Digital Commons Network^™

Knowledge And Practice Of Undergraduate Medical Students Regarding Self-Medication: A Cross-Sectional Survey In Baghdad, Iraq, Samer Shukur Mohammed, Wael Waleed Mustafa

Iraqi National Journal of Medicine

Background: The global trend of self-medication is rising, making it a priority to investigate associated risks that could lead to life-threatening complications. Aim: To assess self-medication practices among undergraduate medical students and evaluate their knowledge and the factors influencing their use of self-medication Methods: A cross-sectional questionnaire-based study was conducted among 234 medical students from various medical colleges in Baghdad between November 2023 and March 2024. Participants were selected randomly. Data were collected and analyzed using SPSS version 23. The chi-square significance test was performed, and P-values ≤ 0.05 were considered statistically significant. Results: The study found that 72% of …

Septoplasty Without Packing Or Splints: Our Experience, Jafar Fawzi Al Badran, Huda Hassan Al Abboodi

Iraqi National Journal of Medicine

Background: Septoplasty is a common surgical procedure performed in otorhinolaryngology departments to correct nasal septum deviation. Traditionally, nasal packing or splints used to stabilize the septal mucosal flaps and promote adhesion. However, these can cause complications such as nasal obstruction until removal, dry mouth, watering of eyes, severe pain during pack removal, headache, difficulty swallowing, and hypoxia. Methods: This prospective longitudinal observational study conducted on 50 patients undergoing septoplasty for nasal obstruction without the use of nasal packing or splints. This study included 50 patients who presented to the ENT department with nasal obstruction over one year (October 2021 to …

Pattern Of Cancer Mortality In Basrah Governorate From 2018–2022, Huda Hassan Al-Abboodi, Jafar Fawzi Al Badran, Nada Hasan Abdulraheem

Iraqi National Journal of Medicine

Background: Cancer is the second leading cause of death globally, with an estimated 9.6 million fatalities reported in 2018. Thus, understanding the impact of cancer rates and examining how cancer deaths are distributed by age and have changed over the years is crucial. Aim: This descriptive statistical study aimed to identify the most prevalent cancer types responsible for deaths in the Basra Governorate from 2018 to 2022, along with their distribution across various age groups and geographical areas. Methods: The study utilized a descriptive statistical approach based on death certificate data from Basra Governorate, encompassing all cancer-related deaths from 2018 …

Self-Reported Post-Covid-19 Vaccine Signs, Symptoms Among Vaccinated Medical Staff: Types, Severity, And Associated Factors, Ali Khalid Saeed, Yousif Abdul Raheem

Iraqi National Journal of Medicine

Background: Vaccines against severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection vary in mechanisms, side effects, and effectiveness. Health care professionals have shown high vaccine coverage rates. Aim: This study aims to assess the prevalence of self-reported clinical signs and symptoms of COVID-19 infection among health care professionals in Iraq and determine the type and severity of COVID-19 vaccine-related symptoms. Methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted from January 1st to July 1st, 2023, using an online questionnaire disseminated through social media platforms. Results: Among 770 participants, common symptoms included body aches (36.9%), malaise (34%), headache (22%), and fever (20%), with chest …

Evaluation Of Anatomic And Dosimetric Changes During Simultaneously Integrated Boost Volumetric Modulated Arc Therapy For Head And Neck Cancer, Farah Dirar Yousif, Raad Hefdhi Abedtwfeq

Iraqi National Journal of Medicine

Background: Volumetric modulated arc therapy (VMAT) is the most commonly used radiotherapy (RT) technique for locally advanced head and neck cancers (HNC), concurrent with chemotherapy. Aim: This study aims to evaluate the anatomical changes that may arise in patients undergoing VMAT treatment. Methods: The study involved 20 patients with locally advanced HNC who received VMAT treatment concurrently with chemotherapy. Prior to the initiation of radiotherapy treatment, computed tomography (CT) simulation was conducted for all patients. The prescribed doses for the primary target (PTVP), high-risk lymph nodes (PTV60), and low-risk lymph nodes (PTV54) were 69.96 Gy, 60 Gy, and 54 Gy, …

Role Of Nurses And Allied Health Professionals In Hepatology And The Challenges Faced When Navigating A Career Pathway, Lynsey Spillman, Dianne Backhouse, Leah Cox, Katie Ballesteros, Katie Ramos, Felicity Williams

School of Health Professions

Hepatology specialist nurses and allied health professionals (AHPs), including dietitians and physiotherapists, are essential members of the multidisciplinary team, delivering person-centred care from prevention through to advanced disease. Their contributions support lifestyle intervention, symptom management and care coordination, improving patient outcomes and service efficiency. Despite this, roles remain underfunded, inconsistently embedded and often overlooked in workforce planning. This article outlines the impact and challenges facing hepatology nurses and AHPs, drawing on UK service examples that demonstrate improved quality of life, reduced admissions, recompensation and cost savings. Barriers include limited access to structured training, protected time and clearly defined career pathways. …

Everyday Life In The U.S.: An Intersectional Approach To A North Korean Refugee Woman’S Identities, And Experiences, Lyounghee Kim

Communication ETDs

This dissertation examines everyday experiences of a North Korean refugee woman in the U.S., centering her narratives as sites of critique, resistance, and meaning-making. Grounded in Critical Refugee Studies, Asian American Studies, and Critical Intercultural Communication and framed by intersectionality, it explores how interlocking structures of power shape and are shaped by her life. Rather than focusing solely on trauma or assimilation, this study highlights her digital storytelling, faith, and mutual aid practices as acts of survival, dignity, and moral agency. Using a qualitative, narrative inquiry approach grounded in critical reflexivity, it thematically analyzes her stories to reveal how she …

Selective Ring-Opening Of Furfuryl Alcohol To 1,5-Pentanediol Over Pt/Aluminosilicates, Lee J. Durndell, Vannia C. Dos Santos-Durndell, Atal Shivhare, James A. Hunns, Karen Wilson, Adam F. Lee

School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences

Biomass-derived diols are key chemical building blocks for the sustainable chemical manufacturing of textiles and plastics, however their synthesis by a selective, scalable process from holocellulose is challenging. Furfuryl alcohol (FALC) is a potential precursor to 1,5-pentanediol (1,5-PeD) through acid-catalysed hydrogenolysis, and hence the impact of oxide support acidity on this reaction over Pt nanoparticles was investigated under batch and continuous flow in toluene. Platinum dispersed over weakly acidic fumed silica and mesoporous SBA-15 supports was almost inactive towards furfuryl alcohol at 150 °C and 10 bar H2 and promoted decarbonylation and hydrodeoxygenation of FALC to furan and methyltetrahydrofuran, respectively. …

The Ethics Of Mass Communication

Communication Research Trends

Recent years have seen an unprecedented uncertainty and debate over the ethics of mass media. James Thomson, curator of Nieman fellowships for journalists at Harvard University, detects in experienced journalists increasing doubt - even cynicism - regarding the morality of many accepted media practices. John Birt, associated with ITV in London, notes much more questioning of the morality of television programming in Britain.

One might expect the churches to help in clarifying issues of media ethics. The Catholic Church, for example, has a strong tradition of philosophical analysis of ethical problems. Yet, surprisingly, except in Spain, one finds little involvement …

The New International Information Order

Communication Research Trends

In the Nineteenth Century the lines of international communication tended to follow the paths of the NorthAtlantic empires. The cartel of European and American news agencies divided up the world according to the political and economic spheres of influence of the day. Reuters in London took the British Empire; Havas in Paris, the Latin world and French-speaking dependencies; Wolff in Berlin, the Scandinavian countries and Eastern Europe; the American Associated Press and United Press followed U.S. expansion. Just as roads held together the Roman Empire, so transoceanic cables, radio frequencies and satellites have been the lifelines of modern empires.

After …

Bias In The News

Communication Research Trends

Over the past 100 to 150 years, print and now broadcast news have built an image as the vital support of democratic public decision-making. Journalists have presented themselves as the watchdog of government, a Fourth Estate. The ideals of freedom of the press and objectivity of news are revered as sacred institutions.

Current research on newsmaking is questioning profoundly the validity of these claims. Some researchers conclude that the snippets ofinformation in the evening news cover over deeper issues and only create an illusion of being informed. TV news is increasingly designed as entertainment, little different &om the soaps that …

Broadcasting Policy And Media Reform

Communication Research Trends

In some nations broadcasting evolves steadily and organically into a system that serves the information and leisure needs of an ever broader range of social groups. The media stimulate a widespread, critical and informed debate on national issues. In other countries broadcasting tends to become the preserve of powerful minority interests, and all information is slanted, often subtly, to serve the power strategies of these interests. Wave after wave of public "media reform" protest crashes against these privileged minorities, hut the established controls remain virtually intact. What has communication research to say to this problem?

Mental Health Counselors’ Perceptions Of Professional Identity As Correctional Counselors In An Integrated Behavioral Healthcare Setting, Jeanel L. Franklin, Kevin C. Snow, Edward S. Neukrug

Journal of Human Services Scholarship and Interprofessional Collaboration

This interpretive phenomenological study of four individuals examined clinical mental health counselors (MHCs) in a correctional integrated behavioral healthcare (IBH) setting to the purpose of examining how the unique experiences and roles of MHCs employed as correctional counselors in an IBH setting impacted the perceptions of their professional identity/development as counselors. Findings indicated how environment, work relationships, and multiple foci of mental health roles contributed to professional growth and identity development. Participants experienced an adaptive transitional process when applying counseling styles to the setting and population as well as integrating experiences as correctional counselors into pre-existing professional identities. Practical implications …

The Long Pivot: The Development Of The Joint Warfighting Concept, Wilson C. Blythe Jr.

Joint Force Quarterly

Military strategy evolves in response to global threats and technological advancements. This article examines the development of the Joint Warfighting Concept, a pivotal shift in U.S. military thinking towards confronting peer adversaries. The concept emerged from a process of reorienting the Department of Defense away from counterinsurgency operations and towards potential conflicts with modernized Russian and Chinese forces. Initially hindered by a lack of urgency, efforts to address this strategic shift gained momentum through initiatives like the Third Offset Strategy and subsequent national security documents. The Joint Warfighting Concept provides a unified vision for future warfare, guiding force modernization and …

A Conditions-Based Look At A Cyber Force, Shiraz Khan

Joint Force Quarterly

As global competition in the cybersphere increases, questions about the United States’ capability in the cybersphere also increase. This paper examines the current conditions surrounding the discussion of U.S. cyber capability and determines if the conditions surrounding the discussion that led to the creation of The United States Air Force and The United States Space Force exist for the cyber conditions today.

Using the process model used in Bruno Dyck and Frederick Starke’s “The Formation of Breakaway Organizations: Observations and a Process Model” this paper analyzes the stages and triggers that led to new organizations breaking away from their parent …

Revive: Getting Medical Supplies And Expertise Right In Distributed Maritime Operations, Seth Reini, Jonathan J. Haase

Joint Force Quarterly

In recent conflicts, military medical providers have set impressive records for battlefield care, setting a “golden hour” precedent. In a conflict with the People's Republic of China, however, the “golden hour” aspiration will be severely challenged if not untenable. Here, the paradigm will be Distributed Maritime Operations, air superiority will be challenged, and vast distances exist between treatment locations. With patients potentially being held for hours or days, updated medical treatment strategies, logistics methodologies, and transport capabilities will be necessary. This paper focuses on leveraging Military Sealift Command platforms for multi-mission usage by transporting medical supplies to Navy ships in …

Increasing Operational Access: A Strategy For The Western Pacific, Shaun F. Callahan

Joint Force Quarterly

This article presents a comprehensive argument for why the United States must enhance its military and strategic mobility in the Western Pacific to counter the People’s Republic of China’s (PRC) growing regional assertiveness. The article contends that maintaining a Free and Open Indo-Pacific requires a whole-of-government approach to operational access, blending diplomatic outreach, economic engagement, strategic communication, and military posture. Current U.S. basing and access agreements, rooted in Cold War dynamics, no longer suffice for effective power projection in today’s contested environment. To enable integrated deterrence and flexible crisis response, the United States must expand distributed access points, deepen partnerships, …

Finding Deepfakes: A Tabletop Exercise About Ai, Decisionmaking, And Algorithmic Performance, Andrea Brennan, Gwyneth Sutherlin, Lisa Pagano-Wallace, Hermie Mendoza

Joint Force Quarterly

This article explores a first-of-its-kind tabletop exercise designed to expose U.S. military and national security professionals to the real-world challenges of using AI tools like deepfake detectors in high-stakes decisionmaking. Set in a fictional scenario involving a flawed AI system, participants confronted algorithmic bias, technical uncertainty, and ethical dilemmas, revealing how AI limitations can erode trust in intelligence products. Drawing from student and faculty reflections, the article highlights the importance of preparing future leaders to scrutinize and manage AI performance failures not only as technical bugs but as complex, systemic issues with social and operational consequences. The exercise underscored the …

Building Strategic Lethality: Special Operations Models For Joint Force Learning And Leader Development, Spencer B. Meredith Iii

Joint Force Quarterly

This article examines how U.S. Joint Special Operations Forces (SOF), particularly through SAG-U and CJSOTF-10, have rapidly adapted to support Ukraine amid Russia’s full-scale invasion, offering a model for future joint force innovation. SAG-U emerged as a key logistics and coordination hub, integrating NATO and interagency partners to manage complex, high-stakes supply chains. Meanwhile, CJSOTF-10 and its subordinate SOTF-10.1 shifted from traditional training and advising roles to rapid tactical adaptation, virtual assistance, and technological integration to meet evolving battlefield demands. The creation of the Remote Advise and Assist Cell (RAAC) illustrates how remote support and real-time data can bridge operational …

From High Seas To Highlands: Framing U.S. Defense Strategy With Southeast Asia’S Geography, Caitlin P. Irby

Joint Force Quarterly

The 2022 United States National Security Strategy prioritized competing with China and this focus seems likely to continue with the new administration.[i] Southeast Asia’s growing economic relevance and proximity to China mean that the US can secure significant gains on numerous goals by focusing on this region. To support developing an appropriate strategy, this paper identifies what features make Southeast Asia relevant to the US, potential flashpoints for conflict, and outlines the characteristics of a potential conflict. With this information the author then proposes specific steps to ensure that the United States military maintains the capability to protect US …

Rightsizing The Pla Air Force: Revisiting An Analytic Framework, Lauren Edson, Phillip C. Saunders

Joint Force Quarterly

This article evaluates the modernization of the People’s Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF) from 2007 to 2025 using the Saunders-Quam framework, which identifies four core trade-offs: changes in roles and missions, domestic versus foreign procurement, high-tech versus low-tech systems, and combat versus support aircraft. While the framework remains a useful analytical tool, it underestimated the Chinese Communist Party’s willingness to fund expensive modernization efforts and the rapid advancements in China’s defense industrial base. The article identifies key factors missing from the original framework such as doctrinal shifts, increased emphasis on counterintervention, maritime expansion, and the rise of unmanned systems. It …

Is Mobilization A Major Question?, Evan J. Ward

Joint Force Quarterly

The combination of the Supreme Court’s new Major Questions doctrine and its decision in Loper Bright v. Raimondo threatens to hobble the Executive Branch’s ability to effect a major mobilization under the Defense Production Act. The Defense Production Act followed the War Powers Acts of WWII to consolidate and update the presidential powers that were so famously marshaled to mobilize the arsenal of democracy. The Department of Defense has long planned to rely on Defense Production Act authority to mobilize should the need arise, but the risk of litigation brought about by new legal developments means that the authorities the …

Executive Summary, William T. Eliason

Joint Force Quarterly

In this issue, JFQ Editor in Chief William T. Eliason reflects on the enduring value of joint professional military education (JPME) and the journal’s role in shaping informed national security leaders. He emphasizes the importance of history, critical thinking, and learning from past conflicts, principles rooted in Clausewitzian theory, as essential to preparing for future challenges. The issue’s Forum section tackles readiness for great power competition, especially with China, examining mobilization, PLA airpower, and Southeast Asia’s strategic geography. Additional features explore leadership development in special operations, civil-military relations, AI and deepfake threats, space-based logistics, Western Pacific access strategies, distributed medical …

Joint Force Quarterly, Issue 118, 3rd Quarter 2025, National Defense University Press

Joint Force Quarterly

This issue of Joint Force Quarterly addresses key strategic, operational, and doctrinal questions shaping the future of the joint force. Articles examine mobilization as a strategic imperative, PLA Air Force modernization, Southeast Asia’s geographic role in U.S. defense strategy, and leader development for strategic lethality. Contributions also explore AI’s role in detecting deepfakes, the civil-military relationship, and innovations in military logistics and cyber force design. A retrospective on the Joint Warfighting Concept and critical reviews of recent defense literature provide context and continuity. Collectively, these pieces offer insight into how the joint force must evolve to meet emerging challenges.

الفريق المفاوض ودوره في حل الأزمات, محمود سليمان جبريل القطيشات

Journal of the Association of Arab Universities for Research in Higher Education مجلة اتحاد الجامعات العربية للبحوث في التعليم العالي

هدف البحث إلى إلقاء الضوء على دور الفريق المفاوض في حل وإدارة الازمات وكيفية التعامل مع شتى المعوقات والصعوبات التي تقف عائقاً امام حل الازمات ، والتعرف إلى الاستراتيجيات والأساليب التي يتبعها الفريق المفاوض في تعامله مع الأزمات بشكل عام . اعتمدت الدراسة المنهج الوصفي التحليلي في تناول كيفية تشكيل واختيار الفريق المفاوض ودوه في حل الأزمات ومن ثم تسليط الضوء ايضاً على الاستراتيجيات وطرق تعامل الفرق المفاوضة في حل النزاعات. أظهرت النتائج وجوب حل الازمات من خلال تبني الفريق المفاوض ابتكار نظم أو نشاطات تمكن من استيعاب ومواجهة الظروف الجديدة المترتبة على التغيرات الفجائية وبالأخص التركيز على تشكيل الفرق …

Examining Sustainable Materials: Enhancing Indoor Air Quality For Office Interiors, Ayah Eldeeb, Asmaa Elantary

Emirates Journal for Engineering Research

As awareness of environmental issues grows, the demand for healthier workspaces has led to an increased focus on sustainable building materials in office interiors. This study explores how these materials influence indoor air quality (IAQ) and the overall health of occupants. Through a qualitative analysis of multiple case studies from various regions, it is found that offices using sustainable materials, like low-emission paints and natural fiber insulation, showed a 30% improvement in IAQ compared to traditional settings. Additionally, essential criteria are identified for selecting sustainable materials, such as embodied energy and local sourcing. The findings offer practical recommendations for designers …

Parental Perceptions Of Informal Learning From Digital Devices And Physical Toys, Julie Calderon

ETD Collection

No abstract provided.

Truth, Resilience, And Healing: Deepen Understanding Of Native American Federal Boarding School Histories, Toya D. Holiday

Dissertations

Indigenous communities have endured the long-standing impacts of U.S. Federal Indian boarding school policy. The history of Indigenous boarding school policies and the underlying intent to enact cultural genocide is unknown and unacknowledged. The perspectives of Indigenous Peoples have been excluded from dominant narratives, and until recently, from heritage site programming, leading to intergenerational trauma, fragmented identities, and the misrepresentation of Indigenous cultures and experiences. This basic qualitative study asked the question: When the four-truth framework, developed by the South African Truth and Reconciliation Commission, is applied to U.S. Federal Indian boarding school policy, Native American boarding school history, and …

Conceptualizing The Research Cycle For The Field Of Materials Science And Engineering, Jennifer L.W. Carter

Faculty Scholarship

Abstract: Early-career materials researchers often receive guidance from their individual advisors on best practices for conducting research, but the materials science community lacks an explicit model of the research process. As a result, the lived experience of an individual researcher can be quite different from their peers since they may be exposed to a different unique set of implicit research steps. In this article, we translate an existing research heuristic from other fields and make explicit the steps, methodologies, and strategies materials science engineering researchers utilize to advance our collective materials science knowledge. This newly proposed research cycle can improve …

Exploring K-12 Teachers’ Definitions And Perspectives Of Cybersecurity, Gina Childers, Weverton Ataide Pinheiro, Oluwatosin Daramola, C Lindsay Linsky, Bryson Payne, Jack Byers, Daniel Baker

Journal of Cybersecurity Education, Research and Practice

Because K-12 teachers have access to private educational data, they are increasingly at risk of being affected by cybersecurity threats. Examining how teachers conceptualize cybersecurity is vital so that cybersecurity training can be tailored to teachers’ understanding of cybersecurity. This study examined K-12 teachers’ (n = 255) personalized definitions of cybersecurity as these perceptions may influence online behaviors. These definitions were also reviewed by teacher type (cybersecurity teacher or non-cybersecurity teacher), teacher self-identified gender, and teacher age. The cybersecurity definitions were aligned and contextualized within a modified NICE Framework Core with a specific focus on three areas: protection and monitoring, …