IASDR 2015 Interplay Exhibition 2-5 NOV 2015

It has been said that we are living in a golden age of innovation. New products, systems and services aimed to enable a better future, have emerged from novel interconnections between design and design research with science, technology and the arts. These intersections are now, more than ever, catalysts that enrich daily activities for health and safety, education, personal computing, entertainment and sustainability, to name a few. Interactive functions made possible by new materials, technology, and emerging manufacturing solutions demonstrate an ongoing interplay between cross-disciplinary knowledge and research. Such interactive interplay bring up questions concerning: (i) how art and design provide a focus for developing design solutions and research in technology; (ii) how theories emerging from the interactions of cross-disciplinary knowledge inform both the practice and research of design and (iii) how research and design work together in a mutually beneficial way. The IASDR2015 INTERPLAY EXHIBITION provides some examples of these interconnections of design research with science, technology and the arts. This is done through the presentation of objects, artefacts and demonstrations that are contextualised into everyday activities across various areas including health, education, safety, furniture, fashion and wearable design. The exhibits provide a setting to explore the various ways in which design research interacts across discipline knowledge and approaches to stimulate innovation. In education, Designing South African Children’s Health Education as Generative Play (A Bennett, F Cassim, M van der Merwe, K van Zijil, and M Ribbens) presents a set of toolkits that resulted from design research entailing generative play. The toolkits are systems that engender pleasure and responsibility, and are aimed at cultivating South African’s youth awareness of nutrition, hygiene, disease awareness and prevention, and social health. In safety, AVAnav: Avalanche Rescue Helmet (Jason Germany) delivers an interactive system as a tool to contribute to reduce the time to locate buried avalanche victims. Helmet-mounted this system responds to the contextual needs of rescuers and has since led to further design research on the interface design of rescuing devices. In apparel design and manufacturing, Shrinking Violets: Fashion design for disassembly (Alice Payne) proposes a design for disassembly through the use of beautiful reversible mono-material garments that interactively responds to the challenges of garment construction in the fashion industry, capturing the metaphor for the interplay between technology and craft in the fashion manufacturing industry. Harvest: A biotextile future (Dean Brough and Alice Payne), explores the interplay of biotechnology, materiality and textile design in the creation of sustainable, biodegradable vegan textile through the process of a symbiotic culture of bacteria and yeast (SCOBY). SCOBY is a pellicle curd that can be harvested, machine washed, dried and cut into a variety of designs and texture combinations. The exploration of smart materials, wearable design and micro-electronics led to creative and aesthetically coherent stimulus-reactive jewellery; Symbiotic Microcosms: Crafting Digital Interaction (K Vones). This creation aims to bridge the gap between craft practitioner and scientific discovery, proposing a move towards the notion of a post-human body, where wearable design is seen as potential ground for new human-computer interactions, affording the development of visually engaging multifunctional enhancements. In furniture design, Smart Assistive chair for older adults (Chao Zhao) demonstrates how cross-disciplinary knowledge interacting with design strategies provide solution that employed new technological developments in older aged care, and the participation of multiple stakeholders: designers, health care system and community based health systems. In health, Molecular diagnosis system for newborns deafness genetic screening (Chao Zhao) presents an ambitious and complex project that includes a medical device aimed at resolving a number of challenges: technical feasibility for city and rural contexts, compatibility with standard laboratory and hospital systems, access to health system, and support the work of different hospital specialists. The interplay between cross-disciplines is evident in this work, demonstrating how design research moves forward through technology developments. These works exemplify the intersection between domains as a means to innovation. Novel design problems are identified as design intersects with the various areas. Research informs this process, and in different ways. We see the background investigation into the contextualising domain (e.g. on-snow studies, garment recycling, South African health concerns, the post human body) to identify gaps in the area and design criteria; the technologies and materials reviews (e.g. AR, biotextiles) to offer plausible technical means to solve these, as well as design criteria. Theoretical reviews can also inform the design (e.g. play, flow). These work together to equip the design practitioner with a robust set of ‘tools’ for design innovation – tools that are based in research. The process identifies innovative opportunity and criteria for design and this, in turn, provides a means for evaluating the success of the design outcomes. Such an approach has the potential to come full circle between research and design – where the design can function as an exemplar, evidencing how the research-articulated problems can be solved. Core to this, however, is the evaluation of the design outcome itself and identifying knowledge outcomes. In some cases, this is fairly straightforward that is, easily measurable. For example the efficacy of Jason Germany’s helmet can be determined by measuring the reduced response time in the rescuer. Similarly the improved ability to recycle Payne’s panel garments can be clearly determined by comparing it to those recycling processes (and her identified criteria of separating textile elements!); while the sustainability and durability of the Brough & Payne’s biotextile can be assessed by documenting the growth and decay processes, or comparative strength studies. There are however situations where knowledge outcomes and insights are not so easily determined. Many of the works here are open-ended in their nature, as they emphasise the holistic experience of one or more designs, in context: “the end result of the art activity that provides the health benefit or outcome but rather, the value lies in the delivery and experience of the activity” (Bennet et al.) Similarly, reconfiguring layers of laser cut silk in Payne’s Shrinking Violets constitutes a customisable, creative process of clothing oneself since it “could be layered to create multiple visual effects”. Symbiotic Microcosms also has room for facilitating experience, as the work is described to facilitate “serendipitous discovery”. These examples show the diverse emphasis of enquiry as on the experience versus the product. Open-ended experiences are ambiguous, multifaceted and differ from person to person and moment to moment (Eco 1962). Determining the success is not always clear or immediately discernible; it may also not be the most useful question to ask. Rather, research that seeks to understand the nature of the experience afforded by the artefact is most useful in these situations. It can inform the design practitioner by helping them with subsequent re-design as well as potentially being generalizable to other designers and design contexts. Bennett et. al exemplify how this may be approached from a theoretical perspective. This work is concerned with facilitating engaging experiences to educate and, ultimately impact on that community. The research is concerned with the nature of that experience as well, and in order to do so the authors have employed theoretical lenses – here these are of flow, pleasure, play. An alternative or complementary approach to using theory, is using qualitative studies such as interviews with users to ask them about what they experienced? Here the user insights become evidence for generalising across, potentially revealing insight into relevant concerns – such as the range of possible ‘playful’ or experiences that may be afforded, or the situation that preceded a ‘serendipitous discovery’. As shown, IASDR2015 INTERPLAY EXHIBITION provides a platform for exploration, discussion and interrogation around the interplay of design research across diverse domains. We look forward with excitement as IASDR continues to bring research and design together, and as our communities of practitioners continue to push the envelope of what is design and how this can be expanded and better understood with research to foster new work and ultimately, stimulate innovation.

Viitotut elämät : Kuurojen nuorten aikuisten kokemuksia viittomakielisestä elämästä Suomessa

The goal of the study is to build an image of deafness and of the lives of the deaf from their own per-spectives. The lives of deaf sign language users are analysed through the concept of identity. The start-ing point for the study is the idea that identities are moulded and structured in action and interaction and are, therefore, continuous processes. The terminology and ideas used in the present study are mostly based on Erving Goffman s (1971, 1986) work in which he sees identity as a representation of self. Via our language and our actions we build and present an image of ourselves to others and to ourselves alike. The research aims at answering the following questions concerning the lives of deaf sign language users: how do deaf people build an image of themselves as deaf people, what kind of meanings does deafness acquire in their lives, and what opportunities do they have to be perceived by others as they feel they are, i.e. to present their true self . In order to answer these questions, the narratives provided by eighteen deaf young adults, aged 25 35, in narrative interviews carried out in sign language, have been analysed. The methodology used is that of a data-based, qualitative analysis and narrative analy-sis. The study follows the lines of prior qualitative research carried out in the field of sociology of health and in the study of everyday life. The subjects are divided into three groups according to the linguistic environment dominant in the family: 1) a deaf child in a deaf family, 2) a deaf child in a hearing family using sign language, and 3) a deaf child in a hearing family where sign language was not used. The childhood family has great significance in the way a child constructs his or her identity as a deaf person. The process of construct-ing an identity in the first group can be defined as being automatic or inherited, in the second group the process can be described as being a collective/joint identity-building process, whereas in the third group the process is ambivalent and delayed. The opportunities the deaf have in building their identi-ties as deaf people have been examined through the concept of a collective story reservoir. Research shows that the deaf have, at least partly, a different collective story reservoir that they can rely on from the one the hearing have. Interaction with other deaf people and access to the collective story reservoir is important, because it enables the deaf to form an idea of their own deafness and the life of a deaf person. Three different ways of understanding deafness can be conceptualized from the narratives of the inter-viewed deaf people. In the outdated counter-narrative and the reductive narrative of deafness as an abnormality, the subjects are not capable of seeing themselves as forming part of the narratives or identifying themselves with the ways the deaf are depicted. Yet, the characterizations prevalent in them are the ones that the deaf constantly come across in their day-to-day lives. The narrative through which the subjects depict themselves and their lives can be defined as a pluralistic narrative. The plu-ralistic narrative consists of three elements: the coexistence of the world of the deaf and that of the hearing, the orientation to sign language, and the replacement of local networks with global networks. Although modern Finnish society and its varied social services and subsidy systems enable the realiza-tion of the kind of life described in the pluralistic narrative, the issues of power and inequality still frequently emerge in the narratives in which the deaf young adults described themselves and their lives. Two kinds of power mechanisms can be perceived in the descriptions: belittling and excluding power. These considerably diminish the opportunities of sign language users to create the kind of life that would reflect their personalities while limiting the chances for presenting the self to others.

Improving outcome of childhood bacterial meningitis by simplified treatment : Experience from Angola

Background Acute bacterial meningitis (BM) continues to be an important cause of childhood mortality and morbidity, especially in developing countries. Prognostic scales and the identification of risk factors for adverse outcome both aid in assessing disease severity. New antimicrobial agents or adjunctive treatments - except for oral glycerol - have essentially failed to improve BM prognosis. A retrospective observational analysis found paracetamol beneficial in adult bacteraemic patients, and some experts recommend slow β-lactam infusion. We examined these treatments in a prospective, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial. Patients and methods A retrospective analysis included 555 children treated for BM in 2004 in the infectious disease ward of the Paediatric Hospital of Luanda, Angola. Our prospective study randomised 723 children into four groups, to receive a combination of cefotaxime infusion or boluses every 6 hours for the first 24 hours and oral paracetamol or placebo for 48 hours. The primary endpoints were 1) death or severe neurological sequelae (SeNeSe), and 2) deafness. Results In the retrospective study, the mortality of children with blood transfusion was 23% (30 of 128) vs. without blood transfusion 39% (109 of 282; p=0.004). In the prospective study, 272 (38%) of the children died. Of those 451 surviving, 68 (15%) showed SeNeSe, and 12% (45 of 374) were deaf. Whereas no difference between treatment groups was observable in primary endpoints, the early mortality in the infusion-paracetamol group was lower, with the difference (Fisher s exact test) from the other groups at 24, 48, and 72 hours being significant (p=0.041, 0.0005, and 0.005, respectively). Prognostic factors for adverse outcomes were impaired consciousness, dyspnoea, seizures, delayed presentation, and absence of electricity at home (Simple Luanda Scale, SLS); the Bayesian Luanda Scale (BLS) also included abnormally low or high blood glucose. Conclusions New studies concerning the possible beneficial effect of blood transfusion, and concerning longer treatment with cefotaxime infusion and oral paracetamol, and a study to validate our simple prognostic scales are warranted.

"Oma entinen on palannut takaisin elämään" : Kuntoutuksen vaikuttavuus aikuisena kuuroutuneiden henkilöiden elämänhallintaan ja psykososiaaliseen hyvinvointiin

Objective The objective of this study was to learn about the psychosocial well-being and life management of Finnish adults with late deafness or hearing loss and to observe the effectiveness of the rehabilitation courses they participated in. Methods For my study I used indicators which were suitable for the evaluation of life management and psychosocial well-being of late-deafened adults. The first part of the study was conducted during 2009 as a questionnaire on three rehabilitation courses in Kopola, a course center of the Finnish Federation of Hard of Hearing. The follow-up study was done at the third period of the courses during 2009 2010. The questionnaire contained both open and structured questions. The questionnaire consisted of five areas concerning life management and psychosocial well-being: sense of coherence (life management), human relations and social support, mood, self-esteem and satisfaction with life. I also asked the participants to reflect on their experiences of group rehabilitation. Results and conclusions The participants consisted of seven women and three men. They were approximately 63 years old and were all retired. Loss of hearing was described to have affected their social life, free time, and in general made their lives more difficult. From the course the participants hoped to gain new skills such as signed speech and lip-reading, uplift their mood, accept their loss of hearing and experience peer support. After the courses they replied that they had more close relations with whom they also were a little more in contact with. More participants were satisfied with e.g. their ability to take care of themselves, their free time, financial situation, family life, mental resources and physical shape. Majority of the participants showed symptoms of depression when the courses started, but at the end of the courses these signs had moderated or disappeared for most of them. The participants felt that during the rehabilitation they had been heard, respected, accepted and been taken care of. The course provided the possibility for confiding, and the discussions gave the participants support and consolidation. In conclusion, the course affected positively on the acclimatization to the hearing loss and the empowerment of the participants. The results of this study can be utilized in disability services, the development of rehabilitation and in the social- and health services of senior citizens.

Functional regulation of the Neurofibromatosis 2 tumor suppressor merlin

Neurofibromatosis 2 (NF2) is an autosomal dominant disorder manifested by the formation of multiple benign tumors of the nervous system. Affected individuals typically develop bilateral vestibular schwannomas which lead to deafness and balance disorders. The syndrome is caused by inactivation of the NF2 tumor suppressor gene, and mutation or loss of the NF2 product, merlin, is sufficient for tumorigenesis in both hereditary and sporadic NF2-associated tumors. Merlin belongs to the band 4.1 superfamily of cytoskeletal proteins, which also contain the related ezrin, radixin, and moesin (ERM) proteins. The ERM members provide a link between the cell cytoskeleton and membrane by connecting membrane-associated proteins to actin filaments. By stabilizing complexes in the cell cortex, the ERMs modulate morphology, growth, and migration of cells. Despite their structural homology, overlapping subcellular distribution, direct molecular association, and partial overlap of molecular interactions, merlin and ezrin exert opposite effects on cell proliferation. Merlin suppresses cell proliferation, whereas ezrin expression is linked to oncogenic activity. We hypothesized that the regions which differ between the proteins might explain merlin s specificity as a tumor suppressor. We therefore analyzed the regions, which are most diverse between merlin and ezrin; the N-terminal tail and the C-terminus. To determine the properties of the C-terminal region, we studied the two most predominant merlin isoforms together with truncation variants similar to those found in patients. We also focused on the evolutionally conserved C-terminal residues, E545-E547, that harbor disease causing mutations in its corresponding DNA sequence. In addition to inhibiting cell proliferation, merlin regulates cytoskeletal organization. The morphogenic properties of merlin may play a role in tumor suppression, since patient-derived tumor cells demonstrate cytoskeletal abnormalities. We analyzed the mechanisms of merlin-induced extension formation and determined that the C-terminal region of amino acids 538-568 is particularly important for the morphogenic activity. We also characterized the role of C-terminal merlin residues in the regulation of proliferation, phosphorylation, and intramolecular associations. In contrast to previous reports, we demonstrated that both merlin isoforms are able to suppress cell proliferation, whereas C-terminally mutated merlin constructs showed reduced growth inhibition. Phosphorylation serves as a mechanism to regulate the tumor suppressive activity of merlin. The C-terminal serine 518 is phosphorylated in response to both p21-activated kinase (PAK) and protein kinase A (PKA), which inactivates the growth inhibitory function of merlin. However, at least three differentially phosphorylated forms of the protein exist. In this study we demonstrated that also the N-terminus of merlin is phosphorylated by AGC kinases, and that both PKA and Akt phosphorylate merlin at serine 10 (S10). We evaluated the impact of this N-terminal tail phosphorylation, and showed that the phosphorylation state of S10 is an important regulator of merlin s ability to modulate cytoskeletal organization but also regulates the stability of the protein. In summary, this study describes the functional effect of merlin specific regions. We demonstrate that both S10 in the N-terminal tail and residues E545-E547 in the C-terminus are essential for merlin activity and function.

Non-Syndromic Hearing Impairment in India: High Allelic Heterogeneity among Mutations in TMPRSS3, TMC1, USHIC, CDH23 and TMIE

Mutations in the autosomal genes TMPRSS3, TMC1, USHIC, CDH23 and TMIE are known to cause hereditary hearing loss. To study the contribution of these genes to autosomal recessive, non-syndromic hearing loss (ARNSHL) in India, we examined 374 families with the disorder to identify potential mutations. We found four mutations in TMPRSS3, eight in TMC1, ten in USHIC, eight in CDH23 and three in TMIE. Of the 33 potentially pathogenic variants identified in these genes, 23 were new and the remaining have been previously reported. Collectively, mutations in these five genes contribute to about one-tenth of ARNSHL among the families examined. New mutations detected in this study extend the allelic heterogeneity of the genes and provide several additional variants for structure-function correlation studies. These findings have implications for early DNA-based detection of deafness and genetic counseling of affected families in the Indian subcontinent.

Metáfora Conceptual e Libras: uma abordagem cognitiva da surdez

O percurso histórico das representações da surdez, da educação de surdos e do estatuto da língua de sinais aponta para a necessidade de uma reflexão sobre as relações entre língua, cognição e cultura. Um estudo direcionado à identificação das estruturas conceptuais subjacentes à língua falada pelos surdos -a Libras- pode contribuir com algumas considerações pertinentes sobre a questão surdez/cultura, além de contribuir para desmistificar possíveis preconceitos relacionados à língua de sinais. A linguística cognitiva (LC), ciência que engloba os aspectos cognitivos envolvidos na significação, a influência do contexto para a compreensão/produção da linguagem e a forma como o mundo é experienciado individualmente e culturalmente, revela-se como um embasamento teórico adequado ao desenvolvimento de tal reflexão, uma vez que abarca dentre suas áreas de interesse o estudo dos mecanismos cognitivos de conceptualização e expressão da realidade, dentre os quais se inserem os modelos cognitivos e culturais, a metáfora e a metonímia conceptuais. Levando-se em conta que na LC a concepção de metáfora, estabelecida pela Teoria da Metáfora Conceptual (TMC), à luz de Lakoff e Johnson (2002[1980]) e Kövecses (2002, 2003, 2005), considera a metáfora como um mecanismo conceptual em que os seres humanos empregam um domínio experiencial mais concreto, estreitamente ligado à experiência com o próprio corpo e o mundo em que vivem, para compreender/conceptualizar um domínio mais abstrato; buscou-se, neste estudo, verificar a aplicabilidade de tal teoria na língua brasileira de sinais (Libras), hipotetizando-se que as metáforas conceptuais podem ser identificadas em qualquer língua, mesmo uma língua visuo-espacial, e que as manifestações metafóricas encontradas na Libras podem refletir as especificidades da cultura surda, bem como aspectos provenientes da cultura ouvinte devido à influência cultural gerada por sua inserção nesta cultura. A pesquisa realizada desenvolveu-se sob abordagem qualitativa/descritiva, com análise de um corpus heterogêneo da Libras, composto por sinais isolados, vídeos e transcrições de interações terapêuticas. Os resultados apontam não só para a manifestação da metáfora conceptual na Libras, como também para a manifestação de aspectos semânticos e fonológicos subjacentes à iconicidade cognitiva nos termos de (Wilcox, P. 2004) da Libras. Trata-se de um levantamento inicial, mas que fornece elementos para alguns questionamentos sobre o aspecto conceptual e cognitivo da iconicidade e sobre o alcance da TMC e sua relação com língua e cultura

Pertsona gorrak osasun sisteman:paziente eta erizain arteko komunikazio eraginkorraren garrantzia

Zeinu Hizkuntza (ZH) da Gor kulturaren bereizgarri nagusiena, baita mundu entzulearekin komunikatzeko traba handiena suposatzen duena. Gorrek hainbat arazo aurkitzen dituzte Osasun Sisteman entzuleekin komunikatzeko, nahiz eta zerbitzu publikoek komunikazio erraztasunak ahalbidetu behar dizkietela araututa egon. Helburua: Gorren ezaugarri kulturalak ezagutu, Osasun Sisteman dituzten zailtasunak identifikatu eta erizainek Gorren beharrei erantzuteko estrategia eraginkorrak zehaztu. Metodologia: Errebisio bibliografiko honetan, PIO estruktura erabili da. Barneratze eta baztertze irizpideak finkatuta, Biblioteca Virtual de la Salud, PubMed eta Scopus-en burutu da bilaketa, 2005-2010 urte tarteko artikuluak aztertuz. Emaitzak: Gortasuna ikuspuntu medikotik bereizten du Gor kulturak, izan ere, beraien ezaugarri naturaltzat dute. Gorrek komunitate bat eratzen dute, beraien artean elkar identifikatu eta kulturaren garapenean laguntzen dutelarik. Hizkuntza ezberdina darabiltenez, Osasun Sisteman zailtasunak aurkitzen dituzte, honek ezaguera ezera eta gaixotasunak pairatzeko arrisku handiagora eramanez. Arrazoietako bat, profesionalek kultura hau ezezagun izatea da, heziketa gabeziagatik, batik bat. Gainera, ez dute pazientziarik, honek Gorretan konfiantza eza eta beldurra eraginez. Horrenbestez, funtsezkoa da erizainak Gor kulturaren inguruan heztea, pertsona hauekin eraginkorki komunikatzeko nahiz arreta kalitatea ahalik eta hoberena izateko. Halaber, ezinbestekoa da Gorrentzako informazioa egokitzea. Ondorioak: Osasun Sisteman komunikazio zailtasunak dituzte Gorrek eta ondorioz, osasun gaietan ezaguera baxuagoa dute, gaixotasunak pairatzeko arrisku handiagoarekin bat. Horregatik, sentikorra den informazioa ahalbidetu behar zaio biztanleria honi. Halaber, profesionalek Gor kulturaren inguruko heziketa jaso behar dute, baita komunikazio eraginkorrerako erraztasunak ahalbidetu ere.

A voz e a invocação para musicar a vida: ressonâncias entre música e psicanálise

A articulação entre a psicanálise e a música, mais especificamente a produzida a partir do paradigma de Arnold Schönberg, renovado por John Cage, se mostra emblemática para pensar a constituição do sujeito em Sigmund Freud e Jacques Lacan, bem como para refletir sobre a escuta clínica, o ato analítico enquanto poético, e a escrita pulsional do sujeito como resposta à invocação da voz. O momento de estruturação do sujeito implica a dimensão de musicalidade da linguagem que permite o ato da fala. O sujeito nasce em um ponto em que o significante (simbólico) escreve no real do corpo um possível, um começo, uma marca que invoca uma nota e uma letra, sendo estes os dois aspectos da linguagem: a musicalidade (continuidade) e a fala (descontinuidade em movimento). Este ponto escreve e cria um vazio no sujeito que está e estará sempre em pulsação. Se o real grita caoticamente, é possível que se cante e se musique a vida com a criação de notas singulares, efeito do movimento desejante e de uma escrita pelo circuito da pulsão invocante na partitura já dada pelo Outro e face aos encontros com pedaços de real. A música tem a capacidade de retirar o sujeito de uma surdez de seu próprio desejo, o convocando a recriar a linguagem por seus atos. O paradigma de Schönberg, bem como a música criada a partir deste momento, nos dá a ouvir um saber-fazer com a voz no qual a dimensão equivocante (de equivoco e de invocação) da linguagem pode ressurgir por uma via nova. A transmissão de um saber-fazer com o objeto voz por ele efetuado se apresenta como uma radicalização do efeito de verdade do real, ressoando borromeanamente sobre o simbólico e o imaginário, invocando o momento originário do sujeito, de um começo sempre a recomeçar, que se faz ouvir como uma invocação de musicar a vida de uma maneira ética, estética e poética. É através dos eixos acima expostos que nos é possível sustentar, com Lacan, uma prática clínica orientada para além da repetição em direção a um significante novo. Trata-se de uma orientação que parte dos encontros com o real aos quais o sujeito é confrontado ao acaso visando o movimento renascente pelo qual ele pode re-escutar o inaudito do real contínuo perdido, o que faz com que seu ritmo singular possa ser, uma vez mais e de modo inédito, reinventado. A psicanálise pode ser, portanto, entendida como uma prática invocante, como uma abertura para que o sujeito possa, com entusiasmo, musicar a vida.

LIBRAS e português no letramento de surdos e ouvintes: a experiência do Sarau Bilíngue

O presente estudo investiga os posicionamentos e a agência de participantes de um Sarau Bilíngue. O Sarau é uma proposta didática / pedagógica, desenvolvida no Curso Bilíngue de Pedagogia do Instituto Nacional de Educação de Surdos INES e visa integrar surdos e ouvintes, de forma lúdica, proporcionando práticas de letramento que envolvem dramatizações, traduções e adaptações de textos da língua portuguesa para LIBRAS, contribuindo para o acesso à literatura e à música, o rompimento de barreiras e a quebra de preconceitos mediada pela arte. O estudo tem caráter interdisciplinar e de cunho etnográfico, dialogando com os campos da Sociologia, Ciências Sociais, Fonoaudiologia, Educação, Surdez e localizando-se na área da Linguística Aplicada. É realizado a partir de uma entrevista de grupo, analisada qualitativa e interpretativamente. A análise é desenvolvida à luz dos conceitos de posicionamento (DAVID e HARRÉ,1999), agência (AHEARN, 2001) e construções identitárias (HALL, 2006; CASTELLS, 1999) sinalizados por pistas lexicais. A análise mostra os posicionamentos, agência e construções identitárias emergentes durante a entrevista e como contribuem para a construção do letramento (GEE, 1990; KLEIMAN, 2005) dos participantes a partir de sua participação em um Sarau Bilíngue

Os desafios da inclusão de surdos no contexto escolar e a aquisição da Língua Portuguesa na proposta de Educação Bilíngue

A aquisição de Língua Portuguesa pelo aluno surdo na proposta educacional bilíngue se constitui como objeto desta dissertação. Na presente pesquisa pretendemos mergulhar no universo educacional bilíngue: Língua de Sinais como primeira língua (L1) e Língua Portuguesa como segunda língua (L2) e observar como se dá o ensino de Língua Portuguesa para o aluno surdo com idade de cinco anos e 11 meses a oito anos, filhos de pais ouvintes, matriculados em turmas dos anos iniciais do ensino fundamental, em três ambientes educacionais no município do Rio de janeiro. As visitas aconteceram numa escola especial, em duas escolas públicas inclusivas e numa escola particular inclusiva. O universo da pesquisa abrangeu seis profissionais: duas professoras de turma comum, dois professores de atendimento educacional especializado (AEE), um instrutor surdo e uma professora de classe especial. Também participaram 12 crianças com as características supra citadas, sendo que 10 delas fazem uso de aparelho auditivo: quatro com uso de implante coclear (IC), seis usam aparelho de amplificação sonora individual (Aasi), e dois não usam nenhum aparelho auditivo. Destes 12 alunos, dez são acompanhados por atendimento fonoaudiológico na própria escola, e dois não fazem nenhum tipo de atendimento. Em relação às aulas na sala de recursos multifuncional (SRM), oito deles participam das aulas na própria unidade escolar; um deles frequenta aulas na SRM de uma escola próxima a sua residência, e três não frequentam sala de recursos por serem de classe especial. Para responder à pergunta principal do estudo: Como se dá o ensino da Língua Portuguesa para a criança surda na proposta educacional bilíngue? foi necessário conhecer os professores e demais profissionais envolvidos no processo educacional da criança surda afim de verificar as suas necessidades, potencialidades, interesses e limitações. Outro elemento fundamental na proposta do estudo foi priorizar os momentos de ensino de Língua Portuguesa, o que exigiu planejamento prévio da pesquisadora e dos profissionais envolvidos. A pesquisa foi desenvolvida em espaços educacionais observados e filmados durante uma hora, sem intervenção, no período de junho de 2013 a dezembro de 2014. Foi utilizada análise qualitativa dos resultados com a categorização das atividades. Durante o desenvolvimento do estudo foram realizadas filmagens das atividades pedagógicas para ensino de Língua Portuguesa e anotações de campo, bem como as entrevistas com os profissionais, e orientações aos familiares com informações sobre a importância da participação no estudo. Com base nas entrevistas, filmagens, observações e anotações de campo foram levantadas as principais atividades realizadas e categorias foram formuladas a respeito da comunicação destes alunos e do tipo de atividades para o ensino da Língua Portuguesa. Os resultados demonstraram que a participação no estudo levou os profissionais envolvidos a refletirem sobre o tema, reverem as suas atuações e as suas crenças. O estudo conclui que a educação bilíngue é um caminho promissor para as crianças com surdez desenvolverem plenamente suas habilidades e potencialidades, e cresçam independentes e conscientes dos seus direitos e deveres. Sujeitos participantes e ativos na sociedade a qual pertencem

Neural Modeling and Imaging of the Cortical Interactions Underlying Syllable Production

This paper describes a neural model of speech acquisition and production that accounts for a wide range of acoustic, kinematic, and neuroimaging data concerning the control of speech movements. The model is a neural network whose components correspond to regions of the cerebral cortex and cerebellum, including premotor, motor, auditory, and somatosensory cortical areas. Computer simulations of the model verify its ability to account for compensation to lip and jaw perturbations during speech. Specific anatomical locations of the model's components are estimated, and these estimates are used to simulate fMRI experiments of simple syllable production with and without jaw perturbations.

A qualitative analysis of parental coping with an early diagnosis of hearing loss in Ireland

The recent implementation of Universal Neonatal Hearing Screening (UNHS) in all 19 maternity hospitals across Ireland has precipitated early identification of paediatric hearing loss in an Irish context. This qualitative, grounded theory study centres on the issue of parental coping as families receive and respond to (what is typically) an unexpected diagnosis of hearing loss in their newborn baby. Parental wellbeing is of particular concern as the diagnosis occurs in the context of recovery from birth and at a time when the parent-child relationship is being established. As the vast majority of children with a hearing loss are born into hearing families with no prior history of deafness, parents generally have had little exposure to childhood hearing loss and often experience acute emotional vulnerability as they respond to the diagnosis. The researcher conducted in-depth interviews primarily with parents (and to a lesser extent with professionals), as well as a follow-up postal questionnaire for parents. Through a grounded theory analysis of data, the researcher subsequently fashioned a four-stage model depicting the parental journey of receiving and coping with a diagnosis. The four stages (entitled Anticipating, Confirming, Adjusting and Normalising) are differentiated by the chronology of service intervention and defined by the overarching parental experience. Far from representing a homogenous trajectory, this four-stage model is multifaceted and captures a wide diversity of parental experiences ranging from acute distress to resilient hopefulness

Myosin VIIA, important for human auditory function, is necessary for Drosophila auditory organ development.

BACKGROUND: Myosin VIIA (MyoVIIA) is an unconventional myosin necessary for vertebrate audition [1]-[5]. Human auditory transduction occurs in sensory hair cells with a staircase-like arrangement of apical protrusions called stereocilia. In these hair cells, MyoVIIA maintains stereocilia organization [6]. Severe mutations in the Drosophila MyoVIIA orthologue, crinkled (ck), are semi-lethal [7] and lead to deafness by disrupting antennal auditory organ (Johnston's Organ, JO) organization [8]. ck/MyoVIIA mutations result in apical detachment of auditory transduction units (scolopidia) from the cuticle that transmits antennal vibrations as mechanical stimuli to JO. PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: Using flies expressing GFP-tagged NompA, a protein required for auditory organ organization in Drosophila, we examined the role of ck/MyoVIIA in JO development and maintenance through confocal microscopy and extracellular electrophysiology. Here we show that ck/MyoVIIA is necessary early in the developing antenna for initial apical attachment of the scolopidia to the articulating joint. ck/MyoVIIA is also necessary to maintain scolopidial attachment throughout adulthood. Moreover, in the adult JO, ck/MyoVIIA genetically interacts with the non-muscle myosin II (through its regulatory light chain protein and the myosin binding subunit of myosin II phosphatase). Such genetic interactions have not previously been observed in scolopidia. These factors are therefore candidates for modulating MyoVIIA activity in vertebrates. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings indicate that MyoVIIA plays evolutionarily conserved roles in auditory organ development and maintenance in invertebrates and vertebrates, enhancing our understanding of auditory organ development and function, as well as providing significant clues for future research.

Of mice, birds, and men: the mouse ultrasonic song system has some features similar to humans and song-learning birds.

Humans and song-learning birds communicate acoustically using learned vocalizations. The characteristic features of this social communication behavior include vocal control by forebrain motor areas, a direct cortical projection to brainstem vocal motor neurons, and dependence on auditory feedback to develop and maintain learned vocalizations. These features have so far not been found in closely related primate and avian species that do not learn vocalizations. Male mice produce courtship ultrasonic vocalizations with acoustic features similar to songs of song-learning birds. However, it is assumed that mice lack a forebrain system for vocal modification and that their ultrasonic vocalizations are innate. Here we investigated the mouse song system and discovered that it includes a motor cortex region active during singing, that projects directly to brainstem vocal motor neurons and is necessary for keeping song more stereotyped and on pitch. We also discovered that male mice depend on auditory feedback to maintain some ultrasonic song features, and that sub-strains with differences in their songs can match each other's pitch when cross-housed under competitive social conditions. We conclude that male mice have some limited vocal modification abilities with at least some neuroanatomical features thought to be unique to humans and song-learning birds. To explain our findings, we propose a continuum hypothesis of vocal learning.