A lot of cars ended up underwater in areas flooded by Hurricane Sandy over the past two days. But for already troubled Fisker, things got worse: Approximately 16 Karmas in Port Newark, New Jersey were submerged, then caught fire.
A witness told Jalopnik the extended-range luxury hybrids were "first submerged in a storm surge and then caught fire, exploded."
It's unclear exactly what happened, but looking at the photos posted on Jalopnik, the cars were severely damaged.
Fisker?released a statement ?saying:
It was reported today that several Fisker Karmas were damaged by fire at the Port of Newark after being submerged in sea water during Superstorm Sandy.? We can report that there were no injuries and none of the cars were being charged at the time.
We have confidence in the Fisker Karma and safety is our primary concern.? While we intend to find the cause as quickly as possible, storm damage has restricted access to the port.?
We will issue a further statement once the root cause has been determined.
SEE MORE: Celebrity Photos From The Frontlines Of Hurricane Sandy
Could chloroplast breakthrough unlock key to controlling fruit ripening in crops?Public release date: 1-Nov-2012 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Professor Paul Jarvis rpj3@leicester.ac.uk 44-011-622-31296 University of Leicester
University of Leicester biologists discover plant cell regulation process affects chloroplasts
Biologists may have unearthed the potential to manipulate the functions of chloroplasts, the parts of plant cells responsible for photosynthesis.
Researchers in the University of Leicester's Department of Biology discovered that chloroplasts are affected by the ubiquitin proteasome system (UPS) a process which causes the breakdown of unwanted proteins in cells, previously thought to only act on central parts of the cell.
As a result, the researchers believe they may be able to use specific proteins to regulate the functions of chloroplasts such as the conversion of chloroplasts into highly-pigmented chromoplasts during the ripening of fruit.
Their paper, Chloroplast Biogenesis is Regulated by Direct Action of the Ubiquitin-Proteasome System, is due to be published in the journal Science on Friday, November 2.
The paper identifies a gene (SP1) in the nuclei of plant cells that codes for a protein called a ubiquitin E3 ligase which is able to regulate chloroplast development through the UPS process.
The team are already investigating the potential for harnessing the SP1 gene in crop plants, for example to affect the ripening of fruits such as tomatoes, bell peppers and citrus.
The University's Enterprise & Business Development Office has filed a patent application with a view to developing practical applications for the research.
Professor Paul Jarvis, of the University's Department of Biology, has led the project since its inception in 2000.
He said: "Our work shows that the UPS also acts on subcellular compartments in plant cells called chloroplasts, which are responsible for the light-driven reactions of photosynthesis that power almost all life on Earth.
"Identification of this previously-unsuspected link between the UPS and chloroplasts constitutes a major breakthrough in biology, and may enable the manipulation of chloroplast functions in crops.
"It is incredible to get to this point it has been a long journey. We have known for some time that this was going to be a big breakthrough."
The research has been funded by grants from the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC).
Professor Douglas Kell, Chief Executive of BBSRC, said: "To ensure that we have enough healthy, sustainable food for a growing population, we need to find a range of novel solutions to challenges such as improving crop yields and reducing food waste. This research highlights one of the many ways in which science can help.
"The ripening process can happen quickly, and it can take just a few days for a fruit or vegetable to be considered inedible. This unavoidable process means big losses to both farmers and consumers. This discovery brings us one step closer to greater control over ripening so that we have greater flexibility for farmers when supplying produces in the best condition."
###
Notes:
For more information, please contact Professor Paul Jarvis on 0116 223 1296 or at: rpj3@leicester.ac.uk
[ | E-mail | Share ]
?
AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.
Could chloroplast breakthrough unlock key to controlling fruit ripening in crops?Public release date: 1-Nov-2012 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Professor Paul Jarvis rpj3@leicester.ac.uk 44-011-622-31296 University of Leicester
University of Leicester biologists discover plant cell regulation process affects chloroplasts
Biologists may have unearthed the potential to manipulate the functions of chloroplasts, the parts of plant cells responsible for photosynthesis.
Researchers in the University of Leicester's Department of Biology discovered that chloroplasts are affected by the ubiquitin proteasome system (UPS) a process which causes the breakdown of unwanted proteins in cells, previously thought to only act on central parts of the cell.
As a result, the researchers believe they may be able to use specific proteins to regulate the functions of chloroplasts such as the conversion of chloroplasts into highly-pigmented chromoplasts during the ripening of fruit.
Their paper, Chloroplast Biogenesis is Regulated by Direct Action of the Ubiquitin-Proteasome System, is due to be published in the journal Science on Friday, November 2.
The paper identifies a gene (SP1) in the nuclei of plant cells that codes for a protein called a ubiquitin E3 ligase which is able to regulate chloroplast development through the UPS process.
The team are already investigating the potential for harnessing the SP1 gene in crop plants, for example to affect the ripening of fruits such as tomatoes, bell peppers and citrus.
The University's Enterprise & Business Development Office has filed a patent application with a view to developing practical applications for the research.
Professor Paul Jarvis, of the University's Department of Biology, has led the project since its inception in 2000.
He said: "Our work shows that the UPS also acts on subcellular compartments in plant cells called chloroplasts, which are responsible for the light-driven reactions of photosynthesis that power almost all life on Earth.
"Identification of this previously-unsuspected link between the UPS and chloroplasts constitutes a major breakthrough in biology, and may enable the manipulation of chloroplast functions in crops.
"It is incredible to get to this point it has been a long journey. We have known for some time that this was going to be a big breakthrough."
The research has been funded by grants from the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC).
Professor Douglas Kell, Chief Executive of BBSRC, said: "To ensure that we have enough healthy, sustainable food for a growing population, we need to find a range of novel solutions to challenges such as improving crop yields and reducing food waste. This research highlights one of the many ways in which science can help.
"The ripening process can happen quickly, and it can take just a few days for a fruit or vegetable to be considered inedible. This unavoidable process means big losses to both farmers and consumers. This discovery brings us one step closer to greater control over ripening so that we have greater flexibility for farmers when supplying produces in the best condition."
###
Notes:
For more information, please contact Professor Paul Jarvis on 0116 223 1296 or at: rpj3@leicester.ac.uk
[ | E-mail | Share ]
?
AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.
Although some brands over the years have been skeptical about how social media can bring in revenue, a new infographic reveals social commerce sales are expected to bring in $30 billion each year by 2015, with half of web sales to occur through social media.
Cloud marketing software provider Vocus has put together an infographic with stats from Gartner Research highlighting how brands are currently using social media and what trends are on the horizon.
SEE ALSO: Top 10 Brands With Highest Social Media Engagement This Week [INFOGRAPHIC]
According to the data, Facebook drives 26% of referral traffic to business websites and those numbers are only expected to increase. About 20% of shoppers already prefer buying products through a brand?s Facebook page compared to its website.
Although Facebook users still use the platform largely for personal use, one in three businesses embrace it to reach out to consumers. Nearly 10 million registered small businesses have a Facebook presence, and 89% of agencies use the social network to advertise for their business clients.
Fans who follow brands on Facebook are also more likely to purchase items from the company than non-fans. With that in mind, about 89% of small businesses believe Facebook is a valuable marketing tool for their brand.
LISBON (Reuters) - Portugal's parliament approved the biggest tax increases in the country's modern history on Wednesday, paving the way for a court battle over a budget which the government says is vital for keeping its international bailout afloat.
The government of Prime Minister Pedro Passos Coelho has searched for ways to guarantee revenues in order to meet budget goals set under the 78-billion euro ($101 billion) bailout deal with the European Union and International Monetary Fund.
All lawmakers present from the two parties in the centre-right ruling coalition voted for the budget at its first reading while all other parties, including the opposition Socialists, voted against in parliament.
The budget sets Portugal, which this year is suffering its deepest recession since the 1970s, on course for a third year of economic contraction in 2013 as households face higher taxes and record unemployment of over 15 percent.
The 2013 budget, which raises tax rates on income, property and financial transactions, was the government's third attempt in recent months to ensure its budget goals are met. Some households face tax increases equivalent to two months' salary.
The budget is now expected to face an almost certain challenge in the constitutional court on the grounds that the tax increases weigh too heavily on the poor.
The court threw out one austerity plan in July and a second was abandoned after street protests.
"In the national emergency situation Portugal faces we cannot have a political crisis," Foreign Minister Paulo Portas of the junior coalition partner CDS told parliament just before the vote. "Failure to have a budget would imply a serious lack of compliance with the bailout plan."
Political tension has been increasing and anti-austerity demonstrations have become more common in recent weeks in Portugal, which despite being one of the countries worst hit by the euro zone crisis had so far escaped unrest of the sort seen elsewhere.
Unions and 'Indignados', a group of young unemployed people, staged protests in front of parliament on Wednesday. A few hundred had gathered by the time the vote took place, shouting anti-government slogans.
Opposition politicians were furious at what they saw as government lawmakers cutting short the debate on the budget due to concerns about protests outside parliament.
"This (to vote quickly) is a degrading decision and brings shame on this house," said Socialist deputy Sergio Sousa Pinto.
Political experts say the outcome of a court challenge is uncertain. "If the court finds something unconstitutional, it could still be something relatively easy to fix, or alternatively it could shoot down the budget and cause a political crisis," said Pedro Magalhaes, a political scientist at the Social Sciences Institute of Lisbon University.
"It's hard to predict the outcome: it wouldn't be the constitutional court if it were predictable."
TOUGHEST PERIOD
Passos Coelho said the 2013 budget aimed to help Portugal to "turn the page on one of the most difficult periods of our history", but the tax increases will cause even greater problems for ordinary Portuguese.
Portugal's judges' union has promised to challenge the budget on the grounds that it goes against the constitutional principle that all should be taxed equally. The Socialists have also said they would challenge it, and the president could submit it to the court himself in the process of signing off on it.
A group calling itself the "Congress of Democratic Alternatives" that includes left-wing politicians, urged rejection of the budget, or "at least for the president to send it to be checked by the constitutional court".
Filipe Garcia, head of Informacao de Mercados Financeiros, a consultancy in Porto, said it was becoming ever more difficult to enact austerity plans. "Many Portuguese are beginning to think this route is not paying off," he said
The 2013 budget, relying on large increases in income tax, has strained the coalition government. The small rightist CDS party had made clear it would prefer spending cuts to achieve the targets, but subsequently backed down.
Passos Coelho spelled out plans to reform government spending in 2013-14 on Tuesday in a move aimed at soothing CDS concerns.
With the government's popularity already at record lows, a general strike planned for November 14 and some economists warning Portugal could enter a recession cycle like Greece, additional doubt over austerity measures would hurt confidence further.
The economy is forecast to contract at least 3 percent this year and 1 percent in 2013. Many economists think even this is far too optimistic.
The budget predicts unemployment will rise further to 16.4 percent next year from 15 percent now.
The concerns prompted the IMF to warn last week that the risks to Portugal's bailout have "increased markedly". Portuguese bonds have also reacted, beginning to reverse sharp declines in yields since the beginning of year.
(Additional reporting by Daniel Alvarenga; Editing by Peter Graff, David Stamp and Giles Elgood)
There are many kinds of loans available and one of the easiest loans to be availed is the payday loans online. Applying for a payday loan is very simple and you need not to provide any kind of document or you need not to have good credit score to get instant payday loan.
First of all, let me brief you the meaning of payday loan. A payday loan is a small amount of loan that is sanctioned to you (if you apply for it) which you can repay it in you r next payday or you can even rollover it to your other payday with some increased interest.
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Don?t be afraid that you might get into some financial trouble if you get any payday loans online. There are many other people and even your neighbors are getting payday loan and before getting the loan, you can check the trustworthiness of the loan provider by checking their license, reading reviews, etc.
This entry was posted on Thursday, November 1st, 2012 at 2:47 am and is filed under Finance. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
TIP! Everyone makes mistakes, especially when it comes to following a healthy diet. Stress can be just as detrimental to your health as a sugary meal, so keep that fact in mind, and try to relax.
Sometimes it is difficult to begin a new program of personal development. It?s so tough to know where to start, since there are so many facets of a human being. The following article provides you with important information on steps you can take to develop a focused and effective self improvement plan. Below, ideas are listed to help you be successful in your life.
TIP! Make all personal development goals specific so that they will lead you to success. If you have a list of specific goals you want to accomplish, you will have an easier time traveling along the path to success.
If your goals are realistic, you will be more likely to reach them and build a life that works for you. Take your weaknesses and focus on eliminating them and your self-esteem will rise.
Research how other people became successful. You can avoid both personal and business mistakes by knowing the trials that others have faced. Accept the advice of people you admire.
TIP! In order to work on your personal development, you have to be willing to be humble. Understanding that you are a minute portion of the world will help you think about your level of knowledge.
The number one rule when you?re trying to make your personal development a high priority is to learn to listen to your body. For example, if you?re hungry or thirsty, you need to fix this problem as soon as possible. When you take care of yourself, you will find less medical problems in the future. If you choose to ignore it, however, it may choose to ignore you at some point.
TIP! Identify what is standing in between you and success. This is very hard for many people to do.
Know what your strengths are, and be confident when promoting yourself. Everybody has unique skills, and it?s those skills that make our world diverse and an excellent planet to live on. Never focus on the skills that you haven?t mastered. It is far more productive to look for new opportunities to develop the skills that you naturally possess.
TIP! Learn how to get through trying situations without letting your emotions get the best of you. Learning to relax during stressful situations will allow you to be a more confident person.
It?s important to remember that faith and love go hand in hand. You must have love to have faith. Thus, it is important to always act on your faith and show your love. Love yourself and the people around you, and reach out to do good for the people who need it the most.
TIP! Find texts and phrases that sooth and encourage you. It can be anything that inspires, ranging from a scripture text to a book of sage advice.
The worst way to deal with a situation is by overreacting. This will cause you unneeded and unnecessary stress. When you learn how to cope with stress, you will carefully consider options and calmly handle problems stress free. It?s always possible to fix any mistake you have made, or manage a way to deal with it. Always look at what you still have instead of what you lost.
TIP! Focus on making your time spent working as productive as possible. This can be achieved by taking frequent breaks from work.
When you are actively trying to improve yourself, failing to do well at something can hurt your self-esteem more than it otherwise would. Actually, failure is really a learning experience. For example, failures highlight your strengths and possible problem areas. In that sense, every failure should be a point of pride for you, as you have uncovered another piece of your personal puzzle.
TIP! Challenges should always be undertaken. There are always new growth opportunities with new challenges.
To be the best you can be means hoping others share in your good fortune. Often the negative thoughts projected on others can boomerang and come back onto you. For this reason, it is important to wish only positive things for the people in your life. Learning how to maintain a positive outlook can help you escape from the onerous yoke of negativity.
TIP! Exercising, and taking care of your physical self are important aspects of the personal development process. Achieving your personal development goals is more likely if you keep your energy levels high by getting a sufficient amount of sleep, exercising on a regular basis, and maintaining a nutritious diet.
In order to grow as a person, you must accept change and learn how to thrive with it. The only way to grow and change is to embrace the idea, and work hard at implementing those changes.
TIP! Surround yourself with like-minded people. The right people will help you stay motivated to pursue your goals.
Your mind?s health depends on how healthy your body is. Exercise regularly and eat a delicious and healthy diet of nutritious foods. Don?t forget that a healthy body helps ensure a healthy mind.
TIP! Think about yourself, and a particular part of you that requires improvement, and put your focus squarely on that one thing. Although you may have a long list of self-improvement goals, it can be more effective, and you will be more successful, if you tackle them one at a time.
If you shop for comfort, remember you are only creating more stress in the end. If you find yourself shopping out of habit, take up a hobby to replace the time spent shopping. You can relieve stress, reduce credit card bills and enjoy your time much more.
TIP! Many people starting on a personal development journey struggle because their goal is too vague and unspecific. Set a clear, well-defined goal for yourself.
As you can see, self improvement is simpler than it looks. By breaking your personal development process into small, manageable goals, you?ll find yourself closer to your goals by the end of every day. You?ll be able to practice what you?re seeking to adopt as habit, and you?ll increase your own morale to continue. These tips are only a springboard, it?s up to you to build a better life.
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Manage Panic Attacks In The Future With These Tips
As the Bills prepare to play the Texans, defensive end Mario Williams will get his first shot at the team that made him the first pick in the 2006 draft, shots are being fired.
?I didn?t want to enter free agency in the first place, but it was a one-way door given to me by the G.M. to leave Houston,? Williams tells FOX 26 Sports. ?I want the fans there to know entering free agency was not my decision.?
The fans will surely let him know what they think of the situation when he returns on Sunday.
?The way things ended, I definitely feel like it was kind of a rough and all-of-the-sudden goodbye,? Williams said. ?There?s some things that I?m definitely uneasy about, the final decision making that happened there. It was just the way it was handled.?
The Texans could have prevented Williams from becoming a free agent by using the franchise tag, but that would have cost more than $20 million for one season, both in cash and cap dollars. And that?s far more than the Texans could have justified giving to a 3-4 outside linebacker who was good but not great.
Actually, Texans fans should have no hard feelings toward Williams. He got a far better deal in Buffalo than he ever would?ve gotten in Houston, and the Texans aren?t exactly struggling without him.
Still, Williams knows things could get interesting, and he welcomes that.? Especially from former teammate Antonio Smith.
?Antonio is always picking and prodding,? Williams said. ?He?s definitely trying to add fuel to the fire, but nothing is going to add more fuel to the fire than myself and the help of, I?ll guess I?ll say, a select few people who run their mouth and talk crap.
?The one thing that I enjoy and that I look forward to is people adding fuel to the fire. So I welcome all the newcomers as far as jumping on the bandwagon.?
Given the performance of the Bills, it?s likely the only Mario-related bandwagon on which anyone will be jumping this year.
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Public release date: 1-Nov-2012
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There are many kinds of loans available and one of the easiest loans to be availed is the payday loans online. Applying for a payday loan is very simple and you need not to provide any kind of document or you need not to have good credit score to get instant payday loan.