@phdthesis{Samereier2011, author = {Samereier, Matthias}, title = {Functional analyses of microtubule and centrosome-associated proteins in Dictyostelium discoideum}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:kobv:517-opus-52835}, school = {Universit{\"a}t Potsdam}, year = {2011}, abstract = {Understanding the role of microtubule-associated proteins is the key to understand the complex mechanisms regulating microtubule dynamics. This study employs the model system Dictyostelium discoideum to elucidate the role of the microtubule-associated protein TACC (Transforming acidic coiled-coil) in promoting microtubule growth and stability. Dictyostelium TACC was localized at the centrosome throughout the entire cell cycle. The protein was also detected at microtubule plus ends, however, unexpectedly only during interphase but not during mitosis. The same cell cycle-dependent localization pattern was observed for CP224, the Dictyostelium XMAP215 homologue. These ubiquitous MAPs have been found to interact with TACC proteins directly and are known to act as microtubule polymerases and nucleators. This work shows for the first time in vivo that both a TACC and XMAP215 family protein can differentially localize to microtubule plus ends during interphase and mitosis. RNAi knockdown mutants revealed that TACC promotes microtubule growth during interphase and is essential for proper formation of astral microtubules in mitosis. In many organisms, impaired microtubule stability upon TACC depletion was explained by the failure to efficiently recruit the TACC-binding XMAP215 protein to centrosomes or spindle poles. By contrast, fluorescence recovery after photobleaching (FRAP) analyses conducted in this study demonstrate that in Dictyostelium recruitment of CP224 to centrosomes or spindle poles is not perturbed in the absence of TACC. Instead, CP224 could no longer be detected at the tips of microtubules in TACC mutant cells. This finding demonstrates for the first time in vivo that a TACC protein is essential for the association of an XMAP215 protein with microtubule plus ends. The GFP-TACC strains generated in this work also turned out to be a valuable tool to study the unusual microtubule dynamics in Dictyostelium. Here, microtubules exhibit a high degree of lateral bending movements but, in contrast most other organisms, they do not obviously undergo any growth or shrinkage events during interphase. Despite of that they are affected by microtubuledepolymerizing drugs such as thiabendazole or nocodazol which are thought to act solely on dynamic microtubules. Employing 5D-fluorescence live cell microscopy and FRAP analyses this study suggests Dictyostelium microtubules to be dynamic only in the periphery, while they are stable at the centrosome. In the recent years, the identification of yet unknown components of the Dictyostelium centrosome has made tremendous progress. A proteomic approach previously conducted by our group disclosed several uncharacterized candidate proteins, which remained to be verified as genuine centrosomal components. The second part of this study focuses on the investigation of three such candidate proteins, Cenp68, CP103 and the putative spindle assembly checkpoint protein Mad1. While a GFP-CP103 fusion protein could clearly be localized to isolated centrosomes that are free of microtubules, Cenp68 and Mad1 were found to associate with the centromeres and kinetochores, respectively. The investigation of Cenp68 included the generation of a polyclonal anti-Cenp68 antibody, the screening for interacting proteins and the generation of knockout mutants which, however, did not display any obvious phenotype. Yet, Cenp68 has turned out as a very useful marker to study centromere dynamics during the entire cell cycle. During mitosis, GFP-Mad1 localization strongly resembled the behavior of other Mad1 proteins, suggesting the existence of a yet uncharacterized spindle assembly checkpoint in Dictyostelium.}, language = {en} } @phdthesis{Flotyńska2011, author = {Flotyńska, Anna}, title = {Besteuerung von Unternehmensgewinnen im Licht des Konzepts der konsumorientierten Einkommensteuer}, publisher = {Universit{\"a}tsverlag Potsdam}, address = {Potsdam}, isbn = {978-3-86956-138-7}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:kobv:517-opus-52493}, school = {Universit{\"a}t Potsdam}, pages = {iii, 222}, year = {2011}, abstract = {Die Dissertation widmet sich dem Problem der fiskalischen Konsequenzen der konsumorientierten Steuern, die die unternehmerischen Gewinne unabh{\"a}ngig von der Rechtsform belasten. Im empirischen Teil der Arbeit wird der Untersuchungsgegenstand auf die zinsbereinigte Gewinnsteuer (allowance for corporate equity) eingegrenzt. Die Untersuchung beruht auf theoretischen {\"U}berlegungen sowie einer eigenen Simulationsanalyse. Den Schwerpunkt bilden dabei zwei Kategorien, zwischen denen ein kausaler Zusammenhang vorliegt: die Gestaltung der Bemessungsgrundlage einerseits und die Erf{\"u}llung der Fiskalfunktion andererseits. Das Hauptziel der Arbeit ist es, die fiskalischen Konsequenzen einer nach dem Konzept der Konsumorientierung modifizierten Bemessungsgrundlage der Gewinnsteuern zu {\"u}berpr{\"u}fen. Die Absch{\"a}tzung der fiskalischen Konsequenzen wird aufgrund der vier folgenden Bereiche vorgenommen: (1) theoretische Konzepte der konsumorientierten Einkommensteuer, (2) bisherige Umsetzungen der Konzepte der konsumorientierten Gewinnsteuer, (3) bisherige Untersuchungen der konsumorientierten Gewinnsteuer, (4) eine eigene Simulation der fiskalischen Konsequenzen der konsumorientierten Gewinnsteuer. Um das Hauptziel der Arbeit zu erreichen, werden acht in Form von Teilfragen ausformulierte Untersuchungsprobleme gel{\"o}st. Sie betreffen sowohl die theoretischen Ausf{\"u}hrungen, als auch die empirische Untersuchung. Dabei entsprechen sie den einzelnen Untersuchungsschritten, die in den aufeinander folgenden Kapiteln der Arbeit durchgef{\"u}hrt werden. Anhand der Analyse der bisherigen wissenschaftlichen Erkenntnisse und der praktischen Umsetzungen des Konzepts der konsumorientierten Steuern wurde die folgende Haupthypothese aufgestellt: Der Ausfall des Steueraufkommens, der ein direkter Effekt der Gestaltung der Bemessungsgrundlage nach dem Konzept der Konsumorientierung ist, schließt die Fiskalfunktion der Gewinnsteuern nicht aus. Das Verfahren, das eine Verifizierung der Haupthypothese zum Ziel hat, erfolgt durch eine Untersuchung von drei Teilhypothesen: der Hypothese {\"u}ber die Nullsteuer, der Hypothese {\"u}ber den differenzierten Aufkommensausfall und der Hypothese {\"u}ber die Konzentration der Steuerschuld. In der Dissertation werden empirische Daten aus drei Quellen benutzt. Sie umfassen einen Teil der in Polen in den Jahren 2004-2008 t{\"a}tigen Unternehmen und erm{\"o}glichen es, eine Simulationsanalyse des Aufkommensausfalls durchzuf{\"u}hren. Diese bedient sich der Methodik der Mikro- und Gruppensimulation, was in den bisherigen Untersuchungen zur Unternehmensbesteuerung ein eher selten anzutreffender Ansatz ist. Die gewonnenen Ergebnisse zeigen, dass die Steuereinnahmen aus der Einkommensteuer und der K{\"o}rperschaftsteuer durch die Modifizierung der Bemessungsgrundlage deutlich reduziert werden. Die relativ große fiskalische Bedeutung der beiden Steuern bleibt jedoch erhalten und der Ausfall des Steueraufkommens, der direkt nach der Einf{\"u}hrung einer konsumorientierten Steuerreform eintreten w{\"u}rde, w{\"a}re der „Preis" f{\"u}r eine bessere, weniger verzerrende Bemessungsgrundlage. Die Dissertation liefert Ergebnisse, die f{\"u}r die Gestaltung der Steuerpolitik in Polen wie auch in anderen L{\"a}ndern relevant sind. Dies scheint insbesondere im Kontext des h{\"a}ufig diskutierten Umbaus des Systems der Einkommen- und Gewinnbesteuerung bedeutsam. Dar{\"u}ber hinaus bildet die Arbeit einen Ausgangspunkt f{\"u}r weitere, vertiefte Untersuchungen zu den m{\"o}glichen Gestaltungsformen der Einkommen- und Gewinnsteuern wie auch zu deren Folgen. Die Methode der Steuersimulation kann weiterentwickelt werden und in anderen Analysen der potenziellen Konsequenzen von Steuerreformen Anwendung finden.}, language = {de} } @phdthesis{Schumacher2011, author = {Schumacher, Soeren}, title = {Saccharide recognition : boronic acids as receptors in polymeric networks}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:kobv:517-opus-52869}, school = {Universit{\"a}t Potsdam}, year = {2011}, abstract = {In this thesis entitled "Saccharide Recognition - Boronic acids as Receptors in Polymeric Networks" different aspects of boronic acid synthesis, their analysis and incorporation or attachment to different polymeric networks and characterisation thereof were investigated. The following key aspects were considered: • Provision of a variety of different characterised arylboronic acids and benzoboroxoles • Attachment of certain derivatives to nanoparticles and the characterisation of saccharide binding by means of isothermal titration calorimetry and displacement assay (ARS) to enhance the association constant to saccharides at pH 7.4 • Enhancement of selectivity in polymeric systems by means of molecular imprinting using fructose as template and a polymerisable benzoboroxole as functional monomer for the recognition at pH 7.4 (Joined by a diploma thesis of F. Gr{\"u}neberger) • Development of biomimetic saccharide structures and the development of saccharide (especially glucose and fructose) binding MIPs by using these structures as template molecules. In the first part of the thesis different arylboronic acid derivatives were synthesised and their binding to glucose or fructose was investigated by means of isothermal titration calorimetry (ITC). It could be derived, which is in parallel to the literature, that derivatives bearing a methylhydroxyl-group in ortho-position to the boron (benzoboroxole) exhibit in most cases a two-fold higher association constant compared to the corresponding phenylboronic acid derivative. To gain a deeper understanding NMR spectroscopy and mass spectrometry with the benzoboroxole and glucose or fructose was performed. It could be shown that the exchange rate in terms of NMR time scale is quite slow since in titration experiments new peaks appeared. Via mass spectrometry of a mixture between benzoboroxole and glucose or fructose, different binding stoichiometries could be detected showing that the binding of saccharides is comparable with their binding to phenylboronic acid. In addition, the use of Alizarin Red S as an electrochemical reporter was described for the first time to monitor the saccharide binding to arylboronic acids not only with spectroscopy. Here, the redox behaviour and the displacement were recorded by cyclic voltammograms. In the second part different applications of boronic acids in polymeric networks were investigated. The attachment of benzoboroxoles to nanoparticles was investigated and monitored by means of isothermal titration calorimetry and a colourimetric assay with Alizarin Red S as the report dye. The investigations by isothermal titration calorimetry compared the fructose binding of arylboronic acids and benzoboroxoles coupled to these nanoparticles and "free" in solution. It could be shown that the attached derivatives showed a higher binding constant due to an increasing entropy term. This states for possible multivalent binding combined with a higher water release. Since ITC could not characterise the binding of glucose to these nanoparticles due to experimental restrictions the glucose binding at pH 7.4 was shown with ARS. Here, the displacement of ARS by fructose and also glucose could be followed and consequently these nanoparticles can be used for saccharide determination. Within this investigation also the temperature stability of these nanoparticles was examined and after normal sterilisation procedures (121°C, 20 min.) the binding behaviour was still unchanged. To target the selectivity of the used polymeric networks, molecular imprinting was used as a technique for creating artificial binding pockets on a molecular scale. As functional monomer 3-methacrylamidobenzoboroxole was introduced for the recognition of fructose. In comparison to polymers prepared with vinylphenylboronic acid the benzoboroxole containing polymer had a stronger binding at pH 7.4 which was shown for the first time. In addition, another imprinted polymer was synthesised especially for the recognition of glucose and fructose employing biomimetic saccharide analogues as template molecule. The advantage to use the saccharide analogues is the defined template-functional monomer complex during the polymerisation which is not the case, for example, for glucose-boronic acid interaction. The biomimetic character was proven through structural superimposition of crystal structures of the analogues with already described crystal structures of boronic acid esters of glucose and fructose. A molecularly imprinted polymer was synthesised with vinylphenylboronic acid as the functional monomer to show that both glucose and fructose are able to bind to the polymer which was predicted by the structural similarity of the analogues. The major scientific contributions of this thesis are • the determination of binding constants for some, not yet reported saccharide - boronic acid / benzoboroxole pairs, • the use of ARS as electrochemical reporter for saccharide detection, • the thermodynamic characterisation of a saccharide binding nanoparticle system containing benzoboroxole and functioning at pH 7.4, • the use of a polymerisable benzoboroxole as functional monomer for saccharide recognition in neutral, aqueous environments • and the synthesis and utilisation of biomimetic saccharide analogues as template molecules especially for the development of a glucose binding MIP.}, language = {en} } @phdthesis{Wischnewski2011, author = {Wischnewski, Juliane}, title = {Reconstructing climate variability on the Tibetan Plateau : comparing aquatic and terrestrial signals}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:kobv:517-opus-52453}, school = {Universit{\"a}t Potsdam}, year = {2011}, abstract = {Spatial and temporal temperature and moisture patterns across the Tibetan Plateau are very complex. The onset and magnitude of the Holocene climate optimum in the Asian monsoon realm, in particular, is a subject of considerable debate as this time period is often used as an analogue for recent global warming. In the light of contradictory inferences regarding past climate and environmental change on the Tibetan Plateau, I have attempted to explain mismatches in the timing and magnitude of change. Therefore, I analysed the temporal variation of fossil pollen and diatom spectra and the geochemical record from palaeo-ecological records covering different time scales (late Quaternary and the last 200 years) from two core regions in the NE and SE Tibetan Plateau. For interpretation purposes I combined my data with other available palaeo-ecological data to set up corresponding aquatic and terrestrial proxy data sets of two lake pairs and two sets of sites. I focused on the direct comparison of proxies representing lacustrine response to climate signals (e.g., diatoms, ostracods, geochemical record) and proxies representing changes in the terrestrial environment (i.e., terrestrial pollen), in order to asses whether the lake and its catchments respond at similar times and magnitudes to environmental changes. Therefore, I introduced the established numerical technique procrustes rotation as a new approach in palaeoecology to quantitatively compare raw data of any two sedimentary records of interest in order to assess their degree of concordance. Focusing on the late Quaternary, sediment cores from two lakes (Kuhai Lake 35.3°N; 99.2°E; 4150 m asl; and Koucha Lake 34.0°N; 97.2°E; 4540 m asl) on the semi-arid northeastern Tibetan Plateau were analysed to identify post-glacial vegetation and environmental changes, and to investigate the responses of lake ecosystems to such changes. Based on the pollen record, five major vegetation and climate changes could be identified: (1) A shift from alpine desert to alpine steppe indicates a change from cold, dry conditions to warmer and more moist conditions at 14.8 cal. ka BP, (2) alpine steppe with tundra elements points to conditions of higher effective moisture and a stepwise warming climate at 13.6 cal. ka BP, (3) the appearance of high-alpine meadow vegetation indicates a further change towards increased moisture, but with colder temperatures, at 7.0 cal. ka BP, (4) the reoccurrence of alpine steppe with desert elements suggests a return to a significantly colder and drier phase at 6.3 cal. ka BP, and (5) the establishment of alpine steppe-meadow vegetation indicates a change back to relatively moist conditions at 2.2 cal. ka BP. To place the reconstructed climate inferences from the NE Tibetan Plateau into the context of Holocene moisture evolution across the Tibetan Plateau, I applied a five-scale moisture index and average link clustering to all available continuous pollen and non-pollen palaeoclimate records from the Tibetan Plateau, in an attempt to detect coherent regional and temporal patterns of moisture evolution on the Plateau. However, no common temporal or spatial pattern of moisture evolution during the Holocene could be detected, which can be assigned to the complex responses of different proxies to environmental changes in an already very heterogeneous mountain landscape, where minor differences in elevation can result in marked variations in microenvironments. Focusing on the past 200 years, I analysed the sedimentary records (LC6 Lake 29.5°N, 94.3°E, 4132 m asl; and Wuxu Lake 29.9°N, 101.1°E, 3705 m asl) from the southeastern Tibetan Plateau. I found that despite presumed significant temperature increases over that period, pollen and diatom records from the SE Tibetan Plateau reveal only very subtle changes throughout their profiles. The compositional species turnover investigated over the last 200 years appears relatively low in comparison to the species reorganisations during the Holocene. The results indicate that climatically induced ecological thresholds are not yet crossed, but that human activity has an increasing influence, particularly on the terrestrial ecosystem. Forest clearances and reforestation have not caused forest decline in our study area, but a conversion of natural forests to semi-natural secondary forests. The results from the numerical proxy comparison of the two sets of two pairs of Tibetan lakes indicate that the use of different proxies and the work with palaeo-ecological records from different lake types can cause deviant stories of inferred change. Irrespective of the timescale (Holocene or last 200 years) or region (SE or NE Tibetan Plateau) analysed, the agreement in terms of the direction, timing, and magnitude of change between the corresponding terrestrial data sets is generally better than the match between the corresponding lacustrine data sets, suggesting that lacustrine proxies may partly be influenced by in-lake or local catchment processes whereas the terrestrial proxy reflects a more regional climatic signal. The current disaccord on coherent temporal and spatial climate patterns on the Tibetan Plateau can partly be ascribed to the complexity of proxy response and lake systems on the Tibetan Plateau. Therefore, a multi-proxy, multi-site approach is important in order to gain a reliable climate interpretation for the complex mountain landscape of the Tibetan Plateau.}, language = {en} } @phdthesis{Kopetzki2011, author = {Kopetzki, Daniel}, title = {Exploring hydrothermal reactions : from prebiotic synthesis to green chemistry}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:kobv:517-opus-52581}, school = {Universit{\"a}t Potsdam}, year = {2011}, abstract = {In this thesis chemical reactions under hydrothermal conditions were explored, whereby emphasis was put on green chemistry. Water at high temperature and pressure acts as a benign solvent. Motivation to work under hydrothermal conditions was well-founded in the tunability of physicochemical properties with temperature, e.g. of dielectric constant, density or ion product, which often resulted in surprising reactivity. Another cornerstone was the implementation of the principles of green chemistry. Besides the use of water as solvent, this included the employment of a sustainable feedstock and the sensible use of resources by minimizing waste and harmful intermediates and additives. To evaluate the feasibility of hydrothermal conditions for chemical synthesis, exemplary reactions were performed. These were carried out in a continuous flow reactor, allowing for precise control of reaction conditions and kinetics measurements. In most experiments a temperature of 200 °C in combination with a pressure of 100 bar was chosen. In some cases the temperature was even raised to 300 °C. Water in this subcritical range can also be found in nature at hydrothermal vents on the ocean floor. On the primitive earth, environments with such conditions were however present in larger numbers. Therefore we tested whether biologically important carbohydrates could be formed at high temperature from the simple, probably prebiotic precursor formaldehyde. Indeed, this formose reaction could be carried out successfully, although the yield was lower compared to the counterpart reaction under ambient conditions. However, striking differences regarding selectivity and necessary catalysts were observed. At moderate temperatures bases and catalytically active cations like Ca2+ are necessary and the main products are hexoses and pentoses, which accumulate due to their higher stability. In contrast, in high-temperature water no catalyst was necessary but a slightly alkaline solution was sufficient. Hexoses were only formed in negligible amounts, whereas pentoses and the shorter carbohydrates accounted for the major fraction. Amongst the pentoses there was some preference for the formation of ribose. Even deoxy sugars could be detected in traces. The observation that catalysts can be avoided was successfully transferred to another reaction. In a green chemistry approach platform chemicals must be produced from sustainable resources. Carbohydrates can for instance be employed as a basis. They can be transformed to levulinic acid and formic acid, which can both react via a transfer hydrogenation to the green solvent and biofuel gamma-valerolactone. This second reaction usually requires catalysis by Ru or Pd, which are neither sustainable nor low-priced. Under hydrothermal conditions these heavy metals could be avoided and replaced by cheap salts, taking advantage of the temperature dependence of the acid dissociation constant. Simple sulfate was recognized as a temperature switchable base. With this additive high yield could be achieved by simultaneous prevention of waste. In contrast to conventional bases, which create salt upon neutralization, a temperature switchable base becomes neutral again when cooled down and thus can be reused. This adds another sustainable feature to the high atom economy of the presented hydrothermal synthesis. In a last study complex decomposition pathways of biomass were investigated. Gas chromatography in conjunction with mass spectroscopy has proven to be a powerful tool for the identification of unknowns. It was observed that several acids were formed when carbohydrates were treated with bases at high temperature. This procedure was also applied to digest wood. Afterwards it was possible to fermentate the solution and a good yield of methane was obtained. This has to be regarded in the light of the fact that wood practically cannot be used as a feedstock in a biogas factory. Thus the hydrothermal pretreatment is an efficient means to employ such materials as well. Also the reaction network of the hydrothermal decomposition of glycine was investigated using isotope-labeled compounds as comparison for the unambiguous identification of unknowns. This refined analysis allowed the identification of several new molecules and pathways, not yet described in literature. In summary several advantages could be taken from synthesis in high-temperature water. Many catalysts, absolutely necessary under ambient conditions, could either be completely avoided or replaced by cheap, sustainable alternatives. In this respect water is not only a green solvent, but helps to prevent waste and preserves resources.}, language = {en} } @phdthesis{Boehme2011, author = {B{\"o}hme, Dimo}, title = {EU-Russia energy relations: What chance for solutions? : A focus on the natural gas sector}, publisher = {Universit{\"a}tsverlag Potsdam}, address = {Potsdam}, isbn = {978-3-86956-120-2}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:kobv:517-opus-50210}, school = {Universit{\"a}t Potsdam}, pages = {xix, 322}, year = {2011}, abstract = {Public debate about energy relations between the EU and Russia is distorted. These distortions present considerable obstacles to the development of true partnership. At the core of the conflict is a struggle for resource rents between energy producing, energy consuming and transit countries. Supposed secondary aspects, however, are also of great importance. They comprise of geopolitics, market access, economic development and state sovereignty. The European Union, having engaged in energy market liberalisation, faces a widening gap between declining domestic resources and continuously growing energy demand. Diverse interests inside the EU prevent the definition of a coherent and respected energy policy. Russia, for its part, is no longer willing to subsidise its neighbouring economies by cheap energy exports. The Russian government engages in assertive policies pursuing Russian interests. In so far, it opts for a different globalisation approach, refusing the role of mere energy exporter. In view of the intensifying struggle for global resources, Russia, with its large energy potential, appears to be a very favourable option for European energy supplies, if not the best one. However, several outcomes of the strategic game between the two partners can be imagined. Engaging in non-cooperative strategies will in the end leave all stakeholders worse-off. The European Union should therefore concentrate on securing its partnership with Russia instead of damaging it. Stable cooperation would need the acceptance that the partner may pursue his own goals, which might be different from one's own interests. The question is, how can a sustainable compromise be found? This thesis finds that a mix of continued dialogue, a tit for tat approach bolstered by an international institutional framework and increased integration efforts appears as a preferable solution.}, language = {en} } @phdthesis{Reusser2011, author = {Reusser, Dominik Edwin}, title = {Combining smart model diagnostics and effective data collection for snow catchments}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:kobv:517-opus-52574}, school = {Universit{\"a}t Potsdam}, year = {2011}, abstract = {Complete protection against flood risks by structural measures is impossible. Therefore flood prediction is important for flood risk management. Good explanatory power of flood models requires a meaningful representation of bio-physical processes. Therefore great interest exists to improve the process representation. Progress in hydrological process understanding is achieved through a learning cycle including critical assessment of an existing model for a given catchment as a first step. The assessment will highlight deficiencies of the model, from which useful additional data requirements are derived, giving a guideline for new measurements. These new measurements may in turn lead to improved process concepts. The improved process concepts are finally summarized in an updated hydrological model. In this thesis I demonstrate such a learning cycle, focusing on the advancement of model evaluation methods and more cost effective measurements. For a successful model evaluation, I propose that three questions should be answered: 1) when is a model reproducing observations in a satisfactory way? 2) If model results deviate, of what nature is the difference? And 3) what are most likely the relevant model components affecting these differences? To answer the first two questions, I developed a new method to assess the temporal dynamics of model performance (or TIGER - TIme series of Grouped Errors). This method is powerful in highlighting recurrent patterns of insufficient model behaviour for long simulation periods. I answered the third question with the analysis of the temporal dynamics of parameter sensitivity (TEDPAS). For calculating TEDPAS, an efficient method for sensitivity analysis is necessary. I used such an efficient method called Fourier Amplitude Sensitivity Test, which has a smart sampling scheme. Combining the two methods TIGER and TEDPAS provided a powerful tool for model assessment. With WaSiM-ETH applied to the Weisseritz catchment as a case study, I found insufficient process descriptions for the snow dynamics and for the recession during dry periods in late summer and fall. Focusing on snow dynamics, reasons for poor model performance can either be a poor representation of snow processes in the model, or poor data on snow cover, or both. To obtain an improved data set on snow cover, time series of snow height and temperatures were collected with a cost efficient method based on temperature measurements on multiple levels at each location. An algorithm was developed to simultaneously estimate snow height and cold content from these measurements. Both, snow height and cold content are relevant quantities for spring flood forecasting. Spatial variability was observed at the local and the catchment scale with an adjusted sampling design. At the local scale, samples were collected on two perpendicular transects of 60 m length and analysed with geostatistical methods. The range determined from fitted theoretical variograms was within the range of the sampling design for 80\% of the plots. No patterns were found, that would explain the random variability and spatial correlation at the local scale. At the watershed scale, locations of the extensive field campaign were selected according to a stratified sample design to capture the combined effects of elevation, aspect and land use. The snow height is mainly affected by the plot elevation. The expected influence of aspect and land use was not observed. To better understand the deficiencies of the snow module in WaSiM-ETH, the same approach, a simple degree day model was checked for its capability to reproduce the data. The degree day model was capable to explain the temporal variability for plots with a continuous snow pack over the entire snow season, if parameters were estimated for single plots. However, processes described in the simple model are not sufficient to represent multiple accumulation-melt-cycles, as observed for the lower catchment. Thus, the combined spatio-temporal variability at the watershed scale is not captured by the model. Further tests on improved concepts for the representation of snow dynamics at the Weißeritz are required. From the data I suggest to include at least rain on snow and redistribution by wind as additional processes to better describe spatio-temporal variability. Alternatively an energy balance snow model could be tested. Overall, the proposed learning cycle is a useful framework for targeted model improvement. The advanced model diagnostics is valuable to identify model deficiencies and to guide field measurements. The additional data collected throughout this work helps to get a deepened understanding of the processes in the Weisseritz catchment.}, language = {en} } @phdthesis{Polanski2011, author = {Polanski, Stefan}, title = {Simulation der indischen Monsunzirkulation mit dem Regionalen Klimamodell HIRHAM}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:kobv:517-opus-52508}, school = {Universit{\"a}t Potsdam}, year = {2011}, abstract = {In dieser Arbeit wird das regionale Klimamodell HIRHAM mit einer horizontalen Aufl{\"o}sung von 50 km und 19 vertikalen Schichten erstmals auf den asiatischen Kontinent angewendet, um die indische Monsunzirkulation unter rezenten und pal{\"a}oklimatischen Bedingungen zu simulieren. Das Integrationsgebiet des Modells erstreckt sich von etwa 0ºN - 50ºN und 42ºE - 110ºE und bedeckt dabei sowohl die hohe Topographie des Himalajas und Tibet Plateaus als auch den n{\"o}rdlichen Indischen Ozean. Das Ziel besteht in der Beschreibung der regionalen Kopplung zwischen der Monsunzirkulation und den orographischen sowie diabatischen Antriebsmechanismen. Eine 44-j{\"a}hrige Modellsimulation von 1958-2001, die am seitlichen und unteren Rand von ECMWF Reanalysen (ERA40) angetrieben wird, bildet die Grundlage f{\"u}r die Validierung der Modellergebnisse mit Beobachtungen auf der Basis von Stations- und Gitterdatens{\"a}tzen. Der Fokus liegt dabei auf der atmosph{\"a}rischen Zirkulation, der Temperatur und dem Niederschlag im Sommer- und Wintermonsun, wobei die Qualit{\"a}t des Modells sowohl in Bezug zur langfristigen und dekadischen Klimatologie als auch zur interannuellen Variabilit{\"a}t evaluiert wird. Im Zusammenhang mit einer realistischen Reproduktion der Modelltopographie kann f{\"u}r die Muster der Zirkulation und Temperatur eine gute {\"U}bereinstimmung zwischen Modell und Daten nachgewiesen werden. Der simulierte Niederschlag zeigt eine bessere {\"U}bereinstimmung mit einem hoch aufgel{\"o}sten Gitterdatensatz {\"u}ber der Landoberfl{\"a}che Zentralindiens und in den Hochgebirgsregionen, der den Vorteil des Regionalmodells gegen{\"u}ber der antreibenden Reanalyse hervorhebt. In verschiedenen Fall- und Sensitivit{\"a}tsstudien werden die wesentlichen Antriebsfaktoren des indischen Monsuns (Meeresoberfl{\"a}chentemperaturen, St{\"a}rke des winterlichen Sibirischen Hochs und Anomalien der Bodenfeuchte) untersucht. Die Ergebnisse machen deutlich, dass die Simulation dieser Mechanismen auch mit einem Regionalmodell sehr schwierig ist, da die Komplexit{\"a}t des Monsunsystems hochgradig nichtlinear ist und die vor allem subgridskalig wirkenden Prozesse im Modell noch nicht ausreichend parametrisiert und verstanden sind. Ein pal{\"a}oklimatisches Experiment f{\"u}r eine 44-j{\"a}hrige Zeitscheibe im mittleren Holoz{\"a}n (etwa 6000 Jahre vor heute), die am Rand von einer globalen ECHAM5 Simulation angetrieben wird, zeigt markante Ver{\"a}nderungen in der Intensit{\"a}t des Monsuns durch die unterschiedliche solare Einstrahlung, die wiederum Einfl{\"u}sse auf die SST, die Zirkulation und damit auf die Niederschlagsmuster hat.}, language = {de} } @phdthesis{Naaf2011, author = {Naaf, Tobias}, title = {Floristic homogenization and impoverishment : herb layer changes over two decades in deciduous forest patches of the Weser-Elbe region (NW Germany)}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:kobv:517-opus-52446}, school = {Universit{\"a}t Potsdam}, year = {2011}, abstract = {Human-induced alterations of the environment are causing biotic changes worldwide, including the extinction of species and a mixing of once disparate floras and faunas. One type of biological communities that is expected to be particularly affected by environmental alterations are herb layer plant communities of fragmented forests such as those in the west European lowlands. However, our knowledge about current changes in species diversity and composition in these communities is limited due to a lack of adequate long-term studies. In this thesis, I resurveyed the herb layer communities of ancient forest patches in the Weser-Elbe region (NW Germany) after two decades using 175 semi-permanent plots. The general objectives were (i) to quantify changes in plant species diversity considering also between-community (β) and functional diversity, (ii) to determine shifts in species composition in terms of species' niche breadth and functional traits and (iii) to find indications on the most likely environmental drivers for the observed changes. These objectives were pursued with four independent research papers (Chapters 1-4) whose results were brought together in a General Discussion. Alpha diversity (species richness) increased by almost four species on average, whereas β diversity tended to decrease (Chapter 1). The latter is interpreted as a beginning floristic homogenization. The observed changes were primarily the result of a spread of native habitat generalists that are able to tolerate broad pH and moisture ranges. The changes in α and β diversity were only significant when species abundances were neglected (Chapters 1 and 2), demonstrating that the diversity changes resulted mainly from gains and losses of low-abundance species. This study is one of the first studies in temperate Europe that demonstrates floristic homogenization of forest plant communities at a larger than local scale. The diversity changes found at the taxonomic level did not result in similar changes at the functional level (Chapter 2). The likely reason is that these communities are functionally "buffered". Single communities involve most of the functional diversity of the regional pool, i.e., they are already functionally rich, while they are functionally redundant among each other, i.e., they are already homogeneous. Independent of taxonomic homogenization, the abundance of 30 species decreased significantly (Chapter 4). These species included 12 ancient forest species (i.e., species closely tied to forest patches with a habitat continuity > 200 years) and seven species listed on the Red List of endangered plant species in NW Germany. If these decreases continue over the next decades, local extinctions may result. This biotic impoverishment would seriously conflict with regional conservation goals. Community assembly mechanisms changed at the local level particularly at sites that experienced disturbance by forest management activities between the sampling periods (Chapter 3). Disturbance altered community assembly mechanisms in two ways: (i) it relaxed environmental filters and allowed the coexistence of different reproduction strategies, as reflected by a higher diversity of reproductive traits at the time of the resurvey, and (ii) it enhanced light availability and tightened competitive filters. These limited the functional diversity with respect to canopy height and selected for taller species. Thirty-one winner and 30 loser species, which had significantly increased or decreased in abundance, respectively, were characterized by various functional traits and ecological performances to find indications on the most likely environmental drivers for the observed floristic changes (Chapter 4). Winner species had higher seed longevity, flowered later in the season and had more often an oceanic distribution compared to loser species. Loser species tended to have a higher specific leaf area, to be more susceptible to deer browsing and to have a performance optimum at higher soil pH values compared to winner species. Multiple logistic regression analyses indicated that disturbances due to forest management interventions were the primary cause of the species shifts. As one of the first European resurvey studies, this study provides indications that an enhanced browsing pressure due to increased deer densities and increasingly warmer winters are important drivers. The study failed to demonstrate that eutrophication and acidification due to atmospheric deposition substantially drive herb layer changes. The restriction of the sample to the most base-rich sites in the region is discussed as a likely reason. Furthermore, the decline of several ancient forest species is discussed as an indication that the forest patches are still paying off their "extinction debt", i.e., exhibit a delayed response to forest fragmentation.}, language = {en} } @phdthesis{Jiang2011, author = {Jiang, Yuan}, title = {Precursor phases in non-classical crystallization}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:kobv:517-opus-52460}, school = {Universit{\"a}t Potsdam}, year = {2011}, abstract = {The main objective of this thesis is to understand molecular crystallization as a multistep process with or without polymeric additives, including transient liquid-liquid phase separation, nanocrystal nucleation within the dense phase, and subsequent nanocrystal self-assembly or self-organization in sequence. The thesis starts with a quaternary model system, containing DL-Glutamic acid (Glu), polyethyleneimine (PEI), water, and EtOH, for the understanding of multistep precipitation of Glu with PEI as an additive. The experiments were performed by mixing Glu-PEI aqueous solution with a non-solvent EtOH. First, the phase diagram of the quaternary system is determined, obtaining precipitate, coacervates, or homogeneous mixtures by varying Glu/PEI w/w and water/EtOH v/v. Coacervation is observed to occur over a wide range of Glu/PEI with various volumes. The composition of coacervates is conveniently characterized by nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy. The observed coacervates are thermodynamically stable phases rich in solute, which is different from metastable polymer-induced liquid precursors. The combination of atomic force microscopy, small angle scattering, and ξ-potential measurements confirms the coexistence of monomers and Glu/PEI complexes and the aggregation of complexes in Glu-PEI-water systems. This suggests that there might be a direct structural transformation between the Glu-PEI complexes in aqueous solution and the metastable liquid precursors in a water-EtOH mixture. The multistep mechanism of Glu precipitation with PEI as an additive is investigated thereafter. The combination of stopped flow and small angle scattering demonstrates that the initially formed liquid precursors pass through an alteration of growth and coalescence. Combined with results from optical microscopy and scanning electron microscopy, the nucleation of nanoplatelets happens within each liquid precursor droplet, and nanoplatelets reorient themselves and self-organize into a radial orientation in the crystalline microspheres. The recipe was then extended to the precipitation of organics in other oppositely charged amino acid-polyelectrolyte systems. After the success in preparing hierarchical microspheres in solution, the similar recipe can be extended to the preparation of patterned thin films on substrate. By dipping a quaternary DL-Lys·HCl (Lys)-polyacrylic acid (PAA)-water-EtOH dispersion on a hydrophilic slide, the fast evaporation process of the volatile solvent EtOH is responsible for the homogeneous nucleation of NPs. Then, the following complete evaporation causes the mesocrystallization of a continuous spherulitic thin film along the receding line of the liquid, which again transforms into a mesocrystalline thin film. Furthermore, annealing is used to optimize the property of mesocrystalline thin films. As evaporation is a non-equilibrium process, it can be used to tune the kinetics of crystallization. Therefore, hierarchical or periodical thin films are obtainable by starting the evaporation from microspheres recrystallization, obtaining mesocrystalline thin films with 4 hierarchy levels. The results reveal that evaporation provides an easy but effective way for the formation of patterned structures via the positioning of NPs after their fast nucleation, resulting in different kinds of patterns by controlling the concentration of NPs, solvent evaporation rate, and other physical forces. Non-classical crystallization is not limited to crystallizations with polymeric additives. We also observed the nucleation and growth of a new molecular layer on the growing DL-Glu·H2O crystals from a supersaturated mother liquor by using an in-situ atomic force microscopy (AFM), where the nucleation and growth of a molecular layer proceed via amorphous nanoparticle (NP) attachment and relaxation process before the observation of the growth of a newly formed molecular layer. NP attachment to the crystal surface is too fast to observe by using in-situ AFM. The height shrinkage of NPs, combined to the structural transformation from 3D amorphous NPs to 2D crystalline layer, is observed during the relaxation process. The nucleation and growth of a newly formed molecular layer from NP relaxation is contradictory to the classical nucleation theory, which hypothesizes that nuclei show the same crystallographic properties as a bulk crystal. The formation of a molecular layer by NP attachment and relaxation rather than attachment of single molecules provides a different picture from the currently held classical nucleation and growth theory regarding the growth of single crystals from solution.}, language = {de} } @phdthesis{Boeche2011, author = {Boeche, Corrado}, title = {Chemical gradients in the Milky Way from unsupervised chemical abundances measurements of the RAVE spectroscopic data set}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:kobv:517-opus-52478}, school = {Universit{\"a}t Potsdam}, year = {2011}, abstract = {The present thesis was born and evolved within the RAdial Velocity Experiment (RAVE) with the goal of measuring chemical abundances from the RAVE spectra and exploit them to investigate the chemical gradients along the plane of the Galaxy to provide constraints on possible Galactic formation scenarios. RAVE is a large spectroscopic survey which aims to observe spectroscopically ~10^6 stars by the end of 2012 and measures their radial velocities, atmospheric parameters and chemical abundances. The project makes use of the UK Schmidt telescope at Australian Astronomical Observatory (AAO) in Siding Spring, Australia, equipped with the multiobject spectrograph 6dF. To date, RAVE collected and measured more than 450,000 spectra. The precision of the chemical abundance estimations depends on the reliability of the atomic and atmosphere parameters adopted (in particular the oscillator strengths of the absorption lines and the effective temperature, gravity, and metallicity of the stars measured). Therefore we first identified 604 absorption lines in the RAVE wavelength range and refined their oscillator strengths with an inverse spectral analysis. Then, we improved the RAVE stellar parameters by modifying the RAVE pipeline and the spectral library the pipeline rely on. The modifications removed some systematic errors in stellar parameters discovered during this work. To obtain chemical abundances, we developed two different processing pipelines. Both of them perform chemical abundances measurements by assuming stellar atmospheres in Local Thermodynamic Equilibrium (LTE). The first one determines elements abundances from equivalent widths of absorption lines. Since this pipeline showed poor sensibility on abundances relative to iron, it has been superseded. The second one exploits the chi^2 minimization technique between observed and model spectra. Thanks to its precision, it has been adopted for the creation of the RAVE chemical catalogue. This pipeline provides abundances with uncertains of about ~0.2dex for spectra with signal-to-noise ratio S/N>40 and ~0.3dex for spectra with 20>S/N>40. For this work, the pipeline measured chemical abundances up to 7 elements for 217,358 RAVE stars. With these data we investigated the chemical gradients along the Galactic radius of the Milky Way. We found that stars with low vertical velocities |W| (which stay close to the Galactic plane) show an iron abundance gradient in agreement with previous works (~-0.07\$ dex kpc^-1) whereas stars with larger |W| which are able to reach larger heights above the Galactic plane, show progressively flatter gradients. The gradients of the other elements follow the same trend. This suggests that an efficient radial mixing acts in the Galaxy or that the thick disk formed from homogeneous interstellar matter. In particular, we found hundreds of stars which can be kinetically classified as thick disk stars exhibiting a chemical composition typical of the thin disk. A few stars of this kind have already been detected by other authors, and their origin is still not clear. One possibility is that they are thin disk stars kinematically heated, and then underwent an efficient radial mixing process which blurred (and so flattened) the gradient. Alternatively they may be a transition population" which represents an evolutionary bridge between thin and thick disk. Our analysis shows that the two explanations are not mutually exclusive. Future follow-up high resolution spectroscopic observations will clarify their role in the Galactic disk evolution.}, language = {en} } @phdthesis{Gessner2011, author = {Geßner, Andr{\´e}}, title = {Neuartige Lanthanoid-dotierte mikro- und mesopor{\"o}se Feststoffe : Charakterisierung von Ion-Wirt-Wechselwirkungen, Speziesverteilung und Lumineszenzeigenschaften mittels zeitaufgel{\"o}ster Lumineszenzspektroskopie}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:kobv:517-opus-52371}, school = {Universit{\"a}t Potsdam}, year = {2011}, abstract = {Por{\"o}se Sol-Gel-Materialien finden in vielen Bereichen Anwendung bzw. sind Gegenstand der aktuellen Forschung. Zu diesen Bereichen z{\"a}hlen sowohl klassische Anwendungen, wie z. B. die Verwendung als Katalysator, Molekularsieb oder Trockenmittel, als auch nichtklassische Anwendungen, wie z. B. der Einsatz als Kontrastmittel in der Magnet-Resonanz-Tomographie oder in Form von d{\"u}nnen Zeolithfilmen als Isolatoren in Mikrochips. Auch f{\"u}r den Einsatz in der Photonik werden por{\"o}se Materialien in Betracht gezogen, wie die Entwicklung des Zeolith-Farbstoff-Lasers zeigt. Mikropor{\"o}se Zeolithe k{\"o}nnen generell {\"u}ber einfache Ionenaustauschreaktionen mit Lanthanoidionen in lumineszente Materialien umgewandelt werden. Neben der Erzeugung eines lumineszenten Materials, dessen Lumineszenzeigenschaften charakterisiert werden m{\"u}ssen, bietet die Nutzung von Lanthanoidionen die M{\"o}glichkeit diese Ionen als Sonde zur Charakterisierung der Ion-Wirt-Wechselwirkungen zu funktionalisieren, was z. B. in Bezug auf die Anwendung als Katalysator von großer Bedeutung ist. Dabei werden die einzigartigen Lumineszenzeigenschaften der Lanthanoidionen, in diesem Fall von Europium(III) und Terbium(III), genutzt. In dieser Arbeit wurden Lanthanoid-dotierte mikropor{\"o}se Zeolithe, mikropor{\"o}s-mesopor{\"o}se Hybridmaterialien und mesopor{\"o}se Silikate hinsichtlich ihrer Lumineszenzeigenschaften und ihrer Wechselwirkung des Wirtsmaterials mit den Lanthanoidionen mittels zeitaufgel{\"o}ster Lumineszenzspektroskopie untersucht. Zeitaufgel{\"o}ste Emissionsspektren (TRES) liefern dabei sowohl Informationen in der Wellenl{\"a}ngen- als auch in der Zeitdom{\"a}ne. Erstmalig wurden die TRES mittels einer umfangreichen Auswertemethodik behandelt. Neben der Anpassung des Abklingverhaltens mit einer diskreten Zahl von Exponentialfunktionen, wurden unterst{\"u}tzend auch Abklingzeitverteilungsanalysen durchgef{\"u}hrt. Zeitaufgel{\"o}ste fl{\"a}chennormierte Emissionsspektren (TRANES), eine Erweiterung der normalen TRES, konnten erstmals zur Bestimmung der Zahl der emittierenden Lanthanoidspezies in por{\"o}sen Materialien genutzt werden. Durch die Berechnung der Decayassoziierten Spektren (DAS) konnten den Lanthanoidspezies die entsprechenden Lumineszenzspektren zugeordnet werden. Zus{\"a}tzlich konnte, speziell im Fall der Europium-Lumineszenz, durch Kombination von zeitlicher und spektraler Information das zeitabh{\"a}ngige Asymmetrieverh{\"a}ltnis R und die spektrale Evolution des 5D0-7F0-{\"U}bergangs mit der Zeit t untersucht und somit wesentliche Informationen {\"u}ber die Verteilung der Europiumionen im Wirtsmaterial erhalten werden. {\"U}ber die Abklingzeit und das Asymmetrieverh{\"a}ltnis R konnten R{\"u}ckschl{\"u}sse auf die Zahl der OH-Oszillatoren in der ersten Koordinationssph{\"a}re und die Symmetrie der Koordinationsumgebung gezogen werden. F{\"u}r die mikropor{\"o}sen und mikropor{\"o}s-mesopor{\"o}sen Materialien wurden verschiedene Lanthanoidspezies, im Regelfall zwei, gefunden, welche entsprechend der beschriebenen Methoden charakterisiert wurden. Diese Lanthanoidspezies konnten Positionen in den Materialien zugeordnet werden, die sich im tief Inneren des Porensystems oder auf bzw. nahe der {\"a}ußeren Oberfl{\"a}che oder in den Mesoporen befinden. Erstere Spezies ist aufgrund ihrer Position im Material gut vor Feuchtigkeitseinfl{\"u}ssen gesch{\"u}tzt, was sich deutlich in entsprechend langen Lumineszenzabklingzeiten {\"a}ußert. Zus{\"a}tzlich ist diese Europiumspezies durch unsymmetrische Koordinationsumgebung charakterisiert, was auf einen signifikanten Anteil an Koordination der Lanthanoidionen durch die Sauerstoffatome im Wirtsgitter zur{\"u}ckzuf{\"u}hren ist. Ionen, die sich nahe oder auf der {\"a}ußeren Oberfl{\"a}che befinden, sind dagegen f{\"u}r Feuchtigkeit zug{\"a}nglicher, was in k{\"u}rzeren Lumineszenzabklingzeiten und einer symmetrischeren Koordinationsumgebung resultiert. Der Anteil von Wassermolek{\"u}len in der ersten Koordinationssph{\"a}re ist hier deutlich gr{\"o}ßer, als bei den Ionen, die sich tiefer im Porensystem befinden und entspricht in vielen F{\"a}llen der Koordinationszahl eines vollst{\"a}ndig hydratisierten Lanthanoidions. Auch der Einfluss von Oberfl{\"a}chenmodifikationen auf die Speziesverteilung und das Verhalten der Materialien gegen{\"u}ber Feuchtigkeit wurde untersucht. Dabei gelang es den Einfluss der Feuchtigkeit auf die Lumineszenzeigenschaften und die Speziesverteilung durch die Oberfl{\"a}chenmodifikation zu verringern und die Lumineszenzeigenschaften teilweise zu konservieren. Im Fall der mesopor{\"o}sen Silikamonolithe wurde auch eine heterogene Verteilung der Lanthanoidionen im Porensystem gefunden. Hier wechselwirkt ein Teil der Ionen mit der Porenwand, w{\"a}hrend sich die restlichen Ionen in der w{\"a}ßrigen Phase innerhalb des Porensystems aufhalten. Das Aufbringen von Oberfl{\"a}chenmodifikationen f{\"u}hrte zu einer Wechselwirkung der Ionen mit diesen Oberfl{\"a}chenmodifikationen, was sich in Abh{\"a}ngigkeit von der Oberfl{\"a}chenbeladung in den enstprechenden Lumineszenzeigenschaften niederschlug.}, language = {de} } @phdthesis{Hoffmann2011, author = {Hoffmann, Anne}, title = {Comparative aerosol studies based on multi-wavelength Raman LIDAR at Ny-{\AA}lesund, Spitsbergen}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:kobv:517-opus-52426}, school = {Universit{\"a}t Potsdam}, year = {2011}, abstract = {The Arctic is a particularly sensitive area with respect to climate change due to the high surface albedo of snow and ice and the extreme radiative conditions. Clouds and aerosols as parts of the Arctic atmosphere play an important role in the radiation budget, which is, as yet, poorly quantified and understood. The LIDAR (Light Detection And Ranging) measurements presented in this PhD thesis contribute with continuous altitude resolved aerosol profiles to the understanding of occurrence and characteristics of aerosol layers above Ny-{\AA}lesund, Spitsbergen. The attention was turned to the analysis of periods with high aerosol load. As the Arctic spring troposphere exhibits maximum aerosol optical depths (AODs) each year, March and April of both the years 2007 and 2009 were analyzed. Furthermore, stratospheric aerosol layers of volcanic origin were analyzed for several months, subsequently to the eruptions of the Kasatochi and Sarychev volcanoes in summer 2008 and 2009, respectively. The Koldewey Aerosol Raman LIDAR (KARL) is an instrument for the active remote sensing of atmospheric parameters using pulsed laser radiation. It is operated at the AWIPEV research base and was fundamentally upgraded within the framework of this PhD project. It is now equipped with a new telescope mirror and new detection optics, which facilitate atmospheric profiling from 450m above sea level up to the mid-stratosphere. KARL provides highly resolved profiles of the scattering characteristics of aerosol and cloud particles (backscattering, extinction and depolarization) as well as water vapor profiles within the lower troposphere. Combination of KARL data with data from other instruments on site, namely radiosondes, sun photometer, Micro Pulse LIDAR, and tethersonde system, resulted in a comprehensive data set of scattering phenomena in the Arctic atmosphere. The two spring periods March and April 2007 and 2009 were at first analyzed based on meteorological parameters, like local temperature and relative humidity profiles as well as large scale pressure patterns and air mass origin regions. Here, it was not possible to find a clear correlation between enhanced AOD and air mass origin. However, in a comparison of two cloud free periods in March 2007 and April 2009, large AOD values in 2009 coincided with air mass transport through the central Arctic. This suggests the occurrence of aerosol transformation processes during the aerosol transport to Ny-{\AA}lesund. Measurements on 4 April 2009 revealed maximum AOD values of up to 0.12 and aerosol size distributions changing with altitude. This and other performed case studies suggest the differentiation between three aerosol event types and their origin: Vertically limited aerosol layers in dry air, highly variable hygroscopic boundary layer aerosols and enhanced aerosol load across wide portions of the troposphere. For the spring period 2007, the available KARL data were statistically analyzed using a characterization scheme, which is based on optical characteristics of the scattering particles. The scheme was validated using several case studies. Volcanic eruptions in the northern hemisphere in August 2008 and June 2009 arose the opportunity to analyze volcanic aerosol layers within the stratosphere. The rate of stratospheric AOD change was similar within both years with maximum values above 0.1 about three to five weeks after the respective eruption. In both years, the stratospheric AOD persisted at higher rates than usual until the measurements were stopped in late September due to technical reasons. In 2008, up to three aerosol layers were detected, the layer structure in 2009 was characterized by up to six distinct and thin layers which smeared out to one broad layer after about two months. The lowermost aerosol layer was continuously detected at the tropopause altitude. Three case studies were performed, all revealed rather large indices of refraction of m = (1.53-1.55) - 0.02i, suggesting the presence of an absorbing carbonaceous component. The particle radius, derived with inversion calculations, was also similar in both years with values ranging from 0.16 to 0.19 μm. However, in 2009, a second mode in the size distribution was detected at about 0.5 μm. The long term measurements with the Koldewey Aerosol Raman LIDAR in Ny-{\AA}lesund provide the opportunity to study Arctic aerosols in the troposphere and the stratosphere not only in case studies but on longer time scales. In this PhD thesis, both, tropospheric aerosols in the Arctic spring and stratospheric aerosols following volcanic eruptions have been described qualitatively and quantitatively. Case studies and comparative studies with data of other instruments on site allowed for the analysis of microphysical aerosol characteristics and their temporal evolution.}, language = {en} } @phdthesis{Kraupner2011, author = {Kraupner, Alexander}, title = {Neuartige Synthese magnetischer Nanostrukturen: Metallcarbide und Metallnitride der {\"U}bergangsmetalle Fe/Co/Ni}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:kobv:517-opus-52314}, school = {Universit{\"a}t Potsdam}, year = {2011}, abstract = {Magnetische Nanopartikel bieten ein großes Potential, da sie einerseits die Eigenschaften ihrer Bulk-Materialien besitzen und anderseits, auf Grund ihrer Gr{\"o}ße, {\"u}ber komplett unterschiedliche magnetische Eigenschaften verf{\"u}gen k{\"o}nnen; Superparamagnetismus ist eine dieser Eigenschaften. Die meisten etablierten Anwendungen magnetischer Nanopartikel basieren heutzutage auf Eisenoxiden. Diese bieten gute magnetische Eigenschaften, sind chemisch relativ stabil, ungiftig und lassen sich auf vielen Synthesewegen relativ einfach herstellen. Die magnetischen Eigenschaften der Eisenoxide sind materialabh{\"a}ngig aber begrenzt, weshalb nach anderen Verbindungen mit besseren Eigenschaften gesucht werden muss. Eisencarbid (Fe3C) kann eine dieser Verbindungen sein. Dieses besitzt vergleichbare positive Eigenschaften wie Eisenoxid, jedoch viel bessere magnetische Eigenschaften, speziell eine h{\"o}here S{\"a}ttigungsmagnetisierung. Bis jetzt wurde Fe3C haupts{\"a}chlich in Gasphasenabscheidungsprozessen synthetisiert oder als Nebenprodukt bei der Synthese von Kohlenstoffstrukturen gefunden. Eine Methode, mit der gezielt Fe3C-Nanopartikel und andere Metallcarbide synthetisiert werden k{\"o}nnen, ist die „Harnstoff-Glas-Route". Neben den Metallcarbiden k{\"o}nnen mit dieser Methode auch die entsprechenden Metallnitride synthetisiert werden, was die breite Anwendbarkeit der Methode unterstreicht. Die „Harnstoff-Glas-Route" ist eine Kombination eines Sol-Gel-Prozesses mit einer anschließenden carbothermalen Reduktion/Nitridierung bei h{\"o}heren Temperaturen. Sie bietet den Vorteil einer einfachen und schnellen Synthese verschiedener Metallcarbide/nitride. Der Schwerpunkt in dieser Arbeit lag auf der Synthese von Eisencarbiden/nitriden, aber auch Nickel und Kobalt wurden betrachtet. Durch die Variation der Syntheseparameter konnten verschiedene Eisencarbid/nitrid Nanostrukturen synthetisiert werden. Fe3C-Nanopartikel im Gr{\"o}ßenbereich von d = 5 - 10 nm konnten, durch die Verwendung von Eisenchlorid, hergestellt werden. Die Nanopartikel weisen durch ihre geringe Gr{\"o}ße superparamagnetische Eigenschaften auf und besitzen, im Vergleich zu Eisenoxid Nanopartikeln im gleichen Gr{\"o}ßenbereich, eine h{\"o}here S{\"a}ttigungsmagnetisierung. Diese konnten in fortf{\"u}hrenden Experimenten erfolgreich in ionischen Fl{\"u}ssigkeiten und durch ein Polymer-Coating, im w{\"a}ssrigen Medium, dispergiert werden. Desweiteren wurde durch ein Templatieren mit kolloidalem Silika eine mesopor{\"o}se Fe3C-Nanostruktur hergestellt. Diese konnte erfolgreich in der katalytischen Spaltung von Ammoniak getestet werden. Mit der Verwendung von Eisenacetylacetonat konnten neben Fe3C-Nanopartikeln, nur durch Variation der Reaktionsparameter, auch Fe7C3- und Fe3N-Nanopartikel synthetisiert werden. Speziell f{\"u}r die Fe3C-Nanopartikel konnte die S{\"a}ttigungsmagnetisierung, im Vergleich zu den mit Eisenchlorid synthetisierten Nanopartikeln, nochmals erh{\"o}ht werden. Versuche mit Nickelacetat f{\"u}hrten zu Nickelnitrid (Ni3N) Nanokristallen. Eine zus{\"a}tzliche metallische Nickelphase f{\"u}hrte zu einer Selbstorganisation der Partikel in Scheiben-{\"a}hnliche {\"U}berstrukturen. Mittels Kobaltacetat konnten, in Sph{\"a}ren aggregierte, metallische Kobalt Nanopartikel synthetisiert werden. Kobaltcarbid/nitrid war mit den gegebenen Syntheseparametern nicht zug{\"a}nglich.}, language = {de} } @phdthesis{Gomolka2011, author = {Gomolka, Johannes}, title = {Algorithmic Trading}, publisher = {Universit{\"a}tsverlag Potsdam}, address = {Potsdam}, isbn = {978-3-86956-125-7}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:kobv:517-opus-51009}, school = {Universit{\"a}t Potsdam}, pages = {383}, year = {2011}, abstract = {Die Elektronisierung der Finanzm{\"a}rkte ist in den letzten Jahren weit vorangeschritten. Praktisch jede B{\"o}rse verf{\"u}gt {\"u}ber ein elektronisches Handelssystem. In diesem Kontext beschreibt der Begriff Algorithmic Trading ein Ph{\"a}nomen, bei dem Computerprogramme den Menschen im Wertpapierhandel ersetzen. Sie helfen dabei Investmententscheidungen zu treffen oder Transaktionen durchzuf{\"u}hren. Algorithmic Trading selbst ist dabei nur eine unter vielen Innovationen, welche die Entwicklung des B{\"o}rsenhandels gepr{\"a}gt haben. Hier sind z.B. die Erfindung der Telegraphie, des Telefons, des FAX oder der elektronische Wertpapierabwicklung zu nennen. Die Frage ist heute nicht mehr, ob Computerprogramme im B{\"o}rsenhandel eingesetzt werden. Sondern die Frage ist, wo die Grenze zwischen vollautomatischem B{\"o}rsenhandel (durch Computer) und manuellem B{\"o}rsenhandel (von Menschen) verl{\"a}uft. Bei der Erforschung von Algorithmic Trading wird die Wissenschaft mit dem Problem konfrontiert, dass keinerlei Informationen {\"u}ber diese Computerprogramme zug{\"a}nglich sind. Die Idee dieser Dissertation bestand darin, dieses Problem zu umgehen und Informationen {\"u}ber Algorithmic Trading indirekt aus der Analyse von (Fonds-)Renditen zu extrahieren. Johannes Gomolka untersucht daher die Forschungsfrage, ob sich Aussagen {\"u}ber computergesteuerten Wertpapierhandel (kurz: Algorithmic Trading) aus der Analyse von (Fonds-)Renditen ziehen lassen. Zur Beantwortung dieser Forschungsfrage formuliert der Autor eine neue Definition von Algorithmic Trading und unterscheidet mit Buy-Side und Sell-Side Algorithmic Trading zwei grundlegende Funktionen der Computerprogramme (die Entscheidungs- und die Transaktionsunterst{\"u}tzung). F{\"u}r seine empirische Untersuchung greift Gomolka auf das Multifaktorenmodell zur Style-Analyse von Fung und Hsieh (1997) zur{\"u}ck. Mit Hilfe dieses Modells ist es m{\"o}glich, die Zeitreihen von Fondsrenditen in interpretierbare Grundbestandteile zu zerlegen und den einzelnen Regressionsfaktoren eine inhaltliche Bedeutung zuzuordnen. Die Ergebnisse dieser Dissertation zeigen, dass man mit Hilfe der Style-Analyse Aussagen {\"u}ber Algorithmic Trading aus der Analyse von (Fonds-)Renditen machen kann. Die Aussagen sind jedoch keiner technischen Natur, sondern auf die Analyse von Handelsstrategien (Investment-Styles) begrenzt.}, language = {de} } @phdthesis{Schatz2011, author = {Schatz, Daniela}, title = {LNA-clamp-PCR zum sensitiven Nachweis von Punktmutationen im Rahmen der Entwicklung eines Darmkrebsfr{\"u}herkennungstests}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:kobv:517-opus-52308}, school = {Universit{\"a}t Potsdam}, year = {2011}, abstract = {Darmkrebs ist die zweith{\"a}ufigste malignombedingte Todesursache in den westlichen Industriel{\"a}ndern. Durch eine fr{\"u}hzeitige Diagnose besteht jedoch eine hohe Chance auf Heilung. Der Goldstandard zur Darmkrebsfr{\"u}herkennung ist gegenw{\"a}rtig die Koloskopie. Eine Darmspiegelung ist jedoch invasiv und mit Unannehmlichkeiten f{\"u}r den Patienten verbunden. Die Akzeptanz in der Bev{\"o}lkerung ist daher gering. Ziel des BMBF- Projektes „Entwicklung eines nichtinvasiven Nachweissystems zur Fr{\"u}herkennung von humanem Darmkrebs", in dessen Rahmen diese Arbeit entstand, ist die Bereitstellung eines nichtinvasiven Nachweisverfahrens zur Darmkrebsfr{\"u}herkennung. Der Nachweis soll {\"u}ber die Detektion von aus neoplastischen Zellen stammender DNA in Stuhl erfolgen. Die Entartung dieser Zellen beruht auf Ver{\"a}nderungen im Erbgut, welches unter anderem Mutationen sind. Im ersten Teil des BMBF-Projektes wurde ein Set von Mutationen zusammengestellt, welches eine hohe Sensitivit{\"a}t f{\"u}r Vorstufen von Darmkrebs aufweist. Ziel dieser Arbeit war es, eine Nachweismethode f{\"u}r die zuvor identifizierten Punktmutationen zu entwickeln. Das Nachweisverfahren musste dabei unempfindlich gegen einen hohen Hintergrund nichtmutierter DNA sein, da im Stuhl geringe Mengen DNA aus neoplastischen Zellen bei einem hohen Hintergrund von DNA aus gesunden Zellen vorliegen. Hierzu wurden Plasmidmodellsysteme f{\"u}r die aus dem Marker-Set stammenden Genfragmente BRAF und dessen Mutante V600E, CTNNB1 und T41I, T41A, S45P und K-ras G12C hergestellt. Mit Hilfe dieser Plasmidmodellsysteme wurde dann das Nachweissystem entwickelt. Der entscheidende Schritt f{\"u}r die Detektion von Punktmutationen bei hohem Wildtyp{\"u}berschuss ist eine vorhergehende Anreicherung. In der vorliegenden Arbeit wurde dazu die Methode der LNA-clamp-PCR (locked nucleic acid) etabliert. Die Bewertung der erzielten Anreicherung erfolgte {\"u}ber das relative Detektionslimit. Zur Bestimmung des Detektionslimits wurde die Schmelzkurvenanalyse von Hybridisierungssonden eingesetzt; diese wurde im Rahmen dieser Arbeit f{\"u}r die drei oben genannten Genfragmente und ihre Mutanten entwickelt. Die LNA-clamp-PCR wird in Anwesenheit eines LNA-Blockers durchgef{\"u}hrt. Das Nukleotidanalogon LNA weist im Vergleich zu DNA eine erh{\"o}hte Affinit{\"a}t zu komplement{\"a}ren DNA-Str{\"a}ngen auf. Gleichzeitig kommt es bei Anwesenheit einer Basenfehlpaarung zu einer gr{\"o}ßeren Destabilisierung der Bindung. Als Blocker werden kurze LNA-DNA-Hybridoligonukleotide eingesetzt, die den mutierten Sequenzbereich {\"u}berspannen und selbst der Wildtypsequenz entsprechen. Durch Bindung an die Wildtypsequenz wird deren Amplifikation w{\"a}hrend der PCR verhindert (clamp = arretieren, festklemmen). Der Blocker selbst wird dabei nicht verl{\"a}ngert. Der Blocker bindet unter optimalen Bedingungen jedoch nicht an die mutierte Sequenz. Die Mutante wird daher ungehindert amplifiziert und somit gegen{\"u}ber dem Wildtyp-Fragment angereichert. Die Position des Blockers kann im Bindungsbereich eines der Primer sein und hier dessen Hybridisierung an dem Wildtyp-Fragment verhindern oder zwischen den beiden Primern liegen und so die Synthese durch die Polymerase inhibieren. Die Anwendbarkeit beider Systeme wurde in dieser Arbeit gezeigt. Die LNA-clamp-PCR mit Primerblocker wurde f{\"u}r BRAF etabliert. Es wurde ein Detektionslimit von mindestens 1:100 erzielt. Die LNA-clamp-PCR mit Amplifikationsblocker wurde erfolgreich f{\"u}r BRAF, K-ras und CTNNB1: T41I, T41A mit einem Detektionslimit von 1:1000 bis 1:10 000 entwickelt. In Stuhlproben liegt DNA aus neoplastischen Zellen nach Literaturangaben zu einem Anteil von 1\% bis 0,1\% vor. Die LNA-clamp-PCR weist also mit Amplifikationsblockern ein ausreichend hohes Detektionslimit f{\"u}r die Analyse von Stuhlproben auf. Durch die erfolgreiche Etablierung der Methode auf drei verschiedenen Genfragmenten und vier unterschiedlichen Punktmutationen konnte deren universelle Einsetzbarkeit gezeigt werden. F{\"u}r die Ausweitung der LNA-clamp-PCR auf die {\"u}brigen Mutationen des Marker-Sets wurden Richtlinien ausgearbeitet und die Blockereffizienz als Kennzahl eingef{\"u}hrt. Die LNA-clamp-PCR ist ein schnelles, kosteng{\"u}nstiges Verfahren, welches einen geringen Arbeitsaufwand erfordert und wenig fehleranf{\"a}llig ist. Sie ist somit ein geeignetes Anreicherungsverfahren f{\"u}r Punktmutationen in einem diagnostischen System zur Darmkrebsfr{\"u}herkennung. Dar{\"u}ber hinaus kann die LNA-clamp-PCR auch in anderen Bereichen, in denen die Detektion von Punktmutationen in einem hohen Wildtyphintergrund erforderlich ist, eingesetzt werden.}, language = {de} } @phdthesis{Wichura2011, author = {Wichura, Henry}, title = {Topographic evolution of the East African Plateau : a combined study on lava-flow modeling and paleo-topography}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:kobv:517-opus-52363}, school = {Universit{\"a}t Potsdam}, year = {2011}, abstract = {The East African Plateau provides a spectacular example of geodynamic plateau uplift, active continental rifting, and associated climatic forcing. It is an integral part of the East African Rift System and has an average elevation of approximately 1,000 m. Its location coincides with a negative Bouguer gravity anomaly with a semi-circular shape, closely related to a mantle plume, which influences the Cenozoic crustal development since its impingement in Eocene-Oligocene time. The uplift of the East African Plateau, preceding volcanism, and rifting formed an important orographic barrier and tectonically controlled environment, which is profoundly influenced by climate driven processes. Its location within the equatorial realm supports recently proposed hypotheses, that topographic changes in this region must be considered as the dominant forcing factor influencing atmospheric circulation patterns and rainfall distribution. The uplift of this region has therefore often been associated with fundamental climatic and environmental changes in East Africa and adjacent regions. While the far-reaching influence of the plateau uplift is widely accepted, the timing and the magnitude of the uplift are ambiguous and are still subject to ongoing discussion. This dilemma stems from the lack of datable, geomorphically meaningful reference horizons that could record surface uplift. In order to quantify the amount of plateau uplift and to find evidence for the existence of significant relief along the East African Plateau prior to rifting, I analyzed and modeled one of the longest terrestrial lava flows; the 300-km-long Yatta phonolite flow in Kenya. This lava flow is 13.5 Ma old and originated in the region that now corresponds to the eastern rift shoulders. The phonolitic flow utilized an old riverbed that once drained the eastern flank of the plateau. Due to differential erosion this lava flow now forms a positive relief above the parallel-flowing Athi River, which is mimicking the course of the paleo-river. My approach is a lava-flow modeling, based on an improved composition and temperature dependent method to parameterize the flow of an arbitrary lava in a rectangular-shaped channel. The essential growth pattern is described by a one-dimensional model, in which Newtonian rheological flow advance is governed by the development of viscosity and/or velocity in the internal parts of the lava-flow front. Comparing assessments of different magma compositions reveal that length-dominated, channelized lava flows are characterized by high effusion rates, rapid emplacement under approximately isothermal conditions, and laminar flow. By integrating the Yatta lava flow dimensions and the covered paleo-topography (slope angle) into the model, I was able to determine the pre-rift topography of the East African Plateau. The modeling results yield a pre-rift slope of at least 0.2°, suggesting that the lava flow must have originated at a minimum elevation of 1,400 m. Hence, high topography in the region of the present-day Kenya Rift must have existed by at least 13.5 Ma. This inferred mid-Miocene uplift coincides with the two-step expansion of grasslands, as well as important radiation and speciation events in tropical Africa. Accordingly, the combination of my results regarding the Yatta lava flow emplacement history, its location, and its morphologic character, validates it as a suitable "paleo-tiltmeter" and has thus to be considered as an important topographic and volcanic feature for the topographic evolution in East Africa.}, language = {en} } @phdthesis{tenBrummelhuis2011, author = {ten Brummelhuis, Niels}, title = {Self-assembly of cross-linked polymer micelles into complex higher-order aggregates}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:kobv:517-opus-52320}, school = {Universit{\"a}t Potsdam}, year = {2011}, abstract = {The creation of complex polymer structures has been one of the major research topics over the last couple of decades. This work deals with the synthesis of (block co-)polymers, the creation of complex and stimuli-responsive aggregates by self-assembly, and the cross-linking of these structures. Also the higher-order self-assembly of the aggregates is investigated. The formation of poly-2-oxazoline based micelles in aqueous solution and their simultaneous functionalization and cross-linking using thiol-yne chemistry is e.g. presented. By introducing pH responsive thiols in the core of the micelles the influence of charged groups in the core of micelles on the entire structure can be studied. The charging of these groups leads to a swelling of the core and a decrease in the local concentration of the corona forming block (poly(2-ethyl-2-oxazoline)). This decrease in concentration yields a shift in the cloud point temperature to higher temperatures for this Type I thermoresponsive polymer. When the swelling of the core is prohibited, e.g. by the introduction of sufficient amounts of salt, this behavior disappears. Similar structures can be prepared using complex coacervate core micelles (C3Ms) built through the interaction of weakly acidic and basic polymer blocks. The advantage of these structures is that two different stabilizing blocks can be incorporated, which allows for more diverse and complex structures and behavior of the micelles. Using block copolymers with either a polyanionic or a polycationic block C3Ms could be created with a corona which contains two different soluble nonionic polymers, which either have a mixed corona or a Janus type corona, depending on the polymers that were chosen. Using NHS and EDC the micelles could easily be cross-linked by the formation of amide bonds in the core of the micelles. The higher-order self-assembly behavior of these core cross-linked complex coacervate core micelles (C5Ms) was studied. Due to the cross-linking the micelles are stabilized towards changes in pH and ionic strength, but polymer chains are also no longer able to rearrange. For C5Ms with a mixed corona likely network structures were formed upon the collapse of the thermoresponsive poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) (PNIPAAm), whereas for Janus type C5Ms well defined spherical aggregates of micelles could be obtained, depending on the pH of the solution. Furthermore it could be shown that Janus micelles can adsorb onto inorganic nanoparticles such as colloidal silica (through a selective interaction between PEO and the silica surface) or gold nanoparticles (by the binding of thiol end-groups). Asymmetric aggregates were also formed using the streptavidin-biotin binding motive. This is achieved by using three out of the four binding sites of streptavidin for the binding of one three-arm star polymer, end-functionalized with biotin groups. A homopolymer with one biotin end-group can be used to occupy the last position. This binding of two different polymers makes it possible to create asymmetric complexes. This phase separation is theoretically independent of the kind of polymer since the structure of the protein is the driving force, not the intrinsic phase separation between polymers. Besides Janus structures also specific cross-linking can be achieved by using other mixing ratios.}, language = {en} } @phdthesis{AndradeLinares2011, author = {Andrade Linares, Diana Roc{\´i}o}, title = {Characterization of tomato root-endophytic fungi and analysis of their effects on plant development, on fruit yield and quality and on interaction with the pathogen Verticillium dahliae}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:kobv:517-opus-51375}, school = {Universit{\"a}t Potsdam}, year = {2011}, abstract = {Non-mycorrhizal fungal endophytes are able to colonize internally roots without causing visible disease symptoms establishing neutral or mutualistic associations with plants. These fungi known as non-clavicipitaceous endophytes have a broad host range of monocot and eudicot plants and are highly diverse. Some of them promote plant growth and confer increased abiotic-stress tolerance and disease resistance. According to such possible effects on host plants, it was aimed to isolate and to characterize native fungal root endophytes from tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum Mill.) and to analyze their effects on plant development, plant resistance and fruit yield and quality together with the model endophyte Piriformospora indica. Fifty one new fungal strains were isolated from desinfected tomato roots of four different crop sites in Colombia. These isolates were roughly characterized and fourteen potential endophytes were further analyzed concerning their taxonomy, their root colonization capacity and their impact on plant growth. Sequencing of the ITS region from the ribosomal RNA gene cluster and in-depth morphological characterisation revealed that they correspond to different phylogenetic groups among the phylum Ascomycota. Nine different morphotypes were described including six dark septate endophytes (DSE) that did not correspond to the Phialocephala group. Detailed confocal microscopy analysis showed various colonization patterns of the endophytes inside the roots ranging from epidermal penetration to hyphal growth through the cortex. Tomato pot experiments under glass house conditions showed that they differentially affect plant growth depending on colonization time and inoculum concentration. Three new isolates (two unknown fungal endophyte DSE48, DSE49 and one identified as Leptodontidium orchidicola) with neutral or positiv effects were selected and tested in several experiments for their influence on vegetative growth, fruit yield and quality and their ability to diminish the impact of the pathogen Verticillium dahliae on tomato plants. Although plant growth promotion by all three fungi was observed in young plants, vegetative growth parameters were not affected after 22 weeks of cultivation except a reproducible increase of root diameter by the endophyte DSE49. Additionally, L. orchidicola increased biomass and glucose content of tomato fruits, but only at an early date of harvest and at a certain level of root colonization. Concerning bioprotective effects, the endophytes DSE49 and L. orchidicola decreased significantly disease symptoms caused by the pathogen V. dahliae, but only at a low dosis of the pathogen. In order to analyze, if the model root endophytic fungus Piriformospora indica could be suitable for application in production systems, its impact on tomato was evaluated. Similarly to the new fungal isolates, significant differences for vegetative growth parameters were only observable in young plants and, but protection against V. dahliae could be seen in one experiment also at high dosage of the pathogen. As the DSE L. orchidicola, P. indica increased the number and biomass of marketable tomatoes only at the beginning of fruit setting, but this did not lead to a significant higher total yield. If the effects on growth are due to a better nutrition of the plant with mineral element was analyzed in barley in comparison to the arbuscular mycorrhizal fungus Glomus mosseae. While the mycorrhizal fungus increased nitrogen and phosphate uptake of the plant, no such effect was observed for P. indica. In summary this work shows that many different fungal endophytes can be also isolated from roots of crops and, that these isolates can have positive effects on early plant development. This does, however, not lead to an increase in total yield or in improvement of fruit quality of tomatoes under greenhouse conditions.}, language = {en} } @phdthesis{Pfeifer2011, author = {Pfeifer, Sebastian}, title = {Neue Ans{\"a}tze zur Monomersequenzkontrolle in synthetischen Polymeren}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:kobv:517-opus-51385}, school = {Universit{\"a}t Potsdam}, year = {2011}, abstract = {Von der Natur geschaffene Polymere faszinieren Polymerforscher durch ihre spezielle auf eine bestimmte Aufgabe ausgerichtete Funktionalit{\"a}t. Diese ergibt sich aus ihrer Bausteinabfolge uber die Ausbildung von Uberstrukturen. Dazu z{\"a}hlen zum Beispiel Proteine (Eiweiße), aus deren Gestalt sich wichtige Eigenschaften ergeben. Diese Struktureigenschaftsbeziehung gilt ebenso f{\"u}r funktionelle synthetische Makromolek{\"u}le. Demzufolge kann die Kontrolle der Monomersequenz in Polymeren bedeutend f{\"u}r die resultierende Form des Polymermolek{\"u}ls sein. Obwohl die Synthese von synthetischen Polymeren mit der Komplexit{\"a}t und der Gr{\"o}ße von Proteinen in absehbarer Zeit wahrscheinlich nicht gelingen wird, k{\"o}nnen wir von der Natur lernen, um neuartige Polymermaterialien mit definierten Strukturen (Sequenzen) zu synthetisieren. Deshalb ist die Entwicklung neuer und besserer Techniken zur Strukturkontrolle von großem Interesse f{\"u}r die Synthese von Makromolek{\"u}len, die perfekt auf ihre Funktion zugeschnitten sind. Im Gegensatz zu der Anzahl fortgeschrittener Synthesestrategien zum Design aus- gefallener Polymerarchitekturen - wie zum Beispiel Sterne oder baumartige Polymere (Dendrimere) - gibt es vergleichsweise wenig Ans{\"a}tze zur echten Sequenzkontrolle in synthetischen Polymeren. Diese Arbeit stellt zwei unterschiedliche Techniken vor, mit denen die Monomersequenz innerhalb eines Polymers kontrolliert werden kann. Gerade bei den großtechnisch bedeutsamen radikalischen Polymerisationen ist die Sequenzkontrolle schwierig, weil die chemischen Bausteine (Monomere) sehr reaktiv sind. Im ersten Teil dieser Arbeit werden die Eigenschaften zweier Monomere (Styrol und N-substituiertes Maleinimid) geschickt ausgenutzt, um in eine Styrolkette definierte und lokal scharf abgegrenzte Funktionssequenzen einzubauen. Uber eine kontrollierte radikalische Polymerisationsmethode (ATRP) wurden in einer Ein-Topf-Synthese {\"u}ber das N-substituierte Maleinimid chemische Funktionen an einer beliebigen Stelle der Polystyrolkette eingebaut. Es gelang ebenfalls, vier unterschiedliche Funktionen in einer vorgegebenen Sequenz in die Polymerkette einzubauen. Diese Technik wurde an zwanzig verschiedenen N-substituierten Maleinimiden getestet, die meisten konnten erfolgreich in die Polymerkette integriert werden. In dem zweiten in dieser Arbeit vorgestellten Ansatz zur Sequenzkontrolle, wurde der schrittweise Aufbau eines Oligomers aus hydrophoben und hydrophilen Segmenten (ω-Alkin-Carbons{\"a}ure bzw. α-Amin-ω-Azid-Oligoethylenglycol) an einem l{\"o}slichen Polymertr{\"a}ger durchgef{\"u}hrt. Das Oligomer konnte durch die geschickte Auswahl der Verkn{\"u}pfungsreaktionen ohne Schutzgruppenstrategie synthetisiert werden. Der l{\"o}sliche Polymertr{\"a}ger aus Polystyrol wurde mittels ATRP selbst synthetisiert. Dazu wurde ein Startreagenz (Initiator) entwickelt, das in der Mitte einen s{\"a}urelabilen Linker, auf der einen Seite die initiierende Einheit und auf der anderen die Ankergruppe f{\"u}r die Anbindung des ersten Segments tr{\"a}gt. Der l{\"o}sliche Polymertr{\"a}ger erm{\"o}glichte einerseits die schrittweise Synthese in L{\"o}sung. Andererseits konnten {\"u}bersch{\"u}ssige Reagenzien und Nebenprodukte zwischen den Reaktionsschritten durch F{\"a}llung in einem Nicht-L{\"o}sungsmittel einfach abgetrennt werden. Der Linker erm{\"o}glichte die Abtrennung des Oligomers aus jeweils drei hydrophoben und hydrophilen Einheiten nach der Synthese.}, language = {de} }