Taustamusiikin käyttö ja hyödyntäminen ravintola-alalla

Opinnäytetyön aiheena on taustamusiikin käyttö myyntiä edistävänä sekä asiakasviihtyvyyteen vaikuttavana elementtinä. Opinnäytetyön tavoitteena oli luoda opas, jonka avulla voidaan tutustuttaa lukija taustamusiikin erilaisiin hyödyntämismahdollisuuksiin. Opas auttaa esimiehiä sekä muita taustamusiikkiin vaikuttavia henkilöitä hahmottamaan erilaisia lähestymistapoja taustamusiikin hyödyntämiseen. Oppaasta pyritään luomaan yksinkertainen sekä informatiivinen tutustumismahdollisuus taustamusiikkiin sekä mahdollisuuksiin joita se aistinvaraisena ärsykkeenä tarjoaa. Työ on rajattu käsittelemään à la carte-ravintoloita sekä baareja, sillä musiikkia käytetään molemmissa kohdeympäristöissä samojen toimintojen avulla samojen päämäärien saavuttamiseksi. Työ toteutettiin yhdistämällä vanhaa tutkimusta sekä tuoretta, haastatteluiden kautta saavutettua näkemystä taustamusiikista sekä sen roolista ravintola-alan yrityksissä. Haastattelut keskitettiin muun työn tavoin à la carte-ravintoloiden sekä baarien työntekijöihin. Opasta voi kuitenkin käyttää yleispätevänä taustamusiikin käytön ohjeena muissakin ravintola-alan yrityksissä. Haastattelut toteutettiin valittujen à la carte-ravintoloiden sekä baarien taustamusiikkia kontrolloivien henkilöiden kanssa vuoden 2012 lopulla. Haastattelut suoritettiin teemahaastatteluina, joita tutkimuksen tekijät kontrolloivat valittujen aihepiirien rajoissa. Tutkimuksessa ilmeni tietoisuuden taustamusiikin hyödyntämismahdollisuuksista olevan käytön laajuudesta huolimatta melko vähäistä. Jokaisella ravintolalla on omat toimintatapansa taustamusiikin toistamiseen, eikä näissä usein ole tarkemmin mietitty taustamusiikin vaikutuksia. Taustamusiikin valintaan ja käyttökulttuuriin on suurimmassa osassa kohdeyrityksiä vaikuttanut vahvasti yrityksen liikeidea sekä asiakaskunta.The subject of the thesis was the use of background music as an element of sales promotion. The objective of the thesis was to create a guide on the various methods of using background music to support sales and satisfaction of the customers. The guide is able to help those who control the background music of the selected restaurant environment. The guide gives an introduction to the various effects background music has on customers and their behavior. It also gives essential tips and guidelines on how to use background music to reach the desired effects. The study is limited to bars and à la carte- restaurants as music is used in both environments with similar methods to achieve similar goals. The study was based on classic research combined with interviews. The interviews concentrated on background music and its effects and role in restaurant environments. The subjects of these interviews were bar and à la carte-restaurant employees. Albeit the limitation to bars and à la carte-restaurants, the guide can be used as a universal guide in all types of business environments. The interviews were carried out with employees in charge of background music in selected restaurants and bars. The interviews took place in late 2012. All the interviews were carried out as semi-structured interviews where the authors moderated the interviews within the predetermined framework. The case study showed that the general knowledge of using background music to support sales and satisfaction of the customers was very limited even though background music is used comprehensively. Each restaurant has its unique procedures of handling background music and most of the time the effects have not been taken into account. The choice of background music in the targeted restaurants and bars is often affected by its business idea and clientele

“Doing good but with a little tongue in cheek” : the Satanic Temple in Finland

This master's thesis considers The Satanic Temple in Finland. The Satanic Temple (TST) is a nontheistic religious and political movement founded in 2013 in the USA. The aim of this study is to find out why there was a need for a TST congregation in Finland, how it differs from the USA umbrella organisation and what TST is like as a political and as a religious movement in Finland. To discover the answers to these questions I have used ethnographic methods, mostly online ethnography. I have interviewed eight members of TST Finland and performed participatory observation, taking part on TST’s online events, both Finnish and international. The theoretical framework of the study forms around religious studies and political anthropology. I have used the concept of akin to religion from Ninian Smart and Eric Sharpe and Gordon Mathew’s idea of a cultural supermarket. I have also used the feminist theory. As a result of this study, I have found that a nontheistic religious movement can offer its members a community and a sense of belonging. The members of TST Finland were looking for a like-minded group and found that in TST. The political side of the group is realised in activism which is rooted in leftism and intersectional feminism. The members want to do good and make the world a better place, but they are doing it with a tongue in cheek.Tämä pro gradu -tutkielma käsittelee The Satanic Temple -liikettä Suomessa. The Satanic Temple (TST) on ei-teistinen uskonnollinen ja poliittinen liike, joka perustettiin vuonna 2013 Yhdysvalloissa. Tämän tutkimuksen tavoitteena on selvittää, miksi Suomessa oli tarve omalle TST-seurakunnalle, miten se eroaa USA:n kattojärjestöstä ja millainen Suomen TST on poliittisena ja uskonnollisena liikkeenä. Löytääkseni vastaukset näihin kysymyksiin olen käyttänyt etnografisia menetelmiä, lähinnä verkkoetnografiaa. Olen haastatellut kahdeksaa TST Finlandin jäsentä ja tehnyt osallistuvaa havainnointia TST:n verkkotapahtumissa, niin kotimaisissa kuin kansainvälisissäkin. Tutkimukseni teoreettinen viitekehys muodostuu uskonnontutkimuksen ja poliittisen antropologian ympärille. Olen käyttänyt Ninian Smartin ja Eric Sharpen käsitettä uskonnonkaltainen sekä Gordon Mathew'n ajatusta kulttuurisesta supermarketista. Olen myös käyttänyt feminististä teoriaa. Tämän tutkimuksen tuloksena olen havainnut, että ei-teistinen uskonnollinen liike voi tarjota jäsenilleen yhteisön ja yhteenkuuluvuuden tunteen. TST Finlandin jäsenet ovat etsineet samanhenkistä ryhmää ja löytäneet sen TST:stä. Ryhmän poliittinen puoli toteutuu aktivismissa, jonka juuret ovat vasemmistolaisuudessa ja intersektionaalisessa feminismissä. Jäsenet haluavat tehdä hyvää ja tehdä maailmasta paremman paikan, mutta he tekevät sen kieli poskella

Different gDNA content in the subpopulations of Prostate Cancer Extracellular Vesicles: Apoptotic bodies, Microvesicles and Exosomes

Peer reviewe

Oncolytic adenovirus loaded with L-carnosine as novel strategy to enhance the antitumor activity

Oncolytic viruses are able to specifically replicate, infect, and kill only cancer cells. Their combination with chemotherapeutic drugs has shown promising results due to the synergistic action of virus and drugs; the combinatorial therapy is considered a potential clinically relevant approach for cancer. In this study, we optimized a strategy to absorb peptides on the viral capsid, based on electrostatic interaction, and used this strategy to deliver an active antitumor drug. We used L-carnosine, a naturally occurring histidine dipeptide with a significant antiproliferative activity. An ad hoc modified, positively charged L-carnosine was combined with the capsid of an oncolytic adenovirus to generate an electrostatic virus-carnosine complex. This complex showed enhanced antitumor efficacy in vitro and in vivo in different tumor models. In HCT-116 colorectal and A549 lung cancer cell lines, the complex showed higher transduction ratio and infectious titer compared with an uncoated oncolytic adenovirus. The in vivo efficacy of the complex was tested in lung and colon cancer xenograft models, showing a significant reduction in tumor growth. Importantly, we investigated the molecular mechanisms underlying the effects of complex on tumor growth reduction. We found that complex induces apoptosis in both cell lines, by using two different mechanisms, enhancing viral replication and affecting the expression of Hsp27. Our system could be used in future studies also for delivery of other bioactive drugs. Mol Cancer Ther; 15(4); 651-60. ©2016 AACR

Poly(β-amino ester)–DNA complexes: Time-resolved fluorescence and cellular transfection studies

A large number of different polymers have been developed and studied for application as DNA carriers for non-viral gene delivery, but the DNA binding properties are not understood. This study describes the efficiency of nanoparticle formation by time-resolved fluorescence measurements for poly(β-amino esters), cationic biodegradable polymers with DNA complexation and transfection capability. From the large library of poly(β-amino esters) ten polymers with different transfection efficacies were chosen for this study. The binding constants for nanoparticle formation were determined and compared to with the same method. Although the DNA binding efficiency of the amine groups are similar for both types of polymers, the overall binding constants are an order of magnitude smaller for poly(β-amino esters) than for 25 kDa polyethylenimines, yet poly(β-amino esters) show comparable DNA transfection efficacy with polyethylenimines. Within this series of polymers the transfection efficacy showed increasing trend in association with relative efficiency of nanoparticle formation.Academy of FinlandNational Institutes of Health (U.S.) (Grant CA132091)National Institutes of Health (U.S.) (Grant CA115527

Distinct prostate cancer-related mRNA cargo in extracellular vesicle subsets from prostate cell lines

Background: Multiple types of extracellular vesicles (EVs), including microvesicles (MVs) and exosomes (EXOs), are released by all cells constituting part of the cellular EV secretome. The bioactive cargo of EVs can be shuffled between cells and consists of lipids, metabolites, proteins, and nucleic acids, including multiple RNA species from non-coding RNAs to messenger RNAs (mRNAs). In this study, we hypothesized that the mRNA cargo of EVs could differ based on the EV cellular origin and subpopulation analyzed. Methods: We isolated MVs and EXOs from PC-3 and LNCaP prostate cancer cells by differential centrifugation and compared them to EVs derived from the benign PNT2 prostate cells. The relative mRNA levels of 84 prostate cancer-related genes were investigated and validated using quantitative reverse transcription PCR arrays. Results: Based on the mRNA abundance, MVs rather than EXOs were enriched in the analyzed transcripts, providing a snapshot of the tumor transcriptome. LNCaP MVs specifically contained significantly increased mRNA levels of NK3 Homeobox 1 (NKX3-1), transmembrane protease serine 2 (TMPRSS2), and tumor protein 53 (TP53) genes, whereas PC-3 MVs carried increased mRNA levels of several genes including, caveolin-2 (CAV2), glutathione S-transferase pi 1 (GSTP1), pescadillo ribosomal biogenesis factor 1 (PES1), calmodulin regulated spectrin associated protein 1 (CAMSAP1), zinc-finger protein 185 (ZNF185), and others compared to PNT2 MVs. Additionally, ETS variant 1 (ETV1) and fatty acid synthase (FASN) mRNAs identified in LNCaP-and PC-3-derived MVs highly correlated with prostate cancer progression. Conclusions: Our study provides new understandings of the variability of the mRNA cargo of MVs and EXOs from different cell lines despite same cancer origin, which is essential to better understand the the proportion of the cell transcriptome that can be detected within EVs and to evaluate their role in disease diagnosis.Peer reviewe

Metastatic state of parent cells influences the uptake and functionality of prostate cancer cell-derived extracellular vesicles

Peer reviewe

Novel poly(L-lactic acid)/hyaluronic acid macroporous hybrid scaffolds : characterization and assessment of cytotoxicity

Poly(L-lactic acid), PLLA, a synthetic biodegradable polyester, is widely accepted in tissue engineering. Hyaluronic acid (HA), a natural polymer, exhibits an excellent biocompatibility, influences cell signaling, proliferation, and differentiation. In this study, HA crosslinking was performed by immersion of the polysaccharide in water-acetone mixtures containing glutaraldehyde (GA). The objective of this work is to produce PLLA scaffolds with the pores coated with HA, that could be beneficial for bone tissue engineering applications. PLLA tridimensional scaffolds were prepared by compression molding followed by salt leaching. After the scaffolds impregnation with soluble HA solutions of distinct concentration, a GA-crosslinking reaction followed by inactivation of the unreacted GA with glycine was carried out. An increase on surface roughness is shown by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) with the addition of HA. Toluidine blue staining indicates the present of stable crosslinked HA. An estimation of the HA original weight in the hybrid scaffolds was performed using thermal gravimetric analyses. FTIR-ATR and XPS confirmed the crosslinking reaction. Preliminary in vitro cell culture studies were carried out using a mouse lung fibroblast cell line (L929). SEM micrographs of L929 showed that cells adhered well, spread actively throughout all scaffolds, and grew favorably. A MTS test indicated that cells were viable when cultured onto the surface of all scaffolds, suggesting that the introduction of crosslinked HA did not increase the cytotoxicity of the hybrid scaffolds.Contract grant sponsor: Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT) through POCTIContract grant sponsor: FEDER programs including project ProteoLight; contract grant number: PTDC/FIS/68517/2006Contract grant sponsor: European Union funded STREP Project HIPPOCRATES; contract grant number: NMP3-CT-2003-505758Contract grant sponsor: European NoE EXPERTISSUES; contract grant number: NMP3-CT-2004-500283Contract grant sponsor: Spanish Ministry of Science (The FEDER financial support); contract grant number: MAT2007-66759-C03-01The authors acknowledge the funding for research in the field of Regenerative Medicine through the collaboration agreement from the Conselleria de Sanidad (Generalitat Valenciana) and the Instituto de Salud Carlos III (Ministry of Science and Innovation). The European Union Financing, as part of the SOCRA-TES/Erasmus program is also gratefully acknowledged

Hydrophobin-nanofibrillated cellulose stabilized emulsions for encapsulation and release of BCS class II drugs

The purpose of this study was to construct biopolymer-based oil-in-water emulsion formulations for encapsulation and release of poorly water soluble model compounds naproxen and ibuprofen. Class II hydrophobin protein HFBII from Trichoderma reesei was used as a surfactant to stabilize the oil/water interfaces of the emulsion droplets in the continuous aqueous phase. Nanofibrillated cellulose (NFC) was used as a viscosity modifier to further stabilize the emulsions and encapsulate protein coated oil droplets in NFC fiber network. The potential of both native and oxidized NFC were studied for this purpose. Various emulsion formulations were prepared and the abilities of different formulations to control the drug release rate of naproxen and ibuprofen, used as model compounds, were evaluated. The optimal formulation for sustained drug release consisted of 0.01% of drug, 0.1% HFBII, 0.15% oxidized NFC, 10% soybean oil and 90% water phase. By comparison, the use of native NFC in combination with HFBII resulted in an immediate drug release for both of the compounds. The results indicate that these NFC originated biopolymers are suitable for pharmaceutical emulsion formulations. The native and oxidized NFC grades can be used as emulsion stabilizers in sustained and immediate drug release applications. Furthermore, stabilization of the emulsions was achieved with low concentrations of both HFBII and NFC, which may be an advantage when compared to surfactant concentrations of conventional excipients traditionally used in pharmaceutical emulsion formulations. (C) 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.Peer reviewe

High throughput methods applied in biomaterial development and discovery

The high throughput discovery of new materials can be achieved by rapidly screening many different materials synthesised by a combinatorial approach to identify the optimal material that fulfils a particular biomedical application. Here we review the literature in this area and conclude that for polymers, this process is best achieved in a microarray format, which enable thousands of cell-material interactions to be monitored on a single chip. Polymer microarrays can be formed by printing pre-synthesised polymers or by printing monomers onto the chip where on-slide polymerisation is initiated. The surface properties of the material can be analysed and correlated to the biological performance using high throughput surface analysis, including time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry (ToF-SIMS), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and water contact angle (WCA) measurements. This approach enables the surface properties responsible for the success of a material to be understood, which in turn provides the foundations of future material design. The high throughput discovery of materials using polymer microarrays has been explored for many cell-based applications including the isolation of specific cells from heterogeneous populations, the attachment and differentiation of stem cells and the controlled transfection of cells. Further development of polymerisation techniques and high throughput biological assays amenable to the polymer microarray format will broaden the combinatorial space and biological phenomenon that polymer microarrays can explore, and increase their efficacy. This will, in turn, result in the discovery of optimised polymeric materials for many biomaterial applications