Construals of Human Rights Law: Protecting Subgroups As Well As Individual Humans

This research develops the social psychological study of lay perception of human rights and of rights-based reactions to perceived injustice. The pioneering work by social representation theorists is reviewed. Of particular interest is the use of rights-based responses to perceived relative subgroup disadvantage. It is argued that these responses are shaped by the historical development of the legal concept of unique subgroup rights; rights asserted by a subgroup that cannot be asserted by outgroup members or by members of a broader collective that includes all subgroups. ¶ ..

Multimodal Wearable Sensors for Human-Machine Interfaces

Certain areas of the body, such as the hands, eyes and organs of speech production, provide high-bandwidth information channels from the conscious mind to the outside world. The objective of this research was to develop an innovative wearable sensor device that records signals from these areas more conveniently than has previously been possible, so that they can be harnessed for communication. A novel bioelectrical and biomechanical sensing device, the wearable endogenous biosignal sensor (WEBS), was developed and tested in various communication and clinical measurement applications. One ground-breaking feature of the WEBS system is that it digitises biopotentials almost at the point of measurement. Its electrode connects directly to a high-resolution analog-to-digital converter. A second major advance is that, unlike previous active biopotential electrodes, the WEBS electrode connects to a shared data bus, allowing a large or small number of them to work together with relatively few physical interconnections. Another unique feature is its ability to switch dynamically between recording and signal source modes. An accelerometer within the device captures real-time information about its physical movement, not only facilitating the measurement of biomechanical signals of interest, but also allowing motion artefacts in the bioelectrical signal to be detected. Each of these innovative features has potentially far-reaching implications in biopotential measurement, both in clinical recording and in other applications. Weighing under 0.45 g and being remarkably low-cost, the WEBS is ideally suited for integration into disposable electrodes. Several such devices can be combined to form an inexpensive digital body sensor network, with shorter set-up time than conventional equipment, more flexible topology, and fewer physical interconnections. One phase of this study evaluated areas of the body as communication channels. The throat was selected for detailed study since it yields a range of voluntarily controllable signals, including laryngeal vibrations and gross movements associated with vocal tract articulation. A WEBS device recorded these signals and several novel methods of human-to-machine communication were demonstrated. To evaluate the performance of the WEBS system, recordings were validated against a high-end biopotential recording system for a number of biopotential signal types. To demonstrate an application for use by a clinician, the WEBS system was used to record 12‑lead electrocardiogram with augmented mechanical movement information

Aspects of the New Commonwealth immigration question and its impacts: a study in policy making and elite politics, 1968-1981

[Author's synopsis]:This thesis offers an analysis of policy making on aspects of the New Commonwealth immigration issue in Britain between 1968 and 1981. It concerns three formally distinct but profoundly interlocking issues: immigration control itself, the development of race relations policy and the pursuit of nationality law reform.I argue that a populist critique of prevailing bipartisanship on the subject grew up around the notion that immigration policy, and the notion of multiracial Britain itself, was subject to a profound shortfall in political legitimacy. These arguments were introduced by Enoch Powell in 1968, but remained too controversially wedded to race issues to achieve purchase in the mainstream. A limited form of bipartisanship therefore survived this early assault, to be rephrased by Edward Heath as a managerial compromise that sought to accept stronger immigration controls (and, significantly, the reform of nationality law), justifiable in the national interest, and to remove the issues from the political sphere through strong administration and wide governmental discretion.This compromise was subsequently weakened by threats to the governing competence that underlay it in the form of problems in the control system highlighted by officials (some of which became public knowledge), the possibility of a deterioration in race relations and an increase in immigration perceived to originate in policy defects and a more liberal management of entry by the Labour government. These perceived failures permitted a restatement of the political legitimacy critique by individuals within the Conservative Party. In seeking to repudiate ideas of 'consensus' more broadly, the party under Margaret Thatcher's leadership reincorporated the populist idea that high minded and elitist bipartisanship was a failed form of governance, emphasising the redress of putatively valid public grievances through a strengthened system of immigration control, designed to cure systematic weaknesses in regulating what had become largely secondary (family) migration, and through the realisation of the 1981 British Nationality Act, intended to close off the period of post-colonial migration

Citizenship and identity in diverse societies

This article examines the relationship between the legal status of citizenship and psychological research about blended identity in diverse societies such as Australia. A blended identity could include Australian national identity as well as other identities relevant to a person’s selfdefinition

Problems with Internet and Library Usage for Secondary School Children

This research consisted of investigating seven hypotheses using the following components: 1. Observation of forty-three secondary school children using the Internet and the library to complete five tasks. 2. An interview was held with all the participants in the study that was audio taped and subsequently transcribed. 3. An on-line form was constructed so that the students could nominate their favourite educational web sites for each class subject. The participants were given five tasks and had to find the answers using two of the most common forms of information retrieval found in Irish schools, the Internet and the school library. Subsequently they were asked twenty questions about their opinions on aspects of the library and the Internet. Points of interest here included that the majority of participants felt that the Internet is faster, easier to use, and better overall than the library, even though it was proven not to be the case. It was also found that the participants nominated sites by domain name without actually investigating if the domain name had any reference to the subject in question. The observation, interview and voting data was then analysed using SPSS to investigate the seven hypotheses. These findings were then reported, discussed and ideas for future study were recommended. Proposed technical and teaching solutions to problems uncovered in this research are also outlined. The above findings have implications for search engine design, the curriculum of the Irish education system, and for teachers in how they use both the Internet and the library to their full potential

Lay Participation in the Japanese Justice System

The Authors introduce and critique Japan\u27s proposed quasi-jury or lay assessor system (saiban-in seido). The proposed mixed-court will have judges and lay people deciding together both guilt and sentences in serious criminal cases. Its proponents have promised that the lay assessor system will produce better justice in the courts and a more democratic society for Japan. The Authors first expose the competing interests in the lay assessor drafting process, examining their subtly but importantly varied proposals. Second, the Authors historically review lay participation in Japan, arguing that it has failed to deliver better justice and more democracy because the existing systems have been marginalized by disuse or captured by law specialists. Third, the Authors consider the proposal in light of international psychology research suggesting that early criticism of the system may be circumspect. The Authors conclude with cautious optimism regarding the potential of the new Japanese system and a call for more research to fine-tune the proposal and rightfully introduce it as a comparative global model

Allozyme and mitochondrial DNA variability within the New Zealand damselfly genera Xanthocnemis, Austrolestes, and Ischnura (Odonata)

We collected larval damselflies from 17 sites in the North, South and Chatham Islands, and tested the hypotheses that: (1) genetic markers (e.g., allozymes, mtDNA) would successfully ¬discriminate taxa; and (2) the dispersal capabilities of adult damselflies would limit differentiation among locations. Four species from three genera were identified based on available taxonomic keys. Using 11 allozyme loci and the mitochondrial cytochrome c-oxidase subunit I (COI) gene, we confirmed that all taxa were clearly discernible. We found evidence for low to moderate differentiation among locations based on allozyme (mean FST = 0.09) and sequence (COI) divergence (<0.034). No obvious patterns with respect to geographic location were detected, although slight differences were found between New Zealand’s main islands (North Island, South Island) and the Chatham Islands for A. colensonis (sequence divergence 0.030–0.034). We also found limited intraspecific genetic variability based on allozyme data (Hexp < 0.06 in all cases). We conclude that levels of gene flow/dispersal on the main islands may have been sufficient to maintain the observed homogeneous population structure, and that genetic techniques, particularly the COI gene locus, will be a useful aid in future identifications

Departures From the Norm: Innovative Planning for Inclusive Manufacturing

For decades, urban development strategies that privilege narrowly defined "creative" sectors, and anachronistic zoning policies have been the norm in US cities, bringing persistent displacement pressures to manufacturing businesses. However, as cities have faced mounting concerns over inequality, affordability, and diversity, recent scholarship has begun to revisit the importance of urban industry, identifying key contributions that industrial enterprises make to cities. The challenge is finding the right strategies that can preserve, enhance, and potentially expand existing urban industrial space. This article takes up that challenge in three ways: (a) by calling attention to long-standing industrial planning norms that have simultaneously disadvantaged communities of color and undermined awareness of and support for urban manufacturing, (b) by exploring "innovations" that depart from those norms by prioritizing "inclusion" and "visibility" in their planning efforts, and (c) by taking an expansive approach to "planning" that seeks lessons from beyond the formal planning establishment. Drawing from emerging scholarship, research and policy reports, program documents, and interviews with key participants, this article gathers lessons from two industrial planning examples - in San Francisco, CA and Buffalo, NY - that help reveal existing barriers to industrial retention, help reimagine the role and place of manufacturing in the city, and ultimately help to foster more inclusive urban development in the US