VictorJuiz/thesis huggingface dataset:
Black democrats in white America: racial campaign strategies in majority-white contexts, 1989-2013

Black electoral politics has undergone a profound transformation in the half century since African Americans statutorily secured equal voting rights with whites. Once confined to a small number of exceptional cases, the population of black elected officials has multiplied dramatically. The genre which studies African American politics has, likewise, vigorously proliferated, but theoretical deficiencies persist. In particular, the dominant model used to explain the choice of racial campaign strategies by African American candidates in jurisdictions where most of their voters are white is incomplete. The model’s underlying hypothesis is premised on limited and increasingly outdated assumptions. Commentators continue to argue that successful black candidates must discard their racial identity in order to win white votes, yet a careful examination of the actual practices of black politicians in majority-white jurisdictions demonstrates that this argument is not substantiated empirically. As a result, scholars are mischaracterising the potential for black candidates to win elections in majority-white contexts.
This thesis is an attempt to advance the scholarship through a theoretical reconceptualisation of racial campaign strategies underpinned by original, empirical research. The thesis sets out to achieve two goals. The first goal is to provide a rich, analytical account based on primary research of the range of campaign strategies available to office-seeking African American candidates outside of majority-black election contexts. The thesis demonstrates the capacity for black candidates to embrace their racial identity and champion policies which redress racial inequality while still seeking support from white voters. The second objective is to offer plausible explanations as to the strategic decision-making process in these campaigns. The thesis highlights the shifting importance of three sets variables which candidates face when choosing their racial campaign strategies: racial context and history, the racial attitudes of supportive and opposing elite actors, and candidates' own racial biographies.

Keywords: US politics
Race
Campaign strategies
Political communications
African American politics
Advisor: King, D
Aspirin affects early phases of metastasis through the inhibition of COX-1-thromboxane A2 axis

Metastasis is the major cause of cancer related mortality, due to a poor understanding of the metastatic process and a subsequent lack of effective anti-metastatic therapies. Evidence from experimental studies and clinical trials has shown that aspirin reduces the incidence of distant metastases. It is well established that aspirin inhibits cyclooxygenase (COX)-1 and COX-2, triggering anti-thrombotic and anti-inflammatory effects, respectively. However, the mechanisms underlying the anti-metastatic effect of aspirin are still largely unknown.
By using an experimental model of pulmonary metastasis, we have found that the anti-metastatic effect of aspirin is associated with the inhibition of COX-1. In support of this, metastasis establishment was impaired in COX-1 deficient mice, suggesting a pivotal role of this isoform in the metastatic process. Looking in more detail into the metastatic cascade, we found that COX-1 contributes to the intravascular phase of metastasis and promotes the early persistence of tumour cells in the lung vasculature. In particular, COX-1 inhibition decreased the interaction of platelets with tumour cells and was associated with the reduction of endothelial activation, of tumour cell adhesion to the endothelium, of recruitment of metastasis-promoting monocytes/macrophages and of transendothelial migration. We have identified platelet-derived thromboxane A2 (TXA2) as the main product of COX-1 responsible for its permissive effect on metastasis. Indeed, TXA2 delivered to mice in combination with aspirin was able to abrogate the anti-metastatic effect of aspirin.
Taken together, our data suggest that the inhibition of COX-1:TXA2 axis by aspirin is sufficient to exert an anti-metastatic effect. In particular, the inhibition of platelet-derived TXA2 seems to affect multiple early steps of the haematogenous transit of tumour cells. In this perspective, TXA2 might represent a more selective therapeutic target for the prevention of metastasis.

Keywords: Metastasis
COX-1
Platelets
Thromboxane A2
Aspirin
Advisor: Muschel, R
Palladium-catalysed enolate arylation in the synthesis of aromatic heterocycles and substituted heterocycles

Chapter 1. Introduction
A literature background on the early development of the Pd-catalysed cross-coupling reactions and the later discovery of the enolate arylation reaction is presented. In the second part, the literature on pyruvate chemistry is explored, focusing on enantioselective transformations and the synthesis of α-arylated pyruvate derivatives. The final part presents reported protocols on the synthesis of β-carboline, isoquinoline and indole esters, from the classical approaches to the more recent methodologies based on metal catalysed transformations.
Chapter 2. Results and Discussion
2.1 A study towards the synthesis of substituted amino-pyridines via 6π-electrocyclisation of 1-azatrienes is presented. The aspects impacting the efficiency of the cyclisation reaction are discussed using the experimental data collected and kinetic experiments published by other groups.
2.2 A synthetic methodology for the synthesis of substituted β-carbolines from 3-bromoindoles and commercially available ketones via Pd-catalysed enolate arylation is discussed. The α-functionalisation of the keto-indole intermediate with electrophiles provided access to C4-functionalised β-carbolines. The one-pot protocol for this sequence was also developed.
2.3 A protected pyruvate equivalent that allows the α-arylation and α-arylation/alkylation reactions to be carried out at the methyl group via Pd-catalysed enolate arylation is presented. The deprotection of the OBO moiety allows the formation mono and multiply α-functionalised pyruvates.
2.4 The synthesis of isoquinoline, β-carboline and indole esters via Pd-catalysed enolate arylation of the OBO-protected pyruvate equivalent developed in this thesis is demonstrated. The functionalisation of these heterocycles via α-alkylation of the aryl-ketone intermediates is also discussed and some examples synthesised to validate the methodology.

Advisor: Donohoe, T
Novel methods for 18F-radiolabelling

The expansion of [18F]-radiolabelling methodologies is vital for the advancement of Positron Emission Tomography (PET) as a medical imaging tool. Novel protocols will simplify access to current PET tracers and allow development of original tracers, potentially enhancing the imaging quality or permit imaging of a wider range of clinical problems. A general introduction is presented in Chapter 1, covering PET, application of fluorine-19 in the pharmaceutical industry, the production of fluorine-18 and the current state-of -art for [18F]-radiolabelling.
The results chapters are divided in to two parts; Part 1 (Chapters 2 - 4) concern the synthesis of [18F]fluoroarenes and Part II (Chapters 5 and 6) discuss diversity oriented radiofluorination techniques, targeting novel [18F]motifs.
In Part I, Chapter 2 describes the use of hypervalent iodine reagents to meditate an umpolung approach for fluorination and radiofluorination of N-arylsulfonamides and anilides. Chapter 3 again utilises hypervalent iodine reagents, but as spirocyclic iodonium(III) ylide precursors, being applied to semi-automated and automated microfluidic conditions. Chapter 4 discusses the development of conditions for the production and isolation of radiopharmaceuticals employing Cu(II)-mediated radiofluorination of aryl boronic pinacol esters.
In Part II, Chapter 5 discusses the applicability of halogen exchange reactions to reach polyfluorinated motfis and Chapter 6 focuses on the application of a single diazo precursor to access three polyfluorinated motifs with single-step reactions.
Finally, Chapter 7 provides experimental data for compounds discussed in this thesis.

Advisor: Gouverneur, V
Astrophysical signatures of axion-like particles

The Standard Model of particle physics has enjoyed unprecedented success in predicting experimental results. However, evidence from astrophysical observations points to the existence of a dark sector of particles that interact only very weakly with the Standard Model. In this work, we search for dark sector signatures in X-ray telescope data. Much of this work concerns a class of hypothetical particles, the axion-like particle (ALP). ALPs are a theoretically well-motivated extension of the Standard Model. If ALPs exist, they may lead to intriguing astrophysical signatures: in the presence of a background magnetic field, ALPs and photons can interconvert. We could detect ALPs by searching for photon to ALP conversion. For example, photons produced by point sources in or behind galaxy clusters may convert to ALPs in the cluster's magnetic field. This could lead to observable spectral anomalies. Using this strategy, we place world leading bounds on the ALP-photon coupling.
One potential signal of dark matter is an anomalous line in the spectra of galaxies and galaxy clusters. In 2014, an anomalous line was found at an energy of 3.5 keV. The nature and cause of this line is still under discussion. We analyse a scenario in which the 3.5 keV line arises from dark matter decay to ALPs, which interconvert with 3.5 keV photons in astrophysical magnetic fields. We further report an anomalous deficit at 3.5 keV in the spectrum of the Active Galactic Nucleus at the centre of the Perseus galaxy cluster. This motivates the study of a new model in which both features are caused by “fluorescent dark matter” which resonantly interacts with 3.5 keV photons. We analyse observations of Perseus at 3.5 keV to date, and show that they are well explained by this model. Further theoretical and experimental work is needed to discover or exclude fundamental physics effects in X-ray spectra.

Keywords: Axions, dark matter, galaxy clusters, AGN
Advisor: Conlon, J
Investigating the functional organisation of human visual cortex using ultra-high resolution fMRI

Current thinking suggests that specialised modules process visual information in a hierarchical manner, using local circuitry in order to maximise efficiency both in terms of wiring costs and stimulus coverage (Reichl et al. (2012)). The resulting organisation has been shown to contain structure in the form of stripes, columns and pinwheels, which in animal models have been linked to functional segregation and specificity. In human cortex, post-mortem investigations have assisted in the visualisation of two such key features: ocular dominance columns (ODC) within V1, and a stripe system within V2 (Adams et al. (2007); Hockfield et al. (1990)). However, functional observations in humans have until recently been beyond the investigatory scope of in-vivo methodology, and as such, a role of these networks has yet to be conclusively determined.
In the small number of instances of in-vivo investigations of human ODC and V2 stripes (Cheng et al. (2001); Yacoub et al. (2001); Nasr et al. (2016)), data have been acquired for a small number of carefully selected participants over long scan durations. I aimed to overcome these limitations and explore the functional similarities further, employing a novel, ultra-high resolution fMRI sequence to do so.
I measured the cortical response to monocular stimulation and recorded a robust response within V1. However, the regular and repeating functional patterns of ODCs were not observed. Using multivariate techniques I concluded, based on robust classification, that reliable monocular signals were present but that they were subtle and difficult to differentiate from noise. I then investigated the segregation of colour, form and motion within V2, where I found evidence for spatially segregated signals in response to colour and motion, but not to form. I hypothesised that the form stimulus was sub-optimal in driving the neural population of the associated stripes. Based on a limited number of samples, activity in response to colour and motion stimulation conformed on average to the neuroanatomical profile of the V2 stripe system. I suggest that my results offer encouragement for in-vivo investigations of small-scale functional organisation in visual cortex.

Keywords: Ultra-high resolution
MRI
Neuroscience
Vision
fMRI
Advisor: Parker, A
Bridge, H
Efficient simulation techniques for biochemical reaction networks

Discrete-state, continuous-time Markov models are becoming commonplace in the modelling of biochemical processes. The mathematical formulations that such models lead to are opaque, and, due to their complexity, are often considered analytically intractable. As such, a variety of Monte Carlo simulation algorithms have been developed to explore model dynamics empirically. Whilst well-known methods, such as the Gillespie Algorithm, can be implemented to investigate a given model, the computational demands of traditional simulation techniques remain a significant barrier to modern research.
In order to further develop and explore biologically relevant stochastic models, new and efficient computational methods are required. In this thesis, high-performance simulation algorithms are developed to estimate summary statistics that characterise a chosen reaction network. The algorithms make use of variance reduction techniques, which exploit statistical properties of the model dynamics, so that the statistics can be computed efficiently.
The multi-level method is an example of a variance reduction technique. The method estimates summary statistics of well-mixed, spatially homogeneous models by using estimates from multiple ensembles of sample paths of different accuracies. In this thesis, the multi-level method is developed in three directions: firstly, a nuanced implementation framework is described; secondly, a reformulated method is applied to stiff reaction systems; and, finally, different approaches to variance reduction are implemented and compared.
The variance reduction methods that underpin the multi-level method are then re-purposed to understand how the dynamics of a spatially-extended Markov model are affected by changes in its input parameters. By exploiting the inherent dynamics of spatially-extended models, an efficient finite difference scheme is used to estimate parametric sensitivities robustly.
The new simulation methods are tested for functionality and efficiency with a range of illustrative examples. The thesis concludes with a discussion of our findings, and a number of future research directions are proposed.

Keywords: Monte Carlo methods
Advisor: Baker, R
Yates, C
The Museum of Modern Art, Oxford (1965-1982): exhibitions, spectatorship and social change

This thesis examines the first seventeen years of the history of the Museum of Modern Art Oxford (MOMA), from its founding in 1965 until c. 1982. It is concerned with the changing relationships between the museum and its audience, focusing on those aspects of the museum's programming that shed light on its role as a public mediator of recent art. This provides a means to consider the underlying values and commitments that informed MOMA's emergence as a leading contemporary art institution. Chapter one examines the museum’s relationship to utopian countercultures through the metaphor of the museum as 'garden'; chapter two considers the erstwhile 'permanent' collection and its connection to corporate patronage; chapter three investigates the parallel forces of institutional critique and institutionalization; and chapter four addresses didactic strains in the museum’s representation of an emergent multiculturalism.
Although dedicated to the history of a single regional gallery, the thematic structure of the thesis provides entry points into historical and theoretical issues of broader relevance. It is based on primary research in the previously neglected archive of what is now known as Modern Art Oxford, supplemented by interviews with artists and former staff members, and by close attention to British art periodicals and exhibition catalogues of the period. It is also informed by critical writings on museums and displays, and by artistic, social and museological histories, allowing the museum's activities to be situated within the cultural politics of these turbulent decades.
The thesis suggests that institutional identity – as exemplified by the history of MOMA from 1965-1982 – is porous and discontinuous: the development of the museum over this period is animated by multiple and often contradictory ideals, continuously shaped by pragmatic considerations, and subject to a rich variety of subjective responses.

Keywords: Cultural history
1960s Art
Exhibition history
1970s Art
Museology
Postwar Britain
Advisor: Gaiger, J
Taylor, B
The governance of adult defendants with autism through English criminal justice policy and criminal court practice

Foucault's 'governmentality approach' developed the notion of 'dividing practices' (1991; see Seddon 2007) which recognises that how individuals and groups are categorised determines how they are governed. This thesis draws on critical disability studies and criminological literature on 'doing justice to difference' to develop a disability perspective in criminology, in order to analyse the governance of offenders with autism. It argues that there is descriptive and normative value in proactively categorising these groups as 'disabled' under the 'social model' of disability. The social model of disability is helpful in enabling us to distinguish between impairment and disablement. It allows us to comprehend the 'psy' literature, which explores the link between the 'symptomatology' of autism and criminality (the 'impairment branch' of the distinction) in combination with the 'interconnecting variables' (Browning and Caulfield, 2011) which lead offenders with autism into the criminal justice system and their inequitable experiences (the ‘disablement branch’ of the distinction). This is timely given the entrenchment of this model in the Equality Act 2010 and the inception of the Autism Act 2009, Statutory Guidance (DOH, 2010; 2015) and related policy.
Using cross-method triangulation of qualitative data collected through interviews with elites and practitioners, textual analysis and court observation of eight adult defendants with autism through their court process, this thesis investigates why the status of this group as disabled under the Equality Act 2010 has been overlooked in criminal justice policy and criminal court decision-making. It examines the extent to which policy-makers and criminal justice decision-makers consider the defendant's autism in their decision-making about the defendant's case in the courts. Finally, it examines the impact of 'collateral' effects of the criminal justice process on family members who supported these defendants.

Keywords: Equality Act 2010
criminal justice system
disability law
vulnerability
autism
Advisor: Hoyle, C
Youth networks and violence in the Niger delta

This study provides an alternative explanation for the nature of politics in the Niger Delta by focussing on the forms and contents of relationships within youth networks. While not repudiating previous narratives around historical and contemporary grievances, the study argues that a lot can be learnt from interrogating how social codes like respectability and self organizational tactics like provisionality, shape, not just the nature of youth politics, but also the ways in which youth imagine themselves and their place in fluid and extractive contexts like the Niger Delta. The implication of focussing on issues such as these, the study argues, is that it becomes possible to tease out the critical, yet often ignored, micro-politics of social categories which ultimately frame the way actors articulate their macro level grievances and aspirations. This study is driven by three main research questions. First, what pathways facilitate youth engagement with politics in the Niger Delta? Second, how do Niger Delta youth imagine and organize themselves as actors navigating its dynamic oil political economy? And finally, how has the Amnesty which was declared in 2009 for youth insurgents changed the nature of relationships within youth networks and how has it impacted on their roles as actors in the Niger Delta? As a way of engaging with these questions, the study used the 2009 Amnesty as a historical marker to periodize state interventions in the region and also to illustrate the impact and limits that formal interventions have when seeking to shape the politics of social shifters like youth.
The study's main contributions include a rethinking of the notion of youth which asks for a conscious analytical disaggregation of politically active youth from the general pool of the young. This implies that the idea of youth is dependent on acts of doing rather than of being. The study also challenged the idea that youth is marginal and argues that even the fact of marginality can be a useful resource for navigating uncertain social contexts like the Niger Delta. Through its engagement with the changing notion of respectability as well as the innovative deployment of provisionality as an organizing strategy by youth, the study provides new ways of analyzing the Niger Delta that can move it away from a fixation on rational choice narratives of scarcity, greed or grievance. Finally, the study provides the first comprehensive mapping of youth networks in the Niger Delta and does so across three pathways, showing how these complex relationships shape and are also shaped by the broader political economy of oil. The study concludes by arguing for new questions to be asked about how the shifting forms and geographies of the Niger Delta’s youth networks flow out to other areas of national and transnational life in ways that recognize the regions fluidity, uncertainty and permanence.

Keywords: networks of contingency
youth networks
respectability
Niger Delta
Advisor: Mustapha, A
Sacred forests and conservation on a landscape scale

In the matrix of land uses beyond protected areas, people protect nature in a myriad of ways, and have, in some cases, for millennia.
With the growth of global databases of Indigenous and Community Conserved Areas and Territories (ICCAs) and registries of sacred natural sites, opportunities are emerging for conservationists to engage custodians of sacred forests beyond protected areas.
As conservation expands beyond protected areas, successful engagement emerges from unities in the perspectives of conservationists and custodians of sacred forests. This thesis aims to identify unities for conservationists’ engagement with custodians of sacred forests on a landscape scale.
The thesis geolocates sacred forests and assesses the implications for conservation in four diverse landscapes in the Gambia, Ethiopia, Malaysia and Japan. The scale of inquiry varies across the papers, from the sub-district level to a national scale.
This research indicates that while sacred forests may be overlooked by conservationists due to their small size and autonomous management, when they are considered in concert on a landscape scale, opportunities for conservation engagement become apparent. This thesis demonstrates that sacred forests can be prevalent in diverse landscapes, persist over time, and provide ecosystem services due to their spatial distribution.

Keywords: Ethiopia
Shinto shrines
Borneo
conservation
Japan
religion and conservation
ICCA
human ecology
conservation biology
Malaysia
landscape conservation
spiritual ecology
sacred forests
forest patches
Gambia
Advisor: Bhagwat, S
Willis, K