Deformations and D-branes

I discuss the relation of Hochschild cohomology to the physical states in the closed topological string. This allows a notion of deformation intrinsic to the derived category. I use this to identify deformations of a quiver gauge theory associated to a D-branes at a singularity with generalized deformations of the geometry of the resolution of the singularity. An explicit map is given from noncommutative deformations (ie, B-fields) to terms in the superpotential.Comment: 33 pages, uses utarticle.cls, dcpic.sty; v2: minor corrections and refs adde

Exploring Repurposing Across Contexts: How Adolescents\u27 New Literacies Practices Can Inform Understandings about Writing-Related Transfer

This project examines how middle school students engage in new literacies practices and how they repurpose across contexts. With the use of screencast software and interviews, this project analyzes six case study participants\u27 new literacies practices and the way they use and change ideas and strategies across physical and digital contexts. Drawing from transfer methodology, this project looks at how broadening conceptions of transfer and contexts to include repurposing increases the possibilities for finding transfer in literacies practices. Applying new literacies theory, this project explores how literacies practices that are chronologically and ontologically new (Lankshear & Knobel, 2006) are often repurposed across contexts. In addition, employing rhetorical invention and arrangement theories, this project examines how contemporary invention is repurposing and how arrangement aids in meaning making in new literacies practices. It also explores concerns over increased repurposing across collapsed contexts for literacies

Exploring Repurposing Across Contexts: How Adolescents\u27 New Literacies Practices Can Inform Understandings about Writing-Related Transfer

This project examines how middle school students engage in new literacies practices and how they repurpose across contexts. With the use of screencast software and interviews, this project analyzes six case study participants\u27 new literacies practices and the way they use and change ideas and strategies across physical and digital contexts. Drawing from transfer methodology, this project looks at how broadening conceptions of transfer and contexts to include repurposing increases the possibilities for finding transfer in literacies practices. Applying new literacies theory, this project explores how literacies practices that are chronologically and ontologically new (Lankshear & Knobel, 2006) are often repurposed across contexts. In addition, employing rhetorical invention and arrangement theories, this project examines how contemporary invention is repurposing and how arrangement aids in meaning making in new literacies practices. It also explores concerns over increased repurposing across collapsed contexts for literacies

Culturally Responsive School Leadership: Exploring the Characteristics for Urban School Leaders

The purpose of this quantitative study was to identify characteristics and establish them as key characteristics that influence leadership behavior for culturally responsive leadership. This identification clarified and attempted to offer a distinction between culturally responsive school leaders and teachers which considered synonymous. This study’s aim was to offer a clear distinction between the roles of culturally responsive teachers versus school leaders. Participants shared their academic experiences through a three round Delphi Method to identify qualities that establish the key characteristics that influence leadership behavior for culturally responsive leadership in the roles of urban school leaders. The participant leaders chosen for this study possessed seven or more years of leadership experience. Additionally, they understood the expectations and challenges of leadership working with populations that reflect cultural diversity among students served within the United States. The findings in this study suggest that each of the participants’ responses were a reflection of their separate and shared views. The fundamental agreement among participants is the fact that there were particular characteristics essential for urban school leader to be successful in culturally diverse situations. Urban school leaders who identify and participate in professional practices that improve learning is communicated could lead to genuine transformation of student outcome and understanding of cultural responsiveness. Finally, readers of this study should be able to see that there are six characteristics that describe culturally responsive leaders. The culturally responsive leader is inclusive, culturally aware, shared leadership, visionary, instructional leadership, and equitable. Lastly, when these conditions are present, culturally responsive leaders have the opportunity to restructure teaching and learning and shape the total community. School leaders are confronted with the needs and perspectives that students from diverse cultural backgrounds bring to the school within urban and suburban communities (Moll, 1992). Educators face challenges assisting children who come from diverse groups and how to navigate school verses home life (Banks, 2001). Culture, cultural competence, and proficiency are essential to understanding school (Bustamante, Nelson, & Onwuegbuzie, 2009). With increasing diversity in schools, innovative approaches are essential for leaders to have culturally responsive characteristics and capacities (Madhlangobe & Gordon, 2012)

Student Voices: Recording the First-Generation Student Experience

In this session, an English instructor, digital initiatives librarian, and archivist will discuss an interdepartmental collaboration that integrates a digital story-telling project into first-generation undergraduate instruction. They will talk about the project goals, lesson plan, and learning outcomes; procedures for placing student-created oral histories in the digital repository; student reactions to the project; and lessons learned. This project focuses on first-generation students, a population that is growing at colleges and universities across the nation and receiving increased attention in the library and archives literature. At the University of Northern Colorado (UNC), approximately 40% of the undergraduate population is classified as first-generation. These students represent one of the most diverse populations on campus; many are minorities and/or come from underprivileged backgrounds. To enhance the success and retention of these students, the Center for Human Enrichment (CHE) program provides support through instruction, tutoring, and academic advising. First-year CHE participants follow a specialized curriculum of cohort courses, including College Composition and Introduction to Library Research, which are either taught or supported by faculty at UNC Libraries. The existing relationship between CHE and the Libraries has been strengthened in recent years by the development of the Student Voices project, an innovative collaboration that captures oral histories documenting the first-generation freshman experience and makes them available via the Libraries’ digital repository. The goal of the project is twofold: to document the perspectives and experiences of first-generation students, which have been largely absent within the university historical record, while simultaneously delivering instruction in primary sources and archival practice. The project is delivered as a classroom assignment, with the resulting oral history recordings collected by the UNC Archives and Special Collections and placed in the digital repository. Faculty from the UNC Libraries co-present a guest lecture to the CHE College Composition cohort classes, touching on such topics as the purpose of archives, digitization and copyright, and best practices for creating oral histories. Replicating the Story Corps model, students then interview each other in groups of two or three as part of an out-of-class assignment. They are asked to discuss topics such as their first impressions of campus, experiences adjusting to university life, and their expectations for college in addition to the expectations that others may have for them. Along with engaging with classmates to create a meaningful and substantive video or audio oral history, students learn to navigate technical issues of recording and submitting a digital file. While several substantive oral interviews have resulted from this project, it has not been without challenges. First–generation freshmen have unique needs, and challenges arose due to the presenter’s expectations about their experience and prior knowledge. The session will offer a case study that covers both digital initiatives in undergraduate instruction and interdisciplinary collaboration between campus units. Speakers will explore issues of teaching, engaging, and incorporating digital initiative concepts into first-generation education. Attendees will receive ideas for implementing similar collaborations at their institutions

Developmental Differences in Parenting Behavior: Comparing Adolescent, Emerging Adult, and Adult Mothers

The nationally representative Early Childhood Longitudinal Study–Birth cohort data set was used to compare parenting behaviors of adolescent mothers (\u3c19 years old), emerging adult mothers (19–25 years old), and adult mothers (\u3e25 years old) when their children were 2 years old. Regression models controlling for socioeconomic differences indicate that adolescent mothers exhibited less supportiveness, sensitivity, and positive regard than emerging adult mothers, who exhibited less than adults. Adolescent and emerging adult mothers reported comparable frequencies of spanking and use of time out but significantly more than adults. Age differences in coparenting were largely accounted for by different rates of father coresidence. These finding suggest that age differences in parenting behaviors are not solely explained by sociodemographic factors, and that mothers who gave birth during the emerging adult period are a developmentally distinct group; overall, they are not as prepared for optimal parenting as older mothers but are better equipped than adolescent mothers

Student Voices: Recording the First-Generation Experience

In this session, an English instructor, digital initiatives librarian, and archivist at the University of Northern Colorado (UNC) will discuss an inter-departmental collaboration that integrates a digital story-telling project into undergraduate instruction. This project focuses on first-generation students, a population that is growing at colleges and universities across the nation. At UNC, approximately 40% of the undergraduate population is classified as first-generation. The UNC Libraries has partnered with the Center for Human Enrichment, which provides support for first-generation students through instruction, tutoring, and advising, to develop the Student Voices project. This innovative collaboration captures oral histories documenting the first-generation freshman experience and makes them available via the Libraries’ digital repository. The goal of the project is twofold: to document the perspectives and experiences of first-generation students, which have been largely absent within the university historical record, while simultaneously delivering instruction in primary sources and archives. The project is delivered as a classroom assignment, with the resulting student-recorded oral histories collected by the UNC Archives and Special Collections and placed in the digital repository. The session will offer a case study that covers both digital initiatives in undergraduate instruction and interdisciplinary collaboration between campus units. The presenters will explore issues of teaching, engaging, and incorporating digital initiative concepts into undergraduate education and will talk about the project goals, lesson plan, learning outcomes, technical aspects, and lessons learned. Attendees will receive ideas for implementing similar collaborations at their institutions

Languages learning at Key Stage 2: a longitudinal study

This is the final report of a 3 year longitudinal study of the teaching of French, German and Spanish at Key Stage 2, funded from 2006-2009 by the Department for Children Schools and Families. The report covers the attitudes of teachers and children towards languages; the organisation and administration of languages within primary schools; current practice in the teaching of languages; the development of children's intercultural understanding; children's attainment in target language oracy and literacy; and concludes with a discussion of the future sustainability of languages in the primary curriculum and steps needed to secure this

Sexual function in 16- to 21-year-olds in Britain

Purpose: Concern about young people's sexuality is focused on the need to prevent harmful outcomes such as sexually transmitted infections and unplanned pregnancy. Although the benefit of a broader perspective is recognized, data on other aspects of sexuality, particularly sexual function, are scant. We sought to address this gap by measuring the population prevalence of sexual function problems, help seeking, and avoidance of sex in young people. Methods: A cross-sectional stratified probability sample survey (Natsal-3) of 15,162 women and men in Britain (response rate: 57.7%), using computer-assisted self-interviews. Data come from 1875 (71.9%) sexually active, and 517 sexually inactive (18.7%), participants aged 16–21 years. Measures were single items from a validated measure of sexual function (the Natsal-SF). Results: Among sexually active 16- to 21-year-old participants, 9.1% of men and 13.4% of women reported a distressing sexual problem lasting 3 months or more in the last year. Most common among men was reaching a climax too quickly (4.5%), and among women was difficulty in reaching climax (6.3%). Just over a third (35.5%) of men and 42.3% of women reporting a problem had sought help, but rarely from professional sources. Among those who had not had sex in the last year, just >10% of young men and women said they had avoided sex because of sexual difficulties. Conclusions: Distressing sexual function problems are reported by a sizeable minority of sexually active young people. Education is required, and counseling should be available, to prevent lack of knowledge, anxiety, and shame progressing into lifelong sexual difficulties

Trends in U.S. Farmland Values and Ownership

Because farm real estate represents much of the value of U.S. farm sector assets, large swings in farmland values can affect the fi nancial well-being of agricultural producers. This report examines both macroeconomic (interest rates, prices of alternative investments) and parcel-specifi c (soil quality, government payments, proximity to urban areas) factors that affect farmland values. In the last few years, U.S. farmland values have been supported by strong farm earnings, which have helped the farm sector in many regions to withstand the residential housing downturn. Historically low interest rates are likely a signifi cant contributor to farming’s current ability to support higher land values. About 40 percent of U.S. farmland has been rented over the last 25 years. Non-operators (landowners who do not themselves farm) owned 29 percent of land in farms in 2007, though that proportion has declined since 1992