University of Florida concentrated on the health and effective functioning of older persons living in rural and sparsely populated environments. To achieve these goals, the UF will build on the successful first two years of operation of the center. In Year 04 of the center, four new small scale studies will be initiated, bringing the number of projects funded by the exploratory center to a total of seventeen. In addition, the center will continue to explore additional external funding opportunities for its research agenda. In the first two years of the center, UF faculty working in conjunction with the Center on Rural Health and Aging have acquired $4.85 million dollars in external support beyond that which was provided by the exploratory center grant (these four additional rural healthUS consumer confidence improves in April

American consumers are feeling more confident this month, though optimism hasn't fully recovered from a period of roiling markets and slowed hiring early this year.

The Conference Board, a business research group, said Tuesday that its consumer confidence index rose to 129.2 in April, from 124.2 in March.

People shopping at a Costco store

Scott McIntyre | Bloomberg | Getty Images

American consumers are feeling more confident this month, though optimism hasn't fully recovered from a period of roiling markets and slowed hiring early this year.

The Conference Board, a business research group, said Tuesday that its consumer confidence index rose to 129.2 in April, from 124.2 in March.

The index, covering the month through April 18, measures consumers' assessment of current economic conditions and their expectations for the