Changed Perceptions of Public Space through the Construction of Outdoor Bar Areas in the Course of the Conversion of Urban Areas during the Corona Pandemic, using the Example of Munich

This article deals with the change in the perception of public spaces due to the Corona pandemic. The focus is on the conversion of urban spaces through the construction of outdoor bar areas, a current and so far neglected issue from a scientific perspective. Against the background of the conceptual embedding of the concepts of public space and curb side dining areas (or synonymously: "Schanigärten”), the dealing with the latter in the study area of Munich is explained. In the context of the current situation in Munich, the influence of curb side dining areas on the perception of public space is first analysed by means of an explorative survey. The result of a conjoint analysis shows, among other things, a positive correlation between the presence of curb side dining areas and the perception of respective computer-simulated street scenes (with all possible combinations of the presence or absence of curb side dining areas, trees and parking spaces). In addition, a regression analysis is used to analyse the extent to which individual socio-demographic aspects (e.g., age, gender) and aspects of attitude (e.g., toward the conversion of urban parking lots) and behaviour (car use) influence perception. In a further step, specific street scenes are assessed using recent photographs from Munich in order to measure different aspects of perception as well. The evaluation of a semantic differential shows that street sections with "Schanigärten” are consistently perceived more positively (e.g. more interesting, safer, more inviting) than those without. Finally, and in the light of the Corona pandemic, the development of the "Schanigärten” in Munich is explained from an expert's perspective, before the article concludes with a summary and an outlook. © 2022 Austrian Geographical Society. All rights reserved.

Voice examination with and without CoViDprotektive masks: reproducibility of the Acoustic Voice Qualit Index (AVQI)

Purpose In the CoViD-19 pandemy there is a need for voice examination techniques that minimize the risk of infection for both patient and examiner. To investigate whether the measurement of the Acoustic Voice Quality Index (AVQI) is valid and comparable to previous unmasked measurements if the speaker wears a surgical mask or a FFP-2 mask in order to reduce the risk of transmitting air-borne viruses such as SARS-CoV-2. Methods A convenience sample of 31 supposedly healthy participants was subjected to AVQI voice examination four times: Twice wearing no mask, once with a surgical mask and once with a FFP-2 mask as used regularly in our hospital. The order of the four mask conditions was randomized. The spread in the results between the two recordings without mask was then compared to the spread in the recordings with each mask and the recording without masks. Results The mean absolute difference in AVQI was 0.45 between the measurements without masks, 0.48 between no mask and surgical mask and 0.51 be-tween no mask and FFP-2 mask . The results were neither clinically nor statistically significant (in a signed rank test). Conclusion Based on a convenience sample of healthy or only mildly impaired voices wearing CoViD-19 protective masks does not substantially impair the results of AVQI measurements.

In Utero Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 Infection.

Evidence for in utero transmission of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is growing but not definitive. We present a case of neonatal infection that supports in utero transmission of SARS-CoV-2 and provides insight into the hematogenous spread from mother to fetus.