Grootschalige concentratie- en depositiekaarten Nederland : Rapportage 2014

Nieuwe concentratie- en depositiekaarten voor NSL en PAS Het RIVM heeft kaarten opgesteld waarop staat aangegeven wat in 2013 in Nederland de concentraties in de lucht waren van onder andere stikstofdioxide en fijn stof. Ook is op een kaart aangegeven in welke mate stikstof op de bodem neerslaat. Daarnaast zijn toekomstberekeningen voor deze stoffen gemaakt voor de periode 2015- 2030. De kaarten worden gebruikt voor de monitoring van het Nationaal Samenwerkingsprogramma Luchtkwaliteit (NSL) en de Programmatische Aanpak Stikstof (PAS). Hiermee worden onder andere de effecten van ruimtelijke plannen getoetst Stikstofdioxideconcentraties voor 2015 veelal lager De gemeten concentraties stikstofdioxide waren in 2013 lager dan in 2012. De concentraties die voor 2015 zijn berekend, zijn op de meeste locaties lager dan vorig jaar was geraamd. Toch blijven er een aantal probleemgebieden bestaan waarin de verwachte concentraties hoger zijn dan vorig jaar geraamd, vooral in de regio's Rotterdam en Den Haag. Wat de verwachte overschrijdingen van de normen in 2015 betreft, zal dat in Amsterdam en Utrecht op minder locaties aan de orde zijn dan eerder was ingeschat, en in Rotterdam op meer locaties Drie oorzaken voor deze aangepaste verwachting zijn het belangrijkst. Als eerste is bij de ramingen een correctie aangebracht voor systematische verschillen tussen gemeten en berekende stikstofdioxideconcentraties. Ten tweede stoten de nieuwste modellen vrachtauto's minder stikstofoxiden uit dan eerder was ingeschat. Ten derde zijn effecten meegenomen van het SER-energieakkoord uit 2013. Hierin zijn afspraken gemaakt om energie te besparen bij huishoudens, industrie en landbouw en het aandeel alternatieve energiebronnen als wind- en zonne-energie te vergroten Roetconcentraties dalen naar verwachting verder Steeds meer dieselauto's hebben een filter, waarmee roet effectief wordt afgevangen. Op basis van het huidige beleid wordt geschat dat de roetconcentratie de komende jaren verder daalt, en in 2020 bijna zal zijn gehalveerd ten opzicht van het huidige niveau Daling stikstofdepositie onveranderd De neerslag van stikstof op de bodem in Nederland daalt naar verwachting de komende jaren in ongeveer dezelfde mate als vorig jaar was geraamd. Een dalende stikstofdepositie is een voorwaarde voor natuurbehoudNew maps of concentrations and depositions for NSL and PAS In this report, the National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM) presents the latest maps of air concentrations in the Netherlands for several substances, including nitrogen dioxide and particulate matter for 2013. It also presents the maps for the deposition of nitrogen compounds to the soil for that year. Calculations for the future (2015-2030) have also been made. The maps are being used in the national air quality collaboration programme (NSL) and for the programmatic approach to nitrogen (PAS) for monitoring new spatial planning projects Nitrogen dioxide concentrations mostly lower for 2015 The measured concentrations of nitrogen dioxide were in 2013 lower than in 2012. Concentrations calculated for 2015 are at most locations below last year's estimates. Yet, there remain a number of areas where the expected concentrations are higher than last year's estimates, especially in the vicinity of Rotterdam and The Hague. The limit value for the nitrogen dioxide concentration will probably be exceeded in fewer locations in Amsterdam and Utrecht than was estimated earlier and in more locations in Rotterdam in 2015 There are three main reasons for these adjusted expectations of future concentrations. First, a correction is applied to projections of nitrogen dioxide concentrations for systematic differences between measured and calculated concentrations. Second, the latest truck models emit less nitrogen oxides than was previously expected. Third, the effects of the SER energy agreement from 2013 have been taken into account. Arrangements have been made in the agreement to save energy in households, industry and agriculture, and to increase the share of alternative energy sources, such as, wind and solar energy Soot concentrations are expected to decrease further More and more diesel cars have a filter, which is effective in capturing soot. It is expected that, based on the current policies, the soot concentrations will continue to decrease in the coming years and will be reduced by almost 50 percent by 2020 compared to current levels Decrease in nitrogen deposition unchanged The deposition of nitrogen to the soil in the Netherlands is expected to decrease in the coming years by approximately the same amount as was estimated last year. A reduction in nitrogen deposition is a prerequisite for nature conservationMinisterie van I&

Accelerating growth of HFC-227ea (1,1,1,2,3,3,3-heptafluoropropane) in the atmosphere

We report the first measurements of 1,1,1,2,3,3,3-heptafluoropropane (HFC-227ea), a substitute for ozone depleting compounds, in air samples originating from remote regions of the atmosphere and present evidence for its accelerating growth. Observed mixing ratios ranged from below 0.01 ppt in deep firn air to 0.59 ppt in the current northern mid-latitudinal upper troposphere. Firn air samples collected in Greenland were used to reconstruct a history of atmospheric abundance. Year-on-year increases were deduced, with acceleration in the growth rate from 0.029 ppt per year in 2000 to 0.056 ppt per year in 2007. Upper tropospheric air samples provide evidence for a continuing growth until late 2009. Furthermore we calculated a stratospheric lifetime of 370 years from measurements of air samples collected on board high altitude aircraft and balloons. Emission estimates were determined from the reconstructed atmospheric trend and suggest that current "bottom-up" estimates of global emissions for 2005 are too high by a factor of three

Greenhouse gas emissions in The Netherlands 1990-2012 : National Inventory Report 2014

In 2012 is de totale uitstoot van broeikasgassen van Nederland, zoals CO2, methaan en lachgas, met ongeveer 1,7 procent gedaald ten opzichte van 2011. Deze daling komt vooral door een lager brandstofgebruik in de energie- en transportsector. Dit lijkt een gevolg van de economische recessie, waardoor emissies door elektriciteitsproductie en het wegtransport in Nederland zijn afgenomen. Cijfers De totale broeikasgasemissie wordt uitgedrukt in CO2-equivalenten en bedraagt in 2012 191,7 teragram (megaton of miljard kilogram) . Ten opzichte van de uitstoot in het Kyoto-basisjaar (213,2 Tg CO2-equivalenten) is dit een afname van ongeveer 10 procent. Het basisjaar, dat afhankelijk van het broeikasgas 1990 of 1995 is, dient voor het Kyoto-protocol als referentie voor de uitstoot van broeikasgassen. De uitstoot van de overige broeikasgassen zoals lachgas en methaan is sinds het basisjaar met 51 procent afgenomen. De CO2-uitstoot daarentegen is in deze periode met 4 procent gestegen. Landen zijn voor het Kyoto-protocol verplicht om de totale uitstoot van broeikasgassen op twee manieren te rapporteren: met en zonder het soort landgebruik en de verandering daarin. Dit is namelijk van invloed op de uitstoot van broeikasgassen. Voorbeelden zijn natuurontwikkeling (dat CO2 bindt) of ontbossing (waardoor CO2 wordt uitgestoten). In bovengenoemde getallen zijn deze zogeheten LULUCF-emissies (Land Use, Land Use Change and Forestry) niet meegenomen. Overige onderdelen inventarisatie Het RIVM stelt jaarlijks op verzoek van het Ministerie van Infrastructuur en Milieu (IenM) de inventarisatie van broeikasgasemissies op. De inventarisatie bevat trendanalyses om ontwikkelingen in de uitstoot van broeikasgassen tussen 1990 en 2012 te verklaren, en een analyse van de onzekerheid in deze getallen. Ook is aangegeven welke bronnen het meest aan deze onzekerheid bijdragen. Daarnaast biedt de inventarisatie documentatie van de gebruikte berekeningsmethoden, databronnen en toegepaste emissiefactoren. Met deze inventarisatie voldoet Nederland aan de nationale rapportageverplichtingen voor 2012 van het Klimaatverdrag van de Verenigde Naties (UNFCCC), van het Kyoto-Protocol en van het Bewakingsmechanisme Broeikasgassen van de Europese Unie.Total greenhouse gas emissions from the Netherlands in 2012 decreased by approximately 1.7 per cent, compared with 2011 emissions. This decrease is mainly the result of decreased fuel combustion in the Energy sector (increased electricity import) and in road transport. In 2012, total direct greenhouse gas emissions (excluding emissions from LULUCF - land use, land use change and forestry) in the Netherlands amounted to 191.7 Tg CO2 eq. This is approximately 10 per cent below the emissions in the base year (213.2 Tg CO2 eq.). The 51% reduction in the non-CO2 emissions in this period is counterbalanced by 4 per cent increase in CO2 emissions since 1990. This report documents the Netherlands' 2014 annual submission of its greenhouse gas emissions inventory in accordance with the guidelines provided by the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), the Kyoto Protocol and the European Union's Greenhouse Gas Monitoring Mechanism. The report comprises explanations of observed trends in emissions; a description of an assessment of key sources and their uncertainty; documentation of methods, data sources and emission factors applied; and a description of the quality assurance system and the verification activities performed on the data.Ministerie van I&

Increasing incidence of skin disorders in children? A comparison between 1987 and 2001

BACKGROUND: The increasing proportion of skin diseases encountered in general practice represents a substantial part of morbidity in children. Only limited information is available about the frequency of specific skin diseases. We aimed to compare incidence rates of skin diseases in children in general practice between 1987 and 2001. METHODS: We used data on all children aged 0–17 years derived from two consecutive surveys performed in Dutch general practice in 1987 and 2001. Both surveys concerned a longitudinal registration of GP consultations over 12 months. Each disease episode was coded according to the International Classification of Primary Care. Incidence rates of separate skin diseases were calculated by dividing all new episodes for each distinct ICPC code by the average study population at risk. Data were stratified for socio-demographic characteristics. RESULTS: The incidence rate of all skin diseases combined in general practice decreased between 1987 and 2001. Among infants the incidence rate increased. Girls presented more skin diseases to the GP. In the southern part of the Netherlands children consulted their GP more often for skin diseases compared to the northern part. Children of non-Western immigrants presented relatively more skin diseases to the GP. In general practice incidence rates of specific skin diseases such as impetigo, dermatophytosis and atopic dermatitis increased in 2001, whereas warts, contact dermatitis and skin injuries decreased. CONCLUSION: The overall incidence rate of all skin diseases combined in general practice decreased whereas the incidence rates of bacterial, mycotic and atopic skin diseases increased

Challenges to the development of antigen-specific breast cancer vaccines

Continued progress in the development of antigen-specific breast cancer vaccines depends on the identification of appropriate target antigens, the establishment of effective immunization strategies, and the ability to circumvent immune escape mechanisms. Methods such as T cell epitope cloning and serological expression cloning (SEREX) have led to the identification of a number target antigens expressed in breast cancer. Improved immunization strategies, such as using dendritic cells to present tumor-associated antigens to T lymphocytes, have been shown to induce antigen-specific T cell responses in vivo and, in some cases, objective clinical responses. An outcome of successful tumor immunity is the evolution of antigen-loss tumor variants. The development of a polyvalent breast cancer vaccine, directed against a panel of tumor-associated antigens, may counteract this form of immune escape

Diagnosis of alpha-1-antitrypsin deficiency in bleeding disorder-related neonatal death

Alpha-1-antitrypsin (AAT) deficiency is a rare genetic disorder characterized by hepatitis in neonates, childhood and adulthood (protease inhibitor (PI)*ZZ) and emphysema with or without hepatitis (PI*ZZ)/(PI*SS,SZ or null) in adulthood. We report the case of a female neonate born at 40 weeks of gestation who presented with vitamin K deficiency-related intracranial bleeding and cholestasis of which she died at 28 days of age. At autopsy, the infant was found to have intracranial bleeding, hepatomegaly, and cholestasis with paucity of bile ducts in the liver. Small periodic acid-Schiff diastase positive intrahepatic granules and positive staining with antibodies against AAT protein suggested an AAT deficiency. AAT is a glycoprotein that has a protease inhibitor function. Its deficiency can be the result of various point mutations in Serpin 1 located on chromosome 14. The diagnosis AAT deficiency was confirmed by mutation analysis showing the PI*ZZ genotype in the neonate. In conclusion, AAT deficiency is a rare genetic disorder that can lead to a serious bleeding disorder in the neonatal period if not recognised on time. Pathological diagnosis together with verifying molecular analysis can be used to identify index patients

Prediction of ventricular arrhythmia in phospholamban p.Arg14del mutation carriers–reaching the frontiers of individual risk prediction

Aims: This study aims to improve risk stratification for primary prevention implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD) implantation by developing a new mutation-specific prediction model for malignant ventricular arrhythmia (VA) in phospholamban (PLN) p.Arg14del mutation carriers. The proposed model is compared to an existing PLN risk model. / Methods and results: Data were collected from PLN p.Arg14del mutation carriers with no history of malignant VA at baseline, identified between 2009 and 2020. Malignant VA was defined as sustained VA, appropriate ICD intervention, or (aborted) sudden cardiac death. A prediction model was developed using Cox regression. The study cohort consisted of 679 PLN p.Arg14del mutation carriers, with a minority of index patients (17%) and male sex (43%), and a median age of 42 years [interquartile range (IQR) 27-55]. During a median follow-up of 4.3 years (IQR 1.7-7.4), 72 (10.6%) carriers experienced malignant VA. Significant predictors were left ventricular ejection fraction, premature ventricular contraction count/24 h, amount of negative T waves, and presence of low-voltage electrocardiogram. The multivariable model had an excellent discriminative ability {C-statistic 0.83 [95% confidence interval (CI) 0.78-0.88]}. Applying the existing PLN risk model to the complete cohort yielded a C-statistic of 0.68 (95% CI 0.61-0.75). / Conclusion: This new mutation-specific prediction model for individual VA risk in PLN p.Arg14del mutation carriers is superior to the existing PLN risk model, suggesting that risk prediction using mutation-specific phenotypic features can improve accuracy compared to a more generic approach