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The objective of this study is to examine the effect of gravity compensation training on reaching and underlying changes in muscle activation. In this clinical trial, eight chronic stroke patients with limited arm function received 18 sessions (30 min) of gravity-compensated reach training (during 6 weeks) in combination with a rehabilitation game. Before and after training, unsupported reach (assessing maximal distance, joint angles and muscle activity of eight shoulder and elbow muscles) and the Fugl-Meyer assessment were compared. After training, the maximal reach distance improved significantly by 3.5% of arm length, together with increased elbow extension (+9.2[degrees]) and increased elbow extensor activity (+68%). In some patients, a reduced cocontraction of biceps and anterior deltoid was also involved, although this was not significant on group level. Improvements in unsupported reach after gravity compensation training in chronic stroke patients with mild to severe hemiparesis were mainly accompanied by increased activation of prime movers at the elbow, although in some patients, improved selective joint control may also have been involved. Gravity compensation seems to be a suitable way to provide active, task-specific treatment, without the need for high-tech devices. Further research on a larger scale, including control groups and combinations of arm support with functional hand training, is essential to enhance the potential of arm support to complement poststroke arm rehabilitation. (Contains 4 figures and 2 tables.)

Cultural impacts in planning increasingly receive attention from both academics and practitioners around Europe. However, comparative planning cultures studies face the challenges of lacking systematic comparison and empirical evidence, especially at the micro level of planning actors' behaviour in interaction. This article aims to fill these gaps by (1) operationalizing the concept of planning culture; and (2) measuring and comparing it. We base our operationalization on the culturized planning model (Knieling, J., & Othengrafen, F. (Eds.). (2009). Planning cultures in Europe: Decoding cultural phenomena in urban and regional planning. Farnham: Ashgate). We complement its explanatory power by building a link between planning culture and planning outcome through attitudes of planning actors. This article focuses on three attitudes: risk, trust and co-operation. To measure and compare these attitudes, we adopt three experimental economic games and conduct an experiment with public and private planning practitioners in three European countries: Belgium, the Netherlands and Norway. Both cross-country and public-private differences in these attitudes are tested in the experiment. Our experimental findings suggest that Dutch planning actors value risk aversion and trust; Norwegian planning actors value cooperation; while (French-speaking) Belgian planning actors do not value these variables that much. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There has been a growing research interest in measuring the impact of planning and land-use regulations on housing market outcomes, but parallel development of the evidence base for the business sector has yet to occur. This article examines the impact of planning intervention on the amount of building investment taking place at sites allocated for industrial and business development. Measures that capture different dimensions of planning intervention are incorporated into models of industrial building investment. The models are estimated using a novel micro dataset on permit activity that covers a sample of industrial and business sites in the Netherlands. The results provide evidence of some of the expected negative effects of the regulatory role of planning intervention, but also show that proactive, targeted planning policies exert a significant and positive influence on investment activity. Specifically, policy-induced improvements to the physical environment will stimulate both new construction and refurbishment activity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper looks at the consequences of the recent property market boom-bust cycle from the planners’ perspective. It takes the case of Dutch local governments and, in particular, the instrument of public land development. The analysis focusses on the question whether the economic downturn has given rise to a reconsideration of the intertwinement of public and private roles inherent to public land development. The paper sheds light on the formal changes in land management strategies in the recent years and asks whether these formal institutional changes result in less controversial land management, in terms of efficiency, effectiveness, fairness and democratic legitimation. It concludes that, although at first sight the findings suggest a paradigm shift in Dutch land management strategies, municipalities have not sorted out robust new alternatives. Public land development creates serious path dependencies and current changes in the regulatory space of land management are mostly pragmatic and show lots of traces of the old model. If local authorities keep pursuing their active, entrepreneurial, involvement in the land market in an ad-hoc manner, they face challenges regarding how to keep control over the discretionary power. It raises serious new dilemmas on transparency and predictability of municipal behaviour. There is a risk of ending up in a patchwork situation where different regulatory aspects are changed inconsistently. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cities in the Netherlands have long relied on active land policy for urban development. More recently, municipalities have started to explore new types of land policies, as they became aware of the financial risks of this policy. As an alternative to their active involvement in land development, new legislation for urban land readjustment (ULR) has been proposed. This policy supports a land assembly strategy, in which the owners swap land positions, and share (infrastructure) development costs and gains. This paper explores the motivations in the Netherlands for introducing this new land policy tool. Additionally, based on two case studies, we discuss how public and private stakeholders might respond to the introduction of ULR. We conclude that it is unlikely that the introduction of ULR legislation itself will bring forward a paradigm shift in Dutch land policy. Nevertheless, the ULR legislation may add to a redistribution of land development-related risks between the public and the private sector. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this study was to examine the feasibility and validity of an Athletic Skills Track (AST) to assess fundamental movement skills among 6- to 12-year-old children in a physical education setting. Four hundred sixty-three Dutch children (211 girls, 252 boys) completed three tests: the Körperkoordinationstest für Kinder (KTK) and two Athletic Skills Tracks (AST-1, AST-2). The validity of AST-1 and AST-2 was examined by correlating the time (s) needed to complete the tracks and the KTK Motor Quotient (MQ). Overall, there was a low correlation between AST-1 and the KTK MQ (r = -0.474 (P < 0.01)) and a moderate correlation between AST-2 and the KTK MQ (r = -0.502 (P < 0.01)). When split up by age group the associations were much higher and ranged between r = -0.469 and r = -0.767), with the exception of the low correlation coefficient of the AST-2 in 7-year-olds. The results indicate that fundamental movement skills of 6- to 12-year-old children can be assessed with a quick, convenient and low-cost motor competence test in a physical education setting, i.e., an Athletic Skills Track. Future studies should further assess the reliability, discriminative ability and validity of age-specific versions of the AST. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Local economic development is a much used tool for the regeneration of urban areas. Although the designation and effectiveness of local economic development policies has been studied extensively in existing literature, the question as to whether these policies are aimed at the areas that are most in need of these policies remains relatively understudied. This question has been answered using the case of industrial sites in the Netherlands. This particular type of urban area in the Netherlands has experienced problems with rapid urban area decline and has therefore been targeted by various area-based regeneration initiatives for many years. The economic performance is the main justification for the designation of industrial sites that are in greater need of regeneration. However, another pertinent and unanswered question is: are the industrial sites targeted for regeneration really the ones that underperform economically? (Multinomial) logistic regression analysis is used to answer this question. Differences in economic performance, measured by the growth in employment figures, the number of companies and property values, between industrial sites that are targeted for regeneration in two different rounds of regeneration initiatives and non-targeted sites are studied. The analysis shows that the differences in economic performance are negligible between these groups. It indicates that other criteria, such as political and strategic decision making influence policymakers’ decisions to target industrial sites for regeneration, thus making it at least doubtful that public money for the regeneration of industrial sites is being spent on what it is meant for. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of the paper is to assess the institutional (mis)fit of tax increment financing for the Dutch spatial planning financial toolkit. By applying an institutionally oriented assessment framework, we analyse the interconnectivity of Dutch municipal finance and spatial planning structures and practices. Empirical findings from the case study highlight several insights: 1) the application of tax increment financing (TIF) would be more constrained by socio-political than technical dimensions; 2) such an instrument may not achieve the policy goal of shifting financial risk away from local government given the corporatist characteristics of Dutch planning culture; and 3) despite apparent institutional space to consider alternative instruments, enduring norms tend to be resistant to change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Based on a case study of the Stadshaven port redevelopment in Rotterdam, this paper explores whether existing spatial planning mechanisms and processes can be used to facilitate local-level investment in climate-resilient public infrastructure and/or whether new processes and mechanisms are required to encourage investment in climate adaptation. The study reveals several key findings. First, a lack of conventional funding sources or formalised regulatory framework allowed room for experimentation with existing mechanisms and flexible strategies. Second, project planners are currently ambivalent towards introducing new mechanisms as a means to overcome implementation challenges. The case provides evidence about the role of the governance process, not simply as a means of system coordination that exists in isolation from institutional norms and values, but rather as a space for innovation, which can contribute towards reducing the financial gap associated with climate adaptation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is a sensitive method to detect inflammation in rheumatoid arthritis (RA), visualizing synovitis, bone marrow edema, and tenosynovitis. The prevalence of MRI-detected tenosynovitis and its diagnostic value in early arthritis are unclear. This study was undertaken to identify the frequency of MRI-detectable tenosynovitis at the metacarpophalangeal (MCP) and wrist joints in early arthritis and the association of these with RA and the severity of RA. Methods A total of 178 patients with early arthritis underwent unilateral 1.5T extremity MRI at baseline. The MCP and wrist joints were scored using the Rheumatoid Arthritis Magnetic Resonance Imaging Scoring system and Haavardsholm's tenosynovitis score. Sixty-nine patients fulfilled the American College of Rheumatology/European League Against Rheumatism 2010 classification criteria for RA during the first year and were compared with the non-RA patients. Among the RA patients, comparisons were made with regard to anti-citrullinated protein antibody (ACPA) positivity and radiographic progression during year 1. Results Of all patients, 65% had MRI-detected tenosynovitis. RA patients had tenosynovitis more often than non-RA patients (75% versus 59%; P = 0.023). The flexor tendons at MCP5 and the extensor tendons at MCP2 and MCP4 and in extensor compartment I of the wrist were more frequently affected in RA patients than in other patients (odds ratios 2.8 [95% confidence interval (95% CI) 1.2-7.0], 9.1 [95% CI 1.9-42.8], 14.2 [95% CI 1.7-115.9], and 4.0 [95% CI 1.4-11.1], respectively). These associations were independent of local MRI synovitis. Specificities were all ≥82%. Within the group of RA patients, tenosynovitis scores were not associated with ACPA positivity or radiographic progression. Conclusion MRI-detected tenosynovitis is commonly seen in early arthritis. The flexor tendons at MCP5, the extensor tendons at MCP2 and MCP4, and the first extensor compartment of the wrist are more often affected in RA, independent of local synovitis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective The progression of joint destruction in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is determined by genetic factors. Changes in IL4 and IL4R genes have been associated with RA severity, but this finding has not been replicated. This study was undertaken to investigate the association between IL4- and IL4R-tagging single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and the progression rate of joint damage in RA in a multicohort candidate gene study. Methods IL4- and IL4R-tagging SNPs (n = 8 and 39, respectively) were genotyped in 600 RA patients for whom 2,846 sets of radiographs of the hands and feet were obtained during 7 years of followup. Subsequently, SNPs significantly associated with the progression of joint damage were genotyped and studied in relation to 3,415 radiographs of 1,953 RA patients; these included data sets from Groningen (The Netherlands), Lund (Sweden), Sheffield (UK), the North American Rheumatoid Arthritis Consortium (US), Wichita (US), and the National Data Bank (US). The relative increase in progression rate per year in the presence of a genotype was determined in each cohort. An inverse variance weighting meta-analysis was performed on the 6 data sets that together formed the replication phase. Results In the discovery phase, none of the IL4 SNPs and 7 of the IL4R SNPs were significantly associated with the joint damage progression rate. In the replication phase, 2 SNPs in the IL4R gene were significantly associated with the joint damage progression rate (rs1805011 [ P = 0.02] and rs1119132 [ P = 0.001]). Conclusion Genetic variants in IL4R were identified, and their association with the progression rate of joint damage in RA was independently replicated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The supply side of real estate markets has remained relatively neglected compared to the body of work that studies the demand side. Consequently, little is known about the way that suppliers actually make decisions about the quantity of land and property to be made available for sale at any one time. This paper investigates how one particular type of suppliers, public developers of serviced industrial building land in the Netherlands, assess market conditions, and the way these analyses influence decisions to make more serviced building land available. This paper presents evidence from interviews amongst municipal developers and finds that profit considerations are not the main motive behind their decisions to develop industrial land. Municipalities are involved in land development primarily because they want to be able to steer local economic development. Furthermore, they also pay attention to ‘nonprice’ signals of market conditions – sales levels in particular – when deciding to make more land available for sale. However, we should be cautious with interpreting these results since this study only addresses public agencies, which might operate with ‘soft budget constraints’ and might have alternative preference functions than commercial developers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective. Early recognition and treatment of RA is associated with an improved outcome. The 2010 ACR/EULAR criteria for RA identify RA patients earlier than the 1987 ACR criteria. Nevertheless, we recently observed that 24% of the 2010 unclassified arthritis (UA) patients develop RA during follow-up. Here we studied this frequency in other cohorts and evaluated the prognostic accuracy of ACPA and the Leiden prediction rule in 2010 UA patients.Methods. The 2010 UA patients from three Early Arthritis Clinics were studied: 776 from Leiden, 121 from Birmingham and 322 from Amsterdam. Fulfilment of the 1987 ACR criteria during follow-up was studied as the primary outcome. DMARD prescription during the year and having a persistent course of arthritis over 7 years were studied as secondary outcomes in one cohort. The presence of ACPA and the prediction score at baseline were evaluated in relation to these outcomes.Results. In the three cohorts, 24%, 26% and 12%, respectively, of the 2010 UA patients fulfilled the 1987 criteria after 1 year. However, some of these patients already fulfilled the 1987 criteria at baseline. In 1987 and 2010 UA patients, 15%, 21% and 9%, respectively, developed RA (1987) at 1 year. In these patients, 0–6% of the patients were ACPA positive and 0–1% had high prediction scores. Consequently a large majority of the UA patients with an unfavourable outcome was not recognized by these prognostic tools.Conclusion. A proportion of 2010 UA patients progress to RA. ACPA and the Leiden prediction rule are not useful in identifying these patients. These results imply that other predictive markers should be developed for 2010 UA patients. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Objective Heritability studies have suggested an important role of genetic predisposition in the progression of joint destruction in rheumatoid arthritis (RA); the heritability is estimated at 45-58%. Several single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) have been identified as being associated with RA susceptibility. Our objective was to study the association of several of these loci with progression of joint destruction. Methods We studied 1,750 RA patients in 4 independent data sets with 4,732 radiographs scored using the modified Sharp/van der Heijde method. Thirteen susceptibility SNPs that were not previously associated with joint destruction were tested in 596 Dutch RA patients. Subsequently, significant SNPs were studied in data sets of RA patients from North America and Iceland. Data were summarized in inverse-weighted variance meta-analyses. Further, the association with circulating protein levels was studied and the associated region was fine-mapped. Results In stage 1, 3 loci ( AFF3, IL2RA, and BLK) were significantly associated with the rate of joint destruction and were further analyzed in the additional data sets. In the combined meta-analyses, the minor (C) allele of IL2RA (rs2104286) was associated with less progression of joint destruction ( P = 7.2 × 10−4). Furthermore, the IL2RA (rs2104286) protective genotype was associated with lower (0.85-fold [95% confidence interval 0.77-0.93], P = 1.4 × 10−3) circulating levels of soluble interleukin-2 receptor α (sIL-2Rα). Additionally, lower sIL-2Rα levels were associated with a lower rate of joint destruction ( P = 3.4 × 10−3). The association of IL2RA with the rate of joint destruction was further localized to a 40-kb region encompassing the IL2RA intron 1 and the 5′ region of IL2RA and RBM17. Conclusion The present genetic and serologic data suggest that inherited altered genetic constitution at the IL2RA locus may predispose to a less destructive course of RA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective Genetic factors account for an estimated 45-58% of the variance in joint destruction in rheumatoid arthritis (RA). The serine proteinase granzyme B induces target cell apoptosis, and several in vitro studies suggest that granzyme B is involved in apoptosis of chondrocytes. Serum levels of granzyme B are increased in RA and are also associated with radiographic erosions. The aim of this study was to investigate GZMB as a candidate gene accounting for the severity of joint destruction in RA. Methods A total of 1,418 patients with 4,885 radiograph sets of the hands and feet from 4 independent cohorts were studied. First, explorative analyses were performed in 600 RA patients in the Leiden Early Arthritis Clinic cohort. Fifteen single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) tagging GZMB were tested. Significantly associated SNPs were genotyped in data sets representing patients from the Groningen, Sheffield, and Lund cohorts. In each data set, the relative increase in the annual rate of progression in the presence of a genotype was assessed. Data were summarized in a meta-analysis. The association of GZMB with the RNA expression level of the GZMB genomic region was tested by mapping expression quantitative trait loci (QTLs) on 1,469 whole blood samples . Results SNP rs8192916 was significantly associated with the rate of joint destruction in the first cohort and in the meta-analysis of all data sets. Patients homozygous for the minor allele of rs8192916 had a higher rate of joint destruction per year compared with other patients ( P = 7.8 × 10−4). Expression QTL of GZMB identified higher expression in the presence of the minor allele of rs8192916 ( P = 2.27 × 10−5). Conclusion SNP rs8192916 located in GZMB is associated with the progression of joint destruction in RA as well as with RNA expression in whole blood. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: For many decades cities in the Netherlands have made extensive use of public land development as a strategic tool for pro-active planning. This paper investigates the Dutch experience to explore its utility both in the Netherlands and in the U.S. We build upon an earlier study by Lefcoe (1977) with similar purposes. His conclusion was that American cities should be cautious in the use of this approach. This paper comes to the same conclusion, but does so taking into account the present institutional contexts and market circumstances both in the Netherlands and the U.S. It is argued that only under very specific circumstances does it make sense for municipalities to act as land developers. Furthermore, the Dutch experience with public land development since the 1990s demonstrates the many dangers there can be to this land development strategy. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: The paper aims to position the concept of adaptive efficiency in planning theory, by providing insights on the conditions that explain why land use planning in some institutional contexts is able to adapt and improve more efficiently than in others. This is done by focusing on a specific planning goal: the control of residential sprawl. The paper presents a theoretical framework based on two models, one on the coordinating mechanisms regarding the use of land and one to explain institutional changes. This framework is exploited with empirical case studies where we compare the control of sprawl in the Netherlands, Belgium and Poland. The analysis diagnoses a duality of planning practices. Even though planning failures occur in the Netherlands as well, we provide evidence that Dutch land use planning has been able to efficiently adapt regulatory instruments and collaborative practices to societal changes. By contrast, Belgian and Polish planners face huge difficulties to incorporate new initiatives to control urban sprawl or, in more general terms, to reinforce their influence on land uses. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Outcomes of land and property markets may be understood by studying the effects of (interventions in) market processes and market institutions. Many studies have paid attention to the meaning of institutions for land and property development processes. The standpoint of this paper is that changes in the institutional order of the market may be considered to arrive at more desirable market outcomes. It will be argued that institutional economic theory offers a valuable theoretical approach to bring forward possible interventions in this institutional order. This theoretical approach to land and property development processes is applied to analyse one specific market outcome, the spatial layout of industrial parks in the Netherlands. Starting from the analysis of the oversupply of industrial land and the deterioration of existing industrial parks, the paper focuses on possible interventions to change the institutional order that should lead to more favourable market outcomes. For the present submarket for industrial land (building plots), a number of interventions are discussed to internalize the externalities that occur in this market and to increase the number of suppliers. Additional interventions are proposed to create a “new” submarket for new leasehold industrial property, which is almost absent in the case of industrial estates. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Land and property development processes obviously can be seen as a social situation in which the interaction of individuals or groups of individuals is one of the essential elements. To study and understand social situations, it is important to analyse how the decisions of actors are interrelated and how those decisions result in outcomes. In this paper, we propose a game theoretical modelling approach to analyse it. Hence, the objective of the paper is to investigate the usefulness as well as the limitations of game theoretical modelling for analysing and predicting the behaviour of actors in decision-making processes with respect to the development of land and property. For that purpose, we have developed game models for the case study of the development of a greenfield residential location in the Netherlands with respect to the implementation of new Dutch legislation on cost recovery. Our study demonstrates that game theory could help us to identify the key strategic decisions of land and property development projects by showing the different payoffs for stakeholders of their chosen strategies and selecting the equilibrium in which all stakeholders involved are best of. We also found many limitations of using game theory in our case study especially regarding the assumptions underlying the model. However, we conclude that game theoretical modelling can be a useful decision support tool in spatial planning, because it provides a way to think about the complexity of strategic interaction and, in particular, about the conflicting structure of collective decision-making processes. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The Dutch market for industrial estates is dominated by municipalities who have always felt responsible for supplying sufficient industrial sites at all times. As a result, a number of undesired market outcomes have occurred in this market, including oversupply of land and a high rate of deteriorating industrial estates. Policy interventions have been announced that must improve market outcomes. This paper analyses those undesired market outcomes and compares them with development processes in other European countries. We will argue that the effectiveness of the present set of interventions – all meant to adjust the present institutional order – can be improved, when they are accompanied by interventions meant to restructure this institutional order. The latter set of interventions, based on recent Coasian planning literature, includes the pricing of externalities, reduction of the rights of municipalities to develop industrial estates and a change of the conditions in industrial properties tenancy contracts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Most European countries have implemented some kind of land use planning based on exclusionary zoning principles to achieve spatial goals. This paper argues that, to reduce externality problems, regulatory planning is not always the best planning solution. Therefore, an alternative planning approach, which makes use of compensation rules, is suggested in this paper. This compensatory planning approach is based on property rights theory and refers to recent applications of this theory to planning practice. To illustrate the usefulness of such an approach, it is applied to the planning of out-of-town retail development in The Netherlands. The paper aims to demonstrate how deficiencies in the property rights regime can be repaired to deal with externality problems, achieving a more socially acceptable outcome of out-of-town retail development. The paper concludes with a discussion of the value of spontaneous order solutions for planning practice, by introducing four pragmatic rules on how to choose between different types of government interventions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

After long years of a protective national retail planning policy, the Dutch national government decided in 2004 on a radical shift with respect to this policy, by abolishing restrictive retail regulations. The provinces have recently responded by reinstalling the main elements of the national retail planning model at the regional level. This article shows that nevertheless unintended structural changes in the Dutch retail landscape have occurred. Building on theoretical perspectives on institutional change and normative approaches to planning, the article evaluates the rationale behind the shifts in the planning regime and the extent to which the “new” planning regime meets the conditions for a collaborative planning approach. Additionally, regional differences in the effectiveness of retail planning are analysed and related to regional differences in the planning regime. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Many urban redevelopment projects include expensive infrastructural works. In order to find funds for such infrastructure development, city planners are increasingly looking for opportunities for 'value capturing' from related property development. The argument is: investment in new infrastructure improves the accessibility of the locations connected to this infrastructure, with the result that property values in those locations increase. Based on this supposed relation, municipalities negotiate with property owners and developers to get them to finance part of the infrastructure costs. This may take place, for instance, in redevelopment projects around stations, thus linking public development of infrastructure to private development of property. However, the available legal instruments are not effective. This article explores a new legal instrument, namely urban land readjustment. The argument is supported by estimates of the potential extra property value in station areas resulting from public infrastructure investment. We argue that such a legal instrument, which is already in use in some countries, may be a valuable new planning tool in the Netherlands and elsewhere. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Implementation of spatial policy involves intervention in the land market. In the Netherlands local government also acts as a land developer. Due to an increase in activities in the land market by private actors and an increase in the geographical scale of economic and social processes, this practice is under threat. This paper analyses the background and evolution of Dutch spatial development policy during the last ten years, from the perspective of governmental directive function for spatial policy. It focuses on the multi-level governance between local and regional governments and between local government and private actors. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Introduces a theoretical framework for the understanding of the functioning of property markets, more particularly the Dutch property market. Criticisms of traditional urban economic theories; Proposal for a theoretical model of the property development process; Outline of the Dutch property market; Driving forces behind the property development in the Dutch market.

Value capturing is considered a promising additional way of funding public infrastructure development. However, its implementation is often problematic because the instruments that can be used for it (ie, taxes, fees, and other types of fiscal regulation) generally face a lack of support. An alternative approach to value capturing might be to stimulate the stakeholders to bargain over the distribution of the increment values. This paper presents an analysis of bargaining processes with respect to the implementation of value capturing based on concepts drawn from cooperative game theory in partition function form. The institutional setting of location development related to infrastructure development in the Netherlands is used to provide an empirical context to the analysis. As a validation, the game is played with experts in Dutch planning and infrastructure development practice. Our study shows that a game-theoretical approach offers a useful method to conceptualise relationships between different stakeholders and analyse the bargaining and negotiation processes to reach an agreement about an efficient and fair allocation of the increment land values. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Undifferentiated arthritis (UA) is a diagnosis 'per exclusionem'. Therefore this patient population may change since the development of the ACR/EULAR 2010-criteria for RA. This study evaluated characteristics and outcomes of UA in its new shape. Second, it was evaluated whether the 2010-criteria and the Leiden prediction rule were congruent in categorizing UA-patients., Methods: 2,472 early arthritis patients were studied. RA was classified according to either the 1987 or the 2010-criteria. UA was defined as not fulfilling existing classification criteria. UA-patients were compared for baseline characteristics and outcomes. In 1987-UA-patients both the 2010-criteria and the Leiden prediction rule were applied and categorization compared., Results: 2010-UA-patients (n=776) had milder baseline characteristics than 1987-UA-patients (n=1,166). During follow-up, still 24% of the 2010-UA-patients fulfilled the 1987 RA-criteria compared to 32% of the 1987-UA-patients. The 2010-UA-patients started less frequent DMARD-therapy and reached more frequent sustained DMARD-free remission. 30% of 2010-criteria-positive patients were predicted to have a low risk on RA; these patients achieved more frequent DMARD-free sustained remission than other 2010-criteria-positive patients., Conclusion: UA in the era of the 2010-criteria is less prevalent and milder at presentation and in outcome. This implies that UA-patients with unfavorable characteristics are now more often classified as RA.

Aims: Sulfonylureas are mainly metabolized by the enzyme CYP2C9. Two allelic variants, CYP2C9*2 and CYP2C9*3, result in decreased metabolic capacity and have been associated with elevated sulfonylurea serum levels. However, most of the available data originates from pharmacokinetic analyses performed in healthy individuals. In this study, the effect of CYP2C9*2 and CYP2C9*3 alleles on prescribed dose and time-to-stable dose of sulfonylureas was investigated., Materials & Methods: A group of 207 incident sulfonylurea users treated in four university affiliated primary care centers were identified. The effect of the CYP2C9*2 and CYP2C9*3 alleles on prescribed dose and time-to-stable dose was then assessed., Results: No significant effects of the CYP2C9*2 and CYP2C9*3 alleles were found. However, a trend towards a lower stable glimepiride dose for carriers of the CYP2C9*3 allele was observed., Conclusion: Genotyping for the CYP2C9*2 and CYP2C9*3 alleles currently appears to have no clinical implications for dosing of sulfonylureas in primary care patients with Type 2 diabetes mellitus.