VictorJuiz/thesis huggingface dataset:
Judah ha-Cohen and the Emperor’s philosopher: dynamics of transmission at cultural crossroads

In his Hebrew encyclopaedic compendium Midrash ha-Ḥokhmah, the thirteenth-century Toledan scholar Judah ben Solomon ha-Cohen reports of a correspondence, held in Arabic, that he had with an unnamed philosopher who belonged to the court of the Holy Roman Emperor Frederick II in Italy. The present work investigates the different ways in which this correspondence helped transmit knowledge between scholars from different cultural and geographical settings. First, a critical edition, translation, and analysis are rendered of the two problems discussed in the text, which concern the construction of the five regular polyhedra and the calculation of oblique ascensions. The correspondence is then placed within the framework of other accounts of scholars who reportedly received imperial inquiries. It is shown that its subject matter was of interest to both the court and the scholarly community, and can be linked to the work of Frederick's correspondents Leonardo Fibonacci in Italy and the school of Ibn Y&umacr;nus in Mosul, and to the work of later scholars - Campanus of Novara and Muḥy&imacr; al-D&imacr;n al-Maghrib&imacr;. The unnamed philosopher, who is proved wrong in the correspondence, is in all likelihood Theodore of Antioch. An analysis of the terminology used in the Hebrew translation of the lost Arabic original shows that Judah created a unique mathematical and astronomical vocabulary, which changed during his working life. It is influenced by that of Jacob Anatoli, but Judah's terminology is generally much closer to that of his predecessor Ibn Ezra. It is then shown that the interreligious collaboration recorded in the correspondence is typical for the appropriation of Greek learning in the Middle Ages, but its placement within the framework of the Midrash ha-Ḥokhmah is influenced by interreligious polemics. Here, it serves to prove the superiority of the Jewish religion.

Advisor: Weinberg, J
Savage-Smith, E
Word fibres in finite p-groups and pro-p groups

Given a group word w in k variables, a group GM and g &in; G, we consider the set Sw(g) of k-tuples (g1,..., gk) &in; G(k) such that w(g1,..., gk) = g and when G is finite, the size of Sw(g), Nw(g). N. Amit conjectured that for any finite nilpotent group G and any word in k variables, Nw(1) ≥ |G|k-1. In this thesis we first prove Amit’s conjecture for finite groups of nilpotency class 2. This was independently proved by Levy in [1]. More generally, we study the class functions Nw for this class of groups and show that the inequality can be improved to Nw(1) ≥ |G|k/|Gw (Gw is the set of w-values in G) if G has odd order. This last result is explained by the fact that the functions Nw are characters of G in this case. For groups of even order, all that can be said is that Nw is a generalized character, something that is false in general for groups of nilpotency class greater than 2. We characterize group theoretically when Nxn
is a character if G is a 2-group of nilpotency class 2. We also address the (much harder) problem of studying if Nw(g) ≥ |G|k-1 for g &in; Gw, proving that this is the case for the free p-groups of nilpotency class 2 and exponent p.
Finally, we look at the analogous problem for finitely generated pro-p groups. Let G be a finitely generated pro-p group and {Gn} some filtration. We define the dimension of a closed subset H ⊆ G as
Dim{Gn}
(H) =   lim infn&rightarrow;∞ logp | HG(k)n/ G(k)n|
logp | (G / Gn)(k) |   ·
In this setting, a rather natural way to define the metric is by using the filtration Gn = /\xpn : x &in; G
\/. For this filtration, we ask whether for any word w in k variables, Dim{Gn} Sw(1) ≥ k - 1/k. We show that for free pro-p groups, using the filtration given by its dimension subgroups, this is not true in general.

Keywords: fibres
p-groups
Advisor: Segal, D
Bridson, M
Camina, R
Analysis of transcription factor binding at cis-regulatory elements during blood development and differentiation

The overall aim of this work is to understand how regulatory sequences (enhancers, promoters) are bound and interpreted by TFs during erythroid development and differentiation. This is becoming increasingly important as DNA sequence variants in enhancers may alter protein binding and consequently may contribute to changes in gene expression that affect susceptibility to common diseases.
We hypothesised that by using high-resolution analysis of chromatin accessibility data, we would identify relevant differences in sequence usage at regulatory regions in erythroid cells at various stages of development and differentiation.
To test this, we developed a robust and efficient method to isolate HS regions in erythroid cells by performing DNase-Seq and ATAC-Seq. When analysed at high resolution, open-chromatin assays, namely DNase-Seq, reveal a genome-wide profile of “footprints” - transcription factor bound sites at regulatory elements in different erythroid cell types.
The two dynamic contexts, development and differentiation, in which we analysed the changes in HS regions share a common pattern: we identified approximately 10% cell specific HS regions. The differential open-chromatin regions correspond mainly to enhancers, but also promoters. Majority of these elements (&Tilde;80%) occur in different genomic regions. These observations reinforce the fact that differentiation and development are driven by TF binding at distal elements.
At the α-globin locus, the quantitative changes of HS regions are correlated with the activity of gene promoters. The level of HS enrichment refines the chromatin signature of functional enhancers.
Novel analysis of HS genome-wide data, "average footprinting", provides a constrained set of transcription factor binding sites ranked by their usage in a specific cell type. We also adapted this approach to predict the effect of a variant in a sequence on altering affinity to TF and potentially causing changes in gene expression. This predicted damage score approach can be used to prioritise variants for functional analysis.
Finally, we have identified families with unexplained anaemia, which have a SNP in a binding site of the major enhancer of the human α-globin cluster. This variant has a high damage score based on our prediction analysis. We are currently investigating if, and how, this non-coding SNP affects gene expression as an example of how regulatory SNPs in general may contribute to human genetic disease.

Advisor: Higgs, D
Hughes, J
Community health workers: efficacy, taxonomy, and performance

Background: This thesis presents an empirical investigation into the efficacy, types, and performance of community health workers (CHWs)—trained lay people to whom simple medical procedures can be "task shifted" from doctors. It has three objectives: (1) assess the effects of CHW delivered interventions for primary health outcomes in low-and middle-income countries (LMICs), (2) develop a comprehensive taxonomy of CHW characteristics and programme design features, and (3) assess the relative efficacy of different types of CHW programme designs and how they can be used to optimise CHW performance.
Structure and Methods: Following the logic of early stage intervention development, this thesis has an iterative and developmental structure in which each section flows out of and builds on the previous section. Objective one is addressed in Chapters 2-4: scoping review, systematic review, and meta-analytic methods are applied to establish the efficacy and effectiveness of CHW-led interventions in LMICs. Objective two is addressed in Chapter 5: inductive, thematic analysis of systematically identified trials, influential papers, and existing information classification systems is used to develop a formal CHW taxonomy for intervention reporting and coding. Objective three is addressed in Chapter 6: systematic review methods are employed to identify interventions for improving the performance of community health workers in LMICs.
Results: Objective one: a systematic review of 155 papers reporting 86 trials found high quality evidence that CHW delivered interventions reduce perinatal mortality, improve child nutritional status, and improve tuberculosis completion rates versus facility-based care. There is also moderate quality evidence that CHW delivered interventions improve certain mental, infectious disease, paediatric, and maternal health outcomes. In undertaking this process, an additional, methodological contribution was made in the form of a tool to reduce risk of bias in overviews of reviews. This tool may facilitate early stage intervention development in the future. Objective two: 253 records were used to establish, in a faceted taxonomy, the definitional clarity required for theory building and knowledge accumulation. Two categories (CHW Characteristics and CHW Programme Features) and six dimensions (Integration, Recruitment, Training, Supervision, Incentives, and Equipment) emerged. Objective three: a systematic review of 14 trials identified moderate quality evidence of the efficacy of CHW performance interventions in improving certain behavioural outcomes for patients, utilisation of services, and CHW quality of care. There was no effect on the biological outcomes of interest.
Conclusion: In bringing the tools of evidence based practice to bear on community health worker interventions, this dissertation has contributed to the theoretical, methodological, and empirical evidence base from which the field can continue to advance.

Advisor: Montgomery, P
Response of invertebrate communities to intensive management of improved pasture ecosystems

The number of people on our planet is projected to rise to between 9.4 and 10 billion by 2050. Some estimates suggest that current levels of food production will need to double to feed this population. Increasing the intensity of food production on existing agricultural land will be a crucial element in meeting this goal, but practices associated with intensive management can cause biodiversity declines and erode the ecosystem functions that underpin production. My work explores agricultural intensification within the context of pasture-based cattle production. I focus on a variety of ecosystem functions supported by dung beetles (Coleoptera: Scarabaeoidea) and other dung-associated invertebrates. I investigate how variations in diversity, and chemical perturbations of veterinary anthelmintics affect the delivery of multiple ecosystem functions. I show that maintaining species-rich dung beetle assemblages has inconsistent benefits in providing multiple ecosystem functions. While dung beetles play an important role in supporting functioning in the short term, my work also reveals that their contributions may be less evident when considered over longer periods. Chemical perturbations caused by anthelmintic residues represent a significant threat to some invertebrate groups, but my experiments show that exposure does not always translate into an immediate reduction in ecosystem functioning. While use of anthelmintic products with relatively low toxicological risk did not cause obvious reductions in function, my work shows exposure can have significant consequences for the conservation of sensitive species. Overall, my work highlights the need for multigenerational studies, mathematical modelling, and careful consideration of sublethal effects to assess fully the risks of anthelmintic residues in the pasture environment. Furthermore, the emphasis on dung beetles (rather than other dung-associated invertebrates) in the existing literature neglects potentially important functional benefits provided by other taxa, such as earthworms. As the global human population continues to expand, it is important that we find sustainable ways to produce food while simultaneously conserving biodiversity. As loss of biodiversity in agricultural ecosystems does not always have functional consequences, it is important that wider justifications for conservation remain integrated into agricultural policy and practice.

Keywords: ecology
dung beetles
biodiversity
Advisor: Lewis, O
Beynon, S
Cause and context

This thesis comprises an introduction and six papers on causation, freedom and responsibility. Though mostly self-standing, the papers are unified by two common goals – to recognise and analyse the role of context in the semantics of causal claims and ascriptions of freedom; and to put metaphysical approaches to causation into closer contact with actual causal reasoning in science and the law.
Chapter One defends a contextualist semantics of causal language that combines the ancient idea that causes necessitate their effects with Angelika Kratzer's semantics of modality. Chapter Two extends this approach to ascriptions of freedom, by combining Kratzer’s account with the principle that an agent acts freely only if she could have acted otherwise. Chapter Three explores a neglected view which combines David Lewis's counterfactual account of causation with his counterpart-theoretic approach to de re modality. Chapter Four proposes an amendment to the interventionist account of causation in response to a worry raised by John Campbell about causation in psychology. Chapter Five motivates the idea that causation is a relation to which multiple events can contribute to different degrees, and defends a novel account of an event's degree of contribution to a causing of an effect. Chapter Six then argues, from a conception of tort law as a system of corrective justice, that a defendant should be held liable for a claimant’s losses only to the degree to which the defendant’s wrongdoing contributed to the causing of the claimant’s harm.

Advisor: Magidor, O
Hawthorne, J
An investigation into how teaching a Latin course using the quadrant model fosters agentic learning in students

The research aim of the project is to use task design to foster a greater sense of agency in Key Stage Three Latin students by introducing more open-ended tasks into the classroom, both for Latin language and Roman civilisation.
The methodology is based on a cyclical action research model comprising of two stages, the evaluation of each cycle informing the next stage. Group interviews or student focus groups were used to explore student's’ responses to more open-ended tasks, and this data was evaluated using a basic form of content analysis.
The results show the importance of building students' learning dispositions alongside their subject knowledge to help them manage quadrant three activities effectively. They have helped me to refine how the strands of teaching Latin (grammar, translation and the Ancient Roman World) interlink and to be clear on the link between the learning objective, the task and assessment, whatever the task style. Another result of the research is that I have increased trust in my students, having seen how positively the vast majority of them responded to more open tasks.

Keywords: MLT2016
MLT
Developing a ‘mastery’ approach to written feedback in mathematics

The NCETM identified three areas which were deemed of particular significance in providing a mastery curriculum- developing deep knowledge, consolidating particular skills and ensuring rapid interventions take place in order to address misconceptions in a timely manner. The focus of this dissertation was to research the capacity a form of written feedback (mastery marking) had in providing one of these three areas depending on the child's progress towards achieving a lesson's learning objective. A range of qualitative methods were used to gather relevant data. The data collected from focus groups, whole class discussions and examinations of written feedback was then analysed. This led to particular themes being identified. These included the changing perceptions of children regarding feedback, task type, frequency and delivery and barriers for teachers to contest against when trying to provide 'mastery marking'. Findings suggest that mastery marking did provide children with more opportunities to demonstrate deep knowledge depending on the group they were in. An increased amount of time for children to respond to written feedback was also a result of the intervention. It also brought about written feedback which was more specifically tailored to the individual needs of the children. Particular constraints for the teachers had an impact on their uptake and implementation of the intervention. The implications for this study appear to be that teachers can provide increasingly effective written feedback but particular constraints can curtail their ability to do this as regularly and as accurately as they would like. In order to enhance the quality and regularity of written feedback, there appears to be a need to mitigate these barriers where possible.

Keywords: MLT
Mathematics
MLT2016
The lognormal lung: quantifying inhomogeneity of ventilation

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease is a significant cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide. Despite this, the most common lung function testing techniques are not sensitive enough to detect the disease in its early stages, limiting opportunities for secondary prevention. It has been shown that measures of inhomogeneity detect signs of the disease earlier than spirometry, the most common form of lung function test. There is however, currently no "gold standard" method for assessing the inhomogeneity of the lungs.
A common technique for investigating inhomogeneity of ventilation is the multi-breath nitrogen washout. During this procedure a patient is switched from breathing room air to pure oxygen, and the concentration of nitrogen in the expired gas is measured as it washes out of the lungs. In this thesis we propose a novel method of assessing the inhomogeneity of the lungs from high quality nitrogen washout data.
This method involves the estimation of parameters from a mathematical model of the lungs which may then be reported as measures of inhomogeneity. The mathematical model we develop aims to represent the underlying physiology well; while having a small parameter set, and governing equations that may be solved quickly and accurately.
Careful attention is also paid to the parameter estimation procedure. We develop a practical approach which uses the available data, and considers computational constraints. We test our method on synthetic data to investigate the uncertainty of the parameters we estimate.
Finally, we present results from a small experimental trial designed to test our method in fifteen volunteers. The results appear promising, with our method distinguishing between the young, the old, and those with respiratory disease. However, there are some inconsistencies in our results. We highlight these, and suggest some areas for future investigation that might improve the work presented in this thesis.

Advisor: Robbins, P
Whiteley, J
A separation-of-powers model for a trustworthy and open cloud computing ecosystem

Most existing security enhancements lack a widely-agreed definition of trust. Trusted Cloud models have been proposed, which establish a Root-of-Trust inside the cloud and vouch for the trustworthiness of the cloud services. However, these are often impractical and ineffective due to the cloud’s characteristics of complexity, heterogeneity, and dynamism. This dissertation thus focuses on how to effective manage the trust dynamics inside the cloud, and how to export trust to achieve practical cloud attestations.
Firstly, a Separation-of-Powers (SoP) model is designed. It separates the authorities of a Cloud Service Provider, and allows different independent roles to participate in managing trust inside the cloud. The collaborative-restrictive relationship among these roles encourages a trustworthy and open cloud ecosystem. Secondly, three core components for implementing this model are designed, solving the problems of: how to effectively determine a Cloud Trusted Computing Base (cTCB) for a cloud application; how to define a Cloud Root-of-Trust (cRoT) for managing the trust evidence for this cTCB; and how to construct a Cloud Chain-of-Trust (cCoT) from the cRoT to export the trust evidence, and achieve cloud application attestations. Thirdly, simulators and prototypes are implemented to evaluate these core components. A Trusted MapReduce (TMR) system is also built as a case study to demonstrate how to utilize the trust services achieved by the SoP model.
This dissertation demonstrates that, by correctly managing trust inside the cloud, the genuine behaviours of the cloud can be effectively inspected and verified. The SoP model builds trust from customers to the Cloud Services Providers. Trustworthiness supports security-critical cloud applications, which encourages a wider range of cloud users. Openness further brings a flourishing market to the ecosystem. It encourages many more diverse Cloud Service Providers to equally participate in the cloud ecosystem, regardless of their scale or capabilities. We believe that a model of this kind is important for achieving trustworthy governance in the cloud ecosystem. It could in turn help to promote a wider cloud model adoption.

Advisor: Martin, A
The first pre-printed diaries: origins, development and uses of an information genre, 1700-1850

This thesis examines the perceptions and practices of self-writing between 1700 and 1850 as products of the burgeoning information culture of the age. It demonstrates how priorities of information management and the shared, cultural valuing of knowledge shaped the way individuals wrote about themselves in an array of forms over the course of the period. In particular, it asserts that the arrival of the pre-structured diary in 1748 was a significant development because it confirmed and enacted the perception of selfwriting as a factual, empirical pursuit. By requesting the entry of brief 'data' into an essentially scientific form, the table, it made writing about the self an empirical, forensic exercise. This thesis finds that the priorities enshrined in this printed genre were reflected in the way it, and other forms were perceived and used. Individuals 'logged' their existence in pre-ordained categories, and expressed their emotions through snippets of reproduced 'fact'. These habits signalled a broader shift in the way the 'self' was expressed in the late eighteenth and early nineteenth century.
This examination of self-writing provides new insights into the knowledge economy of the period. It argues that the eighteenth- and early nineteenth-century culture of knowledge was characterised by the categorisation and management of information. The reproduction of these management systems in individuals' self-writing, this study contends, is an invaluable indicator of the extent to which the culture of information permeated. Above all, these self-writing forms are testament not just to the popularisation of information in this period, but its personalisation: individuals drew on the models, forms, and classifying structures employed in more informational genres to shape the way they wrote about themselves.

Advisor: Dabhoiwala, F