VictorJuiz/thesis huggingface dataset:
How can the topic of electricity be taught in a way that engages Year 10 girls with GCSE Physics?

The aim of this action research project is to develop and teach a series of electricity lessons, using tasks which engage Year 10 GCSE physics students in a highly academic girls’ school.
It builds on the work carried out in Part 2, where focus groups were carried out across four year groups to ascertain student perceptions of physics. Electricity was a topic perceived as particularly disengaging. The post-16 uptake of physics in my school is aligned with the national trend; the number of students choosing to study physics is significantly lower than the number choosing to take biology and chemistry. This study argues that increasing student engagement with electricity may be valuable to increasing the uptake of physics post-16.
This study begins with a literature review to set out what is meant by engagement, outlining the problems with the current research in the area and highlighting ways in which engagement can be increased. The use of modelling to increase engagement is thoroughly examined.
A survey of 144 Year 10 students was carried out to elicit students' views of engaging electricity teaching. Seven electricity intervention lessons were taught and their success was evaluated using Grounded theory to systematically analyse audio recordings from a Year 10 focus group of four students. Following the focus group, the intervention lessons were adapted to develop an electricity revision lesson for Year 11 students. The success of this lesson was similarly evaluated using a focus group followed by Grounded theory analysis.
The main findings of this study suggest that girls' engagement can be increased by ensuring that tasks are designed to include elements of synthesis of prior physics knowledge or opportunities for collaboration with peers. Girls were not engaged when tasks were perceived to have no relevance to their everyday experiences. Due to the level of abstraction inherent in much of the topic, it was found that the personal relevance of each task could not always be explicit.

Keywords: MLT2017
Science
MLT
Mapping the uncertainties in internet-based clinical trials: a systematic review and qualitative study

This thesis maps the growth of the use of internet technologies in randomised controlled trials in health care and public health, and explores the methodological and ethical issues that arise from their use from the perspective of researchers and participants. Online clinical trials are growing in number, and claim to offer benefits for researchers and participants, providing solutions to some of the inherent problems associated with traditional trials. However, little is known about how many internet-based trials have been conducted, what methodological research has been undertaken, or what impact the new technologies might have on researcher or participant experience.
The thesis followed a step-by-step approach, using information science, research synthesis, and qualitative methods. The creation of a database of internet-based clinical trials established that they have grown rapidly in number, use internet technologies primarily to deliver an intervention, predominantly in behavioural, mental health, or life-style public health settings. A two-stage systematic review, comprising a descriptive map and a qualitative synthesis, established what is known about the methods, conduct or participant experience in internet-based trials. A qualitative primary study was then carried out, based on the findings of the review, to further explore the views, attitudes and experiences of researchers, participants and the public, into the motivations, benefits or barriers to taking part in internet-based clinical trials.
Themes emerging from the research suggest complex interactions between design and technology, particularly in the area of participant characteristics and choice; convenience versus intrusion; impact of time and place; the pace of change and impact of societal changes in the use of technology. A range of ethical considerations emerged, including the nature of informed consent, ethical approval, and the need for a systematic approach to patient and public involvement. Recommendations are made to help inform and improve research practice in the digital age.

Keywords: Qualitative research
Randomised controlled trials
Participant experience
Researcher experience
Internet
Advisor: Ziebland, S
Burls, A
The impact of extra-curricular activities on student engagement: in what ways does participation in symposium affect higher prior attaining students' engagement in English?

During my second year of teaching, the OFSTED report specified that my school needed to develop its provision for higher ability students. Even though they are a small group of the whole school cohort (12%), they were not being challenged adequately in the classroom or beyond. In addition to the whole school initiatives I formed as a part of my new leadership role as Higher Prior Attaining (HPA) Lead Teacher, I collaborated with a Deputy Head teacher at another school within the county to create Symposium.
Symposium is an extracurricular activity comprised of six 1.5-hour sessions taught by a variety of speakers. This culminates into a final presentation evening held at an Oxford University College, led by the students. In this project, I seek to explore the impact Symposium has on high ability students from a deprived area – more specifically on their engagement within the classroom. Even though most of the research on extracurricular activities has been carried out using quantitative methods, I have used qualitative methods to gain a deeper insight into the ten students' perspectives.
American researchers dominate this area of research. American research into the impact of extracurricular activities explores the overarching impact a combined range of extracurricular activities has on the student's social, behavioural and academic development. In contrast, I have narrowed this focus by investigating the efficacy of Symposium as an academic extracurricular activity.
Due to the small group of participants, it is difficult to generalise. There are groups of students who seem to be excluded from the benefits I will explore, for example the lower prior attaining deprived students and the students who do not hold a strong enough interest in English Language, Literature or Media prior to their participation. However, significant findings include the importance of the school's role to developing deprived students' cultural capital; the impact extracurricular activities have on students' interest and confidence within lessons, which subsequently help them to engage more in lessons and the social benefits that can also be accrued. The development of students' relationships with both their peers and their teachers, seems to increase their sense of belonging within the school, which also seems to filter down into their classroom engagement.
Ultimately, this project seeks to explore whether extracurricular provision can begin to meet the needs of disadvantaged, higher ability students. In light of this research, I hope that Symposium can be offered across all subject areas within the school, so that a greater number of higher ability students can be selected to partake in and benefit from this challenging academic project.

Keywords: English curriculum
MLT2017
MLT
Targeting the hedgehog pathway in disease: a structural biology approach

The Hedgehog (Hh) pathway is a morphogen pathway essential for proper embryonic development of all bilaterians that remains active in adults where it contributes to tissue homoeostasis. Malfunction of the pathway results in developmental defect, while constitutive activation was correlated with multiple cancers. The Hh pathway is a validated cancer drug target with two FDA approved inhibitors targeting the Hh GPCR signal transducer Smoothened. This thesis focuses on two alternative Hh targets, the Sonic Hh (ShhN) morphogen and its acyltransferase Skinny Hh. In Chapter 2, the aim was to structurally characterise a complex between ShhN and its only small-molecule inhibitor Robotnikinin using in silico docking and crystallography. The results revealed that the most likely binding site of Robotnikinin is the pseudo-active site of ShhN and that the interactions involve the His134-Ser136 loop. In Chapter 3, the aim was to identify novel ShhN inhibitors using crystallographic fragment-based screening of 1,200 unique fragments. The screening resulted in 13 potential hits, 5 of which were found within the ion binding cleft. In Chapter 4, the aim was to validate the obtained hits and conduct preliminary structure activity relationship (SAR) assays. Based on the results, FRG 155 was identified as the preferred hit that bound to the the ShhN pseudo-active site with low micromolar affinity. Preliminary SAR identified positive and negative features of the fragment. In Chapter 5, the aim was to structurally and functionally characterise Skinny Hh. Protocols for successful expression and purification of milligram quantities of thermostable and active Skinny Hh were developed, providing a platform for crystallisation and drug screening. The first luminal loop of Skinny Hh was found to be essential for the activity of Skinny Hh. In summary, alternative Hh pathway targets, ShhN and Skinny Hh, were characterised using structural biology approaches and will contribute to the development of novel inhibitors with the application in Hh ligand-dependent tumours.

Advisor: Siebold, C
Biggin, P
Biotagging, a genetically encoded toolkit in the zebrafish, reveals novel non-coding RNA players during neural crest and myocardium development

Complex multicellular organisms are composed of at least 200 cell types, which contain the same DNA "black box" of genetic information. It is the precise regime according to which they express their genes, exquisitely controlled by gene regulatory circuits, that defines their cellular identity, morphology and function. We have developed an in vivo biotinylation method that uses genetically encoded components in zebrafish, termed biotagging, for genome-wide regulatory analysis of defined embryonic cell populations. By labelling selected proteins in specific cell types, biotagging eliminates background inherent to analyses of complex embryonic environments via highly stringent biochemical procedures and targeting of specific interactions without the need for cell sorting. We utilised biotagging to characterise the in vivo translational landscape on polysomes as well as the transcriptional regulatory landscape in nuclei of migratory neural crest cells, which intermix with environing tissues during their migration. Our migratory neural crest translatome presented both known and novel players of the neural crest gene regulatory network. An in depth look into the active nuclear transcriptome uncovered a complex world of non-coding regulatory RNAs that potentially specify migratory neural crest identity and present evidence of active bidirectional transcription on regions of open chromatin that include putative cis-regulatory elements. Analysis of our transcribed cis-regulatory modules functionally links these elements to known genes that are key to migratory neural crest function and its derivatives. We also identified a novel cohort of circular RNAs enriched at regions of tandem duplicated genes. Last but not least, we recovered developmentally regulated long non-coding RNAs and transcribed transposable elements. To functionally dissect the biological roles of these factors, we have built two Ac/Ds-mediated in vivo toolkits for efficient screening of putative enhancers and for CRISPR/Cas9-based transcriptional modulation. Overall, our methods and findings present a comprehensive view of the active coding and non-coding landscapes of migratory neural crest on a genome-wide scale that refine the current regulatory architecture underlying neural crest identity.

Keywords: neural crest
gene regulatory network
non-coding RNA
enhancer
zebrafish
in vivo biotinylation
Advisor: Sauka-Spengler, T
Nanoscale engineering of guest@host metal-organic framework materials for optoelectronic properties

This thesis describes the nano-engineering of self-assembly processes, to accomplish nanoscale metal-organic framework (MOF) systems potentially useful for optoelectronic applications. The well-known fact underlying the large crystal size formation of common MOF compounds has been re-investigated here, not only to minimise the prolonged synthesis time but also to yield facile deposition in uniform thin film formats. This thesis presents the innovative concept of high concentration reaction (HCR) and its utility for making nano MOFs. Surprisingly, this method resulted in formation of a new kind of gel-like soft materials, for which I coined the term —supraMOFs — meaning supramolecular MOF hybrid materials.
A detailed study of supraMOFs focussing on their constituent nano MOF elements, stimuli-responsive behaviours, and sol-gel conversion phenomena have been systematically performed. Akin to low molecular weight gels (LMWG), mechanical properties of supraMOFs displaying storage modulus (G') > loss modulus (G") have been confirmed by rheological experiments. The use of sol-gel MOF system to attain a uniform MOF film, has been demonstrated through an example of HKUST-1 thin coating of &Tilde;10 nm roughness and &Tilde;1 μm thickness.
The HCR concept was further extended to develop advanced functional nano MOF systems, where one-step rapid synthesis of fluorescent MOF nanosheets has been accomplished. The old but effective concept of functionalisation of MOFs using porous coordination space and external guest species was implemented here, but with a twist. Particularly, the challenge of caging larger sized guest species into smaller pore apertures of MOFs, in parallel to controlling material growth in the nanoscale regime were solved by adopting the HCR approach. Furthermore, this thesis has demonstrated new interesting possibilities employing fluorescent nano MOF system to engineer smart sensors for detecting volatile organic compounds (VOCs), and mechanical stresses via a mechanochromic luminescent MOF nanoplate system.

Advisor: Tan, J
TrueColours: real time data collection in patients with ulcerative colitis

This thesis details the adaptation and evaluation of an e-health software platform known as TrueColours (originally developed by the Oxford Department of Psychiatry for treating bipolar disorder) for use in ulcerative colitis (UC). The resulting web-based programme, TrueColours UC, is capable of recording symptoms, quality of life (QoL), biomarkers, blood, endoscopic and histopathological results as well as internationally agreed patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs). The approach involved a pilot followed by qualitative analysis of system usability and quantative analysis of symptom patterns and decision-making to develop a predictive index.
TrueColours UC was piloted for 6 months in 66 patients. Feasibility testing revealed adherence rates to daily and fortnightly questionnaires of 76% and 95% respectively. The retention rate at 6 months was 86%. Mixed methods analysis on system usability identified minor areas for improvement. Qualitative interviews revealed that by using TrueColours UC, patients felt empowered, expressed by an increased awareness, control over decision-making, reassurance and communication.
Logistic regression models for predicting escalation of therapy at an outpatient appointment were developed. These models revealed that remotely collected symptom information can largely predict whether escalation of therapy will occur. External validation is necessary, but this model has the potential to improve resource utilisation.
Analysis of longitudinal repeated measurements allowed novel exploration of validated indices for symptoms and QoL. A simulation model estimated the information loss that occurs when intervals between data entry are increased. A new method for phenotyping disease pattern was identified. Cut-off levels for faecal calprotectin in remission and active disease are proposed.
Involving patients in collecting PROMs has the potential to change disease management pathways, identify patients for trials and provide insight into the biology of the disease.

Advisor: Travis, S
Collins, G
Peters, M
The scope of politics in early modern imperial systems: the Holy Roman Empire of the German Nation and Poland-Lithuania in the seventeenth century in comparison

It is the aim of this thesis to shed light on and gain a more nuanced understanding of the negotiation of the political and constitutional order at the German Imperial Diet and the Polish-Lithuanian Sejm in the crisis-ridden seventeenth century. Both assemblies had to reach collectively-binding decisions on questions of institutional and procedural development in order to keep the constitutional order intact and functional and to process the challenges and changes occurring in the late sixteenth and the seventeenth centuries.
The question of this thesis is how the scope for necessary institutional and procedural adjustments was enabled or constrained by political languages and rhetoric which key actors used in the deliberations at the two central estate assemblies. Why do we have an institutional standstill and comparative decline in Poland-Lithuania until the reform period in the eighteenth century, and a stabilization and gradual institutional adjustment until the 1720s in the Holy Roman Empire? This question is answered by analyzing the communication about the scope of politics in its concrete historical context and institutional setting.
Through the analysis the thesis comes to a new interpretation of the role and impact of orality and writing in both assemblies. Establishing socially relevant meaning depended on the means of communication and on the relationship between different media in the process of political decision-making and how they formed communication, in this case oral and written communication. The central claim of the thesis is that political culture and material culture were intricately linked in both imperial systems as the available media in the political process shaped the sayable, and the sayable shaped the doable.

Advisor: Evans, R
Nowakowska, N
DNA programmed assembly of active matter at the micro and nano scales

Small devices capable of self-propulsion have potential application in areas of nanoscience where autonomous locomotion and programmability are needed. The specific base-pairing interactions that arise from DNA hybridisation permit the programmed assembly of matter and also the creation of controllable dynamical systems. The aim of this thesis is to use the tools of DNA nanotechnology to design synthetic active matter at the micro and nano scales.
In the first section, DNA was used as an active medium capable of transporting information faster than diffusion in the form of chemical waves. DNA waves were generated experimentally using a DNA autocatalytic reaction in a microfluidic channel. The propagation velocity of DNA chemical waves was slowed down by creating concentration gradients that changed the reaction kinetics in space.
The second section details the synthesis of chemically-propelled particles and the use of DNA as a “programmable glue” to mediate their interactions. Janus micromotors were fabricated by physical vapour deposition and a wet-chemical approach was demonstrated to synthesise asymmetrical catalytic Pt-Au nanoparticles that function as nanomotors. Dynamic light scattering measurements showed nanomotor activity that depends on H2O2 concentration, consistent with chemical propulsion. Gold nanoparticles/Origami hybrids were assembled in 2D lattices of different symmetries arranged by DNA linkers.
The third section details the design process and synthesis of nanomotors using DNA as a structural scaffold. 3D DNA Origami rectangular prisms were functionalised site- specifically with bioconjugated catalysts, i.e. Pt nanoparticles and catalase. Enzymatic nanomotors were also conjugated to various cargoes and their motor activity was demonstrated by Fluorescence Correlation Spectroscopy.
In the final section, control mechanisms for autonomous nanomotors are studied, which includes the conformational change of DNA aptamers in response to chemical signals, as well as a design for an adaptive dynamical system based on DNA/enzyme reaction networks.

Keywords: Active matter
Single-molecule biophysics
Fluorescence Correlation Spectroscopy
Nanomotors
Self-diffusiophoresis
Self-Assembly
Reaction-diffusion
DNA nanotechnology
Microswimmers
Dynamic Light Scattering
Advisor: Turberfield, A
Anglo-American legal ideas in the formation of South American private law: 1820-1870

It is traditionally understood that, following the emancipation of South America from Spain and Portugal, the national private law usually encompassed by the Civil Codes of the newly independent countries was inspired by the French Civil Code, and other civil law models. The aim of this thesis is to explore whether this understanding should be revised in order to account for the influence of Anglo-American law and legal ideas.
The thesis proceeds, first, to provide the context for the research: the channels of communication, the actors involved, and the different types of use of Anglo-American legal ideas during the formative period of South-American private law. Then, the three main areas of legislative use and influence of Anglo-American law and legal ideas detected are explored. First, the reform of intestate succession, which was a case of direct, and overt Anglo-American influence. Second, the use of Bentham‟s ideas in the abolition of usury laws and laesio, which was a case of direct and conscious, but unacknowledged influence. Finally, the indirect influence of Blackstone‟s works on the drafting of the rules of statutory interpretation on some South-American Civil Codes.
Four conclusions, which contradict the traditional account, are drawn. First, that in the process of creation of South-American private law, not only civil law sources of inspiration were used, but also Anglo-American ones, to a much lesser extent, but with a relevant impact nevertheless. Second, that while the process of formation of South-American private law has been described as a creative one by many legal historians, the influence of Anglo-American ideas in the development of the identity of South-American private law has been ignored. Third, that Anglo-American influence gave South-American private law its own identity, making it more liberal than French law in the three fields mentioned above. Fourth, that even in the face of evidence, academic adherence to the traditional view has resulted in an extraordinary relegation of the topic of this thesis.