Ett gestaltningsförslag av fritidsgården Tegelhusets utemiljö - och vägen dit genom lokal involvering

En skulle kunna säga att vi som landskapsarkitekter inte bara tar oss an en fysisk plats utan även relationen mellan människa och landskap som också innefattar ”berättelsen” om landskapet. Detta masterarbete återger den utforskande processen att sätta sig in i berättelsen om fritidsgården Tegelhusets landskap. Målet har varit att göra ett gestaltningsförslag för en ny utemiljö till fritidsgården, och syftet har varit att utforska hur lokal involvering kan informera en sådan process. Intentionen har varit att barnens och ungdomarnas åsikter och röster ska respekteras och tas till vara på i det slutgiltiga gestaltningsförslaget. Vår metod för lokal involvering har framförallt varit att engagera barnen och ungdomarna i en workshop.One could argue that we as landscape architects not only design physical places but also are involved with designing the relationship between human and landscape, which also includes the narrative of the landscape. This master thesis pictures the investigative process in getting to know the narrative of the landscape of the youth center of Tegelhuset in Malmö, Sweden. The aim has been to create a design proposal for a new courtyard for the youth center, and the purpose has been to investigate how a participatory process with local stakeholders (children and youth at Tegelhuset) can inform such a proposal. The intention has been that the voices and opinions of the children and youth will be respected and be evident in the final proposal. Our method for involving the stakeholders has mainly been to engage the visitors of Tegelhuset in a worksho

RTE and CTE mRNA export elements synergistically increase expression of unstable, Rev-dependent HIV and SIV mRNAs

Studies of retroviral mRNA export identified two distinct RNA export elements utilizing conserved eukaryotic mRNA export mechanism(s), namely the Constitutive Transport Element (CTE) and the RNA Transport Element (RTE). Although RTE and CTE are potent in nucleocytoplasmic mRNA transport and expression, neither element is as powerful as the Rev-RRE posttranscriptional control. Here, we found that whereas CTE and the up-regulatory mutant RTEm26 alone increase expression from a subgenomic gag and env clones, the combination of these elements led to a several hundred-fold, synergistic increase. The use of the RTEm26-CTE combination is a simple way to increase expression of poorly expressed retroviral genes to levels otherwise only achieved via more cumbersome RNA optimization. The potent RTEm26-CTE element could be useful in lentiviral gene therapy vectors, DNA-based vaccine vectors, and gene transfer studies of other poorly expressed genes

Live Attenuated Rev-Independent Nef¯SIV Enhances Acquisition of Heterologous SIVsmE660 in Acutely Vaccinated Rhesus Macaques

Background: Rhesus macaques (RMs) inoculated with live-attenuated Rev-Independent Nef¯ simian immunodeficiency virus (Rev-Ind Nef¯SIV) as adults or neonates controlled viremia to undetectable levels and showed no signs of immunodeficiency over 6-8 years of follow-up. We tested the capacity of this live-attenuated virus to protect RMs against pathogenic, heterologous SIVsmE660 challenges. Methodology/Principal Findings Three groups of four RM were inoculated with Rev-Ind Nef¯SIV and compared. Group 1 was inoculated 8 years prior and again 15 months before low dose intrarectal challenges with SIVsmE660. Group 2 animals were inoculated with Rev-Ind Nef¯SIV at 15 months and Group 3 at 2 weeks prior to the SIVsmE660 challenges, respectively. Group 4 served as unvaccinated controls. All RMs underwent repeated weekly low-dose intrarectal challenges with SIVsmE660. Surprisingly, all RMs with acute live-attenuated virus infection (Group 3) became superinfected with the challenge virus, in contrast to the two other vaccine groups (Groups 1 and 2) (P=0.006 for each) and controls (Group 4) (P=0.022). Gene expression analysis showed significant upregulation of innate immune response-related chemokines and their receptors, most notably CCR5 in Group 3 animals during acute infection with Rev-Ind Nef¯SIV. Conclusions/Significance: We conclude that although Rev-Ind Nef¯SIV remained apathogenic, acute replication of the vaccine strain was not protective but associated with increased acquisition of heterologous mucosal SIVsmE660 challenges

Therapeutic DNA vaccine induces broad T cell responses in the gut and sustained protection from viral rebound and AIDS in SIV-infected rhesus macaques.

Immunotherapies that induce durable immune control of chronic HIV infection may eliminate the need for life-long dependence on drugs. We investigated a DNA vaccine formulated with a novel genetic adjuvant that stimulates immune responses in the blood and gut for the ability to improve therapy in rhesus macaques chronically infected with SIV. Using the SIV-macaque model for AIDS, we show that epidermal co-delivery of plasmids expressing SIV Gag, RT, Nef and Env, and the mucosal adjuvant, heat-labile E. coli enterotoxin (LT), during antiretroviral therapy (ART) induced a substantial 2-4-log fold reduction in mean virus burden in both the gut and blood when compared to unvaccinated controls and provided durable protection from viral rebound and disease progression after the drug was discontinued. This effect was associated with significant increases in IFN-γ T cell responses in both the blood and gut and SIV-specific CD8+ T cells with dual TNF-α and cytolytic effector functions in the blood. Importantly, a broader specificity in the T cell response seen in the gut, but not the blood, significantly correlated with a reduction in virus production in mucosal tissues and a lower virus burden in plasma. We conclude that immunizing with vaccines that induce immune responses in mucosal gut tissue could reduce residual viral reservoirs during drug therapy and improve long-term treatment of HIV infection in humans

A DNA Vaccine Encoding Multiple HIV CD4 Epitopes Elicits Vigorous Polyfunctional, Long-Lived CD4+ and CD8+ T Cell Responses

T-cell based vaccines against HIV have the goal of limiting both transmission and disease progression by inducing broad and functionally relevant T cell responses. Moreover, polyfunctional and long-lived specific memory T cells have been associated to vaccine-induced protection. CD4+ T cells are important for the generation and maintenance of functional CD8+ cytotoxic T cells. We have recently developed a DNA vaccine encoding 18 conserved multiple HLA-DR-binding HIV-1 CD4 epitopes (HIVBr18), capable of eliciting broad CD4+ T cell responses in multiple HLA class II transgenic mice. Here, we evaluated the breadth and functional profile of HIVBr18-induced immune responses in BALB/c mice. Immunized mice displayed high-magnitude, broad CD4+/CD8+ T cell responses, and 8/18 vaccine-encoded peptides were recognized. In addition, HIVBr18 immunization was able to induce polyfunctional CD4+ and CD8+ T cells that proliferate and produce any two cytokines (IFNγ/TNFα, IFNγ/IL-2 or TNFα/IL-2) simultaneously in response to HIV-1 peptides. For CD4+ T cells exclusively, we also detected cells that proliferate and produce all three tested cytokines simultaneously (IFNγ/TNFα/IL-2). The vaccine also generated long-lived central and effector memory CD4+ T cells, a desirable feature for T-cell based vaccines. By virtue of inducing broad, polyfunctional and long-lived T cell responses against conserved CD4+ T cell epitopes, combined administration of this vaccine concept may provide sustained help for CD8+ T cells and antibody responses- elicited by other HIV immunogens

Funktionshinder, tillgänglighet och mervärde : En studie om positiva effekter efter utförda tillgänglighetsåtgärder

This study has examined whether there are more benefits to performing accessibility improvements than the benefits seen from a socially sustainable perspective. The hypothesis was that it can be shown that improved accessibility benefits businesses, that it should not only be seen as a mandatory necessary legislation that costs money. But also that there are benefits that provide added value.The study begins with a background that presents the concept of accessibility, its history and what a disability is and when a functional disability occurs. The study also includes a thorough literature study that deals with human rights, Swedish functional disability policy and legislation. The background and literature study are presented so that the reader will have an understanding of the study’s main subject, accessibility. The case study describes two different businesses where they have chosen to invest in accessibility and made improvements. The first case study focuses on a business has chosen to carry out construction measures to improve the physical accessibility to their premises. In the second case study, a business has chosen to incest broadly in accessibility and let it be an obvious part of their entire business widespread in many places.The result of this study is that the two businesses examined have succeeded in gaining added value after improving accessibility. In a smaller business, it becomes more difficult to see a greater gain in carrying out accessibility measures, but that it is an advantage can be stated in several ways. In a larger business or organization, it is easier to see the benefits of working on a large scale and realize that there is a benefit in thinking about accessibility for everyone. In both cases it was found positive effects on the number of visitors

UI designs for asking for permission to publish users' feedback

This paper reports the results from a study investigating the effect of three different UI designs for adding a question about the right to publish the user's answer on a Net Promoter Score survey. Net Promoter Score surveys are used in marketing to garner shares on social media by a company's satisfied customers. The question that was added to the web survey was “Can we use your review on our website?” and it was placed on the same page as the question asking for a review, in a pop-up, or on a separate page. The results show that asking the question does not affect the number of shares on social media. As long as the question is placed so it cannot be seen until after the user has written a review, it does not affect the number of reviews, independently of whether or not the user can go back and edit their review. About 71% of people who had written a review agreed to let it be published.I det här dokumentet rapporteras resultaten från en studie som undersöker effekten av tre olika UI designs för att lägga till en fråga om rätten att publicera användarens svar i ett Net Promoter Score-formulär. Net Promoter Score-formulär används i marknadsföring för att samla delningar på sociala medier från ett företags nöjda kunder. Frågan som lagts till i webbformuläret var “Kan vi använda din recension på vår hemsida?” och den placerades på samma sida som frågan om en recension, i en popup eller på en separat sida. Resultaten visar att frågan inte påverkar antalet delningar på sociala medier. Så länge frågan är placerad så den inte kan ses tills användaren har skrivit en recension, påverkar den inte antalet recensioner oberoende av om användaren kan gå tillbaka och redigera sin recension eller inte. Omkring 71% av depersoner som skrivit en recension tillät den att publiceras