Web Aesthetics and the Erosion of the Real

This paper argues that the visual language of the web as it exists today is a collection of simulations of the physical world that have, over time, replaced their referents; moreover, the current visual landscape of the web reflects its pervasiveness in every aspect of life. The early history of design for the web was shaped by visual metaphors in early GUIs, which used references to familiar physical objects to guide users. In its early days, web design was limited to creating readable pages with some visually interesting elements. As web technology became more robust, web design was able to develop its own design conventions, aesthetic trends, and user expectations, and designers faced fewer limitations in designing for the web. Today, the web plays a critical role in everyday life; contemporary web aesthetics are self-referential and no longer reliant on references to the physical world that the web has eclipsed

Ombudsman schemes and effective access to justice: A study of international practices and trends

This report examines the broad range of ombudsman models used worldwide to bridge the gaps created by formal, expensive and lengthy dispute resolution processes. It explores how ombudsman services have become a significant feature of legal systems across many jurisdictions, developing from a constitutional accountability tool to an independent complaints mechanism widely used in the private sector. Focusing on ombudsman offices whose mandate has a strong link with economic and social rights, the report includes analysis of good practice; the role of ombudsman bodies in dealing with corruption; schemes in the financial services, consumer and telecom sectors; the funding and legal restrictions faced by these services; and issues relating to digitalisation

Silent Harm. A training manual for service providers and interpreters who work with deaf, refugee, and migrant women and girls who have experienced gender-based violence

Introduction: The handbook presented here is one of the results of the Justisigns2 project, which was developed to address an important interpreter-mediated communications gap, namely: the need to share information about how to communicate effectively, via interpretation, with deaf and migrant women, refugees or asylum-seekers, victims/survivors of gender-based violence (DSGBV) who use languages other than the official languages of their host states. This gave rise to an analysis of need on the part of service providers and the creation of resources to support service providers working with victims/survivors across a range of sectors (e.g.police-court, social-health and NGO settings) and the interpreters who mediate the communicative exchanges with these victims/survivors. The Justisigns2 project was funded by the Erasmus+program (ref. 2019-1-IE01-KA202-051558) and was carried out by the following project partners: Interesource Group (Ireland), European Union of the Deaf, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin Rape Crisis Centre, An Garda Síochána,Heriot-Watt University and the Universidade de Vigo, with support from a number of organisations and individuals (associate partners). This handbook builds on the results of a survey that was conducted in 2021 (Napier et al. 2022) that invited engagement from interpreters and a broad range of service providers working with deaf or migrant DSGBV victims. This yielded extensive and varied data on the needs of such groups in the three countries surveyed (Ireland, Spain and the United Kingdom). For the purposes of this publication, the focus is on violence against women and girls. It is important to acknowledge that DSGBV is violence directed against a person because of that person’s gender or violence that affects persons of a particular gender disproportionately. Given that sociolinguistic contexts and legislative frameworks vary in the different project partner countries, a general definition of DSGBV is first provided and then the differences that exist in the 3 countries surveyed (Ireland, UK and Spain) are discussed. For example, the term gender-based violence is not widely used in the UK where the term Violence against Women and Girls (VAWG) is in use. As a result, the term Domestic, Sexual and Gender-based violence (DSGBV) is used here

Effective optical properties of absorbing nanoporous and nanocomposite thin films

This paper aims at developing numerically validated models for predicting the through-plane effective index of refraction and absorption index of nanocomposite thin films. First, models for the effective optical properties of such materials are derived from previously reported analysis applying the volume averaging theory (VAT) to the Maxwell's equations. The transmittance and reflectance of nanoporous thin films are computed by solving the Maxwell's equations and the associated boundary conditions at all interfaces using finite element methods. The effective optical properties of the films are retrieved by minimizing the root mean square of the relative errors between the computed and theoretical transmittance and reflectance. Nanoporous thin films made of SiO2 and TiO2 consisting of cylindrical nanopores and nanowires are investigated for different diameters and various porosities. Similarly, electromagnetic wave transport through dielectric medium with embedded metallic nanowires are simulated. The numerical results are compared with predictions from widely used effective property models including (1) the Maxwell-Garnett Theory, (2) the Bruggeman effective medium approximation, (3) the parallel, (4) series, (5) Lorentz-Lorenz, and (6) the VAT models. Very good agreement is found with the VAT model for both the effective index of refraction and absorption index. Finally, the effect of volume fraction on the effective index of refraction and absorption index predicted by the VAT model is discussed. For certain values of wavelengths and volume fractions, the effective index of refraction or absorption index of the composite material can be smaller than that of both the continuous and dispersed phases. These results indicate guidelines for designing nanocomposite materials with desired optical properties

Directional control of weakly localized Raman from a random network of fractal nanowires

Disordered optical media are an emerging class of materials capable of strongly scattering light. Their study is relevant to investigate transport phenomena and for applications in imaging, sensing and energy storage. While such materials can be used to generate coherent light, their directional emission is typically hampered by their very multiple scattering nature. Here, we tune the out-of-plane directionality of coherent Raman light scattered by a fractal network of silicon nanowires. By visualizing Rayleigh scattering, photoluminescence and weakly localized Raman light from the random network of nanowires via real-space microscopy and Fourier imaging, we gain insight on the light transport mechanisms responsible for the material's inelastic coherent signal and for its directionality. The possibility of visualizing and manipulating directional coherent light in such networks of nanowires opens venues for fundamental studies of light propagation in disordered media as well as for the development of next generation optical devices based on disordered structures, inclusive of sensors, light sources and optical switches