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IMAGE:Feeding experiment with different potato leaves: Detached leaves of unmodified plants were compared to plants with an altered chloroplast genome. First instar larvae were fed on these leaves for three... view more

Credit: Sher Afzal Khan, Max Planck Institute for Chemical Ecology

Colorado potato beetles are a dreaded pest of potatoes all over the world. Since they do not have natural enemies in most potato producing regions, farmers try to control them with pesticides. However, this strategy is often ineffective because the pest has developed resistances against nearly all insecticides. Now, scientists from the Max Planck Institutes of Molecular Plant Physiology in Potsdam-Golm and Chemical Ecology in Jena have shown that potato plants can be protected from herbivory using RNA interference (RNAi). They genetically modified plants to enable their chloroplasts to accumulate double-stranded RNAs (dsRNAs) targeted against essential beetle genes. (Science, February 2015).

RNA interference (RNAi) is a type of gene regulation that naturally occurs in eukaryotes. In plants, fungi and insects it also is used for protection against certain viruses. During infection, many viral pathogens transfer their genetic information into the host cells as double-stranded RNA (dsRNA). Replication of viral RNA leads to high amounts of dsRNA which is recognized by the host's RNAi system and chopped up into smaller RNA fragments, called siRNAs (small interfering RNAs). The cell then uses siRNAs to detect and destroy the foreign RNA.

But the RNAi mechanism can also be exploited to knock down any desired gene, by tailoring dsRNA to target the gene's messenger RNA (mRNA). When the targeted mRNA is destroyed, synthesis of the encoded protein will be diminished or blocked completely. Targeting an essential gene of a crop pest can turn dsRNA into a precise and potent insecticide.

Some crop plants have recently been engineered by modifying their nuclear genomes to produce dsRNA against certain insects. This never resulted in full protection from herbivory", says Ralph Bock of the Max Planck Institute of Molecular Plant Physiology, because the plant's own RNAi system prevents the accumulation of sufficient amounts of dsRNA. We wanted to circumvent this problem by producing dsRNA in the chloroplasts instead". These organelles, which perform photosynthesis in green plants, are descendants of formerly free-living cyanobacteria, which are prokaryotes that lack an RNAi system. Presuming that chloroplasts would accumulate high amounts of dsRNA, the scientists in Ralph Bock's group decided to generate so-called transplastomic plants. In such plants, the chloroplast genome is the target of genetic modification instead of the nuclear genome.

To test this system on a real insect pest, the scientists chose the Colorado potato beetle. This little striped beetle was introduced into Europe accidentally at the end of the 19th century. Nowadays, it is a worldwide pest and can cause massive damage in agriculture. Besides potato leaves the adult beetle and its larvae also feed on other nightshade crops, like tomato, bell pepper and tobacco. The pest is difficult to control because of the widespread occurrence of insecticide resistance. By using chloroplast transformation we generated potato plants that accumulate high amounts of long stable dsRNAs targeting essential genes in the beetle", says Ralph Bock.

The efficacy of the dsRNAs as an insecticide was tested at the Max Planck Institute for Chemical Ecology in Jena. Larvae were fed on detached potato leaves and the mortality was monitored for nine days. The leaves were taken from transplastomic dsRNA plants, conventional transgenic dsRNA plants with a modified nuclear genome, and unmodified plants. For comparison, dsRNAs targeting two different genes were tested. Transplastomic leaves producing dsRNA against the actin gene caused a mortality rate of 100% after five days of feeding", says Sher Afzal Khan from Jena. The actin gene encodes a structural protein that is essential for cell integrity. In contrast, plants with a modified nuclear genome expressed much less dsRNA and only slightly slowed down the beetles' growth.

These recent results show that changing the target of transformation from the nuclear genome to the chloroplast genome overcomes the major hurdle towards exploiting RNAi for crop protection. As many insect pests increasingly develop resistances against chemical pesticides and Bt toxins, RNAi represents a promising strategy for pest control. This technology allows for precise protection without chemicals and without production of foreign proteins in the plant.

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Fighting the Colorado potato beetle with RNA interference

Sunroom, Patio Doors and Insulated Vinyl Siding
Urbandale, Iowa Couple add sunroom, patio doors and insulated vinyl siding and noticed, Midwest Construction Paid Attention to the Details!

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Sunroom, Patio Doors and Insulated Vinyl Siding - Video

An investigation conducted by the Georgia State Board of Workers' Compensation's Enforcement Division has led to the arrest of Valdosta business owner Pieter A. Demare, Jr. /Georgia State Board of Workers' Compensation

VALDOSTA, GA -- An investigation conducted by the Georgia State Board of Workers' Compensation's Enforcement Division has led to the arrest of Valdosta business owner Pieter A. Demare, Jr.

According to Enforcement Division Director Stan Bexley, Martinez, age 46 was arrested Wednesday, February 25, 2015, and transported to the Lowndes County jail where he is charged with multiple counts of Insurance Fraud and First Degree Forgery.

Pieter Demare, the owner of Demare Wallcoverings, LLC, and DBA Apartment Turn Key Services is a painting contractor that provides residential and commercial painting in and around the Valdosta and North Florida area.

The Enforcement Division's investigation alleges that Demare altered several workers' compensation insurance certificates and then presented the bogus certificates to general contractors in an attempt to avoid paying premium for a valid policy.

Initial estimates indicate Demare has defrauded several insurance companies out of approximately $50,000.00 in workers' compensation premiums by passing the bogus certificates to several Valdosta area apartment complexes.

If anyone has received a certificate of workers' compensation insurance coverage from Pieter Demare, d/b/a Demare Wallcoverings, LLC, or Apartment Turn Key Services and are unable to verify the coverage by using the Board's website http://www.sbwc.georgia.gov , you are asked to contact the State Board of Workers' Compensation's Enforcement Division at (404) 657-7285 or (800) 533-0682.

All other lines of insurance coverage such as auto, home or general liability should be verified directly with the insurance carrier.

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Valdosta business owner arrested for insurance fraud & forgery

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PARAMUS, NJ (PRWEB) February 27, 2015

When: Wednesday, March 11th from 12:00 pm through 2:00 pm

Where: CarePlus Paramus headquarters, located at 610 Valley Health Plaza, Paramus, NJ

Care Plus NJ, Inc. (CarePlus) headquartered in Paramus, NJ and Turning Point Inc. of Paterson have partnered to create an innovative program to help adolescents and adults who are struggling with substance use challenges and, in some cases, mental health disorders.

Turning Point at CarePlus refered to as Partnership in Recovery takes over 50 years of successful and specialized treatment experience from both organizations to offer a truly innovative program. This Partnership enables those seeking treatment to access all of the care that they need through a single door. The recent alarming rise in opioid use in particular, especially among young people, supports the need for expanded treatment options. The integrated care, single point of entry approach assures that wherever the client enters the system of care, they have access to the services they need to achieve recovery.

The adult program incorporates a 12-Step Model of Recovery, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, and Motivational Enhancement approach to recovery. The complementary treatment philosophies and practices offer a combination of individual and group therapies and an integrated care approach that supports the individual, unique and often complex treatment needs of clients in the program.

Turning Point at CarePlus is making concerted efforts to focus their combined attention to serving adolescents with substance use disorders, many of whom have co-occurring mental health issues. The Focus on Resilience with Assistance, Resources & Determination (FORWARD) program offers assessment, substance use education, and linkage to both individual and group therapies. According to Joe Masciandaro, CEO, CarePlus , The new adolescent programs are designed to educate and support the unique needs of young substance users, and work to return them to a healthy level of functioning at home, in school, and in the community.

Turning Point at CarePlus offers both traditional outpatient (weekly or bi-weekly session) and intensive outpatient treatment (3-4 days per week) at the 610 Valley Health Plaza facility in Paramus. Psychiatric evaluation, family therapy and other complementary interventions are also available on a sliding fee scale.

While the Partners in Recovery have been working together in practice since July 2013, they are officially announcing the programs to the public with a Ribbon Tying ceremony. The goal of the event is to introduce the program to local officials, educators, medical professionals and the public, while providing some education of the growing problems of substance use and its affect on both the individual and their support system.

While many organizations kick off their new programs with a ribbon cutting, we thought that was just the opposite of what we were trying to convey, stated Manuel Guantez, CEO, Turning Point. Our goal is to show that by joining together, we can truly use our combined experience and practices to provide some of the best substance use disorder programming available.

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Ribbon Tying Event Joins Area Agencies in Fight Against Substance Abuse

SAN FRANCISCO --

The Field Poll found 94 percent of registered California voters consider the shortage serious, and 68 percent of them find it extremely serious. By contrast, when the state had a similarly severe drought in 1977 just 51 percent saw the problem as extremely serious.

California is entering its fourth year of drought and, so far, this winter has yet to produce the rain and snow to make a major dent. Gov. Jerry Brown declared a drought emergency a year ago and asked Californians to reduce consumption by 20 percent. December was the first month residents hit that threshold.

Another example that Californians recognize the seriousness of the problem: Voters last year approved a massive spending plan that invests $7.5 billion in projects to increase water storage, water recycling, treatment and cleaning up contaminated groundwater.

The poll found just 10 percent surveyed say the state's water storage and supply is adequate. More than half believe government restrictions should be relaxed to build new water storage on state parkland and forest reserves, while 38 percent disagreed.

Half of Californians also said that in dry years, the state should help farmers by easing environmental regulations that protect fish in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta, but the survey found 46 percent disagreeing.

Six in 10 Californians favor the current policy of asking residents to voluntarily cut back on water use, but one-third surveyed say they favor mandatory rationing, up 7 percentage points from last year.

Residents in different parts of California see the drought's seriousness in differing degrees. Nearly three-quarters of registered voters in San Francisco and the Central Valley's farming region told pollsters that they perceive the shortage as extremely serious, while just under two-thirds in Los Angeles County held the same belief.

The poll was conducted by telephone from Jan. 26 to Feb. 16, surveying 1,241 registered voters in California. It has a margin of error of between plus or minus 3.2 and 4.1 percentage points.

For full coverage on the drought, click here.

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Poll: Californians see drought as serious, more want limits

Alan Rickman directs and stars in A Little Chaos with Kate Winslet, Matthias Schoenaerts, Stanley Tucci and Jennifer Ehle. Rickman also co-wrote the story with Alison Deegan and Jeremy Brock. Winslet plays Madame Sabine De Barra, an unlikely candidate for landscape architect of the stillto-be-completed Palace of Versailles. She has little time for the classical, ordered designs of the man who hires her, the famous architect Le Ntre (Schoenaerts). However, as she works on her creation, she finds herself drawn to him as she is forced to negotiate the perilous rivalries and intricate etiquette of the court of King Louis XIV (Rickman). A Lionsgate UK and BBC Films production, it was acquired by Focus Features in Toronto where the romantic drama was the closing night gala. Lionsgate has an April 17 UK release set. Check out the trailer above.

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A Little Chaos': Alan Rickman, Kate Winslet Stroll Versailles Gardens Trailer

Lincoln Pius X's Olivia Appleget and Caroline Theil have been high school teammates for about four months.

In that time, they have developed into better friends and practice partners.

"To be on the same team is a whole other world,"Appleget said."We get to push each other in practice and we get to know each other's personalities. When the other one is fading, we're always pushing each other to the limits and making sure we're staying positive."

Both swimmers are looking to make an impact this weekend at the state high school swimming and diving meet.

Appleget finished sixth in the 200-yard individual medley and 100 butterfly in her first state appearance in 2014. She'll be swimming those events again this weekend.

"Mentally preparing for state is a huge aspect of it," the junior said."You have to know what it's going to feel like when you get there. It's so different from any other meet we do throughout the season."

Theil, a freshman who has been recording impressive times all season, will swim the 100 and 200 freestyles.

"You can just tell the two have become much better friends in the water as opposed to being on two different clubs," Pius X coach Mike Witt said."They're pushing each other in a good way."

Tate twins lead Creighton Prep

Sean and Ryan Tate are twins, and two of the best swimmers in the state.

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State swimming: Dynamic duos dot the state landscape

(Bloomberg) -- Kevin Cronin, global head of trading at Invesco Ltd., wasnt going to wait for the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission to protect his customers.

In a world of robotic trading and dark pools, where stock buyers can have no idea where their orders go or how much in fees their broker might be paying or receiving, Cronin has assembled a team of equities detectives over the last few years to make sure his clients get fair deals. The number of times trading platforms have subsequently been temporarily blocked from handling Invesco orders gets into the double-digits, Cronin said.

We can argue that its a shame that it has to come to this, he said. But on the other hand, where theres complication theres opportunity.

Its vindication for Cronin that in January the SEC named him to its Equity Market Structure Advisory Committee, a panel that will help the regulator determine rule changes for how shares trade. The same month, he helped create the industrys only dark pool owned by and run exclusively for fund managers.

The panel was formed after a challenging year for electronic stock trading, with investigations by the SEC, New York state attorney general and U.S. Department of Justice, the publication of Michael Lewiss Flash Boys -- a book that portrayed a rigged market -- and multiple fines and settlements against Wall Street players, including two in January that together totaled almost $30 million.

Cronin, whose firm manages $800 billion, has been questioning the fairness of high-frequency strategies, the conflicts inherent in stock exchange fees and the lack of transparency in dark pools, the private trading platforms run by broker-dealers, since at least the late 2000s. His goal is to make trading fair and to ensure the best outcomes for Invescos fund managers and, by extension, its clients.

Kevin has been a thoughtful and constructive participant in the market structure debate for many years, Larry Leibowitz, chief operating officer of New York Stock Exchange parent NYSE Euronext until November 2013, said by e-mail. Unlike many other voices, he recognizes the nuance and complexity of the issues.

Last month, nine fund companies including Invesco unveiled the Luminex dark pool, aimed at letting asset managers trade large stock orders with each other at low cost. While Fidelity Investments began the discussions, Cronin, who will sit on the venues board, said all the firms involved pushed very hard to make sure Luminex came to fruition.

The reason, he said, is that many dark pools, with their secret methods, order types and participants, arent doing the job. Luminex will provide complete transparency, Cronin said.

Even as he and his mutual-fund peers take their own steps, the stock markets regulator has been staking out how it wants trading to improve. Many of the priorities SEC Chair Mary Jo White presented in a June speech at an industry conference address complaints that Atlanta-based Cronin, 49, has been making for years.

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Spring is just around the corner.

And if you're looking for ideas on how to spruce up your home, check out the 13th Annual Eastern Pennsylvania Spring Home Show, Friday to Sunday, at the Agri-Plex at the Allentown Fairgrounds, 302 N. 17th St.

No matter what you're looking to redo, makeover or rehab, the show will have nearly 200 companies on hand with a diverse array of home products and services. It's a show that blends the latest trends with a hometown flair.

Whether you're looking to redo your bathroom, gut your kitchen or add a sunroom, pool or spa to your home, you can talk with experts and find the right designs or products to fit your budget. Banks and mortgage companies will have representatives on hand, as well as financial planners, to help your wallet and maximize savings.

Get some ideas for outside your home and check out a display by Center Valley's RidgeCrest Landscaping. RidgeCrest's Chris Baumer will be available to answer all your design questions while providing new and innovative landscape tips.

And bring the kids because they'll have the chance to do their own project for free at the Home Depot Kids Workshop.

Hours are 5-9 p.m. Friday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday.

Admission is $8; $7, seniors; free, under 12. The show's producer, Jenks Productions, is also offering $1 off admission with a non-perishable food item. Donations will benefit the Allentown Ecumenical Food Bank.

Info: http://www.jenksproductions.com/paspringpress2014.html

Jennifer Sheehan

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Get inspired at the Eastern PA Spring Home Show