Reverberation makes interior spaces appear larger

The perceived width, depth, and height of interior spaces depend not only on the actual dimensions of the rooms but also on the brightness of room surfaces and other visual factors. Here, we measured the effect of the acoustic properties of the room surfaces on perceived size. Simulated rectangular rooms (light gray surface textures, no windows) with varying width and depth were presented on an HTC Vive Pro with head-tracking. For each combination of width and depth, one version with reverberant acoustics (mean RT60 = 1.03 s) and one version with damped acoustics (mean RT60 = 0.19 s) were simulated by varying the absorption coefficient of the surfaces. Binaural room impulse responses were generated using the room simulation software RAVEN (https://www.virtualacoustics.org/RAVEN/). Twenty-two participants viewed the rooms on the HMD and listened to speech and sounds of musical instruments inside the simulated space, using dynamic binaural synthesis with head-tracking. Participants estimated room width and depth in units of centimeters. As expected and compatible with previous studies, the estimated width and depth were significantly higher for the reverberant compared to the damped version of the simulated rooms. The mean increase in estimated width and depth was 1.1% (Cohen’s dz = 0.849) and 1.6% (dz = 0.854), respectively

Novel multiple sclerosis susceptibility loci implicated in epigenetic regulation.

We conducted a genome-wide association study (GWAS) on multiple sclerosis (MS) susceptibility in German cohorts with 4888 cases and 10,395 controls. In addition to associations within the major histocompatibility complex (MHC) region, 15 non-MHC loci reached genome-wide significance. Four of these loci are novel MS susceptibility loci. They map to the genes L3MBTL3, MAZ, ERG, and SHMT1. The lead variant at SHMT1 was replicated in an independent Sardinian cohort. Products of the genes L3MBTL3, MAZ, and ERG play important roles in immune cell regulation. SHMT1 encodes a serine hydroxymethyltransferase catalyzing the transfer of a carbon unit to the folate cycle. This reaction is required for regulation of methylation homeostasis, which is important for establishment and maintenance of epigenetic signatures. Our GWAS approach in a defined population with limited genetic substructure detected associations not found in larger, more heterogeneous cohorts, thus providing new clues regarding MS pathogenesis

Previous antibiotic therapy as independent risk factor for the presence of vancomycin-resistant enterococci in surgical inpatients. Results from a matched case-control study

Abstract Background Investigation of risk factors for the presence of vancomycin-resistant enterococci (VRE) in inpatients on surgical wards and associated intensive care units of a German tertiary care hospital. Methods A single-centre retrospective matched case-control study was performed with surgical inpatients admitted between July 2013 and December 2016. Patients with in-hospital detection of VRE later than 48 h after admission were included and comprised 116 VRE-positive cases and 116 VRE-negative matched controls. VRE isolates of cases were typed by multi-locus sequence typing. Results ST117 was identified as the dominant VRE sequence type. Next to length of stay in hospital or on an intensive care unit and previous dialysis the case-control study revealed previous antibiotic therapy as a risk factor for the in-hospital detection of VRE. The antibiotics piperacillin/tazobactam, meropenem, and vancomycin were associated with the highest risks. After taking into account length of stay in hospital as possible confounder other potential contact-related risk factors such as previous sonography, radiology, central venous catheter, and endoscopy were not significant. Conclusions Previous dialysis and previous antibiotic therapy were identified as independent risk factors for the presence of VRE in surgical inpatients