Vocal fold vibrations are more difficult to achieve in obstruents than sonorants due to the aerodynamic voicing constraint (AVC), i.e., the fact that a buildup of air pressure in the supraglottal cavity during oral closures reduces the transglottal airflow. The AVC can be circumvented by various voicing adjustment gestures, such as larynx lowering, tongue root advancement and tongue body lowering. The current study employed laryngeal and lingual ultrasound to investigate the use of these strategies in Canadian French. The vertical movement of the larynx was measured using optical flow analysis, while lingual movement was analyzed by tracking X and Y coordinates at distinct fanlines across consecutive images.

Results revealed that there was more pronounced larynx lowering in voiced obstruents and that it tended to be greater in voiced stops than in voiced fricatives. Tongue-related maneuvers displayed more interspeaker variation but tendencies showed that the tongue root was more advanced in voiced stops than in voiced fricatives and slightly more for /d/ than /b/. Significant tongue body lowering was observed for both voiced stops and voiced fricatives only preceding the vowel /a/. Finally, larynx lowering was strongly correlated with voicing duration in voiced obstruents. A similar but weaker correlation was found for tongue root advancement.

Overall, this study suggests that larynx lowering is an efficient strategy to circumvent the AVC in Canadian French but that some speakers may also resort to lingual adjustments. Additional strategies that are known to play a role, such as nasal or oral leakage, were not considered.

As societal conceptions of gender have evolved, so too have survey-based approaches to the measurement of gender. Yet, most research innovations and insights regarding the measurement of gender come from online or phone surveys in the Global North. We focus on face-to-face surveys in the Global South, specifically in the Latin America and Caribbean (LAC) region. Through in-person interviews, an online experiment, and survey experiments, we identify and assess an open-ended approach to incorporating respondent-provided gender identity in face-to-face interviews. Our results affirm that the measure is comparatively effective in minimizing discomfort and does not have substantial consequences for data quality across a diverse set of LAC countries. We discuss the potential traveling capacity of our approach and identify paths for further research on best practices in recording interviewee gender in face-to-face surveys in the LAC region and beyond.

There has been increasing attention both at national and international level to demands of reparations for historic injustices—colonialism, enslavement and the transatlantic chattel slave trade—and the role and relevance of international law in this context. A routinely identified legal obstacle to reparation demands is the doctrine of intertemporal law, which is generally interpreted to require past acts to be considered in the light of the law contemporary with them. This interpretation of the intertemporal doctrine has been contested more recently in international legal scholarship and practice, which both seek to instill an increased sense of ambiguity into the laws of the past, but crucially, this Article shows, these efforts do not extend this ambiguity to the doctrine of intertemporal law itself. This Article takes a closer look at the intertemporal doctrine and interrogates these varying interpretations. It analyses both conventional and critical international legal scholarship on the intertemporal doctrine in the context of reparation claims for historic injustices and contrasts them to the scholarly reception of the intertemporal doctrine in the past and selected cases from the International Court of Justice (“ICJ”), arguing that whilst an often–unquestioned static understanding of intertemporality prevails, more dynamic interpretations of the doctrine also exist. By building on these legal arguments that enshrine a less static relationship between past and present laws within the discipline of international law—including ICJ decisions, judges’ dissenting opinions, states’ arguments, and critical legal scholarship—the Article defends a potentially emancipatory interpretive approach to the doctrine that could reframe it so as to support, rather than hinder, reparation claims for historic injustices in international law.

We determined the compressive strength of weak layers of faceted crystals and depth hoar using artificially grown samples with a wide range of microstructural morphologies in a cold laboratory setup. Micro-computed tomography (µCT) imaging showed that the microstructures of the artificial samples were comparable to that of natural depth hoar. We performed compression experiments in a displacement controlled testing machine on 92 depth hoar samples with densities ranging from 150 kg m−3 to 350 kg m−3. The compressive strength spanned two orders of magnitude (1–150 kPa) at strain rates of about 10−3 s−1 at $-5^{\circ}\mathrm{C}$ and followed a power law as a function of density. Several microstructural metrics such as the specific surface area, connectivity density and correlation lengths obtained from µCT measurements exhibited a statistically significant relationship with compressive strength. Analysis of the residuals of the power law fit showed that in addition to density, horizontal correlation lengths also correlated with strength. However, in this study, density remained the dominant predictor of the compressive strength of depth hoar.

Capillary suction across the soil–snow interface is a possible mechanism for the formation of wet basal snow layers, which are necessary for snow gliding and glide-snow avalanches. However, little is known about the conditions under which this process occurs. We investigated capillary suction across the soil–snow interface considering realistic snow and soil properties. Snow properties were determined from snow profiles and soil properties were determined from field measurements of liquid water content, matric potential, soil texture and bulk density for 40 alpine soils in Davos, Switzerland, as well as a field site in the region (Seewer Berg) with glide-snow avalanche activity. For the alpine soils investigated here, the results show that capillary flow from the soil to the snow is possible for realistic snow properties but requires a soil saturation of ∼90% or higher at the soil surface. When comparing the 90% saturation threshold to field measurements, the results suggest that capillary suction across the soil–snow interface is unlikely to contribute significantly to the formation of wet basal layers on Seewer Berg. These results are also relevant for soil and snow hydrology, where water transport across the soil–snow interface is important and understudied.

Background: Patients undergoing hemodialysis are at high risk for healthcare-associated infections; they are at 100 times the risk of Staphylococcus aureus bloodstream infections (BSI) compared with U.S. adults not on hemodialysis. Prior studies found that nasal decolonization with mupirocin prevented S. aureus BSI among hemodialysis patients. We implemented a nasal decolonization intervention in which patients self-administered povidone-iodine (PVI) at each dialysis session. We aimed to assess: 1) hemodialysis patients’ knowledge of their infection risk and their willingness to take an active role in infection prevention; 2) the acceptability of the PVI nasal decolonization intervention. Methods: We performed a stepped wedge cluster randomized trial at 16 outpatient hemodialysis centers. Patients were surveyed: before starting PVI, 1 month after their center started using PVI, and ~6 months after starting PVI. We used a chi-square test to compare results. Results: 469 patients completed at least 1 survey: 400 pre-intervention, 237 at 1 month and 201 at 6 months. Overall, 56% of patients thought that their risk of infection was average or below average compared with an average person in the U.S. (Figure). Over 98% agreed with the statement “One of the most important things I can do for my health is to take an active role in my health care." In the pre-intervention survey, 73% were willing to do “a lot of effort” to prevent an infection. This proportion was similar (73%) in the 2nd survey, but decreased to 63% in the final survey (p < 0 .01). Among 106 patients who reported starting PVI, 85% reported that PVI felt neutral or pleasant, 9.4% reported a side effect, and 79% reported using it during the past 3 dialysis sessions. Among 102 patients who reported using PVI at 6 months, 87% said it felt neutral/pleasant, 3.9% reported a side effect and 75% reported using it during the past 3 dialysis sessions. Side effects included nasal dripping, congestion or burning/stinging, unpleasant smell, headache, yellow tears, and minor nose bleeding. Conclusions: Hemodialysis patients are not aware of their high risk of infection. Although many were willing to expend a lot of effort to prevent an infection, this willingness decreased during an infection prevention intervention. There were few PVI side effects and most patients stated that PVI felt neutral/pleasant, yet many patients chose to not use PVI. Future research should aim to improve patient education on their risk of infection and assess barriers to adherence with infection prevention interventions.

Disclosure: Marin Schweizer: Speaker- 3M; Contracted research-3M; Anitha Vijayan: Honoraria - Quanta, Baxter, Fresenius Consulting, Astute, NxStage

A review of hospital-onset COVID-19 cases revealed 8 definite, 106 probable, and 46 possible cases. Correlations between hospital-onset cases and both HCW and inpatient cases were noted in 2021. Rises in community measures were associated with rises in hospital-onset cases. Measures of community COVID-19 activity might predict hospital-onset cases.

Liquid water at the ground–snow interface is thought to play a crucial role in the release of glide-snow avalanches, which can be massive and threaten infrastructure in alpine regions. Several mechanisms have been postulated to explain the formation of this interfacial water. However, these mechanisms remain poorly understood, in part because suitable measurement techniques are lacking. Here, we demonstrate the use of neutron radiography for imaging water transport in soil–snow systems. Columns of sand, gravel and snow were used to simulate the capillary forces of the soil–vegetation–snow layering found in nature. The columns were connected to a water reservoir to maintain a constant-pressure boundary condition and placed in a climatic chamber within the neutron beam. We show that neutron radiography is capable of measuring changes in the optical density distribution (related to liquid water content) within all three layers of the model system. Results suggest that a porous interface between the sand and snow may induce the formation of a water layer in the basal snowpack. Improved understanding of the water transport in soil–snow systems should lead to better prediction of glide-snow avalanche release and could also benefit other fields such as snow hydrology.

Objective: To characterize hospital-onset COVID-19 cases and to investigate the associations between these rates and population and hospital-level rates including trends in healthcare worker infections (HCW), community cases, and COVID-19 wastewater data. Design: Retrospective cohort study from January 1, 2021, to November 23, 2022. Setting: This study was conducted at a 589-bed urban Midwestern tertiary-care hospital system. Participants and interventions: The infection prevention team reviewed the electronic medical records (EMR) of patients who were admitted for >48 hours and subsequently tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 to determine whether COVID-19 was likely to be hospital-onset illness. Each case was further categorized as definite, probable, or possible based on viral sequencing, caregiver tracing analysis, symptoms, and cycle threshold values. Patients were excluded if there was a known exposure prior to admission. Clinical data including vaccination status were collected from the EMR. HCW case data were collected via our institution’s employee health services. Community cases and wastewater data were collected via the Wisconsin Department of Health Services database. Additionally, we evaluated the timing of changes in infection prevention guidance such as visitor restrictions. Results: In total, 156 patients met criteria for hospital-onset COVID-19. Overall, 6% of cases were categorized as definite, 24% were probable, and 70% were possible hospital-onset illness. Most patients were tested prior to a procedure (31%), for new symptoms (30%), and for discharge planning (30%). Also, 53% were symptomatic and 41% received treatment for their COVID-19. Overall, 38% of patients were immunocompromised and 27% were unvaccinated. Overall, 12% of patients died within 1 month of their positive SARS-CoV-2 test, and 11% required ICU admission during their hospital stay. Hospital-onset COVID-19 increased in fall of 2022. Specifically, October 2022 had 16 cases, whereas fall of 2021 (September–November) only had 3 cases total. Finally, similar peaks were observed in total cases by week between healthcare workers, county cases, and COVID-19 wastewater levels. These peaks correspond with the SARS-CoV-2 delta and omicron variant surges, respectively. Conclusions: Hospital-onset cases followed similar trends as population and hospital-level data throughout the study period. However, hospital-onset rate did not correlate as strongly in the second half of 2022 when cases were disproportionately high. Given that hospital-onset cases can result in significant morbidity, continued enhanced infection prevention efforts and low threshold for testing are warranted in the inpatient environment.

Disclosure: None

Despite understanding its impact on organizational effectiveness, practical guidance on how to train translational team (TT) leaders is lacking. Previously, we developed an evolutionary learning model of TT maturation consisting of three goal-directed phases: (1). team assembly (Formation); (2). conducting research (Knowledge Generation); and (3). dissemination and implementation (Translation). At each phase, the team acquires group-level knowledge, skills, and attitudes (KSAs) that enhance its performance. Noting that the majority of team-emergent KSAs are promoted by leadership behaviors, we examine the SciTS literature to identify the relevant behaviors for each phase. We propose that effective team leadership evolves from a hierarchical, transformational model early in team Formation to a shared, functional leadership model during Translation. We synthesized an integrated model of TT leadership, mapping a generic “functional leadership” taxonomy to relevant leadership behaviors linked to TT performance, creating an evidence-informed Leadership and Skills Enhancement for Research (LASER) training program. Empirical studies indicate that leadership behaviors are stable across time; to enhance leadership skills, ongoing reflection, evaluation, and practice are needed. We provide a comprehensive multi-level evaluation framework for tracking the growth of TT leadership skills. This work provides a framework for assessing and training relevant leadership behaviors for high-performance TTs.

Glide-snow avalanches release due to a loss of friction at the snow–ground interface, which can result in large avalanches that endanger infrastructure in alpine regions. The underlying processes are still relatively poorly understood, in part due to the limited data available on glide processes. Here, we introduce a pixel-based algorithm to detect glide cracks in time-lapse photographs under changing illumination and shadow conditions. The algorithm was applied to 14 years of time-lapse images at Dorfberg (Davos, Switzerland). We analysed 947 glide-snow events at a high-spatial (0.5 m) and temporal (2–15 min) resolution. Avalanche activity and glide-crack opening dynamics were investigated across timescales ranging from seasonally to hourly. Events were separated into surface (meltwater percolation) and interface events (no meltwater percolation). The results show that glide activity is highly variable between and within seasons. Most avalanches released without crack formation or within 24 h after crack opening, and release was favoured in the afternoon hours. Glide rates often showed a stick–slip behaviour. The acceleration of glide rates and non-constant increases in glide crack aspect ratio were indicators for avalanche release. This comprehensive dataset provides the basis for further investigations into glide-snow avalanche drivers.