Local farmers in Central Kalimantan have continued to destroy peatlands in the area to make space for planting more profitable crops like oil palm. These peatlands store huge amounts of carbon and degrading them increases the release of greenhouse gases emissions. For this reason, planting of naturally …

The natural value of Dutch sandy beaches has been declining for decades. These relatively unstable, low nutritious, wave-washed environments lack the primary producers that represent the base of the food web. Thus, the sandy beach food web relies almost entirely on nutrient influx of other systems. Beside …

The Reeuwijkse Plassen have been dealing with a declining water quality for the past century. One of the problems is eutrophication due to in- and outflow of nutrient rich water from surrounding areas which caused algae blooms and turbid waters. The waterboard Hoogheemraadschap Rijnland implemented measures …

Thermal comfort in operating theatres is a less addressed research component of the in-door environment in operating theatres. The air quality naturally gets most attention when considering the risk of surgical site infections. However, the importance of thermal comfort must not be underestimated. In …

This entry begins by reviewing the definitions of “human”, “environment” and “dichotomy”, consequently turning to the debates concerning the human–environment relationship. Synthesizing various studies, the capability of advanced tool use; language, hyper-sociality, advanced cognition, morality, civilization, …

Noise is a common problem in hospitals, and it is known that social behavior can influence sound levels. The aim of this naturally-occurring field experiment was to assess the influence of a non-talking rule on the actual sound level and perception of patients in an outpatient infusion center. In a quasi-randomized …

The prevalence of obesity has almost tripled in the last four decades and is therefore an increasing threat to human health. Overnutrition – the excessive consumption of energy or nutrients, exceeding energy requirements – is believed to be one of the root causes of overweight and obesity. In literature, …

The loss of range of motion (ROM) in the upper extremities can interfere with activities of daily living (ADL) and, therefore, many interventions focus on improving impaired ROM. The question, however, is what joint angles are needed to naturally perform ADL. The present review aimed to compile and synthesize …

This study examines the role the European Union Battlegroups can play in accomplishing EU security goals. In doing so, an assessment is made of the capabilities and shortcomings of the Battlegroups in light of EU defence ambitions. The security environment of the European Union is changing. Since the …

The idea of European unity, in any case the official entity as it is commu­nicated by the European Commission, is intrinsically linked to the end of the Second World War: the Stunde Null or 'Hour Zero' on the 8th of May 1945. Industry was in shambles, many cities had been destroyed, and the European …