This first volume in the Monitoring Children’s Rights in the Netherlands series pays tribute to the 30th anniversary of the CRC and includes a report on the rights of children in the Netherlands,... Show moreThis first volume in the Monitoring Children’s Rights in the Netherlands series pays tribute to the 30th anniversary of the CRC and includes a report on the rights of children in the Netherlands, presenting key facts and figures relating to the rights of children. The report shows that there are significant concerns relating to discrimination, exclusion and disparities in the implementation of children’s rights in the Netherlands. It also demonstrates that there are reasons for concern with regard to the protection of children against violence, including child abuse and neglect. Children living in poverty are disproportionately affected by this. Moreover, children’s participation rights have increasingly received attention in the past years. At the same time, it is concluded that there are some persistent challenges, among others, in citizenship education, and that it is remarkable that the Dutch government has, as of yet, neither signed nor ratified the Optional Protocol to the Convention on a Communications Procedure. The book also includes an editorial highlighting the significance of children’s rights monitoring, and an in-depth study on the new European General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and its implications for children’s rights Show less
Using a variety of anti-malaria tools has resulted in a steady decline of malaria in several endemic countries worldwide. An effective vaccine will be critical to halt malaria or even succeed to... Show moreUsing a variety of anti-malaria tools has resulted in a steady decline of malaria in several endemic countries worldwide. An effective vaccine will be critical to halt malaria or even succeed to final eradication. In that perspective, we studied the potential of whole sporozoite immunization by bites of P. falciparum infected mosquitoes under chemoprophylaxis (CPS). In this thesis we further explored this CPS model and assessed different immunizing doses, type of chemoprophylaxis and immunological determinants of disease and protection. We found a clear dose dependent efficacy, independent of type of chemoprophylaxis, found CD107a and CD8 T cells producing granzyme B related to protective immunity. In the field many genetically different strains circulate and a future vaccine should be able to cover multiple strains. We re-challenged volunteers with a different strain and found modest heterologously protection.We retrospectively assessed the parasitological dynamics and adverse events using a positive qPCR rather than thick smear and found reduced the clinical symptoms of malaria for volunteers after challenge.Successful malaria eradication will be more likely to be achieved with a multi-disciplinary approach. Additionally, sufficient and continuous funds will proof to be of tremendous necessity. Show less
Consumers have many possibilities to undergo a form of screening to acquire health information via the Internet or otherwise by purchasing health checks, medical check-ups, total body scans and... Show moreConsumers have many possibilities to undergo a form of screening to acquire health information via the Internet or otherwise by purchasing health checks, medical check-ups, total body scans and direct-to-consumer (DTC) genetic tests. More and more providers place screenings on the market before they have been assessed properly. In the Netherlands the Act on population screening ( __Wet op het bevolkingsonderzoek__) sets strict quality criteria for screening. In accordance with this Act a licence is required for offering and performing screening with ionising radiation or for detecting (risk factors of) cancer and untreatable diseases. This system, which aims to protect individuals against health damage and also to ensure patients (rights), wards off __commercial screening__ of the Dutch market. In society this meets with criticism. Individuals increasingly perceive the limited access to screening as an unnecessary restriction of their self-determination. However, the Dutch State has a special responsibility regarding the health of individuals. This thesis focuses on the following central question: __What are the normative criteria for the access to and supply of genetic screening from constitutional and European law perspectives?__ As a corollary the author will explore what this means for the Dutch legal framework regulating genetic screening, particularly DTC genetic tests. Show less
By the turn of century, increasing interest in archaeology in Jordan had resulted in more excavations and explorations of archaeological sites, and an increase in the number of monuments and... Show moreBy the turn of century, increasing interest in archaeology in Jordan had resulted in more excavations and explorations of archaeological sites, and an increase in the number of monuments and antiquities being revealed. In response, it was necessary and urgent to establish museums in which to display such remains, aesthetically and historically and to ensure their protection. This was achieved over a fairly short period of time, and museums have the role of displaying and safeguarding the collection in its custody. However, a preliminary check gave the impression that most museums in Jordan do not have the necessary human and material resources to perform this function satisfactorily. In recent years, museum science experienced a strong advancement, in particular when dealing with issues of indoor environment, and models of requirements have been designed. This thesis aims to describe, analyse and discuss the current situation of a number of selected museums in Jordan, with a focus on aspects of indoor environment. It intends to be an inclusive study that would provide recommendations and suggestions, hopefully enabling official senior level museum staff to address these needs, and work to improve them in order to portray a good image of Jordan and its historical legacy. It has been noticed that, at present, some artefacts are suffering deterioration and damage due to uncontrolled environmental conditions and mishandling by untrained staff; if this situation is not addressed promptly it may well lead to the destruction of these valuable and vulnerable objects. For this reason, a study of the processes of deterioration is required, prior to any recommendations concerning conservation treatments. In fact, excavated archaeological objects can be conserved and stabilized by a combination of instruments, whether these objects are on display or kept in storage. Therefore the indoor museum environment should be controlled and the staff properly trained to deal with objects adequately. These are basic necessities to ensure that museums and staff are able to fulfil the role of a modern museum, i.e. to be a sustainable social and educational resource. Show less
This thesis focuses on cellular immunity against mycobacteria during latency with the aim to contribute to improved immunodiagnosis of latent TB and to gain insight into immune responses which play... Show moreThis thesis focuses on cellular immunity against mycobacteria during latency with the aim to contribute to improved immunodiagnosis of latent TB and to gain insight into immune responses which play a role in controlling latent infection. Several new highly M. tuberculosis-specific peptides mixtures were identified to optimize the sensitivity of immunodiagnostic assays. The performance of interferon-gamma-release-assays (IGRA) for detection of latent TB were evaluated. Two short-incubation IGRA, QuantiFERON-TB Gold and T-SPOTTM.TB, were found to correlate better to the level of exposure to M. tuberculosis than the tuberculin skin test (TST), indicating that these assays are very sensitive for detection of recent infections. However, short-incubation IGRA are less sensitive than prolonged-incubation IGRA and TST for detection of latent TB acquired in the past. The search for proteins that are specifically targeted by the immune system during latency led to the identification of several antigens encoded within the DosR-regulon. This set of genes of M. tuberculosis is strongly upregulated by during in vitro models of latency. These antigens, including 16kDa _-crystallin, were preferentially recognized by latently infected individuals, which suggest that T-cell responses to latency antigens are associated with natural protection against reactivation of TB, warranting their further study as vaccine candidates. Show less
