VictorJuiz/thesis huggingface dataset:
The importance of gender ideology and identity: the shift to factory production and its effect on work and wages in the English textile industries, 1760-1850

Textile manufacture in England had always employed a high proportion of women and this continued to be the case during the period 1760-1850. However, these industries underwent dramatic changes in both the nature and location of production, and women’s employment opportunities altered. Whilst in some cases technological advances reduced the strength required to perform a given process, making women more attractive to employers, this was not always the case. Urbanisation and factory production increased trade union influence, which often acted to the detriment of women’s access to well-paid occupations. The long standardised hours worked away from the home typically required of factory workers made it harder for women to combine textile work with the mothering and domestic responsibilities expected of them. As well as making it harder for women to work throughout their life, this discouraged investment in human capital of females by both themselves and their parents. Ideological resistance to women’s work outside of the home increased as the Industrial Revolution progressed. The more formalised work hierarchy created by factory production meant that resistance to female authority became increasingly important for denying women access to the best paid occupations. Ideology was not merely a response to material factors, but helped determine decisions made by economic actors. This thesis draws on a number of parliamentary reports over the period 1802-67. Not only do these reports provide a wealth of qualitative information, they also contain quantitative information which enables me to track male and female factory earnings over the life-cycle, by region and industry. The information in the parliamentary reports is used in conjunction with business records of various firms, covering both domestic and factory workers, as well as the writings of numerous contemporary observers.

Keywords: domestic production
life-cycle
wages
trade unions
labour history
Industrial Revolution
factory production
eighteenth century
gender
nineteenth century
textiles
work
regional variation
England
Advisor: Humphries, J
Phosphoramidite ligand design for the enantioselective conjugate addition of alkylzirconium reagents to enones

The development of new methods to make carbon-carbon bonds asymmetrically remains a challenge in organic chemistry. Indeed, the development of highly selective methods often proceeds on a trial and error basis. The way chiral information is transferred to the substrate is unclear in many reactions, limiting further development. We focus here on developing an asymmetric conjugate addition of alkylzirconium nucleophiles to Michael acceptors. The development of new phosphoramidite ligands, supported by a computer based model, allowed further development of the reaction.
First, existing methods to introduce enantioselectively chirality are described. Then we discuss ligands, and modern ways to parameterise experimental data using computational methods. In chapter two, after discussing the use of alkenes as reagents, especially processes initiated by hydrometallation, we describe a new conjugate addition reaction using cyclic enones that achieves both high yields and levels of enantioselectivity.
In chapter three, various applications of phosphoramidite ligands are discussed and we describe the synthesis of a variety of different phosphoramidites and identification of important structural features of these ligands. New, efficient ligands are obtained and a computer model is developed to account for the selectivity of the reaction discussed in chapter two. Chapter four describes the development of an enantioselective synthesis of quaternary centres with novel ligands used to optimise the new system. Lastly, chapter five describes the extension of the method to some linear enones, using different ligands.
Overall, we have developed a variety of ligands which were used to expand the enone scope of a conjugate addition and an understanding of what factors make these ligands effective.

Keywords: Ligands
Organic synthesis
Copper
Zirconium
Conjugate addition
Quantitative structure selectivity relationship
Advisor: Fletcher, SP
Anarchism and political theory

This thesis explores contemporary anarchism, in its re-emergence as a social movement and political theory over the past decade. Its method combines cultural sociology and philosophical argumentation, in a participatory research framework.
The first part, "Explaining Anarchism", argues that it should be addressed primarily as a political culture, with distinct forms of organisation, of campaigning and direct action repertoires, and of political discourse and ideology. Largely discontinuous with the historical workers' and peasants' anarchist movement, contemporary anarchism has fused in the intersection of radical direct-action movements in the North since the 1960s: feminism, ecology, and the resistance to nuclear energy and weapons, war, and neoliberal globalisation. Anarchist ideological discourse is analysed with attention to key concepts such as "domination" and "prefigurative politics", emphasising the avowedly open-ended, experimental nature of the anarchist project.
The second part, "Anarchist Anxieties", is a set of theoretical interventions in four major topics of controversy in anarchism today. Leadership in anarchist politics is addressed through sustained attention to the concept of power, proposing an agenda for equalising access to influence among activists, and an "ethic of solidarity" around the wielding of non-coercive power. Violence is approached through a recipient-based definition of the concept, exploring the limits of any attempt to justify violence and offering observations on violent empowerment, revenge and armed struggle. Technology is subject to a strong anarchist critique, which stresses its inherently social nature, leading to the exploration of Luddism, the disillusioned use of ICTs, and the promotion of lo-tech, sustainable human-nature interfaces as strategical directions for an anarchist politics of technology. Finally, the lens of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is used to address anarchist dilemmas around national liberation, exploring anarchist responses in conflict-ridden societies, and direct action approaches to peacemaking.

Advisor: Freeden, M
Regulating stem cell fate within microenvironmental niches

Improving the repopulation potential of human umbilical cord blood (UCB) haemopoietic stem cells (HSCs) remains a paramount goal in HSC transplantation (HSCT) therapy. This implies enhancing the homing and engraftment potential of UCB-CD34+CD133+ cells to the bone marrow (BM). Although an array of molecules continues to be identified as ‘key’ homing molecules, the molecular mechanisms controlling HSC homing are still not fully understood. The regulatory implications of hypoxia in the BM, with the concomitant stabilisation of hypoxia inducible transcription factor-1α (HIF-1α), are becoming more apparent, yet at the commencement of this thesis no study had explored whether hypoxia induced signalling can be adopted to regulate the homing and engraftment of transplanted HSCs.
The aim of this DPhil project was thus to investigate whether hypoxic conditions as detected in the BM influence the adhesion of UBC-CD133+ cells to osteoblasts, BM stromal cells and BM endothelial cells-60 (BMEC-60), as well as their transmigration towards chemokine SDF-1α across BMEC-60. Increasing the exposure of UCB-CD133+ cells to 1.5% O2 doubled the percentage of transmigrating cells (p<0.05), and while hypoxia stimulated UCB-CD133+ cells preferentially adhered to IL-1β stimulated BMEC-60, their adhesion to non-stimulated (BMEC-60) was significantly improved (p<0.001). To help unravel the underlying molecular mechanisms, we attempted to examine the potential involvement of hypoxia regulated scaffolding protein HEF-1/NEDD9/Cas-L (HEF-1) in the increased percentage of migrating UCB-CD133+ cells after hypoxia pre-conditioning. The role of HEF-1 in HSCs is unexplored, and its multifunctional contribution in a variety of processes including cell migration, attachment and invasion make HEF-1 a prime candidate as a contributing homing molecule. After identifying a suitable short-hairpin RNA (shRNA) sequence to knockdown HEF-1, generating lentiviral (LV)-particles in house and optimising transduction protocols, HEF-1 knockdown was achieved in haemopoietic model cell lines KG-1 and KG-1A (KG-1/KG-1A–HEF1). Significantly decreased KG-1A–HEF1 cell adhesion to non-stimulated BMEC-60 was detected. Together, these studies provide a promising platform to further explore the role of HEF-1 in hypoxia induced UCB-CD133+ cell transmigration towards the key homing molecule SDF-1α.

Keywords: transplantation
gene knockdown
haemopoietic stem cells
hematopoietic stem cells
microenvironmental niches
gene silencing
hypoxia
stem cell niche
lentiviral transduction
bone marrow
adhesion and migration of cells
blood
Advisor: Watt, S
The starling as a rational decision maker

A central question in behavioural and evolutionary ecology is to understand how animals make decisions between, for instance, potential mates, nesting sites, foraging patches and territories. Normative models of choice usually predict preferences between alternatives by computing their value according to some criterion and then identifying the alternative with greatest value. An important consequence of this procedure is captured in the economic concept of rationality, defined through a number of principles that are necessary for the existence of a scale of value upon which organisms base their choices. Violations of rationality are nonetheless well documented in psychological and economic studies of human choice and consumer behaviour, and have forced a reinterpretation of much of the existing data and models.
Although largely unexplored in the study of animal decision-making, the systematic observation of irrationality would similarly pose serious challenges for functional approaches to behaviour. In this thesis I explore the possibility that violations of rational axioms may also be found in animal choices, using the European starling (Sturnus vulgaris) as a model species. My objectives were threefold. Firstly, I investigated the prevalence of rationality across distinct foraging paradigms, in situations involving multialternative choices, structured choice sets, choices between alternatives described by multiple attributes and risk-sensitive decisions. In a number of distinct experiments, the preferences of the starlings were consistent and stable across contexts, conforming to basic rational principles such as transitivity and regularity. A second objective was to explore possible factors underlying reported violations of rational axioms by animals. Amongst potential mechanisms, I review and examine the implications of the use of hierarchical and higher order choice rules, as well as the presence of constraints on the perception of rewards. Finally, I examine the likely effect of contextual changes on an organism's state, and consequently choice behaviour, and experimentally confirm the expectation that statedependence in foraging preferences can underlie the observation of seemingly irrational behaviour. Altogether, my results suggest that, rather than being a common phenomenon, breaches of rationality in animals might be restricted to specific sets of parameters and conditions. They also emphasize the importance of considering the potential multitude of factors underlying violations of rationality in animal choices, and suggest that students of economic rationality in animal behaviour should also view preferences as a dynamic, statedependent measure.
Cardiovascular disease risk factors, weight, and the strategies to tackle future risk in school aged children

Background: Cardiovascular disease (CVD) can have its beginnings in childhood, especially if the child is overweight. Without intervention, increased risk factors in childhood track in adulthood, putting the individual at increased risk for early cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. As a result, childhood health outcomes are an increasingly popular area for health research. However, little progress has been made on the most effective way to enable children to lead healthy lives.
Methods: This thesis incorporated five studies. Firstly, a systematic review and meta-analysis of 63 papers involving nearly 50,000 school children examined the relationship between body mass index (BMI) categories and CVD risk factors. Secondly, a focus group study with 46 students to discuss their knowledge and attitudes towards health, health behaviours and health education. Thirdly, a focus group study with six mothers to discuss screening weight in childhood, and their perceptions of childhood health and health education. Fourthly, a component analysis to establish the characteristics of nine successful educational interventions on children’s health. Finally, a pilot intervention and feasibility study involving 314 students.
Results: Overweight and obese BMI categories were associated with substantial increases in CVD risk factors measured and that the association with obesity was greater than that with being overweight. The focus group studies found that the depth of knowledge and the perceived depth of knowledge that participants had about CVD risk factors affected their attitudes and behaviours, although not in the same way. The pilot intervention was deemed feasible. A significant change was brought about in the students’ knowledge of cardiovascular disease and raised their self-efficacy towards ensuring the health of their hearts.
Conclusion: The effect of obesity on cardiovascular risk factors is greater than that of being overweight. Additionally, studies in this area are hindered by inconsistent measurements and definitions of the BMI categories. Secondly, both parents and children need to be equipped with deep knowledge and understanding to facilitate attitude and behaviour change towards healthy living. Finally, the pilot intervention should be trialled in a randomised, controlled trial.

Keywords: education
cardiovascular disease
obesity
children
health behaviour
Advisor: Heneghan, C
Ward, A
Jewish terrorist activities and the British government in Palestine, 1939-1947

From 1939 to 1947 two Jewish terrorist organizations, the Irgun Zvai Leumi and the Lohamei Herut Israel (known to Jews by its Hebrew acronym, Lehi, and to the British as "The Stern Gang") challenged Britain's rule over Palestine. Those eight years began with the publication of the White Paper in May 1939 and ended in September 1947 with the decision taken by the British Government to surrender its League of Nations Mandate and withdraw from Palestine. This thesis examines the influence that Jewish terrorist activities had on Britain's policy for Palestine and seeks to ascertain the role played by terrorism in that decision.
Through an examination of British policy and the strategies employed by the British Army to defeat the terrorists, this study demonstrates why the British failed to reach either a military or a political settlement in Palestine. This failure can.be attributed both to the irreconcilable nature of Arab and Jewish claims to the country and the lack of a clear and consistent policy for Palestine on Britain's part. The situation was further aggravated by the weaknesses of the Palestine Police Force, the futile efforts of the Palestine Government to obtain the cooperation of the Jewish public against the terrorists and the debilitating effect of Jewish terrorist activities on the morale of the British soldier in Palestine. The search for a solution to the Palestine problem after World War II took place amid increasing terrorist violence in the country. As British authority in Palestine deteriorated, Britain's will to remain there dissolved.
This thesis concludes that no single factor itself can be considered responsible for the decision to surrender the mandate and leave Palestine. At the same time, however, Jewish terrorist activities played an important--and even a decisive--role in the events that led to the termination of British rule over Palestine and the establishment of the State of Israel.
Identity and equality

This thesis examines the Anglo-Jewish community in the three decades following its so-called emancipation as legally equal citizens. Beginning with Lionel de Rothschild's entry into Parliament in 1858 and concluding with the Anglo-Jewish Exhibition's encomium to Jewish life of 1887, this era witnessed the reconceptualisation of Anglo-Jewish identity as the minority completely entered British society after centuries of marginalisation. This thesis focuses upon three interlinked case-studies of different strands of Jewish leadership as they experienced their new identity and numerous practical issues regarding everyday interaction: the first Jewish MPs; the representative Board of Deputies of British Jews; and the community's religious infrastructure. Through analysis and comparison of these elite groups this work explores questions of inter-faith and inter-ethnic dialogue, minority-majority relationships, acculturation, and subculture formation in late nineteenth-century Britain.
It argues that Anglo-Jewry's emancipation was ambiguous; British acceptance was not neutral but carried reciprocal expectations. The community thus felt the dichotomy of Diasporic Jewish existence - being particularist in a universalist society - acutely in these years. Moving in tandem with British society forced many concessions from Jews' sectarian identity, the form and extent of which remained indeterminate as a result. The expected acculturation was forthcoming and the community fashioned itself a distinctive British variant of Jewish existence. However, this thesis contends that this was not always a forced or unpleasant experience. Many Jews willingly embraced aspects of British identity they appreciated. There were also numerous instances of the community being able to preserve its exceptionality. The British state and wider society showed a remarkable willingness to accommodate cases of Jewish particularity. This thesis demonstrates the tolerant nature of Britain's civil society (and indicates some of the boundaries to this), whilst also revealing the remarkable level of confluence between Anglo-Jewish and British ideals at this time. Fundamentally, it suggests, with some reservations, that Anglo-Jewry be viewed as an example of successful integration.

Advisor: Goldman, L
Constructing the self in language and narrative in the work of Grazia Deledda

This thesis examines the presence of modernist ideas regarding identity, language and narrative in the work of the neglected Sardinian author, Grazia Deledda (1871-1936). It has the overall aim of redefining Deledda’s later work as modernist for she has been disregarded by most critics and is generally classed as a minor, veristic writer. Drawing Deledda out of these restricted interpretations, this thesis demonstrates that Deledda straddles two literary modes, for she matures beyond veristic influences and looks forward to modernist ideas, particularly regarding the complex nature of the self.
The thesis approaches Deledda from an entirely new perspective in that it focuses upon the crisis of identity in Deledda’s work, and its construction in the narrative of her novels, and its integral relationship with the theme of language. The theoretical framework of Julia Kristeva, Paul Ricoeur and Adriana Cavarero enables an innovative study of identity as a linguistic and narrative construct in Deledda’s work. I maintain that Deledda’s characters construct, control and understand their identities through their application of language or their command of narrative perspective, voicing their inner selves through linguistic self-expression.
This study engages in a close textual analysis of three of Deledda’s key texts. La madre (1920) and Il segreto dell'uomo solitario (1921) illustrate Deledda’s movement away from verismo. Their protagonists suffer a crisis of identity which is bound up in linguistic expression and/or narrative control. Cosima (1937), which is Deledda’s most autobiographical text, displays the author’s close affinity with her writing. Creating a fiction of her own life, Deledda becomes both narrator and protagonist, self and other in the exploration of her own identity, which is integrally connected to the act of writing. The very composition of this text demonstrates the construction of identity in language and narrative which is illustrated within Deledda’s other works.

Keywords: identity
narrative
Grazia Deledda
autobiography
Advisor: Tandello, E
Group size dependent benefits in microbe cooperation

Microbes produce many molecules that are important for their growth and development, and the production and exploitation of these public goods has become an important paradigm in the field of microbial social evolution. Here I explore this type of microbial sociality in two primary chapters.
In the first chapter I focus on the relationship between the shape of the benefit curve and cellular density with a model assuming three types of benefit functions: diminishing, accelerating, and sigmoidal (accelerating then diminishing). I classify the latter two as being synergistic and argue that sigmoidal curves are common in microbial systems. Synergistic benefit curves interact with group sizes to give very different expected evolutionary dynamics. In particular, whether or not and to what extent microbes evolve to produce public goods depends strongly on group size. This synergy can create an evolutionary trap'' which can stymie the establishment and maintenance of cooperation. By allowing density dependent regulation of production (quorum sensing), this trap may be avoided.
In the second chapter I focus again on group size benefits, but with a particular focus on pathogen risk assessment. Many pathogens are thought to behave collectively, and yet the models used in assessing microbial risk assume otherwise. In particular the dominant paradigm, articulated in the Independent Action Hypothesis, is that infecting microorganisms do not interact with each other and that each cell has an independent likelihood of causing infection. Initial data from a bacteria-insect system suggest that indeed the Independent Action Hypothesis may be incorrect and leads to poor risk assessment at low doses. I argue that more attention to mechanisms of infection is essential for accurate risk assessment.

Keywords: cooperative infection
Group size
synergy
risk assessment
Advisor: Brown, S
Buckling, A