Social identity theory has been widely applied to leadership research, highlighting the importance of identity dynamics in the leadership process. Specifically, scholars introduced the concept of identity leadership, holding that leaders can represent, create, advance, and embed a shared sense of “we” within a group. This, in turn, fosters employees’ performance and well-being at work. In my dissertation, I build on the social identity approach to leadership, specifically focusing on identity leadership, and explore connections to personality, empowerment, and inclusion. First, I present a dyad study on relations between leader HEXACO personality traits, narcissism, and employee perception of their leaders’ engagement in identity leadership. Second, I report two studies investigating the unique and combined effects of identity leadership and empowering leadership on employees’ basic psychological need satisfaction and work-related outcomes. Third, I adopt the lens of extended optimal distinctiveness theory to theoretically explore how an employee’s sense of inclusion emerges from the interplay of the employee’s needs at the individual, relational, and collective level of self, with a focus on how a leader can address the employee’s needs at each level. Together, this dissertation aims to integrate the social identity approach to leadership with complementary theoretical perspectives, highlighting the value of applying social identity theorizing to leadership and inclusion research.

In this research, my focus has been on reducing the knowledge gap between secondary metabolism, distribution of compounds in plants, localization of endophytes directly on-tissue and metabolic re-programming of microorganisms. Four different approaches were used to reach this goal. Initially, the distribution of endogenous alkaloids in Conium maculatum was examined through on-tissue derivatization and Mass Spectrometry Imaging (MSI). Coniferyl aldehyde was discovered to be a reliable and practical derivatized agent in hemlock alkaloid detection. These alkaloids, with low molecular weight, were detected in the leaves, roots, stem, and fruit of the plant by Matrix Assisted Laser Desorption/Ionization (MALDI-MSI). With this methodology, it was possible to detect the two most well-known hemlock alkaloids and some additional alkaloids that have been described as tentative constituents of the plant. Also, the key amino acid alanine in the alkaloid biosynthesis was revealed, and the localization of isomeric alkaloids was determined. Furthermore, the distribution of alkaloids in germinated and non-germinated fruits was studied, showing a relocalization of alkaloids in germinated fruits. These results could be used to discuss how the plant uses metabolites to protect its next generation. Finally, a potential new alkaloid was detected and analyzed using MSI, MS, and MS/MS (tandem mass spectrometry). Second, a novel endophyte fungus from Aster tataricus, and new azaphilone compounds were isolated from this endophyte. Besides, the anticancer activity of one of the new compounds was found. The plant A. tataricus has been used for more than 2000 years in traditional Chinese medicine. Recently, an endophyte from this plant demonstrated the ability to produce the most well-known compounds in the plant, exposing the high chemical potentiality of their fungal endophytes to produce cytotoxic agents. Based on these findings, endophytes were isolated, and their extracts were preliminary screened with HeLa cells and Caenorhabditis elegans to evaluate their cytotoxic activity. Followed by the analysis of extract chemical compositions by MS molecular networking and dereplication. Additionally, a morphological inspection of the fungi was performed. The known strains were discarded from this study. This strategy allowed us to isolate a new fungal strain, Tengochaeta bulbillosa, as well as five unreported azaphilones (bulbillosin A—E). Bulbillosin A was characterized by the NCI-60 Human Tumor Cell Lines Screen, which found high tumor cell specificity. Finally, the localization of the isolated compounds was evaluated on plant tissues by MSI, suggesting that the fungus is present on the complete plant or their bulbillosins are transported from roots to leaves through the plant. Third, the localization of astins in Aster tataricus and the colocalization of these compounds with Cyanodermella asteris in the plant were analyzed. A. tataricus is known for containing cytotoxic chlorine- and allo-Thr-containing cyclic pentapeptides, called astins. Structurally, these compounds differ in the presence of acetylated substituents, chlorine atoms, or the exchange of some amino acids in the cycle. However, one of the most interesting findings was that C. asteris, an endophytic fungus from A. tataricus, can produce the astins C, F, and G, only reported as constituent of the plant. This intriguing result prompted us to investigate further the location of the astins directly in plant tissues. MSI was used for the localization of astins, revealing non-homogeneous distribution on the different tissues. Additionally, to complement this study, the C. asteris strain was cultivated in media supplemented with NaCl, and the composition of the cultivation media plus fungus hyphae extracts was evaluated by MS molecular networking. The comparison showed the presence of astins C, F/M, and G in the non-supplemented and supplemented media (as was found before), but also other known and unknown astins were detected in the presence of salt. This result reinforces the idea that the endophyte is the only organism producing the compounds within the plant due to the fungus needs specific conditions to produce diverse astins. Finally, the composition of extracts from solo- and co-cultivation of Bacillus amyloliquefaciens and Colletotrichum graminicola was studied. C. graminicola—B. amyloliquefaciens confrontation test suggested metabolic re-programming due to the observation of hyphae swelling, color changes, and growth arrested in fungus hyphae. Investigations indicate that growing strains in laboratory conditions often silence valuable bioactive compound biosynthesis; however, it could be reactivated in confrontation experiments. The analysis of microbial metabolism in the co-cultivation test showed the presence of ninety-six ions belonging to nitrogen compounds, which are not produced in solo-cultivation. These results suggested the enormous metabolic plasticity in confrontation experiments. In conclusion, a new species of endophytic fungus was identified, five unreported azaphilones were elucidated, and a possible new hemlock alkaloid was detected. The MSI images gave a deeper understanding of the localization of exogenous and endogenous compounds in plants and the potential relationship with their environment. Regarding possible applications of the compounds studied, the complete anticancer characterization of the major bulbillosin was reported, as was the potential use of B. amyloliquefaciens to control C. graminicola.

This dissertation investigates the influence of governments and international organisations (IOs) in global climate governance and climate change education (CCE) networks. Over the past two decades, the complexity of climate governance networks has increased significantly due to the growing involvement of non-state actors (NSAs) including NGOs, businesses, and research institutions. This shift has led to a growing scholarly interest in the role of NSAs in global climate governance. Scholars have therefore argued that there has been a shift in authority from traditional actors such as nation states to NSAs. However, the complex and non-hierarchical structure of global climate governance has made it difficult to systematically analyse the influence of different actors. The dissertation aims to contribute to this field by addressing two core research questions: First, how influential are governments and international organisations in global climate governance and climate change education networks? And second, how do governments and international organisations exert influence within these governance networks? To do this, it applies a combination of quantitative network analysis techniques based on data from three sources: a large-N survey of UNFCCC negotiation participants, Twitter communication during UNFCCC negotiations, and government policy documents.

This dissertation is based on four studies. The findings show that governments and IOs are still key actors in global climate governance in both online communication networks and cooperation networks. However, a more nuanced picture emerges when comparing the overall climate governance network with the CCE-specific network. For governments specifically, the results show that they are central actors in both online communication networks and cooperation networks in the overall climate governance network. In the sub-network of CCE, however, governments are largely absent from rankings of top actors in online communication networks. When focusing only on governments and how they refer to education in their NDCs, the findings show that governments predominantly from the Global South are the ones referring to education – forming the largest discourse coalition around 'education as a means of adaptation'.

For IOs, a similar picture can be drawn for the overall climate governance network. IOs are extremely central in both online and cooperation networks. In the latter, information was identified as a key source of their authority. IOs and their representatives were also found to be the most central actors in the CCE-specific network. UNESCO and the UNFCCC secretariat, which drive the CCE agenda at the international level, are particularly central. This may be due to their bridging activities between the climate and education communities and their orchestrating role for CCE.

The findings of this dissertation provide a deeper and more nuanced understanding of the influence of governments and IOs in climate change governance, including climate change education. They are relevant to scholars of global education policy, international relations, public administration, and global environmental governance.

Die Anamnese der stutenbezogenen Daten in Kombination mit einer guten gynäkologischen Untersuchung, der daraufhin eingeleiteten Art der Diagnostik und Behandlungen entscheiden maßgeblich über die Effektivität der Reproduktion. In der vorliegenden Studie wurde eine retrospektive Analyse der von 2013-2016 erhobenen Trächtigkeitsraten und ihrer möglichen Beeinflussungen durchgeführt. Die Auswertung basiert auf der im Stall durch den untersuchenden Tierarzt geführten Stutenkarteien. Diese inkludieren neben des Signalements der Stute auch den eingesetzten Hengst, die jeweilig erhobenen vaginalen sowie palpatorischen und ultrasonographischen Uterus- und Ovarbefunde und die daraufhin individuell eingeleiteten Behandlungen. Ein signifikanter Zusammenhang bestand zwischen den Trächtigkeitsraten und der Anzahl der Besamungsrossen, der Einfluss des Hengstes, den Sterilitätsbehandlungen, der Anzahl ovulierter Follikel und der Anzahl der Besamungen. Keine statistische Signifikanz (p>0,05) zeigte sich hingegen bei der Pferderasse, dem Alter der Stute, der Zuchtsaison der Stute, der letzten Abfohlung, dem Monat und Jahr, der Besamung in der Fohlenrosse, der Samenart, dem Uterustupferbefund, der Rosseinduktion, der Ovulationsinduktion, dem vaginalen Befund, der Follikelgröße am letzten Tag der Besamung und Besamungszeitpunkt. Bei den reproduktionsmedizinischen Behandlungskosten gab es statistisch signifikante Unterschiede, welche bei der tragenden Stute deutlich höher waren. Die Behandlungskosten müssen aufgrund der Gegebenheiten auf der großen Zuchtstation, auf der die meisten Daten erhoben wurden, kritisch reflektiert werden.

Over the past decade, feminism has emerged as an increasingly popular approach to foreign policy making. This has led to the establishment of explicitly labelled feminist foreign policies (FFPs) as distinct political agendas. Theorised as an extension of progressive pro-gender equality policies and politics, FFPs have been framed as radical mechanisms that are capable of/seek to transform global systems, structures and cultures of inequality and exclusion. First adopted by Sweden in 2014 and Canada in 2017 – as cultivated feminist frontrunners – FFPs have since grown in popularity with many countries around the world having adopted or expressed a commitment to adopt an explicit feminist platform. These countries include, France (2018), Luxembourg (2019), Mexico (2020), Spain (2021), Germany (2021), Chile (2022), Libya (2022), Scotland (2022), the Netherlands (2022), Liberia (2022), Colombia (2022), Mongolia (2023), Slovenia (2023) and Argentina (2023). The growth of feminism as a legitimate approach to foreign policy making is set against the rise of anti-gender/feminist politics, as well as feminism’s long-standing history of exclusion within IR and beyond. Accounting for the mobilisation of feminism and making sense of its emergence and increasing presence as a distinct foreign policy agenda requires thinking critically and intently about the rise of the ‘f-word’ as a tolerated and even valued label and corresponding practice in international politics. Existing studies on FFP have tended to either focus on determining and/or defining what an FFP is/should be, or on analysing and evaluating FFPs in practice. Despite the critical feminist work that has been done within the field, little attention has been paid to examining the meaning and thus power behind feminism as a controversial and productive label (Thomson 2020; Guerrina, Haastrup and Wright 2023). Thus, rather than merely accepting the innate ‘goodness’ of FFPs as something to be exalted, which promotes the ethical and moral superiority of FFP states, this research project analyses feminism and the adoption of the ‘f-word’ in foreign policy as a source of meaning making and identity construction asking, what is the productive power of a feminist label? To answer this question, I understand FFPs as a practice in labelling. This line of argumentation hinges on a discursive understanding of feminism as a powerful means by which subjects/objects and the realities they are emplaced within are constructed as knowable entities. It is from this perspective that this project contributes conceptually and empirically to the growing canon of research on FFP. Inspired by Jabir Puar’s concept of homonationalism (2007) and Sara Farris’ theory of femonationalism (2017), I theorise FFPs as a discursive practice made possible as a result of “feminist nationalism”, which refers to the enmeshing of feminism with a nation-state’s sense of Self as a marker of progress and civilisation. This practice of Self-making is predicated on and sustained through the (re)production of multiple and differentially positioned Others who are used to re-affirm the status and value of FFP practicing states as innately ‘good’ and ethically and morally superior global actors. The notion of Others within the context of this research refers to othered regions, states, communities, peoples, and so forth who are cast as fundamentally different from the feminist Self. As a result of this mobilisation of feminism, FFP states emerge as temporarily fixed ‘good’ states positioned at the apex of a Liberal Western international order. Thus, I conceive of a feminist label as a powerful discursive practice that is used to reproduce global hierarchies and colonial structures and systems of power as a matter of fact. Critical to this dissertation is a concern with the impact feminist identities have on the lived experiences of Others, particularly those who are already subjected to a state of precarity existing within and at the margins of society, and foreign/domestic policy making. In order to raise awareness for these troubling dynamics, I centre FFPs contrary to their transformative representations, as a source and site of discursive and state violence. However, rather than re-affirming the dominant colonial power relations produced by and through state discourse, this research project also focuses on analysing the competing discourses produced by Others as a form of resistance to the truthfulness of feminist state claims of moral and ethical superiority. As my findings show, these forms of antagonistic discourses are important as they work to contest and disrupt privileged understandings of FFP states. In doing so, they also raise critical awareness for the ongoing forms of state violence perpetrated against Others under the guise of/in spite of a feminist politics at ‘home’ and ‘abroad’ as a rearticulation of colonial power relations and extension of empire (Bergman Rosamond, Cheung and De Leeuw 2023). Thus, by drawing critical attention to alternative representations of the feminist Self and Others, this research highlights the instability of a state’s feminist identity as something that is both continually contested and in the process of being remade. To conduct my research, I use a post-structuralist informed approach to discourse analysis (Doty 1993, Shepherd 2008) that focuses on two country cases: Sweden and Canada. My decision to select Sweden and Canada as case studies is based on their dominant position as known Western gender equality leaders, who also happen to possess very different iterations of FFP. Additionally, given Sweden’s abandonment of its FFP in 2022 and Canada’s ongoing practice of feminism, both cases provide valuable insights into the past, present and future of FFP. To conduct my analysis, I begin by first examining the construction of Sweden and Canada’s FFPs through official state documents, before turning to ‘test’ and ‘trace’ how this Self is reproduced and contested at a domestic and foreign policy level by analysing what I term as two feminist encounters. In the case of Sweden, the two encounters analysed are the 2015 dispute with Saudi Arabia and the country’s 2016 enactment of its Temporary Law. Within the context of Canada, I analyse the Shuar Arutam people’s letter to the Canadian Embassy in Ecuador in 2021, as well as the launch of the country’s National Action Plan on Murdered and Missing Indigenous women, girls and 2SLGBTQQIA+ peoples (2021). Ultimately, this research project contributes to the field of FFP and feminist IR more broadly by offering new insights into how the production of a feminist identity has been made possible, as well as the violent practices that are used to constitute that identity. Additionally, the value of this research lies in the central positioning of colonialism as an enduring power structure/set of relations that is both productive and (re)produced by FFPs. Building on this colonial reading of FFPs, this research project also represents a critique of liberal feminism as the dominant feminism used to construct and define contemporary feminist policy making. Lastly, by recognising the hypocritical politics produced as a result of FFPs, this dissertation highlights the ‘hollowness’ of feminism as a label. For, despite its capacity to produce a feminist identity, the adoption of a feminist label does not necessitate a substantively feminist policy in action, nor does it realise the promise of intersectional justice at ‘home’ or ‘abroad’.

The development and approval process for new drugs is time-intensive, costly and carries only a 10% chance of success. Drug repositioning - the strategy of repurposing drugs that have previously completed some or all clinical trial stages for new indications – can save substantial time and resources, while also increasing the success rate to around 25%. Historically, repositioning successes, such as the sildenafil’s approval for erectile dysfunction under the brand name Viagra, have mostly been accidental or identified retrospectively. However, the growing availability of vast biomedical datasets and advancements in computational tools have spurred in more systematic approaches to drug repositioning. In parallel, alternative compound sources that may have a higher likelihood of passing clinical trials have gained attention. Natural products, which have demonstrated safety and efficacy through centuries of medical use, are particularly popular. Therefore, this thesis investigates various computational strategies for drug repositioning, with a focus on predicting human protein targets. Uncovering and understanding drug interactions with off-targets, in addition to their primary pharmacological targets, is crucial in repositioning efforts, as these interactions can sometimes cause harmful side effects or present opportunities to affect targets involved in other diseases. To support these efforts, data on repositioning candidates from sources such as approved or withdrawn drugs and natural products were carefully curated, emphasizing data reliability and integrity to enhance prediction accuracy. This data enabled the exploration of repositioning methods ranging from similarity-based screening and human disease pathway analysis to machine learning models for predicting targets, indications or therapeutic areas. Using the developed models, well-known repositioning candidates such as thalidomide could be validated, confirming their potential in new therapeutic contexts. The resulting datasets and prediction tools were made publicly accessible with user-friendly interfaces, providing the opportunity for other researchers to benefit from and build upon this work.

The spread of antibiotic resistance has become a global issue in recent decades. Clinically healthy animals can transfer antibiotic-resistant bacteria or resistance genes to other animals and humans. If resistance genes are in turn transferred to pathogenic bacteria, the lack of response to antibiotic therapy can lead to diseases that are almost impossible to cure. In livestock farming, antibiotic-resistant bacteria are particularly common in fowl. Therefore, alternatives are demanded in poultry production to keep birds healthy and thus reduce the use of antibiotics and the spread of antibiotic resistance. Various measures have already been investigated in recent years, with varying outcomes. One promising approach could be to combine different strategies in order to achieve a more comprehensive protection. The aim of this work was to investigate whether a preventive strategy with a preselected pre-and probiotic combination and a strain-specific parent stock vaccine can affect the growth of antibiotic-resistant Enterobacteriaceae and furthermore performance, gut health, and excretion of antibiotic resistance genes in broilers exposed to a multidrug-resistant Escherichia coli (E. coli) strain. The methodical approach included both an ex vivo assay and an animal trial. First, the impact of different pre- and probiotics (inulin, fructooligosaccharide, Bacillus coagulans DSM 32016, Enterococcus faecium DSM 7134) and their combinations on the growth inhibition of antibiotic-resistant Salmonella Enteritidis (S. Enteritidis) and E. coli strains in caecal contents of broiler breeders were investigated. The samples were obtained from three different flocks (five birds per flock) at two different sampling timepoints (25 and 50 weeks of life). Subsequently, the most promising pre-/probiotic combination was added to a basal diet and further examined in an in vivo study with broiler chickens exposed to the E. coli strain from the ex vivo assay (challenge on day eight of life). Beside the pre- and probiotic group, the animal trial also included a group descended from vaccinated hens; a group from vaccinated hens that additionally received the pre-/probiotic combination; and a negative and positive control group. Each treatment group consisted of five replicates, each comprising a pen with nine chicks. Performance parameters were measured weekly until the end of the trial on day 28. In addition, data on microbial metabolites, pH values and microbial compositions in crop and caecum digesta samples were collected and antibiotic resistance genes were determined in the excreta. Of the pre- and probiotics tested in the ex vivo study Enterococcus faecium (E. faecium) together with fructooligosaccharide (FOS) or inulin proved to be most efficient in extending the lag time of E. coli O1/O18 and S. Enteritidis compared to the control without additives. Moreover, a higher age of the broiler breeders (50 compared to 25 weeks) was also a significant factor impairing the fitness of the antibiotic-resistant strains. Interestingly, both the single applications and other product combinations did not inhibit the growth of the selected bacteria strains and, in some cases, even improved it. The poultry trial revealed synergistic impacts of the preselected combination of E. faecium and FOS together with maternal vaccination on body weight and body weight gain of broilers exposed to the multidrug-resistant E. coli. In addition, this multifactorial strategy elevated L-lactate concentrations in crop contents, decreased pH levels in crop and caecal contents, and reduced the relative abundance of Proteobacteria therein. The ex vivo preselection of a pre- and probiotics for the bacterial strain and the poultry species thus appeared to be reasonable in order to achieve the above-mentioned effects. However, the excretion of specific antibiotic resistance genes could not be diminished by the chosen approach. In conclusion, the investigated strategy comprising a preselected pre- and probiotic combination and a specific parent stock vaccination has the potential to positively influence the zootechnical performance and gut health of broilers exposed to multidrug-resistant E. coli. Future studies should examine whether these effects are sufficient under field conditions and can serve to protect against infections with highly pathogenic Enterobacteriaceae.

Modeling and simulation of neurotransmission plays a central role in the scientific investigation of synaptic functioning and neuronal communication. Understanding the neurotransmission process is crucial due to its fundamental significance in cognitive function, with impairments in this process potentially giving rise to severe pathological conditions. Existing modeling approaches capture the dynamic behavior and the probabilistic properties of the synaptic machinery utilizing results from stochastic chemical kinetics. However, the underlying mathematical theory rarely receives detailed consideration. In this thesis, we explore the neurotransmission process from a mathematical perspective and provide important insights that improve efficiency in its modeling and simulation.

We introduce a new method for the direct and exact computation of first- and second-order moments of the postsynaptic current for the case of linear reaction networks, circumventing previously employed stochastic simulations. The approach hinges on the computation of the cross-correlation functions for the associated Markov jump process and their charcterization by a partial differential equation. Our method can be applied to efficiently compare coarse-graining strategies for neurotransmission models, which we demonstrate for a significant recent model of synaptic vesicle release. We also numerically analyze the feasibility of reducing this particular model and show that a reduction can preserve the characteristics of the mean output current and its standard deviation to a satisfactory degree under typical stimulation conditions, where the approximation error can even be neglected depending on release site position. As the dependency on the local calcium concentration is preserved in the reduced model, it can be subjected to arbitrary types of signals in future studies. Moreover, we investigate the recovery processes of synaptic vesicles and release sites by introducing a nonlinear model with explicit recovery reactions. A sensitivity analysis provides the novel insight that the widely debated identity of the limiting recovery process during sustained stimulation is time-dependent. For our model, the output current’s first-order moment and its deterministic approximation show an exceptionally high level of agreement. We determine this to be an inherent consequence of the model structure due to the independence of the two recovery processes, supporting future use of the deterministic approximation. Parameter estimations confirm our model’s capability of reproducing experimental data.

Die modernen Hydrocephalus-Therapien bei neonatologischen und pädiatrischen Patient:innen umfassen sowohl symptomatische Shuntverfahren als auch endoskopisch gestützte Ansätze, die zusätzlich therapeutische Vorteile bieten können. Ziel der Forschungsarbeit ist die Reduktion intra- und postoperativer Risiken durch die Auswahl geeigneter Maßnahmen und Mittel bei pädiatrischen Hydrocephalus-Patient*innen. In den Studien zur Ventrikelkatheterplatzierung wurde die Effektivität eines neuen ventricular access guides im Vergleich zur Standardtechnik untersucht. Die randomisierte GAVCA-Studie zeigte, dass die Verwendung dieses Guides die Erfolgsrate bei der ersten Punktion signifikant erhöhte und die Genauigkeit der Katheterlage verbesserte, wobei eine 100%ige Erfolgsquote beim ersten Versuch erreicht wurde. In einer weiteren Subgruppenanalyse wurde festgestellt, dass detailliert längenmarkierte Ventrikelkatheter in Kombination mit Guidance-Techniken die Sicherheit und die Platzierungsqualität erhöhen. Neuroendoskopischen Eingriffen bei Neonaten konnte trotz des sehr vulnerablen Patientenguts eine hohe Sicherheit nachgewiesen werden. Die retrospektive Analyse zeigte, dass neuroendoskopische Verfahren bei posthämorrhagischem Hydrozephalus mit akzeptablen Komplikationsraten bei einer Shunt-Rate von etwa 62 % im ersten Lebensjahr durchführbar sind. Die Navigation, insbesondere anhand des intraoperativen Ultraschalls, ist dabei essenziell, um Risiken zu minimieren. Zur bildgestützten Neuroendoskopie wurde ein Entscheidungsalgorithmus entwickelt, der die Auswahl der geeigneten Navigationsmethode anhand verschiedener Parameter erleichtert und die Sicherheit und Effizienz der Eingriffe erhöht. Schließlich zeigte die Studie zur neuroendoskopischen Lavage bei infektiösem Hydrozephalus, dass diese OP-Technik sicher durchführbar ist und das Auftreten von Re-Infektionen reduziert. Des Weiteren konnte die Rate an Revisionen deutlich reduziert und somit die Langzeitprognose verbessert werden. Insgesamt belegen die vorgelegten Arbeiten, dass innovative technische Hilfsmittel und individualisierte Ansätze die Sicherheit, Genauigkeit und Wirksamkeit neurochirurgischer Eingriffe bei pädiatrischen Hydrozephalus Patient*innen deutlich verbessern können.

Der univentrikuläre Herzfehler tritt mit einer Inzidenz von 6000 Lebendgeburten/ Jahr in Deutschland auf wobei das Hypoplastische Linksherzsyndrom, das ein Formenspektrum von kleinen linken Herzstrukturen beschreibt, die häufigste Form ist. Die Entscheidungsfindung ob eine biventrikuläre Korrektur mit Schaffung eines Zweikammerherzens oder doch eine univentrikuläre Palliation mit der Fontan-Operation als letzten Schritt für Patienten mit Borderline LV, dementsprechend grenzwertig kleinen linksseitigen Herzstrukturen, die richtige Wahl ist, kann sehr schwierig sein. Ziel dieser Arbeit war es einerseits Kriterien zu beschreiben die bei der Entscheidungsfindung helfen sollen, andererseits das Langzeitoutcome beider Therapieoptionen miteinander zu vergleichen.

Spätestens seit der Renaissance ist die Lehrdichtung poetologisch immer wieder als Problemgattung verhandelt worden, bis sie im 20. Jahrhundert sogar für tot erklärt wurde. Wie war das möglich, hatte das lateinische Lehrgedicht im Zeitalter der wissenschaftlichen Revolution doch eine wahre Blüte erfahren? Die vorliegende Arbeit versucht auf diese Frage vor dem Hintergrund der Modernetheorie Bruno Latours zu antworten. Als Hybrid zwischen Poesie und Wissenschaft, Vergangenheit und Neuzeit, Menschen- und Naturdingen läuft das Lehrgedicht der von Latour für die Moderne postulierten „Großen Trennung“ von Natur und Kultur zuwider und wirkt auf ein modernes Publikum wie das verstaubte Artefakt eines vergangenen Wissenssystems. Was aber im Rahmen einer modernen Weltbeschreibung ein Nachteil war, entfaltet aus der Perspektive der Latourschen Philosophie und Akteur-Netzwerk-Theorie kritisches Potenzial. Anhand ausgewählter Textbeispiele wird gezeigt, dass die frühneuzeitliche lateinische Lehrdichtung gerade im Hinblick auf die Herausforderungen des Anthropozäns die Möglichkeit bietet, die menschliche Beziehung zur Welt und die gesellschaftliche Bedeutung wissenschaftlicher Naturdichtung zu überdenken.

Die Herzinsuffizienz ist einer der führenden medizinischen Probleme mit hoher Sterblichkeit trotz vieler Therapiemöglichkeiten. Die molekularen Mechanismen in der Kardiologie gilt es besser zu verstehen, um den betroffenen Patienten zukünftig optimierte Therapiemöglichkeiten anbieten zu können. Ein Schwerpunkt dieser Arbeit liegt auf dem TSC2-mTOR Signalweg und der Epigenetik, aber auch einige andere untersuchte Signalwege bei der Herzinsuffizienz zeigen bereits großes translatorisches Potential, die hier diskutiert werden.

Violent conflict in Colombia has been intrinsically associated with territorial administration, that is, with the relationship that has been configured, within the framework of the state-building process, between the center and the territories. The historical trajectory of Caquetá shows the conflictive nature of this process. Caquetá has been a territory affected by the Colombian armed conflict and the war in Caquetá has traditionally been explained as a product of the "absence of the State". In the present research we argue that the conflict has not been due to the "absence of the State" but to the way in which the State has been configured in the region and therefore the research sought to understand how the State had been historically configured in the territory. In particular, we focused on the configuration of the local bureaucracy. In the first chapter of this research we wanted to provide a context of the historical configuration of the bureaucracy in Colombia. Since the beginning of the republic, the configuration of the bureaucracy in the territories was related to the development of the population structure and the negotiation between the center and the regional powers. The local governance that took shape had a weak bureaucratic apparatus complementary to the role of the church, the gamonal and the tinterillo. The precarious character of the local bureaucracy continued into the 20th century.

During the National Front (1958-1974) there was a transformation in the relationship between the State and the territories and this affected Caquetá, which at that time was undergoing a massive colonization process. The colonists helped shape the local bureaucracy and the presence of the State in the region. A review of the correspondence between the national government, the regional government and the settlers shows a much greater state presence than traditionally assumed. The articulation of the territory during the National Front was characterized by the clientelist system and thus a local gamonal, Hernando Turbay Turbay, emerged as the most important political figure of those decades. While Turbay increased his power thanks to relations with Bogotá, local institutions, following local disputes, were put at his service.

From the territory there was an important opposition to turbayism from diverse social and political sectors. This opposition coincided with demands for public services and infrastructure in the region. The settlers were living in very difficult conditions and there were large mobilizations demanding change. The discontent was repressed by the government and sectors of the mobilization became radicalized. The review of correspondence shows how Bogotá's response turned the colonists' claims into a public order problem. The colonists and the territory were the object of distrust. Caquetá became a territory conducive to the emergence of guerrillas. In the 1980s, the "Caquetá War" began in the territory when the State came to fight the guerrillas. Local governance was subsumed by the war and a military intendant was appointed. In this context, leftist political forces had an important electoral reception and represented a threat to the status quo of turbayismo. There was strong pressure in the country to democratize the political system and a series of reforms were proposed, including the popular election of local authorities. The intensification of the war forced the start of peace negotiations with the guerrillas and this generated an atmosphere of change in local governance. However, the negotiations were fragile and the war did not stop.

Despite the war, and the so-called "abandonment", the inhabitants of the territory never stopped trying to build and push for governance that would allow them to live with dignity, whether it was organizing to send letters, build small infrastructure, pay teachers' salaries, participate in elections, denounce violence and call for negotiation. The communities allowed the existence of the State and local institutionality. The discourses on the "absence" of the State strip them of their participation and restrict the type of powers that are expected to "order" the territory. The discussion on the nature of the State is not only conceptual but has important political implications in the regions and the solution to the conflict involves problematizing these traditional visions that have predominated not only in the government but also in Colombian academia.

Extreme precipitation has serious implications for environment, humans, and economy, as it can lead to various natural events and hazards, such as floods, mudslides, dam bursting, water pollution, and erosion. Accurate estimates and evaluations of extreme precipitation are essential to avoid potential damages and losses. This is particularly important for risk management and the development of hydraulic systems as well as their operational business, as it is crucial to precisely estimate the frequency and intensity of extreme precipitation events. However, these estimates have been associated with large uncertainties, as the frequencies of very rare, sometimes even unobserved intensities, have to be determined. One of the major challenges is the limited availability of data, including both long-term time series and widespread observation stations. In Germany, daily precipitation sums have been measured comprehensively since the mid-20th century. However, extremely rare events, occurring only once every 100 years or less, may not have been recorded within this observation period. Furthermore, assessments of extreme precipitation are often conducted at an annual resolution, although it is also realizable for seasonal or monthly data. Additional information about the seasonality of extreme precipitation can be valuable for sectors such as agriculture and tourism, enabling seasonally adapted risk management. Additionally, anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions and, thus, rising air temperatures are influencing the intensity of precipitation. So far, long-term changes in extreme precipitation have not been considered in the planning of hydraulic systems and risk assessment. However, for suitable climate adaptation in the future, this will become necessary. The aim of this work is to develop an extreme value model that 1) resolves the seasonal cycle of extreme precipitation, providing additional information, 2) utilizes existing data points more efficiently to improve the accuracy of estimates, called return values, and reduce their uncertainty, and 3) models long-term changes due to natural variability and anthropogenic climate change, building an opportunity for future climate adaptation measures. Here, a nonstationary generalized extreme value (GEV) distribution with flexible distribution parameters is used and adapted to monthly maxima of daily precipitation sums from observation stations in Germany. In this thesis, a seasonal model is developed to capture the seasonal cycle of extreme precipitation, using harmonic functions for flexible parameters instead of modelling each month separately with a stationary GEV. This approach improves the accuracy of both monthly and annual return level estimates and provides insights into how extreme precipitation changes throughout the year. This information can be useful for different stakeholders, such as in emergency and evacuation planning for disaster protection, or the implementation of protective measures for young plants in agriculture. Additionally, a spatial-seasonal model is introduced, which uses available data points more efficiently by employing orthogonal polynomials to simultaneously incorporate data from all stations, and model the spatial variations of extreme precipitation. The application to different example regions demonstrates improved accuracy in return level estimates, the capability to derive return levels at ungauged sites, and the ability to assess the occurrence frequency of precipitation events. The investigation also incorporates long-term trends to examine changes in seasonality due to climate change and climate variability. The evaluation of return levels indicates evidence that anthropogenic climate change has a detectable impact on the seasonality of extreme precipitation in Germany, while type and magnitude of changes vary in space. The introduced method can be applied to data from other regions and other durations, such as hourly precipitation sums. It provides additional temporal and spatial information, and more reliable results. Moreover, it integrates climate change-induced alterations into the calculation of return levels, thereby offering a valuable approach for shaping future climate adaptation strategies.

Die Sepsis, definiert als lebensbedrohliche Organdysfunktion, verursacht durch eine fehlregulierte Immunantwort des Wirtes auf eine Infektion, ist eine häufige Erkrankung mit hoher Morbidität und Letalität. Der überwiegende Anteil von septischen Krankheitsverläufen beginnt außerhalb des Krankenhauses und wird in der Regel initial durch Nofallmediziner:innen in Notaufnahmen versorgt. Essentiell für eine Senkung der Letalität ist die rasche Therapieeinleitung, was eine schnelle und akkurate Diagnostik und ein effektives Screening voraussetzt. Die vorliegende kumulative Habilitationsschrift umfasst fünf Originalarbeiten, welche die Ergebnisse von klinischen Studien in der Notfallmedizin zur Verbesserung der Diagnostik und Prognoseeinschätzung der Sepsis zusammenfasst. Grundlage der Diagnose Sepsis ist das Vorliegen einer akuten Infektion in Kombination mit einer Organdysfunktion. Originalarbeit 1 und 2 evaluieren die Diagnose und Prognose der Sepsis in einer prospektiven Studie mittels der Analyse des mRNA-Expressionsprofils im peripheren Blut. Die klinischen Studien konnten zeigen, dass mit Hilfe der vorgestellten Methode sowohl eine Aussage zur Genese der Infektion (bakteriell versus viral versus nicht-infiziert) als auch die Prognoseeinschätzung des Schweregrades (Letalität und Multiorganversagen) akkurat möglich ist. Originalarbeit 4 zeigte zusätzlich in einer multizentrischen Studie, dass für Patient:innen mit SARS-CoV-2-Infektion mittels Analyse des mRNA-Expressionsprofils die Diagnose einer bakteriellen Co-Infektion möglich war. Ebenfalls für Patient:innen mit einer SARS CoV 2 Infektion konnte im Rahmen von Originalarbeit 3 gezeigt werden, dass über eine Analyse des Proteoms der Patient:innen die Prognose der COVID-19 Infektion eingeschätzt werden konnte. Ergänzt werden diese Erkenntnisse durch eine Auswertung (Originalarbeit 5) von klinischen Scores und Vitalparametern. Für Patient:innen mit Verdacht auf eine Infektion in der Notfallmedizin wurde die prognostische Wertigkeit der Scores und Vitalparameter untersucht, um einen septischen Krankheitsverlauf vorherzusagen. Quintessenz der vorgelegten Arbeiten ist, dass 30 Jahre nach der ersten klinischen Definition der Sepsis eine Vielzahl von Faktoren, klinischen Parametern und Biomarkern identifiziert wurden, die die Diagnostik und Prognoseeinschätzung verbessern könnten und zukünftig mutmaßlich weiter verbessern werden. Voraussetzung für eine Implementierung neuer Methoden in der klinischen Routine werden Genauigkeit (Validität), Nutzen, Schnelligkeit, technische Umsetzbarkeit und Finanzierbarkeit sein, jedoch viel wesentlicher ein Bewusstsein für die Gefahr, die von einer Sepsis ausgeht. Für die klinische Routine muss ein effektives und effizientes Screening entwickelt und flächendeckend etabliert werden. Neue diagnostische Methoden haben ein hohes Potential, die Diagnostik und Prognoseeinschätzung zu verbessern. Sie müssen in randomisierten Studien ausreichend klinisch validiert und erfolgreich implementiert werden. Die Verarbeitung und Interpretation aller erhobenen Daten, inklusive Anamnese, klinischer Scores, Pathogennachweise und Analyse der Wirtsantwort werden in ihrer Fülle nur durch digital unterstützte Systeme (u.a. unterstützt durch künstliche Intelligenz) für die klinische Routine ihre volle Aussagekraft entfalten können.

Water is among the most critical natural resources, vital for humans and ecosystems alike. Although covering 70% of the Earth’s surface, only 2.5% is freshwater, mostly concentrated in rivers, lakes, and groundwater. Freshwater ecosystems support essential services like drinking water, agriculture, and energy production, but are increasingly threatened by scarcity and pollution. These ecosystems host 6% of global biodiversity and are highly vulnerable to environmental changes caused by climate change and human activities. Diatoms (Bacillariophyta), key microorganisms in freshwater ecosystems, are sensitive bioindicators of water quality, making their study essential for monitoring ecological changes. This thesis investigates the biodiversity of epiphytic diatoms in the Tigris and Euphrates rivers, a critical freshwater habitat in Iraq. Using an integrative approach that combines both morphological and molecular analyses, the research provides a detailed assessment of diatom diversity. Epiphytic samples were collected from six sites along the Tigris and Euphrates rivers in northern Basra, southern Iraq, during both the dry and rainy seasons of 2019 and 2020. This project was funded by the Heinrich Böll Foundation. The morphological examination identified 284 taxa, representing the largest diatom diversity reported in the region, while metabarcoding (18SV4) revealed 1454 amplicon sequence variants (ASVs) across 108 species. A clear seasonal effect was observed in the composition of the diatom community based on morphological analysis, whereas the 18SV4 analyses did not show such a seasonal effect in community composition for the same samples. This discrepancy is likely due to the incomplete taxonomic reference libraries for molecular data at the studied sites, presenting a challenge for the molecular approach. Nonetheless, the combination of morphological and molecular methods improved the detection and identification of diatom assemblages, underscoring the importance of using complementary approaches to fully understand the region's biodiversity. Additionally, a new diatom species, Prestauroneis furatensis, was described in the Euphrates River. This species, found only in summer samples, was identified through light and scanning electron microscopy. Detailed analysis of the river’s physical and chemical parameters revealed that P. furatensis thrives under elevated conductivity conditions. The discovery contributes to the growing understanding of diatom biodiversity in the Tigris-Euphrates basin. To further verify the stability of diatom characteristics, both morphologically and genetically, sixteen monoclonal pennate diatom strains, identified as 10 species in six genera, were cultivated for up to 18 or 24 months. Throughout this period, molecular data for the 18SV4, rbcL, and psbA markers remained stable across all taxa, whereas morphological features, particularly valve length and shape, showed significant variability. This research emphasizes the importance of cultivation in taxonomic studies, noting that a limited time period and optimal cultivation conditions are essential to avoid the production of teratological frustules. It also underscores the need for both molecular and morphological data to achieve accurate species identification Overall, this thesis provides detailed insights into the diversity and ecology of diatoms in the Tigris and Euphrates rivers. The results of this study emphasize the complementarity of both morphological and molecular approaches. This integrative approach has contributed to a deeper understanding of the biodiversity of epiphytic diatoms in the freshwater of the Tigris and Euphrates rivers. The findings also highlight the increasing salinization tendencies in these rivers, driven by reduced freshwater flow and the intrusion of seawater from the Persian Gulf. These processes threaten the ecological balance and biodiversity of these critical freshwater habitats, exacerbating water scarcity and quality issues in the region. This work lays the foundation for future conservation and monitoring efforts aimed at mitigating the impacts of salinization and preserving the aquatic ecosystems of the Tigris and Euphrates rivers and the broader region.

Die vorliegende Habilitationsschrift umfasst die Darstellung der eigenen wissenschaftlichen Arbeiten im Kontext des aktuellen Forschungsstandes. Nach einer Übersicht über die derzeitigen Behandlungsstandards für Patient:innen mit metastasiertem kolorektalem Karzinom folgt eine vertiefende Auseinandersetzung mit präzisionsonkologischen Therapieansätzen. Im weiteren Verlauf wird die Optimierung der Systemtherapie auf Basis klinischer und molekularer Strategien sowohl beim kolorektalen Karzinom als auch bei anderen soliden Tumorerkrankungen thematisiert. Die eigenen Forschungsergebnisse werden dabei in den Kontext der aktuellen Literatur eingeordnet.

This thesis explores the influence of sawfly sex pheromones and the role of needle age in shaping pine defences against sawfly infestation. The research is centred on how pine trees respond to sex pheromones emitted by sawflies and how these responses modulate both direct and indirect pine defences against sawflies. Furthermore, it delves into how the age of pine needles affects their susceptibility to sawfly attack. All studies were conducted with young Scots pine trees (Pinus sylvestris) and the sawfly Diprion pini in the laboratory. Larvae of this sawfly species gregariously feed upon pine needles and may heavily damage pine forests. The first major focus of the experimental part of this thesis was the investigation of the effect of D. pini sex pheromones on pine direct defences. Previous studies have shown that responses of Scots pine to these sex pheromones result in enhanced accumulation of hydrogen peroxide in pine needles and subsequently to reduced D. pini egg survival rates. Hence, exposure of pine to the pheromones enhances (primes) pine defences against sawfly eggs. • In the study here, we first addressed the question whether D. pini females evolved a counter-adaptation to the pheromone-mediated Scots pine defence against sawfly eggs by avoiding pheromone-exposed pine trees for oviposition. The bioassays showed that the sawfly females cannot discriminate between the odour of pheromone-exposed and unexposed pine trees. However, upon contact with pine trees, D. pini females preferred oviposition on unexposed trees and were reluctant to lay their eggs on the pheromone-exposed trees. • We further studied whether the improved defensive effects of pheromone-exposed Scots pine on sawfly eggs also extend to defence against sawfly larvae hatching from survived eggs. However, exposure of pine to sawfly sex pheromones did not affect the weight of larvae nor their pupation success. • Thus, pine responses to D. pini sex pheromones affect (enhance) the defence against the initial step of sawfly infestation, i.e. the egg deposition, but not the defence against later insect developmental stages. The results are discussed with respect to two well known hypotheses in entomology, i.e. the “mother knows best” hypothesis and “oviposition preference – insect performance” hypothesis. The second focus of the experimental part of this thesis addressed the question whether the pheromone-mediated priming of pine responses is restricted to direct defences against sawfly eggs or if it also enhances indirect defences of pine trees against eggs. We first examined whether (i) exposure of egg-free P. sylvestris trees to D. pini sex pheromones renders pine attractive to egg parasitoids of D. pini, and/or (ii) whether exposure of pine to first the pheromones and subsequently to D. pini egg deposition can prime the known egg-induced emission of (E)-β-farnesene from pine needles. This sesquiterpene has been shown in previous studies to attract egg parasitoids when combined with four other non-induced pine terpenoids. • Our study revealed that the egg parasitoid Closterocerus ruforum did not distinguish between the odour from pheromone-exposed and unexposed trees without sawfly eggs. • Chemical analysis of pine volatile profiles by coupled gas chromatography - mass spectrometry further showed that pheromone exposure did not significantly change the emission of (E)-β-farnesene from pine needles, regardless of the presence of eggs. However, as demonstrated in previous analyses of the odour of egg-laden branches of mature pines, sawfly egg deposition induced the emission of (E)-β-farnesene also in the young pine trees used in the studies of this thesis. Furthermore, the chemical analysis revealed that D. pini egg deposition on the young pines additionally induced the emission rate of (Z)-β-ocimene, one of the four terpenes relevant for attracting C. ruforum when combined with enhanced emission rates of (E)-β-farnesene. • The results are discussed in the context of previous knowledge of this tripartite interaction (P. sylvestris – D. pini – C. ruforum), considering the potential trade-offs between direct and indirect defence due to resource allocation costs. The third experimental part of the thesis addressed the question of how the age of P. sylvestris needles influences their defences against D. pini larval herbivory. It is well known that juvenile foliage of angiosperms shows different responses to stress than a few months older, mature foliage. However, much less is known about age-dependent stress responses of conifer needles, which may become several years old. To address this gap in knowledge, proteinase inhibitor (PI) activities and phytohormone concentrations (jasmonic acid, jasmonic acid-isoleucine, salicylic acid, and abscisic acid) of current-year (young) and previous-year (old) pine needles were analysed; untreated needles of these ages and needles damaged by D. pini larvae were used. The study further tested how the insect responds to pine foliage of different age. Thus, we could elucidate how a pine-specialised insect copes with age-dependent needle defences. • The results of this third part showed that young and old pine needles responded to larval feeding damage similarly with respect to the damage-induced increase of jasmonic acid and jasmonic acid-isoleucine concentrations. However, levels of salicylic acid and abscisic acid were induced by sawfly feeding damage to a higher level in young than old pine needles. PI activities were constitutively higher in young needles, but were not significantly inducible upon sawfly feeding, neither in young nor old needles. • Sawfly females preferred to oviposit on old needles, where larvae gained most weight. • This study highlights the plasticity of pine defence traits across different needle ages. The results show some differences between age-dependent foliage responses of angiosperms and pine to herbivory, but also similarities. Moreover, our study elucidates the ability of a pine-specialised herbivore to adapt to defences of its host. Our results are consistent with a long-studied hypothesis in entomology (“oviposition preference – insect performance” hypothesis) as well as with the “optimal plant defence theory”, according to which young foliage is particularly valuable. In conclusion, the results of this thesis offer significant novel insights into the chemical ecology of Scots pine and its interactions with herbivorous sawflies. The general introduction outlines the state of the art on (priming of) plant defences against insect infestation prior to this thesis. The general discussion focuses on the mechanisms by which plants perceive volatile organic compounds and further addresses pheromone-mediated priming and the influence of leaf and plant age on anti-herbivore defence. The results of this thesis may contribute to a deeper understanding of plant - insect interactions.

This research aims to investigate the effectiveness of using virtual reality (VR) as a medium to present concepts of non-Euclidean geometries to a non-mathematical audience. First, we give an overview of the development of visualizations for hyperbolic and spherical geometry: from the discovery of non-Euclidean geometry to its early influence outside of academia and finally to computer-based visualizations. Currently, VR is being used to visualize these geometries mostly within research and university mathematics education. This thesis focuses on a VR experience designed using a journalistic approach to introduce concepts of non-Euclidean geometries to laypersons. Next, we explore the theoretical framework for using VR in a science communication context to facilitate knowledge gain and engagement. We find several studies that indicate VR positively impacts learning in mathematics education. However, additional literature suggests that prior knowledge of the content of the VR experience may be necessary. This thesis contributes to the literature by being the first to empirically explore the effectiveness of using VR to present non-Euclidean geometries in a science communication context. In our study, we explore the effect that prior knowledge of non-Euclidean geometries has on knowledge acquisition, engagement and enjoyment when using such a VR experience. We provide a detailed description of the VR experience used in the study and then outline our mixed-methods approach, including pre- and post-knowledge tests and semi-structured interviews to investigate this effect. Our findings suggest that prior knowledge may not be necessary to achieve high-quality knowledge gain when using an immersive VR experience on the topic of non-Euclidean geometries. Additionally, the medium of VR facilitates engagement and enjoyment in users. This contrasts with previous studies suggesting that prior knowledge is essential for high-quality knowledge gain to occur. However, our findings do support a consensus that VR is an effective tool for audience engagement. Limitations of our study and directions for future research are also discussed. This supports efforts in science communication to present complex, abstract mathematical topics such as non-Euclidean geometry to a lay audience.

Die Dissertation untersucht den Wandel des südkoreanischen Mediensystems unter besonderer Berücksichtigung der politischen Liberalisierung während der Amtszeit von Präsident Kim Young-sam (1993–1998). Im Fokus steht die Frage, inwiefern Medienpolitik im Kontext politischer Transformation eine gestaltende Rolle einnimmt.

Theoretisch basiert die Arbeit auf Konzepten der politischen Transformation sowie der Demokratietheorie und verbindet diese mit medienpolitischen und kommunikationswissenschaftlichen Ansätzen. Methodisch wird ein qualitativ-historischer Zugang gewählt, der auf einer systematischen Dokumentenanalyse nationaler und internationaler Quellen basiert.

Die Untersuchung zeigt, dass die südkoreanische Zivilregierung der 1990er Jahre entscheidende Weichenstellungen für die Liberalisierung von Presse und Rundfunk vornahm, wenngleich dies nicht durch ein kohärentes medienpolitisches Gesamtkonzept geschah. Vielmehr spiegelt sich in der Medienpolitik der Epoche ein Spannungsfeld zwischen staatlicher Steuerung und journalistischer Autonomie wider.

Die Arbeit leistet damit einen Beitrag zur vergleichenden Medienpolitikforschung und bietet zugleich ein empirisch fundiertes Beispiel für den Zusammenhang zwischen Systemwandel und Medienentwicklung in postautoritären Demokratien.