Motion graphics documentary video of Deaf artists of the 21st century

Deaf art reflects a unique culture where Deaf people express their life experiences, which are different from those of hearing people. Deaf art also shows the joy and community among Deaf people with their shared language and experiences, expressed through art that includes painting, sculpturing, acting, and writing. In other words, Deaf culture is a celebration where we as Deaf people can bond and share our similar experiences with life struggle in this majority world of hearing people. We often seek out other Deaf artists to connect with and get the sense of “home.” That “sense of home” includes not just gathering in person, but also interacting through communications technologies, such as email, websites, blogs, videos, and chat rooms. However, even though there are many examples of videos of Deaf people expressing their deaf experiences in ASL, these were strictly two-dimensional, very flat because they had limited or no motion graphics. Motion graphics allows for more lifelike, three-dimensional representation of visual images, an appropriate medium to use in representing two Deaf artists who use a three-dimensional means of communication: American Sign Language (ASL). Creating this 30-minutes three-dimensional motion graphics video documentary about two Deaf artists, Jengy Geller and Carl Lil Bear, and their backgrounds and inspirations has brought the language of ASL to where the audience could appreciate the three-dimensional visual images along with special effects that includes a flythrough into virtual worlds of rich contrast colors that portray knowledge

Developing Professional Identity and Networks at Conferences

Professional conferences play an important role in the development of health behavior researchers. These venues are essential for applying academic coursework and advancing or strengthening skills in professional settings. Attending meetings enables students and early career scholars to interact with researchers and practitioners in the field for the purposes of sharing research findings, discussing practice strategies, and exploring career options through networking opportunities. Conference experiences can be enhanced by proper planning and execution before, during, and after the event. This editorial provides recommendations to junior conference attendees related to a variety of topics including time management, presentation etiquette, networking, locating mentors, and post-meeting follow-up procedures

Partial ovary development is widespread in honey bees and comparable to other eusocial bees and wasps

Honey bee workers have few opportunities for direct reproduction because their ovary development is chemically suppressed by queens and worker-laid eggs are destroyed by workers. While workers with fully developed ovaries are rare in honey bee colonies, we show that partial ovary development is common. Across nine studies, an average of 6% to 43% of workers had partially developed ovaries in queenright colonies with naturally mated queens. This shift by workers toward potential future reproduction is linked to lower productivity, which suggests that even small investments in reproductive physiology by selfish workers reduce cooperation below a theoretical maximum. Furthermore, comparisons across 26 species of bees and wasps revealed that the level of partial ovary development in honey bees is similar to that of other eusocial Hymenoptera where there is reproductive conflict among colony members. Natural variation in the extent of partial ovary development in honey bee colonies calls for an exploration of the genetic and ecological factors that modulate shifts in cooperation within animal societies

Promiscuous Honey Bee Queens Increase Colony Productivity by Suppressing Worker Selfishness

SummaryQueen monogamy is ancestral among bees, ants, and wasps (Order Hymenoptera), and the close relatedness that it generates within colonies is considered key for the evolution of eusociality in these lineages [1]. Paradoxically, queens of several eusocial species are extremely promiscuous [2], a derived behavior that decreases relatedness among workers and fitness gained from rearing siblings but benefits queens by enhancing colony productivity [3–9] and inducing workers to rear queens’ sons instead of less related worker-derived males [10–13]. Selection for promiscuity would be especially strong if productivity in a singly inseminated queen’s colony declined because selfish workers invested in personal reproduction at the expense of performing tasks that contribute to colony productivity. We show in honey bees that workers’ ovaries are more developed when queens are singly rather than multiply inseminated and that increasing ovary activation is coupled with reductions in task performance by workers and colony-wide rates of foraging and waggle-dance recruitment. Increased investment in reproductive physiology by selfish workers might result from greater incentive for them to favor worker-derived males or because low mating frequency signals a queen’s diminished quality or future fecundity. Either possibility fosters selection for queen promiscuity, revealing a novel benefit of it for eusocial insects

Animal Assisted Therapy in Pediatric Speech-Language Therapy with a Preschool Child with Severe Language Delay: A Single-Subject Design

Background: The application of animal assisted therapy (AAT) in provision of services is an emerging area of research in the allied health literature. Prior investigators have called for additional research concerning applications of animal assisted therapy in specific settings and patient populations. Objectives: to (a) investigate the effect of animal assisted therapy on the quantity of vocalizations in a single child participant with severe speech delay, and (b) identify optimal animal assisted therapy practices in pediatric group speech-language therapy. Design: A case study was conducted using ABA single-case design. The number of vocalizations produced by the participant was measured for 15-minute periods during four initial baseline (no animal assisted therapy) sessions, four sessions with the intervention condition (animal assisted therapy), and three additional baseline (no animal assisted therapy) sessions. Observations were also recorded concerning the interactions between the animal assisted therapy team, the participant, and other children in the group. Results: The number of vocalizations increased markedly during the intervention phase, and the effect was nonreversible. The participant also demonstrated increased attention to tasks and activities during the intervention phase. An increase in unpredictable, forceful movements by the participant and other children was observed after 10-minutes. Conclusions: Although the same degree of increase in vocalizations is not expected for every child exposed to animal assisted therapy, results suggest that animal assisted therapy is a potentially valuable tool for speech-language pathologists working with children who have severe delays in communication skills. Recommendations for future research include consideration of time limits for animal assisted therapy interventions, detailed advance planning with the handler to minimize stressors for the animal assisted therapy team, and ensuring adequate adult personnel for data collection and management of the intervention sessions

From soliciting answers to eliciting reasoning: Questioning our questions in digital math tasks

How can classroom teachers and task designers pose questions to promote students’ reasoning? The authors share a Toy Car task, developed in Desmos, then provide three design principles guiding task questions

Adoption and the use of self-disclosure : a qualitative inquiry of the clincial professional

One of the intentional purposes of this study was to expand upon the limited research that is offered from a clinical perspective regarding self disclosure, but with a concentration on adopted mental health professionals. This study: explored the nature of therapeutic relationship, investigated continued controversial topic of self disclosure and explored specifically adoption identity formation and self disclosure grounded in social constructivism. Twelve female participants who identified as mental health professionals completed in person interviews. The goal was to recruit 16 participants evenly divided between clinicians who were adopted and non adopted. However because of limitations, the sample consisted of 11 non adopted clinicians and 1 adopted clinician. Six themes emerged from analysis of transcribed interview data: (1) client focused self disclosure (2) therapist identity focused self disclosure (3) therapist theoretical orientation influence on self disclosure (4) Number of years of experience and use of supervision (5) identity as a therapist and as an individual (6) Need for connection and isolation as it relates to relationships and identity. Despite great efforts only one adopted clinician was recruited to the study; therefore the original research question provided valuable insight on self-disclosure in clinical practice and suggested directions for future research