VictorJuiz/thesis huggingface dataset:
A distinction between two notions of existence in the writings of St Thomas Aquinas

Frege's doctrine of the existential quantifier solves the problems of the Ontological Argument. Attempts are often made to apply this notion to existence-statements whose subject is a name. Those whose subjects are empty names, however, are best dealt with by considering senses of names. Sentences which attribute actual existence - e.g. 'X is alive' - cannot be adequately expressed in terms of the quantifier. Thus there is another notion of existence, called esse by Aquinas.
Williams's attack on this notion - attempting to show that to use a predicate to express it is paradoxical - and his alternative account, by means of quantifying 're-identifying predicables', both fail.
Aquinas, besides a developed theory of esse, shows an appreciation of the Fregean doctrine, distinguishing what is said in answer to the questions quid est? and an est?: the former including esse, the latter being esse ut verum. In this sense the verb 'esse' means 'aliquod dictum est verum': 'X est' depends for support on some true affirmative proposition about X. If 'X' is a nomen naturae (concept-word) it can appear in this supporting proposition as a predicate. Kenny denies this, but the evidence is against him.
Attempts to explain away esse, or reduce it to esse ut verum, can be shown to assume it. The distinction between the two notions can be used to dissolve a number of philosophical chimeras. Facts are a confusion between the senses of sentences and per accidens actualities: objects, between names and things. Object theory (ontology) is a confusion between logic and metaphysics, which are distinguished by means of the distinction between the two notions of existence.
Regulation of de novo lipogenesis and fatty acid desaturation in human adipocytes

De novo lipogenesis (DNL) in the human adipocyte is not fully understood. While some believe this to be an insignificant pathway, others have argued that adipose tissue may even be the main site of DNL. The enzyme stearoyl-CoA desaturase (SCD) plays a key role in the synthesis of monounsaturated fatty acids and its activity may be co-ordinately regulated with DNL. The recently-described Scdl knockout mouse model fuelled interest in this enzyme as a possible target for the treatment of obesity.
Human preadipocytes were isolated from adipose tissue biopsy samples and differentiated in vitro for 14 days to produce adipocytes. Using stable isotopes, the main precursors for DNL in human adipocytes were determined, as was the regulation of DNL by an exogenous source of palmitate, the end product of DNL. Finally, SCD loss-of-function studies were employed to assess the importance of this enzyme to adipocyte function.
Human preadipocytes were capable of differentiating to form adipocytes and expressed mRNA for the necessary enzymes for DNL. Glucose proved to be the main carbon contributor to de novo fatty acid synthesis, and glutamine was indentified as another source. Palmitate up-regulated DNL, with maximal up-regulation achieved with 50 μM, with a concomitant up-regulation of SCD. Interestingly, some subjects' adipocytes were unable to withstand a high (400 μM) concentration of palmitate showing signs of cell death. Palmitate-intolerant adipocytes had lower expression of SCD mRNA, less intracellular triacylglycerol and greater incorporation of [U-13C]palmitate in phospholipid fatty acids and consequently had a higher saturatedto- monounsaturated fatty acid ratio. Loss of SCD in adipocytes resulted in reduced cell membrane fluidity and reduced insulin sensitivity.
In conclusion, DNL may not function to increase fat stores within adipocytes but may serve as a key regulator, acting in tandem with SCD to maintain cell membrane fluidity and insulin sensitivity within the human adipocyte.
Some problems in the theory of finite insoluble groups

In this thesis, a study is made of finite groups which satisfy the following hypothesis:-
(*) G is a finite group admitting an automorphism α of order r with a fixed point subgroup of order q, where q and r are distinct prime numbers.
The main result is
Theorem A. Let G be a group satisfying hypothesis (*). Assume either that q is odd or that q = 2 and r is not a Fermat prime greater than 3. Then G is soluble.
First a structure theorem for soluble groups satisfying hypothesis (*) is obtained (theorem B). Solubility of groups satisfying hypothesis (*) is shown under the additional assumption that the symmetric group S4 is not involved: this serves to prove solubility in general for r = 2 or r =3, and to point to the initial reductions in the general case. The proof of theorem A is by induction on the order of groups satisfying the hypothesis for a given pair (q,r). A minimal counterexample is simple, and the remainder of the proof is to show non-existence. After initial reductions the cases q odd and q = 2 are considered separately.
For the case q odd, we require the following theorem which is of independent interest: it is a generalisation of a result of Glauberman, theorem A of (12).
Let p be a prime and P a p-group. Let d(P) denote the largest of the orders of the abelian subgroups of P, and let J(P) be the subgroup of P generated by the abelian subgroups of order d(P). Also, let Qd(p) be the natural semi-direct product of zp × zp, regarded as a vector space, by SL(2,p). We obtain
Theorem 9.3. Let G be a finite group, p a prime, P a Sylow p-subgroup of G, and Q a subgroup of Z(P). If Q is normal in NG(J(P)) and if either (i) p is odd and (p-1) does not divide the index [N(Q):C(Q)] or (ii) Qd(p) is not involved in G, then Q is weakly closed in P with respect to G.
For the case q = 2, the arguments involved in the proof of theorem A are mainly character-theoretic: we also obtain information about the exceptional cases.
Except as mentioned above, the arguments are entirely group-theoretic.
Experimental investigations in elementary particle physics

In the separation of final states contributing to the simple two prong and four prong topologies created by K−p collisions (K− beam momentum 3.5 Gec/C) considerable kinematic ambiguity has been found. A device capable of measuring mean gap length has been constructed and used in an attempt to resolve such ambiguities. The limitation of the application of the device is found to be largely attributable to too high an ionization in the primary tracks and some conclusions regarding this quantity have been arrived at. A method of ionization estimation other than that of mean gap length measurement is suggested and shown to lead to better statistical accuracy.
In the three body final states, strong K*0(890) and K**0(1400) have been observed and their production and decay properties reviewed in the light of the peripheral model. The K**(1400) isotopic spin assignment of ½ has been confirmed as has its spin-parity. Spins higher than 2 were not, however, considered.
Evidence has been found for production of the same resonance in final states of higher multiplicity and estimates of the decay rates of the negatively charged boson into K*π, Kρ, K−π+π− and Kω as well as into Kπ have been made. The results have been compared with the predictions of SU3.
The cross-sections of both single and double resonance productions as well as that of the decay of the K**(1400) into K*π have been determined by a maximum likelihood method, and the former processes found to dominate the K−pπ+π− final state. One of these involving K*0(890) production has been found to have some qualitative features characteristic of the Drell process.
The propagation of ion waves in the positive column

This thesis describes an experimental and theoretical investigation of equilibrium properties and low-frequency wave phenomena in the positive column of a low-pressure arc in mercury-vapour.
The structure of the positive column and the discharge kinetics were considered in detail. The conservation equations which govern then and the similarity laws which can be deduced therefrom were examined. The electron dynamics and in particular the ionization, mobility and energy processes were considered. The plasma sheath is of fundamental importance in determining the boundary conditions and mechanisms upon which many of the plasma phenomena depend. The properties of the plasma sheath in the actual conditions of a low-pressure arc were examined. Particular attention was paid to the generalization of Bohm's criterion in the presence of oscillations in the plasma as well as to the concept of sheath impedance and ways to measure this. Pressure effects in low-pressure arcs, which have been little studied and are little understood so far, are extensively analysed here and two distinct pressure effects are predicted.
The experimental investigation of the waves and oscillations was carried out with the help of phase correlation and spectral analysis techniques. Ion-acoustic waves propagating along the column and uniform oscillations of the column as a whole were found to occur spontaneously in a wide range of discharge regimes. Ion-acoustic waves could also be impressed on the plasma column by a suitable exciter.
The general properties of the ion-acoustic waves are reviewed, with special emphasis on the boundary conditions and propagating modes in a plasma column. The two-stream instability mechanism which operates in the actual conditions of a low-pressure arc is examined in detail. The properties of the observed ion-acoustic waves were found to be in general good agreement with the available theories, although a few points still require further investigation.
In-phase and uniform oscillations have been reported to occur sometimes in plasmas. However, very little work exists in this particular field so far. The origin and nature of these oscillatory phenomena are examined are discussed. The specific case of a low-pressure positive column is considered. The theory of the purely radial ion-acoustic oscillation of a plasma column is given at first. Next, the electron temperature is allowed to vary as well, and the theory of the radial pulsation of a plasma column involving both electron temperature and density perturbations is developed. In the light of this theory, in-phase and even uniform oscillations of a plasma column are predicted. Moreover, when electron temperature and density perturbations coexist there is a net perturbation of the boundary losses experienced by the plasma column. This mechanism can give rise to the instability of the uniform oscillation of the column. It is believed that the observed large amplitude non-linear uniform oscillations of the positive column can be understood and identified in the light of this theory.
Explorations of musical processing in individuals with autism

This thesis consists of three studies that explore the musical processing of children with autism. These studies were based on prior research that has argued that those with autism exhibit enhanced processing of musical stimuli. In study 1, 11 children with high functioning autism, matched to 11 control children on chronological age, nonverbal IQ, gender, and musical training and exposure, were tested on tasks assessing melodic memory and disembedding, frequency discrimination, receptive language, and phonological short term memory to compare the children's processing of language and music. The children with autism's language profiles were deficient. Their musical and frequency discrimination performance, however, were similar to that of the typically developing children. Since these findings were unexpected as there was no evidence of enhanced musical performance, study 2 was a replication of the note identification and disembedding task by Heaton (2003) and was carried out with the same group of participants as study 1. Heaton's results were not replicated with the children with autism performing less well than the typically developing controls on the note identification task and as well as controls on the disembedding task. The third study was an exploratory, observational experiment of musical responsiveness in a group of 16 young children with severe autism whose levels of activity, musical gestures, and socialisations were assessed over a condition of silence and music with and without many changes (in dynamics, tempo, key, meter, etc.). Although statistically significant results were not found, the observational paradigm, with high inter-rater reliability, served as a starting point for future investigations with this under-researched population.
Kinetic and equilibrium studies of positive halogen compounds

Equilibria in the halogenation of compounds containing C-H, N-H, and O-H bonds have been studied.
1. Electromotive force measurements have been made on cells of the type
Pt, X2, X−, (Buffer) / 3.5 N KCl / (Buffer), X−, X2, RH, Pt
where
X2, X−
represent iodine or bromine and the corresponding anion
RH
an organic compound with a reactive C-H or N-H bond.
From these data the thermodynamic equilibrium constants of the reaction
RH + X2 = RX + X− + H+
have been obtained for 20 organic compounds, in some cases at several temperatures.
2. From the free energies and heats of halogenation together with other thermochemical data, the differences in the dissociation energy of the C-H and C-X bonds or the N-H and N-X bonds in the compounds RH and RX have been obtained. Their variation in interpreted in terms of the structural changes in the organic compounds.
3. Thermochemical calculations on the hydrolysis of the halogens have yielded dissociation energies of oxygen-halogen bonds.
4. The equilibrium constants of halogenation have also been considered in terms of the ionisation constants of the hydrogen and halogen bonds and of the halogen itself:-
Ke = (H+)(X−)(RX)⁄(RH)(X2) = (R−)(H+)⁄(RH) ⋅ (RX)⁄(R−)(X+) ⋅ (X−)(X+)⁄(X2)
5. In this connection the evidence for the existence of halogen cations in aqueous solution is reviewed. Their free energies of formation have been calculated, and their significance in both kinetic and equilibrium problems has been discussed.
Diffraction properties of deformed copper single crystals

This dissertation concerns the diffraction properties of deformed copper single crystals with emphasis on their behaviour as neutron monochromators. It presents an examination of the effect of crystal imperfection on the diffraction of gamma and neutron radiation, using transmission electron microscopy to determine the detailed defect structure. The basic diffraction equations for transmission geometry are studied as a function of wavelength and thickness for neutrons and γ-rays, and qualitative agreement between experimental and theoretical parameter is obtained. However the theoretical approach is dependent on an idealised defect structure, having a Gaussian distribution of lattice misorientations, which is rarely found in deformed copper single crystals. A relatively simple relationship between γ-ray and neutron rocking curves is only applicable to uniform defect distributions. The wavelength dependence of neutron absorption for the range 0.5 to 5.0Å is established theoretically for various neutron monochromator materials and experimentally for copper. The temperature dependence of this behaviour is also considered.
The γ-ray diffraction is extremely sensitive to variations in the defect structure with position in the crystal, and this sensitivity is found to be dependent on both the dislocation density and the large-scale arrangement of dislocation structures. The dependence of the rocking curve width on the crystallographic direction of incidence could be reproduced qualitatively from a model in which bands of heavily deformed crystal are assumed to delineate regions of relatively perfect crystal. In order to determine defect densities and arrangements from γ-diffraction data x-ray theories were applied, but these also require a uniform microstructure, which was not found in the crystals examined. This is due to the neutron monochromator requirement of a large deformed single crystal. All crystals were deformed in compression, either as flat plates or as large rectangular blocks from which plates were cut.
Some problems in probability theory

The thesis deals with three problems coming under the heading of probabilistic geometry. They are dealt with in three chapters.
The first chapter is concerned with the angles formed by triples of independent, identically distributed points on a plane. The work is part of an investigation carried out by several workers and motivated by an archaeological problem concerning supposed collinearities formed by ancient sites. In the symmetric Gaussian case the joint distribution is found of two of the angles of the triangle. An integral is given for the density of a named angle in the case of a general Gaussian parent distribution. The asymptotic probability that the triangle has one very obtuse angle is discussed together with the changes that it undergoes when the parent distribution is "stretched". Finally bounds are obtained for this asymptotic probability when the parent distribution is one of a family of circularly symmetric distributions.
The second chapter is about the way in which Brownian motion knots in 3-space. A new concept, that of a "knot-tube", is required because the self-intersecting character of Brownian motion in 3-space means the usual topological notion of a knot can not be applied. It is known that Brownian motion in 5-space and above has very simple topological behaviour, but the 4-space case is unsettled. A partial result is given for 4-space.
The final chapter considers the topological behaviour of contours of two generalisations of Brownian motion to multidimensional time. The two generalisations are the Brownian sheet and the generalisation due to Lévy. Boundedness of the contours of the Lévy process is shown but no analogous result is known for the Brownian sheet. In both cases it is shown that almost surely the union of all non-trivial contours has zero measure. For topological reasons this union cannot be empty.
Synthesis and solution chemistry of functional surfactants

A number of synthetic approaches to preparing a metal-binding surfactant, containing the α-dioxime moiety, are described. Both linear and convergent synthetic methods have been unsuccessful in the preparation of a target surfactant. While the preparation of such a target molecule was not realised, some simple long chain α-dioximes have however been prepared in the course of investigating various synthetic methods. Microemulsion phenomena of these simple α-dioximes in aqueous surfactant micelles have been investigated by ultrasonic techniques, with the kinetics associated with such a process being determined. The kinetics of such α-dioximes in a co-micellar environment with nickel ions has been investigated under various conditions e.g. pH, surfactant concentration, and are reported.
In order to prepare chiral functionalised long-chain surfactants of known configuration via "directed resolution" of diasteromeric amides obtained from racemic lactones, the alkylation of lactone enolates has been investigated. Only the enolate of γ-butyrolactone has been satisfactorily alkylated with long-chain electrophiles. Numerous attempts to alkylate the enolate of ε-caprolactone have been uniformly unsuccessful. Through optimisation of conditions a viable synthesis to α-alkylated derivatives of γ-butyrolactone has been found. "Directed resolution" of diastereomeric amides, prepared from the racemic γ-butyrolactone derivatives, have resulted in the isolation of optically pure lactones.
Investigation of potential protecting groups for the α-diketone moiety in a functional surfactant synthesis resulted in the preparation of a 9,10-dimethyl substituted 1,4,5,8-tetraoxadecalin in a model study. Analysis of the AA′ BB′ multiplet couplings provided unambiguous evidence that the structure of this bicyclic molecule has the cis-configuration. Activation parameters for the ring inversion process between enantiomeric forms were obtained by line shape analysis of the variable temperature 1H- and 13C-n.m.r. spectra.
Angle resolved auger electron spectroscopy

This thesis describes a study of angular effects in Auger electron emission from solid surfaces using a specially developed instrument, based on a static high resolution electron energy analyser, that allows Auger currents to be measured with almost any combination of incident beam angles and emission angles.
The rate of Auger production as a function of depth was first of all examined by measuring the Auger emission angular distributions, from clean non-crystalline surfaces, using a wide variety of incident beam conditions. The rate of Auger production was found to be constant within the escape depth providing 2.5 ≤ Ep/Ec ≤ 24. Further experiments on various surfaces, with overlayers present, showed that the form of the Auger emission angular distributions could be used to determine whether or not the overlayer was uniform, and also to estimate its thickness.
The angular variations of each part of the copper M2,3VV doublet were measured for the first time from a single crystal copper surface. It was shown that the initial state of the Auger electron profoundly affects the emission angular distributions and this provided evidence that band structure effects could not be ignored when describing the initial state of the Auger electron. The lack of structure in the silicon L2,3VV emission angular distributions was thought to be partly due to Auger electron originating in different types of surface site in the silicon surface.
The angular distributions of the high energy Auger signals exhibited pronounced structure, independent of the initial state of the Auger electrons that could be correlated with the Kikuchi patterns end channeling patterns obtained at similar energies. Much of the structure in these signals could be qualitatively understood using the dynamical theory of electron diffraction.
Finally these techniques were used to study the growth forms of various evaporated metal films.
The development of negation in early child language

The development of early logic in the use of language is investigated in this thesis by studying the acquisition of negation in the language of children. In particular, the use of negation to express judgements about the truth-value of statements made by others is viewed as a linguistic manifestation of early logical abilities. The central hypotheses of the thesis are 1) the logical operation of negation to deny statements (truth-functional negation) becomes evident near the onset of syntax in the language of the two year-old child; 2) the developmental sequence for the emergence of semantic functions which negation serves progresses from the expression of internal states (rejection), to comments on external states (e.g., object disappearance), to comments on correspondences between external states and language use (truth-functional negation); and 3) the ability to judge negative statements as true is a later development than either judging misnamings to be false or judging another's denials to be incorrect, i.e., there is an interaction between PRAGMATIC factors (where the judged utterance is appropriate, given prior discourse) and SEMANTIC factors (where the judged utterance is correct, given specific truth-conditions), with an early overemphasis of pragmatic factors. Hypotheses (1) and (2) were supported by the studies of very young children reported here, while evidence for (3) was only suggestive.
These findings support several claims about early linguistic competence: First, that the child has abstract, reflective knowledge of at least one major feature of language, that it is a system relating to the world with logical structure, and second, that the child is nonegocentric in certain aspects of language use in that he or she evidences knowledge of truth conditions on the use of language which involve not only his or her own language but that of others.