51.   A report this week by the Brookings Institution, a liberal Washington research group, praised Ridge for specific steps he has taken.

52.   A survey released Friday by the Conference Board, a business research group, found that nearly half of Americans think the economy is headed toward recession.

53.   A report this week by the Conference Board research group found consumer confidence had tumbled to a four-year low.

54.   A university research group that regularly compares transportation systems nationwide has ranked the Massachusetts and New Jersey highway departments as the least efficient in the nation.

55.   A test released on Thursday by a research group financed by auto insurers raised questions about the design of two new sport utility vehicles.

56.   According to A.C. Nielsen, the consumer research group, sales of both pain relievers and cold remedies for children have jumped significantly over the last five years.

57.   According to the Center for Media and Public Affairs, a nonprofit media research group, coverage of foreign news dropped while coverage of crime and popular culture rose.

58.   According to the Center on Law and Social Policy, a liberal research group, states are also becoming stingier.

59.   Adding fuel to the fire, two private research groups reported declining sales today from previous reports.

60.   Advance copies were released Wednesday because a rival journal, Nature, is publishing a report Thursday of a different suppressor factor found by a German research group.