VictorJuiz/thesis huggingface dataset:
Convincing in the Tokyo start-up village: possibilities of malleable structure

This thesis focuses on the ‘village’ (mura), an assemblage of actors in Tokyo’s start-up scene characterised by first-time founders in their 20s or early 30s and their supporters. I analyse how efforts to retain key stakeholders lead to conflicts between founders, employees, and VCs (venture capitalists) throughout different start-up stages (seed, early, and growth stages). For this analysis, I have engaged in 12 months of multi-sited fieldwork and conducted 39 further semi-structured interviews in para-ethnographic fashion. Anthropological explorations of start-ups are rare, and this is one of the first long-term fieldwork-based studies in a Japanese context.
Following this inquiry, I find that start-up actors across field sites invoke similar discourse that criticises regulation and bureaucracy in the light of Japan’s lost decades of post-bubble low growth. Instead they appreciate the notion of ‘making one’s own opportunities’, which relates to the start-up’s emergent and thus ‘malleable structure’. Absent in such ideals are the tensions such structure can entail, which stem from the conflict inherent in relying on a founder’s performative vision and the manifold ways in which people’s perceptions refute such vision as futures becomes ‘present’. These tensions become manifest once teams fall apart and founders resign.
The reliance on one embodied ‘vision’ relates to the uncertainties and fears the future brings into people’s lives. The introduction of audit techniques can destabilise such ‘visions’, as they provide visible evaluation mechanisms. This leads to ‘temporal’ gaps between those who expect ‘change’ due to what such mechanisms indicate, and others who wish to persevere by following the ‘vision’. Overcoming such gaps seems difficult due to internal role arrangements that stress the importance of execution rather than discussion or deliberation. This partly relates to the structural arrangements of the start-up model, functional models of the company, and the emic notion of company-as-family.

Keywords: Organisational Anthropology
Start-ups
Japan
Uncertainty
Founders
Future
Tokyo
Advisor: Goodman, R
Whittaker, DH
Unsteady loading on floating horizontal axis tidal turbine

Floating tidal turbines (FTT) are gaining popularity in the field of tidal energy these past few years due to some advantages they had when compared to the bottom fixed devices. However, the floating motion of an FTT, due to waves and tidal current, leads to unsteady loadings on the rotor. This motivates the present study to pursue this topic to further understand and characterize the hydrodynamic of an FTT. To conduct a study on a device scale, a floating tidal turbine undergoing single degrees of freedom (DoF) is preferable to isolate the effect of each motion on the device performance. Blade resolved computational fluid dynamic (CFD) simulations of floating tidal turbines undergoing surge, heave, and pendulum (pitch) motions were carried out over a range of motion’s amplitude and frequency and also using multiple rotor rotational speeds. The present study seeks to determine the effect of each motion on the floating turbine’s performance. The rotor goes into stall at higher motion amplitude and frequency for the surge and pendulum motions. The mean power decrease while the mean thrust increase as the motion amplitude and frequency is increased, due to the loss in the lift at the maximum apparent velocity which increases the angle of attack on the blade, causing the flow to separate, thus stalling the rotor. This can be minimized when operating the rotor at a higher rotational speed, i.e., using speed control to reduce the stalling effect. A floating tidal turbine undergoing the heave motion can be viewed as a dynamic yawing motion case; there is evidence of the advancing and retreating phases and wake skewness formation at every heave motion cycle. The added mass and damping forces are calculated based on the blade resolved CFD results, which can be used as standardized hydrodynamic coefficients to be included in a simplified model, such as an actuator disc, for a fully coupled model simulation. Modifications to include the added mass and damping forces into an existing fully coupled model are presented in this thesis. The result shows good improvement from the original model when verified against the blade resolved simulations. The model is then tested under various wave frequencies, including the combined wave-current conditions. The present model increases the mean thrust on the rotor while decreasing the loading amplitude compared to the original model.

Keywords: tidal turbine
pitch motion
floating turbine
surge motion
fully coupled model
heave motion
added mass and damping
Advisor: Willden, R
Intervention/non-intervention: Protest and practice in international society, 1945-2014

What does it mean to “mind your own business” in international life? What is the history of the ongoing “sovereignty-intervention” debate? This is a project about statespeople and global ordering, and in particular the contestation of intervention in international society. Contestation refers here to conditions of meaning, and my aim is to establish a history of the ways and processes through which meaning has changed. This alternative sort of analysis would amount to a kind of mapping out of discursive practices in competition. There would be something substantive about these discursive practices, both in the sense that disputes between them refer to substantive disagreements over what it is to intervene, but also in the sense that they are bound up with some commitment to being more than just words. In all this I am telling a story about Third World revolts and protests against Western-dominated order, one that helps us to understand where we are, and where we might be going. This would no longer be a story of how one prevailing interpretation has diffused or receded, but about how intervention has been variously re-constituted in and through international-political discourse.
Engineering quantum state with light

Controlling the states of quantum systems is a subject of major interest for both fundamental science and technological development. In this thesis, we carry out theoretical studies on how this can be achieved using light, both of classical and of quantum mechanical nature.
We study a driven cavity system, where the driving field is classical and the cavity field is quantum mechanical. We demonstrate how virtual scattering of driving photons inside the cavity via two-photon processes can induce controllable long-range electron interactions in two-dimensional materials. We show that both the strength and the sign of the interactions can be tuned by the driving parameters and that the interactions are not screened effectively except at very low frequencies. For realistic cavity parameters, driving-induced heating of the electrons by inelastic photon scattering is suppressed and coherent electron interactions dominate. When the interactions are attractive, they cause an instability in the Cooper channel at a temperature proportional to the square root of the driving intensity. Our results open up a new avenue for engineering quantum materials on-demand and the possibility of studying the effect of long-range interactions in condensed matter systems.
Following that, we take a more general approach to investigate the effect of long-range density-density electron attractive interactions on a superconductor. We show that the low-lying excitations of a 2D conventional superconductor can be significantly altered by these long-range interactions. Using BCS theory, we find that these interactions combine non-linearly with the intrinsic local attractions of the superconductor to increase the Bogoliubov quasiparticle excitation energies, thus enlarging the superconducting gap. Moreover, we show how the long-range nature of the driven-cavity-induced attractions qualitatively changes the collective excitations of the superconductor. Specifically, they lead to the appearance of additional collective excitations of the excitonic modes. They further push the Higgs mode "in gap": it lies below the Bogoliubov quasiparticle continuum such that it cannot decay through the quasiparticle excitations.

Advisor: Jaksch, D
Developing gene therapy for inherited retinal degenerations

The aim of this thesis was to evaluate the efficacy and safety of retinal gene therapy in a pre-clinical model of CDHR1-associated retinal degeneration – a hitherto untreatable, blinding disorder.
Deep phenotyping of the Cdhr1-/- murine model demonstrated severe early deficits in cone and rod photoreceptor function followed by progressive photoreceptor cell death – recapitulating CDHR1 cone-rod dystrophy. Two AAV8 vectors expressing the full-length human CDHR1 coding sequence were designed, manufactured, validated and titrated in vivo.
Sub-retinal injection of AAV8.GRK1.CDHR1.pA (1.5 x 108 vg) in Cdhr1-/- mice at 3-4 weeks of age resulted in functional rescue of cone and rod photoreceptors with improved response amplitudes and decreased implicit times to 12-months post-injection; a slowing of photoreceptor cell death with regeneration of full-length photoreceptor outer segments confirmed on ultrastructural analysis to 21-months post-injection; and a behavioural rescue effect on photopic and scotopic optomotor testing, sustained to 21-months post-injection. AAV8.GRK1.CDHR1.pA at 1.5 x 108 vg appeared safe in C57BL/6J mice by the same outcome measures to 22-months post-injection.
Genetic prevalence estimates presented herein suggest more than 200,000 affected individuals worldwide. We characterised 146 individuals with biallelic variants in CDHR1, describing the retinal phenotype, natural history, genotype-phenotype associations, with 25 novel pathological sequence variants.
This is the first therapy shown to improve retinal structure and function in a pre-clinical model of CDHR1-associated retinal degeneration. A patent to protect the vectors described herein has been filed on behalf of the University of Oxford, with commercial agreements obtained in preparation for an onward phase 1 clinical trial.

Keywords: AAV
photoreceptor
outer segments
cadherin
gene therapy
retina
cone-rod dystrophy
macula dystrophy
CDHR1
retinal degeneration
Advisor: Maclaren, R
Charbel Issa, P
Sir Arthur Hesilrige and the development of civil war in England

The thesis provides a detailed account of Hesilrige's involvement in the local politics of Leicestershire, tactical struggles at Westminster and the conflicts between Parliament's generals. In the process it casts light on the nature of the politics of the 1630s and early 1640s and indicates the reasons for Hesilrige's successes and failures in later years.
It demonstrates the convergence of national and local grievances in government during the 1630s and suggests that central pressure on local government had similar effects elsewhere. It argues that the combined force of these grievances together with opposition to Laudian aggression produced a strong reaction which in Leicestershire led to Hesilrige's election to the parliaments of 1640. It traces the steps by which the opposition leaders were forced, in the absence of a settlement, to adopt increasingly confrontational tactics during 1641, and the part played by Hesilrige in this process. The drift to war in 1642 was accelerated by the struggle for control of the Leicestershire militia which brought together national and local conflicts.
Hesilrige became an enthusiastic soldier and leading partisan of Sir William Waller's political army in the competition between military lobbies which intensified political divisions and bitterness at Westminster during 1643 and 1644. At the same time he remained interested in securing influence and power in his county and became involved in fresh conflicts there during 1644. Political battles at Westminster, the rivalry of the generals, and struggles in Leicestershire came to a head in late 1644 and early 1645 and propelled Hesilrige into a position of leadership amongst his allies in the Commons and of dominance in his own county. The question raised by his immersion in short-term tactical struggles during the early 1640s was whether he could make constructive use of power.

Keywords: Civil War
Hesilrige
Great Britain
Sir Arthur Hesilrige
War
Parliamentarians
Judging interpretations

Interpretation is fashionable, and not just in jurisprudence. Yet for all the attention interpretation has received in the past few decades, we have a poor understanding of what it is and what counts as doing it well. This thesis begins with the question, ‘What is interpretation?’ I argue that the reigning orthodoxy which holds that interpretation seeks meaning is misguided. A more illuminating account of interpretation is developed on which interpretation seeks understandings. After explaining what interpretation is and how it works, I explore the norms which govern it. As part of this exploration, I expose a number of mistakes in Stanley Fish’s account of the nature of interpretive constraints. Ib then develop an alternative account of what it means to say that objects (including texts) constrain their own interpretation, and I show that they often do so. I outline a view of interpretation I call almost pragmatism according to which the appropriate standards for judging an interpretation vary with the purpose for making the interpretation. I also argue that legal theorists have misunderstood and misapplied Ludwig Wittgenstein’s remarks on rules and interpretation in a variety of ways. I conclude that there is nothing useful we can learn about law from Wittgenstein’s remarks on rules.
The second part of this thesis uses the improved understanding of interpretation developed in the first part to shed light on problems which have long perplexed students of jurisprudence. I begin by considering what standards should be used to assess judicial interpretation. I argue that the appropriate standards to use will properly vary among different legal systems, and thus general jurisprudence can contribute little to the debate. Two general suggestions for norms which might govern legal interpretation—fidelity to legislative intent and Ronald Dworkin’s best light requirement—are taken up in the final chapters. In preparation for the final chapters, I summarize Joseph Raz’s account of authority, which forms the basis of many of the arguments to be considered. I suggest that Raz’s account of legitimacy is inadequate for understanding the legitimacy of political authorities. I then turn to arguments Raz offers suggesting that, in a limited sense, judicial interpretations ought to be judged according to their fidelity to legislative intent. I contend that Raz is wrong in thinking that we must interpret in accord with the intention of law-makers in order to make sense of their authority. The final chapter examines Dworkin’s best light requirement. I present an understanding of its content and scope consistent with what we learned about interpretation in the opening chapters and consider important objections to it. I conclude that Dworkin’s interpretive method is not inconsistent with law’s authority, as Raz and others have maintained.

Keywords: judging interpretations
legitimacy of governments
illegitimacy
philosophy
meaning
judicial discretion
Adolescent social anxiety: testing aspects of the cognitive model and developing an internet version of cognitive therapy

Social anxiety disorder is a common anxiety disorder that can markedly interfere with life and is particularly persistent in the absence of treatment. Outcomes for the treatment of adults with social anxiety disorder have improved considerably in the last twenty years, particularly due to the development of psychological therapies designed to target specific cognitive and behavioural processes that maintain the disorder. Internet versions of the therapies that have been developed also hold the promise of being able to greatly increase the availability of effective therapy in adults.
The overarching aim of the thesis is to improve our understanding of the cognitive and behavioural maintenance mechanisms of adolescent social anxiety and to develop an effective and scalable intervention for the disorder in youth. My first study is a systematic review of empirical research examining the Clark & Wells (1995) cognitive model of social anxiety in adolescents. My second and third studies adopt experimental methods to test key hypotheses of the model in adolescents. The fourth and fifth studies are concerned with improving measurement of social anxiety symptoms and related cognitions to aid research and clinical activities. The sixth and final study is a randomised waitlist-controlled trial of internet-delivered cognitive therapy for social anxiety disorder in adolescents. Adopting a strategy of closely interweaving clinical and experimental studies, the thesis provides support for: (1) the applicability of the cognitive model of Clark & Wells (1995) to adolescents; (2) self-report measures of social anxiety symptoms and related cognitions; and (3) internet-delivered cognitive therapy for the treatment of adolescent social anxiety disorder.

Keywords: cognitive therapy
internet treatment
youth
psychological therapy
randomised controlled trial
social anxiety
adolescent
measurement
Advisor: Clark, D
Bowes, L
The right of self-defence against non-state actors: its debated existence and undiscovered scope

THE existence of a right of self-defence against non-State actors and its possible scope of operation are two of the most controversial questions in international law today. This thesis examines whether, and to what extent, the rules of international law permit States to use force extraterritorially in self-defence against non-State actor attacks and threats. It is argued that customary international law evolved over time to recognise such a right and that its scope, though dependent on the factual circumstances of each case, is regulated by the well-established principles of necessity and proportionality.
As a theoretical foundation, this thesis submits that although Article 51 of the UN Charter functions as an exception to the general prohibition of the use of force contained in Article 2(4) for the State exercising its right of self-defence, the right of self-defence is not predicated on a violation of Article 2(4). Further, the right of self-defence is recognised in Article 51 as a right already existing in customary international law and, therefore, subject to changes in the practice and opinio juris of States.
Following on that conclusion, the thesis widely explores the content of customary international law as evidenced by State practice, principally the rationalisations offered by States for their uses of force in response to non-State actor attacks and threats, and the response of the international community to such claims, concluding that the right of self-defence against non-State actors is in fact recognised in international law. It is also argued that the jurisprudence of the ICJ is largely unhelpful and faulty, as the Court has failed to meaningfully engage with changes in State practice since its Nicaragua Case.
It is further argued that the principles of necessity and proportionality provide meaningful restraints on the exercise of the right and safeguards for the rights and interests of the State on whose territory the right of self-defence against non-State actors may be exercised. Finally, the thesis considers the place of the right of self-defence against non-State actors in the collective security system created by the UN Charter and offers brief reflections on the need for greater oversight by the UN Security Council and the international community as a whole to ensure accountability in the exercise of the right of self-defence against non-State actors.

Keywords: right of self-defence
non-State actors
Article 51 UN Charter
use of force
Advisor: Berman, F
Variational, Monte Carlo and policy-based approaches to Bayesian experimental design

Experimentation is key to learning about our world, but careful design of experiments is critical to ensure resources are used efficiently to conduct discerning investigations. Bayesian experimental design (BED) is an elegant framework that provides a mathematical definition of the expected information gain (EIG) of running a certain experiment. Finding the design with the maximal EIG will, in expectation, give experimental outcomes that are most informative about the underlying phenomenon.
BED promises to launch a revolution in science and machine learning, but it is only beginning to realise its potential due to numerous unsolved computational problems. One fundamental computational issue is the estimation of EIG, where a naïve approach necessitates nested calculation of Bayesian posteriors. Further computational challenges concern the optimisation of the EIG across design space, and the design of adaptive experiments that use data that has been already observed to find the optimal design of the next experiment.
In this thesis, we ask whether the machinery of modern machine learning can be brought to bear on these computational challenges, demonstrating that significant advances are possible when modern ML is combined with a deep understanding of BED. We begin by examining the EIG estimation problem, being the first to apply variational inference and inference amortisation to the problem. We then turn to optimisation of the EIG over a continuous design space, showing that stochastic gradient methods, which have not been widely adopted in BED, combine with simultaneous optimisation of variational parameters to great effect. Continuing on this theme, we show that it is possible to obtain unbiased gradients of EIG using Multi-level Monte Carlo. For the adaptive design problem, a key limitation of most methods is that they require substantial computation at each iteration of the experiment. We ask whether this process itself cannot be amortised, ultimately deriving an algorithm that trains a design policy network offline to be deployed with lightning-fast design decisions during a live experiment. Finally, we show how this policy-driven approach extends to implicit models.
Together, these contributions move the field of Bayesian experimental design forward significantly in terms of what is computationally possible. Our hope is that practitioners will be able to apply these ideas to advance human understanding in many scientific disciplines.

Keywords: non-myopic
Monte Carlo
Bayesian experimental design
variational inference
Bayesian methods
Bayesian reinforcement Learning
Bayesian optimal experimental design
active learning
adaptive design
Bayesian optimisation
Long-term degradation of lithium-ion batteries

In this thesis, we develop efficient mathematical models of lithium-ion batteries and the key degradation mechanism, solid–electrolyte interphase (SEI) growth. By doing this, we provide a modular mathematical framework for lithium-ion battery modelling from which an appropriate fidelity model can be selected and extended. Our approach is to develop detailed physics-based models motivated by standard electrochemical modelling approaches and then employ asymptotic methods to systematically simplify these models. An important output of this work is an open-source battery modelling software called PyBaMM (Python Battery Mathematical Modelling) that allows other researchers to easily use and interact with the models we develop.

Keywords: lithium-ion battery modelling
asymptotics
electrochemical modelling
Advisor: Please, C
Chapman, S