VictorJuiz/thesis huggingface dataset:
'According to the wisdom given to Him' : the use of the Pauline Epistles by early Christian writers before Nicaea

This thesis is a study of the interpretation and reception of the writings attributed to the apostle Paul based on the collation of references to Pauline texts in pre-Nicene Christian writings. The material is analysed utilising a method worked out by Teresa Morgan and Raffaella Cribiore to understand the nature and extent of indebtedness to literary authorities in ancient pedagogy. The application of their method means that the most frequently cited passages from the Pauline corpus become the focus for detailed examination, and a chapter is devoted to the following passages: 1 Corinthians 2.6-16, Ephesians 6.10-17, 1 Corinthians 15.50-58, and Colossians 1.15-20. In each chapter, selections from early Christian texts which use these passages are chosen for in-depth analysis because they are representative in their interpretative approaches of the totality of texts examined. Across many different early Christian writings, images and phrases from these Pauline pericopes were used to support and defend a wide range of theological arguments about the nature of divine wisdom and its contrast with human wisdom, the importance of standing firm in faith, the nature of resurrection and the body, and the nature of Christ. On the basis of the analysis throughout this thesis, conclusions are drawn firstly, about the close connection between scriptural interpretation and theological doctrines; secondly, about early Christian formation, separate from scholarly attempts to recover early Christian catechesis, school teaching, and pedagogy; and finally, about early Christian identity and how it is formed and informed by early Christian use of these four passages.

Keywords: Reception History
Early Christianity
Formation
Colossians
Patristics
Pauline Epistles
Ephesians
1 Corinthians
Advisor: Rowland, C
Morgan, T
Econometrics issues in forward-looking monetary models

Recently, single equation approaches for estimating structural models have become popular in the monetary economics literature. In particular, single-equation Generalized Method Moments estimators have been used for estimating forward-looking models with rational expectations. Two important examples are found in Clarida, Gali, and Gertler (1998) for the estimation of forward- looking Taylor rules and in Gali and Gertler (1999) for the estimation of a forward-looking model for inflation dynamics. In this thesis, we address the issues of identification which have been overlooked due to the incompleteness of the single-equation formulations. We provide extensions to existing results on the properties of GMM estimators and inference under weak identification, pertaining to situations in which only functions of the parameters of interest are identified, and structural residuals exhibit negative autocorrelation. We also characterize the power of the Hansen test to detect mis specification, and address the issues arising from using too many irrelevant instruments as well as from general corrections for residual autocorrelation, beyond what is implied by the maintained model.
In general, we show that the non-modelled variables cannot be weakly exogenous for the parameters of interest, and that they are informative about the identification and mis-specification of the model. Modelling the reduced form helps identify pathological situations in which the structural parameters are weakly identified and the GMM estimators are inconsistent and biased in the direction of OLS.We also ¯nd the OLS bias to be increasing in the number of over-identifying instruments, even when the latter are irrelevant, thus demonstrating the dangers of using too many potentially irrelevant instruments. Finally, with regards to the "New Phillips curve", we conclude that, for the US economy, this model is either un-identified or mis-specified, casting doubts on its utility as a model of in°ation dynamics.

Keywords: new Keynesian models
Identification
GMM
rational expectations
Advisor: Hendry, D
Post-prehistoric changes in the Tavoliere coastlands

This thesis is concerned with related aspects of physical and settlement changes in the coastal portion of the largest lowland in peninsular Italy, the Tavoliere of Poggia (Apulia). It is an empirical study, summarising the state of archaeological and geographical information, offering new archaeological and sedimentary evidence, and reassessing many interpretations concerning settlement, economic activity and the environment from the mid-Holocene and Early Neolithic times to the present.
Formerly there were a number of lagoons in the coastlands, wide open to the Adriatic or almost wholly closed by the barrier island. Today much of this is cultivated land. Before the implications of such a physical change on past settlement and economy can be assessed, the ancient settlement patterns have to be discovered; the buried topography revealed; and the nature and phasing of the sedimentation that has all but obliterated the lagoons outlined. These are the main objectives in the present study. A perhaps wider range of source material than is orthodox in historical geography is investigated to these ends. The study of written and cartographic sources, from the Roman period onward, is intimately combined with the study of field evidence both archaeological and sedimentary. In this way, much of the evidence falls in to place as a better understanding of the former physical environment is achieved. For instance, cognizance of the openness of one lagoon leads to a more accurate interpretation of the route directions of the Roman itineraria and a better coincidence of archaeological and written evidences for lost settlements. But, bearing in mind that the thesis is essentially an interim statement on an active and longterm research programme, no conclusions are attempted although the study has implications reaching beyond the local area. Instead, the three important factors of change - climatic change, changes in sea level, and the anthropogenic factor - are introduced as the basis of the next stage in the research programme.
Derivative pricing and optimal execution of portfolio transactions in finitely liquid markets

In real markets, to some degree, every trade will incur a non-zero cost and will influence the price of the asset traded. In situations where a dynamic trading strategy is implemented these liquidity effects can play a significant role. In this thesis we examine two situations in which such trading strategies are inherent to the problem; that of pricing a derivative contingent on the asset and that of executing a large portfolio transaction in the asset. The asset's finite liquidity has been incorporated explicitly into its price dynamics using the Bakstein-Howison model [4]. Using this model we have derived the no-arbitrage price of a derivative on the asset and have found a true continuous-time equation when the bid-ask spread in the asset is neglected. Focussing on this pure liquidity case we then employ an asymptotic analysis to examine the price of a European call option near strike and expiry where the liquidity effects are shown to be most significant and closed-form expressions for the price are derived in this region. The asset price model is then extended to incorporate the empirical fact that an asset's liquidity mean reverts stochastically. In this situation the pricing equation is analyzed using the multiscale asymptotic technique developed by Fouque, Papanicolaou, and Sircar [22] and a simplified pricing and calibration framework is developed for an asset possessing liquidity risk. Finally, the derivative pricing framework (both with and without liquidity risk) is applied to a new contract termed the American forward which we present as a possible hedge against an asset's liquidity risk. In the second part of the thesis we investigate how to optimally execute a large transaction of a finitely liquid asset. Using stochastic dynamic programming and attempting only to minimize the transaction's cost, we first find that the optimal strategy is static and contains the naive strategy found in previous studies, but with an extra term to account for interest rates neglected by those studies. Including time risk into the optimization procedure we find expressions for the optimal strategy in the extreme cases when the trader's aversion to this risk is very small and very large. In the former case the optimal strategy is simply the cost-minimization strategy perturbed by a small correction proportional to the trader's level of risk aversion. In the latter case the problem is shown to be much more difficult; we analyze and derive implicit closed-form solutions to the much-simplified perfect liquidity case and show numerical results to demonstrate the agreement of the solution with our intuition.
Application of nanostructured emitters for high efficiency lighting

This is the first study comparing morphologies of CNT films on Kanthal wire, with their field emission properties, and as such offers ways to design better cylindrical emitter devices. A low turn-on field was achieved (0.35 V/µm), the field emission results have been explained using a simple model, and a fluorescent lamp was fabricated. Whilst previous work has been done on the link between “as grown” CNT films and their respective field emission properties on flat substrates, very little work has been done on linking morphology to emission performance on wire substrates, where the morphology can be very different.
Microscopic structures such as towers, ridges and clumps consisting of many aligned or entangled CNTs were grown using an aerosol chemical vapour deposition (a-CVD) technique. Hydrogen added to the carrier gas resulted in a decrease in defect density in the growth of undoped CNTs, and an increase in defect density in the growth of nitrogen doped CNTs (N-CNTs) and boron doped CNTs (BCNTs). In-situ transmission electron microscopy (TEM) studies show that damage to CNT tips results in a significantly higher turn-on field compared to undamaged tips. This can be recovered by making the CNT emit current for several minutes which makes the tip recrystallize due to heat caused by the Nottingham effect.
The field emission properties of the “as grown” CNT films are dominated by protruding CNTs found at the edges of ridge and tower microscopic structures. The field emission properties are also related to the dimensions of these structures with the longest ridges (hence those with the longest protruding CNTs) resulting in the lowest turn-on electric field. The ridge and tower structures act to accommodate protruding CNTs at their edges and their physical dimensions (mainly width) act to separate these emitters so that screening is minimised. This work shows that efficient emitters can be fabricated effectively from simple a-CVD techniques and microscopic structures act to improve, not degrade, field emission properties.

Keywords: lighting
carbon nanotubes
field emission
nanotechnology
Advisor: Grobert, N
Grovenor, C
Studies of foraging behaviour and time budgeting in great tits (parus major)

Part One is an investigation of the dawn chorus in the Great Tit. The major conclusions are as follows: Foraging and singing are partly incompatible because of the temporal and spatial separation of microhabitat conditions required for each activity. The dawn chorus occurs at a time of day when: a) foraging efficiency is limited by low light intensity and possibly by lack of mobility of the prey due to low temperature; b) acoustic communication is more efficient than visual displays because of poor visibility and an enhanced sound transmission; c) the rate of territorial intrusion is at its daily peak. Great Tit's readiness to sing and react agonistically towards a territorial intruder is enhanced by experimentally lowering profitability of feeding, but it does not appear to be affected by time of day. Restricting access to food early in the morning leads to higher body weight in the evenings as an anticipatory compensation.
Part Two is a study of sampling strategies based on the statistical decision paradigm known as the Two-Armed Bandit problem. I studied transition behaviour in foraging experiments using concurrent variable ratio schedules. The birds' foraging behaviour approximated the predictions of a dynamic programming algorithm that calculates the optimal balance between exploring and exploiting for finite time horizons. The birds' response to patch diversity and time horizon was closer to molar maximization (total rewards over a certain period) than to molecular maximization (maximising the instantaneous probability of reward). When the environment is not totally stable these two possibilities conflict, and my results supported molar maximization.
Part Three investigates the trade-off between maximising foraging efficiency and efficient territorial defence. Great Tits behaved close to the predictions of the Marginal Value model when there were no territorial intrusions, but modified their feeding behaviour in the predicted way when the probability of intrusion was higher.

Advisor: Krebs, J
The defendant’s bad character in the wake of the Criminal Justice Act 2003

This thesis examines the interpretation and application of the Criminal Justice Act 2003 (UK), Part 11 Chapter 1, which came into force on 15 December 2004. Part 11 Chapter 1 concerns evidence of bad character, a concept approximately comparable with common law similar fact evidence, in relation to all parties who may be connected with a criminal trial. The admission and use of similar fact evidence has often been the subject of controversy, and the significant changes made by the CJA 2003 have attracted their own body of support and criticism.
The nine chapters of this thesis attempt an in-depth study into the impact of the legislation on the robustness and effectiveness of the criminal trial, and consider whether the criminal trial is suited to the level of exposure of bad character now facilitated by the CJA. In particular, the thesis focuses upon the key provisions governing the uses of bad character evidence of the defendant: the seven gateways set out in s 101 of the CJA.
The operation of those gateways and their accompanying explanatory provisions is examined through a combination of engagement with the Law Commission’s Report 273 (which preceded the enactment of the legislation), the range of Court of Appeal cases dealing with the legislation, and academic commentary. It was foreshadowed by commentators and early case law that the new provisions might not be easy to interpret or apply, and subsequent cases have borne out this prediction.
An analysis of the bad character provisions suggests that, even though the CJA was intended to provide clarity in regulation, it has itself led to confusion in some important respects. Certain central terms lack definition, and some provisions have unintended consequences. The case law reflects this in its frequent, often brief, and sometimes inconsistent analysis of the specific parts of the legislation, which can make it difficult to determine the defendant’s guilt or innocence in a precise and scrupulous manner.

Keywords: character
defendant
evidence
crime
trial
Advisor: Mirfield, P
The recent and fossil affinities of the genus Pedetes (Mammalia: Rodentia)

An assessment is given of some of the possible relationships of the living rodent genus Pedetes, based on a study of the comparative osteology of both living and fossil forms in the Family Pedetidae. A short examination of the views of previous authors on the position of Pedetes and the Family Pedetidae is given and the basic methodology, used in this study, is outlined. The view is put forward that, in a group containing a high proportion of fossil members, only osteological characters can be used in assessing relationships as only these characters can potentially be investigated directly in all members of the group.
A description is given of the skeleton of Pedetes surdaster and contrasting points in the skeleton of Pedetes capensis, the other living species, are listed. Descriptions are also given of fossil material including Megapedetes pentadactylus, Parapedetes namaquensis, a new species of the genus Pedetes from Laetoli and fragmentary material from a number of sites including Rusinga, Fort Ternan, Maboko, Olduvai Gorge, Taung, Arrisdrift and Elisabethfeld. These descriptions are accompanied by figures, illustrating some of the material, and extensive tables, containing measurements.
An analysis, based on cladistic methodology, divides the Family Pedetidae into two subfamilies: one, Subfamily Parapedetinae, contains only the species Parapedetes namaquensis the other, Subfamily Pedetinae, contains all the other named species, four species of Pedetes - surdaster, capensis, gracilis (from Taung) and the new species from Laetoli - and Megapedetes pentadactylus. Material of Megapedetes augaeus has not been examined but on the basis of the published description its validity must remain doubtful. Much of the fragmentary material has not been ascribed to any of the named forms but appears to represent at least two further species. Consideration is also given to possible functional interpretations of some characters.

Advisor: Kemp, T
Coe, M
Investigating metabolite channelling in primary plant metabolism

The tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle is one of the central pathways in respiration and also plays an important role in a variety of metabolic processes including the synthesis of secondary metabolites and the provision of carbon skeletons for ammonium assimilation and amino acid biosynthesis. Effective regulation of these multiple demands on the TCA cycle is likely to be very important for plant fitness. One way that this regulation could be achieved is through metabolite channelling. This occurs when metabolites are transferred between enzyme active sites without diffusing into the bulk aqueous phase of the cell, and is known to be important in regulating demands in metabolic pathways.
Although there is evidence that metabolite channelling exists in animals, there have been no attempts to investigate it in plant. The first aim of this thesis was therefore to investigate whether metabolite channelling exists in the plant TCA cycle. Isotope dilution experiments were developed to investigate metabolite channelling, and were able to show that metabolite channelling was present between certain enzymes of the TCA cycle in both S. tuberosum and A. thaliana mitochondria. The second aim of the thesis was investigate whether metabolite channelling is important in regulating the TCA cycle in plant mitochondria. The pattern of metabolite channelling did not change in mitochondria isolated from the light and the dark, or from mitochondria with increased or decreased TCA cycle rates, but it was not possible to say whether the metabolite channelling altered in a quantitative fashion. Overall the thesis provides the first direct evidence of channelling in the TCA cycle in plants, and further work should help to elucidate what role, if any, it plays.

Keywords: Primary metabolism
TCA cycle
metabolic channelling
Advisor: Sweetlove, L
Ratcliffe, R
Autonomy and paternalism

The aim of the thesis is to develop a theory of autonomy-respecting paternalism which delineates an area of morally permissible paternalistic interference. Paternalism is defined as any infringement of a prima facie right to non-interference for the purpose of protecting or promoting the recipient's well-being. It is argued that autonomy involves not only liberty of action, but also the achievement of self-construction and self-control. The role of rational reflection in the achievement of self-construction is discussed at some length, and the importance of knowledge, including self-knowledge and moral sensitivity is emphasized. The right to non-interference is taken to be grounded in the intrinsic value of autonomy, and possession of a prima facie right to non-interference is extended to all beings with desires. This general right is discussed in terms of three rights of greater specificity: non-interference with actions, states, and opportunities. An account of the vehicle for alienation of the right to non-interference is developed in terms of a technical notion of subsequent approval. The principle of respect for autonomy is shown to be as applicable in paternalistic dealings with children as it is with adults, without this having counter-intuitive consequences in practice. It is also shown how far the paternalistic promotion of a recipient's well-being, understood as the satisfaction of informed desires, can be reconciled with the principle of respect for autonomy. Finally, the theory is applied to particular cases of paternalism in familial, medical, and legal contexts.
Microfluidics for particle manipulation: new simulation techniques for novel devices and applications

This thesis focuses on fundamental aspects of microfluidic systems and applies relevant findings to innovative designs for advanced particle manipulation applications.
Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) is adopted for fluid modeling, based on the Finite Volume method. The accuracy of the solutions obtained is confirmed by grid sensitivity analysis and by comparisons with experimental work. Curved microchannel features and the induced Dean flow are studied through a parametric space exploration and simulations. The Lagrange-Euler coupling method – Surface Marker Point methodology – is applied to simulate large-size particles (of comparable size to the channel). Through this simulation approach, all the forces on such particles are directly derived through solving the governing equations and the influence of these particles on the flow is considered in a fully coupled manner. A new approach – the Frozen Flow & Flow Correction Coefficient method – is developed, making trans-relaxation-time simulations possible and improving computational efficiency significantly, for 3D simulations of arbitrary shape and size microparticles in complicated microfluidic channels. Detailed comparisons between simulation results and experiments involving particle sedimentation and particle equilibrium position have been conducted for methodology validation.
Mechanisms of hydrodynamic particle manipulation are then studied, including hydrodynamic focusing and separation. It is found that the Tubular Pinch effect, Dean flow and the Radial Pressure Gradient effect interact to yield two distinct particle separation mechanisms. For advanced applications, particle focusing, non-magnetic and magnetic separation for neutrally buoyant particles are proposed, based on newly gained insight on the above-mentioned mechanisms. Appropriate channel designs have been proposed both for particle focusing and size-based particle separation, while the vertical-magnetic-Dean separation scheme is highlighted for magnetic separation.
Finally, a new integrated system is proposed, that combines the above novel designs into a device-like ensemble. It promises to offer functionality for biomaterial separation and detection, including different types of cells, antigens and biomarkers.

Keywords: diagnostic device
particle separation
microfluidics
magnetic separation
two-phase flow
surface marker point
Dean flow
Advisor: Ventikos, Y