Mechanisms regulating the proliferative potential of human CD8+ T lymphocytes overexpressing telomerase.

In human somatic cells, including T lymphocytes, telomeres progressively shorten with each cell division, eventually leading to a state of cellular senescence. Ectopic expression of telomerase results in the extension of their replicative life spans without inducing changes associated with transformation. However, it is yet unknown whether somatic cells that overexpress telomerase are physiologically indistinguishable from normal cells. Using CD8+ T lymphocyte clones overexpressing telomerase, we investigated the molecular mechanisms that regulate T cell proliferation. In this study, we show that early passage T cell clones transduced or not with human telomerase reverse transcriptase displayed identical growth rates upon mitogenic stimulation and no marked global changes in gene expression. Surprisingly, reduced proliferative responses were observed in human telomerase reverse transcriptase-transduced cells with extended life spans. These cells, despite maintaining high expression levels of genes involved in the cell cycle progression, also showed increased expression in several genes found in common with normal aging T lymphocytes. Strikingly, late passage T cells overexpressing telomerase accumulated the cyclin-dependent inhibitors p16Ink4a and p21Cip1 that have largely been associated with in vitro growth arrest. We conclude that alternative growth arrest mechanisms such as those mediated by p16Ink4a and p21Cip1 still remained intact and regulated the growth potential of cells independently of their telomere status.

Report of Recommendations to the Office of Secretary of State, June 30, 2003

State Agency Audit Report

A-H-S-T Community School District, Auditor of State's Report on Reaudit, For the Period July 1, 2002 through June 30, 2003

Community School District Audit Report - Reaudit

City of Spirit Lake, Auditor of State's Report on Reaudit, For the Period, July 1, 2001 through June 30, 2003

City Audit Report - Reaudit

Department of Natural Resources - Special Investigation of The Lewis and Clark State Park in Onawa, July 1st, 2001 through November 30, 2004

Other Audit Reports - Special Investigation

Alternative Solutions to Meet the Service Needs of Low Volume Bridges in lowa, June 2004

There is a nationwide need for a safe, efficient and cost effective transportation system. An essential component of this system is the bridges. Local agencies perhaps have an even greater task than federal and state agencies in maintaining the low volume road (LVR) bridge system due to lack of sufficient resources and funding. The primary focus of this study was to review the various aspects of off-system bridge design, rehabilitation, and replacement. Specifically, a reference report was developed to address common problems in LVR bridges. The source of information included both Iowa and national agencies. This report is intended to be a “user manual” or “tool box” of information, procedures and choices for county engineers to employ in the management of their bridge inventory plus identify areas and problems that need to be researched

Report of Recommendations to the Office of Secretary of State, June 30, 2004

State Audit Reports

The political economy of childcare in OECD countries : Explaining cross-national variation in spending and coverage rates

If childcare policy has become topical in most OECD countries over the last ten years or so, actual developments display huge cross-national variations. Countries like Sweden and Denmark spend around 2 per cent of GDP on this service, and provide affordable childcare places to most children below school age. At the other extreme, in Southern Europe, only around 10 per cent of this age group has access to formal daycare. Against this background, this article aims to account for cross-national variations in childcare services. It distinguishes two dependent variables: the coverage rate and the proportion of GDP spent subsidising childcare services. Using a mix of cross-sectional and pooled times-series methods, it tests a series of hypotheses concerning the determinants of the development of this policy. Its main conclusion for the coverage rate is that key factors are public spending and wage dispersion (both positive). For spending, key factors are the proportion of women in parliaments (positive) and spending on age-related policies (negative).

Dubuque County, Auditor of State's Report on Reaudit, For the Period July 1, 2002 through June 30, 2003

Other Audit Reports - Dubuque County Reaudit

City of Silver City, Auditor of State's Report on Reaudit, For the Period July 1, 2002 through June 30, 2003

City Audit Report

Ames Community School District, Auditor of State's Report on Reaudit, For the Period July 1st, 2003 through June 30th, 2004

Other Audit Reports - Reaudit Community School District

Department of Human Rights Division of Persons with Disabilities Annual Performance Plan Report, September 2005

This report is published in accordance with the Accountable Government Act to improve decision-making and increase accountability to stakeholders and citizens. This report contains performance information regarding our primary programs including, the Youth Leadership Forum, the College Leadership Forum, the State Access Grant and the Client Assistance Program. Major accomplishments this year include continuation of our core programs, a key role in the Iowa Great Places initiative and providing Cultural Competency training to governmental and non-governmental agencies.

City of Perry, Auditor of State's Report on Reaudit for the Period July 1, 2002 through June 30, 2003

City of Perry, Auditor of State's Report on Reaudit for the Period July 1, 2002 through June 30, 2003

County Recorders Electronic Transaction Fees Under the Control of the State Treasurer and the Iowa County Recorders Association, Auditor of State's Report for the Period July 1, 2003 through September 30, 2005

County Recorders Electronic Transaction Fees Under the Control of the State Treasurer and the Iowa County Recorders Association, Auditor of State's Report for the Period July 1, 2003 through September 30, 2005

What made him change? an individual and national analysis of men's participation in housework in 26 countries

We offer new evidence on multi-level determinants of the gender division of housework. Using data from the 2004 European Social Survey (ESS) for 26 European, we study the micro and macro-level factors which increase the likelihood of men doing an equal or greater share of housework than their female partners. A sample of 11,915 young men and women is analysed with a multi-level logistic regression in order to test at individual level the classic relative-income, time-availability and gender-role values, and a new couple conflict hypothesis. At individual level we find significant relationships between relative resources, values, couple's disagreement, and the division of housework which support more economic dependency than "doing gender" perspectives. At the macro-level, we find important composition effects and also support for gender empowerment, family model and social stratification explanations of cross-country differences.