OBJECTIVE Scavenger receptor class B type I (SR-BI) is a major receptor for high-density lipoproteins (HDL) in the liver, which is the terminus of reverse cholesterol transport. Overexpression of SR-BI attenuated experimental atherosclerosis in murine models, concomitant with a reduction in plasma HDL-cholesterol levels. Probucol is known to be a potent hypolipidemic drug to regress xanthoma fo...

The use of business intelligence and analytics (BI&A) is often claimed to be a means by which organizations may improve their competitive stance. Despite these claims, there is limited theorizing about the mechanism through which BI&A enables improved organizational outcomes. Based on the dynamic capabilities perspective, and specifically Teece’s (2007) sense, seize, transform conceptualization...

Bi-functional nanoparticles (NPs) that consist of silica-coated magnetic cores and luminescent lanthanide (Ln) ions anchored on the silica surface via organic linker molecules are reported. Compared to individual Ln ions, the hybrid NPs show a drastically enhanced photoluminescence due to the efficient ligand-to-metal energy transfer in the Ln-loaded NPs: the new bi-functional NPs could be used...

This work is a kinetic investigation of the reaction mechanism of malate dehydrogenase, prepared from washed mince of whole bovine heart by a variation on previous methods. The forward and reverse reactions catalyzed by this enzyme have been studied at pH 8.0 in the presence and in the absence of one product at a time, with the use of a recording fluorometer to measure changes in the concentrat...

Bax inhibitor-1 (BI-1) is an evolutionarily-conserved endoplasmic reticulum protein. The expression of BI-1 in mammalian cells suppresses apoptosis induced by Bax, a pro-apoptotic member of the Bcl-2 family. BI-1 has been shown to be associated with calcium (Ca(2+)) levels, reactive oxygen species (ROS) production, cytosolic acidification, and autophagy as well as endoplasmic reticulum stress s...

The human brain is a complex system consist of connected nerve cells that adapts with and learn from the environment by changing its regional activities. Synchrony between these regional activities called functional network changes during the life, and with learning of new skills. Time perception and interval discrimination are among the most necessary skills for the human being to perceive mot...

OBJECTIVE We aimed to investigate the appropriateness of the Mini Nutritional Assessment (MNA) in predicting functional ability in older adults. DESIGN Cross-sectional study. SETTING Participants were recruited from the Kahrizak Charity Foundation (KCF). MEASUREMENTS Nutritional and ability status were examined using the MNA and the Barthel Index (BI). Participants were divided according ...

Perception investigation is one of major subtopics in the field of Human Information Processing System (HIPS). From its systematic design of cognitive experiments in BI methodology to its results, perception study provide support evidence for thinking investigation of HIPS, and may have an impact on the construction of artificial systems. In this paper, we introduced our aims, reviewed the basi...

This study investigates the mechanism of tonal contraction when a disyllabic unit is merged into a monosyllable at fast speech rate in Taiwan Mandarin. Various degrees of contraction of bi-tonal sequences were elicited by manipulating speech rates. Functional Data Analysis was performed to compare trajectories of F0 and velocity in the contracted and non-contracted syllables. Preliminary result...

To internally reflect the sensory environment, animals create neural maps encoding the external stimulus space. From that primary neural code relevant information has to be extracted for accurate navigation. We analyzed how different odor features such as hedonic valence and intensity are functionally integrated in the lateral horn (LH) of the vinegar fly, Drosophila melanogaster. We characteri...