Effect size (ES) reporting practices in a sample of 10 educational research journals are examined in this study. Five of these journals explicitly require reporting ES and the other 5 have no such policy. Data were obtained from 99 articles published in the years 2003 and 2004, in which 183 statistical analyses were conducted. Findings indicate no major differences between the two types of journals in terms of ES reporting practices. Different conclusions could be reached based on interpreting ES versus p values. The discrepancy between conclusions based on statistical versus practical significance is frequently not reported, not interpreted, and mostly not discussed or resolved.

The presence of free spins in granular Al films is directly demonstrated by µSR measurements. A Mott transition is observed by probing the increase of the spin-flip scattering rate of conduction electrons as the nano-size metallic grains are being progressively decoupled. Analysis of the magnetoresistance in terms of an effective Fermi energy shows that it becomes of the order of the grains electrostatic charging energy at a room temperature resistivity ρ ≈ 50, 000 µΩ cm, at which a metal to insulator transition is known to exist. As this transition is approached the magneto-resistance exhibits a Heavy-Fermion like behavior, consistent with an increased electron effective mass.PACS numbers: 74.81. Bd, 71.30.+h, 72.15.Qm, 74.25.Ha Thanks to advances in the development of the Density functional Mean Field Theory (DMFT) [1], considerable advances have been made in recent years towards a detailed understanding of the Mott metal to insulator transition, predicted to occur when the electron-electron interaction is of the order of the bandwidth [2]. However the experimental observation of this transition has remained a challenge in three dimensional systems. This is because in a homogeneous metal the Coulomb interaction is by several orders of magnitude smaller than the bandwidth, even in the presence of a relatively high concentration of impurities [3,4].We show here that a Mott transition takes place in granular metals, as nano-size grains are being decoupled from each other by a progressive reduction of the intergrain tunneling probability. Two of the main features of this transition predicted by DMFT theory, an increase of the electron effective mass and a non-critical behavior of the electronic density of states as the transition is approached, have been observed. These observations have been made possible by the presence of free spins in granular Aluminum films, which we confirm here by direct µSR measurements. Interaction of these spins with conduction electrons results in a negative magneto-resistance [5]. We have used it as a tool to follow changes of the effective Fermi energy of the granular medium as the transition is being approached. When it occurs, at a room temperature resistivity of about 50,000 µΩcm, we find that the effective Fermi energy is of the order of the grain's charging electrostatic energy. The superconducting critical temperature of the films remains relatively high up to close to the transition, indicating there is no drastic reduction of the density of states up to the transition.Low energy muon spin rotation/relaxation (LE µSR) experiments [6] were performed on film not too close to the MIT transition. The measurements were performed at the Swiss Muon Source on the µE4 beam-line, at the Paul Scherrer Institute, in Switzerland. With implantation energy of 10 keV all the muons stop in the 100 nm FIG. 1. Temperature dependence of the muon spin relaxation rate of electronic origin λ for a sample with ρ300K ≈ 140 µΩcm. λ appears to saturate around a temperature where ρ(T ) starts to increa...

Background/Objective: Stroke is a major cause of disability and death in the Western world. Studies have shown a direct relationship between specific mental and motor activity and changes in cerebral blood flow. Acupuncture is often used in post-stroke patients, but there is a lack of sham-controlled studies evaluating the effects of acupuncture on cerebral blood flow following a stroke. This pilot concept-assessment study sought to evaluate the effects of true acupuncture on cerebral blood flow velocity compared with sham acupuncture and lay a foundation for future work in this field. Methods: Seventeen inpatients (age range, 44-79 years) 1-3 months post-stroke were allocated to acupuncture at true acupuncture (TA) points or at sham acupuncture (SA) points. The treatment was 20 minutes long. Transcranial Doppler ultrasonography was used to measure mean flow velocity (MFV) and peak flow velocity (PFV) at both healthy and damaged hemispheres before (T0), in the middle of (T15), and 5 minutes after (T25) treatment. Blood pressure was measured at T0 and T25. Results: A statistically significant ( p < 0.04) MFV increase in both hemispheres was found during and after TA; this increase was higher than that seen with SA ( p < 0.035). Acupuncture had no significant effect on PFV. Systolic blood pressure significantly decreased after acupuncture ( p < 0.005) in a similar manner for both TA and SA. National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale score was negatively correlated with MFV at T15 (r = -0.825; p < 0.05). Conclusion: This pilot study showed a significant influence on cerebral blood flow velocity by TA. This study lays a foundation for larger-scale studies that may prove acupuncture to be a useful tool for cerebral blood flow enhancement during post-stroke rehabilitation.

SUMMARY.— A study was carried out to observe the effect of the administration of varying amounts of prednisone, as well as of the antihistamine Incidal, upon the patch test reaction in patients who had previously shown a positive or strongly positive reaction with different substances. A daily dose of 40 mg prednisone given to 12 patientswasfound tosuppressthetest reaction completely in 3 patients and to diminish it in 8; in 1 case there was no change. With a daily dose of 30 mg given to 18 patients, the reaction was suppressed in 4 and diminished in 6 patients; in 8 no difference could be detected. In the 16 patients who were given a daily dose of 20 mg predispose, the test was completely suppressed in only 1, was diminished in 5 patients, and was unchanged in 10. In all of the 10 patients who were given the antihistamine Incidal (mebhydrolin napadisylate) no difference could be seen in the patch test reactions.

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We report muon spin relaxation rate measurements on films composed of aluminum grains having a size of a few nm, with a large energy level splitting of the order of 100 K. The films range from weakly metallic to insulating. In the insulating case the low temperature relaxation rate is consistent with the presence of single electron spins in grains having an odd number of electrons.The relaxation rate temperature dependence follows an activation law having an energy scale in agreement with the average level splitting. In weakly metallic films the relaxation rate is smaller and decreases faster with temperature. Overall our observations are in line with the presence of a Kubo spin in Al nano-size grains due to quantum size effects.

We have adapted the commercially available EMIT kit [Clin. Chem. 23, 1161 (1977)] to the Gilford System 3500 Analyzer. Sample volume is 10 microliter. We compare reagent blank-corrected absorbance changes at 340 nm between 15 and 55 s for samples and a series of calibrators, and calculate results with use of a logarithmic transformation. Within-run precision (CV) for a serum pool with 4.0 mg of added lidocaine per liter was 2.7% (n = 45); day-to-day precision was 3.3% (n = 15). Analytical recoveries of 2 to 6 mg of lidocaine per liter were 90-102% (average, 97.3%). Results correlated significantly with those by a gas-chromatographic technique. No clinically significant interferences by concomitantly administered medications were observed. The procedure is rapid (42 samples per hour) and is well suited to the fast response required in monitoring lidocaine therapy. Usefulness of the assay data in the management of arrhythmias in the coronary care unit is discussed.

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