Calculation of Nonperturbative Terms in Open String Models

Nonperturbative corrections in type II string theory corresponding to Riemann surfaces with one boundary are calculated in several noncompact geometries of desingularized orbifolds. One of these models has a complicated phase structure which is explored. A general condition for integrality of the numerical invariants is discussed

Graphs of gonality three

In 2013, Chan classified all metric hyperelliptic graphs, proving that divisorial gonality and geometric gonality are equivalent in the hyperelliptic case. We show that such a classification extends to combinatorial graphs of divisorial gonality three, under certain edge- and vertex-connectivity assumptions. We also give a construction for graphs of divisorial gonality three, and provide conditions for determining when a graph is not of divisorial gonality three.Comment: 19 pages, 13 figures; corrected statements of Theorems 1.2 and 4.1, as well as material in Section

A New Service Model for the Reference Desk: The Student Research Center

There is no doubt that reference services are changing and that the reference desk needs to change also, in response. In this article, Julie Middlemas argues that the foundations of the reference interaction remain the same regardless of this shift: that a successful reference interview and the need to save the time of the reader/researcher remain the primary functions of that interaction. Steven Deineh then puts forth his case for student-centered reference, which offers the service of intensive collaborative research working with students behind the reference desk. Students will learn hands-on because, although millennials and others of the digital generation have a perceived comprehensive understanding of technology, there is much they do not understand nor use to full advantage. And millennials learn by doing. Finally, Patty Morrison argues that “information up-sell” needs to be part of every reference desk encounter, whether the student is merely asking for directions or has a more in-depth research need. Why this promotion? Simply because, as Steven points out, there is only a perceived knowledge of technology. In sum, this article recommends the following as a new reference service model: conduct an effective and comprehensive reference interview and invite the student behind the desk for an empowering, hands-on, in-depth research experience when appropriate. For those scenarios when it is not appropriate, up-sell or promote what the library has to uniquely offer students that Google cannot

The Impact of the Collective Efficacy of a School Community on Individual Professional Development Outcomes

In the past decade, leading contributors in the areas of educational change and staff development have acknowledged that successes attained with individual aspects of professional development can be stifled, halted, or essentially canceled by seemingly immutable factors in the organization’s culture. The purpose of this study was to explore the impact of the collective efficacy of science teachers within a school community on the individual outcomes for science teachers participating in a professional development program. The findings suggest that teachers participating in the program from schools with high levels of collective efficacy demonstrated gains in science teaching self-efficacy that were greater than the gains shown by teachers in schools with low collective efficacy. This preliminary finding has potentially serious implications regarding the impact of a school\u27s culture and collective beliefs on the professional development outcomes of its members

Reserve Textbooks: To Buy, or Not to Buy?

There is convincing evidence that academic libraries are used less frequently for research than in the past, due to the advent of the Internet. This begs the question: what role does the current library have for students? It can be argued that we simply need to convince students and faculty of library viability, or, another route would be to give students what they are asking for. And textbooks, via course reserves, are what they request most at Grossmont College. Collection development policies typically contain some verbiage that equates to “the library does not collect textbooks, unless they are donated by faculty.” Grossmont College Library, however, recently reexamined its philosophical approach to reserves and refined its collection development policy and reserves policies and procedures as a result. The end product was a much more user-friendly, viable, and timely reserves collection that included onthe- spot service. Getting to that result was not without its challenges, however. Many policies and procedures had to be rethought and revised in tandem with these changes

Training School Psychology Graduate Students to Address Regional Shortages: A Distance Learning Model

Addressing the shortages of school psychologists in underserved regions of the country is critical to the profession and the communities served by its members. This article describes a school psychology satellite training program using a hybrid approach combining distance learning technologies and face-to-face classroom meetings. The purpose of this study was to describe the experiences of sixteen graduate students in a rural, Appalachian region of Ohio as members of the first two cohorts enrolled in the school psychology satellite program

An Analysis of the Workforce Pipeline in School Psychology

A shortage of school psychologists in the USA jeopardizes the capacity of schools to meet the needs of struggling students. The aim of the study was to evaluate the progression of school psychologists through the professional preparation—to practice pipeline for attracting, preparing, and retaining school psychologists. Descriptive research methods were used to retrospectively track three annual cohorts of graduate students from eight school psychology programs as they progressed through key milestones in their preparation and early professional practice. The results indicate that a large percentage of students completed their graduate program and continued to work in the field 1-, 3-, and 5-year post-internship for a sample that was predominately White and female. The implications of the study reinforce previous calls for graduate programs to engage in targeted, personalized efforts for recruiting graduate students with minoritized cultural identities to better meet the needs of students from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds

Educators’ Preferences for Professional Learning Formats by Learning Objective

Innovations in information technology have generated an array of options for the professional learning for educators. Face-to-face, remote, and hybrid formats for professional learning each have their advantages and disadvantages for advancing educators’ knowledge and skills in evidence-based practices to promote student achievement. The purpose of this study was to better understand teacher and educational leaders’ preferences for professional learning formats in relation to the intended learning objective. The results indicate that educators preferences for professional learning format varied by the intended learning objective of the session. Remote professional learning was preferred relative to face-to-face and hybrid formats for a session in which the primary objective was to share information uni-directionally from the presenter to the audience (53% versus 25% and 22% preferred hybrid). The respondents were equally split in their preference for either a face-to-face or remote format when the learning objective was to understand new concepts and learn how to apply the concepts to their setting. The results have important implications for designing professional learning

Three Routes Forward For Biofuels: Incremental, Transitional, and Leapfrog

Besides the authors of this paper, many other people from the Sustainable Transportation Energy Pathways (NextSTEPS) research consortium assisted in the underlying analysis and internal review. This includes, but is not limited to, Joan Ogden, Steve Kaffka, Rich Plevin, Mark Delucchi, Sonia Yeh, Colin Murphy, and Paul Gruber. The NextSTEPS biofuels team wishes to thank representatives of the California Energy Commission (CEC) and the California Air Resources Board (ARB) for their valuable comments during a recent presentation of this work. The team also wishes to thank the NextSTEPS consortium members for their intellectual contributions and support of this researc