VictorJuiz/thesis huggingface dataset:
The language of wealth in Old English literature: from the conversion to Alfred
Keywords: Wealth
Alfred the Great

This thesis analyses the language used to refer to wealth, and attitudes towards wealth, in the Old English literature of the earlier part of the Anglo-Saxon period. I firstly consider poetry such as Beowulf, the Junius 11 Old Testament poems and the works of Cynewulf, in order to develop an understanding of the treatment of wealth in vernacular literature before Alfred’s reign, but the primary concern of the thesis is with the canonical texts of the Alfredian corpus: the Pastoral Care, the Boethius, the Soliloquies and the first fifty Prose Psalms. While my focus is on these texts, given their stylistic and linguistic similarity, I also refer to other works associated with the Alfredian programme, including the Orosius, the Dialogues and the Bede. Although this thesis is not directly concerned with the issue of Alfred’s authorship, the conclusions nonetheless support the case for a unified, Alfredian context for the canon, based on ideological similarities between all four texts and the Alfred Jewel. This thesis combines elements of comparative reading and word study, distinguishing it from previous studies of the Alfredian texts. My methodology makes use of digital corpora, allowing me to situate the linguistic trends of the Alfredian texts within the wider Old English corpus.
The topic of wealth highlights a significant difficulty facing the Alfredian author(s): the confrontation between the native, vernacular tradition, in which the appreciation of material wealth plays a central role, and the Latin, Mediterranean source texts, which treat wealth as false and fleeting. The accommodation between native, Germanic culture and imported Christianity had obviously been ongoing since the conversion. However, this particular moment is worth attention as the Alfredian corpus represents the crest of the growing wave of literary, vernacular prose that had been building momentum in the form of the more pedestrian Mercian translations, such as the Dialogues and the Bede. Moreover, wealth is particularly significant in the Alfredian context, given the striking pairing with wisdom in the prose preface to the Pastoral Care, a pairing manifested in the Alfred Jewel, which in all likelihood accompanied the translation.
This thesis demonstrates that the texts of the Alfredian corpus share an ideology which recognises the usefulness of wealth while nonetheless warning against the dangers it poses as a distraction from the pursuit of wisdom. I suggest that this balanced perspective implies a secular or mixed context for the translations. My analysis of wealth, with particular focus on language, shows that the corpus encourages its readers and listeners to redirect their attention from material riches, useful though they may be, to the riches of wisdom.
Investigating the role of lysine demethylase UTX-1 in lifespan regulation of C. elegans
Keywords: C. elegans
utx-1
chromatin
ageing

That ageing can be epigenetically regulated has garnered considerable interest due to the implication that ageing is incredibly plastic and therefore, potentially reversible. Overexpression and downregulation of
utx-1
(H3K27me2/3-specific lysine demethylase UTX-1) was found to promote lifespan extension in C. elegans. Because utx-1 is ubiquitously expressed, it was hypothesised that lifespan is differentially affected, depending on the tissue where utx-1 expression is manipulated. Hypodermis-, intestineand neuron-specific knockdown of utx-1 (but not muscle) was found to promote lifespan extension in worms, whereas, overexpression of utx-1 only in intestine and neurons (but not muscle and hypodermis) promoted longevity. The catalytic activity of UTX-1 was found to be necessary for lifespan extension due to utx-1 overexpression and RNA-Seq studies showed that utx-1 overexpression is associated with upregulation of defense and immune response genes – a possible protective mechanism that indirectly promotes lifespan extension in worms. Finally, hsp-1 (heat-shock protein hsp-70) was discovered to be absolutely required for lifespan extension due to utx-1 overexpression, suggesting that the heat-shock response is crucial for lifespan regulation mediated by utx-1 overexpression. Overall, the work in this thesis, which also includes analysis of cbp-1 (H3K27 acetyl transferase), suggests that lifespan regulation due to H3K27 modification is incredibly complex and that longevity is mediated differentially as a consequence of different doses of modifier, and in specific tissues, likely due to transcriptional changes mediated by the demethylase function of UTX-1.
Government revenue, 1793-1815
Keywords: government
revenue
Britain
France
finance
wars
policy
fiscal
war

The thesis began as a study and evaluation of the methods employed by the British Government to finance the wars against France from 1793-1815. Public finances of the late 18th and early 19th centuries is such a neglected field by economic historians that secondary sources on the operation of the financial system scarcely exist. Yet in order to understand the finance of war it is essential to comprehend the whole financial system. Thus a large part of the thesis will be concerned simply to analyse public finances as they operated at the outbreak of war. With this context in place the thesis will proceed to outline the methods employed and the problems encountered by the Government in raising revenue to pay for the war. Finally, the thesis endeavours to appraise and criticise the techniques utilised mainly within the context of the constraints and nature of the financial system, but to some extend for their effects on the population and the course of economic growth over the period.
It is written primarily from the discipline of economic history but inevitably and frequently passes into administrative and economic history. The questions raised could not be answered within the confines of a single discipline.
My research cannot be offered as answers to a single question or set of hypotheses. The questions which underlie it are already stated. In so far as I have a single thesis or conclusion it is that, given the nature and constraints of the financial system, the Ministers, civil servants and their advisers responsible for providing the indispensable monetary means to obtain resources to prosecute the war, on the whole performed their task with commendable efficiency.
Atomic mixtures in radiofrequency dressed potentials
Keywords: Adiabatic potentials
Matter-wave interference
Bose-Einstein condensate
Radiofrequency-dressed potentials
Ultracold atoms

We have developed experimental techniques to confine two species of ultracold atoms in trapping potentials that are independently controlled by applied radiofrequency (rf) fields. Elementary species-selective manipulations are demonstrated for the isotopes 85Rb and 87Rb, such as changing the relative positions of the species. More detailed manipulations are possible, such as creating a double-well potential for one species that is overlapped with a single harmonic well of the other.
We observed that both isotopes have long lifetimes in the rf-dressed potentials when separate; this is well known for 87Rb which has very favourable collision properties, but the stability of 85Rb in rf-dressed potentials had not previously been demonstrated. A large rate of inelastic inter-species collisions was observed when the clouds were brought together, and our results identify this as being due to two-body collisions between 85Rb and 87Rb. We explain the origin of these losses using a qualitative model. Our experimental data is compared to computations of the inelastic loss rate coefficients that have been carried out using coupled-channel calculations by theoretical chemists at Durham University.
We have created double-well potentials for ultracold atoms by dressing with three rfs, as reported in our published work. Since this first demonstration we have eliminated sources of noise from the experimental apparatus using a systematic method, enabling a quantum degenerate gas of 87Rb to be loaded into a double-well potential with 6.7 micron separation between the wells. This is an order of magnitude improvement over our previously published work, and this separation is confirmed by matter-wave interference observed between atoms released from the two wells. In the near future, this apparatus will be able to split a quantum degenerate, two-dimensional gas, as has been performed for one-dimensional gases elsewhere. Moreover, many technical improvements have been implemented, allowing large amounts of data to be measured under highly reproducible conditions.
‘Abd al-Karīm al-Jīlī’s Sufi metaphysical treatment of the scriptures in al-Insān al-kāmil
Keywords: Scriptures
Interreligious
Islam
Sufism

This thesis is a study of the Sufi metaphysics of ‘Abd al-Karīm al-Jīlī (d. early 9th/15th century), focusing in particular on his treatment of the scriptures. It begins with an overview of al-Jīlī’s general Sufi metaphysics, as presented in his influential yet relatively little-studied work, al-Insān al-kāmil (The Perfect Man). I identify three principal theories within al-Jīlī’s Sufi metaphysics: the theories of universal theophany, the levels of existence, and the Perfect Man. I show how these ideas are grounded in the Sufi metaphysics of Ibn ‘Arabī, yet are elaborated in a somewhat different way to what we find in the works of Ibn ‘Arabī and his best-known interpreters.
Having thus set out al-Jīlī’s broader intellectual scheme, I subsequently show, through a close reading of chapters thirty-four, thirty-six, and thirty-eight of al-Insān al-kāmil (which have not previously been translated into a European language), how he applies that scheme to the most important scriptures universally recognised in Islam: the Qur’an, Torah, and Gospel. As al-Jīlī sees it, these different scriptures constitute different forms of divine manifestation (tajalliyyāt), and thus reveal different aspects of the divine to differing degrees of completeness. From this idea there emerges a hierarchy of scriptures, as well as a corresponding hierarchy of prophets. At the top of this hierarchy stand the Qur’an, which manifests the simple divine essence itself, and Muhammad, who similarly manifests the divine essence and attributes in the most complete way, and is thus the archetypal Perfect Man (al-insān al-kāmil). Below the Qur’an and Muhammad come the Gospel and Jesus and the Torah and Moses, each of them constituting genuine yet limited manifestations of God. This sense of hierarchy is reinforced by al-Jīlī’s discussion of the various forms of knowledge (‘ulūm) or mysteries (asrār) contained in the different scriptures, and the various doctrines that are subsequently derived from them by the Jews, Christians, and Muslims. By insisting on the superiority of the Qur’an, Muhammad and Islam, al-Jīlī remains within the overall framework of the orthodox Sunni Islamic view of sacred history, even while presenting a Sufi metaphysical version of that orthodox narrative. The thesis thus serves as a case study into how an important figure in the Ibn ‘Arabian tradition engages with and develops an important aspect of the Islamic tradition from his particular Sufi metaphysical perspective.
Quantitative studies of the nanoscale mechanical properties of metal organic framework materials
Keywords: Nanoindentation
Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM)
Instrumented Indentation Technique

The nanoscale mechanical properties of metal-organic framework (MOF) materials including the elasticity (Young’s modulus), plasticity (hardness, yield stress, ultimate strength, and work hardening coefficient), adhesion property (adhesive force and energy), and failure mechanisms (failure modes, corresponding threshold forces and failure strengths) have been studied in the range of sub-nm to ~100s nm in depth. MOF materials are a topical class of porous crystalline solids that are constructed from the self-assembly of metal clusters and organic linkers, to yield tuneable framework structures with a vast range of physical and chemical properties. Herein, three model MOF systems are of particular interest: the nanocrystals and micron-sized crystals of ZIF-8, two-dimensional nanosheets of CuBDC, and submillimetre-sized crystals of HKUST-1. The three MOF materials were prudently selected because they represent three distinctive structures in terms of the response to stress.
In this work, depth-sensing nanoindentation techniques, particularly the ‘conventional’ instrumented indentation technique (force sensitivity ~ 50 nN) and the atomic force microscopy (AFM)-based nanoindentation (force sensitivity < 0.05 nN), have been intensively employed and adapted to enable the accurate characterisation of the fine-scale mechanical behaviour of MOF materials. By leveraging the force and displacement sensitivities of the AFM instrument, the AFM-based nanoindentation method has been rationally established and improved by extending its application to study MOF mechanics at the nanoscale. This is a challenging field that has not yet been rigorously addressed by means of detailed experiments. Amongst the depth-sensing techniques, the AFM-based nanoindentation measurements are usually criticised for their instability and low reproducibility. Herein, the major factors that could interfere with the measurement precision have been systematically investigated. The research has led to the development of comprehensive approaches for AFM instrumental controls to achieve reliable force-displacement data and improved contact models for nanoindentation data analysis.
Quantification of the nanoscale mechanical properties sheds light on the complicated deformation behaviour of the porous MOF structures. AFM nanoindentation data obtained at the nanometre length scale reveal new structure-property information about the surface energy, incipient plasticity, and fracture mechanisms underpinning the inorganic-organic building blocks of MOF systems. Accurate materials data about mechanical performance and durability will be fundamental towards the development of functional devices and practical applications.
Can intergroup contact foster more continuous, fluid, and inclusive social identities?
Keywords: Intergroup Contact
Social Change
Intergroup Relations
Social Identity
Collective Action

This thesis examines whether intergroup contact can foster more continuous, fluid, and inclusive social identities—and, if so, how more continuous, fluid, and inclusive social identities relate to intergroup bias and support for social change. Chapter 1 introduces relevant research on social identification along a single category and across multiple categories, and develops the hypotheses tested throughout this thesis. Chapter 2 gives an overview of the empirical research, and introduces the statistical methods used to analyse findings from that research. Chapter 3 reports research developing and validating a novel measure of social identity continuity and fluidity, and examines whether contact with sexual and gender minorities fosters more continuous and fluid conceptions of sexuality and gender. Studies 1–3 found that intergroup contact was associated with more continuous and fluid social identities, but that more continuous and fluid social identities were not, in turn, associated with less intergroup bias. Chapter 4 reports research testing whether contact with caste or religious outgroups fosters more inclusive social identities in South India. Study 4 found that, as hypothesised, cross-group friendship was associated with more inclusive identities, while more inclusive identities were associated with less intergroup bias. Chapter 5 reports research testing how intergroup contact relates to support for social change in advantaged and disadvantaged groups. Studies 1 and 3 found that for disadvantaged-group members, negative contact, but not positive contact, was associated with more collective action. For advantaged-group members, positive contact predicted more solidarity-based collective action. More continuous and fluid identities did not mediate any of these relationships. Study 4 found neither intergroup contact nor more inclusive identities to be associated with support for or opposition to social change. Chapter 6 summarises and discusses the research presented in this thesis, highlighting its implications for intergroup relations research.
Shocks and policy over time and space
Keywords: employment
size distributions
house prices
monetary policy

This thesis aims to advance our understanding of the spatial and temporal propagation of economic shocks across the UK economy.
The first chapter sets out the data I will use throughout this thesis. The second examines the role of cash-flow shocks on household and firm behaviour. I find that the reduction in monthly mortgage payments resulting from monetary policy stimulus in the autumn of 2008 significantly boosted employment in the depths of the Great Recession. The neighbourhood-level cash-flow effect varied with the proportion of fixed-rate mortgagors across the country, and its interaction with the structure of local employment markets led to regional heterogeneity in the potency of monetary policy. I find that the effect of monetary policy on overall annual employment growth varied by around 1.5 percentage points across local authorities.
The third chapter explores how local demand shocks associated with house price changes affect employment growth, and whether these shocks are transmitted across firm establishment networks. I find little evidence that credit or informational frictions have played much of a role since the Great Recession. But the employment effects of these local demand shocks do extend beyond administrative boundaries and ripple short distances across the country.
The fourth chapter revisits the Granular Hypothesis and its implications for the UK. I find that the UK firm-size distribution exhibits a quantitatively fat tail, but this is dominated by firms that generate revenues from customers living nearby. The size of such firms is naturally driven by the number of establishments in their network, which means they tend to have low geographical concentration. Since I find limited evidence for establishment-network transmission of local demand shocks, this suggests the propagation of idiosyncratic shocks to large firms is more likely to emanate from supply chain disruptions than from shocks to demand.
The early evolution of sea turtles
Keywords: time calibration
Taxonomy
Protostegidae
fossilized birth death
CT scanning
evolutionary transition
Thalassochelydia
neuroanatomy
flipper evolution
sea turtles
marine adaptation
Chelonioidea
diversification
Angolachelonia
Phylogeny

Turtles are a major group of reptiles with moderate species richness (335 extant species) but high ecological diversity, inhabiting terrestrial, freshwater, and marine habitats. Stem-turtles evolved in the Late Permian or Early Triassic, and the crown-group appeared during the Jurassic. Fossils suggest that even the earliest turtles were ecologically diverse. As an ecologically diverse group with an excellent fossil record, turtles provide information on evolutionary dynamics of ecological transitions in vertebrates. For instance, marine ecologies evolved several times within turtles, although only chelonioid sea turtles survive to the present. Uncertainties regarding the relationships of extinct clades render the precise number of marine transitions uncertain. The unresolved phylogeny further impedes on understanding of trait evolution during early chelonioid evolution.
I address these knowledge gaps by detailed anatomical study of relevant turtle groups. I present new phylogenetic hypotheses of turtles using different inference methods (parsimony, Bayesian). A taxonomically comprehensive dataset (every extant and most extinct clades sampled) of morphological characters was derived from high-resolution computer-tomography data and vetted to reflect homology. Results suggest that protostegids are crown- or stem-group chelonioid sea turtles, implying a single origin of a pelagic lifestyle in turtles. A general flipper bauplan was established early during chelonioid evolution, and modified subsequently in different subgroups.
Time-calibration suggests an Early Cretaceous divergence time for chelonioids. This implies that some main clades of extant cryptodires (Chelonioidea, Chelydroidea, Testudinoidea) diversified earlier that commonly thought, during the Early Cretaceous and simultaneously with pleurodires and trionychians. A range of Jurassic–Cretaceous ‘stem- cryptodires’ (e.g. sinemydids) are found as stem-turtles. Non-pleurodiran marine turtles from the Jurassic–Paleogene (sandownids, thalassochelydians) form a previously unrecognized clade of stem-turtles, Hyphalochelydia. Marine ecologies evolved five–six times in turtles. All three Late Cretaceous marine turtle clades (hyphalochelydians, chelonioids, bothremydid pleurodires) survived the K/Pg mass extinction despite high levels of extinction in other marine reptiles.
Climate change in the Congo basin: evaluating coupled models
Keywords: Climate change
Climate model evaluation
Tropical climate
Congo Basin
African climate
Coupled models

The convective region of the Congo Basin is a vital component of both the tropical and global circulation, but despite its importance, the climate system is the least studied of any African region. This is due in part to the severe scarcity of recent observational weather data, which in turn has consequences for the use of climate models for providing reliable future projections. Models are usually tested on their ability to reproduce the historical climate, but this approach is unsuitable where observations are lacking. To circumvent this issue, this thesis develops an alternative methodology of model evaluation which does not rely on observational data. This regionally-focussed, process-based approach determines the credibility of multiple state-of-the-art coupled model (CMIP5) simulations of rainfall by assessing the representation of physical processes known to be important for rainfall. The models diverge vastly in the historical period over the Congo Basin, with mean climatological rainfall differing by a factor of five across models in some months. In all seasons, the amount of rainfall in the basin is positively correlated (p<0.05) with low-level moisture flux convergence over the basin and low-level moisture flux into the basin across certain boundaries, which with targeted observational data could be used to provide one constraint on the spectrum of model rainfall. In the September-November (SON) wet season, model wetness in the west Congo Basin relates to the strength of the tropical Atlantic SST bias, casting doubt on models which are extremely wet. In the east, model wetness is related to the strength and structure of the African Easterly Jets. There is also uncertainty amongst models as to the direction and magnitude of future rainfall change. A process-based assessment of future change in SON finds that in some areas, spurious climatologies in the historical period result in distinct future rainfall change signals, casting doubt on the plausibility of those changes. This thesis finds that a process-based approach to climate model evaluation can be used to help determine model credibility in the historical period in the absence of observational data, and is a promising method for constraining uncertainty in the future climate signal.