38 research outputs found
Estimating the Impact of California Tribal Gaming on Demand for Casino Gaming in Nevada
Full text linkSince 1990, the California tribal casino industry has grown from a very small and insignificant industry to one with annual gross gaming revenues of about 5.0 billion in 1990 to 12.8 billion in 2007. Much of the recent decline in Nevada and especially Las Vegas can be attributed to the severity of the economic recession of 2007-2009. However, the major Northern Nevada destination resorts of Reno and South Lake Tahoe had experienced substantial slowdowns or contraction of their gaming industries since the advent of California tribal gaming in the early 1990s, as measured in a number of ways, including number of gaming devices, employment, and gross gaming revenues adjusted for inflation. Las Vegas, on the other hand, had experienced substantial real growth over this same period, until the Great Recession of 2007-2009, at which point it experienced a dramatic reversal of fortune. This analysis estimates demand relationships for gaming activity in the major tourism markets in Northern and Southern Nevada, by specifying a number of variables that relate to the demand for gambling in these markets as well as noting monthly seasonal shifts. It also examines the competitive links between the expansion of California tribal gaming and the Nevada casino industry\u27s economic performance. Regression analysis is utilized to establish the relationship between the growth and expansion of tribal casinos in California and the expansion or contraction of gaming in Nevada\u27s major regions of Reno, Lake Tahoe, and the Las Vegas Strip
Should Tanzania Ratify? : An Analysis of Individual Communication Procedure under the Optional Protocol to the International Covenant on Economic Social and Cultural Rights
Get PDFAbstract
Adoption of the Optional Protocol to International Covenant on Economic Social and Cultural Rights proves the Universality, indivisibility, interdependent and interrelated of ESC Rights. That is, the ESC rights can be justiciable just like civil and political rights. Tanzania ratified the ICESCR, yet the protection of ESC Rights remains questionable. This thesis analyses the extend to which URT Constitution, 1977 provides protection on ESC Rights, the justiciability of the same before courts of laws and under Tanzania Commission of Human Rights and Good Governance (CHRGG). A detailed evaluation based on the Individual Complaints Procedure under OP-ICESCR, its effectiveness, competency and impacts to Tanzania’s domestic law and judicial system. The benefits of ratification of the OP-ICESCR and its weaknesses of the OP are also highlighted. Finally, Comparative to jurisprudence as to South Africa legal system aims at delineating the real picture of a successful legal system on the protection and enforcement of ESC rights
Insights into Candida tropicalis virulence factors
Get PDFTese de doutoramento em Engenharia BiomédicaCandida
tropicalis
is
a
common
species
related
to
nosocomial
infections,
namely
candidemia
and
candiduria.
Several
virulence
factors
seem
to
be
responsible
for
C.
tropicalis
infections,
which
present
high
potential
for
dissemination
and
mortality.
Adhesion
to
surfaces
(medical
devices
and
host
cells)
and
biofilm
formation,
are
considered
important
factors
that
contribute
to
the
development
of
candidosis.
Hence,
the
colonization
of
indwelling
devices
like
urinary
catheters
by
C.
tropicalis
poses
a
critical
problem.
Further,
adhesion
and
invasion
of
host
cells
by
C.
tropicalis
is
considered
the
first
step
to
initiate
systemic
infections.
Once
adhered
to
epithelium,
C.
tropicalis
are
able
to
secrete
hydrolytic
enzymes
that
cause
damage
in
host
cells
membrane
integrity,
leading
to
dysfunction
or
disruption
of
host
structures.
Thus,
the
main
aim
of
this
work
was
to
characterize
the
virulence
factors
of
C.
tropicalis
as
well
as
to
evaluate
adhesion
to
biotic
and
abiotic
surfaces,
biofilm
formation,
expression
of
hydrolytic
enzymes
and
antifungal
susceptibility
of
C.
tropicalis
clinical
isolates
from
urine
and
blood
cultures
and
from
central
venous
catheters.
Accordingly,
in
order
to
enhance
the
knowledge
in
the
process
of
C.
tropicalis
adhesion
and
consequent
biofilm
formation
in
urinary
catheters,
the
first
goal
of
this
research
was
to
develop
an
in
vitro
dynamic
model,
with
silicone
and
latex
urinary
catheters,
using
artificial
urine
(AU).
Moreover,
Candida
surface
hydrophobicity
was
also
evaluated,
as
well
as
the
biofilm
matrix
content
in
terms
of
proteins
and
carbohydrates.
So,
this
model
using
AU
was
shown
to
be
suitable
for
studies
mimicking
the
real
body
conditions.
Additionally,
C.
tropicalis
was,
in
fact,
able
to
colonize
both
urinary
catheters
in
the
presence
of
AU
and
to
detach
from
these
catheters
and
move
against
the
flow,
demonstrating
their
ability
to
colonize
distal
sites.In
vitro
studies
for
the
assessment
of
yeast
cells
adhesion
capability
to
host
tissues
are
essential
to
characterise
the
virulence
of
Candida
species.
However,
the
assessment
of
the
number
of
adhered
yeast
cells
by
traditional
methods
is
time
consuming.
Therefore,
a
simple
methodology,
using
crystal
violet
staining,
was
developed
to
quantify
in
vitro
adhesion
of
different
Candida
species
to
epithelial
cells.
The
method
was
validated
for
the
different
Candida
reference
strains
of
different
species
by
comparison
with
traditional
microscope
observation
and
enumeration.
The
proposed
technique
is
easy
to
perform
and
reproducible,
enabling
the
determination
of
adhesion
ability
of
Candida
species
to
an
epithelial
cell
line.
After
standardizing
the
methodologies
to
evaluate
Candida
adhesion
ability,
the
next
step
was
the
characterization
of
C.
tropicalis
virulence,
by
assessing
antifungal
susceptibility
and
comparing
the
expression
of
several
virulence
factors.
Regarding
adhesion,
it
can
be
highlighted
that
C.
tropicalis
strains
adhered
in
significantly
higher
number
to
epithelium
than
to
silicone.
Furthermore,
all
C.
tropicalis
strains
were
able
to
form
biofilms
and
to
express
total
haemolytic
activity.
However,
protease
and
phospholipase
positive
response
were
detected
only
in
few
isolates
but
from
different
sites
of
isolation.
All
isolates
were
susceptible
to
voriconazole,
fluconazole
and
amphotericin
B.
Four
strains
were susceptible-‐dose
dependent
to
itraconazole
and
one
clinical
isolate
was
found
to
be
resistant
to
this
agent.
Then,
it
was
investigated
the
interaction
of
C.
tropicalis
with
three
different
human
cell
lines:
TCC-‐SUP
(epithelial
cells
from
urinary
bladder);
HeLa
(epithelial
cells
from
cervical
carcinoma)
and
Caco-‐2
(epithelial
cells
from
colorectal
adenocarcinoma).
Specifically,
the
degree
of
human
cells
damage
and
activity
reduction
induced
by
C.
tropicalis
adhesion
and
the
role
of
Candida
tropicalis
aspartyl
proteinases
(SAPT)
genes
expression
in
this
process
were
assessed.
It
was
possible
to
observed
that
C.
tropicalis
strains
were
able
to
adhere
to
the
different
human
cells,
although,
in
a
strain
and
cell
dependent
manner.
Concerning
human
cells
response
to
C.
tropicalis,
the
highest
cell
activity
inhibition
was
obtained
for
Caco-‐2,
followed
by
TCC-‐SUP
and
HeLa
cells.
C.
tropicalis
strains
in
contact
with
the
different
types
of
epithelial
cells
exhibited
a
wide
range
of
expression
profiles
of
SAPT
genes,
however,
SAPT3
was
the
gene
expressed
in
a
higher
level.
Finally,
it
was
studied
the
behaviour
of
C.
tropicalis
in
biofilms
of
different
ages
(24-‐120
h)
formed
in
artificial
urine
(AU)
and
their
effect
in
human
urinary
bladder
cells
(TCC-‐SUP).
A
similar
profile
in
metabolic
activity
along
biofilm
age
was
found
among
strains,
with
an
increase
from
72
to
96
h
and
a
decrease
from
96
to
120
h.
Candida
tropicalis
biofilm
cells
were
able
to
adhere
to
TCC-‐SUP
cells,
in
general,
independently
of
biofilm
age.
Yeasts
affected
TCC-‐SUP
cells,
with
difference
among
biofilms
and
strains.
Generally,
SAPT3
was
highly
expressed
in
comparison
with
other
SAPT
genes. In
summary,
C.
tropicalis
strains
were
able
to
form
biofilms
in
AU,
in
static
or
dynamic
mode,
although,
with
differences
among
strains.
It
is
important
to
emphasize
that
human
cells
response
to
C.
tropicalis
adhesion,
as
well
as
SAPs
production,
is
strain
and
epithelial
cell
line
dependent.
Additionally,
it
should
be
highlighted
that
C.
tropicalis
cells
detached
from
biofilms
are
able
to
colonize
human
cells
and
cause
some
injury
and
reduction
of
metabolic
activity.
Generally,
SAPT3
was
highly
expressed
compared
to
other
SAPT
genes.Candida
tropicalis
é
uma
espécie
comummente
relacionada
com
infecções
nosocomiais,
tais
como,
candidemia
e
candidúria.
Vários
fatores
de
virulência
parecem
ser
responsáveis
por
infecções
por
C.
tropicalis,
que
apresentam
elevado
potencial
de
disseminação
e
mortalidade.
A
adesão
às
superfícies
(dispositivos
médicos
e
células
do
hospedeiro)
e
a
formação
de
biofilmes,
são
considerados
factores
importantes
que
contribuem
para
o
desenvolvimento
de
candidose.
Assim,
a
colonização
do
interior
de
cateteres
urinários
por
C.
tropicalis
representa
um
problema
crítico.
Além
disso,
adesão
e
invasão
das
células
hospedeiras
por
C.
tropicalis
é
considerado
o
primeiro
passo
para
iniciar
infecções
sistémicas.
Uma
vez
aderidas
ao
epitélio,
as
células
de
C.
tropicalis
são
capazes
de
excretar
enzimas
hidrolíticas
que
causam
danos
da
membrana
de
células
do
hospedeiro.
Assim,
o
objetivo
principal
deste
trabalho
foi
caracterizar
os
factores
de
virulência
de
C.
tropicalis,
incluindo
a
avaliação
da
adesão
às
superfícies
bióticas
e
abióticas,
formação
de
biofilme,
a
expressão
de
enzimas
hidrolíticas
e
suscetibilidade
aos
antifúngicos
Assim,
a
fim
de
aumentar
o
conhecimento
no
processo
de
adesão
de
C.
tropicalis
e
consequente
formação
de
biofilme
em
cateteres
urinários,
o
primeiro
objetivo
deste
trabalho
foi
desenvolver
um
modelo
dinâmico
in
vitro,
com
cateteres
urinários
de
silicone
e
látex,
com
urina
artificial
(UA).
Além
disso,
hidrofobicidade
superficial
de
Candida
também
foi
avaliada,
assim
como
o
conteúdo
da
matriz
do
biofilme,
em
termos
de
proteínas
e
hidratos
de
carbono.
Assim,
este
modelo
mostrou-‐se
adequado
para
estudos
simulando
as
condições
reais
do
corpo.
Além
disso,
C.
tropicalis
foi,
de
facto,
capaz
de
colonizar
os
cateteres
urinários
na
presença
de
UA
e
destacar
a
partir
desses
cateteres
e
mover
contra
o
fluxo
imposto,
demonstrando
sua
capacidade
de
colonizar
locais
mais
distais. Apesar
de
ser
fundamental
desenvolver
estudos
in
vitro
para
a
avaliação
da
capacidade
de
adesão
de
leveduras
aos
tecidos,
a
avaliação
do
número
de
células
de
leveduras
aderidas
por
métodos
tradicionais
é
demorada.
Assim
tornou-‐se
necessário
desenvolver
uma
metodologia
simples,
utilizando
uma
coloração
com
violeta
cristal
para
quantificar
a
adesão
in
vitro
de
diferentes
espécies
de
Candida
a
células
epiteliais.
O
método
foi
validado
para
diferentes
espécies
de
Candida
e
foi
feita
a
comparação
com
a
enumeração
por
observação
ao
microscópio.
A
técnica
proposta
é
de
fácil
execução
e
reprodutível,
permitindo
a
determinação
da
capacidade
de
adesão
das
espécies
de
Candida
a
uma
linha
de
células
epiteliais.
Um
outro
objetivo
do
presente
trabalho
foi
a
caracterização
da
virulência
de
C.
tropicalis,
através
da
avaliação
da
susceptibilidade
aos
antifúngicos
e
comparação
com
a
expressão
de
factores
de
virulência.
Verificou-‐se
que
as
estirpes
de
C.
tropicalis
aderiram
em
número
significativamente
superior
ao
epitélio
do
que
ao
silicone,
foram
capazes
de
formar
biofilmes
e
de
manifestar
atividade
hemolítica
total.
No
entanto,
a
protease
e
a
fosfolipase
foram
detectadas
apenas
em
alguns
isolados.
Todos
os
isolados
foram
susceptíveis
ao
voriconazol,
fluconazol
e
anfotericina
B.
Quatro
estirpes
foram
susceptíveis
dose
dependente
ao
itraconazol
e
um
isolado
clínico
foi
resistente
a
este
agente. Em
seguida,
foi
investigada
a
interação
de
C.
tropicalis
com
três
linhas
celulares
humanas
diferentes:
TCC-‐SUP
(células
epiteliais
da
bexiga);
HeLa
(células
epiteliais
de
carcinoma
do
colo
do
útero)
e
Caco-‐2
(células
epiteliais
do
adenocarcinoma
colorretal).
Especificamente,
foram
avaliados
o
grau
de
lesão
das
células
humanas
induzida
por
C.
tropicalis
e
o
papel
da
expressão
do
gene
aspartil
protease
(SAPT),
neste
processo.
Foi
possível
observar
que
as
estirpes
de
C.
tropicalis
foram
capazes
de
aderir
às
diferentes
células
humanas,
embora
de
forma
dependente
da
linha
celular
e
da
estirpe.
Quanto
à
resposta
de
células
humanas,
verificou-‐se
uma
maior
inibição
de
atividade
celular
em
Caco-‐2,
seguido
de
TCC-‐SUP
e
HeLa.
As
estirpes
de
C.
tropicalis
em
contato
com
os
diferentes
tipos
de
células
epiteliais
apresentaram
uma
ampla
variedade
de
perfis
de
expressão
de
genes
SAPT,
no
entanto,
SAPT3
foi
o
gene
expresso
em
maior
quantidade.
Por
fim,
foi
estudado
o
efeito
de
biofilmes
de
C.
tropicalis
(24-‐120
h),
formados
em
UA,
em
células
TCC-‐SUP.
Foi
então
detetado
um
perfil
semelhante
na
atividade
metabólica
dos
biofilmes
das
diferentes
estirpes,
com
um
aumento
das
72
h
para
as
96
h,
e
uma
diminuição
das
96h
para
as
120
h.
De
um
modo
geral,
as
células
de
C.
tropicalis
provenientes
dos
biofilmes
foram
capazes
de
aderir
a
células
TCC-‐SUP,
independentemente
da
idade
do
biofilme.
As
leveduras
afetaram
as
células
TCC-‐SUP,
com
diferenças
entre
os
biofilmes
e
as
estirpes.
Em
geral,
o
gene
SAPT3
foi
mais
expresso
em
comparação
com
outros
genes
SAPT.
Em
resumo,
as
estirpes
de
C.
tropicalis
estudadas
foram
capazes
de
formar
biofilmes
na
UA,
no
modo
estático
ou
dinâmico,
embora
com
diferenças
entre
as
estirpes.
É
importante
ressaltar
que
a
resposta
de
células
humanas
para
à
adesão
C.
tropicalis,
bem
como
a
produção
de
SAPTs,
é
dependente
da
estirpe
e
da
linha
celular.
Além
disso,
deve-‐se
ressaltar
que
as
células
de
C.
tropicalis
isoladas
de
biofilmes
são
capazes
de
colonizar
as
células
humanas
e
causar
alguma
lesão
e
redução
da
atividade
metabólica.
Em
geral,
o
gene
SAPT3
foi
o
mais
expresso
Thinking Cities vs Doing Cities
Get PDFEconomies and societies are under continuous transformation, and it is techonology the main source of disruptio
Matching single cells across modalities with contrastive learning and optimal transport.
Get PDFUnderstanding the interactions between the biomolecules that govern cellular behaviors remains an emergent question in biology. Recent advances in single-cell technologies have enabled the simultaneous quantification of multiple biomolecules in the same cell, opening new avenues for understanding cellular complexity and heterogeneity. Still, the resulting multimodal single-cell datasets present unique challenges arising from the high dimensionality and multiple sources of acquisition noise. Computational methods able to match cells across different modalities offer an appealing alternative towards this goal. In this work, we propose MatchCLOT, a novel method for modality matching inspired by recent promising developments in contrastive learning and optimal transport. MatchCLOT uses contrastive learning to learn a common representation between two modalities and applies entropic optimal transport as an approximate maximum weight bipartite matching algorithm. Our model obtains state-of-the-art performance on two curated benchmarking datasets and an independent test dataset, improving the top scoring method by 26.1% while preserving the underlying biological structure of the multimodal data. Importantly, MatchCLOT offers high gains in computational time and memory that, in contrast to existing methods, allows it to scale well with the number of cells. As single-cell datasets become increasingly large, MatchCLOT offers an accurate and efficient solution to the problem of modality matching
Análise da expressão gênica diferencial de Vigna unguiculata (FEIJÃO-CAUPI) infectada com Meloidogyne incógnita.
Get PDFDry mass production in pastures of grass napier undergoing organic fertilizations and mineral
Get PDFTodos os textos, informa??es e resultados apresentados s?o de inteira responsabilidade dos autores.Parte da inicia??o cient?fica do primeiro autor, financiada pelo Programa de Bolsas de Inicia??o Cient?fica, Tecnol?gica e Inova??o (PIBICTI/IF Sudeste MG).Objetivou-se com este trabalho avaliar a produ??o de massa seca (MS) do capim-Napier, manejado como
pastejo, sob dois n?veis de aduba??o mineral e dois n?veis de aduba??o org?nica. O delineamento experimental
adotado foi em blocos, com quatro repeti??es. Os tratamentos foram compostos por duas doses de aduba??o
mineral (133 e 200 Kg de N ha-1), duas de aduba??o org?nica (133 e 200 Kg de N ha-1) e mais uma testemunha.
As aduba??es foram parceladas em quatro aplica??es posteriormente ao corte de desbastamento e ao corte
realizado de acordo com altura de manejo de pastejo da cultivar Napier (1 m de entrada e 0,5 m de sa?da). A
aduba??o org?nica foi realizada com cama sobreposta de su?no e para a aduba??o qu?mica foi usada ureia. As
quantidades de cloreto de pot?ssio e super fosfato triplo nas aduba??es minerais foram determinadas de acordo
com o n?vel de pot?ssio e f?sforo na cama sobreposta de su?no. As amostras foram secadas em estufa de
ventila??o for?ada a 65 ?C para a avalia??o da massa seca. N?o foi observado efeito (P>0,05) entre os diferentes tratamentos na produ??o de mat?ria seca. Para a avalia??o dos cortes foi observado um incremento na produ??o de MS do primeiro corte para o quarto, sendo que o 3? e 4? cortes tiveram uma maior produ??o e o 1? menor produ??o. N?o houve diferen?a na produ??o de mat?ria seca entre os n?veis de aduba??o mineral e org?nica na forma de cama sobreposta de su?no. Entre os corte foi observado maior produ??o de mat?ria seca nos 3? e 4? cortes.The objective of this study was to evaluate the dry matter production of Napier grass, as managed grazing under
two levels of mineral fertilizer and two levels of organic fertilization. The experimental design was in blocks
with four replications. The treatments consisted of two doses of mineral fertilizer (133 and 200 kg N ha-1), two
organic fertilization (133 and 200 kg N ha-1) and another witness. Fertilization was subsequently divided in four
applications to the cutting chopping and cutting performed in accordance with pasture management height
cultivating Napier (1 m 0.5 m input and output). The organic fertilization was performed with superimposed pig
bed and the chemical fertilizer was used urea. The quantities of potassium chloride and triple superphosphate in
mineral fertilizers were determined in accordance with the phosphorus and potassium levels in the overlapping
porcine bed. The samples were dried in a forced ventilation oven at 65 ? C for the evaluation of the dry mass. For
the evaluation of the cuts was observed an increase in dry matter production of first cut to the room, and the 3?
and 4? cuts had a higher production and lower production 1?. No differences in dry matter production between
the levels of mineral and organic fertilizer in the form of superimposed pig bed. Among the court there was a
higher dry matter yield in the 3rd and 4th cuts
Investing organizations for the 21st century in Mexico : supply chain management in a brewery
No full textThesis (M.S.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Sloan School of Management, 1995.Includes bibliographical references (leaves 128-130).by Alejandro Ruelas Gossi.M.S
