VictorJuiz/thesis huggingface dataset:
Franz Grillparzer's dramatic heroines and women's emancipation in nineteenth-century Austria
Keywords: theatre
women's literature
women's rights
social history
Franz Grillparzer
Austrian literature

Recent decades have seen an increase in feminist critiques of the works of Franz Grillparzer (1791–1872), and a growing awareness that these deal with contemporary issues around the social roles of women. This study builds on exsiting feminist-themed examinations of Grillparzer's works to show more fully how they fit into the context of calls for women's rights in nineteenth-century Austria.
New interpretations of Grillparzer's heroines are made possible by considering the full spectrum of the author's intellectual interests and examining his dramas through the lenses suggested by his reading. Des Meeres und der Liebe Wellen is seen in the context of the Enlightenment, and Sappho and Libussa are analysed with reference to social contract theory. Contemporary feminist approaches are combined with Schiller's thought on stadial history, and with Grillparzer's analysis of Shakespeare's Macbeth, to give new insight into Das goldene Vließ and Die Jüdin von Toledo respectively.
Consideration of the lives and works of Grillparzer's female friends provides the context for my analysis, and helps define the original nature of this thesis. While several earlier studies have argued for the influence of Grillparzer's romantic interests on the construction of his heroines, sufficient attention has not been given to these heroines in the context of the intellectual women Grillparzer knew. While I do not argue that Grillparzer's heroines were influenced by the authors and other prominent women he knew, examination of the lives and works of Caroline Pichler, Betty Paoli, Marie von Ebner-Eschenbach, Sophie Schröder and others shows that Grillparzer was on friendly terms with intellectual women throughout his career, and that all of these women were to some degree critical of the contemporary social situation of women.
'How shall we sing the song of the Lord in a strange land?' English Catholic music after the Reformation to 1700: a study of institutions in Continental Europe.
Keywords: Organ
Convent
Motet
Counter-Reformation
Reformation
Recusant
Seminary

Research on English Catholic Music after the Reformation has focused almost entirely on a small number of Catholic composers and households in England. The music of the English Catholic colleges, convents, monasteries and seminaries that were established in Continental Europe, however, has been almost entirely overlooked. The chief aim of this thesis is to reconstruct the musical practices of these institutions from the Reformation until 1700, in order to arrive at a clearer understanding of the nature of music in the post-Reformation English Catholic community. To this end, four institutions have been selected to serve as case studies: 1. The Secular English College, Douai. 2. St Alban’s College, Valladolid. 3. The Benedictine Monastery of Our Lady of the Assumption, Brussels. 4. The Augustinian Monastery of Our Lady of Nazareth, Bruges.
The music of these institutions is evaluated in two ways: firstly, as a means of constructing, reflecting and forming English Catholic identity, and secondly, in terms of the range of influences (both English and Continental) that shaped its stylistic development.
The thesis concludes that as a result of the peculiarly domestic nature of religious practice among Catholics in England, and interactions with Continental Catholicism, the aesthetic and ideological bases for English Catholic music were markedly different from those of its Protestant counterpart. The marked influence of Italianate styles on the sacred music of English Catholic composers and institutions in exile demonstrates a simultaneous process of cultural alignment with the aesthetic and theological principles of the Counter-Reformation, and dissociation from those of English Protestantism. Finally, it is clear that music was an important formational tool in both the seminaries and convents, where it shaped both community and self-identity, and created affinities with the locales in which these institutions were situated – although it is also clear that these uses of music had the potential to conflict.
Droplet interface bilayers for the study of membrane proteins
Keywords: asymmetric bilayers
droplet interface bilayer
ion channel
protein pore
protocell networks
molecular computing
double bilayers
electrical modeling

Aqueous droplets submerged in an oil-lipid mixture become enclosed by a lipid monolayer. The droplets can be connected to form robust networks of droplet interface bilayers (DIBs) with functions such as a biobattery and a light sensor. The discovery and characterization of an engineered nanopore with diode-like properties is enabling the construction of DIB networks capable of biochemical computing. Moreover, DIB networks might be used as model systems for the study of membrane-based biological phenomena. We develop and experimentally validate an electrical modeling approach for DIB networks. Electrical circuit simulations will be important in guiding the development of increasingly complex DIB networks.
In cell membranes, the lipid compositions of the inner and outer leaflets differ. Therefore, a robust model system that enables single-channel electrical recording with asymmetric bilayers would be very useful. Towards this end, we incorporate lipid vesicles of different compositions into aqueous droplets and immerse them in an oil bath to form asymmetric DIBs (a-DIBs). Both α-helical and β-barrel membrane proteins insert readily into a-DIBs, and their activity can be measured by single-channel electrical recording. We show that the gating behavior of outer membrane protein G (OmpG) from Escherichia coli differs depending on the side of insertion in an asymmetric DIB with a positively charged leaflet opposing a negatively charged leaflet. The a-DIB system provides a general platform for studying the effects of bilayer leaflet composition on the behavior of ion channels and pores.
Even with the small volumes (~100 nL) that can be used to form DIBs, the separation between two adjacent bilayers in a DIB network is typically still hundreds of microns. In contrast, dual-membrane spanning proteins require the bilayer separation to be much smaller; for example, the bilayer separation for gap junctions must be less than 5 nm. We designed a double bilayer system that consists of two monolayer-coated aqueous spheres brought into contact with each side of a water film submerged in an oil-lipid solution. The spheres could be brought close enough together such that they physically deflected without rupturing the double bilayer. Future work on quantifying the bilayer separation and studying dual-membrane spanning proteins with the double bilayer platform is planned.
Asymptotic analysis of the 1-step recursive Chow test (and variants) in time series model
Keywords: specification testing
autoregressions
econometrics

This thesis concerns the asymptotic behaviour of the sequence of 1-step recursive Chow statistics and various tests derived therefrom. The 1-step statistics are produced as diagnostic output in standard econometrics software, and are expected to reflect model misspecification. Such misspecification testing is important in validating the assumptions of a model and so ensuring that subsequent inference is correct. Original contributions to the theory of misspecification testing include (i) a result on the pointwise convergence of the 1-step statistics; (ii) a result on the extreme-value convergence of the maximum of the statistics; and (iii) a result on the weak convergence of an empirical process formed by the statistics. In Chapter 2, we describe the almost sure pointwise convergence of the 1-step statistic for a broad class of time series models and processes, including unit root and explosive processes. We develop an asymptotic equivalence result, and use this to establish the asymptotic distribution of the maximum of a sequence of 1-step statistics with normal errors. This allows joint consideration of the sequence of 1-step tests via its maximum: the sup-Chow test. In Chapter 3, we use simulation to investigate the power properties of this test and compare it with benchmark tests of structural stability. We find that the sup-Chow test may have advantages when the nature of instability is unknown. In Chapter 4, we consider how the test may be adapted to situations in which the errors cannot be assumed normal. We evaluate several promising approaches, but also note a trade-off between robustness and power. In Chapter 5 we analyse an empirical process formed from the 1-step statistics, and prove a weak convergence result. Under the assumption of normal errors, the limiting distribution reduces to that of a Brownian bridge. The asymptotic approximation appears to works well even in small samples.
The roles of the homeobox genes ALX4 and MSX2 in skull development
Keywords: parietal foramina
MSX2
P11pDS
skull defects
ALX4

Heritable ossification defects of the skull vault often present as enlarged parietal foramina (PFM), bilateral oval openings of the posterior parietal bones. Isolated PFM may originate from wider defects in infancy and usually show an autosomal dominant mode of transmission, offering unexplored genetic insights into the molecular pathways of calvarial development. Haploinsufficiency of the homeobox gene MSX2, located at 5q34-q35, underlies a fraction of PFM families but the locus can be excluded in others, indicating heterogeneity. The proximal 11p deletion syndrome (P11pDS), characterised by multiple exostoses (due to haploinsufficiency of EXT2), occasional mental retardation, and PFM, pointed to a second locus at 11p11-p12.
The human orthologue of the mouse paired-like homeobox gene Alx4 was identified adjacent to EXT2. ALX4 was structurally characterised and heterozygous loss-of-function mutations were detected in association with skull vault defects in twenty-nine individuals from six families, including a new case of P11pDS. The calvarial phenotype of ALX4 mutations was almost indistinguishable from the MSX2-caused defects and ranged from a midline gap to non-penetrance, nevertheless typified by classical PFM; abnormal morphology of the dural septa was also observed. The mutation spectrum and the subtle genotype-phenotype correlations suggested haploinsufficiency as the predominant pathophysiological mechanism. Interestingly, Alx4-/+ mice manifest polydactyly but no skull defects, illustrating species-specific dosage sensitivity. Two new MSX2 mutations were also ascertained, one of which segregated with PFM and clavicular hypoplasia. The potential contribution of ALX4 and MSX2 to premature fusion of the cranial sutures - craniosynostosis - was investigated, but no unequivocally pathogenic variants were found.
To elucidate the functions of Alx4 and Msx2 in skull development, spatial expression analysis was performed in mouse embryos between embryonic days E12.5-E17. Transcripts of both Alx4 and Msx2 were seen in the early calvarial skeletogenic condensations and in later stages their expression displayed a more restricted pattern, overlapping minimally with the domains of mature bone. By assessing expression in embryonic heads of reciprocal knockout mice, activation of Alx4 was found to be independent of functional Msx2 and vice versa. Analysis of compound mutants demonstrated that the two loci exert roughly additive effects on the skull vault while protein interaction assays did not indicate any physiological interaction between Alx4 and Msx2. Hence, Alx4 and Msx2 appear to regulate proliferation, differentiation, or survival of osteoblast precursors and pre-osteoblasts through parallel pathways.
Accommodating the divine: The form and function of religious buildings in Latial and Etruscan settlements c.900-500 B.C.
Keywords: Latium
archaic Italy
Roman religion
Etruscan religion
archaeology of religion
religious architecture
Etruria
shrines
temples

This thesis examines the changing form and function of non-funerary cult buildings in early Latial and Etruscan settlements in order to better describe and understand the advent of monumental temples in the archaeological record. It draws on a significant quantity of material excavated in the past forty years and developments in relevant theoretical frameworks to reconstruct the changing appearance of cult buildings from huts to shrines and temples (Chapters 2 to 4), and to place monumental examples within wider religious, topographical, and functional contexts (Chapters 5 to 7). This broader perspective allows a more accurate assessment of the extent to which monumental temples represent continuity and discontinuity with earlier religious architecture, and furthermore clarifies the respective roles of Latium and Etruria in the transformation of cult buildings into distinctive, prominent parts of the built environment. Although it is possible to find many different accounts of religious monumentalisation in existing scholarship, this thesis holds that traditional narratives no longer accurately reflect the archaeological evidence. It sets out a sequence of developments in which early religious architecture was a dynamic, rather than conservative, phenomenon. It demonstrates that temples were not the inevitable product of a natural progression from open-air votive deposition to monumentality, or simply an imported concept, but rather a deliberate response to the opportunities offered by an increasingly mobile Mediterranean population. It also contends that Latium played a more important role in formulating the characteristic components and functions of central Italic temples than previously thought. This thesis consequently offers a new account of early religious architecture in western central Italy as well as an alternative interpretation of its monumentalisation.
Nanoscale measurements of the mechanical properties of lipid bilayers
Keywords: membrane biophysics
atomic force microscopy (AFM)
force curve measurement
lipid bilayer

Lipid bilayers form the basis of the membranes that serve as a barrier between a cell and its physiological environment. Their physical properties make them ideally suited for this role: they are extremely soft with respect to bending but essentially incompressible under lateral tension, and they are quite permeable to water but essentially impermeable to ions which allows the rapid establishment of the osmotic gradients. The function of membrane proteins, which are vital for tasks ranging from signal transduction to energy conversion, depends on their interactions with the lipid environment. Because of the complexity of natural membranes, model systems consisting of simpler lipid mixtures have become indispensable tools in the study of membrane biophysics. The objective of the work reported here is to develop a deeper understanding of the underlying physics of lipid bilayers through nanoscale measurements of the mechanical properties of mixed lipid systems including cholesterol, a key ingredient of cell membranes.
Atomic force microscopy (AFM) has been used extensively to measure the topographical and elastic properties of supported lipid bilayers displaying complex phase behaviour and containing mixtures of important PC, PE lipids and cholesterol. Phase transformations have been investigated varying the membrane temperature, and the effects of cholesterol in controlling membrane fluidity, phase, and energetics have been studied. Elastic modulus measurements were correlated with phase behaviour observations.
To aid in the nanoscale probing of lipid bilayers, AFM probes with a high aspect ratio and tip radii of sim
4~nm were fabricated and characterised. These probes were used to investigate the phase boundary in binary and ternary lipid systems, leading to the discovery of a raised region at the boundary which has implications for the localisation of reconstituted proteins as well as the role of natural domains or lipid rafts. The electrical properties of the probes were examined to assess their potential application for combined structural and electrical measurements in liquid.
A novel technique was developed to aid in the study of the physical properties of lipid bilayers. Membrane budding was induced above microfabricated substrates through osmotic pressure. Modification of the adhesion energy of the bilayer through biotin-avidin linking was successful in modulating budding behaviour of liquid disordered bilayers. The free energy of the system was modelled to allow quantitative information to be extracted from the data.
Simulation studies of recombination kinetics and spin dynamics in radiation chemistry
Keywords: spurs
radiation chemistry
spin relaxation
microscopic simulation

Radiation chemistry is concerned with understanding the chemical kinetics following the application of ionising radiation. There are two main methods for modelling recom- bination and spin dynamics in radiation chemical systems: The Monte Carlo random flights algorithm, in which the trajectories of the diffusing species are followed ex- plicitly and the Independent Reaction Times (IRT) algorithm, where reaction times are sampled from appropriate marginal distribution functions. This thesis reports develop- ments to both methods, and applies them to better understand experimental findings, particularly spin relaxation effects.
Chapter 4 introduces current simulation techniques and presents newly developed algorithms and simulation programs (namely Hybrid and Slice) for modelling spatially dependent spin effects. A new analytical approximation for accurately treating ion-pair recombination in low-permittivity solvents in also presented in this chapter.
Chapter 5 explores the photodissociation of H₂O₂, where there is some controversy in the literature on the spin state of the precursor. This chapter explores the possibility of reproducing the observed spin polarisation phase using the Radical Pair Mechanism.
Chapter 6 presents two new algorithms for treating reactive products in the IRT framework. These have been tested for two chemical systems: (i) photodissociation of H₂O₂ where the ·OH are scavengeable; (ii) water photolysis which produces H⁺, ·OH and e⁻_aq. In the latter case a careful handling of three body correlations is required.
Chapter 7 presents simulation results which suggest a strong correlation between scavenging and ion recombination in low permittivity solvents. A path decomposition method has been devised that allows IRT simulations to be corrected for this effect.
Chapter 8 presents evidence for spin-entanglement and cross-recombination to act as an extra source of relaxation for ion-recombination in low permittivity solvents. It is hypothesised this effect contributes to the anomalous relaxation times observed for certain cyclic hydrocarbons.
Chapter 9 presents an extension of the IRT simulation method to micelles. The kinetics are shown to be accurately described using the mean reaction time and the exponential approximation.
Applications of droplet interface bilayers: specific capacitance measurements and membrane protein corralling
Keywords: membrane proteins
single particle tracking
lipid bilayers
single molecule fluorescence
droplet interface bilayers
artificial bilayers
microscopy
membrane capacitance
biomembranes

Droplet Interface Bilayers (DIBs) have a number of attributes that distinguish them from conventional artificial lipid bilayers. In particular, the ability to manipulate bilayers mechanically is explored in this thesis. Directed bilayer area changes are used to make precise measurements of the specific capacitance of DIBs and to control the two dimensional concentration of a membrane protein reconstituted in the bilayer.
Chapter 1 provides a general introduction to the role of the lipid membrane en- vironment in the function of biological membranes and their integral proteins. An overview of model lipid bilayer systems is given.
Chapter 2 introduces work carried out in this laboratory previously and illustrates the experimental setup of DIBs. Some important bilayer biophysical concepts are covered to provide the theoretical background to experiments in this and in later chapters. Results from the characterisation of DIBs are reported, and an account of the development of methods to manipulate the bilayer by mechanical means is given.
Chapter 3 describes experiments that apply bilayer area manipulation in DIBs to achieve precise measurement of specific capacitance in a range of lipid systems.
Chapter 4 reports results from experiments investigating the response of bilayer specific capacitance to an applied potential.
Chapter 5 covers the background and experimental setup for total internal fluo- rescence microscopy experiments in DIBs and describes the expression, purification and characterisation of the bacterial β-barrel membrane protein pore α-Hemolysin.
Chapter 6 describes experiments that apply the mechanical manipulation of bilayer area in DIBs to the corralling and control of the surface density of α-Hemolysin.
Insights into the emergence of novel infectious diseases to humans
Keywords: ecology
zoonotic emergence
mathematical modeling
infectious diseases
environment

Novel infectious diseases in humans are of great concern to public health authorities and researchers in epidemiology. Zoonotic pathogens in particular have the potential to cause epidemics without any or little warning. In this thesis, I investigate evolutionary and environmental conditions, and the interactions between both, which facilitate the zoonotic emergence of novel pathogens. I start with a list of the mechanisms and processes which might influence a zoonotic emergence, and identify some unsolved problems. I address these with multiple, theoretical models. First, I use a village-city model with different adaptation scenarios to examine the influence of spatial heterogeneity on the emergence process. I derive general analytical results for the statistical properties of emergence events, including the probability distribution of outbreak sizes. My results suggest that, for typical connection strengths between communities, spatial heterogeneity has only a weak effect on outbreak size distributions, and on the risk of emergence per introduction. Next, I extend the research on environmental conditions by looking at pathogen specialisation in multi-host systems. I derive threshold connectivities for which generalist pathogens, which infect multiple species and might therefore be more dangerous to cross into the human species, can sustain transmission and are not dominated by specialists, which can only cause sustained transmission chains in a single host species, but are able to cause emergences with little warning. My third research chapter is interested in the effect of the loss of biodiversity. I analytically derive expected prevalences for fast growing and slow growing species. If fast growing species tend to perform better in degraded environments, my analytical results suggest that the overall prevalence level of infectious diseases will rise as environments degrade, which facilitates the chance of zoonotic jumps. In my last research chapter, I examine the actual impact of a novel, emerging infectious disease. I use data from the recent `Swine flu' epidemic in England to estimate epidemiological parameters of the infectious agent. My results suggest that the majority of infected cases showed no or only mild symptoms. This reveals that more data than just the estimated number of cases are necessary to fully evaluate the danger of a possible zoonotic, emerging infectious disease. I conclude by discussing my results and the implications which these might have.