Iowa Workforce Monthly, October 2009, Issue 9

Highlights: * After learning the local food pantry was almost out of food, the staff at the Creston Workforce Center decided to team together and collect food to donate....pg. 2 * The Kossuth Area Employers’ Council (ECI) will host a training session for businesses on “Writing Employee Handbooks and Job Descriptions”....pg. 2 * Iowa Workforce Development is reminding Iowans that October is National Disability Employment Awareness Month....pg. 2 * This story was submitted by Veteran Representative Kate Bearce. She was moved after working to help a veteran.....pg. 3 * New Painting hangs at the VA Hospital New Mental Health Unit.....pg. 3

Iowa Workforce Monthly, November 2009, Issue 10

Highlights: * Misclassification of workers as “independent contractors” rather than “employees,” is a growing problem in Iowa and across the nation....pg. 2 * The Reemployment Services program is designed to be an early intervention by offering intensive services to job seekers receiving unemployment insurance.....pg. 2

Iowa Workforce Monthly, December 2009, Issue 11

Highlights: * During 2009, IWD staff members participated in a 5-day Kaizen event designed to streamline the collection of employers’ delinquent unemployment insurance (UI) taxes……………………………pg. 2 * Beginning January 15, the Iowa Department of Revenue web site will feature links to companies that provide online filing of both federal and Iowa income tax returns………pg. 2 * Recently, OSHA Inspectors Lonnie Majerus and Don Peddy visited Hannah, Inc. in Sioux City………………………………………………pg. 2 * Looking for a new job when you are over the age of 50 poses a whole new set of challenges…………………………………………pg. 3 * Over the last year, IWD has been working on an Integration Project that will change the way services are delivered to customers………pg. 3

Iowa Workforce Monthly, January 2010, Issue 12

Highlights: * Over 150 participants attended a valuable career development seminar on January 26th titled “Rise Above the Crowd - Getting Hired in Today’s Economy.”..........................pg. 2 * Joanne McKeog sent a letter in December thanking the New Iowan Center for the services they provide..........................pg. 2 * Scott Shaw, an ex-offender, went to the Newton Workforce Center and tested for the Career Readiness Certificate..........................pg. 2 * Iowa’s Unemployment Insurance Tax program is getting a new online filing system, called My Iowa UI..........................pg. 3 * The Davenport Veteran’s Outreach Program Representative presented a $500 donation check to help the Humility of Mary Shelter in helping veterans..........................pg. 3

Iowa Workforce Monthly, February 2010, Issue 13

Highlights: * Iowa’s Unemployment Insurance Tax Bureau is getting a new online filing system, called My Iowa UI.............pg. 2 * Disability Navigator Jade Hunt sent us this success story..........................pg. 2 * Frank Nucaro attended Re-Employment Services (RES) training in December and the Skills Development lab in January...........................................pg. 2

Iowa Workforce Monthly, April 2010, Issue 15

Highlights: *YouTube and Twitter.....................pg. 2 Stay up-to-date on all the training opportunities available in your area.............................................pg. 2 * RES Success Story: In January, Johanna Hofmeister attended Re-Employment Services (RES) training......................pg. 2 * We are three weeks into the My Iowa UI presentation schedule and response has been tremendous..............................pg. 3 * In 2009, IWD Employees raised over $7,200 for the Toys for Tots program............pg. 3

Iowa Workforce Monthly, May 2010, Issue 16

Highlights: * On Wednesday, April 7th, the Marshalltown Workforce Center and the local New Iowan Center participated in the regional Central Iowa Job Fair.....pg. 2 * The Burlington Workforce Center had a successful year offering Iowans free income tax assistance through the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) program.............................................pg. 2 * The New Iowan Center and the Muscatine Workforce Center will be holding a Spring Career Fair on Thursday, May 20th.......pg. 2 * Iowans gathered Wednesday, April 28, to pay tribute and to reflect upon the lives of the Iowa workers who lost their lives in 2009 while at work............................pg. 3

Iowa Workforce Monthly, June-July 2010, Issue 17

Highlights: * Iowa Workforce Development Director Elisabeth Buck and Deputy Director Joe Walsh recently visited a number of IowaWORKS offices in Eastern Iowa as part of a summer tour........................................pg. 2 * Amber Connolly was recently awarded the Iowa Association of Workplace Professionals (IAWP) individual award for Outstanding Specialized Customer Service...............pg. 2 * Iowa Workforce Development has partnered with Iowa’s Community Colleges to implement Iowa’s National Career Readiness Certificate (NCRC).................pg. 3 * O*NET is an occupational information network developed under the sponsorship of the U.S. Department of Labor/Employment and Training Administration.....................pg. 3

Report on the Iowa Department of Workforce Development for the year ended June 30, 2009

Report on the Iowa Department of Workforce Development for the year ended June 30, 2009

Ageing with HIV: medication use and risk for potential drug-drug interactions.

OBJECTIVES: To compare the use of co-medication, the potential drug-drug interactions (PDDIs) and the effect on antiretroviral therapy (ART) tolerability and efficacy in HIV-infected individuals according to age, ≥ 50 years or <50 years. METHODS: All ART-treated participants were prospectively included once during a follow-up visit of the Swiss HIV Cohort Study. Information on any current medication was obtained by participant self-report and medical prescription history. The complete treatment was subsequently screened for PDDIs using a customized version of the Liverpool drug interaction database. RESULTS: Drug prescriptions were analysed for 1497 HIV-infected individuals: 477 age ≥ 50 and 1020 age <50. Older patients were more likely to receive one or more co-medications compared with younger patients (82% versus 61%; P < 0.001) and thus had more frequent PDDIs (51% versus 35%; P < 0.001). Furthermore, older patients tended to use a higher number of co-medications and certain therapeutic drug classes more often, such as cardiovascular drugs (53% versus 19%; P < 0.001), gastrointestinal medications (10% versus 6%; P = 0.004) and hormonal agents (6% versus 3%; P = 0.04). PDDIs with ART occurred mainly with cardiovascular drugs (27%), CNS agents (22%) and methadone (6%) in older patients and with CNS agents (27%), methadone (15%) and cardiovascular drugs (11%) in younger patients. The response to ART did not differ between the two groups. CONCLUSIONS: The risk for PDDIs with ART increased in older patients who take more drugs than their younger HIV-infected counterparts. However, medication use in older and younger patients did not differ in terms of effect on antiretroviral tolerability and response.

Iowa Workforce Monthly, November 2010, Issue 19

Highlights: * New Iowan Center 10th Anniversary Open House........................................pg. 2 * New ICAP Workforce Services Center Held Open House.............................pg. 2 * Cedar Rapids IowaWORKS Hosts Career Fair...............................................pg. 3 * New Hours for Washington IowaWORKS office.............................pg. 3 * Regional Update.................................pg. 4 * Regional Veteran’s Day Events & Photos ...............................................pg. 5

Supplement Information to the August 2008 Economic and Workforce Development Task Force Report, August 2008

The 2008 disasters devastated businesses, farms, homes, schools, non-profit institutions, entire communities, and people’s lives across the state of Iowa. The Rebuild Iowa Advisory Commission (RIAC) is charged by the Governor to guide the state’s recovery and reconstruction process. The Economic and Workforce Development Task Force is respectfully submitting this report to be included and considered in the deliberations of the RIAC. While economic and workforce development are two issues that are inextricably linked and critical to Iowa’s rebuilding strategies, each also requires extraordinary attention in determining what needs to be considered in the very immediate and longer-term recovery. Supplement Information to the August 2008 Economic and Workforce Development Task Force Report

Iowa Workforce Monthly, January 2011, Issue 20

Highlights: * Workers’ Compensation CommissionerChristopher Godfrey Testifies Before Congress........................................pg. 2 *Lakes Area and Kossuth County ECI to Hold Joint Meeting.............................pg. 2 *IWD Assists Ex-Offenders in the Work Search Process.......................................pg. 3 *eFile for a Fast Income Tax Refund..pg. 3 *IowaWORKS Greater Siouxland Naturalization Ceremony...................pg. 5

Regional specificity of MRI contrast parameter changes in normal ageing revealed by voxel-based quantification (VBQ).

Normal ageing is associated with characteristic changes in brain microstructure. Although in vivo neuroimaging captures spatial and temporal patterns of age-related changes of anatomy at the macroscopic scale, our knowledge of the underlying (patho)physiological processes at cellular and molecular levels is still limited. The aim of this study is to explore brain tissue properties in normal ageing using quantitative magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) alongside conventional morphological assessment. Using a whole-brain approach in a cohort of 26 adults, aged 18-85years, we performed voxel-based morphometric (VBM) analysis and voxel-based quantification (VBQ) of diffusion tensor, magnetization transfer (MT), R1, and R2* relaxation parameters. We found age-related reductions in cortical and subcortical grey matter volume paralleled by changes in fractional anisotropy (FA), mean diffusivity (MD), MT and R2*. The latter were regionally specific depending on their differential sensitivity to microscopic tissue properties. VBQ of white matter revealed distinct anatomical patterns of age-related change in microstructure. Widespread and profound reduction in MT contrasted with local FA decreases paralleled by MD increases. R1 reductions and R2* increases were observed to a smaller extent in overlapping occipito-parietal white matter regions. We interpret our findings, based on current biophysical models, as a fingerprint of age-dependent brain atrophy and underlying microstructural changes in myelin, iron deposits and water. The VBQ approach we present allows for systematic unbiased exploration of the interaction between imaging parameters and extends current methods for detection of neurodegenerative processes in the brain. The demonstrated parameter-specific distribution patterns offer insights into age-related brain structure changes in vivo and provide essential baseline data for studying disease against a background of healthy ageing.

Iowa Workforce Monthly, March 2011, Issue 21

Highlights: * Iowa Unemployment Rate Drops to 6.3 Percent...pg. 2 *Success Story-IowaWORKS: Fort Dodge..................pg. 2 *Northeast Iowa ECI: Promoting Workplace Safety *Training Session..............pg. 3 Additional Unemployment *Insurance Options......pg. 3