Green Tea Extract Increases Soluble RAGE and Improves Renal Function in Patients with Diabetic Nephropathy

Marycruz Barocio-Pantoja,Patricia Quezada-Fernández,David Cardona-Muller,Mayra B Jiménez-Cázarez,Mariana Larios-Cárdenas,Oscar I. González-Radillo,Andrés García-Sánchez,Jaime Carmona-Huerta,Ana N. Chá 한국식품영양과학회 2021 Journal of medicinal food Vol.24 No.12

One of the proposed mechanisms for the development of diabetic nephropathy (DN) is the increase of end products of advanced glycosylation (AGEs), which bind to its receptor (RAGE), favoring nephron cellular damage. An isoform of this receptor is soluble RAGE (sRAGE), which can antagonize AGE-altered intracellular signaling. It has known that green tea extract (GTE) increases the expression of sRAGE, but it is unknown whether this could improve kidney function. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of the administration of GTE on the concentrations of sRAGE, renal function, and metabolic profile in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) and DN. A randomized, double-blinded, placebo-controlled clinical trial was carried out in 39 patients who received GTE (400 mg every 12 h) or placebo for 3 months. sRAGE levels, renal function, and metabolic parameters were determined before and after the intervention. In the GTE group, there were statistically significant increase on sRAGE (320.55 ± 157.63 pg/mL vs. 357.59 ± 144.99 pg/mL; P = .04) and glomerular filtration rate (GFR; 66.44 ± 15.17 mL/min/1.73 m2 vs. 71.70 ± 19.33 mL/min/1.73 m2; P = .04), and a statistically significant decrease in fasting serum glucose (7.62 ± 3.00 mmol/L vs. 5.86 ± 1.36 mmol/L; P ≤ .01) and triacylglycerols (1.91 ± 0.76 mmol/L vs. 1.58 ± 0.69; P = .02). Administration of GTE increases the serum concentration of sRAGE and the GFR and decreases the concentration of fasting serum glucose and triacylglycerols. The study was registered in ClinicalTrials.gov with the identifier NCT03622762.

Helicity of vector fields preserving a regular contact form and topologically conjugate smooth dynamical systems

Muller, S.,Spaeth, P. CAMBRIDGE UNIVERSITY PRESS 2013 Ergodic theory and dynamical systems Vol.33 No.5

Toward a Direct Measure of Video Quality Perception Using EEG

Scholler, S.,Bosse, S.,Treder, M. S.,Blankertz, B.,Curio, G.,Muller, Klaus-Robert,Wiegand, T. IEEE 2012 IEEE TRANSACTIONS ON IMAGE PROCESSING - Vol.21 No.5

<P>An approach to the direct measurement of perception of video quality change using electroencephalography (EEG) is presented. Subjects viewed 8-s video clips while their brain activity was registered using EEG. The video signal was either uncompressed at full length or changed from uncompressed to a lower quality level at a random time point. The distortions were introduced by a hybrid video codec. Subjects had to indicate whether they had perceived a quality change. In response to a quality change, a positive voltage change in EEG (the so-called P3 component) was observed at latency of about 400-600 ms for all subjects. The voltage change positively correlated with the magnitude of the video quality change, substantiating the P3 component as a graded neural index of the perception of video quality change within the presented paradigm. By applying machine learning techniques, we could classify on a single-trial basis whether a subject perceived a quality change. Interestingly, some video clips wherein changes were missed (i.e., not reported) by the subject were classified as quality changes, suggesting that the brain detected a change, although the subject did not press a button. In conclusion, abrupt changes of video quality give rise to specific components in the EEG that can be detected on a single-trial basis. Potentially, a neurotechnological approach to video assessment could lead to a more objective quantification of quality change detection, overcoming the limitations of subjective approaches (such as subjective bias and the requirement of an overt response). Furthermore, it allows for real-time applications wherein the brain response to a video clip is monitored while it is being viewed.</P>

Foreign orientation as a precondition for export success

Erwin Dichtl;Park, Ki-an;H.-G. Koglmayr;S. Muller 경희대학교 산업관계연구소 1986 産硏論叢 Vol.11 No.-

Every country, particularly if it depends on foreign trade to such a high degree as the Federal Republic of Germany, has a vital interest in exploiting all its export opportunities. The authors have developed a measurement concept focusing on the foreign orientation of business managers. Our empirical research suggests that as much as one third of the small and medium-sized firms in this country hitherto displaying a largely domestic orientation, could be turned into successful exporters. The article not only reveals obstacles to exporting as perceived by the managers concerned, but also points to specific measures which might improve the efficiency of existing export promotion programmes.

Mineral quartz concentration measurements of mixed mineral dust/urban haze pollution plumes over Korea with multiwavelength aerosol Raman-quartz lidar (doi 10.1029/2010GL044633)

Muller, D.,Mattis, I.,Tatarov, B.,Noh, Y.M.,Shin, D.H.,Shin, S.K.,Lee, K.H.,Kim, Y.J.,Sugimoto, N. AGU AMERICAN GEOPHYSICAL UNION 2010 Geophysical research letters Vol.37 No.20

The effects of drag reducing polymers on flow stability : Insights from the Taylor-Couette problem

Cari S. Dutcher,Susan J. Muller 한국유변학회 2009 Korea-Australia rheology journal Vol.21 No.4

Taylor-Couette flow (i.e., flow between concentric, rotating cylinders) has long served as a paradigm for studies of hydrodynamic stability. For Newtonian fluids, the rich cascade of transitions from laminar, Couette flow to turbulent flow occurs through a set of well-characterized flow states (Taylor Vortex Flow, wavy Taylor vortices, modulated wavy vortices, etc.) that depend on the Reynolds numbers of both the inner and outer cylinders (Rei and Reo). While extensive work has been done on (a) the effects of weak viscoelasticity on the first few transitions for Reo=0 and (b) the effects of strong viscoelasticity in the limit of vanishing inertia (Rei and Reo both vanishing), the viscoelastic Taylor-Couette problem presents an enormous parameter space, much of which remains completely unexplored. Here we describe our recent experimental efforts to examine the effects of drag reducing polymers on the complete range of flow states observed in the Taylor- Couette problem. Of particular importance in the present work is 1) the rheological characterization of the test solutions via both shear and extensional (CaBER) rheometry, 2) the wide range of parameters examined, including Rei, Reo, and Elasticity number El, and 3) the use of a consistent, conservative protocol for accessing flow states. We hope that by examining the stability changes for each flow state, we may gain insights into the importance of particular coherent structures in drag reduction, identify simple ways of screening new drag reducing additives, and improve our understanding of the mechanism of drag reduction.

Aerosol particle mixing state, refractory particle number size distributions and emission factors in a polluted urban environment: Case study of Metro Manila, Philippines

Kecorius, S.,Madueno, L.,Vallar, E.,Alas, H.,Betito, G.,Birmili, W.,Cambaliza, M.O.,Catipay, G.,Gonzaga-Cayetano, M.,Galvez, M.C.,Lorenzo, G.,Muller, T.,Simpas, J.B.,Tamayo, E.G.,Wiedensohler, A. Pergamon Press ; Elsevier [distribution] 2017 Atmospheric environment Vol.170 No.-

Ultrafine soot particles (black carbon, BC) in urban environments are related to adverse respiratory and cardiovascular effects, increased cases of asthma and premature deaths. These problems are especially pronounced in developing megacities in South-East Asia, Latin America, and Africa, where unsustainable urbanization ant outdated environmental protection legislation resulted in severe degradation of urban air quality in terms of black carbon emission. Since ultrafine soot particles do often not lead to enhanced PM<SUB>10</SUB> and PM<SUB>2.5</SUB> mass concentration, the risks related to ultrafine particle pollution may therefore be significantly underestimated compared to the contribution of secondary aerosol constituents. To increase the awareness of the potential toxicological relevant problems of ultrafine black carbon particles, we conducted a case study in Metro Manila, the capital of the Philippines. Here, we present a part of the results from a detailed field campaign, called Manila Aerosol Characterization Experiment (MACE, 2015). Measurements took place from May to June 2015 with the focus on the state of mixing of aerosol particles. The results were alarming, showing the abundance of externally mixed refractory particles (soot proxy) at street site with a maximum daily number concentration of approximately 15000 #/cm<SUP>3</SUP>. That is up to 10 times higher than in cities of Western countries. We also found that the soot particle mass contributed from 55 to 75% of total street site PM<SUB>2.5</SUB>. The retrieved refractory particle number size distribution appeared to be a superposition of 2 ultrafine modes at 20 and 80 nm with a corresponding contribution to the total refractory particle number of 45 and 55%, respectively. The particles in the 20 nm mode were most likely ash from metallic additives in lubricating oil, tiny carbonaceous particles and/or nucleated and oxidized organic polymers, while bigger ones (80 nm) were soot agglomerates. To the best of the authors' knowledge, no other studies reported such high number concentration of ultrafine refractory particles under ambient conditions. Inverse modeling of emission factors of refractory particle number size distributions revealed that diesel-fed public utility Jeepneys, commonly used for public transportation, are responsible for 94% of total roadside emitted refractory particle mass. The observed results showed that the majority of urban pollution in Metro Manila is dominated by carbonaceous aerosol. This suggests that PM<SUB>10</SUB> or PM<SUB>2.5</SUB> metrics do not fully describe possible health related effects in this kind of urban environments. Extremely high concentrations of ultrafine particles have been and will continue to induce adverse health related effects, because of their potential toxicity. We imply that in megacities, where the major fraction of particulates originates from the transport sector, PM<SUB>10</SUB> or PM<SUB>2.5</SUB> mass concentration should be complemented by legislative measurements of equivalent black carbon mass concentration.

On-going Star Formation in the Starburst Galaxy NGC 253

민영철,S. Muller,S.-Y. Liu,윤태석 한국천문학회 2007 天文學會報 Vol.32 No.1

The Swiss Radioactive Waste Management Program - Brief History, Status, and Outlook

Vomvoris, S.,Claudel, A.,Blechschmidt, I.,Muller, H.R. Korean Radioactive Waste Society 2013 방사성폐기물학회지 Vol.1 No.1

Nagra was established in 1972 by the Swiss nuclear power plant operators and the Federal Government to implement permanent and safe disposal of all types of radioactive waste generated in Switzerland. The Swiss Nuclear Energy Act specifies that these shall be disposed of in deep geological repositories. A number of different geological formations and sites have been investigated to date and an extended database of geological characteristics as well as data and state-of-the-art methodologies required for the evaluation of the long-term safety of repository systems have been developed. The research, development, and demonstration activities are further supported by the two underground research facilities operating in Switzerland, the Grimsel Test Site and the Mont Terri Project, along with very active collaboration of Nagra with national and international partners. A new site selection process was approved by the Federal Government in 2008 and is ongoing. This process is driven by the long-term safety and feasibility of the geological repositories and is based on a step-wise decision-making approach with a strong participatory component from the affected communities and regions. In this paper a brief history and the current status of the Swiss radioactive waste management program are presented and special characteristics that may be useful beyond the Swiss program are highlighted and discussed.

Compensated Compactness, Separately Convex Functions and Interpolatory Estimates between Riesz Transforms and Haar Projections

Lee, J.,Muller, P.,Muller, S. Taylor Francis 2011 Communications in partial differential equations Vol.36 No.4