How to make people become Ambassadors of Jazz - A Comparative Case Study of Voluntary Jazz Concert Promoters in Agder

Master's thesis Music Management MU501 - University of Agder 2018This study observes the comparative cases of two jazz clubs in the region of Agder, South of Norway. The cases investigated are the Non-Profit Organisations (NPOs) and voluntary associations (VOs); Kristiansand Jazzvesen (KJV) and Arendal Jazzklubb (AJ), that has slightly different organisational structures and environments. The main objective has been to unveil if there is a need for ambassadors of jazz, or jazz enthusiasts, in order for these jazz concert promoters to ‘thrive’, improve their live jazz concert experiences and recruit new volunteers. Then, how this can be achieved in a fast-changing digitalised “festivalised” society is examined. The research is based on both qualitative and quantitative research from interdisciplinary research fields, and is inspired by a Mixed Methods methodology developed from the Chicago School. Results shows that there is a need of more jazz ambassadors in Agder for jazz concert promoters to thrive. Other important success factors consist of the following; ‘high quality products’, ‘trustworthiness’, ‘loyal audiences’, ‘live concert experiences’, ‘promotion’, ‘good reputation’, increased numbers of ‘voluntary enthusiasts’, ‘jazz culture’ the development of the Agder Jazz communities, ‘good service’, ‘economical funding’ and ‘communication’ both artistically and on a business level. Also, organisations that are managed or driven by volunteers are very important part of the Norwegian Music Business. Key Words: Jazz Club, Concert Promoters, Non-Profit Organisations, Jazz Ambassadors, Live Concerts, Audience Experiences

NKp46 Clusters at the Immune Synapse and Regulates NK Cell Polarization

Natural killer cells play an important role in first-line defense against tumor and virus-infected cells. The activity of NK cells is tightly regulated by a repertoire of cell-surface expressed inhibitory and activating receptors. NKp46 is a major NK cell activating receptor that is involved in the elimination of target cells. NK cells form different types of synapses that result in distinct functional outcomes: cytotoxic, inhibitory, and regulatory. Recent studies revealed that complex integration of NK receptor signaling controls cytoskeletal rearrangement and other immune synapse-related events. However the distinct nature by which NKp46 participates in NK immunological synapse formation and function remains unknown. In this study we determined that NKp46 forms microclusters structures at the immune synapse between NK cells and target cells. Over-expression of human NKp46 is correlated with increased accumulation of F-actin mesh at the immune synapse. Concordantly, knock-down of NKp46 in primary human NK cells decreased recruitment of F-actin to the synapse. Live cell imaging experiments showed a linear correlation between NKp46 expression and lytic granules polarization to the immune synapse. Taken together, our data suggest that NKp46 signaling directly regulates the NK lytic immune synapse from early formation to late function

CD28 between tolerance and autoimmunity: The side effects of animal models [version 1; referees: 2 approved]

Regulation of immune responses is critical for ensuring pathogen clearance and for preventing reaction against self-antigens. Failure or breakdown of immunological tolerance results in autoimmunity. CD28 is an important co-stimulatory receptor expressed on T cells that, upon specific ligand binding, delivers signals essential for full T-cell activation and for the development and homeostasis of suppressive regulatory T cells. Many in vivo mouse models have been used for understanding the role of CD28 in the maintenance of immune homeostasis, thus leading to the development of CD28 signaling modulators that have been approved for the treatment of some autoimmune diseases. Despite all of this progress, a deeper understanding of the differences between the mouse and human receptor is required to allow a safe translation of pre-clinical studies in efficient therapies. In this review, we discuss the role of CD28 in tolerance and autoimmunity and the clinical efficacy of drugs that block or enhance CD28 signaling, by highlighting the success and failure of pre-clinical studies, when translated to humans

T cell immunoengineering with advanced biomaterials

Recent advances in biomaterials design offer the potential to actively control immune cell activation and behaviour. Many human diseases, such as infections, cancer, and autoimmune disorders, are partly mediated by inappropriate or insufficient activation of the immune system. T cells play a central role in the host immune response to these diseases, and so constitute a promising cell type for manipulation. In vivo, T cells are stimulated by antigen presenting cells (APC), therefore to design immunoengineering biomaterials that control T cell behaviour, artificial interfaces that mimic the natural APC-T cell interaction are required. This review draws together research in the design and fabrication of such biomaterial interfaces, and highlights efforts to elucidate key parameters in T cell activation, such as substrate mechanical properties and spatial organization of receptors, illustrating how they can be manipulated by bioengineering approaches to alter T cell function

Seaweed Inclusion in Finishing Lamb Diet Promotes Changes in Micronutrient Content and Flavour-Related Compounds of Raw Meat and Dry-Cured Leg (Fenalår)

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A correlative and quantitative imaging approach enabling characterization of primary cell-cell communication: Case of human CD4+ T cell-macrophage immunological synapses

Cell-to-cell communication engages signaling and spatiotemporal reorganization events driven by highly context-dependent and dynamic intercellular interactions, which are difficult to capture within heterogeneous primary cell cultures. Here, we present a straightforward correlative imaging approach utilizing commonly available instrumentation to sample large numbers of cell-cell interaction events, allowing qualitative and quantitative characterization of rare functioning cell-conjugates based on calcium signals. We applied this approach to examine a previously uncharacterized immunological synapse, investigating autologous human blood CD4+ T cells and monocyte-derived macrophages (MDMs) forming functional conjugates in vitro. Populations of signaling conjugates were visualized, tracked and analyzed by combining live imaging, calcium recording and multivariate statistical analysis. Correlative immunofluorescence was added to quantify endogenous molecular recruitments at the cell-cell junction. By analyzing a large number of rare conjugates, we were able to define calcium signatures associated with different states of CD4+ T cell-MDM interactions. Quantitative image analysis of immunostained conjugates detected the propensity of endogenous T cell surface markers and intracellular organelles to polarize towards cell-cell junctions with high and sustained calcium signaling profiles, hence defining immunological synapses. Overall, we developed a broadly applicable approach enabling detailed single cell- and population-based investigations of rare cell-cell communication events with primary cells

Livsløpsanalyse av Ydalir Skole

Sammendrag. Formålet; Denne oppgaven er skrevet i samarbeid med Betonmast Innlandet AS. Det har blitt utarbeidet en livsløpsanalyse (LCA) av deres nye skolebygg i massivtre på Ydalir i Elverum. Massivtreelementene som er tatt i bruk blir produsert i Østerrike og det er ønskelig å finne ut hvilken påvirkning transport har på det totale utslippet, samtidig ønsker vi å avdekke eventuelle «hotspots». Vi vil også se på resultatene i lys av å bruke spesifikke- og generelle data, dette for å kunne se avvik og likheter ved de to ulike datakildene. Resultatene funnet i denne rapporten kan brukes til å kartlegge de ulike miljøpåvirkningene til materialene, samt fungere som en referanse ved sammenlikning av andre bygg. Metode; Oppgaven bygger på ISO 14040/44 standarden. Livsløpsanalysen vil begrense seg fra «vugge til port», fra råvare til ferdigstilte materialer som ankommer byggeplassen. Den funksjonelle enheten er definert som ‘Ydalir-skole, med totalt 3 etasjer, tilhørende påbygg og plass til ca. 350 elever. Totalt 6000 m2, med tanke på A1-A4, etter TEK 17’. De tilhørende spesifikke dataene til prosjektet ble hentet ut fra BIM-modeller, samt korrespondanse med aktuelle aktører. For mer generelle data baserer disse seg på eksisterende data i SimaPro sin database. Det vil si at studien er en kombinasjon av BIM-modeller og LCA. Resultat og konklusjon; Analysen baserer seg på karbonlagring i treverk. Det er derfor ikke overraskende at klimagassutslippet går i minus. Det totale klimagassutslippet blir -542 tonn CO2-ekvivalent. Transporten fra Østerrike viser seg å være en viktig variabel i dette regnskapet. Transporten ble beregnet med alle transportetapper i grunn, og vi kan derfor ikke presentere noe isolert data på kun transporten av massivtre. Totalt sett bidro transport med 25,8 % av klimagassutslippene. I følsomhetsanalysen ble transporten undersøkt og sammenliknet med transport fra Splitkon AS sin nye massivtrefabrikk på Åmot. Analysen resulterte i en halvering av klimagassutslippene ved å transportere fra Åmot, kontra Ybbs.Purpose; This paper was requested by Betonmast Innlandet AS. It consists of a life cycle assessment (LCA) of their new project, a school-building made primarily with cross-laminated-timber (CLT). The CLT in question is manufactured in Austria, then transported to Elverum. It is therefore requested to evaluate the environmental impact of the transport, aswell as identify “hotspots”. This paper also aims to assess the difference in results when using specific- and generic data. The results produced in this paper could be used to identify the different environmental impacts of the different materials and for uses in further studies. Method; This life cycle assessment follows the ISO 14040/44 standard. The LCA will limit itself “from cradle to gate”, i.e. from raw-material to the point of arrival as finished products at the construction site. The functional unit of this study is defined as ‘6000 square meter of school-building, considering A1-A4 “cradle to construction gate”, following TEK 17’. The specific data used in this study was gathered from BIM models, as well as correspondence with different contributors to the construction and manufacturing. The generic data is based upon the existing database of SimaPro. Thus, the study is the combination of BIM model. Results and discussion; This study bases its results on carbon storage in timber. It is therefore to no surprise that the total emission of climate gasses is in the negative. The total climate gas emissions results in negative 542 ton CO2- equivalent. The transport of the CLT ends up being an important factor in the calculations. The transport is calculated in total, and therefore we cannot present any isolated data for the transport of CLT alone. In total, the transport as a whole contributed 25,8 % to the emission of climate gasses. Although a sensitivity analysis was conducted on the transport by assessing the impacts based on transportation to a new CLT-manufacturer in Åmot, Splitkon AS. This analysis shows that the emissions is cut in half by transporting the CLT from this new fabric

Preformed CD40L Is Stored in Th1, Th2, Th17, and T Follicular Helper Cells as Well as CD4+8− Thymocytes and Invariant NKT Cells but Not in Treg Cells

CD40L is essential for the development of adaptive immune responses. It is generally thought that CD40L expression in CD4+ T cells is regulated transcriptionally and made from new mRNA following antigen recognition. However, imaging studies show that the majority of cognate interactions between effector CD4+ T cells and APCs in vivo are too short to allow de novo CD40L synthesis. We previously showed that Th1 effector and memory cells store preformed CD40L (pCD40L) in lysosomal compartments and mobilize it onto the plasma membrane immediately after antigenic stimulation, suggesting that primed CD4+ T cells may use pCD40L to activate APCs during brief encounters. Indeed, our recent study showed that pCD40L is sufficient to mediate selective activation of cognate B cells and trigger DC activation in vitro. In this study, we show that pCD40L is present in Th1 and follicular helper T cells developed during infection with lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus, Th2 cells in the airway of asthmatic mice, and Th17 cells from the CNS of animals with experimental autoimmune encephalitis (EAE). pCD40L is nearly absent in both natural and induced Treg cells, even in the presence of intense inflammation such as occurs in EAE. We also found pCD40L expression in CD4 single positive thymocytes and invariant NKT cells. Together, these results suggest that pCD40L may function in T cell development as well as an unexpectedly broad spectrum of innate and adaptive immune responses, while its expression in Treg cells is repressed to avoid compromising their suppressive activity

Quality assessment of fresh meat cuts as a performance indicator of knives specifically adapted for robot-assisted operations

Manual labour in slaughterhouses is hazardous work. Workers suffer from injuries and occupational illnesses resulting from repetitive movements with sharp knives. There is a need for a robotic tool which can perform versatile tasks with a high level of precision. This knife must be able to imitate the same primary cuttings of a professional butcher and produce meat products which are acceptable to the end-market. This paper reports the results of a world-wide assessment of the fresh pork meat cuts as a performance indicator of knives specifically adapted for automated operation. These knives included Victorinox knife, bespoke double bladed Uddeholm knife, vibrating knife and novel smart knife with built-in sensing mechanism that detects in real time the contact with meat and cut depth. Physical appearances of cuts were assessed anonymously by independent responders with different backgrounds. All knives were deemed acceptable in terms of cutting quality. There was also no discernible difference of opinion between manual and robot cuts. This indicates that the new knife for robot-assisted cutting is acceptable by market.publishedVersio