Neutrality, Proselytism and Religious Minorities at the European Court of Human Rights and the US Supreme Court

The paper examines the way the US Supreme Court and the European Court of Human Rights have dealt with the discriminatory treatment of religious minorities in relation to proselytism, and the role played by the principle of neutrality in arguments supporting the invalidation of statutes which restrict religious canvassing

Lying, Speech and Impersonal Harm

Should the law punish the mere utterance of lies even if the listener has not been deceived? Seana Shiffrin has recently answered this question in the affirmative. She argues that pure lying as such harms the moral fabric of sincerity and distorts the testimonial warrants which underpin communication. The article begins with a discussion of Shiffrin’s account of lying as a moral wrong and the idea of impersonal harm to moral goods. Then I raise two objections to her theory. First, it does not explain persuasively why the fabric of sincerity is so vulnerable to pure lying. Second, it underestimates the need for a causal link between the alleged harm and the speech the government suppresses. I explore the function of the causal inquiry in constitutional law and suggest that if Shiffrin’s theory were to become the standard for adjudication in freedom of expression cases, protection for speech would deteriorate

Review of George Th. Mavrogordatos', 1915: Ο εθνικός διχασμός [1915: The national schism]

George Th. Mavrogordatos. 1915: Ο εθνικός διχασμός [1915: The national schism]. Athens: Patakis, 2015. 343 pp

Review of George Th. Mavrogordatos', 1915: Ο εθνικός διχασμός [1915: The national schism]

George Th. Mavrogordatos. 1915: Ο εθνικός διχασμός [1915: The national schism]. Athens: Patakis, 2015. 343 pp

Utilizing Remote Sensing Imagery to Monitor Vegetation Change within World Heritage Sites

ABSTRACT World Heritage sites provide a glimpse into the stories and civilizations of the past. There are currently 1007 unique World Heritage properties with 779 being classified as cultural sites, 197 as natural sites, and 31 falling into the categories of both cultural and natural sites (UNESCO & World Heritage Centre, 1992-2015). However, of these 1007 World Heritage sites, at least 46 are categorized as in danger and this number continues to grow. These unique and irreplaceable sites are exceptional because of their universality. Consequently, since World Heritage sites belong to all the people of the world and provide inspiration and admiration to all who visit them, it is our responsibility to help preserve these sites. The key form of preservation involves the individual monitoring of each site over time. While traditional methods are still extremely valuable, more recent advances in the field of geographic and spatial technologies including geographic information systems (GIS), laser scanning, and remote sensing, are becoming more beneficial for the monitoring and overall safeguarding of World Heritage sites. Through the employment and analysis of more accurately detailed spatial data, World Heritage sites can be better managed. There is a strong urgency to protect these sites. The purpose of this thesis is to describe the importance of taking care of World Heritage sites and to depict a way in which spatial technologies can be used to monitor and in effect preserve World Heritage sites through the utilization of remote sensing imagery. The research conducted in this thesis centers on the Everglades National Park, a World Heritage site that is continually affected by changes in vegetation. Data used include Landsat satellite imagery that dates from 2001-2003, the Everglades\u27 boundaries shapefile, and Google Earth imagery. In order to conduct the in-depth analysis of vegetation change within the selected World Heritage site, three main techniques were performed to study changes found within the imagery. These techniques consist of conducting supervised classification for each image, incorporating a vegetation index known as Normalized Vegetation Index (NDVI), and utilizing the change detection tool available in the Environment for Visualizing Images (ENVI) software. With the research and analysis conducted throughout this thesis, it has been shown that within the three year time span (2001-2003), there has been an overall increase in both areas of barren soil (5.760%) and areas of vegetation (1.263%) with a decrease in the percentage of areas classified as sparsely vegetated (-6.987%). These results were gathered through the use of the maximum likelihood classification process available in the ENVI software. The results produced by the change detection tool which further analyzed vegetation change correlate with the results produced by the classification method. As well, by utilizing the NDVI method, one is able to locate changes by selecting a specific area and comparing the vegetation index generated for each date. It has been found that through the utilization of remote sensing technology, it is possible to monitor and observe changes featured within a World Heritage site. Remote sensing is an extraordinary tool that can and should be used by all site managers and organizations whose goal it is to preserve and protect World Heritage sites. Remote sensing can be used to not only observe changes over time, but it can also be used to pinpoint threats within a World Heritage site. World Heritage sites are irreplaceable sources of beauty, culture, and inspiration. It is our responsibility, as citizens of this world, to guard these treasures

The academic origins of John F. Kennedy's new frontier

This thesis seeks to introduce the reader to the underpinnings on which John F. Kennedy's 1960 Presidential campaign was based. Well before Kennedy declared his candidacy for Democratic Party nomination for President he gathered together a group of academics from in and around the Boston area and formed his own personal think tank in much the same way that Franklin D. Roosevelt did before his Presidential campaign of 1932. Unlike Roosevelt, Kennedy did not call his group a Brains Trust, instead he chose to call his collection of professors the Academic Advisory Group. This treatise will establish the Academic Advisory Group's existence, flesh out its mandate, identify its creator and map out its evolution from its earliest origins to the interregnum prior to John F. Kennedy's Inauguration. The aim is to identify some of the key players within the Group and show how they individually and collectively related to the candidate and his campaign. Essentially, this treatise will examine the details surrounding the speech-making process of a Presidential campaign, and answer three distinct questions: who advised Kennedy; what was he told; and did he heed the advice he was offered

Prior antimicrobial therapy in the hospital and other predisposing factors influencing the usage of antibiotics in a pediatric critical care unit

BACKGROUND: The aim of this study was to determine whether prior antimicrobial therapy is an important risk factor for extended antimicrobial therapy among critically ill children. To evaluate other predisposing factors influencing the usage of antibiotics in a pediatric intensive care unit (PICU) setting. To examine the relationship between the extent of antimicrobial treatment and the incidence of nosocomial infections and outcome. METHODS: This prospective observational cohort study was conducted at a university-affiliated teaching hospital (760 beds) in Athens. Clinical data were collected upon admission and on each consecutive PICU day. The primary reason for PICU admission was recorded using a modified classification for mutually exclusive disease categories. All administered antibiotics to the PICU patients were recorded during a six-month period. Microbiological and pharmacological data were also collected over this period. The cumulative per patient and the maximum per day numbers of administered antibiotics, as well as the duration of administration were related to the following factors: Number of antibiotics which the patients were already receiving the day before admission, age groups, place of origin, the severity of illness, the primary disease and its complications during the course of hospitalization, the development of nosocomial infections with positive cultures, the presence of chronic disease or immunodeficiency, various interventional techniques (mechanical ventilation, central catheters), and PICU outcome. RESULTS: During a six-month period 174 patients were admitted to the PICU and received antibiotics for a total of 950 days (62.3% of the length of stay days). While in PICU, 34 patients did not receive antimicrobial treatment (19.5%), 69 received one antibiotic (39.7%), 42 two (24.1%), 17 three (9.8%), and 12 more than three (6.9%). The number of antibiotics prescribed in PICU or at discharge did not differ from that at admission. Indications for receiving antibiotics the day before admission and throughout during hospitalization into PICU were significantly correlated. Although the cumulative number of administered antibiotics did not correlate with mortality (9.8%), it was significantly related to the severity scoring systems PRISM (p < .001), TISS (p < .002) and was significantly related to the number of isolated microorganisms (p < .0001). Multiple regression analysis demonstrated that independent determinants of the cumulative number of antibiotics were: prior administration of antibiotics, presence of a bloodstream infection, positive bronchial cultures, immunodeficiency, and severity of illness. CONCLUSION: Prior antimicrobial therapy should be recognized as an important risk factor for extended antimicrobial therapy among critically ill children. Severity of illness, immunodeficiency, and prolonged length of stay are additional risk factors

Spatiotemporal Analyses of Tornado Risk and Exposure in the Contiguous United States: A Modeling Study

Tornadoes represent a significant threat to both life and property across the United States. It is unclear exactly how climate change may influence the occurrence and intensity of small-scale phenomenon (below the resolution of current climate models), such as tornadoes. However, changes have already been observed in the spatial and temporal variability of tornadoes. Regardless of whether climate change results in substantial changes in tornado frequency or severity, continued population growth and the expansion of urban areas will likely lead to an increasing amount of exposure of people and buildings to tornadoes. Potential future changes in tornado risk and exposure require new methods for studying tornado impacts through simulation. This dissertation discusses the development and application of a new tornado impacts model, the Tornado Daily Impacts Simulator (TorDIS). First, we conducted a spatiotemporal analysis of near-miss violent tornadoes as a justification for the use of spatial models in tornado impact analysis. Second, we discussed the development of TorDIS and showcased its utility via comparisons of annual tornado exposures between six metropolitan areas. We also show an example of using TorDIS to assess potential tornado impacts on individual high-risk days. Finally, we describe a case study, using TorDIS, over the Oklahoma City Metropolitan Area of the combined and isolated effects of climate change and urban development on tornado impacts. Models such as TorDIS can be used by emergency managers to pre-allocate resources to the areas of greatest risk/potential impact, by city planners to assess how changes in land use could affect the potential tornado risk and impacts, and as a justification for the placement of public storm shelters in the areas of highest potential tornado risk and impacts