Status report-Midwest Regional Rail Passenger Initiative and Passenger Rail Service in Iowa, February 1, 2011

This report fulfills the requirements of the following Code of Iowa sections: Section 327J.3(1): “The director may expend moneys from the fund to pay the costs associated with the initiation, operation, and maintenance of rail passenger service. The director shall report by February 1 of each year to the legislative services agency concerning the status of the fund including anticipated expenditures for the following fiscal year.” Section 327J.3(5): "The director shall report annually to the general assembly concerning the development and operation of the midwest regional rail system and the state's passenger rail service."

Annual Report of the Iowa Highway Research Board Research and Development Activities FY 2010

The Highway Division of the Iowa Department of Transportation (Iowa DOT) engages in research and development for two reasons: first, to find workable solutions to the many problems that require more than ordinary, routine investigation; and second, to identify and implement improved engineering and management practices. This report, entitled ―Iowa Highway Research Board Research and Development Activities FY2009‖ is submitted in compliance with Sections 310.36 and 312.3A, Code of Iowa, which direct the submission of a report of the Secondary Road Research Fund and the Street Research Fund, respectively.

A dynamic model for stem cell homeostasis and patterning in Arabidopsis meristems.

Plants maintain stem cells in their meristems as a source for new undifferentiated cells throughout their life. Meristems are small groups of cells that provide the microenvironment that allows stem cells to prosper. Homeostasis of a stem cell domain within a growing meristem is achieved by signalling between stem cells and surrounding cells. We have here simulated the origin and maintenance of a defined stem cell domain at the tip of Arabidopsis shoot meristems, based on the assumption that meristems are self-organizing systems. The model comprises two coupled feedback regulated genetic systems that control stem cell behaviour. Using a minimal set of spatial parameters, the mathematical model allows to predict the generation, shape and size of the stem cell domain, and the underlying organizing centre. We use the model to explore the parameter space that allows stem cell maintenance, and to simulate the consequences of mutations, gene misexpression and cell ablations.

Using matrix attachment regions to improve recombinant protein production.

Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells are the system of choice for the production of complex molecules, such as monoclonal antibodies. Despite significant progress in improving the yield from these cells, the process to the selection, identification, and maintenance of high-producing cell lines remains cumbersome, time consuming, and often of uncertain outcome. Matrix attachment regions (MARs) are DNA sequences that help generate and maintain an open chromatin domain that is favourable to transcription and may also facilitate the integration of several copies of the transgene. By incorporating MARs into expression vectors, an increase in the proportion of high-producer cells as well as an increase in protein production are seen, thereby reducing the number of clones to be screened and time to production by as much as 9 months. In this chapter, we describe how MARs can be used to increase transgene expression and provide protocols for the transfection of CHO cells in suspension and detection of high-producing antibody cell clones.

Soil fertility, organic carbon and fractions of the organic matter at different distances from eucalyptus stumps

Knowledge on variations in vertical, horizontal and temporal characteristics of the soil chemical properties under eucalyptus stumps left in the soil is of fundamental importance for the management of subsequent crops. The objective of this work was to evaluate the effect of eucalyptus stumps (ES) left after cutting on the spatial variability of chemical characteristics in a dystrophic Yellow Argisol in the eastern coastal plain region of Brazil. For this purpose, ES left for 31 and 54 months were selected in two experimental areas with similar characteristics, to assess the decomposition effects of the stumps on soil chemical attributes. Soil samples were collected directly around these ES, and at distances of 30, 60, 90, 120 and 150 cm away from them, in the layers 0-10, 10-20 and 20-40 cm along the row of ES, which is in-between the rows of eucalyptus trees of a new plantation, grown at a spacing of 3 x 3 m. The soil was sampled in five replications in plots of 900 m² each and the samples analyzed for pH, available P and K (Mehlich-1), exchangeable Al, Ca and Mg, total organic carbon (TOC) and C content in humic substances (HS) and in the free light fraction. The pH values and P, K, Ca2+, Mg2+ and Al3+ contents varied between the soil layers with increasing distance from the 31 and 54-monthold stumps. The highest pH, P, K, Ca2+ and Mg2+ values and the lowest Al3+ content were found in the surface soil layer. The TOC of the various fractions of soil organic matter decreased with increasing distance from the 31 and 54-month-old ES in the 0-10 and 10-20 cm layers, indicating that the root (and stump) cycling and rhizodeposition contribute to maintain soil organic matter. The C contents of the free light fraction, of the HS and TOC fractions were higher in the topsoil layer under the ES left for 31 months due to the higher clay levels of this layer, than in those found under the 54-month-old stumps. However, highest C levels of the different fractions of soil organic matter in the topsoil layer reflect the deposition and maintenance of forest residues on the soil surface, mainly after forest harvest.

Iowa Highway Research Board TR-423: 1949–1999, 1999

The year 1949 saw the Iowa General Assembly’s establishment of the Iowa Secondary Road Research Fund, which led to the creation of a supervisory board within what was then the Iowa State Highway Commission to oversee the expenditure of that fund. The purpose of the fund and the board was to research road construction topics likely to be beneficial to the working of Iowa’s secondary, or local, road system. The supervisory board—called the Iowa Highway Research Board (the “Board”)—was organized by the highway commission in December 1949 and first met in May 1950. The creation of the fund and of the Iowa Highway Research Board marked the first organized effort in the United States to investigate local road construction problems and placed Iowa in the forefront of this field of engineering research. That Iowa should be a leader in such an effort is not surprising, given the early and sustained emphasis of the Iowa State Highway Commission on both research and the dissemination of information to county authorities. Now, 50 years later, a retrospective is in order. To that end, the Iowa Highway Research Board commissioned the preparation of a commemorative history. This work is the result of that project. Throughout its existence, the Board has funded nearly 450 projects, several of national significance. Many new construction and maintenance techniques have been developed, some of which have evolved into standard practices in highway construction. Innovative new materials and equipment have been tested. Still other projects have considered a wide variety of subjects related to the efficient operation of the highway system. Highway safety, conservation, and law have all come under research scrutiny. While it will not be possible, given the short space available, to consider all the projects financed by the Iowa Highway Research Board, it is well worthwhile to examine the Board’s principal projects and its resulting contributions to the field of highway research.

Chemical and structural characterization of soil humic substances under agroforestry and conventional systems

Studies have proven that the agroforestry systems in the semi-arid region of the State of Ceará, Brazil, induce an increase in soil organic C levels. Notwithstanding, there is no information if this increase also results in qualitative changes in different pools of soil organic matter. The objective of this study was to verify the possible chemical and structural alterations in fulvic and humic acids of a Luvisol in areas adopting agroforestry, traditional intensive cultivation and native forest in a long-term experiment conducted in the semi-arid region of Ceará State, Brazil. The study was conducted in an experimental area of the National Goat Research Center (Embrapa) in Sobral, CE. The following treatments were evaluated: agrosilvopasture (AGP), silvopasture (SILV), intensive cultivation under fallow (ICF), and areas with native forest (NF). Soil fulvic and humic acids fractions were extracted from the 0-6 and 6-12 cm layers and characterized by elemental composition, thermogravimetry and infrared spectroscopy analyses. The elemental composition analysis of humic acids confirmed the data found for fulvic acids, showing reduction in the C, H and N levels, followed by an increase in O contents in the AGP and ICF treatments over SILV and NF. In all treatments, except to SILV in the 0-6 cm layer, the percentage of mass loss was highest (300-600 °C) for humic acids in the thermally most stable region. Despite the similarity between infrared spectra, soil fulvic acids in the SILV treatment extracted from 6-12 cm depth decrease the absorption bands at 1708 and 1408 cm-1 followed by an increase in the absorption band at 1608 cm-1 attributed to aromatic C=C groups. This behavior suggests an increase in the aromatic character of the structure. The AGP and ICF treatments, which increase the soil tilling, favored the maintenance of humic substances with a more aromatic character in the soil than SILV and NF. The less aromatic humic substances in the SILV treatment resulted in an increase of exchange sites of soil organic matter, indicating improved nutrient cycling and maintenance of productivity in the system.

Soil microbial biomass under different management and tillage systems of permanent intercropped cover species in an orange orchard

To mitigate soil erosion and enhance soil fertility in orange plantations, the permanent protection of the inter-rows by cover species has been suggested. The objective of this study was to evaluate alterations in the microbial biomass, due to different soil tillage systems and intercropped cover species between rows of orange trees. The soil of the experimental area previously used as pasture (Brachiaria humidicola) was an Ultisol (Typic Paleudult) originating from Caiuá sandstone in the northwestern part of the State of Paraná, Brazil. Two soil tillage systems were evaluated: conventional tillage (CT) in the entire area and strip tillage (ST) (strip width 2 m), in combination with different ground cover management systems. The citrus cultivar 'Pera' orange (Citrus sinensis) grafted onto 'Rangpur' lime rootstock was used. Soil samples were collected after five years of treatment from a depth of 0-15 cm, under the tree canopy and in the inter-row, in the following treatments: (1) CT and an annual cover crop with the leguminous species Calopogonium mucunoides; (2) CT and a perennial cover crop with the leguminous peanut Arachis pintoi; (3) CT and an evergreen cover crop with Bahiagrass Paspalum notatum; (4) CT and a cover crop with spontaneous Brachiaria humidicola grass vegetation; and (5) ST and maintenance of the remaining grass (pasture) of Brachiaria humidicola. Soil tillage and the different cover species influenced the microbial biomass, both under the tree canopy and in the inter-row. The cultivation of brachiaria increased C and N in the microbial biomass, while bahiagrass increased P in the microbial biomass. The soil microbial biomass was enriched in N and P by the presence of ground cover species and according to the soil P content. The grass species increased C, N and P in the soil microbial biomass from the inter-row more than leguminous species.

Report and Recommendations of the Iowa Vertical Infrastructure Advisory Committee, December 15, 2006

This report summaries the work of the committee over the last year and its vision for the future. The committee is followed with interest the work of the Department of Corrections and the Department of Veterans Affairs in evaluating the needs of their facilities and recommends similar evaluations of facilities around the state by other agencies. The committee members are ready to offer advice on the needs of the state's again infrastructure and steps that could be taken to evaluate vacant and underutilized buildings and reduce operational and maintenance costs.

Report and Recommendations of the Iowa Vertical Infrastructure Advisory Committee, December 15, 2009

This report summaries the work of the committee over the last year and its vision for the future. The committee is followed with interest the work of the Department of Corrections and the Department of Veterans Affairs in evaluating the needs of their facilities and recommends similar evaluations of facilities around the state by other agencies. The committee members are ready to offer advice on the needs of the state's again infrastructure and steps that could be taken to evaluate vacant and underutilized buildings and reduce operational and maintenance costs.

Report and Recommendations of the Iowa Vertical Infrastructure Advisory Committee, December 13, 2011

This report summaries the work of the committee over the last year and its vision for the future. The committee is followed with interest the work of the Department of Corrections and the Department of Veterans Affairs in evaluating the needs of their facilities and recommends similar evaluations of facilities around the state by other agencies. The committee members are ready to offer advice on the needs of the state's again infrastructure and steps that could be taken to evaluate vacant and underutilized buildings and reduce operational and maintenance costs.

Report and Recommendations of the Iowa Vertical Infrastructure Advisory Committee, December 15, 2010

This report summaries the work of the committee over the last year and its vision for the future. The committee is followed with interest the work of the Department of Corrections and the Department of Veterans Affairs in evaluating the needs of their facilities and recommends similar evaluations of facilities around the state by other agencies. The committee members are ready to offer advice on the needs of the state's again infrastructure and steps that could be taken to evaluate vacant and underutilized buildings and reduce operational and maintenance costs.

Annual Report of Iowa Highway Research Board Research and Development Activities FY 2011, December 2011

The Highway Division of the Iowa DOT engages in research and development for two reasons: first, to find workable solutions to the many problems that require more than ordinary, routine investigation; and second, to identify and implement improved engineering and management practices. This report, entitled ―Iowa Highway Research Board Research and Development Activities FY2011‖ is submitted in compliance with Sections 310.36 and 312.3A, Code of Iowa, which direct the submission of a report of the Secondary Road Research Fund and the Street Research Fund, respectively. It is a report of the status of research and development projects in progress on June 30, 2011. It is also a report on projects completed during the fiscal year beginning July 1, 2010 and ending June 30, 2011. Detailed information on each of the research and development projects mentioned in this report is available from the Research and Technology Bureau, Highway Division, Iowa Department of Transportation. All approved reports are also online for viewing at: www.iowadot.gov/operationsresearch/reports.aspx.

Status Report Midwest Regional Rail Passenger Initiative and Passenger Rail Service in Iowa, February 1, 2012

This report fulfills the requirements of the following Code of Iowa Sections: Section 327J.3(1): “The director may expend moneys from the fund to pay the costs associated with the initiation, operation, and maintenance of rail passenger service. The director shall report by February 1 of each year to the legislative services agency concerning the status of the fund including anticipated expenditures for the following fiscal year.” Section 327J.3(5): "The director shall report annually to the general assembly concerning the development and operation of the midwest regional rail system and the state's passenger rail service."

Bactericidal/permeability-increasing protein (BPI) and BPI homologs at mucosal sites.

At mucosal surfaces, we must co-exist with a high density of diverse microorganisms; therefore, protection against these occurs on multiple levels. Leukocyte- and epithelial derived-antimicrobial peptides and proteins (AMPs) comprise an essential component of immune defense. These molecules possess antibacterial, antifungal and signalling properties and probably contribute to defence and maintenance of homeostasis between the host and commensal microorganisms. Among these AMPs is bactericidal/permeability-increasing protein (BPI), an antimicrobial protein with potent endotoxin-neutralising activity, and several homologs. This review explores the roles of BPI and and its homologs at the mucosal interface. Congeners of BPI are under biopharmaceutical development as novel anti-infective agents, highlighting the potential therapeutic relevance of this protein family.