Condition of the State of Iowa, 2007 (82nd General Assembly)

A transcript of the Condition of the State of Iowa speech by Governor Vilsack delivered at the State Capitol.

Condition of the State of Iowa, 2008 (82nd General Assembly)

A transcript of the Condition of the State of Iowa speech by Governor Culver delivered at the State Capitol.

Condition of the State of Iowa, 2009 (83rd General Assembly)

A transcript of the Condition of the State of Iowa speech by Governor Culver delivered at the State Capitol.

Condition of the State of Iowa, 2010 (83rd General Assembly)

A transcript of the Condition of the State of Iowa speech by Governor Culver delivered at the State Capitol.

Condition of the State of Iowa, 2011 (84th General Assembly)

A transcript of the Condition of the State of Iowa speech by Governor Culver delivered at the State Capitol.

Condition of the State of Iowa, 1933 (45th General Assembly)

A transcript of the Condition of the State of Iowa speech by Governor Herring delivered at the State Capitol.

Condition of the State of Iowa, 1944 (50th General Assembly)

A transcript of the Condition of the State of Iowa speech by Governor Hickenlooper delivered at the State Capitol.

Governor's Inaugural Address, 1923 (40th General Assembly)

A transcript of the Governor's Inaugural Address by Governor Kendell.

Governor's Inaugural Address, 1927 (42nd General Assembly)

A transcript of the Governor's Inaugural Address by Governor Hammill.

Governor's Inaugural Address, 1929 (43rd General Assembly)

A transcript of the Governor's Inaugural Address by Governor Hammill.

Governor's Inaugural Address, 1931 (44th General Assembly)

A transcript of the Governor's Inaugural Address by Governor Turner.

Governor's Inaugural Address, 1933 (45th General Assembly)

A transcript of the Governor's Inaugural Address by Governor Herring.

Governor's Inaugural Address, 1935 (46th General Assembly)

A transcript of the Governor's Inaugural Address by Governor Herring.

Surface assembly of poly(I:C) on PEGylated microspheres to shield from adverse interactions with fibroblasts.

By expressing an array of pattern recognition receptors (PRRs), fibroblasts play an important role in stimulating and modulating the response of the innate immune system. The TLR3 ligand polyriboinosinic acid-polyribocytidylic acid, poly(I:C), a mimic of viral dsRNA, is a vaccine adjuvant candidate to activate professional antigen presenting cells (APCs). However, owing to its ligation with extracellular TLR3 on fibroblasts, subcutaneously administered poly(I:C) bears danger towards autoimmunity. It is thus in the interest of its clinical safety to deliver poly(I:C) in such a way that its activation of professional APCs is as efficacious as possible, whereas its interference with non-immune cells such as fibroblasts is controlled or even avoided. Complementary to our previous work with monocyte-derived dendritic cells (MoDCs), here we sought to control the delivery of poly(I:C) surface-assembled on microspheres to human foreskin fibroblasts (HFFs). Negatively charged polystyrene (PS) microspheres were equipped with a poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) corona through electrostatically driven coatings with a series of polycationic poly(L-lysine)-graft-poly(ethylene glycol) copolymers, PLL-g-PEG, of varying grafting ratios g from 2.2 up to 22.7. Stable surface assembly of poly(I:C) was achieved by incubation of polymer-coated microspheres with aqueous poly(I:C) solutions. Notably, recognition of both surface-assembled and free poly(I:C) by extracellular TLR3 on HFFs halted their phagocytic activity. Ligation of surface-assembled poly(I:C) with extracellular TLR3 on HFFs could be controlled by tuning the grafting ratio g and thus the chain density of the PEG corona. When assembled on PLL-5.7-PEG-coated microspheres, poly(I:C) was blocked from triggering class I MHC molecule expression on HFFs. Secretion of interleukin (IL)-6 by HFFs after exposure to surface-assembled poly(I:C) was distinctly lower as compared to free poly(I:C). Overall, surface assembly of poly(I:C) may have potential to contribute to the clinical safety of this vaccine adjuvant candidate.

Generic brands and product differentiation strategies

Generic or own brand products were initially only lesser expensive copies of the branded label alternative, but nowadays, pricing alone is not enough in order to survive in the Fast Moving Consumer Goods (FMCG) or Consumer Packaged Goods (CPG)markets. With this in mind manufacturers of generic brands have adapted to this rapidlygrowing niche by investing in design and marketing during the initial phase in order to be perceived as having a quality product comparable to that of the branded products. In addition, they have gone further ahead with a second phase and resorted to innovativeproduct differentiation strategies and even pure innovation in many cases. These strategies have granted generic brands constantly increasing market shares and a position of equals relative to national brands.Using previous analyses and case studies, this paper will provide conceptual and empirical evidence to explain the surprisingly fast growth and penetration of generic supermarket brands, which in their relatively short lifespan, have grown to rival the historical market leaders, the branded products. According to this analysis, the main conclusion is that the growth in generic brands can be explained not only by price competition, but also by the use of innovative product differentiation strategies.