Keuzestress!?

In de media en de sociologie wordt steeds vaker de indruk gewekt dat hedendaagse individuen aan stress en frustratie ten onder gaan vanwege hun schijnbaar onbeperkte keuzevrijheid. Maar is dat zo? Mensen blijken keuzestress bij hun alledaagse keuzes op drie manieren te ondervangen

Biomechanical loading during running: can a two mass-spring-damper model be used to evaluate ground reaction forces for high-intensity tasks?

Running impact forces expose the body to biomechanical loads leading to beneficial adaptations, but also risk of injury. High-intensity running tasks, especially, are deemed highly demanding for the musculoskeletal system, but loads experienced during these actions are not well understood. To eventually predict GRF and understand the biomechanical loads experienced during such activities in greater detail, this study aimed to (1) examine the feasibility of using a simple two mass-spring-damper model, based on eight model parameters, to reproduce ground reaction forces (GRFs) for high-intensity running tasks and (2) verify whether the required model parameters were physically meaningful. This model was used to reproduce GRFs for rapid accelerations and decelerations, constant speed running and maximal sprints. GRF profiles and impulses could be reproduced with low to very low errors across tasks, but subtler loading characteristics (impact peaks, loading rate) were modelled less accurately. Moreover, required model parameters varied strongly between trials and had minimal physical meaning. These results show that although a two mass-spring-damper model can be used to reproduce overall GRFs for high-intensity running tasks, the application of this simple model for predicting GRFs in the field and/or understanding the biomechanical demands of training in greater detail is likely limited

Feasibility study: using δ18O-PO4 to identify phosphate sources in Dutch surface waters: peat, manure, sewage treatment plant or natural, nutrient-rich groundwater?

High nutrient concentrations are in the Netherlands and most other European nations the biggest challenge to comply with the European water quality guidelines. The continuous application of manure and fertilizers by farmers has a strong impact on the phosphate concentrations in surface water systems..

Care for mental well-being of cancer patients:Support during and after primary treatment

Item does not contain fulltextCancer is associated with sometimes strong emotions. However, emotions are mostly adaptive - they help people adapt to cancer. Adaptive emotions do not need to be treated; instead, emotional support is key. Professional mental health care is indicated only when emotions are no longer adaptive. Oncologists, nurses, and especially general practitioners play an important role in identifying people who qualify for referral to mental health care. Prior mental health problems, a weak social support system, and a relatively stressful disease course or treatment are risk factors for cancer-related emotional problems. Training and the development of professional networks can contribute to optimizing the availability, accessibility and quality of supportive care for mental well-being during and after cancer treatment. In addition, providing good information to patients is important, to enable them to find supportive care