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to identify the efficacy and tolerability of Proteoglycan F in patients with primary knee OA. Design: A 24-week randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind clinical trial with two arms: (1) Proteoglycan F (received 10 mg proteoglycan daily, for 24 weeks) and (2) control group (received placebo). Knee symptoms and joint cartilage status (evaluated by ultrasound and MRI of knee joints), quality of life, serum cytokine levels (IL-1β and TNF-α), and safety evaluation were measured before, during, and after the treatment.

This study aimed at investigating the electrochemical behavior of benzene and its substituted derivatives on nanoporous gold and assessing the possibility of utilizing this electrode as a platform for simultaneous detection of different aromatic compounds. Cyclic voltammetric studies were performed with benzene, hydroquinone, catechol, phenol, 2-aminophenol, 2-chlorophenol as well as their mixtures on the nanoporous gold prepared from dealloying of AuxSi1-x films. The nanoporous structure was found to provide enhanced electro-oxidation of hydroquinone, catechol, phenol, 2-aminophenol and 2-chlorophenol and remarkable fouling resistance in the electro-oxidation of phenol and 2-aminophenol compared to the compact and flat gold electrode. Interestingly, oxidation potentials of these aromatics appear to be affected significantly by the attachment of functional groups to the benzene ring. Based on the onset oxidation potentials, the easiness of oxidation at nanoporous gold was found to follow the order: hydroquinone > catechol > 2-aminophenol > 2-chlorophenol, phenol > benzene. Moreover, nanoporous gold was found to be advantageous over nanoporous platinum for potential application in simultaneous analysis employing voltammetric techniques as it could offer discernable peak potential separation in the electro-oxidation of the different aromatics.

One of the financially vulnerable groups is older people, who receive little attention in the financial inclusion literature. The elderly is financially excluded in Thailand, an emerging economy with high financial inclusion and rapid aging of the population. Using the Findex survey data 2017, we construct financial inclusion (FI) scores with five measures and explore the influence of aging, mobile phones, and mobile money, controlling for individual characteristics. Among non-account holders, more than half are older than 55 years old. A significantly negative association between FI and age/age group is confirmed. We also prove the positive effect of mobile phones and mobile money on FI scores, by 0.48-0.49 percentage points. This study sheds light on the drivers of mobile banking among the elderly with Thai ICT data, showing that low internet access and mobile phone use are the biggest barriers to financial inclusion. No gender disparity in FI is found.

Most biologically natural compounds are very sensitive and easily degradable under drying conditions. This study aimed to investigate the effect of drying temperature on the contents of phenolic compounds and in vitroantioxidant and antidiabetic activities of wild guava leaves. Wild guava leaves were dried at 40 °C, 50 °C, 60 °C, 70 °C, and 80 °C, as well as sun drying (SD). The total phenolic and flavonoid contents (TPC and TFC) were measured using the colorimetric method. Antioxidant activity was determined by the 2,2-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl hydrate (DPPH) and 2,2-azino-bis(3-ethylbenzothazoline-6-sulfonic acid (ABTS) radical scavenging activity assays. In vitroantidiabetic activity was measured by assessing α-glucosidase and α-amylase inhibitory activities. The contents of individual phenolic compounds were determined using ultra-performance liquid chromatography (UPLC). The principal component analysis (PCA) results revealed that hot air drying at different temperatures had significantly different effects on the bioactive compounds and biological properties of guava leaves. Drying at high or low temperatures resulted in a higher degradable rate of bioactive compounds leading to a weakening of the biological properties. Drying at 50 °C resulted in high TPC and TFC as well as the highest in vitroantioxidant and antidiabetic activities. Furthermore, the highest contents of gallic acid, catechin, rutin, quercetin, apigenin, quercitrin, vitexin, and apigenin-7-O-D-glucopyranoside were found in samples dried at 50 °C, whereas the highest contents of chlorogenic acid, epicatechin, and ellagic acid were observed in samples dried at 60 °C. Therefore, drying at 50 °C was the suitable temperature for retaining valuable biological compounds in wild guava leaves.

We prepared nanoparticle Fe2O3-loaded carbon nanofiber material by a chemical method. Fe(NO3)3 was impregnated on carbon in an aqueous solution, and the mixture was dried and then calcined for 1 h at 400degC in flowing Ar. The herringbone carbon nanofiber and mesoporous carbon nanofiber with large actual surface area were used to increase the dispersion of iron on the carbon surface. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) coupled with X-ray diffraction measurements revealed that nano-sized Fe2O3 particles were distributed on the carbon surface and that many nano-sized Fe2O3 species were present inside the pores on the mesoporous carbon surface. Such dispersion of nano-sized Fe2O3 will support the redox reaction of iron and result in improved capacity of Fe2O3-loaded carbon electrodes.

A composite Fe2O3/C powder was applied as a negative material in iron/air batteries. The effect of charge current density on the electrochemical behavior of an electrode in KOH electrolyte without or with K2S additives was investigated. In KOH electrolyte, the discharge capacity increased in proportion to the logarithm of charge current density in the range of 10-40 mA cm[?]2. According to an analysis of Tafel plots of the electrodes, the hydrogen evolution was found to reach its diffusion limit earlier than the reduction reaction of Fe(OH)2 to Fe as charge current density increased. This was deduced to be the reason for the increase of discharge capacity with current density. But as the density increased further, the discharge capacity decreased because both above reactions reached their diffusion limits. When K2S additives were used, a similar phenomenon was observed, with a higher discharge capacity than that without additives. It indicated that the practical capacities of iron/air batteries could be increased through the depression of hydrogen evolution by optimizing the charge current density for the batteries. At a charge current density of 50 mA cm[?]2, the Fe2O3/C electrode showed the highest discharge capacity of 810 mAh g[?]1-Fe2O3 in K2S-added electrolyte.

Glycerol is a major byproduct in the biodiesel manufacturing process which causes environmental problem since glycerol cannot be released without treatment. In this study, crude glycerol was refined into a pure form by using phosphoric acid. Esterification of the purified glycerol with oleic acid afforded glycerol monooleate in 43% yield using p-toluenesulfonic acid as a catalyst. The obtained glycerol monooleate was then allowed to react with lactic acid, acetic acid or diacetyl tartaric acid to provide the corresponding lactylated, acetylated or diacetyl tartarylated glycerol monooleate, respectively, in reasonable yields. These ester derivatives of monoglycerides have been known to be the most commonly used food surfactants.