Evaluation of Oxidative Stress and Antioxidant Status in Pregnant Anemic Women

The present study was conducted to investigate the oxidant–antioxidant status in iron deficient pregnant anemic women. One hundred thirty pregnant women with iron deficiency anemia (IDA) were divided into three groups, namely mild (50), moderate (50) and severe (30) anemic along with pregnant healthy women as controls (50). The complete blood count, plasma lipid peroxidation products, enzymatic and non-enzymatic antioxidants were measured according to respective protocols. The levels of complete blood count, iron, ferritin along with antioxidant enzymes namely catalase, superoxide dismutase, glutathione peroxidase, glutathione reductase and reduced glutathione were significantly reduced in all IDA groups. However, the level of oxidized glutathione, lipid peroxides, protein carbonyls, conjugated dienes were found significantly increased in all anemic patients. Antioxidant vitamins, namely C, E and A were also found significantly decreased in IDA patients. On the basis of our results, it may be concluded that IDA tends to increase the pro-oxidant components, which may result in various complications including peroxidation of vital body molecules resulting in increased risk for pregnant women as well as fetus.     

Study of Hormone Receptors and Epidermal Growth Factor Expression in Invasive Breast Cancers in a Cohort of Western India

The objective of study was to evaluate and correlate the pathological characteristics of breast cancer patients with estrogen receptor (ER), progesterone receptor (PR) and human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (Her2/neu) detected by immunohistochemistry and/or fluorescent in situ hybridization method. We have conducted 2 year study of 204 cases of breast cancer at HCG-Medisurge Hospitals, Ahmedabad from 2009 to 2011. Significant correlation was found in ER and PR expression whereas no correlation was found in hormonal receptors and Her2/neu expression. ER and PR positivity increased with advancing age in breast carcinoma patients while not affecting Her2/neu expression. The expression of hormone receptors were higher in infiltrating lobular carcinoma and infiltrating duct carcinoma subtypes of breast carcinoma as compared to other subtypes such medullary and in situ carcinoma. High-grade carcinoma patients were predominantly ER/PR negative and Her2/neu positive as compared to lower grade breast carcinoma whereas high-stage carcinoma patients were ER/PR positive and Her2/neu positive as compared to lower stage breast carcinoma.     

Story of fission

The discovery of nuclear fission is the culmination of sustained efforts involving many scientists led by Hahn and Meitner to understand the production of artificial radioactivity induced by neutrons bombarding uranium. The large energy release in this process was almost immediately used for both military and civilian purposes. It also started the largescale funding of scientific research by governments across the world. Nuclear energy is one of the clean sources of energy and contributes very little to global warming.     

Case study research: training interdisciplinary engineers with context-dependent knowledge

It is now widely acknowledged that water management discipline is transforming, from being a public health and flood prevention challenge of the nineteenth century to a multi-dimensional challenge of water security for the twenty-first century. In order to train water engineers to be capable of working with this holistic multi-dimensional approach, a new paradigm in engineering education is required. Adjustments already made to undergraduate coursework are not enough; this new paradigm requires modifications to the PhD in engineering, with greater emphasis on interdisciplinary case study research. Such a change can deliver PhD graduates with both sufficient social and technical knowledge, who can then go on to become the hybrid lecturers crucially needed for training future water engineers.     

Enrico Fermi — The complete physicist

Enrico Fermi was a versatile physicist contributing in equal measure to theory and experiments. He is credited to be the ‘Father of the Atomic Age’ following his successful demonstration of sustained chain reaction in Chicago Pile-1. In this article, I have discussed his major experimental contributions that clearly demonstrate his simplicity of conception, meticulous attention to detail and directness of approach to the problem at hand.     

Holocaust Perversions: The Stalags Pulp Fiction and the Eichmann Trial

The Stalags, an Israeli pulp fiction series whose advent coincided with the 1961 trial of Adolf Eichmann in Jerusalem, portrayed sadomasochistic scenarios between SS female guards and Allied soldiers in POW camps. Written in Hebrew by native Israelis, these cheap pocketbooks were enormously popular with Israeli teenagers, many of whom were children of Holocaust survivors. We posit the Stalags (a) as a fictional counterpart of the trial, complementing the legal procedure with feats of the imagination, and (b) as a text upon which the Israeli young generation negotiated issues of power and identity.     

Movie Stars and the Volatility of Movie Revenues

Research has found conflicting results regarding the profitability of movies that have big-name stars. Why then, are stars selected to act in movies? Using the concepts of risk, volatility, and brand loyalty, this research proposes that although stars may not guarantee profits, their presence results in lower weekly revenue volatility. Using a database comprising 41 stars and their presence in 467 movies from over a 26-year period, this study finds broad support for this hypothesis.     

The dream of statehood and the reality of conflict: local and international coverage of the Palestinian United Nations bid for statehood

This paper examines whether or not media coverage is biased by the political orientation of the journalists’ country, specifically illustrated by the 2011 bid for statehood by the Palestinian Authority in the United Nations. This bid represents a symbolic step toward international recognition of a Palestinian state, an important event in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. A quantitative analysis was conducted on 1577 news reports from American, European, and Middle Eastern outlets to determine the differences in media coverage of the Palestinian bid for statehood among the channels. The findings suggest that Israeli channels broadcasted a relatively low number of items in which the Palestinian declaration itself was the main theme. The BBC broadcasted a relatively high rate of such items, and offered balanced coverage of both Israeli and Palestinian positions, while coverage by American FOX News channel reflected a pro-Israel bias. The findings also suggest that media outlets may be biased toward specific leaders. This work builds on a growing body of research on media framing of political conflicts and the effect of the political context of a country on its media outlets’ coverage.