Lanford Wilson

Vincent, the main character in Lanford Wilson’s first Broadway play, The Gingham Dog, explains that he left his small Kentucky town for New York because he was “sick of small peopleambitions—hopes—small hopelessness,” and he thought that New Yorkers “could comprehend something outside themselves, respond.” It was perhaps a similar attraction that brought Lanford Wilson from a small farm near Ozark, Missouri, to the bright lights of the Great White Way, but just as Vincent eventually discovers, Wilson learned that continuing connections with one’s region remain. He also knows that coming home is not always wrapped in comfortable nostalgia. Nonetheless, some of Lanford Wilson’s greatest successes as a playtvright have come when he husbanded his Midwestern roots as the subjects for his plays

Preston Jones

When Preston Jones burst upon the national scene, it was like an unknown store clerk strapping on a .45 to take on the established gunslinger in the middle of the street. Suddenly Jones was famous. His picture appeared on the covers of Smithsonian and Saturday Review. He was the subject of a PBS television special. He was compared with Tennessee Williams and Eugene O’Neill. (Saturday Review’s cover asked: “Has Texas Spawned a New O’Neill?”) His three plays, collectively titled A Texas Trilogy, enjoyed a great deal of success after they opened at the Dallas Theater Center (where Jones had worked as an actor for thirteen years before he gained recognition as a playwright) and traveled north toward New York. The plays were especially well-received in Washington where, playing in repertory, they had an extended run at the Kennedy Center

Review of \u3ci\u3eA Hundred Years of Heroes: A History of the Southwestern Exposition and Livestock Show\u3c/i\u3e By Clay Reynolds with Marie-Madeleine Schein

This book by noted Texas novelist Clay Reynolds (with assistance by researcher Marie-Madeleine Schein) fulfills its subtitle\u27s function and provides much more. Reynolds traces the famous show in Fort Worth from its beginning in 1896 through a series of changes including the addition of meat packing giants Armour and Swift in 1903, the new Livestock Exchange Building in 1908, the first indoor rodeo in 1918, the responses to the vicissitudes of the Depression, the flood and gasoline rationing of the 1940s, the move from the north to the west side of Fort Worth, the change from corporate to city sponsorship, and the continuing success of the show today. Although the title suggests that the book will glorify the men who made the Southwest Exposition successful, this is not a book of hero worship. Certainly the important figures- Marion Sansom Sr., Marion Sansom Jr., S. Burk Burnett, Amon Carter Sr., Amon Carter Jr., John Justin, Edgar Deen, John B. Davis, Van Zandt Jarvis, W. R. Billy Bob Watt Sr., and W. R. Bob Watt Jr.-appear throughout the pages, but Reynolds places emphasis on the larger historic forces to which they responded more than on their individual abilities. Behind the history of the stock show is a full history of the American cattle industry, the growth and changing face of rodeo including the rise of the Cowboy Turtles Association, and the internationalization of the livestock industry. One of the difficult and admirable aspects of the book stems from the big flood of 1942, which destroyed most of the early stock show records. As a result Reynolds and Schein had to recreate or speculate about the actual early history of the show. Even the date it began is obscure. But the important and interesting details-from Bill Pickett\u27s unique method of bulldogging by grabbing the steer\u27s lip with his teeth, to Quanah Parker\u27s dress, to the shift from front to side chutes for horseback riding-are all here. Because this book was commissioned by the Southwestern Exposition and Livestock Show, the fact that it does not provide a trenchant examination of its subject is not unexpected. Still, Reynolds often suggests some of the problems with the show-its inherent racism in the early years when cowboys like Pickett were always identified as Negro, its embrace of the Klan, its attraction of and to the sleazy side of Fort Worth, and its industry-making zeal. The book, therefore, tells the positive side of the story with enough of the underbelly to avoid being pure promotion and with a strong sense of historical context

Review of \u3ci\u3eA Hundred Years of Heroes: A History of the Southwestern Exposition and Livestock Show\u3c/i\u3e By Clay Reynolds with Marie-Madeleine Schein

This book by noted Texas novelist Clay Reynolds (with assistance by researcher Marie-Madeleine Schein) fulfills its subtitle\u27s function and provides much more. Reynolds traces the famous show in Fort Worth from its beginning in 1896 through a series of changes including the addition of meat packing giants Armour and Swift in 1903, the new Livestock Exchange Building in 1908, the first indoor rodeo in 1918, the responses to the vicissitudes of the Depression, the flood and gasoline rationing of the 1940s, the move from the north to the west side of Fort Worth, the change from corporate to city sponsorship, and the continuing success of the show today. Although the title suggests that the book will glorify the men who made the Southwest Exposition successful, this is not a book of hero worship. Certainly the important figures- Marion Sansom Sr., Marion Sansom Jr., S. Burk Burnett, Amon Carter Sr., Amon Carter Jr., John Justin, Edgar Deen, John B. Davis, Van Zandt Jarvis, W. R. Billy Bob Watt Sr., and W. R. Bob Watt Jr.-appear throughout the pages, but Reynolds places emphasis on the larger historic forces to which they responded more than on their individual abilities. Behind the history of the stock show is a full history of the American cattle industry, the growth and changing face of rodeo including the rise of the Cowboy Turtles Association, and the internationalization of the livestock industry. One of the difficult and admirable aspects of the book stems from the big flood of 1942, which destroyed most of the early stock show records. As a result Reynolds and Schein had to recreate or speculate about the actual early history of the show. Even the date it began is obscure. But the important and interesting details-from Bill Pickett\u27s unique method of bulldogging by grabbing the steer\u27s lip with his teeth, to Quanah Parker\u27s dress, to the shift from front to side chutes for horseback riding-are all here. Because this book was commissioned by the Southwestern Exposition and Livestock Show, the fact that it does not provide a trenchant examination of its subject is not unexpected. Still, Reynolds often suggests some of the problems with the show-its inherent racism in the early years when cowboys like Pickett were always identified as Negro, its embrace of the Klan, its attraction of and to the sleazy side of Fort Worth, and its industry-making zeal. The book, therefore, tells the positive side of the story with enough of the underbelly to avoid being pure promotion and with a strong sense of historical context

Effects of Stocking Density on Steer Performance and Carcass Characteristics in Bedded Hoop Barns

Use of bedded hoop barns for feeding cattle has grown in part due to increased regulations regarding open feedlot runoff. In 2010, ISU estimated almost 700 hoop barns in Iowa used for beef cattle and more than 80% were used for cattle feeding. Work in Iowa also has documented that cattle confined in a bedded hoop barn perform similarly to cattle fed in an open feedlot with shelter. The work was done with a stocking density of 50 sq ft per steer in the bedded hoop barn. A hoop barn is a more expensive facility system compared with open lot configurations. Fixed costs per steer (facilities) are partially determined by stocking density. The objective of this study was to determine the effects of increased stocking density on performance and carcass characteristics of steers fed in bedded hoop and bedded open front facilities. The trials were conducted in 2008 to 2011 at the ISU Armstrong Research Farm, Lewis, IA. The hoop barn was stocked with 40, 45 and 50 head per pen resulting in 50, 45 and 40 sq ft per steer, respectively. There was one stocking density per housing type per trial. The diet fed was 45.0% dry corn, 14.8% ground hay, 36.8% modified distillers grains and 3.4% supplement on an as-fed basis. The total diet was approximately 69% dry matter. Cattle growth rate (ADG), feed intake (DMI), feed efficiency (F/G) and mean mud score did not differ based on stocking density (P\u3e0.05). However, the cattle given more square feet numerically had greater feed intake and were more efficient (about 4-5%) than the more densely stocked cattle. This study may not have had enough replications to detect statistically significant differences. Also the mean carcass characteristics (fat cover, rib eye area, marbling score, quality grade and yield grade) did not differ by stocking density (P\u3e0.05). When comparing seasons only, steers fed in summer tended to have heavier market liveweight, heavier carcass weight, required less feed per liveweight and less marbling compared with steers fed in winter (P≤0.10). Also, the summer-fed steers grew faster and gained more liveweight than the winter-fed steers (P\u3c0.005). These results suggest that this study may not have reached the maximum stocking density for feeding beef cattle in a bedded hoop barn. In other words, market cattle can probably be stocked at less square footage per steer than the 40 sq ft per steer used in this study. Observations of farmers with hoop barns suggest that 37 or 35 sq ft per steer may be feasible. Several factors may affect stocking density including genetics or frame size of the cattle and may interact with season. Also, it should be noted that as the density of cattle increases, more management is required, i.e., more bedding, more bunk space, more waterer space and observing individual cattle for health issues becomes more difficult

Gene doctoring: a method for recombineering in laboratory and pathogenic Escherichia coli strains

Background: Homologous recombination mediated by the lambda-Red genes is a common method for making chromosomal modifications in Escherichia coli. Several protocols have been developed that differ in the mechanisms by which DNA, carrying regions homologous to the chromosome, are delivered into the cell. A common technique is to electroporate linear DNA fragments into cells. Alternatively, DNA fragments are generated in vivo by digestion of a donor plasmid with a nuclease that does not cleave the host genome. In both cases the lambda-Red gene products recombine homologous regions carried on the linear DNA fragments with the chromosome. We have successfully used both techniques to generate chromosomal mutations in E. coli K-12 strains. However, we have had limited success with these lambda-Red based recombination techniques in pathogenic E. coli strains, which has led us to develop an enhanced protocol for recombineering in such strains. \ud \ud Results: Our goal was to develop a high-throughput recombineering system, primarily for the coupling of genes to epitope tags, which could also be used for deletion of genes in both pathogenic and K-12 E. coli strains. To that end we have designed a series of donor plasmids for use with the lambda-Red recombination system, which when cleaved in vivo by the I-SceI meganuclease generate a discrete linear DNA fragment, allowing for C-terminal tagging of chromosomal genes with a 6xHis, 3xFLAG, 4xProteinA or GFP tag or for the deletion of chromosomal regions. We have enhanced existing protocols and technologies by inclusion of a cassette conferring kanamycin resistance and, crucially, by including the sacB gene on the donor plasmid, so that all but true recombinants are counter-selected on kanamycin and sucrose containing media, thus eliminating the need for extensive screening. This method has the added advantage of limiting the exposure of cells to the potential damaging effects of the lambda-Red system, which can lead to unwanted secondary alterations to the chromosome. \ud \ud Conclusion: We have developed a counter-selective recombineering technique for epitope tagging or for deleting genes in E. coli. We have demonstrated the versatility of the technique by modifying the chromosome of the enterohaemorrhagic O157:H7 (EHEC), uropathogenic CFT073 (UPEC), enteroaggregative O42 (EAEC) and enterotoxigenic H10407 (ETEC) E. coli strains as well as in K-12 laboratory strains

Bedded Hoop Barns for Beef Cattle

This fact sheet from Iowa State University Extension and the Iowa Beef Center describes recent research on beef cattle hoop barns

Nutrient Retention Performance of a Crushed Limestone Floor Surface in a Bedded Hoop Barn with Confined Beef Cattle

Bedded confinement systems with partial concrete floors are increasingly being adopted by beef cattle feeders. The objective of this study was to determine the extent that manure nutrients moved into the soil below the geotextile fabric and packed limestone screenings floor of a bedded hoop barn used for beef cattle feeding at the ISU Armstrong Research and Demonstration Farm. Soil samples were taken (shallow and deep) before construction in 2004 and in 2008 after 7 groups of cattle were fed. Although single samples before and after animal feeding cannot provide conclusive evidence of moisture or nutrient migration, comparison of the sample results confirm a trend consistent with slow migration of manure nutrients into the soil profile. Phosphorus, calcium and magnesium did not show consistent or major trends with time. Organic matter showed a consistent increasing trend in both shallow and deep samples. Shallow sampling showed a marked increase only in nitrate-nitrogen, from 1.51 ppm to 11.47 ppm. These results are consistent with measurable, but very slow migration of moisture and nutrients into the soil profile. Additional soil tests over time and performance of an infiltration ring study may give more conclusive answers in the future

Feasibility of Bedded Hoop Barns for Market Beef Cattle in Iowa: Cattle Performance, Bedding Use, and Environment

The objective was to document a bedded hoop barn for feeding market beef cattle. A comparison between a bedded hoop barn (15.2 × 36.6 m) and an open-front feedlot building (11.0 × 61.0 m) was conducted in southwest Iowa. The hoop barn was oriented north-south on a ridge with no windbreak. In summer, temperature was relatively consistent between the structures and ambient conditions, although the north end of the hoop barn had a slightly elevated dew point temperature. A summer temperature-humidity index showed that the hoop barn had fewer hours in alert category than either open front or ambient conditions. In winter, a cold stress index showed that the open-front barn provided the most shelter for the cattle with 92% of the hours classified as no impact, compared with the hoop barn at 77% and ambient at 51%. Both ends of the hoop barn were open, except for piled big round bales for a windbreak during winter. Growth, feed-to-gain, and dry matter intake for the cattle were similar between housing systems. Quality and yield grades were similar. Mud scores may be less for cattle from the bedded hoop barn compared with the open-front feedlot where mud was possible. Labor usage was similar for the hoop barn and the open-front feedlot. Labor occurred throughout the feeding period for the hoop barn because manure cleaning occurred weekly. Bedded hoop barns offer a viable alternative for feeding beef cattle and may reduce feedlot runoff