The present study aimed to determine the differences in gut microbiota between patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) and healthy controls (HC) and search for better microbial biomarkers associated with CKD. The 16S rRNA gene sequencing approach was used to investigate the differences in gut microbiota between the CKD and HC groups. The study found that 12 phylotypes were overrepresented in the CKD group and 19 in the HC group at the genus level. Furthermore, genera Lachnospira and Ruminococcus_gnavus performed the best in differentiating between HC and CKD populations. In addition, this novel study found that the genera Holdemanella, Megamonas, Prevotella 2, Dielma, and Scardovia were associated with the progression of CKD and hemodialysis. In conclusion, the composition of gut microbiota was different in CKD populations compared with healthy populations, and Lachnospira and R._gnavus were better microbial biomarkers. In addition, five phylotypes, including Holdemanella, Megamonas, Prevotella2, Dielma, and Scardovia, served as an indicator of the progression of CKD and hemodialysis. However, large-scale prospective studies should be performed to identify the reliability of the set of these phylotypes as biomarkers.

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Highly efficient operation of an Yb:YLuGdCOB compact laser was demonstrated, producing an output power of 14.30 W around 1054 nm, with an optical-to-optical efficiency of 70.0% and a slope efficiency of 81%. In dual-polarization oscillation in an emission range of 1080 − 1085 nm, 11.37 W of output power was generated with a slope efficiency of 76%. Efficient passively Q-switched operation was also realized by incorporating a 2D MoTe2 saturable absorber into the compact resonator, producing a maximum pulsed output power of 1.56 W at 1030 nm at a repetition rate of 481 kHz; while the largest attainable pulse energy, minimum pulse duration, and highest peak power were, respectively, 3.87 μJ, 26.2 ns, and 147.7 W. The pulse width proves to be the shortest, while the peak power is the highest ever reported for solid-state lasers passively Q-switched with 2D saturable absorbers.

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A new Yb-ion laser crystal of Yb0.09Lu0.13Gd0.78Ca4O(BO3)3 was grown by using Czochralski method. The polarized absorption and emission spectra with respect to the three principal optic axes were obtained, with...