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Background: Practical work in school science has been ineffective due to students not connecting hands-on to minds-on aspects. With the designation Thinking-Back-and-Forth (TBF)we present a framework with a taxonomy of TBF activities. Purpose: Aim was to gain insight how teachers stimulate and support their students in TBF. Detailed information about what teachers do and what limitations they experience, provides insight into how they pay attention to TBF and how this can be improved. Sample: Nineteen Dutch physics and chemistry teachers in grades 8 and 9. Design and Methods: Based on the TBF framework an observation instrument was developed to analyse activities and teacher behaviour. 19 practical science lessons were observed and teachers were interviewed about their behaviour and the learning activities they pursue regarding TBF. Results: Overall, teachers seem to consider practical work primarily from the point of view of conducting an experiment. They encourage TBF predominantly by having their students draw conclusions or generate explanations. Assigning tasks to design experiments or generate predictions is less common and activities fostering discussions are rarely observed. Insufficient hands-on and minds-on student abilities as well as limited time available are seen as impediments. Another major impediment is teachers' lack of cognizance of possible TBF activities while designing practical lessons. Conclusions: Teachers have a positive attitude towards TBF. They indicated that the TBF framework with the taxonomy of activities functioned as a reflection tool to think more consciously about their lessons and offers the possibility to improve existing practical work. This indicates that the TBF framework can be used by teachers and teacher-educators to provide more diverse student activities to connect hands-on to minds-on. This study also showed that cognizance about designing and implementing TBF activities in practical work needs to be improved in both pre-service and in-service teacher training. more...

Prior studies have examined why people emigrate from their country of birth during retirement. By focusing on describing motives for international retirement migration, these studies overlook what inhibits or enables people to have particular motives to migrate. We collected data from a representative sample of Dutch nationals aged 66–90 who were born in the Netherlands and migrated after age 50. We distinguish seven—not mutually exclusive—migration motives: longing for tranquillity, the culture in the destination, to start a new life, a better climate, economic reasons, health reasons and dissatisfaction with the origin country. Using Ordinary Least Square regressions, we estimate how people's socioeconomic status, premigration health, premigration residential environment, cultural values and personality traits explain migration motives. We examine how motives relate to destination countries. The results show that there are various motives for which people migrate and that different types of motives are systematically related to the types of people who migrate. For example, people with a lower socioeconomic status are more likely to migrate for economic and dissatisfaction motives and less likely to migrate for tranquillity than people with a higher socioeconomic status. By distinguishing migration motives in 12 destinations, we broaden our understanding of out‐migration from high‐income countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] more...

BACKGROUND: Fetal exposure to organophosphate (OP) pesticides might lead to fetal metabolic adaptations, predisposing individuals to adverse metabolic profiles in later life. OBJECTIVE: We examined the association of maternal urinary OP pesticide metabolite concentrations in pregnancy with offspring body mass index (BMI) and fat measures at 10 years of age. METHODS: Between 2002 and 2006, we included 642 mother–child pairs from the Generation R Study, a population-based prospective cohort study in Rotterdam, the Netherlands. We measured maternal urinary concentrations of OP pesticide metabolites, namely, dialkyl phosphates, including three dimethyl and three diethyl phosphates in early-, mid- and late-pregnancy. At 10 years of age, child total and regional body fat and lean mass were measured through dual energy X-ray absorptiometry, and abdominal and organ fat through magnetic resonance imaging. RESULTS: Higher maternal urinary pregnancy-average or trimester-specific dialkyl, dimethyl, or diethyl phosphate concentrations were not associated with childhood BMI and the risk of overweight. In addition, we did not observe any association of dialkyl, dimethyl, or diethyl phosphate concentrations with total and regional body fat, abdominal visceral fat, liver fat, or pericardial fat at child age of 10 y. CONCLUSION: We observed no associations of maternal urinary dialkyl concentrations during pregnancy with childhood adiposity measures at 10 years of age. Whether these associations develop at older ages should be further studied. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] more...

BACKGROUND: Prenatal exposures to phthalates and bisphenols are associated with impaired brain development in animals. However, epidemiological studies investigating the association between prenatal phthalate or bisphenol exposure and cognition have produced mixed findings and mostly had modest sample sizes and measured the exposure during the third trimester. OBJECTIVE: We examined the association between pregnancy maternal urinary biomarkers of phthalate or bisphenol exposure and nonverbal intelligence quotient (IQ) in children 6 years of age. METHOD: The study sample consisted of 1,282 mother-child pairs participating in the Generation R Study, a population-based birth cohort in Rotterdam, Netherlands (enrollment 2002-2006). We measured maternal urinary concentrations of 18 phthalate metabolites and 8 bisphenols at <18, 18-25, and >25 wks of gestation. Child nonverbal IQ was measured at 6 years of age using the Snijders-Oomen Nonverbal Intelligence Test-Revised. Linear regression models were fit for each of the three collection phases separately, the three collection phases jointly, and for the averaged prenatal exposure across pregnancy. RESULTS: Higher urinary concentrations of phthalate metabolites during early pregnancy were associated with lower child nonverbal IQ score [e.g., B per 10-fold increase in summed low-molecular weight phthalates = -1.7 (95% CI: -3.1, -0.3)]. This association remained unchanged when adjusted for mid and late pregnancy exposures. We also observed an inverse association between late pregnancy di-n-octyl phthalate (DNOP) exposure and nonverbal IQ. Maternal urinary concentrations of bisphenols were not associated with child nonverbal IQ. There was no effect estimate modification by sex. CONCLUSIONS: We did not observe that maternal biomarkers of bisphenol exposure are associated with nonverbal IQ. We found that phthalate exposure in early pregnancy and DNOP exposure in late pregnancy are associated with lower nonverbal IQ scores in children. Our results might suggest that particularly early pregnancy is a sensitive window of phthalate exposure, but future studies are needed to replicate our findings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] more...

Infrastructure maintenance and replacement decisions are subject to uncertainties such as regular asset degradation, structural failure, and price uncertainty. In the engineering domain, Markov Decision Processes (MDPs) typically focus on uncertainties regarding asset degradation and structural failure. While the literature in the engineering domain stresses the importance of addressing price uncertainties, it does not substantiate the observations of such uncertainties through optimization modeling. By contrast, real option analyses (ROAs) that originate from the financial domain address price uncertainties but generally disregard asset degradation and structural failure. Accordingly, this piece of current research brings both domains closer together and proposes an optimization approach that incorporates the flexibility to choose between multiple successive intervention strategies, regular asset degradation, structural failure and multiple price uncertainties. A practical result of the current research is a realistic approach to optimization modeling in which state space reduction is achieved by combining prices into portfolios. The current research obtains transition probabilities from existing price data. This approach is demonstrated using a case study of a water authority in the Netherlands and confirms the premise that price fluctuations may influence short-term maintenance and replacement decisions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] more...

BACKGROUND: Perturbations in fetal growth may have adverse consequences for childhood and later life health. Organophosphate pesticide (OP) exposure has been associated with reduced birth weight at delivery but results are not consistent. We investigated this question by utilizing ultrasound measures of size in utero in combination with measures from delivery. METHODS: Within Generation R, a population-based prospective cohort conducted between 2002 and 2006 in Rotterdam, Netherlands, we measured dialkyl phosphates (DAPs), OP metabolites, in urine samples from early, middle, and late pregnancy and created a subject-specific average to estimate OP exposure (n=784). Ultrasound measures of head circumference, femur length, and estimated fetal weight from middle and late pregnancy and delivery measures were converted to standard deviation scores (SDS). Associations with DAP average were examined in linear mixed effects models that included an interaction term between gestational age at measurement and DAP average to investigate whether the relationship differed over time. Windows of vulnerability to exposure were assessed by modeling urinary DAPs from each visit in relation to growth measurements. RESULTS: A 10-fold increase in average DAPs was associated with a −0:53 SDS decrease in fetal length (95% CI = −0:83, −0:23) and a −0:32 SDS decrease in estimated fetal weight (95% CI = −0:59, −0:04) at 20 weeks of gestation. These differences corresponded to 5% and 6% decreases relative to the mean. Effect estimates were greatest in magnitude for DAP concentrations measured early in pregnancy. Associations between average DAPs and growth measures at delivery were positive but not significant for head circumference and length and were null for weight. CONCLUSIONS: Maternal urinary DAPs were associated with decreased fetal weight and length measured during mid-pregnancy, but not at delivery. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] more...

Study Question: Do children conceived by ART have an increased risk of cancer?Summary Answer: Overall, ART-conceived children do not appear to have an increased risk of cancer.What Is Known Already: Despite the increasing use of ART, i.e. IVF or ICSI worldwide, information about possible long-term health risks for children conceived by these techniques is scarce.Study Design, Size, Duration: A nationwide historical cohort study with prospective follow-up (median 21 years), including all live-born offspring from women treated with subfertility treatments between 1980 and 2001.Participants/materials, Setting, Methods: All offspring of a nationwide cohort of subfertile women (OMEGA study) treated in one of the 12 Dutch IVF clinics or two fertility clinics. Of 47 690 live-born children, 24 269 were ART-conceived, 13 761 naturally conceived and 9660 were conceived naturally or through fertility drugs, but not by ART. Information on the conception method of each child and potential confounders were collected through the mothers' questionnaires and medical records. Cancer incidence was ascertained through linkage with The Netherlands Cancer Registry from 1 January 1989 until 1 November 2016. Cancer risk in ART-conceived children was compared with risks in naturally conceived children from subfertile women (hazard ratios [HRs]) and with the general population (standardized incidence ratios [SIRs]).Main Results and the Role Of Chance: The median follow-up was 21 years (interquartile range (IQR): 17-25) and was shorter in ART-conceived children (20 years, IQR: 17-23) compared with naturally conceived children (24 years, IQR: 20-30). In total, 231 cancers were observed. Overall cancer risk was not increased in ART-conceived children, neither compared with naturally conceived children from subfertile women (HR: 1.00, 95% CI 0.72-1.38) nor compared with the general population (SIR = 1.11, 95% CI: 0.90-1.36). From 18 years of age onwards, the HR of cancer in ART-conceived versus naturally conceived individuals was 1.25 (95% CI: 0.73-2.13). Slightly but non-significantly increased risks were observed in children conceived by ICSI or cryopreservation (HR = 1.52, 95% CI: 0.81-2.85; 1.80, 95% CI: 0.65-4.95, respectively). Risks of lymphoblastic leukemia (HR = 2.44, 95% CI: 0.81-7.37) and melanoma (HR = 1.86, 95% CI: 0.66-5.27) were non-significantly increased for ART-conceived compared with naturally conceived children.Limitations, Reasons For Caution: Despite the large size and long follow-up of the cohort, the number of cancers was rather small for subgroup analyses as cancer in children and young adults is rare.Wider Implications Of the Findings: Overall, ART-conceived children do not appear to have an increased cancer risk after a median follow-up of 21 years. This large study provides important results, enabling physicians to better inform couples considering ART about the long-term safety of ART for their children. However, larger studies with prolonged follow-up are needed to investigate cancer risk in adults and in children conceived by ICSI and/or from cryopreserved embryos.Study Funding/competing Interest(s): This work was supported by The Dutch Cancer Society (NKI 2006-3631) which funded the OMEGA-women's cohort and Children Cancer Free (KIKA;147) which funded the OMEGA-offspring cohort. We declare no competing interests. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] more...

Summary People with mild intellectual disabilities are more vulnerable to become victims of crime. Victims with intellectual disabilities can face attitudinal, procedural and practical barriers within the justice system. This exploratory study looked at obstacles encountered by victims of crime with mild intellectual disabilities in effectuating their rights, their vulnerability to secondary victimization and ways to support them. In 2014, 35 respondents from across the Dutch justice system and 10 respondents with mild intellectual disabilities-expertise were interviewed. Inductive and deductive content analysis was carried out. Resonance of findings was checked in an expert meeting. Findings Three major problems were identified: (1) victims' incomprehension about the process and the proceedings; (2) victims' difficulty meeting system requirements and expectations; and (3) impact of prejudices concerning mild intellectual disabilities. A system adequately set up to deal with victims with mild intellectual disabilities could ease these difficulties. However, additional problems were identified, namely: (1) limited recognition of mild intellectual disabilities; (2) insufficient knowledge and understanding of consequences of mild intellectual disabilities; (3) issues related to accessing and accepting support; (4) communication unsuited for victims' reading and comprehension-level. These problems influence the ability of victims with mild intellectual disabilities to effectuate their rights and increases risk of secondary victimization. Applications Besides the importance of these findings for policymakers, results are of importance for all those working with victims or with people with mild intellectual disabilities. Individually tailored forms of support are required to overcome the identified problems. Awareness of the barriers that victims with mild intellectual disabilities may encounter will aid providing adequate support for victims with mild intellectual disabilities to exercise their rights and protect against secondary victimization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] more...

Background: The Netherlands experienced several outbreaks of vaccine preventable diseases, largely confined to an orthodox Protestant minority group. Based on religious arguments some orthodox Protestants accept vaccination, while others refuse. Their acceptance of vaccination, however, seems to be changing over time. We estimated vaccination coverage in subsequent generations of orthodox Protestants and identified determinants of the intention to vaccinate their (future) children. Methods: In 2013 orthodox Protestants in the age of 18-40 years were invited to fill out an online questionnaire on their own vaccination status, vaccination status of their parents, the vaccination status or vaccination intention for their (future) children, and possible determinants of the intention to vaccinate (future) children. Vaccination coverage of respondents' parents and respondents was compared using chi-square tests. Logistic regression was used to identify determinants associated with vaccination of (future) children. Results: In total, 981 orthodox Protestant respondents were included in the study. Vaccination coverage among the parents of respondents was 40.1% (95% CI 37.8-42.5%), among respondents 55.3% (95% CI 52.2-58.4%). This means an increase of 15.2% in one generation (P<0.001). About 65% of respondents vaccinated or intends to vaccinate their (future) children. Multivariate logistic regression showed that strongest predictors for vaccinating (future) children were low or moderate level of religious conservatism (OR 10.4 [95% CI 5.7-18.9] and 4.6 [95% CI 2.9-7.4], respectively), being vaccinated themselves (OR 6.0 [95% CI 4.3-8.5]) and high educational level (OR 2.5 [95% CI 1.6-4.0]). Conclusion: Vaccination coverage among Dutch orthodox Protestants is increasing over time. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] more...

Importance: Previous studies of breast cancer risk after in vitro fertilization (IVF) treatment were inconclusive due to limited follow-up.Objective: To assess long-term risk of breast cancer after ovarian stimulation for IVF.Design, Setting, and Participants: Historical cohort (OMEGA study) with complete follow-up through December 2013 for 96% of the cohort. The cohort included 19,158 women who started IVF treatment between 1983 and 1995 (IVF group) and 5950 women starting other fertility treatments between 1980 and 1995 (non-IVF group) from all 12 IVF clinics in the Netherlands. The median age at end of follow-up was 53.8 years for the IVF group and 55.3 years for the non-IVF group.Exposures: Information on ovarian stimulation for IVF, other fertility treatments, and potential confounders was collected from medical records and through mailed questionnaires.Main Outcomes and Measures: Incidence of invasive and in situ breast cancers in women who underwent fertility treatments was obtained through linkage with the Netherlands Cancer Registry (1989-2013). Breast cancer risk in the IVF group was compared with risks in the general population (standardized incidence ratios [SIRs]) and the non-IVF group (hazard ratios [HRs]).Results: Among 25,108 women (mean age at baseline, 32.8 years; mean number of IVF cycles, 3.6), 839 cases of invasive breast cancer and 109 cases of in situ breast cancer occurred after a median follow-up of 21.1 years. Breast cancer risk in IVF-treated women was not significantly different from that in the general population (SIR, 1.01 [95% CI, 0.93-1.09]) and from the risk in the non-IVF group (HR, 1.01 [95% CI, 0.86-1.19]). The cumulative incidences of breast cancer at age 55 were 3.0% for the IVF group and 2.9% for the non-IVF group (P = .85). The SIR did not increase with longer time since treatment (≥20 years) in the IVF group (0.92 [95% CI, 0.73-1.15]) or in the non-IVF group (1.03 [95% CI, 0.82-1.29]). Risk was significantly lower for those who underwent 7 or more IVF cycles (HR, 0.55 [95% CI, 0.39-0.77]) vs 1 to 2 IVF cycles and after poor response to the first IVF cycle (HR, 0.77 [95% CI, 0.61-0.96] for <4 vs ≥4 collected oocytes).Conclusions and Relevance: Among women undergoing fertility treatment in the Netherlands between 1980 and 1995, IVF treatment compared with non-IVF treatment was not associated with increased risk of breast cancer after a median follow-up of 21 years. Breast cancer risk among IVF-treated women was also not significantly different from that in the general population. These findings are consistent with absence of a significant increase in long-term risk of breast cancer among IVF-treated women. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] more...

Objective: To study the prevalence of metabolic syndrome in women after a pregnancy complicated by pre-eclampsia or small-for-gestational-age (SGA), both epitomes of placental syndrome.Design: A retrospective cohort study.Setting: Single tertiary centre for maternal medicine in the Netherlands.Population: Women with a history of pre-eclampsia in absence of SGA (n = 742) or pregnancy complicated by normotensive SGA (n = 147) between 1996 and 2010.Methods: Women were routinely screened for underlying cardiometabolic and cardiovascular risk factors at least 6 months postpartum. Logistic regression analysis was used to calculate the odds ratio and adjusted odds ratio for each group. Adjustments were made for age, maternal height, smoking, parity, and interval between delivery and measurement.Main Outcome Measures: Prevalence of the metabolic syndrome.Results: The prevalence of the metabolic syndrome in our population was two-fold higher for women with a history of pre-eclampsia (13.9%) compared with women with a history of SGA (7.6%). Calculated odds ratios for metabolic syndrome, fasting insulin, HOMA, and microalbuminuria were all higher for women with a history of pre-eclampsia compared with women with SGA. This difference persisted after adjustment for confounding factors: metabolic syndrome (adjusted odds ratio, aOR 2.11; 95% confidence interval, 95% CI 1.00-4.47) and hyperinsulinaemia (aOR 1.78; 95% CI 1.13-2.81) insulin resistance (HOMAIR ; aOR 1.80; 95% CI 1.14-2.86). Microalbuminuria (aOR 1.58; 95% CI 0.85-2.93) did not reach the level of significance after adjustment for confounding factors.Conclusions: A history of pre-eclampsia, rather than SGA, was associated with metabolic syndrome, suggesting that it relates to maternal rather than fetal etiology of placental syndrome. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] more...

The article presents the study which examined the metabolic and obstetric risk factors related with hypertension following preeclampsia. The metabolic risk factors in women with a history of preeclampsia include obesity, hypertension and insulin resistance. The study was carried out at the Maastricht University Medical Center in the Netherlands. more...

The article discusses a study on the other type of control measures capable of decreasing muddy flooding frequency in the southern part of the Province of Limburg, The Netherlands. It points out that the soils of South Limburg are cultivated on loess and particularly vulnerable to surface runoff and soil erosion. It cites the new policy of non-inversion tillage adopted by the Province of Limburg for its water management which will save costs and time for the farmer at the same time provide a more efficient monitoring of compliance with the regulation. more...

Abstract: In the loess area of the southern part of Limburg soil erosion is responsible for damage in the agricultural area and the associated runoff leads to flooding of urban areas and deposition of mud on the infrastructure. Since the second half of last century erosion hazards and damage have increased, due to more intensive tillage of the soil. With a general use of artificial fertilizers, organic matter content of the soil dropped to critical levels. Besides that, activities in agriculture like enlargement of fields, use of heavy machinery and activities outside the agricultural area like the extension of the built-up area and infrastructure led to less infiltration and consequently to more runoff. The expected change of the climate – more intensive rain showers – may even aggravate the erosion problem in the future. Moreover, the general policy of protection of the urban areas against flooding is developing to a higher protection level. The public sector is responsible for general policies to control erosion and to bring the damage of flooding back to acceptable levels. The basic principle is to tackle the erosion problem at the source, on the farmer''s field with measures among others by the introduction of non-turning-ploughing and mulching and preservation and expansion the area of grassland. At local level, specific erosion control measures and financial arrangements are made. Municipalities are supposed to prepare and guide local level erosion plans, where measures are taken to complement the individual on-farm erosion control measures. Municipalities have to solve small-scale problems (bottlenecks) with local flooding and sedimentation of mud, especially on infrastructure. To prevent flooding the Water Authority has the task to develop the water infrastructure mainly to buffer water and to convey runoff at a safe discharge (grass strips, grassed waterways). In the combat against erosion the farmers and the farmer''s organizations took their responsibility. The efforts resulted in 1990 in an Erosion Ordinance (EO) lately revised in 2003. The EO is primarily a responsibility of the farmer''s organisations. In 2000 authorities involved in erosion and flood control signed a covenant in which generic and specific interventions were agreed upon to realize in a period of 4 years. Tough the agreed measures are only partly realized in this period, the intentions of the covenant are still valid. In 2003 the farmer organizations introduced in the revised EO a new instrument: the Farm Erosion Management Plan (FEMP) in which a farmer can take its own responsibility to keep erosion risk at an acceptable level and to organize his own farm strategy. By taking enough measures in the FEMP, the farmer gets dispensation of several measures otherwise due to the EO. Farmers can rely on EU-subsidies when applying erosion control measures (cross-compliance). Both the EO and the FEMP are part of the EU Common Agricultural Policy (CAP). In spite of legislation, accepted responsibilities at different levels and financial support (incentives), erosion control interventions do not (yet) cover the whole area and not all stakeholders are equally motivated to implement and maintain the measures. In practice monitoring of the fulfilment of the EO and the FEMP is quite complicated, because of scattered land property, the complexity of the instruments and lack of (trained) controllers. At the moment the Water Authority is evaluating the effectiveness of measures taken by the FEMP in relation to general legislation of the EO. At municipality level several plans to solve the problems at locations where flooding and mud deposition occurs frequently are ready, but lack of funds will postpone execution of some of them. [Copyright &y& Elsevier] more...

Introduction: Objectives were to give an overview of endotoxin exposure and its determinants in sewage treatment workers, and to study exposure to culturable and non-culturable microorganisms and the applicability of the LAL assay in this work environment. Material and methods: In 43 Dutch sewage treatment plants 470 full-shift, 123 task-based personal and 54 stationary inhalable dust samples were collected. Endotoxin concentration was determined with the LAL-assay. Mixed effects models were used to investigate possible determinants of exposure. Simultaneous parallel filter samples, impinger samples and viable total bacteria and Gram-negative bacterial samples were taken to compare analytical techniques. Filter and impinger samples were analyzed with the LAL-assay, gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) and fluorescence microscopy. Results: Endotoxin exposure levels were moderate to low (geometric mean personal exposure 27 EU/m³, stationary 33 EU/m³, task-based 64 EU/m³), yet differences between jobs and sources and some determinants of exposure were identified. Exposure varied more from day to day than between workers. Concentrations in filter samples were higher and more consistent than in impinger samples. Fungi and Gram-positive bacteria were found in higher levels than Gram-negative bacteria. The LAL assay and GC-MS showed comparable endotoxin levels. Discussion and conclusion: Endotoxin exposure in Dutch sewage treatment workers was relatively low. Comparison of sampling and analytical techniques suggests that the LAL-assay did not result in much exposure misclassification. It thus seems justified to perform filter measurements in combination with the LAL-assay to measure endotoxin exposure in sewage treatment plants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] more...

Summary: Dutch inland drift-sands are of great value to nature and house several Red-Listed species unique for Europe. The inland drift-sand landscape consists of three different intertwined wind erosion zones. Together they form the conditions where a mosaic of vegetation at different stages of development can thrive. Under present environmental conditions these drift-sands stabilise and tend to disappear. So far there is a lack of a management strategy to maintain the drift-sands after restoration. This paper presents a new management concept based on process management. The main objective of our new management strategy is to maintain optimum field conditions for wind erosion in a manner and scale that allow it to act as a landscape differentiating process. This process management strategy consists of: (1) an overall management plan for a period of 10–15 years; and (2) a short-term (1–3 years) maintenance plan to keep the erosion potential in the selected deflation zones sufficiently high. Details of our general management strategy such as the potential of drift-sand areas, the alternative measures to be undertaken, economic and social considerations and the monitoring and evaluation of our process management approach are elaborated in separate sections. Process management with scheduled maintenance will result in a more stable drift-sand habitat in which the typical drift-sand vegetation and fauna species are better able to survive. In other words, the answer to the question ‘How to use wind erosion to restore and maintain the inland drift-sand ecotype?’ is blowing in the wind if we maintain the optimum conditions for wind erosion. [Copyright &y& Elsevier] more...

Though erosion and its control is not a major issue in The Netherlands, in some regions of the country wind and water erosion have caused severe local damage and nuisance and continue to do so. The earliest farmers settled on the higher parts of The Netherlands but, over time, overexploitation has caused extensive tracts to become drifting sand. From 1500 – 1900 “Erosion Boards” were set up to control the sand drifts. Shifting sand areas were visited twice a year and conservation measures were applied. Despite this promising approach, the area of sand drifts increased because land users were poor and fines were high. Reforestation was important for the battle against drifting sand. Also contributing to the decline of drifting sands were the abolition of communal land use, the introduction of fertilizers and the collapse of the wool industry. In recent decades, “modern agriculture” has aggravated wind and water erosion problems. Nowadays wind erosion is causing problems in the Peat Reclamation District (PRD) in the north-east of the country. Here, land consolidation is regarded as a possible solution to decrease wind erosion. As a result of water erosion in the hilly part of South Limburg, where loess soils are dominant, towns and villages in the valleys are regularly flooded. It is being attempted to mitigate the problems of flooding by means of legislation and cooperation between stakeholders: Redistribution of land, implementation of measures “on hot spots” in the drainage system and farm management plans. There have been major successes already, but sustainable land use is still a long way off. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] more...

In the Netherlands the total active inland drift-sand area has been declining rapidly during the last 50 years. To preserve the inland drift sands, it is necessary to understand its origin and development and the role of human activity in this semi-natural ecotype. The objective of this literature review is to describe the development of the drift-sand ecotopes, to explain the rapid decline of the active drift sands, and to develop a management strategy for the remaining active drift sands. Inland drift-sand landscapes are relatively young landscapes of Holocene age. They often occur as oval-shaped cells with a length of 1.5 to over 6 km in the direction of the prevailing wind. These cells presumably represent reactivated deposits of Younger Cover Sands. Large-scale erosion events in combination with human activity suppressed the development of vegetation. After the change in land use in the first half of the 20th century in which most of the drift sands were re-afforested, the vegetation succession started to show a progressive development. In this stage inland drift-sand ecotopes developed in most of the remaining drift sands with all forms of the typical succession stages from bare sand to forest. The rate at which this development took place mainly depended on the geomorphological development stage of the area, the area size and human activity. Since the 1960s the increased nitrogen deposition has accelerated the vegetation succession, not only resulting in a further decline of the drift sands, but also in a loss of the fragile balance between the different ecotopes and loss of its typical habitants like the Tree Grayling and Tawny Pipit. Most drift-sand vegetation and fauna need the presence of bare sand nearby and a certain level of erosion activity to survive. To preserve the drift-sand ecotype, it is therefore recommended to keep the area affected by erosion sufficiently large (process management). In the meantime one should also 'maintain' or increase the wind force in the drift-sand area by suppressing the growth of high vegetation and removing trees, which form a wind barrier, in areas which are less suitable for reactivation, one could restore the mosaic vegetation by removing the vegetation on a limited scale (pattern management). More research is needed to develop a more balanced management strategy and to develop a management tool for the managers of inland drift sands. Also the role of the increased nitrogen deposition in the regeneration process needs further investigation in order to find an effective way to suppress its effect. The development of management strategies for the Dutch inland drift sands might be of great value to drift-sand areas in Western Europe where nature conservationists start to show more interest in the restoration of former drift-sand areas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] more...

Quartz exposure can cause several respiratory health effects. Although quartz exposure has been described in several observational workplace studies, well-designed intervention studies that investigate the effect of control strategies are lacking. This article describes a baseline exposure study that is part of a multidimensional intervention program aiming to reduce quartz exposure among construction workers. In this study, personal respirable dust and quartz exposure was assessed among 116 construction workers (bricklayers, carpenters, concrete drillers, demolishers, and tuck pointers). Possible determinants of exposure, like job, tasks, and work practices, use of control measures, and organizational and psychosocial factors, were explored using exposure models for respirable dust and quartz separately. Stratified analyses by job title were performed to evaluate the effect of control measures on exposure and to explore the association between control measures and psychosocial factors. Overall, 62% of all measurements exceeded the Dutch occupational exposure limit for quartz and 11% for respirable dust. Concrete drillers and tuck pointers had the highest exposures for quartz and respirable dust (0.20 and 3.43mg m−3, respectively). Significant predictors of elevated quartz exposure were abrasive tasks and type of material worked on. Surprisingly, in a univariate model, an increased knowledge level was associated with an increase in exposure. Although control measures were used infrequently, if used they resulted in approximately 40% reduction in quartz exposure among concrete drillers and tuck pointers. Only among concrete drillers, the use of control measures was associated with a higher score for social influence (factor 1.6); knowledge showed an inverse association with use of control measures for concrete drillers, demolishers, and tuck pointers. In conclusion, the detailed information on determinants of exposure, use of control measures, and constraints to use these control measures can be used for the determination and systematic prioritization of intervention measures used to design and implement our intervention strategy. This study underlines the need for multidisciplinary workplace exposure control strategies although larger study populations are necessary to determine a possible causal association between organizational and psychosocial factors and psychosocial factors and control measures. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER] more...

Background: In the Netherlands organophosphate (OP) pesticides are frequently used for pest control in agricultural settings. Despite concerns about the potential health impacts of low-level OP pesticides exposure, particularly in vulnerable populations, the primary sources of exposure remain unclear. The present study was designed to investigate the levels of DAP metabolites concentrations across pregnancy and to examine various determinants of DAP metabolite concentrations among an urban population of women in the Netherlands.Method: Urinary concentrations of six dialkyl phosphate (DAP) metabolites, the main urinary metabolites of OP pesticides, were determined at <18, 18-25, and >25 weeks of pregnancy in 784 pregnant women participating in the Generation R Study (between 2004 and 2006), a large population-based birth cohort in Rotterdam, the Netherlands. Questionnaires administered prenatally assessed demographic and lifestyle characteristics and maternal diet. Linear mixed models, with adjustment for relevant covariates, were used to estimate associations between the potential exposure determinants and DAP metabolite concentrations expressed as molar concentrations divided by creatinine levels.Results: The median DAP metabolite concentration was 311 nmol/g creatinine for the first trimester, 317 nmol/g creatinine for the second trimester, and 310 nmol/g creatinine for the third trimester. Higher maternal age, married/living with a partner, underweight or normal weight (BMI of <18.5 and 18.5-<25), high education, high income, and non-smoking were associated with higher DAP metabolite concentrations, and DAP metabolite concentrations tended to be higher during the summer. Furthermore, fruit intake was associated with increased DAP metabolite concentrations. Each 100 g/d difference in fruit consumption was associated with a 7% higher total DAP metabolite concentration across pregnancy. Other food groups were not associated with higher DAP metabolite concentrations.Conclusions: The DAP metabolite concentrations measured in the urine of pregnant women in the Netherlands were higher than those in most other studies previously conducted. Fruit intake was the main dietary source of exposure to OP pesticides in young urban women in the Netherlands. The extent to which DAP metabolite concentrations reflect exposure to the active parent pesticide rather than to less toxic metabolites remains unclear. Further research will be undertaken to investigate the possible effects of this relatively high level OP pesticides exposure on offspring health. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] more...

Abstract: When several phase shifting transformers (PSTs) are installed in a meshed grid, the coordination of these devices has to be studied carefully. A poor coordination can lead to inefficient use of infrastructure or even to situations where the security of supply is no longer guaranteed. The goal of this paper is to study how PSTs can be controlled in order to obtain an optimal or near-optimal situation for a given system. The network of the Netherlands and Belgium is taken as a research case. Particle swarm optimization (PSO) is used for this purpose, a black-box optimization technique based on a population of points in the search space. [Copyright &y& Elsevier] more...

Prenatal exposure to organophosphate (OP) pesticides associate with impaired neurodevelopment in humans and animal models. However, much uncertainty exists about the brain structural alterations underlying these associations. The objective of this study was to determine whether maternal OP pesticide metabolite concentrations in urine repeatedly measured during gestation are associated with brain morphology and white matter microstructure in 518 preadolescents aged 9–12 years. Data came from 518 mother–child pairs participating in the Generation R Study, a population-based birth cohort from Rotterdam, the Netherlands. Maternal urine concentrations were determined for 6 dialkylphosphates (DAPs) including 3 dimethyl (DM) and 3 diethyl (DE) alkyl phosphate metabolites, collected at early, mid, and late pregnancy. At child's age 9–12 years, magnetic resonance imaging was performed to obtain T1-weighted images for brain volumes and surface-based cortical thickness and cortical surface area, and diffusion tensor imaging was used to measure white matter microstructure through fractional anisotropy (FA) and mean diffusivity (MD). Linear regression models were fit for the averaged prenatal exposure across pregnancy. DM and DE metabolite concentrations were not associated with brain volumes, cortical thickness, and cortical surface area. However, a 10-fold increase in averaged DM metabolite concentrations across pregnancy was associated with lower FA (B = −1.00, 95%CI = −1.80, −0.20) and higher MD (B = 0.13, 95%CI = 0.04, 0.21). Similar associations were observed for DE concentrations. This study provides the first evidence that OP pesticides may alter normal white matter microstructure in children, which could have consequences for normal neurodevelopment. No associations were observed with structural brain morphology, including brain volumes, cortical thickness, and cortical surface area. • Little is known about the effect of prenatal OP pesticide exposure on offspring brain morphology and white matter. • Maternal urinary concentrations of 6 DAP metabolites were measured during early, mid, and late pregnancy. • MRI was performed to obtain brain volumes, cortical thickness, and cortical surface area in 518 preadolescents. • DTI was used to measure white matter microstructure through fractional anisotropy (FA) and mean diffusivity (MD). • Prenatal exposure to OP pesticides was predictive of lower FA and higher MD, indicating atypical white matter microstructure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] more...

Prenatal exposure to organophosphate (OP) pesticides has been associated with altered neuronal cell development and behavioral changes in animal offspring. However, the few studies investigating the association between prenatal OP pesticide exposure and neurodevelopmental outcomes such as Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and autistic traits in children produced mixed findings. The objective of the present study was to examine whether maternal urinary concentrations of OP pesticide metabolites are associated with ADHD and autistic traits in children participating in the Generation R Study, a population-based birth cohort from Rotterdam, the Netherlands. Maternal concentrations of 6 dialkylphosphates (DAPs) were measured using gas chromatography coupled with tandem mass spectrometry in urine samples collected at <18 weeks, 18‐25 weeks, and > 25 weeks of gestation in 784 mother-child pairs. DAP metabolite concentrations were expressed as molar concentrations divided by creatinine levels and log 10 transformed. ADHD traits were measured at ages 3, 6, and 10 years using the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL) (n = 781) and autistic traits were measured at age 6 years using the Social Responsiveness Scale (SRS) (n = 622). First, regression models were fit for the averaged prenatal exposure across pregnancy. Second, we investigated associations for each collection phase separately, and applied a mutually adjusted model in which the effect of prenatal DAP concentrations from each time period on ADHD and autistic traits were jointly estimated. All associations were adjusted for relevant confounders. Median DAP metabolite concentration was 309 nmol/g creatinine at <18 weeks, 316 nmol/g creatinine at 18–25 weeks, and 308 nmol/g creatinine at >25 weeks of gestation. Overall, DAP metabolite concentrations were not associated with ADHD traits. For instance, a log10 increase in averaged total DAP concentrations across gestation was not associated with a lower ADHD score (-0.03 per SD 95 CI: −0.28 to 0.23). Similarly, no associations between maternal DAP concentrations and autistic traits were detected. In this study of maternal urinary DAP metabolite concentrations during pregnancy, we did not observe associations with ADHD and autistic traits in children. These are important null observations because of the relatively high background DAP concentrations across pregnancy, the relatively large sample size, and the 10-year follow-up of the offspring. Given the measurement error inherent in our OP pesticide exposure biomarkers, future studies using more urine samples are needed to accurately measure OP pesticide exposure over pregnancy in relation to ADHD and autistic traits. • We explored whether prenatal exposure to OP pesticides is associated with ADHD and autistic traits in children • Maternal urinary concentrations of six DAP metabolites were measured during early, mid, and late pregnancy • DAP metabolite concentrations in this study were 2-3 times higher compared with concentrations measured in most other studies • Maternal DAP concentrations were not associated with ADHD and autistic traits in children. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] more...