Abstract: The current invention promotes accountability in reading, in terms of spatial, causal, temporal, protagonist, and intentionality elements of a story. A book with interactive maps was developed to emphasize the spatial and other dimensions of stories and encourage more spatial mental models, and generally more accurate situation models of the story. The interactive maps were printed on microdot paper and interspersed throughout the book, sometimes with successful completion of the activities required to obtain the page number of the next section of the book, which had been reordered in a non-sequential manner. Wireless electronic pens with cameras track X-Y location information from the microdot paper. Auditory feedback may be provided through a secondary device, like a personal computer, or directly using the electronic pen. The interactive book was tested on a group of sixth-grade students and found to reinforce spatial accountability.

Abstract: Load sensing hydraulic systems conserve energy by generating only the fluid flow demanded by the system and at a pressure only slightly greater than the highest load pressure of the system. Optimizing the operating characteristics of the system for certain applications also caused the variable displacement pump to go to its maximum displacement setting with the excess fluid generated thereby not doing any useful work. The load sensing hydraulic system includes a flow control valve connected to a directional control valve and has an operating position in which fluid exhausted from a hydraulic jack is transmitted therethrough to a tank. A signal valve is disposed in a control pressure signal line for controlling fluid flow therethrough from a supply conduit to one end of the flow control valve. When the signal valve is blocking fluid flow through the signal line, the flow control valve is in the above-noted operating position.