VictorJuiz/thesis huggingface dataset:
The fragments of impegno : interpretations of commitment in contemporary Italian narrative, 1980-1995

This thesis explores the representation of political and social issues in the work of a selection of contemporary Italian authors, aiming to assess what has become of the notion of political commitment ('impegno'), as debated by intellectuals in the sharply-defined political climate following World War II, and whether the institutional seizure then crisis of the 1980s and 1990s has encouraged a comparable literary response. In part one, I examine the critical works of Vittorini and Calvino, two authors central to the early discussion about the social role of literature, revealing the tensions between their conceptions of the relationship between writers and society, which, despite their close collaboration, are identifiable in their writings of the 1950s and 1960s. I then trace these different veins of thinking - which I have termed 'fault lines' in the solid mass of 'impegno' - into the works of Celati and Palandri, who express the socio-political consciousness of youth in the 1960s and 1970s. In the six chapters of the main body of my thesis, I consider the further breakdown, in the recent climate of political diffidence, of the traditional sense of commitment to a specific cause, into a fragmentary exposure of a variety of 'minority' issues in the work of individual authors or groups of the 1980s and early 1990s, broadly classifiable under the 'giovani narratori' label. This allows me to consider well-known contemporary authors, such as Tabucchi, De Carlo and Tondelli, from a specific perspective, alongside Ballestra, a young and little studied writer. My last two chapters discuss a selection of established women writers and barely-known African immigrant writers, assessing the impact of specific interest-groups on the 'impegno' question. I conclude by considering the specificity of these 'fragments' to Italian culture, within the general context of the postmodern lapse of faith in ideologies.
Structural studies of metalloproteins by NMR

This thesis describes the application of one and two dimensional proton NMR spectroscopy and associated computational methods to the study of structure in solution of two metalloproteins: the cytochrome subunit (cytPCMH) of Pseudomonas putida para-cresol methylhydroxylase (PCMH) and parsley plastocyanin.
Initial work on cytPCMH focused on the haem prosthetic group. Haem meso proton resonances were assigned by combined analysis of NOE data and the PCMH crystal structure. Interproton distances derived from these assignments indicated that one of the axial ligands to the haem Fe, Met 50, has a different orientation in cytPCMH in solution relative to that in crystalline PCMH. Further evidence for this difference between the unbound and bound states of the cytochrome subunit was provided by differences in reduction potentials, and by differences in the pattern of haem methyl group resonances of the oxidised species. Precedents for different ligand orientations among c-type cytochromes have been discussed.
Aromatic and methyl group spin system assignment in cytPCMH was carried out as the initial stage of sequential resonance assignment and structure determination. Aromatic side chain assignments, combined with analysis of NOE data, provided further evidence for a local conformational change in cytPCMH relative to PCMH. A potentially important residue in the conformational change was identified.
Essentially complete sequential resonance assignments have been obtained for parsley plastocyanin, which has important differences in sequence from other higher plant plastocyanins, and is closely related to some algal plastocyanins. Assignments were initially used in location and characterisation of elements of regular secondary structure. Distance and dihedral angle restraints were then accumulated and used in the calculation of a high resolution three dimensional structure of parsley plastocyanin. This structure has been analysed in detail and compared to reported structures of other plastocyanins. Features of interest include a β-bulge, a cis-Pro bend and a carboxyl---carboxylate hydrogen bond which accounts for parsley plastocyanin's anomalously high pKa . Residue deletions cause elimination of a turn found in most higher plant plastocyanins. This turn is located in an acidic patch binding site, which may be further disrupted in parsley plastocyanin by non-conservative substitution of two charged residues. Calculations show that these sequence differences result in diminution of the negative electrostatic field of parsley plastocyanin relative to that of poplar plastocyanin.
Design, analysis and implementation of bulk-synchronous parallel algorithms, data structures and techniques

The objective of this thesis is the unified investigation of a wide range of fundamental parallel methods that are transportable amongst pragmatic parallel machines having different number of processors, different periodicity of global synchronization and different bandwidth of inter-processor communication. The computational model adopted is the bulk-synchronous parallel (BSP) model, which abstracts the characteristics of parallel machines into three numerical parameters p, L and g, that quantify, respectively, processors, periodicity and bandwidth - the model differentiates memory that is local to a processor from memory that is non-local, yet, for the sake of universality, does not differentiate network proximity. The BSP parameters p, L and g, together with the problem size n, are employed to measure the performance, and consequently, the transportability of parallel methods across machines having different values of these parameters.
We show that optimality to within small multiplicative constant factors close to one can be achieved for a multiplicity of fundamental computational problems by transportable algorithms and data structures that can be applied for a wide range of values of the BSP parameters. While these algorithms and data structures are fairly simple themselves, description of their performance in terms of these parameters is somewhat complicated. The main reward for quantifying these complications, is that it enables software to be written once and for all that can be migrated efficiently amongst a variety of parallel machines. The methods considered in this thesis - both theoretically and experimentally - embody deterministic and randomized techniques for the efficient realization of fundamental algorithms (broadcasting, computing parallel-prefixes, load-balancing, list-contracting, merging, sorting, integer-sorting, selecting, searching and hashing), data structures (heaps, search trees and hash tables) and applications (computational geometry, parallel model simulations and structured query language primitives).
The Jacobian of modular curves associated to Cartan subgroups

The mod p representation associated to an elliptic curve is called split/non-split dihedral if its image lies in the normaliser of a split/non-split Cartan subgroup of GL2(Fp). Let X+split(p) and X+non-split(p) denote the modular curves which classify elliptic curves with dihedral split and non-split mod p representation, respectively. We call such curves (split/non-split) Cartan modular curves. It is well known that X+split(p) is isomorphic to the curve X+0(p2). On the other hand, the curve X+non-split(p) is distinctly different from any of the classical modular curves. Despite this apparent disparity, it is shown in this thesis that the jacobian of X+non-split(p) is isogenous to the new part of the jacobian of X+0(p2).
The method of proof uses the Selberg trace formula. An explicit formula for the trace of Hecke operators is derived for both split and non-split Cartan modular curves. Comparing these two trace formulae, one obtains a trace relation, which in combination with the Eichler-Shimura relations allows us to conclude that the L-series of the two abelian varieties in question are the same, up to finitely many L-factors. The result then follows by Faltings' isogeny theorem.
Joseph Conrad and aspects of scientific thought 1897-1911

This thesis is divided into six chapters with a synopsis, an introduction and a conclusion. It deals with Conrad's reaction during 1897-1911 to theories of evolution and what they suggested about the nature of human ethics. This approach provides new and revealing readings of Conrad.
The Introduction defines the term 'scientific' in relation to the extremely varied material Conrad is utilizing.
Chapter One this takes Conrad's familiarity with the work of A.R. Wallace and his conception of a mechanistic universe and suggests how this gave an evolutionist's bias to his exploration of the wellsprings of conduct.
Chapter Two deals, first, with echoes found in Heart of Darkness of T.H. Huxley and Rider Haggard, and what Conrad adds to these authors. The second section pursues this argument with Lord Jim and its references to Darwin, and examines the key concept of altruistic 'sympathy'. Section three deals with the topic of inheritance. The novel of inheritance had been seriously altered after Darwin. I place Conrad in this tradition. This leads to a discussion of the nature of heroism.
Chapter Three in five sections, puts Conrad's views in the context of three major arguments on altruism and heroism current at this time. T.H. Huxley and H. Drummond, Carlyle and Spencer, Wallace and Darwin all appear to have been read in some detail by Conrad.
Chapter Four traces Conrad's discussion of heroism in Nostromo, and J.A. Hobson is examined as a source.
Chapter Five The Secret Agent is analysed and reasons put forward for the use of the ironic narrator and high incidence of verbal cross references. Lombroso is examined as a source, and I contend that Conrad had by now achieved his own comprehensive analytic view of the nature of man.
Chapter Six takes Under Western Eyes as Conrad's exploration of ethics in substantially his own terms.
Conclusion in this brief section I state that Conrad seems to be well acquainted with most of the major contemporary speculations on the topic of ethics, and that during this period 1899-1911 his writing explored these arguments.
Simulations of stars and gas in spiral galaxies

A new code, DUAL, is developed to model the 2D dynamics of stars and gas in spiral galaxies. DUAL combines grid-based hydrodynamics and N-body techniques.
A triaxial model of the bulge of M31 is constructed from its surface brightness profile and shown, using hydrodynamic simulations, to reproduce observations of molecular gas kinemat- ics along the line of nodes of the disk. The bulge model rotates fast, with a pattern speed of 54 km s-1 kpc-1, and a ratio of bulge semi-major axis to corotation radius ℛ = 1.2. The B band mass-to-light ratio is 6.5, the semi-major axis is 3.5 kpc, the bulge mass is 2.3 x 1010 M☉ and the angle between the projected minor axis of the bulge and the line of nodes of the disk is 15°.
A thick gas disk (HWHM of 200 → 500 pc) is added to account for CO observations parallel to the disk line of nodes. The thickness is minimized if the gas velocity drops by 20% per kpc above the plane. By combining reasonable values of the disk mass-to-light ratio or dynamical friction arguments with the bulge model, M31 is shown to have a maximal disk with a halo mass fraction within 3.5 kpc of just a few percent. In contrast, the Cold Dark Matter theory predicts a fraction of 22% to 30%.
The differences between optical and infrared morphologies of spiral galaxies are reproduced using hydrodynamic and N-body simulations of gas and stars. Gaseous spirals have tighter pitch angles than stellar spirals. This phenomenon is attributed to a phase shift between the stellar density and the potential. Gaseous images are more asymmetric, less smooth and more likely to have multiple arms. Morphological decoupling increases as the stellar arm-interarm contrast and Q parameter fall.
The flocculence of a galaxy is quantified by decomposing the galaxy images into logarithmic spirals and denning a parameter closely related to the uniformity of the resulting 2D Fourier spectrum.
I conclude that a significant amount of morphological decoupling in spiral galaxies is due to the difference in the dynamics of stars and gas, rather than dust, star formation or galaxy interactions.
Palynofacies, palaeoenvironmental change and sequence stratigraphy of the Middle Jurassic, Cleveland basin and Brent group of UK

Palynofacies analysis, which is the study of microscopic organic matter can, in association with sedimentolog- ical and palaeoecological data, provide temporal and spatial resolution in the characterisation of sedimentary environments and potentially, vegetation and climate. However, the reliability of palynofacies analysis as a tool for environmental reconstruction has been questioned recently. This uncertainty is due a number of factors, including the lack of standardisation in the processing and counting of organic matter, subjective and vague terminology used to classify organic matter, and existence of numerous classification schemes. These have all restricted comparison between studies and hence hampered the advance of palynofacies analysis. The most important factor is, however, limited understanding of the controls which govern the genesis of particular associations of particulate organic matter.
These issues were addressed using a two-fold approach. Firstly, the particulate organic matter classification scheme created by Lewis in 1995 was tailored to produce a robust hierarchical classification scheme. Secondly, multivariate statistical analysis was applied to a Middle Jurassic data set. This revealed that the primary control upon the nature of the organic matter associations is preservation potential which is affected by redox status, and to a lesser extent by the degree and duration of transportation and disturbance to which the organic-matter has been subjected. The secondary influence was determined to be a change in the nature of organic matter through time. Following this analysis 19 different organic-matter assemblage groups were defined to decipher palaeoenvironmental changes during the Middle Jurassic.
Variations in the associations of organic matter through the Aalenian to Bathonian reflect changes in the redox status, proximity to source, salinity and hydrodynamics. This investigation suggests that aridity and/or pronounced seasonality commenced during the early Bajocian of the region which is earlier than the findings of previous investigations. This is based principally on the concomitant increase in black fragments (charcoal) and acme of Classopollis pollen in both the Cleveland Basin and Brent Group. The black fragments are probably charcoal rather than post-depositionally altered fragments because they occur in a range of oxic and anoxic environments, in conjunction with brown fragments, and in a range of lithofacies. These results not only permit the characterisation of the environment of deposition but also illustrate that palynofacies yields a discernible climatic signal.
Studies on the human C4b-binding protein gene

A 5' cDNA clone coding for human C4b-binding protein (C4bp) was isolated, characterised and sequenced to complete the cDNA sequence coding for amino-acid residues 1-32 thus confirming the protein sequence data of Chung et al. (1985c). The sequence extended to allow derivation of the putative leader sequence which was 32 residues in length and showed a high degree of hydrophobicity typical of other documented leader sequences. This clone together with others isolated by Chung et al. (1985a) were used to prepare cDNA probes which were subsequently used to hybridise genomic clones. The data from the blots suggested that the C4bp gene was up to 30 kb in size and thus consisted of large proportions of intron sequence (mRNA ≅2.5 kb). A commonly occurring restriction fragment length polymorphism was detected using the BglII restriction enzyme. Analysis of the genomic clones has shown that, with one possible exception, each internal protein repeat is encoded by a discrete exon. Use of the cDNA probes to hybridise RNA transfer blots, on which the RNA originated from various tissues and cell-lines, suggested that the liver is the major source of C4bp mRNA. Cross hybridisation was detected between the human C4bp cDNA probes and genomic DNA isolated from various species on transfer blots suggesting that genomic sequence homologous to that coding for C4bp has been conserved during evolution. Results from pulse field gel electrophoresis blot analysis suggests that although C4bp and the alternative pathway regulatory protein, Factor H, are genetically linked the physical distance separating them may be as great as 3 Mbp.
Asymmetric synthesis of cyclopropanes

This thesis is concerned with the asymmetric synthesis of cyclopropyl derivatives via the use of chiral iron acyl complexes of the type (η5-C5H5)Fe(CO)(PPh3)(COCH=CR'R), Chapter 1 reviews previous routes to optically active cyclopropyl derivatives and reviews the use of the chiral auxiliary (η5-C5H5)Fe(CO)(PPh3) for asymmetric synthesis.
Chapter 2 describes the synthesis of the complexes (η5-C5H5)Fe(CO)(PPh3)(COCH=CRR') and presents a conformational analysis of the α, β-unsaturated acyl ligand.
Chapter 3 describes the diastereoselective synthesis of cis- substituted cyclopropyl complexes via the reaction of Z-α, β-unsaturated iron acyl complexes with electrophilic alkylidene species. Decomplexation, to give the corresponding cyclopropyl esters, occurred without epimerisation of the cyclopropane ring. By the use of homochiral iron acyl complexes the enantioselective synthesis of cyclopropyl derivatives was achieved. Section A describes methylene addition and Section B isopropylidene addition reactions. Section C describes attempts to synthesise pyrethroid insecticide precursors which occurred with good diastereoselectivity but poor regioselectivity. Section D describes electrophilic ethylidene addition reactions in which the chiral auxiliary exerts good stereochemical control over three new chiral centres.
Chapter 4 describes the diastereoselective synthesis of trans- substituted cyclopropyl complexes via the reaction of E-α, β-unsaturated iron acyl complexes with nucleophilic alkylidene transfer reagents. Section A describes methylene transfer reagents. Whilst α-lithiosulphides and α-lithiosulphoxides were of limited use, iodomethyllithium (generated in situ) resulted in highly diastereoselective syntheses of the cyclopropyl complexes. Decomplexation, to give the corresponding cyclopropyl esters, occurred without epimerisation of the cyclopropane ring. By the use of homochiral iron acyl complexes the enantioselective synthesis of cyclopropyl derivatives was achieved. Section B describes the generation of 1-iodoethyllithium and 1-iodobutyllithium and their reactions as nucleophilic alkylidene transfer reagents. The stereo- chemistry at two of the new chiral centres is controlled by the iron chiral auxiliary, whilst that at a third is controlled by a number of factors.
Writing for film : the role of the Production Board of the British Film Institute

This thesis provides detailed textual analysis of four films made (with BFI Production Board assistance) by two important, though contrasting, British writer/directors― My Childhood, My Ain Folk and My Way Home (Bill Douglas, 1972-77); and The Draughtsman's Contract (Peter Greenaway, 1982). Though the thesis is focused on those films, its form and substance have been governed by the fact it is text-based and presented within the Faculty of English.
The first chapter briefly considers early national and governmental concerns about the role of film in British life, includes a survey of films legislation and looks at the proposals for a National Film Institute. The second chapter looks at the specific outcome of those proposals, namely, the creation of the British Film Institute. It also looks at the history of BFI film production up to 1982, which is the terminal date of the period under study.
The discussion then turns to the main topic of the thesis, a detailed textual analysis of the Douglas and Greenaway films. As both discussions demanded, as a sine qua non of the descriptions offered, accurate texts of each work in its final, achieved form, editions of each have been specially prepared and are submitted with the thesis for ease of consultation. While the discussion of each work is primarily concerned to establish its distinct nature and quality, the two chapters devoted to them implicitly serve also a larger argument, dealt with more summarily in the thesis, about the perceived conflict between the demands of art and industry. Where the Douglas trilogy demonstrates a thoroughly uncommercial enterprise in the pursuit of a highly personal statement by its director for whom an integrity of personal experience was the prime concern, analysis of Greenaway's film demonstrates a contrasting achievement in terms of a commercial cinema and a quite different aesthetic. Where the one was in part made possible by the BFFs earlier commitment to experimental filmmaking, The Draughtsman's Contract is the expression of the Production Board's later concern to produce work for a broader audience poised on the borderline of art and entertainment.
The conclusion briefly takes up those issues and offers some suggestions as to the ideological and historical origins of the art/industry debate. This is complemented by a substantial bibliography of further reading on 'Culture, Art/Industry, and Avant-Gardism'.
Carbon nuclear magnetic resonance studies of conformational equilibria

One bond coupling constants were measured as a function of temperature for bonds between carbon and carbon (lJCC) and, less commonly, hydrogen (lJCH) or fluorine (lJCF). Precisions of &pm;0.01 Hz were achieved using double isotopic substitution (for lJCC) and least squares curve fitting. Temperatures were measured to &pm;0.5 K using carbon chemical shift thermometers.
Molecules having no conformational equilibria showed substituent, temperature and solvent effects on the couplings, throwing doubt on some conformational uses of higher order couplings.
Comparison of lJCC values and their temperature dependences (ΔJ/ΔT) for some amines and appropriate models allowed determination of conformational free energies (ΔG°) . ΔG° was estimated for some ethylamines (trans and gauche conformers) and for piperidine (axial and equatorial N-H) . The method depends on the differences in lJCC for a bond in an ethyl group (ethylamines) or ring (piperidines) according to whether it is cis, gauche, or trans to a nitrogen lone pair. Conformational information was generally obtained from comparison of absolute lJCC , values, not from ΔJ/ΔT.
A hindered internal rotation of the ethyl in r-2,c-4,c-6-trimethyl-N-ethylpiperidine was discovered; lJCC was observed for separate conformers at low temperature and ΔG° was estimated at room temperature. The result was compared with ΔG°s obtained using other carbon n.m.r. methods, i.e., measurement of line broadening, integrated resonances at low temperature and averaged chemical shifts. Axial /equatorial equilibr were studied by known n.m.r. methods for N-ethyl- and analogous N-methyl-piperidines .
lJCC is dependent on conformation in [(l3C2)ethyl] benzene and its mesityl analogue; mathematical treatment should provide an estimate of the barrier to rotation in ethylbenzene. lJCC is dependent on conformation in ketones (e.g. diethylketone) and on the configuration (syn/anti) of their derivatives.
Hyperconjugation with unsaturated centres explains the conformational dependences of lJCC , analogous to those known for lJCH.