The Ninth Visual Object Tracking VOT2021 Challenge Results

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Statistical optimisation of process variables and large-scale production of Metarhizium rileyi (Ascomycetes: Hypocreales) microsclerotia in submerged fermentation

Microsclerotia (MS) formation was successfully induced in Metarhizium rileyi (Ascomycetes: Hypocreales) in liquid culture. To optimise the process variables of liquid fermentation, we first used a two-level fraction design to confirm the variables, including inoculum density, initial pH, shaker speed, and temperature, affecting M. rileyi MS production. Three variables were found to be important. Subsequently, a 23 full factorial central composite design (CCD) and response surface methodology were applied to ascertain the optimal level of each variable. A second-order polynomial was determined and shaker speed and inoculum density were found to be the primary variables affecting MS yields. Finally, we realised and optimised M. rileyi MS submerged fermentation based on previous findings. A maximum MS yields (3.84 × 104 MS/mL) were recorded in submerged fermentation at an initial pH of 5.5, growth temperature of 26°C, inoculum density of 10%, higher aeration rate (150 rpm in the initial 3 days and 200 rpm in the subsequent 3 days), and higher agitation rate of 800 L/h sterile air

Polarity proteins Mrcdc24 and Mrbem1 required for hypha growth and microsclerotia formation in <i>Metarhizium rileyi</i>

<p>Polarity proteins cdc24 and bem1 regulate polar growth, cytoskeleton morphogenesis, and the generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) in filamentous fungi. In this study, the <i>Mrcdc24</i> and <i>Mrbem1</i> genes were cloned from <i>Metarhizium rileyi</i> and found to encode 1006 and 562 amino acid proteins, respectively. To determine the functions of <i>Mrcdc24</i> and <i>Mrbem1</i>, gene-silencing mutants <i>Mrcdc24RNAi</i>, <i>Mrbem1RNAi</i>, and <i>Mrcdc24&Nrbem1RNAi</i> were generated by RNA silencing. The mutants presented significant phenotype changes in hyphal growth, and conidial yields, microsclerotia yields and virulence were reduced. Furthermore, the transcription levels of the <i>MrnoxA</i> and <i>MrnoxR,</i> which regulate ROS generation in the <i>Mrcdc24RNAi and Mrbem1RNAi</i> strains, were reduced. The transcriptional levels of <i>MrracA</i> and <i>Mrcdc42</i> were significantly reduced in the <i>Mrcdc24RNAi</i> strains. Our results confirmed the crucial role of genes <i>Mrcdc24</i> and <i>Mrbem1</i> in hyphal growth, conidiation, microsclerotia formation, ROS generation and virulence.</p

De Novo Transcriptome and Expression Profile Analysis to Reveal Genes and Pathways Potentially Involved in Cantharidin Biosynthesis in the Blister Beetle Mylabris cichorii.

The dried body of Mylabris cichorii is well-known Chinese traditional medicine. The sesquiterpenoid cantharidin, which is secreted mostly by adult male beetles, has recently been used as an anti-cancer drug. However, little is known about the mechanisms of cantharidin biosynthesis. Furthermore, there is currently no genomic or transcriptomic information for M. cichorii. In this study, we performed de novo assembly transcriptome of M. cichorii using the Illumina Hiseq2000. A single run produced 9.19 Gb of clean nucleotides comprising 29,247 sequences, including 23,739 annotated sequences (about 81%). We also constructed two expression profile libraries (20-25 day-old adult males and 20-25 day-old adult females) and discovered 2,465 significantly differentially-expressed genes. Putative genes and pathways involved in the biosynthesis of cantharidin were then characterized. We also found that cantharidin biosynthesis in M. cichorii might only occur via the mevalonate (MVA) pathway, not via the methylerythritol 4-phosphate/deoxyxylulose 5-phosphate (MEP/DOXP) pathway or a mixture of these. Besides, we considered that cantharidin biosynthesis might be related to the juvenile hormone (JH) biosynthesis or degradation. The results of transcriptome and expression profiling analysis provide a comprehensive sequence resource for M. cichorii that could facilitate the in-depth study of candidate genes and pathways involved in cantharidin biosynthesis, and may thus help to improve our understanding of the mechanisms of cantharidin biosynthesis in blister beetles

Tiotropium in asthma: a systematic review

Elizabeth Befekadu,1 Claudia Onofrei,1 Gene L Colice1,2 1MedStar Washington Hospital Center, Washington, DC, USA; 2The George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences, Washington, DC, USA Introduction: The objective of this paper is to systematically review the existing evidence of the effectiveness and safety profile of a long-acting inhaled muscarinic antagonist as add-on therapy in patients with asthma that is uncontrolled despite inhaled corticosteroid (ICS) use. Methods: With the assistance of two experienced research librarians, we searched Ovid MEDLINE/PubMed (1946 to September 12, 2013), the Cochrane Library review, and the TRIP database. The key search terms were &ldquo;tiotropium and asthma.&rdquo; The search was limited to human data published in English. Included in the systematic review were all randomized controlled trials that evaluated the efficacy of tiotropium in patients with asthma. The clinical trials had to be at least 4 weeks in duration and to provide adequate information on clinically appropriate end points in asthma care (eg, change in lung function, exacerbation rates, and/or ICS dosing). Data on patient characteristics, study design, outcome measures, concomitant asthma medication, and adverse events were extracted from the full text of each included individual study. Marked heterogeneity of study design precluded statistical pooling of results for a meta-analysis. Consequently, only descriptive summaries of outcomes are provided. Results: Our database search retrieved 149 citations. We found five randomized controlled trials in humans that met our criteria for inclusion in the systematic review. We also found two open-label uncontrolled trials that were considered in the discussion. Each of the five included studies met the Consolidated Standards of Reporting Trials criteria for a well-designed randomized trial. Discussion: The five clinical studies included in this systematic review focused on evaluating the efficacy of tiotropium as add-on therapy to ICS or ICS in combination with a long-acting inhaled &beta;2-agonist (LABA) in patients with uncontrolled moderate to severe persistent asthma. Tiotropium maintained lung function when ICSs were tapered and when an LABA was discontinued. Tiotropium improved lung function when added to ICS alone or ICS&ndash;LABA combination therapy. In the only trial to have compared the addition of tiotropium with doubling the dose of ICS, tiotropium provided significantly superior results. In trials in which the addition of tiotropium was compared with salmeterol, the beneficial effects of these two bronchodilators were similar. No safety concerns were found with use of tiotropium as add-on therapy. Conclusion: Tiotropium may have a beneficial role in moderate to severe persistent asthma despite use of an ICS or ICS and LABA. Use of tiotropium as add-on therapy poses no safety concerns. Keywords: tiotropium, asthma, lung, inflammation, inhaled corticosteroid, LABA, LAM

K X-ray Emission for Slow Oxygen Ions Approaching a Copper Metal Surface

We report on the K X-ray emission for 9–140 keV oxygen ions with initial charge states from 3 to 7 approaching a copper surface. The peak center of the measured X-ray spectrum slightly shifts towards higher energies with the increasing of the initial charge state of the incident ions. For the collisions of oxygen ions with no K-vacancies (q = 3–6), the X-ray yield per incident ion increases gradually with the projectile’s kinetic energy, while for the O7+ ions (with a K-vacancy) it is nearly independent of the energy. The K-shell ionization cross-sections for the oxygen ions with no K-vacancies obtained from the experiments are well consistent with the calculations of the binary encounter approximation model when the collision energy is larger than 30 keV, whereas they are several times larger than the theoretical values at collision energies of less than 30 keV

K X-ray Emission for Slow Oxygen Ions Approaching a Copper Metal Surface

We report on the K X-ray emission for 9&ndash;140 keV oxygen ions with initial charge states from 3 to 7 approaching a copper surface. The peak center of the measured X-ray spectrum slightly shifts towards higher energies with the increasing of the initial charge state of the incident ions. For the collisions of oxygen ions with no K-vacancies (q = 3&ndash;6), the X-ray yield per incident ion increases gradually with the projectile&rsquo;s kinetic energy, while for the O7+ ions (with a K-vacancy) it is nearly independent of the energy. The K-shell ionization cross-sections for the oxygen ions with no K-vacancies obtained from the experiments are well consistent with the calculations of the binary encounter approximation model when the collision energy is larger than 30 keV, whereas they are several times larger than the theoretical values at collision energies of less than 30 keV