From liberty to equality:Religious freedom in normative theory and Dutch politics

Contemporary disputes about religious freedom and religious exemptions are often interpreted as clashes between perspectives of liberty and equality, with the latter seen as increasingly gaining the upper hand. This thesis investigates how these disputes can indeed be explained - and even resolved - in terms of liberty and equality-based views on religious freedom, focusing on both normative theory and Dutch politics. The author provides a comprehensive elaboration of two opposing views - Liberty- and Equality based Theories of Religious Freedom (LTRF and ETRF) - and shows that stances of individual theorists suggest a shift towards an egalitarian status quo. He also argues, however, that both LTRF and ETRF are too inconclusive and indeterminate to offer solutions to concrete disputes, and that contextual assessments are indispensable. Resolving religious freedom disputes is ultimately a matter of weighing the underlying interests of rights and laws against each other on a case-by-case basis, and the thesis contributes to these balancing processes by developing a moral classification of the harms of religious exemptions. With the conceptual tools developed in the first theoretical part of the thesis, the second part analyses how conflicts and shifts between views of religious freedom take shape in the Dutch context. The author shows, firstly, how the equality-based view has increasingly left its mark on historical Dutch church and state relations. Secondly, an extensive frame analysis of parliamentary debates about the Dutch Equal Treatment Act details the ways in which the equality-based frame of religious freedom has become ever more dominant over the last decades, and how the balance has clearly tipped from religious interests to the interests of discriminated citizens

DESIGNING THE ULTIMATE VIDEO GAMING ENVIRONMENT: THESIS PORTION OF THE MOUNT OLIVE MISSIONARY BAPTIST SHELTER RENOVATION CAPSTONE PROJECT

poster abstractWhen the client mentioned that he wanted the space adjoining the gam-ing space to appeal to college age adults, the importance of acoustical sepa-ration was placed into the forefront of my mind. Additionally, much has been said in the media about the negative health benefits of extended video gam-ing play. This thesis project will seek to uncover tangle characteristics of an enjoyable and healthy video gaming environment that can then be incorpo-rated into the overall design of the video gaming den. There is a particular focus on seating and acoustics. The space will need to preserve the experi-ence for the gamers and observers as well as preserve the peace for every-one else without the isolation that usually accompanies a game room. Seat-ing should facilitate a healthy gaming experience as well as add to the im-mersive quality of the gaming environment. In conjunction with the capstone course, this thesis project completes the interior design senior experience required for graduation

Three Stage Feasibility Study in Healthy Design

It is not uncommon for students in our interior design and & architectural technology program to be exposed to service learning projects, as our campus is one of the nations leaders in such project types. It is however uncommon for the design students to be placed on projects that ask them to step outside their comfort zone in terms of social economic interaction with community residents/partners. Asking them to set aside their personal biases to apply their design skills to a project that would create a usable space for those that are afflicted with Sickle Cell, as well as a working environment for those that provide much needed social services to them. This three part study saw our students study three options: • Renovation that would connect the two adjacent facilities currently being used by the agency. • Designing proposals for a new structure one block south of the current facility • Renovation of the larger of the two current facilities being used by the agency, and creating a new outdoor space for the users. This project challenged the students in so many ways, but the most drastic of those challenges was understanding a disease that is not recognizable to the mainstream population. According to the most current data from the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Sickle Cell affects about 1 out of every 500 Black/African Americans births and 1 out of every 36,000 Hispanic American births. The first two feasibility studies while dramatically increasing the useable square footage potentially pushed the agency beyond their capital campaign capabilities. This third and final included the client vacating one structure on their site and converting it into a rental property, and dramatically renovating the remaining building to increase efficiency of the work staff, and incorporate such design strategies as indoor air quality, more efficient use of artificial and natural light, and high quality heating and cooling. These design strategies are proven to have positive impacts on those suffering from sickle cell disease

Extremist thinking and doing:A systematic literature study of empirical findings on factors associated with (de)radicalisation processes.

The aim of the present literature review is to provide a comprehensive overview of the empirical literature on radicalisation leading to extremism. Two research questions are asked: (1) Under what conditions are individuals receptive to extremist groups and their ideology? (2) Under what conditions do individuals engage in extremist acts? A theoretical framework is used to structure the findings. A systematic literature search was conducted including peer-reviewed articles containing primary qualitative or quantitative data. A total of 707 empirical articles were included which used quantitative or qualitative research methods. The findings clearly indicate that no single factor in itself predicts receptiveness to extremist ideas and groups, or engagement in violent behaviour. Rather, factors at different levels of analysis (micro-, meso- and macro-level) interplay in the radicalisation process

Triggerfactoren in het radicaliseringsproces

Ruim tweehonderd Nederlanders zijn afgereisd voor de jihad in Syrië en Irak. Het aantal Nederlandse sympathisanten loopt (volgens de AIVD) in de duizenden. Tevens is er onder een breder deel van de bevolking mogelijk sprake van een voedingsbodem voor radicalisering. Hierbij is de vraag relevant waardoor sommige mensen wel radicaliseren, maar veel méér mensen niet. Wat zijn uiteindelijk de factoren die de doorslag geven, die het radicaliseringsproces daadwerkelijk in gang zetten of mensen verder doen radicaliseren? Het identificeren van dergelijke triggers is van evident belang. Immers, om verdergaande radicalisering tegen te gaan, is het zaak om juist op deze factoren te kunnen anticiperen.Het doel van dit artikel is om inzicht te bieden in de rol van triggerfactoren in het radicaliseringsproces. Wij definiëren triggerfactoren als concrete gebeurtenissen (bijvoorbeeld incidenten, problemen, keuzes) die aanwijsbaar (verdere) (de)radicalisering in gang zetten. Dit doen wij op basis van een systematisch literatuuronderzoek en een aanvullend onderzoek dat is uitgevoerd in het kader van het Actieprogramma Integrale Aanpak Jihadisme (Feddes e.a. 2015). Allereerst bespreken wij hoe triggerfactoren een rol kunnen spelen in het radicaliseringsproces. Daarbij gaan we kort in op eigenschappen van zowel de triggerfactoren als de persoon die van invloed kunnen zijn op het effect van de triggerfactoren in het radicaliseringsproces. Daarna bieden we een overzicht van de triggerfactoren, waarin we onderscheid maken tussen triggerfactoren op het micro- (persoonlijk), meso- (groeps-) en macro- (maatschappelijk) niveau. We sluiten af met een discussie over de theoretische en praktische implicaties en aanbevelingen voor verder onderzoek

Field Experience: Path to Highly Qualified

Teacher preparation programs traditionally include experiences that prepare teacher candidates in learning the practice of teaching. One experience engaging students and teachers is field experience. This presentation shares one model of field experience for developing potential teachers

The Dry Season in Haiti: a Window of Opportunity to Eliminate Cholera Citation Revisions Authors

International audienceBACKGROUND:Since the beginning of the cholera epidemic in Haiti, attack rates have varied drastically with alternating peak and lull phases, which were partly associated with the fluctuating dry, rainy and cyclonic seasons. According to a study conducted in 2012, the toxigenic V. cholerae O1 strain responsible for the outbreak did not settle at a significant level in the Haitian aquatic environment. Therefore, we hypothesize that some areas of lingering cholera transmission during the dry season could play an important role in the re-emergence of outbreaks during the rainy season. Our objective was therefore to describe the dynamics of cholera and assess the fight against the disease during the dry season.METHODS:A field study was conducted from February 19 to March 29, 2013. After identifying the affected communes by analyzing the national cholera database, we visited corresponding health facilities to identify patient origins. We then conducted a field assessment of these foci to confirm the presence of cholera, assess factors associated with transmission and examine the activities implemented to control the epidemic since the beginning of the current dry season.RESULTS:We found that the great majority of Haitian communes (109/140) presented no sign of cholera transmission in February and March 2013. Suspected cases were concentrated in a small number of urban and rural areas, almost all of which were located in the northern half of the country and often in inland locales. In these areas, community health activities appeared insufficient and were often inappropriately targeted. Out of 49 analyzed foci, only 10 had benefited from at least one intervention involving the distribution of water treatment products together with an awareness campaign since December 2012.CONCLUSION:Cholera continues to affect Haiti as observed in early 2013; however, activities implemented to interrupt cholera transmission appear insufficient and poorly suited. This deficiency in the fight against cholera, especially at a period when transmission is weak, may explain the persistence of cholera even in the absence of significant aquatic reservoirs in Haiti

Pulmonary vasoconstrictor action of KCNQ potassium channel blockers

KCNQ channels have been widely studied in the nervous system, heart and inner ear, where they have important physiological functions. Recent reports indicate that KCNQ channels may also be expressed in portal vein where they are suggested to influence spontaneous contractile activity. The biophysical properties of K+ currents mediated by KCNQ channels resemble a current underlying the resting K+ conductance and resting potential of pulmonary artery smooth muscle cells. We therefore investigated a possible role of KCNQ channels in regulating the function of pulmonary arteries by determining the ability of the selective KCNQ channel blockers, linopirdine and XE991, to promote pulmonary vasoconstriction. Linopirdine and XE991 both contracted rat and mouse pulmonary arteries but had little effect on mesenteric arteries. In each case the maximum contraction was almost as large as the response to 50 mM K+. Linopirdine had an EC50 of around 1 μM and XE991 was almost 10-fold more potent. Neither removal of the endothelium nor exposure to phentolamine or α,β-methylene ATP, to block α1-adrenoceptors or P2X receptors, respectively, affected the contraction. Contraction was abolished in Ca2+-free solution and in the presence of 1 μM nifedipine or 10 μM levcromakalim