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
Whatever the designers of the advertisement in choosing the text and spoken phrases, those phrases cannot give or convey the full meaning to the recipient only if this spoken and written language is reinforced with another language based on the signals, movements, and symbols that are displayed using the body or other artistic elements of the advertisement such as pictures, colors, music, effects, and other elements used in the artistic construction of television advertising. All these artistic elements contribute to the completion of the advertising idea and make it ready to be displayed to the public.
Scientists and researchers, in the field of psychology, have relied a lot on this language (body language). And some of them put
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The effects of T-shaped fins on the improvement of phase change materials (PCM) melting are numerically investigated in vertical triple-tube storage containment. The PCM is held in the middle pipe of a triple-pipe heat exchanger while the heat transfer fluid flows through the internal and external pipes. The dimension effects of the T-shaped fins on the melting process of the PCM are investigated to determine the optimum case. Results indicate that while using T-shaped fins improves the melting performance of the PCM, the improvement potential is mainly governed by the fin’s body rather than the head. Hence, the proposed T-shaped fin did not noticeably improve melting at the bottom of the PCM domain; additionally, a flat fin is ad
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Population density represents an important indicator for determining the growth of the size of urban areas. Population density has a direct impact on the quality of life, and its excessive rise may lead to the deterioration of basic service facilities. The problem of the research is that the increase in the total population densities of the residential neighborhood may reflect negatively on the nature of the services provided to the residents in these shops, and thus the failure to achieve sustainability in the residential locality. The research assumes that the increase in population densities negatively affects the achievement of sustainability in the residential neighborhood.
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This study investigates the requirements of total quality management (TQM) and the determinants affecting its application in Al-Zaman newspaper, one of Iraq’s leading private press institutions. The research employed a survey methodology, using a structured questionnaire administered to 30 participants representing journalistic, administrative, and technical staff. Five TQM dimensions, each measured through four indicators, were assessed to capture the perceptions of employees regarding the availability and effectiveness of quality practices. Data were analyzed using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS). The results revealed that while senior management at Al-Zaman demonstrates formal support for TQM, there is a
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The research tagged with the controversy of aesthetic interpretation between the sculptures and their titles in contemporary Iraqi sculpture, “Exhibition of Experiments in Contemporary Iraqi Sculpture as a Model”, and it is one of the new research that contributes to strengthening the critical path in the Iraqi fine movement, as the first chapter dealt with the research problem stemming from the question: What is the impact of the aesthetic hermeneutic controversy between the title and the title in contemporary Iraqi sculpture?, and do the titles of the sculptural works help to understand or enhance their contents?, The research objective included: To identify the controversy of the aesthetic interpretation of sculptures and their ti
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This research aims to present a proposed model for disclosure and documentation when performing the audit according to the joint audit method by using the questions and principles of the collective intelligence system, which leads to improving and enhancing the efficiency of the joint audit, and thus enhancing the confidence of the parties concerned in the outputs of the audit process. As the research problem can be formulated through the following question: “Does the proposed model for disclosure of the role of the collective intelligence system contribute to improving joint auditing?”
The proposed model is designed for the disclosure of joint auditing and the role
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The aim: to evaluate combined microscopy techniques for determining the morphological and optical properties of methadone hydrochloride (MDN) crystals. Materials and methods: MDN crystal formation was optimized using a closed container method and crystals were characterized using polarized light microscope (PLM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and confocal microscopy (CM). SEM and CM were used to determine MDN crystal thickness and study its relationship with crystal retardation colours using the Michel-Levy Birefringence approach. Results: Dimensions (mean±SD) of diamond shaped MDN crystals were confirmed using SEM and CM. Crystals were 46.4±15.2 Vs 32.0±8.3 µm long, 28.03±8.2 Vs 20.85±5.5 µm wide, and 6.62±
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The aim of this study to identity using Daniel's model and Driver’s model in learning a kinetic chain on the uneven bars in the artistic gymnastics for female students. The researchers used the experimental method to design equivalent groups with a preand post-test, and the research community was identified with the students of the third stage in the college for the academic year 2020-2021 .The subject was, (3) class were randomly selected, so (30) students distributed into (3) groups). has been conducted pretesting after implementation of the curriculum for (4) weeks and used the statistical bag of social sciences(SPSS)to process the results of the research and a set of conclusions was reached, the most important of which is t
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