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The industrial and economic development has initiated the rapid growth of small and medium-sized towns in India. Rewari City, a part of the National Capital Region of India, is undergoing rapid urban expansion. This study analyzes the process of urban expansion in Rewari city, its effect on land use & land cover dynamics and landscape spatial patterns. The methodology of the study is reliant on open-source Landsat satellite data, GIS-based unsupervised classification, and spatial metrics analysis. The city expansion has been analyzed for a period of 31 years, from 1989 to 2020, and population growth has been studied since 1901. Within the study period, built-up area increased by 704%, with an annual expansion rate of 12.8 %. The other land cover classes, such as agriculture land, vegetation, barren land, and water bodies shrank in size over the years. Between 1989 and 2020, 69.4 % of the increase in built up area came at the expense of vegetation and agricultural land. It was also found that per capita land consumption rate increased significantly from 0.0024 to 0.0084, hinting towards dispersed and low-density development. Built-up land had a growth rate nearly 5 times higher than population, indicating urban sprawl. An evaluation of different landscape metrics revealed that the landscape of Rewari has lost land use diversity. The findings of this study offer information about the present state of urban growth. It also serves as a valuable resource for formulating comprehensive planning and development policies, ensuring the promotion of sustainable urban development.

The peculiarity of Indian cattle lies in milk quality, resistance to diseases and stressors as well as adaptability. The investigation addressed selection signatures in Gir and Tharparkar cattle, belonging to arid ecotypes of India. Double digest restriction-site associated DNA sequencing (ddRAD-seq) yielded nearly 26 million high-quality reads from unrelated seven Gir and seven Tharparkar cows. In all, 19,127 high-quality SNPs were processed for selection signature analysis. An approach involving within-population composite likelihood ratio (CLR) statistics and between-population FST statistics was used to capture selection signatures within and between the breeds, respectively. A total of 191 selection signatures were addressed using CLR and FST approaches. Selection signatures overlapping 86 and 73 genes were detected as Gir- and Tharparkar-specific, respectively. Notably, genes related to production (CACNA1D, GHRHR), reproduction (ESR1, RBMS3), immunity (NOSTRIN, IL12B) and adaptation (ADAM22, ASL) were annotated to selection signatures. Gene pathway analysis revealed genes in insulin/IGF pathway for milk production, gonadotropin releasing hormone pathway for reproduction, Wnt signalling pathway and chemokine and cytokine signalling pathway for adaptation. This is the first study where selection signatures are identified using ddRAD-seq in indicine cattle breeds. The study shall help in conservation and leveraging genetic improvements in Gir and Tharparkar cattle. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fish feed is critical in aquaculture production, accounting for over 60% of operational costs, with protein being the most expensive component. Traditionally, fish meal (FM) has been the primary protein source. However, due to declining capture fisheries and high demand, FM has become scarce and costly, necessitating the search for alternative, low‐cost, and nutritionally balanced protein sources. A 180‐day feeding experiment was conducted to evaluate the effects of replacing FM with a combination of cottonseed and sunflower meal (SFM) in Nile tilapia diets on growth performance, protein digestibility, and economic returns. Freshwater shrimp meal was replaced at 25%, 50%, 75%, and 100% (diets D1, D2, D3, and D4) and compared to the control diet (D0) containing only FM. Monosex Nile tilapia fingerlings (25 ± 0.01 g) were allocated to 15 cages within an 800 m2 earthen pond. Fish on diets D0 and D1 showed superior growth performance metrics, including final mean body weight, weight gain, daily weight gain, specific growth rate, feed conversion ratio, and survival rate (p > 0.05), compared to diets D2, D3, and D4. Growth performance declined significantly with increasing levels of the plant protein mixture (p < 0.05). Diet D0 had the highest apparent protein digestibility, while D4 had the lowest. Cost‐benefit analysis revealed that diet D0 had the highest production cost, followed by diets D1, D2, D3, and D4, with no significant cost difference between D0 and D1 (p > 0.05). Thus, the plant protein mixture can effectively replace FM at a 25% inclusion level in Nile tilapia diets. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The main purpose of the present study was to evaluate the therapeutic efficacy of Aloe vera-coated curcumin encapsulated nanoparticles in mitigating Alzheimer's disease progression in mice, by examining behavioural changes, biochemical markers, and histopathological alterations, thus elucidating its potential as a treatment strategy. The green synthesis method was used to synthesise this nanoformulation, which was then characterised using a variety of techniques, including percentage encapsulation efficacy, UV-visible spectroscopy, DLS, FT-IR, FESEM, and EDX. Several in-vivo assessments, including behavioural evaluations, dose optimisation studies, oxidative stress marker estimation, and histological studies, were conducted to determine the potential therapeutic impact of nanoformulation on the Alzheimer-induced mice model. The synthesised nanoparticles show a mean diameter of 76.12 nm ±1.23, a PDI of 0.313 ± 0.02, a zeta potential of 6.27 ± 0.65 mV, and the percentage encapsulation efficiency between 90% and 95% indicating good stability of synthesised nanoformulation. With the help of Morris water maze, Y-maze, and novel object recognition assay, the learning capacity and memory were assessed, and the results show that the synthesised nanoformulation significantly decreased the transfer latency to reach baited arm or to the hidden platform within 7 days. The formulation demonstrated significant biochemical benefits and remarkable cognitive advantages, establishing it as a prospective therapeutic intervention option that is both safe and effective. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]