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Reverberation of Ecocritical Concerns in the Novels of Kazuo Ishiguro
No full textKazuo Ishiguro, one of the most celebrated contemporary writers, has authored eight novels. As a Noble Laureate of 2017, his works are constantly under academic scrutiny. One of the best-explored themes in the works of Ishiguro is memories and emotions. No writer of meritable artistic integrity can ever stay away from the pressing issue of his age. Intriguingly, Ishiguro\u27s works seem to lack engagement with environmental issues. The extensive study of Literature reiterates the point that Ishiguro\u27s works are explored solely for a diminished ratio in terms of environmental challenges.
The researcher has identified the lack of critical attention on the part of the research scholars, in general as the research gap and has made an earnest effort to bridge the gap by preferring to examine the reverberation of ecocritical concerns in his novels. Out of the eight novels of the writer, four novels, namely, A Pale View of Hills, The Remains of the Day, The Buried Giant, and Klara and the Sun have been chosen as these four happen to be the most popular, but also the most relevant to the theme chosen, of all his novels.
The objective of the research is to trace the eco-consciousness of the writer, as expressed in the selected four novels. This is done by applying a few major and minor ecocritical theories and relevant concepts that suit the context.
Chapter I, Introduction, covers Ishiugro\u27s biography, which includes his individual and professional journey as a writer. Following that, a detailed Study of Literature provides the contextual framework for the thesis that justifies the identification of the research gap.
Chapter II studies the novel A Pale View of Hills to accentuate the interrelation between war and ecology and its implications on the environment.
Chapter III analyses the female characters of the novel The Remains of the Day to highlight the correlation between women and Nature and their positive influence on men as portrayed by Kazuo Ishiguro.
Chapter IV explores the invincible influence of the environment on the people with the help of the wild background of the novel The Buried Giant and goes on to show the interconnectedness between the various entities of Nature.
Chapter V emphasises the role of technology in protecting Nature. Klara, the protagonist of the novel, an AI, her robot friends, and her human owners were studied closely to demonstrate the need for eco-consciousness in the digital society.
Chapter VI, Conclusion, sums up the findings of the studythat expresses Kazuo Ishiguro\u27s commitment towards ecological issues. The extensive study of the novels of Kazuo Ishiguro from an Ecocritical perspective leads to the realisation of the practical wisdom behind the Ecocritical philosophies and the dire need to implement them in the world of reality
ITIHAS Vol. 24 Issue No. 4
No full textNEWSLETTER FROM SASTRA DEEMED UNIVERSITYhttps://knowledgeconnect.sastra.edu/itihas/1005/thumbnail.jp
Investigations on V2O5 and its Derivative Nanocomposites for Photocatalytic Textile Organic Dye Degradation
No full textIn recent times, organic dyes from industrial sludge become one of the significant causes of water contamination due to their utility in textile and paper manufacturing industries. These organic dyes are highly toxic and carcinogenic. Fortunately, the photocatalytic degradation process is a practical tool for decomposing toxic organic matter in wastewater by utilizing light. The photodegradation process can be performed using semiconductor materials to purify wastewater. Thus, semiconductor photocatalysis is a desirable alternative technique for decolorizing various organic pollutants.
In this context, the present work reports the preparation and characterization of V2O5 nanocomposites by facile methods and tests them against various industrial standard dyes. V2O5 nanoparticle is prepared via soft chemical method, and its photocatalytic activity was tested against Methylene Blue (MB) and Methyl violet (MV) dyes; the degradation efficiency was observed as 92% and 85%, respectively.
Further, to enhance the photocatalytic efficiency of V2O5, a suitable dopant is chosen by employing density functional theory (DFT) simulation. Transition metals such as Cu, Co, Ni, Zn, Mn, and Fe were selected for the study. Among the different dopants, Zn was identified as a promising dopant in terms of bandgap and band edge potentials. The identified dopant is experimentally prepared (Zn- doped V2O5) by the sol-gel process with varying dopant percentages, and the photocatalytic efficiency of the prepared composite is tested against three industrial standard dyes such as Methylene Blue (MB), Methyl Violet (MV), and Malachite Green (MG). The dye degradation efficiency of the Zn-doped V2O5 nanostructures is 91 % to 99% for MB and MV dyes with maximum light exposure of 105 minutes and 96% in 30 minutes for MG dyes.
The spray pyrolysis method was employed to prepare a heterojunction between V2O5 and TiO2 thin films, and its photocatalytic activity was studied. Under the visible light illumination, the dye degradation efficiency of 99 % in 75 mins for MB, 99% in 90 mins for MV, and 95% in 30 mins for MG were obtained. From the results, it is observed that for Zn–doped V2O5 and heterostructure (V2O5/TiO2) samples, the dye degradation process is dominated by hydroxyl radicals
Demand Response and Peer-to-Peer Energy Trading for Residential Microgrid
No full textDemand Side Management (DSM) is vital in handling uncertain renewable power generation and demand in a deregulated power system. The flat load profile can be obtained using the Demand Response (DR) techniques with the storage elements and proper switching. The increasing penetration of renewable-based distributed generation (DGs), batteries, and electric vehicles (EVs) supports the DR measures that facilitate utility and consumer.
This research aims to minimize the peak demand, electricity cost, and emission rate by effectively utilizing the storage with Renewable Energy Sources (RES). The first specific aim of the research objective focuses on the impact of DR implementation, DGs such as solar photovoltaic (PV) and wind, battery, and EV in reducing the electricity cost of the consumer. A Smart Home Energy Management System (SHEMS) with Real Time Pricing (RTP)-based Demand Response (DR) is proposed for appliance scheduling in residential consumers using the Binary Particle Swarm Optimization (BPSO) algorithm.
In the proposed SHEMS, 18 different smart appliances, DGs, a battery, and an EV are considered. The smart appliances used in this work are categorized into two types: thermostatically and electrically controllable loads. The smart appliances in the SHEMS are optimally scheduled using the BPSO algorithm based on the RTP, availability of DGs, battery, EV, and consumer preference on appliance operation time window and duration to minimize the electricity cost of the smart home.
Five different cases are examined based on the availability of DGs and battery to show the effectiveness of the proposed SHEMS. An EV has been utilized to enable vehicle-to-grid and vehicle-to-home power transfer, further reducing the smart home’s overall electricity cost. The second specific aim of the research objective focuses on energy trading in the SHEMS.
In recent years, smart consumers, along with DGs, are considered prosumers. The prosumers trade the available excess power to the consumers to minimize their electricity costs. The implementation of peer-to-peer (P2P) energy trading in the smart home further minimizes the electricity cost of the consumer due to the energy trading from prosumers instead of the grid. Also, the burden on the utility during the peak hour is reduced by implementing DR-based P2P energy trading.
The third specific aim of the research objective proposes a smart bidding strategy to further minimize the electricity costs of consumers and increase their profit of prosumers. The smart bidding strategy implements the double auction mechanism by determining the bid, quote, and trading tariff based on the Supply-Demand Ratio (SDR) and grid tariff. Hence, it is beneficial for both prosumers and consumers.
The effectiveness of the proposed smart bidding strategy is proved by including the uncertain EV operation in three cases such as EV uncertainty in first consumer, first prosumer and in both first consumer and prosumer. The simulation results proved that the smart bidding strategy reduced the electricity cost and grid dependency of the smart homes at both normal and EV uncertainty conditions
Identifying Redundant Audio Content over Cloud Environment Using Deduplication Techniques
No full textCloud computing has become an integral part of modern internet-based services, with users relying heavily on cloud environments as primary storage solutions. However, the exponential growth in data volume presents a challenge (i.e) the proliferation of duplicated content within cloud repositories. Deduplication techniques provide a promising approach to mitigate this issue. This research focuses on detecting redundant audio content within a cloud environment, specifically targeting the sharing of extensive audio files, such as those in Waveform Audio File Format (WAV). The study proposes the Refined Super Subset Identification Algorithm (RSSIA) to efficiently identify redundant content and segments within existing audio files, refining the deduplicated content. Experimental results demonstrate the accuracy of the algorithm in identifying deduplicated files spanned various audio files, validating its effectiveness in real-time environments, and eliminating redundant content. The efficiency of the algorithm finds redundant portions of an audio file spread across the files.
Additionally, ensuring the security of voice-based message sharing over public networks poses a significant challenge. The proposed Multilayer Protection with Deduplication (MLPD) methodology enhances voice message security by employing multiple protection layers. The audio file is converted into numeric values, and the driven values are shuffled, transposed, and byte-swapped. They are converted into a matrix which helps in creating an encrypted audio. The MLPD outperforms existing encryption algorithms like DES and encryption and decryption technique proposed by Jihad Nadir et al [96].
The audio file storage pattern plays a crucial role in the storage. The wav file can be stored in two directions (forward/reverse). This study leverages deduplication to alleviate server burdens by identifying redundant audio content and reversed audio files within existing data. Moreover, as cloud storage popularity surges, maintaining server performance amid escalating data volumes is crucial. The study extends RSSIA features further and effectively detects reversed audio content.
This research endeavors to refine audio deduplication techniques to discern between audio files with identical content but different metadata or attributes. By addressing this challenge, the study aims to optimize server performance and enhance user experience within cloud storage environments, ultimately advancing the efficiency and effectiveness of audio deduplication processes.
Furthermore, it extends the scope to content-based deduplication audio files. When audio files have similar content with different phonetics and are influenced by the mother tongue, the audio files are treated as duplicate files by finding the similarity in the content with the support of the Wav2Vec2 model for transcription and Mel-frequency cepstral coefficients (MFCC) for feature extraction, combined with Dynamic Time Warping (DTW) for similarity measurement. The methods are evaluated through the standard dataset comprising similar audio content. It identifies duplicates and analyses audio data characteristics. The results highlight the potential for these methods in various applications, including digital archiving, content management, and data pre-processing. The research endeavours to refine audio deduplication techniques to find similar content but different metadata or attributes. By addressing this challenge, the study aims to optimise server performance and enhance the user experience within cloud storage environments, ultimately advancing the efficiency and effectiveness of audio deduplication processes
Mechanistic Empirical Design of Flexible Pavements for Biopolymer Treated Soils
No full textCognizing the contamination effects of chemical soil modifiers on soil and groundwater, the assessment of the ability of biopolymers to improve the engineering properties of soils has gained attention in the last decade. As a soil additive, biopolymers have the potential to solve the trilemma of sustainability, price and soil suitability. Two polysaccharides and two protein biopolymers have been adopted in this study to enhance the geotechnical properties of fine-grained soils.
Design thickness catalogues were developed for a three-layered flexible pavement using 3D finite element analysis (FEA) and layered elastic analysis. The catalogue aims to provide structurally reliable thickness values for stabilized soils possessing varying CBR.
Thickness optimization is achieved by limiting the damage ratio of the mechanisticempirical design. The analyses were performed for the biopolymer-treated fine-grained soils with varying traffic intensities based on mechanistic-empirical design philosophy conforming to IRC: 37-2018. Genetic programming (GP) was employed to obtain equations governing the rutting and fatigue failure in pavements.
Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), average particle size determination, and adsorption studies of the treated soils revealed the mechanism of strength improvement of the fine-grained soils. The savings in cost for a 1 km stretch of the pavement were estimated to be 14.15%
Synthesis and Characterization of Bio based Amphiphilic Molecules
No full textAmong various molecular self-assemblies, low molecular weight gelators (LMWGs), that can form gels in organic solvents/water/oils, have gained much research attention due to their huge potential applications. Generally, gels are soft nanomaterials formed by the self-assembly of amphiphilic molecules into a three-dimensional fibrous network entrapping the solvent.
As these gels are formed by self-assembly via non-covalent interactions they are reversible and differ from macromolecular gels. To synthesize LMWGs, biomolecules such as fats, oils, fatty acids, lignocelluloses, sugars, amino acids, and peptides are commonly used as their inherent property favors self-assembly. In the current scenario, interest in synthesizing bio-based gelators has risen owing to their intrinsic characteristics like biodegradability, non-toxicity, and bio-compatibility that brand their suitability for applications such as food, pharmaceuticals, sensors, cosmetics, and drug delivery systems.
Additionally, the increasing environmental concern, the enormous usage of petroleum-based feedstocks, and their ensuing demand paved the way for the use of bio-based raw materials. In this context, it is planned to synthesize bio-based LMWGs using phenolic lipids, fatty acids, and sugars as starting material and to explore their self-assembly behavior in this work.
In Chapter 1, the significance of bio-based materials, and the concept of self-assembly were briefly discussed by citing examples of natural self-assembly. After providing the literature evidence for the synthesis of amphiphiles and utilization of their self-assembling characteristics in fabricating functional materials of nanostructures, the scope and objective of the thesis work were discussed.
In Chapter 2, N-acyl amides were synthesized from renewable building blocks using a simple synthetic protocol and studied their self-assembly behavior. It is observed that compounds 2.6a and 2.7a formed a hydrogel, organogel and oleogel. Their morphology was identified using microscopic techniques like the optical microscope, SEM, and using rheological analysis, the viscoelastic properties, thermoresponsive and thixotropic behavior are evaluated. Further, the composite gel prepared by encapsulating curcumin in the hydrogel from 2.7a is shown to act as a drug carrier by using its pH stimuli-responsiveness.
In Chapter 3, the fluorescent bio-based amphiphiles were synthesized using methyl ricinoleate, investigated their molecular self-assembly, gel morphology, and probed the viscoelastic properties. Further, the sensing character was measured by using the xerogel decorated electrode and identified its ability to sense 250 ppm of 1-butanol, acetone, ethanol, formaldehyde, isopropanol, methanol, and trimethylamine with a selective response towards methanol
In Chapters 4 and 5, acetal-based gelators were synthesized using sorbitol and examined their gelation tendency, morphology, and the rheological properties of the self-assembled structure. Further, the dye adsorption and desorption characteristics of the hybrid hydrogel were investigated and shown the possibility of using them to develop a mini-column gel-filter bed, gel-coated cotton ball, capable of adsorbing dyes such as methylene blue, crystal violet, rhodamine B and Congo red rapidly and efficiently
Detection of endocrine-disrupting chemicals in personal care products using a Polyhedral Oligomeric Silsesquioxane-based hybrid material
No full textPersonal care products (cosmetics) are a diverse group of goods, that includes all the essential routines including the personal hygiene products used in our day-to-day life. It contains a variety of ingredients in its formulation, including preservatives, flavor, UV filters, and other additives. Few of the chemicals utilized are found to impair human health and have serious environmental impacts. The major chemicals include parabens, triclosan, oxybenzone, phthalates, heavy metals, fragrances, etc, Though the Scientific Committee on Consumer Safety (SCCS) has set the usage limits for the chemicals used, exposure to these chemicals from multiple products may exceed the exposure limit. These chemicals are found to act either as endocrine disruptors or endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDC) because they have the tendency to impair the functions of the endocrine system.
The general health impacts arising from this chemical exposure include endocrine disruption, cancer, and developmental and reproductive toxicity. Apart from human health, it causes numerous environmental issues viz., water bodies and groundwater contamination, coral bleaching, and reproductive and developmental toxicity in aquatic species after the wash-off. Immense awareness has been aroused among the public regarding the health and environmental impacts of chemical usage in personal care products which leads to an increased preference for organic (chemical-free) cosmetic products. However, there is a huge lacuna for the evident testing tool in order to evaluate the formulated product. Only a very few works have been reported for EDC detection in chemical-containing (cross-verification of usage limit: quantification), organic (qualitative and quantitative) cosmetic products as a part of QA/QC and water contamination testing.
The ex-situ techniques are generally performed in laboratory environments with low detection limits, high time consumption, and trained personnel requirements for instrumental operation with tedious sample preparation and extraction techniques. This led to the development of a simple in-situ technique to quantify the harmful ingredients known as electrochemical methods, which is considered superior owing to their effortless sample preparation, minimal analysis duration, ease of operation with ideal selectivity, sensitivity, and detection limits.
A clear indication that relatively low research has been carried out , despite the higher exposure to humans and release in water bodies owing to the higher usage of personal care products as a part of the mandatory routine. Based on these reasons and extensive literature surveys, this work has been proposed in such a way that an electrochemical nanosensor was developed for the detection of three predominant chemicals present in personal care products which include paraben, triclosan (TCL) and oxybenzone derivative- 2-hydroxy benzophenone (2-HBP). The preliminary studies were carried out to test the paraben sensing efficiency by utilizing the conducting mesoporous carbon-based material. A reduced electrochemical sensing efficiency was noticed. Meanwhile, our group opted for a different functionalized hybrid class of silica-based material- polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxane (POSS), which is a completely condensed caged structure with octa arms.
POSS, owing to its hybrid nature showed outstanding properties covering various applications, but with limited exploration in the sensing applications. Hence, three common functionalizations (-OH, -SH, and -vinyl) were tested for driving the electrochemical reaction- paraben and their derivatives followed by optimization. After optimization, it has been used as a lead active material for the formation of composite with the conducting matrix (Carbon allotropes). The optimized material-derived composite has been successfully utilized as the chemical modifier (nano-interfacing element) for detection of the aforementioned EDCs- Paraben, 2-HBP, and TCL using the bulk set-up. Also, the real sample analysis was carried out in spiked water samples, commercially available cosmetic products, and organic products followed by cross-validation with the HPLC-UV technique. Finally, the developed composite-based material has been used for the ink formulation. Then, the electrochemical sensing efficiency of the three EDCs was also tested by casting the formulated ink over the commercially purchased screen-printed electrodes (SPE). We have also successfully fabricated a 3D-printed immobilization device for holding the chemically modified SPEs in order to get rid of noise and to create a well for holding electrolytes
Unleashing Hegemonic Horizons in Kavita Kane’s Cultural Literary Landscape
No full textMythology cannot be defined as a set of stories but these stories culturally bind, and make people understand their tradition. It also serves as a conduit of worldview and makes people realise their position in the cosmos. Mythopoeia is the art of myth-making that either a new myth is created or some alterations are made in the point of view or identity of the characters after adapting the framework from the original. The present research aims to explore the presence of cultural hegemony in the select works of the Indian mythopoeic writer Kavita Kane.
Kavita Kane (1966) is a former journalist and writer who aims to write adaptive mythopoeic fiction by making the characters in the periphery as protagonists. She has written eight novels so far, out of which five were selected for study. The selected novels are Karna’s Wife: The Outcast’s Queen (2013), The Fisher Queen’s Dynasty (2017), Lanka’s Princess (2017), Ahalya’s Awakening (2019) and Sarasvati’s Gift (2021). All these novels are written from the perspective of female characters that are silent and are left in the periphery.
An elaborate Literature survey highlights the previous research in the works of Kane which include research articles and theses analysing feminism, hermeneutics, psychoanalytic and narrative styles. Previous research demonstrates that nothing much is discussed using mythopoeic theories and hence, there is a need to analyse the selected works through hegemonic lens by applying Gramsci\u27s (1891— 1937) theory. as well as to explore Socio-Religious hegemony and subversion using the theories of Judith Butler (1956–present), Homi K Bhabha (1949 — present), and Ian Hacking (1936 - 2023).
The objective of the study is to explore Cultural hegemony, a concept that is usually explored in the postcolonial and political fiction in the selected mythopoeic novels of Kavita Kane. The study appreciates Kane’s fictional endeavour in penning mythopoeic novels as an attempt to cultural survival. The writer has ontologically reconstructed the identities of the silent women characters in the original mythology and thereby transformed the fiction into counterhegemonic narratives.
The thesis is built on the frameworks designed by the researcher applying the theoretical concepts of Antonio Gramsci, Homi. K. Bhabha, Judith Butler and Ian Hacking. This framework is a triangulation in which the apex of the triangle represents cultural hegemony and then it bifurcates into two vertices representing Socio-Religious hegemony and Patriarchal hegemony respectively. The base of the triangle represents social construction of identity. The midpoint in the baseline is directly connected to the apex leading to the question of the chickenegg paradox phenomenon of hegemony leading to identity creation or identity creation leading to hegemony
Design and Development of Deep Eutectic Solvent assisted Pressurized Liquid Extraction of Nutraceuticals
No full textOver recent decades, the usage of nutraceuticals has been exponentially increasing as alternates to pharmaceutical drugs. However, extraction of these therapeutically significant compounds from their corresponding sources requires the use of volatile organic solvents like hexane, ethanol and chloroform which increases the global warming potential. This problem has been overcome in recent decades by the use of supercritical carbon dioxide (SCO2) as the extraction solvent. Since SCO2 is non-polar in nature, the extraction of polar compounds with better efficiency is questionable.
On the other hand, modernization in solvent engineering has created generations of green solvents like ionic liquids (ILs), deep eutectic solvents (DESs) and supramolecular solvents (SMSs) which are non-toxic, renewable, biodegradable and non-volatile in nature. Beyond being green in nature, deep eutectic solvents can be tailor-made based on the requirement and application. Thus, these two platforms, pressure liquid extraction using CO2 and deep eutectic solvents have been merged in this investigation.
The first phase of the work includes preparing five types of DESs (Ampiphilic, Protic, Natural, Surfactant based, Aminoacid based) with six individual mixtures in each type. Then it determined the density viscosity and conductivity of these DES. Further, the thermophysical properties of these DES were also measured (Cohesive energy density and Excess molar volume). It was observed that Protic, Ampiphilic and Aminoacid DES perform better on all the above aspects guaranteeing facile application in solid liquid extraction systems.
The second phase of work involves the measurement of carbon dioxide (CO2) solubility in these DES. As CO2 is the major extraction solvent, its solubility in DES is critical. Upon investigation, it was found that acid gas solubility is higher in amino acid-based DES than in other types investigated. Further, the selectivity of these amino acid-based eutectics towards three specific nutraceuticals (Rutin, Quercetin and Lutein) was measured. It was observed that A:DA (Alanine and Decanoic acid) acts selectively to Rutin, L:DA (Lysine and Decanoic Acid) acts selectively to quercetin and L:DOA (Lysine and Dodecanoic acid) acts selective to lutein.
Subsequently, to validate the process, the plant biomass rich in these corresponding nutraceuticals (Bael shell for rutin, peanut husk for quercetin and Dunaliella salina for lutein) were chosen for DES-assisted pressure liquid extraction with CO2 in an in-house fabricated extraction system. Finally, response surface methodology-based optimization is carried out to determine optimal extraction conditions which aids in a facile scale-up of the process.
The third phase consists of the validation of the DES-assisted PLE process. Initially, the kinetic data obtained for extraction of the three different nutraceuticals were fitted in a suitable second-order model equation. Further, mass transfer coefficienct (resistance on mass transfer) and thermodynamics of the system were determined. It was observed that the introduction of DES has reduced mass transfer coefficient increasing the spontaneity of the endothermic extraction process.
Finally, the surface morphology and particle texture of the biomass were analyzed by SEM and BET, respectively and it was found the extraction process has introduced uneven cracks on the surface of biomass and the pore volume has increased with the occurrence of micropores in the substrate.
It could be learned from this investigation that DES-assisted PLE has a significant effect on the extraction process and has tuned DES-CO2 mixture in to a tailor made solvent system which can be modified according to the physical properties of the target nutraceutical. Further, the developed optimal conditions can be scaled up further to establish industrially effective nutraceutical fractionation process in pressure liquid extraction system