VictorJuiz/thesis huggingface dataset:
Financial centre development in mainland China: a financial geography perspective

Even in the conditions of the digital economy, financial centers remain crucial in the architecture of globalization, as international financial system has reached levels of complexity that requires the existence of a cross-border network of financial centers. After China's accession to the World Trade Organization, the country has gradually become a superpower in the world economy and is becoming one in the realm of global finance. In this context, Chinese cities are increasingly embedded into global systems of production, capital flows and accumulation. However, the ascent of China has not inspired a sufficient attention of financial geographers or other social scientists to the topic of China's financial centers. The objective of this thesis is to map and account for the recent development of financial centers in Mainland China, with specific focus on Shanghai, through the lens of financial geography.
Given the centrality of money and finance to market economy as well as China's particular history and geography, this thesis provides an interrogation of the wider social, political, institutional, technological and cultural context for financial center development in China, ranging from the geographies of banking and securities industry in Mainland China to Shanghai's IFC dynamics and its strategic development initiatives. In doing so, this work tests and exemplifies the validity of a number of western theoretical approaches to financial and economic geography.
The empirical study of geography of financial centers in Mainland, reveals the characteristics of China’s transition economy and the crucial role of different levels of government in producing and shaping the evolution of its financial centers. It also highlights Beijing's critical role in the domestic hierarchical networks in both banking and the securities industry. In addition, the case of Shanghai shows specific characteristics of this international financial center in terms of its history, politics, culture and the developmental model. More specifically, this thesis presents the dynamics of Shanghai as an emerging international financial center formation with Chinese characteristics that goes beyond thinking centred on Anglo-American literature.
In summary, the thesis as a whole may be considered as a bridge between western countries and China in terms of financial geographies focusing on the study of financial center evolution.

Advisor: Wójcik, D
Whole genome sequencing (WGS) as a unified platform for outbreak identification and resistance prediction in Staphylococcus aureus

Staphylococcus aureus continues to present challenges to modern healthcare, due to its acquisition of antimicrobial resistance factors, its ability to cause invasive infections associated with significant morbidity and mortality, and its propensity for person-to-person transmission resulting in outbreaks. For outbreak investigation, current typing methods lack resolution, and the relatively slow turnaround times may hinder effective infection control intervention.
Whole-genome sequencing (WGS) is rapidly becoming faster and more affordable, offering increased resolution in a comparable timeframe. Having the entire genome means the data can also be explored for resistance and virulence testing.
In this thesis, I explore the use of WGS for investigating outbreaks and for predicting antimicrobial resistance phenotype. First, I establish the genetic diversity in the nasal S. aureus population at acquisition and after long-term carriage, to determine the effect of within-host diversity on outbreak WGS interpretation. I then use 15 well characterised S. aureus outbreaks to develop an WGS approach for outbreak investigation. I test this approach by applying WGS to a further 5 outbreaks where the infection control investigation was inconclusive. Combining the epidemiological and WGS data from all 20 outbreaks, I then evaluate whether the WGS data can be used to predict the possibility of a long-term carrier involved in maintaining an outbreak, and apply this in real-time using a rapid turnaround benchtop sequencer. Finally, I explore the use of WGS for predicting antimicrobial resistance phenotype.
I conclude that, for outbreaks, WGS has enhanced resolution compared to standard techniques and can give additional information to aid the outbreak investigation. For antimicrobial resistance, WGS is as sensitive and specific as routine testing methods. WGS provides a promising alternative to traditional culture and typing methods for enhancing our understanding of S. aureus and ultimately other pathogens.

Advisor: Peto, T
Walker, S
Kearns, A
HMRC and the public: the case for reform of soft law

There is now almost universal acceptance that tax law is overly complex and indeterminate. A considerable body of literature has built up in consequence analysing alternative structures for the promulgation of law. Much less attention on the other hand has been directed towards HMRC’s role in the current arrangement. If the legislation and case law offer few immediate answers to the taxpayer, then HMRC’s role as administrator of the system becomes more apparent. General soft law elaborating upon how HMRC will apply the law is thus rendered an indispensable element. In order for it to perform optimally its important role in supplementing the law, this soft law must be of sufficient quality, accessibility and reliability, in addition to being subjected to robust scrutiny. General HMRC soft law, however, has unfortunately been permitted to develop unchecked and falls short of satisfying these benchmarks. The thesis seeks to set out a package of proposals which should be adopted in order to alleviate these issues.

Advisor: Freedman, J
Williams, R
Musical culture and the spirit of Irish nationalism, c. 1848-1972

This thesis surveys musical culture’s relationship with Irish nationalism after the Irish confederacy’s rebellion in 1848 until the beginning of the Northern Irish Troubles in 1972. It is the first such study to engage with a wide range of source material, including not only songs but also sources generated by political actors and organisations. It thus asks how far music and dance contributed to political movements and identities. It demonstrates that music provided propaganda, while performances created spectacles that attracted attention and asserted the strength, territorial claims, and military credentials of particular movements. Nationalists and unionists appropriated music and musical rituals from history, Britain, and one another. Appropriated British army rituals represented paramilitaries as legitimate national armies. Recycling songs made compositions easier to learn and suggested that new organisations acted as part of a continuous, historical movement. Appropriating songs and rituals from opponents asserted superiority over those opponents. Songs marked national allegiance and were therefore fought over extensively. For theorists and revivalists, defining Irish music and dance constructed notions of Irish nationhood. However, this thesis is as much about qualifying the claims often made for musical culture. One result of the failure to engage comprehensively with extra-musical source material is that studies often crudely credit music with having inspired unity among Irishmen and resistance against the colonial ruler. Music's relationship with resistance was more nuanced, and could cultivate disunity as much as the opposite. This study also problematises distinctions between British, unionist, and nationalist culture. These were not discrete categories, but overlapping soundscapes that interacted with and penetrated one another. Nor is 'traditional' music neatly distinguished from 'modern', 'commercial' music. As this study explains, traditional music's advocates demonstrated a consistent willingness to adapt and engage with modern methods. Overall, this thesis provides unprecedented insight into music’s impact on nationalist politics.

Keywords: Culture
Politics
Ireland
Nationalism
Music
Advisor: Foster, R
Paseta, S
Naturalness in beyond the standard model physics

Being consistent with every experimental measurement made to date, the current paradigm of particle physics, the Standard Model, remains a successful parametrization of nature. Together, the Standard Model plus the theory of General Relativity seem to provide a consistent picture of physics at all scales, yet there is plenty of room to believe the story is incomplete.
Puzzles that remain unanswered within the context of the Standard Model include (i) an explanation of the origin of Dark Matter, which accounts for no less than &Tilde; 25% of the Universe’s energy budget, (ii) a meaningful answer to the question of electroweak naturalness, (iii) a rationale for the absence of anti-matter in our observable patch of the Universe, (iv) a dynamical picture of the vast hierarchies we observe in fermion masses, and (v) a resolution to the strong CP problem. With the exception of the Dark Matter mystery, all other objections to the Standard Model listed here take the guise of a 'hierarchy' problem: why is some quantity (either a scale or coupling) so small? This work addresses two of the objections to the Standard Model: the necessity of an explanation to the origin of Dark Matter, and the question of naturalness as a guiding principle in nature, understood as the necessity for a dynamical mechanism behind unexplained hierarchies.
Chapters 1 and 2 introduce the topics of naturalness and Dark Matter respectively. The former makes an emphasis on the electroweak hierarchy problem, and a particular class of theories that provide a solution to this puzzle: models based on the Twin Higgs mechanism. Chapters 3 and 4 are based on work published in [1] and [2], where novel theories of Dark Matter, and their phenomenology, are explored in the context of Twin Higgs models. Chapter 5 explores structural aspects of a particular mechanism – the so-called 'clockwork' – for generating hierarchies in parameters in a way that can be considered natural, and it is based on [3]. Finally, chapter 6 summarizes our conclusions and future outlook.
Other work published during my time as a graduate student include [4–7], but those publications are not the focus of this thesis.

Advisor: Wheater, J
Fuzzy and probabilistic segmentation, and appropriate validation, applied to cardiac magnetic resonance images

Algorithms producing fuzzy and probabilistic (i.e. 'soft') segmentations are becoming increasingly popular. However, many of the unique strengths of such algorithms get overlooked, especially when used in the context of deterministic frameworks, which typically treat softness as label uncertainty, and tend to discard it as the final step. We maintain that such treatment results in loss of potentially useful information, which could be used to improve outcomes further. This is particularly the case with regard to validation algorithms, where such loss of information effectively renders validation unreliable.
When 'softness' is treated as a fuzzy measure, defined with respect to a suitable criterion, the uncertainty over such a measure can be further characterised and put to use. We explore the role of fuzziness and probability theory in characterising such notions of uncertainty over 'softness', and use it to a) fuse soft segmentations via their uncertainties, leading to improved outcomes compared to fusing by simple consensus, and b) to enable clinicians to optimise algorithms using clinically intuitive measures as opposed to fine-tuning unintuitive algorithmic parameters by hand. We also make theoretical predictions based on the semantics of fuzziness in the context of spatial overlap, and use them to propose the notion of a 'directional t-norm' and show that it leads to more reliable validation. Finally we propose ways of characterising modes of segmentation failure through the use of local-performance maps, fuzzy spatial / anatomical relationship masks, and validation sweeps.
In summary, this thesis provides a better understanding of the types of uncertainty that can be defined over an already 'soft' segmentation, and how they could be put to use to improve segmentation outcomes; and a better understanding of the semantics of fuzziness with respect to the validation of soft segmentations, leading to more reliable validation and evaluation in general.
While the applications presented in this dissertation have been demonstrated in the context of medical image segmentation, the methods and theory should also be more widely applicable to non-medical image analysis and computer vision in general.

Advisor: Grau, V
Armellina, E
Synthetic and computational studies of group 3 and group 4 imido and hydrazido compounds

This Thesis describes the synthesis and reactivity of titanium-nitrogen multiply bonded compounds. Mechanistic and bonding studies on titanium imido, hydrazido and borylimido complexes as well as on a novel scandium borylimide recently reported in our research group were described.
Chapter 1 provides an introduction to Group 4 and Group 3 metal-nitrogen multiply bonded compounds including synthesis, bonding and reactivity of titanium imido, hydrazido, alkylidene hydrazido and borylimido complexes, (L)Ti=NR, (L)Ti=NNR2, (L)Ti=NNCR2 and (L)Ti=NBR2.
Chapter 2 describes the reactions of the hydrazido compound Ti(N2 iPrNMe)(NNPh2)(py) with the Si–H and B–H bonds of silanes and boranes and with H2. The nature and mechanism of these reactions were investigated both computationally and experimentally.
Chapter 3 explores a series of new reactions and unprecedented transformations of organic boranes and silanes with titanium half-sandwich compounds. In addition, detailed mechanistic work, using DFT calculations, was performed to understand the chemistry behind these reactions.
Chapter 4 describes the bonding and reactivity of novel borylimido compounds. The systematic approach recently implemented in our research group to synthesise new titanium borylimido compounds, is described. A full computational study of the bonding of compounds with sandwich and half-sandwich structures is explained in detail.
Chapter 5 explores the experimental attempts to isolate the first scandium borylimido complex performed in our group. DFT and QTAIM and detailed mechanistic study are presented.
Chapter 6 contains experimental details, characterising data and DFT energies and coordinates of the optimized structures for the chemistry presented in Chapters Tw-Five.

Advisor: Mountford, P
Sugar conversion to hydroxymethylfurfural and aromatics over niobium oxides and modified zeolites

Research in the field of renewable energies is becoming ever more important due to the depletion of fossil fuels and increasing environmental concerns. The upgrading of biomass to commodity and fine chemicals in order to substitute conventional fossil-fuel derived products is a major topic in the area, particularly the upgrading of sugars as the main biomass component. Glucose derived from cellulose is the most abundant sugar and its acid catalysed dehydration yields the platform molecule hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF), a promising precursor for plastics, solvents, fuels and fine chemicals. In this work the conversion of sugars to HMF is studied in water over niobium oxides as solid acid catalysts, presenting an environmentally- and separation-friendly conversion route. An emphasis is put on the reaction mechanistic details and the analysis of catalyst structure in relation to acidity and catalytic performance, as these are key factors in the development of targeted synthesis and improved catalysts. For example, the efficient conversion of glucose to HMF requires the presence of both Lewis acid (LA) and Brønsted acid (BA) sites on the niobium oxides. Large quantities of both LA (exposed Nb centres) and BA (acidic surface hydroxyl) sites are found prominently on the nano-structured niobium oxides compared to their bulk analogues. This results from the large surface areas and structural flexibility of the nano-materials, where LA sites appear to arise from distortions and oxygen defects. Amorphous mesoporous Nb2O5&ast;ub>nH2O shows the best catalytic performance due to the presence of both LA and comparably weak BA sites, where weaker BA sites are formed by protons of terminal surface hydroxyl groups. In addition to sugar conversion to HMF, the conversion of HMF to aromatic hydrocarbons has been addressed, using a two-step reaction route via dimethylfuran (DMF) over modified zeolite catalysts. Although there is room for yield improvements, the significant advantage of this route is the use of ethanol as common solvent and sacrificial reagent for both reaction steps, facilitating the combination into a one-batch-process in the future. Aromatics are important fuel additives and precursors for polymers, resins and solvents and are currently fossil-fuel derived, raising the need for such alternative production pathways.

Advisor: Tsang, SCE
Measurements of diffuse galactic emission at 5 GHz with C-BASS

The C-Band All-Sky Survey (C-BASS) is a project to produce an all-sky map in intensity and polarization at a central frequency of 5 GHz with 1 GHz bandwidth and approximately 1 degree resolution. The central frequency is low enough for the map to be dominated by synchrotron and free-free emission but high enough so that Faraday rotation and depolarization are small across most of the sky. The C-BASS map will enable a more accurate removal of contaminating foregrounds from measurements of the cosmic microwave background, particularly in polarization where the B-mode signal from inflation is likely to be orders of magnitude weaker than the diffuse Galactic foreground emission.
To produce an all-sky map from the ground requires two telescopes, one in the northern and one in the southern hemisphere. This thesis focuses on analysis of C-BASS North data.
The noise properties of time-ordered data are characterised by fitting a noise model to periodograms. Using simulations, the errors introduced into the C-BASS maps by a destriping mapmaker are quantified and we reduce the signal error by masking the brightest pixels during baseline offset estimation. Jackknife tests are used to test the C-BASS data for systematics and to test the accuracy of the sensitivity maps. In total intensity, the spectral index of diffuse Galactic emission between 5 GHz and 408 MHz is measured using an extended T-T plot method and the results are compared to simulations. The spectral index of polarized diffuse Galactic emission between 5 GHz and 30 GHz is estimated in 55 arcminute pixels, modelling the polarized intensity as a Rician random variable.

Keywords: Diffuse Galactic emission
Noise properties
Mapmaking
CMB
Foregrounds
Advisor: Taylor, A
Comparative molecular epidemiology and antigenic characterisation of highly pathogenic avian influenza A(H5) virus in Vietnam

Highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) virus poses a significant economic disease burden to the poultry sector of Vietnam, and is a credible threat for emergence of novel zoonotic viruses. This thesis examines the molecular evolution and epidemiology of HPAI A(H5) viruses in Vietnam identified through the national poultry surveillance system. The investigations comprised analysis of detection rates and geographic distribution of A(H5) clade variants from samples collected in live bird markets (LBMs); comprehensive analysis of whole genome sequences of viruses collected from 2012 to 2015; development of laboratory protocols for production of reference chicken antisera; and in-depth antigenic characterisations of contemporary A(H5N1) isolates. The ﬁndings underscored the high prevalence and widespread distribution of HPAI A(H5) virus within apparently healthy poultry sampled in LBMs and the difficulties in designing appropriate and effective disease management strategies. Whole genome analysis revealed significant diversification and reassortment of A(H5) viruses, with substantial in-situ evolution of clade 1 and 2.3.4 viruses between 2010 and 2012 and lineage replacements involving clade 2.3.2.1 and 2.3.4.4 viruses during 2014-2015. Antigenic analysis of contemporary A(H5N1) clade variants using chicken antisera produced at the National Center for Veterinary Diagnostics (NCVD) proved to be feasible and reproducible, and recapitulated similar patterns of clade clustering as ferret antisera. Antigenic relationships between existing poultry vaccines and circulating field viruses also appeared aligned with in-vivo vaccine challenge studies, in terms of protection profiles. Given the co-circulation of multiple, antigenically distinct clade variants, there is a great need for vaccine strategies capable of inducing broadly cross-reactive immunity. If traditional inactivated vaccines are used, bivalent or trivalent formulations may be required. The results strongly suggest that antigenic data could ultimately be used as a surrogate (or as a precursor) to challenge studies that take time and resources to conduct, thus potentially enabling more rapid assessments and decisions about poultry vaccine selection by Vietnamese animal health authorities.

Keywords: Molecular, Evolution
Genetic and antigenic diversity of H5 virus in poultry in Vietnam
Advisor: Bryant, J
Davis, C
van Doorn, H
Long, T
J.M. Coetzee and the christian tradition: navigating religious legacies in the novel

This thesis examines how J.M. Coetzee's engagement with Christian thinkers and concepts has shaped his fiction. Through a series of close readings, I show how Coetzee, who does not identify as a Christian, reworks and reimagines concepts from key Christian interlocutors across his writings. Each close reading is informed by a consideration of what Coetzee had himself been reading during the writing process, based on evidence in interviews, essays, monographs, and archival materials. Attending to Coetzee's reading and writing, together, illuminates the distinctively self-conscious nature of his engagement with Christianity. Whereas current Coetzee criticism has given attention to specific Christian themes and lexical choices in his fiction, this thesis demonstrates that Coetzee's engagement with Christianity is more profound and pervasive than has been credited hitherto. In addition to the vast body of allusion to Scripture in his writings, Christian thinkers have in fact played a major role in his innovative approach to the novel, a genre predominantly forged in Christian contexts, and in his handling of narrative more generally. Through its explication of Coetzee's extensive dialogue with Christian thinking, and with the Bible, across the full span of his career, this thesis seeks to describe the nuanced and diverse ways in which Coetzee's writings have revised and reimagined this vast and complex religious legacy.

Keywords: J.M. Coetzee
Secularisation
Advisor: Hayes, P