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Agriculture Officers working in Agriculture Department (Extension) are perceived lacking in professional competencies. One of the root causes of this problem lies in the mismatched eligibility criteria for the post of Agriculture Officer (Extension). The purpose of this paper was to discuss the relevancy of the Extension Agents’ competencies with their job responsibilities for policy implications. The universe of the study was Punjab Province of Pakistan. The cross-sectional design was used for the study. All Agriculture Officers (public extension agents) work in the Agriculture Department (Extension), Government of Punjab were the population of the study. Multistage simple random sampling technique was used for drawing the sample. A sample of 60 respondents was drawn from sampling frame by using simple random sampling technique. A desktop study was also conducted to analyze the contents offered to the currently eligible agricultural graduates during their pre-service training at the university level. Results showed that only 3.3% of the respondents had relevant pre-service training. About 58% of the Agriculture Officers (Extension) were not satisfied with their jobs and most of them were thinking to change their jobs. This study has practical implications for Punjab Public Service Commission, Lahore and Agriculture Department (Extension) Government of Punjab, Pakistan in particular. The research theorized that the duties of extension work should only be entrusted to the professionals having per-service training in agricultural extension. Otherwise, the efficiency of the agricultural extension system would be compromised. This is the first study of its kind in which the eligibility criteria of the Agriculture Officers (Extension) have been questioned in the Punjab, Pakistan. The finding and discourse of the study would initiate the debate among stakeholders to place right person for the right job. The materialization of study findings would enhance the efficiency of Agricultural Extension system.

Birds inside or outside the airport is big threat to the aircraft. The main objective of this study was toidentify hazards of bird species, population density and richness of birds around BACHA KHANINTERNATIONAL AIRPORT. The methods being used were point count/vantage point method for thepopulation estimation. The Study was based upon two sites (Site A Airport Premises) spreading over anarea of 30 acres and (Site B which is within Airport) spreading over an area of 7.5 Acres. Total Samplingpoints (Observation Points) were 120 and every sampling point was visited for 15-20 minutes and birdswere counted for three to five minutes in a fixed radius. Transact line method spreading over 500 meterswas used to analyze the data. Birds were observed every 100 meters. Primary and Secondary data wascollected using questionnaire. The study identified the reasons for Bird Air strikes at the Airport and exploredpossible mitigation measures of avian hazards in Peshawar airport premises. This data will be useful forthe aviation authorities in preparing managed bird control program. In this study hypothesis were given incomparison with other attractants tree attracts more birds in Peshawar Airport. Averages of 30 specieswere observed in Site A and 15 in Site B monthly respectively. The highest Relative Abundance observed atSite A was of House Crow species which is 16.8463612% and in Site B Kite species with relative abundance21.4953271%. The Highest number of Bird strike occurred at Runway followed by strikes outside the fencewith reference to Bird strike report 2021-22. Pigeon and Doves were observed in Flight over the airportpremises. 36 Bird’s diversity observed around airport in rainfall and cloud cover assessed through Shannondiversity index as 3.024 which indicate good diversity of birds in the study area which might be a potentialthreat to the aircraft? The study revealed that effective management plan should also be taken intoconsideration. The Population density of Site A outside the airport premises (30 Acres) is 24.13/Acre andfor Site B within Airport which is 7.5 Acres is 14.2/Acre respectively.

The objective of this paper is to analyze the response of common myna to artificial nest boxes placed at different sites in Peshawar city i.e. University Town, Rahat Abad, Qadir Abad, and Palosi Road Peshawar respectively. Where a large increase in the population of common myna was noticed. The artificial nests were designed with dimensions of 56 x 22 cm and 21 x 16 cm with respective openings of 8 cm and 7 cm. A total of 28 artificial nests were installed in the breeding season of common myna. Therein 18 nest boxes were found attempted by common myna. 45 eggs were found in the attempted nest boxes. Early hatching of eggs was observed at Site-C. The success percentage of the installed nests was about 64.28 %. Competition and disturbances viz kite, crow, and woodpecker were observed. It is impossible to get a complete picture of the reproductive success of common myna in artificial nests in urban and suburban areas. However, nest box replacement may be one of the solutions to enhance the population of birds in spite of all disturbances.

This paper presents an Application Based Active Learning (ABAL) methodology on Power Electronics (PE) and Electric Machines (EM) as a hybrid laboratory course for the undergraduate students to design and implement the real-world engineering problems. The ABAL is a type of active learning which is a branch of Learner-centered teaching (LCT). The DC/DC converter along with the speed control of DC separately excites the motor. In addition, a DC/AC converter is designed to control the speed of an induction motor. The results are then investigated on a hardware platform under the ABAL experimental methodology. This paper also discusses the problem identification selection of the equipment, circuit design, hardware mounting and critical analysis of the results acquired from the hybrid laboratory. The ABAL methodology was evaluated based on student satisfaction, feedback, grades and interest to solve the real-world problem rather than cramming the engineering concepts and fulfill so-called lab routine and tasks

This paper refers to biocementation of a problematic soil of the UK railway network as a potential stabilisation technique of this soil using indigenous ureolytic bacteria. The soil is peat, a soft foundation soil also subject to oxidation wastage. As the peat is under existing embankments, electrokinetics (EK) is proposed as a promising technique to implement treatments. In the context of unsaturated soils the paper thus focuses on two particular aspects relevant for the implementation of treatments and the stability of this soil, namely: a) the effect of degree of saturation of the peat on the bio-electrokinetic treatment ; b) the soil water retention curve of the soil affecting flow and transport; these are relevant as we focus on understanding and modelling the implementation of treatments through electrokinetics; moreover for the peat it is of importance to understand moisture exchange in the vadose zone and control groundwater table levels (e.g. during electrokinetics) in order to prevent further oxidation. After isolation and screening of indigenous microorgansisms Bacillus licheniformis was selected for further testing. The results in terms of unconfined compressive strength, CaCO3 content, swelling and compression behaviour and water retention proved the feasibility of biocementation using this indigenous microorganism. Ongoing work is assessing the required treated soil characteristics and related required biocementation degree to solve UK rail's peat foundation problems. Upscaling of the techniques towards in situ implementation is also planned in the next stage of the research.

This paper presents research initiated with the aim of assessing the feasibility of biocementing peat fens soil, a problematic soil underlying many of the embankments of the East Anglia railway network (UK). Biocementation of soil is an emerging, novel, ground improvement technique. It has recently attracted the interest of researchers worldwide because it has been proposed as potentially environmentally superior to chemical grouts and other common soil stabilisers – for example, cement or lime (linked to high carbon dioxide emissions). In this study, the authors screened and isolated non-pathogenic indigenous ureolytic microbial candidates with potential for biocementation from samples originating from peat fens in East Anglia, UK. Four strains were selected as the most suitable candidates, based on their growth rate and their viability in a wide range of temperatures, pH and soil moisture contents corresponding to typical seasonal field conditions. After a number of unconfined compressive strength (UCS) tests, one strain (Bacillus licheniformis) was selected as the most promising for this soil treatment and used for further study. Two different methods of implementation of the treatments were considered: namely, pressure flow soil column and electrokinetic injection. The UCS results supported by calcium carbonate measurements proved that biocementation did occur for both implementation methods and for a number of treatment combinations. Ongoing work on optimisation of treatments and implementation methods is being carried out towards the upscaling of the techniques for in situ implementation, which is planned for the next stage of the research.

Worldwide modern-bioenergy is getting more attention in terms of policy-support and deployment, however in Pakistan, this resource is not being used to its fullest. Though traditional biomass is being used by most of the rural population, but the use of modern biomass as an energy source is dismally low, which is a result of poor policymaking and its implementation. During the 1970s the first initiative was taken for the development of small scale (household/community level) bioenergy projects in Pakistan. Later, policies were enacted to utilize the bioenergy resources, especially bagasse-powered bioenergy generation. This study reviewed the policies for their effectiveness in the development of bioenergy in Pakistan. Policies are compared for different aspects, including regulatory, fiscal, political and institutional. Furthermore, effectiveness is compared in terms of energy security, environmental impact, economic impact, and energy equity. The comparison has been made based on a total of 26 parameters. Finally, the study presents the challenges and recommendations for policy-making, in Pakistan, for maximum utilization of bioenergy.

Organic soils are a continuing challenge to civil engineers, as they are subject to settlements, negatively impacting on civil engineering infrastructure. To improve the in situ properties of these, chemical soil stabilisers (e.g. cement or lime) can be commonly used. Although successful in minimising severe damage, these stabilisers may have environmental side-effects (e.g. cement and lime production is linked to 7%–8% of overall CO2 emissions). Therefore, the development of innovative, superior, cost-effective and overall more sustainable soil improvement techniques is a field of ongoing research effort. In this context, this paper studies the electrokinetic (EK) biocementation of a problematic soft organic soil of the UK railway network using indigenous ureolytic bacteria. The paper focuses on aspects relevant for the effective implementation of treatments, namely the effect of degree of saturation of the soil and different ways of treatment implementation. The results in terms of unconfined compressive strength and CaCO3 content, proved the feasibility of EK biocementation using an indigenous microorganism, either premixed with the soil or injected electrokinetically. Higher strength gains were recorded for degrees of saturation in the region of 85%–95%. Strength gains and increased CaCO3 contents compared to the control samples were also noted when treatment duration was halved to one week although strengths increased further by 13–17% after a two-week treatment. Overall, the study gives promise for the applicability of the EK-biocementation technique under existing infrastructure. Further optimisation of the treatment variables and refinement of the implementation details could enhance the efficiency of the process.