VictorJuiz/thesis huggingface dataset:
The role of aspirations and identities in decisions to invest in children’s schooling
Keywords: primary education
instructional time
identity
aspirations
Ethiopia

I demonstrate that household investments in children's education in Ethiopia are affected by parents' self-beliefs (such as their locus of control), parents' aspirations for children's educational attainment, children's conceptions of their roles and identities in the household and at school, and children’s own preferences, all concepts not widely studied in development economics.
Two empirical chapters report on a field experiment in which randomly selected adults watched documentaries about role models who were poor but succeeded in agriculture or small business. Six months later, parents' self-beliefs and aspirations for children's education were higher in the treatment than in the placebo and control groups. Enrolment of children in school, spending on education, saving and use of credit also increased.
A third empirical chapter draws on longitudinal qualitative research to argue that children's preferences for their time allocation between work and school are strongly influenced by the desire to comply with valued identities as students and as independent earners and contributors to the household.
The fourth chapter suggests that understanding children's preferences might improve predictions about their reaction to education policies. The literature predicts an increase in time in school will not improve test scores: children will reduce effort because they desire a limited amount of learning. I find a reform to lengthen the Ethiopian primary school day improves test scores. Although this could occur through many mechanisms, one possibility is that children do not prefer to limit their desired amount of learning. This suggests that better evidence on children's preferences might improve prediction of the effects of policies to alter school inputs.
The conclusion reflects on whether the empirical relevance of concepts of self-beliefs, aspirations and identities implies that assumptions in standard models of decision-making in economics about the characteristics of beliefs and preferences ought to be rejected. I argue that these ideas can be captured by existing economic concepts of beliefs and preferences and by standard assumptions about these concepts. I suggest that, contrary to recent accounts building on human capital theory, self-beliefs should be viewed as beliefs, not non-cognitive skills. I consider aspirations as a type of preference, shaped by both objective constraints and self-beliefs. I consider identity as a preference for complying with a social role, but highlight that such preferences are often altruistic, rather than self-interested. In conclusion, I argue that economics should draw further on other social sciences, including psychology, to develop substantive theories of the formation and characteristics of beliefs and preferences. Doing so will suggest when it is appropriate to apply standard models and how their assumptions can be modified if their predictions do not hold.
Awkwardness in Marcel Proust's 'A la recherche du temps perdu'
Keywords: Awkwardness

This thesis examines awkwardness between characters in Marcel Proust's A la recherche du temps perdu. It offers the first full-length study of awkwardness in literary fiction, and provides a new prism through which to analyse many major characters in Proust's novel, and, crucially, their interactions. While the word "awkwardness" poses translation challenges, the thesis identifies a rich lexicon of French terms used by Proust to denote various aspects of the phenomenon: through close analysis of passages containing these terms, a coherent vision of awkwardness and its importance in the novel emerges. Awkwardness occurs in very different types of relationship – family, social, friendship and love – because, Proust stresses, human interaction is rarely easy. This latter point is not a new argument, but by focusing directly on the feelings of awkwardness which arise, original insights can be made about the specific challenges of communication, cohesion and desire in the Recherche. The thesis explores the degrees of togetherness and separation Proust depicts, and compares well-known scenes and neglected moments to their mutual illumination. We find that awkwardness is essential to the novel’s depiction of society in a state of rapid flux – the consequence of accelerated social change is escalated awkwardness – and that uncomfortable encounters with other people develop the protagonist’s relation with his own mind.
The end of the Psalter
Keywords: Psalter
Textual Criticism
Old Testament / Hebrew Bible
Dead Sea scrolls
Septuagint
Psalms
Intertextuality
Masoretic Text

"The End of the Psalter" argues, based on original text-critical and intertextual research, that Psalms 146-150 are originally separate texts, contrary to current Psalms research viewing them to be written partly as an originally coherent end of the Psalter.
Firstly, rather than focussing on the Masoretic Text only, all three oldest text forms of each Psalm are interpreted separately: the Hebrew Masoretic Text as the oldest complete text form of the Hebrew Bible in its original language, and the older sources of the Hebrew Dead Sea Scrolls and the Greek Septuagint. The thesis highlights considerable differences in these three sources which call the supposed original coherence of Psalms 146-150 into question.
Secondly, rather than merely listing other texts similar in their words or ideas, possible intertextual references are assessed using clear criteria and explicating consequences for the interpretation. The thesis demonstrates that intertextual references differ between each of the Psalms and between the sources, leading to shifts in aspects of content and to a lack of original connection of Psalms 146-150.
Thirdly, rather than presupposing Psalms 146-150 as one originally coherent group, each Psalm is examined on its own. The thesis demonstrates that the individual Psalms 146-150 cannot originally be seen as one group, and that differences in the content of each individual Psalm should not be smoothed out.
The thesis provides a new historical-critical commentary and intertextual analysis of Psalms 146, 147, 148, 149, and 150, each in all three different oldest text forms. It includes fresh translations and detailed comments on form, intertextuality, content, genre, and date, combined with a comparison of the different Psalms and text forms and an extensive evaluation of previous interpretations.
Biochemical and functional studies of the histone demethylases
Keywords: Histone
Substrate
Demethylase

Histone lysine methylation is an important post-translational modification (PTM), directing the regulation of gene expression in eukaryotic genomes. Methylation states are dynamically altered by the activity of methyl-transferases and demethylases, including the JmjC 2OG oxygenase Lysine Demethylases (KDMs). KDMs have been associated with perturbed chromatin methylation profiles seen in several pathologies, including cancer and developmental disorders. There is much interest in elucidating both the substrate profile of the KDMs and the full biological functions of KDMs. For this reason, "chemical probes" for KDMs are of particular interest. Selective and potent inhibitors of these enzymes will help to identify the extent to which KDMs drive disease states, and whether they can be targeted as drug candidates in specific contexts.
This thesis presents a systematic study on the sequence and methylation state selectivity specific demethylation of the isolated catalytic domains of the JmjC-domain containing oxygenases, all assigned as KDMs in the literature, using histone H3 synthetic peptide arrays. Demethylation activity was monitored at H3K4, K9, K27, K36 and K79. Results clarify the lysine position and methylation specific demethylation activities of the catalytic domain of the histone demethylases in vitro. Unexpected demethylation profiles were observed for the KDM4 subfamily, showing both demethylation at K4 and K27, as well as K9 and K36 (for KDM4A-C).
Several novel substrates were identified and further biochemical characterisation was performed using kinetic and structural analyses. Demethylation activities were quantified for KDM4A and E at tri-methyl K27, while K4 demethylation activity was repeatedly too low to analyse, suggesting it is not a catalytically productive substrate. Structural analyses confirm H3K27me3 binds in the active site of KDM4A in a similar conformation to characterised substrates. Experiments exploring the potential for KDM4A to demethylate in vivo showed full length KDM4A to demethylate at K27, suggesting that the novel activity is not just an artefact of the catalytic domain.
With an interest to design specific chemical probes for the KDMs and 2OG oxygenases, I developed an mRNA-display peptide screen and identified potential cyclic peptides inhibitors for the prolyl hydroxylase PHD2. The results from this work are preliminary, but point to wider cellular functions of PHD2 in metabolism and oxygen sensing.
Computational study of lithium-ion mobility in stoichiometric solid-state systems
Keywords: Solid State Modelling
Litihum-ion Diffusion

Lithium-ion mobility in solid-state systems is an important field with significance for a range of technological interests, especially in the field of energy materials. The binary lithium compounds Li2O and Li3N have been studied using modern computational techniques to elucidate their diffusion properties. The macroscopic diffusion coefficients have been calculated and the underlying microscopic diffusion processes elucidated using molecular-dynamics-based techniques. In both systems studied the diffusion has been modelled over a wider temperature range than previously attempted. The agreement between the calculated diffusion coefficients and the best available experimental data surpasses previous computational studies. The level of agreement achieved is due to the use of force-field non-equilibrium molecular dynamics (FF-NEMD). This method, which has only recently been applied to solid-state diffusion, allows rates of diffusion that are typically too low to be studied with equilibrium molecular dynamics to be modelled. NEMD uses a fictitious external field to increase the frequency of the rare diffusion events in a predictable manner without changing the nature of the diffusion mechanisms. In the case of Li2O the transition from the non-superionic to the superionic regime has been modelled. The dominant mechanism in each regime has been determined: in the non-superionic regime a concerted mechanism dominates and in the superionic regime an interstitial-mediated mechanism dominates. For Li3N the anisotropic nature of the lithium diffusion coefficient has been modelled. The diffusion mechanisms dominant for different directions have also been elucidated. The rapid diffusion in the (001) plane of the hexagonal structure has been explained by the presence of vacancies on the in-plane Li sites, both in this thesis and in previous works. Previous studies have explained this by the presence of contaminants leading to non-stoichiometric Li3N. However, in this thesis the under occupation of these sites has been explained by the formation of Li2 dumbbells, or site sharing, largely about the interlayer Li sites, but also about the in-plane Li sites. The existence of these dumbbells explains the experimental diffusion coefficients of stoichiometric Li3N.
Conjugation class from Latin to Romance: heteroclisis in diachrony and synchrony
Keywords: Latin
Romanian
Autonomous morphology
Historical linguistics
Romansh
Morphological theory

This thesis investigates the origins and behaviour of the non-canonical morphological phenomenon of heteroclisis in the verb paradigms of Latin and the Romance languages. Heteroclisis is the coexistence, within a single paradigm, of forms which pattern according to different inflectional classes existing otherwise in the language: a heteroclite lexeme can thus be seen as 'mixed' or 'undecided' as to its inflectional identity. I begin by examining the development of the theoretical concept of heteroclisis and approaches to the idea of inflectional class in general, before situating heteroclisis in typological space in comparison with better-known instances of non-canonical morphology such as deponency and suppletion; heteroclisis exists at a different level of generalization from these, because its identification presupposes the existence of inflectional classes, themselves generalizations over the behaviour of individual lexemes. I also consider two recent theoretical treatments of the phenomenon and survey recent linguistic studies making use of the notion. I then look at the synchronic and diachronic behaviour of heteroclisis in Latin and Romance verbs: the great time depth of our attestations of these languages gives us the chance to witness the development of successive examples of heteroclisis, and their subsequent treatment within the morphological system, in the history of a single family. Focusing chiefly on data from Latin, Romanian and Romansh, I find that the principal (though not the only) source for new instances of heteroclisis in Latin/Romance lies in regular sound change, and find that speakers can treat these synchronically anomalous patterns as robust models of inflectional behaviour to be extended over the lexicon or brought into line with pre-existing types of paradigm-internal alternation. These findings concur with previous demonstrations that speakers make use of non-canonical phenomena as markers of the internal structure of inflectional paradigms.
Chromatin regulation of lifespan in C. elegans
Keywords: C. elegans
epigenetics
chromatin

The biological basis of lifespan regulation is a subject of intense interest, and epigenetic control of gene expression is thought to play an important role in the ageing process. A library of RNAi clones against chromatin factors was used to screen for their effects on lifespan in C.elegans, utilising microscopic examination of lipofuscin accumulation as a primary biomarker of ageing. A secondary RNAi screen involving full lifespan monitoring confirmed knock-downs of four genes, isw-1, cbp-1, mes-2 and jmjd-3.2, results in extension of lifespan. The use of mutant alleles of these genes also resulted in statistically significant lifespan extension. Intriguingly, three of those genes encode H3K27 modifiers: cbp-1 is an acetyl transferase, whilst mes-2 and jmjd-3.2 are H3K27 methyltransferase and demethylase respectively.
Mutation in another gene of the jmjd-3.2 family, utx-1, is also known to have a lifespan prolonging effects by increasing H3K27 methylation on the daf-2 promoter (Jin et al, 2012). In addition to its lifespan effects, utx-1 is also an essential developmental gene. Its role in development has, however, been confirmed to be independent of its demethylase activity (Vandamme et al. 2012) raising questions about the biological significance of UTX-1- mediated H3K27 demethylation. I used a demethylase-dead form of UTX-1 to demonstrate that enzymatic activity is absolutely required for UTX-1 function in lifespan regulation.
Intriguingly, it is not just utx-1 loss of function that causes lifespan extension; overexpression of utx-1 from a transgenic array is associated with even more dramatic lifespan extension. Moreover, mes-2 and jmjd-3.2 overexpression also increases the lifespan of transgenic animals. Interestingly, however, lifespan extension driven by overexpression of jmjd-3.2 is not dependent on its demethylase function, suggesting a different mode of action to utx-1. Epistasis analysis suggests that the insulin signalling pathway is a crucial target of regulation for all the factors I identified, but ChIP analysis implies that lifespan extension driven by utx-1 overexpression may involve a different pathway from H3K27me3 regulation at the daf-2 locus.
Overall, this work pinpoints H3K27 modifications at key target genes as critical determinants of longevity, and furthermore identifies the crucial importance of the fine balance of factors controlling H3K27 methylation status.
Computational and experimental study of intense shock-cavity interactions
Keywords: multi-cavity
shock-cavity
cavity collapse
multi-bubble

This thesis presents a numerical and experimental study of the interaction of shock waves with air-filled cavities in a liquid. At the incident shock pressures studied, this process leads to the formation of high-speed jets which propagate across the cavities, causing them to collapse. This phenomenon is modelled numerically using a front-tracking approach, which enables explicit tracking of the gas-liquid interface. In arrays of multiple cavities, this method is used to show that inter-cavity effects can lead to intensification of the collapse process under certain conditions. A number of different arrangements are presented, demonstrating that in all cases the separation distance between the cavities and the relative radius of the cavities are of key importance. This result is highlighted with the study of an array of three cavities, in which it is shown that pressures over five times higher than the maximum pressure observed in the single cavity case may be achieved.
Experimentally, a single stage light-gas gun is utilised to create strong shock waves in hydrogel blocks, into which spherical cavities are cast. With this setup, high-speed imaging and optical diagnostics are used to show that cavities collapse as predicted numerically, and that light is emitted upon collapse. In the single cavity case, this light is formed initially at the position at which the high-speed jet strikes the far cavity wall, propagating out subsequently into a torus. The spectral intensity of the light emission increases consistently with increased incident shock pressure. In multiple cavity arrangements, the complex inter-cavity effects seen numerically are found to be substantiated by experimental results. The spectral intensity of the light emission is seen to vary significantly with the separation distance between the cavities, with order of magnitude increases observed for particular cases.
Codicological evidence of reading in late medieval England, with particular reference to practical pastoral verse
Keywords: Religious instructional verse
Codicology
History of reading
Manuscript studies
History of formalism

This study advances and adds detail to our history of the reading of verse in England c.1350–1500. Scholarship has established major twelfth- and thirteenth-century changes in reading, and linked these changes to manuscripts containing the modern Middle English verse canon. Historians of early modern reading have also argued for distinctive changes in their own period. But the examination of reading between these two clusters of change has been limited. This study therefore asks how later medieval Middle English verse was read.
The surviving copies of The Prick of Conscience and Speculum Vitae, two hugely successful religious instructional poems, form the primary body of evidence. This body is augmented by reference to hundreds of other manuscripts containing Middle English verse. Together, these can reveal much about what was normal and abnormal in reading. They are also an important part of the context for the reading of more canonical Middle English verse. Manuscript studies often proceeds through case studies of individual books and unusual evidence such as marginalia. This thesis turns to codicology to understand more widespread evidence for reading, combining qualitative case studies with quantitative techniques borrowed and developed from continental scholarship.
The first chapter examines evidence of provenance, revealing that both The Prick of Conscience and Speculum Vitae were read by an impressive range of people and remained current into the sixteenth century. The second chapter considers the navigational aids used in copies of both poems. Reading in this period has been characterised as 'discontinuous', but it could be discontinuous in diverse ways, and readers also read continuously. The third chapter is a large-scale study of books' size and shape, showing how these features can reveal books' reading histories, sometimes in counterintuitive ways. The fourth chapter contends that readers in this period attended closely to rhyme and probably read for balanced rhyme structures. The fifth chapter uncovers the ways in which these poems were rewritten for new readers and investigates the composition of the Southern Recension of The Prick of Conscience, arguing that this new text was partly a formalist intervention. The conclusion summarises the new 'baseline' history of the reading of Middle English verse which is offered here, and gestures towards implications for our reading of the Middle English poems which are canonical today.
Work, heat, and power of quantum processes
Keywords: quantum batteries
non-equilibrium thermodynamics
quantum information theory
theoretical physics
quantum thermodynamics

The central purpose of this thesis is to study the familiar processes of quantum information theory from a thermodynamic point of view.
Chapter 1 introduces equilibrium thermodynamics and its laws. The laws are then motivated in a statistical mechanics approach which explicitly employs the language of quantum information theory.
Chapter 2 is dedicated to the concept of work extraction, in particular in non- equilibrium scenarios. In this context a generalised notion of equilibrium called passivity is introduced. The chapter’s final section gives an introduction and an overview of various approaches to work extraction ranging from classical to explicitly quantum scenarios.
Chapter 3 considers the question of powerful unitary operations. Focussing on the case of qubits (or rather wits, short for ‘work bits’) the chapter’s first result is an explicit protocol for maximally powerful driving for any given initial state. Building onto this, the chapter’s second main result is a proof that the evolution time (and hence the power of the corresponding work deposition process) can be decreased by a factor of 1/N for an array of N wits if global driving is permitted (rather than individual driving in parallel).
Lastly, the thermodynamics of completely-positive and trace-preserving (CPTP) maps is considered in Chapter 4. It is shown that the energy change during such a process can be split into three parts: a work-like equilibrium contribution, a heat-like equilibrium contribution, and a third genuinely non-equilibrium energy difference. All three terms obtain their meaning when considering how much work can be extracted from the input and output state of the CPTP process, respectively. Furthermore, the identification of work and heat in this manner complies with a recently published version of the second law, which applies to the same class of processes. This is demonstrated by considering unital and thermal maps.