Maharashtra Animal and Fishery Sciences University is an agriculture state university headquartered from Nagpur, Maharashtra, India. It was established under The Maharashtra Animal and Fishery Sciences University Act, 1998. It was officially established on 3 December 2000 by carving seven colleges out of the other four state agriculture universities in Maharashtra.
Hematophagous insects, especially mosquitoes and ticks, are responsible for transmitting various pathogens in humans and animals. Due to global warming, there has been a rise in their population, and they are spreading to new geographical territories. Therefore, vector control measures seem essential for preventing the spread of insect-borne diseases. To address this, the current study investigated the insecticidal properties of twenty-four medicinal plants against Rhipicephalus microplus and Anopheles stephensi. A soxhlet extracts of these plants were prepared using three solvents: hexane, chloroform, and methanol. All the 72 extracts were screened for acaricidal and mosquitocidal activities. Nine plant extracts exhibited adulticidal activity, while seven showed larvicidal effects against R. microplus. In the case of A. stephensi, the bed net assay revealed no significant adulticidal activity from any extracts. However, five plant extracts demonstrated larvicidal activity and also inhibited larval-to-pupal molting. The hexane extracts of Annona muricata and Cinnamomum zeylanicum showed a notable inhibition of acetylcholinesterase (AChE) and glutathione S-transferase (GST) activities in R. microplus and A. stephensi. Further, GC-MS analysis, molecular docking, and molecular dynamics simulation studies identified 2-tert-butyl-4,6-bis(3,5-di-tert-butyl-4-hydroxybenzyl)phenol, as one of the potential molecules in these extracts, which can bind and form a stable complex with AChE and GST of R. microplus and A. stephensi.
Sustainable catalytic processes are pivotal for advancing green chemical engineering, yet achieving atomically precise, highly efficient, and recyclable catalysts remains a major challenge. This study reports the rational design and synthesis of surfactant-free, single-atom Pt catalysts anchored on functionalized carbon nanofibers (CNFs), establishing an atom-economical catalytic framework that integrates nanoscale precision with process-scale energy efficiency. Advanced characterization techniques, including HR-TEM, XPS, and EXAFS, confirm the atomic dispersion and electronic configuration of isolated Pt sites stabilized by the CNF matrix. The Pt-1/CNF catalyst demonstrated exceptional performance in model green oxidation reactions, achieving > 99% conversion and 98% selectivity in benzyl alcohol oxidation, with a 40% reduction in energy input relative to conventional Pt nanoparticle systems. The system exhibited an E-factor of 0.12, underscoring the process's superior green metrics. Mechanistic analysis revealed that the nitrogen-rich CNF surface effectively stabilizes single Pt atoms, prevents aggregation, and promotes highly selective oxidation pathways. Recyclability tests confirmed > 95% activity retention over five consecutive cycles, demonstrating operational stability and enabling circular-economy compatibility. This low-temperature (200-300 degrees C), surfactant-free method ensures full atomic utilization and minimizes environmental burden, outperforming existing Pt single-atom oxidation catalysts. Overall, this work establishes a scalable, environmentally benign strategy for designing high-efficiency single-atom catalysts for green chemical transformations. The Pt-1/CNF catalyst exhibited exceptional recyclability over five cycles with negligible activity loss, supported by HAADF-STEM stability confirmation. The E-factor of 0.12 demonstrates the green chemistry advantages of this process. These results highlight the potential of Pt single-atom catalysts for selective biomass oxidation under sustainable conditions.
Freshly separated Shrimp heads of P. Stylifera (Kiddi Shrimp) were procured from peeling sheds during the period of January to April, 2024 near Mirkarwada Landing center, Taluka-Ratnagiri District-Ratnagiri, Maharashtra, India aimed at the development and standardization of a shrimp head flavorant powder and its use in a shrimp flavoured masala powder for noodles. Shrimp heads were boiled to obtain liquid flavorant, which was then developed into a powder using rice flour (13%, 15%, and 17%) as a carrier and dried at 45°C. The flavorant with 15% rice flour was found to have significantly higher scores in organoleptic evaluation and was selected for further standardization. The standardized shrimp flavorant powder was then mixed with a spice mix masala in various proportions (45:55, 50:50, and 55:45), and the 50:50 proportion had shown better overall acceptability. Further optimization of the shrimp flavoured masala powder in noodles indicated that a 10% level of addition gave the highest scores in all treatments. The optimized shrimp head flavorant powder had a yield of 14.17±0.06%, solubility of 54.32±0.10%, and bulk density of 0.46±0.01 g ml-1. Proximate analysis revealed low moisture (4.06±0.20%), fat (1.3±0.20%), moderate protein (2.1±0.21%), high carbohydrate (73.08±0.12%), and high ash content (19.46±0.01%).
The present study compared the efficacy of long-acting recombinant human follicle stimulating hormone (rhFSH) and pituitary-derived FSH (pFSH) on follicular response, oocyte recovery and in vitro embryo production in donor cows. Eight high-yielding multiparous cows were subjected to two ovarian superstimulation protocols in a crossover design. In the first trial, donors received 200 mg pFSH in tapering doses, while in the second trial a single dose of long-acting rhFSH (300 IU) was administered. Transvaginal ovum pick-up (OPU) was performed on Day 8, and follicular count, oocyte recovery rate, oocyte quality, cleavage rate and blastocyst rate were recorded. The mean total follicle count did not differ significantly between pFSH (27±1.83) and rhFSH (25±2.15) stimulated groups. The oocyte recovery rate was significantly higher in the rhFSH group (77%; 154/200) compared to the pFSH group (68.05%; 147/216). The mean total oocyte yield per OPU was comparable between rhFSH (19.25±2.03) and pFSH (18.37±1.53) treatments. Cleavage rate (66.23% vs 72.1%) and blastocyst rate (55.84% vs 62.58%) did not differ significantly between rhFSH and pFSH groups, respectively. It may be concluded that long-acting rhFSH was comparable to conventional pFSH in terms of follicular response, oocyte quality and embryo production, while providing significantly improved oocyte recovery efficiency.
Bovine Parainfluenza Virus Type 3 (BPIV-3) an enveloped RNA virus in the Paramyxoviridae family, is known to be a major cause of “shipping fever” and Bovine Respiratory Disease Complex (BRDC) in cattle and buffaloes all over the world. This study investigated the prevalence and clinico-pathological characteristics of Bovine parainfluenza virus-3 (BPIV-3) in cattle and buffaloes from the Akola district of Maharashtra, India. A total of 1410 bovines (cattle and buffalo) of varying ages, breeds and sexes were examined and pulmonary lesions or respiratory symptoms were revealed in 254 animals. From these 254 animals 194 lung tissues and 60 nasal swabs were collected. PCR assay was used to confirm the BPIV-3 infection. PCR confirmed BPIV-3 infection in 5.51
