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
The cost of pile foundations is part of the super structure cost, and it became necessary to reduce this cost by studying the pile types then decision-making in the selection of the optimal pile type in terms of cost and time of production and quality .So The main objective of this study is to solve the time–cost–quality trade-off (TCQT) problem by finding an optimal pile type with the target of "minimizing" cost and time while "maximizing" quality. There are many types In the world of piles but in this paper, the researcher proposed five pile types, one of them is not a traditional, and developed a model for the problem and then employed particle swarm optimization (PSO) algorithm, as one of evolutionary algorithms with t
... Show MoreFuture generations of wireless networks are expected to heavily rely on unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). UAV networks have extraordinary features like high mobility, frequent topology change, tolerance to link failure, and extending the coverage area by adding external UAVs. UAV network provides several advantages for civilian, commercial, search and rescue applications. A realistic mobility model must be used to assess the dependability and effectiveness of UAV protocols and algorithms. In this research paper, the performance of the Gauss Markov (GM) and Random Waypoint (RWP) mobility models in multi-UAV networks for a search and rescue scenario is analyzed and evaluated. Additionally, the two mobility models GM and RWP are descr
... Show MoreThis deals with estimation of Reliability function and one shape parameter (?) of two- parameters Burr – XII , when ?(shape parameter is known) (?=0.5,1,1.5) and also the initial values of (?=1), while different sample shze n= 10, 20, 30, 50) bare used. The results depend on empirical study through simulation experiments are applied to compare the four methods of estimation, as well as computing the reliability function . The results of Mean square error indicates that Jacknif estimator is better than other three estimators , for all sample size and parameter values
In this paper, the homotopy perturbation method (HPM) is presented for treating a linear system of second-kind mixed Volterra-Fredholm integral equations. The method is based on constructing the series whose summation is the solution of the considered system. Convergence of constructed series is discussed and its proof is given; also, the error estimation is obtained. Algorithm is suggested and applied on several examples and the results are computed by using MATLAB (R2015a). To show the accuracy of the results and the effectiveness of the method, the approximate solutions of some examples are compared with the exact solution by computing the absolute errors.
Abstract:
Interest in the topic of prediction has increased in recent years and appeared modern methods such as Artificial Neural Networks models, if these methods are able to learn and adapt self with any model, and does not require assumptions on the nature of the time series. On the other hand, the methods currently used to predict the classic method such as Box-Jenkins may be difficult to diagnose chain and modeling because they assume strict conditions.
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The study of topography most important studies and depth of any literary or artistic text and occupy the thinking of many who work in art at generally. There is hardly any film scenario from description in general of the indispensable elements of the composition and place one. So the place starts form since the scriptwriter begins to view the result of the description begins to feature the emergence of there are simple operations in the scenario soon to receive growth as a final achievement in the film. The description of the place begins to take on an allegorical character as a language version in the script, soon translated into another language, the language of the picture. Which in turn complement the creative ring of cinematic art a
... Show MoreSelf-Assertion is the individual ability to express any emotion well, except the anxiety. The decrease of the individuals asserting behavior makes them face many difficulties that prevent their social adjustment. Moreover it reflexes many negative behavioral and physical cases. The individual, who fails to express his or her negative feelings in required situations, feels with dissatisfaction, loneliness, depression, anxiety, social anxiety, conflict, and psychological disorder.
Accordingly, the importance of this study is represented in studying the self-assertion and studying the university students who reflect the strength of society.
The following are the two aims of the study:
1. Construct an asserting behavior scale.
2.
It is certain that marriage has the favor of the continuity of human kind since the Prophet Adam till now. But this important event is threatened by some justifications which lead to its delay or abandonment. In the West, sexual relations, illegal friendships, and disrespect of marriage sacredness lead to this delay. While the reasons behind the delay of marriage in the Arab world refer to high dowries, women go out to work, and the religious and scientific ignorance of the need and importance of marriage. The problem also differs according to the difference between the rural and urban regions. On one hand, we find that early marriage is a necessity in the rural regions; on the other hand, the delay of marriage is a clear and nat
... Show MoreVitamins play an important role in the human health, and thus they are the kind of major nutrients in the body. Chemical products perform numerous physiological functions and can jeopardize health jointly in their absence and surplus. Therefore, it is necessary to establish methods for observation vitamin levels in various molds. In this review paper, the most methods of determination used are high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), spectrophotometric and potentiometric techniques by listed the value of : slope, linear range, correlation coefficient, detection limit, the max of wavelength and PH and compared with these methods.