VictorJuiz/thesis huggingface dataset:
Unfenced existence

I defend the claim that every individual must have existed; or, in other words, that every individual is a necessary existent. Henceforth, I shall take the expression 'necessary existence' to abbreviate this claim, and I shall take 'contingent existence' to abbreviate the negation of this claim. In order to defend necessary existence, I clarify what I mean by 'exists'. I argue that there are many different senses of 'exists', and exactly one of these senses is appropriate for the purposes of philosophical logic and modal metaphysics. Making essential use of this sense of 'exists', I defend necessary existence against various objections embodied in several arguments for contingent existence. Having responded to these arguments, I then outline the requirements for a convincing case for necessary existence. Specifically, I argue that a metaphysical case must be made for the acceptance of this claim. This metaphysical case for necessary existence is embodied in an argument I present from the metaphysics of propositions. The premises of this argument concern the conditions under which a proposition is true and a proposition exists. Given these premises, it follows that everything is a necessary existent. I defend this argument from a number of objections to the metaphysics of propositions presented here. I then present and defend three arguments from formal, logical considerations for necessary existence. These three arguments make use of three common axioms or rules of inference. I defend each of these three principles from the objections posed by Saul Kripke, Kit Fine, and Arthur Prior. I then defend necessary existence from the challenges posed by Alvin Plantinga's modal theory of essences, David Lewis's counterpart theory, and Alan McMichael's role semantics. This completes my defence of the three arguments from formal considerations and the argument from metaphysical considerations.

Advisor: Williamson, T
Mobile-enabled payment methods and public service delivery in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania

Rapid expansions of mobile communication technologies across sub-Saharan Africa have generated considerable optimism regarding their impact on socioeconomic development outcomes. Key payment applications, such as mobile-enabled payment instruments (i.e. SMS-based mobile money and wireless pay point services) are experiencing substantial adoption in East Africa and Dar es Salaam was the first city in sub-Saharan Africa to integrate these payment instruments into the urban water sector in mid-2009. Tanzania's largest city is demonstrative of the potential of mobile communication technologies to overcome water provision challenges such as inefficient billing and collection systems and revenue under-collection. This thesis uses Information and Communication Technologies for Development (ICTD) as an organising theoretical perspective to examine relationships between the use of mobile-enabled payment methods for water bill payments and customer payment behaviours, water utility performance, and access to water services. Data were collected using a survey methodology that tested hypotheses related to financial sustainability, petty corruption, satisfaction and service quality in payment practices, and neighbourhood resale in the informal water sector. Data sources include a survey administered to a stratified random sample of 1097 water utility customers; 42 semi-structured interviews with relevant stakeholders within the water sector and telecommunications industry; and a unique water payments database with information on approximately 1,000,000 water-related transactions made by over 106,000 customers. Qualitative and quantitative analyses provide evidence that the use of mobile-enabled payment methods can significantly improve customer payment behaviours (i.e. frequency of payment, annual revenue collection per customer), reduce opportunities for petty corruption (i.e. theft, bribery, and record-keeping), and support better access to improved water sources by unconnected households through neighbourhood resale practices. Implications for urban water provision in sub-Saharan Africa include higher collection efficiencies, more active customer bases, and wider direct and indirect reliance on utility-provided services. This thesis also contributes to ICTD scholarship by providing evidence that the use of mobile-enabled payment methods represents a disruptive transformation that enables more extensive and active citizen participation in the billing and payment processes of public service provision.

Keywords: public services
urban
Tanzania
water
East Africa
mobile
Advisor: Hope, R
The political economy of mergers in manufacturing industry in Britain between the wars

The work was conceived as an attempt to document an aspect of what has been called the rise of the "corporate economy" or of "managerial capitalism" (or, less informatively, the "new industrial revolution"): that is the relative decline of market relations within the system of industrial capitalism and the corresponding growth of economic activity within large corporations. Though this process of change began in Britain in the late nineteenth century, it advanced more slowly than the contemporaneous movement in the United States. Hence, it is argued, the interwar years saw the crucial developments in the structure of industry in Britain, though these have been underestimated because of the absence of a reliable descriptive study of this period. Attention is focussed on the role of mergers in this structural change, since a merger, being a discrete event in the biography of a firm, throws the causes of these developments into clear relief. The study is designed as a critical gloss on economic generalisations about the rise of large scale enterprise based on the propensity to monopolise, an explanation with no diachronic significance; and on the crude technolo- gical and economic determinisms dominating the historical writing which add little to Philip Snowden's classic statement that "trusts ... are inevitable. They will continue, whatever obstacles we attempt to put in their path".
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The Atkin operator on spaces of overconvergent modular forms and arithmetic applications

We investigate the action of the Atkin operator on spaces of overconvergent p-adic modular forms. Our contributions are both computational and geometric. We present several algorithms to compute the spectrum of the Atkin operator, as well as its p-adic variation as a function of the weight. As an application, we explicitly construct Heegner-type points on elliptic curves. We then make a geometric study of the Atkin operator, and prove a potential semi-stability theorem for correspondences. We explicitly determine the stable models of various Hecke operators on quaternionic Shimura curves, and make a purely geometric study of canonical subgroups.

Keywords: p-adic geometry
Modular forms
computational number theory
Hecke operators
Advisor: Kim, M
Lauder, A
Why child health policies in post-apartheid South Africa have not performed as intended: the case of the School Health Policy

The unprecedented scale of health sector reform in the course of radical political transformation in post-apartheid South Africa is well-documented. This thesis examines child health policy reform as a crucial part of this process. The goals of broader health sector reform were to improve the overall health status of citizens, in particular those most vulnerable, and eliminate inequities in health service provision and health status outcomes. Although children were accorded explicit prioritisation during this time, child health indicators remain poor and some have worsened. Amidst the documented explanations for the poor progress with child health indicators, the specific role and contribution of child health policies had not been interrogated.
The thesis examines the development, design and implementation of national child health policies, with particular focus on equity.
The National School Health Policy serves as a case-study for the analysis. Three complementary policy analysis frameworks guide the enquiry. Findings are based on a documentary analysis of key policies and 81 qualitative interviews with national policy makers and managers, provincial and district managers, and service providers in three socioeconomically different provinces of South Africa.
The common assertion by South African health system analysts, that "policies are good, but implementation is poor", is refuted by this research. The findings show that child health policies have many deficiencies in their design and development. These "poor policies" contribute to inadequate child health service provision, which in turn have a bearing on poor child health outcomes. In particular the failure in clearly defining and conceptualising equity in policy development and design contributed to the absence of equity considerations in the implementation phase. The explanations for these policy failures include: lack of strategic direction for child health services; poor policy making capacity; a lack of clear policy translation; and the diverse politics, power and passion of policy actors. Broader health system factors, such as an immature and poorly functioning district health system, compound these policy failures.
The thesis deepens the understanding of child health policy reform through a retrospective policy analysis and so contributes to the body of knowledge on policy reform in South Africa and in low- and middle-income countries more generally.

Keywords: child health policy analysis
child health policy and equity
child health policy in post-apartheid South Africa
child health policy reform
Advisor: Surender, R
Numerical modelling of tunnelling processes for assessment of damage to buildings

The development and implementation of a complex numerical model for the determination of the damage to masonry buildings resulting from tunnelling settlements is described in this thesis. The current methods of damage prediction do not, in general, take into account the stiffness and weight of the surface structure. The model addresses this deficiency by explicit inclusion of the structure. Three-dimensional finite elements are used to model the ground with a non-linear, elasto-plastic soil model based on kinematic hardening. Tunnel linings are modelled using a novel overlapping elastic shell element: volume loss being simulated by shrinkage of linings coincidentally with excavation. Structures are modelled as collections of facades comprised of plane stress elements using a non-linear material model for masonry, similar to elastic-no tension. In developing the three-dimensional model, its two-dimensional counterpart is also studied. While the beam and shell elements used for linings (in two- and three-dimensions respectively) have the advantage of no rotational degrees of freedom the need to model boundary conditions at the element stiffness level complicates implementation. Tests using the shell elements show them to be satisfactory for the purpose of modelling tunnel linings. Results from a small number of analyses are given for construction of a straight tunnel beneath simple masonry structures. It is shown that the effect of the building on settlements depends heavily on its location in plan with respect to the tunnel axis. Predictions of crack patterns using the model for these analyses show that facades which the tunnel passes under first are less damaged than those later in the excavation sequence. Both of these conclusions serve to demonstrate that the problem can only be realistically modelled using three-dimensional methods. At present, however, the computer resources required to run the three-dimensional model are considerable.

Keywords: settlement
tunnelling
Advisor: Burd, H
Molecular mechanisms of premature ageing in a worm model of human Werner syndrome

Investigating the biological basis of ageing is both fascinating and medically relevant, as we strive to understand both how organisms age, and how our knowledge might be put to good use in an increasingly long-lived human population. Despite the complexity of ageing biology, it is very striking that longevity, in a wide variety of organisms, can be modified by manipulating single genes. In this thesis, I investigate phenotypes associated with mutations in C. elegans homologues of human WRN, the gene mutated in the progeroid Werner syndrome (WS).
Mutant phenotypes in the worm recapitulate aspects of the pathophysiology observed in WS patients, including premature ageing, genomic instability, and sensitivity to DNA damaging agents. wrn-1 overexpression, on the other hand, appears to enhance longevity, suggesting that wrn-1 acts as a bona fide anti-gerontogene. The combination of wrn-1 mutations with mutation in the worm p53 homologue, cep-1, unexpectedly triggers a novel and very striking enhanced lifespan and healthspan phenotype, termed synthetic super-viability (SSV). The SSV phenotype is modulated by various environmental inputs such as temperature stress.
The data presented here can be incorporated into a model in which stress sensing (involving p53) is the crucial determinant of longevity outcomes. Several theories of ageing incorporate the idea that 'that which does not kill us, makes us stronger' - encapsulated in a biological sense in the idea of hormesis, a physiological shift in response to stress. Here, this hypothesis is expanded to include the notion that intrinsic responses to stress may themselves act to limit lifespan - too much of a good thing can be bad.

Keywords: Ageing
Werner syndrome
genetics
genomic instability
RecQ helicase
C. elegans
longevity
Advisor: Woollard, A
Cox, L
Semiconductor colloidal quantum dots for photovoltaic applications

This thesis studies lead suphide (PbS) colloidal quantum dots and their photovoltaic applications.
Different sizes of PbS QDs were synthesised and characterised using absorption spectroscopy and transmission electron microscopes. PbS QD Schottky junction devices were fabricated with AM1.5 power conversion efficiency up to 1.8 %. The Schottky junction geometry limits the device performance. A semiconductor heterojunction using ZnO as an electron acceptor was built and the device efficiency increased to 3%. By studying the light absorption and charge extraction profile of the bilayer device, the absorber layer has a charge extraction dead zone which is beyond the reach of the built-in electric field. Therefore, strategies to create a QD bulk heterojunction were considered to address this issue by distributing the junction interface throughout the absorber layer. However, the charge separation mechanism of the QD heterojunction is not clearly understood: whether it operates as an excitonic or a depleted p-n junction, as the junction operating mechanism determines the scale of phase separation in the bulk morphology. This study shows a transitional behaviour of the PbS/ZnO heterojunction from excitonic to depletion by increasing the doping density of ZnO.
To utilise the excitonic mechanism, a PbS/ZnO nanocrystal bulk heterojunction was created by blending the two nanocrystals in solution such that a large interface between the two materials could facilitate fast exciton dissociation. However, the devices show poor performance due to a coarse morphology and formation of germinate pairs. To create a bulk heterojunction where a built-in electric field could assist the charge separation, a TiO2 porous structure with the pore size matching with the depletion width was fabricated and successfully in-filled by PbS QDs. The porous device produces 5.7% power conversion efficiency, among one of the highest in literature. The enhancement comes from increased light absorption and suppression of charge recombination.

Keywords: photovoltaic
PbS
colloidal quantum dots
Advisor: Watt, AAR
Assender, HE
The evolution of classical Indian dance literature

The most comprehensive view of the evolution of dancing in India is one that is derived from Sanskrit textual sources. In the beginning of the tradition of discourse on dancing, of which the earliest extant example is the Natyasastra of Bharata Muni, dancing was regarded as a technique for adding the beauty of abstract form to dramatic performances. An ancillary to drama rather than an independent art, it carried no meaning and elicited no emotional response. Gradually, however, its autonomy was recognized as also its communicative power and it began to be discussed fully in treatises rather than in works on drama or poetics-a clear sign of its growing importance in India's cultural life.
Bharata's description of the body movements in dancing and their interrelationship not only provided the taxonomy for all subsequent authors on dancing but much of the information on its actual technique. However, Bharata described only what he considered to be artistically the most cultivated of all the existing dance styles, leaving out regional and popular varieties. These styles, similar in their basic technique to Bharata's style but comprising new types of movements and methods of composition, began to be included in later studies. By the 16th century they came to occupy the central position in the accounts of contemporary dancing and coalesced into a distinct tradition that has remained essentially unchanged to the present time. Striking technical parallels relate modern styles such as Kathak and Odissi to the later tradition rather than to Bharata's.
The textual evidence thus shows that dancing in India evolved by assimilating new forms and techniques and by moving away from its early dependency on drama. In the process it also widened its aesthetic scope beyond decorative grace to encompass emotive communication. Beauty of form was thus wedded to the matter of emotional content, resulting in the growth of a complex art form.
British, Chinese, and Tibetan representations of the Mission to Tibet of 1904

This thesis presents and analyses Chinese, Tibetan, and British sources relating to the British Mission to Tibet of 1904. It balances accounts provided by the British officers and men with modern Chinese sources. It analyses both polarised sides of the history, whilst remaining critical of all sources.
British historical accounts analysed in chapter one are balanced with Chinese narratives that present the Mission as an invasion of the Motherland and its unity. Chapter two examines the role of propaganda in modern China, and how different media are used to guide the Tibetan and Chinese populations’ understanding of their history and nation.
Chapters three and four provide an original translation of Bod kyi rig gnas lo rgyus dpyad gzhi’i rgyu cha bdams bsgrigs, a textbook written from a Chinese nationalistic perspective. The introductory chapter providing the Chinese narrative of the build-up to the Mission is studied in chapter three, and chapter four analyses the bloody advance into Tibet.
The translation and analysis in chapter five of the letters of the Dalai Lama to the King of Nepal, the Tongsa Pönlop, and the Chögyal of Sikkim place the Mission in pan-Himalayan context, and show how the Tibetan Government sought to counter the Mission. It is the first study to provide a historical Tibetan perspective of events.
Chapter six analyses the divisive issue of looting during the Mission. It examines the psychology of those who looted Tibet, and the role the items taken play in shaping the image of Tibet in the West. Modern Chinese propaganda sources from the new media are analysed in chapter seven, and demonstrate how they have been used to compliment and propagate the established narrative. The conclusions analyse the impact of the Mission, and the lessons that may be learnt for those that play the ‘New Great Game.’

Keywords: 1904
Younghusband
Mission
Tibet
China
Advisor: Ramble, C
Roesler, U
An investigation of the utility of remotely sensed meterological satellite data for predicting the distribution and abundance of the tsetse fly (Diptera: Glossinidae)

This thesis investigates the potential contribution of data from the Advance Very High Resolution Radiometer (AVHRR) on-board the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administrations (NOAA) polar-orbiting meteorological satellites and data from the High Resolution Radiometer (HRR) on-board the Meteosat geostationary meteorological satellites for predicting the distribution and abundance of the tsetse fly (Diptera: Glossinidae) in Africa. The images were processed to produce a range of monthly land surface temperature, atmospheric moisture and rainfall indices for the period 1988 to 1990. The performance of these indices, derived from several different methods, was tested using meteorological records collected during these years at stations across continental Africa and the most accurate used to form a refined dataset for subsequent analysis. The time-series of these land surface temperature, atmospheric moisture and rainfall indices and a range of Spectral Vegetation Indices (SVI) were subject to temporal Fourier analysis to parameterise the seasonal variation in these variables. These data, in combination with elevation information from a digital elevation model (DEM) were used to predict the land-cover of Nigeria determined independently by an aerial survey in 1990. The Normalised Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) performed best and so was used in combination with the satellite proxy meteorological and DEM data to predict the distribution and abundance of eight tsetse fly species in Cote d'lvoire and Burkina Faso, West Africa. The results are discussed in relation to the ecology of the different tsetse species. Conclusions are then drawn on the potential of such meteorological satellite data for remote tsetse fly population surveillance and, in the wider context, to the study and control of arthropod vectors of disease.
The Qiyan in the early Abbasid period

The thesis deals with the legal status of the qiy̅an as slaves in Islam; describes their nationalities, education and training as singers, instrumentalists and versifiers. It considers their place in the cultural life of the host society. A substantial part of their poetry with particular attention to some of the leading figures is reproduced in translation. A review of that poetry is included, showing the bulk of it to consist of clever epigrams exchanged in public or semi-public maj̅alis, bearing the hallmark of virtuosity and social jousting or party games. Another theme is that the introduction of the qiy̅an into the Abbasid cultural life led to the development of elegiac-erotic poetry. A parallel review of the musical scene, with special reference to some leading exponents, shows the influence of the qiy̅an in the development of new “popular”, unconventional styles of singing. The institution of the qiy̅an in all its artistic manifestations is viewed as essentially a business catering for men in pursuit of pleasure: caliphs, aristocrats and, most commonly, the class of cultured well-to-do chancery scribes. The bulk of the poetry which the established men poets composed in praise of the qiy̅an is seen as publicity material, and substantially produced to commission. The effect of the qiy̅an on the free-born women of their age, as well as historically, is considered; and some comparison is drawn between them as poets and singers. By way of further comparison the geisha and the hetaira of Ancient Greece are alluded to. A chapter is devoted to the decline and fall of the qiy̅an institution in the East and its partial transfer to Arab Spain.

Keywords: classical arabic
oriental
slavery
middle eastern
Advisor: van Gelder, IG