VictorJuiz/thesis huggingface dataset:
Artificial oocyte activation (AOA) and phospholipase C zeta (PLCζ) in assisted reproductive technology (ART)
Keywords: phospholipase C zeta
artificial oocyte activation
oocyte activation deficiency
PLCζ deficiency

Oocyte activation deficiency (OAD) is the main cause of total fertilisation failure/low fertilisation rate in assisted reproductive technology (ART). Phospholipase C zeta (PLCζ) is the dominant sperm-specific factor responsible for triggering oocyte activation in mammals. Abnormalities in PLCζ have been linked with OAD. Artificial oocyte activation (AOA) is currently the only option for OAD in clinic but lacks reliable diagnostic approach and may cause abnormal Ca2+ release in oocytes. Previous studies have attempted to synthesise recombinant human PLCζ (rhPLCζ) protein but struggled to purify the protein or maintain functionality and stability. This thesis aimed to address these shortfalls by investigating the mechanism(s) of OAD and improving the applicability of PLCζ as a diagnostic and therapeutic agent for male infertility. This thesis first compared the efficiency of two immunofluorescence methods to assess PLCζ expression in male sperm (n=26 males) and demonstrated that our in-house assay showed the best labelling results when compared with a recently-published antigen-unmasking (AUM) method. I further developed our in-house PLCζ assay into a clinical diagnostic assay, which targets on infertile candidates for the AOA treatment (i.e., Ca2+ ionophores). Four out of five couples received AOA and achieved healthy live-births (fertilisation rate from 18.6% to 56.8%, p<0.001). Cut-offs for the key PLCζ characteristics were also determined for the first time (mean PLCζ levels: 15.57 arbitrary units [a.u.], and the proportion of sperm exhibiting PLCζ: 71%). Globally, eleven mutations have been identified in the PLCζ gene; however, the XY-linker that connects the main X and Y domains has received for less research attention. In addition, CAPZA3 shares a bidirectional promoter with PLCζ and is responsible for sperm morphology and function. In this thesis, Sanger sequencing and next-generation sequencing (NGS) were used to screen PLCζ exons (n=61 males), and PLCζ promoter, XY-linker and CAPZA3 regions (n=33 males). Ten single polymorphisms (SNPs) in PLCζ introns and three mutations in CAPZA3 exon were identified, some of which may partially explain the causes for male infertility. In addition, this study attempted to synthesise a novel rhPLCζ with uses of a pHLsec vector feathered with secretion signal sequence and further examined the functionality of the protein. Surprisingly, simple incubation of the protein with mouse oocytes triggered activation (22/52 developed to the 2-cell stage, p<0.001), which not only suggests that the protein may be functional, but also indicates the possible existence of a novel plasma membrane-bound mechanism that may act alongside the sperm factor.
Profiling Doublesex-DNA interactions with targeted DamID in Drosophila melanogaster
Keywords: doublesex
DamID
protein-DNA interactions
targeted DamID
CNS target genes
Drosophila melanogaster

The transcriptional regulators doublesex (dsx) and fruitless (fru) function together to specify sexual physiology and behaviour in Drosophila melanogaster. Whilst fru has only been located in insect lineages, dsx is structurally and functionally conserved throughout the animal kingdom. The role of FRU proteins as transcriptional regulators has been studied extensively with DamID – a method that uses DNA adenine methylation to create ‘fingerprints’ in the genome that correspond to where Dam-tagged proteins have interacted with DNA. Comparatively little research has focused on DSX, and there are few direct dsx target genes in the CNS. In this study, we implement the novel targeted DamID (TaDa) approach for profiling DsxM and DsxF expressing neurons in the Drosophila adult CNS, marking the first time these neurons will be profiled in a cell-specific manner. TaDa harnesses the phenomenon of low frequency ribosome re-initiation, and the introduction of a primary open reading frame (ORF) encoded before the Dam-fusion, to enable low level expression of the Dam-fusion in a cell-type specific manner when driven using Gal4/UAS. We generate a rich list of putative dsx targets in the CNS. Comparisons with a published DSX-fat body DamID dataset, an organ in which dsx is known to be widely expressed, reveal a tendency towards tissue-specificity. Our Gene Ontology analyses reveal DSX targets are involved in nervous system development, confirming the known role attributed to dsx, and motif analyses identify novel putative GATA cofactors. Alongside independent protein-DNA interaction screens (ChIP-seq and yeast-one hybrid), we identify the neuropeptides Diuretic Hormone 31 (Dh31), Tachykinin 1 (Tk1) and Neuropeptide-like precursor 1 (Nplp1) for further analysis. dsx/ Nplp1 expression analyses reveal a single cluster of neurons in the female brain, likely pMN1, which we speculate is involved in post-mating behaviour. The wealth of putative dsx target genes generated here pave the way for further characterisation of the dsx machinery and thus a better understanding of its role in specifying sexual physiology and behaviour.
Towards an understanding of time and space in Japanese language
Keywords: Mental Lexicon
Japanese
Lexical Semantics
Space
Time

This thesis investigates the perception and expression of time and space concepts in the contemporary Japanese mental lexicon. Through the frameworks of cognitive linguistics and cognitive semantics it examines material obtained through a set of experiments with Japanese native speaking participants – a free word association experiment and spontaneous speech experiments on temporal and on spatial description strategies.
Network analysis of the materials obtained through the free word association experiment revealed that time and space concepts are most closely related to the concepts of emotional evaluation, family/human relations and work.
Qualitative and quantitative analyses of the corpora based on the material of the spontaneous speech experiments allowed me to detect the patterns of temporal and spatial description and to formulate typologies of temporal and spatial description strategies in Japanese.
The findings of this work demonstrate that some of the strategies of spatial and temporal description seen in Japanese native speakers have not been described in research conducted on more extensively investigated languages.
This study will contribute to the global discussion on language of time and space and will play an important role in forming deeper understanding of conceptual structure of Japanese mental lexicon.
Competitive analysis of k-server variants and metrical task systems
Keywords: Online algorithms, k-server

In the online k-server problem, an algorithm controls k mobile servers in a metric space. One by one, requests arrive at points of the space, and the algorithm must serve each request by selecting a server to visit it. The goal is to minimize the total distance traveled by all servers. In the framework of competitive analysis, we study two variants of the k-server problem, the infinite server problem and the k-taxi problem, and the more general metrical task systems problem.
The infinite server problem is the variant of the k-server problem where the number of servers is infinite, initially all starting at the same point. We obtain a surprisingly tight connection between the infinite server problem and the resource augmentation version of the k-server problem. Using this connection, we also improve the known lower bounds for the resource augmented k-server problem.
The k-taxi problem generalizes the k-server problem in that a request consists not of one point, but two points s and t, representing the start and destination of a taxi request. To serve such a request, a server (taxi) must move first to s and then to t. This problem becomes particularly difficult when the cost is defined as the distance of empty runs only. Indeed, we show an exponential gap between the competitive ratio of the k-taxi problem and that of the k-server problem. A main positive result is an O(2k log n)-competitive algorithm for arbitrary n-point metrics.
Metrical task systems are a general framework subsuming many other online problems, including the k-server problem. Here, the algorithm suffers two kinds of costs, movement and service costs. For HST metrics, using an entropy regularization approach, we obtain tight bounds on the refined guarantees, i.e., movement and service costs are simultaneously optimally competitive against the optimal total cost. This also improves the refined guarantees for general metrics.
Disguise, transformation, and revelation in middle English romances and outlaw ballads
Keywords: Arthurian
Robin Hood
tricksters
memory
disguise
medieval romance
cross-dressing
perception

This thesis examines forms of disguise, transformation, and revelation in medieval English romances and outlaw ballads. The forms of disguise used by different characters and the consequences of such deceptions are specific to characters’ social roles. They reflect medieval English concepts of social rank and gender and the duties and abilities attendant on those positions. This thesis contributes a greater understanding of how motifs of disguise, transformation, and revelation are mobilised to address the social and political anxieties and assumptions regarding gender and rank held by romance and ballad audiences. By comparing the differences in authorial portrayals of disguise-related behaviour between classes and across genders, I uncover the particular, often socially contingent, anxieties invoked by disguise and disguise-perception, and the specific social beliefs infringed or upheld by such behaviour.
Chapter one explores the role of the carnivalesque in medieval English theories of kingship in disguise narratives, and examines kings’ marked and remarkable inability to detect others’ disguises. Chapter two focuses on women of varying rank, as femaleness constituted a separate social identity in English medieval culture. Disguise narratives that portray women as exceptional perceivers aligns with other, non-literary evidence of women’s role in preserving social memory; narratives involving women in disguise intersect with medieval ideas of women as inherently deceitful, and illustrate how women exploit disguise to achieve social agency. Chapter three uses Sir Thomas Malory’s Morte Darthur as a case study to explore knightly disguise narratives, and the ethics and theatricality of chivalric disguise culture. Chapter four investigates the yeomen outlaws’ failure to appropriate other social roles through disguise as indicative of the attitudes of various authors towards the developing yeoman class, and offers a new understanding of Robin Hood and Guy of Gisborne.
Essays on asymptotics of outlier detection algorithms with applications to economics
Keywords: Statistical asymptotic theory; empirical processes; outlier robustness

In this thesis, we study a “heuristic approach” that are frequently used for outlier robustness analysis in either the classical or instrumental variables regression. In applied economics, it is a frequent concern whether a tiny set of atypical observations may have invalidated the key empirical findings. To check the robustness of the conclusion especially with respect to outliers, the heuristic approach is to first run least squares regression and remove observations with residuals beyond a chosen cut-off value. Then, re-run regression with selected observations and compare the updated estimate with the original one relative to their standard errors. This procedure can be iterated until the robust result is obtained. The leading purpose of this thesis is to develop asymptotic theory that formally justifies this simple robust procedure. The argument involves a theory of a new class of the weighted and marked empirical processes of residuals. Asymptotics are derived under the null hypothesis that there is no data contamination.
The role of non verbal communication in effective teaching and learning
Keywords: MLT2019
MLT

The aim of the study was to explore what teachers, across different subjects in the Secondary School in which I work, understand non-verbal communication to be and how they feel they use it in the classroom. The topic was chosen in order to investigate and develop awareness of the importance of nonverbal communication, as it is not often a topic that is explored but it is integral to effective communication. The aim was also to explore if teachers use their bodies, voices, facial expressions and the like, consciously and in an informed way. Once establishing those elements through qualitative research, teachers were provided with information to support their progress and to learn further about the topic. The research questions were:
1. What do teachers across various subjects think nonverbal communication is, and do they consciously use it?
2. Can awareness of teachers’ current nonverbal communication be increased with an intervention which provides information, and can their current behaviours and awareness be improved?
3. In the reflection of teachers after more awareness of the topic, do they feel there have been any benefits in terms of their students’ behaviour, learning or general classroom atmosphere?
Findings suggest that most teachers had a strong understanding of what nonverbal communication was but found it more difficult to reflect on and change aspects of their own practice. Most teachers felt that they had had no training on this topic, or very limited training acquired in passing or through a process of trial and error in the classroom. Teachers welcomed discussion and information on the topic, with many of those interviewed open to trying new behaviours. Despite this, due to the demands of the school term, only a small number of teachers were able to implement information from the intervention with considerable success over the course of the study, while others showed the ability to reflect more fully on the behaviours they currently employ.
Peer tutoring for disadvantaged students in secondary school mathematics
Keywords: Mathematics
MLT2019
MLT

The aim of this action research project was to find an effective intervention programme that could be used in a secondary school to help close the achievement gap in mathematics between disadvantaged and non-disadvantaged students. The key feature of the intervention programme had to be that it would be low-cost and high-benefit. Peer tutoring was identified through the literature as a potential solution.
Peer tutoring has been written about extensively in the education research community since the 1970s, and as a result of the literature search two important themes emerged. Firstly, that a peer tutoring programme could have benefits beyond just academic attainment, so the project also looked at possible changes in mathematical self-concept. Secondly, that the way the peer tutoring was organised could have a significant effect on its success.
The organisational dimensions of the intervention programme were determined in some small part by constraints imposed by the setting, but mostly by evidence gathered from the literature. An 8 week peer tutoring intervention was put in place, with high ability Year 10 students tutoring Year 8 students twice a week for 20 minutes.
Academic attainment was measured using existing end of term tests so that the progress of the participants of the intervention could be compared against the whole cohort. Mathematical self concept was measured using an existing questionnaire that was adapted.
The results of the analysis of the test data showed that the Year 8 tutees had an accelerated rate of progress compared to students who did not participate in the intervention. The intervention did not seem to have any impact on the rate of progress of the Year 10 tutors. Similarly, an analysis of the questionnaire data showed that the Year 8 tutees experienced an increase in mathematical self-concept. The Year 10 tutors did not experience an increase, as their pre-test data showed they already had very high scores.
In conclusion, this research project showed that undertaking a peer tutoring programme in mathematics was a worthwhile endeavor; it met the initial aims of the project for having a good cost-benefit ratio. It is expected that this type of programme could be repeated in subsequent years with a similar group of students, and that it could possibly be extended to other subjects.
Harkness and learning: In what ways does growth in student confidence manifest itself through Harkness lessons?
Keywords: MLT
MLT2019

This project set out to identify in what ways growth in student confidence manifests itself through Harkness lessons. Harkness lessons entail students and their teacher sitting around a single table, in conference with the teacher adjusting their role to be an observer or facilitator not an expert figure with the right answer.
Practitioner research was conducted in three phases that involved pre- and post-intervention questionnaires to measure students' assertiveness quantitatively and, to enrich the data with qualitative description, ongoing observations combined with terminal interviews and a Harkness-specific questionnaire. My own Year 13 class was the primary research focus, but colleagues' Key Stage 5 classes completed the questionnaires to provide cohort context.
The findings suggested students' confidence did increase and they self-report that Harkness lessons contributed to this growth. Such growth manifests itself in increased lesson participation, greater prior preparation (and consequent confidence to share ideas) and an increase in respect for their peers. The findings also highlighted the importance of a safe environment for ideas to be shared and indicated that dialogic skills need to be developed lower down the school and that regular use of Harkness lessons would benefit students in Key Stage 5 subjects.
Can access to the principles of British Parliamentary Debating improve the English Grade of Year 11 students who are eligible for the Pupil Premium Grant?
Keywords: MLT2019
MLT

The students of this study are mainly FSM Ever 6. They have very little access, other than what is learned in the curriculum, to the best of what is written and said. Therefore, they find it difficult to understand their place and potential in society and lack the self-confidence to put forward their ideas.
The purpose of the intervention was to equip students with the confidence, vocabulary and knowledge to think independently, be able to draw up rational arguments and put them across persuasively and understand and engage with other points of view.
The study is based on the large gap in attainment between pupils eligible for Free School Meals and their more affluent counterparts. Research suggests that many students who fall into the “pupil premium” category have a narrower vocabulary and lower self-efficacy than their more affluent peers. By learning the British parliamentary style of debating the aim was for them to learn to vocalise their ideas in a range of settings.
The effectiveness of the study suggests that the students who took part have achieved several of the aims I set out to realise: greater confidence, creating engaging and thoughtful arguments and an above average attainment improvement.
Learning outside the classroom: An inquiry into how Outdoor Learning can assist in the school’s mission statement to meet the needs of the learners
Keywords: MLT
MLT2019

This study investigates the potential use of Outdoor Learning, specifically Beach School, as a way to meet the needs of the learners. A Beach School Unit of Inquiry was developed following the principles of the International Baccalaureate Primary Years Programme Curriculum in the local area. Two year 5 classes participated in the Beach School Unit of Inquiry once a week. Both classes followed the same Unit of inquiry on the topic ‘Diverse Scotland’. Findings suggest that Beach School is an effective way to assist in the school’s mission statement to meet the needs of the learners; however, other factors were also important. Using a local area played a key role in motivating pupils, and in turn helping them to develop socially and cognitively. Specifically, both classes showed a substantial increase in the International Baccalaureate Learner Profile areas of Open-minded, Enquiring and Risk-taking. However, the study also highlighted some of the challenges in Outdoor Learning, confirming the importance of establishing an understanding of the concept of Outdoor Learning. Overall, Outdoor Learning has significant potential to support learners when using the local environment by making learning real-life.
Learning about learning:  An exploration into the effects of self- and peer-assessment on metacognition in the Mathematics classroom.
Keywords: MLT
MLT2019
Mathematics

This action research project sought to explore the effects of formative self- and peer-assessment on the metacognition of a class of fifteen Grade 8 students over a period of fourteen weeks. Weekly problem-solving tasks were assessed quantitively and qualitatively by students and their peers, which prompted peer feedback and discourse, as well as self-reflection. An analysis of assessment scores, in conjunction with data obtained from interviews, questionnaires and group discussions, suggests that consistent, guided peer- and self-assessment promotes the development of metacognitive knowledge and skills in students.
Resilience: How far does the intervention ‘Bounce Back’ impact on children’s resilience in an Upper KS2 setting?
Keywords: MLT2019
MLT

This research project’s main aim was to find out how far the intervention ‘Bounce Back’ impacted on developing children’s resilience in an Upper Key Stage 2 setting. The Bounce Back programme is an intervention scheme from Australia, which attempts to develop children’s resilience, particularly those who show a lack of it, by allowing them to gain a better understanding of the term and how to learn from their mistakes. It teaches many skills through many different activities that engage the children. Throughout this research, the school will be referred to as MMPS. The thesis is the second part of research about resilience within this setting. Last year, I conducted an investigation (Gibson, 2018) into how children in Year 5 perceived their resilience by gaining an understanding of how the children reacted to new challenges in school and how they self-analysed in relation to their own resilience in order to identify the main issues for future interventions. Using the findings from that research project, led to the second phase of the investigation of how well the Bounce Back intervention scheme can develop a child’s resilience in Primary School.
This study seemed vital at MMPS, as we have witnessed for many years a recurring issue that our children do not show many signs of resilience. In my previous study, I argued that many of our parents seem to stifle their children’s independence by allowing them to give up easily on activities, homework, clubs and work. Whilst last year I investigated the resilience within children of ages nine and ten to gain evidence that they declared low levels of resilience, my colleagues and I felt that this year an intervention was needed to see if we could try and improve these issues in school, without parental involvement, within Years 5 and 6.
I commented on the work of Newman (2002 p34) who quoted, 'Where social capital is high, the probability of children in even unfavourable environments developing resilient characteristics is significantly increased' (Gibson 2018 p1). At MMPS, because of the nature of our parents and the backgrounds they come from, one might assume that our children would be very resilient. Unfortunately, that has not been the case for us at all. In fact, it has been quite the opposite. Our children are given many life experiences outside of school but they show signs of being too frightened to fail at new challenges and lack resilience overall.