Groundwater fluxes and flow paths within coastal barriers: Observations from a large-scale laboratory experiment (BARDEX II)

The dynamics of groundwater at the beach face land�ocean boundary have important implications to the exchange of water, nutrients, and pollutants between the ocean and coastal aquifers, and more subtly, varying groundwater levels may induce differing morphological response at the beach face. As a component of the multi-institution Barrier Dynamics Experiment (BARDEX II), groundwater fluxes and flow paths within a prototype-scale sandy barrier are quantified and reported at the three fundamental spatio-temporal scales (individual waves, the beach face, and total barrier), under controlled wave and water level conditions. A particular feature of the experimental programme was the inclusion of a back-barrier �lagoon�, that via a pump system and an intermediate water reservoir enabled the forcing of contrasting hydraulic gradients across the barrier. It was observed that the groundwater level, flow paths, and fluxes within the beach face region of the sand barrier were predominantly controlled by the action of waves at the beach face, regardless of the overall seaward- or landward-directed barrier-scale hydraulic gradients. In the presence of waves, all tests undertaken to complete this study developed a seaward gradient in this zone under the influence of waves. As a further result of wave forcing at the beach face boundary, localised groundwater flow divides were observed to develop, further partitioning the circulation and flow paths of groundwater within the prototype-scale sand barrier

Negotiating safety practice in small construction companies

AbstractSmall construction companies have high rates of work related injuries and pervasive challenges in preventing them. This article examines safety practice from the employee perspective, taking into account the role of the owner–manager and interactions with customers in everyday work settings. Data were derived from a qualitative multi-case study of ten small construction companies (carpentry/plumbing/masonry) involving one or two-man work crews. The analytic approach is phenomenological, based on thematic content analysis of interviews and participant-observations. The employees’ general approach to safety was “to take care of oneself”, which, in addition to standardized rule-based knowledge, drew on individual feelings, personal experience and the balancing of various concerns in different work settings, e.g. workflow, customer satisfaction, good work relations and safety issues. In the context of small companies, safety practice was negotiated in the tension between owner–manager decisions and employees’ self-administration, which also was reflected in the way safety was communicated and learned within the companies as a matter of professionalism and individual mastering. Safety was rarely in explicit focus among employees in the small construction companies. It was an intrinsic part of their craftsmanship, established and negotiated in work situations and in interactions, in particular with customers. Safety issues were rarely shared or communicated as a common issue within the company. Consequently owner–managers had limited impact on the employees’ daily safety practices. Injury prevention approaches should take into account the limited impact that owner–managers had on the day-to-day safety practices, as well as the importance of the employees’ relationships with the customers

Genome-Wide Association Study in BRCA1 Mutation Carriers Identifies Novel Loci Associated with Breast and Ovarian Cancer Risk

BRCA1-associated breast and ovarian cancer risks can be modified by common genetic variants. To identify further cancer risk-modifying loci, we performed a multi-stage GWAS of 11,705 BRCA1 carriers (of whom 5,920 were diagnosed with breast and 1,839 were diagnosed with ovarian cancer), with a further replication in an additional sample of 2,646 BRCA1 carriers. We identified a novel breast cancer risk modifier locus at 1q32 for BRCA1 carriers (rs2290854, P = 2.7×10-8, HR = 1.14, 95% CI: 1.09-1.20). In addition, we identified two novel ovarian cancer risk modifier loci: 17q21.31 (rs17631303, P = 1.4×10-8, HR = 1.27, 95% CI: 1.17-1.38) and 4q32.3 (rs4691139, P = 3.4×10-8, HR = 1.20, 95% CI: 1.17-1.38). The 4q32.3 locus was not associated with ovarian cancer risk in the general population or BRCA2 carriers, suggesting a BRCA1-specific associat