VictorJuiz/thesis huggingface dataset:
Christian stucco decoration in southern Mesopotamia and the Persian gulf region, sixth to ninth centuries

Christian archaeology and art of the region under the jurisdiction of the Church of the East in the Late Antique and early Islamic period is an underresearched field of studies, which exists in between more developed disciplines such as Byzantine and Syriac studies as well as Early Christian, Sasanian and Islamic archaeology and art history. However, archaeological excavations of the last century, especially in southern Mesopotamia and the Persian Gulf region, now allow research to be conducted on the most important medium of artistic expression of the region – stucco. Considered from the technological, stylistic and iconographic point of view and within the aforementioned cultural contexts, it reveals that the Christian stucco production of the region was shaped by Sasanian traditions and contemporary Byzantine and Islamic influences, but also that it developed an innovative and highly creative vocabulary of forms and motifs. It was especially among the Gulf communities of Sir Bani Yas, al-Qusur and other sites that this transformative approach towards traditional and contemporary artistic models manifested itself within a short period between the late seventh and the early ninth centuries. Slightly more conservative is the character of Christian art of southern Mesopotamia in the eighth and early ninth centuries. An interesting exception is a relief found at a church in Koke in the region of Seleucia-Ctesiphon, in which the Sasanian technique of deep relief is combined with the Byzantine dress of the person represented. This fusion of culturally divergent elements testifies to the double identity of the Christians living under the Sasanians – and later, in the early Islamic caliphate – who were recognized as a part of society but distinctive for their religion.

Keywords: stucco
Christian art
architectural decoration
Middle East
Advisor: Mango, M
DeLaine, J
Dissecting domain-specific functions of the IGF2/M6P receptor

The P-type lectin Mannose 6-phosphate/Insulin-like growth factor 2 receptor (M6P/IGF2R) is a type I trans-membrane protein with 15 homologous extracellular domains that bind several ligands. While domains 3, 5 and 9 bind to Mannose 6-Phosphate (M6P), domain 11 binds to IGF2 (Insulin-like growth factor 2). In mice, igf2r expression is monoallelic and full knock-out of the receptor maternal allele (Igf2r-m/+p) results in developmental abnormalities and neonatal lethality, marking the significance of the receptor in organogenesis and postnatal viability. What remains unknown is the contribution of each of these domains into M6P/IGF2R's roles in development. My aims are dissecting M6P and IGF2 binding domains' functions in the context of full length receptor in vitro and investigating Domain 11 loss-of-function in vivo.
In this thesis, SPR analysis of full-length M6P/IG2R mutants showed that M6P binding domains function independent of each other, and domain 3 is the dominant M6P binding domain at physiological pH. Introducing gain-of-function mutations to domain 11 binding site revealed presence of inter-loop interactions and inhibitory residues in CD and FG loop in the context of the full-length receptor. I1572A results in domain 11 loss of-function mutation with preserved binding of other ligands, suggesting that I1572A (or its homolog mutations in other mammals) could be utilized in in vivo studies to dissect domain 11 functions. In mice, maternal transmission of Domain 11 loss-of-binding function mutation (I1565A, mouse homolog of I1572A) resulted in increased birth weight and substantially reduced postnatal survival (~30%). The disproportional cardiomegaly and disorganised myocardium in Igf2rI1565Am/+p neonates suggest that postnatal lethality is due to cardiac insufficiency. Furthermore, placental and embryonic oedema in Igf2rI1565Am/+p mice is indicative of the presence of prenatal congestive cardiac failure, beginning as early as at embryonic day 14.5. In addition, surviving females developed uterine distension due to vaginal atresia. Overall, these results show that domain 11 loss-of-function, on its own, is the primary reason for the most of abnormalities that is previously reported in the full knock out mice. Thus, domain 11 is the primary domain for M6P/IGF2R’s roles in development.

Advisor: Hassan, B
Foes, ghosts, and faces in the water: self-reflexivity in postwar fiction

This thesis examines the nature and value of metafictional practices in the careers of postwar novelists. Discussions of metafiction have been central to accounts of postwar literature. Where debates in the 1980s and 1990s about metafiction tended to make claims about its distinctive political and theoretical power, recent work in the study of institutions has folded metafiction into the routine operation of the literary field, and attacked previous claims to distinctive value. In this thesis I both historicize self-reflexive literary practices in the literary field, an element largely absent from the earlier scholarship, and present historically determinate claims about the value of these practices, an element I suggest is missing from the more recent work. To do so, I turn to the study of autobiography, specifically Philippe Lejeune’s concept of 'autobiographical space.' In the first chapter, I explore how J. M. Coetzee develops academic literary criticism in his fiction. In the second chapter, I examine how Janet Frame responds to both the demands of a national literature and biographical inquiry into her life. In the third chapter, I address how Philip Roth handles the relationship between the politics of identity and the postwar novel. Self-reflexive practices, I show throughout, are ways of writing that were encouraged by particular formations in the literary field and were handled by writers through more or less explicit treatments of autobiographical space. I argue, though, that while these practices can be remarkably inventive, they carry no guarantees for political, theoretical, or aesthetic value.

Keywords: Philip Roth
Postcolonial Literature
American Literature
J. M. Coetzee
Literary Theory
Janet Frame
Metafiction
New Zealand Literature
South African Literature
Advisor: Hayes, P
Rod photoreceptor specific expression and function of Frmpd1 (FERM and PDZ domain containing 1)

Vision loss from retinal degeneration is largely associated with the death or dysfunction of photoreceptor cells (rods and cones). Many therapeutic approaches are thus targeted toward protecting against cell death or replacing photoreceptors, as no new rods or cones are formed after maturation. It is not completely understood why rods seem to be more vulnerable to disease than cones, yet a precocious degeneration of rods often leads to a secondary loss of cone function and severe visual defects. A more thorough understanding of the molecular mechanisms contributing to proper rod photoreceptor development and function are therefore necessary for advancing the development of more effective treatments for vision-related diseases.
We hypothesised that genes dramatically increasing in expression during rod photoreceptor development and regulated by key rod transcription factors would play a substantial role in the functional maturation and homeostasis of these cells. Using temporal RNA-seq transcriptome data from purified photoreceptors, we identified Frmpd1 (FERM and PDZ domain containing 1) as a novel gene associated with rod development. An investigation of the regulatory mechanisms of Frmpd1 revealed that transcription of this gene is initiated from a unique retina-specific alternative promoter, which is modulated by key rod transcription factors Nrl (neural retina leucine zipper) and Crx (cone-rod homeobox). Interestingly, a CRISPR/Cas9-mediated genomic deletion of this alternative promoter resulted in a retina-specific deletion of Frmpd1 at both the RNA and protein levels.
Subsequent analyses of Frmpd1 demonstrate that it localises to the inner segments and synapses of rod photoreceptors, where it interacts with the key phototransduction component transducin and its effector Gpsm2 (G-protein signalling modulator 2). Frmpd1-/- mice exhibit a delayed return of transducin to outer segments following light adaptation, and a delay in the recovery of rod photoresponse after a moderate visual pigment bleach. Frmpd1 thus appears to play a role in the maintenance of rod homeostasis through mediating the adaptive response of rods following light exposure, making it an interesting potential therapeutic target for better preserving both natural and stem-cell derived photoreceptors to restore vision. Moreover, these studies demonstrate the novel approach of targeting tissue-specific promoters by CRISPR-Cas9 to generate tissue-specific knockdown mouse lines.

Advisor: Swaroop, A
Halford, S
Sekaran, S
Coinage in Etruria: circulation and uses 500-32 BC

This thesis presents an analysis of coin use and circulation within Etruria between 500 and 32 BC. Etruscan and Roman numismatics have historically been discussed separately, and the divide between the two has hindered our understanding of the development of monetization in Etruria. On the basis of a new relational database containing coin hoards and site finds from within Etruria, this thesis examines the spatial and temporal trends in coin production and use.
Chapter Two is based on a separate database, which includes coins with unknown provenances. It analyses the metrology, chronology, denominational structures, and scales of production of Etruscan coinages. In addition to quantifying the amount of precious metal coined by the principal mints within Etruria, the analysis shows Etruscan minting bodies to be diverse and distinct entities. Chapter Three surveys hoarding in Etruria and assesses the geospatial and temporal trends as well as the integration of Etruria into the Roman coin pool. A causal relationship between warfare and hoarding is questioned, as hoard find locations are incongruous with what would be expected from an examination of the literary evidence. Chapter Four examines the distributions of the most prevalent coinages within Etruria and, through geospatial analysis, hypothesizes production locations for un-assigned coinages. The chapter asserts that there were nearly mutually exclusive zones of circulation for the various pre-Second Punic War third century coinages present. Chapter Five surveys coin use by category of archaeological site and, when available, provides a closer examination of contextual information. The final chapter presents the main conclusions and argues that Roman hegemonic control indirectly led to the cessation of non-Roman coin production as well as the spread of Roman coinage within Etruria.

Advisor: Howgego, C
‘Christianity personified’: Perceval and Pittism

Pittite politics between the premierships of Pitt and Liverpool has been overshadowed by those long eras of government and by the concurrent Napoleonic Wars. This has particularly caused the neglect of one leading Pittite, the prime minister Spencer Perceval, which is especially surprising given recent scholarly interest in the role of religion in politics and in conservative ideas. He is known either as the 'assassinated Prime Minister', or stereotyped as the 'Evangelical Prime Minister'. This thesis contends that Perceval was a significant, if sometimes unusual, figure in Pittite politics in 1807-12, that this era saw important policies pursued in areas such as church reform, and that Perceval is better understood as an 'Anglican Prime Minister' dedicated to upholding the established Church. Recovering Perceval helps us better understand the Pittites in general. He operated amongst a circle of like-minded politicians who supported church reform and opposed Catholic Emancipation. Each chapter duly recovers a topic which demonstrates the continuities between war-time and peace-time Pittite policies, underpinning the thesis's argument that post-1815 policies need to be understood in relation to the war-time experiences and actions of this generation of Pittites.
These arguments are advanced through five chapters. The first chapter shows how Perceval's theological beliefs, contemporary descriptions, and his church patronage emphasise his transcendent Anglicanism. The second chapter stresses Perceval's and his coterie’s role in strengthening and expanding the established Churches in England and Ireland. The third chapter highlights the twin importance of theological beliefs and the necessity of upholding the established Church in shaping Perceval's attitude towards Catholics, tithes, and nonconformists. The fourth chapter highlights the pragmatic approach the Pittites took to economic questions, and contrasts Perceval with the later 'liberal Tories' Canning and Huskisson. The fifth chapter illuminates Pittite policies that promoted Christianity in India and suppressed the slave trade.

Keywords: Pittism
Religious History
British History
Political History
Spencer Perceval
Nineteenth-Century History
History
Advisor: Skinner, S
Rethinking torture in international law

This thesis seeks to identify the moral wrong of torture, and to trace the relationship between that wrong and the definition of torture in international law. Because understanding a concept's modern manifestation requires an understanding of its history, the thesis begins by tracing the historical trajectory of legal prohibitions of different forms of ill-treatment beginning with the English Bill of Rights in 1689, subsequently articulated in the 1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights, that 'no one shall be subjected to torture or to cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment'. This prohibition, almost universally accepted by States, has come to be interpreted as embodying a hierarchy with torture at the apex. The shift towards a hierarchical interpretation of the prohibition of torture and ill-treatment in international law was remarkable, both for its decisiveness and for its surprisingly recent occurrence. The reasons for that shift are examined, before turning to a consideration of the competing accounts of what it is that makes torture wrong.
Two predominant accounts of the moral wrong of torture are identified, described here as the ‘dignitarian’ and the 'defencelessness' accounts. Although most international instruments and judicial decisions on torture implicitly reflect the dignitarian account, the thesis argues that this account is open to challenge on normative grounds. Instead, it argues that the preferable account of the moral wrong of torture is a modified form of the defencelessness account, according to which torture is the deliberate infliction of severe pain or suffering in the context of a profoundly asymmetric power relation. Finally, the thesis turns to a consideration of the definitions of torture in international law. It contends that there are distinct conceptions of torture operating in the criminal paradigm, and in the human rights paradigm, respectively. While both conceptions of torture at present reflect the dignitarian account, the thesis argues that there is scope in the human rights paradigm for a more expansive 'defencelessness' conception of torture to be adopted.

Keywords: Human Rights
Torture
International law
Advisor: Lazarus, L
T cells in HBV associated hepatocellular carcinoma and other cancers

Individuals with HBV associated hepatocellular carcinoma or other cancers are characterized by dysfunctional anti-virus and anti-tumor T-cell responses. Since noteworthy benefits of inhibitory pathway blockades, such as PD-1 inhibitor or CTLA-4 inhibitor have been achieved in multiple advanced cancers, the next critical question is which mono- or combinatorial blockade regimens may reinvigorate anti-virus and anti-tumor T-cell immunity in multiple cancers. This thesis aims to comprehensively characterize the expression patterns of 8 known inhibitory receptors on T cells in order to provide a rationale for the design of next generation blockade immunotherapy to benefit to more individuals with advance cancers.
This thesis has shown that PD-1 and Tim-3 are significantly up-regulated on both CD4 and CD8 TILs when comparing to its expression on PBMCs in 19 paired PBMCs-TILs HBV associated HCC and 39 breast cancer individuals. This indicates PD-1 and Tim-3 blockade may be a promising target in HBV associated HCC and breast cancer immunotherapy. Furthermore, the combinatorial expression analysis of the co-expression of PD-1, CTLA-4, 2B4, KLRG-1 and TIGIT identifies 2B4+KLRG-1+TIGIT+PD-1-CTLA-4- as the dominant phenotype of CD8 TILs in HBV associated HCC; 2B4+KLRG-1-TIGIT+PD-1+CTLA-4-and as the shared dominant phenotypes of CD8 TILs in breast cancer, gastric cancer, esophageal cancer, colorectal cancer, lung cancer and renal cancer individuals. Our data indicates that the combinatorial blockade of additional pathways such as 2B4, TIGIT and KLRG-1along with PD-1 pathway may increase the overall response rate in multiple cancer immunotherapy. Furthermore, this thesis also identified the positive correlation between PD-1 expression on TILs and PD-L1 expression in tumors from non-triple negative breast cancer individuals. It indicates that PD-L1 may have the value as a biomarker in selecting patients who may benefit from PD-1 pathway blockade in non-triple negative breast cancer individuals.
In addition, this thesis also applied multiple bioinformatics algorithms to identify the distinctive expression of inhibitory receptors on T-and NK-cells in PBMCs from a cross-sectional chronic HBV cohort (N=66). The hierarchical clusters in the CITRUS algorithm showed down-regulation of 2B4 on the CD3+CD8+CD56+ subset in HBV-associated cirrhosis individuals when compared with chronically infected individuals and healthy donors. In parallel, the CITRUS algorithm also identified reduced co-expression of 2B4 and TIGIT on the CD3-CD8+CD56+ subset in HBV-associated cirrhosis and HBV-associated HCC when compared with healthy donors. The mono- or combinatorial down- regulation of 2B4 and TIGIT may indicate the activation of NKT cells and NK cells respectively in the late stages HBV-associated disease (cirrhosis and HCC subgroups), which may have an important role in HBV-associated disease progression, although more functional studies are necessary to confirm this finding.

Advisor: Dong, T
McMichael, A
The effect of heat treatment/irradiation on the microstructure and properties of iron-based reactor alloys

Nuclear power is considered to be a reliable way to satisfy the fast growing energy demand while reducing greenhouse gas emissions. However, many material challenges need to be addressed to safely extend the operational lifetime of current reactors and to develop advanced new reactors with maximised performance efficiency. This is due to the extreme reactor environment, of high temperatures and irradiation, that many components must withstand in-service. Iron-based alloys, especially Fe-Cr based steels are widely used as structural materials in current reactors and are proposed as core materials in the design of the next generation of reactor systems. To this end, using atom probe tomography (APT), this study investigates the atomic-scale microstructural changes within two Fe-Cr based steels, 17-4PH steel and T91 steel, subject to heat treatment and irradiation.
17-4PH steel is heat treated at two different temperatures, 480 °C and 590 °C for times up to 1000 hours and 24 hours respectively. The sequence of microstructural changes at the atomic scale in a 17-4PH steel is characterized by APT. At the lower temperature, the segregation of NbN/CrN ionic species, Cu-rich precipitates (CRPs), Nb-rich precipitates, Cr-rich precipitates and ultimately a Mn, Ni, and Si-rich (MNS) phase was observed to form, the latter two of which were not observed at the higher temperature. The evolution in number density and fraction of CRPs and Cr-rich α’phase, has been quantified and a simple model has been developed to estimate their respective contributions to the overall precipitation hardening of the material.
As part of a US-UK Integrated Research Project (IRP) project, another aim of this study is to demonstrate the capability to predict the in-reactor evolution of T91 microstructure at high doses, using ion irradiation as a surrogate for neutrons. APT has characterized the microstructural changes in T91 steel for different irradiation conditions, single beam (Fe++) irradiation, dual beam irradiation (Fe++ and He++) and BOR-60 reactor irradiation. Irradiation-induced precipitation, grain boundary segregation and modification of pre-existing precipitates has been directly compared between dual ion beam irradiation and reactor irradiation. APT characterisation together with complementary chemiSTEM shows that dual beam irradiation can be calibrated such that the atomic scale microstructural changes are in relatively good agreement with those caused by the corresponding reactor irradiation conditions.

Advisor: Moody, M
Bagot, P
Auger, M
Categorical quantum dynamics

Since their original introduction, strongly complementary observables have been a fundamental ingredient of the ZX calculus, one of the most successful fragments of Categorical Quantum Mechanics (CQM). In this thesis, we show that strong complementarity plays a vastly greater role in quantum theory.
Firstly, we use strong complementarity to introduce dynamics and symmetries within the framework of CQM, which we also extend to infinite-dimensional separable Hilbert spaces: these were long-missing features, which open the way to a wealth of new applications. The coherent treatment presented in this work also provides a variety of novel insights into the dynamics and symmetries of quantum systems: examples include the extremely simple characterisation of symmetry-observable duality, the connection of strong complementarity with the Weyl Canonical Commutation Relations, the generalisations of Feynman's clock construction, the existence of time observables and the emergence of quantum clocks.
Secondly, we show that strong complementarity is a key resource for quantum algorithms and protocols. We provide the first fully diagrammatic, theory-independent proof of correctness for the quantum algorithm solving the Hidden Subgroup Problem, and show that strong complementarity is the feature providing the quantum advantage. In quantum foundations, we use strong complementarity to derive the exact conditions relating non-locality to the structure of phase groups, within the context of Mermin-type non-locality arguments. Our non-locality results find further application to quantum cryptography, where we use them to define a quantum-classical secret sharing scheme with provable device-independent security guarantees.
All in all, we argue that strong complementarity is a truly powerful and versatile building block for quantum theory and its applications, and one that should draw a lot more attention in the future.

Keywords: Quantum Symmetries
Categorical Quantum Mechanics
Quantum Algorithms
Device-independent Security
Quantum Dynamics
Non-locality
Advisor: Coecke, B