John Updike’s use of setting in his fiction has elicited different and even conflicting reactions from critics, varying from symbolic interpretations of setting to a sense of confusion at his use of time and place in his stories.  The present study is an attempt at examining John Updike’s treatment of binary settings in Pigeon Feathers and Other Stories (1962) to reveal theme, characters’ motives and conflicts.  Analyzing Updike’s stories from a structuralist’s perspective reveals his employment of two different places and times in the individual stories as a means of reflecting the psychological state of the characters, as in “The Persistence of Desire”, or expressing conflicting views on social and political is

Abstract:

The six Arab Gulf states (Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, UAE) play a vital role, especially with its geographical location and natural  resources (oil and gas) as well as other cultural and civilizational elements, in achieving  global economic balance and more specifically global energy security, naturally  because of  these countries have a comparative advantage in the field of fossil energy (oil and gas), thus this sector becomes more attractive for local and international investments alike. Being  the energy sector a leader sector in the economic development process, and the basic factor to achieve savings and financial surpluses in thes

Samarium ions (Sm +3), a rare-earth element, have a significant optical emission within the visible spectrum. PMMA samples, mixed with different ratios of SmCl3.6H2O, were prepared via the casting method. The composite was tested using UV-visible, photoluminescence and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). The FTIR spectrometry of PMMA samples showed some changes, including variation in band intensity, location, and width. Mixed with samarium decreases the intensity of the CO and CH2 stretching bands and band position. A new band appeared corresponding to ionic bonds between samarium cations with negative branches in the polymer. These variations indicate complex links between the Sm +3 ion and oxygen in the ether group. The optical absorption

t-Self-Compacting Concrete (SCC) reduces environmental noise and has more workability. This research presents an investigation of the behavior of SCC under mechanical loading (impact loading). Two types of cement have been used to produce SCC mixtures, Ordinary Portland Cement (OPC) and Portland Limestone Cement (PLC), which reduces the emission of carbon dioxide during the manufacturing process. The mixes were reinforced with Carbon Fiber Reinforced Polymer (CFRP) which is usually used to improve the seismic performance of masonry walls, to replace lost steel reinforcements, or to increase column strength and ductility. Workability tests were carried out for fresh SCC. Prepared concrete slabs of 500×500×50mm were tested for lo

Background: Simultaneous and staged guided bone regeneration (GBR) is one of the several surgical techniques that have been developed in the past two decades to regenerate bone and thus to allow implant placement in compromised sites (fenestration and dehiscence). It is a surgical procedure that consists of the placement of a cell-occlusive physical barrier between the connective tissue and the alveolar bone defect. The treatment concept advocates that regeneration of osseous defects is predictably attainable via the application of occlusive membranes, which mechanically exclude non-osteogenic cell populations from the surrounding soft tissues, thereby allowing osteogenic cell populations originating from the parent bone to inhabi

The Islamic Bank of Al-Nahrain offers a formula for financing the purchase of real estate through a deferred sale contract, through Murabaha to the order to buy, and the payment of the price is in the form of instalments that include (the purchase price of the profit and the mutual agreement on the real estate). This research aims to show the reflection of real estate murabaha on the bank's investments, by measuring the effect of real estate murabaha on the profits achieved by the Islamic Bank of Al-Nahrain Bank. The growth of 'real estate murabaha' realized from the 'amounts granted by Bank X, in addition to analyzing the financial ratios of profitability indicators, including (return on deposits Y2) and for the years (2016 - 20

Background: Cystinosis is a rare autosomal recessive lysosomal storage disease with high morbidity and mortality. It is caused by mutations in the CTNS gene that encodes the cystine transporter, cystinosin, which leads to lysosomal cystine accumulation. It is the major cause of inherited Fanconi syndrome, and should be suspected in young children with failure to thrive and signs of renal proximal tubular damage. The diagnosis can be missed in infants, because not all signs of renal Fanconi syndrome are present during the first months of life. Elevated white blood cell cystine content is the cornerstone of the diagnosis. Since chitotriosidase (CHIT1 or chitinase-1) is mainly produced by activated macrophages both in normal and inflammator

Financial markets play an important role in the economy, as it contributes to the financial and economic system of the state stability, as it reduces the adoption of the companies on the loans granted by the banks, as financial markets contribute to attracting and channeling savings to small savers who will be able to buy a number of shares proportional to their savings, It also provides them the place of exchange, and play technology and information systems an important role in facilitating exchanges and increased market activity, in this research touched on the importance of information technology in effect on the activity of the financial markets. Research is divided into three demands of the first concept of eating and the importance

Water quality planning relies on Biochemical Oxygen Demand BOD. BOD testing takes five days. The Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO) is increasingly used for water resource forecasting. This work designed a PSO technique for estimating everyday BOD at Al-Rustumiya wastewater treatment facility inlet. Al-Rustumiya wastewater treatment plant provided 702 plant-scale data sets during 2012-2022. The PSO model uses the daily data of the water quality parameters, including chemical oxygen demand (COD), chloride (Cl-), suspended solid (SS), total dissolved solids (TDS), and pH, to determine how each variable affects the daily incoming BOD. PSO and multiple linear regression (MLR) findings are compared, and their performance is evaluated usin