EUR Research Repository
Not a member yet
514614 research outputs found
Sort by
Investigating the potential of antisense oligonucleotides for the treatment of neurodevelopmental disorders
No full text
Queering courts:Analysing equal marriage rights cases before the European Court of Human Rights, the Court of Justice of the European Union and the United States Supreme Court
Full text linkAlmost forty countries around the world currently allow same-sex couples to marry. While most of these decisions were made through legislative action, petitioners have increasingly also turned to courts to obtain marriage equality or enjoy ‘equal marriage rights,’ i.e. the numerous rights and benefits connected to marriage and/or the legal recognition of same-sex relationships. With the use of queer legal theory, this dissertation researches how courts such as the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR), the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU), and the United States Supreme Court (US Supreme Court) interpret and apply the notions of ‘sex,’ ‘gender,’ ‘sexuality’ and ‘sexual orientation’ in their equal marriage rights case law. The research reveals that courts interpret the notions as binary constructs with the dominance in one part commonly anchored on certain heteronormative beliefs. This results in the discrimination, non-inclusivity and ‘othering’ of all that do not fall within the dominant part of the hierarchies, making them thus ineligible to enjoy ‘full’ or ‘equal’ marriage rights. While the decision-making of the courts is influenced by factors such as history, culture, religion, politics, etc., judicial self-restraint is oftentimes exercised for credibility, legitimacy, and authority reasons.The research suggests that courts queer their approaches, for instance by considering the notions more as spectra instead of fixed binary constructs, focusing more on the ‘dignity’ of the petitioners involved, the Yogyakarta Principles or on creating an ‘equal level playing field,’ and focusing less on applying heteronormative tools and methods, such as looking for ‘consensus.’ Queering their approaches might lead the courts to more inclusive, diverse and universal adjudication. Until then, the enjoyment of full equal marriage rights is only for the heterosexually privileged. <br/
Plea bargaining and penal orders:An empirical approach to disappearing criminal trials
Full text linkThe present dissertation investigates the global adoption and use of administratization mechanisms, which enable the imposition of criminal convictions without trial. In particular, it considers two administratization mechanisms, currently adopted worldwide: plea bargaining and penal orders. In doing so, it investigates 174 jurisdictions, showing that 125 of them currently allow for at least one administratization procedure, with plea bargaining being regulated in a total of 101 jurisdictions and penal orders in 51. Historical patterns are also explored, discussing the adoption of plea bargaining and penal orders in connection with the comparative success of inquisitorial and adversarial models in criminal procedure and with the more recent and global strive for efficiency in criminal law enforcement. The use in practice of administratization mechanisms is also explored, showing their prevalence over ordinary trials in Europe, the Americas, and Eastern Asia. Reasons driving the adoption of plea bargaining are analyzed in cross-country regressions, revealing the significant influence of legal origins, Sharia, democratic governance, and material resources. Legal origins and material resources, together with the existence of jury trials, also correlate with differing levels of use of plea bargaining across jurisdictions. Jurisdiction-specific factors influencing the use of administratization mechanisms are in turn explored with reference to Italy. The results of instrumental variable analyses show that longer trial delays and higher concentrations of lawyers reduce the use of both plea bargaining and penal orders in Italy. The favored explanation for the former finding is that the Italian criminal statute of limitations, by mandating the acquittal of defendants in the case of longer trial delays, provides defendants with strong incentives against the use of administratization mechanisms. Regarding the latter finding, when facing higher market competition, lawyers might advise their clients against the use of plea bargaining and penal orders, since ordinary trials yield higher financial returns for them. Overall, this dissertation shows that administratization mechanisms constitute an essential component for the functioning of contemporary criminal justice systems globally
Screening for colorectal cancer screening tests
Full text linkIn this thesis we aimed to evaluate the performance of fecal immunochemical test (FIT) in comparison with already established colorectal cancer (CRC) screening tests and potential new screening tests to improve CRC screening (part II). In addition, we aimed to provide insights on how to reduce PCCRC risk and therefore improve colonoscopy quality within the screening program (part III).Part II of this thesis results in three main conclusions. The first conclusion (Chapter 2) is that FIT outperforms guaiac-based fecal occult blood tests (g-FOBTs). The second conclusion (Chapter 3, 4 and 5) is that the multitarget FIT (mtFIT) outperforms FIT in the detection of advanced neoplasia by increased detection of advanced adenomas. The third conclusion (Chapter 6) is that tests that measure circulation tumor DNA (ctDNA) could potentially be used for CRC screening and have complementary value to FIT.Part III of this thesis results in four additional main conclusions. The fourth conclusion (Chapter 7) is that the number of post colonoscopy colorectal cancers (PCCRCs) in the Dutch CRC screening program is low, which reflects high quality colonoscopy by accredited and audited endoscopists. The fifth conclusion (Chapter 8) is that adenoma detection rates (ADRs) are substantially higher for colonoscopies after positive FIT compared to colonoscopies performed for other indications. The sixth conclusion (Chapter 8) is that endoscopists their ADRs are inversely associated with the interval PCCRC risk of the screenees that undergo colonoscopy after positive FIT by these endoscopists. The seventh conclusion (Chapter 9) is that CRC risk, 2.5 years after a negative colonoscopy (after positive FIT), is equal to the CRC risk 2 years after a negative FIT.<br/
Navigating treacherous waters:Hemostatic complications in pediatric extracorporeal membrane oxygenation
Full text linkBy invisible hands:Work, exploitation, and the migrant division of labour
Full text linkAcross Europe, tens of millions of migrants work in key sectors of the economy, from agriculture to construction, logistics, and domestic care. Today, they play an essential role in filling growing shortages at the bottom of the labour market, where they do mostly standardised, low-skilled work, under wages and conditions increasingly refused by native workers. Yet, despite the essential economic role they play, many migrant workers are subject to exploitative and harmful labour practices, as well as broader conditions of economic insecurity, inequality, and social exclusion. This book provides a criminological investigation of the conditions of migrant workers and the nature of contemporary labour exploitation. Focusing on the Netherlands as a case study, the research involved twelve months of fieldwork in various low-wage jobs, including construction, agrifood, and logistics warehousing. Drawing on direct observations on the work floor itself, combined with labour market data and interviews with experts and practitioners, it sheds light not only on the working conditions of low-wage migrants, but also how exploitation and harmful labour practices emerge. Moreover, it explains how these conditions are rooted in broader political economic transformations in the sphere of work, including increasing labour mobility, flexibilisation, and inequality.<br/
