VictorJuiz/thesis huggingface dataset:
A contemporary concept of monetary sovereignty
Keywords: sovereignty
IMF
conditionality
ESM
fiscal union
WTO
Great Recession
European sovereign debt crisis
financial and economic crisis
Monetary Union
sovereign lending
stability and growth pact
exchange rate misalignment
monetary sovereignty
hybridization
cooperative sovereignty
international financial architecture
Financial Stability Board
EFSF
currency manipulation
current account imbalances

This thesis analyses whether the concept of monetary sovereignty evolves under the impact of globalization and financial integration, and provides a framework for assessing what this implies. Thereby, this thesis contributes to a better understanding of both the contemporary exercise of sovereign powers in monetary and financial matters and of the driving forces behind the evolution of international law in this field. As elaborated in chapter 1, the contemporary concept of monetary sovereignty proposed by this thesis is not static but dynamic in nature. Due to the dual nature of sovereignty as a concept having not only positive but also important normative components, monetary sovereignty cannot become eroded under the impact of legal and economic constraints. Chapter 2 examines the ongoing hybridization of international monetary law arising from changes in the sources of this complex body of law, from the unsuitability of the categories of ‘hard’ and ‘soft’ law for characterizing all normative evolutions in this field, and from the rise of private and transnational monetary law. Chapter 3 scrutinizes the phenomenon of exchange rate misalignment under monetary and trade law. Intrinsically related, it assesses which aspects of the IMF’s legal framework should be reformed in order to tackle contemporary challenges to the stability of the international monetary system, such as global current account imbalances. Chapter 4 analyses the increasing regionalization of monetary sovereignty. It argues that, to the extent that transferring sovereign powers to a monetary union is what provides a state’s population with maximum monetary and financial stability, the underlying transfers are not a surrender of monetary sovereignty, but its effective exercise under the form of cooperative sovereignty. Finally, chapter 5 assesses the implications of the contemporary concept of monetary sovereignty proposed herein for the reorganization of the international financial architecture in the wake of the Great Recession.
The career and significance of John of Brienne, king of Jerusalem, emperor of Constantinople
Keywords: Crusades
Medieval

This thesis is a biographical study of John of Brienne, king of Jerusalem and later Latin emperor of Constantinople (d. 1237). John’s extraordinary career is touched on by many commentators concerned with the crusades and the Latin East in the early thirteenth century, but it has not been properly re-assessed for more than seventy years. A comprehensive re-examination opens up new angles on the political structures and social landscapes that produced it.
John’s career illustrates some residual strengths of the Jerusalemite monarchy just before the start of the Hohenstaufen epoch. It also sheds light on a period in the history of the Latin empire all too easily regarded as largely a void. But within the biographical context, the thesis’s focus is more on the complex interplay between the Latin West and East in the early thirteenth century. A principal theme in this regard is the mobility, in geographical and politico-hierarchical terms, of a specific echelon of the high aristocracy in early thirteenth-century Europe, building on Bartlett’s conception of the contemporaneous western European ‘aristocratic diaspora’. Aristocrats who are ‘not quite first rank’ can be discerned on the make in regions, both west and east, distant from their original homelands. Much of the significance of that lies in the context, the variety of opportunities, and also the limitations on such figures. Whilst this thesis dwells on John’s experience of patronage and dependency, it also identifies grounds for tensions in his ‘new’ environments, as well as highlighting the opportunities and pitfalls presented by ‘dynastic interstices’. In this way, the thesis unpacks many of the ‘more normal’ features of the aristocratic diaspora out of John’s exceptional career. The thesis links together the thematic material to focus, in particular, on the interactions between various Western great powers and John as a client figure.
The Iron Age archaeology of the upper Thames and north Oxfordshire region, with especial reference to the eastern Cotswolds
Keywords: Iron Age
British Archaeology
Thames Valley
Cotswolds
Aerial Survey
Geophysical Survey
Iron Age Settlement
Banjo Enclosures

This thesis considers the development of settlement landscapes in the Iron Age across two adjacent regions, the upland eastern Cotswolds and lowland upper Thames valley. Previous studies have focused on the differences in settlement form, economic practice and social development and therefore the possible dichotomy of heartland and hinterland landscapes. It is clear, however, that this is due to an imbalance of research brought about as a result of the natural landscape, interests of antiquarians and archaeologists and modern settlement focus and development.
A new dataset of cropmark and geophysical survey material is presented as a way of redressing the imbalance. The focus within this study on banjo enclosures also provides an opportunity to analyse what remains a relatively enigmatic and understudied site-type that appeared during the Middle and Late Iron Age. The results illustrated and discussed here provide the chance to outline new narratives that take into account both practical and non-functional interpretations. From this, more is elucidated regarding these sites within the context of Middle and Late Iron Age settlement landscape developments.
By integrating this new dataset within the wider context of the upper Thames and immediate environs a number of further and more general questions have been raised. These focus on the chronology of settlement development, the appearance and growth of exchange networks and the changing significance of open and enclosed settlements throughout the period. Differences have been used in the past to symbolise alternative social systems apparent across two settlement landscapes. However, as a result of the evidence presented here these perceptions are no longer viable as an interpretive framework. Instead, aspects of chronological development, settlement space and sphere of influence and interaction are discussed in relation to the evidence from Midlands and central southern Britain.
Learning dynamical models for visual tracking
Keywords: dynamical models
computer vision
visual tracking
system identification

Using some form of dynamical model in a visual tracking system is a well-known method for increasing robustness and indeed performance in general. Often, quite simple models are used and can be effective, but prior knowledge of the likely motion of the tracking target can often be exploited by using a specially-tailored model. Specifying such a model by hand, while possible, is a time-consuming and error-prone process. Much more desirable is for an automated system to learn a model from training data. A dynamical model learnt in this manner can also be a source of useful information in its own right, and a set of dynamical models can provide discriminatory power for use in classification problems.
Methods exist to perform such learning, but are limited in that they assume the availability of 'ground truth' data. In a visual tracking system, this is rarely the case. A learning system must work from visual data alone, and this thesis develops methods for learning dynamical models while explicitly taking account of the nature of the training data --- they are noisy measurements. The algorithms are developed within two tracking frameworks. The Kalman filter is a simple and fast approach, applicable where the visual clutter is limited. The recently-developed Condensation algorithm is capable of tracking in more demanding situations, and can also employ a wider range of dynamical models than the Kalman filter, for instance multi-mode models.
The success of the learning algorithms is demonstrated experimentally. When using a Kalman filter, the dynamical models learnt using the algorithms presented here produce better tracking when compared with those learnt using current methods. Learning directly from training data gathered using Condensation is an entirely new technique, and experiments show that many aspects of a multi-mode system can be successfully identified using very little prior information.
Significant computational effort is required by the implementation of the methods, and there is scope for improvement in this regard. Other possibilities for future work include investigation of the strong links this work has with learning problems in other areas. Most notable is the study of the 'graphical models' commonly used in expert systems, where the ideas presented here promise to give insight and perhaps lead to new techniques.
Breton morphosyntax in two generations of speakers: evidence from word order and mutation
Keywords: Breton
Morphosyntax
Language revival

Following a decline over the twentieth century, Breton has seen an increase in revival efforts, including Breton-medium education. This study investigates the effect of the language transmission gap on the morphosyntax of verbs. Fieldwork was undertaken with three distinct age groups: older native speakers (aged over 65), and two groups which make up a younger generation of speakers: children in Breton-medium education, and young adults who have been schooled in Breton. The question of word order and the placement of verbs in Breton has been controversial, largely because it is complex and variable, making the identification of basic word order difficult.
The data show that usage across the older generation is fairly consistent, with V2 word order in matrix clauses. Verbal mutation is also maintained. Despite the transmission gap, younger adults from French-speaking homes do not systematically replace Breton patterns with French SVO. Rather, they avoid SVO in some contexts, and indeed use it less than the senior adults. The amount of input speakers receive is crucial: children in bilingual schooling, with only half of their classes in Breton, tend to oversimplify word order patterns and show French influence. In contrast, those with additional Breton input from a family member are more proficient. Children have difficulty acquiring mutation rules, and do not seem to have grasped the system of verbal mutation, but young adults use mutation proficiently, like the older speakers.
Consequently, despite strong French influence, Breton word order has remained consistent. The fact that verbal mutation is variable in children reflects late acquisition, since the young adults rarely diverge from the expected usage. Thus, the changes in Breton morphosyntax are subtler than expected in light of the unusual transmission pattern and close proximity to French. The crucial factor appears to be sustained input in the language.
A historical and historiographical commentary on Cassius Dio's Roman History book 57.1-17.8
Keywords: Tiberius (Roman Emperor)
Roman Empire
Roman History
Cassius Dio
Roman Historiography

This thesis is a historical and historiographical commentary on Book 57 (Chs. 1-17.8) of Cassius Dio's Roman History. It comprises two sections, an Introduction followed by the Commentary itself. The introduction is sub-divided into three chapters. The first of these introductory chapters (The Roman Historian at Work) presents a discussion of the historical material available for Dio's Tiberian narrative, and a discussion of the factors which were instrumental in Dio's writing and shaping his narrative of the reign of Tiberius. The second chapter (Dio on Tiberius) is an analysis of Dio's portrayal of Tiberius and of the historian’s understanding of Tiberius in the historical context of the early Principate. These chapters are followed by some brief Notes on the Text of Book 57, which considers the manuscript tradition of Book 57, and comments on portrayal of the reign of Tiberius in the Dionian tradition, and in particular the Excerpta Constantiniana, Xiphilinus, and Zonaras. The second part of the thesis, the commentary, presents an analysis of Dio's narrative from both historical and historiographical perspectives.
Formations of death: instrumentality, cult innovation, and the Templo Santa Muerte in Los Angeles
Keywords: Santa Muerte
Death
Mexico
Syncretism
Cult of the Saints
Folk Catholicism

This thesis examines the Templo Santa Muerte in Los Angeles, a small, loosely organized spiritual group dedicated to the veneration of La Santa Muerte, or the Holy Death. Although originating in the urban barrios (neighborhoods) of Mexico City, Santa Muerte is now venerated in the southwestern United States as well, primarily among working-class Mexican Americans. Although Santa Muerte has been condemned by the Catholic clergy and vilified in mass media and popular culture for its ties to crime and gang violence, my fieldwork at the Templo Santa Muerte demonstrates that not all devotees of Santa Muerte can be characterized in this way. For Templo members, Santa Muerte is foremost a supernatural instrument whose appeal is in large part derived from her singular commitment to satisfying their corporeal needs and material wishes. While this quality is also attributed to many Catholic saints, Santa Muerte is believed to operate independently of Church orthodoxy and is viewed to be more powerful because of this. The Templo Santa Muerte, on the other hand, incorporates some features of formal Catholic liturgy while simultaneously organizing its services around the individual petitions of its members. In doing so, the Templo’s founders maintain an effective balance between liturgical features familiar to their mostly Catholic members and the fundamentally instrumental relationship they have with Santa Muerte. I argue that this balance is central to the appeal of the Templo and to the logic of its founders, who took advantage of the tolerant and diverse cultural atmosphere of Los Angeles to establish a spiritual enterprise that is truly the first of its kind. My methodology and theoretical approach acknowledges this, favoring an ethnographic examination grounded in respondent testimonies, direct observations, and relevant ethnohistorical interpretations of the symbolism and ritual behavior associated with Santa Muerte. At its most general, my analysis of the cult and Templo of Santa Muerte is framed around three separate but mutually interactive and informative dimensions: the instrumental and social manifestations of the cult and Templo, respectively, and the structuring influence that Catholic soteriology and cultural materialism exerts over both.
Molecular dynamics studies of anomalous properties in network-forming materials
Keywords: molten salts
polarisable-ion model
network-forming materials
molecular dynamics
density anomaly

Molecular dynamics simulations are used to investigate the anomalous properties, for instance, the density maxima, found in network-forming materials. In particular, we adopt the Polarisable-Ion Model (PIM) as the potential energy model used for the simulations. The advantage of employing this model is that only one parameter, the anion polarisability, is varied whilst others are kept fixed; therefore, we can systematically study how it affects these anomalous properties. The increase in the anion polarisability causes the change in the microscopic nature of the materials in that it decreases the average bond angle. This also leads to the change in the macroscopic properties in that it moves the regions of anomalies to lower temperature and higher density, which is towards the supercooled regime. However, the change in the anion polarisability does not affect the order of regions in the cascades of anomalies.
Genetics determinants of vaccine responses
Keywords: Genetics
Vaccine
Immunology
Transcriptomics

Vaccines have had a profound influence on human health with no other health intervention rivalling their impact on the morbidity and mortality associated with infectious disease. However, the magnitude and persistence of vaccine immunity varies considerably between individuals, a phenomenon that is not well understood. Recent studies have used contemporary technologies to correlate variations in the genome and transcriptome to complex phenotypic traits, and these approaches have started to provide fresh insight into the intrinsic factors determining the generation and persistence of vaccine-induced immunity.
This thesis aimed to describe the relationship between genomic and transcriptomic variations, and the immunogenicity of childhood immunisations. Candidate gene and genome-wide genotyping was conducted to evaluate the influence of genetic variants on vaccine-induced immunity following childhood immunisation. Furthermore, contemporary methodologies were used to assess non-coding and coding gene transcript profiles following vaccination, to further dissect the molecular systems involved in vaccine responses.
Key findings from this thesis include the description of the first genome-wide association studies into the persistence of immunity to three routine childhood immunisations: capsular group C meningococcal (MenC) conjugate vaccine, Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib) conjugate vaccine and tetanus toxoid (TT) vaccine. Genome-wide genotyping was completed on over 2000 participants, with an additional 1000 participants genotyped at selected genetic markers.
Genome-wide significant associations (p<5×10−8) were described between single- nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in two genes, CNTN6 and ENKUR, and the persistence of serological immunity to MenC following immunisation of children 6-15 years of age. In addition, genome-wide significant associations were described between SNPs within an intergenic region of chromosome 10 and the persistence of TT-specific IgG concentrations following childhood immunisations. Furthermore, a number of variants in loci with putative involvement in the immune system such as FOXP1, the human leukocyte antigen locus and the lambda light chain immunoglobulin locus, were shown to have suggestive associations (p<1×10−5) with the persistence of vaccine-induced serological immunity. The fundamental challenge will be to describe functional mechanisms associated with these findings, and to translate these into innovative and pragmatic strategies to develop new and more effective vaccines.
Asylum as reparation
Keywords: Asylum
reparation
refugees
displacement
injustice

In this thesis, I examine the theoretical and practical implications of understanding asylum as a form of reparation. My basic contention is that offers of asylum potentially constitute a means through which states can discharge their special obligations towards refugees for whose flight they are responsible. Asylum, on my account, is an institution that can contribute to the rectification of the unjustified harms that states may have caused refugees by forcing them to flee.
The thesis is divided into three main parts. In Part I, I lay out a basic theory of asylum as reparation, explaining my conception of asylum and its potential moral functions in Chapter 1, and demonstrating the ways in which asylum may act reparatively in Chapter 2. In Part II, I seek to identify the conditions under which states owe asylum as reparation to refugees. Over the following three chapters, I argue that states have such an obligation when they bear outcome responsibility for unjustified harms experienced by refugees as a result of their flight, and when asylum is the most fitting form of reparation for those harms that is available.
In Part III, I apply my theory to the case of Iraqi refugees generated since the invasion of Iraq in 2003, and explore some of the practical implications of my approach. In Chapter 6, I argue that the US and UK owe asylum as reparation to large numbers of Iraqi refugees. In Chapter 7, I examine the implications of my approach for domestic asylum politics, questioning how states should prioritise refugees to whom they owe reparation vis-à-vis other refugees, and exploring its potential impact on debates over asylum. In Chapter 8, I identify its implications for the international politics of refugee protection, anticipating some of the incentives that it might create for states.
Female criminality 1780-1830
Keywords: criminal behaviour

This thesis studies aspects of women's criminal behaviour during the period from 1780-1830, using the criminal court records from two juridical areas: the City of London and the county of Berkshire. It considers all types of indictable crime, that tried in the local quarter session court and in the assize (high) court. It first establishes the numerical significance of female crime, which accounted for as little as one tenth of all indictments, with some variation between different courts and urban and rural areas. It also establishes some characteristics of female criminals, their age, marital status and place of birth. Compared to men, women's crime was less concentrated in the years of early adulthood, though the ill-defined nature of marriage among the lower orders at this period makes it difficult to establish any firm conclusions about the influence of marriage on a woman's criminal career.
To attempt to explain these patterns, this work studies the social context of women's criminal activity, for this purpose separating property and violent crime. In the former case, a stress upon the practical, organizational aspects of crime suggests correlations between criminal potential and wider social freedoms. In the field of violent crime, women's involvement was more prevalent than might have been expected, challenging the notion that women's experience of violence is predominantly as a victim.
Finally, the idea that women's lenient treatment by prosecutors accounts for their absence from the criminal records is addressed. From media accounts of women's crime there is evidence of a general disinclination to invest women with any criminal potential. A study of sentencing patterns reveals that women were less likely to be harshly treated that their male counterparts, though with some variation between crime types. It is argued however tha it is women's lesser criminal capacity, pre-determined by her social position, which creates these patterns, rather than the "chivalry" of male prosecutors.