Using Residential History and Groundwater Modeling to Examine Drinking Water Exposure and Breast Cancer

BACKGROUND. Spatial analyses of case-control data have suggested a possible link between breast cancer and groundwater plumes in upper Cape Cod, Massachusetts. OBJECTIVE. We integrated residential histories, public water distribution systems, and groundwater modeling within geographic information systems (GIS) to examine the association between exposure to drinking water that has been contaminated by wastewater effluent and breast cancer. METHODS. Exposure was assessed from 1947 to 1993 for 638 breast cancer cases who were diagnosed from 1983 to 1993 and 842 controls; we took into account residential mobility and drinking water source. To estimate the historical impact of effluent on drinking water wells, we modified a modular three-dimensional finite-difference groundwater model (MODFLOW) from the U.S. Geological Survey. The analyses included latency and exposure duration. RESULTS. Wastewater effluent impacted the drinking water wells of study participants as early as 1966. For > 0-5 years of exposure (versus no exposure), associations were generally null. Adjusted odds ratios (AORs) for > 10 years of exposure were slightly increased, assuming latency periods of 0 or 10 years [AOR = 1.3; 95% confidence interval (CI), 0.9-1.9 and AOR = 1.6; 95% CI, 0.8-3.2, respectively]. Statistically significant associations were estimated for ever-exposed versus never-exposed women when a 20-year latency period was assumed (AOR = 1.9; 95% CI, 1.0-3.4). A sensitivity analysis that classified exposures assuming lower well-pumping rates showed similar results. CONCLUSION. We investigated the hypothesis generated by earlier spatial analyses that exposure to drinking water contaminated by wastewater effluent may be associated with breast cancer. Using a detailed exposure assessment, we found an association with breast cancer that increased with longer latency and greater exposure duration.National Cancer Institute (5R03CA119703-02); National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (5P42 ES007381

Ge-Doped microstructured multicorefiber for customizable supercontinuum generation

Supercontinuum generation in a multicore fiber in which several uncoupled cores were doped with dissimilar concentrations of germanium was studied experimentally. Germanium doping provided control over the separation between the zero-dispersion wavelength and the 1064-nm wavelength of a Q-switched Nd:YAG pump laser. Supercontinua generated independently in each core of the same piece of fiber displayed clear and repeatable differences due to the influence of germanium doping on refractive index and four-wave mixing. The spectral evolution of the subnanosecond pump pulses injected into the different cores was accurately reproduced by numerical simulations

Smart Voltage-Source Inverters with a Novel Approach to Enhance Neutral-Current Compensation

© 1982-2012 IEEE. The presence of a neutral current is quite common in three-phase (3P) four-wire (4W) distribution systems due to an unequal distribution of linear and nonlinear single-phase (1P) loads and small distributed generators. However, a high neutral current can overload the neutral conductor and distribution transformer, which can cause electrical safety concerns and even fire. Among several existing neutral current compensators, the 3P four-leg (4L) voltage-source inverter (VSI) provides better control flexibility and more efficient performance than the passive compensators but requires a higher VSI capacity for the fourth-leg operation. To provide a solution to the aforementioned problem, this paper presents a novel control method to utilize the available capacity of a 3P-4L VSI after active and reactive power regulation to enhance the neutral-current compensation. A smart VSI (SVSI) is designed to operate with a solar photovoltaic unit, regulate the ac side voltage, and minimize the neutral current. Case studies are conducted with actual load data from a commercial building in the PSCAD/EMTDC software environment. The designed system with the proposed control method can provide a significant improvement in the neutral-current compensation, phase balancing, and unbalance factor compared to a fixed-capacity 3P-4L SVSI. Experimental results using a TMS320F28335 digital signal processor microcontroller and modified Semiteach 3P-4L inverter are presented to verify the robustness of the designed controller and the enhancement to the neutral-current compensation using the proposed dynamic capacity-control method

Is affect experiencing therapeutic in major depressive disorder? Examining associations between affect experiencing and changes to the alliance and outcome in intensive short-term dynamic psychotherapy.

Affect experiencing (AE), defined as the facilitation of client in-session bodily arousal and visceral experiencing of affect, is a distinct theoretical process presumed to contribute to therapeutic improvement. This study examined the role of AE in the treatment of major depressive disorder by exploring its association to client distress and therapeutic alliance on a session-by-session basis. A case series design was used to conduct an intensive analysis of the treatment process of 4 clients who received time-limited intensive short-term dynamic psychotherapy, 2 of whom were considered "recovered" and 2 who showed "no change" based upon posttreatment outcomes. Consistent with our hypothesis, we found that cross-correlations between AE and client distress discriminated between "recovered" and "no change" clients. In "recovered" clients, there was evidence that higher in-session peak affect experience was associated with reduced distress 7 days later. The results did not provide consistent evidence for a reverse effect, showing that lower distress during the preceding week predicted higher AE in that session. Finally, there was evidence that AE is an in-session activity that can promote the strengthening of the therapeutic alliance. These collective findings suggest that AE is an important treatment process that contributes to alliance formation and psychotherapeutic improvement. Clinical implications include further evidence that psychodynamic therapists can utilize AE as an active change ingredient for depression

Broadband optical supercontinuum generation in a long cavity fibre laser

We describe optical supercontinuum generation in an actively mode-locked fibre ring laser using a pulsed mode-locking technique. Recirculation of a section of the continuum facilitated spectral broadening

An aggregator-based-strategy to minimize the cost of energy consumption by optimal utilization of energy resources in an apartment building

© 2019 IEEE. Buildings and transport consume two thirds of the total global energy. It is desirable to maximize the use of renewable generation in these sectors, and to optimize the use of that energy by managing diverse sources and loads. This is particularly challenging in high-density residential premises where the space for such infrastructure is limited, and storage can have significant impact on energy utilization and demand. In this paper, we have proposed an aggregator-based-strategy (ABS) to optimally utilize the available energy resources and storage in an apartment building with twenty households, each having an electric vehicle (EV), and an aggregated solar photovoltaic (PV) energy and stationary battery storage (BS) system. The strategy is flexible and can be applied to any building with EVs, solar PV and BS to minimize the cost of energy consumption without compromising the flexibility of energy usage or travel requirements. The model also accounts for the battery capacity degradation and its associated cost to make it more realistic. The model is evaluated using real data and the results show that the strategy not only reduces the cost of energy consumption but also reduces the amount of energy drawn from the grid significantly

Ge-Doped microstructured multicorefiber for customizable supercontinuum generation

Supercontinuum generation in a multicore fiber in which several uncoupled cores were doped with dissimilar concentrations of germanium was studied experimentally. Germanium doping provided control over the separation between the zero-dispersion wavelength and the 1064-nm wavelength of a Q-switched Nd:YAG pump laser. Supercontinua generated independently in each core of the same piece of fiber displayed clear and repeatable differences due to the influence of germanium doping on refractive index and four-wave mixing. The spectral evolution of the subnanosecond pump pulses injected into the different cores was accurately reproduced by numerical simulations

Evaluating local anthropogenic impact on remote Arctic monitoring stations: a case study at Summit, Greenland

International audienceSummit, Greenland is a remote Arctic research station allowing for field measurements at the highest point of the Greenland Ice Sheet. Due to the current reliance on diesel generators for electricity at Summit, unavoidable local emissions are a potential contamination threat to the measurement of combustion-related species in the air and snow. The effect of fossil-fuel combustion on particulate elemental carbon (EC) is assessed by a combination of ambient measurements (~1 km from the main camp), a series of snow pits (up to 20 km from Summit Camp), and Gaussian plume modeling. Ambient measurements indicate that the air directly downwind of the research station generators experiences particulate absorption coefficient (closely related to EC) values that are up to a factor of 200 higher than the summer 2006 non-camp-impacted ambient average. Local anthropogenic influence on snow EC content is also evident. The average EC concentration in 1-m snow pits in the "clean air" sector of Summit Camp are a factor of 1.8?2.4 higher than in snow pits located 10 km and 20 km to the north ("downwind") and south ("upwind") of the research site. Gaussian plume modeling performed using meteorological data from years 2003?2006 suggests a strong angular dependence of anthropogenic impact, with highest risk to the northwest of Summit Camp and lowest to the southeast. Along a transect to the southeast (5 degree angle bin), the modeled frequency of significant camp contribution to atmospheric EC (i.e. camp-produced EC>2006 summer average EC) at a distance of 0.5 km, 10 km, and 20 km is 1%, 0.2%, and 0.05%, respectively. According to both the snow pit and model results, a distance exceeding 10 km towards the southeast is expected to minimize risk of contamination. These results also suggest that other remote Arctic monitoring stations powered by local fuel combustion may need to account for local air and snow contamination in field sampling design and data interpretation

Local anthropogenic impact on particulate elemental carbon concentrations at Summit, Greenland

Summit, Greenland is a remote Arctic research station allowing for field measurements at the highest point of the Greenland Ice Sheet. Due to the current reliance on diesel generators for electricity at Summit, unavoidable local emissions are a potential contamination threat to the measurement of combustion-related species in the air and snow. The effect of fossil-fuel combustion on particulate elemental carbon (EC) is assessed by a combination of ambient measurements (~1 km from the main camp), a series of snow pits, and Gaussian plume modeling. Ambient measurements indicate that the air directly downwind of the research station generators experiences particulate absorption coefficient (closely related to EC) values that are up to a factor of 200 higher than the summer 2006 non-camp-impacted ambient average. Local anthropogenic influence on snow EC content is also evident. The average EC concentration in 1-m snow pits in the "clean air" sector of Summit Camp are a factor of 1.8–2.4 higher than in snow pits located 10 km and 20 km to the north ("downwind") and south ("upwind") of the research site. Gaussian plume modeling performed using meteorological data from years 2003–2006 suggests a strong angular dependence of anthropogenic impact, with highest risk to the northwest of Summit Camp and lowest to the southeast. Along a transect to the southeast (5 degree angle bin), the modeled frequency of significant camp contribution to atmospheric EC (i.e. camp-produced EC>summer 2006 average EC) at a distance of 0.5 km, 10 km, and 20 km is 1%, 0.2%, and 0.05%, respectively. According to both the snow pit and model results, a distance exceeding 10 km towards the southeast is expected to minimize risk of contamination. These results also suggest that other remote Arctic monitoring stations powered by local fuel combustion may need to account for local air and snow contamination in field sampling design and data interpretation

Rigorous Physicochemical Framework for Metal Ion Binding by Aqueous Nanoparticulate Humic Substances: Implications for Speciation Modeling by the NICA-Donnan and WHAM Codes

Latest knowledge on the reactivity of charged nanoparticulate complexants toward aqueous metal ions is discussed in mechanistic detail. We present a rigorous generic description of electrostatic and chemical contributions to metal ion binding by nanoparticulate complexants, and their dependence on particle size, particle type (i.e., reactive sites distributed within the particle body or confined to the surface), ionic strength of the aqueous medium, and the nature of the metal ion. For the example case of soft environmental particles such as fulvic and humic acids, practical strategies are delineated for determining intraparticulate metal ion speciation, and for evaluating intrinsic chemical binding affinities and heterogeneity. The results are compared with those obtained by popular codes for equilibrium speciation modeling (namely NICA-Donnan and WHAM). Physicochemical analysis of the discrepancies generated by these codes reveals the a priori hypotheses adopted therein and the inappropriateness of some of their key parameters. The significance of the characteristic time scales governing the formation and dissociation rates of metal−nanoparticle complexes in defining the relaxation properties and the complete equilibration of the metal− nanoparticulate complex dispersion is described. The dynamic features of nanoparticulate complexes are also discussed in the context of predictions of the labilities and bioavailabilities of the metal species