title: Margaret of York

text: By 1477, Margaret's position as Duchess of Burgundy was no longer as brilliant as it had been: after Isabella's death in 1471, Charles had become increasingly tyrannical and grandiose, dreaming of assembling a new Kingdom of Lotharingia from the North Sea to the Mediterranean; to accomplish this, he warred continuously with his neighbours, who responded by allying against him. Meanwhile, Louis XI had proved masterful at destabilising the Burgundian State: Edward IV had been detached from his alliance, Charles' reputation and banking credit had been undermined by Louis, and Burgundian trade was choked by French embargoes. By 1476, the Duke was regarded as a tyrant by his people, who were suffering from the French refusal to export their wine and bread to Burgundy, and who dreaded his terrible reprisals against rebels being unleashed on them. In 1476, he arranged for his daughter and heiress, Mary, to be betrothed to Maximilian of Habsburg; on 5 January 1477 he was killed in battle outside Nancy, in Lorraine.


title: Margaret of York

text: It was in the wake of her husband's death that Margaret proved truly invaluable to Burgundy. She had always been regarded as a skilful and intelligent politician; now, she went beyond even that. To her step-daughter, Mary, now Duchess of Burgundy, she gave guidance and help using her own experiences in the court of Edward IV, where she had largely avoided being used as a pawn and contributed to the arrangement of her own marriage; against the wave of marriage offers that flooded to the two duchesses in Ghent (from the recently widowed Duke of Clarence, from Charles, the 7-year-old Dauphin of France, and from a brother of Edward IV's wife, Elizabeth Woodville) she stood firm and advised Mary to marry Maximilian of Habsburg. Maximilian, the 18-year-old son of the Holy Roman Emperor Frederick III to whom Charles the Bold had betrothed Mary, was ambitious and active enough, in Margaret's opinion, to defend Mary's legacy.


title: Margaret of York

text: She strongly advised Mary to accept Maximilian's suit and marry him immediately; he arrived in Burgundy on 5 August 1477, and by 17 August had arrived at Ten Waele Castle, in Ghent. He met Mary there—they were both "pale as death", but found each other to their mutual liking—and Margaret took part in the traditional courtly games of love, telling Maximilian before the assembled nobility that his bride "had about her a carnation it behoved him to discover." The carnation duly proved to be in the Duchess's bodice, from which Maximilian carefully removed it. The pair were married the next day, on 18 August.


title: Margaret of York

text: Burgundy was far from safe: the Duchy of Burgundy itself had already been conquered by the French, who were continuing to attack from all sides, taking advantage of the state's instability. Margaret now moved to secure military support from her brother, Edward IV; he sent enough support to allow Mary and Maximilian to resist the French advances any further, although the Duchy itself remained lost. Louis XI, recognising the danger Margaret posed to him, attempted to buy her off with a French pension and a promise of personally protecting her; she contemptuously refused, and instead sailed in summer 1480 to London, where she was again attended by Richard Boyville and negotiated a resumption of the Anglo-Burgundian alliance and renewed trade. Nor did she stop there in supporting Mary and Maximilian; when, on 22 July 1478, Mary gave birth to a son and heir, Philip, Louis XI had rumours spread that the child was, in fact, a girl. Margaret, who was standing godmother to the child, matter-of-factly disproved the rumour: as the Christening party left the church of St Donat, she conclusively proved that the child was an undoubted male, by undressing him and presenting him to the assembled crowd. In 1480, the next child of Mary and Maximilian was a girl: the Duke and Duchess named her Margaret, after the dowager Duchess.


title: Margaret of York

text: Margaret was however dealt a devastating blow in 1482: her much-loved step-daughter, Mary, fell from her horse whilst hunting, and broke her back. The injuries were fatal, and Mary died on 27 March. From a personal point of view, this was a harsh blow to Margaret; politically, Mary's death weakened the Burgundian state further. The Burgundians were now sick of war, and unwilling to accept the rule of Maximilian as regent for his son, the 4-year-old Duke Philip, or even as guardian of the children. They forced his hand: on 23 December 1482, the Three Estates of the Lowlands signed the Treaty of Arras with Louis XI, granting him the Burgundian Lowlands, Picardy and the county of Boulogne. Margaret was unable to secure assistance from Edward IV, who had made a truce with France; consequently, she and Maximilian were forced to accept the "fait accompli". Maximilian brokered a personal peace with Louis by arranging for his daughter, Margaret, to be betrothed to the young Dauphin of France; she was sent to be raised at the French court, taking with her the Free County of Burgundy and the County of Artois with her as a dowry.


title: Margaret of York

text: This was not the end of the problems for Margaret and Maximilian: the Netherlanders still disliked his rule of the territory. In 1488, he was taken prisoner in Bruges by the citizens. Margaret called on the emperor for help. Later he was released after making concessions and also because Bruges feared his father's army. The next year, he was summoned back to Austria by his father, the Emperor; Burgundy was left to be governed by Margaret together with the Burgundian Estates, both of whom also undertook the guardianship of the young Duke Philip. She would later welcome his daughter, Margaret, after her rejection by the French court in 1493. Her residence in Mechelen thus became a princely court. This was also the place Philip the Fair's children would be educated when he departed for Spain in 1501. Margaret of Austria, her godchild, would continue to choose Mechelen as residence (and thus the capital city of the Low Countries) as a widowed governor in 1507. Blockmans opines that Margaret of York was the model of Margaret of Austria as well as later widowed female governors, as they inherited her residence, library and household. Another indication of the close relationship between Margaret and Maximilian was a book recounting Macedonian monarchy and the Hellenistic kingdom, written by Justinius, that she gave him, with the inscription "Your loyal mother". The sign that showed this book was intended for Maximilian was the imperial coat of arms, which he could not have carried before his father's death in 1493, as well as the codex style, the subject, the language.


title: Margaret of York

text: By this time, Margaret had already suffered more personal tragedies. Her brother, the Duke of Clarence, had been executed by Edward IV in 1478; Edward himself had died of illness in 1483 and finally, her younger brother Richard, who took the throne as Richard III was in 1485 killed at the Battle of Bosworth by the leader of the House of Lancaster, Henry Tudor, Earl of Richmond, a cousin and nephew of Henry VI, who went on to become Henry VII, and to marry the daughter of Edward IV, Elizabeth of York. With the death of Richard, the House of York ceased to rule in England. Margaret consequently was a staunch supporter of anyone willing to challenge Tudor, and backed both Lambert Simnel and Perkin Warbeck, even going so far as to acknowledge Warbeck as her nephew, the younger son of Edward IV, the Duke of York. She offered financial backing to support his attempt to take the throne, hiring continental mercenaries to accompany him on an expedition to England in 1495. Warbeck suffered a significant defeat at the Battle of Deal, and then failed to take Waterford in Ireland. Warbeck was probably an imposter and would be locked up in the Tower of London and subsequently executed by Henry VII. Henry in fact found Margaret undoubtedly problematic, but there was little he could do since she was protected by her step-son-in-law Maximilian.


title: Margaret of York

text: Margaret died on 23 November 1503, at the age of 57, shortly after the return of her step-grandson, Philip the Handsome, to Burgundy. Her death in that year allowed her to be spared the grief of Philip's untimely death of typhoid fever in 1506. She was buried in the Church of the Cordeliers in Mechelen.


title: Margaret of York

text: William Caxton, who introduced the new art of printing into the Kingdom of England and was a staunch Yorkist supporter, counted Margaret as one of his patrons. A presentation copy of "Recuyell of the Historyes of Troye", the first book printed in the English language (late 1473 – early 1474), has a specially made engraving showing Caxton presenting the book to Margaret. The volume is now in the Huntington Library, San Marino, California. This "patronage" may be more advertising than analogous to traditional medieval patronage.


title: Margaret of York

text: Of the many illuminated manuscripts commissioned by Margaret when she was Duchess of Burgundy, one of the most celebrated is "The Visions of Tondal", illustrated by Simon Marmion and currently in the Getty Museum (a facsimile has been published).


title: Margaret of York

text: A good-looking woman, but (rarely for the hyperbole of her age) never described as beautiful, Margaret had fine features, and was, at almost 6 feet, very tall, a feature accentuated by her slimness, and her straight and upright bearing. Her eyes were grey, and her mouth was small; her smile allowed her to demonstrate her wry humour, her wit, and her graciousness. In appearance, she was utterly unlike the dark and burly Duke Charles the Bold, who was shorter than her: when they met for the first time, she was forced to bend in order to receive his kiss. But her intelligence was keen, and her will strong; she made a worthy bride for the Duke in nature.


title: Margaret of York

text: With her husband's family, she got on excellently: she became a mother figure to her step-daughter, Mary, who shared Margaret's interests in reading, riding, hunting, and falconry; her mother-in-law, Isabella of Portugal, said of Margaret that she was "well pleased with the sight of this lovely lady, and pleased with her manners and virtues". A capable ruler, she proved a masterful Duchess; she was a Yorkist in sympathies, but she was before that the Duchess of Burgundy. She bore no male heir to succeed to Burgundy, but she preserved it from ruin; to her actions can be ascribed the survival of the Burgundian state, and the prevention of French dominance in Europe.


title: Margaret of York

text: Margaret is the major character in the 2008 novel "A Daughter of York" by Anne Easter Smith. The book begins with Margaret mourning her father and brother and continues through her marriage and the aftermath of her husband's death. She also features in Easter Smith's 2009 "The King's Grace".


title: Margaret of York

text: In the video game "", there is a contract mission in London where Margaret is killed on behalf of Henry VII.


title: Margaret of York

text: In the 2017 Starz drama "The White Princess" (not to be confused with its predecessor "The White Queen"), she was portrayed by English actress Joanne Whalley.


title: Margaret of York

text: In the 2017 German-Austrian TV series "Maximilian" about Maximilian I and Mary of Burgundy, she was portrayed by French actress Alix Poisson.


title: Heart transplantation

text: A heart transplant, or a cardiac transplant, is a surgical transplant procedure performed on patients with end-stage heart failure or severe coronary artery disease when other medical or surgical treatments have failed. , the most common procedure is to take a functioning heart, with or without both lungs, from a recently deceased organ donor (brain death is the standard) and implant it into the patient. The patient's own heart is either removed and replaced with the donor heart (orthotopic procedure) or, much less commonly, the recipient's diseased heart is left in place to support the donor heart (heterotopic, or "piggyback", transplant procedure).


title: Heart transplantation

text: Approximately 3,500 heart transplants are performed each year worldwide, more than half of which are in the US. Post-operative survival periods average 15 years. Heart transplantation is not considered to be a cure for heart disease; rather it is a life-saving treatment intended to improve the quality and duration of life for a recipient.


title: Heart transplantation

text: American medical researcher Simon Flexner was one of the first people to mention the possibility of heart transplantation. In 1907, he wrote the paper "Tendencies in Pathology," in which he said that it would be possible one day by surgery to replace diseased human organs – including arteries, stomach, kidneys and heart.


title: Heart transplantation

text: Not having a human donor heart available, James D. Hardy of the University of Mississippi Medical Center transplanted the heart of a chimpanzee into the chest of dying Boyd Rush in the early morning of Jan. 24, 1964. Hardy used a defibrillator to shock the heart to restart beating. This heart did beat in Rush's chest for 60 to 90 minutes (sources differ), and then Rush died without regaining consciousness. Although Hardy was a respected surgeon who had performed the world's first human-to-human lung transplant a year earlier, author Donald McRae states that Hardy could feel the "icy disdain" from fellow surgeons at the Sixth International Transplantation Conference several weeks after this attempt with the chimpanzee heart. Hardy had been inspired by the limited success of Keith Reemtsma at Tulane University in transplanting chimpanzee kidneys into human patients with kidney failure. The consent form Hardy asked Rush's stepsister to sign did not include the possibility that a chimpanzee heart might be used, although Hardy stated that he did include this in verbal discussions. A xenotransplantation is the technical term for the transplant of an organ or tissue from one species to another.


title: Heart transplantation

text: Dr Dhaniram Baruah of Assam, India was the first heart surgeon to transplant a pig's heart in human body. However the recipient died subsequently. The world's first successful pig-to-human heart transplant was performed in January 2022 by surgeon Bartley P. Griffith of USA.


title: Heart transplantation

text: The world's first human-to-human heart transplant was performed by South African cardiac surgeon Christiaan Barnard utilizing the techniques developed by American surgeons Norman Shumway and Richard Lower. Patient Louis Washkansky received this transplant on December 3, 1967, at the Groote Schuur Hospital in Cape Town, South Africa. Washkansky, however, died 18 days later from pneumonia.


title: Heart transplantation

text: On December 6, 1967, at Maimonides Hospital in Brooklyn, New York, Adrian Kantrowitz performed the world's first pediatric heart transplant. The infant's new heart stopped beating after 7 hours and could not be restarted. At a following press conference, Kantrowitz emphasized that he did not consider the operation a success.


title: Heart transplantation

text: Norman Shumway performed the first adult heart transplant in the United States on January 6, 1968, at the Stanford University Hospital. A team led by Donald Ross performed the first heart transplant in the United Kingdom on May 3, 1968. These were allotransplants, the technical term for a transplant from a non-genetically identical individual of the same species. Brain death is the current ethical standard for when a heart donation can be allowed.


title: Heart transplantation

text: Worldwide, more than 100 transplants were performed by various doctors during 1968. Only a third of these patients lived longer than three months.


title: Heart transplantation

text: The next big breakthrough came in 1983 when cyclosporine entered widespread usage. This drug enabled much smaller amounts of corticosteroids to be used to prevent many cases of rejection (the "corticosteroid-sparing" effect of cyclosporine).


title: Heart transplantation

text: On June 9, 1984, "JP" Lovette IV of Denver, Colorado, became the world's first successful pediatric heart transplant. Columbia-Presbyterian Medical Center surgeons transplanted the heart of 4-year-old John Nathan Ford of Harlem into 4-year-old JP a day after the Harlem child died of injuries received in a fall from a fire escape at his home. JP was born with multiple heart defects. The transplant was done by a surgical team led by Dr. Eric A. Rose, director of cardiac transplantation at New York–Presbyterian Hospital. Drs. Keith Reemtsma and Fred Bowman also were members of the team for the six-hour operation.


title: Heart transplantation

text: In 1988, the first "domino" heart transplant was performed, in which a patient in need of a lung transplant with a healthy heart will receive a heart-lung transplant, and their original heart will be transplanted into someone else.


title: Heart transplantation

text: Worldwide, about 3,500 heart transplants are performed annually. The vast majority of these are performed in the United States (2,000–2,300 annually). Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, California, currently is the largest heart transplant center in the world, having performed 132 adult transplants in 2015 alone. About 800,000 people have NYHA Class IV heart failure symptoms indicating advanced heart failure. The great disparity between the number of patients needing transplants and the number of procedures being performed spurred research into the transplantation of non-human hearts into humans after 1993. Xenografts from other species and artificial hearts are two less successful alternatives to allografts.


title: Heart transplantation

text: The ability of medical teams to perform transplants continues to expand. For example, Sri Lanka's first heart transplant was successfully performed at the Kandy General Hospital on July 7, 2017. In recent years, donor heart preservation has improved and Organ Care System is being used in some centers in order to reduce the harmful effect of cold storage.


title: Heart transplantation

text: During heart transplant, the vagus nerve is severed, thus removing parasympathetic influence over the myocardium. However, some limited return of sympathetic nerves has been demonstrated in humans.


title: Heart transplantation

text: Recently, Australian researchers found a way to give more time for a heart to survive prior to the transplant, almost double the time.


title: Heart transplantation

text: On January 7, 2022, David Bennett, aged 57, of Maryland became the first person to receive a gene-edited pig heart in a transplant at the University of Maryland Medical Center. Before the transplant, David was unable to receive a human heart due to the patient's past conditions with heart failure and an irregular heartbeat, causing surgeons to use the pig heart that was genetically modified. Bennett died two months later at University of Maryland Medical Center on March 8, 2022.


title: Heart transplantation

text: Some patients are less suitable for a heart transplant, especially if they have other circulatory conditions related to their heart condition. The following conditions in a patient increase the chances of complications.


title: Heart transplantation

text: Patients who are in need of a heart transplant but do not qualify may be candidates for an artificial heart or a left ventricular assist device (LVAD).


title: Heart transplantation

text: Since the transplanted heart originates from another organism, the recipient's immune system typically attempts to reject it. The risk of rejection never fully goes away, and the patient will be on immunosuppressive drugs for the rest of their life. These drugs may cause unwanted side effects, such as an increased likelihood of infections or the development of certain cancers. Recipients can acquire kidney disease from a heart transplant due to the side effects of immunosuppressant medications. Many recent advances in reducing complications due to tissue rejection stem from mouse heart transplant procedures.


title: Heart transplantation

text: People who have had heart transplants are monitored in various ways to test for the development of rejection.


title: Heart transplantation

text: A 2022 pilot study examining the acceptability and feasibility of using video directly observed therapy to increase medication adherence in adolescent heart transplant patients showed promising results of 90.1% medication adherence compared to 40-60% typically. Higher medication variability levels can lead to fewer organ rejections and other poor outcomes.


title: Heart transplantation

text: The prognosis for heart transplant patients following the orthotopic procedure has improved over the past 20 years, and as of June 5, 2009 the survival rates were:


title: Heart transplantation

text: In 2007, researchers from the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine discovered that "men receiving female hearts had a 15% increase in the risk of adjusted cumulative mortality" over five years compared to men receiving male hearts. Survival rates for women did not significantly differ based on male or female donors.


title: Toyota Corolla (E170)

text: The E170/E180 series Toyota Corolla is the eleventh-generation of the Corolla that has been sold internationally since 2013. Two basic front and rear styling treatments are fitted to the E170—a North American version that debuted first—and a more conservative design for all other markets that debuted later in 2013. For the Japanese and Hong Kong markets, the smaller and unrelated E160 model is offered instead; the Japanese version remains compliant with Japanese government dimension regulations. The E170/E180 has an increased wheelbase of 100 mm longer than the previous generation. The E170/E180 derives from the Toyota New MC platform, unlike the E160 based on the B platform.


title: Toyota Corolla (E170)

text: The Corolla Altis was available in India from April 2014 in two engine forms, in petrol and diesel engines. The 1.8-litre 2ZR-FE is powered by petrol and the 1.4-litre (1364 cc) D-4D engine with variable Nozzle turbo and intercooler is powered by diesel. It gets 60/40 reclining rear seats, rain-sensing wipers, eight-way power adjustable seat with lumbar support, LED headlamps and 16-inch alloys on the top-end GL and VL variants, with all variants receiving LED tail lamps.


title: Toyota Corolla (E170)

text: Indonesia was the first ASEAN country to get the new Corolla Altis, released on 8 January 2014. Unlike the previous generation, it was released with the 1.8-litre Dual VVT-i engine only, the 2.0-litre Dual VVT-i engine was withdrawn due to small sales. Only 2 variants are offered, the 1.8 G manual transmission and the 1.8 V automatic transmission. The Indonesian market Corolla Altis received its facelift on 16 January 2017 with 7 airbags.


title: Toyota Corolla (E170)

text: In Malaysia, the Corolla Altis was launched in January 2014 and came in three variant forms, the base 1.8 E, the 2.0 G and the range-topping 2.0 V. CVT transmission with seven-speed sports sequential shift were standard across the lineup. In November 2014, the 2.0 G was replaced with the 1.8 G. In December 2016, the facelift model was launched with seven airbags, ABS with EBD and brake assist, vehicle stability control and ISOFIX rear child seat anchors as standard equipment. In September 2017, the range was updated with DVR dash cam, 360-degree Panoramic View Monitor and additional USB ports.


title: Toyota Corolla (E170)

text: The eleventh generation Corolla was launched in July 2014 in Pakistan. , a total of five trim levels were being sold; XLi 1.3L Manual, GLi 1.3L (with option of both automatic and manual transmission), Altis 1.6L (automatic only), Altis 1.8L and Altis Grande 1.8L. Pakistan is among the few countries in which the 1.3-litre variant is offered.


title: Toyota Corolla (E170)

text: The Corolla Altis was first released in early 2014, with five trims available. The entry-level 1.6 E model only came with a six-speed manual transmission, four-beam halogen headlamps, fabric upholstery, and 16-inch alloy wheels. The mid-range 1.6 G model added TVSS, fog lights and was available in six-speed manual or seven-speed continuously-variable transmission. The 1.6 V featured a push starter and front bumper sensors, and the high-end 2.0 V added LED headlamps with DRLs, paddle shifters, rain sensing wipers, leather seats, 17-inch alloy wheels, and sport body kit. A minor update for the Altis was later released in December 2016. The higher end variants were now equipped with DRLs and updated safety features such as 7 airbags, ABS and EBD. 1.6 variants were still equipped with halogen headlights, beige interior while the 2.0 variant gained projector HID headlamps, wrap around body kits and leather interior.


title: Toyota Corolla (E170)

text: The new Corolla Altis was available from 10 January 2014 offering only with the 1.6-litre 1ZR-FE engine with Dual VVT-i mated to a 7-speed Sequential transmission with Super CVT-i. Initially offered as a single trim, the line up was split into Classic and Elegance trims with the former using multi-reflector headlamps, 16-inch rims, and the latter adds LED headlamps with DRLs, keyless entry with push button start, powered driver seat, auto-dimming rear view mirror, ionizer for the climate control and 17-inch alloy wheels. In mid 2017, the facelift model was launched, safety features such as seven airbags, ABS with EBD and brake assist, Vehicle Stability Control (VSC) were made standard across all trims. An Eco trim was initially offered during first batch of the facelift period, providing a no-frills option with basic 15” alloy rims, leather seats and without fog lamps. It was subsequently removed from the lineup as more units of the Standard and Elegance variants were available.


title: Toyota Corolla (E170)

text: The new generation Corolla was marketed as the "Corolla Altis" (used in Southeast Asian markets and some parts of Asia). This generation had an overall redesigned look for the Asian market setting it apart from the American market. The Corolla Altis was only available with a 1.8-litre Dual VVT-i 2ZR-FE engine with variants such as the Classic, 1.8E Deluxe, Elegance and 1.8 Z. In 2015, an additional sportier version was added to the lineup with the Corolla Altis X moniker. Designed and sold exclusively in Taiwan, the model featured a redesigned front bumper heavily influenced by the 2014 North American Camry facelift, a redesigned lower rear bumper, side skirts, clear tail lamps, and spoilers. In October 2016, the facelift model was launched, with Eco, Standard and Elegance trims. Safety features such as seven airbags, ABS with EBD and brake assist, Vehicle Stability Control (VSC) were standard across all trims.


title: Toyota Corolla (E170)

text: Thailand continued to manufacture the Corolla, and the new version was launched as the Corolla Altis in a total of seven grades (J, E, G and V), as well as a special edition grade (ESport). Thailand was the only country to offers all existing grades of the new Altis, whilst export markets were only given a fraction of the Thai range in varying combinations.


title: Toyota Corolla (E170)

text: Toyota in Australia and New Zealand launched the E170 series Corolla saloon in late February 2014. An equivalent hatchback model is also retailed under the Corolla nameplate, but this is actually a rebadged E180 Auris released earlier in 2012. For the saloon version, which was imported from Thailand, there were three different variants: the base Ascent, the mid range SX model, and the flagship ZR. The Corolla saloon and hatchback (Auris) were together in 2014 the top selling car in Australia.


title: Toyota Corolla (E170)

text: The facelifted international version of the E170 Corolla was unveiled on 24 March 2016. It features sleeker LED headlamps with new LED light guides, thinner upper grille with a chrome garnish, a full width lower grille that houses the fog lamps. At the rear the chrome strip is thinner and the tail lamps adopt new LED clusters. The facelifted E170 Corolla Altis was launched in Thailand on 21 November 2016, in the Philippines on 8 December 2016, in Malaysia on 9 December 2016, in Indonesia on 16 January 2017, in Singapore in July 2017 and in Pakistan in August 2017.


title: Toyota Corolla (E170)

text: Toyota would sell two versions of the E180 Corolla in China, the international version, called the FAW-Toyota Corolla, which is similar in appearance to the Corolla Altis, and the Guangqi-Toyota Levin, which sports a design closer to the North American version, but is still a separate design (see below). In October 2015, Toyota introduced the Corolla hybrid variant in China with locally produced hybrid systems. Production for the Corolla E180 commenced in June 2014 for the 2015 model year. Engine and transmission choices available are the 1.6 litre 1ZR-FE and 1.8 litre 2ZR-FE paired with 5 speed manual or continuously variable transmissions. The Levin also shares these engines and transmissions.


title: Toyota Corolla (E170)

text: In 2017, both versions of the Corolla in China received a facelift and a 1.2-litre "9NR-FTS" turbocharged engine. The FAW-Toyota Corolla also had the old 1.6-litre engine as an option but the Levin dropped the 1.6-litre engine. The plug-in hybrid variants of both the Corolla and the Levin are still available for purchase .


title: Toyota Corolla (E170)

text: In South Africa, the E180 Corolla was launched on 7 February 2014 with a choice of three petrol engines (1.3-, 1.6- and 1.8-litre) and a 1.4-litre "D-4D" diesel engine. All engines are mated to a standard six-speed manual transmission while a CVT is available for the 1.6- and 1.8-litre variants. Trim levels are the base Esteem, the mid-level Prestige, the sporty Sprinter and the top-of-the-line Exclusive. The facelifted version of the E180 Corolla went on sale on 25 January 2017. The facelifted E180 Corolla retained the pre-facelift model tail lamps for the Esteem trim and the Sprinter trim was discontinued. The E180 Corolla is still currently produced and sold in South Africa as the Corolla Quest, which was revealed on 31 January 2020 and released in March 2020.


title: Toyota Corolla (E170)

text: In February 2014, Toyota introduced the Corolla E180 in Germany, western Europe's largest national automobile market. This marked the return of the "Corolla" badge to Germany after an absence of seven years (although the previous Corolla E150 was sold in some smaller European markets, such as Belgium). The line-up includes a 1.4-litre D-4D turbo-diesel and petrol engines ranging from a 1.33-litre Dual VVT-i engine, a 1.6-litre engine available with Dual VVT-i and Valvematic system, and a new 1.8-litre Dual VVT-i engine.


title: Toyota Corolla (E170)

text: The 1.8-litre Dual VVT-i petrol engine is fitted as standard with a new Multidrive S automatic transmission. All other engines in the line-up are fitted with six-speed manual transmissions.


title: Toyota Corolla (E170)

text: The North American Corolla is very similar to the international version, except for offering revised front and rear styling. This design was adopted from the Furia concept. North American models were announced first on June 6, 2013; European models, announced the day after, differed mostly outside with their front-end treatment. The engines were closely related to the previous models, with only slight improvements in performance and emissions.


title: Toyota Corolla (E170)

text: The eleventh generation Corolla falls under North America's compact car market segment, and it is offered in four grades, L, LE, LE Eco and S. The Corolla is a perennially top-selling model in North America, and the world. Many of the changes in the new model were inherited from Toyota's Furia concept car, with the most striking difference from the previous generation being mostly cosmetic. Toyota focused on fuel efficiency with this new design, while continuing the longstanding trend of increasing size and weight.


title: Toyota Corolla (E170)

text: The Corolla manufactured in Cambridge, Ontario, Canada has about 25 percent of its parts coming from Japan.


title: Toyota Corolla (E170)

text: Two, four-cylinder engines are available, the 1.8-litre "2ZR-FE" with , and a Valvematic equipped "2ZR-FAE" offered on the new "Eco" trim, providing . The Corolla will be available with a four-speed automatic, six-speed manual, or Toyota's new CVTi-S Continuously-Variable Transmission.


title: Toyota Corolla (E170)

text: Stylistic elements of this generation of the Corolla were previewed in the Furia concept car shown at the January 2013 Detroit Auto Show. Hints of the swept windshield and sloped roofline suggest the brand will follow the industry trend toward raked rear ends and more aerodynamic body shapes. It is also likely that the elements such as the LED lighting seen on the concept will make it into the next Corolla's design.


title: Toyota Corolla (E170)

text: The E170 Corolla model uses an electric powersteering system offering improved directness and weight. The components of the tilt, telescopic steering structure have been upgraded to improve rigidity and reduce vibration. There are 3.2 turns lock to lock.


title: Toyota Corolla (E170)

text: The brakes are a ventilated front disc, and a rear drum with the option of a solid rear disc on the S trim. It features Toyota's Star Safety System as standard, including Vehicle Stability Control (VSC), Traction Control (TRAC), Anti-lock Braking System (ABS), Electronic Brake-force Distribution (EBD) and Brake Assist. Smart Stop Technology brake override system is also included standard, as well as an electronic tire pressure monitoring system (TPMS).


title: Toyota Corolla (E170)

text: The standard wheels on the L and LE Eco grades are 15-inch covered steel, with 16-inch wheels on the LE and S. Different 16-inch aluminum alloy wheels are offered on the LE, and LE Eco, and 17-inch alloy wheels are offered on the S. The tire on the LE Eco are low rolling resistance 195/65R-15 rubber. The S 17-inch option offers 215/45R-17 rubber. For the LE, and on the alloy option for the LE Eco model, a 205/55R-16 tire is used.


title: Toyota Corolla (E170)

text: Toyota's new Corolla offers two engine selections, both all aluminium, 1.8-litre inline four cylinder engines. With the exception of the LE Eco trim, the 1.8-litre engine is equipped with dual Intelligent VVT-i variable valve timing, producing . The LE Eco model has a engine featuring Toyota's Valvematic option, which improves the Eco model's fuel efficiency. Valvematic offers a broader range of continuously variable valve timing (lift and phasing) over VVT-i, providing more optimal intake valve (not on exhaust side) operation relative to engine demands conferring a five-percent improvement in fuel economy and engine output. The Eco model's engine also has an increased compression ratio of 10.6:1.


title: Toyota Corolla (E170)

text: The base model Corolla L is offered with a four-speed automatic transmission or a six-speed manual transmission. The six-speed manual is also available in the Corolla S.


title: Toyota Corolla (E170)

text: Toyota is offering a new Continuously Variable Transmission on the LE, LE Eco and S trims, which they claim is more smooth, and improves fuel efficiency, named the CVTi-S (Continuously Variable Transmission intelligent-shift). The diameter ratio between small and large internal pulleys has been increased without increasing the unit's case size achieving a ratio range of 6.3, improving fuel efficiency and acceleration. Its forward gear ratio range is from 0.396 to 2.480 and it has a 4.761 final drive ratio. A transmission fluid warmer was added, reducing warm-up time, and lower viscosity CVT fluid improves efficiency. Its new fluid pump reduces parasitic loss at high speeds. The transmission's software creates discrete sequential shift points to emulate traditional transmissions while accelerating. The S trim offers a manual-mode shift gate in the console shifter, or paddle shifters on the steering wheel allowing sequential "shifts" through 7 speeds, addressing complaints that earlier pulley-type CVTs had a "rubber band" feel when accelerating because of the lag as the transmission entered its power band.


title: Toyota Corolla (E170)

text: Typical CVT designs require a high level of hydraulic pressure for operation, and CVT hydraulic-fluid pumps are typically driven at the same rate as engine speed, leading to pumps wasting considerable effort, lowering transmission efficiency at higher engine speeds as the pump moves more fluid than necessary to lubricate and sandwich the CVT's belt. Hydraulic pressure was reduced to an optimal point to protect against belt slippage, while conserving drive effort to limit excess pumping losses in the new design; also, the oil pump features a coaxial 2-port design that enables a 25-percent reduction in pump drive torque, lowering its parasitic draw on the engine.


title: Toyota Corolla (E170)

text: On the LE Eco, the transmission has an ECO driving mode. The ECO driving mode makes accelerator control become non-linear to suppress the vehicle's response to choppy driving and contain acceleration from standing start to reduce fuel consumption. The accelerator pedal's communication is the same as Normal mode after 50-percent throttle. The air conditioning operation is also controlled, with compressor power reduced, and the utilization of recirculation mode, as well as increasing the time to reach a desired temperature.


title: Toyota Corolla (E170)

text: The S trim offers a SPORT mode with software tuning that alters shift points along with unique electric power steering programming, helping create a sportier driving sensation during normal road and freeway driving. S trim models with CVTi-S have steering wheel mounted paddle shifters, while the console shifter also offers a manual gate (M-position) that also allows drivers to make brisk upshifts or downshifts using the shift lever. An appropriate shift will automatically be engaged if the engine revolutions become high enough or down shifted if they become low enough.


title: Toyota Corolla (E170)

text: The front suspension uses MacPherson struts with a new, more rigid control-arm design, while the rear uses a torsion beam arrangement. The spring rates on Corolla are relaxed, but the S model equipped with 17-inch wheels includes unique coil, damper, and bushing tuning to offering stiffer handling. The rear torsion beam's attachments points are now fastened to the body at a slanted, diagonal angle for its bushings, a departure from the traditional straight attachment orientation; the new layout contributes improves grip, and stability.


title: Toyota Corolla (E170)

text: The unibody has been made more rigid, featuring additional unibody bracing (tunnel brace and rear floor brace) to complement suspension tuning. It makes extensive use of high-strength steel to improve the rigidity of the structure, keeping vehicle curb weight under 2,900 pounds for all grades. High tensile-strength steel allows for reduced thickness and optimized shape of structural panels and increases strength to improve collision performance. Corolla is expected to perform very well in collision safety ratings test.


title: Toyota Corolla (E170)

text: The Corolla in its most basic Latin American configuration with 3 airbags received 5 stars for adult occupants and 4 stars for toddlers from Latin NCAP in 2014.


title: Toyota Corolla (E170)

text: The Corolla in its most basic Latin American configuration with 7 airbags received 5 stars for adult occupants, 5 stars for toddlers, and "Advanced Award" from Latin NCAP in 2017.


title: Toyota Corolla (E170)

text: In 2014, for the 2015 model year, Toyota released the Special Edition Corolla based on the S model. It has gloss black-painted 17-inch alloy wheels, red stitching on its black steering wheel, shift knob, door trim, and seats, Special Edition floor mats and trunk emblem. In Canada, this model is called the 50th Anniversary Limited Edition. "Absolutely Red", "Super White", and "Black Sand Pearl" are the only exterior colors offered.


title: Toyota Corolla (E170)

text: In 2016, for the 2017 model year, Toyota released the facelift version of the E170 Corolla with new aerodynamic scoops, (only for 50th anniversary edition) restyled front facia, including new headlight design; redesigned taillights also featured. The interior added a new seven-inch touch screen and four-inch multi-information display. The updated Corolla features the new SE and XSE grades, and new exterior colors.


title: Toyota Corolla (E170)

text: In addition to the FAW-Toyota Corolla sold in China that is based on the Corolla Altis, in 2014 Toyota China released the GAC-Toyota Levin (). In October 2015, Toyota introduced the Corolla hybrid variant in China with locally produced hybrid systems.


title: Toyota Corolla (E170)

text: The Levin has different frontal styling compared to both the North American Corolla and the international version. The grille is a slim piece dominated by chrome strip along the top that continues above the headlamps (that have been designed as a cross between the North American Corolla's lights and the international Corolla's wrap-around units). The lower intake is trapezoidal-shaped like the regular (non-sport) grade North American Corolla, but for China features a chrome surround. At the rear, the Levin's lights are based on the North American Corolla—the rear three-quarter panels and bumper are the identical. However, the reshaped trunk lid has the Toyota logo moved upwards to make way for the dominating chrome strip that bridges the tail lamps. The outer portions of the Levin's tail-lamps are the same shape as the Corolla for North America. However, the inner portion that sit upon the trunk lid are resigned. Also, the North American Corolla's tailpipe pokes straight out from underneath the rear bumper; the Levin's tailpipe curves downwards.


title: Toyota Corolla (E170)

text: The Levin received an update at the Auto Shanghai in April 2017, with the similar front bumper design as the updated Taiwanese market Corolla Altis X.


title: Matthew Boling

text: Matthew Boling (born June 20, 2000) is an American track and field athlete specializing in the sprints and long jump. He won four gold medals at the 2019 Pan American U20 Championships in the 100 m, 200 m, 4 × 100 m relay and 4 × 400 m relay, and helped set world under-20 records in both of the relay races for the United States. He also ran in the semi-final for the American team at the 2018 World U20 Championships that went on to earn silver in the final.


title: Matthew Boling

text: Boling gained national attention during the Spring of 2019 for his accomplishments in high school track and field. In March, he leaped the farthest in the long jump for a high school athlete in ten years with a 26' 3.5" (8.01 m) mark at the Texas Relays, and then bested the high school all-conditions 100 m record, breaking the 10-second barrier with a wind-assisted 9.98 seconds run on April 27, 2019. Boling finished his high school track career in May at the Texas state championships by running a 44.74 second anchor in the relay for the Strake Jesuit Crusaders, coming from behind to win in the fastest time for a high school team in the nation that year (3:10.56)


title: Matthew Boling

text: Matthew Boling was born to Mark and Monique Boling on June 20, 2000, with a twin brother, Michael. They grew up in Houston, Texas and attended River Oaks Baptist School, where Matthew began running track. The two then began attending Strake Jesuit College Preparatory. Initially, Matthew competed in the high jump, then began focusing on the long jump and the 400m. At the 2018 IAAF World U20 Championships, Boling ran the opening leg for the USA's relay team, which went on to get the silver medal in the final. In November that year, he committed to the University of Georgia.


title: Matthew Boling

text: Boling went viral in 2019 when he broke the 10-second barrier with a wind-aided 9.98 seconds on April 27, 2019, setting the high school all-conditions record in the 100m. He subsequently took on the nickname White Lightning, which was a reference to his race and to his speed. He also long jumped 26 ft, 3in (8.01m) at the Texas Relays, the furthest jump for a high school athlete in 10 years. He won both events at the Texas UIL 6A State Championships, setting the wind-legal US high school record of 10.13 seconds in the 100m, and anchored Strake Jesuit to 3rd in the . He went viral once again in the when he split 44.74 seconds on his anchor leg to bring Strake Jesuit a win from over 20m behind.


title: Matthew Boling

text: After winning the 100m and 200m at the USA U20 Championships, Boling turned the double at the 2019 Pan American U20 Athletics Championships in San José, Costa Rica. Both times (10.11 and 20.31, respectively) were personal bests, and his 100m time of 10.11 was also a championship record. He then ran the 4th and 2nd legs for the USA's and teams, respectively, both setting World U20 records. For his performances, Gatorade awarded Boling its National Boys Track & Field Player of the Year honors for 2018–19, and he was named the 2019 High School Boys Athlete Of The Year by "Track & Field News".


title: Matthew Boling

text: Before his first season at Georgia was cut short by the COVID-19 pandemic, Boling attempted the 60m, 200m, Long Jump and the indoors. At the SEC Indoor Championships, Boling finished second overall in the 200m with 20.71 seconds, losing to Terrance Laird of LSU from the first section.


title: Matthew Boling

text: Returning to track, Boling again tried each event and chose to focus on the 200m for the indoor season. At the SEC Championships, he was disqualified in the final for stepping out of his lane on the final turn, and Laird took the title. However, because he ranked high enough by running 20.37 in his preliminary, he qualified for his first NCAA Indoor Championships, where he corrected his mistake and won the national title. He clocked a 20.19, the joint-sixth fastest time in history.


title: Matthew Boling

text: Laird and Boling's rivalry was set to grow in the outdoor season with the addition of the 100m and . At the SEC Outdoor Championships, Laird won the 100m/200m double, while Boling finished 2nd and 3rd, respectively. His time of 20.06 seconds was a personal best in the 200m. Boling ran the anchor for Georgia's , with a slight lead but was caught by Laird and finished 2nd. At the NCAA Outdoor Championships at Hayward Field in Eugene, Oregon, Boling finished 6th and 5th in the 100m and 200m, respectively. Boling was considered a Freshman in 2021 by many, due to COVID-19 causing a short season his Freshman year.


title: Matthew Boling

text: Boling stayed in Eugene for the US Olympic Trials, where he finished 14th overall in the 100m semis and 9th overall in the 200m semis, bringing his first complete College season and first Olympic tryout to an end.


title: Plant breeding

text: Plant breeding is the science of changing the traits of plants in order to produce desired characteristics. It has been used to improve the quality of nutrition in products for humans and animals. The goals of plant breeding are to produce crop varieties that boast unique and superior traits for a variety of agricultural applications. The most frequently addressed traits are those related to biotic and abiotic stress tolerance, grain or biomass yield, end-use quality characteristics such as taste or the concentrations of specific biological molecules (proteins, sugars, lipids, vitamins, fibers) and ease of processing (harvesting, milling, baking, malting, blending, etc.).


title: Plant breeding

text: Plant breeding can be performed through many different techniques ranging from simply selecting plants with desirable characteristics for propagation, to methods that make use of knowledge of genetics and chromosomes, to more complex molecular techniques (see cultigen and cultivar). Genes in a plant are what determine what type of qualitative or quantitative traits it will have. Plant breeders strive to create a specific outcome of plants and potentially new plant varieties, and in the course of doing so, narrow down the genetic diversity of that variety to a specific few biotypes.


title: Plant breeding

text: It is practiced worldwide by individuals such as gardeners and farmers, and by professional plant breeders employed by organizations such as government institutions, universities, crop-specific industry associations or research centers.


title: Plant breeding

text: International development agencies believe that breeding new crops is important for ensuring food security by developing new varieties that are higher yielding, disease resistant, drought tolerant or regionally adapted to different environments and growing conditions.


title: Plant breeding

text: Plant breeding started with sedentary agriculture and particularly the domestication of the first agricultural plants, a practice which is estimated to date back 9,000 to 11,000 years. Initially early farmers simply selected food plants with particular desirable characteristics, and employed these as progenitors for subsequent generations, resulting in an accumulation of valuable traits over time.


title: Plant breeding

text: Gregor Mendel (1822–84) is considered the "father of genetics". His experiments with plant hybridization led to his establishing laws of inheritance. Genetics stimulated research to improve crop production through plant breeding.


title: Plant breeding

text: Modern plant breeding is applied genetics, but its scientific basis is broader, covering molecular biology, cytology, systematics, physiology, pathology, entomology, chemistry, and statistics (biometrics). It has also developed its own technology.


title: Plant breeding

text: One major technique of plant breeding is selection, the process of selectively propagating plants with desirable characteristics and eliminating or "culling" those with less desirable characteristics.


title: Plant breeding

text: Another technique is the deliberate interbreeding (crossing) of closely or distantly related individuals to produce new crop varieties or lines with desirable properties. Plants are crossbred to introduce traits/genes from one variety or line into a new genetic background. For example, a mildew-resistant pea may be crossed with a high-yielding but susceptible pea, the goal of the cross being to introduce mildew resistance without losing the high-yield characteristics. Progeny from the cross would then be crossed with the high-yielding parent to ensure that the progeny were most like the high-yielding parent, (backcrossing). The progeny from that cross would then be tested for yield (selection, as described above) and mildew resistance and high-yielding resistant plants would be further developed. Plants may also be crossed with themselves to produce inbred varieties for breeding. Pollinators may be excluded through the use of pollination bags.


title: Plant breeding

text: Classical breeding relies largely on homologous recombination between chromosomes to generate genetic diversity. The classical plant breeder may also make use of a number of "in vitro" techniques such as protoplast fusion, embryo rescue or mutagenesis (see below) to generate diversity and produce hybrid plants that would not exist in nature.


title: Plant breeding

text: Successful commercial plant breeding concerns were founded from the late 19th century. Gartons Agricultural Plant Breeders in England was established in the 1890s by John Garton, who was one of the first to commercialize new varieties of agricultural crops created through cross-pollination. The firm's first introduction was Abundance Oat, one of the first agricultural grain varieties bred from a "controlled" cross, introduced to commerce in 1892.


title: Plant breeding

text: In the early 20th century, plant breeders realized that Mendel's findings on the non-random nature of inheritance could be applied to seedling populations produced through deliberate pollinations to predict the frequencies of different types. Wheat hybrids were bred to increase the crop production of Italy during the so-called "Battle for Grain" (1925–1940). Heterosis was explained by George Harrison Shull. It describes the tendency of the progeny of a specific cross to outperform both parents. The detection of the usefulness of heterosis for plant breeding has led to the development of inbred lines that reveal a heterotic yield advantage when they are crossed. Maize was the first species where heterosis was widely used to produce hybrids.


title: Plant breeding

text: Statistical methods were also developed to analyze gene action and distinguish heritable variation from variation caused by environment. In 1933 another important breeding technique, cytoplasmic male sterility (CMS), developed in maize, was described by Marcus Morton Rhoades. CMS is a maternally inherited trait that makes the plant produce sterile pollen. This enables the production of hybrids without the need for labor-intensive detasseling.


title: Plant breeding

text: These early breeding techniques resulted in large yield increase in the United States in the early 20th century. Similar yield increases were not produced elsewhere until after World War II, the Green Revolution increased crop production in the developing world in the 1960s.


title: Plant breeding

text: Following World War II a number of techniques were developed that allowed plant breeders to hybridize distantly related species, and artificially induce genetic diversity.


title: Plant breeding

text: When distantly related species are crossed, plant breeders make use of a number of plant tissue culture techniques to produce progeny from otherwise fruitless mating. Interspecific and intergeneric hybrids are produced from a cross of related species or genera that do not normally sexually reproduce with each other. These crosses are referred to as "Wide crosses". For example, the cereal triticale is a wheat and rye hybrid. The cells in the plants derived from the first generation created from the cross contained an uneven number of chromosomes and as a result was sterile. The cell division inhibitor colchicine was used to double the number of chromosomes in the cell and thus allow the production of a fertile line.


title: Plant breeding

text: Failure to produce a hybrid may be due to pre- or post-fertilization incompatibility. If fertilization is possible between two species or genera, the hybrid embryo may abort before maturation. If this does occur the embryo resulting from an interspecific or intergeneric cross can sometimes be rescued and cultured to produce a whole plant. Such a method is referred to as embryo rescue. This technique has been used to produce new rice for Africa, an interspecific cross of Asian rice "(Oryza sativa)" and African rice "(Oryza glaberrima)".


title: Plant breeding

text: Hybrids may also be produced by a technique called protoplast fusion. In this case protoplasts are fused, usually in an electric field. Viable recombinants can be regenerated in culture.


title: Plant breeding

text: Chemical mutagens like EMS and DMS, radiation and transposons are used to generate mutants with desirable traits to be bred with other cultivars – a process known as "Mutation Breeding". Classical plant breeders also generate genetic diversity within a species by exploiting a process called somaclonal variation, which occurs in plants produced from tissue culture, particularly plants derived from callus. Induced polyploidy, and the addition or removal of chromosomes using a technique called chromosome engineering may also be used.


title: Plant breeding

text: When a desirable trait has been bred into a species, a number of crosses to the favored parent are made to make the new plant as similar to the favored parent as possible. Returning to the example of the mildew resistant pea being crossed with a high-yielding but susceptible pea, to make the mildew resistant progeny of the cross most like the high-yielding parent, the progeny will be crossed back to that parent for several generations (See backcrossing). This process removes most of the genetic contribution of the mildew resistant parent. Classical breeding is therefore a cyclical process.


title: Plant breeding

text: With classical breeding techniques, the breeder does not know exactly what genes have been introduced to the new cultivars. Some scientists therefore argue that plants produced by classical breeding methods should undergo the same safety testing regime as genetically modified plants. There have been instances where plants bred using classical techniques have been unsuitable for human consumption, for example the poison solanine was unintentionally increased to unacceptable levels in certain varieties of potato through plant breeding. New potato varieties are often screened for solanine levels before reaching the marketplace.


title: Plant breeding

text: Even with the very latest in biotech-assisted conventional breeding, incorporation of a trait takes an average of seven generations for clonally propagated crops, nine for self-fertilising, and seventeen for cross-pollinating.


title: Plant breeding

text: Modern plant breeding may use techniques of molecular biology to select, or in the case of genetic modification, to insert, desirable traits into plants. Application of biotechnology or molecular biology is also known as molecular breeding.


title: Plant breeding

text: Sometimes many different genes can influence a desirable trait in plant breeding. The use of tools such as molecular markers or DNA fingerprinting can map thousands of genes. This allows plant breeders to screen large populations of plants for those that possess the trait of interest. The screening is based on the presence or absence of a certain gene as determined by laboratory procedures, rather than on the visual identification of the expressed trait in the plant. The purpose of marker assisted selection, or plant genome analysis, is to identify the location and function (phenotype) of various genes within the genome. If all of the genes are identified it leads to genome sequence. All plants have varying sizes and lengths of genomes with genes that code for different proteins, but many are also the same. If a gene's location and function is identified in one plant species, a very similar gene likely can also be found in a similar location in another related species genome.


title: Plant breeding

text: Homozygous plants with desirable traits can be produced from heterozygous starting plants, if a haploid cell with the alleles for those traits can be produced, and then used to make a doubled haploid. The doubled haploid will be homozygous for the desired traits. Furthermore, two different homozygous plants created in that way can be used to produce a generation of F1 hybrid plants which have the advantages of heterozygosity and a greater range of possible traits. Thus, an individual heterozygous plant chosen for its desirable characteristics can be converted into a heterozygous variety (F1 hybrid) without the necessity of vegetative reproduction but as the result of the cross of two homozygous/doubled haploid lines derived from the originally selected plant. Plant tissue culturing can produce haploid or double haploid plant lines and generations. This cuts down the genetic diversity taken from that plant species in order to select for desirable traits that will increase the fitness of the individuals. Using this method decreases the need for breeding multiple generations of plants to get a generation that is homogeneous for the desired traits, thereby saving much time over the natural version of the same process. There are many plant tissue culturing techniques that can be used to achieve haploid plants, but microspore culturing is currently the most promising for producing the largest numbers of them.


title: Plant breeding

text: Genetic modification of plants is achieved by adding a specific gene or genes to a plant, or by knocking down a gene with RNAi, to produce a desirable phenotype. The plants resulting from adding a gene are often referred to as transgenic plants. If for genetic modification genes of the species or of a crossable plant are used under control of their native promoter, then they are called cisgenic plants. Sometimes genetic modification can produce a plant with the desired trait or traits faster than classical breeding because the majority of the plant's genome is not altered.


title: Plant breeding

text: To genetically modify a plant, a genetic construct must be designed so that the gene to be added or removed will be expressed by the plant. To do this, a promoter to drive transcription and a termination sequence to stop transcription of the new gene, and the gene or genes of interest must be introduced to the plant. A marker for the selection of transformed plants is also included. In the laboratory, antibiotic resistance is a commonly used marker: Plants that have been successfully transformed will grow on media containing antibiotics; plants that have not been transformed will die. In some instances markers for selection are removed by backcrossing with the parent plant prior to commercial release.


title: Plant breeding

text: The construct can be inserted in the plant genome by genetic recombination using the bacteria "Agrobacterium tumefaciens" or "A. rhizogenes", or by direct methods like the gene gun or microinjection. Using plant viruses to insert genetic constructs into plants is also a possibility, but the technique is limited by the host range of the virus. For example, Cauliflower mosaic virus (CaMV) only infects cauliflower and related species. Another limitation of viral vectors is that the virus is not usually passed on to the progeny, so every plant has to be inoculated.


title: Plant breeding

text: The majority of commercially released transgenic plants are currently limited to plants that have introduced resistance to insect pests and herbicides. Insect resistance is achieved through incorporation of a gene from "Bacillus thuringiensis" (Bt) that encodes a protein that is toxic to some insects. For example, the cotton bollworm, a common cotton pest, feeds on Bt cotton it will ingest the toxin and die. Herbicides usually work by binding to certain plant enzymes and inhibiting their action. The enzymes that the herbicide inhibits are known as the herbicides "target site". Herbicide resistance can be engineered into crops by expressing a version of "target site" protein that is not inhibited by the herbicide. This is the method used to produce glyphosate resistant ("Roundup Ready") crop plants.


title: Plant breeding

text: Genetic modification can further increase yields by increasing stress tolerance to a given environment. Stresses such as temperature variation, are signalled to the plant via a cascade of signalling molecules which will activate a transcription factor to regulate gene expression. Overexpression of particular genes involved in cold acclimation has been shown to produce more resistance to freezing, which is one common cause of yield loss


title: Plant breeding

text: Genetic modification of plants that can produce pharmaceuticals (and industrial chemicals), sometimes called "pharming", is a rather radical new area of plant breeding.


title: Plant breeding

text: Microbiomes of breeding lines showed that hybrid plants share much of their bacterial community with their parents, such as Cucurbita seeds and apple shoot endophytes. In addition, the proportional contribution of the microbiome from parents to offspring corresponds to the amount of genetic material contributed by each parent during breeding and domestication.


title: Plant breeding

text: machine learning and especially deep machine learning has recently become more commonly used in phenotyping. Computer vision using ML has made great strides and is now being applied to leaf phenotyping and other phenotyping jobs typically performed by human eyes. Pound et al. 2017 and Singh et al. 2016 are especially salient examples of early successful application and demonstration of the general usability of the process across "multiple" target plant species. These methods will work even better with large, publicly available open data sets.


title: Plant breeding

text: Speed breeding is introduced by Watson et al. 2018. Classical (human performed) phenotyping "during" speed breeding is also possible, using a procedure developed by Richard et al. 2015. it is highly anticipated that SB and automated phenotyping will, combined, produce greatly improved outcomes see above.


title: Plant breeding

text: The NGS platform has substantially declined the time and cost required for sequencing and facilitated SNP discovery in model and non-model plants. This in turn has led to employing large-scale SNP markers in genomic selection approaches which aim at predicting genomic breeding values/GEBVs of genotypes in a given population. This method can increase the selection accuracy and decrease the time of each breeding cycle. It has been used in different crops such as maize, wheat, etc.


title: Plant breeding

text: Modern plant breeding, whether classical or through genetic engineering, comes with issues of concern, particularly with regard to food crops. The question of whether breeding can have a negative effect on nutritional value is central in this respect. Although relatively little direct research in this area has been done, there are scientific indications that, by favoring certain aspects of a plant's development, other aspects may be retarded. A study published in the "Journal of the American College of Nutrition" in 2004, entitled "Changes in USDA Food Composition Data for 43 Garden Crops, 1950 to 1999", compared nutritional analysis of vegetables done in 1950 and in 1999, and found substantial decreases in six of 13 nutrients measured, including 6% of protein and 38% of riboflavin. Reductions in calcium, phosphorus, iron and ascorbic acid were also found. The study, conducted at the Biochemical Institute, University of Texas at Austin, concluded in summary: ""We suggest that any real declines are generally most easily explained by changes in cultivated varieties between 1950 and 1999, in which there may be trade-offs between yield and nutrient content.""


title: Plant breeding

text: The debate surrounding genetically modified food during the 1990s peaked in 1999 in terms of media coverage and risk perception, and continues today – for example, ""Germany has thrown its weight behind a growing European mutiny over genetically modified crops by banning the planting of a widely grown pest-resistant corn variety."" The debate encompasses the ecological impact of genetically modified plants, the safety of genetically modified food and concepts used for safety evaluation like substantial equivalence. Such concerns are not new to plant breeding. Most countries have regulatory processes in place to help ensure that new crop varieties entering the marketplace are both safe and meet farmers' needs. Examples include variety registration, seed schemes, regulatory authorizations for GM plants, etc.


title: Plant breeding

text: Plant breeders' rights is also a major and controversial issue. Today, production of new varieties is dominated by commercial plant breeders, who seek to protect their work and collect royalties through national and international agreements based in intellectual property rights. The range of related issues is complex. In the simplest terms, critics of the increasingly restrictive regulations argue that, through a combination of technical and economic pressures, commercial breeders are reducing biodiversity and significantly constraining individuals (such as farmers) from developing and trading seed on a regional level. Efforts to strengthen breeders' rights, for example, by lengthening periods of variety protection, are ongoing.


title: Plant breeding

text: When new plant breeds or cultivars are bred, they must be maintained and propagated. Some plants are propagated by asexual means while others are propagated by seeds. Seed propagated cultivars require specific control over seed source and production procedures to maintain the integrity of the plant breeds results. Isolation is necessary to prevent cross contamination with related plants or the mixing of seeds after harvesting. Isolation is normally accomplished by planting distance but in certain crops, plants are enclosed in greenhouses or cages (most commonly used when producing F1 hybrids).


title: Plant breeding

text: Breeding is also not a quick process. This is especially important when breeding to ameliorate a disease: The average time from human recognition of a new fungal disease threat to the release of a resistant crop for that pathogen is at least twelve years.


title: Plant breeding

text: Critics of organic agriculture claim it is too low-yielding to be a viable alternative to conventional agriculture. However, part of that poor performance may be the result of growing poorly adapted varieties. It is estimated that over 95% of organic agriculture is based on conventionally adapted varieties, even though the production environments found in organic vs. conventional farming systems are vastly different due to their distinctive management practices. Most notably, organic farmers have fewer inputs available than conventional growers to control their production environments. Breeding varieties specifically adapted to the unique conditions of organic agriculture is critical for this sector to realize its full potential. This requires selection for traits such as:


title: Plant breeding

text: Currently, few breeding programs are directed at organic agriculture and until recently those that did address this sector have generally relied on indirect selection (i.e. selection in conventional environments for traits considered important for organic agriculture). However, because the difference between organic and conventional environments is large, a given genotype may perform very differently in each environment due to an interaction between genes and the environment (see gene–environment interaction). If this interaction is severe enough, an important trait required for the organic environment may not be revealed in the conventional environment, which can result in the selection of poorly adapted individuals. To ensure the most adapted varieties are identified, advocates of organic breeding now promote the use of direct selection (i.e. selection in the target environment) for many agronomic traits.


title: Plant breeding

text: There are many classical and modern breeding techniques that can be utilized for crop improvement in organic agriculture despite the ban on genetically modified organisms. For instance, controlled crosses between individuals allow desirable genetic variation to be recombined and transferred to seed progeny via natural processes. Marker assisted selection can also be employed as a diagnostics tool to facilitate selection of progeny who possess the desired trait(s), greatly speeding up the breeding process. This technique has proven particularly useful for the introgression of resistance genes into new backgrounds, as well as the efficient selection of many resistance genes pyramided into a single individual. Unfortunately, molecular markers are not currently available for many important traits, especially complex ones controlled by many genes.


title: Plant breeding

text: For agriculture to thrive in the future, changes must be made to address arising global issues. These issues are the lack of arable land, increasingly harsh cropping conditions and the need to maintain food security, which involves being able to provide the world population with sufficient nutrition. Crops need to be able to mature in multiple environments to allow worldwide access, which involves solving problems including drought tolerance. It has been suggested that global solutions are achievable through the process of plant breeding, with its ability to select specific genes allowing crops to perform at a level which yields the desired results.


title: Plant breeding

text: With an increasing population, the production of food needs to increase with it. It is estimated that a 70% increase in food production is needed by 2050 in order to meet the Declaration of the World Summit on Food Security. But with the degradation of agricultural land, simply planting more crops is no longer a viable option. New varieties of plants can in some cases be developed through plant breeding that generate an increase of yield without relying on an increase in land area. An example of this can be seen in Asia, where food production per capita has increased twofold. This has been achieved through not only the use of fertilisers, but through the use of better crops that have been specifically designed for the area.


title: Plant breeding

text: Plant breeding can contribute to global food security as it is a cost-effective tool for increasing nutritional value of forage and crops. Improvements in nutritional value for forage crops from the use of analytical chemistry and rumen fermentation technology have been recorded since 1960; this science and technology gave breeders the ability to screen thousands of samples within a small amount of time, meaning breeders could identify a high performing hybrid quicker. The genetic improvement was mainly in vitro dry matter digestibility (IVDMD) resulting in 0.7-2.5% increase, at just 1% increase in IVDMD a single Bos Taurus also known as beef cattle reported 3.2% increase in daily gains. This improvement indicates plant breeding is an essential tool in gearing future agriculture to perform at a more advanced level.


title: Plant breeding

text: Plant breeding of hybrid crops has become extremely popular worldwide in an effort to combat the harsh environment. With long periods of drought and lack of water or nitrogen stress tolerance has become a significant part of agriculture. Plant breeders have focused on identifying crops which will ensure crops perform under these conditions; a way to achieve this is finding strains of the crop that is resistance to drought conditions with low nitrogen. It is evident from this that plant breeding is vital for future agriculture to survive as it enables farmers to produce stress resistant crops hence improving food security.


title: Plant breeding

text: In countries that experience harsh winters such as Iceland, Germany and further east in Europe, plant breeders are involved in breeding for tolerance to frost, continuous snow-cover, frost-drought (desiccation from wind and solar radiation under frost) and high moisture levels in soil in winter.


title: Plant breeding

text: Participatory plant breeding (PPB) is when farmers are involved in a crop improvement programme with opportunities to make decisions and contribute to the research process at different stages. Participatory approaches to crop improvement can also be applied when plant biotechnologies are being used for crop improvement. Local agricultural systems and genetic diversity are developed and strengthened by crop improvement, which participatory crop improvement (PCI) plays a large role. PPB is enhanced by farmers knowledge of the quality required and evaluation of target environment which affects the effectiveness of PPB.


title: The Decline of Western Civilization

text: The Decline of Western Civilization is a 1981 American documentary filmed through 1979 and 1980. The movie is about the Los Angeles punk rock scene and was directed by Penelope Spheeris. In 1981, the LAPD Chief of Police Daryl Gates wrote a letter demanding the film not be shown again in the city.


title: The Decline of Western Civilization

text: The film's title is possibly a reference to music critic Lester Bangs' 1970 two-part review of the Stooges' album "Fun House", for "Creem" magazine, where Bangs quotes a friend who had said the popularity of the Stooges signaled "the decline of Western civilization". Another possibility is that the title refers to Darby Crash's reading of Oswald Spengler's "Der Untergang des Abendlandes" ("The Decline of the West"). In "We Got the Neutron Bomb", an oral history of the L.A. punk rock scene collected by Marc Spitz, Claude Bessy aka: Kickboy, claims that he came up with the title.


title: The Decline of Western Civilization

text: The film is the opening act of a trilogy by Spheeris, depicting music scenes in Los Angeles during the late 20th century. The second film, "" (1988), covers the Los Angeles heavy metal scene of 1987–1988. The third film, "The Decline of Western Civilization III" (1998), chronicles the gutter punk lifestyle of homeless teenagers in the late 1990s.


title: The Decline of Western Civilization

text: In 2016, "The Decline of Western Civilization" was selected by the Library of Congress for preservation in the United States National Film Registry, being deemed "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant".


title: The Decline of Western Civilization

text: Featuring concert footage of Los Angeles punk bands and interviews both with band members, the publishers of "Slash" fanzine, and with the punks who made up their audience, the film offers a look into a subculture that was largely ignored by the rock music press of the time.


title: The Decline of Western Civilization

text: The promotional poster for "The Decline" (and the record cover of the soundtrack album) featured a close-up frame of Germs singer Darby Crash supine on stage with his eyes closed. Crash died from a heroin-induced suicide shortly before the film was released (the poster was designed before his death).


title: The Decline of Western Civilization

text: Bands included are Black Flag, Germs, X, Alice Bag Band, the Circle Jerks, Catholic Discipline, and Fear. The Germs' performance was replicated in the 2007 Darby Crash biopic "What We Do Is Secret".


title: The Decline of Western Civilization

text: The soundtrack was released in December 1980 by Slash Records on LP. In the late 1990s it was released on CD as well. Germs singer Darby Crash appears on the soundtrack album cover. He died shortly before the film was released, though the promotional images for the film and album release had been designed before his death.


title: Ileostomy

text: Ileostomy is a stoma (surgical opening) constructed by bringing the end or loop of small intestine (the ileum) out onto the surface of the skin, or the surgical procedure which creates this opening. Intestinal waste passes out of the ileostomy and is collected in an external ostomy system which is placed next to the opening. Ileostomies are usually sited above the groin on the right hand side of the abdomen.


title: Ileostomy

text: Ileostomies are necessary where injury or a surgical response to disease has meant the large intestine cannot safely process waste, typically because the colon and rectum have been partially or wholly removed.


title: Ileostomy

text: Diseases of the large intestine which may require surgical removal include Crohn's disease, ulcerative colitis, familial adenomatous polyposis, and total colonic Hirschsprung's disease. An ileostomy may also be necessary in the treatment of colorectal cancer or ovarian cancer. One example is a situation where the cancer tumor is causing a blockage (obstruction). In such a case the ileostomy may be temporary, as the common surgical procedure for colorectal cancer is to reconnect the remaining sections of colon or rectum following removal of the tumor provided that enough of the rectum remains intact to preserve internal/external anal sphincter function.


title: Ileostomy

text: In an "end ileostomy", the end of the ileum is everted (turned inside out) to create a spout and the edges are sutured under the skin to anchor the ileum in place. Permanent ileostomies are usually done this way. An end ileostomy may be temporary, notably if some of the large intestine was removed and the bowel or overall health is not considered amenable to tolerating further surgery, such as an anastomosis to rejoin the small and large intestines.


title: Ileostomy

text: In a "temporary" or "loop ileostomy", a loop of the ileum is surgically brought through the skin creating a stoma, but keeping the lower portion of the ileum for future reattachment in cases where the entire colon and rectum are not removed but need time to heal. Temporary ileostomies are also often made as the first stage in surgical construction of an ileo-anal pouch, so fecal material doesn't enter the newly made pouch until it heals and has been tested for leaks—usually requiring a period of eight to ten weeks. When healing is complete the temporary ileostomy is then "taken down" (or reversed) by surgically repairing the loop of intestine which made the temporary stoma and closing the skin incision.


title: Ileostomy

text: People with ileostomies must use an "ostomy pouch" to collect intestinal waste. People with ileostomies typically use an open-ended (referred to as a "drainable") one- or two-piece pouch that is secured at the lower end with a leakproof clip, or velcro fastener. The alternative is the closed-end pouch that must be thrown away when full. Ordinarily, the pouch must be emptied five to eight times a day. If the bag stays empty for more than four to six hours, individuals should contact their healthcare provider, as this may indicate intestinal blockage. The pouch and flange (both one and two piece pouches) are usually changed every 2–5 days.


title: Ileostomy

text: Ostomy pouches fit close to the body and are usually not visible under regular clothing unless the pouch becomes too full. It is necessary to measure the stoma regularly as it changes shape after the initial surgery. The stomal- or colorectal-nurse does this initially for a patient and advises them on the exact size required for the pouch's opening. Changes in size and shape can indicate a problem and may signal a need to call a healthcare provider.


title: Ileostomy

text: Some people find they must make adjustments to their diet after having an ileostomy. It is important for individuals to consult with their healthcare providers. Tough or high-fiber foods (for example: potato skins, tomato skins, and raw vegetables) are hard to digest in the small intestine and may cause blockages or discomfort when passing through the stoma. Chewing food thoroughly can reduce such problems. Some people find that certain foods cause annoying gas or diarrhea. Many foods can change the color of the intestinal output, causing alarm; beetroot, for instance, produces a red output that may appear to be blood. Nevertheless, people who have an ileostomy as treatment for inflammatory bowel disease typically find they can enjoy a more "normal" diet than they could before surgery. Correct dietary advice is essential in combination with the patient's gastroenterologist and hospital-approved dietician. Supplementary foods may be prescribed and liquid intake and output monitored to correct and control output. If the output contains blood, an ileostomate (patient) is advised to visit an emergency department.


title: Ileostomy

text: After having ileostomies, people may continue to take baths and showers and have an active lifestyle. These and other topics are important to discuss with healthcare providers.


title: Ileostomy

text: In some patients with Crohn's disease, a procedure called an ileoanal anastomosis is done if the disease affects the entire colon and rectum, but leaves the anus unaffected. In this procedure, the entire large intestine and rectum is surgically removed, and the ileum is then stitched to the anus to allow fecal matter to go through the ileum just as it did when the patient had a large intestine. This procedure requires a temporary loop ileostomy to allow the anastomosis to heal. With lifestyle adjustments, those who have had this procedure for their Crohn's disease can resume normal bowel movements without artificial appliances. However, there is always the possibility of disease relapse, as Crohn’s can affect mouth to anus.


title: Ileostomy

text: Since the late 1970s an increasingly popular alternative to an ileostomy has been the "Barnett continent intestinal reservoir" (or BCIR). The formation of this pouch (made possible through a procedure first pioneered by Dr. Nils Kock in 1969), involves the creation of an internal reservoir which is formed using the ileum and connecting it through the abdominal wall in a very similar fashion to a standard "Brooke" ileostomy. The BCIR procedure should not be confused with a J-pouch, which is also an ileal reservoir, but is connected directly to the anus—after removal of the colon and rectum—avoiding the need for subsequent use of external appliances. Because continent ileostomies can cause problems and may need redoing, they are not often done. However, continent ileostomies can be considered depending on surgeon experience, patient characteristics, and other factors.


title: Ileostomy

text: The Barnett continent intestinal reservoir (BCIR) is a type of an appliance-free intestinal ostomy. The BCIR was a modified Kock pouch procedure pioneered by William O. Barnett. It is a surgically created pouch, or reservoir, on the inside of the abdomen, made from the last part of the small intestine (the ileum), and is used for the storage of intestinal waste. The pouch is internal, so the BCIR does not require wearing an appliance or ostomy bag.


title: Ileostomy

text: The pouch works by storing the liquid waste, which is drained several times a day using a small silicone tube called a catheter. The catheter is inserted through the surgically created opening on the abdomen into the pouch called a stoma. The capacity of the internal pouch increases steadily after surgery: from 50ccs, when first constructed, to 600–1000ccs (about one quart) over a period of months, when the pouch fully matures.


title: Ileostomy

text: The opening through which the catheter is introduced into the pouch is called the stoma. It is a small, flat, button-hole opening on the abdomen. Most patients cover the stoma site with a small pad or bandage to absorb the mucus that accumulates at the opening. This mucus formation is natural, and makes insertion of the catheter easier. The BCIR requires no external appliance and it can be drained whenever it is convenient. Most people report draining the pouch 2–4 times a day, and most times they sleep through the night. This can vary depending on what kinds and quantities of food eaten. The process of draining the pouch is simple and quickly mastered. The stoma has no nerve endings, and inserting the catheter is not painful. The process of inserting the catheter and draining the pouch is called "intubation" and takes just a few minutes.


title: Ileostomy

text: Finnish surgeon Dr. Nils Kock developed the first intra-abdominal continent ileostomy in 1969. This was the first continent intestinal reservoir. By the early 1970s, several major medical centers in the United States were performing Kock pouch ileostomies on patients with ulcerative colitis and familial polyposis. One problem with these early Kock pouches was valve slippage, which often resulted in difficulty intubating and an incontinent pouch. As a result, many of these pouches had to be revised or removed to allow a better quality of life.


title: Ileostomy

text: The late Dr. William O. Barnett began modifying the Kock pouch in 1979. He believed in the concept of the continent reservoir, but was disappointed with the valve's relatively high failure rate. Barnett was intent on solving the problem. His first change was in the construction of the nipple valve. He changed the direction of flow within this segment of intestine to keep the valve in place. This greatly improved the success rate. In addition, he used a plastic material called Marlex to form a collar around the valve. This further stabilized and supported the valve, decreasing valve slippage. This technique worked well, but after several years, the intestine reacted to the Marlex by forming "fistulae" (abnormal connections) into the valve. Dr. Barnett continued his investigation in an effort to improve these results. After much effort, the idea came to him—a "living collar" constructed from the small intestine itself. This technique made the valve more stable and eliminated the problems the Marlex collars had presented.


title: Ileostomy

text: After a test series of over 300 patients, Dr. Barnett moved to St. Petersburg, Florida where he joined the staff of Palms of Pasadena Hospital, where he trained other surgeons to perform his continent intestinal reservoir procedure. With the assistance of Dr. James Pollack, the first BCIR Program was established. Both surgeons further enhanced the procedure to bring it to where it is today. These modifications included reconfiguring the pouch to decrease the number of suture lines from three to one (this allowed the pouch to heal faster and reduced the chance of developing fistulae); and creating a "serosal" patch over the suture lines which prevented leakage. The end result of these developments has been a continent intestinal reservoir with minimal complications and satisfactory function.


title: Ileostomy

text: Ulcerative colitis and familial adenomatous polyposis are the two main health conditions that lead to removal of the entire colon (large intestine) and rectum, which leads to the need for an ileostomy.


title: Ileostomy

text: Candidates for BCIR include: people who are dissatisfied with the results of an alternate procedure (whether a conventional Brooke ileostomy or another procedure); patients with a malfunctioning/failed Kock pouch or IPAA/J-pouch; and individuals with poor internal/external anal sphincter control who either elect not to have the J-pouch (IPAA) or are not a good candidate for IPAA.


title: Ileostomy

text: There are, however, some contraindications for having the BCIR surgery. BCIR is not for people who have or need a colostomy, people with [active] Crohn's disease, mesenteric desmoids, obesity, advanced age, or poor motivation.


title: Ileostomy

text: When Crohn's disease only affects the colon, it may, in select cases, be appropriate to perform a BCIR as an alternative to a conventional ileostomy. If the small intestine is affected, however, it is not safe to have the BCIR (because the internal pouch is created out of the small intestine, which must be healthy).


title: Ileostomy

text: A 1995 study by the American Society of Colon and Rectal Surgeons included 510 patients who received the BCIR procedure between January 1988 and December 1991. All patients were between 1–5 years post-op with an admitting diagnosis of ulcerative colitis or familial polyposis. The study was published in "Diseases of the Colon and Rectum" in June 1995. The study found that:


title: Ileostomy

text: In 1999 American Society of Colon and Rectal Surgeons published a unique study on 42 patients with a failed IPAA/J-pouch who converted to the Barnett modification of the Kock pouch (BCIR). The authors noted that their study was significant in the very large number of patients, approximately 6 times more than studied by any previous author. The study was published in "Diseases of the Colon and Rectum" in April 1999. The study found:


title: Southbound (2015 film)

text: Southbound is a 2015 American anthology horror film directed by Radio Silence, Roxanne Benjamin, David Bruckner, and Patrick Horvath. Produced by Brad Miska and Roxanne Benjamin, the film premiered at the 2015 Toronto International Film Festival on September 16, 2015, and was released theatrically on February 5, 2016, in a limited release. The film was included on numerous Best Horror Films of 2016 lists including those by "Rolling Stone", BuzzFeed and the Thrillist.


title: Southbound (2015 film)

text: Mitch (Chad Villella) and Jack (Matt Bettinelli-Olpin) are on the run from mysterious floating creatures. Filled with remorse, Mitch looks at a photograph of his daughter Katherine as they drive down a nameless highway. Out in the desert, Mitch sees the creatures stalking them but does not tell Jack. In desperation, the pair pulls up to a run-down gas station. Inside, the men witness strange events as the creatures stalk them from afar. As Mitch and Jack attempt to escape, they pull up to the same gas station further down the road. Jack tries to leave as the creatures close in on the pair, and is killed. Mitch, believing that this is the fate he deserves, refuses to leave and instead follows the creatures to a nearby motel. He enters room 6255 and finds himself in a home that he finds familiar. Hearing his daughter's voice, Mitch follows the sounds and finds an apparition of his daughter Katherine, who begs for his help. As he moves closer to his daughter, however, she continues to run away. Mitch is trapped in the hallway of the house, tormented until death by the regret that he was not able to help his daughter.


title: Southbound (2015 film)

text: At the same motel are Sadie (Fabianne Therese), Ava (Hannah Marks), and Kim (Nathalie Love), traveling musicians in a band called The White Tights. Leaving the motel, visiting landmarks, stalked by the floating creatures, their van's tire goes flat and they are forced to pull over. Stranded in the middle of the desert, they are picked up by a friendly, eccentric couple (Susan Burke and Davey Johnson). In the backseat of their car, Sadie sees a bear trap. The band is taken to the couple's house further down the road. Inside, the band is shown to their room; Sadie hears the woman mention their late friend Alex, but neither Ava nor Kim seem to notice. At dinner with the Kensingtons (Anessa Ramsey and Dana Gould), who live nearby with twin sons, they are served a meal of burnt roast beef; Sadie, a vegetarian, politely declines. After dinner, Kim begins to blame Sadie for Alex's death, whereupon both Ava and Kim suddenly begin vomiting a black substance. Sadie gets help and the people in the house give Ava and Kim a white liquid medicine to drink. Sadie confronts her friends for their strange behavior and tries to persuade them to leave; they refuse, in a trance, and decide to stay the night at the house. That night, Sadie has a nightmare of Alex being killed in a car accident. Waking up in the middle of the night, Ava and Kim are gone. She finds them outside around a bonfire, participating in a strange cult ritual with the others in the house. Investigating from the bush nearby, Sadie's foot becomes caught in the bear trap seen in the couple's car the day before. Hearing the commotion, Ava and Kim give chase as Sadie escapes the trap and moves into a nearby shed; here, she is accosted by an apparition of Alex. Terrified, Sadie runs out into the road and hails an approaching car for help only to get run over by a car in a cruel twist of fate.


title: Southbound (2015 film)

text: The driver of the car, Lucas (Mather Zickel), talks to his wife Claire on the phone. Distracted, he does not see Sadie and she is hit by his car. Lucas exits the car and sees Sadie lying on the ground, critically injured, and calls 911; however, he is unable to tell the dispatcher where he is. A certified EMT gets on the line to help. The voices of the dispatcher and the EMT tell Lucas to drive Sadie to a nearby town, where he finds a medical facility. Entering the facility, he finds it completely abandoned; after searching for help, the dispatcher opts to guide Lucas through performing lifesaving surgery; a third voice, that of a doctor, gets on the line. The voices convince Lucas to reach into Sadie's body cavity and manually compress her lungs, which kills her. The voices begin to laugh at Lucas, and he hangs up. He tries to escape the hospital but finds that all doors are locked. Shortly after, his phone rings again; the dispatchers persuade Lucas to talk about the incident. They agree that Lucas did not deserve this, and promptly tell him that he can leave. They mysteriously provide him with access to clean clothes and a new car, so it will be as though nothing happened. Lucas, hesitant to leave, is reassured that he will not need to worry about Sadie's death. He leaves the facility, enters the car, and drives away.


title: Southbound (2015 film)

text: Sandy (Maria Olsen), the dispatcher on the phone with Lucas, watches him drive away from a nearby payphone. She hangs up, and walks into a bar named The Trap; across the parking lot, Danny (David Yow) gets out of his car. Inside, the bartender Al (Matt Peters) reprimands Sandy for leaving the door open. An argument ensues between the two and Warren (Tyler Tuione), another patron in the bar. Danny barges in with a shotgun, and demands to know the location of his sister. Warren, revealed to be a demon, cuts a gash into Danny's back; Danny blows off Warren's clawed hand with the shotgun. Danny takes Al hostage and forces him to drive to his sister's location: the back room of an ice cream parlor. There are demons Danny cannot see closing in on him as Al leads him through a secret entrance into a hidden room. Inside the room, he finds his sister Jesse (Tipper Newton) applying a tattoo to a patron's back. Danny tells Jesse that he has come to rescue her; she tells him that she is there by choice, and refuses to leave. Danny kills Al and kidnaps his sister, carrying her to his car. The locals, all demons, chase Danny as he drives quickly away. They drive for some time and then stop when the road peters out into the desert. Jesse begs Danny not to go off the road; Danny, with the locals in pursuit, decides he has no other option. The car shakes violently as the pair drive out into the desert, and eventually Danny stops the car. Jesse reveals that she killed their parents, and that she deserves to live in the town. The demons pull Danny out of the car; Jesse leaves him behind and drives away. She smiles and turns on the radio.