Feminist Theory, Agency, and the Liberatory Subject: Some Reflections on the Islamic Revival in Egypt

This article argues that insomuch as feminism is both an analytical and politically prescriptive project, it aims not only to analyze the situation of women in different historical and cultural locations but also to transform their conditions of subjugation. Consequently, feminist scholarship tends to accord freedom a normative status, and to emphasize those instances that exemplify women's desire to be free from relations of subordination. An important consequence of this tendency in feminist scholarship is to limit the conceptualization of agency to acts that further the moral autonomy of the individual in the face of power. Through an examination of the women's piety movement in Egypt, this article argues for uncoupling the notion of agency from that of resistance as a necessary step in thinking about forms of desire and politics that do not accord with norms of secular-liberal feminism and its liberatory telos

Effects of Transshenoidal Surgery on Patients with Nonfunctioning Pituitary Tumours

Objective:   The present study was undertaken to assess the effect of surgical removal of adenoma on peripheral adenohypophyseal hormones. In addition, the pituitary hormones have also been measured directly in the adenoma tissue following its surgical removal. Materials and Methods:  The present study initially included 22 consecutive patients 18 men and 4 women, of 22-55 (44 ± 2.3) years of age operated for NFMA between 2005 and 2008 at Lahore General Hospital, Lahore. Three of these patients 2 men and 1woman died during the follow-up period and were excluded from the study.  Results:  Radiological imaging revealed a macroadenoma in all patients, with suprasellar extension in 96% and parasellar/infrasellar extension in 32% of cases. Visual field defects were present in 95% of the patients and improved in 84% of cases after surgery (complete recovery 3/19 (15%); partial recovery 13/19 (68%). The results demonstrate that in a subset of 4 of the 16 male patients with NFPAs the presurgical serum FSH values (45.1 ± 0.7 mIU/ml) were markedly and significantly greater than those of the remaining 12 patients (7.9 ± 0.7 mIU/ml) and of control subjects (8.8 ± 0.6 mIU/ml).  Conclusions:  The present study suggests that pituitary tumours diagnosed as NFPAs constitute a heterogenous group of adenomas with regard to their secretory activity of intact adenohypophyseal hormones. Whereas some of these adenomas activity may synthesize one or more pituitary hormones, peripheral concentrations may not be sufficient to produce overt clinical symptoms of hormone hypersecretion.&nbsp

Religion, Feminism, and Empire: The New Ambassadors of Islamophobia

Tekst omawia zjawisko uwikłania niektórych nurtów współczesnego feminizmu w odtwarzanie dyskursu islamofobicznego. Autorka prezentuje postaci takie jak Azar Nafisi, Irshad Manji czy Ayaan Hirsi Ali – publicystki i działaczki przedstawiające skrajnie negatywny obraz islamu jako religii ze swojej istoty nakłaniającej do przemocy i uciskającej kobiety. Taka wizja islamu jest bliska ideologii konserwatywnej i świetnie wpisuje się w zachodnie projekty imperialistyczne, takie jak wojna z terroryzmem czy interwencje na Bliskim Wschodzie dokonywane pod pretekstem „wprowadzania demokracji”. Jak pokazuje autorka, część zachodnich feministek, np. Margaret Atwood czy Susan Sontag, nie dostrzega tego faktu i bezkrytycznie przyjmuje dyskurs wspomnianych krytyczek islamu. Postaci te odgrywają więc rolę „ambasadorek islamofobii”, legitymizując swoje stanowisko jako „feministyczne” i „postępowe”.The article describes the complicity of certain currents of feminism in reproducing Islamophobic discourse. It presents writers and politicians such as Azar Nafisi, Irshad Manji, or Ayaan Hirsi Ali, who depict Islam as essentially violent and oppressive to women. Such a vision is particularly convenient to conservatives; it also serves as a support for Western imperialist projects, like the war on terrorism or interventions carried out in the Middle East under the guise of establishing democracy. This support, however, remains, invisible to some Western feminists, such as Margaret Atwood or Susan Sontag, who accept this discourse uncritically. Indeed, the aforementioned writers and activists function as “ambassadors of Islamophobia,” which they seek to legitimize as “feminist” and “progressive.

Hepcidin Antimicrobial Peptide (HAMP) Screening for P.CYS70ARG Variant and Iron Overload in β -Thalassemia Major Patients

Hereditary Hemochromatosis is a rare genetic iron overload disorder characterized by iron accumulation in vital body organs such as the lungs, liver, and pancreas. HAMP mutations are reported as one of the principal sources for the disturbance of iron homeostasis. This study was designed to screen the involvement of p.Cys70Arg HAMP variant in iron overload in the β-thalassemia patients. For the purpose, bioinformatics tools were used for the structural and functional manifestation of mutated protein which revealed 1.93 kcal/mol energy differences between the wild-type and mutated proteins, causing the stability decline. Following that, clinical data was collected for 106 β-thalassemia major (β-TM) patients which showed a higher prevalence of splenectomy, hepatomegaly and ascites. The PCR-RFLPs were performed to screen the HAMP p.Cys70Arg in 27 controls and 106 β-TM patients. Sac ӀӀ restriction enzyme was used to screen genetically affected and ethnically matched control samples but no control was found with HAMP p.Cys70Arg variant. Out of these 106 β-thalassemia patients, eight patients were HCV+ with higher levels of ferritin in blood. HAMP exon 3 Sanger sequencing did not reveal any mutation in these patients conferring iatrogenic hemochromatosis. Future recommendations include sequencing of complete HAMP gene with its three exons in a large sample size

Drivers of Supply Chain Performance Enhancing Organizational Output: An Exploratory Study for Manufacturing Sector

Purpose - The Purpose of this study is to explore the drivers of supply chain performance and give a framework that how organizations can manage these drivers for their survival. This paper is written especially for the students of business management to enhance their knowledge about supply chain practices. Methodology - The paper contains qualitative approach. In first phase the authors reviewed literature about the drivers of supply chain performance. In second phase the data from internationally published articles were collected and suggest a framework to manage the drivers of supply chain performance. Findings - The whole study concluded that there are six drivers of supply chain performance in literature that need to be managed to enhance organizational performance. These drivers are; Facilities, Inventory, Transportation, Information, Sourcing and pricing. These drivers are closely related with each other and have a greater impact on organizational performance. Organizations need to find a situation where both efficiency and responsiveness in supply chain practices are at average level to enhance their performance. This average level can only be achieved through better management of drivers of supply chain performance. Paper Limitation - The paper is limited by the fact that it focuses only manufacturing sector. Originality/value - This paper provides a collective framework for managing all drivers of supply chain performance. Keywords - Drivers of supply chain performance, Efficiency, Responsiveness, Supply chain management, Supply chain performance Paper Type - Research pape

Comparative Translational Semiotic Analysis of ‘The River of Fire’ through Systemic Functional Linguistic Approach

This study aimed to: find out semiotic devices in literary texts in the light of Halliday’s transitivity process; and classify De Saussure’s two-part model of sign and thereby know that what logical connections lie between transitivity processes and semiotic devices. Data comprised of the text of a novel ‘The River of Fire’ by Qurratulain Hyder and analyzed through qualitative and quantitative methods. UAM software was used for the analysis of SFL transitivity processes and De Saussure’s model of sign was employed to analyze the language as a system of the sign. This process was applied to both versions (i.e. English and Urdu) of the same novel to compare the results. In this way, comparative technique was also utilized. As a result, all process types were observed in English and Urdu texts. Material and relational were the most characteristic processes in English and Urdu texts respectively. Through the analyses of English and Urdu texts of the novel, the processes of transitivity were observed involving the semiotic model of the sign. In addition, the signifier and signified were observed through the processes of systemic functional linguistics which meant that there existed a logical connection between semiotic devices and transitivity process

Serum Hormone Levels of Prolactin and Prolactin Content of Nonfunctioning Pituitary Adenomas and Normal Pituitary Glands

Objective and Study Design:   The present study was undertaken to assess the effect of surgical removal of adenoma on peripheral prolactin (PRL) hormone. In addition, the pituitary PRL hormone has also been measured directly in the adenoma tissue following its surgical removal and in the normal pituitary glands. Material and Methods:  The present study is based on 19 patients (16 males and 3 females), 30-50 year of age, diagnosed for NFPAs on the basis of clinical and radiological evidence. An equal number of age matched healthy subjects were included as controls.  Results:  The mean serum PRL concentration in male patients before removal of the adenoma were significantly higher (P<0.05) than values obtained after surgical removal of the adenoma and those of control subjects. In 5 of these 16 patients (PA1, PA10, PA14, PA28, PA30) serum PRL concentrations were markedly above the normal limit of circulating PRL levels (>17.0 ng/ml), the levels being ~ 2-fold of the mean control levels. The PRL levels returned to normal range following ablation of adenoma in these patients. The individual and mean serum PRL levels in the remaining 11 (68.75%) patients were in normal range before and after surgery.  Conclusions:  Taken together, the present data suggest that a significant proportion of NFPAs may actively synthesize and secrete pituitary hormones such as PRL, in amounts that may not be sufficient to produce any overt clinical signs of hormone hypersecretion