VictorJuiz/thesis huggingface dataset:
An investigation into the biology and function of protein Icb-1

In this thesis I describe an investigation into the function of the protein Icb-1, a homologue of Themis1 in B cells and monocytes. Themis1 is important for T cell positive and negative selections. Yet its function in T cell development is not clear. Although it shows characteristics of an adaptor protein and involvement in TCR-induced signalling, the exact signalling defects in Themis1-/- T cells remain obscure. Icb-1 is similar to Themis1 in sequence, function and binding partners. It has been studied in human tumour and macrophage cell lines, leading to limited conclusions. Its role in B cells has never been published. Given the link with Themis1, it is of great interest to investigate the function of Icb-1.
My study has been focused on the comparison between Icb-1 knockout mice with wild-type controls. I characterised the B cell development in Icb-1-/- mice, either naturally born or produced as mixed adult bone marrow chimeras reconstituted from WT and Icb-1-/- donor cells. I examined the possible compensation and redundancy of Themis1 and Icb-1, by characterising Thems1/Icb-1 double knockout mice. The Ig-HEL mouse models were used to examine the change in B cell repertoire due to negative and positive selections. The mice were challenged with SRBCs or NP-CGG to examine the germinal centre response to foreign antigen when Icb-1 is absent. In vitro stimulation of B cells with soluble and membrane-bound antigens was used to investigate early B cell responses in detail and to give insights into the defects found in in vivo challenges. Finally, I examined the BCR-induced phosphorylation of key signalling molecules and Ca2+ flux in splenic B cells.
The study revealed largely normal B cell development with subtle selection impairments, but a partially defected B cell immune response to antigens in Icb-1-/- mice. The marginal zone B cell population was enlarged in the absence of Icb-1, while the positive selection of B1 B cells induced by intracellular self-antigen was impaired. The deficient mice showed a reduction in germinal centre B cell generation. The defects are associated with impaired BCR-induced cell signalling to low abundance and/or low avidity antigens. In particular, Ca2+ flux and Erk1/2 phosphorylation were clearly reduced under certain conditions. The results shine a light on the function of protein Icb-1, and also improve our knowledge of Themis1 and the Themis family. They provide a new avenue of investigation into the regulation of BCR signalling, especially in Ca2+ flux induction and Erk1/2 activation. They also provide insight into how differential signalling is controlled within cells during activation and differentiation in response to antigens that vary in terms of affinity, avidity and frequency.

Keywords: BCR signalling
Themis2
B lymphocyte
Icb-1
Themis1
Advisor: Cornall, R
Concepts of sovereignty among the Shambaa and their relation to political action

This thesis is a study of the political symbols and general political concepts of the Shambaa of north-eastern Tanzania, and of their relation to changing patterns of political action in the Shambaa kingdom as it existed before colonial conquest at the end of the nineteenth century. The thesis is based on research which was carried out between March 1966 and August 1968 in Tanzania, and in 1965-1966 in British and German archives.
The work is an attempt to explore the relationship between two bodies of evidence on the political organization of the Shambaa. First, there are the configurations of symbols and sets of general concepts of the Shambaa view of politics. In these, linear non-reversible time is suppressed. History is seen by the Shambaa as an alternation between strong Kings who dominated the chiefs and thereby brought fertility to the entire land, and weak Kings who competed with the chiefs, in which cases there was famine. Secondly, there is the record of political action throughout the history of the kingdom. There were frequent changes not only in the distribution of power between King and chiefs, but also in the potential sources of support for competing leaders, it is shown that the patterns of action which are explained by the Shambaa in terms of the general concepts did indeed change.
In Shambaa kingship the divergence between experience and an articulated system of cultural ideology was potentially great because the King was expected to provide leadership when new political or economic forces in the region impinged on the kingdom, and because the King often had the power to act in ways which were unexpected. For these reasons, the most important political concepts were general and ambiguous. They lacked precision in their classification of social groups, and in their specification of accepted behaviour.
[Please see pdf. for full abstract.]
How do Bilateral Investment Treaties work? Evidence from highly regulated industries

While much has been written on whether signing bilateral investment treaties (BITs) actually leads to greater inward foreign direct investment (FDI), relatively little attention has been paid to understanding the underlying question of how BITs attract investment. This thesis helps to fill this gap, both theoretically and empirically. It develops a rational choice account of why a government that has signed many BITs will be incentivized to adopt marginally more investor-friendly regulation, a benefit which will be of particular value to one specific group of investors: those in highly regulated industries that do not have easy access to BIT substitutes, most importantly state contracts. Econometric analysis of the effects of BITs on industry-level FDI provides strong support for this model: BITs are associated with an increase in FDI in finance and business services, but not in other industries.

Keywords: Bilateral Investment Treaties
Foreign Investment
Advisor: Hurrell, A
The cosmological argument

We begin with an account of the Prime Mover argument. This originated in the "laws" of Plato, where it is argued that a self-moving mover must exist as source of other motions, and that it must be a kind of soul. In Aristotle this Prime Mover is not itself moved, and elaborate proofs of its existence are offered in the "Physics": all motion requires a mover, and the series cannot go on to infinity, but must end in one or more unmoved movers. His proofs, however, were far from watertight, and later Peripatetics like Theophrastus and Strato rejected them. The argument reappeared in Proclus, but only as subsidiary to a First Cause argument; moreover,the Prime Mover is only the second member of the Neoplatonic "trinity". John Philoponus' theory of "impetus" should have undermined the argument, but in fact did not, and it continued to be used by the Arabs (despite criticism by Avicenna) and the Jews (notably Maimonides). It was taken over by the Christian scholastics like Aquinas. But criticism also continued, especially from Algaael in Islam and by Ockham and his followers in Christendom, and a detailed refutation was offered by the Jew Crescas. The arrival of non-Aristotelian physics was fatal to the argument; it is indeed still defended occasionally by neo-Scholastic philosophers, but none of their defences is adequate. Outside Scholasticism it has few supporters, though Samuel Clarke used it for the Platonic purpose of pointing out an analogy between the Prime Mover and mind, Lotze, however, advanced a quite different kind of argument, but based, like the Platonic and Aristotelian ones, on the existence of change; he argued that change ought always to be internal to that which changes, and hence that the universe must be in some sense a unity. The relationship between this unity and individual things would then be analogous to that between a mind and its states.
[Continued in text ...]
The role of helicity in turbulent fluid dynamics

In this thesis we consider turbulent fluid systems. We develop a closure scheme in which the mean velocity field of an incompressible fluid is driven by a turbulent velocity field possessing a non-zero mean helicity. We use this to investigate the formation of large scale vortices and the behaviour of the mean kinetic energy, enstrophy and helicity.
The same technique is then applied to the equations of magneto-hydrodynamics, in order to explain the self-generation of mean magnetic fields, and the joint formation of current and vortex structures.
We then discuss the convection of a passive scalar by the fluid and determine an equation for the mean temperature.
Finally we present a theory to account for the behaviour of a two-dimensional electrically conducting fluid subject to a constant external magnetic field driven by external forces. We explain the peaks in the power spectrum, the saturation of the magnetic and kinetic energies, and the insensitiveness of their equilibrium value on the external field. All of these are observed in numerical experiments.

Advisor: Haar, D
We worked night and day that we might not burden any of you (1 Thessalonians 2:9)

In recent years, a prolific amount of books and articles on Paul have sought to bring Paul's life and theology into new light. This dissertation is an investigation into an aspect of Paul's life and thought which has remained little discussed in secondary literature, even when as of late, the social world of Paul has been in more focus — that of Paul's portrayal of manual work, and Ins use of the imagery of the workplace (ideas of toil, labour, weakness, slavery, economics, and so on). The thesis contributes to our understanding of what may have affected the portrayal of work in Paul's thought by surveying all the available evidence, and secondly, it concludes by way of providing a balance to the studies of Hock and others, that Paul's portrayal of work was derived from his Jewish heritage as well as his Graeco-Roman context.
The first chapter introduces the subject, surveys previous research to demonstrate the need for the present study, and sets out the broader context of the literature to be examined. Chapter two considers the Jewish evidence. Two ways of looking at work are identified. Firstly, the portrayal of God as worker is examined and secondly, the portrayal of human work is discussed. These themes shape chapter three which discusses the Graeco-Roman evidence, and Chapter four which examines the non-Pauline Christian material. Chapter five considers the portrayal of work in the Pauline letters, cross-referencing with the previous chapters where relevant.
The final chapter summarises the conclusions that are drawn from the evidence and outlines their implications for current scholarship in Paul.

Advisor: Professor Martin D. Goodman, C
Tandem catalytic processes involving Rhodium-catalysed intermolecular hydroacylation

This work describes the extension of rhodium-catalysed intermolecular hydroacylation to encompass some tandem catalytic processes, wherein a further catalytic process is enacted on the product of an intermolecular hydroacylation reaction in “one pot”.
Chapter 1 entails an overview of the development of hydroacylation chemistry, with a focus on the different types of catalytic systems which have been used to facilitate this transformation. A brief description of some precedented examples of tandem catalytic processes which include a hydroacylation reaction is also included.
Chapter 2 describes the intermolecular hydroacylation of chelating aldehydes and propargylic alkynes to form γ-hydroxy-α,β-enones, and their subsequent acid-catalysed cyclisation to form substituted furans in a "one-pot" procedure. Additionally, a tandem intermolecular hydroacylation/double-bond isomerisation protocol for the synthesis of 1,4-dicarbonyl compounds is detailed, and the subsequent transformation of this class of compounds to heterocycles is included.
Chapter 3 focuses on the development of tandem catalytic hydroacylation/reductive processes, wherein a hydroacylation product undergoes a reduction which is catalysed by the hydroacylation catalyst.
Chapter 4 describes an attempt to utilise the rhodium-catalysed conjugate addition of arylmetal species to enomes to create a tandem alkyne hydroacylation/conjugate addition process.
Chapter 5 encompasses the use of a small range of different solvents in rhodium-catalysed hydroacylation, in an attempt to find higher-boiling alternatives to acetone and a "green" alternative to the commonly used DCE.

Keywords: heterocycles
catalysis
rhodium
hydroacylation
chemistry
Advisor: Willis, M
A world elsewhere

When Charles Brasch died, in 1973, he specified that his private papers - his diaries, letters, and many of his manuscripts - be placed under embargo for thirty years after his death. The external details of his life were, by this time, well-known. He had become a high-profile figure in the field of New Zealand literature, through his critical writings, his role as 'patron', and particularly his twenty- year editorship of the periodical Landfall. Yet his reputation as a poet, although established, was neglected both then and now. His poetry is one of central relevance to a contemporary scene; as clearly as any, it reveals the difficulty of writing for, and about, a society which still laboured under the weight of a 'colonial' stigma. By tracing the movement from his juvenilia to his mature poetry, from his teenage years to adulthood, this study examines the effect of Brasch's personal development on his writing. Partly because of the embargo on his papers, partly because of his secretive nature, his private life has remained a shadow behind poetry which is itself often ambiguous; yet his creative progression was largely determined by the events of this life, both external and internal. Previously, little has been known or written about the decade and a half he spent in Europe. These were crucial years, both in shaping his editorial vision, and in the discovery of his own poetic voice.
By means of personal interviews, and recourse to letters in private collections, his story is told: from his arrival in Oxford in 1927, to his final acceptance of New Zealand as his home, in 1945. The first chapter outlines the three years he spent at St John's College, and the general literary context in which he began to write. Chapter Two covers his brief foray into archaeology, and the resultant poetry and unpublished fiction. The importance of German literature - particularly that of Rilke - to his work becomes the focus of Chapter Three. As a direct result of this influence, the second half of the 1930s was dominated by his search for a voice, and a subject, of his own. Chapter Four details this struggle, and the first tentative New Zealand element in his work.
A teaching job at Great Missenden - the subject of Chapter Five - temporarily distracted Brasch from developing this theme, yet sources reveal that the country of his birth was never far from his mind. Chapters Six and Seven deal with the effect on his poetry of the growing unease in Europe, the difficult split of allegiances to two hemispheres, and his subsequent commitment to England for the duration of the war. Throughout 1944-5, he became involved in script-writing, and the eighth and final chapter examines the extent of his success in this new genre. His return to New Zealand, late in 1945, marked the apparent beginning of a career which, nonetheless, had its origins in experiences half a world away.
Art, ceremony and the British monarchy, 1689-1714

This thesis investigates the ceremonial and artistic strategies of the British monarchy in the years following the Glorious Revolution. By adopting a range of methodologies used in the study of visual culture, the thesis considers royal ceremonies as channels for conveying political messages non-verbally. These could affect attitudes to the monarchy, and inform artistic output. By paying particular attention to the way royal participants performed ceremonially in relation to the various formal and informal architectural settings for the court, the thesis highlights the process of seeing as a communicative act. Being alert to the impact of royal ceremonial and artistic activities on contemporary audiences, the thesis also considers the dissemination of royal imagery in England by commercial means. The thesis surveys paintings, prints and medals produced in England, and places the intended audiences at the centre of the analysis. It also pays keen attention to the impact of war on royal image making, and highlights the political context of continental Europe, especially in relation to William’s role as Stadholder-King but also the exiled Stuart court at St Germain near Paris.
The evidence presented here supports a number of conclusions. Firstly, war had a profound impact on all aspects of royal image making. Secondly, royal behaviour and involvement in ceremony were vital elements in the visual presentation of monarchy. Kings and queens were of paramount importance, but their consorts were highly significant. Art was also taken seriously by the monarchy and the Crown tightened controls on royal image making during the period in question. The thesis also concludes that the nationalities of the incumbent monarchs and their consorts, along with their previous experiences and personalities, influenced their individual approach to visual representation. These approaches could shift depending on political circumstances and the personal inclinations of the person concerned.

Keywords: ceremony
art
history of the British monarchy
Advisor: Barnard, T
Smith, H
The junior officers of the Roman army, 91BC - AD14

This thesis examines the evolution of the junior officer positions of the Roman army in the period 91BC – AD14, and the motivations, background, and status of their holders. Two introductory chapters consider the nature of the available evidence and the way in which the agendas and survival patterns of our sources have influenced modern perceptions. There follow three chapters of diachronic analysis, each analysing the number of officer positions available, the roles and functions of the junior officers, and the status of the junior officer positions in the periods 91 – 50BC, 49 – 31BC, and 30BC – AD14, and finally three thematic chapters examining professionalism and other motivations for service, the perception of service as a junior officer, and the role of the municipal elite within the junior officer corps. In addressing these issues, the thesis challenges the modern view that the junior officer corps suffered a dramatic decline in status at the start of the first century BC through unwillingness to serve on the part of the Roman social elite. Instead, emphasis is placed on the important changes which occurred within the junior officer corps during the period 49 – 31BC, when the increasing demands for both manpower and loyalty among the warring commanders had a significant impact on both the junior officer positions and the men who held them, and which also led to innovation in the organisation of auxiliary forces. The reforms of Augustus that followed, and the junior officer corps of the earliest years of the Principate are also discussed, in particular the notable military innovations of the Augustan period and the role of the Italian and provincial equestrian ordo. Furthermore, this thesis analyses the development of professionalism within the junior officer corps and the perceptions of service as a junior officer as expressed in literature as well as in epigraphic and iconographic commemoration. The thesis concludes with a series of appendices which list all attested junior officers of the period, as well as those considered junior officers by modern authorities, with discussion of those officers whose careers or dating might be considered controversial.

Keywords: officers
Rome
army
Advisor: Pobjoy, M
Non-linear control of the plasma vertical position in a tokamak

The thesis describes the design of a novel non-linear controller for the plasma vertical position in a Tokamak that maximizes the stability region and is robust to certain disturbances and measurement noise.
The plasma vertical position in a Tokamak can be open loop unstable with time-varying dynamics. The limitation in the output power of the control amplifier makes the time varying unstable system particularly difficult to control. Fixed-coefficient linear controllers usually fail to maintain control in the presence of large disturbances, like Edge Localized Modes (ELMs), which saturate the amplifier output. During the saturation period the vertical position of the plasma will grow exponentially with the unstable eigenvalue and may reach values that cannot be controlled by the energy provided by the control amplifier which is limited by economic restraints. The primary sources of disturbances and measurement noise that effect the vertical position are the ELMs and the 600Hz noise from the thyristor power supplies. The former are present during high energy confinement plasma configurations in the form pulses.
A simple model structure is derived for the vertical position which includes the effect of the disturbances and the measurement noise and the control amplifier. The model is validated against experimental data from the JET and the COMPASS-D Tokamaks. A method to measure the maximum obtainable stability region of unstable systems subject to control limitations is derived and used to determine the conditions for a maximum stabilizer controller. A novel technique to determine the existence, the stability and the period of possible limit cycles for relay controlled systems is derived and used to determine the stability region of unstable systems incorporating relay controllers with and without time delays.
A novel non-linear controller for the vertical position based on a discrete time adaptive near-minimum time algorithm (DANTOC) is designed to stabilize the system, to maximize the stability region and to be robust to the aforementioned sources of disturbances and measurement noise. The controller is tested in simulation for the JET Tokamak and the results demonstrate its feasibility in controlling the vertical position for different plasma configurations. The controller is also tested on the COMPASS-D Tokamak and the results demonstrate the improvement with respect to a simple linear P + D controller in the presence of the aforementioned sources of disturbances and measurement noise.
The proposed controller represents a much better solution than existing conventional controllers for the control of the plasma vertical position for the new generation of Tokamaks.