Early Strengths of Class F, C, and B Portland Cement Concrete, MLR-87-07, 1987

Fast track concrete has proven to be successful in obtaining high early strengths. This benefit does not come without cost. Type III cement and insulation blankets to accelerate the cure add to its expense when compared to conventional paving. This research was intended to determine the increase in time required to obtain opening strength when a fast track mix utilized conventional Type I cement and also used a conventional cure. Standard concrete mixes also were tested to determine the acceleration of strength gain when cured with insulation blankets. The goal was to determine mixes and procedures which would result in a range of opening times. This would allow the most economical design for a particular project and tailor it to that projects time restraint. Three mixes were tested: Class F, Class C, and Class B. Each mix was tested with one section being cured with insulation blankets and another section without. All used Type I cement. Iowa Department of Transportation specifications required 500 psi of flexural strength before a pavement can be opened to traffic. The Class F mix with Type I cement and using insulation blankets reached that strength in approximately 36 hours, the Class C mix using the blankets in approximately 48 hours, and the Class F mix without covers in about 60 hours. (Note: Class F concrete pavement is opened at 400 psi minimum and Class F bonded overlay pavement at 350 psi.) The results showed a significant improvement in early strength gain by the use of insulation blankets. The Type I cement could be used in mixes intended for early opening with sacrifices in time when compared to fast track but are still much sooner than conventional pavement. It appears a range of design alternatives is possible using Type I cement both with and without insulating blankets.

Two-Lift Portland Cement Concrete Pavements to Meet Public Needs, September 2004

The report reviews the past work in the United States and internationally in the development of two-lift pavements. It points out the strengths and limitations in the construction of such portland cement concrete pavements. Certain cost, mix design, and construction problems are inhibiting the growth of this product. Changes in the availability of aggregates, knowledge of materials and new construction equipment, and the desire for specific surfaces to meet noise, durability, and safety are prompting the need to reconsider this type of construction.

Two Lift Portland Cement Concrete Pavements to Meet Public Needs, September 2004

The report reviews the past work in the United States and internationally in the development of two-lift pavements. It points out the strengths and limitations in the construction of such portland cement concrete pavements. Certain cost, mix design, and construction problems are inhibiting the growth of this product. Changes in the availability of aggregates, knowledge of materials and new construction equipment, and the desire for specific surfaces to meet noise, durability, and safety are prompting the need to reconsider this type of construction.

Iowa Sex Offender Treatment and Supervision Task Force Report to the Iowa General Assembly, January 15, 2006

Over the last several years, lawmakers have been responding to several highly publicized child abduction, assault and murder cases. While such cases remain rare in Iowa, the public debates they have generated are having far-reaching effects. Policy makers are responsible for controlling the nature of such effects. Challenges they face stem from the need to avoid primarily politically-motivated responses and the desire to make informed decisions that recognize both the strengths and the limitations of the criminal justice system as a vehicle for promoting safe and healthy families and communities. Consensus was reached by the Task Force at its first meeting that one of its standing goals is to provide nonpartisan guidance to help avoid or fix problematic sex offense policies and practices. Setting this goal was a response to the concern over what can result from elected officials’ efforts to respond to the types of sex offender-related concerns that can easily become emotionally laden and politically charged due to the universally held abhorrence of sex crimes against children. The meetings of the Task Force and the various work groups it has formed have included some spirited and perhaps emotionally charged discussions, despite the above-stated ground rule. However, as is described in the report, the Task Force’s first set of recommendations and plans for further study were approved through consensus. It is hoped that in upcoming legislative deliberations, it will be remembered that the non-legislative members of the Task Force all agreed on the recommendations contained in this report. The topics discussed in this first report from the Task Force are limited to the study issues specifically named in H.F. 619, the Task Force’s enabling legislation. However, other topics of concern were discussed by the Task Force because of their immediacy or because of their possible relationships with one or more of the Task Force’s mandated study issues. For example, it has been reported by some probation/parole officers and others that the 2000 feet rule has had a negative influence on treatment participation and supervision compliance. While such concerns were noted, the Task Force did not take it upon itself to investigate them at this time and thus broaden the agenda it was given by the General Assembly last session. As a result, the recently reinstated 2000 feet rule, the new cohabitation/child endangerment law and other issues of interest to Task Force members but not within the scope of their charge are not discussed in the body of this report. An issue of perhaps the greatest interest to most Task Force members that was not a part of their charge was a belief in the benefit of viewing Iowa’s efforts to protect children from sex crimes with as comprehensive a platform as possible. It has been suggested that much more can be done to prevent child-victim sex crimes than would be accomplished by only concentrating on what to do with offenders after a crime has occurred. To prevent child victimization, H.F. 619 policy provisions rely largely on incapacitation and future deterrent effects of increased penalties, more restrictive supervision practices and greater public awareness of the risk presented by a segment of Iowa’s known sex offenders. For some offenders, these policies will no doubt prevent future sex crimes against children, and the Task Force has begun long-term studies to look for the desired results and for ways to improve such results through better supervision tools and more effective offender treatment. Unfortunately, much of the effects from the new policies may primarily influence persons who have already committed sex offenses against minors and who have already been caught doing so. Task Force members discussed the need for a range of preventive efforts and a need to think about sex crimes against children from other than just a “reaction- to-the-offender” perspective. While this topic is not addressed in the report that follows, it was suggested that some of the Task Force’s discussions could be briefly shared through these opening comments. Along with incapacitation and deterrence, comprehensive approaches to the prevention of child-victim sex crimes would also involve making sure parents have the tools they need to detect signs of adults with sex behavior problems, to help teach their children about warning signs and to find the support they need for healthy parenting. School, faithbased and other community organizations might benefit from stronger supports and better tools they can use to more effectively promote positive youth development and the learning of respect for others, respect for boundaries and healthy relationships. All of us who have children, or who live in communities where there are children, need to understand the limitations of our justice system and the importance of our own ability to play a role in preventing sexual abuse and protecting children from sex offenders, which are often the child’s own family members. Over 1,000 incidences of child sexual abuse are confirmed or founded each year in Iowa, and most such acts take place in the child’s home or the residence of the caretaker of the child. Efforts to prevent child sexual abuse and to provide for early interventions with children and families at risk could be strategically examined and strengthened. The Sex Offender Treatment and Supervision Task Force was established to provide assistance to the General Assembly. It will respond to legislative direction for adjusting its future plans as laid out in this report. Its plans could be adjusted to broaden or narrow its scope or to assign different priority levels of effort to its current areas of study. Also, further Task Force considerations of the recommendations it has already submitted could be called for. In the meantime, it is hoped that the information and recommendations submitted through this report prove helpful.

LSTA Five Year Plan 2003-2007, 2007

The Iowa Commission of Libraries, the State Library’s governing board, convened the Library Services Task Force in August 2000. This group consisted of 46 Iowans from across the state, including librarians from all types of libraries, library trustees, legislators, members of Iowa Regional Library system (now called Library Service Areas) and Area Education Agencies, and citizens. Their mission was to make recommendations to the Commission on positioning libraries to effectively and efficiently meet the future needs of Iowans. Needs and expectations of Iowa Library customers and funding authorities were identified and examined by the Task Force, and are reflected in its recommendations. The Commission received the Task Force recommendations in December 2000, carefully studied them, solicited input from the Iowa library community, and with a few changes, forwarded the recommendations to the Governor and the Iowa General Assembly. These recommendations are now known as Iowa Commission of Libraries priorities and serve as a blueprint for future development of the Iowa library system. A second need assessment was conducted in 2001 as part of the process to formulate the joint Library Service Area – State Library Plan of Service 2003-2005. Biennial development of this plan is mandated by the Code of Iowa. In 2001, Library Service Area and Library Development staff from the State Library chose to completely revamp this plan, and used the process outlined in the The New Planning for Results by Sandra Nelson (the Public Library Association planning model) to do so. The group conducted a strengths/weaknesses/opportunities/threat analysis of the Iowa library situation, identified needs and put them in priority order, and identified service responses. Needs identified by the Library Services Task Force were similar to those identified by the Library Service Area and Library Development staff group. These needs were further analyzed and documented by State Library staff during the development of the LSTA plan. Sources consulted are identified in the text of the LSTA plan and/or listed at the close of this document. The text of the Library Services Task Force report and the documents created during the development of the Plan of Service 2003-2005 are cited in the appendix to this document.

The Soil and Water Assessment Tool:Historical Development, Applications, and Future Research Directions, 2007

The Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) model is a continuation of nearly 30 years of modeling efforts conducted by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), Agricultural Research Service. SWAT has gained international acceptance as a robust interdisciplinary watershed modeling tool, as evidenced by international SWAT conferences, hundreds of SWAT-related papers presented at numerous scientific meetings, and dozens of articles published in peer-reviewed journals. The model has also been adopted as part of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s BASINS (Better Assessment Science Integrating Point & Nonpoint Sources) software package and is being used by many U.S. federal and state agencies, including the USDA within the Conservation Effects Assessment Project. At present, over 250 peer-reviewed, published articles have been identified that report SWAT applications, reviews of SWAT components, or other research that includes SWAT. Many of these peer-reviewed articles are summarized here according to relevant application categories such as streamflow calibration and related hydrologic analyses, climate change impacts on hydrology, pollutant load assessments, comparisons with other models, and sensitivity analyses and calibration techniques. Strengths and weaknesses of the model are presented, and recommended research needs for SWAT are provided.

Family Development and Self-Sufficiency Program, Annual Report, 2008

Iowa’s Family Development and Self-Sufficiency (FaDSS) Grant Program was created by the 1988 Iowa General Assembly to assist Family Investment Program (FIP) families with significant or multiple barriers reach self-sufficiency. FaDSS provides services that promote, empower, and nurture families towards economic and emotional self-sufficiency. The foundation of FaDSS is regular home visits with families, using a strength-based approach. Core services include support, goal setting, and assessment. Support is given in many ways such as referrals, group activities, linking families to communities and advocacy. Assessment aids the family to identify strengths that they possess that may be used to eliminate barriers to self-sufficiency. Goal setting helps families break down goals that seem out of reach into small steps that will lead to success. Participation in FaDSS is a voluntary option for people receiving Family Investment Program (FIP) benefits.

Iowa Commission on the Status of African Americans Annual Report, Fiscal Year 2006

A Public Intellectual recently suggested that I read the book Life Out Of Context by the very productive writer Walter Mosley. In this book, Mosley began to summarize a speech that was given by Harry Belafonte. Belafonte made a comparison between a particular Olympic relay race and the Civil Rights Movement. In the race, an experienced runner stumbled a little while passing the baton, and the race was lost. For Belafonte, this momentary slip was a metaphor for the failure of the Civil Rights Movement to “pass the baton” to the younger generation as “it moved past its original phase and into the latter part of the century.” Regardless of your views of the strengths and weaknesses of the Civil Rights Movement, I think all of us would agree that the current issues facing Black Iowa today--e.g., the need for economic development, increased educational achievement and more political involvement in our communities--demand our immediate attention and action. This urgency requires that we cross generational, class, and territorial boundaries within the state to collaborate among ourselves and with others to deal constructively with these issues. We cannot afford to have another “momentary slip.” Serving as the Administrator for ICSAA allows me to serve Black Iowa in a significant way, and Kimberly Cheeks and I in this Division look forward to the work ahead over the next several months and years. Working closely with Walter Reed, Director of the Department of Human Rights, along with so many others across this state, we are keenly aware that we are provided with a great opportunity to positively impact the quality of life for African-Americans in Iowa.

2002 Iowa Youth Survey State of Iowa Results, April 2003

The 2002 Iowa Youth Survey (IYS) State of Iowa report was designed to help state-level planners identify youth development-related needs, develop relevant programs, and assess the outcomes of those programs. These data can help us better understand our youth and their needs. They can help us assess the strengths and weaknesses of our schools, families and communities from the young person’s perspective. In addition, the data in this report help the state obtain funds for a wide variety of programs. At every step in the process – from needs identification, to program development and implementation, to program assessment – the 2002 IYS data will provide a valuable resource. The state report can also help Iowa’s schools, area education agencies and counties assess their relative strengths and weaknesses. The grades 6, 8, and 11, as well as male and female percentages reported in each of these reports can be compared with the respective state report percentages. The higher the proportion of students in each of these columns that completed a usable IYS questionnaire, the more likely the comparisons with the state report percentages will be unbiased. Such comparisons should be considered exploratory, but for the most part are likely to prove useful.

2005 Iowa Youth Survey State of Iowa Results, Revised December 2006

The 2005 Iowa Youth Survey (IYS) State of Iowa report was designed to help state-level planners identify youth development-related needs, develop relevant programs, and assess the outcomes of those programs. These data can help you better understand our youth and their needs. They can also help you assess the strengths and weaknesses of our schools, families, and communities from the young person’s perspective. In addition, the data in this report help the state obtain funds for a wide variety of programs. At every step of the process–from needs identification, to program development and implementation, to program assessment–the 2005 IYS data will prove to be a valuable resource. The state report can also help Iowa’s schools, area education agencies, and counties assess their relative strengths and weaknesses. The grades 6, 8, and 11, as well as male and female percentages reported in district-level, AEA-level, county-level, and other 2005 IYS reports can be compared with the respective state report percentages. The higher the proportion of students in each of these columns that completed usable IYS questionnaires, the more likely the comparisons with the state report percentages will be unbiased. Such comparisons should be considered exploratory, but for the most part are likely to be useful.

Business Sphere, Vol. 17, no.3

Through networking, Iowa’s manufacturers share expertise in lean manufacturing, supply chain efficiency and rapid prototyping, strengthening the powerful environment for success. The Iowa Department of Economic Development builds on these strengths with a focus on advanced manufacturing, extending financial and tax benefits to companies making substantial investments and creating higher skill, higher paying jobs. Many companies these days are finding that it pays to explore options in Iowa as they plan manufacturing expansions. You can get in touch with us at www.iowalifechanging.com.

Business Sphere, Vol. 17, no.2

Anadvanced foods economy is under development in the state of Iowa that builds on Iowa’s established strengths in plant and animal sciences,production agriculture, food science, nutrition, and processing technology. This new pathway was identified when Battelle Institute studied Iowa’s strengths in the biosciences and recommended six technology platforms as opportunities to use these strengths for growing the economy. One of those technology platforms is functional foods, sometimes called nutraceuticals.

Iowa Disaster Recovery Tabletop Exercise - After Action Report / Improvement Plan

On June 24, 2010, the Rebuild Iowa Office (RIO) held a discussion-based tabletop exercise for the purpose of creating a framework to support disaster recovery coordination within the State of Iowa. The purpose of this report is to provide an overview of the tabletop exercise, summarize and analyze exercise results, identify strengths which should be maintained and built upon, identify areas for further improvement, and support development of recommendations and corrective actions.

In Service to Iowa : Public Library Standards, 5th edition, 2010

The Standards and Accreditation program exists to encourage the ongoing development of high quality public library services in Iowa. In Service to Iowa: Public Library Standards is the manual for the State Library of Iowa’s standards program. It was first published in 1985 and was updated in 1989, 1997, 2004, and now in 2010. Iowa’s voluntary public library standards program was established to give public libraries a tool to identify strengths and areas for improvement. It is also used to document the condition of public library service in Iowa, to distribute Direct State Aid funding, and to meet statutory requirements. In 2010, the Iowa Commission of Libraries appointed the Public Library Standards Advisory Task Force to revise In Service to Iowa. The Task Force included members representing libraries from different size categories, the Iowa Commission of Libraries, Library Service Area staff, and State Library staff. All members support and stress the importance of the accreditation process and thank the Iowa public library community for its assistance.

Bond Development in Concrete Overlays, August 1995

Data collection to determine the rate of bond strength development between concrete overlays and existing pavements and the evaluation of nondestructive testing methods for determining concrete strength were the objectives of this study. Maturity meters and pulse velocity meters were employed to determine the rate of flexural strength gain and determine the time for opening of newly constructed pavements to traffic. Maturity measurements appear to provide a less destructive method of testing. Pulse velocity measurements do require care in the preparation of the test wells and operator care in testing. Both devices functioned well under adverse weather and construction conditions and can reduce construction traffic delay decisions. Deflection testing and strain gaging indicate differences in the reaction of the overlay and existing pavement under grouting versus nongrouted sections. Grouting did enhance the rate of bond development with Type I11 cement out performing the Type I1 grout section. Type I11 and Type I1 cement grouts enhanced resistance to cracking in uniformly supported pavements where joints are prepared prior to overlays achieving target flexural strengths. Torsional and direct shear testing provide additional ways of measuring bond development at different cure times. Detailed data analysis will be utilized by TRANSTEC, Inc. to develop a bonded overlay construction guidelines report.