VictorJuiz/thesis huggingface dataset:
The peoples of Britain: population genetics, archaeology and linguistics

The history of peoples has always evoked a great deal of both academic and popular interest, and the peoples of Britain, with its island position and semi-mythic serial invasions, have evoked as much as any. As most of the period during which Britain has been inhabited by modern humans lies in prehistory, archaeology has long been the best method for elucidating the past. In recent years, however, genetics has come to complement the reconstruction of peoples' pasts, with its ability to trace lineal human biology instead of transferable human culture.
The purpose of this thesis is to assess population genetics systems of Britain against the backdrop of archaeologically determined history, informed for later periods by linguistics, and attempt to ascertain any marked congruities or incongruities between this history and modern genetic data. The genetic datasets included in this work are the People of the British Isles Project collection, and some ancillary cohorts from surrounding countries. The genetic systems assessed include mitochondrial DNA, classical marker genes, lactase, pigmentation genes and some phenotypes, and finally a suite of candidate genes for determining normal facial variation. In a self-contained section, the principle of relating population genetic data to population histories is illustrated by a study focusing on Central Asia (a larger area), but using fewer genetic markers.
The chosen markers systems overall reveal modest amounts of genetic differentiation among different groups in Britain, but consistently highlight Wales and Orkney especially as relatively distanced from the rest of Britain. This is in keeping with the historically quite isolated state of the former, and the comparatively recent heavy influx of Norse Vikings in the latter. Further details are observable from subsets of this study: all are discussed in the context of archaeological and linguistic evidence.
These findings provide support and foundation for a forthcoming study from the People of the British Isles Project, using a genome-wide SNP approach rather than selected markers, which will likely increase the nuance of this initial picture and contribute further to answering specific questions regarding Britain's past.

Keywords: archaeology
genetics
population
Britain
history
demography
Advisor: Bodmer, W
Cunliffe, B
Monophosphines in asymmetric catalysis

This thesis described investigations into the synthesis and reactions of chiral monophosphines, in five chapters. Chapter 1 introduces asymmetric catalysis, Chapter 2 and 3 describe the synthesis of enantiomerically pure monophosphine via an oxide and borane route respectively. Chapter 4 describes the organometallic reactions of these monophosphines and Chapter 5 contains experimental details of the reactions.
Chapter 1 describes the importance of chirality and significant asymmetric processes. The literature methods of producing homochiral monophosphines are detailed.
Chapter 2 describes the synthesis of enantiomerically enriched monophosphine oxides. Diastereomerically pure (2R, 4S, 5R)-2-chloro-5-phenyl-3,4-dimethyl-1,3,2-oxazaphospholidine was prepared from PCl3 and (-)-ephedrine. This compound was reacted with 2-adamantyl magnesium bromide to afford (2R, 4S, 5R) and (2S, 4S, 5R)-3,4-dimethyl-2-2-adamantyl-5-phenyl-1,3,2-oxazaphospholidin-2-oxide after oxidation with tBuOOH. An X-ray crystal structure was obtained of the RP diastereoisomer and a detailed NMR study carried out on the SP diastereoisomer. The RP diastereoisomer was reacted with 2-methoxyphenylmagnesium bromide to give RP-N-methyl-N-(1S,2S)-(1-methyl-2-hydroxy-2-phenyl)-ethyl-P-(2-methoxyphenyl)-P-(2-adamantyl)phosphinamide in 68% yield and 95% d.e.. The ephedrinyl residue was replaced by O-methyl under acid catalysis with inversion of configuration and with >85% e.e.. Displacement of the methoxy group using phenyl lithium occurred with inversion of configuration to give the corresponding phosphine oxide in 65% e.e., which could be reduced under forcing conditions using polymethylhydrosiloxane in the presence of Ti(OiPr)4.
Chapter 3 describes the synthesis of enantiomerically enriched monophosphines via phosphine borane complexes. Diastereomerically pure (2R, 4S, 5R)-2,5-diphenyl-3,4-dimethyl-1,3,2-oxazaphospholidine borane was prepared directly from PhPCl2 and (-)-ephedrine, followed by oxidation with BH3.Me2S. This compound reacted regiospecifically with ortho-anisyl lithium to afford the product formed by P-O cleavage with >96% d.e. and with retention of configuration at phosphorus. The ephedrinyl residue was replaced by O-methyl under acid conditions with inversion of configuration and with >98% e.e.. Ferrocenyl, 1-adamantyl and tert-butyl lithium reagents displaced the methoxy group with inversion of configuration and with >92% e.e., as determined by 1H NMR methods. The phosphine borane complexes were then reduced quantitatively with Et2NH with retention of configuration and with >98% e.e..
Chapter 4 describes the synthesis of indium and rhodium complexes of (S)-t-butyl-(2-methoxyphenyl)-phenyl phosphine and (S)-ferrocenyl-(2-methoxyphenyl)-phenyl phosphine. The iridium complexes are shown to reduce a range of prochiral olefins, including Z-methyl-2-acetylamino-3-phenylpropenoate (MAC) in up to 19% e.e.. The di-(R,R)-(ferrocenyl-(2-methoxyphenyl)-phenyl phosphine) rhodium complex is more selective, reducing MAC in 54% e.e., while the rhodium complex of (S)-t-butyl-(2-methoxyphenyl)-phenyl phosphine reduces MAC in 24% e.e..
Intertextualidades bíblicas en "Celestina"

The Bible serves as a source for Celestina, but biblical references and reminiscences in the text do not derive from the Scriptures themselves, but from secondary and even tertiary sources. These represent the typical medium of access to the Bible of laymen and, in the case of Celestina, of a very specific group of laymen: university members, which formed the original audience of the work and shared a same way of reading it. Therefore, biblical intertextuality in Celestina is defined by the relation of university members to these sources.
When analysed from the perspective of university readers, Celestina becomes a pseudo-contemplative work to which the principles of visual mental representation of affective meditation apply. If read making use of these principles, the didactic and moralising message of the preliminary texts is confirmed and Celestina reveals itself as an admonitory tale against carnal love. Moreover, it appears as a counterfeit sentimental romance, concretely, a reply to "Cárcel de amor", to contemporary love habits and to courtly customs.
In addition, reading Celestina from the perspective of an university audience offers a new view on the misuse of biblical references. Instead of being representative of a heterodox attitude toward the Scriptures, these function as a condemnation of the bad use of auctoritates in dialectic contexts. As a result, Celestina can be related to a reformist current in the university world, which was particularly critical to Scholasticism and its teaching methodology. In this sense, Celestina aligns itself with Humanism and, specifically with Christian Humanism.
Finally, analysing Celestina from the point of view of university readers explains why a work, which had been originally conceived as a didactic and moralising text, was criticised in the sixteenth century for being inmmoral: audience and times had changed.

Keywords: Christian humanism
Celestina
the bible in literature
Advisor: Conde, J
Molecular studies of stiff skin-causing mutations in fibrillin-1

Fibrillin-1 is the main component of the 10-12 nm microfibrils, which are found in several elastic and non-elastic tissues. Human fibrillin-1 contains multiple calcium-binding epidermal growth factor-like (cbEGF) domains interspersed with transforming growth factor β-binding protein-like (TB) domains. TB4 domain contains a flexible RGD loop which mediates cell adhesion via αVβ3, α5β1 and αVβ6 integrins. Mutations which introduce amino acid substitutions into TB4 are associated with a wide spectrum of diseases such as Marfan syndrome (MFS), ectopia lentis, Stiff skin syndrome (SSS). Amino acid substitutions such as W1570C, C1564S and C1577G in the TB4 domain have been found to cause SSS. The upstream TB5 domain has been predicted to modulate integrin binding and a deletion in the domain has been found in Weill-Marchesani syndrome (WMS), phenotype of which is similar to SSS (skin fibrosis and short stature), thereby suggesting that the underlying pathogenic mechanism might be similar.
This study has used cellular, biochemical and biophysical methods to investigate the effects of SSS substitutions C1564S and W1570C on domain structure and function and compared it to a MFS substitution C1564Y in the TB4 domain and WMS deletion in the TB5 domain. Effects of the SSS mutations on structure of the domains were studied using limited proteolysis, nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy and calcium chelation experiments. Subsequently, the ability of human fibroblasts to secrete wild-type and mutant fibrillin-1 was examined to identify the effect of the mutations on the trafficking of the protein. Finally, cell binding assays and SPR was employed to investigate the effect of disease-causing mutations on fibrillin-1/integrin interactions.
The results demonstrate that the SSS mutations affect TB4-cbEGF23 interface and calcium-binding to cbEGF23 but do not alter secretion of recombinant fibrillin-1 mutant fragments from the cell. On the other hand, intracellular retention was observed for MFS substitution C1564Y which was shown to be more susceptible to proteolysis than SSS substitution C1564S. WMS deletion also gives rise to partial retention of the recombinant fragment, suggesting a different pathogenic mechanism for these disorders. Cell binding assays and surface plasmon resonance (SPR) experiments show that SSS mutations affect binding to αvβ3 integrin, but not αvβ6 integrin suggesting that selectively impaired integrin interactions may contribute to pathogenesis of SSS.

Keywords: integrins
Fibrillin
Extracellular matrix
Advisor: Handford, P
Parliamentary majorities and national minorities:  Moldova’s accommodation of the Gagauz

This thesis provides an institutional explanation for the peaceful solution of the conflict between the Moldovan state and its small Gagauz minority in the period from 1988 to 1995. The central argument is that different institutional arrangements during this time had a direct effect on the Moldovan state’s capacity to bring about autonomy for the Gagauz. I show how Gagauz leaders, conditioned by the territorial-based structures of the Soviet Union, mobilized a political movement to push for the creation of an autonomous republic, and how this preference for autonomy remained the consistent demand of the Gagauz throughout the early years of post-communist transition. This finding supports the contention that Gagauz preferences cannot be used to explain the rich variation in political outcomes during this period. I assert that the critical changes were essentially institutional: new electoral laws; revised parliamentary rules and procedures; and a complete rewriting of Moldova’s constitution. These innovations were crucial in enabling the inclusive-minded majority in the Moldovan parliament to overcome the power of nationalist veto players by increasing the majority’s control of the legislative agenda. The importance of these institutional factors is examined by careful analysis of the different stages of the Moldovan parliament’s accommodation of the Gagauz: from separatism and stalemate to compromise. Furthermore, I reassert the central role of institutional arrangements by discounting the external influence of Turkey as a patron state on the successful negotiations between Moldova and the Gagauz. Using previously unresearched archival material, unstructured interviews with many of the key actors, and local media reporting, this thesis challenges existing accounts of the Gagauz conflict in Moldova. These accounts assert that either the Gagauz reaction to titular nationalism or the shifting preferences of strategic-thinking elites was the key causal factor of the political outcomes observed during this period. In contrast, this thesis shows that institutional design played a decisive role in the resolution of this conflict. The findings of this research offer useful lessons for other ethnically-divided states with mobilized minorities.

Keywords: Gagauz
Moldova
ethnic minorities
autonomy
agenda control
conflict resolution
Institutional design
Advisor: Chaisty, P
Character through interaction: Sophocles and the delineation of the individual

In this thesis, I argue that Sophoclean characters take shape through a number of different kinds of interaction. On the most basic level, interaction occurs between characters; interactions between characters, however, provide a framework for interactions between those characters and a variety of more abstract concepts. These interactions, by allowing characters to situate themselves with respect to concepts such as, for example, the social roles which shape the society of the play, provide a more complex picture of the personalities depicted onstage; a fuller view of Antigone’s personality, for example, emerges both from her own interactions with the concept of sisterhood and from the differences between her interactions with that concept and Ismene’s. At the same time, these interactions involve the audience in both the construction and the interpretation of Sophoclean characters; as they watch figures interact with each other onstage, the audience, in turn, interact with their own prior knowledge of the concepts which drive the characters of a play.
In my five chapters, I discuss five different areas of interaction. In my first chapter, I look at interactions between characters and myth, arguing that Sophoclean characters emerge out of a tension between novelty and familiarity. In my second chapter, I discuss the interactions between characters and their social roles, looking at the problem of appropriate role performance as it applies to Sophoclean characters. My third chapter deals with characters and their memories; I argue that Sophoclean characters shape and are shaped by their memories of past events depending on shifting present circumstances. In my fourth chapter, I discuss the interactions between characters and the passage of time and suggest that Sophoclean figures are characterized by the ways in which they move through time and respond to its passage. In my final chapter, I look at the use of general statements by Sophoclean characters, arguing that the ability of characters to generalize successfully provides a useful measure of their ability to function in the world of the play.

Keywords: characterization
character
Greek drama
Sophocles
Greek tragedy
Advisor: Budelmann, F
The electrokinetic bioremediation of hydrocarbons from the sub-surface

Hydrocarbon contamination of soil from accidental spills and negligence represents a major cause of sub-surface contamination. There are numerous physical, chemical and biological techniques available for contaminant remediation. However, many of these methods can be difficult to implement at sites where access to soils, or delivery of treatments, requires substantial excavation works and disruption (for example where contamination is located beneath or adjacent to building structures and underground services). An innovative technology that may provide a solution for the remediation of subsurface contamination without causing interim damage is that of electrokinetic remediation. Electrokinetic remediation is the application of a low voltage, direct current (of the order of mA/cm2) between electrodes placed in a contaminated soil system. The production of an electric field causes a number of electrically-induced processes to occur that can promote soil remediation, principally: electromigration, electroosmosis, electrophoresis, and electrolysis.
This study examined the use of electrokinetics coupled with biodegradation to remediate kerosene and transformer oil from sub-surface soils. The principal investigations carried out within this study included: the use of electroosmosis as an in situ flushing technique; use of electrokinetics to deliver surfactants into the soil to promote mobilisation of contaminants within the sub-surface; and the use of electrokinetics to create optimum conditions for biodegradation by the delivery of nutrients and electron acceptors, the removal of toxic metabolites, and by controlling the pH and moisture content of the soil. As an integral part of the research, a field trial was designed and set up to determine whether electrokinetics could be used to promote the biodegradation of transformer oil from the subsurface. This was one of the first field trials in the UK for the electrokinetic remediation of hydrocarbon contaminants.
The results of the study support the use of electrokinetics as a field tool for the enhancement of remediation in the sub-surface. Laboratory-scale studies showed the potential to mobilise the more soluble hydrocarbons (such as toluene and xylene) in the soil, to deliver enhancing agents (e.g. surfactants and nutrients) and to remove toxic metabolites. The field-scale experiment demonstrated the concept of a relatively low cost treatment cell on-site and provided some evidence that biodegradation of the transformer oil was promoted. Consequently, it is suggested that electrokinetics, with the correct engineering controls in place, provides a valuable method of optimising the biodegradation of hydrocarbons in the sub-surface.

Advisor: Jackman, S
Knowles, C
Thompson, I
Study of the earthquake source process and seismic hazards

To obtain the rupture history of the Parkfield, California, earthquake, we perform 12 kinematic inversions using elliptical sub-faults. The preferred model has a seismic moment of 1.21 x 10^18 Nm, distributed on two distinct ellipses. The average rupture speed is ~2.7 km/s. The good spatial agreement with previous large earthquakes and aftershocks in the region, suggests the presence of permanent asperities that break during large earthquakes.
We investigate our inversion method with several tests. We demonstrate its capability to retrieve the rupture process. We show that the convergence of the inversion is controlled by the space-time location of the rupture front. Additional inversions show that our procedure is not highly influenced by high-frequency signal, while we observe high sensitivity to the waveforms duration.
After considering kinematic inversion, we present a full dynamic inversion for the Parkfield earthquake using elliptical sub-faults. The best fitting model has a seismic moment of 1.18 x 10^18 Nm, distributed on one ellipse. The rupture speed is ~2.8 km/s. Inside the parameter-space, the models are distributed according the rupture speed and final seismic moment, defining a optimal region where models fit correctly the data. Furthermore, to make the preferred kinematic model both dynamically correct while fitting the data, we show it is necessary to connect the two ellipses. This is done by adopting a new approach that uses b-spline curves. Finally, we relocate earthquakes in the vicinity of the Darfield, New-Zealand earthquake. 40 years prior to the earthquake, where there is the possibility of earthquake migration towards its epicentral region. Once it triggers the 2010-2011 earthquake sequence, we observe earthquakes migrating inside regions of stress increase. We also observe a stress increase on a large seismic gap of the Alpine Fault, as well as on some portions of the Canterbury Plains that remain today seismically quiet.

Keywords: Earthquake relocation
Seismic hazards
Stress transfer
Kinematic inversion
Dynamic inversion
Synthetic tests
Advisor: Das, S
Cooperative Spin Excitations in Quantum Materials Studied by Neutron Spectroscopy

This thesis describes the experimental investigation of three different strongly correlated transition-metal oxide systems. The magnetic behaviour of each has been probed using inelastic neutron spectroscopy.
A distinctive hour-glass excitation spectrum has been observed in the layered cobaltate La1.75Sr0.25CoO4. This spectrum is similar to that measured in a related cobaltate La1.67Sr0.33CoO4, although it appears broader. The spectrum has been reproduced using a spin wave model derived from a disordered cluster spin glass ground state. Signatures of spin glass behaviour have also been observed in bulk magnetisation measurements of La1.75Sr0.25CoO4. These findings, once more, demonstrate the emergence of an hour-glass spectrum from a ground state that combines quasi-one dimensional magnetic correlations and disorder. Additionally, this study shows that charge and magnetic stripe order persists to lower dopings in La2-xSrxCoO4 than previously thought.
The complete magnetic excitation spectrum of the multiferroic compound CuO has been measured for the first time. A high energy, one-dimensional magnetic spectrum is observed and modelled using the Muller ansatz derived for the S=1/2 Heisenberg antiferromagnetic chain. At lower energies, a three-dimension spectrum is observed. The measured spectrum is inconsistent with all previous theoretical estimates of the dominant inter-chain exchange interactions in CuO. The inter-chain dispersion is successfully described by a phenomenological model based on linear spin wave theory.
The third material investigated, LuFe2O4 demonstrates complex charge and magnetic order, the precise nature of which is still under debate. The full spectrum of in-plane excitations in LuFe2O4 has been measured and a complicated dispersion consistent with six magnetic modes is observed. These findings are compatible with structures described by a magnetic unit cell containing six spins. The dispersion can be described by a spin wave model derived from a bilayer structure comprised of charge-rich and charge-poor monolayers. This structure is consistent with the original site-specific model for the 3D magnetic ordering in LuFe2O4.

Keywords: Inelastic Neutron Scattering
Linear Spin-wave Theory
Advisor: Boothroyd, A