VictorJuiz/thesis huggingface dataset:
The power of modest multilateralism: the International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes (ICSID), 1964-1980
Keywords: multilateralism
World Bank
investment arbitration
investor-state arbitration

In 1965, amid antagonism between capital-importing and capital-exporting states over investment protection, the World Bank created ICSID. ICSID facilitates the resolution of disputes between foreign investors and states. Since major initiatives to create investment rules have failed within the UN and OECD, ICSID is the only successful attempt to create a multilateral, inter-state organization dedicated to investment. This thesis probes the intellectual, political, and economic forces behind the creation and early development of ICSID.
This study combines archival work, oral histories, and interviews with econometric work. On this basis, it illuminates how ICSID's creators-mainly staff in the World Bank's Legal Department-adapted their ideas to suit the charged political context. When disseminating the idea of ICSID to states, they relied on ambiguity, expertise, and incrementalism. These three characteristics constitute an approach to organization building that I term "modest multilateralism" since the World Bank's President praised ICSID as "a modest proposal." By illustrating how this approach operated in ICSID's case, I generate insights that are applicable to other international organizations.
ICSID's creation differs from the expectations of institutionalist IR theory in important ways. First, there was little state leadership, and ICSID's founding Convention is devoid of substance-it merely outlines a procedure. In this way, it takes the idea of ambiguity to its extreme. Second, ICSID's founders took steps to shield the organization from the politics of investment protection: they asked states to send legal experts, not elected representatives, and avoided deliberative debate. Third, ICSID's design was explicitly evolutionary. ICSID can operate alongside changing substantive rules-multilateral, bilateral, or domestic. Finally, contrary to previous accounts, in this thesis the ICSID Secretariat emerges as a dynamic agent. The Secretariat actively pursued ratifications and advance consents to investor-state arbitration. The creation of ICSID fostered a community of practice, which subsequently redefined international investment law through treaty making and arbitral practice.
The EU's inescapable influence on global regionalism
Keywords: institutional design
regional integration
EU as a model
comparative regionalism
diffusion

This thesis examines the EU's influence on regional cooperation in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), Mercosur in South America and the Southern African Development Community (SADC) by drawing on concepts from diffusion studies. It argues that conventional perspectives have tended to view different cases of regionalism as independent phenomena reflecting particular structural, institutional or ideational conditions, mainly internal to the respective region itself. I propose instead to conceive of regional organisations as asymmetrically interdependent, in that the EU as the most successful regional grouping in the international system influences other regional organisations in important respects; yet in ways that are ill-captured by the conventional depiction of external influence as a form of coercion. The central question addressed in this thesis is thus: Under what conditions and in what ways does the EU affect the trajectory of formal rules in regional cooperation elsewhere? I advance three main arguments. First, I suggest that given the EU's ideational and material power in global regionalism, it is likely to act as a focal point in debates about regional rule change around which actors' expectations converge when being confronted with an exogenous cooperation problem. This renders EU influence difficult to escape. Second, I argue that there are two dynamics by which EU influence affects outcomes in global regionalism - the EU as switchman and as driver. While the former leads policy-makers to choose EU-type rules instead of similarly viable alternatives given a particular cooperation problem, the latter affects the very incentives for regional rule change and thereby acts as an independent driver of regional cooperation. Third, I argue that, in terms of outcomes, EU influence has been highest in SADC, lower in Mercosur and lowest in ASEAN, mainly reflecting different degrees of material and ideational interdependence between the EU and other regions. Yet, policy-makers' widespread reluctance to share national sovereignty has sharply delineated the boundaries of EU influence in all three regions. I test these arguments across three central areas of regional cooperation: market building, institution building and community building.
Neuroprotection of cone photoreceptors in retinitis pigmentosa
Keywords: gene therapy
growth factor
cone photoreceptor
AAV

Retinitis pigmentosa (RP) is a genetically and phenotypically heterogeneous condition that affects approximately 1 in 4000 individuals worldwide. The most common presentation of RP is a rod-cone dystrophy, where the degeneration of cone photoreceptors occurs secondary to advanced rod loss, leading to a significant decline in central vision and a corresponding reduction in patient quality of life. The mechanisms underlying secondary cone loss are poorly understood, particularly in disorders where the gene defect is unknown or manifest only in rod photoreceptors. Consequently, the thesis presented herein proceeds on several fronts. First, in the long term a greater understanding of the causes underlying cone loss in RP is likely to be beneficial, and so in chapter one a dominant cone degeneration is characterized using intrinsically fluorescent cone photoreceptors to track the degenerative process. Second, as we develop a greater understanding of the genetic etiology underlying RP it is likely that the number of large genes identified as being causative will increase. As currently there is no efficient way to deliver large genes to photoreceptors, chapter two explores the use of alternate viral vectors that might be used to deliver a large therapeutic transgene. Lastly, whilst our understanding of cone loss in RP remains incomplete, it is necessary to develop a broadly applicable therapy to slow or attenuate further cone loss in RP patients regardless of the underlying cause. In chapters three and four we examine the use of low molecular weight "growth factors‟, such as ciliary neurotrophic factor (CNTF), to preserve cone photoreceptors long-term using a rhodopsin knockout model of RP.
Synthesis and characterisation of large area graphene
Keywords: aberration corrected transmission electron microscopy
defects
graphene
chemical vapour deposition
transmission electron microscopy

The pursuit of high quality, large area graphene has been a major research focus of contemporary materials science research, in the wake of the discovery of the multitude of exceptional properties exhibited by the material. The DPhil project was undertaken with the objective of developing an understanding of the growth of large graphene sheets by chemical vapour deposition (CVD), and also in the subsequent characterisation of their material properties.
By conducting atmospheric pressure CVD growth at high methane flow rates, it was found that few-layered graphene (FLG) could be deposited on a copper catalyst. It is demonstrated that the self-limiting property of a copper catalyst is not universal to all deposition conditions, and shown that FLG grows in a terrace-like configuration.
In depth transmission electron microscopy (TEM) studies were carried out on FLG. By selective image reconstruction from the inverse power spectrum of the TEM images, it was possible to elucidate the inter-grain connectivity of few-layer graphenes. It was determined that there were two possible inter-grain configurations possible; specifically an overlap of graphene layers or a discrete atomic bonding edge. The perturbation of the few-layer structure when subject to an out of plane distortion was found to incur a shift in the conventional AB-Bernal stacking of FLG.
By utilising the aberration corrected TEM (AC-TEM) at Oxford it was possible to resolve atomic detail in CVD synthesised monolayer films, including atomic bond rotations and vacancies. The use of a high current density at low accelerating voltage (80 kV) was demonstrated to allow for the controlled defect creation in graphene sheets. This permitted the creation of monovacancies and iron doped vacancy complexes suitable for further study. The behaviour of these two defect types under electron beam irradiation was subsequently studied.
Study of early-stage precipitation in Al-Mg-Si(-Cu) alloys by 3D atom probe
Keywords: 3D atom probe
diffusion
precipitation
Al-Mg-Si alloys
nucleation

Hardness measurements and Three-Dimensional Atom Probe (3DAP) were used to characterize the early stages of precipitation in three different Al-Mg-Si alloys (Al-0.50 wt%Mg-1.00 wt%Si) with different Cu contents (0.03 wt%, 0.15 wt%, or 0.80 wt% Cu). Heat treatments were chosen to simulate an industrial production line for car body-sheet material and included natural ageing (NA), pre-ageing at 80 °C (PA), paint-bake ageing at 180 °C (PB) and 10 second ageing at 180 °C (spike).
The Cu content and the chosen heat treatments were found to influence the microstructural evolution of the alloy considerably. Based on the determined microstructures and matrix solute concentrations, mechanisms for the effect of NA, PA and Cu additions were proposed.
NA had a deleterious effect on the PB hardening response, which was delayed dramatically after 20 minutes NA or longer. When the NA time was 1 minute, β" precipitates were formed within 30 minutes PB resulting in high hardness of the alloy. The delay with NA time was caused by a decrease in the nucleation rate of elongated precipitates during the subsequent PB. This decrease was thought to be due to a combination of a decrease in the matrix solute concentrations and clusters acting as vacancy sinks.
PA before NA improved the PB response due to the formation of a high density of short elongated precipitates. Small Mg-Si clusters were detected after both NA and PA. Clusters formed during PA were found to be, on average, Mg-richer and larger than those formed during NA. Larger clusters were found to be more stable during PB and, upon PB, to grow into nucleation sites for elongated precipitates. Application of a spike before PA resulted in faster growth of clusters during PA.
Growth of clusters and nucleation of short elongated precipitates during PB was found to be enhanced with increasing Cu content when no PA was given. Cu was found to be present in all precipitates and clusters in the alloy with the highest Cu content. These precipitates were thought to be precursors to the Q' phase.
Russia in the news of its neighbours: Cross border media influence in Ukraine and Belarus
Keywords: Russia
Ukraine
soft power
television
media
news
newspapers
Belarus

This thesis investigates the nature and impact of Russian influence on Russian-language print and broadcast news in Ukraine and Belarus. TV channels and publications with shareholders or partners in Russia are widely available in both the countries studied; existing literature suggests that such ‘Russian’ media are a source of regional power for the Kremlin. To shed light on how Russian partners and shareholders affect editorial treatment of Russia, the thesis compares content samples from 27 TV news bulletins and newspapers available in Ukraine or Belarus, some of which have Russian partners or shareholders while others do not. It also draws on in-depth interviews with 46 journalists and other media professionals. The thesis then compares the cases of Ukraine and Belarus to explain how political and economic conditions in a ‘target’ state affect the Russian authorities’ scope for communicating messages to mass audiences abroad via pro-Kremlin broadcasters. The findings of the thesis serve as a basis for assessing whether Russian news exports might contribute to Russian foreign policy success in the way envisaged by the literature on soft power.
This research reveals complexities which have previously been overlooked in discussions about Russia’s media influence in the post-Soviet region. The news providers in Ukraine and Belarus which have Russian partners or shareholders are diverse and often vulnerable to constraints within their operating environment. Their utility as a source of soft power for the Kremlin is questionable, because the association between media and soft power is premised on public sentiments swaying foreign policy decisions. This premise is problematic, particularly in authoritarian Belarus. Pro-Kremlin Russian news exporters undoubtedly play a role in Moscow’s relations with Minsk and Kiev. However, their significance may lie at least as much in their capacity to provoke as their capacity to ‘softly’ attract and persuade a mass audience.
Experimental studies in simple choice behaviour
Keywords: starlings
Sequential Choice Model
latencies
Choice
Decision making
foraging
rationality

This thesis addresses decision mechanisms in foraging situations, using laboratory experiments with European starlings (Sturnus vulgaris). Building on previous work from the Behavioural Ecology Research Group, I chose the Sequential Choice Model (SCM; reviewed in Kacelnik et al., 2011 − Appendix 1) as a starting point, and tested its premises and predictions generalising it to different experimental protocols. Classical decision models do not relate choice preferences to behaviour towards isolated options, and assume that choices involve time-consuming evaluations of all alternatives. However, previous work found that starlings’ responses to isolated options predict preference in choices, and that response times to single-option encounters are not reliably longer than response times in choices. Since, in the wild, options are normally encountered sequentially, dealing with isolated options can be considered of greater biological, and possibly psychological, significance than simultaneous decisions. Following this rationale, the SCM postulates that when multiple simultaneous stimuli are met they are processed in parallel, each competing against the memory of background opportunities, rather than comparing present options to each other.
At the time of launching this research, these ideas had only been applied to protocols involving just two deterministic alternatives and offering no chance to explore the influence of learning history (i.e., how animals learn to choose; see Chapter 4). To increase their relevance and offer more rigorous tests, I generalised them to situations with multiple (see Chapters 2, 4 and 5), and in some cases probabilistic alternatives (see Chapter 3), controlling the learning regime. I combined these extensions with tests of economic rationality (see Chapter 6), a concept that is presently facing sustained debates.
Integrating the result of all experimental chapters (see Chapter 7), my results support the notion that behaviour in single-option encounters is fundamental to understand choice behaviour. The important issue of whether choices involve a decision time cost or the opposite, a shortening of response times, remains unsolved, as neither could be evidenced reliably.
Applications of DABSO for the delivery of sulfur dioxide in organic synthesis
Keywords: Organic synthesis
organometallic chemistry
transition metal catalysis

This thesis documents the development of novel synthetic methodologies for the incorporation of sulfur dioxide into organic molecules employing the amine-sulfur dioxide complex DABSO (vide infra). These developed processes serve to access a range of sulfonyl-containing (-SO2-) compounds including sulfones and sulfonamides, via sulfinic acid precursors.
Chapter 1 provides an overview of the synthesis and applications of sulfonyl-containing compounds and the organic chemistry of sulfur dioxide. A comprehensive introduction to the developed uses of sulfur dioxide surrogates in organic chemistry is given. The synthetic utility of metal sulfinates towards accessing sulfonyl-containing compounds is also discussed.
Chapter 2 details the development of a one-pot sulfone synthesis via metal sulfinates generated from organometallic reagents and DABSO. Alkyl, alkenyl and (hetero)aryl sulfinates prepared from organolithium and Grignard reagents can be efficiently coupled with a range of electrophiles to access a range of products including diaryl, aryl-heteroaryl and β-hydroxy sulfones.
Chapter 3 describes an array-compatible, one-pot sulfonamide synthesis employing metal sulfinates and N-chloroamines as in situ-generated intermediates. This employs DABSO and sodium hypochlorite (bleach) as simple reagents and organolithium, organozinc and Grignard reagents along with amines as readily-accessible building blocks. The robust nature of this methodology and its potential application in discovery chemistry is demonstrated with a 65-compound array synthesis.
Chapter 4 documents the development of a palladium-catalysed sulfination reaction of boronic acids to access a range of sulfonyl-containing compounds. This involved the establishment of a one-pot/one step synthesis of sulfones leading to the discovery of a redox-neutral, ligand-free sulfination procedure using DABSO and palladium(II) catalysis. Sulfinic acid derivatives can be generated and subsequently trapped in situ with a variety of electrophiles to furnish sulfones and sulfonamides.
Chapter 5 summarises the research and the potential future work.
Chapter 6 provides experimental details and data.
It's not fish you're buying, it's our rights: a case study of the UK's market-based fisheries management system
Keywords: fisheries management
natural resource economics
marine policy
market-based environmental policy

This thesis, submitted for the Doctor of Philosophy in Geography and Environment, presents a case study of the development of the UK's market-based management system for oceanic fisheries. Implemented gradually in the years since 1984, the informal nature of the UK's fisheries management system, which has developed through a number of incremental changes and government-industry "gentlemen’s agreements" rather than clear legislative moves, means that few official policy documents (and perhaps consequently, little academic literature) on the subject currently exist.
This thesis traces the material and political processes of market formation, looking at the origin of market-based policies in the theories of bioeconomics and wider economic history. It asks what the implicit assumptions of the economic discipline can – and can't – tell us about the impacts and outcomes of market creation, and using a Foucauldian inspired approach to economic performativity, discusses the role of ostensibly descriptive theories in shaping the world around them. Finally, it calls for a greater geographical engagement with marine issues, and proposes an action-research role for geographers in the politics of the sea.
Methodology for the synthesis of NP25302 and other bioactive natural products
Keywords: NP25302
methodology
Gold catalysis
5-endo-dig
Total synthesis
spiroketal
Ascospiroketal B
tetrahydrofuran
pyrrolizidine
Ascospiroketal A

Total synthesis of the pyrrolizidine alkaloid NP25302: (+)-NP25302 is an unusual vinylogous urea containing pyrrolizidine alkaloid shown to exhibit cell adhesion inhibition. It was envisaged that this natural product could be accessed by a novel 5-endo-dig cyclisation to construct the pyrrolizidine core, and a Curtius rearrangement to install the vinylogous urea motif. This methodology was first tested on a model system, furnishing nor-NP25302 from L-proline in 12 steps and 9% overall yield. The total synthesis of (±)-NP25302 was completed in 9 steps and 26% overall yield from ethyl 2-nitropropionate using similar methodology.
Studies into the stereospecificity of the Au(I)-catalysed cyclisation of monoallylic diols: During the synthesis of (+)-isoaltholactone in the Robertson group, the key Au(I)-catalysed cyclisation was observed to occur with some stereospecificity. Further investigations were therefore conducted into the stereochemical outcome of this reaction using stereodefined allylic alcohols, and from the combined results a mnemonic was proposed to predict the stereochemistry of the products of this reaction.
Studies into the total synthesis of ascospiroketals A and B: Investigations were conducted into the total synthesis of the recently isolated natural products ascospiroketals A and B. A second generation synthesis was used to construct advanced intermediates 1 and 2.
'E io a lui': dialogic models of conversion and self-representation in medieval Italian poetry
Keywords: Guido Cavalcanti
Guittone d'Arezzo
dialogism
Divine Comedy
subjectivity
dialogic
Dante
lyric
commedia
convivio
poetry
vita nuova
conversion
Guido Guinizelli
medieval literature
Divina Commedia
Guido Guinizzelli

This thesis examines the role of dialogic processes in representations of conversion narratives and expressions of poetic subjectivity across the works of four poets: Guittone d’Arezzo (c.1235-1294), Guido Guinizzelli (c.1230-1276), Guido Cavalcanti (c.1255-1300) and Dante Alighieri (1265-1321).
The introduction proposes a definition of ‘dialogic processes’ drawing on theoretical models of performativity and dialogism. It presents the usefulness of these approaches to the analysis of narratives of conversion and accounts of subjectivity in poetry. Chapter 1 analyses Guittone’s conversion poetics in light of these processes and seeks to complicate the teleology of his narrative of self. Chapter 2 examines the poetry of Guinizzelli and Cavalcanti, first establishing the ‘poetic conversion’ of Guinizzelli in dialogue with his own and others’ poetry. It then examines Cavalcanti’s physiological performance of a polyphonic subjectivity and how far this poetic expression partakes in the dialogic processes previously discussed in relation to religiously inflected writing. Chapters 3 and 4 will explore the manifestations of these phenomena of dialogue and performance in Dante’s oeuvre with particular focus on the Commedia as a key site for intertextual interaction both with his own earlier texts and with the texts (and figures) of the other poets under discussion. These chapters will seek to reopen the teleological closure which Dante tries to impose on his vernacular predecessors, as well as on his own works.
The weight of critical engagement with Dante’s predecessors has treated them as sources or reference points for Dante’s own praxis. I aim to consider Guittone, Guinizzelli and Cavalcanti on their own terms and in dialogue with one another before approaching Dante through these poets, thus reconstructing the networks of poetic dialogue in late medieval Italy, and situating Dante firmly within a dialogic tradition of narratives of self and conversion.