The study examines Julia Alvarez's role as a Dominican American author, poet, and essayist. Despite being born in New York City in 1950, she was raised in the Dominican Republic by a family with Dominican heritage. Her residence in her ancestral homeland significantly influenced her subsequent literary works. Upon her father's implication in a conspiracy against Dominican President, he departed from the Dominican Republic. Alvarez encountered the challenge of the English language. They were compelled to acquire proficiency in English due to the prevailing perception that anyone who spoke a language other than English were deemed "un-American" during that period. Alvarez recounted her initial encounters in the United States and the subsequent cultural shock she experienced. She described her efforts to assimilate into American culture, gradually and unintentionally distancing herself from her cultural heritage. Evidently, language assumes a significant thematic role in the majority of her writings. Alvarez often conveys her perspectives on the fusion of cultures by employing Spanglish, which refers to the use of Spanish-English malapropisms. The study examines Alvarez's work How the Garcia Girls Lost Their Accents (1991), which explores the theme of language. In this novel, the four sisters ascribe unique cultural and literary importance to language. Therefore, it emerges as the central motif of the story. Yolanda, for example, experiences a sense of being stuck between two cultures, namely the American and the Dominican. She exists halfway between the past and the present. The expression of her powerlessness becomes evident in her unsuccessful relationship with Rudy. Furthermore, the story explores the issue of familial discord and delves into the impact of the political landscape in the Dominican Republic, which compelled its citizens to emigrate.
Background: Coping skills play a vital role in managing the physical and psychological effects of breast cancer (BC). Despite improvements in early detection and treatment, Breast cancer survivors continue to face long-term challenges after diagnosis. Therefore, this study aims to evaluate the coping skills employed by breast cancer women in Iraq and to identify the sociodemographic, clinical, and psychological factors associated with these coping skills. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among 244 breast cancer women in The Medical City Teaching Oncology Hospital, Baghdad, Iraq, from August 2023 to October 2023, coping skills and psychological factors were assessed using the BRIEF COPE-28, and Hospital Anxiety Depression scale
... Show MoreBackground: Immune thrombocytopenia is an immune-related disorder that causes an impairment in platelet production and stimulates platelet destruction, causing variable bleeding symptoms. Objective: This study focuses on refractory immune thrombocytopenic purpura patients on romiplostim treatment and their level of illness perception related to treatment response. Method: A cross-sectional study was conducted from May 1st, 2025, to August 1st, 2025. Brief Illness Perception Questionnaires were administered to 84 patients with ITP to collect the data. The study took place at the Hematology and Bone Marrow Transplant Center, Medical City, Baghdad, Iraq. Results: The romiplostim response rate is 21 (25.0%), while the partial response rate is 4
... Show MoreIn this paper we proposed the method of X-ray fluorescence (XRF) determination of some essential trace elements in medicinal herbs and vitamin-mineral complexes at the level of 100-101 mg/ml. To increase sensitivity and selectivity of the determination we simple and effective approach based on the extraction of metal ions from aqueous solutions with chemically modified polyurethane foam sorbents followed by direct XRF analysis. The conditions of sorption preconcentration of Co(II), Ni(II) and Zn(II) ions with modified sorbents were optimized. The proposed approach is used for the determination of trace elements in several kinds of medicinal herbs (coltsfoot leaves, nettle leaves and yarrow herb) and vitamin-mineral
... Show MoreEmpirical and statistical methodologies have been established to acquire accurate permeability identification and reservoir characterization, based on the rock type and reservoir performance. The identification of rock facies is usually done by either using core analysis to visually interpret lithofacies or indirectly based on well-log data. The use of well-log data for traditional facies prediction is characterized by uncertainties and can be time-consuming, particularly when working with large datasets. Thus, Machine Learning can be used to predict patterns more efficiently when applied to large data. Taking into account the electrofacies distribution, this work was conducted to predict permeability for the four wells, FH1, FH2, F
... Show MoreThe past decades of the last century and until now have witnessed many crises in the housing sector, and these crises were the result of many problems that led to a weak quality and quantity of housing stock, especially for lowincome people, and Goal 11 of the Sustainable Development Goals states, "Make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, and capable of enduring and being sustainable, we have prepared this research that attempts to answer the following question: Is the current empowerment in the housing sector real and efficient support for people with limited income? The research assumes that empowerment in the housing sector has an important and effective role in reducing housing problems, the research aims to reach the most imp
... Show MorePurpose: This study aimed to assess the thickness of alveolar bone of maxillary and mandibular incisors from orthodontics perspective. Materials and Method: A total of 73 Cone beam computed tomography for Iraqi patients (47 females and 26 males) were included in this study. The selected images were captured and imported to AutoCAD database software to perform the measurement. To measure alveolar bone thickness, a reference line was drawn through the long axis of each incisor, from the incisal edge to the root apex. Then, labial and lingual/palatal perpendicular lines were drawn to the reference line at 3, 6, and 9mm apically from the cemento-enamel junction (CEJ). Results: The buccal bone is generally thinner than the lingual/palata
... Show MoreA fracture is a damage to bone tissue that causes damage to the tissue surrounding the bone and may penetrate the skin. Subjects and methods: the present study included (80) fractured Iraqi patients (and 40) patients with DM2 and (40) without DM2 and compared them with (40) healthy control. Patients and control are matched in age. This study showed a significant increase in retinol-binding protein 4 (RBP4) and a considerable decrease in Vit .A GPT and GOT in fracture patients with and without DM2. In addition, there was a significant negative correlation between RBP4 with (GPT and GOT) in fracture patients with DM2 and a significant positive correlation between RBP4 with (GPT and GOT) in fracture patients without DM2.
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