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 Gullfaks field was discovered in 1978 in the Tampen area of the North Sea and it is one of the largest Norwegian oil fields located in Block 34/10 along the western flank of the Viking Graben in the northern North Sea. The Gullfaks field came on stream in 1986 and reached a peak of production in 2001. After some years, a decrease in production was noticed due to the decrease in pressure in the well. The goal of this paper is to improve the production of a well located in Gullfaks field by injecting CO2 through coiled tubing. The use of the CO2 injection method is due to the fact that it is a greenhouse gas, and its production in the atmosphere contributes to global warming. It is important to reduce its emission
... Show MoreThe study of the tendencies of scientific research in specialized journalism through the three specialized levels, specifically the third level. It is referred to be a monthly, quarterly or annual magazine that follows the publication of the researches for new studies which have come to in every specialization. it is directed to the highly educated and is almost an alternative book. Thus, the subject is specialized and the audience is specialized.
The study aims in both its survey and field section at knowing the type of researches and their classification and the form, gender and the use of foreign sources and their scientific tank and the geographical position in addition to knowing the opinions of researchers and their satisfa
... Show MoreThe oil and gas industry relies heavily on IT innovations to manage business processes, but the exponential generation of data has led to concerns about processing big data, generating valuable insights, and making timely decisions. Many companies have adopted Big Data Analytics (BDA) solutions to address these challenges. However, determining the adoption of BDA solutions requires a thorough understanding of the contextual factors influencing these decisions. This research explores these factors using a new Technology-Organisation-Environment (TOE) framework, presenting technological, organisational, and environmental factors. The study used a Delphi research method and seven heterogeneous panelists from an Oman oil and gas company
... Show MoreThis study examined the imperative construction: the command, the interrogative, the prohibition, the call, and the wish. In the Diwan of Al-Shamakh bin Dirar; where the poetic verses were monitored in each of the topics of the student's creation, and the rhetorical meanings that he came out with. What is new in this study is that it is the first to study the demanded composition in the poetry of a glorious poet, Al-Shammakh bin Dirar Al-Dhubyani. As his poetry did not receive such a study, it sought to employ what was written by rhetoric scholars, in an attempt to explore the demanded composition in the poetry of Al-Shamakh. The study adopted the descriptive analytical approach, which is based on counting the number of times the poet us
... Show MoreSome research reports that cognitive grammar (CG) theory has good contributions to teaching English as a foreign language. In this research, the researchers seek to apply this theory and its principles when teaching the simple present tense to Iraqi students who face difficulties in differentiating between the multiple usages of this tense. To achieve this objective, the researchers have conducted an experimental study on a group of 60 Iraqi students in the University of Baghdad, College of Education for Women. Langacker’s (2003) theory has been adopted in the analysis of the cognitive relations to understand the common and different connections of these usages of the simple present. The study has concluded that the cognitive grammar t
... Show MoreThe irony pushes us to inquire about what is in the text of contradiction, irony, suspense, and other acts of paradox, as well as a departure from what is logical, or familiar, that attracts the attention of the addressee, and this is what drives us to introspect the text and interrogate it in order to get to know the intended product of the text or its real or metaphorical intent. On the other hand, the irony is more in the literary text than in the scientific texts. Therefore, critics add the word literature to it in their definition.
As it is represented by the paradox, we will seek to study the paradox of the title and the problematic that it may pose as the beginning of the text, and i
... Show MoreResults showed that the optimum conditions for production of inulunase from isolate Kluyveromyces marxianus AY2 by submerged culture could be achieved by using inulin as carbon source at a concentration of 2% with mixture of yeast extract and ammonium sulphate in a ratio of 1:1 in a concentration of 1% at initial pH 5.5 after incubation for 42 hours at 30ºC.
There are many harmful acts that occur from drunkards in this case, especially those resulting from car accidents. The world is witnessing dozens or even hundreds of car accidents due to alcohol consumption. These accidents often result in serious injuries that could lead to the death of the drunk driver and those in the car As well as other persons present in the other vehicles with which the incident occurred or pedestrians on the street, as well as damage to private or public property, and if the order of return of the affected persons on the pretext of civil liability (tort) is made as a direct cause of the harmful act, Is entitled Do they like this refer to the liquor seller or their provider as the culprit? Or are they not related to
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