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

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

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

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 potential role of MR-guided adaptive radiotherapy in pediatric oncology: Results from a SIOPE-COG survey

Background and purpose: Magnetic resonance guided radiotherapy (MRgRT) has been successfully implemented for several routine clinical applications in adult patients. The purpose of this study is to map the potential benefit of MRgRT on toxicity reduction and outcome in pediatric patients treated with curative intent for primary and metastatic sites. Materials and methods: Between May and August 2020, a survey was distributed among SIOPE- and COGaffiliated radiotherapy departments, treating at least 25 pediatrics patients annually and being (candidate) users of a MRgRT system. The survey consisted of a table with 45 rows (clinical scenarios for primary (n = 28) and metastatic (n = 17) tumors) and 7 columns (toxicity reduction, outcome improvement, PTV margin reduction, target volume daily adaptation, online re-planning, intrafraction motion compensation and on-board functional imaging) and the option to answer by ‘yes/no’ . Afterwards, the Dutch national radiotherapy cohort was used to estimate the percentage of pediatric treatments that may benefit from MRgRT. Results: The survey was completed by 12/17 (71% response rate) institutions meeting the survey inclusion criteria. Responders indicated an ‘expected benefit’ from MRgRT for toxicity/outcome in 7% (for thoracic lymphomas and abdominal rhabdomyosarcomas)/0% and 18% (for mediastinal lymph nodes, lymph nodes located in the liver/splenic hilum, and liver metastases)/0% of the considered scenarios for the primary and metastatic tumor sites, respectively, and a ‘possible benefit’ was estimated in 64%/46% and 47%/59% of the scenarios. When translating the survey outcome into a clinical perspective a toxicity/outcome benefit, either expected or possible, was anticipated for 55%/24% of primary sites and 62%/38% of the metastatic sites. Conclusion: Although the benefit of MRgRT in pediatric radiation oncology is estimated to be modest, the potential role for reducing toxicity and improving clinical outcomes warrants further investigation. This fits best within the context of prospective studies or registration trial

Industrious Revival: Anticipating Architecture

Utilizing the combination of the adaptive reuse design strategy and prefabricated architecture building systems this thesis will explore strategies that enable a building to adapt to better fit into its environment. Taking an abandoned warehouse building in the industrial area of Superior, Wisconsin the project revitalizes a rundown area on the edge of the city near the water and gives new life to an old building that was once adored by the inhabitants of the city. The Twohy Warehouse will become a mixed use building in order to bring a variety of users to the site. Housing a restaurant, jazz club, meeting spaces, and residential units will begin to unlock the potential of the building, and open up numerous possibilities for the future. Along with the renovation of this underappreciated building this project will explore a way to integrate an addition of prefabricated panels. The use of a panel system will allow the addition to be flexible in order to fit with the theme of adaptability. The prefabricated panels will be able to be taken apart, reassembled, and arranged in a variety of ways in order to fit the needs of the users. This new site will draw attention from not only the surrounding communities but visitors to the area as well. Allowing for the high tourist levels of nearby Duluth to cross the lake and begin to establish an identity for the city of Superior

Environmental victims: challenges for criminology and victimology in the 21st century

Mapping out some of the core challenges for victimology and its engagement with environmental harms and crime

Knowledge management and the codification of knowledge in the UK Post Office

This thesis explores the concept of knowledge codification in the context of Knowledge Management (KM) in an organisation. In the KM literature, codification of knowledge into information is viewed as central to the notion that knowledge can be managed and transferred. However, such literature pays little attention to knowledge codification as a process, or to the complex issues which the concept of codification raises. The research therefore examines processes of knowledge codification in an organisation, and how codification plays a part in its emerging approach to Knowledge Management. The empirical research was conducted within the internal consultancy section of the UK Post Office, using a methodology of participant observation within the Knowledge Management consultancy group. The data were collected predominantly from participation in a KM project: This aimed to capture knowledge from consultants working on an overseas consultancy project, and to transfer their knowledge elsewhere in the Post Office through the medium of codified text. The research has gained in-depth insight into an organisation's approach to Knowledge Management, and generated significant findings about knowledge codification as a process. In particular, the analysis focuses on different levels of social interaction in which the processes of knowledge codification occurred, and finds that codification involves more than just the codification of knowledge into information: Codification also involves the process of defining the codes needed to codify knowledge. However, the codified knowledge will have limited transferability to individuals or groups who do not share the underlying knowledge and experience to enable them to decodify the codes similarly. The thesis therefore concludes that further research is needed to bring attention to the importance of knowledge decodification within the Knowledge Management discourse