A Videogrammetric Analysis of On Peak/Off Peak Traffic Density: A Case of Board Bazaar Peshawar

The increasing population is a growing issue in densely populated cities, which leads to an increase in transportation services. In this paper travel time delay due to stationary bottleneck was observed throughout the week in one of the densely populated cities of Pakistan i.e. Peshawar. Videogrammetry was implemented to obtain the recorded frames through the various days of the week. The recorded frames were then statistically analyzed to identify the travel delays in Board Bazaar Peshawar at a stationary bottleneck using SPSS and Statgraphics Software. The statistical analysis revealed a direct proportionality between traffic density and travel time, whereas an inverse proportionality was identified between traffic speed and traffic density. A high traffic density was observed on working days, whereas on the non-working days a reduced traffic density was observed. This study recommends a predictive target lane vehicular guidance system for a smooth traffic flow.

Some Aspects of Biology and Fishery of the Sea Catfishes in Pakistan

Human-influenced coastal ecosystem and overharvest of fishery resources require information to present management agencies, but it is often hampered by the paucity of information about systematic, demography, feeding ecology, nutritional quality and exploitation of high valued fish species. In Pakistan sea catfishes are ecologically and economically important fishery resource usually caught as by-catch but recently emerged to be a target fishery owing to its soar demand. The sustainability of this valuable fishery had not been successfully assessed due to dearth of scientific data. The goal of this study was to gather data on demographics, population dynamics and nutritional quality of the species of great commercial value. Provide improved and cohesive data to the stakeholder to framework and strategies management decisions. The dissertation is fragmented into six parts, Chapter I comprises of an introduction to sea catfishes, demography, distribution, spine envenomation, consumption, feeding habits, diet overlap, nutritional value, and medicinal use of skins derivatives. Research questions and study objectives are also included in this part. The attempt was made to simplify species identification based on morphological and otolith shape parameters of the members of family Ariidae and Plotosidae are described in Chapter II. The length-weight relationships were determined from the data of 995 specimens and 867 lapillus otoliths were used to provide novel information on quantitative biometric relationships between fish body and otolith measurements of eleven sea catfishes. Nutritional quality of fish flesh and maw (swimbladder) of bronze, Netuma bilineata and blacktip, Plicofollis dussumieri is delineated in Chapter III. No significant differences in protein contents in flesh were noted for both of the sea catfishes. Overall fat contents in flesh of blacktip catfish were (3.6%) and bronze (0.85%) respectively. The flesh of both species contains all essential amino acids with varying rate of composition for instance lysine found to be major AAs in flesh of bronze catfish. In comparison to functional FAAs, essential EAAs were relatively low in flesh and maw of both of the species. Quantitatively glutamic acid was significantly high in fish flesh and maw than rest of the functional AAs. The EPA, ecosapentaenoic acid (20:5ω3) and DHA, docosahexaenoic acid (22:6ω3) found to be higher among all PUFA. The estimates of index of high nutritional value (n-3/n-6) PUFA percentages 16.8 and 15.4 demonstrated that bronze and blacktip sea catfish flesh are potential source of ω3−PUFA. A comprehensive account of feeding habits, prey diversity, diet composition and overlap in bronze and blacktip sea catfishes are given in Chapter IV. Stomach data of 342 bronze catfish and 283 blacktip sea catfish were examined. Diet composition and feeding strategy of each species by identification of stomach contents were weighed and enumerated. Both species primarily consumed teleosts, Brachyura and small amounts of a wide variety of prey items; however, specialization was a more common trait for the bronze catfish than for the black tip sea catfish. The Morisita-Horn index showed considerable diet overlap in percentage of mean weights (0.847) than in numbers (0.612) between co-prey pairs of both species. The present study evaluation of the feeding strategy and potential competition between two sympatric species of marine catfishes can provide the framework for their conservation and management in the region. Fishery, age, growth, mortality and sexual maturity of bronze, Netuma bilineata and blacktip, Plicofollis dussumieri sea catfishes are described in Chapter V. Six year 2010‒2015 landing data records an average (6751 tonnes) contribution of sea catfishes to the total marine fish catch from the northern Arabian Sea coast of Pakistan. The growth parameters of asymptotic length, growth coefficients and theoretical length at zero age were 113 TLcm, 0.690year-1 and ‒0.063 year-1 for bronze and 84 TLcm, 0.790 year-1, ‒0.200 year-1 estimated for blacktip catfishes. Bronze catfish attains age of five year at the size of 68 TLcm and blacktip six year of age at 63 TLcm. About 46% of the population of bronze was aged 2+ years, 31.5 MeanTL,cm and 69%, aged 3+ year, 34.7 MeanTL,cm of blacktip have been fished prior sexual maturity that does not allow them to reach at the size of to spawn. It is suggested that legal landing size LLS should not be set beyond 38 and 36 (cm) for bronze and blacktip catfishes. Overall outcomes of this study are discussed in Chapter VI, plus some plausible recommendations and benefits of the research are delineated.