Making Open Resources Discoverable: Collaborative Approaches for Enhanced Access

This article explores collaborative efforts to enhance the discoverability of open access resources. It highlights the pivotal role of librarians, educators, library system platform vendors, and publishers in improving access to these valuable resources. Through collective expertise and cooperation, these collaborative approaches aim to unlock the potential of open resources, benefiting researchers, students, and the broader academic community. By working together and leveraging their collective knowledge, these collaborative efforts promise to tap into the wealth of open resources, making them more accessible for professors, students, and the broader academic community

Renewable Energy and its Impact on Food-Energy-Water (FEW) Nexus

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Effects of antipsychotics on bone mineral density and prolactin levels in patients with schizophrenia: a 12-month prospective study

Objective: Effects of conventional and atypical antipsychotics on bone mineral density (BMD) and serum prolactin levels (PRL) were examined in patients with schizophrenia.Methods: One hundred and sixty-three first-episode inpatients with schizophrenia were recruited, to whom one of three conventional antipsychotics (perphenazine, sulpiride, and chlorpromazine) or one of three atypical antipsychotics (clozapine, quetiapine, and aripiprazole)was prescribed for 12 months as appropriate. BMD and PRL were tested before and after treatment. Same measures were conducted in 90 matched healthy controls.Results Baseline BMD of postero-anterior L1–L4 range from 1.04 ± 0.17 to 1.42 ± 1.23, and there was no significant difference between the patients group and healthy control group. However, post-treatment BMD values in patients (ranging from 1.02 ± 0.15 to 1.23 ± 0.10) were significantly lower than that in healthy controls (ranging from 1.15 ± 0.12 to 1.42 ± 1.36). The BMD values after conventional antipsychotics were significantly lower than that after atypical antipsychotics. The PRL level after conventional antipsychotics (53.05 ± 30.25 ng/ml) was significantly higher than that after atypical antipsychotics (32.81 ± 17.42 ng/ml). Conditioned relevance analysis revealed significant negative correlations between the PRL level and the BMD values after conventional antipsychotics.Conclusion The increase of PRL might be an important risk factor leading to a high prevalence of osteoporosis in patients with schizophrenia on long-term conventional antipsychotic medication.<br/

HIPK2 reduces the resistance of gastric cancer cells to cisplatin via p53 pathway

Purpose: To uncover the functional effect of homologous domain-associated protein kinase 2 (HIPK2) on the viability of cisplatin (DDP)-resistant gastric cancer (GC) cells and elucidate the possible mechanism of action.Methods: The effect of DDP on GC viability and apoptotic rate was evaluated using MTT and flow cytometry (FCM) assays. The potential effect of HIPK2 on DDP sensitivity and cell apoptosis was investigated in the presence of cisplatin while the effect of HIPK2 on p53 activation was determined by immunoblot assay.Results: HIPK2 expression was decreased in DDP-resistant GC cell while upregulation of HIPK2 reduced growth, but promoted apoptosis in DDP-resistant GC cells. Further investigations showed that HIPK2 promoted p53 activation, while suppression of p53 weakened the inhibitory effect of HIPK2 on DDP-resistance in GC cells.Conclusion: The results suggest that HIPK2 is a promising and important therapeutic factor for the regulation of the resistance of GC cells to DDP. Thus, may have a role to play in the management of gastric cancer Keywords: Gastric cancer, Cisplatin, HIPK2, Homologous domain-associated protein kinase 2, p53 pathway, Therapeutic targe

Energy harvesting, desalination and coastal protection by sscillating surge wave energy converter

As recognized by the United Nations, Food, Energy and Water (FEW) nexus is central to sustainable development, and the demand for all these three is increasing due to a rising global population, rapid urbanization, changing diets and economic growth. For the US, over 53% of the population lives within 50 miles of the coast (NOAA), the coastal zone is an interaction region between land and ocean and an interface of geosphere, hydrosphere, atmosphere, and biosphere, as well as greatly affected by human activities, the stability of coastal ecosystem is very weak. Oscillating surge wave energy converter can harvest energy from ocean waves to power saline water desalination and reduce the coastal erosion as physical barrier, and the desalinated fresh water can be used for saline-sodic-alkaline soil reclamation and make it suitable for plant growth and then act as a biological barrier. Power takeoff (PTO) is possibly the single most important element in wave energy technology, and underlines many (possibly most) of the failures to date (Falcão). The reason is that the wave energy is concentrated at low frequencies and oscillating velocities, which makes efficient conversion extremely difficult and limits the options for efficient power takeoff. A novel PTO, called mechanical motion rectifier (MMR), is proposed to convert bidirectional motion into unidirectional motion. Tank tests for small-scale prototypes have been down. Please click Additional Files below to see the full abstract

Age-related subproteomic analysis of mouse liver and kidney peroxisomes

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Despite major recent advances in the understanding of peroxisomal functions and how peroxisomes arise, only scant information is available regarding this organelle in cellular aging. The aim of this study was to characterize the changes in the protein expression profile of aged versus young liver and kidney peroxisome-enriched fractions from mouse and to suggest possible mechanisms underlying peroxisomal aging. Peroxisome-enriched fractions from 10 weeks, 18 months and 24 months C57bl/6J mice were analyzed by quantitative proteomics.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Peroxisomal proteins were enriched by differential and density gradient centrifugation and proteins were separated by two-dimensional electrophoresis (2-DE), quantified and identified by mass spectrometry (MS). In total, sixty-five proteins were identified in both tissues. Among them, 14 proteins were differentially expressed in liver and 21 proteins in kidney. The eight proteins differentially expressed in both tissues were involved in β-oxidation, α-oxidation, isoprenoid biosynthesis, amino acid metabolism, and stress response. Quantitative proteomics, clustering methods, and prediction of transcription factors, all indicated that there is a decline in protein expression at 18 months and a recovery at 24 months.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>These results indicate that some peroxisomal proteins show a tissue-specific functional response to aging. This response is probably dependent on their differential regeneration capacity. The differentially expressed proteins could lead several cellular effects: such as alteration of fatty acid metabolism that could alert membrane protein functions, increase of the oxidative stress and contribute to decline in bile salt synthesis. The ability to detect age-related variations in the peroxisomal proteome can help in the search for reliable and valid aging biomarkers.</p