Hazardous base surges of Taal's 2020 eruption

After 43 years of repose, Taal Volcano erupted on 12 January 2020 forming hazardous base surges. Using field, remote sensing (i.e. UAV and LiDAR), and numerical methods, we gathered primary data to generate well-constrained observed information on dune bedform characteristics, impact dynamic pressures and velocities of base surges. This is to advance our knowledge on this type of hazard to understand and evaluate its consequences and risks. The dilute and wet surges traveled at 50-60 ms-1 near the crater rim and decelerated before making impact on coastal communities with dynamic pressures of at least 1.7 kPa. The base surges killed more than a thousand livestock in the southeast of Taal Volcano Island, and then traveled another ~ 600 m offshore. This work is a rare document of a complete, fresh, and practically undisturbed base surge deposit, important in the study of dune deposits formed by volcanic and other processes on Earth and other planets.

Epigenetic dynamics in cancer stem cell dormancy

Cancer remains one of the most challenging diseases despite significant advances of early diagnosis and therapeutic treatments. Cancerous tumors are composed of various cell types including cancer stem cells capable of self-renewal, proliferation, differentiation, and invasion of distal tumor sites. Most notably, these cells can enter a dormant cellular state that is resistant to conventional therapies. Thereby, cancer stem cells have the intrinsic potential for tumor initiation, tumor growth, metastasis, and tumor relapse after therapy. Both genetic and epigenetic alterations are attributed to the formation of multiple tumor types. This review is focused on how epigenetic dynamics involving DNA methylation and DNA oxidations are implicated in breast cancer and glioblastoma multiforme. The emergence and progression of these cancer types rely on cancer stem cells with the capacity to enter quiescence also known as a dormant cellular state, which dictates the distinct tumorigenic aggressiveness between breast cancer and glioblastomas.

Perceived physical availability of alcohol at work and workplace alcohol use and impairment: testing a structural model

This study develops and tests a new conceptual model of perceived physical availability of alcohol at work that provides unique insight into 3 dimensions of workplace physical availability of alcohol and their direct and indirect relations to workplace alcohol use and impairment. Data were obtained from a national probability sample of 2,727 U.S. workers. The results support the proposed conceptual model and provide empirical support for a positive relation of perceived physical availability of alcohol at work to workplace alcohol use and 2 dimensions of workplace impairment (workplace intoxication and workplace hangover). Ultimately, the findings suggest that perceived physical availability of alcohol at work is a risk factor for alcohol use and impairment during the workday, and that this relation is more complex than previously hypothesized.

Relation of supervisor social control to employee substance use: considering the dimensionality of social control, temporal context of substance use, and substance legality

OBJECTIVE

Research on supervisor social control provided little evidence for a relation to employee alcohol use, and only one study explored illicit drug use. Based on past research, several hypotheses were developed that the relation between supervisor social control and substance use depends on (a) the dimension social control (contact vs. enforcement), (b) the temporal context of substance use (on the job vs. off the job), and (c) substance legality (alcohol vs. illicit drugs).

METHOD

Data came from a national probability sample of U.S. workers. Supervisor social control represented both supervisor contact and supervisor enforcement. Measures of alcohol and illicit drug use each assessed several dimensions of off-the-job use (overall use, overall impairment, and use after work) and on-the-job use (use before work, use during the workday, and impairment during the workday).

RESULTS

As hypothesized, the results did not support a relation of supervisor contact to off-the-job or on-the-job alcohol use and illicit drug use. Supervisor enforcement was unrelated to off-the-job alcohol use but was negatively related to on-the-job alcohol use. Supervisor enforcement was negatively related to both off-the-job and on-the-job illicit drug use.

CONCLUSIONS

These findings help clarify the generally unsupportive findings from past research for a relation between supervisor social control and employee alcohol use, as well as extend this line of research to include illicit drug use. The results suggest that to fully understand the relation of supervisor social control to employee substance use, one must consider the dimension of supervisor social control, temporal context of substance use, and substance legality.