Sudden Closure Research Articles

Perceived stress and academic concerns among undergraduate medical students during COVID-19 pandemic

Background: In India, the coronavirus pandemic had created a sudden closure of educational institutes which led to the shift of conventional classes to virtual classes.The present study aimed to assess the perceived stress and academic concerns during the COVID 19 lockdown, among the medical students. This cross-sectional study was carried in a government medical college during covid 19 lockdown. It included 590 undergraduate students. A semi-structured online questionnaire on Google forms was constructed and the link was forwarded to all the medical students. Perceived stress scale-4 was used to study the stress among this population. Results: Of the 590 out of 750 students MBBS students, 75%had high level of stress, where-as 25% had low level of stress. Post-lockdown, 287(48.64%) felt that it is best to revert to the old curriculum and mode of teaching. Around 90% i.e., 512 (86.78%) said they were concerned about the loss of clinical and practical experience. Around 50% i.e., 286 (48.47%) felt that returning to the medical college would increase their risk of infection.320 (54.24%) said they were concerned about protective measures. 230 (38.98%) said that their family members were concerned about their risk of exposure and infection and so didn't want them to join.

PENGUJIAN RELIABILITY APLIKASI SMART CITY MENGGUNAKAN TEKNIK PENGUJIAN EKSPLORASI BERBASIS TUR

Smart City is a solution to overcome various problems in urban areas through interactive internet-based applications that provide various services that can be accessed by the public online. By 2020, more than 50% of the population in Indonesia live in urban areas, and this number will continue to increase in the future. To facilitate urban population services, the government has developed smart city services in various cities since the last 5 years. Such development needs to be supported from various fields, including from the technical side of system development. Smart city applications must be reliable so that they can be used properly by the community. In this study, reliability testing was carried out on six smart city applications in six cities, namely Live Tangerang, Sadayana Bandung, Jogja Smart Services, Cimahi SmartCity, Nganjuk Smart City and Tuban Smart City using tour-based exploratory testing techniques. The test results show that there are deficiencies or bugs found in the form of inconvenience to use because there is no error handling on the input form, an unresponsive interface, unavailability of information, and imperfect navigation. In addition, there are some bugs that are quite annoying, namely the sudden closing of the application when the user uses certain features.

Evaluation of Attitude and Emotions towards Sudden Closure of Educational Institution during Covid-19 among Medical Student: A Cross-Sectional Survey

In reaction to an alarming increase in the number of infected cases and fatalities due to new coronavirus infections in 2019, all academic institutions, including primary and secondary schools, were closed. Objective: To assess medical students' attitudes and emotions concerning a sudden shutdown of an educational institution during COVID-19. Methods: After meeting the requirements for 139 patients, data was collected from medical students at The University of Lahore and medical students at Allama Iqbal Medical College in Lahore, and a Performa was affixed for this purpose. Convenient sampling was employed by employing a different questionnaire to collect data from public and private patients in order to obtain consent to proceed with this data Results: The mean and standard deviation for the achievement feelings questionnaire total score were found to be 80.76±4.128 on the histogram with a normal curve. The mean and standard deviation for achievement emotions questionnaire categorization were determined to be 67.30±3.44 on the histogram with a normal curve. The mean and standard deviation for the achievement emotions questionnaire good emotions were determined to be 79.47±6.039 on the histogram with a normal curve. The mean and standard deviation for achievement feelings questionnaire negative emotions were determined to be 55.88±3.801 on the histogram with a normal curve. Conclusions: In conclusion, children scored higher on positive emotions (31/40 versus 25/55, respectively). Students are typically delighted with the return of school activities, according to the study. This could be viewed as an indication of the student's future curiosity and drive to study. According to the findings of this study, aging has both an inverse and direct association with good and negative emotions.

Teachers' Perception of Online Teaching and Factors Influencing Intention to Use Online Platforms during COVID-19

Since the outbreak of COVID-19 and the sudden closure of all educational institutions, teachers have been forced to adapt to online teaching through various online platforms as the only feasible option. In this regard, the study investigates the factors and perceptions that influence teachers’ intention to use online classroom applications in teaching online. Using the descriptive cross-sectional online survey of 227 teachers teaching online during the pandemic, the findings revealed a positive perception of teaching online using online platforms. Further, the study results found that training and administrative support, trust, digital literacy, online teaching ability and perceived security are the major factors affecting the intention to use online classroom applications. These factors have a favorable influence on the choice to use. The study results have some practical implications and limitations of the study have been discussed, which are potential future research areas.

Numerical Study on Pipeline Pressure Surge of the Large Aircraft Fuel System

The sudden closure of the refueling valve during the refueling process will cause the water hammer phenomenon in the pipeline of the large aircraft fuel system and produce pressure waves propagating along the pipeline. In serious cases, it will cause severe damage to the pipeline. The pressure surge in the pipeline can be affected by many design factors. In this study, the numerical modeling method of the large aircraft fuel system is studied using the Flowmaster program, and the accuracy of steady and transient state analysis of the simulation method is verified by experimental data. Based on this numerical method, a complete system-level simulation model of the large aircraft fuel system was established. Using this model, the effects of valve closure speed, diameter of the refueling main pipe, and refueling volume flow rate on pipeline pressure surge during the refueling process are investigated. The results indicate that all three factors have a significant impact on the pipeline pressure surge of the fuel system. The effect of the valve closing speed and the pipe diameter on the pressure surge of the pipeline is nonlinear and gradually weakened with the decrease of valve speed and the increase of pipe diameter, while the effect of refueling volume flow rate on the pipeline pressure surge is approximately linear.

Numerical investigation of two-phase fluid-transient induced cavitation in the cryogenic propellant feedlines

Rapid changes in fluid-flow conditions, whether purposeful or accidental, may result in generation of a pressure surge in the fluid handling equipment followed by oscillations of pressure, which is known as the fluid transient (or fluid hammer). Fluid transient occurs very often during the filling of the dry liquid lines as well as during the valving operation in the cryogenic propellant feed systems. The maximum amplitude of fluid transient induced pressure oscillations may exceed the strength of the material, which results in the rupture of the flow components. Sometimes, due to its oscillatory nature, when the pressure wave amplitude falls below the vapour pressure of the fluid it may lead to cavity generation resulting in two-phase fluid transients. The pressure generated due to the collapse of the cavity will be higher than the pressure in the single-phase fluid transients that may lead to the structural failure of the fluid handling equipment.In this study, a one–dimensional numerical model has been proposed using the Method of Characteristics (MOC) scheme to investigate the fluid transient induced cavitation due to sudden closure of the valve in the propellant feedlines. Different two-phase models namely Discrete Vapour Cavity Model (DVCM) and Discrete Gas Cavity Model (DGCM) have been used to predict the vapour volume in the pipe. The applicability of the developed model has been evaluated by validating its predictions with the results available in the literature. It has been observed that both the models are in good agreement with experiments, but DGCM can be preferred due to its ability to handle larger void fractions as compared to DVCM.

Health Course Lecturers Managing Online Teaching in a Historically Disadvantaged University in South Africa: The Raging Waves

The emergence of the coronavirus pandemic (COVID-19) required the sudden closing of educational institutions to save lives. Universities had to adopt and adapt to new teaching strategies to ensure that no learner was left behind. The purpose of this study is to describe the challenges experienced by university lecturers teaching health courses in adopting online teaching strategies. The objective of the study is to explore challenges experienced by university health course lecturers in a university from South Africa in managing online teaching platforms and the strategies employed by them to enhance online teaching. The study adopted a qualitative interpretative phenomenological approach engaging six purposefully sampled lecturers teaching health courses in a historically disadvantaged university in South Africa. Data were obtained through online methods such as blackboard meetings, in addition to face-to-face and telephone interviews. Preliminary findings revealed both positive and negative experiences in offering health courses online. Positive experiences included flexible time management, fuel-saving, and multi-tasking. Negative experiences included challenges such as lack of experience in designing online content, lack of knowledge to create a conducive teaching environment, students’ incapacity to engage in learning tools, poor lecturer-student interaction, and difficulty integrating theory into practice. So far, it has been concluded that a sudden shift to online teaching needs to consider the skill-level of lecturers, learners, and the courses offered. A one size fits all approach may not be an option.

The Impact of Covid-19 Pandemic on the Organisational Profitability of the Banking Sector in the Kingdom of Bahrain

This study aimed to determine the impact of the Coronavirus on the profitability of banks in the Kingdom of Bahrain - a case study on the NationalBank of Bahrain, Bank of Bahrain and Kuwait, and the Ahli United Bank, and an attempt to come up with recommendations. The study will beadministered by collecting data from the annual reports of the banks, as the population and sample of the study consist of NBB, BBK, and AUB Banks.The study lies in knowing the effects of Corona on the profitability of NBB, BBK and AUB banks in Bahrain by comparing previous annual reportsand analyzing the profitability ratio of banks before the Corona period and during the Corona period. The result of study shows that the Corona virusnegatively affects the profitability of banks in the Kingdom of Bahrain. The study notices through the results the extent of the impact of the Coronavirus on the profitability of banks through the sudden closure, and thus we see the extent of the banks' failure to achieve profitability through the markeddecrease in the rate of returns. Hence, the study recommends that in order for banks to increase their profitability, they must increase the effectivenessof the required reserve as a tool to control bank risks, and work on controls and determinants such as capital adequacy, legal liquidity ratio and the ratioof loans to deposits, which are much more effective than reserve requirements in maintaining the safety of the sector and its durability and its ability toabsorb shocks.

A Study of Covid-19 Pandemic Towards the Changing Scenario of School Education and Its Effects on Children

Abstract: The outbreak of Covid-19 epidemic has affected our education system. The educational institutes were closed due to the this epidemic around the world, due to which the education and the learning process of children was badly affected. During the pandemic, due to the sudden closure of schools, the traditional classroom based Indian schooling system has now shifted to an unplanned online based education system for which we were not prepared well neither mentally nor technically. The access to digital devices is not very common in India especially in those areas which are backward in network and other cyber facilities. A group of guardians, one of the main constraints is the ability and affordability of the device and the internet. Due to this pandemic the child labours are increasing and the mental health of the children is also affected adversely. Keywords: Covid pandemic, online education

Electrical cardiometry in monitoring percutaneous closure of ductus arteriosus in preterm infants: a case study on five patients.

Patent ductus arteriosus closure by catheter-based interventions has become the preferred therapeutic choice. However, hemodynamic perturbances associated to this procedure have not yet been investigated. This study sought to examine the on-site hemodynamic impact caused by the procedure in preterm neonates. In this study, hemodynamic monitoring was obtained in a non-invasive way using electrical cardiometry in five preterm infants who underwent percutaneous patent ductus arteriosus closing at ASST Grande Ospedale Metropolitano Niguarda of Milan. All five infants underwent successful transcatheter closures. All patients experienced immediate hemodynamic changes upon ductal closing. Significative modifications occurred mainly in heart contractility, cardiac output, and stroke volume. In three cases, there was also a significative increase of systemic vascular resistance which persisted for 4h after closing. While in two cases they spontaneously reduced with an amelioration of cardiac output and contractility, in the other case they were persistently high, associated with an hypertensive crisis and a progressive reduction of cardiac functions. For these reasons, milrinone was started and hemodynamic parameters returned normal in about 3h, so therapy was discontinued. Conclusions: Our single-center, prospective, consecutive, case series demonstrated hemodynamic aberrations due to sudden closure of a patent ductus arteriosus. Moreover, post procedural hemodynamic monitoring is important to precociously detect possible cardiac impairment and start an adequate therapy. What is Known: • It has previously suggested a temporarily impairment in cardiac output following patent ductus arteriosus closing. • Little is known about the other hemodynamic parameters during the procedure and how they change in the next hours according to the new hemodynamic status. What is New: • The persistence of increased systemic vascular resistance after percutaneous closure of ductus arteriosus could suggest the occurrence of hemodynamic complications. • Electrical cardiometry was useful to early detect postoperative hemodynamic changes.

A QUALITATIVE STUDY ON THE EXPERIENCES AND QUALITY OF LEARNING RECEIVED BY DISTANT LEARNERS IN TIME OF COVID - 19 PANDEMIC

The COVID-19 pandemic has a tremendous effect on many aspects of human lives and turns the normal and usual way of living into a new normal. The new normal in education brought new and strange experiences in the academe due to the sudden closure of school which led to the mandatory implementation of distance learning. In this regard, this study was conducted to explore the learning experiences and the quality of learning as perceived by the distant learners. The purposive sampling technique was utilized by the researchers and identified 25 junior high school students where data had been collected. Considering the safety protocols and the participants of the study which are minors, the data were collected from recorded interviews using messenger and audio recording applications. Experiences encountered by distant learners, learning strategies to cope with distant learning, and Quality of learning acquired based on the perception of distant learners were the themes that emerged in the study. This study showed that distance learning provides learners with new and unique learning experiences that the students must adapt to. Adaptation of learners in the demand of distance learning has been achieved by the learners through individual learning strategies and relied on the support given by friends and members of the family. Furthermore, the study also revealed that the quality of learning that students acquired in distance learning are not comparable with the quality of learning acquired by the students in physical or face-to-face classes. Results of this study convey that educational institutions may consider recalibrating the strategies in giving quality education in distance learning that could equate if not surpass the quality of learning that students acquired in the face-to-face learning setup.

Pengalaman orang tua anak berkebutuhan khusus dalam mendampingi pembelajaran jarak jauh selama pandemi Covid–19

The widespread prevalence of the Covid-19 pandemic has affected academics and parents alike. Due to the sudden closure of schools, students are missing out on social interactions that are essential for learning while most schools have started distance learning. It has become a tough routine for the parents working online at home as they have to ensure the education of their children. This research is descriptive qualitative research using a phenomenological approach to explore the experiences of parents who have children with special needs in accompanying distance learning during the Covid-19 pandemic. A total of 15 subjects who have children with special needs attending SLBN Pembina Malang were selected as resource persons for interviews in person (online interview). Four themes emerged from the results of data collection: (1) obstacles faced by parents; (2) the support provided by the school; (3) strategies used by parents to support learning; (4) expectations of future parents. The results of this study can be used as a reference and recommendation for educators and policymakers in the implementation of further distance learning.

“Other risks don't stop”: adapting a youth sexual and reproductive health intervention in Zimbabwe during COVID-19

COVID-19 threatens hard-won gains in sexual and reproductive health (SRH) through compromising the ability of services to meet needs. Youth are particularly threatened due to existing barriers to their access to services. CHIEDZA is a community-based integrated SRH intervention for youth being trialled in Zimbabwe. CHIEDZA closed in March 2020, in response to national lockdown, and reopened in May 2020, categorised as an essential service. We aimed to understand the impact of CHIEDZA’s closure and its reopening, with adaptations to reduce COVID-19 transmission, on provider and youth experiences. Qualitative methods included interviews with service providers (n = 22) and youth (n = 26), and observations of CHIEDZA sites (n = 10) and intervention team meetings (n = 7). Analysis was iterative and inductive. The sudden closure of CHIEDZA impeded youth access to SRH services. The reopening of CHIEDZA was welcomed, but the necessary adaptations impacted the intervention and engagement with it. Adaptations restricted time with healthcare providers, heightening the tension between numbers of youths accessing the service and quality of service provision. The removal of social activities, which had particularly appealed to young men, impacted youth engagement and access to services, particularly for males. This paper demonstrates how a community-based youth-centred SRH intervention has been affected by and adapted to COVID-19. We demonstrate how critical ongoing service provision is, but how adaptations negatively impact service provision and youth engagement. The impact of adaptations additionally emphasises how time with non-judgemental providers, social activities, and integrated services are core components of youth-friendly services, not added extras.

Smartphone de-addiction among children and adolescents: An hour of need.

Sudden closure of schools due to coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic introduced extensive use of digital technology in education across the globe. The gadgets connected to the internet have become an essential part of the lives of children in the contemporary world. Children and adolescents are more exposed to smart devices for academic learning and entertainment. The concern of smartphone addiction among children and adolescents in recent decades has been heightened by the spread of COVID-19. Excessive use of smartphones has physical, psychological, and social unfavorable outcomes signifying the need for developing strategies to reduce the usage.

IMPACT OF COVID-19 PANDEMIC ON SCHOOL EDUCATION IN INDIA: CHALLENGES AND OPPORTUNITIES

The pandemic COVID-19 has significantly hampered every aspect of human life, including education worldwide. Every school is closed to control the spread of the global pandemic COVID-19. Sudden closure of schools brings difficulties to carry on with face-to-face classroom teaching. So, online education is a panacea to continue the education system in India. However, the lack of technological awareness among teachers and students, network infrastructures, computers, and internet access create a challenging situation in handling the school education system. This paper analyses the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the school education system in India. Based on the published articles, documents, reports, and news commentaries, this paper provides a critical analysis and reflection on the challenges and opportunities created by the global pandemic COVID-19 in the school education system of India. The study revealed that schools, teachers, and students do not have sufficient infrastructure like configured laptops, internet, microphones, etc., to efficiently impart education and significant problems raised in the field of E-learning atmosphere, Pedagogical practices, Curricular and Co-curricular activities, and Evaluation and feedback. KEY WORDS: COVID-19, School Education, Challenges, Opportunities

Pandemic pedagogies: the impact of ERT on part-time learners in Ireland

ABSTRACT A wide range of literature has already emerged which assesses the sudden closure of Higher Education Institutions during the Covid 19 pandemic in 2020, when many academic institutions turned to ERT (emergency remote teaching) in order to maintain teaching and learning. The Faculty of Lifelong Learning at Institute of Technology Carlow, Ireland, one of the largest providers of part-time learning in the Irish sector, undertook a study of its learners in January 2021, to ascertain their experiences of the online pivot. This article takes a qualitative approach to the findings of this study and it highlights the importance of acknowledging the lived experiences of our learners. We acknowledge that it is necessary to engage with our learners’ opinions on the challenges and affordances of online and remote learning, and that the experiences of our learners are key to the future of our faculty and to part-time learning in Ireland. We focus on the normative expectations of learners, and their experiences of learning in the remote context, using a self-selected sample where N = 401 learners.

PRIMARY SCHOOL TEACHERS' PERCEPTIONS TOWARDS THE REMOTE TEACHING AND LEARNING ACTIVITIES (RTLA) DURING LOCKDOWN PERIOD IN SRI LANKA

Remote Teaching and Learning Activities (RTLA) have emerged in the aftermath of the sudden closure of schools due to the Covid-19 pandemic around the world. Multimode RTLA is slightly suited to the students of secondary and tertiary education. Nevertheless, it is questionable to use with primary school children whose learning is designed mostly child-centred. In addition, it is vital to investigate teachers' readiness and training and access to facilities for conducting remote learning activities. Therefore, this study aimed to evaluate Primary school teachers' perception towards RTLA during the lockdown period in Sri Lanka. This study was employed a survey research design, and data were collected using a google form-based questionnaire. The questionnaire contained 40 items to collect teachers' demographic information, facilities and training available to them, attitudes towards RTLA, teaching methods and techniques they used, and participation of parents and students in RTLA. Sixty-two primary teachers were selected using the snowball sampling technique from two districts, namely Gampaha and Kandy. Collected data were analyzed using mean and standard deviations and percentages. The analysis of results shows that most of the respondents (92.9%) used mobile broadband services to access the internet and 69.5% of the respondents used pre-paid services to access the internet. Furthermore, most respondents (69.4%) claimed they could afford it. Data analysis in terms of devices and apps for RTLA showed that most respondents (72.6%) relied on their smartphones for conducting RTLA. Likewise, many of them (64.5%) had been used WhatsApp and Zoom (64.5%) to reach their students who were at home. However, it is revealed that 98% of the respondents mentioned that they did not receive any facilities and training from authorities to conduct RTLA. Teachers' attitudes toward RTLA (M=3.52, SD=1.21), parental participation (M=3.2, SD=1.14), and student participation (M=3.89, SD=1.13) had lower mean values. Moreover, most of the respondents claimed that the RTLA is not suited to the students in Primary education. Many primary teachers stated that they faced challenges regarding access to the internet and devices, getting parental support for the RTLA. Therefore, researchers recommended that the National and Local authorities provide clear guidelines, training, and necessary facilities and resources to conduct a meaningful RTLA to the primary education teachers.

Effect of Covid-19 Pandemic on Formal Education of Primary School Children (6-11 Years) Studying in Selected Municipal Corporation Primary Schools of East Delhi

The sudden closure of schools in the Covid-19 pandemic has affected formal and informal education of the students especially belonging to socially disadvantaged groups. To explore the impact of this pandemic on the formal education of primary school children an online Google Meet Parent Teacher Meeting Survey was conducted after 16 months of school closure to learning pattern, reading material, reading frequency of Hindi and English, daily study, and its association with socio economic background. This web-based school study used descriptive design. A sample of parents of 400 students age group 6 to 11 years from fi ve selected schools of East Delhi Municipal Corporation available on Google Meet was selected through stratifi ed random sampling. Data was collected through a Structured Interview Schedule with closed ended multiple choice questions designed into Google doc forms and fi lled by researchers simultaneously during survey. Data was analysed using SPSS (26) software descriptive statistics. This study showed an increase in the variety of reading material availability for students as well as increased reading frequency per week of basic languages i.e., 33.8 percent to 90.3 percent for Hindi and 23 percent to 40.3 percent for English along with total study time per day, 39.2 percent to 78.6 percent. Further, guardian education and guardian income have a direct effect on reading frequency of primary school children and total study time during periods of lockdown. Parents' engagement and sensitisation is required for problems faced by the students in adaptation to online education to reduce learning gap and improve outcomes of teaching-learning process due to lockdown and sudden school closure. Reading material can be provided to students to sustain their interest and reading ability during Covid-19 pandemic.

COVID-19 AND EDUCATION OF MASS COMMUNICATION:


 The sudden closure of educational institutions in 2020 brought multiple financial and learning challenges for Pakistani female students. In our experience, not only formal and informal learning realms of female students have been affected in the post pandemic educational landscape, but a distinct gender and digital divide (GDD) is also noticeable between technology-equipped and deprived students. Considering the theoretical perspectives of digital divide, this paper will essentially explicate the chasms existing within female students of Mass Communication in Pakistan. 
 
 
 Given Pakistan’s conservative and patriarchal culture, it is very important to study how female students of Mass Communication, from both urban and rural areas, responded to the change after the pandemic. Through in-depth interviews of twenty female students, we argue that the COVID-19 pandemic has aggravated already existing GDD in Pakistani educational landscape. Especially the first order GDD in education can be seen frequently in Pakistani rural locations. Moreover, economic limitations and socio-cultural norms also play an essential role in exacerbating second order GDD in the Mass Communication education. Thus, in this sense, the pandemic has brought a change that is charged with exclusion and disparity. Moreover, we argue that digital divide is a gendered concept for a periphery country such as Pakistan. 
 

Depression Associated With COVID-19 and its Impact on Physical Activities of Young Adults of Pakistan

Introduction: Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a cluster of acute respiratory illnesses with unknown etiology, which firstly appeared in Wuhan, Hubei Province, China, in December 2019. All educational institutes of Pakistan were completely closed from March 13, 2020, to August 15, 2020. This condition disturbs the daily routines of children with mental health needs. This sudden closure limited their physical activities in their routine life. This study aims to observe the depression associated with COVID-19 and its impact on the physical activities of young adults of Pakistan. Materials and Methods: A web-based cross-sectional study was conducted on 384 young adults. A modified depression scale was used to assess depression, and the revised physical activity questionnaire was used to evaluate the physical activity of Pakistani young adults in the past month. Results: About 57.8% of the samples were sometimes sad; 44.5% sometimes felt grouchy in the mood; 43.8% never felt hopeless about the future. Also, 32.6% sometimes slept less or more than usual, 35.9% sometimes had difficulty concentrating on their work, 48.7% slept 6-8 hours per day. Besides, 49% engaged 1-3 hours in work or study per day; 43.2% watched TV, sat quietly, or listened to music for 1-3 hours. About 57.8% engaged less than 1 hour per week in light physical activities. Also, 77.9% engaged for less than 1 hour per week in moderately strenuous activities. Conclusion: Depression could be highly associated with the COVID-19 outbreak, and it might affect the physical activities of young adults.