VictorJuiz/thesis huggingface dataset:
Discourse analysis of emissions trading scholarship

Over the last four decades emissions trading has enjoyed a high profile in environmental law scholarship and in environmental law and policy. Much of this regulatory discussion is promotional, preferring emissions trading above other regulatory strategies without, however, engaging with legal complexities embedded in conceptualising, scrutinising and managing emissions trading schemes. The combined effect of these debates is to create a perception that emissions trading is a straightforward regulatory strategy, imposable across various jurisdictions and environmental settings. This thesis shows that this view of emissions trading is problematic for at least two reasons. First, emissions trading responds to distinct environmental and non-environmental goals, including creating profit-centres, establishing a governance regime aimed at substituting state control of common resources, and ensuring regulatory compliance. This is important, as the particular purpose entrusted to a given emissions trading regime has, as its corollary, a particular governance structure, according to which the regime may be constructed and managed. Second, the governance structures of emissions trading regimes are culture- specific, which is a significant reminder of the importance of law in understanding not only how emissions trading schemes function but also what meaning is given to them as regulatory strategies. This is shown by deconstructing emissions trading discourses: that is, by inquiring into the assumptions about emissions trading that feature in the literature and in debates involving law- and policymakers and the judiciary at the EU level. Ultimately, this thesis makes a strong argument for reconfiguring the common understanding of emissions trading schemes as regulatory strategies, and sets out a framework for analysis to sustain that reconfiguration.

Keywords: law
discourses
emissions trading
states
markets
Advisor: Fisher, E
Partially-drained loading of shallow foundations on sand

Wave loading on offshore structures founded on sand can result in partially-drained response of the foundation soil. The characteristics of the rate of loading, the permeability of the soil, and the size of the foundation affect the degree of partial drainage. Partial drainage refers to situations where pore pressures develop in the soil, and the response of the soil is neither fully drained nor undrained. This thesis is concerned with the effects of loading rate, and consequent drainage, on the behaviour of a flat circular footing that is founded on the surface of a saturated sand base. The results of physical tests performed in the laboratory on a model-size footing are reported. The footing was founded on oil-saturated fine sand and was subjected to combined loading. The effect of the vertical, horizontal, and rotational displacement rate are reported. The response of the footing is analysed in the context of existing drained foundation models that are based on work hardening plasticity theory. The rate dependency of the vertical load:deformation behaviour and the combined load yield surfaces is described.
An electrochemical sensor for forane

This thesis is concerned with the development and laboratory assessment of an electrochemical sensor for the detection and measurement of the volatile inhalation anaesthetic, forane. Investigations were therefore based on the heterogeneous and homogeneous reduction of this agent in non-aqueous electrolyte.
Preliminary experiments at a mercury and other rotating disc electrodes (RDEs) revealed that the direct reduction of forane was not possible and therefore the use of an electron transfer mediator was examined. To this end, the radical anion of the polyaromatic compound, fluoranthene, (F), was investigated as a possible electro-reduction catalyst and the mediated reduction of the anaesthetic, via a catalytic process, demonstrated.
Theory was presented for the calculation of chronoamperometric and steady state responses at the RDE resulting from one electron transfer and coupled (catalytic) homogeneous kinetic processes. The latter enabled a precise mechanism to be assigned to the F + forane process, while a comparison of the former theory with experimental chronoamperometric results was used, in conjunction with AC impedance studies, to investigate the adsorption of F at the mercury/acetonitrile interface.
A polymer modified electrode, based on the polymer poly-(11-vinylfluoranthene) was demonstrated to be effective in the heterogeneous reduction of forane but displayed only a limited lifetime. Therefore, a Clark-type membrane electrode was constructed and the detection and measurement of forane, in the absence of oxygen, demonstrated using this device. However, the sluggish response of this sensor, together with interference problems from oxygen encouraged the development of a device which utilised a channel electrode (ChE) sensing approach.
Theory was presented for the deduction of steady state currents at the ChE resulting from coupled catalytic kinetics and this was used to demonstrate that the same mechanism for the F + forane system operated at the ChE as the RDE. The conventional ChE was then modified by the incorporation of a membrane and this sensor, which was shown to operate successfully in the presence of high concentrations of oxygen and nitrous oxide, responded linearly to forane, while displaying an excellent response time of under ten seconds. The device should find application in clinical monitoring.

Advisor: Compton, R
Active faulting and deformation of the Mongolian Altay mountains

In this thesis, I use multiple techniques to investigate the active faulting and deformation of the Altay Mountains, Western Mongolia. The Altay are an intracontinental transpressional mountain range, which are deforming in the far-field of the India-Asia collision. An anastomosing network of dextral faults strikes NNW-SSE, and accommodates NE-SW oriented shortening by rotating anticlockwise about vertical axes. I begin by characterising the Altay faults, and add to what is already known about their surface expression with new observations of active faulting and three previously undescribed ancient earthquake ruptures. I use 10Be cosmogenic dating and uranium-series dating on pedogenic carbonate to estimate the average Quaternary rate of slip for two of the major fault zones in the Altay. The slip rate on the Ölgiy fault is constrained to 0.3-2.1 mm/yr-1. Results from the Hovd fault are ambiguous, demonstrating the complications encountered with application of Quaternary dating techniques. I measure palaeomagnetic directions from Cretaceous to Pliocene-aged sediments in the eastern Altay to constrain the degree of anticlockwise rotation. Results from thermal demagnetisation of specimens indicate that the eastern Altay has not undergone significant rotation, in contrast with previous studies from the Siberian Altay that reveal almost 40 degrees of anticlockwise rotation. This suggests that the eastern-most Altay fault is too young to have experienced significant rotation, or is kinematically different from the Siberian Altay. I apply apatite fission track (AFT) dating and track length modeling to the central Altay. Results from AFT dating show rapid cooling in the late Cretaceous due to the distal assembly of Central Asia, suggesting that there was pre-existing topography at the start of the Late Cenozoic phase of deformation, the timing of which is constrained to have initiated at least 20 Myr ago. My work demonstrates that combining results from techniques that cover a variety of time scales quantifies the evolution of active faulting and deformation in the region.

Keywords: geochronology
earth sciences
active tectonics
faulting and earthquakes
Advisor: Walker, RT
Mac Niocaill, C
A situational understanding of friendship networks

The structure of social networks, and people's position within these networks, are important predictors of many individual and group-level outcomes. One type of social networks that is regularly studied are the mutually interdependent relations of friends. This thesis focusses on friendship networks between adolescents in the context of schools.
Arguably the most important and consistently found regularities in adolescent friendship networks are i) the tendency of friendships to be mutual, called reciprocity; ii) their tendency to cluster in groups, known as transitivity; and iii) the tendency of friendships to be present between those that are similar to one another, called homophily. Various social theories originating in different disciplines have theoretically proposed and empirically found micro-mechanisms that explain the regular occurrence of these substructures in friendship networks. This thesis introduces a framework of how the relation between these different networks tendencies can be understood.
I propose that each of the three network evolution mechanisms can be connected to a type of social situation in which friends interact to form and maintain their friendships. Social situations that are dyadic and only involve two persons are connected to reciprocal friendships. Group-based social situations, on the other hand, are related to transitivity and homophily, where the groups are either defined socially or through common characteristics. Starting from this proposition, I suggest that when two adolescents share one forum for interaction with one another, i.e. they regularly meet within one of the social situations, meeting in additional other situations does not increase the likelihood of a friendship tie existing as much as could be expected from the sum of the effect of meeting in either situation. Consequently, I expect a negative interaction between the different network mechanisms.
After a series of empirical analyses that support the outlined reasoning, I use the developed perspective to investigate how the micro-mechanisms contribute differentially to the creation of newly formed friendships and to the maintenance of already existing friendships. Finally, I show how a situational understanding of friendship can be used to differentiate which friendships are most important for social influence and for peer pressure.

Keywords: friendship networks
stochastic actor-oriented models
social network analysis
Advisor: Snijders, T
Investigating magnetism and superconductivity using high magnetic fields

This thesis investigates a number of transition-metal coordination polymers and iron-pnictide superconductors through the use of high magnetic fields, low temperatures, and on occasion, high pressures.
The thesis will begin by describing my development of the proximity detector dynamic susceptometer, a novel technique that can be used for magnetometery and transport measurements in high magnetic fields. This technique is highly compact and has no moving parts, making it suitable for use in pressure cells, hence opening the way for a variety of new experiments.
Through high-field magnetometery and other measurements, I will demonstrate that the pressure can be used to directly control the magnetic properties of the polymeric magnet CuF2(H2O)2(pyrazine). In particular, I observe a transition from quasi-two-dimensional to quasi-one-dimensional antiferromagnetism at 9~kbar, driven by the rotation of the Jahn-Teller axis.
I will then present a series of measurements on two coordination polymers, showing how a small chemical difference can lead to drastically different magnetic properties. I show that [Cu(pyrazine)H2O(glycine)2]ClO4 is an excellent spin-chain, while the sister compound [Cu(pyrazine)(glycine)]ClO4 is a dimerised material that shows a spin-gap and is disordered down to very low temperatures, but then undergoes a field-induced phase transition to an ordered phase.
I will also describe a series of pulsed-field measurements of the upper critical field of the iron-based superconductors NaFe1-xCoxAs across the whole of the doping phase diagram. It is shown that paramagnetic pair-breaking effects dominate the critical field when the field is parallel to the crystal planes. In the parent compound the paramagnetic limit is equal to that expected from BCS theory, but becomes significantly enhanced above the BCS limit upon doping. It is shown that the multi-band nature of the superconductivity leads to a convex curvature in the evolution of the critical field as the temperature is reduced.

Keywords: superconductivity
high pressure
proximity detector oscillator
pnictide
high magnetic fields
molecular magnets
Advisor: Goddard, P
Transmission electron imaging and diffraction characterisation of 2D nanomaterials

Following the discovery of graphene, 2D nanostructures have been noted for their potential in a range of high-impact applications, such as sensing, catalysis, and composite reinforcement. Liquid-phase exfoliation and chemical vapour deposition have been demonstrated and indicate the feasibility of mass-scale production. With the advent of mass-produced 2D nanostructures a key focus of research is to characterise these materials.
This thesis is concerned with imaging and structural properties of the 2D nanomaterials, hexagonal boron nitride (h-BN), molybdenum disulfide (MoS2), tungsten disulfide (WS2), titanium disulfide (TiS2) and hexabenzocoronene (HBC), produced via liquid phase exfoliation. HBC strictly speaking is not 2D nanomaterial, however, it can be viewed as transition molecule from benzene to graphene. The data used for characterisation is based primarily on electron diffraction and, in particular, aberration corrected annular dark field (ADF) scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM). The incoherent nature of ADF STEM provides direct atomic imaging without the contrast reversals upon focus changes seen in conventional high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM).
The main structural feature investigated in this thesis was the stacking sequences in few-layers h-BN, MoS2, WS2 and TiS2. Simple stacking (AAA) can be distinguished from Bernal (ABA) and rhombohedral (ABC) on the basis of intensity ratio, I{10̅10}/I{11̅20} , in diffraction patterns and indirectly in HRTEM images. Nonetheless acquisition of the diffraction patterns suitable for analysis can be challenging due to the sample issues. Non-bulk stacking sequences were reliably confirmed for all above 2D nanomaterials on the basis of atomically resolved ADF STEM. 20 h-BN, 28 MoS2, 5 WS2 and 6 TiS2 nanoflakes were imaged and analysed. Amongst them 2 h-BN, 9 MoS2, 4 WS2 and 1 TiS2 nanoflakes displayed non-bulk stacking. Hence, it appears that 2D WS2 has the greatest affinity for non-bulk stacking.
Finally, an interesting structural transformation was observed in HBC molecules. Under the influence of electron beam HBC agglomerates were transformed into crystalline phase with 90o symmetry

Keywords: electron microscopy; 2D nanomaterials
Advisor: Nellist, P
Nicolosi, V
Equations for modular curves

The primary topic of this thesis is the construction of explicit projective equations for the modular curves X0(N)
. The techniques may also be used to obtain equations for X
+
0
(p)
and, more generally, X0(N)/Wn
. The thesis contains a number of tables of results. In particular, equations are given for all curves X0(N)
having genus 2legle5
. Equations are also given for all X
+
0
(p)
having genus 2 or 3, and for the genus 4 and 5 curves X
+
0
(p)
when ple251
. The most successful tool used to obtain these equations is the canonical embedding, combined with the fact that the differentials on a modular curve correspond to the weight 2 cusp forms. A second method, designed specifically for hyperelliptic curves, is given. A method for obtaining equations using weight 1 theta series is also described.
Heights of modular curves are studied and a discussion is given of the size of coefficients occurring in equations for X0(N)
.
Finally, the explicit equations are used to study the rational points on X
+
0
(p)
. Exceptional rational points on X
+
0
(p)
are exhibited for p=73,103,137
and 191.

Keywords: Modular curves
Advisor: Birch, B
A mathematical model of chronic myelogenous leukemia

Chronic Myelogenous Leukemia (CML) is one of the most common types of leukemia. It is characterized by a chronic, seemingly stable steady state, which gives rise to oscillatory instability in the hematapoietic stem cell count. There are also many cases of CML which involve oscillations about a steady state during the chronic period (called Periodic Chronic Myelogenous Leukemia). Though instabilities are found frequently in many biological systems, it is rather unusual for the stem cell count in a patient with leukemia to be nonmonotonic over time. As such, the instability in CML is of tremendous interest to mathematical biologists. A more clear understanding of the dynamics of this disease might not only help with the development of treatments or a cure to CML, but it might also be a useful aid in determining what causes instability in other oscillatory diseases such as Cyclical Neutropenia. This paper's aim is to create a mathematical model of CML which might aid us in understanding the mechanism by which the chronic phase of the disease becomes unstable and reaches the acute phase.
An investigation of clemency and pardons in death penalty cases in Southeast Asia from 1975-2009

Four of the contemporary practitioners of the death penalty in Southeast Asia: Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand and Singapore, performed judicial executions on a regular basis between the years 1975 and 2009. Notwithstanding this similarity, the number of death sentences passed by courts that were subsequently reduced to a term of imprisonment through grants of clemency by the executive (or where the prisoner sentenced to death is exonerated by way of a pardon) varied remarkably between these jurisdictions over this 35-year period: some of these countries commuted the sentences of death row prisoners often, others rarely. In this DPhil thesis, I employ the methodology of comparative criminal justice to explore the discrepancies and similarities in capital clemency practice between these four Southeast Asian jurisdictions, seeking to document the known examples of clemency grants over the course of their modern history, and to investigate the reasons why retentionist countries exercise clemency at vastly different ‘rates’ in finalised capital cases.
As clemency and pardon deliberations by the executive are usually performed in secret, academic study of the subject has remained scarce, and the suspected reasons behind death sentence commutations, and their relative frequency, are rarely analysed. My inductive, qualitative study in comparative criminal justice will attempt to address these deficiencies in analysis as they apply to four Southeast Asian countries that continue to practice capital punishment as a form of criminal sanction. Moving beyond Amnesty International’s simplistic observation that ‘nowhere in Asia has the ready availability of such clemency been marked’, I examine the intricacies of the clemency practice in each jurisdiction, and arrive at regional trends and patterns.

Keywords: Southeast Asia
death penalty
comparative criminal justice
capital punishment
Advisor: Hoyle, C
Adaptive mesh modelling of the thermally driven annulus

Numerical simulations of atmospheric and oceanic flows are fundamentally limited by a lack of model resolution. This thesis describes the application of unstructured mesh finite element methods to geophysical fluid dynamics simulations. These methods permit the mesh resolution to be concentrated in regions of relatively increased dynamical importance. Dynamic mesh adaptivity can further be used to maintain an optimised mesh even as the flow develops. Hence unstructured dynamic mesh adaptive methods have the potential to enable efficient simulations of high Reynolds number flows in complex geometries.
In this thesis, the thermally driven rotating annulus is used to test these numerical methods. This system is a classic laboratory scale analogue for large scale geophysical flows. The thermally driven rotating annulus has a long history of experimental and numerical research, and hence it is ideally suited for the validation of new numerical methods.
For geophysical systems there is a leading order balance between the Coriolis and buoyancy accelerations and the pressure gradient acceleration: geostrophic and hydrostatic balance. It is essential that any numerical model for these systems is able to represent these balances accurately. In this thesis a balanced pressure decomposition method is described, whereby the pressure is decomposed into a
balanced'' component associated with the Coriolis and buoyancy accelerations, and a
residual'' component associated with other forcings and that enforces incompressibility. It is demonstrated that this method can be used to enable a more accurate representation of geostrophic and hydrostatic balance in finite element modelling. Furthermore, when applying dynamic mesh adaptivity, there is a further potential for imbalance injection by the mesh optimisation procedure. This issue is tested in the context of shallow-water ocean modelling. For the linearised system on an f
-plane, and with a steady balance permitting numerical discretisation, an interpolant is formulated that guarantees that a steady and balanced state remains steady and in balance after interpolation onto an arbitrary target mesh.
The application of unstructured dynamic mesh adaptive methods to the thermally driven rotating annulus is presented. Fixed structured mesh finite element simulations are conducted, and compared against a finite difference model and against experiment. Further dynamic mesh adaptive simulations are then conducted, and compared against the structured mesh simulations. These tests are used to identify weaknesses in the application of dynamic mesh adaptivity to geophysical systems. The simulations are extended to a more challenging system: the thermally driven rotating annulus at high Taylor number and with sloping base and lid topography. Analysis of the high Taylor number simulations reveals a direct energy transfer from the eddies to the mean flow, confirming the results of previous experimental work.

Keywords: dynamic mesh adaptivity
geostrophic balance
rotating annulus
finite element method
Advisor: Read, P
Marshall, D
Piggott, M