Molecular estimation of alteration in intestinal microbial composition in Hashimoto's thyroiditis patients

The gut microbiota has a crucial effect on human health and physiology. Hypothyroid Hashimoto’s thyroiditis (HT) is an autoimmune disorder manifested with environmental and genetic factors. However, it is hypothesized that intestinal microbes might play a vital role in the pathogenesis of HT. The aim of current was to investigate and characterize the gut microbial composition of HT patients both quantitatively and qualitatively. The fecal samples from 29 HT patients and 12 healthy individuals were collected. The PCR-DGGE targeted V3 site of 16S rRNA gene and real time PCR for Bifidobacterium Lactobacillus, Bacteroides vulgatus and Clostridium leptum were performed. Pyrosequencing of 16S rRNA gene with V4 location was performed on 20 randomly selected samples. The comparative analysis of diversity and richness indices revealed diversification of gut microbiota in HT as compared to control. The statistical data elucidate the alterations in phyla of HT patients which was also affirmed at the family level. We observed the declined abundance of Prevotella_9 and Dialister, while elevated genera of the diseased group included Escherichia-Shigella and Parasutterella. The alteration in gut microbial configuration was also monitored at the species level, which showed an increased abundance of E. coli in HT. Therefore, the current study is in agreement with the hypothesis that HT patients have intestinal microbial dysbiosis. The taxa statistics at species-level along with each gut microbial community were modified in HT. Thus, the current study may offer the new insights into the treatment of HT patients, disease pathway, and mechanism

The moderator effect of personality traits on performance appraisal effectiveness

The performance appraisals systems constitute an integral part of any career development process. Many organizations are facing problems regarding their performance appraisal systems. The main goal of the current research is to determine the moderating role of 5 Big Personality Traits in relation to performance appraisal systems and their effectiveness. The study adopted a quantitative approach using self-administered questionnaires. The Systemic Justice Scales to study the performance of employees and effectiveness of appraisals, and Big Five Inventory for moderating variables were used to identify the role of personality in the performance appraisal system. The present study based on convenience sampling was conducted on 706 employees of a Commercial Banking Sector in Pakistan. Linear and moderated regressions analyses were conducted to examine straight and moderated relationships. The findings from the study indicated that there is a significant relationship between perceived fairness, appraisal satisfaction and elimination of rating errors with effectiveness of performance appraisal. On the contrary, personality traits as a moderator revealed that extraversion and conscientiousness exhibit a significant moderating role between appraisal satisfaction, performance feedback and effectiveness of performance appraisal. Besides that, the results showed that the conscientiousness does moderate the relationship between appraisal satisfaction, elimination of rating errors and effectiveness of performance. Another moderator, openness to experience shows that it has a significant moderating role between elimination of rating error and effectiveness of performance. Guidelines are provided and recommended to human resource practitioners, academicians and researchers to consider personality during the process of performance appraisal in organizations for the improvement of effectiveness in performance appraisal processes

The Prophet\u27s (Peace Be Upon Him) Sources Of Income: Research And Analysis

The employment sources of the Messenger of Allah, Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him), serve as a crucial study in understanding the socio-economic context of early Islamic society and the principles of work and ethics that he embodied. This research examines the various means through which the Prophet engaged in economic activities, including trade, agriculture, and the establishment of a cooperative community. The analysis draws on historical texts, including Hadith and Sirah literature, to delineate how the Prophet\u27s practices not only provided a livelihood but also promoted values of honesty, integrity, and mutual support among the community.The study identifies key employment sources, highlighting the significant role of commerce in the Prophet\u27s life, particularly during his years as a trader prior to his prophethood. It also explores his contributions to community welfare through the establishment of the first mosque in Medina, which became a center for social and economic interaction. Moreover, the principles embedded in his approach to work such as fairness, equitable resource distribution, and social responsibility are critically analyzed to derive lessons applicable in contemporary contexts. In conclusion, this research underscores how the employment practices of the Messenger of Allah not only fulfilled economic needs but also laid the groundwork for a just and cohesive society, offering timeless insights into the ethical dimensions of work and employment in Islam. The findings advocate for a reflection on these practices in today’s labor market, emphasizing the relevance of Islamic teachings in fostering ethical employment practices

Later exposure to different perch material and design affects behaviour and performance of Leghorn hens

Perching behaviour is natural and evident in Red Jungle fowl, from which modern-day chickens originated. A positive impact of perching in the improvement of a bird’s physical condition. In this experimental study, 540 LSL lite laying hens were randomly distributed according to Complete Randomized Design in 6 treatments with 6 replicates of 15 birds each. The experiment was set up as a 2 × 3 factorial arrangement of treatments; treatments consisted of 2 perch materials (wooden and plastic) and 3 perch shapes (square, round, and triangle). Effects of perch material and shape were evaluated on productive performance, behaviour and welfare traits, and egg characteristics. Egg weight was higher in wooden perch materials than plastic. Regarding perch design, egg weight, production percentage, and feed conversion ratio per kg of egg mass of commercial layers differed significantly. Moreover, wing flapping and perching behaviour were significant among different perch designs. Egg volume, egg weight, albumen height, Haugh unit score, and shell thickness differed significantly among perch designs. In conclusion, the provision of different perch designs especially wooden and triangular perches positively influences productivity, behaviour, and egg quality traits in laying birds.&nbsp

Financial Development and Economic Growth:The Role of Energy Consumption

The study investigates financial development and economic growth nexus, incorporating use of energy resources for Pakistan for 1980-2016, using Johansen co-integration and granger causality approach. The results of Johansen test for co-integration show the link between financial development, energy and economic growth in the long time span. The findings of granger causation test uncovered a two-way causality between capital and economic growth. The one-way causality exists from economic growth in energy and financial development. The findings also exposed the one-way causality from capital formation and exports to use of energy. The government should take steps to make financial sectors stronger as it has a great role in increasing the growth of an economy

APPLYING VGG-16 FOR CLASSIFICATION OF RICE VARIETIES INCORPORATING COLOR AND TEXTURE FEATURES

Ensuring rice variety is crucial for meeting client expectations and upholding high-quality standards. However, developing cost-effective and speedy techniques for evaluating rice quality remains a challenge. According to the variation in demand, rice is available in different grades at different prices and rendering to consumer preferences. Deep learning has promising results in various fields of life as their applications are in agriculture. This present study utilized a deep learning based convolutional neural network (CNN) model VGG-16 to identify and classify rice varieties accurately. The applied model is customized, and seven fully connected layers (FCLs) are added on pre-trained VGG-16 as the number of rice classes is seven namely Kachi, Kachi kainat, Seela, Sufaid, super, Ari, and 1508. The most popular libraries namely TensorFlow and Keras are used to develop the proposed neural network model. The steps of this study are image data acquisition using the camera, pre-processing, using the Keras image data generator for transforming data, defining layers, model compilation, training and validation of the model, model optimization and testing on new instances for reliability and accuracy check. The methodology has been evaluated in terms of loss, accuracy, and time duration for better results. The applied algorithm gained 97% accuracy on the real rice image dataset during the training phase

Feedlot performance and serum profile of buffalo (Bubalus bubalis) calves under high input feeding systems

The current study was undertaken to evaluate the growth performance and blood biochemical analysis of buffalo calves kept under feedlot by feeding two dietary regimes. Twenty male calves of 9-12 months of age, 115±10 kg body weight were divided into two groups with initial group weight of 1165±05 kg. They were fed two diets as Ration-I (3200 Kcal and 16%) and Ration-II as (3400 Kcal and 18%). Regarding roughage proportion maize fodder and wheat straw were fed. Daily feeding allowance was offered as 3% body weight. Water was available 24 hr. Deworming was performed. Trial was lasted for 120 days. At end of the trial blood is collected and tested for different biochemical indices. Data collected on different parameters were analyzed by using t-test on Statistix software. Significant Overall weight gain and average daily weight gain (P<0.05) was observed as 78±2.54, 94±1.15 kg and 652±21.24, 783±9.62 g/d with Ration-I and Ration-II, respectively. While feed intake (P>0.05) of concentrate, fodder and wheat straw was 2.35±0.05, 2.51±0.07; 8.81±0.23; 9.38±0.22 and 1±0.00, 1.03±0.04 kg/d with Ration-I and Ration-II, respectively. Regarding serum profile cholesterol concentration (P<0.05) was found to be 55.86±0.33 and 56.87±0.72 with Ration-I and Ration-II, respectively. The results indicate that buffalo calves have a great growth potential which can be manipulated by modern husbandry practices

Genetic and nongenetic factors affecting body weight in Nili Ravi buffaloes

Live body weight of Nili Ravi buffaloes was studied to investigate the effect of certain environmental sources of variation such as herd, lactation number, lactation stage, season of recording and age of buffaloes at the time of recording along with appraisal of genetic parameters of body weight including heritabilities, genetic correlation and phenotypic correlation of body weight with milk yield. Five milking herds belonging to Nili Ravi buffaloes breed in Punjab were utilized in this study. Data recorded during 2010 to 2012 included 839 observations. Estimation of genetic parameters were carried out by Best Linear Unbiased Prediction (BLUP) procedure through ASREML set of computer program. Least square mean for body weight was found as 523.13±81.63 with a coefficient of variation of 15.60%. Herd, stage of lactation, lactation number, recording season and buffalo’s age at the time of recording significantly affected live body weight. Univariate analysis of body weight indicated that heritability estimate for body weight was 0.33±0.07. Phenotypic correlations of body weight with milk yield in 305 days and milk yield on day of recording were found as 0.071±0.034 and 0.090±0.053 while genetic correlations were found as 0.16±0.00 and 0.20±0.00, respectively. High heritability and positive genetic correlation of body weight with milk yield suggested that body weight should be included in selection program for improved milk yield in Nili Ravi buffaloes

Genetic and non genetic factors affecting some udder measurements in Nili Ravi buffaloes of Pakistan

Udder length, width and height are very important parameters to identify good dairy animals. Udder measurements including length, width and height on 437 Nili Ravi buffaloes were recorded before and after miking with 1180 records at 6 Experimental Stations in Punjab, Pakistan. Heritabilities were estimated using Best Linear Unbiased Prediction techniques. Environmental factors viz age of the buffalo at scoring, stage of lactation, parity, herd and season were included in the model. Least square means for udder length, width and height before milking were found as 52.65±6.87, 53.52±6.19 and 54.34±4.99 cm and after milking as 47.08±6.57, 48.15±5.79 and 55.39±5.15 cm, respectively. Heritability estimates for udder length, width and height before milking were found as 0.08±0.07, 0.22±0.08 and 0.22±0.09, while after milking as 0.14±0.07, 0.20±0.08 and 0.09±0.08, respectively. All the factors significantly affected before milking udder length. A significant effect of herd, parity, season of scoring and age on udder width before milking was observed. Herd, stage of lactation, parity and age of the buffalo at scoring significantly affected udder height before milking. Significant efect of herd, parity, stage of lactation and age of the buffaloes at classification on most of the traits suggest that managemental factors are important. Moderate heritability estimates for these udder traits provide a fair scope for improvement through selection and breeding which will help to increase milk yield in Nili Ravi buffaloes

Clinico-hematological, patho-anatomical and molecular based investigation of blackleg disease in Cholistani cattle

Clostridium chauvoei, causing myonecrosis in livestock animals, lives in the feces, surface water and soil. The blackleg due to C. chauvoei is very common in dairy animals. Still, no report is available about the pathophysiology of disease in Cholistani cattle kept under tropical and desert conditions of Cholistan, Pakistan. Therefore, in this study, we report for the first time the pathophysiology of a visceral form of blackleg infection in indigenous cholistani cattle breed reared in desert conditions of Cholistan. Clinically morbid animals exhibited different signs of infection including fever, crepitation sounds, gaseous swelling and edematous lesions. Blood was collected for hematological and serum biochemical investigation. Hematological examination indicated a significant increased erythrocyte sedimentation rate, lower red blood cells, hematocrit, and total white blood cell count. Results on serum biochemistry showed significantly (p<0.02) increased creatine kinase levels, creatinine, urea, alanine aminotransferase, aspartate aminotransferase, alkaline phosphates, creatinine phosphokinase and lactate dehydrogenase in infected cattle. At necropsy level, light pink color fluid under swelling areas of skin, gas bubbles, dark to black in color of affected muscles and crepitation sounds at palpation were observed. Necropsy showed marked myocarditis, petechial hemorrhages, consolidation and severe pulmonary edema. Spleen showed petechial hemorrhages and congestion. Histological analysis of muscular tissues indicated severe inflammatory reaction comprising of cellular infiltration, marked edema, necrosis and disruption of myofibrils. PCR confirmed the presence of C. chauvoei in muscles, heart and exudates of the lungs. This is the first report on molecular detection of Clostridium chauvoei from a visceral form of Blackleg disease in cholistani breed of cattle naturally infected in the Cholistan desert of Punjab, Pakistan