinia Seismic Network) with an aperture of about 150 km (chapter 4). We located 196 crustal earthquakes (depth < 20 km) with magnitude range 1.1 < Ml < 2.7. A subset of these locations were compared with accurate locations retrieved by a manual location procedure based on the use of a double difference technique. In both cases results indicate good agreement with manual locations. Moreover, the waveform stacking location method results noise robust and performs better than classical location methods based on the automatic picking of the P and S waves first arrivals.}, language = {en} } @book{Schmied2014, author = {Schmied, Julian}, title = {Financial performance and social goals of microfinance institutions}, publisher = {Universit{\"a}tsverlag Potsdam}, address = {Potsdam}, isbn = {978-3-86956-275-9}, issn = {2197-8069}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:kobv:517-opus-67696}, publisher = {Universit{\"a}t Potsdam}, pages = {vii, 57}, year = {2014}, abstract = {Critics argue that there has been a trend among Microfinance Institutions (MFI) to focus on profitability in order to stay financially sustainable. This made some institutions neglect the social mission of microfinancing. In this paper I intend to examine if empirical evidence supports this so called mission drift hypothesis as well as other claims in this context. Using the global panel data set of the MIX (Microfinance Information Exchange), which gathers from 1995 to 2010 and contains up to 1400 institutions with a high variety of organizational forms, I was able to identify a world-wide mission drift effect in their social goal of reaching out the poorest part of the population. Furthermore, I find that, on average, the outreach of an MFI has a significant negative influence on its short and long term financial performance. Despite that, I eventually proved that the probability that an MFI worsens its social performance substantially increases if its profitability has decreased in the previous years.}, language = {en} } @phdthesis{Dahlsten2014, author = {Dahlsten, Ulf}, title = {World market governance}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:kobv:517-opus-70168}, school = {Universit{\"a}t Potsdam}, year = {2014}, abstract = {Democratic capitalism or liberal democracy, as the successful marriage of convenience between market liberalism and democracy sometimes is called, is in trouble. The market economy system has become global and there is a growing mismatch with the territoriality of the nation-states. The functional global networks and inter-governmental order can no longer keep pace with the rapid development of the global market economy and regulatory capture is all too common. Concepts like de-globalization, self-regulation, and global government are floated in the debate. The alternatives are analysed and found to be improper, inadequate or plainly impossible. The proposed route is instead to accept that the global market economy has developed into an independent fundamental societal system that needs its own governance. The suggestion is World Market Governance based on the Rule of Law in order to shape the fitness environment for the global market economy and strengthen the nation-states so that they can regain the sovereignty to decide upon the social and cultural conditions in each country. Elements in the proposed Rule of Law are international legislation decided by an Assembly supported by a Council, and an independent Judiciary. Existing international organisations would function as executors. The need for broad sustained demand for regulations in the common interest is identified.}, language = {en} } @unpublished{GairingHoegeleKosenkovaetal.2014, author = {Gairing, Jan and H{\"o}gele, Michael and Kosenkova, Tetiana and Kulik, Alexei Michajlovič}, title = {On the calibration of L{\´e}vy driven time series with coupling distances : an application in paleoclimate}, volume = {3}, number = {2}, publisher = {Universit{\"a}tsverlag Potsdam}, address = {Potsdam}, issn = {2193-6943}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:kobv:517-opus-69781}, pages = {18}, year = {2014}, abstract = {This article aims at the statistical assessment of time series with large fluctuations in short time, which are assumed to stem from a continuous process perturbed by a L{\´e}vy process exhibiting a heavy tail behavior. We propose an easily implementable procedure to estimate efficiently the statistical difference between the noisy behavior of the data and a given reference jump measure in terms of so-called coupling distances. After a short introduction to L{\´e}vy processes and coupling distances we recall basic statistical approximation results and derive rates of convergence. In the sequel the procedure is elaborated in detail in an abstract setting and eventually applied in a case study to simulated and paleoclimate data. It indicates the dominant presence of a non-stable heavy-tailed jump L{\´e}vy component for some tail index greater than 2.}, language = {en} } @book{HuckaufSchmidDyrlich2014, author = {Huckauf, Peter and Schmid, Herta and Dyrlich, Benedikt}, title = {Peter Huckauf}, editor = {Norberg, Madlena and Kosta, Peter}, publisher = {Universit{\"a}tsverlag Potsdam}, address = {Potsdam}, isbn = {978-3-86956-272-8}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:kobv:517-opus-67445}, publisher = {Universit{\"a}t Potsdam}, pages = {145}, year = {2014}, abstract = {Die Gedichte und Texte Peter Huckaufs in dem vorliegenden Band 11 der „Potsdamer Beitr{\"a}ge zur Sorabistik" sind eine Hommage an die Lausitz, an ihre Menschen und Landschaften. In Wortspielen, visueller Poesie und Prosatexten samt Fotographien und Einblicken in seine Lebensgeschichte stellt sich der Autor als Liebhaber dieses Landstrichs vor. Er l{\"a}sst den Leser teilhaben an einer Entdeckungsreise durch die verloren gegangene Heimat der Kindheit, die er sich als R{\"u}ckkehrer neu erschließt. Seine Reminiszenzen sind nachhaltig sowohl f{\"u}r den deutschen als auch sorbischen/wendischen Rezipienten, was Peter Huckauf zu einem f{\"u}r die Lausitz und dar{\"u}ber hinaus interessanten Schriftsteller und K{\"u}nstler macht. Den sprachlichen Aspekt beachtend, wurden ausgew{\"a}hlte Gedichte der Sammlung in die obersorbische und vor allem in die niedersorbische Sprache {\"u}bertragen.}, language = {en} } @unpublished{DyachenkoTarkhanov2014, author = {Dyachenko, Evgueniya and Tarkhanov, Nikolai Nikolaevich}, title = {Singular perturbations of elliptic operators}, volume = {3}, number = {1}, publisher = {Universit{\"a}tsverlag Potsdam}, address = {Potsdam}, issn = {2193-6943}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:kobv:517-opus-69502}, pages = {21}, year = {2014}, abstract = {We develop a new approach to the analysis of pseudodifferential operators with small parameter 'epsilon' in (0,1] on a compact smooth manifold X. The standard approach assumes action of operators in Sobolev spaces whose norms depend on 'epsilon'. Instead we consider the cylinder [0,1] x X over X and study pseudodifferential operators on the cylinder which act, by the very nature, on functions depending on 'epsilon' as well. The action in 'epsilon' reduces to multiplication by functions of this variable and does not include any differentiation. As but one result we mention asymptotic of solutions to singular perturbation problems for small values of 'epsilon'.}, language = {en} } @book{NastanskyMehnertStrohe2014, author = {Nastansky, Andreas and Mehnert, Alexander and Strohe, Hans Gerhard}, title = {A vector error correction model for the relationship between public debt and inflation in Germany}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:kobv:517-opus-50246}, publisher = {Universit{\"a}t Potsdam}, year = {2014}, abstract = {In the paper, the interaction between public debt and inflation including mutual impulse response will be analysed. The European sovereign debt crisis brought once again the focus on the consequences of public debt in combination with an expansive monetary policy for the development of consumer prices. Public deficits can lead to inflation if the money supply is expansive. The high level of national debt, not only in the Euro-crisis countries, and the strong increase in total assets of the European Central Bank, as a result of the unconventional monetary policy, caused fears on inflating national debt. The transmission from public debt to inflation through money supply and long-term interest rate will be shown in the paper. Based on these theoretical thoughts, the variables public debt, consumer price index, money supply m3 and long-term interest rate will be analysed within a vector error correction model estimated by Johansen approach. In the empirical part of the article, quarterly data for Germany from 1991 by 2010 are to be examined.}, language = {en} }