@phdthesis{Sotiropoulou2019,
  author    = {Sotiropoulou, Stavroula},
  title     = {Pleiotropy of phonetic indices in the expression of syllabic organization},
  doi       = {10.25932/publishup-54639},
  url       = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:kobv:517-opus4-546399},
  school      = {Universit{\"a}t Potsdam},
  pages     = {xv, 184},
  year      = {2019},
  abstract  = {This dissertation is concerned with the relation between qualitative phonological organization in the form of syllabic structure and continuous phonetics, that is, the spatial and temporal dimensions of vocal tract action that express syllabic structure. The main claim of the dissertation is twofold. First, we argue that syllabic organization exerts multiple effects on the spatio-temporal properties of the segments that partake in that organization. That is, there is no unique or privileged exponent of syllabic organization. Rather, syllabic organization is expressed in a pleiotropy of phonetic indices. Second, we claim that a better understanding of the relation between qualitative phonological organization and continuous phonetics is reached when one considers how the string of segments (over which the nature of the phonological organization is assessed) responds to perturbations (scaling of phonetic variables) of localized properties (such as durations) within that string. Specifically, variation in phonetic variables and more specifically prosodic variation is a crucial key to understanding the nature of the link between (phonological) syllabic organization and the phonetic spatio-temporal manifestation of that organization. The effects of prosodic variation on segmental properties and on the overlap between the segments, we argue, offer the right pathway to discover patterns related to syllabic organization. In our approach, to uncover evidence for global organization, the sequence of segments partaking in that organization as well as properties of these segments or their relations with one another must be somehow locally varied. The consequences of such variation on the rest of the sequence can then be used to unveil the span of organization. When local perturbations to segments or relations between adjacent segments have effects that ripple through the rest of the sequence, this is evidence that organization is global. If instead local perturbations stay local with no consequences for the rest of the whole, this indicates that organization is local.},
  language  = {en}
}
@phdthesis{Ruschel2019,
  author    = {Ruschel, Matthias},
  title     = {Das Preußische Erbrecht in der Judikatur des Berliner Obertribunals in den Jahren 1836 bis 1865},
  doi       = {10.25932/publishup-52779},
  url       = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:kobv:517-opus4-527798},
  school      = {Universit{\"a}t Potsdam},
  pages     = {283},
  year      = {2019},
  abstract  = {Die Dissertation befasst sich mit dem Allgemeinen Preußischen Landrecht von 1794 und der hierzu ergangenen Rechtsprechung des Berliner Obertribunals. Im Fokus der Untersuchung stehen die erbrechtlichen Regelungen des Landrechts und deren Anwendung sowie Auslegung in der Judikatur des h{\"o}chsten preußischen Gerichts. Der Forschungsgegenstand ergibt sich aus dem im Landrecht kodifizierten speziellen Gesetzesverst{\"a}ndnisses. Nach diesem sollte die Gesetzesauslegung durch die Rechtsprechung auf ein Minimum, n{\"a}mlich die Auslegung allein anhand des Wortlauts der Regelung reduziert werden, um dem absolutistischen Regierungsanspruch der preußischen Monarchen, namentlich Friedrich des Großen, hinreichend Rechnung zu tragen. In diesem Kontext wird der Frage nachgegangen, inwieweit das preußische Obertribunal das im Landrecht statuierte „Auslegungsverbot" beachtet hat und in welchen F{\"a}llen sich das Gericht von der Vorgabe emanzipierte und weitere Auslegungsmethoden anwendete und sich so eine unabh{\"a}ngige Rechtsprechung entwickeln konnte. Die Arbeit gliedert sich in drei Hauptabschnitte. Im Anschluss an die Einleitung, in der zun{\"a}chst die rechtshistorische Bedeutung des Landrechts und des Erbrechts sowie der Untersuchungsgegenstand umrissen werden, folgt die Darstellung der Entstehungsgeschichte des Landrechts und des Berliner Obertribunals. Hieran schließt sich in einem dritten Abschnitt eine Analyse der erbrechtlichen Vorschriften des Landrechts an. In dieser wird auf die Entstehungsgeschichte der verschiedenen erbrechtlichen Institute wie beispielsweise der gesetzlichen und gewillk{\"u}rten Erbfolge, dem Pflichtteilsrecht etc., unter Ber{\"u}cksichtigung des zeitgen{\"o}ssischen wissenschaftlichen Diskurses eingegangen. Im vierten Abschnitt geht es um die Judikate des Berliner Obertribunals aus den Jahren 1836-1865 in denen die zuvor dargestellten erbrechtlichen Regelungen entscheidungserheblich waren. Dabei wird der Forschungsfrage, inwieweit das Obertribunal das im Landrecht statuierte Auslegungsverbot beachtet hat und in welchen F{\"a}llen es von diesem abwich bzw. weitere Auslegungsmethoden anwendete, konkret nachgegangen wird. Insgesamt werden 26 Entscheidungen des Obertribunals unter dem Aspekt der Auslegungspraxis, der Kontinuit{\"a}t und der Beschleunigung der Rechtsprechung analysiert und ausgewertet.},
  language  = {de}
}
@phdthesis{Doering2019,
  author    = {D{\"o}ring, Matthias},
  title     = {The public encounter},
  doi       = {10.25932/publishup-50227},
  url       = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:kobv:517-opus4-502276},
  school      = {Universit{\"a}t Potsdam},
  pages     = {xi, 115},
  year      = {2019},
  abstract  = {This thesis puts the citizen-state interaction at its center. Building on a comprehensive model incorporating various perspectives on this interaction, I derive selected research gaps. The three articles, comprising this thesis, tackle these gaps. A focal role plays the citizens' administrative literacy, the relevant competences and knowledge necessary to successfully interact with public organizations. The first article elaborates on the different dimensions of administrative literacy and develops a survey instrument to assess these. The second study shows that public employees change their behavior according to the competences that citizens display during public encounters. They treat citizens preferentially that are well prepared and able to persuade them of their application's potential. Thereby, they signal a higher success potential for bureaucratic success criteria which leads to the employees' cream-skimming behavior. The third article examines the dynamics of employees' communication strategies when recovering from a service failure. The study finds that different explanation strategies yield different effects on the client's frustration. While accepting the responsibility and explaining the reasons for a failure alleviates the frustration and anger, refusing the responsibility leads to no or even reinforcing effects on the client's frustration. The results emphasize the different dynamics that characterize the nature of citizen-state interactions and how they establish their short- and long-term outcomes.},
  language  = {en}
}
@phdthesis{Gong2019,
  author    = {Gong, Chen Chris},
  title     = {Synchronization of coupled phase oscillators},
  doi       = {10.25932/publishup-48752},
  url       = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:kobv:517-opus4-487522},
  school      = {Universit{\"a}t Potsdam},
  pages     = {xvii, 115},
  year      = {2019},
  abstract  = {Oscillatory systems under weak coupling can be described by the Kuramoto model of phase oscillators. Kuramoto phase oscillators have diverse applications ranging from phenomena such as communication between neurons and collective influences of political opinions, to engineered systems such as Josephson Junctions and synchronized electric power grids. This thesis includes the author's contribution to the theoretical framework of coupled Kuramoto oscillators and to the understanding of non-trivial N-body dynamical systems via their reduced mean-field dynamics. The main content of this thesis is composed of four parts. First, a partially integrable theory of globally coupled identical Kuramoto oscillators is extended to include pure higher-mode coupling. The extended theory is then applied to a non-trivial higher-mode coupled model, which has been found to exhibit asymmetric clustering. Using the developed theory, we could predict a number of features of the asymmetric clustering with only information of the initial state provided. The second part consists of an iterated discrete-map approach to simulate phase dynamics. The proposed map --- a Moebius map --- not only provides fast computation of phase synchronization, it also precisely reflects the underlying group structure of the dynamics. We then compare the iterated-map dynamics and various analogous continuous-time dynamics. We are able to replicate known phenomena such as the synchronization transition of the Kuramoto-Sakaguchi model of oscillators with distributed natural frequencies, and chimera states for identical oscillators under non-local coupling. The third part entails a particular model of repulsively coupled identical Kuramoto-Sakaguchi oscillators under common random forcing, which can be shown to be partially integrable. Via both numerical simulations and theoretical analysis, we determine that such a model cannot exhibit stationary multi-cluster states, contrary to the numerical findings in previous literature. Through further investigation, we find that the multi-clustering states reported previously occur due to the accumulation of discretization errors inherent in the integration algorithms, which introduce higher-mode couplings into the model. As a result, the partial integrability condition is violated. Lastly, we derive the microscopic cross-correlation of globally coupled non-identical Kuramoto oscillators under common fluctuating forcing. The effect of correlation arises naturally in finite populations, due to the non-trivial fluctuations of the meanfield. In an idealized model, we approximate the finite-sized fluctuation by a Gaussian white noise. The analytical approximation qualitatively matches the measurements in numerical experiments, however, due to other periodic components inherent in the fluctuations of the mean-field there still exist significant inconsistencies.},
  language  = {en}
}
@phdthesis{Kerutt2019,
  author    = {Kerutt, Josephine Victoria},
  title     = {The high-redshift voyage of Lyman alpha and Lyman continuum emission as told by MUSE},
  doi       = {10.25932/publishup-47881},
  url       = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:kobv:517-opus4-478816},
  school      = {Universit{\"a}t Potsdam},
  pages     = {152},
  year      = {2019},
  abstract  = {Most of the matter in the universe consists of hydrogen. The hydrogen in the intergalactic medium (IGM), the matter between the galaxies, underwent a change of its ionisation state at the epoch of reionisation, at a redshift roughly between 6>z>10, or ~10^8 years after the Big Bang. At this time, the mostly neutral hydrogen in the IGM was ionised but the source of the responsible hydrogen ionising emission remains unclear. In this thesis I discuss the most likely candidates for the emission of this ionising radiation, which are a type of galaxy called Lyman alpha emitters (LAEs). As implied by their name, they emit Lyman alpha radiation, produced after a hydrogen atom has been ionised and recombines with a free electron. The ionising radiation itself (also called Lyman continuum emission) which is needed for this process inside the LAEs could also be responsible for ionising the IGM around those galaxies at the epoch of reionisation, given that enough Lyman continuum escapes. Through this mechanism, Lyman alpha and Lyman continuum radiation are closely linked and are both studied to better understand the properties of high redshift galaxies and the reionisation state of the universe. Before I can analyse their Lyman alpha emission lines and the escape of Lyman continuum emission from them, the first step is the detection and correct classification of LAEs in integral field spectroscopic data, specifically taken with the Multi-Unit Spectroscopic Explorer (MUSE). After detecting emission line objects in the MUSE data, the task of classifying them and determining their redshift is performed with the graphical user interface QtClassify, which I developed during the work on this thesis. It uses the strength of the combination of spectroscopic and photometric information that integral field spectroscopy offers to enable the user to quickly identify the nature of the detected emission lines. The reliable classification of LAEs and determination of their redshifts is a crucial first step towards an analysis of their properties. Through radiative transfer processes, the properties of the neutral hydrogen clouds in and around LAEs are imprinted on the shape of the Lyman alpha line. Thus after identifying the LAEs in the MUSE data, I analyse the properties of the Lyman alpha emission line, such as the equivalent width (EW) distribution, the asymmetry and width of the line as well as the double peak fraction. I challenge the common method of displaying EW distributions as histograms without taking the limits of the survey into account and construct a more independent EW distribution function that better reflects the properties of the underlying population of galaxies. I illustrate this by comparing the fraction of high EW objects between the two surveys MUSE-Wide and MUSE-Deep, both consisting of MUSE pointings (each with the size of one square arcminute) of different depths. In the 60 MUSE-Wide fields of one hour exposure time I find a fraction of objects with extreme EWs above EW_0>240A of ~20\%, while in the MUSE-Deep fields (9 fields with an exposure time of 10 hours and one with an exposure time of 31 hours) I find a fraction of only ~1\%, which is due to the differences in the limiting line flux of the surveys. The highest EW I measure is EW_0 = 600.63 +- 110A, which hints at an unusual underlying stellar population, possibly with a very low metallicity. With the knowledge of the redshifts and positions of the LAEs detected in the MUSE-Wide survey, I also look for Lyman continuum emission coming from these galaxies and analyse the connection between Lyman continuum emission and Lyman alpha emission. I use ancillary Hubble Space Telescope (HST) broadband photometry in the bands that contain the Lyman continuum and find six Lyman continuum leaker candidates. To test whether the Lyman continuum emission of LAEs is coming only from those individual objects or the whole population, I select LAEs that are most promising for the detection of Lyman continuum emission, based on their rest-frame UV continuum and Lyman alpha line shape properties. After this selection, I stack the broadband data of the resulting sample and detect a signal in Lyman continuum with a significance of S/N = 5.5, pointing towards a Lyman continuum escape fraction of ~80\%. If the signal is reliable, it strongly favours LAEs as the providers of the hydrogen ionising emission at the epoch of reionisation and beyond.},
  language  = {en}
}
@phdthesis{Kuberski2019,
  author    = {Kuberski, Stephan R.},
  title     = {Fundamental motor laws and dynamics of speech},
  doi       = {10.25932/publishup-43771},
  url       = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:kobv:517-opus4-437714},
  school      = {Universit{\"a}t Potsdam},
  pages     = {97},
  year      = {2019},
  abstract  = {The present work is a compilation of three original research articles submitted (or already published) in international peer-reviewed venues of the field of speech science. These three articles address the topics of fundamental motor laws in speech and dynamics of corresponding speech movements: 1. Kuberski, Stephan R. and Adamantios I. Gafos (2019). "The speed-curvature power law in tongue movements of repetitive speech". PLOS ONE 14(3). Public Library of Science. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0213851. 2. Kuberski, Stephan R. and Adamantios I. Gafos (In press). "Fitts' law in tongue movements of repetitive speech". Phonetica: International Journal of Phonetic Science. Karger Publishers. doi: 10.1159/000501644 3. Kuberski, Stephan R. and Adamantios I. Gafos (submitted). "Distinct phase space topologies of identical phonemic sequences". Language. Linguistic Society of America. The present work introduces a metronome-driven speech elicitation paradigm in which participants were asked to utter repetitive sequences of elementary consonant-vowel syllables. This paradigm, explicitly designed to cover speech rates from a substantially wider range than has been explored so far in previous work, is demonstrated to satisfy the important prerequisites for assessing so far difficult to access aspects of speech. Specifically, the paradigm's extensive speech rate manipulation enabled elicitation of a great range of movement speeds as well as movement durations and excursions of the relevant effectors. The presence of such variation is a prerequisite to assessing whether invariant relations between these and other parameters exist and thus provides the foundation for a rigorous evaluation of the two laws examined in the first two contributions of this work. In the data resulting from this paradigm, it is shown that speech movements obey the same fundamental laws as movements from other domains of motor control do. In particular, it is demonstrated that speech strongly adheres to the power law relation between speed and curvature of movement with a clear speech rate dependency of the power law's exponent. The often-sought or reported exponent of one third in the statement of the law is unique to a subclass of movements which corresponds to the range of faster rates under which a particular utterance is produced. For slower rates, significantly larger values than one third are observed. Furthermore, for the first time in speech this work uncovers evidence for the presence of Fitts' law. It is shown that, beyond a speaker-specific speech rate, speech movements of the tongue clearly obey Fitts' law by emergence of its characteristic linear relation between movement time and index of difficulty. For slower speech rates (when temporal pressure is small), no such relation is observed. The methods and datasets obtained in the two assessment above provide a rigorous foundation both for addressing implications for theories and models of speech as well as for better understanding the status of speech movements in the context of human movements in general. All modern theories of language rely on a fundamental segmental hypothesis according to which the phonological message of an utterance is represented by a sequence of segments or phonemes. It is commonly assumed that each of these phonemes can be mapped to some unit of speech motor action, a so-called speech gesture. For the first time here, it is demonstrated that the relation between the phonological description of simple utterances and the corresponding speech motor action is non-unique. Specifically, by the extensive speech rate manipulation in the herein used experimental paradigm it is demonstrated that speech exhibits clearly distinct dynamical organizations underlying the production of simple utterances. At slower speech rates, the dynamical organization underlying the repetitive production of elementary /CV/ syllables can be described by successive concatenations of closing and opening gestures, each with its own equilibrium point. As speech rate increases, the equilibria of opening and closing gestures are not equally stable yielding qualitatively different modes of organization with either a single equilibrium point of a combined opening-closing gesture or a periodic attractor unleashed by the disappearance of both equilibria. This observation, the non-uniqueness of the dynamical organization underlying what on the surface appear to be identical phonemic sequences, is an entirely new result in the domain of speech. Beyond that, the demonstration of periodic attractors in speech reveals that dynamical equilibrium point models do not account for all possible modes of speech motor behavior.},
  language  = {en}
}
@phdthesis{He2019,
  author    = {He, Hai},
  title     = {Exploring and engineering formaldehyde assimilation},
  doi       = {10.25932/publishup-47386},
  url       = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:kobv:517-opus4-473867},
  school      = {Universit{\"a}t Potsdam},
  pages     = {vi, 105},
  year      = {2019},
  abstract  = {Increasing concerns regarding the environmental impact of our chemical production have shifted attention towards possibilities for sustainable biotechnology. One-carbon (C1) compounds, including methane, methanol, formate and CO, are promising feedstocks for future bioindustry. CO2 is another interesting feedstock, as it can also be transformed using renewable energy to other C1 feedstocks for use. While formaldehyde is not suitable as a feedstock due to its high toxicity, it is a central intermediate in the process of C1 assimilation. This thesis explores formaldehyde metabolism and aims to engineer formaldehyde assimilation in the model organism Escherichia coli for the future C1-based bioindustry. The first chapter of the thesis aims to establish growth of E. coli on formaldehyde via the most efficient naturally occurring route, the ribulose monophosphate pathway. Linear variants of the pathway were constructed in multiple-gene knockouts strains, coupling E. coli growth to the activities of the key enzymes of the pathway. Formaldehyde-dependent growth was achieved in rationally designed strains. In the final strain, the synthetic pathway provides the cell with almost all biomass and energy requirements. In the second chapter, taking advantage of the unique feature of its reactivity, formaldehyde assimilation via condensation with glycine and pyruvate by two promiscuous aldolases was explored. Facilitated by these two reactions, the newly designed homoserine cycle is expected to support higher yields of a wide array of products than its counterparts. By dividing the pathway into segments and coupling them to the growth of dedicated strains, all pathway reactions were demonstrated to be sufficiently active. The work paves a way for future implementation of a highly efficient route for C1 feedstocks into commodity chemicals. In the third chapter, the in vivo rate of the spontaneous formaldehyde tetrahydrofolate condensation to methylene-tetrahydrofolate was assessed in order to evaluate its applicability as a biotechnological process. Tested within an E. coli strain deleted in essential genes for native methylene-tetrahydrofolate biosynthesis, the reaction was shown to support the production of this essential intermediate. However, only low growth rates were observed and only at high formaldehyde concentrations. Computational analysis dependent on in vivo evidence from this strain deduced the slow rate of this spontaneous reaction, thus ruling out its substantial contribution to growth on C1 feedstocks. The reactivity of formaldehyde makes it highly toxic. In the last chapter, the formation of thioproline, the condensation product of cysteine and formaldehyde, was confirmed to contribute this toxicity effect. Xaa-Pro aminopeptidase (PepP), which genetically links with folate metabolism, was shown to hydrolyze thioproline-containing peptides. Deleting pepP increased strain sensitivity to formaldehyde, pointing towards the toxicity of thioproline-containing peptides and the importance of their removal. The characterization in this study could be useful in handling this toxic intermediate. Overall, this thesis identified challenges related to formaldehyde metabolism and provided novel solutions towards a future bioindustry based on sustainable C1 feedstocks in which formaldehyde serves as a key intermediate.},
  language  = {en}
}
@phdthesis{Melani2019,
  author    = {Melani, Giacomo},
  title     = {From structural fluctuations to vibrational spectroscopy of adsorbates on surfaces},
  doi       = {10.25932/publishup-44182},
  url       = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:kobv:517-opus4-441826},
  school      = {Universit{\"a}t Potsdam},
  pages     = {119},
  year      = {2019},
  abstract  = {Aluminum oxide is an Earth-abundant geological material, and its interaction with water is of crucial importance for geochemical and environmental processes. Some aluminum oxide surfaces are also known to be useful in heterogeneous catalysis, while the surface chemistry of aqueous oxide interfaces determines the corrosion, growth and dissolution of such materials. In this doctoral work, we looked mainly at the (0001) surface of α-Al 2 O 3 and its reactivity towards water. In particular, a great focus of this work is dedicated to simulate and address the vibrational spectra of water adsorbed on the α-alumina(0001) surface in various conditions and at different coverages. In fact, the main source of comparison and inspiration for this work comes from the collaboration with the "Interfacial Molecular Spectroscopy" group led by Dr. R. Kramer Campen at the Fritz-Haber Institute of the MPG in Berlin. The expertise of our project partners in surface-sensitive Vibrational Sum Frequency (VSF) generation spectroscopy was crucial to develop and adapt specific simulation schemes used in this work. Methodologically, the main approach employed in this thesis is Ab Initio Molecular Dynamics (AIMD) based on periodic Density Functional Theory (DFT) using the PBE functional with D2 dispersion correction. The analysis of vibrational frequencies from both a static and a dynamic, finite-temperature perspective offers the ability to investigate the water / aluminum oxide interface in close connection to experiment. The first project presented in this work considers the characterization of dissociatively adsorbed deuterated water on the Al-terminated (0001) surface. This particular structure is known from both experiment and theory to be the thermodynamically most stable surface termination of α-alumina in Ultra-High Vacuum (UHV) conditions. Based on experiments performed by our colleagues at FHI, different adsorption sites and products have been proposed and identified for D 2 O. While previous theoretical investigations only looked at vibrational frequencies of dissociated OD groups by staticNormal Modes Analysis (NMA), we rather employed a more sophisticated approach to directly assess vibrational spectra (like IR and VSF) at finite temperature from AIMD. In this work, we have employed a recent implementation which makes use of velocity-velocity autocorrelation functions to simulate such spectral responses of O-H(D) bonds. This approach allows for an efficient and qualitatively accurate estimation of Vibrational Densities of States (VDOS) as well as IR and VSF spectra, which are then tested against experimental spectra from our collaborators. In order to extend previous work on unimolecularly dissociated water on α-Al 2 O 3 , we then considered a different system, namely, a fully hydroxylated (0001) surface, which results from the reconstruction of the UHV-stable Al-terminated surface at high water contents. This model is then further extended by considering a hydroxylated surface with additional water molecules, forming a two-dimensional layer which serves as a potential template to simulate an aqueous interface in environmental conditions. Again, employing finite-temperature AIMD trajectories at the PBE+D2 level, we investigated the behaviour of both hydroxylated surface (HS) and the water-covered structure derived from it (known as HS+2ML). A full range of spectra, from VDOS to IR and VSF, is then calculated using the same methodology, as described above. This is the main focus of the second project, reported in Chapter 5. In this case, comparison between theoretical spectra and experimental data is definitely good. In particular, we underline the nature of high-frequency resonances observed above 3700 cm -1 in VSF experiments to be associated with surface OH-groups, known as "aluminols" which are a key fingerprint of the fully hydroxylated surface. In the third and last project, which is presented in Chapter 6, the extension of VSF spectroscopy experiments to the time-resolved regime offered us the opportunity to investigate vibrational energy relaxation at the α-alumina / water interface. Specifically, using again DFT-based AIMD simulations, we simulated vibrational lifetimes for surface aluminols as experimentally detected via pump-probe VSF. We considered the water-covered HS model as a potential candidate to address this problem. The vibrational (IR) excitation and subsequent relaxation is performed by means of a non-equilibrium molecular dynamics scheme. In such a scheme, we specifically looked at the O-H stretching mode of surface aluminols. Afterwards, the analysis of non-equilibrium trajectories allows for an estimation of relaxation times in the order of 2-4 ps which are in overall agreement with measured ones. The aim of this work has been to provide, within a consistent theoretical framework, a better understanding of vibrational spectroscopy and dynamics for water on the α-alumina(0001) surface,ranging from very low water coverage (similar to the UHV case) up to medium-high coverages, resembling the hydroxylated oxide in environmental moist conditions.},
  language  = {en}
}
@phdthesis{Wozny2019,
  author    = {Wozny, Florian},
  title     = {Three empirical essays in health economics},
  doi       = {10.25932/publishup-46991},
  url       = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:kobv:517-opus4-469910},
  school      = {Universit{\"a}t Potsdam},
  pages     = {200},
  year      = {2019},
  abstract  = {Modern health care systems are characterized by pronounced prevention and cost-optimized treatments. This dissertation offers novel empirical evidence on how useful such measures can be. The first chapter analyzes how radiation, a main pollutant in health care, can negatively affect cognitive health. The second chapter focuses on the effect of Low Emission Zones on public heath, as air quality is the major external source of health problems. Both chapters point out potentials for preventive measures. Finally, chapter three studies how changes in treatment prices affect the reallocation of hospital resources. In the following, I briefly summarize each chapter and discuss implications for health care systems as well as other policy areas. Based on the National Educational Panel Study that is linked to data on radiation, chapter one shows that radiation can have negative long-term effects on cognitive skills, even at subclinical doses. Exploiting arguably exogenous variation in soil contamination in Germany due to the Chernobyl disaster in 1986, the findings show that people exposed to higher radiation perform significantly worse in cognitive tests 25 years later. Identification is ensured by abnormal rainfall within a critical period of ten days. The results show that the effect is stronger among older cohorts than younger cohorts, which is consistent with radiation accelerating cognitive decline as people get older. On average, a one-standarddeviation increase in the initial level of CS137 (around 30 chest x-rays) is associated with a decrease in the cognitive skills by 4.1 percent of a standard deviation (around 0.05 school years). Chapter one shows that sub-clinical levels of radiation can have negative consequences even after early childhood. This is of particular importance because most of the literature focuses on exposure very early in life, often during pregnancy. However, population exposed after birth is over 100 times larger. These results point to substantial external human capital costs of radiation which can be reduced by choices of medical procedures. There is a large potential for reductions because about one-third of all CT scans are assumed to be not medically justified (Brenner and Hall, 2007). If people receive unnecessary CT scans because of economic incentives, this chapter points to additional external costs of health care policies. Furthermore, the results can inform the cost-benefit trade-off for medically indicated procedures. Chapter two provides evidence about the effectiveness of Low Emission Zones. Low Emission Zones are typically justified by improvements in population health. However, there is little evidence about the potential health benefits from policy interventions aiming at improving air quality in inner-cities. The chapter ask how the coverage of Low Emission Zones air pollution and hospitalization, by exploiting variation in the roll out of Low Emission Zones in Germany. It combines information on the geographic coverage of Low Emission Zones with rich panel data on the universe of German hospitals over the period from 2006 to 2016 with precise information on hospital locations and the annual frequency of detailed diagnoses. In order to establish that our estimates of Low Emission Zones' health impacts can indeed be attributed to improvements in local air quality, we use data from Germany's official air pollution monitoring system and assign monitor locations to Low Emission Zones and test whether measures of air pollution are affected by the coverage of a Low Emission Zone. Results in chapter two confirm former results showing that the introduction of Low Emission Zones improved air quality significantly by reducing NO2 and PM10 concentrations. Furthermore, the chapter shows that hospitals which catchment areas are covered by a Low Emission Zone, diagnose significantly less air pollution related diseases, in particular by reducing the incidents of chronic diseases of the circulatory and the respiratory system. The effect is stronger before 2012, which is consistent with a general improvement in the vehicle fleet's emission standards. Depending on the disease, a one-standard-deviation increase in the coverage of a hospitals catchment area covered by a Low Emission Zone reduces the yearly number of diagnoses up to 5 percent. These findings have strong implications for policy makers. In 2015, overall costs for health care in Germany were around 340 billion euros, of which 46 billion euros for diseases of the circulatory system, making it the most expensive type of disease caused by 2.9 million cases (Statistisches Bundesamt, 2017b). Hence, reductions in the incidence of diseases of the circulatory system may directly reduce society's health care costs. Whereas chapter one and two study the demand-side in health care markets and thus preventive potential, chapter three analyzes the supply-side. By exploiting the same hospital panel data set as in chapter two, chapter three studies the effect of treatment price shocks on the reallocation of hospital resources in Germany. Starting in 2005, the implementation of the German-DRG-System led to general idiosyncratic treatment price shocks for individual hospitals. Thus far there is little evidence of the impact of general price shocks on the reallocation of hospital resources. Additionally, I add to the exiting literature by showing that price shocks can have persistent effects on hospital resources even when these shocks vanish. However, simple OLS regressions would underestimate the true effect, due to endogenous treatment price shocks. I implement a novel instrument variable strategy that exploits the exogenous variation in the number of days of snow in hospital catchment areas. A peculiarity of the reform allowed variation in days of snow to have a persistent impact on treatment prices. I find that treatment price increases lead to increases in input factors such as nursing staff, physicians and the range of treatments offered but to decreases in the treatment volume. This indicates supplier-induced demand. Furthermore, the probability of hospital mergers and privatization decreases. Structural differences in pre-treatment characteristics between hospitals enhance these effects. For instance, private and larger hospitals are more affected. IV estimates reveal that OLS results are biased towards zero in almost all dimensions because structural hospital differences are correlated with the reallocation of hospital resources. These results are important for several reasons. The G-DRG-Reform led to a persistent polarization of hospital resources, as some hospitals were exposed to treatment price increases, while others experienced reductions. If hospitals increase the treatment volume as a response to price reductions by offering unnecessary therapies, it has a negative impact on population wellbeing and public spending. However, results show a decrease in the range of treatments if prices decrease. Hospitals might specialize more, thus attracting more patients. From a policy perspective it is important to evaluate if such changes in the range of treatments jeopardize an adequate nationwide provision of treatments. Furthermore, the results show a decrease in the number of nurses and physicians if prices decrease. This could partly explain the nursing crisis in German hospitals. However, since hospitals specialize more they might be able to realize efficiency gains which justify reductions in input factors without loses in quality. Further research is necessary to provide evidence for the impact of the G-DRG-Reform on health care quality. Another important aspect are changes in the organizational structure. Many public hospitals have been privatized or merged. The findings show that this is at least partly driven by the G-DRG-Reform. This can again lead to a lack in services offered in some regions if merged hospitals specialize more or if hospitals are taken over by ecclesiastical organizations which do not provide all treatments due to moral conviction. Overall, this dissertation reveals large potential for preventive health care measures and helps to explain reallocation processes in the hospital sector if treatment prices change. Furthermore, its findings have potentially relevant implications for other areas of public policy. Chapter one identifies an effect of low dose radiation on cognitive health. As mankind is searching for new energy sources, nuclear power is becoming popular again. However, results of chapter one point to substantial costs of nuclear energy which have not been accounted yet. Chapter two finds strong evidence that air quality improvements by Low Emission Zones translate into health improvements, even at relatively low levels of air pollution. These findings may, for instance, be of relevance to design further policies targeted at air pollution such as diesel bans. As pointed out in chapter three, the implementation of DRG-Systems may have unintended side-effects on the reallocation of hospital resources. This may also apply to other providers in the health care sector such as resident doctors.},
  language  = {en}
}
@phdthesis{Bartel2019,
  author    = {Bartel, Melanie},
  title     = {Kernresonanz-Strukturuntersuchungen an alternativen Precursoren und deren Zwischenprodukten f{\"u}r die Herstellung von Carbonfasern f{\"u}r den Massenmarkt},
  doi       = {10.25932/publishup-46930},
  url       = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:kobv:517-opus4-469301},
  school      = {Universit{\"a}t Potsdam},
  pages     = {XII, 101, XXV},
  year      = {2019},
  abstract  = {Carbonfasern haben sich in der Luft- und Raumfahrt etabliert und gewinnen in Alltagsanwendungen wie dem Automobilbereich, Windkraft- und Sportbereich durch ihre hohen Zugfestigkeiten, insbesondere ihrer hohen E-Moduli, und ihrer geringen Dichte immer mehr an Bedeutung. Auf Grund ihrer hohen Kosten, welche sich zur H{\"a}lfte aus der Precursorherstellung, inklusive seiner Synthese und seinem Verspinnprozess, dem L{\"o}sungsspinnverfahren, ergeben, erhalten zunehmend alternative und schmelzspinnbare Precursoren Interesse. F{\"u}r die Carbonfaserherstellung wird fast ausschließlich Polyacrylnitril (PAN) verwendet, das vor dem Schmelzen irreversible exotherme Zyklisierungsreaktionen aufweist, welchen sich seine Zersetzung anschließt. Eine M{\"o}glichkeit der Reduzierung der Schmelztemperatur von Polymeren ist die Einbringung von Comonomeren zur Erh{\"o}hung des freien Volumens und die Reduzierung der intermolekularen Wechselwirkungen als interne Weichmacher. Wie am Fraunhofer IAP gezeigt wurde, kann mittels 2-Methoxyethylacrylat (MEA) die Schmelztemperatur zu neuartigen PAN-basierten Precursoren verringert werden. Um den PAN-co-MEA-Precursor f{\"u}r die nachfolgenden Prozessschritte der Carbonfaserherstellung zu verwenden, m{\"u}ssen die thermoplastischen Fasern in thermisch stabile Fasern ohne thermoplastisches Verhalten {\"u}berf{\"u}hrt werden. Es wurde ein neuer Prozessschritt (Pr{\"a}stabilisierung) eingef{\"u}hrt, welcher unter alkalischen Bedingungen zur Abspaltung der Comonomerseitenkette f{\"u}hrt. Neben der Esterhydrolyse finden Reaktionen statt, welche an diesem Material noch nicht hinreichend untersucht wurden. Weiterhin stellt sich die Frage nach der Kinetik der Pr{\"a}stabilisierung und der Ermittlung einer geeigneten Prozessf{\"u}hrung. Hierzu wurde die Pr{\"a}stabilisierung in den Labormaßstab {\"u}berf{\"u}hrt und die m{\"o}glichen Zusammensetzungen des aus DMSO und einer KOH-L{\"o}sung bestehenden Reaktionsmediums evaluiert. Weiterhin wurde die Behandlung bei verschiedenen Pr{\"a}stabilisierungszeiten von maximal 30 min und Temperaturen von 40, 50 und 60 °C durchgef{\"u}hrt, um prim{\"a}r mittels NMR-Spektroskopie die chemischen Struktur{\"a}nderungen aufzukl{\"a}ren. Die Esterhydrolyse des Comonomers, welche zur Abspaltung des 2-Methoxyethanols f{\"u}hrt, wurde mittels 1H-NMR-spektroskopischer Untersuchungen detektiert. Es wurde ein Modell aufgestellt, das die chemisch-physikalischen Struktur{\"a}nderungen w{\"a}hrend der Pr{\"a}stabilisierung aufzeigt. Die zuerst ablaufende Reaktion ist die Esterhydrolyse am Comonomer, welche vom Faserrand nach innen verl{\"a}uft und durch die Pr{\"a}senz des DMSO in Kombination mit der KOH-L{\"o}sung (Superbase) initiiert wird. Der zeitliche Reaktionsverlauf der Esterhydrolyse kann in drei Bereiche eingeteilt werden. Der erste Bereich ab dem Pr{\"a}stabilisierungsbeginn wird durch die Diffusion der basischen Anionen in die Faser, der zweite Bereich durch die Reaktion an der Estergruppe des Comonomers und der dritte Bereich durch letzte Reaktionen im Faserinneren und diffusiven Prozessen der Produkte und Edukte charakterisiert. Der zweite Bereich kann mit einer Reaktion pseudo 1. Ordnung abgebildet werden, da in diesem Bereich bereits eine ausreichende Diffusion der Edukte in die Faser stattgefunden hat. Bei 50 °C spielt die Diffusion im ersten Bereich im Vergleich zur Reaktion eine untergeordnete Rolle. Mit Erh{\"o}hung der Temperatur auf 60 °C kann eine im Verh{\"a}ltnis geringere Diffusions- als Reaktionsgeschwindigkeit beobachtet werden. Die Nebenreaktionen wurden mittels 13C-CP/MAS-NMR-spektroskopischen, elementaranlaytischen Untersuchungen sowie Doppelbrechungsmessungen charakterisiert. W{\"a}hrend der alkalischen Esterhydrolyse beginnt die Reduzierung der Nitrilgruppen unter der Bildung von prim{\"a}ren Carbons{\"a}ureamiden und Carbons{\"a}uren. Zur Beschreibung dieser Umsetzung wurde eine Methode entwickelt, welche die Addition von 13C-CP/MAS-NMR-Spektren der Modellsubstanzen PAN, PAM und PAA beinhaltet. Weitere stattfindende Reaktionen sind die Bildung von konjugierten Doppelbindungen, welche insbesondere auf eine Zyklisierung der Nitrile hinweisen. Die nasschemisch initiierte Zyklisierung der Nitrilgruppen kann zu k{\"u}rzeren Stabilisierungszeiten und einem besser kontrollierbaren Stabilisierungsprozess durch geringere W{\"a}rmefreisetzung und schlussendlich zu einer Kostenersparnis des gesamten Verfahrens f{\"u}hren. Die Umsetzung der Nitrilgruppen konnte mit einer Reaktion pseudo 1. Ordnung gut abgebildet werden. DMSO initiiert die Esterhydrolyse, wobei die KOH-Konzentration einen h{\"o}heren Einfluss auf die Reaktionsgeschwindigkeit der Ester- und Nitrilhydrolyse als die DMSO-Konzentration besitzt. Beide Reaktionen zeigen eine vergleichbare Abh{\"a}ngigkeit von der Temperatur. Die Erh{\"o}hung der Pr{\"a}stabilisierungszeit und der KOH- bzw. DMSO-Konzentration f{\"u}hrt zur Migration niedermolekularer Bestandteile des Fasermaterials an die Oberfl{\"a}che und der Bildung punktueller Ablagerungen bis hin zu miteinander verbundenen Einzelfasern. Eine weitere Erh{\"o}hung der Pr{\"a}stabilisierungszeit bzw. der Konzentration f{\"u}hrt zu einem steigenden Carbons{\"a}ureanteil und zur Quellung des Fasermaterials, wodurch die Ablagerungen in das Reaktionsmedium diffundieren. Die Ablagerungen enthalten Chlor, welches durch den Waschvorgang mit HCl in das Materialsystem gelangt ist und durch Parameteranpassungen reduziert wurde. Die schmelzbaren Fasern konnten durch die Pr{\"a}stabilisierung erfolgreich {\"u}ber eine Kern-Mantel-Struktur in nicht-thermoplastische Fasern {\"u}berf{\"u}hrt werden. Zur Ermittlung eines geeigneten Prozessfensters f{\"u}r nachfolgende thermische Beanspruchungen der pr{\"a}stabilisierten Fasern wurden drei Kriterien identifiziert, anhand welcher die Evaluation erfolgte. Das erste Kriterium beinhaltet die Notwendigkeit der vollst{\"a}ndigen Aufhebung der thermoplastischen Eigenschaft der Fasern. Als zweites Kriterium diente die Fasermorphologie. Anhand von REM-Aufnahmen wurden Faserb{\"u}ndel mit separierten Einzelfasern ohne Ablagerungen f{\"u}r die nachfolgende Stabilisierung ausgew{\"a}hlt. Das dritte Kriterium bezieht sich auf eine m{\"o}glichst geringe Umsetzung der Nitrilgruppen, um Pr{\"a}stabilisierungsbedingungen mit Nebenreaktionen zu vermeiden. Aus den Untersuchungen konnte eine Pr{\"a}stabilisierungstemperatur von 60 °C als geeignet identifiziert werden. Weiterhin f{\"u}hren hoch alkalische Zusammensetzungen des Reaktionsmediums mit KOH-Konzentrationen von 1, 1,5 und 2 M, vorzugsweise 1,5 M und 50 vol\% DMSO mit Reaktionszeiten von unter 10 min zu geeigneten Fasern. Ein MEA-Anteil unterhalb von 2 mol\% bewirkt eine {\"U}berf{\"u}hrung in die Unschmelzbarkeit. Thermisch stabile und f{\"u}r die nachfolgende Stabilisierung geeignete Fasern besitzen weiterhin 68 - 80 mol\% Nitrilgruppen, 20 - 25 mol\% Carbons{\"a}uren, bis zu 15 mol\% prim{\"a}re Carbons{\"a}ureamide und zyklisierte Strukturen.},
  language  = {de}
}