Master of Science / Food Science Institute -- Animal Science & Industry / Karen A. Schmidt / Yogurt starter and probiotic bacteria have been reported to confer health benefits to the consumer; however, to confer these health benefits yogurt and probiotic bacteria should be live and present at the recommended concentration of 6 to 8 log cfu g-1. Cegemett® Fresh (Cognis Nutrition & Health, Monheim, Germany) is a plant extract that possesses antioxidant properties. This research was divided into two experiments. The objective of experiment-I was to investigate the effect of plant extract supplementation on the redox potential (Eh) and the viability of starter cultures (Streptococcus thermophilus and Lactobacillus delbrueckii ssp. bulgaricus) in nonfat yogurt. Five yogurt samples [non-supplemented, supplemented with 0.5 or 1.0% (w/v) plant extract, or supplemented with 0.014 or 0.028% (w/w) L-cysteine.HCl] were prepared, stored at 5ºC for 50 days and analyzed weekly. L. bulgaricus counts in supplemented yogurts were > 6 log cfu mL-1 for additional 7 to 21 days compared with non-supplemented yogurt; however, S. thermophilus counts in all yogurts were > 6 log cfu mL-1 throughout the storage. Overall, Eh of plant extract supplemented yogurts were similar to non-supplemented yogurt during storage; therefore the improvement in L. bulgaricus viability cannot be attributed to the Eh alone. The objective of experiment-II was to investigate the effect of plant extract supplementation on the buffering ability of the yogurt mix, and on the viability of starter and probiotic (Bifidobacterium animalis ssp. animalis and Lactobacillus acidophilus) cultures in nonfat yogurt stored at 5ºC for 50 days. Nine yogurt samples were prepared with 0.5% (w/v) plant extract, 0.25% (w/v) sodium acetate or no supplement, fermented with starter cultures and B. animalis, L. acidophilus or both probiotics, and analyzed weekly. The plant extract and sodium acetate supplemented yogurt mixes had greater buffering capacities compared with non-supplemented yogurt mix. L. bulgaricus and L. acidophilus counts in supplemented yogurts were > 6 log cfu mL-1 for additional 7 to 35 days compared with non-supplemented yogurts. S. thermophilus and B. animalis counts were not affected by supplementation. These results suggested that greater buffering capacity could improve the viability of L. bulgaricus and L. acidophilus in yogurt during storage.

Master of Science / Department of Grain Science and Industry / Hulya Dogan / Kansas is the top wheat-producing state, providing about 1/5 of the yearly wheat crop in the U.S. Therefore, the quality of wheat grown in Kansas is a primary concern of the milling and baking industry. Quality of wheat flour is measured through analysis of protein, dough rheology, and baked product characteristics. This study characterized four commonly-grown Kansas hard red winter wheat cultivars chosen to span the largest possible range of protein contents and baking qualities. Flour protein content and moisture was determined by NIR, and composition was assessed using SE-HPLC. Dough empirical rheological and mixing characteristics were determined by farinograph and mixograph recording dough mixers. Rheological measurements of fundamental dough properties were performed through strain sweeps, frequency sweeps, temperature sweeps, creep-relaxation, and stress relaxation on a rheometer. All cultivar flours were baked to assess baking quality through evaluation of loaf volume, texture profile analysis (TPA), C-cell, and x-ray microtomography (XMT). Overley and Karl 92 have the two highest protein contents, respectively, and are not significantly different in percent of unextractable polymeric protein (UPP). Generally, cultivars with higher protein and percent UPP (Overley and Karl 92) gave larger loaves, much more expanded air cells, thinner cell walls, greater void fractions, and better mixing properties. Lower TPA firmness was found for Overley, corresponding with its larger XMT fragmentation index, existence of large air cells, and high void fraction. In contrast, 2137 gave the lowest XMT fragmentation index, low void fraction, larger cell wall thicknesses, and a significantly firmer (P< 0.05) crumb structure. Protein content was found to have an inverse relationship with the elastic nature of dough in fundamental rheological measurements since small amplitude measurements generally do not give good correlations to baking quality. Stress relaxation gave the most useful information about flour quality through its relaxation spectra. Flours with high total polymeric protein percentages could be identified through their higher relaxation spectra. Starch gelatinization properties of the flours were different for RVA and rheometer temperature sweeps. All of these tests have helped characterize the four Kansas wheat cultivars chosen for this study.

Drastic changes have taken place in UK electricity policy over recent years as government has sought to address the challenges associated with energy security, affordability and commitments to reduce carbon emissions. This study investigates the underlying policy changes between the year 2000 and 2012, particularly the Electricity Market Reform, as the most fundamental transformation in the British power market since liberalisation, almost three decades ago. It illustrates that although this policy had revised the long legacy of market-based and technology neutral electricity policymaking, it was yet to be claimed as a wholesale paradigmatic shift, because, as of 2012, it still suffered from a form of paradigm ambivalence and socio-technical lock-in. Furthermore, this research identifies an accumulative process of policy change explaining how a complex set of dynamics transformed the UK electricity policy mix. The thesis relies empirically on conducting 53 semi-structured interviews as well as scrutinising policy documents and relevant secondary studies. The thesis draws relevant approaches within policy studies that attend to address continuity and change in policy frameworks, in particular the Advocacy Coalition Framework (Sabatier 1999) and Policy Paradigm (Hall 1993) perspectives. The study contributes to this literature in three distinctive ways. First, it questions the adequacy of existing frameworks for conceptualising policy change in ‘large-technical’ and ‘techno-centric’ subsystems, such as electricity policy. In return, it introduces technology preference, as a policy component capturing the socio-technical elements of electricity policymaking. Second, to explain why and how such significant changes had been undergone, it forms a bridge between the characteristics of policy change and the extent that existing policies are perceived as irreconcilable policy failures. By this, it, albeit, moves beyond the conventional typology of change drivers in policy literature. Third, this research extends the emerging concept of negotiated agreement and policy compromise as a pathway to evolutionary changes (Sabatier & Weible 2007). Inspired by Institutional Change theory (Mahoney & Thelen 2010), it proposes that compromised policies are often at the risk of policy reversibility and retrenchment, subject to any shift in the contextual conditions they have originated in. Overall, the thesis provides an understanding of one of the very complex and contemporary cases for studying policy change theories.

The purpose of this study is to examine preschool teachers attitude how a tablet can be used to arouse children's interests and curiosity when it comes to science and technology. To examine this, interviews with six preschool teachers from five different preschools in three municipalities implemented. Qualitative semi-structured interviews were chosen to find out their personal views and thereby increase the possibilities to get as detailed and complete answers as possible. The results of this study show that preschool teachers have a positive attitude about the tablet in preschool. According to all interviewed preschool teachers, the tablet device is used to search for information and documentation within subjects such as science and technology. The result of this study also shows that the preschool teacher’s competence has been a significant factor in how the tablet is used in preschool. Preschool teacher who have worked the shortest time in preschool and have a further education sees more opportunities and have a higher competence around how the tablet can be used as an educational tool in their education. / Studiens syfte är att undersöka förskollärarens inställning till hur en surfplatta kan användas till att väcka barns intressen och nyfikenheter när det gäller naturvetenskap och teknik. För att ta reda på detta har intervjuer med sex förskollärare ifrån fem olika förskolor inom tre olika kommuner genomförts. Kvalitativa semistrukurerade intervjuer valdes för att kunna ta reda på deras personliga uppfattningar och därmed öka möjligheterna till att få så detaljerade och innehållsrika svar som möjligt. Resultatet från denna studie visar att förskollärare har en positiv attityd kring surfplattan i förskolan. Enlig samtliga förskollärare används en surfplatta till informationssökning och dokumentation inom ämnen som naturvetenskap och teknik. Resultatet visar dessutom att förskollärarens kompetens har en betydande faktor i hur surfplattan används. Förskollärare som arbetat kortast tid i förskolans verksamhet samt har en vidare utbildning, ser fler möjligheter och har en högre kompetens kring hur en surfplatta kan användas som ett pedagogiskt verktyg i förskolan.

This dissertation utilizes three independent research projects to examine one overarching theoretical question: How do people understand, contest, negotiate, and / or rationalize the ways in which bodies-human, animal, and microbial - are socially constructed as commensurate, or not, in science? Using three unique projects focusing on either the human, animal, or microbial body, this dissertation broadly explores the social processes inherent in the construction of "bodies" for scientific research. This dissertation explores the complexity of how bodies are used in science, how this is understood by individuals, and the impacts this has not only on science but also the intertwined lives of animals, humans, and their microbes. Each paper explores a key set of questions drawing from a shared set of theoretical lenses, including local biology and biolooping, commensuration, the biovalue of bodies, and the microbiome. Specifically this dissertation presentation will explore these questions: 1) How are Japanese bodies socially constructed as different from other bodies in ethnobridging clinical trials?; 2) How is local biology employed as a technique of commensuration at the site of the Japanese body, by the government, and the global pharmaceutical industry and what does this mean for scientific studies utilizing it in this way?; 3) How do scientists construct nonhuman primates as appropriate proxies for humans in biomedical research experiments?; 4) How do individuals understand themselves and their health in relation to pet dogs and microbes?; and 5) How do humans understand the ways in which humans, animals, and microbes co-create their biological and social worlds? This dissertation shows how the construction of the body as an object of scientific study is negotiated, contested, and taken up in daily life, and how this is flexible, malleable, and not at all uniform. It explores the ways in which biomedical knowledge of the body is socially constructed and how it co-creates the animal, microbial, environmental, and cultural worlds in which it circulates. Through doing so and using techniques and lenses grounded in biosocial anthropology, this dissertation adds to the literature on the body in both medical and multispecies anthropology.

Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder has garnered controversy in the United States since it became a widely diagnosed disorder in American schoolchildren in the 1970s. Both diagnosis and treatment are sites of controversy. Some believe the disorder is a contrivance of parents and teachers who do not want to deal with hardly exceptional childhood difficulties, or a contrivance of pharmaceutical companies taking advantage of such parents and teachers. Others believe that a neurobiological basis for the disorder will eventually be discovered, and thus will legitimize both the diagnosis and the practice of prescribing medication for treatment. I utilize the Science, Technology, and Society approach of actor network theory to show that these multiple understandings of ADHD can coexist, since ADHD is a complex product of external and internal agents. This will demonstrate how cultural shifts and values cause parents, teachers, and doctors to evaluate childhood in a way that frames certain behaviors as harmful. I also evaluate how cultural values of medicalization center issues in the individual rather than in external factors, and assess the values that psychiatric treatment appeals to and whether they primarily serve the needs of children. I conclude that ADHD is a heavily context-dependent disorder, but that that does not delegitimize harmful effect on children who exhibit ADHD-associated behaviors. I also conclude that the current dominant medicalized approach to ADHD is not optimal because it focuses on only a few of the total factors that make ADHD a pathological disorder for children in the contemporary United States.

New innovation often forces The rise of the sharing economy has created a host of regulatory challenges for both agencies and legislators. Specifically, the ride-sharing and short-term rental industries have faced significant challenges from incumbent industries, lawmakers, and the public. Evaluating the respective policy development of these industries and the strategies of the industry leaders provide a useful lens of analysis.

In this paper, I analyze Bitcoin price formation and adoption rates at a global and national level. In determining Bitcoin prices, I consider contemporaneous and lagged values of traditional determinants of currencies, such as inflation and industrial production, and digital currency specific factors, primarily public interest. Using monthly time-series data across five years (2011 – 2016), I find that global public interest in Bitcoin, measured by Google searches for the keyword ‘Bitcoin,’ has a positive and significant impact on Bitcoin prices. I extend the analysis to a country level by employing a proxy for adoption rates, represented by the number of local Bitcoin client downloads, which is a useful predictor of prices. I examine pooled data across 12 countries to show that searches for ‘Bitcoin’ can be used to predict adoption rates and, consequently, prices. To the best of my knowledge, this is the first academic article to study Bitcoin usage at a national level. I find that contemporaneous values of traditionally used macroeconomic determinants of currency prices, except inflation, do not have a significant impact on Bitcoin prices.

Energy use and production have become highly salient within both national and international policy. This reflects an international recognition of the need to cut emissions in order to mitigate the threats of climate change. Within the UK there is significant policy support for renewable energy development generally, and wind power in particular. Nevertheless, the UK is not expected to meet its targets for renewable energy production. This is often portrayed as being the result of localised public opposition to particular proposed developments. However, this thesis challenges the notion that local objectors are powerful actors within renewable energy deployment. A detailed, multi-method case study of one planning application for a wind power development was conducted in order to explore how the planning process is experienced and perceived by various different actors involved (i.e. representatives of the developers, local objectors, local supporters). The findings refute the assertion that localised opposition presents significant obstacles for the development of renewable energy; they instead highlight the limited influence of objectors. In order to understand the many different forms of power which may be exercised the research employs Lukes’ three-dimensional view of power as a framework of how the concept is to be understood. Through this framework, the thesis does not only consider the power of objectors, but also of prospective developers and the forms of power that are found within the structures of the planning system. Power is considered to be visible not only in the outcomes of decision-making processes but also in the processes themselves. It is shown that whilst planning processes are presented as being public and democratic, considerable power is exercised in controlling the participation that is allowed and ultimately the range of outcomes which can be achieved.

國家科技發展計畫是國家競爭力的基礎。在台灣有幾個重要科技政策會議（如全國科學技術會議、行政院科技顧問會議、電子、資訊、電訊策略會議、行政院科技會報等）來協調、凝聚政府與私部門間對科技政策共識，進而規劃科技發展目標與執行策略。國科會自1978年開始，不僅籌辦全國科學技術會議，並且執行規劃科技發展策略、協調執行、評估中、長期科技發展計畫等功能。但是我國在推動整體科技發展時，一直存有若干問題未能解決，如資源浪費、效率不彰、國科會層級不足以扮演超部會協調角色等，影響國家科技發展甚大。 本研究以文獻檢視、比較方法提出標竿學習美國、日本科技發展的四個指標來強化國科會科技發展功能： 1、科技資訊系統之發展。 2、科技幕僚之建置。 3、科技決策層次之提昇。 4、政府支助科技研發經費之持續與穩定成長。 以上四個標竿學習指標，經運用德菲調查研究後發現，專家學者們認為所提的四個指標，對國科會強化科技發展功能有所助益。 / National science and technological development plan is a foundation for national competitiveness of a country. There are several decision- supporting mechanisms（such as The National Conference on Science & Technology, Science &Technology Advisory Board , Strategic Review Board on Electronics, Information and Telecommunications, Science &Technology Conference of the Executive Yuan）in Taiwan which serve to reach consensus between government and the private sector, mapping out Sci-Tech development goals and formulating implementation strategies for achieving the goals. National Science Council is not only one of the main agencies to sponsor The National Conference on Science & Technology but also a strategic agency to formulate Sci-Tech development policy; coordinate and implement mid-and long-term development plans, and evaluate the outcome of policy implementation. The Council has undertaken the above functions since 1978,but some problems have not been solved. For example, huge amount of manpower and resources are overlapped and wasted which result in poor efficiency. In addition, the Council lacks the authority to coordinate other ministries concerning Sci-Tech policies within the Executive Yuan. In this thesis, the author used literature review and comparative research to study the strong traits of American and Japan’s S&T development as benchmarks. There are four benchmarking alternatives to enhance the function of National Science Council to improve its S&T development. They are: I、National Science Council should enhance its information management and decision supporting system to provide policy alternatives of S&T for its decision-maker. II、National Science Council should establish an in-house “think- tank” to provide future vision and goals of science and technological development. III、Augmenting the authority of Council to strengthen its coordinating function with other ministries in the Executive Yuan. IV、The creation of a steady and growing fund to facilitate the long-term development of science and technology in Taiwan. The opinions of experts in our Delphi survey has confirmed that the above alternatives can strengthen the function of National Science Council to promote science and technology development in Taiwan.