Heat-stable antifungal factor (HSAF) is a polycyclic tetramate macrolactam secondary metabolite that exhibits broad-spectrum inhibitory activities against filamentous fungal pathogens. The native yield of this chemical is low. It is also a great challenge to synthesize HSAF artificially, due to its complex structure. Understanding the regulatory mechanism underlying HSAF biosynthesis could provide genetic basis for engineering high HSAF-producing strain. The transcription factor Clp is a global regulator that controls bacterial pathogenicity and the expression of one hundred related genes in the phytopathogenic bacterium Xanthomonas campestris pv. campestris (Xcc). Diffusible signal factor (DSF) chemical signaling is the only well-characterized upstream regulatory pathway that involves downstream Clp regulation in Xcc. Such a regulatory hierarchy between DSF signaling and Clp is also conserved in the Gram-negative biological control agent Lysobacter enzymogenes, where the DSF signaling system controls antifungal antibiotic HSAF biosynthesis via Clp.
Here, using LLysobacter enzymogenes OH11 as a working organism, we examined a novel upstream regulator, LesR, a LuxR solo that controls Clp expression to modulate HSAF biosynthesis as well as cell aggregation. We found that the overexpression of lesR in strain OH11 almost entirely shut down HSAF production and accelerated cell aggregation. These changed phenotypes could be rescued by the introduction of plasmid-borne clp in the lesR overexpression background. Consistent with findings, we further found that overexpression of lesR led to a decrease in the Clp level.
These results collectively have shown that LesR could exert its function, i.e., HSAF biosynthesis, via downstream Clp. These findings were subsequently validated by a comparative transcriptome analysis, where the regulatory action of LesR was found to largely overlap with that of Clp. Therefore, in addition to the well-known DSF signaling system, the present study reveals that LesR functions as a new upstream regulatory factor of Clp in L. enzymogenes. The key factor was important for the production of HSAF. The strains with high HSAF yield can presumably be constructed by deletion of the negative regulators or overexpression of the positive regulators by genetic engineering.
Lysobacter is a Gram-negative genus in the family of Xanthomonadaceae and is one of the most ubiquitous environmental microorganisms . A representative and well-studied species of this genus is Lysobacter enzymogenes, which is recognized as one of the important biological control agents against diverse fungal pathogens through the production of abundant extracellular lytic enzymes and the secondary antifungal antibiotic heat-stable antifungal factor (HSAF) [1–5]. Because of HSAF's complex structure, it is very difficult to synthesize HSAF artificially. Previous studies have shown that the production of HSAF by L. enzymogenes was low. Due to the large gene cluster of PKS/NRPS (HSAF Synthetics gene cluster), it is difficult to express these genes in a heterogenous system such as Escherichia coli. Therefore it is imperative to elucidate the regulatory network that controls HSAF biosynthesis. The key factor LesR has been shown to be important for the production of HSAF. The strains of high yield HSAF were constructed by deletion of negative regulators or overexpression of positive regulators by genetic engineering. The production of HSAF is effectively increased and it is a key part of industrialization.
Clp, a cAMP-receptor-like protein, is recognized as a global regulator possessing an N-terminal cNMP (cyclic nucleotide monophosphate) domain and a C-terminal HTH (helix-turn-helix)-DNA binding domain in the phytopathogenic bacterium Xanthomonas campestris pv. campestris (Xcc) [6, 7]. In this bacterium, Clp both directly and indirectly controls a wide range of important physiological and cellular processes, including EPS (extracellular polysaccharide) biosynthesis, the production of plant-cell-degrading enzymes, cell motility, biofilm formation and virulence . In the direct mode, Xcc Clp modulates the transcription of target genes by directly binding to their promoters, which is released when Xcc Clp is bound by c-di-GMP, a newly identified nucleotide second messenger in bacteria [7, 8]. Xcc Clp is found to be a receptor for c-di-GMP binding via its N-terminal cNMP domain . It was also found that regulation via Clp is dynamically influenced by the small-molecule chemical diffusible signal factor (DSF) in Xcc, whose biosynthesis and signal transduction are dependent on a rpf gene cluster [9–11]. In essence, rpfF encodes a putative enoyl-CoA hydratase involved in synthesizing DSF, whereas the RpfC (histidine kinase)/RpfG (response regulator) two-component system is responsible for DSF sensing and signal transduction, respectively [9, 11]. When the DSF signal is first sensed by membrane-bound RpfC, it becomes free and activates the coupled RpfG, which is an HD-GYP phosphodiesterase that degrades c-di-GMP to GMP [12, 13]. In the absence of c-di-GMP, Clp is free to bind to a variety of its cognate promoters, enabling the regulation of a significant number of downstream genes [6, 7, 12]. These previous data suggest that Clp plays an important role in the Xcc DSF signaling pathway. Indeed, the Xcc DSF signaling system was found to be significantly involved in regulating Xcc pathogenicity by controlling the production of a variety of virulence factors via Clp [6, 10]. Furthermore, it is also important to note that Xcc DSF signaling appears to be the only well-characterized upstream regulatory pathway that involves downstream Clp regulation in bacteria, although both of them are widely conserved in Xanthomonas and its close genera, such as Xylella and Lysobacter [6, 8, 14, 15].
The Clp homologue in L. enzymogenes controls HSAF biosynthesis and the production of diverse lytic enzymes, cell adherence/aggregation and antifungal activity [2, 15]. Recently, a new DSF family signaling molecule, LeDSF3 (13-methyltetradecanoic acid), was shown to modulate HSAF biosynthesis via the conserved RpfC/RpfG two-component system and the global regulator Clp in L. enzymogenes [2, 16]. These results strongly suggest that the regulator Clp serves as a downstream component of DSF signaling and controls HSAF biosynthesis in L. enzymogenes, which was recently confirmed by our laboratory and collaborators [16, 17]. However, Clp also controls other vital physiological functions, such as cell aggregation in a DSF-independent manner in L. enzymogenes, since the disruption of DSF signaling did not change cell adherence/aggregation, as shown in the clp mutant [2, 14]. These findings point out the possibility that a DSF-independent and a previously unidentified upstream regulator might control cell adherence/aggregation through Clp in L. enzymogenes.
Interestingly, a LuxR solo, LesR, was recently shown to control cell aggregation and HSAF production in L. enzymogenes OH11 . LesR contains an N-terminal AHL (N-acyl homoserine lactone) domain and a C-terminal HTH DNA binding domain . The domain organization of LesR is highly similar to that of the LuxR proteins in the typical LuxI/LuxR QS (Quorum sensing) system, but L. enzymogenes OH11 does not seem to contain the corresponding LuxI protein . These LuxR proteins were thus termed LuxR orphans or solos [19, 20]. Importantly, overexpression, but not deletion, of lesR was found to accelerate cell aggregation and almost entirely impair HSAF production in wild-type OH11 . These LesR-controlled phenotypes are similar to those controlled by Clp, establishing a bridge to functionally connect Clp and LesR in L. enzymogenes, although their genetic relationship is still unclear to date.
In the present study, we found that LesR is a novel upstream regulator of Clp in L. enzymogenes. Our genetic, biochemical and transcriptomic analyses show that one of the mechanisms by which LesR regulates cell aggregation and HSAF biosynthesis is to control Clp expression in L. enzymogenes. Therefore, in addition to the well-characterized DSF signaling, our studies from L. enzymogenes provide information on a new upstream regulatory factor, LesR, whose functional regulation is mediated by the downstream Clp levels in bacteria.
To explore the genetic relationship between LesR and Clp, we first overexpressed clp in the lesR overexpression background and did a cell aggregation assay of the transformed strains. As shown in Fig. 1a, the coding region of clp under the control of its native promoter was successfully inserted into the vector pBBR-lesR, and it was previously shown to possess the intact lesR gene under the control of its native promoter . As shown in Fig. 1b, the overexpressed transcript of clp or lesR was validated by RT-PCR in the corresponding transformed strains. Next, these transformed strains were subjected to a cell aggregation assay. It was clear that OH11(lesR), the lesR overexpression strain, displayed the expected cell aggregation behavior in LB broth, in agreement with our earlier report . However, under similar assay conditions, the introduction of clp eliminated the cell aggregation of OH11(lesR) (Fig. 2a). Furthermore, the overexpression of clp in the wild-type OH11 did not cause cell aggregation, which was similar to that of wild-type OH11 containing an empty vector (Fig. 2a). These results suggest that Clp was genetically situated downstream of the LesR regulatory pathway to control cell aggregation. Consistent with these data, the overexpression of lesR could not rescue the deficiency of the clp mutant in terms of cell aggregation (Fig. 2a).
Next, we investigated whether Clp also serves as a downstream regulator to modulate LesR-controlled HSAF biosynthesis. To address this point, the HSAF levels from various Lysobacter strains described above were determined by HPLC. As shown in Fig. 2b, the lesR overexpression strain OH11(lesR) did not produce any detectable HSAF, in accordance with our previous report . Surprisingly, it was obvious that the overexpression of clp partially restored the deficiency of OH11 (lesR) to produce the wild-type HSAF yield (Fig. 2b). However, overexpression of clp in the wild-type OH11 did not change the yield of HSAF, which was similar to that of the wild-type strain containing an empty vector (Fig. 2b). These results also suggest that involvement of the LesR regulatory pathway in the regulation of HSAF biosynthesis occurs, at least in part, through the downstream factor Clp in L. enzymogenes.
Since overexpression of clp restored the phenotypic changes in the OH11(lesR) strain in terms of cell aggregation and HSAF yield, we thus speculated that overexpression of lesR probably decreased the protein level of Clp in L. enzymogenes. To test this, a western blot assay was performed for the wild-type OH11 containing the overexpressed lesR, named OH11(lesR) and an empty vector, named OH11(pBBR). As shown in Fig. 3, we found that a band (25 kDa) corresponding to the predicted size of Clp was clearly detected in the control strain, which was the wild-type OH11 possessing an empty vector. In comparison, Clp protein level was significantly reduced in the lesR overexpression strain under similar test conditions. Furthermore, the internal control (the α subunit of the RNA polymerase) was detected at similar levels, both in the control strain and the lesR overexpression strain. These results collectively indicate that overexpression of lesR impaired the protein accumulation of Clp in L. enzymogenes.
To further validate the functional link between LesR and Clp, the effect of lesR at the transcriptomic level was determined by RNA-Seq. The results showed that overexpression of lesR had a broad effect on the transcriptome, significantly influencing the expression of 389 genes (Fig. 4a; Additional file 1: Table S2). These LesR-regulated genes were associated with 19 functional groups, including secondary metabolites and cell envelope biogenesis (Fig. 4a). In agreement with the decreased amount of HSAF, the expression of four key genes within the HSAF biosynthetic cluster was significantly decreased in the lesR overexpression strain in comparison to the control strain (Additional file 1: Table S2). Comparative transcriptome analysis revealed that 135 genes from the pool, whose expression was controlled by lesR, were also influenced by Clp, including the characterized HSAF biosynthetic genes. A number of gene homologues from the LesR and Clp regions, i.e., pilX1 and pilV1, have been shown to control cell aggregation in L. enzymogenes (data not shown), providing an additional piece of evidence to support our findings in the present study that LesR and Clp both control cell aggregation. These results indicate that a considerable amount of overlap in the gene expression profiles between these two factors (LesR and Clp) exists. Collectively, the above phenotypic and gene expression data support the notion that Clp serves as a downstream factor of the LesR regulatory pathway to modulate a number of LesR-controlled functions, such as HSAF biosynthesis and cell aggregation. However, it was also clearly observed that Clp regulated the expression of a unique set of 639 genes in a LesR-independent manner in L. enzymogenes (Fig. 4b; Additional file 1: Table S2).
In the present study, we provide the first report that Clp serves as a downstream factor of the LesR regulatory pathway to control HSAF biosynthesis and cell aggregation in L. enzymogenes, in addition to the characterized DSF signaling pathway [6, 17]. This knowledge adds new insights into the complex regulatory pathways that involve the global regulator Clp in bacteria. It also provided a new thought and the method to increase production of HSAF. The production of HSAF is effectively increased and it is a key part of industrialization.
Our results suggest that LesR exerts its regulation through HSAF biosynthesis to control Clp protein levels (Fig. 2); however, this finding is not consistent with that of the mRNA results, where we found that the overexpressed lesR did not have a significant influence on the clp transcript, which was determined by RNA-Seq and RT-PCR (Fig. 1 and Fig. 4a). These findings collectively raise the possibility that LesR may affect the Clp protein level or its stability in a post-transcriptional manner. In marked contrast to the effect of LesR on the Clp levels, inactivation of DSF signaling did not seem to alter the Clp protein level (Additional file 1: Figure S1). These results, along with our recent report , suggest that although Clp acts as a downstream regulator in both the DSF and LesR regulatory pathways, each pathway appears to use different Clp-dependent mechanism(s) to regulate HSAF biosynthesis in L. enzymogenes.
In contrast to the regulatory effect on HSAF biosynthesis, LesR performs its regulation of cell aggregation via a Clp-dependent, but not DSF-dependent, manner because overexpression of lesR in the rpfF mutant (the DSF-disruption mutant) still caused significant cell aggregation similar to that in the wild-type OH11 . Moreover, Clp is also involved in the regulation of several important biocontrol characteristics in both LesR- and DSF-independent manners. Two representative examples are the extracellular chitinase production and type IV pilus-dependent twitching motility because these Clp-controlled phenotypes are not influenced by either the disruption of DSF signaling or the overexpression of lesR in L. enzymogenes [14, 15, 18]. Collectively, the above findings suggest that Clp functions as a diverse regulatory player in L. enzymogenes. First, it seems to be at the intersection of the LesR and DSF regulatory pathways in performing their respective functions on HSAF biosynthesis. Second, Clp switches to mediate LesR-controlled cell aggregation in a DSF-independent manner. Third, Clp has evolved to acquire the ability to perform its unique regulation unrelated to both the LesR and the DSF regulatory pathways.
Finally, it is important to note that in addition to Clp, the LuxR solos are also widely distributed in diverse phytopathogenic Xanthomonas species, such as XccR of Xcc, OryR of X. oryzae and XagR of X. axonopodis [21–23]. In these phytopathogenic bacteria, although the role of Clp or the LuxR solo in virulence has been reported, their genetic relationships are poorly understood. In this regard, the genetic relationship of LesR and Clp presented in this work should be followed by respective studies in those pathogenic Xanthomonas species.
LesR is a LuxR solo that controls Clp expression to modulate HSAF biosynthesis as well as cell aggregation. This finding was subsequently validated by comparative transcriptome analysis, which found that the regulatory action of LesR largely overlaps with that of Clp. Therefore, in addition to the well-known DSF signaling system, the present study revealed a new upstream regulatory factor for Clp in L. enzymogenes. The key factor was important for the production of HSAF. The strains of high yield HSAF will be constructed by deletion of negative regulators or overexpression of positive regulators by genetic engineering.
The bacterial strains and plasmids used in this study are listed in Table 1. Escherichia coli strains were used for plasmid construction and were grown at 37 °C in Luria-Bertani (LB) broth in the presence or absence of 100 μg/ml ampicillin (Amp) or 25 μg/ml gentamicin (Gm). Lysobacter enzymogenes OH11 (CGMCC No. 1978) and its derivative strains were grown in LB broth or 1/10 TSB (Trypic Soy Broth, Sigma) at 28 °C with shaking at 200 rpm. When required, antibiotics were added to the medium at a final concentration of 100 μg/ml kanamycin (km) and/or 150 μg/ml Gm.
To introduce clp into the lesR overexpression strain, a 1250-bp DNA fragment including the coding region of clp and its native promoter region was amplified by PCR with the corresponding primer pairs (Additional file 1: Table S1). This DNA fragment was cloned into pBBR-lesR, where lesR under the control of its native promoter was cloned into the broad-host vector pBBR1-MCS5 (Table 1). The final construct, pBBR-lesR-clp, was transformed into wild-type OH11, generating the strain OH11(lesR-clp) (Table 1). The overexpression of clp in the corresponding transformed strain was validated by RT-PCR (reverse transcription PCR), which is presented in detail below. The strain OH11(lesR-clp) was used for further study.
The wild-type OH11 of L. enzymogenes and its derivatives were cultivated in 1/10 TSB broth for 2 days and adjusted to the same cell density (OD600 = 1.8). Then, HSAF was extracted from these various L. enzymogenes cultures and detected by HPLC (High-Performance Liquid Chromatography) as described previously [4, 14, 18]. In the HPLC analysis, the standard HSAF [4, 14] was used as a control. Three replications were used for each treatment, and the experiment was repeated three times.
The cell aggregation assay was performed according to our earlier report . In brief, the wild-type strain OH11 and its derivative strains were pre-incubated in LB broth at 28 °C with shaking at 200 rpm until the culture reached an OD600 of 2.0. Then, these cultures were vertically placed without movement in a tube support. After 12 h, the aggregated cells at the bottom of each tube were observed and photographed. Three technical replicates for each treatment were used, and the experiment was carried out three times.
The western blot analysis was performed according to a published laboratory protocol with a minor modification . In brief, the designated control strain (wild-type OH11 containing the empty vector pBBR1-MCS5) and the lesR overexpression strain were pre-incubated in LB broth at 28 °C with shaking at 200 rpm until the culture reached an OD600 of 2.0. The cells were harvested by centrifugation at 3381×g and frozen at − 80 °C. The cells were lysed by 6 × Loading buffer (60 mM Tris–Cl pH 6.8, 600 mM DTT, 4% SDS, 20% Glycerol, 0.2% Bromophenol Blue). Soluble proteins were harvested from these bacterial cells, further separated by SDS-PAGE and transferred onto a polyvinylidene difluoride (PVDF) membrane using a semi-dry blot machine (Bio-RAD, USA). The membranes were probed using a polyclonal antibody specific for Xcc Clp with a dilution of 1:5000 , followed by detection with an HRP-conjugated anti-rabbit secondary antibody (No. M21002, Abmart, China).
The wild-type OH11 and its derivatives were grown in 1/10 TSB broth. The cells were collected at an OD600 of 1.0. Then, the total RNA was extracted from the cells of each strain using a kit with a code of R6950-01 from OMEGA (China). Next, RT-PCR, including cDNA synthesis using the PrimerScript RT Reagent Kit with gDNA Eraser (number RR047A; TaKaRa, China) and PCR amplification, was performed as described previously [14, 18]. The 16 s rRNA gene was used as an internal control in this study [14, 18]. The primer sequences used in this assay are listed in Additional file 1: Table S1.
RNA-Seq-based transcriptome profiling was performed by the Beijing Genomics Institute (Shenzhen, China) using the Illumina HiSeq™ 2000 platform. In brief, the experiment was performed as follows: the control strain (wild-type OH11 containing an empty vector) and the lesR overexpression strain were grown in 1/10 TSB until the cultures reached an OD600 of 1.0. The cells of each strain were collected by centrifugation (10,000×g at 4 °C for 3 min) and were used for RNA extraction according to standard protocols. After the total RNA extraction and DNase I treatment, rRNAs were removed from the total RNA. The mRNA was mixed with fragmentation buffer for fragmentation into short fragments. Then cDNA was synthesized using the mRNA fragments as templates. The short fragments were purified and used for end repair and single nucleotide A (adenine) addition and connected with adapters. The suitable fragments were selected for PCR amplification through agarose gel electrophoresis. During the quality control steps, an Agilent 2100 Bioanaylzer and an ABI StepOnePlus Real-Time PCR System were used for quantification of the sample library. Finally, the library was sequenced using an Illumina HiSeq™ 2000. The RPKM (Reads Per Kilobase per Million mapped reads) was used to identify significantly differentially expressed genes between the control strain and the lesR overexpression strain as described previously . In this way, the differentially expressed genes with a selection threshold of a false discovery rate of FDR ≤ 0.001 and fold change ≥ 2.0 were selected for further study.
HYX carried out the molecular genetics studies, participated in developing the sequence alignment and drafted the manuscript. RPW carried out the molecular genetic studies and participated in developing the sequence alignment. YYZ performed the statistical analysis. GLQ, ZQF and FQL conceived the study, participated in its design and coordination and helped draft the manuscript. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.
We would like to thank Professor Shan-Ho Chou and Liangcheng Du for reviewing an early version of this manuscript. We also thank Professor Wei Qian (Chinese Academy of Sciences) for kindly providing the polyclonal antibody α-Clp.
All of the data are presented in the main paper or supplementary materials.
This study was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (31701839; 31371981), grants from the Jiangsu Academy of Agricultural Sciences and Jiangsu Province (ZX(15)1006; CX(16)1049 and BE2015354), the Special Fund for Agro-Scientific Research in the Public Interest (201303015), and the earmarked fund for China Agriculture Research System (CARS-28-16).
12934_2017_818_MOESM1_ESM.doc Additional file 1. Table S1. Primers used in this study. Table S2. Genes controlled by LesR in Lysobacter enzymogenes. Figure S1. LeDSF signaling did not control the Clp protein level.


One of New Zealand's leading sheep breeders, Derek Daniell, has just returned from the Rabobank Southern Australia Sheep and Wool Tour. He spoke to The Country's Jamie Mackay about his experience.
Daniell says New South Wales is a "disaster area," due to drought, but farmers in Southern Australia are used to these kinds of conditions.
Daniell recounts his first time selling rams where a farmer near Bendigo had sold all 5000 of his ewes to combat a drought.
"I was gobsmacked," says Daniell, who asked the farmer how he would bounce back from the sale, "'I've done it before, I'll just go and buy border merinos and start again ... otherwise I'd have to feed them for 11 months,"' was the reply.
"That's the way you've got to play the game over there," says Daniell.
Farming in Australia's dry regions isn't for the faint-hearted but wool still does well and Danielle says the fine wool growers he visited are, "really full of enthusiasm."
Also in today's interview: Derek Daniell talks about the global scarcity of water and the possible implications for New Zealand.


Kellyanne Conway, pictured, calls the president "Sir."
After just 10 days, Anthony Scaramucci ended his stint as White House communications director, leaving the role wide open.
And Kellyanne Conway could be in line for a promotion.
The New York Times reported that she is a "perennial" favorite to fill the position.
Regardless of whether or not she becomes communications director, Conway vowed during the 2016 campaign to stick with Trump no matter what, barring a family crisis.
Conway previously declined to become Trump's press secretary. She later told New York Magazine's Olivia Nuzzi that she would rather "put cement shoes on" and jump off a bridge than take the job.
She now works on the third floor of the West Wing in a large office that used to belong to Barack Obama's senior advisor Valerie Jarrett. According to Nuzzi, the room features a desk, a table, a couch, and several computers.
A copy of "The Art of the Deal" sits on a bookshelf, and the space is decorated with photos of Conway's four children and pictures of Conway with Trump. Nuzzi reported that the Washington Monument is visible through the window.
Her Secret Service code name is "Blueberry." In 1984, Conway was crowned Miss New Jersey's Blueberry Princess.
Like her boss, Conway takes time to tweet throughout the day. Her recent Twitter activity mostly consists of retweeting Fox News programs and contributors.
Conway has appeared on Fox News Sunday, Fox and Friends, Anderson Cooper, Good Morning America, The Leader with Jake Tapper, and Meet the Press, among other programs. However, she's been banned from Morning Joe for promoting "false news," according to MSNBC anchor Mika Brzezinski.
Conway has come under fire for her claims during interviews. On one occasion, she referenced a non-existent terrorist attack. On another, she urged viewers to purchase items from Ivanka Trump's brand, earning a rebuke from the Office of Government Ethics.
Conway, who told Fox News she was "a protocol and pecking-order kind of gal," has said that she has a deferential relationship with the US president. Business Insider previously reported that she calls him "Mr. Trump," "President Trump," or "Sir." She also has "walk-in" privileges and can call on the president in the Oval Office unannounced, according to Nuzzi.
Conway has said that she balances her personal life with her White House role by abstaining from distractions. "I don't play golf, and I don't have a mistress, so I have a lot of time that a lot of these other men don't," Conway told the Fox Business Network in December.
Her husband, George T. Conway III, is a partner at Manhattan-based law firm Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz. He was considered for a post in the Justice department, but withdrew his name.
As of January, Conway's schedule included frequent weekend commutes back to her family's home in Alpine, New Jersey. She told the Hollywood Reporter that she hopes to move her family down to DC by the start of this coming school year.
In March, Conway told CBS that her four children were "having the hardest time" adjusting to her new position.
Conway has reportedly purchased a new home in the capital. Her rumored residence is a mansion that's worth $8 million.
The house is located in Massachusetts Avenue Heights, a small neighborhood that's dwarfed by the nearby grounds of the Washington National Cathedral.
Back in February, Nuzzi described Conway's schedule as "hamster wheel of meetings, briefings, appearances, interviews, events, and cocktail parties."
NorthJersey.com reported that numerous conservative outlets are billing Conway as a front-runner for the communications director post. For her part, Conway told Fox News that she plans to "... do whatever the president and our new chief of staff, General Kelly, asks me to do."


Sharpened triangular points enable leather needles to pierce tough materials without tearing. Leather needles are used for gloves, belts and leather, suede or plastic materials. The best carbon, hardened, tempered steel is used to maximise resistance to corrosion. The sharpened points plus a polished body ensure the best penetration into fabrics. The needle eyes are smooth with no snags and protect the thread from damage.


Submitted photo- LaKeisha Bosworth (left) volunteers for the READ.LEARN.SUCCEED. program sponsored by the United Way of Northeast Louisiana to enhance literacy and eventually increase graduation rates among local students.
The United Way of Northeast Louisiana is seeking volunteers for the 2014-15 school year who will volunteer to help local students READ.LEARN.SUCCEED in literacy.
According to a UWNL press release, the long-term goal of the program is to increase the number of local children graduating from high school.
To volunteer, one hour of training and a background check is required.
If a picture is worth a thousand words, Ruston High School students received a "War and Peace" sized lesson Thursday.
RHS juniors and seniors viewed a vehicle mock crash put on by the school's "Get Out There" team that was aimed at making them think twice about drinking and driving during upcoming prom celebrations.
Shattered glass, dangerous shards of metal and empty beer cans littered the ground as a girl lay motionless between a wrecked truck and car while a young man lay face down on the hood of the car, his body sticking through the vehicle's broken windshield.
Ruston Mayor Ronny Walker officially unveiled his $80 million plan for infrastructure maintenance and improvements Tuesday saying if the city doesn't start the work now it will fall even further behind.
"Is it going to cost? Yes. But my feeling is if we don't do it now, 10 years down the road, it's going to be harder to do," Walker told about 45 people gathered at a late-morning press conference at Ruston's Historic Fire Station.
Ruston High School and New Tech @ Ruston 2014 graduate Chandler Haddox was the first ever recipient of the Tom and Cathi Cox Boniol New Tech Scholarship. Presented during the NT@R Graduation Celebration, the scholarship evolved from the profound experience Tom Boniol had in observing the students and staff at work within New Tech @ Ruston.
While many people across the parish struggle to afford health insurance, even more lack the funds to pay for another crucial medical service that fewer and fewer seem to have access too — dental care.
One area dentist's office is looking to change that by brightening a few smiles, literally, of area residents without dental insurance.
Peach Tree Dental in Ruston will host the fifth annual Dentistry from the Heart event starting at 8 a.m. Saturday.


text:
SKINNY LISTER REVEAL ACTION-PACKED VIDEO FOR 'SECOND AMENDMENT'
Adam Keys 18th October 2019
SKINNY LISTER proudly present the action-packed new music video for: 'Second Amendment'. WATCH THE VIDEO HERE:
A microcosmic period drama with a Skinny-twist, the new video finds the London sextet cast as pilgrims crossing the ocean in search of a new home.
Dressed head-to-toe in costume typical of the 18th Century, the good ship Skinny and its crew make ground upon the shores of a strange new land: America. Though it quickly becomes apparent they may not be first settlers to arrive there…
Speaking about the adventurous new video, frontman Dan Heptinstall says:
"As well as being a great excuse to dress up in late 18th century costume, the video is designed to illustrate how out of step the 'Second Amendment' is with the modern world. Wearing clothes contemporary to its creation, we land from the sea into a modern age where we're completely out of place. The muskets are fake by the way!"
An anthemic punk-shanty that slinks along a jangly guitar line reminiscent of The Smiths, 'Second Amendment' is the latest single from Skinny Lister. Originally, one of the highlights of their Barny Barnicott (Arctic Monkeys, The Enemy, The Temper Trap) produced 2019 album 'The Story Is…', the current single version of the track has now been given a fresh lease of life with a brand new mix especially for its Autumn release.
One of the most political tracks on 'The Story Is…', the song is written in direct reference to the Second Amendment of the United States Constitution. A controversial subject that is hotly debated across America, the track has opened up thought provoking conversations with Skinny's many friends and fans in the USA whilst on tour.
As Dan explains: "The first thing to say here is that we love America. We enjoy touring there and our fans and friends all across the country have been amazing to us over the years. We're not trying to alienate anyone or suggesting people with alternative beliefs would not be welcome at a Skinny show. On the contrary everyone is welcome… We realise [The Second Amendment] is a very complex and emotive issue, but we do heavily question U.S. gun laws. Laws that were designed during the musket era for taking up arms against a 'tyrannical government' have little relevance today. Gun death stats in the U.S. speak for themselves – approaching 40,000 per year. The ongoing argument to tackle the problem by adding more guns – such as proposals to arm teachers feels out of control.The song's mention of God is not to criticise those with deeply held religious beliefs, but rather those who use God to support their defence of the Second Amendment. The track has already opened up some interesting conversations with our American friends. And we think it's a discussion worth having."
Touring the new single along with their fourth studio release 'The Story Is…' across the world throughout 2019, the punk sextet now set their sights on a second lap of the US and Canada on an imminent tour with The Interrupters (16 Oct – 9 Nov). The six-piece then jet back to the UK for a run of headline dates in the run up to Christmas.
With KERRANG! praising their recent shows as "drenched in gloriously ramshackle character, with crashing sea shanties and heartfelt protest songs swirling in a saltily potent mix"; don't be dragging your flagon when the Skinnies bring their explosive live show back to a town near you this Winter.
SKINNY LISTER: 'THE STORY IS…' 2019 TOUR WINTER – UK DATESNOVEMBER
27 – Lemon Grove, Exeter28 – The Parish, Huddersfield
29 – The Crescent, York
30 – Arts Centre, Liverpool
4 – Wedgewood Rooms
5 – West End Centre, Aldershot
6 – The Castle & Falcon, Birmingham
7 – The Polar Bear, Hull
10 – Bootleg Social, Blackpool
11 – The Leadmill, Sheffield
12 – The Globe, Cardiff13 – Wroot Rocks, Doncaster
14 – The Garage, London (XMAS BASH)
Folk PunkSkinny ListerXtra Mile Recordings
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Adam has made the North East his home and has emerged as a key contributor to the live music landscape after joining Rushonrock out of university. Co-editor of the site between 2016 and 2018, he's got his finger on the digital media pulse and his contacts book is bulging.
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Adam Keys 5th November 2017
REVIEW – BEN MARWOOD
Adam Keys 6th April 2017
Rushonrock Record Of The Week: Frank Turner
Adam Keys 23rd August 2019
FRANK TURNER AND THE SLEEPING SOULS – SLEEP IS FOR THE WEEK (LOST EVENINGS)
Adam Keys 24th May 2017
RIOTOUS NIGHT OF ROCK
Simon Rushworth 4th October 2011
REVIEW – SKINNY LISTER
Adam Keys 11th September 2016

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


Since I can't always be traveling myself and I sometimes need inspiration when trying to think of what to write about next about the place I am living in, I've decided to add this weekly posting to my blog.
I've just returned to the UK and will be finding things to write about concerning this country, and especially London, so I thought I'd start with a New York Times article on England and the English pub. The article starts by pointing out England's difficulty in defining its culture, and what better way to define English culture than by its pubs. Old English pubs are a dying breed, but check out this article for some recommendations and a story of one man's tour through some English establishments including the Hook Norton Brewery in the beautiful Cotswolds villages of England.


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REFILE-Rio Tinto to shut furnace at South Africa mineral sands project
(Fixes typographical error in paragraph 2)
July 21 (Reuters) – Miner Rio Tinto on Wednesday decided to shut a furnace at its Richards Bay Minerals (RBM) project in South Africa, as supply of the raw material used to fuel it was hampered by an "escalation in the security situation".
Last month, it declared a force majeure on customer contracts and halted mining and smelting operations at the project following a violent community unrest and a report that an employee was killed in May.
The miner said shutting one of the four furnaces at the mineral sands project would reduce the use of its stockpile of feedstock and limit the long-term impacts of a shutdown on RBM's furnaces.
"Shutting a furnace has a major impact on the business and broader community and it not a decision we have taken lightly," Sinead Kaufman, chief executive of Rio's minerals division, said.
RBM will reassess the situation to decide on restarting the furnace or potentially shutting other furnaces depending on "when the safety and security position improves," Rio said.
All operations at RBM remain halted until further notice, the miner said. (Reporting by Shashwat Awasthi; Editing by Arun Koyyur)


The Services to Youth facet seeks to encourage and expand the initiative to support Historically Black Colleges. A National committee consisting of Links members from each chapter, was established to address the HBCU's critical need to increase their number of graduates. The collaborative goal to link Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) with Community Colleges focuses on increasing high school and college graduation rates, awarding college scholarships, and promoting and supporting endowments. As a complement to this initiative, the Central Area has partnered with the Kettering Foundation in support of Educational Linkages' program of Closing the Achievement Gap. Chapters conduct forums specifically designed to engage the community in a dialog that creates an awareness of, and develops strategies to address the problem of achievement that continues to exist in the education of youth in public schools. Services To Youth National Signature programs are designed to address critical areas in education leading to student success. Links to Success: Children Achieving Excellence engages chapters to mentor and assist in closing the achievement gap for K-3rd grade minority students with an emphasis on literacy. Project L.E.A.D. – High Expectations Signature Program reflects The Links, Incorporated's effort to close the academic achievement gap of 4th – 8th grade students, while responding to their social-emotional needs, encouraging health and fitness, introducing S.T.E.M. related education and career options, and improving their financial literacy.


MEXICO CITY, Mexico – 06.04.2015 – Nissan closed the month of May 2015 with sales of 26,545 vehicles and a market share of 26 percent. These numbers position Nissan once again as the top seller in the country and establish the six-year anniversary Nissan has been number one in the automotive industry in Mexico.
For the past 72 months, Nissan has demonstrated a steady growth rate and consolidated its position as the preferred brand in the country. Behind this continuous growth are a solid dealer network, an aggressive sales strategy, a very comprehensive line-up, great understanding of market needs, a competitive financing offer, and a clear focus on customer satisfaction.
The story of Nissan's leadership in Mexico began in 2009 and has been headed by key leaders of the global automotive industry.
After the 2008 global economic crisis that affected diverse industries, including automotive, Jose Muñoz – former president of Nissan Mexicana and currently Executive Vice president of Nissan Motor Co., Ltd., & Chairman of Nissan North America – launched a commercial strategy focused on achieving the leadership in quality, profitability, image and sales.
This catalyzing strategy required a change not only in image, but also in the mindset of Nissan's employees and dealers. This evolution set the ground for today's solid dealer network and enabled the brand to celebrate the number one position for the first time in 2009, with a 20.7 percent market share.
Today, Nissan's strategy as envisioned by the current president and general manager, Airton Cousseau, is centered in customer satisfaction at all levels – including employees, dealers and clients. Cousseau ratifies there's still 74 percent of the market to be conquered.
This focus on the customer, which covers all the areas of the company, has not only maintained Nissan's leadership position within the industry, but offered the possibility of attaining all-time records, such as 308,731 vehicles sold in FY14 (April 1, 2014 to March 31, 2015) and an historic share of 25.9 percent.
Key in Nissan's success is Credi Nissan, which has become the most important automotive financing institution in Mexico. In 2014, it achieved a 47 percent share with 137,244 new contracts signed that year.
Additionally, the demand increase of Nissan vehicles in the country has been met with a raise in the production volume. With its three world class manufacturing plants – two in Aguascalientes and one in Morelos – working to their maximum capacity under the One Team Spirit vision and the leadership of its Manufacturing vice president, Armando Ávila, Nissan Mexico achieved a new manufacturing milestone with an output 805,871 vehicles in 2014.


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Оленяча — річка на Кольському півострові, Мурманська область
 Оленяча — річка, ліва притока Мінолги, Томська область

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


I have a disease — I am infected by my thoughts. I have had the strongest convictions that I suffer from some obscure, virtually nonexistent ailment that has a prevalence rate of 1 out of the global population, .000000000143 percent. It presents zero symptoms, and their absence is the torture. It is dormant within my body and could suddenly awaken to take my life away. I couldn't sleep properly for weeks on end because I feared it would permanently disable my ability to rest, and I would meet my death through sheer exhaustion. Spontaneous heart attacks, irreversible emotions, feeling absolutely nothing and the forces of time and space warping amongst other obsessions were all very real problems for me.
I was reluctant to tell anyone about them for the same reason that may have caused the reader of my description above to feel discomfort. I didn't want to be perceived as particularly unusual, as someone who was out of touch with reality and incapable of rationality. I only discussed my mental health during my appointments made to address it, and I never took those conversations outside the soundproof door of my therapist's office. Out of all my worries, the fear of others finding out about them was my worst. It was why I told my friend last year, while the ground was collapsing under my feet, that my mom was referring to a chemistry question when he saw a text from her asking if the Zoloft was working and was naturally concerned. He didn't question the most half-baked attempt at a lie, and the topic was never broached again.
It was my secret, but I didn't even disclose it to myself. In fact, it wasn't until I made the call asking my parents to take me out of Cornell during one of my worst bouts of anxiety and depression that I rescinded my denial and admitted that I have a disease. After years of involuntary preoccupation with the bizarre, pathological illnesses I convinced myself I had, I finally took the first step in acknowledging my mental illness, and it was then that my resiliency started to improve. I became more motivated to get out of bed and push through each day throughout my second semester. There was a stark difference in how I felt compared to my first semester as a silent sufferer, repressing any hopes of progress.
My experience has led me to believe that being honest about one's own mental health is key to managing it, as well as combating the connotations of mental illness and mental health that continue to plague society. Despite the volumes of scientific evidence affirming mental illness as a class of medical problems with clear biological implications, why is it still easier to say you have celiac disease than Major Depressive Disorder? Historically negative associations surrounding mental health still have a strong presence, and the only way to chip away at them is to approach the topic with positivity and openness, encouraging people going through a rough patch that it is acceptable, and in fact encouraged, to seek out help.
Just because mental illness is hidden does not mean that it is unimportant or nonexistent, and more dialogue pertaining to mental health can work to treat not only the individual in need of assistance, but the countless individuals that are unaware of the resources available or are simply too hesitant to use them. Sharing your own mental health narrative can give voice to those around you who guard theirs with an unassuming smile.
Stigma is the target here; it actively prevents one (or one's family and friends) from recognizing and acting on clear signs of distress. It drives the "it's in your head" responses and the "but they seemed so happy" outcomes, and the only way to fight it is to ignore its warnings about the potential damage that association with the term "mental health" can do to your image.
What anyone with MDD, GAD, OCD or any other conditions described in the diagnostic statistical manual will tell you is that for the most part, we can separate our illnesses from ourselves. We can take a step back and view our difficult minds as the afflicted entity, not us. Instead of simply observing, however, it's time we took the responsibility of helping our minds work through the difficulties that we all endure.
Narayan Reddy is an American Studies major with a minor in Asian American Studies at Cornell University. He is interested in using his education to frame discussions on activism, identity, and/or well-being within the Asian American community. Read his other pieces on the Cornell Daily Sun and India Abroad.


This is a ultra-small digital spy camera that hidden inside a Spray Air Purifier , it looks like an ordinary Spray Air Purifier, but it has a very powerful function, the most interesting thing is that it internally hides a smallest camera DVR , you can record everything you need,so secret that no one know where the camera exist.it does not need any external plug-in card, built in memory 16GB itself, can work up to 6-8hours. there is time date stamp for the record, you can get the most authentic evidence for a variety of illegal behaviour.ideal for CIA agents ,police,detector,and spy agency,Support PC Camera.
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This entry was posted in Art, Collage and tagged abstract, Art, Collage365 on 25 September 2013 by David Smith.
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SilverTox has started a donation pool!
Hope you like it and I hope you guys are doing good!
Thanks for the on Hitoshi Kurai 001!
i just came here to tell you that i changed account so if you wanna keep seeing my art..


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YouTube stars to livestream from the Olympics
Sally Herships Aug 2, 2016
A man takes a selfie in front of the Olympic rings in Olympic Park ahead of the Rio 2016 Olympic Games on August 1, 2016 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
Chris McGrath/Getty Images
Thousands of reporters will be descending on Rio this week ahead of the Olympic Games. Among them — 15 YouTube stars, sent by Google to, in part, live stream events. But, are these personalities — who Google says will cover "everything from their own commentary of the Games' celebrations, from the first victory to the last defeat, to long days around Rio on bike rides" — journalists?
"This is the big question about social media in general," Jonah Berger said, a professor of marketing at at the University of Pennsylvania's Wharton School, and author of "Contagious – Why Things Catch On."
A big shift is happening from traditional journalistic outlets, such as the New York Times and NPR, to YouTube channels, Instagram accounts and Vine. Times have changed. No longer do viewers need to wait until evening prime time news to get coverage. Today's YouTubers, like Liza Koshy, Brodie Smith, Ben Brown, Caeli, Chloe Morello, and Felipe Castanhari, represent a new kind of press corps. It can be hard to make a comparison. Bob Costas or Brodie Smith, a Youtuber, whose popular videos of him playing Frisbee can rack up tens of millions of views.
"You cannot believe how popular some of these YouTube stars are," Berger said. "You may not have heard about them all, I haven't heard of them of all of them, but among certain pockets of the population, particularly, younger folks, they're hugely and immensely popular."
And their millions of followers will follow them to Rio — virtually.
"They're not trained as journalists," Berger said. "Are they able to report on things happening? Certainly. Are people getting as much from their coverage? Well, that's not entirely clear."
But one thing that is clear, Berger says — in some senses, YouTube is trying to kill television. Thus its efforts to cover the Olympics, one of the most important events out there.
"Youtube is hoping to be your one stop shop for any sort of entertainment. No longer will you need an actual television, except to watch things on YouTube," Berger said.
"Younger audiences are wired into short videos and instant access to videos," Rick Edmonds said, media business analyst for the Poynter Institute.
"They have kind of transitioned to a point where their main way of getting information is through the new media and social references — SnapChat, Google, Facebook, etc.," he said. "We certainly know many of them don't read print newspapers anymore."
"We want our information, and we want it now," Betsy Page Sigman said, a professor of operations and information management at Georgetown University's McDonough School of Business. "Especially the millennial generation." Google owns YouTube, so she says not only will it be creating content, it will also help users search for Olympic coverage with special features — like a sports tab.
"The sports tab is going to list all the 42 distinct disciplines that are out there and talk about previously awarded medals by team and athlete," she said.
According to eMarketer, an estimated 2.85 billion users will stream the Olympics — in some form. So Google's sports tab, which will also be a magnet for search ads, could allow the search engine to bring home a different kind of gold.


It's that time of year, again, when many of us set a goal to write.
Maybe it's to finally get that writing project finished, come up with fresh ideas or experiment with something new.
Maybe it's simply to write more and see what happens.
Whatever your dream, there are lots of ways to get down the words you desire this year in a way that fits in with your lifestyle.
If you're starting something new, don't be afraid of the blank page. Think of it as an opportunity. Fill those pages, even if what comes out isn't great at first. The words can always be edited later. The most important thing is to connect with what you're trying to write by getting into it. Inspiration comes when your pen is moving, not when it's in the drawer.
If you're part-way through a writing project, take the opportunity to reconnect with it now we're into the New Year. Take stock of where you are and where you want to go. Remember why you started, why this is important to you. Don't beat yourself up if you've had to spend time apart. Simply recommit and move on.
Going forward, try to write a little most days to stay connected to what you're writing. If you're short on time, take a few moments to re-read what you wrote last, jot down a few ideas, capture the bones of what's next or jot down a paragraph. It's these little, regular connections that will keep your story fresh in your mind in between fuller writing session. It'll keep your mind 'writing' when you're away from your mission whether you're at work, walking about or even washing the dishes.
Think of your writing as your friend. Have a cup of tea with your characters and your ideas often. Dream. Go on adventures together.
If you're finding it a challenge to get started, you may find Mel Robbins' #fivesecondrule is the kick-into-action you need. Check out the simple but effective technique here. I hope it's as effective for you as it's been for me.
You could also trick your inner procrastinator by telling it you'll just write for 15 minutes or you'll just get down a paragraph or two and see where it leads. By the time you've got there, there's a good chance you'll be in the flow and in the mood to keep writing.
If you want a sense of progress, and to make a sense of where you're going with your writing, keeping a writing journal is brilliant. It allows you to explore your ideas, experiment and air your frustrations.
The best thing about a journal is that it won't judge you, criticise you or tell you what to do. It'll just help you make progress by giving you space to discover a little more about yourself and your writing every day. Plus, it's so satisfying to look back to old pages and realise how far you've come.
Many of us are chained to our screens these days. We can end up using them for everything, including our writing. But sometimes, if an idea's just not coming, or progress seems blocked, switching to pen and a notebook, or even a piece of paper, could unleash your creativity.
It's amazing how the free space of a page can open you up. You can write wherever you want, in any direction. You can scribble all over your thoughts and connect ideas in a way that's trickier on screen. You can spread all the pages around the room too, giving perspective.
Putting pen to paper is also a great way of warming up for a writing session. Even if you're doodling on the page, you're getting your writing muscle moving and ready to take action.
Have you ever felt fed up of your writing project or like giving up entirely? The problem might not be your project. It might be that you've spent too much time together and so you just can't see a way forward.
In this situation, consider what will recharge your creative batteries and reignite you. Maybe it's a walk outside, tea with a writing friend or a trip somewhere you've never been.
You could also try dabbling with other writing tasks on the side. Doing this enables you to keep writing but applying it in other ways, allowing you to return to your main project with perspective at a later time. Poetry or flash fiction is particularly great for this as you can write a variety of things alongside your writing project, not just when you've hit a wall, keeping you fresh and stimulating new ideas.
Flash fiction is something I really got into after taking part in the 'Fantastic Flashing' course from Retreat West recently. I was given a host of visual prompts and inspiring words which I return to when I want to create something new. Some have even led to fresh angles for my novel.
Reading is excellent for keeping you inspired. Great books, poetry, screenplays, or whatever you read, are the ultimate writing teachers. Read works that inspire you to write great things, content that will inform you, pages that will stimulate your thinking.
I love Francine Prose's guidance around 'reading closely' in her book Reading Like a Writer. It'll help you get more out of each reading experience.
Don't be put off if your 'to read' list turns into a tower. And, never feel obliged to read something. Reading should feed your writing not be an obligation or chore.
If you have time to indulge in long reading sessions, that's amazing. But, if your schedule is hectic, the thing to remember is it's reading little and often that's key to your development as a writer. Consider fitting it in during your commute, while you're tucking into a sandwich or last thing at night. And, if you're always on the move, audio books could be perfect for you.
The bonus is, the reading diet is delicious!
I hope some of these ideas will get your writing flowing this year. I'd love to hear how you get on and, if you have any tips and tricks of your own for writing more, why not share them in the comments? Let's keep inspiring each other!


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Princeton Review has named St. Mary's University's Computer Science Department one of the best graduate programs in the country for video game design.
St. Mary's ranked 25th on the 2014 list. The Computer Science Department created a certificate program in educational computer gaming last March. The program is designed to prepare graduate students for careers in game-based learning.
The publication surveyed administrators at 150 institutions that offer coursework in game design. The survey looked at academics and faculty credentials to graduates' employment and achievements. The survey also looked at data on curriculum, facilities and career services.
Carol Luckhardt Redfield, Ph.D., whose specialty is educational computer gaming, is the director of the St. Mary's certificate program.
"Learning is inherently fun; let's keep it that way," she says.
The University of Southern California led both the top-25 undergraduate and graduate schools rankings. The full list can be found here.
How do I open and use adobe gaming sdk?
Problems With Batch Actions
Package flash game to AIR mobile (IPA)
Getting high FPS on Flash/AIR games for mobile?


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North Haven Rotarians take plunge for cancer awareness
Submitted photo by Jennifer Bassett
Taking the plunge to fight breast cancer on New Year's Day were (left to right) Adam and Rick Bassett, Guy Casella, Jon Martinek, Leo Cegelka and Katie Moss.
Dr. Richard Bassett, who is presently the Rotary District 7980 Assistant District Governor and a past president of the North Haven Rotary Club, organized a small group of hearty souls to join him for his second annual plunge into icy water on Jan. 1 in order to raise money to fight breast cancer.
The Rotary club's plunge on New Year's Day is their alternative to the fundraiser held in the numbing waters off Lighthouse Point in New Haven which is earmarked for that local park.
Since cancer has impacted various members of the club, their common goal is to support the ongoing efforts to defeat it. Guy Casella, this year's club president who participated in the chilly activity along with his son's girl friend, Katie Moss, announced that the six member team nearly reached its goal of $3,000, but pledges continue to come in, and donations are still being accepted.
The other three brave champions for a cure included the organizer's son, Adam Bassett, as well as Leo Cegelka, and Jonathan Martinek. A warm reception was held at the home of last year's club president, Rick DiNorscia.
Heather L. Stocking of the New Haven chapter of the ACS had told the club, "The American Cancer Society relies on donations like this to help fund our breast cancer research, education, advocacy, and patient services; and every dollar raised is a step closer to a cure."
Checks may be made out to the "North Haven Rotary Club," or directly to the "American Cancer Society," and mailed to NHRC Plunge, P.O. Box 202, North Haven, CT 06473. For further information on the cause, please go to www.cancer.org/fightbreastcancer.


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Standards Watch
ISO Approval Ballots
June 16, 2010 October 26, 2016 | Diane Hillmann
This last "standards flood" posting includes two ISO approval ballots, sequentially numbered but (it seems) to be used in tandem.
1. ISO/DIS 30300, Information and documentation–Management system for records–Fundamentals and vocabulary.
"This International Standard establishes the objectives for using a Management System for Records (MSR), provides principles for an MSR, describes a process approach and specifies roles for top management. It also defines terms and definitions applicable to the ISO 30300 series of International Standards."
2. ISO/DIS 30301, Information and documentation — Management system for records — Requirements
"This Standard specifies requirements for a Management Systems for Records (MSR) to support an organization in the achievement of its mandate, mission, strategy and goals through the development and implementation of a records policy and objectives and the measurement and monitoring of performance."
If these standards receive 100% approval from the international voting members of the ISO committee TC46/SC11, they can go directly to publication. This level of a draft standard is usually the last stage at which substantive comments will get addressed.
As is usual with ISO standards, the documents are not available openly but must be requested through Cindy. Your request, sent to HSLcindy@buffalo.edu, must include a statement that you are an ALA member. Please also copy your request to me at metadata.maven@gmail.com, so that I can track LITA interest.
Deadline for comments concerning both ballots are due to Cindy by Thursday, Sept. 30, 2010.
Diane I. Hillmann
LITA Standards Coordinator
New ISO Work Items
New LITA Strategic Plan


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Publication #PPP38
Topics: Plant Pathology | Zhang, Shouan | Dufault, Nicholas S | Paret, Mathews L | Roberts, Pamela | Liu, Guodong | Wang, Qingren | Plant Protection Pointers series | Snap Bean Pest Management
Disease Control for Snap Beans in Florida1
Shouan Zhang, Nicholas Dufault, Mathews Paret, Pamela Roberts, Guodong Liu, and Qingren Wang2
Snap bean is an important vegetable crop in Florida. It is produced in all regions of the state. Bush snap beans dominate commercial plantings, but pole beans are also produced, primarily in Miami-Dade County. Midwinter bean production, the most profitable for Florida, is centered in the Homestead, southwest Florida, and Belle Glade areas.
Based on the 2012 US Census of Agriculture (NASS, USDA), snap bean is an economically important vegetable crop in Florida with a total of 33,338 acres harvested in 2012. Miami-Dade County ranked second in snap bean production in the United States with a total of 11,126 acres. Because of Florida's warm and wet weather, many diseases affect snap beans. Disease management is an important component in successful snap bean farming. Despite vigorous control efforts, substantial losses in yield and quality can still occur. This publication suggests a sequential disease control program for snap beans in Florida. Postharvest disease problems are addressed only to the extent that they are affected by field practices. The application of the following sequential control program should minimize yield losses for the majority of plantings.
Characteristics of Pathogens Causing Diseases on Snap Bean
Pathogenic microorganisms cause most disease problems in plants. These pathogens are extremely tiny. They cause losses in beans by attacking the pods directly, rendering them unmarketable or unsuitable for consumption by reducing quality. Diseases can also affect other plant parts, reducing plant vigor and carbohydrate production, which causes yield and monetary losses.
The pathogens attacking snap beans can be classified into three major groups: fungi and fungal-like microorganisms, bacteria, and viruses.
Fungi and fungal-like microbes (hereafter referred to as fungi) are microscopic organisms that have often been classified as plants. However, they are sufficiently different from true plants that experts now classify these organisms in unique categories. They do not have true leaves, roots, or stems. Rather, they appear as hyphae (microscopic threads of living matter) that absorb food and water directly into their cells.
Although fungi have cell walls, the chemical composing the wall of many fungal species resembles the chitin in the shells of insects rather than the cellulose in the cell walls of higher plants. Because fungi do not have chlorophyll, they must depend on outside sources of food, including living plants.
Many of the fungi attacking snap beans reproduce by creating large numbers of spores. Some spores are airborne and spread readily by wind or water within and between fields. Some fungal spores or sclerotia (hyphal aggregates), especially those causing root and stem rots, can survive in the soil for one or more years between susceptible crops.
Although most plant pathogenic fungi can directly penetrate plant tissues, some may enter plants through wounds or natural openings such as stomates that allow normal exchange of oxygen and carbon dioxide between plant cells and the atmosphere.
Bacteria are smaller microorganisms than fungi and are not at all plant-like. They are one-celled, lack chlorophyll, and do not form spores. The major type of reproduction for plant pathogenic bacteria is by simple cell division. They cannot penetrate the plant directly, but must enter the host through a wound or natural opening.
Viruses really should not even be considered "organisms." They are simply very large molecules made up of a nucleic acid (DNA or RNA), with a wrapping or "coat" of protein. New virus particles can only be synthesized within living plant cells. They are much smaller than bacteria and normally require high magnification of electron microscopes to be seen.
Some bean viruses are seed-transmitted. Bean plants from the infected seed serve as sources of infection for healthy plants. The virus may also spread from infected weed hosts growing near bean fields. Aphids, thrips, whiteflies, and other insects are usually responsible for plant-to-plant spread within and between fields. When these insects probe infected plants for food, they may pick up virus particles and infect healthy plants during subsequent feedings.
Disease Development
Production of disease symptoms in snap bean plants requires all three components of the disease triangle (Figure 1): a virulent pathogen, a susceptible host, and weather conditions favorable for disease development. If any of these components is missing, plants will not become diseased.
Disease triangle.
Effective control of snap bean diseases is based upon understanding the concepts described above: the biology of the causal organism, the response of the host to the pathogen, and the interaction of outside forces such as temperature, moisture, and soil type with the living systems involved. A brief outline of the characteristics of the major Florida snap bean diseases is provided in Table 1.
With this essential background information, we can proceed to a sequential disease control program for commercially grown snap beans in Florida.
Suggested Sequential Program for Disease Control
I. Seed Treatment
Snap beans are generally very susceptible to fungi causing damping-off. In order to minimize losses from damping-off, most commercially available bean seeds are treated with fungicides. This is readily apparent by the distinct color imparted to the seed by the fungicide coating applied by the seed supplier. If, by chance, your seed is not treated, consider applying your own seed treatment.
Mefenoxam such as Apron XL® and metalaxyl, including Sebring 318 FS® and Metalaxyl 4.0 ST®, can be applied as a seed treatment for Pythium, Phytophthora, and closely related microorganisms. It is not effective against Rhizoctonia, Fusarium, and other non-pythiaceous organisms. Apron MAXX® (fludioxonil and mefenoxam) as a seed treatment, on the other hand, can control damping-off and seed rot caused by Fusarium, Pythium, Phytophthora, and Rhizoctonia. Neither of these fungicides can be used to control the aerial blight phase of Pythium on mature plants. Please note that extensive use of these products may result in selection of resistant isolates of the pathogens.
Please note that treated seed should never be used as food or fed to animals.
II. Other Pre-Plant or At-Planting Treatments
There are several pre-plant or at-planting chemical options that growers may use. One is primarily an in-furrow spray with mefanoxam and/or pentachloronitrobenzene (PCNB). See labels for details.
III. Specific Cultural Controls
A. Site Selection and Crop Rotation
The susceptibility of snap beans to soil-borne pathogens dictates that growers carefully choose land on which to grow their crops. Fields should be well drained and free of "low spots," where water from rain and irrigation may collect. Populations of disease pathogens and other pests build up quickly in the soil consecutively cropped to snap beans. Therefore, rotation with less susceptible crops or with crops grown in a full-bed fumigated plastic mulch system should be considered if at all possible.
B. Plant Spacing
Based on the work at the Tropical Research and Education Center in Homestead, it is suggested that plant spacing can be a very important tool for managing snap bean diseases. Generally speaking, higher yields are achieved by increasing plant populations per acre. Plant populations can be increased by decreasing the spacing between rows and/or the spacing between individual plants in a row. Decreasing the between-row spacing for the cultivar 'Sprite' from 36 to 18 in. generally resulted in increased yields with no adverse effects on disease incidence. However, close in-row spacing (e.g., 1.5 vs. 4.5 in.) was associated with dramatic increases in disease levels, especially white mold caused by . Therefore, the optimum arrangement of snap bean plants for maximum yields and best disease control is closer between-row spacing (e.g., 24 in.) and wider in-row spacing (e.g., 3.5–4.5 in.). Since white mold typically becomes serious during seasons when cool, moist conditions occur and is affected greatly by plant spacing, these horticultural recommendations are particularly appropriate for snap bean crops grown in the cool months of the year (i.e., December–March in Miami-Dade County).
C. Purchase of Certified Seed
The exclusion of seedborne pathogens is extremely important in the control of several snap bean diseases, including common bacterial blight, halo blight, bacterial brown spot, anthracnose, and bean common mosaic. Seed produced in arid regions such as the American West is less likely to be contaminated with these pathogens. Idaho and other western states, which have extensive seed industries, often have rigid programs for seed certification. While they cannot guarantee absolutely clean seed, they have a fine record for minimizing problems of seedborne pathogens.
Cultivation or any other movement of equipment or people within fields should be avoided when plants are wet. Disease-causing organisms, especially bacteria, are readily spread mechanically when there is moisture on the leaves. Farm equipment should periodically be decontaminated to prevent between-field spread.
Plants should be grown under optimal horticultural conditions. Vigorous, healthy plants that are properly fertilized and watered are less likely to be affected by many diseases. In particular, excessive nitrogen can make beans more susceptible to bacterial disease. If fertilizer is applied at lower than optimum rates, however, beans will be more susceptible to Alternaria leaf and pod spot.
IV. Application of Foliar Fungicides
Periodic application of fungicides is important for disease control in snap beans. Ground or aerial application can be used, but the former is much preferred because it leads to superior pesticide penetration of the plant canopy and better coverage of lower leaf surfaces.
Attention to application technique is as important as the choice of materials in achieving adequate disease control. A "typical" spray application on fully grown bush snap bean plants would be done with a tractor-mounted boom sprayer at 200–275 psi pressure and 100 gal/acre of finished spray. Proper equipment calibration uses a tractor speed of about 3 mph. At this speed, one should be able to comfortably walk behind the tractor. At this speed, most diseases can be adequately controlled with one application of fungicide per week. A shorter interval (e.g., every 5 days) may be needed at the times of the year when rust is known to occur.
Care must be taken to ensure that nozzles work properly, strainers are clear, and nozzle arrangement allows for adequate coverage. Consider using drop nozzles to control disease problems on pods such as white mold and Alternaria leaf and pod spot. The air in the canopy must be completely displaced by a fine mist of fungicides to prevent disease outbreaks that can begin deep within the canopy.
Since fungicides are primarily preventative (i.e., they must be applied before the pathogen arrives on the foliage), timing of fungicide applications is very important to ensure effective control. If fungicide sprays start after a disease has been discovered, it may be impossible to stop. This is particularly true for rust in snap beans. If fungicide sprays are delayed until rust first appears, severe economic losses can occur.
Chlorothalonil is an effective, broad-spectrum fungicide labeled for snap beans and is an important component of a control program. When rust threatens, sulfur can be tank-mixed with chlorothalonil for enhanced control.
It is extremely important that specific chemical treatments be applied for white mold control. Two applications of Rovral® 4F (iprodione) can be made to snap beans for control of this disease. The second application may be needed no later than at peak bloom. Topsin-M® (70% WP) (thiophanate-methyl) can be applied at 10%–30% bloom and again 4–7 days later (or use a single application at 50%-70% bloom). These compounds also may help control other foliar diseases, including gray mold and anthracnose.
When the specific bloom sprays listed above are applied for white mold, it is important that chlorothalonil be included in the tank mix in order to maintain control of other diseases, especially the pod-blight phase of Alternaria leaf and pod spot. Sprays of copper bactericides may also be warranted if evidence of bacterial diseases is found.
Bean golden mosaic (BGMV) is a devastating virus disease of snap bean, especially in southern Florida. It has caused severe damage in many fields, particularly in Miami-Dade County, sometimes forcing growers to abandon entire plantings of snap beans. The virus is transmitted by the silverleaf whitefly, which is ubiquitous in Miami-Dade County.
Successful management of BGMV requires strict adherence to an integrated pest management program. Isolate bean fields as much as possible from other susceptible crops that might serve as virus reservoirs. These include tomato, squash, okra, and many ornamental crops (e.g., poinsettia, hibiscus, and lisianthus). Many weeds may also harbor the virus and its vector.
Scout fields intensely and spray effective insecticides to reduce whitefly populations. Promptly destroy crops once symptoms are discovered so that virus titer and whitefly populations do not build up and provide a source of inoculum for newly planted crops.
Readers are encouraged to consult their county Extension agents, the Vegetable Production Handbook for Florida, or the Florida Plant Disease Control Guide for current, specific fungicide recommendations. They also may want to use the plant pathology fact sheets listed in Appendix I for information on accurate diagnosis of several bean diseases.
Appendix I
Kucharek, T. Rhizoctonia seedling blights of vegetables and field crops. PP-1. Gainesville: University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences.
Kucharek, T. Stem rot of agronomic crop and vegetables (southern blight, white mold). PP-4. Gainesville: University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences.
Pernezny, K., and Jones, J. B. Common bacterial blight of snap bean in Florida. PP-62. Gainesville: University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences.
Pernezny, K., and Kucharek, T. Rust disease of several legumes and corn in Florida. PP-37. Gainesville: University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences.
Pernezny, K., and McMillan, R. T., Jr. Alternaria leaf and pod spot of snap bean in Florida. PP-61. Gainesville: University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences.
Pernezny, K., and Purdy, L. H. diseases of vegetable and field crops in Florida. PP-22. Gainesville: University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences.
Pernezny, K., and Stall, W. M. Powdery mildew of vegetables. PP-14. Gainesville: University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences.
Characteristics of major snap bean diseases in Florida.1
Pathogen(s)
Insect Transmission
Conditions2
Areas Most Likely to Occur
Common bacterial
Xanthomonas campestris pv. phaseoli
W, R
Halo blight
Pseudomonas syringae pv. phaseolicola
C, R
Brown spot
Pseudomonas syringae pv. syringae
Colletotrichum
lindemuthianum
Alternaria leaf and pod spot
Alternaria spp.
Fusarium disease
Fusarium solani f. sp. phaseoli
Sandy lands
Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. vasinfectum
Powdery mildew
Erysiphe polygoni
Pythium root and stem rot (aerial blight); damping off
Pythium spp.
fungal-like
Rhizoctonia root, stem, and pod rot; damping off
Rhizoctonia solani
Uromyces phaseoli
Southern blight
Sclerotium rolfsii
White mold
Sclerotinia sclerotiorum
Wet rot
Choanephora cucurbitarum
Cercospora leaf blight
Cercospora canescens & C. cruenta
W. R
Bean common mosaic
Common bean mosaic virus
Bean yellow mosaic
Bean yellow mosaic virus
Bean golden mosaic
Bean golden mosaic virus (BGMV)
++3
Palm Beach to Miami-Dade County
1 + = may occur occasionally, of some importance.
++ = occurs often, important to know for proper disease control.
- = not known to occur or relatively unimportant.
2 W = warm weather; C = cool weather; R = favored by extended rainfall.
3 vectored by the silverleaf whitefly
This document is PPP38, one of a series of the Plant Pathology Department, UF/IFAS Extension. Original publication date August 1985. Revised June 2003, July 2012, and November 2018. Visit the EDIS website at https://edis.ifas.ufl.edu for the currently supported version of this publication.
Shouan Zhang, associate professor, Plant Pathology Department, Tropical Research and Education Center; Nicholas Dufault, associate professor, Plant Pathology Department; Mathews Paret, associate professor, Plant Pathology Department, North Florida Research and Education Center, Pamela Roberts, professor, Plant Pathology Department, Southwest Florida Research and Education Center; Guodong Liu, associate professor, Horticultural Sciences Department; and Qingren Wang, commercial vegetable agent, UF/IFAS Extension Miami-Dade County; UF/IFAS Extension, Gainesville, FL 32611.


An attractive storage box can play an important part in giving the room more attitude and style. It can boost up the overall look in your child's bedroom. You can go for a rustic look with a wooden toy storage or modern and contemporary with a simple yet elegant design.


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ESA — ESA root — ESA
French | German
N° 3–2014: Rosetta, ESA's 'sleeping beauty' wakes up from deep space hibernation
It was a fairy-tale ending to a tense chapter in the story of the Rosetta space mission this evening as ESA heard from its distant spacecraft for the first time in 31 months.
Rosetta is chasing down Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko, where it will become the first space mission to rendezvous with a comet, the first to attempt a landing on a comet's surface, and the first to follow a comet as it swings around the Sun.
Since its launch in 2004, Rosetta has made three flybys of Earth and one of Mars to help it on course to its rendezvous with 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko, encountering asteroids Steins and Lutetia along the way.
Operating on solar energy alone, Rosetta was placed into a deep space slumber in June 2011 as it cruised out to a distance of nearly 800 million km from the warmth of the Sun, close to the orbit of Jupiter.
Now, as Rosetta's orbit has brought it back to within 'only' 673 million km from the Sun, there is enough solar energy to power the spacecraft fully again.
Thus today, still about 9 million km from the comet, Rosetta's pre-programmed internal 'alarm clock' woke up the spacecraft. After warming up its key navigation instruments, coming out of a stabilising spin, and aiming its main radio antenna at Earth, Rosetta sent a signal to let mission operators know it had survived the most distant part of its journey.
The signal was received by both NASA's Goldstone and Canberra ground stations at 18:18 GMT, during the first window of opportunity the spacecraft had to communicate with Earth. It was immediately confirmed in ESA's space operations centre in Darmstadt and the successful wake-up announced via the @ESA_Rosetta twitter account, which tweeted: "Hello, world!"
"We have our comet-chaser back," says Alvaro Giménez, ESA's Director of Science and Robotic Exploration. "With Rosetta, we will take comet exploration to a new level. This incredible mission continues our history of 'firsts' at comets, building on the technological and scientific achievements of our first deep space mission Giotto, which returned the first close-up images of a comet nucleus as it flew past Halley in 1986."
"This was one alarm clock not to hit snooze on, and after a tense day we are absolutely delighted to have our spacecraft awake and back online," adds Fred Jansen, ESA's Rosetta mission manager.
Comets are considered the primitive building blocks of the Solar System and likely helped to 'seed' Earth with water, perhaps even the ingredients for life. But many fundamental questions about these enigmatic objects remain, and through its comprehensive, in situ study of Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko, Rosetta aims to unlock the secrets contained within.
"All other comet missions have been flybys, capturing fleeting moments in the life of these icy treasure chests," says Matt Taylor, ESA's Rosetta project scientist. "With Rosetta, we will track the evolution of a comet on a daily basis and for over a year, giving us a unique insight into a comet's behaviour and ultimately helping us to decipher their role in the formation of the Solar System."
But first, essential health checks on the spacecraft must be completed. Then the eleven instruments on the orbiter and ten on the lander will be turned on and prepared for studying Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko.
"We have a busy few months ahead preparing the spacecraft and its instruments for the operational challenges demanded by a lengthy, close-up study of a comet that, until we get there, we know very little about," says Andrea Accomazzo, ESA's Rosetta operations manager.
Rosetta's first images of 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko are expected in May, when the spacecraft is still 2 million km from its target. Towards the end of May, the spacecraft will execute a major manoeuvre to line up for its critical rendezvous with the comet in August.
After rendezvous, Rosetta will start with two months of extensive mapping of the comet's surface, and will also make important measurements of the comet's gravity, mass and shape, and assess its gaseous, dust-laden atmosphere, or coma. The orbiter will also probe the plasma environment and analyse how it interacts with the Sun's outer atmosphere, the solar wind.
Using these data, scientists will choose a landing site for the mission's 100 kg Philae probe. The landing is currently scheduled for 11 November and will be the first time that a landing on a comet has ever been attempted.
In fact, given the almost negligible gravity of the comet's 4 km-wide nucleus, Philae will have to use ice screws and harpoons to stop it from rebounding back into space after touchdown.
Among its wide range of scientific measurements, Philae will send back a panorama of its surroundings, as well as very high-resolution pictures of the surface. It will also perform an on-the-spot analysis of the composition of the ices and organic material, including drilling down to 23 cm below the surface and feeding samples to Philae's on-board laboratory for analysis.
The focus of the mission will then move to the 'escort' phase, during which Rosetta will stay alongside the comet as it moves closer to the Sun, monitoring the ever-changing conditions on the surface as the comet warms up and its ices sublimate.
The comet will reach its closest distance to the Sun on 13 August 2015 at about 185 million km, roughly between the orbits of Earth and Mars. Rosetta will follow the comet throughout the remainder of 2015, as it heads away from the Sun and activity begins to subside.
"We will face many challenges this year as we explore the unknown territory of comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko and I'm sure there will be plenty of surprises, but today we are just extremely happy to be back on speaking terms with our spacecraft," adds Matt Taylor.
1964-2014: 50 years serving European Cooperation and Innovation
In 1964, the Conventions of the European Launcher Development Organisation (ELDO) and the European Space Research Organisation (ESRO) entered into force. A little more than a decade later, the European Space Agency (ESA) was established, taking over from these two organisations.
2014 will be dedicated to addressing the future in the light of these 50 years of unique achievements in space, which have put ESA among the leading space agencies in the world.
The motto 'serving European cooperation and innovation' underlines how much ESA, together with the national delegations from its 20 Member States, space industry, the scientific community and more recently the EU, has made a difference for Europe and its citizens.
Fifty years of European cooperation in space is an anniversary for the whole space sector in Europe, which can be proud of its results and achievements. It is a testimony that when Member States share the same challenging objectives and join forces, Europe is at the leading edge of progress, innovation and growth, for the benefit of all citizens.
About the European Space Agency
The European Space Agency (ESA) is Europe's gateway to space.
ESA is an intergovernmental organisation, created in 1975, with the mission to shape the development of Europe's space capability and ensure that investment in space delivers benefits to the citizens of Europe and the world.
ESA has 20 Member States: Austria, Belgium, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and the United Kingdom, of whom 18 are Member States of the EU.
ESA has Cooperation Agreements with eight other Member States of the EU. Canada takes part in some ESA programmes under a Cooperation Agreement.
ESA is also working actively with the EU, for the implementation of the programmes Galileo and Copernicus.
By coordinating the financial and intellectual resources of its members, ESA can undertake programmes and activities far beyond the scope of any single European country.
ESA develops the launchers, spacecraft and ground facilities needed to keep Europe at the forefront of global space activities.
Today, it launches satellites for Earth observation, navigation, telecommunications and astronomy, sends probes to the far reaches of the Solar System and cooperates in the human exploration of space.
Learn more at www.esa.int
ESA Media Relations Office
Email: media@esa.int
Copyright 2000 - 2019 © European Space Agency. All rights reserved.


The sleeve patch of the rescue team of the Ministry of Civil Defense, Emergencies and Disaster Relief of the Russian Federation.
The sleeve insignia of the employees of the 501st EMERCOM Service Support Center.
The sleeve patch is a black triangular shield, in the center of which there is a white owl soaring over the globe.


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The Reach of the Automatic Stay: One Court Reminds Us that Extending the Automatic Stay to Non-Debtors Is "Extraordinary Relief"
Contributed by Nelly Almeida.
If you ask the average person (a non-bankruptcy lawyer, that is) what they know about bankruptcy, chances are they will reference the Bankruptcy Code's "automatic stay" provisions in their answer. That is because, the automatic stay, which is found in section 362(a) of the Bankruptcy Code, is considered one of the most fundamental tenets of bankruptcy law. The filing of a bankruptcy petition triggers the protections of the automatic stay—staying, among other things, "the commencement or continuation . . . of a judicial, administrative, or other action or proceeding against the debtor that was or could have been commenced before the commencement of the case under this title."
The requirement that an action must be against the debtor is generally strictly construed. Nonetheless, bankruptcy courts have relied upon section 105(a) of the Bankruptcy Code, which permits bankruptcy courts to "issue any order, process, or judgment that is necessary or appropriate" to carry out the provisions of the Bankruptcy Code, to extend the protections of the automatic stay to non-debtors. This extension creates a whole new set of questions pertaining to when the protections of the automatic stay are available to non-debtors.
The Fourth Circuit provided some guidance on the issue in A.H. Robins Co. v. Piccinin, where it articulated the "unusual circumstances" test for extending the automatic stay to non-debtors—often cited to provide the protections of the automatic stay to the debtor's officers and directors. According to A.H. Robins Co. v. Piccinin, "unusual circumstances" exist when "there is such identity between the debtor and the third-party defendant that the debtor may be said to be the real party defendant and that a judgment against the third-party defendant will effect be a judgment or finding against the debtor."
In addition to the "unusual circumstances" test, some courts have followed the test articulated in Queenie Ltd. v. Nygard Int'l, where the Second Circuit found that the automatic stay can apply to non-debtors if a claim against the non-debtor will have "an immediate adverse economic consequence for the debtor's estate." As we previously wrote, in In re Residential Capital, LLC, the Second Circuit reaffirmed the decision in Queenie Ltd. v. Nygard Int'l and clarified that the decision "should not be interpreted as being limited to wholly-owned subsidiaries of a chapter 11 debtor."
Although various courts that have used the tests set out in A.H. Robins and Queenie Ltd. v. Nygard Int'l, the reach of those tests remains unclear. The subjective nature of the tests in those cases leave much to the discretion of a bankruptcy court—making it difficult for parties to predict when the automatic stay will be applied to protect non-debtors.
SDNY 19 Mad Park, LLC
For now, it appears that the question of whether the automatic stay will be extended to non-debtors continues to be a subjective one. In Judge Gropper's recent decision in In re SDNY 19 Mad Park, LLC, the debtor, SDNY 19 Mad Park, LLC, filed a motion seeking entry of an order extending the automatic stay to Antonio Magliulo, a member and manager of the debtor, with respect to two lawsuits filed against the debtor and Magliulo. The first lawsuit was brought by employees who alleged that the debtor failed to comply with New York Labor Laws (NYLL) and the Fair Labor Standards Act (FSLA) by, among other things, failing to pay tips and alleged overtime to the employees/plaintiffs. The second action was brought by a former employee alleging malicious prosecution.
Magliulo's management of the debtor's business was governed by an operating agreement that contained exculpation and indemnification provisions. The debtor argued the lawsuits should be stayed as against Magliulo because (i) allowing the lawsuits to proceed would have binding res judicata effect on the claims against the debtor's estate, (ii) there was an absolute identity of interest between the debtor and Magliulo, such that allowing the actions to proceed would cause irreparable harm to the debtor's estate, and (iii) Magliulo's exculpation and indemnification rights would also result in binding claims against the debtor's estate. The employees countered that any indemnification provisions pertaining to the NYLL and FLSA claims were unenforceable (per state law) and that there was a strong likelihood that indemnification would be denied because of the intentional/willful nature of Magliulo's claim (per the carve out in the indemnification provision).
After noting that some courts have extended the automatic stay to non-debtors pursuant to section 105 of the Bankruptcy Code, Judge Gropper noted that a motion staying an action against a debtor's principal is "extraordinary relief." He explained that the mere possibility that Magliulo has indemnification rights against the debtor "does not tip the balance in favor of a stay." In support of his decision, Judge Gropper noted that there is conflicting law on a defendant's right to indemnification against a judgment in a case under the NYLL and the FLSA. Moreover, Judge Gropper stated that the purpose of extending the stay to non-debtors is to "suspend actions that pose a serious threat to a corporate debtor's reorganization efforts." In this case, the debtor failed to show that any indemnification rights Magliulo had against the debtor should result in a stay of actions against him. The possibility of the offensive use of estoppel was not enough as there was "nothing in the record to indicate that Magliulo's defense of [the litigation] would not be as vigorous as if the Debtor remained a defendant." Accordingly, Judge Gropper found that the debtor had not shown that extending the stay to the debtor's management was warranted.
Although automatic stay protections can be extended to non-debtor entities under certain circumstances, In re SDNY 19 Mad Park, LLC reminds us that such extension continues to be an extraordinary exercise of a bankruptcy court's equitable discretion. The particular circumstances of a case have to be sufficiently "unusual" to merit such an expansion. Debtors seeking to extend the automatic stay to non-debtors will have to show that such "extraordinary" relief is warranted.


Below we have highlighted some links to pertinent documentation from our Links page and our Documentation page. Of course, we encourage members of the Fourth Estate to visit those pages and read everything.
VoteAllegheny stands behind each document on our Documents page, but we make no representations nor warranties concerning the availability of documentation accessed through our Links page.
MZP Consulting - Don't Tread On My Vote website.
Press Release dated July 30, 2017.
Press Release dated July 17, 2017.
"The Election Won't Be Rigged...".
"How to Hack an Election in Seven Minutes".
"How Secure Are U.S. Voting Sysetms?".
"America's Voting Machines Aren't Ready....".
"Millions of Voters Could Cast Ballots on Machines that Leave No Paper Trail".
Brennan Center for Justice at the NYU School of Law – report and The Truth About Voter Fraud, by Justin Levitt.
VoteAllegheny Media Advisory, dated September 2, 2008, concerning Allegheny County Council's resolution that the Board of Elections should meet to implement software verification.
VoteAllegheny Media Advisory, dated September 8, 2008, concerning lack of certainty that our votes will be counted correctly, some reasons we should all be concerned, and Allegheny County Council's resolution that the Board of Elections should meet to implement software verification.
VoteAllegheny iVotronic Software Verification Protocol: Allegheny County Proposals, dated September 28, 2008.
VoteAllegheny Press Release, dated September 30, 2008, concerning VoteAllegheny's iVotronic Software Verification Protocol: Allegheny County Proposals.
VoteAllegheny Press Release, dated October 21, 2008, concerning the software verification contracted for by Allegheny County on the iVotronic Firmware, prior to VoteAllegheny's scrutiny of the results. We are most happy with the County's understanding and initiative, but not yet satisfied with the product.
VoteAllegheny and PA Verified Voting Report on Allegheny County iVotronic Firmware Verification, December 22, 2008, by David A. Eckhardt, Ph.D., and Kami Vaniea. Dated March 22, 2009.
Audit Analysis of the Venango County 2011 Municipal Primary - Initial Report," by David A. Eckhardt, Ph.D., dated November 15, 2011.
VoteAllegheny Analysis of the Pro V&V iVotronic Re-examination Test Protocol," by David A. Eckhardt, Ph.D., April 10, 2012.


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(62503) Tomcave – planetoida z pasa głównego asteroid okrążająca Słońce w ciągu 4,46 lat w średniej odległości 2,71 j.a. Została odkryta 30 września 2000 roku przez Myke'a Collinsa i Minora White'a w obserwatorium w miejscowości Anza w Kalifornii. Nazwa planetoidy upamiętnia Thomasa Rolanda Cave'a III (1923-2003) – amerykańskiego astronoma amatora.

Zobacz też
 lista planetoid 62001–63000
 lista planetoid

Linki zewnętrzne

Planetoidy pasa głównego
Nazwane planetoidy
Obiekty astronomiczne odkryte w 2000