Microsomal triglyceride transfer protein (MTP) is a heterodimeric protein that transfers neutral lipids between membranes in vitro. Absence of this lipid transfer activity in the microsomes of abetalipoproteinemia patients established its pivotal function in lipoprotein assembly. Recent studies indicate that the lipid transfer activity is involved in importing triglycerides into the lumen of th...

Effective policies, institutions and processes (PIP) are recognised as essential in sustaining livelihoods. Together, they shape poor people’s livelihood options. Although the importance of policy and institutional issues is widely recognised, approaches to reform are generally poorly understood. This section of the Guidance Sheets focuses on the concepts, methods and tools needed to help desig...

We investigate style accommodation in online discussions, in particular its interplay with content agreement and disagreement. Using a new model for measuring style accommodation, we find that speakers coordinate on style more noticeably if they disagree than if they agree, especially if they want to establish rapport and possibly persuade their interlocutors.

An (n)completely separating system C ((n)CSS) is a collection of blocks of [n] = {1, . . . , n} such that for all distinct a, b ∈ [n] there are blocks A,B ∈ C with a ∈ A \B and b ∈ B \A. An (n)CSS is minimal if it contains the minimum possible number of blocks for a CSS on [n]. The number of non-isomorphic minimal (n)CSSs is determined for 11 ≤ n ≤ 35. This also provides an enumeration of a nat...

The symbolic representation of the physical structure of living organisms needs an ontologically well-founded and logically sound approach so that formal reasoning can adequately be supported. We describe a set of canonical relations and attributes necessary for the description of biological structures. Based on these epistemological primitives, we sketch how a broad range of organisms can be r...

Graphene oxide (GO) is a promising precursor to produce graphene-family nanomaterials for various applications. Their potential health and environmental impacts need a good understanding of their cellular interactions. Many factors may influence their biological interactions with cells, and the lateral dimension of GO sheets is one of the most relevant material properties. In this study, a mode...

Chitosan produced by the deacetylation of chitin is a cationic polymer with antimicrobial properties. In this study, we demonstrate the improvement of chitosan properties by nanofibrillation. Nanofiber sheets were prepared from nanofibrillated chitosan under neutral conditions. The Young's modulus and tensile strength of the chitosan NF sheets were higher than those of the chitosan sheets prepa...