Preferred Language
Articles
/
jcolang-12
Numbness of the Mind Paradigm in Haruki Murakami’s After the Quake and Iraq’s After the Quake
...Show More Authors

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.

View Publication Preview PDF
Quick Preview PDF
Publication Date
Thu Jun 30 2011
Journal Name
Al-kindy College Medical Journal
The Role of Aspirin as Otoprotective Agent in Patients Receiving Amikacin Therapy
...Show More Authors

Objective: To investigate and prove that aspirin
protects, or at least attenuates amikacin ototoxicity in
humans.
Method: This study was conducted in 60 patients that
completed all
requirements .The patients were divided into two
groups:
• Control group: receive placebo treatment.
• Drug–treated group: They receive aspirin
coated tablets (1.5gm/ day), 500mg 8 hourly.
Both groups had similar aspects regarding the gender,
age and weight. The duration of therapy was 7 days
and dosage of amikacin was 1gm/day (500mg 12
hourly).
Results: Comparison of Audiometry test in
Ear/Nose/Throat (E.N.T.) Department (Pure Tone
Audiometry) at 1000 Hertz (Hz), 2000 Hz, 4000 Hz,
and 8000 Hz showed sig

... Show More
View Publication Preview PDF
Publication Date
Mon Feb 18 2019
Journal Name
Iraqi Journal Of Physics
The evaluation of left ventricle stiffness index in patients suffering from hypertension
...Show More Authors

Many diseases can produce cardiac overload, of these disease hypertension, valve disease congenital anomaly in addition to many other disease. One of the most common diseases causing left ventricle overload is hypertension. A long term hypertension can cause myocardium hypertrophy leading to changes in the cardiac contractility and reduced efficiency. The investigations were carried out using conventional echocardiography techniques in addition to the tissue Doppler imaging (TDI) from which many noninvasive measurements can be readily obtained. The study has involved the effect of hypertension on the myocardium stiffness index through the measurement of early diastolic filling (E) and the early velocity of lateral mitral annulus (Ea

... Show More
View Publication Preview PDF
Crossref
Publication Date
Sun Jan 01 2023
Journal Name
Corporate And Business Strategy Review
The role of learning organizations in crisis management strategy: A case study
...Show More Authors

The problem of the paper focused on the role of the learning organization in the crisis management strategy, and the extent of the actual interest in both the learning organization and the crisis management and aimed at diagnosing and analyzing that and surrounding questions. The Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) program was used to calculate the results and the correlation coefficient between the two main variables. The methodology was descriptive and analytical. The case study was followed by a questionnaire that was distributed to a sample of 31 teachers. The paper adopted a seven-dimensional model of systemic thinking that encourages questioning, empowerment, provision of advanced technologies, and strategic lea

... Show More
View Publication
Scopus (15)
Crossref (9)
Scopus Crossref
Publication Date
Wed Jun 05 2024
Journal Name
International Journal Of Engineering Pedagogy (ijep)
The Impact of Artificial Intelligence on Computational Thinking in Education at University
...Show More Authors

This study aims to reveal the role of one of the artificial intelligence (AI) techniques, “ChatGPT,” in improving the educational process by following it as a teaching method for the subject of automatic analysis for students of the Chemistry Department and the subject of computer security for students of the Computer Science Department, from the fourth stage at the College of Education for Pure Science (Ibn Al-Haitham), and its impact on their computational thinking to have a good educational environment. The experimental approach was used, and the research samples were chosen intentionally by the research community. Research tools were prepared, which included a scale for CT that included 12 items and the achievement test in b

... Show More
View Publication Preview PDF
Scopus (9)
Crossref (3)
Scopus Clarivate Crossref
Publication Date
Sat Mar 25 2023
Journal Name
International Journal Of Drug Delivery Technology
The Protective Eff ect of Cinnamic Acid against Ulcerative Colitis in Mice
...Show More Authors

Objective: To study the protective eff ects of cinnamic acid on dextran sodium sulfate (DSS) induced ulcerative colitis (UC) in mice. Materials and methods. Forty adult male mice were randomLy divided into fi ve groups, control group, an induction group received 3% DSS in drinking water for 7 consecutive days. Two treatment groups received oral suspension of cinnamic acid 50 and 25 mg/kg, respectively and 3% DSS in drinking water, for 7 consecutive days. The fi nal group received oral suspension of cinnamic acid 50 mg/kg for the latter 7 days without DSS in drinking water. All the animals were euthanized on day eight. The colon of animals was extracted and divided into two sections, the middle was homogenized and biochemically analy

... Show More
View Publication
Scopus (4)
Crossref (5)
Scopus Crossref
Publication Date
Thu Apr 01 2021
Journal Name
Iop Conference Series: Earth And Environmental Science
Defining the aspects of the local urban sustainability: Eco- cities as a model
...Show More Authors

The absence of ecological perception in the local urbanization resulted in the lack of a clear conception of achieving sustainability in its simplest form in the urban reality and in the city of Baghdad in particular. The research assumes the possibility of achieving urban sustainability in Iraqi cities by applying the cities for the most effective methods to implemented ecological solutions and introducing appropriate urban planning tools and improve the living environment. The research focuses on the ability to define some aspects to achieve a sustainable local urban identity from global experiences. This was performed by proposing a scheduled theoretical framework, through which the features of sustainability can be extrapolated from the

... Show More
Publication Date
Sat Jan 01 2011
Journal Name
Journal Of Engineering
THE EFFECTS OF BLOOD REHEOLOGICAL ON THE FLOW THROUGH AN AXISYMMETRIC ARTERIAL STENOSIS
...Show More Authors

The prediction of the blood flow through an axisymmetric arterial stenosis is one of the most important aspects to be considered during the Atherosclrosis. Since the blood is specified as a non-Newtonian flow, therefore the effect of fluid types and effect of rheological properties of non-Newtonian fluid on the degree of stenosis have been studied. The motion equations are written in vorticity-stream function formulation and solved numerically. A comparison is made between a Newtonian and non-Newtonian fluid for blood flow at different velocities, viscosity and Reynolds number were solved also. It is found that the properties of blood must be at a certain range to preventing atheroscirasis

View Publication Preview PDF
Crossref
Publication Date
Tue Jan 02 2018
Journal Name
Journal Of Educational And Psychological Researches
Investigating the Factors that Affect the Oral Classroom Participation of Arab Postgraduate Students
...Show More Authors

This study examines the factors that affect oral participation of six Arab postgraduate students (two Iraqis, two Jordanians, and two Libyans), namely, three male participants and three female participants. For this purpose, a semi-structured interview was employed. The results showed that female as well male interviewees share some factors that make oral participation in classroom disheartening. These factors include high levels of anxiety, lack of confidence, shyness, and lack of preparation. It was also that there is no difference between male and female interviewees in relation to the factors that make them feel disheartened from oral classroom participation.

View Publication Preview PDF
Publication Date
Fri Nov 01 2019
Journal Name
Journal Of Engineering
Assessment the Engineering Characteristics of the Smear Zone around PVDs Using Laboratory Tests
...Show More Authors

Smear zone is usually formed around the prefabricated vertical drains (PVD’s) due to mandrel driving. The geotechnical properties of the soil in this zone exhibit significant changes that affect the performance of the PVD’s. The most relevant property in this respect is the coefficient of permeability. So far, no serious attention is paid to investigate the effects of shearing under large shear strains on the geotechnical properties of the soft soil in Fao region. In this study, an extensive laboratory testing program was conducted to assess the characteristics of the smear zone with an emphasis on the permeability coefficient of Fao soft soil. The results show that the permeability of the smear zone is about 70% of

... Show More
View Publication Preview PDF
Crossref
Publication Date
Thu Aug 01 2024
Journal Name
Iop Conference Series: Earth And Environmental Science
Assessing the Environmental Footprint of the Cement Industry: A Pathway to Sustainable Development
...Show More Authors
Abstract<p>Achieving a connection between sustainability processes and environmental protection, or what is known as sustainable development, requires paying more attention to environmental and sustainability issues for various projects and their effects on environmental problems. It involves determining the most appropriate ways to deal with them within pillars of sustainability (environmental, social, economic, and natural resources. As cement is a fundamental component of industrial services and construction in cities, it has a direct and significant interaction with the development process, making it one of the most important industries in Iraq. Because of the clinker particles and combustio</p> ... Show More
View Publication
Scopus (1)
Scopus Crossref