Shivaji University, established in 1962, is a state university located at Kolhapur, Maharashtra, India. The university, with a campus spread over 853 acres (345 ha), is named after Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, founder of the Maratha Empire. It was inaugurated on 18 November 1962 by Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan, the then president of India. Yashwantrao Chavan and Balasaheb Desai took the lead in establishing this university. Educational institutions from Kolhapur, Sangli, and Satara districts come under its jurisdiction with 279 affiliated colleges and recognised institutes. One of the major objectives behind its foundation was to cater to the educational needs of South Maharashtra region. The University's efforts towards excellence are being recognised by the substantial grants received from funding agencies such as University Grants Commission (India), Department of Science and Technology (India), and DBT. The university is self reliant in water, which is stored on campus during the rainy season. It has a biodiversity-rich campus.Shivaji University has recently signed MoU with Bhabha Atomic Research Centre for research in Material Science. It has also partnered with the Indian Institute of Geo-Magnetism, Mumbai and industries like Phyto-Pharma. Institutes including Maharashtra Police Academy at Nashik and Centre for Social Studies have sought affiliation with the Shivaji University.
Binder-free hybrid hierarchical nanocomposite electrodes offer an effective strategy to enhance charge storage kinetics and structural stability in advanced supercapacitors. Herein, a heterostructured ZnCo2O4@CuCo2O4 nanograss electrode was directly fabricated on flexible stainless steel mesh (FSSM) through a two-step hydrothermal synthesis followed by thermal annealing. In this architecture, the allium flower-like CuCo2O4 nanowires grown on the FSSM substrate act as a robust framework for further conformal growth of ZnCo2O4. This resulted in forming a porous hierarchical architecture with abundant electroactive sites, enhanced electrolyte accessibility, rapid ion transport, and improved structural integrity. Furthermore, taking advantage of synergistic heterostructure and complementary multivalent redox activity, the ZnCo2O4@CuCo2O4/FSSM electrode achieved a high specific capacitance (Csp) of 2031.1 F g−1 at 2 mA cm−2 and maintained 96.8 % of its initial capacitance after 6000 GCD cycles at 35 mA cm−2. An asymmetric solid–state supercapacitor (ZnCo2O4@ CuCo2O4/FSSM//AC/FSSM) using a PVA–KOH gel electrolyte exhibited a Csp of 226.1 F g−1 at 3 mA cm−2, a maximum energy density of 80.4 Wh kg−1 at 359.4 W kg−1, 100 % coulombic efficiency, and 95.5 % capacitance retention after 5000 cycles. These findings highlight the strong promise of the ZnCo2O4@CuCo2O4/FSSM nanograss electrode for high-performance energy storage applications.
Multidrug-resistant Enterobacter hormaechei is being increasingly reported in urinary tract infections (UTIs), where its ability to form quorum-regulated, curli-rich biofilms contributes to antibiotic tolerance and persistence. Targeting both quorum sensing (QS) and amyloid-mediated biofilm stability may provide an alternative strategy to conventional antibiotics. In this study, we developed a Berberine-functionalized biogenic silver nanoparticle (AgNPs synthesized using Mussaenda philippica leaf extract) to enhance phytochemical delivery and antibiofilm efficacy. Physicochemical characterization confirmed successful association between Berberine (BBR) and M. philippica mediated AgNPs (Mp-AgNP@BBR), with a hydrodynamic size of 217 nm, polydispersity index of 0.230, and a stable zeta potential of − 33.2 mV. At sub-MIC Mp-AgNP@BBR nanocomplex inhibited biofilm formation by 80.57%, compared to 60.37% for BBR and 67.78% for Mp-AgNPs alone. Treatment also reduced total extracellular polymeric substances, decreasing protein content from 549 to 159 µg/mL and carbohydrate content from 659 to 196 µg/mL, indicating substantial matrix disruption. QS activity, assessed via AHL quantification, showed a reduction in OD₅₂₀ from 0.83 (control) to 0.33 following nanocomplex treatment, without affecting bacterial growth. Cell surface hydrophobicity decreased from 60% to 23.34%, suggesting impaired adhesion. Curli amyloid production was strongly suppressed, as confirmed by Congo Red binding and Thioflavin T fluorescence assays. Molecular docking analysis further supported stable interactions between BBR–Ag8 complex and curli protein subunits CsgA and CsgB, indicating potential structural interference. Overall, this study demonstrates that nano-enabled BBR delivery effectively disrupts quorum-regulated curli biofilms in UTI-associated, MDR E. hormaechei , providing a promising strategy to combat biofilm-mediated persistence.
This research paper presents a comprehensive study of the development, fabrication, and analysis of a novel surfactant-based task-specific ionic liquid (TSIL, cetyltrimethylammoniumprolinate [CTA][Pro]), which possesses versatile abilities as a phase-transfer catalyst, ligand, and reducing agent. The IL [CTA][Pro] exhibited high activity and recyclability in the palladium-catalyzed Mizoroki–Heck (MH) cross-coupling reaction of various haloarenes with olefins to generate cross-coupling products with excellent yields, in the presence of palladium chloride under aqueous phosphine-free conditions. Notably, both palladium and [CTA][Pro] can be reused for up to 6 consecutive cycles without significant loss of catalytic performance, reflecting the principles of green chemistry and the potential of these recyclable components in sustainable synthetic methodologies.
In the present study we have reported novel geminal dicationic ionic liquids (DILs) and their catalytic application in the Morita-Baylis-Hillman (MBH) reaction. A novel series of thermally stable 2-hydroxyethylmorpholinium (HEM)-based dicationic ionic liquids, namely [HEM][Br]2, [HEM][BF4]2, and [HEM][PF6]2, were synthesized and thoroughly characterized using FT-IR, NMR, and mass spectrometry, and their thermal stability was further evaluated through thermogravimetric analysis. The catalytic performance of the synthesized DILs was evaluated in the MBH reaction in an aqueous medium. Remarkably, the use of only 0.011 mol% of [HEM][PF6]2 afforded a 97% yield with a significant enhancement in reaction rate. Furthermore, [HEM][PF6]2 could be efficiently recovered and reused for up to six consecutive cycles without notable loss of activity. The present protocol offers several advantages, including mild reaction conditions, operational simplicity, use of water:ethanol as a green solvent, higher yields, and comparatively shorter reaction times.
Neurodegenerative disorders are closely associated with oxidative stress, neuroinflammation, and disrupted neuronal homeostasis, demanding the development of multifunctional and sustained therapeutic strategies. In this study, Sahaj-vati, a classical Ayurvedic polyherbal formulation comprising Shilajeet, Guggul, Chitrak, Haridra, and Agnimantha was extracted using Soxhlet-assisted methanolic extraction and subsequently modified into electrospun nanofibers (SNFs) to enhance its stability, bioactivity, and translational applicability. The extract exhibited total phenolic and flavonoid contents of 0.85 mg GAE/g DW and 2.497 mg QE/g DW, respectively. The gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) analysis confirmed the presence of bioactive phytoconstituents such as tumerone, caffeine, theobromine, and oleic acid, associated with antioxidant and neuroprotective functions. The morphological and physicochemical characterization revealed uniform nanofibrous architecture with an average diameter of 559 nm and thermal stability up to 350 °C. The biological evaluation demonstrated significantly enhanced antioxidant activity of SNFs, with DPPH and FRAP IC50 values of 27.09 µg/mL and 34.89 µg/mL, respectively, compared to the crude extract. The SNFs also showed improved anti-inflammatory activity (IC50 = 34.89 µg/mL) and moderate acetylcholinesterase inhibition (IC50 = 60.73 µg/mL). The cytocompatibility assays on L929 and SH-SY5Y cell lines confirmed high cell viability (> 85–90
