Deaf children need language, not (just) speech

Deaf and Hard of Hearing (DHH) children need to master at least one language (spoken or signed) to reach their full potential. Providing access to a natural sign language supports this goal. Despite evidence that natural sign languages are beneficial to DHH children, many researchers and practitioners advise families to focus exclusively on spoken language. We critique the Pediatrics article ‘Early Sign Language Exposure and Cochlear Implants’ (Geers et al., 2017) as an example of research that makes unsupported claims against the inclusion of natural sign languages. We refute claims that (1) there are harmful effects of sign language and (2) that listening and spoken language are necessary for optimal development of deaf children. While practical challenges remain (and are discussed) for providing a sign language-rich environment, research evidence suggests that such challenges are worth tackling in light of natural sign languages providing a host of benefits for DHH children – especially in the prevention and reduction of language deprivation.Accepted manuscrip

The Supreme Court is constrained by public opinion in cases where the justices fear nonimplementation of their decisions

With each controversial case they hear, questions arise about the influence of public opinion on the Supreme Court. Matthew Hall examines the types of cases where the Supreme Court appears constrained, and finds when a ruling must be implemented by government actors outside the judicial hierarchy, external pressures exert a stronger influence on the Court. He argues that nonimplementation fears are only relevant to a small subset of cases in the Supreme Court docket, indicating that judicial scholars should be attentive to different contexts rather than searching for universal tendencies of the Court’s behavior

The roles and use of law in green criminology

This paper examines how law and legal analysis fit within the broader green criminological project. By demonstrating how legal analysis in various forms can cast significant light on key green criminological questions, the paper seeks to address the concern that green criminology – with its preponderance of ‘deep green’ viewpoints and focus on social harms which are not proscribed by formal law – precludes the application of legalistic values such as certainty and consistency. Ultimately, the goal of the paper is to demonstrate how, despite the novel challenges to the legal scholar presented by green criminology, the incorporation of a more legalistic perspective within an interdisciplinary exercise is not only desirable for green criminology but is in fact vital if the field is to realise its ambitions as a force for environmental good

Who Will Be Uninsured After Health Insurance Reform?

Projects state-by-state compositions of the uninsured after reforms take effect including those eligible for Medicaid or exchanges but not enrolled, those exempt from the individual mandate due to a lack of affordable options, and undocumented immigrants

Reducing Noise in Automatic Transmission

The efficiency of an automobile increases as its running torque increases. This is an avenue for improving fuel economy that is actively being pursued. However, transmissions running at higher torques produce an unacceptable amount of noise, vibration, and harshness (NVH). NVH occurs most visibly as a result of the vehicle’s friction clutch behavior. At present, machines capable of testing this behavior exist (MTM machine and LVFA rig) but are very expensive in terms of time, space, and production cost. The goal of this project is to produce a cost-effective machine in which friction clutch behavior can be analyzed in a laboratory setting. Due to the complex nature of this project, multiple teams will be working to refine and improve the instrument over time. The first iteration of the machine produced by a previous design team was very limited in its ability to produce data efficiently. This design team took on the challenge of automating data collection for the load cell and thermocouple installed by the previous team, as well as implementing automated instrumentation capable of measuring motor torque and speed. The new instrumentation of the machine is illustrated below, with the measurements of torque, load, speed, and temperature being collected by an analog data acquisition system. The machine is now capable of simultaneously recording these values, producing results such as the graph shown below. In addition to the sensor additions, the team made structural modifications to the machine to accommodate the torque sensor assembly.https://scholarscompass.vcu.edu/capstone/1211/thumbnail.jp

Ultrafast switching of photonic entanglement

To deploy and operate a quantum network which utilizes existing telecommunications infrastructure, it is necessary to be able to route entangled photons at high speeds, with minimal loss and signal-band noise, and---most importantly---without disturbing the photons' quantum state. Here we present a switch which fulfills these requirements and characterize its performance at the single photon level; it exhibits a 200-ps switching window, a 120:1 contrast ratio, 1.5 dB loss, and induces no measurable degradation in the switched photons' entangled-state fidelity (< 0.002). Furthermore, because this type of switch couples the temporal and spatial degrees of freedom, it provides an important new tool with which to encode multiple-qubit states in a single photon. As a proof-of-principle demonstration of this capability, we demultiplex a single quantum channel from a dual-channel, time-division-multiplexed entangled photon stream, effectively performing a controlled-bit-flip on a two-qubit subspace of a five-qubit, two-photon state

Looking at men and masculinities through Information and Communication Technologies, and Vice Versa

The lecture series that led to this paper, “Gender-Effects: How Women create Technology of Tomorrow”, has an explicit focus on women. However, in this article in keeping with a relational approach to gender, we focus on men and masculinities, seen within the context of and gender power relations, and the diverse interrelations of men and masculinities with information and communication technologies (ICTs). This includes addressing to some of the shortcomings of contemporary studies of men and masculinities that neglect ICTs; the different kinds of social relations of men and masculinities to ICTS, in work, organizations, and social change more generally; and the implications of ICTs for sexualities and sexual violences, ending with the current case of online revenge pornography. As such, we seek to bring two areas of scholarship, critical studies on men and masculinities (CSMM) and studies of ICTs, into closer dialogue. We begin with a brief overview of academic debates in studies on men and masculinities without ICTs, followed by an examination of some aspects of the relations of men, masculinities and ICTs, with a final short discussion of the case of ICTs, sexualities, sexual violences and revenge pornography

Written submission from Dr Matthew Hall and Professor Jeff Hearn (SPP0100)

Written evidence submitted to the House of Commons select committee: The Women and Equalities Committee ‘Sexual harassment of women and girls in public places inquiry’ by: Dr Matthew Hall & Professor Jeff HearnN/