VictorJuiz/thesis huggingface dataset:
Essays in private markets

This thesis studies questions in the area of private markets, with a focus on entrepreneurial finance and asset management. Chapter 1 provides a general introduction to the topic and outlines how each chapter contributes to the literature.
Chapter 2 builds on the observation that policymakers across the world like to encourage innovation and high impact start-ups to spur growth. Initiatives include tempting US venture capital firms to invest locally, betting on them to bring in capital and expertise. Chapter 2 documents another benefit: US venture capitalists have a distinct investment style that is more tolerant of financial losses when investing abroad compared to non-US venture capital firms. Chapter 2 finds that companies funded by US venture capitalists already have higher cumulative losses at the time of funding, and then incur further cumulative losses. They are more likely to receive subsequent funding, which is necessary to sustain their higher financial losses. Ultimately, they have a higher likelihood of a successful exit, suggesting that incurring financial losses was worthwhile. Chapter 2 also finds that companies backed by US venture capitalists rely more on equity financing rather than debt financing, consistent with equity financing being better suited for loss making firms.
Chapter 3 examines whether and how outside expertise of directors matters for start-up companies. Chapter 3 exploits the fact that some directors sit on multiple boards simultaneously and studies the effects of director attention on a focal company’s performance and growth. Identification comes from leveraging distraction events at directors’ other companies that plausibly shock their attention. Chapter 3 finds that an increase in a company’s fraction of directors who are distracted leads to a decline in return on assets (ROA) and sales growth, especially if distracted directors are more experienced. Effect sizes represent 8% and 11% of the sample median of ROA and sales growth, which is larger than what prior literature has documented for public companies.
Chapter 4 shows that separate account investors outperform category-matched mutual fund investors yearly by 14-24 bps gross and 50-75 bps net. This outperformance is entirely explained by structural and reporting differences between the vehicles and by size differences between investors. Controlling for the average outperformance of separate accounts over their mutual fund twins, separate account investors perform at the same level as mutual fund investors, gross of fees, and slightly below them, net. Separate account investors choose products that, once adjusted, are more expensive than those chosen by mutual fund investors. Their fixed income picks do better whereas their equity picks do worse.
Chapter 5 offers concluding remarks.

Advisor: Schmalz, M
Hellmann, T
Multisensor fusion for state estimation via factor graphs

State estimation is a fundamental requirement for mobile robots. An accurate and robust estimate of a platform’s location and environment is a key input for many other robot systems, including control, navigation, and task planning.
The aim of this thesis is to develop a state estimation system based on probabilistic factor graph optimisation. The proposed algorithm is called VILENS (Visual Inertial Lidar Legged Navigation System). It uses different combinations of camera, lidar, inertial, and kinematic sensors to estimate the robot’s state, and is designed to be robust to individual sensor failure.
This thesis presents several novel contributions. First is a new method of integrating kinematic measurements into a factor graph. The proposed preintegrated twist factor aims to reduce the drift caused by slippage or deformation by estimating kinematics biases online. These effects are not modelled in other works.
Second, a novel method for tracking and optimising sparse geometric features from lidar scans is presented. This differs from the literature which focuses on scan-to-scan or scan-to-map matching.
Third, the complete VILENS system, which is the first attempt at integrating visual, inertial, lidar, and kinematic measurements into a factor graph. This makes use of a novel camera-lidar synchronisation method to reduce the graph size and complexity. A key benefit of this tight fusion is the natural handling of degenerate scenarios without hard switching.
This algorithm has been widely tested on a variety of platforms, including legged robots and handheld sensor rigs. This thesis includes one of the first extensive real-world demonstrations of factor graphs for legged robot state estimation and has achieved relative position errors as low as 0.4% per distance travelled in challenging underground environments.
Several large-scale deployments of mobile robots have either motivated its development or directly incorporated VILENS for state estimation. These include sewer inspection, 3D building reconstruction, and the DARPA Subterranean Challenge.

Keywords: Legged Robots
Odometry
SLAM
Multimodal
State Estimation
Robotics
Kinematics
Factor Graphs
Multisensor Fusion
Lidar
Advisor: Fallon, M
When technology imitates life: how immersive technologies influence consumer judgments and behaviors

Immersive technologies have generated enormous industry investment and buzz, and marketers are beginning to embrace these technologies in hopes of transforming the customer experience. However, limited research has empirically explored how these nascent immersive technologies might actually influence consumers’ judgments and behaviors.
This dissertation aims to address this gap by exploring consumer responses to two distinct immersive technologies: Augmented Reality (AR) and Dynamic Audio. First, this dissertation investigates the consequences of presenting food objects in AR. Across four empirical studies (presented in Chapters 3-6), we find that AR’s unique ability to visually superimpose objects into consumers’ real-time environments increases their ability to mentally simulate consuming a pictured food, which increases their desire and purchase likelihood for the food. Further, we find the increased mental simulation produced by AR is itself preceded and driven by increased personal relevance for the food items. Importantly, we find this effect manifests on both large (e.g., tablets) and small (e.g., smartphones) mobile devices, and holds across multiple food categories (including indulgent, non-indulgent, desirable, and undesirable foods).
Next, this dissertation investigates the consequence of adding dynamic audio (e.g., Spatial Audio) to AR advertisements of packaged food and beverage items. Across three empirical laboratory studies (presented in Chapters 9 – 11) we find that because dynamic audio produces distance-based variability in sound (i.e., the amplification/attenuation of sound when approaching/retreating from a geo-anchored target object, respectively), it increases consumers’ sense of immersion in digitally-augmented advertisements, and accordingly improves consumer attitudes toward featured products. In addition, we provide evidence for immersion as the underlying mechanism, and define theoretically and substantive boundary conditions for the effect.

Keywords: Spatial Audio
Consumer Behavior
Augmented Reality
Immersive Technology
Marketing
Advisor: Hadi, R
Stephen, A
Balancing accuracy, speed and power in the computation of depth with stereo cameras

Many real-world applications in robotics and computer vision rely on the ability to acquire reliable 3-D information. Often, these systems also have strict requirements on the speed, latency, power consumption, form factor, usability and cost with which this capability is achieved. Although stereo cameras offer a cost-effective and versatile means of acquiring such depth information, using them involves computationally intensive processing over large amounts of data. At the same time, due to physical limitations on power consumption, the operating frequency of traditional single-core processors has plateaued. This has, consequently, spurred the adoption and development of multi-core and application-specific devices instead. As a result, algorithms can no longer be expected to simply improve in speed and efficiency with newer generations of processors. Instead, to achieve truly low-power and real-time systems requires algorithms that are purposely designed and optimized to account for the strengths and limitations of the underlying hardware.
Through efficient pipelining, extensive parallelism and conservative allocation of hardware resources, Field Programmable Gate Arrays (FPGA) are highly suited to fast, low-latency and power-efficient algorithm implementations. In this thesis, the capabilities of these devices are exploited for fast and power-efficient stereo image processing. Algorithms are investigated, developed and described for both strictly FPGA-only systems as well as heterogeneous CPU/FPGA System-on-Chip (SoC) platforms. The contributions of this thesis lie not only in the new approaches to low-power and real-time depth perception from stereo images that it proposes, but also in the insight that it provides regarding how to best utilize the FPGA-based devices for maximum performance. Simple, but highly parallel and predictable algorithms are shown to be great candidates for pure FPGA implementations, but more complex processing pipelines benefit more from the mixed computational strengths of the CPU-FPGA SoCs. The thesis also attempts to address the most significant disadvantage of using FPGAs, namely long development times involving highly specialized languages, by demonstrating how high-performing implementations can be obtained with the efficient use of high-level synthesis instead.

Advisor: Torr, P
Semantic model driven engineering

Semantic interoperability is a concern in the design and implementation of modern information systems. Whenever two systems communicate it is important that they share an adequate, common interpretation of any information transferred. Similarly, whenever data created or ac- quired in one context is used in another, it is important that the provenance of the data is consistent with its intended usage.
Medical researchers depend on understanding good quality data, most of which is kept in information processing systems designed for multiple purposes by multiple organisations and individuals with different motivations in mind. As a result the original meaning and context of the data being used in analysis can be difficult to establish, in addition there are many ways in which data can be corrupted, missing or otherwise altered, resulting in research data scientists spending the majority of their time in activities variously referred to as ‘data-cleaning’, ‘data- wrangling’ and ‘data-munging’, sometimes leading to a lack of trust in the quality of the data.
This thesis is a response to that challenge. The approach combines and builds upon existing work in two distinct areas. The first is that of data standards and metadata registries, in which a consensus has been reached regarding the abstract representation of the ‘semantics’ of a data element. The second is that of software modelling and model-driven engineering, in which a consensus has also been reached regarding the abstract representation of data structures and the relationships between data elements.
The key contributions of this thesis are firstly a formal language for reasoning about se- mantic interoperability in terms of data models. In addition a formal grammar is provided on which metadata registries can be built guaranteeing consistency of models. A modelling language for metadata description is introduced, based upon the widely-used Eclipse modelling framework, a de-facto standard in model-driven engineering. The thesis then demonstrates that this language, used in combination with a suitable set of constraints for metadata registration and management, can be used to achieve and maintain semantic interoperability in practice.

Keywords: Software Modelling
Formal Methods
Model Driven Engineering
Advisor: Davies, J
Nikitina, N
Evolved P450 mutants as general oxidation catalysts for target synthesis via C–H activation

This thesis describes synthetic studies towards three natural product precursors: the tricyclic core of the abietane diterpenoids, a bicyclic lactone intermediate on Danishefsky’s route towards eleutherobin, and the hydrocarbon core of Taxol®. These syntheses were followed by an investigation into biocatalytic oxidation with particular focus on kinetic resolution.
Chapter 1 provides an introduction to contemporary chemical and biocatalytic C–H functionalisation for the introduction of oxygen and its use in natural products synthesis.
Chapter 2 describes the synthesis of an abietane tricycle and an investigation into kinetic resolution through oxidation by CYP102A1 enzymes. In the case of one P450 variant a study was carried out into the origin of the kinetic resolution process alongside the use of this reactivity in the synthesis of a natural product, margocin.
Chapter 3 explores the synthesis of a bicyclic lactone and its biocatalytic oxidation with cytochrome P450 variants. Kinetic resolution was observed with three enzyme variants and, through alteration of the enzyme variant employed, control of the major metabolite and its enantiomeric excess was possible.
Finally, chapter 4 outlines a synthetic study towards a taxane diterpenoid, again with a view to an investigation into its behaviour upon reaction with CYP102A1 variants. Submission of the taxane substrate to biocatalytic conditions showed a complex reaction profile, with clear evidence of kinetic resolution processes again observed.

Keywords: C–H activation
Taxol
Biocatalysis
Synthesis
Cytochrome P450
Eleutherobin
Advisor: Robertson, J
Wong, L
Designing tandem catalytic reductive functionalisation strategies of carbonyl derivatives

Chapter 1 introduces tertiary amide-based reductive functionalisation strategies as attractive access points towards medicinally relevant α-branched tertiary amine building blocks. Within the scope of this synthetic transformation, Vaska’s complex is highlighted as a chemoselective transition metal catalyst that has come to the forefront for facilitating tertiary amide and lactam hydrosilylation in a mild and efficient manner in both small molecular systems and complex natural product synthesis.
Chapter 2 provides a brief description of the Density Functional Theory-based computational methods that were used in Chapters 3 and 5 to complement the corresponding experimental findings.
Chapter 3 describes the development of a dual catalytic umpolung reductive functionalisation strategy that enabled the generation of nucleophilic α-amino radical intermediates from robust tertiary amide starting points under a mild set of hydrosilylative/photocatalytic conditions. The work showcases how a tandem, dual catalytic approach can be utilised to enable reductive coupling of amides with electrophiles, previously inaccessible using Vaska’s complex-based hydrosilylative chemistry.
Chapter 4 demonstrates how a derivative of Vaska’s complex can facilitate the hydrosilylation of α,β-unsaturated ketones. This finding provided a new synthetic opportunity for the iridium (I)-catalysed reductive functionalisation strategy to be used with carbonyl functionalities beyond the established tertiary amide motif. Inspired by the dual catalytic methodology developed in Chapter 3, the hydrosilylation step was combined with a secondary, chiral catalytic cycle to access enantioenriched products from feedstock enones, which have been thus far unprecedented for Vaska’s catalyst-based methodologies.
Chapter 5 features a computational study that was undertaken to elucidate the mechanism and origins of stereoselectivity for a novel, organocatalytic, nucleophilic desymmetrisation of prochiral phosphonate ester reaction developed in the Dixon group. The systematic approach that was used to construct a computational model of the experimental conditions is presented. An analysis of the key, non-covalent interactions that governed both stereoselectivity and reactivity of the system is also provided.

Keywords: photoredox catalysis
reductive amide functionalisation
computational chemistry
asymmetric catalysis
Advisor: Dixon, D
Duarte Gonzalez, F
Modular sulfondiimine and sulfondiimidamide synthesis using stable sulfinylamine reagents

In this thesis, novel methods for the synthesis of sulfondiimines and sulfondiimidamides are described. The use of sulfinylamine linchpins in combination with commercially available organometallic reagents and amines provides access to a broad range of sulfondiimines and sulfondiimidamides.
Chapter 1 provides an overview of the properties of S(VI)-functionalities such as sulfoximines, sulfonimidamides, sulfondiimines and sulfondiimidamides, as well as synthetic strategies to access them.
Chapter 2 documents a novel strategy for the preparation of sulfondiimines. A stable sulfinylamine linchpin, N-sulfinyl-tert-octylamine (t-Oct-NSO), is selected as the starting reagent. The combination of two different organometallic reagents with t-Oct-NSO in the presence of Lewis acid generates the sulfilimine intermediate. This is followed by a rhodium-catalysed imination, providing a broad range of orthogonal N-protected sulfondiimines. Deprotection and various functionalisation reactions provide the most diverse range of sulfondiimines to date.
Chapter 3 describes the exploration of a novel functional group, sulfondiimidamides, which are the di-aza analogues of widely explored sulfonamides. The combination of t-Oct-NSO with LiHMDS, TMSCl and various organometallic reagents provides the corresponding N-t-Oct primary sulfinamidines. Protection with a nosyl group provides orthogonally N-protected sulfinamidines. Oxidative fluorination followed by Ca(NTf2)2-mediated amination converts the sulfinamidines to the corresponding sulfondiimidoyl fluorides and sulfondiimidamides, respectively. Imidazole-substituted sulfondiimidamides are also shown to be effective intermediates, allowing primary amines and challenging N-nucleophiles to be used. A series of deprotection and further functionalisation reactions using sulfondiimidamides are described, indicating the possible application of these interesting functional groups in the pharmaceutical industry. An analogue of the COX-2 inhibitor, Celecoxib, was prepared using this methodology.
Chapter 4 details the discovery of a novel sulfinylamine linchpin, N-sulfinyl-triisopropylsilylamine (TIPS-NSO). The reaction of the TIPS-NSO with LiHMDS, TMSCl and various organometallic reagents followed by N-protection and N-TIPS deprotection, enables the synthesis of N-substituted primary sulfinamidines. A robust sulfondiimidamide synthesis method is developed from these primary sulfinamidines via PhI(OAc)2-promoted amination. Celecoxib analogue is prepared using this methodology in only four steps, and a sulfondiimidamide analogue of Sildenafil is accessed in just two steps.
Chapter 5 discusses the conclusion of our research and future plans.
Chapter 6 presents the experimental procedures and data.

Keywords: sulfondiimidamide
sulfondiimine
Advisor: Willis, M
O Canto Precário: Epopeia, derrogação heróica e desumanização em Caramuru (1781)

This thesis reframes the relevance of "Caramuru" (1781) in the contemporary field of literary and cultural studies in Portuguese. Responding to and revisiting the critical reception of the work, I consider that its circumstance in literary history falls short of the poem that Friar José de Santa Rita Durão wrote. What I call the fragility of the epic singing of the author is the vanishing point of my argument, which is extracted from the ambiguous character of the poetic configuration of the indigenous subject in the epic and consequent production of interpretative meaning. Aware of the overlook of the period within the literary studies in Portuguese, I intend "Caramuru" to be recognised as a pivotal work of the Portuguese-speaking world, written right after the gold extraction from Brazil and just before the dawn of the Brazilian nation. This period offers a rich questioning platform on several aspects that are present in today’s discussions on works and media in Portuguese, which is the case of how slave trade alongside racialized subjects are at the very foundation of the idea of the Portuguese Empire. Through its epic Durão shows partial evidence of this critique in a work meant to, paradoxically, glorify his fatherland. To get here, I discuss through "Caramuru" the Brazilian literary neoclassicism, the epic design of its hero, the poetic representation of the figure of the Brazilian indigenous peoples according to the Portuguese colonial system, the subsequent canonical derogation from the lyric and epic modes, the 18th century conception of nature and the idea of natural goodness, and how the enlightenment thought contaminated the relationship with the Amerindian peoples, interfering with the Brazilian identity at the time of its independence.

Keywords: Luso-Brazilian Literature
natural goodness
colonial Brasil
indigenous representation
Arcadismo
Caramuru
epic poetry
Brazilian literature
Moema
sacrifice
Portuguese studies
Lusophone studies
Nativismo
Enlightenment
Santa Rita Durão
Barter
Advisor: Rothwell, P
Augmented reality for the sight impaired

Vision loss is rarely absolute; most people referred to as blind have some form of residual vision. This residual vision can create a confusing view of the world. In this thesis, I explore how a camera system and a wearable display can augment an image of the word to improve its visibility and understanding to a visually impaired wearer. I focus on two crucial parts of life; recognising faces and reading.
In the first part of this thesis, I design and validate a new face perception test to assess different image enhancement forms. I used this new test to measure the impact of image enhancement on a visually impaired population (n=64). The results found that approximately 40% of participants showed a significant improvement in test scores. Performance was related to reading acuity and lower spatial frequency loss. I then develop and integrate a complete real-time image processing solution for face perception enhancement with an augmented reality display, demonstrating a practical application of the image enhancements.
The second part of this thesis's focus is reading. I compare paper-based reading performance against reading with a virtual reality (VR) display with a visually impaired population (n=53). I further assess the impact of different colours on reading with the VR display. The results found no difference in reading performance, comparing VR to paper- based. The colour of text and background had a significant effect, with 75% of participants having a preferred colour combination. A participant with a higher overall magnitude of colour vision loss is more likely to benefit from white text on a black background than black text on a yellow background.
Augmenting an individual's residual vision can improve the quality of information they receive about the visual world. While not universal, this improvement has the potential to enhance a visually impaired person's quality of life significantly.

Keywords: Augmented reality
Sight loss
Advisor: MacLaren, R
Downes, S