VictorJuiz/thesis huggingface dataset:
The textual transmission of poems attributed to Tang women

This thesis examines the textual transmission of poetry attributed to women of the Tang Dynasty (618-907) from the eighth to the fourteenth century. Documenting the process of copying and re-copying of poems by a long line of male intermediaries - collectors, compilers, and editors - brings attention to the changes in attributions of authorship over time.
Chapter One examines the women poets and poems included in eighth- through tenth-century poetry collections and finds that even during the Tang dynasty, compilers were at times unsure of the original authors of certain popular poems.
Chapter Two juxtaposes the apocryphal developments in the biographies and poems attributed to various Tang women against imperial efforts to define the Tang corpus of poetry and prose, and argues that writers of fictional biographies consciously emulated the features of official biography.
Chapter Three emphasizes the manner in which Ji Yougong drew upon all prior sources, apocryphal and otherwise, to present his own unique picture of Tang women. In his influential compilation Tangshi jishi (1160s), Ji did not make explicit judgments about the poems selected yet the manner in which he recompiled the mis-readings of earlier sources led future generations of readers to accept a large number of Tang women poets.
Chapter Four is devoted to recovered manuscripts from Dunhuang which allegedly preserve poetry by Tang women. The recoveries potentially add to the corpus of poetry by Tang women, but only if the doubts surrounding the excavation, transportation and handling of manuscripts during the Russian expedition of 1914-15 are adequately resolved.
Chapter Five studies two collections, Fenmen zuanlei Tanggeshi (1265) and Tang caizizhuan (1304). The lack of evidence to prove or disprove the authenticity of certain poems is compared with post-fourteenth century collections wherein Ming narrative became a source for Tang poetry.
The conclusion emphasizes a smaller yet more secure corpus of poems by Tang women and sets out an agenda for research into the later additions (forged or otherwise) to the corpus of Tang women's poetry from the later fourteenth century to the present.
Organic photochemistry

The photochemistry of a number of aromatic systems has been studied; -
(i) Irradiation of 1,3, 5-tri-t-butylbenzene in neutral methanol yielded 4-methoxy-2, 4,6-exo -tri-t-butylbicyclo [3.1.0] hex-2-ene, together with a previously unreported compound, tentatively identified as a stereoisomer of 4-methoxy-2,4, 6-exo -tri-t-butylbicyclo [3.1.0] hex-2-ene.
(ii) Irradiation of 1,3, 5-tri-t-butylbenzene in acidic methanol yielded 1, 2,4-tri-t-butylbenzene and 1, 2, 5-tri-t-butyl-Dewarbenzene only, as primary and secondary photoproducts respectively. The primary rearrangement process is considered in detail and is shown to be intramolecular by 13C-labelling techniques; a mechanism involving the protonation of a benzvalene is proposed.
(iii) The photorearrangement in the gas phase of the six dimethylpyridine isomers has also been investigated. It is shown that the six isomers may be divided into two groups of three, 2, 5-, 2,4- and 3, 5-dimethylpyridine and 2, 6-, 2,3-, and 3,4 dimethylpyridine. Within each group, photolysis of one isomer leads to the formation of the other two isomers as major products. The rearrangement is shown to be intramolecular and a mechanism is proposed in which the nitrogen atom effectively inserts itself between any two carbon atoms in the aromatic nucleus.
(iv) The photochemistry of the six N-methyl-dimethylpyridinium chlorides is also considered. Preliminary data suggests that photorearrangement of these compounds may occur by a mechanism analogous to that for the dimethylpyridines.
The White Russian army in exile, 1920-1941

In November 1920, 100,000 troops of the White Russian Army of General Wrangel were evacuated from the Crimea. These men constituted the most cohesive group in the inter-war Russian emigration, and represented the grass roots of émigré society. In exile, after the troops dispersed, they maintained the army's organisation through their veterans' association, the Russkii Obshche-Voinskii Soiuz (ROVS), whose history is the main focus of this thesis. ROVS was the largest of all Russian émigré organisations. In some countries one third of all Russian exiles were ROVS rriembers. They continued to regard themselves as soldiers, and sought to renew the struggle against the Soviets despite immense pressures: foreign countries were unsympathetic to the needs of Russian refugees; most émigrés lived in poverty; and émigré society was under continual attack from the Soviet secret services.
This study shows how these pressures induced in Russian émigrés feelings of isolation and paranoia which helped to fragment the Russian emigration in the 1930s and which produced numerous public scandals and splits. Yet ROVS survived because it gave substantial support to its members. Its leaders found work for thousands of troops in the early 1920s, and later continued to provide humanitarian aid. ROVS viewed itself as an "order of knights", a concept which boosted the self-worth of members who had few other sources of moral support, and which reflected the prevailing values of White officers. These values, this thesis proposes, were primarily spiritual, the most important being honour. The Whites' beliefs brought them into conflict with émigré monarchist organisations, but they succeeded in resisting the monarchists and restraining their influence on the emigration. Meanwhile, ROVS members promoted youth organisations, and helped to support Russian culture abroad. Through these activities, Russian military émigrés made a more positive contribution to the Russian emigration than has hitherto been acknowledged.
Abd al-Ghani al-Nabulusi's (1641-1731) commentary on Ibn Arabi's Fusus al-hikam : an analysis and interpretation

This thesis is an analysis and interpretation of six chapters from al-Nabulusi's commentary. One of these is an account of his intentions for writing the commentary and the other five are commentaries on parts of the Fuṣūṣ al-ḥikam. These chapters chosen from al-Nabulusi's commentary treat important subjects in the Fuṣūṣ al-ḥikam which exemplify Ibn ʿArabī's thought particularly well. They are concerned with certain issues which were perceived to have a special importance in the Islamic religious tradition. One issue, for example, is that of Pharaoh's profession of faith which was a prominent subject of debate and discussion in Islamic literature. Ibn ʿArabī's position on this was severely criticised by many.
The thesis argues that there are four ways in which to appreciate the commentary's intellectual and religious outlook: first, with respect to its approach to Ibn ʿArabī's ideas; second, with respect to its use of Qur'ān and ḥadīth in the specific context of developing an independence from Ibn ʿArabī's thought and in the general context of Qur'ānic exegesis; third, in its use of language, narrative and metaphor, finally, in its legal approach towards the issue of Pharaoh's faith evincing arguments similar to those of Ibn ʿArabī, but not identical, and, like Ibn ʿArabī, adopting positions different from those of the wider Islamic religious tradition.
The thesis demonstrates that the commentary's significance can be appreciated in two historical contexts: the anti-Ibn ʿArabī tendency manifest in late 17th century Damascus; and the enduring tradition of polemics surrounding Ibn ʿArabī's thought.
Late Quaternary environments of central Mexico : a diatom record

The nature and extent of environmental change over the Late Quaternary in Central Mexico is still uncertain. This study addresses the problem through an investigation of subfossil diatom assemblages in lacustrine sediments. As some doubt has been cast upon the reality of climatic change in Mexico, the variations in climate experienced over the archaeological and historical periods are described and possible explanations put forward in terms of the mechanisms of the present-day climate.
The choice of technique and background to the region of the Neovolcanic Axis (Central Mexico) are outlined. As little is known of the modern aquatic environment of Central Mexico, a limnological survey was undertaken. The results of the analyses are discussed and possible trends of chemical evolution described. The modern diatom flora is presented for three areas and the results analysed using multivariate statistical techniques (TWINSPAN and DECORANA). These techniques highlight the importance of habitat in determining diatom assemblages. Subfossil diatom sequences are described from the Zacapu Basin, Michoacán (covering the last 28,000 years) and from the Upper Lerma Basin, Estado de México (covering about the last 11,600 years). Additional palaeoenvironmental information is provided by analyses of inorganic and organic geochemistry.
In Central Mexico, wetter conditions probably prevailed prior to 25,000 (possibly 28,000) yr BP. In the Holocene, a dry event occurred between 7,500 and 7,000 yr BP, followed by a (?) major transgression soon afterwards. The period 4,500 - 4,000 yr BP appears to have been very dry, becoming wetter in the period 3,000 to 2,000 yr BP. Conditions were dry again by 1,300 yr BP.
Man appears to have been an important agent of environmental change in Central Mexico over the last 3,000 years. His influence, extending into the Post-Hispanic period, is recorded in both the study areas.
The results from the Zacapu and Upper Lerma basins fit well into the chronology of climatic change being developed for Central and northern South America.
The burden of memories : towards a Bloomian analysis of influence in Osip Mandelstam's Voronezh notebooks

The Voronezh poetry of Osip Mandelstam (1935-1937) is viewed by many critics as one of the most heroic of Russian literature's many confrontations between the poet and the tyrant. Recently, however, Mandelstam's image has seemed to be compromised by the existence of poems revealing a more loyalist Mandelstam, in particular an Ode written in January 1937 in praise of Stalin. Critics are divided as to whether this poem is an expression of genuine praise and loyalty, whether it was written out of pragmatic considerations, or whether it is in fact an attack, in Aesopian language, on Stalin. This thesis argues that the lack of critical concensus on this and other matters is caused in large part by certain dangers inherent in the main method (intertextual analysis) used to study Mandelstam. The thesis therefore has a dual focus: it investigates theories of intertextuality and influence as issues of central importance to current literary debates, and attempts to establish an eclectic theory which fuses elements of various approaches to intertextuality and influence; but it does so in order that the poetry of Mandelstam and other Russian poets may be better understood.
The thesis provides a detailed examination of Harold Bloom's theory of influence and applies it to Mandelstam's poetry, and argues that it is possible that it may be applied fruitfully to other Russian poets. Yet Russian poetry also provides a corrective to Bloom's tendency to see poetic influence as almost exclusively a relationship between literary texts. The thesis argues that Mandelstam's poetic precursor is Pushkin, and that his sense of being Pushkin' & heir seems to place him under some sort of obligation to imitate Pushkin's life and death as well as his art an extreme case of zhlznetvorchestvo ("life-creation"). Mandelstam's most significant description of his own death as an imitation of Pushkin's is found in his "Stikhi o neizvestnom soldate" ("Verses on the Unknown Soldier"). Bloom's theory helps one realise that the "Ode to Stalin" is only a part of Mandelstam's rewriting of Pushkin's own uncertainties in his relationship with Nicholas I; one may view the "Ode to Stalin" and "Stikhi o neizvestom soldate" as a single text equivalent to Pushkin's examination in Mednyl vsadnik (The Bronze Horseman) of the conflicting claims of state and individual. Mandelstam's willingness to give the devil some of his best words is thus not incompatible with the anti-Stalin conclusions reached by his work taken as a whole.
Utilitarian theories of human nature, 1789-1843

This thesis deals with the reformulation of Utilitarian psychology in the early nineteenth century, in the years between the publication of Bentham's Principles of Morals and Legislation in 1789 and J.S. Mill's System of Logic in 1843. It is offered as a contribution to the history of ideas, and is set principally against "the spirit of an age" losing faith in the constancy and universality of human nature; it rests its analyses on the psychological writings of Bentham, James Mill and John Stuart Mill, and aspires to no special acquaintance with the detailed work of these philosophers in other fields - such as philosophy of law, philosophy of politics and ethics. History of ideas has found few exponents and sympathisers in Oxford since G.M. Young, whose aphorism "Atmosphere is more than Creed" gives much of its spirit and preoccupations; and scholars who consider it as something more than the placing of x and y in the Zeitgeist, or the tale of who influenced whom, now tend to gather in Cambridge or at Sussex. For this reason I owe the more to the penetrating eye for sophistry and paralogism of Mr Bill Weinstein, Fellow and Tutor of Balliol; to him this thesis is indebted for its few virtues, and to him I am grateful for discussions which have given much pleasure and delight.
Computer simulation of spectral properties of ionic systems

The technique of Molecular Dynamics (MD) computer simulation is coupled with the interrelated theories of light scattering and atomic polarisability to develop and test models for the Raman scattering from alkali halide systems. The primary interest is in the spectrum and intensity of the scattering from melts, but scattering from crystals is also considered.
Two computationally tractable models for the Raman scattering are developed. One, a qualitative model capable of reproducing light scattering lineshapes in Nal, is based on approximations to the quantum-mechanical transition rates for the scattering processes and relies on the shell model interionic potentials from lattice dynamics to give insight into the dynamics of ionic dipole moment fluctuations, from which the scattering behaviour is extracted.
The second model is a quantitative one capable of reproducing absolute scattering intensities as well as lineshapes for NaCl melts. This model is based on a detailed parameterisaton of the variation of individual ion polarisabilities with the instantaneous local ionic configuration. The model parameters are extracted from the results of electronic structure calculations on ionic systems performed elsewhere. This model has additionally been applied with some success to NaCl crystal systems. The scattering behaviour of LiF has also been considered, although no experimental comparison is available. The primary failure of the second model is its inability to predict the correct depolarisation ratio for the scattering from NaCl; reasons for this are offered.
In developing the models, computer simulation techniques and the light scattering and polarisability theories are reviewed, as are aspects of alkali halide systems, especially interionic potentials suitable for use in simulations. Numerous improvements and extensions to the models are suggested.
Reformist conservatism and political mobilization : a study of factionalism and movements for reform within the German Conservative Party, 1876-1914

This study of the German Conservative Party (DKP) suggests that two factors - the wielding of high-level influence and the mobilization of popular forces - were particularly important in determining the response of the traditional Right to new social, economic, and political pressures in Imperial Germany.
Caught between the conflicting demands of 'political exclusivity' and 'mass inclusion' , German Conservatives were faced with challenges of adaptation which they were, in the main, unable to meet. Due to a lack of unity and an uncertain response to the possibilities of reform within their party, Conservatives continued to try to reconcile elitist and popular brands of politics, even as their inability to cope with the breakdown of the traditional 'politics of notables' became clear.
This thesis presents a new and differentiated picture of the DKP, suspended between 'high' and 'low' politics. An analysis of pre-1914 Conservative politics 'from the bottom up' suggests how demands for political participation at the grass-roots level were registered; conversely, a study of the party leaders' reactions to reformism and dissent indicates how opportunities for participation were conceded - or denied - from above. This thesis places special emphasis on exploring the ways dissident Conservatives expressed their views in the provinces, the press, and the party congresses.
Past views of the DKP as a static, monolithic, and exclusively agrarian vehicle for the defence of a narrow class interest are no longer adequate. Movements for organizational and programmatic reform helped shape the broader dimensions of the Conservative Party's relationship with the government and other right-wing groups, as did perceptions of disunity within the DKP and hopes for 'enlightened' Conservative policies.
By using a number of new sources to examine the DKP's response to problems of factionalism and political change, this study helps redraw the equation between the apparent atrophy of the traditional Right and the awakening of popular politics in Germany.
Debate and dialogue : Alain Chartier in his cultural context

In early humanist France two debating traditions converge: one literary and vernacular, one intellectual and conducted mainly via Latin epistles. In this thesis I demonstrate how the two fuse in the vernacular verse debates of Alain Chartier, secretary and notary at the court of Charles VII. In spite of considerable contemporary praise for Chartier, his work has remained largely neglected by modern critics. I show how Chartier participates in a movement that invests a vernacular poetic with moral and political significance, inspiring such social engagements as the fifteenth-century poetic exchange known as the Querelle de la Belle Dame sans mercy.
I set Chartier in the context of a late-medieval debating climate through the use of a new model of participatory poetics which I term the collaborative debating community. This is a dynamic and generative social grouping based on Brian Stock's model of the textual community, as well as Pierre Bourdieu's sociological categories of field, habitus and capital. This dialectical model takes account of the socio-cultural context of literary production, and suggests the fundamentally competitive yet collaborative nature of late-medieval poetry. I draw an analogy here between literary debates and game-playing, engaging with the game theory of Johan Huizinga and Roger Caillois, and discuss the manuscript context of such literary debates as the materialisation of this poetic game. The collaborative debating community I postulate affords unique insights into the dynamics of late-medieval compositional and reading practices.
Quantifying forest carbon stocks and changes in support of the Kyoto Protocol

This thesis brings together research conducted on field based, remote sensing and modelling approaches to meet reporting requirements set by the Kyoto Protocol. Parties are given the option to meet part of their greenhouse gases reduction requirements through the conservation and enhancement of the carbon stored in forest ecosystems. Two contrasting forests (Monks Wood, UK, 52°24' N, 0°14' W and Thetford UK, 52°30' N, 0°30' E) were selected for the development and assessment of the selected methods.
Field-based measurements were used to quantify carbon stocks in Monks Wood, providing the first exhaustive assessment of the carbon content held in a UK semi-natural woodland. The total carbon content of the stands varied from 346 to 616 tonnes per hectare (t ha-1) and highlighted the importance of broadleaved woodlands as carbon stores in the UK. A quantitative appraisal of remote sensing methods was also provided. For land cover discrimination, both optical and radar remote sensing have been successful. For forest carbon stock estimation, LiDAR approaches may provide the only viable remote sensing tool for this purpose. As a result, a LiDAR-based method was developed and the results compared to field-based estimates. At the stand level, the agreement between the field-based and the LiDAR estimates was r=0.85. At the woodland level, due to the enhanced capability of LiDAR to monitor the natural variability of carbon across the woodland, the estimates were nearly 24% lower than those from the ground. Remote sensing of field-based approaches are unsuitable alone for quantifying below-ground carbon content and can be resource intensive. Process-based models enable an estimation of below-ground components to be made. Much uncertainty however arises from the lack of information available on model parameter values. The 3-PG model was used to simulate forest production in Thetford forest and a Bayesian calibration was applied. The results showed that this statistical approach could provide an overall framework for integrating and quantifying the uncertainty in the combined field based, remote sensing and modelling datasets, a result highly relevant in the context of the Kyoto Protocol.
Overexpression of DNA polymerase beta and its effect on genome stability

DNA polymerases play key roles in DNA synthesis by catalysing the polymerisation of deoxynucleotides opposite a parental (template) DNA strand to generate a new or repaired complementary daughter strand. Faithful replication by DNA polymerases is essential in maintaining genome integrity during cell division, DNA repair and DNA recombination. DNA polymerase beta (Pol β) plays a pivotal role in the base excision repair (BER) pathway by performing repair synthesis to fill single nucleotide gaps which arise during DNA repair. However, overexpression of Pol β is found in many human cancers and has been shown to promote a mutator phenotype. The aim of this study was therefore to investigate the effect of Pol β overexpression on BER. In vitro repair assays using whole cell extracts and DNA substrates containing site-specific BER lesions were conducted to compare two cell lines, one of which was derived from a cancer patient overexpressing Pol β. I found that overexpression of Pol β results in a 5 to 10-fold increased frequency of one nucleotide frameshift mutations and based on biochemical studies a mechanism is proposed to explain this phenomenon. I therefore conclude that an excess of Pol β can have potentially mutagenic consequences.