VictorJuiz/thesis huggingface dataset:
Precise abstract interpretation of hardware designs

This dissertation shows that the bounded property verification of hardware Register Transfer Level (RTL) designs can be efficiently performed by precise abstract interpretation of a software representation of the RTL.
The first part of this dissertation presents a novel framework for RTL verification using native software analyzers. To this end, we first present a translation of the hardware circuit expressed in Verilog RTL into the software in C called the software netlist. We then present the application of native software analyzers based on SAT/SMT-based decision procedures as well as abstraction-based techniques such as abstract interpretation for the formal verification of the software netlist design generated from the hardware RTL. In particular, we show that the path-based symbolic execution techniques, commonly used for automatic test case generation in system softwares, are also effective for proving bounded safety as well as detecting bugs in the software netlist designs. Furthermore, by means of experiments, we show that abstract interpretation techniques, commonly used for static program analysis, can also be used for bounded as well as unbounded safety property verification of the software netlist designs. However, the analysis using abstract interpretation shows high degree of imprecision on our benchmarks which is handled by manually guiding the analysis with various trace partitioning directives.
The second part of this dissertation presents a new theoretical framework and a practical instantiation for automatically refining the precision of abstract interpretation using Conflict Driven Clause Learning (CDCL)-style analysis. The theoretical contribution is the abstract interpretation framework that generalizes CDCL to precise safety verification for automatic transformer refinement called Abstract Conflict Driven Learning for Safety (ACDLS). The practical contribution instantiates ACDLS over a template polyhedra abstract domain for bounded safety verification of the software netlist designs. We experimentally show that ACDLS is more efficient than a SAT-based analysis as well as sufficiently more precise than a commercial abstract interpreter.

Keywords: Abstract Interpretation
Safety Property
Formal verification
CDCL SAT Solver
Advisor: Kroening, D
Melham, T
Characters as social beings: social performance in the French and Czechoslovak New Waves

This thesis investigates the aesthetic presence of social performance in six French and Czechoslovak New Wave films of the 1960s. The New Wave was particularly interested in portraying everyday life, and the film corpus studied in this thesis focuses specifically on the representation of the characters' social lives. In addition, the films share the commonality of being made with an aesthetic of authenticity inspired more or less by the 1960s observational documentary genre of cinéma vérité.
In the film corpus, ordinary social situations occupy a more prominent place on screen than usual, and instigate a social kind of engagement with the films. Where narrative context conventionally provides the framework for a character’s actions, in these unconventional films, it is the characters' social environments that more precisely contextualize their way of being. The aim of the thesis is to engage with these social contexts to understand the characters' social behaviours, and to examine how the 'vérité aesthetic' evokes a social kind of reading of the films.
To this end, I develop in the first chapter a Goffmanian approach to the films, inspired by sociologist Erving Goffman's writings on social reality as a performative realm. I use his notions of social performance, social framework, and social perception to engage with each film through what I call a 'social gaze' that inspects the social dynamics of the characters’ behaviours. Over the course of three case study chapters, I apply this approach to the films to unearth and discuss their social range of meaning.
This thesis thus aims to contribute both to film historical scholarship on the 1960s European New Wave, and to a study of the aestheticization of social reality in film in general.

Keywords: 1960s
New Wave Film
France
Cinema Verite
Erving Goffman
Czechoslovakia
Social Performance
Advisor: Due, R
Zur Ehre Gottes zu musiciren

My critical writing is closely linked to a pair of oratorios, which are the major ingredients in my final composition portfolio submission, Cantata Eliensis and The Good Samaritan. For my doctoral work I have been researching J. S. Bach's St Matthew Passion in order to inform my compositional endeavours. I am especially driven to write dramatic music and music that tells a story, and the St Matthew Passion is an extended retelling of an enormously dramatic, if brief, story found in the Gospel of Matthew. It is made more interesting by the fact that it is not an outright drama; that is to say, it is not an opera but combines the characteristics both of a drama and of a sermon. This combining of genres directly informs my two dramatic pieces. The bulk of the research into Bach's music became background for my writing here, which focuses not on the specifics of the composition and performances of the St Matthew Passion, but rather on broader research themes of narrative, musical structure, vocality, authorial voice, drama, and vocation as they appear in Bach's work and the work of his musical heirs, as well as in my own composition.

Advisor: Harry, M
Carbon-isotope stratigraphy, geochemistry and geochronology of the Lower Jurassic of the Cardigan Bay Basin (Llanbedr (Mochras Farm) borehole), UK, and the Neuquén Basin, Argentina

The lack of a continuous high-resolution carbon-isotope (δ13C) record based on a single material, and thus a single carbon reservoir, has so far inhibited investigation on the secular evolution of the Early Jurassic (~201–175 Myr) carbon cycle. The existing δ13C records for the Lower Jurassic Series tend to cover short stratigraphic intervals, originate from a variety of different sedimentary basins and different carbon reservoirs, or are of relatively low stratigraphic resolution. New δ13CTOC data from the continuous strata of the stratigraphically expanded Llanbedr (Mochras Farm) drill-core provides the most expanded Lower Jurassic δ13CTOC record to date. The record aggregates several δ13CTOC excursions of different stratigraphical extent and magnitude. Based on stratigraphic correlations, several of these excursions appear approximately coeval in several NW European sedimentary basins, in multiple carbon reservoirs. Geochemical characterization reveals an organic-lean character of the Lower Jurassic sediments, dominated by terrestrial organic matter. Changes in the relative admixture of marine vs terrestrial organic matter appear as a likely subordinate mechanism driving changes in δ13C. Consecutively appearing small-amplitude fluctuations (~0.5–2 ‰) of comparable magnitude and stratigraphic thickness, including those recorded elsewhere, and hitherto unrevealed excursions, appear to be largely orbitally paced, corresponding to long (405-kyr) eccentricity cycles. Orbital tuning of the continuous Hettangian to Pliensbachian record allows an astronomical timescale to be established, which closely agrees with previous timescales for the Hettangian and Pliensbachian stages, and provides the basis for a Sinemurian chronology.
Furthermore, a stratigraphical framework is developed on Lower Jurassic sections in the Neuquén Basin, Argentina, providing the grounds for future work on the radioisotopic dating of the onset of the Toarcian oceanic anoxic event (T-OAE). A chemostratigraphic dataset allows the correlation to same-age records. Coeval appearance of siderite in the lower Toarcian of the Mochras core and the Neuquén Basin suggests a disturbance of the global sulphur cycle (possible low sulphate ocean) during the T-OAE.

Advisor: Jenkyns, H
Hesselbo, S
Ruhl, M
Essays on commodities and international macroeconomic interactions

This thesis introduces commodities into otherwise standard closed economy or open economy macro models. Chapter 1 sheds light on the fact that as trading in commodity derivatives tied to commodity prices has increased massively since the 2000s, they have begun to act as an asset class in recent years. It shows that financial intermediaries’ investments in commodities play an important role in the recent reduction in the impacts of commodity price shocks on the economy. Chapter 2 adds commodities and different commodity trade structures of countries to a standard two-country model. It shows that U.S. business cycle comovements with commodityexporting countries are stronger than those with commodity-importing countries and that the model produces better international business cycle statistics between the U.S. and commodityexporting countries compared to the standard model. These results imply that the two elements should be considered to properly analyse international macroeconomic interactions between the U.S. and commodity-exporting countries. Chapter 3 studies international transmission of U.S. monetary policy shocks to commodity-exporting and commodity-importing countries. The chapter first empirically shows that the shocks have stronger effects on commodity-exporting countries than commodity-importing countries, and then augments a standard three-country model to include commodities and different commodity trade structures of countries. Consistently with the empirical evidence, in the model an expansionary monetary policy shock to the U.S. increases aggregate output of commodity-exporting countries by more than that of commodity-importing countries. This is because the increased U.S. aggregate demand triggered by the shock leads to rises in its demand for commodities and real commodity prices, and thus exports of commodity-exporting countries go up by more than those of commodity-importing countries.

Advisor: Ferrero, A
Vines, D
Make yourself at home: dreams and realities in a Japanese sharehouse

Despite the historical associations of shared living with economically and socially marginalised populations, contemporary sharehouses in Japan are seen and marketed as a new foreign lifestyle import that offers an alternative to living alone or in the family home. Based primarily on nine months of intensive fieldwork during residence in a sharehouse, interviews with sharehouse professionals, and discourse analysis of marketing materials, the present work discusses the gaps and consonances amongst the promises set forth in sharehouse marketing, my housemates' desires and expectations, and the realities of living with strangers for the first time and in the absent a template for social etiquette. The thesis considers the contemporary 'sharehouse boom' in the context of social and economic change. It considers what the desire for an experimental lifestyle indicates about young people’s beliefs about their personal futures and the future of Japanese society, and considers the extent to which their desires and expectations are fulfilled.

Advisor: Daniels, I
Effect of pH on hydrogen pick-up and corrosion of Zircaloy-4

This thesis was part of the MUZIC-2 collaboration and describes the effect of different water chemistries on the corrosion and hydrogen pick-up in Zircaloy-4. Samples of Zircaloy-4 were oxidised in an autoclave containing pure water at 360°C (pH360 = 6.15) and at 350°C in an elevated pH (pH350 = 8.82, with 50% deuterated water) compared to commercial reactors. They were examined by scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM), Thermal Desorption Spectroscopy (TDS) and Secondary Ion Mass Spectroscopy (SIMS).
There was a change in the oxidation rate for the samples exposed to different environments, in part from the difference in the oxidation temperature and in part due to the pH of the oxidising environment, although it is the elevated pH which has a lower oxidation rate in the pre-transition regime.
The oxide-metal (OM) interface was characterised along with second phase particles (SPPs) present in the metal and the oxide. It was found that the region of oxygen-saturated zirconium (OSZ) and ZrO follow a cyclical growth pattern which has the same periodicity as the advance of the OM interface. The OSZ gradually thickens as the oxidation rate decreases in the late pre-transition period, before disappearing after transition and then growing again in the second cycle of oxidation. The thickness of the layers formed appears to be independent of the pH used in the experiments.
The oxidation of Fe and Cr and the Fe/Cr ratio in SPPs were examined. The SPPs were oxidised after the surrounding Zr oxidised. The Fe/Cr content in the middle of the SPPs decreased quickly as the Fe was found to migrate towards cracks formed at the edge of SPPs. Cr migrated much more slowly towards the cracks than Fe and oxidised before Fe. The hydrogen/deuterium content of the samples was measured with TDS. Two characteristic desorption peaks for hydrogen have been found at ~350°C and ~650°C. The latter occurs when the difference in free energy between hydrogen in the metal and in the gas phase becomes positive. There is a delay to the desorption when an oxide layer is present, until the temperature reaches the point at which it is dissolved into the metal, allowing the hydrogen to desorb.
The hydrogen pick-up during the first 1.5 µm of oxide growth was similar for both environments. For thicker oxides the samples exposed to pure water showed four times the amount of hydrogen pick-up compared to the high pH samples.
The modelling of hydrogen desorption from Zr was carried out using the Tritium Migration and Analysis Program (TMAP). It was possible to replicate the low temperature peak with the literature values for the binding energy of hydrogen with Zr and the hydrogen diffusion activation energy (ED), but for the high temperature peak the required ED was higher than the literature value. An attempt at modelling both peaks simultaneously is shown.

Advisor: Lozano-Perez, S
Ortner, S
Education and the sacred: Judaic holiness and the dynamics of teaching and learning

This thesis explores the nature and dynamics of the relationship between Judaic holiness and Jewish teaching and learning practices. One way of examining this relationship is by focusing on sacred content. The contribution of this thesis is to go beyond sacred content to also focus on teaching as a sacred act—in other words, approaching teaching as sacred, rather than teaching the sacred. Findings build upon and reinforce existing literature on Judaic holiness, but make an original contribution by placing these perspectives in a specifically educative context.
I investigated this relationship from an ethnographic perspective, attending three Orthodox Jewish learning communities (yeshivot) in Jerusalem over a period of six months. Acting as participant observer, I attended classes, studied with students, collected artifacts, took daily field notes and conducted in-depth qualitative interviews. As I analyzed fieldwork data together with relevant academic literature and sacred Jewish texts, a number of key themes emerged. These themes are described in three findings chapters. They outline methodological, experiential, teleological, relational, environmental, structural and theological dimensions of the sacred in Jewish educative practice. From the perspective of study participants, teaching and learning are not only related to the sacred, but themselves constitute a sacred act.
While academic literature tends to focus on the human elements of sanctity, and confessional religious literatures on its theistic dimensions, this thesis illustrates a dynamic way of dovetailing these two approaches. Considered from the Judaic perspectives of study participants, the sanctity of teaching and learning is seen to be both contingent upon human, volitional action as well as a connection to God. Such actualized sanctification is believed to affect and even qualitatively alter the nature of educative methods, environments, encounters and, ultimately, the ontology and capacity of both teachers and learners. This has implications for educative practice more broadly conceived, including insights on the role of a teacher in the student-teacher relationship, an alternative perspective on learning outcomes, a remembrance-oriented epistemology, a teleological connection between teaching and learning and the value of struggle in the learning process.

Keywords: religious education
sacred
Advisor: Gearon, L
Mills, D
The role of p97/VCP co-factor UBXD8/FAF2 in DNA damage response

The homohexameric AAA ATPase p97, also known as valosin-containing protein (VCP), is a fundamentally important molecular chaperone in DNA damage repair. It interacts with its co-factors and uses ATPase activity to control ubiquitin- and SUMO-mediated protein turnover and degradation. SILAC-based quantitative mass spectrometry identified that the p97 co-factor UBXD8/FAF2 significantly increases its interaction with p97 on chromatin during cell recovery after ionising radiation. UBXD8, also known as Fas-associated factor 2 (FAF2), was also shown to have a putative SUMO-interacting motif (SIM). The literature so far has described UBXD8 as an endoplasmic reticulum (ER)-associated degradation protein and a p97 recruitment factor for de novo fatty acid synthesis in lipid droplets. Its role on chromatin after DNA damage, however, is unknown. This thesis characterises a role of UBXD8 in DNA damage response and observes how its function relates to p97 on DNA damage sites.
This study discovered that UBXD8 and p97 regulate levels of SUMO-1 and SUMO-2/3 on DNA damage. Depletion of either leads to the accumulation of sumoylated substrates over 6 hours after DNA damage induction. The kinetics of SUMO regulation is similar in the absence of UBXD8 and p97, raising the possibility that UBXD8 works in a complex with p97 to remove sumoylated proteins from chromatin. The study further demonstrated that UBXD8 itself is recruited to and regulates the recruitment of p97 to DNA damage, consequently having an effect on ubiquitylation.
These results introduce a potential novel component in DNA damage response. The potential clinical benefit of studying p97 and its co-factors is the specific targeting of p97 function in DNA repair that could provide a way to sensitise cancer cells to radiotherapy.

Advisor: Ramadan, K
Torrecilla, I
Circuit quantum acoustodynamics with surface acoustic waves

A highly successful architecture for the exchange of single quanta between coupled quantum systems is circuit quantum electrodynamics (QED), in which the electrical interaction between a qubit and a high-quality microwave resonator offers the possibility to reliably control, store, and read out quantum bits of information on a chip. This architecture has also been implemented with mechanical resonators, showing that a vibrational mode can in principle be manipulated via a coupled qubit. The work presented in this thesis consists of realising an acoustic version of circuit QED that we call circuit quantum acoustodynamics (QAD), in which a superconducting qubit is piezoelectrically coupled to an acoustic cavity based on surface acoustic waves (SAWs).
Designing and building this novel platform involved the following main accomplishments: a systematic characterisation of SAW resonators at low temperatures; successfully developing a recipe for the fabrication of Josephson junction on quartz and diamond; measuring the coherence time of superconducting 3D transmon qubits on these substrates and demonstrating the dispersive coupling between a SAW cavity and a qubit on a planar geometry.
This thesis presents evidence of the coherent interaction between a SAW cavity and a superconducting qubit in several ways. First of all, a frequency shift of the mechanical mode as a function of qubit frequency is observed. We also measure the acoustic Stark shift of the qubit due to the population of the SAW cavity. The extracted coupling is in agreement with theoretical expectations. A time delayed acoustic Stark shift serves to further demonstrate that the Stark shifts that we observe are indeed due to the acoustic field of the SAW mode. The dispersive coupling between these two quantum systems offers the possibility to perform qubit spectroscopy using the SAW resonator as readout component, indicating that these acoustic resonators can, in principle, be adopted as an alternative qubit readout scheme in quantum information processors.
We finally present preliminary measurements of the direct coupling between a SAW resonator and a transmon on diamond, suggesting that strong coupling can in principle be obtained.

Keywords: Superconducting qubits
Surface acoustic waves
Advisor: Leek, P
CPAP withdrawal as a model of the cardiovascular effects of obstructive sleep apnoea

Obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA) is associated with cardiovascular disease and hypertension. The underlying causes of cardiovascular disease and hypertension in OSA are not fully understood. Potential causes for cardiovascular disease and hypertension in OSA include; intermittent hypoxia, arousal mediated sympathetic activation, oxidative stress, endothelial dysfunction, and systemic inflammation. Continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) is the standard treatment for OSA and CPAP withdrawal is used to model the consequences of OSA. In the CPAP withdrawal model patients with known OSA are withdrawn from their usual CPAP treatment and randomised to intervention or control for two weeks. Utilising a CPAP withdrawal model, I examined the effects of supplemental oxygen versus air (sham) during CPAP withdrawal on several outcomes, including; morning blood pressure, intermittent hypoxia, markers of arousal, and daytime sleepiness. In addition, I examined the effects of the return of OSA following CPAP withdrawal on several biomarkers. Supplemental oxygen virtually abolished the rise in morning blood pressure seen following CPAP withdrawal. Supplemental oxygen markedly attenuated intermittent hypoxia, whilst having little effect on markers of arousal, and no effect on daytime sleepiness. This suggests that intermittent hypoxia is the dominant cause of morning increases in blood pressure in OSA. Following CPAP withdrawal there was a small unexpected reduction in adrenomedullin, which is a potent vasodilator and may contribute to the blood pressure rise with CPAP withdrawal.

Advisor: Stradling, J