This mixed method research analyses urban heritage and identity management concerning Karbala, and important spiritual and historical center. Homing in on particular spatial issues germane to Muharram’s rites, this study explores spiritual activities for the remembrance of the martyrdoms of Imam Hussein (A) and his brother Abbas (A), and their followers (RA), and identifies the way in which such activities construct urban identity in Karbala. Furthermore, this study contemplates the deployment of contemporary AR and VR technologies for urban identity. After reviewing extensive studies on religious, cultural, and urban heritage, a field survey of the Muharram pilgrimage in Karbala was conducted, spatially analyzing pilgrims’ movements in public areas. Virtual reconstructions of Karbala using immersive technologies are explored to increase visitor engagement to determine physical-virtual spatial interactions’ shaping of preservation and experiences. The results indicate that Muharram rites, especially Hussaini processionals, inherently embody urban, cultural, and religious identifications with Karbala, literally shaping the city’s physical form and promoting social engagement in temporary congregation areas. Furthermore, the virtual technological immersive experiences, including the Day of Ashura, promote ancillary and even remote comprehension of cultural importance and knowledge transmission. Additionally, the integration of VR and AR in cultural heritage preservation not only enhances historical documentation but also creates immersive educational experiences. These technologies bridge the gap between physical and virtual engagement, ensuring that visitors—both present and remote—can interact with Karbala’s cultural legacy in a meaningful way. This approach fosters a stronger emotional and cognitive connection to the city's rich spiritual and historical narratives. This study is original in its multipronged analysis, encompassing virtual technology and spatial analysis for complementary heritage and culture conservation and reconstruction in Karbala. It offers urban planning, cultural preservation, and technological development insights, and charts the course for sensitive modernization in Karbala. Copyright: ©2025 The authors.
Background: Klebsiella pneumoniae shows varying degrees of resistance to antibiotic treatment; this resistance arises from multiple mechanisms, including the increased expression of multidrug (MDR) efflux pumps. An efflux pump inhibitor (EPI) is required to overcome this challenge and restore the effectiveness of antibiotics against the present MDR K. pneumoniae. Objective: To investigate the synergistic effect of the EPI Phenylalanine-Arginine β-Naphthylamide (PaβN) and Ciprofloxacin (CIP) on the expression of efflux pump genes AcrAB-TolC, isolated from CIP-resistant K. pneumoniae. Methods: 50 isolates of K. pneumoniae were collected from five different hospitals in Baghdad, Iraq. The minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) values
... Show MoreThis study focused on determining the markers of Macrophage migration inhibitor (MIF), as well as the N-telopeptides of type I bone collagen (NTX), and some other parameters (alkaline phosphatase (ALP), vitamin D (Vit D), calcium (Ca), phosphorus (P), and magnesium (Mg), and their correlation with other parameters in osteoporosis. One hundred ten subjects were involved in the current study. There were two groups of patients: group I (30) women with severe osteoporosis and group II (30) women with mild osteoporosis. For comparison, 50 apparently healthy individuals were included as a control. Serum levels of MIF, and NTX were significantly higher in groups I and II as compared to the control group, which indicate that these two parameters
... Show MoreThe earth's surface comprises different kinds of land cover, water resources, and soil, which create environmental factors for varied animals, plants, and humans. Knowing the significant effects of land cover is crucial for long-term development, climate change modeling, and preserving ecosystems. In this research, the Google Earth Engine platform and freely available Landsat imagery were used to investigate the impact of the expansion and degradation in urbanized areas, watersheds, and vegetative cover on the land surface temperature in Baghdad from 2004 to 2021. Land cover indices such as the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index, Normalized Difference Water Index, and Normalized Difference Built-up Index (NDVI, NDWI, an
... Show MoreBoth traditional and novel techniques were employed in this work for magnetic shielding evaluation to shed new light on the magnetic and aromaticity properties of benzene and 12 [n]paracyclophanes with n = 3–14. Density functional theory (DFT) with the B3LYP functional and all-electron Jorge-ATZP and x2c-TZVPPall-s basis sets was utilized for geometry optimization and magnetic shielding calculations, respectively. Additionally, the 6-311+G(d,p) basis set was incorporated for the purpose of comparing the magnetic shielding results. In addition to traditional evaluations such as NICS/NICSzz-Scan, and 2D-3D σiso(r)/σzz(r) maps, two new techniques were implemented: bendable grids (BGs) and cylindrical grids (CGs) of ghost atoms (Bqs). BGs a
... Show MoreThis study aims to establish an empirical correlation between biochemical oxygen demand (BOD5) and chemical oxygen demand (COD) of the sewage flowing in Al-Diwaniyah wastewater treatment plant. The strength of the wastewater entering the plant varied from medium to high. High concentrations of BOD5 and COD in the effluent were obtained due to the poor performance of the plant. This was observed from the BOD5 /COD ratios that did not confirm with the typical ratios for the treated sewage. To improve the performance of this plant, regression equations for BOD5 and COD removal percentages were suggested which can be used to facilitate rapid effluent assessment or optimal process control. The equations relating the percentage removal of
... Show MorePeriodontitis is a chronic inflammation affecting the tooth-supporting periodontal tissues. It is diagnosed by measuring periodontal parameters. However, documenting this data takes effort and may not discover early periodontitis. Biomarkers may help diagnose and assess periodontitis. This study aimed to evaluate the potential diagnostic of the salivary tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) and receptor-activator of nuclear factor ĸ-B-ligand (RANKL) in distinguishing between periodontitis and healthy periodontium.
The
The Internet has added another dimension to public relations in institutions and organisations, as it provided tools and communication channels, especially social networking sites, which provided information and data on public relations for the institution through these websites. In addition to its communication with its audience, and the audience's interaction with it, so our research tagged (the effectiveness of public relations of the Sunni Endowment Diwan through social networking sites): An analytical study of the official Facebook page of the Diwan that addresses the knowledge and monitoring of the contents of the official Facebook page that public relations adopt in providing information, data, and activities of the Sunni End
... Show MoreThe research dealt with the issue of strategic information systems and its impact on the global marketing channel. As the research aims to know the strategic information systems used in the cement company. Which support the senior management in supporting decisions taken in the process of global orientation and moving to foreign markets by choosing the marketing channel that will suit the company. Product and competition with it. With other companies' products. The problem of the study focused on how to move to global markets, and any marketing channel that can be followed to move the cement product globally, what are the strategic information systems used in the company and how will it contribute to supporting senior management dec
... Show MoreThyroid hemiagenesis (THA) is a rare congenital anomaly in which one lobe of thyroid gland fails to develop during embryological stage. Agenesis may be unilateral, total or isthmic. Left thyroid lobe is more commonly involved than right lobe in hemiagenesis. Agenesis of the isthmus was seen in 50% of cases. Left sided hemiagenesis is more common than right sided hemiagenesis with a Left to right ratio of 4:1. Clinically patients can be euthyroid, hypothyroid or hyperthyroid. Often it is diagnosed as an incidental finding during ultrasonography (USG) study of neck, which can easily diagnose this condition.
Actual incidence of THA is unknown; most cases are diagnosed in patients admitted for thyroid scan or thyroid surgery because
... Show MoreTwo EM techniques, terrain conductivity and VLF-Radiohm resistivity (using two
different instruments of Geonics EM 34-3 and EMI6R respectively) have been applied to
evaluate their ability in delineation and measuring the depth of shallow subsurface cavities
near Haditha city.
Thirty one survey traverses were achieved to distinguish the subsurface cavities in the
investigated area. Both EM techniques are found to be successfiul tools in study area.