Planning for Wooded Acreages and Woodlands,August 2005

PEOPLE OWN WOODED ACREAGES and woodlands for a variety of reasons that may include: timber production, firewood production, recreation, wildlife habitat, aesthetics, and alternative forest products. Most of Iowa’s forestland is privately held, and the majority of ownership is fragmented into an average of ten acres (Forest Reserve Survey, 2004). In fact, the average size of an individual forest or woodlot ownership has been steadily declining for several years due in part to population growth, urban sprawl, and changes in land ownership. Studies indicate that the probability of a sustainable woodlot decreases as the population increases. At the same time, most woodlot owners want to be good stewards and protect and enhance the forest that they own. To achieve this goal, careful forest planning and management is required especially when managing the land for multiple objectives.

Addressing non-communicable diseases in the Seychelles: towards a comprehensive plan of action.

This article reviews the different steps taken during the past 20 years for the prevention and control of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) in the Seychelles. National surveys revealed high levels of several cardiovascular risk factors and prompted an organized response, starting with the creation of an NCD unit in the Ministry of Health. Information campaigns and nationwide activities raised awareness and rallied increasingly broad and high-level support. Significant policy was developed including comprehensive tobacco legislation and a School Nutrition Policy that bans soft drinks in schools. NCD guidelines were developed and specialized 'NCD nurses' were trained to complement doctors in district health centers. Decreasing smoking prevalence is evidence of success, but the raising so-called diabesity epidemic calls for an integrated multi-sector policy to mould an environment conducive to healthy behaviors. Essential components of these efforts include: effective surveillance mechanisms supplemented by focused research; generating broad interest and consensus; mobilizing leadership and commitment at all levels; involving local and international expertise; building on existing efforts; and seeking integrated, multi-disciplinary and multi-sector approaches.

Accuracy of out-of-field dose calculation of tomotherapy and cyberknife treatment planning systems: A dosimetric study.

PURPOSE: Late toxicities such as second cancer induction become more important as treatment outcome improves. Often the dose distribution calculated with a commercial treatment planning system (TPS) is used to estimate radiation carcinogenesis for the radiotherapy patient. However, for locations beyond the treatment field borders, the accuracy is not well known. The aim of this study was to perform detailed out-of-field-measurements for a typical radiotherapy treatment plan administered with a Cyberknife and a Tomotherapy machine and to compare the measurements to the predictions of the TPS. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Individually calibrated thermoluminescent dosimeters were used to measure absorbed dose in an anthropomorphic phantom at 184 locations. The measured dose distributions from 6 MV intensity-modulated treatment beams for CyberKnife and TomoTherapy machines were compared to the dose calculations from the TPS. RESULTS: The TPS are underestimating the dose far away from the target volume. Quantitatively the Cyberknife underestimates the dose at 40cm from the PTV border by a factor of 60, the Tomotherapy TPS by a factor of two. If a 50% dose uncertainty is accepted, the Cyberknife TPS can predict doses down to approximately 10 mGy/treatment Gy, the Tomotherapy-TPS down to 0.75 mGy/treatment Gy. The Cyberknife TPS can then be used up to 10cm from the PTV border the Tomotherapy up to 35cm. CONCLUSIONS: We determined that the Cyberknife and Tomotherapy TPS underestimate substantially the doses far away from the treated volume. It is recommended not to use out-of-field doses from the Cyberknife TPS for applications like modeling of second cancer induction. The Tomotherapy TPS can be used up to 35cm from the PTV border (for a 390 cm(3) large PTV).

Agency Strategic Planning Guidebook, August 2013

In creating a strategic plan, an organization analyzes current and historical trends and other factors to try and anticipate the future. The state of Iowa’s strategic planning process asks agencies to look three to five years into the future to lay out essential goals, strategies, and measures to ensure that it remains focused on achieving its vision and mission. Agency plans should address strategic challenges or opportunities related to their mission, programs and services. To the extent possible, agencies should align their plans with the enterprise plan, considering how they can contribute to achieving the Governor’s Goals. Agencies are required to review their plan on an annual basis, and, if appropriate, refine the plan.

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.

Comparisons of Preoperative Three-Dimensional Planning and Surgical Reconstruction in Primary Cementless Total Hip Arthroplasty

La planification scanographique (3D) a démontré son utilité pour une reconstruction anatomique plus précise de la hanche (longueur du fémur, centre de rotation, offset, antéversion et rétroversion). Des études ont montré que lors de la planification 2D 50% seulement correspondaient à l'implant définitif du fémur alors que dans une autre étude ce taux s'élevait à 94% pour une planification 3D. Les erreurs étaient liées à l'agrandissement des radiographies. L'erreur sur la taille de la tige est liée à l'estimation inadéquate de la morphologie osseuse ainsi qu'à la densité osseuse. L'erreur de l'antéversion, augmentée par l'inclinaison du bassin, a pu être éliminée par la planification 3D et l'offset restauré dans 98%. Cette étude est basée sur une nouvelle technique de planification scanographique en trois dimensions pour une meilleure précision de la reconstruction de la hanche. Le but de cette étude est de comparer l'anatomie post-opératoire à celle préopératoire en comparant les tailles d'implant prévu lors de la planification 3D à celle réellement utilisée lors de l'opération afin de déterminer l'exactitude de la restauration anatomique avec étude des différents paramètres (centre de rotation, densité osseuse, L'offset fémoral, rotations des implants, longueur du membre) à l'aide du Logiciel HIP-PLAN (Symbios) avec évaluation de la reproductibilité de notre planification 3D dans une série prospective de 50 patients subissant une prothèse totale de hanche non cimentée primaire par voie antérieure. La planification pré-opératoire a été comparée à un CTscan postopératoire par fusion d'images. CONCLUSION ET PRESPECTIVE Les résultats obtenus sont les suivants : La taille de l'implant a été prédit correctement dans 100% des tiges, 94% des cupules et 88% des têtes (longueur). La différence entre le prévu et la longueur de la jambe postopératoire était de 0,3+2,3 mm. Les valeurs de décalage global, antéversion fémorale, inclinaison et antéversion de la cupule étaient 1,4 mm ± 3,1, 0,6 ± 3,3 0 -0,4 0 ± 5 et 6,9 ° ± 11,4, respectivement. Cette planification permet de prévoir la taille de l'implant précis. Position de la tige et de l'inclinaison de la cupule sont exactement reproductible. La planification scanographique préopératoire 3D permet une évaluation précise de l'anatomie individuelle des patients subissant une prothèse totale de hanche. La prédiction de la taille de l'implant est fiable et la précision du positionnement de la tige est excellente. Toutefois, aucun avantage n'est observée en termes d'orientation de la cupule par rapport aux études impliquant une planification 2D ou la navigation. De plus amples recherches comparant les différentes techniques de planification pré-opératoire à la navigation sont nécessaire.

Width and serialization of classical planning problems

We introduce a width parameter that bounds the complexity of classical planning problems and domains, along with a simple but effective blind-search procedure that runs in time that is exponential in the problem width. We show that many benchmark domains have a bounded and small width provided thatgoals are restricted to single atoms, and hence that such problems are provably solvable in low polynomial time. We then focus on the practical value of these ideas over the existing benchmarks which feature conjunctive goals. We show that the blind-search procedure can be used for both serializing the goal into subgoals and for solving the resulting problems, resulting in a ‘blind’ planner that competes well with a best-first search planner guided by state-of-the-art heuristics. In addition, ideas like helpful actions and landmarks can be integrated as well, producing a planner with state-of-the-art performance.

Iowa Comprehensive Annual Financial Report, 2014

We are pleased to submit the Comprehensive Annual Financial Report (CAFR) for the State of Iowa for the fiscal year ended June 30, 2014. As required by State statute, this report has been prepared in accordance with U.S. Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP) for governments as promulgated by the Governmental Accounting Standards Board (GASB). The Department of Administrative Services and the Department of Management are responsible for both the accuracy of the presented data, and the completeness and fairness of the presentation. We believe the information presented is accurate in all material respects and the necessary disclosures have been made which enable the reader to obtain an understanding of the State’s financial activity.

Iowa Comprehensive Annual Financial Report, 2011

We are pleased to submit the Comprehensive Annual Financial Report (CAFR) for the State of Iowa for the fiscal year ended June 30, 2011. As required by State statute, this report has been prepared in accordance with U.S. Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP) for governments as promulgated by the Governmental Accounting Standards Board (GASB). The Department of Administrative Services and the Department of Management are responsible for both the accuracy of the presented data, and the completeness and fairness of the presentation. We believe the information presented is accurate in all material respects and the necessary disclosures have been made which enable the reader to obtain an understanding of the State’s financial activity.

Iowa Comprehensive Annual Financial Report, 2012

We are pleased to submit the Comprehensive Annual Financial Report (CAFR) for the State of Iowa for the fiscal year ended June 30, 2012. As required by State statute, this report has been prepared in accordance with U.S. Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP) for governments as promulgated by the Governmental Accounting Standards Board (GASB). The Department of Administrative Services and the Department of Management are responsible for both the accuracy of the presented data, and the completeness and fairness of the presentation. We believe the information presented is accurate in all material respects and the necessary disclosures have been made which enable the reader to obtain an understanding of the State’s financial activity.

Iowa Comprehensive Annual Financial Report, 2013

We are pleased to submit the Comprehensive Annual Financial Report (CAFR) for the State of Iowa for the fiscal year ended June 30, 2013. As required by State statute, this report has been prepared in accordance with U.S. Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP) for governments as promulgated by the Governmental Accounting Standards Board (GASB). The Department of Administrative Services and the Department of Management are responsible for both the accuracy of the presented data, and the completeness and fairness of the presentation. We believe the information presented is accurate in all material respects and the necessary disclosures have been made which enable the reader to obtain an understanding of the State’s financial activity.

Planning sleep-related animal and translational research

With the aim of improving human health, scientists have been using an approach referred to as translational research, in which they aim to convey their laboratory discoveries into clinical applications to help prevent and cure disease. Such discoveries often arise from cellular, molecular, and physiological studies that progress to the clinical level. Most of the translational work is done using animal models that share common genes, molecular pathways, or phenotypes with humans. In this article, we discuss how translational work is carried out in various animal models and illustrate its relevance for human sleep research and sleep-related disorders.

2010-2011 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report For the fiscal years ended June 30, 2011 and June 30, 2010

Comprehensive Annual Financial Report For the fiscal years ended June 30, 2011 and June 30, 2010

2012-2014 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report For the fiscal years ended June 30, 2014 and June 30, 2013

Comprehensive Annual Financial Report For the fiscal years ended June 30, 2011 and June 30, 2010(University of Northern Iowa)

2012-2013 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report For the fiscal years ended June 30, 2013 and June 30, 2012

Comprehensive Annual Financial Report For the fiscal years ended June yearly.(University of Northern Iowa)