@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{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{Bamberg2014,
  author    = {Bamberg, Marlene},
  title     = {Planetary mapping tools applied to floor-fractured craters on Mars},
  url       = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:kobv:517-opus-72104},
  school      = {Universit{\"a}t Potsdam},
  year      = {2014},
  abstract  = {Planetary research is often user-based and requires considerable skill, time, and effort. Unfortunately, self-defined boundary conditions, definitions, and rules are often not documented or not easy to comprehend due to the complexity of research. This makes a comparison to other studies, or an extension of the already existing research, complicated. Comparisons are often distorted, because results rely on different, not well defined, or even unknown boundary conditions. The purpose of this research is to develop a standardized analysis method for planetary surfaces, which is adaptable to several research topics. The method provides a consistent quality of results. This also includes achieving reliable and comparable results and reducing the time and effort of conducting such studies. A standardized analysis method is provided by automated analysis tools that focus on statistical parameters. Specific key parameters and boundary conditions are defined for the tool application. The analysis relies on a database in which all key parameters are stored. These databases can be easily updated and adapted to various research questions. This increases the flexibility, reproducibility, and comparability of the research. However, the quality of the database and reliability of definitions directly influence the results. To ensure a high quality of results, the rules and definitions need to be well defined and based on previously conducted case studies. The tools then produce parameters, which are obtained by defined geostatistical techniques (measurements, calculations, classifications). The idea of an automated statistical analysis is tested to proof benefits but also potential problems of this method. In this study, I adapt automated tools for floor-fractured craters (FFCs) on Mars. These impact craters show a variety of surface features, occurring in different Martian environments, and having different fracturing origins. They provide a complex morphological and geological field of application. 433 FFCs are classified by the analysis tools due to their fracturing process. Spatial data, environmental context, and crater interior data are analyzed to distinguish between the processes involved in floor fracturing. Related geologic processes, such as glacial and fluvial activity, are too similar to be separately classified by the automated tools. Glacial and fluvial fracturing processes are merged together for the classification. The automated tools provide probability values for each origin model. To guarantee the quality and reliability of the results, classification tools need to achieve an origin probability above 50 \%. This analysis method shows that 15 \% of the FFCs are fractured by intrusive volcanism, 20 \% by tectonic activity, and 43 \% by water \& ice related processes. In total, 75 \% of the FFCs are classified to an origin type. This can be explained by a combination of origin models, superposition or erosion of key parameters, or an unknown fracturing model. Those features have to be manually analyzed in detail. Another possibility would be the improvement of key parameters and rules for the classification. This research shows that it is possible to conduct an automated statistical analysis of morphologic and geologic features based on analysis tools. Analysis tools provide additional information to the user and are therefore considered assistance systems.},
  language  = {en}
}
@phdthesis{Arnold2014,
  author    = {Arnold, Anne},
  title     = {Modeling photosynthesis and related metabolic processes : from detailed examination to consideration of the metabolic context},
  url       = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:kobv:517-opus-72277},
  school      = {Universit{\"a}t Potsdam},
  year      = {2014},
  abstract  = {Mathematical modeling of biological systems is a powerful tool to systematically investigate the functions of biological processes and their relationship with the environment. To obtain accurate and biologically interpretable predictions, a modeling framework has to be devised whose assumptions best approximate the examined scenario and which copes with the trade-off of complexity of the underlying mathematical description: with attention to detail or high coverage. Correspondingly, the system can be examined in detail on a smaller scale or in a simplified manner on a larger scale. In this thesis, the role of photosynthesis and its related biochemical processes in the context of plant metabolism was dissected by employing modeling approaches ranging from kinetic to stoichiometric models. The Calvin-Benson cycle, as primary pathway of carbon fixation in C3 plants, is the initial step for producing starch and sucrose, necessary for plant growth. Based on an integrative analysis for model ranking applied on the largest compendium of (kinetic) models for the Calvin-Benson cycle, those suitable for development of metabolic engineering strategies were identified. Driven by the question why starch rather than sucrose is the predominant transitory carbon storage in higher plants, the metabolic costs for their synthesis were examined. The incorporation of the maintenance costs for the involved enzymes provided a model-based support for the preference of starch as transitory carbon storage, by only exploiting the stoichiometry of synthesis pathways. Many photosynthetic organisms have to cope with processes which compete with carbon fixation, such as photorespiration whose impact on plant metabolism is still controversial. A systematic model-oriented review provided a detailed assessment for the role of this pathway in inhibiting the rate of carbon fixation, bridging carbon and nitrogen metabolism, shaping the C1 metabolism, and influencing redox signal transduction. The demand of understanding photosynthesis in its metabolic context calls for the examination of the related processes of the primary carbon metabolism. To this end, the Arabidopsis core model was assembled via a bottom-up approach. This large-scale model can be used to simulate photoautotrophic biomass production, as an indicator for plant growth, under so-called optimal, carbon-limiting and nitrogen-limiting growth conditions. Finally, the introduced model was employed to investigate the effects of the environment, in particular, nitrogen, carbon and energy sources, on the metabolic behavior. This resulted in a purely stoichiometry-based explanation for the experimental evidence for preferred simultaneous acquisition of nitrogen in both forms, as nitrate and ammonium, for optimal growth in various plant species. The findings presented in this thesis provide new insights into plant system's behavior, further support existing opinions for which mounting experimental evidences arise, and posit novel hypotheses for further directed large-scale experiments.},
  language  = {en}
}
@phdthesis{Ahmad2014,
  author    = {Ahmad, Nadeem},
  title     = {People centered HMI's for deaf and functionally illiterate users},
  url       = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:kobv:517-opus-70391},
  school      = {Universit{\"a}t Potsdam},
  year      = {2014},
  abstract  = {The objective and motivation behind this research is to provide applications with easy-to-use interfaces to communities of deaf and functionally illiterate users, which enables them to work without any human assistance. Although recent years have witnessed technological advancements, the availability of technology does not ensure accessibility to information and communication technologies (ICT). Extensive use of text from menus to document contents means that deaf or functionally illiterate can not access services implemented on most computer software. Consequently, most existing computer applications pose an accessibility barrier to those who are unable to read fluently. Online technologies intended for such groups should be developed in continuous partnership with primary users and include a thorough investigation into their limitations, requirements and usability barriers. In this research, I investigated existing tools in voice, web and other multimedia technologies to identify learning gaps and explored ways to enhance the information literacy for deaf and functionally illiterate users. I worked on the development of user-centered interfaces to increase the capabilities of deaf and low literacy users by enhancing lexical resources and by evaluating several multimedia interfaces for them. The interface of the platform-independent Italian Sign Language (LIS) Dictionary has been developed to enhance the lexical resources for deaf users. The Sign Language Dictionary accepts Italian lemmas as input and provides their representation in the Italian Sign Language as output. The Sign Language dictionary has 3082 signs as set of Avatar animations in which each sign is linked to a corresponding Italian lemma. I integrated the LIS lexical resources with MultiWordNet (MWN) database to form the first LIS MultiWordNet(LMWN). LMWN contains information about lexical relations between words, semantic relations between lexical concepts (synsets), correspondences between Italian and sign language lexical concepts and semantic fields (domains). The approach enhances the deaf users' understanding of written Italian language and shows that a relatively small set of lexicon can cover a significant portion of MWN. Integration of LIS signs with MWN made it useful tool for computational linguistics and natural language processing. The rule-based translation process from written Italian text to LIS has been transformed into service-oriented system. The translation process is composed of various modules including parser, semantic interpreter, generator, and spatial allocation planner. This translation procedure has been implemented in the Java Application Building Center (jABC), which is a framework for extreme model driven design (XMDD). The XMDD approach focuses on bringing software development closer to conceptual design, so that the functionality of a software solution could be understood by someone who is unfamiliar with programming concepts. The transformation addresses the heterogeneity challenge and enhances the re-usability of the system. For enhancing the e-participation of functionally illiterate users, two detailed studies were conducted in the Republic of Rwanda. In the first study, the traditional (textual) interface was compared with the virtual character-based interactive interface. The study helped to identify usability barriers and users evaluated these interfaces according to three fundamental areas of usability, i.e. effectiveness, efficiency and satisfaction. In another study, we developed four different interfaces to analyze the usability and effects of online assistance (consistent help) for functionally illiterate users and compared different help modes including textual, vocal and virtual character on the performance of semi-literate users. In our newly designed interfaces the instructions were automatically translated in Swahili language. All the interfaces were evaluated on the basis of task accomplishment, time consumption, System Usability Scale (SUS) rating and number of times the help was acquired. The results show that the performance of semi-literate users improved significantly when using the online assistance. The dissertation thus introduces a new development approach in which virtual characters are used as additional support for barely literate or naturally challenged users. Such components enhanced the application utility by offering a variety of services like translating contents in local language, providing additional vocal information, and performing automatic translation from text to sign language. Obviously, there is no such thing as one design solution that fits for all in the underlying domain. Context sensitivity, literacy and mental abilities are key factors on which I concentrated and the results emphasize that computer interfaces must be based on a thoughtful definition of target groups, purposes and objectives.},
  language  = {en}
}