This study explores the development of women's tea ceremony from the Edo (1603-1868) to the Meiji period (1868-1912) onward, focusing on its connection to the "good wife, wise mother" ideology in the Meiji period. Many girls' schools, led by Atomi school, adopted the tea ceremony around the time of establishing the “good wife, wise mother.” During the Edo period, the population of women practitioners increased significantly. This was not limited to just women from samurai families; it extended to commoners as well. The women’s tea ceremony during the Edo period was greatly influenced by Confucianism and its expectations for women. However, when the Meiji period (1868-1912) arrived, Westernization started to have a major impact. This led to a decline in Confucian education and Edo cultural practices, including the tea ceremony. During the mid-Meiji period, the tea ceremony was reevaluated and integrated into girls' education in response to the resistance against Westernization and the surge of nationalism. Alongside the expansion of girls' schools, the practice of the tea ceremony spread throughout the country. Atomi Kakei, educated in Confucianism during the Edo period, is considered the first educator to have included women’s learnings of the Edo period, such as the tea ceremony, in the school curriculum from its inception. Nevertheless, the presence of inconsistencies in the remaining documents has raised doubts about the introduction of tea ceremony during the early Meiji period. Furthermore, in her autobiography, Oriori-gusa (1915), certain descriptions interweave the early and mid-Meiji periods, suggesting that she adjusted her actions and behaviors to align with the respective times. This study highlights that the ideology of "good wife, wise mother" played a pivotal role in the spread of the women's tea ceremony. In addition, careful observation of the operation of the Atomi Kakei’s school reveals that the tea ceremony was modernized in a short period of time, in line with the changing policies of the Meiji government.

Many countries strengthen their commitments to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to limit climate change and meet the Paris Agreement (Masson-Delmotte et al., 2019). Commitments include achieving net-zero emissions or in some cases even negative emissions (Government offices of Sweden, 2020a; United Nations, 2021a). To achieve these goals, carbon dioxide capture, utilization, and storage (CCUS) is considered as an essential strategy. Carbon capture storage and utilization are recognized methods of reducing or avoiding greenhouse gas emissions (IEA, 2019a, 2020). However, the uncertainty regarding costs, financial incentives, and pricing is impeding adoption. Further information is needed for CCUS concepts both in respect to cost estimates and required market prices for CCUS, this to provide guidance for decision makers and market actors. In this report a study has investigated the economic feasibility of three CCUS concepts for a biogas facility. One CCS concept where CO2 was captured and liquefied on-site to be transported to a terminal for shipping and end storage injection. The CCS concept annual capacity was ~16 500 ton net stored CO2. Two CCU concepts were considered, where synthetic natural gas (SNG) was produced via biologic methanation with on-site produced hydrogen, both with annual production of ~88 GWh SNG. A techno-economic assessment (TEA) was carried out where the key cost-drivers were identified, and the economic feasibility assessed. With performance and cost estimates for each process step in the different considered concepts a model was built where a cash flow was created and a net present value (NPV) could be calculated. The study found transportation to be the most prominent cost driver for CCS where shipping and storage represented 57 % of the total cost of CO2 removal. The cost driver for CCU concepts was found to be hydrogen production, where the electricity for the electrolyser constituted 65 % of the total cost of produced SNG. None of the concepts were found economic feasible when the Swedish market was considered. The break-even price for CO2 removal in the CCS concept was found to be 151 €/ton, just above the assumed base value used in this study. As the voluntary market is still undeveloped it is difficult to know what price that could be expected, however, in discussion with market experts a range between 150-200 €/ton would not be unthinkable for the concept studied. For the CCU concepts to be economically feasible, the estimated minimum price levels for SNG were 184 and 193 €/MWh respectively. Comparing to the benchmark price of diesel of 125 €/MWh, both CCU concepts were concluded to be unfeasible. The sensitivity analysis showed that the CCU concepts were very sensitive to variations in electricity price. When the German fuel market was considered, all studied concepts yielded a positive business case. CCS was the only concept showing economic feasibility, while the CCU concepts remained unfeasible. In the German market a GHG reduction quota credit was accounted for which was valued higher than the carbon removal credits in the voluntary market. / Många länder stärker sina åtaganden att minska utsläppen av växthusgaser för att begränsa klimatförändringen och uppfylla Parisavtalet (Masson-Delmotte et al., 2019). I åtagandena ingår att uppnå nettonollutsläpp eller i vissa fall till och med negativa utsläpp (Regeringskansliet, 2020a; FN, 2021a). För att uppnå dessa mål anses avskiljning, nyttjande och lagring av koldioxid (CCUS) vara en viktig strategi. Avskiljning, lagring och utnyttjande av koldioxid är erkända metoder för att minska eller undvika utsläpp av växthusgaser (IEA, 2019a, 2020). Osäkerheten kring kostnader, ekonomiska incitament och prissättning hindrar dock införandet. Ytterligare information behövs för CCUS-koncept både när det gäller kostnadsberäkningar och nödvändiga marknadspriser för CCUS, detta för att ge vägledning för beslutsfattare och marknadsaktörer. I den här rapporten undersöks den ekonomiska genomförbarheten av tre CCUS-koncept för en biogasanläggning. Ett CCS-koncept där koldioxid avskiljs och kondenseras på plats för att sedan transporteras till en terminal för slutlig sjöfrakt och injektion i geologiskt lager. Den årliga kapaciteten för CCS-konceptet var ~16 500 ton nettolagrad koldioxid. Två CCU-koncept övervägdes, där syntetisk natur gas (SNG) producerades genom biologisk metanisering med vätgas producerad på plats, där båda koncepten hade en årlig produktion av ~88 GWh SNG. En tekno-ekonomisk undersökning genomfördes där de viktigaste kostnadsdrivande faktorerna identifierades och den ekonomiska genomförbarheten bedömdes. Med hjälp av prestanda- och kostnadsberäkningar för varje processteg i de olika tänkta koncepten byggdes en modell där ett kassaflöde skapades och ett netto-nuvärde kunde beräknas. I studien konstaterades att transport var den mest framträdande kostnadsdrivande faktorn för CCS, där sjöfrakt och lagring stod för 57 % av den totala kostnaden för koldioxidavskiljning. Kostnadsdrivande för CCU-konceptet var vätgasproduktionen, där el till elektrolysen utgjorde 65 % av den totala kostnaden för producerad SNG. Inget av koncepten befanns vara ekonomiskt genomförbart när den svenska marknaden beaktades. Nollpunktspriset för koldioxidavskiljning i CCS-konceptet fanns vara 151 euro/ton, vilket är strax över det antagna basvärde som används i denna studie. Eftersom den frivilliga marknaden fortfarande är outvecklad är det svårt att veta vilket pris som kan förväntas, men i diskussioner med marknadsexperter skulle ett prisintervall på 150-200 €/ton inte vara otänkbart för det studerade konceptet. För att CCU-koncepten ska vara ekonomiskt genomförbara var de uppskattade minimipriserna för SNG 184 respektive 193 €/MWh. Jämfört med referenspriset för diesel på 125 €/MWh, ansågs båda CCU-koncepten vara ekonomiskt ogenomförbara. Känslighetsanalysen visade att CCU-koncepten var mycket känsliga för variationer i elpriset. När den tyska bränslemarknaden beaktades gav alla studerade koncept ett positivt netto-nuvärde. CCS konceptet var det enda konceptet som ansågs vara ekonomiskt genomförbart, medan CCU-koncepten förblev ogenomförbara. På den tyska marknaden räknades en kvot för minskning av växthusgasutsläpp in, som värderades högre än de krediter för avskiljning av koldioxid som fanns på den frivilliga marknaden.

Master of Arts / This thesis explores how public figures associated with the Tea Party movement used rhetoric to create and perpetuate ideas about who "real" Americans are, what they believe, and how they should act. I analyze books by Sarah Palin, Newt Gingrich, Glenn Beck, and Jenny Beth Martin to demonstrate how they premise "real" American identity on whether or not individuals are perceived to hold a particular set of moral values and beliefs. I ultimately suggest that their rhetorical strategies primed the American public for anti-democratic rhetoric and led to the election of Donald Trump.

Kombucha is a fermented tea beverage consumed for its probiotics and functional properties and has a unique sensory profile driven by the properties of tea polyphenols and fermentation products, including organic acids. Fermentation temperature and sucrose content affect the fermentation process and the production of organic acids, yet less is known about the impact on the sensory profile and consumer acceptance. Thus, we aim to examine the impact of sucrose concentration and fermentation temperature on sensory attributes and liking. For this study, kombucha tea was fermented at three different concentrations of sucrose and fermented at two temperatures for 11 days. Fermentation was monitored by pH, brix, and titratable acidity, and consumers (n=104) evaluated the kombucha for sensory attributes and overall liking. Fermentation temperature resulted in significant differences in titratable acidity, with higher temperatures producing more organic acids, resulting in higher astringency, and suppressed sweetness. The lower fermentation was reported as significantly more liked, with no difference in liking between the 7.5% and 10% sucrose kombucha samples. Overall, sucrose concentration had less of an impact on overall liking, and the sensory profile and fermentation temperature, which drives the fermentation rate and production of organic acids, strongly influenced the sensory profile.

Duchenne muscular dystrophy is a debilitating genetic disorder characterized by severe muscle wasting and early death in affected boys. The primary cause of this disease is mutations in the dystrophin gene resulting in the loss of the dystrophin protein from the plasma membrane of muscle fibers. In the absence of dystrophin, muscles undergo massive muscle degeneration and inflammation. Inflammation is believed to contribute substantially to dystrophic muscle pathology. The transcription factor NF-κB regulates inflammatory gene expression and provides a logical target for therapeutic treatments. Green tea extract and its primary polyphenol, epigallocatechin gallate, have been shown to have anti-inflammatory properties and to improve dystrophic muscle pathology. The purpose of these studies was to determine if dietary treatment with green tea extract or epigallocatechin gallate administered prior to disease onset could reduce dystrophic muscle pathology during the early disease time course and identify potential mechanisms through which NF-κB may be involved. Green tea extract has been shown to decrease muscle pathology and increase muscle function in mdx mice, a dystrophic mouse model. These changes have been attributed to the antioxidant potential of epigallocatechin gallate; however, other mechanisms such as suppression of the inflammatory response have not been evaluated. In the studies reported herein, both green tea extract and epigallocatechin gallate significantly decreased muscle pathology in mdx mice when provided in their diets prior to disease onset. In green tea extract (0.25% and 0.5%) treated mdx mice, serum creatine kinase, a systemic marker of muscle damage, was decreased by 85% at age 42 days. Normal fiber morphology in the tibialis anterior muscle was increased by 32% at this age (P≤0.05). The primary histopathological change was a 21% decrease in regenerating fibers (P≤0.05). NF-κB staining in central nuclei of regenerating fibers was decreased by 34% (P≤0.05). In epigallocatechin gallate (0.1%) treated mdx mice, serum creatine kinase was unchanged; however, normal fiber morphology in the tibialis anterior was increased by 20% at ages 28 and 42 days (P≤0.05). At age 42 days, the primary histopathological change was a 21% decrease in regenerating fibers (P≤0.05). NF-κB staining in central nuclei of regenerating muscle fibers was decreased by 21% at this age (P≤0.05). Epigallocatechin gallate appears to be the primary polyphenol of green tea extract responsible for many of the beneficial changes in dystrophic muscle. These data suggest that both green tea extract and epigallocatechin gallate decrease NF-κB activity in regenerating fibers resulting in reduced muscle pathology. Complimentary and alternative medicine approaches, including the use of green tea, provide important therapeutic options for ameliorating Duchenne muscular dystrophy. Green tea extract and epigallocatechin gallate are effective at decreasing muscle pathology potentially by reducing NF-κB activity in regenerating fibers in mdx mice. Use of these botanicals appears to elicit a beneficial response in dystrophic muscle that may ultimately lead to effective therapies for patients with this incurable disease. / Ph. D.

Buildings which address space through all the senses, rather than being dominated by ocular centric considerations solely, have become the minority within the discipline of Architecture. This can create an imbalance, perceivable as feelings of estrangement and detachment for the inhabitant. Estrangement is particularly evident within health care architecture, which owes much of its current form to ideas developed during Modernism. In response to this imbalance, Architecture from the past may have lessons which can be applied. This thesis investigates the potential of applying spatial techniques and approaches learned from the 16th century Japanese tea-house. A health care building which benefits from the same kind of reflective and contemplative spaces inherent in the tea-house includes counseling facilities, and therefore an outpatient cancer care center was chosen to apply these lessons. Among the techniques researched and applied, the use of a sequential vision of spatial experience, which reveals the building in stages and facilitates spaces for pause and reflection, was particularly powerful. The result is a building with spaces that take on an almost sacred tone, where one can be at peace with the realities of their current situation, and begin thinking about the path forward. / Master of Architecture

Yes / This paper presents an assessment of the Chinese healthcare system in 31 provinces for a 10-year period in light of relevant physical and human resource variables. First, a novel TEA-IS (Trigonometric Envelopment Analysis for Ideal Solutions) model is developed to assess healthcare efficiency at the province level. Machine learning methods are also employed to predict high-low performance and the synergistic Chinese healthcare province in terms of contextual variables. The results indicate that synergy has played a pivotal role in the Chinese healthcare systems, not only by triggering higher performance levels due to the progressive adoption of best practices over the course of time, but also by being closely related to different socioeconomic and demographic variables, such as the illiteracy rate. It is possible to claim that healthcare performance has remained stable in China over the past two decades, performance and synergy at the province level are still heterogeneous.

No / Green tea catechins (GTC) reduce UV radiation (UVR)-induced inflammation in experimental models, but human studies are scarce and their cutaneous bioavailability and mechanism of photoprotection are unknown. We aimed to examine oral GTC cutaneous uptake, ability to protect human skin against erythema induced by a UVR dose range and impact on potent cyclo-oxygenase- and lipoxygenase-produced mediators of UVR inflammation, PGE2 and 12-hydroxyeicosatetraenoic acid (12-HETE), respectively. In an open oral intervention study, sixteen healthy human subjects (phototype I/II) were given low-dose GTC (540 mg) with vitamin C (50 mg) daily for 12 weeks. Pre- and post-supplementation, the buttock skin was exposed to UVR and the resultant erythema quantified. Skin blister fluid and biopsies were taken from the unexposed and the UVR-exposed skin 24 h after a pro-inflammatory UVR challenge (three minimal erythema doses). Urine, skin tissue and fluid were analysed for catechin content and skin fluid for PGE2 and 12-HETE by liquid chromatography coupled to tandem MS. A total of fourteen completing subjects were supplement compliant (twelve female, median 42·5 years, range 29–59 years). Benzoic acid levels were increased in skin fluid post-supplementation (P= 0·03), and methylated gallic acid and several intact catechins and hydroxyphenyl-valerolactones were detected in the skin tissue and fluid. AUC analysis for UVR erythema revealed reduced response post-GTC (P= 0·037). Pre-supplementation, PGE2 and 12-HETE were UVR induced (P= 0·003, 0·0001). After GTC, UVR-induced 12-HETE reduced from mean 64 (sd 42) to 41 (sd 32) pg/μl (P= 0·01), while PGE2 was unaltered. Thus, GTC intake results in the incorporation of catechin metabolites into human skin associated with abrogated UVR-induced 12-HETE; this may contribute to protection against sunburn inflammation and potentially longer-term UVR-mediated damage.

Supply and synchronization of plant-available nitrogen (N) to the soil is a major challenge for organic farmers, especially when growing crops in soils that are in transition from conventional to organic systems. This research evaluated the effects of site produced cover crops and application of soil amendments on N uptake and crop yield of organic Irish potato (Solanum tuberosum) and sweet corn (Zea mays). Cover crops were crimson clover (Trifolium incarnatum) and forage radish (Raphanus sativus). Soil amendments included in-row application of commercially produced dehydrated compost tea absorbed on charcoal (Soil Biology Innovations) and post-plant sidedressing with organic N fertilizer. Irish potato and sweet corn were grown at the Kentland Agricultural Research Farm near Blacksburg, VA in an organic transition soil during the summers of 2006 and 2007. Nitrogen uptake and crop yield were not affected by cover crop species in either year. SBI increased yield of sweet corn, but not Irish potato for both years; SBI had no effect on N uptake of either crop. Post-plant N sidedressing increased N uptake and crop yield of Irish potato and sweet corn in 2007, but had no effect on crop yield in 2006, presumably because pre-plant organic fertilizer was applied at planting in 2006, but not in 2007. This study shows that the combination of site produced cover crops and applied soil amendments may be required to produce high marketable yields of organic Irish potato and sweet corn in the transition soil used in these experiments. / Master of Science

La presente tesis doctoral pretende investigar aspectos novedosos en el ámbito de la adquisición del lenguaje y de la psicolingüística. En concreto, nuestro objetivo principal es indagar en la adquisición de la competencia fraseológica a lo largo de varias etapas del desarrollo en menores con trastorno del espectro autista (TEA) de grado 1. El TEA es un trastorno del neurodesarrollo en el que se presentan comprometidas dos esferas: el deterioro en la comunicación e interacción sociales y los patrones de comportamiento, actividades e intereses repetitivos y restringidos (cfr. DSM-5). De este modo, en el análisis de la comprensión y producción de unidades fraseológicas (UF) apreciaremos cómo las afecciones englobadas en dichos ámbitos pueden interferir en la competencia fraseológica de los participantes de nuestro grupo experimental. Todo ello pone de manifiesto la complejidad de nuestro objeto de estudio, puesto que en él se imbrican diferentes disciplinas y áreas de conocimiento como son la adquisición del lenguaje, la fraseología y la psicología. Para analizar la comprensión y producción de unidades figurativas convencionalizadas (unidades fraseológicas) en niños y adolescentes con TEA de grado 1 proponemos, en primer lugar, una actividad para recabar información sobre la familiaridad de 81 UF entre niños y adolescentes neurotípicos (prueba 0). Así, seleccionamos 27 unidades de la prueba 0, aquellas que recibieron un mayor número de respuestas correctas y resultaron ser familiares para un elevado porcentaje de menores con desarrollo típico de 10, 12 y 14 años (vid. 5.2.). De ese modo, los fraseologismos incluidos en la prueba 1 son, a priori, familiares tanto para los niños y adolescentes que participaron en la prueba 0, como para los informantes del grupo de control y del grupo experimental que realizan la prueba 1. En relación con la prueba 1, esta propuesta persigue obtener datos sobre la comprensión de UF y, para ello, proponemos actividades de respuesta libre (i.e. ejercicios de definición y paráfrasis) y de respuesta restringida (i.e. ejercicios de elección múltiple con contexto, con opciones visuales y de unión de columnas). En cuanto al estudio de la producción de las unidades figurativas convencionalizadas, este se articula en torno a la prueba 2, es decir, la creación de un texto escrito. Así, la elaboración de un relato (humorístico) nos muestra, en general, las competencias lingüísticas y extralingüísticas de los participantes del grupo de control y del grupo experimental. No obstante, en la presente investigación centramos nuestra atención en las unidades figurativas y, en especial, en las locuciones (vid. 3.3. y 5.2). Los factores que tomamos en consideración para nuestro estudio son el género y la edad de los informantes, así como la tipología de las actividades propuestas, especialmente, en relación con la prueba 1 (actividades breves de comprensión). Respecto al estudio de la competencia fraseológica atendiendo a la variable de género, esta perspectiva ha recibido poca atención en la población específica, y su estudio puede resultar relevante por dos motivos. Por un lado, se ha apuntado a diferencias en función del género en aspectos como las habilidades sociales, el comportamiento y la empatía; y por otro, las investigaciones sobre la competencia lingüística de las niñas con TEA son escasas. Así pues, a pesar de que nuestra muestra es reducida y contamos con un número pequeño de menores de este género y con esta condición (en parte, debido a la prevalencia 10/15:1), realizaremos algunos apuntes sobre las similitudes y diferencias entre las niñas y los niños con TEA. Adoptando la perspectiva de género apreciamos diferencias en las actividades de comprensión y en el ejercicio de producción (vid. 7.2.), hallazgos que confirman los indicios expuestos en estudios previos sobre otros ámbitos como las habilidades sociales, la empatía o el comportamiento. La variable edad se ha presentado como determinante en diversos estudios en la población general, es decir, en menores neurotípicos. No obstante, entre nuestros informantes del grupo de control este factor no influyó de forma considerable. Dicho de otro modo, apreciamos un aumento significativo de respuestas correctas en la prueba 1 en los menores de 11-12 años, pero no en el grupo de 13-15 años. En el grupo experimental este factor fue decisivo en todas las franjas etarias, aunque en todas ellas apreciamos un peor rendimiento en comparación con los participantes neurotípicos, debido a los déficits en la coherencia central cognitiva, la función ejecutiva y la teoría de la mente. En cuanto a la producción de fraseologismos, la edad influyó especialmente en el grupo 2, es decir, la franja etaria de 11-12 años parece ser determinante para los dos grupos. El tercer factor es el tipo de actividad en prueba 1 y, en general, repercutió de la misma forma en los dos grupos de informantes. Así, frente a lo esperable, las actividades de respuesta restringida reportaron un peor desempeño en todos los participantes independientemente de su condición (neurotípico o TEA). Las actividades de respuesta libre (i.e. ejercicios de definición y paráfrasis) contribuyeron de forma positiva a las contestaciones adecuadas. De hecho, en este tipo de ejercicio documentamos respuestas figurativas tanto en menores con desarrollo típico como atípico (e incluso en la franja etaria de 9-10 años; cfr. fases del GEM, Levorato y Cacciari, 1995). Para estudiar la producción de los fraseologismos proponemos la creación de un cuento humorístico, siguiendo el modelo adoptado en el marco del proyecto de investigación FIGURKID. De este modo, las narraciones que conforman nuestra muestra formarán parte del corpus CHILDHUM. Dicho esto, aunque desde la perspectiva cuantitativa no apreciamos diferencias notorias entre los informantes con desarrollo típico y atípico, desde la perspectiva cualitativa los escritores neurotípicos recurrieron a unidades figurativas para expresar emociones y estados internos, es decir, locuciones con información del bloque de evaluación emotivo-emocional (cfr. modelo descriptivo del significado fraseológico, Timofeeva, 2012; 2018). Sin embargo, en los cuentos de los menores con desarrollo atípico observamos UF que denotan y connotan un referente concreto, y, con ello, en estas unidades son frecuentes los valores cuantitativos (bloque de evaluación racionalizada). Finalmente, el uso no canónico de unidades fraseológicas revela que los menores con TEA de grado 1 prefieren este recurso en mayor medida que sus pares neurotípicos. De hecho, en las tres franjas etarias del grupo experimental documentamos un mayor porcentaje del empleo de UF no canónicas que canónicas, tendencia que difiere de la observada en los niños y adolescentes neurotípicos. En concreto, apreciamos la preferencia de los informantes con desarrollo atípico por los neologismos fraseológicos, es decir, nuestros participantes con TEA de grado 1 inventan unidades sintagmáticas para identificar la nueva realidad basándose en combinaciones sincrónicas y productivas. De este modo, los escritores del grupo experimental elaboran compuestos sintagmáticos creativos para adecuarse a la temática del cuento humorístico (intercambio escolar en Marte y conversión en un insecto) y, al mismo tiempo, identificar y clasificar su nueva realidad (cfr. choque cultural, Ruiz Gurillo, 2015; Merino González, 2021a; b).