Sono-Microwave Assisted Chlorine free and Ionic Liquid (SMACIL) extraction of cellulose from Urtica dioica: A benign to green approach.

The extraction of cellulose using eco-friendly solvents has been gaining significant attention for a couple of decades. This study investigated the impact of benign and green solvents on the extraction, thermal stability, mechanical properties, and crystallinity of cellulose extracted from Urtica dioica (Stinging nettle) using a Sono-Microwave Assisted Chlorine free and Ionic Liquid (SMACIL) extraction technique. In this regard, the stalks were undergone through pre chemical treatment before starting bleaching them with hydrogen peroxide (HPO) and 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium acetate (BMIM-Ac) having different mole ratios (5, 7.5, and 10) to expose cellulose. The Urtica dioica cellulose (UDC) was characterized using FTIR, tensile testing, FESEM, XRD, and TGA. The fibrillation and lumen can be seen in SEM images that confirm the extraction of cellulose. The results showed that the BMIM-Ac-10 gives the maximum cellulose yield (88 %) than other compositions. Moreover, the cellulose extracted using BMIM-Ac-10 has high mechanical strength which makes it a potential constituent for various applications in the field of materials science. These results have significant implications for the development of sustainable and efficient processes for the extraction of cellulose.

Dissemination of a dissonance-based body image promotion program for mothers and daughters in church settings: A controlled pilot study of Reclaiming Beauty.

This proof of concept, controlled pilot study expands on existing dissonance-based body image promotion programs by testing a modified version of the Body Project for 136 mothers and daughters aged 11-18 years old in church settings called Reclaiming Beauty. Mothers (n = 30) and their daughters (n = 35) who participated in Reclaiming Beauty were compared to mothers (n = 32) and daughters (n = 39) in a waitlist, assessment-only, control group on body image, eating psychopathology, and risk factor measures (thin-ideal internalization, physical appearance comparison) at pre-, post-, and 6-month-follow-up assessments. Intent-to-treat, multilevel modeling indicated that mothers and daughters in the Reclaiming Beauty group experienced significant improvement in body appreciation, body shape concerns, eating psychopathology, thin-ideal internalization, and physical appearance comparison over a six-month period compared to control participants. Changes in thin-ideal internalization and appearance comparison did not predict body image and eating psychopathology at follow-up. Baseline levels of body satisfaction did not moderate the effect of the program, except for its effect on body shape concerns. Findings provide preliminary support for delivering a dissonance-based body image promotion intervention to mothers and their daughters and the feasibility of leveraging the mother-daughter relationship as well as delivering interventions in church settings.