Developmental Transformations Research Articles

Autoethnographic engagement in participatory action research: Bearing witness to developmental transformations for college student activists

This article documents and analyzes autoethnographic engagement in participatory action research (PAR)—a reflective, irritative, and dialogic writing and team-discussion process which documents researcher-activist experiences and contextualizes them within the action research process. We document autoethnography as implemented in a research partnership between HMoob American college student activists and education researchers, to study the systems of oppression and inform advocacy to support HMoob American students at a predominantly white university. Autoethnography informs all aspects of the PAR project, from the development of research questions, to data collection, analysis, and writing, to the implementation of plans for action. We provide evidence from selections of the team’s autoethnographic journals, of the role of autoethnographic engagement as a PAR research technique that can facilitate and bear witness to the developmental transformations for emerging PAR activists—specifically, the cultivation of critical consciousness, the critical re-framing of issues of cultural-community identity, and the formation of an identity as a researcher-activist. We argue that autoethnography provides a practical technique for PAR teams for engaging in iterative cycles of critical self-reflective praxis (Freire, 2011), facilitating the development of critically-engaged researchers and the formation of analyses that are epistemologically grounded and action-oriented, addressing issues of power asymmetries within research.

Introduction: Agrarian Change, Food Security, Migration and Sustainable Development in Senegal and Zimbabwe

Background African countries face multiple developmental, economic, social and industrial transformation hurdles, especially in the era of sustainable development and sensitivity to environmental damage. As late-comer industrialisers, there is some catching up to do, but they need to navigate complex, international, legal and institutional agreements that early industrialisers did not face. Given the environmental concerns, it is not surprising that the development thrusts encouraged are in agriculture and not in heavy industry. At the same time, many African countries are grappling food security, rural–urban and cross-border migration, and social, economic with industrial transformation challenges (Mkandawire 2001; Bruijn, Van Dijk and Foeken 2001; Diop 2008; Tsikata 2009; Patnaik, Moyo and Shivji 2011; Sall et al. 2011; Cheru and Modi 2013; Hall, Scoones and Tsikata 2015; Cross and Cliffe 2017; Bredeloup 2015; Jha, Chambati and Ossome 2021; Adesina 2021). This special issue brings together a broad range of papers exploring some of the myriad complexities faced by African countries. It focuses on Senegal and Zimbabwe, a western and a southern Africa country. The choice of countries was purposive as the editors had active networks in Zimbabwe and Senegal, and bringing together two...

Baby and us: Community-based, Feasibility Trial of a Psychosocial Intervention for New Parents and their Infants

Infancy is a critical period during which major developmental transformations occur. Early parenting is one of the strongest influences on infants’ immediate and longer-term outcomes. The transition to parenting can be demanding and stressful for mothers and fathers. This paper reports results from a feasibility study of the Empowering Parents Empowering Communities Baby and Us programme, an 8-week, universal, peer-led parenting programme for new parents living in socially disadvantaged communities. This study is a quasi-experimental, one arm, no control group study, assessing the feasibility and acceptability of Baby and Us. Programme participants (n = 158) completed standardised self-report measures of parent goal attainment, self-efficacy, knowledge about parenting, mental wellbeing, parental confidence, and programme acceptability. We found that recruiting parents from disadvantaged backgrounds was feasible (96% of programmes recruited sufficient parents to proceed, mean = 6.6 parents per programme); parent goals closely matched the aims of the programme; programme completion was high (74%), and self-report measurement completion rates were in line with other large scale community delivered parenting programmes; parents rated the programme as highly satisfactory; and they reported significant improvements in their mental wellbeing, confidence, parenting skills, self-efficacy, and goal attainment. These results provide important data to conduct a full-scale trial of Baby and Us.

Domestication and the comparative embryology of birds.

Studies of domesticated animals have greatly contributed to our understanding of avian embryology. Foundational questions in developmental biology were motivated by Aristotle's observations of chicken embryos. By the 19th century, the chicken embryo was at the center stage of developmental biology, but how closely does this model species mirror the ample taxonomic diversity that characterizes the avian tree of life? Here, we provide a brief overview of the taxonomic breadth of comparative embryological studies in birds. We particularly focused on staging tables and papers that attempted to document the timing of developmental transformations. We show that most of the current knowledge of avian embryology is based on Galliformes (chicken and quail) and Anseriformes (duck and goose). Nonetheless, data are available for some ecologically diverse avian subclades, including Struthioniformes (e.g., ostrich, emu) and Sphenisciformes (penguins). Thus far, there has only been a handful of descriptive embryological studies in the most speciose subclade of Aves, that is, the songbirds (Passeriniformes). Furthermore, we found that temporal variances for developmental events are generally uniform across a consensus chronological sequence for birds. Based on the available data, developmental trajectories for chicken and other model species appear to be highly similar. We discuss future avenues of research in comparative avian embryology in light of the currently available wealth of data on domesticated species and beyond.

Assessment of acute toxicity and developmental transformation impacts of polyethylene microbead exposure on larval daggerblade grass shrimp (Palaemon pugio)

Due to the ubiquity of microplastic contamination in coastal waters, there is potential for adverse impacts to organism development. One organism of interest is the daggerblade grass shrimp, Palaemon pugio, an ecologically important species in estuaries along the east coast of North America. We exposed larval grass shrimp to virgin polyethylene microbeads (35 and 58 µm) at a high (0.375 and 1.95 mg/L), medium (0.0375 and 0.195 mg/L), and a low concentration (0.00375 and 0.0195 mg/L), respectively for 23 days to assess mortality, transformation time from larval to juvenile stage, and weight. Average percent mortality was 3.7 to 4.8 times higher in the experimental treatments compared to controls. The greatest proportion of mortality was observed in the first 11 days. Median time for transformation ranged from 20.2 to 20.8 days. Shrimp exposed to the 35 µm beads in the high treatment (20.2 days) transformed significantly faster than the control shrimp (20.8 days). Although development was not delayed and size of the shrimp did not differ, the acute toxicity of microplastics on grass shrimp is a concern due to their role in energy cycling within tidal-creeks. These findings suggest potential population and community level effects following microplastic exposure.

El odio, la palabra y el tabú

Our times coincide with the outbreak of a new function of the hand. Today, the hand moves, interacts, and agitates with its digits the new platforms of mass communication. The plasticity and dispositions of the hand, whichaccompanied the most important developmental transformations of our species, seem to dominate everything today. They organize the encountersof everyday life; they are the key that opens our identity in institutions; they bind us to social time through the speed of our electronic devices.The image of the hand that moves the digital subject is that of practicality and comfort. This subject could have managed to put the whole of the real literally in his hands. This paper reflects on a certain reverse side of this image of the sovereign digital subject. It questions the role of the word and the insistence of hate within the infinite networks and the structures of the digital platforms.

Evolution of holometaboly revealed by developmental transformation of internal thoracic structures in a green lacewing Chrysopa pallens (Neuroptera: Chrysopidae).

Despite extensive studies on the morphology of holometabolous insects and their larvae, the morphological transformations of internal structures during metamorphosis have been rarely documented. Here, we used micro-computed tomography to investigate the developmental transformations of thoracic structures in the green lacewing Chrysopa pallens (Rambur, 1838) (Neuroptera: Chrysopidae), with emphasis on the development of the digestive, tracheal, and thoracic skeleto-muscular system. All the adult organs were modified during the prepupal or early pupal stage. The histolysis and remodeling began with the skeletal elements, followed by changes in the digestive system before it concluded with modifications of the musculature. Similar to the tracheal system's development, the digestive system did not disappear completely throughout metamorphosis but underwent a dramatic morphological change, which included the midgut significantly decreasing in size during the pupal stage. Our results provide important evidence for understanding the evolutionary pattern of developmental transformations in different major lineages of Holometabola.

Transcriptome analysis of ovary culture-induced embryogenesis in cucumber (Cucumis sativus L.).

Background.Ovary culture is a useful technique used to generate double haploid (DH) cucumber (Cucumis sativus L.) plants. However, cucumber ovary culture have a low rate of embryo induction and plant regeneration. Moreover, the cucumber embryogenesis mechanism remains unclear. In this study, we explored the molecular basis of cucumber embryogenesis in order to establish a foundation for a more efficient ovary culture method. Using transcriptome sequencing, we also investigated the differential expression of genes during the embryogenesis process.Methods.Cytological and morphological observations have divided cucumber ovary culture into three stages: early embryo development (T0), embryo morphogenesis (T1, T2, T3 and T4), and shoot formation (T5). We selected six key time points for transcriptome sequencing and analysis: T0 (the ovules were cultured for 0 d), T1 (the ovules were cultured for 2 d), T2 (the embryos were cultured for 10 d), T3 (the embryos were cultured for 20 d), T4 (the embryos were cultured for 30 d), and T5 (the shoots after 60 d culture).Results.We used cytology and morphology to observe the characteristics of the cucumber’s developmental transformation during embryogenesis and plant regeneration. The differentially expressed genes(DEGs) at developmental transition points were analyzed using transcriptome sequencing. In the early embryogenesis stage, the cells expanded, which was the signal for gametophytes to switch to the sporophyte development pathway. RNA-seq revealed that when compared to the fresh unpollinated ovaries, there were 3,468 up-regulated genes in the embryos, including hormone signal transduction genes, hormone response genes, and stress-induced genes. The reported embryogenesis-related genes BBM, HSP90 and AGL were also actively expressed during this stage. In the embryo morphogenesis stage (from cell division to cotyledon-embryo formation), 480 genes that functioned in protein complex binding, microtubule binding, tetrapyrrole binding, tubulin binding and other microtubule activities were continuously up-regulated during the T1, T2, T3 and T4 time points. This indicated that the cytoskeleton structure was continuously being built and maintained by the action of microtubule-binding proteins and enzyme modification. In the shoot formation stage, 1,383 genes were up-regulated that were mainly enriched in phenylpropanoid biosynthesis, plant hormone signal transduction, phenylalanine metabolism, and starch and sucrose metabolism. These up-regualted genes included six transcription factors that contained a B3 domain, nine genes in the AP2/ERF family, and two genes encoding WUS homologous domain proteins.Conclusions.Evaluation of molecular gynogenesis events may contribute to a better understanding of the molecular mechanism of cucumber ovarian culture.

The impact of regional development towards the well-being of rural community

Since before the British rule, the issues and problems of urban transformation growth have continued until today, especially in rural areas and small towns. Rural communities also have undergone significant transformations in recent decades. There are positive and negative impacts on adaptation the growth of regional development that impact significantly on the rural community, which needs to be addressed to overcome the adverse effects on those that involved. This also included the changes in a case study of rural areas that have been chosen, which is located in sub-district that categorize under rural areas at Johor Bahru due to Iskandar Malaysia region expansions. Furthermore, the developmental transformation has mainly affected the changes in the socio-economic well-being of rural communities. Therefore, the purpose of this paper is to provide an overview of studies on a factor of socio-economic well-being development in rural areas for creating a framework to measure the impact of regional development on the socio-economic well-being of the rural.

Open Business Model of COVID-19 Transformation of an Urban Public Transport System: The Experience of a Large Russian City

Dialectics, or developmental transformation, would eventually cause any system to change. The level and depth of these changes vary and depend on the power of external influence and system reservation mechanisms. The art of managing system processes consists of two main aspects. The first aspect involves the sagacity of managers and predicting general environmental change trends (and their impacts on the managed system). The second involves adjusting to these trends, maximizing possible benefits, and minimizing the negative manifestations of this process. Innovation plays an important role, contributing to system transformations with maximal effect and minimal loss. Public transport systems are important elements in cities, as they provide spatial mobility for at least half of the citizens of a city who cannot use individual transportation. Modern urbanization and peculiarities of the social–economic statuses of many citizens contribute to the fact that organized public transportation is unprofitable. The low solvency of citizens who use public transportation services means that passenger transport systems do not work with enough profitability. As a result, governing institutions often choose to subsidize unprofitable transporter activities, thereby prolonging the functioning of unprofitable routes. This is possible only in conditions of sustainability (in regards to a non-optimal system), when the environment is calm, and its negative impact is low. “Black swans” (according to N. Taleb) are bifurcation factors that break the sustainability of non-optimal system. Urban public transport (UPT) of a large Russian city, Tyumen, experienced it in 2020, in connection with the COVID-19 lockdown. The sharp decrease in population mobility in Tyumen, in 2020–2021, caused the need for a complete transformation of the transport service system. However, managers did not want to fundamentally change a system that consensually suited most counterparties. The search for new balances in a system that demands transformation is one way for sustainable provision. This article looks at the transformation and sustainability of a UPT system in the large Russian city of Tyumen, under conditions affected by the negative impact of COVID-19. Results of a comparative (i.e., pre-crisis (2019) and crisis (2020)) Pareto analysis of the contributions of different UPT routes are presented. Transformation of the structure of the UPT route system can overcome the “crisis” COVID-19 period and minimize its financial-economic costs.

A development index for the Greek regions.

There has been a growing consensus in recent years that development is a multidimensional concept that embodies the enhancement of several aspects of human life and, as a result, it is too complex to be captured by single indices. Composite Indicators have increasingly been recognised as useful tools in the measurement of this concept. In the absence of rigorous and comprehensive empirical studies in Greece on this topic, the paper assesses and reveals the developmental transformations of the regional economies at NUTS 2 and 3 levels in the period 1991–2011. In this way, this study provides a more comprehensive and integrative perspective of regional development in Greece presenting empirical evidence not only from a country with large and persistent regional inequalities but also from a cohesion country of the European Union for which regional policy has been of critical importance in the last decades. Moreover, the study adds to the literature shedding light on an under-researched topic; the importance of spatial heterogeneity in the construction of Composite Indicators. The results reveal a heterogeneous regional pattern of development for the Greek case. The findings can be used by policymakers as a way to better understand and improve the regional development process.

Disentangling the correlated evolution of body size, life history, and ontogeny in miniaturized chelydroid turtles.

Organismal miniaturization is defined by a reduction in body size relative to a large ancestor. In vertebrate animals, miniaturization is achieved by suppressing the energetics of growth. However, this might interfere with reproductive strategies in egg-laying species with limited energy budgets for embryo growth and differentiation. In general, the extent to which miniaturization coincides with alterations in animal development remains obscure. To address the interplay among body size, life history, and ontogeny, miniaturization in chelydroid turtles was examined. The analyses corroborated that miniaturization in the Chelydroidea clade is underlain by a dampening of the ancestral growth trajectory. There were no associated shifts in the early sequence of developmental transformations, though the relative duration of organogenesis was shortened in miniaturized embryos. The size of eggs, hatchlings, and adults was positively correlated within Chelydroidea. A phylogenetically broader exploration revealed an alternative miniaturization mode wherein exceptionally large hatchlings grow minimally and thus attain diminutive adult sizes. Lastly, it is shown that miniaturized Chelydroidea turtles undergo accelerated ossification coupled with a ~10% reduction in shell bones. As in other vertebrates, the effects of miniaturization were not systemic, possibly owing to opposing functional demands and tissue geometric constraints. This underscores the integrated and hierarchical nature of developmental systems.

Bauplan of a Blowhole: Testing a Developmental Model for Nasal Passage Reorientation in Echolocating Whales (Odontoceti) and a Baleen Whale (Mysticeti)

Adaptation to secondarily aquatic lifestyles has transformed cetacean (whale, dolphin, porpoise) heads by shifting the nares posterodorsally to form a blowhole. Reorientation of the nasal passage (NP) away from the anteroposterior axis has evolved rarely among mammals, yet all extant cetaceans possess blowholes and dorsally-rotated NPs. Nevertheless, anatomical and functional differences between the two cetacean sub-orders, echolocating whales (odontocetes) and baleen whales (mysticetes), suggest that NP reorientation may be the result of convergent or parallel evolution rather than homology. To assess whether nasal passage reorientation in members of the two sub-orders results from similar developmental transformations during ontogeny, we first used morphometrics on photos and CT scans to characterize fetal series of an odontocete (Stenella attenuata) and a mysticete (Balaenoptera physalus). Although the NP and plane of the foramen magnum became more parallel in both species, we found that basicranial retroflexion played an important role in NP reorientation in S. attenuata, but found no evidence of basicranial retroflexion in B. physalus. We then used the results from S. attenuata to develop a model of how developmental transformations reorient the NP during ontogeny in odontocetes. Testing the generality of this model against published observations of other fetal odontocetes suggests that the model is widely applicable. Our findings add evidence suggesting that NP reorientation evolved twice within Cetacea and lay a foundation for future syntheses of data from fossils and other species.

Developing entrepreneurial self-efficacy : a Transformative Learning Theory approach

At this time of COVID-19, the world is at the dawn of a new era characterised by a fundamental shift in the way people live, work and conduct relationships. It seems that South Africa, battling with an unemployment rate of 30.1% and economic contraction of 2% in the first quarter of 2020, is not preparing its people with skills for a shift to the new era. Entrepreneurship has been suggested as a viable means to reduce unemployment, and education has been shown to improve entrepreneurial outcomes. South African entrepreneurship education is highly theoretical, borrowing heavily from management courses. The purpose of this study was to evaluate whether the Shifting Hope, Activating Potential Entrepreneurship (SHAPE) social-technology programme developed studentpreneurs to take entrepreneurial action after the thirteen-week systemic action learning and action research initiative (SALAR). The study used a longitudinal research design, where a questionnaire was used to evaluate Entrepreneurial Self-Efficacy (ESE) before, during and after the training programme. A statistically significant improvement in attitudes towards embarking on entrepreneurial action was observed. Based on this result, participants experienced developmental transformation. Grounded in the developmental transformation that occurred amongst the participants, a Transformative Entrepreneurial Self-Efficacy (TESE) model was created. Developmental transformation; drastic transformation; ESE; entrevolutionising; SHAPE; social-technology; transformative learning and transformative self-efficacy model

Origin and Evolution of the Turtle Body Plan

The origin of turtles and their uniquely shelled body plan is one of the longest standing problems in vertebrate biology. The unfulfilled need for a hypothesis that both explains the derived nature of turtle anatomy and resolves their unclear phylogenetic position among reptiles largely reflects the absence of a transitional fossil record. Recent discoveries have dramatically improved this situation, providing an integrated, time-calibrated model of the morphological, developmental, and ecological transformations responsible for the modern turtle body plan. This evolutionary trajectory was initiated in the Permian (>260 million years ago) when a turtle ancestor with a diapsid skull evolved a novel mechanism for lung ventilation. This key innovation permitted the torso to become apomorphically stiff, most likely as an adaption for digging and a fossorial ecology. The construction of the modern turtle body plan then proceeded over the next 100 million years following a largely stepwise model of osteological innovation.

T is for territory: Gathering data about human experience in Developmental Transformations and advancing technologies

This article makes a comparison between developing technologies in the field of artificial intelligence (AI) and a practice used by drama therapists called Developmental Transformations (DvT). Both technologies gather granular data on human bodies; however, AI does so in the virtual realm, whereas DvT necessitates a physical encounter. As a contribution to theory, this article raises questions about whether interactions with technological interfaces are actual, virtual or somewhere in-between, and about where our bodies intersect in that dimensional landscape. Is it possible for practitioners of drama therapy, specifically DvT, to be in conversation with the growing dominance of technologies operated through AI, and where do the boundaries of human territory fit in relation to both? The relationship between these two approaches to data gathering are explored through the use of arts-based research in the form of collage. Possible implications for future practice as research are considered.

Crossing the threshold … and crisscrossing, and crisscrossing …: Embodiment and varielation in Developmental Transformations and yoga

How does Developmental Transformations (DvT) facilitate growth and change? This article illuminates the process of embodied transformation through repetition, varielation and dimensionalization (techniques in DvT). The author examines these elements in operation within two types of embodied experiences: DvT and yoga. Both theory and the author’s personal experience provide windows into the intersection of these embodied practices as well as elucidating the inner mechanisms of change.

Child therapist’s play: Reconsidering the developmental appropriateness of Developmental Transformations

Developmental Transformations (DvT) has been presented as a developmentally appropriate therapy approach for children. This conceptual article explores the foundational elements of DvT practice in relation to children’s specific needs in therapy. The article argues for a heightened ethical responsibility to apply core concepts such as encounter, embodiment, mutuality and reversibility in the context of children’s developmental processes, and to acknowledge the power differentials between child clients and adult therapists.

Reclaiming the body and restoring a bodily self in drama therapy: A case study of sensory-focused Trauma-Centred Developmental Transformations for survivors of father–daughter incest

Survivors of father–daughter incest often suffer from complex trauma and sensory insensitivity, making it difficult to decipher the sensations in the body and experience body ownership, self-location and agency. This case study illustrates how sensory focused, Trauma-Centred Developmental Transformations can help restore or develop a bodily self, desensitize fear-based schemas, revise deeply buried beliefs and extend repertoire.

A DvT-based clinical assessment of toxic stress in young children

A clinical assessment procedure is described for identifying possible sources of toxic stress among young children (ages 3–10), using a semi-structured modification of Developmental Transformations. This modification consists of improvisational play combined with a pre-determined sequence of roles symbolic of common adverse childhood experiences of neglect or emotional or physical threat. While conducting this procedure, the therapist carefully observes the client’s responses within the play to note the presence of play disruptions (e.g. hesitation, shift of scene and/or emotional arousal). These shifts may arise from prior experiences that remain distressing to the client and might merit further exploration. A review of the literature concerning toxic stress and assessments of children (particularly those that are play-based), along with an illustration of the clinical assessment, are presented. Strategies for follow-up and early intervention possibilities are highlighted. Key ethical considerations of this procedure are also discussed.