VictorJuiz/thesis huggingface dataset:
Perceptions of J.S. Bach and performance of his music in nineteenth-century England
Keywords: Music

At the turn of the nineteenth centudy knowledge of J.S. Bach was limited in England to a very few musicians, mostly German organists connected with the Hanoverian court. By the close fof the century, Bach had won widespread popularity, and England was second only to Germany in numbers of published editions, performances, and the written word. This thesis looks at the reception of J.S. Bach in nineteenth-century England, and considers why England reacted with such enthusiasm to his works. First. the elements important to Bach reception are explored and situated in English culture at the beginning of the nineteenth century; areas such as the Ancient and Modern discourse; the interest in historicism; the attraction of German culture; the love for Handel; and the notion of the sublime (especially in terms of music) are discussed. In Chapter 2, Bach is seen through the activities of his proponents in the first part of the nineteenth century, both performers and writers. Since it will be shown that it was on the backs of the choral and organ music that Bach entered into English musical consciousness, the reception of those genres is considered in the following two chapters, with a particular focus on the St Matthew Passion and the Mass in B Minor in the area of choral music (Chapter 3). In Chapter 4 I consider Bach and the English organ, and the activities of Mendelssohn, Gauntlett, and those others who were his advocates in the first half of the century after Wesley. Finally, I summarise the topic by looking at the ways his music was interpreted to fit the ideal so nineteenth-century English culture, and how he was regarded through an English lens.
Comparability of science assessment across languages: the case of PISA science 2006
Keywords: science assessment
translation
adaptation
language
PISA

In this research, I investigated the extent to which language versions (English, French and Arabic) of the same science test were comparable in terms of item difficulty and demands. I used PISA science 2006 data from three countries (respectively, UK, France and Jordan). I argued that language was an intrinsic part of the scientific literacy construct, be it intended or not by the examiner. The tight relationship between the language element and the scientific knowledge makes the language variable inextricable from the construct. This argument has considerable implications on methodologies used to address this question. I also argued that none of the available statistical or qualitative techniques were capable of teasing out the language variable and answering the research question.
In this thesis, I adopted a critical evaluation and empirical methods, using literature from various fields (cognitive linguistics, psychology, measurement and science education) to analyse the test development and design procedures. In addition, I illustrated my claims with evidence from the technical reports and examples of released items. I adopted the same class of models employed in PISA, the Rasch model, as well as differential item functioning (DIF) techniques to address my question empirically.
General tests of fit suggested an overall good fit of the data to the model with eleven items out of 103 showing strong evidence of misfit. Various violations to the requirements of the Rasch model were highlighted. The DIF analysis indicated that 22% of the items showed bias in the selected countries, but bias balanced out at test level. Limitations of the DIF analysis to identify the source of bias were discussed. Qualitative approaches to investigating question demands were examined and issues with their usefulness in international settings were discussed. A way forward incorporating cognitive load theory and computational linguistics is proposed.
Characteristic functions of path signatures and applications
Keywords: Stochastic flows
Lévy processes
Expected signature

The main object of study in this work is the extension of the classical characteristic function to the setting of path signatures. Our first fundamental result exhibits the following geometric interpretation: the path signature is completely determined by the development of the path into compact Lie groups. This faithful representation of the signature is the primary tool we use to define and study the characteristic function.
Our investigation of the characteristic function can be divided into two parts. First, we employ the characteristic function to study the expected signature of a path as the natural generalisation of the moments of a real random variable. In this direction, we provide a solution to the moment problem, and study analyticity properties of the characteristic function. In particular, we solve the moment problem for signatures arising from families of Gaussian and Markovian rough paths.
Second, we study the characteristic function in relation to the solution map of a rough differential equation. The connection stems from the fact that the signature of a geometric rough path completely determines the path's role as a driving signal. As an application, we demonstrate that the characteristic function can be used to determine weak convergence of flows arising from rough differential equations.
Along the way, we develop tools to study càdlàg processes as rough paths and to determine tightness in p-variation topologies of random walks. As a consequence, we provide a classification of Lévy processes possessing sample paths of finite p-variation and determine a Lévy-Khintchine formula for the characteristic function of the signature of a Lévy process.
Sheaf-theoretic methods in quantum mechanics and quantum information theory
Keywords: sheaves
contextuality
spectral presheaf
contextual entropy

In this thesis we use the language of sheaf theory in an attempt to develop a deeper understanding of some of the fundamental differences - such as entanglement, contextuality and non-locality - which separate quantum from classical physics.
We first present, based on the work of Abramsky and Brandenburger [2], how sheaves, defined over certain posets of physically meaningful contexts, give a natural setting for capturing and analysing important quantum mechanical phenomena, such as quantum non-locality and contextuality. We also describe how this setting naturally leads to a three level hierarchy of quantum contextuality: weak contextuality, logical non-locality and strong contextuality. One of the original contributions of this thesis is to use these insights in order to classify a particular class of multipartite entangled states, which we have named balanced states with functional dependencies. Almost all of these states turn out to be at least logically non-local, and a number of them even turn out to be strongly contextual. We then further extend this result by showing that in fact all n-qubit entangled states, with the exception of tensor products of single-qubit and bipartite maximally-entangled states, are logically non-local. Moreover, our proof is constructive: given any n-qubit state, we present an algorithm which produces n + 2 local observables witnessing its logical non-locality.
In the second half of the thesis we use the same basic principle of sheaves defined over physically meaningful contexts, in order to present an elegant mathematical language, known under the name of the Topos Approach [62], in which many quan- tum mechanical concepts, such as states, observables, and propositions about these, can be expressed. This presentation is followed by another original contribution in which we show that the language of the Topos Approach is as least as expressive, in logical terms, as traditional quantum logic. Finally, starting from a topos-theoretic perspective, we develop the construction of contextual entropy in order to give a unified treatment of classical and quantum notions of information theoretic entropy.
Combustor and turbine aerothermal interactions in gas turbines with can combustors
Keywords: secondary flow
experimental
heat transfer
aerodynamics
numerical
nozzle guide vane

As the research into the improvement of gas turbine performance progresses, the combustor- turbine interface becomes of increasing importance. In new engine designs components come closer together and the study of the combustor and turbine interactions can prove to be valuable for the improvement of the aerothermal performance of the vane.
This thesis presents an experimental and numerical investigation of the aerodynamic and heat transfer aspect of the interactions between the combustor and the nozzle guide vane. In the gas turbine studied the trailing edge of the combustor transition duct wall is found upstream of every second vane. In the experimental measurements carried out in a purpose-built high speed experimental facility, the wake of this wall is shown to increase the aerodynamic loss of the vane. On the other hand, the wall alters secondary flow structures and has a protective effect on the heat transfer in the leading edge-endwall junction, a region that has proven to be detrimental to component life. The effect of different clocking positions of the vane relative to the combustor wall are tested experimentally and shown to alter the aerodynamic field and the heat transfer to the vane. The experimental methods and processing techniques adopted in this work are utilized to highlight the differences between the different cases studied.
A new concept of using the combustor wall to shield the nozzle guide vane leading edge is introduced, followed by a proposed design that is numerically analysed, including a new cooling system. This uses continuous cooling slots on the upstream combustor wall to cool the vane leading edge. Coolant to the endwalls is provided from continuous slots on the combustor-turbine interface. The reduction of secondary flow through the removal of the horseshoe vortex in the new design results in improved cooling of the endwalls, with a higher average adiabatic effectiveness than in the original case, using the same coolant mass flow rate. The vane surface and suction side are also successfully cooled using less air than that required for a showerhead.
The new vane is tested in the experimental facility. The improved aerodynamic and thermal performance of the shielded vane is demonstrated under engine-representative inlet conditions. The new design is shown to have a lower average total pressure loss than the original vane for all inlet conditions. The heat transfer on the vane surface is overall reduced for all inlet conditions and the peak heat transfer on the vane leading edge-endwall junction is moved further upstream, to a region that can be effectively cooled from the upstream cooling slots on the combustor wall trailing edge and the endwalls.
Auger electron radionuclide therapy utilising F3 peptide to target the nucleolus
Keywords: DNA damage
Nucleolus
Cancer
Auger electrons

F3 is a 31 amino acid peptide that possesses tumour homing capability and binds to nucleolin (NCL) expressed on the cell surface of malignant cells. Exposure of osteosarcoma (U2OS) cells to F3 peptide was found to shift the distribution of NCL and nucleophosmin (NPM) from the nucleolus to the nucleoplasm, and increase the level of Ki-67 in the nucleoplasm. 111In-labelled F3 (111In-DTPA-F3) was successfully radiosynthesised and was found to be significantly radiotoxic to MCF7, HCT116, MDA-MB-231/H2N, H322 and MDA-MB-435 cells, but not U2OS cells. 111In-DTPA-F3 was shown to be taken up, and to deposit radiation dose, in the nucleolus. The level of cell kill produced by 111In-DTPA-F3 was highly variable (19 fold range in surviving fraction) depending on the malignant cell line, and was correlated with the localisation of cell-bound 111In-DTPA-F3 in the nucleus. The induction of γH2AX foci by 111In-DTPA-F3 was found to be determined by the volume of the nucleolus. In conclusion, 111In-DTPA-F3 is a promising Auger electron-emitting radiotherapeutic agent that targets the nucleolus, the radiosensitivity of which may vary depending on the malignant cell line.
Light-level geolocation reveals winter migration of the endangered Hutton’s Shearwater (Puffinus huttoni)
Keywords: GLS
Latitudinal error
seabird
equinox error
Hutton's shearwater
New zealand
winter migration

The Thesis comprises a general introduction and discussuion plus two result chapters. The first result chapter is about the correction of latitudinal error around the equinoxes in GLS loggers. The second results chapter describes the previously unknown winter migration of the endangered Hutton's shearwater (Puffinus huttoni).
The martial Christ in the sermons of late medieval England
Keywords: sermons
medieval devotion
martial christ

Current scholarship on the devotional practices of late medieval England has emphasized two representations of Christ. The first, considered the dominant trend, is that of the suffering Christ; the second, a minor, but important trend particularly for female audiences, is the maternal Christ. Both are revealing of the nature of late medieval Christo-centric devotion. This project contributes to the understanding of late medieval Christocentric devotion in England during the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries by examining the representation of Christ in a martial role, as presented to clerical and lay audiences through the medium of popular sermons. It is a new contribution to the scholarship of late medieval devotion in its demonstration of a multifaceted Christ; the martial Christ echoes, but in many ways also contrasts, the images of the suffering and maternal Christ, in order to provide its audience with a more complex rendering of the human Christ, one which may have been more accessible to a lay populace seeking to form a relationship with him.
This project also contributes to the growing field of sermon studies, intended to be comprehensive in nature. It uses a different approach to sermon studies, in that the entire corpus of nearly 4,500 sermons was reviewed. This was done in order to provide the most complete picture of the martial Christ. As a result, this project examines Christ in various martial roles, as well as his modelling of knighthood for kings, knights, preachers, and the laity. These representations were utilised by preachers to instruct their audiences in devotional practice, specifically forms of affective meditation; it was used as a didactic tool to teach the laity the complex doctrines of redemption and atonement; and finally, it was employed as a means to demonstrate the importance of right living in order to fulfill what Christ had promised on the cross, that is eternal salvation.
Coloured graph models: Associating emitters and ships
Keywords: emitter-to-platform association
graph models
graph algorithms

This thesis examines graph-theoretic approaches to problems arising in emitter- to-platform association, for example in associating emitters and ships. The first part of this thesis focuses on emitters that are observed by two different sensors, which can only determine the bearing the observed signal was emitted from. The aim is to pair observations from the two sensors, that originate from the same emitter. In this thesis it is shown that different types of observations can be represented as one of c colours and each observed bearing as a row or a column in an n by n grid. Given the horizontal and vertical projections of a coloured grid, the aim is to reconstruct the original layout of the coloured squares on the grid. Deciding whether two sets of positive natural numbers are the horizontal and vertical projections of a coloured grid is NP-complete for two or more colours [24, 35, 47] and has close connections to colour degree matrix problems.
Necessary and sufficient conditions are known for a demand matrix to be a colour degree matrix of an edge-coloured forest [9, 22]. In this thesis the first step beyond forests is taken: necessary and sufficient conditions for a demand matrix to be realisable by a graph with at most one cycle are proved. As part of the proof some directly forced structures are discovered, that is, structures that must exist in every realisation. Moreover, corresponding results for multi-graphs and pseudoforests with at most k cyclic components are presented. This part concludes with O (n2 ) time algorithms to check these conditions and return a witness if one of the conditions is violated. Finally O(n3) time algorithms to find a realisation, if one exists, are described.
The second part of this thesis introduces the coloured L-model. This is an original idealised graph model, developed to explore the combinatorial properties of the emitter-to-platform association problem, referred to as the reverse radar problem in this thesis. The aim is to decide which groups of observed radars originate from the same ship, taking into account which combinations of radar models are known to be carried by different types of ships. It is shown what exactly makes finding a solution to this idealised version of the reverse radar problem NP-hard, and that there are tractable cases equivalent to finding (weighted) matchings in related graphs, which have bounded pathwidth. Restricting to graphs with bounded pathwidth is a reasonable simplification, as signals come in along bearings (i.e. along a cycle) and a cycle has pathwidth two. New algorithms to find (weighted) matchings in graphs with bounded pathwidth and treewidth are presented, which can be used to solve the reverse radar problem in this model.
Finally, the likelihood and two-time models are introduced, which complement the coloured L-model by generalising measurement errors and by introducing time. It is shown that the problem remains NP-hard, even for very simple cases and some tractable cases are described.
Novel genetic and molecular properties of meiotic recombination protein PRDM9
Keywords: Recombination hotspots
PRDM9
Zinc-finger protein

Meiotic recombination is a fundamental biological process in sexually reproducing organisms, enabling offspring to inherit novel combinations of mutations, and ensuring even segregation of chromosomes into gametes. Recombination is initiated by programmed Double Strand Breaks (DSBs), the genomic locations of which are determined in most mammals by PRDM9, a rapidly evolving DNA-binding protein. In crosses between different mouse subspecies, certain Prdm9 alleles cause infertility in hybrid males, implying a critical role in fertility and speciation. Upon binding to DNA, PRDM9 deposits a histone modification (H3K4me3) typically found in the promoters of expressed genes, suggesting that binding might alter the expression of nearby genes. Many other questions have remained about how PRDM9 initiates recombination, how it causes speciation, and why it evolves so rapidly. This body of work investigates these questions using complementary experimental and analytical methodologies. By generating a map of human PRDM9 binding sites and applying novel sequence analysis methods, I uncovered new DNA-binding modalities of PRDM9 and identified sequence-independent factors that predict binding and recombination outcomes. I also confirmed that PRDM9 can affect gene expression by binding to promoters, identifying candidate regulatory targets in meiosis. Furthermore, I showed that PRDM9‚Äôs DNA-binding domain also mediates strong protein-protein interactions that produce PRDM9 multimers, which may play an important functional role. Finally, by generating high-resolution maps of PRDM9 binding in hybrid mice, I provide evidence for a mechanism to explain PRDM9-mediated speciation as a consequence of the joint evolution of PRDM9 and its binding targets. This work reveals that PRDM9 binding on one chromosome strongly impacts DSB formation and/or repair on the homologue, suggesting a novel role for PRDM9 in promoting efficient homology search and DSB repair, both critical for meiotic progression and fertility. One consequence is that PRDM9 may play a wider role in mammalian speciation.
Talking taboos: the personal over the political? Contemporary Polish playwriting
Keywords: Theatre
Polish
Post-Soviet
European Drama
Post-communist
Drama
Playwriting

The focus of this thesis is contemporary Polish playwriting after Poland’s accession to the European Union in 2004. From a broad reading of plays by many new writers, four playwrights were selected for study on the basis of prominence and artistic merit: Paweł Demirski, Dorota Masłowska, Małgorzata Sikorska-Miszczuk and Przemys ław Wojcieszek. Their plays were studied as texts and in performance, and twelve main plays became the focus of closer analysis. The thesis identifies and examines three major concurrent themes in the works of these playwrights. Remembering versus forgetting the past is discussed through the lens of selected aspects of memory studies, including Nora's lieux de mémoire, Hirsch’s postmemory and Assman's mnemohistory. The playwrights are shown to share an endorsement of the de-politicisation of collective memory and to advocate a cessation of the passing down of trauma to post-war generations. The human body is highlighted as another concurrent thematic concern and is illuminated by certain tenets of Catholic doctrine as well as Merleau-Ponty's phenomenology. The playwrights' rejection of the tabooisation of the body is demonstrated and the shared notion of the body as both sentient and unifying is exemplified. Social marginalisation is examined as the final concern, with an emphasis on the notion of the 'other', particularly in relation to socio-economic status, sexuality, and religious beliefs. The plays are shown to support and promote a rejection of the myth of homogeneity in favour of openness to diversity. Major dramatic techniques are then closely examined. It is demonstrated that the plays share traits with Lehmann's theory of postdramatic theatre, including a rejection of Aristotelian unities. Key commonalities are evidenced, particularly comedy, bad language, intertextualities with the outside world, and an engagement with Polish social realities. The playwrights' approach to the spectator as a socio-political being is shown to be of paramount importance