Pieces of Iowa’s Past, February 27, 2013

Pieces of Iowa’s Past, published by the Iowa State Capitol Tour Guides weekly during the legislative session, features historical facts about Iowa, the Capitol, and the early workings of state government. All historical publications are reproduced here with the actual spelling, punctuation, and grammar retained. THIS WEEK: 1973 Iowa Spring Snow Storm Hits the First Quarter of the Year; the U.S. Energy Crisis Hits the Last Quarter of the Year BACKGROUND: 65TH IOWA GENERAL ASSEMBLY The Sixty-fifth General Assembly was the third General Assembly to meet annually. Prior to the Sixty-third General Assembly, the Iowa Legislature met biennially. The first year of the Sixty-fifth General Assembly convened January 8 and adjourned June 24, 1973—a 168-day session. The second year of the Sixty-fifth General Assembly convened January 14 and adjourned May 4, 1974—a 111-day session. There were 22 Democratic members in the Senate and 44 Democratic members in the House of Representatives. There were 28 Republican members in the Senate and 56 Republican members in the House—a total of 150 legislators. Lieutenant Governor Arthur Neu was presiding in the Senate and Andrew Varley was the Speaker of the House of Representatives. Robert Ray was Iowa’s Governor, having been inaugurated for his first term January 16, 1969, at the age of 40. The 1970 federal census showed Iowa’s population at 2,825,368.

Pieces of Iowa’s Past, March 6, 2013

Pieces of Iowa’s Past, published by the Iowa State Capitol Tour Guides weekly during the legislative session, features historical facts about Iowa, the Capitol, and the early workings of state government. All historical publications are reproduced here with the actual spelling, punctuation, and grammar retained. THIS WEEK: The Sudden Death of an Iowa Athlete and a Midwest Natural Disaster Marred the 75th Iowa General Assembly BACKGROUND: 75TH IOWA GENERAL ASSEMBLY The first year of the Seventy-fifth Iowa General Assembly convened January 11, 1993, and adjourned May 2, 1993—a 112-day session. The second year of the Seventy-fifth Iowa General Assembly convened January 10, 1994, and adjourned April 20, 1994—a 101-day session. The Senate had 27 Democratic members and 23 Republican members. The House of Representatives had 49 Democratic members and 51 Republican members. The President of the Senate was Leonard Boswell and the Speaker of the House of Representatives was Harold Van Maanen. Terry Branstad was the governor having been inaugurated for his first term on January 14, 1983, at the age of 36. The Federal census of 1990 showed Iowa’s population at 2,776,755.

Report of the Interim Flood Control Committee : to Governor Robert D. Blue for submission to the fifty-third General Assembly,1948

This report includes discussions of the general subject of water resources and flood control, including the presentation of facts and arguments which were considered in the drafting of this report. It also discusses various bills presented and a brief explanation of each bill.

Assembly of the Escherichia coli RuvABC resolvasome directs the orientation of holliday junction resolution.

Genetic recombination can lead to the formation of intermediates in which DNA molecules are linked by Holliday junctions. Movement of a junction along DNA, by a process known as branch migration, leads to heteroduplex formation, whereas resolution of a junction completes the recombination process. Holliday junctions can be resolved in either of two ways, yielding products in which there has, or has not, been an exchange of flanking markers. The ratio of these products is thought to be determined by the frequency with which the two isomeric forms (conformers) of the Holliday junction are cleaved. Recent studies with enzymes that process Holliday junctions in Escherichia coli, the RuvABC proteins, however, indicate that protein binding causes the junction to adopt an open square-planar configuration. Within such a structure, DNA isomerization can have little role in determining the orientation of resolution. To determine the role that junction-specific protein assembly has in determining resolution bias, a defined in vitro system was developed in which we were able to direct the assembly of the RuvABC resolvasome. We found that the bias toward resolution in one orientation or the other was determined simply by the way in which the Ruv proteins were positioned on the junction. Additionally, we provide evidence that supports current models on RuvABC action in which Holliday junction resolution occurs as the resolvasome promotes branch migration.

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.

Looking Back: Historical Hall, 1899-1904; State Historical, Memorial and Art Building, 1905-1999; Ola Babcock Miller Building, 1999-Present, June 2013

For more than 80 years, visitors to the Iowa State Historical, Memorial, and Art Building were treated to the state’s collection of historic documents, literature, portraits, and historical, geological, and archeological artifacts. Those who visited might have memories of the spectacular sand paintings by Iowan Andrew Clemens, the variety of taxidermy Iowa animals, the pioneer Conestoga wagon in the basement, the biplane hanging from the dome ceiling, the odd display by the medical library of things removed from stomachs, or the Native American display on the third floor. This booklet is a look back at the origins of the museum. It includes some of the Historical Department reports, legislation passed by the general assembly, newspaper and magazine articles, and photographs pertaining to the museum and library. It is not intended to be an exhaustive review and documentation of displays and exhibits. It is a brief overview of the building’s history and some photographs that may bring back memories, for some, of a field trip as a student. This booklet has been created from a variety of source materials: photographs, newspaper articles, and various reports. The following have contributed: State Library of Iowa, Iowa State Historical Society, the Iowa Judicial Branch, Susan Wallace, Helen Dagley, Barb Corson, Jerome Thompson, Pam Rees, Georgiann Fischer, and Jason Mrachina.

The Iowa State Capitol Grounds 1913 Extension and Reconstruction Project, October 2012

The Capitol grounds have been evolving through planned and unplanned actions for more than 150 years. The 1857 Constitutio established Des Moines as the capital. The commissioners appointed to choose a site decided on land donated by Wilson Alexander Scott and Harrison Lyon. Located on the east side of the Des Moines River, on a gently rising hill, the site for the Iowa State Capitol began with fewer than 10 acres. The Old Brick Capitol was built in the center of that 10-acre plot, and the area to the north was used as a public park until work began on the present day Capitol. In 1884, the two-year process of moving from the Old Brick Capitol to the new Capitol began. The state commissioned John Weidenman to design the first formal decoration of the grounds. Weidenman’s plans for the west approach to the Capitol included planting statues, and walkways. The State held some additional land but not necessarily land adjacent to the Capitol. In 1909, legislation was passed, and in 1913, the Thirty-Fifth General Assembly enacted controversial legislation to acquire additional land. A commission was formed to locate a purposed monument honoring the long-serving U.S. Senator William B. Allison. E.L. Masqueray was hired as the architect expert focusing on the selection of a proper site for the proposed Allison Memorial. Masqueray’s plan detailed the placement of buildings and potential monuments. Growth of the Capitol Complex, as known today, began.

Pom1 regulates the assembly of Cdr2-Mid1 cortical nodes for robust spatial control of cytokinesis.

Proper division plane positioning is essential to achieve faithful DNA segregation and to control daughter cell size, positioning, or fate within tissues. In Schizosaccharomyces pombe, division plane positioning is controlled positively by export of the division plane positioning factor Mid1/anillin from the nucleus and negatively by the Pom1/DYRK (dual-specificity tyrosine-regulated kinase) gradients emanating from cell tips. Pom1 restricts to the cell middle cortical cytokinetic ring precursor nodes organized by the SAD-like kinase Cdr2 and Mid1/anillin through an unknown mechanism. In this study, we show that Pom1 modulates Cdr2 association with membranes by phosphorylation of a basic region cooperating with the lipid-binding KA-1 domain. Pom1 also inhibits Cdr2 interaction with Mid1, reducing its clustering ability, possibly by down-regulation of Cdr2 kinase activity. We propose that the dual regulation exerted by Pom1 on Cdr2 prevents Cdr2 assembly into stable nodes in the cell tip region where Pom1 concentration is high, which ensures proper positioning of cytokinetic ring precursors at the cell geometrical center and robust and accurate division plane positioning.

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.

Calpain 3, the "gatekeeper" of proper sarcomere assembly, turnover and maintenance.

Calpain 3 is a member of the calpain family of calcium-dependent intracellular proteases. Thirteen years ago it was discovered that mutations in calpain 3 (CAPN3) result in an autosomal recessive and progressive form of limb girdle muscular dystrophy called limb girdle muscular dystrophy type 2A. While calpain 3 mRNA is expressed at high levels in muscle and appears to have some role in developmental processes, muscles of patients and mice lacking calpain 3 still form apparently normal muscle during prenatal development; thus, a functional calpain 3 protease is not mandatory for muscle to form in vivo but it is a pre-requisite for muscle to remain healthy. Despite intensive research in this field, the physiological substrates of the calpain 3 protein (hereafter referred to as CAPN3) and its alternatively spliced isoforms remain elusive. The existence of these multiple isoforms complicates the search for the physiological functions of CAPN3 and its pathophysiological role. In this review, we summarize the genetic and biochemical evidence that point to loss of function of the full-length isoform of CAPN3, also known as p94, as the pathogenic isoform. We also argue that its natural substrates must reside in its proximity within the sarcomere where it is stored in an inactive state anchored to titin. We further propose that CAPN3 has many attributes that make it ideally suited as a sensor of sarcomeric integrity and function, involved in its repair and maintenance. Loss of these CAPN3-mediated activities can explain the "progressive" development of muscular dystrophy.

Model studies on the synthesis of madangamine alkaloids. Assembly of the macrocyclic rings

Using simplified model derivatives, the assembly of the macrocyclic rings of madangamines, including the 13- and 14-membered D rings of madangamines C-E, the all-cis-triunsaturated 15-membered D ring of madangamine A, and the (Z,Z)-unsaturated 11-membered E ring common to madangamines A-E, has been studied.

The Iowa Award Recipients from the Iowa Official Register, 2013-2014

The Iowa Award represents the state’s highest citizen award. The Iowa Centennial Memorial Foundation, established in 1948 by Governor Robert D. Blue and the Iowa General Assembly, created the award. The foundation wished “to encourage and recognize the outstanding service of Iowans in the fields of science, medicine, law, religion, social welfare, education, agriculture, industry, government, and other public service” and to recognize the “merit of their accomplishments in Iowa and throughout the United States.”

Biennial report of the Commissioners of the Soldiers' Home at Marshalltown, Iowa,1889

This is the 1889 Biennial report of the Commissioners of the Soldiers' Home at Marshalltown, Iowa to the General Assembly of Iowa. It provides information on the services that the home provides to veterans and how the facility is maintained. It also contains a treasurer's report.

Bridge Deck Expansion Assembly on Jefferson Street in Ottumwa, HR-505C, 1990

The objective of this research was to evaluate two experimental D.S. Brown, Type SL450 and one D.S. Brown, Type SL750 expansion assemblies to identify possible construction problems and to determine the long term performances. These joints were installed in Wapello County on Jefferson Street viaduct in Ottumwa, Iowa. Visual inspections were made yearly. There is an indication that there may be a slow leakage at all three joints. The joint assemblies have performed well.