Virginia\u27s Lemon Law: The Best Treatment for Car Owner\u27s Canker?

The consumer advocacy movement of the late 1970\u27s induced the Congress and the state legislatures to enact numerous consumer protection statutes. Unfortunately, several years elapsed before the public and the legislatures realized that those statutes did not protect the consumer in what is frequently the consumer\u27s most significant personal purchase-the automobile

Are Avid Readers Lurking in Your Language Arts Classroom? Myths of the Avid Adolescent Reader

This article describes a pilot study conducted with 10 identified avid adolescent readers who completed the Adolescent Motivation to Read Profile (AMRP) (Pitcher, Albright, DeLaney, Walker, Seunarienesingh, & Moggie, 2007) that includes both a survey to determine students’ self-concept and value of reading and an interview that sheds light on what motivates them to read as well as yields specific information about their reading habits. The researchers use this data to challenge current myths regarding avid readers and to suggest that teachers look more deeply at the types of literacy experiences they offer in their classroom in order to draw these readers into their classes and enhance in-school reading

Improving measurements of SF6 for the study of atmospheric transport and emissions

Sulfur hexafluoride (SF6) is a potent greenhouse gas and useful atmospheric tracer. Measurements of SF6 on global and regional scales are necessary to estimate emissions and to verify or examine the performance of atmospheric transport models. Typical precision for common gas chromatographic methods with electron capture detection (GC-ECD) is 1–2%. We have modified a common GC-ECD method to achieve measurement precision of 0.5% or better. Global mean SF6 measurements were used to examine changes in the growth rate of SF6 and corresponding SF6 emissions. Global emissions and mixing ratios from 2000–2008 are consistent with recently published work. More recent observations show a 10% decline in SF6 emissions in 2008–2009, which seems to coincide with a decrease in world economic output. This decline was short-lived, as the global SF6 growth rate has recently increased to near its 2007–2008 maximum value of 0.30±0.03 pmol mol−1 (ppt) yr−1 (95% C.L.)

State of the art: iterative CT reconstruction techniques

Owing to recent advances in computing power, iterative reconstruction (IR) algorithms have become a clinically viable option in computed tomographic (CT) imaging. Substantial evidence is accumulating about the advantages of IR algorithms over established analytical methods, such as filtered back projection. IR improves image quality through cyclic image processing. Although all available solutions share the common mechanism of artifact reduction and/or potential for radiation dose savings, chiefly due to image noise suppression, the magnitude of these effects depends on the specific IR algorithm. In the first section of this contribution, the technical bases of IR are briefly reviewed and the currently available algorithms released by the major CT manufacturers are described. In the second part, the current status of their clinical implementation is surveyed. Regardless of the applied IR algorithm, the available evidence attests to the substantial potential of IR algorithms for overcoming traditional limitations in CT imaging

Health Care Delivery Practices in Huntington's Disease Specialty Clinics : An International Survey

The CHDI Foundation, Inc. funds Enroll-HD and the activities of the Enroll-HD Care Improvement Committee, including the present survey. We would like to acknowledge the Enroll-HD and REGISTRY administrative staff that assisted in the recruitment of sites and sites that completed the survey.Peer reviewedPublisher PD

Single particle tracking reveals spatial and dynamic organization of the Escherichia coli biofilm matrix

Biofilms are communities of surface-adherent bacteria surrounded by secreted polymers known as the extracellular polymeric substance. Biofilms are harmful in many industries, and thus it is of great interest to understand their mechanical properties and structure to determine ways to destabilize them. By performing single particle tracking with beads of varying surface functionalization it was found that charge interactions play a key role in mediating mobility within biofilms. With a combination of single particle tracking and microrheological concepts, it was found that Escherichia coli biofilms display height dependent charge density that evolves over time. Statistical analyses of bead trajectories and confocal microscopy showed inter-connecting micron scale channels that penetrate throughout the biofilm, which may be important for nutrient transfer through the system. This methodology provides significant insight into a particular biofilm system and can be applied to many others to provide comparisons of biofilm structure. The elucidation of structure provides evidence for the permeability of biofilms to microscale objects, and the ability of a biofilm to mature and change properties over time.National Science Foundation (U.S.) (CBET-1335938)Cystic Fibrosis Foundation (HANES07XX0)Massachusetts Institute of Technology (Charles E. Reed Faculty Initiative Fund)Burroughs Wellcome Fund (Preterm Birth Research Grant)National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (U.S.) (F30 Fellowship 1F30AI110053-01)National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (U.S.) (Training Grant in Toxicology 5 T32 ES7020-37

Reducing Delirium in Patients with COVID-19

The purpose of our critically appraised topic is to synthesize the best current evidence regarding interventions that would be effective in reducing delirium in patients with COVID-19 in the acute care setting. The final portfolio contains a total of five research articles. Study designs include three randomized controlled trials, one non randomized controlled trial, and one quasi-experimental quantitative design. All studies relate directly to interventions within the OT scope of practice and were implemented in the acute care setting. Due to limited research on the novel coronavirus, these findings apply to critically ill patients but are not specific to patients with COVID-19. Early and intensive OT intervention in combination with multicomponent intervention strategies were found to significantly decrease delirium. Promising evidence can be used to draft new practice guidelines for decreasing delirium in critically ill patients within the acute care setting. In addition, modified implementation of slow tempo music and family participation/visitation interventions are recommended for patients with COVID-19. Due to the minimal time for therapy interventions within the acute care setting, implementation of these interventions as frequently as possible is recommended