IWD to Study the Effect of Prison Education on Employment, Data Download, Iowa Department of Corrections, February 2009

The Iowa Department of Corrections recently entered into a data sharing agreement with Iowa Workforce Development (IWD), the purpose of which is to better ascertain the effect of prison education on postprison employment. This study is important because the DOC partners with community colleges to provide prison-based education, with a goal of increasing the numbers of inmates completing GEDs. We are demonstrating success toward that goal, but what we lack is empirical evidence showing the level of success that Iowa prison education programs have on Iowa offenders’ employment success upon their return to communities here in the state.

Community-Based Corrections' Impact on Recidivism, Data Download, Iowa Department of Corrections, September 2013

It is no surprise that probationers are less likely to receive new felony or aggravated misdemeanor convictions than are parolees following discharge from supervision; probationers tend to be at lower risk to begin with. Likewise, parolees tend to be at lower risk and less likely to be convicted of serious offenses than are offenders who complete their sentences in prison.

Socioeconomic Effects of Gambling on Iowans Study Committee, 2004

Overview. The Studies Committee received an in-person progress report from the consultants retained by the Legislature to conduct a study of the socioeconomic effects of gambling on Iowans. Dr. Deepak Chhabra and Dr. Gene Lutz, both of the University of Northern Iowa, presented an update on the conduct of the study. Gambling Study Description. The consultants indicated that the study objectives are to determine the economic impact of gambling at existing Iowa casinos on the local community, the socioeconomic characteristics of gamblers, the social impact of gambling on the local community, and the impact of problem gambling. The consultants stated that the major research methods they would use would be historical data, telephone surveys of local residents, telephone interviews with key personnel, and use of an economic impact model. In conducting the study, the consultants indicated they would examine four study areas within Iowa. Study area I would be all of Iowa, area II would be that area in Iowa within a 50-mile radius of a casino, area III would be counties with a casino, and area IV would be based upon casino employee zip codes. The consultants briefed the Committee on the data collected so far and described current challenges in obtaining data on all casino visitors and from obtaining information from several convention and visitor bureaus and chambers of commerce.

Effect of Mix Times on PCC Properties, HR-1066, 1998

The objectives of this research were the collection and evaluation of the data pertaining to the importance of concrete mixing time on air content and distribution, consolidation and workability for pavement construction. American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) standard C 94 was used to determine the significance of the mixing time on the consistency of the mix being delivered and placed on grade. Measurements of unit weight, slump, air content, retained coarse aggregate and compressive strength were used to compare the consistency of the mix in the hauling unit at the point of mixing and at the point placement. An analysis of variance was performed on the data collected from the field tests. Results were used to establish the relationship between selected mixing time and the portland cement concrete properties tested. The results were also used to define the effect of testing location (center and side of truck, and on the grade) on the concrete properties. Compressive strength test concepts were used to analyze the hardened concrete pavement strength. Cores were obtained at various locations on each project on or between vibrator locations to evaluate the variance in each sample, between locations, and mixing times. A low-vacuum scanning electron microscope (SEM) was used to study air void parameters in the concrete cores. Combining the data from these analysis thickness measurements and ride in Iowa will provide a foundation for the formulation of a performance based matrix. Analysis of the air voids in the hardened concrete provides a description of the dispersion of the cemtitious materials (specifically flyash) and air void characteristics in the pavement. Air void characteristics measured included size, shape and distribution.

Highway Work Zone Capacity Estimation Using Field Data from Kansas, TPF-5(081), 2015

Although extensive research has been conducted on urban freeway capacity estimation methods, minimal research has been carried out for rural highway sections, especially sections within work zones. This study attempted to fill that void for rural highways in Kansas, by estimating capacity of rural highway work zones in Kansas. Six work zone locations were selected for data collection and further analysis. An average of six days’ worth of field data was collected, from mid-October 2013 to late November 2013, at each of these work zone sites. Two capacity estimation methods were utilized, including the Maximum Observed 15-minute Flow Rate Method and the Platooning Method divided into 15-minute intervals. The Maximum Observed 15-minute Flow Rate Method provided an average capacity of 1469 passenger cars per hour per lane (pcphpl) with a standard deviation of 141 pcphpl, while the Platooning Method provided a maximum average capacity of 1195 pcphpl and a standard deviation of 28 pcphpl. Based on observed data and analysis carried out in this study, the suggested maximum capacity can be considered as 1500 pcphpl when designing work zones for rural highways in Kansas. This proposed standard value of rural highway work zone capacity could be utilized by engineers and planners so that they can effectively mitigate congestion at or near work zones that would have otherwise occurred due to construction/maintenance.

Concrete Pavement Mixture Design and Analysis (MDA): Assessment of Air Void System Requirements for Durable Concrete, TPF-5(205), 2012

Concrete will suffer frost damage when saturated and subjected to freezing temperatures. Frost-durable concrete can be produced if a specialized surfactant, also known as an air-entraining admixture (AEA), is added during mixing to stabilize microscopic air voids. Small and well-dispersed air voids are critical to produce frost-resistant concrete. Work completed by Klieger in 1952 found the minimum volume of air required to consistently ensure frost durability in a concrete mixture subjected to rapid freezing and thawing cycles. He suggested that frost durability was provided if 18 percent air was created in the paste. This is the basis of current practice despite the tests being conducted on materials that are no longer available using tests that are different from those in use today. Based on the data presented, it was found that a minimum air content of 3.5 percent in the concrete and 11.0 percent in the paste should yield concrete durable in the ASTM C 666 with modern AEAs and low or no lignosulfonate water reducers (WRs). Limited data suggests that mixtures with a higher dosage of lignosulfonate will need about 1 percent more air in the concrete or 3 percent more air in the paste for the materials and procedures used. A spacing factor of 0.008 in. was still found to be necessary to provide frost durability for the mixtures investigated.

Innovative Solutions for Slope Stability Reinforcement and Characterization: Vol. II, TR-489, 2005

Soil slope instability concerning highway infrastructure is an ongoing problem in Iowa, as slope failures endanger public safety and continue to result in costly repair work. While in the past extensive research has been conducted on slope stability investigations and analysis, this current research study consists of field investigations addressing both the characterization and reinforcement of such slope failures. While Volume I summarizes the research methods and findings of this study, Volume II provides procedural details for incorporating an infrequently-used testing technique, borehole shear tests, into practice. Fifteen slopes along Iowa highways were investigated, including thirteen slides (failed slopes), one unfailed slope, and one proposed embankment slope (the Sugar Creek Project). The slopes are mainly comprised of either clay shale or glacial till, and are generally gentle and of small scale, with slope angle ranging from 11 deg to 23 deg and height ranging from 6 to 23 m. Extensive field investigations and laboratory tests were performed for each slope. Field investigations included survey of slope geometry, borehole drilling, soil sampling, in-situ Borehole Shear Testing (BST) and ground water table measurement. Laboratory investigations mainly comprised of ring shear tests, soil basic property tests (grain size analysis and Atterberg limits test), mineralogy analyses, soil classifications, and natural water contents and density measurements on the representative soil samples from each slope. Extensive direct shear tests and a few triaxial compression tests and unconfined compression tests were also performed on undisturbed soil samples for the Sugar Creek Project. Based on the results of field and lab investigations, slope stability analysis was performed on each of the slopes to determine the possible factors resulting in the slope failures or to evaluate the potential slope instabilities using limit equilibrium methods. Deterministic slope analyses were performed for all the slopes. Probabilistic slope analysis and sensitivity study were also performed for the slope of the Sugar Creek Project. Results indicate that while the in-situ test rapidly provides effective shear strength parameters of soils, some training may be required for effective and appropriate use of the BST. Also, it is primarily intended to test cohesive soils and can produce erroneous results in gravelly soils. Additionally, the quality of boreholes affects test results, and disturbance to borehole walls should be minimized before test performance. A final limitation of widespread borehole shear testing may be its limited availability, as only about four to six test devices are currently being used in Iowa. Based on the data gathered in the field testing, reinforcement investigations are continued in Volume III.

Rethinking Health Insurance, Iowa State Planning Guide, September 30, 2005

Iowa has been a HRSA State Planning Grant participant since October 2000. Iowa’s purpose in participating in the program has remained constant: to identify, through research, policies that will help expand access to affordable health insurance coverage for all Iowans. The Iowa State Planning Grant project (Iowa-SPG) has been able to serve as a significant state data resource on the uninsured in Iowa throughout its tenure. Through the use of State Planning Grant resources, policymakers, the media, and interested citizens have been able to access, from one convenient and trusted source, a variety of information on Iowa’s uninsured population. Section 1 of this report presents an update of state-level data on the uninsured with a focus on the data that has been of greatest interest to various Iowa constituencies during the State Planning Grant years, 2001-2005.

Concrete Pavement Mixture Design and Analysis (MDA): Evaluation of Foam Drainage Test to Measure Air Void Stability in Concrete

The stability of air bubbles in fresh concrete can have a profound influence of the potential durability of the system, because excessive losses during placement and consolidation can compromise the ability of the mixture to resist freezing and thawing. The stability of air void systems developed by some air entraining admixtures (AEAs) could be affected by the presence of some polycarboxylate-based water reducing admixtures (WRAs). The foam drainage test provides a means of measuring the potential stability of air bubbles in a paste. A barrier to acceptance of the test was that there was little investigation of the correlation with field performance. The work reported here was a limited exercise seeking to observe the stability of a range of currently available AEA/WRA combinations in the foam drainage test; then, to take the best and the worst and observe their stabilities on concrete mixtures in the lab. Based on the data collected, the foam drainage test appears to identify stable combinations of AEA and WRA.

06015-008 Bear Creek Watershed Final Report

Big Bear Creek is the upper portion of Bear Creek which drains 26,734 acres and ends at the Highway 136 crossing of Bear Creek. Bear Creek flows into the section of the Maquoketa River, which is on the EPA’s 303(d) List of Impaired Waters. Monitoring by the Iowa DNR indicates that Bear Creek is contributing significant amounts of sediment and nutrients to the Maquoketa River. The primary use of land in the Big Bear Creek Watershed is row crop production. A roadside survey completed by Anamosa Field Office Staff indicated that 123,747 tons/yr. of sediment was being lost due to sheet and rill erosion only. The sediment delivered to Big Bear Creek is 24,447 tons/yr. Based on this data, 34,226 lbs. of Phosphorus is reaching the stream per year. With the added amount of sediment and phosphorus delivery through gully and streambank erosion, one can clearly see that the water quality in Bear Creek is severely impaired. The Big Bear Watershed Project will work to reduce the sediment and phosphorus delivered to the stream by 30% through the installation of practices that trap sediment and reduce erosion.

Health in Iowa Annual Report: Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System, 2013

The Iowa Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) is an ongoing telephone survey. It is financially and technically supported by the CDC with further financial support from public and private sources. The BRFSS is designed to collect information on the health conditions, health-related behaviors, attitudes, and awareness of residents age 18 and over. It also monitors the prevalence of these indicators over time. The indicators surveyed are major contributors to illness, disability, and premature death. This report focuses on the data collected during calendar year 2013. Some of the health-related issues discussed are general health status, health care access, cancer screening, tobacco use, alcohol consumption, body weight, physical activity, oral health, diabetes, respiratory conditions, immunizations, and HIV/AIDS awareness.

Health in Iowa Annual Report: Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System, 2014

The Iowa Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) is an ongoing telephone survey. It is financially and technically supported by the CDC with further financial support from public and private sources. The BRFSS is designed to collect information on the health conditions, health-related behaviors, attitudes, and awareness of residents age 18 and over. It also monitors the prevalence of these indicators over time. The indicators surveyed are major contributors to illness, disability, and premature death. This report focuses on the data collected during calendar year 2013. Some of the health-related issues discussed are general health status, health care access, cancer screening, tobacco use, alcohol consumption, body weight, physical activity, oral health, diabetes, respiratory conditions, immunizations, and HIV/AIDS awareness.

The Prediction of Creep and Shrinkage Properties of Concrete, HR-136, 1970

This report is concerned with the prediction of the long-time creep and shrinkage behavior of concrete. It is divided into three main areas. l. The development of general prediction methods that can be used by a design engineer when specific experimental data are not available. 2. The development of prediction methods based on experimental data. These methods take advantage of equations developed in item l, and can be used to accurately predict creep and shrinkage after only 28 days of data collection. 3. Experimental verification of items l and 2, and the development of specific prediction equations for four sand-lightweight aggregate concretes tested in the experimental program. The general prediction equations and methods are developed in Chapter II. Standard Equations to estimate the creep of normal weight concrete (Eq. 9), sand-lightweight concrete (Eq. 12), and lightweight concrete (Eq. 15) are recommended. These equations are developed for standard conditions (see Sec. 2. 1) and correction factors required to convert creep coefficients obtained from equations 9, 12, and 15 to valid predictions for other conditions are given in Equations 17 through 23. The correction factors are shown graphically in Figs. 6 through 13. Similar equations and methods are developed for the prediction of the shrinkage of moist cured normal weight concrete (Eq. 30}, moist cured sand-lightweight concrete (Eq. 33}, and moist cured lightweight concrete (Eq. 36). For steam cured concrete the equations are Eq. 42 for normal weight concrete, and Eq. 45 for lightweight concrete. Correction factors are given in Equations 47 through 52 and Figs., 18 through 24. Chapter III summarizes and illustrates, by examples, the prediction methods developed in Chapter II. Chapters IV and V describe an experimental program in which specific prediction equations are developed for concretes made with Haydite manufactured by Hydraulic Press Brick Co. (Eqs. 53 and 54}, Haydite manufactured by Buildex Inc. (Eqs. 55 and 56), Haydite manufactured by The Cater-Waters Corp. (Eqs. 57 and 58}, and Idealite manufactured by Idealite Co. (Eqs. 59 and 60). General prediction equations are also developed from the data obtained in the experimental program (Eqs. 61 and 62) and are compared to similar equations developed in Chapter II. Creep and Shrinkage prediction methods based on 28 day experimental data are developed in Chapter VI. The methods are verified by comparing predicted and measured values of the long-time creep and shrinkage of specimens tested at the University of Iowa (see Chapters IV and V) and elsewhere. The accuracy obtained is shown to be superior to other similar methods available to the design engineer.