VictorJuiz/thesis huggingface dataset:
Health economic aspects in the management of bipolar disorder
Keywords: cost-effectiveness
Cost-of-illness
Health economics
Bipolar disorder

Bipolar disorder (BD) is one of the leading causes of disability worldwide and has a detrimental impact on health-related quality of life (HRQoL), and personal and social functioning. Despite this, there is insufficient knowledge of the costs, HRQoL implications relevant to BD, and the cost-effectiveness of current treatments for BD in the UK. This thesis aims to inform decisions about local and national service provision by applying a variety of health economic tools to build an economic case for BD.
First, economic evaluations of BD management strategies are systematically reviewed. A cost-of-illness study is then conducted to estimate the societal burden of BD in the UK and explore the factors that drive variations in these costs. The appropriateness of applying the EQ-5D-3L outcome measure in BD is assessed, and the feasibility of mapping disease-specific measures to the EQ-5D-3L is explored. Finally, a cost-utility analysis (CUA) is conducted to bring together evidence on the costs and outcomes associated with alternative psychological interventions in BD management.
This thesis makes critical contributions to multiple research domains, informing the allocation of scarce healthcare resources in this context. There is a sheer dearth of evidence on cost-effectiveness strategies for the long-term management of BD in the UK, especially the evidence for psychological therapies is limited. The annual societal costs associated with BD in the UK are estimated to be £5.14 billion, demonstrating the significant economic burden associated with this disease. The EQ-5D-3L instrument is found to be useful in measuring HRQoL in BD patients who predominantly experience depressive symptoms but is not sensitive enough to detect changes in individuals with mania. More psychometric evidence is therefore required before this instrument can be widely applied in economic evaluations of BD-related interventions. Finally, the CUA indicates that a novel structured psychoeducation intervention in individuals on remote mood monitoring in the UK is not cost-effective.
Putting marine microbes on the map: determining the global distribution of marine picophytoplankton using a combination of satellite and field data
Keywords: climate change
marine ecology
phytoplankton
ecological modelling
Prochlorococcus
photoacclimation

Picophytoplanktonic cells (0.2-2 μm) are the dominant phytoplankters in the largest marine biomes on Earth: the subtropical gyres. The overaching aim of this thesis is to develop algorithms that use remote-sensing observables to map the distribution of the smallest and most abundant member of picophytoplankton, Prochlorococcus, and assess its contribution to the marine carbon cycle. To understand how the photoacclimatory status and growth of Prochlorococcus and its sister genera Synechococcus are influenced by light and nutrients, experiments were conducted in the South Atlantic Gyre (SAG). Results from the manipulation experiments show that, in the central region of the SAG, nutrient addition can induce marked changes in the optical properties of Prochlorococcus cells when subjected to saturating light levels, leading to a decrease in cell abundance, whereas at the gyre periphery no substantive changes in cell growth or optical characteristics were observed. Since light plays a central role in shaping the distribution of cyanobacteria, an empirical algorithm based on relationships between Prochlorococcus abundance and remotely-sensed observables was developed. The outputs were then used in a modified primary production model to predict the vertical distribution of carbon fixation by Prochlorococcus. The models estimate that &Tilde; 3.4 x 1027 Prochlorococcus cells in the global ocean fix 4.7 Gt C year-1. Most of the cell biomass and primary productivity is concentrated in the subtropical gyres and areas near the Equatorial Convergence, and 61% of the carbon fixation occurs in the upper water column (0-45 metres), where only 43% of the cells reside. However, in the gyres, carbon fixation is highest (62%) in deeper layers (45-200m), and both cell abundance and carbon fixation show marked seasonal patterns. The models developed in this study provide an unprecedented view of the vertical distribution of Prochlorococcus cells and their corresponding rates of carbon fixation in the global ocean.
First cast the beam from thine own eye: the condemnation at the University of Paris 1241/4
Keywords: Heresy
Lateran IV
William of Auvergne
Development of Theology Faculty at University of Paris in the first half of the thirteenth century
Role of Paris theologians in the 1240s

In 1241/4 the theology masters at the university at Paris, their chancellor, Odo of Châteauroux, and bishop, William of Auvergne, condemned ten propositions against theological truth. Unlike other such condemnations, particularly at Paris in 1277, modern scholars have largely ignored it. This study attempts to remedy this neglect. It aims to view the condemnation in its contemporary context, concentrating on contemporary texts or those available in the period. The study’s main focus is not the condemnation itself. Instead it seeks to set it against the background of wider doctrinal, intellectual, institutional and historical developments within the emerging 'university'. The study's conclusions are three-fold. First, the period 1200-1240 combined a developing focus of Paris theologians on using their learning for preaching (fostered by their faculty's inclusion of the mendicant orders) with a rapid and sometimes divergent development of doctrine. This latter was based on long-term biblical enigmas and patristic discussions, now sharpened by external 'threats', including from newly-translated Aristotelian texts and the views of groups deemed heretical. There were also increasing concerns over Greek theology and the Jews. Second, while no single influence appears dominant in the choice of articles, they follow closely the major statement of catholic principles in the first canon of Lateran IV in 1215. The content and order of the propositions is too close to be coincidental. Read in this light, the condemnation served to cement Lateran IV within the theology faculty. Third, however, this was not just for internal self-discipline. 1241/4 was the point when the faculty itself 'came of age' - it aspired to leadership in catholic doctrine according to Lateran IV’s principles, seeing its role as external as much as internal. For this, it needed 'to cast the beam from its own eye before seeing clearly to remove the mote from its brother's'.
Assessment of the role of cannabinoid receptor 2 in innate immune cell trafficking during acute inflammation
Keywords: Inflammation
Chemotaxis
Cannabinoids

Activation of the cannabinoid receptor CB2 has been shown to induce directed leukocyte migration and inhibit leukocyte chemotaxis towards CC chemokines. However, the role that CB2 plays in regulating macrophage chemotaxis remains understudied. Using a real-time chemotaxis assay and a panel of chemically diverse CB2 agonists, I set out to examine whether CB2 modulates primary macrophage chemotaxis. Of 14 agonists tested, only a subset acted as bona fide macrophage chemoattractants. Surprisingly, despite being pertussis toxin-sensitive, neither pharmacological inhibition nor genetic ablation of CB2 had any effect on CB2 agonist-induced macrophage chemotaxis. Furthermore, the activation of CB2 had no effect on CCL2 or CCL5- induced macrophage chemotaxis. Therefore, the activation of CB2 does not inhibit CC chemokine-induced macrophage migration and a non-CB1/CB2, Gi/o-coupled GPCR must transduce CB2 agonist-induced macrophage chemotaxis. To identify the GPCR responsible, I examined primary murine macrophage GPCR expression and found that they express 124 non-sensory GPCRs. Functional screening of candidate receptors demonstrated that the putative cannabinoid receptors GPR18 and GPR55 and the lipid binding GPCRs LPAR1&5, CYSLTR1&2 and GPER1, were not responsible for CB2 agonist-induced macrophage chemotaxis. Alongside, a ligand-directed virtual screen, combined with functional testing, uncovered a novel chemotaxis positive chemical scaffold. Importantly, compounds in this series containing a photoaffinity label retained activity and will aid in the identification of the target(s) responsible for CB2 agonist-induced macrophage chemotaxis in future photocrosslinking experiments. Finally, I assessed whether CB2 controls innate immune cell recruitment in vivo using the zymosan-induced dorsal air pouch inflammation model and animals genetically deleted for CB2. I found that CB2-/- mice had increased air pouch neutrophil and monocyte numbers, as well as pro-inflammatory mediators, during the acute inflammatory phase. Interestingly, mixed bone marrow chimera experiments demonstrated that lack of CB2 specifically in the myeloid population is responsible for increased neutrophil trafficking. Therefore these data demonstrate that CB2 acts to regulate neutrophil recruitment during the acute inflammatory response.
Going cyber: the dynamics of cyber proliferation and international security
Keywords: cyber weapons
nuclear
strategic utility
Cyber Proliferation

For over a decade, we have heard alarming statements about the spread of cyber weapons from senior policymakers and experts. Yet, the dynamics of cyber proliferation are still understudied and under- theorized. This study offers a theoretical and empirical account of what causes the spread and restraint of cyber weapons and argues that the world is not at the brink of mass cyber proliferation. Whilst almost forty states are exploring and pursuing the development of cyber weapons, I indicate that only few have so far acquired a meaningful capability. This is due both to supply and demand factors. On the supply-side, most states have a latent capacity to develop relatively simple offensive cyber capabilities, but are unable to develop sophisticated cyber weapons. Moreover, the incentives for knowledge transfer and thus exporting offensive cyber capabilities between states are weak. On the demand-side, I show that national security considerations do not provide the best explanation of variance. Instead, domestic politics and prestige considerations are paramount. Moreover, and unlike nuclear proliferation, I argue that it is not the possession of cyber weapons but the intention of possession signalled through visible initiatives which matters. Ultimately, I note that cyber weapons can have strategic value – but only under certain conditions.
Unpacking the adaptive significance of the political spectrum: do liberal and conservative ideological differences reflect alternative strategies for obtaining reciprocity?
Keywords: Evolutionary Psychology
Experimental Research
Cooperation
Social Behaviour
Political Ideology

In the following thesis I examine the possible evolutionary significance of behavioural differences associated with liberal and conservative ideological orientations. In investigating the evolutionary significance of these two orientations I have two primary research questions. First, how do liberal and conservative oriented individuals differ in their responses to the same socio-environmental stimuli? Second, do differences in their responses to socio-environmental stimuli represent alternative behavioural strategies for social interaction, specifically adaptive strategies to maximize returns from social interactions? To answer these research questions I evaluate how trust and cooperation among liberal and conservative oriented individuals are affected by conditions of social change and inequality. Previous research finds that attitudes and behaviours consistent with the tolerance or intolerance of social change and inequality are strong predictors of ideological orientation across a liberal-conservative scale. Based on a synthesis of behavioural research I construct two theoretical frameworks to account for the adaptive utility associated with a sensitivity to social change and inequality; 1) The Group Reciprocity Hypothesis, and 2) The Social Risk Hypothesis. I test these frameworks using an experimental research design. I predict that, if liberal and conservative orientations are reflective of alternative adaptive strategies to maximize returns from social interaction, then the willingness of liberal and conservative individuals to participate in a social interaction should be differentially affected by conditions related to social change and inequality.
Vision-only localisation under extreme appearance change
Keywords: long-term localisation
lighting
mobile robotics
weather
appearance change

Robust localisation is a key requirement for autonomous vehicles. However, in order to achieve widespread adoption of this technology, we also require this function to be performed using low-cost hardware. Cameras are appealing due to their information-rich image content and low cost; however, camera-based localisation is difficult because of the problem of appearance change. For example, in outdoor en- vironments the appearance of the world can change dramatically and unpredictably with variations in lighting, weather, season and scene structure. We require autonomous vehicles to be robust under these challenging environmental conditions.
This thesis presents Dub4, a vision-only localisation system for autonomous vehicles. The system is founded on the concept of experiences, where an "experience" is a visual memory which models the world under particular conditions. By allowing the system to build up and curate a map of these experiences, we are able to handle cyclic appearance change (lighting, weather and season) as well as adapt to slow structural change. We present a probabilistic framework for predicting which experiences are most likely to match successfully with the live image at run-time, conditioned on the robot's prior use of the map. In addition, we describe an unsupervised algorithm for detecting and modelling higher-level visual features in the environment for localisation. These features are trained on a per-experience basis and are robust to extreme changes in appearance, for example between rain and sun, or day and night.
The system is tested on over 1500km of data, from urban and off-road environments, through sun, rain, snow, harsh lighting, at different times of the day and night, and through all seasons. In addition to this extensive offline testing, Dub4 has served as the primary localisation source on a number of autonomous vehicles, including the Oxford University's RobotCar, the 2016 Shell Eco-Marathon, the LUTZ PathFinder Project in Milton Keynes, and the GATEway Project in Greenwich, London.
The lost maps: two-photon investigations of the fine scale organization of auditory cortex
Keywords: two photon imaging
cerebral cortex

The spatial arrangement of neuronal responses in primary auditory cortex (A1) has so far been investigated by using microelectrode recording techniques or imaging of the intrinsic signal, which led to controversial results, at present still discussed.
On the other hand, two-photon calcium imaging allows us to investigate the cortical functions at an unprecedented level of spatial detail, and has recently offered new insight into the fine-scale organization of frequency responses in A1.
In this thesis, I used two-photon calcium imaging to compare, for the first time, the fine-scale cortical representation of sound frequency to that of two other sound features, crucial for survival and communication in all mammals: differences in intensity between the two ears (interaural level differences; ILDs), and frequency modulation (FM).
I found that most neurons in layers II-III of the mouse A1 were tuned to ILDs favouring the contralateral ear, but midline and ipsilateral tuning were present too. Binaural preferences were heterogeneously distributed in space, both on the fine scale (within &Tilde; 200 μm) and on the global one (up to &Tilde; 1 mm).
Moreover, A1 neurons were mostly tuned to slow FM sweeps within the range of those used in species-specific calls. Cells activated by similar rates tended to be spatially proximal, indicating a level of local organization similar to the one I found for frequency tuning, and higher than that of ILD responses.
Finally, I set the groundwork for two-photon studies of the A1 of the ferret, by presenting the first evidence of the microscopic organization of the tonotopic map in this species.
My results shed light on some long-held questions about the response properties of A1, and confirm two-photon imaging as a powerful tool for investigating the processing of sensory signals in the cortex of both small and large mammals.
Nano- and micro-scale techniques for electrical transport measurements
Keywords: High magnetic fields
Electronic properties
Topological insulators

This thesis outlines the development of two new techniques that exploit very small structures, on the micro- and nano-scale, to enable innovative electrical transport measurements on a variety of materials of current interest in condensed matter physics.
The first technique aims to apply the versatility of electron-beam lithography for micro-fabrication of patterned electronic circuitry to the problem of performing transport experiments on individual crystallites taken from a typical powder sample. We show that these small samples, tens of microns in size, are actually often very high quality single crystals and can be exploited for measurements of electrical transport in materials of which no larger crystals are available. By way of demonstration, we present the results of preliminary transport measurements on a crystallite of the layered oxide chalcogenide Sr2MnO2Cu1.5Se2. We report a phase transition in the resistivity at 213K which may correspond to the onset of previously reported short-range order in copper and vacancy sites in the Cu1.5Se2 planes.
The second technique is designed to investigate the topological protection of surface transport in 3-D topological insulators. We decorate the surfaces of single-crystal samples with two different species from a well-characterised family of single-molecule magnets. The two coatings have an electrostatically identical influence on the sample surface, but differ in that one species carries a spin and the other is spinless. The spinless molecule acts as a control, to allow us to cleanly determine the influence of the magnetic component of a scattering potential on transport in the surface. With this technique we investigate proposed topological Kondo insulator SmB6. We find that the surface state dominates low-temperature transport and demonstrate that the momentum relaxation is very sensitive to a spin degree of freedom in the scatterer, in keeping with expectations of a topological insulator.
Sovereign skies: aviation and the Indian state 1939-53
Keywords: India
Technology
Decolonisation
Indian aviation
Indian Air Force
Sovereignty

This thesis traces the Indian state's engagement with aviation during the period of its transformation from British colony to Indian republic. It argues that the aeroplane played a critical role in securing and legitimating the Indian state during the first years of its independence. Further, the use of aircraftis revealing of the ways in which the new state conceptualised and projected its sovereignty. The thesis is divided into five chapters organised in broadly chronological order each of which is centred on one of five major themes; expansion, partition, escalation, integration and nationalisation. The first of these studies the complex consequences of the expansion of Indian aviation during the Second World War which transformed India’s anaemic aviation sector into one of Asia's leading aviation powerhouses portending the passing of colonial rule. Chapter two traces the effects of partition in 1947 on aviation as well as the critical role played by aircraft in refugee evacuation and the restoration of order. The third chapter investigates the ways in which civil and military aviation helped initiate, sustain and then escalate war between India and Pakistan over Kashmir later that year. The fourth chapter highlights the ways in which India’s semi-autonomous princely states invested in aviation in the hopes of legitimising their states through an appeal to modernity with differing results in the decade before their integration into independent India. The fifth and final chapter focuses on the emergence of the Republic of India in 1950, a fully sovereign state with a coherent national ideology capable of exerting its will on recalcitrant neighbours and confident enough in its socialist vision to nationalise its airline companies. Indian aviation this thesis will conclude was critical in shaping the outcomes of decolonisation and was in turn moulded in important ways by the Indian state.
Contact and self-segregation in ethnically diverse schools: a multi-methodological approach
Keywords: intergroup contact
ethnic diversity
behavioral observation
social network analysis
integration
micro-ecological observation
education and diversity

This thesis investigates 'self-segregation,' the voluntary separation and clustering of ethnic groups within a diverse environment that ostensibly provides opportunities for intergroup contact. While previous research has demonstrated self-segregation within such settings, using either self-reports, observations of behaviour, or social network analysis (SNA), such studies tend to be mono-methodological and cross-sectional. I review this literature in Chapter 1.
I then present three empirical chapters which provide both longitudinal data and comparisons between observations, surveys, and SNA: Chapter 2, with two observational studies of seating patterns in a diverse sixth form cafeteria (Studies 1 and 2), and a third observational study in a diverse secondary school (Study 3); Chapter 3, where I report an SNA study collected from the first-year students at the same secondary school (Study 4); and Chapter 4, where I report the results from a self-report survey in the sixth form college, where students indicate their cafeteria seating preferences (Study 5).
In Chapter 5, I discuss these findings, summarising 1) the strong self-segregation, and inclination towards self-segregation, found in all studies; 2) the comparisons between the two educational settings, where younger students were both more likely to be gender segregated, and to increase in ethnic integration over time; 3) the greater inclination of Asian British students than White British students to ethnically integrate; and 4) the need for further research triangulating multiple methods. From these conclusions, I suggest implications for targeted interventions, and argue the continued (and indeed, heightened) need for the contributions of social psychologists in public and policy discourse on ethnic integration.
A theory of dystopian liberalism
Keywords: Liberalism of Fear
Shklar

This dissertation aspires to revive the dystopian liberalism which identifies the avoidance of the worst as the fundamental aim of politics. The theory I present consists of three elements overall: The first element is what I call the Priority Claim, stating that the most important aim of social institutions should, morally speaking, be to avoid cruelty qua worst evil (Part I). The second element is the identification of the informal structure, the set of social norms within a population, as an important site to realize this ideal (Part II). The third element is the application of the principle that cruelty be avoided to the in-formal structure (Part III). This leads to an account of desirable social norms and in turn to a concrete answer to the question how individuals can in their everyday lives do their part to create a world that is overall less cruel and more humane.