VictorJuiz/thesis huggingface dataset:
Henry James, painters, and painting
Keywords: literary marketplace
nineteenth-century art
literature and art
aestheticism
romantic painting
the novel
portraiture
Henry James
impressionism
Barbizon School

In his major essay “The Art of Fiction” (1884) Henry James suggested that the analogy between painting and fiction was, so far as he could see, ‘complete’. Taking him at his word, critics have tended to focus on what the novelist learned from painting, or have fixed on instances in which he ‘chose to elevate the art of the painter,’ as one commentator has recently put it. Contrary to this critical trend, this thesis argues that throughout his corpus James stages a contest between painting and fiction, consistently emphasising the ways in which the latter ought to be considered the superior art. This formed part of a broader programme in which the novelist sought to demonstrate the value and intellectual seriousness of fiction – still in jeopardy in the nineteenth century – by contrasting it with painting. This thesis therefore seeks to revise the ways in which criticism has approached James’s use and appreciation of the painter’s art. It shifts both the terms and the focus of the debate: away from broad correspondences between James’s work and artistic movements such as Impressionism and towards a finer understanding of the novelist’s unique response to painting; away from the supposedly controlling presence of critics such as John Ruskin or Walter Pater and towards the uses to which James put his conception of the painter’s art. In this way, the thesis amends longstanding ideas about the novelist’s response to and communication with painters and painting. At the same time, it reveals through the eyes of a major writer some of the ways in which painting and fiction corresponded in the period. In foregrounding the contexts which animated James’s work – from his negotiation of the transatlantic literary marketplace to his abiding interest in France and the French language, from issues of gender and portraiture to his response to Romantic painting, Pre-Raphaelite art, the Barbizon School, and Impressionism proper – the intention is to elucidate the inner workings of the novelist’s oeuvre. Each chapter is therefore built around a close focus on James’s most consistent passion, his most profound practice: the art of fiction.
Towards a universally effective HLA-E-targeted HIV vaccine - a structural and biophysical exploration
Keywords: HLA-E
HIV
vaccines
T cells
tuberculosis
antigen processing

Through major histocompatibility complex class I leader sequence-derived peptide (VL9) binding and CD94/NKG2 receptor engagement, human leucocyte antigen E (HLA-E) reports cellular health to NK cells. Previous studies demonstrated a strong bias for VL9 binding by HLA-E, a preference subsequently supported by structural analyses. However, Mycobacteria tuberculosis (Mtb) infection and Rhesus cytomegalovirus-vectored SIV vaccination revealed contexts where HLA-E and its rhesus orthologue, Mamu-E, present sequence-diverse pathogen-derived peptides to CD8+ T cells, respectively. In light of unprecedented vaccine-induced Mamu-E-restricted CD8+ T cell-mediated protection against SIV, it is now important to re-explore the peptide binding specificity of the human orthologue, HLA-E, from the view of developing a universal HLA-E-targeted HIV vaccination strategy in humans. Through the development and optimisation of a high throughput in vitro peptide binding assay, we demonstrated an HLA-E binding capacity for a number of pathogen-derived epitopes containing non-canonical anchor residues. As previous crystal structures of HLA-E were exclusively solved in complex with canonical VL9 peptides, we also investigated the structural basis underlying pathogen-derived peptide binding. We obtained a panel of HLA-E crystal structures in complex with a number of Mtb-derived epitopes in addition to the HIV counterpart peptide to the vaccine-identified SIV Gag ‘supertope69’. Strikingly, despite the presence of canonical primary anchor residues, the HIV peptide adopted an alternative conformational motif within the HLA-E peptide binding groove, deviating from that of canonical VL9 and in turn generating a distinct solvent exposure profile, with potential implications for T cell receptor recognition and immunogenicity. Further, combined structural and mutagenesis analyses illustrated a greater tolerance for hydrophobic and polar residues in the primary pockets of the HLA-E binding groove than previously anticipated. Finally, biophysical analyses demonstrated the impact of suboptimal peptide binding on the overall conformational ensemble of HLA-E complexes in solution.
Estimation of fatigue life under multiaxial loading: modelling and experimentation
Keywords: multiaxial fatigue
crystal plasticity
non-proportional loading
critical-plane approach
nickel-based superalloys

This doctorate research project investigates the multiaxial deformation and fatigue behaviour of two Nickel-based superalloys used in the discs of aero-engines, named Waspaloy and RR1000, under proportional and non-proportional loading conditions. For that a systematic analysis has been performed to identify and quantify the biaxiality of loading effects on fatigue life, the effects of non-proportional multiaxial loading – including additional cyclic hardening and cross-hardening – on crack initiation and fatigue life, and lastly the role of material micro-structure and crystal orientation on fatigue crack nucleation. An extensive experimental programme with uniaxial and biaxial fatigue tests with Waspaloy and non-proportional tension-torsion tests with RR1000 was carried out. It was experimentally observed that the variation of biaxiality ratio, for the same maximum principal stress, was found to cause a significant change in fatigue life and failure location for Waspaloy. Furthermore, results show that RR1000 presents no load path dependency for stress levels near the yield strength of the material. On the other hand, fatigue lives and cyclic hardening are highly dependent on the degree of non-proportionality. Lives for non-proportional tests were around three times shorter than fatigue lives for proportional tests at comparable stress levels. The experimental programme was used for calibrating and benchmarking a wide range of stress-, strain- and energy-based multiaxial fatigue damage parameters. Most of them could provide a reasonable collapse of both Waspaloy and RR1000 test data. Particularly good fatigue life predictions were obtained with stress-based criteria, especially with Walker stress and Matake’s critical plane approach. Lastly, a GND-coupled crystal plasticity framework and stored energy criterion was implemented for predicting fatigue lives of RR1000. It was concluded that Wan et al.’s stored energy criterion, which combines stress, plastic slip and GNDs density represents an excellent tool for accurately predicting fatigue lives under complex multiaxial loading conditions.
Thirteen years since the first iPhone: A systematic review on the effectiveness of language learning apps on smart devices
Keywords: systematic review
language learning apps
m-learning
mobile language learning
e-learning

Powered by advanced calculating power and novel technologies like artificial intelligence, smartphone apps offer unprecedent creative solutions in education. They have the potential to change the reality of language teaching and learning. This systematic review critically evaluates the empirical basis for the effectiveness of language learning apps.
A rigorous search on electronic databases and two screenings identified 32 eligible studies, mostly with adults and learners with lower levels of proficiency. The research comprises of two types of comparisons: one compared the effectiveness of different apps or versions of the same app; the other compared language learning apps with other methods of language learning. The research covered a dozen countries, nine languages, nine language skills, 10 commercially available apps and a larger number of researcher-developed ones. 25 of 32 studies found unequivocally positive effects of learning foreign language on apps regardless of functions. Such features as gamification and adaptive learning are conducive to improving language proficiency. Only two studies found participants to score either lower or equally after treatment. A risk of bias assessment reveals that the overall quality of research is low due to inadequate study design and reporting practices.
For language learners, apps can provide affordable and accessible educational resources. However, there is insufficient evidence to show that learners of all ages and proficiency levels benefit equally from apps. Future research needs more robust study designs and should direct attention to study non-adult learners, more advanced learners, and languages other than English.
Political ideology, racism, and American identity: an examination of white Americans’ support for the police use of excessive force
Keywords: social psychology
racism
political ideology
police violence
American politics

Under what conditions do white Americans support police violence? And what are the terms by which they do so?
This thesis explores how those who evince the strongest support for police, namely white Americans, “experience” incidents of excessive force, and examines the ideological mechanisms by which they make appraisals about policing. Across two online surveys of white American adults, varying the racial identity (white/black) of a police officer and suspect in a fictional scenario of violence showed no effect on respondents’ assessments of the encounter. Instead, ideological commitments to individualism, as measured in in just-world (Lerner 1980) and libertarian-authoritarian (Heath et al. 1994) attitudes, were associated with strikingly high levels of support for excessive force.
I situate these empirical findings within a broader theoretical argument about white American identity, and the ideologies, mythologies, and pathologies that sustain it, namely the American Dream emphasis on desert, merit, and self-enterprise. I argue that excessive force is made legible through a frame of personal responsibility, with national and political identities influencing how white Americans, specifically, perceive and reconcile inequality. I suggest this way of “seeing” may explain why so many white Americans, in particular, continue to support the police.
This research moves beyond identifying socio-demographic correlates for the approval of police violence, and uses rich theoretical examination and original survey data to investigate the role that racism and political ideology play in explaining white Americans’ beliefs about the appropriateness of excessive force.
Effect of photoacclimation on bio-optical properties of marine phytoplankton
Keywords: phytoplankton
bio-optical properties
photosynthetic parameters
photoacclimation

Photoacclimation in marine phytoplankton is manifested through changes in pigment composition and has a significant impact on in vivo light absorption. Results obtained from this thesis work clearly show that the variability in the chlorophyll a (Chl-a)-specific absorption coefficient of phytoplankton at 440 nm (a*ph (440)) observed over a broad latitudinal gradient of the Atlantic Basin was influenced significantly by changes in the concentration of non-photosynthetic pigments (NPPs) relative to total pigments (the NPP index), whereas pigment indices of cell size showed a weaker correlation with a*ph (440). Spatial and seasonal changes in the NPP index were the combined result of photoacclimation and the photoadaptive variation in pigment composition of dominant prokaryotic and eukaryotic groups. Variability in the spectral shape (indexed by the spectral slope) of phytoplankton absorption could be largely explained by NPPs, particularly zeaxanthin (a marker for marine picocyanobacteria) which was highly abundant in the (sub)tropical oligotrophic gyres due to the predominance of the marine picocyanobacterium Prochlorococcus. In Prochlorococcus-dominated waters, depth-dependent variation in the NPP index was driven primarily by variation in the intracellular concentration of photosynthetic pigments (PSPs), rather than NPPs, which was the result of both photoacclimation and a shift in dominant ecotypes. Photoacclimation of this globally-significant genus was also clearly reflected in the strong vertical change in the intracellular concentration of the dominant light harvesting pigment, divinyl Chl-a (DVChl-a). The flexibility in the DVChl-a cell−1 in Prochlorococcus leads to a more highly variable carbon-to-DVChl-a ratio (θPro) observed in this genus than in other phytoplankton groups. θPro was shown to be highly correlated with both the NPP index and the spectral slope between 443 and 550 nm, which suggests that both of these indices may serve as useful predictors of θPro. In strongly-stratified, oligotrophic waters where the NPP index may be considered a proxy of ambient light levels, the NPP index could account for a significant fraction of the variability in the parameters describing the photosynthesis-irradiance (PE) response curve. Using estimates of θPro derived from its relationship with the NPP index, the maximum growth rates for surface Prochlorococcus populations (μm, Pro) were calculated from maximum Chl-a-specific photosynthetic rates measured at the Prochlorococcus-dominated stations, yielding an average μm, Pro value of 0.22 d−1 , which is consistent with field and culture studies. Thus, the NPP index can be considered a useful proxy of both the photoacclimatory status and photophysiological characteristics of phytoplankton in subtropical marine ecosystems.
Devising new biomedical imaging applications for metallodrugs based on an improved understanding of their electronic and magnetic properties
Keywords: EPR
Gd(III) Complexes
Lanthanide Chemistry
DNP MRI
Ligand field anistropy

Ligand field anisotropy plays a key role in defining the spectroscopic properties of lanthanide complexes. Changes to the local ligand field can have profound consequences for the NMR, luminescence and EPR properties of lanthanide ions with inherent anisotropy. In this project ligand field effects are shown to be significant for even Gd(III) complexes, where the ground state of the free ion has an isotropic electron distribution. In these systems, changes to the ligand field and the axial donor are shown to have dramatic effects on the form of the EPR spectrum. These can be rationalized through considering the donor set. A number of EPR techniques were used to characterize the systems: CW EPR and pulsed PEANUT measurements can be correlated with the splitting of the Ms states within the 8S ground state of Gd(III).
These effects can also be seen for systems with broken symmetry and these variations, with relatively small changes to the local field, can provide useful information and aid in the development of new contrast media. There are also potential further applications for electron polarization agents for DNP MRI. This potential was explored using CW EPR of polymetallic lanthanide complexes and subsequent DNP NMR experiments. Whilst build-up of hyperpolarization could be observed, further development of these complexes is needed in order to surpass the current “gold-standard” and be translated for clinical practice.
Assessing the effect of tissue structural changes during cardiac deformation using magnetic resonance imaging techniques
Keywords: wall motion assessment
patient specific
late gadolinium assessment
SLIC supervoxels
tissue parcellation
LGE
medical image registration
cardiac MR
maskSLIC

Global assessment of the myocardial tissue wall motion from cine MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imaging) is widely used in clinical practice, however, the estimation is done, in the majority of cases, visually rather than quantitatively. This doctoral thesis proposes steps forward in the local assessment of the left ventricular (LV) function in order to provide a better estimation of the damage post acute myocardial infarction (MI). Accurate post acute MI tissue damage estimation from cine MR tracking might help clinicians to perform, better, more personalised, revascu larisation treatments. This thesis makes three technical contributions.
The first technical contribution focuses on LV scar segmentation from Late Gadolium Enhancement (LGE) using supervoxels. LGE represents the gold standard for assessing the viability of the heart muscle. However, considerable user input is needed in order to correctly segment the scar. A global intensity threshold is used, and a further, remote, area of "healthy myocardium" also needs to be segmented. Furthermore, an additional number of corrections are required to remove false positive areas of enhancement. We found that by using a strong regulariser such as a modified version of the Single Linear Iterative Clustering (SLIC) supervoxels, we can eliminate the false positive enhancement areas. Furthermore, there is no need for a remote "healthy myocardium" area to be contoured.
The second technical contribution is to provide a 4D map of supervoxels (voxels clustered together based on local similarity) computed using similarity in strain curves. Our study found that while LGE performs extremely well in highlighting the area where scarring occurs, at the same time it underestimates the area of affected myocardium when compared with strain analysis. Here we investigated various registration methods, based on optical flow deformable registration, in order to evaluate the accuracy of computing the displacement curves, and subsequently validated the registration method against manually placed landmarks in the LV. The third technical contribution is a modification to the maskSLIC algorithm to generate six cluster centers in each short axis, basal and mid-ventricular slice, equally distributed at 60◦ from each other in order to mimic the AHA 16 segments model used in clinical practice.
Considering clinical perspectives centered approach, these technical advances will contribute to the field of regional assessment of the cardiac function, therefore potentially improving patient outcome.
Assessment and evaluation of visual function measurement in inherited retinal degeneration; focusing on optimisation
Keywords: visual cortex
retina
microperimetry
OCT
RP
choroideremia
visual acuity
retinitis pigmentosa
rods
genetic eye disease
photoreceptors
vision
inherited retinal degemeration
scotopic
ocular coherence tomography
colour vision
retinal therapy
dark adaptation
visual pathway
gene therapy
optic radiation
outcome measures
visual function
retinal remodelling
visual brain
RPGR
photopic
MRI
cones

Photoreceptors at the back of the eye are the first step in producing our sense of vision, able to capture photons of light of differing wavelength. These connect to retinal circuits, which feed into visual pathways and networks in the brain, where the responses from the eye are processed to provide rich visual perception. Loss of these photoreceptors leads to severe visual impairment, as light can no longer be detected. While degeneration has a direct effect on the photoreceptors, there are also secondary effects on retinal circuits, in addition to the pathways processing visual information in the brain.
Recently there has been an increase in the development of novel interventions for the treatment of inherited retinal degenerations, with the first retinal gene therapy approved as an NHS treatment in 2019. Yet little work has been conducted on establishing the most appropriate outcome measures to quantify success. In this thesis I probe the practical impact of visual field loss on the conduct of visual function tests such as visual acuity and colour vision. I discuss factors affecting test reliability and propose solutions to improve measurement. I place emphasis on providing an understanding of the basis of the measurements to allow the appropriate measures to be chosen in trials, including for the first time a comprehensive assessment of local and global scotopic function. Beyond the retina, I show that the secondary changes in the inner retina can be detected with the use of ocular coherence tomography imaging and have an impact on visual function testing with microperimetry. I show changes in the integrity of the white matter in the visual brain pathways as a result of retinal disease. This could potentially pose a limiting factor in reversing visual deficits by treating the retina alone.
Vision is a result of interconnecting circuits between the eye and the brain and therefore, changes from retinal disease must be considered in terms of their wider effects along the visual system.
The role of the ciliary protein IFT88 in post-natal joint development, homeostasis and disease
Keywords: IFT88
mechanics
osteoarthritis
disease
primary cilium
cartilage

More than 50% of the UK population over 75 suffers from the degenerative cartilage disease osteoarthritis, but the mechanisms of pathogenesis remain elusive. While it is appreciated that joint mechanics are hugely influential to osteoarthritis and fundamental for cartilage development and homeostasis, the chondrocyte/cartilage ‘mechanostat’ is unknown. Chondrocytes assemble a primary cilium, a microtubule-based organelle reliant on intraflagellar transport (IFT). Mutations to ciliary genes alter the chondrocyte’s anabolic matrix response to compression in vitro. Perturbations to IFT in vivo alter embryonic and early post-natal skeletal development, but little is known of its cartilaginous influence in adulthood. The main aim of this thesis was to explore whether the core ciliary gene IFT88, and therefore likely the primary cilium itself, maintains influence beyond development in the contexts of adolescent and adult cartilage. A sub-aim preliminarily explored a role of IFT88 in cartilage matrix catabolism in vitro.
Experiments in vitro identified putative, novel regulation of aggrecaneolysis by IFT88, through control of the endocytic clearance of proteases. Establishment and validation of a cartilage-specific, inducible knockout mouse model (cKO) enabled the deletion of IFT88. Deletion during adolescence, resulted in longer growth plates, with large bilateral cartilaginous holes where the normal ossification programme associated with growth plate closure was inhibited. Thinner articular cartilage in cKO mice was exhibited throughout adolescence and adulthood and its progressive calcification was inhibited. The effects on cartilage thickness were most pronounced in plateaus that experience the highest compressive loads. Following deletion at skeletal maturity, some joints exhibited total loss of cartilage, associated with features of osteoarthritis 28- weeks later. Experimental osteoarthritis, instigated by destabilisation of the joint, was exacerbated in cKO animals.
These studies demonstrate that IFT88, and by extension the primary cilium, has a critical role in cartilaginous tissues, sustained throughout adolescence into adulthood. The results in this thesis suggest that in the growth plate and articular cartilage, IFT88 could be an integrator and dampener of extrinsic, physiological, mechanical cues and intrinsic ciliary signalling pathways such as hedgehog signalling, and thus critical to the maturation, homeostasis and health of the post-natal joint.