Workplace spirituality is recognised as the inner state of individuals and an aspect of their working life. In the study reported on here we aimed to unearth the effects of teachers' demographic factors (gender, age, nature of job, academic qualification, marital status, designation, teaching experience, and district) towards workplace spirituality in secondary schools. This study was a descriptive research and a cross-sectional survey research design was applied. The participants were 3,050 secondary school teachers. The participants were selected using stratified proportionate random sampling. The Workplace Spirituality Scale (WPS) developed by Petchsawang and Duchon (2009) was used along with a list of demographic variables to meet the study objectives. Different statistical techniques (t-test, mean, SD, one-way ANOVA and post hoc analysis) were applied for data analysis. The results indicate that teachers were satisfied and agreed with the practices of workplace spirituality in secondary schools. Moreover, the results reveal that the teachers' demographic factors (gender, designation, nature of job, academic qualification, marital status, teaching experience, and district) had significant effects on their workplace spirituality. From the results we recommend that the management of educational institutions should treat teachers equally and fairly without any discrimination for equal nurturing of workplace spirituality among teachers.

ABSTRACT Conjugated fatty acids (CFAs) mainly consists of Conjugated linoleic acids (CLAs) and conjugated linolenic acids (CLNAs). CFAs received significant importance because of their anti-carcinogenic, anti-obesity, anti-diabetic, lipid/ energy metabolism modulatory effects and some other health promoting properties. Though, their concentration in food stuff is inadequate for any therapeutic application to be implemented. For a biotechnological perspective, microbial production of these CFAs has been extensively explored as an alternative and various bacterial strains of Propionbacterium , Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium have shown promising results. This review will amass and recap available data concerning CLA and CLNA production by various bacterial strains via various enzymatic reaction behind all the processes. Numerous studies on CFA biochemical pathways are important to understand and discourse the metabolic mechanisms behind this process showing all the gene products that could be involved in the production. Among these bacterial strains few have shown the modulation of lipid metabolism in-vivo , further research should be focused on this topic which would help us to understand the role of gut microbiota on human health and future foods sustainability.

Abstract This study was aimed at evaluation of effects of ball-milled roasted chickpea (RC) powder on physicochemical, rheological and sensorial properties of yogurt supplemented with RC levels of 1 (RCY1), 2 (RCY2), 3 (RCY3), 4 (RCY4), and 5 g/100 mL (RCY5). Results showed a gradual decline in the pH of pre-inoculated samples with corresponding increases in powder concentration from 1 to 5 g/ 100 mL. Degrees of lightness and yellowness increased in supplemented samples as compared to control (RCY0). Higher firmness was exhibited by RCY3 and RCY5 samples in the range of 59.39-78.56 g. RCY3 showed the highest consistency value (1480.214 g/s). Overall, the syneresis was significantly lower (p<0.05) in supplemented samples as compared to control. The addition levels of more than 3% RC resulted in smoother and more gradual dispersive patterns of particles, and RCY4 showed the most prominent polydispersity and resembled RCY5. Comparatively, supplemented samples exhibited a significantly lower degree of shear-thinning as compared to control samples. RCY5 showed the maximum texture score among all supplemented samples, and supplemented samples showed comparable sensory attributes to those of control samples. It was evident from this study that RC powder can be employed as a functional food ingredient in yogurt production.

Abstract Fenugreek leaves contains bioactive compounds, which are helpful in maintaining human health. These compounds are adversely affected in conventional drying methods. Therefore, this study was carried out to retain maximum amount of these components through microwave-assisted drying and extraction technique. The technique was optimized for simultaneous drying and extraction process for fenugreek leaves. The drying rate and drying time were influenced by the level of microwave power; time was reduced from 21 to 5 minutes, when microwave power was changed from 30 to 100 W. Unlikely, the drying rate increased from 1.79 to 4.56 ± 0.05 g/(100 g.min) with the change in power (30 to 100 W). Moreover, moisture ratio analysis determined that two term model was the best to demonstrate the fitness with experimental values. The energy consumption was lowest for 100W compared to other powers. Furthermore, comparison between microwave-based extraction and methanol-extraction indicated that the antioxidant activity was better preserved compared to conventional ones even at higher microwave power levels.

Abstract Milk is a nutritious perishable product having a short shelf-life owing to the occurrence of spoilage bacteria in it. This has led to an increasing demand for ensuring safety through milk processing. Conventional techniques (such as heat treatment) increase shelf-life but damage the nutritional and sensory qualities of milk. Hence, there is a need to develop innovative, nonthermal processing techniques that increase the shelf-life while preserving its nutritional quality. This review focuses on the recent advances in assuring microbial safety of milk by using nonthermal techniques such as high-pressure processing, pulsed electric fields, ultrasound, ultraviolet irradiation and membrane microfiltration.

Abstract In modern agriculture the use of biostimulants not only reduces the cost of production but also increase yield and quality of crops without harming environment. The response of fodder oat to biostimulants was evaluated in a pot experiment using four biostimulants at different concentrations i.e Moringa leaf extract at ratio of 1:10, 1:20, 1:30, 1:40, 1:50, Sea weed extract at 1%, 2%, 3%, 4%, 5%, Thiourea at 100 ppm, 200 ppm, 300 ppm, 400 ppm, 500 ppm and Chitosan at 25 ppm, 50 ppm, 100 ppm, 125 ppm, 150 ppm. Oat crop was treated with biostimulants using foliar application, at two growth stages i.e tillering and booting. Data on various agronomic and quality parameters were recorded and analyzed. Results showed that biostimulants significantly affected phenology and quality of oat. The highest green fodder yield (872.32 g) was observed in the pots treated with 2%Solution of seaweed extract similarly highest dry matter yield was also highest at 170.85 g Interestingly crude protein was highest for thiourea at 400 ppm. In each biostimulant following doses stood out both in terms of yield and quality. In case of moringa leaf extract the ratio of 1:40with 900 g per pot yield and 9.43 % protein, for sea weed extract 2% was better than other doses with 981 g yield and 9.17% protein, for thiourea the 400 ppm was better than other concentrations as it shows highest yield (872.32 g) and crude protein (9.52%) and for chitosan 100 ppm was comparatively better in performance with 964.98 g yield per pot and 9.35% CP. It is concluded from our study that biostimulants improve fodder oat yield and quality.

Abstract: Risk evaluation and its identification is one of the prominent fields in the construction industry concerning performance management and project success. Under the project mechanism and business development system, risk assessment and mitigation are compulsory components of a management network to achieve the project's success. In this study, the major focus of risk assessment and management revolves around the SCP (small construction projects) which are the backbone of the construction industry. Every stakeholder is involved in this process because the construction of the house is a basic need of humans for a living. Targeting the major stakeholders (contractors, consultants, and clients) as mixed-method (qualitative & quantitative) sequential approach has been adopted to evaluate the major risk factors and their occurrence with the assessment of risk management system at the country level in SCP (small construction projects). The data used in this research has been collected from sixty-two (62) small construction firms, thirty-two (32 projects), to attain the research objectives. The results indicate that the performances of most of the risk management system and organizations are responsive, shapeless, semi-stable, and unorganized with inexistent and confined compromised resources to respond with risks. The major issue was identified as the non-existence of a proper risk management system because no formal education is involved with the personals working in small construction projects. The five most important risks that should be preferable are quality and quantity dissimilarity, change in scope of work/design, deficiency of manpower, planning, and management, and technical errors. The prime hurdles which are analyzed for impressive risk management are the absence of connection between construction experts and contractors who have not been formally trained at any technical institute. This study will help in targeting the existing gap for implementation of the risk management system at small construction engineering projects. Furthermore, it will generate a pathway for the young enterprisers to come forward and take part in the development of the small construction industry by implementing effective risk management practices to achieve the project performance in terms of project success and fruitful outcomes for the upcoming projects.

ABSTRACT Lactobacillus plantarum strains have been extensively used in food processing and preservation. L. plantarum also has the potential to convert polyunsaturated fatty acids, e.g. linoleic acid (LA) into bioactive and less toxic fatty acid metabolites. The objective of this study was to assess the capability of probiotic L. plantarum 13-3 to convert Linoleic Acid (LA) to different fatty acid metabolites in the medium supplemented with differential concentrations of LA, and the relevant reactions were characterized by in silico calculation. L. plantarum 13-3 was grown in MRS medium containing LA from 1% to 10%, and the fatty acid metabolites formed in the medium were identified and quantitated by GC-MS and in silico studies were done to confirm the enzymatic reactions involved in its conversion. The results showed that L. plantarum 13-3 could convert LA at different concentrations to 5 different fatty acid metabolites i.e, (Z)-Ethyl heptadec-9-enoate, 9,12-Octadecadienoic acid (Z, Z), methyl ester, Octadec-9-enoic acid, cis-11,14-Eicosadienoic acid, methyl ester and (Z)-18-Octadec-9-enolide. Among these metabolites, the formation of an long chain fatty acid Octadec-9-enoic Acid, also known as 18:1, N-9 or Delta(9)-Octadecenoic acid, is classified as a member of the Long-chain fatty acids in media supplemented with 4% to 10% LA, is being reported for the first time. Putative candidate enzymes involved in biotransformation of LA into fatty acid metabolites were identified in whole genome of L. plantarum 13-3, sequenced previously. In silico studies confirmed that several enzymes including the linoleate isomerase, acetoacetate decarboxylase and oxidoreductase may be involved in biotransformation of LA into fatty acid metabolites. These enzymes could effectively bind the LA molecule mainly by forming hydrogen bonding between the acidic groups of LA and the proline residues at the active sites of the enzymes validating the putative reacting partners.

Abstract The aim of the present research was to develop a silymarin-laden PVP-nanocontainer providing ameliorated aqueous solubility and dissolution of the drug. Several silymarin-laden formulations were formed with varying quantities of PVP and SDS via the solvent evaporation method using the electrospraying technique. The influence of the hydrophilic carriers on solubility and dissolution was explored. The solid-state characterization was carried out by particle-size analysis, PXRD, DSC, FTIR and SEM. All of the formulations demonstrated better solubility and dissolution than did silymarin plain powder. Both the SDS and PVP had positive effects on solubility and dissolution of silymarin in the aqueous media. An increased solubility was attained as the drug/PVP ratio was 1/4; however, further increase in PVP did not provide significant improvement. In particular, a nanocontainer formulation prepared with silymarin, PVP and SDS (1/4/0.5, w/w/w) exhibited the best solubility (26432.76 ± 1749.00 μg/mL) and an excellent dissolution (~92 % in 20 min) than did silymarin plain powder. Also, it demonstrated similar dissolution profiles compared to a commercial product; therefore, might be bioequivalent to the commercial product (f 1 = 3 and f 2 = 69). Moreover, cumulative undersize distribution values as represented by X10, X50 and X90 were 201 ± 21.01 nm, 488 ± 36.05 nm and 392 ± 48.10 nm, respectively. The drug existed in the amorphous state in the PVP-nanocontainers with no strong chemical bonding with other excipients. Thus, this formulation might be used for more effective administration of silymarin via the oral route.

Direct seeded aerobic rice system has been developed and adopted as an alternative for medium-grain rice in many parts of the world, whereas efforts for aerobic basmati rice types are still in infancy. Among two major constraints for aerobic rice, weeds are progressively being eliminated to great extent through introduction of new herbicides; however, the issue of unfilled grains is still elusive. As potassium (K) deficiency produce sterile pollens in different crops, therefore possible K deficiency in aerobic rice production system may increase unfilled grains in rice. Therefore, it was hypothesized that K application may yield better by improving grain filling of basmati rice, especially, under aerobic conditions. Pot and field experiments were comprised of no K as control, K fertilization using 90 and 180 kg ha-1 keeping recommended N, P and Zn fertilization at the rate of 180, 125 and 25 kg ha-1. Two fine grain rice cultivars Basmati-515 and Super basmati were used due to their differential response to K fertilization. Results indicated that application of 180 kg K2O ha-1 significantly increased the K concentration in shoot, which increased the paddy yield. Highest chlorophyll contents were observed for Basmati-515 in aerobic rice and for Super basmati under flooded condition at 180 kg K2O ha-1. Decrease in number of un-filled grains may a contributory to paddy yield improvement in K fertilized treatments. The improvement in yield was more pronounced in Basmati-515 than Super basmati. Economic analysis showed higher benefit cost ratio for Basmati-515 with 90 kg K2O5 ha-1 under aerobic conditions. Net benefit of K fertilization was increased for both fertilizer rates and both cultivars except 180 kg K ha-1 in Super basmati. As K fertilization increased the number of filled grains and improved the rice yield, therefore it is suggested to apply K fertilizers for better yield and expanded adaptability of aerobic rice production system for basmati rice. Availability of indigenous soil K under aerobic and flooded conditions should be quantified to develop precise K recommendations for both production systems of basmati rice.

Organic and inorganic nutrients are important for crop productivity and soil health. Present study investigated the effects of organic and inorganic manures on maize and their residual impacts on soil physico-chemical characteristics. Sheep manure (SM), poultry manure (PM) and farmyard manure (FYM) were applied as organic nutrient source while urea, diammonium phosphate (DAP) and sulphate of potash (SOP) were used at different concentrations as inorganic nutrients source viz., T1: Unfertilized control; T2: NPK at 250-150-125 kg ha-1; T3: SM at 15 t ha-1; T4: FYM at 16 t ha-1; T5: PM at 13 t ha-1; T6: NPK at 150-85-50 + 8 t ha-1 SM; T7: NPK at 150-85-50 + 8.5 t ha-1 FYM and T8: NPK at 150-85-50 + 7 t ha-1 PM. Results showed that growth and yield of maize were substantially improved by fertilizer application alongside organic manures whereas soil total organic C and total N, P, K contents increased when inorganic fertilizers were applied alone or in combined with organic manures. However, soil pH and soil bulk density decreased due to application of organic fertilizer and showed a negative correlation with grain yield. Further, a significant and positive correlation (R²= 0.52, 0.91 and 0.55) was observed among maize grain yield and available N, P and K contents, respectively in the soil. Conclusively, integration of inorganic fertilizers with organic manures can be used with optimum rates to improve crop productivity on sustainable basis. This study will be helpful in crafting sustainable nutrient management programs in future to enhance crop productivity with high efficiency and minimum nutrient loss.

ABSTRACT Bitter gourd is of great importance due to its usage against the treatment of numerous ailments in human beings. A comprehensive survey at four localities of Southern Punjab, Pakistan was carried out to determine the severity of Myrothecium leaf spot. Maximum disease severity was at C1 (Chak 11/NP) and least at C2 (Kot Mehtab). Among isolated species Myrothecium roridum was found more prevalent and pathogenic as compared to M. verrucaria. Antifungal activity using solvent extracts of five medicinal plants (Mangifera indica, Melia azedarach, Nicotiana tabacum, Moringa oleifera and Eucalyptus globosum) were evaluated against isolated species by agar well diffusion method at various concentrations (0.01, 0.10, 1.0 and 10.0 µg / mL). N. tabacum revealed maximum zone size (13.40 mm and 8.28 mm) with ethanol and chloroform solvents respectively followed by M. azedarach (9.00mm and 6.48mm). However, least inhibition was observed with ethanol and chloroform extracts of E. globosum (6.04mm and 3.88mm zone size respectively). Ethanol extracts showed highest activity when compared to chloroform extracts. Qualitative phytochemical analysis showed that all the selected plants are rich in chemical compounds such as alkaloids, terpenoids, flavonoids and phenols whereas Saponins was only present in N. tabacum while absent in rest of the extracts.

Abstract: Introduction: The drug resistant Acinetobacter strains are important causes of nosocomial infections that are difficult to control and treat. This study aimed to determine the antimicrobial susceptibility patterns of Acinetobacter strains isolated from different clinical specimens obtained from patients belonging to different age groups. METHODS: In total, 716 non-duplicate Acinetobacter isolates were collected from the infected patients admitted to tertiary-care hospitals at Lahore, Pakistan, over a period of 28 months. The Acinetobacter isolates were identified using API 20E, and antimicrobial susceptibility testing was performed and interpreted according to Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute (CLSI) guidelines. RESULTS: The isolation rate of Acinetobacter was high from the respiratory specimens, followed by wound samples. Antibiotic susceptibility analyses of the isolates revealed that the resistance to cefotaxime and ceftazidime was the most common, in 710 (99.2%) specimens each, followed by the resistance to gentamicin in 670 (93.6%) isolates, and to imipenem in 651 (90.9%) isolates. However, almost all isolates were susceptible to tigecycline, colistin, and polymyxin B. CONCLUSIONS: The present study showed the alarming trends of resistance of Acinetobacter strains isolated from clinical specimens to the various classes of antimicrobials. The improvement of microbiological techniques for earlier and more accurate identification of bacteria is necessary for the selection of appropriate treatments.

Las medidas convencionales de localización son a menudo usadas con el fin de desarrollar estimatores de raz ón. Sin embargo, en este artículo, se hace un intento por usar algunas medidas de localización no convencionales. Se incorpora la trimean, el estimador de Hodges-Lehmann y el rango medio de la variable auxiliar con este propósito. Para mejorar la eficiencia de los estimadores de razón de medias propuestos, el coeficiente de correlación poblacional, el coeficiente de variación y combinaciones lineales de variables auxiliares también han sido explotados. Las propiedades asociadas con los estimadores propuestos son evaluadas a través del sesgo y el error cuadrático medio. Un studio empírico es presentado con fines de ilustración y verificación.

Conventional measures of location are commonly used to develop ratio estimators. However, in this article, we attempt to use some non-conventional location measures. We have incorporated tri-mean, Hodges-Lehmann, and mid-range of the auxiliary variable for this purpose. To enhance the efficiency of the proposed mean ratio estimators, population correlation coefficient, coefficient of variation and the linear combinations of auxiliary variable have also been exploited. The properties associated with the proposed estimators are evaluated through bias and mean square errors. We also provide an empirical study for illustration and verification.

BACKGROUND: Atriplex laciniata L. was investigated for phenolic, flavonoid contents, antioxidant, anticholinesterase activities, in an attempt to explore its effectiveness in Alzheimer's and other neurological disorders. Plant crude methanolic extract (Al.MeF), subsequent fractions; n-hexane (Al.HxF), chloroform (Al.CfF), ethyl acetate (Al.EaF), aqueous (Al.WtF), Saponins (Al.SPF) and Flavonoids (Al.FLVF) were investigated for DPPH, ABTS and H2O2 free radical scavenging activities. Further these extracts were subjected to acetylcholinesterase (AChE) & butyrylcholinesterase (BChE) inhibitory activities using Ellman's assay. Phenolic and Flavonoid contents were determined and expressed in mg Gallic acid GAE/g and Rutin RTE/g of samples respectively. RESULTS: In DPPH free radicals scavenging assay, Al.FLVF, Al.SPF and Al.MeF showed highest activity causing 89.41 ± 0.55, 83.37 ± 0.34 and 83.37 ± 0.34% inhibition of free radicals respectively at 1 mg/mL concentration. IC50 for these fractions were 33, 83 and 82 μg/mL respectively. Similarly, plant extracts showed high ABTS scavenging potential, i.e. Al.FLVF (90.34 ± 0.55), Al.CfF (83.42 ± 0.57), Al.MeF (81.49 ± 0.60) with IC50 of 30, 190 and 70 μg/ml respectively. further, H2O2 percent scavenging was highly appraised in Al.FLVF (91.29 ±0.53, IC50 75), Al.SPF (85.35 ±0.61, IC50 70) and Al.EaF (83.48 ± 0.67, IC50 2 70 μg/mL). All fractions exhibited concentration dependent AChE inhibitory activity as; Al.FLVF, 88.31 ± 0.57 (IC50 70 μg/mL), Al.SPF, 84.36 ± 0.64 (IC50 90 μg/mL), Al.MeF, 78.65 ± 0.70 (IC50 2 80 μg/mL), Al.EaF, 77.45 ± 0.46 (IC50 2 70 μg/mL) and Al.WtF 72.44 ± 0.58 (IC50 2 63 μg/mL) at 1 mg/mL. Likewise the percent BChE inhibitory activity was most obvious in Al.FLVF 85.46 ± 0.62 (IC50 1 00 μg/mL), Al.CfF 83.49 ± 0.46 (IC50 160 μg/mL), Al.MeF 82.68 ± 0.60 (IC50 2 20 μg/mL) and Al.SPF 80.37 ± 0.54 (IC50 1 20 μg/mL. CONCLUSIONS: These results stipulate that A. laciniata is enriched with phenolic and flavonoid contents that possess significant antioxidant and anticholinestrase effects. This provide pharmacological basis for the presence of compounds that may be effective in Alzheimer's and other neurological disorders.