VictorJuiz/thesis huggingface dataset:
Decision making, the frontal lobes and foraging behaviour

The aim of this thesis was to understand the function of the frontal lobes during different types of decisions thusfar mostly neglected in cognitive neuroscience. Namely, I sought to understand how decisions are made when comparisons are not about a simple set of concrete options presented, but rather require a comparison with one specific encounter and a sense of the value of the current environment (Chapter 2-3). Additionally, I wanted to understand how decisions between concrete options can be contextualized by the current environment to allow considerations about changing environmental constraints to factor into the decision making process (Chapter 4-5). At last, I wanted to test how the potential for future behaviours within an environment has an effect on peoples decisions (Chapter 6). In other words, how do people construct prospective value when it requires a sense of own future behaviours? All this work was informed by concepts and models originating from optimal foraging theory, which seeks to understand animal behaviours using computational models for different ecological types of choices. Thus, this thesis offers a perspective on the neural mechanisms underlying human decision making capacities that relates them to common problems faced by animals and presumably humans in ecological environments (Chapter 1 and 7). As optimal foraging theory assumes that solving these problems efficiently is highly relevant for survival, it is possible that neural structures evolved in ways to particularly accommodate for the solution of those problems. Therefore, different prefrontal structures might be dedicated to unique ways of solving ecological kinds of decision problems. My thesis as a whole gives some evidence for such a perspective, as dACC and vmPFC were repeatedly identified as constituting unique systems for evaluation according to different reference frames. Their competition within a wider network of areas appeared to ultimately drive decisions under changing contexts. In the future, a better understanding of those changing interactions between these prefrontal areas which generate more complex and adaptive behaviours, will be crucial for understanding more natural choice behaviours. For this temporally resolved neural measurements as well as causal interference will be essential.

Keywords: human foraging
decision making
frontal lobes
Advisor: Rushworth, M
The length of conjugators in solvable groups and lattices of semisimple Lie groups

The conjugacy length function of a group Γ determines, for a given a pair of conjugate elements u,v ∈ Γ, an upper bound for the shortest γ in Γ such that uγ = γv, relative to the lengths of u and v. This thesis focuses on estimating the conjugacy length function in certain finitely generated groups.
We first look at a collection of solvable groups. We see how the lamplighter groups have a linear conjugacy length function; we find a cubic upper bound for free solvable groups; for solvable Baumslag--Solitar groups it is linear, while for a larger family of abelian-by-cyclic groups we get either a linear or exponential upper bound; also we show that for certain polycyclic metabelian groups it is at most exponential. We also investigate how taking a wreath product effects conjugacy length, as well as other group extensions.
The Magnus embedding is an important tool in the study of free solvable groups. It embeds a free solvable group into a wreath product of a free abelian group and a free solvable group of shorter derived length. Within this thesis we show that the Magnus embedding is a quasi-isometric embedding. This result is not only used for obtaining an upper bound on the conjugacy length function of free solvable groups, but also for giving a lower bound for their Lp compression exponents.
Conjugacy length is also studied between certain types of elements in lattices of higher-rank semisimple real Lie groups. In particular we obtain linear upper bounds for the length of a conjugator from the ambient Lie group within certain families of real hyperbolic elements and unipotent elements. For the former we use the geometry of the associated symmetric space, while for the latter algebraic techniques are employed.

Keywords: solvable groups
geometric group theory
conjugacy problem
semisimple Lie groups
lattices
Advisor: Drutu, C
Velocity mapping of elementary bimolecular reactions

A new and flexible velocity-map ion imaging apparatus, designed for the study of photodissociation processes and photon-initiated bimolecular reactions in a single molecular beam, has been constructed, developed and characterised. An image Legendre moment fitting analysis was developed to allow recovery of centre-of-mass (CM) angular scattering and kinetic energy release distributions from velocity-map ion images of the products of photon-initiated bimolecular reactions.
The Legendre moment analysis methodology has been applied to images of the HCl(v' = 0,j' = 0-6) products of the reactions of Cl(²P3/2) atoms with ethane and n-butane at collision energies of 0.24 eV and 0.32 eV respectively. The Cl(²P3/2) reactants were generated by polarised laser photodissociation of Cl₂ at 355 nm. For reaction with ethane, the CM angular scattering distributions show a steady trend from forward scattering at low j' to more isotropic, but backward peaking, scattering at high j'. An impact parameter-based mechanism is proposed to account for the observed dynamics. Abstraction of a hydrogen atom from a primary carbon site in n-butane is seen to produce rotationally very cold HCl products that are forward scattered, whereas H atom abstraction from a secondary carbon site in n-butane yields more isotropically scattered HCl products formed with higher rotational excitation. A peripheral mechanism is proposed to operate for the primary abstraction channel, whilst a more rebound type mechanism is seen to account for the dynamics of the secondary abstraction channel. Around 22% and 30% of the available energy is found in internal modes of the alkyl radical co-products of the Cl + C₂H₆ and Cl + n-C₄H₁₀ reactions respectively. Possible sources of alkyl co-product excitation are discussed in each case.
The hydrogen or deuterium atom abstraction reactions of Cl(²P3/2) with CH₄, CD₄ and CH₃D, have been studied at mean collision energies around 0.3 eV. Chlorine atom reactants were generated by polarised laser photodissociation of Cl₂ at 308 nm. The methyl radical products were detected using (2+1) resonance-enhanced multi-photon ionisation, coupled with velocity-map ion imaging. The laboratory frame speed distributions obtained from the images are in excellent agreement with previous work. The interpretation of the experiments is shown to be very sensitive to assumptions made about the reactant velocity distributions. If these are assumed to be narrow, the data are seen to suggest that a significant fraction of the product signal must arise from the reaction of Cl with vibrationally excited methane reactants. This conclusion is in agreement with previous photon-initiated reaction studies. However, by allowing for the spread in collision energies in the molecular beam, it is shown that it is possible to fit the data sensibly assuming reaction with vibrational ground state methane alone. CM angular scattering distributions thereby derived are presented for all three reactions.

Keywords: velocity map ion imaging
molecular dynamics
Advisor: Brouard, M
The Communists and the Roman Catholic Church in Yugoslavia, 1941-1946

This thesis examines the development of the Yugoslav Communists' approach towards the Catholic Church during the period of their takeover and consolidation of power from the outbreak of war in April 1941 until late 1946. In recent years, a comprehensive reappraisal of the Communist takeover has been going on in the countries of former Yugoslavia, and this work draws on this new scholarship, as well as on hitherto unused archival material. It examines the development of the Communists' popular front line during the war, according to which the Communist-dominated Partisan movement sought to appeal to non-communists, including Catholics, to join them in ousting the occupier. As such, this policy meant downplaying the Communists' revolutionary programme, which they never actually gave up.
The thesis examines in detail the application of the popular front policy among the Catholic Croats of Croatia and Bosnia, and among the Slovenes. It describes how the Communists avoided actions or pronouncements that would have offended the Church, attempted to have cordial relations with the Church hierarchy and encouraged the active participation of Catholic clergy and prominent lay people in the movement. The prime purpose of this was to reassure the Catholic population that they had nothing to fear from a Communist takeover.
However, the hostility between the two sides was not overcome, as revealed in the violence of the Communists towards many of the clergy during the period immediately before and after their takeover. Following this, the Communists' implementation of their revolutionary programme brought them into direct conflict with the interests of the Church, especially in their curtailing of the role of the Church in education and in their confiscation of Church property. Relations quickly degenerated into open confrontation, as the Church could not accept the limited role in society which the Communists were prepared to grant it.
Partial-valued logic

PART I (Partial-valued Languages): In Chapter I we consider modes of sentence composition and ask what 'truth-functionality' is functionality in two values, when there is also a third classification for meaningful sentences, An answer to this question might, we suggest, be seen as spelling out the very idea of the third classification as lack-of-a-value rather than a third value. We go on to ask how fully to exploit partial-valued semantics and motivate the need for modes of composition which themselves actually introduce non-trivial truth-value preconditions. There are two particularly interesting connectives which provide this expressive resourcefulness. The relation between partial- and total-valued languages is then considered. In Chapter II we consider subsentential modes of composition, and extensionality in general. Hence we come to see the shape of a partial-valued semantics which admits of undefinedness in a uniform way in all categories. But we restrict special attention to a simple kind of first-order language with terms and quantifiers and a discrete and determinate identity relation. There is, finally, a section devoted to definite descriptions.
PART II (Logic): In Chapter III we set up laws for sentential composition, and in Chapter IV for the simple languages mentioned above. A theory is defined to be a (consequence) relation satisfying these laws, and we investigate the connection between theories and their models. Thus we are able to answer (some) questions about the logic: familiar questions and also ones peculiar to our partial-valued framework.
PART III: In Chapter V we suggest that the features of our logic make it apt for deployment in a natural-language semantics which not only accommodates but actually gives a proper systematic treatment to 'presupposition'. The emphasis is on exhibiting presuppositions (as truth-value preconditions). We attempt, furthermore, to outline an account of linguistic practice which meshes with the semantic details in an illuminating way. 'Presupposing' is taken to be constitutive of assertion making, and what is presupposed constitutive of what is asserted.
What is the nature of authoritarian regimes?: responsive authoritarianism in China

This work proposes a new theory of authoritarian regimes: responsive authoritarianism. Most existing theories of autocracies take as their point of departure elite politics or the state’s repressive apparatus to explain the rise and fall of regimes. I argue that, for many states, regimes also have to consider the consent of the governed when designing policies.
Specifically, when regime legitimacy is low but the central leadership maintains a long time horizon, autocratic regimes are predicted to become more responsive to the needs of citizens. This theory is tested against a number of aspects of the Chinese fiscal system dealing with public goods provision during the period of 2002-2011 and generally finds in favor of the theory. Chapter 4 tests the fiscal transfer system, Chapter 5 tests the fiscal expenditure data, and Chapter 6 tests data on the results of the transfer and expenditure data: actual public goods provision.
This theory has a number of implications that suggest that scholars begin to rethink how they conceptualize power dynamics within an authoritarian regime, in particular paying closer attention to the relationship between the ruler(s) and the ruled. It suggests that, at least in the political science literature, power be returned to the people.

Keywords: public service provision
autocracy
fiscal transfers
China
legitimacy
Advisor: Shue, V
Usability and security of human-interactive security protocols

We investigate the security and usability of Human-Interactive Security Protocols (HISPs); specifically, how digests of 4 or more digits can be compared between two or more sys- tems as conveniently as possible while ensuring that issues such as user complacency do not compromise security. We address the research question: given different association scenarios and modes of authentication in HISPs, how can we improve on existing, or design new, empirical channels that suit human and contextual needs to achieve acceptable effective security? We review the literature of HISPs, proposed empirical channels,and usability studies of HISPs; we follow by presenting the methodology of the research reported in this thesis. We then make a number of contributions discussing the effectiveness of empirical channels and address the design, analysis, and evaluation of these channels. In Chapter 4 we present a user study of pairwise device associations and discuss the factors affecting effective security of empirical channels in single-user scenarios. In Chapter 5 we present a user study of group device associations and discuss the factors affecting effective security of empirical channels in multi-user scenarios. In Chapter 7 we present a framework designed for researchers and system designers to reason about empirical channels in HISPs. The framework is grounded in experimental data, related research, and validated by experts. In Chapter 8 we present a methodology for analysing and evaluating the security and usability of HISPs. We validate the methodology by applying it in laboratory experiments of HISPs. Finally, in Chapter 6 we present a set of principles for designing secure and usable empirical channels. We demonstrate the effectiveness of these principles by proposing new empirical channels.

Keywords: human-computer interaction
security protocols
mobile device interactions
usable security
Advisor: Roscoe, A
Flechais, I
A critical analysis of the processes of referral to special school and integration to mainstream school for certain children perceived by their teachers to be maladjusted

The recommendations of the Warnock Committee <1978) and the 1981 Education Act stated that the goals of education were the same for all pupils and they set the scene for all children, irrespective of handicap, to be educated in ordinary schools. The principle of equal opportunities for all pupils, whether or not they have statements of special educational needs, finally achieved statutory recognition in the 1988 Education Reform Act. All pupils now share the same right to a broad, balanced and differentiated curriculum relevant to their needs. However, in spite of the fact that numerous HMI reports state that special schools offer narrow and restricted curricula which may hinder the prospect of reintegration into mainstream schools for their pupils, there is evidence indicating that teachers continue to refer 'maladjusted' or 'difficult to teach' children for assessment with a view to special school placement.
This study provides a critical analysis of the processes associated with referral and integration for two groups of children. When the research began, the referred children in mainstream school were likely to be transferred to special school, and the children in special school were already integrating into mainstream.
The role of primary auditory cortex in sound localisation

This thesis investigates the involvement of primary auditory cortex (A1) in sound localisation. Experiments were carried out both to assess the effect of A1 inactivation on sound localisation, and to measure the sensitivity of single A1 neurons to sound source location.
Ferrets were trained to localise bursts of broadband noise, of varying intensity and duration, from an array of loudspeakers that spanned 360 degrees in azimuth. Bilateral A1 inactivation caused an impairment on this task, but only for short-duration stimuli. Unilateral A1 inactivation also resulted in an impairment for short-duration stimuli, but this was limited to the side of space contralateral to the inactivation, and was only seen in animals which had been highly trained prior to surgery. A feature of the impairment in all animals was the increased number of "front-back confusions", where the animal's response was on the correct side of the midline but the wrong side of the interaural axis.
Recordings from ferret A1 showed that the firing rate of individual neurons varied little as sound source location was changed. Further, the neurons' location sensitivity was affected by changes in stimulus intensity and duration. However, mathematical techniques were used to measure the information these neurons provided about sound source location, and it was found that this information was not sensitive to intensity or duration changes. The analysis also showed that the amount of information provided by response latency was greater than that carried by firing rate. Similar mathematical treatment tentatively suggested that the information from different neurons was only slightly redundant, so it may be possible to account for whole-animal localisation performance by assuming that the output of large numbers of neurons is considered.
It is concluded that A1 is involved in processing the location of sound sources, but it seems unlikely that sound localisation is A1's primary or only role within the auditory system.

Keywords: sound localisation
primary auditory cortex
Advisor: King, A
The influence of anxiety: re-presentations of identity in Antiguan literature from 1890 to the present

This thesis examines Antiguan narratives’ peculiar engagements with the national question. It draws largely upon the works of four writers—Jamaica Kincaid, Joanne C. Hillhouse, Marie-Elena John and Frieda Cassin—and selected calypsonians including Antigua’s leading female and male calypsonians, Queen Ivena and King Short Shirt. It reads anxiety as the chief organising principle of the singular deconstructions of gender, ‘racial’, ethnic, and class identities undertaken by these texts. I offer a retooled account of anxiety that elaborates the local/regional concept of bad-mindedness informing the core of the narratives’ deconstructive and recuperative projects.
Chapter one probes the bad-minded delimiting of Antiguan literary production. It interrogates the singular cohesive Caribbean canon typically suggested by critical readings, which obscure the narratives/ literary traditions of smaller territories such as Antigua. It also highlights locally produced canons’ intervention into the dominant canons/maps of Caribbean literary traditions. Its discussion is underpinned by the concept of bad-mindedness which I use to frame the evils that locate the smaller territory and its inhabitants at the cultural periphery
.
Chapter two examines the texts’ enunciations of the bad-mindedness inherent in the construction of the composite gendered identities of 19th century Creole women, 20th century working-class Afro-Antiguan women and men, and 20th century proletarian Carib women. It refashions Erna Brodber’s kumbla trope, Kenneth Ramchand’s notion of terrified consciousness, and Jamaica Kincaid’s line trope to elaborate these enunciations.
Chapter three examines Antiguan calypsos’ record of the peculiar responses of small-islanders to their subordinate position within the ‘global village’ and continuing entanglement in British colonialism and neo-colonial relationships and processes. It draws upon Charles Mill’s theory of smadditization/ smadditizin’ or the Afro-Caribbean struggle for recognition of personhood and Paget Henry’s account of the dependency theory to analyse the calypsos’ anxious insistence upon Afro-Antiguan personhood.
The primary conclusion of my thesis is that an engagement with the neglected literary traditions of the smaller territories and national literatures on the whole, is likely to excavate a cornucopia of currently sidelined experiences, issues, and transnational relationships which can only serve to enrich our postcolonial conversations.

Keywords: Caribbean calypso
Caribbean protest literature
Jamaica Kincaid
gender
race
Caribbean oral traditions
small-island literature
Antigua
Antiguan literature
class relations
Caribbean literary traditions
Caribbean literature
Advisor: Elleke, B
Logical aspects of quantum computation

A fundamental component of theoretical computer science is the application of logic. Logic provides the formalisms by which we can model and reason about computational questions, and novel computational features provide new directions for the development of logic. From this perspective, the unusual features of quantum computation present both challenges and opportunities for computer science. Our existing logical techniques must be extended and adapted to appropriately model quantum phenomena, stimulating many new theoretical developments. At the same time, tools developed with quantum applications in mind often prove effective in other areas of logic and computer science. In this thesis we explore logical aspects of this fruitful source of ideas, with category theory as our unifying framework.
Inspired by the success of diagrammatic techniques in quantum foundations, we begin by demonstrating the effectiveness of string diagrams for practical calculations in category theory. We proceed by example, developing graphical formulations of the definitions and proofs of many topics in elementary category theory, such as adjunctions, monads, distributive laws, representable functors and limits and colimits. We contend that these tools are particularly suitable for calculations in the field of coalgebra, and continue to demonstrate the use of string diagrams in the remainder of the thesis.
Our coalgebraic studies commence in chapter 3, in which we present an elementary formulation of a representation result for the unitary transformations, following work developed in a fibrational setting in [Abramsky, 2010]. That paper raises the question of what a suitable "fibred coalgebraic logic" would be. This question is the starting point for our work in chapter 5, in which we introduce a parameterized, duality based frame- work for coalgebraic logic. We show sufficient conditions under which dual adjunctions and equivalences can be lifted to fibrations of (co)algebras. We also prove that the semantics of these logics satisfy certain "institution conditions" providing harmony between syntactic and semantic transformations.
We conclude by studying the impact of parameterization on another logical aspect of coalgebras, in which certain fibrations of predicates can be seen as generalized invariants. Our focus is on the lifting of coalgebra structure along a fibration from the base category to an associated total category of predicates. We show that given a suitable parameterized generalization of the usual liftings of signature functors, this induces a "fibration of fibrations" capturing the relationship between the two different axes of variation.

Keywords: coalgebra
string diagram
logic
category theory
quantum computation
Advisor: Abramsky, S
Doering, A