Soluble transferrin receptor, Ferritin index in Pakistani population

Inflammation affects the reliability of ferritin. The serum level of transferrin receptor protein (sTfR) represents true demand of iron in the body. This study attempts to identify levels of sTfR and correlate the trends of sTfR/ferritin index with BMI in the population of Karachi. 132 gender matched volunteers between the ages of 20-60 years were recruited for this cross-sectional study. BMI was calculated using the formula: (weight in kg / height in m2). Following groups were made according to South Asian criteria of BMI; Group A: normal weight (18.0-22.9 kg/m2), Group B: overweight (23.0-24.9 kg/m2), Group C: obese ( \u3e 25.0 kg/m2). Serum ferritin, sTfR and CRP levels were determined using ELISA kits. Statistical comparisons were performed using Mann Whitney U and Spearman\u27s rank correlation, where p \u3c 0.05 was considered significant. The results identified increased in TIBC, sTfR, ferritin and CRP in obese as compared to normal weight individuals (p \u3c 0.001). sTfR/ferritin ratio was 0.822 which signifies increased risk of acute myocardial infarction in group C. Serum iron (r=-0.359,p=0.004) showed negative correlation with BMI while serum ferritin (r=0.237,p \u3c 0.001) and sTfR (r=0.263,p= 0.036) levels were positively associated to BMI. This study highlights a novel finding that sTfR is most likely a better clinical measure of iron status in inflammatory conditions as its expression is effected by erythropoiesis and not by inflammation. Risk of Acute myocardial infarction can also be predicted by increased sTfR/ferritin ratio

Evaluation of hepatoprotective effect of chloroform and methanol extracts of <i>Opuntia monacantha</i> in paracetamol-induced hepatotoxicity in rabbits

The chloroform and methanol extracts of Opuntia monacantha were studied for its hepatoprotective effect against paracetamol induced liver damage in rabbits. Results proved that both extracts at 200, 400 and 600 mg/kg body weight in one week protocol showed significant (p<0.001) hepatoprotective activity by reducing the magnitude of liver markers including alanine aminotransferase, aspartate aminotransferase, alkaline phasphatase and total bilirubin levels. The results were supported by histopathological studies of liver tissue. Chemical analysis of O. monacantha indicated the presence of alkaloids, tannins, saponins, flavonoids and  polysaccharides and its hepato-protective potential may be due to the presence of flavonoids. Its is concluded that 600 mg/kg is the potent dose of both extracts of O. monacantha as hepatoprotective plant

Experimental analysis of solar thermal integrated MD system for cogeneration of drinking water and hot water for single family villa in Dubai using flat plate and evacuated tube solar collectors

This paper presents the experimental analysis performed on solar thermal integrated membrane distillation (MD) system using flat plate and evacuated tube collectors. The system will be utilized for cogeneration of drinking water and domestic hot water for single family in Dubai comprising of four to five members. Experiments have been performed in Ras Al Khaimah Research and Innovation Centre (RAKRIC) facility. The experimental setup has been installed to achieve the required production of 15–25 L/d of drinking water and 250 L/d of hot water for domestic purposes. Experiments have been performed on MD setup at optimized flow rates of 6 L/min on hot side and 3 L/min on cold side for producing the desired distillate. The hot side and cold side MD temperature has been maintained between 60°C and 70°C, and 20°C and 30°C. The total annual energy demand comes out to be 8,223 kWh (6,000 kWh is for pure water and 2,223 kWh for hot water). The optimum aperture areas for flat plate and evacuated tube collector field have been identified as 8.5 and 7.5 m2 ,respectively. Annual energy consumption per liter for pure water production is 1, 0.85 and 0.7 kWh/L for different MD hot and cold inlet temperatures

Mitigating Salt-Induced Damages in Wheat with Foliar-Applied Nigella sativa Seed Extract: A Comprehensive Study

Nigella sativa, a medicinal plant, known for its diverse bioactive compounds, including antioxidants and phytohormones, have shown potential in mitigating salt stress in various plant species. Amongst naturally occurring plant growth stimulants, it has attained enormous attention being rich in thymoquinineand carvacrol in seeds for scavenging free radicals. This research aimed to investigate the effect of Nigella sativa seed extract (NSE) as foliar spray (0, 50, 100 and 150g seeds per liter each) on wheat growth under salt stress (0mM, 75mM and 150mM). Results revealed that salinity decreased growth attributes and accumulation of photosynthetic pigments. On the other hand, salinity stress boosted the contents of malondialdehyde, hydrogen peroxide, glycinebetaine, leaf free proline, Na+ and Cl-. Foliar application of NSEameliorated the negative effects of salinity to considerable extent by enhancing growth traits, chlorophyll contents, glycinebetaine and prolineand decreased Na+, Cl-,malondialdehyde andhydrogen peroxide. This research provides valuable insights into the potential use of NSE as natural and sustainable solution to alleviate salt stress in wheat crop. These findings contribute to the development of eco-friendly strategies for enhancing crop resilience in saline environments, ultimately addressing the global challenge of food security in the face of increasing soil salinity

Performance Assessment and Working Fluid Selection for Novel Integrated Vapor Compression Cycle and Organic Rankine Cycle for Ultra Low Grade Waste Heat Recovery

This paper presents the performance assessment and working fluid selection for a novel integrated vapor compression cycle-organic Rankine cycle system (i-VCC-ORC), which recovers ultra-low-temperature waste heat rejected (50 °C) by the condenser of a vapor compression cycle (VCC). The analyses are carried out for a vapor compression cycle of a refrigeration capacity (heat input) of 35kW along with the component sizing of the organic Rankine cycle (ORC). The effects of the operational parameters on integrated system performance were investigated. The integrated system performance is estimated in terms of net COP, cycle thermal efficiency and exergy efficiency by completely utilizing and recovering the heat rejected by the condenser of the VCC system. R600a-R141b with COPnet (3.54) and ORC thermal efficiency (3.05%) is found to be the most suitable VCC-ORC working fluid pair. The integration of the vapor compression refrigeration cycle with the organic Rankine cycle increases the COP of the system by 12.5% as compared to the standalone COP of the vapor compression system. Moreover, the sensitivity analysis results show that there exists an optimum operating condition that maximizes the thermal performance of the integrated system

Relationship between Perceived Parenting Styles of Mothers and Emotional Intelligence Among Undergraduate Students

The objective of the study was to find out relationship between perceived parenting styles of mothers and emotional intelligence among undergraduate students. Correlational research was selected as research design. The population of the study was undergraduate students of education department of public and private universities of Lahore. The total population was 1760. Proportionate stratified random sampling technique was used to select the sample. The strata were formed on the basis of nature of the university. The total number of students selected was 528. The instrument consisted of three parts; first part consisted of demographic information (gender, nature of institution, education of mother and working status of mother). The second part consisted of Parenting Authority Questionnaire (PAQ), designed by Buri (1991) which was used to measure parenting styles and the third part consisted of Emotional Intelligence questionnaire (EI) by Schutte (1998) which was used to measure emotional intelligence. Data was collected individually from participants through questionnaires by survey method. Both inferential and descriptive statistics were applied to analyze the data. Multiple regression analysis was used to determine the relationship between the variables and Independent sample t-test was used to determine the difference between the demographic variables

Impact of Knowledge based HR Practices on Innovation with the Mediating Effect on Employee’s Creativity: Kashif Mahmood, Chaudhary Abdul Rehman, Dr. Muqqadas Rehman, Faiza Ali

The purpose of this research is to concentrate on the mindful and orderly administrative activities for business with knowledge in firms (i.e. knowledge management (KM) practices), which aims at innovation performance improvements through proactive management of knowledge assets. The study examined the impact that the KM practices have on innovation performance. A study was conducted to obtain experiential evidence by using questionnaire. The data have been collected from 366 respondents from FMCGs within Lahore City. A structured questionnaire was framed containing 27 questions. This research is significant for practitioners, policy makers and from theoretical point of view. Quantitative data have been collected for research purpose. The results reveal that employee’s creativity plays a positive role in innovation of an organization. Therefore, all hypotheses are acknowledged. The study clarifies that the knowledge based HR practices have effect on innovation and it affects positively employee’s creativity too.&nbsp

Evaluation of hepatoprotective effect of chloroform and methanol extracts of Opuntia monacantha in paracetamol-induced hepatotoxicity in rabbits

The chloroform and methanol extracts of Opuntia monacantha were studied for its hepatoprotective effect against paracetamol induced liver damage in rabbits. Results proved that both extracts at 200, 400 and 600 mg/kg body weight in one week protocol showed significant (p<0.001) hepatoprotective activity by reducing the magnitude of liver markers including alanine aminotransferase, aspartate aminotransferase, alkaline phasphatase and total bilirubin levels. The results were supported by histopathological studies of liver tissue. Chemical analysis of O. monacantha indicated the presence of alkaloids, tannins, saponins, flavonoids and polysaccharides and its hepato-protective potential may be due to the presence of flavonoids. Its is concluded that 600 mg/kg is the potent dose of both extracts of O. monacantha as hepatoprotective plant

Investigation of dielectric properties and methylene intactness under multiple environmental stresses for high voltage epoxy composites

Epoxy decays its dielectric characteristics and exhibits degradation of main hydrocarbon on exposure to multiple environmental stresses. Inorganic oxides-based epoxy composites have been performingwell in many applications and short-term testing; therefore, evaluation of their dielectric and structural characteristics under extreme weathering conditions may also unleash enhancement in these characteristics. To explore dielectric properties and degradation of main hydrocarbon group, neat epoxy and silica-based epoxy microcomposite (15% micro-silica loading) and nanocomposites (5% nano-silica loading)have been prepared and subjected to acid rain, heat, ultra-violet radiation, salt fog, and humidity in a chamber that was specially fabricated in view ofservice conditions. Interesting results were obtained before and after aging. Enhanced intactness of methylene group was observed in nanocomposite followed by micro composite. Similarly, for epoxy nanocomposites not only higher dielectric constant, lower energy dissipation and conductivity was recorded before application of stresses, but also nanocomposite showed superior sustainability in these properties after aging. In all analyses, microcomposites performed better than neat epoxy but in conductivity the results of both samples were found comparable