University Of Duhok Research Articles

USING INFRARED THERMOGRAPHIC TECHNIQUE AS AN ALTERNATIVE TO CONVENTIONAL RECTAL THERMOMETER IN SHEEP

This research was established to assess the precision of the infrared (IR) camera and thermometer in measuring different body regions of sheep. This study was undertaken in the animal farm at the College of Agricultural Engineering Sciences, University of Duhok, Kurdistan Region of Iraq. The temperature was measured from the rectum using a digital thermometer. At the same time, the peripheral temperatures were measured from the ears, muzzle (MUZ), inner thigh (IT), inguinal region (ING), rectum, vulva, and five areas of the eyes, including nasal conjunctiva (NC), nasal limbus (NL), center cornea (CC), temporal limbus (TL), and temporal conjunctiva (TC) using IR thermometer and IR camera. The temperatures obtained from the IR thermometer were higher than those obtained from the digital thermometer. only NC temperature was found to be significantly (P<0.05) higher than other eye regions, and rectal and vulva temperatures. IR thermal camera showed no significant differences in the eyes' NL, CC, TL, and TC regions compared to rectum and vulva temperatures using the digital thermometer. The muzzle temperature was significantly (P<0.05) lower than all other body parts. In addition, the inner thigh, inguinal region, and ear temperatures were significantly (P<0.05) higher than rectum and vulva temperatures. The rectum and vulva temperatures obtained from the IR thermometer were significantly higher (P<0.05) than thermal camera and digital thermometer temperatures. In conclusion, thermal cameras as a non-invasive and accurate method can be an alternative temperature measuring method.

HETEROSIS AND GENE ACTION FOR YIELD AND YIELD COMPONENTS AND Maize (Zea mays L.), USING HALF DIALLEL CROSSES.

Experiment of half diallel cross among eight maize inbred lines was carried out during spring 2021.The varietal traits for F1 cross and parents with local hybrid were conducted during autumn 2021 Field of College of Agricultural Engineering Sciences , University of Duhok, using Randomized Complete Block Design with three replications .The results were revealed that the analysis of variance for genotypes and general and specific combining ability were significant effect on studied traits , also the ratio of degree of dominance is less then one for all traits . The cross 7x8 gave the heighest value ( 219.35g) for grain yield per plant and the same cross gave positive significant heterosis over mid parent , best parent and local hybrid .The heritability were high for number of ear per plant and ear diameter with value( 0.55) and( 0.45) respectively, the expected genetic advance was low for yield and yield components.

Investigating Serum Cortisol Dynamics and Cardiovascular Impacts Amid University Exam Stress: A Pre-Post Cohort Study.

Our objective was to investigate the perceived stress levels among pharmacy students enrolled at the University of Duhok both prior to and following examination periods, with a concurrent assessment of potential cardiovascular effects. The study included 49 participants from the College of Pharmacy at the University of Duhok and utilized a pre-post cohort design. High-stress pre-examination assessments were scheduled at 8:30 AM on the day of the examination, and low-stress post-examination assessments were also conducted at 8:30 AM over a two-week period without academic examinations. The pre-exam serum cortisol level was significantly higher compared to the post-exam period (16.66 vs. 14.04 μg/dL; p = 0.013). Elevated levels of non-high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol, and cholesterol/HDL ratio were recorded during high-stress periods. Remarkably, social media emerged as the sole significant predictor (p = 0.038) with a negative impact on serum cortisol levels during the pre-exam phase. Additionally, we observed that females had higher stress levels during both periods, as indicated by the regression model. This investigation revealed a significant elevation in serum cortisol levels during the pre-examination phase, likely attributable to the stress induced by impending examinations.

HETEROSIS AND GENETIC PARAMETERS FOR YIELD AND YIELD COMPONENTS IN MAIZE USING HALF DIALLEL CROSS

The study was aimed to determine heterosis, GCA, SCA and some genetic parameters in maize (Zea mays L.). Seeds for half diallel crosses among eight inbred lines Planted in spring season 2021 during fall season 2021, the eight parents and 28 hybrids were sowing (10/7/2021) using Randomize Complete Block Design with three replications at the field of College of Agricultural Engineering Sciences, University of Duhok. The results revealed that the mean square for all genotypes was highly significant effects in all studied traits except number of ears per plant. The (Un44052) line was superior in number of rows per ear and grain yield per plant, while the cross (Zp-505 x Un44052) was superior in number ear per plant and number of rows per ear. Six crosses exhibited significant positive heterosis, the crosses Dkc-f-59 x Dk-17, Dkc-f-59 x Un44052, Dkc-f-59 x Zp-430, Zp-505 x Un44052, Zp-607 x Zp-505 and Zp-179 x Un44052. The heritability in broad sense was higher than the heritability narrow sense in studied traits, between 0.33 and 0.97 for number of ear per plant and grain yield per plant. The average degree of dominance was higher than one in studied traits.

Embedding the Third Mission of universities in humanitarian crisis response: Profiling the role of the University of Duhok in addressing health needs of internally displaced people and refugees

This article attempts to contribute to the debates on the role of the higher education sector in addressing the immediate and long-term challenges incurred as a result of humanitarian crises. The focal point of consideration is profiling the role of the University of Duhok, Iraq, in addressing health needs of internally displaced people and refugees. The article demonstrates the nexus between the so-called Third Mission and the range of responses the University provides to support the health needs of displaced populations in Duhok Governorate. It is argued that the higher education sector has to be recognised and positioned as a key stakeholder in the process of humanitarian relief and local recovery.

Global Women’s Breakfast (GWB)—The Impact of the (GWB) at the University of Duhok

Global Women’s Breakfast (GWB)—The Impact of the (GWB) at the University of Duhok

Undergraduate nursing student's perception toward the nursing profession in Iraqi-Kurdistan. An exploratory study

Nursing students' perception towards the nursing profession is vital and has a positive impact on the successful recruitment, retention, and attrition of staff from the health care agencies. This study aimed to explore the perceptions of undergraduate nursing students toward the nursing profession in Iraq, particularly in the Kurdistan region. The study was conducted at the University of Duhok, a college of nursing in the Kurdistan Region. The researcher of the current study used Nursing Image as a Profession Questionnaire (NIPQ) for the purpose of data collection. Based on the analysis of the participant's responses, the results revealed that in general students have positive perceptions towards the nursing profession. The early twentieth age group students were more satisfied in nursing than the late twentieth age group. High school grades were regarded as the main reason for joining the faculty of nursing. Having a nurse friend or relative and a positive family reaction was perceived as positive influential factors for student enrollment in the nursing program. Few students had a very negative attitude and they attacked the nursing profession when talking with others. The current study concluded that students have positive perceptions towards the nursing profession in the four aspects of the description of the profession, social view perspectives, benefits of the nursing profession, and students' satisfaction in nursing.

Investigating Passive Voice Problems in Kurdish Students’ Translation from and into English

Metaheuristic Translation is a means in which communication takes place between people who do not speak the same language and do not share the same culture. It is an undeniable fact that learners of language encounter problems in shifting a language into another using accurate aspects of the target one. This research looks at Badini-Kurdish students’ difficulties while translating passive voice structures from and into English. It also determines similarities and differences between English and Badini-Kurdish in terms of passive voice constructions. The participants of this study are 30 undergraduate students of the Department of Translation, College of Languages, University of Duhok. Two tests, i.e., an English language proficiency test and a translation test have been conducted for the purpose of data collection. Moreover, Larson’s (1984) model for translation assessment is used to assess the data obtained, combining statistical analysis with a qualitative evaluation. For data analysis, a descriptive method is used to explain the passive voice structure in both languages, a contrasted method is used to identify similarities and differences between the two languages, and a mixed method is used to accomplish the study’s goal. This research adds to the body of literature by illuminating the challenges and difficulties Badini-Kurdish students confront while translating passive voice constructs and offers insightful information for translators and language educators.

Assessing University Students’ Competence in Translating English Discourse Connectives into Kurdish

The present study sets out to assess university students’ competence in translating English discourse connectives into Kurdish. It also attempts to study the impact of teaching on students’ translation competence for rendering these elements. Discourse connectives are one of the main subcategories of textual metadiscourse elements which play a crucial role in text organization and the creation of cohesion. Their class is mainly comprised of conjunctions and adverbials which connect ideas at intrasentential, intersentential, and textual levels. Appropriate recognition, utilization, and translation of English discourse connectives are problematic and challenging for Kurdish EFL learners and translators. Moreover, some connectors are multifunctional and polysemous in nature. This paper aims at highlighting some of these translation problems and assessing students’ competence in their rendering at the pre-test and post-test. The research design is mixed method and employs a Translation Task and a Judgement Elicitation Task as two means for measuring translation competence. These tests were carried out on 40 Third-Year students at the Department of Translation, College of Languages, University of Duhok. The study concluded that students possessed enough translation competence for making judgements on the appropriate renditions of the discourse connectives. In contrast, they failed to appropriately translate besides, although, nevertheless, yet, provided that, otherwise, unless, for, thereby, and so that in the pre-test. Furthermore, holding teaching sessions on the classifications, functions, and translation of discourse connectives had a significant impact on the acquisition of translation competence in the post-test.

Influence of Shading, GA3 and NPK fertilizer on the growth and development of Myrtle Myrtus communis plants.

This study was conducted during the period between 23th September 2021 to 1st July 2022, in the nursery of Duhok University, Kurdistan region, Iraq. Aiming to evaluate effect of the Shade (0 and 50) %, Gibberellic acid (0, 250, and 500) mg.l-1 and three levels of NPK fertilizer control (0, 0, 0), low (150, 100, 75), and high (300,200,150) mg.l-1 on the growth and development for Myrtle (Myrtus communis) plants. This experiment was performed by use randomized complete block design (RCBD). The best results include the following: 50% shade significantly increased the plant height (36.21) cm, leaf area (4.41) cm2, total chlorophyll (57.41) spad, vegetative dry weight (14.62) gm, plant growth index (9230) cm3 and number of premier tricussate shoots (14.37) branch/plant compared with 0%. spray with 500 mg.l-1 GA3 significantly increased plant height (35.58) cm, number of branches, leaf area (2.84) cm2, total chlorophyll (57.28) spad, dry weight (13.67) gm, plant growth index (8098) cm3, number of premier tricussate shoots (14.37) branch/plant. Also used NPK fertilizer caused significantly increase in all these traits, the best interaction treatment among the three factors include 50% shade with 500 mg.l-1 GA3 and (300,200,150) mg.l-1 NPK that gave the highest significant values for the plant height (43.53) cm, leaf area (4.53) cm2, total chlorophyll (64.57) spad, vegetative dry weight (20.27) gm, plant growth index (15580) cm3 and number of premier tricussate shoots (20.67) branch/plant compared with control (0 shade, 0 GA3, (0,0, 0) mg.l-1) .

The Use of Persuasive Strategies In Academic Discourse

As the key component of success and achievement, persuasive strategies are used in academic discourse. The purpose of this paper is to investigate how persuasive strategies are employed in academic discourse for achieving development and success. In this research, a mixed-method is used to collect data, and the researcher adopted Connor and Lauer's (1985) theory to analyze the data. The data of this paper consists of three public academic speeches, delivered on the same occasion 'Graduation Ceremony' by the rectors of three top universities; Dr Muslih Mustafa previous president of Soran University, Dr Bruce W. Ferguson president of American University of Sulaimani and Dr Dawood Sulaiman Atrushi president of Duhok University, in Kurdistan Region, ranked as first, second and third, according to UniRank (2021). Despite facing some challenges, the findings of this study demonstrated that the three rectors have a positive attitude towards the use of persuasive strategies. That is, they employed persuasive strategies, but they treated them differently in their speeches, as significant tools for encouraging their university staff to do more research with high quality and having considerable citations which in turn resulted in having topped the identified universities via meeting the UniRank selection criteria during the academic year of 2020-2021.

Utility of single fibre electromyography (SFEMG)and motor unit number estimation technique (MUNE) in the diagnosis and differentiation of polyneuropathies of different aetiology.

To determine whether single fibre electromyography and motor unit number index can distinguish between axonal and myelin lesions in polyneuropathies. This case-control study was conducted at the Department of Medical Physiology, School of Medicine, University of Duhok, Iraq, and the Neurophysiology Department, Hawler Teaching Hospital, Erbil, Iraq, from January 2021 to March 2022. Group A had patients diagnosed with polyneuropathy regardless of the aetiology, while group B had age-matched healthy controls. Both groups were subjected to single fibre electromyography and motor unit number index as well as conventional nerve conduction study and concentric needle electromyography. Data was analysed using SPSS 26. Of the 140 subjects, 60(43%) were patients in group A; 40(67%) males and 20(33%) females with mean age 55.3±7.2 years. There were 80(57%) controls in group B; 43(54%) females and 37(46%) males with mean age 53.81±7.15. Group A had significantly higher single fibre electromyography jitter, and mean consecutive difference (MCD) values than group B (p<0.05). Group A patients with axonal polyneuropathy had a higher mean jitter (MCD) value (36.476.7ms) than those with demyelinating polyneuropathy (23.262.31 ms) (P <0.05). Patients in group A had a motor unit number index value with a significantly lower mean value (p<0.05) when compared to the controls. Axonal polyneuropathy patients had a lower MUNIX value (99.612.8) than demyelinating polyneuropathy patients (149.845.7) (P< 0.05). Single fibre electromyography and motor unit number index could help differentiate between the pathophysiology of axonal and demyelinating polyneuropathy.

Contributions of Participatory Leadership in Achieving Sustainable Organizational Performance/ An Exploratory Study of The Opinions of Teachers in a Number of Colleges at the University of Duhok

The study aimed to identify the contributions of participatory leadership in achieving sustainable organizational performance in a number of colleges at the University of Dohuk from the point of view of teachers. The study used the descriptive and analytical method, based on collecting data through a questionnaire that included two parts: the first to measure participatory leadership through the dimensions expressed, The second is to measure sustainable organizational performance through its dimensions as well. The study population consisted of (6) colleges, and the study sample amounted to (156) teachers, who were selected by a simple random method, and the statistical programs (AMOS V24) and (SPSS V26) were relied upon to analyze the data. The results of the study also showed that the two variables of the study (participatory leadership and sustainable organizational performance) in their dimensions are available in the field under study, in addition to identifying a positive and significant correlation between the two variables of the study, in addition to the presence of a positive and significant effect of participatory leadership on sustainable organizational performance. Based on the results, the researchers proposed a set of recommendations, the most important of which is the necessity of developing and empowering teachers in the studied colleges with the aim of increasing their experience and increasing their professional growth, developing the activities of teaching staff in the researched colleges and sustaining their performance to bring about change and improvement that is reflected in the quality of their services.

Association of COVID-19 with Vaccination Status Among Health Science College Students, University of Duhok, 2022

Background and objectives: During the Covid-19 pandemic the community adopts several preventive measures such as; hand washing, wearing masks and social distancing whereas acquiring vaccines was considered to be the most efficient preventive measure. Therefore, this study was designed to calculate its association among health care students. Methods: A 310 students from college of health sciences/ university of Duhok participated through answering an online questioner for identifying the vaccine coverage, its efficacy through (RR) measurement and the hesitancy causes. Results: A high proportion of participants 231 out of 310 (74.5%) were registered for analysis, the vaccination coverage was low (45%) meanwhile the vaccine hesitancy was found to be high (55%) and the main cause was the side effects of the vaccines. Among 46 participants who experienced COVID-19 disease, 35(76.08%) were among those who not get vaccinated while only 11 (23.9%) were among vaccinated students; four from 46(8.6%) students were among those who got the disease before two weeks from vaccination while 7 (15.21%) were among those whose experienced the disease after two weeks from vaccination. The risk ratio or relative risk among who’s got two doses or more of vaccination was estimated to be (0.068) which is lower that among none vaccinated or vaccinated with one dose (0.164). The overall relative risk among vaccinated students was 0.414 CI: (0.183 – 0.936) with a P value &lt; 0.05 which was statistically significant as well as the risk of infection was lowest (0.07) among who wear masks always while it was highest (0.17) among who wear masks occasionally. Conclusion: Health students are advised and encouraged to receive COVID-19 vaccination as well as to wear masks always.

Challenges Faced by First-Year Students Based on Individual Identities

This study examines the challenges faced by first-year students at the College of Basic Education, University of Duhok. The research focuses on the impact of individual identities on academic and social integration. A quantitative descriptive methodology was used, employing structured questionnaires. The study reveals a range of obstacles that extend beyond initial expectations and are consistent across gender and departmental lines. The analysis shows that there is a crucial requirement for a support framework that is universally accessible and inclusive, designed to aid students in their transition to higher education. The findings of the study recommend the creation of comprehensive feedback mechanisms and interdepartmental cooperation in the development of support programs. The research emphasizes the significance of acknowledging and addressing the distinct obstacles encountered by students with intersecting marginalized identities. Suggestions for future research involve a more thorough examination of the long-term impacts of these obstacles and the investigation of focused interventions to improve student achievement and well-being. This study adds to the discussion on improving student support services and creating an inclusive academic environment that promotes the growth and development of all students, especially those who are navigating their first year in higher education.

Translation Difficulties Encounteted by Translation Students at University Level

This paper seeks to identify various difficulties that translation students face during the translation process. The data for this descriptive qualitative and quantitative study came from students’ verbalizing their translation loudly. The participants in the study were five fourth-year students from the Department of Translation, University of Duhok who voluntarily participated to translate two texts (literary and non-literary) from English into Kurdish. Any use of resources was permitted, and think-aloud protocols, as a research tool was used to collect the data. The experiment recordings, and verbal reports produced by the participants were used to analyze the data. According to the study's findings, translation students had several difficulties within the process, including translating words with no equivalents, comprehending the figurative language (simile), translating cultural-specific items, struggling with the style of the given text, putting ideas together, relating background knowledge to the text at hand, choosing the right equivalent, and confusing between the two Kurdish dialects (Sorani and Kurmanji). The findings recommend additional research to look at potential solutions to such difficulties. The study's findings led to conclusions that have ramifications for theory and practice. The summary of the major translation difficulties demonstrates the theoretical value of the study. It was also found out that the difficulty of translation is not always anticipated and is not always conceptually explicable.

A Study of Bacteriological Profile of Bacterial Isolates in Sputum Samples in Azadi Teaching Hospital in Duhok City

The objective of this current study is to examine the bacteriological profile of microorganisms isolated in sputum samples collected from the patients in the Azadi Teaching Hospital in Duhok City. The current cross-sectional observational study was carried out in the Laboratory of Microbiology, Department of the Basic Science, College of Nursing at the University of Duhok, Kurdistan region, Iraq. A total of 150 patients with clinically verified bacterial infections were included in the study using a gram-staining and routine sampling procedure. Microscopic examination of the gram-stained sputum smears was done to assess the presence of epithelial cells, pus cells, or organisms. Consequently, 83 bacterial samples yielded positive results that indicated the presence of bacterial growth, while the remaining samples 67 did not exhibit any bacterial growth or normal flora. On assessing the organisms isolated from the study subjects, it was observed that out of 150 processed sputum samples, 44.7% (n=67) were non-bacterial samples and 55.3% (n=83) were pathogenic bacterial samples. It was seen that the most common isolated organism was Klebsiella pneumoniae in (44.6%; 37/83), followed by Pseudomonas aeruginosa in (35%; 29/83), and then Escherichia coli in (20.4%; 17/83), were the most frequently isolated microorganisms from sputum samples of patients with upper or lower respiratory infections. The current study comes to the conclusion that in order to obtain lower respiratory tract infection samples from subjects, high-quality sputum must be obtained, and initial sputum screening should be carried out.

LENTIL GERMINATION AS A SOURCE OF PREBIOTIC TO STUDY THEIR EFFECTS IN COMMON CARP PERFORMANCE, PHYSIOBIOLOGICAL, BLOOD, HEALTH AND PROXIMATE ANALYSIS

The experiment was conducted at the University of Duhok's College of Agricultural Sciences. The study used a completely randomized design with four treatment groups, three repetitions, and ten fish per replication in twelve plastic tanks (70 L), each tank receiving proper continuous aeration and cleaning on a daily basis. Positive Control (T2) was higher significantly in each of the Weight Gain, Daily Weight Gain, Relative Growth Rate, Feed Efficiency Ratio, Protein Efficiency Ratio, Fat Efficiency Ratio, Hepatic Index, Kidney Index, Lymphocytes (10^9/dl), Monocytes (10^9/dl), and Granulocytes (10^9/dl). T3 with 25 gm germinated lentil /kg was higher significantly in Intestine Length- Weight Index and MCHC (%). T4 with 50 gm germinated lentil /kg increase significantly Intestine Length- Length Index, WBC (10^9/dl), PLT (10^ 9/L), Cholesterol mg/dl, and LDL mg/dl. Negative Control (T1) and 25 gm germinated lentil /kg (T3) were higher significantly in Feed Conversion Ratio, Triglyceride mg/dl, and HDL mg/dl. T2 and T3 increased significantly RBC (10^ 12/L). All treatments as compared to control enhances Ether extract (Oil) (%), Crude protein (%), Weight without viscera and Head, and Spleen Index.

COMBINING ABILITY AND GENETIC PARAMETERS FOR YIELD AND ITS COMPONENETS USING LINE X TESTER ANALYSIS IN SUMMER SQUASH

This study was aimed to investigate combining ability and genetic parameters in summer squash (cucurbita pepo L.). Eight inbred lines of summer squash were crossed in line x tester method in summer season 2020. The parental lines (3 tester and 5 lines) and their off springs (15 hybrids) were planted out in the summer season 2021 at vegetable field, Horticulture Department, College of Agricultural Engineering Science, Duhok University. The experiment lay out using randomized complete block design with three replications. The results indicated that the mean square for genotypes were highly significant effect for tester , line and line x tester in all studied traits. The Tester LBL2 and line PEP1670 were the best combiner for days to 50% female flowering, number of fruit plant-1 and yield kg plant-1. The crosses (LBL2 X N33133) and (LES3 X CNS2881) exhibited significant positive effect of specific combining ability for fruit length cm, number of fruit plant-1 and yield plant-1. The heritability in broad sense were higher than narrow sense heritability for all studied traits ranged between 93% for days to 50% female flowering to 40% for fruit weight. The average degree of dominance less than one in all traits except days to 50% female flowering and fruit length.

A Decision Support System Based on Optimization Methods for Optimizing Duhok University Traffic Problem

A Decision Support System Based on Optimization Methods for Optimizing Duhok University Traffic Problem