Investigating the Behavioral and Social Context of Sound in the Surface Foraging Strategies of Humpback Whales (megaptera Novaeangliae)

Humpback whales are known for the plastic and variable nature of their acoustic communication, social interactions, and foraging behaviors. Distinct foraging strategies are used to capture different prey types at the surface and on the seafloor. Sounds produced during foraging are thought to facilitate intraspecific social communication. Previous studies have identified specific sound types produced by humpbacks associated exclusively with benthic foraging strategies, suggesting functions related to foraging behavior. In this study, we use suction cup acoustic tags (DTAGs) deployed on humpbacks in the western North Atlantic from 2006-2009 to investigate the social sound production associated with surface foraging ecology, distinguishing three distinct call types used across this foraging strategy: the paired burst bout, thwop, and bark sequence. We assess the social context of sound and present an analysis of the acoustic parameters of these sound types during surface foraging behavior. Our results suggest that these call types were not required nor indicative of surface foraging for this population. Further analysis indicates that these call types are likely used for social communication during surface foraging, as opposed to coordinating group foraging behaviors or manipulating the behavior of the prey. These findings will advance knowledge of humpback foraging behaviors, furthering understanding of the acoustic and behavioral plasticity used to adapt foraging to a changing environment. Further, the ability to determine behavioral state and foraging strategy based on the sounds vocalized has important implications for future management strategies

Researching Islamic Law: an introduction

This article by Sarah Spells from the School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London, focuses on the sources of Islamic law and provides a simple introduction to finding and researching this area, with suggestions of useful and notable resources

7, 223 Between

This body of photographic artwork, 7,223 Between, explores the physical and emotional distance between my immediate family. This resulting dispersion created a shift in both my understanding, and experience, of family and home. The place that my family used to congregate around is now absent. These images traverse the surface of my relationships with family and speak to a universal experience of longing for family and home. Transient interior spaces, landscapes, and disconnected portraits of my parents come together in this non-linear narrative to suggest at the journey to rediscover a sense of Home, while winding through nostalgic failures, desire for comfort and, the mental need to accept and escape

Relearning liberation: critical methodologies for the general crisis

How can critical theory help us to articulate the nature of social suffering in twenty-first century capitalism, and to expand our horizons of possibility for liberation and alternative futures at a moment of apparent impasse? In this essay, we explore how critical theorists across three generations in the European Frankfurt School tradition articulated the ‘struggles and wishes’ of their age and place, and reflect on the contextual limits and enduring relevance of their negative, utopian, democratic and ethical methods. We then turn to developments of this work in the Latin American tradition, particularly as elaborated by feminists, which articulate critical theorizing as a transformative praxis within the material construction of dignified communitarian life. In the final part of the paper, we consider what we might learn about how to theorize our own dominations and liberations through this critical methodology

Interprofessional Health Team Communication About Hospital Discharge: An Implementation Science Evaluation Study

The Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research guided formative evaluation of the implementation of a redesigned interprofessional team rounding process. The purpose of the redesigned process was to improve health team communication about hospital discharge. Themes emerging from interviews of patients, nurses, and providers revealed the inherent value and positive characteristics of the new process, but also workflow, team hierarchy, and process challenges to successful implementation. The evaluation identified actionable recommendations for modifying the implementation process

A Model for Hospital Discharge Preparation: From Case Management to Care Transition

There has been a proliferation of initiatives to improve discharge processes and outcomes for the transition from hospital to home and community-based care. Operationalization of these processes has varied widely as hospitals have customized discharge care into innovative roles and functions. This article presents a model for conceptualizing the components of hospital discharge preparation to ensure attention to the full range of processes needed for a comprehensive strategy for hospital discharge

Engaging Older Youth: Program and City-Level Strategies to Support Sustained Participation in Out-of-School Time

With support from The Wallace Foundation, the Harvard Family Research Project and P/PV conducted a study of almost 200 out-of-school-time (OST) programs in six cities to better understand how they promote sustained participation among older youth.The resulting data indicated that two of the most important practices distinguishing high-retention programs were: ample leadership opportunities for youth and high levels of staff efforts to keep informed about participants' lives outside the programs. The study also compares and contrasts effective practices for middle school- versus high school-aged youth, noting the shortcomings of "one-size-fits-all" strategies. Finally, Engaging Older Youth details the influence of city-level OST initiatives on programs and identifies the types of city-level services that likely support participation