Developments in rural areas in relation with developments in land and water management research in the Netherlands. 2. Rural development plans and research.

The relationship between improvement plans for rural areas in the Netherlands and agricultural research is discussed. This research is briefly reviewed, under the headings water management (including water supply, drainage, evaporation, geohydrology and water quality), soil technology (including tillage requirements, subsidence, and soil physical properties in urban areas) and land layout (including agricultural, rural recreational, ecological and urban uses). (Abstract retrieved from CAB Abstracts by CABI’s permission

Developments in rural areas in relation with developments in land and water management research in the Netherlands. I. Economic development and rural development plans.

Since 1900 seven successive stages can be distinguished in the development of agricultural engineering and in land and water management research in the Netherlands. The development process is traced from the introduction of fertilizers during 1900-1930, through mechanisation, improvement of water management and land accessibility, and increase in the size and specialisation of units, to increasing emphasis on the ecological and recreational value of land. The main features of economical development in agriculture after 1945 are disucssed, including changes in production volume, structure and costs, labour input and productivity, and the cost of wages. The influence of land and water management projects on the rise in agricultural productivity is considered, together with the present policy of selective growth. (Abstract retrieved from CAB Abstracts by CABI’s permission

Characterization of carbon contamination under ion and hot atom bombardment in a tin-plasma extreme ultraviolet light source

Molecular contamination of a grazing incidence collector for extreme ultraviolet (EUV) lithography was experimentally studied. A carbon film was found to have grown under irradiation from a pulsed tin plasma discharge. Our studies show that the film is chemically inert and has characteristics that are typical for a hydrogenated amorphous carbon film. It was experimentally observed that the film consists of carbon (~70 at. %), oxygen (~20 at. %) and hydrogen (bound to oxygen and carbon), along with a few at. % of tin. Most of the oxygen and hydrogen are most likely present as OH groups, chemically bound to carbon, indicating an important role for adsorbed water during the film formation process. It was observed that the film is predominantly sp3 hybridized carbon, as is typical for diamond-like carbon. The Raman spectra of the film, under 514 and 264 nm excitation, are typical for hydrogenated diamond-like carbon. Additionally, the lower etch rate and higher energy threshold in chemical ion sputtering in H2 plasma, compared to magnetron-sputtered carbon films, suggests that the film exhibits diamond-like carbon properties.Comment: 18 pages, 10 figure

Verslag van een 14-daagse studiereis betreffende het wetenschappelijk onderzoek naar openluchtrecreatie in de Verenigde Staten van Noord-Amerika en Canada

Excursieversla

Genetic epidemiology of osteoarthritis: Studies of familial aggregation and candidate genes

O steoalthritis eO A) is the most common rheumatic disease and an i.mportant cause of disability in the elderly (l,2). It is characterized by a progressive degeneration of articular cartilage of diarthrodial joint::; without synovial inflammation or bone erosions. Il leads in a minority of subjects to clinical OA, Le. joint pain, limited range of motion of the affected jOint, joint effusion, local inflanul1atory reaction or crepitus. The dinical diagnosis of OA is confirmed by radiographic evidence, reflecting deterioration of cal1ilage with narrowing of joint space, formation of osteophytes at the joint margins, development of sclerosis of subchondral bone and development of pseudocystic areas in subchondral bone. OA is a chronic disease with a multifactorial etiology that includes genetic factors (e.g. skeletal disorders, heritable forms of obesity\\ other systemic factors (e.g. age, sex, race, bone mineral density), biomechanical factors (e.g. trauma, joint deformity, muscle weakness) and environmental factors (e.g. nutrition, spons, estrogen replacement therapy). The genetic influence on the etiology of OA has long been recognized for women with Heberden's nodes and for patients with generalized OA 0,4). There is growing evidence from POFulationbased studies, that comnlOn forms of OA, such as hand and knee OA, are also heritable (5-7). Various mutations in several genes have been detected in families with severe early-onset OA associated with heritable disorders as osteochondrodysplasia, Stickler syndrome, chondrocalcinosis or epiphyseal dysplasia (8,9). It remains largely unclear which genes are involved in causing common forms of OA that occur in an elderly population. Finally, genetic susceptibility to OA could also result from genetic influences on risk factors for OA, like obesity and increased bone mineral density. This thesis first describes some issues of consideration when studying the genetic epidemiology of a complex disease as osteoarthritis (Chapter 2.1). Next, the methods of the studies presented in this thesis are described

Graphene defect formation by extreme ultraviolet generated photoelectrons

We have studied the effect of photoelectrons on defect formation in graphene during extreme ultraviolet (EUV) irradiation. Assuming the major role of these low energy electrons, we have mimicked the process by using low energy primary electrons. Graphene is irradiated by an electron beam with energy lower than 80 eV. After e-beam irradiation, it is found that the D peak, I(D), appears in the Raman spectrum, indicating defect formation in graphene. The evolution of I(D)/I(G) follows the amorphization trajectory with increasing irradiation dose, indicating that graphene goes through a transformation from microcrystalline to nanocrystalline and then further to amorphous carbon. Further, irradiation of graphene with increased water partial pressure does not significantly change the Raman spectra, which suggests that, in the extremely low energy range, e-beam induced chemical reactions between residual water and graphene is not the dominant mechanism driving defect formation in graphene. Single layer graphene, partially suspended over holes was irradiated with EUV radiation. By comparing with the Raman results from e-beam irradiation, it is concluded that the photoelectrons, especially those from the valence band, contribute to defect formation in graphene during irradiation.Comment: appears in Journal of Applied Physics 201