Predicting traffic sound levels in Cairo before, during, and after the COVID-19 lockdown using Predictor-LimA software

This study develops a replicable urban toolkit for decision-makers to improve the quality of life in Cairo for residents and visitors affected by traffic noise. Our case study in Cairo was selected using the Aviation Design Environmental Tool (AEDT) used worldwide for airports. To simulate the COVID-19 era and days after, the noise contour mapping was performed using the Predictor-LimA software at eight receiver locations at six building heights with three assumptions of 100 %, 70 %, and 50 % traffic flow. The case study ends with lessons that can be used in regional planning, urban planning, and design to raise public awareness of noise effects in public spaces. Our analysis confirmed a deep relationship between traffic flow and noise, so controlling urban activities by reducing unnecessary uses is beneficial. We recommend that urban planners and designers incorporate noise prediction into outdoor environments' planning and design processes. (c) 2022 THE AUTHORS. Published by Elsevier BV on behalf of Faculty of Engineering, Ain Shams University. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/).

Deserted studio: evaluating remote-learning practices for the post-pandemic era

To limit the spread of Coronavirus, educational institutions had to suddenly shift to remote learning during the Spring of 2020. This study aims to evaluate the adopted remote-learning practices among architectural students and their instructors. To this end, the authors implemented a descriptive cross-sectional approach to highlight the aligned and opposing perceptions, respectively. The work adopts the following four-step methodology: (1) Interviews;(2) identification of findings;(3) online surveys;and (4) comparative analysis. Results from 139 respondents were collected from 15 Egyptian universities and 6 non-Egyptian universities. Findings demonstrate the potential advantages of reduced commuting costs, besides going paperless. Nevertheless, a crucial need for a well-established infrastructure and increased self-motivation has been raised. Furthermore, the study sheds the light on the future potential of integrating hybrid-learning models, virtual reality, and other practices to embrace learning strategies. This research contributes to architectural education practices by providing guidelines for enhancing online-learning experiences. © 2022 Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group.

Investigating Students' Online Self-Regulated Learning Skills and Their E-Learning Experience in a Prophetic Communication Course

Prophetic communication (PC) is an Islamic perspective with which to view everyday communication phenomena. While there are currently many negative aspects to the use of social media and the internet, online learning is highly useful for supporting the PC learning process-especially during the COVID-19 pandemic. Before the current pandemic, online learning was typically conducted in a blended manner with face-to-face meetings. However, this shifted during the pandemic, and PC learning was undertaken entirely online. Since the students themselves are one of the success factors of online learning implementation, it is important to examine the students' self-regulated learning skills in an online PC course throughout the semester. Quantitative and qualitative data were gathered from four classes. Data analyses were also conducted to address the research aim. The findings revealed that, overall, students apply self-regulated online learning skills. However, improvement and facilitation are still needed to enhance evaluation skills. From the qualitative data gathered, we constructed and categorized several themes into positive learning experiences, challenges, online learning strategies, and suggestions with which to improve online class management. © 2022 International Information and Engineering Technology Association. All rights reserved.

Functional and mental health affection (depression, anxiety, stress) among Egyptian rheumatic diseases patients during COVID-19 pandemic.

OBJECTIVE: Psychological distress caused by the SARS-CoV-2 outbreak has had deleterious effects on patients with chronic rheumatic disease, as those patients were highly susceptible for COVID-19 infection due to their chronicity, in addition to use of immunosuppressive drugs. Therefore, they underwent to more isolation than other people and develop more stress and depression. This study aimed at evaluating level of depression, anxiety, stress symptoms and physical health status in Egyptian patients with various rheumatic diseases during COVID-19 pandemic. PATIENTS AND METHODS: This is a cross-sectional study conducted in Gharbia Governorate, Egypt. It included 440 diagnosed cases of rheumatic diseases from 1st to the end of March 2021. Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale-21 (DASS21) and RAPID3/MDHAQ test were used to assess the pandemic's psychological and functional effect on participants. RESULTS: RAPID3 test results showed that during the COVID-19 outbreak the 40% of patients had a moderate severity functional affection and 20% had high severity. DASS21 depression scoring showed mild to moderate depression (33% and 35%, respectively), while severe depression was detected in only 3.2% of cases. Moderate anxiety was reported in 49% of cases, 29% had severe anxiety while 1% showed extremely severe anxiety. Mild to moderate stress was reported in 17% and 16%, respectively. Female and cases aged more than 45 years had significantly more severe functional affection recorded by RAPID3 test, moderate stress and severe anxiety. On the other hand, severe depression was significantly higher in male and young patients younger than 45 years old. CONCLUSIONS: Rheumatic disease patients have been highly susceptible to functional affection and psychological distress related to COVID-19 pandemic. Planning and implementation of programs to enforce coping strategies for these patients are required.