VictorJuiz/thesis huggingface dataset:
Transportal literatures: Empire, partition, and exile in colonial and postcolonial travel writing on Cyprus
Keywords: Cyprus
Postcolonialism

The purpose of this thesis is to interrogate the stylist forms and literary devices employed in the travel writing of Cyprus with particular attention to how they relate to the political history of the island from the time of British imperial rule, to the rise of nationalist movements, and the ethnolinguistic partition of 1974. Doing so, this thesis uses the concept of transportal literatures to interrogate how these works manoeuvre through these political paradigms in the writings of Cyprus. From its earliest representations in English, the island has been depicted as a limen between cultural spaces, including Asia and Europe and East and West. It is through this literary motif that travel writers frame Cyprus as a portal through which they can explore their own ethnic, national, or gendered identities. The setting exists as a gateway between different ideas of culture and, consequently, as a gateway through which mobile travel writers understand their post/colonial identifications – including British and Cypriot writers alike. It is important to trace the intertextual links between these authors whose works explicitly respond to one another. These texts are chosen to complicate our understanding of the postcolonial discipline: Cyprus, home to two British military bases, and under partial Turkish ‘occupation’, sits in an ambivalent juncture between colonisation and independence. Writers reacting to this – lingering British imperialism, the double hegemonies of Greece and Turkey, the partition dividing islanders – reveal a need to transport notions of nations, cultures, and identities beyond expected binary lines.
Law and citizenship in the Roman Greek East: the provinces of Macedonia and Achaia (c. 146 BCE – 212 CE)
Keywords: law
Roman
Greece
citizenship
Legal history
Macedonia
Achaia

This thesis is a contribution to the legal history of the Roman provinces of Macedonia and Achaia, from the end of the Macedonian wars to the general enfranchisement of the free population of the Roman Empire in 212 CE.
Chapter One explores the extent of Roman authority in the jurisdictional sphere on the one hand, and the fate of local jurisdictions and judicial institutions on the other. It argues that, while Roman authorities swiftly took charge of interstate jurisdiction, local legal frameworks continued to operate on a civic or community level and retained a considerable degree of judicial autonomy over intra-civic affairs.
Chapter Two argues that local civic affiliations remained key to attributing legal identity throughout the period in question and are therefore crucial for our understanding of provincial legal development. Furthermore, it explores the main legal implications of the juridical heterogeneity of local communities which remains characteristic of the entire period and argues that Roman citizenship extension did not deprive its beneficiaries of their local legal identities, neither before nor after the Antonine Constitution.
Chapter Three concerns the making, the observation, and the application of laws and legal principles in mainland Greece. Based on investigation into Roman and local legislative activities on the one hand, and locally attested legal practices on the other, the chapter argues that most Greek communities, even non-privileged ones, were acknowledged by Rome as legal authorities in their own right, with regional particularities in substantive law still observed and articulated in the High Empire. Finally, the evidence for separation of jurisdictions and applicability of law is explored, exposing cases which display transmission of legal concepts beyond their expected spheres of application.
TEM of neutron, proton and self-ion irradiation damage in FeCr alloys
Keywords: neutron damage
diffraction contrast
iron chromium
irradiation damage
self-ions
defect analysis
radiation damage
FeCr
TEM

In the absence of a high-flux fusion-neutron irradiation source, the microstructural and mechanical changes expected within materials exposed to a nuclear-fusion environment must be replicated by fission-neutron and other surrogate-particle irradiations. This study uses transmission electron microscopy (TEM) to compare the microstructural defects produced in FeCr alloys during exposure to neutrons, protons, and self-ions.
Alloys of Fe6Cr and Fe9Cr were irradiated using fission-neutrons, 2.0MeV Fe+ ions and 1.2MeV protons at similar temperatures (~300C) and similar doses (~2.0dpa). The neutron-irradiated alloys contained a population of interstitial dislocation loops with b=<111> (>70%) and b=<100>. The visible dislocation loops were on average ~5nm in size, and the density varied from 2±1 x1014cm-3 in the matrix to 1.2±0.3 x1017cm-3 close to helical dislocation lines. Dislocations loops were mostly clustered around sub-grain boundaries and helical-dislocations. Helical-dislocations formed from initially straight screw dislocations experiencing radial-climb in response to a vacancy-biased defect flux. Small chromium clusters were identified in the neutron-irradiated Fe6Cr, and chromium α’-phase precipitates were identified in the Fe9Cr.
Self-ion irradiation produced mostly homogeneously distributed dislocation loops (6-7nm on average), but with a greater fraction of <100> loops (~40%) than was seen in the neutron-irradiated alloys. The self-ion irradiated Fe6Cr and Fe9Cr contained only vacancy-type loops, unlike the neutron or proton irradiated sample which contained only interstitial loops. Chromium remained in solution in both ion-irradiated samples.
Proton-irradiated Fe9Cr contained dislocation loops close to helical-dislocation segments, similar to the neutron-irradiated sample. Chromium α’-phases were also identified. The proton-irradiated Fe6Cr contained much larger loops (~13nm on average) than the neutron or ion-irradiated alloys, and chromium was shown to have segregated on and around these loops. Both proton-irradiated alloys contained large voids (>4nm and up to 12nm) at a density greater than 1016cm-3. In the neutron and ion-irradiated alloys, voids were mostly <2nm.
‘De jeleada, de vekjeada’: transnationalism, history, and the schooling of Low German Mennonites of Canada and Mexico
Keywords: education
Mennonites
schooling
Canada
Mexico
transnationalism
history of education

This study is a multi-sited historical ethnography about the schooling of Low German Mennonites (LGM) in Canada and Mexico, two nations with sizeable LGM populations and that have significant transnational connections. Using fieldwork conducted in sSouthern Manitoba and nNorthern Mexico—interviews, participant observation in schools, and archival analysis, —I explore the variety of schooling options pursued by this ethno-religious minority group. Framed as a history of the present, I draw on the past to illuminate the present state of Mennonite schooling in both Mexico and Canada. As transnational citizens, whose loyalty lies with the diaspora of fellow Low German speaking Mennonites, this community has repeatedly resisted state incursions into their schools, choosing migration over assimilation—conflict with the government over schools served as the impetus for their migration to Canada from Russia in the 1870s and out of Canada in the 1920s, with nearly 8,000 Mennonites leaving for Latin America.  For Low German Mennonites, schooling has historically served as the primary locus through which their language, faith, and worldview—known cumulatively as the Oole Ordnung—have been preserved.  However, schooling is simultaneously the site through which linguistic, theological, and technological reforms have been initiated into the community, introduced largely through transnational influences—, creating a situation where schools serve concurrently to sustain and threaten the Oole Ordnung.  Framed as a dialectic, I explore this tension throughout the thesis, arguing that each variant of LGM schooling represents a unique synthesis of these competing factors, from the rudimentary one-room schools with six years of school to sophisticated university preparatory programs.  In each iteration of LGM schooling, the Oole Ordnung is contested and reimagined, and yet is perceived by the community as immutable.  I argue that schools, because of their central place in the community, are key social institutions through which to examine the religious, cultural, and linguistic discourses extant within the community.  This thesis expands the field of Mennonite Studies, highlighting the position of the schools as a site worthy of further study, and makes a unique contribution to debates surrounding minority and transnational education.
The political theology of Bruno Latour
Keywords: Carl Schmitt
Eric Voegelin
Charles Peguy
Political theology
Bruno Latour

Although references to religion permeate the work of Bruno Latour from beginning to end, these have generally been dismissed in the critical literature as being superficial and extraneous. And yet, Latour makes strong claims that an understanding of religion is integral to his philosophical system. In this study, I offer the first full critical engagement with Latour’s writing on religion and thus with Latour as a potential contributor to the discipline of theology.
I argue that a critical engagement of this sort contributes to the development of a political theology. First, it provides a conceptual framework by which modes of political thought and behaviour that are prevalent within modernity can be critiqued theologically. Latour shows how modernity is continually deploying an epistemological appeal to transcendence and thus that it has the form of a covert religion or religiosity. This has the effect of de-politicizing the contemporary public realm. Second, it provides the means for a positive re-imagining or re-conceptualization of religion as that which stays within the realm of immanence, counteracting the de-politicizing effect of modernity and providing the basis for new forms of human connectivity, responsibility and agency at the present time.
As a point of application, I propose that interaction with Latour’s writing will enable the discipline of theology to engage with questions surrounding the impact of the contemporary environmental crisis. Latour shows how existing modes of human political negotiation are proving inadequate to the task of addressing this challenge precisely because they are expressions of the de-politicizing ideology of modernity. What is needed is an affective, moral and spiritual transformation. I demonstrate how Latour’s political theology can make a vital contribution on this front, enabling the discipline of theology to be at the forefront of important debates about the future of global human society.
Symmetry-breaking degrees of freedom in molecular perovskites
Keywords: perovskites
coordination polymers
symmetry

Perovskite oxides are functionally and structurally very diverse materials largely due to their abundance of symmetry-lowering degrees of freedom. A related and more nascent area of research is molecular perovskites: systems where at least one of the constituent ions is a polyatomic species. As a result of the topological congruence, molecular perovskites can often be understood in terms of the concepts developed for their inorganic congeners; yet the presence of polyatomic components imparts a higher level of ﬂexibility. This Thesis addresses the structural chemistry of molecular perovskites with regards to the effects of introducing molecular moieties. A special emphasis is placed on the existence and ramiﬁcations of “unconventional degrees of freedom”—deformations unrealisable in conventional perovskites.
Three main themes are developed. First, the presence of polyatomic linking anions means that the BX6 octahedra are no longer corner sharing. Consequently, translational rigid unit phonon modes emerge, where columns or planes of octahedra displace relative to each other. These vibrations are referred to as “columnar shifts” and often constitute soft modes. Hence, they are prone to condensation upon cool- ing and can drive displacive phase transitions—like tilts in conventional perovskites. Second, as molecular linkers enhance the separation of the neighbouring metal units, the energy scale for B-site correlation is reduced. This is apparent in the coop- erative Jahn-Teller distortions in Cu-based systems, e.g. [C(NH2)3]Cu(HCOO)3, CuPt(CN)6 and Cu3[Co(CN)6]2. Dilution of the Cu2+ cations by Mn2+ generates orbitally disordered states at seemingly lower dilution levels than in solid solutions of inorganic perovskites. Third, it is demonstrated how the unconventional degrees of freedom expand the library of symmetry-breaking distortions. A key result is that molecular perovskites exhibit a comparatively high propensity for the adoption of acentric space groups via hybrid improper mechanisms; an impossible occurrence in conventional perovskites in the absence of layered order.
Tuning the properties of ceramic solid electrolytes for lithium batteries
Keywords: LLZTO
3D Printing
composite solid electrolyte
ceramic electrolyte
mechanical properties
ceramic-polymer electrolyte
hybrid electrolyte
solid electrolyte
lithium battery
LAGP
interfacial properties
all-solid-state battery

The potential of all-solid-state batteries with lithium metal anodes to be safer, more energy dense and better performing energy storage devices than current lithium ion batteries has led to a major drive in developing solid electrolytes that combine high ionic conductivity with suitable interfacial and mechanical properties. This work analyses the electrochemical and mechanical properties of two ceramic solid electrolytes, Li1.4Al0.4Ge1.6(PO4)3 (LAGP) and Li6.5La3Zr1.5Ta0.5O12 (LLZTO), and their interfacial behaviour with a lithium metal anode. A novel synthetic route to a 3D hybrid solid electrolyte with tuneable properties and a new approach to diagnose cell failure in all-solid-state batteries are presented.
A hybrid electrolyte with 3D bicontinuous ordered ceramic and polymer microchannels was successfully synthesised using 3D printing. While the ceramic solid electrolyte channels enable high ionic conduction pathways, the presence of non-conductive polymer channels provides the hybrid with structural stability and resilience to fracture. Full control of the hybrid’s parameters such as the choice of ceramic electrolyte, polymer, microarchitecture and ceramic-to-polymer ratio was demonstrated. The LAGP-epoxy hybrid electrolyte with a gyroid microarchitecture achieved the highest ionic conductivity of 1.6 x 10-4 S·cm-1, which is only lowered by the volume of non-conductive polymer present and the channel tortuosity. The favourable combination of the epoxy polymer’s fracture strength and the ‘easy-to-fill’ gyroid channels, improved the hybrid’s electrochemical and mechanical performance compared to a LAGP pellet. The variation of the ceramic electrolyte and the microarchitecture influence the hybrid’s electrochemical properties, while the polymer volume fraction provides a suitable 3D backbone to increase the hybrid’s mechanical stability and cycle life. Despite the sintering challenges of LLZTO, a possible synthetic route to generate LLZTO-epoxy hybrid electrolytes was also demonstrated.
Additionally, inhibiting lithium dendrite growth in LLZTO and other solid electrolytes is another vital challenge. Hence, this work also presents a new method to diagnose dendrite growth by combining galvanostatic cycling with ex-situ magnetic resonance imaging. This approach allowed the identification of lithium dendrites in short-circuit cells and monitoring of their location in 3D space at different stages of cycling.
Unravelling the structural, metamorphic and strain history of the "Aegean Orogeny", Southern Greece with a combined structural, petrographic and geochronological approach
Keywords: Metamorphic Core Complex
Tsiknias Ophiolite
Cyclades
Kyanite and Sillimanite Migmatites
Cycladic Blueschists
Tinos
Naxos
Aegean Orogeny

The Cycladic Islands in the Aegean region, southern Greece, has been indisputably under lithospheric extension throughout the last 10 Myrs but there remains a limited understanding of the regional tectono-metamorphic evolution prior to extension. In this thesis, new structural mapping, petrography, thermobarometry, phase equilibria modelling, U–Th–Pb and Lu–Hf garnet geochronology is presented from the islands of Tinos, Naxos and Delos and reveal the Cyclades have experienced a complete cycle of mountain building. The Tsiknias Ophiolite on Tinos formed at 161.9 ± 1.3 Ma and is underlaid by a metamorphic sole which displays a highly condensed and inverted temperature gradient, with partial melting directly below the ophiolite contact at P–T conditions of 8.5 kbar, 850°C. The timing of metamorphism is constrained as 74.0 ± 3.3 Ma from leucosomes and 66.6 ± 2.0 Ma from garnets in the underlying meta-sediments, and is interpreted to represent the initiation of a NE-dipping subduction zone that remained active for ~ 20 Myrs associated with the closure of the Vardar Ocean to the NE. The arrival of the leading edge of the Cycladic continental margin caused high-pressure metamorphism (22–26 kbar, 500–570°C at 46.4 ± 3.4 Ma on Tinos and 14.5 kbar, 470°C at 49–46 Ma on Naxos. Crustal thickening resulted in regional metamorphism and climaxed with kyanite-grade conditions (10 kbar, 670–730°C) at 18.5–16 Ma followed by sillmanite-grade anatexis (5–6 kbar, 690–730°C) at 15.5–14 Ma on Naxos. The transition from overall crustal shortening/thickening to extension is constrained to 15 Ma in the Naxos migmatite dome. I and S–type granites intruded contemporaneously between 14.6–12.2 Ma, suggesting a regional-scale partial melting event affected the deepest levels of the Cyclades, possibly associated with the onset of extension and exhumation.
Politics and space in the Cairo peri-urban fringe
Keywords: Mubarak
Egypt
Political Mobilisation
Sociology
Cairo
State and Society
Middle East

The subject of this study is local politics in Cairo’s peri-urban fringe in the Mubarak era (1981-2011). It aims to propose a new theoretical model for understanding the social dynamics at a local level that have led to a specific form of socio-political mobilization, in which social space has been central. Each chapter in this study is based on the premise that Cairo’s peri-urban fringe during the Mubarak era witnessed the rise of a dominant cognitive structure that has been responsible for shaping most of the collective political practices of local social agents. This cognitive structure has placed the representation of social space at the foreground of political representation. I call this cognitive structure ‘neighbourhoodism’. Through neighbourhoodism, social agents have been able to translate their social, cultural and symbolic capitals into political capital, thereby qualifying themselves to be locally recognized as political representatives.
As this study will show, nearly all social agents in Cairo’s peri-urban fringe who sought to play a role in local politics were involved in politicizing their social spaces, at least at one stage in their political life. Those agents were from different ideological and cultural backgrounds. They encompassed actors from the local NDP, Islamists and other local figures. However, the constructing of neighbourhoodism did not happen overnight. It was an outcome of sustained social practices, individual and collective, formal and informal, which eventually resulted in an intense competition over the representation of social spaces. Although neighbourhoodism first emerged in the late 1970s, it came to dominate the political field from the late 1980s. Local communities in Cairo’s peri-urban fringe experienced an intense struggle between social agencies, who tried to protect their positions and acquire recognition by developing strategies that involved symbolic violence.
Neighbourhoodism has pervaded most social groups and has led to differing cultural and ideological outcomes. Firstly, it has provided the autocratic regime with new means of control, enabling it to make clientelism more efficient and rational. Secondly, it has created a basis for the rise of new movements, most importantly the Islamic movement, by allowing it to cultivate allies from different sectors of society. Furthermore, it has motivated local groups to produce new strategies, such as clannism, in order to consolidate their position in the battle for recognition. Moreover, it gave local groups sufficient grounds to confront the state in times of conflict.
The contribution of this work is to intellectually capture a social medium where the interaction between the macro and the micro can be examined to show how the local and the national/ global interact to produce localized politics, or how the local is localizing the national and vice versa.
Development of procedures for real-time hybrid simulation and testing of a buckling-restrained braced structure
Keywords: Buckling Restrained Brace
Real-Time Hybrid Simulation
BRB
Seismic
Hybrid
Earthquake

In real-time hybrid simulation (RTHS), a simulated structure is split into two substructures: one being a physical specimen, and the other a numerical model of the rest of the structure. These are connected in a real-time feedback loop to simulate the dynamic response of the combined structure. An issue in RTHS is the delay in the response of the servo-hydraulic actuators applying the displacements which can destabilise the feedback loop. The delay can vary significantly during the simulation, predominantly due to nonlinearity of the tested specimen. This thesis presents work developing and testing RTHS procedures, which are used to simulate buildings fitted with buckling-restrained braces (BRBs) as the physical substructure. An improved version of the well-known Adaptive Time Series (ATS) delay compensator is presented, retaining the performance of the original but significantly improving its computational efficiency. An online stiffness simulator is then presented which ensures stable force feedback using a continually updated numerical model of the BRB response. Accuracy is further improved by correcting for rig flexure using feedback from encoders measuring the BRB extension. Finally, a numerical model of the BRB is created which is then used in a multi-degree-of-freedom model. The performance of the modified ATS compensator and rig flexure correction was demonstrated through predefined displacement tests, achieving excellent displacement accuracy. This was combined with a single-degree-of-freedom numerical substructure and the stiffness simulator to form a RTHS system showing excellent accuracy and stability up to high frequencies – the compensator adapting effectively to changes in delay caused by yielding. A multi-degree-of-freedom numerical substructure was then implemented to simulate the nonlinear response of realistic structures designed to Eurocode 8. Finally, the system was applied to RTHS with a viscoelastic damper, demonstrating the versatility of the adaptive system.