Rethink #

Watching anyone struggle with mental health disorders should never be funny- and yet, in some instances, that’s exactly how it is viewed. Recently, celebrity Amanda Bynes was involuntarily committed to psychiatric hold for the second time in a year. This was following a series of very public tweets which clearly show instability in her mental health. One tweet in particular regarding a microchip she believes was implanted in her brain is markedly delusional. The media and public, however, have been sensationalizing and demoralizing her condition by treating it as just another piece of shocking celebrity news. Headlines like “Amanda Bynes’ craziest tweets”, “Amanda Bynes’ Odd Behavior Continues”, and “Amanda Bynes goes wild on twitter” are trivializing a serious situation. Any person who is involuntarily placed in a psychiatric hospital needs- and deserves- sympathy and understanding, so why is Bynes being viewed as a spectacle? [excerpt

Alien Registration- Britt, Mary A. (Portland, Cumberland County)

https://digitalmaine.com/alien_docs/24701/thumbnail.jp

CRISPR/Cas9 editing of endogenous banana streak virus in the B genome of Musa spp. overcomes a major challenge in banana breeding

Open Access Journal; Published online: 31 Jan 2019Presence of the integrated endogenous banana streak virus (eBSV) in the B genome of plantain (AAB) is a major challenge for breeding and dissemination of hybrids. As the eBSV activates into infectious viral particles under stress, the progenitor Musa balbisiana and its derivants, having at least one B genome, cannot be used as parents for crop improvement. Here, we report a strategy to inactivate the eBSV by editing the virus sequences. The regenerated genome-edited events of Gonja Manjaya showed mutations in the targeted sites with the potential to prevent proper transcription or/and translational into functional viral proteins. Seventy-five percent of the edited events remained asymptomatic in comparison to the non-edited control plants under water stress conditions, confirming inactivation of eBSV into infectious viral particles. This study paves the way for the improvement of B genome germplasm and its use in breeding programs to produce hybrids that can be globally disseminated