Effect of thermal aging on the crystal structural characteristics of poly(tetra fluoro ethylene)

The residual effects of cumulative thermal aging on the crystal structural characteristics of the fluoro carbon poly(tetra fluoro ethylene) (PTFE) have been studied by X-ray diffraction methods. The initial hexagonal arrangement of the PTFE chains in a 157 helical conformation is left unaffected by the exposures to temperatures (T), up to and beyond its melting point, Tm. The unit cell registers a residual anisotropic volume expansion. The anisotropy arises from the enhanced enlargement of the basal plane dimension a compared with the axial dimension c. Conformational changes contributing to the observed increase in the chain length have been examined. Enhancement of residual crystallinity of samples aged at T's lt; Tm suggests that the selective thermal aging could be used as an effective tool to improve the initial crystallinity of commercially available PTFE. The activation energy for 50% enhancement in initial crystallinity has been estimated as 53.9 kJ mol-1. Aging at 400xB0;C, a temperature above Tm, is accompanied by markedly different features viz., deterioration in crystallinity and other structural characteristics. The overall behavior of thermally aged PTFE bears a marked similarity to many polyamides. POLYM. ENG. SCI., 47:1724-1729, 2007. xA9; 2007 Society of Plastics Engineer

Thermally induced structural changes in Nomex fibres

Thermally aged Nomex fibres manifest several residual effects viz. reduction in X-ray crystallinity, weight loss and deterioration in tensile characteristics. Surface damages in the form of longitudinal openings, holes, material deposits etc have also been observed. Based on the data from thermally exposed fibres, the time needed for states of zero tensile strength and modulus have been predicted

Formulation and Evaluation of Etoricoxib Herbal Gel for Analgesic Activity

Medicinal plants play an imperative function in the development of potent therapeutic agents. The existing study has been undertaken with the plan to formulate and evaluate the etoricoxib herbal gel containing Buchanania lanzan extract for the management and treatment of pain. The etoricoxib herbal gel formulation was intended by using etoricoxib, menthol, linseed oil with different polymers and additives in the composition of gel. Formulated gel was evaluated in terms of various evaluation parameters as physicochemical assessment, pH, viscosity and spreadibility. Further, formulated etoricoxib herbal gel was investigated for analgesic activity by using hot-plate and acetic acid induced writhing methods. The obtained findings conclude that formulated etoricoxib herbal gel is the appropriate option for the treatment of pain and such other indications. Keywords: Pain, Analgesic, Etoricoxib, Buchanania lanza

Formulation and Evaluation of Anti-inflammatory Gel

The current study has been undertaken with the aim to formulate and evaluate the etoricoxib gel containing Buchanania lanzan extract. The gel formulation was designed by using etoricoxib, menthol, linseed oil with different polymers in the composition of gel. Formulated gel was evaluated in terms of various physicochemical parameters, pH, viscosity and spreadibility. Further formulated gel was investigated for anti-inflammatory activity by using Carrageenan-induced rat paw edema method. The obtained findings state that formulated gel is the suitable choice for the treatment of inflammation and such other indications. Keywords: Inflammation, Gel, Herbal, Formulatio

Conceptual framework on - establishing healthy life style centre in Chhattisgarh state, India

Lifestyle diseases characterized by those diseases whose occurrence is primarily based on the daily habits of people and are a result of an inappropriate relationship of people with their environment. The main factors contributing to lifestyle diseases include bad food habits, physical inactivity, wrong body posture, and disturbed biological clock. Lifestyle diseases are the most common causes of disability, morbidity and premature mortality. They account for 52% of deaths, 43% Disability Adjusted Life Years (DALYs) and 62% of total disease burden in India. Life style disease can be prevented through focused and comprehensive public health intervention by establishment of Healthy Life Style Centre (HLSC). HLSC will be a comprehensive approach which will provide health services for Non-Communicable diseases under the one roof. The HLSC will offer consultation, learning, counselling and testing facilities regarding Diabetes and other Non-Communicable diseases (NCD). Life style diseases can be prevented through public health intervention by special task force and policy document related to life style disorders

Energy storage and management in supercapacitors for application in piezoelectric energy harvesting systems

Electrical double layer capacitors (supercapacitors) were fabricated using activated carbon as the active material and polyvinylidine fluoride (PVDF) as a binder with a suitable conductive additive (MWCNTs) together in an optimized ratio. The supercapacitor cells were assembled using an aqueous solution of 0.5M Na2SO4 as the electrolyte. These cells had an average capacitance of 1.7F each as measured by the constant current charging method. The two electrode symmetric cell had a specific capacitance of 23.05 F/g. The fabrication methodology has been discussed as well as the potential applications of the supercapacitor in piezoelectric element based energy harvesting systems have been elucidate

Experimental study on dimension effect of PVDF film on energy harvesting

Abstract: Recent research focus is on converting vibration to useful energy. The vibration energy from automobiles, electrical motors, and aircraft structures can be used for low power applications by energy harvesting. Piezoelectric energy harvesting is the most efficient method for this purpose. In this paper experiments are carried out using Polyvinylidene difluoride (PVDF) film which is a piezoelectric material for comparative study. Three different dimensional PVDF film with same input conditions are experimented and their output voltage generated are compared

Chemical synthesis of polyaniline and polythiophene electrodes with excellent performance in supercapacitors

The emergence of portable electronics in miniaturized and intelligent devices demands high-performance supercapacitors (SC) and batteries as power sources. For the fabrication of such energy storage devices, conducting polymers (CPs) have significant advantages due to their high theoretical capacitive performance and conductivity. In this work, we developed two CPs including polyaniline and polythiophene through a low-cost chemically synthesized approach and the film-by-spin coating method. The structural and morphological properties of the CPs are analyzed using Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), contact angle measurement, and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Based on these CPs, novel pristine polyaniline and polythiophene-based SCs (PASC and PTSC) are developed. The prepared CPs contribute to high electrochemical performances due to their high conductive nature of the electrode and conjugated polymer materials reaction. Hence both electrochemical double-layer formation and pseudocapacitance contributed to the energy-storing performances of the device. Electrochemical impedance spectroscopic analysis (0.1 Hz to 100 kHz) demonstrates faster ionic exchange and high capacitance of the PASC electrode as compared to PTSC in H3PO4 electrolyte. The PASC devices exhibit specific capacitance of 13.22 mF·cm−2 with energy and power densities of 1.175 μW·h·cm−2 and 4.99 μW·cm−2 at a current of 50 μA. Compared to PTSC (specific capacitance 3.30 mF·cm−2) the PASC shows four times higher specific capacitance due to its improved surface, structural and electrical properties. The electrochemical performance reveals the superior SC performance for this type of CP electrode

Central but not systemic administration of XPro1595 is therapeutic following moderate spinal cord injury in mice

BACKGROUND: Glial cell activation and overproduction of inflammatory mediators in the central nervous system (CNS) have been implicated in acute traumatic injuries to the CNS, including spinal cord injury (SCI). Elevated levels of the proinflammatory cytokine tumor necrosis factor (TNF), which exists in both a soluble (sol) and a transmembrane (tm) form, have been found in the lesioned cord early after injury. The contribution of solTNF versus tmTNF to the development of the lesion is, however, still unclear. METHODS: We tested the effect of systemically or centrally blocking solTNF alone, using XPro1595, versus using the drug etanercept to block both solTNF and tmTNF compared to a placebo vehicle following moderate SCI in mice. Functional outcomes were evaluated using the Basso Mouse Scale, rung walk test, and thermal hyperalgesia analysis. The inflammatory response in the lesioned cord was investigated using immunohistochemistry and western blotting analyses. RESULTS: We found that peripheral administration of anti-TNF therapies had no discernable effect on locomotor performances after SCI. In contrast, central administration of XPro1595 resulted in improved locomotor function, decreased anxiety-related behavior, and reduced damage to the lesioned spinal cord, whereas central administration of etanercept had no therapeutic effects. Improvements in XPro1595-treated mice were accompanied by increases in Toll-like receptor 4 and TNF receptor 2 (TNFR2) protein levels and changes in Iba1 protein expression in microglia/macrophages 7 and 28 days after SCI. CONCLUSIONS: These studies suggest that, by selectively blocking solTNF, XPro1595 is neuroprotective when applied directly to the lesioned cord. This protection may be mediated via alteration of the inflammatory environment without suppression of the neuroprotective effects of tmTNF signaling through TNFR2

Sustained Delivery of Activated Rho GTPases and BDNF Promotes Axon Growth in CSPG-Rich Regions Following Spinal Cord Injury

Background: Spinal cord injury (SCI) often results in permanent functional loss. This physical trauma leads to secondary events, such as the deposition of inhibitory chondroitin sulfate proteoglycan (CSPG) within astroglial scar tissue at the lesion. Methodology/Principal Findings: We examined whether local delivery of constitutively active (CA) Rho GTPases, Cdc42 and Rac1 to the lesion site alleviated CSPG-mediated inhibition of regenerating axons. A dorsal over-hemisection lesion was created in the rat spinal cord and the resulting cavity was conformally filled with an in situ gelling hydrogel combined with lipid microtubes that slowly released constitutively active (CA) Cdc42, Rac1, or Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF). Treatment with BDNF, CA-Cdc42, or CA-Rac1 reduced the number of GFAP-positive astrocytes, as well as CSPG deposition, at the interface of the implanted hydrogel and host tissue. Neurofilament 160kDa positively stained axons traversed the glial scar extensively, entering the hydrogel-filled cavity in the treatments with BDNF and CA-Rho GTPases. The treated animals had a higher percentage of axons from the corticospinal tract that traversed the CSPG-rich regions located proximal to the lesion site. Conclusion: Local delivery of CA-Cdc42, CA-Rac1, and BDNF may have a significant therapeutic role in overcoming CSPGmediate