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The purpose of this research is to review peer-reviewed articles on the effects of e-learning on the academic performance of university students. The SCOPUS database was searched for peer-reviewed articles. The data obtained were analyzed using the content analysis method. Twenty-seven articles were found in journals indexed in the SCOPUS database and considered suitable for this study. Two researchers used the content analysis method to determine the effects of the articles reviewed. The results showed that studies in this area have increased in intensity in recent years. These studies were generally conducted over five years. It was found that quantitative methods were predominantly chosen. Researchers published most articles in 2021 and 2022. Most of the studies reviewed used a quantitative design, and only seven articles chose an experimental research design. Most studies were conducted in Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Spain, India, Iran, and Turkey. The results show that different measurement instruments or tools were used to measure students' academic achievement. The impact of the peer-reviewed articles on the impact of e-learning on college students' academic achievement was examined in four categories. These categories are detailed in the results. Finally, pedagogical conclusions are drawn in light of the results obtained.

Within the scope of this study, a psychoeducation program based on multicultural competencies and Berry's acculturation model was developed to improve the adjustment process of international students. In this study, an explanatory sequential design was used. The study group consisted of 34 international students who volunteered for the study. The quantitative results of the study indicated that the Culture-Based Adjustment Program significantly affected the personal and social adjustment of international students. However, it did not significantly affect the adjustment to the university environment, emotional adjustment, dating relationships, and academic adjustment. The qualitative analysis yielded five major categories: (a) expectations, (b) contributions, (c) evaluation of the program, (d) leader, and (e) suggestions. The findings of this study highlight the importance of psychoeducation programs in the adjustment process of international students.

The COVID 19 pandemic, which started to be seen in Turkey in March 2020, required some changes to the education process in our country and all over the world, and during this period, the courses were carried out online. Therefore, education activities for foreigners residing in different parts of the world in Turkish education were carried out following the new situation. However, this situation has brought various problems. This study aims to detect the errors in the written texts created online by the students studying in the form of distance education at Alanya Alaaddin Keykubat University TÖMER in the spring semester of the 2020-2021 academic year. For this purpose, 26 students were given topics such as fellowship, friendship, family, travel, technology, daily life, memories, cities, and countries. Then, they were asked to write a text about any of the topics of their own choice. The texts written by the students were evaluated by content analysis from qualitative data analysis. A total of 517 errors were detected as a result of the review, and the errors were categorically collected under three headings: Narrative disorders, spelling errors and punctuation errors. Nearly half of the errors detected are due to narrative disorders (49.51%). In second place are spelling errors (32.30%) and punctuation errors (18.18%) in last place. When looking at the errors evaluated at the level of narrative disorders, it was observed that impairments caused 71% of the 256 errors detected in the grammar level and 29% were caused by disorders in the level of meaning. Accordingly, it has been concluded that the students did not have sufficient feedback from the teacher on the language level disorders in the written texts created by the students during the online Turkish teaching process and that the students did not succeed at the desired level in applying the grammar rules. In this context, it is recommended that the lecturers show the necessary sensitivity to the application process of writing skills in online Turkish teaching to foreigners.

The purpose of this study is to determine Turkish and refugee middle school students' views on their national belonging. The study employed the qualitative research approach aligned with the purpose; semi-structured interviews were conducted with Turkish and refugee students. Data were analyzed using the content analysis method. Results showed that the most important common features for national belonging of both Turkish and refugee students were the common language they spoke and the place they lived in and the difference of views regarding national belonging were in terms of discrimination. Regarding Turkish society's expectations of them, both groups emphasized universal values such as being hardworking and being a good person, but their perceptions of serving the state differed. As for what Turkish and refugee students should do for this society, Turkish students believed that they should be hardworking and refugee students thought that they should be good people. It can be said that the differences of opinion between Turkish students and refugee students who migrated to Turkey would decrease if both groups came together on the subject of universal values.

This paper addresses peace education focusing on how place-based experiences and collective memories stimulate local mobilisation for refugees fleeing from war. The Arctic Migration Route, located above 69th degree north, became an alternative to dangerous boat trips on the Mediterranean Sea, for people seeking safety and protection in the fall of 2015. During a few months, over 5,500 people from 35 nations, mostly from Syria, Afghanistan, Iraq and Iran came to a municipality in north Norway with 10,000 inhabitants. The paper demonstrates how global conflicts far away, have important local consequences across borders and huge distances. Interviews with local authorities, teachers, voluntary workers constitute the main empirical material. By combining theories of place-based experiences and collective memories with phenomenology of practice, geographical location, collective and cultural memories across generations, are analysed as important driving forces for the local mobilization to help refugees. This approach opens for a wider perspective on learning, showing how climate, culture and history have important role as material and sociocultural education in this arctic border region in the north of Norway. Based on empirical data from a small local school, the paper will document how a local community can find solutions to globally produced problems.

Reflective practice in TESOL is widely used in pre-service and in-service teacher education contexts and is regarded as beneficial for ongoing professional learning. While models of reflective language teaching vary, they all aim to improve classroom outcomes for teachers and students. A holistic approach to reflective practice includes teachers' beliefs, philosophies and the interaction of their teaching practices with moral and social issues outside the classroom as part of the self-reflective teaching process (Farrell, 2015; Larrivee, 2000). Reflecting on the teaching journey in this way can help teachers make sense of how individual beliefs about teaching interact with professional experiences, and how these interactions inform decisions in the classroom. The aim of this narrative paper is to describe the developmental process I went through during my first year as a teacher of beginner, refugee-background students in an adult migrant English language teaching program in Australia. Self-reflective data primarily sourced from teaching journals kept during my first year of teaching were analysed using Farrell's (2015) Framework for Reflecting on Practice. Following a brief introduction of the framework, its application to this current study is discussed. Findings highlight the important roles philosophy, theory, critical reflection and mentors played in my pedagogical decision-making and overall learning processes. The paper concludes with a discussion about implications for ESOL teachers, graduate students and educators in TESOL teacher education programs.

The purpose of this study was to determine the extent to which the Trump administration ban on individuals from 7 Muslim-majority countries (i.e., Executive Order 13769), influenced prospective international graduate applicants to two Texas institutions. Inferential statistical procedures revealed the presence of a statistically significant, sharp decline in international graduate applicants, particularly from Muslim-majority countries. From Fall 2016 to Fall 2018, international graduate applicants from non-Muslim-majority countries declined 18.36%. Over this same time period, applicants from Muslim-majority countries declined 33.37%. Most notably, applicants from the 7 countries targeted in the travel ban declined 53.93%. Concerns clearly exist regarding the effects of this travel ban on international student mobility. Implications of these findings and recommendations for future research are discussed.

Middle East Region is home to more than 400 million people, representing 5% of world population, and boasts a workforce of 103 million scattered across 22 countries (Lord, 2016). Sixty five percent of the populations are young aged 25 or under, which puts growing stress on educational, health and social systems. Over the last decade, most Middle East countries put into action many reforms for women's rights and sensitivity toward gender issues. Currently, almost all Middle East countries have ratified the Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW). Many nations in the Region shown strong commitment to uplift education and make them accessible to all eligible women. There was also substantial increase in the allocation of funds for education in nearly all Middle East nations. For a balanced national development, women are needed in the various areas where their functions are most suitable. In principle, there are equal opportunities for both genders but social perception and prejudice determine which types of employment are particularly suitable for women or men. Several renowned Middle Eastern women are Physicians, Chemist, Physicist, Engineers, Doctors, Judges, Lawyers, Journalist, Poets, Novelist and even Legislatives (Islam, 2017).

During the Persian Gulf War of Iraq-Iran (1980-1988), thousands of Iranians were taken captive by Iraqi troops. These prisoners of war (POWs) had to find ways to enrich and fill their time in prison camps. Learning English was one such activity. This study was carried out to appraise the motivations of the Iranian POWs for learning English, and to understand more about their textbooks, their classroom environment, the teaching methods and techniques employed, the skills emphasized, the teaching aids improvised, the types of exercises mobilized, as well as the test-taking techniques adopted. A relevant corpus of 21 memoirs and 7 interviews with Iranian ex-POWs were analyzed. The research draws upon Maslow's (1970) "self-actualization" and Frankl's (1984) "logotherapy" to shed light on the existential aspect of learning. Findings revealed that for these EFL learners learning English was an attempt to fulfill their potential and/or to make life more meaningful.

This research has the objective to determine the profiles of scientific publications in Muslim countries, including: the position of Muslim countries developing scientific publications through scientific journals; an overview of scientific journals that develop in Muslim countries; and an overview of scientific journals that develop in Muslims countries as an indicator of opportunities and challenges of scientific publications for Islamic Universities in Indonesia. The research method used was content analysis with the main data source from The Islamic World Science Citation Center (ISC). The data analysis used descriptive statistics with percentage model, and it was described in qualitative descriptive. The results demonstrate that the most widely owned scientific publications are from Malaysia, followed by Iran and Pakistan, which is above 100. The scientific publications, over 40 in number, come from Turkey, Saudi Arabia, and Egypt. The scientific publications, at around 14-24 in number, come from India, Jordan, Indonesia, and Azerbaijan. In addition to the 10 countries mentioned above, 20 other countries have approximately 1-7 scientific publications on average. The lack of scientific publications in Muslim countries becomes a great opportunity and challenge for Islamic Universities in Indonesia for producing quality scientific publications.

This study explores the circumstances of Kurdish refugee youth in Canada. Using a critical ethnographic approach, I interviewed twenty young people, aged 15-30, to examine their transnational identities and lived experiences in the Canadian context. Arendt's notion of the right to have rights, Isin's concept of acts of citizenship, and Hall's concept of state hegemony proved to be useful theoretical tools to examine the exclusion of refugee youth from the educational market and their statelessness, rightlessness, and statuslessness in the nation-states. The interview data indicate that the statelessness and statuslessness of refugee youth stem from the practices of hegemony, assimilation, and racism by their home and host state. The study also suggests the importance of questioning the state's hegemony and the domination of the western construction of citizenship to provide alternative forms of social and educational participation that can transform the youths' status from refugees to actors and citizens.

While a lot of literature has debated the effectiveness of international economic sanctions on sanctioned countries, little is known about the state of research on the impact of economic sanctions on education. The purpose of this scoping review was to map the literature on the effects of international economic sanctions on education. Searches of eight electronic databases and the grey literature were conducted to identify published empirical studies. Six eligible studies were selected. This review observes the limited empirical research and data to provide a better understanding of how education systems are affected by economic sanctions, highlighting the lack of research and, consequently, educators' voices on education in sanctioned societies. Utilising the scattered evidence, the article challenges concerned educators and researchers to avail empirical evidence to power so that the collateral damage being suffered by young people in sanctioned countries is recognised and hopefully mitigated.

After claiming asylum, refugee children work to re-build their worlds across three dimensions: safety, belonging, and success. This article examines the pedagogical practices that support this work arguing that a key, but under-examined practice draws on what we have termed pedagogical love. Building on a qualitative Finnish-Australian study, we suggest that as refugee students enter schools in their host countries, pedagogical love can be created through teacher-student interactions in a range of ways despite limited shared language. Later, pedagogical practices that foster a nurturing classroom environment and help students to build a sense of belonging become increasingly important. As students settle in their schools and societies, teachers showing a belief both in the child and their contribution to their new society are crucial. We understand that these actions may be described as teachers' professional duty of care. Yet our findings show that teachers went beyond this duty by opening their minds and hearts to the students' lived conditions, engaging with their histories, and constantly shaping their pedagogy accordingly. These practices, we argue, are forms of pedagogical love.

While initial discussions of the third mission of universities focussed on market-orientated behaviours of universities, more recently it has been connected to activities that focus on social justice and promoting sustainability (Trencher, Bai, Evans, McCormick & Yarime, 2014; Appe & Barragán, 2017). It has been suggested that the third mission of universities in the Global South may be particularly significant in addressing acutely felt issues of climate change, economic inequalities, food insecurity and urban sprawl. The current paper explores this and asks whether the quadruple helix (Carayannis & Campbell, 2010) is visible in their engagement activities. Using a synthesis of case studies developed as part of the 'Strengthening Urban Engagement of Universities in Africa and Asia' (SUEUAA) project, a collaborative research project spanning seven cities (Glasgow; Harare; Dar-es-Salaam; Johannesburg; Duhok; Sanandaj; and Manila), we explore ongoing engagement activities where universities respond to city demand. We frame this in terms of Sustainable Development Goals. Results indicate while universities were seen to address city demands, they often reacted without a network of other influential actors (i.e. industry, local government or NGO partners). This suggests that currently, the quadruple helix is underdeveloped in these cities, and more work should be done in creating closer links.

Using flashbacks, Bizhan Najdi's "A Plant in Quarantine" tells the story of the central character called Taher, an Iranian boy, who has been quarantined in a hospital due to abnormal spread of skin rashes after a military service physician took off a lock from the back of his right shoulder. Immediately, Taher came down with a contagious skin disease called hereditary fear by the rural doctor. This short story brings the past and present together in a peculiar manner, providing an overview of present condition actuated by past events revolving around the Tudeh Party, an Iranian Marxist political party, and the Iran-Iraq War. The analysis of this relationship and the possibility of Taher's hereditary fear is the main focus of the paper, which can account for the role of history in this short story. For such an end, the analysis is carried out at the two levels of writer and story. The writer's disturbed memories, which are related to fear and violence in Iran's contemporary history, and the conditions of their emergence are explored so that the roots of the protagonist's inherent fear might be discernible. The findings of the paper show that the unpleasant presence of the main character's ancestral past is the cause of his predicament, introducing past as an active agent of the present.

Creativity has long been touted as one of the aspects of human behavior that truly delineates mankind from all other species. However, sometimes people use creativity in negative ways, whereby it is used to reach goals through harming others. Often these malevolent acts are sensationalized in the media. Previous research found that there is a relationship between malevolent creativity and religious beliefs. This research evaluates the effect of two dimensions of religious orientation, intrinsic and extrinsic, on malevolent creativity through the mediating roles of positive emotions and spiritual intelligence. Data were collected from 862 Muslim students from the countries of Iran, Iraq, Yemen, Afghanistan and Syria. In this research, intrinsic religious orientation was found to reduce students' malevolent creativity while extrinsic religious orientation increased the malevolent creativity. Furthermore, the effect of intrinsic religious orientation on malevolent creativity through spiritual intelligence and positive emotion was negative, whereas this effect for extrinsic religious orientation was positive. Thus, understanding how religious orientation affects malevolent creativity is vital to advancing our understanding of this area of human behavior.

The simplicity and minimal cost of mobile phones make them more suitable for use among students and educators across the world. The integration of mobile technology in a university context has been found to provide a superior learning environment compared to the traditional classroom lecture. Yet, there are several challenges that may delay the adoption of m-learning and postpone the revolution it promised. Arab Gulf Countries (AGC), like other developing countries, are encountering challenges linked to the acceptance and adoption of m-learning. Therefore, it is vital to examine the factors driving the adoption of m-learning among instructors and students in these countries. This paper identified the influential factors affecting m-learning adoption among students in Arab Gulf universities. The challenges of adopting m-learning were also identified. A systematic literature review was conducted to explore the current evidence on the use of m-learning in AGC. The results showed different factors (mostly cultural and social) that contribute to m-learning acceptance/adoption in Arab Gulf universities. Findings from this study can aid educational policy makers with planning and implementing effective m-learning programs.

The student engagement concept has been revolutionised so that students play an active role alongside staff members in determining their student learning experiences. Although the development of student--staff partnerships enhances student engagement and experience, empirical research on partnerships in Malaysia is scant. This paper contributes to the growing scholarly literature on such partnerships -- in particular, exploring postgraduate international students and staff members' partnership dimensions in extra-curricular activities at a research university in Malaysia. This qualitative study interviewed 33 postgraduate international students, 10 academic staff and 12 professional staff members. Based on the findings, the student-staff partnership model is well integrated into the extra-curricular activities: international students are invited to co-design and implement adjustment programmes for newly arrived international students. This paper also explores the multi-layered benefits of partnerships for postgraduate international students and for staff members. The implications of such partnerships for the university, international students and staff members are discussed.

Key drivers for migrants' social integration are education, employment, and skills in the dominant language of the settlement country. Data from Building a New Life in Australia: The Longitudinal Study of Humanitarian Migrants were used to examine migrants' English proficiency and how oral English proficiency facilitated or hindered participation in activities that may help them become self-sufficient and settle. Participants were 2399 humanitarian migrants interviewed in the first wave of data collection (during 2013/14). Before arrival in Australia, 80.1% reported they spoke English not well or not at all. After arrival, oral English proficiency was a statistically significant predictor of self-sufficiency (knowing how to look for a job, get help in an emergency, etc.) explaining 21% of the variance while controlling for confounding variables such as age and education. After English proficiency, age (neither too young nor too old), gender (male), education (more than 12 years), and time since arrival (more than one year) were significant predictors of self-sufficiency. Identification of factors that predict self-sufficiency informs the understanding of people who provide support for humanitarian migrants. These findings indicate poor oral English skills may profoundly hinder humanitarian migrants' ability to settle and highlight the importance of supporting migrants' English learning.

Although the quantity of education is widely used to measure the economical and social performances of educative systems, only a few works have addressed the issue of equity in education. In this work, we have calculated two measures of inequality in education based on Barro and Lee's (2010) data: the Gini index of education and the standard deviation of schooling. The sample comprises 15 countries from the MENA region over the period 1950-2010. We used hierarchical clustering to control for the heterogeneity of the sample and identify the existence of cluster of similar value. We applied the Kuznets curve of education over the countries of the region. The findings show a decline in the Gini index within all the participating countries, for men and women and also for all age groups. The results also indicate that the education distribution was more unequal in the middle-income countries than in the higher-income countries in 2010, although they had almost the same level in 1970. The results suggested that the shape of the Kuznets curve depends basically on the measure used to approximate the inequality. Indeed, the Kuznets hypothesis is emphasized once we use the standard deviation of schooling. The Gini index, for its part, has maintained a significant negative relationship within the average number of years of the study.

This study aims to describe the similarities and differences in the science interests of males and females from Israeli and Arab Middle Eastern countries, as derived from over 1,000 science questions sent to an international ask-a-scientist site. Our findings indicate that while the stereotypical gender gap in interest persists, and significant differences were found between the age groups, no significant differences were found between science questions that were sent by Israelis and Arabs. Furthermore, no correlation was found between female participation and the state of gender equity in the country, and only 1% of the questions made any reference to country-specific, local, or religious aspects. One may conclude that science interests are gender- and age-dependent but culturally-independent in this asynchronous, open and distant science learning environment. Further research is needed in order to determine if this is a genuine attribute of science interest in ODL environments or an outcome of the digital divide in the region. (Contains 5 tables and 3 endnotes.)

This qualitative study was conducted in 2006-2007 and found that teachers relied on a variety of readily available media to stay informed about the Middle East and used some of them in their teaching. Teachers tried to explain to their students that every Middle Eastern Muslim is not a terrorist and Iraq was not behind the 9/11 terrorist attacks. The guiding questions were: (1) What are the sources of news that teachers use to teach about the Middle East? (2) How do teachers use the media to teach about the Middle East in the post 9/11 schools? Semi-structured interviews were used to gather data and teachers' instructional plans were examined. The Uses and Gratification theory provided the conceptual framework and data were analyzed using the grounded theory. (Contains 1 figure and 3 tables.)

Through our reading of the memoirs of women political prisoners in Morocco, Iraq, and Iran, this article explores the transnational feminist praxis of building solidarity. We cross-read these memoirs in the context of Aboriginal women's encounter with state violence in Canada. This cross-reading and contemplation are intended to trouble the liberal notions of multiculturalism, settlement, and integration and to connect transitions in the lives of women who deal with war, militarism, racism, violence, and poverty. Therefore, the question we address is how to read the memoirs in the context of history and find the missing links between, for instance, colonization and migration, militarization and liberal democracy, racism and multiculturalism? How can we read them in the context of Canadian history and contemporary geopolitical positioning? In this article, we discuss the memoir genre in relation to public pedagogies, describe the memoirs on which we focus, discuss their main themes that emerged from our analysis, and explore the ways in which they intersect. We read the memoirs as living texts of society, culture, and history; in other words, we read the social and historical through the voice of the individual. Our aim is to explore the possibilities of teaching memoirs and developing memoir pedagogy as a transformative adult education option.

Little is known about the language acquisition of refugees in Western countries. This study examines how pre- and post-migration characteristics of refugees are related to their second language proficiency. Data are from a survey of 3,500 refugees, who were born in Afghanistan, Iran, Iraq, former Yugoslavia and Somalia, and who resided in the Netherlands. The analysis shows that speaking and reading skills are better among refugees who received more pre-migration schooling, who migrated from a major city, and who arrived in the host country at a younger age. Post-migration characteristics are also important. Language skills are better among refugees who only lived in a refugee reception center for a short while, who completed an integration course, who received post-migration education, who intend to stay in the host country, and who have fewer health problems. (Contains 4 notes and 3 tables.)

Migration and neo-liberal restructuring are two of the most discussed phenomena with regard to globalisation. In this article, the authors have sought links between these processes in a Swedish context and the experiences of racialised as they spoke about schooling and the role of parents in their educational situation. The aim of the article is to explore school narratives evolving from young pupils of migrant background. The authors' analytical focus lies on the impact process of racialisation has on the school experience of Swedish citizens of migrant background. Theoretically, this study is inspired by the at times conflictual debates between Marxism and postcolonial theory; aiming at creating bridges between these critical currents of thought. Methodologically, the study is a qualitative case study of four Swedish schools. (Contains 1 table and 3 footnotes.)

In this article, the author presents the challenges faced by early childhood education in 29 countries, according to the World Forum National Representatives and Global Leaders for Young Children. The countries represented in these responses include: Azerbaijan, Bangladesh, Bolivia, Brazil, Canada, Denmark, Egypt, Fiji, India, Iran, Iraq, Japan, Jordan, Kenya, Lithuania, Mexico, Nepal, New Zealand, Singapore, Slovakia, South Africa, Sweden, Tajikistan, Turkey, Uganda, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, United States, and Vietnam.

Colleges and universities across the country are seeing an overwhelming interest among students in learning about the Middle East and Arabic languages. The most popular courses, professors say, are Arabic language, Middle Eastern politics and the dynamics of the Israeli and Arab relationship. Also in demand are courses on comparative religions and gender issues. Courses in Arab film have also enjoyed renewed popularity, reflecting an ongoing renaissance in cinematography in Iran, North Africa and Israel. The surging interest in the Middle East is at least partially tied to post-Sept. 11 national security concerns, so while Middle Eastern studies programs have exploded in popularity in the past six years, whether they will remain in the national spotlight remains to be seen. Interest in the programs appeared to begin to flatten in 2005, but it is still too early to draw any conclusions. The continued fighting in Iraq, the escalating conflict with Iran and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict suggest that affairs in the Arab world will continue to make national headlines. As a result, many professors have reason to believe that interest in Middle Eastern studies will also continue to grow.

The dropping of atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki in World War II inaugurated a new era in world history, the atomic age. After the war, the Soviet Union, eager to develop the same military capabilities as those demonstrated by the United States, soon rivaled the U.S. as an atomic and nuclear superpower. Faced by the possibility of destruction by nuclear weapons, the nations of the world expressed a keen interest in preventing their proliferation and use, and in ensuring that atomic and nuclear energy sources would be used for peaceful purposes. The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) was established in 1957 as a United Nations agency dedicated to promoting the peaceful uses of atomic and nuclear energy, and also to developing safeguards against the conversion of atomic and nuclear energy from peaceful to military use. When the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty was concluded in 1968, the IAEA was designated as the agency responsible for the inspection of nuclear facilities and for ensuring that countries that signed the treaty were in compliance with its provisions. This article examines the origins of the IAEA and its continuing importance, and describes the activities of the agency in four countries of great interest: Iraq, Iran, North Korea, and Libya. The article also answers some basic questions about nuclear programs, and recommends web-based resources for studying the problem of proliferation.

Defines war as symptom rather than cause. Identifies the root cause of the Middle East crisis as destruction of the regional balance of power through foreign augmentation of Iraqi power. Criticizes the tendency to see world problems as a fight between good and evil. Defines realism as the ability to see political realities as a balance of power. (DK)

Provides background on the Iran-Iraq conflict and suggests readings dating from 1980 to 1988 in both English and Arabic which are classified under seven broad categories: the roots of the conflict; Iran-United States relations; the American hostage crisis; the Iran-Contra affair; periodicals and indexes; online databases; and bibliographies. (105 references) (MES)

This article gives a brief description of the piece of art titled "Bowl with Frieze of Lions Attacking Bulls" which is thought to be the product of a court or palace of the Neo-Assyrian period and dates to the late seventh to eighth century BC, between the reigns of Sargon and Ashurbanipal. The article highlights the piece's most notable cultural and artistic elements and questions to consider.

The research discusses the problem of external relations with various political components and their impact on Iraq's policies. This research addresses the background of forming alliances of Iraqi political components since 1921. Moreover, it addresses the form of Iraqi political alliances and blocs and the nature of their external connections after the American occupation of Iraq in 2003. It discusses the problem of the emergence of the democracy of 'sectarian, ethnic, and national quotas' as a primary factor in shaping the Iraqi political system. It also revealed the multiplicity of connections between Iraqi internal political components and external factors, such as economic ties, military alliances, and diplomatic relationships. The research also addressed Iraq's geopolitical position and its role in preserving the lost regional balances in light of this problem. The research explored and examined the repercussions of these (problematic) alliances on the official policies and positions of the state, the most important of which were: 1) The change in the priorities of Iraqi politics according to the changes in the connections of these forces in the government with external powers, 2) The exit from the circle of neutrality and independence in Arab and Islamic affairs, 3) Iraq's loss of geopolitical advantage in favor of external parties. It also discussed the foundations and motives that influence external actors' interest-based policies towards Iraq. The research also projected the most likely scenarios of these repercussions in the near future. It answered a central question: What are the boundaries of the effectiveness and influence of external will in shaping Iraqi internal and external policies amidst the conflict of internal wills and the multiplicity of their connections with external parties? This anticipation of future developments adds a layer of intrigue to the research. This research discovered that the majority of foreign policy trends are governed by the connections and external relations of the components of the government and parliament. The research reached several results, the most prominent of which are: 1) Iraq's internal and external policy has become a reflection of the interests of influential countries within it, most notably Iran, the United States, and neighboring countries; 2) The consolidation and deepening of the concepts of quotas and sectarianism due to these external connections, 3) Iraq's transition to a square in which it is an arena for settling accounts by proxy in the service of external agendas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Lower extremity amputations (LEAs) significantly contribute to mortality and morbidity, often resulting from peripheral artery disease and diabetes mellitus (DM). Traumatic injuries also account for many LEAs. Despite the global burden, the epidemiology of LEAs, particularly in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region, remains underexplored. This study utilizes the Global Burden of Disease (GBD) dataset to analyze temporal trends in LEAs in the MENA region from 1990 to 2019. Methods: The study utilized the 2019 GBD dataset, which includes estimates for incidence, prevalence, and disability-adjusted life-years (DALYs) across 369 diseases. Age-standardized incidence rates (ASIRs) for LEAs were extracted for 21 MENA countries. Trends were analyzed using percentage change calculations and Joinpoint regression to identify significant shifts in LEA rates over time. Results: From 1990 to 2019, male LEA rates generally decreased, while female rates increased. Significant increases in LEA rates were observed in Syria, Yemen, and Afghanistan, correlating with periods of conflict and instability. Conversely, countries like Iraq, Palestine, Sudan, Lebanon, Iran, and Kuwait saw marked decreases. The study highlighted a complex interplay of socio-political factors, natural disasters, and chronic diseases like DM in shaping LEA trends across the region. Conclusion: The study reveals variable LEA trends in the MENA region, influenced by conflicts, natural disasters, and chronic diseases. These findings underscore the need for targeted public health interventions, improved healthcare access, and robust data collection systems to reduce the burden of LEAs and improve patient outcomes in the MENA region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although addressing cultural and religious practices is important in providing mental health care, little research exists on understanding mental health issues of minority groups such as Muslim immigrant women. We employed an intersectional approach to examine beliefs and attitudes toward mental health issues among Muslim immigrant women in Canada. Four focus groups (21 participants) were conducted, and 101 surveys were collected in Ottawa, Canada. Three core themes emerged from thematic content analysis of focus group data that relate to participants' communication about: 1) stressors, 2) mental health care seeking, and 3) utilizing coping strategies. The survey data were analyzed using independent samples t-test and One-Way ANOVA, the results of which supported the qualitative findings that social stigma was an important obstacle preventing those women from seeking professional mental health services. Muslim women with South and Southeast Asian cultural/ethnic backgrounds were more likely to get help from professionals than those with African cultural/ethnic backgrounds. No group differences were found in age, family income, and employment status. Broadly, the findings underscore the importance of developing knowledge about the intersections among gender, religion, cultural identity, immigration status, and social stigma that influence beliefs and attitudes toward mental health issues. Specifically, the findings point to the need for an intersectional approach that offers a more nuanced understanding for tailoring mental health care to Muslim immigrant women's needs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Reservoir sedimentation in mountainous watersheds, such as the Zagros mountains, is high. Reservoir sedimentation reduces water storage and threatens water resource management. This study aims to simulate reservoir sedimentation in Dokan Lake, Iraq for 55 years, beginning in 1959. Multiple combinations of the revised universal soil loss equation—sediment delivery ratio (RUSLE-SDR) method have been tested using geographic information system (GIS) and remote sensing techniques. Two types of satellite precipitation data, six Digital Elevation Model (DEM), Harmonized World Soil Database (HWSD), and AQUA eMODIS NDVI V6 data have been used to prepare forty-eight RUSLE-SDR models. These models have been evaluated using three sets of in situ measurements (one topographic map and two bathymetric data sets) to select the suitable models. The rate of error test shows that the best model by far is model #38, which has an error of less than 8.31% for the three in situ measurements. The annual reservoir sedimentation rate (between 1959 and 2014) at Dokan Lake is 0.0034 km3·y−1 (6,347,800 ton·y−1). This rate has been decreased to 0.0027 km3·y−1 (2018 to present) due to short-term fluctuations in precipitation and temperature and construction of the Sardasht Dam, which contributed to the decrease in the amount of the water mass reached to Dokan lake. The sediment delivery ratio which is based on the basin model shows better results than the sediment delivery ratio which depends on the IC model although the SDR IC model is working well, too. As a result of neglecting this aspect, one-third of Dokan Lake volume has been lost already due to reservoir sedimentation. The results show that the GPM data is better than the TRMM data in estimating the R factor. Moreover, the best RUSLE-SDR model shows that the MODIS land cover (MCD12Q1) performs better than the AQUA eMODISNDVI V6 to estimate the cover-management (C) factor, which comprises the preventing effects of the crop or vegetation cover. We propose constructing check dams in the Dokan Lake basin to reduce reservoir sedimentation is among the most important measures to increase the dam's lifespan. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Specimens of the genus Phalangium Linnaeus, 1758 (Phalangiidae Latreille, 1802) are reported from northern Iraq and were identified as Phalangium punctipes (L. Koch, 1878). These represent the first record of both, genus and species, for the Iraqi Opiliones fauna. The characteristic features of the species and illustrations of their habitat are presented. This record increases the number of known Opiliones in Iraq to six species, which is a very low number compared to the Opiliones checklists from two nearby countries, namely Iran with 28 species and Türkiye with 89 species and five subspecies. Nineteen species and two subspecies records from the Türkiye checklist are considered misidentifications and therefore omitted in our revised checklist. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Selecting appropriate climate change scenarios is crucial, as it influences the outcomes of climate change impact studies. Several storylines could be used to investigate the sensitivity of water resource schemes to weather variability and improve policymakers' adaptation strategies. This study proposes a comprehensive and generic methodology for assessing the future climate change impact on semi-arid and arid zones at the basin scale by comparing delta perturbation scenarios to the outcomes of seven collections of GCMs (general circulation models). The findings indicate that the two scenarios predicted nearly identical declines in average reservoir discharges over a monthly timescale. Consequently, their maximum values are almost similar. The projected decrease in the streamflow for the period 2080–2099 is approximately 48%—the same as the ratio from the delta perturbation scenario of Future16 (a 30% precipitation decrease and a 30% potential evapotranspiration increase). Furthermore, delta perturbation scenarios allow the impacts of model sensitivity to climate change to be clearly identified in relation to GCM scenarios. Delta perturbation scenarios allow for an extensive collection of possible climate changes at the regional scale. In addition, delta perturbation scenarios are simpler to create and use; therefore, they might complement GCM scenarios. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Coriander (Coriandrum sativum L.) is an annual herb belonging to the Apiaceae family that is grown worldwide. This aromatic herb has been used for its nutritional value and biological properties. In this study, we compared the essential oil composition and antibacterial activity of coriander seeds from nine Iranian and Iraqi populations for the first time. The seed oils were extracted using a Clevenger‐type apparatus, and their chemical composition was determined using GC and GC/MS Agilent apparatuses. The antimicrobial activity of the oils was tested against three infectious bacteria (Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa) using the agar well diffusion method. The experiments were repeated three times, and the results were analyzed using PAST, SAS, and SPSS software. The results showed that oxygenated monoterpenes, especially linalool, were the major compounds in the oils, followed by α‐pinene, γ‐terpinene, and geranyl acetate. The proportions of these compounds varied among the populations. Trace amounts of other compounds were also detected, some of which were only found in certain populations. The populations were detected as linalool chemotype, and classified into four groups based on their chemical constituents in the UPGMA tree. The PCA‐Biplot showed that these groups were characterized by the presence and percentage of specific compounds. The essential oils showed bacterial growth inhibitory properties only at 100% concentration. S. aureus was the most sensitive bacterium to the coriander essential oil, while the essential oils of all populations inhibited the growth of this bacterium. Additionally, the essential oils were more effective than antibiotics against E. coli. These findings contribute to our understanding of coriander seed essential oil by providing data on antibacterial activity and chemical characteristics. Furthermore, the study highlights the importance of selecting populations based on their specific essential oil profiles for antibacterial applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]