Iowa Agri-News, September 9, 2011, Vol. 11, no. 15

Crop and livestock summaries for the state of Iowa, produced by the Iowa Department of Agriculture.

Iowa Crop and Weather Report, August 15, 2011, Vol. 11. no. 24

Report produced by the The Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship, Climatology Bureau. Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Bill Northey today commented on the Iowa Crops and Weather report released by the USDA National Agricultural Statistical Service. The report is released weekly from April through October.

Iowa Crop and Weather Report, June 12, 2011, Vol. 11. no. 15

Report produced by the The Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship, Climatology Bureau. Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Bill Northey today commented on the Iowa Crops and Weather report released by the USDA National Agricultural Statistical Service. The report is released weekly from April through October.

FY11 Enrich Iowa Report State Funding for Iowa Libraries, January 15, 2012

This report illustrates the critical role of Enrich Iowa funding in enhancing lifelong learning for Iowans through libraries; improving library resources aimed at assisting job seekers; maintaining library hours that meet library customers’ needs; improving library technology services; and providing safe, accessible library buildings.

Interstate Highway Map Indicating Vertical Clearance, May 15, 2011

The State of Iowa [STATE] and the Iowa Department of Transportation [IDOT] hereby is claim any warranty of any kind, express or implied, in reference to the information contained herein. The STATE and the IDOT neither assume nor authorize any person to assume for the STATE or the IDOT any liability in connection with the information contained herein, and there are no oral agreements or warranties regarding the information contained herein. Each and every person is hereby notified that the vertical clearances specified herein are subject to change due to resurfacing, surface buckling, weather conditions, or any other event. It is the responsibility of each and every vehicle operator to ascertain whether sufficient ACTUAL vertical clearance exists to move his vehicle or motor vehicle between the roadway and the underpasses and bridges listed herein. The May 15 date on this map reflects the end of the update schedule for the previous calendar year. Any vertical clearance restrictions which could or may change AFTER this date will not be reflected on this map. For the latest information on vertical clearance restrictions call the Office of Motor Carrier Services in Ankeny, (515) 237-3264 or visit http://www.iowadot.gov/mvd/omcs.

Quick Reads, August 15, 2011

IDPH Quick Reads is an electronic newsletter produced by the Director’s Office at the Iowa Department of Public Health. IDPH Quick Reads are published every three to four weeks.

PPARbeta/delta regulates paneth cell differentiation via controlling the hedgehog signaling pathway.

BACKGROUND & AIMS: All 4 differentiated epithelial cell types found in the intestinal epithelium derive from the intestinal epithelial stem cells present in the crypt unit, in a process whose molecular clues are intensely scrutinized. Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor beta (PPARbeta) is a nuclear hormone receptor activated by fatty acids and is highly expressed in the digestive tract. However, its function in intestinal epithelium homeostasis is understood poorly. METHODS: To assess the role of PPARbeta in the small intestinal epithelium, we combined various cellular and molecular approaches in wild-type and PPARbeta-mutant mice. RESULTS: We show that the expression of PPARbeta is particularly remarkable at the bottom of the crypt of the small intestine where Paneth cells reside. These cells, which have an important role in the innate immunity, are strikingly affected in PPARbeta-null mice. We then show that Indian hedgehog (Ihh) is a signal sent by mature Paneth cells to their precursors, negatively regulating their differentiation. Importantly, PPARbeta acts on Paneth cell homeostasis by down-regulating the expression of Ihh, an effect that can be mimicked by cyclopamine, a known inhibitor of the hedgehog signaling pathway. CONCLUSIONS: We unraveled the Ihh-dependent regulatory loop that controls mature Paneth cell homeostasis and its modulation by PPARbeta. PPARbeta currently is being assessed as a drug target for metabolic diseases; these results reveal some important clues with respect to the signals controlling epithelial cell fate in the small intestine.

Lifetime of an ocean island volcano feeder zone: constraints from U-Pb dating on coexisting zircon and baddeleyite, and 40Ar/39Ar age determinations, Fuerteventura, Canary Islands

High-precision isotope dilution - thermal ionization mass spectrometry (ID-TIMS) U-Pb zircon and baddeleyite ages from the PX1 vertically layered mafic intrusion Fuerteventura, Canary Islands, indicate initiation of magma crystallization at 22.10 +/- 0.07 Ma. The magmatic activity lasted a minimum of 0.52 Ma. Ar-40/Ar-39 amphibole dating yielded ages from 21.9 +/- 0.6 to 21.8 +/- 0.3, identical within errors to the U-Pb ages, despite the expected 1% theoretical bias between Ar-40/Ar-39 and U-Pb dates. This overlap could result from (i) rapid cooling of the intrusion (i. e., less than the 0.3 to 0.6 Ma 40Ar/39Ar age uncertainties) from closure temperatures (T-c) of zircon (699-988 degrees C) to amphibole (500-600 degrees C); (ii) lead loss affecting the youngest zircons; or (iii) excess argon shifting the plateau ages towards older values. The combination of the Ar-40/Ar-39 and U/Pb datasets implies that the maximum amount of time PX1 intrusion took to cool below amphibole T-c is 0.8 Ma, suggesting PX1 lifetime of 520 000 to 800 000 Ma. Age disparities among coexisting baddeleyite and zircon (22.10 +/- 0.07/0.08/0.15 Ma and 21.58 +/- 0.15/0.16/0.31 Ma) in a gabbro sample from the pluton margin suggest complex genetic relationships between phases. Baddeleyite is found preserved in plagioclase cores and crystallized early from low silica activity magma. Zircon crystallized later in a higher silica activity environment and is found in secondary scapolite and is found close to calcite veins, in secondary scapolite that recrystallised from plagioclase. close to calcite veins. Oxygen isotope delta O-18 values of altered plagioclase are high (+7.7), indicating interaction with fluids derived from host-rock carbonatites. The coexistence of baddeleyite and zircon is ascribed to interaction of the PX1 gabbro with CO2-rich carbonatite-derived fluids released during contact metamorphism.