A Theory of Religious Accommodation

This paper examines the moral case for a right to religious accommodation, which requires that religious conduct be free of any serious burdens placed on it by the state. Two different types of normative argument for this right are outlined and rejected. The first appeals to religion as a ‘basic good’, and the second to religion as an ‘intense preference’. In place of these, I suggest that a third type of argument has greater prospects of success. Religious accommodation is justified on the grounds that religious conduct is a ‘derivative good’ — that is, it derives its value from its being necessary for something else, namely, the integrity of the religious person

In-Situ Sensors for Process Control of CuIn(Ga)Se2 Module Deposition; Annual Technical Report, 15 February 1998-15 February 1999

Materials Research Group (MRG), Inc., is developing in-situ sensors to improve yield, reproducibility, average efficiency, and prevention of ''lost processes.'' In-situ X-ray fluorescence (XRF) will be used to monitor composition and thickness of deposited layers, and in-situ optical emission spectroscopy (OES) will be used to provide real-time feedback describing the deposition plasma. Characterization techniques are to be examined ex-situ in the first two years of the contract, and applied to existing deposition systems in the final year. Progress toward achieving these goals during Phase I includes: Development and verification of an XRF simulation tool to troubleshoot measurements, to predict difficulties in XRF interpretation, and to calculate quantities needed in the translation from XRF signal to composition; Examination of the implication of sample conditions unique to CIGS photovoltaics - such as varying Ga gradients, intermediate film thicknesses where neither thick-film nor thin-film approximations are valid, variations in back-contact thickness, multiple layers, variations in substrate composition and thickness - on XRF interpretation; Fabrication of CIGS samples and test structures for XRF measurements; Execution and interpretation of XRF measurements examining system accuracy; Design of a prototype XRF sensor built entirely of cost-effective, commercially available components that are suitable for integration into closed-loop deposition control; Evaluation of pulsed DC sputtering of Se; and Interaction with CIS National Team industrial partners to specify and adapt sensor functions

Acid phosphatase test proves superior to standard phenotypic identification procedure for Clostridium perfringens strains isolated from water

Clostridium perfringens is used as an indicator for persistent faecal pollution as well as to monitor the efficacy of water treatment processes. For these purposes, differentiation between C. perfringens and other Clostridia is essential and is routinely carried out by phenotypic standard tests as proposed in the ISO/CD 6461-2:2002 (ISO_LGMN: lactose fermentation, gelatine liquidation, motility and nitrate reduction). Because the ISO_LGMN procedure is time consuming and labour intensive, the acid phosphatase test was investigated as a possible and much more rapid alternative method for confirmation. The aim of our study was to evaluate and compare confirmation results obtained by these two phenotypic methods using genotypically identified strains, what to our knowledge has not been accomplished before. For this purpose, a species specific PCR method was selected based on the results received for type strains and genotypically characterised environmental strains. For the comparative investigation type strains as well as presumptive C. perfringens isolates from water and faeces samples were used. The acid phosphatase test revealed higher percentage (92%) of correctly identified environmental strains (n = 127) than the ISO_LGMN procedure (83%) and proved to be a sensitive and reliable confirmation method