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
In this paper, the system of the power plant has been investigated as a special type of industrial systems, which has a significant role in improving societies since the electrical energy has entered all kinds of industries, and it is considered as the artery of modern life.
The aim of this research is to construct a programming system, which could be used to identify the most important failure modes that are occur in a steam type of power plants. Also the effects and reasons of each failure mode could be analyzed through the usage of this programming system reaching to the basic events (main reasons) that causing each failure mode. The construction of this system for FMEA is dependi
... Show MoreThe topic of the research dealt with the image of Iraq in the British press based on a sample of the newspapers (The Guardian and the Daily Telegraph), which are among the most important and largest newspapers in the United Kingdom and the world, because of its active role in guiding local and international public opinion towards important issues and events, Since these two newspapers are interested in the accuracy of sensitive political topics, the message aimed at knowing the media image that these two newspapers painted about Iraq in the period that was limited to the first quarter of 2019, and also to know the nature of the contents promoted by these newspapers about the Iraqi reality, The method of content analysis was used as an ap
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Besides the role of state institutions that come in the forefront of their priorities and obligations to provide security and development of the economy and reduce the unemployment rate and the reduction of inflation and improving education, health and others, the Community Partnership At frames what has become known as the institutions of society civil-with the state does not eliminate the role, but rather complements its role ; it is the role of civil society partner and an extension of the role of the state in the face of challenges and crises, but it may be sometimes a race role in addressing social, political and economic issues of the role played by the state, not complementary.
The highlighting the specificity of the relationsh
This research work considers one of the authentic and most modern modes of storytelling, as employed by Garcia Marquez in one of his famous stories "An Old ManWith Enormous Wings" (1972). Technically, the work is divided into four parts: the first serves as an introduction to his literary works, his use of magic realism, and addresses mainly the interests of Arab readers; the second handles the development of modern short story through the perspective of realism, until the emergence of magic realism as a new style; the third deals with the origin, nature and development of this style, and his mastery of it; the fourth part tries to analyze the story and its plot, thoughts, characters, symbols and metaphors, in the light of the artistic p
... Show More The theory of the epic theater has received wide attention by filmmakers around the world because of its great impact on the artistic work of the theater and its relationship with societies, and among these directors the Iraqi directors have been influenced by the epic theater and its applications in the show.
In order to find out the effectiveness of these influences on the Iraqi director, I found the need to do this study, which was divided into an introduction and a theoretical framework that included two topics. The first topic (Philosophical References and the Intellectual Foundations of the Epic Theater Theory) deals with the philosophical foundations that crystallized the epic theory of Burch and the mechanism of working
Four antimony compounds were used in this inves as additives to retard combustion of unsaturated polyester and epoxy resins, namely: 1. Tetraethyl ammonium tribromoethylantimonates (additive I). 2. Tetraethyl ammonium chlorodibromoethylantimonates (additive II). 3. Tetraethyl ammonium trichloroethylantimonates (additive III). 4. Tetraethyl ammonium bromodichloroethylantimonates (additive IV). The effects of these additives on flammability of unsaturated polyester and epoxy resins have been studied by using sheets of the resins with weight percentages of (0.5,1.0,1.5,2.0,2.5&3.0%) of the additives in dimensions of (150 X150X3)mm .Three standard test methods were used to measure the flame retardation which are: (ASTM:D -2863), (ASTM:D-635
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It seems that the features of the theatrical discourse , since its early establishment by the Greeks, were cultural features specifically confined to that society. Such features determined the direction of the theatrical discourse for this state instead of that state. There could be some sort of similarity among those features , nevertheless they remained within the general humanitarian framework . What achieved relatedness were those features and particularities that distinguished the theatrical community. Such features and particularities vary from one show to another. This is what we call " Local Specificity" .The Iraqi theatrical memory has always emphasized the concept of Experimentation through originality and renewal since the arr
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Background: Multidrug-resistant (MDR) enterococci have become a major problem in recent times and have been reported increasingly around the world. Lytic phages infect bacteria leading to rapid host death with limited risk of phage transduction, underlining the increasing interest in potential phage therapy in the future. Objective (s): The aim of this study is to use phage therapy as alternative approach for treatment of Enterococcus faecalis infections that recorded as MDR in Iraq to tackle this problem. Materials and Methods: Thirty E. faecalis isolates were collected from patients with different infectious diseases such as urinary tract infection (UTI), diabetic foot, septicemia, and wound infections. The isolation of specific l
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One of topics that occupied alarge area in Iraqi society at the moment is the issue( of tribal separation and its relation to the organization of the community ) so we see in the civilizations and heritage of each community aset of provisions and laws that take the form of status customary or religious it is indicative of the great interest in Iraqi society in cotrolling the behavior of individuals to comply with values and social laws and become their behavior is consistent with the behavior of the total and adhere to the social values and be productive individuals within the subject and this can only be achieved from the social co
... Show MoreGoal of research is to investigate the impact of the use of effective learning model in the collection of the fourth grade students/Department of physics in the material educational methods and the development of critical thinking .to teach this goal has been formulated hypothesis cefereeten zero subsidiary of the second hypothesis .To investigate the research hypothesis were selected sample of fourth-grade students of the department of physics at the univers
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