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Item The Iraqi Folkloric Tradition of Mājīnā: The 'Trick-or-Treat' of Mesopotamia(Taylor and Francis, 2022)The term 'trick-or-treat' conjures up the image of Halloween’s festive celebrations. However, similar traditions are also witnessed and practised in some Middle Eastern cultures. The Gulf region in general and Iraq more specifically have a long history of folkloric practices that involve children wandering the streets and asking for treats during the months of Shaban and Ramadan of the lunar calendar. In Iraq it is called mājīnā and in the United Arab Emirates ḥagg el-lēla, plus a variety of other names across the Arabian Gulf. This article examines the Iraqi mājīnā tradition. Scholarly sources on mājīnā are scarce; hence, this article is based mainly on information gathered from Iraqi informants and online magazine articles. The objective is to discuss, record, and preserve the Iraqi mājīnā, which has been thus far largely neglected.Item Hermeneutic Nuances of Shoe-related Rhetoric in Iraqi Culture(National Environmentalists Association (NEA), 2025)Culture is complex and sensitive and due to the heterogeneous nature of the modern civilised world we ought to reflect on these differences to understand the other. Thus, what seems to be acceptable in one culture may be perceived as unconventional and very offensive in another. As Raymond Williams once said in his Keywords (1983) cultures 'just don't speak the same language.' Showing the sole of one's shoe to a fellow human is considered offensive in Arab culture. Although the term 'shoe' does not seem to have a wide semantic range in the West, culturally speaking, on the other hand, in the Arab world, it does, and especially in Iraq. Iraqis seem to have unleashed their linguistic creativity in applying a myriad of meanings to the term 'shoe' that vary according to gender, age, status, context and circumstance. Whether in plural or in singular form, it may be used to amplify or exaggerate, or to offend and insult. Iraqis experience the shoe linguistically but also see it as a flying object and as a "weapon of mass-destruction." Perhaps the most notable "pitcher" in this context is Muntazar al-Zaidi, the journalist, who threw his shoes at George W. Bush during a press conference in Baghdad in 2008 and accompanied that act with a statement saying: 'This is a farewell kiss from the Iraqi people, you dog.' And so, when confronted with a shoe in Iraq, thoughts come to mind, all of which are of negative connotation leading to an incontrovertible conclusion that the sought-after objective is an insult of some kind. This paper attempts to trace the origin of this cultural attitude and the offensive nature of shoes and feet in Iraqi culture. It also seeks to explain the various hermeneutic nuances (literal, moral, allegorical) of such rhetoric in Iraq. The Arabic term qundara ('shoe') is a keyword that symbolically represents a cultural gesture and articulates a linguistic attitude which all Iraqis, and most Arabs, can relate to. Most significantly, this paper aims to deliver a comprehensive record of a cultural keyword as well as a sociolinguistic trend which has yet not been scholarly addressed.Item Studying Beating Characteristics of Bovine Sperm cells using Microfluidics(2022-12)Infertility is a serious global health problem affecting 8-12% of couples worldwide. Both men and women are responsible with nearly half of the infertility cases due to the male factor. Although male infertility can be attributed to various causes such as varicocele, genetic abnormalities and immunological factors, there is a high level of unknown factors in male infertility. This serves as a challenge due to the lack of understanding of these underlying mechanisms and not knowing the factors that are causing infertility in men. Analyzing the ability of sperm cells to reach and fertilize an oocyte is important in defining new factors that can explain the unexplained infertility cases and their causes. The spermatozoa journey from the cervix to the oviducts where fertilization takes place is a complex one and studying it is crucial for exploring new causes of male infertility. Any abnormality that befalls the sperm during its transport within the biophysical and biochemical environment of the human female reproductive tract may result in infertility. In this current study, high speed imaging analysis was used to study the beating pattern of immobilized bovine sperm cells flagellum under different chemical stimuli (Caffeine and Heparin) and physical stimuli (flow and no flow conditions). Bovine sperm cells where immobilized on islands of fibronectin deposited on glass slides using microcontact printing before being subjected to chemical and physical stimuli. Following stimulation with Caffeine, the analysed cells exhibited a decreased beat frequency of 25.07 ± 3.02, 22.08 ± 4.03, and 19.47 ± 2.01 Hz at the three tested concentrations compared to control frequency of, 33.15 ± 10.84 Hz. Heparin had an opposite effect of increasing the frequency to 41.26 ± 4.58 Hz. Both stimulants caused an increase in the flagellum beating amplitude. When sperm cells were subjected to a continuous flow velocity of 100 μm/s, it was noticed that the beating frequency decreased significantly from 33.15 Hz to 16.94 Hz. These results show the heterogenous behaviour of Bovine sperm cells under the different conditions that may exist in the female reproductive tract.Item Project Management Decision Tool for UAE Residential Construction During Pandemic(2024-12)This research explores project management practices in the construction industry, with a particular focus on residential projects during pandemic crises, such as COVID-19. The COVID-19 pandemic significantly disrupted the development of residential construction projects both in the UAE and globally. Effective project management practices are essential for analyzing the impact of such pandemics, and implementing practical solutions will be critical for managing similar crises in the future. There are fifteen challenges associated with construction projects during the COVID-19 pandemic were identified through interviewing seven experts. These challenges were classified into four different categories and ranked using AHP method across each of the four phases of the construction project. The four categories were strategic planning and adaptation, resource and supply chain management, project execution and quality control and stakeholder relations challenges. The construction project phases considered were the initiating phase, planning phase, executing phase and closing phase. To identify the most effective project management practices during pandemics, the interaction between alternative project management practices and associated challenges was modeled using the Fuzzy TOPSIS method. Risk management practices proved to be among the most essential aspects during a pandemic, earning consistently high rankings across all four categories. Similarly, communication management practices were found to be essential in addressing the challenges of a pandemic, achieving equally high rankings across the same categories. The significance of these practices cannot be overstated when addressing crises like the COVID-19 pandemic. Their effectiveness in mitigating risks, ensuring clear and timely communication, and maintaining operational stability underscores their essential role in times of pandemics. To effectively address the identified challenges, a dynamic and interactive dashboard was developed using Power BI software. This state-of-the-art tool was custom-built to assist project managers in applying the proposed project management practices, specifically tailored to overcome the unique difficulties faced during crisis scenarios such as pandemics. By leveraging the capabilities of Power BI, the dashboard provides stakeholders with a clear, data-driven visualization of key insights and actionable strategies. These insights empower decision-makers to evaluate and adopt the most suitable practices for managing construction projects during pandemic conditions, ensuring resilience and efficiency throughout the project lifecycle.Item Mathematical Modeling of Pediatric Leukemia: Logical Modeling Approach(2024-05)Cancer is considered a world health issue, especially for children. Currently, cancer is the second leading cause of death in the United States and leukemia is the second leading cause of cancer death among children and adolescents younger than 20. B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia is a type of blood cancer that affects the body’s immune system and creates immature B-cells that no longer fulfill their designated role. Numerous biological studies have tried to understand this disease and suggest possible treatment strategies. So far these methods have limitations and give mixed results. Mathematical models have recently been used to shed some light on the complexities of cancer and develop a mechanistic understanding of the cancer processes, in particular logical network models have recently been developed to study the development of cancer cells and their interactions with their environment. In this thesis, a discrete logical network model is constructed to study the gene regulatory network in pediatric B-cells with a focus on the genes that are known to play a key role in pediatric acute lymphoblastic leukemia. The dynamics of the model is analyzed and used to suggest hypotheses and predictions.
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