University of Faisalabad

Lactic acid bacteria (LAB)-based probiotics are widely recognized as effective and sustainable alternatives to antibiotic growth promoters due to their ability to improve intestinal integrity, modulate host immunity, and enhance productive performance in poultry. This study evaluated the effects of Pediococcus acidilactici (1 × 10 8 CFU/g) administered via drinking water on the productive performance, egg quality characteristics, hatching traits, serum biochemical indices, and immune responses of broiler breeder hens. A total of 240 hens (29 weeks old) were randomly assigned to four treatment groups receiving 0.0, 0.1, 0.2, or 0.3 g of Pediococcus acidilactici per liter of drinking water, with six replicates of ten birds each. All birds were maintained under standardized management and environmental conditions for an eight-week experimental period. Supplementation at 0.2 and 0.3 g/L significantly increased egg production, egg weight, and egg mass, while also improving feed efficiency ( P < 0.05) without affecting feed intake, final body weight, or livability ( P > 0.05). These inclusion levels also enhanced reproductive performance—including settable eggs, fertility, hatchability, and hatch of fertile eggs—while reducing embryonic mortality ( P < 0.05). In terms of egg quality, hens receiving 0.2 and 0.3 g/L exhibited significant improvements in egg length, egg width, and Haugh unit scores ( P < 0.05), whereas other internal and external egg quality parameters remained statistically unchanged ( P > 0.05). Furthermore, probiotic supplementation at these levels significantly reduced serum triglyceride concentrations and elevated antibody titers against Newcastle disease and infectious bronchitis viruses ( P < 0.05). Taken together, these findings demonstrate that supplementing drinking water with PA, particularly at a concentration of 0.2 g/L, can effectively enhance the productivity, reproductive performance, and immune status of breeder hens. Future research should explore the long-term effects of PA across different genetic strains and production stages, while also integrating gut microbiota profiling and metabolic studies to better elucidate the underlying biological mechanisms.

Drug-induced liver injury (DILI) from acetaminophen (APAP) overdose involves ER stress, oxidative damage, apoptosis, and inflammation. This study assesses Terminalia arjuna bark extract (TAE) against APAP-induced toxicity in rats, comparing its efficacy with N-acetylcysteine (NAC) through key signaling and inflammatory markers. Twenty-four Wistar rats were equally divided into four groups: Control Negative (CN, no treatment), Control Positive (CP, acetaminophen 350 mg/kg), N-acetylcysteine (NAC, 150 mg/kg), and Terminalia arjuna bark extract (TAE, ethanolic, 80 mg/kg). Over 14 days, liver injury was induced in the CP group via acetaminophen, while the NAC and TAE groups received their respective treatments. Animals were decapitated on day 15, and biological samples were collected for analysis. Biochemical assessments included liver function markers (ALT, AST) and oxidative stress parameters (SOD, TAC, TBARS, TOS). Gene expression studies were performed for oxidative stress regulators (Keap1, Nrf2) and ER stress signaling molecules (ERK, JNK, PPAR-α, AKT). Histopathological examination evaluated liver architecture and cellular integrity. Acetaminophen induced significant hepatotoxicity, as reflected by elevated liver enzymes, increased oxidative stress, altered gene expression, and disrupted liver histology. APAP toxicity resulted in elevated oxidative stress, apoptosis, inflammation, and ER stress, leading to significant hepatic damage (p < 0.0001 vs CN). NAC and TAE treatments mitigated these effects, with TAE demonstrating superior improvement in oxidative stress markers (p < 0.0001 vs CP). Gene expression analysis revealed a protective shift in the Keap1-Nrf2 pathways in the treated groups. Histopathology confirmed reduced necrosis and preserved hepatic architecture in the NAC and TAE groups. T. arjuna exhibits potent hepatoprotective effects, comparable to NAC, through modulation of oxidative stress, apoptosis, and ER stress pathways. Further studies are needed to explore its clinical applicability in acute liver injury management.

The current study is designed to evaluate the effectiveness of advanced thermal, including microwave (MW) and ohmic heating (OH), and non-thermal, ultrasonication (US) and hydrostatic high pressure (HHP) processing techniques on the preservation and shelf-life extension of sugarcane juice (SCJ). HHP immediately increased viscosity from 4.14 ± 0.02 to 5.04 ± 0.05 mPa.s, suggesting microstructural stabilization. Heat-sensitive ascorbic acid was best protected by non-thermal methods: HHP and US showed no significant losses versus fresh SCJ, whereas OH and MW reduced vitamin C by approximately 7.3% and 18.3%, respectively. However, ohmic heat treatment resulted in a substantial decline in residual enzymatic activity among all treatments, with polyphenol oxidase (PPO) at 0.77 ± 0.03 U/mL and peroxidase (POD) at 1.35 ± 0.03 U/mL, respectively. Analysis of various phenolics like caffeic, gallic acid, vanillic acid, benzoic acid, and others using HPLC revealed that HHP was the most effective technique in retaining phenolics as compared to others. Non-thermal techniques were found to be more efficient in preserving color, rheological properties, and phenolic contents in SCJ than the advanced thermal treatment. Conclusively, the results depicted that HHP is an effective method for preserving the nutritional and functional qualities of SCJ, while OH is superior to MW treatment among thermal tools. Future research should focus on enhancing HHP parameters, combining non-thermal techniques, and evaluating technological and economic feasibility for industrial adoptions.

Considering today’s challenges regarding climate change and rapid depletion of conventional fossil fuels, algae-based fuels seem to be promising and sustainable alternatives via various conversion methods. Despite growing interest in algal-based applications, the full potential of algal biomass as a versatile and sustainable feedstock remains underutilized as it is abundantly available when compared to terrestrial plants. The biomass from algae can be used for producing biofuels and chemicals as they are high in proteins, carbs, and lipids. Producing fuel from algae remains commercially challenging because cultivation and harvesting demand significant energy and incur high costs. At the pilot scale, these challenges often create major bottlenecks in converting algae into biofuels or biochemicals. Adopting an integrated algae biorefinery approach can help lower both energy use and expenses. Such systems enable the simultaneous recovery of biopolymers, biochemicals, biofuels, and biofertilizers with better cost-effectiveness than traditional processes. Ultimately, making algae-based production more economically feasible strengthens its potential role in advancing a green economy. This review articulates recent advances in chemical, thermochemical, and biochemical conversion processes of algae-based biomass. Chemical transesterification, thermochemical processes such as gasification, pyrolysis, and hydrothermal treatments, and biochemical conversion methods like fermentation, anaerobic digestion, and photobiological techniques are discussed in this review. For biochemical conversion methods such as fermentation, anaerobic digestion and photobiological techniques are mentioned towards the end of this review.

Differentiation Instruction (DI) has been widely acknowledged as an effective teaching strategy to meet the needs of a diverse learner in an inclusive classroom. The present research examined the perceptions of DI practices by teachers with respect to perceived benefits, challenges, attitudes, and self-efficacy. The quantitative descriptive survey design was utilized, and a structured Likert questionnaire was used to gather data on 72 teachers, who worked in inclusive schools. The tool has been reviewed by the professionals and was proven to have satisfactory reliability. The data was analyzed using descriptive statistics such as means and standard deviations. The results showed that teachers have a positive attitude towards DI. The majority of the respondents responded that DI does increase student engagement, academic performance, and especially among students with disabilities, and increases inclusiveness by minimizing achievement gaps (M ≈ 4.00-4.17). Teachers also admitted that DI gives flexibility in the teaching practices, creativity and enhances the interaction between teachers and students. Nonetheless, a number of issues are an impediment to successful implementation. The key obstacles created were: absence of instructional materials (M = 4.15), large curriculum requirements (M = 4.14), a limited amount of planning time (M = 4.07), and the lack of administrative support (M = 4.04). Moreover, the high-sized classes, different needs of learners, and the lack of cooperation with special educators were mentioned among the major limitations. Teachers were not very certain about their ability to utilize DI (M = 3.89), although their readiness to continue to develop DI-related skills was great (M = 4.04). The research shows a discrepancy between the positive attitudes and the real action. It suggests professional development that is focused, better provision of resources, and more institutional support to increase DI practices in inclusive classrooms.

This study examines how Pakistani youth use language on social media platforms to construct and express their identities. With the rapid growth of digital platforms like Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, and X (formerly Twitter), young people in Pakistan have found new spaces to communicate, interact, and present themselves to the world. This research uses a qualitative approach with discourse analysis to study approximately 50 public social media posts, captions, and comments created by Pakistani youth aged 18 to 30 years. The study is guided by Identity Construction Theory developed by Bucholtz and Hall (2005), which views identity as something people actively create through language rather than something fixed. The analysis looks at language features such as code-switching between English and Urdu, Roman Urdu writing, slang expressions, internet abbreviations, emojis, and memes. The findings reveal that Pakistani youth use these linguistic practices to balance global and local identities. They present themselves as modern and educated through English, while using Urdu and regional languages to show cultural belonging and emotional connection. The study also finds that different social media platforms influence language choices in different ways. This research contributes to understanding how digital communication shapes youth identity in multilingual societies like Pakistan and provides useful insights for educators, researchers, and policymakers.