Kohat University of Science and Technology

The aim of the study was to evaluate the toxic metals (TMs) pollution, bioaccumulation and its potential health risk via consumption of different vegetables irrigated by different water sources released from industrial estates of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Water (fresh and waste), soil and vegetables samples were collected in triplicates and acid digested. Digestion of samples were followed by evaporation and filtration and then assessed for TMs via atomic absorption spectrophotometer. The results showed that mean concentration of TMs were below the permissible limits (0.003-2mg/L) set by World Health Organization, except cadmium (Cd) and lead (Pb) in freshwater, while mean concentrations of TMs exceeded the permissible limits except manganese (Mn) in wastewater of all industrial estates. The contamination factor (CF) and pollution load index (PLI) results showed that TMs had high pollution levels (especially for Pb, Ni and Mn). The average bioaccumulation factor (BAF) values of TMs were below threshold (< 1) in all vegetables. The hazard risk index (HRI) values of all TMs were below (< 1) in all vegetables of industrial estates, except Pb. The total hazard index (THRI) of TMs for all vegetables exceeded the acceptable limit (> 1). Carcinogenic risk (CR) of selected TMs was substantially higher and exceeded the permissible limit. Hence, the present findings revealed that long-term irrigation with the wastewater result to TMs contamination in soil and vegetables, and may pose a detrimental impact on human health.

This research is designed to explore the general speaking challenges to developing advanced speaking proficiency of high qualified language users, with the special focus on the role of idiomatic expressions in advances spoken language proficiency at Kohat University of Science and Technology(KUST),Kohat, KP,Pakistan . The study discusses the barriers that kept high qualified language users away from using idioms in their communication. Correspondingly, this research is purely qualitative and exploratory in nature. The study includes those high qualified language users as participants, who have taken IELTS and are done with their doctoral studies Total 10 participants selected for the study from numerous disciplines of Kohat University of Science and Technology. Under purposive sampling technique the relevant participants were selected for the deeper insights about the difficulties faces by high qualified language users at (KUST). Accordingly, semi-structured interviews are designed to gather detail information/data from the respondents. The audio recorded interviews were then transcribed and analyzed via Braun and Clarke (2006) thematic content analysis framework. The labeled data is categorized into codes for grounded themes. The findings of the study suggest that even the highly qualified language users are unaware of the standardized criteria set by IELTS, for reaching advanced spoken proficiency. The knowledge of the descriptor is necessary for knowing the strength and weakness of different levels of spoken proficiency. Likewise, the results indicate that the overemphasis on the foundational knowledge and traditional methods of teaching language need to replace by modern classroom and communication skills. Furthermore, future research can further explore the frequency and the evaluation of practical implications of modern methodologies in language classrooms.

This study examines the level of Language Assessment Literacy (LAL) of English language teachers at the university level in Pakistan by adopting a mixed-methods explanatory approach. The study offers a comprehensive analysis of language assessment awareness among English language teachers in the Pakistani context along with their language teaching-learning experiences. Likewise, English language teachers shared their perspectives regarding the role of LAL in enhancing language teaching and learning processes at the university level. The theoretical framework of the study, which is comprised of three seminal theories, viz. Classical Test Theory, Generalizability Theory and Item Response Theory, has informed the interview protocol used for qualitative data collection. In the same vein, the current study investigates three core areas including the current level of LAL among university English teachers, the challenges they face while assessing their students’ language proficiency, and the possible solutions for these challenges for the improvement of language assessment, teaching and research practices. For the said purpose, data is collected from 15 English language teachers who are currently serving at five different public sector universities including Kohat University of Science and Technology (KUST) Kohat, Abdul Wali Khan University Mardan (AWKUM), National University of Modern Languages (NUML) Islamabad, FATA University, Kohat, and Quaid-e-Azam University (QAU) Islamabad, through semi-structured questionnaire and semi-structured interviews. Correspondingly, quantitative findings of the study reveal that most of the participants (73.33%) are PhD degree holders but many of them lack professional language assessment trainings both pre-service and post-service. The study highlights that English language teachers have limited exposure to standardized testing frameworks like CEFR, IELTS, and ELLT. Among them, only 13.33% had studied language assessment as a course at the PhD level while 46.66% of language teachers had not attended any training in the last five years of their professional life. Given the gaps between language teaching and assessment practices as the qualitative data highlights, language assessment trainings need to be offered to teachers and students at the university level with a view to enhance their theoretical as well as practical knowledge regarding language assessment which will furnish their language assessment skills. The major findings of the study also have significant implications for English Language Teaching (ELT) and assessment practices and language policies with a view to bridge the gulf between language teaching and assessment practices in multilingual contexts like Pakistan.

Soil cadmium (Cd2+) pollution poses a significant environmental threat due to its persistence, toxicity, and potential for bioaccumulation in the food chains. Rhizosphere bacteria, forming a critical plant-microbe interface, play a key role in mediating metal acquisition and detoxification. Genetically modifying these naturally occurring microorganisms offers a promising approach to enhance Cd2+ bioremediation efficiency. This review focuses on molecular techniques for engineering rhizosphere bacteria to improve Cd2+ tolerance, increase metal sequestration, and enhance plant growth promotion capabilities. It explores the genetic potential of microorganisms for developing sustainable and efficient Cd2+ detoxification technologies in soil. Key advances discussed in the current review for the application of genetically engineered rhizosphere bacteria (ERB) for Cd2+ bioremediation include (i) increased Cd2+ adsorption and accumulation with the focus on modifying bacterial metal transporters and on the expression of metal-binding proteins that increase Cd2+ uptake, intracellular sequestration, and detoxification; and (ii) enhanced rhizosphere competence and synergistic PGP for combined bio- and phytoremediation. This approach focuses on genetic enhancement of chemotaxis to improve bacterial colonization persistence and effectiveness in the rhizosphere, as well as the development of co-engineered bacteria with PGP traits that generate synergistic effects.

Financial management has become a necessary element of school leadership especially within the system of education in the public sector that is dealing with limited resources. The paper examines the connection between TERA of primary school heads and school performance in Tehsil Gumbat, District Khairpur, Pakistan. Quantitative correlational research design was adopted whereby a stratified random sample of 60 government primary school heads was used to derive hypothetical data. Financial literacy was measured using financial knowledge, financial attitude, and financial practices and school effectiveness using six organizational dimensions. The results show that the overall financial literacy and the school effectiveness have a statistically significant positive correlation (r = .58, p &lt;.001). The results of the multiple regression demonstrate that the financial practices are really strong predictors of school effectiveness (β =.49, p &lt;.001), and the financial knowledge and attitude are weak predictors. The findings underline the importance of applied financial competencies which are necessary to increase institutional effectiveness. The research adds to the scarcity of empirical studies on financial literacy in educational leadership in the context of the developing countries and provides the policy-related implications of the capacity-building programs.

Salinity is a major constraint that compromises safflower performance by disrupting redox balance and metabolic homeostasis. Although hormonal mechanisms for improving plant resilience to abiotic stresses have been reported, the mechanistic role of gibberellic acid (GA3)-induced regulation of safflower tolerance to salinity remains unclear. This study aimed to investigate the impact of exogenous GA3 application under normal and saline conditions to evaluate its effects on growth, physiology, redox regulation, and flavonoid biosynthesis in safflower. Using phenotypic, physiological, biochemical, and gene expression analysis, it is suggested that GA3 significantly alleviates salt stress by integrating antioxidant defense and flavonoid biosynthesis. The results of phenotypic and physiological assessments showed that GA3 at 400 mg/L GA3 in safflower seedlings suggests enhanced vegetative growth and photosynthetic performance. Under salt stress, GA3 significantly alleviated oxidative damage by reducing H2O2,, and malondialdehyde (MDA) levels, while enhancing osmoprotective compounds such as proline, soluble sugars, proteins, and chlorophyll. GA3 also significantly increased the activity of antioxidant enzymes (SOD, POD, CAT, APX, GST, DHAR, and Prx), accompanied by the transcriptional upregulation of their corresponding genes, indicating GA3-mediated regulation of redox homeostasis at both biochemical and molecular levels. In parallel, GA3 enhanced the accumulation of major flavonoids, particularly hydroxy safflor yellow A (HSYA), with strong induction of key HSYA biosynthetic genes (CtF6H, CtCGT, Ct2OGD1), whereas salinity alone suppressed their expression. In contrast, the quercetin branch displayed a regulatory bottleneck at CtF3H, which remained suppressed under all treatments, although upstream genes were GA3-responsive. Together, these findings demonstrate that GA3 enhances salinity tolerance in safflower by simultaneously activating antioxidant defenses and stimulating flavonoid biosynthesis, providing mechanistic insight with practical implications for developing salt-resilient safflower varieties.