University Of Allahabad Research Articles

Enhancing cadmium phytoremediation in contaminated soil using sunflower (Helianthus annuus L.) with EDTA and vermicompost amendments

The study hypothesis posits that EDTA, an effective chelating agent, can effectively mobilize cadmium from soil, augmenting the sunflower's natural ability to absorb and sequester heavy metals. Concurrently, vermicompost, rich in organic matter and beneficial microorganisms, enhances soil health and supports plant growth, thereby fortifying the sunflower's phytoremediative potential. The pot experiment was carried out as an overall completely randomized design (CRD) at the Sheila Dhar Institute (SDI) experimental farm, University of Allahabad, Prayagraj, in the Kharif season during the years 2023-2024. Plants were cultivated in pots with soil (5 kg) that contained varying concentrations of Cd (0, 15, 30, and 50 mg/kg), vermicompost (0 and 10 g/kg), and EDTA (0 and 2.5 mmol/kg). Plants were also cultivated in containers with clean soil (T1) as control treatment. For analyzed heavy metal (Cd) in plants with a tri-acid mixture (15 ml) containing concentrations of HNO3, H2SO4, and HClO4 in 5:1:2 ratios, use the Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometer (AAS). The result showed that the combined Treatment (T3) pot of application of Cd 0+ EDTA (2.5 mmol/kg) and vermicompost (10 g/kg) was the maximum dry biomass (14.43 g/pot) of the sunflower plant. While the maximum dose combined treatment (T12) application of Cd 50 mg/kg+ EDTA 2.5 mmol/kg and vermicompost 10 g/kg is greater than before, the maximum accumulation of Cd in the shoot and root of Helianthus annuus L. by shoot 37.16% and root 31.16%, respectively as compared to the control treatment pot Cd-50. The results indicate that the combined application of EDTA and vermicompost significantly increased cadmium uptake by sunflowers compared to untreated controls, demonstrating their synergistic effect in improving phytoremediation efficiency.

“Whose Union?” Federalism, Funding, and the Ideal Citizen-Student in Indian University Education (1950–1960)

ABSTRACT Through an analysis of Allahabad University’s functioning, this article argues that independent India’s ideas of federalism reimagined university education. New visions of the educated person – linked to ideas about the ideal citizen – changed the kinds of disciplines and universities being funded. With support from industrial elites to buttress the new nation-state’s development plans, the state prioritised technical education over arts and humanities to serve a unified economic policy. This change manifested through increased scrutiny over university functioning and crackdowns on student protests. The Indian postcolonial state’s “centralised” federalism to manage the national economy and promote national integration impacted university funding. Ultimately, decisions about university funding were tied to the state’s vision of the ideal apolitical citizen student, who would contribute to national development. This article highlights the complicated relationship between capital, the postcolonial nation-state, and university autonomy.

Finite element analysis of a 108-year-old unreinforced brick masonry tower following the 2015 Nepal earthquakes

After a visual inspection following the 2015 Nepal earthquakes, a finite element analysis (FEA) was conducted on a 108-year-old unreinforced brick masonry tower. The focus of study was on the brick masonry clock tower standing at a height of 30.48 m on the Senate Hall (SH) building of Allahabad University in India. This tower, which spans five storeys and features a rectangular cross-sectional shape, exhibits substantial cracks and material degradation across its connections and binding points. The process involved creating geometric plans and a 3D finite-element model through visual inspection and implementing ANSYS Workbench. The study utilised the mechanical properties of the aged materials, sourced from various studies encompassing surveys of old monumental structures, codes, and historical records. The clock tower’s behaviour was assessed through static, modal, and site-specific simulated time history analyses. The static analysis results revealed a maximum deflection of 3.76 mm at the top and a maximum equivalent (von-Mises) stress of 1.81 MPa at the joint of the first-floor level. Modal frequencies for the first three modes were determined to understand the tower’s free vibration behaviour. The time history analyses presented the acceleration, velocity, and displacement response under a peak ground acceleration (PGA) of 1.29 m/s2 simulated for the site. The dynamic analysis highlighted stress responses in critical locations, exposing severe cracks and damages across various points.

Remembering Someshwar Nath Bhargava (1937-1983): A great human being and an outstanding plant pathologist / mycologist from Allahabad University, Prayagraj

Remembering Someshwar Nath Bhargava (1937-1983): A great human being and an outstanding plant pathologist / mycologist from Allahabad University, Prayagraj

Meghnad Saha, F.R.S.: the multiple facets of a teacher

Meghnad Saha, the famous scientist, researcher, organiser and institution builder became a D.Sc. at the age of 25 and the 5th Indian Fellow of the Royal Society (F.R.S.) at 34. Having primary education in village schools, he rose to be one of the top scientists India ever produced, establishing two of the foremost science academies of the country. He has been nominated six times for the nobel prize. These are discussed elsewhere elaborately, as also his political career. However, Meghnad was primarily a teacher, starting his initial teaching career during 1916–1923 at Calcutta University; moved to Allahabad University from 1923 to 1938 and again returning back to Calcutta University in 1938. He retired from Calcutta University in 1953. Meghnad Saha’s teaching and in particular, his text books had a global impact. The Text Book on Heat (1931), Treatise on Heat (1931), Treatise on Modern Physics (1934) and Six Lectures on Atomic Physics (1931) were all voluminous books, co-authored by his students (excepting the last one). The revised editions of these books were brought out at regular intervals. This article deals with Saha’s teaching and his text books, which withstood the ravages of time.

An exploration of off-campus private student housing in Praygaraj, India

PurposeBy using exploratory mixed methods, this study aims to present the investigation of the existing situation of private off-campus student accommodation at the University of Allahabad (UoA) in Prayagraj city.Design/methodology/approachThis study explored the geographical variability of student’s private rental housing in Prayagraj city of India through 721 responses from an online semi-structured questionnaire, together with 12 interviews. Moran’s I and LISA were used to determine spatial clustering of rents paid by male and female students.FindingsResults of this study reveal prevalence of unregulated with poor quality of off-campus housing in general and expensive rents in the proximity of UoA.Research limitations/implicationsObtaining less responses from the female students was one of the important limitations.Practical implicationsA win-win strategy might be formulated with a mix of innovative solutions inclusive of public private partnerships and social economy solutions woven with need-based rental housing, rekindled as the affordable rental housing complexes after COVID-19 pandemic.Social implicationsThis study is highly beneficial to improve liveability in the student housing segment.Originality/valueThis paper develops extensive understanding on the potential student housing segment in the Indian cities. Additionally, this paper demonstrates weak coordination between the central government policies, educational administrators and municipal officials.

Science Research in Indian Universities: A Bibliometric Analysis

The paper highlights the research contributions of nine central universities of India, University of Delhi (DU); Aligarh Muslim University (AMU); University of Hyderabad (UoH); University of Allahabad (UoA); Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU); Jamia Milia Islamia (JMI), University of Pondicherry (UoP), Babsaheb Bhimrao Ambedkar University(BBAU) and Banaras Hindu University (BHU), in the field of science in the ten years, 2011-2020, as reflected through SCI, EXPANDED, Web of Science. There were 53617 publications with 796,353 citations, 14.9 citations per publication. The Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi, contributed 23.4% of the total publications. RSC advances was the most popular journal among the researchers. The examination of research contributions of specific nations, institutions with the help of bibliometric tools and techniques should be done periodically; this study is valuable in understanding the research contributions of the nine central universities in India in the science discipline. The study helps in identifying core journals in which the researchers publish. It can also be relevant in formulating a framework based on an input-output research model for releasing grants to institutions; thus, this comparative study on research output is meaningful for fund granting bodies.

INFORMATION SEEKING BEHAVIOUR OF PROFESSORS AND STUDENTS OF ALLAHABAD UNIVERSITY AND ALIGARH MUSLIM UNIVERSITY: A COMPARATIVE STUDY

Information seeking behaviour is defined as a human habit that involves searching for information in a deliberate manner in order to fill a gap. This conduct might be difficult to define at times. As a user, professors and students, university libraries are the first place they look for information. The primary goal of this research is to look at the information requirements and behaviour of students and professors at Allahabad University and Aligarh Muslim University. The data for this study was gathered using a well-structured questionnaire from 50 Professors and 150 pupils. The study focuses on a variety of characteristics of their techniques and behaviour while looking for information, as well as barriers for collecting their requirements, the purpose and frequency of library visits, user satisfaction, and library services.

An empirical study of commerce students (undergraduate and postgraduate) for insurance industry in India

Purpose The purpose of this study is to find out the awareness, attitude and career preference of commerce students (undergraduate (UG) and post-graduate (PG)) for the insurance industry in India. Design/methodology/approach The data were collected from 800 commerce students (400 male students and 400 female students) through a structured questionnaire. The questionnaire had 18 items related to awareness, attitude and career preference for insurance. The reliability of the tool was assessed by Cronbach’s alpha. To establish the relationship between variables, cross-tabulation techniques that involved Chi-square tests were used. The conclusion was drawn based on probability values (p-value) taking the critical as 0.05 (Bivariate). The data was analyzed using SPSS. Findings The results revealed that commerce students-UG and PG were aware of the basics of insurance, irrespective of their gender and family income. The students have a positive attitude toward insurance, but lack awareness regarding career options in the insurance industry. Research limitations/implications This study included only UG and PG commerce students of Allahabad University and its constituent colleges, hence its findings cannot be generalized for the entire country. Practical implications This study can be beneficial to insurance companies in framing their policies as India has a huge young population. There is a need to make the students in higher education aware of the benefits of insurance to cover any unforeseen economic loss and also to make them aware of the career options in the insurance industry. Originality/value The present study bridges the gap between existing studies regarding awareness, attitude and career preference of students with gender and family income. To date, no study has been done to find the awareness and attitude of students toward the insurance industry, neither in terms of their becoming prospective customers nor in terms of career preference.

Experimental and Numerical Investigation of Old Masonry Wall Using a Macro-Modeling Approach

Background: A 3-D finite element model of the internal masonry wall of a 103-year-Old Senate hall, Allahabad University, has been modeled using macro-modeling approaches. The masonry wall is an excellent example of Indo-Saracenic style architecture used by Britishers during the late 19th Century, which is a unification of the Mughal and Colonial architecture. Methods: Non-destructive Test (NDT) has been conducted to estimate is compressive strength and Young’s modulus of the wall. Compressive strength of the brick masonry and stone arch was estimated in the range of 10.5-12.5 MPa and 18.6-21.2 MPa, respectively, whereas Young’s Modulus was estimated in the range of 1800-5000 MPa and 5500-8000 MPa (outlier not considered). Finite Element model was prepared using the macro-modeling approach. Results: The gravity load analysis shows that the wall is stable, and its geometrical configuration is safe with maximum Von-Mises stress of 5.38 MPa and deformation of 2.27 mm. The results of the first six modes are presented. Further, in the absence of a recorded ground motion for the Prayag city, synthetic ground motion is simulated for 25th April 2015 Nepal earthquake (Mw) using a stochastic finite fault model. Conclusion: Evaluated behaviour of the internal masonry wall is shown in the form of acceleration, deformation and stress response.

R. G. Rastogi (1929–2018)

Professor Ram Gopal Rastogi was born in Allahabad on 26 December 1929. He obtained M Sc degree in physics from Allahabad University in 1949 and started his academic career as a lecturer at Sagar University, Sagar, Madhya Pradesh. He was keen to do research in the field of ionosphere and on learning that K. R. Ramanathan was starting ionospheric research at the Physical Research Laboratory (PRL), Ahmedabad, he joined PRL in July 1951 as a research scholar. Rastogi was the first student of Ramanathan to do research on the ionosphere and in fact the first person at PRL to do regular work in that field.

A sixty-year tryst with photosynthesis and related processes: an informal personal perspective.

After briefly describing my early collaborative work at the University of Allahabad, that had laid the foundation of my research life, I present here some of our research on photosynthesis at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, randomly selected from light absorption to NADP+ reduction in plants, algae, and cyanobacteria. These include the fact that (i) both the light reactions I and II are powered by light absorbed by chlorophyll (Chl) a of different spectral forms; (ii) light emission (fluorescence, delayed fluorescence, and thermoluminescence) by plants, algae, and cyanobacteria provides detailed information on these reactions and beyond; (iii) primary photochemistry in both the photosystems I (PS I) and II (PS II) occurs within a few picoseconds; and (iv) most importantly, bicarbonate plays a unique role on the electron acceptor side of PS II, specifically at the two-electron gate of PS II. Currently, the ongoing research around the world is, and should be, directed towards making photosynthesis better able to deal with the global issues (such as increasing population, dwindling resources, and rising temperature) particularly through genetic modification. However, basic research is necessary to continue to provide us with an understanding of the molecular mechanism of the process and to guide us in reaching our goals of increasing food production and other chemicals we need for our lives.

EVALUATION OF ANTIBACTERIAL BEHAVIOUR OF SILVER NANOPARTICLES.

14Mar 2018 EVALUATION OF ANTIBACTERIAL BEHAVIOUR OF SILVER NANOPARTICLES. Mini Mishra and Pratima Chauhan. Centre of Environmental studies, Department of Botany, University of Allahabad, Allahabad, 211002. Department of Physics, University of Allahabad, Allahabad, 211002.

Response of fertilizers and organic manures on growth and yield parameter of different variety of tomato under poplar based agroforestry system

Poplar ( Populus deltoides ) known as a best tree used in alley cropping system for the production of tomato ( Lycopersicon esculentum ) under agroforestry system. The objective of the study was to see the impact of Organic (FYM) and Inorganic fertilizers (UREA, SSP and MOP) on the the growth yield of tomato of a ‘Tomato P.K.M-1’ and ‘Tomato F 1 Ferline’ at the Nursery area of a College of Forestry, Sam Higginbottom University of Agriculture, Technology and Sciences Allahabad, Uttar Pradesh. The experiment was laid out in Randomized Block Design with three replications. Different level of organic and inorganic fertilizers combination was taken F 1 (control), F 2 (100% NPK), F 3 (100%FYM), F 4 (75% NPK + 25% FYM), F 5 (50%NPK + 50% FYM), and F 6 (25%NPK+ 75%FYM) were used for Tomato plants. The highest plant height, the maximum number of branches, number of flowers and fruits/plant as well as the greatest fruit size, fruit yield/plant and fruit yield/ha were obtained best in F 2 (100%NPK) application of the recommended dose of nutrients. The results revealed that significantly the highest plant height higher yield and yield attributing characters were recorded with the application of 100% NPK.

EFFECT OF FLY ASH APPLICATION ON THE CHLOROPHYLL AND PROLINE CONTENT OF COWPEA (VIGNA SINENSIS VAR. KANCHAN) PLANT.

17Jul 2017 EFFECT OF FLY ASH APPLICATION ON THE CHLOROPHYLL AND PROLINE CONTENT OF COWPEA (VIGNA SINENSIS VAR. KANCHAN) PLANT. Pallavi Rai and Harbans Kaur Kehri. Department of Botany, University of Allahabad, Allahabad.

Understanding the Sources of Stress and Coping Ways of Girls Residing in Hostel

The present study aimed at understanding the sources of stress and coping ways of girls dwelling in hostel. Sources of stress may vary in different environmental setting. Hostel’s environment poses different kind of challenges for students. In India only a few girls are sent to hostel for study purpose as their marriage is given more priority than education. Therefore, 12 hostel girls studying in University of Allahabad were approached in order to collect data. Focus Group Discussion (FGD) was conducted with girls. The FGD was audio recorded with the permission of girls and the audio recording of discussion was transcribed line by line. The Hindi transcription of the discussion was translated into English. Thematic analysis was used for interpreting the data. Patterns regarding different sources of stress were identified. Family related stress, career related stress, marriage related stress, gender discrimination, societal pressure, unhygienic environment of the hostel and adjustment problem with the roommate were the major themes derived from the patterns found in discussion. The themes that were derived for coping ways were: avoidance, back bitching, Faith in God, technology involvement, reliving positive moments of life, diary writing, painting, studying, sharing and meditation.

Impact of Pseudomonas putida on the Growth Parameters of Fenugreek (Trigonella foenum- graecum L.): A Traditional Herbal Boon for Rural Areas

The present study aims the impact of Pseudomonas putida on different growth parameters of Trigonella sp., a leguminous plant to support the requirement of food, protein along with their medicinal value in the rural areas of India. A pot experiment was arranged based on completely randomized design with four replications at Biological Product Laboratory, Botany Department, University of Allahabad. Treatments were given at the seed level with one of control. Results indicated that application of P. putida significantly improved vegetative growth and showed an edge on the growth of the fenugreek as compared to the control.

CRITICAL THINKING: IMPERATIVE IN INFORMATION BASED SOCIETY.

25Apr 2017 CRITICAL THINKING: IMPERATIVE IN INFORMATION BASED SOCIETY. Kuldeep Kaur and Pratibha Upadhyay Research Scholar, University of Allahabad. Supervisor and Ex-Head, Department of Education, University of Allahabad.

Use of electronic resources among research scholars and faculty members of university of Allahabad, Uttar Pradesh, India: A survey

ICT has brought the revolutionary changes in the functioning of libraries and information centres. The impact of ICT including WWW and Internet is visible in every walk of life. The libraries are not the exception. Due to electronic publishing, many e-resources in the form of e-journals, e-books and online/off-line databases are being published. The academic libraries especially colleges and universities libraries have been procuring these resources for their libraries. Due to escalation in the cost of learning resources both printed and e-resources and financial problems the academic libraries are facing, the consortia models are being adopted and experimented for the procurement and access to e-resources by the colleges and universities. The first part of paper introduces the eresources, and its procurement under consortia models successfully implemented by INFLIBNET Centre since 2003. Under the UGC-INFONET Programme about 179 university libraries have been given access to e-resources which comprises of e-journals and online databases. The second part of the paper describes the use of e-resources by the research scholars and teachers of Allahabad University. In order to ascertain the usage of the journals by the research scholars and teachers of Allahabad University, the present study has been conceived to find out the use of e-resources which have been given access to the research scholars and teachers in the university campus mainly at Central Library and Departmental Libraries. To what extent the available e-resources are being utilized by the library users and what are their awareness level, usage pattern, preference of the publishers/journals etc. For this study survey method has been used using questionnaire as a data collection tool. This study has been carried out during January, 2015 to June, 2015. This is a preliminary pilot study conducted on smaller sample to ascertain the validity of the questionnaire. The simple random sampling technique has been adopted for the study. The findings of the study reveals that the library users belonging to younger generation have adopted the Internet, online/offline electronic resources or web resources very quickly and at the same time the elderly library users are not comfortable using Internet, social media and e-resources. They rely more on the traditional printed resources. In order to make the optimum use of the e-resources available for the university library users through consortia, extensive and frequent user's awareness programmes needs to be organised by the library in collaboration with INFLIBNET and other agencies.

Obituary: Professor Braj B. Kachru (1932–2016)

Obituary: Professor Braj B. Kachru (1932–2016)