Sign langauge and hate speech: The potential pitfalls of iconic signs

This chapter explores the ways in which some identity signifiers in sign language may be seen as examples of hate speech. The issue is considered by posing three questions: To what extent do iconic signs qualify as hate speech? In what way do iconic signs qualify as hate speech when observed by hearing nonsigners? How sufficient are the definitions in current legislation to address hate speech transgressions in sign language? Before these questions are dealt with individually, an overview of lexis in sign language explains what iconic signs are and how some are considered politically incorrect. This is followed by an outline of the criteria for hate speech in both the Equality Act and the Hate Speech Bill. The conclusion is that sign language, like any other language, falls within the ambit of the law. The existing legislative definitions and terminology include communication of a visual nature, placing signing Deaf people on par with everyone else.Afrikaans and Theory of Literatur

A graphics subsystem retrofit design for the bladed-disk data acquisition system

A graphics subsystem retrofit design for the turbojet blade vibration data acquisition system is presented. The graphics subsystem will operate in two modes permitting the system operator to view blade vibrations on an oscilloscope type of display. The first mode is a real-time mode that displays only gross blade characteristics, such as maximum deflections and standing waves. This mode is used to aid the operator in determining when to collect detailed blade vibration data. The second mode of operation is a post-processing mode that will animate the actual blade vibrations using the detailed data collected on an earlier data collection run. The operator can vary the rate of payback to view differring characteristics of blade vibrations. The heart of the graphics subsystem is a modified version of AMD's ""super sixteen'' computer, called the graphics preprocessor computer (GPC). This computer is based on AMD's 2900 series of bit-slice components

Kinematics of Nearby Subdwarf Stars

We present an analysis of the space motions of 742 subdwarf stars based on the sample of Carney et al. (1994, CLLA). Hipparcos parallaxes, TYC2+HIP proper motions and Tycho2 proper motions were combined with radial velocities and metallicities from CLLA. The kinematical behavior is discussed in particular in relation to their metallicities. The majority of these sample stars have metal abundances of [Fe/H] >-1 and represent the thick disk population. The halo component, with [Fe/H] <-1.6, is characterized by a low mean rotation velocity and a radially elongated velocity ellipsoid. In the intermediate metallicity range (-1.6 < [Fe/H] <-1), we find a significant number of subdwarfs with disklike kinematics. We interpret this population of stars as a metal-weak thick disk population.Comment: 6 pages, 7 figures, accepted by Astronomy & Astrophysic

First Canadian Record of \u3ci\u3eHexacola Neoscatellae\u3c/i\u3e (Hymenoptera: Figitidae: Eucoilinae), A Parasitoid of the Shore Fly, \u3ci\u3eScatella Stagnalis\u3c/i\u3e

This paper documents the first occurrence of Hexacola neoscatellae, a shore fly parasitoid, in Canada. The discovery of H. neoscatellae is significant because currently there are no suitable biological control agents available for shore fly control to the floriculture industry

Stimulation of bone growth with thrombin peptide derivatives

Disclosed is a method of stimulating bone growth at a site in a subject in need of osteoinduction. The method comprises the step of administering a therapeutically effective amount of an agonist of the non-proteolytically activated thrombin receptor to the site.Board of Regents, University of Texas Syste

Using prototype theory to determine the ordinary meaning of words

The interpretation of words in case law is often a central focal point, especially when the ordinary meaning of words is contested. One of the more popular ways to determine the ordinary meaning of words is by looking it up in a dictionary. Even though dictionaries are valid resources for this task, alternative resources should also be considered. Prototype theory is a well-known linguistic approach whereby a category’s best exemplar or typical member is identified. Meaning can be found on three different levels, that is the superordinate, the basic level and the subordinate. We find prototypes mostly on the basic level and it is also on this level that we often find ordinary meaning. Therefore, it should be equally helpful to determine and study the prototypicality of contested words. Furthermore, by studying a contested word’s proximity in relation to the prototype, we can tell to what extent we are dealing with that word’s ordinary meaning and what this ordinary meaning consists of. In this note, the authors want to introduce South African legal scholars and practitioners to prototype theory and they will demonstrate two possible methods to determine the prototypes of concrete categories.Afrikaans and Theory of Literatur

A Call to Revise Section 8(2)(e) of the Occupational Health and Safety Act to Include Crisis Risk Communication

This article gauges s 8 of South Africa’s Occupational Health and Safety Act and highlights its lack of clarity and prescriptive guidelines on crisis risk communication. Paragraph 8(2)(e) specifically obliges employers to provide information and training to ensure a safe and healthy working environment. However, the Act neither defines the words ‘communication’ and ‘information’ nor does it clearly provide for the dissemination of information during a crisis, like industrial action, which affects many employees simultaneously. The #FeesMustFall and insourcing protests that occurred at universities across the country during 2015-2016 are a good example of this. The protests compelled universities to send out text messages as a means of communicating with their staff and students. Though crisis risk communication theory expects messages to provide clear and straightforward directives, some messages were vague. This begs the question whether an institution must simply provide information to comply with the law, or whether clear directives should be the only legal standard. Subsection 8(2)(e) of the Act provides little insight. With the above in mind, this article suggests best practice criteria for crisis risk communication and a proposed reformulation of s 8(2)(e).Afrikaans and Theory of Literatur