bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Relation between surface topography and sea-salt snow chemistry from Princess Elizabeth Land, East Antarctica
Authors: Mahalinganathan K. , Thamban M. , Laluraj C. M. , Redkar B. L.
Published: April 2012

Abstract. Previous studies on Antarctic snow have established an unambiguous correlation between variability of sea-salt records and site specific features like elevation and proximity to the sea. On the other hand, variations of Cl−/Na+ ratios in snow have been attributed to the reaction mechanisms involving atmospheric acids. In the present study, the annual records of Na+, Cl− and SO42− were investigated using snow cores along a 180 km coast to inland transect in Princess Elizabeth Land, East Antarctica. Exceptionally high Na+ concentrations and large variations in Cl−/Na+ ratios were observed up to 50 km (∼1100 m elevation) of the transect. The steepest slope in the entire transect (49.3 m km−1) was between 20 and 30 km and the sea-salt records in snow from this area revealed extensive modifications, with Cl−/Na+ ratios as low as 0.2. Statistical analysis showed a strong association between the slope and variations in Cl−/Na+ ratios along the transect (r = −0.676, 99% confidence level). While distance from the coast accounted for some variability, the altitude by itself has no significant control over the sea-salt ion variability. However, the steep slopes influence the deposition of sea-salt aerosols in snow. The wind redistribution of snow due to the steep slopes on the coastal escarpment increases the concentration of Na+, resulting in a low Cl−/Na+ ratios. We propose that the slope variations in the coastal regions of Antarctica could significantly influence the sea-salt chemistry of snow.
The Existence of Positive Solutions for a Nonlinear Sixth-Order Boundary Value Problem
Authors: Li Wanjun , Zhang Liyuan , An Yukun
Published: April 2012

By using the Krein-Rutman theorem and bifurcation methods, we discuss the existence of positive solutions for the boundary value problems of a sixth-order ordinary differential equation.
ODLAGANJE OTPADA NASTALOG TOKOM ISTRAŽIVANJA I EKSPLOATACIJI NAFTE I PLINA POMOĆU BUŠOTINA UTISKIVANJEM U PODZEMLJE I MOGUĆNOST PRAĆENJA UTISKIVANJA
Authors: Šabović Almir , Isabegović Jasmin
Published: April 2012

Utiskivanje mješavine koristi se za odlaganje industrijskog otpada nastalog tokom istraživanja i eksploatacije nafte i plina. Taj otpad je uglavnom slojna voda, isplaka koja se koristila pri bušenju, sitnozrni naftni pijesak i naftom zagađena voda. Ovaj se način odlaganja otpada može proširiti na velike zapremine čvrstog i tečnog otpada uz razuman trošak i nizak rizik za okolinu, gdje svi tehnički faktori izgledaju povoljno. U ovom radu su prikazani uslovi koje treba da zadovolji sredina u koju bi se otpad utiskivao, kao i kontrole vezane za njegovo utiskivanje. Obzirom da u toku utiskivanja čvrstih čestica nastaju promjene napona i orjentacije pukotina, procesi utiskivanja se prate i to koristeći bušotine i inducirano polje pomaka. Većina taložnih bazena ima povoljne karakteristike za izvođenje frakturnog utiskivanja mješavina i uz povoljan izbor mjesta u potpunosti bi se obezbjedila dugoročna sigurnost.
IZGRADNJA PODZEMNIH OBJEKATA – GARAŽE I SAOBRAĆAJNICA NA GRADSKOM TRGU U BIJELJINI
Authors: Đurić Neđo , Santrač Petar , Bajić Željko
Published: April 2012

Grad Bijeljina sa oko 70 000 stanovnika, nalazi se u sjeveroistočnom dijelu Republike Srpske, Bosna i Hercegovina. Nagli prirast stanovništva u posljednjih 15 godine, te povećan broj automobila u gradu, stvorili su saobraćajnu gužvu, kako po pitanju kretanja motornih vozila, tako i njihovog parkiranja. Ako se pri tome ima u vidu, da su automobili u prosjeku stari više od 15 godina, onda je uočljivo da je pored saobraćajne gužve, ugrožena i životna sredina od štetnih gasova koji se oslobađaju iz motornih vozila. Uspješno rješavanje ove problematike, moguće je izgradnjom podzemne garaže i saobraćajnica na centralnom gradskom trgu.
Community, Identity, and Social Memory at Moundville
Authors: Wilson Gregory D.
Published: April 2012

In this paper I highlight the potential of social memory research to enhance our archaeological understanding of Mississippian social organization and identity politics. Mississippian communities commemorated and invoked the past through the creation and manipulation of landscapes, places, and things. To demonstrate the utility of this approach I examine and discuss Mississippian architectural and mortuary data from the Moundville site in west-central Alabama. On the basis of this examination I argue that social memory played an important role in the negotiation of social identities and the organization of community space at the Moundville site and the Mississippian Black Warrior Valley.
Saving Indigenous Peoples from Ourselves: Separate but Equal Archaeology is not Scientific Archaeology
Authors: Wilcox Michael
Published: April 2012

In his recent article “Aboriginalism and the Problems of Indigenous Archaeology,” Robert McGhee questions the intellectual viability of Indigenous Archaeology as well as the contributions of Indigenous Peoples within the field of archaeology. Further, the author challenges the very notion of Indigeneity and characterizes Indigenous and scientific perspectives as mutually incompatible. I argue that the author's solution of “separate but equal” domains for scientific vs. Indigenous archaeologies misrepresents both science and Indigeneity as homogenous entities, affirms these positions as inherently dichotomized and invites comparison to some of the troubling philosophical legacies of racial segregation.
General/Specific, Local/Global: Comparing the Beginnings of Agriculture in the Horn of Africa (Ethiopia/Eritrea) and Southwest Arabia (Yemen)
Authors: Harrower Michael J. , McCorriston Joy , D’Andrea A. Catherine
Published: April 2012

The Horn of Africa and Southwest Arabia are less than 30 km apart, yet the timing and nature of transitions to agriculture along the margins of the southern Red Sea differ substantially. This paper compares and contrasts the beginnings of agriculture in highland Ethiopia/Eritrea and Yemen. We evaluate the applicability of general models, emphasize social circumstances and particularities, and highlight the importance of differing spatiotemporal scales from interregional perspectives that address millennia-long changes across continents to local choices during human lifetimes. We consider why agriculture appears so much later than it does throughout the eastern Mediterranean and argue that the traditionally rigid distinction between the "origins" and "spread" of agriculture oversimplifies transitions along the southern Red Sea in which agriculture in some ways diffused to, and in other ways, uniquely originated in Southwest Arabia and the Horn of Africa. We concordantly maintain that, particularly when agriculture is considered a societal transformation, regions where agriculture appears comparatively later are as important to understanding transitions to agriculture as regions where agriculture appears earliest.
Exploring the Longhouse and Community in Tribal Society
Authors: O'Gorman Jodie A.
Published: April 2012

Archaeology offers a unique opportunity to explore the ways humans have created, lived within, and changed their communities. Recent research indicates important theoretical distinctions in the way in which archaeologists conceive of community, and further development of nontraditional theoretical models is necessary to improve our ability to understand communities of the past. This study offers a reconsideration of community that focuses on the incorporation of multiple spatial scales with social dynamics. Through the use of ethnographic and ethnohistoric examples, the link between community and spatial relationships in longhouse-using tribal societies is examined. A case study of community from the Oneota tradition of the North American midcontinent is then reconsidered using insights into kinds of community situated at and affecting multiple spatial scales. The reanalysis emphasizes the way human relationships in multiple social contexts created a multitude of spatially situated community links, and illustrates the importance of using alternative theoretical approaches.
Historical Contingencies, Issues of Scale, and Flightless Hypotheses: A Response to Hildebrandt et al.
Authors: Jones Terry L. , Codding Brian F.
Published: April 2012

Hildebrandt et al. offer this rather vitriolic challenge to our conclusions on the Diablo Canyon fauna in order to recast the data in favor of their view that major diachronic trends in western North American prehistory are the product of an increase in men's prestige hunting over time. Here we respond, first by discussing our view of the relationship between historical contingencies and behavioral ecological models, second by showing that the patterns they find in a regional faunal dataset result only from inappropriate aggregation of bone counts, third by questioning the potential prestige value of highly vulnerable species, and finally by making the case that standard behavioral ecological models, punctuated by historical contingencies, provide more parsimonious, albeit less fanciful, explanations for patterning in the western North American faunal record. We conclude by suggesting that when practitioners attempt to explain away empirical variability in order to support a favored hypothesis, it might be time to acknowledge that the hypothesis has failed to take flight.
A Symmetry Analysis of Design Structure: 1,000 Years of Continuity and Change in Puebloan Ceramic Design
Authors: Washburn Dorothy K. , Crowe Donald W. , Ahlstrom Richard V.N.
Published: April 2012

This paper postulates that cultural entities with long term structural integrity are characterized by symmetrical relationships between and among the constituent sectors of society. We demonstrate how such social relationships are embedded in the symmetrical arrangements of motifs in geometric design. We test this premise with an analysis of 1000 years of ceramic design from the northern American Southwest, AD 600-1600, with a description of the continuities and changes in the plane pattern symmetries that structure design. Two major points of change in symmetry use at c. AD 900 and AD 1300 correlate with changes in settlement type from pithouses to unit pueblos and from unit pueblos to multi-storied plaza oriented pueblos that accompanied adjustments to changes in environmental conditions. We propose that in the American Southwest the predominant use of bifold symmetry is a structural metaphor for the reciprocal social relationships basic to the organization of small puebloan agricultural communities and that the changes in these symmetries reflect the changing integration of the household into an increasingly complex social system. This interpretation of the meaning of design structure is derived from cosmological principles embedded in 20th century ritual songs of the Hopi, descendents of the prehistoric puebloans, as well as depicted in images in their 15th century kiva wall murals. We present this interpretation of the sequence of pueblo development in the American Southwest in terms of the changing symmetrical nature of the social relationships that integrated the agricultural communities as an example of the insights possible with this new approach to design analysis.
Changing Views of Drakensberg San Rock Art: Examining Landscape Use, Ritual Activity, and Contact through Multivariate Content-Based Spatial Analysis
Authors: McCall Grant S.
Published: April 2012

This paper presents a multivariate statistical and spatial analysis of rock art site content and composition for the Didima Gorge, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. In presenting an experimental set of methodological approaches, the paper attempts to identify categories of rock art sites based on their image content and other archaeological characteristics, and then explores how these types might have related to various social, religious, and economic contexts in the past. The paper finds evidence for three kinds of rock art site use in the Didima Gorge: (1) large residential "home bases" that were centers of economic activity, (2) large unoccupied sites that were special locations for ritual activities, which the paper argues were sometimes the locations of puberty initiation, and (3) small isolated sites that were locations of private magical activities done by lone individuals. The central theme of this study is that there is clear evidence for diversity in terms of the contexts in which rock art sites in the Didima Gorge formed, and that no single account is adequate for their explanation.
Basketmaker and Archaic Rock Art of the Colorado Plateau: A Reinterpretation of Paleoimagery
Authors: Kitchell Jennifer A.
Published: April 2012

A new cognitive model is proposed and applied to the analysis of the anthropomorphic-dominated paleoimagery or rock art of both the Archaic Barrier Canyon Style and the Basketmaker San Juan Style of the Colorado Plateau, including the attributes of headdresses and messengers. Under the cognitive model, the decision to execute rock art is culturally and historically conditioned; the interaction of narrative language and visual imagery takes precedence over hallucinatory and trance mechanisms. The cognitive model examines the interplay between perceptual imagery and stored mental imagery, both of which occur within the human cognitive system. Such an interplay arguably has been as important in the shaping of human cultures as the role of language. These Archaic and Basketmaker ecologies and cultures also may have developed group ritual, an early adoption not requisitely tied to the transition from a mobile hunter-gatherer ecology to an agricultural ecology. Such interpretations redefine the predominant images of the region's Archaic and Basketmaker anthropomorphic figures, bird-headed imagery, messenger spirits, supplication panels, and processional panels. The model reinstates the praejudico role that visual imagery plays in the construction of culture.
Reply to Comments of Nolan and Cook
Authors: Benson Larry V. , Pauketat Timothy R. , Cook Edward R.
Published: April 2012

The following reply to the comments by Nolan and Cook makes the following points. The Palmer Drought Severity Index (PDSI) is not a measure of summer rainfall. Cahokia's "Big Bang" dates to the end of the Edelhardt phase and continued through the Lohmann phase. The "American Bottom" refers only to the Mississippi River floodplain in the vicinity of East St. Louis, and the exact nature of human response to climate change cannot be predicted from PDSI data alone.
Determining Site Size and Structure: A Fort Ancient Example
Authors: Cook Robert A. , Burks Jarrod
Published: April 2012

A basic problem in archaeological research is determining site size and structure. In this paper we develop an approach that sequentially employs several survey techniques, including aerial photography, magnetic gradiometry, magnetic susceptibility, and shovel testing in the context of the Wildcat site (33My499), a Fort Ancient habitation site located near Dayton, Ohio. Defining site size and structure was a challenge at Wildcat since it is located in an agricultural field that has not been plowed for many years. Magnetic susceptibility and close-interval shovel testing worked well to define the basic site structure, and magnetic gradiometry and targeted magnetic anomaly excavations efficiently revealed a series of features. Alone, each of the methods produced somewhat misleading data regarding site size and structure, but together they revealed a much smaller site than originally anticipated.
Mississippian Effigy Pipes and the Glendon Limestone
Authors: Steponaitis Vincas P. , Dockery David T.
Published: April 2012

Large effigy pipes made of limestone are found at Mississippian sites across much of the American South. Here we examine a sample of these pipes with the goal of identifying their geological sources, which are inferred from the fossils visible in the rock. All but one of the pipes in our sample are made of Glendon limestone, a distinctive material that outcrops most abundantly near Vicksburg, Mississippi. Based on the geological and distributional evidence, we argue that these Glendon limestone pipes were crafted in the Lower Mississippi Valley. Our study also demonstrates the efficacy of using fossils as a nondestructive way of determining the provenance of limestone artifacts.
Mortuary Features and Identity Construction in an Early Village Community in the American Southwest
Authors: Potter James M. , Perry Elizabeth M.
Published: April 2012

In this paper we examine some of the relationships among mortuary features, individual identities, and group identities in the context of the Ridges Basin community, one of the earliest village communities in the American Southwest. Architectural and biodistance data suggest that more than one ethnic group composed the Ridges Basin Pueblo I community and that these groups occupied different house clusters throughout the basin. Mortuary data are examined for patterning in body arrangement, context of interment, and treatment to corroborate the presence of different groups within this community. Results indicate that groups and individuals performed mortuary rituals and incorporated particular rare and exotic items that aided in the construction of personal identities, particularly gendered identities, and that ultimately came to represent and reify group distinctions. It is suggested that, in early villages, elaborations of both gender and ethnicity in mortuary contexts provided accessible and highly visible and noticeable avenues of distinction in the absence of formally instituted leadership and group identity categories.
Site Structure and Activity Organization at a Late Paleoindian Base Camp in Western Nebraska
Authors: Hill Matthew G. , Rapson David J. , Loebel Thomas J. , May David W.
Published: April 2012

Paleoindian archaeology on the Great Plains is often characterized by the investigation of large mammal kill/butchery bonebeds with relatively high archaeological visibility. Extensively documented aspects of Paleoindian behavioral variability include the form and composition of weaponry systems, hunting strategies, carcass exploitation, and hunter mobility. Non-hunting oriented aspects of settlement and subsistence behavior are less documented. Information from Component 2 at the O.V. Clary site, in Ash Hollow, western Nebraska, lessens this imbalance of knowledge. It provides a fine-grained, spatially extensive record of Late Paleoindian (Allen Complex) activities at a winter base camp occupied for 5-7 months. This paper highlights elements of site structure and activity organization, emphasizing domestic behaviors including hearth use, site maintenance, and hide working. ArcGIS 9.3.1 (ESRI) and GeoDa 0.9.5-1 (Anselin 2003; Anselin et al. 2006) are employed in conjunction with middle-range observations and expectations to document and interpret spatial patterning in the distribution of over 57,000 artifacts, ecofacts, and red ochre nodules. More broadly, results are related to two models of Paleoindian residential mobility: the place-oriented model and the high-tech forager model. Rather than mutually exclusive scenarios, Component 2 indicates that these models reflect complementary structural poses within the overall behavioral system.
Risky Pursuits: Martu Hunting and the Effects of Prey Mobility: Reply to Ugan and Simms
Authors: Bird Douglas W. , Codding Brian F. , Bliege Bird Rebecca , Zeanah David W.
Published: April 2012

We recently demonstrated that prey size is not a reliable predictor of post-encounter return rates for resources Martu hunters regularly handle in Australia’s Western Desert (Bird et al. 2009). Ugan and Simms are skeptical of our calculations of these returns, especially in our inclusion of tracking as pursuit time. Here we review how these variables were recorded and calculated, update the analysis with more data, and clarify the importance of prey mobility and pursuit failures for understanding the contexts of hunting decisions and their archaeological implications.
Childhood Lost: Abductions, Sacrifice, and Trophy Heads of Children in the Wari Empire of the Ancient Andes
Authors: Tung Tiffiny A. , Knudson Kelly J.
Published: April 2012

This study examines isolated child skeletal remains from ritual structures at the Wari site of Conchopata (A.D. 600–1000) to evaluate how they were modified into trophy heads and whether the children were sacrificed. The skeletal remains represent at least seven children. Strontium isotope ratios are examined to determine whether children were taken from foreign locales. Results show that the children’s skulls exhibit a hole on the apex of the cranium and on the ascending ramus of the mandible, identical to the adult Wari trophy heads. At least one child may have been sacrificed.87Sr/86Sr demonstrate that two of the four sampled child trophy heads were nonlocal, suggesting that children were occasionally abducted from distant communities, perhaps for sacrifice and certainly to transform some into trophy heads. The similar child and adult trophy heads suggest that the ritual treatment of children was not uniquely designed, at least as it related to their processing, display, and destruction. Furthermore, it is suggested that the child trophy heads were not simply passive symbols of pre-existing authority by the head-takers and trophy head-makers. The trophy heads simultaneously imbued those agents with authority—they did not merely reflect it—demonstrating the “effective agency” of the trophy head objects themselves. Finally, we suggest that prisoner-taking and trophy head-making by military and ritual elites served to legitimate the authority of those individuals while simultaneously serving larger state goals that enhanced Wari state authority and legitimated its policies and practices.
Building Chan Chan: A Project Management Perspective
Authors: Smailes Richard L.
Published: April 2012

The labor investment in ancient monumental architecture is an important factor in hypotheses concerning a society’s size, organization, and social complexity. Most methods of quantifying labor expenditures are limited to simply designed structures with a minimal number of elements. Due to the lack of practical analytical methods, complex architecture is often described subjectively, offering little quantitative value, resulting in inferences that could be misleading or wrong. Using Ciudadela Rivero at the site of Chan Chan, Peru, as a case study, this research employed construction industry-standard planning, estimating, and scheduling tools to calculate the labor requirements and construction times under various building scenarios. Additionally, the application of Critical Path Method scheduling provides the means to model and compare numerous building scenarios by simulating the effects of various construction and labor organization strategies in their cultural context. The results for Ciudadela Rivero revealed a labor input of over two million labor hours, which could be accomplished by a modest labor force of as few as 250 workers over a six-year period. These data affect numerous archaeological hypotheses concerning scale of construction, organization of labor, and complexity of social organization.
The Domestication and Early Spread of Manioc (Manihot EsculentaCrantz): A Brief Synthesis
Authors: Isendahl Christian
Published: April 2012

Owing to poor preservation of organic remains in humid environments, direct evidence of early manioc (Manihot esculentaCrantz) cultivation is exceptionally rare in datable archaeological contexts. Recent research summarized here offers new insights into the spatio-temporal framework of the initial domestication and early spread of manioc in the Neotropics. Integrating evidence from comparative plant genetics and paleoethnobotanic starch analysis to contribute to the archaeology of manioc origins, this review finds that (1) the strongest candidate for the botanical origin of domesticated manioc—the wild progenitor of the root crop—is the species Manihot esculenta subspeciesflabellifolia(Pohl)Ciferri; (2) the geographical origin of manioc—the biome in which the progenitor evolved—is most likely in the savannas, the Brazilian Cerrado, to the south of the Amazon rainforest; (3) the Cerrado is also, in our best estimate, the region of agricultural origin of initial cultivation; (4) domesticated manioc had spread from the agricultural origin by the early Holocene, possibly as early as 10,000 years ago, but certainly by 7000 B.C.; and (5) domesticated manioc was a readily available plant in most habitats of the Neotropics by the mid-Holocene, at least some 6500 years ago.
Interpretations of Pre-Hispanic Ritual Violence at Tucume, Peru, from Cut Mark Analysis
Authors: Toyne J. Marla
Published: April 2012

Archaeological residues of ritual are often ephemeral, and reconstructing the dynamics of performed actions that create deposits can be difficult. Rituals associated with the dead are common across many cultures since all human groups have specific means of disposing of corpses. Evidence of peri- and postmortem manipulation of human remains, such as cutting, dismemberment, or disarticulation can provide details of the sequence of actions performed related to the circumstances surrounding death and the possible social meaning of those behaviors. Cut marks observed on the upper chest and throat of 93 percent of 117 children and men found interred at the Temple of the Sacred Stone at Túcume, Peru are consistent with three symbolic behaviors: cutting the throat, opening the chest cavity, and decapitation. This patterning of skeletal trauma demonstrates that a highly elaborate series of violent ritual behaviors was carried out on a regular basis at this location, beginning in the Late Intermediate Period (∼A.D. 1100) through to the end of the Late Horizon Inca occupation of the site around A.D. 1532. The recent finds of bioarchaeological evidence of ritual violence across the Andes suggests that, although rare, these mortuary remains provide important clues to the elaborate nature of ritual behaviors at different sites.
Eating Fish in the Driest Desert in the World: Osteological and Biogeochemical Analyses of Human Skeletal Remains from the San Salvador Cemetery, North Chile
Authors: Torres-Rouff Christina , Pestle William J. , Gallardo Francisco
Published: April 2012

The San Salvador River in northern Chile is a tributary of the Loa, the only river that traverses the Atacama Desert from the mountains to the Pacific. Recent investigations along the San Salvador River revealed the presence of a Formative period village site and associated cemetery approximately 110 km inland from the Pacific Ocean. Bioarchaeological and biogeochemical analyses conducted on human skeletal remains recovered from the San Salvador Cemetery allowed us to better understand the site’s role as an intermediary for coast/interior relations during the Middle Formative (500 B.C.–A.D. 100). Evidence from material culture and human remains at San Salvador suggests that this population was involved in exchange networks that united the oases of the Atacama Desert with the Pacific Ocean. Isotopic data support this notion, as the population demonstrates great variability in both the protein (marine and terrestrial) and carbohydrate components of their diet. During this period, communal economies produced surpluses used in a network of exchange for foods, prestige goods, and ideas. These ties were not coincidental but, rather, part of a regional economic structure that remains only partly explored.
Interventions for Weight Management in Children and Adolescents
Authors: O’Connor Elizabeth A. , Evans Corinne V. , Henninger Michelle , Redmond Nadia , Senger Caitlyn A.
Published: June 2024

Importance

Body mass index (BMI) of the 95th or greater percentile for age and sex is common among young people, and its prevalence has increased in recent decades.

Objective

To examine the benefits and harms of weight management interventions initiated in health care settings among children and adolescents with high BMI.

Data Sources

MEDLINE via Ovid, PsycINFO via Ovid, and the Cochrane Central Registry of Controlled Trials through January 12, 2023; ongoing surveillance through January 26, 2024.

Study Selection

English-language studies of weight management interventions (behavioral and pharmacologic, including liraglutide, semaglutide, orlistat, and phentermine/topiramate) among children aged 2 to 18 years with high BMI (eg, ≥85th or ≥95th percentile for age and sex) conducted in or recruited from health care settings.

Data Extraction and Synthesis

One investigator abstracted data; a second checked for accuracy. Outcomes with sufficient evidence for meta-analysis were pooled using random-effects models.

Main Outcomes and Measures

BMI and other weight-related outcomes, cardiometabolic measures, quality of life, physical activity, dietary pattern scores, and harms.

Results

Fifty-eight randomized clinical trials (RCTs) were included (N = 10 143). Behavioral interventions were associated with small reductions in BMI and other weight outcomes after 6 to 12 months (28 RCTs [n = 4494]; mean difference in change between groups, −0.7 [95% CI, −1.0 to −0.3]). Larger effects were seen in interventions with higher contact hours and that offered physical activity sessions. Reporting was sparse for outcomes other than BMI, with few significant findings. Semaglutide and phentermine/topiramate had the largest effects on BMI (eg, 1 RCT [n = 201] for semaglutide; mean difference, −6.0 [95% CI, −7.3 to −4.6]). The very few studies that evaluated outcomes after medication discontinuation showed immediate weight regain. Gastrointestinal adverse effects were common with liraglutide, semaglutide, and orlistat. Serious adverse effects were rare, but no studies had follow-up longer than 17 months.

Conclusions and Relevance

In the short term, weight management interventions led to lower BMI in children and adolescents, with no evidence of serious harm. Evidence is lacking about how weight management interventions affect BMI beyond 1 year and after medication discontinuation and about longer-term effects on other outcomes.
Health Care Navigators for Perioperative Advance Care Planning
Authors: Colley Alexis , Valderrama Adrian , Tang Victoria , Pierce Logan , Sudore Rebecca L. , Wick Elizabeth C.
Published: June 2024

This cohort study evaluates the addition of a patient-centered intervention to an advance care planning process for older surgical patients.
Improving platelet‐RNA‐based diagnostics: a comparative analysis of machine learning models for cancer detection and multiclass classification
Authors: Jopek Maksym A. , Pastuszak Krzysztof , Sieczczyński Michał , Cygert Sebastian , Żaczek Anna J. , Rondina Matthew T. , Supernat Anna
Published: June 2024

Liquid biopsy demonstrates excellent potential in patient management by providing a minimally invasive and cost‐effective approach to detecting and monitoring cancer, even at its early stages. Due to the complexity of liquid biopsy data, machine‐learning techniques are increasingly gaining attention in sample analysis, especially for multidimensional data such as RNA expression profiles. Yet, there is no agreement in the community on which methods are the most effective or how to process the data. To circumvent this, we performed a large‐scale study using various machine‐learning techniques. First, we took a closer look at existing datasets and filtered out some patients to assert data collection quality. The final data collection included platelet RNA samples acquired from 1397 cancer patients (17 types of cancer) and 354 asymptomatic, presumed healthy, donors. Then, we assessed an array of different machine‐learning models and techniques (e.g., feature selection of RNA transcripts) in pan‐cancer detection and multiclass classification. Our results show that simple logistic regression performs the best, reaching a 68% cancer detection rate at a 99% specificity level, and multiclass classification accuracy of 79.38% when distinguishing between five cancer types. In summary, by revisiting classical machine‐learning models, we have exceeded the previously used method by 5% and 9.65% in cancer detection and multiclass classification, respectively. To ease further research, we open‐source our code and data processing pipelines (https://gitlab.com/jopekmaksym/improving‐platelet‐rna‐based‐diagnostics), which we hope will serve the community as a strong baseline.
Carbon‐Based Nanomaterials for Antiviral Applications
Authors: Serrano‐Aroca Ángel , Takayama Kazuo , Mishra Yogendra Kumar , de la Fuente‐Nunez Cesar
Published: June 2024

In the antimicrobial resistance era, carbon‐based nanomaterials (CBNs) such as fullerenes, carbon dots, graphene, and their derivatives are promising therapeutic tools in combating viral diseases. This review shows that these materials have broad‐spectrum antiviral activity against 33 viruses belonging to different Baltimore groups. CBNs also exhibit antimicrobial activity against bacteria and fungi and possess a low risk of selecting for resistance, since their primary mode of antimicrobial action involves physically damaging the microbes. CBNs also offer additional promising properties, including enhanced antiviral effectiveness under diverse types of irradiation and facilitating antiviral immune responses. Their potential as antiviral agents is still in its infancy and future research should focus on their toxicity, antiviral mechanisms, pharmacokinetics, and bioavailability. They are also potential antiviral materials for preventing the transmission of viral diseases for use in face masks, shields, hospital and airport surfaces, and elevators, among others. It is anticipated that CBNs will play an increasingly significant role in the fight against viruses and infectious diseases.
AlN: An Engineered Thermal Material for 3D Integrated Circuits
Authors: Vaziri Sam , Perez Christopher , Datye Isha M. , Kwon Heungdong , Hsu Chen‐Feng , Chen Michelle E. , Noshin Maliha , Lee Tung‐Ying , Asheghi Mehdi , Woon Wei‐Yen , Pop Eric , Goodson Kenneth E. , Liao Szuya S. , Bao Xinyu
Published: June 2024

Aluminum nitride (AlN) is a promising material for thermal management in 3D integrated circuits (ICs) due to its high thermal conductivity. However, achieving high thermal conductivity in AlN thin films grown at low temperatures on amorphous substrates poses significant challenges for back‐end‐of‐line (BEOL) compatibility. This study reports high cross‐plane thermal conductivities approaching 90 Wm−1K−1 for sub‐300 nm‐thick AlN films sputter‐deposited at low temperatures (<200 °C) on ordinary SiO2 substrates. The correlations between cross‐plane and in‐plane thermal conductivity, texture, grain size, oxygen content, Al:N atomic ratio, and thermal boundary conductance of these films are explored. These findings reveal the crucial role of grain orientation alignment in achieving high thermal conductivity and high thermal boundary conductance. A method is introduced to effectively monitor the thermal conductivity of the AlN thin films using X‐ray diffraction. This study offers valuable insights that can aid in the implementation of an effective thermal management material in the semiconductor production line.
3D Printing of Ordered Mesoporous Silica Using Light‐Induced Sol‐Gel Chemistry
Authors: Gluns Johanna , Zhao Lucy , Spiehl Dieter , Mikolei Joanna J. , Pardehkhorram Raheleh , Ceolin Marcelo , Andrieu‐Brunsen Annette
Published: June 2024

Mesoporous ceramic materials used in applications such as catalysis, filtration, or sensing, are usually hierarchically structured. Thereby, their structural hierarchy is often inherently related to the manufacturing methods and cannot be independently locally designed along all length scales. This study combines light‐based additive manufacturing and bottom‐up light‐induced self‐assembly (LISA) sol‐gel chemistry to engineer hierarchically structured porous silica from the nanoscale to the macroscopic object geometry. A LISA‐based printing solution that enables printing of ordered mesoporous silica with geometrically complex shapes by using a commercially available digital light processing (DLP)‐based 3D printer is presented. This approach exploits the self‐assembly process of block copolymer mesopore templates, such as Pluronic P123, and hydrolysis and condensation of silica precursors upon irradiation in the 3D printer to shape mesoporous silica objects. Furthermore, different resins are added to the LISA solution to print 3D silica‐resin objects. Mesoporous silica objects up to 10 mm in size, consisting of ordered mesopores with diameters around 5 nm and having high specific surface areas of ≈400 m2 g−1 are successfully printed with a fast and easy post‐processing.
Dimensional Upgrade Induced Enriched Active Sites and Intensified Intramolecular Electron Donor–Acceptor Interaction to Boost Oxygen Reduction Electrocatalysis
Authors: Cheng Ruiqi , Ran Biao , Zhang Xinlong , Han Yilin , Shao Xichen , Li Huanxin , Fu Chaopeng
Published: June 2024

Conjugated 2D covalent organic frameworks (2D‐COFs) have garnered interest as potential cost‐efficient noble‐metal‐free electrocatalysts, owing to their structural flexibility, well‐defined molecular architecture, high compatibility, and environmental sustainability. However, their suboptimal activity, primarily attributed to their low active site utilization and limited electron transfer ability, considerably impedes their implementation in real‐world electrocatalytic systems. Herein, the molecular dimensionality of a 2D‐COF containing tris‐triazine ring (2D‐Tr‐COF) is upgraded to generate its 3D counterpart (3D‐Tr‐COF), enabling a direct comparison between 2D‐ and 3D‐ COFs. These findings reveal that slightly altering the spatial structure in plane (from 2D to 3D) by substituting amine building blocks leads to significant variations in molecular architecture and performance for oxygen reduction reaction. The results indicate that 3D‐Tr‐COF with enlarged lattice spacing, more active species, and reduced conjugated degree, possesses enriched active sites. Moreover, the intensified intramolecular electron donor–acceptor interaction between the tris‐triazine ring and its neighboring imino linkage of 3D‐Tr‐COF optimizes the electronic/band structure and facilitates the charge transfer, resulting in enhanced intrinsic activity compared to 2D‐Tr‐COF. The extensively optimized 3D‐Tr‐COF demonstrates a half‐wave potential of 0.833 V, on par with the state‐of‐the‐art Pt/C. These findings offer valuable insights into dimension modulation strategies for COF‐based electrocatalyst designing.
Pathogen‐Mimicking Nanoparticles Based on Rigid Nanomaterials as an Efficient Subunit Vaccine Delivery System for Intranasal Immunization
Authors: Wan Hongping , Deng Kai , Huang Zhengqun , Yang Yunhan , Jing Bo , Feng Yumei , Li Yuanfeng , Liu Yong , Lu Mingqin , Zhao Xinghong
Published: June 2024

Despite the safety profile of subunit vaccines, the inferior immunogenicity hinders their application in the nasal cavity. This study introduces a novel antigen delivery and adjuvant system utilizing mucoadhesive chitosan–catechol (Chic) on silica spiky nanoparticles (Ssp) to enhance immunity through multiple mechanisms. The Chic functionalizes the Ssp surface and incorporates with SARS‐CoV‐2 spike protein receptor‐binding domain (RBD) and toll‐like receptor (TLR)9 agonist unmethylated cytosine‐guanine (CpG) motif, forming uniform virus‐like nanoparticles (Ssp‐Chic‐RBD‐CpG) via electrostatic and covalent interactions. Ssp‐Chic‐RBD‐CpG, mimicking the morphology and function of inactive virions, effectively prolongs the retention time of RBD in the nasal mucosa by 3.92‐fold compared to RBD alone, enhances the maturation of dendritic cells (DCs), and facilitates the antigen trafficking to the draining lymph nodes, which subsequently induces a stronger mucosal immunity. Mechanistically, the enhanced chemokine chemokine (C‐C motif) ligand 20 (CCL20)‐driven DCs recruitment and maturation by Ssp‐Chic‐RBD‐CpG are evidenced by a cell co‐culture model. In addition, the overexpression of TLR4/9 and activation of MYD88/NF‐κB signaling pathway in activation of DCs are observed. Proof of principle is obtained for RBD, but similar delivery mechanisms can be applied in other protein‐based subunit vaccines as well when intranasal administration is needed.
On the Influence of Fabrication Methods and Materials for mRNA‐LNP Production: From Size and Morphology to Internal Structure and mRNA Delivery Performance In Vitro and In Vivo
Authors: Bi Dongdong , Wilhelmy Christoph , Unthan Dennis , Keil Isabell Sofia , Zhao Bonan , Kolb Bastian , Koning Roman I. , Graewert Melissa A. , Wouters Bert , Zwier Raphaël , Bussmann Jeroen , Hankemeier Thomas , Diken Mustafa , Haas Heinrich , Langguth Peter , Barz Matthias , Zhang Heyang
Published: June 2024

Lipid nanoparticle (LNP) remains the most advanced platform for messenger RNA (mRNA) delivery. To date, mRNA LNPs synthesis is mostly performed by mixing lipids and mRNA with microfluidics. In this study, a cost‐effective microfluidic setup for synthesizing mRNA LNPs is developed. It allows to fine‐tune the LNPs characteristics without compromising LNP properties. It is compared with a commercial device (NanoAssemblr) and ethanol injection and the influence of manufacturing conditions on the performance of mRNA LNPs is investigated. LNPs prepared by ethanol injection exhibit broader size distributions and more inhomogeneous internal structure (e.g., bleb‐like substructures), while other LNPs show uniform structure with dense cores. Small angel X‐ray scattering (SAXS) data indicate a tighter interaction between mRNA and lipids within LNPs synthesized by custom device, compared to LNPs produced by NanoAssemblr. Interestingly, the better transfection efficiency of polysarcosine (pSar)‐modified LNPs correlates with a higher surface roughness than that of PEGylated ones. The manufacturing approach, however, shows modest influence on mRNA expression in vivo. In summary, the home‐developed cost‐effective microfluidic device can synthesize LNPs and represents a potent alternative to NanoAssemblr. The preparation methods show notable effect on LNPs’ structure but a minor influence on mRNA delivery in vitro and in vivo.
Live‐Cell Imaging of MicroRNA Expression via Photoinduced Electron Transfer Controlled by Catalytic Hairpin Assembly
Authors: Na Hyebin , Koo Bon Il , Park Jae Chul , Lim Jiwoo , Kim Yoosik , Chung Hyun Jung , Nam Yoon Sung
Published: June 2024

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) serve as emerging biomarkers for a range of diseases, and their quantitative analysis draws increasing attention. Yet, current invasive methods limit continuous tracking within living cells. To overcome this, a nonenzymatic DNA‐based nanoprobe is developed for dynamic, noninvasive miRNA tracking via live‐cell imaging. This probe features a unique hairpin DNA structure with five guanines that act as internal quenchers, suppressing fluorescence from an attached fluorophore via photoinduced electron transfer. Target miRNA initiates toehold‐mediated strand displacement, restoring, and amplifying the fluorescence signal. Additionally, by introducing a single mismatch to the hairpin DNA, the nanoprobe's sensitivity is significantly enhanced, lowering the detection limit to about 60 pM without compromising specificity. To optimize intracellular delivery for prolonged monitoring, the nanoprobe is encapsulated within multilamellar lipid nanovesicles, fluorescently labeled for dual‐wavelength ratiometric analysis. The proposed nanoprobe demonstrates a significant advance in live‐cell miRNA detection, promising enhanced in situ analysis for a better understanding of miRNAs’ pathophysiological function.
Immobilized Multi‐Enzyme/Nanozyme Biomimetic Cascade Catalysis for Biosensing Applications
Authors: Cai Xiaoli , Huang Yuteng , Zhu Chengzhou
Published: June 2024

Multiple enzyme‐induced cascade catalysis has an indispensable role in the process of complex life activities, and is widely used to construct robust biosensors for analyzing various targets. The immobilized multi‐enzyme cascade catalysis system is a novel biomimetic catalysis strategy that immobilizes various enzymes with different functions in stable carriers to simulate the synergistic catalysis of multiple enzymes in biological systems, which enables high stability of enzymes and efficiency enzymatic cascade catalysis. Nanozymes, a type of nanomaterial with intrinsic enzyme‐like characteristics and excellent stabilities, are also widely applied instead of enzymes to construct immobilized cascade systems, achieving better catalytic performance and reaction stability. Due to good stability, reusability, and remarkably high efficiency, the immobilized multi‐enzyme/nanozyme biomimetic cascade catalysis systems show distinct advantages in promoting signal transduction and amplification, thereby attracting vast research interest in biosensing applications. This review focuses on the research progress of the immobilized multi‐enzyme/nanozyme biomimetic cascade catalysis systems in recent years. The construction approaches, factors affecting the efficiency, and applications for sensitive biosensing are discussed in detail. Further, their challenges and outlooks for future study are also provided.
Dark Current in Broadband Perovskite–Organic Heterojunction Photodetectors Controlled by Interfacial Energy Band Offset
Authors: Nodari Davide , Hart Lucy J. F. , Sandberg Oskar J. , Furlan Francesco , Angela Edoardo , Panidi Julianna , Qiao Zhuoran , McLachlan Martyn A. , Barnes Piers R. F. , Durrant James R. , Ardalan Armin , Gasparini Nicola
Published: June 2024

Lead halide perovskite and organic semiconductors are promising classes of materials for photodetector (PD) applications. State‐of‐the‐art perovskite PDs have performance metrics exceeding silicon PDs in the visible. While organic semiconductors offer bandgap tunability due to their chemical design with detection extended into the near‐infrared (NIR), perovskites are limited to the visible band and the first fraction of the NIR spectrum. In this work, perovskite–organic heterojunction (POH) PDs with absorption up to 950 nm are designed by the dual contribution of perovskite and the donor:acceptor bulk‐heterojunction (BHJ), without any intermediate layer. The effect of the energetics of the donor materials is systematically studied on the dark current (Jd) of the device by using the PBDB‐T polymer family. Combining the experimental results with drift‐diffusion simulations, it is shown that Jd in POH devices is limited by thermal generation via deep trap states in the BHJ. Thus, the best performance is obtained for the PM7‐based POH, which delivers an ultra‐low noise current of 2 × 10−14 A Hz−1/2 and high specific detectivity of 4.7 × 1012 Jones in the NIR. Last, the application of the PM7‐based POH devices as NIR pulse oximeter with high‐accuracy heartbeat monitoring at long‐distance of 2 meters is demonstrated.