The sand extraction potential of embedded land surface lowering in the Netherlands

In the Netherlands, mineral extraction by means of dredging or quarrying meets with considerable societal resistance. Land surface lowering prior to large land reconstruction projects may raise fewer objections. We have calculated the potential yields of sand and gravel from land surface lowering embedded in planned building and construction...

Strontium (87Sr/86Sr) dating of marine shells from pliocene and pleistocene shallow marine deposits in The Netherlands

87Sr/86Sr (Strontium) ratio analyses of shell material (mainly Arctica islandica) from 24 levels in the Maassluis Formation of boreholes Noordwijk, Zegveld and Terschelling suggest that the age of the formation ranges from 0.82 to 2.34 Ma (± 0.5 Ma), and that the Oosterhout Formation at Noordwijk could be as much as 2.5 Ma older than hitherto...

A geophysical profile at the foot of the Dutch coastal dunes near the former outlet of the 'Old Rhine'

The apparent electrical conductivity of the subsurface along the Dutch coast between 'Wassenaarse Slag' (beach post 92.250) and north of Noordwijk aan Zee (beach post 77.750) reflects the spatial distribution of Holocene coastal deposits. Using a Geonics EM-34 a threefold division based on the mean electrical conductivity could be made in the...

A southern North Sea Miocene dinoflagellate cyst zonation

An integrated stratigraphical analysis emphasizing organic-walled dinoflagellate cyst (dinocyst) distribution has been carried out on multiple boreholes penetrating the Miocene in the subsurface of the Netherlands (southern North Sea Basin). The bulk of the investigated successions is attributed to the Breda Formation, a regional...

The Cenozoic evolution of the Roer Valley Rift System integrated at a European scale

The Roer Valley Rift System (RVRS) is located between the West European rift and the North Sea rift system. During the Cenozoic, the RVRS was characterized by several periods of subsidence and inversion, which are linked to the evolution of the adjacent rift systems. Combination of subsidence analysis and results from the analysis of thickness...

Birth weight and perinatal mortality: A comparison of "optimal" birth weight in seven western European countries

Background. Previous studies have suggested that a population's entire birth weight distribution may be shifted towards higher or lower birth weights, and that optimal birth weight may be lower in populations with a lower average birth weight. We evaluated this hypothesis for seven western European countries. Methods. We obtained data on all...

Meat and dairy food consumption and breast cancer: A pooled analysis of cohort studies

Background. More than 20 studies have investigated the relation between meat and dairy consumption and breast cancer risk with conflicting results. Our objective was evaluate the risk of breast cancer associated with meat and dairy food consumption and to assess whether non-dietary risk factors modify the relation. Methods. We combined the...

Comparability of published perinatal mortality rates in Western Europe: The quantitative impact of differences in gestational age and birthweight criteria

Objective: To quantify the impact of publication criteria on differences in published national perinatal mortality rates among Western European countries. Design: Descriptive study of perinatal mortality rates in Western European countries with adjustments for international differences in publication data. Population: All live births and...

Stratigraphy and integrated facies analysis of the Saalian and Eemian sediments in the Amsterdam-Terminal borehole, the Netherlands

The Amsterdam glacial basin was a major sedimentary sink from late Saalian until late Eemian (Picea zone, E6) times. The basin's exemplary record makes it a potential reference area for the last interglacial stage. The cored Amsterdam-Terminal borehole was drilled in 1997 to provide a record throughout the Eemian interglacial. Integrated facies...

Intake of fatty acids in Western Europe with emphasis on trans fatty acids: The TRANSFAIR study

Objective: To assess the intake of trans fatty acids (TFA) and other fatty acids in 14 Western European countries. Design and subjects: A maximum of 100 foods per country were sampled and centrally analysed. Each country calculated the intake of individual trans and other fatty acids, clusters of fatty acids and total fat in adults and/or the...

Importance of levonorgestrel dose in oral contraceptives for effects on coagulation

Combined oral contraceptives show clear differences in effect on the tissue factor-initiated coagulation test of activated protein C resistance, which is dependent on the presence and dosage of levonorgestrel. Multiphasic levonorgestrol oral contraceptives differ from monophasic contraceptives and resemble third-generation contraceptives. The...

MATTER 2.0: a module characterisation for the agriculture and food sector

In recent years, the Western European MARKAL-model has been extended witha materials system module covering the whole life cycle 'from cradle to grave'. The model including energy and materials is called MATTER 1.0. This document describes a further extension with an agricultural model, called MATTER 2.0. Ten agricultural crop types are...

The future of the petro-chemical industry: a MARKAL-MATTER analysis

MARKAL-MATTER model results regarding the impact of greenhouse gaspolicies on the petrochemical industry in Western Europe are discussed from an integrated chain perspective. The MARKAL-MATTER model gives insight how different technologies might develop in the next decades at different emission permit prices. First, the present situation in the...

Effect of oral contraceptives on haemostasis variables

Combined oral contraceptives (COCs) have effects on a large number of haemostasis variables. We have summarised literature data on effects of COCs containing 30-35 μg ethinyl estradiol for the third generation of progestogens (PGs): desogestrel, gestodene and norgestimate. It is concluded that about 15 variables show a shift in distribution of...

Lack of interaction between orlistat and oral contraceptives

Objectives: Orlistat, a potent and selective inhibitor of gastrointestinal lipases, is designed for the treatment of obesity. A double-blind, randomised, placebo-controlled, 2-way crossover study investigated the possible influence of orlistat on the ovulation-suppressing action of combination oral contraceptives (OC). Methods: After an 8-day...

Verloskundige uitkomsten tienerzwangerschappen in Nederland [Obstetric data on teenage pregnancies in the Netherlands]

The objective was to compare the course of teenage pregnancies and deliveries with those of women between the ages of 20 and 29, using data from the 1989 National Obstetric Database (LVR) when approximately 76% of cases conducted by obstetricians were registered. 4500 teenage pregnancies were studied to compare the risk of preterm birth, low...

Delaying childbearing: Effect of age on fecundity and outcome of pregnancy

Objectives - To study the age of the start of the fall (critical age) in fecundity; the probability of a pregnancy leading to a healthy baby taking into account the age of the woman; and, combining these results, to determine the age dependent probability of getting a healthy baby. Design - Cohort study of all women who had entered a donor...