Urban Inclusion and Environmentally Responsive Architecture: Creating a Women-Friendly Space in Izbat al-Burg, Damietta

Introduction As the urban population continues to grow, understanding ecosystems in the city has become increasingly important and is now a rallying cry for action to respond to and mitigate the repercussions of growing urban sprawl. Urban areas echo a rather harsh image of concrete jungles with impoverished ecosystems and a disconnection between the built and natural environments. Although the current trend towards urbanization repeatedly manifests this visual image – putting the viability o..

Middle Eastern Cities in a Time of Climate Crisis

The climate crisis is hitting around the world, including in the Middle East and its cities. Urban regions are exposed to increasingly frequent heat waves and floods that leave decision makers without immediate answers. In the context of this global crisis, this book addresses the need for a better understanding of the current model of urban expansion. Cities are major sources of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions but they are also celebrated for their contribution to economic growth. The current moment is one of a large paradigm shift as climate change is now recognized as a legitimate public problem. This is especially true for city dwellers, who are increasingly exposed to climate change, the loss of biodiversity and heavy pollution while natural breathing spaces continue to shrink around them. The sixteen chapters of this book do not offer any off-the-rack or technical solutions, but they analyze the urban conundrum and the contribution of cities to the climate crisis. Some chapters focus on individual car ownership, land privatization, waste management and land use changes under the guise of development. Others explore local and contextual answers to urban governance issues. With the support of CEDEJ and the Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung, researchers, experts and civil society actors explore the ongoing transformations of Middle Eastern urban environments and mobilities and question them in relation to the climate crisis. The contributions are based on empirical knowledge gathered in the Nile Delta, the Greater Cairo Region, Riyadh and Beirut. Without concessions to mainstream thinking, this book contributes to a better understanding of urban challenges, climate threats and policy responses in contexts marked by growing environmental inequalities

The Cardiac Comeback-Beating Stronger: Exploring the Remarkable Resilience of the Heart in COVID-19 Recovery through Cardiac Autonomic Analysis

Background and Objectives: Analyzing the cardiac autonomic function in COVID-19 patients can provide insights into the impact of the virus on the heart’s regulatory mechanisms and its recovery. The autonomic nervous system plays a crucial role in regulating the heart’s functions, such as heart rate, blood pressure, and cardiac output. This study aimed to investigate the impact of COVID-19 on heart rate variability (HRV) during a 6-min walk test (6MWT). Materials and Methods: The study included 74 participants, consisting of 37 individuals who had recovered from mild to moderate COVID-19 and 37 healthy controls. The study assessed heart rate variability (HRV) and blood pressure both before and after a 6-min walk test (6MWT). Results: The study found significant differences in a few time domains (SDNN and pNN50) and all frequency domain measures, whereas there were no significant differences in demographic characteristics or blood pressure between COVID-19-recovered individuals and healthy controls at rest. There were significant 6MWT effects on average HR, time-domain (SDNN and pNN50) measures of HRV, and all frequency domain measures of HRV. A significant group × 6MWT interaction was found for SDNN, pNN50, total power, Ln total power, LF, HF, Ln LF, Ln HF, and LF nu. Conclusions: Cardiac Autonomic analysis through HRV is essential to ensure the continued health and well-being of COVID-19 survivors and to minimize the potential long-term impacts of the disease on their cardiovascular system. This suggests that HRV analysis during the recovery phase following exercise could serve as a valuable tool for evaluating the physiological effects of COVID-19 and monitoring the recovery process