Abstract Candida albicans is a commensal fungal pathogen that grows in yeast and hyphal forms in the human gut. C. albicans causes mucosal and cutaneous diseases that can result in significant mortality following systematic infections and it also exhibits drug resistance. Zebrafish have been an excellent model to investigate C. albicans infections because of their transparency and the availability of many transgenic lines. However, there is a limitation in using zebrafish as a model because the fish embryos cannot survive at 37°C therefore it is not suitable for studying Candida infections at physiological relevant human body temperature. In this thesis, the normal embryonic development of Arabian killifish (A. dispar) is investigated, revealing that embryogenesis was divided into 32 stages based on diagnostic patterns of development. A. dispar can also found to tolerate a wide range of temperatures and salinities. This suggests that A. dispar could be developed as a novel model to investigate host-pathogen interactions. The tolerance of A. dispar to high temperatures may in part be attributable to brown pigment cells with a highly fluorescent character that may have developed to allow the fish to adapt to live within extreme environmental conditions with strong sunlight and a wide range of temperatures (Chapter 3). In terms of Candida infections, this study examined A. dispar as a model to test C. albicans pathogenicity. The survival of A. dispar embryos following Candida infection showed a dose dependent relationship. We also found that A. dispar can survive longer than zebrafish after infection. Furthermore, C. albicans cells were observed to undergo a transition from yeast to hyphae at 37°C. An investigation of the ability of mutant strains of C. albicans with defects in cell wall mannosylation revealed a significant impact on virulence, host mortality, and the fishes’ immune response. The present study found that although the deletion of O- and N-mannan from the cell wall of C. albicans, affected fungal burden (attenuation), and the survival of the infected embryos per se was significantly decreased in the infections of the mutant strains compared to the WT. This data confirms the importance of the mannosylation state of the cell wall in triggering an immune recognition event (Chapter 4). A. dispar is also shown to be suitable for studying the effectiveness of 3 | P a g e antifungals. Fluconazole treatment of infected embryos and eggs promoted greater rates of survival at high doses, alongside a significant reduction of C. albicans CFUs (Chapter 4). When looking at the Candida-host interaction, we directly observed phagocytosed yeast cells within macrophages. Various detection methods were used to follow macrophages and neutrophils including Western blotting, immunostaining and histological staining (Sudan black and FITC-tyramide) allowing the monitoring of the time course of the immune cells. A biphasic response of macrophages was detected by L-plastin Western blotting, suggesting activation of two different type of macrophage: activated macrophage (M1) and alternative macrophage (M2). We also assayed reactive oxygen species (ROS) within infected embryos using a fluorescent probe (H2DCFDA), revealing the accumulation of the fluorescent probe at the sites of infection. Quantitative and qualitative analyses of the oxidative and immune response using the H2DCFDA and qPCR were also accomplished within A. dispar embryos after infection with both the WT and mutant strains of Candida albicans (WT, pmr1∆, mnt1-mnt2∆, and och1∆). The results confirmed that the mutant strains did not activate a host oxidative stress response nor immune cell accumulation when compared to WT, suggesting that the immune response is less activated against these mutants. Finally, a new transgenic line of A. dispar fish was developed using Betaactin-DsR-LoxP-GFP. The new transgenic A. dispar is suggested to be an ideal model for real time observation of host-pathogen interactions and for investigation of molecular functions of the immune response. Overall these results improve our understanding of the use of a new transparent fish model to study fungal pathogenesis and demonstrates the potential advantages of using this species in future studies of bacterial, fungal and viral pathogens at a physiologically relevant temperature for human infection. Such a model could lead us to investigate in more depth the key interactions between pathogens and their host and permit the screening and development of new antifungal therapies (that might target the pathogens directly or target the host immune system). View full metadata
Globally, chronic kidney disease (CKD) has emerged as a significant public health concern, characterized by high rates of morbidity and mortality. To assess the risk of kidney damage, researchers have identified tissue inhibitor of matrix metalloproteinase-2 (TIMP-2) and fatty acid-binding protein-1 (FABP-1) as valuable biomarkers. This study aims to analyse the effectiveness of specific biomarkers in assessing CKD and its associated mechanisms in Iraqi patients. The study was conducted from December 2023 to May 2024. Ninety subjects, aged 48–65 years; including 60 patients with CKD (38 male and 22 female) attended the Baghdad Teaching Hospital/ Medical City/ Dialysis Unit- Baghdad, Iraq. In addition, 30 healthy people (15 male an
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Intelligent or smart completion wells vary from conventional wells. They have downhole flow control devices like Inflow Control Devices (ICD) and Interval Control Valves (ICV) to enhance reservoir management and control, optimizing hydrocarbon output and recovery. However, to explain their adoption and increase their economic return, a high level of justification is necessary. Smart horizontal wells also necessitate optimizing the number of valves, nozzles, and compartment length. A three-dimensional geological model of the As reservoir in AG oil field was used to see the influence of these factors on cumulative oil production and NPV. After creating the dynamic model for the As reservoir using the program Petrel (2017.4), we
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Copper indium disulphide, CuInS2, is a promising absorber material for thin film photovoltaic which has recently attracted considerable attention due to its suitability to reach high efficiency solar cells by using low cost techniques. In this work CuInS2 thin films have been deposited by chemical spray pyrolysis onto glass substrates at ambient atmosphere, using different [Cu]/[In] ratio in the aqueous solutions at substrate temperature 3000C
and different annealing temperatures . Structural and optical properties of CIS films were analyzed by X-ray diffraction, and optical spectroscopy. Sprayed CIS films are polycrystalline with a chalcopyrite structure with a preferential orientation along the 112 direction and no remains of oxides
The photostabilization? of poly vinyl chloride (PVC) ? films has been investigated by using diamine derivatives. The? (PVC) films were? contained 0.5% weight? of diamine derivatives which prepared by the method of casting. The photostabilizations? ?of these compounds were determined by monitoring the carbonyl index value with irradiation time. Also, the effect ?of concentrations of additives (range 0.1-0.5wt) on the rate of photostabilization? process was studied. Therefore we found? that a increased photostabilization rates was increase with increasing? concentrations of compound. Besides, the influence? on film thickness? of photostabilization process was also studied; ?and the results? showed that? the increasing of film thickness incr
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The growing ability of Television to transfer and present events as they occur and sometimes transfer events alive makes it the most important sources to receive news and find out what is going on in the world. These channels form the importance of multiple sources and displayed content, especially news. What adds to the importance of the research is that the people under study are Iraqi professors
The problem of the study is represented by an essential inquiry about the favorite satellite channels to obtain news for Iraqi professors
The aims of the study are identified by finding out the most favorite satellite channels as a source of news for Iraqi professors and the habits of exposer to the news by them
The research is a des
The present theoretical study analyzes the legacy of the Chicago School of Urban Sociology and evaluates it in the light of the growth and development of Chicago City and the establishment of sociology in it. Sociology has become an academic discipline recognized in the United States of America in the late nineteenth century, particularly, after the establishment of the first department of sociology in the University of Chicago in 1892. That was during the period of the rapid industrialization and sustainable growth of the Chicago City. The Chicago School relied on Chicago City in particular, as one of the American cities that grew and expanded rapidly in the first two decades of the twentieth century. At the end of the nineteenth centur
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There are many tools and S/W systems to generate finite state automata, FSA, due to its importance in modeling and simulation and its wide variety of applications. However, no appropriate tool that can generate finite state automata, FSA, for DNA motif template due to the huge size of the motif template. In addition to the optional paths in the motif structure which are represented by the gap. These reasons lead to the unavailability of the specifications of the automata to be generated. This absence of specifications makes the generating process very difficult. This paper presents a novel algorithm to construct FSAs for DNA motif templates. This research is the first research presents the problem of generating FSAs for DNA motif temp
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The research aimed to prepare an audit program focusing on the activities of municipal institutions related to the environmental dimension as one of the dimensions of sustainable development, and applying the program for the purpose of preparing an oversight report related to assessing the impact of the activities of municipal institutions on the environmental reality as the main channel through which municipal institutions contribute to achieving the part related to it. Among the requirements of sustainable development, the proposed program was prepared and applied to the institutions affiliated to the Directorate of Mu
... Show MoreThe purpose of this study is to examine the dimensions of strategic intent (SI; see Appendix 1) according to the Hamel and Prahalad model as a building for the future, relying on today’s knowledge-based and proactive strategic directions of management as long-term and deep-perspective creative directions, objective vision and rational analysis, integrative in work, survival structure and comprehensiveness in perception.
The quantitative approach was used based on research, detection and proof, as data were collected from leader
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The research deals with the interchange of the sign transformed from the universal to the local in the theatrical show through the direction processing in the production of a communicative artistic discourse and message, thus making the process of reading the speech and recognizing it by taking into account the cultural differences, customs and local rituals of each country, region, or area. The problem of the research was focused on answering the following question: What are the requirements for the sign in terms of its transformation between the universality and locality in the read-out?
The importance of research is to determine the requiremen
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