Annual Report of the Iowa Grape and Wine Development Commission for Fiscal Year, 2008

FY2008 was a productive year for the Iowa Grape and Wine Development Commission. Sixteen proposals were recommended for funding from FY2008 funds and carryover totaling just over $396,000 in outlays. Included in the approved proposals were staffing and equipment for the Midwest Grape and Wine Industry Institute’s wine diagnostics laboratory at Iowa State University, continued support for the viticulturist position at Des Moines Area Community College, funding for the second annual Mid-American Wine Competition, and assistance for marketing and promotion of Ice coats an Iowa vineyard after a February 2008 ice storm. Photo by Mike White and courtesy of Iowa State University. 16 two wine trail associations and seven festivals and events. Commission funding supported a salaried position within IDALS to manage the Iowa Grape and Wine Development Fund and to serve as the Director of the Iowa Grape and Wine Development Commission. The Commission approved funding for a Scholarship Program. The formally created Scholarship Committee met twice in FY2008 to finalize details for the Program and to approve scholarships to twenty-six applicants to aid with the expenses of accredited coursework. Based on data collected by IDALS, the Iowa Department of Economic Development, the Iowa Alcoholic Beverages Division, and Iowa State University the Iowa grape and wine industry appears to continue to be very viable and growth continues at a strong pace. Presently, Iowa ranks 14th in the nation for the number of wineries, and wine produced in the state for 2008 was estimated at a market value in excess of $14.0 million. A tabulation of the budget revealed that just over $1,080,000 in wine gallonage tax appropriations and legislative appropriations have been deposited into the Grape and Wine Development Fund from FY2003 through FY2008. Removing encumbered funds, expenditures have totaled just over $942,500 during that same time. “Financial” funding – used for fostering public awareness and participation of industry events - increased from 6% of expenditures in FY2007 to 9% in FY2008. Used for support of research, education, and outreach, a little over 80% of expenditures and encumbered funds were earmarked for “Technical” spending. Over time, funds invested in “Technical” programs will translate into an increasingly educated and institutionally-supported industry. Local, regional, and statewide events also appeared to be increasing in popularity. The Commission was encouraged to see increased support for these events. It is hoped, too, that the Scholarship Program will provide needed funding to help meet the educational goals of the industry’s workforce. As they continue to support Iowa’s grape and wine industry, the Commissioners look forward to working with individuals, commercial enterprises, state and federal agencies, and industry-sponsored institutions in FY2009 and in years to come.

Fat oxidation in nonobese and obese adolescents: effect of body composition and pubertal development.

OBJECTIVES: To measure postabsorptive fat oxidation (F(ox)) and to assess its association with body composition (lean body mass [LBM] and body fat mass [BFM]) and pubertal development. DESIGN: We studied 235 control (male/female ratio = 116/119; age [mean +/- SD]: 13.1 +/- 1.7 years; weight: 45.3 +/- 10.5 kg; LBM: 34.3 +/- 7.1 kg; BFM: 11.0 +/- 4.5 kg) and 159 obese (male/female ratio = 93/66; age: 12.9 +/- 2.1 years; weight: 76.2 +/- 19.1 kg; LBM: 47.4 +/- 10.9 kg; BFM: 28.8 +/- 9.2 kg) adolescents. Postabsorptive F(ox) was calculated from oxygen consumption, carbon dioxide production, and urinary nitrogen as measured by indirect calorimetry and Kjeldahl's method, respectively. Body composition was determined by anthropometry. RESULTS: Postabsorptive F(ox) (absolute value and percentage of resting metabolic rate) was significantly (p < 0.001) higher in the obese adolescents (76.7 +/- 26.3 gm/24 hours, 42.3% +/- 18.7%) than in the control subjects (40.0 +/- 26.3 gm/24 hours, 28.7% +/- 17.0%), even if adjusted for LBM. F(ox) corrected for BFM was similar in control and in obese children, but was significantly lower in girls compared with boys (control male subjects: 62.1 +/- 29.1 gm/24 hours, control female subjects: 51.6 +/- 28.4 gm/24 hours, obese male subjects: 57.3 +/- 29 gm/24 hour, obese female subjects: 45.0 +/- 28.4 gm/24 hours). BFM and LBM showed a significant positive correlation with F(ox). By stepwise regression analysis the most important determinant of F(ox) was BFM in obese and LBM in control children. There was a significant rise in F(ox) during puberty; however, it was mainly explained by changes in body composition. CONCLUSIONS: Obese adolescents have higher F(ox) rates than their normal-weight counterparts. Both LBM and fat mass are important determinants of F(ox).

The Middle East in the American quest for world order : ideas of power, economics, and social development in United States foreign policy, 1953-1961

Doctoral dissertation, University of Tampere

Small Cities, Neoliberal Governance and Sustainable Development in the Global South : A Conceptual Framework and Research Agenda

Development and environmental issues of small cities in developing countries have largely been overlooked although these settlements are of global demographic importance and often face a "triple challenge"; that is, they have limited financial and human resources to address growing environmental problems that are related to both development (e.g., pollution) and under-development (e.g., inadequate water supply). Neoliberal policy has arguably aggravated this challenge as public investments in infrastructure generally declined while the focus shifted to the metropolitan "economic growth machines". This paper develops a conceptual framework and agenda for the study of small cities in the global south, their environmental dynamics, governance and politics in the current neoliberal context. While small cities are governed in a neoliberal policy context, they are not central to neoliberalism, and their (environmental) governance therefore seems to differ from that of global cities. Furthermore, "actually existing" neoliberal governance of small cities is shaped by the interplay of regional and local politics and environmental situations. The approach of urban political ecology and the concept of rural-urban linkages are used to consider these socio-ecological processes. The conceptual framework and research agenda are illustrated in the case of India, where the agency of small cities in regard to environmental governance seems to remain limited despite formal political decentralization.

Supplement Information to the August 2008 Economic and Workforce Development Task Force Report, August 2008

The 2008 disasters devastated businesses, farms, homes, schools, non-profit institutions, entire communities, and people’s lives across the state of Iowa. The Rebuild Iowa Advisory Commission (RIAC) is charged by the Governor to guide the state’s recovery and reconstruction process. The Economic and Workforce Development Task Force is respectfully submitting this report to be included and considered in the deliberations of the RIAC. While economic and workforce development are two issues that are inextricably linked and critical to Iowa’s rebuilding strategies, each also requires extraordinary attention in determining what needs to be considered in the very immediate and longer-term recovery. Supplement Information to the August 2008 Economic and Workforce Development Task Force Report

Photosynthesis rate, chlorophyll content and initial development of physic nut without micronutrient fertilization

Few studies in Brazil have addressed the need for micronutrients of physic nut focusing on physiological responses, especially in terms of photosynthesis. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of omission of boron (B), copper (Cu), iron (Fe), manganese (Mn) and zinc (Zn) on Jatropha curcas L.. The experimental design was a randomized block with four replications. The treatments were complete solution (control) and solution without B, Cu, Fe, Mn, and Zn. We evaluated the chlorophyll content (SPAD units), photosynthetic rate, dry matter production and accumulation of micronutrients in plants, resulting from different treatments. The first signs of deficiency were observed for Fe and B, followed by Mn and Zn, while no symptoms were observed for Cu deficiency. The micronutrient omission reduced the dry matter yield, chlorophyll content and photosynthetic rate of the plants differently for each omitted nutrient. It was, however, the omission of Fe that most affected the development of this species in all parameters evaluated. The treatments negatively affected the chlorophyll content, evaluated in SPAD units, and the photosynthetic rate, except for the omission of B. However this result was probably due to the concentration effect, since there was a significant reduction in the dry matter production of B-deficient plants.

NAD(P)H oxidase modulates angiogenesis and the development of portosystemic collaterals and splanchnic hyperaemia in portal hypertensive rats.

Then, the expression of angiogenesis markers (western blotting), the formation of portosystemic collaterals (radioactive microspheres) and the production of superoxide anion (lucigenin-enhanced chemiluminescence) were determined. Mean arterial pressure, portal pressure, and superior mesenteric arterial blood flow and resistance were also measured.Results: In portal hypertensive rats, NAD(P)H oxidase blockade significantly decreased portosystemic collateral formation, and superior mesenteric arterial flow. It also reduced the splanchnic expression of VEGF, VEGF receptor-2 and CD31, and attenuated the increased production of superoxide, compared with vehicle.Conclusions: NAD(P)H oxidase plays an important role in experimental portal hypertension, modulating splanchnic angiogenesis, the formation of portosystemic collaterals and the development of splanchnic hyperdynamic circulation. These results suggest that NAD(P)H oxidase may represent a new target in the treatment of portal hypertension.

Social reciprocity measures based on dyadic discrepancies: Methodological review and software development

This paper examines statistical analysis of social reciprocity at group, dyadic, and individual levels. Given that testing statistical hypotheses regarding social reciprocity can be also of interest, a statistical procedure based on Monte Carlo sampling has been developed and implemented in R in order to allow social researchers to describe groups and make statistical decisions.