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Numbness of the Mind Paradigm in Haruki Murakami’s After the Quake and Iraq’s After the Quake
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Haruki Murakami (1949-present) is a contemporary Japanese writer whose works have been translated into fifty languages and won him plenty of Japanese and international awards. His short stories are well constructed in a weird realistic manner and are mixed with elements of surrealism. His novels and short stories fall under the genre of magical realism. One of the major revolving themes that Murakami wrote about was the haunting feeling of emptiness and disconnectedness in a world which seems to care much for materialism and self-interests.

    The paper explores two of Murakami’s short stories in his book After the Quake (2000) and the relevance of their themes and characters to Iraq after the quake. Literally, Iraq may never have witnessed a real earthquake, but one can say its metaphorical meaning has a great implication upon the lives of its people. The reference to Iraq after the quake in this paper would focus on the aftermath of the 2003 War such as: the feeling of disconnection among people, disinclination in life, feelings of deprivation and depreciation, and the corruption of leaders and politicians. Likewise, though Murakami’s short stories chosen in this paper do not deal with the actual earthquake, its implications can be felt as we read the stories. His characters witness a sense of disconnectedness and the feeling of being unappreciated even when they do the hardest and most dangerous jobs.

    Two of Murakami’s short stories “UFO in Kushiro” and “Super Frog Saves Tokyo” are tackled to show the paradigm and comparison between the lives of these characters (that are actually a reflection of Japanese lives in mid 1990s) and the restricted depressing life of the Iraqis in the postwar era of the 2003 War. Both have experienced fragmentation, despair and lack of self-worth due to the reasons that are explained in this paper. The Iraqis however, may have experienced a deeper suffering where one can say they have reached a state of the numbness or enslavement of the mind and feelings. The paper also highlights that animosity should be dissipated from the hearts of people specifically in politicians and top leaders. Though it is a complicated world, man should conceive that the prosperity of mankind rests in his own hands. Cherishing the diversity of cultures and understanding each other’s moral principles are the means to diminish evil in order to reach the desired bliss.

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Publication Date
Fri Oct 30 2020
Journal Name
International Journal Of Agronomy
Molybdenum Induces Growth, Yield, and Defence System Mechanisms of the Mung Bean (Vigna radiata L.) under Water Stress Conditions
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Water stress has a negative impact on the yield and growth of crops worldwide and consequently has a global impact on food security. Many biochemical changes occur in plants as a response to water stress, such as activation of antioxidant systems. Molybdenum (Mo) plays an important part in activating the expression of many enzymes, such as CAT, POD, and SOD, as well as increasing the proline content. Mo therefore supports the defence system in plants and plays an important role in the defence system of mung bean plants growing under water stress conditions. Four concentrations of Mo (0, 15, 30, and 45 mg·L−1) were applied to plants, using two approaches: (a) seed soaking and (b) foliar application. Mung bean plants were subject

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Publication Date
Wed Nov 11 2020
Journal Name
Journal Of Research In Medical And Dental Science
Effect of Topical Melatonin Application on the Peri-Implant Proximal Bone Level and Cortical Plate Thickness (Pilot Clinical Trial)
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Publication Date
Thu Oct 03 2024
Journal Name
Retos
The effect of purposeful three-dimensional training on developing some motor abilities and skill performance among female fencing players
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O estudo destaca a necessidade crítica de se focar nas capacidades físicas, motoras e técnicas das jogadoras de esgrima, desenvolvendo e testando metodologias de treino modernas, baseadas na ciência, adaptadas às exigências específicas do desporto. O objetivo do estudo foi avaliar a eficácia do treino tridimensional visando melhorar as capacidades motoras e o desempenho técnico dos participantes. Recorrendo a um desenho experimental, o estudo envolveu a formação de grupos experimentais e de controlo. A amostra incluiu 16 esgrimistas da Faculdade Feminina de Educação Física e Ciências do Desporto. Após a exclusão de dois jogadores durante a fase exploratória, os restantes 14 foram divididos igualmente em grupos experimental

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Publication Date
Wed Jan 01 2020
Journal Name
Periodicals Of Engineering And Natural Sciences
Bayesian and non-Bayesian estimation of the lomax model based on upper record values under weighted LINEX loss function
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In this article, we developed a new loss function, as the simplification of linear exponential loss function (LINEX) by weighting LINEX function. We derive a scale parameter, reliability and the hazard functions in accordance with upper record values of the Lomax distribution (LD). To study a small sample behavior performance of the proposed loss function using a Monte Carlo simulation, we make a comparison among maximum likelihood estimator, Bayesian estimator by means of LINEX loss function and Bayesian estimator using square error loss (SE) function. The consequences have shown that a modified method is the finest for valuing a scale parameter, reliability and hazard functions.

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Publication Date
Tue Mar 10 2026
Journal Name
Journal Of Baghdad College Of Dentistry
The effect of incorporating carbon nanotubes on impact, transverse strength, hardness, and roughness to high impact denture base material
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Background: One of the most common complications of dentures is its ability to fracture, so the aim of this study was to reinforce the high impact denture base with carbon nanotubes in different concentrations to improve the mechanical and physical properties of the denture base. Materials and methods: Three concentrations of carbon nanotubes was used 0.5%, 1%, 1.5% in a pilot study to see the best values regarding transverse strength, impact, hardness and roughness test, 1 wt% was the best concentration, so new samples for control group and 1wt% carbon nanotubes and the previous tests were of course repeated. Results: There was a significant increase in impact strength and transverse strength when we add carbon nanotubes in 1wt%, compared

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Publication Date
Sat Dec 01 2012
Journal Name
Iraqi Journal Of Physics
Theoretical study of matter density distribution and elastic electron scattering form factors for the neutron-rich 22C exotic nucleus
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The ground state proton, neutron, and matter density distributions and corresponding root-mean-square radii (rms) of the unstable neutron-rich
22C exotic nucleus are investigated by two-frequency shell model (TFSM) approach. The single-particle wave functions of harmonic-oscillator (HO)
potential are used with two oscillator parameters bcore and bhalo. According to this model, the core nucleons of 20C are assumed to move in the model
space of spsdpf. Shell model calculations are performed with (0+2)hw truncations using Warburton-Brown psd-shell (WBP) interaction. The outer (halo) two neutrons in 22C are assumed to move in HASP (H. Hasper) model space (2s1/2, 1d3/2, 2p3/2, and 1f7/2 orbits) using the HASP interaction. The halo st

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Publication Date
Thu Aug 17 2023
Journal Name
Migration Letters
Employing the Teleological-Causal Presumption between Al-Khwarizmi and Ibn Yaish’s Explanations of Al-Mufasal (even) as a Model
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It is a moral presumption that includes the object for its sake, and it is called the object for it or the object for its sake, which is the present tense after (lam, ki, fa, willn, and then), and it is not an excuse for the occurrence of the matter (1), and it requires a connection between the two sides of (a cause with a cause) united by a reason for a specific purpose (2). The object has a reason or an excuse, because it is an explanation of what came before it, of the cause. The reason for the occurrence of the action, being the motive for causing the action and the bearer of it (3), indicates that the infinitive is restricted to a special reason. So if I said: (I came to you with the hope of honoring you), then I attributed the coming

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Publication Date
Mon May 01 2017
Journal Name
The Journal Of Immunology
Combination of cannabinoids, Δ9- tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and cannabidiol (CBD), mitigate experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE) by altering the gut microbiome.
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Abstract<p>Multiple Sclerosis (MS), is a common autoimmune disease that affects the central nervous system. Currently, there is no cure for MS, and most treatments involve the use of immunosuppressive drugs that can have adverse effects or increased toxicity. Cannabis, commonly known as marijuana, is a product of the Cannabis sativa, and for several centuries has been used as an alternative medicine in many cultures. Cannabis sativa produces over 421 chemical compounds, including about 80 terpenophenols named phytocannabinoids, and include both psychotropic THC and non-psychoactive CBD. In the currently study, we show that a combination therapy using THC and CBD results in amelioration of EAE, a</p> ... Show More
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Publication Date
Wed May 31 2023
Journal Name
Iraqi Geological Journal
Studying the Effect of Permeability Prediction on Reservoir History Matching by Using Artificial Intelligence and Flow Zone Indicator Methods
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The map of permeability distribution in the reservoirs is considered one of the most essential steps of the geologic model building due to its governing the fluid flow through the reservoir which makes it the most influential parameter on the history matching than other parameters. For that, it is the most petrophysical properties that are tuned during the history matching. Unfortunately, the prediction of the relationship between static petrophysics (porosity) and dynamic petrophysics (permeability) from conventional wells logs has a sophisticated problem to solve by conventional statistical methods for heterogeneous formations. For that, this paper examines the ability and performance of the artificial intelligence method in perme

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Publication Date
Fri Mar 01 2019
Journal Name
Studia Ubb Chemia,
EXCESS AND DEVIATIONS PROPERTIES FOR THE BINARY SOLVENT MIXTURES OF TETRAHYDROFURFURYL ALCOHOL WITH SOME AROMATIC HYDROCARBONS AT 298.15 K.
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In this work, excess properties (eg excess molar volume (VE), excess viscosity (ȠE), excess Gibbs free energy of activation of viscos flow (ΔG* E) and molar refraction changes (ΔnD) of binary solvent mixtures of tetrahydrofurfuryl alcohol (THFA) with aromatic hydrocarbons (benzene, toluene and p-xylene) have been calculated. This was achieved by determining the physical properties including density ρ, viscosity Ƞ and refraction index nD of liquid mixtures at 298.15 K. Results of the excess parameters and deviation functions for the binary solvent mixtures at 298.15 K have been discussed by molecular interactions that occur in these mixtures. Generally, parameters showed negative values and have been found to fit well to Redlich-Kister

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