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Mind-Set In Mathematics Learning : Role of Teacher-Student Interaction on Student Engagement, Wellbeing and Achievemrent
Mathematics learning is an integral part of the school curriculum. Children learn basic concepts in mathematics and then gradually reach the abstract level. Challenges in mathematics learning are largely observed after grade seven. Students may show disinterest towards the subject due to several reasons including past learning experiences, teacher-student interaction (TSI), anxiety and self-efficacy levels. If the students cannot connect what they learn, it impacts their interaction in the classroom, and it acts as a reason for losing interest. The literature review reveals the importance of mathematics anxiety, self-efficacy, and utility value and contribute to the construct of mind-set. Student engagement is influenced by mind-set in mathematics learning and TSI, and predicts achievement and wellbeing. The study adopts a mixed-method design with the qualitative study aiming to support the quantitative study and strengthen the validity of the results. The quantitative study sample consists of 774 eighth graders from various English medium schools in Bengaluru, Karnataka. The qualitative phase seeks to determine the students' perception of mathematics learning through their classroom experiences among 17 students using semi-structured interviews. The tested conceptual model shows an excellent fit. It shows mind-set in mathematics affects TSI, influences student engagement and leads to student-wellbeing. There was no indirect effect for the achievement and other variables. The findings related to the open-ended questions indicate the importance of teachers and content. There is a lack of understanding among students about the practical application of the learning content. The thematic analysis results provided five main themes: student attributes, teacher attributes, classroom environment, content-related and utility value. Integration of the findings leads to the importance of TSI and student engagement in the mathematics classroom. Also, the connection between variables related to mathematics learning and student wellbeing. The results of the study have important implications for developing engaging pedagogies. -
An Investigation of Multifractality and Herd Behaviour in Indian Capital Market During Macro-Political Events : An Empirical Evidence Through Econophysics Approach
The financial markets worldwide exhibit several complex and dynamic features in them. Among them, Multifractality is one of the most significant features of complex systems, and it has been identified and examined in the financial markets in recent years. Besides, studies in the past confirm that there exists a linkage between multifractality and herding behaviour in financial markets during extreme events. The current study attempts to investigate the presence of Multifractality caused by herding behaviour in the segments of the Indian capital market during the macro-political events. For this, the macro- political events were classified into three broad categories pre-scheduled events, intensified geopolitical events and uncertain macro-political events. Further, two major segments of the Indian capital market, namely, the equity and the Forex segment, were examined. The study employed the Multifractal Detrended Fluctuation Analysis approach to examine the Multifractality caused by herding behaviour during macro-political events. In addition, the study also measured the volatility surface and quantified the information uncertainty present in the selected segments of the Indian capital market. The findings suggest that the macro-political events impact the multifractality and herding behaviour in the examined segments of the Indian capital market. However, the degree of the multifractality caused by the herding behaviour traced in the market segments is event-specific. It differs based on the type of macro-political event. The overall analysis suggests that the pre-scheduled macro-political event's impact was higher for both equity and forex segments of the Indian capital market. Further, a high degree of multifractality caused by herding behaviour was traced in the Nifty segments during the intensified geopolitical events. On the other hand, uncertain macro-political events had no impact on the multifractality caused by the herding behaviour in equity and forex segments. The study results provide some significant implications for various market participants for investment decision-making and portfolio risk diversification during the macro-political events in India. -
Investigation on Mechanical and Durability Properties of Geopolymer Concrete with Ground Granulated Blast Furnace Slag Incorporating Sugarcane Bagasse Ash
This study deals with strength, durability, elevated temperature behaviour, cost, energy and carbon efficiency of sustainable GPC developed with GGBS and SCBA. Sodium hydroxide (NaOH) of 8M, 10M, and 12M and sodium silicate (Na2SiO3) were used as alkaline activators with sodium silicate to sodium hydroxide ratio being 2.5. Fifteen different binary blend GPC mixtures were prepared by varying SCBA content (0%, 5%, 10%, 15% and 20% by mass of precursor) and also by varying molarity of NaOH by 8M, 10M and 12M. The developed GPC's fresh, hardened, microstructural, and correlation characteristics have all been assessed. Various tests such as the slump cone test, Cs, Sts, Fs, and UPV test were conducted. SEM, Edax, and XRD analysis were examined for understanding the microstructural characteristics. For a target strength of 40 MPa, the GPC produced with 20% SCBA and 80% GGBS with an 8M NaOH solution and an SS/SH ratio of 2.5 can be utilized. The reason for the development of higher strength in higher molarity of GGBS-SCBA based GPC specimens is clearly shown by SEM micrographs, which indicate a dense and packed matrix. The presence of CASH gel confirmed this in the GP matrix. Durability studies such as rapid chloride permeability, sorptivity and early and long-term effect of sulphate attack were conducted on GGBS-SCBA based GPC. Also elevated temperature behaviour of GPC specimen subjected to different temperatures of 200?C, 400?C, 600?C and 800?C were studied to evaluate the strength, mass loss and effect on microstructures due to elevated temperature. The degradation of geopolymer concrete at different elevated temperatures was observed by SEM, Edax, XRD and FTIR. From the test findings it is noticed that the GPC developed have good durability characteristics. It is also noticed that geopolymer concrete retains more than 50% of strength up to a temperature of 600 ?C. From scanning electron microscope analysis of GPC developed with GGBS and SCBA, it is found that there are larger crack formations and pores which are visible in the geopolymer concrete matrix when the specimens are exposed to an elevated temperature of 800?C which confirms the degradation of C-A-S-H gel in the GPC mixtures developed. Additionally, incorporation of sugarcane bagasse ash in GPC will reduce disposal problems and also carbon dioxide emission. -
Study of triple diffusive convection in non newtonian liquids
This thesis presents the study of triple diffusive convection in two nonNewtonian liquids couple stress liquid and viscoelastic liquid of type Oldroyd-B in the presence of external constraints like rotation, gravity modulation and temperature modulation. Linear stability analysis provides the stability condition of stationary and oscillatory convection and the resultant eigen function describes the newlineconvective flow. However, linear analysis can neither help to examine the rate newlineof heat and mass transfer nor provides information on the convection newlineamplitudes. Therefore, it is also important to do nonlinear analysis. In view of newlinethis, all the problems considered in this thesis are studied for both linear and newlinenonlinear cases. The eigen value arising in the linear case for the problems newlinewithout modulation is solved by normal mode technique whereas for the problems with modulation is solved by perturbation method by adopting Venezian approach. The nonlinear study is done by using Ginzburg Landau newlinemodel for the problems with couple stress liquid whereas the nonlinear study is done by truncated representation of Fourier series by Lorenz model for the problems with viscoelastic Oldroyd-B liquid. The present study has wide range of applications in material processing, solidification of alloys, underground spreading of chemical pollutants, petroleum reservoirs, cooling of electronic devices, thermal insulation newlinematerial, crystal growth, transport of chemical substances, solar receivers, newlineinjection moulding, chemical industries, nuclear industries, bioengineering, newlineoceanography, meteorology, astrophysics, geophysics and so on. The extensive description of wide-ranging applications of triple diffusive convection in non-Newtonian liquids is accountable for the motivation of this thesis. The following four problems are carried out in this thesis: (i) EFFECT OF ROTATION ON TRIPLE DIFFUSIVE CONVECTION IN COUPLE STRESS LIQUID The effect of rotation on triple diffusive convection in couple newlinestress liquid is considered. -
Electrochemical Synthesis of Carbocyclic and Heterocyclic Motifs
Programmability has left its mark on every facet of business, with technology playing newlinean integral role. Social networking industry trends underscore technology s ubiquity in newlinenearly every business transaction. Traditional networks grapple with numerous challenges, rendering them ill-equipped to process and handle the demands of the modern newlinelandscape effectively. The lack of programming in these networks leads to stagnation, newlineinhibiting their ability to evolve or enhance performance. The advent of Software Defined Networks (SDN) has introduced increased flexibility into conventional networks, newlineopening avenues for creating innovative services. newlineSDN technology addresses challenges in large-scale networks, offering solutions for newlinehigh throughput, virtualization, fault detection, and load balancing, providing effective network management. The rapid expansion of network services and applications newlinein SDN environments demands sophisticated load-balancing solutions that adapt to newlinedynamic traffic patterns and varying service requirements. This study presents a pioneering algorithm, the Dynamic Load Balancing Algorithm (DLBA), which utilizes the newlineProgramming Protocol-independent Packet Processors (P4) language. The algorithm is newlinespecifically crafted to tackle the issues associated with optimizing traffic distribution in newlinethe data plane of SDN. newlineP4 programming language, recognized as one of the most robust languages, addresses newlinethe limitations of traditional networking, enhancing programmability and agility by newlinedistributing the load across the network. The research implements a novel quotDynamic newlineLoad Balancing Algorithmquot using the P4 language to instill dynamism and achieve load newlinebalance in large-scale networks. The P4-based implementation showcases dynamicity, scalability, flexibility, and adaptability. This research commences with thoroughly newlineexamining existing load-balancing algorithms implemented using the P4 language, followed by a comparative analysis between these algorithms and DLBA. -
Design and Development of Dual Fuzzy Technique to Optimize Job Scheduling and Execution Time in Cloud Environment
Cloud computing is a type of computing that relies on sharing a pool of computing resources, rather than deploying local or personal hardware and software. It enables convenient, on-demand network access to a shared pool of configurable computing re- sources (e.g., applications, storage, networks, services, and servers) that can be swiftly provisioned and released with minimal management control or through the interaction of the cloud service provider. The increasing demand for computing resources in the cloud has made elasticity an important issue in the cloud. The availability of extending the resources pool for the user provides an effective alternative to deploying applications with high scalability and processing requirements. Providing a satisfactory Quality of Service (QoS) is an important objective in cloud data centers. The QoS is measured in terms of response time, job completion time and reliability. If the user jobs cannot be executed in high load and the job is crashed, it will enormously increase the response time and also push up the job completion time. Also due to load, the jobs may be still in the waiting queue and could not find a resource to execute. In such a situation, the user notices a big response delay and it will affect the QoS. Towards ensuring QoS, this research proposes the following solution - Dual Fuzzy Load Balancing for jobs. Dual Fuzzy Load Balancing balances the load in the data center with an overall goal of reduction of response and execution time for tasks. The proposed solutions were simulated in the Cloudsim simulator and performance metrics in terms of job response time, job completion time, resource utilization, a number of SLA violations, and along with the cost comparison to the existing algorithms of Load Balancing. The proposed solutions are also implemented in a real cloud environment and the effectiveness of the solution is evaluated. -
Linear and Nonlinear Convection in Magnetic Fluids
The thesis deals with linear and nonlinear Rayleigh-Bard ferroconvection in a horizontal porous layer. Modified Darcy law is used to describe the fluid motion. The effect of chemical reaction, temperature newlinemodulation, gravity modulation and finite amplitudes on the onset of Darcy ferrroconvection is considered. The findings of the problems addressed in the thesis may come in handy for heat transfer application newlinesituations with ferromagnetic fluids as working medium. The summary of the problems investigated in the thesis is given below.Effect of chemical reaction on the onset of ferroconvection in a porous medium The problem of the effect of chemical reaction on the onset of Darcy newlineferrroconvection in a horizontal porous layer heated from below is investigated by means of the classical linear stability analysis. It is assumed that the fluid undergoes a zero-order exothermic chemical reaction and that there exists a local thermal equilibrium between the fluid and the solid phases. It is proved that stationary convection is preferred to the oscillatory mode. The Galerkin method is employed to determine the eigenvalues.The effect of Frank-Kamenetskii number and magnetic parameters on the stability of the system is discussed. It is newlinefound that the basic temperature profile turns out to be more and more nonlinear and asymmetric as the Frank-Kamenetskii number increases and that the effect of both chemical reaction and magnetic forces is to newlinehasten the onset of Darcy ferrroconvection. Further, it is shown that when there is very strong nonlinearity of magnetization, the fluid layer is destabilized slightly. Effect of temperature modulation on the onset of ferroconvection in a porous medium The effect of temperature modulation on the onset of Darcy ferroconvection in a horizontal porous layer heated from below is considered. The analysis is based on the assumption that the amplitude of the temperature modulation is small enough compared with the imposed newlinesteady temperature difference. -
The impact of holistic education on value preference social comperence and leadership skills of engineering students
Students usually begin their academic journey in college or university during the late adolescence (17-20 years). In this dynamic period of lifespan, they are highly vulnerable to the limitations in personality development related issues of gender, self-esteem, competition, and cultural membership which may result in many challenges in life. Viewing positively, students at this age could be trained for integral growth holistically. Holistic education involves the complete and solid formation of every aspect of a student s personality. Its goal is to nurture individuals to be intellectually competent, spiritually mature, morally upright, psychologically integrated, physically healthy and socially acceptable (CMI Vision, 1991). Hence, the focus is to enable an individual to go beyond the acquisition, generation and application of knowledge but to transcend to higher realms of self-development, social integration and contribution. Thus, Holistic Education makes an attempt to take one through various aspects of personal, interpersonal and social dimensions of human life, and finally, helps individuals to understand the reality of life to live fully as human beings. This study was embarked to assess the impact of Holistic Education on the value preference, social competence, and leadership skills of engineering students. newlineThe research design was single group pre-test, post-test and delayed post-test experimental design. The researcher developed and standardised the Holistic Education curriculum with the support of the relevant literature and the subject experts. A pilot study was conducted on first year engineering students to get hands-on experience of the programme and to assess the impact of the facilitative tool. For the present intervention, 55 students from the first-year engineering class of a university in Bengaluru were selected using stratified random sampling method. -
Integrated intelligent framework for e-learning
E-learning is the primary method of learning for most learners after regular academics studies. Knowledge delivery through e-learning technologies increased exponentially over the years because of the advancement in internet and e-learning technologies. Knowledge delivery to some people would never have been possible without the e-learning technologies. Most of the working professionals do focused studies for carrier advancement, promotion, or for improving domain knowledge. These learners can find many E-learning is the primary method of learning for most learners after regular academics studies. Knowledge delivery through e-learning technologies increased exponentially over the years because of the advancement in internet and e-learning technologies. Knowledge delivery to some people would never have been possible without the e-learning technologies. Most of the working professionals do focused studies for carrier advancement, promotion, or for improving domain knowledge. These learners can find many free e-learning web sites from the internet easily in the domain of interest. However, it is quite difficult to find the best e-learning content suitable for their learning based on their domain knowledge level. Users spent most of the time figuring out the right content from a plethora of available content and end up learning nothing. A framework using machine learning algorithms with Random Forest Classifier is proposed to address the issue, which classifies the e-learning content based on its difficulty levels and provides the learner the best content suitable based on the knowledge level. The framework is trained with the data set collected from multiple popular e-learning web sites. The model is tested with real-time e-learning web site links and found that the e-contents in the web sites are recommended to the user based on its difficult levels as beginner level, intermediate level, and advanced level. -
Actulization of the educational vision of kuriakose elias chavara through providing higher educational of facilities in the formation of human capital in CMI and CMC higher education institutions
Kuriakose Elias Chavara, the great educational visionary of the 19th newlinecentury, had opened a new path in the education field of our nation through his newlinevaluable contributions. He has soared high in the caste-ridden society and took the initial step in the field of education by starting schools with the aim of educating all irrespective of caste or creed. Understanding that education is the best tool to transform the society, he promoted the poor and the marginalized to attend school and made the high caste and the lower caste sit in the same room and on the same bench. Kuriakose Elias Chavara comprehended the immense newlineneed for education, and his work has performed a distinct function in the newlineformation of a contemporary nation. To realize his vision, he established two newlineindigenous congregations named Carmelites of Mary Immaculate (CMI) for men and Congregation of the Mother of Carmel (CMC) for women. Being inspired by the vision of the founder, these two Congregations started many schools and colleges all over India. The current study throws light on the Actualization of the Educational Vision of Kuriakose Elias Chavara in relation to Higher Educational Facilities and Formation of Human Capital as independent variables. A newlineconvergent parallel mix method study was employed with a sample consisting of 190 religious faculty members of CMI and CMC higher education institutions from different parts of India. The findings of the study reveal a close positive correlation of actualization of the educational vision of Chavara with the independent variables. Educational facilities are seen to be essential in the development of quality education. Formation of Human Capital acts as significant predictor in the vision actualization. The study is based on the higher education system and religious faculty members in CMI and CMC. It is also expected that providing educational facilities and Formation of Human Capital are the newlinecombination of the vision actualization in the education field. -
Effect of social performance on sustainability of microfinance institutions
Microfinance is one of the sustainable business models with a double bottom line of financial and social relevance in the turf of development. Microfinance was recognized as a development tool that enhanced income and the standard of living of the marginalized through a sustainable business model. newlineThe concept of social performance,financial performance in microfinance institutions, and the trend of commercialization resulted in understanding the effect of social performance on the sustainability of microfinance institutions. newlineThe effect of social performance on the sustainability of microfinance institutions was quantified using CERISE (Committee of Exchanges of Reflection and Information on Systems of Savings Credit) and Social Performance Indicator (SPI) tool. Financial performance of the microfinance institutions were analyzed from 6 years audited financials of the microfinance institutions (Financial years 2009 2010 to 2014 2015),and various ratios were calculated from the audited financials and gathered information. newlineRBI-NBFC-MFIs directions resulted in reductions in the portfolio yield, portfolio risk, personal expenses, administration and other expenses. Portfolio yield was 31.12% in the financial year 2010 2011, which reduced to 22.45% in the financial year 2013 2014. Portfolio risk was 2.11% in the financial year 2010 2011, which reduced to 0.24% in the financial year 2014 2015. Personal expense was 10.46% in the financial year 2010 2011, which reduced to 5.46% in the financial year 2014 2015. Administration and other expense was 2.95 in the year 2014 15. Even though there was reduction in the portfolio yield, after implementing RBI-NBFC-MFI directions all the NBFC-MFIs of the study were sustainable. newlineThe scores of social performance of NBFC-MFIs depict that NBFC-MFIs adopted social performance initiatives in the business operations and that there are areas for improvement. -
Vanet Framework for Optimal Target Selection in Handoff using machine Learning
The impact of mobile networking has been far-reaching and has transformed many technologies for the better. Among the more pioneering technologies of recent times, autonomous vehicles (AV) are being touted as the future of transportation. AVs are featured prominently due to their ability to provide services across the implementations concerning smart-city applications. Since the newlinenodes (AV) involved are highly mobile, it is important to keep the device connected and adapt the dynamic topology change. The network should be capable of switching AV between access points (AP s) dynamic and must take place without much delay. Handoff is the process where a node switches between APs depending on the changes in the network topology. Various studies have claims that the use of Machine Learning or Deep Learning improves the efficiency of decision making in mobile networks. In this research work a dynamic handoff framework, inspired by the traditional Indian game of Kho-Kho is proposed. It selects the most optimal AP for newlinecommunication in a mobile environment. Initially the nodes within an AP are newlinecategorized as sticking and steering nodes. Identifying the nodes list for executing newlinethe Kho-Kho based handoff for the steering nodes. The framework makes use of Artificial Neural Networks (ANN) to perform the operation of handoff and selects the most optimal AP once the handoff trigger occurs. ANN is designed for multiple parameters, including signal strength, noise, and direction to make its decisions regarding handoff. The proposed Kho-Kho model has been newlineimplemented and analyzed using the NS3 simulator. Simulation results have indicated a higher performance of the proposed Kho-Kho approach when compared to the existing standard implemented for vehicular ad hoc newlinecommunications in IEEE -
Rayleigh bernard convection in couple stress fluid with maxwell cattaneo law
The onset of thermal instability in horizontal layers of fluid heated from below illustrates many physical and mathematical features of the general theory of hydrodynamic stability. The effect of non-Fourier heat transfer in couple stress in a Rayleigh Benard configuration is analyzed theoretically in this thesis. Broad range of applications of couple stress fluid and the need for its characterization at a relatively small scale of time and length act as a motivation for the study of buoyancy driven convection in such fluids under the influence of magnetic field and under various modulations such as temperature, gravity, rotation and magnetic field by employing Maxwell Cattaneo law. newlineLinear and non linear magneto convection in couple stress fluid with Maxwell Cattaneo law newlineThe interesting facets brought about by the interactions between convection and magnetic fields in a Rayleigh Benard configuration for free free boundaries are analyzed in this chapter. Linear and weakly non linear stability analysis are carried out to study the system. It is proved that the oscillatory mode is not the preferred mode of instability. The couple stresses in the fluid and magnetic field are found to enhance the stability of the system whereas non-Fourier effects destabilized the system. newlineEffect of temperature modulation on the onset of Rayleigh Benard convection in a couple stress fluid with Maxwell Cattaneo law newlineThe effect of externally imposed time-periodic boundary temperature on the setting in of convection is examined using linear stability analysis. The Venezian approach is applied to deduce the critical Rayleigh number and critical wave number. The stability of the system is characterized by a correction Rayleigh number and is obtained as a function of the Cattaneo number couple stress parameter Prandtl number and the frequency of modulation. The study analyzes three types of temperature modulations viz. in phase, out of phase and only lower wall modulation. -
Influence of Perceived autonomy SUpport and Personality Traits on Accountability of Higher Secondary School Teachers
The term Accountability, has its origin in ethics. It deals with proper behaviour, newlinebeing responsible for one s actions towards other people and agencies. It has synonyms such as transparency, liability, answerability, and expectations of account newlinegiving (Levitt et al., 2008). Every teacher must respect each student, despite of their newlinebackground, race, gender and provide ample support to achieve excellence. The teacher must teach with highest standards without bias, teacher s primary concern must be students academic excellence, and finally teacher is expected to keep up the highest level of professionalism by being respectful to parents, colleagues, and students (College, 2011). Perceived autonomy support refers to the belief of teachers that administrators or principals consider them as competent, to have freedom of choice and the experience of belongingness and supporting environment. Perceived Autonomy Support has its root in Self-determination theory founded on three core psychological needs such as competence, autonomy, and relatedness (Deci et al.,1985). Personality trait refers to a combination of characteristics that are innate as well as characteristics that are developed due to specific life experiences. John et al., (2010) have summarized all the human personality traits under the umbrella term, the Big Five (openness, conscientiousness, extroversion, neuroticism, and agreeableness). This study examines the relationship among the three major variables such as Accountability of Teachers, Perceived Autonomy Support and Personality Traits. newlineFurther it explores whether Perceived Autonomy Support and Personality Traits have newlineany significant impact on Accountability of Higher Secondary School Teachers. Thirdly it identifies significance of Accountability, Perceived Autonomy Support and Personality Traits and its components across Type of schools, Gender, Age, Marital Status, Teaching Experience, Educational Qualifications and Subjects. -
Role of online visual merchandising and personality attributes on purchase intention of customers in the apparel industry
The visual merchandising sector on the online platform has considerably impacted the sales as online visual merchandising (OVM) strategies have become a relatively new concept. The tremendous growth of electronic retailing has led to the adoption of new visual merchandising concepts which are digital. A web space which is visible and aesthetically not appealing distracts the customers across all the generations, which makes them switch to other websites. Online retailing is a competitive and dynamic area, which is created based on the artificial brick and motor concept. This artificial brick and motor concept has to be created on an online shopping platform in terms of attracting the end consumers. Moreover, to do this there needs to be a trigger, or in other words a stimulus which causes an action which leads to a response (reaction). Based on the past theories by psychologists the stimulus and response is not the only factor that serves as a basis for decision making, there is a third essential and integral dimension, organism. Organism simply means a system consisting of interdependent parts which are interlinked. Therefore, personality attributes considered the organism is said to be vital in attracting prospective customers. Current research aims at analysing such prospects on an equal sample size of 400 newlineeach from generation X, Y, Z who have engaged in the online purchase of apparel. Responses newlinewere obtained equally from male and female respondents based on a web survey. Structural newlineequation modelling (SEM) was used for analyses of data. The study proposes a research framework of Stimulus-Organism-Response(SOR) model. Results of the study suggest different personality characteristics of generations considered as organisms mediate the relationship between online visual merchandising cues and play a vital role in purchase intention. Therefore, it is imperative to distinguish between ages and generations to cater to the needs of generation X, Y and Z segmented as customers. -
Facile Fabrication of Nano carbon Derivatives for Optical and Electro chemical Applications
From synthesis of novel materials to their end-use applications, the prime objective of the material science community is to address the burgeoning social issues across the world. Noxious emissions from fossil fuel combustion, increased incidence of skin cancer, drug misuse, and ever-increasing demand for energy are some of the global concerns that require urgent consideration. This drives a relentless quest for a multifunctional material with broad applicability that can directly and constructively impact the quality of life, environment, and economic progress. However, materials of this kind should embrace versatile characteristics, improved competency, plausibility, and lower cost. In light of this, the current doctoral research emphasizes the development of trailblazing graphene-based materials with manifold usages derived from a naturally abundant carbonaceous fossil fuel coke to discover scientific solutions to the aforesaid trials and tribulations. Fossil fuel coal, mainly used for energy purposes, is often discouraged from industrial and domestic consumption due to its contribution to global warming. Despite the fact that coal is a non-renewable resource and a source of greenhouse gas emissions, it is one of the world's bountiful carbon resources. Therefore, it can be exploited as a potent substitute for conventional graphite, enabling the extraction of value-added graphene derivatives along with the sustainable utilization of coal. However, the purity of the precursor is a vital criterion to guarantee the quality and supply of graphene materials. In this doctoral work, coal-coke with 99% carbon content was used for the production of high-quality oxidized multilayer graphene derivatives by employing an environmentally-benign synthesis technique. The obtained graphene structure exhibited a multi-emissive fluorescence property having emissions ranging from blue to green-yellow. In addition, it also possessed remarkable electrochemical performance, good rate capability, and durability, signifying its expediency in energy storage devices. In an attempt to further enhance the scope of as-synthesized coke-based graphene derivatives, heteroatoms such as nitrogen and phosphorus were introduced into the graphene lattice via substitutional doping. It was perceived that nitrogen doping impressively amended the photophysical properties, especially in terms of quantum yield and fluorescence lifetime. Therefore, the as-synthesized nitrogen-doped multilayer graphene derivative was used as a fluorescent biomarker for imaging melanoma skin cancer cells with the purpose of early detection. Wherein co-doping of nitrogen and phosphorus endorsed excellent electrochemical characteristics and sensing performance, owing to the synergistic effect from heteroatoms and the imparted structural corrugations. Thus, by utilizing the as-synthesized nitrogen, phosphorus co- doped heteroatom derivative, oxytocin, a high-risk abused drug, was electrochemically detected in an nM range and validated the possibility of real-time surveillance over its mishandling in edibles and biological models. The coke-based graphene derivatives were further refashioned to obtain optimum textural and surface chemistry characteristics beneficial for energy storage characteristics. Accordingly, simultaneous heteroatom-doping and activation of graphene derivative were achieved. The obtained sample had a high surface area, hierarchical porous structure, increased defect densities, and co-active heteroatom enriched graphene network, suggesting its potential as an electrode material for supercapacitor applications. It was observed that the as-synthesized simultaneously heteroatom-doped and activated samples demonstrated high capacitance value, appreciable cyclic stability, and lower charge-transfer resistance. Henceforth, such enhanced supercapacitive performance points toward the cradle-to-gate transformation of fossil fuel, i.e., the conversion of sluggish black coal to green energy. -
Identification and standardization of counsellor competencies for master level counsellor education programs in india
Counselling psychology programs in India have been criticized for being poor replicas of newlineconcepts that have originated in western cultures . The lack of Indian models has been quoted as a drawback indicating that trainees are not necessarily competent to provide effective counselling services. The present study aimed at identifying and standardizing competencies for post graduate counsellor training in India based on local needs.The study employed a mixed methods design with four phases. In the first phase, a list of key occupational tasks were drawn up through a systematic review of literature and interviews with three expert practitioners. The second phase was the development of a counsellor competency list which outlined the various competencies required to fulfil the key occupational tasks determined in the previous stage. Seventy one competencies were identified and the list was then given for newlineexpert validation. In the third phase, the competency list was given to 75 practicing newlinecounsellors across India who rated the competencies on a 5-point likert scale, based on its importance for post graduate counsellor trainees. In the final stage the prioritized competencies were analyzed using a concept development approach to identify core competencies required for master level counselling psychology trainees. The resulting core competencies were three foundational competency domains which included ethical practice, personal and professional development and cultural sensitivity. There were also three newlinefunctional competency domains which included the counselling process, the supervision newlineprocess and the promotion of counselling in India. Specific competencies under each domain were also listed along with behavioral indicators for the same. Thus the core competencies that counsellor trainees must develop to provide an effective service were identified and this has implications for training and practice.