An account on structure, synthesis and application of polythiophene and swelling behaviour of non-conducting polymers

Polymer matrixes are studied extensively due to their unique chemical and mechanical properties and a wide field of applications. Conducting polymers are utilized as the active materials for solid-state devices viz. batteries, LED and sensors. The present article discusses the application of polythiophene as an active material for energy active devices. In addition, the authors have worked on enhancing the ionic conduction of non-conducting polymers like poly[ethylene oxide]. Solvent diffusion mechanism of non-conducting polymer–salt composite is nonlinear in nature. Swelling tendency of polymer composite can be influenced to physical, chemical and morphological behaviour. Ionic conductivity phenomena of polymer–salt composite are also influenced by the solvent

An account on functional polymer composite for multivariant application : a mechanistic approach

The presented article reports a detailed review of the polymer composite and its applications in multifaceted areas. The novelty of the report is in establishing the mechanistic overview on the functionalization of polymer for selective applications. The most important and established application of polymer is in sensing, polymer electrolyte, biomedical application, point of care application etc. The utilization of functional polymer in fluorescence thermometers is dependent on the maintenance of their lower critical solubility temperature. Polyelectrolytes like conducting polymers are widely applied for chemo sensing applications. The primary mechanism for the functionality of these conducting polymers is the presence of altering single and double bonds which enables the thorough flow of charge within the matrix system. Furthermore, the macromolecular synthetic polymer is subjected to functionalization through composite upon combing with specific salts and filler components. The addition of unreactive/reactive filler components in minute amounts is reported to significantly reduce the polarization loss and increase the cyclability of the matrix when applied to solid-state devices like sensors, fuel cells for stationary and mobile applications, etc. Fuels cells being an example of renewable energy is reported to attract the modern market with emphasis on polymer membrane-based system wherein sulphonic acid-based electrolyte membrane act as the ionic electrolyte conductor. The mechanism of ion conduction within the polymer matrix plays an important role in the application in solid-state devices like sensors, fuel cells, batteries, etc. The review briefly explains the role of ionic conduction as explained using two primary mechanisms like Arrhenius and Vogel Tammann Fulcher. Finally, the role of polymer bio composites is discussed in light of biomedical applications.Peer reviewe

A study on adverse drug reactions to non-ionic contrast medium in an Indian population: a 1-year experience

Background: To the best of our understanding, very few studies focusing on the adverse drug reaction (ADR) profile of non-ionic contrast medium (NICM) has been carried out until date among the Indian population. Hence, this study was planned. We sincerely believe that the knowledge gathered from this study can improve safer usage of these agents among the patients of Indian origin. The objective was to evaluate the incidence and severity of ADRs of non-ionic radio contrast media (CM) used in tertiary care hospital in Eastern India.Methods: For the duration of 1-year from July 2011 to July 2012, we prospectively recorded all the ADRs associated with the administration of NICM (iohexol and ioversol) in 3708 patients of Indian origin undergoing computed tomography scan at the hospital. The average median age, weight, dose used; types of ADRs, concomitant medication, final diagnosis, reasons for use were recorded and analyzed with appropriate statistical tools. Causality assessment was performed using Naranjo scale.Results: Eleven of 3708 patients who received either ioversol or iohexol developed ADRs (i.e. 0.3% of patients). The most common ADR was rigor. The incidences of mild, moderate and severe reactions were 55%, 36% and 9%, respectively. Average median age, weight, and dose used were 35 years, 66 kg and 70 ml, respectively. All the ADRs were early (occurred within 1 hr of CM administration). Due to logical constraints, the follow-up of these patients was not possible and hence late ADRs were not captured. The common concomitant medication used was pantoprazole (63.63% of patients). The difference in the incidence of ADRs by age distribution (Group 1 - Iohexol, Group 2 - Ioversol) and weight distribution was not statistically significant (p=0.75 and p=0.18, respectively). Causality analysis revealed that all the ADRs were possible (Score of 4). Interestingly, the incidence of reactions was noted to be higher in patients with a history of gastro intestinal disorders (45.45%).Conclusions: This pilot study reveals that adverse reactions to NICM are rare and severe reactions are less common among the patients of Indian origin. However, a larger multicentric study across the country should be carried out to understand the safety profile of these CM better among the Indian population

Serum H2S as an indicator of exacerbation and pulmonary arterial hypertension in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease

Hydrogen sulfide (H₂S) is a potential gasotransmitter produced by respiratory and vascular smooth muscle cells. Although some studies have examined H₂S in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), few have investigated its role in COPD exacerbations and pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH). This study aimed to compare serum H₂S levels between COPD patients and healthy controls, examine associations between H₂S and COPD severity/exacerbations/PAH, and compare H₂S levels between smokers and nonsmokers. Serum H₂S was measured in 16 patients with stable COPD and 34 with acute exacerbations. COPD severity was classified using GOLD stages. Arterial blood gases, pulmonary arterial pressure by echocardiography, and clinical variables were assessed. Multivariable regression analysis of factors influencing H₂S. ROC curves evaluated the diagnostic utility of H₂S for exacerbations and PAH. Serum H₂S was lowest in GOLD stage IV patients compared to stages II and III. Levels were significantly lower in acute exacerbations versus stable COPD. COPD patients with PAH had lower H₂S than those without. Arterial pH, FEV1, and FEV1/FVC were positively associated with H₂S, while PaCO₂, severity, exacerbations, and PAH negatively influenced H₂S. Optimal H₂S cutoffs for indicating exacerbations and PAH were <46.7 μmol/L. In conclusion, serum H₂S may be a useful indicator of exacerbations and PAH in COPD patients

Data Security Issues and Solutions in Cloud Computing

Cloud is considered as future of Information Technology. User can utilized the cloud on pay-as-you use basis. But many organizations are stringent about the adoption of cloud computing due to their concern regarding the security of the stored data. Therefore, issues related to security of data in the cloud have become very vital. Data security involves encrypting the data and ensuring that suitable policies are imposed for sharing those data. There are several data security issues which need to be addressed. These issues are: data integrity, data intrusion, service availability, confidentiality and non-repudiation. Many schemes have been proposed for ensuring data security in cloud environment. But the existing schemes lag in fulfilling all these data security issues. In this chapter, a new Third Party Auditor based scheme has been proposed for secured storage and retrieval of client's data to and from the cloud service provider. The scheme has been analysed and compared with some of the existing schemes with respect to the security issues. From the analysis and comparison it can be observed that the proposed scheme performs better than the existing schemes. </jats:p

Data Security Issues and Solutions in Cloud Computing

Cloud is considered as future of Information Technology. User can utilized the cloud on pay-as-you use basis. But many organizations are stringent about the adoption of cloud computing due to their concern regarding the security of the stored data. Therefore, issues related to security of data in the cloud have become very vital. Data security involves encrypting the data and ensuring that suitable policies are imposed for sharing those data. There are several data security issues which need to be addressed. These issues are: data integrity, data intrusion, service availability, confidentiality and non-repudiation. Many schemes have been proposed for ensuring data security in cloud environment. But the existing schemes lag in fulfilling all these data security issues. In this chapter, a new Third Party Auditor based scheme has been proposed for secured storage and retrieval of client's data to and from the cloud service provider. The scheme has been analysed and compared with some of the existing schemes with respect to the security issues. From the analysis and comparison it can be observed that the proposed scheme performs better than the existing schemes. </jats:p