1.   North Carolina also saw a slight boost that year, a factor in the election of Democratic Sen. John Edwards over a Republican incumbent.

2.   Of course, financial companies of all stripes got a boost this year as interest rates stabilized after many months of aggressive rate hikes by the Federal Reserve.

3.   The Allmans also received a boost this year with the addition of new members Jack Pearson on guitar and Oteil Burbridge on bass.

4.   The banks, meanwhile, have been given a boost this year by the weaker peso, through their dollar investments and revenue.

5.   The increase, led by Delta, is the latest of several boosts this year.

6.   While the funding boosts this year are still not certain, research advocates are increasingly optimistic about their budget prospects.

7.   Commerce on the Internet is expected to get a big boost this year with rapidly growing use of World Wide Web technology.

8.   Many analysts expect more interest rate boosts this year because of continuing economic strength.

9.   The effort is getting a high-tech boost this year, with computers increasingly coming into play.