The effect of fine grits and fine debris concentrations on the MLVSS/MLSS ratio of an activated sludge system.

This study embarks on an explorative investigation into the effects of typical concentrations and varying particle sizes of fine grits (FG, the involatile portion of suspended solids) and fine debris (FD, the volatile yet unbiodegradable fraction of suspended solids) within the influent on the mixed liquor volatile suspended solids (MLVSS)/mixed liquor suspended solids (MLSS) ratio of an activated sludge system. Through meticulous experimentation, it was discerned that the addition of FG or FD, the particle size of FG, and the concentration of FD bore no substantial impact on the pollutant removal efficiency (denoted by the removal rate of COD and ammonia nitrogen) under constant operational conditions. However, a notable decrease in the MLVSS/MLSS ratio was observed with a typical FG concentration of 20 mg/L, with smaller FG particle sizes exacerbating this reduction. Additionally, variations in FD concentrations influenced both MLSS and MLVSS/MLSS ratios; a higher FD concentration led to an increased MLSS and a reduced MLVSS/MLSS ratio, indicating FD accumulation in the system. A predictive model for MLVSS/MLSS was constructed based on quality balance calculations, offering a tool for foreseeing the MLVSS/MLSS ratio under stable long-term influent conditions of FG and FD. This model, validated using data from the BXH wastewater treatment plant (WWTP), showcased remarkable accuracy.

Reference Twice: A Simple and Unified Baseline for Few-Shot Instance Segmentation.

Few-Shot Instance Segmentation (FSIS) requires detecting and segmenting novel classes with limited support examples. Existing methods based on Region Proposal Networks (RPNs) face two issues: 1) Overfitting suppresses novel class objects; 2) Dual-branch models require complex spatial correlation strategies to prevent spatial information loss when generating class prototypes. We introduce a unified framework, Reference Twice (RefT), to exploit the relationship between support and query features for FSIS and related tasks. Our three main contributions are: 1) A novel transformer-based baseline that avoids overfitting, offering a new direction for FSIS; 2) Demonstrating that support object queries encode key factors after base training, allowing query features to be enhanced twice at both feature and query levels using simple cross-attention, thus avoiding complex spatial correlation interaction; 3) Introducing a class-enhanced base knowledge distillation loss to address the issue of DETR-like models struggling with incremental settings due to the input projection layer, enabling easy extension to incremental FSIS. Extensive experimental evaluations on the COCO dataset under three FSIS settings demonstrate that our method performs favorably against existing approaches across different shots, e.g., +8.2/ + 9.4 performance gain over state-of-the-art methods with 10/30-shots. Source code and models will be available at this github site.

Increased microgastropoda sampling give new insights into the phylogenetic relationships of Littorinoidea (Littorinimorpha).

Littorinoidea is one of the most diverse radiations and the most successful group that evolutionary transitions from marine to terrestrial within Littorinimorpha. With such an unmatched diversity, few phylogenetic investigations have attempted to understand their evolutionary relationships, and existing research has primarily focused on typical intertidal species. To address this gap, we conducted the first phylogenomic analysis of the Littorinoidea, leveraging 35 transcriptomes to investigate their internal relationships. Our analyses revealed significant revisions necessary within the Littorinoidea: 1) Pomatias appears distantly related to Littorinidae, suggesting a potential ancestral origin outside of Littorinoidea, challenging traditional classification. The homology of penial innervation within Littorinoidea warrants reevaluation. 2) Lacuna's placement indicates a close relationship with Naticidae, prompting consideration for its removal from Littorinidae. 3) Based on the current phylogenetic research, Peasiella may belong to a distinct family separate from Littorinidae. 4) Our findings support revising the placement of Pteropods within the Littorinimorpha, which is situated phylogenetically between the families Littorinoidea and Naticoidea. Additionally, we highlight the impact of site heterogeneity and evolutionary rate variation on phylogenetic inference. Our study provides a robust phylogenomic framework for the Littorinoidea, emphasizing the importance of including microgastropoda taxa in molecular phylogenetic reconstructions of gastropod subgroups.

Enhanced wastewater treatment with an AnF-AAO system for improved internal carbon source utilization.

The main challenge in removing nutrients from municipal wastewater in China is the lack of available carbon sources. While hydrolysis acidification tanks can improve wastewater biodegradability by effectively utilizing internal carbon sources, high sludge concentrations are difficult to control in traditional tank variants. In this study, an innovative anaerobic filter (AnF) hydrolysis acidification reactor composed of a continuously stirred tank reactor (CSTR) and cloth media filter was designed to regulate and maintain high sludge concentrations in the hydrolysis acidifier. The reactor was used as a pretreatment unit for the anaerobic/anoxic/oxic (AAO) units and combined into an AnF-AAO system to explore the effectiveness of internal carbon source utilization in wastewater. The results indicate that as the sludge concentration in the hydrolysis acidifier increased, the hydrolysis and acidification processes became more efficient. The optimal sludge concentration was 40 g/L, which significantly increased the production of soluble chemical oxygen demand and volatile fatty acids. Above this concentration, the efficiency decreased. Compared to traditional AAO processes, the AnF-AAO system achieved superior total nitrogen and phosphorus removal with shorter hydraulic retention times and reduced sludge production by a significant amount of 35%. Due to its capacity for enhancing internal carbon source utilization, the AnF-AAO system constitutes a promising approach for sustainable urban wastewater treatment.

Spatiotemporal single-cell analysis decodes cellular dynamics underlying different responses to immunotherapy in colorectal cancer.

Expanding the efficacy of immune checkpoint blockade (ICB) in colorectal cancer (CRC) presses for a comprehensive understanding of treatment responsiveness. Here, we analyze multiple sequential single-cell samples from 22 patients undergoing PD-1 blockade to map the evolution of local and systemic immunity of CRC patients. In tumors, we identify coordinated cellular programs exhibiting distinct response associations. Specifically, exhausted T (Tex) or tumor-reactive-like CD8+ T (Ttr-like) cells are closely related to treatment efficacy, and Tex cells show correlated proportion changes with multiple other tumor-enriched cell types following PD-1 blockade. In addition, we reveal the less-exhausted phenotype of blood-associated Ttr-like cells in tumors and find that their higher abundance suggests better treatment outcomes. Finally, a higher major histocompatibility complex (MHC) II-related signature in circulating CD8+ T cells at baseline is linked to superior responses. Our study provides insights into the spatiotemporal cellular dynamics following neoadjuvant PD-1 blockade in CRC.

Effectiveness of cloth media filters on mitigating membrane fouling in anaerobic filter membrane bioreactors.

Membrane fouling is a persistent challenge that has impeded the broader application of anaerobic membrane bioreactors (AnMBRs). To mitigate membrane fouling, between the outlet of the UASB anaerobic bioreactor and the PVDF membrane to form the anaerobic filter membrane bioreactor (AnFMBR) system. Through comprehensive experiments, the optimal pore size for cloth filters was determined to be 50 µm. A comprehensive assessment over 140 days of operation shows that the novel AnFMBR had significantly greater resistance to membrane pollution than the traditional AnMBR. The AnFMBR system membrane tank exhibited lower mixed liquor suspended solid and mixed liquor volatile suspended solid concentrations, smaller sludge particle sizes, increased hydrophilicity of sludge flocs, and optimized microbial community distribution compared to those of conventional AnMBRs. The total solids foulant accumulation rate in the AnMBR was 5.1 g/m2/day, while in the AnFMBR, the rate was 2.4 g/m2/day, marking a 53.7 % decrease in fouling rate for the AnFMBR compared with the AnMBR. This decrease indicates that integrating the filtration assembly significantly lowered the rate of solid foulant accumulation on the membrane surface, primarily by controlling the buildup of solid foulants in the cake layer, thereby alleviating membrane fouling. AnFMBR compared to AnMBR, the membrane fouling rate halved, effectively doubled the interval between membrane cleaning from seven days, as observed in the AnMBR system, to fourteen days. These findings underscore the potential of integrating cloth media filters into AnMBRs to improve operational efficiency, economic viability, and sustainability.

Smoking Timing, Healthy Diet, and Risk of Incident CKD Among Smokers: Findings From UK Biobank.

RATIONALE & OBJECTIVE: While smoking is a recognized risk factor for chronic kidney disease (CKD), the relationship between the time smoking is initiated after awakening each day and CKD remains largely unstudied. This study examined the association between this timing and the risk of CKD, and the potential interactions of smoking timing with other risk factors for the occurrence of CKD. STUDY DESIGN: Observational cohort study. SETTING & PARTICIPANTS: A total of 32,776 participants in the UK Biobank with complete data on the time from waking to the first cigarette and free of prevalent CKD were included. EXPOSURE: Time from waking to the first cigarette. OUTCOME: Incident CKD cases. ANALYTICAL APPROACH: Cox proportional hazards regression was used to investigate the associations between the time smoking is initiated each day and the risk of CKD. The potential interactions of smoking timing with risk factors in relationship to CKD risk were assessed on both multiplicative and additive scales. RESULTS: During a median follow-up of 12 years, 940 incident CKD cases occurred. Shorter durations of time from waking to the first cigarette were associated with a higher risk of incident CKD (P-trend=0.01). Compared to >120 minutes, the adjusted hazard ratio (HR) associated with smoking timing was 1.28 (95% CI: 0.92-1.80) for 61-120 minutes, 1.48 (95% CI: 1.11-1.96) for 30-60 minutes, 1.36 (95% CI: 1.01-1.88) for 5-15 minutes, and 1.70 (95% CI: 1.22-2.37) for <5 minutes, respectively. Furthermore, there was a significant additive interaction and multiplicative interactions between the timing of smoking and a healthy diet score (P for additive interaction=0.01, P for multiplicative interaction=0.004). LIMITATIONS: Generalizability; Possible residual confounding limiting causal inference. CONCLUSION: These findings reveal a significant association between the shorter time from waking to the first cigarette and a higher CKD risk. The magnitude of these associations were greater in the setting of an unhealthy diet.

First record of the genus Conotalopia Iredale, 1929 (Vetigastropoda, Trochidae) in China.

Background: The genus Conotalopia Iredale, 1929 consisting of marine trochids, primarily inhabits the intertidal zone. Globally, eight recent species have been documented, all of which occur in the Pacific Region. The genus has not previously been recorded from Chinese seas. New information: This study fills a knowledge gap by reporting, for the first time, the presence of the trochid genus Conotalopia Iredale, 1929 in China. Specifically, Conotalopiasematensis (Oyama, 1942) was detailed using morphological characteristics derived from the shell (Fig. 1A-F and H-I), operculum (Fig. 1G) and radula (Fig. 1J-L). Additionally, this study introduces comprehensive scanning electron microscope illustrations and molecular data, contributing valuable taxonomic information for the first time.

Effects of genetically proxied lipid-lowering drugs on acute myocardial infarction: a drug-target mendelian randomization study.

OBJECTIVE: High low-density-lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol has been associated with an increased risk of coronary artery diseases (CAD) including acute myocardial infarction (AMI). However, whether lipids lowering drug treatment is causally associated with decreased risk of AMI remains largely unknown. We used Mendelian randomization (MR) to evaluate the influence of genetic variation affecting the function of lipid-lowering drug targets on AMI. METHODS: Single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) associated with lipids as instruments were extracted from the Global Lipids Genetics Consortium (GLGC). The genome-wide association study (GWAS) data for AMI were obtained from UK Biobank. Two sample MR analysis was used to study the associations between high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol, and triglycerides (TG) with AMI (n = 3,927). Genetic variants associated with LDL cholesterol at or near drug target gene were used to mimic drug effects on the AMI events in drug target MR. RESULTS: Genetically predicted higher LDL-C (per one SD increase in LDL-C of 38.67 mg/dL, OR 1.006, 95% CI 1.004-1.007) and TG (per one SD increase in TG of 90.72 mg/dL, 1.004, 1.002-1.006) was associated with increased risk of AMI, but decreased risk for higher HDL-C (per one SD increase in HDL-C of 15.51 mg/dL, 0.997, 0.995-0.999) in univariable MR. Association remained significant for LDL-C, but attenuated toward the null for HDL-C and TG in multivariable MR. Genetically proxied lower LDL-C with genetic variants at or near the PCSK9 region (drug target of evolocumab) and NPC1L1 (drug target of ezetimibe) were associated with decreased risk of AMI (0.997, 0.994-0.999 and 0.986, 0.975-0.998, respectively), whereas genetic variants at HMGCR region (drug target of statin) showed marginal association with AMI (0.995, 0.990-1.000). After excluding drug target-related SNPs, LDL-C related SNPs outside the drug target region remained a causal effect on AMI (0.994, 0.993-0.996). CONCLUSIONS: The findings suggest that genetically predicted LDL-C may play a predominant role in the development of AMI. The drug MR results imply that ezetimibe and evolocumab may decrease the risk of AMI due to their LDL-C lowering effect, and there are other non-drug related lipid lowering pathways that may be causally linked to AMI.

Loneliness, social isolation and incident chronic kidney disease among patients with diabetes.

Background: Individuals with diabetes have a significantly higher risk of developing chronic kidney disease (CKD) and higher levels of social isolation and loneliness compared with those without diabetes. Recently, the American Heart Association highlighted the importance of considering social determinants of health (SDOH) in conjunction with traditional risk factors in patients with diabetes. Aims: To investigate the associations of loneliness and social isolation with incident CKD risk in patients with diabetes in the UK Biobank. Methods: A total of 18 972 patients with diabetes were included in this prospective study. Loneliness and Social Isolation Scales were created based on self-reported factors. An adjusted Cox proportional hazard model was used to investigate the associations of loneliness and social isolation with CKD risk among patients with diabetes. The relative importance in predicting CKD was also calculated alongside traditional risk factors. Results: During a median follow-up of 10.8 years, 1127 incident CKD cases were reported. A higher loneliness scale, but not social isolation, was significantly associated with a 25% higher risk of CKD, independent of traditional risk factors, among patients with diabetes. Among the individual loneliness factors, the sense of feeling lonely emerged as the primary contributing factor to the elevated risk of CKD. Compared with individuals not experiencing feelings of loneliness, those who felt lonely exhibited a 22% increased likelihood of developing CKD. In addition, feeling lonely demonstrated greater relative importance of predicting CKD compared with traditional risk factors such as body mass index, smoking, physical activity and diet. Conclusions: This study indicates the significant relationship between loneliness and CKD risk among patients with diabetes, highlighting the need to address SDOH in preventing CKD in this population.

Social Isolation, Loneliness, and Risk of Microvascular Complications Among Individuals With Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus.

RATIONALE & OBJECTIVE: Social disconnection has been associated with poor cardiometabolic health. This study sought to investigate the associations of social isolation and loneliness with diabetic microvascular complications (DMC) among individuals with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) and compare these associations to those related to traditional risk factors. STUDY DESIGN: Prospective cohort study. SETTING & PARTICIPANTS: A total of 24,297 UK Biobank participants with T2DM and no DMC at baseline. EXPOSURE: Social isolation and loneliness measured using self-reported questionnaires. OUTCOME: The incidence of DMC defined as a composite of diabetic kidney disease, diabetic retinopathy, or diabetic neuropathy. ANALYTICAL APPROACH: Multivariable cause-specific hazards regression. To compare the relative importance of social disconnection with other established factors, the R2 values of the Cox models were calculated. RESULTS: During a median follow-up of 12.6 years, 5,530 patients were documented to develop DMC (3,458 with diabetic kidney disease, 2,255 with diabetic retinopathy, and 1,146 with diabetic neuropathy). The highest level of social isolation was associated with an increased risk of any DMC component (most vs. least: HR: 1.13; 95% CI: 1.05-1.22), especially diabetic kidney disease (HR: 1.14, 95% CI: 1.04-1.25) and neuropathy (HR: 1.31, 95% CI: 1.11-1.53). Any level of loneliness was associated with an increased risk of any DMC component (HR: 1.12; 95% CI: 1.02-1.23) and diabetic kidney disease (HR: 1.16, 95% CI: 1.03-1.30). Social isolation and loneliness exhibited associations with DMC comparable to other conventional risk factors including smoking, blood pressure, and physical activity. LIMITATIONS: Limited generalizability related to the composition of participants in the UK Biobank Study. CONCLUSIONS: Social isolation and loneliness were independently associated with a higher risk of incident DMC among individuals with T2DM, with comparable importance to other traditional risk factors. These findings underscore social isolation and loneliness as novel and potentially modifiable risk factors for DMC.

A Multi-Interface Structure of Graphdiyne/Cobalt Oxides for Chlorine Production.

A challenge facing the chlor-alkali process is the lack of electrocatalyst with high activity and selectivity for the efficient industrial production of chlorine. Herein the authors report a new electrocatalyst that can generate multi-interface structure by in situ growth of graphdiyne on the surface of cobalt oxides (GDY/Co3O4), which shows great potential in highly selective and efficient chlorine production. This result is due to the strong electron transfer and high density charge transport between GDY and Co3O4 and the interconversion of the mixed valence states of the Co atoms itself. These intrinsic characteristics efficiently enhance the conductivity of the catalyst, facilitate the reaction kinetics, and improve the overall catalytic selectivity and activity. Besides, the protective effect of the formed GDY layer is remarkable endowing the catalyst with excellent stability. The catalyst can selectively produce chlorine in low-concentration of NaCl aqueous solution at room temperature and pressure with the highest Faraday efficiency of 80.67% and an active chlorine yield rate of 184.40 mg h-1 cm-2, as well as superior long-term stability.

Genetically determined blood pressure, antihypertensive drug classes, and frailty: A Mendelian randomization study.

Observational studies have suggested that the use of antihypertensive drugs was associated with the risk of frailty; however, these findings may be biased by confounding and reverse causality. This study aimed to explore the effect of genetically predicted lifelong lowering blood pressure (BP) through different antihypertensive medications on frailty. One-sample Mendelian randomization (MR) and summary data-based MR (SMR) were applied. We utilized two kinds of genetic instruments to proxy the antihypertensive medications, including genetic variants within or nearby drugs target genes associated with systolic/diastolic BP, and expression level of the corresponding gene. Among 298,618 UK Biobank participants, one-sample MR analysis observed that genetically proxied BB use (relative risk ratios, 0.76; 95% CI, 0.65-0.90; p = 0.001) and CCB use (0.83; 0.72-0.95; p = 0.007), equivalent to a 10-mm Hg reduction in systolic BP, was significantly associated with lower risk of pre-frailty. In addition, although not statistically significant, the effect directions of systolic BP through ACEi variants (0.72; 0.39-1.33; p = 0.296) or thiazides variants (0.74; 0.53-1.03; p = 0.072) on pre-frailty were also protective. Similar results were obtained in analyses for diastolic BP. SMR of expression in artery showed that decreased expression level of KCNH2, a target gene of BBs, was associated with lower frailty index (beta -0.02, p = 2.87 × 10-4). This MR analysis found evidence that the use of BBs and CCBs was potentially associated with reduced frailty risk in the general population, and identified KCNH2 as a promising target for further clinical trials to prevent manifestations of frailty.

Analyzing greenhouse gas emissions and influencing factors of 247 actual wastewater treatment plants in China using emission factor and operational data integrated methods (ODIM).

In response to China's policies on pollution control and carbon emission (CE) reductions, more stringent regulations have been implemented to evaluate CE in wastewater treatment facilities. In this study, we have analyzed CE from China's wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) and influencing factor. Emission factor (EF) and operational data integrated methods (ODIM) were utilized to measure emissions, using data collected from 247 WWTPs over a 1-year period across seven regions in China. The average CE intensity was 0.45 kgCO2-eq/m3, affected by region, season, influent water quality, treatment processes, effluent discharge standards, and facilities. The scale effect was obvious only in the range of 2 × 105 m3/day. Underground WWTPs exhibited significantly higher CE compared to aboveground WWTPs. In summary, the assessment of CE in 247 actual WWTPs not only identifies emission reduction potential but also provides a scientific basis for formulating targeted emission reduction measures.

Highly efficient hydrodesulfurization driven by an in-situ reconstruction of ammonium/amine intercalated MoS2 catalysts.

Hydrodesulfurization (HDS) is a commonly used route for producing clean fuels in modern refinery. Herein, ammonium/amine-intercalated MoS2 catalysts with various content of 1T phase and S vacancies have been successfully synthesized. Along with the increment of 1T phase and S vacancies of MoS2, the initial reaction rate of the HDS of dibenzothiophene (DBT) can be improved from 0.09 to 0.55 µmol·gcat-1·s-1, accounting for a remarkable activity compared to the-state-of-the-art catalysts. In a combinatory study via the activity evaluation and catalysts characterization, we found that the intercalation species of MoS2 played a key role in generating more 1T phase and S vacancies through the 'intercalation-deintercalation' processes, and the hydrogenation and desulfurization of HDS can be significantly promoted by 1T phase and S vacancies on MoS2, respectively. This study provides a practically meaningful guidance for developing more advanced HDS catalysts by the intercalated MoS2-derived materials with an in-depth understanding of structure-function relationships.

Association between age, gender, and oral traumatic ulcerative lesions: a retrospective study.

BACKGROUND: Oral traumatic ulcerative lesions (OTUL) are commonly encountered in clinical practice, yet there is limited research on their clinical characteristics and traumatic etiological factors. This retrospective study aimed to analyze the age, gender, clinical characteristics, and traumatic etiological factors in a large cohort of patients with OTUL and provide valuable insights for dental clinicians to optimize patient care and prevention strategies. METHODS: A total of 1543 patients with OTUL were enrolled in this study. Age, gender, medical history, clinical characteristics and traumatic etiological factors were collected and analyzed. Logistic regression analysis was performed to determine the significance of age and gender as factors related to OTUL. RESULTS: The study revealed significant variations in clinical characteristics and traumatic etiological factors among different age groups and between genders. Logistic regression analysis demonstrated that both age and gender were significant factors related to OTUL. CONCLUSION: The clinical characteristics of OTUL and traumatic etiological factors appear to be significantly different according to age and gender. More targeted prevention strategies should be implemented for all age and gender groups.

An Unprecedented [BO2]-Based Deep-Ultraviolet Transparent Nonlinear Optical Crystal by Superhalogen Substitution.

Solid-state structures with the superhalogen [BO2]- have thus far only been observed with a few compounds whose syntheses require high reaction temperatures and complicated procedures, while their optical properties remain almost completely unexplored. Herein, we report a facile, energy-efficient synthesis of the first [BO2]-based deep-ultraviolet (deep-UV) transparent oxide K9[B4O5(OH)4]3(CO3)(BO2) ⋅ 7H2O (KBCOB). Detailed structural characterization and analysis confirm that KBCOB possesses a rare four-in-one three-dimensional quasi-honeycomb framework, with three π-conjugated anions ([BO2]-, [BO3]3-, and [CO3]2-) and one non-π-conjugated anion ([BO4]5-) in the one crystal. The evolution from the traditional halogenated nonlinear optical (NLO) analogues to KBCOB by superhalogen [BO2]- substitution confers deep-UV transparency (<190 nm), a large second-harmonic generation response (1.0×KH2PO4 @ 1064 nm), and a 15-fold increase in birefringence. This study affords a new route to the facile synthesis of functional [BO2]-based oxides, paving the way for the development of next-generation high-performing deep-UV NLO materials.

The EAT-Lancet Diet Index, Plasma Proteins, and Risk of Heart Failure in a Population-Based Cohort.

BACKGROUND: The landmark EAT-Lancet Commission proposed that a planetary health diet is comprised mainly of plant-based foods. However, studies examining whether this diet is associated with heart failure (HF) are currently lacking. In addition, the potential proteomics mechanism on the association between diet and HF warrants further elucidation. OBJECTIVES: This study aims to both examine the association between the EAT-Lancet diet index and risk of HF and identify plasma proteins underlying such an association. METHODS: This prospective cohort study included 23,260 participants. HF cases during the follow-up were identified through the Swedish national register. An EAT-Lancet diet index (score range: 0-42) was created to assess adherence to the EAT-Lancet reference diet. In a subcohort (n = 4,742), fasting plasma proteins were quantified. RESULTS: During a median follow-up of 25.0 years, 1,768 incident HF cases were documented. After adjusting for sociodemographic, lifestyle, diabetes, hypertension, use of lipid-lowering drugs, and body mass index, the HR per 3-point increase of the EAT-Lancet diet index was 0.93 (95% CI: 0.88-0.97). This association was robust in several sensitivity analyses. Among the included 136 plasma proteins, a total of 8 proteins (AM, GDF15, IL-6, TIM, CTSD, CCL20, FS, and FUR) were both inversely associated with the EAT-Lancet diet index and positively associated with risk of HF; the overall proteomic score mediated 9.4% (95% CI: 2.2%-32.1%) of the association. CONCLUSIONS: Higher adherence to the EAT-Lancet diet was associated with a lower risk of HF. The identified eight plasma proteins provide information on potential pathways mediating such an association.

1.55 µm wavelength band photonic crystal surface emitting laser with n-side photonic crystal and operation at up to 85 °C.

We describe the structure, fabrication, and measured performance of a 1543 nm wavelength photonic crystal surface emitting laser. An asymmetric double lattice design was used to achieve single mode lasing with side mode suppression ratios >40 dB. The photonic crystal was formed using encapsulated air holes in an n-doped InGaAsP layer with an InGaAlAs active layer then grown above it. In this way a laser with a low series resistance of 0.32 Ω capable of pulsed output powers of 171 mW at 25 °C and 40 mW at 85 °C was demonstrated.