VictorJuiz/thesis huggingface dataset:
Systematics of Thomandersia Baill

This thesis addresses three aspects of the systematics of Thomandersia. Firstly, a taxonomic account of Thomandersia is provided. Secondly, the anatomy of Thomandersia is described. Finally, the phylogenetic position of Thomandersia in Lamiales is investigated and the potential of morphological and molecular datasets to resolve relationships in Lamiales is assessed.
Six species of Thomandersia are recognised, based upon previous taxonomic treatments, an assessment of variability within the genus, and a rationale for describing infrageneric taxa. An improved key to species, species descriptions, distribution maps and illustrations are presented.
A preliminary analysis of molecular sequence data suggests that previous, morphology-based classifications of Thomandersia in Acanthaceae do not reflect phylogenetic relationships. The floral and wood anatomy of Thomandersia are reexamined in this light and discussed in the context of Lamiales. Unique characters of Thomandersia include a particularly large calycine nectary, expanded placentas, irregular corolla aestivation, and spherical, scaly seeds. Thomandersia is found to share anatomical features with all other Lamiales investigated. Detailed anatomical studies of retinacula, a character shared with Acanthaceae, and extrafloral nectaries, which may be homologous to nectaries in other Lamiales, are presented. The majority of anatomical characters are homoplastically-distributed in Lamiales and therefore of little use for diagnosing monophyletic groups.
Morphological and molecular phylogenetic investigations support the resurrection of Thomandersiaceae, a family of isolated phylogenetic position with a large number of molecular and morphological autapomorphies. At the same time, the investigations highlight problems in resolving interfamilial relationships in Lamiales. The ultimate aim of phylogenetic analysis in Lamiales is an accurately-resolved tree with stronglysupported relationships between all taxa. Morphological characters are of limited use in achieving this goal: when a large morphological matrix is combined with molecular data only small, poorly-supported increases in resolution are achieved. The increasing availability of molecular sequence data is expected to make it possible, in the near future, to resolve an accurate, supported phylogeny of Lamiales and elucidate the sister group relationships of isolated taxa such as Thomandersiaceae.
Competing through technology and manufacturing : a study of the Indian commercial vehicles industry

The thesis is a detailed study of the technological and manufacturing strategies of firms in the commercial vehicles (CV) industry in India, and analyses the impact of these strategies on the domestic and international competitiveness of the firms. Its focus is therefore different from the usual policy-led explanations of industrial backwardness in the developing world, particularly India. The thesis begins by analysing the competitiveness of the different firms and the CV industry as a whole, both in India as well as in international markets. This is explained by differences in vertical integration and sub-contracting strategies across firms, and relationships with suppliers; by scale economies and manufacturing technology and related issues; and by technological change, in terms of both inputs and outputs, including technology imports. It is found that production organization (vertical integration) is a very important explanation for observed differences in technological capabilities. Scale economies, on the other hand, do not explain much of the inter-firm cost variations, because firms have been able to use different levels and vintages of process technology, suited to their scale of production, to produce acceptable products. But scale does help in terms of marketing, both domestically and internationally. It was found that all firms have been active in their technological search efforts and have responded to the demand for sturdy, cheap and functionally efficient products. The firm with the greatest stress on in-house Research and Development was also the most competitive. However, in responding to domestic demand, Indian CV firms have been ruled out of the major markets abroad, and had to restrict themselves to developing countries with similar demand characteristics. When the level of effective competition in the industry increased, most firms had to accelerate the pace of investment in both product and process technologies and suffered an erosion in their profitability.
The aim and composition of Plutarch's De Stoicorum repugnantiis

The purpose of this thesis is largely to consider the de Stoicorum repugnantiis in sympathetic terms as part of Plutarch's wider philosophical output. It argues that Plutarch's approach in the work could not be that of a negative Sceptic, since Plutarch held his own positive beliefs (a form of Platonism) and, although he draws heavily on the arguments of the Sceptical Academy, he saw Scepticism itself as a positive tool.
Section II of the thesis traces the history of the polemical motif of self-contradiction, which turns out to be based on a specific argument used by the Academy against Stoic ethics. Plutarch adopts this argument as it stands and uses it extensively; but he also identifies the Stoic inconsistencies he uncovers as symptomatic of the Stoics' doctrinal diversion from Plato, and on this basis he sets out to show that when the Stoics diverge from Plato in any area of doctrine (logical or physical as well as ethical) they likewise fall into self-contradiction.
If it is right to think that Plutarch has not chosen his arguments randomly, it becomes increasingly unlikely that he has presented them randomly. So section III considers the idea that Plutarch might have organised his arguments following a standard Academic pattern. Section IV presents a study of each of Plutarch's arguments in the de Stoic, rep. not only to confirm his Platonising interests, but also to demonstrate that the contradictions fall into 'sections', each of which deals with topics drawn from a common area in standard Academic polemic. Section V considers the conclusions that can be drawn from the themes that underlie each section: in fact, it happens that a structure emerges which presupposes a distinctive outlook within Academic literature, and so suggests that Plutarch has made use of a particular work to guide his process of composition.
Synthetic studies using chiral stabilised azomethine ylids

The work described herein is concerned with the [3+2] dipolar cycloaddition of amino acid derived azomethine ylids. Such cycloadditions are a highly efficient technique for the construction of proline derivatives, and may potentially be employed in other areas of asymmetric synthesis.
Chapter 1 commences with a brief review of natural and synthetic, proline containing, molecules. Approaches to the synthesis of the proline moiety are described, focusing on previously developed methods for performing the [3+2] dipolar cycloaddition in a chiral manner. The methodology employed in this thesis is subsequently detailed, along with a brief description of the aims of the work. This is followed by a review of α-amino acid synthesis via chiral template technology. The potential application of chiral [3+2] dipolar cycloadditions to such syntheses is introduced.
Chapter 2 describes the cycloaddition of carboxylate substituted chiral azomethine ylids with a range of dipolarophiles under both thermal and Lewis acid catalysed conditions. The effect on the stereoselectivity and yield caused by changing the conditions is discussed. Subsequent removal of the chiral template allows the synthesis of some tetra-substituted proline derivatives.
Chapter 3 details the intramolecular variant of the cycloaddition. Further functionalisation of the cycloadducts via insertion of alternative chain links and sulfone alkylation was attempted. The Pummerer rearrangement of the related sulfoxide was shown to proceed smoothly and with total regio- and stereocontrol. Application of the methodology to the synthesis of a simple proline derivative and a symmetric pyrrolidine is described.
Chapter 4 reports the attempted application of [3+2] dipolar cycloadditions to the synthesis of α-amino acids. The synthesis and subsequent cycloaddition of a new, α-amino acid derived, chiral template is described. Subsequent deprotection of the cycloadducts generated allows the synthesis of some α-phenyl substituted prolines. Unsuccessful attempts to incorporate additional substituents and perform the cycloaddition in an intramolecular manner are described.
Chapter 5 contains a description of the techniques employed, together with spectroscopic data for the compounds described in this thesis.
A study of chromatin and rDNA transcription in Saccharomyces cerevisiae

Within the cell, DNA is compacted through its organisation into chromatin. A great deal is known about the chromatin structure of RNA Polymerase II-transcribed loci and its impact on transcription by this polymerase. In contrast, far less is known about the role of chromatin in RNA Polymerase I transcription. RNA Polymerase I transcribes rDNA genes within the nucleolus, producing 60% of all cellular transcripts. Studies into the chromatin structure of the rDNA locus have resulted in an unclear picture as to the nature of chromatin on actively transcribed rDNA genes. Furthermore, chromatin remodeling factors have so far only been shown to function on inactive rDNA repeats. This study used a combination of techniques to investigate the chromatin structure of actively transcribed rDNA repeats. In addition, the presence and function of chromatin remodeling factors at this locus was addressed. Chromatin immunoprecipitation analysis revealed that actively transcribed rDNA genes possess a form of chromatin structure composed of, at least, histones H2B and H3 and that histone H3 is dimethylated at lysine 4 and 36. Furthermore, chromatin remodeling factors Chd1p, Isw1p and Isw2p are present across the rDNA locus and are likely recruited by both histone tail modifications and rRNA. In vivo chromatin analysis was used to analyse the chromatin structure over the termination region of rDNA repeats and showed that Chd1p, Isw1p and Isw2p function redundantly to maintain a specific chromatin structure at inactive repeats. Finally, transcription run-on analysis demonstrated that Chd1p, Isw1p and Isw2p function redundantly to ensure efficient transcription.
These data therefore lead to an updated model of S. cerevisiae rDNA transcription, whereby RNA Polymerase I transcription occurs on a chromatin template. Chromatin modifications function to recruit chromatin remodeling factors that are required to ensure efficient transcription.
3-Azido-tetrahydrofuran carboxylates as scaffolds for oligomers of beta-amino-THF carboxylic acids

This thesis describes investigations into the synthesis and secondary structural properties of novel carbohydrate-derived peptidomimetics.
The syntheses from diacetone-D-glucose of five diastereomeric 3-azido-tetrahydrofuran carboxylates are described. These highly functionalised β-amino acid equivalents are accessed via the diacetone-3-azido-3-deoxy sugars and 3-azido-3-deoxy-1,4-lactones. An acid-catalysed rearrangement results in the formation of the tetrahydrofuran ring with the protected amine functionality already in place in a position β- to the carboxylate group.
Attempts to synthesise "carbopeptoids" via various oligomerisation strategies, including three novel approaches to oligomerisation, are delineated. The first approach attempted involves an iterative addition of a bicyclic lactone, which acts as the activated acid component, to the substrate containing an amine functionality. A new solid-phase oligomerisation strategy, whereby the coupling reagent is tethered to the polystyrene support and the substrates remain in solution, is described. The third attempted novel oligomerisation strategy involves activation by microwave irradiation, in the absence of coupling reagents. The conventional coupling using a carbodiimide coupling reagent proves to be a highly efficient means to access oligomers up to six residues in length, and is utilised for the synthesis of the homooligomers of four diastereomeric carbohydrate-derived β-amino acids.
The prospect that the carbopeptoids may emulate the helical conformations reported for closely related 2-aminocyclopentanecarboxylic acid oligomers is investigated. Different methods of spectroscopic analysis of the tetrameric and hexameric oligomers are discussed. Circular dichroism spectroscopy provides a rapid diagnostic tool for the investigation of peptide bond orientations and forms the basis for a postulation on a possible stabilised hydrogen-bonding secondary structural conformation in two tetrameric species. Several nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopic experiments are performed, enabling the assignment of each signal in the proton spectrum for a hexameric oligomer. However the resulting data does not provide sufficient evidence for a well-defined secondary structural motif, and so the potential conformational preference postulated on the basis of circular dichroism spectroscopy is not confirmed.
A study of the business fortunes of William Cotesworth, c. 1668-1726

William Cotesworth of Gateshead, c. 1668-1726, was rescued from obscurity during the last war when a collection of his letters and papers were discovered by Professor Edward Hughes. They were later used in the first volume of Hughes' study of North Country Life in the Eighteenth Century (Lond., 1952), which presented Cotesworth as a typical example of the professional, hard-headed 'new men' who were, in Hughes' opinion, seizing both economic and social power from the old-established gentry families of the north-east. However, the recent cataloguing of part of Cotesworth's papers revealed that his voluminous personal and business correspondence could provide material for a study in greater depth, which might offer a unique insight into some of the problems associated with the trade and industry of the Newcastle area during Cotesworth's lifetime.
Consequently the object of my research was less to compile a biography than to examine several aspects of the economic life of the area around Newcastle-upon-Tyne in the early eighteenth century, within the framework of the career of one merchant and industrialist. Cotesworth's papers chart his rise through apprenticeship in trade to landed prosperity; from plain Mr. Cotesworth, tallow chandler of Gateshead, to the 'worshipful' William Cotesworth, esquire, of Gateshead Park. It would not be accurate to describe him as a typical Newcastle merchant, for he was not a member of the town's merchant class either by birth or settlement. On the contrary, he was and remained an outsider, conducting his business from the suburb of Gateshead on the south bank of the river, where he was free from both the privileges and restrictions imposed by the ancient Newcastle companies. It is perhaps because he was so untypical that his business fortunes are of particular interest. Cotesworth was a man on the make, coming from outside the established merchant community, and his humble beginnings make it possible to study the opportunities open to a young merchant with ambition but with very few resources other than his own wits. His pursuit of wealth and status involved him at some time or other in most of the major trades and industries of the region: as he admitted with some pride, he 'dealt in Any thing I cd gaine by'. Moreover, his eventual success meant that he was involved in the economic life of the area at a number of levels, from salaried employee or junior partner to independent entrepreneur, ft is this variety of experience, documented by a mass of rich original material, that makes him particularly suitable for a study of this nature.
[Please consult the .pdf for complete abstract]
Mapping the genes for arylamine N-acetyltransferases

Arylamine N-acetyltransferases are xenobiotic metabolising enzymes, involved in metabolic pathways leading to either detoxification or bio-activation of drugs and carcinogens. In humans, polymorphisms of the two functional NAT genes (NAT1 and NAT2} have been implicated to cancer susceptibility. The genomic region of the NAT1 loci, 8p22, is often deleted in tumours and is believed to contain tumour suppressor genes. Two previously developed cosmid probes, carrying either NAT1 or NAT2, were tested as probes for FISH analysis using nuclei from healthy lymphocytes and the RT112 urothelial carcinoma cell line (Chapter 3). FISH analysis of cells obtained from barbotage samples of bladder cancer patients was performed and deletion of the NAT genomic region was a common observation (Chapter 6). To allow refined mapping of the NAT region on 8p22, a series of PAC clones carrying the NAT loci were isolated by PCR screening of a genomic library (Chapter 3). Furthermore, the NAT1 and NAT2 isoenzymes were studied in healthy intestinal and mammary tissue, as a first step towards understanding their potential involvement in these two types of cancer (Chapter 6).
The mouse has been extensively used as a model for studying NAT. Three functional Nat genes are present in the mouse genome. A fine restriction map was generated for the Nat1 and Nat2 genomic region in mice, using Nat-positive genomic DNA plasmid clones previously isolated from the fast acetylator Balb/c and 129/Ola strains. The Nat1 and Nat2 genes were mapped 9.4kb apart and no polymorphisms were detected between the two strains for the restriction enzymes used for mapping (Chapter 4). The 129/Ola restriction map has since been the basis for the production of a construct for Nat2 knockout and transgenic mouse strains. PAC clones positive for Nat were isolated from a mouse genomic library and used as FISH probes to map the three murine Nat genes on chromosome 8, band B3.1-3.3. One PAC clone contained all three Nat loci, establishing co-localisation of Nat3 with the other two Nat genes in mice. The minimum distance of Nat3 from Nat1 and Nat2 was estimated to be 22kb, while the three loci are within 130kb. YAC clones carrying the Nat genes were also isolated to facilitate physical mapping of the Nat cluster in mice (Chapter 5). This will allow integration of cytogenetic, physical and previous genetic data for comparative studies.
Perceptual and cognitive processing limitations in specific language impairment

The experiments presented in this thesis explored the possibility that an underlying cause of specific language impairment (SLI) may be a deficit in perceptual or cognitive information processing.
The first three studies tested the hypothesis that children with SLI have impaired perception of the dynamic elements of visual and auditory stimuli, as proposed in the magnocellular hypothesis for developmental dyslexia. The experimental predictions were that a) children with SLI would have poor sensitivity to coherent motion (but not coherent form) stimuli relative to chronological-age matched controls; b) children with SLI would have poorer sensitivity than controls to slow (but not fast) rates of frequency modulation in a tone; c) sensitivity to slow rates of frequency modulation (FM) would correlate with children's performance on a set of tests of phonological skill. Overall, these predictions were not corroborated by the results, and the conclusion drawn from this set of studies is that a magnocellular impairment of the type reported in dyslexia is unlikely to be a causal factor in SLI.
The second three studies used a grammaticality judgement task to focus on inflectional morphology, an area of language which poses particularly marked difficulty for many children with SLI. The findings from Study 4 suggested that children's performance on the grammaticality judgement task overall was strongly related to phonological discrimination ability, but was unaffected by the specific inflectional allomorph tested. The final two studies manipulated the information processing load of the grammaticality judgement task, in Study 5 to simulate (successfully) SLI-like performance in a group of typically developing children, and in Study 6 to attempt (unsuccessfully) to improve performance in a group of children with SLI.
These results are compatible with the idea that the profile of language difficulties experienced by many children with SLI is due to a processing deficit in the early stages of language acquisition which interrupts the establishment of robust linguistic representations. The nature of this processing deficit is as yet unclear, though the current findings do not support the suggestion of a central auditory impairment. It is possible that a number of distinct deficits, such as poor phonological memory or reduced speed of processing, may produce a broadly similar linguistic profile in different individuals.
An experimental and conceptual exploration of the utility of the dramaturgical analogy

In Chapter One, the dramaturgical analogy, whereby theatre is compared with social life, is described and its relevance to the study of social interaction processes asserted. The analogy may be used simply as an analytic tool or as a possible representation of the phenomenology of social interaction. In this thesis the former approach is defended, but the defence itself requires acknowledgement that people may on occasion view their behaviour in terms which apparently draw on dramaturgical principles and conceptions.
The analogy assumes that people behave according to known social forms, embodied in their own and others' expectations ("scripts"), that they modify their behaviour in accordance with what they perceive in the behaviour of others (as "fellow-performers" and "audience"), and that individual differences in performance are expressed within the constraints imposed by the expectations and behaviour of others. Many proponents of the analogy have emphasised the scripted nature of much social action and have ignored the mutually contingent relationships between social performances, while misinterpreting the implications of the analogy for individual performance and "self-expression". Role Theorists' emphasis on social behaviour as "conformity" to "scripts" is rejected; "scripts" for the performance of formal Roles in social life constitute only the frameworks within which social behaviour is improvised.
[Please see pdf. for full abstract.]