ROBUSTFISH: NEW POSSIBILITIES FOR GROWTH AND ROBUSTNESS IN ORGANIC AQUACULTURE

The aim of Robustfish project is to answer the following research questions: (1) Is it possible to select robust rainbow trout fry early in development before they enter the more cost intensive steps in the production cycle? (2) Does sustainable (non-fish based) dietary lipid sources affect stress resilience and immune-competence of the fry? (3) Related to (1) and (2): Is improved resistance to RTFS achieved? (4) How will the market respond to a significant increase in production of organic trout, i.e. consumer preferences and competiveness by companies in the value chain? RobustFish will strengthen the development of Danish organic trout production. In this respect the robustness of the fry to diseases is crucial, i.a. RTFS. The robustness of the fry seems to be related to larval developmental rate and to the dietary content of specific Ω-3 fatty acids (HUFAs). Stress and RTFS challenge tests will be performed to investigate if these two factors can be included in strategies to increase the robustness of the fry. Further, the effect of water treatments on health and welfare using approved agents (Pedersen et al., 2013) is tested. RobustFish will create growth – based on organic principles and in a balance between environment, ethics and economy. The efforts will also aim at improving the productivity of the conventional trout farming by a lower prevalence of RTFS, reduced medication and lower environmental impact. Connected to these efforts RobustFish also will provide needed knowledge about market conditions and consumer attitudes, including the competitive effect of increased production (Nielsen et al., 2007). Mapping the existing types of organic aquaculture products in European markets will pave the way for product development and increased market share

Identification of Human NK17/NK1 Cells

Background: Natural killer (NK) cells have both cytolytic and immunoregulatory functions. We recently described that these cells release the inflammatory cytokines IL-17 and IFN-c. However, the precise identity of the NK cell subset(s) that secrete these cytokines is not known. Methodology/Principal Findings: To isolate the cells secreting IL-17 and IFN-c, we took advantage of the findings that Th17/Th1 cells express chemokine receptors. Therefore, CD56 + NK cells were stained with antibodies against various chemokine receptors and intracellularly with antibodies toward IL-17 and IFN-c. Consequently, we identified previously unrecognized subset of NK cells generated from normal human peripheral blood after activation with IL-2 but not PMA plus ionomycin. The cells are characterized by the expression of CD56 + and CCR4 +, produce IL-17 and IFN-c and are consequently named NK17/NK1 cells. They also express CD161, NKp30, NKp44, NKp46, NKG2D, CD158, CCL22, IL-2Rb and the common c chain but not CD127 or IL-23R. Further, they possess T-bet and RORct transcription factors. Antibodies to IL-1b, IL-6, IL-21, or TGF-b1 do not inhibit IL-2-induced generation of NK17/NK1 cells, suggesting that IL-2 has the capacity to polarize these cells. Notably, NK17/NK1 cells are abundant in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) of patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) without activation, and are generated from the peripheral blood of these patients after activation with IL-2

Single-cell transcriptomics combined with proteomics of intrathecal IgG reveal transcriptional heterogeneity of oligoclonal IgG-secreting cells in multiple sclerosis

The phenotypes of B lineage cells that produce oligoclonal IgG in multiple sclerosis have not been unequivocally determined. Here, we utilized single-cell RNA-seq data of intrathecal B lineage cells in combination with mass spectrometry of intrathecally synthesized IgG to identify its cellular source. We found that the intrathecally produced IgG matched a larger fraction of clonally expanded antibody-secreting cells compared to singletons. The IgG was traced back to two clonally related clusters of antibody-secreting cells, one comprising highly proliferating cells, and the other consisting of more differentiated cells expressing genes associated with immunoglobulin synthesis. These findings suggest some degree of heterogeneity among cells that produce oligoclonal IgG in multiple sclerosis

Multiple sclerosis and the role of immune cells

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a complex disease with many different immune cells involved in its pathogenesis, and in particular T cells as the most recognized cell type. Recently, the innate immune system has also been researched for its effect on the disease. Hence, cells of the immune system play vital roles in either ameliorating or exacerbating the disease. The genetic and environmental factors, as well as the etiology and pathogenesis are of utmost importance for the development of MS. An insight into the roles play by T cells, B cells, natural killer cells, and dendritic cells in MS and the animal model experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis, will be presented. Understanding the mechanisms of action for current therapeutic modalities should help developing new therapeutic tools to treat this disease and other autoimmune diseases. Articles published by this open-access journal are distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial License, which permits use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited, the use is non commercial and is otherwise in compliance with the license

Autonomous Inspection of Wind Turbines and Buildings using an UAV

This thesis describes the use of optical flow and Hough transform in local navigation,particularly the case of inspecting wind turbines and buildings for damages. The goal isto create an observer capable of estimating the metric velocity and distance to the blade from scaled velocity inputs. Furthermore, a controller capable of inspecting wind turbines and buildings autonomously will be presented and tested.The first part of the report will address the use of two different computer vision algorithms in local navigation. Firstly, the optical flow algorithm will be presented, with focus on the Horn-Schunck and the Lucas-Kanade method. By using a pyramidal representation of the image, the algorithms were found to provide more accurate optical flow when the motion is large. Secondly, the Hough transform for finding straight lines in an image was investigated. The tests showed that Hough transform can be used on wind turbine blades to estimate the desired velocity vector and the relative angle between the UAV and the blade.The observer was simulated in MATLAB with velocity vectors provided by an optical flowalgorithm. Two different case studies has been investigated to verify the mathematicalmodel and observer. The observer was able to successfully estimate the metric velocityalong with the distance.The guidance law presented in this report was based on the pure pursuit guidance andPID controllers. The controllers successfully maneuvered the UAV to the desired positionand kept a constant distance to the object. The height controller was tested with both astationary and dynamic desired height. The UAV was able to follow the desired heightin both cases

On gentrification : commercial businesses and cultural institutions in old Oslo

Abstract. The process of gentrification is a process where both the commercial and cultural forces play a big part. In this master thesis I will look at the development of culture and business in Old Oslo the last decade in order to reveal features of gentrification in these two areas. The superior goal will be to analyze how economic and cultural, and hence also social forces, construct and define the urban landscape. Old Oslo is what can be describes as a typical inner city area, located east in Oslo. The area is a former working class area; today it is the area with the highest amount of immigrants in Oslo. Old Oslo has up until now been a city part associated with social clients and run down residencies, but it seem as this picture is about to change as there are so many new establishments there these days. The main question asked in this thesis will be to what extent and in which ways can one recognize gentrification processes in Old Oslo? My findings indicate that among the proprietors of Old Oslo there is a lot of optimism concerning the future of the city part. This is grounded in a belief that Old Oslo is the new place for the innovators and the cool. The authenticity of the area is mentioned as an important factor in why the area is interesting and so is the fact that Old Oslo most likely will be heavily influenced by the construction of the New National Opera and the area around it, Bjørvika. In analyzing the development of culture and business there can be seen an interaction between the two: The cultural institutions are using business strategies and “selling” themselves whereas culture is more and more becoming the business and the base of the city. This is reflected not only in the use of commonly known cultural activities, it is also reflected in the design and architecture of Old Oslo. The new and refurbished architecture of Old Oslo are displaying many signs gentrification. The design of the new establishments can be divided into three: authentic, ethnic and new which all three can be related to gentrification. I discuss the impact gentrified architecture can have on a city: how architecture of this kind can send out signals and creating distinctions in a city. The last section of the thesis is devoted to the actors in the city. Here I identify three main influences in Old Oslo: the internal influence, which mainly is the small actors, the external influence, which can be identified as the big entrepreneurs and the state which is the creator behind Bjørvika and therefore will be a major actor in Old Oslo in the years to come. I further suggest that Old Oslo is not only experiencing one type of gentrification, but two. The first type of gentrification is the “normal” one going which I have analyzed through looking at the business and cultural development of Old Oslo, the other gentrification process taking place in Bjørvika, once a deserted harbor area, now about to change into a whole new city part with the New National Opera as its landmark. I compare Bjørvika and the development in Old Oslo to two other cities which have undergone the same development as Old Oslo is about to undergo: The prime example of a town gentrified through a cultural spectacle; Bilbao and Gothenburg where abandoned harbor areas have been converted into the opera of Gothenburg with surrounding residencies and shops. I find that the development and gentrification, and hence also the future of such cities are hard to predict

Det subsidiære byggelederansvaret. En analyse av NS 8403 pkt. 8.2 (2)

Avhandlingen tar for seg byggeleders subsidiære ansvar, herunder hvilken innsats og pågang som kreves av byggherren for å aktualisere byggeleders ansvar etter vilkåret «søkes oppfylt» i Norsk Standard 8403 pkt. 8.2 (2)

B cells in Multiple Sclerosis - on idiotopes and antigen presentation

The role of B cells in pathophysiology of multiple sclerosis has been of great interest to wide array of researchers after the introduction of B cell depleting therapies demonstrated significant effects on central nervous system inflammation. In particular memory B cells have been suggested as an important subset. In multiple sclerosis patients both T and B cells aggregate in perivascular cuffs and the meninges of the central nervous system and are associated with areas of demyelination causing disability of the patients. Clonal expansion of T and B cells intrathecally suggests specific responses are driving the inflammation, but collaboration between the cell types have been suggested to be dysregulated. Identifying the disease driving agent or process is therefore a major goal. Identifying ways to target the pathogenic cells is another. In this thesis, I discuss the potential of idiotopes as drivers of this dysregulated T-B collaboration. Idiotopes are epitopes derived from immunoglobulin variable regions, and thus the B cell receptors themselves. It has previously been demonstrated that T cells specific to idiotopes can initiate and drive pathological immune responses. In multiple sclerosis idiotope-specific T cells were demonstrated in two patients, suggesting such a mechanism could be relevant to investigate further. Due to the vast diversity of immunoglobulin repertoires, particularly among mutated variable regions, this has been a challenge to pursue in more patients. The work presented herein addresses this, by using bioinformatic prediction tools to identify potentially antigenic idiotopes in multiple sclerosis patients. By using neural network prediction tools built by collaborators, we were able to identify key areas of multiple sclerosis patient immunoglobulin heavy chain variable regions with predicted high affinity for human leukocyte antigen class II molecules. These were associated with areas of high likelihood for endosomal processing. The predictions were further investigated and validated using in vitro assays in order to identify key factors in immunoglobulin degradation and in order to identify autologous, idiotope-specific T cells. Our findings suggest that multiple sclerosis patients have a repertoire of idiotope-specific T cells, responding to immunoglobulin heavy chain variable region peptides. All in all, the results suggest idiotopes participate in the dysregulated T-B collaboration occurring in multiple sclerosis. This thesis further addresses how idiotope-driven T-B collaboration fits with current and previous knowledge of multiple sclerosis immunopathology and how this aligns with our current understanding of therapeutic mechanisms of action. Finally, I discuss the implications of our findings in both healthy immune regulation and potentially in dysregulation occurring in other auto-immune diseases