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Background: How to manage patients, transmission times, and therapeutic measurement executed during air transmission can improve training, protocols, and management decisions. The current study aimed at investigating the dispatch criteria and the way of handling patients during transport by air emergency medical services of Kurdistan Province, Iran, in 2017. Materials and Methods: In the current study, information of patients transported by air emergency ambulance of Kurdistan Province in 2017 was collected from the recorded mission forms. To analyze the information, version 12 of STATA software was employed. Descriptive statistics was used to analyze the qualitative variables and draw frequency distribution table and mean and standard deviation to utilize quantitative variables. Results: Out of 50 transported patients, trauma caused by traffic accidents was the most important cause of patient transport (38%). In terms of clinical symptoms, weakness and lethargy and decreased consciousness were the most common symptoms. The most important therapeutic measures executed during transport were oxygen therapy, various body fixations, and serum therapy, respectively. The average time spent at scene was 10.7 minutes and the mean total mission time was 93.72 minutes with a standard deviation of 45.53. Conclusion: The results of the study indicated that the air emergency performance of Kurdistan Province was desirable in terms of dispatch criteria, time of transport and treatment during transportation, but there were weaknesses in the administration of medications during transportation and recording missions and measures in the specific sheets (forms). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Researchers in universities and academic institutions must be in a leading position in generating research evidence to inform and direct national policies and strategies, improve service delivery, and achieve the main objectives. This study aimed to determine the factors that promote or hinder research productivity and quality among university academics in Kurdistan Region of Iraq. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted on 949 university academics from all public universities in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq. The authors developed a questionnaire that included sociodemographic data, challenges, satisfaction, and motivation for conducting research. Data were collected using a Google form. Frequencies, percentages, and the Chi-square test were used to analyze the data. Results: Most university academics (94.6%) believed that research was part of their job, but only 51.6% were satisfied with their role as academic researchers. The lack of financial motivation was the main reason for dissatisfaction, while the main incentive to conduct research was the passion for science. Around 21% of the university academics had not published any research, while 53.1% published 1–5 articles. Half of the participants (49.7%) lacked training in writing research proposals, and the majority (86.1%) have not applied for international grants. Approximately half of university academics (46.9%) shared their research findings with stakeholders, and the primary method was by sharing their published papers (59.4%), followed by seminars (42.2%). One of the important challenges in conducting research was the lack of funding (62.8%). Conclusions: The academics at universities in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq are passionate about their role as researchers, but face many challenges in conducting effective research. A strategic plan is needed to provide an encouraging environment for university academics regarding infrastructure, financial, and technical support. More studies are needed to identify the root factors of academic staff needs and challenges. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper aims to investigate the role of accounting measurement and disclosure of social capital in improving the quality of accounting information which covers reliability, relevance, comparability, and consistency. The sample of this research paper is the industrial companies in Sulaymaniyah, the Kurdistan Region of Iraq (KRG). Accordingly, a hypothesis has been developed that accounting measurement and disclosure of social capital play a significant role in improving the relevance, reliability, comparability, and consistency of accounting information. The hypotheses were tested through a questionnaire that has been distributed among 350 employees. It was analyzed by using a stratified sampling methodology. The research methodology comprised demographic analysis, factor analysis, and structural equation modeling. The findings suggest that accounting measurement and disclosure of social capital have a significant and positive effect on the relevance, reliability, comparability, and consistency of accounting information. The research is limited to industrial companies in Sulaymaniyah, KRG. Thus, the findings cannot be comprehensive unless the other scholars further considered various companies, philosophies, agricultural or trading companies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

During the last decades, expansion of settlements into areas prone to landslides in Iraq has increased the importance of accurate hazard assessment. Susceptibility mapping provides information about hazardous locations and thus helps to potentially prevent infrastructure damage due to mass wasting. The aim of this study is to evaluate and compare frequency ratio (FR), weight of evidence (WOE), logistic regression (LR) and probit regression (PR) approaches in combination with new geomorphological indices to determine the landslide susceptibility index (LSI). We tested these four methods in Mawat area, Kurdistan Region, NE Iraq, where landslides occur frequently. For this purpose, we evaluated 16 geomorphological, geological and environmental predicting factors mainly derived from the advanced spaceborne thermal emission and reflection radiometer (ASTER) satellite. The available reference inventory includes 351 landslides representing a cumulative surface of 3.127 km². This reference inventory was mapped from QuickBird data by manual delineation and partly verified by field survey. The areas under curve (AUC) of the receiver operating characteristic (ROC), and relative landslide density (R index) show that all models perform similarly and that focus should be put on the careful selection of proxies. The results indicate that the lithology and the slope aspects play major roles for landslide occurrences. Furthermore, this paper demonstrates that using hypsometric integral as a prediction factor instead of slope curvature gives better results and increases the accuracy of the LSI. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper argues that sociological analysis of social movements has undertheorized non/anti-state social movements. It is argued that an alternative modality of resistance to that of movements seeking reform through the state or the capture of state power through revolution is to exit the world-system and set up parallel structures of governance and production. A conjunctural inter-regional comparison is taken up in order to map the inter-scalar and historical causal factors that led to exit-with-autonomy in Syrian Kurdistan (Rojava) and autonomy-without-exit in Iraqi Kurdistan (Kurdish Regional Government). The paper shows that in order to exit the world-system social movement actors in Rojava used strategic loyalty bargains and political voice at specific historical conjunctures in order to maintain their movement and seize on non-state political opportunities. These same non-state political opportunities were not available for the social movement actors hoping to exit the world-system in the Kurdish Regional Government. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Between 2009 and 2011, the Kurdish sculptor Hadî Ziaoddînî created a statue of poet Mestûre Erdalan (1805–1847), in the city of Sine (Sanandaj, Iranian Kurdistan or Rojhelat). A woman standing, carrying a book in her hand, the figure of Mestûre is unique in the Islamic Republic of Iran. She is not wearing the obligatory hijab but a Kurdish kofî. This paper presents the evolving representation and reception of Mestûre, the first Kurdish female poet and chronicler. The existing research on heritage in Iran focuses mainly on the policies of Pahlavi and Islamic regimes, tourism and conservation. This paper reveals the dissonant heritage-making that inspires Kurdish ethnic and national identity and the empowerment of women in Iran. The latter gained momentum, especially after the killing of the Kurdish woman, Jîna (Mahsa) Amînî, by the morality police in 2022. The multi-layered heritage performance engages identity politics, artistic creation and the new practice of visiting the statue of Mestûre. Starting from Ziaoddînî’s work as the focal point of discussion, the study identifies various links between the statue and other artistic products, as well as investigates the contemporary relationship between Mestûre and the inhabitants of Sine. The relationship is mediated by the sculpture and the moral imagination it stirs in empowering Kurdish women. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A significant feature of Kurdish history over the last several decades has been the proclivity of the Kurds for ethnic mobilization. The socio‐political incentives that lead to the mobilization of different Kurdish sub‐groups are usually complex and occasionally serve ambiguous political aspirations. To unpack such complexities, as the title of this paper suggests, it is useful to add an additional analytical lens to the common centre‐periphery approach (i.e. state nationalism vs. Kurdish resistance) by focusing on the mobilization incentives within the local context. To do so, the paper presents an ethnographic study of the social processes that shape the dynamics of Kurdish mobilization in the multi‐ethnic city of Urmia in northwestern Iran, where Kurmanji‐speaking Kurds live together with Azerbaijani Turks and in close proximity to Sorani‐speaking Iranian Kurds. The paper argues that the mobilization incentives for the Kurmanji‐speaking Kurds in the local context of Urmia often serve contradictory political ends, ranging from denial of the Kurdish nation at the inter‐ethnic layer to dividing it at the intra‐ethnic layer, and romanticizing it at the transnational layer. The broader contribution of this paper is to elucidate how these different and sometimes contradictory forms of ethnic mobilization are able to coexist, given that they are all characterized by the same emancipatory force – 'a politico‐symbolic struggle over power and prestige', in Bourdieu's terminology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines the relationship between the political and ethno-national identity of Kurdish university students in Iranian Kurdistan, also known as Eastern Kurdistan or Rojhelat. It aims to investigate the ways in which the Kurdish identity contributes to and influences the formation of political identity among these students within the legal and political context of Rojhelat. The findings reveal a significant correlation between the Kurdish identity and the political identity of the students. However, despite the strong presence of Kurdish identity in the social sphere of Rojhelat, it remains largely invisible in the official or legal-political sphere of Iran. The paper argues that the existence of a non-democratic political regime in Iran, which has prioritized Farsi and Shiite identities, has imposed limitations and restrictions on the visibility and representation of other identities, including the Kurdish ethno-national identity, in the legal and political domains. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Larq Journal for Philosophy, Linguistics & Social Sciences is the property of Republic of Iraq Ministry of Higher Education & Scientific Research (MOHESR) and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Landslides are among the most critical geo-environmental disasters for both humans and the environment. This study intended to create a landslide susceptibility map (LSM) for the Akre District of Kurdistan Region, Northern Iraq. In this paper, 15 landslide causative criteria including elevation, slope, curvature, aspect, topographic wetness index, topographic roughness index, steam power index, lithology, lineament density, soil types, land use/cover, normalized difference vegetation index, distance to roads, rainfall, and distance to streams were analysed. For this purpose, frequency ratio (FR), analytic hierarchy process (AHP), and ensemble FR-AHP models based on geoinformatics techniques were applied. The LSMs were then assigned into five categories based on their susceptibility levels: very low, low, medium, high, and very high. The results showed that the high and very high landslide susceptibility categories for the FR, AHP, and hybrid FR-AHP models were 27.75% (732,01 km2), 28.44% (750,36 km2), and 28.84% (761 km2), respectively. The results showed that the majority of historical landslide incidents occurred in mountainous terrain in the northern parts of the study area, which are classified as high and very high susceptibility zones. The predicted rate curves for the FR, AHP, and hybrid FR-AHP models had areas under curve of the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC-ROC) values of 93.4%, 89.3%, and 93.8%, respectively, which indicate that the ensemble FR-AHP model provides more reliable and accurate results for LSM. The LSM generated via the hybrid FR-AHP model can be utilised by local authorities, managers, and decision-makers in further land use/cove planning to mitigate the devastating influences of landslides in the area. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article explores the idea of political Islam as a discursive tradition within the context of Iranian Kurdistan. It challenges the prevailing essentialist and universalist approaches commonly used in the analysis of political Islam, advocating for a more adaptable and comprehensive interpretation. By conceptualizing political Islam as a discursive tradition, this study sheds light on the complex interconnections, configurations, and historical contingencies influencing Islamist discourses and movements. The paper argues that political Islam should be examined in relation to other phenomena and discourses, acknowledging its dynamic nature within specific temporal and spatial contexts. Focusing on an influential yet underexplored Islamist discursive tradition in Iranian Kurdistan during the 1970s and 1980s, the research acknowledges the hybrid nature of Islamist discourses, drawing from diverse traditions to fulfill particular objectives. In particular, it explores the perspectives of Ahmad Moftizadeh, a Sunni Kurdish Islamist and the founder of the Maktab Quran (MQ). This study investigates Moftizadeh's views on the Islamic government, positioning it within the framework of discursive tradition. It analyzes his core categories and inquiries within Islamist thought, notably emphasizing Moftizadeh's alignment of the Islamic government with the Islamic tradition of the Shura, highlighting its central role in the Islamist discursive tradition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

While the fight against ideological warfare of the Islamic State (ISIS) would not be possible without an effective counter ground operation led by the Kurds, these unique players in regional stability have contributed to the mitigation, and in some cases the elimination of Islamist extremist ideology, conducing to the human security of the region. Viewing these actions within a pro-democracy approach, this paper will demonstrate why the international community, led by the United States and EU, needs to, indeed ought to consider the Kurdish de facto autonomous region model as an element for stability. The resulting outcome could help contribute to the regional security of the Middle East, and also prevent the perpetration of any future atrocities against the Kurds and other minorities. Through a collective case study and a qualitative set of data, this paper will evaluate the de facto autonomous governance experience of the Kurds, its impact, and its potential. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper addresses the application of consociationalism to post-authoritarian Iraq. Traditionally, consociationalism has served as simultaneously an analytical tool and a normative constitutional and institutional ideal; here, I discuss whether it presupposes a functioning liberal democracy or may also, conversely, help to create a (liberal) democracy in non-liberal (in particular Leninist) settings. As a case study, I focus on the consociational arrangements between rival Kurdish parties in the post-1991 Kurdistan Region and between Kurds and other parties in post-2003 Iraq. I argue that the latter are in important respects modeled on the former. On a theoretical level, I argue that these consociational arrangements are best analyzed not in institutional terms but in terms of practices and of strategies and tactics in ongoing power struggles. A refocus on practices leads us to rethink the normative assumptions of consociational theory, in particular concerning questions of legitimacy and the distinction between formal and informal consociation. It can better account for the instability of (informal) consociational arrangements and raises the question of how to account for non-liberal (and in particular Marxist–Leninist) state traditions in consociational analyses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper intends to provide background information on the chemically investigated raw materials used in the cement industry at the Gasin Cement Factory. Since it was found that the average carbonate ratio of CaCO3 is 89.84 percent by weight ratio, the sulfide is less than 1 percent by weight ratio, and the magnesium carbonate is less than 3 percent, the raw materials entering the factory, including limestone, clay, iron, sand, and gypsum, were examined. Magnesium carbonate was less than or equal to 3 percent, in the iron with sand mixture, and the overall mixture carbonates were less than or equal to 76.24 percent. The findings of the analysis for silica oxides in the sand were greater than 82 percent. For sulfide oxide less than 1%, as well as for iron, the average value of ferric oxide that was examined in a laboratory was 35.51percent, from local iron ore, and an average reached 50.66% from Iranian iron ore, the percentage of alumina oxide that was tested in a laboratory was 9.37 percent and 3.40 percent from Local iron and Iranian iron respectively, silica oxide is more than 8.3 percent. As well as gypsum analysis, it was discovered that the average percentage of sulfur dioxide is higher than 40.97%. We identified the locations of the models that were evaluated and analyzed, as well as their storage locations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Memory and trauma are often considered to be interconnected social phenomena. Collective memory exists in every society, but when a particularly catastrophic event occurs, it leaves an impact on behavior, and enduring memories of a cultural trauma. This paper considers the changing social meanings of the Anfal, an act of genocide which occurred in Iraqi Kurdistan in 1988, and inquires whether the legacy of the Anfal can be most accurately characterized as a social memory or a cultural trauma. The paper uses a mixed methodology of historical research and a recent survey carried out among young people in Iraqi Kurdistan. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article examines the use of religion by an authoritarian ruling party to delegitimize political opposition through securitization. The case study presented is the ruling AKP in Turkey, which initially promised to desecuritize the Kurdish issue to co-opt the Kurdish opposition but eventually resorted to the demonization narratives and repressive policies of the secular Turkish state; however, in addition to labeling the Kurdish opposition as terrorists, the AKP deployed religion to legitimize its repressive policies on religious grounds. The Turkish case shows that not in legitimizing (via desecuritization), but in delegitimizing opposition (via securitization) religion has been the main tool deployed by the ruling party. This finding needs to be tested in other contexts and cases. Additionally, since this paper only focuses on the narrative of the AKP's religious delegitimization, further research is needed to measure its efficacy and impact. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The nutritional and anthropometric status can be essential in determining their immune response to vaccines. The purpose of this paper was to investigate the association between diet quality and anthropometric indices with the side effects of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine and the SARS-CoV-2 immunoglobulin G titer among Kurdish adults. Design/methodology/approach: This cross-sectional survey-based study was conducted between December 2021 and February 2022. This paper included data on 115 adults, 20–89 years old, from the Kurdistan region. Dietary information was collected using a short food frequency questionnaire, and diet quality was assessed using a plant-based healthy diet score. A blood test was performed to measure the SARS-CoV-2 immunoglobin G (IgG) titer after the vaccination's first and second doses. Findings: Overweight and obese subjects reported more local pain, myalgia, headache, local bruising and local reactions after receiving the first dose of the vaccine (p = 0.04). People on a less healthy diet reported more local pain, myalgia and headache (p = 0.04) and more local bruising and reactions (p = 0.01) after receiving the second dose of the vaccine. On the other hand, the authors observed that those with healthy dietary habits had more IgG titer after the first and second doses of vaccination than those with less healthy dietary habits (p = 0.001). Originality/value: The results showed that participants with a healthy diet and normal weight status had fewer side effects of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine than obese people and those with a less healthy diet. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Building upon insights from recent studies on the 'return mobilities' of children of migrants to their parents' country of origin, this paper focuses on the motives of highly skilled young people from the UK who migrate to their parental post-conflict region (Kurdistan-Iraq), an area that has experienced long-term conflict and profound economic and political instability. The existing studies on children of migrants' return mobilities place more emphasis on cultural and economic considerations while paying little attention to the associated ideological and political elements. Based on interviews concerning 32 highly skilled young British-Kurdish people's migration to Kurdistan-Iraq, this paper argues that the transnational mobilities of the 1.5 generation and second generation of refugee-diasporas are more driven by the collective trauma of their parents' displacement, their feeling of expulsion and intergenerational articulation with an imagined homeland, than they are by economic considerations and/or nostalgia. The Kurdish political aspiration to develop Kurdish institutions and a national economy for a potential statehood in Northern Iraq has also created hope among young Kurdish people and influenced their motivations to 'return'. In this context, this paper focuses on the political, ideological and emotional dimensions of return mobilities and draws attention to return mobilities among a new generation of refugees to their parental post-conflict homeland. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Overseas diasporas have long been exploited by terrorist organisations seeking funding and support from areas beyond their operation. The Kurdistan Worker's Party (PKK), active in south-eastern Turkey, is no exception and maintains a significant international presence. This paper uses seventy-three survey responses and thirteen interviews amongst London's Turkish and Kurdish diaspora to provide an original and comprehensive insight into the PKK's overseas operations, including their offending patterns, methods, hotspots, offender/victim profiles and existing countermeasures. Respondents were also consulted on new community-based prevention measures designed to address limited law enforcement responses and the laissez-faire approaches of diaspora host countries. This strategy, which combines crime science and behavioural economic theories, consists of Clarke's "Situational Crime Prevention" theory and Thaler and Sunstein's "Nudge" theory (SCP+N). The results indicate that the PKK creates criminal opportunities by "legitimising" itself across diasporas by invoking ideological sympathy and social dependence (conceptualised as "constructed legitimisers"), ensuring minimal resistance to its activities. SCP+N is motivated as an effective counterstrategy, addressing both the rational and impulsive nature of offending. The overall theoretical contribution of this paper is to assess overseas terrorist financing through a prevention-oriented, situational and behavioural framework, and to propose a community-based strategy to effectively counter such activities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: This paper investigates the effect of diversity management on employees' innovative work behavior (IWB) through human resource management (HRM) and affective commitment (AC). Design/methodology/approach: Data were collected from 358 employees of small- and medium-sized enterprises in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq. The hypothesized model has been evaluated using structural equation modeling. Findings: Findings suggest that workforce diversity management directly and significantly affected HRM and AC. Furthermore, findings revealed that HRM significantly influenced both employees' IWB and AC, while AC had a significant positive influence on IWB. Moreover, concerning the indirect effects, AC and HRM significantly mediated the relationship between DM and employees' IWB. Research limitations/implications: A cross-sectional single source dataset is used to evaluate the hypothesized model. Originality/value: Grounded in the social exchange and institutional theories, this research fills the gap in the literature by addressing the "black box" of how workforce DM influences employees' IWB while examining the mediating role of employees' AC and firm HRM policies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Over the past decade, Kurdistan Region of Iraq has made countless progress in many areas. However, these areas require significant flexibility to meet the local needs and the region is highly dependent on oil and gas resources. In the first quarter of 2020, the new cabinet submitted a bill to parliament to diversify the economy system of different sectors like, oil and gas, agriculture, construction, natural resources, ICT, Tourism, Trade, Manufacture units, Banking, Education, Handicraft Oil & Gas, transportation, FMCG, Higher Education & Scientific Affairs, Health, Social Affairs, Housing & Road Sector, Youth and Culture Sectors. The purpose of this paper is to discuss the factors that hinder economic developments in Kurdistan region. The factors that play an important role in economic development of country/region which consists of poverty, infrastructure, transportation, trade and many other factors. The study is based on exploratory research and used secondary data to explore the factors that hinder the economic development in Kurdistan Region. Moreover, the factors in economics development contributes to the improvement of Kurdistan region development, and what policy recommendations can be made to create a resolution of hindrances. This paper argued that Kurdistan region's economy is heavily dependent on economic factors, and current revenue is not sufficient and effective for the economic factors of the economy to diversify the income in long run and which creates economic development hindrances based on the contribution of factors to the economy of the Kurdistan region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents an inscribed bronze necklet discovered at Yasin Tepe, one of the largest tell-type sites in the Sulaymaniyah Governorate in the Kurdistan region of Iraq. The necklet was found on the floor of a large building complex of the Neo-Assyrian period that probably belonged to an elite family living at the site. The two-line inscription dates to around the eighth to seventh centuries BCE, and mentions the dedication of a son by his father to the god Nabû, implying the diffusion of his worship to the frontier of the Assyrian empire. Nishiyama wrote Sections 1–4, and Yamada Section 5, respectively; both share the responsibility for Section 6. Abbreviations follow M. P. Streck et al. (eds.), Reallexikon der Assyriologie, vol. 15. Berlin/Boston, except for RINAP 2 = Frame 2020; RIMA 2 = Grayson 1991, RIMA 3 = Grayson 1996. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and aims: Healthcare staff are at high risk of occupational exposure to Hepatitis B and other blood-borne diseases. Lack of education about the knowledge of Hepatitis B virus contributes to an increase in cases. This study aims to determine the knowledge of the Hepatitis B virus among the medical professionals in Duhok province, Kurdistan Region of Iraq, and to determine their knowledge of the importance of vaccination. Materials and methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted in Duhok province, Kurdistan Region of Iraq, among medical science students from November 2022 to February 2023 and a total of 511 students participated in the study. A Self-administered questionnaire comprising 22 items categorized into five sections was distributed to the students either electronically or by paper and pen method. The survey utilized a Five-point Likert scale when assessing respondents' opinions on knowledge, attitude, and practice (KAP). Microsoft Excel and GraphPad Prism 9 were used for statistical analysis. Results: A total of 511 responses were collected from medical, dental, pharmacy, and laboratory students. The average age of the participants was 20.74 ±1.43 years. Among the respondents, only 96 (18.8%) were fully vaccinated against the Hepatitis B virus (received 3 or more doses of the vaccine), while 294 (57.5%) were not vaccinated. Lack of vaccination programs was the major reason for not receiving a vaccination (n = 182, 62%). About 286 (55.96%) of the participants had good knowledge, attitude, and practice on Hepatitis B, manifesting median scores of 26, 18, and 20, respectively. Conclusion: In our study, half of the students were found to be unvaccinated, mainly due to the absence of vaccination programs. Vaccinated students exhibited better knowledge, attitude, and practice toward the infection than non-vaccinated students. Therefore, we recommend the implementation of a vaccination program as well as training on infection prevention guidelines to increase awareness and encourage vaccination. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Arthrospira platensis (homotypic synonym Spirulina platensis) is a member of the family Microcoleaceae, which was referred to as Spirulina platensis throughout this paper. S. platensis holds a significant nutritional value due to the presence of important secondary metabolites. The current study aimed to analyze the fatty acids, minerals composition, and antimicrobial activities of Spirulina platensis isolated from Qliyasan stream water. For the extracts of S. platensis, two distinct organic solvents, ethanol, and ethyl-acetate, were utilized to achieve this purpose. Furthermore, crude extracts of S. platensis were evaluated in vitro against Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, and Aspergillus niger using a well diffusion assay method. According to the findings of this study, nine fatty acids were investigated using the high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) technique. Results revealed that?- linoleic acid C18:3 (omega 3) constituted the highest percentage (23.734%), followed by oleic acid C18:1 (17.159%). Additionally, the concentrations of 14 types of minerals were determined using an atomic absorption spectrophotometer (AAS). The highest concentration value of magnesium (Mg) was 6548µg/gm, followed by iron (Fe) at 1250µg/gm. The antimicrobial activity of crude extract of S. platensis by ethanol proved to be more efficient than ethyl-acetate against bacterial models. The highest inhibition zone diameter was recorded against E. coli at 16.3mm, while ethyl-acetate extract was more effective against Aspergillus niger with an inhibition zone diameter of 12.3mm, compared to the bacterial pathogens. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper explores the historical evolution and contemporary applications of photogrammetry and laser scanning in cultural heritage preservation, focusing on the restoration of the Shush synagogue in Iraqi Kurdistan. It traces the development of documentation techniques, highlighting photogrammetry's pivotal role and the impact of the digital revolution. The case study of Project Shush illustrates the practical use of geomatics techniques, advanced 3D modelling, and collaboration with NGOs and authorities. The methodology outlines the use of technologies like terrestrial laser scanners (BLK360, Zeb-Revo) and UAVs, emphasizing their mobility and accuracy. Results detail the project stages, showcasing the creation of a detailed 3D model and the use of Unreal Engine for visualization. The conclusion emphasizes the importance of 3D documentation in cultural heritage and celebrates the success of the Shush synagogue restoration as a testament to technological advancements in preservation. Our research has shown that the joining of different 3D object documentation technologies significantly improves the quality and speeds up the workflow. Comparison of partial point clouds in software CloudCompare on a case study of a smaller historic building showed differences in the internal structure in centimetres, while for the external parts that were covered with vegetation the differences reached up to decimetres. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Journal of Tikrit University for Humanities is the property of Republic of Iraq Ministry of Higher Education & Scientific Research (MOHESR) and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The p resent research paper aims to investigate the relations between "power" and "places". It tried to find out the ethnic construct of place identity and its attachment to the sense of power. It analyses the questions as, How the ethnic identity of social groups constructs the meaning of "place" and transformed themselves into ethnic places? How do the "places" intervene in the identity of "selves"? This research undertakes Kurdish identity and their imbibed notion in order to contextualize the 'ethnic place' and questions of "selves". In this connection, it studies the ethnic places as the phenomenological product of ethnic and social experiences. It discusses ethnic places and their sense of power within the framework of place identity. The central theme of this paper is the Kurdish identity of Turkey to be placed in the spatial adjustment to which they belong. The image of Kurdistan as a place seems to empower them and ultimately causes their sense of security. The method of research is purely theoretical and descriptive on the bases of spatial-analytic approaches. However, in this research, phenomenological analysis of the concepts of place and experiences are argued with relation to power, place and ethnic identity. The phenomenological experiences of community behavior have been seen with respect to their cognitive relations to the living environment of the Kurdish group. Generally, this study is based on secondary sources and archival materials. A case study of Kurdish ethnic identity assertion is seen with respect to the theoretical applicability of place, power, and security concepts. It analyses Turkish Kurds and their identity assertion in the context of demand for the place, associated with the "power" as well as their cognitive environment and sense of belongingness. Ethnic place emerges in "relative isolation" as ethnic selves differing from other-selves. Hence, the demand for the place by the Kurdish group in Turkey is seen as a preservation of ethnic places to be empowered. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper explores how documentary cinema in war contexts can challenge gender representations. To do so, we adopt a feminist and postcolonial approach to analyze the work of Catalan non-fiction filmmaker Alba Sotorra in Kurdistan, Afghanistan and Catalonia. In her films, Sotorra positions herself close to a series of subjects absorbed by wars and armed conflicts that (re)define their identities while acting beyond gender stereotypes. In particular, the paper analyzes the modes of production and representational strategies of two of Sotorra's latest feature films, Game Over and Commander Arian, documentaries with which the filmmaker aims at overcoming the visual exploitation of alterity. After an introduction to Sotorra, and a brief revision of the theory of postcolonial feminist cinema, our argument unfolds in four parts. Firstly, we reflect on cinematic representations of women and men at war; secondly, we introduce our methodology, based on in-depth interviews with the director to support our film analysis; thirdly, we contrast our hypotheses by means of close-readings of the films; lastly, we reflect on how the filmmaker aligns herself with intersectional feminism by using empathy and solidarity towards her subjects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper presents the results of a two-year archaeological survey carried out in the Iraqi Kurdistan, namely within the Navkur plain that has been extensively explored by the University of Udine since 2012. The surveys were planned in advance using Remote Sensing products available online and processed with Google Earth Engine, a large-scale cloud computing service specifically designed to process geospatial big data and especially satellite imagery. Images from Landsat 5, Landsat 7 and Sentinel-2 platforms were selected, processed and assessed. After two years, an overall number of 46 new and previously unknown sites have been localized and surveyed, contributing to the knowledge of the past history of this portion of the Kurdistan region and testing the use of Remote Sensing cloud-computing applications in the context of Near Eastern archaeological research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The 1987–1988 Anfal Campaign during which the Iraqi Baath regime massacred some 180,000 Kurdish Iraqis, 5,000 of whom killed by chemical weapons in the town of Halabja, is considered one of the major traumas in modern Kurdish history. Yet a few decades later, the Kurds appear to have risen from their proverbial ashes, embarking against great odds on an ambitious state building project in northern Iraq. With this story of "trauma and redemption" as background, this paper considers the lessons learned from this Kurdish experiment; lessons drawn not only by the Kurds themselves, but by all those who willy-nilly accompanied them on this journey; the Iraqi state, the international community, and the United States. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The current study investigates word equivalence in selecting twenty works of fiction that have been translated from English into Kurdish by twenty different translators from 2003 to 2021. The year 2003 is historic for the Kurdistan region. The Kurdish language was marginalized under Saddam Hussein's regime. Since 2003, the Kurds in Iraqi Kurdistan have established several institutions and associations ranging from Kurdish book publishing houses, printing houses, and research centres, including tens of independent writers and translators with their intellectual individual and group projects. These developments have ultimately progressed the Kurdish vernacular language. By employing Newmark's (1988) paradigm of translation procedures, the paper shows how Kurdish translators translate words. Newmark introduced sixteen translation procedures ranging from transference, naturalization, cultural equivalent, functional equivalent couplet and notes. By examining and verifying used facts and examples derived from the selected texts, this research discovers that the process of translating from English to Kurdish faces the barrier of word-level non-equivalence. Therefore, the paper also identifies the techniques of through translation, transference and couplet as most commonly employed in the studied corpus, with functional and cultural equivalence strategies used less frequently in translation by Kurdish fiction translators. Thus, the research examines Kurdish word equivalence barriers and the significance of translation studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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This paper explores language learning for displaced people in the countries bordering Syria and attempts to establish a link between the concept of translanguaging and the concept of safe spaces used by NGOs. The paper uses the term 'displaced people' as it is this feature of being dis-placed that the paper seeks to explore through the lens of superdiversity and its connections to spaces for translanguaging. The concept of superdiversity helps us understand the stratification and multiplication of the processes and effects of migration which lead to heightened complexity, while the concept of translanguaging has been incorporated into this heuristic to help understand how people communicate in these superdiverse settings. The main finding is that monolingual ideologies of language learning pervade the safe spaces which one NGO provides, though the aim is not to single out this one NGO for criticism when the majority of NGOs visited orient to similar monolingual outlooks which disregard home languages at a time when vulnerable adults, adolescents and children need to draw on all of the language resources in their repertoires to make sense of their new surroundings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

What is the effect of international involvement on national liberation movements? In the last few decades, movements transforming into states have increasingly operated in a globalized context and have had to contend with international pressures. However, the effects of international involvement on the internal dynamics of these movements should be more centrally considered. This paper thus examines the role of international involvement in the Kurdish national liberation movement in Iraqi Kurdistan and the Palestinian national liberation movement within the Palestinian territories. Specifically, I look at the role of the United States as the most powerful actor in the Middle East region. This paper argues that international involvement leads to authoritarian conditions within these state-building projects as well as paralyzes the efficacy and coherence of these movements. Specifically, international involvement creates polarization among political elites and a divergence between elite and public preferences, which creates authoritarian conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Historic buildings are surviving links to our past. They materialize and provide evidence for societies' past lifestyle, traditions, and values that inform present and future transformations. In addition to their architectural, historic, cultural, and/or symbolic values, preserved historic buildings often create educational and socioeconomic opportunities. Despite wide popularity and attention to preservation in many parts of the world, historic building preservation and reuse projects in Mesopotamia, the cradle of human civilization, is very limited, in poor conditions, and under-researched. The restored historic Sarai building located in the city center of Sulaimani in Kurdistan Region of Iraq (as a representing case study for many others in the country) testifies to the poor condition (or even failure) of historic preservation and restoration attempts in Iraq. Since its expensive structural restoration to host a museum, the building has become a ghost house in the vibrant old city center. This paper examines historic preservation and restoration practices in challenging such as those of Iraq through a case study, Sarai building revitalization project. The project makes an important and representing case study because of the architectural, historic, cultural, and symbolic values of the building to a city that is recognized as the cultural capital of Kurdistan Region of Iraq and (most recently) a UNESCO creative city in literature. This paper contributes to the under-researched area of historic restoration practices and processes (planning and management) in the context of the Middle East (in particularly, Iraq). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although they have proven themselves to be loyal and capable U.S. partners, America has refused to endorse either independence for Iraqi Kurds or autonomy for Syrian Kurds. That policy has been academically underscored by several Realism-based concepts including an offshore balancing approach to the Middle East. This paper argues that America can adjust to new realities in the region without having to forsake its worthwhile Kurdish partnerships. I first compare and contrast the costs of American support for Kurds and then refute the notion that Kurdish independence in Iraq or autonomy in Syria would cause instability or be nonviable. I then recount recent Kurdish actions that have benefited America and argue that the subsequent U.S. capitulations to Baghdad and Ankara were unnecessary and strategically short-sighted. Lastly, I examine America's relationship with Turkey to discern if it merits impeding U.S. Kurdish policy. This paper concludes that America's endorsement of independence in Iraqi Kurdistan and perpetual autonomy in Northeast Syria would not be merely altruistic, but primarily a realpolitik reassertion of U.S. geopolitical strategy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The earthquake in Ranya City took place at local time 16:42 (GMT+3) on August 23rd 2017, with a magnitude of 5.3 Richter scale in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq. The earthquake with an approximate duration of 5 seconds occurred near Lake Dokan with a depth of 10 km below the surface of the earth. It caused a lot of damages to the structures in the region. The most vulnerable buildings were unreinforced hollow-block masonry houses which are composed of hollow-concrete blocks. This paper discusses the performance of unreinforced masonry houses of Ranya City with illustrative photos taken during on-site investigation for a number of damaged houses subjected to seismic actions. The main structural deficiencies that caused the wall cracks were highlighted, such as; very low tensile and shear resistance of the walls, large openings and their positioning, weak mortar and binding between the masonry units, existing weak joints between the crossing walls. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: This paper aimed to study the association of serum Vitamin D level and Body Mass Index (BMI) as representatives of malnutrition at micro and macro levels, respectively, on dental caries. Method and Participants: A total of 333 randomly selected children aged 6–12 years in Sulaimani, Kurdistan, Iraq were examined for three variables of the Decayed Missed Filled Tooth (DMFT) index, BMI, and Vitamin D serum levels in a single-time cross-sectional snapshot. Results: The majority of the population studied (70%) were Vitamin D deficient. In the linear regression analysis, both Vitamin D and BMI had insignificant effects on DMFT, with p-values of 0.22 and 0.55, respectively. After the categorization of the data, the risk estimate between normal (≥20 ng/mL) and deficient (<20 ng/mL) Vitamin D groups with regards to the caries and caries-free categories was 1.97 (95% CI: 0.91–4.24). According to the mean and median of the DMFT, which were both 4, the sample is categorized into the low-caries group (DMFT < 4) and high-caries group (DMFT > 4). When these groups are compared to Vitamin D levels and taking 20 and 15 as thresholds, the odds ratios were 1.19 (CI: 0.74–1.92) and 1.88 (CI: 1.20–2.94), respectively. Regarding the BMI, a normal BMI increases the chances of having a lower caries index (OR = 1.83, CI: 1.10–3.03). Conclusions: Our results show that having a serum Vitamin D level ≥15 ng/mL and having a normal BMI are associated with a lower caries index in children. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Like natural catastrophes or armed conflicts, resource extraction projects herald the alteration or destruction of natural and cultural landscapes alike. Dam construction is a major threat to cultural heritage in Western Asian archaeology. One event may result in obliterating hundreds of sites, most of which never reappear or do so only sporadically following cyclical water fluctuation. Destruction of sites remains ongoing, necessitating constant assessment of damage and the establishment of strategies of documentation and maintenance. This paper proposes a new paradigm for future safeguarding and, more widely, a new tool for managing contiguous terrestrial and lacustrine cultural zones. It outlines a new set of cost-efficient tools for observing these archaeological localities' "emergence patterns" and quickly assessing damage timescales and site areas. As a case study, Iraq's largest hydroelectric basin, the Mosul Dam reservoir on the upper Tigris, is discussed, as it offers several insights into tackling endemic issues of site recording, monitoring, and threat assessment in a constantly shifting environment. The research has profited from an unexpected drought in 2018 yielding archaeological sites and villages thought forever lost and is informed by new archaeological projects recently undertaken on the eastern bank of the lake. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There are several languages in the world that are unique due to their authority and influence over other languages. This is due to the fact that such languages stay consistent with modernity, word generation, and life development and are supported by powerful governments in terms of politics, military, and economy, they are able to impose themselves, their words, and their modes of expression on other languages, in contrast to the languages that predominate them, which lack these resources. As a result, the English language has historically dominated all other global languages. In this sense, the nations that speak English can benefit from the economics, power, technology, and media's influence due to its bright hues. Based on this, my research paper, "Linguistic Colonialism and its Consequences, the fact of the Kurdistan Region as an Example," illustrates linguistic colonialism and its effects by painting a picture of the Kurdish language's current state in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq and the dangers that surround it, as manifested in the tendency toward English and other languages on the account of the national language in schools, media, education, and other fields. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Existing accounts of Kurdish nationalism can be mapped onto the main theories of nationalism, that is, primordialism, ethnosymbolism and modernism. These theories, however, suffer, respectively, from essentialism, circularity and aporia, manifest in their common inability to digest the Janus‐like character of nations, that is, their display of simultaneous modernity and antiquity. This paper develops an alternative account through a critical application of the theory of 'uneven and combined development' (UCD) to the Republic of Kurdistan of 1946. The argument unfolds in three steps. First, we argue that the failure of mainstream theories of nationalism to explain the nation's historical ambiguity lies in their 'internalism'. Second, we show that UCD overcomes internalism through its plural social ontology and enables a retheorising of nations as interactive products of the geopolitical mediation of historical capitalism's expansion through societal multiplicity. Central to this process was the emergence of nationalism as a defensive and emulative ideology of geopolitical self‐preservation. This involved reversing the sociological and political moments of the originary formation of the British imperial nation. We argue that this historical reversal underpins the Janus‐like form of nations, including the Kurdish nation. Third, we substantiate the argument through a brief case study of the Republic of Kurdistan. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It is understood that all human beings need information, including spatial (geospatial) information. It has to be noted that spatial and geospatial information helps people to enrich the knowledge about certain regions. In general, the knowledge is very significant for strengthening orientation ability, which, in turn, affects the level of intelligence. It is believed that the better a person can recognize geographical information the cleverer s/he is. Being able to have the spatial knowledge helps humans to fulfil their basic needs and find solutions to various problems. Present research uses Geographical Information System (GIS) to create paper maps, which can be transferred onto a touch display where the user can choose different keys and settings (such as colour, measurement, etc.) to represent different forms of data. The study aims to examine the effectiveness of digital interactive cartographical novel solutions in improving text and space memorization among visually impaired Kurdish students. The study's purpose draws from the knowledge that Kurdistan learners and other demographic groups lack an effective multimodal communication map suited to contemporary society's demands. The research seeks to fill the gap by presenting a strategy for developing interactive tactile maps for the target group to solve the growing problem of visual impairment in Kurdistan. Technologies associated with tactile maps are reviewed and the application of interactive tactile maps for populations, in addition to those who are visually impaired, is also considered. The obtained results are very useful for blind and low sighted users to communicate information through the assistive technologies on the map due to finding the geographical location easily. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper addresses the ongoing challenges to academic freedom in Turkey, site of the 2011 ISPP meeting and a then‐burgeoning cadre of political psychologists working to build the discipline in Turkey. In January 2016, the Academics for Peace signed a petition challenging the government's policies towards the Kurds, following which the government began to purge both signatories and other academics. The purge gained traction after the July 2016 attempted coup, which the government put down. Academics and others were dismissed by decree (KHK) and barred from working in any occupation. This paper, a revised version of the 2019 ISPP Presidential Address, discusses the scope of the attack on academic freedom in Turkey and reports on a survey of both dismissed and nondismissed academics in Turkey to discuss the implications of being unexpectedly torn from a position that is as much a calling as it is a job. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recently, some have read Turkish political developments from the perspective of Carl Schmitt's political theory. This paper aims to modify aspects of these readings and offer in response a Schmittian answer to the Kurdish question. By applying Schmitt's conceptual framework, this paper argues that the Kurds, especially in their struggles for autonomy and independence, can be viewed as fulfilling Schmitt's criterion for tellurian partisanship and forming an at least nascent constituent power. We argue that Turks and Kurds are enemies in Schmitt's explicitly political sense. They constitute a threat to each other's political existence. The Kurds exhibit the behavior of a Schmittian people or nation. They fight, against Turks, for their political existence. They aim to govern themselves, and so instantiate the de facto attributes of state sovereignty. They thus seek to constitute themselves as a free and independent people, thereby achieving a genuine political existence in the Schmittian sense. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Gas flaring is a common practice in the oil and gas industry that involves the burning of natural gas during the extraction and processing of crude oil. Despite its economic benefits, gas flaring has significant negative impacts on the environment. This paper explores the various ways in which gas flaring affects the environment, including the emission of greenhouse gases, air pollution, acid rain, and the destruction of ecosystems. It used a cross-sectional survey research design in generating the primary data used for the study, while the location of the study is Kurdistan. It used a sample size of 375 from a population of 6000 Oil & Gas company workers in Kurdistan. The findings of the study suggest that the negative impacts of gas flaring on the environment are significant, and requires urgent action to mitigate its effects. This paper provides valuable insights for policymakers, stakeholders and researchers interested in addressing the environmental consequences of gas flaring in the oil and gas industry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Emotional intelligence gives the ability to use and control one's own emotions in useful ways which reduces stress, helps to improve communication, and overcoming obstacles. Therefore, having the ability to make the right decisions and set strong strategic plans emotional intelligence plays an important role. In this respect, current paper aims to investigate the usefulness of the dimensions of emotional intelligence in the Kurdistan Region. To do this a survey questionnaire has been in English and Kurdish language prepared and applied through google forms. We have collected 150 data from employees and managers of various organizations in the region. Further, data have been evaluated by using IBM SPSS 25. It has been observed that emotional intelligence has been divided into two dimensions of emotional appraisal and emotional regulation, where it has been found in different cultures as 4 dimensions. It is recommended deeper studying and understanding of emotional intelligence in Kurdistan region of Iraq with higher number of participants to understand in what extend emotional intelligence improves employees favorable outcomes in the workplaces. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The prediction of operational freeboard in irrigation canals is a complicated issue, particularly when the cumulative effects of time-dependent factors, such as maloperation and concrete aging, are considered. While most classic approaches consider a fixed freeboard due to uniform flow as a fundamental assumption. This study proposes a flowchart considering the effects of nonuniform flow to determine the adequacy of the freeboard of irrigation canals under different conditions, including time-dependent and operational scenarios. The results of this method indicated that the freeboard values obtained by classical methods may not be sufficiently reliable in providing the appropriate level of performance in the operating conditions of agricultural canals. Regarding the case study of this paper, an irrigation canal in Kurdistan-Iran, the results showed that the formation of the M1 profile is the most critical scenario and the initial freeboard must be extended by 20cm at a distance of about 2.3Km at the end of the canal towards upstream. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]