VictorJuiz/thesis huggingface dataset:
Imaginary interiors: representing domestic spaces in 1910s and 1920s Russian film and literature

This thesis is an exploration of the ways in which a number of important Russian writers and filmmakers of the 1910s and 1920s appropriated domestic interiors as structural, visual and literary metaphors. My focus is on the artistic articulation of the closed space of the Russian domestic interior, in particular as it surfaced in the narratives of the modernist literature and cinema of the time and became an essential metaphor of its age.
In my discussion I take issue with two standard ways of understanding domestic space in existing literature. I argue that representations of home spaces in early twentiethcentury Russian culture mount a challenge to the conventional view of the home as a place of safety and stability. I also argue that, at this point, the traditional approach to the room and the domestic space as a fixed closed structure is assailed by representations that see domestic space as kinetic. The importance of the 'room in motion' means that I address cinematic as well as literary representations of domestic space, and show that even literary representation borrow cinematic techniques.
My different chapters constitute case studies of various separate, but complementary, aspects of the representation of home space. The first chapter shows how domestic space in reflected in the poetical language of Anna Akhmatova. The second chapter focuses on the parallel exploration of rooms and a child's consciousness in Kotik Letaev by Andrei Belyi. The third chapter discovers the philosophy of a room built by Sigizmund Krzhizhanovskii in his short stories of the 1920s. The next three chapters focus on interiors of three different cinematic genres. The fourth chapter looks closely at films created by Evgenii Bauer, showing the director's innovative techniques of framing and set-design. The fifth chapter explores the film Tret'ia Meshchanskaia by Abram Room, focusing on the director's employment of the room as a structural device of the film. The last chapter analyses two lyrical comedies by Boris Barnet to show the comic effect produced by the empty room and domestic objects in his films, and also focuses on the image of staircase. In conclusion, I speculate that the representation of interior spaces in the period in question goes beyond genre, medium, and narrative structure and becomes an important and culturally dynamic motif of the time.

Advisor: Kelly, C
Identification and investigation of genes involved in Wolbachia-host interaction and genes for control of pest insects

Insects pose large problems for health and agriculture; several major diseases are transmitted by insect vectors, and huge losses in food production occur due to insect pests. Current strategies for insect control are inadequate, with several disadvantages. Various novel approaches are being developed, aimed at either suppressing wild populations, or replacing them with insects refractory to disease-causing pathogens.
Some possible strategies utilise Wolbachia, a genus of maternally inherited intracellular bacteria. Wolbachia can manipulate host reproduction through a phenomenon known as cytoplasmic incompatibility (CI), which leads to spread of Wolbachia through populations. CI could potentially be used as a gene drive system for spread of pathogen-resistance genes, or for population suppression via the release of incompatible males. Furthermore, some strains of Wolbachia have been found to inhibit virus transmission by mosquitoes; there have been successful field trials of population replacement exploiting this inhibition.
At present, little is known about the mechanisms of CI, or viral inhibition by Wolbachia. Discussed in Chapter 2, candidate genes for CI involvement were identified by sequencing the genome of the non-CI strain wAu and comparing it to that of the CI strain wMel. One candidate was used to transform Drosophila melanogaster, but it did not induce a CI phenotype. Chapter 3 discusses further identification and investigation of candidate genes for CI involvement by comparing RNA-seq data from wAu and the CI strain wRi, and from D. simulans either uninfected or infected with one of these two strains. Similarly, candidate genes for viral inhibition were identified and investigated by comparing RNA-seq data from Aedes albopictus mosquitoes that were uninfected, naturally infected with wAlb, or transinfected with wMel, which inhibits dengue in this species.
Other potential insect control strategies involve the release of modified insects with a genetic system that leads to population suppression. Discussed in Chapter 4, attempts were made using comparative genomics to identify the sex-determining locus in the mosquito Ae. aegypti, which could be utilised in genetic control systems. Some possible regions were identified, but the locus was discovered by another group before the work was completed. Chapter 4 also discusses the identification using RNA-seq of germline-specifically expressed or spliced genes in Ae. aegypti and the agricultural pest Ceratitis capitata; these could be used to control gene expression in various genetic insect control systems.
Overall this thesis demonstrates the use of high-throughput sequencing analyses to identify and investigate candidate genes of importance to insect control. It will hopefully serve as a platform for further research in this important field.

Keywords: pest insects
genome sequencing
cytoplasmic incompatibility
RNA sequencing
Wolbachia
Advisor: Shimeld, S
Alphey, L
Sinkins, S
Misinterpretation and the meaning of signs in Old English poetry

This thesis investigates how Old English poets understood the processes of signification and interpretation through analysis of depictions of poor interpreters and the use of 'sign terms' such as tacen and beacen in the longer Old English poems. The first chapter deals with the Beowulf Manuscript, the second and third chapters consider Elene and Andreas within the network of related poems found in the Vercelli Book and the begin- ning of the Exeter Book, the fourth chapter is on the Junius Manuscript, and the conclusion looks at the use of the 'bright sign' motif across all four major poetic codices. I suggest that there is a 'heroic sign-bearing interpreter’ character-type which several of the poems utilize or ironically invert, and that poor interpretation is nearly always asso- ciated with hesitation, which often resembles acedia. I also argue that there is greater nuance in the poems' depictions of modes of understanding than has previously been acknowledged: Eve in Genesis B does not stand for the senses which subvert the mind, but rather models the limits of rational thought as a means of understanding God, and Elene does not depict a simple opposition of letter and spirit, but a threefold mental pro- cess of learning about the Cross with analogues in exegesis and Augustine's Trinity of the Soul. Finally, I argue that there is a 'bright sign' motif which functions within a brightness-sign-covenant concept cluster, whose evocation as a traditional poetic unit is not identical to the denotation and connotation of its constituent parts. These strands of inquiry taken together demonstrate how Old English poems invest signs with signifi- cance by tapping into a specifically poetic network of allusion.

Advisor: O'Donoghue, H
What is Icenian coinage?

This thesis considers the purpose of the Late Iron Age coinage which was produced in northern East Anglia, and is usually attributed to the Iron Age tribe, the Iceni. The main source of new information used in the thesis is a detailed die-study of over 10,000 Icenian coins, believed to be the largest such study attempted for a complete regional Iron Age coinage. The thesis includes a review of previous scholarly work on the coinage and gives consideration to recent research into ancient economies and organisational structures.
The organisation of the coinage is explored and it is divided into four sequential chronological periods. The thesis explores the practical and organisational aspects of minting and finds that metal content and weight were important factors at all stages of production. The imagery and inscriptions of the coins are examined and it is found that, over the hundred years of so of production, there was a shift in emphasis from complex imagery, often containing hidden faces, to standardised simpler forms of iconography. The thesis explores the monetary role of coinage implied by these factors.
The deposition of coinage is considered, both as hoards and as single finds. The thesis shows how this evidence confirms the chronology and organisation of the coinage. It also shows that, contrary to previous assumptions, hoarding was not a continuous process in the study region. It was episodic using specific forms of coinage. The thesis finds increasing evidence of monetisation but also explores other potential uses for the coinage, and reasons for its issue.
The detailed die-study and descriptions of the many types of coin are presented as appendices.

Keywords: Iron age coinage
Advisor: Gosden, C
Constitutional study on executive-legislative relations in Chinese polities Hong Kong and Taiwan

This thesis will compare Hong Kong and Taiwan's constitutional development to enrich our understanding of the constitutional design of Executive-Legislative relations (E-L relations) during democratization. In each jurisdiction, the ad hoc constitutional transplants from the different traditions － the Western tradition of the separation of powers, the Chinese tradition of paternal state， and the communist tradition of Leninist party-state--caused institutional discord after democratization. Authoritarianism might have succeeded in masking this problem but during democratic transformation, when the nominal constitution starts to function, these institutional discords crippled effective governance. In particular, the failure of the chief executive in Hong Kong and Taiwan offers a contrast to Linz's famous observation of the "perils of presidentialism." It also presents a puzzle that deserves academic attention.
The analytical tools utilized to construct this paper include the agenda-setting and veto player theories from the study on political institutions. The constitutional configuration and mechanisms of agenda-setting and veto-playing will be used to explain the institutional origin of the governance failure in these regions. This paper will first identify the general agenda-setting and veto-playing patterns in the archetypical Western democracies; second, it will apply this framework to Hong Kong and Taiwan to test how these institutions are manipulated during constitutional borrowing, and how governance failure is precipitated.
The first chapter discusses the theoretical framework. The major themes of this chapter will be frequently revisited during later chapters. It will first give a general account of the executive and legislative branches. The tasks, powers, structure and personnel of both will be discussed to lay a foundation for later inter-branch analysis. Subsequently, it will summarize the different theories and ideas about power separation and balance in Western democracy, Chinese tradition and the communist regime, respectively. Next, the agenda-setting and veto-playing approach on E-L relations will be discussed. The relevant constitutional and legal mechanisms will be identified and analyzed. It will end with a brief summary.

Advisor: Barber, N
Risk factors for violence and suicide in the general population: an umbrella review

BACKGROUND: Violence and suicide account for an estimated 1.4 million global annual deaths. There is a large volume of literature examining single risk factors or small groups of related risk factors for violence, and separately for suicide. This thesis is an umbrella review that created an overview of this literature and compared risk factors across multiple risk categories for both violence and suicide, assessed overlap and estimated the impact of risk factors at a population level.
METHODS: A systematic search was conducted to identify reviews analysing risk factors for violence and suicide in the general population. Effect sizes were extracted and synthesized. Population attributable fractions were calculated where possible. Quality analyses were performed on reviews eligible for inclusion.
RESULTS: Twenty-two meta-analyses reporting on violence risk factors and 12 metaanalyses reporting on suicide risk factors were eligible for quantitative analysis. A further 37 reviews were included in a qualitative analysis. The strongest associations and most distinct overlap were found between neuropsychiatric risk factors for both violence and suicide, with particularly strong effect sizes found for neuropsychiatric risk factors and suicide. The neuropsychiatric risk factors which had the largest impact at a population level were substance abuse for violence (14.8%) and depression for suicide (27.9%).
DISCUSSION & CONCLUSION: This review demonstrated that neuropsychiatric risk factors for violence and suicide often have stronger associations with both outcomes than other types of risk factors, such as socio-demographic and childhood-related factors. This suggests that neuropsychiatric risk factors are of upmost importance in clinical risk assessment and as targets for intervention for violence and suicide reduction. Nevertheless, neuropsychiatric risk factors were found to account for only a small proportion of violence at a population level and appeared to have a stronger impact on suicide. Risk assessment for violence and suicide is complex and will always be imperfect. Further research is required to elucidate the areas of uncertainty found by this review.

Keywords: Suicide
Violence
Risk
Psychiatry
Advisor: Fazel, S
The structure of the right to privacy in India

This thesis studies the structure of the constitutional right to privacy in India. Recent events in the country — most notably, the Government's judicial challenge to the very existence of this right, a proposed biometric data collection scheme and the fear of mass surveillance — render this study topical.
The thesis concludes that the Indian constitutional right to privacy consists of three distinct conceptions — 'physical privacy', 'informational privacy' and 'decisional privacy'. Although the implications of the conceptual distinction between these categories seem to have had a considerable impact on judicial decision-making, they have rarely if ever been expressly articulated. On an examination of the Indian case-law, it may also be seen that the standards of judicial review vary between the three classes of privacy.
This thesis takes as its starting point, the Indian cases on privacy. An examination of the privacy case-law since independence reveals that the existence of this right has been reaffirmed time and again. However, conceptual inconsistencies plague most aspects of privacy. A survey of the scholarship on the taxonomy of privacy reveals useful insights. In particular, it provides considerable support for classifying privacy into manageable and conceptually delineable sub-categories. This then permits one to consider the further question — how, if at all, should the judicial treatment of these categories differ? Fortunately, the answers derived from academic literature are largely compatible with the Indian case-law.
In light of the Government's challenge, a constitution bench of the Supreme Court of India will soon be called upon to re-adjudicate on the right to privacy. It is hoped that the Court will take this opportunity to bring in much needed clarity into this area.

Keywords: Constitution of India
Supreme Court of India
Right to Privacy
Advisor: Craig, P
Wissenschaft at war: British and German academic propaganda and the Great War

This thesis explores academic propaganda in the first two years of the First World War, examining the activity of the university men in Britain and Germany who were left behind when their students went to the Front. Using pamphlets and manifestoes, it seeks to highlight the way the War split the international academic community and the creation of a debate which examined not only the causes of the War, but the reasons for which the nations were fighting. By exploring the propaganda organisations of both countries, as well as the academic milieu in which the subjects of this thesis worked, it hopes to provide the context within which this propaganda was created, before turning to an examination of the content of the propaganda – an aspect which has often been overlooked in propaganda studies. The investigation of the content looks first at the outbreak of war and the reaction of the academic community to a shock which shook their community. It then turns to the arguments expounded on culpability for the War, and the ideals for which each side felt they were fighting, illustrating the shift in emphasis from a political war to an ideological conflict between two opposing world views. Finally, the thesis considers perceptions of the War in the early years of the conflict, and the way in which it was seen both as a panacea to overcome social divisions and a catharsis which would lead the way to a new world – ideas which would provide the foundation for later war aims. In taking this comparative approach, the aim is to provide new insights into a fascinating and relatively little-known aspect of the history of the First World War.

Advisor: Grimley, M
Gregory, A
The making of imperial defence policy in Britain, 1926-1934

Although the period between 1926 and 1934 was relatively peaceful, Imperial Defence policy-making in Britain focused on threats along the periphery of the Empire. This included a short-lived, but serious concern over Communist expansion in China and Afghanistan and a fear that American naval construction would undermine the Royal Navy's position in the world. The first threat receded by 1928 and the second was met by negotiating the highly successful London Naval Conference of 1930. Throughout these years, the need to reorient the Imperial Defence system to meet a perceived Japanese threat in the Far East, and the Treasury's opposition to the very idea, remained constants within policy-making circles. The world-wide depression led to serious defence cutbacks which the services met largely by cutting back even further on war reserves and mobilization potential. The Japanese assault on Manchuria in 1931, and then in Shanghai in 1932, exposed the inability of the Imperial Defence system to meet a Far Eastern threat. This led to pressure from the navy, in particular, for an increase in service estimates, but the economic situation and the World Disarmament Conference kept the government from agreeing to any significant change in policy. From 1931-193, Imperial Defence concerns were centred on the Far East, but Hitler‘s rise to power in March 1933 turned attention hack toward Europe. Nevertheless, the first large-scale review of Imperial defence deficiencies, the Defence Requirements Sub-Committee, presented a report which balanced the needs of European and Far Eastern defence. In the spring of l934. however, the Cabinet found itself unable to come to a consensus on the DRC's recommendations and the Chancellor of the Exchequer, Neville Chamberlain, stepped forward with his own defence vision. He discounted the need for Far Eastern defence and re-oriented defence policy toward homeland defence. It was his intervention that set the tone for British rearmament in the 1930s.

Keywords: imperial
colonies
Britain
policy
military
defence
The early Irish law of pledging

This thesis investigates the law of pledging as presented in the early Irish laws and draws connections to its relations within the overall system of security. At the centre of my research stands the question what pledges Irish law recognised and how their application was determined, so as to provide a paradigm for the law of pledging in its entirety. A pledge is usually a movable, material object of symbolic and economic worth that is given to another person as a security deposit for an outstanding obligation.
The main findings of this thesis are a first paradigm of the law of pledging and a methodological and contextual categorisation of all types of pledges that opens doors for future research into property law. The combined discussion of pledges, hostages and sureties offers the reader insight into a triple method of security and its differences. Moreover, the close relationship between given pledges and distrained pledges is unravelled for the first time. Of further note is the comparative investigation into pledging. Therein, the reader is presented with how pledges are used in Welsh, Salic, Lombard, Visigothic, and Burgundian law. The objective is to offer the reader a view into the possibilities of pledging and to provide a framework against which the Irish evidence can be probed, which reveals how sophisticated and attentive to detail the Irish laws were. Finally, a translation of the primary source text Bretha im Ḟuillemu Gell (Judgements concerning Pledge-interests) is made available to the reader in the Appendix.

Keywords: History of Law
Irish Legal History
Advisor: Charles-Edwards, T
Physical barriers, cultural connections: a reconsideration of the metal flow at the beginning of the metal age in the Alps

This thesis considers the early copper and copper-alloy metallurgy of the entire Circum-Alpine region. It introduces a new approach to the interpretation of chemical composition data sets, which has been applied to a comprehensive regional database for the first time. An extensive use of GIS has been applied to investigate the role of topography in the distribution of metal and to undertake spatial and geostastical analysis that may highlight patterns of distribution of some specific key compositional element.
The Circum-Alpine Chalcolithic and Early Bronze Age show some distinctively different patterns of metal use, which can be interpreted through changes in mining and social choices. But there are also some signs of continuity, in particular those which respect the use of major landscape features such as watersheds and river systems. Interestingly, the Alpine range does not act as a north-south barrier, as major differences in composition tend to appear on an east-west axis. Conversely, the river system seems to have a key role in the movement of metal. Geostastical analyses demonstrate the presence of a remelting process, applicable also in the case of ingots; evidence that opens new and interesting questions about the role of ingots and hoards in the distribution of metal at the beginning of the Metal Age. New tools and new analysis may also be useful to identify zones where there was a primary metal production and zones where metal was mostly received and heavily manipulated.