VictorJuiz/thesis huggingface dataset:
Building common knowledge: a cultural-historical analysis of pedagogical practices at a rural primary school in Rajasthan, India
Keywords: primary education
funds of knowledge
space of reasons
learning
Vygotsky
Hedegaard
common knowledge
child development
cultural-historical activity theory
motives

The centralised control over curriculum framing and pedagogy, the generally poor quality of teaching with little sensitivity to children’s sociocultural environment; and very high drop out rates, even at the primary school level, are some of the challenges facing school education in many of the regions of India. However, one of the successful approaches to these challenges has been the Digantar school system, working in rural communities. The study is based in one Digantar School in Rajasthan and employs concepts derived from the Vygotskian tradition to interrogate the methods employed in Digantar school system.
The study took Edwards’ (2010a, 2011, 2012) idea of common knowledge and Hedegaard’s (2008, 2012, 2013) idea of institutional demand in practices as conceptual lenses through which to investigate the components of the pedagogical practices that help Digantar teachers to align the motives of the school with those of the child in classroom activities. In doing so it analyses the institutional practices that lead to the development of common knowledge that in turn facilitates how teachers engage pupils as learners.
Data were gathered over six months and comprised around 120 hours of school-based video data together with interviews and detailed observations with teachers and community members. Data were gathered in classrooms, teacher meetings, meetings between parents and teachers and at school-community meetings. Analyses focused on the construction of common knowledge and the use made of it by the school to achieve a mutual alignment of motives between the practices of the school with the community and the families.
The study has revealed that teachers’ engagement with the knowledge and motives of other teachers and community members helped to create common knowledge, i.e. an understanding of what mattered for each participating group, which facilitated teaching-learning in the school. The analysis also points towards a form of democracy, which enhances children’s participation in their learning. It was found that building and sharing of common knowledge and creating a socially articulated ‘space of reasons’ (Derry 2008) produced a pedagogical model that engaged children in creating their social situation of development, seeking and recognising the curriculum demands being placed on them.
Effect of hemoglobins S and C on the in vivo expression and immune recognition of Plasmodium falciparum erythrocyte membrane protein 1 variants in Malian children
Keywords: HbC
sickle cell
malaria
PfEMP1

The enormous mortality burden exerted by P. falciparum malaria has evolutionarily selected for red blood cell (RBC) polymorphisms which confer protection against the severe manifestations of this disease. Although the epidemiological protection by these polymorphisms has been well-established for the past half-century, the mechanisms underlying this protection are still being uncovered. Recent studies implicate impaired cytoadherence to microvascular endothelial cells (MVECs) due to reduced surface levels and altered display of Plasmodium falciparum erythrocyte membrane protein 1 (PfEMP1) as a mechanism of protection against severe malaria by sickle hemoglobin (Hb) S and HbC. Consequently, in this thesis, I have described three separate, but related investigations into whether hemoglobins S and C influence a parasite’s cytoadherence binding phenotype (Chapter 3), the PfEMP1 variants that parasites express in vivo (Chapter 4), and the IgG recognition of PfEMP1 domains in Malian children (Chapter 5). We found that parasites from HbAS children show statistically insignificant increased binding to MVECs and that parasites did not express a restricted subset of var genes in HbAS and HbAC children. Compared to HbAA and HbAC children, HbAS children demonstrated a slower rate of acquisition of IgG responses to a repertoire of PfEMP1 domains. These findings suggest that, although hemoglobin type influences the binding phenotype of P. falciparum isolates and the acquisition of PfEMP1-specific IgG responses, other factors more likely determine the expressed var gene repertoire within parasites than hemoglobin type.
‘Alpha-mädchen sind wir alle’ [we’re all alpha girls]: subjectivity and agency in contemporary pop-feminist writing in the US, Britain and Germany
Keywords: GERMAN LITERATURE
POSTSTRUCTURALISM
JUDITH BUTLER
GENRE
FEMINISM
COMPARATIVE LITERATURE
AGENCY
NARRATIVE THEORY
SUBJECTIVITY
SEXUALITY
TRANSGRESSION

This thesis investigates models of subjectivity and agency in early twenty-first-century pop-feminist fiction and non-fiction. Non-fiction accounts of subjectivity (Haaf, Klingner and Streidl, 2008; Valenti, 2007; Moran, 2011 et al.) draw on poststructuralist notions of incoherent, performative identity, yet retain the assumption that there remains a sovereign subject capable of claiming full autonomy. The pop-feminist non-fictions reflect a neoliberal model of entrepreneurial individualism where self-optimisation replaces an ethics of intersubjective relations. In exploring the theoretical blind-spots of pop-feminist claims to female autonomy and agency, this thesis sets out to demonstrate that pop-feminist non-fiction lacks an actual feminist politics. My methodology is comparative and primarily involves the close reading of a corpus of pop-feminist texts from the Anglo-American and German contexts. I utilize my corpus of current essayistic pop-feminist texts as a fixed point of reference, deeming them to be representative of a pervasive kind of contemporary postfeminist thinking.
Through the employment of the first-person narrative voice the literary authors explore how subjects are constituted by discourse but also how the subject may shape her choices/actions. Subjectivity becomes a generative capacity characterised by expansive and self-reflexive negotiations between self and other. The fictional portrayal of this process prompts an imaginative and extrapolative process of identification and dis-identification in the reader which opens up a site for the exercise of critique. Through my close readings of the novels (Riley, 2002; Walsh, 2004; Thomas, 2004; Grether, 2006; Roche, 2008; Bronsky, 2008; Baum, 2011; Hegemann, 2010) I develop a model of intersubjective dependency, drawing on Judith Butler’s later work (1994, 1999, and 2005), and identify versions of this model in the 1980s-1990s work of American postmodern feminist writers Kathy Acker and Mary Gaitskill. My thesis reveals hitherto un-discussed lines of literary and critical influence on the contemporary British and German novelists emanating from Acker and Gaitskill, suggesting that their texts may be viewed as representative of a critical pop-literary interest, spanning approximately three decades and shifting across cultural contexts, in the encounter between female subjectivity and agency in the face of late-capitalist manifestations of social constraint.
'Nestolichnaya kul'tura': regional and national identity in post-1961 Russian culture
Keywords: Local identity
oral history
institutions of memory
cultural memory
urban history

This thesis examines the state-sponsored rise of local patriotism in the post-1961 period, interpreting this as part of the effort to strengthen popular support for and the legitimacy of the Soviet regime during the second phase of de-Stalinization. It shifts the analytical focus away from the Secret Speech of 1956, the time of Khrushchev’s full-scale assault on Stalin and his legacy, to the Twenty-Second Party Congress of 1961, the inauguration of a utopian and pioneering plan to build Communism by 1980. The thesis considers how this famously forward-looking programme gave rise to an institutionalized retrospectivism as Soviet policy makers turned to the past to mobilize popular support for socialist construction. It examines how this process played out in the Russian North West, where Soviet citizens were encouraged to turn inwards to examine their local history and traditions, and to reread these through the lens of Soviet socialism.
The thesis takes as a case study the towns of Novgorod, Pskov, and Vologda, where the state-sponsored regeneration of local traditions significantly impacted on the self-perception of local communities. In the first part, I look at the strategies for representing and displaying local culture in pubic institutions: the textual treatment and symbolic ordering of urban space in local tourist guides; the heritage movement and the attribution of cultural value to certain objects from the local landscape; and the primary focuses of the exhibitive 'gaze' in local museums. The second part of the thesis shifts the focus from institutionalized culture to popular culture, examining the informal practices and oral traditions that exist alongside the authoritative discourses of social identity in the post-Soviet period. The popular interpretation of public sculpture, the collective imagination of urban space, and the 'common knowledge' of the past as it is articulated in oral narratives are the focuses of discussion.
Exploring the reactivity patterns of cationic and neutral rhodium bis-phosphine species with amine-boranes
Keywords: Rhodium
Mechanism
Amine-Boranes
Catalysis
Phosphine

This thesis details the synthesis of novel Rh(I) and Rh(III) bis-phosphine fragments, and their use, along with other known rhodium species, to investigate the reactivity of amine-boranes, with a particular focus on the dehydrocoupling of the secondary amine-borane H3B.NMe2H (DMAB).
Chapter 2 utilises the new mixed phosphine, PtBuiBu2, to investigate the role of the phosphine with regard to the corresponding low-coordinate organometallic species isolated. Their coordination and reactivity with amine-boranes is studied, leading to the development of a mechanism for an alkene hydroboration catalyst that employs H3B.NMe3 (TMAB). The final section of the chapter studies several fluxional processes pertinent to rhodium and iridium complexes of the model amine-borane TMAB using H/D exchange and low temperature NMR experiments.
In Chapter 3, the mechanism of dehydrocoupling of DMAB is investigated in detail, employing catalysts based on the cationic bis¬-phosphine Rh fragment, {Rh(PCy3)2Ln}+. A series of stoichiometric and catalytic reactions are probed using NMR spectroscopy and mass spectrometry, revealing a complex mechanistic landscape. Subtleties include: the product of dehydrocoupling, [H2BNMe2]2, acting in an autocatalytic role; and parallel dehydrogenation of DMAB by a neutral catalyst present in a low but constant concentration. The mechanism was additionally interrogated through kinetic simulations conducted by Prof. Guy C. Lloyd-Jones (University of Bristol). From this, a generic mechanistic scheme has been suggested, aspects of which can be applied to transition metal and main group systems reported to catalyse the dehydrocoupling of DMAB.
The final chapter moves on from cationic rhodium fragments to investigate the reactivity of the neutral rhodium species, Rh(H)2(PCy3)2Cl and [Rh(PCy3)2Cl]2, with amine-boranes. The mechanism by which Rh(H)2(PCy3)2Cl catalyses the dehydrogenation of DMAB has been investigated through initial rate and H/D exchange experiments, leading to the proposal of a reaction scheme. Additionally, the formation and characterisation of a base-stabilised boryl species has been reported resulting from the reactivity of an amino-borane with [Rh(PCy3)2Cl]2.
A case study of teachers codeswitching behaviours in mainland China's university EFL classrooms and student's reactions to the codeswitching
Keywords: English foreign language
codeswitching

This study explores the oral interaction between teachers and their students in university English as a foreign language classrooms in Mainland China with particular focus on teachers' codeswitching behaviours and students' reactions to these behaviours. Codeswitching in foreign or second language classrooms has been the subject of a great deal of research interest from the applied linguistics community in recent years, but patterns of codeswitching in "broadly communicative" classrooms have rarely been studied in great detail nor have students' strategic reactions to codeswitching been directly elicited from learners as a means of gauging the impact of teacher codeswitching. Moreover, there is a clear need to situate the debate about teacher codeswitching in a more rigorous theoretical framework.
A case study approach best suited the aims of this research and two teachers were selected in an initial pha e (Phase 1) of the study because they conformed to a number of pedagogical and interaction-related criteria.
In the main phase of the study data were elicited through a combination of systematic observation, stimulated recalls and teacher interviews. The codeswitching patterns of the two teachers were analysed both quantitatively and qualitatively. However, much greater emphasis is placed on the qualitative analysis of the codeswitching and students' reactions towards it.
The findings show that the amount of codeswitching was relatively low but varied considerably by lesson. Most codeswitching was for medium-oriented lexical explanations. Students' reactions to their teachers' codeswitching varied by individual not by groups. The findings suggest an interesting pattern of variance between the two teachers in terms of their codeswitching behaviours and enrich our understanding of codeswitching in L2 classrooms and provide hypotheses that could be tested with larger samples. The findings also contribute to an understanding of the functions and consequences of codeswitching from the learners' perspective, which may contribute towards major advances in the field and have direct pedagogical implications.
Stress strain behaviour of a cohesive soil deposited under water
Keywords: clay
consolidation

A dilute suspension of soil particles in water will normally flocculate and settle under gravity to form a bed of consolidating soil. The essential difference between the suspension and the soil is that effective stresses exist in the soil. This thesis is concerned with the effective stress behaviour during the sedimentation and consolidation processes. Chapters two and three are a description of the equipment and experimental procedures used to determine void ratio changes, pore pressures and effective stresses during this soil formation process. The density measuring technique developed, using an X-ray source and a scintillation counter, is described in some detail. An experiment consists of monitoring the sedimentation, form an initially uniform suspension, of an inorganic clayey silt in a 102 mm I.D. column. Experimental results are presented and discussed in the next two chapters. Some novel aspects of stress/strain behaviour (in one dimensional consolidation) are revealed. In particular an intermediate zone is identified, which has properties between those of a suspension and a soil in the traditional sense. This zone does have effective stresses, but the effective stress/void ratio relationship is not unique. Theoretical consideration of settling suspensions and soil consolidation is covered in chapter six, forming an introduction to the next chapter, where a large strain soil consolidation theory is modified and applied to the intermediate zone. Differences between the theory and experimental results largely reflect the inaccuracies resulting from the simplifying assumptions necessary to keep the mathematics simple. The expulsion of pore water, rather than soil compressibility, is the major factor in determining consolidation behaviour of the intermediate phase. Finally, some recommendations are made as to how to continue the study and on applications to real problems such as dredging, pollution and land reclamation.
Coherent transfer between electron and nuclear spin qubits and their decoherence properties
Keywords: qubit
fullerene
La@C82
Sc@C82
decoherence
quantum computing
ESR
quantum information processing
phosphorous doped silicon
P:Si
metallofullerene
N@C60
M@C82
coherent transfer
electron spin resonance
microwave
quantum memory
laser
electron spin
nuclear spin
electron paramagnetic resonance
EPR
Y@C82
relaxation
entanglement
radiofrequency
pulsed

Conventional computing faces a huge technical challenge as traditional transistors will soon reach their size limitations. This will halt progress in reaching faster processing speeds and to overcome this problem, require an entirely new approach. Quantum computing (QC) is a natural solution oﬀering a route to miniaturisation by, for example, storing information in electron or nuclear spin states, whilst harnessing the power of quantum physics to perform certain calculations exponentially faster than its classical counterpart. However, QCs face many diﬃculties, such as, protecting the quantum-bit (qubit) from the environment and its irreversible loss through the process of decoherence.
Hybrid systems provide a route to harnessing the beneﬁts of multiple degrees of freedom through the coherent transfer of quantum information between them. In this thesis I show coherent qubit transfer between electron and nuclear spin states in a 15N@C60 molecular system (comprising a nitrogen atom encapsulated in a carbon cage) and a solid state system, using phosphorous donors in silicon (Si:P). The propagation uses a series of resonant mi- crowave and radiofrequency pulses and is shown with a two-way ﬁdelity of around 90% for an arbitrary qubit state. The transfer allows quantum information to be held in the nuclear spin for up to 3 orders of magnitude longer than in the electron spin, producing a 15N@C60 and Si:P ‘quantum memory’ of up to 130 ms and 1.75 s, respectively. I show electron and nuclear spin relaxation (T1), in both systems, is dominated by a two-phonon process resonant with an excited state, with a constant electron/nuclear T1 ratio. The thesis further investigates the decoherence and relaxation properties of metal atoms encapsulated in a carbon cage, termed metallofullerenes, discovering that exceptionally long electron spin decoherence times are possible, such that these can be considered a viable QC candidate.
Intentional identity
Keywords: philosophy of language

If Hob and Nob both read the same newspaper article claiming that a witch has come into town, then the following sentence can be true, even if the article is fabricated and there are no witches:
(1) Hob thinks that a witch has blighted Bob’s mare, and Nob wonders whether she killed Cob’s sow.
This phenomenon is called ‘intentional identity’, and there is no consensus on the semantics of (1) or similar sentences. Intentional identity is related to important, unsettled topics in the philosophy of language (e.g., anaphora, dynamic semantics) and in metaphysics (e.g., fictional and Meinongian objects). Thus, a correct semantic account of intentional identity is desirable. In this thesis, I argue that ‘she’ in (1) is behaving semantically like a traditional definite description, and that the truth of sentences like (1) often requires a certain causal connection between the two subjects.
In chapter 1, I explain the difficulty in finding a correct semantic ac- count of intentional identity sentences, and I present new evidence that the phenomenon is broader than previously thought. Chapter 2 explores the idea that (1) involves certain exotic objects—e.g., fictional, Meinongian, or merely possible witches. I show that what I call the ‘causal connection problem’ affects most versions of this idea, and that even the best version is probably incorrect. In chapter 3, I argue that ‘she’ in (1) is not being bound dynamically, and that the ‘guise theory’ approach suggested by several dy- namic semanticists is unhelpful. Chapter 4 contains my proposed solution. With a broader view of the problem, one can see that ‘she’ is functioning like a traditional incomplete definite description, and that its complete semantic value involves Hob and Nob being causally connected. This solution allows us to avoid an extravagant semantics and ontology.
British, French, and American attitudes and policies towards the rebirth of Poland, 1914-1921
Keywords: World War
1914-1918 -- Territorial Questions -- Poland; Polish Question; World Politics -- 1919-1932; Poland -- Foreign Relations -- Europe; Europe -- Foreign Relations -- Poland; Poland -- History -- 1918-1945

This thesis considers how attitudes shaped British, French, and American policy regarding the rebirth of Poland. From the outbreak of war in 1914 to the plebiscite in Upper Silesia in 1921, Allied and American policy-makers first considered whether Poland should be an independent state and then where its borders should be. As they did this, they developed attitudes about these questions, for instance about Poles and the right or ability of the Polish nation to administer a modern state. Such considerations assumed that national character exists and is important in the success or failure of a country. My research draws on literature from social psychology in defining the development of such understandings as consistent with stereotyping, in other words using generalisations about social groups to understand those groups or individuals. Allied and American policy-makers considered Poles to be, for instance, quarrelsome, aggressive, anti-Semitic, pitiable, passionate, or loyal. The thesis begins by examining pre-war attitudes to Poland and the impact of the war on these and on the diplomacy of the Polish question. It then discusses the re-emergence of an independent Poland in 1918 and the impact on policies and attitudes of the Polish delegation’s claims at the Paris Peace Conference, of events on the ground, and of the Russo-Polish War. Allied and American decision-making on the rebirth of Poland was central for European diplomacy not only because the attitudes they expressed left lingering grudges on both sides, but also because Poland’s frontiers were an irritant throughout the interwar period until Germany and Russia invaded Poland in September 1939. Moreover, the conclusion that attitudes were a factor in decision-making contributes to a growing recognition among international historians and international relations theorists that it is necessary to look beyond individuals' 'rational' motivations.