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Background Several randomised clinical trials (RCTs) performing faecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) for the management of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), particularly for ulcerative colitis, have recently been published, but with major variations in study design. These include differences in administered dose, route and frequency of delivery, type of placebo and evaluated endpoints. Although the overall outcomes appear to be promising, they are highly dependent on both donor and recipient factors. Objective To develop concensus-based statements and recommendations for the evaluation, management and potential treatment of IBD using FMT in order to move towards standardised practices. Design An international panel of experts convened several times to generate evidence-based guidelines by performing a deep evaluation of currently available and/or published data. Twenty-five experts in IBD, immunology and microbiology collaborated in different working groups to provide statements on the following key issues related to FMT in IBD: (A) pathogenesis and rationale, (B) donor selection and biobanking, (C) FMT practices and (D) consideration of future studies and perspectives. Statements were evaluated and voted on by all members using an electronic Delphi process, culminating in a plenary consensus conference and generation of proposed guidelines. Results and conclusions Our group has provided specific statements and recommendations, based on best available evidence, with the end goal of providing guidance and general criteria required to promote FMT as a recognised strategy for the treatment of IBD.

In this work, the effects of different fiber loadings on the mechanical properties of the composites at the sub-micron scale were studied through nanoindentation followed by physical characterization. The composites were prepared by incorporating different loadings of wheat straw, corn stalk, and rice husk in polypropylene copolymer using a melt processing method followed by thermal–hydraulic compression technique. Nanoindentation experiments in quasi-continuous stiffness mode were performed on the surfaces of produced composites to study the composites’ elastic modulus, hardness, and creep properties. The obtained results expressed the in-depth study of the micro- and macro-level structure and behavior of particle interactions. The findings demonstrated that observable shifts in composites’ hardness, elastic modulus, and creep rate had occurred. The WS-reinforced biocomposite sheet showed the highest elastic modulus of 1.09 and hardness of 0.11 GPa at 40 wt% loading in comparison to other loadings. An impact strength of 7.55 kJ/m2 was noted for the biocomposite at 40 wt% RH loading. In addition, optical microscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, water absorption, thickness swelling, and Vicat softening point studies were conducted on biocomposite sheets to evaluate differences in physical, mechanical, and thermal properties. The outstanding mechanical performance of the newly developed composites makes them suitable for use as a biodegradable packaging material.

Fair-weather atmospheric electric field (AEF) data were analysed at the Islamabad Observatory from 2015 to 2019. The key objective is to observe the variation in atmospheric electric field with respect to different meteorological parameters and aerosol. For this purpose, the influence of meteorological parameters and temporal variation was studied. Initially, four local meteorological parameters were chosen to see the effect on the AEF. The daily variation in the AEF curve shows a single prominent peak known as the morning peak, and a very dull secondary afternoon peak is observed. Variation in the atmospheric electric field shows a positive correlation with temperature, pressure, and wind speed. On the other hand, a negative correlation is observed between the atmospheric electric field and relative humidity. The available simultaneous sampling of aerosol (Particulate Matter, PM2.5/PM10) was carried out and compared with the AEF for the four seasons of the year 2017. Generally, a rise in the AEF is observed due to an increase in PM concentration. The annual data showed a significant but weaker correlation of PM2.5/PM10 for the AEF and was found to be more season-dependent.

This research aimed to investigate the impact of glycerol (Gly) and choline chloride (ChCl) pretreatments on physico-chemical and mechanical properties of rice husk (RH) at a submicron scale. Gly (75 wt%) and ChCl (25 wt%) were used to pretreat RH at 110 °C for 4 h in a water bath (150 rpm). Physico-chemical and surface mechanical (elastic modulus and hardness) properties of treated RH were determined and compared with untreated ones. The impacts of Gly and ChCl pretreatments on RH, surface morphology, structure, thermal stability, elastic modulus, and hardness were investigated using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Fourier transforms infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), x-rays diffractometry (XRD), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) and nanoindentation technique, respectively. Experimental results depicted that pretreatment of RH with Gly and ChCl produced cellulosic-rich fiber, increase crystallinity, and enhanced thermal stability. In contrast to the untreated (35 %) RH, the ChCl and Gly-treated RH had cellulose contents of 49 % and 45 %, respectively. The degree of crystallinity was increased after the treatment of RH with 37 % and 35 % in ChCl RH, respectively, as compared to the untreated one. Elastic modulus and hardness of ChCl-treated RH were decreased by 67 % and 70 %, respectively, compared to the untreated one. Similarly, reductions in elastic modulus and hardness were noted in the case of Gly treatment. According to current research, lignocellulosic biomass can be pretreated with green solvents to produce cellulosic-rich fiber for engineered composite applications.

Biodiesel is gaining recognition as a good replacement for typical diesel owing to its re-newability, sustainability, and eco-friendly nature. Transesterification is the leading route for biodiesel generation, which occurs during homogeneous/heterogeneous/enzymatic catalysis. Besides this, the usage of heterogeneous catalysts is considered more advantageous over homogeneous catalysts due to the easy catalyst recovery. Consequently, numerous heterogeneous catalysts have been synthesized from multiple sources with the intention of making the manufacturing process more efficient and cost-effective. Alongside this, numerous researchers have attempted to improve the biodiesel yield using heterogeneous catalysts by introducing cosolvents, such that phase limitation between oil and alcohol can be minimized. This short review is aimed at examining the investigations performed to date on heterogeneously catalyzed biodiesel generation in the presence of different cosolvents. It encompasses the techniques for heterogeneous catalyst synthesis, reported in the literature available for heterogeneous catalyzed biodiesel generation using cosolvents and their effects. It also suggests that the application of cosolvent in heterogeneously catalyzed three-phase systems substantially reduces the mass transfer limitation between alcohol and oil phases, which leads to enhancements in biodiesel yield along with reductions in values of optimized parameters, with catalyst weight ranges from 1 to 15 wt. %, and alcohol/oil ratio ranges from 5.5 to 20. The reaction time for getting the maximum conversion ranges from 10 to 600 min in the presence of different cosolvents. Alongside this, most of the time, the biodiesel yield remained above 90% in the presence of cosolvents.