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Item Item Satinath Bhadurir Upanyas : Kathantatwavittik BikshaMandal, Sandip KumarItem Design and Synthesis of some Fluorescent Probes studies with Biomacromolecular SystemsMajhi, AnjoyFluorescent probes are powerful tools for biosensing and bioimaging because of their high sensitivity, specificity, high fluorescence intensity, excellent solubility, biocompatibility and simple preparation. Hence, development of fluorescent probes specifically for biological settings and clinical setting has attracted intense interest. They can provide direct visualization and dynamic information concerning the localization and quantity of biomolecules of interest. Till to date, different kind of fluorescent probes is commercially available and can be used in biological investigations. ‘Click reaction’ is one of our main strategy for the synthesis of fluorescent probes. Click reaction is Cu(I)-catalyzed cycloaddition of alkyne and azide (CuAAC) reaction and by the CuAAC reaction, 1,2,3-triazole moiety-containing compounds can be synthesized conveniently. This triazole moiety have enormous application including pharmaceuticals, and are available as drugs today. Bovine serum albumin (BSA) and human serum albumin (HSA) are the most abundant plasma proteins which play a key role in many biological systems. The molecular weight of these two serum albumins (SA) are almost similar (66 KDa and 66.5 KDa are the molecular weight of BSA and HSA respectively) and also shows 80% structure similarity with each other. Protein ligand binding study is very important in drug design and developing system. Information is obtained from this study, whether it can act as a drug or not at very preliminary stage of research. Photophysical studies of protein ligand interaction using different spectroscopic technique enhance our knowledge towards the way of binding. Our research work mainly categorized into two parts namely, the synthesis of some novel compounds using standard methods such as click reaction, and thereafter investigation of the interaction of the synthesized compounds with serum albumins (e.g. BSA/HSA) by different spectroscopic technique and also the biological activities of the compounds. Hence, an attempt is taken for the binding study of the newly synthesized compounds with biomolecules to assemble the information about the role of a novel compounds for development of biomedicines in the drug design or drug delivery process at very preliminary stage of the modern researchItem Stratigraphy and Nature of uranium mineralization from Precambrian Basement Granitoid -Srisailam Formation contact around Chitrial area, Cuddapah Basin, TelanganaGhosh, Gautam; Bose, SankarThe biotite rich granitoid rocks exposed around Chitrial village varies in character from a porphyritic to massive granite to gneiss or mylonite with characteristic foliations defined by alternate quartzo-feldspathic and biotite rich layers in the latter units. It is intruded by ca. 1.9-1.8 Ga age mafic dyke sets and is overlain by Mesoproterozoic Srisailam Formation rocks of the Cuddapah Supergroup represented by an arenaceous gritty or pebbly sandstone interspersed with thin shale and siltstone horizons. The granitoid locally becomes uranium-rich near its contact with the overlying Srisailam Formation rocks. The present work encompasses stratigraphic, petrological, geochemical and geochronological analyses of the granitoids and accompanying supracrustals with special emphasis on nature and localization of uranium mineralization. Major element geochemical data characterize the granitoid rocks as monzogranites and alkali feldspar granite and the cover rocks as quartz arenites. The trace and rare earth element data were used to identify the protolith history of the granitoid rocks as well as about the nature of provenance of the cover sediments. The geochemical data further provide clues regarding probable tectonic and geodynamic setting of these rocks. A marked enrichment in U, Th and REE (particularly LREE) content of the granitoids has been noted. The overall REE pattern suggests a similar source for all the granitoid types. Several tectonic discrimination diagrams suggest a volcanic arc tectonic setting for these rocks. The recycled mature quartzose cover rocks show distinctly similar geochemical characteristics as the granitoids suggesting a granitoid/felsic source of mature continental provenance. REE patterns of the basement granite and the cover sandstone show similar variation which represents that the derivation of the sediments could be from the underlying basement granite. Recent exploration programme by Atomic Minerals Directorate for Exploration and Research (AMDER) has led to the discovery of a number of potential radioactive mineralized zones in the northwestern part of the Cuddapah basin such as around the Chitrial area. Uranium bearing minerals are intimately associated with sulphide rich minerals within the basement granitoids of the area. There is ample evidence of hydrothermal activity straddling across the unconformity surface which includes- (1) development of fracture filling veins of various dimensions comprising quartz, quartz-epidote, quartz-chlorite or pyrite, (2) hydrothermal alteration of granitoids adjacent to these veins resulting in chloritization and sericitization and (3) epigenetic uranium mineralization in micro-fractures and inter-granular spaces within granitoids. Evidence of uranium mineralization within the cover rocks is comparatively less. In the uraniferous zones in granitoid and overlying quartzite, pitchblende and coffinite are the main uranium phases occurring in micro-fractures and inter-granular spaces of host rock, often in association with pyrite. Depending upon micro-textural data, the paragenetic history of the mineralization has been divided into seven stages in the present study. U-Pb zircon radiometric dating of the basement granitoids reveals that the main tectonothermal event took place in Chitrial area between ca. 2535 Ma and 2519 Ma. Granitoid samples including the grey massive variety, pink granite, granite gneiss, foliated granite and alkali feldspar granite show emplacement ages of 2525±20 Ma, 2519±12 Ma, 2524±18 Ma, 2514±22 Ma and 2524±20 Ma respectively. Hence, it can be concluded that major tectonothermal event affected these rocks of the study area around 2535 to 2514 Ma. Probability density plot of weighted mean ages for the sample CT206 (granite gneiss) shows a strong peak at ca. 2465 Ma while the sample CT207 (foliated granite) shows another strong peak at ca. 2455 Ma which may be related to a second phase of tectonothermal event. U-Pb zircon detrital age of the cover rocks of the Chitrial area gives major cluster ages at ca. 2468 and 2488 Ma that may be correlated with this second tectonothermal event. From these rocks, diagnostic detrital zircons show age peaks at ca. 2520 Ma, 3000 Ma and 3200 Ma, which correspond to the established emplacement ages of the basement granitoid plutons in the Eastern Dharwar Craton. Younger dates are discordant with a lower intercept ages of near 200 Ma in the Wetherill concordia. Older zircon cores with spot data ranging from 2636±28 Ma to 3200±7 Ma are interpreted as grains inherited from the crustal source region or from the wall-rock of the granite intrusion. From the detrital zircon data, it can be inferred that source of the sediments is proximal. EPMA chemical dates of uraninites from the drill core sample 226B shows that the area underwent several episodes of hydrothermal activity, which have left their imprints on the isotope systematics of uraninite. Thus the younger ages furnished by U-Pb zircon radiometric dating of uranium rich in-situ zircon grains of the granite drill core sample (289Av) shows a group age of 172 Ma, possibly related to the much younger tectonothermal event. From this study, it is concluded that the Chitrial granitoids are ‘S’ type in character and formed by intracrustal melting of the deeply buried clastic sediments and subsequent incubational heating. It also implies crustal recycling could be the likely mechanism for granite magmatism during ca. 2535-2514 Ma. Uranium mineralization in the granite was influenced by increased fracture volume in the rocks and was controlled by oxygen fugacity in the ore-bearing hydrothermal fluid. This mineralization is related with the later stage fracture reactivation of the Eastern Dharwar Craton during a major younger tectonic activity.Item Deciphering micro/nanoplastic induced phytotoxicity with special emphasis on the cytogenotoxic effects on Allium cepa L.Pramanick, KousikConsidering the present plastic pollution crisis, this thesis work reported the phytotoxicity of polystyrene micro/nanoplastics (M/NPs) in onion with effects on seed germination, root growth, and cytotogenotoxicity. The detection of negative impacts in environmentally relevant concentrations of polystyrenes (PS) clearly showed the harmful effects of polystyrene particles on the plants health, indicating its possible negative impacts on biodiversity. The root growth rather than seed germination was negatively affected by the increasing concentrations of polystyrene particles. The tested diameter of polystyrene particles caused an imbalance in redox homeostasis through the elevated production of ROS, which in high concentrations of polystyrenes subdues the antioxidant defence and ensues in different harmful effects. Different chromosomal alterations and DNA damage potential of micro/nanopolystyrenes (M/NPS), as recorded in this work, may indicate the potential threat of micro/nanoplastics to other organisms because, the basic genetic makeup is same for all eukaryotes. The combined effects of nanoplastics and heavy metals such as Cd and Hg were also evaluated showing an increasing level of toxicity of Cd and a decreasing toxicity of Hg in the presence of polystyrene particles. This observation signifies a differential effect of plastics in modulating the toxicities of heavy metals depending on metal species. Another interesting finding of this work was the positive impact of high temperature or temperature stress (TS), but not the salinity stress (SS), in aggravating the toxicity of micro/nanoplastics. The temperature stress improves the root accumulation of polystyrene particles with notable deleterious effects on oxidative stress, microtubules stability, and organization. In this study, we have used the term micropolystyrene and nanopolystyrene interchangeably for the same diameter (100 nm or 0.1 µm) of polystyrene particles, because the selected diameter remains at the transition between micro and nano particles and there is no accepted distinction on nanoplastics size unlike metal nanoparticles. Some authors have used the term micro for this diameter, while others have used nano for the same.Item Investigating the relationship between Pro Apoptotic Anti Apoptotic and Proliferation pathways mediated by TNF Related Apoptosis Inducing Ligand TRAILPal, RanjanaTriple Negative Breast Cancer (TNBC) being devoid of the hormonal receptors manifests a difficult challenge for different therapeutic approaches. As TRAIL (TNF Related Apoptosis Inducing Ligand) is known for its ability to cause damage specifically to the tumor cells. Whole transcriptome analysis of MDA-MB-231 cell line treated with rhTRAIL showed upregulation of more than 1.5fold in nine genes from the complement pathway. Kaplan-Meiers plotter showed Complement component 4B (CFB) to be positively corelated with relapse free survival in breast cancer patients. CFB was also observed to be co-related and co-expressed with TRAIL in TNBC patients. Because of the heterogenicity of breast tumor population, some cells are inherently resistant to TRAIL induced apoptosis. Via microarray analysis of the selected resistant cells, we observed CDH1 to be downregulated in the resistant cell population in comparison to the sensitive cells. Upregulation of CDH1 sensitized the resistant cells towards rhTRAIL mediated cell death. Another commonly used approach to increase the effectiveness of the TRAIL treatment is through combination therapy. Theophylline has a cytotoxic effect on the MDA-MB-231 cell line. It increased ROS production causing DNA damage and lipid peroxidation. We further observed theophylline to increase the level of TNFR1, thereby activating the caspase mediated apoptotic pathway. Moreover, rhTRAIL in combination with theophylline caused increased cell death in comparison to rhTRAIL or theophylline alone. Combination treatment increased the levels of DR5 in the rhTRAIL and theophylline treated cells. Therefore, we can conclude that CFB and CDH1 can be used as biomarkers for TRAIL therapy in breast cancer. Furthermore, rhTRAIL in combination with theophylline could be a possible alternative for breast cancer therapy. Keywords: rhTRAIL, CFB, CDH1, DR4, DR5 and theophyllineItem Integration of Urban Forms, Society and Governance in Planning Solar Cities of IndiaRoychowdhury, KoelThe increase in energy consumption in cities has multiplied rapidly in the past few decades, often leading to a decline in fossil-fuel based energy sources and the consequent adoption of renewable energy resources. Integration of such complex systems into the electricity generation and distribution framework requires flexibility to adopt new technologies, affordability, reliability, and continuous monitoring of new additions to the system. Promoting urban sustainability requires extensive research into the potential applications of sustainable energy technologies. It is becoming increasingly important for cities to explore ways to reduce their environmental impact, and using sustainable energy technologies is one way to achieve this. Vast research and experiments are being conducted by the cities around the world to identify the most effective ways to use these technologies to achieve environmental sustainability. One such option is the ‘solar city concept’. In case of India, this is a scheme launched by the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy to minimize 10% of the projected demand for non-renewable energy in the cities at the end of five years, through its combination with green energy sources. The programme aims to promote the use of renewable energy in urban areas by providing support to Municipal Corporations for the preparation and implementation of a road map to develop their cities as solar cities. The aim of the research is to primarily investigate the combination of different factors which promote feasibility of solar city planning in India. The research objective can be identified as follows: firstly, to identify the key driving factors of sustainability and energy efficiency of the solar cities of India which contribute to the viability of Solar Cities Missions in these cities, secondly, to examine the effectiveness of local energy planning processes in major proposed solar cities of India and finally, to delineate suitable sites in a city with an energy master plan, in order to identify any other suitable sites can be allocated for solar projects and without an energy master plan, such as to identify all suitable sites that can be allocated for solar projects. In order to fulfil these objectives, GIS based Multiple Criteria Decision Making techniques were applied. The datasets were of both primary and secondary in nature and the results imply that Indian cities which are social sustainable, economically sufficient and have already taken initiatives to generate or purchase renewable energy to light their cities are more likely to attract solar technologies than the rest. Furthermore, cities lying in the north and north-west of India are both meteorologically and geographically endowed to harness solar energy, therefore, they receive more financial benefits and subsidies to install solar photovoltaic systems. With respect to site suitability analysis for solar establishments, both rooftop solar systems and solar park systems were considered. The study revealed that although most of the existing energy master plans have considered all sectors for solar energy generation, but most of the implementations have occurred in the municipal buildings. Therefore, this study has explored the energy generation potential in municipal buildings of a city without a master plan, such that the government can use this prototype immediately for such schemes in the future. Moreover in the predicted regions, recent developments are also visible in such areas. Thus, this research has successfully presented a detailed picturesque and analysis of the different parameters of urban forms, society and governance in solar city planning and investigate the integration of these parameters in Indian solar city planning.Item Sedimentological Analyses, Internal Stratigraphy and Sediment hosted Detrital Iron and Radioactive Ore Mineral Potential of the Mesoarchean Siliciclastic Succession around Keonjhar, Singhbhum Craton, Odisha, IndiaMukhopadhyay, JoydipThe Keonjhar siliciclastics in the Singhbhum craton, eastern India, represents one of the best preserved examples of Mesoarchean sedimentation. This PhD dissertation programme throws light on the depositional system and nature of Mesoarchean upper crust from a collective study of internal stratigraphic development, depositional settings and provenance. The succession is classified here as a formal lithostratigraphic unit of the rank of formation and named as Keonjhar Quartzite. Two members have been proposed, namely, the Asurkhol Member that forms the lower conglomerate-pebbly sandstone-coarser sandstone dominated part and a lentil of iron ore clast-bearing conglomerate at the upper part, namely, the Chamakpur Member. Facies analysis reveals that the lower part of the succession is dominated by mass-flow deposits of conglomerates from proximal subaerial fan which grades upwards to cross-stratified and wavy bedded mature arenites of shelf depositional setting. The sequence includes a LST with Incised Valley Fills from FSST followed by a TST and TSTHST. Petrographic study depicts recycled orogen to craton interior provenance. SEM-CL fabric analysis of the quartz framework grains reveals predominance of plutonic quartz over metamorphic type and suggests that high-grade components from collisional geodynamics were not significant in the Paleo-Mesoarchean upper continental crust in the Singhbhum craton. The superchondritic Hf isotopic compositions expressed as €Hf values against their stratigraphic ages from the detrital zircon LA-ICPMS U-Pb-Lu-Hf compositions suggest depleted mantle source and juvenile crustal components and possible onset of accretionary plate tectonics. Uranium mineralization in the basal QPCs reveals U-concentration in the U-Ti oxides and indicates supergene mobilization of U. Geochemical proxies suggest a passive margin setting with cratonic as well as active margin components. The REE pattern with negative Euanomaly indicates the presence of differentiated upper crust suitable for the source of U-Th minerals for the U-QPCs. The iron ore conglomerate yielded detrital zircon U-Pb ages of around 3.0 Ga. The hard ore clasts in the conglomerate suggest that the ore formation in the source terrain predated the deposition of the conglomerate and hence the primary iron ore genesis at the source from where the ore clasts were derived should be at least >3.0 Ga event.Item Tunable Luminescence of Graphene Based Nanomaterials: Role of Surfactants and MacromoleculesHalder, ArnabThe present thesis entitled “Tunable Luminescence of Graphene Based Nanomaterials: Role of Surfactants and Macromolecules” addresses the synthesis of graphene based nano materials like graphene oxide (GO), chemically modified graphene oxide (CM-GO), graphene oxide polyaniline (GO-PANI) nanocomposite with tunable photoluminescence nature (PL). The role surfactants like sodium dodecyl sulphate (SDS), cetyl trimethyl ammonium bromide (CTAB) has been also described to modulate the PL of GO. This thesis comprises of eight chapters. Chapter 1 deals with the general introduction and brief description of the summary of the research work. The motivation, objectives and plan of the present investigation are also stated in this chapter. Chapter 2 deals with the properties and structure of graphene, the different method of synthesis of graphene existing in literature and the literature review on the photoluminescence properties of GO and GO based nanomaterials till 2020. Chapter 3 describes the method of synthesis with the characterization of GO, CM-GO and GO-PANI nano-composite. Chapter 4 discusses the effect of pH on the PL properties of GO-PANI nano-composite. The interaction between polyanilne and GO changes with the change in pH, which strongly affects the PL properties of the GO-PANI nanocomposite. Chapter 5 includes the study of PL of GO in the aqueous medium in the presence of different concentration of surfactants (SDS and CTAB).The mode interaction between GO and surfactant strongly depends on the pH of the medium which modulates the band gap of GO are described in this chapter. Chapter 6 includes the study of PL of GO-PANI in the aqueous medium in the presence of an anionic surfactant (SDS) at both acidic and alkaline medium. The interaction between GO-PANI and SDS is different in different pH, which modulates the PL of the GO-PANI nano-composite material. Chapter 7 describes the PL properties of both GO and CM-GO in aqueous medium with proper explanation of the origin of the luminescence. The modulation of luminescence both GO and CM-GO by changing concentration also described in this chapter. The conclusion of the research work along with the future prospects obtained from this thesis are presented in Chapter 8.Item Silent bruises: Essays on determinants of intimate partner violence in India, and its consequencesHusain, Zakir; Dutta, MousumiThis dissertation investigates the determinants and consequences of intimate partner violence (IPV) in India. The research questions are: 1) what is the relationship between empowerment and IPV at the individual level, 2) what are the determinants of IPV at the community level, 3) does witnessing parental violence as a child determine the probability of the respondents’ victimisation as an adult, and 4) whether maternal exposure to IPV determines children’s anthropometric outcomes. The study uses data from the Demographic Health Survey (DHS). The first question is analysed using the third and fourth rounds of DHS data (2005-06 and 2015-16). The second question is analysed using spatial models at the district level; such data is available only for the fourth round of DHS. After completing the analysis for (1) and (2), the fifth round of DHS (2019-21) was publicly released and was used to examine the last two research questions. The analysis of the relationship between IPV and empowerment, using a control function approach, found the relationship between empowerment and IPV to vary over the period of study; moreover, the relationship depended upon the form of the violence studied. Analysis using spatial regression models reveals a higher incidence of IPV in India’s eastern states than in their western counterparts. Districts characterized by low empowerment levels, high child-sex ratio, road connectivity, and a high proportion of socially marginalised groups are associated with higher IPV levels. Spatial spillovers are also observed in the incidence of IPV. The study reveals that IPV has adverse consequences on the victim’s children. Non-parametric kernel-based estimates reveal that childhood exposure to spousal physical violence increases the respondent’s likelihood of experiencing all forms of violence as an adult; this effect varies with education, empowerment levels, and household asset holding. Further, a mother’s exposure to IPV can also lead to adverse nutritional outcomes (stunting, underweight, or a hyper-critical group comprising of children who are both stunted and underweight) in the victim’s children — as indicated by results of a Two Stage Least Square models and validated by a control function approach. The study concludes by arguing in favour of empowering women, particularly at the community level, to reduce the incidence of IPV.Item Synthesis and Characterization of Metal Organic Framework Based on 3d and 4f MetalsBiswas, BiplabThis thesis covers the broader section of the chemistry and the material sciences of our daily needs. The main objective of our work was to design different 3d and 3d-4f hetero bimetallic Metal Organic Framework (MOF) using different clickable Schiff base ligand having N,N,O donor sites. We have further used co-ligand such as azide, thiocyanate, 4-tert-butyl-benzoic acid to increase the nuclearity of the metal complex. Careful design of these complexes has allowed us to isolate these complexes with versatile structural motif and application in the field of data storage, luminescence and sensing. We have explored the sensing study for the detection of the hazardous analytes such as sulfide (S2-) and Ag+ , Cu2+, Fe3+ by Metal Organic Framework. We have also studied the anti-cancer activity towards the breast cancer cells Zn azido and Zn perchloato complex where we have found that a 0.5 mM dose of the Zn-azido and Zn-perchlorato complex could kill the 81% and 72% of the breast cancer cells respectively. However Zn-azido complex affects the normal cell as well although Zn-perchlorato complex does not affect the normal cells. Hence Znperchlorato complex has potential biological activity and may be used for the therapeutic purposes. We have also synthesised 3d-4f metal complexes which could be used as fluorescence biomarker and could be used as data storage. This thesis covers a broader sector of material science in corroboration of biological studies in few cases.Item Development of suitable ferroelectric nanocomposites in thin film form for energy applicationsGayen, Rabindra NathThis thesis provides information about the development of highly flexible ferroelectric nanocomposite materials in thin film form and their applications in energy storage, conversion and detection process. Polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) is synthesized in flexible thin film form, which is dielectric, ferroelectric, piezoelectric and pyroelectric in nature. A cost effective chemical solution based method is adopted to fabricate PVDF nanocomposite membranes with nanofillers like zinc oxide (ZnO), graphene oxide (GO) and both ZnO and GO loaded into that. PVDF polymer membrane possesses energy density of 11.3 × 104 J/m3 which increases to 65.5×104 J/m3 when ZnO nanoparticles are added to it. Inclusion of GO nanofiller completely destroys its energy density to 0.06 × 104 J/m3. Addition of both nanofillers increases energy density to 61.7 × 104 J/m3. Polarization of PVDF at an external electric field of 15kV/cm is 5.94 μC/cm2 which increases greatly to 15.98 μC/cm2 by ZnO incorporation into it. For tri-phase PVDF/ZnO/GO nanocomposite membrane, the polarization value is 14.14 μC/cm2. A great improvement in dielectric constant is observed from 47 for PVDF to 261 for PVDF/ZnO composite. For PVDF/ZnO/GO composite dielectric constant is 151. Dielectric loss for PVDF is 2.31 which reduce to 0.46 for PVDF/GO. PVDF/ZnO/GO tri-phase composite shows higher open circuit voltage (Voc) and short circuit current density (Jsc) resulting in highest output power delivering composite in different modes like finger tapping, periodic bending and repetitive stretching. PVDF membrane shows responsivity of 0.004 (µA/cm2/W) in presence of solar spectrum at an external bias of 10 V with rise time of 44 sec. Introduction of increasing GO amount upto 15% (v/v) gradually increases the photocurrent to 4.0 µA/cm2 with shorter response time of 21 sec. Further, in mechanically bend condition, all of these composites show higher dark and photocurrent due to formation of piezo-potential. Impedance spectroscopic study is conducted to gain proper insight of these occurrences along with effect of filler inclusions. Also, effect of external stimuli like mechanical stress and light irradiation on those composites are explained from the changes in various parameters obtained from the fitting of Nyquist plots drawn from impedance spectroscopic measurements.Item 2D nano materials and their hybrids as supercapacitor electrodes for energy storage applicationsDe, SukantaTwo dimensional (2-D) nanomaterials have drawn considerable attention to the evolution of supercapacitor electrodes for high performance flexible energy storage device applications due to their high electro-active sites, high specific surface area, macro mechanical flexibility, wellbehaved electrical properties etc. The thesis entitled “2-D Nano Materials and their Hybrids as Supercapacitor Electrodes for Energy Storage Applications” encompasses a detail report on the development of some 2-D nanomaterials through different synthesis routes and their applications in supercapacitor energy storage. More precisely, this dissertation highlights the successful synthesis of some 2-D transition metal oxides (TMOs) like MoO3, MnO2, RuO2, metal dichalcogenides (MoS2), BiOCl nanoplates, vanadyl phosphate (VOPO4) and their composites with graphene, single and multi-wall carbon nanotubes (SWCNT, MWCNT) etc. and their applications as supercapacitor energy storage devices. The prepared samples have been thoroughly characterized by FESEM, TEM, XRD, XPS, AFM BET, Raman and etc. In this work, a facile large scale production of TMOs nanosheets by exfoliation in ethanol-water mixed solvent instead of using highly toxic organic solvents has been demonstrated. After optimization, this method gives high concentration (0.42 mg/ml, 0.47 mg/ml and 0.40 mg/ml for MoO3, MnO2 and RuO2 respectively) stable dispersion of TMOs nanosheets. Thin flexible solid state supercapacitors based on SWCNT /TMOs nanosheets composites showing a large specific capacitance and high energy density. In addition, a planner supercapacitor based on SWCNT/MnO2 shows an improved electrochemical performance with excellent stability under different bending condition. Thin flexible films of BiOCl/MWCNT composites have been prepared with varying the weight percentage. Among various compositions, 60% BiOCl loaded electrodes delivers superior electrochemical performance. Instead of gold we have used SWCNT network as a current collector which will be helpful to make transparent flexible supercapacitor with high energy density for future application BiVO4/rGO hybrid nanostructure based symmetric supercapacitor exhibits better performance in solid electrolyte. MoS2/rGO hybrids thin film supercapacitor and MWCNT/VOPO4 hybrid supercapacitor are also deliver improved energy storage performance.Item Synthesis, Characterisation of Mixed Metal Oxide Based Inorganic Materials and It’s Application Towards the Removal of Fluoride and Heavy Metals From Contaminated WaterPalani, SasikumarAmong all water contaminants, fluoride and copper contamination in groundwater as a result of natural and anthropogenic activities has been identified as one of the biggest issues worldwide, posing a serious threat to human health. Mixed metal oxides-based adsorbents, particularly Zr(IV), La(III), Ce(IV), and others, have sparked a lot of attention in recent years due to their high selectivity and affinity for fluoride and copper. Therefore a binary [Cr(III)- Zr(IV)] (CZ) or a ternary mixed metal oxide [Ce(IV)-Zr(IV)-La(III)] (CZL) inorganic adsorbent material and efficiently apply for F - and Cu(II) adsorption from aqueous phases. Further surface modification CZ was performed with chitosan and -cyclodextrin (CB@CZ) for further application to remove Cu(II). The adsorbent CZ's effectiveness was also exploited for practical applications, such as expanding the study's potential applicability for removing F - ions from laboratory and real field contaminated water. The entire work is split into different chapters. The first chapter offers a review of the literature as well as a background analysis of the project. The presence of harmful pollutants such as fluoride and other heavy metal ions in drinking water, as well as their allowed limits, has been extensively discussed. A comparison analysis based on the adsorption capabilities of adsorbents towards various adsorbates, particularly F - and Cu(II), has also been discussed. The description of employed chemicals, solution preparations, materials, adsorbent synthesis, instrumental details (FESEM, TEM, p-XRD, FT-IR, etc.), batch study experimental details, and mathematical model equations that were used to analyze the experimentally obtained data are all included in Chapter 2. The characterization of the binary mixed metal oxide based adsorbent [Cr(III)-Zr(IV)] (CZ) used to remove F - from artificially and naturally contaminated water is covered in Chapter 3. For further use in the removal of heavy metals, particularly Cu(II), surface modification of CZ using chitosan and -cyclodextrin (CB@CZ) is described in Chapter 4. The characterization of the ternary mixed metal oxide [Ce(IV)- Zr(IV)-La(III)] (CZL) and its applications to the removal of F - and Cu(II) from wastewater are both covered in Chapter 5. In Chapter 6, the findings are compiled in a table along with a broad conclusion on the work's future potential.Item Stakeholders Power Structure and the Distribution of Rural Tourism Resources A Study on SikkimDas, SubhajitRural tourism is expected to preserve local resources and the community while remaining rural in scale, purpose, and location. Despite scholarly debates and significant expenditures, rural tourism initiatives nevertheless encounter challenges and often fail, particularly in emerging economies. The main reason for such failure is the absence of academic understanding relating the two essential components of rural tourism: the stakeholders and the resources. Due to this, the interaction between the spatio-temporal distribution of tourism resources (touristization and touristscape), the political climate of the destination, and its sustainability, did not receive sufficient consideration in the current scholarly discussion. By closely examining the interactions among resource distribution and stakeholders’ power-politics the current research aims to address this gap. The eight (8) sampled destinations from Sikkim, India, were selected based on recommendations from experts and visitors, they reflect the political realities of rural tourism in developing nations. At first, the impactful resources and key-role playing stakeholders of these destinations were identified and mapped as they are the main agent and focus of the above-mentioned political interplay. The internal community politics has been unveiled using Social Network Analysis (SNA), while the interrelationship among the power, its factors and resource distribution has been explored using Structural Equation Modelling (SEM). The current study has produced a detailed list of impactful resources and operational stakeholders around which the operational-level politics revolve. This study also outlined the characteristics of touristization and the touristscape, local politics and the consequent power structure and the distribution of tourism resources. The practitioners and policy-makers of rural tourism will find this study as a useful comprehensive reference for the ground reality of stakeholders’ politics and power structure and ways of sustainably managing it.Item Narendra Kohli Rachit Todo Kara Todo Jiwan Darshan Aur Uski Samkalin PrasangiktaGangopadhyay, Anindyaशोध-प्रबंध का सार जीवनीपरक उपन्यास साहित्य की एक विधा है। यह शोध हिंदी के उपन्यासकार नरेंद्र कोहली के द्वारा स्वामी विवेकानंद के जीवन पर छः खंडों में लिखित तोड़ो कारा तोड़ो नामक जीवनीपरक उपन्यास पर किया गया है। शोध का शीर्षक है “नरेंद्र कोहली रचित तोड़ो कारा तोड़ो : जीवन दर्शन और उसकी समकालीन प्रासंगिकता”। इस शोध-प्रबंध में हिंदी जीवनीपरक उपन्यास की परम्परा के विषय में चर्चा की गई है। जीवनीपरक उपन्यासों के क्रम को रचनाकारों के जन्म के आधार पर रखा गया है। उपन्यास के स्वरूप को ऐतिहासिक और आध्यात्मिक दो रूपों में बाँटा गया है। जब कोई जीवनीपरक उपन्यास किसी आध्यात्मिक व्यक्ति के जीवन को आधार बनाकर लिखा जाता है तब उसे आध्यात्मिक जीवनीपरक उपन्यास कहा जाता है। जैसे डॉक्टर कृष्णबिहारी मिश्र का ठाकुर श्री रामकृष्ण के जीवन पर आधारित ‘कल्पतरु की उत्सव लीला’ एक आध्यात्मिक जीवनीपरक उपन्यास है। वैसे ही जब किसी ऐतिहासिक पात्र के जीवन को आधार बनाकर कोई उपन्यास लिखा जाता है तब उसे ऐतिहासिक जीवनीपरक उपन्यास कहा जाता है। जैसे गिरिराज किशोर द्वारा लिखित गाँधीजी के जीवन पर आधारित ‘पहला गिरमिटिया’। आध्यात्मिक पुरुष जिस प्रकार से ईश्वर के स्वरूप का चिंतन करता है उपन्यासों में ईश्वर का वही स्वरूप उभरकर आता है। अतः एक ओर जहाँ ‘कल्पतरु की उत्सव लीला’ उपन्यास में ईश्वर का रूप माँ का है क्योंकि उपन्यास के पात्र ने माँ के रूप में ईश्वर का साक्षात्कार किया था जबकि ‘खंजन नयन’ में ईश्वर सखा के रूप हैं। नरेंद्र कोहली के उपन्यासों का परिचय देते हुए यह बताया गया है कि कोहलीजी के उपन्यासों को दो वर्गों में बाँटा जा सकता है पौराणिक और आध्यात्मिक प्रसंग तथा विविध प्रसंग। पौराणिक और आध्यात्मिक प्रसंग के अंतर्गत लेखक के उन उपन्यासों के विषय में चर्चा की गई है जिन्हें उन्होंने रामायण, महाभारत आदि ग्रंथों को आधार बनाकर लिखा है। इसके अंतर्गत बड़े और छोटे दोनों को मिलाकर 19 उपन्यासों का मूल्यांकन किया गया है तथा विविध प्रसंग के अंतर्गत उन उपन्यासों का मूल्यांकन किया गया है जिन्हें उन्होंने विविध आधुनिक विषयों को आधार बनाकर लिखा है। इसके अंतर्गत पाँच उपन्यासों के विषय में चर्चा की गई है। भारतीय अध्यात्म दर्शन परम्परा का परिचय देते हुए भारतीय अध्यात्म दर्शन की अवधारणा एवं स्वरूप के अंतर्गत विविध भारतीय दर्शन जैसे बौद्ध दर्शन, जैन-दर्शन आदि का मूल्यांकन किया गया है। लेखक नरेंद्र कोहली के दार्शनिक विचार को स्पष्ट किया गया है। भारतीय दर्शन परम्परा में विवेकानंद का चिंतन अद्वैतवाद है। तोड़ो कारा उपन्यास में निहित स्वामी विवेकानंद की आध्यात्मिकता एवं साधनात्मकता पर विचार किया गया है। इसके समकालीन परिप्रेक्ष्य में यह बताया गया है कि आज के ज़माने में लोग बहुत दिखावा करते हैं कि वे बड़े भक्त हैं, साधु हैं परंतु वास्तविकता कुछ और ही है। इसमें यह बताया गया है कि अंग्रेज़ों के ज़माने में भारत के लोग अंग्रेज़ी के कितने अधिक दीवाने थे। आज भी यही स्थिति बनी हुई है। स्वामी विवेकानंद के व्यक्तित्वंतरण पर चर्चा करते हुए यह बताया गया है कि स्वामी विवेकानंद के विविध व्यक्तित्व का विकास किस प्रकार हुआ। जीवन दर्शन,समाज और संस्कृति के अंतर्गत बताया गया है कि भारतीय चिंतन में दर्शन केवल ज्ञान के प्रति अनुराग ही नहीं है बल्कि मानव जीवन को समग्रता से देखना भी है। जीवनीपरक उपन्यासों में कई प्रकार की शैलियों का प्रयोग किया जाता है जैसे वर्णात्मक शैली, संवादतमक शैली आदि। तोड़ो कारा तोड़ो उपन्यास के मूल भाव के विषय में चर्चा करते हुए उसके शिल्प पर भी प्रकाश डाला गया है। अंत में तोड़ो कारा तोड़ो उपन्यास की समकालीन प्रासंगिकता का व्यक्ति निर्माण, समाज निर्माण एवं राष्ट्र निर्माण के परिप्रेक्ष्य में मूल्यांकन किया गया है तथा इनके पूर्व एवं वर्तमान परिप्रेक्ष्य पर भी प्रकाश डाला गया है। शोध करते हुए जो नई उपलब्धियाँ उभरकर आईं उनका भी उल्लेख किया गया है।Item Characterization of the Bambusa tulda Roxb inflorescences and flowers at the morphological anatomical and genetic levels to understand floral organ developments and differentiation in bambooDas, MalayBamboos belong to the monocotyledonous plant family Poaceae and subfamily Bambusoideae. Bamboos represent an extreme example of perennialism, where the reproductive phase begins after completion of an extended vegetative phase, which may vary across species. Other than delayed flowering time, existence of two different types of inflorescences, genetics of floral development and nature of pollen compatibility make bamboo unique in comparison to other grasses. The main aim of this study was to understand the floral organ development and pollination mechanism in Bambusa tulda. In this study, the relative abundance of two different types of inflorescence in an entire flowering cycle were analysed and rate of seed setting was compared. One potential limitation to perform gene expression analyses on Bambusa members was the absence of suitable reference genes to normalize expression data. In this study, reference genes were identified, which were stable across species, organs and developmental stages. In order to understand the molecular mechanism that regulates flower development, the floral meristem identity genes MADS14, MADS15 and MADS18 were sequenced from B. tulda and their expression pattern was analyzed across different vegetative and reproductive tissues. In order to understand the genetics of pollen compatibility in bamboo, in vivo pollination experiments were performed. The finding indicated that B. tulda is primarily a cross pollinated species. In order to further understand the molecular mechanism regulating genetic compatibility in bamboo, selected members of RNase T2 and Fbox gene families were studied. Overall, the findings of this study will be useful to understand the morphological, ecological and molecular basis of flower development and genetic compatibility in bamboos.Item Krishna Sobti Tatha Indira Goswami Ke Upanyason Mein Stree VimarshMajumdar, Tanujaप्रस्तुत शोध प्रबंध ‘कृष्णा सोबती तथा इंदिरा गोस्वामी के उपन्यासों में स्त्री विमर्श’ में हिन्दी-असमिया लेखिकाओं (कृष्णा सोबती तथा इंदिरा गोस्वामी) के उपन्यासों में मुखरित स्त्री विमर्श को अध्ययन के केंद्र में रखा गया है। स्त्री विमर्श, स्त्री चेतना के प्रसार का आख्यान है जिसमें स्त्रियों के लिए एक समान राजनैतिक, शैक्षिक, आर्थिक, सामाजिक अधिकारों की बात की जाती है। स्त्रीविमर्श किसी भी लिंग विशेष के वर्चस्ववाद का विरोध करने के साथ ही लिंगों की परस्पर समानता का आह्वान करता है। स्त्री विमर्श के साथ ही स्त्री लेखन के माध्यम से स्त्री चेतना का व्यापक स्तर पर प्रसार संभव हुआ। साठवें दशक से भारतीय साहित्य में महिला रचनाकारों ने क्रमशः अपनी सुदृढ़ जगह बनाई जिसमें हिन्दी साहित्यकार कृष्णा सोबती तथा असमिया साहित्यकार इंदिरा गोस्वामी महत्वपूर्ण नाम हैं। दोनों ही साहित्यकार स्त्रियों के संघर्ष, उसकी वेदना, अंतर्द्वंद्व को लिपिबद्ध करने के साथ ही समाज के पीड़ित अन्य वर्ग को भी अपने लेखन के केंद्र में रखती हैं। विभिन्न सामाजिक, राजनैतिक मुद्दों को समाहित करता कृष्णा सोबती तथा इंदिरा गोस्वामी का लेखन युग जीवन और मानव जीवन के सभी पक्षों को समेटे हुए है। दोनों साहित्यकारों ने अपनी रचनाओं के द्वारा एक बहुभाषीय राष्ट्र की दो भाषाओं हिंदी तथा असमिया के माध्यम से दो भिन्न भू-भागों पश्चिमोत्तर और पूर्वोत्तर के समाज में स्त्री की स्थिति, उसके संघर्ष का चित्रण करते हुए स्त्री चेतना के स्वर को मुखर किया है। कृष्णा सोबती के स्त्री पात्र संयुक्त परिवार की जटिल संरचना में स्त्री के समान अधिकार के लिए संघर्ष करते हैं वहीं इंदिरा गोस्वामी की नायिकाएं स्त्री द्वेषी धार्मिक कुरीतियों के विरुद्ध अपना प्रतिरोध दर्ज करती हैं। कृष्णा सोबती तथा इंदिरा गोस्वामी इस तथ्य के प्रति सजग हैं कि समाज तथा परिवार की जटिल संरचना में स्त्री और पुरुष को मात्र शोषित और शोषक की तरह विभाजित नहीं किया जा सकता। अतः दोनों साहित्यकार स्त्री और पुरुष को एक-दूसरे के प्रतिपक्ष में खड़ा करने के बजाय परिस्थितियों और घटनाओं को निष्पक्ष दृष्टि से देखते हुए स्त्री अस्मिता के संकट को प्रस्तुत करती हैं तथा इसके साथ ही स्त्री सशक्तिकरण का पथ भी विस्तृत करती हैं। कृष्णा सोबती तथा इंदिरा गोस्वामी के उपन्यासों में शोषण के मूल को समझने के लिए जाति, वर्ग तथा लिंग आधारित शोषण का सूक्ष्म विश्लेषण किया गया है। दोनों साहित्यकारों के उपन्यासों में चित्रित स्त्री जीवन के आधार पर भारत के दो भिन्न भू-भागों पंजाब तथा असम में सामाजिक, सांस्कृतिक, आर्थिक तथा राजनैतिक आधार पर स्त्री के संघर्ष को समझा जा सकता है।Item A Study of Antibacterial and Anti-Inflammatory Activity of Zinc Oxide Nanoparticles (ZnONPs) on Multiple Antibiotic-Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus Induced Inflammatory Rat ModelSikdar, MausumiConventional treatment strategies involving antibiotics are gaining accelerated challenges as a result of increasing antibiotic resistance by pathogenic microorganisms. A significant quantity of therapeutic research had been focused on implementing green synthesized nanoparticles. In this study, the green synthesis method has been used to prepare ZnONPs from leaf extract of coriander. The green synthesized and chemically synthesized commercially available ZnONPs showed almost no variation concerning their size and morphology when characterized by methods like XRD, DLS, etc. Comparison of antibacterial potential among both types of ZnONPs, used against strains of (Control and Clinical) reveals, lower MIC and MBC of green ZnONPs were required to generate the same quality of bactericidal effect as achieved by using the commercial one. This signifies that, apart from easy synthesis procedure, lower doses are enough to generate the desired anti-bacterial efficacy. After inducing septic arthritis by clinical strain (KC-02) of S. aureus, both ZnONPs (chemical and green) were capable of lowering the increased serum level of inflammatory markers, without producing the measurable amount of serum oxidative stress. The combination of ZnONPs (both chemical and green) and antibiotics shows excellent antibacterial and anti-inflammatory potential. The part of this study involving the in-vivo model indicates that both the ZnONPs when used in the mentioned concentration alone and also in combination with an antibiotic, are incapable of precipitating histological changes in selected organs like the liver, kidney, spleen, and adrenal gland. Therefore, the use of ZnONPs, a preferably green one for treating inflammatory diseases like septic arthritis, could be a better choice over conventional antibiotic therapy.Item Investigating the Molecular Details of Hepatitis C Virus Entry EventsMukhopadhyay, AparnaThe RNA genome containing Hepatitis C Virus (HCV), remains an enigma due to the presence of many genotypes and quasispecies. To understand genotypic differences of HCV glycoprotein E2, 29 nucleotide sequences of genotypes 1 and 3 were analysed by in silico studies. Nucleotide analysis revealed a preference for Cytosine which was attributed to a bias for Cytosine rich codon in genotype 1 and a similar but lower preference in genotype 3. Comparison of amino acids revealed a relatively conserved N-terminal region with majority of the inter-genotypic changes concentrated at the C-terminal portion. Modelling followed by docking analysis between de novo models of E2 glycoproteins and receptor protein CD81 revealed unique interacting residues for both proteins with genotype 3a exhibiting the strongest interaction with the receptor. In our quest to understand the early events of HCV entry, fluorescent pseudoparticles (HCVpp) were generated and used to study HCV trafficking. We observed internalization and recycling of fluorescence within 15 minutes of HCVpp entry and maximum colocalisation with plasma membrane marker FM 4-64 also at 15 minutes. We predict that fusion of viral and cellular membranes occurred within this time. To understand the role of regulatory GTPases Rab1a, similar experiments were repeated in a Rab1a knockdown cell lines. In these cells, we observed impaired trafficking indicating an important role of Rab1a in HCV entry. To identify entry inhibitors of HCVpp from medicinal plants, methanolic leaf extracts were prepared from Psidium guajava L., Plumeria alba L., Syzygium cumini L. and Tamarindus indica L., plants with antiviral and hepatoprotective property. We observed that Tamarindus extract exhibited an inhibitory role by both qRT-PCR and microscopic experiments. In conclusion, we have established stark differences in structure and binding activities of the glycoprotein E2 across genotypes 1 and 3. We have established a trafficking assay using fluorescent HCVpp and predict a probable time line of HCV entry. We have also reported a role of Rab1a in HCV trafficking. To establish a potent natural HCV therapeutics, we found Tamarind leaf extract to act as a potent entry inhibitor for the virus. However further mechanistic details still need to be investigated.