Glens Falls Research Articles

Assessing awareness and compliance with fish consumption advisories on the upper Hudson River: Implications for risk management of the Hudson River Superfund site

Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) are a common environmental contaminant. The NYS Department of Health (DOH) issues fish consumption advisories to limit consumption of PCB-contaminated fish. Fish consumption advisories are utilized as institutional controls within the Hudson River Superfund site to limit exposure to PCBs. There is a “Do Not Eat” advisory for all species caught in the upper Hudson River, from Glens Falls, NY to Troy, NY. The section of the river below Bakers Falls also has a catch-and-release regulation issued by the NYS Department of Environmental Conservation. There is limited research on the effectiveness of these advisories in preventing consumption of contaminated fish in the context of Superfund site risk management. We surveyed individuals actively fishing on the upper Hudson River in the area with a “Do Not Eat” advisory, specifically between Hudson Falls and the Federal Dam in Troy, NY. The goal of the survey was to assess knowledge of the consumption guidelines, and if the guidelines are effectively preventing exposure to PCBs. A subset of individuals continue to consume fish caught from the upper Hudson River Superfund site. Awareness of advisories was inversely related to fish consumption from the Superfund site. Age, race, and possession of a fishing license were associated with overall awareness of fish consumption guidelines; age and possession of a license were associated with awareness of the “Do Not Eat” advisory. While institutional controls appear to have a beneficial impact, there is incomplete awareness and compliance with advisories and regulations aimed at preventing exposure to PCBs from fish consumption. Risk assessment and management strategies for contaminated fisheries should consider imperfect adherence to fish consumption guidelines.

Models for prehistoric lithic quarry development

Archaeologists have struggled to find meaningful and cost effective ways to analyze and interpret prehistoric quarry sites. Quarry site deposits typically contain large quantities of broken rock fragments that generally lack morphological attributes commonly used for lithic debitage analysis. Remnants of quarry pits often overlap and converge, forming complex cultural landscapes that are difficult to document and understand. Archaeological excavations near Glens Falls, New York, uncovered evidence of prehistoric mine pits, dense layers of chert quarry debris, and intensively battered bedrock surfaces. High resolution mass analysis was used to analyze large quantities of quarry debris. A new classification for prehistoric quarry sites and new models for quarry site development are proposed.

Fish Consumption Advisories for Superfund Site Risk Management

Background: Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) are a common environmental contaminant within fish species of New York State (NYS). The NYS Department of Health (DOH) issues fish consumption advisories to limit consumption of PCB contaminated fish. Fish consumption advisories may be incorporated into Superfund remedial action plans as “institutional controls” to limit exposure. Within heavily contaminated Superfund sites, the NYS DOH often recommends consuming no fish. There is limited research on the effectiveness of these advisories in preventing consumption of contaminated fish. Methods: We surveyed anglers actively fishing in two PCB contaminated Superfund sites 1) the lower Grass River in Massena, NY and 2) the Upper Hudson River from Glens Falls to Troy, NY. The goal of the survey was assess knowledge of the consumption guidelines, and if the guidelines are effectively preventing exposure to PCBs. Results and Conclusions: Most anglers are aware of and abide by fish consumption guidelines. Some anglers continue to consume fish caught from Superfund sites despite knowledge of the consumption guidelines. Risk assessment and management strategies for Superfund site-associated fisheries should not assume perfect adherence to fish consumption guidelines.

Community dynamics and functional characteristics of naphthalene-degrading populations in contaminated surface sediments and hypoxic/anoxic groundwater.

Earlier research on the biogeochemical factors affecting natural attenuation in coal-tar contaminated groundwater, at South Glens Falls, NY, revealed the importance of anaerobic metabolism and trophic interactions between degrader and bacterivore populations. Field-based characterizations of both phenomena have proven challenging, but advances in stable isotope probing (SIP), single-cell imaging and shotgun metagenomics now provide cultivation-independent tools for their study. We tracked carbon from 13 C-labelled naphthalene through microbial populations in contaminated surface sediments over 6 days using respiration assays, secondary ion mass spectrometry imaging and shotgun metagenomics to disentangle the contaminant-based trophic web. Contaminant-exposed communities in hypoxic/anoxic groundwater were contrasted with those from oxic surface sediments to identify putative features of anaerobic catabolism of naphthalene. In total, six bacteria were responsible for naphthalene degradation. Cupriavidus, Ralstonia and Sphingomonas predominated at the earliest stages of SIP incubations and were succeeded in later stages by Stenotrophomonas and Rhodococcus. Metagenome-assembled genomes provided evidence for the ecological and functional characteristics underlying these temporal shifts. Identical species of Stenotrophomonas and Rhodococcus were abundant in the most contaminated, anoxic groundwater. Apparent increases in bacterivorous protozoa were observed following exposure to naphthalene, though insignificant amounts of carbon were transferred between bacterial degraders and populations of secondary feeders.

Late Wisconsinan ice sheet flow across northern and central Vermont, USA

A compilation of over 2000 glacial striation azimuths across northern and central Vermont, northeastern USA, provides the basis for interpreting a sequence of ice flow directions across this area. The oldest striations indicate widespread ice flow to the southeast, obliquely across the mountains. Similarly oriented striations between northern Vermont and the ice sheet's terminus in the Gulf of Maine suggest that a broad area of southeast ice flow existed at the Last Glacial Maximum. Younger striations with more southerly azimuths on both the mountain ridgelines and within adjacent valleys indicate that ice sheet flow trajectories in most areas rotated from southeast to south, parallel to the North–South alignment of the mountains, as the ice sheet thinned. This transition in ice flow direction was time transgressive from south to north with the Green Mountains eventually separating a thick south-flowing lobe of ice in the Champlain Valley from a much thinner lobe of south-flowing ice east of the mountains. While this transition was taking place yet ice was still thick enough to flow across the mountains, ice flow along a narrow ∼65 km long section of the Green Mountains shifted to the southwest such that ice was flowing into the Champlain Valley. The most likely process driving this change was a limited period of fast ice flow in the Champlain Valley, a short-lived ice streaming event, that drew down the ice surface in the valley. The advancing ice front during this period of fast ice flow may be responsible for the Luzerne Readvance south of Glens Falls, New York. Valley-parallel striations across the area indicate strong topographic control on ice flow as the ice sheet thinned.

Modern nature: Georgia O'Keeffe and Lake George

Although OKeeffe is usually associated with the desert landscape of New Mexico, her professional development as an artist largely occurred during the years she summered at Alfred Stieglitz's family estate at Lake George, in the Adirondack mountains of upstate New York. Modern Nature, the first book to examine OKeeffe's time at Lake George in detail, looks behind the public facade OKeeffe created for herself in her later career, revealing a surprisingly different portrait of this widely mythologized artist. More than sixty colour plates reflect the extraordinary body of work created by OKeeffe at Lake George, and are accompanied by rarely seen photographs by Alfred Stieglitz and members of his circle. Published to accompany an exhibition originating at The Hyde Collection in Glens Falls, the book is essential reading for anyone interested in Georgia OKeeffe and the history of American art.

John Frederick Kensett’s Point of View in Lake George, 1869: A Correction

John Frederick Kensett’s Point of View in <i>Lake George</i>, 1869: A Correction

Re: Screening Colonoscopy for the Underserved

1 Gastroenterology Associates of Northern NY, Five Irongate Center, Glens Falls, New York, USA 2 Hudson Headwaters Health Network, Warrensburg, New York, USA Correspondence: Joseph C. Yarze, MD, FACP, FACG, FASGE, AGAF, Gastroenterology Associates of Northern NY, Five Irongate Center, Glens Falls, New York 12801, USA. E-mail: [email protected] This letter underwent AJG editorial review.

Going South: Professional Baseball's Contraction in Canada

Historically, Canada is second only to the United States as a baseball nation. The League Alliance, recognized by many as the first minor league, had the Tecumseh club of London, Ontario, as a charter member in 1877. The Ontario and Canadian Leagues appeared in the mid-188os, and before the turn of the twentieth century, baseball franchises existed as far west as British Columbia. (1) Later franchises, like the Montreal Royals and Toronto Maple Leafs, loom large in any account of minor-league history; the Royals, of course, were the AAA team with which Jackie Robinson played prior to his elevation to the major-league Dodgers. Finally, Canada remains the only nation other than the U.S. to host MLB teams. Despite all this history and cultural resonance, the professional baseball situation in Canada at present is, to put it kindly, rather bleak. Only two Organized Baseball (OB) teams called Canada home in the 2009 season: the Toronto Blue Jays (MLB) and the Vancouver Canadians (short-season Northwest League). Four more professional teams (in Calgary, Edmonton, Quebec City, and Winnipeg) can be added if independent leagues are counted (see table 1). Table 1. Canadian pro baseball teams as of 2009 Team Year began MLB Toronto Blue Jays 1977 A (Short-Season) Vancouver Canadians 2000 Independents Winnipeg Gold Eyes 1994 Quebec Capitales (Capitals) 1999 Calgary Vipers 2005 Edmonton Cracker Cats 2005 The situation was much different as recently as the early 1990s. Canada then had two MLB teams (Montreal Expos, Toronto Blue Jays), four AAA (Calgary, Edmonton, Ottawa, Vancouver), one AA (London), and five short-season or rookie teams (Hamilton, Lethbridge, Medicine Hat, St. Catharines, Welland) in OB (see table 2). In addition, independent baseball thrived in several other centers. Today, the decline in professional baseball's Canadian footprint is manifest; the independent Can-Am Association has only one Canada-based team (Quebec City) out of eight franchises, while teams in Calgary and Edmonton shifted for the 2008 season from the well-established Northern League (leaving only the highly successful Winnipeg Goldeyes) to the upstart Golden League. TABLE 2. Canada's pro baseball exodus since 1990 Team Life-span Relocated as MLB Montreal Expos 1969-2004 Washington Nationals AAA Ottawa Lynx 1993-2007 Lehigh Valley IronPigs Edmonton Trappers 1981-2004 Round Rock Express Calgary Cannons 1985-2002 Albuquerque Isotopes Vancouver Canadians 1978-1999 Sacramento RiverCats AA London Tigers 1989-1993 Trenton Thunder A (SHORT-SEASON) St. Catherines' Stompers 1986-1999 Queens Kings Welland Pirates 1989-1994 Erie Sea Wolves Hamilton Redbirds 1988-1992 Glens Falls Redbirds ROOKIE Medicine Hat Blue Jays 1978-2002 Helena Brewers Lethbridge Black Diamonds 1992-1998 Missoula Osprey Our paper explores some possible reasons for the decline of professional baseball in Canada. …

The C. R. Wood Cancer Center at Glens Falls Hospital in Glens Falls, New York

The C. R. Wood Cancer Center at Glens Falls Hospital in Glens Falls, New York

Outdoor Air PCB Concentrations in Three Communities Along the Upper Hudson River, New York

Outdoor air polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) concentrations were measured in upstate New York as part of a nonoccupational exposure investigation. The adjacent study communities of Hudson Falls and Fort Edward contain numerous sites of current and former PCB contamination, including two capacitor-manufacturing facilities. Outdoor air PCB concentrations in the study municipalities were significantly higher than in the comparison municipality of Glens Falls. Total PCB concentrations in the study area ranged from 0.102 to 4.011 ng/m(3) (median: 0.711 ng/m(3)). For the comparison area, concentrations ranged from 0.080 to 2.366 ng/m(3) (median: 0.431 ng/m(3)). Although our sampling was not designed to identify point sources, the presence of PCB-contaminated sites in the study area likely contributed to this observed difference in concentration. While elevated relative to the comparison area, total PCB concentrations in the study area are lower than those in other communities with known PCB-contaminated sites, and similar to levels reported in other locations from the northeastern United States.

Environmental exposures to polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) among older residents of upper Hudson River communities

The upper Hudson River has been heavily contaminated with polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) due to discharges from former electrical capacitor plants in Hudson Falls and Fort Edward, NY. An epidemiologic study was conducted to assess the impact of dietary and residential exposure on PCB body burden among older, long-term, non-occupationally exposed adults living in the vicinity of these former capacitor plants. The study population consisted of 133 persons 55–74 years of age who had lived in Hudson Falls or Fort Edward for 25 years or more. The comparison group consisted of 120 persons from Glens Falls, which is upriver. Both groups were interviewed, and blood samples were obtained for congener-specific PCB analysis. Persons from the study area reported greater past consumption of Hudson River fish than did the comparison area, but current rates were very low in both areas. The geometric mean serum PCB concentrations for the study and comparison populations did not differ significantly (3.07 ppb wet weight and 3.23 ppb, respectively, for total PCB). Serum PCB concentrations increased with cumulative lifetime exposure to PCBs from Hudson River fish consumption ( p<0.10). Persons who lived within 800 m of the river did not have significantly greater serum PCB concentrations than the control population, nor did persons who lived downwind and within 800 m of a PCB-contaminated site. The results indicate no detectable differences in serum PCB levels according to proximity or wind direction relative to local point sources, but lifetime consumption of Hudson River fish was positively associated with serum PCB concentrations.

Maintaining Critical Habitat in a Heavily Managed Landscape: Effects of Power Line Corridor Management on Karner Blue Butterfly (Lycaeides melissa samuelis) Habitat

Abstract The Karner blue butterfly (KBB) (Lycaeides melissa samuelis), a federally listed species, has historically been a component of barren and savannah ecosystems in the northeastern and midwestern United States. In New York, it now occurs primarily on managed, early‐successional sites such as power line corridors (utility rights‐of‐way) from Albany to Glens Falls. Blue lupine (Lupinus perennis), the exclusive larval food source of the KBB, has been suggested to be the most limiting factor for the butterfly within the eastern portion of its range. Power line corridor management maintains early‐successional habitats by suppressing the regrowth of woody species, creating potentially important habitat for the conservation and restoration of the KBB complex. This research compared the effects of several vegetation‐clearing methods on Blue lupine populations and associated communities of nectar species for KBB over an 8‐year period. Methods evaluated differed in intensity (annual, 4‐, or 8‐year intervals) and type (herbicide or mechanical). Blue lupine and plant community responses did not significantly differ among the treatment types applied to the power line corridors. However, Blue lupine cover, clump size, and density of stems per clump increased following the application of treatments in general. The number and cover of nectar species, total herbaceous cover, and species richness also responded positively to treatment overall. The percentage of non‐native species temporarily increased following treatment but declined to near pre‐treatment levels again as woody cover increased. Temporal changes in plant community composition were not related to management methods. The management tools assessed, mowing and herbicide application, will accomplish the goal of halting or reversing succession, maintaining critical habitat for the KBB in a landscape that provides little other suitable habitat.

Effect of heat exchange on the interfacial instability of gas-liquid jet

The classical linear instability theory was applied to the planar stratified twolayers flow with high speed compressible gas layer impacting on incompressible viscous liquid layer. The walls were kept at different temperatures, resulting in heat transfer across the layers. The thermal conductivity and the density of the gas were alerted when the temperature changes. After some treatment, a four-order st1ff ordinary differential equation was derived, and numerical integration and multi-shooting method were used to solve this equation for its spatial mode calculation. The numerical results of characteristic parameters show good coincidence with other models. At the same time, when the wall temperature ratio decreases, as well as the Reynolds number and the gas thermal conductivity change increases, the atomization would he more efficient and producing finer droplets. And the results show good fit with the experimental datum of HJE. Co. Inc (Glens Falls, NY, USA).

Stable lead isotopes, contaminant metals and radionuclides in upper Hudson River sediment cores: implications for improved time stratigraphy and transport processes

Radionuclide, stable lead isotope and trace metal analyses on fine-grained sediment cores collected along a 24-mile reach of the upper Hudson River were used to establish temporal trends of contaminant loadings, to establish stable lead isotopes as an additional stratigraphic tool, and as tracers for resolving particle transport fluxes over periods of decades. Very large contaminant inputs of Cd, Sb, Pb and Cr were evident in the sediment record. One potential large source for these metals was from a pigment manufacturing facility in Glens Falls, NY. The total range in stable lead isotope ratios observed in well-dated cores from about 15 miles downstream of the potential metal inputs was large (e.g., maximum difference in 206Pb/ 207Pb is 10%) and characterized by four major shifts occurring in the 1950s, 1960s, 1970s and 1980s. The temporal trend in 206Pb/ 207Pb has been used to establish precise dating of a sediment core from 24 miles further downstream. The large magnitude and abrupt shifts in stable lead isotope ratios preserved in upper Hudson sediment cores provide a way to significantly improve dating models, based only on radionuclide analyses. Cadmium, lead and antimony were identified as quite sensitive tracers of upper Hudson sediments due to the magnitude of contamination and the lack of significant additional downstream sources of these contaminant metals. Metal measurements in a pair of sediment cores located 24 miles apart were used to constrain relative fluxes of sediment entering the river between the two coring locations, with sediment sections deposited between the early 1960s and the late 1970s in these two cores suggesting that 3–4 times more sediment entered the river between the two coring sites than was transported from upstream. These dilution factors agree very well with estimates based on suspended sediment measurements during a flood event in April 1994 and with estimates based on mechanistic model of suspended sediment transport between 1977 and 1992.

Deep Excavation in Shale for a Hydroelectric Facility

This paper describes the important engineering features relating to the design and construction of a deep excavation for power canal, intake, and powerhouse structure of the Hudson Falls hydroelectric development on the Hudson River at Glens Falls, N.Y. The excavation is located in a medium hard shale with shallow dipping bedding, numerous intersecting joint sets, and several varieties of fractures. This paper presents the engineering evaluation of the slopes and identifies the importance of flexibility of construction contracts and division of responsibility between engineer and contractor to achieve a high level of cooperation in producing a very successful project.

Benchmarking in health-system pharmacy: experience at Glens Falls Hospital.

The experience of Glens Falls Hospital (GFH) with the Benchmarking Program coordinated by The Clinical Pharmacokinetics Laboratory at Millard Fillmore Hospital is described. GFH, a community hospital in upstate New York with 442 licensed beds, serves a patient population drawn from a five-county area. In 1998, GFH developed a multidisciplinary pharmacy task force charged with generating strategic initiatives for curtailing drug costs. Proposals for various programs, including specific goals, were developed with the aid of trends reported in the individual hospital reports provided by the Benchmarking Program. The data obtained through these reports helped GFH's pharmacy staff establish goals for the appropriate use of many agents, including vancomycin, and allowed GFH to assess the impact of its initiatives through comparisons with similar hospitals across the United States. In 1995, vancomycin expenditures at GFH substantially exceeded those for benchmark hospitals of similar types, but, with the implementation of new vancomycin guidelines aimed at reducing inappropriate use in 1996, the difference was eliminated. The individual hospital reports generated by the Benchmarking Program provide valuable data that can be used to assess pharmacy performance, set drug expenditure goals, and design programs to reduce antimicrobial resistance.

Production of levulinic acid and use as a platform chemical for derived products

Levulinic acid (LA) can be produced cost effectively and in high yield from renewable feedstocks in a new industrial process. The technology is being demonstrated on a 1 ton/day scale at a facility in South Glens Falls, New York. Low cost LA can be used as a platform chemical for the production of a wide range of value-added products. This research has demonstrated that LA can be converted to methyltetrahydrofuran (MTHF), a solvent and fuel extender. MTHF is produced in >80% molar yield via a single stage catalytic hydrogenation process. A new preparation of δ-aminolevulinic acid (DALA), a broad spectrum herbicide, from LA has also been developed. Each step in this new process proceeds in high (>80%) yield and affords DALA (as the hydrochloride salt) in >90% purity, giving a process that could be commercially viable. LA is also being investigated as a starting material for the production of diphenolic acid (DPA), a direct replacement for bisphenol A.

In vitro diffusion of lidocaine across endotracheal tube cuffs.

Lidocaine diffuses across endotracheal tube cuffs, which may serve as a reservoir for local anesthetic to assist in the prevention of ETT-induced cough while emerging from general anesthesia. However, the rate of diffusion is slow. Two techniques, alkalization and warming, may increase the proportion of uncharged drug available for diffusion. The purpose of this study is to determine the effectiveness of warming alkalization or warming with alkalization on diffusion. Four preparations of lidocaine 4% were studied. Group (Gr) L-lidocaine (24 degrees C), Gr WL--warmed lidocaine (38 degrees C), Gr AL--alkalized lidocaine (24 degrees C), Gr WAL--warmed, alkalized lidocaine (38 degrees C). Twenty-four Mallinckrodt 8.0 ID (Mallinckrodt Critical Care Division of Mallinckrodt, Inc., Glens Falls, New York) endotracheal tube cuffs were filled with 6 ml of one of the four preparations. They were then placed in a 20 ml water bath at 38 degrees C and samples were drawn from the water bath at intervals for up to 360 min. The lidocaine concentration in each sample was determined by gas chromatography. The highest lidocaine concentration was reached in Gr WAL (410.98 +/- 8.53 micrograms.ml-1) after 300 min and then decreased to 376.18 +/- 4.59 micrograms.ml-1 after 360 min. In Gr AL the highest concentration (235.05 +/- 2.99 micrograms.ml-1) was reached after 360 min. Lidocaine concentrations in Gr L and WL after 360 min were 3.19 +/- 1.16 micrograms.ml-1 and 4.32 +/- 2.02 micrograms.ml-1 respectively. Alkalization with or without warming, but not warming alone, promotes lidocaine diffusion from endotracheal tube cuff.

5549788 Minimal effluents discharge pulp mill with chemical recovery : Nykanen Tuomo S; Greenwood Brian F; Gullichsen Joha; Kiiskila Erkki; Mattelmaki Esko; Phillips Joseph R; Richardsen Jan T; Ryham Rolf; Soderman Jarmo; Wiklund Karl Glens Falls, NY, United States assigned to A Ahlstrom Corporation

5549788 Minimal effluents discharge pulp mill with chemical recovery : Nykanen Tuomo S; Greenwood Brian F; Gullichsen Joha; Kiiskila Erkki; Mattelmaki Esko; Phillips Joseph R; Richardsen Jan T; Ryham Rolf; Soderman Jarmo; Wiklund Karl Glens Falls, NY, United States assigned to A Ahlstrom Corporation