@article{Friedlein2024, author = {Friedlein, Nicole}, title = {Promoting individual health tesponsibility in the welfare state}, series = {European journal of health law}, journal = {European journal of health law}, publisher = {Brill Nijhoff}, address = {Leiden}, issn = {1571-8093}, doi = {10.1163/15718093-bja10128}, pages = {1 -- 12}, year = {2024}, abstract = {The public health insurance in Germany will face huge economic challenges in the upcoming years. New diagnostic and therapeutic methods as well as the demographic change contribute to constantly rising expenditure. Although incentives for health-promoting behaviour or financial sanctions for an unhealthy lifestyle have been already discussed in the past, there has been a general reluctance to legally establish corresponding mechanisms for fear of eroding solidarity and increasing state control. In the course of the Coronavirus pandemic however, a stronger awareness rose to the fact that personal health-related life choices can have a huge impact on the stability of the healthcare system including public health insurance. Not only in Germany but throughout much of Europe, the pandemic led to a new and more fundamental debate about the relationship between individual responsibility for personal health and the wider responsibility for public health assumed by the community of solidarity.}, language = {en} } @article{CaliendoCobbClarkSilvaGoncalvesetal.2024, author = {Caliendo, Marco and Cobb-Clark, Deborah A. and Silva-Goncalves, Juliana and Uhlendorff, Arne}, title = {Locus of control and the preference for agency}, series = {European economic review}, volume = {165}, journal = {European economic review}, number = {104737}, publisher = {Elsevier}, address = {Amsterdam}, issn = {0014-2921}, doi = {10.1016/j.euroecorev.2024.104737}, pages = {24}, year = {2024}, abstract = {We conduct a laboratory experiment to study how locus of control operates through people's preferences and beliefs to influence their decisions. Using the principal-agent setting of the delegation game, we test four key channels that conceptually link locus of control to decision-making: (i) preference for agency, (ii) optimism and (iii) confidence regarding the return to effort, and (iv) illusion of control. Knowing the return and cost of stated effort, principals either retain or delegate the right to make an investment decision that generates payoffs for themselves and their agents. Extending the game to the context in which the return to stated effort is unknown allows us to explicitly study the relationship between locus of control and beliefs about the return to effort. We find that internal locus of control is linked to the preference for agency, an effect that is driven by women. We find no evidence that locus of control influences optimism and confidence about the return to stated effort, or that it operates through an illusion of control.}, language = {en} } @phdthesis{Sharma2024, author = {Sharma, Shubham}, title = {Integrated approaches to earthquake forecasting}, doi = {10.25932/publishup-63612}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:kobv:517-opus4-636125}, school = {Universit{\"a}t Potsdam}, pages = {xvi, 76}, year = {2024}, abstract = {A comprehensive study on seismic hazard and earthquake triggering is crucial for effective mitigation of earthquake risks. The destructive nature of earthquakes motivates researchers to work on forecasting despite the apparent randomness of the earthquake occurrences. Understanding their underlying mechanisms and patterns is vital, given their potential for widespread devastation and loss of life. This thesis combines methodologies, including Coulomb stress calculations and aftershock analysis, to shed light on earthquake complexities, ultimately enhancing seismic hazard assessment. The Coulomb failure stress (CFS) criterion is widely used to predict the spatial distributions of aftershocks following large earthquakes. However, uncertainties associated with CFS calculations arise from non-unique slip inversions and unknown fault networks, particularly due to the choice of the assumed aftershocks (receiver) mechanisms. Recent studies have proposed alternative stress quantities and deep neural network approaches as superior to CFS with predefined receiver mechanisms. To challenge these propositions, I utilized 289 slip inversions from the SRCMOD database to calculate more realistic CFS values for a layered-half space and variable receiver mechanisms. The analysis also investigates the impact of magnitude cutoff, grid size variation, and aftershock duration on the ranking of stress metrics using receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis. Results reveal the performance of stress metrics significantly improves after accounting for receiver variability and for larger aftershocks and shorter time periods, without altering the relative ranking of the different stress metrics. To corroborate Coulomb stress calculations with the findings of earthquake source studies in more detail, I studied the source properties of the 2005 Kashmir earthquake and its aftershocks, aiming to unravel the seismotectonics of the NW Himalayan syntaxis. I simultaneously relocated the mainshock and its largest aftershocks using phase data, followed by a comprehensive analysis of Coulomb stress changes on the aftershock planes. By computing the Coulomb failure stress changes on the aftershock faults, I found that all large aftershocks lie in regions of positive stress change, indicating triggering by either co-seismic or post-seismic slip on the mainshock fault. Finally, I investigated the relationship between mainshock-induced stress changes and associated seismicity parameters, in particular those of the frequency-magnitude (Gutenberg-Richter) distribution and the temporal aftershock decay (Omori-Utsu law). For that purpose, I used my global data set of 127 mainshock-aftershock sequences with the calculated Coulomb Stress (ΔCFS) and the alternative receiver-independent stress metrics in the vicinity of the mainshocks and analyzed the aftershocks properties depend on the stress values. Surprisingly, the results show a clear positive correlation between the Gutenberg-Richter b-value and induced stress, contrary to expectations from laboratory experiments. This observation highlights the significance of structural heterogeneity and strength variations in seismicity patterns. Furthermore, the study demonstrates that aftershock productivity increases nonlinearly with stress, while the Omori-Utsu parameters c and p systematically decrease with increasing stress changes. These partly unexpected findings have significant implications for future estimations of aftershock hazard. The findings in this thesis provides valuable insights into earthquake triggering mechanisms by examining the relationship between stress changes and aftershock occurrence. The results contribute to improved understanding of earthquake behavior and can aid in the development of more accurate probabilistic-seismic hazard forecasts and risk reduction strategies.}, language = {en} } @techreport{BorckMulder2024, type = {Working Paper}, author = {Borck, Rainald and Mulder, Peter}, title = {Energy policies and pollution in two developing country cities}, series = {CEPA Discussion Papers}, journal = {CEPA Discussion Papers}, number = {78}, issn = {2628-653X}, doi = {10.25932/publishup-63847}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:kobv:517-opus4-638472}, pages = {37}, year = {2024}, abstract = {We study the effect of energy and transport policies on pollution in two developing country cities. We use a quantitative equilibrium model with choice of housing, energy use, residential location, transport mode, and energy technology. Pollution comes from commuting and residential energy use. The model parameters are calibrated to replicate key variables for two developing country cities, Maputo, Mozambique, and Yogyakarta, Indonesia. In the counterfactual simulations, we study how various transport and energy policies affect equilibrium pollution. Policies may be induce rebound effects from increasing residential energy use or switching to high emission modes or locations. In general, these rebound effects tend to be largest for subsidies to public transport or modern residential energy technology.}, language = {en} } @techreport{AndresBruttel2024, type = {Working Paper}, author = {Andres, Maximilian and Bruttel, Lisa}, title = {Communicating Cartel Intentions}, series = {CEPA Discussion Papers}, journal = {CEPA Discussion Papers}, number = {77}, issn = {2628-653X}, doi = {10.25932/publishup-63846}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:kobv:517-opus4-638469}, pages = {36}, year = {2024}, abstract = {While the economic harm of cartels is caused by their price-increasing effect, sanctioning by courts rather targets at the underlying process of firms reaching a price-fixing agreement. This paper provides experimental evidence on the question whether such sanctioning meets the economic target, i.e., whether evidence of a collusive meeting of the firms and of the content of their communication reliably predicts subsequent prices. We find that already the mere mutual agreement to meet predicts a strong increase in prices. Conversely, express distancing from communication completely nullifies its otherwise price-increasing effect. Using machine learning, we show that communication only increases prices if it is very explicit about how the cartel plans to behave.}, language = {en} } @phdthesis{Mostafa2024, author = {Mostafa, Amr}, title = {DNA origami nanoforks: A platform for cytochrome c single molecule surface enhanced Raman spectroscopy}, doi = {10.25932/publishup-63548}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:kobv:517-opus4-635482}, school = {Universit{\"a}t Potsdam}, pages = {xi, 90, x}, year = {2024}, abstract = {This thesis presents a comprehensive exploration of the application of DNA origami nanofork antennas (DONAs) in the field of spectroscopy, with a particular focus on the structural analysis of Cytochrome C (CytC) at the single-molecule level. The research encapsulates the design, optimization, and application of DONAs in enhancing the sensitivity and specificity of Raman spectroscopy, thereby offering new insights into protein structures and interactions. The initial phase of the study involved the meticulous optimization of DNA origami structures. This process was pivotal in developing nanoscale tools that could significantly enhance the capabilities of Raman spectroscopy. The optimized DNA origami nanoforks, in both dimer and aggregate forms, demonstrated an enhanced ability to detect and analyze molecular vibrations, contributing to a more nuanced understanding of protein dynamics. A key aspect of this research was the comparative analysis between the dimer and aggregate forms of DONAs. This comparison revealed that while both configurations effectively identified oxidation and spin states of CytC, the aggregate form offered a broader range of detectable molecular states due to its prolonged signal emission and increased number of molecules. This extended duration of signal emission in the aggregates was attributed to the collective hotspot area, enhancing overall signal stability and sensitivity. Furthermore, the study delved into the analysis of the Amide III band using the DONA system. Observations included a transient shift in the Amide III band's frequency, suggesting dynamic alterations in the secondary structure of CytC. These shifts, indicative of transitions between different protein structures, were crucial in understanding the protein's functional mechanisms and interactions. The research presented in this thesis not only contributes significantly to the field of spectroscopy but also illustrates the potential of interdisciplinary approaches in biosensing. The use of DNA origami-based systems in spectroscopy has opened new avenues for research, offering a detailed and comprehensive understanding of protein structures and interactions. The insights gained from this research are expected to have lasting implications in scientific fields ranging from drug development to the study of complex biochemical pathways. This thesis thus stands as a testament to the power of integrating nanotechnology, biochemistry, and spectroscopic techniques in addressing complex scientific questions.}, language = {en} } @misc{Munk2024, type = {Master Thesis}, author = {Munk, Sarah Chaya}, title = {The Messianic Jewish Movement and its relation to Torah}, doi = {10.25932/publishup-63644}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:kobv:517-opus4-636441}, school = {Universit{\"a}t Potsdam}, pages = {110}, year = {2024}, abstract = {Die vorliegende Arbeit zur Messianisch J{\"u}dischen Bewegung und ihrer Beziehung zur Torah erforscht exemplarisch anhand von 10 Interviews mit ausgew{\"a}hlten Jeshua-gl{\"a}ubigen Juden in Leitungsfunktionen die verschiedenen Aspekte der Beziehung zur Torah. Dabei entsteht durch die Auswahl der Interviewpartner eine f{\"u}r die Bewegung als ganze typische Bandbreite von verschiedenen Positionen, die sich zwar in vielen Punkten {\"u}berlappen, doch vielfach grundverschieden sind und zum Teil einander widersprechen. Besonderes Augenmerk wird auf die theologisch begr{\"u}ndeten, divergenten und sich widersprechenden Positionen gelegt, mit dem Versuch, diese verst{\"a}ndlich zu machen. Nach einer kurzen Einf{\"u}hrung zur Messianisch J{\"u}dischen Bewegung werden Aspekte der Messianisch-J{\"u}dischen Doppelidentit{\"a}t beleuchtet und ihre Relevanz f{\"u}r die Beziehung zur Torah aufgezeigt. Diesem folgt ein {\"U}berblick {\"u}ber die Foren, in denen Jeshua-gl{\"a}ubige Juden {\"u}ber ihre Beziehung zur Torah diskutieren. Die umfangreiche Bibliographie am Ende der Arbeit erlaubt Einblick in einen lebhaften, noch l{\"a}ngst nicht abgeschlossenen Diskussionsprozess innerhalb der Bewegung. Eine knapp kommentierte Begriffsdifferenzierung dient als {\"U}bersicht {\"u}ber die wichtigsten Bedeutungen von Torah, die in der Messianisch J{\"u}dischen Bewegung Verwendung finden. Nach diesen Vorarbeiten wird die Feldstudie pr{\"a}sentiert. Eine Beschreibung des Forschungsfeldes und methodologische Reflexionen sind den Interviews vorangestellt. In den Interviews werden zun{\"a}chst die Assoziationen mit dem Begriff Torah erfasst und die begriffliche F{\"u}llung und Verwendung gekl{\"a}rt. Hier schon zeigen sich einige gravierende Unterschiede. Die theologischen Positionen und Verst{\"a}ndnisse von Torah werden mit dem biographischen Kontext und Hauptwirkungsfeld und mit Nennung der wichtigsten formenden Einfl{\"u}sse dargestellt. Festgehalten werden zun{\"a}chst die Punkte, in denen bei allen {\"U}bereinstimmung herrscht, denn sie dienen als gemeinsame Basis. Alle studieren die schriftliche Torah und erachten diese wie auch den {\"u}brigen Tanach und die Schriften des Neuen Testaments in der vorliegenden Form als g{\"o}ttlich inspiriert und autoritativ verbindlich. Alle haben f{\"u}r sich einen positiven Zugang zur Torah, entsprechend ihrer eigenen Begriffsdefinition, gefunden. F{\"u}r alle weist die schriftliche Torah und der Tanach auf Jeshua hin. Alle sind sich einig, dass Jeshua die Torah nicht außer Kraft gesetzt, sondern erf{\"u}llt hat. Und alle f{\"u}hlen als Jude in irgendeiner Weise eine Verantwortung gegen{\"u}ber der Torah. In Bezug auf das Halten von Geboten sagen alle, dass sich keiner dadurch den Weg in den Himmel erwerben kann. G-ttes Treue gegen{\"u}ber Seinen Verheißungen f{\"u}r Israel wird von allen bekr{\"a}ftigt, doch ob der neue Bund in Jeshua den alten Bund vom Berg Sinai abgel{\"o}st hat, oder ob er einfach zum bereits bestehenden Bund von Sinai hinzukommt, ob rituelle Gebote nach Jeshua's Tod und Auferstehung und der Zerst{\"o}rung des Tempels weiter gehalten werden sollen, ob die Gebote zur Absonderung von den Nationen weiter gehalten werden sollen, ob und unter welchen Bedingungen rabbinischer Halacha gefolgt werden soll und was die Einzelnen in ihren Familien und Gemeinden tun und lehren, dies wird Interview um Interview er{\"o}rtert. Es zeigt sich, wie verschiedene Leseweisen und Gewichtungen von Schl{\"u}sselschriftstellen die verschiedenen Positionen hervorbringen. So wie die Verschiedenartigkeit der Positionen in Beziehung zur Torah bereits ahnen l{\"a}sst, sind die Interview-Partner zur Frage nach einer Messianisch J{\"u}dischen Halacha geteilter Meinung. Doch auch hier wird der Begriff Halacha von den Repr{\"a}sentanten verschieden gef{\"u}llt. Zum Schluss der Feldstudie werden die Versuche, Messianisch J{\"u}dische Halacha zu produzieren und die Probleme und Kritikpunkte, die von anderen Interviewpartnern dagegen ge{\"a}ußert wurden erl{\"a}utert. Den Abschluss der Arbeit bilden ein theologischer Rahmen, der all die verschiedenen Positionen und Beziehungen zur Torah fassen kann und einige Ansatzpunkte f{\"u}r eine m{\"o}gliche Messianisch J{\"u}dische hermeneutische Theologie der Torah.}, language = {en} } @inproceedings{Kay2024, author = {Kay, Alex James}, title = {Holocaust Research in Germany}, series = {Hurb{\´a}n Foly{\´o}irat}, volume = {2}, booktitle = {Hurb{\´a}n Foly{\´o}irat}, publisher = {Holokauszt Eml{\´e}kk{\"o}zpont - Holocaust Memorial Center}, address = {Budapest}, organization = {Holocaust Documentation Center and Memorial Collection Public Foundation}, issn = {3004-023X}, pages = {22 -- 28}, year = {2024}, language = {en} } @phdthesis{Huegle2024, author = {Huegle, Johannes}, title = {Causal discovery in practice: Non-parametric conditional independence testing and tooling for causal discovery}, doi = {10.25932/publishup-63582}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:kobv:517-opus4-635820}, school = {Universit{\"a}t Potsdam}, pages = {xiv, 156}, year = {2024}, abstract = {Knowledge about causal structures is crucial for decision support in various domains. For example, in discrete manufacturing, identifying the root causes of failures and quality deviations that interrupt the highly automated production process requires causal structural knowledge. However, in practice, root cause analysis is usually built upon individual expert knowledge about associative relationships. But, "correlation does not imply causation", and misinterpreting associations often leads to incorrect conclusions. Recent developments in methods for causal discovery from observational data have opened the opportunity for a data-driven examination. Despite its potential for data-driven decision support, omnipresent challenges impede causal discovery in real-world scenarios. In this thesis, we make a threefold contribution to improving causal discovery in practice. (1) The growing interest in causal discovery has led to a broad spectrum of methods with specific assumptions on the data and various implementations. Hence, application in practice requires careful consideration of existing methods, which becomes laborious when dealing with various parameters, assumptions, and implementations in different programming languages. Additionally, evaluation is challenging due to the lack of ground truth in practice and limited benchmark data that reflect real-world data characteristics. To address these issues, we present a platform-independent modular pipeline for causal discovery and a ground truth framework for synthetic data generation that provides comprehensive evaluation opportunities, e.g., to examine the accuracy of causal discovery methods in case of inappropriate assumptions. (2) Applying constraint-based methods for causal discovery requires selecting a conditional independence (CI) test, which is particularly challenging in mixed discrete-continuous data omnipresent in many real-world scenarios. In this context, inappropriate assumptions on the data or the commonly applied discretization of continuous variables reduce the accuracy of CI decisions, leading to incorrect causal structures. Therefore, we contribute a non-parametric CI test leveraging k-nearest neighbors methods and prove its statistical validity and power in mixed discrete-continuous data, as well as the asymptotic consistency when used in constraint-based causal discovery. An extensive evaluation of synthetic and real-world data shows that the proposed CI test outperforms state-of-the-art approaches in the accuracy of CI testing and causal discovery, particularly in settings with low sample sizes. (3) To show the applicability and opportunities of causal discovery in practice, we examine our contributions in real-world discrete manufacturing use cases. For example, we showcase how causal structural knowledge helps to understand unforeseen production downtimes or adds decision support in case of failures and quality deviations in automotive body shop assembly lines.}, language = {en} } @phdthesis{Doerries2024, author = {D{\"o}rries, Timo Julian}, title = {Anomalous transport and non-Gaussian dynamics in mobile-immobile models}, doi = {10.25932/publishup-63495}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:kobv:517-opus4-634959}, school = {Universit{\"a}t Potsdam}, pages = {ii, 177}, year = {2024}, abstract = {The mobile-immobile model (MIM) has been established in geoscience in the context of contaminant transport in groundwater. Here the tracer particles effectively immobilise, e.g., due to diffusion into dead-end pores or sorption. The main idea of the MIM is to split the total particle density into a mobile and an immobile density. Individual tracers switch between the mobile and immobile state following a two-state telegraph process, i.e., the residence times in each state are distributed exponentially. In geoscience the focus lies on the breakthrough curve (BTC), which is the concentration at a fixed location over time. We apply the MIM to biological experiments with a special focus on anomalous scaling regimes of the mean squared displacement (MSD) and non-Gaussian displacement distributions. As an exemplary system, we have analysed the motion of tau proteins, that diffuse freely inside axons of neurons. Their free diffusion thereby corresponds to the mobile state of the MIM. Tau proteins stochastically bind to microtubules, which effectively immobilises the tau proteins until they unbind and continue diffusing. Long immobilisation durations compared to the mobile durations give rise to distinct non-Gaussian Laplace shaped distributions. It is accompanied by a plateau in the MSD for initially mobile tracer particles at relevant intermediate timescales. An equilibrium fraction of initially mobile tracers gives rise to non-Gaussian displacements at intermediate timescales, while the MSD remains linear at all times. In another setting bio molecules diffuse in a biosensor and transiently bind to specific receptors, where advection becomes relevant in the mobile state. The plateau in the MSD observed for the advection-free setting and long immobilisation durations persists also for the case with advection. We find a new clear regime of anomalous diffusion with non-Gaussian distributions and a cubic scaling of the MSD. This regime emerges for initially mobile and for initially immobile tracers. For an equilibrium fraction of initially mobile tracers we observe an intermittent ballistic scaling of the MSD. The long-time effective diffusion coefficient is enhanced by advection, which we physically explain with the variance of mobile durations. Finally, we generalize the MIM to incorporate arbitrary immobilisation time distributions and focus on a Mittag-Leffler immobilisation time distribution with power-law tail ~ t^(-1-mu) with 0