Chrysomelidae of Arkansas

A list of Chrysomelidae of Arkansas is brought up to date by inclusion of species in the reference collection in the University of Arkansas, the collection in the Zoological Institute of Leningrad, and the private collection of L. Medvedev, as well as those reported in the literature. The list consists of 232 species, subspecies, and varieties and the ecological data where known. One new species and one new variety are included

Do Accountability and Voucher Threats Improve Low-Performing Schools?

In this paper we study the effects of the threat of school vouchers and school stigma in Florida on the performance of "low-performing" schools using student-level data from a subset of districts. Estimates of the change in school-level high-stakes test scores from the first year of the reform are consistent with the early results used by the state of Florida to claim large-scale improvements associated with the threat of voucher assignment. However, we also find that much of this estimated effect may be due to other factors. While we estimate a small relative improvement in reading scores on the high-stakes test for voucher-threatened/stigmatized schools, we estimate a much smaller relative improvement on a lower-stakes, nationally norm-referenced, test. Further, the relative gains in reading scores are explained largely by changing student characteristics. We find more evidence for a positive differential effect on math test scores on both the low- and highstakes tests, however, the results from the lower-stakes test appear primarily limited to students in the high-stakes grade. Finally, we find some evidence that the relative improvements following the introduction of the A Plan by low-performing schools were more due to the stigma of receiving the low grade rather than the threat of vouchers.

Using Margin Elevation with Bonded Ceramics: A Case Report.

PosterThirty years ago, glass ionomer was first used as a means of bonding resin matrix composite to dentin. Today this method is used to elevate the margin of a preparation to a level which gives the clinician more access to the operating field. This technique has been described in the dental literature with resin composites bonded with resin adhesives. There are still inherent problems with this approach, however, since resin adhesives are subject to hydrolysis, marginal leakage, and recurrent caries. Studies have demonstrated the ability of glass ionomer to chemically bond to dentin; glass ionomer can also be dissolved/etched by phosphoric acid and predictably bonded to resin composites, eliminating the problem of hybrid layer hydrolysis which occurs with resin bonding agents. Margin elevation takes advantage of the favorable properties of glass ionomer cements (adhesion through chemical bond to dentin, fluoride release, biocompatibility, coefficient of thermal expansion similar to tooth structure, and decreased interfacial bacteria penetration/caries activity) while allowing overlaying of a suitable direct or indirect restorative material. This technique should be utilized when a preparation stands an increased risk of contamination or has a gingival margin on dentin/cementum. This case describes restoration of a tooth with a deep subgingival margin located on cervical dentin. The tooth was prepared for a ceramic onlay. Resin-modified glass ionomer was then inserted into the mesial proximal box and re-prepared with the occlusal wall of the glass ionomer becoming the new gingival margin, allowing significantly increased access and isolation. The tooth was then restored with an e.max onlay and cemented with RelyX Unicem. The restoration has been examined at a 6-month recall. With proper case selection and attention to detail, glass ionomer margin elevation is an excellent technique for bonding ceramics to teeth which cannot be isolated adequately for impression and/or resin bonding

Psychological Issues in Online Adaptive Task Allocation

Adaptive aiding is an idea that offers potential for improvement over many current approaches to aiding in human-computer systems. The expected return of tailoring the system to fit the user could be in the form of improved system performance and/or increased user satisfaction. Issues such as the manner in which information is shared between human and computer, the appropriate division of labor between them, and the level of autonomy of the aid are explored. A simulated visual search task was developed. Subjects are required to identify targets in a moving display while performing a compensatory sub-critical tracking task. By manipulating characteristics of the situation such as imposed task-related workload and effort required to communicate with the computer, it is possible to create conditions in which interaction with the computer would be more or less desirable. The results of preliminary research using this experimental scenario are presented, and future directions for this research effort are discussed

Pilot interaction with automated airborne decision making systems

Two project areas were pursued: the intelligent cockpit and human problem solving. The first area involves an investigation of the use of advanced software engineering methods to aid aircraft crews in procedure selection and execution. The second area is focused on human problem solving in dynamic environments, particulary in terms of identification of rule-based models land alternative approaches to training and aiding. Progress in each area is discussed

Neural reconstruction of bone-eating <i>Osedax</i> spp. (Annelida) and evolution of the siboglinid nervous system

BACKGROUND: Bone-devouring Osedax worms were described over a decade ago from deep-sea whale falls. The gutless females (and in one species also the males) have a unique root system that penetrates the bone and nourishes them via endosymbiotic bacteria. Emerging from the bone is a cylindrical trunk, which is enclosed in a transparent tube, that generally gives rise to a plume of four palps (or tentacles). In most Osedax species, dwarf males gather in harems along the female’s trunk and the nervous system of these microscopic forms has been described in detail. Here, the nervous system of bone-eating Osedax forms are described for the first time, allowing for hypotheses on how the abberant ventral brain and nervous system of Siboglinidae may have evolved from a ganglionated nervous system with a dorsal brain, as seen in most extant annelids. RESULTS: The intraepidermal nervous systems of four female Osedax spp. and the bone-eating O. priapus male were reconstructed in detail by a combination of immunocytochemistry, CLSM, histology and TEM. They all showed a simple nervous system composed of an anterior ventral brain, connected with anteriorly directed paired palp and gonoduct nerves, and four main pairs of posteriorly directed longitudinal nerves (2 ventral, 2 ventrolateral, 2 sets of dorso-lateral, 2 dorsal). Transverse peripheral nerves surround the trunk, ovisac and root system. The nervous system of Osedax resembles that of other siboglinids, though possibly presenting additional lateral and dorsal longitudinal nerves. It differs from most Sedentaria in the presence of an intraepidermal ventral brain, rather than a subepidermal dorsal brain, and by having an intraepidermal nerve cord with several plexi and up to three main commissures along the elongated trunk, which may comprise two indistinct segments. CONCLUSIONS: Osedax shows closer neuroarchitectural resemblance to Vestimentifera + Sclerolinum (= Monilifera) than to Frenulata. The intraepidermal nervous system with widely separated nerve cords, double brain commissures, double palp nerves and other traits found in Osedax can all be traced to represent ancestral states of Siboglinidae. A broader comparison of the nervous system and body regions across Osedax and other siboglinids allows for a reinterpretation of the anterior body region in the group

Factors Associated with Academic Stimulant Misuse in a College Setting

The purpose of this study was to further understand and explore the motivations behind college students’ misuse of stimulants in an academic setting, in order to develop means to combat its growing popularity. We hypothesized that students would be more likely to misuse stimulants if 1) they perceive SM to be safe, 2) they perceive SM to be ethical, 3) they are more extrinsically motivated in an academic setting, 4) they perceive their academic environments to be competitive, and 5) they perceive SM to be normative. Participants (n = 172) were undergraduate students at a small, Christian, liberal arts university in Southern California. Participants were recruited from an online research participation management system that included students enrolled in a foundational psychology course. The online survey was anonymous and took approximately 15 minutes to complete. The survey questionnaires were administered online in the following order: The Demographic Form, the Academic Motivation Scale, the Perceived Campus Competitiveness scale, the Stimulant Use Questionnaire, the Modified Perception of Prescription Misuse Among Peers scale, the Perception of Safety of Stimulants scale, the Perceptions of Adderall Ethicality scale, and the Validity Question. Descriptive statistics evaluated attitudes and perceptions of SM safety, commonality, and ethicality. Only 43.6% of participants viewed alcohol to be safer than SM. While only 10.5% of participants reported lifetime SM, 61.6% of students perceived less than half, about half, or more than half of students to misuse stimulants during finals week. Finally, only 35.4% of students actually viewed SM as academic dishonesty