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ABSTRACT The purpose of this study is to acquire a better understanding of why certain production and distribution facilities remain in Western Europe, in spite of economic globalisation. This paper focuses on companies located in the Netherlands but acting on an international scale. The issue is not addressed at a sectoral, regional, or even more aggregate level-of-analysis. Instead, the firm is the unit-of-analysis, which is why exploratory cases were conducted. The notion of strategic role (Ferdows 1989, 1997) is applied to assess internal motives for staying. The effect of external factors on individual facilities that differ with respect to these internal motives are also looked at. The findings suggest that facilities of high strategic importance within the multinational enterprise to which they belong have high expectations of the political/legal and macroeconomic environment. Furthermore, facilities preceding the major decoupling point in a supply chain seem to be more locationally stable than activities subsequent to this point. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, similarities and differences are outlined between adults with self reported learning disabilities (SRLD) drawn from the International Adult Literacy Survey (IALS) data on adult literacy in The Netherlands and Flanders. These results are discussed in terms of striking differences in the educational context within which the adults developed. The literacy skills of SRLD adults in The Netherlands are superior to SRLD adults in Flanders. This is interpreted in terms of societal acceptance of disability. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper investigates the relation between unobserved farm productivity and other production factors in a system of netput equations for specialised pig breeding farms in the Netherlands. In order to estimate the system, a Hausman-Taylor panel data estimator is developed for a system of equations with unbalanced panel data. Tests on the correlation between model variables and farm-effects are performed, yielding an insight into the sources of differences in total factor productivity and its components (e.g. managerial ability and scale economies). Results indicate that specialised pig breeding farms that are characterised by high total factor productivity have more buildings and machinery than farms with low total factor productivity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract In this study, Dutch primary school children used a computer-mediated discussion forum to discuss the concept of horror stories. In such discussion forums children often write their contributions individually. This paper presents an ongoing empirical study in which the contributions to an electronic discussion forum from children working individually were compared to contributions from children working in dyads. Preliminary results indicated that children working in dyads around the computer wrote more contributions to the computer-mediated discussion and were more attentive to the collaborative process, than children who wrote their contributions individually. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper reports on a grounded theory interview-based study with 13 family members aged 28–80 years caring for terminally ill people at home (with a life expectancy of 3 months or less) in the Netherlands. The project was approved by the ethics committee of the Maastricht University Hospital. The aim of this study was to explore the experiences of family caregivers, their needs for home care, and which health services they receive. Data were analysed using the constant comparative method. ‘Vulnerability’ was identified as the core category. Caring for a terminally ill person at home requires continuous balancing between care burden and capacity to cope. Whether or not the carer will succeed in keeping in optimum balance is dependent on a number of factors impinging on the caregiver's vulnerability. Care burden, restricted activities, fear, insecurity, loneliness, facing death, lack of emotional, practical and information-related support were identified from the data as factors having the potential to increase the caregiver's vulnerability, and may be risk factors for fatigue and burnout. Continuing previous activities, hope, keeping control, satisfaction and good support are factors which may decrease the caregiver's vulnerability, and may protect against fatigue and burnout. The experiences of the caregivers in our study showed that the support from informal and professional caregivers was not sufficient. Education and practical tools may make professionals more sensitive for the vulnerable position of family caregivers, even when these caregivers do not show their vulnerability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper investigated educational achievement, employment status, living situation, marital status and offspring in 500 Dutch long-term young adults survivors of childhood cancer (age range, 16–49 years, 47% female). The results were compared with a reference group of 1092 persons with no history of cancer (age range, 15–33 years, 55% female). The impact of demographic and medical characteristics on psychosocial adjustment was studied. All participants completed a self–report questionnaire. The results showed that, although many survivors are functioning well and leading normal lives, a subgroup of survivors were less likely to complete high-school, to attain an advanced graduate degree, to follow normal elementary or secondary school and had to be enrolled more often on learning disabled programs. The percentage of employed survivors was lower than the percentage of employed controls in the comparison group, but more survivors were student or homemaker. Survivors had lower rates of marriage and parenthood, and worried more about their fertility and the risk of their children having cancer. Survivors, especially males, lived more often with their parents. Cranial irradiation dose ≤25 Gy was an important independent prognostic factor of lower educational achievement. Survivors with a history of brain/CNS tumours had a higher risk of being single than survivors with a diagnosis of leukaemia/non-Hodgkin lymphoma. These results indicate that important aspects of life are affected in a substantial number of persons who have been diagnosed with cancer during childhood or adolescence. Copyright © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Dutch nursing homes employ physicians who have completed a two year specialist training programme to become a qualified nursing home physician. This paper describes the origin of the profession of nursing home medicine in the context of Dutch nursing homes. Method Review of the history and development of the need for specialist physicians in care of residents in nursing homes. Examination of the competencies required and training available for physicians and the benefits of this arrangement in improving quality of care. Results Relevant skills and competencies of the specialist physician in nursing homes are discussed. The role and tasks, and the nursing home physician's method of working and providing care are explained, as well as the benefits and disadvantages of organizing medical care in this way. Conclusions The benefits of a specialist physician are considered greater than the disadvantages. Specialist training for this role is considered to be highly desirable. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Industries often promote their interests by arguing that they have a big impact on the rest of the economy. This poses the question of how to measure the importance of an activity. To answer this, the literature often uses (regional) input–output analysis. This paper critically reviews the traditional use of multipliers in such cases. To avoid double–counting impacts and to solve related conceptual problems, the net multiplier concept is introduced. This net multiplier is illustrated empirically for the Dutch transport sector using a Type II biregional input–output model for the Netherlands. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines the spatial transformation of the city from children’s point of view. Three important daily living domains – children’s outdoor play spaces, leisure centres and caring institutions – are examined. Empirical findings are made from studies in Amsterdam, where new urban developments affecting children are most apparent in the Netherlands. Conclusions show that developments are both diverse and paradoxical. On the one hand, we see processes that progressively contribute towards the exclusion of children from urban public space. Safety considerations underpin these processes heavily. Children’s marginal position in the public domain is further reinforced in the planning and design of new residential areas. Children do not seem to be a factor that merits consideration. On the other hand, never before has so much attention been paid to children. Adults’ efforts to give due consideration to children’s position lead to the creation of many new domains especially created for children. These give children a ‘face’ in the city, but these spaces are characterised by privatisation, institutionalisation and segregation. In the context of the Netherlands it is not altogether clear what shape the future will take, but it seems to be most likely that indicated developments will continue. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Until the Second World War the Netherlands housed a Jewish minority, which varied from 1.4% to 2.2% of the Dutch population in the 1800–1940 period. In this paper an analysis is made of their numerical development and geographical distribution based on census data, and of the consequences of the Jewish demography and geography for the assimilation into Dutch society. Among other factors, it appears that the small size of the Jewish population, their strong geographical dispersion, their strong propensity for internal migration, their orientation towards rival liberal and socialist institutions in Amsterdam have prevented the rise of a Jewish ‘pillar’ and encouraged assimilation into Dutch society. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The deregulation of US aviation since 1978 has resulted in the reconfiguration of airlines’ route networks, and in the concentration of traffic on a small number of central airports or ‘hubs’. This paper investigates whether a similar trend can be observed in the European aviation network after deregulation. Data is used for all airports in the European Union receiving scheduled services for the period 1990–98, and both intra-European and intercontinental services are considered. The findings on the airport level suggest that intercontinental traffic is increasingly concentrated on Europe’s primary hubs, and that intra-European traffic is increasingly concentrated on smaller airports in the European aviation network. On the route level, the results support the claim that the structure of the European aviation network has moved in the direction of a hub-and-spoke network over the sample period with the secondary hubs playing a more important role in the hub-spoke traffic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

One of the most important factors driving urbanisation processes is the location of shops. The Netherlands has taken a particularly hard line against what it calls ‘peripheral’ developments by establishing rules at the national level to curb the growth of out-of-town hypermarkets and shopping malls. With the arrival of the Fifth Report on Spatial Planning draft, this resolve seems to have weakened, and deregulation and decentralisation have become the new catchwords. Paradoxically, this is occurring as Belgium, Germany, France and the UK – all of whom have had experience with a more liberal policy – are tightening restrictions. This paper explores this curious shift in terms of political interests, asking who was served by the old planning regime, and who would rather see it go. In this debate, planning ideology and rhetoric was pitted against that of free-market competition. In the end, it seems as if the latter has gained the upper hand. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper summarizes what is known about the diagnosis, treatment, and follow-care of people with the inherited disorder multiple endocrine neoplasia type 2a (MEN2a). Several databases were searched throughout the year 2000, including MEDLINE, CINAHL, CancerLit, PsychINFO, and Dissertation Abstracts International. MEN2a is a complex disease involving cancer care and control by surgery, health maintenance, and life-long observation of gene mutation carriers. Genetic testing is the standard of care, prophylactic surgery is recommended during directive counseling, and life-long surveillance is encouraged for people with MEN2a. A substantial body of scientific literature describes morbidity and mortality outcomes of disease treatment, and the monitoring of multiple organ systems. Research is scant concerning the psychological consequences and social impact of the MEN2a diagnosis, treatment, and follow-up. Nearly all that is known from a psycho-social perspective comes from data in The Netherlands. Little is known of the psychological responses to and social consequences of genetic predisposition testing, prophylactic and curative surgery, and life-long surveillance. Psycho-social research is essential to provide comprehensive care for patients and family members with this disorder and it is necessary to guide the development of risk management strategies for patients with this inherited cancer syndrome. Since MEN2a has been labeled a prototype for medical genetics, information on MEN2a patient experiences may be relevant to the care of individuals with other inherited cancer syndromes. Copyright © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The concept of clustering is familiar for economists and policy–makers. Clusters are widely regarded as sources of regional competitiveness. However, although the concept of clustering is widely used, there is no clear consensus of what actually constitutes a cluster. In this paper, we develop a dynamic cluster concept. This cluster concept places one particular value chain as central. First, on the basis of the literature we describe a number of characteristics for identifying a cluster. Second, we develop a stylised cluster cycle, with states of development, expansion, maturity and transition. The development of a cluster in these states stems from external contingent events as well as the internal dynamic of clusters. This dynamic cluster concept can be used to formulate policy alternatives for the different cluster states. We use the dynamic cluster concept to analyse the shipbuilding industry in the Northern Netherlands. This cluster went through the states of development and expansion and now shows signs of maturation. The cluster is described and possible policies to support it are suggested. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduces a series of papers on restoration ecology that were presented at the 1998 Groningen Conference on Restoration Ecology held in the Netherlands. Presentation of a scientific frameform for restoration ecology; Need to define common targets in restoration projects; Technical and societal implementation of restoration programs.

Introduction The Dutch TBS system is sometimes given as a model to improve British forensic psychiatry services. This paper is based on first-hand experience of an attachment to a TBS clinic. Dutch law and the TBS system Under the 1986 TBS Act a judge may order a serious offender deemed to have 'defective development' or a 'psychological disturbance of his mental faculties' to TBS. A prison sentence may also be imposed as well as the TBS order. The Pieter Baans Centre in Utrecht assesses all potential TBS patients over a seven-week period. If an order is imposed, the patient is transferred to the Dr F.S. Meijers unit, also in Utrecht, for a further six-week assessment. The patient is from there directed to one of the seven TBS units in different parts of the country, each ostensibly serving a different function. There are about 800 such TBS beds. TBS orders are now mainly imposed for violent offences (91% of the total); 27% of the patients have psychosis, and over 50% are deemed to have a personality disorder. The average TBS patient stays 50 months in a TBS unit, and 69 months in custody altogether. TBS Treatment and effectiveness In the Pompekliniek observed, the main treatment is a therapeutic community with good occupational facilities. Discharge is supervised by the probation service. A total of 42% of patients reoffended during the TBS order. Post-order recidivism was 52%. Observations The TBs service is overloaded. Many patients have to wait in a queue for their place. Staff have few psychiatric and medical skills. There is a shortage of psychologists. In the Pompekliniek there was excessive use of seclusion. Forensic psychiatry has, on the whole, a sympathetic press. t and treatment. The Dutch system would gain from specialist forensic psychiatry training schemes, as in Britain. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Does the increasing importance of guidelines in health care threaten the professional status of health care professions by reducing their professional autonomy? Or does it increase their position through enhancing their scientific status? In this paper, we focus on this apparent contradiction by studying how Dutch insurance physicians created and used guidelines for the evaluation of labour disability claims. Drawing upon the theoretical repertoire of science and technology studies, we studied the role of the notion of 'objectivity' in these developments. A specific redefinition of objectivity played a core role in the active alignment, by the insurance physicians' profession, of the processes of guideline development and pro fessionalisation. Simultaneously, it is argued, a specific conceptualisation of the position of the client was put to the fore. Guidelines, it seems, can be drawn upon creatively so that rather than embodying a potential constant threat to professional autonomy, they actually enforce it. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Occupational Stress Indicator (OSI) is a popular instrument for the diagnosis of stress and stress-related personality and outcome variables. However, one weakness of the OSI was the low reliability of some of its scales. This paper describes in a series of four studies improvements of the reliabilities of most of the scales of the Dutch version of the OSI. All new scales were tested for unidimensionality. Compared to the original OSI, the personality scales (type A, locus of control, and coping styles) have been changed completely and nearly all original items were replaced. The other scales are revisions of the original OSI, with some items being deleted, rewritten, or added. A new scale for satisfaction with pay was included. All but two of the revised scales now show sufficient reliabilities and unidimensionality. This revision led us to suggest two versions of the OSI: an elaborate version with 28 scales and 188 items, and an abridged version with 15 scales and 94 items. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An important task of auditors is to check whether recorded values are correct. From the number (or total) of the errors found in a sample, upper confidence limits for the fraction (or total) of the errors in the population are calculated by standard methods. Even auditors are human, however, and may make mistakes: errors may remain unnoticed. As administrative rules and regulations are becoming more and more complicated, this kind of auditors' mistakes tends to occur more frequently. Hence, there is an increasing need to check the auditing process itself. This can be achieved by checking a subsample of audited values a second time, now by an error-free supervisor. This paper investigates the consequences of the (possible) occurrence of errors in this subsample. A simple and analytically attractive model is presented for the number of errors found in this double inspection scheme. Maximum likelihood estimators are derived for the population fraction of errors and the probability of an error remaining unnoticed. Based on that, an exact upper confidence limit for the population fraction of errors is calculated, treating the probability of an unnoticed error as a nuisance parameter. Our method was originally developed during a recent Dutch case study: in a subsample of already audited values one additional error was found by the supervisor. It is shown that, as a consequence, the upper confidence limit is increased very sizeably. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper we put to trial the alleged role of investment in transport and communications infrastructure in economic growth in the Netherlands in the second half of the nineteenth century. To do so, we combine a new data set with data-oriented econometric techniques. Testing of the main hypothesis by applying Granger's concept of causation in a vector auto-regression model reveals that the development of infrastructure 'caused' Dutch economic growth. In order to investigate the underlying mechanisms, we enhance the basic model with impulse-response analysis. This leads to a clear response pattern of GDP to a change in transport infrastructure investment. The response of GDP is explained as being induced by three underlying mechanisms: 1. Positive forward linkage effects (mainly through reductions in the costs of transport and communications). 2. Positive backward linkage effects (mainly through expenditure and income effects). 3. Negative transitional dynamics (mainly through changes in the spatial setting of the economy). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines whether a deconcentration policy between a core and a peripheral region within a country may increase national welfare. The type of cost and benefits involved and the type of models needed to specify them are first discussed theoretically, and then estimated empirically by means of a comprehensive scenario study for two regions of the Netherlands. The empirical study concludes that a deconcentration scenario might result in net national benefits of several tens of billions of guilders. For this reason a spatial deconcentration policy may well improve the welfare of nations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper describes the results of a study determining construct validity aspects of the Nursing Care Dependency (NCD) Scale. This 15-item instrument has been developed recently for the assessment of the care dependency of dementia or learning-disabled inpatients. Data was collected for 450 dementia and 203 learning-disabled patients using the NCD instrument. Factor analysis of the NCD instrument resulted in one Factor. With Mokken scale analysis an H-coefficient of 0.75 was found, which implied a strong hierarchical scale. Cronbach's alpha coefficients (0.97) were high enough to use the NCD instrument in clinical practice, at both group and individual levels. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article examines the Third of October festivities in the city of Leiden, The Netherlands, held in commemoration of its relief from the Spanish siege in 1574. It describes and analyses the Leiden Third of October festivities as a total ritual event. To do so the paper presents the arena, the history of the festivities with the major agents involved, myth and reality, symbols, and common behavior and special practices in succession. In the conclusion it formulates the essence of these Leiden festivities which have been the theme of the present article. In Leiden the third of October is completely different from any other day of the year. It is a gap in the normal sequence of time, a discontinuity in the activities offering possibilities to deviate from the normal course of life: through festivity, play, reconsideration of historical events, the presentation of authority, religious reflection, a gathering of family and friends, special songs, special food, ceremony and so on. These festivities are a "total ritual event," a concept developed after the Maussian notion of "total social fact" which stresses both the ritual dimension of the feast and collective participation at the city level.

The paper reports the results obtained from the study of 949 patients examined for a suspected α- or β-thalassaemia using a rapid modified method of in vitro biosynthesis determination. Part of the results have been evaluated in correlation with the different molecular defects, defects combinations and with the presence of abnormal haemoglobins. The validity of the method for diagnosis of thalassaemia and particularly for the analysis of complex defects combinations which may occur in multiethnic populations is illustrated. The technology of the modified method is thoroughly described and the influence of the factors interfering with the reliability of the experiments is discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Presents abstracts of papers presented at an otolaryngology meeting held in Veldhoven, Netherlands, on April 2 and 3, 1998. Research on salivary gland carcinoma; Chromosomal aberrations in premalignant laryngeal lesions; Ossicular chain reconstruction with autogene incus.

Environmental regulations oblige the Agricultural Knowledge System in the Netherlands to adjust to the concept of sustainability after a long period of serving productivity. This paper examines how agricultural research, extension and education reacted to the introduction of the Crop Protection Plan (sharp reduction of chemical inputs). Research in a horticultural region provided the data for an appraisal of a variety of reactions in the knowledge system and among growers. The development of scientific knowledge is based on linear models and focuses on ready-made recipes for adoption. Extension workers often seem to know little about integrated agriculture, cannot step out of their customary `expert' role, and seem unwilling and unable to work as facilitators with farmers in a joint search for alternatives. Farmers are seen as adopters or users of science-based rules. The case study suggests that growers are willing and able to search for more sustainable methods of production, but so far this resource has not been sufficiently tapped to develop a knowledge system supporting more sustainable forms of agriculture. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Since the 1950s the family farm has been an uncontested and self-evident component of Dutch agricultural policy and in the social sciences. But the guiding image for designing agriculture's future was consistently based on a rejection of the family. As such the ‘ideology of family farming’, conserving and protecting an 'agrarian ethic', never played a noticeable role in agricultural policy. Instead, family farming was perceived as a personal enterprise, detached from family influences and based on rational entrepreneurial skills. It was an ideological model that rejected traditional family farming and industrial farming based on wage labour. Its strength lay in providing a standard for the level of modernization to be achieved, whether technological, economic or in terms of lifestyle. The prominent place of the family idiom in public discourse is explained as a political strategy to minimize political controversy. The paper also shows the inherent cultural inconsistencies in the guiding image of farm modernization. It is concluded that combining elements of family farming and industrial farming reflected a modernization paradigm, which was hardly in touch with empirical reality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper describes the development of Dutch agriculture during the last four decades. The development of farm size, labour force, land use and productivity, and the degree of specialization on the farm are discussed and explained. The Dutch situation is analysed in an EC context. The present position of the Netherlands in the debate on changes in the Common Agricultural Policy is described briefly. It is concluded that the general objective of farmers' organizations and government is liberalization of markets. Both see agricultural policy as economic, rather than social policy. This view is not shared by everybody, but protectionist groups are not able to determine the ago-political agenda. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper reports on the result of two studies conducted to further validate the Abu-Saad Paediatric Pain Assessment Tool, a Dutch-language questionnaire developed to assess pain in school-age children. Children of 5 to 15 years of age reported in the first study their post-operative pain before and after the administration of analgesic medication using word descriptors of pain, the 10-cm scale, the Oucher, and a visual analogue scale (VAS). Lower mean pain scores at 4-hourly intervals post-analgesia supported the construct validity of the tool. Convergent validity was supported in both studies when scores on all concurrently administered measures positively correlated with the pain tool. In the second study, the correlations between pain and fear, a concurrently used measure with the pain instruments, were low, substantiating the discriminant validity of the pain tool. The significance of the results in relation to instrument development and multidimensional pain assessment in children are further discussed and elaborated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Arguments in favour of voluntary euthanasia tend to be put in utilitarian terms. This paper suggests an alternative, neo-Aristotelian argument justifying certain individual acts of both suicide and voluntary euthanasia. It goes on to examine the slippery slope arguments against legalizing euthanasia. It is suggested that such arguments cut both ways. However, the suggestion that we ought therefore to permit a social experiment in voluntary euthanasia is set alongside the Dutch experience. The latter seems to imply that if such experiments are to take place then great caution needs to be applied. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, I hypothesize and show evidence for a causal link between local land use systems and popular receptivity to ascetic, rationalist religions in sixteenth-century Germany, France, the Netherlands, and England. Rationalist religions typically received popular support in regions characterized by individual property rights in land and little communal control over agriculture. I argue that this social organization of agriculture gave rise to individualistic value systems, which had an affinity with rationalist, ascetic belief systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper refutes Stark and lannaccone's recent argument about secularization in Europe as applied to the Netherlands. Relevant Dutch evidence shows that both organized religion and subjective religiosity have declined in the Netherlands since the 1950s. Any deregulation and increases in pluralism that occurred in that period did not have the theoretically expected effects. The anomalous Dutch case casts further doubt on the explanatory power of "supply-side" theories in the sociology of religion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

After a short history of growth, controversy, and intense friction with its environment, the Bhagwan Rajneesh commune near Antelope, Oregon experienced a series of events leading to the defection of part of its leadership, to the forced departure of the Bhagwan from the United States, and to the commune's collapse. This paper presents the results of a cross-national study of how the major print media in the United States, in West Germany, and in the Netherlands framed the events occurring in Rajneeshpuram. Similarities and discrepancies in the reporting styles of these three nations are discussed against a background of highly divergent societal responses to deviant new religious movements in each nation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper evaluates John Coleman's application of a particular version of secularization theory to Catholicism in the Netherlands. Recent research findings show that many changes in Dutch Catholicism in the last 15 years do not fit Coleman's model. The emerging pattern of radical secularization is linked to aspects of the preceding "pillarized" social structure and certain sociocultural changes facing the church. Instead of consolidation of a successfully differentiated denomination, evidence suggests, further cultural and structural attrition can be expected. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In The Netherlands, a strong tradition in the construction and updating of (inter)regional input-output tables has been built up. The paper gives a brief overview of this Dutch experience and discusses the features of the by now more or less standardized double-entry bi-regional construction method (DEBRIOT). This method systematically adds sales and export coefficients to the usual construction procedures. Thus, it introduces consistency checks at the cell level of the input-output table. Moreover, it offers a non-survey technique to estimate a regional domestic sales table that is crucial to the double-entry character of the method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines three issues concerning the frequently negative correlation between formal education and ethnic prejudice, namely its reliability, its validity and the manner in which it is mediated. Reliability is demonstrated across three indices of ethnic attitudes in seven representative samples drawn from four European countries (West Germany, Netherlands, France, Great Britain; total N=3788). The Hypothesis that this correlation reflects only the tendency of more highly educated respondents to give more socially desirable answers and not true attitude differences was inconsistent with the finding from the survey data that educational level also correlated negatively with responses to an index of subtle prejudice. Results from an experiment employing the bogus pipeline procedure similarly refute this hypothesis, indicating that significant education-related differences in expressed prejudice remain under conditions in which the tendency to give socially desirable responses is reduced. Finally, path analysis based on the survey data show that part but not all of the association between low education and ethnic prejudice is mediated by social psychological variables. Particularly group relative deprivation, perceived belief incongruency, political conservation, and acception of inter-ethnic contact. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper contains an investigation about research of Dutch social psychologists. Based on reported publications two types of analyses were performed. The reported publications were categorized by means of a topic-inventory proposed by Fisch and Daniel (1982), which enabled us to compare Dutch trends with developments in Europe and the U.S.A. Moreover, by means of bibliometric analyses publications of Dutch social psychologists were related to data obtained by the Institute for Scientific Information (ISI). Several trends were observed and discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper looks at the recent developments in the field of medical quality assurance in Belgium and the Netherlands. It takes the viewpoint that there is a strong relationship between regulation and quality assurance on the one hand and the health care environment on the other hand. The reasons for the differences between the two countries, which are conspicuous, will be explored. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

(I) In the modern agricultural landscape habitat patches for badgers are distributed like fragments in large suboptimal areas. In this paper the badger population in the Netherlands is considered as a metapopulation. A stochastic model is presented lot a single badger clan. Subsequently the model is extended to simulate a metapopulation consisting of badger clans that are connected through dispersal, while taking account of the present biological information. (2) The models are used to address the perspectives of management measures for badgers in the Netherlands. The results show that the viability at a single badger clan as especially sensitive to changes in adult mortality. (3) For a metapopulation of clans a similar result is obtained. In addition, the number of territories and the rate of dispersal between the clans are major factors that influence the viability of the metapopulation. (4) Management measures aimed at improving conditions for badgers should be directed at reducing the adult mortality and restoring or maintaining a large number of potential territories for clans while providing ample opportunity for dispersal between the clans. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Presents a list of subjects and topics of research papers discussed and presented at the ISH-EHA Combined Haematology Congress held in Amsterdam, Netherlands July 6-8, 1998.

In 1986 a nationwide dental survey was carried out in the Netherlands. The aims of the study were to assess the prevalence of oral diseases, need and demand for dental care and oral selfcare in the Dutch population aged 15-74 yr. This paper describes the general sampling and analysis procedures to detect selectivity in the participation. Irregular dental attenders seemed to be underrepresented in the final sample. Poststratification was used to overcome this problem of selectivity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this paper is to present some aspects of the precarious balance between Dutch general and vocational education. I will start with a brief outline of the relevant characteristics of the Dutch educational system, as regards the link between general and vocational education. The next two sections present trends in the occupancy of vocational and general education and some information on the individual benefits of general and vocational education. In the last section I will examine the balance between general and vocational education in the Netherlands. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, the temporal and spatial expansion of the Egyptian goose in the Netherlands are described and analysed. The species bred near The Hague for the first time in 1967. In 1983 a second settlement developed in Drenthe. Both settlements expanded. Together, they contained about 1340 breeding pairs in 1994. For both settlements a linear relationship exists between the square root of the area occupied and time. In both cases, population growth is exponential. The bird behaves as a resident species. Thus, in winter numbers in The Netherlands also increase exponentially. The Egyptian goose seems to be sensitive to severe winters, which cause a high mortality. The observed velocity of range expansion is compared with the velocity as calculated with the expansion model of Van den Bosch et al . (1990). The observed velocity was about 3.0 km per year, which is about 20% lower than expected, but not significantly different. Population growth was estimated using a projection matrix. In the first 10 years after its settlement near The Hague, the actual population growth was larger than the calculated growth. There is evidence for good breeding success during the first years due to mild winters between 1972 and 1978. In the second settlement, Drenthe, the same rapid population growth occurred. Here, a low but regular influx of birds from a nearby city park was probably the main factor. In the near future, further temporal and spatial expansion can be expected, in the direction of Germany and Denmark in the east and Belgium and France in the south. Towards the east the severity of the winters might limit further range expansion, possibly coinciding with the 0o isotherm in January. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper considers the card game Blackjack according to the rules of Holland Casino's in the Netherlands. Expected gains of strategies are derived with simulation and also with analytic tools. New efficiency concepts based on the gains of the basic and the optimal strategy are introduced. A general method for approximating expected gains for strategies based on card counting systems is developed. In particular it is shown how Thorp's Ten Count system and the High-Low system should be used in order to get positive expected gains. This implies that in Holland Casino's it is possible to beat the dealer in practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper reports a Dutch replication of North American research on the ‘prematurity stereotype’ among mothers. In a rating task, infants labeled as ‘premature’ were given less favorable scores on a number of dimensions. A questionnaire study also showed negative expectations concerning premature infants. Associations with the mothers' number of children and level of education were found. Methodological problems of this type of research are discussed. To a large extent, the effects found can be ascribed to the ‘demand characteristics’ of the experiment and the normal effects of expectations on perception. It is argued that researchers should not automatically label such behavior as ‘stereotyping’: There must also be evidence of a failure to adapt expectations in the face of conflicting evidence. Recommendations are made concerning future research in this area, and the importance of providing clear and complete information for the public on the effects of prematurity is stressed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper we have presented a simple behavioural model of government decision-making with an empirical application to The Netherlands. The ultimate aim is a satisfactory positive theory of the behaviour of the government (organization) from a micro-economic point of view. In the approach a central role is allocated to the own interests of government sector workers (politicians and bureaucrats). The interests of other social groups will in practice to a greater or lesser extent -- but not automatically. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We investigate econometrically whether cultural diversity at the workplace boosts innovation. Our longitudinal linked employer-employee data combines two innovation surveys, with Dutch administrative, tax and regional data. We analyse the determinants of a firm's product and process innovations with respect to the firm's internal resources, employee composition and regional agglomeration externalities. We reconfirm the findings of several other recent studies showing a positive partial correlation between innovation and cultural diversity in pooled cross-sectional data; in some cases even when accounting for reverse causation. However, no statistically significant traces of benefit for innovation from cultural diversity remain after introducing firm fixed effects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Employing micro-data of Dutch local business units, we show that firm characteristics such as size, economic activity, the traded product portfolio, the focus of trade involvement and the geographic pattern of trade are important determinants of recovery following the trade collapse of 2008-2009, both in terms of speed and depth. Our findings suggest that post-crisis growth is faster for trade in goods further downstream of the value chain and thus closer to the final consumer. Trade recovery at the firm-level does not crucially hinge on locational factors such as the province in which a firm is located or regional revealed comparative advantages in particular product groups. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Please cite this paper as: Lucas S. Acute bacterial meningitis during and after pregnancy. BJOG 2012;119:1555-1557. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Please cite this paper as: van der Tuuk K, Koopmans C, Groen H, Mol B, van Pampus M for the HYPITAT study group. Impact of the HYPITAT trial on doctors' behaviour and prevalence of eclampsia in the Netherlands. BJOG 2011;118:1658-1660. We questioned if participation in the HYPITAT trial (induction of labour versus expectant monitoring in women with gestational hypertension or pre-eclampsia at term) impacted implementation of its results and subsequently maternal health. We identified women with hypertensive disease from the Perinatal Registry, and distinguished the period before, during and after the trial. We included 43 641 women. Induction of labour increased from 58.3 to 67.1% ( P < 0.001) and prevalence of eclampsia decreased from 0.85 to 0.19% ( P < 0.001) before and after the trial. Concurrently, participation in the HYPITAT trial among others had immediate consequences for obstetric management and maternal health. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]