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Here are some of my recent favorites:
CARTWHEELING IN THUNDERSTORMS, by Katherine Rundell, relates the journey of Willhemina Silver, from beloved farm where she was born in the wilds of Africa, to boarding school in stiff, crusty England following the death of her father. It's an exuberant, beautifully told tale.It's the 2015 Boston Globe/Horn Book Fiction Award winner. (MG)
ECHO, by Pam Munos Ryan, is another well-crafted piece of writing. This one blends three very different stories of children who are connected, through time and their love of music, by a mysterious, melodious harmonica, one which has been touched by magic and a prophecy. Each story is compelling in its own right, but taken together we get an intricately woven, ambitious novel for young people. (MG)
NIGHTBIRD, by Alice Hoffman, features still more gorgeous kiddie lit prose, this time telling the story of Twig Fowler, who lives in Sidwell, Massachusetts, a town where fairy tales may well be real. There is a curse on Twig's family, and she and her mom keep mostly to themselves. But when a new family moves in next door, descended from the witch who first spelled Twig's ancestors, things begin to change. (Upper MG/YA)
Continue reading "June Recommendations--Lynn Becker's Book Picks" »
I have known Greg Trine for many years. Not only is he the author of the popular Melvin Beederman and The Adventures of Joe Schmo series, he and his wife Juanita have been part of my entourage for the past few costume balls at the SCBWI Summer conference. Not surprising, Greg's tip has to do with writing humor.
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June's Book Pick is the 2015 Printz Award winner, I'LL GIVE YOU THE SUN, by Jandy Nelson. It's her second book, after THE SKY IS EVERYWHERE, which was an amazing debut for her.
Interestingly, I'LL GIVE YOU THE SUN is told in the alternating POVs of a pair of twins: Noah at age 13, and his sister Jude at 16. We quickly become aware that Noah's part of the story occurs before whatever monumental events and betrayals come together to break apart this family, with Jude's part of the story taking place after.
At the outset, Noah is a sensitive, artistic kid, passionate about his art, and beginning to fall in love with the boy next door. Jude is the wild twin, surfing, cliff-diving, and wearing her dresses as short as possible. When their mom decides that they should both apply to a prestigious local arts high school, jealousy and competition begin to sour the close relationship these two have always shared. By the time Jude's narration takes place, Noah has stifled all of his artistic inclinations, and is living a lie as a popular jock with Jude's former in-crowd friends. And Jude is hiding in skull caps and lumpy clothes, filling her pockets with good luck charms, and making clay sculptures that are broken, each and every time, by her mother's ghost (she is absolutely sure of this).
Continue reading "I'll Give You the Sun--Lynn Becker's Book Picks" »
Here are my favorite recent book picks:
Can it be that 100 SIDEWAYS MILES is Andrew Smith actually being vaguely lighthearted? Playful even? Maybe not, but I loved this book (tho he says he hated writing it!) because it has his signature way of weaving elements from start to finish into a cohesive and intriguing whole, his offbeat sense of humor, and a highly improbable, but still completely accessible, plot. When Finn Easton was four, a dead horse fell from a bridge onto him and his mother, causing her death and his epilepsy. His dad made him into a character in a bestselling science fiction book, which leads to some interesting encounters. And he sees the ghosts of two little girls who died in a flood near his house a century ago. Pretty normal stuff! This whacky but heartfelt novel goes on the road when Finn's girlfriend moves back to Chicago, and he and his best friend set out to visit a college in Oklahoma. (YA)
In FISH IN A TREE, by Lynda Mullaly Hunt, sixth grader Ally has been fooling everyone for years. To hide the fact that she can't read, she acts out and plays dumb. Actually, Ally is anything but dumb. She's a gifted artist who has moved around a lot, attending seven schools in seven years, and she's got dyslexia. It takes a substitute teacher and some unexpected friends to break through and help Ally celebrate who she really is. Ally is a likable character and readers will root for her all the way. (MG)
Continue reading "May Recommendations--Lynn Becker's Book Picks" »
From the very beginning, from the birth of our nation, men and women have gone forth to serve our country. They go, they sacrifice...and some never return.
Today we remember them.
Today we thank them.
And today we pray, for those who continue to serve in the most dangerous of places, a safe journey home.
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Sketch book drawings are the purest form of art for art sake. A quick impression of life on the run. Just instincts, a flick of the wrist and sometimes a lot of nerve.
During a guided tour of the Versailles I was powered walked through by Attila the Hun guide and was not allowed time to stop and sketch. I wanted to draw the famous Hall of Mirrors, so I hung way way back and blended into the Japanese tour group behind. Being 5 foot one, this wasn't very difficult. After taking a few photos with my new best friends, I quick penciled a sketch of the room and planned to water color later at the hotel.
Eventually, the tour guide Babette, hunted me down and scolded me in french. I smiled and pretended to be dumb American.
Art for art sake.
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May's Book Pick is the National Book Award winner and Newbery Honor book, BROWN GIRL DREAMING, by Jacqueline Woodson, a memoir in verse.
The author has roots in Ohio, in South Carolina, and then later in New York City. Her story tells of growing up in the 1960s and 70s, of learning the ways of the world and the wonder of storytelling.
In the most elegant yet accessible language, Woodson plants her narrative firmly in history: her place in the broader history of American race relations, as well as in the more personal history of her extended family. Both histories figure prominently in how she makes sense of her world and they provide a firm base for her to come into her own.
I'm in awe of the seamless way she weaves her way through her childhood, as she figures out her place in the past, in the present, and with hints of the future to come.
What do you think (or not) makes this such a memorable story?
What have you been reading lately? Here's my list:
Continue reading "April Recommendations--Lynn Becker's Book Picks" »
I am one lucky author. When my former editor left Dutton in 2006 I was assigned the wonderful Steve Meltzer. Over the years Steve has become one of my good buddies as well as my outstanding editor. Generous to a fault, he always takes my calls, was game to be interviewed for my blog tour and endures my requests for a Writing Tip of the Day every time I see him. Today's Tip is about submitting.
This month's Book Pick is the Newbery Honor book, EL DEAFO, by Cece Bell.
Here are some of the best books I managed to read in February:
ALL THE BRIGHT PLACES, by Jennifer Niven, gives readers a compelling look at depression and bipolar disorder through the eyes of two extremely engaging characters. We first meet Violet, less than fully functional and considering all options after the death of her sister, and Finch, obsessed with death but talking Violet into living again. These two make a connection and we join them on an exploration of life (and their home state of Iowa). It's charming, funny, sad, and a terrific read. YA
RAIN REIGN, by Ann M. Martin, shares the journey of Rose Howard, a girl on the autism spectrum who is obsessed with homonyms. Life isn't easy with a dad who doesn't understand her and classmates who are less than kind, but luckily Rose gets strong support from her uncle and her beloved dog, Rain. When a storm hits and Rain goes missing, events spiral out of control. Through it all, though, Rose stays true to herself and to her principles. This is one of a number of middle grade books with autistic girls as protagonists, along with Counting by 7s and The Categorical Universe of Candace Phee. All three are strong choices. MG
Continue reading "March Recommendations--Lynn Becker's Book Picks" »
My good friend, the talented author Alexis O'Neill, just released her new picture book from Boyds Mill Press, The Kite That Bridged Two Nations. The book is getting raved reviews...
"Memorable and dramatic."
-- Kirkus Reviews
"The style lends itself to a terrific read-aloud. Teachers can use this book to make curriculum connections in science, social studies and expressing emotion in narrative writing, to name a few."
-- Bookitkids, Amazon Reviewer
This week Alexis has her book launch at Niagra Falls, where the story originally took place, but I recently attended her local book launch in Ventura, California at a kite flying party with other kidlit authors. Alexis, Barbara Bietz, Mary Ann Fraser, Yuki Yoshino and I participated.
Not only did we have a hoot of a time flying kites, this photo made it into Publisher's Weekly!
Alexis's book is taking the kidlit world by storm, and her much aclaimed book trailer is drawing a lot of attention. I must say I am as pleased as punch to have produced it. Congrats to Alexis. She is an inspiration to all, and I know I am not alone when I say she deserves every success for her hard work and generousity to many in the Kid Lit and the SCBWI community.
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March's Book Pick is WEST OF THE MOON, by Margi Preus. This beautiful story elegantly blends Norwegian folklore into a historical fiction plot line. It's a lovely edition put out by Abrams/Amulet, with evocative jacket art and carefully chosen typefaces and interior art.
When Astri's aunt sells her to an odious goatman for two silver pieces and a package of meat, Astri bides her time until she can escape. Spring comes and the goatman means to marry her, but Astri runs away, taking with her a strange girl who spins wool into fine yarn, and all the "treasures" she can find in the goatman's house. She grabs the sister she was forced to leave behind at her aunt's, and the three girls head for the harbor and a ship that's waiting to take them to their father in America. Astri spins stories as they go, until their journey resembles a valiant quest to find a white bear (really a prince) in a legendary castle, aided by spells, curses, and a magical hairbrush.
Continue reading "West of the Moon--Lynn Becker's Book Picks" »
Novels I have recently read and loved include:
THE IMPOSSIBLE KNIFE OF MEMORY, by Laurie Halse Anderson. For years, Hayley Kincain has been on the road with her dad, trying to outrun his PTSD and lose his memories of the war in drugs and alcohol. But when Hayley is a high school senior, the pair settle down in what was Hayley's grandmother's house, trying to find a bit of normal. Spoiler alert: It won't be easy. This YA reaches out and grabs you right in.
GLORY O'BRIEN'S HISTORY OF THE FUTURE, is another winner by A. S. King. Using her flair for inserting an element of fantasy into her realistic novels, this time she has Glory drink a potion made from desiccated bat, which gives her the ability to see into the future. For Glory, whose mother committed suicide when Glory was four and who doesn't know whether or not she will follow in her mom's footsteps, the question is whether she herself has a place in this future she is seeing. Not as gloomy as it sounds! This could pair well with Andrew Smith's Grasshopper Jungle, showing a similar epic scope, but told from a female point of view. (YA)
Continue reading "February Recommendations--Lynn Becker's Book Picks" »
Joan Brandsfield Graham is one of my favorite people. Her new book The Poem That Will Not End is a fabulous book. Here is the book trailer that I produced for the book.
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February's Book Pick is WE WERE LIARS, by E. Lockhart. She has done it again. Author of 2008's wonderful The Disreputable History of Frankie-Landau Banks, WE WERE LIARS is a gem of a novel.
Seventeen year old Cadence Sinclair, of the rich and beautiful Sinclair family, has been through a terrible trauma. When the novel opens, she is in awful shape. She takes lots of pills for her crippling headaches, she keeps her blond hair dyed black, and she is in the process of giving away all of her earthly possessions. She hasn't been to her family's private island since her mysterious accident the summer she and the other Liars were fifteen. Until then, the four Liars had spent their summers together, running wild and forging deep bonds of friendship. And love--Cady and Gat have fallen in love. But there is more to life than this idyllic little island. Gat isn't one of the Beautiful Sinclairs, and the eventually the Liars begin to see that all things in this world must come to an end. When Cady returns to the island to piece together the mysteries of her past, the Liars spend one last bittersweet summer together.
Continue reading "We Were Liars--Lynn Becker's Book Picks" »
Can you name your favorite books from 2014? I don't want to try to predict Caldecott/Newbery/Printz winners, but I thought I'd share a few of my favorites from last year:
Picture Books:
BLUE ON BLUE, written by Dianne White, illustrated by Beth Krommes
PEGGY: A BRAVE CHICKEN ON A BIG ADVENTURE, by Anna Walker
GASTON, written by Kelly DiPucchio, illustrated by Christian Robinson
BAD BYE, GOOD BYE, written by Deborah Underwood, illustrated by Jonathan Bean
Chapter Books/Mid-grade:
DORY FANTASMAGORY, by Abby Hanlon
EL DEAFO, by CeCe Bell
BROWN GIRL DREAMING, by Jacqueline Woodson
WEST OF THE MOON, by Margi Preus
THE CATEGORICAL UNIVERSE OF CANDICE PHEE, by Barry Jonesberg
Young Adult:
EGG & SPOON, by Gregory Maguire
GRASSHOPPER JUNGLE, by Andrew Smith
WE WERE LIARS, by E. Lockhart
I'LL GIVE YOU THE SUN, by Jandy Nelson
Once, again, I've been reading a lot of excellent kid's books lately!
The wonderful EGG & SPOON, by Gregory Maguire, features a peasant girl from a remote and starving village, an aristocratic girl traveling through the country by train, the Tzar, the Tzar's godson, a Faberge egg, the Firebird's egg, a legendary ice dragon, and Baba Yaga, along with her chicken-legged hut, among many other Russian-themed elements. It all comes together in this sophisticated literary YA (and crossover) novel that is a pure pleasure to read.
In Meg Wolitzer's BELZHAR, Jam Gallahue is sent to a school for kids who have suffered through enough trauma that they don't fit in at at their traditional schools anymore. She and four of her classmates are chosen for a special English class, assigned Sylvia Plath to read, and given special journals. What Jam and her classmates discover as they write is both comfort and nightmare. BELZHAR is compelling YA.
Jennifer L. Holm (Babymouse, Turtle in Paradise) crafts a strong MG featuring eleven-year-old Ellie and her scientist grandfather, Melvin, who has turned up looking strangely like a dorky teenager (who still dresses like her grandfather). Melvin has discovered a "fountain of youth" but now that he looks like a kid, he can't get back into his lab to finish his experiments. THE FOURTEENTH GOLDFISH is funny and very readable.
Continue reading "January Recommendations--Lynn Becker Book Picks" »
Happy New Year! Here's wishing you lots of books to read, write, and illustrate in 2015!
January's Book Pick is the witty and wonderful Mr. Tiger Goes Wild, by Peter Brown.
In a world where animals dress formally and act with the utmost decorum, Mr. Tiger is bored. He wants to loosen up. So he drops down on all fours, sheds his clothing, and runs off to the wilderness. But the wilderness isn't his home, and Mr. Tiger misses his friends. Happily, things have changed a bit when he returns to the city.
Continue reading "Mr. Tiger Goes Wild--Lynn Becker's Book Picks" »
Sketch book art is the purest form of art for art sake. It is more about the feel of a place than the actual likeness. The Bedouin push their wares, smelly camels saunter by and my guide waits on the side as my pencil works it's magic. And I have my sketch.
Petra is amazing with all the buildings carved right out of red sandstone. This is one of the magnificent royal tombs, the Urn Tomb. Sketch on the left, photo on the right.
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I love to repeat this post every Christmas.
I have been lucky enough to have visited the town of Bethlehem on Christmas day. It was one of my parochial school kid's dreams come true. Our Jewish mother tour guide took us to the Church of the Nativity on Christmas night. The line was hours long to go down to the cave where the baby Jesus was born, but our guide knew of a secret door that is open only on Christmas. We followed her down and viewed the glorious Nativity scene--surround by chicken wire, just in case someone wanted to take baby Jesus home. As we sang Christmas carols on our way back to the hotel, the brightest star I have ever seen shone over the land.
On this blessed day, Merry Christmas to all.
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What have you been reading recently? I have especially enjoyed these books in particular:
If you enjoyed Jonathan Stroud's Lockwood & Co. (or even if you haven't yet) don't miss JACKABY, by William Ritter. This paranormal-infused detective story, which takes place in New England in 1892, is chock-full of personality, murder, and supernatural beings. Abigail Rook arrives in New Twiddleham needing a job, and the only one who will take her on is a rather strange man, Mr. R. F. Jackaby. Her first day on the job lands her right in the middle of a murder investigation, and things only get crazier from there. This is high on my list of favorite books for 2014. As a bonus, check out the first paragraph--it's pretty nearly perfect.
If you like steampunk, check out the STOKER & HOLMES novels, THE SPIRITGLASS CHARADE, and THE CLOCKWORK SCARAB. Evaline Stoker, sister of Bram, and Mina Holmes, niece of Sherlock, find themselves investigating a couple of strange cases involving missing society girls, vampires, fraud, and murder. And yes, this series is paranormally infused too. It's good fun.
MORTAL HEART, by Robin LaFevers, is a strong, strong finish to her HIS FAIR ASSASSIN trilogy. This one is told from the point of view of Annith, a handmaiden of Death who seems to be on a path to be the convent's next seeress. But Annith wants to venture forth to prove herself on a mission before being locked away in solitary service to Saint Mortain for the rest of her life. She wants to see if she may serve the god of Death in a manner more truly befitting her. So she strikes out on her own, whereupon she does, indeed, find plenty of adventure, romance, and courtly intrigue.
Continue reading "December Recommendations--Lynn Becker's Book Picks" »
PAPERBOY, by Vince Vawter, is this month's Book Pick, and I'm happy to say that I enjoyed it every bit as much the second time around, rereading so I could talk about it here.
This is a really complex story in a tidy MG package. The author tackles his main issue of stuttering, but also takes on race relations, bullying, what it means to be a parent/what it means to be a son, growing up, coming of age, standing up for what you think is right, etc. There is even a crush that has the potential to be cringe-worthy, but it feels honest and true, and never takes up more than its share of the story.
The setting, late 1950's Memphis, also plays an important part and, in Vawter's hands, it comes through loud and clear.
These are some books that I would like to recommend this month:
One of the MG books I enjoyed most this year (along with El Deafo) is THE CATEGORICAL UNIVERSE OF CANDICE PHEE, by Barry Jonsberg. I think this book suffered by being released so soon after Counting by 7s, as the description might sound somewhat similar. The main character, Candice, is likely on the autism spectrum and is seen as beyond weird by her classmates. But her quirky way of dealing with family, friends, enemies, tragedy, adversity, and teachers, along with her warm-hearted intentions, makes for a rich and rewarding read. I almost didn't pick it up, but I'm so glad I did!
CLARIEL, by Garth Nix, is a long-awaited prequel to his fabulous Abhorsen trilogy. Clariel, a loner who wants only to hunt in the Great Forest, is forced to move to the capital city of Belisaere, where strange people and customs stifle her. When she is attacked by a Free Magic creature, she discovers her own powers as a Berserk, and finds herself increasingly drawn to Free Magic sorcery. You can enjoy this even if you haven't yet gotten to the rest of the Abhorsen books, but why not just read them all? In fact, the audio is an excellent idea, performed perfectly by Tim Curry. (YA)
And HOLD ME CLOSER, NECROMANCER, by Lish McBride, is a really fun read. It's the only zombie entertainment I have allowed myself, and I'm glad I did (despite a few nights of icky zombie dreams). College dropout Sam finds out that he's a necromancer and has made a powerful enemy. It's witty, there's a lot of action, and a severed head gets to deliver many of the best jokes. (YA)
Continue reading "November Recommendations--Lynn Becker's Book Picks" »
November's Book Pick is The Lucy Variations, by National Book Award Nominee Sara Zarr.
Those of you who have read any of her other work, including The Story of a Girl, Sweethearts, or How to Save a Life, know that she has a terrific knack for crafting strong and believable realistic YA. Her characters are usually high school girls navigating the ups and downs of getting close to adulthood--and figuring out the changes that come with getting there.
I have thought a lot about what works for me in The Lucy Variations, and I think it's the way she has created a flawed yet thoroughly understandable character in Lucy, one that readers can relate to despite Lucy's special circumstances, which include her huge talent for playing the piano and early professional success with it. She still has problems with family dynamics, with friendships, and some cringe-worthy crushes on teachers and tutors. Zarr also manages to weave all her elements into a smooth plot.
You may also want to check out Zarr's Story of a Girl, Sweethearts, and How to Save a Life, along with Roomies, co-written with Tara Altebrando.
Have you read any great books recently? Since last month, here are some of my favorites.
LOCKWOOD & CO.: THE WHISPERING SKULL, is the second installment in the new series by Jonathan Stroud (who is also the author of the wonderful Bartimaeus books). Lockwood & Co. features a London that's overrun with supernatural activity. The agents, Lucy, George, and Anthony Lockwood himself, are hired to oversee the exhumation of a dangerous grave. Belonging to a dark arts practitioner who died horrifically, the grave is thought to house a "Type Two Visitor." When the coffin is opened for the agents to seal the bones, a terrible relic is found, and George's fascination with it allows a nasty ghost to escape. When the relic itself goes missing, Lockwood & Co. must find it before it falls into the wrong hands. If you haven't already read the first book in the series, don't wait! The books are a fine blend of creepy mystery and wry humor. I would call this upper MG for the 10 - 14 year old crowd.
Also out recently is Jandy Nelson's second book, I'LL GIVE YOU THE SUN. Her debut novel, The Sky is Everywhere, was a Book Talk book in the past, and if you haven't read that one, trust me, you do NOT want to miss it! I'll Give You the Sun is her terrific second book about twins Jude and Noah who, at thirteen, are as different, and yet as close, as twins can be. By the time they are sixteen, however, a huge rift has formed and they are all but cut off from each other. I'LL GIVE YOU THE SUN is narrated alternatively by Noah as a thirteen year old, and Jude as a sixteen year old. It's an interesting device and Nelson carries it off beautifully. (YA)
Continue reading "October Recommendations--Lynn Becker's Book Picks" »
This month's Book Pick is the 2014 Golden Kite winner for picture book text, SOPHIE'S SQUASH, written by Pat Zietlow Miller and illustrated by Anne Wilsdorf.
October brings lots of squash to the markets. Kids will get plenty of chances to adopt one of their own, and they might want to after reading this story.
When Sophie picks out a squash at the farmer's market, her parents think they will eat it for dinner. Not so. Sophie names the squash Bernice and adopts it into their family. Though Sophie is warned that the squash will become blotchy and gross, she's hearing none of it, at least until the evidence becomes too strong to ignore. Then Sophie buries Bernice in "good, clean dirt" with "a little love" (advice from the squash farmer) and she waits until the snow melts to find out how Bernice did out there all winter.
Continue reading "Sophie's Squash--Lynn Becker's Book Picks" »
Here are some of my favorite books from this past month:
I finally read the conclusion of the YA Daughter of Smoke & Bone trilogy, called DREAMS OF GODS AND MONSTERS, by Laini Taylor. I've rarely read a fantasy as wonderful as the first book, and then the second one was completely depressing. This third and final installment is a fitting and somewhat lovely ending to the whole saga. I felt very satisfied when I shut the book. If you've read the first two, make sure you get a chance to finish up with this one.
THE NIGHT GARDENER, by Jonathan Auxier, is a wonderful, darkly magical MG that's got to be on Newbery committee radar. I loved this old-fashioned tale of two orphans who need to work as servants at a sinister house, that's engulfed by a sinister tree, and is harboring sinister secrets behind a small, mysterious door. Even though it's British and set in an earlier time, I found the aura of creepiness to be remarkably similar to Holly Black's Doll Bones.
NIGHTINGALE'S NEST, by Nikki Lofton, has also got to be under Newbery consideration. This is MG magical realism on a very fine level. It's based on a Hans Christian Anderson story, but with a contemporary setting. Little John works to clear brush from Mr. King, the richest man in town. His younger sister has recently died, and his mom seems to be losing it. His dad drinks too much, and Mr. King is an ogre. When Little John hears Gayle singing, he also finds that her voice has the power to heal. It's a lovely and touching story.
Continue reading "September Recommendations--Lynn Becker's Book Picks" »
September's Book Pick is WINGER, by the increasingly prolific Andrew Smith. Although WINGER was published in 2013, he already has GRASSHOPPER JUNGLE and 100 SIDEWAYS MILES coming out in 2014. (GRASSHOPPER JUNGLE, by the way, is weirder and more epic in scope than Winger, and is quite possibly a masterpiece--so far, it's my pick for the Printz this year. I haven't read the Sideways Miles book yet.)
I have to admit that the cover of WINGER made it really hard for me to open the book. Every time I saw that guy in the prep school outfit, with the bloody tissue sticking out of his nose, I picked up something else. Even when I heard over and over how great the story was. I finally must have focused only at the back cover, which is an artist's rendering of the photo on the front, and somewhat more appealing to me.
Martha Bennett Stiles was the winner of a book trailer on the Hanging Off Jefferson's Nose Blog Tour Comment raffle. As it turns out, her new book, Sailing to Freedom, has just been released. I was delighted to produce a trailer for her.
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Have you read any great books this month?
I finally caught up with HOW TO CATCH A BOGLE, by Catherine Jinks. Orphan Birdie is apprenticed to the Go-Devil Man, a bogler named Alfred. She considers herself lucky to be helping to catch bogles rather than working in the sewers of London. But the job is dangerous each and every time she sings within her circle of salt, and she and Alfred can't let anything distract them as they lay their traps. When other orphans begin to disappear, Birdie and Alfred have their work cut out for them. This is appropriately creepy Victorian fun, and I look forward to the sequel, coming out in November. (MG)
THE ISOBEL JOURNAL, by Isobel Harrop, is a quirky scrapbook, full of the musings of one young woman who is just beginning to figure out the meaning of her life. It's not a traditional narrative by any means, but taken as a whole it is strangely satisfying. (YA)
SINNER, by Maggie Stiefvater, returns to the werewolves of the Shiver/Linger/Forever trilogy. In this one, Cole St. Clair, is a famous musician (also a werewolf), trying to stay clean after faceplanting onstage from a drug overdose. He swears to Isabel that he has come to LA for her. Never mind that he's also managed to land himself a six week stint on a reality show, where he will be recording his new album in front of the world. So what's Isabel to believe? Relentlessly restless, and always a player, Cole longs to find a home in this sun-soaked city, but only if he can convince Isabel that their love is real. Sinner is a terrific follow-up to the Shiver trilogy, but it can also stand on its own for readers willing to believe that a bad-boy rocker in LA can be a werewolf! (YA)
Continue reading "August Recommendations--Lynn Becker's Book Picks" »
I have known Valerie Hobbs for many years. I have enjoyed her wonderful stories and her marvelous master classes. I also produced a book trailer for her last novel, The Best Last Days of Summer. I cornered Val at the SCBWI Summer Conference and asked her to give us a Writing Tip of the Day.
August's not-to-miss Book Pick is Meg Medina's YAQUI DELGADO WANTS TO KICK YOUR ASS. Meg won an SCBWI Golden Kite for Picture Book text a few years ago, and this year won the Pura Belpre prize for YAQUI. From the first sentence to the last, Piddy's story grabbed me and wouldn't let me go.
Piddy Sanchez has just changed schools. And, suddenly, someone is threatening to beat her up. Piddy tries to find out who Yaqui Delgado is, and why someone she doesn't even know would want to stir up trouble. At first, Piddy struggles to make sense of the situation, but soon we see her begin to evolve. At her old school, Piddy was a high achiever in all her classes, had a group of friends, and was on track for college and a degree in biology. She worked a Saturday job, and was close to her mom, and her mom's best friend Lila. Now Piddy begins to shut down, missing assignments, cutting school, and fighting with those who love her best.
Continue reading "Yaqui Delgado Wants to Kick Your Ass--Lynn Becker's Book Picks" »
My buddy and award winning author Lee Wardlaw gives us the "Writing Tip of the Day."
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I have known children's book author Alexis O'Neill for many years. She has been my teacher, mentor, SCBWI Regional Advisor and now is my friend. She has inspired many to reach for the dream of publication through years of putting on fabulous local SCBWI events. Alexis is considered an expert on school visits. With schools cutting budgets and lacking funding, I asked Alexis to give us a school visit tip of the day for these tough economic times.
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This is a repeat from a few years ago. 2014 contest is ITALY...pictures of me to follow.
The SCBWI Costume Contest has turned into my one performance piece of the year. I usually try to incorporate children's literature into the theme, but this year was difficult. The Queen of Hearts in Alice in Wonderland was the obvious choice for Heart and Soul, but that wasn't creative enough for me.
What really struck me for this theme is that the Heart and Soul of the fabulous SCBWI are Lin Oliver and Steve Mooser. I have attended 12+ summer conferences, and I am always touched by the generosity and kindness of Lin and Steve. I decided that one very small way I could thank them was to make them part of my costume.
With a $15 bridesmaid dress, a hot glue gun, and a bunch of sparkly do-dads, this is what I came up with.
Posted by Tina Nichols Coury in SCBWI | Permalink | Comments (6) | TrackBack (0)
I've been getting some great reading done lately!
WE WERE LIARS, by E. Lockhart (The Secret History of Frankie Landau-Banks), is a tense, emotional story about four friends who spend summers together on a private island. The Sinclair family is rich and privileged, beautiful and troubled. Cadence Sinclair has survived a terrible accident, and now she relates to readers the summer leading up to it, the summer she was fifteen. Secrets and lies abound in this hard-hitting intense and suspenseful novel. (YA)
A CREATURE OF MOONLIGHT, by Rebecca Hahn, is a beautiful, atmospheric tale about one girl who lives on the edge of a magical forest, a forest that is on the move, encroaching on the kingdom it surrounds. Marni is the daughter of a princess and a dragon, but she has been exiled to a tiny cottage to live with her grandfather. Now that she is grown, she must make a choice: claim her birthright as princess, though the King wants her dead, or disappear into the forest, in search of the father she has never known. (YA)
Continue reading "July Recommendations--Lynn Becker's Book Picks" »
It is time again for the SCBWI Costume party so I am rerunning this post to show what goes into one of my costumes.
As I said before, I consider the SCBWI National costume ball an art performance piece. Every year, around April, they announce the theme. This year it took me approximately two seconds to know what to do for the Silvery Moon Ball, I would become the Silvery Moon Queen. I would be decorated with famous children's book paintings with the name "Moon" in the title and of course I would paint them in silver. These are the books I chose to wear:
Good Night Moon, Kitten's First Full Moon, The Cow that Jumped Over the Moon, Walk Two Moons and the Golden Kite honor winner for non-fiction, Team Moon.
Continue reading "SCBWI Costume Ball - Queen of the Silvery Moon - Costume details " »
Posted by Tina Nichols Coury in SCBWI | Permalink | Comments (10) | TrackBack (0)
I have discovered that I love doing school visits. The kids and teachers really excite and inspire me. Recently I used my book trailer skills and created a school visit promo to advertise my visiting author services to schools:


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Helen Ford Wallace: Parties, etc.
Tally: Book proceeds for the day (she sold 500 books) went to Oklahoma City University. The book comes out in bookstores at the end of January and is available online at janejayroe.com.
Event: The Seventy Five Club's annual Christmas dinner and dance at Oklahoma City Golf & Country Club drew 225 members. Party chairmen were Gennie and Bob Johnson, Judy Love and Linda Garrett.
Flowers: Freshly cut red poinsettias with Christmas berries and greenery.
Event: Confrerie de la Chaine des Rotisseurs Christmas dinner was at The Coach House. Chef Kurt Fleischfresser was presented a plaque from the group for hosting the holiday dinner the past 12 years.
History: The local chapter is called the Bailliage d'Oklahoma City. It is an international food and wine society dedicated to the culinary arts and the pleasures of the table. In general, the Chaine supports the education and training of young chefs and sommeliers through the Chaine Foundation. The foundation will conduct a young chef's competition in San Antonio in March.
What: Leadership Oklahoma members were hosts for the holiday celebration in the home of Natalie Shirley and Russ Harrison in Heritage Hills.
Seen: Miki and Jim Farris, Candy Dulaney, Sue Ann and Dudley Hyde, Pam and Carlos Johnson, Jean and Bob Harbison, Beverly and Mark Funke, Donna and Bruce Lawrence, Mike McAuliffe, Samonia Meredith, Kathy Oden-Hall, Leslie Paris, Wayne Stone, Pat and Ray Potts, Suzie and Lee Symcox, Tony Zahn, Margaret Bell, Shannon Rich, Ann Ackerman, Hershel Lamirand III, Mary Blankenship Pointer, Richard Cudjoe, Paula Root, Judy Hatfield, Dick Horton, Sherrel Jones, Anita and Phil Kennedy, Robin and Brad Krieger.

subset: commoncrawl


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2002 Kia Rio Q&A
2002 Kia Rio Question: Smog test failed because computer would not show repair. How can I fix this
In Nov mechanic fixed indicator light that was on but car computer failed to acknowledge repair. Aside from driving it more, is there a way to fix this problem w/computer? - peggysue
3 Answers
Answer 1
If the repair was fixed he should have been able to reset the codes in the computer with a scan tool. If he didn't do that the codes will still be in the history and need to be reset. Your local auto parts store ie Advance Auto, AutoZone, O'Reilly will all reset the codes free for you. - torque wrench
Answer 2
Does the Check Engine Light come on when you turn on the ignition switch and extinguish when you start the engine? If so the computer is operating the light and there is no hard fault code stored. You need to use a scan tool that can determine which monitors are or are not yet passed.To get the car to pass the drive cycle monitors the car must be driven a certain way. The following is a summary of generic OBD II drive cycle instructions The Intake Air Temperature (IAT) should be between 14 and 122 degrees F. Barometric pressure should be equal to or greater than 75 kPa. The fuel tank should be between 25 and 75% full at the start of the test. During acceleration, keep throttle 1⁄4 to 1⁄2 open. During deceleration, slow to less than 15 mph at an engine speed of less than 1000 rpm without touching the brake or clutch pedal. During cruise, maintain a steady engine speed between 1400 and 4000 rpm. At idle speed, keep the throttle closed and the gear selector in the Neutral position. Remember, these are just the preliminary instructions. The actual drive cycle must conform exactly to the following instructions, or the various monitors may not run to completion. The drive cycle begins with a cold engine startup. The IAT must be between 32 and 85 degrees F. Engine Coolant Temperature (ECT), must be less than 127 degrees F. It may be necessary for the customer to leave the car with you overnight so it can cool down completely. The engine coolant and intake air temperatures must be within a tight range to complete all of the OBD II monitors during the drive cycle. If the IAT input is not between 32 and 86 degrees F at the beginning of the drive cycle, the EVAP monitor will not run. Start the engine and allow it to idle in Park for one to two minutes. Within the first minute and a half, accelerate at 1⁄4 to 3⁄4 throttle to 50-55 mph. Hold that speed for 2-3 minutes. Unless your shop is very close to a major expressway, it may be difficult to satisfy this step in the drive cycle. Decelerate to 0 mph without braking, then idle for 1-2 minutes. If you're on an expressway, pull safely off the road during this segment. Accelerate to 55 mph, using 1⁄4 to 3⁄4 throttle, then hold a steady cruise for 10 to 20 minutes. Return to 0 mph with the engine idling in Park, then turn the ignition off. - patrick mannion
Answer 3
removing the battery negative for about 10-15 min. should be sufficient to reset the computer stored codes - paulsjapanese
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Kind Says Both Sides Need To Work On Health Law
In what's being called a dramatic victory for President Barack Obama, the Supreme Court upheld the 2010 health care law Thursday, preserving Obama's landmark legislative achievement. Congressman, Ron Kind, says just because the Supreme Court made a ruling doesn't mean that democrats and republicans can't work together to make the law work.
The decision Thursday virtually guarantees the health care law will remain at the forefront of the 2012 campaign.
Huge Crowds For SCOTUS Ruling
It's being called a win for Americans and President Obama. The Surpreme Court ruling today ruling upholding most of Obama's health care reforms. Outside the Supreme Court Chambers this morning...............................
Meanwhile, Governor Scott Walker says Wisconsin will not proceed with implementing the federal health care overhaul despite the U.S. Supreme Court upholding the central part of the federal law.
Lax Sheriff Satisfied With Koula Guilty Verdict
Throughout the Eric Koula murder trial in La Crosse, the defense argued that unknown professional killers might have shot Eric's parents two years ago.
Defense witnesses talked about suspicious people watching the neighborhood where Dennis and Merna Koula lived. Now that Eric Koula has been convicted of murdering his parents, La Crosse County Sheriff Steve Helgeson believes that the neighborhood may be a little more at ease. The sheriff realizes that those neighbors were quite worried in the weeks following the double murder.
Eric Koula was arrested eight weeks after the shootings, and was convicted in court this week. Helgeson describes the investigation leading to the arrest as 'remarkably quick.'
Koula Attorneys Will Appeal Double Murder Conviction
Eric Koula's defense team is preparing to appeal his murder conviction...
The defense attorneys are speaking publicly for the first time since Wednesday's verdict, when a jury found Koula guilty of killing his parents at their Barre Mills home in May of 2010. Attorney Keith Belzer says the motion to appeal will wait until after the sentencing in August. While the prosecution argued that Koula shot his parents to get money, the defense said Koula loved his mother and father, and was not in financial trouble. Belzer says Koula is 'devastated' by the verdict, and the attorneys still believe Koula is innocent.


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The Learning Enhancement Advanced Program (LEAP) TO LEARN OR NOT TO LEARN - WHY IS THE QUESTION? By Charles T Krebs, PhD Melbourne Applied Physiology Introduction to Specific Learning Difficulties: All learning dysfunctions, hence difficulty in learning, have their root in how the brain functions. The brain is designed to "learn". From the time we are born until we die, learning is as natural as breathing, and certainly as important since our very survival depends on it. Initially it is our physical survival that depends on learning "Look both ways before crossing the road!". Later in technological societies it is our economic survival and success that are dependent upon what we learned in the educational and training environments we encountered. Since learning is so natural, why is it that some of us learn easily, others learn only with difficulty, while ours have a difficult time learning traditional skills such as reading, spelling, and mathematics at all? You might say it is all a matter of access: what brain functions you can access, how well you can access the functions available, and what you have to access. A person with low innate intelligence, but full access to all brain functions may find learning difficult. On the other hand, a person of high innate intelligence, but with problems accessing specific brain functions may also experience difficulty learning, at least in some areas. The brain functions much like water running down a hill; it will always take the most direct processing route available. Unimpeded, water will always run straight down the hill, but if its path is blocked, it will seek the next most direct route down the hill. If that path is also blocked, it will again seek the next most direct route, etc. Each time it is blocked, the pathway becomes longer and less efficient at getting the water down the hill. The same is true of processing in the brain. If all functions are equally accessible, the brain will always choose the simplest, most direct functions to do the processing required. However, there are many ways of performing all mental tasks and the brain will just choose the next most efficient route for processing if the most direct function is not available/accessible for whatever reason. If the next most efficient pathway is also blocked, the brain will then route the processing to other functions that are accessible, even if these functions are a far less efficient way of processing that information. If many brain functions are not accessible, the processing path may become very long and inefficient creating difficulties in doing tasks dependent upon these processes. Each time the processing path becomes longer and less efficient, the level of "stress" encountered using that pathway increases. When the level of "stress" reaches a high enough level, we may opt out of situations that require us to access these functions altogether. Different learning tasks require access to different functions and/or combinations of functions in the brain. The brain can be divided into several functional regions, each of which processes information in different and often unique ways. The two brain regions recognised most commonly by people are the right and left cerebral hemispheres. When the brain is removed from the skull, it appears to have two distinct "halves" because of the deep longitudinal fissure separating the cerebral hemispheres (Fig. 1). In the popular press these are often referred to as the "right and left brains" because of their anatomical distinctness and the differences in the way each hemisphere processes information. 1994 Melbourne Applied Physiology 1 To Learn or not to Learn 060607.doc The Learning Enhancement Advanced Program (LEAP) Figure 1. Two views of the Corpus Callosum. At the top a side view of the Corpus callosum cut down the middle. At the bottom, a view from above with the cortex cut away on the right side to reveal how the fibres loop through the Corpus Callosum from one gyrus or ridge to exactly the same gyrus in the other hemisphere. 1994 Melbourne Applied Physiology 2 To Learn or not to Learn 060607.doc The Learning Enhancement Advanced Program (LEAP) These two hemispheres are not separate, however, as they are connected along most of their length at the bottom of the fissure by a structure called the Corpus Callosum (Fig. 1). Neurologically, the Corpus Callosum is approximately 200 million nerve fibres running between the two hemispheres. It functions much like a telephone exchange allowing a two way flow of communication between the hemispheres. Whenever the hemispheres are required to "work together" to produce an integrated function, the Corpus Callosum is the site of that integration. Each cerebral hemisphere carries out a number of different functions, and each processes information in a very different way from its partner. It is as if each side of the brain is a specialised organ of thought, with the right hemisphere possessing a set of functions that complement those of the left hemisphere and vice versa (See Table 1). The right hemisphere functions in most people are global or Gestalt in nature dealing with the whole and recognition of overall patterns, while the left hemisphere functions in most people deal with logically sequenced analysis of the parts of the whole. It is because of these differences in functions and processing that the right hemisphere is sometimes called the "Right" or "Gestalt" brain and the left hemisphere the "Left" or "Logic" brain. Table 1. Functions of and Information Processing in the Right and Left Hemispheres in most people. GESTALT or RIGHT HEMISPHERE LOGIC or LEFT HEMISPHERE LEAD FUNCTIONS: LEAD FUNCTIONS Spatial Orientation Temporal (time) Body Awareness Mathematics Facial Recognition Music Recognition (melody) Rhythm Pre-verbal & Non-verbal (gestural) Language (verbal) Interpreting Symbols Assigning Meaning to Symbols Creative/Lateral Thinking (daydreaming) PROCESSES INFORMATION: Globally, Wholistically as a Gestalt Linearly, Logically and Analytically Simultaneously, Subjectively Sequentially Intuitively Objectively (with reference to "Facts") "Knowing" based on intuition While the popular press may refer to it as "right and left brain thinking", it is not the physical hemispheres housing these functions that is important, but rather the location of the Gestalt and Logic functions themselves. In some individuals these cerebral functions may be transposed with the Gestalt functions physically located in the left hemisphere and the Logic functions physically located in the right hemisphere. By the definition of the popular press, these people would have their "right brain" in their "left brain," which doesn't make any sense. They just happen to have their Gestalt functions located in their left hemisphere and their Logic functions located in their right hemisphere. Only about 3-5% of people, however, display transposed Logic and Gestalt functions with 95-97% of people having their Logic functions in their left and their Gestalt functions in their right hemispheres. Because the dominant hand tends to be opposite the Logic hemisphere, most people are right-handed, while many people with transposed functions (eg Logic right) tend to be left-handed or ambidextrous. 1994 Melbourne Applied Physiology 3 To Learn or not to Learn 060607.doc The Learning Enhancement Advanced Program (LEAP) It must be emphatically stated here that both hemisphere participate all the time at many levels in the "various thought processes." The way we think is a result of the degree of integration of the two hemispheres with each hemisphere contributing its own special capacities to all cognitive activities. The contrasting yet complementary contributions of each hemisphere is clearly demonstrated during complex mental activities such as reading as illustrated in the following quote from Levy: "When a person reads a story, the right hemisphere may play a special role in decoding visual information, maintaining an integrated story structure, appreciate humour and emotional content, deriving meaning from past associations, and understanding metaphor. At the same time, the left hemisphere plays a special role in understanding syntax, translating written words into their phonetic representations and deriving meaning from complex relationships among word concepts and syntax." (1) Although there is no activity in which only one hemisphere is involved or to which one hemisphere makes the only contribution, functions predominantly in one cerebral hemisphere may be all that are required for many simple cognitive tasks. There are both psychological and physiological evidence that the relative degree of activation of functions in the two hemispheres varies depending upon the nature of the task being performed. When doing simple arithmetic tasks such as counting or adding 1 + 1, the Logic functions will be activated with little Gestalt activity required. A predominantly Gestalt task, on the other, such as matching patterns, will require little Logic involvement. The more complex the learning task becomes, the greater the degree of activation and integration of functions in both hemispheres that is required. Different learning tasks, therefore, require access to different types of functions, and different degrees of integration of these functions. Some of these functions are located predominantly in the Gestalt/right brain, while others are located predominantly in the Logic/left brain. The more complex learning tasks like reading and spelling require access not only to functions in both hemispheres, but the integration and simultaneous processing of information in both hemispheres. Therefore, if you can access all brain functions in both cerebral hemispheres with equal facility and can integrate all these functions well, you will probably find learning easy! However, if for any reason you can not access certain brain functions or have difficulty integrating the functions accessed, you may well have difficulty performing tasks dependent upon or involving those specific brain functions. From our perspective here at Melbourne Applied Physiology, all specific learning difficulties result from this lack of access to specific functions or the inability to effectively integrate these functions. Depending upon how well a person can access certain Gestalt and/or Logic functions, he will demonstrate one of the patterns of specific learning difficulties briefly discussed below. Major Patterns of Specific Learning Difficulties Based on How Well Logic and Gestalt Functions are Accessed are: The most commonly observed specific learning difficulty is Gestalt dominance in processing information or Attention Deficit Disorder (A.D.D.). People with this pattern of learning dysfunction have good access to most Gestalt functions, but only poor access to Logic functions, with Gestalt processing the predominate mode used for performing all tasks. Because of this Gestalt dominance in processing information, the normal balance provided by complementary Logic functions is largely absent. These people, therefore, often display the following behavioural symptoms: 1994 Melbourne Applied Physiology 4 To Learn or not to Learn 060607.doc The Learning Enhancement Advanced Program (LEAP) Gestalt Dominance in Mental Processing (Attention Deficit Disorder): * tendency to be impulsive. * little appreciation of the connection between "cause" and "effect": I want to do X so I do it, never thinking, "What will happen if I do!" * difficulty budgeting time: Because of this and difficulty concentrating, projects are often left incomplete and organisational skills are poor. * difficulty concentrating: "Concentration" is merely paying attention over time. If there is no "sense of Time", attention can not be paid over it? * difficulty spelling: Generally spelling is phonetic by putting letters together until it "sounds" like the word. * difficulty with mathematics: Difficulty remembering times tables and/or understanding mathematical concepts. * reading may be fluent, but there is often poor comprehension of what was read: Interpretation of symbols (Gestalt) may be accessible, but there is difficulty assigning meaning to the words/symbols interpreted (Logic). * often well co-ordinated or even gifted athletically. Remember the Gestalt functions control body awareness and orientation in space. It is precisely because of the above symptoms that people displaying Gestalt-dominant processing are found to be "attention deficit". Attention Deficit Disorder is assessed by having a person perform a series of sequential tasks, any one of which the person can do easily. However, people suffering from A.D.D. will not be able to complete the series of tasks, not because they can not perform them, but rather, because they lose concentration or are easily distracted. Much less common than Gestalt dominance is Logic dominance in decision-making processing. People who access their Gestalt functions poorly, but have good access to Logic functions are the "true dyslexics" by standard psychological definition. That is, they display the following four behavioural symptoms: Logic Dominance in Mental Processing (Dyslexia): * can not spell or do so entirely phonetically by putting letters together to "sound" like the word is said. * have great difficulty reading: Usually stumble over words, mis-read words, or just can not "sound" words out. However, comprehension of what was read is often excellent. * display dysrhythmia, an inability to clap or tap a tune. * are physically uncoordinated or "clumsy". In addition, these people are usually good at mathematics at least to the level of algebra, display good concentration, and follow sequential directions well. However, they may have to be taught things that other people learn unconsciously. 1994 Melbourne Applied Physiology 5 To Learn or not to Learn 060607.doc The Learning Enhancement Advanced Program (LEAP) The next most common type of learning difficulty after Attention Deficit Disorder or Gestalt Dominance is poor or limited access to both Gestalt and Logic functions. This pattern is usually associated with a great deal of confusion in cerebral processing and creates the greatest learning difficulties. If a person has good access to either Gestalt or Logic, but poor access to the opposite side functions, he can at least compensate with the functions he does access well! However, if their are major deficits in both Gestalt and Logic functions, then the ability of the brain to compensate for these deficits is extremely limited. The following behavioural symptoms result from this pattern of access: Limited Access to both Gestalt and Logic Functions (Real Problems): * language development often extremely delayed for age: For instance, an eight year old child that only recognises 3 letters and 2 numbers. * reading very delayed for age: Often difficulty even recognising words, or word recognition a real struggle. * spelling very delayed for age: Often can not spell words with more than 3 or 4 letters. * difficulty understanding numbers, even basic arithmetic: Often have difficulty with learning to count, concepts of adding and subtraction, knowing the days of the week, etc. * no concentration or focus: Appear away with the "fairies". * person appears confused/lazy or just plain "slow mentally": Often fairly apathetic and lethargic with no zest for life. We generally only see these people as children in early adolescence. Because of the extreme nature of their learning dysfunctions these people have normally been dismal failures in school and have departed the academic scene by their early teenage years. The least common pattern of learning difficulty are people who have good access to both Gestalt and Logic functions, but they can only "integrate" these functions poorly if at all. This lack of integration of Gestalt and Logic functions often limits the use of the functions that they can access giving them learning dysfunctions similar to people having poor access to one or the other hemispheres. The most common behavioural symptoms are: Poor Integration of Gestalt and Logic Functions: * reading very difficult: Often so stressful to read that it can only be done for a few minutes at a time, or is avoided altogether. * spelling is totally phonetic: words spelled like they sound. * difficulty with higher mathematics (eg algebra) even though arithmetic may have been perfect. For these people, school is often an extremely frustrating experience. They can often perform well all tasks except those requiring good integrated function. Since integration of Gestalt and Logic functions are required for reading and spelling, but integrated functions are very stressful for these people to perform, these essential academic tasks may often be avoided. 1994 Melbourne Applied Physiology 6 To Learn or not to Learn 060607.doc The Learning Enhancement Advanced Program (LEAP) The True Nature of Specific Learning Difficulties: From the perspective of the Learning Enhancement Program (LEAP) all learning difficulties result from the degree of access each person has to specific brain functions and how well these functions can be integrated. If a person can access all brain functions in both cerebral hemispheres with equal facility and can integrate all these functions, he performs well in all areas of learning. However, if for any reason he can not access certain specific brain functions, he will have difficulty performing tasks dependent upon or involving those specific brain functions. Indeed, standard psychological testing to evaluate specific learning problems rely on determining which types of cerebral functions and processes can be accessed, and how well these functions are accessed. Standardised intelligence tests such as the Wechsler Intelligence Scale Test are a carefully devised series of tasks which are divided into two groups: Verbal subtests and Performance subtests. The Verbal subtests are tasks which require access to predominantly Logic functions. Some of the Verbal subtests require access to only a few Logic functions, while others require access to both Logic and Gestalt functions at the same time, but with the "lead" functions contributed by the Logic brain. Likewise, some of the Performance subtests are tasks which require access to only Gestalt functions, while others require integrated functions with a Gestalt "lead." The score on each subtest depends upon how well a person can access the specific functions required to perform that subtest. Subtests that a person scores poorly on indicate which types of functions he has difficulty accessing. Difficulty accessing specific functions has been correlated with poor performance in certain academic areas. Behavioural Aspects of Limited Access to Cerebral Functions and/or Poor Integration of these Functions & the Stress-Avoidance Cycle: An appreciation of some of the behaviours associated with learning difficulties may be useful at this point. How do people's behaviour reflect their underlying ability to participate in this natural process of learning? In our clinical practice we are told about and see the same types of behaviours from people (especially children) who come to us for treatment of specific learning difficulties. Again and again we see the same behaviours ticked on the Behavioural Evaluation Form filled out for each client when people have certain learning dysfunctions. Why might this be? Lack of access to specific cerebral functions will almost always have a discernible behavioural corollary. The nature of the functions accessed, or not accessed, determine to a large degree how a person behaves. A child that is Gestalt dominant will often be perceived as "emotionally immature" because emotional maturity is essentially the ability to modulate and control the expression of emotions based on a logical analysis of circumstances. A well integrated person with good access to all cerebral functions may "feel" angry (largely a Gestalt experience), but make the rational judgement that "now" is not the appropriate time to express that anger. A Gestalt dominant person, on the other hand, will experience the anger and tend to act on these feelings with little logical consideration of the consequences. It is the LEAP philosophy that people's behaviour reflects the degree of access and integration of their cerebral functions. Poor access to, or integration of, specific brain functions will result in difficulty performing tasks dependent upon these brain functions. Difficulty performing these tasks will almost always generate "stress" when attempting to do these tasks, often resulting in "avoidance behaviours." The extent of the "avoidance behaviours" usually relates to the degree of "stress" generated when attempting to access and integrate the relevant functions. 1994 Melbourne Applied Physiology 7 To Learn or not to Learn 060607.doc The Learning Enhancement Advanced Program (LEAP) What is often not appreciated is that people's behaviour tells the truth, if you understand what is being said! When a child says, "I hate Reading, Mathematics, English, or________(fill in the blank)", what that person is actually saying is, "I can not access the brain functions I need to do that task easily!" The only reason anyone "hates" doing anything that is enjoyable for most other people is that he finds that specific task difficult to perform. If a person can read well and easily, he doesn't avoid reading, but rather seeks it out because there is just so much to learn and enjoy in books. If, on the other hand, reading is a very demanding and stressful task, people soon develop avoidance mechanisms, for instance labelling reading as "boring." Who wants to do something that is "BORING!" Unfortunately, these avoidance behaviours are often mis-interpreted as "just not doing what you are told" or "misbehaviour" plain and simple. The response to these "avoidance behaviours" may be to tell the person to just stop misbehaving and "pick up your game!" This only compounds the "stress" of attempting to do these tasks, usually leading to further avoidance behaviours, and exaggerated misbehaviour. Part of what exaggerates the misbehaviour is simply the frustration and anger of NOT being able to perform the assigned task, even when great effort is expended. Imagine how you would feel if you have struggled through your reading, mathematics, English etc. assignments, putting in the best effort you are capable of, only to be told, "Well you're just going to have to try harder!" From our experience, many of the people having the greatest difficulty with "learning" are often innately very clever. They just can not access specific brain functions they need to perform certain tasks that they are required to do. When you talk with these people and listen to the questions that they ask, they are often clearly clever, intelligent people. If a clearly clever, intelligent person does not read well or spell well, or has great difficulty understanding and doing even simple mathematics, a reasonable assumption is that person just isn't "concentrating", or "paying attention" or "trying hard enough." Surely, if a clever, intelligent person was "concentrating, paying attention, and trying hard enough", then he would be successful at these rather pedestrian tasks accomplished with ease by even their less clever peers! What is over-looked is that these clever, intelligent people may indeed be clever and intelligent, but unable to access the relevant brain function when needed, or only able to do so under duress. Perhaps an analogy here will help demonstrate the above point. If I say to most boys or men, "Do you know how to hammer a nail?", most would answer "Yes." "Will you hammer a nail for me?" "Sure, just give me a hammer!" However, if their hands were tied to their legs, they may still answer "yes" to the question, "Do you know how to hammer a nail?", because they do know how; but, they would be unable to do so when asked. If you just ignored their lack of access to hand function (because it is tied up) and said "Come on now, hammer that nail!", they may become frustrated and angry because they could hammer that nail if only they could access the function of their tied-up hands. The difference between this analogy and the above lack of access to brain functions is that they would clearly understand their inability to hammer the nail, and they would likely state, "If you'll just untie my hands, I'll gladly do it for you," letting you know why they can't at this time do what is asked of them, also alleviating their frustration at not being able to do so. However, with lack of access to specific brain functions, people can not (nor can those around them) understand why they can not perform certain tasks dependent upon the specific brain functions not accessed! The individual almost never knows consciously why he can't access these specific brain functions, and just gets" frustrated", which often leads to "anger" and that anger often leads to "inappropriate behaviour." (See Figure 2 The Stress-Avoidance Cycle) 1994 Melbourne Applied Physiology 8 To Learn or not to Learn 060607.doc The Learning Enhancement Advanced Program (LEAP) Brain Integration This is the state of having access to all relevant Gestalt & Logic Lead functions, the subconscious processing centres and the pathways to integrate these processing modules. Integrated brain function requires the synchronisation of processing occurring in widely distributed subsystems in many different areas of the brain at the same time. Loss of timing or synchronisation results in the inability to perform those mental tasks dependent upon integrated brain function. This is termed loss of brain integration. Figure 2 The Stress-Avoidance Cycle. Whenever there is lack of access to specific brain functions or the ability to integrate these functions this initiates the avoidance of tasks dependent on these brain functions. This is often misinterpreted as misbehaviour. 1994 Melbourne Applied Physiology 9 To Learn or not to Learn 060607.doc The Learning Enhancement Advanced Program (LEAP) LEAP: CORRECTION PROGRAM The program is based upon the powerful brain formatting techniques initially developed by Richard Utt, Founder and President of Applied Physiology, and then developed further into the LEAP brain integration technique by Dr. Charles Krebs, Founder of Melbourne Applied Physiology. This brain integration technique "opens up" access to both Gestalt and Logic functions and removes blocks to integrated function. Further research and development of specific correction techniques by Dr. Charles Krebs, now allow for the correction of most specific learning difficulties. The Basic Learning Correction Program requires between twelve (10) and twenty four (24) hours of treatment. This includes an initial assessment that serves as a benchmark against which to evaluate future change, and points out the areas needing the most attention. The next several hours are devoted to Brain Integration which lays the foundation for the specific learning corrections that follow. Much like building a house, there is little sense in putting time and effort into creating a functional structure unless it rests on a solid foundation. The Brain Integration procedure releases stresses in the deep brain centres, including the Limbic System, which control access to and integration of hemisphere functions. Once the Brain Integration procedures are complete, we then apply specific learning corrections for dysfunctions in reading skills and comprehension, spelling, mathematics, and the whole range of Wechsler Intelligence Scale subtests. When all the functional areas have been addressed, low self- esteem and behavioural problems related to the previous learning difficulties are addressed using effective emotional and memory stress release (defusion) techniques. Just because you now can perform a learning task well does not mean that you will. Previous conditioning and memory of "how it was" often shut off our will to give it a go. All correction techniques used are non-invasive. The techniques are based on the use of muscle monitoring, acupressure, emotional and memory release, and sound and light techniques, together with other left/right brain integration exercises. The LEAP Program developed from work with clinical psychologists who tested many of clients on Standardised intelligence tests and retested them after treatment. The results of the retests show significant improvement in many areas that were previously deficit, and highlighted areas requiring further work. Assessments by neurologists demonstrated that when the Program had limited effects, there was usually organic damage involved. LEAP Practitioners also work closely with tutors and special education teachers that are helping to fill in the deficits in knowledge created by the previous learning difficulties. A typical Learning Correction Program may look like the below: Session 1 - Assessment and Estimate Time of Treatment and begin Brain Integration (2 hours) Session 2 - Brain Integration (2- 6 hours) Session 3 - Complete Brain Integration Procedures and begin Specific Learning Corrections - Usually Reading or Spelling first (2- 4 hours) 1994 Melbourne Applied Physiology 10 To Learn or not to Learn 060607.doc The Learning Enhancement Advanced Program (LEAP) Session 4 - Continue Specific Learning Corrections - Completing Correction of Reading, Spelling, and Mathematics (2- 4 hours) Session 5 - Continue Specific Learning Corrections - Correcting performance on various Verbal and Gestalt tests (1- 4 hours) Session 6 - Defuse Negative Attitudes which Block Learning and Self-esteem, as well as Defusing Behavioural Problems (1- 4 hours) The basic ten to twenty four hour program is an estimate based on the median time for treatment as each person's program will vary on the basis of their individual needs. The median time is the length of treatment that occurs most often. Some people with only one or two areas of deficit may take only four to six hours to go through the whole program, while others with many areas of deficit may take far longer. Children with severe learning problems and major deficits in most areas of function indicated by Low Average, Borderline, or Serious Deficit ranking on standardised tests, may require thirty hours of treatment or more. Our experience is that even these children improve significantly in function, but that the rate of improvement is slower than for people with less severe deficits. At the end of the Assessment during the first session, you will be advised of the probable length of treatment required in your specific case. Founder of LEAP Program: Dr. Charles Krebs and is the founders of Melbourne Applied Physiology, and developed the Melbourne Applied Physiology Learning Enhancement Acupressure Program (LEAP). Charles has been working with the application of kinesiology and acupressure techniques to the correction of specific learning problems for over twenty years. Charles' background is in science both as a research scientist and university lecturer, and he has over twenty years of clinical experience. References: 1. Levy, J. 1985. Right brain, left brain: Fact and Fiction. May 1985, Psychology Today. 1994 Melbourne Applied Physiology 11 To Learn or not to Learn 060607.doc
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Identification and Characterization of ?-Aminobutyric Acid Uptake
System GabPCg(NCgl0464) in Corynebacterium glutamicum
Zhi Zhao,a,bJiu-Yuan Ding,bWen-hua Ma,bNing-Yi Zhou,cand Shuang-Jiang Liua
State Key Laboratory of Microbial Resourcesaand Department of Industrial Microbiology and Biotechnology,bInstitute of Microbiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences,
Beijing, People's Republic of China, and Key Laboratory of Agricultural and Environmental Microbiology, Wuhan Institute of Virology, Chinese Academy of Sciences,
Wuhan, People's Republic of Chinac
Corynebacterium glutamicum is widely used for industrial production of various amino acids and vitamins, and there is growing
interestinengineeringthisbacteriumformorecommercialbioproductssuchas ?-aminobutyricacid(GABA).Inthisstudy,a C.
glutamicum GABA-specifictransporter(GabPCg)encodedbyncgl0464wasidentifiedandcharacterized.GabPCgplaysamajor
role in GABA uptake and is essential to C. glutamicum growing on GABA. GABA uptake by GabPCgwas weakly competed by L-
Asnand L-Glnandstimulatedbysodiumion(Na?).TheKmandVmaxvaluesweredeterminedtobe41.1 ?4.5?Mand36.8?
2.6nmolmin?1(mgdryweight[DW])?1,respectively,atpH6.5and34.2 ?1.1?Mand67.3?1.0nmolmin?1(mgDW)?1,re-
acid transporter (TyrP) of Escherichia coli but low identities to the currently known GABA transporters (17% and 15% to E. coli
GabP and Bacillus subtilis GabP, respectively). The mutant RES167 ?ncgl0464/pGXKZ9 with the GabPCgdeletion showed 12.5%
is potentially important for engineering GABA-producing C. glutamicum strains.
ferent environments. The understanding of such transport sys-
of industrial technologies that exploit microbial fermentation or
to up to a 20% increase of tryptophan production (15).
as a nonprotein amino acid. It functions as the chief inhibitory
neurotransmitter for the mammalian central nervous system and
is involved in many other physiological processes such as induc-
tion of hypotension and diuretic effects. Being a potentially im-
portant pharmaceutical chemical and food additive, microbial
production of GABA has attracted interest from research and in-
GABA. GABA is generated from glutamic acid (GA) by a GA de-
carboxylase (GAD; EC 188.8.131.52) as a glutamate-dependent acid
in organisms such as Saccharomyces cerevisiae (1) and E. coli (2).
cinic semialdehyde with a GABA oxoglutarate aminotransferase
(GabT), and this product is then oxidized to succinate with suc-
nosarum (34). Besides those genes encoding proteins of catalytic
function, genes encoding GABA transporters were also identified
in E. coli (33), S. cerevisiae (1), and Bacillus subtilis (10). Recently,
minosarum (12, 47).
Very recently, there has been growing interest in manipulating the
highly productive bacterium C. glutamicum into robust producing
ransport of metabolic substrates/products across the cellular
boundary is vital to microbial adaptation and survival in dif-
strains for cadaverine (30), putrescine (38), polyhydroxy acids (27),
C4-dicarboxylates like succinate, fumarate, L-malate, and glutamate
According to genome annotation, the C. glutamicum ATCC 13032
cg0566) genes (14, 17), indicating that C. glutamicum was possibly
metabolizing GABA. Two additional genes (ncgl1062 and ncgl1108)
were annotated as GABA permeases (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
/nuccore/NC_003450). However, C. glutamicum NCgl1062 and
NCgl1108 were experimentally identified to be a general aromatic
amino acid transporter (AroPCg) (45) and an L-Phe-specific trans-
porter (PhePCg) (50), respectively. In this study, we identified and
All the bacterial strains and plasmids used in this study are listed in Table
1. E. coli strains were grown aerobically in Luria-Bertani (LB) broth on a
rotary shaker (200 rpm) at 37°C (36) or on LB plates with 1.2% (wt/vol)
agar. C. glutamicum strains were routinely grown at 30°C on a rotary
Received 1 November 2011 Accepted 26 January 2012
Published ahead of print 3 February 2012
Address correspondence to Shuang-Jiang Liu, email@example.com, or Jiu-Yuan Ding,
Supplemental material for this article may be found at http://aem.asm.org/.
Copyright © 2012, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.
aem.asm.org 0099-2240/12/$12.00 Applied and Environmental Microbiologyp. 2596–2601
Page 2
cultivate wild type and mutants of C. glutamicum when GABA, trypto-
phan, tyrosine, or phenylalanine was used as the sole carbon or the sole
nitrogen source.
Genetic cloning, disruption, and complementation. The total
genomic DNA of C. glutamicum was isolated according to the method of
Tauch et al. (42). The entire ncgl0464 gene of C. glutamicum was PCR
amplified with primers 464F and 464R (see Table S1 in the supplemental
material) and was subsequently ligated onto pXMJ19. The resulting plas-
mid, pGXKZ7, was transformed into E. coli cells (36) or electroporated
into C. glutamicum (43).
A larger fragment (1,961 bp) overlapping the locus ncgl0464 was PCR
amplified using Pfu DNA polymerase (Takara, Japan) and the primers
464FK and 464RK (see Table S1 in the supplemental material). The PCR
(Sangon, China) and cloned into the pMD19-T simple vector (Takara,
Japan), resulting in pMD19-ncgl0464. In vitro disruption of ncgl0464 was
performed by HincII restriction of pMD19-ncgl0464, thus removing the
region from positions 814 to 1,150 bp (positions referring to ncgl0464)
and resulting in pMD19-?ncgl0464 carrying a truncated ncgl0464. The
disrupted ncgl0464 was PCR amplified with primers 464FK and 464RK
and was ligated into pK18mobsacB, resulting in plasmid pGXKZ8.
(43). Screening for the first and second recombination events, as well as
confirmation of the chromosomal deletion, was performed as described
previously (37).The deletion of the target gene in pGXKZ8 and in C.
glutamicum mutants was verified by PCR amplification and DNA se-
quencing. The resulting strain was designated C. glutamicum RES167
For genetic complementation and expression, plasmid pGXZ7 was
transformed into C. glutamicum RES167 ?ncgl0464 by electroporation.
isopropyl-?-D-thiogalactopyranoside (IPTG) to culture broth.
Assays for GABA transport. Uptake experiments with unlabeled and
4-14C-labeled GABA were conducted according to the procedures de-
scribed by Zhao et al. (50). The minimal medium used by Zhao et al. (50)
was replaced by minimal MMI medium.
(i) Uptake assay with unlabeled GABA. C. glutamicum cells were
grown in LB medium. Cells at exponential phase were harvested and
were resuspended (cell density, optical density at 600 nm of 4 to 5) in
minimal MMI medium containing 1 mM GABA and then incubated at
30°C. At the indicated intervals, portions of the reaction mixture were
withdrawn, filtered, and analyzed with an Agilent 1200 high-pressure liq-
uid chromatograph (HPLC) equipped with a Zorbax Eclipse-AAA col-
umn (Agilent).
cultivated and harvested according to the above-described procedures.
Cells were washed twice with 0.1 M Tris phosphate buffer and resus-
pended in the same buffer. The reaction mixture (1 ml) contained 100
phenicol, and 0.1 ml of the cell suspension (approximately 0.2 mg dry
cells). The reaction was started by the addition of [4-14C]GABA (ARC,
Inc.). At the indicated intervals, 50 ?l of the reaction mixture was with-
drawn, vacuum filtered using nitrocellulase filters with a pore size of 0.45
LiCl. The filters containing cells were put into 2.0-ml centrifuge tubes
filled with scintillation liquid. Radioactivity was determined by a
PerkinElmer MicroBeta liquid scintillation counter. The rate of GABA
uptake was calculated with the data from14C-labeling liquid scintillation
up per mg of cell dry weight (DW) under the conditions applied in this
Determination of kinetic constants. Kmand Vmaxwere determined
by linear regression using a Lineweaver-Burk reciprocal plot. The initial
rates of [4-14C]GABA uptake at concentrations of 4, 9, 20, 50, 100, 300,
within 20 s. Kmand Vmaxwere calculated according to the plot.
GABA production. To generate GABA-producing strains, the gluta-
mate decarboxylase gene gadB1 (LVIS_1847) of Lactobacillus brevis (41)
was cloned into pXMJ19, resulting in pGXKZ9. For genetic expression,
the plasmid pGXKZ9 was transformed into C. glutamicum RES167 and
twice with 0.9% NaCl. Then, the cells were incubated in a 250-ml flask
containing MMII medium (per liter: L-glutamic acid, 50 g; glucose, 4 g;
columns (Agilent).
DNA and protein sequences and bioinformatic analyses. The genome
sequence of C. glutamicum ATCC 13032 (accession no. NC_003450 and
NC_006958) was retrieved from GenBank (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/).
Gene and protein sequences were obtained from NCBI (http://www.ncbi
TABLE 1 Bacterial strains and plasmids used in this study
Strain or plasmid Relevant characteristicsSource or reference
E. coli
supE44 ?lacY169 (?80 lacZ?M15) hsdR17 recA1 endA1 gyrA96 thi-1 relA1 Invitrogen
C. glutamicum
RES167 ?ncgl0464
RES167 ?ncgl0464/pGXKZ7
RES167 ?ncgl0464/pGXKZ9
Restriction-deficient mutant of ATCC 13032; ?cglIM ?cglIR ?cglIIR
ncgl0464 truncated, amino acids 113 to 222 deleted
RES167 ?ncgl0464 containing pGXKZ7
RES167 ?ncgl0464 containing pGXKZ9
RES167 ?ncgl0464 containing pGXKZ9
University of Bielefeld
This study
This study
This study
This study
PCR cloning vector
E. coli-C. glutamicum shuttle vector, CamrPtac lacIqpBL1 oriVCgpK18 oriVEc
Mobilizable vector, allows selection of double crossover in C. glutamicum
pXMJ19 carrying PCR-amplified ncgl0464 to generate ncgl0464 expression or
complementation for ?ncgl0464
pK18mobsacB carrying ?ncgl0464; refer to RES167 ?ncgl0464
pXMJ19 carrying PCR-amplified LVIS1847 from Lactobacillus brevis ATCC
367 to generate LVIS1847 expression
This study
This study
This study
GABA Uptake System in C. glutamicum
April 2012 Volume 78 Number 8 aem.asm.org 2597
Page 3
Genomic data mining of genes relating to GABA metabolism.
high-quality C. glutamicum ATCC 13032 DNA sequences and re-
metabolism, namely, ncgl0462 to ncgl0464 from NC_003450 and
coded a putative succinate-semialdehyde dehydrogenase (GabDCg).
This putative GabDCgshowed amino acid sequence identities to the
ncgl0463 and cg0566 encoded a putative GABA aminotransferase
(GabTCg). This putative GabTCgshowed 43 to 46% identical amino
The third gene, ncgl0464 or cg0568, had been annotated for
a putative hydroxyl- or aromatic amino acid transporter (26).
BLAST-P searches showed that NCgl0464 had 29% amino acid
sequence identity to the L-Tyr-specific permease of E. coli
(TyrPEc). Although several GABA transporter systems have been
identified, NCgl0464 did not shown significant identities (less
than 17%) to those proteins involved in the transport systems.
tein of 415 amino acid residues with a calculated molecular mass
of 43.4 kDa. This theoretical protein was predicted to be an inte-
gral membrane protein with 11 putative transmembrane seg-
analyses suggested that ncgl0464 was possibly involved in either
aromatic amino acid and/or GABA transport.
The mutant RES167 ?ncgl0464 lost the ability to grow on
C. glutamicum RES167, resulting in the mutant RES167 ?ncgl0464.
mediumwith L-Trp, L-Tyr,or L-Pheasthesolenitrogensource.The
growth difference between RES167 ?ncgl0464 and RES167 in LB
broth was marginal. There was no observable difference between
RES167 ?ncgl0464 and RES167 in MMI medium with L-Trp, L-Tyr,
or L-Pheasthesolenitrogensource.ItseemsthatNCgl0464doesnot
RES167 ?ncgl0464 and RES167 were also cultivated with
GABA as the sole nitrogen or carbon source. Results showed that
the mutant strain RES167 ?ncgl0464 lost the ability to grow on
GABA. The ability to grow on GABA was restored in comple-
plemental material). These results demonstrated that ncgl0464
was involved in GABA assimilation in C. glutamicum.
Combining the bioinformatic analysis and the above-described
experimental results, it was deduced that ncgl0464 encoded a
GABA transporter. Uptake assays were conducted with unlabeled
and 4-14C-labeled GABA. Figure 1A shows the results obtained
with unlabeled GABA. It was observed that the bulk concentra-
tions of GABA in the medium dropped quickly with RES167 and
RES167 ?ncgl0464/pGXKZ7 but not with the mutant RES167
?ncgl0464. Subsequently, uptake experiments with 4-14C-labeled
GABA were carried out. Results showed that both RES167 and
of ncgl0464 on the multicopy plasmid pGXKZ7 resulted in an
uptake rate in RES167 ?ncgl0464/pGXKZ7 even higher than that
in RES167. Mutant RES167 ?ncgl0464 lost the ability to take up
that ncgl0464 encoded a GABA transporter and here was named
GabPCgis a new transporter specific to GABA. The substrate
specificity of GabPCgwas examined with 4-14C-labeled GABA in
the presence of 20-fold of unlabeled amino acids or structurally
related compounds (Table 2). Results indicated that L-Gln and
24% increase of 4-14C-labeled GABA uptake was found with 1,4-
affected the uptake of 4-14C-labeled GABA by GabPCg. Thus, it
was concluded that GabPCgrepresented a new transporter and it
was specific to GABA.
GabPCgactivity was dependent on electrochemical ion po-
tentials and subject to pH influence. In order to understand
whether the ATP molecule or electrochemical potential was the
driving force, uptake of GABA by GabPCgwas examined in the
brane ion gradient. Results (Fig. 2A) showed that the presence of
CCCP completely stopped the uptake of GABA by GabPCg. This
result suggested that GabPCgrelied on electrochemical potential
for GABA transportation in C. glutamicum and did not rely on
ATP molecules. We also observed the influence of pH (range, 6.5
to 8.0) on GabPCgactivity. As shown in Fig. 2B, GabPCgwas more
of GABA at pH values of either 6.5 or 7.5 (Fig. 2C).
Uptake kinetics. The rates of uptake by GabPCgwere deter-
mined at various concentrations (4, 9, 20, 50, 100, 300, and 500
mM) of [4-14C]GABA with RES167 ?ncgl0464/pGXKZ7. RES167
?ncgl0464 was run in parallel, but this mutant basically exhibited
no uptake activity on GABA, as demonstrated in the previous
experiments. As shown in Fig. 3, uptake rates were determined at
FIG 1 Uptake of GABA by C. glutamicum RES167 (filled squares), RES167
?ncgl0464 (empty triangles), and RES167 ?ncgl0464/pGXKZ7 (filled trian-
GABA was 1 mM, which was calculated to be 100% uptake. (B)14C-labeled
experiments were repeated three times, and the trends were the same.
Zhao et al.
aem.asm.orgApplied and Environmental Microbiology
Page 4
to be 41.1 ? 4.5 ?M and 36.8 ? 2.6 nmol min?1(mg DW)?1,
respectively, at pH 6.5. The Kmand Vmaxvalues at pH 7.5 were
34.2 ? 1.1 ?M and 67.3 ? 1.0 nmol min?1(mg DW)?1, respec-
at pH 7.5 compared to pH 6.5.
GABA production with a mutant with a GabPCgdeletion. In
and to evaluate the impact of GabPCgdeletion on GABA produc-
tion, the glutamate decarboxylase gene gadB1 from L. brevis was
cloned into pXMJ19, and the resulting plasmid, pGXKZ9, was
transformed into RES167 and RES167 ?ncgl0464. Results show
RES167 ?ncgl0464/pGXKZ9 was 5.5% higher than that by
RES167/pGXKZ9. The productivity of GABA was 2.4 and 2.1 mg
of GABA per mg of cell mass by RES167 ?ncgl0464/pGXKZ9 and
RES167/pGXKZ9 (Table 3), respectively, which correspond to an
amount 12.5% higher than that for the GabPCgmutant. These
results clearly demonstrated that disruption of GabPCgincreased
the production of GABA by C. glutamicum.
GAGA is currently produced via chemical synthesis. Due to
the high demand from industry, biological system-based and en-
vironment-friendly processes are desired (41). GABA transport
across the cell boundary is a critical step for high GABA produc-
tion by microbial processes. GabPCgis the first GABA transporter
identified in C. glutamicum, and deletion of this transporter re-
parent strain. GabPCgshows low amino acid sequence identity
(less than 17%) to the currently known proteins involved in
GABA transport systems and had responses to competitive inhib-
acterized GABA transporters. Among the 20 amino acids tested,
TABLE 2 Effects of various amino acids and structurally related
compounds on [4-14C]GABA uptake in C. glutamicum RES167
?ncgl0464/pGXKZ7 (pH 6.5)
Relative rate (%) of
5-Aminovaleric acid
100.0 ? 5.0
15.4 ? 0.3
118.7 ? 9.3
103.6 ? 0.2
124.0 ? 7.0
112.7 ? 8.8
89.4 ? 0.3
68.4 ? 2.4
92.3 ? 2.4
80.0 ? 4.3
111.2 ? 4.4
89.5 ? 2.4
92.8 ? 7.3
99.8 ? 2.2
94.3 ? 2.1
104.2 ? 4.4
100.4 ? 8.5
89.4 ? 8.9
100.7 ? 7.7
99.7 ? 3.8
102.2 ? 4.2
105.1 ? 7.7
104.5 ? 2.8
101.6 ? 5.1
109.6 ? 1.6
93.0 ? 4.9
aThe concentration of each competitor was 200 ?M.
bThe concentration of [4-14C]GABA was 10 ?M. The [4-14C]GABA uptake rate in the
absence of competitors was determined to be 8.1 ? 0.4 nmol min?1(mg DW)?1, and
this was calculated to be 100% uptake. Data are averages from three parallel
determinations, and the standard deviations are provided.
FIG 2 (A) Effect of CCCP on uptake of14C-labeled GABA by C. glutamicum
RES167 ?ncgl0464/pGXKZ7 at pH 7.5. The initial concentration of
[14C]GABA was 10 ?M. Filled squares, control, no addition; filled triangles,
(empty triangles), pH 6.5 (empty squares), pH 7.2 (filled triangles), pH 7.5
uptake in C. glutamicum RES167 ?ncgl0464/pGXKZ7 at pH 6.5 (gray col-
cells were used in the experiments. Data are averages from 3 independent
FIG 3 Uptake of [4-14C]GABA by C. glutamicum RES167 ?ncgl0464/
pGXKZ7 (filled diamonds, pH 6.5; filled squares, pH 7.5) and RES167
?ncgl0464 (empty triangles, pH 7.5). The initial concentration of [4-
14C]GABA was 1 to 500 ?M.
GABA Uptake System in C. glutamicum
April 2012 Volume 78 Number 8aem.asm.org 2599
Page 5
L-Asn and L-Gln, each at a concentration of 200 ?M, could com-
pete only by 20.0 to 31.6% with GABA for uptake. Sodium cation
GabPCg. In contrast, the uptake of GABA by the GabP of E. coli
(GabPEc)wasnotcompetedby L-Asnand L-Glnbutwascompeted
by L-Asp at 20 mM by approximately 75% (33). The GabP of B.
subtilis (GabPBs) showed an equal preference for L-Ala and GABA
(6).Rv0522ofMycobacteriumbovistookboth L-ArgandGABAas
substrates (39). In addition, GabPCgshows low sequence identity
to the previously functionally characterized GABA transporters.
For example, GabPCghas only 17% sequence identity to GabPEc
and 15% sequence identity to GabPBs. Relatively higher sequence
identities (40 to 48%) were observed among GabPEc, GabPBs, and
Rv0522 (12, 39, 45).
Topology prediction and sequence alignments revealed that
GabPCghad 11 putative TMs. The transport of GABA by GabPCg
was more active under neutral to slightly alkaline conditions. In
contrast, other experimentally identified hydroxy/aromatic
amino acid permease (HAAAP) family members such as TyrP
(46), Mtr (11), and SdaC (40) in E. coli were symporters of sub-
strate and H?and usually have 12 TMs. Except for the two ABC-
type GABA transporters (Bra and Gts) (12, 47), all previously
identified microbial GABA transporters, including GabPEcin E.
S. cerevisiae (1, 4), were secondary carriers of the amino acid-
polyamine-organocation (APC) superfamily and functioned as
solute:cation symporters and solute:solute antiporters (35).
GabPCgplays a major role in GABA transport, and thus, it is
essentially involved in GABA assimilation in C. glutamicum. It is
considered to be the only GABA-specific transport system in C.
glutamicum, since the GabPCgmutant (RES167 ?ncgl0464) lost
the ability to grow on GABA. A similar phenotype was reported
when GabPBswas inactivated in B. subtilis (10). However, more
than one GABA transport system has been detected in other mi-
in GABA uptake, suggesting that a different and weak GABA
siae by 3 transport systems, a general amino acid permease
(GAP1), the proline permease (PUT4), and a specific GABA per-
mease (UGA4), was reported (1). R. leguminosarum has two
GABA transport systems of the ABC type, the broad-substrate-
specificity Bra system for branched-chain amino acids (12) and
the GABA-specific Gts system (47). Considering the many physi-
in mammals, as shuttle molecules in symbiont R. leguminosarum
and its host plant (34), or in nitrogen or carbon nutrition for
reflect only a small proportion of the long coevolution and adap-
tation to different environments.
This work was supported by grants (30730002 and 30725001) from the
National Natural Science Foundation of China.
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10. Ferson AE, Wray LV, Jr, Fisher SH. 1996. Expression of the Bacillus
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unusually broad substrate specificity and high similarity to branched-
chain amino acid transporters (Bra/LIV) of the ABC family. J. Bacteriol.
13. Ikeda M, Katsumata R. 1994. Transport of aromatic amino acids and its
influence on overproduction of the amino acids in Corynebacterium glu-
tamicum. J. Ferment. Bioeng. 78:420–425.
14. Ikeda M, Nakagawa S. 2003. The Corynebacterium glutamicum genome:
technol. 62:99–109.
15. Ikeda M, Katsumata R. 1995. Tryptophan production by transport mu-
tants of Corynebacterium glutamicum. Biosci. Biotechnol. Biochem. 59:
16. Jakoby M, Ngouoto-Nkili C-E, Burkovski A. 1999. Construction and
application of new Corynebacterium glutamicum vectors. Biotechnol.
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TABLE 3 Effects of genetic deletion of ncgl0464 in C. glutamicum on the
extracellular accumulation and productivity of GABA
(g · liter?1)
rate (%)
(mg · mg?1b)
RES167 ?ncgl0464/pGXKZ9
23.6 ? 1.2
25.6 ? 2.3
aThe initial concentration of glutamate was 50 g · liter?1, and the incubation time was
1 h. Cell densities were 4.4 to 4.6 mg · ml?1for all tests.
bmg of GABA produced per mg of cell mass in 1 h.
Zhao et al.
aem.asm.orgApplied and Environmental Microbiology


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published 29/07/2000
ProSuperb drive, great looks, good residual value.
ContraEveryone else in the midlands has got one!!
published 26/07/2004
Prosuperbly economical, good looking, reliable.
Contratiny footwell -husband has difficulties driving it...
published 29/08/2000
ProGood looking and cheap to run
ContraGoing through Problems
published 09/10/2008
ProGood little car
ContraCan be a little thirsty