An echosounder view on the potential effects of impulsive noise pollution on pelagic fish around windfarms in the North Sea

Anthropogenic noise in the oceans is disturbing marine life. Among other groups, pelagic fish are likely to be affected by sound from human activities, but so far have received relatively little attention. Offshore wind farms have become numerous and will become even more abundant in the next decades. Wind farms can be interesting to pelagic fish due to food abundance or fisheries restrictions. At the same time, construction of wind farms involves high levels of anthropogenic noise, likely disturbing and/or deterring pelagic fish. Here, we investigated whether bottom-moored echosounders are a suitable tool for studying the effects of impulsive - intermittent, high-intensity - anthropogenic noise on pelagic fish around wind farms and we explored the possible nature of their responses. Three different wind farms along the Dutch and Belgian coast were examined, one with exposure to the passing by of an experimental seismic survey with a full-scale airgun array, one with pile driving activity in an adjacent wind farm construction site and one control site without exposure. Two bottom-moored echosounders were placed in each wind farm and recorded fish presence and behaviour before, during and after the exposures. The echosounders were successful in detecting variation in the number of fish schools and their behaviour. During the seismic survey exposure there were significantly fewer, but more cohesive, schools than before, whereas during pile driving fish swam shallower with more cohesive schools. However, the types and magnitudes of response patterns were also observed at the control site with no impulsive sound exposure. We therefore stress the need for thorough replication beyond single case studies, before we can conclude that impulsive sounds, from either seismic surveys or pile driving, are a disturbing factor for pelagic fish in otherwise attractive habitat around wind farms.Animal science

Development, Problem Behavior, and Quality of Life in a Population Based Sample of Eight-Year-Old Children with Down Syndrome

OBJECTIVE: Children with Down syndrome (DS) have delayed psychomotor development. We investigated levels of development, problem behavior, and Health-Related Quality of Life (HRQoL) in a population sample of Dutch eight-year-old children with DS. Developmental outcomes were compared with normative data of eight-year-old children from the general population. METHOD: Over a three-year-period all parents with an eight-year-old child with DS were approached by the national parent organization. Developmental skills were assessed by means of the McCarthy Scales of Children's Ability. To measure emotional and behavioral problems we used the Child Behavior Checklist. HRQoL was assessed with the TNO-AZL Children's Quality of Life questionnaire. Analyses of variance were applied to compare groups. RESULTS: A total of 337 children participated. Mean developmental age was substantially lower than mean calendar age (3.9 years, SD 0.87 and 8.1 years, SD 0.15 respectively). Mean developmental age was significantly lower among boys than girls (3.6 (SD 0.85) and 4.2 years (SD 0.82) respectively; p<0.001). Compared with the general population, children with DS had more emotional and behavioral problems (p<0.001). However on the anxious/depressed scale, they scored significantly more favorably (p<0.001). Significantly lower HRQoL scores for the scales gross motor skills, autonomy, social functioning and cognitive functioning were found (p-values<0.001). Hardly any differences were observed for the scales physical complaints, positive and negative emotions. CONCLUSION: Eight-year-old children with DS have an average developmental delay of four years, more often have emotional and behavioral problems, and have a less favorable HRQoL compared with children from the general population

Reliability, construct and criterion validity of the KIDSCREEN-10 score: a short measure for children and adolescents’ well-being and health-related quality of life

Background To assess the criterion and construct validity of the KIDSCREEN-10 well-being and health-related quality of life (HRQoL) score, a short version of the KIDSCREEN-52 and KIDSCREEN-27 instruments. Methods The child self-report and parent report versions of the KIDSCREEN-10 were tested in a sample of 22,830 European children and adolescents aged 8–18 and their parents (n = 16,237). Correlation with the KIDSCREEN-52 and associations with other generic HRQoL measures, physical and mental health, and socioeconomic status were examined. Score differences by age, gender, and country were investigated. Results Correlations between the 10-item KIDSCREEN score and KIDSCREEN-52 scales ranged from r = 0.24 to 0.72 (r = 0.27–0.72) for the self-report version (proxy-report version). Coefficients below r = 0.5 were observed for the KIDSCREEN-52 dimensions Financial Resources and Being Bullied only. Cronbach alpha was 0.82 (0.78), test–retest reliability was ICC = 0.70 (0.67) for the self- (proxy-)report version. Correlations between other children self-completed HRQoL questionnaires and KIDSCREEN-10 ranged from r = 0.43 to r = 0.63 for the KIDSCREEN children self-report and r = 0.22–0.40 for the KIDSCREEN parent proxy report. Known group differences in HRQoL between physically/mentally healthy and ill children were observed in the KIDSCREEN-10 self and proxy scores. Associations with self-reported psychosomatic complaints were r = −0.52 (−0.36) for the KIDSCREEN-10 self-report (proxy-report). Statistically significant differences in KIDSCREEN-10 self and proxy scores were found by socioeconomic status, age, and gender. Conclusions Our results indicate that the KIDSCREEN-10 provides a valid measure of a general HRQoL factor in children and adolescents, but the instrument does not represent well most of the single dimensions of the original KIDSCREEN-52. Test–retest reliability was slightly below a priori defined thresholds

Developmental skills, measured by the MSCA in a population of eight-year-old children with DS (n = 285), compared to the normative sample (NS, n = 238); raw scale scores are reported; higher scores denote more favorable skills.

*<p>p<0.05,</p>**<p>p<0.01,</p>***<p>p<0.001.</p>1<p>Cohen's <i>d</i> effect size: <i>d</i><0.2 negligible; 0.2≤<i>d</i><0.5 small; 0.5≤<i>d</i><0.8 moderate; 0.8≤<i>d</i><1.3 large; <i>d</i>≥1.3 very large.</p><p>Abbreviations: MSCA – McCarthy Scales of Children's Ability, DS – Down syndrome, NS – Normative sample, SD – standard deviation.</p

HRQoL, measured by the TACQOL, in a population of eight-year-old children with DS (n = 325), compared to the normative sample (NS, n = 519), arranged by gender; higher scores denote better HRQoL.

*<p>p<0.05,</p>**<p>p<0.01,</p>***<p>p<0.001.</p>1<p>Cohen's <i>d</i> effect size: <i>d</i><0.2 negligible; 0.2≤<i>d</i><0.5 small; 0.5≤<i>d</i><0.8 moderate; 0.8≤<i>d</i><1.3 large; <i>d</i>≥1.3 very large.</p><p>Abbreviations: HRQoL – Health-related quality of life, TACQOL – TNO-AZL Children's Quality of Life questionnaire, DS – Down syndrome, NS – Normative sample, SD – standard deviation.</p

Informele economie, uitbuiting en illegaliteit

ARTIKELEN: 1. B.M.J. Slot - Informele economie: oorsprong, oorzaak en ontwikkeling 2. M. Rensman, A. Bruil, A. van de Steeg en B. Kazemier - Het aandeel van de drugssector in het nationaal inkomen 3. R. Staring en J. Aarts - Werken in de marge; illegaal verblijvende jongeren in Nederland 4. L. van Krimpen - Mensenhandel en arbeidsuitbuiting; recente ontwikkelingen in de jurisprudentie 5. A. Bogaerts, P. Plooij en R. Zoetekouw - De bestrijding van arbeidsuitbuiting; werkwijzen en bevindingen van de SIOD 6. Boekrecensie: J.P. van der Leun over 'Economic sociology: a systematic inquiry' - Alejandro Portes 7. Internetsites. SAMENVATTING: Over de omvang en de functie van de informele economie wordt al sinds de jaren 1960 gediscussieerd. Met dit themanummer wordt beoogd in de eerste plaats inzicht te bieden in de belangrijkste kenmerken van de informele economie. Ingegaan wordt op de vraag in hoeverre deze is vervlochten met de formele en de criminele economie. Ook is er aandacht voor de positie van migranten en de functie van de informele economie als 'kraamkamer' voor nieuwe bedrijven. Ook is er aandacht voor de uitwassen van de informele economie, met name voor de mensen die voor hun overleven aangewezen zijn op de informele sector, zoals mensen zonder verblijfsstatus, die slachtoffer worden van uitbuiting. Actuele ontwikkelingen in de opsporing en jurisprudentie komen uitgebreid aan bod