SOCIAL SERVICES Drug Abuse by Minors: Require Reporting to State Agency

The Act encourages the reporting of suspected habitual drug abuse by children to the child welfare agency of the state. This reporting is to be done by those who care for the children, including school teachers. The Act also provides for confidentiality of the records of the drug abuse. July 1, 198

Rub, fold, and abrasion resistance testing of digitally printed documents

The life cycle of commercially printed digital documents (in particular, marketing and promotional items, direct mailers, business communications, and on-demand color books) was examined to find stress points where potential permanence problems could exist. The stress and life cycle overview covers the stages of processes in printing and finishing, mailing preparation and fulfillment, distribution, usage, and recycling. Stress points found in the different stages of the life cycle, whether physical or chemical, include (but are not limited to) scratching, rubbing, cracking, solvent exposure, light exposure, moisture exposure, heat exposure, and air contamination exposure. Tests for abrasion resistance, folding resistance, solvent resistance, light-fastness, water-fastness, thermostability, and gas/ozone fastness were researched. Based on a survey given to randomly selected printers, printing press vendors, and print buyers, the tests for abrasion resistance, folding resistance, and rub resistance were selected. Using offset lithography as a benchmark, three commercial digital presses as well as high-speed ink jet technology were included in this testing. Using a combination of solid circular test targets and the “Three Musicians” test target (an image for visual comparisons), the Taber Abraser testing method, the Sutherland Rub testing method, and a folding procedure outlined in ASTM document F 1351 were used to examine and to compare the five presses in this study (three commercial digital presses, one offset lithographic press, and one high-speed ink jet press). After testing was performed, visual ranking, changes in density, Delta E, and the abrasion resistance index were used as the criteria to evaluate results. Testing results showed that the high-speed ink jet held up the best in each test performed during this research; however, the image quality of the high-speed ink jet press was less than the image quality of any other press in this study. The second best performer in the testing was the offset lithographic press. The test performance of these particular presses, as compared with the commercial digital presses, was attributed to the different drying methods in each of the different printing technologies. In the ink jet and lithographic presses, the evaporation, absorption, and oxidation drying methods seemed to hold up better to the testing performed than the drying method of toner-based technology. With oxidation and evaporation, the image (i.e., the ink) actually becomes a part of the paper after drying, whereas, in toner technology, the image (i.e., the toner) is fused to the paper and actually sits on top of it. Within the digital printing industry, coatings have been put in place to alleviate some of these problems, but they have not been tested here. This research shows that offset lithography is the dominant technology in terms of offering abrasion and folding resistance of its printed product

Neural Efficiency Hypothesis in Motor Actions; Spectral Power of Balancing Ballet Dancers

Reduced activity observed during functional imaging of motor experts led to the Neural Efficiency Hypothesis (NEH) in motor skills, which posits that expert performers use fewer neural resources during motor execution than novices, reflecting greater neural efficiency. This pilot study compared EEG recordings from five novices and four expert ballet dancers during standing and one-leg balance. Whole-brain theta (4–8 Hz) and alpha (8–12 Hz) power were quantified, and topographic maps were generated. In addition to testing the primary hypotheses, the experimental design was evaluated as a practical and scalable approach for investigating the NEH in motor skills. Novices showed significantly larger increases in both theta and alpha power when switching from standing to balancing. Increased theta power is theorized to reflect greater cortical engagement and lower neural efficiency. Although the rise in alpha power is unusual, greater change in power (despite direction) may still suggest less efficient cortical functioning. Topographic maps revealed similar spatial distributions across groups. These preliminary findings support the NEH, indicating that extensive practice yields more efficient neural processing during balance. The success of this pilot study suggests this design is a promising strategy for large-scale investigations the NEH, provided that limitations are properly addressed

CONSERVATION AND NATURAL RESOURCES Hazardous Materials: Provide for Limited Immunity in Mitigation of Effects of Discharge

The Act provides for a limited exemption from civil liability for persons who give assistance or advice in attempting to mitigate effects of an actual or threatened discharge of hazardous materials. April 3, 198

CONSERVATION AND NATURAL RESOURCES Hazardous Materials: Provide for Limited Immunity in Mitigation of Effects of Discharge

The Act provides for a limited exemption from civil liability for persons who give assistance or advice in attempting to mitigate effects of an actual or threatened discharge of hazardous materials. April 3, 198

Study of Porous, Crystalline Supramolecular Boronates

Porous materials with the ability to selectively absorb volatile organic compounds are of high interest for applications in sensing, sequestration and separations. Utilizing the covalent yet reversible boronate ester bonds between boronic acids and diols in conjunction with dative boron-nitrogen coordination bonds has allowed for the discovery of a new class of porous materials. Preliminary results show the ability to obtain porous, crystalline supramolecular boronate networks from the coordination of diamine linkers with boronate diester backbones. Further exploration of porous, crystalline supramolecular boronates has revealed the discovery of a porous crystalline coordination polymer that exhibits reversible, selective guest adsorption properties towards benzene. Our studies have also lead to the discovery of a system that undergoes solvent induced polymorphic behavior resulting in optical transitions for the development of a benzene sensing material. Finally, the discovery of several new crystalline, porous supramolecular boronate inclusion compounds has been achieved through variation of reaction solvent and or modification of the initial building blocks used to construct the network

DOMESTIC RELATIONS Alimony and Child Support: Provide for Enforcement and Collection

The Act provides for service of process in proceedings to enforce alimony and child support payments, for service to be perfected, even if the respondent does not answer, and for the respondent to be charged with costs. The Act also changes the conditions under which the Department of Human Resources accepts applications for support enforcement services, provides for reimbursement of the department for attorneys\u27 fees, and authorizes the collection of interest on judgments initiated by the department. July 1, 198

The portion size effect and overconsumption – towards downsizing solutions for children and adolescents

Portion sizes of foods offered to consumers have increased at the same time as overweight and obesity levels have risen. It has been suggested that large portions of high energy density (HED) foods increase total energy intake and that this is not compensated for in the short- to medium-term, potentially promoting weight gain. In the laboratory setting, offering large portions of HED foods increases overall energy intake in both children and adults. This phenomenon is known as the portion size effect (PSE), and it is robust, reliable and enduring. The possible impact of the PSE is that large portions served over time may facilitate overeating and could contribute to overweight and obesity. Explanations for the PSE vary from simple heuristics, such as the tendency to clear the plate, to more complex biobehavioural processes, including individual differences in susceptibility to external food cues through eating traits. Consumers may eat in accordance with available consumption norms or eat opportunistically when large portions are made available. An obvious solution to the PSE is to ‘downsize’ HED meal items and snacks, but whether this strategy is acceptable or feasible is not clear. In adults, the effects of downsizing are mixed and for children and adolescents, as yet unclear. The contention is that for those who are still learning about social norms and appropriate portions, there remains the potential to counter the PSE through downsizing strategies