The small RNA PhrS stimulates synthesis of the Pseudomonas aeruginosa quinolone signal.

Quorum sensing, a cell-to-cell communication system based on small signal molecules, is employed by the human pathogen Pseudomonas aeruginosa to regulate virulence and biofilm development. Moreover, regulation by small trans-encoded RNAs has become a focal issue in studies of virulence gene expression of bacterial pathogens. In this study, we have identified the small RNA PhrS as an activator of PqsR synthesis, one of the key quorum-sensing regulators in P. aeruginosa. Genetic studies revealed a novel mode of regulation by a sRNA, whereby PhrS uses a base-pairing mechanism to activate a short upstream open reading frame to which the pqsR gene is translationally coupled. Expression of phrS requires the oxygen-responsive regulator ANR. Thus, PhrS is the first bacterial sRNA that provides a regulatory link between oxygen availability and quorum sensing, which may impact on oxygen-limited growth in P. aeruginosa biofilms.

Iowa Truck Information Guide, July 2011-December 2011

the Iowa Department of Transportation and the offices of Motor Vehicle Enforcement, Motor Carrier Services, Vehicle Services, and Drivers Services want to make your travels into and through our state safer, legal and less complicated. This book will address and clarify many of the rules and regulations concerning the operation of commercial vehicles in the state of Iowa. However, it is not possible to include every rule and regulation that may apply. If any questions exist, the reader is encouraged to contact other sources, including the agencies listed on page 4 and 5 of this book.

Interim Guide for Optimum Joint Performance of Concrete Pavements, September 2011

The purpose of this guide is to help practitioners understand how to optimize concrete pavement joint performance through the identification, mitigation, and prevention of joint deterioration. It summarizes current knowledge from research and practice to help practitioners access the latest knowledge and implement proven techniques. Emphasizing that water is the common factor in most premature joint deterioration, this guide describes various types of joint deterioration that can occur. Some distresses are caused by improper joint detailing or construction, and others can be attributed to inadequate materials or proportioning. D cracking is a form of joint distress that results from the use of poor-quality aggregates. A particular focus in this guide is joint distress due to freeze-thaw action. Numerous factors are at play in the occurrence of this distress, including the increased use of a variety of deicing chemicals and application strategies. Finally, this guide provides recommendations for minimizing the potential for joint deterioration, along with recommendations for mitigation practices to slow or stop the progress of joint deterioration.

Guide to Dowel Load Transfer Systems for Jointed Concrete Roadway Pavements, September 2011

This guide provides a summary of the factors and design theories that should be considered when designing dowel load transfer systems for concrete pavement systems (including dowel basket design and fabrication) and presents recommendations for widespread adoption (i.e., standardization). Development of the guide was sponsored by the National Concrete Consortium with the goal of helping practitioners develop and implement dowel load transfer designs based on knowledge about current research and best practices.

Guide to Cement-Based Integrated Pavement Solutions, August 2011

This guide provides a clear, concise, and cohesive presentation of cement-bound materials options for 10 specific engineering pavement applications: new concrete pavements, concrete overlays, previous concrete, precast pavements, roller-compacted concrete, cement-treated base, full-depth reclamation with cement, cement-modified soils, recycled concrete aggregates, and repair and restoration. Each application is presented as a method for meeting specific design and construction objectives that today’s pavement practitioners must accomplish. The benefits, considerations, brief description, and summary of materials, design, and construction requirements, as well as a list of sustainable attributes, are provided for every solution. This guide is intended to be short, simple, and easy to understand. It was designed so that the most up-to-date and relevant information is easily extractable. It is not intended to be used as a design guide for any of the applications identified herein. Recommendations for additional information that can provide such details are given at the end of each solution discussion. The intended audience is practitioners, including engineers and managers who face decisions regarding what materials to specify in the pavement systems they design or manage. The audience also includes city and county engineers, along with the A/E firms that often represent them, and state DOT engineers at all levels who are seeking alternatives in this era of changing markets.

Chef Charles Says..., Instructors’ Guide, September 2011

The Food Assistance Program provides nutrition assistance to people with low income. Food Assistance can help you buy nutritious foods for a better diet. Produced bye Iowa’s Food Assistance Program, Department of Human Services.

Chef Charles Says..., Instructors’ Guide, October 2011

The Food Assistance Program provides nutrition assistance to people with low income. Food Assistance can help you buy nutritious foods for a better diet. Produced bye Iowa’s Food Assistance Program, Department of Human Services.

Chef Charles Says..., Instructors’ Guide, November 2011

The Food Assistance Program provides nutrition assistance to people with low income. Food Assistance can help you buy nutritious foods for a better diet. Produced bye Iowa’s Food Assistance Program, Department of Human Services.

Chef Charles Says..., Instructors’ Guide, December 2011

The Food Assistance Program provides nutrition assistance to people with low income. Food Assistance can help you buy nutritious foods for a better diet. Produced bye Iowa’s Food Assistance Program, Department of Human Services.

Chef Charles Says..., Instructors’ Guide, January 2012

The Food Assistance Program provides nutrition assistance to people with low income. Food Assistance can help you buy nutritious foods for a better diet. Produced bye Iowa’s Food Assistance Program, Department of Human Services.

Chef Charles Says..., Instructors’ Guide, February 2012

The Food Assistance Program provides nutrition assistance to people with low income. Food Assistance can help you buy nutritious foods for a better diet. Produced bye Iowa’s Food Assistance Program, Department of Human Services.

A reference guide to Iowa history,1942.

This reference guide was designed to facilitate the study of Iowa history and includes useful lists of references on many topics. It was compiled by William J. Petersen and is part of the Bulletin of Information: no. 17, edited by John Ely. It was published by the State Historical Society of Iowa

Chef Charles Says..., Instructors’ Guide, March 2012

The Food Assistance Program provides nutrition assistance to people with low income. Food Assistance can help you buy nutritious foods for a better diet. Produced bye Iowa’s Food Assistance Program, Department of Human Services.

RNA interference against aquaporin-4 decreases the apparent diffusion coefficient in the normal brain

Aim: Diffusion weighted magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is now widely used in human brain diagnosis.1 To date molecular mechanisms underlying changes in Apparent Diffusion Coefficient (ADC) signals remain poorly understood. AQP4, localized to astrocytes, is one of the most highly expressed cerebral AQPs.2 AQP4 is involved in water movement within the cell membrane of cultured astrocytes.3 We hypothesize that AQP4 contributes to water diffusion and underlying ADC values in normal brain. Methods: We used an RNA interference (RNAi) protocol in vivo, to acutely knockdown expression of AQP4 in rat brain and to determine whether this was associated with changes in brain ADC values using MRI protocols as previously described.4 RNAi was performed using specific small interference RNA (siRNA) against AQP4 (siAQP4) and a non-targeted-siRNA (siGLO) as a control. The specificity and efficiency of the siAQP4 were first tested in vitro in astrocyte and hippocampal slice cultures. In vivo, siRNAs were injected into the rat cortex 3d prior to MRI acquisition and AQP4 was assessed by western blot (n=4) and immunohistochemistry (n=6). Histology was performed on adjacent slices. Results: siAQP4 application on primary astrocyte cultures induced a 76% decrease in AQP4 expression after 4 days. In hippocampal slice cultures; we also found a significant decrease in AQP4 expression in astrocytes after siAQP4. In vivo, injection of non-targeted siRNA (siGLO) tagged with CY3 allowed us to show that GFAP positive cells (astrocytes) were positively stained with CY3-siGLO, showing efficient transfection. Western blot and immunohistochemical analysis showed that siAQP4 induced a ~30% decrease in AQP4 expression without modification of tissue properties or cell death. After siAQP4 treatment, a significant decrease in ADC values (~50%) were observed without altered of T2 values. Conclusions: Together these results suggest that AQP4 reduces water diffusion through the astrocytic plasma membrane and decreases ADC values. Our findings demonstrate for the first time that astrocytic AQP4 contributes significantly to brain water diffusion and ADC values in normal brain. These results open new avenues to interpretation of ADC values under normal physiological conditions and in acute and chronic brain injuries.