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Background The association between non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) and osteoarthritis (OA) has not been well elucidated. The aim of the present study was to investigate the association between NAFLD and OA in the US adults. Methods A cross-sectional study was performed on participants in the 2017–2018 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) cycle. NAFLD was defined by the vibration-controlled transient elastography. The diagnosis of OA was based on self-reported data. Weighted multiple logistic regression models and stratified analyses were performed to explore the relationship and verify the stability of the conclusions. Sensitivity analysis using multiple imputation for missing data and propensity score matching (PSM) were performed. Results In total, 2622 participants [Male: 1260 (47.8%)] were included in this study with a mean age of 48.1 years old (95% CI, 46.6–49.6 years old), containing 317 (12.8%) OA patients and 1140 NAFLD patients (41.5%). A logistic regression indicated a significant association between NAFLD and OA without adjustment [odds ratio (OR) = 2.05; 95% CI, 1.52–2.78]. The association remained stable after adjustment for covariates (OR = 1.72; 95% CI, 1.26–2.34). Sensitivity analysis of missing data with multiple interpolation and PSM found similar results. A significant and consistent association of NAFLD with OA was still observed in each subgroup stratified by age and metabolic syndrome (MetS). Stratified by sex, obesity, and sensitivity c-reactive protein (hs-CRP) category, a statistically significant association was only shown in females, those without obesity, and those without hyper hs-CRP. The results illustrated that the relationship between NAFLD and OA was stable in all subgroups and had no interaction. Conclusions NAFLD was positively correlated with OA. Given the current pandemic of NAFLD and OA, clinicians should screen for NAFLD in arthritis patients and intervene early.

Environment-friendly concrete is gaining popularity these days because it consumes less energy and causes less damage to the environment. Rapid increases in the population and demand for construction throughout the world lead to a significant deterioration or reduction in natural resources. Meanwhile, construction waste continues to grow at a high rate as older buildings are destroyed and demolished. As a result, the use of recycled materials may contribute to improving the quality of life and preventing environmental damage. Additionally, the application of recycled coarse aggregate (RCA) in concrete is essential for minimizing environmental issues. The compressive strength (CS) and splitting tensile strength (STS) of concrete containing RCA are predicted in this article using decision tree (DT) and AdaBoost machine learning (ML) techniques. A total of 344 data points with nine input variables (water, cement, fine aggregate, natural coarse aggregate, RCA, superplasticizers, water absorption of RCA and maximum size of RCA, density of RCA) were used to run the models. The data was validated using k-fold cross-validation and the coefficient correlation coefficient (R2), mean square error (MSE), mean absolute error (MAE), and root mean square error values (RMSE). However, the model’s performance was assessed using statistical checks. Additionally, sensitivity analysis was used to determine the impact of each variable on the forecasting of mechanical properties.

Ultra-high temperature ceramics (UHTCs) are generally referred to the carbides, nitrides, and borides of the transition metals, with the Group IVB compounds (Zr & Hf) and TaC as the main focus. The UHTCs are endowed with ultra-high melting points, excellent mechanical properties, and ablation resistance at elevated temperatures. These unique combinations of properties make them promising materials for extremely environmental structural applications in rocket and hypersonic vehicles, particularly nozzles, leading edges, and engine components, etc. In addition to bulk UHTCs, UHTC coatings and fiber reinforced UHTC composites are extensively developed and applied to avoid the intrinsic brittleness and poor thermal shock resistance of bulk ceramics. Recently, highentropy UHTCs are developed rapidly and attract a lot of attention as an emerging direction for ultra-high temperature materials. This review presents the state of the art of processing approaches, microstructure design and properties of UHTCs from bulk materials to composites and coatings, as well as the future directions.

Assembly of 3D micro/nanostructures in advanced functional materials has important implications across broad areas of technology. Existing approaches are compatible, however, only with narrow classes of materials and/or 3D geometries. This paper introduces ideas for a form of Kirigami that allows precise, mechanically driven assembly of 3D mesostructures of diverse materials from 2D micro/nanomembranes with strategically designed geometries and patterns of cuts. Theoretical and experimental studies demonstrate applicability of the methods across length scales from macro to nano, in materials ranging from monocrystalline silicon to plastic, with levels of topographical complexity that significantly exceed those that can be achieved using other approaches. A broad set of examples includes 3D silicon mesostructures and hybrid nanomembrane–nanoribbon systems, including heterogeneous combinations with polymers and metals, with critical dimensions that range from 100 nm to 30 mm. A 3D mechanically tunable optical transmission window provides an application example of this Kirigami process, enabled by theoretically guided design.

The aim of this study is to evaluate the relationship between antinuclear antibody (ANA) titer and specificity, as well as the relationship between the number of positive-autoantibodies (AAbs) in antinuclear antibodies (ANAs) and specificity for systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), so as to explore their significance in the diagnosis of SLE. A total of 1297 patients with ANA results was enrolled in this study, including 148 patients with SLE patients. The sensitivity, specificity, sensitive likelihood ratio and specific likelihood ratio of indicators in SLE were determined by receiver–operator characteristic (ROC) curve after measurement of ANA and ANAs by indirect immunofluorescence (IIF) and immunoblotting, respectively. ROC analysis showed that the specificity of ANA titer ≥ 1 +, ≥ 2 + and ≥ 3 + for SLE was estimated to be 81.29%, 90.69% and 96.52% respectively, with a increased titer-specific likelihood ratio (5.16, 9.29 and 19.60, respectively). The specificity of the number of positive-AAbs ≥ 1, ≥ 2 and ≥ 3 in ANAs for SLE was estimated to be 80.42%, 94.95% and 99.3% respectively, with a increased number-specific likelihood ratio (4.8, 15.26 and 72.48, respectively). The estimated sensitivity of the number of positive-AAbs ≥ 3, AnuA and anti-rRNP was higher than that of anti-Sm (p < 0.01) (50.68%, 41.89% and 31.76% vs. 16.89%, respectively), while there was no significant difference in their specificity (99.3%, 99.74% and 99.56% vs. 99.74%, respectively) ( p  > 0.05). High titers of ANA and the presence of multiple AAbs in ANAs are highly specific for SLE and highly suggestive of SLE. The likelihood of SLE can be assessed by ANA titer and the number of positive-AAbs in ANAs.

Rising vehicle Mach numbers urgently necessitate broadband electromagnetic wave (EMW) absorbers capable of operating at even higher temperatures while maintaining environmental durability. However, Current high-temperature EMW absorbing materials face the restriction and temperature-sensitivity of dielectric frequency-dispersion (FD), which often forces reliance on complex macro-structures to broaden effective absorption bandwidth (EAB). Here, inspired by the concept of finite element method, we propose a controlled FD regulation strategy to overcome this by employing multivariate ultra-high temperature ceramic (UHTC) borides with tunable surface oxide thickness. The fabricated material (without structural design) yields a broad EAB of 26.98 GHz at just 2.8 mm thickness, alongside environmental resistance. Crucially, the multivariate polarization remains effective for FD regulation even at 1473 K, enabling our material to harvest an EAB of 10.26 GHz after applying an oxide layer, showing bright application prospects for the stealth of high-speed vehicles. This work proposes multivariate frequency-dispersion regulation approximation under the protection of an oxide layer to overcome the challenge of HT broadband EM wave absorption of monomer ceramics, allowing wide-band absorption from RT up to 1473 K.

Multicomponent Ti‐containing ultra‐high temperature ceramics (UHTCs) have emerged as more promising ablation‐resistant materials than typical UHTCs for applications above 2000 °C. However, the underlying mechanism of Ti improving the ablation performance is still obscure. Here, (Hf,Zr,Ti)B2 coatings are fabricated by supersonic atmospheric plasma spraying, and the effects of Ti content on the ablation performance under an oxyacetylene flame are investigated. The (Hf0.45Zr0.45Ti0.10)B2 coating shows superior ablation resistance and cycling reliability at ≈2200°C. A functionally graded oxide scale comprising an outer dense layer and an underlying fine granular layer formed. The former is a better oxygen barrier owing to fewer cracks and the latter has high strain tolerance due to finer grain size. The uniform dissolving of ≈4 mol% Ti in the inner layer results in grain refinement via sluggish diffusion and thus stress release. For the outer layer, Ti segregation at the nanoscale leads to a metastable cubic (Hf,Zr,Ti)O2 and local severe lattice distortion, inhibiting the propagation of cracks. Ti ions’ unique dissolving in the oxide scale enables a strong oxygen diffusion barrier with high strain tolerance, which is responsible for superior performance. This study provides new insights into the ablation behavior of Ti‐containing multicomponent UHTCs. A functionally graded oxide scale comprising a dense top layer and an underlying fine‐grained layer with a grain size gradient forms on a multicomponent (Hf,Zr,Ti)B2 coating through Ti content optimization. The former is a superior oxygen barrier, and the latter ensures strain tolerance, collectively manifesting the coating's exceptional ablation resistance under severe thermal shock.

Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is an autoimmune disease with unclear etiology. T cell exhaustion (TEX) suppresses the immune response and can be a potential therapeutic strategy for autoimmune diseases. Therefore, this study primarily investigated the mechanism by which TEX influences SLE, offering a novel target for its treatment. GSE72326 and GSE81622 were utilized in this study. TEX related genes (TEX-RGs) were obtained from the published literature. Differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were obtained through differential expression analysis. Subsequently, candidate genes were selected by overlapping DEGs and TEX-RGs. These candidate genes underwent protein-protein interactions (PPIs) analysis for further screening. Machine learning was applied to identify candidate key genes from the PPI-identified genes. The candidate key genes exhibiting an area under the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve (AUC) greater than 0.7, along with consistent expression trends and significant differences in GSE72326 and GSE81622 were defined as biomarkers. Additionally, enrichment analysis, immune infiltration analysis, chemical compounds prediction and molecular docking were carried out. Importantly, the biomarkers were validated for expression by reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR). The biomarkers MX1, LY6E, IFI44 and OASL were screened by overlapping 327 DEGs and 1,408 TEX-RGs. Gene set enrichment analysis (GSEA) showed that there was a significant positive correlation between the expression of these biomarkers and immune-related pathways, such as the NOD-like receptor signaling pathway, Toll-like receptor signaling pathway and RIG-I-like receptor signaling pathway significant positive correlation. The immune infiltration of 8 types of immune cells differed significantly in SLE. Naive B cells, resting memory CD4 T cells and resting NK cells were significantly down-regulated in the SLE group. 4 biomarkers showed the highest correlation with resting memory CD4 T cells. Bisphenol A targeted OASL and LY6E, whereas acetaminophen targeted IFI44 and MX1.The binding activity between the biomarkers and the chemical compounds targeting them was very strong. Finally, RT-qPCR expression of MX1, LY6E, IFI44 and OASL was consistent with the results of the dataset. MX1, LY6E, IFI44 and OASL were identified as biomarkers related to TEX in SLE. These biomarkers could be detected in the blood for early diagnosis of the disease or to monitor the efficacy of the disease treatment, thus providing a new target for the management of SLE.

The inherent brittleness and insufficient thermal shock resistance of ultra‐high temperature ceramic (UHTC) in severe thermal environments (above 2000 °C) remain significant challenges. This characteristic notably shortens their operational lifespan as thermal protective coatings on structural composites in reusable aerospace applications. To address these challenges, a “ceramic self‐toughening strategy” is introduced, aimed at enhancing the plasticity and thermal shock resistance of (Hf─Zr─Ti)C coatings through twin toughening‐driven martensitic transformations in the oxide scale. In this work, the oxidation of (Hf1/2Zr1/4Ti1/4)C and (Hf1/4Zr1/2Ti1/4)C coatings produced Ti‐doped (Hf2/3Zr1/3)O2 and Ti‐doped (Hf1/3Zr2/3)O2, with martensitic transformations initiated by “slip band‐twin transfer” and “stacking fault‐twin transfer”, respectively. The mechanism facilitated the formation of stable, dense, and high‐toughness oxide scales after repeat ablation, and then endowed the prepared coatings with superior repeat ablation resistance than current thermal protective coatings. The findings elucidated the role of martensitic transformation mechanisms of Ti‐doped (Hf, Zr)O2 during repeat ablation, and provided general design guidelines for synergistically controlling the component, microstructure, toughness, and thermal shock resistance of UHTC blocks and UHTC‐modified composites in severe thermal environments. A “ceramic self‐toughening strategy” is introduced for enhancing the plasticity and thermal shock resistance of (Hf─Zr─Ti)C coatings through twin toughening‐driven martensitic transformations in oxide scales. It facilitated the formation of stable, dense, and high‐toughness oxide scales after repeat ablation, and endowed prepared coatings with superior repeat ablation resistance than current thermal protective coatings in severe thermal environments above 2000 °C.

[...]the presence of ANAs has been considered a criterion in classification criteria for SLE such as the American College of Rheumatology (ACR)3 or the Systemic Lupus International Collaborating Clinics (SLICC) criteria set.4 A positive ANA is even required for further consideration for classification in 2019 European League Against Rheumatism (EULAR)/ACR classification criteria for SLE.5 However, the positive rate of ANA in SLE has not been 100% in the majority of studies, no matter which test method is used. Currently, there are few studies on ANA-negative SLE, and the influence of glucocorticoids on ANA detection is not taken into account. [...]the prevalence of ANA-negative SLE without the influence of glucocorticoids is still a controversial place. Furthermore, no new studies in the past decade have detailed the characteristics and possible diagnostic recommendations of ANA-negative SLE in the context of new testing methods. [...]in the present study, we aimed to investigate the prevalence of ANA-negative SLE and their clinical characteristics in a large single-center SLE inception cohort to provide guidance for early diagnosis. According to the instructions, ANA positivity is defined as the presence of nuclear IIF or pure cytoplasmic and mitotic cell patterns (CMPs) staining or mixed nuclear and CMPs staining, at a titer of >1:320 (above laboratory reference range 1:100, and consistent with SLICC SLE classification criteria).