VictorJuiz/thesis huggingface dataset:
Monotheism and christology in I Corinthians 8. 4-6
Keywords: monotheism
christology
Corinthians

The thesis is a description of the relationship between the 'one God, the Father' and the 'one Lord, Jesus Christ' in I Cor. 8. 4-6. It analyses Paul's language about God and Christ against the background of contemporary Jewish language about the one God, making use of methodic concepts gleaned eclectically from the structural movement in linguistics and the social sciences. Accordingly, the study falls into two parts: a determination of Paul's Jewish monotheistic presuppositions, and an analysis of I Cor. 8. 4-6 itself. Part one uses the Greek Old Testament, the Apocrypha, the Pseudepigrapha, the Dead Sea Scrolls, Philo, Josephus, and the New Testament, in particular some two hundred statements of monotheism collected from these sources (presented in an appendix), to illuminate the oblique references to monotheistic belief in Paul's letters. This part of the study concentrates on answering a series of nine questions about Jewish monotheism designed to shed light on Paul's language in our chosen passage. Part two combines the familiar grammatical-historical methods of biblical scholarship with newer, structural methods of exegesis to investigate the doctrinal content of the quasi-confessional language about God and Christ in I Cor. 8 4-6 in the light of our results from part one. The major conclusions of the study can be summarized in three statements. (1) I Cor. 8. 6 contains two classic statements of monotheism using traditional Jewish language, one in reference to the Father and one in reference to Jesus Christ; in each case, the language of monotheism comprehends not only the explicit confession with 'one', but also the prepositional phrases, which contain elements closely associated with belief in one God in Jewish thought. (2) Paul's paradoxical language about God and Christ in this passage certainly expresses the functional subordination of Christ to God, but it very probably presupposes an identity of these two figures at some undefined point, an identity which may well be essential in nature (by comparison especially with Gal. 4.8). (3) The language about Christ in I Cor. 8. 6. is informed not so much by Jewish Wisdom speculation as by Jewish language about the one God: it is best labelled a 'monotheism christology'. Hence the contribution of the thesis to knowledge lies in three areas. (1) It clarifies the nature and associations of Jewish monotheistic language. (2) It provides scientific support for the view, by no means generally accepted, that the New Testament adumbrates the concept of the ontological deity of Christ, using the most current methods of exegesis and working with a comprehensive selection of comparative Jewish materials. (3) It brings to the fore a christological category - the language of monotheism - which has been largely overlooked by researchers in the field of the origins and development of christology in the early church.
Immediate knowledge and conditions on knowledge
Keywords: safety
conclusive reasons
closure
sensitivity
justification
knowledge

This thesis explores two sets of issues in contemporary epistemology. The first part explores issues surrounding the category of basic knowledge (or justification) – that is, at a first-pass, knowledge (or justification) which is immediate, in the sense that one’s justification for the known proposition doesn’t rest on any justification for believing other propositions. The second part investigates issues surrounding knowledge-closure and various conditions – namely, conclusive reasons, sensitivity, and safety – which some philosophers have claimed are necessary for knowledge. Each part of the thesis is substantial (there are five chapters in the first part and four in the second), and the two sets of issues – while evidently of independent interest – are interrelated in several ways. In broad outline, part one of the thesis concludes that, even if (in the worst case) the first-pass category of basic knowledge delineated above is not ultimately tenable (on account of credible arguments against it considered in chapter 5), there is a distinct category of knowledge, aptly called ‘basic’, which is, plausibly, tenable. Part two of the thesis, meanwhile, begins by attempting to render the conclusive reasons and sensitivity conditions – conditions the adoption of which involves rejection of knowledge-closure – in as plausible a form as possible. And a rejection of knowledge-closure has implications for the viability of the first-pass category of basic knowledge delineated above, in particular. Part two closes by exploring the safety condition: a start is made at defending a novel safety condition; and a possible application of the safety condition to the legal domain is considered. The Conclusion, which includes a prospectus for further work, ties the safety condition on knowledge (chapters 8 and 9) back to the notion of failure of transmission of epistemic warrant (an absolutely central notion in part one).
Novel regulation of SRC family kinase signalling by RASSF1 isoforms
Keywords: RASSF1
SRC
SRC Family Kinase
Cell Signalling

RASSF1A is a tumour suppressor, the silencing of which occurs through promoter methylation in a variety of human cancers. Loss of RASSF1A is associated with decreased sensitivity to DNA damaging agents and worse prognosis in breast, colon and lung cancers amongst others. RASSF1A functions in a number of cellular processes, promoting apoptosis in response to DNA damage or death receptor signalling, or cell cycle arrest at both G1/S and pro-metaphase checkpoints. As a scaffold protein, RASSF1A imparts these functions through direct interaction with target proteins. We have identified a novel interaction between RASSF1A and the SRC activator, OSSA. Further studies identify a role for RASSF1 in SRC signalling. We find that a second isoform of RASSF1, RASSF1C, the expression of which is maintained in cancers, is able to activate SRC. We also identify a novel tumour suppressor role for RASSF1A inhibiting SRC activation through binding of RASSF1C. SRC activation by RASSF1C expression promotes internalisation of adherens junctions leading to subsequent loss of tight junctions and cell polarity markers from sites of cell-cell contact. -catenin is also found to be re-localised throughout the cells from where it is hypothesised to be able to upregulate pro-proliferative genes. In addition, we find that RASSF1C expression promotes cell motility in both scratch wound and transwell assays. Finally, we show that RASSF1C expression enhances tumour cell aggressiveness using a mammosphere growth assay. We conclude that RASSF1C is an oncogene that can promote EMT through the activation of SRC family kinases. This function is inhibited by the tumour suppressor RASSF1A. This work highlights why RASSF1A is lost through epigenetic mechanisms and not mutation and why loss of RASSF1A is associated with more aggressive, metastatic cancers.
Directors’ perceptions of parent involvement in the Early Head Start and Sure Start early intervention programs: a cross-Atlantic study
Keywords: Early Head Start
Children's Centres
Sure Start
early intervention programs
employment
parenting

This research is a cross-Atlantic study of Sure Start and Early Head Start program directors' perceptions of parent involvement in their early intervention programs, with a focus on the provision and take-up of parenting and employability-focused services. The review of the literature, which informed the survey design and the later data chapters, focuses on poverty and parenting, working parents, welfare reform, and early intervention programs, including early childhood education and care policies in England and the United States. Data was collected via an online survey, administered to all those individuals directing either a Sure Start Local Programme (including those that had been designated as Children's Centres) in England or an Early Head Start program in the USA. There was a 40.3% response rate (231 English and 236 American directors, resulting in a total of 467 respondents). The survey questioned directors on their background, and also sought their views of the area in which their program operated, characteristics of their programs and their perceptions of the families accessing the parent-focused services offered by their early intervention program. The resulting data was used to address the primary theme of parenting and employability, drawing associations between reported parent involvement and directors' perceptions of area, program and family characteristics. The findings also led to the establishment of secondary themes: the targeting and catchment area approach to service provision, engaging disadvantaged families, relationships with partner agencies, issues of funding and resources, particularly for staff, and the expansion of Children's Centres. A summary report was sent to all participating directors. It is hoped that this research has benefited program directors, providing insights into the local-level experiences had by their colleagues both within their own country and across the Atlantic, particularly with respect to parent involvement in early intervention programs.
Modelling the Milky Way stellar halo
Keywords: stars: kinematics and dynamics
Milky Way: stellar halo
stars: Horizontal Branch

We motivate the importance of understanding the kinematics and dynamics of the Milky Way stellar halo both in unravelling the formation history and evolution of our host Galaxy and in the more general context of galaxy dynamics.
We present a cleaned picture of the kinematics of the smooth component of the stellar halo: we develop a method to quantify the average distance error on a sample of stars based on the idea of Schoenrich et al. (2012), but adapted so that it uses velocity information only on average. We use this scheme to construct an analytic distance calibration for Blue Horizontal Branch (BHB) field halo stars in Sloan colours and demonstrate that our calibration is a) more accurate than the ones available and b) unbiased w.r.t. metallicity and colour. We measure the rotation of the smooth component of the stellar halo with a tool-set of four estimators that use either only the l.o.s. velocities or the full 3D motion. From two samples of BHB stars from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey, we favour a non-rotating single halo. We critique conflicting results in the literature based on similar samples and trace back the disagreement (either in the sign of rotation or in the morphology of the halo) to sample contaminations and/or neglect account of the halo geometry.
We propose a scheme that generalizes any isotropic spherical model to a model where the potential is axisymmetric and the distribution function is a function of the three actions. The idea is to approximate the Hamiltonian as a function of the actions with a library of quadratic fits to surfaces of constant energy in action space and then make explicit the dependence of the energy on the three actions in the ergodic distribution function. The transparency of the physics implied by the model we achieve, should make it possible to combine our spheroidal models to the f(J)-models of Binney (2010) for the disks and of Pontzen & Governato (2013) for the dark-matter halo, and obtain a complete actions-defined dynamical model of the Milky Way Galaxy.
Han dynasty (206BC-AD220) stone carved tombs in central and eastern China
Keywords: rock-cut tombs
stone tombs
Han Dynasty
sculpture
architecture
Koguryo
Silk Road
pictorial programme

This thesis studies Han Dynasty stone carved tombs in Central and Eastern China. These multi-chambered tombs were constructed from carved stone slabs, and were very popular among the Han people. However, such horizontal stone structures were entirely new, and were a result of outside stimuli rather than an independent development within China. The stone carved tombs were a result of imitating royal rock-cut tombs, while the rock-cut tombs were stimulated by foreign examples. Moreover, many details of stone carved tombs also had Western features. These exotic elements were incorporated to satisfy specific requirements of the Han people, and reflected the desire to assimilate exotica within Chinese traditions.
Some details within stone carved tombs showed high level of stone working technologies with Western influences. But in general the level of stone construction of the Han period was relatively low. The methods of construction showed how unfamiliar the Western system was to the Han artisans. Han Dynasty stone carved tombs were hybrids of different techniques, including timber, brick and stone works. From these variations, Han people could choose certain types of tombs to satisfy their specific ritual and economic needs.
Not only structures, but also pictorial decorations of stone carved tombs were innovations. The range of image motifs is quite limited. Similar motifs can be found in almost every tomb. Such similarities were partly due to the artisans, who worked in workshops and used repertoires for the carving of images. But these also suggest that the tombs were decorated for certain purposes with a given functional template. Together with different patterns of burial objects and their settings, such images formed a way through which the Han people gave meaning to the afterworld.
After their heyday, stone carved tombs ceased being constructed in the Central Plains as the Han Empire collapsed. However, they set a model for later tombs. The idea of building horizontal stone chamber tombs spread to Han borderlands, and gradually went further east to the Korean Peninsula. The legacy and spread of the Chinese masonry tradition was closely related to the political circumstances of late Han and post-Han period. The spread of stone chamber tombs in Northeast Asia is presented as a part of a long history of interactions between different parts of Eurasia.
Molecular dynamics simulation studies of transmembrane signalling proteins
Keywords: transmembrane
lipid
multiscale
RTKs
Molecular dynamics
juxtamembrane
EGFR

Receptor tyrosine kinases (RTKs) are a major class of cell surface receptors, important in cell signalling events associated with a variety of functions. High-throughput (HTP), coarse-grained molecular dynamics (CG-MD) simulations have been used to investigate the dimerization of the transmembrane (TM) domain of selected RTKs, including epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) and muscle-specific kinase (MuSK). EGFR activation requires not only a specific TM dimer interface, but also a proper orientation of its juxtamembrane (JM) domain. Phosphatidylinositol 4,5-bisphosphate (PIP2) is known to abolish EGFR phosphorylation through interaction with basic residues within the JM domain. Here, a multiscale approach was used to investigate anionic lipid clustering around the TM-JM junction and how such clustering is modulated by the mutation of basic residues. The simulations demonstrated that PIP2 may help stabilize the JM-A antiparallel dimer, which may in turn help stabilize TM domain helix packing of the N-terminal dimerization motif. A proximal TM domain residue has been implicated in the inhibition of ganglioside GM3 in phase-separated membranes. Here, CG simulations were used to explore the dynamic behaviour of the EGFR TM domain dimer in GM3-containing and GM3-depleted bilayers designed to resemble lipid-disordered (Ld) and phase-separated (Ld/Lo) membranes. The simulations suggest that the presence of GM3 in Ld/Lo bilayers can disrupt and destabilize the TM dimer, which helps to explain why GM3 may favour monomeric EGFR in vivo. To gain insights into the dynamic nature of the intact EGFR, a nearly complete EGFR dimer was modelled using available structural data and embedded in an asymmetric compositional complex bilayer, which resembles the mammalian plasma membrane. The results demonstrated the dynamic nature of the EGFR ectodomain and its predicted interactions with lipids in the local bilayer. Strong protein-lipid interactions, as well as lipid-lipid interactions, affect the local clustering of lipids and the diffusion of lipids in the vicinity of the protein on both leaflets.
Trust and security risks in mobile banking
Keywords: mobile apps
sense of trust
security
mobile banking
threats

With the development and growth of mobile technologies, mobile phones enable users to perform a number of different tasks with their devices: from sending simple text messages, checking e-mails and browsing the internet, to running elaborated applications. Nowadays, the mobile phone platform creates great opportunities for businesses, especially due to its capabilities and population coverage: the number of mobile subscriptions approaches global population figures. In order to explore such opportunities, most banks have already launched their mobile applications and/or re-designed mobile version of their websites. One of the benefits of using mobile banking is the possibility for users to carry out bank transactions, such online payments or transfers, at anytime and anywhere. Expectations for the adoption of mobile banking were high; however, it represents about 20% of mobile phone users at the present. One factor has been recognised as being a strong reason for users not to adopt mobile banking: their concerns about security. This dissertation focuses on the relationship between the trust users have in mobile banking and the security risks that the use of mobile devices potentially pose. A questionnaire was created in order to gather users’ perception of security about mobile banking, and its results compared with recognised security issues.
Transfer from midwifery unit to obstetric unit during labour: rates, process and women's experience
Keywords: Epidemiology
Birth centres
Qualitative Research
Midwifery
Transfer

Background
Midwifery units (MUs) provide midwife-led care for women at low risk of complications. They may be located on the same site as an obstetric unit (OU), in a hospital without obstetric services or separate from any hospital. In MUs, if unforeseen complications arise, transfer to an OU may be necessary.
Aim
To provide evidence to contribute to the improvement of the transfer process, help make transfer safer and less distressing for women, thereby improving the care and experience of women planning to give birth in MUs.
Methods
A structured literature review of existing evidence was followed by three integrated component studies using different methods. The content and quality of local NHS transfer guidelines were evaluated. Data from the Birthplace national prospective cohort study were analysed to estimate transfer rates, describe the transfer process and identify factors associated with transfer. The experiences of women transferred were explored in qualitative interviews.
Findings
Transfer is a common event, affecting around 25% of women planning birth in MUs, although rates in different units vary. Primiparous women are more likely to be transferred than women having a second or subsequent baby. The risk of transfer for primiparous women increases with increasing age; around 50% of women having their first baby aged 40 years or over are transferred.
Local NHS transfer guidelines are generally of poor quality and pay little attention to women’s experience.
Women interviewed after transfer report feeling unprepared for transfer. Sensitive care and clear communication from midwives during labour facilitate feelings of control in women and help women accept transfer as the right decision and not a 'negative' event. Transfer that is perceived by women as “too late” can have potentially serious and long-lasting negative effects.
Women’s experience of the transfer journey could be improved by the offer of choice in a number of areas which would help women feel 'cared for' rather than 'transported'. Having the MU midwife continue to care for the woman after transfer should be considered 'best practice'; where this is not possible a good handover is essential. Women who have experienced transfer should be offered the opportunity to talk to a midwife about their experience.
Novel signalling pathways regulating epithelial-mesenchymal transition in bone metastatic prostate cancer
Keywords: purinergic signalling
signal transduction
cancer
epithelial-mesenchymal transition
microrna
prostate

Prostate cancer (PCa) cells predominantly metastasize to bone and the complex crosstalk between PCa cells and osteoblasts (bone-forming cells) and osteoclasts (bone-destroying cells) leads to increased tumour growth and worsening of bone disease. Understanding the mechanisms of PCa bone metastasis can identify the aggressive fraction of PCa resulting in earlier intervention. The ability of PCa cells to express bone cell-specific features, termed osteomimicry, could potentially explain the osteotropic nature of PCa cells. The aim of this study was to determine the role of osteomimicry in the regulation of epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) in bone metastatic prostate cancer cells.
It was demonstrated that the osteoblast-specific marker alkaline phosphatase (bone/liver/kidney) (ALPL) was overexpressed in bone metastatic (ARCaPM), compared to non-metastatic (ARCaPE), human PCa cells. Knockdown of ALPL resulted in decreased cell viability, increased cell death and a change from mesenchymal to epithelial morphology in ARCaPM and PC3 cells, and increased CDH1 expression along with decreased migration in ARCaPM cells. Treatment with extracellular ATP also resulted in decreased viability, increased expression of epithelial markers (CDH1, KRT14) and decreased expression of mesenchymal markers (VIM, ZEB1), and reduced expression of ALPL in ARCaPM cells. Small RNA-sequencing identified microRNAs differentially expressed between ARCaPE and ARCaPM PCa cell lines: miR-373 expression was lower in ARCaPM compared to ARCaPE cells and its overexpression in ARCaPM cells resulted in a change to epithelial morphology, increased expression of the epithelial marker CDH1 and decreased expression of the mesenchymal markers VIM and ZEB1. Finally, the development of a high-throughput screening method to identify novel microRNA regulators of osteomimicry was described, which identified two microRNAs miR-199a-5p and miR-212 as positive regulators of ALP activity. Taken together, this thesis describes the identification of ALPL and ATP as novel regulators of epithelial-mesenchymal transition in PCa cells and high-throughput ALP-activity screening as a powerful tool to identify novel microRNA regulators of ALP expression.