Road Use Tax Fund Efficiency Report - March 2013

Senate File 2314, 84th General Assembly, states the Iowa Department of Transportation shall submit quarterly reports regarding the implementation of efficiency measures identified in the “Road Use Tax Fund Efficiency Report,” January 2012. This report shall provide details of activities undertaken in the previous quarter relating to one-time and long-term program efficiencies and partnership efficiencies. Issues covered include savings realized from the implementation of particular efficiency measures; updates concerning measures that have not been implemented; efforts involving cities, counties, other jurisdictions, or stakeholder interest groups; any new efficiency measures identified or undertaken; and identification of any legislative action that may be required to achieve efficiencies.

Shade avoidance: phytochrome signalling and other aboveground neighbour detection cues.

Plants compete with neighbouring vegetation for limited resources. In competition for light, plants adjust their architecture to bring the leaves higher in the vegetation where more light is available than in the lower strata. These architectural responses include accelerated elongation of the hypocotyl, internodes and petioles, upward leaf movement (hyponasty), and reduced shoot branching and are collectively referred to as the shade avoidance syndrome. This review discusses various cues that plants use to detect the presence and proximity of neighbouring competitors and respond to with the shade avoidance syndrome. These cues include light quality and quantity signals, mechanical stimulation, and plant-emitted volatile chemicals. We will outline current knowledge about each of these signals individually and discuss their possible interactions. In conclusion, we will make a case for a whole-plant, ecophysiology approach to identify the relative importance of the various neighbour detection cues and their possible interactions in determining plant performance during competition.

Guidelines for the use and interpretation of assays for monitoring autophagy in higher eukaryotes.

Research in autophagy continues to accelerate,(1) and as a result many new scientists are entering the field. Accordingly, it is important to establish a standard set of criteria for monitoring macroautophagy in different organisms. Recent reviews have described the range of assays that have been used for this purpose.(2,3) There are many useful and convenient methods that can be used to monitor macroautophagy in yeast, but relatively few in other model systems, and there is much confusion regarding acceptable methods to measure macroautophagy in higher eukaryotes. A key point that needs to be emphasized is that there is a difference between measurements that monitor the numbers of autophagosomes versus those that measure flux through the autophagy pathway; thus, a block in macroautophagy that results in autophagosome accumulation needs to be differentiated from fully functional autophagy that includes delivery to, and degradation within, lysosomes (in most higher eukaryotes) or the vacuole (in plants and fungi). Here, we present a set of guidelines for the selection and interpretation of the methods that can be used by investigators who are attempting to examine macroautophagy and related processes, as well as by reviewers who need to provide realistic and reasonable critiques of papers that investigate these processes. This set of guidelines is not meant to be a formulaic set of rules, because the appropriate assays depend in part on the question being asked and the system being used. In addition, we emphasize that no individual assay is guaranteed to be the most appropriate one in every situation, and we strongly recommend the use of multiple assays to verify an autophagic response.

Road Use Tax Fund Efficiency Report, June 30, 2013

Senate File 2314, 84th General Assembly, states the Iowa Department of Transportation shall submit quarterly reports regarding the implementation of efficiency measures identified in the "Road Use Tax Fund Efficiency Report," January 2012. This report shall provide details of activities undertaken in the previous quarter relating to one-time and long-term program efficiencies and partnership efficiencies. Issues covered include savings realized from the implementation of particular efficiency measures; updates concerning measures that have not been implemented; efforts involving cities, counties, other jurisdictions, or stakeholder interest groups; any new efficiency measures identified or undertaken; and identification of any legislative action that may be required to achieve efficiencies.

Genomic Study of RNA Polymerase II and III SNAP(c)-Bound Promoters Reveals a Gene Transcribed by Both Enzymes and a Broad Use of Common Activators.

SNAP(c) is one of a few basal transcription factors used by both RNA polymerase (pol) II and pol III. To define the set of active SNAP(c)-dependent promoters in human cells, we have localized genome-wide four SNAP(c) subunits, GTF2B (TFIIB), BRF2, pol II, and pol III. Among some seventy loci occupied by SNAP(c) and other factors, including pol II snRNA genes, pol III genes with type 3 promoters, and a few un-annotated loci, most are primarily occupied by either pol II and GTF2B, or pol III and BRF2. A notable exception is the RPPH1 gene, which is occupied by significant amounts of both polymerases. We show that the large majority of SNAP(c)-dependent promoters recruit POU2F1 and/or ZNF143 on their enhancer region, and a subset also recruits GABP, a factor newly implicated in SNAP(c)-dependent transcription. These activators associate with pol II and III promoters in G1 slightly before the polymerase, and ZNF143 is required for efficient transcription initiation complex assembly. The results characterize a set of genes with unique properties and establish that polymerase specificity is not absolute in vivo.

Use of Incentive/Disincentive Contracting to Mitigate Work Zone Traffic Impacts, 2012

Incentive/disincentive clauses (I/D) are designed to award payments to contractors if they complete work ahead of schedule and to deduct payments if they exceed the completion time. A previously unanswered question is, “Did the costs of the actual work zone impacts that were avoided justify the incentives paid?” This report answers that question affirmatively based on an evaluation of 20 I/D projects in Missouri from 2008 to 2011. Road user costs (RUC) were used to quantify work zone impacts and included travel delays, vehicle operating costs, and crash costs. These were computed using work zone traffic conditions for partial-closure projects and detour volumes and routes for full-closure projects. Conditions during construction were compared to after construction. Crash costs were computed using Highway Safety Manual methodology. Safety Performance Functions produced annual crash frequencies that were translated into crash cost savings. In considering an average project, the percentage of RUC savings was around 13% of the total contract amount, or $444,389 of $3,464,620. The net RUC savings produced was around $7.2 million after subtracting the approximately $1.7 million paid in incentives. In other words, for every dollar paid in incentives, approximately 5.3 dollars of RUC savings resulted. I/D provisions were very successful in saving RUC for projects with full-closure, projects in urban areas, and emergency projects. Rural, non-emergency projects successfully saved RUC but not at the same level as other projects. The I/D contracts were also compared to all Missouri Department of Transportation contracts for the same time period. The results show that I/D projects had a higher on-time completion percentage and a higher number of bids per call than average projects. But I/D projects resulted in 4.52% higher deviation from programmed costs and possibly more changes made after the award. A survey of state transportation departments and contractors showed that both agreed to the same issues that affect the success of I/D contracts. Legal analysis suggests that liquidated damages is preferred to disincentives, since enforceability of disincentives may be an issue. Overall, in terms of work zone impact mitigation, I/D contracts are very effective at a relatively low cost.

Road Use Tax Fund Efficiency Report, September 2013

Senate File 2314, 84th General Assembly, states the Iowa Department of Transportation shall submit quarterly reports regarding the implementation of efficiency measures identified in the "Road Use Tax Fund Efficiency Report," January 2012. This report shall provide details of activities undertaken in the previous quarter relating to one-time and long-term program efficiencies and partnership efficiencies. Issues covered include savings realized from the implementation of particular efficiency measures; updates concerning measures that have not been implemented; efforts involving cities, counties, other jurisdictions, or stakeholder interest groups; any new efficiency measures identified or undertaken; and identification of any legislative action that may be required to achieve efficiencies.

The use of different types of thermoluminescent dosimeters to measure extremity doses in nuclear medicine

Depth-dose curves in LiF detectors of different effective thicknesses, together with their responses, were calculated for typical nuclear medicine radiation fields with 99mTc, 18F and 90Y sources. Responses were analysed in function of the radionuclide, detector effective thickness and irradiation geometry. On the other hand the results of the nuclear medicine measurement campaign of the ORAMED project were presented focussing on the dose distribution across the hand and on the appropriate position to wear the dosimeter.According to the results, thin LiF detectors provide better responses in all cases. Its use is essential for 18F, since thick dosimeters can underestimate Hp(0.07) up to a 50% because of the very inhomogeneous dose deposition on the active layer. The preliminary results of the measurement campaign showed that the index tip of the non-dominant hand is usually the most exposed position among the 22 monitored positions. It was also found that, in average, wrist dosimeters are likely to underestimate the maximum skin dose by a factor of the order of 20. This factor is reduced to around 6 for a ring dosimeter worn on the base of the index of the non-dominant hand. Thus, for typical nuclear medicine procedures, the base of the index of the non-dominant hand is recommended as the best monitoring option.

Road Use Tax Fund Efficiency Report, December 31, 2013

Senate File 2314, 84th General Assembly, states the Iowa Department of Transportation shall submit quarterly reports regarding the implementation of efficiency measures identified in the "Road Use Tax Fund Efficiency Report," January 2012. This report shall provide details of activities undertaken in the previous quarter relating to one-time and long-term program efficiencies and partnership efficiencies. Issues covered include savings realized from the implementation of particular efficiency measures; updates concerning measures that have not been implemented; efforts involving cities, counties, other jurisdictions, or stakeholder interest groups; any new efficiency measures identified or undertaken; and identification of any legislative action that may be required to achieve efficiencies.

Development of a Sensitive Resource Use Questionnaire

Alcoholism is a chronic disease and the evaluation of its burden usually focuses on long-term co-morbidity and mortality. Clinical Trials evaluating new interventions for alcohol-dependent patients rarely last more than 12 to 24 months. OBJECTIVES: Develop a questionnaire capable of capturing principal resource use yet sensitive enough to show short-term economic benefit of drugs developed to reduce consump¬tion in alcohol-dependent patients. METHODS: Comprehensive Medline literature search using keywords: Alcohol-related-disorders, economics, cost of illness. Further, experts panel discussions provided additional data. RESULTS: Two key cost drivers, hospitalisation and sick leaves were identified by the literature review. Expert findings related to costs of social consequences were incorporated. These three important resources were included in the questionnaire in addition to standard medical resource use consumption input. Finally, the following items were included: consultation visits, hospitalisations, sick leaves and working situation, living situation, social environ¬ment, accidents, arrests and domestic violence. The recall period is 3 months. DISCUSSION: A great deal of information is collected in this questionnaire in order to capture all relevant resources. Tests to validate the questionnaire in a real-life setting will be conducted (face validity, concurrent validity, and test-retest) in a cohort of dependent patients initiated at Lausanne University hospital ( Switzerland). Items not sensitive enough to capture short-term costs and consequences will be removed. Translation into other major languages and adaptation to different settings after cultural validation is planned. CONCLUSIONS: Publication of this tool should facilitate additional knowledge about resource utilisation at the patient level and enable evaluation of short-term economic impact of pharmacological and non-pharmacological interventions.

Distributing State Road Use Tax Funds to Counties, HR-386, 1996

Iowa's county road system serves many critical functions in a changing environment. Many counties with very different social, economic, and demographic circumstances do not have adequate resources to provide the desired level of service on their secondary road systems. How the state's Road Use Tax Fund (RUTF) is distributed among counties is therefore of great importance. This report presents the results of a year-long study of how to distribute RUTF resources among Iowa's 99 counties. The project was undertaken at the request of county engineers who wish to replace the current method of allocation with one that is more stable, comprehensible, and predictable. This report describes the current allocation method, examines how other states distribute road funds to counties, and discusses potential allocation factors that could be included in a revised procedure. The process undertaken to narrow the range of possible formulas and determine the one to recommend is summarized. Finally, the report presents the allocation formula recommended by the project advisory committee, along with how it would operate.

The Use of Abrasives in Winter Maintenance, TR-434, 2001

The use of abrasives in winter maintenance is a well-established practice. The sand or other abrasive is intended to increase friction between vehicles and the (often snow or ice covered) pavement. In many agencies (and in many Iowa Counties, the focus of this study) the use of sand is a standard part of winter maintenance. Yet very little information exists on the value of sanding as a winter maintenance procedure. Some studies suggest that friction gains from sanding are minimal. In addition, there are increasing environmental concerns about sanding. These concerns focus on air quality and stormwater quality issues. This report reviews the state of the practice of abrasive usage in Iowa Counties, and classifies that usage according to its effectiveness. Possible changes in practice (with respect to abrasive usage) are presented and discussed.

Road Use Tax Fund Efficiency Report, March 2014

Senate File 2314, 84th General Assembly, states the Iowa Department of Transportation shall submit quarterly reports regarding the implementation of efficiency measures identified in the "Road Use Tax Fund Efficiency Report," January 2012. This report shall provide details of activities undertaken in the previous quarter relating to one-time and long-term program efficiencies and partnership efficiencies. Issues covered include savings realized from the implementation of particular efficiency measures; updates concerning measures that have not been implemented; efforts involving cities, counties, other jurisdiction, or stakeholder interest groups; any new efficiency measures identified or undertaken; and identification of any legislative action that may be required to achieve efficiencies.

International differences in alcohol use according to sexual orientation.

Most research on sexual orientation and alcohol use in the United States has found higher rates of alcohol use and abuse among gay men and lesbians. Studies from other countries have found smaller or no differences between sexual minority and heterosexual women and men. The present study used general population survey data from 14 countries to examine high-volume and risky single-occasion drinking by sexual orientation. Data from 248 gay men and lesbians and 3720 heterosexuals were analyzed in a case-control design. In several countries partnered or recently partnered gay men and lesbians had no greater risk of heavy drinking or engaging in heavy drinking than heterosexual controls. Only lesbians in North America showed higher risk for both indicators. Future general population health research should include larger samples of gays and lesbians and use more comprehensive measures of sexual orientation for investigating the prevalence of health risk factors.

Exposure to bioaerosols in poultry houses at different stages of fattening; use of real-time PCR for airborne bacterial quantification

Previous studies have demonstrated that poultry house workers are exposed to very high levels of organic dust and consequently have an increased prevalence of adverse respiratory symptoms. However, the influence of the age of broilers on bioaerosol concentrations has not been investigated. To evaluate the evolution of bioaerosol concentration during the fattening period, bioaerosol parameters (inhalable dust, endotoxin and bacteria) were measured in 12 poultry confinement buildings in Switzerland, at three different stages of the birds' growth; samples of air taken from within the breathing zones of individual poultry house employees as they caught the chickens ready to be transported for slaughter were also analysed. Quantitative polymerase chain reaction (Q-PCR) was used to assess the quantity of total airborne bacteria and total airborne Staphylococcus species. Bioaerosol levels increased significantly during the fattening period of the chickens. During the task of catching mature birds, the mean inhalable dust concentration for a worker was 26 +/- 1.9 mg m(-3) and endotoxin concentration was 6198 +/- 2.3 EU m(-3) air, >6-fold higher than the Swiss occupational recommended value (1000 EU m(-3)). The mean exposure level of bird catchers to total bacteria and Staphylococcus species measured by Q-PCR is also very high, respectively, reaching values of 53 (+/-2.6) x 10(7) cells m(-3) air and 62 (+/-1.9) x 10(6) m(-3) air. It was concluded that in the absence of wearing protective breathing apparatus, chicken catchers in Switzerland risk exposure beyond recommended limits for all measured bioaerosol parameters. Moreover, the use of Q-PCR to estimate total and specific numbers of airborne bacteria is a promising tool for evaluating any modifications intended to improve the safety of current working practices