VictorJuiz/thesis huggingface dataset:
How international courts promote compliance: strategies beyond adjudication
Keywords: Compliance
Autonomy
International Law
Legitimacy
Entrepreneurship
Judicialization
International Courts

In recent decades, international courts have proliferated the international system—a trend often referred to as the "judicialization" of international law and politics. States create international courts to promote greater compliance with international law, and have increasingly embedded these actors within various international regimes. Scholars have primarily analyzed the consequences of the judicialization trend based on international judges' authority for interpreting and applying international law, adjudicating international disputes, and rendering binding rulings. However, international courts, especially when conceptualized as international organizations, also perform a variety of activities beyond adjudication. This study theorizes international courts’ agency, in both its judicial and non-judicial dimensions, to explain how international courts aim to influence actors’ behaviour and promote greater compliance within their international legal regimes.
As a foundation, it conceptualizes the various approaches through which international courts can promote compliance with international law, showing how international courts can appeal to actors’ logics of consequences and appropriateness, either through their own agency or through using intermediary actors. An original dataset on the prevalence of these approaches across all twenty-three permanent international courts reveals significant variation in whether and how international courts have expanded their approaches for promoting compliance. International courts' level of autonomy influences their capacity for entrepreneurship and developing their approaches. Furthermore, their levels of acceptance and accessibility affect their adoption of particular approaches. Drawing on archival and interview research, ten case studies of a range of global and regional international courts, operating in a variety of issue areas and contexts, elucidate international courts' variable expansion of approaches based on these core variables. The study shows that international courts are dynamic and strategic actors, which address challenges and exploit opportunities to increase their influence and promote compliance within their international regimes.
Neolithic Anatolia and Central Europe: disentangling environmental impacts from diet isotope studies
Keywords: Turkey
Prehistory
Carbon and nitrogen isotopes
Neolithic
Human Diet

The aim of this thesis was to reconstruct dietary choices for Neolithic populations in Anatolia and Poland using stable isotope analysis, and to examine the extent to which local environmental factors in these regions affected the isotope values recorded from skeletal collagen. In total 278 new δ13C and δ15N values were obtained from human and animal bone collagen for this project (161 from the site of Osłonki 1, 59 from Barçin Höyük, and 58 from the site of Aktopraklık). From an environmental perspective, the multi-level statistical modelling highlighted a clear relationship with δ13C and δ15N and moisture availability, which was most evident through the proxy of mean annual precipitation (MAP). The modelling highlighted a 0.4‰ decrease in δ13C for every 100mm decrease of MAP, and a 0.5‰ decrease in δ15N for every 100mm decrease between sites.
The δ13C and δ15N values for the North-West Anatolian sites are the first dietary isotopic studies for the Neolithic period in the region. The values are largely commensurate with the dietary isotope studies from Neolithic sites located on the Central Anatolian plateau, with the caveat that the North-West sites perhaps had a greater reliance on herbivore protein (instead of plant protein) than their plateau counterparts. The dietary reconstruction of Osłonki 1 uncovered a rather unexpected outcome – namely that status exerted a degree of control over human diet. If this is indeed true it will be the earliest evidence in Europe of a distinct relationship between the socioeconomic status and diet of an individual.
Estimation of conditional auto-regressive models
Keywords: MCMC
RSM
CAR models
Spatial Statistics

Conditional auto-regressive (CAR) models are frequently used with spatial data. However, the likelihood of such a model is expensive to compute even for a moderately sized data set of around 1000 sites. For models involving latent variables, the likelihood is not usually available in closed form.
In this thesis we use a Monte Carlo approximation to the likelihood (extending the approach of Geyer and Thompson (1992)), and develop two strategies for maximising this. One strategy is to limit the step size by defining an experimental region using a Monte Carlo approximation to the variance of the estimates. The other is to use response surface methodology. The iterative procedures are fully automatic, with user-specified options to control the simulation and convergence criteria. Both strategies are implemented in our R package mclcar.
We demonstrate aspects of the algorithms on simulated data on a torus, and achieve similar results to others in a short computational time on two datasets from the literature. We then use the methods on a challenging problem concerning forest restoration with data from around 7000 trees arranged in transects within study plots. We modelled the growth rate of the trees by a linear mixed effects model with CAR spatial error and CAR random e ects for study plots in an acceptable computational time.
Our proposed methods can be used for similar models to provide a clearly defined framework for maximising Monte Carlo approximations to likelihoods and reconstructing likelihood surfaces near the maximum.
Utopia and civilisation in the Arab Nahda
Keywords: Civilisation
Nahda
Utopia
Butrus al-Bustani
Fransis Marrash
Rifa'a al-Tahtawi

This doctoral thesis explores the contexts of utopian writing and thinking in the Nahda, the Arab 'Awakening' of the long nineteenth century. Utopian forms of social imagination were responses to fundamental changes in the societies of the Arab-Ottoman world brought about by integration into a capitalist world economy and a European-dominated political system. Much Nahda writing was permeated by a sense of a 'New Age' opening and of wide horizons for future change – and this was not simply illusory, but a direct response to actual and massive changes being wrought in the writers' social world. My study focusses on Egypt and Bil&amacr;d al-Sh&amacr;m in the middle decades of the nineteenth century, from the early 1830s to the mid-1870s. An initial chapter offers a definition of the social classes and groups which contributed to the Nahda in these years – such as the Beiruti bourgeoisie and the Egyptian-Ottoman official class – drawing on the work of Arab Marxists such as Mahd&imacr; '&Amacr;mil and social historians such as Bruce Masters. The following chapters deal in detail with writings produced by three distinct cultural formations within the Nahda movement, and with different aspects of their social imagination. Chapter 2 examines the discourse of civilisation (tamaddun) through the work of the Beiruti writers Khal&imacr;l al-Kh&umacr;r&imacr; and Buṭrus al-Bust&amacr;n&imacr; in the 1850s and 1860s. Chapter 3 deals with Nahda writers' sense of their place within the European-dominated world, mainly through translations of geography books made by Rif&amacr;'a al-Ṭahṭ&amacr;w&imacr; in Mehmed Ali's Egypt in the 1830s and 1840s. Chapter 4 examines the utopian aspirations of the Nahda, through a close study of the major utopian literary work of the period, Frans&imacr;s Marr&amacr;sh's Gh&amacr;bat al-Ḥaqq (The Forest of Justice, 1865). Finally, a conclusion places my study in relation to other recent work in the field of 'Nahda studies'.
Chemical composition and oxidation study of nitrogen doped carbon nanotubes
Keywords: spectroscopy
STEM
microscopy
carbon nanotube
scanning transmission electron microscopy
EELS
electron energy loss spectroscopy
nanotube
nitrogen doped carbon nanotube
nanomaterials

In this work, carbon nanotubes (CNTs) and nitrogen doped carbon nanotubes (N-CNTs) were synthesized by aerosol chemical vapour deposition and the synthesis parameters such as temperature, catalyst concentration, precursor concentration, gas flow rate and reaction time were studied. N incorporation was extensively investigated on the basis of N bonding configurations detected by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), N concentration distribution measured by electron energy loss spectroscopy (EELS) and N spatial distribution by aberration corrected scanning transmission electron microscopy coupled with EELS (STEM-EELS). Pyridinic, graphitic, gaseous and N-oxide configurations were detected. EELS revealed N concentration differed from nanotube to nanotube within a given sample and also differed from region to region on a given nanotube. N is mostly concentrated regions of high curvature such as dome of repetitive compartments occurring within the inner channel of nanotubes. N was also found towards the innermost graphitic shells. The effects of N incorporation on nanotube outer and inner diameter distributions, wall thickness, morphology types, and morphology distributions are demonstrated. Correlations were found between nanotube morphology and chemical composition. Gaseous N tends to occur in thin-walled N-CNTs with large inner diameters and to be found in hollow and incomplete compartments morphologies. Si occurrence was also detected in CNT and N-CNT samples.
Oxidation resistance of CNTs and N-CNTs synthesized from a variety of C/N ratios were studied by thermogravimetric analysis. Undoped CNTs and N-CNTs were classified into three groups of oxidation in terms of the number of oxidation steps they followed. CNTs showed single step oxidation whereas N-CNTs showed two or three steps, indicating the non-uniform chemical composition of N-CNTs. This might result from the N concentration differing from nanotube to nanotube within a given sample and the N concentration differing from region to region in a given nanotube. Partially oxidised CNTs and N-CNTs were characterised by aberration corrected STEM-EELS to map their elemental compositions and understand the chemical changes they undergo during oxidation, which revealed that oxidation starts at specific sites in CNTs and N-CNTs.
The philosopher masked as literary theorist: 'cunning intelligence' (metis) instantiated in Bakhtin's rhetorical style
Keywords: consistency of life and theory
reflexive analysis
metis
narrative identity
revolutionary reinvention of persona
philosophy of  language
cunning intelligence
philosophy of identity

This dissertation discusses and analyses Mikhail Mikhailovich Bakhtin's conscious strategy of self-fashioning and reinvention, which is realised in his life and supported by the theoretical constructs contained in his Collected Works. It addresses the ambiguities and uncertainties in Bakhtin's life and work and uses two aspects of his philosophical approach and constructs to explicate these inconsistencies: his theory of identity and his theory of language.
The analytical tools used to arrive at this conclusion include the notion of reflexivity (using Bakhtin's own theoretical constructs to analyse incidents in his life, and in turn, using those incidents to illustrate the concepts he developed). Theoretical support for Bakhtin's self-fashioning is provided by Fitzpatrick’s theory of reinvention through impersonation and imposture in Revolutionary Russia. Bakhtin's theory of identity (expressed in his Nietzsche-influenced concept of the mask and its associated concept of travesty) supports this reinvention. Bakhtin's notion of double-voicedness, supported by his linguistic theories of interdiscursivity, heteroglossia and the utterance reinforce these two lines of thought. Bakhtin’s two figures of speech: the word with a 'backward glance' «слово с оглядкой» and the word with a 'loophole' «слово с лазейкой» encapsulate this convergence of theory and life. These two constructs are brought into sharp relief when illuminated by Wittgenstein's theory of language-games, Austin's concept of performativity and Benveniste’s formulation of deixis.
The overarching metaphor for this dissertation is the Classical Greek concept of metis, or 'cunning intelligence', a concept that is instantiated in the way in which Bakhtin framed the narrative of his life and the manner in which he performed his work. The dissertation concludes that Bakhtin evolved a multi-threaded philosophy which was self-consistent in the way in which it addressed the creation of identity, the expression of language and the performance of life and work through the metaphor of metis.
Visions of China, Korea, and Japan in the East Asian War 1592-1598
Keywords: National identity
Imjin War

Readings of contemporary accounts of the Japanese invasion of Chosŏn Korea and Ming China's intervention, by Japanese, Korean, and Chinese writers; analysis of the writers' disparate world-views and how they each envision their country and its neighbours.
This thesis uses contemporary writings from across the region to study the significance of the East Asian War of 1592-1598 for Chinese, Korean, and Japanese senses of identity, and argues that the war was a crucial moment in the development of those identities.
Despite the 1592-1598 conflict affecting millions of people, and resulting in almost unprecedented cross-border flows of people and information, most previous considerations of its effect on identity have focused on court documents. In the first dedicated study of identities in the East Asian War, this thesis shifts from the hitherto emphasis on politicians and commanders to prioritize individuals at the frontiers of cross-border contact. This shift of focus from centre to periphery contributes to our understanding of two areas of history. In terms of the East Asian War as a historical event, it provides a far more nuanced picture of what this momentous conflict signified for people at the time. In terms of the history of Chinese, Korean, and Japanese identities, it demonstrates persuasively that the sense of belonging to a country held real meaning for people across society, influencing the actions even of those totally removed from the state. Tracing the legacy of frontier writings again contributes to both the history of the war and of identity, by revealing how peripheral insights and central biases combined to give birth to the orthodox narratives of the war, some of which remain influential to this day.
Personal writings show how first-hand encounters in the war modified but also re-inforced already well-established identities, making national identities of immediate significance for an immeasurably wider group than in peace time. The late sixteenth-century growth in printing and literacy subsequently greatly amplified the impact of the East Asian War by allowing real-life interaction to be endlessly re-told as a dramatic clash between China, Korea, and Japan.
This study restores the war to its proper place as a key moment in the longer development of national identities in East Asia. It also calls for a primary-source based, East-Asia centred reconsideration of theories on the historical development of collective identity, which remain overly influenced by later European experience.
Physiological patterns in pregnancy
Keywords: Pregnancy
Vital signs
Patient monitoring

The Confidential Enquiries into Maternal Deaths in the UK have highlighted an urgent need for development of a national Modified Early Obstetric Warning System (MEOWS) to aid the more timely recognition and treatment of complications in pregnancy. Six vital signs are used to assess the clinical status of women presenting acutely during and immediately after pregnancy: heart rate, oxygen saturation, systolic and diastolic blood pressure, temperature and respiratory rate. In the case of MEOWS, these define the thresholds that determine if a woman requires further medical review. Dynamic changes in maternal vital sign physiology associated with pregnancy complicate the use of vital signs to detect physiological deterioration. These changes are currently poorly described in the literature.
The aim of this work is to establish the normal physiological response to pregnancy in low-risk pregnant women, in terms of expected changes in vital signs. Using this knowledge, we will propose the first evidence-based, gestation-specific MEOWS chart.
To achieve this, we have set up the Prediction of Physiological Patterns in Pregnancy (4P) study. Using a custom-designed digital health system, healthcare professionals and women self-monitoring at home collect large numbers of vital sign measurements electronically. In particular, as respiratory rate currently is the only vital sign measured manually in routine clinical care, we propose two methods for electronic measurement of respiratory rate: using the in-built accelerometer of a smartphone and using the photoplethysmogram signal output by a pulse oximeter. These methods are validated against the current reference standard derived from a 15-second nurse count of breaths.
This thesis uses a dataset of 2,645 sets of vital sign measurements, collected from 439 women during pregnancy, in the 4P study. Using the electronic methods for measurement of respiratory rate, we obtain respiratory rate estimates with a mean absolute error of 2.9 respirations per minute compared to the reference measurement. From these data, we design reference ranges for changes in all six vital signs conditional on gestational age. Using a centile-based approach, we propose gestation-specific thresholds of normality for each vital sign, which will form the basis of a new MEOWS score to alert for physiological deterioration. Defining normality is the first step in recognising abnormality.
Investigation of motion perception learning in healthy subjects, for application as a rehabilitative therapy for visual field defects following primary visual cortex damage
Keywords: brain injury
perceptual learning
hemianopia
motion perception
magnetic resonance imaging
visual field defects
brain stimulation
psychophysics

Perceptual learning is the ability to improve performance of a perceptual task, with repeated practice. The concept of perceptual learning in the adult visual system has been established for many years, however, the neural mechanisms which mediate it have proved complex to unravel. Improved understanding could be used to guide novel rehabilitative strategies for those with damage to the brain which a↵ects the primary visual cortex (V1) in the occipital lobe. Motion perception learning is thought to involve the brain area hMT+, which is located in the parieto-temporo- occipital cortex, distal from V1. It is possible that motion perception training may improve the vision or subjective quality of life for individuals with damage to V1.
This project initially looked at the e↵ect of motion perception training in healthy individuals, in order to establish and quantify the potential behavioural and neural impact of behavioural training.
A five-day motion perception training paradigm applied in these experiments produced robust improvement of motion perception in healthy participants. This learning was found to be partially transferable to untrained regions of the visual field. If the training timecourse was reduced to a single day, the location specificity of learning e↵ects was increased significantly.
Functional MRI analysis indicated that the motion perception training paradigm applied here altered activity at extrastriate visual areas and frontotemporal decision areas.
When motion perception training was combined with brain stimulation, it was shown that 20 minutes of anodal transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) over hMT+ had no impact on learning magnitude or timecourse.
Finally, the motion perception training paradigm was applied as a case study in a patient with damage to V1. The results were promising but inconclusive with such a minimal dataset.
Motion perception training produces robust improvements in perception in healthy individuals, which are likely mediated by visual extrastriate and decision-making areas of the brain. As such, motion perception training shows promise, with further development, as an avenue for rehabilitation of the visual system and visual perception following damage to the primary visual cortex.
Theodore Metochites: Byzantios, or, About the imperial megalopolis
Keywords: Byzantium
Byzantios
imperial
Constantinople
Metochites
megalopolis
Istanbul

As the title suggests, Byzantios or About the Imperial Megalopolis is the eulogy of Constantinople, one of Theodore Metoehites' many works that still remain unpublished due to the writer's obscure style. My primary aim in this edition has been to establish the text, an oration written by one of the most prominent figures of the Palaeologan Renaissance. In fact, the text constitutes the eulogy of the Capital of the Byzantine Empire and it could provide useful information to historians, archaeologists and Various scholars. However, I must ask for the reader‘s understanding regarding the matters of punctuation. The artificial style and rhetorical presentation in many passages make no wonder if a satisfactory rendering of the Greek can be achieved.
I have added an Introduction where I deal with Metochites' life and works, the genre of Byzantios and a few more issues raised by the oration (missing folios, dating of the oration, etc.).
The text needs to be elucidated from a wide Variety of sources, historical and literary, and this is the main aim of the commentary. In addition. I wished to present reasons for my interventions in the Greek text, to offer some parallels from other - mainly rhetorical - works and to give the quotations of the classical authors to which Metochites refers. Obviously the commentary does not provide exhaustive discussion of the many different topics raised in Byzantios, but I hope to have provided a minimum bibliography for further study.
The appendix at the end shows how much Metochites followed Menander's precepts. I believe that the indexes will also prove useful to the reader.
Halogen and hydrogen bonding host structures for anion recognition and ternary complexes for modulating luminescent output
Keywords: Lanthanide Luminescence
Chemistry
Halogen Bonding
Anion Supramolecular Chemistry
Ternary Complexes

This thesis describes the synthesis and anion recognition properties of a series of halogen and hydrogen bonding acyclic and interlocked host receptors and the use of the inclusion supramolecular chemistry of cucurbit[n]uril derivatives in switchable luminescent output.
Chapter 1 introduces the field of anion supramolecular chemistry and the properties of cucurbit[n]uril macrocycles which pertain to the research detailed in subsequent chapters.
Chapter 2 describes the synthesis and anion recognition properties of a new class of chelating, halogen and hydrogen bonding host molecules. The halogen bonding enhanced selectivity for the Br- anion is demonstrated.
Chapter 3 probes the anion recognition characteristics of a series of novel halogen and hydrogen bonding motifs. Evidence for intramolecular hydrogen bond enhanced halogen bonding recognition of halides is presented and the selective recognition of the anion H2PO4- by a [3]rotaxane host is displayed.
Chapter 4 discusses the redox-mediated modulation of the luminescent output of a series of visible and near-infrared emitting lanthanide complexes within cucurbit[8]uril based ternary complexes.
Chapter 5 describes the experimental procedures and characterisation of the compounds presented in Chapters 2-4.
Chapter 6 summarises the conclusions of this thesis.