VictorJuiz/thesis huggingface dataset:
Synthesis of six membered heterocycles containing nitrogen or oxygen

Six-membered heterocycles containing nitrogen and oxygen are prevalent in natural products and pharmaceutical drugs; hence efficient synthesis of these motifs is of great benefit. This thesis describes the successful rearrangements of 5-membered heterocycles containing nitrogen and oxygen through to the corresponding 6-membered compounds.
Chapter 1 - Project Conception
This section outlined the project conception and aims.
Chapter 2 - Radical Ring-Expansions
This section contains an introduction to the radical mediated ring-expansions, which firstly focused on carbocylic precedent, before an in depth discussion on work relating to the radical ring-expansion of heterocycles.
Chapter 3 - Synthesis of Piperidines and Pyrrolidines
An introduction to the rearrangement of nitrogen containing heterocycles was examined, with particular emphasis on the one carbon ring-expansion of pyrrolines, azetines and lactams.
Chapter 4 - Rearrangements of Nitrogen Heterocycles
This section detailed the one-carbon radical ring-expansion of the pyrrolines obtained from the Birch reduction of electron deficient pyrroles. The scope of the reaction was examined with respect to substitution around the pyrroline ring. A postulated mechanism was presented with experimental evidence in the form of the synthesis fused bicycles. Attempts at inducing either an ionic or cationic ring-expansion were examined and a novel pyrroline ring-opening reaction presented.
Chapter 5 - Synthesis of Tetrahydropyrans
The literature on the ring-expansion reactions to form tetrahydropyrans was discussed, with particular emphasis paid on the tetrahydrofuran to tetrahydropyran rearrangement, the ringexpansion of epoxides and the ring-expansion of thiiranium ions.
Chapter 6 - Rearrangements of Oxygen Heterocycles
The development of the ring-expansion of tetrahydrofurans to tetrahydropyrans was described, with focus centred on the stereochemical requirements for efficient ring-expansion. A hydride shift pathway to form open chain ketones was exploited in the enantiopure synthesis of spiroketals.
Leukosialin and CD2 : contrasting structures at the leukocyte surface

Leukosialin is a major cell-surface sialoglycoprotein of unknown function expressed on all leukocytes except B cells.
Two clones for mouse leukosialin were isolated from a genomic library and sequencing revealed one of these to be a non-functional pseudogene, whereas the other contained an uninterrupted open reading frame that encoded leukosialin. The possibility that leukosialin might be involved in cell migration pathways was tested by expressing the antigen on B cells in transgenic mice but these cells did not show any aberrant migratory behaviour.
The heavy glycosylation of the leukosialin extracellular domain, with one O-linked glycan per 3 amino acids, suggests an extended structure and this has now been confirmed by electron microscopy. The antigenicity of this domain was studied using nine monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) whose binding is differentially affected by the cell type on which leukosialin is expressed and by the removal of sialic acid. Seven of these mAbs reacted clearly with the extracellular domain expressed in an unglycosylated form in E.coli and epitope mapping demonstrated that these epitopes correspond to short protein sequences. It thus appears that linear protein epitopes are recognized and these can be modified in the native structure by glycosylation.
MAbs to human leukosialin are potent at inducing cell clustering and this was shown to hold also for mAbs to rat leukosialin. Monomeric Fab fragments were inactive, demonstrating that cross-linking of leukosialin molecules is required for cell clustering.
The cytoplasmic domain of rat leukosialin was expressed in E.coli and shown to have an elongated structure and to be amenable to phosphorylation by protein kinase C.
CD2 is an important T cell adhesion molecule, interacting with LFA-3 on other cells through its NH2-terminal domain. This domain is also of interest as it has been predicted to have an immunoglobulin type fold despite the absence of the normally conserved disulphide bond. The expression of rat CD2 domain 1 in E.coli and the three-dimensional structure of the domain, determined by NMR spectroscopy, are reported.
From sacred site to monumental sanctuary : how the perception and manipulation of the landscape affected religious experience in Iron Age Central Adriatic Italy

This thesis explores the sacred landscape and ritual practices of Iron Age people living in the Marche and bordering regions of Central Adriatic Italy. It achieves this by examining the evidence of votive deposits of figurines and pottery in contexts associated with particular 'natural' features of the landscape, namely, water sources, caves and mountain peaks. Phenomenologies of these places/sites are constructed in order to understand how people using them perceived their landscape and manipulated it in order to meet their religious needs. The relationships between these places and the broader landscape are assessed, where 'landscape' means the physical landscape of this Central Adriatic region, which includes the patterns created by geology, vegetation and climate, as well as by human settlement, such as sites of habitation, cemeteries and routes of communication.
Issues regarding how to use phenomenology and whether it is a valid methodology are addressed. Investigation is made into the interrelationships between the landscapes of Iron Age Central Adriatic Italy, the material culture pertaining to religion and the people who interacted with these, in order to write a history of the religion of the 'Picenes'.
The conclusions drawn are that 'natural' landscape features were integral to the religious experiences and practices of the Iron Age communities here and that they largely appear to have been locales for rituals associated with the fertility of the people and land, and of people's safe passage through the landscape.
A self-consistent treatment of the parity non-conserving interaction in atoms

The Weinberg-Salam model of the weak interaction predicts that any wavefunction contains a small admixture of functions of the opposite parity. As a result, radiative transitions which would have pure magnetic dipole (M1) character in the absence of weak parity mixing interactions acquire a small component of electric dipole (E1) character, implying that atoms will show weak optical activity in proportion to the ratio of the matrix elements R = E1/M1.
This work describes a generalization of the MCDF procedure to include the weak interaction. This allows us to treat correlation, exchange, orthogonality and shielding in a consistent and rigorous manner.
A pilot calculation on bismuth using a model potential highlighted numerical problems associated with the use of a uniform nuclear density distribution. Therefore we have used a Fermi distribution in the main calculations to avoid these difficulties.
We give results for bismuth, thallium, lead and cesium; correlation (for the first three of these) and shielding (for all of these atoms) have been included by means of configuration interaction. We give the ratio R in both Coulomb (velocity) and Babushkin (length) gauges, and for bismuth, thallium and cesium a reasonable level of gauge invariance in the unshielded calculations was obtained, in contrast to other calculations.
The final results are as follows:
bismuth λ=876nm R = -10.9 x 10-8
bismuth λ=648nm R = -9.1 x 10-8
lead λ=462nm R = -11.1 x 10-8
thallium 6p½+7p½ E1 = 1.61 x 10-13a.u. (corresponding to a matrix element of r of 1.86xl0-10a.u.)
cesium 6s→7s E1 = -1.10 x 10-14a.u. (corresponding to a matrix element of r of 7.1 x 10-12a.u.)
The political career of Sir Francis Burdett

This thesis focusses upon the political career of one of the most popular radicals of the early nineteenth century, and yet a politician whose significance has been vastly underestimated. The thesis argues that Sir Francis Burdett's position inside the established political world, he was M.P. for Westminster from 1807 to 1837, made him absolutely vital to grassroots political radicalism. His willingness to champion the cause of parliamentary reform enabled a national rejuvenation of the radical cause to take place after the success of Pitt's repressive legislation in the 1790s. Following a chronological pattern, this thesis therefore traces Burdett's early campaigns for Middlesex in 1802 and 1804; his election for Westminster in 1807; his protest against the government in 1810; his leadership of the reform cause up to 1815; his break with other radical leaders in 1817; his subsequent role as an independent politician, and his part in the passing of the Reform Bill.
The thesis argues that Burdett was not a wildly inconsistent politician, a view shared by contemporaries and historians, but was the very model of an early eighteenth century country gentleman. He was obsessed with independence, both as a political creed and code, and espoused an essentially moderate, and intrinsically English reform programme. Burdett's career is therefore a striking illustration of the immense longevity and popularity of early eighteenth century values right up to 1832. This thesis hopes to reveal the vital importance of the aristocratic politician to popular politics in the period, and to emphasise the eccentric, insular and retrospective character of English radicalism in these years.
Dot and stripe arrays as surface acoustic wave reflectors

Reflective dot arrays represent a promising innovation in the field of surface acoustic wave devices. This work has investigated a simple model for uniform rectangular dot arrays. Prom this model the reflection coefficents of the dots and the correct angle for the array's reflectors can be deduced. Experimental results for these parameters are reported for some specific types of metal dot array using aluminium dots on Y-cut lithium niobate. Several different arrangements of dots within the arrays have been investigated, and their different advantages and disadvantages are contrasted. The use of specific array patterns to suppress undesired reflection modes has been investigated, and it has been shown that such suppresion can be achieved by this means.
Some information has been gathered on the reflection properties of different shapes of metal dots and with different thicknesses of metal. The properties of these different dot types have been compared and their implications on a theory for the behaviour of reflective metal dots have been discussed.
Experimental results have been obtained for the reflection of surface waves on YZ lithium niobate by thin metal strips at normal incidence. These results have been shown to agree with the available theoretical models for the problem. The effect of the mutual capacity of the strips on their behaviour has been shown to be important if several of them are grouped together. This part of the work is seen as a preliminary to the possible development of a model for the reflection properties of metal dots.
Two inline reflective dot array devices have been made. The results reported show that the principle of these devices has been sucessful, but that more work is still needed if they are to fulfil their full promise.
Analysis of the 16p telomere to examine the relationship between DNA replication, chromosome structure and gene expression

The overall aim of the laboratory is to understand how the human α globin genes are expressed in a tissue-specific and developmental-stage specific manner from their natural chromosomal environment. This gene cluster has been studied in great detail from this point of view, and it now represents an important general model to address how eukaryotic genes are regulated. Ultimately, this information may be important for the further development of strategies for effective gene transfer, particularly for patients who suffer from inherited anaemias which result from abnormal globin gene expression (thalassemias).
The human α globin gene cluster is located close to the telomere, in the terminal band of the short arm of chromosome 16 (16p13.3). Many aspects of α gene regulation have been studied in detail, including the identification of the structural genes, their proximal regulatory elements (promoters) and distal regulatory element (HS-40). Erythroidspecific trans-acting factors which bind these elements in vitro and in vivo have been identified. In an attempt to define the regulatory domain containing the α genes, the surrounding chromosomal environment (~400kb) has also been extensively studied. The region is fully sequenced, and the chromatin structure, methylation patterns and scaffold attachment sites have been established. Over 100 natural mutants that perturb α globin expression have been characterised and numerous fragments from this region have been analysed in transgenic mice.
One potentially important aspect of α globin gene expression that has not been previously examined is DNA replication. Study of replication throughout this particular region provides an excellent opportunity to integrate this information with what is already known about the regulation of the α cluster. Initially, studies were undertaken to analyse the pattern and timing of DNA replication of the human α globin gene cluster and the surrounding chromosomal region in erythroid and non-erythroid cell-types. Replication timing of this region has also been compared in the individual paternal and maternal alleles of chromosome 16. Once the in vivo pattern of replication was established, the role of chromosomal position upon replication timing was assessed by analysing various constructs of the a cluster in transgenic mice. The role of the distal regulatory element HS-40 in influencing the pattern and timing of replication of the extended region has been examined. Naturally-occurring deletions within this region have facilitated the study of the importance of the telomere and subtelomeric region in determining the replication characteristics of this region. Replication has also been studied in another natural mutant, which contains a deletion which may perturb α gene expression by a novel mechanism.
Commerce and experience in the seventeenth-century Mediterranean : the market dynamics, commercial culture and naval protection of English trade to Aleppo

This thesis has been written to illustrate the experience of commerce and some of the conditions under which it was undertaken by merchants in the seventeenth-century Mediterranean. It is intended for economic historians with an interest in market exchange.
In the Introduction, I review the historiography of commerce and, principally, the interaction between centres of international trade in western Europe and other regions of the world. Differences of interpretation turn on the degree to which western European merchants were able to bring to bear the potential advantages they had in capital resources, financial techniques, comparative advantage, economies of scale and commercial information on regional markets as early as the seventeenth century. Drawing on the existing literature, I argue that the interaction between markets was limited by slow communications and market disequilibria caused by inelasticities of supply. Merchants who organized commercial companies sought to overcome the uncertainty and risk that resulted from trading under these conditions. The principal source for the policies of the Levant Company are the Court Books. They provide neither extensive summaries of policy positions nor justifications for them, however, and we must rely on other, supplementary sources to reveal individual motivations and perceptions of commercial requirements. I argue that commercial letters, such as those of Thomas Metcalfe, William Ivatt and another anonymous factor in Aleppo, allow us to investigate the motivations for specific policies and the market conditions under which such policies were undertaken. In the case of Thomas Metcalfe, the qualitative value of the commercial information he provides is reinforced by quantitative information about his holdings. Together these two sets of information allow us to gain an unusually complete insight into the possible range of commercial activity in the market.
[Please see pdf. for full abstract]
The relationship of the Italian and southern French Cathars, 1170-1320

The aim of this thesis is to answer two questions, namely why Southern French Cathars chose to flee to Italy when persecuted in the early thirteenth century and secondly to assess the extent to which Catharism was a 'universal church'.
The first three chapters deal with the separate arrivals of Catharism in Italy and Southern France from the Byzantine Empire. The growth of Catharism's different characteristics in each place is observed, both before and after the mission to both areas of Nicetas, the Byzantine dualist. Subsequent chapters deal with economic, political and cultural links between Southern France and Italy, and the development of Catharism in both areas.
The assault by the Inquisition led to the flight of many Cathar perfecti and supporters from Languedoc. Communities of Languedocian Cathars built up within the context of the wider Languedocian community in north Italy. Subsequently there were Southern French Cathars at Cuneo, Alessandria, Pavia, Cremona, Piacenza, Sirmione and there was an unsuccessful attempt to establish a community in the kingdom of Sicily. A recognisable history of these communities can be traced, beginning in Cuneo in the 1240s and ending with the fall of Sirmione in 1276. Within this period there were some limited examples of cooperation between Southern French and Italian Cathars in north Italy.
The penultimate chapter deals with the participation of Southern French and Italians in the revival of Catharism in both areas, which was organised from Piedmont in the period 1290-132Q. There follows a brief comparison of the doctrine, ritual and lifestyle of the two sects and how, in the case of the Languedocian Cathars, these were affected by the period in Italy.
The conclusion drawn is that economic, cultural and political considerations largely dictated the Languedocian Cathars' choice of refuge and that, although there was an element of universalism in the heresy, regional differences Were more important. The sources used are mainly Inquisition material, and in addition, chronicles, charters, notarial documents and the vidas of the troubadours.
The structure of MRC OX-2 membrane glycoprotein

The mouse monoclonal antibody MRC OX-2 recognises a rat cell surface glycoprotein of MR about 45,000 which is expressed on brain and lymphoid tissues. The OX-2 antigen is of interest because its tissue distribution and biochemical properties are similar to Thy-1, a cell surface antigen which is known to have a structure resembling an immunoglobulin domain. In this thesis, the structure of OX-2 antigen is determined to evaluate whether it shares sequence homology with Thy-1 and immunoglobulins.
OX-2 antigen was purified from rat brain by monoclonal antibody affinity chromatography, and several tryptic peptides were isolated and sequenced. An oligonucleotide probe was designed from the peptide sequence and used to isolate OX-2 cDNA clones from a thymocyte cDNA library. Several cDNA clones were analysed to derive the complete sequence of OX-2 antigen.
The mature protein is 248 amino acids long, comprising of two extracellular domains that show homology with immunoglobulin, followed by a transmembrane segment and a short cytoplasmic region. The N-terminal domain fits best with V-regions while the second domain is like an Ig C-domain. Thus the structure is similar to an Ig light chain or one chain of the T cell receptor.
Using Southern blot analysis, no rearrangement of the OX-2 gene could be detected in rat tissues which express the protein. Homologues of the OX-2 gene were indentified in Southern blots of mouse and human DNA, and the human OX-2 gene was isolated from a genomic library. Partial characterisation of the human gene showed that domain I is encoded by a single exon, the sequence of which is highly conserved between rat and human.
Preliminary S1 nuclease mapping of rat OX-2 mRNA indicates that not all transcripts are capable of encoding the normal OX-2 protein. Abnormal transcripts which differ from the normal message at exon splice sites are abundant in RNA from lymphoid tissues, but absent from brain.
The labor supply decisions of nurses in Great Britain

This thesis examines the nursing labor market in Great Britain. It describes the components of supply and demand, their interaction, and the dominant role of supply in the market. It also gives a detailed accounting of the conditions of employment for nurses, their training arrangements, and the system by which their pay is determined. Following this discussion, two types of supply models are estimated. The first is a static model which uses data from the Women and Employment Survey to explain two dimensions of supply at a particular point in time: participation and hours of work; discontinuities in the supply function are also discussed.
The second is a dynamic model which uses hazard functions to identify the determinants of nursing quits over time. Work history data collected from the personnel files of the John Radcliffe Hospital are the basis of this analysis and three specific quit models: to leave for another job, to leave the labor market altogether, and to leave to take up training, are estimated along with the aggregate quit function for qualified and unqualified nurses. Finally, the elasticities produced from the supply models are used to evaluate the cost effectiveness of various policies to increase the supply of nurse labor.